"Breathe." Zuko commanded fiercely.
"I am breathing!" Aang hissed, scowling at the burning leaf Zuko had given him to concentrate on.
"You're doing it inccorectly." the Prince informed him.
"If you have a problem with my breathing, I don't care!" Aang shouted, finally fed up with his new firebending teacher's constant criticizing.
"Good," the older boy only turned to study the burning leaf. "Let your anger take over."
"What are you talking about-" Aang paused when he noticed that the leaf had turned into a well-controlled fireball. He passed it from hand to hand, not once burning himself.
"Not too fast." Aang frowned.
"What am I supposed to do, then?"
"Control it." this simple answer came from an overly impatient Zuko, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"How?" the airbender asked skeptically.
"Take a deep breath." The Avatar did as he was told, rewarded by the flame growing in size. "Walk."
"Why?"
"I told you to." Zuko paused, the faintest smile flickering across his features, before returning to his normal aloof expression. "No, run. You question your master, you recieve punishment. Run, keep the flame lit."
"Fine." Aang jogged off, his face contorted in concentration as he attempted to keep the small fire going.
"Was that really neccassary?" Katara asked him from where she sat on a nearby boulder, meditating. The blue orbs of water that she'd been passing through her fingers returned to her waterskin.
"He knew better than to question me." Zuko informed her cooly. He bit back a chuckle when the small flame went out, as soon as the Avatar broke out into a slow trot.
"You know, he does better with positive teachings." the waterbender remembered giving her small speach to Toph, when she was teaching her younger friend earthbending. "You have to teach him, be kind. No more punishments. Positive teachings are key."
"Oh really?" Zuko sneered, not bothering to face her. Aang, who was currently attempting to light a new leaf aflame, for fear of his teacher finding out, turned to Zuko when he said his current title. "Pupil."
"Yeah?" the young monk asked, facing him. He grinned sheepishly, remembering that he had yet to get the flame going correctly.
"See those logs over there?" his student nodded. Zuko's hand shot out, flames sprialing from his fingertips. The logs were lit quickly, now a blazing fire. "Keep it lit."
"Hey!" Katara objected. "Aang, come on."
"Where are you taking my student?" Zuko questioned angrily. The Avatar paused between the two, not sure which to listen to.
"We're going to waterbend." she informed him haughtily.
"No, I don't think so." the Prince narrowed his eyes at her in a cool glare. "There are too many distractions, and you are one of the main ones."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Katara's jaw was slightly ajar as she scowled at him questioningly.
"The Avatar refused to firebend because you wanted to watch," Aang wilted after Zuko said this. "He was afraid to firebend, because you were here; as he said, he didn't want to burn you again. He has too many weaknesses- too many attachments."
"Compassion is a weakness, now is it?" the waterbender raised a brow at him. The Prince took a strode past Aang, and stood, towering, above her.
"Yes, yes it is." she couldn't help but shrink back at his impassive voice and large form.
"Aang, let's go."
"Katara, maybe I shouldn't..." Aang whispered, turning to face the flaming wood.
"You deserve a break." she told him, glaring at Zuko.
"He hasn't even attempted any firebending sets." his head was postured into an arrogant tilt. "If you want him to learn what I have to teach him, he will stay here, and learn."
"He's allowed to have a break." Sokka walked past the two, joining his sister on the other side of the boulder Aang had created for her.
Fuming, Zuko turned on his heel. "Do any of you pompous little twits want this war to end?" he cast this over his shoulder, wondering how it would sit with the Water Tribe peasants. He towered above Aang, who shrank down under his shadow. "You want this war to end, right?"
"Y-yeah." the firebender glared at him as his whimpered reply came. "I mean, yes sir?"
"Better." Zuko stood with an erect posture, scowling at the Avatar. "If you want this war to end, you have to learn all of the elements. You listen to me, got it?"
"Yes, sifu." Katara growled as Aang's answer came.
"Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays will consist of firebending before dawn, throughout the afternoon, a short break, earthbending." Zuko said calmly.
"Fridays?" the airbender asked, afraid of his master's answer.
Ignoring his student's question, he continued. "Saturdays will be the same, along with Friday. You might have enough time for waterbending at dusk, after your trainings. Sundays is your half day off, followed by various breathing excersises and.. cultural expierences. Earthbending before supper."
"You jerk!" Katara strode toward him purposfully, her hands clutching her waterskin. Unnaccording to plan, Zuko didn't turn to face her.
Suddenly, she lashed out at him with a waterwhip. The snake of water struck his ear, leaving a small, bleeding gash.
"Peasant!" Zuko growled, turning to face her. She'd stopped a little ways away from him, but he came toward her furiously.
"Prince Zuko." she said, in a most unformal manner. "Ha!" she paused, a sly smile tugging at her lips. "Prince of what? Prince of nothing."
Zuko lunged for her, as she'd hit a nerve. He swung a flaming fist at her, which she narrowly dodged. Backing away from him, she readied herself for another attack.
"Never," he hissed. "Never mock me as you just have!"
"What?" Katara sneered. "You don't even deserve that title! You're a peasant, just like us."
The waterbender bent a small globule of water from her waterskin, forming it into a shield. Zuko only melted it with a quick kick, cornering her against a nearby tree. Suddenly, the flames stopped and the firebender wrestled her water source from her, throwing it far into the forest. Clutching her uppermost underthings- which she'd been wearing while meditating- he pressed her against the tree, growling.
"Don't you dare do that again." he whispered, his face just inches from her own. "I swear, I'll hurt you, no matter how many people are watching."
"Zuko," a voice said in a dangerously low tone. "Get the hell away from my sister."
"Fuck it." Zuko spat, dropping Katara onto the forest floor. She landed with a thump, scrambling to pull the straps of her top piece of underwear, realizing that Zuko had loosened it. The firebender stalked off, and just moments later, Sokka and Aang rushed up to her.
"I'm sorry!" Aang gave her a quick hug. "We'll get rid of him, I swear!"
"Aang, no-" she was cut off by her brother.
"Yeah, let's just find someone else..." Sokka turned to her. "Did he touch you.. Anywhere? Katara, if he hurt you..." he ended suggestively, his objections clear.
"Aang, we can't just let him go."
"Katara, he attacked you!" Aang's worried features softened as she hugged him.
"There's no one else... I was lucky to even find him." she whispered into the crook of his neck. "He'll have to do. Besides," she pulled away from her friend, frowning. "I provoked him, not the other way around. I swear, I'll apologize, and then just leave him alone."
"Are you sure?" her sibling furrowed his brow at her as she nodded. "If he ever does that stunt again, he's gone, okay?"
"Okay." the two youngest agreed.