Disclaimer: I do NOT own Avatar
A/N: Wrote quite a bit of this before starting 'A World's Redemption.' Hope you enjoy.
Chapter 1: Zuko Makes His Decision
Zuko sat upon the cliff edge gazing past the surrounding mountains toward the plains beyond. He had traveled those lands over the past month on his own. He'd stumbled upon this place completely by accident, but there was no mistaking what it was, an air temple. He had been living there for a week, surviving on the fruits of valley trees and mountain goats. He did what he could to clean as much as he could. So far he'd only succeeded in cleaning a bedroom, the kitchen, and all but the real heavy lifting in the main courtyard. The thing that took the most time had been setting up graves for the remains of the bodies, both Air Nomads and Fire Nation. The rest of his time had been spent training to the point of exhaustion.
Watching the sunsets from this cliff had been beautiful, but it had also given him time to think about the past. Over the past month he'd seen things that made him doubt that anyone would gain anything from this war. There had been one incident where he had seen an Earth Kingdom regiment use the same tactic he'd been banished for voicing out against. As the Blue Spirit he'd been able to warn a village that was serving as a Fire Nation base of a plot by a group of water benders with a bunch of kids. He thought he'd heard one of them called Jet. He could still remember the small boy he had carried out of harms' way clinging to his shirt with all of his strength, only letting go once they'd found his mother.
After the fight with the water tribe warriors he made his escape. Funnily enough, there had been no pursuit of the fugitive. Zuko merely chalked it up to the villagers' gratitude, and that they were returning the favor. The thing that bothered him the most was that the water benders had to know that there'd been Earth Kingdom civilians there, and yet they'd still flood the village. What did this mean for relations between the Water Tribes and the Earth Kingdom? He'd always thought that the two nations were on friendly terms with each other, but if they were willing to sacrifice the others' people what would happen if the Avatar was successful in ending the war? For that matter what would happen to the Fire Nation?
Even as the thoughts came so did a multitude of answers for them. Without the Fire Nation to fight it would only be a matter of time before the two nations, so accustomed to war, would begin against each other. All the while if the Avatar defeats the Fire Lord and his nation the others nations would demand such reparations that the Fire Nation would crumble. It was then that he decided, the war must end, but not as any of the nations wished it to end. What had his uncle talked of once? Balance had to be maintained or the world would end. He had a lot of work to do.