Coming of a New Age

The Encounter

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender

Warnings: Um… I was listening to Three Days Grace when I wrote this so it may seem somewhat depressing… I guess anyway…

Iroh looked down at the ground to try and avoid the desperate stare of his eager nephew. Although they both knew the answer to the question, Iroh did not want to be the one to assure Zuko that his instincts were correct. He took a deep breath and gathered up the courage to look Zuko in the eyes and tell him.

"Prince Zuko," he started, "please try to understand that your Father…"

"Uncle!" Zuko cut in. "If you are just going to try and make the situation sound better than it actually is then I don't want you to answer my question at all." Zuko said coldly. He looked away feeling slightly aggravated. All he wanted was a simple 'yes' or no'. He never could understand why people thought that they had to explain something to him instead of giving him the straight answer.

Iroh got up and walked over to Zuko. Hesitantly, he placed his hand on his nephew's shoulder trying to comfort him.

"Zuko… I am sure that your Father wants you back someday. If he didn't then why would he have given you a chance to redeem your honor?" Iroh asked.

Zuko snorted at his Uncle's question. "That's simple." He said with disgust. "It gets me away from him."

"That's not what I…" Iroh started, only to have Zuko cut him off again.

"I know that's not what you meant Uncle." Zuko said in a somewhat saddened tone. He clenched his fist again, anger flowing throughout his body. "But what hope is there for me to go on chasing after something that means nothing! It just makes me look like a fool all over again. And it's not just in front of the people of the Fire Nation this time. It's the people of the entire world laughing at me behind my back!"

Iroh's heart sank as he heard these troubled words coming from his nephew. What hurt the most though, was the fact that in his own way, Zuko was right. He was right in every way that any one individual could be. Iroh felt helpless. What else could he possibly do that he has not done to help his nephew already?

Zuko noticed the troubled look that his Uncle had on his face. Once again, he felt responsible for something that could not be helped. Just like the disappearance of his Mother all those years ago. Why did he only have the ability to hurt the ones that he loved?

"Uncle?" Zuko called out in a quiet voice.

"What is it Prince Zuko?" Iroh answered.

"Will you… will you promise not to leave me alone?" Zuko asked.

Iroh finally realized what it was that he had foolishly skipped over. Here he was trying to think of what he has not done but could do for Zuko instead of thinking about what was important. What Zuko needed was what has been done so far to not be taken away. Everyone else had abandoned him in his life except for Iroh. It would almost be a slaughter if he too left his nephew alone.

"Of course Prince Zuko," Iroh answered with a smile appearing across his lightened face. "Who else could stand to drink tea with me besides you?"

Zuko laughed for the first time in a long time. "Thank you Uncle."

The sun started to rise over the treetops and the land was engulfed in the blinding light emitted from it. A slight breeze began to blow around them, carrying with it the scents of the newly blossomed spring flowers. For once, it might actually be a decent day for the Banished Prince.

Zuko stood up to get ready to begin his hunt for what could possibly be used for breakfast. As he started to dust himself off, a fast moving object kicking up dirt behind it raced out of the nearby woods. Before Zuko could even move, the object slammed directly into him, knocking them both to the ground a few feet away.

For a few seconds Zuko lay there in shock without breathing or moving. He finally blinked as he caught his breath.

"Ow…" said a younger voice only a few feet away from him.

Zuko sat up and looked in the direction of the voice. His eyes came into contact with another pair of ice blue eyes. They were the eyes of a child. The child stared back at Zuko, the look of surprise all over his face.

"A… Avatar?" Zuko stammered.

Author's Note: Don't you just love cliffhangers? Eh, it was kind of short but I promise the next chapter will be longer. I'm sorry it took me so long to update. I had to find the right way to start this chapter and it took me awhile. I hope you can all forgive me! (bow) Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, and if you did please review! I'll give you a cookie: )