For a moment, the two boys stared into space, each wrapped in his own thoughts. The wind gushed against the side of the building, its sound as comforting as any gently bubbling stream or the warmth of a sunny day.

Finally, Aang broke the relative silence. "So…I just have to find a good time to ask Katara directly if she…has feelings for me. Like I do for her," he said hesitantly.

Zuko shrugged and nodded. "That's pretty much it."

"Oh good," Aang added, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. "I wouldn't want to add anything difficult to this."

Laughing, Zuko stepped over to the counter where their cups lay and gathered them into his arms. "We'd better get back with these teacups before they think we've fallen off the cliff or something."

The two boys left the kitchen building silently, Aang holding his staff at the ready in case the disintegrating stone staircase gave way, Zuko cradling crockery in his arms. The magnificent Airbender temple buildings slid slowly past them, the upside-down edifices both majestic in their design yet humble in their chipped, battered state. The Fire Nation had almost destroyed this place, and as Zuko gazed about, he resolved that if he ever became Firelord, he'd do something to help restore the place. It was the least he could do.

"Hey, Zuko?" Aang asked, interrupting the prince's thoughts.

Glancing over his shoulder, Zuko replied," Yeah?"

"Thanks for all the advice," Aang said quietly.

Smiling, Zuko nodded. "Same to you. If I can get Katara to stop hating me, I'll feel a bit better about crashing the group to teach you Firebending."

"You shouldn't feel bad about it at all," Aang protested, looking at his friend reproachfully. "I'm glad you joined us." He paused, then said quietly, "You're a good friend, Zuko."

It was irrational, embarrassing, and Zuko fought it fiercely, but the sudden swell of emotion at Aang's words threatened to overwhelm him. He kept his face pointed forward and his eyes studiously on the rough surface of the rock to his side until he could trust his voice again. "Thanks," he whispered. "You too."

Aang smiled. His relationship with Katara was still complex, but at least he didn't have to worry about Zuko as a strong friend. Defeating the Firelord was an instrumental part of the peace Aang was intended to bring to the world, but at that moment, Aang's friendship with Zuko seemed more important than anything else. What good would it do the world if the replacement Firelord was just as much a war-monger? As much as Aang's stomach twisted at the thought of facing the super-powerful Ozai, he had to maintain hope that the world would be a better place for a long time coming, if he managed to replace the Firelord with his son.

"C'mon," Aang said, his face serene—for now. "Let's make those guys some tea," he said, matching his stride to Zuko's as the older boy hurried forward.

Grinning as he quoted his uncle, Zuko agreed. "Yes, let's make some tea."

Together, the two friends joined the rest of the group, serving them with hearts that were, for the time being, content.

[-fin-]

Author's notes:

Whew, this one took forever to write. I started it as part of a series of vignettes that were intended to be no more than 10 pages, and it grew to a mini-episode, or at least a very, very long scene. I like writing vignettes that fill gaps in a story because I like piecing together characters' motivations from one episode or event to the next. I wanted to set up two things in this story to bolster the anime in my thoughts, to give my take on what motivated Aang and Zuko to take certain steps with regard to Katara.

This story takes place between "The Boiling Rock," when Katara gets her father back, and "The Southern Raiders," when Katara almost gets her revenge. Even though "The Boiling Rock" is focused on other characters, I feel the most important thing about it overall is how it set up a crucial change in Katara. She was actually the first in the group to trust Zuko, in the crystal caves under Ba Sing Se. Zuko's betrayal wounded her deeply; how could someone so similar—who also lost a mother to the ruthlessness of the Fire nation—betray a person who is hurting in such a viscerally similar way? The journey of forgiveness is an aspect of hope, something the writers of Avatar undoubtedly wanted to teach.

In my story, Aang tells Zuko that saving Hakoda was "…the last thing she expected you to do—something so good that she has to face the truth: that you're not the bad guy anymore." It points out a turning point for Katara. Zuko's actions are a niggling, irritating seed of doubt to her; subsequent crucial actions on Katara's part, from trusting him to help her track down her mother's murderer to standing up for him against his sister, are a direct result of this first chink in Katara's hostile armor. There is a satisfying poetic symmetry in the way that the Fire Nation took away Katara's mother, yet Zuko brought her largely absent warrior father back to her. The rest of the story would have been missing a crucial chunk of its overall message (hope is a key element of an honorable life) if Katara had not forgiven Zuko.

The second thing I wished to set up in this story was the crucial scene of "The Ember Island Players." The subject of what Katara meant when she said she was confused could fill entire message boards, but I'll leave that to a future vignette. What's important here is where Aang got the idea to ask her in the first place. The anime just didn't have enough time to explore a few key things in my mind. There's the nature of Aang and Zuko's friendship; if Aang's future victory against the Firelord is to mean anything, he and Zuko must become strong allies to prevent war from breaking out all over again. Aang is very young, despite others' perceptions of him, and he wants and needs the guidance of someone older than him. Sokka often fills that role, but I thought it important to show Zuko taking on an older brother role, himself. Furthermore, Zuko's relationship with Aang is everything that was impossible in his relationship with Azula, his blood sibling. I thought it only just to give Zuko someone more positive to essentially replace Azula, since the story already does such a great job of replacing Ozai with Iroh as Zuko's true father figure.

I also wanted to explore Zuko's fear and grief over Mai; I felt that did not get enough (any) airtime. I can easily envision how Mai would quickly become essential to the peace of the Fire Nation after Ozai's defeat; she seems to be a good counter to Zuko's brooding ways and someone who can keep him level-headed through turmoil. She's good for him, and I wanted to highlight more of their relationship because I feel it is a positive one.

Lastly, I wanted to stress the idea that hope is worthwhile, even when it is hardest to hang on to, because it is a central theme of the story. Hope is the concept that ultimately binds the cast of good guys together; it is when Zuko finally begins to understand hope that he finds the right path. It's a very "grown-up" topic for what is billed a kids' show, but the writers were ingenious in their ability to teach a positive lesson without beating people over the head with it.

And of course I just wanted to have fun with characters I've come to love. I'll stop rambling now; thanks for reading and please leave feedback/reviews!