There was a strange solemnity to the group's arrival at the Eastern Air Temple. The giant, multi-spired construction was beautiful in its vastness, spreading out over the three pinnacles in a rambling sprawl of bridges and buildings. However, the taint of the war was also apparent. Some of the walls were charred and crumbling. Many of the roofs had caved in while statues lay scattered and broken in the courtyards as if to mimic the bodies of those who had fallen to Sozin's fire. Zuko had never really thought about how much destruction his nation had caused when he had first come to the temple. He felt it now.

Aang looked so sad. The kid was always so chirpy and full of energy—annoyingly so—but now there was none of that buoyancy. Instead, Aang ran his hands along the worn stone and seemed to slip into the past. He told them that this was where he had first met Appa. He told them that the temple had once been full of nuns, flying bisons, and airbenders in training. It had been the centre of spirituality for his people.

"I hate how quiet it is," Aang mumbled, hunching his shoulders. "It was never meant to be like this."

Zuko said nothing. He felt like an intruder on a private moment. His great-grandfather was the one who had ordered the slaughter of the Air Nomads; it would be wrong for him to say anything. Even Iroh looked a bit at a loss as to how to make the situation better. Empty platitudes wouldn't bring the airbenders back. Nothing could bring them back. Fortunately, Katara stepped in to provide the comfort that was needed.

"I'm sorry, Aang," she said, and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "I know how hard this is for you."

Aang leaned into her, grateful for the support. Sokka reached over to squeeze the boy's shoulder and there was just this moment of togetherness for the three of them. Even Toph got in on the action and made a sassy remark that must have been her version of a hug, because though she called Aang "Twinkletoes" and punched him in the arm, he actually smiled.

Zuko felt a pang of something as he watched the friends interact. It wasn't quite jealously. He didn't know how to describe the feeling.

They just made it look so effortless.

Being friends. Caring for one another. It seemed so natural and easy for them. Zuko wondered if it had ever been that way for him. From what he could remember, he had barely had any interaction with boys his age while living at the palace. Azula had her two friends, Mai and Ty Lee, and sometimes he had been cajoled into playing with them, but they had never felt like his friends. Not really.

But the Avatar does want to be your friend, a small voice reminded him.

Aang pulled away from Katara and faced Zuko with a smile. The traces of grief were still there in his expression, but the smile was genuine enough. "Well, shall we look for this guru guy?"

"No need," Iroh said, gazing at a point beyond the small group. "He has already found us."

Zuko turned his head to see an old man standing in the shadow of the main temple. The loose fabric of his robe fluttered in the wind, bright against the stone backdrop of his surroundings. Same yellow garb, same long beard. The guru looked just as ancient as Zuko remembered, like some relic pulled out from a forgotten past. In a way, it was true. The guru had been alive for over a hundred years. He had seen the war begin, perhaps had even witnessed the very fire that had destroyed the temple in which they now stood. It was no wonder that Zuko had once mistaken him for the Avatar.

"I have been waiting for you, Prince Zuko," Guru Pathik said, stepping into the light.

Zuko's brow furrowed. "Waiting for me?"

"Yes. You and the Avatar both."

The two boys exchanged a confused glance. Guru Pathik smiled and explained that the spirits had told him in his dreams that they would come. As a spiritual brother to the Air Nomads, it had long been his call to give clarity and peace to those who walked the path of uncertainty. It was this need that had brought them to him.

"Right now your hearts and minds are clouded," he said, meeting each of their eyes. "I shall teach you to find balance within yourself so that you may become the masters of your own destiny." A smile curved his lips. "You will no longer need to live in fear of your past"—his gaze flicked to Aang—"or your own abilities."

Aang's eyes widened. "Wait, are you saying you can teach me how to control the Avatar State?"

The guru nodded.

Aang's face cracked into a grin. He turned to Zuko. "Isn't this great? I'm so glad we came here!"

Zuko made a noncommittal sound. His own mind was whirling with the possibilities. From what the guru was saying, it sounded like doing this "finding balance" thing could really be the solution to all of his problems. Still, something in him whispered that it seemed too easy. There had to be a catch.

"Will this really work?" he asked.

Guru Pathik held his gaze solemnly. "That is up to you. I can only show you the way. You alone must open the seven chakras to attain enlightenment."

Zuko swallowed. Even Aang, who had been babbling excitedly to the others, lost some of his energy at the sudden shift in mood. It seemed that finding balance within themselves was not going to be a simple task.

"Do not be dismayed," Guru Pathik said. "Though opening the seven chakras is an intense experience, the journey is also only as difficult as you let it be. I have faith in each of you."

Aang brightened, cheered by the vote of confidence. Katara and the others chimed in to offer their own words of support, but Zuko found himself lingering in self-doubt. He had come to the guru to unlock his memories and stop running from his past. It was something that he knew he had to do. It just seemed so much harder now, especially when the not-quite-supressed words from his childhood were already sneaking into his thoughts like poison, trying to weaken his resolve.

"The boy is weak."

"A miserable failure."

"Worthless."

Iroh placed his hand on Zuko's shoulder. Just like that the hurtful words faded away. "You can do this, Nephew."

Zuko nodded, letting out a small breath. His uncle was right. No matter how much he had failed in the past, he had still kept pushing forward. He had become strong. There was no way he was going to back down now.

Guru Pathik inclined his head in a formal bow. "Then let us begin."

Aang's eyes widened. "You mean we're going to start unlocking those chakra things right now?"

"All journeys must begin somewhere," the guru responded serenely. "For you, the first step to gaining balance begins with this." He unearthed three cups from behind his back, which he must have been holding the whole time they had been talking. Now it made sense why he had kept his hands hidden.

Zuko scrunched his nose at the yellowish liquid. "That isn't—"

"Ugh!" Aang wiped his mouth and stared at the cup from which he had just sipped. "It tastes like onion and banana juice!"

Guru Pathik smiled. "That's because it is." He drained his drink and then placed the empty cup on his head so that it looked like a hat. "Yum, yum!"

Zuko resisted the urge to facepalm. Guru Pathik definitely had not changed. His only consolation was that everyone else had to suffer along with him. Katara did a brave job of trying to drink the juice without pulling expressions of distaste while Sokka just pinched his nose and downed the lot in one gulp. Toph didn't seem too troubled, but Zuko later found out that she had only pretended to drink (and then had tossed the contents into Appa's yawning mouth). Iroh was the only one who actually enjoyed the guru's favourite beverage. Perhaps it was an old man thing.

In any case, onion and banana juice was consumed and then the guru led Zuko and Aang to a stream that flowed from a rocky crevice into a group of circular pools. The rest of their travelling companions had been gently dismissed. It wasn't that Guru Pathik wanted to make them feel unwelcome; he just made it clear that the two boys could not afford distractions while unlocking the seven chakras. That meant no audience.

As such, Katara, Sokka, Toph and Iroh were left to relax at the temple with Appa and Momo until the process was finished. Zuko had to admit that he was a bit jealous. The moment the guru had started talking about swirling pools of energy and clearing out emotional muck, Zuko knew that he was not going to enjoy unlocking his chakras.

Zuko had never been a particularly spiritual person. He preferred to focus on tangible goals and ignore everything else. He didn't even like thinking about himself too much or, indeed, doing any kind of introspection. Perhaps that was why he had fallen apart so badly when he had given up on capturing the Avatar. With no goal to direct his thoughts and keep him occupied, he had been left to deal with the full force of his emotions. It was like walking into a garden after leaving it untended for years: a tangle of feelings and thoughts that was so overgrown and choked with weeds that he hadn't known where to begin in putting it back in order.

Now the Guru was telling him that he had to uproot all of the negative muck that remained within him if he wanted to unlock the seven chakras. His body had to become clean and pure to allow the energy to flow, and to do that his emotions also needed to be clean and pure.

"Each pool of the seven chakras has a purpose and can be blocked by a specific kind of emotional muck," Guru Pathik explained. "I will show you how to clear the paths between the pools of energy, but be warned. Once you begin the process, you cannot stop until all seven are open." He met their gazes steadily. "Are you ready?"

Aang let out a small breath. "I'll do whatever it takes."

"And you, Prince Zuko?"

Zuko honestly did not know if he would be able to do as the guru asked, not when he was so conscious of his doubts and insecurities. All he knew was that he didn't want to give up. The secrets to his past and the key to his future were both locked inside the wall of fire that guarded his memories. To access them, he had to unlock the chakras. It was as simple as that.

"I'm ready," Zuko answered.

Guru Pathik nodded in satisfaction. He guided them deeper into the rocks, leading them to a misty cavern located beneath the temple. Moss grew on the stone in patches and the air was dank and tinged with the bitter scent of soil. Zuko was reminded of the underground caverns where the refugees had hid in Omashu, only less claustrophobic. At least in this cavern there was still natural light shining through to let them see their surroundings.

"Please, sit," Guru Pathik said, gesturing to the ground.

The two boys sat opposite the guru in lotus position, following his example. Guru Pathik picked up a handful of dirt and let it slip through his fingers like sand. "First we will open the Earth chakra, which is located at the base of the spine. It deals with survival and is blocked by fear."

Zuko felt Aang tense beside him.

"What are you most afraid of?" Guru Pathik continued in a serene voice. "Let your fears become clear to you."

Inhaling deeply, Zuko closed his eyes and opened his mind to the fear he kept buried within. He'd never really thought about what scared him the most. He'd tried not to think about his fears period. Perhaps it was because he knew there were so many things that frightened him. They swirled before him now like splotches of terrifying colour: the fear of being abandoned, the fear he felt towards his healing powers and of losing his bending and identity. The inexplicable panic that froze his body whenever he found himself blind and unable to move, because it was just like what had happened after the Agni Kai.

"Don't worry, Zuzu. I just want to see how your fire works."

Zuko's breathing sharpened. He could smell the healing herbs and burnt flesh. He could hear Azula's voice telling him to heal himself even as the blade cut into his skin. He had been so helpless. He had been in so much pain. It was only later that he had learnt the anaesthetic used during his treatment had still been in effect, despite his mind being fully conscious. Just thinking about how trapped he had felt in that room made his heart spike with anxiety. Still, even as he acknowledged the fear, other images were already clamouring to take the memory's place.

He was scared of being helpless, but his greatest fear went so much deeper than that.

His body tensed as the image of his family burned bright in his mind. Yes, there was the crux of the matter. The tendrils of terror that enclosed his heart whispered as much. For all the physical pain and near-death experiences he had suffered, the fear that shook him to the core was the thought that the awful words from his past might be true: that he would always be a failure, that no amount of struggling or proving himself worthy would change anything because he would never amount to anything.

"Even the Fire Lord sees that boy as worthless. Mark my words, Prince Zuko will not last long as the heir. These weak royals are always got rid of in some way or another."

His hands trembled. The ugly whispers continued, telling him that he wasn't important. Azula was the lucky one; he was just lucky to be born. Some of his family members had been cruel to him at times, but that was just because he was a burden. An unwanted thing that only caused problems.

"Everything I've done, I've done to protect you."

His mother had been forced to leave because of him. Even his uncle had ended up in danger countless times because Zuko could never seem to do anything right. There was no saying when Iroh would get tired of it. Just by existing, Zuko had ruined so much. He had destroyed his family. He was scared of what else he might destroy.

"Because you are weak," his father and sister told him, closing in like wraiths formed out of mist.

"Because you are worthless," his grandfather agreed.

"Because you only cause pain to those who are forced to help you," his mother whispered.

"Because you are a failure," his uncle finished.

Zuko inhaled a shuddery breath. His throat burned with unshed tears, though that was nothing to the pain his family had nailed into his heart with every word. The brutal statements kept echoing in his ears like funeral bells. Weak. Worthless. Burden. Failure. It was crippling to listen to and made him want to curl into a ball and hide, if only so he wouldn't have to see the disappointment confronting him from every angle.

"Do not let the fear crush you."

Guru Pathik's voice slipped through the tormenting echoes. Aang suddenly let out a scream, but Zuko was too trapped in his own visions to spare a thought for the younger boy. He felt so insignificant, so small. The more he listened to the voices, the harder it was to remember his uncle's proverbs or that he could shape his own future. The visions told him that he was just lying to himself in thinking that he had got stronger. All of his struggles had achieved nothing. If anything, he was worse off now than he had ever been.

"Failure", his family hissed in agreement.

Zuko clamped his hands over his ears, trying to block out the sound.

"Your visions are not real," Guru Pathik said calmly. "What you are seeing are the manifestations of your own fears. Accept that they exist and let them flow down the creek."

Zuko swallowed and lowered his hands back to his lap. He could still hear his family's voices digging nails into his heart, but this time he let them come. Weak, worthless, burden, failure. These were the words that held him frozen, that poisoned him from the inside and stopped him from truly being able to live or to even see the possibilities right in front of him. To survive, he had to find a way to let go of the soul-crushing fear. It was just so hard.

"I believe in you, Zuko," Lu Ten's voice whispered in his ear. "Do you believe in yourself?"

Zuko let out a breath. Slowly, he opened his eyes to find himself back in the cavern. Gone were the wraith-like forms of his family, the palace, and the hurtful words. All was silent. Calm. He wiped the tears from his cheeks, feeling a lightness in his body that had not been there before. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Aang doing the same.

"You have opened your Earth chakras," Guru Pathik said.

Aang glanced at Zuko with a relieved grin. Without intending it, Zuko felt the corners of his mouth twitch into an answering smile. They had done it. They had actually done it.

"Come," Guru Pathik said, getting to his feet. "The next chakra calls."

He led the boys out of the cavern, following a path along the rocks until they came to an alcove that thundered with the sound of rushing water. The reason for the noise was the waterfall tumbling down from above, which created a curtain of frothy white that spanned the entire platform.

Guru Pathik sat down in front of the waterfall and gestured for the boys to do the same. "Next is the—"

"Water chakra?" Aang guessed.

The guru smiled. "Brilliant! Maybe one day you will be a guru too."

Aang rubbed the base of his neck, looking a little pleased. Guru Pathik's tone became more serious as he continued with his explanation. He told them that the Water chakra dealt with pleasure and was blocked by guilt. Zuko felt a twinge between his shoulder blades as if the knot he had never quite managed to ease had grown to mammoth proportions, reaching all the way down to his pelvis where the second chakra was located.

"Look at all the guilt which burdens you," the guru said softly. "What do you blame yourself for?"

That was easy. Zuko had stolen, lied, hurt people, and in general acted completely against his principles for the sake of getting what he wanted.

"You're a cruel, horrible person! All you've ever cared about is capturing Aang!"

He winced as Katara's words pierced through his heart, resounding with truth. She had been right. He had not cared about anything else. He had steeled his heart to the pain he was inflicting so that nothing, not even his own natural instinct to heal instead of harm, could hold him back.

"What do you see?" the guru prompted.

"I ran away," Aang said in a small voice. "I hurt all those people while in the Avatar State."

"And you, Prince Zuko?"

Zuko said nothing. His visions showed him how much damage he had caused to those who had hindered his path: their homes, their livelihoods, their lives. It was an endless string of terrible deeds. It was a damning, awful truth.

"I ignored my conscience," he said quietly. "I allowed myself to believe that the end would justify the means, even though I knew in my heart what I was doing was wrong."

Aang stared at him with wide eyes. Zuko lowered his head and tried not to dwell on the final image he had seen in his mind.

"Never forget who you are."

Guilt tightened around his heart like a fist made of stone. His mother would be so disappointed if she could see him now.

Guru Pathik stared at each of the boys, his expression solemn. "Accept the reality that these things happened, but do not let them cloud and poison your energy. If you are to be a positive influence on the world, you need to forgive yourself."

Aang drew a deep breath and exhaled. Zuko could almost feel the chakra opening in Aang, like a flow of warmth and light. He had no such luck with his own. The guilt was a weight on his chest, his heart, his very soul. It told him that what he had done was unforgivable.

"Prince Zuko, you must let it go," Guru Pathik urged. "Let the guilt flow down the creek."

Zuko's hands trembled. "I can't." His voice was anguished. Broken. There was no way that he could forgive himself. Not after all he had done.

Two scrawny arms wrapped around his middle, pulling him close. It was such a shock that Zuko didn't think to pull away. He sat there frozen, conscious that he was being hugged by the one person he had once sworn to capture. He had burnt villages for this boy; he had kidnapped Katara, made bargains with pirates, hunted the Avatar with all the determination of a bloodhound-wolf. Yet here Aang was holding him close as if to say it was okay. As if to say that none of that mattered now because Aang had forgiven him, and he wanted Zuko to let it go.

"Just let it go," Aang murmured. "You don't need to carry this burden with you anymore. Everyone knows that you have changed."

Zuko's breath caught. New images flashed through his mind: Katara handing him a bowl of rice because she had noticed he had not been eating; Sokka grinning and calling him stupid names, yet there had been no malice in his tone. Unexpected acts of kindness. Simple gestures to help him feel at ease. It had been more than he deserved. Even Momo and Appa had tried to welcome him into the group in their own way.

"Everyone knows that you have changed."

Zuko pulled back from Aang to meet the grey eyes that stared so solemnly into his own. No further words needed to be said. Aang stepped back as if to say, "Go ahead, do what you need to do". So Zuko did. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he imagined collecting all of his guilt into one ugly ball—all the self-loathing, all the regret. Then he exhaled and simply let it go. It was as if a rusted dam had been opened. The energy began to flow again, washing away all the negative emotions that had been trapped inside. It told him that what he had done in his past did not determine who he was now.

It told him that he was forgiven.

Guru Pathik smiled at Zuko. "Well done. You have opened the second chakra."

Zuko let his head fall back, sighing in relief. That had been more difficult than he had expected. Even his body felt a bit jittery, though it wasn't a bad feeling. More just different. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Aang was grinning goofily at him. Zuko reached over and flicked him in his arrow-tattooed forehead.

"Hey," Aang complained, rubbing his head. "Why'd you do that for?"

"Because you were getting ideas," Zuko said, though he wasn't quite able to disguise the hint of affection in his tone.

This kid had saved him, whether Aang realised it or not. Zuko didn't know if he would have been able to open the second chakra without Aang's support. It was a humbling realisation, but that didn't mean he was going to start hugging him or singing songs about peace and rainbows.

Guru Pathik put an end to their conversation by handing them fresh cups of banana and onion juice. The boys groaned in unison, but their protests went ignored. Instead, they were told to drink up.

"It will replenish your strength," Guru Pathik promised.

"More like replenish my urge to vomit," Zuko muttered.

Aang sniggered and nudged him in the ribs. "Good one."

Guru Pathik remained unmoved. He just stared at them both until their cups were drained. Once he was satisfied, he guided them out of the gulch and towards a set of misty peaks that stood near the temple. Zuko wondered why they had come to such an out of the way place, but then they broke through the fog and he felt his element wash over him in golden waves.

"Ah," he said, closing his eyes in appreciation.

Guru Pathik chuckled. "Can you guess what comes next, Prince Zuko?"

"The Fire chakra," Zuko answered without hesitation.

The guru nodded and sat on the narrow ledge. The boys followed suit, once more settling themselves into a lotus position.

"As you have guessed," Guru Pathik said, "the third pool is the Fire chakra, located in the stomach. This chakra deals with willpower and is blocked by shame." His voice took on a serene quality, guiding them into opening their minds. "What are you ashamed of? What are your biggest disappointments in yourself?"

Zuko didn't have to think very hard. He was ashamed of what he had become: a banished prince with no home and no direction. He was ashamed that he had let a whole battalion of new recruits die because he had been too inexperienced in politics to persuade his father and the generals to spare them. Mostly, he was ashamed that he had never been able to live up to his role of Crown Prince. Lu Ten would have done so much better.

"I betrayed my people," Zuko admitted, lowering his head. "It was my duty to protect them, but instead I turned my back on them." He sighed and averted his face. "Even if I had the choice now, I don't know if I would want to go back. All the Fire Nation has done is hurt people."

"Prince Zuko," Guru Pathik said gently, "you will never find balance if you deny your heritage. You are Fire Nation and you are a prince."

Zuko raised his head. "But the only way I can return is if I capture the Avatar, and I can't do that. I won't sacrifice my conscience for the empty honour my father promised me, not even for the Fire Nation." A crease formed on his brow. "Besides, Father doesn't want me back. He tried to have me imprisoned."

"Perhaps," the guru acknowledged, "but you seem to be under the misapprehension that refusing to follow the Fire Lord also means refusing your ties to the Fire Nation."

Zuko's eyes widened a fraction. That was true. In his mind, he had been unable to separate his feelings for the Fire Nation and his family. When he had chosen to give up on capturing the Avatar, he had felt like he was also giving up on the Fire Nation. Now that he thought about it, though, that wasn't really true. All he had done was refuse to obey his father's order. It wasn't as if he had stopped caring about the people themselves. Wasn't that why he felt shame in the first place?

"You are Fire Nation and you are a prince."

Zuko smiled and felt the energy in his stomach flow unhindered. He had opened the third chakra. Not long after, Aang did the same, though with much less grace. The guru commented that Aang's chakra had opened less like a flowing creek and more like a burping bison. As if to give credit to the claim, Aang let out a loud belch.

"Tastes like onion and bananas, but strangely something else." Aang frowned up at his two companions. "Pickles?"

Guru Pathik shrugged. Zuko scrunched his nose in distaste. The burp even smelt like onions and bananas. Gross. Still, as they headed towards their next destination, Zuko found himself wondering about what Aang had confessed while trying to open the third chakra. Maybe it was the reason that Aang's chakra had opened so strangely.

"Do you really hate firebending that much?" he asked.

He remembered the conversation they'd had after fighting Zhao, when Aang admitted that he had burnt Katara after losing control of his bending. Zuko had done his best to comfort the boy back then, but somehow they'd just ended up arguing about his own healing abilities. Zuko thought he might have pulled his swords out on Aang and told him to get lost as well. Wow, he really was useless at this "being friendly" thing.

Aang heaved a sigh. "It's not that I hate it. I just …" He shrugged and let the sentence hang. "Anyway, you don't need to worry. Like Guru Pathik said, I'm the Avatar and that means I'm a firebender as well."

"You don't sound too thrilled."

Aang scowled. "My third chakra is open, isn't it?"

Zuko couldn't quite repress a smile. Looking at a grumpy Aang was like looking at a grumpy koala-sheep. There was no bite to the expression. "Alright, Avatar," he said with a shrug of his own, "but just so you know, firebending itself isn't a bad thing."

After all, fire was life. It fuelled a person's passions, their ability to move forward, and strengthened their resolve. That was why the Fire chakra was linked with willpower. Once embraced, a person could do anything if they put their mind to it.

Aang suddenly wiggled his eyebrows. "Hey, you're trying to cheer me up, aren't you?" His goofy grin appeared. "I guess this means we really are friends now."

Zuko flicked him in the forehead again. "Keep walking."

Without a second glance, he quickened his pace until he had caught up to the guru. Not that it mattered. He didn't need to look behind him to know that Aang was still grinning. Perhaps it was because his own actions lacked bite.

Damn it. He really was getting soft.