Chapter 3

Zuko was staring into large bright grey eyes. Eyes that stared right back at his golden orbs. The boy had said he wanted to talk. But they had been sitting from over three minutes in silence.

Finally Zuko took a breath. Aang seemed to shift where he had sat mimicking him in taking a breath.

"So, what do you want to talk about?"

Aang's brow furrowed deeply, he looked away from Zuko to a wall and then out to the cliffs beyond the air temple.

"I don't really know, I just feel that something needs to be said. Zuko... Are you happy here?"

Zuko stared at the monk, he was not expecting that question, and it sort of threw him off guard.

"I guess so…"

"But?"

"Well, it's not like I expected it to be. While I traveled, I was always training, preparing, I had a strict discipline. But, everyone is so relaxed here; I get worried about how this will all end up…"

Aang heaved a sigh and brought his gaze back around to the fire prince

"I don't really know much about that kind of training. I mean, I have been fighting the Firenation for a while now, but before that, back in the air temple, I would just practice my airbending, and play games with monk Gyatso. We didn't have military, or anything like that, so I guess when it comes to planning for… for… well for what's to come, I am a bit new to it all."

Zuko blinked staring to the little monk before him

"But I learned in history, that my great grandfather had defeated your military, your saying that he attacked unarmed monks?"

Aang just nodded and watched as Zuko threw his hands in the air and flopped to the ground, bringing his hands to cover his face

"Why was I born from a family of such screw ups?"

Aang smiled a bit and then flopped back onto the ground also

"I was told before, that I had the power to determine my own destiny. I Guess I put a lot of hope into those words. I never wanted to be the avatar, when I was told; my friends stopped playing with me. And I was made to work really hard to master my element. But when I think back, I am glad for my past, it made me the person I am today. You're the same as me Zuko. You had a destiny picked out for you. You were pushed to train, so you could fulfill your mission. Yet lying here, you are no longer on the path that was chosen for you. Your past, and your ancestors, they do not hold sway over your future."

Zuko sat up to look at Aang as he continued talking, his face full of wonder as to how a child his age, could speak so profoundly

"I am the avatar; I have come to except that. And I know what role I need to play in restoring the world to balance. Yet like you. I want to be free to make my own path, and lead my own life. When people look at me, I don't want them to see the avatar. I would hope that they would see me as Aang. The Airbender. I have decided that though being the avatar is important. And though I do need to train and learn how to fight. I am not going to let destiny drive me. I am just going to be me. And let destiny play its part."

Zuko frowned hard, thinking on what the little monk had said, silence hung between them for a while, and eventually Zuko spoke up

"You're as confusing as my uncle"

Aang grinned and airbended himself to a stand.

"I am just saying. I think you should forget about the past, and learn how to be yourself Zuko, Have fun! You're to serious most of the time."

some time later...

"AAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!"

Katara who had been making her way back from the stream heard the screaming from a good distance away, and was now running back to the temple to see what was wrong. She saw Sokka, Haru and Teo looking out to the canyon. Toph was sitting against a pillar and The duke was whispering something to her.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!"

Aang's glider shot past the opening in a blur of reds blues and yellows. It was not Aang that was screaming. Sokka gave a big thumbs up and Haru started cheering, while Teo was clapping hard. Momo ran up to Katara's shoulder and began pulling on her hair. She looked at the lemur who then tore off to stand by Appa.

The fire prince streaked by the audience again, this time being forced into a loop. Katara got a brief glimpse of his face this round, it looked like he was going to cry. Katara strode over to Appa and climbed onto his back. She took the reigns in hand and called out.

"Yip yip"

The ten ton bison took to the air, one deafening roar sending two of the boys spinning to see what was going on. The wind whipped through Katara's hair as she followed the pair flying through the sky. Zuko's knuckles were going white from his grip, but Aang was practically beaming as he cast a glance Katara's way.

"Aang!... What are you doing?"

The young Airbender tipped the glider to the side, much to Zuko's distress and he screamed all the louder for it.

"Hey Katara"

"Aang, why are you terrorizing Zuko?"

The boy laughed and then straightened out, Zuko's face was pressed to the glider and it looked like they would need a crowbar to remove him.

"I'm not; Zuko told me he had never flown like this before, so I said I would take him"

"Aang, I think you need to land"

The Airbender just frowned slightly and began his decent to the temple below. Toph grumbled and proclaimed to The duke.

"Trust Sugar queen to spoil the fun. Oh well, I guess this means we will have to find something else to amuse us now"

As the glider landed, Zuko fell to his knees, his hands hit hard to the ground and a tremble ran up his arms, the sweat was pumping from his face and he could barely raise his head to look up at Aang who had come to stand in front of him.

"Wasn't it fun?"

"How… how can you say that was fun! I thought I was going to die"

Appa landed with a great thud behind them and Katara came running over to the pair

"What were you thinking?! Aang you could have lost control! Zuko could have fallen! We need him in our group! You have to be more careful! And You!"

She rounded on Zuko who was trying to get his legs to work again, he was gripping the a pillar as Katara brought her wrath around to him

"You should have known better then to go gallivanting off the edge of the temple on a glider! You're meant to be the adult here!"

Zuko, who's head was spinning and stomach was churning, could not bring himself to even look at the girl, let alone reply to the sharp comments, but he didn't have to.

"Hey Lay off him Katara" Sokka interjected "He is as much a kid as the rest of us here. He's allowed to have a bit of fun"

"We don't have Time for fun!"

Sokka scoffed and waved his hand flippantly

"We have plenty of time for fun. You need to stop babying us like you're our mother"

"I am not acting like your mother!"

"As weird as this sounds, Snoozles is right Sugar queen, you are acting like everyone's mom, you need to relax"

Katara rounded on Toph this time and shouted

"How can I relax? You're acting like a Bunch of children! We have too much to do! And all you guys care about is having fun!"

"That's not all we care about Katara…"

This time it was Aang, his voice was soft, attempting to sound reasonable

"We know what we have to do, and I wouldn't do anything that I would think would put us into serious harm, but we all have to have a bit of fun sometimes"

Tears were brimming in Katara's eyes and she swallowed hard before turning away from them all.

"Fine. I am going to practice my bending. You can all go throw yourself of the building for all I care"

Se stormed off the way she had come.

Aang looked to the side and then to Sokka who just shrugged. Toph picked at her ear and Zuko straightened up.

"I think I should go apologize to her"

"You have nothing to apologize for Sparky, Sugar queen is just highly strung at the moment, gawd knows why"

Zuko felt his stomach heave again. The group had all gone very quiet. The silence lay heavy between them.

"I am still going to go and talk to her…"

"Oh well your funeral" Sai Toph nochalently

The fire prince moved off on wobbling legs, Aang let his gaze follow, but made no attempt to go with Zuko, perhaps if he talked to Katara, things might settle between them.