I own nothing, not even the plot because I bet the creators were going to do something like this, but scrapped it.

EnjoyZuko was not feeling good.

Okay so he was feeling good in a way, he had just finally defected to the side of good and was a part of the Avatar's posse (or Gaang or Team Avatar as the one water tribe boy had called it many times). However, even though he had just joined them he knew that no one really trusted him.

The fact that Katara had just walked into his room to tell him that if he ever did anything to hurt the avatar proved it. Apparently she expected him to sneak off in the night to kill the Avatar in hopes of getting his honor back.

What did it matter that he was finally on their side if none of them trusted him? Not at all, that's how much!

Zuko collapsed face down on his bed. He needed to just stop and think. If he wasn't trusted he would just have to get on their good side. But wouldn't that be what they would expect him to do if he were just trying to get on their side so he could kidnap the avatar easily?

"Gah!" he shouted into his makeshift pillow.

It was all too confusing. No matter what he did there would still be some doubt if he was really on their side. His uncle would tell him just to be himself, but who was Zuko? Was he the one who chased down the avatar or was he some person he wasn't completely aware of yet?

The latter seemed most likely.

Zuko sensed someone at the door, but instead of reacting as he had earlier that day he just used his words.

"I know you're there," he rasped.

After a moment he heard that familiar chuckling and sat up. It was the avatar.

"Um hi," the avatar murmured, rubbing his head. "Well I just wanted to welcome you…"

"Thanks," Zuko bowed, but when his visitor still stood there looking like he had a question he sighed. "Is there something else?"

The avatar flinched; Zuko must have used his forceful voice. He made a note to himself to try to not do that anymore.

"Well, I was just wondering…" the avatar stammered. "I mean…"

Zuko could feel his eye twitching. It took every ounce of willpower in his body to not shout for him to get on with it.

"I wanted to know why you don't say my name," the avatar finally said.

Zuko's jaw dropped. When he thought about it he had never called the avatar by name. His uncle had said it a few times, but he hadn't really paid attention since he didn't care.

"Do you want the truth?" Zuko asked.

"Only if you think you should tell me," the avatar replied, not exactly saying what he wanted. Zuko wondered where a prepubescent boy would learn how to be so passive aggressive. Air nomads, he had read, were just passive to a T. Maybe he had learned from Katara.

Zuko winced, he realized that out of the avatar's group the only one he knew by name was Katara, and that was only because of all the times they ended up together back when he had been chasing them.

"So why?" the avatar asked, snapping Zuko out of his thoughts.

"Does your girlfriend know you're here?" he replied to change the subject, careful not to call her by name. The avatar turned redder than a bloodstained fire nation soldier's uniform.

"SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!" he exclaimed.

"By the way she was acting she's either your girlfriend or wants to be your mother," Zuko replied, glad that he had gotten the avatar's mind off subject. The truth would make the avatar and his group trust him even less than they did already.

"What, did Katara say something to you?" he gasped. The avatar got very close to Zuko, "did she say she was my girlfriend?"

Zuko blanched; off subject about his name he was going a mile a minute about Katara.

"No, Katara said nothing about being your girlfriend," he sighed. "It's just the way she acts around you."

"See, you say Katara's name!" the avatar exclaimed suddenly. All his yammering was a trap, "Why don't you say mine?"

Zuko saw no way out so he sat down on his bed.

"Have you ever hunted before?" He asked.

"Nope, I'm a vegetarian." The avatar replied.

"Well, when you're hunting you don't call your quarry by name, even if you know it." Zuko began. "Calling someone of thing by name humanizes them,

"And decreases the chance of being able to finish the job since now hat your quarry is humanized you feel a tug of empathy towards them," Zuko stopped to see if the avatar was getting it.

"If for even a second I thought of you as a person I would have hesitated to capture you and I wouldn't be able to get my honor back, so that's why I never have referred to you by name."

Zuko exhaled, and looked to the avatar to see how he was taking the information. The boy seemed to be thinking about it logically, maybe there wouldn't be a lowering of the "trust Zuko" scale after all.

"Okay, that explains then, but how about now?" he asked. "Can you say my name now?"

Zuko frowned, "No."

"Why not? We're not enemies anymore!" the avatar shouted.

It amazed Zuko how much the avatar shouted and people seemed to not hear him. Maybe it was an airbender thing, but that was unlikely since the air nomads were so pacifistic. Shouting indicated an argument or at least ill will. But he was a kid after all...

"It's not that," Zuko paused. "I just don't know your name."

"Really?"

"Really."

The avatar stood and walked out of the room. Zuko cursed himself, thinking that he had blown it yet again when the avatar sauntered back in.

"Oh, hello there," he beamed.

"What are you doing?" Zuko asked.

"Well, I thought we should start over," the avatar responded. "That way you learn my name and you get a clean slate."

Zuko sighed, but decide to play along nonetheless.

"Hi," he said trying to offer up a smile. He could not since it wasn't something he did regularly

"Well what are you doing here?" the avatar asked, plopping down on the bed next to him.

Zuko went with the truth, "I was searching for the avatar so I could teach him to firebend."

"Well I'm the avatar umm... what was your name again?" the avatar said holding out his hand.

"Zuko, and you are?" the prince said, taking the hand

"Aang." The airbender beamed. "My name is Aang."

Okay then. this came from something i noticed while i was watching the show the other day. did Zuko ever really call Aang by name before he joined their group?

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