Title: Iroh's Favorite Aunt

Summary: The story of Azula and her favorite nephew through the years. Prequel to The Saga of Avatar Korra AU. Family/Fluff/Drama. Co-authored by Sanctum_C.

Author's Notes: While this story can be stand-alone, it is set in the universe of The Saga of Avatar Korra and does not follow canon events. This fic is multi-chaptered and updated every one or two weeks.

Prologue

The hanging bells chimed in the night breeze. The crescent moon was little more than a thin sliver in the darkened sky, surrounded on all sides by the bright pin-pricks of the stars. Still enough light from the dying embers of the fire to see. Azula sipped at her still hot tea, the rush of warmth a pleasant counter to the chill. The telephone rang on the other side of the room. Again. Azula made no move towards it.

No one knew she was here on Ember Island, though her family were stubborn enough to have called the phone to be sure. Predictable. She might be an old woman now, but memory was long and it seemed no one was willing to leave her to die in peace. Unplugging the phone would banish the tinkling bell, but might well clarify there was someone here. She slammed the teacup down and stalked outside into the cold night air. Azula shivered, the sand chill beneath her feet. At least she was alone.

A burst of colour off to the west; someone had launched fireworks from the main port. Royal colours. Azula clicked her tongue. Of course. Not Izumi; she preferred stealth and would have not made her presence clear if she had any intention of seeking Azula out. Much like her mother; she would have come with Zuko and that dragon if at all. No. There remained a singular possibility for those fireworks. And thus it was clear those explosions were a message for her.

Now was not the the time for reunions. Curiosity was hard to resist though and she re-entered the house. The radio was out of tune when she switched it on and it took pained minutes to navigate through the painful, swirling static to locate the local news. There was the confirmation as if she needed one. The Fire Nation's Prince was on the island. The commentator prattled on about his honorable exploits in the United Forces, the radio caring nothing for her glare. "The Fire Nation has long missed it's most eligible batchelor. Could he have found a dame in Republic-" She muttered a curse and wrenched the device off.

"Filthy gossip mongers," she hissed in the ensuing silence. Revered and feared; that was the way of Royalty. Not gawped at in the same manner as these so-called celebrities of late. Famed for being good at that insipid bending sport? Azula snorted. A screech came from outside and a blue hawk swept into the room. She held her arm up and the bird alighted with another screech. The hawk held a white rose in one claw, and a scroll on it's other leg. She might have guessed the message. "'Let's talk'," she murmured after unrolling it. Few options; the boat would take at least ten minutes to prepare; he would be here long before then.

Wait. The boy could have intended the fireworks as a too late warning and be outside already. Something nearby. Azula closed her eyes. There. Footsteps on sand accompanied by a methodical click of metal. A bicycle. The bird screeched as she dropped her arm and fluttered to a high shelf to stare down at her. Another footstep on sand; he was outside the door. Her heart skipped a beat as she opened her eyes; he wore the uniform of the United Forces. No insignia or marker of his family or his nobility. Nothing but the crest of that abhorrent Republic City.

Two years had passed since their last meeting. This time he smiled as he approached, a bottle of sake in one hand. Iroh paused at the door. "I knew you'd be here, Aunt Azula."

She nodded. "Junior.

Endnotes: This multi-chapter fanfic is long due since TSOAK ended more than a year ago. It was meant to explore Iroh and Azula since we were not able to do much back then. To the old readers of TSOAK who are still interested, I'm glad you're here and I hope you drop some review. This story is much lighter than the main AU fic. For new readers; I hope you enjoy this AU and check out the main story in my profile. I sincerely request that it should not be compared to canon and be a story of its own.