the avatar, and that one good firebender, lee

water, part five

prince zuko has faced many attempts at kidnappings. more specifically, from the avatar and his company.

the first time aang does so, he returns just two days after leaving the jasmine dragon. hovering above the ship on appa, he casts a wide shadow over zuko as the server pours some tea. at first, he believes its the clouds, but with kook's worried comment lee, please look up , he looks up. down at him, aang calls, "hey lee!"

"i thought you're with jeong jeong," zuko responds before, nervously, he apologizes to the family he's serving.

appa turns and dips just beside the ship, so that aang can meet the prince's eyes. "i was, but let me explain! hop on!"

"no, aang." jang takes the tea pot from zuko's hands as the prince continues, "i told you, i can't teach you."

"what? i can't hear you!"

zuko draws closer, much to the family's inconvenience. "i said--" looking down at them, he backs away. "sorry." he drops his tray off at the cart and directs aang towards the stern. "i said--"

aang dives at the prince, now alone on deck. in one fell swoop he knocks zuko by the legs and grabs him by the arms, pulling him onto appa. through it all zuko yelps wildly, before grunting as he's thrown onto the saddle. "sorry, lee, i just wanted to talk."

"i--i told you--aang," zuko groans. "you just kidnapped me."

"i know."

"i still--do you want me to be your teacher that bad?" he asks. "what happened with jeong jeong?"

aang sighs. dropping the reins, appa meanders, and aang scoots around with a sullen pout. zuko furrows his eyebrows at the sight, "what's wrong?"

"i tried firebending when i met jeong jeong," aang begins, staring down at his hands. "he refused to teach me, just like you did. he wanted me to master water and earth first. i didn't listen. and because of that, i hurt katara."

zuko nods. "that's rough."

aang continues, scratching at his forearms. "i was so eager for a master that i decided to learn myself. and in that moment where i had no master to watch me," he pauses, wringing his hands together. "i felt so unrestrained, so uncareful, and at first i thought it was fun, but then i hurt my friend." he looks up at zuko, a begging urgency in his eyes. and zuko regrets. "how do you handle bending a power that can hurt someone so badly?"

at the high altitude, the winds carry zuko carefully. refreshing, yet pulling, zuko feels the air hit his skin in a soothing, awakening caress. his hair pushes back, lifting and falling with every breath of wind. no iroh, no kook, no father. just the avatar, solemn and grim and guilty. and zuko considers nothing, nothing at all.

he takes the avatar's picking hands. "fire hurts. it burns." he turns the boy's palms to face up. "but it also burns inside you. your desire to find a teacher and master firebending is an example of that. if you let your fire burn, you risk hurting others or yourself."

he lets aang's hands fall, digging his own in his pockets. "what does that mean?"

"it's something i learned from my uncle." a small lesson iroh taught years back, when zuko was adamant to improve and surpass azula. his father was far too busy, or so zuko was told, to teach him, and before azulon sent iroh away, the general took time to mentor the prince on his own.

"so, what do i do? how do i master firebending?"

zuko pauses. aang eagerly awaits. "the best way to keep a fire from burning is to learn to control it." he points at the avatar's arrow tattooed on his forehead. "but control comes from the mind first, not from your bending. i think jeong jeong was right. you have to master earth and water." aang looks down once more, a sigh escaping him. "you don't seem to like that."

"no, you're honest, lee," aang says. "which is why, when i'm ready, i'll only accept firebending from you." he turns, snagging the reins, and no sooner does appa swoop back down to the ship. zuko hops off on the deck. "i'll see you, lee."