the avatar, and that one good firebender, lee

fire, part six

aang isn't one to eavesdrop. no, he shouldn't; but he could blame it all on toph—one to listen and wait. so, up on the main deck, half-listening to sokka fight with katara, he peeks an ear at the conversation between zuko, toph, and iroh. he hears little through the chatter, but enough to get a grasp—zuko's going somewhere, for something about his firebending.

he waits until midnight, knowing the prince's methods, and catches him just before the boy is lowering a spare boat in the water. zuko jerks backward, heart stuttering as he turns and catches the avatar; wide awake and staring, and with his flying bison sitting just behind him. "hey, zuko—or should i just keep calling you lee?"

the prince shrugs, running a hand through his hair as his nerves calm. "as long as you don't call me zuzu." for whatever reason, katara had let it slip, the boy's 'middle name', and all across the deck he could hear toph and sokka hollering, zuzu can i get some more premium jasmine tea? and zuzu please more moon cakes! aang laughs. "now, what are you doing here?"

"i overheard you talking with your uncle. and toph," aang says, climbing on appa's head. zuko nods, recalling the earthbender's strangely sound advice about the original benders. "and i think going to wherever you're going will be much faster if you hop on with me." zuko stands still, openly refusing the offer. "you won't have to teach me anything. i'll just...escort you."

the prince looks at appa. and then, begrudgingly, back at his rickety boat. and, with a sigh, he takes his chances.

"your uncle said something about not being able to firebend?" aang says once they reach higher altitudes. "is that true?"

zuko pauses. exhausted, he lays flat on the saddle, staring up at the sky. they look no different than from on the ground. with a deep breath, he says, "it has been for a long time."

"why?" aang asks. zuko knows, sensing the worry. "is that why you won't teach me?"

"i stand by what i said about the assassins," zuko says. crossing his arms, he continues, "and also what i told you before. fire is within you, and it burns. like earth, it needs a strong devotion to it. and, like water, it needs control. like air, you need to know when and how to use it. and if not, you risk letting it spiral out of control." the avatar nods along. "so, you need some kind of drive or purpose. otherwise, there's no effort in it at all."

aang takes it all in, mulling it over. "earlier, you said your drive was peace. that was how you helped me. so why can't you firebend now?"

"i don't know, bending isn't all simple, is it?" zuko shrugs. "iroh thinks i'm holding myself back, like i don't want myself to firebend. but i do, don't i?"

aang shrugs himself. "i guess we'll find out."

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the avatar and the prince are captured upon stealing a relic from the sun temple. taken to the two masters of firebending to determine their judgement and fate, they meet the last two dragons, ran and shaw, sweeping the air past them, and, zuko, following aang's advice, dances alongside the dragons' dips and turns.

as one dragon dips and the other rises, one turns and the other follows, the avatar and the prince ground themselves against the pulling winds torn from the gracious flaps of the wings. zuko dances, his throat dry, watching the red and blue ancient firebenders meet at the bottom of the podium. and their mouths open, etching out a quiet roar, a flicker of flame, and zuko, caught in the middle, jerks his arm upright to cover his face.

and there it comes. the truth of fire. reality of its blaze, the measurement of how high and how bright. the red, blue, violet, altogether racing in streaks and delving into streams of orange and white and red. the fire twists like ivy, surrounding zuko and the avatar with gentle harmony, and he feels the air around them pull and tug in laughs. they stand in a hurricane of fire, unharmed, and zuko can see why. he can see everything, staring back at him through the flames; the truth in his mind, his own self, his own hurt.