"You're doing great, Azula."
"What did you expect? I'm a very fast learner, Zuzu, unlike you."
He rolled his eyes at her, ignoring the insult. He had been teaching her the proper form to redirect lighting. It might come in handy for the both of them in the near future. He hoped that they won't need to use it though.
He looked away from her, focusing back on his own training. He would sometimes stop and check to see how she was doing, and then he would once again resume his own practice exercises.
It was late at night when they started practicing as not to be disturbed by the daytime activities that is required of the prince and princess. They were currently alone in the garden, practicing in secrecy. They sneaked out of their respective rooms, avoiding the guards and servants, to meet up in the garden. They knew they had privacy here, because no one comes here at this time of night. He couldn't help but pause once again to admire the full moon that was shining down upon them, illuminating the garden and adding to its beauty. He once again glanced at Azula, watching her perform the movements flawlessly, as if she hadn't just learned it a few minutes ago.
He can't say that he's surprised at how quickly she got it. She was, after all, a prodigy. Her movements were precise and at the same time graceful as she practiced the form.
She suddenly stopped and sighed, catching his attention and making him stop too.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"To master this skill, I need to have a hands-on demonstration," she said, placing her hands on her hips, a grin slowly spreading across her face.
He doesn't know what exactly she's thinking at the moment, but he knew that he's not going to like it.
"What are you getting at?"
"Shoot me with lightning!" she demanded, getting into the proper stance.
He stared at her blankly, and she stared back, waiting expectantly.
'Has she lost her mind or is she purposely mocking me?' he thought, feeling his unscarred eye twitch.
"You know I can't generate lightning, right?"
"That's not an excuse. Now hit me with your best shot, brother!" she commanded, not moving from her position.
"Are you crazy!? I just said I can't generate lighting, and even if I can, I'm not going to hit you with it!" he growled exasperatedly.
She lowered her shoulders, crossing her arms in front of her, "Then how do you expect me to perfect this if I don't practice it the correct way?"
"We can't do anything about that right now, so just learn the form. It's good enough for the moment."
"Just 'good enough' isn't what I need. What I need is perfection! I will not settle for anything less," she argued defiantly.
He sighed at how stubborn his sister was. 'Is this what Uncle felt like when he was trying to teach me how to redirect lighting?' he wondered, remembering how he had demanded his uncle to strike him with lighting too. He felt a pang of guilt, finally realizing how tough it was for his uncle when he had put him in this position.
"We're probably not going to need to use this anyway so it doesn't matter," he said, hoping to convince her not to do anything stupid like going up a mountain or some other high place while there's a thunderstorm raging, screaming at the heavens to strike her down. He felt pretty stupid thinking back on it now, recalling the time when he did just that. Well, he was desperate!
"Father can generate lightning," she said, "What if he attempts to shoot it at me?"
There it was again. The underlying tone of hurt in her voice that she tries so hard to hide. He can see right through her act though.
"I'm sure you'd be able to redirect it," he answered, confident in her abilities, "and besides, I won't let him do that to you."
She quirked an eyebrow at that, "Oh, you won't?"
"I won't."
She scoffed, "I don't need you to protect me, Dum-dum. In case you've forgotten, I can take care of myself just fine."
He just shrugged. He knew she is very capable of taking care of herself. He doesn't need any more proof of that. He's just not sure if she would be at her 100% if they're facing their father. She might hesitate, and then what? One mistake, and she could lose her life. He's not afraid of his father anymore. However, and as much as she tries to deny it, he knows Azula was still afraid of him. Father had raised her and taught her not to fear. Not to fear anyone or anything…but him.
Their father had also raised Zuko that way, but with everything that's happened, he's learned not to fear him anymore. His uncle had helped him realized that. Now, he was here to help Azula realize that too. She doesn't have to be afraid of Father…no, Ozai…because there were a lot of people out there who really do care about her, such as Lo and Li, Mai, Ty Lee, Uncle, and himself. Azula was just too stubborn to accept that fact.
Azula quirked her eyebrow at her brother's unusual display of protectiveness. He should know that she's strong enough and smart enough to handle herself. Does he think that she would cower under Father's gaze? He has to give her more credit than that. To be honest, however, she's not exactly sure how she's going to react at seeing the disappointment that would surely be written all over their father's face once she joins the Avatar. She would like to think that she would not be affected much by it. She knew that he won't be mad that she betrayed him, but more of the fact that she betrayed him. It doesn't make a difference to him that she's his daughter.
She was also a little insulted yet at the same time touched. Insulted that Zuko thought she's going to be an emotional wreck once they face Father, and touched that he seemed to be genuinely concerned for her. He was the only one who has cared about her. Well, it was only recently that he started actively showing it, but she knew he really did care about her. She never deluded herself into believing that their father actually cared about her. It was just easier to pretend sometimes. There was also Ty Lee and Mai. They seemed to care for her, but at the same time, she knew that the only reason they've stayed this long with her was because of fear. However, there were these genuine moments of friendship between the three of them, and she has actually grown…fond…of them. A little bit. Kind of.
Then, there was her mother, who thought she was a monster. Their mother had always favored Zuko over her, and she couldn't help but imagine what kind of person she would be right now if only their mother stopped for a second to show her some affection instead of always doting on Zuko. Of course, there had been times when their mother had shown her love, but it was easier for Azula to forget about those memories to lessen the pain.
Suddenly, there was a hand waving in front of her face, making her stumble backwards slightly.
"What was that for!?" she yelled angrily.
"You were spacing out," Zuko said, obviously amused.
She growled, "I was not!"
"Were too!" he shot back, not caring how childish they both sounded. He quite enjoyed moments like this with his sister.
"Fool," she muttered, giving him a glare to cover up her embarrassment. If she could fire bend using her eyes, he would probably be on fire right now.
He chuckled at her rare display of letting her guard down. The old Azula would never have spaced out in the middle of training, nor would she have done it in the presence of someone else. He could tell that there was something different about her nowadays. He can see the look on her face sometimes, obviously contemplating something. He hoped that she would be able to resolve her issues, and he hoped that he too would be able to resolve his own issues. Being the grandchildren of the former Avatar and the former Fire Lord who started the war in the first place has seriously messed them up.