A/N: So, this updated so quickly from my other stories because it was originally intended to be a one-shot, but I decided that it was too long and therefore I broke it up into multiple parts. The quote in this is from Buddha.

- Disclaimer: I do not own the show or comic series.

- Rated: T

- Warnings: Character Injury. Nothing that hasn't already been shown in the show/comic series.

- Written: Hell if I know.

- Edited: 10/8/16

- Chapter 2: Return to the Western Air Temple

* "Speaking"
* Thoughts
* Dreaming
* "Dream Speaking"
* Memories

* "Memory Speaking"

A day and a half journey later, Hakoda was woken up by Chit Sang shaking his shoulder, a little roughly he would add. Because of how Chit Sang woke him, he nearly shot up from where he had been sitting, thinking that there was an attack or a problem. Instead, he just got Chit Sang's dumb grin.

"We're here." The firebender said as he stood and helped the Water Tribe member to his feet. "I got him." Chit Sang said and nodded over to where Zuko was still passed out on the floor.

Hakoda looked at him for a moment, said nothing, then turned to his sleeping son and his girlfriend. He stretched slightly and then walked over to the two teens, kneeling down and gently shaking both of them awake.

Sokka yawned, stretched his free arm, and then looked at his father. "What is it?" He asked tiredly.

"We're at the Air Temple." Hakoda answered as Suki yawned and pushed herself away from Sokka.

Sokka's arm instantly felt cold and he shivered slightly. He was grateful to have his arm back though, even if it was tingling and cold. He pushed himself up and helped Suki stand as well. When he turned to the adults, he found they were ready to get out of the airship. Chit Sang was carrying Zuko again, while Hakoda opened the door and stepped out onto the walkway that lead down to the Air Temple. Cold air instantly blew through and into the airship as he walked down the walkway and stepped out onto the stone of the Air Temple. He was instantly tackled into a hug by his youngest child.

"Dad!" Katara shouted happily, tears in her eyes. "What's going on?!" She asked and turned to the airship, Sokka and Suki walking out and towards them. "Suki?" She was going to ask more questions, but stopped when she saw a large man she didn't know step out, carrying Zuko. "Wh-what happened?" She asked and looked to her father, then to Sokka and Suki. "And who's he?" She asked and looked at Chit Sang.

"This is Chit Sang and we'll explain later." Sokka said, throwing his thumb over his shoulder at Chit Sang and Zuko. "Right now Zuko needs help. He's got some pretty bad burns, a head injury and broken ribs. We don't know if there's anything else wrong with him." He said and looked at Zuko.

Anything else wrong with him?! Of course there is. He's Zuko after all. Everything is wrong with him. Katara decided it best to keep these thoughts to herself for the time. She hesitantly nodded and motioned for Chit Sang to follow her.

"What happened?!" Katara looked up to see Aang practically fly over to them as quickly as he could. His eyes were glued on Zuko's still form and for a moment, fear gripped him. Zuko looked to still and even paler than he usually was. Almost too pale to still be alive. He prayed that he hadn't lost his mentor and his newest friend. Aang let out a breath when Chit Sang laid Zuko down next to the fire, which caused the older boy to groan slightly, his eyes clenching tightly. At least he was alive.

"Sokka, my dad, Suki and…" She said and looked to Chit Sang. "Chit Sang will explain to us later." She said and turned her attention back to Zuko. "Right now I need to... work on healing Zuko." She said and looked towards the fountain, before bending some water to her. She knelt down next to the firebender and began to heal the burns on his chest, while also trying to heal his ribs as best as she could. While she was still a great healer, she didn't quite have mending broken bones down yet. She could heal them, but they would likely still be very sore, or maybe even cracked. Aang stood there, moving from foot to foot, practically floating in the air as he waited for Katara to finish or to at least say something.

"Aang!" She scolded, turning her eyes to the anxious boy. "Hover somewhere else!" Aang gave a quick sorry. She sighed and finished. "Well, he's probably not going to get any new scars and I was able to mostly heal his ribs." She said once she had finished with his chest and arms. Aang let out a breath, his shoulders slumping slightly in relief.

"What about his head?" Sokka asked. Katara only shook her head.

"I can't do anything about that." She answered, then stopped to explain why, realizing that her tone made it sound like she was refusing. "I mean, I can heal any cuts or fractures that might be on his skull. But I've never had to heal someone's head before. There could be damage that might heal wrong. I could mess something up and even with how much I hate him…" She let out a sigh. "I don't want to risk doing something and him attacking us because of it." She said as she bent the water over the edge of the temple. "I didn't feel anything on his head I could fix, expect for a large bump. I'm guessing that's where he got hit." She said and looked to Sokka, who nodded.

By the time she was done with Zuko, everyone else in their group had found themselves all in the main area of the temple with them. Each one of them asking questions that she and Aang couldn't answer.

"Time to explain." Katara said and looked to Sokka and Suki. "Where did you two go? What happened?" She asked as she sat down next to her father, who put an arm around her and gave her a slight hug as Sokka began to explain their story. How he was going to find their father and Zuko came along with him. How he ended up a guard and Zuko a prisoner. The original plan and staying behind to see if their father was one of the war prisoners that were being transferred there. How that plan had failed. The second plan and how they fought with Azula and her friend. When he finished, Katara stood and hit him over the head.

"Ow! Hey what was that f-" He stopped when Katara hugged him.

"Don't you ever do something like that again, you idiot! You could have been killed!" She yelled as she cried silently. Sokka sighed and returned her hug, Hakoda joining in. "You could have told us! We would have helped!"

"And I thought the Earth Rumble could get of hand fast." Toph said from her spot on the ground near Zuko. While she would never admit it and Zuko probably wouldn't either. The two of them had grown close in the last couple of weeks. She was like the little sister he would have actually wanted. Even with him burning her, that only made her want to spar with him more. And not spar as in fist fighting. No. She wanted him to bend at her so she could have some practice in fighting a firebender. He'd come close to burning her a few times and managed to singe her hair, but Toph learned his stances quickly and where the attack was probably coming from based on the stance he took. They were a lot like the ones Aang used when he would airbend. She did notice slight differences though, mainly in the way Zuko would take in or let out a breath before bending.

"Earth Rumble?" Chit Sang asked and looked to the small girl. He hadn't taken notice before, but now that he looked at one of the smaller members of the group, he noticed she was blind. He almost smiled to himself. He'd heard stories of a little blind girl, who would earthbend in a way that put most firebenders to shame. Mostly because they had been beaten by a little blind girl.

"It's an Earth Bending tournament." She answered, looking in his general direction. "It's pretty simple. All you have to do is knock the other earthbender out of the ring and you win that round." She said and then smiled. "Though, I was part of the reason it got out of hand fast. I'm also part of the reason the first few rows were always empty." She said and laughed quietly, thinking about the first time she knocked someone into the rows and the surprised shouts they gave when she'd beaten him so easily.

"Sounds similar to an Agni Kai." Chit Sang then said as he rested his elbows on his knees and looked back at their fire. "Though, an Agni Kai is usually fought to the death nowadays." Saying this, Chit Sang suddenly had the attention of everyone that was sitting around the fire. "What?" He asked, a slightly confused expression on his face.

"To-to the death…" Aang said and looked to Chit Sang. He knew things had changed, and he knew about Agni Kai's, but he didn't think that things changed so much to where an Agni Kai is now fought to the death.

"Why are they fought to the death?" Suki asked after a moment.

"Because an Agni Kai is a battle for one's honor and in the Fire Nation leaving an opponent alive can be considered weak. It depends on the Agni Kai though." Chit Sang said. "Sometimes the opponent is left alive, because at times it is worse for someone in the Fire Nation to not only lose their honor, but then be left alive after. Most families disown anyone who was defeated and left alive in an Agni Kai. Ones that are fought to the death are usually ones where the victor gains something. Like if someone challenged the Fire Lord. If the Fire Lord loses, whoever killed him would gain a position in the government, wealth, in rare cases they would become the Fire Lord. Though, that's only if they were a member of one of the political families or a branch off of the royal family." He explained.

"Why is the Fire Nation obsessed with honor?" Toph asked. "Seems like a stupid thing that holds no real meaning."

"I never really held honor that high, like most in the Fire Nation." Chit Sang said with a shrug. "But the Fire Nation is a very proud and strong nation and most in the Fire Nation are that way too. If you go against the Fire Lord or the nation itself, which there are many ways to do so, you are seen as dishonorable. If your family doesn't disown you, they are seen as dishonorable too. Depending on the offense, the punishment is either prison or death."

"That's horrible." Suki said with a shocked expression.

"Why is it like that now?" Aang then asked.

"I don't know what it was like before. My grandparents rarely ever spoke about it. My father and mother were too young to remember it." Chit Sang shrugged again. "I would guess it happened because of how Sozin saw things." He answered.

"Still seems like a stupid thing to hold so high." Toph said.

"You're not from the Fire Nation, Toph." Aang said. "The only ones here who are, are Zuko and Chit Sang. The rest of us don't know what it's like to grow up in the Fire Nation. For example, those who are born at the Air Temples, regardless of if we could bend or not, believe that all life is sacred and nothing should be killed. We don't eat meat, but the other three nations do. I don't understand why you love eating meat, but I do understand that we are from different places and that our culture is different."

"The culture being different, doesn't excuse what the Fire Nation has done." Katara suddenly said. It wasn't hard to hear the anger that was in her voice. Her hands were clenched into fists on her lap.

"I'm not saying that it is an excuse, Katara. But think about when I went to that Fire Nation school." He said and looked to her. "Everything is way different from the rest of the world and a lot of the culture has been change within the last 100 years. I mean, they weren't allowed to have any fun and the people running the school were very strict. Back when I use to visit the Fire Nation, there were kids my are running around, thinking for themselves. Things are so, so different now. Of course the people there would be raised the way they are, think the way they do." He said and sighed. "A lot of people there don't agree with the war and many of the rest are lied to about the war. It's not right to think everyone in the Fire Nation is evil."

"So now I'm stupid?" Katara asked. Hakoda looked over to her.

"Katara." Hakoda said. "That's enough." She looked at him and sighed, before closing her mouth and looking at the fire. "Katara, I understand your anger towards the Fire Nation. I have that same anger. But look at the people around us now. Without Zuko, Sokka wouldn't have found Suki or I and none of us would have made it out of that prison without Chit Sang. Being angry at the people in the Fire Nation isn't fair to them. If you want to be angry at people, don't be angry at those who have done nothing to you."

"He!" She said and pointed to Zuko. "Has done things to us!" She yelled.

"Katara-" Aang began, but was cut off by Katara who turned quickly to look at him.

"No!" She yelled. "I can't just forget and forgive everything he's done to us!"

"And I'm not asking you to do that." Aang said and shook his head. "When I train with Zuko, it still scares me when he bends at me, because of what he's done to us. Anger hurts everyone around you and you seem to forget how much hurt and anger I've caused people."

"What are you talking about?" Katara asked, her anger suddenly gone.

"You know what happened when I first found out I was the Avatar." He said. "I was scared and I ran away from it. From my people. Because I left, this war happened. Because I left, thousands died and thousands became angry with me and hurt that they lost people they care about. I'm going to have to live with that. I'm going to have to live with knowing that because I left, some of most my friends died, my people were wiped out and a war like this was allowed to happen." He said and looked at the ground. "This temple is evidence of that. It use to be so full of life and now it's in ruins, just like the rest of the world. All because I left."

"That's different, Aang." Katara said with a sigh.

"No, it not." He said and shook his head, before standing and looking at her. "I'm a kid and when I found out I was the Avatar, it scared me and I ran away. Before that, I was just a kid who could travel the world and play with my friends. The only responsibilities I had, were learning from the monks and caring for Appa before I was told what I was. Based on what we know of his family, I don't think Zuko was ever really able to be a kid. Look around, Katara. Besides Hakoda and Chit Sang, the rest of us are kids. Zuko's just a kid as well and who did kids want to prove themselves to?" He asked.

Katara was silent for a moment. "Their parents…" She said and looked away.

"I'm not asking you to forgive him, but you're the only one who hasn't." He said with a sigh. "There are always things we don't know about people. That's why it's such a hard thing to judge someone. People mess up. All of us have. A person cannot just look at the people who brought them into this world, their mothers and fathers, the people they grew up with, their siblings and friends and just decide to fight on the other side of a war. Against their home, their family. Everything that they knew."

"I know… I just can't…" She trailed off and looked at Zuko, before looking back to Aang.

Aang sighed. "Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die." He said and picked up his staff. "I need to go feed Appa and I think it would be best if everyone probably ate something too and then went to bed." He said and walked away.