I do not own Avatar the last Airbender.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Zuko couldn't believe that she had the nerve to ask that question. Then because of his carelessness brought on his anger he ran into a small group of children. All of them were in between the ages of three and five.

"The Ghost!" all the children screamed loudly.

The children started to pelt him with biscuits in the mindset of feeding him before he ran away. To make it worse the people of the town started to crowd, and he couldn't get away before they got a good look at him. Zuko made a dash for a dark ally. Then he climbed the wall. To the people of the town it looked like Zuko vanished.

"Mommy were did he go?" a little boy asked with fear in his voice. "Is he really a ghost?"

"No dear he is just really fast," The mother answered. She didn't sound quite sure of herself.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagggggggggghhhhhhhhhh!!!" was the sound every one in heard.

Aang, Katara, and Toph were sitting on a porch in the front of the Inn. Katara and Toph were on a swing and Aang was on a chair next to them.

Then they saw the butcher running down the street with a mob of angry squirrel cats on his tail.

"That is what he meant by making someone 'regret' ticking him off," Katara laughed.

"Who is this he?" Aang asked enviously.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaggggggghhhh!" the butcher yelled while running the other way down the street passing the group again. The mob was still on his tail.

"The guy that they call the Ghost," Katara answered calmly.

"Did you do anything to tick him off," Toph asked.

"I might have crossed a personnel boundary with one of my questions," Katara said cautiously.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagggggggggghhhhhhhhhh!" The butcher screamed running in the original direction down the street passing Aang, Katara, and Toph again. The mob was still on his tail.

The screaming abruptly ended when Toph bended a wall of earth into his path. Allowing the squirrel cats to drag him off.

"Will you knock me out with a wall of dirt?" Katara asked.

"Only if you scream a lot while you run away," Toph said smiling wickedly.

"Can I talk to him?" Aang asked excitedly.

"It's really up to him whether you can or not," Katara explained.

"Does the Ghost have a real name?" Toph asked.

"Yes he does," Katara said. Then she lowered her voice to a whisper. "It's Zuko."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Zuko sat on top of a building where he watched the chaos that he created.

"That blind girl is really starting to get on my nerves," Zuko muttered to himself. He had heard her talking when the butcher had found him and he just saw her earthbend. "But seeing that was pretty funny."

Then he dashed off into the desert to practice some firebending moves.

Zuko took a stance that was usually used for waterbending. Then produced a long whip made out of gray-blue lightning. Then moved it around like a water whip. He made a sudden jab causing the lightning to fan out perfectly in all directions.

After that he decided to take a break from the usual advanced moves and just began to send a shower of fireballs towards any random target. Zuko took a horse stance for a difficult move, but then he saw something in the bushes. It was Lee.

"Hey you there!" Zuko called out.

Then Lee bolted. Zuko followed him and chased him into a corner.

"You're a firebender," Lee accused.

"Yes. Yes I am," Zuko said panting every word. He doesn't have a lot of strength or stamina due to the fact that he can't get a decent meal.

"You can speak," Lee stated with shock plain in his voice.

"Yes. Please don't tell anyone about this," Zuko pleaded.

"I do not listen too firebenders!" Lee shouted angrily.

10 minutes later.

"I saw the Ghost!" Lee screamed into the air. He was standing in the middle of the town's main street.

Everyone dropped what he or she were doing and crowded around Lee. Katara, Toph and Aang came running out of the Inn and joined the crowd.

"What did you see?" asked Seela Lee's mother.

"I saw the ghost, and was firebending," Lee told the crowd. "He spoke to me. He can really talk."

"Son that is not possible," Seela said soothingly.

"The Ghost is a firebender, and he's smart like us," he insisted.

Everyone laughed at that statement. Well everyone but Toph Aang and Katara. The trio broke off from the group and met in their Room in the Inn.

"Do you really think he is a firebender?" Aang asked hopefully.

"The kid was right about his intelligence," Toph pointed out.

"I will try to talk to him. Aang need a firebending teacher. Zuko may be it," Katara said. "But we have to keep in mind that he might not be a master. He might even be awful."

"If he is he's better nothing," Toph said.

"We cant choose someone because they're better than nothing," Katara scolded. "We have to choose the right person from the start."

"Katara is right," Aang said.

"You always choose her side," Toph accused.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The entire town was a mess. They were completely thrown by Lee's message. No matter how much they denied it they were.

"He's harmless", "His mission is to kill us all", and "he is a spy for the fire lord" were some of the less extreme rumors going around. The more extreme rumors involved soul stealing, evil spirits, and the undead. Toph spread most of those rumors.

"This is the most fun I have had in forever," Toph said grinning like and ape. She sat reclined in a chair with her feet resting on a footstool.

"Why are you doing this?" Katara asked in an annoyed tone.

"I lived most of my life without really having a life, and you are going to deny me a little fun?" Toph asked.

"If by fun you mean ruining our chances at getting Aang a firebending teacher? Then yes," Katara said while rubbing the bridge of her nose. Of course that started a catfight.

"Hey it's that Lee kid. Maybe we can ask him some questions," Aang said. He was pointing to Lee who was standing in the middle of the street.

"Good idea twinkle toes," Toph said to Aang. Suddenly Lee was waist deep in solid ground. The group walked up to the trapped boy and stared at him.

"What did I do?" He asked.

"You didn't tell the Avatar exactly what you saw," Toph said accusingly.

Katara decided to do some damage control. "Sorry about Toph; she doesn't get out much. Can you tell us exactly what you saw?" Katara asked nicely.

"I saw him bend lightning. Then I saw him send fireballs everywhere. The figure he used where really weird. I had seen then before but they were used in different types of bending," Lee recalled. "Then he spotted me."

"Thanks that is all we needed to know," Aang said. Then he ran off leaving a very confused boy waist deep in the ground. Toph let him out and followed Aang.

"Is lightning good?" Katara asked.

"Lightning is very good," Aang answered.

"Then we found your teacher," Katara said with a smile.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Hello Zuko. I'm sorry I made you angry," Katara called out. She was in the same place as the first time she met him.

There was a sound in the shadows. Then Zuko stepped out of the nearest one.

"What do you want?" Zuko demanded to know.

"I want you to teach the Avatar firebending," Katara said to him.

"Will I have to fight the Fire Lord?" Zuko asked.

"Yes," She answered.

"Then no," Zuko said.

"Why?" she asked him.

"I have my own reasons," Zuko explained.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Did you really think that I would have him join just like that? Here are answers to questions I commonly get or have just been asked.

Zuko does have his scar. The reason he hides is because he became a traitor when he said no to hunting the Avatar. Walking around in the town would bring the Fire nation there to catch him.

Thanks to ginsensu, Dragon Jadefire, and Nynke for reviewing.