The views of the Western Air Temple were really something to marvel at. Tsai sat on the edge of the plaza looking at the distance both of her feet hanging off the edge. The weather was nice. Sun was shining bright above, and she kept to herself sipping on a hot cup of tea. Intaking the fresh morning air.

Buried in the back of her head were questions about her spirit. The Sun.
Her brother was a constant and she didn't even want to think about her parents… She flinched slightly when she remembered the lifeless eyes which her father had looked at her when he denounced her as his daughter. The thought numbed her.

"What's on your mind?" Zuko who was sitting next to her asked. One of his legs hung lazily down the ledge the other was folded at his side.

"Nothing," she sighed with a sad smiled before turning to face him.

Various prying eyes watched from afar as they gathered around for breakfast. They watched from a distance as the prince slowly, almost painfully inched his hand towards her in calculated movements until his hand made contact with her. She didn't move, didn't turn to look at him when just their little fingers intertwined.

"Ugh.." Sokka groaned nauseously from the distance as he looked at the couple. "Toph's right. I think I feel my breakfast coming up." Those two were just sosappy.

"I think it's kind of sweet." Aang admitted with a small smile. "Everyone deserves love, even Zuko." He shrugged.

Katara glared at Aang as she finished eating her breakfast.

It was then that they noticed that a discussion ensured in between the couple and upset she stood up leaving him alone to sigh miserably while sitting on the ledge by himself.

"Seems like there's trouble in paradise," Katara said snidely as she poked at her food with the slightest of smirks on her face.

Aang looked between the girl that was walking away and back to the gloomy boy that sat on the edge of the cliff alone. "I'm going to go talk to him," Aang stood up determined. The other all recoiled slightly.

"Hey," Aang said as he took a seat next to Zuko. The kind natured boy was never one to disfavor friends or foes. If somebody needed help, he would be there. "Hey," The other grumbled while kicking at the nothing frustrated.

"Hey, you okay? What happened?" Aang asked innocently.

Zuko was notabout to have thisconversation with the Avatar. Now more than ever he wished that his uncle was here. He'dknow what to do.

"Let's go teach you some firebending," Zuko groaned coming to his feet and walking away avoiding the conversation entirely. Aang raised his hands confused turned to look at the group who was nosily watching and hanging his head in defeat followed after his new firebending teacher.

"I know you're nervous," Zuko said patiently as he stood in front of Aang on an upper balcony of the group's pagoda an hour or so after breakfast, "But remember, firebending in and of itself is not something to fear."

Aang sighed and bit his lip hesitantly, "Okay, not something fear."

"But if you don't respect it," Zuko crossed his arms and raised his voice slightly, "It'll chew you up and spit you out like an angry komodo-rhino!" He said roughly.

Aang squeaked nervously and leaned back, staring at the older boy with wide gray eyes. Nodding once, Zuko gestured for Aang to stand up with one hand, "Now show me what you've got. Any amount of fire you can make."

The young Avatar exhaled slowly and stood up. He took a nervous breath then twisted around, thrusting his hand out to the side. A small cloud of smoke erupted from his palm and dissipated a second later. Aang smiled sheepishly over at Zuko, "Maybe I need a little more instruction. Perhaps a demonstration?"

"Good idea. You might want to take a couple steps back."

Aang quickly backed up a few steps and watched as Zuko took a deep breath then lunged forward with a grunt, his fist thrust out in front of him. A small, rather pathetic burst of flame shot from his fist and dispersed a moment later. Aang bit his lip to keep from smiling and clapped slowly almost mockingly.

Zuko recoiled back in confusion, "What was that?! That was the worst firebending I've ever seen!"

"I thought it was..." Aang paused and shrugged slightly with a faint smile, "Nice."

Zuko grunted and attempted to firebend again, small flames erupting from his fists each time. He growled and glared at his hands in frustration.

"Why is this happening?!"

"Maybe it's the altitude." Aang suggested weakly with another small shrug.

"Yeah," Zuko muttered in agreement and he turned away from the younger boy, an unsure and lost expression appearing on his face, "Could be."

"Let's go to a lower balcony." Aang said lightly and he turned to head into the chamber attached to the balcony. Zuko hesitated a moment then followed him.

Aang yawned and lied down on a broken pillar as Zuko growled in frustration and continued to firebend with no improvement.

"Just breathe, and..." Zuko inhaled and swung around, thrust his fist to the side. A small flame came out of his fist and he growled again.

Aang sat up and rested his hands in his lap, "That one kind of felt hot."

"Don't patronize me!" Zuko snapped angrily and he threw his hand out to the side, "You know what it's supposed to look like!"

"Sorry, Sifu Hotman."

"And stop calling me that!"

Aang cringed back and looked at his hands. He looked up when he heard someone walking towards them and he watched as Sokka, munching on an apple, approached.

"Hey jerks." Sokka greeted with a sardonic grin as he sat down and bit into his apple, "Mind if I watch you two jerks do your jerk bending?"

Zuko whirled around and swung his arm out to the side as he angrily yelled, "Get out of here!"

"Okay, okay, take it easy." Sokka drawled in amusement and he waved his hand dismissively, tossing his apple core away as he stood up, "I was just kidding around." He turned away from the other two boys and adjusted his shirt with a smirk, "Jerk bending, still got it."

Zuko groaned and hung his head, his shoulders slumping forward while Aang stared at him sympathetically wondering just what it could be.

"I got it!" Aang said clapping a hand against his fist. "I think I know someone who can help!"

Tsai wiped some sweat off her brow as she pushed her head back, her attention currently focused on washing laundry. She didn't get why she got stuck with this mindless chore when Katara was the waterbender of the group. She had now shed her peasant clothes and wore one of Katara's extra outfits from their time in the Fire Nation.

"Hey Tsai," Aang greeted suddenly appearing. He had a nervous look on his face. Little did she know he was determined to help fix amends between her and his new teacher. Zuko stood behind him with his arms crossed over his chest as he gloomily turned away from her. "We kind of need your help." Aang admitted sheepishly holding the back of his neck.

She looked between the load of dirty clothes she had to wash and the two firebenders. Anything beat washing Sokka's dirty socks.

"Alright," She stood up and tried her hands on her skirt. "What's up?"

"Well, you see…" Aang egg-shelled around the topic. She looked at him with expectant eyes and quirked an eyebrow up impatiently. "Zuko…" He looked at the older teen.

"I've lost... My stuff," The scarred prince confessed still avoiding all eye contact feeling somehow a lesser of a man.

She narrowed her eyes and cocked her head to the side arms crossed over her chest in confusion. 'What did he mean by… stuff?'

"Huh?"

"I mean, my firebending." He admitted wistfully.

"Right..?" She retorted slightly taken back. Was this a thing? Did this happen to all firebenders? This had never happened to her brother as far as she knew. What did his firebending disfunction have to do with her?

"We thought you could help." Aang said going behind Zuko and pushing him forward so they stood face to face. "You know? Since you're the Sun Spirit and all and firebenders get their strength from the sun?"

Despite being standing she felt as if she had crashed into a brick wall. She didn't know anything about spirituality. She didn't know the first thing about being a spirit. She didn't even know why or how on Earth she had become the embodiment of this spirit. So far the extent of her knowledge in regards of the spirituality of the sun was that she was connected to the moon, she could walk through flames and somehow had managed to heal herself.

"I want to help," she answered stiffly. "Thing is I don't know how- I don't even know what to do."

"Why don't you try touching him?" Aang suggested.

Hesitantly she placed an arm on his shoulder and he threw out a fire punch again terribly failing at his bending.

"Hmm," she said bringing a hand to her chin and holding her elbow in a pensive matter.

"Want me to try making him angry?" She said to Aang. "That'll set you off like a firecracker Zuzu." She teased calling him by that stupid nicknamed he hated so much.

"I'm already angry! This is just a waste of time!" He fumed in frustration.

Aang remained pensive for a moment. Deep in thought.

"Maybe this matter is more internal," he mused. "Maybe you two should talk out your… issues?" He suggested.

"What?" Tsai let out a forced laugh. "We don't have any issues. There is nothingto talk about." She said in denial and crossing her arms over her chest.

Zuko simply flashed her a knowing look. She turned away in response. They had had some terrible fights before, and his bending had never failed him… Why would it be any different this time?

"It might be worth a shot." Aang shrugged.

Both older teens looked at each other and then away.

Zuko sat in a small shaded, open garden that was hidden away under a close by staircase. There were some broken pillars and airbender statues nearby. The place was overrun with wild vines and moss.

He currently sat on a broken pillar fidgeting nervously. Before him were three lit candles which he had had to light himself with rocks. It was pathetic. He was sure she wasn't going to show. This entire idea was stupid. Everything was stupid and nothing made sense to him anymore.

He was about to give up on waiting and stood up frustrated tugging at his hair angrily ready to kick one of the candles when he heard footsteps descending down the stairs.

He was surprised. She had actually showed. He smiled a little at her. She did not return it.

"I only came because the fate of the world depends on it." She glowered as she approached him.

"I'm using the candles to measure my bending. See if there's a reaction or anything." He explained signaling to them.

There was a heavy silence between them before she spoke.

"Well?" She demanded in a snappy tone. "What issuedid you want to work out?"

He took a seat and signaled for her to sit next to him, but she remained standing, arms still crossed over her chest still in denial.

"I'm confused," he began.

"About?"

"You, me- us? I mean I thought we had worked everything out?"

"There is… no us." She spoke with angst.

He ran a hand through his hair lightly tugging at it. "What do you mean? We already talked last night. You forgave me. We hugged. You seemed genuinely happy to have me around and then in the morning-" he made a flipping motion with his hand. "-You suddenly flipped like a coin!"

She was brewing her emotions, internalizing her hurt, her anger, her frustrations.

"I did unspeakable and unforgivable things," he admitted with shame. "But I have changed. I'm good now and I want you to believe me."

She sat next to him and rubbed her eyes and temples in resentment.

"I believe you," she let out an exhausted breath.
"I do. I can see you've changed and I'm really proud and happy for you. But that's not what this is about. That's about you. Not us." she removed her hands from her face and looked at him. Her eyes lowered; lips drawn into a thin line. Zuko looked deflated as anguish filled him.

"You don't understand that despite all the vile things your family did to me. You hurt me the most."

He saw tormented and noticed she was struggling to fight back the tears that were forming on her eyes.

"There are wounds inside of me, scars that need to heal. I agree we both said terrible things to each other in the Crystal Catacombs and then you betrayed Iroh and I, which hurt us- You did nothingwhile your sister humiliated me on a daily basis and do not…" She paused for a moment. "Do not even get me started on Mai!" Her tone became louder at the begrudging statement.

"I couldn't do anything about Azula and my father. Please try and understand. I was torn. Confused. Lost. But in the end- I found my way that day- when we were feeding the turtleducks remember? I found my way and you gave me the strength I needed to do follow it."

She rolled her eyes and wiped a stray tear that had managed to escape the barrier of her eyes.

"And Mai?" She sniffled.

He opened his mouth to speak but was brashly interrupted. As her tone increased to shouting, her hands moving allegorically as she spoke angrily.

"You better notsay that stupid excuse that you were trying to forget me because I will only believe that once but not twice."

He stayed quiet opting out wordlessly.

"And it didn't even take you a day!" She wiped both of her tears. "From one day to the next she's there. Boom.Where you talking to her when we were on the ship? Exchanging letters from Ba Sing Se? And then the way you-" She hiccupped. "The way you paraded yourself with her." She buried her face on her hands in an exhausting frustration.

He remembered the dead eyes that he had seen looking at him with Mai back in the palace. How could he have been so foolish? How could he not have realized?

'Stupid!' He cringed at himself repeatedly. 'Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! What were you thinking?!'

"Look," He began, and she turned to look at him antipathy. A chilling look that reminded him of her father's eyes. "What happened between Mai and I.. It's over. For good. There was no talking, no letter exchanging nothing. I was alone. I was vulnerable and just as afraid as you-"

"Oh, of course you have an answer for everything!" She stood up. Having had enough of this.

"Wait-" He panicked quickly moving around her blocking her path. "I wish I had a better answer for you. I really do. I just… I wish I could take it all back. I wish things could go back to the way they were in Ba Sing Se." He regretted. His expression one of sincere despair.

"You made your choice." She glowered before attempting to walk past him.

"Tsai," he pleaded and reached for her.

"You once promised you wouldn't let anybody hurt me. I guess you didn't mean yourself." She spat out venomously. His arms dropped to the side in defeat. She brushed past him exiting the garden.

He looked at the candles before him with profound sadness. The fire in them now gone simply leaving behind three single trails of smoke.

Aang waited patiently in the courtyard near the garden.

"Tsai how'd it-" He stopped in his tracks and fell silent when he saw her swollen, red eyes and frown. From the context clues he gathered it did notgo well.

Aang descended down the steps and found Zuko sitting in the garden with his face buried in his hands.

"I'm sorry it didn't go well.."

"That's an understatement," he said taking a sharp breath and looking up.

Aang was quiet for a moment. The prince looked destroyed. "I've made so many mistakes. Too many," he mumbled before reaching for one of the candles and angrily throwing it at the abyss before him as he raged in anger and frustration.

Aang felt for him.

"A friend once told me that love is hard when you are young, but that it gets better." Aang offered sagely remembering what his past life, Avatar Roku, had once said to him in comforting advice.

Zuko slumped his shoulder's in misery. He had so much regret. So much he wished he could take back.

"It didn't work," he grumbled pinching the bridge of his nose. Aang placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Moments later they gathered around the courtyard as everybody was having their dinner to share their newfound issue with the rest of the group.

"Listen everybody," Zuko suddenly called out and walked over to the group as they all turned to look at him curiously. He sighed as he stopped near them, "I've got some bad news. I've lost my stuff."

"Don't look at me." Toph commented loudly, waving her arms slightly before folding them over her chest cross, "I didn't touch your stuff."

"I'm talking about my firebending." Zuko explained quietly and he closed his eyes, "It's gone."

Katara laughed loudly, drawing everyone's attention to her. "I'm sorry." She apologized insincerely with a smirk, "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?"

Tsai glared at Katara from a near distance before turning away from the group and standing behind a pillar with her arms crossed over her chest, still out of sigh, yet keeping an ear perked.

"It's not lost. It's just weaker for some reason…"

Katara lifted her bowl to her mouth and glared daggers over the rim at Zuko, "Maybe you're just not as good as you think you are."

"Ouch..." Toph drawled with a small, sarcastic smile.

"I bet it's because I changed sides."

"That's ridiculous." Katara muttered disapprovingly as she took a sip from her bowl.

"I don't know. Maybe it isn't." Aang suggested as helped himself to a bowl for his dinner, "Maybe your firebending comes from rage and you just don't have enough anger to fuel it the way you used to."

'Well, that actually makes some sense'

Sokka suddenly popped up beside Zuko and pointed his finger in the air with a maniacal grin on his face. "Sooo... All we need to do is make Zuko angry." He giggled as a mischievous grin grew on his features, "Easy enough." He started poking Zuko's head and waist with the hilt of his sword, giggling childishly as he did.

"Okay, cut it out!" Zuko bellowed in annoyance, turning to glare at Sokka angrily.

Sokka yelped and jumped back, tossing his sword up in the air and covering his face with his arm.

Zuko rubbed the bridge of his nose. It had been a stressful enough day already.

"Look, even if you're right, I don't want to rely on hate and anger anymore. There has to be another way."

"You're gonna need to learn to draw your firebending from a source." Toph stated nonchalantly as Sokka sat beside her, rubbing his head with a pout. She dipped her hand into her bowl and picked up a dumpling and popped it into her mouth, "I recommend the original source."

"How's he supposed to do that? By jumping into a volcano?" Sokka quipped with a snicker.

"No." Toph deadpanned, "Zuko needs to go back to whatever the original source of firebending is."

The group discussed the origins of the four elements of bending. Badgermoles for earthbending and sky bisons for airbending.

"Well, this doesn't help me." Zuko muttered and he turned away from the group, "The original Firebenders were the dragons, and they're extinct."

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

Zuko whirled around and yelled defensively, "Well, they aren't around anymore, okay?!"

"Okay, okay." Aang quickly agreed passively, holding his hands up in an appeasing manner, "Sorry."

"Maybe there's another way..." He walked over towards the broken fountain as he continued trailing off, "The first people to learn from the dragons were the ancient Sun Warriors."

Tsai flinched a little before peering from behind the pillar which she was leaning against. This caught her attention.

Aang walked over to Zuko, "The Sun Warriors? Well, I know they weren't around when I was a kid."

"The Sun Warriors died off thousands of years ago." Zuko explained with a shrug, "But their civilization wasn't too far from where we are now. Maybe we can learn something by poking around their ruins."

She fully orbited around the pillar now facing the group. Her arms crossed over her chest and eyes narrowed as she now listened attentively.

Aang nodded and smiled faintly, "It's like the monks used to tell us. Sometimes, the shadows of the past can be felt by the present."

"Yeah," Sokka added skeptically, "Do you think you guys will pick up some super old Sun Warrior energy just by standing," He made a fluttering motion with his hand, "Where they stood a thousand years ago or something?"

"More or less." Zuko answered with a shrug, "Either way we have to try, because if I don't find a new way to firebend, the Avatar will have to find a new teacher."

"Or I can always teach you how to non-bend fire," the red-head chuckled lightly before pushing herself of the pillar and re-joining the group.

"Thatis not going to be a thing," Sokka face palmed.

"I'm going with you two," she declared her gaze lost in the burning fire in the center of the circle.

"What?" Toph said and she checked to see if she had some dirt inside of her ears or something. "But you can't firebend," she laughed slightly.

"Hello?" She waved her hands dramatically. "They are going to look for SunWarriors. I'm the SunSpirit?" She said pointing to herself and looking at all of their blank faces. "I just recently learned about this new part of myself and I still haven't been able to process it. I don't know anything about the spirit world. Hell! I've never even thought about the spirit world. I figured if I went along maybe I could even get some answers for myself…"

"She's right," Zuko answered. Regardless he kept his eyes fixed on the ground.

"It's like Aang said, 'Sometimes, the shadows of the past can be felt by the present.' Who knows maybe we'll find some hieroglyphics or something."

Katara glared with her arms crossed. She hated the idea of Aang leaving the Temple accompanied by two very dangerous ex-Fire Nationers. They agreed to leave first thing in the morning.

That night Tsai couldn't sleep. She continued tossing and turning with feelings of unease and dread clouding her thoughts and decided to sit and gaze at the abyss as the usually did in those nights when she sought comfort and to distract her mind. She climbed the stairs down to the upper level of the temple and froze when she saw a brooding figure standing in the spot where she usually sat.

'Oh-no…'

She gave a clumsy step back and a rock echoed as it tittered down the rest of the steps. She winced at the sound, having been exposed.

Zuko turned and looked at her for a moment. A blank expression playing on his face.

"Hey…" He said dully and inhaled a deep breath before facing back towards the abyss.

She danced awkwardly on her feet debating whether she should return back to the camp or stay and say something - anything.

"I couldn't sleep," he suddenly said. And she mentally cursed as she was pulled back. Deciding to stand next to him in the darkness hugging herself from the cold of the night. "I feel like I haven't slept in a long time."

Unsure of what to say she agreed with a weak "Yeah…" keeping her eyes focused on the night sky above them. The moon was waxing, stars glimmering above like a thousand and one shimmering diamonds.

Awkwardly they both turned to face each other at the same time. Choking on their words they both called each other's names at the same time and stammered at the awkward coincidence.

Frozen she turned forward.

'What would uncle do? What would uncle say?' He racked his brain.

He repeated her name again. This time much more quietly, softer. She turned to look at him. He knew what he had to do. He hesitated for a moment before reaching for something on his neck. Slowly he pulled out the sunstone necklace, the one she had given him.

"I have to give you up," he confessed.

Reaching for her hand he placed it and wrapped her fingers around the small amber colored stone.

"All of you…"

She looked at him with an unreadable expression. His eyes clouded with a profound sorrow as he let go of her hands.

He leaned in and placed a tender kiss on her cheek.

The last one.

"Goodbye." He whispered before walking away.

She stood alone now watching him walk away in the darkness of the night. Feeling cold, distraught and conflicted-

"Zuko!" Her voice broke and she saw his retreating form stop in his tracks.

"I-…" She lost her voice. "Thanks," she said lamely.

And so he walked away from her.

AN: Why can't they just be happy? Ugh… I thought we were past the angsttttt.

Zuko did some pretty messed up stuff. We have to make him suffer just- for a little while longer ;)