Zuko's POV

Kidah scoots away from me a few inches, probably recognizing my anger. I knew my temperature was rising.

"I'm sorry. We can't just pick up where we left off. Us having this moment together…" I drag my gaze away from her adorable blushing cheeks. "I've missed it. I've missed you. But I need more time, before this," she gestures between us.

I couldn't blame her. After everything I had said and done, I was lucky she'd even look at me. This was my second chance. I couldn't blow it. "I understand."

She exhales loudly, "Alright, well, how about we go check to see if there's any lunch left?" Kidah rises from her seat beside me to lead me back to the front of the temple.

I stand up quickly and take her hand, "I'll never leave you again, Kidah. I will never push you away again. I swear." Her eyes twinkle with what I hope is trust.

The next morning, everyone seemed fairly welcoming. We ate breakfast, and I listened to the others' camaraderie. It was refreshing to hear people talk to one another in a friendly and casual tone.

Kidah sits beside me. She's quiet as well, but enters the conversation occasionally. It wasn't awkward or uncomfortable, she was just more reserved around them. Eventually, she bumps my shoulder with hers, "are you excited to teach your new pupil?"

I look at her and try to seem confident, "it'll be the first time I have taught someone, so it'll at least be interesting."

"You'll do great," she smiles, and it melts my anxiety.

Sokka coughs across from us. I look at him guiltily and rub the back of my head. "I'm going to go meditate… Aang come find me when you're done."

"Sure thing," he says perkily.

I wander around for a few minutes to find an open space for us to train. Finding a large balcony towards the top of the building, I settle down to get my thoughts focused and aligned.

Aang joins me shortly, "So, uh- you ready?"

I stand and walk towards him, resting my clasped hands in front of me. "I know you're nervous, but remember... firebending in and of itself is not something to fear."

He looks unsure, "Ok. Not something to fear."

"But if you don't respect it, it'll chew you up and spit you out like an angry komodo rhino!" Aang visibly gulps in fear. "Now show me what you've got. Any amount of fire you can make."

Aang exhales, takes in a nervous breath and attempts to firebend. His palm releases a small cloud of smoke which dissipates within a second. He smiles at me sheepishly, "Maybe I need a little more instruction. Perhaps a demonstration?"

Of course, why didn't I think of that… "Good idea. You might want to take a couple steps back."

I take in a breath and punch out with my right arm, creating a small pathetic burst of flame. What the fuck..? Aang applauds.

I look back at him in confusion, "What was that?! That was the worst firebending I've ever seen!"

He shrugs, "I thought it was… nice."

I groan in frustration and firebend in rapid succession. I sweep my leg around and out, but all my flames are small like the first. I stare at my palms in disbelief, "Why is this happening?!"

"Maybe it's the altitude," he suggests.

I can't help the uncertainty in my voice, "Yeah, could be."

"Here, follow me."

Aang leads me down a few stories to another balcony. He sits on a broken pillar to observe me. My bending has the same results. I unleash another blast in frustration, but with no improvement. Aang yawns and lies down.

"Just breathe, and…" I blanche as the same thing happens again.

Aang sits up, "That one kind of felt hot."

My temper gets the best of me, "Don't patronize me. You know what it's supposed to look like!"

He bows to me, "Sorry, Sifu Hotman."

I throw my arms up in the air, "And stop calling me that!"

Sokka walks up and sits a few yards away from us, eating an apple. "Hey, jerks. Mind if I watch you two jerks do your jerk bending?"

"Get out of here!" I try to shoo him away.

"Ok, take it easy." He drops his apple core, waves his hand in dismissal, "I was just kidding around." He turns to walk away, but his voice carries, "Jerk bending, still got it." My head falls in contempt.

I turn to Aang, "maybe I just need to meditate more. Today has been the first day in a few weeks I've actually sat down to settle myself. We can pick up again later."

He salutes me and skips away. What was wrong with me?

I meditated all day. Kidah came to check on me twice. I could feel her presence, but she left me alone. She knew me well enough to understand I needed to focus my energies and not be disturbed.

Before dinner, I tried bending again. I swept my arms around and sliced them through the air to create a flow of fire from my fingertips. It looked as if I had blown on a match. I shake my head in confusion and walk down to the front of the temple for dinner.

I approach the group and sigh, disheartened. "Listen everybody; I've got some pretty bad news… I've lost my stuff."

Toph raises both her arms innocently, "Don't look at me. I didn't touch your stuff."

I shake my head, "I'm talking about my firebending. It's gone."

Everyone just stares quietly, but Katara laughs maniacally. Annoyance and anger prickle me.

"I'm sorry. I'm just laughing at the irony. You know... how it would have been nice for us if you lost your firebending a long time ago?" She wipes a tear from her eye.

"Well it's not lost." I cross my arms, "It's just weaker for some reason."

Katara glares at me, "Maybe, you're just not as good as you think you are."

Kidah's head whips up, "Katara! That is just rude. For fuck's sake, have some dignity." She sips her bowl nonchalantly. Katara blushes.

Toph laughs and crosses her arms, "Ouch."

I walk back and forth trying to work through all of this in my mind, "I bet it's because I changed sides."

Katara sounds like a chastised child, "That's ridiculous."

Aang stands, "I don't know. Maybe it isn't. Maybe your firebending comes from rage, and you just don't have enough anger to fuel it the way you used to."

"So, all we need to do is make Zuko angry…" Sokka approaches me with a smirk, "easy enough."

He proceeds to nudge me in the waist and head with the hilt of his sword several times. "Ok, cut it out!" I swat him away, "Look... even if you're right, I don't want to rely on hate and anger anymore. There has to be another way." I rub the bridge of my nose, noticing the signs of a headache.

Toph lifts a finger to the air knowingly, "You're gonna need to learn to draw your firebending from a different source. I recommend the original source."

"How's he supposed to do that?" Sokka scoffs, "By jumping into a volcano?"

"No." Toph rolls her unseeing eyes, "Zuko needs to go back to whatever the original source of firebending is."

Sokka jumps excitedly, "So, is it jumping into a volcano?"

Toph sets her bowl down to wave her hands around in the air, "I don't know. For earthbending, the original benders were badgermoles. One day, when I was little, I ran away and hid in a cave. That's where I met them." She smiles reminiscing the memory, "They were blind, just like me, so we understood each other. I was able to learn earthbending, not just as a martial art, but as an extension of my senses. For them, the original earthbenders, it wasn't just about fighting. It was their way of interacting with the world."

Aang smiles in awe at his friend, "That's amazing, Toph. I learned from the monks, but the original airbenders were the Sky Bison."

I sigh, "Well, this doesn't help me. The original firebenders were the dragons, and they're extinct." Kidah comes to stand beside me.

"What do you mean? Roku had a dragon, and there were plenty of dragons when I was a kid." Aang tilts his head in confusion.

"Well, they aren't around anymore, ok?" I see Kidah flinch in my peripheral.

Aang backs away from me slowly, "Ok, ok. I'm sorry."

Kidah places a hand on my arm, "Are there books, or priests that may know something?"

I shake my head and look to the ground. Old stories from Uncle bring an idea to my mind. "There actually might be a way." I turn to her with hope, "The first people to learn from the dragons were the ancient Sun Warriors."

Aang comes back to join us, "Sun Warriors? Well, I know they weren't around when I was a kid."

I turn to him, "No, they died off thousands of years ago, but their civilization wasn't too far from where we are now. Maybe we can learn something by poking around their ruins."

"It's like the monks used to tell me. Sometimes, the shadows of the past can be felt by the present." Aang smiles with excitement.

"So, what?" Sokka muses. "Maybe, you'll pick up some super old Sun Warrior energy just by standing where they stood a thousand years ago?"

I sigh and look out to everyone, "More or less. Either I find a new way to firebend, or the Avatar has to find a new teacher."

Toph stands and hands me a bowl of noodles silently. "Thanks," I look down at the food. "I'll see you at sunrise, Aang. I'm going to finish this in my room."

I sit my bowl down on my desk and stare at Uncle's picture. He'd be able to tell me what's going on with my bending. "The fire within is the fire you build from," I try to mimic what he may say in such a situation, but it makes no sense whatsoever. I groan and let my head fall to the wooden surface before me.

"Brain damage isn't going to help with your bending," Kidah calls from the doorway.

I can't bring myself to look at her. I hear her walk towards me. Her nurturing character takes over. She pulls herself up to sit on the desk beside me, and drags my head into her lap. Sighing, she runs her fingers through my hair. "You'll figure it out, Zuko… Don't be so hard on yourself."

I wrap my arms around her legs. It was a nice distraction. We hadn't been this close in a long time. If I look up, I'm scared she will pull away. "Do you want me to come with you tomorrow?" She asks.

I breathe in deeply, inhaling her scent. It brings me back to our time in Ba Sing Se. "Yes," I answer.

Kidah pulls my head up to make me look at her, "I believe in you." She smiles and it warms my soul. Her alluring eyes pull me in. I rise slowly, and she spreads her legs, letting me stand in between them. Her full lips part slightly as I place my hands gingerly on her hips.

I bide my time, praying that she will kiss me. Her eyes dart to my lips before meeting my gaze again. I know she has to see how much I want her. My bending may be on the spritz, but my fire for her burned hotter than ever. Kidah's forehead touches mine, and we both seem to be breathing heavily.

Her eyes close, and she drags her lips lightly across mine. She goes to pull away, but I take that as my go ahead. Grabbing the back of her neck, I pull her back into me. Her hands snake into my hair, and she bites my bottom lip. I moan into her mouth. My other hand squeezes her roughly. Kidah's back arches into me as we kiss, pressing her breasts into my chest.

I heave myself from her lips. She has that same hazy look on her face with flushed cheeks and abused pink lips. I cup her cheeks and kiss her again possessively. "I've missed your lips for months," I murmur into her mouth.

I feel her smile. "Do you remember when you were sick?" I open my eyes to drown my worries in the whirlpool of her gaze. "I was there… I came to get my stuff before going back to the North Pole. You were half asleep and thought you were dreaming, but you asked me to come back to you." I nod, and she continues, "I did come back, but you left me for Azula."

Bringing her lips back to mine, I kiss her fiercely. I remembered that dream, and it broke my heart knowing she had made that promise only for me to break it. She pulls away, "I always wondered why… Why did you choose the Fire Nation over me?" Her head tilts to the side questioningly, "was it because I became a princess?"

I inhale sharply and close my eyes, wanting to be completely honest with her. "Partly, yes… I was confused, and when Uncle told me that, I couldn't see our future anymore. It was like one of the two paths of my life crumbled before me." I feel her pull further away from me, but I hold her in place. "But the only path I care about now, the only path that I want is you. We will defeat my father and go from there, together." I cautiously kiss her again. "I will never leave you again."

She wraps her hands around the back of my head and pulls on my hair, "No, you won't." We lose ourselves in each other's touch, and move towards my bed. Kidah pushes me down and straddles me. Her hands pull at my shirt.

"Fuck," I breathe. My erection is throbbing in my pants, but I know better. "Ki-Kidah," I try to get out in between kisses. "Kidah, we should take things slow." Her shoulders slouch forward as she leans back. "But, you can sleep here tonight… if you want." Her hips roll into me in response. I suppress a groan. "Sleep - only."

I look at her pointedly, and she bites her mistreated lower lip. It almost breaks me. She sighs dramatically and rolls her eyes. "Fine." I inhale deeply and blow out my cheeks in relief. Kidah stands up and begins to take off her outerwear. I watch as more and more of her tan skin is revealed. She strips down to her binder and shorts. Taking her crown off, she sets it gently on the desk. She looks at me expectantly. "You're really going to sleep in all of that?" Her hand gestures to me up and down.

Shaking my head, I pull off my clothes as well. She eyes my chest hungrily. I get under the covers and pat the bed next to me. She climbs in and snuggles into me. Our bodies tangle around each other. "How did I ever deserve this?" I whisper.

Kidah yawns, "I'll tell you when you're older." I laugh lightly and let myself fall asleep with the woman I'm pretty sure I was in love with.

More to come soon (: I hope you all will like my alternate ending for the show. Again, leave me some reviews to keep my spirits up! It makes writing easier knowing others are enjoying this as much as me. Thank you!