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Memories from Western Airtemple	By : DarthAnimus Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > AU/AR - Alternate Universe/Alternate Reality > Slash - Male/Male Views: 16187 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own "Avatar: the Last Airbender" or the characters. I don't make any profit out of writing this.

Chapter List
- 14
- 15
- 16
The chapters from now onward take place after the "Boiling Rock" episodes
Memories from Western Air Temple
Chapter 15
Too Good for This World

Toph and Zuko were sparring again, this time using their bending for a change. Aang had come to watch in order to pick out some techniques, at least that was what Zuko had told him to do. It was more than likely that Aang would pick up nothing, being so engrossed with watching the fight in itself and ignoring details for the most part.
Still, Aang did pay some attention to the way Zuko moved so gracefully and avoided Toph’s attacks with almost practised ease. The firebender’s body moved quickly and the flow of his body was exquisite in a way that could have been described beautiful. It was not the same kind of beautiful as Katara when the sunset dyed the girl’s hair golden brown; it was more similar to when Katara was bending in the heat of a battle, full of power that she did not have during training. Zuko’s current appearance was similar to that, but was still on a higher, more dangerous level. It was difficult to describe but for some reason, Aang thought about balance when he watched the teen. There was something about Zuko that made Aang think about the entire world as an inseparable whole.
Suddenly, there was a ripple in the perfection. Just after Zuko dodged a rock Toph had thrown at him, the teen faltered briefly. Golden eyes followed the rock to where it landed and something changed in the deeply concentrated expression, twisting it in a manner that Aang did not think he had ever seen before.
Later on Aang blamed himself for not seeing it coming. At the moment it happened he was simply too shocked to think that deeply into it. Toph had not noticed how dangerously distracted Zuko had become. Through her bending she could only see that something had slowed the prince down and so she struck.
A pillar of stone rose from the ground and somehow Zuko did not even see it coming before it had slammed right into his stomach, sending the firebender flying briefly before he crashed down on the ground with a series of pained groans.
Calling the prince’s name Aang quickly stood up on his seat, his worried eyes watching as Zuko got up on all fours with his arms shaking and shoulders quaking. The next second Aang knew the reason for the teen’s weak posture when Zuko lowered his head and threw up on the stones.
“Zuko!” Aang yelled again and rushed to the firebender’s side with Toph following quickly behind as the girl’s worriedly angry voice hollered: “Why didn’t you dodge you dumb idiot?”
None of their calls were answered as Zuko shook his head slowly with his whole body convulsing at his by now dry heaves. The prince’s face was pale, almost ashen, and his skin was damp with sweat that had not come from the short sparring match.
Footsteps approached then and both Katara and Sokka appeared quickly with Haru following a bit more hesitantly behind. Sokka’s strong legs took him to the trio on the ground the fastest and the teen knelt down as he queried: “What’s up?”
“Zuko’s not feeling well”, Aang replied and placed his hands on Zuko’s shoulder and back. He could feel the firebender shake under his hands as well as the other’s thundering heartbeat. He even felt feverish.
“What happened?” Katara’s voice asked then and the girl was suddenly leaning over Zuko’s back, looking at Aang in question. The Avatar shook his head as he spoke: “I don’t know. Toph hit him in the stomach and then he started getting sick.”
“I didn’t hit him that hard!” Toph snapped then. “He shouldn’t be reacting this way.”
“He’s been sick at night”, a new voice joined in and Aang blinked at Haru in surprise. The earthbending boy shifted nervously when everyone’s eyes turned to him and he continued in a mutter: “I talked to him once and he said that he felt guilty. I’m not sure about what, though.”
Aang frowned in thought before his grey eyes fell on the rock that had landed on the ground and he saw how it had shattered the tree trunk it had landed upon and Aang was reminded of a time a person had been crushed on the inside in the same manner. And that was the same person Zuko had talked with The Duke about, like he had known him at some point. So, it was a possibility, the airbender thought, but how could Zuko know about that?
“Damn it, Zuko!” Sokka snapped suddenly and Aang jumped when the tanned boy pulled the firebender from beneath his hands. The teen was gripping the front of the other’s shirt as he stood up with him, shaking the prince a couple of times. “What the heck happened between you and Jet?”
Focusing his eyes on Zuko, Aang stood up to see the firebender’s face as Sokka manhandled him. The Avatar could not see the older teen’s expression, however, since it was hidden underneath the shadows his shaggy hair created. Zuko lifted his hand.
With a fierce shove at the darker boy Zuko jerked out of Sokka’s grip, his stagger giving the impression of being mortally wounded. He took a single hesitant step away from Sokka before turning away and running off faster than any of them could follow.
“Hey, Zuko!” Sokka yelled and made to follow, but Katara’s stern grip on his arm stopped him. The boy stopped and turned to his sister when the girl asked the question that was on Aang’s mind as well: “Why did you bring up Jet?”
Sokka grit his teeth, glaring at seemingly nothing before he scoffed: “Zuko insisted to know what happened to Jet. He told me that they had met during his and his uncle’s travels so I figured he might as well know.”
Once again Aang’s eyes drifted to the fallen rock as he muttered sorrowfully: “Oh, Sokka. Please tell me you didn’t…”
“I guess I should have spared him the details but I really needed to get it off of my chest”, Sokka explained and Aang thought he could actually hear regret in his voice. Still, that did not change the fact that Zuko was upset and had probably been for a while. Aang needed to find the prince as soon as possible.
Turning away from the rest of his friends Aang rushed after the one friend that had vanished into the darkness of the abandoned temple. There was an advantage that Aang had in this game of hide and seek, though: he knew just where Zuko would run off to.
Soon enough Aang arrived at the door that led to the Sanctum, as Zuko had named the room. After a subtle request from the fire prince the airbender had left the doors open so that Zuko could enter whenever he wished or needed to. And this, in Aang’s mind, counted as a time that Zuko would need to be in here, the only place where he could be close to his family.
Aang really did find Zuko, curled up at the feet of Avatar Roku’s statue, chest rocking back and forth ever so slightly but still noticeably. Slowly and carefully, Aang made his way to the teen and stopped a couple of steps away from the hunched form.
“You know”, Zuko spoke suddenly, startling Aang, “When I first met Jet, he asked me to join his freedom fighters.” Aang hesitated as he stood there, not sure if Zuko was merely talking to himself or if the firebender had actually heard his feather light steps across the stone floor. In the end, the Avatar did not need to do anything when Zuko already continued: “I knew what he thought about the likes of me so I declined. But, even as I refused, I was moved that he would try to befriend me. But then something changed.” Something changed in Zuko’s tone as well. The prince had started to speak in a detached, emotionless voice but now sadness and pain bled through with each one of his words. “Somewhere along the line he got convinced that my uncle and I were firebenders. I don’t know if he saw us do something or if he was simply crazy but I do know that he was absolutely certain of his discovery. He followed us. I was the reason he came to Ba Sing Se.”
Betrayal was always a painful thing, especially the betrayal of a friend. It seemed that Zuko knew all about it, even when he had declined the offered friendship in the first place. Aang listened closely as Zuko continued, trying to pick out any changes in the prince’s tone: “He ended up attacking me in the teashop I worked in with my uncle. He was planning to force me to bend in order to protect myself but the Dai Li interfered and took him away.”
There, Aang was certain that he had heard it. A short, strangled sob had escaped along with those last words and the airbender laid a hand on Zuko’s shoulder. The prince lifted his face to Aang, revealing eyes that were reddened but not wet. Kneeling down on the floor Aang laid both of his hands on Zuko’s shoulders and so the firebender continued: “I don’t like death, Aang, I honestly don’t. I didn’t want even Zhao to die and he tried to have me assassinated on top of other things.” The teen shook his head. “I had no idea that they would do such things to him, least of all did I think he would die. It hurts.” And then the first tears fell, along with the agonized whisper: “I don’t like people dying, least of all because of me. It hurts so much that I don’t think I can go on.”
Desperation swirled in Aang’s mind as he gripped Zuko tightly, pulling the older boy against him so that the black-haired head fell on his shoulder, his clothes getting stained with hot tears. He bit his lip as he pulled himself together, finally speaking sternly, forcefully: “It wasn’t your fault, Zuko. You aren’t an earthbender; you did not throw that rock on him. Neither are you one of the Dai Li; you weren’t the one who messed with his head.”
So fierce, so protective, Aang truly was the saviour of the world at moment. He was the saviour of Zuko’s world and the firebender gripped at his back tightly, basking in the glory that the other personified. He fought back the sobs raking through his body so that he could focus on the feeling of the other’s heart beating against his own chest, proof that the boy was alive despite everything he had done.
Aang felt Zuko mutter something against the fabric on his shoulder and even as he struggled to listen, the young airbender could not make out a single word. Laying a hand to the back of the prince’s head, the Avatar caressed the silky soft locks of hair as he questioned: “What was that?”
But Zuko refused to answer, choosing to stay silent as he shook his head slowly against Aang. With a sigh the younger male decided not to pry as he pulled the larger body tighter against his own.
Like a flower that had been stepped on, Zuko was withered and weak against Aang’s surprisingly strong body. Yet, the airbender thought that with enough light he could bloom once more.
To be continued...
Ending Notes: In case you're wondering what it was that Zuko said to Aang, look at the chapter title.
- 14
- 15
- 16
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Memories from Western Airtemple