I'd like to offer a mega thank you to all of you who took the time to read and review my story last chapter and sincerely hope you will do the same again. Don't be afraid to tell me if there's a little out-of-characterness this chapter or if i get a little too dramatic. I don't think this chapter is my best work but there you go - i had writer's block. Don't let that put you off though; next chapter Toph finds out the reason why Aang and Zuko are always sitting next to each other -winkwink-.

Chapter 2

"Don't you think this looks like a great place to learn Earthbending?" Aang said as he admired the valley around him.

"There's definitely plenty of rock for you to chuck around," Sokka admitted as he too looked at the landscape that was nothing but rocks.

For the last few days they had been searching for a place Toph could teach Aang Earthbending. Toph had insisted that they get far away from her home town before stopping. Then, since it was spring, Appa had started shedding his coat. It was a natural occurrence and Aang had thought nothing of it until Zuko and Iroh had voiced their concerns. Having much experience in tracking people (mainly Aang) they both said that the trail of fur Appa left when they flew would lead any enemy straight to them. Before their search for a training ground could continue Appa had to be washed in the river. Everyone except Zuko and Toph had joined in with the washing. Toph had the excuse that she was blind when not on land; Zuko just didn't want to get wet. He did though, once Toph pushed him into the river. Zuko hadn't liked that one bit and it didn't help that the others were laughing at him. It had taken Iroh awhile to convince him not to hurt the poor blind girl.

"Alright, enough chitchat. It's time to get to work," Toph said as she strode forward.

"Great! What move are you going to teach me first? Rockalanche? The Trembler?" Aang asked excitedly.

"Let's just start by moving a rock," Toph said before locating said rock to practice on. "The key to Earthbending is your stance. You have to be solid and stable, like a rock, if you want to move a rock."

Toph showed Aang her stance. She then used her Earthbending abilities to send the chosen boulder flying. Aang copied the stance, a look of determination on his face. He copied the move Toph had made but the result was not the same. Instead of the rock moving it was Aang that was thrown backwards. Luckily for him Appa provided a soft landing. The sound of amused chuckling made Aang look up. His eyes narrowed when he saw Zuko seated on a rock shelf with Iroh, an amused smile curling his lips.

"What are you laughing at Zuko?" Aang demanded.

Zuko just shook his head, the annoying smile still lingering on his lips. Aang got up and brushed himself off before storming over to the unmovable boulder. How dare Zuko laugh at him? Whose side did he think he was on? Aang would show him that he didn't like being mocked.

Aang tried again to move the boulder. It didn't work. He tried again. Still didn't work. After the fifth attempt Toph stepped in to stop Aang embarrassing himself. "That's enough Twinkletoes. Looks like you're going to need training first." Toph used her Earthbending to pull large rocks out of the ground. She placed them on Aang's back before shouting, "Now start walking! Knees high Twinkletoes!"

While Aang was being tortured-I mean trained, Katara took it upon herself to organize the chores and running of camp. She'd already told Sokka to go find something for dinner; now it was time to get Zuko to help. It was easier said than done. Zuko had been reluctant to lower himself to helping with such menial chores as collecting firewood. He had helped though, after Aang had badgered him about it. Unfortunately, Aang was currently occupied and Katara couldn't see Zuko giving in without a fight. In would be a pain getting him to cooperate but there was no way she was going to let him get out of not doing his bit.

Katara approached Zuko with a smile. "Zuko, would you mind helping me unload Appa?"

"I'm busy," was the gruff reply.

"Doing what?"

"Watching Aang."

Katara nodded. "Well I'm sure Aang's still going to be there when you get back so why not give me a hand?"

"No thanks."

Katara's patience was wearing thin. "Look, we all have to do our bit otherwise nothing would ever get done. Unloading bags isn't that hard."

"In that case why can't you do it yourself?"

Katara's patience had flown out the window. "Look here Zuko - I am not your maid! I already do all the cooking and cleaning; I am not about to move your junk around as well! You better start pulling your weight around here or you can make your own meals!"

"It's alright, I'll go unload the bison," Iroh said hastily, trying to defuse the situation.

"No Iroh," Katara said, her arm flying out to tell the elder to remain seated. "You're not the one who's being a pain. Zuko's the one who needs to start working and stop acting like we're his servants."

Iroh watched wearily as Zuko and Katara participated in an intense glaring contest. It was hard to know what to do in these situations – neither teen was about to bend to the other's will. So, Iroh did what he was best at. He made tea. "Come now you two. I know we're all still not use to being in each other's company and being chased by three deadly young ladies does nothing for one's temperament. I suggest we drink a nice cup of tea and calm down."

"I don't like tea," Zuko said through gritted teeth as he continued his glaring match while Iroh dragged him towards the camp fire.

"Zuko, you will drink your tea," Iroh said sternly and for once Zuko didn't argue.

A few hours later Toph and Aang came back to camp. Aang immediately collapsed and groaned loudly.

"You baby; that was just the warm up," Toph said non-too sympathetically.

Aang groaned again. Iroh smiled understandingly. "Here Avatar, a nice cup of tea will make you feel better."

Aang wearily forced himself to sit up and accept Iroh's tea. With one hand he dribbled the tea down his throat while the other massaged his sore muscles. Katara noticed Aang's plight almost immediately. "Here Aang, let me help you."

Katara moved behind her young friend and began to rub the tension out of his shoulders. Aang instantly relaxed, a soft moan passing his lips as Katara's skilled hands turned his muscles to jelly. "Katara, that feels so good."

Iroh watched the exchange then hesitantly turned towards his nephew. A glare full of malice was aimed straight at Katara. Zuko's grip on his tea cup tightened so much that Iroh feared he would be buying a new tea set very soon. It was a good job the cup was made of strong pot otherwise it would have disintegrated long ago from the heat that was no doubt radiating from Zuko's palms.

Iroh was suddenly struck by an idea. He carefully removed the cup from between Zuko's cupped hands and inserted the tea pot. Nobody noticed the trick, not even Zuko. All Iroh had to do was sit back and wait until the thin tendril of steam escaped from the pots stout. After all, why should he waste his energy boiling tea when he could have his nephew's anger do it for him?

The tea break ended and Toph dragged Aang away to practice. Katara set to work preparing dinner with Iroh. Zuko stomped off, saying that he was going to find firewood. Just because he was a firebender didn't mean that firewood wasn't needed. The fire needed something to fuel it or it would go out so firewood was still one of the essential chores that needed to be performed. Zuko didn't see it like that though. He saw it as an excuse to get away from the others. He was still fuming over Katara's actions earlier. He was the only one supposed to be able to sit that close to Aang. He alone was allowed to touch Aang like that. Zuko let his frustration out on the nearest tree. He regretted it afterwards when he had to pull splinters out of his knuckles.

Zuko sighed and leaned back against the tree he had been previously abusing. This was all so strange, so new. His feelings were a mess and having hormones never helped. He desperately wanted to hold Aang and never let him go. He wanted Aang to be his alone, for nobody else to dare to claim that the Avatar belonged to them. Zuko wanted power, control, to the point where sometimes it scared him. His jealousy of Katara had been all-consuming. He hadn't lashed out but he had felt his hatred for her burn with an intensity that his Firebending couldn't produce. What would have happened if he'd lost control?

It was a fear that every firebender had deep down. To lose control for a second – a split second – was all the time fire needed to escape and destroy everything a person holds dear. Zuko had access to amazing but destructive power. If he had lost control…he didn't want to think about it. He could have hurt Aang; burned him, scared him. He could have given him a scar to match his own.

Zuko reached up to touch his scar. It was a constant reminder of his shame. It was a constant reminder of his pain. He couldn't inflict that pain on anyone, especially not Aang. Aang was special; he was the most special person in the whole world. Zuko couldn't hurt him like that, not ever.

In that moment Zuko let down his defences. The tears slipped silently from his good eye as he thought of what he could have done, of what he was. He was a monster.

"Have you seen Zuko?"

Aang raised his head at Iroh's question. It had been a long day and Aang had not noticed that Zuko wasn't sat there with them around the fire. Who could blame him though? He was sore and tired from carrying rocks, standing in an awkward stance for ages and generally having to deal with Toph. The girl may be blind but she knew how to run someone ragged; mentally and physically.

"I'm sure he just bumped into Sokka and the two started fighting – again," Katara reasoned, even though she was secretly concerned that neither males had shown up. It was very unlikely that Sokka would chose to miss dinner.

"Perhaps," Iroh acknowledged. "But would their fight have lasted for over two hours?"

Katara and Iroh shared a worried look. "It is nearly sunset," Katara conceded.

"If you're so worried about them then go and look!" Toph said since they were just beating about the bush.

"Go look for who?"

Everyone turned around to see Sokka approaching. Katara stood up, annoyed with herself for getting worried like that. She was also mad at Sokka for worrying her. "Where have you been? It's sunset already!"

"Calm down Katara; I've not been gone that long."

"Have you seen Zuko?" Iroh cut in.

"No. Why?"

Iroh's concerned frown deepened. "I am going to look for my nephew."

"Do you want me to go with you?" asked Aang.

"No, you stay here and rest," Iroh said as he climbed slowly to his feet.

Aang nodded, relieved that he didn't have to move. He watched silently as Iroh took the path Zuko had taken earlier into the thick foliage. He let loose a weary yawn before letting his mind wander wherever it may.

Meanwhile, Iroh walked warily through the woods, eyes trained for any sign of his nephew. Eventually, he spotted him on the ground, leaning back against a tree with his head bent towards the earth. Iroh approached cautiously so as to not surprise his nephew. "Zuko?"

Zuko looked up at the old general slowly. His expression and posture were that of a man without hope. His eyes were not full of life as they had been recently. Zuko's whole demeanour made Iroh worry.

"Zuko, are you alright?"

"Yes," Zuko replied shortly.

"It's nearly sunset, I was wondering where you had gotten to."

"I was just thinking," Zuko said, his gaze turning to his knees.

"About what?"

"Nothing; it doesn't matter."

Iroh kneeled down next to his nephew and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Zuko, you know that if something is bothering you, you can always talk to me, right? Whatever it is, you can talk to me. There is no need to suffer in silence."

Zuko contemplated this for a moment. "Thank you Uncle."

Zuko attempted a smile and Iroh grinned right back. "Well, now that that's sorted, we better be heading back if we don't want the others to eat all the food."

Iroh made to get up when Zuko spoke hesitantly. "Uncle, have you ever felt…have you ever been worried that you might lose control and hurt someone?"

Iroh slowly sat back down again. "Yes, I have. All great firebenders worry about losing control. Fire is not like the other elements – it is alive. That is why discipline is taught before you actually start controlling fire. If you are reckless when Firebending there can be disastrous consequences.

"When Lu Ten was a boy we played war together. At first it was just imaginary fire blasts we threw at each other but as he got older it developed into something more. It was then that I started wondering how much control I really had. Lu Ten was just a boy and could be so easily injured. I could counter whatever he threw at me but what if I misjudged his strength? What if I thought he was at a higher level than he actually was and used too powerful a fire blast for him to block? In the end we had to stop playing those games because I was scared of losing control and hurting him."

Iroh paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. "We can stop doing things where there is a high risk of someone being hurt but we can not stop living. There is always the chance that one day we will lose control and that is why we do as much as we can to stop it from happening. We practice control over ourselves and our bending. That is all that we can do."

Iroh placed a steady hand on Zuko's shoulder. "Do not worry about losing control. If it is a worry that stops you living your life then it is best not to think about such things. You are much better now at controlling your temper; Aang has a good effect on you – do not try to push him away."

Zuko lip twitched up into a small smile. "It's creepy when you read my mind like that."

Iroh laughed heartily. "I know you too well my nephew. Now, stop moping and come get some dinner. If we don't hurry the others will come looking and Katara will give us both an earful."

Zuko nodded and got to his feet, holding out his hand to help his uncle up. "Thank you Uncle," he said again, his gaze not meeting the other's.

Iroh merely smiled like a proud father and led the way back to camp for a hearty supper.

For Aang the next day was just as hard as the one before. He was still having a block when it came to Earthbending. Sometimes, he would seem to be making progress and would gain a pleased nod from Toph. Mostly, though, he would fail the tasks she set. This did nothing for his confidence and the block remained firmly in place.

Katara had tried her best to reassure Aang that there was nothing wrong with him; he shouldn't expect to be able to get it straight away. Iroh had given similar encouragement, reminding him that it had taken past Avatars years to grasp Earthbending. To be able to master your opposite element in one day was not a feat that was expected of him.

Aang was grateful for the support his friends were giving him. Their kind words motivated him to have one more attempt, one last go at proving he could Earthbend. He still wasn't able to do it though, much to Toph's disappointment. She would shout at him and tell him how much of a failure he was before storming off and leaving him truly disheartened.

On the eve of Aang's second day of training he decided he needed some time to himself. He walked away from camp to a spot up on one of the nearby cliffs that would provide a beautiful view of the sunset. When Aang reached the top he was surprised to find that the spot was already taken. Zuko was sitting with his back to him, staring out at the landscape sprawled out beneath him, obviously deep in thought.

A thought occurred to Aang as he watched the firebender – he hadn't spoken to Zuko all day. In fact, he couldn't quite recall saying anything to him since yesterday morning. Aang wondered how it was possible to not talk to someone when they are practically living right beside you. The answer was that he had been tired and not in the mood for conversation or communication of any sort.

That couldn't have been the only reason though. Zuko wasn't the sort of person who allowed people to ignore him. He too must have been feeling unsociable if he'd allowed Aang to get away with not talking to him. This thought prompted memories of the day before: Zuko returning with Iroh and avoiding Katara's questions with a bowed head and then choosing to not curl up with Aang at night. Aang had been too tired to notice or care before but now…

Aang walked forward and took a seat next to Zuko. The firebender cast a glance his way before returning his gaze to the setting sun. Aang looked down at his knees, feeling guilty for ignoring Zuko as well as worried for him.

"How is your Earthbending coming along?"

"I've still got a block," Aang said as he traced patterns in the dirt with his finger.

"You'll get over it soon enough," Zuko said without shifting his gaze from the horizon.

"Everyone keeps saying that but I'm not! I know it's supposed to be hard but I'm the Avatar! I need to master all the elements by the end of the summer but I'm nowhere near ready! I need to master Earthbending now!"

Zuko's lip twisted up into what resembled a smile.

"What?" Aang asked grumpily, not liking the idea that Zuko was mocking him.

"I think I once said something similar to Uncle Iroh. I wanted to learn advanced Firebending but he was reluctant to teach me because I hadn't mastered the basics. I demonstrated how much I wanted him to teach me and he gave in."

Aang stared silently at Zuko for awhile. "What's wrong? You sound sad."

"It's nothing," Zuko denied.

"Look me in the face and tell me it's nothing," Aang challenged.

"It's not something I want to discuss; I can work things out without your help you know," Zuko said with a bitter edge to his voice.

At first Aang was hurt but then his stubbornness flared up. His fuse had been cut short from a hard day at Earthbending boot camp and was not in the mood for any of this. "Fine, if you don't want me here I'll leave."

He stood up to go but was stopped when Zuko grabbed his wrist. "I never said I wanted you to go."

Aang puffed out his cheeks. "Well, I want to go since you obviously want to be on your own and I'd hate to not give you what you want."

Zuko frowned, readying himself to give Aang a verbal lashing. He didn't though. Instead the frown disappeared and was replaced by an emotion Aang couldn't name. "Are you saying that if I kissed you you'd get mad?"

Aang didn't know where this was leading but replied, "Yes," with just a hint of hesitancy in his voice.

Aang immediately found himself jerked down into Zuko's arms. The older boy had him in a tight embrace and was heatedly assaulting his lips. Once Aang had gotten over his surprise he was all for melting in Zuko's arms until he remembered that he was annoyed with him. He struggled about, trying to get free. Zuko was having trouble holding onto him so he pushed Aang onto his back and straddled his waist. Aang fought furiously against Zuko who was trying to push past Aang's sealed lips.

With a burst of strength Aang was able to turn the tables and gain dominance. His original plan of escaping and storming off had by that point flown out the window. He had gotten caught up in the moment and was now taking advantage of his position to slide his own tongue into Zuko's mouth. It was refreshing to be the dominant one for once.

Zuko let out a deep groan as their tongues slid over each other. His hand moved to Aang's neck, pulling the Airbender closer. It all felt so amazing. Not just the kiss and the feel of their bodies pressed together but also the loss of concentration. He didn't need to strain to make sure he was in control, to make sure he wouldn't hurt Aang. He didn't need to fear because it was the Avatar that was in control. He could relax and enjoy the pure pleasure Aang was bestowing upon him.

Before Aang knew what had happened Zuko had flipped him over and ended the kiss. The older male hovered above him, his hot breath brushing against Aang's face. Aang looked up into half lidded eyes and saw the love and lust burning within. It made him want to reach up and pull Zuko down for another kiss. Unfortunately Zuko was talking and Aang was obliged to listen.

"Even if you never master Earthbending I think you'll make a great firebender," Zuko whispered huskily. "You will get Earthbending though. If you can dominate me you can dominate some stupid rock."

Aang smiled, his cheeks colouring at the compliment. "I think perhaps we should go back and test out your theory."

Zuko nodded and stood up, helping Aang go get to his feet. The Avatar looked down shyly and thanked Zuko for helping him. The young prince loosely wrapped his arms around Aang's waist in response and placed a kiss on his forehead. Zuko smiled, inwardly thinking that he should be the one doing the thanking. Aang had shown him that he was strong and, if Zuko did lose control, then he would be able to handle it. Aang wasn't as fragile as he looked – Zuko didn't need to worry about hurting him because it was obvious now that Aang could take whatever was thrown at him.

When they got back to camp Aang went over to Toph and asked for another opportunity to try and move a rock. Toph cocked her head to the side as she regarded him. "What makes you think you can do it this time when you couldn't before?"

Aang didn't answer because he didn't know what to say. He didn't know why but Zuko had imbued him with confidence in his own abilities that he hadn't had before. Toph noticed this in his stance – he was holding himself more confidently. She decided that maybe this time he had the attitude to accomplish his task. "Alright Twinkletoes, show me what you've got."

Aang grinned and rushed over towards one of the practice boulders. He got into his stance and readied himself. He took one deep breath then (as he exhaled) his arm extended towards the boulder and the boulder went flying.

Aang stared in amazement, not daring to believe that he had actually done it. He was even more surprised to turn around and find Top clapping slowly. Her applause was joined by others, everyone who had seen him was praising him, even Momo was trying to clap. What filled Aang with the most joy though was the sight of Zuko's proud smile. That smile made Aang's insides melt and his cheeks burn. He was going to have to tell Zuko that he was going to be on top more often if this was the kind of results it produced. Somehow he didn't think the firebender would be too pleased by this. Oh well, he'd just have to fight Aang for dominance then wouldn't he.

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