Sorry this has taken me so long :D I've been busy and this was a bitch to write and go through, I'm still not happy with it but I hope you enjoy it anyway :D

Next pairings that I might be doing are Maiko, Zutara, SoZu, Jetko, Jinko, and Zuki, I've got a whole lot more planned but these are the ones I'm working on right now.

Post Firebending Masters but before Boiling Rock. The start takes far too long but I felt the need to explain a bit.

:D Enjoy and tell me what you think :D

Ella

Aang/Zuko

Secret Tunnel.

The attack came at the break of dawn, most were still asleep when the first fireball struck the Western Air Temple.

Immediately Toph shot up from her bed, running down the hall to the main open area she met up with Haru. Together the two earthbenders sent a wave of rock at the unwelcome enemy, sending two Fire Nation soldiers flying up and out into the massive ravine below the Air Nomads Temple, and throwing many more firebenders all around the Air Temple, scattering a fair lot of them.

To her left she could feel Katara bending by the fountain, using her water whip amongst others.

Sokka was slamming into soldiers left and right, his meteor sword looking impressive as he wielded the unsheathed weapon.

Aang and Zuko were fighting fire with fire somewhere up ahead of her, with Zuko's firebending skills and Aang's great improvement since visiting the Sun Warriors Temple they were fairing well enough.

Teo and the Duke were bunkered down behind some ridging, throwing bombs of goo at the farthest away Fire Nation soldiers.

But despite all of their best efforts the Fire Lord's troops were gaining ground, even more of them rappelling down to join their regiment, sensing this the young blind earthbender realized it was time to retreat.

Combining their earthbending Haru and Toph built a large wall of rock that they hoped would give everyone just enough time to escape into the Air Temple, seeing this the rest of the group ran inside the ancient structure.

Toph closed the doorway with a wall of rock behind her, hoping to buy just a little more time since the firebenders were already starting to break through her and Haru's makeshift wall.

Each member of the gang swiftly ran to their rooms and grabbed their few essential items before meeting back in the hall and continuing running to where Appa had been sleeping soundly until the attack.

The ten-ton sky-bison was shifting nervously on his feet, aware that something bad was happening, but calmed slightly upon seeing them.

"Hey Appa, time to leave, Buddy." The young Avatar spoke to the large creature soothingly, stroking his animal friend.

Hurriedly they all climbed aboard Appa's saddle, Toph pushing Teo up on a mound of earth so Sokka and Haru could help him on board easier.

Appa groaned as he took off, evading fireballs from the ground below. Aang and Zuko laid some fire cover for the labored creature as it tried to fly with its heavy load and stay out of the way of the flying flames.

It seemed for about a minute that they were simply going to get away. Katara had started to busy herself with checking everyone for injury and healing some minor cuts and burns when they saw the Fire Nation soldiers inside their tanks catching up with Appa.

And to make matters worse after only a couple minutes of avoiding fireballs in the early morning dawn Appa started to descend, it seemed the flying bison couldn't handle dodging with that many people on his back.

As Appa crash landed on a ridge of earth Momo, the poor lemur, had to hold on to one of Appa's horns to keep from being flung from the flying bison.

"They're going to catch us if we don't do something quick." Toph stated bluntly to the grim faced group.

"I think we're going to have to split up." Sokka said with a somber but determined look on his face.

Knowing that the soldiers were only minutes away from reaching their spot the gang quickly though reluctantly agreed to split up.

Also knowing that earthbenders would be able to move faster, they divided into three groups. Zuko and Aang would go one way while Toph and Katara went another, and Sokka would keep charge of everyone else on Appa, who would be able to fly with half of the amount of people he had on him before. Thus leaving three different trails for the Fire Nation to follow.

With an abrupt goodbye, and a warning glare from Katara at Zuko, the group went their separate ways vowing to regroup in a small Earth Kingdom village north of Omashu.

--

It was nighttime and nearly day again by the time Aang and Zuko reached an immense mountain range blocking their path, "How are we going to get through there?" The former Prince asked the Avatar since it was Aang who had decided they should take this path in the first place.

"Oh, that's easy!" He smiled and led Zuko around to an enormous opening in the earth and rock foothills, the mouth of a tunnel that seemed to lead into the mountains themselves.

"Wow." Zuko murmured admiring the high structure built right into the rugged terrain.

Aang beamed and seized the stunned Prince's hand, pulling him into the dark tunnel.

As they walked deeper into the underground complex Aang told the other boy the story of Oma and Shu and why the tunnels were built. By the time he was finished Zuko only had one question. "So if the tunnels are always moving... how exactly do we get out of here?"

"Oh, we just have to find the main tunnel, and when we do you put your fire out," He gestured to Zuko's hand in which a flame sat steadily illuminating their way, "And the crystals will glow and there's our way out." He finished happily, a good-natured grin on his face.

Growing up as he had Zuko still didn't understand how someone that had so much unfair weight of the world put upon his shoulders, like Aang, could still be so almost continually happy and bright. It was kind of infectious, the Prince thought, knowing that Aang could brighten even one of his sour moods.

Eventually they came upon a large circular breach in the wall, "That's their tomb." Aang informed Zuko, walking away from the tomb he gestured to the larger system of tunnels ahead of them.

"This is it!" Aang said excitedly, "Put out your flame, Zuko,"

Doing as instructed Zuko put out the fire that sat in the palm of his hand. He waited experimentally for a few minutes before deciding that whatever was supposed to be happening wasn't going to happen. "Ah… Aang, I don't see anything."

The Avatar made a considering noise before saying, "I was afraid this might happen..."

Zuko groaned and slapped a hand to his face, trying very hard to keep himself from getting frustrated, "What? What's happened?"

"Well, you see…" Aang began, blushing a little and rubbing the back of his neck, not looking to where he knew Zuko was standing in the dark. "The thing is… when me and Katara were down here our light was going out and of course I wasn't a firebender back then and well, the last thing we could think to try was…" He stopped, feeling nervous, before attempting to finish. "Well it did say 'love is brightest in the dark'… so we kissed… as the light went out. I always thought it was just the light but I guess..." He trailed off but the implication was clear.

"Kiss? Us?" The overwhelmed Prince asked, his face showing nothing but pure shock at the thought of kissing the young Avatar.

"Well, yeah," Aang laughed nervously.

"Shouldn't there be some other way to get out of here?" The thoroughly confused Prince asked, feeling utterly bewildered.

"Well, there are the badger-moles, but with the Fire Nation taking over Omashu I don't know how they'll react to firebenders, and they can be pretty dangerous when they're mad." Aang replied thoughtfully.

"What about earthbending? Why can't you do that? Make us our own tunnel out?" Zuko asked, genuinely exasperated.

"Maybe Toph could but she's the best earthbender in the world and I still haven't mastered it yet, it'd get lost." The Avatar said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"You mean this is the only way out of here?" The scarred Prince needed to know for certain.

"I think it is." Aang replied, a dull red creeping onto his cheeks that Zuko couldn't see in the dark.

"Well I guess we don't have a choice but to try..." Zuko said, accepting his rather odd fate, he really hadn't anticipated this upon joining the Avatar.

"I guess so," A rather awkward silence followed this.

Zuko clumsily leant down closer to Aang's level, and slowly, ungracefully, slightly uncoordinatedly their faces moved closer together. "Here goes..." Zuko whispered just before their lips met.

And perhaps the strangest thing about kissing not only a boy, but his former enemy, Zuko thought, was how utterly not strange at all it felt. In fact, much to the Prince's surprise, it felt... natural… nice even.

Needless to say he was even more surprised when their kiss simply to escape the dark caverns suddenly deepened. His tongue exploring the young Avatar's mouth all of a sudden as Aang did the same, and he found his arms acting on their own and wrapping around the monk, subconsciously pulling him closer.

It took many more moments then it should have for the two boys to realize that the crystals had illuminated their way to freedom.

"Well, uh..." Zuko pulled his arms away as they broke apart, "I guess it worked..."

"Yeah, I guess it did," Aang said, sounding slightly breathless.

The exiled Prince cleared his throat rather awkwardly and gestured to the crystal lit tunnel ahead of them. "We should get going,"

Aang nodded and led the way through the dimly lit passageway.

They made their way through the rest of the tunnels in a surprisingly comfortable silence. Just as they began to see daylight edging into view the firebender thought of something he had to say to the Avatar. "The others... they don't need to know about back there, do they?"

"Don't worry, I won't tell them if you don't. We'll just say the crystals worked when you put the flame out."

"Right," Zuko murmured, surprised at the fairly put together answer as they finally reached the light of morning outside of the caves.

It took them nearly until nightfall to find the others. The whole group spent the night eating, laughing, and telling harrowing tales of their journey there.

Toph and Katara told of having to make their way through a Fire Nation colony undetected by the guards that seemed to follow them at every turn.

Sokka recounted all of their pursuit by the Fire Nation troops that had attacked them, and how they had skillfully escaped them.

Finally Aang told a slightly less exciting tale of journeying on foot and getting through the cave of two lovers easily. When he was finished Sokka had a question, "Aang, why didn't you just catch a ride from the badger-moles? They wouldn't have minded what nation you were from as long as you sung them some kind of song."

Hearing this Zuko's gaze shot towards Aang with his eyebrow raised in a questioning look. The airbender in question simply shrugged and said, "Huh, didn't think of that." He had a very slight apologetic look on his face that was more overwhelmed with amusement and mischief.

It was then, as a small smile found its way onto his lips, that Zuko realized that he had always underestimated the cunning of the young airbender.

END.