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Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the last airbender!
Zuko dropped the barrol in shock and Aang using his air bending broke it's fall and let it float safely to the ground.
"Father what are you doing here?"said Zuko bowing.
"You have disgraced your country Prince Zuko."Ozai said.
"No..."said Zuko falling to his knees before his father. "I have captured the Avatar! He is right here!"Zuko said standing. The fire lord's gaze never left his son.
"You have failed me and your country!"He said.
"No..."said Zuko. Than all at once Fire Lord Ozai dissapeared. Zuko looked around blinking.
"What is going on?"He yelled. Suddenly however Monk Gyatso appeared infront of Aang. Aang gasped in surpise.
"Monk Gyatso is it really you?"said Aang bowing.
"You have failed us Aang...you turned your back on the world. The war is your fault."Gyatso said. Aang took a step back as if he had been slapped. He tried to prevent the tears from coming. "I didn't mean-I never wanted..."Aang said and looked at the ground. Than the monk dissapeared. Katara hugged Aang.
"This isn't real Aang."she assured him.
"If this is an island of ghosts than that was very real."Aang said.
"The fire lord is still alive Aang. I'm sure the fire lord and Monk Gyatso were both allusions."Katara said firmly comforting both Aang and Zuko.
"Whatever they were lets get out of here before they come back."Sokka muttered but gasped. Standing before them was a tall man from the water bending tribe. He had bright blue eyes and brown hair.
"Dad?"said Katara in disbelief. Sokka stared with his mouth half open.
"Sokka you fool! I told you to protect your sister and your villiage! You have abandoned the villiage to the fire benders! All is lost they are all in slavery!"Their father yelled.
"N-no..."Sokka said.
"You are not our father."Katara said crossing her arms. Their father faded.
"Lets get out of here."Aang said after a few moments of silence. Zuko picked up the barrol and they began walking once more.
"What do you think those allusions were for?"Aang said.
"I don't know Aang. I dont know if they were ghosts playing tricks, or if someone was playing mind games with us."Katara said.
"We have a problem."Zuko said.
"What fire boy?"asked Sokka crossing his arms. Zuko pointed to the beach. Their boat was gone.
"Oh this is just great! JUST GREAT!"Sokka yelled kicking sand. Katara looked around.
"What could have happened to the boat?"Katara asked.
"Beats me."said Sokka.
"Look, Zuko's men know were here. If we don't come back after a while they will come looking for us with another small boat right?"said Katara.
"How long will that take?"Aang asked.
"I'm not sure, but we should make camp just in case."Katara said. So with much grumbling from Sokka they made camp. The sun was just setting when Zuko lit the fire for them. Zuko sat down a distance from them but still close enough to receive heat from the fire.
"No allusions or ghosts seem to come to the beach."Sokka said.
"So far."Aang said.
"I'm starving!"Sokka complained.
"Well maybe you could go back to the villiage and get some food from the ghosts?"Said Aang.
"I"m not going back there alone!"said Sokka.
"Is the water bender scared?"hissed Zuko.
"NO!"said Sokka.
"I'll go if since your so scared."Zuko said standing up.
"I'll come with you."said Aang standing up.
"Aang! Your going to leave me with Katara? Thats worse than the ghosts!"said Sokka. Katara glared at Sokka who grinned.
"Fine."mummbled Zuko and the two set off. They started walking.
"Why did you save me from the fire nation? I mean aren't you part of the fire nation?"Aang asked.
"I saved you because I wanted to be the one to capture you."Zuko replied shortly.
"But why? It doesn't matter who gets me right? As long as I'm in the fire nation's hands right?"Aang asked.
"Oh it matters."said Zuko.
"Is there some type of reward on me or something?"Aang asked.
"No."
"Than why are you of all people after me if your a prince?"asked Aang.
"That is none of your business."said Zuko. They got to the empty villiage.
"I hope no more allusions come. Just ghosts. This place is strange."Aang said. "The ghosts could very well be allusions as well."Zuko muttered.
"If thats true than everything they have given us can be allusions and not real."Aang said frowning. Zuko blinked. The avatar did have a point.
"Well it feels solid enough. So that must mean it's real."Zuko said after some thought.
"Well that must be true. So the ghosts or allusions or whatever they are must have food."Aang said. The two waited patiently. "Hello! Anyone there? We need some food!"Aang called. Just then a young girl with brown hair and brown eyes stepped out. Her hair was in a pony tail and she was wearing fire bending robes.
"ZUKO YOU FAILURE!"she snapped. Zuko looked at her wearily.
"Your not real."he said. The girl dissapeared. Aang blinked at Zuko.
"Who was that?"asked Aang.
"It's none of your business."replied Zuko crossing his arms.
"HEY! IS ANYONE THERE?"yelled a voice Sokka stepped out from behind a building.
"Sokka?"said Aang.
"I didn't want to stay with Katara. She is unbearable."said Sokka.
"You left her alone?"Aang asked worried.
"She will be fine. She has momo. She actually insisted that I came to help you find food."Sokka said.
"Alright."said Aang.
"I think I know where some food is. Follow me."said Sokka. Zuko stared at him with mistrust. But followed as did Aang. They walked back in the woods. "It's a little further."He assured them walking to a small open space where there were no trees and he stopped. Zuko and Aang walked over and the earth crumbled beneath them and they fell into a giant whole. The whole was about 10 feet wide and 20 feet deep. Aang looked at Zuko who looked at Aang. Sokka was still up there.
"Sokka can you hear me? Get me my staff! It should be with Katara!"Aang called up. Some how Sokka hadn't fallen in. There was no answer. "SOKKA?"yelled Aang. There was no reply.
"It wasn't your friend. We were tricked. It was another one of those...things."said Zuko. Aang frowned.
"How are we going to get out of this?"Aang asked. Zuko sat down crossing his arms.
"Your an air bender. Figure out a way."Zuko said.
"Alright but you have to hold on to me."said Aang. Zuko wrinkled his nose and reluctantly held on to Aangs shoulders. Aang started up his air scooter and began rising in the air. He got half way out of the hole before he tired and floated back down.
"It's to high up."Aang said frowning. Zuko let go of Aang and scowled.
"Come on your the Avatar! Figure out a way to get us out of this stupid hole."Zuko muttered. Aang tried several tricks.
"It's no use. It's to high with out my staff."Aang said. Zuko sighed.
"Just how did you live for over a hundred years and yet still be a child? When I first saw you I thought you had been reborn. But that didn't make sense due to the Avatar cycle. You couldn't be an air bender if you had been re-born."Zuko said. Aang was silent for a while and than decided to tell his story to the prince.
"I got trapped in an iceburg for 100 years. I didn't know about the war or about anything. I failed everyone."Aang said sadly.
"Well you did the fire nation a big favor."Zuko muttered smirking. Aang glared at Zuko.
"Why did the fire nation start this war anyway?"Aang asked.
"Even I the prince am not exactly sure. My father told me it was initially for peace. If the fire nation ruled all the other nations than We could all in eachother and become one great nation with one ruler. We would be the greatest nation of all with all the different benders. But the other nations didn't agree. So we used force."Zuko said.
"Do you believe thats what it's really about?"Aang asked.
"It doesn't matter what I believe."Zuko muttered.
"Sokka says that the fire benders are just power hungry ruthless hot headed jerks."said Aang. Zuko clenched his fists. "No affense."Aang added quickly seeing this was the wrong thing to say to the prince of the fire nation. Aang sighed. How was he supposed to get the prince on his side? He very well could get them out of this hole. But he didn't want to. He thought this was the perfect oppertunity to get to know the prince.
"Your water bender friend should soften his tongue or it will get him killed someday."Zuko said.
"I don't think you know but a comet is coming and suposeively it's going to give the fire nation incrediable power. They will be un-stopable. Avatar Roku told me about it and he told me to stop it and he is a fire bender! Do you really think the Fire nation is going in a very good direction?"Aang asked.
"I told you. It doesn't matter what I believe."Zuko said sitting down leaning against the dirt.
"Yes it does. Your going to be a fire lord someday."Aang said. Zuko said nothing and looked away. Aang decided to change the subject."Anyway I need to learn water bending, earth bending, and fire bending by then so I can stop the comet. A lot of innocent people could get hurt because of it."said Aang.
"Well it looks like your plan has been foiled."Zuko said.
"Unless I escape. But even than I still have a problem. I don't know a single fire bender who would teach me fire bending."Aang said.
"So than it is useless to escape."Zuko said. Aang frowned. for a minute he thought he was actually getting to the fire prince but it seemed he wasn't. Aang just needed to keep the small talk up.
"You know technically we haven't really been introduced. My names Aang."said Aang. Zuko glared at him.
"Prince Zuko."muttered Zuko. Aang held out his hand but Zuko did not shake.
"So why are you after me?"Aang asked.
"Thats what i've been commanded to do."Zuko replied. Aang decided to turn the conversation around knowing if he asked more questions it would lead to disaster.
"You know, I never really wanted to be the Avatar."Aang said. Zuko blinked surprised. He had not suspected the Avatar to share anything with him let alone something personal. Zuko could not subsatin his curiosity.
"Why not? Being the Avatar means you can do all the elements! The Avatar is one of the most powerful beings!"said Zuko.
"Yeah but you have a lot on your mind. Your supposed to keep the peace. Thats your purpose and everyone is counting on you. When I first found out I was the Avatar all the other kids started treating me different. Everyone started treating me different and everything I did was being watched and if I made one mistake everyone would know."aang said.
"Sounds like being a prince."Zuko mused.
"Really?"
"You feel like everyone is watching you and if you make one mistake you lose it all." Aang smiled. Maybe just maybe he was getting to Zuko after all.
"HEY DOWN THERE? NEED SOME HELP?"Yelled a voice. Iroh was standing there holding rope.
