Disclaimer: I do not own these characters.

Chapter Two: Identical Pain

"How incompetent can you be?" Mai screamed. "That's it! You're fired!" Crying, the maid ran from the room.

"What the hell, Mai? What did you do that for? There isn't an unlimited supply of staff! You can't just keep firing them like that!" Zuko's face was starting to turn red with anger.

"You can't tell me what to do, Zuko! What gives you the right to give me orders around the house when you're hardly ever here anyway!" Mai was furious now, and it was clear that the emotion had been brewing in her for quite a while.

Zuko looked tensely at Aang. "Not here, Mai," He said, almost pleading," please not now."

"Why not here?" She screamed. "Now is as good a time as any seeing as you're actually here for once!"

Aang awkwardly stood and watched the scene unfold. He shuffled from foot to foot, blushing slightly as he watched the back-and-forth. Eventually Zuko turned to Aang with a pained expression and asked, "Aang, would you excuse us for a few moments?"

Without a reply Aang quickly turned and exited into the welcoming sunlight. The light flowed over his body, and he let it melt away the tension that had been building up. Taking in his surroundings he saw a medium sized boulder in the courtyard below the balcony. Quickly he jumped from the balcony and settled down on the rock, closing his eyes. Despite the sound of the quarrel inside, it was a beautiful morning. Aang took in the sound of the birds chirping and the scent of the lilies as his mind drifted.

Aang wondered how long Zuko and Mai had been fighting. They had always been a more intense couple, but it was Zuko's frequent leaving that worried Aang. That restlessness was something that he understood well, so well in fact, that it was the reason Aang was in the Fire Nation, instead of back home with Katara.

The balcony doors burst open, and Zuko rushed out, sending a blast of flame at a rock across the courtyard, which split from the intense heat. Zuko let out a fierce yell, and then quieted himself with deep, cleansing breaths.

Aang had felt the heat of the flame rushing across the courtyard, which announced Zuko's presence. Keeping his eyes closed, Aang listened to the pain in Zuko's voice. He sighed; Zuko was hurting, it was time for Aang to once again swallow his own pain. His friend was in need.

Rising from his sitting position, Aang noticed that Zuko had changed from his morning robe to black pants and a loose red top, tied around his waist with a gold sash. He looked every bit the leader of the Fire Nation he was. Aang quietly stood by Zuko's tense form, waiting for him to break the silence in his own time. When Zuko's breath finally evened, he turned to Aang and asked, "Wanna' go for a walk to the beach?"

Understanding that this was Zuko's form of coping, Aang consented.

The sun was warming the air as Aang followed Zuko down the thin dirt path that led from the mansion to the beach. They walked in silence, both barely noticing the roar of the tide as they drew closer to their destination. Zuko was lost in thought about where his relationship with Mai had gone wrong, and Aang was wondering what was putting Zuko through so much strife. I haven't seen him in this much pain since before he found himself and joined us in the fight against his father, Aang thought.

When they reached the beach, they silently began walking along the coastline. It wasn't long before Zuko started chuckling. Aang shot a questioning glance at Zuko, only to see that he had stopped walking. He had a mischievous smirk pasted on his face as he looked back and forth from Aang to the water, and back again. His cocky grin warned Aang that soon he would be "helped" into the ocean.

"Zuko?" Aang questioned. "What are you thinking? Zuko? Zuko! What're you – hey! Don't you get any closer! Do not throw me in that water or else I'll – "

His threat was never voiced, however, because before the words had left his mouth Zuko had lifted him up into the air, and tossed him into the waves.

Zuko was still chuckling when he was hit in the face with the swift beam of water Aang had sent his way. Now it was Aang's turn to laugh, and soon they were both roaring with laughter. The water Aang sent at Zuko met the fire Zuko was sending back, and soon they could barely see each other through the steam; all they could hear was the rise and fall of the other's laughter. Determined to win, Aang decided to up the stakes, and in quick succession sent a burst of water to distract Zuko, followed by a rush of air to knock him to the ground, where Aang trapped him by covering him with sand, locking him in place.

"Hey! Not fair Avatar!" Zuko laughed.

Aang chortled, "What happened old man? You slacking on your training Firelord?"

"I'll have you know I can still take you down! Now let me go!" Zuko demanded.

"Oh, sure you can take me," Aang taunted. "Just like you did 6 years ago?"

Zuko cringed. "Low blow, Aang, but yes, just like the good old days when I was trying to kill you."

"Good old days? Oh, really?" Aang asked as he clenched his fist, tightening the sand around Zuko.

"Alright! Alright!" Zuko exclaimed. "I give!"

Breathless, Aang released Zuko, and fell laughing to his side in the sand. As their laughter died out they fell into a comfortable silence, and after laying their soaking clothes on a rock to dry, they sat in their shorts and silently watched the sun begin its decent into the horizon.

"Aang?" Zuko asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah?" Aang turned to Zuko, and couldn't help but noticing how his muscles were casting shadows in the setting sun.

"What are you doing here?" He turned to look at Aang, who was now looking off into the middle distance, the hurt evident in his eyes. "It's not that I mind having you here, it's just it's not like you to show up without notice, completely exhausted and dirty, like you had flown here without stopping. What happened?"

"Katara…" Aang sighed, "Katara left me. She said she couldn't stand my 'attitude' anymore, and so she kicked me out. I had nowhere to go, and then I just started flying. For a while it felt so good, just flying without purpose, and I never wanted to come down. Next thing I knew I was here. I guess fate brought me to your door."

For a moment Zuko was at a loss for words. Aang and Katara separated? They had always been so close. He understood Aang's pain, however, it was strikingly similar to his own.

"Aang," Zuko said calmly, "You can stay here for however long you need to. Anything you need just let me know. I'm here for you."

Aang smiled. "Thank you, Zuko, I appreciate it."

Silently, they watched the sun dip into the waves, and disappear.

To be continued…

A/N: Well, over a year later, here is chapter two! Enjoy! I wont make any promises about how soon chapter 3 will be out, but it may not be too long! Keep reading and reviewing! Thanks!