Chapter X: The headband.
The next day Aang went back to school and got in trouble for not reciting the Fire Nation oath correctly, as he had never heard it before, the other students thought his clumsiness was just part of a joke, but the The teacher punished her interruption of the class with a quiz on the history of the Fire Nation, the students grunted but started working on the quiz as Aang looked at them a bit confused.
"Question one, in what year did the Fire Lord Sozin fight against the Air Nomads army?" the teacher asked, Aang raised his hand "Kuzon?"
"Uh, is that a trick question?" the disguised Avatar asked to the woman "the Air Nomads did not have a military formation, Sozin defeated them with an ambush"
"Well, I don't know how you could know more than our national history book unless… you were there a hundred years ago" the teacher answered arching an eyebrow.
"Just, I'll write the best I could, I guess" Aang replied, then sat back down at his desk and started working on his quiz.
During music class, Aang tried to play the Tsungi horn and was scolded by the teacher for moving in a dancing-like way, something that is apparently not considered appropriate in the Fire Nation. Onji seemed to enjoy this unusual dance, although when Aang offered to teach her during recess, he accidentally provoked Hide's rage, who tried to hit him; however, Aang deftly evaded each attempted attack with his hands behind his back, causing Hide to stumble and fall without ever touching him or using some bending he had recently been learning about. Unfortunately, this little fight gets Aang in trouble for "assaulting" a favorite student of the headmaster, which results in a parents-teacher meeting.
After class, Sokka and Katara had to attend the meeting acting like Aang's parents, they went to the principal's office and sat in front of the old man who was looking at them with a serious but reasonable gaze.
"Thank you for coming, Mr. and Mrs..." the headmaster said while he waited for both disguised siblings to answer.
"Fire, Wang Fire" Sokka introduced himself using his fake name and pointed at Katara with his hand "and she is my wife, Sapphire"
"Sapphire Fire, nice to meet you" Katara greeted him as she held a fake pregnant belly with both hands on top.
"Mr. and Mrs. Fire... your son has been registered here for two days and is already causing problems" the headmaster told them, Sokka crossed his arms and arched an eyebrow while listening to what the man had to say "he discussed with his history teacher, interrupted music class and bullied my best student"
"God" Katara said as she put a hand to her mouth as a sign of disappointment and concern "well, that doesn't sound like our Kuzon"
"That's what any mother would say ma'am. However, you are warned, if he behaves like this one more time, I will send him to the correctional... by that I mean the coal mines" the headmaster said with a warning tone in his voice "was that clear to you?"
"Don't worry Mr. Headmaster" Sokka as he placed his hands on his knees "I will straighten this boy with some discipline" he looked away to Aang "young man, as soon as we get home you will have the punishment of your life"
"That's what I wanted to hear" the principal commented, sitting back in his chair, the three of them got up and left the principal's office, left the school and returned to the cave where Toph was probably waiting for them.
That same afternoon, Azula decided it was a perfect day to hang out with her friends and obviously she took Zuko with her with the excuse that he needed to get out of his hole of depression and misery and try to have some fun. If shopping in town and scaring merchants was fun for her, Zuko was not interested, he did not want to be a part of it; however, there he was, standing outside next to one of the many shops that the Fire Nation capital had looking at from time to time at his sister who was looking at some accessories, choosing which of all she was interested in taking, Mai and Ty Lee were there helping her and by the way, Ty Lee was looking for something for her too.
Zuko thought his afternoon was going to pass like this, waiting outside a random store while his sister and her friends were busy looking for something to buy, but all of a sudden, he heard a couple of boys from the local school talking about something in low voices, curiosity invaded him and he decided to get closer to hear their conversation better, his sister did not realize that he had left for a few minutes. But that did not matter to him now, he did not have to be behind her all the time, he knew well that Azula was perfectly capable of protecting herself.
"Did you guys hear this? apparently, that boy with a headband is going to do a dance party tonight" one of the boys told to his friends.
"Yeah, that Kuzon boy said he wanted us to have fun and he also said he was going to do some kind of dance demonstration or something like that," said another of the boys in the group and then laughed sarcastically.
"Kuzon?" Zuko thought upon hearing that name, he had not seen Kuzon or heard about him in a long time, not since they kissed the night of the Fire Days festival, maybe he could have the opportunity to go back to see him and tell him that he had already chosen to love the Avatar and would also thank him for helping him make that important decision in his life, even if he never managed to find out whose kiss Kuzon gave him that night was.
"Hey, don't say those things about Kuzon" one of the girls in the group said trying to defend him "maybe he has an unusual behavior and a particular way of moving but I can't deny that his gray eyes are so bright and cute"
Grey eyes? Instantly, Zuko felt all the pieces of the puzzle fall into place, how had he not noticed earlier? Aang was Kuzon all this time! for that reason he felt so close to the masked boy when they spent time together at the festival, it was because he was the Avatar all this time, but... if Aang was Kuzon maybe that meant... that meant that Aang was still alive, he smiled slightly grateful with Katara for having managed to save his life with her water from the North Pole spirit oasis.
"So" said another boy, pulling the prince of the Fire Nation out of his thoughts "see you in the cave where the dance party will be held tonight?"
After agreeing to meet there, the group went their separate ways and said goodbye. Now that Zuko knew where the Avatar was, he wanted more than anything to go see him again, talk to him, apologize for what happened in Ba Sing Se and also explain to him why he had done what he had done, but he could not appear at the party like nothing had happened, he needed to talk to Aang alone, so once he got to the palace he would start working on a note and hand it over to him as a secret admirer who already knew the Avatar was alive. Once he had finished with his note, before delivering it to Aang, he would visit his uncle in prison again and wait for some advice from the old man.
"Spying on, Zu-zu?" Azula asked who was standing behind him with a wicked smile on her face.
"What do you want? you don't need me to be waiting for you outside in every place you visit" Zuko said to her sister a bit annoyed "besides where are Mai and Ty Lee? I don't see them with you"
"I got bored, I sent Mai back home because Ty Lee had a problem with her braid" Azula replied, her wicked smile turned into a mischievous one, Zuko did not want to know what she had done to Ty Lee's braid that required Mai's assistance so desperately "by the way, what were you listening to? some rumor about the Avatar is alive or something like that?"
How on earth could it be so predictable? Zuko looked at his sister trying to find some way to lie to her so that she couldn't foil his plan to meet the Avatar again and explain everything to her.
"Not. I just thought they were saying some rumor about the Avatar, but I think I heard wrong-answered Zuko.
"Good, because if I find out that the Avatar is alive, I'll make sure to eliminate it with my own hands" the Fire Nation princess told to her brother with a terrifying but at the same time threatening tone of voice "now, let's go home before it gets late"
"That's all! no more school for you, young man!" Sokka said to Aang adopting an angry voice. The three were already back in the cave where they had set up their makeshift campsite, the young Avatar looked at Katara as waiting for her to do something and defend him but she just stayed there, sitting on a rock watching her brother scold the young boy.
"I'm not ready to leave yet" Aang said a bit sad as he got up from the rock he was sitting on and walked to where Appa was "I was having fun for once in my life, I was starting to be a normal kid, you don't know how does it feel, Sokka, once you get used to it you can be normal all the time"
"Ha ha" Toph laughed, Sokka sent an almost withering look at the earthbender for making fun of him.
"Listen, guys. These guys from school are the future of the Fire Nation. If we want to change this world for the better, we must give them a little freedom"Aang told them.
"What could you do to help a bunch of depraved little monsters?" Sokka asked as he shrugged.
"I'm going to organize a secret party" the young Avatar replied, Sokka and Katara looked at him a bit surprised but the Southern Water Tribe boy reacted quickly and frowned in annoyance.
"Go to your room!" Sokka exclaimed in an irritated tone.
Later, Zuko go back to his bedroom in the royal palace and began working on a secret note for the Avatar, but any attempt he made to write an appropriate note looked wrong to him and he ended up tearing up the scrolls he used to write the note or burning them due to frustration he felt, but then he started thinking about Aang, that managed to calm him down and gave him an idea of what he wanted to write on the note. Once finished, he knotted the scroll with a red rope that had a small gold medal with the Fire Nation emblematic symbol, he took his cloak, got dressed and hid the note inside the cloak, if he was going to visit his uncle back in prison and then seeing the Avatar, he needed to stay incognit so that no one would suspect what was happening. He left his bedroom checking twice if someone was walking down the corridor, when he saw that it was clear, he began to walk through it, but halfway he stopped when he heard his sister speaking hidden in the shadows.
"Ok, you caught me, what do you want now Azula?" honestly, Zuko was already starting to get tired of being just another pawn in his younger sister's chess game, but if he wanted to continue working on the plan he had been thinking during his stay in Ba Sing Se, he had to endure all this and be patient until the invasion day arrive, only there he could betray her and finally join the Avatar team.
"Actually, nothing" the princess said as she peeked out from the darkness "believe it or not, I'm just looking after your back. If people find out that you have gone to visit our uncle, they will think that you are conspiring with him, just try to be careful, dumb-dumb"
"Think whatever you want, Azula. But I'm going to go see our uncle and you can't stop me" Zuko said as he walked away from there, Azula looked at her brother disappear down the corridor and frowned slightly, definitely something was very wrong with him. Zuko go back to visit his uncle in prison, just like the last time he visited him, Iroh just turned his back on Zuko who tried to be nicer to him, bringing some food as a gift "I know you don't mind, but I suppose this is better than prison food" he passed the tray with komodo-chicken through the cell grate "I admit, I have everything I ever wanted but not everything is how I thought it would be. The truth is..." he stopped, again he was about to make the mistake of confessing to the old man that he did not need anything of everything he had to be happy, the only thing that could give him true happiness was the Avatar "the truth is I need your advice, the Avatar is alive, I know he's out there, I'm losing my mind. Please uncle, I'm so confused I need help" again, Iroh did not answer, he just sat in his place with his back turned "forget it, I'll figure it out myself. Rott yourself here, I don't care"
As he left the cell, Iroh stood there silently, but a tear rolled down his face.
Back in the cave, the Avatar team set everything up for the secret party, Toph built some tables and a stage using her earthbending, Katara made a drinking fountain and some ice glasses with her waterbending and Sokka, well, he was lighting some candles and placing them around to light up the cave.
"I can't believe we're having a dance party" Sokka told to Aang as he placed some candles on one of the tables "it seems so... silly."
"Don't think of it as a dance, but as a cultural event that celebrates the art of footwork" Aang replied.
The children arrived at the cave earlier than the Avatar team expected, so they had to stop what they were doing and prepare to receive them, the school band began to play on the stage built by Toph; however, they were all in a daze due to nervousness and fear of getting into trouble if some school authority discovered them. To cheer the boys up, Aang taught them some dance steps he learned from the Fire Nation long time ago and finally invited Onji to join him, which encouraged the rest of the students a bit more.
"Wow, they look great as a dance team, if I must be honest" Sokka commented looking at Aang and Onji dancing together, Katara only answered by nodding slightly. After that demonstration, the students were encouraged to dance freestyle, although Toph, Katara and Sokka chose not to join in and only watched their friend have fun with the other kids.
Zuko arrived at the cave and just by listening to the music coming out of it, he knew that a party was taking place there, he smiled slightly but then he reacted quickly and started walking inside the cave, luckily no one was looking at him. Neither the Avatar nor his friends, until he approached a brown haired girl gathered in a ponytail.
"Are you friends with Kuzon?" Zuko asked the girl in front of him.
"I think so... why do you ask?" Onji replied looking at the hooded boy.
"Give this to him, it's really important for me that he read the message written inside it" Zuko replied and gave the girl the scroll.
Before Onji could ask Zuko who he was, the Fire Nation prince had already left the cave, blinked a few times, shrugged it off, and walked over to the disguised Avatar who was still having fun with her classmates.
"Kuzon?" Onji said making Aang stop to look at her "uh... a hooded boy came here a few moments ago and asked me to give you this"
She handed the scroll to the disguised Avatar, who took it without hesitating and looked at it with an expression between confusion and curiosity.
"What is it? who sent you that?" Katara asked to his friend with concern.
"I don't know, but what if it's a message from a spy sent by the Fire Lord? Maybe he knows that I'm still alive after the attack on Ba Sing Se" Aang said looking at the scroll in his hands.
"That's impossible! how could this person know that you are alive? we have done all possible to prevent people from recognizing you" Katara said, she could not believe that someone from the Fire Nation knew that Aang was alive.
"Yes, and it has been working these days, but apparently someone discovered that I am alive... maybe... maybe it's better that I go check what this scroll says outside" Aang told to his friend "nobody has to know about this message and unless they know that I am the Avatar and that I am alive"
After saying this to the waterbender, Aang came out of the cave and opened the scroll, inside there was a note that had no signature, so he had no idea who wrote it, after checking that, the young Avatar began to read the note silently:
"親愛的阿凡達。
我不能告訴你我是誰，但我只想告訴你我知道你還活著，不要問我如何，我只是知道。你的死的念頭毀了我，你不知道我以為你死了，我再也見不到你了。從那一刻起，我為所發生的事情感到內and和抱歉，我做出了錯誤的決定，並為此感到差點喪命。
阿凡達，您徹底改變了我的生活。但是最重要的是，您改變了我，讓我清楚地看到了事情，以一種我從未知道過的方式改變了我的世界，只想著你可愛的臉龐和那雙閃閃發光的眼睛，我就充滿了活力。
我們見面的第一時間，我唯一想做的就是帶你上鍊，帶你去火之王，但是現在我想要的是…我不能在這裡寫，有人可以看到我。關鍵是，您沒有俘獲您，而是俘獲了我！
我需要見你再與你交談，有些事情我不能在本筆記上寫下。在消防國家監獄的黑暗走廊後面找到我，不用擔心！我不打算暗中攻擊你！
我只想再次見到你，撫摸你的柔軟的臉，將你抱在懷裡，親眼看到你還活著。
您的秘密仰慕者
(Dear Avatar.
I can't tell you who I am, but I can only tell you that I know you are alive, don't ask how, I just know it. The thought of your death destroyed me, you have no idea how depressed and sore I was at the thought that you were dead and that I could never see you again. From that moment on I felt so guilty for what happened, I made the wrong decision and for that reason you almost died.
You have completely changed my life, Avatar. But the most important thing is that you changed me, you made me see things clearly, you moved my world in a way that I had never known, just by thinking of your pretty face and those bright eyes, I feel alive.
The first time we met, all I wanted to do was chain you and take you to the Fire Lord, but now all I want is... I can't write it here; someone might see me. The point is that instead of capturing you, you have captured me!
I need to see you and talk to you again, there are some things I want to say but cannot write in this note. Meet me in the dark corridor behind the Fire Nation prison, don't worry! I don't intend to attack you in secret!
I just want to see you again, touch your soft face, hug you and see with my own eyes that you are still alive.
Your secret admirer.)"
Aang finished reading the note and a blush spread across his cheeks, he had a little idea who had written that note, but he did not want to believe that it was from the person he was thinking of at that precise moment. He looked away towards the cave, lowered his gaze to the note and made a decision, he would go see this person, even for a couple of minutes, no one would notice his short absence.
On the other hand, Zuko was alone in the corridor waiting for Aang, but the minutes passed and little by little he began to lose hope and to think that the boy would not come to the meeting point.
"I guess he won't show up... it's a shame because I really wanted to see him again" Zuko thought a little disappointed "no, don't give up now, I'm sure he'll show up sooner or later, just... just give him about five minutes more"
However, five minutes passed and the Avatar still had not arrived, so Zuko ended up giving up. He was about to go back to the palace, when suddenly he heard a noise not far away from him. Zuko looked back and he could see a shadow approaching to the corridor, he was not sure if it was the person he was waiting for so he prepared to attack whoever was approaching to him.
"Well! I'm here" that person said a few meters from the Fire Nation prince "you said you wanted to see me, so here I am!"
"Avatar, is that you?" Zuko asked as he approached to the person hidden in the shadows "I mean is it really you?"
"Z-Zuko?!" Aang exclaimed when he recognized the voice of the person who was in that dark corridor, no, he was dreaming, it definitely could not be him, he put a hand to his eyes and rubbed them with the hope that it was all a simple mirage but as soon as he opened his eyes he realized that it was not a mirage, it was the sad reality "wait, I don't understand what were you doing to...?"
He could not finish his sentence when he felt how the teenager hugged him tightly, pressing his small body against his. Aang was left confused without understanding what was going on but slowly take back the hug, still untrusting the next move that Zuko would make next.
"I can't believe you're here" Zuko said relieved, he pulled away and looked the boy in the eyes "all this time I thought you were dead, and I felt very bad and guilty about what happened. I should never have joined Azula, I shouldn't have followed my plan, I should have agreed to join you from the first moment she made me take my decision"
"Wait, I don't understand anything, what plan are you talking about? what do you mean?" Aang asked slightly confused, right, Zuko had forgotten that he had asked him to meet him there to explain his plan; however, he distracted himself by sliding a hand over the boy's head slowly, feeling his thick dark brown hair.
"Did you grow your hair out?" Zuko asked the boy in front of him.
"Uh…" Aang was about to reply but the teenager interrupted him.
"Don't answer me, it doesn't matter, it looks good on you" he said making the Avatar's cheeks blush at those words, they had never said something like that to him, except for that time he woke up in his bedroom on the captured Fire Nation ship after being healed by Katara and she told him that having hair on his head suited him well, although she preferred it more with shaved head, something that he was going to miss for a few days. But neither Sokka, much less Toph, had made such comments to him.
"Thanks... hey, don't change the subject!" Aang said remembering what he had said a few seconds ago "you haven't answered my questions yet, I need to know what plan you are talking about and what do you mean with that"
"Uh, right. You see, when I was in Ba Sing Se I was seriously thinking if I should join you to help you stop this senseless war or let everything continue as it was, so I made a decision, I did think to join you from the beginning but then, at finding out that Azula was in the same place as me, I had to change my plans, first I decided that I would gain her trust, I would make her believe that I was on her side and when the time finally comes, I will betray her and then join you" Zuko replied holding his hands between his, Aang did not answer, he had no words for what he was hearing, he just shook his head not being able to believe what his love was saying "I know it's hard to believe but, you have to, I need that you trust me and be patient, soon I will face my father and we can be together"
"Zuko... no..."Aang said trying to process all the information that his brain had received, he released his hands from Zuko's and began to walk while he shook his head in disbelief "sorry... I'm sorry but I can't trust you"
"What? why you can't do that?"
"Because I just can't do it! this makes no sense! why should I trust you if I know later that you're going to hurt me again? huh? answer me that!"
"I already told you that I did all this to gain Azula's trust! I couldn't let her suspect me, that I was actually thinking of joining you and your friends and neither…" Zuko answered a little annoyed that the boy he loved didn't believe his words, he calmed down a bit and looked away "I didn't want her to suspect my feelings for you"
"Sorry, Zuko. I know this hurts but I can't trust you, not after what you did, and I don't think you joined your sister because of everything you said before" Aang said "you know what? we should forget everything that happened between us, forget our feelings and see other people... for now, it's the best for both of us"
He began to walk slowly away from Zuko, turned around and ran away from there without looking back. The Fire Nation prince grunted in pain and frustration, what the hell had made him think Aang would change his mind? it was more than clear that the young Avatar had no interest in forgiving him, perhaps he was right, forgetting everything would be for the best, he should put aside these feelings for Aang at least until the invasion day arrives, that is where he would make his move, he would betray his sister, face his father, and leave the Fire Nation to join the Avatar team.
The music continued to play which indicated that the party was still running its normal course, Aang arrived at the entrance of the cave a bit hurt by the conversation he had just had with Zuko, decided to calm down a bit and entered the cave pretending that nothing had happened, he started walking looking for a dance partner and found Katara sitting next to one of the earthen tables a little discouraged, the young Avatar approached her and offered her his hand to get her to dance, perhaps that would encourage her a little and that way he would forget his feelings for a certain Fire Nation prince.
"Where were you? I haven't seen you for a while" the waterbender asked looking at her friend with slight surprise.
"That doesn't matter now, do you want to dance with me?" Aang asked the girl in front of him.
"Uh, I don't know, Aang" Katara said hesitating a bit "the shoes I'm wearing aren't good for dancing and I don't know if I could…"
"Just take my hand" the young Avatar interrupted her, Katara agreed, she took her friend's hand and led her to the center of the cave where the other students were dancing animatedly. Both performed a combination of Bagua and Shaolin synchronized, which in fact seemed to be an acrobatic dance based on their waterbending techniques, the students were in awe of the show their eyes witnessed. At the end of the dance, Katara and Aang smiled at each other and laughed softly, for some reason the waterbender felt her heartbeat inside her chest, what was that strange feeling that she was experiencing towards her friend? She had never felt it her before, she felt like she wanted to be close to Aang but more than as a friend or an older sister... then she remembered that the airbender loved someone else and that hurt her a little, so she pulled Aang away and turned her gaze a bit sad, something that worried Aang "Katara? what's going on? what's wrong?"
"It's nothing, Aang, it doesn't matter..." the waterbender replied without looking at her friend.
"It's not true, something's wrong with you, tell me what it is and maybe I can help you."
"I'm telling you it's nothing! leave me… leave me alone!" Katara cried, who left the cave sobbing, looking at this, Sokka wanted to go talk to his sister but Aang interfered.
"Let me talk to her, I'm sure I can help her" the airbender told to his friend, he left the cave and found the waterbender sitting near the entrance sobbing softly "Katara what's wrong with you? I don't like to see you like this and even less to know that I was the one who did this"
"I wouldn't know what to tell you, Aang. Because I don't even know what's wrong with me" Katara answered looking at her friend with tears in her eyes "when we danced there, I felt... I felt my heart pounding, this had never happened to me before, I had never felt anything like this with no one else" she took a deep breath while wiping her tears with the back of her hand "Aang, I… I think I had a crush on you…" the airbender was perplexed by the words of his friend, he was going to tell her something but she interrupted him "you don't need to answer me now, I understand that you don't feel the same for me and I know you love someone else, I don't want to take that away from you and force you to be with me"
"You know? I don't know if you agree with this but, I think I could give you a chance, I mean, this person has hurt me before and I don't want that to happen again. Forgetting this person is the best thing I can do" Aang answered, who sat next to Katara and unconsciously took her hand intertwining his fingers with hers "at least until this person understands that they made a mistake by hurting me and maybe I can forgive they"
"Aang what the hell are you saying? are you seriously willing to give up the person you love to try to have something with me?" the waterbender asked slightly surprised, Aang did not answer and only limited himself to nod "well... I guess for a while, we could try"
"Yes, we don't lose anything by trying. By the way, I had fun dancing with you a while ago."
"Me too, we should do that more often you know?" Katara commented making both she and Aang laugh slightly; however, the Headmaster and several soldiers appear on the scene, after Hide told them about the dance party, they try to catch Aang but he hides with Katara among the students crowd inside the cave. The soldiers could identify Aang with his headband, but they were shocked when they notice that the other students also wear the same headband. Apparently, every student in the cave had to wear one to protect the disguised Avatar, delaying the man's search even more.
Taking advantage of this distraction, the Avatar team manages to escape through an opening through the cave; however, before leaving, Aang stops and exchanges smiles with Shoji before running out of the cave, closing the opening behind him, leaving Shoji shocked and speechless. Some of the soldiers present accepted their defeat and began to dance, much to the Headmaster's dismay.
As the team flew over Appa, Toph congratulated Aang on his effort and that he had created such an impact on the students. Katara agreed with the earthbender's comment, she again thanked Aang for dancing with her and gave him a little kiss on the cheek, making the young Avatar blush but this time it was because of her actions, not by her words or because he had to give a kiss from her to someone else.