Gnargh, beginnings are hard to get into, this story isn't any different. Sorry its so slow, but its necessary.
"He's awake." Sokka announced as he exited the tent and Katara and Aang looked up from the camp fire. It was dark now and they were just sorting out dinner, fruits and vegetables that Momo had been found snacking on.
"Did he say anything?" Aang inquired as he was opening an orange. Katara looked rather uninterested in the fire prince as she was pealing her own fruit.
"Not a peep," Sokka said and swiped a peach from the top of the pile, taking a large bite as he sat down with them; he was hungry. "Not so much as a snarl."
"He didn't ask for Aang?" Katara finally joined the conversation and Momo nibbled on the citrus peal, but he dropped it because it was bitter and snatched an apple instead.
"He didn't even glare at me, Katara," Sokka said, glancing momentarily at the tent, "I'm starting to wonder if he hit his head." Aang thought a moment on that last comment and then he grinned, an idea striking.
"If he did, do you think he'd come with us?" the avatar asked and Sokka promptly started choking on his food while Katara's eyes widened.
"Aang, think about what you're saying," Katara said reasonably while Sokka swallowed his food instead of choking on it, "Zuko has been chasing you for so long, I don't think us helping him is going to change his mind about him continuing to do so."
"But what if it does?" Aang reasoned "And what if that ship was his, he has no place else to go."
"But we're not required to take him with us, I'm sure another fire nation ship will find him."
"But what if they don't?"
"I'm sure he could take care of himself."
"I'm sure he could help me with fire bending."
"You don't need to learn it from him…"
Sokka watched this go on for a bit; obviously he had no say in this argument, seeing his sister grow frustrated but the air bender stayed calm and positive. Momo also watched, nibbling his apple peel, his big eyes darting from each human that spoke.
Sokka had to admit he did see both of their points; his sister's first and foremost. Zuko had been trying to get Aang since they'd known the both of them. It was an on going cycle; Zuko comes, threatens, fights, and they all escape with little reason as of why the prince did it. It was clear Zuko wasn't with the immediate fire nation army though, Admiral Zhao had made that clear in the fire nation temple, he had called Zuko a traitor, but it definitely didn't mean that Zuko was on their side either. Of course that brought him to Aang's point, which was, Zuko could actually be a potential ally. He was most defiantly a good fighter and, if the fire bender was willing, could teach Aang how to fire bend and control it. Even though Aang had sworn to not fire bend again after Master Jeong Jeong, they all agreed that Aang had to learn sooner or later, there was no getting around it.
Katara and Aang kept discussing who was right and who was not; rarely did they ever raised their voices to one another, and it didn't look as if they were going to start. Of course this meant that it could take a while for them to agree either. He sighed and glanced at the food pile, which was slowly dwindling because of a certain snacking lemur. Sokka sighed; it was obvious that his sister wasn't going to feed the injured fire bender so he would have to. Getting up, he collected a large leaf and started making a small pile of food, then he folded it up and with one last glance at his companions, he went to the tent and went inside.
He paused once inside, seeing Zuko was still up, in the last motions of putting back on his shirt, slow calculated movements; body stiff from healing and not moving. Zuko wasn't wearing armor; he hadn't been wearing any when they found him. Either the prince had stripped it off in the sea to keep afloat or he hadn't been prepared to fight when his ship was blown to bits. He guessed the latter since it wasn't part of the normal fire nation uniform; it was a simple black tunic and pants. He also noticed that Zuko had ripped the end of his tunic and bound his hair up and out of the way. He looked more like himself now with the make shift hair tie, it had been odd seeing the prince with his black hair down, it had been something unrestrained very unlike the rest of him.
Zuko glanced up and caught Sokka's gaze; that same unreadable, unnerving look in his eyes. Sokka turned his eyes away and held out the folded leaf.
"Katara was busy," He stated, "Food." Zuko didn't make a move for it and Sokka couldn't blame him, if the situation was switched, he wouldn't take it either, via fear of poisoning. He set it down and didn't chance a glance at the fire bender, leaving again, and caught the last of the conversation.
"--fine, but I'm not going to have anything to do with him." Katara said stubbornly, Sokka was sure she was even more bitter towards the prince, not just because of the fact that Zuko had been chasing Aang, but because of their bending fights, fire against water, it was an on going fight between the moon and sun.
"You don't have to." Aang said and Sokka did notice that 12 year old aggravation in his voice, impatience obvious, though glad the argument was settled. And so it seemed done.
"Hey, don't I get a say in this?" Sokka asked, gesturing to the tent that the prince was in. The two looked at him.
"Ok," Aang said casually, tilting his head to the side in a childish manner of curiously, "What do you say about leaving Zuko to the cold and unforgiving wilderness?" Sokka opened his mouth to speak, and then shut it again. He didn't trust the prince as far as he could throw Appa, but he didn't want to leave an injured person to the wilderness, fire bender or not. He mimicked a fish a moment, and then clicked his teeth shut in frustration before he found actual words.
"Well we can't just leave him... I guess." Sokka said and cursed Aang's ability to persuade people.
"Great!" the avatar cheered, throwing a triumphant fist into the air, and then a thought accrued to him. "Hey now we need an earth bender; or Sokka needs to learn a new trick." Sokka set his jaw in annoyance as his sister giggled and Aang just grinned at his own wit.
"Yeah, whatever." Sokka said a bit sourly and sat in their unspoken circle, grabbing what little fruit was left and ate it. Katara fell into a sullen silence after the joke was passed, still not pleased by the decision. Sokka glanced at the tent, mind tracing back to Zuko's strange silent behavior. Had something traumatizing happened? Or maybe the prince was just being stubborn and unsocial; he wouldn't doubt it.
They all settled on the decision to work it out in the morning, it was getting late. Whether or not Zuko agreed to come with them, they had to continue their journey tomorrow.
Slowly, but surely, I'm working on it and my other fics