Zuko was pacing indignantly behind Fire Lord Sozin's giant desk.
"I can't fucking believe it! An assassination attempt on my own flesh and blood, here in the very halls of the Palace where we live and grew up! This is fucking unacceptable. Early this morning, I called my ministers to a meeting to speak out in the severest terms. Of course, I've no idea how many of them were involved. Azula, I'm sorry for appointing that girl to you. She came with the best recommendations from Lord and Lady Zhia. They're as baffled as we are."
Azula stretched her long bare arms experimentally above her head. Dressed in tight black leather trousers, black boots and a sleeveless black silk shirt, she looked remarkably relaxed. Spending the morning with the Avatar applying his healing skills to her sore body had helped considerably. His waterbending skills had healed the minor scratches and bruises almost immediately. Of course, Katara had refused to help, claiming the urgent need for her to participate in a difficult delivery elsewhere.
"Any idea on who orchestrated this, Zuzu? Obviously, those assassins were just paid minions. Really, this only goes to show. You've allowed yourself to become lax, brother. This proves their lack of respect for you. You really need to set your foot down and prove the authority of the Fire Lord to these people once and for all."
"Yes, Zuko. This is very serious. I happen to agree. We can't allow any more incidents like this."
Aang had conceded his favourite comfortable armchair to Azula and was hovering solicitously behind her, holding the carved backrest in a firm grasp. Zuko's eyes narrowed as he regarded his closest friend.
"Indeed we can't, Aang! So, out of pure curiosity, just where were you when all this took place? Didn't I personally appoint you to be Azula's guardian? Didn't I explicitly ask you to ensure her safety at all times?"
Azula's red lips curled in amusement. "Did you, Zuzu? Why, how very touching! Well, I'm afraid I am to blame. Aren't I, Aang?"
The Avatar's big hands tightened on the backrest of her armchair. The solid wood answered by creaking ominously.
That cursed girl. She's placed me in an impossible situation. Is she trying to push me into-
His lips tightened as he strove to keep from breaking into pure Avatar state.
"Azula's right, Zuko. I neglected my duties. You told me to make Azula my prime responsibility. However, I must remind you that you also said I didn't have to guard her 24/7. Obviously, that was a miscalculation. Make no mistake about it. It won't be repeated."
She was leaning back, directing an amused yellow glance up at him.
"My pleasure, Aang. I mean, if you have the time. You must be incredibly busy. I realize that I will be stealing your time."
He shook his head briefly. "No problem, Azula. I always fulfil my promises. You may rest assured that as long as I'm around, you will come to no harm."
A sarcastic smile. "Why, that's good to know." A slight sparkle of blue flames flickered briefly in her long elegant hands.
Behind the desk, Fire Lord Zuko exchanged a frustrated glance with his friend. Then, he plopped down unceremoniously into his comfortable armchair, passing a weary hand across his forehead. Even though it was barely past lunchtime, the occasion clearly called for a glass of wine. He emptied his in a long draught and refilled it with a sigh, ignoring his sister's raised eyebrows.
"Help yourselves. The bottle is right there. Ok, this really is grave news. I mean, I'm extremely happy that you escaped unharmed, Azula. It's lucky you still have your bending. This should make people think twice about attacking you. But still. I have to make it very clear that as the Fire Lord, I absolutely condemn any attempts on my sister's life and safety. All right. So, I'll have to make some formal speeches on the subject. I might even have to word an edict on the matter. I'm sorry, Zula. I really had no idea-"
Her large yellow eyes widened. "Really? I would have thought that you had thorough knowledge of the widespread hatred of me. Why else appoint the Avatar to be my guardian?"
Unless of course you intended him to guard you against me, instead.
The bright gold eyes burned into his, curious. Zuko passed a weary hand over his forehead, lamenting the loss of his bangs. Apart from the conspicuous scar and a slight delicate sharpness to his features, he was really turning into a copy of Ozai. At least as far as looks were concerned.
"Ok, so I miscalculated, Azula. I'm sorry about that. It won't happen again, I assure you that. I swear that from now on, I will protect you."
"You know Zuzu, if you don't want me here, if you consider me a burden…"
He shook his head violently. "NO! Just no, Azula! I invited you to court and I want you to stay here, ok? So does Mai. Yes, don't look so doubtful. She's just not that good at expressing her emotions. We're both really sorry about all that happened. Yes, we fucking are. Azula, I-"
He took a deep breath as if to steel himself and looked up at his friend.
"Aang, would you mind leaving us alone for a moment? I mean, I'd scheduled two hours here for a private meeting with my sister. I need to speak with her, between four eyes."
"Of course, Zuko. I'll be here at the ready right outside, for when the meeting's finished."
He made as if to move out of the room. However, a long bare pale arm shot up to grasp his, sharp scarlet nails embedding themselves in his skin.
"No! Just wait a moment here! The two of you don't get to go about deciding things above my head like that! Zuzu, I'll accept Aang to be my bodyguard, or guardian as you call it. However, there are conditions."
Her yellow eyes flashed golden lightning at them. All right, this was the Azula they both recognized. The one who had her own ideas, and refused to be ignored. The one that you just couldn't get the better of.
"What conditions, Azula?"
Twin yellow pairs of eyes flared golden fire at each other.
"I want personal access to your private training grounds at all times, Zuzu. I want to be able to do sparring sessions with anyone I please. Oh, don't worry. Of course, I won't kill anyone. At least not unless they try to kill me first. I just need to keep my bending up. Last night, Aang promised to do regular sparring sessions with me. Didn't you, Avatar?"
She shot him a challenging yellow stare.
The Avatar cleared his throat. "Hrm. Well, actually I did, Zuko. I can't see any harm in it. Whenever I'm not off on some assignment, I'll do daily sparring sessions with Azula. Indeed, it might serve double purposes. Not just to keep us fit and able to harness our elemental powers, but also to show potential attackers who they're taking on."
A monumental sigh. "All right. I'll agree to that. Azula, I assume that you'll refrain from using your elemental powers to fry me from behind. Aang, from now on I require you to stay by her side at all times. 24/7. We can't afford any more incidents like this one. Ok?"
A collective nod. As the Avatar released the back of Azula's chair to move towards the door, an odd smile curled his lips.
Silence. Fucking silence.
They stared at one another. Then, Zuko poured them each a second glass of wine. His right hand trembled imperceptibly, causing a pair of purple drops to stain the polished ebony desk. Azula's yellow eyes were fixed intently on his.
"Ok, Zuko. Shoot. What am I doing here?"
His mouth dropped open. "I… you… I mean, you're my sister, Azula! For fuck's sake! This is your home. You've got every right to be here."
Her full red lips curled derisively. "If you're going to lie, Zuzu, at least make sure to do it right. Now just come clean and tell me what this is all about. Who knows? I might even be able to help."
She examined her long sharp scarlet nails in the bright light from the tall floor to ceiling windows.
An otherworldly power seemed to pull Zuko away to the corner of the desk that was the closest to her. He was staring at her, breathing heavily.
Fuck, she's beautiful. Just as hot as when she challenged me to the Agni Kai, demented and deranged. Oh sweet spirit of Agni. She'll always be my fucking undoing.
Azula raised her great yellow eyes to meet his. Her face was pale, expressionless, devoid of smirks or mannerisms. The look in her gold eyes made him tremble.
"What, Zuko? What do you want? What can I do for you?"
Oh, you can't even begin to guess. Sweet spirits.
He closed his eyes momentarily. Then, he opened them impulsively and reached out, catching her long slender hands in his. The sudden heat that shot up through him was startling.
"Azula, I-"
"I want us to be friends."
She treated him to a level stare. "Ok, Zuko. We're friends. No more war. Now, what do you want?"
It's not a question about what I want, but about what I would have wanted. I never wanted anything so badly in my life as you. The prettiest, smartest, bravest girl in the whole world. We were made for one another. I loved you. I still fucking love you. Why can't you just realize that?
A deep sigh. "I… I'm sorry, Zula. Ok? I mean, I don't expect you to forgive me. I just needed to say it."
He was kneeling before her, staring down into her lap and avoiding her eyes, holding her hands clasped in his. She regarded him with a slight frown.
"Zuko? Are you all right? I mean-"
"YES! Of course I'm fucking all right! Now, that I know that you're alive and well! Don't you fucking see, Zula? I don't… I mean, I didn't…. I mean, NO! Just no. It was fucking wrong of me to enlist Katara's help. I know I cheated, Zula. You're the rightful owner of the Phoenix throne. The rightful Fire Lord. While you were gone, I kept the title safe. Evidently, that isn't enough. I had the message from Agni himself, by means of a vision. I've betrayed my own bloodline, and we're bound for extinction. I'm doing what I can to compensate for it. Fuck knows I'm stumbling in the dark."
The golden eyes flared open. "You're telling me that you're acknowledging me as your sister to ensure that you stay safely on the throne?"
Fucking Azula. She'd always been able to rip right down to the core of the matter. Still, here were his feelings for her, ripe and sincere, bursting at the seams and ready to become acknowledged.
He was caressing her hands, staring into her large golden eyes. "Yes, Zula. Yes and no. I mean, we both need to work to counter the Oracle's vision. We need to breed more Firebenders. I mean, not just me, but you." He stumbled over the words, caught in internal visions of them ensuring the succession of the Royal Fire Nation bloodline. Together.
But for the sake of Agni! I didn't… I mean, I didn't invite her back here in order to… Or… Did I!?
He was staring at her, horrified by his own thoughts. Azula returned the look with curious yellow eyes. Then, she freed her left wrist nimbly and reached out to caress his right cheek.
"Don't worry, Zuzu. I'm right here. If you want me here, I'll stay."
Yes! Oh, you really have no idea how much I want you. I want you to stay with me forever. I want to-
He was staring at her like a man freezing to death who'd just been offered a warm golden flame.
Impossible. Of course. Mustering his last drop of discipline, he forced himself to calm.
"Thank you, Azula. I've come to realize that this is purely a Fire Nation issue. Agni's charged me with reigniting the flame of my own kin. If I fail, the Royal Fire Nation bloodline will die out. No, there will be no new issue or replacements. We will die, and that is it. Zilch. According to the Sages of Agni, the World will be plunged into cold and darkness. Which is of course what happens without fire. I don't know how that will affect the other elements and Nations."
She frowned. "That's why you need me here, Zuzu? To ensure that the Royal bloodline of the Fire Nation doesn't become extinct?"
He shrugged recklessly. Ok, so he'd never been very good at poker.
"I guess so. I mean, it didn't strike me until now. I'm not saying that I'll be needing you as some kind of breeder or anything. It's more that the Sages told me that I have to care for my own. Mother's gone, Iroh's old, and Father's… Well, things being the way they are, we're the last Royal Firebenders. You and I. If I can't get an issue… Well, then it's up to you to make sure we survive. If you were to marry-"
Her yellow eyes flared sharply.
"Ah. And what would be the price of marriage to a Royal Princess, Zuko? Eternal loyalty to her brother?"
He stared at her, speechless.
"I… I…"
Her large yellow eyes narrowed.
"Well, Zuzu. Maybe you've already found someone suitable? Or do you plan to auction out my virginity to the highest bidder?"
His voice sounded oddly alien. "I'd let you decide who'd be your first, Azula. I'd let you decide who to marry. I'd let you decide who to take as a lover."
He didn't know how it happened. Suddenly he was kissing the inside of her right wrist. Azula gasped, shutting her eyes momentarily. Then, she forced them open.
"I'd like to know who the father of my children is."
He was cradling her face in his hands, staring at her eyes, her skin, her lips.
"They'd all be Firebenders. Just like us."
Command, oh my Princess, and I shall obey.
She gazed at him with a curious expression, tangling her long fingers in his hair.
"This isn't healthy, Zuzu. I'm sure you realize that."
Fire flared up in his eyes. "You hate me. I've always known it. You regret you weren't able to kill me."
Curiously, she didn't tense or pull away. Instead, her face approached his.
"No, Zuko. I don't hate you. I love you with every fibre of my being. Surely you know that?"
Oh, she'd been through every aspect of her feelings for him in her therapy. Possibly though, now wasn't the perfect time to reveal them to him.
Suddenly, he was at a loss for words.
"I… I want... I mean, I've always wanted to... "
She frowned slightly. "I want my crown back, Zuko. No, not the Fire Lord one. The gold triple flame headpiece that I used to wear with my topknot."
His hands slid down to cup her bare shoulders. He was staring hungrily at the proud glory of her firm full breasts, which strained the tight black silk shirt. Oh, spirits. Who would ever have known that a tall slender girl like Azula could have that kind of full big breasts? Shocked and fascinated, he stared at them with the hunger of a starving man. Slowly, his hands moved down over the smooth pale skin of her bare arms.
"Ok. You'll get it back. Avan has it, but I'll make sure that she returns it."
Her nipples were hard, poking at the thin shiny fabric. He leaned forward unconsciously, his lips approaching hers. He raised one of his hands to push the thick silky tresses away from her long slender neck. Her voice shattered the strange hypnosis. The tone was sharp.
"Who's Avan? Why does she have my crown?"
Zuko stiffened visibly and checked himself. Slowly, the realization dawned on him of what he'd been about to do. And now, he was caught in having to answer her most difficult question.
No. He couldn't lie to her. She was way too smart. In the long run, if he told the truth it would increase the chances that she'd… Yes. He knew Azula inside and out. All right, maybe not as deep inside as he would like. He evicted the shameful thought forcefully from his mind.
"She's Father's favourite concubine. She looks just like you. It's fucking uncanny."
Her yellow eyes narrowed dangerously. Suddenly, her bare skin burned under his hands. He jumped back instinctively, releasing her arms.
"Let me get this straight, Zuko. You're saying that he keeps a mistress who looks just like me, and makes her wear my crown?"
He nodded mutely. The look in her eyes scared him more than any words.
"Fuck!" The blue flame shot out from her palm, barely missing his arm. The smell of charred silk filled the room.
Her face was white, stiff with determination. "I need to see him, Zuko. You have to let me visit."
Oh no. He couldn't allow that to happen. Agni knew what she'd do.
"I can't let you do that, Zula! I just can't! I swore to the Fire Sages to protect the last heirs of Agni. I can't risk you hurting him, nor him hurting you."
She rose from the chair to regard him coldly.
"You needn't worry, Zuko. If things should ever come to that, none of us would hurt the other. One of us would die, that's all."
His eyes widened in horror. "You plan to kill him, Zula?"
She approached him to trail her slender fingers down his cheek in a lingering caress.
"Not at all, Zuko. I just want a word."
Her sudden tinkling laughter made him jump. But when he met her eyes, they were as sane and steady as they'd ever been.
"All right, Zuzu. Talk's over. I'm going to find my personal Guardian. I owe you a thanks. The Avatar's a much better playmate than I could ever imagine. Who would have thought?"
As the door slammed shut behind her, Zuko was aware of his pulses racing and the blood pumping through his veins as if after a fast hard run.