A/N. I had too much fun with sassy Sun Warrior Chief lol.

I don't own Avatar the last Airbender

"You had to pick up the glowing egg, didn't you?"

If this wasn't so horrifying and utterly predictable, Aang could have laughed. Here they were, in the ruins of an ancient civilization… And of all the things they could be doing, they were stuck against an iron gate.

Everything had gone so well… They had found the isle so easily, and the ruins covered the whole island, except the enormous volcano in the centre of the island. Zuko had even been helpful during their exploration of the ruined buildings. Aang still mistrusted the firebender, certainly after that question he had asked during the flight to the Sun Warriors Island. Why had he asked that question?

Sure, he knew that he had not done a great job of hiding his feelings while the prince was around… But Zuko had still asked that question. And the moment the firebender had asked that question, the little trust Aang had felt building up towards the Fire Nation prince was gone.

But they had still managed to find that room with those statues, showing some sort of dance. They had reenacted the forms, and the finale had revealed some sort of golden egg thing… And of course, of course, the guy used to having gold all around him needed to pick it up. The moment that thing had appeared from the floor, Aang had sensed trouble. But no! Zuko just had to pick it up!

"At least I made something happen! If it was up to you, we would still be stuck in that courtyard!" The raspy voice answered from his right. Aang couldn't move his head, because, of course, picking up the egg had been a dumb plan!

Some sort of thick liquid had filled the room in mere moments, and now they only had the small iron gate as their way to see the outside world. And for the rest, they were completely stuck in the dark green slime. Aang was just praying that it was just slime, not some other kind of liquid.

"Help!" Aang shouted from the top of his lungs, meaning… very loudly.

"Oh just shut up! No one is going to hear you! No one lived here for centuries!" Zuko yelled back, and Aang managed to turn his face slightly to be met with flaming ember eyes.

"Yeah, and whose fault would that be?" The airbender bit back. It wasn't his goal, or even in his character to be petty… But being stuck in green slime didn't help.

"Not mine! These people died out even before the Fire Nation was a thing! It is not always our fault, you know?" The prince answered angrily.

"Good to know! You've had me fooled for a second there! Because everything I have seen since waking up is kind of your family's fault! Let me guess, Azula is coming to pick us up, isn't she?" Aang answered just as angrily.

The thought had been in his mind for several hours now. Sure, the ruins had been here, like Zuko had said… But it had been too convenient, too easy. And being stuck in this smurry would make it painfully easy for anyone to take them prisoner. Or rather, him.

Because that had been his train of thought. That Zuko had made sure to set off the trap. So that he would be easy to get in chains.

Aang hated thinking like that about anyone… But the firebender was really getting on his nerves! After everything he had tried to do, being understanding, letting him stay in the Temple… Still, the prince acted as if everything was his right to trample, to destroy, and to take.

"Well, it is also your fault, you do realize that, don't you?" Zuko spoke, and the moment he said that, all the anger left Aang's brain.

Yeah…

"That the world is screwed you mean? Yeah. I'm aware that that is my fault." He sighed. It was the fault of the Fire Nation that the war had started, and that so many lives were lost… but Aang had a role in the fact that it had lasted a century. He had forsaken his duty as Avatar to protect the world against any aggression… So yes, he was also to blame.

Zuko laughed.

It was the first time the airbender heard the man actually… laugh. Sure, he had heard him scoff or grumble… But never laugh.

"So, the world is counting on an actual idiot."

"Pardon?" Aang felt the anger flare up once more.

"I only said that to annoy you! I didn't really mean this is your fault." Zuko still laughed.

"Well, I'm the only one alive who was a part in the start of this war." It was true!

"Please, how can anyone blame you? It is not like you did it on purpose, did you? I don't know how you got into the ice… But I guess it wasn't by your own free will. How could you have known? No. There is only one person responsible. Sozin. Then, that role went to Azulon. And finally, to him. The people who fight this war… Sure, some are cruel, some are not. But they are all following the orders of the Fire Lord. He bears the responsibility. Not you, not me, not anyone. Him."

That… That sounded a lot like what Katara told him each time he doubted himself, each time he felt like what happened in the world was somehow his fault… Each time, Katara would tell him that he couldn't have known what would happen… And that what happened was not his fault. And Hakoda had told him the same thing, during their talk before the invasion…

Everyone agreed… But still, Aang knew that there were people who resented him for not stopping the war before…

And most of all, he resented himself for that.

"And yet, I didn't stop it. Not when I had the chance at the Invasion… If only your sister hadn't stopped us." The airbender answered, still surprised at the bitterness in his voice.

"Azula is good at that. Believe me, I know. But she is nothing compared to him. If you had fought him after the Black Sun… Well, I don't think you would have won. So, better to flee and fight another day. Because you don't want to fight my father. Believe me." That same bitterness Aang was feeling was now distinctly present in the firebender's voice.

"Sounds like you have experience with it." He spoke, knowing that his bitterness and self-pity wouldn't get them out of this situation.

"Yes. I do." Zuko answered bluntly.

Aang didn't answer that. It would explain why the firebender didn't love his father… Aang had heard about parents who beat their children, and Ozai was known for his cruelty… Which, apparanlty, extended into the education of his children.

Was that why Zuko had betrayed the Fire Lord, joining them? To finally shake of that shadow that had loomed over him for all his life? Had three months at the Fire Nation Palace been such torture that the prince had realized that Ozai was not the man he hoped he was?

It seemed absurd. Zuko had been cruel and evil, even after having been educated for six years by Iroh. The old man had his own demons, Aang imagined, but… Well, he had seemed nice. And he had seemed to actually love Zuko. Ozai had banished his own son…

spirits, at the one hand, Aang didn't trust the man who was stuck beside him. If the others would see them, the airbender knew how it would look. Like Zuko had imprisoned them both so that Azula, or even Ozai, could come and capture him.

But on the other hand… His heart and mind screamed to actually trust the firebender. To give him one chance. A chance to proof himself in the eyes of the world. How could they immediately dismiss the firebender if he was being sincere?

"Well… What now?" Aang sighed, moving on from his anger, placing that in the neat little box in his mind that was filled with horrible thoughts.

"Ehm… We could… Think about our place in the universe?" Zuko answered, and the airbender heard the hesitation in the raspy voice, as if the firebender didn't actually believe what he was suggesting.

"Dätse ga?"

Who is there?

Aang's eyes widened. He had not heard that language for… Well, months, in his case! The people of the Fire Nation had for some reason switched to the common language, spoken by the majority of the world population. The first few days in the Fire Nation, at the island with the school… He had tried to speak it with some people. But even the oldest person he had spoken to had just looked at him with confusion and so many questions in their eyes…

But the voice, coming from his right, had spoken it.

But who was it?

The airbender could see Zuko's head, but the sticky liquid didn't permit him to turn his head further, to see the person who had spoken. Apparently, the prince could see the man, because Aang heard a sharp intake of breath.

"What the…"

"Ironge. Dätse ga?"

I repeat. Who is there?

"Aang Avaturu. E Zuko no Oji Hira Kunta." He quickly spoke up. No use lying about who they were. They were both probably the most recognizable people in the world, with the tattoos and the scar.

"Are you seriously talking to the feather guy? In the same language?" Zuko asked, seemingly just too annoyed to even realize what he said.

Feather guy?

A shadow darkened his vision, and Aang could see, outlined by the dark night sky, a man who wore headgear adorned with great yellow and red feathers, with markings on his face. Lines, running from the corners of the eyes, the mouth and the eyebrows, in distinct rays that ended at the base of the headgear. He resembled… a sun. His face literally depicted the sun.

The… Sun Warriors…

"You are supposed to be extinct…" Zuko spoke up, with the same surprise as Aang was feeling. How was this even possible? Even in his time, the Sun Warriors had not been known… To be honest, he had not known about them! How… How had people managed to escape the notice of the whole world for generations?

"And you, Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, are a long way from home." The man above them spoke with a thick melodious sounding accent, "And you, Avatar Aang, are even a long way from your time."

Eh…

"What?" the airbender felt the question come out as a squeak.

"Old eyes. An old language. You are not from around here. Or around now." The man didn't even sound surprised… Rather, intrigued

"Get us out of here." Zuko spoke up, interrupting the moment.

"In good time, Prince Zuko. Remember. You are not at home here. Here, you are a guest. And guests don't command. Guests obey." The man answered, still in that melodious accent. Aang saw how the man mowed away from them, sitting down on his knees a few feet away from them.

"We have questions before we consider releasing you."

Of course.

"What? We don't-"

"Ask what you want. We will answer. Won't we, Sifu Hotman?" Aang answered quickly, using the small joke he had employed to annoy Zuko during their day of "training" at the temple.

"I guess." The firebender grumbled.

"Splendid. So, who are you? Not your titles. Just… Who are you? Your history, your past. Who are you?" The man spoke, still in the common language.

Aang thought about that. It seemed that this person wanted to know them… Well, their personality. If he worked for the Fire Nation, he wouldn't have needed to ask these questions… And… Well, if he did work for Ozai, it was already too late.

"I was born a hundred and seventeen years ago at the Eastern Air Temple, to Dolma and Deleh. I grew up at the Southern Air Temple until my sixteenth year, upon which I… left. I got frozen in an iceberg, but the Avatar State protected me. I only got out a century later. I travelled around the world with… friends. And learned that the world had been embroiled in conflict since I abandoned my home. As Avatar, I have been trying to rectify that since then." He spoke. Sure, it sounded very… impersonal. But at least, he was being honest about his past.

The man's eyes fixed on him for a long time. The pale ember eyes seemed to pierce into his soul, examining every piece of information he had given.

The man nodded and turned to the firebender.

"I'm…I'm Zuko. I'm Prin… I was born in Caldara City to Ursa and… Ozai. I wasn't supposed to be an important person, no… That was my cousin, Lu Ten. But fate had other ideas, so my father became Fire Lord. For speaking up against him, I was exiled… Condemned to chase a legend, a ghost. I spend six years looking for him, and when I finally found him… Well, it wasn't what I expected. I chased him over the world, and failed, only to be outdone by my sister, like always. I… I betrayed everything my uncle taught me, but I'm trying to do better now." Zuko spoke begrudgingly.

Aang felt… bad? Yeah, that was the word. Zuko had been exiled… for just speaking his mind? How could a parent even do that? Sure, the airbender understood that not every parent got along with their children… But that was a right you had. Ozai had just removed the child he didn't like. As if… As if it was no more than a Pai Sho tile.

"I think that I heard enough. You are here to see the masters, aren't you?" The man with the feather headgear stood up, and walked to a wall. He pushed a tile, and Aang felt the iron gate move. Quickly removing his sticky hands from the bars, he saw how the gate disappeared into the ground, and the liquid oozed out of the room, pushing him and Zuko upwards. The airbender quickly rolled to the side and felt himself finally be delivered from that mess.

Standing up, he felt how the liquid had got into his boots, all over his tunic and… Other less pleasant places. Cringing at the idea of the dark liquid in his… Well, underpants, Aang couldn't help but shudder.

"It is completely harmless." The man came to stand beside him, smiling. But not a kind grin… No, this was more a Oh boy you are going to regret coming here smile.

"I hope so." Zuko's voice spoke up from beside them, and Aang saw that the firebender was even worse off than he was. The liquid had got stuck in the prince's hair, and it was a horrible mess to even look at.

"So, I believe it is my turn now. I'm Sun Chief Hai Jhoa, of the Sun Warriors. Who, if you haven't guessed, are not extinct. Just a little… shy. We don't like visitors." The man spoke, still with that ominous smile.

"Ehm… Do you get many visitors?" Aang asked, trying to start a conversation that was little less… murder vibe.

"Oh yes. Sailors get lost in these islands…" The chief gestured widely, and from the corner of his eyes, the airbender saw movement, but he didn't take his eyes of the man in front of them.

"And… These sailors… Why haven't they told the world that you are here?" He was not going to like the answer, was he?

"Dinner?" The Sun Chief didn't answer his question…

Aang looked to his right, and saw that the movement he had detected was actually a whole group of people, approaching them with trays and trays loaded with food.

"You are a vegetarian, right?" Zuko whispered in his ear.

"Yeah…"

"Good. Don't touch the meat I guess."

Eh… What?

The Sun Chief apparently had heard the conversation, and… laughed.

"Oh no, we are not that kind of savages Prince Zuko. No, we savages have surprisingly good taste."

Why did the man refer to himself as a savage? Had… Had the Fire Nation seen them as such? Aang felt ashamed that he didn't know. At the Air Temple, he had been forced to learn about nearly every civilization he could think of… But the Sun Warriors had not been a part of them.

"As do you apparently. Why did you take our Sun Stone?" Another man stepped forward. For some reason, Aang had an immediate dislike for the man. The skin of his face was unnaturally stretched over his skull, giving him a feral look. The Chief nearly rolled his eyes at the interjection.

"Ham Ghao…" he began, but the feral looking man cut him off.

"No, no. They abused our culture. Now, we must punish them. I am High Priest of the Sun Temple, may I remind you!"

It was clear to Aang that the Chief disliked this priest, and for some reason, he shard that dislike. The man seemed… Well, overthinking his own importance.

"We didn't mean to disrespect your civilization." Zuko stepped forwards, bowing politely, "We came here to try and learn the old ways of firebending, because we have realized that my country has distorted the art."

That was… a stretch. They had come here in the hope that there would be anything to help them get Zuko's bending back. But sure, this worked too.

"Lies!" Ham Ghao muttered, but the chief held up a hand.

"If you wish to learn the ways of the Sun… You must learn them from the masters Ran and Shaw."

Before Aang could even ask who the masters were, the chief continued.

"When you present yourself to them, you must come prepared. They will read your hearts, your souls… and your ancestry. If they deem you worthy, they will show you the ancient ways. But… If they find you unworthy, you are going to be destroyed."

Ehm… That sounded… A bit extreme, no? Sure, being denied would be an option, but being destroyed? That was kind of extreme.

The chief waved a hand, and several men stepped forward, all carrying torches.

"These have been lit by the first fire… The one the dragons gave to mankind. We have maintained it and kept if for thousands of years. You must take a flame up the mountain" the Chief gestured to the enormous peak at the centre of the island, "You must present the flame at sunrise, to show your commitment to the sacred art of firebending.

Oh… Eh… Yeah, that was going to be a problem. How was he even supposed to carry the flame? Sure, everyone told him a was also a firebender… But to actually keep a flame alive, for so long? How would he even manage a minute?

He cast a look at Zuko, who just inhaled and exhaled softly. They had talked about that the day before at the training. You had to fuel the flames by the breath. Aang inhaled. Yes, he could do that. It was not like he needed to do anything with the fire, just keep it alive.

"This ritual illustrates the essence of Sun Warrior philosophy. You must maintain a constant heat, the flame will go out if you make it too small… Make it too big, and you might lose control." And with that, the chief handed them a flame.

As Aang took it between his open palms… He was surprised at the actual warmth. It was not burning him… But rather, warming every inch of his soul. It felt like… life. The airbender couldn't help but smile a little.

"Fire is life, not just destruction. Take your flames up the mountain." And with that, the Sun Warriors began to disperse. A few moments later, they stood alone in the courtyard.

Looking at the flames in his hands, Aang saw the flickering of a dying fire.

"Ehm, Zuko… Why is it going out?" He asked quickly, looking at the firebender.

"You need to give it more juice, you are being too timid." The prince answered, while he had actually a healthy-looking flame between his palms.

"But… The guy said something about losing control…"

"You are not going to lose it. You are a talented kid. Give it a bit more juice. Don't be afraid of the fire."

Exhaling softly, Aag saw the flames grow slightly in his hand. Alright… That, he could do.

The climb up the mountain was surprisingly easy. Maybe it was the fact that Aang had spent most of the years training and travelling, but climbing a mountain, while trying to keep a flame alive… Came surprisingly easy. For that matter, it didn't seem to bother Zuko that much either. As they neared the peak, Zuko turned to him.

"They said they were going to judge my ancestry… I'm fucked, right?"

It was the first time Aang heard the firebender swear. And it sounded… Strangely vulnerable. As if he had dropped the act of the well spoke prince, and the person beneath it showed his face.

"Perhaps not… You have your mother too, haven't you? If she was nice… Maybe her family was nice too." He didn't know why he said that. Aang had no proof whatsoever that this Ursa had been nice. Perhaps she was even worse than Ozai.

But Zuko just looked at him with an unreadable expression in those member eyes. After a few moments, Aang settled on confusion. Then, acceptance.

"Yeah. Perhaps." With that, they turned the last corner and emerged of the peak.

Two peaks jutted out of the platform, and they were connected by a staircase and a bridge. Both looked ancient and as if they could fall into ruins at any given moment. But at either side of the bridge, Aang saw an entrance to a cave. The way that tunnel was made… it looked familiar.

The platform was filled by Sun Warriors

"Facing the judgement of the masters will be very dangerous for you. For example, you. Your ancestors are responsible for the disappearance of the dragons. The masters may not be happy to see you." The Sun Chief spoke, directing his attention at Zuko before turning to Aang.

"And you. You allowed the Fire Nation to wreak havoc on the world. The decline of the dragons is your burden too."

Around them, the people begun to chant. Aang felt nauseous at the idea of being judged, for all his being. He loathed parts of himself… So, if these masters saw that, they were surely not going to teach him. Why should they, he had indeed been a part of the crimes of the Fire Nation. Unwillingly, sure. But still a part.

The Chief moved aside, letting them stand in front of the stairs. The airbender inhaled once more, and took the first step. And the second. As they walked up, he turned to Zuko.

"What if… What if they don't judge us worthy?" He asked softly, trying not to show his own fear.

"We are the Fire Prince and the Avatar… I am sure that they won't be that great that they could fight the both of us."

Aang wasn't so sure… But it was the best they had. As they arrived on the bridge, a horn sounded.

"Those who wish to meet the Masters Ran and Shaw will now present their fire!" A man called out from the crowd beneath them. Aang turned to the cave on the right, and bowed gently, putting a foot in front of him as the traditional Hire Nation bow required, extending his open palms to the cave.

A loud crash resounded through the mountain.

Aang felt his knees buckle, and the flame snuffed out of his hands. Oh no! No… No… not that.

"Zuko, give me a bit of yours!" He whispered, turning around to see the firebender still bowing towards the left cave.

"What, no! Make some!" the prince answered in an angry murmur.

"I can't!"

"Get some of the warriors!"

Monkeyfeathers, monkeyfeathers,…

Before he could even move towards the staircase, another loud crash could be heard and felt… only way closer this time. The mountain began to shake, and he heard Zuko curse. Looking over his shoulder, he saw that the flames in the firebender's hands had also gone out.

"Hehe, see? Sharing is good for you. If you had done that, maybe I could have given some to you this time." He couldn't help but be petty about it.

"Seriously? You chose this moment to be a smartass?" Zuko spoke back.

A load growl made Aang step whatever he was going to answer. He… He knew that sound.

Oh no.

Not that.

Everything but that.

Looking at his cave, he saw that from the darkness of the cavern, two enormous ember glowing eyes were staring directly at him.

Well… They had found the masters. The original ones.

Dragons.

Answers :

Kalaong: Exactly, and with war, that is always the case. It never serves a real purposes, except to glorify some people in charge, and the masses suffer for it.

Jjsmith103: Yeah, FanFic has it weird moments lol! Yeah, I wanted it to really seem alright at the beginning, to make you feel safe, but that that could change at any given moment. And I wanted to move a lot faster through the Western Air Temple bit, but I just couldn't do that to the extra scenes I had in mind. I have one, written and ready to go, that it the most hilarious thing I have written if I say so mself, but you will have to wait until Suki is there to read it lol!