Date Completed: 27, Dec 2008

Pairing: Future Sokka/Zuko; slight Kataang. Also, this is NOT Toko. There is a bit of Zuko-Toph bonding, but that's only because I felt bad for her lack of field-trips in the series. They're brother and sister. Nothing more. Besides maybe servant and slave-driver. But Toph is one of my favorite characters, so don't expect her to disappear into the background. I intend to have plenty of Zuko-Toph bonding scenes. The world's just not right if they're not bestest friends. = ]

Disclaimer: My lawyers are still compiling evidence, but as of yet, I still don't own Avatar. Darn.

Summary: When Zuko asked to join the Gaang and teach the avatar firebending, he mentioned that there was "not very much time left," and they assumed he meant until Sozin's Comet. But what if there was another restriction on his time –one he hasn't told anyone about? (Much angst, drama llama, and romance-smut. Oh yeah, and a good dosage of omg NOOO! )

AN: I had thought that it being the holidays, I'd get a lot more free time to sit and write, and hopefully crank out at least five chapters by the time I had to go back to school. Thought. Unfortunately, I forgot to account for the fact that my mother was also off work, and expected me to spend time with the family and whatnot. Therefore, I could sneak off to my room to write little more than a paragraph every couple hours before she'd realize I wasn't there and demand I emerge from my hermit-hole. So I was disappointed, and you should be too. But she goes back to work, and I'll be able to write more.

Securing a long length of rope to a nearby tree, Zuko walked to the edge of the cliff face and peeked over the edge. His gaze was rewarded by a nearly unfathomable drop to certain death, enshrouded in fog and darkness. Still, he knew from his previous visit to the Western Air Temple that the Air Nomads had affixed their homes to the underside of the cliffs, and that the only way to see it would be to slide down a rope to them. He could only hope that they hadn't been destroyed...

Mentally crossing his fingers, Zuko slung the rope over the edge and watched it bounce slightly until all the tension was out of it. It wouldn't do to start over the side to discover that his rope was still swaying to-and-fro like some sort of snake; he could very well slide right off the end to his death. Next he wrapped the rope firmly around both hands, turning around to face the tree –the side the temple would be once he was hanging precariously from a thin rope. It was now or never. Then again, Zuko had never been a coward. Gritting his teeth, he stepped backwards into the abyss.

Obviously his knotting ability had improved since his days aboard the Fire Nation vessel. Although it was thinner than he would have preferred, the rope (and by extension, the knots) held him steady, so that he was hanging a foot or two below the drop-off, layers of solid earth inches in front of his face. Slowly he loosened his grip on the rope until he was jerkily descending into the crater below him. It took him only seconds to find a system that worked and soon he was smoothly sliding down the rope at a manageable speed. He couldn't help but look behind him down into the black abyss he was just so narrowly avoiding, but he also noticed something else. Etched into the wall before him was a large carving of the last Air Nomad Avatar. He had made it.

The temples themselves looked exactly as he had remembered them – large, white stone temples with jade-green roofs, but upside down, so that the widest floor of each building was the highest up, cemented into the cliff above. Between every few temples were large stone platforms coming out of the rock face; these were probably used as landing spots for the airbenders of years past. Zuko wasn't an airbender, but the platform before him looked a well enough landing spot for him. Gripping the rope extra tight for fear of falling, he threw his bodyweight away from the platform. The rope swayed accordingly. As it started to return, he leaned into the swing, powering it towards the platform again. Two more swings and he was close enough – then he was falling, crouching, and landing lightly on his feet, a hand down to help catch his balance. Safely on the platform, he turned out towards the open air and remembered the last time he was there; his uncle had been with him.

"What a stunning view," Uncle had declared, more as a benefit to himself than the frustrated teen beside him.

"The only view I'm interested in seeing is the Avatar in chains." He had been so angry, he recalled.

"You know, the Avatar hasn't been seen for a hundred years. The chances of finding him here are very slim."

"First we'll check each of the Air Temples, then we'll scour the world, searching even the most remote locations until we find him," he had seethed, hands balling into fists at his side.

"Prince Zuko, it's only been a week since your banishment," his Uncle had pleaded, concerned for the health and safety of his nephew. "You should take some time to heal, and rest."

He hadn't listened to him, and instead turned on Uncle like an angry bear-dog. "What else would I expect from the laziest man in the Fire Nation?!" Uncle had sighed in resignation. Even then he had expected nothing but insults from his only nephew. Still, Zuko had trudged on, needing to explain away his actions. "The only way to regain my honor is to find the Avatar... so I will." Uncle only turned away, leaving the prince to brood as only Zuko could.

Now he could understand what a jerk he had been. The old man had just been looking out for him, had cared, which was more than Zuko could say he had ever done for anyone but himself. Guilt rose up in his throat so thickly that he felt nauseous, and pinched the bridge of his nose between this thumb and index finger, sighing heavily. When would he be able to atone for his seemingly endless sins?

Suddenly, a roar sounded from above and Zuko was jerked back to attention. That must be the Avatar's Sky Bison. At least I've got the right place. Determining the direction of the sound to be to his left, he backed up quickly until he was hidden from view by a large pillar and squatted down. A colossal black shadow crossed the sky and situated itself on the edge of the main building of the temple – several hundred feet away from where Zuko was hiding.

They got here too soon. He had no idea what to say, and it suddenly occurred to him that they had no reason to trust him; he had betrayed them too many times before already. But he was not giving up, or running away. He just... needed a bit of private time to figure out how he was going to ask these people to foster him without making it sound like what it really was – begging. So with the best of intentions, the dark-haired teen backed away from his hiding spot and bolted for the stairs, doing just what he claimed he'd never do – running away.

Ready, and PULL!

With one final yank, the last of their supplies tumbled free from their confines of Appa's saddle, and into waiting arms down below. Several pots and pans clattered to the ground with various clanging sounds of distress and Sokka did his best to look embarrassed when his sister threw him a withering look. Honestly, as if she wasn't expecting it. He may have had a reputation for being a goof ball or idiot, but the young man had a head full of logic and reasoning behind most actions and knew full and well what the rest of the group thought of him. They thought he was near-worthless for his inability to bend any of the elements that gave his sister, Aang, and Toph so much enjoyment. He was harebrained for his klutziness and his unique talent of tripping over air. He was also the first anyone turned to when the had a problem. Underneath his gruff exterior was a softhearted soul who would listen to any amounts of "girl problems" with little complaint, or be a friend to vent to when the young Avatar was having difficulties handling the three elements he knew. But being the only guy in the group with actual arm muscles, he was also their personal butler – hauling anything of substantial weight or size to wherever the group seemed to need it.

Arms laden with all manner of campsite necessities, Sokka waddled away from the huge Sky Bison and over towards the arguing voices of the gaang at the other end of the temple. Katara stood in front of Aang, hands on her hips in the typical -don't argue with me or I'll waterbend you off a cliff- stance. Aang was holding his own though, surprisingly. The bald monk gripped his staff in white knuckles, looking as though he were about to bolt at any moment. Sounds like Katara's being preachy again. I better go help Aang before she rips his head off or something...

Up close, the source of the argument became apparent, and Sokka thought again about trying to reason with her. Aang did need to be part of their plans for the Comet. Briefly, the thought of Toph in Aang's clothes – controlling the Avatar State with the same cockiness she controlled everything else and terrifying the Fire Lord until he ran away screaming – crossed his mind and he had to muffle the inappropriate giggles in one of the sleeping mats he was carrying. But what about new plans? What had changed? Aang still needed to learn firebending and defeat the Fire Lord before the comet came, so why the rush? Still, an angry Katara was a terrifying one. Vocally agreeing with his sister, he lumbered over to the nearest flat surface and emptied his load on the smooth stone. That was much better. He spun his arms in circles about his head to return feeling to them. Before him, his sister was obviously getting ticked off; her face was turning red, arms were crossing and uncrossing, and was leaning closer to a trembling Aang with practically every word. Sokka did not envy the guy.

"You're the Avatar, Aang. You need to be part of the plan-making! We only have two more months before the Comet hits, and you still need to learn firebending," she chastised. Still, Aang had been under a lot of stress lately, and didn't take well to being pushed around. The twelve year-old sprawled across a stone bench and flicked a pebble at Toph, who was quick to volley it back, creating a miniature rock-war.

"In case you forgot, it isn't even possible! I mean, it isn't like we're just gonna run into Jeong Jeong again– "

"Wait, who's– Never mind. If it's important, I'm sure I'll find out," Toph spoke up from beside him. Aang and his sister continued their tense 'conversation' while Sokka focused on someone who wasn't likely to knock him off a cliff if he interrupted. Toph let the pebble fall to the floor and started picking dirt out from between her toes. Gross. Or maybe not...

Still. There had to be someone who could teach Aang firebending...

"Hello. Zuko here! But I guess you probably already know me... sort of... uh. So! The thing is, I have a lot of firebending experience and I'm considered to be pretty good at it. Well, you've seen me, you know, when I was attacking you? Uh... Yeah, I guess I should apologize for that. But anyway, I'm good now. I mean, I thought I was good before, but now I know I wasn't... Uh..."

No. definitely not how he wanted to start off his first actual conversation with the Avatar and his friends. He needed to be suave, be charismatic.

Unfortunately he was neither.

He recalled Jet from his time in Ba Sing Sei. Now he had been convincing. Granted, he hadn't convinced him, but Zuko could still recognize the aura of complete self-assurance that Jet had simply radiated... and couldn't help but wish he had half the man's talent. Not that the prince of the Fire Nation wasn't chalk-full of talent. Firebending talent. Tracking talent. Hell, Zuko even had some musical talent judging by how many times Uncle had requested he play the tsungi horn on their ship's 'music night'. It just so happened that the dark-haired teen had very little skill in social situations – something he had never regretted as much as now.

'Froggy', the badgerfrog on the fallen tree before him, agreed with his earlier self-reprisal with a loud croak.

Zuko didn't have the heart to scare away the only creature to get close to him, and slumped back against the log with a long sigh, legs flopped out before him as they grew tired of bearing his weight. This' been happening more and more often, he thought bitterly, gazing upward through the foliage to the blue sky beyond. First it was just a headache, then a cough, now everything's all... achy... Damn cold.

Zuko had always hated being sick. Whether it was just the common cold or the chickensnake pox when he was nine, it had always left him feeling weak, helpless, and wanting to sleep all day. As a firebender, he woke and slept by the sun, so an all day lay-in was completely against both his instincts and his childish desire to not want to waste the day. Already he was starting to feel as though he were a tree, planting his roots deep in the ground, going to be stuck there for all eternity. Grumbling, he pushed himself up with shaking arms.

He needed to figure out how to convince these people that he was on their side. Who else was convincing? Oh! What would Uncle do?

A hand went behind his back while the other went to tug on an imaginary beard. "You have to look within yourself to save yourself from your other self. Only then will your true self reveal itself." All that left him was a sore throat from talking with a gravely voice, and becoming even more confused than he had been originally. Even when I'm talking for him I can't figure out what he means! What would Azula do?

"Listen, Avatar," he imitated, raising his voice to an irritatingly high pitch and putting a hand on a popped hip for emphasis. "Either I can join your group, or I can do something unspeakably horrible to your and your friends. Your choice." This time he came away with the added benefit of feeling dirty, and shivered at the thought of acting like his homicidal sister.

Realizing that he was truly alone in this, Zuko sank to the ground once again. This is hopeless! Everyone I know either wants me dead or isn't here to help. His thoughts turned south in a familiar whirlpool of despair and didn't seem to mind, however, and leapt into his warm lap with a hearty croak. Great green eyes peered up at him and Zuko couldn't deny the furry animal. Calloused fingers sought out the backs of ears and the underside of a smooth neck, and his chest grew warm at the rumbling noise the creature emitted.

Maybe he wasn't as alone as he had thought.

Somehow he had gotten roped into sitting on a two-ton bison's head, steering, as his sister yelled at Aang to get back down to the temple to discuss future plans. Normally he wasn't against such quests, as he was 'The Plan Guy' and felt the need to be included in all manner of planning, organizing, or meat-eating. Now, however, he could do nothing but hold on for dear life as the huge flying beast ducked around the hanging temples at death-defying speeds. Again, this wasn't unusual, or something he wouldn't enjoy doing.

Back at the main temple, they were just starting on lunch.

And that's why Sokka wanted to be anywhere but here.

Having grown up with the woman, Sokka knew his sister better than anyone, and knew that she wouldn't give up until Aang was (unhappily) included in the plans for the future. Therefore, the quickest way to happiness (and a full stomach) was to appease her and try to get Aang to see reason.

"Aang!" he yelled at the orange speck doing flips some fifty feet above him, "I think we should be making some plans for our future!"

The orange speck looped around the large fountain and touched down, glider folding before him. Seconds later Appa landed next to his owner and his weary passengers climbed off of him eagerly. "Sure! We can do that right after I show you around the temple. You'll just love the all-day echo chamber!"

"I think that'll have to wait." Sokka jumped, having forgotten the short earthbender was even there. He looked down, only to follow the blind girl's stony expression toward the opening of the cliff face. Suddenly, he agreed with her. "We have company."

And behind them stood both the bane of their existence and the solution to all their problems.

Immediately all eyes focused on him and he froze. All the carefully thought-out speeches he had constructed for this very moment fled from his feeble grasp, and the ex-prince was left standing before a group of talented benders who wanted him dead, without any idea of how to ask them for their help. Or for him to help them. He had been going out on a limb with a plan, but now he might as well have stayed at the temple when he had first arrived. No, that's not right, he thought, thinking back to the cute little badgerfrog he had left back at the camp in case the Gaang had turned volatile. Like now.

The water tribe peasant bended the water from her side-pouch into a horseshoe around her head, glaring fire despite her element and ready to fight. Beside her, the young Avatar held his hands up in openhanded guard, and Zuko knew better than to assume that the open hands would hurt less than closed ones. A girl with chunky black bangs – the earthbender, he realized – sunk into a low sumo-like stance with raised fists – tightly balled and shaking with tension. He couldn't see her face from the outcropping he was standing on, but he was positive that her eyebrows would be knitted in anger and her teeth gritted, as was her right. Even the Avatar's pet armadillomonkey jumped to attention; well-toned arms wielding a steely boomerang with what Zuko knew was deadly accuracy.

Zuko wished the earth could just swallow him up.

Judging by twitching toes of the earthbending girl, it just might.

Zuko's chest was tight and his breathing came quicker the longer he stood there, awkwardly, waiting for either his speech to return to him or the Avatar to smite him down. Seconds drug by and neither side moved – the Gaang to see what the prince was up to now, and Zuko to not interrupt the already strained silence and infuriate the powerful benders before him.

Slowly the world around him started to tilt left. He hid it well (why give them any more reason to laugh at him?) but the floor felt like it was swaying, as if he were back on the Fire Nation ship. Drums were beating loudly behind each temple. The angry faces before him kept going blurry, only to refocus less than a second later. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the shorter girl lower her hands slowly...

"What do you want?!" the waterbender demanded, throwing her hands out to her side in obvious confusion and annoyance. Zuko tried his best to focus on her still slightly blurry face.

"I-I want...I've decided that... No. I heard you guys flying around here, and... I guess I thought I'd just wait for you..." For some reason, they still didn't look any less hostile. "I think I should join you and your group. I no longer want to fight for the Fire Nation. There's not much time left..." I'm forgetting something... "Oh, and I can teach the Avatar firebending!"

Suddenly, something large, cold, and utterly wet swept up the right side of his face and into his hair. To his right was the Avatar's Sky Bison, and it looked as though he remembered him from his trip to Lake Laogai. Zuko did his best to look not completely disgusted as he wiped his face off with his red flowing sleeve.

"Well," the Avatar spoke up, "Appa sure seems to like him."

Boomerang-man was less than convinced, and stalked up to him with heavy steps. Less than a yard away he stopped, hands on his hips and glaring daggers at the firebender. "He probably just covered himself in honey or something so Appa would lick him. I don't buy it." This time there was a lick from his ankles to head and Zuko couldn't help but shiver at the slimy feeling. Still, he was tempted to point out just how insane the 'warrior's judgment was. As if he'd dirty himself just for their acceptance...

"I want to apologize for hunting you all that time. It was wrong of me, and ...I'm truly sorry." Apologizing was not something Zuko was used to doing, and already disgruntled from his blossoming headache and slight dizziness, he couldn't help it if it came out...not as sincere as it was meant to. "But I did do somethings!" Skeptical looks from all. "I rescued your bison from those traders at Lake Laogai!"

"Still," the waterbender screamed, fists clenching and the hovering water flowed faster in response. "You've betrayed us too many times. We'll never accept you into our group!"

Seeing his last opportunity for redemption flying away, Zuko turned desperately towards the bald monk – shoulders slumping and bottom lip trembling to keep in the frustrated tears that were threatening to fall. "Why aren't you saying anything?" he asked, gold eyes pleading salvation from the gray ones before him. "You once said we could be friends..."

Gray eyes avoided his own and his heart sunk into the cold depths of his stomach. They would never let him join them. He had left the warm and sheltered life in the Fire Palace, only to be turned out at Agni's Golden Gates and all that was left for him was the dank, dark abyss of the netherworld. A sneer of absolute loathing and superiority came from the water girl, and her brother placed a protective hand on her shoulder, steely eyes staring him down. Even the peaceful monk looked set in his defiance of Zuko's plea; the Avatar shook his head once sharply and stared into quivering golden orbs, daring him to question his authority in the matter. Only the earthbending girl seemed to be honestly considering the boy's prayer, eyebrows knitted thoughtfully and hands loose at her sides. But one kind heart couldn't overrule three bitter ones, and Zuko knew he was outnumbered.

Slowly – so as to not be seen as a move to attack them – Zuko kneeled down at their feet, hands raised above his head, ready for the proverbial shackles of defeat.

"If you won't accept me as a friend," he breathed, voice shaking in an effort to control his still-sporadic breathing and fight the oncoming tears, "take me as your prisoner." He knew that he could no longer return to the Fire Nation. It was better that he be held 'captive' by the Avatar then left alone against the rest of the hate-filled world.

"No. We. WON'T!"

A force like a river plowed into his chest, knocking him onto his side and sent his whole world cascading into white and pain. Everything was wet and sore. Muscles that he hadn't even known he had had throbbed as though a large hand were squeezing them in a vice grip.

He put his hand out to push himself up into a sitting position, keeping his gold eyes half-focused on the bricks beneath him as they did their best to spin and blur underneath. Finally he was again kneeling before the group; a mop of soaked black hair hanging between him and his attackers. A trail of hot wetness made its way down his cheek to hang off his chin, and Zuko was ashamed to realize that he was crying. He was the crowned prince of the Fire Nation; he couldn't be so weak. No, he corrected, I'm not a prince anymore. I gave that up for these people, who would rather feed me to the sharks. Everything seemed so hopeless. Why was he still alive if all he did was cause trouble?

"You need to leave," that same voice ordered, "and if we see you around here again..." they trailed off, obviously unable to think of an alternative to outright threatening his life. "Well, just hope we don't see you here again."

Zuko nodded slightly to show that he understood, and regretted it when the motion sent the drums in his head into overdrive. Shakily he pushed himself to his feet. The first step was like stepping into sand; his legs were weak and wobbly and didn't want to support his weight. A few more unsteady steps and he nearly stumbled, but caught himself and played it off as though he had tripped over something, even looking back to the ground behind him.

Apparently he wasn't leaving quick enough, for small balls of ice began to pelt him from behind, and he was forced to duck and run from the onslaught. What am I gonna do now?

Back at the temple, Sokka loosened his white-knuckle grip on his boomerang with a relieved sigh.

He seriously didn't want to get into a fight with that guy. Thankfully he backed down, 'cause I don't know what we would've done if him and his Fire Nation cronies had come to take on the Avatar again. Psht. As if they could. Still, it was nice to not have to immediately get into a fight after they just got settled into the cliff side. It'd be a pain to move after all that.

Hey, he didn't actually fight us though... he realized suddenly, halting mid-stride towards where the rest of the gang were setting up a campfire for the ironically cold Fire Nation nights. Katara gave him an odd look, before realizing who she was watching and rolled her eyes, going back to waterbending the moisture out of a pile of damp logs. Toph practically oozed frustration and turned to the rest of the group, grumbling something about them turning away their only hope for a firebending teacher, and stormed off somewhere to fume alone. Sokka, on the other hand, sat back down on his stone bench, gazing at the spot Zuko had stood as if staring would tell him why the other boy had came to them. Last they had seen him, the Fire prince had betrayed Katara by siding with his evil sister and attacking Aang. Honestly, Sokka couldn't blame the guy. I mean, if it was a choice between going with Katara or some girl I had only talked to for five minutes, it's no question that blood is thicker than water. As far as the rest of the Fire Nation was concerned though, the Avatar was considered dead and both the prince and princess should've returned home to be lavished upon by their servants, and the gang would never had seen them again. So why was the heir to the throne begging for the help of them?

Of course, the answer was obvious.

They had seen through his little scheme, and called him on what it truly was – a trap.

Then why did he feel like they were making a mistake?

Safe in the dense foliage of the upper forests, Zuko let himself go; all the frustration and anxious fear feeding off the surrounding vegetation until all that was left of the woods ten feet on all sides were charred remains of trees and shrubbery. He fell to his knees, legs no longer up to supporting his weight after such a taxing burst of firebending, and clenched fistfuls of limp black in his shaking hands. Tears burned at the back of his eyes, but he refused to let them fall; he had already shamed himself once today so he refused to do it again, no matter how much better he'd feel after he was sure it'd make him feel. Instead he tugged harshly at the locks in his grip, embracing the pain it brought because it was better than the alternative. Why was he always such a screw up? It seemed as though his only purpose was to screw up over and over and over and over...

As they tended to do, eventually even his cold and steely self-control was beaten down by the emotional backwash, and a stray tear slipped passed his thick black eyelashes to roll down his face. Then there was a second, and third, and by then there was no point in resisting. Along with salty tears, a few drops of fresh, forest-scented water fell from the sky as it started to rain – as though even the very earth itself sensed his anguish. Kneeling in the ashes of his charred salvation, he cried silently, oblivious the rain and the ominous rolling thunder.

Red velvet was underfoot, the encroaching blackness leering up towards the high, candle-lit ceilings. Before him were thousands of faceless bodies, leering and jeering at him from their places below the stage. Battle drums beat along with the stomping of the crowd. A menacing shadow fell over him and fire burned beneath his feet. Slowly, Zuko turned to face his adversary...

The Fire Lord stood nearly twenty feet tall, narrowed eyes burning towards his cowering son as he stepped forward; fire bursting out from his feet with every step.

Every muscle in Zuko's body begged to move – to run as far as he could from his father – but it was as though his legs were held in place by sand, and the struggle made him lose his balance, falling onto his knees with a thud. The Fire Lord looked furious. He squeezed his eyes shut, pleading for mercy.

"Help me, Zuko!" a voice screamed out from the darkness. Suddenly, although he couldn't recall opening his eyes, his mother lay before him; dark hair mixing with the pool of blood, blank eyes staring into his soul as she reached out for him.

"It's all your fault. If you would've just died like the healers thought you would, I wouldn't have had to assassinate Azulon. I could've lived a normal life. Your uncle would still have his father and your sister would still have her grandfather!"

"Please, Mother!" Zuko begged, crawling forward on hands and knees towards her slowly decaying corpse. Tears fell like rain and the ruby-black blood inched up over his fingers to hold him to the ground. "I didn't want you to leave me! I didn't ask for any of this!"

The corpse of his mother just laughed, and to his horror he could see through the rips in her decaying cheeks to the inside of her mouth, overrun with maggots. Blood oozed from her eyes and nose, and a skeletal hand reached out with terrifying quickness to grasp his wrist tight. He tried to pull away, but found her strength outmatched his own, and his eyes stuck on her mangled body.

"Ask? You never ask for anything, do you?" she taunted, left eyeball blackening with blood and starting to slide out of its socket. "You're a bastard excuse for a son! All you ever do is cause problems for people. Think of your uncle! Iroh's now a traitor to his whole nation because of you. If he's caught, he'll be killed, and it'll all be on your head! And now you've nowhere to go... do you think your father will accept you back again? You're a traitor now, and when they catch you – because they will –" she hissed, eye halfway down her cheek, "they'll kill you. Like an animal!"

The war drums beat faster, and the shadows flowed up and over his mother, dragging her screaming into the blackness. Zuko's heart pounded in his chest and he reached out to the night weakly, tears running down his cheeks. What she said had hurt, but it was all true, and she was his mother...

"You've disgraced the Fire Nation." Zuko spun around to face his father again. The King's fists were wreaths of fire, leaping up to disappear into the blackness all around them. "You need to learn suffering," he seethed, grabbing a fistful of Zuko's hair in a tight fist, pulling the crying boy's face into clear view, "and suffering will be your teacher!"

Fire rushed at his face, and he screamed, throwing his hands out to stop the fire.

"Please, Father, NO!"

"Ahhhh!"

Abruptly, Zuko realized two things – one, that he was no longer dreaming and two, that someone else was there, scrambling around in the rocks outside his makeshift tarp-tent. Blearily, he rubbed the sleep out his eyes before leaping up to see who was sneaking around outside his tent.

"You burnt my feet!" Crap, it was the earthbender. She was sprawled out on her bottom, staring at him in shock. He rushed forward to help her. Suddenly she seemed to realize just who she was in front of, and turned over, crawling away quickly on hands and knees, throwing huge rocks at him with her earthbending that he could just narrowly avoid.

"Stop – come back here!" dodge to the left "I can help you!" duck to avoid a particularly large boulder "I've been burnt before, I know how to make it feel better... Just trust me!"

Those seemed to be the magic words and the girl stopped for a split second before bending a huge rock pillar out of the ground, smashing into his ribcage and sending him flying backwards with tremendous force. He hit the ground on his side a second later, jarring his screaming ribs and turned his vision black for a moment. But she was running away again, and with her his last hope of a happy life, so he pushed himself up to go after her.

"Wait, please- Ugh!"

The pain was suddenly so severe that he could only wrap his arms around his middle, praying to Agni that he would just die so he wouldn't have to endure it anymore. It felt as though his chest was caught under a falling mountain, smashing his ribs and heart and lungs and all the important organs that lay beyond. His head spun and again everything was blurry. A serpent was forcing itself up from his tumbling stomach and he leaned over on hands and knees, vomiting the little remains of the day before's breakfast across the dirt floor of the forest. Dizziness swept upon him like a tidal wave, and everything went black.

He was warm. More like, encased in layers and layers of thick woolen comforter, but he was still warm. Plus, something brushed over his face before running through his hair. Is someone... petting me? It felt heavenly though, so he remained perfectly still, hoping whoever it was wouldn't realize he was awake and stop. Unfortunately, they seemed to discover his feint or get bored of the action, because the light touch disappeared. A warm weight settled against his side.

Slowly he started returning to reality, and could begin to feel the aches and pains in his chest once again. It wasn't as sharp as before, but the dull pressure was still uncomfortable. Also, his toes were beginning to go tingly-numb from not moving for so long. Overall, he was beginning to get twitchy, and needed to move.

Golden eyes cracked open to face the world.

His gaze was met by the red lumpy ceiling of his tarp-tent. It was still dark save for the exaggerated shadows of the flickering fire, so he knew he hadn't been out for long. Leaned against his side was the earthbender girl from earlier, and despite the fact that she was staring at the fire at the opening of the tent and not him, he got the impression that she knew he was awake and staring at her. She was sitting with her legs sprawled out in front of her, back slouched against his hip, and had an elbow resting sturdily on his knee to her left. Her other hand was fiddling with a half-eaten seal jerky stick, a rare delicacy Zuko had thrown haphazardly into his bag when he had abandoned the palace a few days ago. Had she been going through his things?

"Got enough beauty sleep there, princess?"

Reaction delayed with his still-sleepiness, it took a moment for Zuko to realize that she was talking to him. It took him another moment to remember that he was supposed to reply to that somehow."Oh... Yeah... I guess I feel a lot better now..." She snorted and he realized that she must've pulled him under cover from the icy rain. Suddenly he remembered her burned feet, and glanced down to the wounded appendages. Ouch. Guilt burned its way through his sore chest and his cheeks colored. "Ah, I have something that'll help heal your feet."

She snorted again with a scowl, blowing a piece of hair up away from her face, and leaned back further into his side. He winced. "You burnt my feet," she said, as though that explained everything. Huffing, she wiggled her toes and hissed, turning her upper body towards him to scowl at him. "It's not like I can walk on my hands or anything..."

"Well, I can carry you, I guess..."

"And not know what's goin on? Pft. How am I supposed to trust you when you're the one who burnt me?!"

Zuko frowned. "What do you mean, 'not know what's going on?' Can't you just –" he stopped as she waved a hand over her face, emphasizing how her eyes didn't twitch or react to the light at all.

"I'm blind. I 'see' your vibrations with my feet." She 'looked' back towards the warmth of the fire again.

"Oh."

"Yeah, 'oh'."

An awkward silence descended upon the odd pair.

"You don't fight like you're blind..."

The girl glanced over at him, a thoughtful look on her face. "Thank you," she smiled, "I can feel your heartbeat and can tell when someone's lying or faking, so if you think that me being blind will give you an advantage in a fight, you're dead wrong. I'm the Blind Bandit, champion of Earth Rumble 6!"

Zuko had no idea what 'Earth Rumble 6' was, but nodded along just to agree with the spunky girl. He had seen her in action and didn't want to mess with her undisputed talent. Slowly he pushed himself up until he was sitting crossed leg beside her, back ramrod straight in the only position where it didn't blind him with pain. The girl quickly readjusted herself to lean against his side once again, head leaning on his upper arm.

Another pair of blind-gray eyes flitted through his mind, and he found himself wondering if Lady Konowae was blind too.

"Lady who?" Apparently he had spoken out loud. His cheeks turned red and he ducked his head, despite knowing that she couldn't see his blush.

"No one really, just this fortune teller I saw before I left the palace..."

"Ooh, a fortune teller?! Did she give you a good fortune? I bet she told you to join Aang, right?"

Zuko frowned, recalling the dramatic prediction and drew his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms tight around them like a shield. Disturbed by his moving, she glanced up at him, only to 'see' that he seemed closed off and very alone. "Things... aren't looking good for me."

Silence settled over them, and they busied themselves listening to the lonely chirping of a pair of cricketbees. Beyond the opening of the makeshift tent, the rain continued to come down, freezing the world in sheets of black and gray. The trees on the other side of the small clearing looked intimidating; each branch seeming to take on the appearance of clawed arms before his eyes. Seeing only with the vibrations through her right hand flat on the ground, the world seemed an intimidating place. It didn't take long for the girl to crave the warmth again.

"That was some dream you had there."

"It was nothing. Just a nightmare."

"One where you woke up and burned me..."

"Okay, okay, it was a bad nightmare, alright?!"

"No need to get your pants in a twist, I'm just sayin..." She turned towards the agitated prince, hands on her knees and leaning forward in his face. "So, what was it about?"

"That's none of your business!" he cried, jerking away from the pouting girl. Still, she persisted.

"Well, if you wanna join us, you've gotta get used to the little 'emotional talks' that Aang's so fond of. I'm just lettin you practice on me! Besides, "she insisted, knowing just what buttons to push to get him to cave, "how are we supposed to trust you if you're keeping stuff from us?" The little brat was actually smirking at him, daring him to contradict her. Zuko just sighed, resigning himself to his fate.

"It was about my mother," he whispered, staring at the crackling fire to avoid her sightless gaze. "And I guess about my father too..."

"Well I figured that much," she huffed, crossing her arms as though he was keeping some big secret from her. "I mean, you did scream out 'please father no' right before you burnt my feet," she reminded, propping up a knee to lay her unoccupied hand on. "What was that about, anyway?"

Zuko squeezed his eyes shut, trying to push the image of his father's flaming fist out of his mind, finding the fire only kept the memory fresh. He considered telling her 'it was nothing' again, but figured that wouldn't fly with the girl who could tell he was lying by the vibrations his heart made. "When I was thirteen, I attended my first and last war meeting. I spoke up against a strategy that would sacrifice a whole fleet of new recruits, and my father punished me for it and banished me from my own country," he murmured, reaching up to lightly finger his scar. Another hand found his, and his eyes flew open; the girl was kneeling right in front of him, mapping out the scar with her fingers with a concentrated expression – tongue poking out and all.

"Did he give you this?" she asked softly, running her finger along the bottom edge of the burn-smooth reddened skin. Zuko suddenly found that his throat was tight and nodded slightly, gold eyes closing against the soft brush of fingertips. It really did feel wonderful. Maybe he was just so starved for attention that he craved any form he could get? Gently he reached up and pulled her small hand from his face, leaning over to grab his bag that was laying a few feet away. His chest was burning again, but he had more important things to do. He dug around inside the disorganized sack with a slack expression – his version of a concentrated face – until he found a small jar. Ever since his banishment, he had taken to carrying a small jar of burn ointment with him at all times. The mint-scented lotion was expensive, but as the crowned prince of the Fire Nation, he had always been able to get anything at the snap of a finger. He would just have to make sure it could last until he could find some other source of income...

He turned back to the curious girl and gently pushed against her shoulders until she was sitting down, 'shushing' all her objections until she was practically laying down with her feet in his lap. She cocked an amused eyebrow at him but he ignored her skepticism; he had always believed that actions spoke louder than words, and scooping out a small amount of lotion in his hand, he set about trying to apologize for burning her.

The lotion started off thick and light green, but once it was warmed from his body heat, it melted into a colorless oil that filled the whole tent with the aroma of mint tea leaves. The girl hissed and started to pull her foot away when it first touched her toe, but relaxed in his grip when the mint leaves started doing their job. All the burning that she had endured while Zuko had been passed out was now dissipating rapidly, and she leaned back farther until she was laying sprawled out with her arms behind her head like a pillow, her left foot still in Zuko's gentle hands.

"Mmmmmm," she hummed, "maybe I'll have to drag you back to be my personal slave." Zuko just snorted, letting go of her left foot. The girl frowned, opening her mouth to argue when he grabbed her other foot, muttering something about equal healing times. "How do you like that, Sparky? Wanna join us still if it means you've gotta do my bidding until my feet're all better?"

Zuko gave her a level stare that was completely wasted on her as she couldn't see it, ignoring the nickname. "I'd want to join you guys if it meant that I would have to do all the chores, hunt for your food, and carry you around on my shoulders all day like a ostrichhorse. I'm a traitor to my own country, so there's really no point if I don't even get to teach the Avatar firebending."

The girl signed, biting on a thumbnail as she considered something. "Well, I could see if I could convince Sugar Queen to let you come stay with us, as long as you do everything I say until my feet are better. I'm sure Twinkle Toes wouldn't mind, and Snoozles could probably use another guy around to swap 'manly stories' with..."

"Snoozles...?"

"Sokka," she translated.

"Sokka...?"

"You mean you've chased us all across the world but don't even know our names?!" Zuko just shrugged shyly, setting down the girl's right foot and sealed up the jar again before it could tip over and spill out across the ground.

"It's not as though I really had any reason to," he reasoned, leaning back slowly on his hands, trying to find a comfortable position to not jar his sore ribs further. "Back then I just saw you all as a sort of prize, something to return my honor. Now I wish I knew them though..."

"I'll take pity on you because of that nifty little oil stuff," she decided, rolling over to prop herself up on her side with a hand. "My name's Toph, but you can call me Master." He just rolled his eyes, waving his hand for her to continue. "The Avatar's name is Aang. I call him Twinkle Toes, but somehow I don't think he'd like it if you started calling him that too. The waterbender's name is Katara, or Sugar Queen. Watch out for her, she's got a temper and no one wants to piss her off. Her brother's Sokka, Snoozles, and he's the meat and sarcasm guy. He deals mainly with meat and sarcasm. And planning. He's the plan guy too. Haru's the guy with the mustache, The Duke's the little kid, and Teo's the guy in the wheelchair. Got that?"

Zuko was struggling to just remember her name. "So you're... Toph. Right?" She nodded amusedly. "And the Avatar's Aang." Another nod. "The bi- waterbender's Katara." Toph let out a cross between a snort and a giggle, but nodded anyway. "And Sokka's the plan, mean, and sarcasm guy?"

"Yep. But I think if you come back knowing Haru, The Duke, or Teo, they'll just get freaked out that the Fire Nation already knows so much about them. Maybe it's best if you don't memorize their names? Yeah. Just remember ours."

Easier said than done, but Zuko figured he could manage. Or at least try. "Thanks for you know... helping me out earlier. Even though I burned your feet. You didn't have to do that..."

Toph just shrugged, idly bending little circles into the dirt by her side. "It's not like you gave me any other choice. You did pass out right in front of me, you know. What'd you expect me to do, leave you there?"

"Well... yeah. No one else but my uncle's ever really cared for me, or cared what happened to me. So why would you – a girl I stalked and hunted – do anything to help me?"

"You," she said, sitting up and poking him sharply in the chest with her finger, "aren't as tough as you try to act like. I don't care what the rest of the gaang says, you're just a big softie." This time Zuko didn't even blush, just nodding slightly, positive that she would sense the movement. Toph leaned back again, this time sprawled alongside him, both staring into the fire. "That and Twinkle Toes needs a firebending teacher that's not dead or dying. You sounded terrible."

Zuko grumbled, rubbing gently along his bruised side. "Of course I sounded terrible, you hit me in the chest with a friggin rock."

"Back at the temple," she clarified. The other boy looked out into the rain, remembering the way everything had seemed to tilt and sway, and the tightness in his chest. "Your heart was going a mile a minute and your breathing was as erratic as your steps. What's wrong with you?"

"Just a cold." A disbelieving glance. "Okay, a bad cold, alright? Jeesh... I might have a fever too, but that's probably from being out in the rain earlier. It's no big deal; it should go away in another week or two. I just need to 'drink more liquid', the fortune teller said. Load of garbage that was..." and he meant it. It wasn't even that bad of a cold. Certain things just set it off more and more often. But uncle had always said that things tend to get worse before they got better. "Anyway, it's getting late. You can stay the night here if you want, but won't the rest of your group wonder where you are?"

Toph let out a harsh laugh, expression turning foul. "Everyone's too stuck up in their own little worlds to worry about what I'm doing. Besides, I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself!"

"That's not what I meant," he placated, laying back and rolling over on his side to face her. "It's just- don't you guys usually sleep in the same area? Won't they notice when your bedroll stays empty?"

"We each have our own rooms and I was pretty angry when I left, so they'll just think I slept there." She rolled over to face him. "Yeah. I think I'll sleep here tonight. Got any extra blankets?"

Zuko just smiled, tossing the top two layers of his bedding over her, chuckling when she squealed, not expecting the sudden weight. After a few adjustments, both had their beds ready; side-by-side for protection from the cold. Toph snuggled into hers, maneuvering around until the blankets came up to her chin, flat on her back in the little niche she had created for herself with her earthbending skills. She looked quite comfy. Once he had wedged a pillow under the right side of his back, Zuko felt moderately comfortable too, or at least as comfortable as he was going to get that night. His ribs still ached terribly, but he figured there wasn't much he could do about it until morning at least. And he had had worse...

"What's it like, traveling with the Avatar?"

Her voice was slightly muffled with the covers, but he could still hear the little happy sigh when she thought about the group. "Aang's just a normal kid, really. His cheerfulness can get annoying, but he always keeps us on our toes. Him and Sugar Queen are always starting fights now though. She can't tell he likes her, but it's really obvious. Sokka's really just obsessed with meat, so as long as he's got it, he's happy. I guess we're kind of like a family," she settled on, closing her eyes with a small smile on her face. She could've asked about his life in the Fire Palace, but having her own experience being waited on along with the fact that he was away from home, she decided it wasn't worth the discomfort the question would cause. "Katara's the fussy mom, Aang's like my little brother – even though he's older than me – and Sokka's the weird old uncle, or maybe just a really goofy dad. If you joined, you'd probably be... like an older brother?"

"Sure," he replied easily, "I'd like that." It'd be nice to have a younger sister who didn't want him dead.

"Great! You can help me do all the stuff I always had to do on my own! I'm an only child, so it'd be cool to have someone taller to help me out with my pranks."

"So you only want me for my height," he feigned hurt, throwing a hand up over his face. They both laughed.

Hours later, Zuko was still awake, the pain in his side keeping him from getting any more than ten minutes of rest at a time. Toph was snuggled into his side, and her slight weight was comforting to the distraught teen. She had called him her brother. And it had felt good, warm and tingly even. Was this what a normal family felt like? If so, Zuko was even more determined to join the Avatar- Aang, he corrected. He wanted- no, craved to be able to spend more time with people who didn't actually want him dead. Hopefully, in time the rest of the group wouldn't want him dead too.

AN: Yay!Alright. Another chapter done. And it was twice the length of the last one. That's just what happens when we get to the more entertaining stuff, people. Sadly, they tend to take a bit longer, though... This one alone was 9,850 words long. A record for me!

Haha, a deceptive title. True, Zuzu didn't get accepted by the Gaang... but Toph accepted him, and that's all that matters.

I'd like to thank my reviewers, Plude (Who so graciously reviewed twice), Bluetiger, Wildtaz2go, and Kristoshi Warrior. You guys are awesome. Feedback is very welcome (criticism in particular), so don't hesitate to review!

Next time we'll find out if the group will listen to Toph and let Zuko join.