"Incoming!" she heard over the comms. She takes cover and braces herself as the rocket impacts the ground, causing one of her team member to need a resurrection.
"Mai, toss a grenade their way!" Azula shouted as she unloads her pulse rifle in the direction of the rocket shooter, hitting them square in the chest. The team leader uses the recoil of her pulse rifle to walk rounds onto the target's head, effectively paying back for downing one of her own. Mai's grenade causes another hostile to be covered in incendiary flames, effectively forcing them to take cover.
"They're out of reserve lives now" Azula said with a smirk as she reloads her rifle with fluid perfection. "And we still have six to spare."
Mai fires her scout rifle at a hostile Titan, causing his shields to go down. He manages to generate a rally barricade to create some cover. He and another Titan take a knee behind it and return fire.
"Where's Ty Lee?!" Azula shouts as she trades fire with the Titans. It will be only a few more seconds before the rest of the rival fireteam returns and Azula's team will be in real trouble. They were up against a fireteam of four Striker Titans and Azula knew that two of them can use their supers and smash Azula and Mai to bits with arc energy.
In short, the enemy was gaining the initiative.
"Here I am!" said an overly cheery voice. "And I brought back up!"
"You found ammo for the grenade launcher" Mai stated as she reloads.
"Yep, but what I really meant Zuko is with us again!" Ty Lee said as Zuko takes up a position to fire his machine gun.
"You're sure you call that back up Ty Lee?" Azula said to irritate Zuko. He grunts in annoyance as he fires at the enemy barricade, causing it to shatter like glass in short order. The enemy Titans had no time to react as Ty Lee unloads with her grenade launcher and causes both Titans to disappear in a fiery show thanks to the solar rounds she loaded.
"Ohh, I'm so sorry guys!" she shouts to them, even though they won't hear her.
"Don't show any mercy Ty Lee!" Azula shouts in annoyance. The bubbly acrobatic Arcstrider is always too concerned with being friendly to other Guardians, even in the middle of a Crucible match.
"Alright, that's two down, where are the others?" Zuko growls as he reloads his machine gun.
"You're the Titan? What do you think they would do?" Azula jested more so to get under his skin than to ask his opinion about the enemy. As a Titan, Zuko only knew two things: how to punch stuff and how to shoot guns. Azula is the one with the intelligent plans and the cunning to enact them.
Because that's what a great Warlock does.
"Like you care what I think" Zuko spat back. Azula chuckles as she notices that both enemy Titans were charging at them.
"Just like you Zuzu, just charge ahead and smash stuff" Azula teased while Zuko grunts and fires at the Titans…
Right as they use their built up Light to overpower their fists with arc energy, which can cause fatal damage to Guardians under most circumstances. If they get close to Azula's team, they would lose a significant part of their lead. They were charging fast at Azula's team, building up momentum to really cause even more damage.
But like typical young and brash Titans, they react with no consideration for their target.
Mai calmly stands atop the wall she used for cover and overpowers her handcannon with solar energy. In quick succession she fires three shots into each charging Titan, sending them away in a flare of energy, effectively winning the match for her team.
"Haha!" Lord Shaxx shouts over the comms. "Well done fireteam. That is your fifth victory in a row. Come see me at the Tower to collect your rewards!"
Azula smirks as she thinks about what kind of equipment Shaxx has waiting for them. Unlike most Titans, she respected Shaxx for bold aggressiveness, rather than reckless assaults against the enemy. The Warlock Stormcaller has seen many Titans get neck deep in enemies without thinking of the consequences, requiring her to bail them out with her own arc powers.
"You were right Azula" Ty Lee said as they waited for their starship. "Those Titan did get desperate."
"More like panic if you ask me" Mai smugly added.
"Well that's what happens when you have a Titan on you own team: you learn everything you need from them" Azula said. "Isn't that right Zuzu?"
Zuko grunts in annoyance. "Would you stop calling me that?"
"Afraid not" Azula replied with a devilish smirk.
"Gee, with the way you two act, it gets easier to understand why people think you're related somehow" Mai said.
"Yeah" Ty Lee continued, "they keep saying you look so much alike. It's like you're brother and sister!"
"Oh for crying out loud…" Zuko grumbled.
"Ty Lee, how many times do I have to remind you not to talk about that?" Azula coldly said with an even cooler stare at the Hunter. Ty Lee sighs, knowing that her fun is at an end and remains silent. Their ship finally arrives and they transmat aboard. Mai and Ty Lee take their seats respectively in the pilot and copilot positions. Zuko takes up his at the weapons console while Azula takes hers in the commander's chair.
"To the Tower people. We have rewards to collect" Azula said while Mai gestures her Ghost Taylor to enter the lightspeed route back to Earth. Ty Lee asks her Ghost Tanessa to check on the engines while Zuko and his Ghost Irving inspect the weapons the team used today.
"Your fireteam is making quite a name for itself" Azula's Ghost, Orrick, comments floating next to her. "The four of you have really come a long way."
Azula smirks with pride, knowing it was because of her leadership and own personal power. She put this team together after meeting Mai and Ty Lee on a chance patrol where they had to assassinate a high priority target. Unlike most Guardians, who were intimated by Azula's demanding and harsh nature, Mai and Ty Lee asked if they could stick with her, believing they would earn a lot more gear and glimmer as a team. Initially Azula was extremely harsh to them, being critical of every decision they made in combat, just like every other Guardian Azula worked with. But unlike the others, Mai offered sassy comebacks with Ty Lee showing true loyalty, both of which push themselves to be more effective in combat due to their admiration of the Warlock. In time, Azula let up on her harsh behavior considerably and privately admitted to Orrick they were her only friends besides him.
As for Zuko… he's another story.
When Zuko was initially resurrected, he was founded by the Warlock Ozai and the Titan Ursa. Feeling some type of bond with Zuko, Ursa took him in to Ozai's reluctance, believing that Zuko wasn't powerful enough to be a Guardian. Despite this, the three of them fought together for little more than two years until they found Azula. Sensing her Light to be exceptionally powerful, Ozai immediately took to her and began her training, which result in her becoming a Warlock Stromcaller due to her superior intelligence and powerful Light. Ursa on the other hand, continued to focus on Zuko, creating a divide in the fireteam, or 'family' as other Guardians used to joke due to their dynamic and the fact they all bear similar physical looks to one another.
This dynamic ended however during a strike on the Moon to eliminate a high priority Hive target. As the team descended into the caverns, they suddenly found themselves in darkness and heard a terrifying scream of an extremely powerful wizard. During the battle, Ursa and her Ghost disappeared without a trace while Zuko was severely burned on the left side of his face, and it was all for not as the wizard managed to escape. Sensing that Ozai was disappointed in his actions, Zuko chose to leave the team because he didn't feel worthy of serving with the elder Warlock. Zuko joined up with another Warlock named Iroh, an old associate of Ozai's, and traveled throughout the Sol System fighting on behalf of the Vanguard. But in reality Zuko was looking for any sign of Ursa, holding onto hope that she is alive somehow.
Ozai continued with Azula's training, until he was called away to take up a deputy commander's position on Jupiter's moon Europa. This left Azula and her Ghost alone for a time, until they met Mai and Ty Lee and became a formidable team. When Iroh was summoned by Ikora Rey to mentor new Warlocks at the Tower did Azula meet Zuko again. Encouraged by Lord Shaxx and Iroh, Zuko reluctantly agreed to fight alongside Azula in the Crucible to show the new recruits what a real fireteam looks like.
And show they did, despite the dysfunctional relationship between Azula and Zuko. Given her harshness on him, many Guardians think she has it out for him, only allowing him on her team because she didn't want to work with a random Guardian. But that's not why she's harsher on him than Mai and Ty Lee.
Azula is harsh on Zuko so he can become a better Guardian. So he doesn't get burned like he did by that wizard. But it's also because Azula didn't know how to give praise, given how harsh Ozai was to her. She didn't like it, but she wasn't one for doing things because she likes to do it. Azula does what she believes needs to be done, by any means necessary.
The trip back to Earth was a short and uneventful one. Mai brought the ship in for a landing and the team transmatted into the main area of the Tower. Azula lead them over to Shaxx, who was berating what must have been a new Guardian.
"What do you mean you can't concentrate while I'm yelling?!" he bellowed. "RELAX!"
The new Guardian straightens up. "Y-yes sir!" he shouts back nervously.
"Now let's see if we can find a fireteam for you…" Shaxx said before he notices Azula and her team marching up to him. "Ah! Isn't my favorite fireteam!"
"You say that to all fireteams Shaxx" Azula chided with a slight frown.
"That's because I don't play favorites! Everyone is an equal in my Crucible. Now for you rewards…" He turns towards his quartermaster, Arcite 99-40, and takes the gear the frame had ready for Azula's fireteam.
"For the Titan on your team," Shaxx began, "I present the Actium War Rig." Zuko brightens up at this, always wanting this exotic chest armor and believing that it will benefit the team. The setup of it allows a Titan's Ghost to assist in reloading auto rifles and machine guns while in full firing mode. It doesn't guarantee that Zuko won't need to reload his weapon, but at least he can lay down suppressing fire a little bit longer.
"For your sniper," Shaxx continued while looking at Mai, "I have a custom weapon for her: The Widow Maker, a sniper rifle that fires rounds that detonate on impact and can cause an elemental explosion on a precision hit. Only the best for one of the top snipers in the Crucible." Mai smirks as she takes the rifle from Shaxx, admiring its artistic beauty, which seemed to have been made in mind for the sassy and gloomy woman.
"Wow Mai!" Ty Lee exclaimed in admiration. "Now the bad guys are really going to get it now."
"Now for the acrobat" Shaxx said to draw Ty Lee's attention. "An automatic shotgun with a high capacity tube, and the tech to allow your Ghost to reload it while slug on your back. I like to call it, The Cleaner." Ty Lee gleefully takes the shotgun from Shaxx, looking forward to its use in combat.
"And now for the team leader" Shaxx boasted as he looks at Azula, "a sword so well made it has no discernible weakness." He hands Azula a double edged straight sword with a white blade and a black handle. She admires the beauty of it, believing that Shaxx saved the best for last.
"Most impressive" Azula said with a smirk while holding the sword. "What do you call this weapon?"
"Unfortunately" Shaxx said disappointed, "the weaponsmiths couldn't come up with a name most fitting for it. They claim it's difficult to do when a weapon has a twin."
Azula looks at Shaxx an unamused expression. "We've all seen copies of weapons before Shaxx. We even have copies of weapons ourselves."
"Not like this" Shaxx said. "This is something different. When the weaponsmiths were forging this, they meant to make one blade, but instead they got two separate blades: one black, and one white."
"So you have two swords of different colors" Azula said unimpressed. "What's the big deal?"
"The big deal is" Shaxx gruffly said, "is that each blade feels different, yet the same, like twin siblings I suppose. I can't quite explain it, none of the weaponsmiths can. Banshee claims he has seen this before, but he can't remember where or when." Shaxx sighs deeply for his old friend and the master weaponsmith, Banshee-44. "Poor old Exo has been rebooted so many times it's a wonder he can remember his own name now."
"I'd like to see this black blade" Azula demanded more than asked.
"I don't have it anymore" Shaxx said to Azula's disappointment. "Another Guardian won it some time ago."
"Then I'd like to challenge this Guardian to a duel" Azula said proudly, wanting to see these white and black blades in action, particularly against each other.
"What do you think this is Azula?" Zuko asks. "The wild west?"
"I think the middle ages would be a better description Zuko" Mai teased.
Zuko rolls his eyes before replying "Whatever."
"Then you'll have to fight this Guardian's fireteam" Shaxx said with excitement. "Another four versus four match it is then!" The towering Titan turns towards his quartermaster. "Arcite! Schedule the match."
"With pleasure Milord" Arcite replied with what passes for excitement for a frame.
"Looking forward to it" Azula said while admiring the blade she won today. Certainly after defeating this Guardian, this blade will bear a most worthy name.
A week has passed before the scheduled match between Azula's fireteam and that of the black blade's owner. Azula and her team passed the time by participating in Crucible matches, honing their skills with their new equipment. Azula was particularly pleased with her new sword, bringing down dozens of Guardians with swift and powerful attacks. She even managed to defect a grenade, much to the thrower's horror when it exploded in her face.
During the time between matches, Mai and Ty Lee would ask around about the fireteam they would face. No one knows their names, but it's actually a group of five Guardians, though one of them occupies themselves with support when they cannot fight as one. For the ones who do fight in the Crucible, the team consist of two Titans and two Warlocks, all of them well coordinated with each other. The story goes is that they've been together for over a year now but had built a respectable reputation.
But Azula had no concerns; few fireteams can stand up against hers.
The day finally came for the Crucible match. When Azula first laid eyes on the opposing fireteam, they were a riot of colors. Unlike her team, who wore varying shades of red in a sense of uniformity, one Titan and one Warlock both wore shades of blue, while the other Titan wore shades of green and the last Warlock wore oranges and yellows. The green Titan particularly caught Azula's eye, for her armor was covered in dirt, scratches and dents, giving Azula the impression that she's reckless and careless.
Azula smirks as she formulated a plan in mind. She gathers her team to brief them. "See that Titan with the green armor and all the muck covering it? She will most likely charge ahead when given the chance, causing her team to follow. We can use that to create a kill zone to catch them all. We'll take the lead within the first two minutes" she said with a smirk. "Ty Lee, me and you will draw them in while Mai and Zuko overlap their fires for the kill zone." Everyone nods in understanding, believing that Azula's plan is sound as always. "Dismiss" she finished.
The fireteams stand in their respective sides of the map. Shaxx stands on a platform overlooking the area, taking a personal interest in this match due to the circumstances leading up to it.
"Alright Guardians" he started with authority, "you all know the rules of survivor. No friendly fire, no targeting Ghosts and no leaving the area during the match. Other than that…" Shaxx raises his voice for added effect, "Show no mercy! Eliminate the enemy!" And with that, the match is on.
Azula and Ty Lee shoot forward to draw the enemy's attention; Mai splits off to the right with Zuko going left to set up their firing positions. By the time Azula and Ty Lee reach the middle of the arena, the enemy was already there.
But to Azula's surprise, it was the orange and yellow Warlock that was there. Azula gives it no thought, for it wasn't the first time her plans were slightly off, and her team can adjust quickly.
That is, until the Warlock vanished in thin air… and reappeared right behind Ty Lee. She turns to engage but is quickly knocked back causing her shields to go down. A split second later, auto rifle fire flies past the acrobat who successfully dodges it and takes cover to let her shields recharge. Azula attempts to strike down the Warlock who was so bold, but she only lands a few rounds from her pulse rifle before he disappeared again.
"Uh, what was that?" Ty Lee innocently asks.
"That was Azula being wrong" Zuko teased with what Azula was sure he did with a smirk. She rolls her eyes as she scans where that Warlock could have gone. She spots the opposing fireteam bounding towards hers, with both Titans in the lead.
"Well" Azula quips back at Zuko, "I'm not so wrong after all." The green Titan takes the lead, just as Azula expected. She and Ty Lee fire in their general direction and high tail it back to the kill zone. The Titan was quick to follow and soon came under withering fire from Mai's scout rifle and Zuko's machine gun. The green Titan forms a towering barricade and takes cover behind it while the blue Titan joins her. The blue Warlock jumps into the air and fires while floating in midair. Mai attempts to shoot the Warlock down…
But suddenly Azula had a feeling that this was some type of diversion. She sprints over to Mai but doesn't shoot at the blue Warlock with her. Instead she fires past Mai, and right into the orange and yellow Warlock's chest as he reappeared. His shields go down and Azula finishes him off with an electrified strike from her hand, sending him to be resurrected.
"Fall back!" the blue Titan shouts. The blue Warlock attempts to flee but is struck down by Mai. The green Titan did as ordered and sprints back to her team's starting point.
But the blue Titan pulls out a black sword and charges at Ty Lee. She attempts to dodge it, but is quickly struck down by a second strike, needing to be resurrected by her Ghost. Zuko shifts fire towards his rival Titan, but his fire is high allowing the blue Titan to slip away under a low wall.
The enemy lost two reserve lives, at the cost of one for Azula's fireteam. Azula curses herself mentally for this outcome.
"Let's go" she growls as she runs towards the enemy position.
"What about Ty Lee?" Zuko asks as he follows.
"She'll catch up." Azula checked her grenade, ensuring it was at full charge. Soon she found the enemy team right as the Warlocks were resurrected. Azula gestures at Mai and Zuko to ready their grenades; they both nod and pull out their charges. In quick succession, Azula, Mai and Zuko toss their grenades at the enemy and they explode causing all of the enemies' shields to go down. The blue Titan forms a rally barricade and tells everyone to take cover behind it. Only the Warlocks manage to make it as the green Titan falls to Azula's pulse rifle. The blue Warlock conjures a healing rift, bringing her team back to full shields and now charges overshields for them.
"Pull back!" Azula shouts as she fires her rifle before sprinting after Mai and Zuko, who quickly run into Ty Lee. They all take cover behind low walls and wait for the enemy. The score is Azula's team with seven reserve lives while the enemy has five. Not the start that Azula was expecting, but it could be worst.
They waited patiently for the enemy, who sure were waiting for the green Titan to be resurrected. But it was a long wait, as if they were waiting for…
"Scatter!" Azula shouts to her team. They move as quick at they can, but it was of little use. The orange and yellow Warlock appears above Mai and Zuko and sends a grenade down to them. The charge explodes into two submunitions, which chase Mai and Zuko like predators. Azula's teammates tried to avoid them, but they were caught in violent void explosions as a result of the orange and yellow Warlock overcharging his grenade. Ty Lee fires on the Warlock with her submachine gun, only to prompt the Warlock to disappear once again.
The score was even with each fireteam with five lives left. This fireteam Azula is up against is proving to be more trouble than she thought.
The next few minutes was a game of cat and mouse as the teams chased one another. Ammo for power weapons became available, allowing Mai to load up her sniper rifle, taking the blue Warlock out and causing splash damage to the blue Titan. Azula followed up with fire from her pulse rifle, sending the blue Titan away with his teammate. But Azula was blindsided as the green Titan used up her built up Light to unleash a powerful arc strike through her fist, taking Azula and Zuko in one blow.
When she came to, Azula was overcome with embarrassment and angry. It has been quite some time since she needed a resurrection in a Crucible match. She quickly checked the score: each team now had three reserve lives.
"Hey, I can use my arc staff!" Ty Lee exclaimed referring to her super. Azula smiles wickedly at the idea of her team returning the favor.
"Use it when you can get two of them at once" Azula said as she and Zuko rush to reinforce Mai and Ty Lee. By the time they reach the Hunters, Ty Lee draws her arc staff and charges the enemy. The green Titan and orange and yellow Warlock respond by returning fire, but it was little use as Ty Lee was too quick for them. She sends them away in a flash of arc energy and turns her focus to the blue Warlock.
But Ty Lee was surprised when the Warlock brings forth a dawn of blade, a powerful sword made of solar energy. She strikes at Ty Lee who dodges it as best she could and manages to connect to the Warlock's abdomen sending her to join her friends. Yet the Warlock manages to strike down on Ty Lee's helmet, bringing her down as well.
Azula's team was down to two lives but the enemy had none now, thanks to Ty Lee. Azula made a note to at least try to give her praise later.
Her thoughts were cut short when a shot rang out, taking Zuko out in a flash of arc energy.
"Linear fusion rifle!" Mai shouts over the comms while searching for the shooter. "Get-!" she yells before joining Zuko in a similar manner.
Now neither team has any reserve lives. Everyone has only one life left and they better make it count.
After Mai and Zuko regroup with their team, they all charge forward. With Azula, Mai and Zuko having their supers charged up, the enemy only had two of their people with supers, according to Azula's calculations. They should have the advantage now.
"Zuko, take point and uses your hammers on them" she ordered. Zuko grunts an acknowledgement and complies. Within seconds he spots the blue Warlock and brings forth his flaming hammers to strike her down. He tosses one hammer after another, striking her down and removing her from the match.
Without warning the orange and yellow Warlock yells out in rage and uses his void nova bomb on Zuko, effectively returning the favor. Thankfully, it was only him caught in the blast, allowing Mai to charge up her handcannon to take out the Warlock. The green Titan charges forward and shoulder checks Ty Lee, causing her shields to go down. Mai turns and takes out the Titan before she could do any more damage.
But that didn't mean someone else couldn't do any damage. The blue Titan fires at Ty Lee, now removing her from the match. Mai turns and attempts to fire her last shot at the Titan…
Who shields himself with a round void shield, absorbing Mai's shot. He then tosses his shield at her, removing her from the match.
It was now Azula against him, fireteam leaders facing off to avenge their people.
Azula powers her arms with arc energy and shoots lightning at the Titan. He uses his shield to absorb her attack, standing his ground with seer stubbornness. It was blinding for Azula as her Light smashes into the Titan, which surely couldn't stand up against her. She lets out a haggard breath when her power is drained, believing she won the match…
But to her surprise, the Titan stood his ground. To say Azula is shocked is an understatement, for she has never seen any Guardian stand up to her full powers, even if they used their own to protect themselves.
She draws her white blade and charges at him, who in turns pulls out the black blade. They clash against each other, sending sparks flying through the air. Azula can hear Shaxx shout in excitement and astonishment, saying this is the best match he ever witnessed. With practice motions, the Titan was gaining the advantage over Azula, who's only learning experience has been in the Crucible, while the Titan must have learned from an experienced swordsman.
"You've got a lot to learn about swords Warlock" he mocks her. Azula growls in frustration, knowing he is right. This entire match has been an embarrassment for her, for she underestimated the leadership and resourcefulness of this Titan. He is still brash and thick-headed, but he knows how to leverage the talents of his team to his advantage, just like Azula does.
There was one thing she can do to win this match. She charges up her grenade and jams it into the Titan's chest plate. He panics as he tries to get rid of it, allowing Azula to take advantage of that to kick him away before the grenade explodes. Azula is still knocked back, but the Titan lays on the ground, hanging on to a last bit of life. He struggles to get to his knees while Azula strolls up to him with her sidearm pointed straight at his armored head.
"What is your name Titan" she demanded. He looks at her with what must have been disdain and refusal.
"Sokka" he said to her surprise. "My name is Sokka."
"So Sokka, how does it feel to lose?"
He barks out a laugh. "Normally it's disappointing, but that was the greatest match of my life. I don't mind losing this one at all."
Azula is surprised once again by his response before she fires two rounds into his head, sending him to be resurrected by his Ghost. Normally Azula would feel proud of herself for winning a match, especially against a team as talented as Sokka's.
But not now.
Sokka she repeated in her head, a strange sense of respect and longing going through her.
Azula rejoins her team as they converse with Shaxx and the other team. Zuko appeared to be really animated as he conversed with them.
Shaxx notices Azula and approaches her. "Well done!" he bellows before laughing. "I have never seen a better match before!"
"And you might see one like it soon" Azula said as she removed her helmet while Shaxx walks away to answer his comms from the Tower. She quickly notices that both fireteams removed theirs but only Sokka catches her eye. He gives his team a reassuring smile as he tells them they did their best against difficult odds. The way he smiles stirs strange feelings in Azula, especially how his bright smile contrasts his dark skin. But what really catches her eyes was his; they shined with a bright blue that rivaled her beloved arc powers. She felt her mouth go dry as she stares in awe at him. Ty Lee nudges her shoulder and pulls Azula out of her trance.
"What Ty Lee?" she said in annoyance.
"Um, what is the plan now that we won?"
"Well since we won, it is up to them if they'd like a rematch" Azula said before directing her attention to Sokka. "What do you say Sokka? How about a rematch?"
Sokka was caught off guard that see called his name. He smiles at her before saying, "Sounds good, but my team and I have an operation planned."
"Oh?" Azula said with slight disappointment. "What kind of operation?"
"One where they're going to need some help" Zuko interrupted to Azula's annoyance. "What do you guys say? Think I can help you?"
"I say he'll be a good fit for us Sokka" the orange and yellow Warlock said. "What do you think Katara?" he said while looking at the blue Warlock.
"I don't know Aang" she said. "We've been looking for a Hunter for a while now, and we already have two Titans."
Azula narrows her eyes at Zuko, already knowing he's looking for a way off her team and onto theirs. It took a long time before Azula got Zuzu back into her life, and now he's leaving? It felt like utter betrayal to her.
"Oh come on!" the green Titan exclaimed. "A Titan who throws flaming hammers? How cool is that?!"
"Not cool at all when you're the target Toph" Katara retorted.
"Not cool in more ways than one I'm sure" Sokka said with a goofy smile.
No one laughed at his lame joke, though Azula had to admit she found it rather witty and was tempted to smile a little.
"I'm sure Suki won't mind still being the only Hunter on the team" Sokka said when no one laughed at his joke. "I'd say let's give him a chance."
Zuko smiles brightly at this. "I won't let you down, I promise."
Now it felt like Azula was just punched in the gut. "Zuko…"
"What?" Zuko said bitterly. "I know you don't like me around, so you should be happy that I'm leaving."
Azula's sadness quickly turned into anger. "You're right" she mocked. "Have fun with that team, Zuzu. I know you'll be crawling back to us in no time."
Aang stifles a laugh. "Zuzu?"
Zuko groans as he follows his new team, knowing they now have something to tease him with.
Azula, Mai and Ty Lee watch as the other team leaves. Shaxx returns from his comms call and notices that Zuko is with the other team but decides not to comment on it. "So, will you three be going back into my Crucible?"
"No" Azula answered to everyone's surprise. She didn't feel like meeting a new Guardian to fight alongside. "We'll be seeing Deputy Commander Ozai and see what operations he has on Europa."
"Very well then" Shaxx said. "Come back if you need a new challenge!"
Azula, Mai and Ty Lee remained quite on the flight back to the Tower. It was Ty Lee that broke the silence. "Is everything okay Azula?"
Azula sighs. "Yes everything's fine. Just focus on flying this ship." Ty Lee complies, but not before sharing a worrying glance with Mai, who knows just as well that something was bothering their team leader.
What bothered Azula she couldn't say. One moment she was having the fight of her life, then she seemed flustered at her rival's skill, demeanor and appearance, then sad and angry that Zuko left.
What's wrong with me? she kept asking herself.
"What are you going to call that sword of yours Azula?" Mai asks, drawing Azula out of her thoughts.
Azula takes a moment to think about a real fitting name. She smirks as a rather witty name came to mind for it.
"I think I shall call it… Titan's Bane" she said proudly.
"Is that because of what Zuko did?" Ty Lee asks concerned.
"If you like to believe so" Azula replied to her friends' confusion. In reality, she named her sword Titan's Bane in hopes of meeting Sokka again, for he must know the story of these twin blades, and she couldn't help but wonder what he calls his blade. And she smirks wickedly at the sight of him hearing the name she gave her sword.
One way or another, she will meet Sokka again.
