I hope everyone is having a nice Easter (despite the circumstances).

As a reminder, I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. It is the property of Nickelodeon.

Enjoy!

Night had fallen. Princes Iroh and Zuko sat in the plaza of the Western Air Temple. Zuko was busy telling his uncle about what had transpired, while Iroh poured more tea into his cup.

"That's when he merged with me. I felt energy flowing through me. It was like nothing I had ever felt before" Zuko said before taking a sip of his tea. It Jasmine, just like always. "After, I woke up in the same room."

Iroh said nothing, only closing his eyes in contemplation. He had not even bothered to drink any of his own tea yet.

"Uncle? What is it?"

Iroh sighed and took a sip before speaking. "Firstly, I need you to know that I am not angry with you Prince Zuko. You explained yourself that your choices were limited. Though I wish that were not the case."

Another sip. "I hope you realize Prince Zuko, that is is now impossible for you to return to the Fire Nation, so long as Ozai is Fire Lord."

Zuko nearly dropped his tea in shock. "What?! Why?"

"There are two reasons why this is. The first is that you would be a threat to his rule."

"A threat? I would never threaten my father!" Zuko snapped.

"Perhaps not intentionally. But the fact of the matter is, you are too powerful for your father to accept."

"What?" Zuko croaked. How could being powerful be a bad thing?

"It is now your destiny to master the four elements. Once you do, Ozai would fear that you would use your power to overthrow him. And as an Avatar, you would be more than capable of doing so."

"But- I wouldn't!"

"I know this nephew. You would never wish harm upon your father. But can you say the same for Vaatu?"

Zuko felt a sensation in his stomach at the mention of that name, but he didn't know how to explain it. So he let his uncle keep talking.

"The great spirit of chaos was reluctant to join with you, even to escape the spirit world. Do you believe that he, a champion of freedom, would willingly subjugate himself to Ozai?"

"No. He wouldn't" Zuko realized. Even if Vaatu was willing to work with him, he would sooner use his body to attack his father than help him.

"And then there is the second reason." Iroh took another sip. "It is no longer possible to accomplish your mission to exterminate the airbenders."

Zuko narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean uncle?"

"Zuko, you have become a being that is equal to the Avatar. A spirit in human flesh. To attain your full potential, you will need to master all four elements, just as the Avatar would. And this includes airbending."

When the realization hit Zuko, he dropped his head in shame. The teacup was dropped to the floor, as both hands were needed to press against his face. Tears threatened to spill out, tears that Zuko fought back hard.

"I can't go back now." Zuko choked on the words. "I can't go back home. I can never regain my honor. I..." Zuko couldn't even continue, as the tears started falling despite his efforts.

"Zuko," Iroh said softly. He then stood up and walked to his nephew. And before a question or a protest could be formed, he wrapped himself in a hug around his nephew.

"No! Don't pity me, uncle! I will not cry! I don't need..."

"You are upset Prince Zuko. To hold back your feelings will do no good for your health. Please," Iroh said softly, holding his nephew in a firm but soft grip. "Let it out."

Zuko stopped fighting his uncle. He stopped fighting his feelings. He wrapped his arms around his uncle and cried into his shoulder. His tears were accompanied by choked sobs, with Iroh doing what he could to comfort the shaking Prince.

For several minutes, or perhaps a half-hour, the two stayed in their positions, Zuko drying out his eyes and Iroh making sure to be there for him. It wasn't until Zuko stopped shaking that Iroh felt comfortable letting him go.

"So what now uncle?"

"Now it is late. I suggest we both get some rest. Tomorrow, we can discuss this situation further."

Zuko was too tired to even bother putting up a fight. He just said "Alright uncle. Good night.", and fell asleep.

"Ah, Prince Zuko. Finally asleep I see."

"Vaatu!" Zuko exclaimed as he sat up, pushing covers off of his body. He was in a bed in a red room. A room that seemed... familiar.

"What is this place?"

"We are inside your dream, my new vessel. Because our bond is still new and fresh, I have discovered that it is possible for us to communicate directly while you rest."

"Really? When did you figure this out?"

"Just now. But that does not matter. What matters now is our future."

At the mention of the word "future", Zuko immediately frowned. He remembered his talk with Iroh.

"Why bother? It's not like I have a future anymore."

If Vaatu had a face, he would probably frown. "What are you babbling about? Our destiny is now greater than you can even imagine."

"Greater? I'm supposed to be a Prince, Spirit! The heir to the Fire Nation throne!" Zuko yelled, his frustrations boiling over. "Now I can never return home. The Avatar is the enemy of the Fire Nation. No one will accept me back. All because of you!"

"Need I remind you that it was your idea to merge? I would not have even done it had you not convinced me."

Zuko was going to shout at the spirit again, but his yells died in his throat. He was right. There might have been a chance for both of them to escape individually, but Zuko was too impatient to find it. It was his fault they were stuck together.

"In any case, you should be thanking me. While you may not the first choice I would have for this new endeavor, you are certainly suitable for the mission."

Zuko's eyebrow furrowed. "What mission?"

"To restore some sense of order to the world."

Zuko frowned at this answer. "Didn't you say you're a spirit of chaos? Why do you care about any order?"

"I do embody chaos. But what purpose does chaos serve without an order to counteract?"

Zuko wasn't expecting an answer like that, but it did make sense. The world was in a state of turmoil because of the war. It probably didn't need anymore. But that still left one question.

"What is the plan then? Specifically?"

"To end this war. Most likely by defeating this Fire Lord."

Zuko shot up out of the bed when he heard this. "No! I can't fight my own father!"

"Why not?" Vaatu calmly asked.

"Be-because he's m father! My family! I can't-"

"Your family? Tell me, is it common for family members to burn each other's faces?"

Vaatu's blunt words caused Zuko to unconsciously reach for his scar.

"Is it common for families to mentally torment one another? Is it common for families to ensure that one cannot be happy? Would any true family be unconcerned about characters like Azula?"

Zuko's eyes widened. "How do you know about Azula?"

"I learned all that there is to know about you the moment we merged" Vaatu explained. "But enough of that. Tell me, would you like to be rid of them?"

Zuko's voice croaked. "What?"

"Your tormentors? Ozai and Azula. Would you like to be rid of them?"

"Rid of them? What are you talking about."

"Foolish boy. Learn to read between the lines" Vaatu said. "With my power at your disposal, you can easily destroy those that have belittled you throughout your life. And with your status as Prince, you could simply justify it as you carving a path to either the throne or a peaceful world. You could end this war by yourself, and mold the world in your image."

That was... more tempting than Zuko wanted to admit. If he learned to master the four elements, then no one in the Fire Nation would be able to stand in his way. Maybe not even in the world.

But then, what would he do if he did win? What would be left for him?

Vaatu must have noticed his hesitation. "Uncertain? We can deal with that in time."

Zuko was going to ask what he meant when the ceiling started to crack. The floor was also starting to crumble, and the bed he was on was also breaking apart.

"It would seem you are waking up. A pity. There was more I had hoped to discuss with you."

Zuko got out of the bed just as it began to crumble into dust.

"In any case, there is one thing you should know before you leave."

Zuko turned to Vaatu.

"I'm going to assume that you know what the Avatar Cycle is. You should be informed that that cycle does not apply to you."

"What?"

"The cycle you know of was created by Raava. I am her opposite, and therefore my vessel will follow the reverse order."

Zuko was going to ask what he meant when his eyes widened in understanding. His uncle had told him about this.

A bright light began tearing apart the room.

"Until next time, Prince Zuko."

"Prince Zuko. It is time to wake up."

Iroh had begun making breakfast, and had some warm tea prepared for his nephew. "How do you feel?"

Zuko took his teacup without complaint. "I feel the same as I did yesterday uncle. I just had a weird dream."

Iroh sighed. "A strange after merging with a powerful spirit. I do not think this is a coincidence. What happened in the dream?"

Zuko opened his mouth but stopped short of speaking. He wasn't sure if uncle should know about everything Vaatu had said. There some parts he still didn't know how to deal with. But there was one thing he absolutely needed to know.

"He told me that the Avatar cycle doesn't apply to me. The original Avatar was bonded to a spirit of light and order. Vaatu represents chaos and order. He's the reverse."

Iroh stroked his beard. "In other words, the next element you will need to master is not air. It is earth. After which you will need to learn water, then finally air."

"Yeah, that's what he told me."

"I see. Did he say anything else?"

"No. He didn't."

Iroh's eyes narrowed slightly for a second. But they then returned to normal.

"Very well. This news will help us to make plans for the future. But for now, we must only focus on two things."

"What's that uncle?"

"One is breakfast. I made roast duck" he said with a grin.

Zuko groaned. He didn't necessarily hate the dish, but he had a feeling he might get sick of it soon.

"The second order of business will be to begin your training."

"Training?"

Iroh's face suddenly became steely and resolved. "Yes. In the past, it was the Avatar's duty to master the elements. If you are to take a similar role in the world, then you will have to master fire. We will begin as soon as you are finished."

Despite what uncle had said about taking the Avatar's place, Zuko couldn't help but feel excited. Training his firebending had always helped him feel better (unless Azula was watching). And who better to train with than the Dragon of The West?

"I understand uncle," Zuko said as he started eating.

The roast duck wasn't too bad.

Southern Water Tribe

"I can't believe I let you do this" Sokka whined as he and his younger sister stood up on the ice block they were standing on.

"What do you mean "let me do this"? You were the one that was supposed to steer the boat, not sink it" Katara argued back.

"It's a little hard to steer when you're doing you weird water magic behind me. How am I supposed to focus on fishing when you do that?"

"It's not magic, it's waterbending. I've told you this before!" Katara yelled.

"And I've told you before, it's freaky! Why do you keep bothering with that?"

"I told you, I can't ignore it. It's a part of me," Katara argued. "Maybe if you weren't so-"

"Hey, guys. What's up?"

The two Water Tribe siblings turned around to see a young boy holding a staff. Unlike the other two, who wore furry parkas to protect from the cold, the boy was only dressed in yellow and orange robes. He also had a large arrow tattoo on his head. And an impish grin on his face at the sight of his friends.

"Oh, uh, hi Aang. What are you doing here? Isn't today one of your hiding days?" Katara asked.

"I mean, it is, but I wanted to come and see you guys. Besides, I'm still hiding. I'm just hiding from the monks this time" Aang explained, his smile not lessening. Especially since he was talking to Katara.

Sokka was not so happy. "Great. First I have to deal with my sister's water magic. Now I have to deal with her boyfriend's wind magic."

"Sokka!" Katara yelled. "Don't be rude. And don't say that."

She turned back to the young monk. "I'm sorry Aang, but do you think you could help us get back to shore?"

"Sure! No problem." Aang immediately positioned himself at the edge of the glacier, and he took in a deep breath. After focusing all the air around him, he let out a gust of wing. The wind was strong enough to blast the glacier across the water.

"Hang on!" Aang said as the glacier moved, with the two siblings having fallen on their chest to hold on.

"You couldn't have said that earlier?!" Sokka yelled.

He didn't have much time to complain, and the glacier soon crashed into the main ice land. The impact had shot all three of them into the air. Katara simply slid onto the ground, while Sokka had his head shot straight into the snow. Aang simply used airbending to fall gracefully onto the floor.

"That was fun," he said as he dusted himself off.

"Anyone want to go penguin-sliding?"

I apologize if this chapter feels too short. Its main purpose is to set up future events, issues, and storylines. The next chapters to come will be longer, I promise.

In fact, the next chapter will focus on Zuko going through more intense and thorough Firebending training with Iroh. I am also planning for him to visit the Sun Warriors earlier. There are a few reasons for that, that I will reveal when we get there.

Anyway, please leave reviews, and I will see you all next time.

Bye!