"Look at this," Sokka said.
Aang moved away from the Fire Days Festival poster to join Sokka on the other side of the billboard. He stopped short when he saw an arrow-headed figure in orange and yellow pasted on the wood. "Hey, it's a poster of me."
"Yeah, a wanted poster," Sokka retorted. "Aang, this is bad."
"What's this?" Katara murmured, peeling off the parchment that had been pasted to the bottom right corner. "Aang, didn't you say you were rescued from Zhao by a guy in a blue mask?"
Aang nodded.
"Well, it looks like the two of you have something in common." She held up the poster to show the grinning, demonic face.
"The Blue Spirit," Sokka read aloud, then let out a low whistle. "That's a hefty sum they're willing to pay for his capture. Wanted dead or alive as well." He shook his head. "Looks like the Fire Nation really didn't take to your friend, Aang."
"He's not my friend," Aang said quietly, looking the other way.
Katara's brow creased. Aang always seemed so down whenever he spoke of the Blue Spirit. She had thought it was because the warrior had left after rescuing and healing Aang, but now she wondered if there was something more to it. The way Aang had said that the Blue Spirit wasn't his friend, it was the same tone he'd used when he'd seen the Southern Air Temple for the first time and saw how changed the place was: a mixture of regret and aching disappointment. She wondered what had really happened between the two, but she also knew that now was not the time to pry. They had more important things to worry about.
"Well, either way," she said, folding up the Blue Spirit picture and slipping it in her robe, "I don't think it's safe for us to be attending any Fire Nation festivals with these wanted posters everywhere."
"But—"
"No, Aang," Katara said firmly. "We can't risk you getting caught again. Just think what happened the last time. If it wasn't for the Blue Spirit, you'd be getting shipped off to the Fire Nation right now."
"Come on, guys," Aang pleaded, peering up at them with soulful eyes. "This could be my only chance to study some real firebending." He turned to Sokka. "And you were just complaining before about how hungry you are. A festival is bound to have heaps and heaps of food. More than you can eat."
"I don't know," Sokka said thoughtfully, "I can eat a lo—hey, no changing the subject!"
"Sokka's right, Aang," Katara said, squeezing his shoulder. "It's not safe."
Aang wasn't happy with this decision and continued to put forth arguments for why they should go. Eventually, Katara agreed to attend and got Sokka to relent as well, though he was far from assured by the promise they'd wear disguises and leave before they could get into trouble.
Katara rolled her eyes. "No one is asking you to come, you know. You can stay here with Appa and Momo if it upsets you so much."
"No, I'll come." Sokka drew himself up to his full height. "After all, someone has to make sure the two of you stay out of trouble."
"Right," Katara said dryly.
Aang dashed ahead, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet. "C'mon, guys! We don't want to miss anything. I'm telling you, if there's one thing the Fire Nation is good at, it's putting on festivals! I remember this one time Kuzon and I ..."
She smiled as Aang babbled on about a sun celebration he had attended over a hundred years ago. It was good to see him happy again, though she found it difficult to believe that he'd actually been friends with someone from the Fire Nation. A hundred years of war had changed the nations so much. The world that Aang had known—a world where an airbender could be best friends with a Fire Nation boy—did not exist anymore. Somehow, that made her sad.
Something brushed against her arm and she glanced down to see the Blue Spirit poster trying to escape from her robe. Frowning, she unfolded the parchment and stared at the blue mask.
I wonder where you are now, she mused.
The Blue Spirit was an intriguing figure: a masked vigilante, a healer, and someone who had been willing to risk his life to save the Avatar. But then he had just disappeared afterward. She desperately wished she knew why. What was he hiding under that mask? And why was Aang so reluctant to talk about the silent warrior who had saved his life?
Sighing, she folded the parchment back up and tucked it more securely into her robe. Whoever this Blue Spirit was, she hoped that they would not need his services today. The last thing they needed was for Aang to be captured by the Fire Nation again or for Sokka to say "I told you so". Still, if the Blue Spirit was out there, she hoped he was keeping an eye out for Aang. She had a feeling Aang was going to need all the help he could get before the war was over.
oOo
Zuko stared at the mask in his hands, absently tracing his fingers over the carved wood. He remembered when he had first bought the mask. It had only been a month since he had removed the bandages covering the left side of his face and he'd still been getting used to the scarred boy that greeted him every time he looked in the mirror. Of course, he'd known at the time that he should have been happy. He'd been told by the healers that it was likely he would never see out of his left eye again and that his hearing might also be impaired. Zuko had proven them wrong on both counts. His vision was somewhat narrowed in scope but otherwise fine. His hearing had not suffered at all.
For a thirteen-year-old boy who had just lost everything, however, knowing that he was not about to go half-blind or deaf had been a small comfort. The burning memory of the Agni Kai had still been fresh in his mind; he'd also failed to gain any information about the Avatar from the four Air Temples. Zuko had not admitted it aloud, but he had begun to despair that he would ever be able to return to the Fire Nation. The Avatar had not been seen for a hundred years and there he had been just a banished prince with no home and no birthright. He'd felt like a watercolour that had been left in the sun too long: colours that had once been vivid and formed an image worth looking upon had lost all meaning and life.
That was when Zuko had seen the mask glinting up at him from the trader's stall. He'd recognised the character from a play his mother had taken him and Azula to watch. The Blue Spirit, the troupe had called the character: a silent warrior who made his own destiny. Something in Zuko had reached out to the mask in that moment, or maybe the spirit of the mask had reached out to him. Either way, he had found himself handing over a few copper coins to the Earth Kingdom trader and sneaking a wrapped bundle back to his cabin on the ship where he had then tried on the grinning mask for the first time.
It was as if he had become a different person. The Blue Spirit didn't need to hunt for the Avatar. The Blue Spirit didn't need to worry about having no home or disapproving fathers or the loss of his honour. The Blue Spirit made his own honour, his own destiny. All he needed was his dual dao swords and a life of freedom and adventure.
Of course, that was what made Zuko's current predicament so ironic, because it was the Blue Spirit who had gone to get the Avatar back from Zhao. Prince Zuko had wanted to capture the boy, but the Blue Spirit had healed him, and now the stupid kid thought that they could be friends and was ready to risk life and limb to achieve this deluded dream if the Avatar's behaviour at the abbey was anything to go by. It was infuriating, but it was also impossibly confusing. Boundaries that should never have been crossed had been crossed and now the line between mask and reality was becoming blurred. Now, Zuko didn't know what to think or what to feel, especially in regards to the Avatar.
"You're an honourable warrior, Prince Zuko."
He closed his eyes, trying to push back the feelings that arose whenever he thought of those parting words. He might have been able to understand the tribute a bit more if the Avatar had directed the words to the Blue Spirit—after all, his masked alter ego was the one who had rescued Aang in the first place—but Zuko had been wearing no mask when he had fought the Avatar at the abbey. He was just the banished prince trying to fulfil the task he had been set, and failing miserably.
His father would have called him weak for showing mercy, his sister would have laughed at him, but the Avatar had called him honourable. The Avatar had bowed to him in respect like an equal. It was ... strange.
A knock sounded at the door. Zuko twitched and shoved the mask under his blanket, hiding it from view. "Enter," he commanded.
The door opened with a spinning of cogwheels and groaning metal. Firebender Nozomi crossed the threshold, inclining his head in a slight bow.
"A messenger just arrived from Pohuai Stronghold," Nozomi said, straightening to his full height. "Colonel Shinu has removed the ban stopping all ships from leaving the area. Now that we are free to go, Lieutenant Jee wishes to know where you would like the helmsman to set our course next."
Zuko frowned and stood up from the bed, pacing back and forth as he pondered over the message and all of its implications. If the ban had been removed, that meant Zhao had left the area, which also meant the admiral had a new lead on where the Avatar was heading. Zuko's heart gave a funny leap in his chest. What if that idiot monk got himself caught again?
He glanced at Nozomi. "Did the messenger happen to mention what direction Admiral Zhao took his men?"
"No, sir." Nozomi hesitated. "That is—"
Zuko narrowed his eyes. "Yes?"
"There were rumours that the Avatar had been sighted last night in the colony town of Yin Shin during the Fire Days Festival. Perhaps Admiral Zhao went in pursuit."
A crease formed on Zuko's brow. What on earth was that kid up to?
"Should I, uh, tell the helmsman to set a course for the town, sir?" Nozomi asked.
Zuko's frown deepened and he cast a glance at the bed where he knew his Blue Spirit mask was hidden under the blanket. "I need to speak with my uncle," he said shortly.
Without waiting for a response, he walked past Nozomi and headed for his uncle's cabin. A thorough understanding of Iroh's character told Zuko that he would likely be snoring in his bed fast asleep, and Zuko was not disappointed. He sighed and folded his arms across his chest.
"Uncle!" he snapped. When that didn't work, he raised his voice even louder. "Uncle, wake up!"
Iroh sat up with a start, mumbling something under his breath about roast duck. Yawning, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and then spotted his nephew. "Oh, it's you." A lazy smile stretched across his features. "I thought I heard your dulcet tones."
Zuko bit back a growl. "Uncle, we have a problem," he said, getting straight to the point. "The Avatar was spotted in Yin Shin and now Zhao has taken off in pursuit and he's probably hours ahead of us."
Iroh stroked his beard. "What are you suggesting we do?"
"I don't know!" Zuko threw his hands up in the air. "Even if we did follow the Avatar to Yin Shin, there's no guarantee that he'll still be there, and with Zhao doing everything in his power to sabotage my mission, I don't know if—"
"You don't know if it is worth the risk," Iroh finished for him with an understanding nod.
Zuko sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to hold back what threatened to be a nasty stress headache. "We only just got given permission to leave port. As humiliating as it is to admit, I know I don't have the power to go against Zhao, at least not openly."
"That's very wise of you, Nephew. A true leader knows his weaknesses and when he must bide his time for the right moment to strike."
"Maybe so, but that still doesn't change the fact Zhao is now one step closer to capturing the Avatar and we're still drifting around with nothing."
Iroh resumed stroking his beard. "The Avatar is a resourceful boy. Perhaps he will manage to elude Admiral Zhao."
"Elude him? Uncle, that idiot walked into a Fire Nation colony and pretty much announced himself to be the Avatar. I don't think he even knows what the word 'cautious' means."
"Sounds like someone else I know," Iroh said with a sly smile.
Zuko rolled his eyes. "A moment ago you were just saying I was wise. Now you're calling me reckless."
"That is because you are both wise and reckless, though mostly reckless, but in this case I think you are worrying too much. I don't think Admiral Zhao will succeed in capturing the Avatar."
"Why not?" Zuko's voice was bitter. "He's done it before."
"And the Avatar managed to escape when no one else thought he could."
Zuko said nothing. He knew damn well how the Avatar had achieved that feat.
Iroh watched him closely. "If you want my advice, Prince Zuko, I suggest you set our course for north."
"North? But what about Zhao?"
"You said yourself that you do not have the resources to go against Admiral Zhao openly. I think it best we avoid another confrontation and continue with the old plan. Didn't you say that you thought the Avatar might be heading to the Northern Water Tribe to be trained in waterbending?"
"Well, yes, but—"
"Then we should head north." Iroh smiled and stretched back out against his bed. "Ah, I wonder if I can persuade the cook to make us roast duck for dinner tonight. I have a real craving for it."
Zuko once more found himself pinching the bridge of his nose. Just when he thought he was having a serious conversation with his uncle, the old man would go and say something about tea or food or something equally frivolous. Didn't his uncle understand the gravity of their situation? That stupid kid could get captured by Zhao again and then it wouldn't matter how far north they travelled, because there would be no Avatar to intercept.
Clenching his jaw, Zuko turned and headed for the door.
"Where are you going?" Iroh asked mildly.
"Out," Zuko responded, not looking back at his uncle.
Iroh's mouth twitched into a smile. "Don't stay out too long. You'll miss the roast duck."
"Ugh, I don't care about the roast duck! Just make sure our supplies are restocked and that the ship is ready for departure. We'll be leaving for the North Pole tomorrow."
"Very well."
Zuko left without a further word and marched back to his own cabin. He slammed the door shut and then opened the large chest where he kept his clothes, pulling out the form-fitting black bodysuit and gloves, as well his best stealth boots. Stuffing the lot into a bag, he crossed to his bed and thrust the blanket aside, revealing the grinning blue mask. He hesitated only a moment before he shoved the mask inside the bag and removed his dao blades from the wall.
"This time I won't let you even touch him, Zhao," Zuko promised grimly, bringing the broadswords together and sheathing the combined blades in a black scabbard.
Prince Zuko could not go against Admiral Zhao openly, but the Blue Spirit could and would. He'd just have to make sure the Avatar did not see him, since his cover had already been blown with the kid from the last time he'd donned his disguise. Not that it really mattered. For once, this wasn't about capturing the Avatar. This was about making sure that bastard Zhao didn't have yet another reason to gloat in front of him. Zuko had been humiliated enough. It was time to even the scales.
"I told you not to get in my way," Zuko said with a twisted little smile. "You should have listened to me the first time."
oOo
Katara knelt by the river, cradling her aching hands in her lap. Blisters were already forming in scalding bubbles along her palms, reaching right down to her wrists in red swirls of burnt flesh. She supposed she should have seen it coming. Aang had been impatient with the control exercises and had not bothered to take it slow when the leaf he'd been clutching had turned into a ball of flames. Unfortunately, she was the one who had got hurt by his need to experiment.
Holding back a sob, she carefully placed her hands in the water to try easing the pain. A faint, numbing sensation was all she got at first, but then a soothing balm surrounded her burns. It felt like all the burning stings and blisters were melting away. Her eyes snapped open to see a blue light. No, it was her hands that were glowing! Katara removed her hands from the water and examined her palms. The red marks were gone.
"You have healing abilities," a familiar voice observed.
She turned to see Jeong Jeong walking towards her.
"The great benders of the Water Tribe sometimes have this ability," he continued, taking a seat beside her on the riverbank. "I have always wished I were blessed like you, free from this burning curse."
"But you're a great master," Katara exclaimed. "You have powers I will never know."
"Water brings healing and life, but fire"—he looked down at his own hands—"fire brings only destruction and pain. It forces those of us burdened with its care to walk a razor's edge between humanity and savagery." His voice lowered, as if he were speaking more to himself. "Eventually, we are torn apart."
For a moment, both were silent. Katara pondered over his words and, as she did, something slipped out from her robe. She snatched at the parchment before it could be carried off with the wind. It was the Blue Spirit wanted poster.
"Master Jeong Jeong," she said, unable to keep the trembling excitement from out of her voice. "Are you quite certain that only waterbenders can heal?"
He nodded. "That is the way it has always been. Every element has its place in the universe, but only waterbenders have ever been able to use their element as a catalyst for mending the body."
A small smile curved Katara's mouth. Then the Blue Spirit had to be a waterbender. No wonder he had been able to heal Aang. He had healing powers like her.
I'm not alone anymore.
She tightened her grip on the poster. Fire suddenly exploded in front of her, followed by another flash of heat. Jeong Jeong was up on his feet in an instant and creating a shield of flames around them.
"Get your friends and flee!" he ordered. "Do not come back here or you will all be destroyed!"
"But—"
"Hurry!"
Katara hesitated only a moment before she turned and ran. In her hand, she still clutched the crumpled poster of a warrior in a blue mask.
oOo
Zuko heard the fireballs go off before he saw them. His feet pounded against the riverbank as he increased his speed, sprinting towards the sounds of fighting. He'd been hoping to sabotage the boats before Zhao made it to the Avatar's position. Unfortunately, he'd been more behind than he'd thought. Any plans for a stealth attack had to be tossed down the drain. The new plan was simply to make the bastard pay in any way that he could. Zuko just hoped that the Avatar wouldn't be stupid enough to blow his cover, as he had no doubt that the kid would be right there in the thick of battle.
A flash of orange passed before his vision. Zuko narrowed his eyes. Zhao and a now familiar monk were facing each other in a standoff just ahead of him. He could not hear what the Avatar was saying, but Zhao's voice carried on the wind.
"I see he taught you how to duck and run like a coward, but I doubt he showed you what a firebender is truly capable of!"
Zhao released a violent stream of flames. Aang dropped with inhuman speed and just managed to duck the attack by balancing on one finger.
"Woah!" Aang exclaimed, glancing over his shoulder as the trees behind him burned orange. "Wild shot!"
"I'll show you wild!" Zhao snarled.
Zuko narrowed his eyes as Zhao took up a familiar stance. No you don't! Unsheathing his blades, Zuko threw himself between the two enemies in a blur of black just as Zhao released another torrent of flames. He landed in a half-crouch in front of Zhao and brought his swords up in a cross-like formation, redirecting the flames away from himself and the Avatar in two jagged lines.
"It's you!" Aang gasped, taking a step forward.
Zuko ignored him and continued to glare at Zhao through the slits of his mask. Very calmly, he stood to his full height and pointed one sword the admiral's way, daring him to try that move again. Zhao's eyes bulged, but he pulled himself together a second later.
"So, it seems the Blue Spirit is back to save the day again," Zhao sneered. "No matter. I'll just have to destroy you both!"
With a growl, Zhao brought his fists together and sent two fireballs their way. Zuko rolled to the left, dodging the first, while Aang crafted a wind shield and dispersed the rest of the flames like a tornado. Zhao hissed. Perhaps sensing that he was not going to succeed by dividing his attention between his two opponents, his eyes flickered back to Zuko. Suddenly, there were three fireballs surging towards Zuko, only this time there was barely any room for deviation. He gritted his teeth and joined his swords into one blade, deflecting the first attack. He was about to block the second when Aang swooped in beside him and created a gust of air, pushing the fireball aside. The third would have smacked the younger boy right in the face, but Zuko dragged Aang down with him by his collar, forcing them both to fall to their stomachs.
"I can't believe this!" Aang babbled excitedly, looking over at Zuko as they lay side-by-side on the ground. "You're actually here to help!"
For answer, Zuko tugged hard on his collar, pulling Aang with him as he rolled to avoid a firebomb. Because of the way they landed, Zuko was still half-shielding Aang with his body, and he took the moment to make use of their proximity to glare at the younger boy through the slits of his mask. The message was clear: don't talk. Fight.
"Right," Aang said, focussing his attention back on Zhao.
Zuko rolled his eyes. This was why he had known he had to come regardless of whether his behaviour could be considered treasonous. The Avatar was far too easily distracted.
Releasing his grip on Aang, he got back to his feet and took a protective stance in front of the airbender. He met Zhao's gaze challengingly, who was still circling them like a starving buzzard-wasp. If the Avatar wasn't going to keep his guard up, Zuko would just have to do it for him.
"Well, well," Zhao taunted, "the two of you make a perfect pair. You both only know how to dodge and evade."
"We can't help it your aim is so bad," Aang retorted, taking his place beside Zuko.
"What?"
"You know it's funny," Aang continued, "because somehow I thought you'd be better than this." A mischievous smile curled his lips. "I guess they'll make anyone an admiral these days."
Zhao let out a snarl and released an onslaught of fire that was certainly impressive for its blazing intensity but still too wild to be of any threat. Zuko and Aang ducked the flames in unison, then rolled in a mirror of movement to avoid the arc of fire that followed.
"What are you doing?" Zuko hissed, grabbing him by the elbow and running with him to avoid the flames that exploded around them in bursts of heat. "You're just making Zhao angrier!"
Aang flashed him a toothy smile. "That's the point."
Zuko blinked. "What?"
"Zhao has no control."
"So?"
"So he—"
Out of the corner of his eye, Zuko noticed a fireball coming straight for his face. He growled and brought his swords up in a flash of steel, sending the flames circling away like a dazed bird. His gaze flickered back to Aang. "You were saying?"
Aang grinned. "Only that I think I've come up with a plan to get Zhao to defeat himself, but I might need your help."
They both ducked to avoid another jet of flames.
"Fine," Zuko responded. "What's the plan?"
"Lure him over to the river, then get him really angry and make him shoot fireballs like crazy. If I'm right about him, he'll set fire to all of his boats, which will leave him stranded and give us a clean getaway."
A smile curved Zuko's mouth, though it was hidden by the permanent grin of his mask. "You know, Avatar, this might actually work."
Before Aang could respond, a firebomb exploded in front of them and daggers of flame sprouted up from the impact. Both boys leaped back, though Zuko felt the heat brush his skin in an uncomfortable caress through his clothes. Damn, that was close.
"Stand and fight, you cowards!" Zhao growled, striding towards them with his hands glowing in deadly flames.
Zuko stepped forward and swung his swords into an offensive stance. "Right. I'll distract him while you make your way to the boats. After that it's up to you."
"Got it!"
Zhao turned as Aang darted off for the river, but the clear ring of steel had his attention returning to Zuko. He laughed coldly. "What? Do you really think you can best me? You can't even bend."
As if to prove his point, Zhao sent an intense wave of fire at him, which Zuko simply side-stepped. Zuko watched the fireball's progress and then glanced back at Zhao through the slits of his mask. Knowing that it would only grate further, he once again pointed his sword at the other man, beckoning for Zhao to come closer if he dared. The admiral growled low in his throat and retaliated with several arcs of fire, all close in succession. The idiot was all hot air and no precision. Zuko inhaled and charged, swords flashing around him as he slipped in and around the flames like a wisp of smoke, only bothering to block when necessary. Closer and closer he got, and then he could see the fear enlarging his adversary's pupils and he reached out with his sword and—
Tapped Zhao lightly on the head with the flat of his blade.
Zuko would have laughed at Zhao's expression, but, as it was, he had to quickly roll away to avoid being struck with a fireball. The risk had been worth it, though, if only to see the humiliation burn in those bulging, hate-filled eyes. Arrogant bastard had that one coming for weeks.
"You'll pay for that!" Zhao spat, planting his feet on the ground and gathering his energy.
Zuko's eyes widened as he realised what Zhao was about to do. There was no way he would be able to deflect such an attack by using his swords. He'd have to use real firebending.
This could get ugly, Zuko thought with a grimace.
Warily, he began to back away while he tried to calculate which would be the best direction for him to run to when it came time to dodge. He couldn't remember exactly now, but he thought that Zhao favoured his right for attacks. Or had it been his left?
Damn it! Zuko held his swords up in front of him in a defensive stance. I really should have thought this one through.
"Ahoy!" a familiar and, at least for Zuko, very welcome voice called. "I'm Admiral Zhao!"
Distracted, both firebenders glanced towards the boats to see Aang doing an odd—wait a minute, was the kid actually wiggling his bum at Zhao?
Zuko blinked in faint bewilderment, but apparently the juvenile taunt had been enough to snap the last shreds of logic that had been keeping Zhao in control. With a snarl that sounded more animal than human, Zhao let loose a volley of fireballs that should have hit Aang, except the boy leapt to the next boat with a wicked little laugh, leaving the other vessel to catch fire in a swarm of flames.
"I don't believe it," Zuko muttered as he watched Zhao chase Aang onto the next boat and repeat the process. "The kid's plan is actually working."
Round and round the two went: Aang calling out offensive taunts as he leapt from boat to boat while Zhao blindly charged like a saber-tooth moose lion and destroyed all in his path with his uncontrolled fireballs. It was a good thing that the Avatar was an airbender; only someone as elusive as the wind would have managed to dodge all of those attacks without getting burnt to a crisp.
Zuko's heart jolted in his chest as Aang get cornered on the last boat. Maybe he'd celebrated too soon.
"Nowhere to run now, you little smart mouth!" Zhao spat, holding his fists up to attack.
Aang somersaulted over the flames that rushed towards him, landing on the bow of the boat. "You've lost this battle, Zhao."
"Are you crazy?" Zhao snapped. "You haven't even thrown a single blow."
"No," Aang agreed, "but you have."
Zhao turned his head and it was then that he noticed the destruction he had caused. With an inhuman growl, he lunged at Aang's throat, fire blossoming at his fingertips. There was a flash of steel, a faint gasp, and then Zhao's eyes rolled back into his head and he fell with a dull thud. Zuko lowered his blade to his side.
"Did you kill him?" Aang demanded, looking a bit green.
"No," Zuko said impatiently. "I hit him with the hilt of my blade and didn't put in enough force for that." He hoped. He hated the guy, but he wasn't ready to kill an officer of his own nation either.
"Um, should we take him back to shore with us then?"
Zuko glanced at the burning boat. "I guess."
He sheathed his broadswords and, together, the two boys grabbed one arm each and then hauled Zhao back to shore. The admiral stirred a bit and made a few groans, which was actually kind of a relief. At least now they knew he was alive. Not that either of them was in any rush to linger to check on his wellbeing. They let go of him as soon as it was safe to do so without him inevitably drowning and sprinted back up the river bank.
"Hey!" Aang shouted, dashing after Zuko when he started to diverge. "Where are you going?"
"Back to my ship."
"But—"
Zuko swung around to face him. "Listen, I know you have some weird idea about us being friends, but that is never going to happen. The only reason I came here today is because Zhao was trying to capture you and I know you're stupid enough to let it happen."
"Excuse me, but aren't you forgetting that it was my plan that just stopped Zhao?"
"Whatever." Zuko continued to run. "You're still an idiot."
Aang's mouth drooped, but he brightened a second later. "Fine, call me an idiot if you like, but that doesn't change the fact that you came here to help me." He grinned impishly. "Face it, Zuko, you're not as mean as you like to make yourself out to be. Secretly, I think you're just wishing you could be my friend."
"You're delusional."
"Not as delusional as you!" Aang quickened his pace to match Zuko's longer strides. "You just can't go around helping your enemies and expect those people to stay your enemies. It just—it just doesn't work that way!"
"I'm not helping you! I'm helping myself!"
Aang tilted his head to the side. "How does that even work?"
"Because the only way I can return home is if I bring you back to the Fire Nation myself! If Zhao gets there before me, I gain nothing. Hence, it's not in my best interests to let Zhao capture you."
"So why aren't you trying to capture me right now?"
Zuko saw the grin being flashed his way and had to resist the urge to throw a fireball at the kid's face. Instead, he gritted his teeth. "I wouldn't get used to it, Avatar," he said in a hard voice. "This is a one-time offer. The next time we see each other, you had better be prepared to fight or else you will be captured." He met his eyes menacingly. "And believe me, I don't plan on falling for any of your childish tricks like Zhao."
Aang's grin widened. "Sure, whatever you say."
Zuko barely managed to repress a groan. Now the kid was going to drive him insane.
To his surprise, Aang did not pester him with any more unsubtle hints about the two of them becoming friends. Instead, after a few innocent questions and a few more monosyllabic replies on Zuko's part, Aang fell into a state of blissful silence, though he did insist on following Zuko, and staring at Zuko, and pretty much annoying Zuko without even saying a word. Spirits, how did the kid do it?
"What?" Zuko snarled after the seventh time he caught Aang staring at him. They were far enough away from the beach that both had slowed to a brisk walk.
Aang rubbed the back of his neck. "I was just thinking."
Zuko did sigh that time. "About what?" he asked, already knowing that he was going to regret taking the bait.
"Well, I just recently started learning firebending, but the guy who was teaching me seemed to really hate his bending. I mean he really hated it. He kept going on and on about how dangerous fire is and how I needed to learn control or it would consume me and destroy everything I love." Aang let out a small breath. "Anyway, I didn't believe him and, and—"
"You hurt someone," Zuko said quietly, understanding softening his voice.
Aang nodded. "Katara. She said she managed to heal the burns, but I can't forget the fact that I hurt her, and after seeing the way Zhao used his fire, well ..." He sighed and shook his head. "It almost makes me think that my teacher was right in saying that fire can only bring about destruction. If that's the case, I really don't want to master the element."
Zuko paused in his steps. "You should know better than anyone that fire isn't just destruction."
"See, but that's the thing. My master told me that it's impossible for fire to heal, yet you healed me, so I was just wondering how you—"
Zuko clenched his hands into fists. "I don't want to talk about it."
"But—"
"I said I don't want to talk about it!" He unsheathed one of his dao blades and held the sharpened point to Aang's throat.
Aang held his hands up. "Okay, okay, I get it. You don't want to talk about it."
Zuko glared at him for a moment and then finally lowered his blade.
"So, is there a reason you don't want to talk about it?" Aang asked after a pause.
A hiss of smoke escaped Zuko's lips. "You have three seconds to get out of my sight before I change my mind about capturing you today. I suggest you start running."
"Come on, Zuko. Don't be like that. You know I didn't mean—"
"One."
"But—"
"Two."
Aang sighed and backed away. "Fine."
"Oh," Zuko added, pointing his blade towards him, "and don't you dare tell anyone about what happened here today. Not even your friends."
"Why not?"
"What do you think, idiot? I'm the Prince of the Fire Nation and now my Blue Spirit identity is wanted by the Fire Nation. What do you think would happen if people realised the two were the same person?"
"Oh, right."
Zuko lowered his blade again. "Good. Now get out of here."
Aang knew better than to argue. Before Zuko could issue any new threats, the monk shot off in a whirlwind of dust, moving so quickly that he was like an indistinguishable blur of colour. Zuko watched his silhouette fade entirely from view before he continued his trek back to his boat.
Consider the debt repaid, Avatar.
A life for a life, aid in battle for aid in battle. Now the two of them were even. Zuko had even managed to humiliate and stop Zhao from capturing the Avatar. It wasn't a bad deal, really. Except he still felt unsettled.
We work well together.
The thought sprung unbidden to his mind, just as it had the first time they'd fought side by side.
He gritted his teeth. Maybe the Blue Spirit could play temporary ally to the Avatar when it suited him, but the banished Prince of the Fire Nation would never be able to do so. Not that he wanted to. Zuko knew what was important. Going home was important. Making his father proud of him was important. Befriending a twelve-year-old boy with a skill for being irritating beyond reason was not important. Yet even as Zuko joined his uncle on the main ship and ordered his crew to set a course for the North Pole, the thought could not quite be shaken from his mind.
They really had worked well together.