Archive of Our Own ^beta

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Au of my fic (how to accidently befriend the enemy and make them think your someone else a guide by zuko) it follows the same premise of that fic but what if AAng thought the blue spirit was an airbender?

Zuko had it all planned out. He would break in Pouhai stronghold release the Avatar from Zhao and capture him returning to the fire nation where his father would revoke his banishment and be happy. Obviously Prince Zuko crown prince of the fire nation could not be seen breaking into a stronghold so he chose to do so as his alter-ego the blue spirit. Over the last few months he had ventured out as the spirit a few times mostly for some freedom but occasionally he would help people such as the time he saved a woman who was mugged or spy on people usually Zhao's men. He traversed the stronghold undetected making his way towards where the Avatar was being held. As he entered the room his blood boiled sure that was the Avatar chained up but... In that moment Zuko truly realized just how small and young the Avatar was. Shaking his head he decided to ignore those intrusive thoughts for now.

"Who are you?" The Avatar demanded

Zuko gave no response and unsheathed his Dual Dao Swinging them causing the avatar to let out a cry of surprise as he cut through the chains

"You're rescuing me?" The Avatar asked in shock

Zuko nodded and gestured for the Avatar to follow

They were halfway through the stronghold when the airbender was spotted. It had to be the bright clothes Zuko thought as the Avatar was actually being reasonably quiet for a change.

A large group of soldiers raced towords them and zuko used heatbending. A lesser form of firebending directed through his sword to blow the soldiers back. He couldnt be outed as a firebender and theyd probably think the avatar was respondible. They yelled as the hot air passed through gaps in their armour and zuko ran to catch up with the avatar.

The avatar used airbending to move bamboo ladders to help himself and Zuko escape, but as they neared the wall they were shot down by the Yuyan archers, Luckily they were unharmed but they were surrounded. So Zuko resorted to a desperate move unsheathing his swords and placing them against the Avatars neck threateningly. The Avatar looked surprised, awed and happy clear trust in his posture. why would the Avatar trust him? Zuko wondered as the officer in charged ordered his men to stand down and open the gate.

Zuko began to walk backwards briefly checking the area behind him while thinking of a plan after they reached the relative safety of the woods, he needed to restrain the Avatar but how? He had no rope or chains... The difficulty of imprisoning of an airbender a creative airbender who was also the Avatar was starting to make itself known in Zuko's mind. How would he even get the Avatar to the Wani? Pushing those thoughts aside for now Zuko focused on the here and now he needed to reach that forest everything else could be dealt with later.

Zuko took a careful step back and another, and another until he stepped on some uneven ground. Luckily the stumble did not cause any harm to the Avatar and saved Zukos life as at that precise moment an arrow ripped through the air where his head had been moments before.

That was way too close Zuko thought to himself realizing the predicament he was in he couldn't use the swords to block the arrows coming towards them without harming the Avatar. Zuko reacted quickly. He threw himself forward, Protecting the Avatars body with his own. What am I doing? He asked himself as the arrows continued to fly. He drew one of his swords and used the hestbending to knock several arrows off course. It was a shameful form of bending it was firebending just short of combustion creating actual flames it was typically only used by weak benders to heat up tea.

He was almost lucky enough to avoid all the arrows. Almost. But Zuko had never had the best luck to begin with.

Fires of pain swept through his leg
Beneath him, the Airbender started squirming eager to get out from under Zuko each movement the Avatar made sent fresh waves of fiery pain through Zuko's leg. Zuko returned the swords back to their sheath, noticing that his right leg could not move very well, and was extremely painful. Zuko carefully checked to make sure no more arrows were coming in their direction. By some miracle they weren't, but even from here, he could hear the yelling of the commanders and the sound of soldiers checking the perimeter as well as search teams rushing out. If they stayed here for too long they were likely to be found.

pulling himself painfully to his feet, Zuko gestured urgently towards the soldiers, then at the forest. He started moving hoping that the Avatar had enough common sense to follow him to a safer area. Before he remembered the Avatar had practically no common sense. He took several steps wondering why was walking so difficult all of a sudden?

"By the sky bisom!" he heard the Avatar Call "your hurt!… Hang on!"

The Avatar gave him a strange look and turned back. Zuko considered hitting the boy on the head to get him to be quiet, but stopped when he saw the Avatar's hands move. A violent gust of wind came from nowhere allowing them to escape safely into the depths of the lush green forest.

The Avatar walked beside Zuko suddenly way too close, he smiled widely and pushed himself underneath Zuko's right arm stabilizing him and acting as a human crutch Then they were moving, far faster than should be possible with Zuko's injury he realized the Avtar was manipulating the air allowing them to travel faster. Zuko didn't know the Avatar could do that.

A while later he was lowered gently onto a rock in the woods. "I think we're safe here," the Avatar spoke gently and warmly as he paced around nervously, looking at Zuko's injury "I'm not good at this. Katara might know how to heal this unfortunately Katara is sick right now, and I am pretty sure we need to get this arrow out now to avoid infection."

Arrow? What was the Avatar talking about? oh! That's when Zuko realized he did in fact get hit by one of the arrows. Now that the adrenaline rush was wearing off and he was not moving, he understood that he was in big trouble. He couldn't tell how bad the injury was but there was a sharp throbbing, burning, pain with significant blood loss the arrow was most likely poisoned. He needed to get it out and return to his ship for the antidote. He tried to pull it out but couldn't.

He propped himself up electing to ignore the pain for now and preformed his checks his swords were still with him which was good finding replacements was a pain and his mask was still on which as also a bonus he couldn't have the Avatar finding out he was Prince Zuko of the fire nation after all. He wasn't sure wat the airbender would do if he knew his identity. Carefully, he broke off the feathered end of the arrow gritting his teeth as he did so but staying silent. This next part would be hell and he may require some help. Zuko couldn't speak without giving himself away.

The avatar was looking at him strangrly jumping up and down in the worlds biggest grin on his face.

"Oh wait"
The Avatar made a a fist with one hand and krpt his other hand straight putting them together and giving a deep bow. Confused zuko returned the gesture was this an air nation gesture of thanks or a greeting of some kind? After he responded the avatars impossibly giant grin grew even larger.

Zuko looked around.

They were in a small valley of some kind near a pond. Not to far from the Wani. It was lucky Zuko was good at improvising. He had to be with the situations he kept finding himself in.

He tried again. It hurt a lot pulling out the arrow but at least it was over quickly. Zuko sat there and looked at the arrow in his hand before throwing it into the woods and cleaning the wound before covering it with some cloth.

"Are you feeling any better? Sorry I couldn't help you with your injury I'm not vey good with helping the injured but Katara she is only she's sick so is Sokka I need to capture some frogs for them to help them recover so I can't leave them for too long, but I don't want to leave you. Can you walk?" The Avatar asked concerned

The concern surprised Zuko he could not understand why the Avatar cares if he was ok. After all the Avatar had just met him, He didn't even know his name.

He sighed as he realized he wouldn't be able to capture the Avatar and return to the Wani in his current state.

"Was that a yes or a no?" The Avatar asked tilting his head curiously "I don't mean to be rude but can you talk? You didn't make any noise when you were hurt! Is that why you're wearing that mask? Something happened and you don't want people to know? The Avatar asked

Zuko shook his head in the negative slightly amused by the Avatar's cluelessness. Something bothered him once again It was his duty to capture the Avatar and regain his honour so he could return home to the fire nation. Yet. Where was the honor was there in betrayal?

"You should come with me" the Avatar suddenly blurted out looking nervous and anxious.

Zuko tilted his head in a gesture of confusion.

"After my friends are better they can look at your leg it'll be nice not to be alone anymore!"

Zuko shook his head. And his heart felt like it was being broken in two seeing the avatars devestated face with his eyes watering

He found a stick and wrote on the ground

"Your friends are sick? Whats wrong maybe i can help?"

The Avatar explained how the herbalist said they needed frozen frogs to get better and looked up with hope in his eyes. He was a child with nothing but the advice of a quite possibly insane healer to help his friends.

"I don't know about frogs" he wrote seeing the saddee look on the Avatars face he continued. "I know of a medicine that may help but I need time to get it. Meet me here tomorrow night?" Zuko asked

Aangs face split into the biggest grin Zuko has ever seen. Wait when had he started to think of him as Aang and not the Avatar?

"So your coming back your only leaving to get things to help my friend? You really do embody the value of helpfulness and compassion Thank you! Thank you! he cried, then threw his arms around Zuko, who was shocked into stiffness at the hug.

The Avatar. Hugged him. Zuko had no idea how to respond
"I'll see you tomorrow ok Blue ypu wont have to be alone anymore!" The avatar used his glider and flew away

Zuko was so confused. What just happend?

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Zuko pulled himself to his feet and started limping downstream trying to ignore the pain only pausing only to drink water. A plan started to come together in his mind. All the while he'd been following and hunting the Avatar. The most challenging part had been trying to figure out where to search. If he stayed in the Avatars good graces as the blue spirit he could find out where they were going. he hadn't meant to befriend the Avatar but he was going to make the most of the situation. But first he needed to get back to the Wani and treat his wound.

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Sokka would swear for the rest of his existence the frog gave him a wart on his throat-flap. He didn't care what Katara or Aang said there was definitely a wart there! When Katara told him he had been ill for several days Sokka panicked. What happened? What had he missed? Katara confessed she wasn't too sure what happened because she caught the same illness as Sokka. The water tribe siblings waited for Aang to get back from feeding Appa.

"So Aang what happened?" Katara asked

The Airbender was reluctant to respond raising his hand to the back of his neck and giving the water tribe siblings a wide grin.

"You're not telling us something. what happened?" Sokka questioned

"Promise me you won't get mad?" Aang asked sheepishly

"Aang we could never be mad at you," Katara said gently sitting down next to the Avatar.

"Last night when you were sick I went to find the frozen frogs the herbalist told me about" Aang began

"And?" Sokka prompted wanting to know what had occurred.

"I.....I maybe sort of got caught by the fire nation" Aang admitted embarrassed not looking at Katara or Sokka.

"YOU WHAT!" surprisingly it wasn't Sokka who yelled this but Katara who was usually the calmer of the two siblings.

Aang winced trying to make a joke of the situation but Katara wasn't having it and honestly, Sokka agreed with her.

"Tell us everything from the beginning," Sokka asked

"You and Katara were sick" Aang began "I went to find the frogs the herbalist told me about but I guess I made too much noise as this group of archers managed to trap me in some sort of net" Aang took a deep breath

"Don't stop there keep going" Katara reassured Aang

"They took me to a Fire Nation stronghold and chained me up but I escaped with the help of.... on no i never asked his name that was so rude!" Aang finished shocked with himself.

"Angry jerk with a ponytail doesn't give up does he?" Sokka complained

"Actually it wasn't Zuko it was someone named Zhao I think" Aang tried to remember

"GREAT!" Sokka threw his arms in the air exaggeratedly "Yet another fire nation jerk who wants to capture you just what we need!" He finished facepalming mumbling about how Aang had terrible luck

"Who helped ypu escape if you f9nt know his name can you describe him to us?" Katara asked curiously

"He showed up after I was chained and helped me to escape" Aang smiled before remembering how the airbender was hurt helping him. He hoped his new friend was alright.

"Let me get this right some dude conveniently shows up to rescue you from the fire nation and that doesn't seem suspicious to you at all?" Sokka questions Aang

Aang paused for a moment in thought but then looked at Sokka determinedly

"We can trust him Sokka you weren't there he got hurt trying to save me the fire nation like him anymore than they like us" Aang declarerd.

"Can you tell us how he rescued you?" Katara asked

Aang nodded and began his detailed recall of the rescue.
"He had black clothes on, and a mask, and came in swinging his swords, cutting the chains and setting me free...." Aang began

"His swords were able to cut metal?" Sokka asked in disbelief sure Aang was making that part of the story up or maybe he had seen something wrong.

"Yep communicating was difficult at first before I realized he can't speak" Aang informs them

"You said... Sokka began "he would meet us? I say we arrive there early and make sure there's no trap set up for us."

Aang looked upset.

"Sokka you will nit do anything to upset him or drive him away" this was the firmest voice he'd ever heard from Aang

"Aang you just met him why do you trust him so much?" Katara asked gently putting her hand on the airbenders shoulder

"Because he's like me....hes an airbender"

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"He's a what?!" Sokkas shreik carried across the wind

"Aang you know thats not possible im sorry but he was lying to you" katara placed a reassuring hand on Aangs shoulder.

"No he didnt! He never said he was an airbender but it was pretty obvious he bent air in font of me katara! And im the avatar so that means he must be another airbender!" Aang was extatic a huge grin on his face. This was the happiest Katata and Sokka had ever seen the monk.

"Ok lets rewind for a second" Sokkas rational brain kicked in and he moved closer to the center of the camp sitting next to Aang and Katara.

"We can trust him Sokka hes an airbender and from the looks of things hes all alone i wont let him be alone anymore!" Aang insisted.

"Lets ho mert him then" Sokka said starting to pack up what thry needed

"Thank you!" Aang threw his arms around his two friends

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Time to capture the Avatar Zuko thought to himself making his way to the rendezvous point no sooner had he thought this there was a loud ringing in his head.

"NO!" A voice that was both his own and different rang in his mind causing him to stagger.

What in the Fire Nation was that? Zuko wondered to himself perplexed he decided maybe it was a side effect from the poison that had not fully left his system yet and made his way to the clearing where he arranged to meet the Avatar, Aang. His mind supplied but Zuko once again ignored it. Drawing his Dao as he got closer if he could deal with the avatar now....

A sharp pain rang through his head and it felt like a dozen swords were being rammed into his skull. Zuko fell to his knees at the edge of the clearing unable to move.

"Your here!" A happy voice rang out

Zuko looked up he was face to face with the Avatar and his Water tribe companions.

Thank spirits for my Mask Zuko thought to himself.

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