Congratulations to BoredomIsAnUnderstatement, who correctly guessed the song that influenced the first drabble; You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like This by Toby Keith. Thanks for your review!
Ok, second songfic! This is part one of a three-part story. I'll post the others as I write them; they will not all be the same song, but they will all be songs by the same artist/band!
Background: Zuko made the right decision and joined the Gaang in Ba Sing Se in the 'Crossroads of Destiny' episode. Unfortunately, they still lost to Azula and the Dai Lee…
"We need to talk. Everyone's worried about the way you've been acting. Especially Katara." The scarred teen stood in the doorway of the younger boy's room.
"I'm fine. Everyone should stop worrying." Aang shifted on the bed so his back was turned to Zuko. His voice was bitter.
Zuko began to wonder why he had come. He stepped forward tentatively into the room. He would never admit it, but he was a little afraid of the Avatar's anger. Even in battle, he had never seen the boy this cold and unfeeling. And he wasn't entirely sure if he himself wasn't to blame for all this. If Aang wouldn't talk to Katara, why would he talk to him? He probably still considered Zuko an enemy, even though the others had accepted him into their small group.
"I think I know what's bothering you. You don't like the fact that everyone thinks you're dead, do you? You don't want people to think you failed."
"You're right, I don't. But the problem is, I did fail!" Aang stood, his arm wrapping around his midsection as pain from his injuries flooded his body.
"That's not true." Trying to comfort someone else was quite a foreign thing for Zuko, but he tried to just imagine what his uncle would say. In fact, why wasn't Uncle the one down here talking to the Avatar? He would probably be much more effective.
"It is true! I was in Ba Sing Se. I was there! But I lost. And now the Earth Kingdom has fallen for good."
"It's not for good. What about the invasion plan?"
The younger boy's anger only increased as his voice rose. "And I hate the invasion plan too!" He used one arm to rip down the Fire Nation tapestry hanging above the bed. "I don't want anyone else risking their lives to fix my mistakes!"
Zuko lowered his voice in an attempt to help Aang calm down. "Avatar…"
"Zuko, just go. Please." Aang sat back down on the bed, clearly tired from his violent outburst.
Zuko reluctantly turned to leave. "Is there anything you need that Katara can bring down for you?"
"I need to redeem myself. I need my honor back."
Zuko stopped. "Well, I know all about that. My whole life for practically four years was about regaining my honor. If that's the issue, then I know best."
"I told you to leave. I'm tired; I want to sleep. You can tell everyone I'm just… not the same." The injured boy lay down, his back still towards Zuko.
Zuko approached hesitantly, sitting lightly on the bed. He was really wondering why he had come now. The boy clearly was not in the talking mood. "Look, you're wrong. You haven't lost your honor. You fought the best you could. That's all any of us can do. You did lose this time. But that doesn't mean you've failed the world."
Aang twisted around to look at his former enemy. His eyes were narrowed. "Get. Out. Now!"
Zuko left, not wanting to aggravate Aang any further. Judging by the hatred he'd been shown by the Avatar, it did not look like Zuko would be accepted by all the members of the group. Somewhere along in the bitterness, Zuko had lost the potential to be Aang's friend.
So, any idea what the song is? This song is much more common than the last one. If you are the first one to guess the song correctly, tell me what you'd like me to do for the next drabble and I will obey! :)