Sorry for the long update, guys!

I'm at summer camp for the summer, so updates are going to be a bit few and far between, especially when campers get here and I have little to no time to write.

Anyhoo...this chapter was a wrecker. I re-wrote it a bunch, couldn't figure out what I wanted to have happen, and pretty much said "Fuck it" and so here's our chapter.

I really hope I haven't butchered anything, I really tried to make this realistic!

So ease my guilty/worried heart...

PLEASE REVIEW!


Chapter 7: Trust


Aang propelled himself away from the attacking vines, and scrambled to jump over the branches and down to the ground. His heart was racing, and when he touched solid earth he hastily turned in preparation to continue fending off the vines.

But nothing came. The ominous mist that had come in at dusk disappeared, and Aang was left standing in a brightly lit, lush area. Birds twittered happily in the trees, and the air smelled like sunshine and flowers. It was idyllic…a little too idyllic for Aang's liking. He looked around, searching for Sokka and Katara but finding nothing but trees and shrubs.

"Katara! Appa! Sokka!" he yelled, and received nothing but silence in reply. The Airbender huffed, and wished for the millionth time since arriving in the swamp that he had never listened to his instincts. If he had just ignored the stupid swamp's singing, he and his friends would be up in the sky right now, not having to worry about scary screaming birds and violent vines.

Aang turned in a circle, staring up at the maze of branches and heaving a great sigh.

"How am I ever going to find them?" he groaned to no one in particular, and so he was appropriately startled when a burst of delighted giggle answered. It came from behind him, and Aang whipped around.

A dark haired girl was standing high in the tree, clad in a long pale green dress. A winged boar flew around her, but she was too focused on her amusement to acknowledge it. The girl was young, around Aang's age if he had to take a guess.

"Hey!" Aang called, but the girl didn't respond, instead turning and jumping away into the trees. Using a burst of Airbending, Aang hastened to follow her. Was she real? She was jumping and moving like an Airbender, and that was impossible…

Aang landed on a branch, bending his knees to distribute his weight, searching desperately for the green form of the girl. How had she gotten up into the tree? The boar had wings, sure, but it was much too small to carry the weight of a twelve-year-old.

The giggle came once more, and Aang turned just in time to see the girl running along the ground, disappearing behind the trunk of an ancient tree.

"Wait!" Aang yelled, jumping to the ground and running behind the same tree. But when he did, he found nothing but grass and mud. How was she moving around so fast?

The girl appeared above him, high in the trees again, and Aang gritted his teeth in frustration. Was she human? Was she some spirit that was tricking him into thinking she was real?

Whatever she was, Aang felt the oddest compulsion to keep following her. And so he did.

After what felt like hours of hopeless running and jumping, Aang found himself before a great wall of moss. Wary of what he would find behind it, the Airbender pushed it aside. Far in front of him stood the unfamiliar girl. The girl was no longer in a dress, but a green and cream robe sort of outfit, loose fitting and sturdy. She was kneeling next to a girl…wait, was that Dakota?

Aang paused, shocked at the sight.

Because the Dakota before him looked so different from the Dakota he remembered seeing back at the abbey. This Dakota's wrists and arms were covered in angry red burns, raw and fresh looking. The Dakota that Aang remembered had shoulder-length hair; the Dakota he saw now had hair that went all the way to the middle of her back. She was clad in simple Earth Kingdom attire, and her hands and feet were smudged with ash.

Dakota was trembling, her body hunching over with exhaustion, and Aang instinctively began to run. He had to help her, no matter what Sokka and Katara said. Aang didn't care that she was supposedly on Zuko's side, all he knew was that she was kind and gentle. She didn't deserve to be hurt. He didn't think of the Fire Nation when he saw her, he thought of the smiling gypsy who had indulged him in a traditional Airbender dance on Kyoshi Island.

Aang was almost there, his hand was outstretched…

But at the last second, the dark haired girl and Dakota morphed into a surprised Katara. The Water-Tribe girl and Aang both yelled out in surprise, and Aang felt his head snap forward as he barreled into her, colliding harshly with the solid bark beneath them. The two kids went tumbling into another yelping figure, and rolled until they reached blissfully flat ground. Aang rubbed his head, wincing.

He looked around, surprised to see both Sokka and Katara staring back at him.

Where in the world had they come from?


Zuko walked beside Dakota and Iroh, carrying the reins of one ostrich horse while Iroh carried the other. The river town they had stopped at was medium sized, but still bustling with activity. Iroh said that as a river town, it was a prime location for trading and exchanging goods, and as such would be a good place to replenish their supplies. Ulen had given them money for all of their work in the ostrich-horse barn, and if they used it sparingly, it could last them a while.

Dakota was staring around curiously, her brown eyes bright with enthusiasm at the sight of all of the people milling about. She always seemed so excited when they stopped to rest in towns and villages, and Zuko often wondered why.

"Why are you so happy? It's just a regular town, nothing special," Zuko mumbled to her, careful to keep his voice low. Dakota smiled, shrugging casually.

"It's not the town that I like, it's just…look at all these people! There're so many different kinds; merchants, rich snobs, middle-class workers, children…"

Dakota trailed off, and stopped in her tracks. Zuko frowned, and followed her line of sight until he found what she was staring at. A tall, middle-aged swordsman was towering over a young kid – he couldn't be more than eleven or twelve. The man had his dual swords out and was swinging them near the boy's feet so that the kid was forced to dance around in order to avoid getting cut. The man was laughing meanly, his mouth turned up in a mean smirk. A hat near the kid's feet showed that he was begging for money.

The scene reminded him of Azula; the cruel smirk was something Zuko was familiar with. He could almost see himself as the boy, dancing under Azula's fire and yelling for her to stop. She only laughed…

Dakota stiffened beside him, and Zuko didn't have to absorb her fire to feel the anger radiating from her entire body. Rage was an emotion Dakota didn't show often, and Zuko glanced over at her. Her eyes were steely, her mouth pinched in a tight line.

"He's just a kid–" Dakota hissed, and made to move forward. Zuko reached out and grabbed her shoulder, squeezing to keep her immobile. Dakota looked back at him, and Iroh spoke.

"I understand your frustration, but remember…we are outsiders here. Interfering will do more harm than good," Iroh murmured, his golden eyes somber. Dakota's shoulder slumped under Zuko's grip, and Zuko's eyes were drawn to a small ball of fire flickering in Dakota hand.

Zuko acted without thinking.

Letting his hand fall from her shoulder, Zuko summoned a small bit of fire to his own palm. Acting fast so that passerby wouldn't see the fire in Dakota's hand, Zuko slipped his hand into her smaller one, keeping enough space between them so that their fire could intermingle.

The first time Zuko had experienced Dakota's emotions, he had been taken completely off guard by the surprising intensity of them, but now that he had experienced it he was better prepared.

Zuko had always known that Dakota wasn't prone to showing her anger, but he wasn't aware of how much she was hiding until that moment. Underneath the gentle, steady warmth that was Dakota, an anger like he had never felt before was burning brightly. At the very tip of her emotions, along with the anger, was an awful tinge of helplessness, guilt and melancholy.

This time, instead of simply feeling Dakota's emotions, Zuko focused on pushing his own emotions into his fire, knowing that she was feeling them as well. Hesitantly, he focused on his quieter anger, thinking calm thoughts and hoping that they reached her.

Dakota slowly relaxed, and let out a resigned sigh. Zuko lingered only for a moment before hurriedly letting go of her hand. Iroh was still gazing ahead, completely unaware of the exchange. The interaction had felt like centuries to Zuko, but in reality only seconds had passed.

Zuko didn't know why he had felt it necessary to share fire with Dakota in that situation. According to Iroh, it was an invasion of privacy, a peek into someone's most personal emotions and feelings. Looking back on it, the best thing would have been to verbally let her know she was loosing control, and let her handle it.

What was it about sharing fire with Dakota that appealed to Zuko so strongly? It was an invasion of privacy, and yet…with Dakota, it didn't feel like that. It didn't feel like someone was prodding inside of him, searching for answers like he was some puzzle that needed solving. No, it wasn't like that at all.

Zuko would never admit it, but hearing Dakota say that she trusted him without a doubt made him happier than it should have. To have someone trust him with their very being and give him that same degree of trust was something Zuko had never experienced. It scared him, because sharing his emotions wasn't something that came naturally to him, but at the same time it lightened the heaviness on his chest.

Zuko tightened his fingers into a fist, still feeling Dakota's anger, the underlying gentleness and kindness still tingling in his fingertips. His golden eyes scanned the dual swords, and an idea planted itself into his head. If the person had been a good, honorable swordsman, Zuko never would have even considered it, but that man…he was no swordsman. He was a bully aided by weapons he didn't deserve.

Zuko decided in that moment that was going to steal the man's dual swords.

So when Iroh suggested that they set up camp just outside the town, Zuko readily agreed. The three of them moved on, Dakota much more somber and quiet than she had been before. Her dark eyes were thoughtful, and Zuko knew without asking that she was thinking of that little boy and his predicament.

After exploring the rest of the town until dusk, Iroh bought some grain for the ostrich-horses. Then, they moved to leave the town, making camp by the river within sight of the town walls. Dakota was quiet, and after they set up their sleeping places and started a fire, she went to meditate by the stream.

Iroh made some jasmine tea, and Zuko filled two cups before walking over to where Dakota sat. She had finished meditating by then, and was just letting her feet drift into the river, her pale hair pulled back in a low ponytail.

"Here," Zuko offered gruffly, and Dakota jumped at the sound of his voice. Her eyes flickered up to meet his, and she smiled slightly, accepting the cup with a quiet thank you. Zuko sat next to her, and the two of them simply sipped at their tea.

Zuko glanced back at Iroh, who was busy reading one of his scrolls, and leaned toward Dakota. "I'm going to steal that man's swords tonight, once it's dark," he admitted.

Wait, why had he just told her that? Did he expect her to be proud of him or something?

Dakota turned to him, her eyebrows arching in surprise. "Are you inviting me along?" she asked, and Zuko blinked in surprise. "Because I'd love to come."

"Wait, you would?" he asked, and Dakota smiled.

"Zuko, you just suggested that we teach a horrible man a lesson, how could I say no? I mean, sure, I should probably be the bigger person and leave well enough alone, but right now…I just want to make that guy pay."

"What is this I hear about making someone pay?" Iroh called, and Dakota turned, undaunted.

"Zuko and I are going to go steal those swords from that swordsman we saw today; the one who was taunting that kid in exchange for money."

Iroh's bushy brows furrowed, and the older man slowly lowered his scroll, fixing Zuko and Dakota with his calm stare. He considered Dakota's words seriously, and waited a few moments before replying.

"I will not try and stop the two of you from going; it's clear that you will go whether I give my permission or not. Just know that you may be taking the man's weapons away, but you will not take away his cruelty."

"I know, Iroh. But at least after this, he won't be able to hide behind his swords," Dakota said, and Iroh nodded, glancing up at the darkened sky.

"Will you go now that it is dark?"

"Yes," Zuko said, reaching for his pack for his black pants and long sleeves shirt, along with his blue oni mask. Dakota watched as he pulled it out, and smiled.

"I guess I'll have to be creative. Not all of us have masks that we can pull out whenever we want," she mused, and dug around her in her pack. She was already dressed in neutral tan clothing, so all she would have to worry about was her hair and face. Dakota hummed in triumph, pulling out a large white strip of cloth. After pulling her hair up into a tight bun, Dakota wrapped the cloth around her head, neck and the lower half of her face. When she was done, only her eyes were visible.

"I feel like a desert assassin or something," Dakota muttered, adjusting her face covering so that it was more securely over her nose. Zuko wasn't sure what she meant, and decided not to comment.

"Be careful," Iroh warned, and Dakota nodded.

"We will, Iroh."

Zuko waited until Dakota turned back around, and began to jog toward the village. Dakota's footsteps filled the air as she hurried to catch up, and for a few minutes they ran in silence. When they reached the low village wall, Zuko moved to help Dakota up.

Only to find that Dakota was already jumping up on a fallen carriage beam, running up it and perching on the wall. The end of her shawl waved slightly in the breeze, and for a moment she looked like a stranger. But then she turned, and gentle brown eyes – almost black in the moonlight – made her Dakota again. She frowned at Zuko.

"Aren't you coming?"


Dakota looked down at Zuko, confused as to why he was still on the ground. Did he need help or something?

Zuko came to himself a second later, and gracefully jumped up to join her. His blue mask glinted in the light of the moon, and Dakota quickly turned to face forward again.

"How are we going to find him, anyway?"

"He reeked of alcohol when we passed him, so I assume he's going to be walking home from the bar around this time."

Dakota raised her eyebrows at this. "So there's a good chance we won't run into him?"

"Yeah. You got a better plan?" Zuko snapped, and Dakota shot him a look. The blue mask's eyeholes were dark, so she couldn't tell if he was looking at her.

"No. I wasn't attacking your plan, okay? I was just pointing out that it seems a bit of a long shot. But I don't have a better one, so let's stick with yours."

Zuko's head snapped around at the sound of drunken singing and the swish of swords being swung. Dakota wanted to smack her head against the wall she was perched on. Of course Zuko would be right, of course the swordsman would choose that exact moment to show up.

Dakota couldn't see Zuko's face, but she could practically taste the smugness radiating from him.

"Let's just get on with it," Dakota grumbled, and Zuko nodded before jumping to the nearest roof, silent as a cat. Dakota eyed the rickety shingles, and decided to take the safer route to the ground. She may have spent almost all of her life in gymnastics, but that didn't mean she was comfortable leaping from roof to roof without a care in the world.

Dakota stayed close to the wall of the nearest house, keeping an eye on Zuko, who was jumping to the next house. She followed him, careful to peek around corners before darting out into the streets. A few minutes later, Dakota almost shrieked when Zuko suddenly appeared beside her, arm held out to stop her from going forward.

The sound of footsteps and raucous singing was coming from their right. The swordsman would soon be passing their safe alleyway of shadow. Zuko's hand was a solid bar across Dakota's upper chest and shoulders, and she looked over at him.

She wished that she could see his face, because the mask was starting to disconcert her. It made Zuko into a different person, a person that was miles away from the Zuko whose fire she had felt just hours ago.

Dakota wasn't quite sure what to make of Zuko grabbing her hand and absorbing her anger. Before sharing fire, Dakota had tentatively considered herself as Zuko's friend, but now…she couldn't be tentative about it anymore. She could feel Zuko's trust, and she was sure that he could feel hers. She had been lingering on the edge of friendship for so long, and with one simple action, the boundary was dissolved. It was a sudden change, not one that Dakota had been expecting, and so it confused her to no end.

Zuko had willingly tapped into Dakota's emotions, and given her some of his own. Dakota remembered the strange but not unpleasant feeling of Zuko channeling his calm into her, the powerful spark to his fire that made her feel more in control of herself. Why had he done it? Was he just experimenting with the new aspect of Firebending? She had felt his curiosity through the link, but that was a minor thing, a hint of emotion in the background. Concern had been the dominant feeling underneath the projected calm.

Dakota had read stories about characters reading each other's minds and being able to sense emotions, but reading it and experiencing it were drastically different. The books never mentioned how intimate it was, how much trust it required. The stories never went into how confusing it was at first, to feel someone else's emotions along with their own.

What was even more confusing was the changes Dakota could feel in herself, changes that had started ever since sharing fire with Zuko that first time. It wasn't anything major, just little hints and suggestions in the depths of her thoughts.

Like with the swordsman she was watching at that moment. When she saw him taunting that little boy, she was surprised at the boiling anger that rose up inside of her. She had been that angry before, but normally she was able to contain it and rationalize it. She wasn't the kind of person to use violence to get a point across; she wasn't the type to let others see how upset she was.

But Dakota had wanted to hurt that man, to hurl fire at him to make him dance like he was making the boy dance. In the moment, the rage exploded inside of her and threatened to come out. She had never felt so out of control before, and it wasn't until Zuko grabbed her hand that she realized how unusual her reaction was. Was Zuko just as affected by her emotions, or was Zuko's passionate nature more easily channeled?

It was partly because of that event that Dakota felt the need to mediate after making camp.

Dakota just had to be more careful, that was all. She came to the conclusion that the reason she was so easily affected by Zuko's emotions was because they were both so new to fire absorption. Now that Dakota was aware of it, she knew that she wouldn't be so easily swayed by Zuko's emotions again, and with practice it would probably become even easier.

That is, if the need to exchange fire ever arose again.

Dakota shook her head to clear it, and focused on the approaching swordsman. Zuko lowered his arm, and leaned over to whisper.

"You distract, I'll get him from behind."

Dakota swallowed hard, unsure of how to "distract" exactly, but nodded all the same. She had come this far; she couldn't afford to be afraid.

With that thought, Dakota stepped out of the alleyway and into the swordsman's path.

The man swayed to a stop, his green eyes blurry with alcohol. "Whazzgoinon? You one o' those assassins? C'mon, I'll take ya on, you bastar'…" he slurred, and Dakota rolled her eyes. She had been drunk before, but never to the extent that the man before her was. She hoped that she had never embarrassed herself like the man was doing now.

"You really should know your limits," Dakota said casually, and the man blinked stupidly at her.

"You're jus' a girl! Take off that shawl, baby, I'll show you what a real assassin can do…" the swordsman leered, and Dakota grimaced. The man took a step toward her, and reached for Dakota's shawl. She ducked, and Zuko chose that time to strike. Dakota could feel a rush of air against her back as Zuko leapt over her. A loud smacking sound filled the air.

Dakota straightened, and frowned at the scene before her.

Zuko was towering over the fallen swordsman, who was clutching his bloody nose. The man made to return with an attack, but he was too slow. Another punch, and more blood poured down the man's face. Another, and the man was out cold, his eyes rolling up and disappearing into his eyelids. Another, and there was a sharp snap as his nose finally broke.

The sight made Dakota slightly sick, and she moved forward, grabbing Zuko's arm when he made to strike again. She knew for certain now that the anger she had felt before wasn't all her own, but also Zuko's. She felt the rage in his arm as it tensed against her grip; she heard his heavy breathing.

"Stop!" Dakota cried. "He's not worth it, he's not worth it…look at him!"

Zuko paused, and looked down at the unconscious man. The blood was shiny and slick in the light of the moon, and Dakota loosened her grip on the Firebender's arm. Zuko slowly lowered his fist, and moved forward, quickly unclipping the dual swords' sheath and tucking it under his arm.

Dakota noticed that Zuko wasn't using his right hand at all, and waited until they were by the river near their camp before confronting him. Iroh was fast asleep by the fire, an empty cup of tea next to his sleeping place.

"Take off your mask," Dakota gently ordered, and Zuko did so without hesitating. His face was somber and tense, and he stared at her silently, waiting for her reaction. Dakota sighed, tugging her shawl so that it hung around her neck and reaching for his right hand. Zuko flinched at contact, and Dakota very gently peeled off his black glove.

"Oh…" Dakota breathed sadly, staring down at the bloody mess that was his knuckles. Bruises were already forming just above his index and middle finger, and the skin had opened around the other knuckles, causing blood to seep around his fingers.

Zuko sighed, and Dakota gently pulled him down to sit by the river. Zuko hissed when she submerged his hand in the cold water, but didn't pull away. He seemed tired, as if the stint with the swordsman had sapped all of his energy. His golden eyes watched Dakota as she used her own shirt to dry off his hand and attempt to clean off the blood.

They didn't speak; there was nothing to say. Dakota knew why Zuko had beaten the man, and regretted coming along in the first place. She should have let Zuko go alone. If he had, there would have been no reason for him to injure himself in an attempt to defend her.

With a quick jerk, Dakota tore a wide strip out of her shawl, and used it to bandage Zuko's hand. He gritted his teeth in pain, and Dakota sent him an apologetic look. He nodded, and looked down at the ground. He waited until Dakota was done, and then reached down to yank off his glove.

Zuko held out his hand to her, a small ball of fire appearing on his palm.

The simple gesture was enough to make Dakota's throat clench. There were no words, but Zuko wanted to tell her anyway.

She created her own fire, and raised her hand until the two energies met.

Pain, sadness, confusion, flashes of guilt mixed with pride. The pain from his hand radiated throughout, but he wasn't focusing on the pain. His anger at the swordsman's cruel smirk came to the surface, and the urge to hurt was almost suffocating. Previous feelings of shame, as he danced before flames, desperately trying to get Azula to stop taunting him. Regret, sharp and jarring, regret that he never felt the need to stop hitting the man.

Dakota opened her eyes, and stared up at Zuko. He was scared of her reaction; she could feel that through his fire. He wasn't meeting her gaze, and she waited until he did. She smiled at him, making sure he felt her lack of judgment, and then did something she never thought she would ever do.

She hugged him, slipping her arms around his neck and pulling him against her. She was Zuko's friend, and so there was nothing stopping her from giving him the hug he so desperately needed.

Zuko stiffened in surprise, but eventually returned the embrace, awkward at first but slowly relaxing. His arms tightened around her waist, and he let out a shaky sigh of relief.


Little did either of the teens know, Iroh had been faking his slumber, and as such had seen the entire exchange. He watched Dakota and Zuko embrace for a moment longer, then rolled over.

And so it begins, the old Firebender mused, and smiled knowingly to himself.