when fire meets air

Chapter 1: Zuko

It was getting late and the crickets had begun to sing the song of their civilization. The clouds that lay peacefully in the sky danced with warm colours of the days end. The sun had begun to set below the horizon, but in the old, formerly abandoned air temple, the son of the Fire Lord's temper had just begun to rise.

"Oh, come on!" He yelled, kicking a stump so hard that the old, rotting bark fell off of its shell. He put his hands in his hair and tugged at the black strands between his fingers. "What the hell is wrong with me! He- I- Fuck!" He cursed and sat into the dirty floor of the training room. Zuko was so wrapped up in his own mental struggle that he didn't- couldn't- hear the small, sweeping footsteps of the former earth noble.

"Hey, Zuko, Buddy, calm down." The little earth bender whispers softly. The fire bender mentally cursed and smiled to cover up his current mental break down.
"Can you leave me alone?" He snapped and ran a hand through his hair.
"Ha, no." She laughed bitterly. "You're my friend, no matter how much of a dick you are, and I want to help you with your troubles. Spill. " Toph says sassily. He couldn't escape now, might as well give in. It would be good to get it off his chest, or so he thinks.
"You promise not to tell anyone?"
"I swear on the Beifong family name. " Toph says.
"You know how Aang and I went to the fire temple, danced with the two fire masters, and all that? " He looked down, his knuckles turning white.
"Yeah, Aang wouldn't shut his trap about it." She rolled her eyes.
"Well, ever since we came back, I haven't been able to stop thinking about... that day. And since this fucking plague," He motioned to his head, "Settled in, I haven't been able to fire bend. At all."
"At all?" She asked with eyebrows raised.
"At all. It's driving me insane! How the hell am I supposed to teach Aang how to fire bend when I can't even bend myself!" He groaned and put his head in his hands.
"Hm..." Toph looked at him suspiciously and then smirked.
"You have wasureta. Holy shit!" She grinned and pushed his shoulder.
"The hell is that?" He raised an eyebrow and shoved her back.
"You've forgotten how to bend... because you're in love." Toph grinned maliciously. "And I think I know who the culprit is."
Zuko could feel the blood draining from his face.
"Who?" He said, his voice shaking.
"Aang."

Fuck.

After much denying, lying and anger, Toph finally ripped a confession out of him.
"Yes, fine, fuck! Okay! I like him, in a romantic sense, yes." He sighed.
"Tell him." She pushed.
"No."
"Tell him!"
"Fuck no!"
"Please?" Zuko groaned- he couldn't say no to Toph when she spoke like that. She may be a little shit sometimes, but she was always like a little sister to him.
"Fine." He gave in and looked at her with scared golden eyes.
"You better!" She laughed.
"I will, I will."

But not today.

Ayeeeee two updates in one day??? This is the rewritten first chappie of this fanfic and I hope you enjoy the new and improved writing style!

~ Dylan