I went to a fortune teller and although she assured me that I would marry (unfortunately not Zuko) #sighs# she advised that I have never and will never own Avatar: The Last Airbender. I guess it's back to studying then.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed - and to everyone who reads this - you guys totally rock.


Teaching Aang to firebend was rather like riding a tortoise-elephant, Zuko mused to himself as he watching the young Avatar struggle to produce more than the barest wisps of flame. Slow and frustrating. For the thousandth time he wished that his uncle had agreed to take over the lessons when the water-tribe boy had suggested it – casting a rather suspicious glare in Zuko's direction at the time.

Unfortunately for Zuko's patience, Uncle Iroh had merely chuckled and remarked that he was far too old to be teaching something as energetic as firebending. Zuko had chosen not to point out how sharply that contrasted with his uncle's tale of single-handedly escaping from the fire nation prison during the eclipse, or with the fact that Iroh had been Zuko's firebending master for the past three years.

And so Zuko was stuck trying to teach firebending to the Avatar, who, considering that he had apparently learned this thousands of times before in his previous lives, was doing an excellent job of not improving in the slightest.

It only took half an hour for Zuko's patience to completely snap. Zuko was amazed that he had even lasted that long. "Enough," he roared at the Avatar, startling the boy into dropping the flame that he was trying to carry across the clearing. Fortunately it dissolved into the surrounding air before it could do any damage.

Aang looked at Zuko quizzically. "What's wrong?" he asked nervously.

"Everything," Zuko snapped impatiently, gesturing for the young airbender to take a seat on a nearby log. "You're not learning and you're far too timid to have any real power in your moves. It's like you almost don't want to learn."

Aang shrugged guiltily. "I want to learn, really," he said quietly. "I just don't want anybody to get hurt."

Zuko frowned at that. "I know that the fire nation misuses their gifts, but there's no reason for you to think that you will too," he said slowly, trying to make sense of the younger boy's fears. "You're the Avatar. You need to master firebending so that you can restore the balance to the world. Fire isn't just death and destruction – it is life and warmth. It's simply a matter of how you chose to use it."

Aang looked away with a sigh. "I know," he said softly. "I need to learn. It's just that last time I tried I accidentally burnt Katara. After that I didn't want to firebend ever again."

"You won't hurt anyone," Zuko said reassuringly. "That's why we're practising all the way over here, so that there's no one's close enough to get hurt. Besides, Katara's a healer, right? So there's really no need to worry. Not to mention that water and earth can be just as destructive as fire in their own right. Even air can be used to destroy. You're not afraid to use them, right? Why should fire be any different?"

Aang nodded reluctantly. "I suppose," he said thoughtfully. "But water can heal, and both air and earth are primarily used for defence. Fire is mainly a destructive element – no matter what purpose it is used for."

Zuko sighed. "Sometimes," he agreed. "But it is fire that keeps me alive now."

Aang looked at him in surprise. "Really?" he asked curiously. "How does that work?"

Zuko shrugged. "I have no idea," he confessed with a wry smile. "Now, try the fire punch again, and this time really mean it."

With a nod Aang bounded to his feet and moved into an offensive stance. Concentrating, he punched out in front of him, feeling the fire flow through him. The result was considerably better than his previous attempts, but still a far cry from Zuko's powerful blasts – even before his death.

Zuko frowned. "Maybe we need to try another approach," he suggested thoughtfully, studying the surrounding area. "This looks like a good spot for a spar."

"Can I use the other elements?" Aang asked hopefully.

Zuko raised his eyebrow in amusement. "That would sort of defeat the purpose of trying to teach you firebending," he pointed out. "Besides, you've had plenty of experience at fighting fire with the other elements – now it's time that you learned to fight fire with fire."

Aang sighed, but obediently took a firebending stance. Zuko eyed it critically before nodding his approval. The Avatar might be reluctant to firebend but he was a quick learner. "Alright," Zuko said calmly, taking a stance himself. "I'm going to throw a fireball at you. I want you to block it and then throw one back. Got it?"

Looking surprisingly nervous for someone who had already mastered three elements, Aang nodded, then yelped and dodged the fireball that Zuko hurled in his direction.

"You're not going to learn if you just dodge the fire," Zuko remarked with a frown, tossing another fireball in the Avatar's direction. He was careful to keep the heat low – training flames were a lot cooler than the ones actually used in battle, although he may have neglected to mention that to the Avatar.

Aang airbent himself out of the way of the oncoming flame, and half-heartedly threw a fireball of his own in Zuko's direction. The prince brushed it aside like an insect and sent two back at his opponent in quick succession. Aang managed to block the first, but missed the second, twisting to the side at the last moment to avoid it. The fireball brushed against his arm, but wasn't hot enough to do any damage.

Unfortunately, this was where Katara walked in. Seeing the fight, she immediately assumed the worst and summoned a water whip from the nearby fountain. "Don't worry, Aang," she called, swinging the whip at the unsuspecting Zuko. "I won't let him hurt you."

Zuko turned around in surprise, only to be swept off his feet by the angry waterbender and thrown into the air.

In a moment that seemed to last for an age he heard Aang yelling at Katara, explaining that they had just been training, then he landed with a splash in the fountain. Zuko barely managed to suppress a scream as the water wrapped itself around him – icy cold fingers that dragged him under. It felt like his skin was on fire wherever the water touched him and as he slipped into unconsciousness he noticed that the air was filled with steam.

On dry land Aang and Katara stared in shock as the Prince struggled in the two foot deep water before rushing to his aid. The body they pulled from the now boiling water was pale and still.