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Rebuilding	By : voyager Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > Slash - Male/Male > Aang/Zuko Views: 2674 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Avatar The Last Airbender is the property of Nickelodeon. I don't own or profit from the characters or settings of this story. Warning: Deals with adult situations, and characters dying

Chapter List
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Chapter 13

The Earth Kingdom Journey,

And a Second Foiled Assassination

That evening, Zuko and Aang set up camp. Zuko had sent the guards, palanquin bearers and other servants back to the ship, after bringing Sensu back to his family, they were no longer needed. Of course they gave him the usual nonsense about it being unbecoming of the Firelord to walk anywhere, not to mention dangerous, etcetera, etcetera; but Zuko would hear none of it. He told them to sail back to the Fire-Nation. When asked how they'd get, back Zuko told them that alternate transportation was already taken care of. As part of their special security arrangements, Sokka was going to meet them with Appa, and they would fly back; only Aang, Sokka and Zuko knew about these plans.

Zuko also sent out a messenger hawk to Kuei, the Earth King, letting him know that he was in the Earth Kingdom, as a courtesy; one monarch to another. Zuko liked Kuei, they had a lot in common, They were both young rulers, who had had the realities of the war carefully hidden from them for far too long. Zuko's uncle called it "being handled," fortunately, they both eventually woke up to the truth, before it was too late. They first met during the armistice signing ceremonies a few months ago, and had developed a cordial friendship since then, and they corresponded regularly.

As they lay on their sleeping mats under the night sky, Aang asked, "Hey, Zuko, do you miss this?" Zuko looked over to see two pearl-grey eyes looking at him. "What 'this' are you referring to, Aang?" "Sleeping out under the stars, with no walls, no rules, no protocols about everything; and the only thing we ever had to worry about was saving the world." Zuko gave Aang a soft chuckle, and said, "Well I could do without the whole 'saving the world' part; but yeah, I do miss the sense of freedom." "I know something that'll make you feel freer than anything you've ever experienced before." Zuko's curiosity was peaked, as Aang led him to a hill overlooking a beautiful valley, brightly lit by moonlight. Aang grinned and twirled his staff, unlocking the wings from its sides.

Zuko got the distinct impression that he had been set up. "It was no accident that we camped where we did, is it?" "I don't know what you mean, Zuko," said Aang with his most innocent smile; "But now that we're here, hop on, let's go for a ride." "That thing can't hold us both," Zuko began, but Aang cut him off; "Don't worry, Zuko, I once flew with both Sokka and Toph as riders, it'll hold. Aang showed Zuko where to place his hands and feet, "Don't tell me that you want me to fly this thing, Aang," he said. "Well, I'll be doing the flying, Zuko; but you'll be steering." Aang gripped the back of the glider and asked his companion if he was ready, and holding on tight.

"Yeah," was Zuko's hesitant answer, and then, with a small burst of air-bending and a huge grin on his face; Aang launched them off of the cliff and into the night sky. There was nothing like the freedom of flight to take one's mind off its burdens; Aang, being an air-bender, knew this well. He hoped it would benefit Zuko's state of mind. The two of them flew up and down the length of the valley, taking in its raw natural beauty, for nearly an hour. Aang heard the sound of laughter from Zuko, which was something, in Aang's opinion, which he did too infrequently. Their flight had had its desired effect on the young Firelord. When they landed back at their campsite, they were both out of breath, and their faces were red, but they both felt happier and more relaxed than they had been since before the attempt on Zuko's life.

After they were back in camp, Aang began to fix an evening snack from the rations he had brought with them (all vegetarian, of course), much to Zuko's chagrin. While Aang worked, Zuko's sharp ears detected movement in the undergrowth behind them. Without indicating that he heard anything, Zuko walked over to Aang and quietly said, "Don't look up, but I don't think we're alone; in the woods behind me over my left shoulder.

Aang raised his eyes, slightly, but didn't move his head. "You got 'em?" "Yeah, I can see some movement in the bushes," Aang told Zuko. The two of them braced themselves for the attack that they knew was about to come. But nothing happened. They heard the sounds of a brief struggle, and then the woods were quiet again. Their curiosity aroused, Aang and Zuko walked toward the thicket where they had heard the movement. What they found there was quite a surprise, they saw four large men, all wearing black, with masks over their faces; they had been subdued, and tied up.

Standing over the men were three of Suki's Kyoshi Warriors. One of them, Aang and Zuko knew quite well, it was Zuko and Azula's childhood friend, Ty-Lee. "What are you doing here," Aang asked them. "And how long have you been following us," Zuko wanted to know. One of the warriors answered, "We've been here since you got to the Earth Kingdom." "It was Sokka's idea," Ty-Lee told them, "He thought it was best if we followed secretly, so that if anyone else was out to get you we could catch them before they made their move." "If the assassins knew we were here, they would have waited until you were alone to strike."

Zuko grinned, and said, "You are all invited to the palace for dinner when we get back to the Fire-nation; and after I knock that son-of-a glacier on his backside for hiding this from me, I'm going to give him a big, sloppy kiss." Aang chuckled, and the three Kyoshi warriors belted out a less than lady-like guffaw.

"Well, now that you're here, you might as well join us for something to eat;" Aang invited the three female warriors back to his and Zuko's camp. The three Kyoshi warriors happily accepted the Avatar's offer. Zuko and Ty-lee reminisced about the last time they had sat around a campfire, Azula and Mai had been there, as well. That night, on Ember Island, the four of them had learned more about themselves, and each other, than they had ever known before. It seemed like a lifetime ago, but in reality it had been a scant four months ago.

The Avatar, the Firelord and the three Kyoshi Warriors talked into the night, just like the late night campfire talks Aang, Katara, Sokka and Toph would have back in the days before Sozin's comet, when they were still on the run from Zuko; and he was on the run from Azula. The world seemed to have turned over so many times since then. It was Aang's most fervent wish that he and Zuko, and the rest of their friends and family, would be able to continue to change the world and create a better future, the 'light at the end of the tunnel'; Iroh had spoken of.
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