31_days | [Feb 7][Avatar] The Road Is Long

Title: The Road Is Long
Day/theme: Feb 7 / "Virtue is the fount whence honor springs"
Series: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Characters/Pairing: Zuko, Aang (can be seen as lite Zukaang)
Rating: G

Zuko sat away from the others, one hand propping up his scarred face, scowling.

He was trying so hard. He was doing his best to be friendly and keep his temper in check. So far (besides the accident with Toph), he hadn’t attempted to barbecue anyone. He was giving almost all his time over to teaching the Avatar Firebending, what else did he have to do to earn their trust?

It was so hard, being good.

The prince frowned. Well, that wasn’t quite right…he had never thought of himself as evil before. ‘Evil’ would best describe his crazy bitch of a sister, rather then him. Zuko didn’t want to be reckless and destructive…in the past he had just gotten…carried away.

No. Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose. He wasn’t evil. He was just confused. Confused, miserable, and hopelessly, hopelessly lost.

If the path he now walked was that of virtue, his feet had become cut and bloodied.

“Uncle,” he whispered. Iroh would surely have something wise to say about his situation, something comforting. He fervently wished he were so wise.

“Zuko?”

Aang smiled nervously as the prince looked up sharply. Bright sparks of sadness flared in Zuko’s golden eyes and the Avatar felt his smile falter.

“Avatar,” Zuko greeted him gruffly. “What is it?”

“Uh. Here you go.” Aang offered him a bowl of food. “We’re all eating now. I saw you sitting over here by yourself, so…” He sat. “Wanna share a meal, Firebending buddy?”

Zuko winced. “Just call me Zuko. Ok?”

“I think I should call you Master.” Aang spooned some rice into his mouth. “You know, since you’re my Firebending teacher. I called my other teachers Master. So it’s only proper, isn’t it?”

“Feh. Do you want you want.” Zuko began to eat slowly.

“I…I noticed you seemed kinda sad.” Aang tried to watch Zuko’s eyes. “If it’s about us…”

“I know. I have to give it time, and earn your trust.” The teenager rubbed his arm. “I have to endure it. That’s what my uncle would’ve said.”

“Yeah.” Aang blinked. Zuko had sounded so weary.

“I guess it was never going to be easy.” Zuko’s voice sounded dull. “Turning from an enemy into an ally.”

“No…I guess not.”

“Still. I made my choice. I forsook my birthright and my honor. This is what I want, this is what’s right.” Zuko began eating with a little more determination. “I made my choice,” he repeated.

The boy set his bowl down. “Zuko – er, Master? For what’s it worth…I think you’ve always had your honor.”

“Hah.” The prince wiped his chin and glared. “What do you know about it, or me, O wise Avatar?”

“Honor can be many things,” Aang pressed earnestly. Unknowingly, he gripped a bit of Zuko’s sleeve and the prince’s eyes widened in shock. “Character. Strength. Integrity. I see all those in your eyes, Zuko. The others might not, but I do.” He smiled brilliantly. “After all, the Avatar has to be good at judging people! And Appa likes you, so that kind of settles it, really! Don’t you think?”

“Oh. So your animals like me, so that must be ok. That’s my good-guy stamp of approval, huh? Being the buddy of a Sky Bison. That makes so much sense my head hurts.” Zuko glowered.

“Yeah!” Aang beamed back.

The prince huffed for a bit.

“…You’re a dork. You know that?”

“…Huh?”

“Go and meditate or something. Do it. I’m commanding you as your Master. You have a lousy attention span anyway.” Zuko flicked some rice, it bounced off Aang’s nose. “Go on, Avatar. I’ll join you a minute.”

The hesitancy left the boy’s face. “Got it, Master!”

He leapt up and ran back to the campfire to put his bowl away.

“Arrrrgh.” Zuko clutched his head. “Doing the right thing is hard…”

He sighed and hauled himself up. Tomorrow, he hoped, would be a better day.

-end