Exploding Through Dimensions

Chapter 11: Combustion Man

"Right! We can get him to come back and say he'll be our prisoner then jump him and really make him our prisoner. He'll never suspect it!"

"Wow Sokka you're a master of surprises." Katara playfully rolled her eyes.

"I really am." He proudly grinned.

"Ahh, that's the stuff." Toph blissfully sighs when she dips her feet in the water. "Now I know how the rest of you guys feel. Not being able to see with your feet really stinks."

"Alright let's capture him. As much as I don't want to, we need to before he hurts anyone else." Aang gripped his staff.

"What do you mean?" Uraraka saw Aang's eyes turn to hers. "Like Toph said, this was clearly an accident."

"Where you there?" Katara asked, crossing her arms and waiting for her reply.

"No, I wasn't." Uraraka calmly said now eyeing the water tribe girl. "And neither were you. The only one here was Toph and if she says-"

"Look at her feet Uraraka." Katara gestured towards the earth bender. "Does that look like an accident to you?"

"Katara..." Aangs eyes dropped as he remembered a moment in time when his bending could also hurt. "I accidently hurt you too."

"What?" She stared back at him in surprise.

"Don't you remember? Back when I was trying to fire bend. I hurt you."

"That was different." She protested.

"No, it wasn't." he said.

"Regardless, Zuko is nothing like you Aang." Katara placed a hand on his shoulder which just made him give a small smile.

"You guys are missing one crucial point. Like I said before, Aang still needs a fire bending teacher and what he said just proves it, and one has offered to teach him. So, I don't know why you guys won't just think about it." Toph rationalized.

"Exactly." Uraraka said trying to stop them from doing something she was sure they'd regret.

"We don't need him." Katara firmly said. "We've been doing just fine without him."

"Doesn't seem that way." Uraraka's serious tone even startled Mina as she glanced sideway at her friend. "Listen I'm not entirely sure of all the details of this grand fight you guys have coming up. But...if I'm not mistaken, you'll need all the help you can get right?" she glanced over at Aang for confirmation.

"You don't know him." Katara cut in walking over to her. "You don't know him like we do...like I do."

"You're right, I don't." Uraraka said. "But it seems to me that he's genuinely wanting to help you."

"Ochaco." Mina whispered.

"He's a good liar Uraraka. All fire benders are."

"You can't say that." Uraraka responded. She was aware that maybe she was overstepping on something she had no business in. It was true that they didn't know them all very well or even Zuko for that matter. But he didn't seem to be the type of person to just freely offer themselves up without wanting to help, and besides if he wanted to kill them then he could've done it by now. "Just because someone has a fire type quirk-or bending like you call it here, doesn't make them all a bad person."

"Interesting you say that since you boyfriend seems to have one." Katara smugly crossed her arms when she saw the quick blush on Uraraka's cheeks.

Ignoring the painfully obvious and embarrassing blush to her cheeks as all surprised eyes turned to her except for Mina who seemed awfully pleased with the statement. So Uraraka made it a point no to look in her direction again as she tried to calmly breath through her nose. The sudden feeling suddenly being replaced by anger. "Katara...even though my friends have a fire type...power, that would never make me doubt that I would trust them with my life. And I can honestly say that I have proof of that. They have risked their lives repeatedly to make sure people were saved. So, if you're asking me if I believe that Zuko could be capable of changing or helping even though he might not have been born in the same place as you, then yes, I would give him a chance and you guys should too."