Chapter 3

Eventually Aang allowed Azula to stay.

Zuko had made it clear that while he supported the Gaang and would act as the Avatar wished on the day of the Comet, he was not going to abandon his sister. If Azula were to be ousted, then he would leave too. Sokka immediately started on a suspiciously well-prepared farewell speech only to be quieted albeit half-heartedly by Katara.

Toph didn't seem to care much either way. "You're already taking care of her. Just figure out if you wanna keep at it or not."

"Taking care of a sick, unconscious Azula isn't the same as letting her join," Katara corrected quickly, "But we'll respect whatever you decide, whether we like it or not."

So Aang made up his mind.

They didn't like it.

In order to take necessary precautions, the "Adopt an Azula" plan also included immediate relocation. Aang woke early the next morning to start packing, and Katara helped him load the supplies onto Appa's back. It wasn't until they were nearly finished that they noticed her standing by one of the pillars. Water gushed out of Katara's water skins and solidified into several sharp icicles above Azula's head.

"Good morning," Aang beamed, hoping his friendliness would somehow balance out Katara's blatant threat, "I didn't expect you to be up yet."

"I rise with the sun." Azula replied simply.

"Really? Zuko's never up for the sunrise."

"Zuzu's also mostly useless."

Aang gulped. "Oh. Uh, I should probably go get the others." He motioned for Katara to take back the icicles and retreated into the Temple.

"You might want to get on Appa now." She obediently drew her water back and pulled out a long strip of black cloth, "Unless you wanted to try it blindfolded."

Azula's eyes narrowed slightly as she moved closer, but her face remained hard to read. "You remind of someone I once met. A concubine," slipping behind Katara, she murmured, "she had your eyes. If I didn't already know yours was dead, I would have assumed she was your mother. But who am I to say?" She laughed softly and climbed onto the flying bison. "All you water peasants look the same to me."

The others appeared before Katara could react. Apparently Aang had already warned them of Azula's revived health, and they trooped in warily. Zuko claimed the spot next to his sister, and Sokka sat directly across, boomerang out.

"We'll need to blindfold you now," Katara informed her through clenched teeth.

"Please," Zuko added, placing his hand on Azula's shoulder, "Just in case." He noticed the way she let it rest there for half a breath before shrugging it off, and he nodded at Katara. Eyesight gone, Azula's other senses snapped into overdrive in order to compensate. She could smell the sweat and nervousness lingering on their skin; the vibrations from their fidgeting and their distinct voices allowed her a mental picture of everyone's position. Satisfied, she leaned back, planning on meditating during the ride.

At first, the group did a fairly good job at pretending she didn't exist. The banter didn't last for long, and the topic turned unsurprisingly to her. They persistently asked how she had found them and how she got there, changing the wording creatively as though she'd be sure to answer if they only found the correct format for the question. Her reply continued to be an enigmatic, "I have my ways." The possibility of Zuko revealing their whereabouts was brought up again, however Azula shot it down.

"Why would I ever need Zuzu's help to find you? I've successfully tracked you down before. Why does it come as such a surprise this time?

If Zuko hadn't known any better, he would have thought she was defending him. Perhaps she really was, in her own, strange way, but there was something else bothering him. "What about Mai?"

Azula felt a familiar twinge in her chest, and she breathed in deeply, pushing the emotion out as she exhaled. Why should she feel jealous of Mai? Moody, stone faced Mai; Azula was obviously superior in every way so why was Zuko's mind so preoccupied with her friend? "What about her?"

"Mai," Sokka repeated, "That knife-throwing girl?"

"Yeah," Zuko smiled at the thought, "she's my girlfriend. Well, ex-girlfriend." Azula audibly gagged. Her brother and friend shoving their tongues down each others' throats was never a pleasant sight.

"You miss her?"

"All the time."

Sokka nodded understandingly. "My first girlfriend turned into the moon."

"That's rough, buddy."

Azula was less sympathetic. "All that effort just to avoid you?" She arched an eyebrow mockingly. "And Mai could have been worse. She was going to use that old portrait of you two together for target practice. Ty Lee somehow talked her out of it."

"Where is she now?"

"Where do you think, Zuzu? Home with her family, of course."

"So why didn't you bring them along?" Toph joined in. "You never go anywhere without them."

"This doesn't pertain to them," she shrugged dismissively, "That's all."

Something about the way she looked blindfolded, dark hair freed from the usual stern topknot, and dressed in Zuko's spare shirt that kept falling down her shoulders made her seem more girlish and almost vulnerable. It made Sokka reckless. "You're taking exile pretty well." Azula gave no response beyond her body stiffening, muscles pulled taut and ready. "Or maybe you made a run for it before Ozai could publicly humiliate you." Nothing. "Either way, how does it feel to be a commoner on the lam? It must suck to know you managed to screw up so badly—" She didn't give him a chance to finish.

Lunging forward inhumanly fast, Azula already had one hand wrapped around his throat before anyone even realised what was happening. Her other hand hovered by his forehead, a menacing blue flame shooting from her pointer and middle fingers.

"How dare you place me on the same level as you peasants?" Her lips curled back in a feral snarl. "I am Princess Azula of the Fire Nation. It's the very pinnacle of my being, and unlike you vermin, there is royal blood running through my veins. Nothing can change that."

"Azula, stop," Zuko said sharply, using his best big brother voice, "let him go. And no bending." To everyone's surprise, the fire was extinguished.

"Of course, Zuzu." Releasing her hold on the Sokka's neck, she smiled sweetly and promptly smashed her fist into his jaw.

A terse rest of the ride later, Appa landed on the shore of an uninhabited beach. Azula pulled the cloth from her eyes and leapt off. She strode inland as Sokka glared after her.

"You're going to have to help us unpack," he chucked a bag at her head, "If you're part of the group, you need to pull your weight."

She deftly avoided it. "You're not very bright, are you peasant boy?"

"Sokka," he growled, "My name is Sokka."

"Please," she made a show of examining her nails apathetically, "does it look like I care?"

Aang hopped down by the fallen bag and swung it over his shoulder. "Guys, can we at least try to get along? We kind of have bigger things to worry about. Azula," he puffed out his chest a little as he met her gaze, "I know you're still not feeling that great, but at least set up your own tent." It felt strange to be talking to her, not to mention ordering her around. This was the girl who took down Ba Sing Se and nearly took him out too. If it weren't for Katara's holy water, she would have succeeded in stopping the entire Avatar cycle. Nonetheless, Aang swallowed his anger and fear. "It would really help."

"Fine," she responded tartly, "just tell your pet monkey to stop aiming for my face." Sokka guiltily lowered the tent he had hoisted up and dropped it in her arms instead. Azula took the bag from Aang as well and made her way to flatter ground.

It was just about sun down when the camp was fully set up. Katara busied herself with dinner, and Toph hung nearby, shooting off unhelpful remarks. The other two boys lounged around the row of tents with interactions limited mostly to Sokka staring at Zuko's feet uncomfortably.

"Thanks for not letting Azula burn my face off earlier. Speaking of which, where is she anyway? She completely disappeared."

"Yeah, she does that," Zuko explained, "She likes to train at least three times a day—sunrise, mid-noon, and sundown."

"How come you don't do it?"

"I used to. Ozai made us do it as kids. Guess it stuck with her."

Aang looked a little worried, "Shouldn't we go get her? It's almost dinner time."

"She'll be back soon. You probably shouldn't bother her," he warned, but Sokka started for the beach anyway.

"Don't sweat it," the boy joked, "Just send Katara in after me if you hear any screams." He went down looking more confident than he really felt. He arrived in time to see Azula finish her practice with a thick bolt of lightning into the ocean. The water sizzled loudly, and a thin billow of steam blew over the waves.

"What is it?" She asked, still staring at the tide.

"You must really hate oceans."

"I actually quite like them, not that it has anything to do with you."

"Could have fooled me."

Azula rolled her eyes, "Most things could fool you. I suppose I like how steady it is. No matter how much lightning I shoot, the ocean can take it."

"You sound like a waterbender."

"I said I liked its endurance, not the element," she looked positively disgusted at the suggestion, but the expression didn't last long. Limbs sore from the exertion, she fought against the oncoming fatigue and was, to her dismay, losing.

"Let's go back. Dinner's ready, and you shouldn't be pushing your body so hard."

"Your concern is duly noted."

"Trust me, I wasn't concerned," he laughed coldly and headed toward camp, "I just didn't want to have to drag you back."

Zuko was clearly relieved to see the two return unscathed. He handed them each a plate of food and separated them none to subtly. Prodding at the goop disdainfully, Azula couldn't bring herself to try it no matter how hungry she was. It was eventually distributed off to Toph and Sokka, and she wondered how long she could survive on just water alone. All in all, things seemed to be going smoothly until Sokka opened his mouth to speak.

"You know, I've been thinking about something."

"Must have been a laborious task considering your lower than average intelligence. Were you hoping for applause?" Azula didn't bother looking up from the fire.

"I've actually asked you about it before, but considering your lower than average social skills, you never really gave a reply." He forced his voice as calm as he could, "Where is Suki exactly? Where are you keeping her locked up?"

"Hmm," Azula's eyes glittered, "that name doesn't ring any bells."

"And I'll wring your neck, now tell me. The girl you mentioned during the Day of Black Sun. Where is she?"

"Girl? You'll have to be a bit more specific."

"You know who I'm talking about."

She was just toying with him now, forcing him to say the word he had been desperately avoiding: prisoner. "I don't recall speaking to you about any girls."

"She's probably at Boiling Rock," Zuko answered instead, trying to keep the peace, "You mean the Kyoshi warrior right? If she's been captured, she'll probably be Boiling Rock. It's where we keep the more dangerous criminals."

"Sokka, please," Katara pleaded, "Don't get any crazy ideas." But his expression told her it was too late for that.

Normally able to sleep through a platypus-bear stampede, Sokka's own thoughts kept him tossing throughout the night. He went in and out of consciousness, waking at every sound and hardly getting any shut-eye. When he heard footsteps outside his tent, Sokka gave up completely. He figured it was Azula running off to do whatever it was she insisted on doing at dawn. As per usual, curiosity got the best of him, and he snuck out a few minutes later. Hiding far behind near some boulders, he watched the firebender stretch out her limbs and hoped things would get more exciting. He was not disappointed.

Her feet barely hit the ground as she passed through an intricate array of kicks and twists, clearly talents learnt from Ty Lee. Cobalt flames whirled around her like so many ribbons, and she practically flew through the air. Her movements were fluid and exact, but they lacked the harshness present when she was in a fight. There were no abrupt blows or broken acrobatic tricks. It went beyond basic martial arts and technique.

Azula was dancing.

Gliding across the sand in one smooth motion, she trailed smoke and vivid fire. White hot lightning crackled on her fingertips, and she drew it from sky to earth. Sokka had met more firebenders on his journey with Aang than he would have liked yet never had he seen such a display like this. Sure, the waterbenders in the North put on a dance for them, but the way she moved with her fire was different. It wasn't until someone toed him in the shin that realised he had been holding his breath.

"Why are you spying on my sister?"

Sokka turned bright red, stuttering. "I—it's not what you think, really!"

"I see." But all Zuko saw was some boy staring at his sister with a scary intensity that he did not approve of. Sokka chuckled nervously and dashed off. Azula hadn't stopped. She didn't seem to have noticed them at all, and Zuko gazed at her in surprise. He actually knew that routine; he was the one who made it up and taught it to her, years ago. Moving closer, he fell in step with her, their movements matching easily. Even the rise and fall of their chests matched. When they finished, she turned away from him but did not leave.

"I can't believe you still remember that," he offered her a goofy, lopsided smile, "You do it better than me now."

"I'm better than you at most everything."

"You always have been."

She hadn't expected that. "Not always. You bended first."

"I am older. And you weren't too far behind."

"I remember—" Azula broke off, but Zuko knew what she was thinking. He was thinking about it too, about how years and years ago, it was he who first to showed her how to bend.