Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or anything associated with it except my fanfictions.

I'm BAAAACK!

Oh wow. So much fanfare and stuff over less than a couple thousand words. I'm nervous now, because I'm starting to feel that I won't live up to you guys' expectations. But anyways. I finished Katara Brainwashed, and I'm starting to write this. I'm learning from my mistakes as I post them out, and I hope I fix some of them. Hope at least some of you will enjoy my writing.

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

He would've thought that if the brute force of his blow did not break the iceberg, then at least the intense heat of his fiery fist would melt the iceberg through. He sagged in disappointment and defeat. This was the reason why he always begged his uncle to teach him the more advanced forms. This was why he shouldn't have ignored his uncle every time he talked about how strength of fire came from the stomach. This was why he had always wanted to learn more, to practice harder, to work harder. Because no matter how hard he tried, no matter what methods he used, no matter how much he hoped - when it mattered the most, everything just ended up blowing up in his face.

Right on cue, the iceberg suddenly blew up in his face.

He was not expecting that to happen. When he had slammed his flaming hand onto the iceberg a few moments ago, everything went still and silent. Then he yelped like a startled puppy and cradled his surely bruised fist. That was quite the humiliating scene, mewling over some pain in front of his seasoned and hardened crew. He'd never live it down. Just another blow to his nearly nonexistent honor.

And yet, even with all the power he put into his punch - even with the injury he had inflicted upon himself with the sheer force of his blow - nothing had happened. He tried to attack the iceberg again; he only ended up with two hurting fists instead of one. He sighed, about to turn around, when the ice suddenly shattered and plowed him backwards into the sea.

He hurriedly climbed onto an ice floe that had broken off from the iceberg he had melted before; he got up on unsteady feet on the see-sawing foundation, and saw the meditating figure slowly get up and walk menacingly towards him.

His blood turned cold, and he shakily got into firebending stance, terrified for his life. He wasn't ready. He was ill-practiced, ill-prepared. He couldn't face the almighty Avatar tapping into all his power, let alone the fact that Zuko didn't even know any of the advanced techniques of firebending. He was absolutely certain that he would lose this fight miserably, and that the angry-looking Avatar would not hesitate to take his life.

But he would not back down without a fight. His honor demanded it. His conscious demanded it. He got ready to attack the Avatar with all of his firepower, when suddenly the glowing, standing figure suddenly started to sway. Zuko, barely registering what happened, suddenly realized what was about to happen, and he frantically scrambled toward the shattered iceberg as the Avatar drifted to the ground and started sliding off the iceberg.

Before Zuko knew it, he had the Avatar in his arms, and upon closer look, he saw that the Avatar... was... a mere boy.

He knelt there, dumbfounded. All those times he practiced. All those times he prepared. All those times he panicked. It was all over a young, goofy boy with strange arrows on his head...

His eyes widened in understanding. And on his hands...

Somehow, the Avatar was an airbender, and had somehow escaped the Air Nomad Genocide almost a hundred years ago, not to mention still kept his boyish, immature looks! Maybe this boy was more of a threat than he looked. Zuko might have even fallen into a trap the Avatar had cunningly conceived... he cursed himself for his ineptitude and naivety in getting this close to the boy, for making himself so vulnerable, for going back on what three long, hard years had hardened him into. Too late was it for him to back out, though, for the Avatar slowly opened his eyes. Zuko flinched, bracing himself for the worst, and then the Avatar's eyes widened.

"Flameo, Hotman!"

Zuko was taken aback. WHAT did the boy just say? He voiced his thoughts out loud.

"What did you just call me?"

The boy raised an eyebrow. "Well, I thought you were from the Fire Nation, aren't you?" Zuko opened his mouth, but before he could answer the boy's question he was cut off rather rudely. "I could be wrong, but I mean you have the black and red colors. Hey, if you're from the Fire Nation, Hotman, what're you doing all the way down here in the South Pole? At least I think it's the South Pole. That huge storm from a couple of days ago did a doozy. Monkey Feathers! I gotta go back and tell the monks that I'm sorry. I bet they're so worried about me. It's been a while, and I'm starting to think going to the Western Air Temple wasn't such a horrible thing after all."

Zuko's mind was swirling. Was this guy... not a threat? Why wasn't he treating him like the enemy? Were there still Air Nomads around? For just how long was he trapped in that iceberg? And why was he calling him by outdated slang? Like, seriously. Flameo? HOTMAN?

"Okay, first off, kid, don't call me Hotman," Zuko growled.

"Okay, Hotman."

Zuko blinked and slapped his forehead. "Nevermind!" he snapped. "For the record, my name is Zuko," he said, emphasizing his name so that maybe it would get through to that immature, infuriating monkey-featherbrain of a boy. "And this is the South Pole. Who are you? Where are you from? What are you doing here?"

The boy grinned bashfully. "Oh. Sorry about that. I forgot to introduce myself. The name's Aang. I'm an airbender from the Southern Air Temple, not too far from here. The monks there are probably worrying themselves silly over me. I mean, that's just because, you know, they've never had someone get lost in a storm before," he said, bashfully rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't know what I was thinking, running away from home."

Zuko squinted at the airbender. "Are you the Avatar?" he asked, pointedly ignoring all of Aang's previoius questions except one. "There are more airbenders out there? Where are they hiding? How did they survive?"

Aang's silly smile faded away, to Zuko's delight. "Wait. What are you talking about. Is everything alright? Last I checked, the monks and the bison and everyone was living in fun and peace on top of the mountains. No one could get to them. It's impossible for a non-airbender to get up the mountains, and no one would have reason to wipe out the Air Nomads."

Zuko's eyes bulged, and he fidgeted uncomfortably. It seemed as if the boy - Aang, he reminded himself, as the boy decided not to call him by -

"Hotman? Hello? Are you done staring into space?"

- never mind.

But what he meant was, did this boy seriously put himself in an iceberg for a hundred years - and not remember anything that happened inside the iceberg or know of anything that happened outside the iceberg?

Zuko sighed. "For the last time, my name is Zuko. Hotman's been outdated for a hundred years."

He saw to his satisfaction - and surprisingly, his guilt - that the boy started to look really concerned by this point. "A hundred years?" he asked with worry painted clear across his face.

"Yes, Aang. That's what it seems like, because it doesn't seem like you're aware of the war..."

"Wait. There's a war?"

"... or the genocide of your people..."

"My people are GONE?" Aang shot up.

"... can you please stop interrupting me! And it doesn't seem like you know that the world is in chaos, and most of all, because you don't recognize me."

Aang's downcast eyes rose in curiosity. "Speaking of which... just who are you?"

"I'm Zuko, the banished crown prince of the Fire Nation. By the way, that's the reason I got the scar. I am traveling on a small, old, creaky ship, run by my uncle. He was the former Crown Prince of the Fire Nation, and happens to have been usurped by my Dad. I'm searching the world for the Avatar - which I'm assuming is you, because no one, not even airbenders, start glowing like they have some spirity, otherworldly power - to restore my honor, and my rightful place as heir to the Fire Nation throne. My nation is on the verge of winning a century-long war, and is poised to dominate the entire world. I have been shamed by my father, and want to redeem myself in his eyes. Any questions?"

Aang sagged, and slowly brought his eyes back up. "Just one. Are you joking about this? Is this a bad dream I'm going to suddenly wake up from? Did my friends put you up to this as revenge for leaving them?"

Zuko shook his head. "That was more than one question. And no. I'm being deadly serious." Then, seeing the broken, hurt look on the boy's face, he felt a twinge of something like ... sympathy? "Perhaps... we should talk about this on my ship. My uncle is an old, smelly, and annoying gasbag, but his tea is something to be appreciated."


Iroh smiled reassuringly at the shattered boy and the perturbed teenager as he poured them calming cups of hot Jasmine Tea.

Aang was hunched over, hands over his head, as he tried to digest everything that happened. "A hundred years gone... my people gone... the nations at war... the very people who rescue me wanting to kill me... what have I done?"

"What any hesitant young man would have done in your circumstance, Aang. Do not worry; there is still a very good chance that you may take down my younger brother and restore balance to the world."

Both Aang and Zuko suddenly stood up. "WHAT?" they both shouted at the same time. Then they both began ranting, each trying to drown out the other.

"What are you thinking, Uncle?" Zuko yelled. "My honor is at stake. My welfare is at stake. My entire life is at stake. But now, once I've finally had a shot at redemption, what do you do? You shut me down and side with the Avatar. I know you've gone soft since Lu Ten died, and that you've started delving into spiritual mumbo jumbo. I understand that you're senile and old and not understanding of youth, but this? This is too much! I've already had everyone else in my family betray me; and you? You are just the final bitter blow against my miserable existence!"

At the same time, Aang let loose his pent-up emotions: "What is there to restore balance for? My people are gone. No one is alive that I care for! That I even know! The whole world is at war, and when I was needed the most, I disappeared because of my cowardice! How dare you try to understand me. I'm the Avatar. I'm not supposed to err! And yet here I am, having all my mistakes baked into one burnt fruit pie and then shoved unceremoniously in my face! I have nothing left to fight for; and you have no idea the pain I'm going through!"

Iroh sagged, in disappointment at the sorrows and grief of the poor boys, and in relief that the poor young airbender was in no mood - and furthermore had no strength - to enter the Avatar State once more. "Zuko. Aang. Please. Sit down. You must hear me out, if only for this once."

"Aang, there is always reason to restore balance. You are the Avatar; you have a duty to the world, a world you might not love at first, to be sure. A world that is inherently flawed and marred by the mistakes of others; but one, I am sure, that you will come to love. I understand what it is like to lose the people whom you love; my son was a wonderful young man claimed by the horrors of this century-long destruction; and Zuko's mother was a compassionate, amazing woman who suddenly disappeared without a trace just before her tyrannical husband - my deranged brother - had took the throne. I have lost, just like you. But there is still more to fight for. For what we know. For what we do not know. For what we love. For what we hate. Everything in the world requires balance, and you, as the Avatar, as the keeper of the balance, are the sole hope of the world. Everyone makes mistakes, but few are willing to right them and earn the respect and admiration of others. If nothing else, you are the Avatar, spirit of ten thousand lives that have passed, and ten thousand lives to come. You are paving the way for your next life. Think about this, young Avatar; what kind of world do you want to leave in your wake?"

He then turned to Zuko. "My nephew. I understand your need to restore honor, to regain your father's approval. I understand all of your worries and hopes and fears and dreams. But they are not what they seem. Your father is a very evil man who cast away his wife, who burned his own son, who alienated his entire family. You will never earn his approval. Fatherly love is, unfortunately, a luxury you will never get to experience in this lifetime. But I know that you are conflicted between what your father has ordered you to do and your conscience in your heart. The real question is: do you do what has been expected of you, or do you do what you think is right? Zuko, I have told you this many times, but I repeat myself again because this is a crucial moment that determines the path you will take for the rest of your life. You are conflicted inside of you, a symbol of the struggle between good and evil; of light and darkness. You are at a crossroads now, forced to choose which of the paths you are to follow for the rest of your life. You must either choose what is right, or forever fall to the dark side. It is your choice, Zuko. But I beg you: choose what is right. Choose to restore order and peace to the world."

His words had the desired effect on the two tea drinkers; Aang had visibly calmed down and nodded in agreement with Iroh's wise words, while Zuko steamed, conflicted as to what course of action he should take. He snorted out smoke. "Fine!" He calmed himself down. "You're right uncle. But I won't make the decision now. I will wait until we leave this place, because no one else knows of our whereabouts. I believe the ship has been damaged to some extent over the icebergs that I keep seeming to destroy today?" The crew's leader, Lieutenant Jee, nodded in wry amusement at Zuko's failed attempt of a joke. "Then we must stop someplace to make repairs. Since the nearest Fire Nation dock is too far away, we must find some natural harbor or Watertribe village to cast anchor to complete our repairs and escape this frozen wasteland. Once that's done... we'll sail for the Fire Nation while I make my decision."

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