A/N: Again, if I am too OOC, let me know! Also I accept any ideas, I just may or may not use them. ) R&R please!
Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar, and unfortunately, haven't seen episode 312 yet
Chapter 2: Playing with Fire
Zuko's eyes opened as soon as the dawn light touched him. He sat up and stretched, surveying his surroundings in the daylight.
The clearing was small, about twenty meters across, and was surrounded by large trees except the eastern edge. There the clearing ended abruptly at a cliff edge. The log where he had sat gazing at the stars was a mere ten feet back from the cliff edge. The bison and the earth tents were directly opposite from the cliff.
Zuko noticed the bison was awake and watching him. He made his way quietly over to the animal and was greeted by a low, friendly bellow.
"Good to see you too," he told the bison as he patted its' brow. Zuko was glad someone remembered his good side.
"I'm glad Appa likes you," the avatar said behind him.
Zuko smiled slightly and patted the bison's head once more before turning to face the avatar.
"So are you ready to begin training?"
Zuko watched the boy's face fall. He seemed reluctant, almost scared. This was not the avatar he had known and faced in the past. Aang lifted his gaze to meet Zuko's.
"Don't tell me how to breathe and take a stance, I've done plenty of that."
Zuko studied the boy before him. "What do you mean?"
Aang sighed. "I studied under Master Jeong Jeong for a while. He made me breathe and stand in a certain stance for a long time. I was able to bend a little, but then…I hurt someone special."
The avatar's face fell again, and he turned away from Zuko as he said the last. Zuko almost didn't hear what the boy said next.
"I hurt Katara, and swore never to firebend again."
"Well, she's not here for you to hurt, and I train a different way. You're the Avatar, and that means you're a firebender."
Aang sighed and looked at his feet. "I know." He looked back up at Zuko, hope on his face. "Can we start tomorrow?"
Zuko smirked and created a small fireball over his right hand. "No. Either you start training, or you start dodging. You'll learn firebending either way, it's your choice."
Aang's jaw dropped as he stared at the fireball, before he narrowed his eyes at Zuko. "I can defeat you if you try."
Zuko continued to smirk. "And you're not allowed to use any other elements."
The Avatar sighed again, and his shoulders sagged. "All right, what do you want me to do?"
Zuko walked up to him, the fireball still in his palm.
"Hold out your hand," he ordered. The Avatar did so, palm up. "I want you to keep this flame going. It has to become part of you, breathing as you breathe. When you take in air, the flame should get larger, and when you let air out, the flame should get smaller."
Aang nodded, and his face turned serious as he eyed the fireball. Zuko laid his hand next to Aang's and tipped it and the fireball fell onto the avatar's hand. It almost went out before Aang remembered to breathe.
Zuko stayed close, watching until he was sure the boy could control the flame before retreating to sit next to the bison.
As he watched the Avatar, he noticed the others waking and exiting their earth tents. The water tribe siblings sent glares at him before they went into the surrounding forest. Zuko assumed they went to find food when Haru and the smallest of the boys followed them. Teo came out in an odd chair with wheels and sat by the remains of the nights' fire, watching Aang. Lastly, Toph came out and walked over to where he sat and sat down next to him.
"So how's he doing?" she asked him as she leaned against Appa's side.
"Not bad," Zuko replied. "Avatar, move the fire to your other hand, now!" He noticed Toph grin as Aang sighed and slowly eased the flame to his left hand.
They sat in companionable silence as the others came back with fruit and Aang continued concentrating on the flame. Katara walked their way with some fruit in her hands and looked from Zuko to Aang and back to Zuko, glaring at him as Aang continued practicing.
"Fine," Zuko sighed, glaring at Katara. "You can stop now, Avatar."
Aang let his hands drop and the flame died immediately as he grinned and turned to go to the others. Katara handed him a large fruit as he passed her before stalking up to Zuko and Toph. She glanced at Toph before handing her a fruit, and then pitched one at Zuko. He caught it easily before it hit his face and he glared again at the waterbender.
"I don't see how you can just sit there with him," she said to Toph before stalking back to the camp and the others.
Toph turned her sightless gaze towards Zuko and shrugged before peeling her fruit and biting into it. Zuko smirked at the earthbender and ate his breakfast. He had almost finished when Toph jumped to her feet, looking to the south.
"What's wrong?" he asked her, sitting up.
"There's twenty soldiers coming this way! Twinkle toes, let's move!" She shouted at the camp and they went into motion, hurrying to get their things and rushed over to the bison. Zuko sprang up and ran to get his pack. He quickly strapped his swords onto his back and ran back to see the saddle already on the bison and Haru placing Teo on it. Sokka was helping The Duke onto the saddle as Katara threw what little supplies they had up.
"They're here!" Toph exclaimed as the first of the firebending soldiers came in view of the clearing. She held out her arms and abruptly lifted them, causing a large wall of earth to come between them and the soldiers.
"Everyone get on Appa, I'll make sure they don't follow," Aang said, as he jumped in front of the bison.
"No," Zuko replied. He looked the avatar in the eyes as he came up to him. "I'll lead them away. You're the Avatar, the one who needs to stay safe. They won't expect me, so I'll lead them away, then head southeast, find me there."
Aang looked like he was going to argue with Zuko when a large explosion sounded on the other side of the earthen wall.
"Hotheads' right. Get moving Twinkle toes, I'll stay with him."
Aang looked at Toph and nodded before airbending himself onto the bison's head. Zuko tossed his pack up to the saddle before drawing his swords and facing the wall.
"Yip yip," he heard the Avatar say behind him as he felt the bison lift off. "Take care of each other," Aang said. Zuko barely heard him, but nodded, seeing Toph straighten up.
"On the count of three, bring it down," he told her and was answered with a nod. He took a deep breath and readied himself.
"One."
Another explosion sounded, and the wall shook.
"Two."
More explosions and the wall almost fell, but Toph held her arms out, concentrating, and the wall held.
"Three!"
The wall dropped suddenly and the soldiers stood, frozen. Zuko jumped in front of Toph and spun, sending fire spinning from his blades towards the soldiers. The front line fell back, apparently not realizing that they were about to face a firebender. They quickly recovered, but not before Toph had buried at least half of them up to their necks in the earth.
Zuko saw them start firing at the earthbender and quickly jumped between the fire and the girl, blocking the flames with his blades. Toph used the ground to keep the soldiers on their toes, but they were slowly closing in on the two.
"Any ideas?" he asked Toph when they were back to back. Half of the buried soldiers had been pulled out and they had encircled the two. The soldiers were a mere twenty feet away and approached the two cautiously. Zuko held his swords out in front of him.
"Yeah, I need a distraction," she said, and he heard a smile in her voice.
Zuko smirked, "You got it. Duck."
He saw her start to bend down, and spun 360 degrees, sending a large amount of flames at the soldiers, sending the closest flying into their companions.
"Hold on," the girl told him as the earth started to rumble underneath them. He quickly joined his swords together into his right hand, and grabbed her sleeve with his left as the earth crumbled apart beneath him and they fell into darkness.
