I think I'm having way to much fun with torturing characters and readers... get help.


~ The Western Air Temple (Part 1)~

Ryuu POV

"This is humiliating, " Katara complained.

Kicking the umpteenth stone away, I jumped up and down, to test if the ground was hollow. No luck - just good old solid earth. Everyone else was looking weary and dejected. Appa yawned, exposing whole rows of slimy teeth in the process. Sokka grimmaced at every step - blisters.

"You mean getting thoroughly spanked by the Fire Nation or having to walk all the way to the Western Air Temple?" He rolled his eyes at his little sister. She shrugged while sighing, "Both."

Aang patted his friend's - Appa's - head and nodded when the great beast groaned, "Sorry guys, but Appa gets tired carrying all these people."

Conversation naturally turned to the prisoners, the people we had left behind. Teo, the inventors son, flicked a stone from his wheelchair and ground his teeth. He missed his father as much as the rest. Haru patted the boy on his back and offered a smile. They could bond over shared experiences.

Sokka started complaining about the blisters on his feet, but was cur off by Toph stamping on the ground and exclaiming, "Hey, we're here! I can feel it!"

Sharing glances, Katara was the first to speak, "Uhhh ... I think your feet need their eyes checked."

A vertical cliff edge with a very long drop welcomed us. I shuddered backwards at the fog hugging the bottom of the canyon. So far down... No one would survive that fall. Aang beamed confidently and confirmed Toph's seismic sense was right.

I shot him a look, "Well I don't think it's arrived yet."

"No no no, It's under here! Suspended from the rock face," He gave jazz-hands. I smacked my face and thought of all the downsides to having a suspended temple over the canyon of death. Appa opened his moat and roared, well, moo-ed. Aang laughed merrily and ordered us back on so we could fly down to it. My stomach flipped at the thought.

The short flight ended reasonably well. The others disembarked and were amazing the the hanging temple. Me - less so. Hanging temples are not really my thing. Somehow, The Duke, Teo and Haru managed to run off. Run... As tempted as I was to explore, an unkempt hanging temple ... it changed my mind pretty instantaneously. I clung to a freezing cold stone bench as I carefully lowered myself onto it.

Aang peered after his friends and pouted back at Katara, "Why can't I go?"

She crossed her arms - resistant to the look, "We need to decide what we're gonna do now, and since you're the Avatar, maybe you should be a part of this."

Toph hopped up next to me and Aang plopped down my other side. Katara stood infront of us with Sokka, like teachers. Letting go of the bench, I cradled my head in my hands, watching them explain the plan with animated expressions and gestures.

"Well, if you ask me, the new plan is the old plan! You just need to master all four elements and confront the Fire Lord before the comet comes," Sokka slapped his hands into his hips. Aang was avoiding the topic with a sarcastic comment. Katara scolded him in her motherly way.

The Avatar threw his arms about, "Well, it's not even gonna be possible! Where am I supposed to get a firebending teacher?"

I restrained myself from yelling Zuko because if I did that, they would probably never speak to me ever again. Katara thought about it and suddenly exclaimed.

"We could look for Jeong Jeong!"

Muffling a laugh at the name, I nodded instead. Aang flopped backwards angrily. He crossed his arms and sighed heavily. Something about the prospect of Firebending made him unlike his normal, chirpy self. Toph went to ask about the person in question, but stopped mid-sentence, not really caring who they were anymore.

Aang retrieved his glider and flew off with Momo, calling back hurriedly - "Oh well, guess we can't come up with anybody. Why don't we just take a nice tour around the temple?"

We all groaned and boarded Appa hurriedly. Beginning our pursuit, we attempted to reason with the stubborn Avatar but, as you can guess, he did not listen - instead he preferred to show off gliding tricks and pretend the rush of wind was too loud to hear us over. He led us to a fountain and gabbled on about the amazing rooms inside of the temple.

"Just listen!" I barked at him. He flinched at my tone, "You need Firebending! That's final!"

The others - bar Toph - stared at me, amazed at my sudden outburst of rage. Toph's face fell, and not because of my rage. She jabbed a thumb over her shoulder and turned to me and, in a voice barely audible, stated:

"I think your boyfriend's here."

The others sunk into battle positions as a very awkward Zuko emerged from the balcony, raised his hand and tried to smile. He stood with Appa to his right, he growled a greeting.

"Hello... Zuko Here."

My heart hammered in my chest as he stood there - my suspicions about Azula's statement were true. He was alive. I hadn't imagined the balloon shadowing us. My self-control just broke as I ran towards him and crushed him in a bear hug. That made him even more awkward. I backed off - apologising for the impulsive behaviour. Zuko grabbed my face and pulled me into a short kiss.

When he pulled back, the others made wretching sounds - mainly Toph and Sokka. The Prince smiled calmly and carried on with his introduction to the Gaang.

"Hey, I heard you guys flying around down there, so, I just thought I'd wait for you here. I know you must be surprised to see me here."

Appa licked Zuko twice, making the latter recoil in disgust. A very confused Aang lowered his staff, the others dropped thier weapons and stared in between Appa, Zuko and I, in a small triangle of utter confusion. Sokka furrowed his brow.

"Not really, since you've followed us all over the world."

Zuko massaged his neck nervously, "Right. Well, uhhh ... anyway ... what I wanted to tell you about is that I've changed, and I, uhhh, I'm good now, and well I think I should join your group, oh, and I can teach firebending to you. See, I, uhhh ..."

Toph spluttered on thin air, half-laughing, "You want to what now?"

Katara pitched in, "You can't possibly think that any of us would trust you, can you? I mean, how stupid do you think we are?!"

That was it. They needed a Firebending teacher, one pops up, then they go push him away. Zuko looked saddened by thier hostility, gazing at me for help. Huffing, I turned towards the younger kids and snarled:

"Very stupid if you're going to dismiss the only Firebender who can help you!"

They gasped, as if betrayed. Sokka pointed a finger at me and waged it up and down.

"I knew you were a spy! You informed Azula, too! And now you've probably told the whole Fire Nation army of our location! It was you who informed them! Admit it!"

I stepped back, raising my hands at his sudden harshness. Zuko wrapped his arm around my waist and silently checked if I was alright before taking a deep breath. He shook his head - gazing at each Gaang member in turn.

"Don't blame her... Please. She's done nothing wrong," Zuko sighed unhappily. He raised his free arm and carried on with trying to convince Aang to let him help, " Listen, I'm not all bad. I mean, I could have stolen your bison in Ba Sing Se, but I set him free. That's something!"

Toph shrugged as the Water siblings turned on her, "Appa does seem to like him."

"He probably just covered himself in honey or something so that Appa would lick him. I'm not buying it," Sokka flung his boomerang up, gesturing to Zuko. He was getting desperate now. The Prince ran a hand through his hair - hand still on my waist. I grinned encouragingly.

"I can understand why you wouldn't trust me, and I know I've made some mistakes in the past," Zuko's voice increased in pitch with every word. In the end, it sounded like a question rather than a comment.

Raising his boomerang again, Sokka growled harshly, "Like when you attacked our village?"

Katara clutched her hands to her necklace, "Or when you stole my mother's necklace and used it to track us down and capture us?"

I stepped forward from Zuko's grip, my fists clenched, ready to defend Zuko. But he caught my arm before I could say anything I'd regret. He placed his other hand on his chest, over his heart. Screwing his eyes shut, Zuko started apologising with as much honesty as he could muster.

"Look, I admit I've some awful things. I was wrong to try to capture you, and I'm sorry that I attacked the Water Tribe. And I never should have sent that Fire Nation assassin after you. I'm going to try and stop-"

"Wait, you sent Combustion Man after us?" Sokka interjected, one move from launching his boomerang at Zuko's head. The Prince tried to correct the name but was cut of again when Sokka snapped sarcastically. Toph joined in, commenting she and Katars nearly died because of him. I wriggled from Zuko's grip and met his eyes helplessly. As a final resort, Zuko waved his arms at Aang.

"Why aren't you saying anything? You once said you thought we could be friends. You know I have good in me."

Momentarily hesitating, Aang adjusted his grip on his staff before snapping at Zuko.

"There's no way we can trust you after everything you've done. We'll never let you join us!"

Katara Waterbended a small wave in the fountain as she roared at Zuko to leave. She they pointed her finger accusingly at me and snapped: "You too. I knew you were no better than him!"

Zuko's jaw dropped. He stepped in front of me, sticking his arm out to act as an extra defense.

"She's not done anything ! Don't attack her. I have changed. Just-"

The muscles under Sokka's skin tensed. He was preparing to attack, no holds barred. Everyone's eyes were different. Paler and haunted. They all held some form of grudge against the Fire Nation - Zuko was the perfect outlet for these tightly wound emotions. And, because I was heavily associated with the Fire Nation, I too was a target.

"If you won't accept me as a friend, then maybe you'll take me as a prisoner," Zuko fell onto his knees, his wrists together. Katara seethed with anger, knocking him over with Waterbending. I knelt down beside him - checking it hadn't done to much damage.

"No, we won't! Get out of here, and don't come back! And if we ever see you either of you two again, well, we'd better not see you again!" The Water girl yelled in a definitely threatening way.

The drenched Prince stumbled to his feet and took my hand. He was shaking: I didn't know if it was from sadness or the soaking. Or from both. We shuffled through the hanging temple towards Zuko's entrance - a simple rope suspended from a tree.

Before we climbed, he pulled me to face him, "You didn't have to do that... you could've been a hero - save the world with the Avatar. "

"Zuko," I blushed as vibrant red as his tunic, "You really think I would stand by and let anyone hurt you?"

He exhaled sharply through his nose and jerked to grab the rope, which was wafting in the wind.

"No... I don't suppose you would," He stared into the canyon below, "That's why I love you."