Forcing whatever tears remained out of his eyes, Zuko slowly peered up at Todoroki, tilting his head upwards to meet his gaze. Unlike his own, Shouto's eyes were soft, and despite being from the Fire Nation, cool as ice.

He felt the ice keep his own fire at bay, a much needed relief. "Shouto, those people… were they the friends you had talked about?"

Todoroki hesitated and then nodded. "Yes, they were."

"Then… why not go with them?"

Todoroki seemed like he didn't know how to answer. "I… I felt like you needed someone."

"I don't need anybody." Zuko responded bitterly.

Todoroki didn't answer him and only stared ahead. Zuko felt the arm Shouto had subtly slid around his shoulders tighten. Suddenly realizing what position he'd put himself in, Zuko flushed and stood up, moving to sit a more acceptable distance from the other boy.

He felt Shouto's arm slip off him when he stood. Zuko thought it was probably good he moved, because he could see his uncle stirring. "He is waking up." Shouto observed and Zuko resisted the urge to snap at him that of course he was waking up.

But apparently, his uncle was just adjusting, because his eyes didn't open, and he didn't wake up. "You know, Zuko, your uncle would probably appreciate it if you made some tea for him to drink when he woke up."

"Uncle would like it if I did something trivial like that, wouldn't he." It wasn't a question, but a statement.

"Yes, he would."

Zuko stared at him and then sighed, getting up to go do what Shouto had suggested.

"So, you're a firebender, right?" Zuko asked, glancing behind himself at the other.

"Yes, I am. Why do you ask?"

"Well, it's just I've never seen you firebend."

"I just haven't needed to."

"Is that so." Zuko didn't sound like he believed him. Pausing his tea making, he turned and glared at Shouto's back. There had been plenty of instances where firebending would have been really useful. Zuko knew he was lying about something, possibly several things.

And Zuko was going to find out what those things were, and he was going to find out right now. He didn't have the patience his uncle wanted him to, and while he was okay with being in the dark for a little while. Not knowing things about someone who called himself your friend got old fast.

Shouto wasn't paying much attention but abruptly, he felt an intense heat rolling towards him. He turned around quick enough to see orange and red fire flying towards him, and he only had a split second to make a decision or get burned.

So he made the choice to use his right side and freeze the fire. And it wasn't until three seconds after that he realized that was the wrong choice.

"I knew it." Zuko said, glaring at him. "I knew there was something off about you. "You're a waterbender, that's why you have that blue eye. That's why you're so calm. I could hardly feel any sort of passion from you at all!"

Shouto just stared, knowing he'd just fucked everything up royally but he didn't know how to save himself without digging a deeper grave to lie in.

"My question is how you managed to get so much water in a split second. Not even that little waterbender girl can do that." He paused. "At least I don't think she can."

"I… um… fuck."

"As if I wouldn't find out eventually. I don't understand why you didn't just tell me the truth the first time. That's why you were there at the Northern Water Tribe, that's why you weren't wearing one of Zhao's uniforms. Because you weren't a soldier, you were a citizen."

Shouto wasn't sure how well posing as a waterbender would work out, considering he could only use ice, and Zuko was bound to notice that too.

Maybe Shouto should just tell him the truth, the whole truth. But there was always the chance he would be labeled as crazy. "Now if you don't mind, can you unfreeze me now."

"Why did you attack me?"

"Because I KNEW you were hiding something, and I. Was. Right!"

Shouto hesitated and watched Zuko get even more annoyed. "Fine, I'll get myself out."

"No, I can get you out." Shouto stepped closer to him. "This isn't the only thing I've lied to you about." Bracing himself, he put his left hand on the ice, fire melting the parts that encased Zuko.

Zuko blinked rapidly, not believing his eyes. Was he hallucinating, or did Shouto just use fire when he had used ice three minutes ago. For a moment, Zuko wondered if he had been chasing the wrong person all this time. What if Shouto was really the avatar, and the avatar wasn't actually the avatar? But that was impossible. Zuko had clearly seen the boy bending multiple elements, and use the avatar state.

So that left the question, of who Shouto was. "What are you?"

"I'm not from around here." Shouto tried to explain, wondering how you told someone casually that you were from another world.

"Obviously."

"Can you promise not to freak out."

"I don't think you can 'freak me out' anymore by explaining what the hell is going on."

"Okay, I'll tell you."

But they stood there for another ten minutes before Shouto actually opened up and started talking. "I'm from somewhere else. A world different from this one. A world where abilities like mine exist."

"And where do your powers come from?"

Shouto shrugged. "You're not doing a very good job of explaining things to me!"

"I'm trying. Most kids get their quirks by four or five years old." Shouto tried his best to explain everything, but Zuko had questions about the system Shouto had never even thought to ask. And he didn't know if that was because Zuko was more observant or because he was more interested in the world Shouto lived in than Shouto ever was.

"So that's how you have two bending abilities?"

"Yes."

"But you don't have earth or air bending?"

Shouto shook his head. "No."

"So you're not the avatar?" by this point, Zuko had been melted out of his ice prison.

"No."

"Damn."

"Why? If I said yes were you going to try and capture me?"

"Do you want me to tell you the truth, or lie?"

"Let's hear the lie."

"No, I wasn't going to capture you."

Shouto was silent, staring at him and finally sighed, "You know, for a firebender that was pretty cold."

Zuko ignored him and started working on making tea for his uncle again. "You know what's really cold? The fact that you've been lying and leading us on this entire time!"

Shouto could see the rage burning in his eyes. If there was one thing Shouto had learned through his time here and all their late night talks through the notebook that had started all of this, it was that Zuko had a short temper.

And Shouto was taking the brunt of it. One of the reasons he preferred to remain calm was because of his father's own uncontrollable temper and burning determination.

Zuko somewhat reminded Shouto of him.

Not that determination was a bad thing. But Zuko's goals to capture the Avatar seemed like it was going to have long-lasting bad effects on the world.

Shouto could see that. But Zuko was completely blinded by his singular goal, and Shouto wasn't even sure he could try and deter him from it without getting burned.

Speaking of which, Zuko was pacing and ranting, occasional bursts of fire coming from him. Half-made tea abandoned, Zuko shouted at him, demanding an explanation and then went back to shouting.

"Zuko!"

Zuko paused and turned to him, crossing his arms. "What!"

"Would you shut up for one goddamn moment." Shouto sighed, quickly continuing before Zuko could challenge him to some sort of duel. "I didn't mean to lie to you or your uncle. It didn't seem very important in the grand scheme of things. And I didn't think you would believe me anyway."

Zuko was silent for a long time before glaring at Shouto once again. "I can't even look at you right now." And he stormed out of the small house.

Shouto watched him go. Trust was a very important part of being friends, and he hoped he hadn't just lost that.

Zuko slowed his walking when he came outside. He felt a strange feeling, but it wasn't exactly anger as he had been expecting to feel. It hurt more than anger did.

He'd first noticed when yelling at Todoroki, that he didn't feel angry, which had startled him. And the real reason for his leaving was because he didn't know if he could shove the odd feeling down any longer, and he wasn't about to let Todoroki seeing him feeling an emotion he didn't even know he had.

He just knew it hurt. And he knew he didn't want to feel it again, or let anyone else see him feeling it. He didn't understand how he knew, but this emotion was something he wanted to keep to himself.

He believed Shouto's words though, it explained a lot of things he'd been previously wondering about. Zuko scowled at his shoes and then lifted his head to survey the town. The avatar had been here, and Zuko had let him escape, again.

At this rate he'd never get to go home, never get his title back, he'd never regain his honor. And if he could never have that, then why was he still here. If his destiny wasn't to capture the avatar and win the war for the Fire Nation, then what was his destiny?

Shouto seemed to think returning home with everything he lost wasn't worth doing this. Zuko told himself Shouto didn't know what he was talking about.

Clenching his fists Zuko decided that he would never give up his goal of capturing the avatar, but that didn't mean he couldn't put the project on hold for a little bit.

Of course, holding off, to train and get stronger so he'd have a better shot at capturing the avatar was what he considered 'putting the project on hold'. He couldn't cease completely, but he'd give up following them for now. Especially since he had no idea where they had gone.

Zuko turned around and trudged back to the house, coming in through the door he'd left out of. Shouto was sitting beside his uncle, looking contemplatively at the wall ahead. When he heard Zuko close the door, he didn't ask if Zuko was still angry, or say anything at all.

The horrible feeling returned, and suddenly Zuko found that he did indeed have a hard time looking at Shouto. He thought of explaining what he was feeling, but realized Shouto probably wouldn't recognize the feeling either. Maybe he would ask Uncle later, when he relayed all of the new information Shouto had given him. Zuko came over and sat beside Shouto staring at the same wall, contemplating now too. "I'm sorry." Zuko said, fingers twitching. "I overreacted."

Shouto nodded and didn't say anything in return. "Aren't you supposed to apologize now."

"Does that mean you only apologized so I would."

"No!" Zuko glared. "It's just proper etiquette, but I suppose I shouldn't have expected you to know that!"

Shouto turned to look at him, now seeming almost amused. Though Zuko really couldn't tell because Shouto kept his face carefully blank. And they stared at each other for a long time before Shouto's lips twitched up into a small smile and Zuko was forced to break eye contact first, heart pounding a little more rapidly than usual.

Zuko shifted suddenly uncomfortably aware of how close they were sitting next to each other. Shouto said something but Zuko hadn't heard. "What?"

"I said I'm sorry too. I should've just told you." Shouto placed his hand over Zuko's and his first instinct was to rip his hand away but for some reason he kept it glued to that spot even as his mind screamed at him.

"It's fine." Zuko said. "Well I mean, you better never do it again. But… I uh, forgive you." The earlier emotion Zuko had been feeling had all but been erased from his memory and the only thing he could focus on was Shouto's hand on his own.

Those thoughts, however, were cut short as Shouto's voice rang out. "Iroh-san, you're awake."

Zuko's mind didn't register Shouto's words for a moment but then he turned to see his uncle awake and smiling at them. Zuko didn't know how long he'd been conscious, but he hoped it hadn't been long. That wouldn't do.

And then Zuko remembered his and Shouto's position and took his hand away, scooting further away from him. "Are you okay?" Shouto asked, looking at him curiously. "You look kind of red."

"I'm fine." Zuko answered curtly, and turned away, embarrassed. What had he just been thinking about? He hadn't done anything wrong. Those were just friendly gestures, nothing more.

Zuko forced the thoughts away. "Uncle, are you alright. Azula…" Zuko didn't know how to finish that sentence. "I know that she's my sister, and I should try to get along with her…"

"No, she's crazy, and she need to go down." Iroh responded.

"Isn't she only twelve though?" Shouto asked. "Maybe if we talked to her, she would be willing to stop trying to kill us. She is your sister, isn't she Zuko? I'm sure you could convince her."

Zuko laughed softly. "She's fourteen you peasant." He paused. "And she would never listen to reason. And even if she agreed we could never trust her."

Shouto could see the instant Zuko's eyes hardened and he continued, "Azula always lies." Said with such a certainty, it left no room for argument. Clearly, whatever this girl had done, it was too much for Zuko or even Iroh to overlook.

And considering who she'd just struck down with a bolt of lightning, Shouto felt foolish for even suggesting it.

"My niece was a bright young girl, her father took notice of that. I tried to help her. Me and Zuko's mother." Iroh sounded grave, regretful, even sad. "But she never took the help we offered. Too driven by power with no sense of compassion or honor. I fear there is nothing I can do now for her."

Shouto nodded, remembering how Zuko had described Azula to him. She was beautiful, in a dangerous sort of way. And her seemingly insatiable need to be the best reminded him of Bakugou.

If Azula was explosive and brash, Shouto would've wondered if Azula was some sort of secret love child. Maybe Bakugou was a descendant and Azula was his ancestor.

Maybe bending was the first form quirks took before they started evolving to include more extraordinary talents, and the quirks like his own were derived directly from bending!

His thoughts were interrupted by Zuko, "What are you thinking about?"

"Oh, nothing much." Shouto responded.

And then a silence stretched on for several minutes. "So… what are we going to do now?" Shouto asked eventually, genuinely curious. Zuko shrugged, and Shouto noticed Zuko kept looking at him and then turning away again.

"I have something to show you, Prince Zuko." Iroh said, getting to his feet.

"Uncle, you shouldn't be up yet…"

"Something not even the Fire Lord or Azula knows." He continued, as if he hadn't heard Zuko.

Worry gone now, Zuko blinked and asked, "Really?"

"Yes, it is a move I developed myself. And you're welcome to come watch, Shouto."

Shouto nodded and followed Iroh with Zuko, outside. "What exactly is this technique, Uncle?" he tried to sound as if he didn't really care, but Shouto heard the underlying excitement and interest in his voice.

"It is a dangerous technique, and if done wrong, it could result in the end of your life."

Zuko nodded. "As is known throughout the Fire Nation, creating lightning is a subtype of firebending, and only masters are capable of creating it. However, I'm going to teach you how to redirect lightning that has been pointed at you."

"Redirect lightning? Uncle, how is that even possible. Are you making this up?" Zuko seemed doubtful.

"It is no joke, Prince Zuko. Now, follow me, and I will show you what to do."

A/N This took a long time, and I'm so sorry about that, but here's a new chapter at last that I hope you enjoyed reading! Next chapter will hopefully be out in a week or two, but I've been so busy, it's hard to say. Thanks for reading, Reviews are love!