Firestar's Gal- The answer to all of your questions lie in this chapter… -weird voice- XD

Anyway…

Chapter 4: Explanations

Aang slowly got up from his bed. Maybe if he tried talking things out…

"Ok, listen…I think maybe we got off on the wrong-AAH!" Aang ducked as Combustion Man swung his knife at him. Aang sent a shockwave toward the villain and ran to warn the others.

Katara stepped out into the hall as Aang ran to her. "Aang, what-"

Aang grabbed her wrist and pulled her along. "Run! Combustion Man is after us!"

"Aang…" Katara sighed. She looked behind her nd saw Combustion Man gaining on them. "AAH! How do people keep finding us?!"

"Beats me!"

XXXXX

Zuko's eyes snapped open as he heard a scream. 'The hell…?' He jumped out of bed and ran out to the hall. Combustion Man ran past. Zuko gasped.

'Crap, I forgot about that guy!' Zuko bit his lip in thought.

XXXXX

Katara and Aang ran down another hallway.

"It's a dead end!" Aang exclaimed.

They turned around. Combustion Man was blocking the exit. Aang and Katara backed up against a wall. Katara took Aang's hand and squeezed it. Each of the two were thinking up a plan.

Crunch.

Combustion Man stiffened. He started choking as blood oozed from the corners of his mouth. He twitched, then fell over, face down. Combustion Man was dead.

Aang and Katara stared first in shock at Combustion Man's lifeless body, then at the culprit. Zuko pulled his sword from Combustion Man's neck and wiped the blood off.

"You two really have a knack for attracting trouble, don't you?" Zuko half-joked.

Katara managed to speak. "Uh…you…just…"

Sokka, Toph, Haru, and the Duke ran to the hallway.

"Are you guys okay?" Sokka asked Katara and Aang. "I heard screaming!"

"We're fine, Sokka." Aang assured him. "Zuko just saved me and Katara from Combustion Man."

Sokka stared at Zuko who shrugged. "Guilty."

"Um…thanks...I guess." Sokka told him. He was surprised and shocked and grateful.

"No problem." Zuko answered. "We'll talk in the morning."

The group watched Zuko leave. The Duke wrinkled his nose at Combustion Man's body. "Ew…blood."

XXXXXXXXX

The next morning, Katara ventured outside. She found a garden which was surprisingly full of fruit. Katara found a basket and started collecting for breakfast.

"Need help?" Zuko said from a distance.

Katara turned around. "Sure. Thanks."

"No problem." Zuko said. He started picking fruit and putting it in Katara's basket.

"Why did you help me and Aang?" Katara asked. "We're mortal enemies!"

"I know." Zuko replied. "I've done major shit in the past, and I regret it."

"That still doesn't change the fact that everything that happened happened." Katara turned away from Zuko.

"I know." Zuko replied. "I wish we weren't mortal enemies, though. Really."

Zuko continued picking fruit. He seemed so different from the guy Katara knew and hated. She couldn't help staring at him in wonder. Zuko took notice.

"You checking me out?" He asked teasingly.

Katara chuckled. "No. Sorry. It's just that…well…you seem so different from the jerk who chased us all over the world."

"Ah. Let's just say my uncle got to me." He smiled. "I realized yesterday that my honor was useless, and…my father…doesn't love me. My uncle's been like a real father. I treated him like crap."

Katara looked at him with sympathetic eyes. Hey…I'm sure you're your uncle will forgive you. He seems like a forgiving guy."

Zuko smiled. "Thanks."

"How is he? Your uncle, I mean." Katara wondered. "The last time I saw him was when Ang and I excaped from the catacombs at Ba Sing Se."

"He's okay." Zuko replied. "He escaped from jail yesterday. During the eclipse."

"That's great."

"Yeah." Zuko said. He wanted to change the subject. It still hurt that he was too late in breaking Iroh out of jail. "I guess the fact that everything happened didn't change the way everyone feels about me, huh?"

"Well, if they thought that, they're not thinking it today." Katara answered. "Come on. I think we have enough for everyone."

The two headed back inside. Sokka, Aang, Toph, Teo, Haru, and the Duke were already in a circle. They looked up at Zuko and Katara.

"Breakfast!" Katara announced.

Everyone divvied up the fruit and began eating. Something at the back of Sokka's mind was bugging him.

"So, Zuko…you wouldn't…I mean…do you know where the Kyoshi warriors are?"

Toph and Aang looked at Sokka. Katara just looked confused.

"Azula captured Suki." Aang explained to Katara.

"Azula told me she captured some Kyoshi warriors," Zuko told them. "But…I have no idea where they are. Sorry."

Sokka looked crestfallen. "Oh. Thanks anyway."

"If I had to guess, though…she might be in the prison tower near the Fire Nation capital." Zuko included.

Sokka's spirit lifted a little. There as still a chance he could find her.

"She'll be okay, Sokka." Katara assured him. "Suki is strong and resourceful. She'll survive."

"They were supposed to be skilled warriors." Sokka mused.

"Wasn't Dad supposed to be?" Katara asked.

"He was outnumbered." Sokka said. He sighed and walked somewhere.

"Sokka…" Katara stood.

"Katara, please." Sokka said over his shoulder. "I just want to be alone for a while."

Katara sighed and sat down. "Well, I guess I can't say I wasn't expecting that, I mean…both his girlfriend and his father are imprisoned."

"Yeah." Aang replied. He sighed. "I really wnt to make it up to them."

"You will." Everyone was surprised to see Zuko was the one who spoke. "I can tell you everything there is to know about my father, and I can help you defeat him."

"That would be great." Aang said. "But…are you sure? I mean, he's your father."

Zuko ssighed. "Screw him."

Toph's eyes widened. "Wow. He must really suck for you to turn against him."

"You have no idea." Zuko said quietly.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Iroh woke up and stretched. Ursa looked extremely tired, so he gave her a cup of tea and helped her to bed. The retired general got up and picked some ash bananas from a tree for breakfast.

A few minutes later, Ursa stirred and woke up. She smiled when she saw Iroh.

"I guess I wasn't dreaming, huh?" She half-joked.

"No, you weren't." Iroh chuckled. He gave his ex-sister in law a banana. "So…how have you been?" He wasn't sure how to ask that. "Ozai told me everything."

"Oh…" Ursa bowed her head in embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I loved Azulon. But….Ozai was going to kill Zuko as punishment."

Iroh sighed. "Everything turned upside down after you left, Ursa. By the time I got back to the palace, everything changed. Zuko was serious. It was like someone took a small amount of his heart from him. And Ozai was Fire Lord."

Ursa was silent for a moment. "How is he? Zuko?"

Iroh paused. He really didn't want to tell Ursa everything, but she was his mother. She has a right to know. "Zuko was banished almost three and a half years ago."

"Why? What happened?" Ursa asked, concerned.

XXXXXXX

"Can I ask you something?" Katara asked Zuko. They were still sitting around a circle with their friends.

"Sure."

"How did you get banished in the first place?"

Haru raised an eyebrow. "A little personal, Katara."

"It's okay." Zuko waved it off. "When I was thirteen…my uncle let me sit in a war meeting. The generals were talking about sacrificing an entire battalion of new recruits as decoys. I spoke out and told them they can't do that."

XXXXXXXX

"After Zuko spoke out, the Fire Lord grew angry at him." Iroh began to explain. ""The general told him that Zuko speaking out was an act of complete disrespect. Zuko told the general he was not afraid. The only way to solve that was…"

XXXXXX

"…an Agni Kai. A fire duel." Zuko was saying. "When I showed up to fight, I discovered that my father was my real opponent. Most kids get grounded and sent to their room for speaking out: my punishment was an Agni Kai."

Everyone looked either shocked or concerned. "Damn…" Toph muttered.

"So, did you fight?" Katara asked.

"No. I refused to." Zuko responded.

XXXXXXX

"You can imagine what happened next." Iroh said. "Ozai…burned Zuko across the face and banished him until he came back with the Avatar."

Ursa stared for a minute. Then her eyes rolled to the back of her head as Ursa fell in a dead faint.

"…That went well." Iroh said to himself sarcastically.

XXXXXXXXXX

"So you were banished for standing up for what you believe in?" Katara asked, slightly miffed. "I can't believe you! Why the hell would you stick to your father even after he freaking burned half your face off and banished you?":

"Remember, I was thirteen." Zuko tried to reason. "I was very loyal to my father. But I put all that behind me. Even…" His voice trailed off.

"Your mother?" Katara guessed.

"No. She left me behind."

"I thought you said she died." Katara said.

"She didn't. She was banished." Zuko explained. "My uncle was supposed to be the Fire Lord. He and his son were sent to battle in the earth kingdom. My cousin died in battle about seven years ago. My uncle fell apart. My father took the opportunity, and asked my grandfather to renounce Iroh's birthright. He was punished. His punishment was to kill me. My mother found out and formed a plan for my father to become Fire Lord. She was banished for killing my grandfather."

"Wow." Sokka said. "Your family's a lot more dysfunctional than I thought."

Zuko chuckled. "Yeah."

"So, who did you leave behind?" Asked Aang.

"Mai." Zuko answered. "My girlfriend."

"Why didn't she come with you?"

"I couldn't bring her along." Replied Zuko. "I didn't want her top have to make a choice so quickly. She's…she's one of my sister's friends."

"The flying dagger throwing girl?" Asked Sokka.

"Yeah. The very same." Zuko answered. "She was the only person who could count on and lean on this summer. She was my comfort. Mai knows how to make me feel better. She makes me happy." 'I love her.' He added silently.

"I know how it feels to leave behind someone you care about." Aang responded. "It's hard."

"Yeah." Zuko whispered. He decided to change the subject again. "So, don't mind my asking. What do you guys plan on doing now?"

"We actually haven't thought of one yet." Aang admitted. "I do need a firebending teacher. And we need to plan on defeating the Fire Lord and rescue the invasion force."

"I could teach you firebending." Zuko responded. "I'd be happy to."

"Thanks!" Aang said, grateful. "When should we start?"

"We can start now." Zuko stood up. Aang followed.

"There's a field out back we can practice on." Aang said.

Katara smiled as she watched the two head out back. Things were looking up now that they have a firebender on their side.

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Man, that as long! X-x Anyway, there's going to be a surprise pairing near the end of this fanfic. I'll give you a hint: they're both adults.