"Get in your stance."
"Okay-"
"Wider!"
"But-"
"Wider!" Aang realized how much his firebending teacher sounded like Master Jeong-Jeong. The multi-bender widened his stance, only to be turned upon by an angry prince. "When I say wider, I mean wider!" He hissed through clenched teeth, one bare foot shooting out. The heel of his foot hit Aang's own feet to the side, forcing his horse stance wider.
"Don't you ever loosen up?" The airbender asked, before Zuko wheeled around to face him.
"No!" He growled, glaring at him. He was only taking his anger out on his pupil, as there was no one else to endure his wrath. "Have you ever used firebending?" He asked, his voice overly-calm. Anyone with ears could tell that he was attempting to not bite someone's head off, or break into a angry fit.
"Just once." Aang answered, becoming quite guilty.
"Were you successful?"
"Yes."
"How much did you conjur?" Zuko asked, his eyes closed as if he were in a meditative state. "What did you learn? Who was your teacher?" The questions came slowly, thick against the prince's heavy tongue.
"Um..." Aang paused. "Enough fire to burn Katara's hands. I learned how to squat and breathe, and stare at a leaf... Jeong-Jeong, the Deserter, taught me that much."
"We'll start with varying stances." The prince paused, opening his golden eyes. His gaze focused on nothing in particular. "A few forms. We'll see how well you can accomplish the movements before we actually throw fire in." He turned his gaze, locking it with Aang's gray eyes. "I won't have you being reckless with the flames, especially if you already hurt the waterbender once before."
"Her name's Katara." The younger boy corrected, a slight hint of anger in his tone. "Not 'waterbender' or 'peasant'."
"I'm not her friend. I'm not anything to her, Avatar." Zuko's tone was cold; controlled. "She's nothing to me." He was stating these things simply, as if he were speaking the time of day. "She's an acquaintance of my student. Nothing more. If I don't wish to call her by name, I won't."
"Jeez," Aang grumbled half-heartedly. He'd really thought Katara had begun to break down the prince. He guessed he was wrong.
"Airbend." Zuko commanded. "I want to see how different your element is from my own."
"Okay!" He sounded cheerful once more, happy to be with something he knew. Something familiar to himself. He launched himself onto an airscooter, zipping about the area. Suddenly, he was lashed out with fire, forcing him to jump off of his scooter.
"Stop!" His sifu hissed angrily. "Show me something where you're in the defensive positioning. Go!" He threw a simple fireball toward the young boy, who easily redirected it with a strong current of air. He nodded thoughtfully, before speaking. "Offensive positioning! Go!" Zuko had to do a small tumble to avoid the wave of air sent at him, sharp as a knife's blade.
"Don't you ever smile?" Aang asked, standing there awkwardly.
Your stupid water wench forced me to.. He thought, remembering the previous day's events. "No. I don't. Smiling has to do with happiness, Avatar. Happiness is just an illusion to keep you going in life. To distract you from reality. I'd rather just stay in the present." He was frowning inwardly, though, on the outside he was stoic. "I need to keep an eye on my back at all times."
"Well, we have a whole camp to keep an eye on our backs." Aang smiled widely. "Why not have some fun, right now?" He was hoping for a break, even though he'd just started the day's training. He was still tired from being awoken so early in the morning.
"Fine..." Zuko paused, remembering something his uncle had taught him, early in his own trainings. "I can't believe I'm going to do this." He paused, sighing as he formed an orb of fire in his palm. "Airbender, let's play catch."
"Catch?" Aang sounded excited as he looked around. "But... There's no ball."
"We have fire." The prince explained calmly. He took a few steps forward, easily passing the glob of fire to Aang.
"Woah!" The Avatar tipped slightly, reaching out for the ball. He was grinning- no- beaming when he caught it, pushing it toward the prince with his own bending. They volleyed it back and forth for a few moments, allowing the multi-bender to get used to the feel of using fire.
"Now, Avatar." Zuko's voice stopped him from passing it back to the prince. "Why not get a little more competetive?"
"Is that a challenge I hear?"
--
"So, Toph-" Katara paused, stopping just short of the clearing where Aang and Zuko had been training.
"What is it, Miss Katara?" Iroh was there, too, standing behind the blind girl.
"What're they doing?" Pondered the waterbender aloud, leaning through the trees to get a better look. From what she could tell, Aang and the fire Prince were playing... Catch. Only, they were doing small flips and dodges- a few tumbles here and there- as they chased after the fireball they hurled at one another.
"Is that the best you got?!" She heard Aang call, just before he threw the fireball over his bald head. Zuko flew to the left for it, just able to bat it back before he landed on the trampled grass with a muffled thud.
"Hell no!" He shouted back, scrambling to his feet. Aang suddenly hurled the firey orb into the sky. The flames seemed to hover there for a moment, before they came plummeting back to earth, where Zuko was waiting. The Prince executed a perfect spinnning kick, as he flew into the air, leg outstretched to kick the orb. And kick, it did. At the shear force of the firebender's powerful leg, the fireball was missed by Aang, who'd frantically jumped for it.
Katara looked from Aang, to Zuko, who'd landed perfectly, panting softly. "Well, Avatar," she heard him speaking. "I look forward to playing catch when you're a master."
"Well, done, nephew!" Iroh suddenly sped out of his hiding place. "Why, I remember when you were a child! You were so impatient to learn your forms!" Katara could see a light blush staining the Prince's pale cheeks. "I had to teach you to play catch, so you could make your sister jealous!"
"Did it work?" Aang chirped, eager to be a part of the conversation.
"No!"
"Uncle," Zuko warned in an undertone. "I don't want to discuss matters of the family with anyone." He grew angry again, glaring at his family member. "Remember how you told everyone on the ship how I got my scar?" His uncle nodded. "Don't do it again!" The prince hissed, stalking toward Katara and Toph- or atleast, where they hid behind some trees.
"Is the story embarrassing?" The Avatar asked Iroh, when his firebending teacher was out of earshot.
"No, actually, it's quite heroic, with a sad ending..." Iroh slung his arm around Aang's shoulder. "I know he told me not to tell, but I shall. Just so you know why, at times, he may be a little... Angry, with the world in general. Especially with... 'That' time coming up."
"What time?" Aang's cutiousity was piqued as Iroh lead him away.
"What time is that?" Toph demanded, quiet when the prince passed. "Does he have PMS or something?"
Katara managed a giggle at how forward Toph was being. "Well, I guess we'll just have to find out. Aang'll tell us when Iroh's done with him."
"I swear, it's the end of the month... It could be PMS; you never know Katara." The two burst out laughing, though, on the inside, they were eager to hear what Aang would have to say.