"You are the blood of the dragon, and the dragon does not fear."

Daenerys Targaryen, A Game of Thrones

~0~

"I'm going to assume that you have a very good reason for dragging me halfway across the Fire Nation and not telling me why, Zuzu."

"I told you, I do!" Zuko shot her an annoyed look from the back of his tigerwolf. "I'll show you when we get there."

"I'm warning you right now, if this is one of your ridiculous ideas for 'brother-sister bonding,' I'm stealing your tigerwolf and making you swim home."

"Yeah, good luck with that. It's like I said, it's something that would be better if you saw it for yourself instead of listening to me try to explain everything." His face softened. "But believe me, it's nothing you won't like. This is going to be good for you."

Azula rolled her eyes. "You certainly know how to leave me in suspense, don't you?"

Zuko ignored her sarcasm, instead shading his eyes with one hand to look up at the yellow-white sun directly above them. Its heat seared their skin and made the air (already uncomfortably thick with humidity) swim in front of them. "We're making good time. If we pick up the pace just a little more, we'll get there right when the doors open." He dug his heels into his tigerwolf's flanks. "Kazan, kyet!" he barked, and the huge black wolf broke into a full gallop, bolting down the narrow earthy path through the dense foliage.

"Let's go, Ikari!" At two sharp kicks from his mistress, Azula's wolf was hot on their brothers' tail. Their speed turned the jungle to a deep green blur, blowing their riders' long hair back and sending a welcome cool breeze over their skins. Not that Azula was paying attention to that. Instead, all her focus was on trying to figure out what in the world Zuko was talking about.

This little island was out in the middle of nowhere, past even the Boiling Rock. She had, apparently incorrectly, assumed that the place was uninhabited. Azula had never heard of anyone living so far beyond the Outer Islands, and she didn't remember noticing anything that would indicate the presence of civilization on this island when seeing it from the saddle of the Avatar's bison as he'd flown the siblings in. Granted, she'd been distracted by how annoyingly perky the little airbender could be (if he'd told her one more time that she "should really have a more upbeat attitude," she'd have thrown herself off the bison into the ocean), but mere irritation should not have hampered her skills of observation. This had looked like just a lonely mass of rock and jungle at first sight...What or who was it actually hiding?

She'd find out soon enough, she supposed.

The siblings rode in silence for a few minutes more, with the sunlight streaming in through the jungle canopy on their backs, and the sounds of birds in the distance and of the tigerwolves' hard panting and huge paws drumming on the ground in their ears. When Zuko spoke again, his voice wasn't loud, but it gave Azula a start. "We're here."

As she looked up to follow her brother's gaze, they burst out of the shaded jungle into momentarily blinding brightness, and she heard their mounts' claws start clicking on a suddenly harder, more solid surface - stone? She blinked a few times, and when her eyes adjusted to the unexpected light, she realized that they had just ridden into a massive city hidden in the depths of the jungle island.

"I know, right?" She turned to see Zuko smiling at her, amused by her widened eyes and dropped jaw. "It's pretty impressive." He pulled gently back on Kazan's reins, bringing the tigerwolf down to an easy trot. "Slow down a little, so you can get a better look."

"...If you say so," Azula muttered, shaking off her surprise. She brought Ikari down to the same pace and glanced around. The city seemed to be made entirely of weathered golden stone, reminiscent of the Fire Sages' temples, with thick, large-leafed vines snaking over the rock. Whatever civilization had built this place, she assumed that it had been a major city due to the sheer size of it - and had been was the correct term. As impressive as this place was (and how inexplicably well-kept it seemed), it was clearly ancient, and more importantly, completely empty save for herself and Zuko. "Why are we here? Where is this?"

"This is the home of the Sun Warriors," Zuko informed her. "This city's the base of their civilization."

"Was, you mean. You know as well as I do that they've died out." She noticed with annoyance that he had avoided her first question. "What does a long-gone tribe have to do with us?"

"You know how the Sun Warriors were the first people to learn firebending from the dragons," he began to explain, gesturing to the broken sculptures of dragons they were approaching. "It turns out, the kind of bending that they learned was completely different from what we practice today."

Azula raised an eyebrow. All right, he'd gotten her interested, she'd give him that. "How do you mean?"

"Now, most firebenders rely on anger and hate to fuel their fire. But back then, the Sun Warriors believed that firebending represents life and energy, like the sun, and powered their bending from the original source."

They'd reached the base of the towering ziggurat at the center of the city, and Zuko stopped them in front of a large stone mural depicting two dragons engulfing a warrior in waves of flame. Studying it, Azula thought that if she didn't know better, she would think she was looking at a picture of a dragon hunt gone very badly. And her questions still weren't being answered.

"That's all well and good," she said, "but again, what does it have to do with us? There's no way we came all the way out here just so you could give me a history lesson."

"You'll find out everything soon enough, I promise. Come on - " He jumped down from Kazan's back and started for the first set of stairs, gesturing for her to come with him. "I'll explain more on the way up. Kazan, stay."

"Stay, Ikari," Azula told her wolf as she dismounted, slipping Ikari a strip of beef jerky from his saddlebag and going to follow Zuko. "All right, now explain," she said as she caught up with her brother.

"I know it might sound weird to you," Zuko said. "But there's a lot to learn about firebending here. It's where Aang and I came to train when I first became his teacher. And now, I thought it would be a good idea for you and I to come and train here together."

She suppressed an annoyed huff as the words 'brother-sister bonding' passed through her mind. "And why exactly do you think that this is in any way a good idea, Zuzu?"

Zuko hesitated, as if he were suddenly picking his words very carefully. "Because it will help you improve your firebending."

The gentle words felt like a fiery punch to her gut. He knows! How does he know?!

Anger spurred Azula to action. Without thinking, she lunged at Zuko and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. "There's nothing wrong with my firebending!" she yelled. "Did you bring me out to the middle of nowhere just to insult me?! Why would you think my bending is weakening?!"

Her furious face was only a few inches from his, but Zuko's expression remained calm and neutral, and he made no move to push her away or pull out of her grip. One tiny part of her mind registered surprise at her normally hotheaded brother's completely controlled demeanor. Most likely he had anticipated her reaction, Azula thought bitterly, or they'd likely be fighting right now.

"I never said your bending was weakening. I had my suspicions before, and you just confirmed them," he said in that same careful tone, and she internally kicked herself. "If there really was nothing wrong, you would never have reacted so strongly. You'd have laughed it off, probably teased me a bit. But you didn't do that, so now I know."

Before now she had never realized just how much she hated it when Zuko was right. She wondered how much he'd seen of her weakness: the cool, weak orange flames that were all she could muster now, her tears and yells of frustration with herself, how her bending - her most precious possession, the one thing she'd been absolutely certain she could always rely on - was gone from her.

"I know you're upset, but I can understand how you feel, and I know how I can help. Just hear me out, okay?" Zuko took her lack of a reply and loosening grip on his shirt as a yes, and continued. "I went through the exact same thing when I first joined up with Aang and the rest. My bending got so weak it was almost gone. It turned out to be because I didn't have all the anger I'd always used to firebend anymore, and when I came here, I found out how to bend using another source of power. That's why your bending's gone out on you: you've lost your drive, and you need a new way to fuel your fire."

As her brother talked, the rage and tension flowed out of her body, leaving surprise and a hint of relief in their wake. Slowly, she let go of Zuko and stepped back. "You...only want to help me?"

Zuko raised his eyebrows at the stunned disbelief in her voice, clearly not liking what he heard, but didn't comment on it. "Yeah. I know how important your bending is to you. I want to try and help you get it back." Moving forward, he laid a light hand on his sister's shoulder, and smiled when she relaxed instead of jerking away. "Come on. It's - " his eyes flicked up to the sun - "just about time. We need to get to the top."

"And what's up there?" Azula asked, regaining her composure and following him up the stairs at a jog. "Did the Sun Warriors keep records of their firebending style?"

"They did, actually. But not the way we do, with firebending scrolls. When we get up there, I'll be showing you a sacred form they developed that's thousands of years old."

"Is that so?" She gave a breathless laugh. "I have to admit, this is actually fairly exciting."

He turned and gave her a smirk. "Trust me, Azula, you have no idea how exciting it's going to get," he said, with the air of someone with an inside joke. Well, no matter. She'd get it before long.

In a few minutes, the siblings had reached the roof of the ziggurat. "Recognize this?" Zuko asked, pointing down at the circular design carved into the wide, flat stone surface.

"A celestial calendar," Azula said, reminded again of the Fire Temples. She glanced around, looking for the pale red spot of light that indicated the date and time, and found it on the wall of the large square construction opposite them. Half of it was already over the large ruby sunstone set into the wall above the heavy gold doors. "I take it the doors open when they're in alignment?"

"That's right." Zuko's eyes were fixed on the sunstone. "The light only hits the stone at the exact angle that opens the doors once a year, on the summer solstice. That's why I had us come here today. When Aang and I first came here, I used my sword to reflect the light and open it off schedule, but coming here on the solstice and waiting for it like you're supposed to just felt more right for this time."

There was only a sliver of red light visible on the wall now, and the sunstone was beginning to glow. In a few seconds, it was gone completely, and the ruby shone brilliant red, so bright it was almost painful to look at. With the low grinding of stone against stone, the thick doors rolled back to reveal a single, spacious sunlit room containing a circle of statues frozen in various bending forms, ringed around a red, gold, and blue mosaic depicting what she assumed was the sun.

Stepping inside behind Zuko, Azula examined the statues. They seemed to be of dark bronze (the metal was shiny clean and barely dulled - strange for apparently ancient constructions) and were twice the height of an average Fire Nation man. She assumed that their faces were meant to be contorted in grimaces from effort, not anger, based on what she'd been told about Sun Warrior bending. Her eyes moved around the ring from figure to figure, at each position. The individual movements were easy to recognize as firebending forms, but as a whole it wasn't something she had seen before. She heard Zuko walking up next to her, and turned to ask him about this, but was startled into silence when he grabbed her hand.

"Azula," he said, a grin unfurling on his face, "I need you to dance with me."

Wha - What did you just say?

"...You've lost your mind, too," she said flatly. "What a shame, we were depending on you to be the stable one in this family."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "I'm kidding. Well, kind of..." He gestured to the statues. "This form is called the Dancing Dragon, and it's meant to be done by two people at the same time. If you're going to learn true firebending, you'll need to know it. Here, you stay in front of this one, and I'll go over there..."

True firebending, hm? Azula watched Zuko dart over to his chosen statue with a small smile. What comes after this should be interesting, at least.

The two stood inside the ring, behind the first statues in identical ready positions. "This is simple. Just copy the positions of each statue," Zuko instructed.

"Yes, I gathered as much."

"All right then. Let's do it!"

With that, Azula began the form alongside her brother. The movements were familiar: fluid motions, high punches, and low kicks. Even if it didn't involve any actual bending, like all firebending forms it felt calming and natural...If only she could bring her beloved blue flames into the picture to make it perfect! Stepping into the final position, she thrust her fists forward, her knuckles nearly touching Zuko's.

"Easy, right?" he said brightly.

"Of course," she replied as they straightened up. "That was nice, but how was it important to Sun Warrior bending?"

"You'll see soon."

"You know, I'm getting a little tired of that line."

"Well, I won't be saying it much longer," Zuko said, leading her back out of the room. "We're going to see someone now who knows a lot more about it than I do."

Something occurred to Azula that made her skin go cold. "Zuko, you tell me right now that Uncle's not here, too."

"Relax, it's not Uncle," he assured her as they emerged into the sunlight again. "See?"

As he'd said, there was a man waiting for them outside, standing beside the tall pillar of the celestial calendar. Physically, he reminded her faintly of her uncle, being stout and slightly shorter than average, but the resemblance stopped there. This man was bronze-skinned (which made his red and white face paint appear brighter than it was) and muscled, with a no-nonsense look in his dark eyes. All in all, he had the look of a warrior. Azula decided that keeping an open mind would be her best option.

"Welcome, Fire Lord Zuko, Princess Azula," the man greeted them in a rough, throaty voice, bowing his head and folding his hands respectfully. "We are pleased to have you here."

"Thank you, Chief Huo Shan," Zuko replied, returning the bow. "We are honored to be with you today." He turned to his sister, who was looking at him expectantly. "Azula, this is Huo Shan, leader of the Sun Warriors."

"The Sun Warriors?" Azula echoed, startled. "Zuko, you said that you would explain everything, and I think this would be an excellent time to start doing that."

"Allow me, Princess," Huo Shan offered. "It is true that the Sun Warriors were purported to have died out millennia ago, but as you can see, we have kept our civilization alive on this island in secret for all that time, in order to safeguard our way of life. Your uncle, your brother, the Avatar, and now you are the only ones who know of our continued existence, and the only ones that we have allowed to learn from us the original style of firebending."

"I...see..." Though it was a lot to take in at once, Azula understood quickly. "So are you the one who taught my brother and the Avatar? Will you be teaching me?"

"No," the chief said, surprising her. "To fully comprehend the true meaning of firebending, you must learn from the masters, Ran and Shaw. Suffice it to say that their methods of imparting knowledge surpass those of any ordinary Sun Warrior."

"They're the ones who taught me and Aang," Zuko told her.

"Aang and I," she automatically corrected him.

"You haven't been taught yet. It'll be difficult, but once you've learned from them, your bending will come back to you stronger than ever. Do you want to go for it?"

"Yes, I do." There was no question about that, none at all. "I'll do anything if it means regaining my bending."

Huo Shan narrowed his eyes. "Do not delude yourself into thinking that this will be a simple matter, even for you. Your brother makes a grave understatement when he tells you that it will be difficult. When you stand before the masters, they will judge every part of you - your heart, your mind, your bloodline - and decide whether you are worthy of learning from them. Should they deem you worthy, they will teach you. But should they judge you poorly, they will attack, and destroy you to protect the secrets of our people. You get one chance and one chance only to earn the masters' favor. Are you certain that you want to take it, knowing the risks?"

"I..." It was suddenly hard to find her voice. But she had no choice. "I'll still do it."

Zuko's voice was soft, and his hand was gentle on her shoulder. "No one will think any less of you if - "

"I said I'd do it!" Azula shouted, pulling away from her brother. "I'm not going to change my mind!" She turned to Huo Shan, cold resolution in her eyes. "Take me to the masters."

Huo Shan looked at her appraisingly. "Hmph. I wonder whether Ran and Shaw will be impressed by your boldness. I would not know, I have never been able to ask them. Come, I will show you to them."

~0~

Waves of heat from the massive fire roaring in the concave of the temple wall warmed Azula's face and made the air around them swim. Zuko's tanned skin was gold in its light and his eyes glowed with its reflection - she supposed that she looked the same. Huo Shan took two handfuls of flame from it and held one out to each sibling.

"When you go before the masters, as a sign of respect you must offer them a part of this Eternal Fire, the first gift from the great dragons to man," he explained as the younger benders accepted the fire. "Your brother knows the way to the masters' domain," he told Azula. "He will lead the way."

"We've got a bit of a walk ahead of us," Zuko said, gesturing with his free hand to the peak of a mountain behind them, the jagged black rock poking out from a grassy, thickly forested slope.

"I can see that," Azula muttered, looking over the immense distance. "So we should get moving right away."

"Yeah, let's go..."

The two began their trek up the mountainside, the sun dipping lower in the sky the longer they walked. Azula cupped her flame protectively in both hands, and thought she was grateful that she had enough bending ability left to keep it burning at a decent size, she couldn't help but shoot envious looks at Zuko holding his own effortlessly in one palm. That in itself wasn't noteworthy, but it got her thinking again about how her once-incompetent brother had, out of nowhere, become a master firebender after traveling with the Avatar. Three years at sea with their uncle had barely improved him, so what had brought on this sudden, unbelievable success of his? She'd racked her brains trying to find an explanation, but the answer being presented to her now she would never have come close to guessing. What was more, it raised so many other questions.

What qualities, exactly, were Masters Ran and Shaw looking for in their potential students? Why did they decide that Zuko, of all people, was worthy to learn their secrets? If they judged her worthy as well and showed her the way to restore her bending, would she return to surpassing her older brother...or were they now equals, as inconceivable as that concept was? And for that matter, would they judge her worthy at all? How was she supposed to appeal to them?

"Zuko," Azula began tentatively. "You've met these masters before. Who are they? What are they like?"

"Well, ah..." He looked skyward, searching for the right words to describe them. "Ran and Shaw...They kind of defy explanation."

"Do they, now?" she said dryly. "You're not much help, you know."

"They're both very...great and intense. They're close partners - maybe romantically, I'm not sure - so you'll never see one without the other. Ran's male and Shaw's female...At least I think that's how it is."

She quirked an eyebrow at him. "You think?"

"It's hard to tell. They look very alike. But they're both very powerful, and very wise. They have many years' worth of experience to pass on to their students."

"And how do they choose who their students will be? When they judge you, what about you makes them decide whether you're worthy of them or not?"

"That I don't know either."

"How do you not know?" she snapped, her patience dropping the more Zuko confused her. "Didn't they tell you?"

"Not very clearly," Zuko muttered, rubbing his neck with his free hand. "They...don't talk in any conventional way. I mean, they can communicate, but..." He trailed off, heaving a sigh. "I'm not doing a good job of explaining this, am I?"

"No, you're really not," Azula said bluntly. "In fact, I'm more confused than before. You aren't making much sense."

"Just wait a little longer. Everything I've said will make sense once you meet them. Ran and Shaw have a way of speaking for themselves."

"...I'll take your word for it."

"Azula...One more thing." His voice was soft and somber, and she listened harder to his words. "I came back here a few weeks ago to ask permission from Huo Shan and the rest of the Sun Warriors to bring you here, and they gave me a definitive yes. After that, I went to speak with Ran and Shaw. I asked them to please teach you true firebending, to help your mind and spirit heal. Their answer was...They..."

"They said no?" Azula prompted, suppressing a shudder at the quiet worry in Zuko's tone.

"...They make no promises. They need to see you before they decide anything. What I'm trying to say is, once we go before the masters, I can't guarantee your safety. Do you understand?"

"I understand." She felt like the blood was turning to ice water in her veins, and hoped that her voice betrayed none of her growing nervousness.

"Don't get me wrong, if they doattack, I won't just stand there and let them hurt you!" Zuko said quickly, startling her. "I know I can't come close to winning a fight against the two of them, and I don't know how much my life is worth to them, but I will do everything I can to protect you. I promise, I will."

"Where is this coming from all of a sudden?" Azula asked, surprise making her words come out sharper than she'd intended. This was not the time to let her paranoia return, she told herself firmly, but she couldn't help but question all of this. "All I mean to say is, no one else knows that we're out here, and if the masters don't approve of me - "

"I'm not trying to get rid of you." Zuko's voice was half weary and half guilty that she would think this. "I know you're still suspicious of us, and I can understand why. But please believe me when I say I don't want you gone, and I don't want to see you hurt."

"Then what do you want?"

"I want peace in our family," was his immediate answer. "I want to make things right. I'm tired of all our fighting and hating each other. No offense, but you haven't been the best sister to me."

Azula shrugged. "None taken, you're right."

"But I haven't been the best brother to you, either," he went on. "Our family has fallen apart. I want to put us back together as best I can. And I want to start by patching up our relationship." Zuko was looking straight into her eyes now, his expression resolute. "Whether you change as well is your choice. But from now on, I will be a good older brother to you."

Words failed her. Azula stared at her brother, open-mouthed and trying to find a response to his completely unexpected declaration, even after he looked back ahead with his eyes on the ever-closer mountain peak. How was she meant to respond to this? All this time, she'd assumed that Zuko despised her, as everyone else seemed to, as he had every reason to. Had she been wrong about him? She must have been, she realized with a jolt, if he really was telling the truth. So did that mean she was mistaken about everyone else? No, this was not the place to be considering all of that, she thought, giving her head a shake. After this was all over, then she would take the time to rethink things. But still, even with the possibility that it was all just a lie (if that was the case then she could at least make him feel guilty about it), there was one thing she could say to her brother here and now.

"Zuko..." His eyes flicked onto her. She couldn't tell what he was thinking. "Thank you."

~0~

When they reached the peak of the mountain at last, the sun was huge and searing yellow-orange, sunk halfway into the ocean on the horizon, and the sky had deepened into gold. Zuko led her into a wide circular arena overshadowed by sharp, towering rocks that were black against the golden sky. Chief Huo Shan stood in its center, flanked by two other Sun Warriors, and lining its border completely were dozens of them. Some held instruments that appeared related to the ones she was familiar with, and some were empty-handed and assuming what she took to be ceremonial positions. Their faces were painted as well, and all wore yellow and red garments similar to Huo Shan's. From the stony looks on their faces, Azula could not discern what they tribe thought of her and Zuko. Though her brother had assured her that they were allies, she instinctively kept her guard up.

They walked into the center, stopping before Huo Shan. "This is where the masters reside," the chief said. "Ascend the stairs to the platform, and there they shall judge you, Princess."

Zuko murmured, "You ready?"

Her eyes were fixed on the flat stone platform, suspended at a dizzying height above the ground and water. There is no going back now, she thought, forcing down her fear. I will get my bending back. "Ready."

Huo Shan took swathes of flame from the fire in their hands, passing it on to the warriors surrounding them, and the siblings began their ascent with the steady beating of hide drums, the whirling of fire, and the fast-paced chanting of the Sun Warriors. behind them. The stairway to the masters' domain seemed even longer than the ones to the top of the ziggurat, though strangely, it felt to Azula like this climb was much quicker. As they stepped onto the middle of the platform, she wondered, was it just her, or did the air feel hotter up here than it had down at ground level, despite the ocean wind blowing strong? It's just nerves, she told herself. Relax. You just need to relax. Nothing's wrong.

One of the warriors, using a wide-mouthed horn, called up to them from below: "Those who wish to meet the masters Ran and Shaw will now present their fire!"

Zuko turned towards one of the two caves on either side of them, offering his handful of flame with bowed head and outstretched arms, and when he did not object to her turning towards the other and copying his movements, she guessed that it was correct position to take. For a moment she stood still, staring at the opening in the cliff face. The deep darkness betrayed nothing of what was within, but Azula had the strangest feeling that something was watching her intently. Something clenched in her chest, and once again she pushed down the fear that threatened to rise to the surface. Whatever was coming next, she could take it. She could take anything.

"Sound the call!" she heard Huo Shan shout, and a second later a long, low note blared from a nearby rock ledge.

Instantly, a harsh rumbling came from inside both caves, and Azula couldn't hold back a start. Her pulse pounded in her ears and she could barely control her breathing. Part of her mind snapped at her that this wasn't a normal reaction and she had no reason to be this nervous, but she paid it little attention. Though, an explanation would be greatly appreciated. "Zuko..."

"That's supposed to happen," he said quickly. She couldn't tell if he was looking at her or not - she wasn't taking her eyes off that cave opening. "That's what happens, don't worry."

"Somehow that doesn't make me feel better." Her voice was coming out much too faint, and she had to fight to keep her hands from shaking. A thought occurred to her - was a firebending human capable of making the noises coming from those caves? No, that couldn't be...Humans didn't grow that big, not at all. Another crashing noise sounded, as if something huge was hitting the cave walls, sending tiny pieces of rock raining down from its roof. The mountain itself trembled under their feet. She growled from between clenched teeth, "Zuko..."

Azula felt her brother's back pressing against hers. "Here they come," he muttered. "Brace yourself."

For what? she wanted to snap, but before she could get the words out her question was answered. Two enormous forms - bigger than any creature she had ever seen in her life - burst from the caves with a great rush of wind that blew the flame from her hand. Before she could work through the shock enough to react, Zuko grabbed her hand in what she assumed was meant to be a comforting way. "It's all right," he said quickly. "This is supposed to happen."

Azula barely heard him; her eyes were fixed on the creatures twisting in the air around them. It was supposed to be impossible - was impossible, part of her corrected - but she couldn't deny the evidence right in front of her eyes. She heard the awed, whispered word come out of her mouth: "Dragons..."

She could hear the smirk in Zuko's voice. "Now do you understand what I was trying to tell you before?"

A twinge of annoyance made itself known. Of course she got it now. "I hate to say it, but you were right." Yes, every vague and ominous word had clicked in the last few seconds, and in hindsight it was fairly obvious that Ran and Shaw were, in fact, not human, and greater than she could have thought. She remembered wondering, as a child, what it had been like when dragons soared freely around the Fire Nation (a train of thought that inevitably ended with her cursing her uncle for apparently killing the last one), but the reality of them was more amazing than anything she could have imagined. And speaking of which...

The red and blue dragons were looking down as they flew, directly at the tiny humans positioned below them, with the bright gleam of intelligence and awareness in their eyes, and something else that seemed to Azula almost...expectant. "They want us to do something." It wasn't a question.

"Do you remember the moves of the Dancing Dragon?" Zuko asked, serious now.

"Of course I do."

"They want us to do the form with them. And they're not that patient, so we have to do it now. Let's go."

She felt the pressure of her brother's back on hers disappear as he started the form, and she quickly followed suit. As she moved around the platform opposite him, she felt a rush of air warm her left side, and glanced over to see the blue-scaled dragon flying easily beside her, and she almost jumped at its proximity. It - was this Ran or Shaw? She hadn't the first clue how to determine the genders of dragons - was looking right at her, seemingly sizing her up as it mirrored her movements. Azula forced herself to keep her eyes off of it and her attention on doing the form correctly, but she could feel something else other than its presence. It wasn't a voice, exactly (and hearing voices in her head was the absolute last thing she needed at this point in her life), but more like emotions that were not hers being put in her mind and body. Like interest, and contemplation, and...approval? A sense of happiness of her own began to wash over her as she moved with the dragon by her side. All of this felt right and complete like nothing she'd ever experienced before. A smile, a more genuine one than she'd had in a long time, tugged at the corners of her mouth.

Catching herself, Azula tried to shake it off, with only questionable success. Her actions, not her feelings, were what she needed to focus on right now if she wanted to perform perfectly. Flawless form must be what the masters were expecting of her. She took a quick look at Zuko on the other side of the platform, his movements mirroring hers; they were in as perfect sync here as they had been at the top of the ziggurat. The red-scaled dragon flew alongside her brother, and they looked comfortable with each other. Azula wondered if she looked the same as them, or out of place, and she hoped both dragons found her as welcome a sight as they seemed to find Zuko, if for no other reason than the presumably grisly fate that awaited her if they disapproved of her.

The Dancing Dragon was almost finished by now, and the tiny part of her that wasn't focused on perfecting the form wondered fleetingly what would happen afterward. In a moment, both she and Zuko had returned to their starting point, and when they lunged into the last step, her outstretched fists pressed against her brother's. His skin was warm against hers, and he gave her an exhilarated smile. "Great job."

"Now what happens?" she asked as they straightened up.

"Now they judge."

The words were barely out of his mouth before two loud, harsh growls came from behind both of them. Azula whipped around and came face-to-face with the blue dragon. She gulped involuntarily: it appeared much, much larger this close up. Its head alone had to be at least ten times the size of her whole body, and looking into its eyes was like staring straight into a roaring bonfire. Even more unsettling, she was completely unable to tell what was going through this creature's mind. It was as sentient as she was, she had no doubt of that, but she couldn't get a read on it at all. Behind her, Zuko tensed up - he really wasn't helping her anxiety. As she was about to ask him what he expected to happen next, both dragons abruptly lowered themselves to ground level, so only their heads were visible above the platform. Their jaws dropped, and fire greater and stronger than she had ever seen, even on the day of Sozin's Comet, burst from their throats to completely engulf both siblings.

She let out a shriek, instinctively grabbing her brother's arm and shutting her eyes, certain that they were about to be killed and wondering frantically what she had done wrong. Then Zuko's voice was in her ear, fast and reassuring: "It's okay, it's okay. Open your eyes, look."

His words didn't register with her for a moment, until she realized that they were not, actually, being roasted alive and that something else was happening. She opened her eyes only a fraction at first, slowly and tentatively, then they shot open when she saw what was in front of her. It was the dragons' fire, circling around them like a whirlwind and blocking out everything but the sky, and it was like no fire a human could create. It wasn't just orange or red, or even blue, but every color. She could see golds, greens, purples, every color imaginable, and even colors she'd never imagined. Watching it, transfixed, she felt her heart stir with feelings that were, inexplicably, at once new and familiar to her. All at once, an understanding - of fire, of the sun, of energy and life - settled into her. Firebending was something she knew intimately, but a completely new side of it, never before considered despite being there for her all along, was being made known to her now. It was as if the dragons had opened up a different world right before her eyes.

In the back of her mind, she felt a sense of amusement, again a feeling that was not her own. And more jarringly, a moment after that came a voice that was not her own. A new world? I suppose you could say that. She gave a start of surprise, about to ask what was going on, when they - this voice seemed neither male nor female - spoke again.

Do not be afraid to hear us, sister. As the oldest masters of fire, we deem you worthy to inherit our power. Take this knowledge, and treasure it. Use it to heal your mind and your spirit, and thrive with it. Walk side by side with our brother, and reclaim your place in the world. You were born with the blood of the dragon in your veins, and you now hold the truth of the sun's power in your heart. Use it well. Do you understand, sister of ours?

"I understand." A wave of satisfaction washed over her, and this time the feeling was shared by all three firebenders. The whirling flames collapsed and faded around them, its purpose served. Ran and Shaw regarded the two humans, one smiling and the other still looking a bit stunned, and then disappeared back into their caves with a few last scrapes of scales against rock.

"Thank you!" Azula heard Zuko call after them. She let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Had that really just happened? She heard Zuko from behind her again: "Uh, Azula? If you want to let go now, you can." Momentarily confused, she turned, looked down, and saw that her hand was still clasped around his wrist, in a looser grip than before, but still. She let go quickly, refusing to let herself blush.

"I didn't mean to hang on like that," she muttered, looking away. After the fact, her being so afraid seemed embarrassing. But Zuko didn't seem to think so.

"It's okay," he said. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him jerk his head towards the Sun Warriors waiting on the ground. "Come on, let's get back down. So...What did you think of that?"

"I...I don't quite know what to think of that," she admitted as they made their way back down the staircase. "Though what I do know is, that going up there is probably the best choice I've ever made. The dragons, they spoke to me. They said that they would help heal me, and it felt like I could understand so much just by looking at their fire. Was it the same for you?"

"Pretty much. They told me that even what with our family has done, there was still good in us, and that we could be redeemed. And they said that I could use their power to do it. It didn't feel like they held a grudge against us for killing their kind, but like they believed in us to change for the better. That's what gave me the idea to bring you here in the first place, actually."

"Really?" If that was the case, she should probably have expressed her gratitude to the masters as well. And Zuko had just brought up something that she hadn't remembered until now. "Wait a minute, wasn't Uncle supposed to have killed the last dragon? He brought back all those bones and body parts as proof; Lu Ten made your swords out of its claws."

"Uncle never killed any dragon. He lied to protect these two, the last ones. Those parts were fakes. Some were from the bodies of already dead dragons and some were donations from Ran and Shaw. They cut their own claws for him to make the swords with - did you know they grow back, like fingernails? I didn't know that before."

"Nor did I," Azula said, wondering whether her cousin had known about what his father had done, and if he had been able to experience what she just had before he was killed. It was a question for another time, she decided, when she was able to stomach a conversation with her uncle about the son he'd let die. Time to return to the original subject. "Zuko, the masters told me that because of...whatever it was that they did, I would hold the truth of the sun's power in my heart. Does that mean that I can bend again?"

"Indeed it does," Huo Shan answered as they reached the ground again. The chief looked fairly happy with what he had seen on the dragons' altar. "They judged you, and passed the secrets of true firebending on to you. Fire is not a mere tool for destruction, but the very source of all energy and life itself," he explained, gesturing to the deep golden sun half-sunk below the horizon. "It is that wisdom that will now fuel your inner fire, and free you from the rage and hatred that can only corrupt and destroy."

"...I see." Well, she certainly felt good after doing what she had done, and she supposed that only time would tell if this would truly free her from her demons. But first things first - she had to bend again. "Stand back," she warned, before drawing her arm back and striking out as she had done countless times before. Unlike every other time, however, the stream of fire that burst from her hand was brighter and stronger than even she could normally make it. The only time her fire had been more powerful than this had been on the Day of the Comet. And had it been her imagination, or had those been thin streaks of white amid the blue flames? Amazed, she turned back to Zuko and Huo Shan. "Did you see that? My bending didn't just come back, it's even stronger now!"

Zuko had that stupid smile on his face again - Agni, Azula hadn't seen him looking this genuinely happy since they had been children. "I may have forgotten to tell you that would happen," he said. "It was the same with me. It's because this is the way that firebending was always meant to be. The corrupted form we learned limited us, and learning the true way unlocks our true potential. So, now we've done what we came here for..." He extended a hand to his sister, his eyes shining. "Come on, let's go home."

She crossed her arms. "I'm not holding your hand, Zuzu. I don't like you that much."

He snorted, amused. "Well, it was worth a shot. But really, let's go. I have to call Aang back to pick us up."

"All right, then."

They shared a last respectful bow with Huo Shan, and Azula left the masters' domain beside her brother, with the rays of the dying sun on their backs.

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A/N - Because these two deserve to have a healthy, happy sibling relationship gOD DAMN IT -

Ahem.

Really, though, there's not enough fic of them putting their relationship back together. They would be the best brother-sister team ever if they did. Also, I'm going to take this moment to promo the Okami soundtrack, particularly The Sun Rises and Reset (Thank You Version) which are perfect to listen to when writing about firebending with and learning from dragons. And Brothers from Fullmetal Alchemist came on my playlist right when I was writing the part where Ran and Shaw leave and Zuko and Azula have their sibling bonding moment, and it fit even better.

Reviews?

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