We are who we are

by YumenoJigen

Whether we fight it or accept it, we are who we are. But who are we exactly? What do we want? What must we do? What do we sacrifice? What do we gain? The answers will be in the roads we take between love and duty. That's what the Avatar, Katara, Sokka, Chenlian, Zuko, their friends, and their enemies will learn during their journey. OC insert in canon story (OCxZuko).

33. Bitter work

Fight 33: Bitter work

"Today's the day! Can you believe it After all that time searching for a teacher,
I'm finally starting earthbending! And this place... i-it's perfect! Don't you think Sokka ?" Aang excitedly leapt into the air. It was dawn, and they were inside a rocky canyon. Appa, Sokka and Katara were still sleeping. And so was Toph in her earth tent a little further away. The warrior rolled over slightly, glared at the airbender, moaned and turned back. The child whispered an apology. The ground shook and the rock tent exploded, revealing Toph standing with a fist in the air.

"Good morning earthbending student!" She greeted and walked up to her student who bowed a little.

"Good morning sifu Toph." He replied. Katara roused from her sleeping bag and remarked sleepily (and a bit resentfully too) that he had never called her 'sifu Katara'. The boy nervously scratched the back of his head. "Well, if you think I should..." The noise made Sokka sit up and growl at them.

"Sorry, snoozles. We'll do our earthbending as quietly as we can." The earthbender apologized with a mischievous smile and stomped the ground with her talon. The crack traveled to Sokka and a large spire of rock shot up underneath him. He screamed as he was launched high into the air and crashed back on the ground. He got up, still in his sleeping bag, and bounced toward Aang and Toph, grumbling angrily and inintelligbly before hopping away to a safe distance.

"So what move are you going to teach me first? Rockalanche ? The trembler ? Oh! Maybe I can learn to make a whirlpool out of land!" He made different moves to illustrate the names. Well, that was just him to get carried away and let his imagination fly before actually starting anything. It had been the same with firebending. The girl slapped a hand on his chest to stop him.

"Let's start with 'move a rock'." Toph still had her feet on the ground though. Aang was a total beginner. They went to another part of the canyon. Katara was sitting on a rock outcropping and watching while Aang and Toph were each standing in front of a boulder. The Blind Bandit explained that the key to earthbending is the stance. She lowered herself and widened the distance between her feet. Aang tried to imitate her. He'd got to be steady and strong. Rock was a stubborn element. If he was going to move it, he'd got to be like a rock himself. She easily shoved him. He clearly wasn't steady enough. He rubbed his side where she shoved him. She straightened up and showed him a pretty simple motion, suddenly getting to her low stance and punching, causing the boulder to shoot off into the distance and slam into the side of the canyon. Aang emulated her... and was the one sent backwards into Appa. The boy fell on his face.

"Rock beats airbender!" Sokka mocked.

A young Iroh was running up a grassy hill where a single tree was throning. His son, who was chasing him, pretended to do firebending motion with his hands.

"I got you, dad!" Lu Ten laughed. His father let out a cry of pain as he fell to the ground. The child jumped to lay sprawled on top of him and then they both laughed heartily. Years later, both the tree and his son had died. Iroh had placed a lamp and memorial to his son at the foot of the tree. Rain was falling heavily.

"My beloved Lu Ten, I will see you again." The grieving man said.

"Uncle!" Zuko yelled. His uncle woke up in a deserted, rundown shack. His nephew was concernedly looking down at him. Chenlian was there too, glad he had regained consciousness. "You were unconscious. Azula did this to you." The young man explained. The injured attempted to get up but winced in pain. A bandage was covering the left side of his chest and shoulder and he felt the slimy yet soothing texture of a poultice under the bandages. He saw a pot of honey, plantain leaves and aloe vera leaves. "It was a surprise attack."

"Somehow, that's not so surprising."Iroh grunted as he moved to lean up against the wall.

"'A princess surrenders with honor' huh? Truly... such honorable conduct as always..." The girl commented sarcastically. "Anyway, I prepared some food. You need strength to recover." She smiled and handed him a bowl and spoon. It was a sort of easily digestible puree of stinging nettles, dandelions, wild onions, thyme, as well as eggs and bird meat. She had also found prickly pears for dessert. "And Zuko made you tea." She smiled.

"I hope I made it the way you like it." The prince picked up a steaming cup and handed it to his uncle who took a sip. He made a very disgusted expression but recovered soon.

"Mmm, good." He finished the drink in one gulp, as if getting rid of some gross medicine. "That was very, uhh... bracing!" He smiled politely. As long as it could encourage that child... Zuko filled his cup again that Iroh emptied out the window when his nephew was pouring his own cup and not looking at him.

"So uncle, I've been thinking. It's only a matter of time before I run into Azula again. I'm going to need to know more advanced firebending if I want to stand a chance against her. I know what you're going to say: she's my sister and I should be trying to get along with her, but..." He glanced over at Chenlian... and back at him. The elderly noticed some awkwardness between the youngsters as well as a tiny bit of sourness left but made no mention or reaction.

"She's crazy and she needs to go down." The old man firmly asserted. The boy nodded. Iroh grunted as he stood up. "It's time to resume your training. Chenlian, you'll be participating too."

Katara climbed down and joined Toph and Aang next to the boulder the airbender had tried to move. She didn't understand what went wrong. He had done it exactly the way she did. The Avatar suggested there was another way, like coming at the boulder from a different angle ! His teacher grabbed him by the collar.

"No! That's the problem. You've got to stop thinking like an airbender." She knocked Aang's head lightly with her fist. "There's no different angle, no clever solution, no trickity trick that's going to move that rock." She shoved the boy who cried out and fell down. "You've got to face it head on. And when I say head on, I mean like this!" She jumped and shattered the rock with her head, startling her student who looked down, unsure of himself. Toph walked away. Katara caught up with her.

"I've been training Aang for a while now. He really responds well to a positive teaching experience, lots of encouragement and praise, kind words. If he's doing something wrong, maybe a gentle nudge in the right direction." The waterbender softly advised. Toph thanked her. A gentle nudge...

"Keep your knees high, twinkletoes!" The small blind girl shouted like a spartan coach.
Twinkletoes was carrying a large rock on his back, obviously straining to hold up the weight. The earthbender sometimes caused pillars of earth to rise under Aang's feet as he walked. He soon lost his balance and fell.

For the next drill, Toph rubbed her hands together and shoved them effortlessly into a rock. The Avatar tried to do the same and only managed to hurt his hand. Then he had to keep the pose while she tested his resistance to stress and fear. He was sweating. Suddenly, she leapt out of the ground behind him and yelled 'Rocklike!' Again, he screamed, fell over and blinked in surprise. She earthbended him back up and flicked his forehead. The airbender grinned sheepishly. His face in her hand, Sokka grunted and strained to reach his club that Toph had taken from him and was holding out of his reach. She pushed him away, and left with no choice, he left with a sour expression. She handed the weapon to Aang, who was blindfolded. A distance away, the master began to kick the ground, causing columns of rock to emerge and sink back down. The goal was to sense them and destroy them. Although he could turn in the right direction and hit the right place, he was only in time to destroy to the fifth one. Toph nodded her approval of his sensory skills.

Now, for the following exercise... the teacher erected two walls on either side of them only one or two yards apart. She moved her fingers in a straight line in front of her and a line was drawn on the ground at her feet. She held up her fists and rocks covered her entire body except for her eyes like an armor. Aang gasped in surprise as she slid forward to bump against him. He extended his arms to stop her and slowly started to push her back. He lost a little ground, but finally managed to push her past the line. He had won. His next assignement was to toss heavy rocks with a handle and catch them... while standing on two tall and thin pillars to improve his stability. Once he showed enough ease, she tested him by hitting the pillars, causing tremors to run through them. She screamed again 'Rocklike!' The Avatar didn't budge. He looked quite determined. His professor rose on her own pillar of rock and nodded in approval. He grinned widely, proud of himself. He was definitely showing consistent progress.

While in another area of the canyon, where a few trees and bushes had managed to grow, a small baby mooselion started to eat a small patch of grass... observed from a tree by Sokka.

"You're awfully cute, but unfortunately for you, you're made of meat. Just a bit closer..." The warrior shrugged. He yelled as he jumped down to kill the small animal with his sword. He missed and landed in a crevice up to the waist. The baby stared at him cluelessly, walked up to him and wagged its tail. Sokka raised his weapong to strike. "Gotcha!" He fell deeper into the fissure and dropped his sword. He was now stuck up to his shoulders. He struggled to free himself, fruitlessly. "You are one lucky little meat creature." He sullenly pointed at the animal that playfully wagged its tail.

The three firebenders were having tea (this time made by Chenlian with chamomile) in the decrepit building, a small fire with a teapot sitting on it between them. The retired general explained that lightning was a pure expression of firebending, without aggression. It was not fueled by rage or emotion the way other firebending was. Some called lightning the cold-blooded fire. It was precise and deadly, like Azula. To perform the technique required peace of mind.

"I see. That's why we're drinking tea: to calm the mind." His nephew remarked. Chenlian choked a little on her drink, stifling her laugh. That guy was so gullible, and so stiff. And while it was true that chamomile had calming effects which were good in this situation, she just wanted some nice flavor for the tea.

"Oh, yeah, good point! I mean, yes." The old one followed up. He loved tea. That was really all there was to it.

Iroh, Chenlian and Zuko were standing on the edge of the hill overlooking the valley with the abandoned village where the three-way battle had taken place.

"There is energy all around us. The energy is both yin and yang; positive energy and negative energy. Only a select few firebenders can separate these energies. This creates an imbalance. The energy wants to restore balance and in a moment the positive and negative energy come crashing back together. You provide release and guidance, creating lightning." The old man made the children step back, extended his index and middle finger and, rotating his arms, generated lightning he shot into the distance.

"I'm ready to try it!" The boy asserted, amazed by such raw power. Chenlian frowned when she saw the greed, the hunger for that power on his face, as if he had been possessed. She had started learning it because she knew Azula would learn it. She wanted to be able to fight on equal footing with her. But although she had of course felt awe, she had also felt fear before that power. And she had proceeded extra cautiously. Guang had been helping her too, as well as Ryuho.

"Remember, once you separate the energy, you do not command it. You are simply its humble guide. Breathe first." Iroh advised, rubbing his injury. Zuko breathed in and closed his eyes. He reproduced the motions... and tried to shoot despite the lack of any trace of lightning, causing a fiery explosion that propelled him backward. He landed on his back next to Iroh who shook his head. The explosion had left a smoking black mark on the ground. "Chenlian, from what I saw on Azula's ship, you already can produce lightning, right? Show me." He ordered. As instructed, the young woman took her time calming down, breathing, concentrating, and went through the motion and successfully generated a lightning bolt... to Zuko's dismay, envy, and frustration. "Timewise, I assume you started learning it at the North Pole, no even earlier..." The elder suspected.

"Yes. Somehow while en route to the Water Tribe we stumbled upon my grandfather and I got instructions from him. So for a while I only focused on channeling energy and emptying my mind, as well as the feeling of separating energy. But I only worked on it for real at the Northern Water Tribe. I also received help from the waterbenders, since the yin and yang also play a key role in their art, and that one too. But..."

"You still don't have it completely down." Iroh raised her hand. Her fingertips had been slightly burnt. "And doing it in the midst of a battle is different. However, continued and excessive use will cause burns, so don't get lost in your training, trying to get it one go and overdoing things like you tend to!"

"I have already been warned about it. That's why I make sure to balance it with my healing practice. And to recover I combine my search for ingredients with moderate activity I gradually increase and vary. This also allows for more proper meals and restoration of energy." She replied knowingly.

"Oh... good then." The old man blinked. "But on Azula's ship, you tried to defend against her lightning with yours, right? It can't be done! You were lucky I was there too. It doesn't work so do not ever try that again!"

"I knew that already too. I didn't try to counter her lightning with mine. I tried to get her before she got me." The girl explained patiently.

"Oh... I see... geez, to think you've become so composed and reliable."

"Well, it's been many years since you've last helped me train." Chenlian smiled innocently.

"Hm? Wait..." Iroh approached and stared at her very insistantly... and suspiciously... to the point she started feeling rather uncomfortable... "You... you actually WANTED to make your lightning clash, didn't you?" He asked accusingly.

"Errr... that's..." The girl sheepishly averted her eyes. It couldn't be helped! She and Azula had always been something like rivals. Besides, pitting will against will, strength against strength... that sort of straightforward clash to determine who was better... wasn't it really... well, the best? Who could generate the best bolt? But it couldn't be, so she had decided, tried to make it a contest of speed instead. Though now that she thought about it, rather than get carried away and try to turn the situation into a contest, she should have been more practical and got Azula with a simple but quick, sure 'kill' firebending move.

For Aang's earthbending training, Toph decided to try a different approach. Instead of moving a rock, he was going to stop a rock. At her order, he widened his stance. He was standing before a trail leading up an angled cliff behind her. She pointed at the boulder at the top of said trail. She was going to roll it down at him. If he had the attitude of an earthbender, he would stay his stance and stop the rock. She showed him the right motion. Katara was worried, but Aang was downright terrified. The waterbender tried to save the Avatar by expressing her doubts about this method.

"I'm glad you said something. Actually, there is a better way." Toph took off Aang's belt and blindfolded him with it. "This way he'll really have to sense the vibrations of the boulder to stop it. Thank you Katara." She gave her a thumbs-up.

"Yeah, thanks Katara!" The airbender agreed sarcastically. Katara let out a small nervous and sheepish laugh.

The earthbending master pushed the boulder that rolled down the slope, gaining speed. Katara covered her mouth with her hands, a worried look on her face. As he heard it fast approaching, Aang grew more frightened by the second. He started sweating from the stress. At the last second, he jumped over the boulder that rolled past Katara and slammed into the side of the canyon. He landed and removed the blindfold, as his teacher ran up to him, glaring at him fiercely and disapprovingly.

"I guess I just panicked. I don't know what to say."

"There's nothing to say! You blew it! You had a perfect stance and perfect form but when it came right down to it you didn't have the GUTS!" She lightly punched his chest, knocking him down. He sat at her feet with his legs crossed and apologized. He knew she was right. She leant down, looking right into his face. "Yeah, you are sorry. If you're not tough enough to stop the rock, then you could at least give me the pleasure of smashing you instead of jumping out of the way like a jelly-boned wimp! Now, do you have what it takes to face that rock like an earthbender?!"

"No. I don't think I do." The boy sadly looked down. Toph straightened up and crossed her arms as Katara walked over and comfortingly placed her hands on his shoulders. It was no big deal. He could just take a break and try earthbending again when he was ready. Besides, he still had a lot of waterbending to work on. He weakly agreed and they left.

"Yeah, whatever, go splash around until you feel better." The earthbender walked in the opposite direction.

Zuko's training was going just as badly. He kept getting blown back by explosions and had yet to create even a spark of electricity. He clenched his fists frustratedly. And he felt even worst as unlike him Chenlian was doing quite well. He understood that it was only to be expected since she had started practicing lightning generation much earlier than him, but that still didn't make him feel any better. Iroh watched on while leaning against the shack.

"Why can't I do it?! Instead of lightning, it keeps exploding in my face! Like everything always does!" He stormed as he stood up. His uncle stood up and came over to him.

"I was afraid this might happen. You will not be able to master lightning until you have dealt with the turmoil inside you." His teacher lamented.

"What turmoil?!" the young man turned to his uncle and raged. Chenlian stopped and sighed. If only he could listen to himself. She knew his personality, his tendency to compare himself to others, and notably to his sister and to her. She was aware that she was partly to blame for his current state of mind. There was the fact that she could create lightning when he still couldn't of course but her situation certainly played a good part too. He loved her, but with everything she had told him, her past, her beliefs, her position regarding his father, the Avatar... He really didn't know where to stand. He also kept failing lately and she was a good reason for that too. But he had to overcome that, or at least be able to put everything aside if he wanted to create lightning.

"Then why do you always yell and sound so irritated? You ARE in turmoil. You need to face your feelings concerning your family, the Avatar, and me. Run after too many hares and you won't be able to catch any. That's why things haven't been going well. Many things changed. That's a moment when you need to take a good look around. Rushing in head first like you always do will only make you keep tripping."

"It all would be fine if you'd just help me catch the Avatar!"

"I'll protect you against Azula, the Fire Nation, the Earth Kingdom, the Water Tribes. But I'll protect the Avatar against you because he's my friend, and he's what the world need. He will end this war. I want to end this war. But the best would be that we stopped this war together. More than anything, that's what I want."

"You're choosing him over me?!"

"I chose not to choose. You're both precious to me. I am with you because I love you. What about you? Can you choose between your father and me?" She was keeping calm, or trying to. She was simply speaking her feelings. But the answer to this question was one she always dreaded. And unwittingly, she used defiance to hide her fear and hopes, although they were still too strong to be entirely concealed. There was a long pause. It was Iroh who broke the silence.

"Zuko, you must let go of your feelings of shame if you want your anger to go away."

"But I don't feel any shame at all! I'm as proud as ever!" The banished prince caught the lifeline.

"Prince Zuko, pride is not the object of shame, but its source. True humility is the only antidote to shame."

"Well... my life has been nothing but humbling lately."

"Pride has nothing to do with wealth, does it?" Chenlian snapped, annoyed by his endless complaining and indecisiveness. "It isn't defined by the number and value of your possessions but by your personality. A truly proud person is a person who knows their worth. Someone who can keep walking the path they believe in even if the world is against them... someone who wouldn't mind being lynched, or trampled in order to survive, to save someone, to accomplish what they had set to do... Don't they have more pride than those who wallow in gold and finery? Being covered in mud sweat and blood isn't shameful, it means you know hardships and you're strong enough to do what it takes to achieve your goal. Overcoming adversity is what makes someone truly proud. Relying on worldly possessions or caring so much about how others look at you... isn't that just being shallow?" She cut to the quick again. Even if there was truth in her words that stirred his heart and warmed him on the inside as it made him see that maybe, their situation wasn't as bad as he thought, the way she said it was too heavy-handed and abrasive to let slide. However, Iroh was there to skilfully defuse the conflict.

"I have another idea. I will teach you a firebending move that even Azula doesn't know, because I made it up myself!" The old man proudly pointed a thumb at himself. The teens smiled, their hot temper cooling down instantly, or rather, shifting onto something else.

"You probably think I deserve this, don't you?" Sokka, still stuck in the crevice, asked the baby mooselion curled on his head and that peered over his forehead to look at his eyes. "Look, I'm sorry I hunted you, but that's just the natural order of things! Big things eat smaller things, nothing personal! But this time it didn't work out that way." He justified himself. The little one yawned and then walked in a circle on Sokka's head like a cat on a lap before lying down again and closing its eyes. "I admit it. You're cute." The boy acknowledged. The mooselion began licking its paws. "Okay, you've convinced me. If I get out of this alive, it's a comically correct vegetarian existence for me. No meat. Even though meat is so tasty." Then the baby beast jumped off and left. A bug flew over and buzzed around Sokka's face. He groaned and struggled to swat it away with his trapped hands, in vain. The bug landed on his head. He had lost. But then he perked up suddenly and the bug flew away as the tiny mooselion ran back with an apple in its mouth. It stopped and rolled the fruit toward Sokka. "It looks like my karma is already paying off!" However, it seemed his good resolution wasn't enough as the apple didn't reach him. He tried to meet the little cute one halfway, struggled to reach his boomerang he tossed at the apple. "Now come back boomerang." But of course, it didn't. The cub's tail twitched cutely.

Waist-high in a pond full of reeds, Aang and Katara were practicing their waterbending by moving around a ball of water between them while Momo was hunting frogs. She tried to gently make him loosen up. This block was only temporary. But he didn't want to talk about it. She remarked it was exactly his problem, avoiding the issue instead of facing it.

"I know I know I know I know, I get it, alright!" He snapped in frustration, letting the water fall back into the pond. "I need to face it head-on, like a rock. But I just can't do it! I don't know why I can't, but I can't."

"Aang, if fire and water are opposites, then what's the opposite of air?" The waterbender questioned. The Avatar supposed it was earth. "That's why it's so hard for you to get this. You're working with your natural opposite. But you'll figure it out. I know you will." She stealthily broke off a reed and suddenly hurled it at Aang without warning. "Think fast!" She yelled. Surprised, Aang lookedup and sliced the stem in half with a thin wave. The two halves passed harmlessly on either side of him. She praised him. That was excellent. He had the reflexes of a waterbending master.

"Thanks, Katara... Sifu Katara." He put his hands together and bowed. The girl smiled, touched, and bowed as well.

Zuko was sitting cross-legged and intently watching the drawings his uncle was doing on the ground with a stick. First Iroh drew a flame and started the lecture. Fire was the element of power. The people of the Fire Nation have desire and will, and the energy and drive to achieve what they want. Then he drew the earthbenders' rock symbol. Earth was the element of substance. The people of the Earth Kingdom were diverse and strong. They were persistent and enduring. He followed with the Air Nomads' symbol. Air was the element of freedom. The Air Nomads detached themselves from worldly concerns and found peace and freedom. Also, they apparently had a pretty good sense of humor! Iroh smiled widely, but Zuko didn't react. Chenlian sighed. Indeed, if you took from Aang the fact that he was the Avatar, then he was just a goofy kid, and his love for amusement had put them through the wringer more than once. And at last he traced the Water Tribe mark. Water was the element of change. The people of the Water Tribe were capable of adapting to many things. They had a deep sense of community and love that held them together through anything. The prince asked why he was telling him those things.

"It is important to draw wisdom from many different places. If we take it from only one place, it becomes rigid and stale." He drew lines separating the four symbols in the dirt. "Understanding others, the other elements, and the other nations will help you become whole." He made a circle that included all elements.

"All this four elements talk is sounding like Avatar stuff." Zuko noted.

"It is the combination of the four elements in one person that makes the Avatar so powerful. But, it can make you more powerful too." He poked his nephew's chest with his stick. "And Chenlian is proof of it."

"Right. I had to learn the other bending disciplines, well, their motions, and their philosophies so that my grandfather would teach me firebending. Zuko, be it in bending or hand-to-hand combat, don't you remember having seen some of my forms used by other people?" The woman questioned. Her friend nodded after a time. The Avatar, that waterbender girl, the earthbenders... Her fluidity and knack for turning her opponent's power against them, and her capacity to adapt and be immovable depending on the circumstances... But she hadn't only taken in the forms of those other arts...

"You see, the technique I am about to teach you is one I learned by studying the waterbenders." The retired general smiled confidently. The prince looked down, intrigued. He was starting to see the light of hope.

Aang was sitting on a rock, meditating, with Momo sleeping at his feet. Toph came and sat down. She had found these nuts in his bag (obviously for personal use only from the crude picture of his head drawn on the pouch) and thought he wouldn't mind. Well, even if he did, he was too much of a pushover to do anything about it. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes, annoyed, and replied that as a matter of fact, he didn't mind. He was happy to share anything he had. He closed his eyes and started meditating again. Actually, she was really glad he felt that way... because she also had this great new nutcracker... namely, Aang's glider. The boy looked over his shoulder with a pained expression as Toph smiled widely and smashed the staff down on a nut.

"Actually, I'd prefer if you didn't... That's an antique, hand crafted by the monks... It's a delicate instrument!" He tried to gently reason... despite cringing each time a crack was heard. The girl ate the nuts with Momo and mockingly replied it wasn't the only delicate instrument around here. She walked off with the lemur on her shoulder, hitting rocks with Aang's glider as she did. The Avatar glared at her and returned to his meditation to try and calm down. Then Katara came up behind him.

"Hey Aang, have you seen—"

"Meditating here!" He interrupted her, annoyed. But she insisted, concered. It was important. It was almost sundown and Sokka wasn't back yet. They should search for him. The airbender stood up and agreed to search with her. They split up in order to find him faster.

Meantime, the baby mooselion was playfully biting and pulling on Sokka's 'warrior wolf tail'... while the young man was desperetaly the karma person or thing, whoever was in charge of this stuff begging to be let out. He decided to increase the stakes of his negociations and offered to give up meat AND sarcasm... just as a strong tug from the tiny animal freed his hair that became a fuzzy mess.

"That's all I got! It's pretty much my whole identity! Sokka, the meat and sarcasm guy! But I'm willing to be Sokka the veggies and straight talk fellow! Deal?" Just then, he was found by Aang. Sokka thanked goodness and asked if he had any meat. The airbender ran to him, glad he was okay, and started pulling on his friends' trapped arms to free him. Since it didn't work, they tried airbending that failed just the same. There was no other choice but to use earthbending, even though Aang was new at this. The monk looked down, unsure, before his expression turned to sadness.

"I can't. I can't do it." The Avatar affirmed. It annoyed Sokka who told him to get Toph if he couldn't do it. But Aang couldn't do that either since it would be 'really uncomfortable.'

"Uncomfortable... Well, I wouldn't want to make you feel uncomfortable." The warrior commented sarcastically from his quite cramped and dangerous situation. But since he was so engrossed in his own problems, the monk failed to notice the irony, and not only did he thank him for his 'consideration' but also crouched down and started talking about his problems. This whole earthbending thing had him really confused. There was so much pressure. Everyone expected him to get it right away. It put him in a really awkward position. "Awkward position... I think I know the feeling." The older teen mused, just as ironically. He knew what it meant to be under pressure as well (from the earth). Aang kept complaining. If he tried, he failed, but if he didn't try, he couldn't get it. It was like being caught between a rock and a hard place. The Water Tribe youth also sympathised with that feeling. "Hmm. How about that? Aang, this is my friend Foo Foo Cuddlypoops. Foo Foo Cuddlypoops, Aang." He made the introductions.

"Aww, what a cute name for a little baby sabertooth mooselion cub." Aang lifted the cub in the air. Sokka wasn't of the same mind though. That thing looked nothing like a sabertooth mooselion. "It's hard to tell before their giant teeth and horns grow in. Whatcha doin' out here, little guy ? Did you lose your mama ?" The child questioned. The cub cutely blinked. A roar was heard. Surprised, Aang looked over his shoulder and saw a huge adult sabertooth mooselion standing in the bushes. It roared menacingly again.

Meanwhile, Zuko, Chenlian and Iroh were practicing simple waterbending moves. The elder explained that waterbenders dealt with the flow of energy. They let their defense become their offense, turning their opponents' energy against them (at this, Zuko painfully recalled Chenlian's heavy use of that tactic, and how many times it had got him). He had learned a way to do this with lightning.

"You can teach me to redirect lightning." His nephew instantly understood... and was all excited about it. Iroh nodded.

"With this I trust you won't try anything stupid again, Chenlian." He stared suspiciously and insistently at the girl who smiled embarrassedly. Over the years, she had successfully managed to become a cautious, level-headed person who carefully thought before acting (though rarely before speaking). She could see clearly the path and steps she ought to take. However, even now, she could hardly resist a challenge, and that habit could prove quite damning. Someone could take advantage of it. But right now, there should be no need to worry about that. "If you let the energy in your own body flow, the lightning will follow it." He pointed with his right arm at an angle into the air and pointed at it with his other hand. "You must create a pathway from your fingertips up your arm to your shoulder and down into your stomach." He demonstrated "The stomach is the source of energy in your body. It is called the sea of chi. Only in my case, it is more like a vast ocean." He laughed in good-natured self derision but it seemed like Zuko's face was carved in stone. He continued. "You direct it up again and out the other arm." He pointed off into the distance with his left arm. "The stomach detour is critical. You must not let the lightning pass through your heart." he walked up to young man and pointed his fingers at his chest. "Or the damage could be deadly. You may wish to try a physical motion to get a feel for the pathway's flow. Like this." He pointed to the left with both his arms and the teens did the same. Iroh then moved his right fingers down to his left shoulder, stomach, up to his right shoulder and pointed it in the other direction in a fluid motion that the youths copied. They repeated the movements with the other arms. "Now, are you focusing your energy? Can you feel your own chi flowing in, down, up, and out ?"

"I think so." The boy said. Chenlian kept quiet, too busy concentrating. They still practiced until late, until Iroh was finally satisfied and praised the children on their excellent form. The sun was about to set. The exiled prince bowed slightly. "Great! I'm ready to try it with real lightning!"

"What?! Are you crazy? Lightning is very dangerous!" The old man looked at his nephew like all the explosions had addled his brain.

"I thought that was the point: you teaching me how to protect myself from it!" The scarred youngster retorted, aggravating his uncle all the more as he clearly failed to realize his sheer recklessness. Well, the girl understood his point but...

"But I'm not going to shoot lightning at you! If you are lucky, you will never have to use this technique at all." The retired general waved his arms before turning away from his nephew and glancing back at him out of the corner of his eye. Zuko turned to Chenlian.

"I don't even have enough confidence to pull either technique. I cannot take the risk to hurt you." She averted her eyes. The young man gazed at the dark clouds in the distance.

"Well, if you won't help me, I'll find my own lightning." He declared. Iroh tightly shut his eyes in distress. And soon, Zuko was again riding away on the ostrich-horse. As much as it pained her, she let him go alone, knowing sometimes you needed to scream and feel the rain on your face to wash everything away and release all your pent up feelings.

Aang nervously tried to reassure and coax the mother mooselion as he returned her baby but it didn't work and it growled and roared. The cub after cuddling a bit with its parent hid in the bushes. Sokka franctically begged his friend to get him out of here. The beast charged. The trapped teen screamed but the monk airbended the animal over his head. It landed on the other side, skidded, and turned back. There was really no other choice but to use earthbending to free Sokka! The Avatar went through some motions to no effect. The mooselion roared and prepared for another charge. Aang changed tactics. He jumped on a rock outcropping away from Sokka and tried to draw the beast's attention. He only kept it for a few seconds though and it charged again towards Sokka. The child leapt down and shoved it aside with a gust of air but the animal still didn't give up and turned back to them.

"Please don't leave me again." Sokka pleaded, terrified.

"I won't." The Avatar replied full of determination. The mooselion attacked. Firmly planted, Aang waited and with a strong gale, hurled the angry mother backwards. It stood back up and walked away, admitting it loss. Then they heard someone slowly clapping. It was Toph who was coolly sitting on a rock. When the Water Tribesman asked her what she was doing here , she replied she was just enjoying the show. "What?! You were there the whole time ?!"

"Pretty much."

"Why didn't you do something ?! Sokka was in trouble! I was in trouble! You could've gotten him out and helped us get away!" The outraged airbender accused.

"I guess it just didn't occur to me." She lied flatly, clearly unaffected. She tossed down a nut and then pulled out Aangs staff to crack it. As she brought it down, Aang caught it.

"Enough! I want my staff back!" He affirmed with strength as he took his glider back. His earthbending teacher stood up and jumped off the rock, standing right in front of him.

"Do it now." She ordered. Still angry, he asked what. "Earthbend, twinkletoes. You just stood your ground against a crazy beast, and even more impressive, you stood your ground against me. You've got the stuff."

"But..."

"DO IT!" The girl yelled. After a moment of confusion, the Avatar stomped down and shoved his fist forward, causing a large rock to shoot off and crash into a ridge. "You did it! You're an earthbender." Toph excitedly praised him. As incredulous as he was, Aang was also very happy.

"Aww, this is really a wonderful, touching moment. So, could you get me out of her so I can give you both a big, snuggly hug ?" Sokka inquired. The monk was about to do it (and seemed quite eager to test his most recent skill) when his teacher stopped him. Since he was still a little new to this, it was better to let her do it, or he might accidentally crush him. "Yeah, no crushing please." He smiled. And so, Toph finally freed him.

It was starting to get dark when they finally returned to camp, the girl holding the staff again and Aang supporting Sokka. Katara ran to them overjoyed and relieved that they had found her brother. She hugged him.

"The whole time that I was in that hole, not knowing if I would live or die, it makes a man think about what's really important. I realize-" Sokka began before his emotional speech was cut off by the Avatar crying for Katara's attention. He showed her his earthbending.

"You did it! I knew you would!" The waterbender elatedly praised him before glancing at Toph. "You tried the positive reinforcement, didn't you ?" She whispered.

"Yep. It worked wonders." The little one replied. Next, Aang decided to show off to Appa.

"Appa! Appa! I can earthbend now! The key is being completely rooted! Physically and mentally unmovable!" He bragged, in position, but then his furry friend licked him, and the push made him fly forward and crash on his face. He still needed lots of training after all. His companions laughed, especially Sokka.

In the middle of the rainstorm, Zuko was standing at the peak of a small rock mountain, glaring at the clouds.

"You've always thrown everything you could at me! Well I can take it! And now I can give it back! Come on! Strike me! You've never held back before!" He screamed defiantly at the sky, as if challenging God, or Destiny, or whatever could be in control and had made him suffer like this. He waited, but nothing came. He closed his eyes and a stream of tears flowed from his good eye as the rain soaked his body and heart. He raised his arms and shouted, releasing all his pent-up frustration, rage, sorrow, and shame... before collapsing onto his hands and knees. And then, after hours, he returned. But soon, he saw Chenlian sitting on a rock, clearly waiting for him, the eel hound next to her. Since they were close to the storm even if it wasn't raining here, the wind was violent, cold and penetrating. Still, she seemed completely fine. She jumped down and approached him. That was when he noticed she was drenched. Could it be that she had followed him?

"Welcome back." The girl smiled sweetly. But those simple words and smile contained all her feelings, the relief, sincerity, how glad she was that he was back... and how she loved him. And Zuko felt it really strongly. He was back, he was not alone, and no matter where they were, he had someone who loved him and who was waiting for his return... someone he loved back. He suddenly hugged her very tightly.

"Did you come for me?"

"Of course. While carrying woes on your back, you struggle, you trip, you fall, you get lost, you get hurt, and still you don't give up and keep walking while intently looking forward, no matter how treacherous the road. That's because you're like this that I've always felt proud of you, that I can't leave you alone... and that I came to love you." Chenlian held him back. And in the chilling wind, he felt her strength and warmth seep through him and envelop him. The young man tilted her head and a hand on the nape of her neck, another wrapped around her waist and firmly pressing her against him, he kissed her. She was surprised at first but she soon responded to his sweet and mesmerizing tenderness and kissed him back. They pulled away.

"I love you." Zuko said softly, his forehead against hers. Chenlian smiled, caressed his cheek and kissed him again. Their tongues met and tangled. Their embrace grew more passionate, ardent. While the colors of regrets, doubts and truth were still swirling in his heart, could Zuko throw his pride as Crown Prince away and be simply proud to be Zuko, Chenlian's boyfriend? That embrace made him feel that perhaps, he could. Even if every day was in the midst of a revolution, they wanted to be with each other. Right now, that was their truth.