Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender all characters and locations are official property of Nickelodeon.

The First Lightningbender

電Book 1: Lightning

Chapter 05: Blast from the Past.

"You cannot slander human nature; it is worse than words can paint it." - Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Azula always found it amazing how quickly a monster could become a saint. How easily a villain could become a hero. Not a few hours ago her footsteps alone made these children and all these adults quake in fear of her presence. But just get rid of one little decadent noble and suddenly she was the quirky member of the family everyone loved the most.

Azula tore down the great metal gates of castle beyond its walls by simply dragging the invisible energy strands of her bending and let the villagers loot to their hearts delight. Even Jet and his freedom fighters got their share of gold to use on their own while June got an extra bonus that she was more than happy to receive.

"I knew I was right to right to like you," the bounty hunter complimented.

"Take all you want. My journey doesn't require too much," Azula encouraged to the cheers and thanks of everyone around.

"Why are you being so generous?" Inazuma asked over telepathy clearly aware that the princess was not doing this out of the goodness of her heart.

"Isn't it obvious? The soul is an infinitely precious thing to the one who owns it but if you're a smart merchant you can buy it for as little as a bowl of soup and a loaf of bread or sell it for a kingdom. By giving these people this wealth and freedom they will follow me without question. Say hello to the first people who will live in the empire I will build."

"Isn't that a bit premature?"

"Maybe. But I think it's never too early to start securing citizens."

After that much celebration ensued. There was plenty to be happy about, so much so that little details like the amount blood spilled to accomplish it was easily overlooked. But that was hardly surprising to the princess of lightning. She had seen it happen a hundred times before and she knew she'd see it a hundred times again. Even the bloodstained victories of the Avatars past and the one present were no different.

Everyone was celebrating except for Ty Lee who had been in a somber mood every since she had witnessed all those horrors committed by someone she was dead set on reforming.

"Why so sad Ty Lee? Here this necklace would look nice on you," Azula offered a beautiful gold and ruby necklace like a kind lover as a gift.

Her reasons of course were less than noble but merely a ploy to get Ty Lee into bed with her again among other things. Azula hated dealing with angst-ridden people yet more often than she liked those were the kind of people she gravitated to. Rather than accept the gift however Ty Lee spun around and struck it from the hand of the lightningbender with tears streaming down her cheeks as she did.

"Why did you do that?!" she demanded to know.

"Why did I do what?" Azula asked pretending to be genuinely puzzled.

"Those soldiers. They surrendered why did you have to kill them!!?" she screamed so loud that she was beginning to draw some suspicious stares.

"Oh Ty Lee," Azula shook her head like she was hearing something cute and innocent from a young child. "I didn't kill them. They did," she then pointed to the crowds of happy people strolling the streets and carrying the loot they had taken from Gao's castle.

"You made them do it!!"

"No I didn't. Ty Lee you should understand that there's a huge difference between made and let. I let them kill those soldiers. They wanted to kill those soldiers but otherwise couldn't until I let them. That's the difference. The big difference."

"But you could have stopped them!"

"Should I have?"

"Of course. All people deserve to live!"

Sighing to herself from a degree of genuine exasperation Azula pressed her icy fingers into Ty Lee's temples once more sending to her the images she dug up from minds of the dead soldiers and their lord. Again the experience bewildered, shocked, exhausted and devastated the acrobat all at once, showing her harsh truths she coped with using boundless optimism and a constant ability to see the silver lining in every black cloud. An ironic choice of words when Ty Lee thought about it considering she was talking about a lightningbender who drew her power from the clouds.

"Now tell me do people like that deserve to live? If I let them go they wouldn't change," Azula pointed out.

"They might have!" Ty Lee protested clutching her head from the dull ache.

"People don't change Ty Lee they just discover who they are. These people knew who they were. They were monsters and they had to be put down. Ty Lee I'm sorry you had to see this, when I brought you with me on my hunt for the Avatar I always avoided places where you'd have to see these kind of things because I knew you wouldn't be able to handle it."

"Y-you did?!" the acrobat felt genuinely bewildered yet warmly touched by the princess's apparent empathy.

"Yes I did. You can be pretty vicious girl but I know you're adverse to such gore; even Mai always aims for people's clothes. But I can't protect you anymore you're just going to have to accept this part of me and this aspect of the world. What I do is necessary and I accept that burden. Do you understand?"

"I…I do. And I'm sorry," Ty Lee hugged her friend to offer her some sympathy.

Azula of course returned the hug secretly smiling to herself for while there was some truth in her words the princess had neither remorse nor conscience and such acts of killing were while for the greater good of no moral or emotional consequence to the psychopathic princess. Such was the beauty of her delicious personality disorder.

A full day of rampant celebration passed before the group finally decided to leave. Azula left explicit instructions that spread throughout the town to keep her presence here a secret. No people had left to trade or spread rumors of course Azula had seen to that with honey coated encouragements of celebration. Even the most ardent gossip queens were coaxed into staying and keeping quiet. She lied by saying that she had enemies that would harm them if they knew of her involvement and needless to say they were more than eager to obey that order of hers.

When they got back to Jet's orphanage town even the kids back in Gaipan greeted her like a conquering hero after she brought great gifts of money and supplies along with the guarantee that Gao would never bother them again.

Now Ty Lee loved kids, in the circus they were always her favorite spectators. June was indifferent on the matter; she tended not to judge people by age but rather by attitude and experience and so she got along with the kids as well as any sensible adult might. It was one of the reasons she found Azula's brother annoying because he was very immature despite his age and so much fun to tease. Iroh at least had been eccentric but well-mannered while his niece she liked because she was similar to herself in many respects. Especially in being punctual and June liked punctual.

As things would have it Azula was busy drinking tea and studying maps with one leg crossed over the other like she was reading a newspaper when Jet of all people decided to join her. At first there was only silence while the patient lightningbender waited for the older boy to say what he wanted to say. She had little interest in pleasant conversations and the former freedom fighter was having difficulty with the girl who was once upon a time one of his greatest enemies and savior on two separate occasions. Needless to say the situation was awkward.

"I heard a rumor that you had been locked away and that Lee…I mean Zuko had become Fire Lord," Jet nervously began.

"The rumor is true," Azula replied not even averting her gaze from the news scrolls in her hand while she drank tea with the other.

"I see. So what are you doing out here?"

"Let's just say that the Throne of Fire no longer interests me nor has it ever. Instead there's an even greater empire I intend to build and rule over."

"I…see."

"Tell you what since I'm feeling generous when I'm done your over-extended family can come live with me. You'd be safe and well cared for and I'm sure we could educate them into happy productive members of society. Assuming you're even interested?"

Jet wasn't sure what to say so he simply scowled. Jet was used to being the man in charge, the one suave and charming bad boy who talked loud and punched even louder. But he found that the predatory vamp that was Princess Azula stumped him. She was beautiful, terrifying and inspiring all at once. It was nothing like Smellerbee who was just boyish and insecure but reserved to cover it up or Katara who was very girlish and also insecure but bad-tempered and violent to cover it up. Even Toph for however long that he had known her was boyish, insecure and acted cocky to cover it up. This woman however was confident, predatory and extremely dangerous and did nothing to cover that up and while he admitted he found her incredibly attractive he was at a complete lose as how to handle her.

So in the end he just used blunt honesty like he would when addressing an equal. In other words he imagined she was a man not a woman. Picking up on the thought Azula nearly choked on her tea and sprayed it out against a wall shattering it with sonic force in the process.

They both just stared at the perfectly cut circular hole with puzzled expressions on their faces blinking stupidly for a few seconds before Jet finally said what he wanted to say.

"I'm coming with you."

"What?"

"You said to me back in Ba Sing Se that from order breeds control and from that we can find comfort. You were right. I had no control here and we suffered because of it. Because I wasn't strong enough. That's why I want you."

"Huh?" Azula opened her mouth in a suggestive smile.

Jet blushed madly when he realized what he just said.

"I-I mean I want to learn from you! I want to help you build this empire if it'll keep my friends safe."

"Really?"

"Yes. Besides I still owe you, not just for reviving me back in Ba Sing Se but for this as well. And besides if your journey is as filled with good deeds like today then count me in."

Azula couldn't help but smile sinisterly at him.

"Making up for past mistakes eh?"

"…Yes. I don't expect people to forgive me but I have to try."

"I see. What about you June? Are you coming?"

Azula cast a glance out of the corner of her to an open window where June was leaning next to listening in on their interesting conversation.

"Well if there's as much gold involved for every town we visit count me in to," she replied as she counted the huge quantities of wealth the lightningbender had afforded her.

"So can I take that as a yes? If you get paid handsomely," Azula elaborated as the bounty hunter entered with a sack of gold in hand.

"Well obviously. I haven't gotten paid this much since…well ever actually."

Azula chuckled at the turn out of things. The intentional poetic irony appearing before her eyes was clear to someone as perceptive as her and she was deriving a great degree of amusement from it.

"Well then it seems as though I have a new little family again. You should know that once a lifetime ago my closest companions consisted of an ever peppy, cute and optimistic acrobatic, a darkly beautiful, Gothic and emotionally detached warrior named after a month of the year and a brooding emotionally and physically scarred but handsome lad who unerringly pursued power for honor and redemption and spent his days in constant self-inflicted misery."

"I lost that but now I have new companions who consist of an ever peppy, cute and optimistic acrobatic, a darkly beautiful, Gothic and emotionally detached warrior named after a month of the year and a brooding, emotionally and physically scarred but handsome lad who unerringly pursues power for honor and redemption and spends his days in constant self-inflicted misery."

From this alone Azula was certain that fate had a sense of humor and she shared in the silent joke with her own dark laughter. Both June and Jet found it unnerving but then again they had both seen their fair share of weirdos and weren't fazed. Much.

Then Ty Lee appeared covered in flowers given to her by the kids.

"Yai! We're all one big happy family!" Ty Lee squealed and grabbed them all around their necks and hugged them tight.

"I can tell we're all going to get along like fire hoses," Azula then colorfully added.

"Like…fire hoses?" Jet shot her a confused expression.

"Yup, when we get turned on there's bound to be flames."

Suddenly Jet was beginning to regret his decision to travel with the former princess of the Fire Nation.

Their stay in Gaipan lasted for a couple days while Jet sorted out his affairs and Azula made plans and preparations for the future. A future involving a large one and a half ton shirshu that obviously couldn't fly.

The teary goodbyes and promises of return were long and drawn out to say the least. Azula ended up drowning out the exchanges by busying herself with packing for the trip. In the past she'd have servants do it for her but over the years she had found that there was a simple satisfaction to be had with doing one's own chores. Plus there was that manic episode she had which granted her a certain need for self-sufficiency.

The kids were also saying goodbye to 'Big Sister' June and 'Funny' Ty Lee as well who handled it in her own way. As for Azula she was having great difficulty trying to pry snotty nose brats from Inazuma and Nyla's fur, neither of whom seemed particularly bothered by it.

"Oh come on Azula. I find it enjoyable to have children fawn over me," Inazuma explained.

"And if I find a small child in one of the packs when we're ten thousand feet up and 500 miles away?"

"…Good point."

Azula had become a kind of hero the kids looked up to (well a different and darker kind to Jet) after defeating the 'mean Gao' but being naturally more intimidating than a giant hungry sea serpent yet exceptional pragmatic and well disciplined resulted in them looking at her like some kind of strict mother with a rolling pin opposite to Jet's happy daddy look. Of course Azula had no real opinion on the matter; she like to hurt, lie to and cheat all people equally and if she hurt little kids like saying by knocking down their sand castle it was only because they were in the way nothing more and nothing personal.

To that end Azula treated these kids like a strict mother reprimanding them sternly for little misdeeds whenever they got in her way and complimenting them for little moments of aid and brilliance. When she realized that her maternal instincts had kicked in she went into the forest and killed a wild boarcupine with her bare hands to vent her annoyance. She appeared later with bandages around her hands.

"What happened?" Ty Lee asked out of concern.

"Boarcupines," was all a very embarrassed looking Azula said while June and Ty Lee giggled.

Eventually after literally hours of teary goodbyes June, Jet and Ty Lee went to the outer boundaries of the town by the river and found Azula securing a rather strange looking harness that connected Nyla to Inazuma via some very strong and thick looking leather straps.

"What did you attach to Nyla?" June asked concern for her shirshu safety written all over her face but she had an idea of what Azula was trying to do.

"Air-lift harness. Your shirshu can't keep up with my Tigerhawk so we'll all flying together," Azula explained casually causing all of her companions to just stare at her like she had grown an extra head. "What? It'll work."

All three of her companions then turned to the Tigerhawk for support.

"She talked me into it," Inazuma replied and everyone just frowned at her. "Hey I don't like this any less than you! I have to carry this overweight flea-bitten razor mole!"

"He is not overweight or flea-bitten!" protested the bounty hunter.

Despite their feelings of apprehension Azula's crew eventually jumped onto the rather large saddle that could comfortably hold them all. Though not as big or as a permissive in its freedom of movement as Appa's saddle it served its purpose. Grabbing the reins Azula kicked the sides of her Tigerhawk.

"Let's go," she ordered and Inazuma leaped into the air flapping hard against the wind and the earth's magnetic field.

With a loud grunt followed by a high pitched wail from Nyla they took to the air carrying the huge weight of the shirshu. Fortunately for all concerned Inazuma was strong, really strong thanks to the lightning running through her body and she flew with the weight relatively easily. Of course Nyla never stop hissing until finally June dexterously jumped down into his saddle and calmed him down before he paralyzed someone.

Even with the new information and companions she had gathered Azula's original course of action remained the same, travel north then east to Ba Sing Se. She had taken into account that too far north and she'd run into the Northern Water Tribe Navy so her trip eventually took her to the northern mountains that once belonged to the Air Nomads.

There were few Earth towns here and all at the bottom of the range so flying through it gave her a distinct advantage of stealth. Eventually they stopped off at the southern edge of the mountain range she planned on making a part of her thunderous kingdom. Nyla was more than a little glad to be on solid ground again while Ty Lee was just happy to be able to dance and cartwheel around again.

June remained indifferent as did Jet though both found the experience of flight to be very memorable and looked forward to more of it. Azula gave orders to make camp and everyone just fell in line, later on Jet and June would realize with amazement at how charismatic Azula was to make them so quickly follow her beck and call so quickly.

Azula had gone fishing (with lightning!) while Ty Lee had gone to collect fruits and plants (with lightning! Until she asked Inazuma to stay put). June was setting up camp (with lightning! Until she asked Inazuma to stop metalbending her equipment after an accidental case of electrocution) while Jet was collecting firewood. Which Azula planned on lighting with even more lightning.

On the way there Azula had explained to Jet that she couldn't firebend anymore much to his relief. Instead she had gained the power to bend lightning the same kind of power she used to resurrect him from the dead. No while fire scared and enraged him lightning he wasn't really sure about. It didn't seem like fire and most would agree with him on the matter.

It was then that he heard it, sounds he knew and would never forget not until the day he died. First there were loud grunting noises followed by heavy footsteps. No they were the thump and rumble of komodo rhinos and before he knew it he was surrounded by five such rhinos carrying five heavy set individuals he'd never ever dare forget.

The first one their leader was a man with a feather top hairstyle, nose-rings and earrings and a funny mustache and goatee, the other an archer with the face-paint of the elite Yu Yan Archers. Then came a dark-skinned man wielding a ball and chain flanked by a man in completely concealing black armor and another heavily bearded man with a huge guan dao or Chinese halberd in hand.

These were the men who had killed his family and burned down his village. His jaw dropped open and he dropped the kindling he was carrying and just stood there like a deer in the headlights. Caught between paralyzing rage and paralyzing fear he found that he couldn't move a muscle. His mind was telling him to run or fight but his body just wasn't listening.

"Well what do we have here?" began Colonel Mongke. "I know you. You're the rebel Jet!"

All of the Rough Rhinos began circling him like buzzard-wasps cutting off all possible escape routes as they drew their weapons. Finally Jet unsheathed his hook swords and ready himself for combat.

"Finally," Jet breathed in exhilaration savoring the thought of finally being able to avenge his family.

A look of excited mania crossed his features, a look that would unnerve the average but only serve to excite the seasoned veterans that were the Rough Rhinos.

"Finally indeed," laughed Mongke. "We can collect that bounty on your head from that Fire colony noble. Rough Rhinos attack!"

Flaming arrows and bolts of fire erupted at him but he managed to dive away from the blasts and hacked apart those arrows with his twin swords. Then the halberd wielder was on him hacking and slashing from his mount but Jet parried all his blows and made a swipe for his legs but he shifted his body causing his rhino to spin around and tail whip Jet. The strike sent him flying until he hit a tree knocking the wind out of him but he moved a split second later as arrows embedded themselves in the bark of the tree.

A huge set of iron balls on a chain came flying at him but bashed them both aside but the impact was so powerful it made his swords rattle in his hands. Jet jumped high over the follow up swing before those chains took out his legs and tried to bring the cruel hooks of his swords down on the head of the dark-skinned chain wielder but the halberd master came to his defense and blocked the attack before pushing the young freedom fighter away.

Mongke was on him in a heartbeat sending forth a constant flamethrower stream of scorching heat at the teen. He had no way of blocking it and so dodged as swiftly as he could. He ran around the stream of flames that followed him and made an attempt to flank the Colonel. It would have worked but before he could get within striking distance a small cylindrical object appeared in his field of vision.

At the corner of his eye he saw the bomb thrown by the most heavily armored member of the rhinos and on instinct he jumped back as hard as he could and brought his swords up to the defend himself. The blast was as blinding as it was deafening. The shockwave scorched over him charring off bits of hair and clothing and sent him crashing through the underbrush.

He skidded for several meters before stopping in the dirt, his ears were ringing and the world seem to spin around him. Adrenaline still pumped through his veins forcing him to get to his feet but then a jarring pain shot through his leg. Looking down he realized that there was a huge shrapnel gash along his thigh that sent lances of hot pain up his body every time he tried to move it.

The worst part he realized a second later when he looked to his hands was that his weapons were destroyed. His trusty hook swords had both been shattered by the explosion. But that didn't stop him from fighting on, Jet was not a man to give up even in the face of death. He had faced death before and fought to the end. This would be no different.

He waited for someone to attack him and when Mongke burst through the vegetation he tried to throw the hilt-dagger ends of his weapons at him but as he drew his hands over his head a chain and ball shot out binding his hands before pulling him across the grass and onto a hard gravel road. The rhino dragged him a short distance before finally it's rider threw him at a tree which he impacted with bone jarring force. No sooner could he fall to his face that arrows shot out and pinned his clothes to it effectively immobilizing him.

Jet had known fear all his life but real terror; the absolute feeling of petrifying helplessness where he knew there was nothing he could do but watch the inevitable come. He only knew it once in his life and that was when his parents had been killed by the very same people who were about to kill him.

Mongke charged at the incapacitated boy with his fist drawn back and flaming ready to deliver a painful death. Jet just scrunched up his eyes and waited for the end but it didn't come.

There was a crack like that from a whip and a red barbed tongue darted out and struck the flesh of the firebender's neck paralyzing him with its toxins causing him to slump down against his saddle as his rhino continued to charge pass Jet and off into the forest. It took no heed of its rider after that letting his face get whipped by all manner of vegetation, insects and small furry animals.

Jet cracked open his eyes to see June on her shirshu taking the fight to his enemies who reared up on their animals ready to face the new challenge. Then Ty Lee burst from the canopy and delivered a series of swift jabs that downed the armored bomber before kicking away the lit bomb in his hand high into the air. It exploded with great force getting soot and dust in the girl's hair making her scream in complaint.

"My hair!! Don't you know bombs are dangerous!!" she yelled at the top of her lungs then cart wheeled away as arrows streamed through the air where she had been standing.

With a crack of her whip June snatched away the archers bow before Ty Lee jumped up behind him and paralyzed him with several blows to the back, flipped over his head and landed in front of his mount in order to dangle a piece of meat in front of his rhino.

"Here boy! Here boy!" she whistled and encouraged and it danced to her tune jumping about excitedly like a hungry pet before she threw the piece of meat into the face of the halberd wielder. "Fetch!" she yelled the rhino ran after the treat.

The bearded halberd wielder had about point one of a second to stare in horror at the multi-ton Komodo rhino bearing down on him before he and his own rhino were tackled hard sending them into a bone crunching roll down a steep hill that made Ty Lee grimace in sympathy.

The only Rough Rhino left now was the dark-skinned chain wielder who just looked around for his companions bewildered by how easily they had been dispatched. Then June appeared on her shirshu by his side like a phantom.

"Boo!" she scared and he screamed like a little girl and rode his rhino right in a panic down the hill where they tumbled like boulders far down into the river below to join the other two.

Ty Lee cringed at the sight and hoped he and his animal would have a safe landing. June cracked her whip at the last remaining rhino the armored bomber rode on and sent it crashing through the forest to whatever destination it ended up choosing.

"Wow, talk about a bad day kid," June joked after she took in the horrid state of her lone male traveling companion.

"Jet! You okay," Ty Lee then turned her concern to the prone form of the former freedom fighter still pinned to the tree by several arrows.

She broke the arrows and pulled him off but as he fell but he went limp like he was catatonic.

"Are you alright," she frantically asked deeply worried by the dim light of his aura.

"I-I'm fine," he whispered suddenly feeling absolutely exhausted.

Ty Lee then noticed the bleeding wound of his leg and gasped in horror.

"We have to get back to camp and treat that!"

"Come on then. Get on Nyla and let's head back," June ordered.

Nodding in reply Ty Lee picked up Jet and slung him on Nyla's saddle before jumping on herself. With a kick and a command June sped her shirshu through the woods and headed straight back for Inazuma and the medical supplies Azula brought with them.

By the time they got back Azula had already returned with a huge set of partly charred fish she had electrocuted. She looked at the returning group especially Jet dispassionately like the idea of him injured and possibly dying was nothing to be at all worried about.

"I leave for ten minutes and already you guys get yourselves into trouble," she sighed.

"Azula!" Ty Lee scolded the princess for being so cold.

"Come on, let me see him," she beckoned and put down her fish to retrieve the medical kit from Inazuma's saddle bags.

Ty Lee and June helped set Jet down on a sleeping bag Azula pulled out. He grunted and groaned from the pain the whole time but did his best not to fidget or complain.

"Ty Lee paralyze him please. It'll make things easier."

"Uh ok."

Complying with her order she pinched his neck making him lose all feeling to his lower body.

"I can't feel my legs," he commented with some horror.

"Good then you won't feel this," she yanked out a piece of metal shrapnel wetly from the wound of his leg.

"Feel what?" Jet asked having completely missed that action.

"Azula just pulled out like a huge piece of metal from your leg," Ty Lee gestured with hands to exaggerate the size of the shrapnel piece.

"Be grateful Ty Lee and her pressure point skills are here," Azula pointed out.

"Right. Thanks Ty Lee," Jet gratefully thanked his companion.

"Hey! What about me?" June asked as she passed surgical tools to her employer.

"Oh right. Thanks June."

Azula continued to remove pieces of shrapnel from the boy's body before disinfecting and cleaning the wounds. She silently wished she still had her firebending which while a lot less deadly could at least cauterize these wounds without killing the patient. Now she had to rely on alcohol and foul smelling medicines. She dared not use lightning for that would electrocute him at the same time.

"Wow, you're really going to need some major surgery for this," Azula said in mock seriousness.

"Is it that bad?" Jet asked unable to see his leg while paralyzed nor able to sense Azula's masterful sarcasm.

"Oh your leg's fine. I was talking about your face," the princess joked.

Only June laughed, well only June and Azula. It took hours of work to stitch his leg back up and at the end of it Ty Lee suddenly felt like going vegan.

"Who were those muscly men Azula?" Ty Lee asked.

"They're an elite group of heavy cavalry known for their terrorizing methods called the Rough Rhinos. I heard that they're wanted for war crimes."

"They deserters or something?" June added.

"After Zuko yes, before no. They have a reputation for burning villages and killing civilians so of course Zuko wants them gone. Bad for public relations and all. And from the vibes I'm getting from Jet here he knows them. Care to share?"

Jet remained silent for a long while, dragging up the memories was painful to say the least.

"Come on Jet. Talk to us. Maybe we can help?" Ty Lee kindly offered.

"Yeah, besides you owe us an explanation after we saved your butt," June less empathically added.

"…They killed my parents and burned down my village," was all Jet said before he rolled over and tried to get some sleep.

"What happened to the Rough Rhinos?" Azula asked as she considered what would need to be done about the men who had just tried to kill one of her traveling companions.

"We kicked their butt then sent them packing!" Ty Lee explained proudly.

"I see."

Obviously the two of them hadn't killed them, June was a lot rougher than Ty Lee by far but it seemed even she preferred bounties alive than dead. It was annoying because now it meant that those rhino riders would probably come back for revenge at a later date but there was nothing Azula could do about that for now so she relaxed and decided that waiting things out was the best thing to do.

After a sober dinner they all went to sleep, all except Azula who called first watch. Inazuma and Nyla had also dozed off. Her sense of paranoia had not completely left her and even now she was sure that someone was out there gunning for her. Which she knew was true of most people even those so called good guys the Avatar and his team had made their fair share of enemies still withstanding.

She was dragged out of her personal musings however by Jet as he awoke in the middle of the night after a short and fitful rest.

"Well now welcome back," she greeted. "Did you sleep well?" she asked sarcastically knowing already that he had not.

He tossed and turned in his sleep and projected his nightmares to the mindbender more vividly than any painter ever could. She saw in his mind as he dreamed the scene of his family and his village being burned to ash by the Rough Rhinos and Azula couldn't help but smirk sadistically at the carnage she so enjoyed.

Jet said nothing for the longest of times, he simply limped over to where Azula was sitting on a rock looking into the darkness and sat himself down against a log. Silently he brooded like her brother tended to. What was with young men and brooding she wondered and what was it that women found so attractive about it? She certainly didn't enjoy it. She preferred strong and determined men, men like her father. Sadly she had yet to meet such a man.

"I need to be stronger Azula," Jet said finally.

"I swear you sound like my brother."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"Don't because it wasn't," she spat in disgust at the thoughts of her hated brother. "So what are you going to do?"

"Teach me lightningbending!" Jet then demanded.

And for the first time since Mai and Ty Lee had betrayed the princess was she honestly surprised.

Author's Note: The pairing vote is now closed thanks to everyone for voting, Tyzula won by a long margin, Jetzula came in 2nd even with additional votes done by reviewers without logins and Both came in last. I'm actually surprised by how many people insisted against Tyzula I haven't seen this with other slash fics I've the read reviews for. And I wish people would stop telling me it's not canon, Of course it's not canon! A kid's show can't include slash and when it comes to Azula it's either Chan, OCs or crack and I hate OCs. Just to clarify something this fic fits in the heroic sociopath/villain protagonist mold. Think Death Note situation, you're not actually suppose to root for Azula but stuff happens when she's the protagonist. Thus certain Sues are unavoidable and hardly that far out of character for some.

Originally I wasn't planning on using Jet but the Dai Li captain after Aang stripped him of his earthbending you know that Dai Li that keeps reporting to Long Feng, Azula would give him lightningbending instead but I ended up using Jet because I don't want to create OCs even unnamed Cs are too OC for my taste. Quite frankly I hate most OCs especially the ones that outdo and defeat the establish the characters.

The firehose innuendo comes a character named Jeanette a vampire in a video game called Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines. She's this sexy vamp voiced by Grey Delisle Azula's voice actress. Look it up on youtube.