It was late in the afternoon when they arrived back to the temple. They'd excitedly showed the group the Dancing Dragon and explained all they'd seen, describing the dragons in great detail. They demonstrated their firebending, which Zuko was extremely pleased to prove he still had. Adrenaline carried them through their first few hours but by the time dinner was served, both boys were exhausted.
Zuko stretches and yawns loudly, reclining to rest his back against Appa. His eyes were burning from being open for so long and his limbs are feeling extremely heavy. Looking across the fire, Aang was nodding to something Tao was explaining to him, eyes half closed. He grins lazily at the young boy then looks up, realizing that Sokka is standing over him.
"So…we tried hard…I hope it's kinda like what you get at home." Sokka says cautiously as he hands a bowl to Zuko. Confused as to why his friend is looking at him with polarbearpuppy eyes, the prince glances down at his dinner. Fried vegetables and noodles in spicy peanut sauce…he can't help but smile. "Sokka…" he meets his friend's expectant gaze. "Thank you." He says weakly, truly touched by the effort.
"Try it!" Sokka demands excitedly, settling himself down with his own bowl next to the prince. He takes a bite and is pleasantly surprised by how close they got it! "It's good!" He smiles, the comforting flavors reminding him of the happier times at home when his Mother was still with him.
"HOT!" Sokka yells through a mouthful of the noodles. Desperately trying to fan his mouth.
"Extra spicy sauce Sokka…what were you expecting?" Katara rolls her eyes. Apparently, the group wasn't used to Fire Nation food as they all seemed to be struggling with the heat. For their sake, Zuko is glad they'd been pretty light on the sauce.
"You can add milk to make it less spicy." Zuko suggests, smirking to himself as he hears a collective sigh of relief. "Um…is there any more of the sauce?" Zuko asks Sokka who looks mildly horrified. "You want it hotter?"
"He's from the Fire Nation Sokka, he's used to spicy." Katara rolls her eyes again as she hands Zuko the sauce and adds milk to her brother's bowl. After adding the meal saving milk to the last of their bowls, she returns to her seat next to Aang.
"Burrrrrrrp!" Toph belches loudly next to the prince. He stares at her in disbelief, eliciting giggles from the group at his horrified expression. How could this young lady be so mannerless?! Even the peasants from the poorest villages in the Earth Kingdom followed basic etiquette! And…didn't she say she was a Beifong?
"What?" She demands bluntly, feeling the prince staring at her.
"Uuuuuh…did you say you were related to the Beifongs?" He asks, a hint of repulsion lingering in his tone.
"Yeah." She says flatly.
"Are…you sure?" More giggles erupt from the group, even Katara seems to be enjoying the display. Normally, she was the only one offended by the girl's lack of propriety.
"I'm pretty sure I know what family I come from Sparky." She says with moody playfulness while cramming in another mouthful of noodles. He watches her in bewilderment and grimaces as she belches loudly again.
"Look, I learned how to act all polite in high society and chose to leave it. My parents are overcontrolling and stuffy…I was sick of having every part of my life dictated. Everything was decided for me, I had no choice about anything! I'm never going back to that life. I love fighting, I love earthbending, and I love acting however I want." She finishes forcefully and the prince slowly nods in understanding.
"Noble sentiments Toph…but you don't have to denounce all manners." He teases and she smirks at him.
"My deepest apologies your Highness! I forgot that bodily functions are severely offensive to noblemen!" She feigns an air of elegance and bows low as he rolls his eyes. After a few moments, the groups laughter dies down and their attention returns to their meals.
They were nearly finished eating when Toph asks thoughtfully. "Speaking of family. Sparky, were you related to Lu Ten? I heard about him in my lessons on Ba Sing Se, but all they said was that he ended the siege somehow." She can feel his heartbeat pick up at her question and she feels a tinge of guilt at her curiosity. He takes a moment to collect himself before responding, not having expected such a question from her.
"Yes. He was my cousin. He died in the siege…that's…why my Uncle pulled his men back." His voice is distant and solemn, catching the groups' attention. He hadn't allowed himself to think about his beloved cousin for many years. Always pushing the painful memories down to better focus on the tasks at hand. His eyes are stinging and he tells himself it's just because of lack of sleep.
"Oh…I didn't know your Uncle had children." Toph says gently.
"Just one." He says with a pained expression.
"I'm sorry. Were you close?" Her voice softens with concern.
"Yes…he was like an older brother. He was a lot like Uncle actually, always smiling and making jokes. Sometimes they'd come to Ember Island with us, those were the best summers. He'd help me make these giant sand palaces and chase us around for hours. There was one night where we snuck out to swim in the private cove near the house. It's real small but beautiful when the moonlight hits the water just right. Father was furious, but I didn't get in trouble because Lu Ten told them it was his idea…which it was…he was always mischievous…" He drifts off into the memory unaware of the sad smile he held or that everyone was watching him.
Katara studies the young prince, trying to catch something that would give away his ruse. Surely, he was just trying to get them to drop their guard so he could make his move. But there was another part of her that desperately wanted to believe this softer side of him existed. She decides to just drop it; after all she did promise Toph and Sokka that she would lay off him.
"Sounds like he was a real nice guy." Toph offers, trying to coax more information from him.
"Yeah, he was…" His face falls. His golden eyes flick up and catch Katara staring at him with a mixed expression. He looks down at his bowl again. "But he's gone." He says flatly.
"I always wanted an older brother." Toph confesses to the group, trying to lighten the mood.
"You can have mine." Katara teases across the fire. "Heeey!" Sokka's voice cracks with his indignant cry. Even Zuko laughs at the playful siblings, remembering his own hostile rivalry with Azula.
"I always wanted a sister that didn't want to kill me." He jokes darkly and Toph smirks at his twisted humor. "You can have mine." Sokka snickers, nodding to Katara who sticks her tongue out at him.
"I said a sister that doesn't want to kill me." Zuko teases and tests a small smirk on the waterbender. He's relieved to see her grin back with just a little menace. Maybe he'll get through to her after all.
"Okaaay…if I have to…I'll be your sister." Toph sighs dramatically and rolls her unseeing eyes. The prince gives her an incredulous look. Spirits she's bold! "I don't think you could handle that. We have manners in my family." He teases and she punches his arm in response, producing giggles from the group. *****
It had been days since they'd met the Masters but Zuko still felt exhilarated from the experience. He was ecstatic with how much stronger his bending had become and Firebending lessons were progressing extremely well. After getting over his fear of using the element, Aang proved to be an exceptional firebender and was excelling faster than the prince had expected. The boy's enthusiasm was bringing out the intense passion Zuko held for the discipline. His inner fire would flare pleasantly whenever the boy was even near him.
The two boys had quickly become nearly inseparable. Practice began as soon as the sun had risen and they would spend breakfast (and lunch) discussing how the lesson had gone. Zuko would give his constructive criticism and Aang would be eager to put it into practice. They would resume their training until dinner, during which they would excitedly talk about the dragons and how they still could not believe what they'd seen.
On the third night, the watertribe siblings ate their dinners huddled together in frustrated silence while listening to the two firebenders discussing which forms they would tackle the next day. Katara shakes her head at Zuko's unusually cheerful tone, an eyebrow rising with annoyance as she stabs at her food. Aang was acting like the firebender was his best friend…like he hadn't spent months hunting him down like an animal! If she was being honest with herself, she was mostly annoyed at the attention Aang was giving him. Usually, he would sit next to her at meals but he'd been shoulder to shoulder with Zuko for days now! Beside her, Sokka releases an aggravated sigh, startling the lemur on his shoulder. He'd been uncharacteristically quiet the last few meals after repeatedly failing to get his buddy's attention. It seemed like the two were purposefully ignoring him and the denied attention did not sit well with him.
On the other side of the fire, Toph rolls her sightless eyes at her friends. She didn't need her heartrate-sensing feet to feel the frustration coming from the siblings. She was, however, amazed that neither Aang nor Zuko seemed to notice. Their three other companions were very much aware of the tension and had been keeping a low profile at meals to avoid any conflict. But the two dunderheads were blissfully oblivious to the anger simmering just feet away from them. Seriously, who are the blind ones around here?! She resigned herself to playing mediator the next day. *****
Sokka sat in the courtyard, sharpening space sword and brooding. It had been a few days now since they'd returned and Zuko still hadn't talked to him. He seemed to be joined at the hip with Aang. 'Glad you've got a new buddy!' He thinks resentfully, scowling with jealousy. 'Did I cross some line when I feel asleep while we talked the other night? I thought we were connecting…but he's ignoring me now…after I made him his favorite food! And Aang! What's his problem! Was he so jealous that he had to steal my friend?! Just because I can't play with fire they forget me?!…' He lets his thoughts spiral angrily.
He sighs as he puts space sword back in its sheath and leans back against Appa. "Alright, what's got your britches in a bundle?" Toph asks roughly.
"Nothing." He replies miserably, crossing his arms.
"Uhhhhh…Snoozles…you only use one-word answers when you're really upset. So…what's wrong?" She plops herself down next to him, bringing her elbows to rest on her knees.
He sighs again and explains. "It's just…I don't know. Zuko and I were hanging out a lot before."
"Yeah, we all noticed." She says shortly.
"Right…But ever since they went on their trip…he hasn't talked to me at all! He's always going on about firebending with Aang! It's like I don't exist anymore!" He frowns at his hands, twisting together with idle frustration.
"Sokka…you know how Sparky is…he's the definition of 'socially awkward'. He doesn't go to anyone, he responds. Have you tried to talk to him?" She asks brusquely.
"Well, not really…cause he and Aang are always talking!" He fumes, jealousy thick in his voice.
"Just because Sparky is friends with Twinkletoes now, doesn't mean he's not friends with you! Besides, you know he's new to the whole 'friends' thing. You need to talk to him. Just be you and force yourself into their conversation." He's not sure if he should be offended by that or not.
"I don't know Toph…I feel like he's avoiding me…" He admits.
"Why would he do that?" She asks, curiosity piqued.
"Well, the night before they left…we were talking in his room and…we kinda…fell asleep…maybe that weirded him out or something." He says awkwardly, it felt strange explaining such an innocent yet kind of intimate thing.
"Only one way to find out…ask him." She demands, punching his arm affectionately. *****
Katara stands knee deep in a large pool. With graceful movements, she manipulates the water into a stream hovering in the air. Slowly, it starts flowing around her, in perfect synchrony with her movements. The water has strange a way of soothing her, letting her emotions ebb and flow with it until they settle calmly as if sinking to the bottom of a lake.
"Hey Sweetness!" Toph yells. The stream crashes back into the pool with the waterbender's broken concentration, splashing up and soaking her. She growls to herself as she bends the water from her bindings and hair. "What is it Toph?!" She seethes through gritted teeth.
"Where's Aang? Thought you two would be playing with your water together." The young girl baits her, intentionally forcing the subject that she'd come to discuss.
"Take a guess Toph! Oh, I'll give you a hint! He's attached to the hip with him now." She fumes, raising the water back up into a large ball hovering in front of her.
"What's got you bent outta shape?" She tests, bringing her hands to her hips. Forceful and direct was her approach to getting information out of the older girl quickly.
"Ugh!" Frustrated, she lets the ball splash back into the pool and begins to vent. "It's Aang! He's acting like Zuko is his best friend now! All he does is hang out with him!" Her arms flail around as she fumes.
"What's wrong with him hanging out with Zuko? You know he needs to learn firebending." Toph retorts, tilting her head to the side.
"He does, but he doesn't have to be so…ugh! He's been completely ignoring all of us for days now!"
"You mean, he hasn't been talking to you…" She states, leading Katara where she wants her.
"No, I mean…all of us!" Her heart beats faster and Toph knows she's hit the spot.
"You're lying Katara. Aang's hanging out with Sparky more than you and you're jealous that he's getting more of his attention." The little earthbender states knowingly.
"What?! No! I'm not jealous of Zuko!" She sputters incredulously, looking around desperately as she crosses her arms.
"I know when you're lying Katara, remember? Just admit it! You're jealous that Aang is spending more time with Sparky than with you." She stomps her foot demandingly.
She glares at the girl for a few moments, face turning red with irritation. She lets out a frustrated sigh, face falling with resignation. The girl had an amazing way of cutting through emotions to get to the root of problems. "Fine…you're right Toph." Her arms fall limply to her sides as she slowly wades to the edge of the pool and sits. Toph joins her on the ledge. "I am jealous…Aang is my best friend…and Zuko…he doesn't deserve so much attention from Aang."
"Aang thinks he does." Toph states testily. Katara glares at her halfheartedly. "Look Sweetness, I'm gonna tell you the same thing I told Snoozles. Just because they're friends now, doesn't mean they're not friends with you too. Just talk to Aang, ask him to bend with you tomorrow or better yet, sit next to him and Zuko and talk to them both! You really should get to know Sparky…the real him, not who you think he is." Toph explains bluntly.
"You're right Toph. I know I'm still important to Aang, he's just excited about his new training. It's so easy for him to get caught up with things. And I…wait you said the same thing to Sokka?" She looks curiously at the little earthbender.
"Yeah, he's butthurt thinking that Zuko's ignoring him. He's real jealous of his new 'buddy'." She rolls her eyes at the silliness of the older boy. *****
A pillar of flame bursts from the young Avatar's fist, lighting up the darkening courtyard. He was sweating furiously from the heat of the flames he was summoning and from exertion. With a serious expression, he peeks over his shoulder at his mentor behind him. Zuko's arms were crossed but he was grinning and slowly nods his approval. A giant goofy smile takes over Aang's face and he can't help but celebrate by jumping up and punching the air. "Oh yeah!" He shouts with pride.
"Good job Aang. I think you've almost got that one down." The prince was more lenient with his praise than Toph but not nearly as generous as Katara. There would always be room for improvement and progression. Aang had taken well to his teaching approach, it was a nice compromise that kept him pushing himself but never feeling disheartened.
"Almost? What can I do better Sifu Hotman?" Aang asks, he wasn't sure why exactly, but he'd felt very eager to please the older boy since their lessons began.
"You need to work on balancing your focus between giving power to your fire and controlling it's direction. You're losing focus toward the end of the movement, so the flames are getting a bit wild the further they get from you. I have an idea on how we can work on that though." He smiles to himself, having thought of a plan for the next day's lesson. He looks out at the darkening sky. "I think that's enough for tonight though."
Not wanting to stop just yet, Aang pleads. "Can we do the Dancing Dragon? Just one more time? Please?" He clasps his hands together in front of his chest and gives him his very best polarbearpuppy eyes.
The prince rolls his eyes but his smile betrays him. He really did enjoy performing the set. "Ok…just one more time then we need to head back." Aang grins happily as they come side by side and begin.
Ending the set with their fists nearly touching, they smirk at each other and make their way to their water. Zuko grabs his towel and starts drying off his hair. It had been an especially hot day, not to mention Aang's fire was growing hotter by the day. After taking a sip from his water, Aang looks up smiling.
"That set kinda reminds me of this Fire Nation dance that my friend Kuzon showed me. It's called the Komodorhino Court. It's real fun to do!" Aang says excitedly, remembering his dear friend.
"Yeah, it is actually kinda like that one." Zuko laughs, realizing the similarity between the bending form and the dance.
"Wait! You know that dance?!" Aang's grey eyes are wide with surprise.
"Yeah. I'm the Fire Prince." He shrugs, not understanding exactly why the boy was so surprised.
"Do you know any other Fire Nation dances?" He presses curiously.
"Of course, I do Aang! I was required to learn all Fire Nation dances when I was real young. Just like I had to learn about all our cultural practices, traditions, and beliefs. To rule a nation properly, you need to understand everything about it." He explains, still not seeing why it was surprising to the younger boy.
"It's just that…when I went to Fire Nation school, the kids didn't know any of the dances! I even threw them a dance party in the cave we were staying in and they had no idea what to do with themselves!" Aang explains, only to further confuse the prince. He stares at the younger boy for a few moments, trying to sort through what he'd just heard. He went to a Fire Nation school, stayed in a cave, and threw a dance party for his schoolmates…He decides it's best to just shrug and accept it.
"Yeah, most of our cultural practices, including dancing, was kept alive under Fire Lord Azulon's rule. But my Father believes it's a waste of time. He started removing some traditions and arts from our nation before I left." He admits solemnly.
"But…those are the things that makes a culture interesting and…fun!" Aang says sadly.
"Yes, but my Father only cares about power and domination. Dancing won't get him either, so it isn't important." Gold eyes meet grey, both serious and pained.
Aang decides to change directions a bit. "Do you like to dance?" He smiles at the surprised look on the older boy's face and the slight blush that appeared.
"Uh…well…yeah it was kinda fun…" He admits, looking away and toweling off his hair a bit more forcefully than necessary.
"…soooooo…would you teach me some moves?" Aang asks playfully, smiling brightly and clasping his hands again pleadingly.
"We have more important things to focus on right now Aang…" He's learned to not look down at the boy's face when he's asking for something, knowing he'll feel extremely guilty if he does.
"Please Zuko? Please please please? We don't have to do it for long, just one or two moves?" He begs desperately. He really wanted to see the young prince dance!
He sighs heavily and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Ok…I'll show you one dance…IF…you learn to balance your focus between making fire and controlling it." He decides that turning it into a learning incentive will only make his life easier. He would never admit it to the boy, but he really did dancing and hadn't really had the chance to in years.
"Hooray!" Aang cheers punching the sky and jumping again.
Smiling and shaking his head, the prince commands. "Ok, lets go join the others. I'm sure dinner should be ready soon." ******
It's late in the afternoon when Aang and Zuko finally appear in the courtyard, sweating and talking excitedly. Sokka's stomach clenches but his resolve is firm. He walks up to them quickly, interrupting their chatter. "Hey, Zuko…can I talk to you…alone?" He asks a bit too seriously. Aang gives him a concerned look then nods and turns to join the group around the fire.
"Oh…uh…yeah." The prince looks nervous as they make their way over to the corner of the courtyard, far away from the others. "Uh…what's up?" He stops, turning to face the water tribesman.
"Hey…I uh…I wanted to ask you…did I …did I do something…to offend you or something?" He asks, looking around shyly while rubbing the back of his neck.
"Wh…what?" Zuko looks completely confused at his friend's strange behavior. Sokka meets his gaze for a moment then resumes glancing at everything but his friend.
"It just seems like you've kinda been…avoiding me…since you got back…and I thought maybe I'd done something…" He trails off sadly.
He stares at the younger boy for a few moments, realizing that this friendship thing is a lot harder than he'd thought it would be. "No! Sokka…you didn't do anything! I've just…you know…been busy with training Aang…I mean he needs to learn what takes at least 16 years in like 3 months! …I'm…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make it seem that way…" it's his turn to trail off awkwardly.
Sokka looks up at his friend and decides he's being honest. "Sorry buddy." He says quietly.
"What for?" Zuko looks at his friend with confusion in his eyes again.
"I don't know…" Sokka admits and they smile uncomfortably, neither knowing what else to say. Why are emotions so hard to talk about?
"Guys! Dinner!" Katara yells, beckoning them to join the group. The boys are heavily relieved at the distraction. "Oh…well…I guess…we should…uh you know…eat food?" Sokka tries clumsily.
"Yeah…eat food…" Zuko matches the boy's awkwardness. They grin at each other and head over to the group. *****
"Zuko. Can you and Aang break early tomorrow so he can practice waterbending with me?" Katara addresses the firebender from her spot on Aang's side. She was aiming for pleasant but her voice remained short. Surprised, he stares at her for a moment.
"Yeah…of…of course." He says, gold eyes locking on her blue eyes for a moment. "I'm…uh…sorry…I've been keeping Aang so much…I just, got a bit carried away. It's…been a while since I've seen anyone excited about firebending." He smiles weakly at the admission.
"I understand. I was really excited when I started teaching Aang too." She says sharply, returning her attention to her food. Aang beams between them, ecstatic at their interaction. She was curt but it was a big step in the right direction!
"It's nice…sharing something you're passionate about." The awkward prince tries his luck.
"Yeah." Her voice is short, indicating the end of the conversation. Zuko smiles feebly to himself, deciding it's a good start. Maybe, he should try to make tea for the group tonight? He wracks his brain, trying to remember one of Uncle's tea jokes. *****