"We already meditated," Aang points out, reasonably enough, but there's something in the way he says it that grabs Katara's attention. Something that suggests that he's very uncomfortable with whatever's happening, or about to happen, but doesn't want to say so.
If Zuko hears the same thing in his student's voice, he ignores it.
"That was sunrise meditation. This is different." They're both seated in front of the fire. "Close your eyes and feel the flame. Let it flow into you and let your chi flow back into it. Become one with the flame."
Aang does that nervous little chuckle that says he really doesn't want to do something but doesn't want to risk making somebody angry, and Katara considers stepping in, because there's no way the firebender hasn't noticed.
Even Zuko's not that dense.
"Reach out-not with your hands, Aang." Zuko scowls at the other boy. Aang jerks his hand back, grinning nervously.
Whatever Zuko's trying to do, Katara can tell it isn't going to work. Aang's been skittish about firebending ever since he accidentally burnt her, and today, sitting in front of the fire on the opposite of his firebending teacher, is no exception.
The firebender lets out an exaggerated sigh, and the fire flares up in sync with his breath. Aang jerks back, startled.
"Just-watch," Zuko says, closing his eyes and shifting into position. His breathing deepens and steadies, as it always does when he meditates, and the flames immediately respond, dimming and flaring in time with each inhale and exhale.
Katara and Aang watch for about a minute before he opens his eyes again. "Your turn."
Aang shoots him a pleading look that gets ignored entirely before reluctantly settling down and closing his eyes.
Aang breathes in. Then out. Then in again.
Nothing happens.
"Keep going." Zuko says, before Aang can open his eyes. "It takes time to make the connection. Even longer to be able to maintain it. Just keep breathing."
After a few minutes Aang begins to relax, lulled into a false sense of security by the way the flames have entirely failed to respond to him, and that is when the campfire flares in response to his exhale.
Aang panics. The flames jump even higher, out of control, and he practically throws himself backwards to get clear.
Zuko takes a breath in, and the fire returns to its previous state. It also stays under his control, based on the way it moves to respond to each successive breath.
He looks at Aang, and then at Katara, and she thinks he almost looks confused.
Aang hunches his shoulders, waiting for Zuko to snap at him. The older boy hasn't proven to be a particularly patient teacher thus far. Or understanding.
He looks back at Aang. "I'm right here," he says, and it sounds like he's trying to be reassuring, but Katara has no idea what he's trying to say and by the looks of it, neither does the Avatar.
Aang hunches further in on himself and stares at the fire, misery plainly etched across his features.
Zuko studies his twelve-year-old student for a long moment, eyebrow furrowed, eyes narrowed. He lets out a quick breath that the fire responds in kind to, and Aang flinches. His expression clears abruptly.
"Are you-" he nods toward the fire. "You're afraid of it."
Katara wants to scream at him. Of course he is. Anyone in their right mind would be afraid, after everything they've been through, even without having accidentally hurt one of their best friends.
But Aang drops his head to stare at the ground and nods. His shoulders droop.
Zuko lets out another huff of air, but this time the fire doesn't react. "Why didn't you say something?"
Katara laughs, startling them both.
"He shouldn't have to!" He turns his head to meet her gaze as she rises to her feet. "With everything that's happened. Everything the Fire Nation's done-everything you've done. Never mind your crazy sister-who in their right mind wouldn't be afraid of fire?" She glares at him. "But I suppose being a firebender you've never had to worry about getting hurt yourself-did you ever even care whether you hurt anyone else?"
He meets her gaze evenly, golden yellow eyes boring into hers, one slightly narrower than the other due to the scar covering most of the left side of his face.
"I had more trouble creating flames than keeping them from going out of control when I was a student," he admits, his voice steady, as if the answer to her insult weren't staring her right in the face. He turns back to Aang, who is staring at Katara in horror, and now all the waterbender can see is the scarred side of his face. "What happened? To make you so afraid?"
The entire story comes pouring out of Aang, about finding Jeong Jeong, about being impatient with the way the firebending master was teaching him, and about playing with the flames, losing control, and hurting Katara.
Katara tries not to look like the memory bothers her.
Zuko frowns. "It sounds like he wanted you to be afraid anyway," he says reluctantly. "But fire isn't just destruction." He takes a deep, calming breath. "It's also light, and warmth, and life. It's hot meals and warm baths and not freezing to death during a snowstorm."
"But it can hurt just as easily as it can help." Katara reminds him. She can't help it. Just like she can't help that she's still staring at his face.
"The same could be said of all the elements," Zuko retorts, scowling at her. He takes a breath. "But control is necessary, when working with fire. Maybe even more than with the other elements. It's why we meditate, and why we practice proper breathing techniques even when we're exercising or working on forms."
He looks at Aang. "I'm not going to let you hurt your friends," he says.
Katara scoffs, just a little bit, because he couldn't even stop himself from getting burned. Zuko ignores her, his attention still focused on Aang, whose own doubt shines through clearly on his face.
Zuko sighs. "Look," he says, and then sticks his arm straight into the fire. By the time Katara has grabbed him on one side and Aang has grabbed him on the other and they've jerked him clear of the flames, she realizes there had to be a reason for it, but it's already too late.
Zuko looks more amused than she has ever seen him as he holds up his hand for their consideration. She looks over it closely, water ready in case she needs to heal the idiot, but there's not a mark on his hand-or his arm. The edge of his sleeve isn't even smoldering.
She lets go, and he reaches out again, calling the fire to him. It settles in his palm, briefly, before growing to engulf his hand in fire. He lets it burn for a moment before returning the flame back to the campfire, then turns to Katara.
"Do you trust me?" he asks.
"No."
The answer is out before she even has time to think about it, and she tries to ignore the way he doesn't quite deflate in the face of her refusal. He doesn't argue, though, instead turning his head.
"Hey, Toph!" he calls, and waits, turning his attention back to the flames. It's almost hypnotizing, watching the fire move with his breath.
"I heard there was a trust exercise waiting to happen," Toph says when she reaches them, not even bothering to pretend she hasn't been eavesdropping.
Zuko snorts.
"You trust me, right?" he says, and Katara wants to tell her to say no, because she is almost certain she is not going to like what happens next, but Toph nods instead.
"Sure. What do you need?"
"Give me your hand."
And Katara sees exactly where this is going. So does Aang, based on the way his eyes widen in horror as Toph holds her hand out, Zuko takes it in his, and then plunges both their hands into the fire.
Toph frowns ever so slightly. "What is that? It's-warm." She's not crying out in pain, though, so Katara decides to wait until Zuko is no longer holding her hand in place to kill him.
"It's fire," he says, and Toph tenses ever so slightly. She swallows nervously and shifts.
"So that's what fire feels like." She says. She is not entirely successful in hiding the tremor in her voice. "I have to admit, it's kind of cool. I'm going to guess that I probably shouldn't do this on my own, though."
"Not unless you want to get burnt."
He pulls their hands back out, and Katara quickly checks Toph over, just in case. The earthbender's hand is warm to the touch, maybe more so than usual, but there's no sign of even a blister-nothing to suggest that she just had her hand held in a campfire hot enough to cook with.
Zuko looks back at Aang, and holds out his hand. The younger boy looks at it for a moment, then up at him, before timidly offering his own.
Zuko adjusts Aang's hand so that it's cupped in his, palm toward the sky, and then reaches to the fire with his other hand. He draws a small flame from the rest and brings it over to hover over Aang's open palm.
Aang tenses, but doesn't pull away as Zuko angles his hand and the flame dances from his hand to his student's. They both watch as it settles in Aang's palm, flickering slightly before steadying out, dimming and brightening in time with the firebender's breathing.
Aang watches, a mix of awe and lingering fear both evident on his face.
"Control is possibly the most difficult part of firebending," Zuko admits. "Students make mistakes. Part of teaching is to expect them, and to be able to act as needed. I promise you, Aang. I will not let you hurt your friends."
Aang nods, and takes a breath. Katara watches as the flame stops responding to Zuko's breath. She watches as it flickers and dances in Aang's palm for several long minutes until suddenly it flares with the Avatar's exhale. It dims with his next inhale, and then flickers wildly as Aang loses focus.
"Just keep breathing," Zuko says, before the kid can panic.
It dims again as Aang breathes in, flares as he breathes out. Dims once more before Aang loses the connection again.
Aang looks up at his firebending teacher. Zuko almost smiles.
"It takes time to get consistent with it," he says. "We'll practice in the mornings, after breakfast. When you can do it without losing focus, then we'll start working on creating your own flame."
Aang nods, a little less nervously than he has been, but still doesn't look entirely confident.
"I'm not going to let you set the temple on fire," Zuko says, and Aang laughs. Katara doesn't know whether it was a joke or not. It's hard to tell with the firebender, sometimes.
Zuko returns the flame to the campfire and climbs to his feet.
"Push-ups," he says, and Aang groans.
Author's Note: because Zuko really doesn't get enough bonding time with the rest of the Gaang.
Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender does not belong to me.
