Disclaimer: For the last time, NO I do NOT own Atla! (Why, yes, I am sick of these disclaimers, what made you think that?)
Apologetic
The scorch marks still coated the worn, brown walls. People drifted through the town, their eyes blazing with a sudden fiery hatred whenever they passed the soot, which no one had quite been brave enough to wash away yet. In the middle of it all, stood a young boy. His hair stuck out in several unruly directions, though he tried to hold it back into a small, tight bun like object perched precariously on the top of his head. Carefully, he placed his small palm in the middle of one of the thick black marks, feeling the aged and burned wood beneath. For a strange moment something welled up within him and right before he removed his hand and wiped the grey soot off onto his pants, the boy whispered almost inaudibly: "Hey. I'm...I'm really sorry. You were just trying to help. For the record, I don't hate you." His voice was tinged with regret, as well as a self satisfied sense of accomplishment, as though he'd done something that he'd been putting off for some time.
From behind him his mother, who was now sufficiently terrified of letting her son out of sight, called: "Lee? What are you doing?" She rushed over, glaring suspiciously at passerbies, as if she expected every one of them to be Fire Nation royals dead set on harming her son.
"Nothing, mom." Lee replied, turning away from the wall. "Can I get a pet turtle duck?"
a/n: I needed a slight break from romance. xD However, since Rzz mentioned an interesting crack pairing –Ty Lee and Zuko- I'm going to have to try that one out next. Haha.
