Lightning can be warm
Chapter 1
AN: I really should be working on Potter Story but this popped into my head. I probably won't follow it up.
Zuko sat outside his mother's room with his Uncle Iroh waiting next to him. The waiting room itself was elaborate with gold and red decorations everywhere along with books and countless scrolls of paper. Zuko was only three years old, looking young and innocent. A nursemaid opened the gold gilded door and beckoned them in. Zuko looked into his mother's arms. A little baby girl was there. Not crying, merely looking and calmly observing the world around her and Zuko knew at once that he would protect her with his life. I swear to you, great Agni, God of Fire and Warmth; I will protect her with my life.
(X)
Zuko sat by the pool, watching the glint of light glinting off the water. The turtle ducks quacked and frolicked in the water. Zuko himself sat in deep contemplation, a funny sight for a seven year old. But Zuko was worried about Azula. He had overheard the servants and his Mother talking about how horrible she was becoming and Zuko could see it. She seemed to hate him and seemed to seek him out and torment him. His only respite from Azula was at the Royal Academy for Boys and even there, he was still an average student and was secretly sneered at by teachers and students alike, he knew. Zuko could see what was happening and blamed it on his Father. The more time she spent with Father, the more condescending she became and the more she hated Zuko. Zuko remembered the oath he had sworn and vowed to protect her and Zuko knew now that his vow included his family. He had to protect Azula from his father. In fact, he wasn't a father much anymore.
"Zu-zu!" Azula sang and she and Ty Lee and bounced around him, rudely snapping Zuko from his contemplation, occasionally flipping or cartwheeling. There were times like now when Zuko wished he hadn't sworn to protect her as, as of that moment, he honestly wanted to kill her.
"Ty Lee, come now, your mother wants you home!" called his mother and Zuko smiled with relief. Azula on the other hand smirked.
"Go away brother, time for me to practise." Zuko laughed outright, feeling humiliated by her smirk growing. "What do you learn? How to be pretty? How to draw pictures?" Her eyes narrowed and she sent a blast of billowing red flames at his head. Zuko ducked and sent a feeble shot of yellow flames at her chest. She laughed this time round.
"What's wrong Zu-zu? Scared?" she said, throwing five quick shots of fire at his chest. He twisted behind the fountain and waited for the-BANG! He smiled as the ornament on top of the fountain exploded into little shards; he'd never liked that pouty fish anyway. But on the serious matter, he knew his Mother would hear.
"So scared you can't answer me? Shaking in your little boots, knowing you'll never match me!" Zuko turned out from his hiding place and looked her straight in the eyes. She sent a small blow at his chest but he caught it and dissipated it with a snap of his fingers.
"No. I'm not scared for me. I'm scared for you. You're turning into a monster, not the little sister I swore to protect, the little sister I loved." As he was about to launch into how he really cared his Mother came hurtling into the scene with 'Ozai', Zuko would not call him father. They stared at the two children, one stood in stance, doubt marring her face and the other stood still and straight, fingers still held in the snap that dissipated the deadly blow.
"What is going on here?" Mother demanded angrily. Neither child answered only looking at the burnt hedges and destroyed fountain.
(X)
Thrust. Parry. Dodge. Swivel. Thrust. Lunge. Parry. Swivel. Leap. Dodge. Lun—
What are you doing, Zu-zu?" came the sardonic voice of the seven year old Azula from the corner of the outer courtyard. He turned slowly on his heel, his dual swords turning to face her. She stayed hidden behind a pillar, her voice uncannily like his father's. But by the 'Zu-zu' remark, he knew it was her.
"What does it look like I'm doing Azula? Counting Sky-Bisons?" She turned round to face him. He knew what she wanted, by the almost hidden desire in her eyes.
"Want to learn how?" The look in her eyes told him yes but Azula herself made no emotion or indication of an answer. He beckoned her forward. Finally he felt like the big brother, teaching her how to protect herself...
(X)
"Remember the two swords are one. If one moves so does the other one. They are extensions of your arms. Move them with fluidity like so—"
"I get it already! Give me the damned swords!" Azula snapped. She took them from his outstretched hands. She did breathing exercises like she did for when she was fire bending before slowly moving the swords in the air. Zuko nodded with approval then she launched into one of the movements he had been doing before she had announced her presence. She leapt into the air and tried the dropkick and thrust. She could see him running towards her and everything seemed to slow down.
She saw herself falling- at the wrong angle. Why was that? She corrected her movements to the way Ty Lee had showed her and as she fell to the ground, she knew in one clear instant, it wouldn't make a difference, she was going to die. But as she fell to the ground with her leg bent and crooked, she felt two feeble arms grab her before tensing and pulling her down. She landed with a crash and life came back to normal speed. She was sprawled out on Zuko's stomach and he was wheezing. He gently pushed her off him and stood up, rubbing his shoulder. Then a look of fury lit his eyes.
"What the hell do you think you were doing Azula? I though I told you to take it easy. You were doing amazingly until you overdid your limits. This isn't like firebending, it doesn't come with a whoosh of your hands and voila! Your opponent is dead. It's not that simple and you should know that. You should. Agni, I won't always be there to stop you Az! You can't just risk yourself like that." At this, Zuko started sobbing. Azula almost smiled, the little cry-baby was sobbing like a freak; he wasn't even the one in danger. But somehow she felt guilty. She cleared her mind of that thought and went to sit next to him, to taunt him.
"Spirits Az, I can't protect myself. I can't protect you, I'm hopeless..." he mumbled as he cried helplessly into his hands. She almost smirked, he though he would protect her. He couldn't even do proper firebending! But there was something so endearing that he though he could try to keep her from Danger's way...
"Zuko?" she asked quietly. He looked up, his eyes a faint shade of red, all swollen.
"What is it Az?" She looked him, biting his lip. She had wanted to laugh in his face, but he looked so vulnerable and angry at himself.
"Did you mean last week when you said that you thought I was turning into a monster?" He looked at her again, looking right into her eyes, like he was reading her soul. She shuddered and looked away, that sort of power shouldn't have been available. He was looking at the floor when she glimpsed back.
"No, of course I didn't. Lost in the moment." But Azula knew that he was lying. Not only by his pathetic voice and pose, but by the fact she hadn't had any adrenaline when they had been fighting, he had been completely under control of himself, which scared Azula more than his fighting skills (which were rubbish in the first place) But the scariest was, he had meant it.
"Of course you meant it. You can't lie to me Zuko. You meant it. How am I a monster? Tell me. TELL ME!" She roared the last phrase; she was scared, angry, and apprehensive about his answer. She too started crying just like a little wimp. She wiped away the tears furiously, but it was too late, he had seen them and he put an arm around her. And for once, she let go of her dam of emotions and cried into his shoulder. And Zuko knew as she sobbed into his shoulder, that for once, she considered him worthy of respect or something along those lines.
(X)
"That didn't mean anything." said Azula. Zuko startled out of his slumber and stared blearily at Azula.
"Wha'?" he murmured. She curled her lip at his dishevelled appearance. Zuko scowled slightly, she as usual didn't look fazed by anything and her hair was in pristine condition, not a lock out of place, nor a single wrinkle in her clothes.
"Yesterday. At the courtyard. Didn't mean anything. A fluke. A coincidence. I was tired and stressed from that stupid jump and I let my guard down. Didn't mean a single itty bitty thing, so don't you think it does." She scowled at him, daring him to say otherwise. He smirked. Even in his bleary state, he could see where the advantage was and it certainly wasn't with Azula.
"Sure. I believe you. Fluke. Coincidence. Doesn't mean an inky dinky weeny bit. Sure. You are always right, Princess Azula is never wrong." Her top lip twitched.
'And don't you forget it." She swept out of the room with all the regal posturing he had ever seen her have when Ozai wasn't about. The door slammed shut and Zuko smiled. His quest to make her a nicer person was starting. Even if it was only a tiny step forwards, it was progress.
(X)
Azula slumped down onto the stone steps, her expression gloomy. Although the garden stretched out in front of her in an beautufl layout and the birds were chirping, her thoughts were far away, to the overheard conversation between her mother and one of her friends from the minor houses.
"And then she burned the doll! Just because she didn't like it! Honestly, I don't know what's wrong with that child…" That last line ran its merry way through her mind again and again no matter how much she tried to push it away. No matter how much she tried to deny it, the simple truth of the words were unmistakable. Mother thinks there's something wrong with me. She gritted her teeth in frustration. Why was her mother so difficult to please?
She sighed as she attempted to ponder that thought. It was easy with Father, all you had to do was excel in areas that would help when being a ruler and snub those that were lower than you. But no matter how much she tried, no matter how well she answered her questions, completed her training regiments, her mother barely ever acknowledged it with anything more than a simple "That's nice, dear." Worse yet, to the perceptive girl, was that she could sense a growing unease from her mother every time she burst in to announce that she had accomplished some new task theoretically far beyond someone her age, almost as if she were being pushed further from her mother every time she succeeded in something.
Why? What did her mother want from her? And why did she disapprove of so many things that Azula considered inconsequential? Like the stupid earth kingdom doll – she hadn't liked it, and so she had burnt it away. So what? What was the big deal? Zuko had gotten that amazing knife that he could use with growing ease. Zuko had everything with Mother. What was it that he had that she didn't? He was useless at everything.
She rethought that phrase, had she not just been complimenting his sword-fighting skills? When it came to weapons, he was very good. He had some basic competency in the other fields as History and Calligraphy. But he was never better than Azula. Azula was always the best. But it wasn't good enough. Azula growled in frustration and smashed a fireball against the reddish brown earth and stopped halfway through realising the same boy who had been occupying her thoughts was sitting there. She cursed her lack of attention; that could have ended badly. She looked curious, his face was crestfallen.
"What is it, Zu-zu?" she asked curiously.
"I failed fire-bending again. I just can't do it! It's so difficult keeping the flame there long enough. It's easy to make it disappear, no matter how much they throw at me but I can't keep it moving! I hate life!" Azula looked unsympathetic.
"You fail all the time. What's different this time round?" Zuko looked at her, feeling all round disappointment.
"Ozai was there. Watching in the corner. Watching me fail fire-bending. Urrgh! I HATE HIM!" Zuko threw a huge blast of red fire and watched as it burned a Venus-fly trap. Azula looked at Zuko then back at where her mother and her friend had been talking. And the answer to her dilemmas was presented to her in one giant sweep.
"Zuko. You need help in fire-bending; I need help to make Moth-Mother think I'm normal. We help each other. I'll teach you fire-bending and you teach me how to be nice." Zuko's golden eyes lit up.
"Really Az? You'd do that for me? You'd teach me how to be like you?" Azula was about to retort with something along the lines of 'basic competency only' but the look of wondering awe in his eyes was too much for Azula. She closed her eyes but she knew the decision was made.
"Fine. I'll teach you how to be like me and you'll teach me how to be like you. A perfect balance." Zuko smirked, which made him look older than his nine years.
"Well then, what are you waiting for? Let's start!"
(X)
Azula sighed as Zuko attempted the Sky-Sweep move for the tenth time. Her patience was rapidly disappearing; she didn't know how the tutors coped. She breathed in deeply and tied to find inner peace. The fire exploded in his face and he was propelled backwards into a thorn bush. He climbed out, spitting thorns onto the floor with scratches all over his body.
"I think we should start with the basics. What do you feel when you fire-bend?" Azula asked from where she was sitting. Zuko looked nonplussed.
"Ummm, nothing. Boredom. Frustration. Get it over with. Why can't I do this?" He deadpanned. She sighed.
"Well that's all wrong. You have to—No. I'll try this another way. Ty Lee teaches like this. Okay." Azula took a deep breath and looked Zuko in the eyes, trying to put things in the simplest fashion so he could understand.
"Right. Chi is the energy that fuels your body—and your inner fire. Because of chi, our fire is alive and you have to take fire seriously. You aren't making fire, simply conducting it through your body. Chi helps spark the fire. When you get angry with Chi and Fire, they will not work with you. You pay them respect," Azula smirked and snapped her fingers, "And Chi works with you. Now, fall into the stance to start Sky-Sweep..." Zuko moved into the position and she tutted at the horrible position. She moved his arms to be straighter and let him extend his feet and repositioned him stronger and more stable.
"Now breathe. You are only a conductor. No mind, no soul, no internal organs, just a shell to conduct chi. It's floating around in the air; pull it in with your fingers, let it travel through your chi lines, then it should double back and come out the same arm with the leap and sweep of the arm to aim at the opponent." Azula demonstrated the move and burned up a poor little thorn bush. Zuko smiled and breathed. He swept his hand and in one go the entire area of plants burst into flame. Zuko snapped his fingers and it disappeared.
Azula smiled. Smiled, not smirked. "That was good. But not good enough. Where were you aiming?" Zuko pointed at the smouldering thorn bush. Azula merely shook her head and pointed at the lightly burned plants the same arc. Zuko laughed sharply and Azula shook her head again.
"Don't worry, it's easier when you are fighting, you just react, especially if you keep the 'shell' imagery in your head. But you saw the flame was feeble, only scorched it a little. To truly get power, you need to feel angry."
"Now you don't make any sense. One, the shell imagery, if I feel anger the imagery is gone, right? And two, I thought you said not to get angry at the chi?" Azula rolled her eyes; Zuko was very ignorant at times.
"One, the 'no emotions' is for beginners. If you want to excel, you have to feel the chi and fire instinctively enough that you don't need the stupid imagery. Two, you get angry at the person you are fighting, not chi." Zuko sighed.
"I guess I have to fight someone then?"
Azula nodded. "Me."
Zuko bit his lip. "Azula? That won't work out."
"Why ever not?" She asked, looking confused.
"I couldn't ever hurt you. I swore to protect you and never harm you on oath of life to Agni when you born."
Azula merely looked at him. "You swore this when I was born?"
"Yes."
"You must have been...what two, three? You swore to protect me when you were three years old?"
Zuko looked sheepish. "Yes? ...I wasn't meant to say that, was I?"
Azula sighed. "Okay, would you fight Lu Ten?"
"Are you kidding me? He would smash me or let me win to make me feel better! And who can feel angry at the guy?"
"Mother?"
Zuko's eyebrows shot up.
"I guess that's a no then..." Azula muttered, "Father?"
"Sure, I hate him with my life but he would beat me to a pulp and spit on my bones for not being tough enough."
Azula shook her head with amusement.
"The instructors?" she asked, getting slightly more desperate.
"I feel nothing for them. They are just people. I don't particularly like them but I hardly get angry at them. They are only doing their job." Zuko reasoned.
Azula growled angrily. "Mai?"
Zuko blushed red and shook his head.
"Fine then, Ty Lee it is. I'll tell her to and it'll be fine. She won't mind too much if she's burnt, not if she knows what she is meant to do."
Zuko stared at Azula. He shook his head in amazement.
"You know you wanted me to teach you how to be nice. I think we need to start Step One here and now. You ask your friends politely if they want to do things and you don't threaten them. When you next see Ty Lee you would say, 'Ty Lee, please would you help Zuko with his fire-bending training. It may involve getting burned. You don't have to if you don't want to.'" Zuko did the last half with a high pitched squeaky voice and Azula rolled her eyes.
"Okay then, breathe in and feel anger at the thorn bush and let loose!" The thorn bush burned and the rest of the plants sighed in relief.
(X)
"If you play a lotus tile, Uncle says that it would make something totally different!" Zuko grinned as he tried to explain a special move to Azula who looked bored already.
"Children, Your father wants you to dress up nicely and –" Mother peeked into the room and paused as she saw the two of them sitting cross-legged playing Pai Sho in very fancy clothing. Zuko was 10 now and life had changed a lot. Lu Ten, his brave cousin fighting away in Ba Sing Se had died and his uncle Iroh had given up and was heading home. Life with Azula had been progressing slowly too. She was slowly becoming nicer and he was rapidly moving towards Azula's level of excellence, but most of all, he enjoyed fire-bending.
"Coming Mother." Another thing Zuko had learned was when to speak and when not to by judging how people feel by their stance, something Azula had managed to teach him on his way, Agni knew how. Now he felt so in sync with her, they moved in synch when they wished to, much to their mother's chagrin. They both stood up and smiled fleetingly at each other before moulding into the perfect fire-children heirs.
They walked with Ursa down the corridors, sweeping elegantly until they reached the door of the Fire Lord's council hall. The frame was decorated in typical Fire Nation style and the swaying curtain in the middle was elegant. Azula bowed her head and Zuko quickly copied her noticing the figure at the door with them.
"You are earlier than I expected Ursa." His voice boomed.
"This was all because of your remarkable children." She murmured, "They were already dressed up fancy, for playing Pai Sho." They looked at the two children whose heads were down, silently snickering.
"Very well, let us go, the Fire Lord is waiting."
(X)
"I would like to show you the skills of my daughter Azula. Azula, demonstrate some of your special skills." Azula smirked and stood up. Zuko flashed her, an almost unseen 'thumbs up'. She smirked and saluted to her grandfather Azulon. Then she let the inner fire guide her moves, fluidly moving in powerful movements. The fire spread and shot upwards in arch and curves, her most impressive display. She felt herself breaking; she was so tired by channelling this much chi through her.
"Go Azula!" came in a whisper and she felt happy and stronger with Zuko's support. She decided to improvise and flipped backwards into a somersault and shot a pillar of flame into the air that was blue, a colour she had never seen before. She then shot a blast of this blue fire into the ring surrounding her grandfather before walking back to her place.
"Father, I would also like to show grandfather my skills." She kept her eyes low as her father almost gaped, if it wasn't dignified. When nothing saying otherwise came, Zuko stood up. She noticed her mother looked worried and she felt a sharp stab of savage jealousy.
Zuko bowed drawing an arc of fire in the air before standing straight. Azula almost winced at his stance, it was atrocious. That was, until she saw him draw his dual swords from where he had been hiding them and thrust them elegantly in another direction. He bowed and started a complicated dance of stabs and flowy movements while holding certain burst of fire in a particular shape. As he finished his routine, Azula recognised the shape and with a sweep, the final stroke came to show. He stood tall and proud behind the emblem of the fire nation before slashing it with the slice of his sword and it instantly disappeared. He wobbled before bowing.
Zuko grinned as he joined her back on the ground. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the astonished Ozai and thoughtful looking Ursa. But Azulon was not impressed.
"What is this? What kind of grovelling are you doing? Get rid of your family and tell me your wish!" Ozai swatted his hand at them and Azula stood up.
Zuko sighed, breathing in and out. His head hurt and his arms ached so he dutifully followed Mother. But he was shocked when Azula dragged him behind the red curtain. He was about to protest when Azula shushed him.
"What is it you want?" Azulon asked of Ozai.
"Father, I want what is best for our people, as always. And Iroh being your heir is not what is best for our country. He was a great general, but since Lu Ten died...he has become weak. He abandoned the siege at Ba Sing Se after the boy died and has been weak and pitiful ever since. Now that Lu Ten has gone, he also has nobody to carry on his line. On the other hand, I have two perfectly healthy children and I am here for you Father. So I ask you to make me your heir instead of Iroh."
Zuko's eyes felt like they would pop. Father wanted to replace Uncle Iroh. Azula on the other hand looked thoughtful but still rather shocked.
"YOU!" Azulon boomed. The ring of fire around him grew higher. "You would ask me to betray my first-born and replace him with you?"
"Yes Father, for the good of the Fire Nation!" Ozai answered. Zuko shrunk back into the shadows, closing his eyes. He was staying here for Azula.
"I think he has suffered enough. But you! Your punishment is only just beginning!" Zuko clenched his eyes shut and heard the telltale whoosh of fire.
Then suddenly, to his shock and horror, he heard five words that changed his life. "Your first-born must die." He paled and ran out using the back door entrance to the curtains. Azula did not follow him.
He was curled up in his bed, sobbing into his pillow silently. He didn't want to die. Father would kill him and take over the world and 'tstrongenough! He heard the door creak open and sighed. Father was coming to kill him; the least he could do was put up a fight so he got ready and froze when he saw Azula sitting on the end of his bed. He furiously wiped away his tears. He would not want to seem extremely weak in front of the one he was supposed to protect—except the damage was already done.
Tactfully ignoring the tears on his face; Azula launched into a report of what she had done.
"I stayed and I listened after you ran—Information is power after all. Grandfather said that Father would have to do that because you had to feel the pain that Uncle Iroh had felt when he lost his son then, and only then would Father be able to be Fire Lord. Then, Mother burst into the room, apparently, she'd been listening in too and demanded that Father refuse the Lordship and keep you safe." Here, Azula grimaced and Zuko tapped the space next to him and Azula perched there looked angry and annoyed. Zuko didn't know and couldn't guess why she was so affected by this, but it didn't matter, she needed him.
Azula righted her expression to her usual smirk.
"Anyway Azulon refused to listen and Father dragged her out. It was just getting juicy so I decided to follow them. They moaned and complained for ages and just when I was getting bored, Mother said the most surprising thing. She said if she could get Father on the throne, he would leave you alone. He was intrigued by this idea and she explained that she would attempt to seduce Grandfather and see the will and where he keeps it by trying to take the side of Uncle Iroh. Once she knows where it was, she would drug him, alter the will and then add the undetectable poison and voila, Father is the Fire Lord and you are safe. Fine. So she left to go get ready and I was about to follow her from where I was hiding but he slammed the door and I think he would notice if I opened it so I had to stay where I was. Then..." Azula's eyes shone with mirth, "He pulled a journal and started writing about the day's events. He-hahahahahAHAHAHAHA!" She shook the bed with laughter and Zuko joined her. It was ridiculous to even think of such a composed, evil and dignified person as Ozai writing a journal, but there it was.
Azula recovered her mood, slightly more sombre.
"He then... wrote and it was funny him narrating the day's events because it was just ridiculous and then...oh god, he though Mother was a threat to his connection with us and he's going to banish her for 'unspeakable crimes to the Fire Nation' and he's going to banish her, then you and then...he's going to..." Azula's breath hitched and muttered something inaudible, drowned out by her heavy breaths before she started crying. Zuko's eyes hardened and he pulled her into a hug. It was the most loose and free and Zuko had seen her out of training. He held her for a while before knowing he couldn't expect the rest of the story from her. He pulled her into the bed holding her tight. He truly felt the part of the protector now. How dare the effing Ba***** even think about hurting her! Finally her sobs stopped and fell into a tight sleep. Zuko wanted to stay awake but his eyes slowly nodded off into dream land...
(X)
Ursa looked into the room where her son was sleeping. But to her surprise there were two figures curled up in the bed. Her youngest daughter was curled up in Zuko's arms, quiet and peaceful, so very vulnerable and human. She smiled and stepped backwards, she wouldn't disturb them, they would understand. But her step backwards had fallen on a loose floorboard and there was a load creak. Azula jumped out of the bed into stance, ready to obliterate. But Zuko recognised her.
"Mum?"
Azula dropped the stance but looked very worried. "Mother, you shouldn't be here. Father wants to banish you—or worse."
Ursa's eyebrows crinkled but she said nothing.
"Azula is right Mother, you should be leaving. I'm safe now. I'm at peace with myself. And I know that I have to stay out of trouble now. Or else, I'll be leaving. Have you killed Grandfather Azulon yet?"
At this Ursa gasped. Nobody was meant to know about that...
"Don't worry Mother, there was no one else listening in, only I. I would have seen them." Azula tried to reassure but on Ursa, it had the opposite effect.
"You were listening?" she said sounding horrified.
Zuko nodded. "Don't worry Mother. We'll be alright. Promise."
She shook her head. 'You're growing up so fast; you shouldn't have to know this."
"We're Fire Nation children, heirs to the throne; we'd have to deal with it sooner or later. And sooner was the better option in this case. We know how to deal with it...Mum." Azula said quietly.
Ursa's lip trembled before she swept her children into a hug. Zuko relaxed almost immediately and Azula slowly unstiffened her shoulders in the embrace. She looked them both in the eye and smiled at their determined faces.
"Zuko, I love you. My little strong boy. You don't always have to be stoic though, let your emotions out sometimes. Do not forget who you are. Never Forget! Look after Azula and yourself, son. Remember, you are a Prince and always will be." Zuko nodded and saluted before a silent tear streaked down his face. Ursa turned to Azula who looked sullen.
"My darling Azula. I may have possibly been the worst mother to you and done more damage than Ozai ever could. I...am so proud of you darling, for everything. You are worth being proud of, and I want you to keep it up. Look after Zuko and yourself. Remember though, being nice isn't a weakness; it's the best strength you could have, darling. The very best. Mummy's proud of you Azula."
Azula looked at her Mother with hope and her face looked beautifully young and innocent, like her actual age of eight. She nodded and Ursa nodded quietly.
"Stick together. The two of you together will be...unstoppable."
"We will. We'll stay and bide our time. Once Father dies, we will take our rightful place on the throne and right the wrongs of the world. It isn't perfect and never will be, but we can try to make the closest thing to paradise, can we not? And we will dedicate it to you, the force of change." said Zuko solemnly.
"Stay safe Mother and watch for news of us and our feats. Go now, before you are discovered." Azula said in hushed tones and Ursa drank in her last look at her two children; Azula's stiffened shoulders but soft face, Zuko's righteous indignation but his strong silence and the look of wilful determination in both of their souls; before whisking the cape around her head and shoulders and swept into the corridors. As she left, she sensed them salute and smiled sadly.
AN: Well how about that! Wow, I didn't know I could write this much as this pace. Especially not without some mistakes. If anyone reading notices any grammar mistakes because of my frenzied typing, please inform me by review or PM. This chapter is dedicated to my friend Yasmin and to the amazing voice tones of Grey DeLisle and Dante Basco which seemed to spark a story that might have already been overdone but just had to happen.