This is AU, Zukaang. Ways in which it is AU: 1) There is no Avatar. Aang is just an airbender. 2) There is no Sozin's Comet. 3) This is AU in other ways, but those will mostly reveal themselves as the story goes on.

Ha ha ha, now we approach the real meat of the story! XD

Enjoy Chapter 12!


It was always something.

Like, seriously, was there some sort of cosmic rule that said that if something went right in Zuko's life, something else had to go wrong?

It was a only a few days ago that he and Aang discovered that they shared each other's affection. And really, it's done wonders for both of them. Zuko was more relaxed and just genuinely happier in general. Aang's nightmares were less frequent and he was smiling almost all the time now. It felt as though nothing could bring their spirits down.

Of course, nothing much had actually changed. Zuko was still vigilant in covering their tracks and taking unorthodox routes in order to keep the ever-present danger of Azula off their scent. They were still walking due Northeast, still hoping to find some contingent of the White Lotus so they could seek refuge with his uncle. Their day-to-day routine of survival and meditation was still the same. It was just now peppered with spontaneous make-out sessions.

It was like living in a dream.

Then, early this day, something started nagging Zuko in the back of his mind. At first he dismissed it, attributing it to his paranoia. However, when the feeling wouldn't leave him alone, he knew that it was foolish to ignore his instinct.

They were being followed.

What was more concerning was, not the fact that they were being followed (which was very concerning), but the fact that Zuko had no idea who was following them. It wasn't Azula or anyone from the Fire Nation. It was obvious that neither he nor Aang were in any condition to defend themselves, so there was no reason they would have waited this long to apprehend them. And if Azula had finally caught up to them, she wasn't sloppy enough to allow her presence to be detected.

This was someone new. Zuko had no idea who else would be after them, but they were there. This was concerning because if he didn't know who was pursuing them or why, they were impossible to predict. If they were bounty hunters working for the Fire Nation, then they could strike at any moment. If they somehow knew that Zuko and Aang were trying to find the White Lotus, they could just be following them to gather intelligence on the resistance group. Without knowing the motives of their stalkers, there was almost no chance of properly preparing themselves.

Because of the great deal of uncertainty, Zuko knew he had to tell Aang. He had to know so he could be at least a little prepared if they were to be suddenly attacked. The reason he was hesitant was because he didn't want to spoil Aang's recent happy mood. In the last few days, Zuko had never seen Aang smile so much. He's noticed that Aang actually airbended more when he was happier. While before, he almost never airbended unless necessary, now he used it almost all the time. Not big sweeping or flashy movements, but little things, like airbending himself from a sitting to a standing position or using it to blow Zuko's hair out of his face.

He didn't want to spoil it. But he knew he had to.

Zuko looked up at the sky. It was nearing nightfall. "We should probably stop for the day." He shrugged off his bag and placed it on the ground before sitting down on a fallen tree trunk.

Aang placed his bag down with a nod. "I'm getting real sick and tired of walking..." He sat down next to Zuko and leaned his head against the firebender's shoulder. Looking up at the trees, he sighed. "I wonder if I can make a glider."

Zuko wrapped an arm around Aang's waist, pulling him in close. "A glider?"

Aang nodded. "I haven't had one since the Water Tribe merchants found me. I'm sure I'd be out of practice, but it'd be nice to fly again!"

Zuko nodded absentmindedly, admittedly only half-listening. "Aang... We're being followed."

He felt the younger man stiffen against his side. "W-what?"

For unnecessary precaution, the firebender looked around for the stalkers he knew he wouldn't see. "Someone's following us. I don't know who they are or why they're following us. All I know is that they're there."

Very slowly, Aang sat up, extracting himself from Zuko's embrace. He turned to face Zuko with a worried expression on his face. "So... what do we do?"

Zuko placed a hand on the side of Aang's head, pulling it against his. "I don't know. I just wanted to let you know. The best thing we can do is to prepare ourselves for anything."

Aang closed his eyes and nodded. "Okay... Should we... I don't know, do something?"

"No. Without knowing anything about these people, there's no way to predict their actions. Since we have no idea what their intentions are..."

Aang looked around, eyes darting from tree to tree. "How do you know they're there?"

Zuko sighed. "It's hard to explain. Honestly... it's more of a feeling than anything else. But even feelings, especially strong ones, shouldn't be ignored."

Aang nodded slowly, eyes still searching the woods around them. "And... you think it's more than more one person."

"Most likely. The only people who would be following us alone would be bounty hunters, and they would have struck by now."

That's when Aang sat up a little straighter, as though a thought occurred to him. "Do you think they're trying to kill us?"

"No," Zuko said almost instantly. "They would have done so by now. It's sort of obvious that we're not much a threat." He let out a frustrating sigh. "If only we had access to proper food, we wouldn't be so weak!"

"So we know they're not bounty hunters," Aang said. "And we know they're not trying to kill us."

Zuko frowned, unsure where the airbender was going with this. "Yes..."

Aang stilled for a moment, his voice suddenly much less confident. "Do you think... it's Azula?"

Placing an arm around Aang's middle again, Zuko shook his head. "If it were Azula, I would most certain not know she was there. Unfortunately, she's too cunning."

Aang's body relaxed, and he let out a breath he had been holding. He placed a hand over Zuko's and gripped it for support. "'Okay, so it's not Azula, either... It's not Azula, it's not bounty hunters, and we know they're not trying to kill us." He took a moment to think, staring hard at the ground. "Who would want us alive?"

Zuko leaned back, looking up at the darkening sky. "Assuming they know who we actually are... The Earth Kingdom would want to keep me alive to use either as a bargaining chip or for information. But even they would have tried to capture us by now if that was the case." He shook his head. "The only thing I can think of is that they know we're trying to find the White Lotus and are trying to follow us."

Aang laughed. "Well, they're out of luck, since we have no idea where the White Lotus is. Or how to find them."

Zuko smiled, though he was still worried. He hated feeling unprepared, but he knew there was nothing else they could do except wait. Which, of course, he also hated.

"Zuko..." Aang brought a hand up to caress the side of the firebender's face. With a small smile, Aang leaned up for a kiss.

For a brief moment, Zuko lost himself in the warmth of Aang's lips. But with a small muttered, "Aang..." he leaned back and said, "I don't think you're quite understanding the seriousness of the situation."

Aang frowned. "You said yourself we can't do anything."

Zuko gave him an unsure look. "Are you sure you want to make-out while you know we're being followed?"

Aang chuckled. "And usually I'm the hesitant one..." He crawled on top of Zuko, legs straddling the firebender's lap and face so close that their noses were touching. "It's not like they're hiding right behind the trees." He hesitated for a moment. "I don't want... want their presence to... change this."

So Zuko's earlier worry had been for naught. With a returning smile, Zuko placed his hands across the airbender's back, pulling him in for a deep kiss.

Aang let out a small moan, leaning in and opening his mouth. Zuko's tongue darted in, pressing and twisting with Aang's. Aang wrapped his arms around Zuko's neck, hands combing the firebender's hair. As they both caressed each other, their breathing started to turn into breathy pants. They only broke their kiss to take a deep breath.

It wasn't long before both their manhoods were swollen against each other and Zuko wanted nothing more than to start rubbing them, but he managed to resist. Without knowing the details of what's happened to him in the past, the last thing he wanted to do was to trigger some of Aang's bad memories.

This has been the central problem for Zuko during these make-out sessions. The kissing was great; the kissing was fantastic... but he wanted more. And of course, he also wanted to make sure that Aang was only experiencing positive encounters. He just had no idea how to broach such a subject without making Aang feel uncomfortable.

It was at that moment that Aang leaned in, his groin brushing against Zuko's.

Zuko jumped at the sudden stimulation, throwing his head back. "Aang!"

Aang's eyes widened in worry. "Did I... Did I do... something wrong?" he sputtered out breathily.

Zuko quickly shook his head. "No, no... It's just... are you okay?"

Eyes half lidded, Aang nodded. "O-Of course, I am..." He leaned in for a kiss again.

"W-w-wait, wait, wait," Zuko muttered. "You're... you're okay with this...? With more?"

Aang nodded, pressing his lips earnestly to Zuko's face, hands gripping his shoulders. Leaning in deep, his hips started to rut.

The firebender moaned, pleasure strumming through his lower body. All higher thought having been obliterated, Zuko wrapped his arms around Aang's slender body. Kicking aside tree branches and bothersome plants, he moved them to the forest floor and placing the airbender under him on the ground. Supporting his body with a single hand on the ground, he slowly untied the sash on his waist. He fumbled for a moment with the knot, but when he got it undone, he threw it aside and started to shrug off his tunic. Grinding his hips, Zuko slipped a hand into Aang's tunic and started to caress the airbender's body.

Skin and bones... Skin, bones, and scars...

All of a sudden, Aang's body stiffened and he let out a startled gasp. "N-no...!"

Zuko immediately sat up and removed his hands. "Aang?"

"I-I'm sorry!" Aang whimpered, his face twisting in grief and eyes welling in tears. Whatever he was seeing, it wasn't Zuko. "I didn't mean to... I didn't know..!"

Quickly moving so he was sitting next to (not on top of) Aang, Zuko placed a hand on the side of Aang's trembling face. "Aang, it's okay... It's me, Zuko!"

Aang shook his head, tears streaming down the sides of his face. "No...! Please, no!"

Zuko silently cursed himself a thousand times over for letting his sex drive take things too far. Grabbing Aang under his arms, Zuko hauled him into a sitting position before wrapping his arms tightly around the airbender, muttering pointless reassurances as he waited for Aang to come back to the present.

Slowly, but surely, Aang's trembling began to slow and his erratic breathing calmed. When he wrapped his arms around Zuko's middle and buried his face into the firebender's shoulder, Zuko knew Aang was back with him.

"I'm so sorry," Zuko whispered. "I didn't mean to take it too far."

Aang quickly shook his head. "No, it's not your fault. I thought I was strong enough..."

"You are not weak," Zuko said sternly. "After everything you've gone through, I'm certain you're the strongest person I know." Aang didn't say anything, but Zuko could feel the airbender's fine trembles. "I mean it."

Slowly, Aang nodded. "I know you do," he said softly.

Zuko sighed. "But you don't believe it."

Aang turned his face into Zuko's chest, pressing himself against Zuko's body. "Can we just... go to sleep?" he asked earnestly, his voice muffled.

Zuko nodded. "Sure." He started to let go of Aang, but the airbender just tightened his grip. "Aang... we're going to want blankets. Not to mention, I want to put my shirt back on."

Aang's hands moved up on Zuko's back, fingers gripping the naked flesh. "But I like you without a shirt..." he said, smile evident in his voice.

Zuko also smiled, huffing in fake indignation. "Fine. But we are going to want blankets."

Letting out a small sigh, Aang nodded and slowly pulled himself out of their embrace, wrapping his arms around himself. As Zuko got up to grab their blankets, Aang asked, "What about the people following us?"

Oh. Zuko had almost completely forgotten about them. "Don't worry about it. There's nothing we can do until they make their move." He laid back down next to Aang, pulling the blankets over both of them. As soon as they were settled, Aang curled up in Zuko's arms. They lay there in silence for several minutes, their combined body heat trapped under the blanket keeping the night chill at bay.

"I know I've said this a thousand times..." Zuko murmured, "... but you can talk to me about anything. You know that, right?" He felt Aang nod against his chest, but the airbender made no sign of speaking. "I mean it, Aang. You've been suffering by yourself for years now. I think it'd be good for you to let it out somehow."

Aang shook his head, gently tapping his fingers on Zuko's back. "This is enough," he replied.

Zuko sighed. "I don't think it is..." He rubbed his hand up and down Aang's back. "You have to understand, when I see you suffer, I suffer too. I'm not trying to guilt you or anything," he added quickly, "I just... want to help you. I don't want it to be just 'enough'. I want it to be..."

Realizing he was lost for words and yet rambling, he stopped with a small sigh. "I just don't want you to suffer," he murmured with finality.

There was a long silence. The sun had now fully set, and the forest din slowly converted to the familiar nocturnal sounds of insect chirps and animal howls. Sure that Aang had fallen asleep. Zuko was about to do the same when he heard the young airbender say, "I'll... tell you. Talk to you about... it. But not tonight. Please, just not tonight..."

Zuko gave Aang an encouraging squeeze. "That's fine. I'm not trying to force you into anything... But It'd make me very happy if you were comfortable enough to talk to me."

And with that, while they were both silently anxious about the upcoming days, they were able to find enough serenity in each others arms to slowly fall asleep.


"You are quite gifted," Monk Gyatso pointed out. "Perhaps one of the most talented pupils I have ever trained."

Aang smiled widely. "Really?"

Gyatso let out a short laugh. "My young pupil... you are nine years old and you have already mastered 23 of 36 of the airbending forms! At this rate, you'll be receiving your tattoos in two years time. Perhaps even sooner!"

Aang cocked his head to the side. "Is that special?"

"Yes... you'll be the youngest airbending master in our known history. Quite special, indeed."

Aang airbended himself into the air, purposefully spiralling unnecessarily. "Well... I can't help it they're all so easy!"

Gyatso's expression darkened. "Be very careful, Aang. While it is true that you are completing the forms extraordinarily fast and well on your way to becoming a proficient bender, the sign of a truly great master is absolute humility. Do not allow pride and arrogance to poison you."

When Aang turned to face his master, he found that he was no longer in his room, but outside in the courtyard. His peers from his age group were standing around him, staring at him with a mixture of disgust and terror.

A twelve-year-old Aang spun around, but no matter which way he turned, he couldn't escape the glares of those he considered his friends.

"Aang..."

Gyatso now stood within the circle with Aang, eyes wide with shock and grief. "What have you done?"

Aang shook his head in denial. "I-It was an accident..." he stuttered, his hand gripping the wound on his side. "I didn't mean to..."

The sky darkened, a deep rumbling echoing throughout the temple. A strong northward wind blew through, Gyatso and Aang's peers dissolving into ash and spiraling into the air. When it had all disappeared, all that was left was a single boy, lying on the ground, lifeless eyes staring directly at Aang.

You killed him.


Aang woke with a strangled gasp, his body soaking in sweat. While his eyes darted back and forth, he started to panic when he found he couldn't see anything but darkness. However, as the primal fear from his nightmare started to fade, he realized that he just couldn't see because it was in the middle of the night and it was a new moon.

Zuko was still asleep, his arm loosely wrapped around Aang's waist. Evidently, Aang's sudden awakening wasn't as physically startling as it had seemed. Careful not to awaken the firebender, Aang placed his arm over Zuko's shoulder, gently pressing his face to his chest. He breathed in Zuko's scent, and as always, he found that it calmed him down, grounding him in the present.

He really should try to talk to Zuko. He knew that trying to keep everything in was a good way to slowly poison yourself. He vaguely recalled Gyatso telling him something like that. And Zuko seemed to really want Aang to talk to him. He seemed to think that he would be able to help Aang if he knew about the past. Aang knew that this wouldn't be the case, but maybe just the act of speaking would help.

Aang closed his eyes with a sigh. He just didn't know. He hated this permanent confusion he seemed to be lost in. While his life has definitely improved drastically over the last several weeks (of which he was eternally grateful for), he had entered a style of life of which Aang had no idea how to navigate. His continual fear of rejection or abandonment was only exacerbated by this uncertainty.

Zuko loved him. That in of itself was more than Aang had ever thought was possible. More than Aang had dared to hope for.

It couldn't last. Aang's life can't just continue to get better. That's not how life works. He was balancing on the perilous edge of a blade, and fully expected to fall back into misery at any moment.

It was just a matter of time.


A low rumble. So low that it was barely audible.

But Zuko heard it, was woken by it. He opened his eyes, not moving a muscle to prevent the rustling of fabric from drowning out the noise.

It was just before dawn, the barely visible forest grayscale under the young rays of light. Carefully looking around them, Zuko didn't see anything amiss, but the previously quiet nagging in the back of his mind was now screaming at him.

They were in danger.

Zuko quickly sat up, intending to wake Aang so they could get out of there. But before he could even open his mouth, a pointed wall of rock erupted from the ground between them like a blade.

"Aang!" Zuko tried to stand to run around the wall that separated them, but the ground beneath him spiraled up and wrapped around his body, immobilizing him completely.

"Zuko!" he heard Aang scream. "No!" Zuko could hear the deep rumble of earthbending and knew that Aang had been trapped as he had.

The wall that had separated them retracted back into the earth. Zuko saw Aang struggling against the earth that encased him, his breathing fast and his expression panicked.

"Aang!" Zuko shouted. Aang's head snapped in Zuko's direction. "It's going to be okay," the firebender tried to assure. "Just breath!"

That's when they jumped down from the trees. Three young men, who Zuko presumed were the stalkers. They weren't soldiers, their clothing and weapons of choice vastly differing from one person to the other. A tall and thin man, wearing mixed and matched clothes and a straw hat, had a bow and arrow, pointing it between Zuko and Aang. A shorter man with wild hair and faux armour-like dress, stood in an en garde position with shuang gou blades. The last man wore Water Tribe clothing, hair tied back in a ponytail and was wielding a black sword.

"'Let us go," Zuko growled.

The man with the blades scoffed. "You're in no position to be making demands, Fire Nation."

Behind them, a young girl made her way over the brush to stand behind the trio. Short in stature, she had long dark bangs which almost completely obscured her face. From her green and brown clothing, Zuko assumed that she was the earthbender.

These aren't bounty hunters. They don't seem like bandits. "Who are you?" Zuko demanded. "And what do you want from us?"

Standing straight, the Water Tribe man said, "We... are members of the White Lotus." He pointed his sword at Zuko. "And you're our prisoners."


So much plot! I'm so happy to finally be getting into the actual plot! XD

Hope you enjoyed! Please leave a review with any comments or criticisms! :)