𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐎 𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐍 | prince zuko

¹⁵

Zuko clenched his eyes shut, trying to get everyone to understand that he was not the same person he used to be. "I'm trying to explain that I'm not that person anymore. If you won't accept me as a friend, then maybe you'll take me as a prisoner." He dropped to his knees and lowered his head, raising his hands to show he was going without a struggle.

"No, we won't!" Katara shouted, sending a wave of water toward Zuko, knocking him back several feet. She, Sokka, and Aang stepped over to Zuko's fallen form, standing over him. "Get out of here and don't come back. And if we ever see you again... well, we'd better not see you again." Zuko looked up at the trio before nodding. He stood up and walked away from the group, his footsteps sloshing with each step he took.

After Zuko had left, Yan sat in the echo chamber, leaning against the wall. She was given a spare sleeping bag by Katara and sat on the floor, listening to the group going back and forth. Katara argued that Zuko's attempt at sympathy was nothing new; she had witnessed it when she and Zuko were locked together in the Crystal Catacombs. Aang even revealed that it was Zuko who rescued him from a Fire Nation fortress many months back, though he was wearing a disguise then. Even when Katara tried to explain that Zuko was lying about setting Appa free, Toph jumped into the argument, stating that he was telling the truth.

The argument escalated to Katara yelling at Toph, telling her that she wasn't around when Zuko attacked their village when he was first searching for the Avatar. Although she tried to get the group to understand that Aang needed a firebending teacher regardless of who it was and how untrustworthy they were, Aang refused to have Zuko as a teacher. In frustration, Toph turned around and walked away from the group, groaning in annoyance at their stubbornness. 

. . .

     By morning the next day, Toph hadn't come back. Katara grew concerned, knowing Toph normally always returned to the group regardless of their arguments. Sokka and Haru ― an earthbender boy Sokka, Aang, and Katara met previously in the past ― calmed Katara's worrisome nature down, telling her that Toph will come back eventually. The Duke and Teo ― two other kids who bumped into the trio in their previous adventures ― agreed to go and find Toph if she was still in the temple, running off with Haru.

As Katara scooped some congee into a bowl and passed it to Yan, a rumbling and crash caused her to jolt and throw the hot gruel out of the bowl. The group looked toward the wall and saw Toph crawling toward them. They rushed toward her, the blind earthbender explaining that she had burned the bottom of her feet after meeting with Zuko last night. She made sure to tell them that Zuko didn't attack her and that it was an accident for her getting burned. They placed her feet in a fountain so Katara could work on healing them using her bending, Sokka and Aang deciding to make Zuko their prisoner.

While they were sitting by the fountain, the water glowing due to Katara using her healing abilities to try and heal Toph's feet faster, a sudden explosion caused the group to look up. Standing on a distant platform was a man with a metal arm and a metal leg; Yan guessed this was the assassin Zuko had sent after them. The group quickly moved Toph out of the fountain and crouched behind it as two more explosions blasted through the temple.

Aang sent a tornado of air toward Combustion Man, the assassin leaping over it and heading toward the group of kids. Katara sent a wave toward the assassin, turning the water from the fountain into icicles that rained down on Combustion Man. While he was distracted, the group hid beside the echo chamber, another explosion rumbling the temple.

"He's going to blast this whole place right off the cliff side!" Toph yelled as she felt the earth vibrate under her hand. Katara peeked over the corner only to move away as another explosion blew dust and rock toward her.

"We can't step out to bend at him without getting blown up. We're at a bad angle, we can't get to him either way," she explained to the others.

Sokka was quiet for a moment before his eyes lit up with an idea. "I know how to get an angle on him." he grinned, pushing his sister aside to stand in front of her. He took out his boomerang and threw it, the metal weapon whipping around a column and colliding with Combustion Man's forehead. Sokka grinned in success and ran out around the echo chamber with Katara, Yan, Toph, and Aang, happy that his boomerang did the job he intended. 

However, their victory was short-lived as Combustion Man got up from the floor. The group ran back around the echo chamber as the assassin took in a breath to let out another explosion. As the explosion sounded, it didn't hit their area as expected; instead, the assassin blew himself up, sending his platform falling into the canyon. Zuko climbed up a vine toward the group after the assassin had been dealt with.

"Listen, I know that I didn't explain myself very well yesterday. I've been through a lot in the past few years, and it's been hard. But I'm realizing that I had to go through all those things to learn the truth. I thought I had lost my honor and that somehow my father could return it to me, but I know now that no one can give you your honor. It's something you earn for yourself by choosing to do what's right. All I want now is to play my part in ending this war, and I know my destiny is to help you restore balance to the world." Zuko explained, turning to Toph next to apologize for burning her. "I'm sorry for what I did to you. It was an accident. Fire can be dangerous and wild, so as a firebender, I need to be more careful and control my bending so I don't hurt people unintentionally."

Aang listened quietly, his eyes widening when Zuko mentioned controlling his bending. "I think you are supposed to be my firebending teacher. When I first tried to learn firebending, I burned Katara. And after that, I never wanted to firebend again. But now I know you understand how easy it is to hurt the people you love. I'd like you to teach me." Aang decided, bowing and saluting Zuko who smiled and bowed in return.

"Thank you. I'm so happy you've accepted me into your group." he smiled.

"Not so fast. I still have to ask my friends if it's okay with them." Aang interrupted him before turning to his friends. Toph was all for Zuko joining, stating that she was more than willing to get back at the Fire Nation boy for burning her. Sokka just wanted to defeat the Fire Lord, deciding to let Zuko stay if teaching Aang firebending was the way to stop Ozai. Katara hesitated with her statement, going with whatever Aang trusted. Yan did not say a word as Aang came to her. She crossed her arms and avoided his gaze, muttering what sounded like fine when he asked her again.

As Sokka agreed to take Zuko to where he would be staying for the time being, Yan looked into Zuko's golden eyes as he passed her, staring deadly daggers at the boy who broke her trust.