"Remember, fire bending in and of itself is not something to fear. But if you don't respect it, it will chew you up and spite you out like an angry Komodo rhino!" Zuko tried to scare me as he was explaining fire bending.

"Okay." I replied with a hand on my hip.

"Now show me what you got. Any amount of fire you can make."

I took a deep breath and took a stance before I shot out a huge flaming burst of fire. "That was impressive, but this is how it's really done. You might want to take a couple steps back." Zuko showed off with a grin, before I stepped back.

Ready for nothing, Zuko took stance like it was going to be huge, only a small spark came from his palm. "What was that?! That was the worst fire bending I've ever seen." He scolded himself.

"I thought it was okay..." I tried to reassure him before he failed at bending again.

"Why is this happening?!" He yelled looking at his hands.

"Maybe you need to warm up, or the altitude." I suggested with a shrug.

"Yeah could be." Zuko blushed looking to the side, trying to hide it. I hid a giggle at Zuko being an embarrassed, cute, blushing, boy.

                                      ~*~

"Just breath and..." Zuko told himself as I laid around watching him try to bend.

"That one had a spark." I casually commented.

"Don't patronize me! You know what it's supposed to look like!" He snapped before going right back to what he was doing.

Hehehe that almost sounded different.

"Sorry, maybe you just need a break." I said with a shrug.

"And stop saying that!" He yelled after I suggested that the fifth time.

"Hey jerks, mind if I watch you two jerks do your jerk bending?" Sokka grinned, walking up.

"Yeah while we're jerking off." I chuckled back.

"Get out of here!" Zuko shouted, making Sokka raise his hands with a grin.

"Okay take it easy we were just kidding around. 'Jerk bending,' still got it." He reassured himself with a smile before walking off.

Zuko groaned with his head all the way down, this was just going to keep going.

                                      ~*~

That night when we were around the camp fire, I played with my guitar hitting a few notes that sounded like a certain annoying song back on earth.

I giggled to myself at the thought of annoying everyone there by playing. "I don't like your little games, don't like your tilted stage, tha role you made me play, of the fool, no I don't like you. But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time. Honey I rose up from the dead I do it all the time. I got a list of names and your is red underlined. I check it once then I cleck it twice oh!" I sang doing my impression of Taylor swift.

"Oh stop! Stop it now!"

"Gyawa, stop!"

"Ew Gyawa." Aang, Sokka, Toph all pleaded. Wow they hadn't even made it to the course.

"Oh! look what you made me do. Look what you made me do. Look what you made do." I sang, with a laugh at the cringing teens.

"I actually liked it." Katara grinned making all of our jaws drop.

"God what have I done?" I whispered to myself.

"Listen everybody, I've got some pretty bad news. I've lost my stuff." Zuko announced to us walking from the shadows.

"Don't look at me. I didn't touch your stuff." Toph quickly replied.

"I'm talking about my fire bending. It's gone." As soon as Zuko finished Katara mockingly laughed making me sigh in disgust she was so annoying around Zuko.

"I'm sorry, I'm just laughing at the irony. You know how it would have been nice for us if you lost your fire bending a long time ago." She answered to that odd laugh.

"Well it's not lost it's just weaker for some reason." Zuko responded.

"Well maybe your just not as good as you think you are." Katara bickered making Toph go

"ouch."

"I bet it's because I changed sides." Zuko thought out loud as he sat down with us, I immediately sat closer to him.

"That's ridiculous." Katara said.

"I don't know maybe it isn't. Maybe your fire bending comes from rage. And you just don't have enough anger to fuel it the way you used to." Aang suggested.

"So all we need to do is make Zuko angry. Easy enough." Sokka said, with a smirk before grabbing his sword and laughing as he poked Zuko everywhere.

"Okay, cut it out!" Zuko's yelled knocked him away, and making him back up.

"Look! Even if you're right I don't want to rely on hate and anger any more. There has to be another way." I could hear the frustration in his voice as he looked over at me.

"You're gonna need to draw your fire bending from a different source. I recommend, the original source." Toph explained.

"How's he suppose to do that? By jumping into a volcano." Sokka asked, like it was a joke.

"No. Zuko needs to go back to what ever the original source of fire bending is." She answered.

"So is it jumping into a volcano?" Sokka asked, again.

"I don't know, for earth bending the original earth benders were badger moles. One day when I was little I ran away and hid in a cave. That's where I met them, they were blind just like me. So we understood each other, I was able to learn earth bending not just as a martial art but as a extension of my senses. For them, the original earth benders, it wasn't just about fighting it was they're way of interacting with the world." Toph explained with a slight smile.

"That's amazing, Toph. Gyawa and I learned from the monks but the original air benders were the sky bison. Maybe you can give me a lesson sometime, buddy." Aang leaned over for Appa to hear, and got a groan from him.

"Well this doesn't help me, the original fire benders were the dragons and they're extinct." Zuko stated looking at the fire.

"What do you mean? Roku had a dragon and there were plenty of dragons when I was a kid." Aang asked.

"Ah my friend Ela had one. It was sooo fun." I sighed, with a smile as I laid on the cold stone.

"Well they aren't around anymore okay?!" Zuko's snapped.

"Alright, sorry." I calmly apologized puttting a hand up.

"But maybe there's another way. The first people to learn from the dragons were the ancient Sun Warriors." Zuko explained.

"Sun Warriors? Well I know they weren't around when I was a kid." Aang commented.

"No, they died off thousands of years ago. But they're civilization wasn't to far from where we are now. Maybe we can learn something by picking around the ruins." Zuko said, looking back at the navy night sky.

"The past could teach us a thing or two." I grinned, walking up and stood next to him.

"So what? Maybe you'll pick up some super old sun warrior energy just by standing where they stood a thousand years ago?" Sokka asked, with a slight scoff.

"More or less, either I find a new way to fire bend or the Avatar has to find a new teacher." Zuko looked over to me to make sure I got the point, I had no worries I knew how this could play out. I knew what was up for this gorgeous boy, I just wanted to hug.

                                      ~*~

The next morning we got up before everyone else and took off to the sun warrior's city. I was going on a field trip with Zuko, yeah! As we continued to ride a dead silence creeped in.

"Gyawa?" Zuko asked, crawling from the other side of the saddle to Appa's head where I sat.

"Yeah?" I casually answered, not looking at the Prince.

"Why did you always try to understand me? You could have been like the others, condemning my actions from day one but you didn't." His question made me look up at him, laying back.

I had to think of a better answer than 'because you're hot and I know you.'

"Because I saw that you hated every minute of it. You didn't get pleasure in capturing me, you did it because you thought you had too." I laid my head on my hands, Zuko's gold gaze down on me.

"I did, I just don't get how you could be so kind." He looked to the side.

"Well it's not hard with you." I said, making him look back at me. I froze, maybe I said something to soon already? "I mean, you give me a reason not to be cruel." I tried to cover myself up, he just tilted his head with a slight grin. "I'm bad at this." I smiled, shaking my head.

"No you're not." Zuko smiled, as he seemed to be close enough for my face to touch. He seemed to be getting closer as I stared in his maze of gold eyes. There were so many lines that looked like streets of gold drawing all in his eyes. You could get lost in them, get lost in the infinity of ember and gold siding with each other.

Apparently I was looking to deep because both our eyes widen when we realized how close we were. I immediately sat up while Zuko sat away from that side of the saddle.

"Whoa yeah good time good times." I sighed, trying not to make it awkward.

"We've been riding for hours. I don't know why but I thought this thing would be a lot faster." Zuko sighed after awhile.

"Well that's because every time you saw us flying we were running away full speed. Lighten up, it's breezy, it would be worse." I replied, with a smile looking back at him laying on the side of the saddle.

"Ah, I can't believe this." He muttered under his breath.

"Wow." We both said, as we saw the ancient city approaching.

"Even though these building are ancient there's something eerily familiar about them. I can tell the fire sages temples are somehow designed from these." Zuko said, as we walked through the city streets.

"Everybody ripes off everybody." I shrugged, before seeing there was a line on the ground.

I quickly moved over it thinking I was safe but my other foot somehow got caught and the floor opened up to reveal spicks. I quickly air bended myself to the other side, as soon as my feet hit the ground I sighed in relief.

"I can't believe it, this boobytrap most be centuries old and it still works." Zuko said, with amazement as he studied them.

"There are probably more we need to watch our step." I replied, before Zuko wall ran to the other side, giving me a grin.

"Where's that up beat attitude you're always in? Besides people don't make traps unless they've got something worth protecting." We looked up at the main temple, that was our goal.

As we walked around we saw a picture of a sun warriors surrounded by flames the dragons were presenting to him. "They look pretty angry to me." Zuko commented.

"What happened to the dragons?" I casually asked, still looking at the picture.

"My great grandfather Sozin happened. He started the tradition of hunting the dragons for glory. They were the ultimate fire benders, and if you could conquer one your fire bending talents would become legendary and you earn the honorary title dragon. The last great dragon was conquered long before I was born, by my uncle." Zuko explained, as we moved along.

"Your uncle?" I asked with a smile, I couldn't imagine Iroh evil, he's too good.

"He had a complicated past, family tradition I guess. Let's just move on."

                                      ~*~

We then came across a door to the temple, it had a red stone of the top and some kind of calendar on the floor next to it. "It's locked up, it has some kind of stone for a key." I said, trying to move it open.

"It's a seasonal calendar just like the fire sages have in their temples. I bet that sun stone opens the door but only when the sun hits it at just the right angle. On the solstice." Zuko said, like he wanted a reaction.

"There has to be a way to speed it up." I replied, acting like I was in thought, it was only a few times I did this but I hated it. I just wanted to do what ever, but I couldn't change things.

"You're right. Let's see if we can out smart the sun stone." Zuko said, unsheathing one of his swords and reflecting the light to the stone. "Come on." He it opened and we began to walk in.

"You know Zuko, I don't care what anyone says, I'm glad you're here." I said with a smile, making him smile. Mm, I think my heart melted. "Let's keep going." I accidentally thought out loud with a sigh.

I looked around at the statues before walking over to Zuko with a grin. "Zuko come dance with me!" I grabbed his arm.

"W-what?!" He stuttered in shook, with a heavy blush making me chuckle and beg more.

"Come on just do it." I smiled, before he groaned as he stepped in place. "Follow the statues." I said, as I began to do the moves. "See?" I asked as we were about half way done.

"This better teach us some really good fire bending." Zuko answered before we finished the last move.

Yep that's right, I just-well kind of danced with Zuko. As we stood there waiting for something to happen, a gold egg rose form the ground.

"It's some king of magical sun stone." Zuko stated as we stared at it, I don't know why but I didn't want to be glued to a grating even if Zuko was next to me.

"Hey, hands off!" I snapped to my own surprise.

"Why not?!" Zuko asked back sounding stunned.

"There could be a trigger, we need to look around first." I replied, before he grabbed it anyways.

"It feels almost alive."

"What did I say?! Now we're gonna get in something!" I yelled at him marveling over an egg before the black glue stuff began to come in the room.

It completely shot Zuko to the ceiling and left me to try and water bend it. As I did I found it wasn't water, I tried to air bending it but it did almost nothing about it, and it was the same with fire bending.

"I can't get free! It's like some kind of glue." Zuko struggled to get free, as I tried to get to higher ground because the room was becoming a black pool of glue.

"I told you!" I yelled, air bending Zuko to where he would face the air outside.

Eventually the glue pulled me up to and I then was swished to the air hatch with Zuko to my side. "I can't move, do something." I found myself say in frustration.

"Me?! I can't move either!" Zuko yelled back, we were still being pushed against the bars. I groaned when it finally stopped.

"At least we have air. Maybe if we stay calm we can figure a way out of this." Zuko tried reassuring me.

"You had to touch the shiny gold." I scoffed, holding the bars.

"I least I made something happen! If it were up to you we wouldn't have made it passed the courtyard." Zuko yelled back in defense.

"And that's bad how?" I asked back, looking at him best I could since I couldn't move my head.

"And why are you putting it on me? You're always the one who's supposed to be leading." He defended trying to make this about something else.

"Not everything comes easy to me you know!" I snapped back harshly, I was already getting sick this.

"Well me neither!" He yelled back.

"Well this a beautiful bonding moment." I sarcastically replied, before I realized who I was talking to.

I was screaming at Zuko like I had something to be mad at him about. "Why are we acting like this? I'm sorry Zuko."

"For what?" He harshly asked back.

"For screaming at you. I get caught up, you know." I replied trying to sound calm, I didn't need to see him to know he was put back. He obviously wasn't expecting an apology, at least not that quick.

"I'm sorry too, sometimes I forget you struggle too."

"How so?" I quickly asked.

"I used to think you were like my sister. Everything coming easy to you." He referred, making me chuckle.

"Me? Like Azula. I'd never be like Azula. But really It doesn't come easy to me, or at least it doesn't feel like it does." I replied with a smile.

"Yeah, I guess it's easy to look at someone and say they have everything." Zuko sighed, the sun was starting to set.

"What did you think of me when you first saw me?" I asked with a smile, I couldn't wait for his answer.

"Well I was stunned that you were my age. I thought you'd be a hundred, old lady not even able to fight, but you were far from that." He grinned, "And you turned out to be a caring, strong woman that I'm glad I know." He finished making me squeal in the inside.

"Thanks." I hid a smile, with a blush before remembering where we were.

"What do you think we should do?" I pleasantly sighed.

"W-what do you mean" he asked, like I was talking about something else.

"Right now." I replied.

"Think about our place in the universe." He suggested before we 'thought about our place in the universe.'

                                      ~*~

"What's your favorite color?" I casually asked Zuko after awhile.

"Why do you want to know my favorite color?" He immediately asks back.

"I'm making conversation." I shrugged, "And don't say red."

"Orange." He replied looking to the side.

"Orange?" I asked with a smirk.

"Yeah, so?" He defended.

"I'm just surprised is all." I said.

"What's yours?" He asked with a slight curiosity.

"Green." I casually replied.

"Favorite food?"

"Haven't given it thought." He said, making me laugh.

"You haven't given eating a thought. Sometimes that's all I think about." I chuckled.

"I wonder how you're skinny." Zuko joked.

"Oh my god, did you just joke around?!" I asked with a laugh, Zuko finally said a joke.
"Good one." I complimented before one last chuckle.

"Favorite animal?"

"Dragons, from what I think they're like." He replied.

"Favorite type of girl?" I questioned, with a smirk.

"Why do you want to know that?!" Zuko asked sounding embarrassed.

"Just answer the questions." I sigh with a smirk.

"Caring, dark hair, funny." Zuko said, like he was thinking of someone.

"That's it?" I asked, it didn't tell me anything.

"Well I don't have high standards. And what about you?" He asked turning it around.

"Me?"

"You're the one who started it."

"Fine. I like brooders. Happy?" I replied looking to the side trying to hide a blush. Like he could even see my face.

"That's not much of an answer." He stated with what sounded like a smirk.

"Well you didn't give much of an answer either." I defended.

"Help!"

"Who are you yelling to? No ones lived here for centuries." Zuko stated like I was a child, but I needed to get out of this conversation.

"Who is down there?" The main sun warrior asked as he walked up.

"Finally!" I sighed.

                                      ~*~

"For trying to take our sun stone you must be severely punished." He said, trying to sound intimidating, but lately I hadn't felt that feeling.

"We didn't come here to take your sun stone. We came here to learn the ancient art of old fire bending." Zuko replied, as anteater like creature licked off our glue stuff.

"Yeah right, they are obviously thieves here to steal sun warrior treasure." Another said to the main one.

"Look, I'm the Avatar and I need to learn all elements, fire is obviously one of them." I said, with a hand gesture.

"My name is Zuko, crown prince of the Fire Nation o-or at least I used to be. I know my people have distorted the ways of fire bending to be fueled by anger and rage but now I want to learn the true way. The original way. When we came here I had no idea that the sun warriors were secretly alive. I am truly humbled to be in your presence. Please, teach us." Zuko bowed after explaining everything.

"If you wish to learn the true ways of the sun you must learn them from the masters, Ran and Cho. When you present yourselves to them they will examine you. They'll read your hearts, your souls, and your ancestry." The master explained trying to get a reaction. "If they deem you worthy, they'll teach you. If they don't, you'll be destroyed on the spot."

I don't know why but I got a little nervous, I was reckless with my bending and I wasn't from this world. I wasn't Aang, I began to fear if they'd think me unworthy.

                                      ~*~

"If you're going to see the masters, you must bring them a piece of the internal flame." He explained the next day as we stood in front of the first fire.

"This fire, is the very first one. It was given to man by the dragons we have kept it going for thousands of years." He began to bend it.

"I don't believe it." Zuko was amazed as he had his eyes locked on the flame.

"One question, if the lion turtles gave ancient man bending, how was this the first fire?" I asked with a hand up.

"No questions!" He snapped, before Zuko hit the side of my arm to shut up.

"You will each take a piece of it to the masters to show your commitment to the sacred art of fire bending. This ritual epitomizes the sun warrior philosophy, you must maintain a constant heat. The flame will go out of you make it too small. Make it too big and you might lose control." As he explained I finally realized what it meant.

I had only watch this episode once, it wasn't my favorite and I didn't exactly pay attention but now I completely understood. "I think I understand." I stated as he placed the fire in my care.

"Fire is life, not just destruction. You will take your flames up there. The cave of the masters is beneath that rock." He literally pointed to a mountain as we then had our fire.

                                      ~*~

"Hurry up." Zuko said, as I was lagging behind.

"I have to concentrate, if I don't pay attention my flame will grow too big." I explained as I stared at the flame.

"It's fine, you're too nervous." He replied stopping to wait for me.

"But I always make it wild, I need to learn to control it." I slowly stepped to another rock.

"You underestimate yourself, you're doing good, you're strong." Zuko said, with a slight smile holding my shoulder as I looked at him.

I smiled back before looking back at my orange and yellow fire.

                                      ~*~

As we approached we saw that it wasn't a cave but a ceremonial sight. "Facing the judgement of the fire bending masters, will be very dangerous for you. Your ancestors are directly responsible for the dragons disappearance. The masters might not be so happy to see you." The master warned Zuko.

"I know I wouldn't be." A warrior grinned, enjoying the idea of us dying.

"Zuko's a good guy, I doubt once they see who he really is they'll try to kill him." I replied putting my shoulder next to his.

"Did you forget he tried to capture you and helped kill the worlds last chance for balance. And you, you vanished allowing the Fire Nation to wreak havoc on the world. The decline of the dragons is your burden too." He answered, giving me every step we had taken that year.

"Wow how did you know that, for people in an ancient city?" I asked.

"We have our ways." The warrior replied leaning over the master.

"What if they try to kill us, you got a plan?" I asked Zuko as they began the drum and dances.

"Well we're the fire prince and the Avatar. I think we can take these guys in a fight who ever they are." I slightly chuckled, he had no idea who we were about to meet.

"Bring em out." Zuko ordered before they did more stuff as we started to walk up the long staircase.

As we finally got to the top, and I caught my breath from all that walking, everything was going fine. I still had my fire going, rather big though.

"Gyawa, my fire went out-"

"I doubt that will ever happen."

Zuko whispered, making me not able to resist that joke, only to get an annoyed look.

"Urgh, give me some of yours." He reached over my shoulders and tried to get some.

"No get your own." I said letting him stay there, I wasn't about to make him go away.

"I can't, you can actually make fire just give me some!" He snarled again, reaching over like a kid.

"Stop it, Zuko."

"I'm not cheating off you."

"Yes, you are. Go back in your place." We said over each other before I realized what position we were in.

Zuko had his arms around my waist reaching out for my hands as I was bent over. We didn't move till the noise started, in such an awkward position.

Birds flew and it felt like the world shook as the dragons moved they're heads out of their caves. I had no fire but to be honest I was to amazed at the Blue dragon in front of me.

"These are the masters." Zuko whispered over to me as they flew in circles around us.

"Still think we can take em?" I scoffed.

"Shh I never said that." Zuko lied trying to cover up his comment.

"Zuko, I think we need to do the dragon dance." I whispered.

"What?! What about this situation made you think they want us to dance?" He asked, like it was insane.

"They obviously want us to do something. Just try it." I replied, making him groan.

"Fine!" As we did, the dragons moved along side us, I just hoped I remembered them or we were both going to die.

When we finished the dragons climbed on to the sides of the floor we were standing on and shot fire all around us.

Even though I knew, I gasped and took a step back, before I looked around at the colors and how they collided.

It was beautiful and peaceful all at the same time, I completely understood and somehow I felt content with it. I had no questions, it just made sense even if there were no words.

"I understand." Zuko stated, we were both amazed.

The dragons stopped the beautiful colors of fire and went back to the caves.

                                      ~*~

"They're fire was beautiful, I saw so many colors. Colors I've never imagined." Zuko explained as we walked down.

"It was Harmony." I stated with a calm voice looking at Zuko.

"Yes, they judged you and gave you a vision of the meaning of fire bending." The masters said, with a smile.

"I can't believe there are still living dragons. My uncle Iroh said he faced the last dragon and killed it." Zuko said looking over to both of us.

"Clever guy." I commented putting a hand on my hip. He truly is clever.

"Iroh was the last outsider to face the masters. They deemed him worthy and passed the secret on to him as well." The master fire bender explained.

"He must have lied to protect them, so no one else would hunt them." Zuko said, sounding stunned yet pleased with his uncle.

"I didn't quite know what the fire meant even though I had an idea. I feel like I know now. It's energy and life." I said looking at the ground, it was like my eyes actually opened.

"Yeah it's like the sun, only inside of you. Do you guys realize this?!" Zuko asked.

"Well, our civilization is called the sun warriors so... yeah." The master replied like a teenager only his voice threw it off.

"That's why my fire bending was so weak before. Because for so many years hunting you was my drive, it was my purpose. So when I joined you, I lost sight of my inner fire. But now I have a new drive, I have to help you defeat my father and restore balance to the world." Zuko said, taking his stance and shot fire, more powerful then I had seen him.

I smiled at my hand before punching a powerful yet calm burst of fire.

"Now that you have learned the secrets and you know about our tribes existence, we have no choice but to in prison you here forever. Just kidding. But seriously, don't tell anyone."

                                     ~*~

"With this fighting Style Zuko and I will be like superheroes!" I smiled at the Gaang as we were doing it in front of them back at the temple.

"Huh?" Toph squinted.

"Yeah that's a great dance you two learned there." Sokka teased.

"It's not a dance, it's a fire bending form." Zuko said, putting his hands on his waist.

"We'll just tap dance our way to victory over the Fire Lord." Sokka continued with a grin.

"It's a sacred form that happens to be thousands of years old!" Zuko yelled trying to get the point across.

"Oh yeah? What's your little form called?" Katara asked with a bitter tone.

"The dancing dragon." Zuko muttered before everyone began to laugh, I put a hand down on his shoulder, smiling at him.

He smiled back a little before I gave him a big my style hug. It was completely worth it as I put my arms around his neck and he put his around me for as long as we wanted. Hoping the Gaang wouldn't catch on, yet I didn't seem to care right then and there. It was too perfect to care.