The two walked through the ruins of the old civilization as it looked abandoned, but it was still amazing architecture.
"These buildings are really familiar, I can tell the fire sages temples are some how descended from these," Zuko looked around as Aang walked ahead curiously.
"We learned something about architecture so hopefully we can learn something about fire bending, the past can be a great teacher," Aang smiled brightly but gasped when he tripped over a wire and fell forward. It was a trap as spikes emerged from the ground, Aang blew a deep breath and pushed his body to the other side of the trap.
"Zuko I think the pass is trying to kill me!" Aang cried out wide eyes.
"I can't believe it, this booby trap must be centuries old and it still works," Zuko grabbed them rope that tripped Aang.
"There's probably a lot more, maybe this means we shouldn't be here," Aang held his glider to his chest anxiously.
Zuko took a few steps back and ran along the wall, he jumped and landed next to Aang brushing dust off him.
"Where's that upbeat attitude?" Zuko teased a little.
"Besides, people don't make traps unless they have something worth protecting," he looked at the temple in the center that must be holding answers.
——
And walked behind Zuko as he took strong strides up the stairs, Aang was slightly dying by how many there were but tried to hide it seeing Zuko was unfazed.
"So how come you let Katara come with you?" Aang asked trying to get ride of the silence but instead he wheezed slightly.
"She found me at the factory," Zuko answered without looking at him.
"I mean you two probably could've came back to the group," Aang pursed his lips and Zuko looked at him unamused.
"You wouldn't have accepted me to your group, and I don't regret how things turned out, I think it was for the better," Zuko explained to him calmly and Aang gulped slightly remembering how he didn't trust Zuko when he came back from prison... he had a point.
"So then you like Katara?" He asked and Zuko sighed closing his eyes.
"I know everyone thinks we're together but don't worry, we're not, she's my best friend, I trust her with my life," Zuko told him but it hurt to lie.
"You don't like her that way?" Aang blinked surprised.
"No? Why? Do you?" He asked but regretted saying it seeing aangs face heat up. Fuck.
"Course I do, she's amazing and beautiful and I feel like we were made to be together, we've always found our way to each other," Aang beamed brightly at him as Zuko pursed his lips.
"Have you considered her feelings?" Zuko asked.
"What?" Aang gulped.
"I don't know, Katara is complicated," Zuko blushed looking away.
"Not really, she's really kind and always looks out for me," he offered a smile up at him but Zuko shook his head a little.
"Do you believe in love at first sight?" Aang asked curiously.
"No,"
"Really? I think I do, when I first met Katara I just knew I loved her," he shrugged smiling.
Zuko clicked his tongue shaking his head walking up the stairs. It wasn't his choice to break it to Aang about Kataras feelings, that she felt more like a mother hen or big sister to everyone. He couldn't tell Aang that he was already in love with Katara, that she's always on his mind and how he always wanted to see her smile, make her happy. It's probably the same way Aang felt about her too...
Agni, damn he had competition...
"Hey look! This seems promising," Aang looked ahead snapping Zuko from his thoughts.
"But I'm not sure what this tells us about the original source of fire bending," they saw a wall with carvings into art of two dragons and their fire surrounding a human.
"They look pretty angry to me," Zuko said flatly.
"I thought the dragons were friends with the sun warriors," Aang said a little disappointed.
"They had a funny way of showing it," Zuko rolled his eyes, he looked down remembering why there were no dragons anymore. He was lucky to find Durk, somehow he's still alive when long ago the dragons were extinct.
"Zuko, something happened to the dragons, and your not telling me, what happened?" Aang looked at him as Zuko went to keep walking.
"My great grandfather sozin happened,"
"He started the tradition of hunting dragons for glory, they were the ultimate fire benders, and if you could concur one then your fire bending talents would become legendary, it's how you would earn the honorary title dragon," Zuko explained as Aang followed him as they found more stairs with two large dragon statues on the side, one was broken.
"The last great dragon was concurred long before I was born, by my uncle," he sighed touching the statue as they passed it.
"I thought your uncle was.. good.." Aang looked at him confused.
"He had a complicated past, family tradition I guess," Zuko looked back at him before walking up the stairs again.
They finally made it to the top of the temple and saw a solstice calendar with a sun stone near by and high. They looked at gold doors that they needed to get through.
Aang walked up and tried prying them apart as Zuko looked around curiously. The doors would obviously be locked. Zuko felt something warm at the back of his head, he turned seeing the sun stone was lit by the suns light and there was a red dot on the ground that he blocked before.
"It's a solstice calendar, like the fire sages temple," Zuko backed out of the calendar as Aang stood in the middle.
"The solstice? We can't wait that long," Aang whined.
"No we can't, but we might be able to speed time up," Zuko took out one of his swords and knelt to the ground, he balanced the light on the metal of his blade as he moved it to the stone about the doors, keeping it there seeing the stone was glowing. They waited a few more seconds and soon the door finally opened.
"You know Zuko, I don't care what everyone else says about you, your pretty smart," Aang smiled putting a hand over his own chest as Zuko walked to the door. He smiled a little at that.
Aang walked in first but gasped seeing a large face but bumped into Zuko.
"Relax, they're just statues," Zuko told him as they walked further in. There was a dozen of large statues that created a circle around the center platform of the room.
Aang turned around looking at the first one seeing there was writing at the block the statue stood on.
"It says it's something called the dancing dragon," Aang told him as he looked at the stone creations. He set his glider down and took a few steps back copying the pose of the statue, a brick under aangs foot moved down. When he lifted his foot the brick came back to a level floor.
"Zuko I want you to dance with me!" Aang quickly grabbed his arm trying to pull him.
"What?!" He was surprised by the avatar.
"Just do it," Aang rolled his eyes smirked.
They both stood behind the first statue by the door as Zuko groaned embarrassed he had to dance, he signed copying the moves of the statue but when he went to the second move the brick under one of his feet moved. His eyes widen as he went along with it. This is why..
"Don't you see? These aren't dance moves, they give us a lesson, I think it's a sun warrior fire bending form," Aang explained as Zuko felt the form was familiar, if he bended Aang would be right.
"This better teach us some good fire bending," Zuko said.
They two boys went at the same pace of the 'dance' as they copied each statues pose around the room until they finally ended together with their fists connected to each other.
They looked behind them hearing items move, there was suddenly a golden egg on a pedestal in the center.
"Hurry!" Aang cheered. "...wait, what is it?"
"It's some kind of gem stone," Zuko went towards it.
"Well don't touch it!" Aang cried out.
"Why not?" He looked at him confused.
"Remember what happened with the spikes? I'm just very suspicious of giant glowing gems out in the open," Aang explained cautiously but Zuko picked it up anyways.
"It almost feels.. alive..?" Zuko held it confused as it was warm.
"See nothing-" Zuko was cut off by a scream when suddenly green goo spit from the ground and sent him flying to the ceiling. He got stuck in the glue against bars.
"I told you it's a trap!" Aang yelled as the doors slammed closed and the green goo started to floor the room.
"I can't get out!" Zuko grunted.
Aang jumped over the waves of goo as he grabbed his glider, sending an air blast at Zuko but he only flipped over with his face hanging out of the bars.
The glider got stuck as Aang whimpered trying to pull it out but lost it in the goo and jumped to to grab the bars Zuko was stuck too, but instead his hands and feet got stuck to the metal bars as well.
"I'm stuck!" Aang gasped. "Zuko do something!"
"Me?!" Zuko cried out.
Soon the goo pressed against their backs at it filled the room, they grunted hoping the impact wouldn't crush them but the flooding finally stopped. But they were stuck.
"It stopped," Aang breathed relieved.
"At least we're have air," Zuko couldn't move his head even. "Maybe if we stay calm we'll figure a way out of this,"
——
By night fall they were still stuck and no sign of anyone coming. Neither of them were happy.
"You had to pick up the giant egg.. didn't Yoy..." Aang mumbled.
"At least I made something happen, if it were up to you we'd still be in the court yard," Zuko shot back.
"HEEEELP!"
"Who are you yelling to?!" Zuko yelled back. "Nobody's lived here for centuries!"
"Well what do you think we should do?" Aang looked at him just as lost.
"..think about our place in the universe?"
Aang sighed.
"Who's down there?!" A new voice yelled making the two teen gasp seeing a man walking over, he wore native clothing and red and white face pant over his skin.
A sun warrior...
——
The two benders were freed as they were circled by other warriors while giant ant eater animals licked the goo off them while the chief glared at them.
"For trying to take our sunstone you will be severely punished," the leader growled down at them.
"We didn't come here for your stone, we came to learn the ancient ways of fire bending," Zuko looked at them calmly.
"Yea right, theyre obviously thieves, trying time steal sun warrior treasures," a skinny man with giant earrings held the egg close.
"Please, I don't normally play this card but I'm the avatar," Aang smiled up at them as Zuko rolled his eyes, it was slightly cringy to hear outloud.
"Just hear us out," Aang stood up as Zuko sighed getting up as well.
"My name is Zuko, former crown prince of the fire nation," he looked at the warriors. "I know my people have destroyed the ways of fire bending, to be fueled by rage and hatred, but now I want to learn the true way, the original way,"
"When we came here we'd never imagine the sun warriors civilians were still secretly alive, I'm truly humble to be in your presence," Zuko bowed to them as Aang followed to do the same.
"Please, teach us,"
"If you wish to learn the ways of the sun you must learn them from the masters, ran and shaw," the chief told them sternly.
"Ran and Shaw? There's two of them?" Aang asked confused.
"When you present yourself a to them, they will examine you, they'll read your hearts, your souls, and your ancestry," the chief got close to them and glared up and down at Zuko.
"Despite being spirit touched," he nodded as Zuko didn't move away, nor did he blink.
But his heart pounded, his past was full of hatred, his bloodline before him was full of violence...
"If they deem you worthy they will teach you, if they don't you will be destroyed on the spot," he warned and finally backed away from Zuko.
Yep. He was gonna die.
——
"If your going to see the masters, you must bring them a piece of the eternal flame, this fire is the very first fire," the chief brought the teens to a secret destination as they stood before a large fire in the wall.
"A gift from the dragons, it has burned for thousands of years," he looked back at them.
"I don't believe it," Zuko breathed slightly in awe, this was from history books and he got to see it alive.
"You each will take a piece and take it to the masters, to show your commitment to the sacred art of fire bending," he finished as Aang looked nervous.
"Mister sun chief sir.. yea I'm not a fire bender," Aang rubbed the back of his neck.
"Couldn't my friend here carry it for me?" He asked perking up.
"No,"
The man bended the fire from the giant flame, separating it into two, one for each hand.
"This ritual illustrates the essence of the sun warrior philosophy, you just contain a constant heat, the flame will go out if you make it to small," he held one hand out to Aang.
"Make it to big, you might loose control," he held the other hand out for Zuko to take.
"I'm sorry, I'm just a little nervous," Aang gulped before taking the fire in his hands. His fears immediately melted away as he felt the fire in his hands.
"It's like a little heart beat.." he gasped.
"Fire is life, not just destruction," the chief told him gently.
"You will take your fires up there to the cave of the masters, where is it beneath that rock," he pointed to the mountain on the side.
——
They wasted no time traveling with their fires, Aang caressed his flame with both hands most of the way, Zuko held his with ease and covered it when he felt a breeze.
"Hurry up," he saw Aang was falling behind.
"I'm sorry I don't wanna loose my flame," Aang climbed carefully.
"No you'll loose it because it's to small, you're to timid, give it more juice," Zuko waited a moment for Aang to catch up.
"But what if I can't control it?" Aang asked wide eyes.
"You can do it, I know you can, your a talented kid," Zuko told him gently. It helped Aang smile a little.
"So what was that thing of spirit touched? What's that?" Aang grunted crawling up a rock.
"When I died and the blue spirit gave me life, I was given his spirit as life, it's called being spirit touched," Zuko explained to him as Aang flinched a little at that. Died??
"Katara has it as well, being a healer she was touched by tu and la, your obvious touched too but it's rare for humans to get it, especially any bender besides water," he walked ahead at ease.
"So are there any advantages being spirit touched?" Aang asked running to keep up.
"I've contacted a spirit, activated a curse, came back to life," Zuko shrugged a little.
"Which spirit?!" Aang gasped excitedly.
"Uh... avatar Roku, he is also my great grandfather," Zuko didn't look at him but could feel aangs excitement hearing a small squeal.
"How?! That's so cool!" Aang ran up to him.
"Uh moms side," Zuko scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
By sunset the boys finally made it to the caves but saw the sun warriors beat them there and stood in front of the stairs that lead between the two tops of the mountain.
"Facing the judgement of the fire bending masters, will be very dangerous for you," the chief walked up to Zuko.
"Your ancestors are directly responsible for the dragons disappearance, the masters might not be so happy to see you," he looked down at his disapprovingly as Zuko looked to the side shamed.
"But once they find out I'm the avatar-" "have you forgotten that you vanished? Allowing the fire nation to wreak havoc on the world? The decline of dragons is your burden as well," the chief cut him off as Aang looked guilty as well.
He slammed his staff on the ground twice for it to stay, coming forth to take some of Zuko and aangs flames to give to the other sun warriors and spread along the others.
"We could turn back now?" Aang whispered to Zuko. "We've already learned more about fire bending than we hoped," he held up his tiny flame.
"No, we're seeing this through to the end, we're gonna meet these masters and find out what's so great about them," Zuko shook his head as Aang groaned a little.
"What if they judge us then attack us?" He asked concerned.
"Well we're the avatar and a fire prince, i think we can take them in a fight," Zuko smirked at him and Aang smiled a little back nodding.
"Bring them out!" Zuko called.
They walked together up the stairs after the chief allowed them, Aang took a deep breath as they got closer and close to the top. He looked back and forth behind him but was getting sick of the stairs. They reached the top and saw two tunnels going into the mountain on each side.
"Those who wish to meet the masters ran and Shaw will now present their fire," a loud voice came from below before a horn went off.
Aang followed zukos lead as he held the flame out with his head bowed down, the avatar gulped doing the same.
The mountain shook a little making aangs head go back up and looked around worriedly.
"What's happening?" Aang looked back as he hands went to his sides. Zuko stayed silent as he gave Aang a look, Aang got the hint and went back to his pose to present the fire... only for his flame to be gone.
"Zuko my fire went out!" He gasped quickly turning back to the prince.
"What do you want me to do about it?" Zuko hissed back.
"Gimme some of yours," Aang reached out but Zuko held it back as he tried pushing Aang off of him.
"No just make your own," he pushed him far enough.
"I can't," Aang whispered desperately.
The two bickered and fought as Aang tried getting the fire, Zuko pushed him with one arm but his other hand lost balance. They both watched zukos flame go out with wide eyes.
"Oh..."
The ground shook again as Aang hid behind Zuko wide eyes as they were never prepared for the masters who'd revel themselves.
Yellow glowing eyes hid in the dark of the cave but suddenly a red dragon emerged from the mountain with a roar as it flew towards the two. On the other side a blue dragon flew out with another roar, they circled and weaves around each other and around the two benders like a pattern. Like ying and yang.
"These are the masters.." Zuko looked up as he didn't feel as scared anymore.
"Please tell me durk gets this big," Aang presser his back against zukos.
"Still think we can take them?" The avatar looked back.
"I-I never said that, shhh," Zuko elbowed him quickly to shut him up.
They watched the dragons as they haven't attacked yet, Aang looked at them like a puzzle but it finally clicked.
"Zuko, I think we're suppose to dance," Aang whispered to him.
"What part of this situation makes you think that they want us to dance?" Zuko shot back at him as it sounded ridiculous.
"Well... I think they want us to do something, let's just try it," Aang offered.
"Fine," Zuko sighed.
They took a step away from each other for space and soon remembered the poses and strikes of the statues before, repeating the moves together as the dragons followed them and it seemed to flow together, push and pull.
The movements seemed to copy the dragons, the dragon dance was the original way to learn fire bending.
Eventually the two ended together with their fists connected again together. They looked back at the dragons who stopped and stared at the two. They judged them. Aang trembled slightly staring at the red dragon. Zuko kept a steady eye contact with the blue, he inhaled deeply trying to not show fear. He knew he was going better than Aang feeling his shakes.
The dragons planted themself on the stairs and suddenly roared fire together at the boys. The two screamed seeing the fire coming there way as Zuko blocked his face quickly.
But the burn never came. Zuko looked up wide eyes as they were surrounded by colors of the fires, colors hes never seen before, colors that made him feel emotions he's never felt.
"I understand," he whispered as he looked down at his hands, seeing a red ring around his pinky finger as her laughter echoed in the back of his mind.
Soon the fire disappeared and the so did the dragons, leaving the two benders alone again.
"Their Fire was beautiful," Zuko said softly as he and Aang walked down the stairs after their experience.
"I saw so many colors, ones I couldn't even imagine," he looked at Aang.
"Fire bending harmony," Aang nodded.
"Yes, they judged you and gave you visions Of the meaning of fire bending," the chief explained as the two made it back to the others.
"I can't believe there's more dragons, I thought mine was the last one," Zuko breathed relieved.
"My uncle iroh said he faced the last dragon and killed it,"
"So your uncle lied," Aang gulped.
"Actually, it wasn't a total lie, iroh was the last outsider to face the masters, they deemed him worthy and passed the secret onto him," the chief elaborated as Zuko looked at him.
"He lies to protect them... so no one else would hunt them," Zuko nodded understanding.
"With Fire bending, we are driven by our passions or stopped because of our fears," the chief told them.
"That's why my fire bending wasn't working, I was filled with rage and determination to find you, even if it was fine with kat but when I joined you I wasnt filled with anger anymore, but now I have a new passion, a new drive," Zuko looked at Aang as everything seemed clearer.
"I want to protect the ones I love, and by that is to help you defeat my father and restore balance to the world," he nodded sternly, he heard her laugh, his soulmate. He didn't need to question who.
Zuko took a few steps and immediately punched the side with a large flame and swiped his other fist around to follow through.
Aang felt excitement rush through him as he pushed his palm out for fire to extend through him. A large grin crawled on his face. He wasn't scared anymore.
"Now that you know the secrets and you know about our society's existence, we have no choice but to imprison you here," the chief walked up the them with a small glare.
"Just kidding," he smiled seeing the boys reaction.
"But seriously, don't tell anyone!" He warned.