The town was exactly as Zuko had left it – hot, dry, and dirt poor. He even thought he might have seen a husband tending to his very pregnant wife on the outskirts, though the smell of their food didn't tempt him like it used to.

Fire Lord Zuko didn't starve. Not anymore.

There was one thing about his arrival that was horribly different, however: the reception.

"Hey!" an elderly man shouted, gnarled finger pointing at him accusingly. "It's that firebender!"

In an instant, the villagers were doing one of two things; swarming him like an angry mob, or lock themselves and their families in their houses.

"I'm not here to fight anyone," Zuko declared in the same clear, confident voice he used to address his countrymen. Reaching for his belt, he unclipped a heavy sac and tossed it at the people's feet. Coins jingled noisily on impact, a few slipping out and glittering in the sun. "The war is over; this for the damages."

As the crowd murmured, eyeing the sac with utmost suspicion ("You think it's rigged with bombs?"), Zuko's gaze swept over them in search of one specific face. He found the younger boy toward the back, catching his gaze.

There was a flicker of recognition before he bolted.

"Lee! Wait!" Zuko called, moving to follow him. The group of villagers was swarming him just as fast, forming a barrier more impenetrable than any six-hundred foot stone wall he had ever faced. Lee paused, glancing back and hesitant. "I have something for you."

Stepping back from the mob, Zuko knelt down as he unclipped a second object from his belt. He set the knife on the dusty earth, its inscription staring straight into the sun, bright and blinding.

"Take it if you want," he murmured.

XxXx

When the Fire Lord had left and the villagers had gone their separate ways, Lee approached the knife. By then, only a sliver of sun clung to the edge of the sky.

This time, he read the proper inscription first. This time, he remembered the silent mystery and unwavering loyalty the firebender had shown to him. This time, he remembered that the thugs known as soldiers had never bothered them since.

The sun slipped down completely.

This time, Lee accepts the knife.

Author's Notes: Inspired by an entry over at "atla_sixwords" on LJ.

Disclaimer: "Avatar: the Last Airbender" and all of its characters are property of Nickelodeon, which I am in no way associated with.