Today was the day! He was going to seriously start training the Avatar, going to help prepare him for his destiny! They'd covered the principles and now he'd be showing him the basic forms! Even though he'd only had a few hours of sleep, the fire prince had risen before the sun (briefly wondering when Sokka had left), excitement coursing through him. He thought back to his training, remembering the basic forms that he'd begun with.

He moves through the motions in his mind as he gets himself dressed. With a solid teaching plan forming in his head, he makes his way out to the courtyard, desperately hoping the Avatar is awake and ready. He's pleasantly surprised when Aang calls out happily, "Good morning Sifu Hotman! Ready for a flaming good lesson?"

He blinks a few times at the boy. "You do know no one talks like that anymore…right?" He asks, his single eyebrow raised.

"What?! My old friend Kuzon said that all the time!" Aang says in cheery disbelief.

"Your friend…from a hundred years ago?" He asks, leading him in the direction of realization.

"Yeah! Kuzon." Aang beams, ignoring his teacher's hint. Deciding it's not worth arguing over, he shakes his head. "Are you ready to begin?" Aang nods fervently in response and they head toward the secluded courtyard. *****

"Good morning sister!" Sokka stretches as he enters the nearly empty courtyard. Apparently, everyone else was sleeping in today. "Is breakfast ready?"

"Actually, Sokka, it's not. I just woke up too." Katara snaps at her demanding brother. "It's going to be a little bit." Sokka gives her his best polarbearpuppy eyes. "Oh, take an appleberry if you're that hungry!" She says, pushing him out of her cooking area.

'What's got her in a mood already?' He thinks to himself, deciding to drop it for now. "Oh fine! I'm gonna go find Zuko and Aang." He says indignantly, sneaking an extra appleberry as he leaves.

She rolls her eyes as he leaves, still annoyed that he hadn't been there to listen to her last night. She hadn't been able to sleep, the thought of Aang being left alone with Zuko all day had kept her mind racing with dread. And finding her brother sleeping next to the firebender had bothered her even more. It seemed like such an innocent thing but coming from the Fire Prince…it just didn't sit right with her. 'Am I being too harsh?' she asks her tired mind. *****

Zuko could feel his face burning with embarrassment. He tried again to summon flames, just breathe and…smoke. 'What Is Happening?!' He screams in his own mind, frustration simmering to a boil. "That one felt a bit warm." Aang tries to encourage his teacher, which only makes his stomach twist more with humiliation.

He hangs his head for a moment, trying not to panic or lose control over his temper. He has to teach this young boy firebending but how is he going to do that when he can't even firebend?! And what happened to make his bending so weak all of a sudden? His head is throbbing with tension and his stomach is in knots. 'I can't believe how weak I look! In front of the Avatar! What's wrong with me?!' His thoughts start spiraling miserably.

"Hey jerks! Mind if I watch you two jerks do your jerkbending?" Sokka teases, laughing to himself proudly with his appleberry. The prince's patience finally snaps, and he hears himself yell at the boy to leave. He instantly feels guilty for his angry outburst. But he's relieved when Sokka seems unphased and laughs at his own joke as he leaves. The prince hangs his head again feeling defeated, confused, and completely mortified. *****

Everyone was huddled around the fire chatting easily over their dinner, except Zuko. After such a degrading and infuriating day, he wasn't even remotely hungry. His mind spun in circles trying to figure out what was happening to him and what he should do. Uncle never mentioned anything about losing your bending…in fact he'd never heardabout this happening to anyone before! Were they going to kick him out of the group if he couldn't teach Aang? He wasn't sure they'd do that, after all he and Sokka are friends, right? Somehow, he still wasn't confident using that word. And Aang seemed to like him enough and Toph has been sticking up for him…so maybe they'd let him stay but that doesn't help the fact that his bending is gone! He feels nauseous with barely controlled panic.

Walking into the darkened corner of the courtyard, he approaches Appa. The giant bison lifts his head and greets him with a soft growl. "Hey buddy." He whispers miserably and slowly pets the massive head. Appa feels the turmoil in the prince and nuzzles his head against the young man's chest to comfort him. The soft fur feels nice against his arms and face and brings out a small smile. "Wish you could tell me what's going on with me." Appa grunts softly in reply.

He nods in agreement, he needs help. He can't figure this out on his own. He needs to tell them. Maybe together they can figure out what was going on. With resolve, he thanks the giant beast and turns to address the group. *****

Aang lay on his bed, mind racing. He felt sorry for Zuko, he can't imagine how scary it would be to just lose your bending! That must be like losing his vision all over again! His heart ached for his new friend, remembering his frustration and the embarrassed blush on his face. 'I hope he knows that I don't think any less of him!' He thinks desperately.

'He seems really depressed right now, so I'll have to be extra uplifting and positive for him tomorrow! Hopefully, we can learn something from the ruins that will get his bending back. Maybe, it will come back even stronger! I'll have to say that to him tomorrow!' He plans to himself. *****

He buries his face deep in his pillow, sighing heavily. He feels absolutely humiliated and so very vulnerable. 'A few nights ago, I was a hero to them and today I'm a miserable failure! Why does everything have to always blow up in my face?! I must be the worst firebender in the history of firebenders!' He berates himself. Guilt and shame joining the negative emotions mingling in his chest.

'In the darkest times, hope is something that you give yourself…that is the meaning of inner strength.' His Uncle's calming voice echoes in his mind, piercing through the despair attempting to settle there. 'I think I understand now what you were trying to teach me back then. I can't give up. I have to keep trying. I have to teach Aang to firebend!' He says to his inner Uncle Iroh with resolve. *****

Her tear-filled eyes stare up at the darkened ceiling, sick with worry. She was exhausted but couldn't stop imagining all of the terrible things that might happen the next day. She'd nearly lost Aang once before because of the prince and this time, she wouldn't be there to help! She hated feeling so powerless! Tears stream down her cheeks, disappearing into her thick hair. She couldn't get herself to trust him, especially with Aang. But her reasonable side kept reminding her of the jail break and wanted poster.

Could he still turn Aang over to his Father and return home? Or would he be put to death? He said that the Fire Lord had already tried to kill him for leaving…would he pardon his son if he delivered the Avatar to him? Then again, he could've been lying about all of that! ...But Toph would've been able to tell, right? She said she wasn't able to tell when Azula lied, so maybe not. But then the poster…that seems like a lot of work to create those just to give his story credibility…not to mention dangerous…what if villagers spotted him and did what they were 'ordered' to do by the fake wanted poster? No, they had to be real…but that would mean that he was telling the truth….

She closes her eyes tight to keep her head from spinning, her thoughts at war within her mind. She resigned herself to another sleepless night. *****

"So, have you ever been to the Sun Warrior Ruins?" Aang tests cheerily from his spot steering on Appa's head, peaking over his shoulder at his moody companion.

"No." The prince responds shortly, his face resting on his palm, staring out at the vast expanse of ocean beneath them. 'Spirits this is taking forever!' he thinks, releasing a moan from the nausea. Turns out, flying on the back of a ten-ton bison was a lot different than flying in a war balloon. And his stomach was not at all happy about it.

"Me neither! This should be really interesting! Like walking through history, right?" The younger boy persists, undeterred by his friend's misery.

"Yeah."

Aang decides to switch methods and cut to the point. "Hey, Zuko? I know you're upset about your bending…and you have every right to be! But we're going to figure this out together, ok? I'm here for you." Looking over his shoulder, he sees the older boy staring at him with a small, shocked but grateful smile. "Thanks, Aang."

He decides that he's sulked enough over his troubles and will try to be more pleasant for the boy. After all, he is coming all the way out to the ancient ruins for him!

"So…Tao…has a glider?" He tries, kicking himself for being so awkward!

"Hm? Oh yeah! His village moved into the Northern Air Temple. They found the airbenders' gliders there. His Father made him a modified version. They all fly around on gliders up there." Aang says, a little more solemn than usual.

"Oh. He didn't mention the temple. Does…does that bother you? You know, that they live there?" Zuko asks, picking up on the change in the Avatar's voice.

"Well…at first it did. But then, I realized that it was better that someone make use of the temple rather than letting it rot away. They're changing things…a Lot…but everything is supposed to change right?" Aang explains. It still sat weird with him but thinking about how cold, empty, and neglected the Southern Air Temple had been, it feels better that the Temple be enjoyed by people.

"That's really noble of you. Aang? Um…I'm really sorry…for what my family did to your people. It was a horrible thing to do." He says awkwardly, with guilt and mourning in his tone.

Shocked, he looks over his shoulder again to regard the young prince. "Zuko…you have nothing to apologize for! That wasn't your decision to make. And if it was, I know now that you would've spared them." He smiles reassuringly at the firebender for good measure. "All we can do now is move forward and try to make things better."

He smiles back, relieved but still feeling the weight of his ancestor's mistakes. "So…what are you going to do after…you know…all of this?" He asks cautiously.

"Oh! I uh…haven't really thought about that to be honest! Um…well I hope that uh…maybe Katara would want to come with me to…uh…I don't know…keep the peace…and resolve any issues…uh…"

It was strange seeing the Avatar fumbling for words and direction. Aren't they supposed to be super wise and all-knowing? Catching on, Zuko grins devilishly.

"So…you want to continue travelling around…with Katara?" He asks teasingly and his suspicion is confirmed as he sees the boy's bald head turn a deep pink.

"Uh…no, not just Katara! I mean, I want her to come, but…I think Sokka wants to go back to the south pole…and uh, I'm not sure what Toph's plan is…but uh…" He stutters over his thoughts.

"Aang. I'm not gonna tell her or anything. She wouldn't believe me anyway. I'm not to be trusted, remember?" He reassures his companion, wondering if the boy would actually trust him with such sensitive information.

Aang laughs nervously, then dares a look at the prince, quickly turning back to steer.

"So…is she your first crush then?" The prince persists, guiltily enjoying the other boys' discomfort. It was an entertaining distraction from his own problems.

"…Uh…yeah." The Avatar confesses, feeling almost relieved to finally say it aloud. He hadn't been able to talk about it to anyone and he wasn't sure what to even do about his feelings!

"So…what are you gonna do?" He presses on. Aang thinks for a moment and decides that Appa could steer himself for a while. Jumping gracefully through the air, he lands noiselessly in the saddle across from Zuko and sits cross legged. His face is deeply troubled and his hands are fidgeting nervously.

"Well, um…you've gotta promise not to tell anyone! Especially Sokka!" He adds, knowing that the two teens had been spending a lot of time talking together.

"I won't tell anyone Aang." He promises calmly, looking him in the eyes.

"Ok. Well…on the day of the invasion…I, well, I kissed her." He confesses, blushing deeply and looking to the side to avoid Zuko's gaze.

"Oh! That's bold…did she…kiss you back?" The older boy questions with a softer tone, feeling a bit sorry for making the cheery young boy look so uncomfortable.

"Uh yeah, kind of." His face turns an even deeper pink and his eyes dart from his lap to Zuko to his lap again.

"Well, that's a good sign." He smiles encouragingly.

"Yeah. But…after the invasion…uh, nothing happened. We haven't talked about it…and she's acting like it didn't happen." He looks completely miserable now and finally meets the older boy's gaze with pleading eyes as if begging him to tell him what to do. Was he really about to give dating advise to the Avatar?

"Oh. That's not…great." The boy's face falls. "But not terrible!" He adds quickly, and Aang looks up at him questioningly. He sighs, searching through his 'Uncle Iroh wisdom inventory' for what to say. Finding nothing that would work, he decides to wing it. "Look, things are difficult right now. Everyone is going through a lot. And we both know that I've put Katara on edge since I joined you, which was right after the invasion! I'm sure she just has too much on her mind right now to think clearly about everything."

Aang nods sadly in response. "I just…she…she means so much to me…and I really hoped that…I don't know…that I meant a lot to her too." His heart ached for the boy, he was so clearly lovesick over this girl and Zuko couldn't help but empathize with his pain.

"Hey, just because she hasn't done anything, doesn't mean you're not important to her. And it doesn't mean she doesn't feel the same about you! Maybe she's just not ready." Seeing the disbelieving look on Aang's face, he decides to open himself up a bit more to the boy. "Ok, I'm going to tell you something and you have to promise not to tell anyone!" He says sternly, shocking the younger boy.

"Oh…ok! I'll make you a personal Avatar promise, Zuko, that I won't tell anyone!" He says with curiosity in his voice.

He sighs heavily, resigning himself to being uncomfortably vulnerable for the next few minutes. "When I was a kid, I had a crush on my sisters friend Mai." He confesses.

"Wait, the girl with the knives?!" Aang asks excitedly, his grey eyes wide with attention.

"Yes. She was always so quiet and smart. And she was so pretty, her eyes are this mix of gold and silvery grey…and she wasn't like other girls…and she was nice to me. But, I had so much that I had to do and think about with my studies and my firebending and sword training that I never did anything. And to be honest, I was young and well, scared. And she never seemed like she really liked me, so I assumed she didn't. Well, when I returned home, we started dating…pretty much overnight." He blushes.

"What happened?!" Aang stares at the firebender with rapt attention, desperate to hear the trick!

"Well, apparently…we both had crushes on each other, but we both thought the other wasn't interested. Being a bit older, we were both ready to do something about it. My point is people can be complicated and you can't assume how they feel because they're not acting like you think they should…especially girls! And sometimes, it just takes time." He finishes.

Aang smiles in response, feeling a lot better about his current love life. Then a thought occurred to him. "So, you two dated when you went back to the Fire Nation? So…what happened when you left?"

Zuko's face falls and he looks down at his lap. "I…broke up with her…I…I couldn't drag her into this…" He sighs sadly, feeling the guilt of his decision heavy on his chest. 'I wonder if she'll ever forgive me. She must hate me now.' He thinks to himself.

"I'm sorry Zuko. That must have been hard to do. But if she's liked you since you were kids, I'm sure she'll forgive you after all of this is over!" He smiles, now giving the older boy love advise.

"Thanks, Aang." He says softly.

"Girls! Am I right?" Aang jokes, they laugh half-heartedly. *****

"Sokka…where is the meat? I put meat on the list…I didn't think I'd have to but it was on there." Katara drills her brother.

"Oh…uuuuuuhh…we must've forgot it. You know, it was real tense in that town." He lies but she isn't at all convinced that he'd forget something so important to him.

"Yet you bought extra spicy Fire Nation sauce?" She jabs, holding up the bottle and giving it a jiggle.

"I saw it and thought Zuko might like it." He says defensively, crossing his arms.

"So you get sauce that one person might like but don't get actual food that everyone needs?" She questions heatedly.

"It's his money! And I wanted to make him feel better!"

"Wait, there's no meat?" Toph interrupts bluntly, frustrated at the thought.

"Thanks to Sokka! But we have spicy sauce!" Katara chides, relieved that Toph is directing her anger at someone other than herself for once.

"That's for Zuko actually. And calm down Toph, I'm going fishing today." Sokka adds to pacify the young girl.

"I can go with you." Haru offers meekly.

"Well you better come back with plenty Sokka!" Katara warns, annoyed with both boys. She'd been short with Haru since he started acting chummy with Zuko.

"We will, don't worry!" Haru says sheepishly. *****

"So…you're in the hot seat now too huh?" Sokka gently teases Haru, having noted his sister's recent treatment of the teen.

"Yeah…a few days ago I told her I'd help keep an eye on Zuko and that I wasn't buying his change of heart. But…I mean he saved you from the Fire Nation…he fought his own people to save you! I feel like I'm betraying Katara but I just can't be harsh with him anymore." Haru confesses miserably.

"Well, I'm glad you've come around to the side of common sense. Don't worry about Katara, she'll get over it." He says nonchalantly, settling himself down on the river's edge to bait his line. Haru joins him, sighing heavily.

"I just don't like her being mad at me." He admits, flushing pink.

Sokka's stomach tightens at the other boy's tone and he starts to feel a bit defensive. "She gets over things fast, don't worry about it." He says shortly and they fall into quiet concentration. *****

His was reeling, thoughts moving far too fast with the past days' events. The dragons weren't all gone! Despite his ancestor's actions, there were at least two of the majestic beasts left! Which means that maybe they could return! Maybe his family's mistakes could be undone! His heart was soaring with cautious hope. His bending was back and stronger than ever and the dragon masters thought he was worthy! Him! After all that he'd done, all his family had put the world through…there was still hope of redemption…and they thought he was worthy of it! He'd never struggled much to be proud of himself but now…now he was assured and confident in who he was…the real him. Great grandfather's dispute aside, inner turmoil aside, guilt over past decisions aside, his Father's ideal son aside…him…he was worthy. He smiles to himself and feels the tears welling up in his golden eyes again. His gaze falls on the Avatar in front of him, quietly steering Appa…quiet…the boy is only ever quiet when he's tired.

"Aang? Do you want me to steer for a while? You haven't slept much the last two days." He asks gently. Neither had slept more than a few hours during their 'field trip' but he was far too excited to rest now.

The young boy looks over his shoulder and smiles. But the dark circles under his grey eyes tell of his exhaustion. "Would you mind? Just for a bit?" His normally cheerful voice is heavy with sleep deprivation.

"Of course!" Zuko responds, making his way over to the edge of the saddle. He'd gotten the hang of flying but his stomach still drops when he moves around on the great beast. Aang leaps into the saddle and begins making himself comfortable. Gulping, the prince steadies himself and cautiously positions himself down on Appa's head, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves. "Hey buddy" he whispers, receiving a soft growl in response.

Adrenaline and new hope coursing quickly through him even though the moon is high in the sky. He wouldn't be able to sleep for hours if at all tonight. But he is too happy to let that affect him.

He turns to look at Aang, who is fast asleep already. He looks so young, so vulnerable. He considers him for a moment…this boy…just barely 13…is the almighty Avatar who is lovesick over a girl and currently curled up in a fetal position, drooling. This boy would soon have to kill his Father…his heart clenches at the thought. He is evil, yes, but he is his Father. His whole life he'd strived to earn his Father's love…once they won…he would never get that…but then again, he probably wouldn't get it if they lost either.

He shakes his head and turns back to look out over the great expanse of ocean ahead. It reminds him of his time as sea with Uncle. All those years searching for the very person asleep behind him now. 'Destiny is a funny thing' he hears his Uncle's voice echo in his mind. "It sure is" he agrees. *****

"Come on Katara, can we please have noodles and vegetables tonight? I really want to try that spicy sauce that I got in town…you know…before I was captured?" Sokka tries to pull on his sister's sympathy to get her to comply. He really wanted to try making that Fire Nation dish that Zuko said he'd loved, especially since he had been so obviously upset about his bending.

"Ok, fine! But you're helping me!" She half-heartedly snaps, tired of hearing him whine.

"Yes! You're the best!" He hugs her tightly as she rolls her eyes. Releasing her and staring down at the uncooked food with a lost expression. "So…how do we do this?"

"You are going to cut up the vegetables. Here, use this cutting board." She says sternly, surprised that her brother was actually helping her.

"When do you think they'll be back? Twinkletoes and Sparky I mean?" Toph asks, laying back on the fountains edge and casually picking her toes.

"I don't know, hopefully not too late. I've been worried sick since they left!" Katara says, bringing the water for the noodles to boil over the fire.

"They'll be fine Katara! I know you don't trust Sparky yet but Aang is the Avatar! If anyone could beat Sparky up, it's him! Not that he's going to try anything…cause he's On Our Side." She finishes firmly.

"It's risky for them to travel near the Fire Nation Toph. They could get captured." Katara retorts, trying to save face.

"Don't act like you weren't more concerned about Sparky kidnapping Aang." The younger girl presses, knowing her friend far too well.

"Whatever Toph. I'll just be happy once they're back." She hadn't slept well in days and she had dark circles under her eyes.

"I hope they're back tonight! That's all the noodles we have!" Sokka exclaims, suddenly nervous that his buddy would miss his own special dinner. *****