A/N: Hello friends :) I have returned.
Thanks to everyone who wished me well on the exam. I think it went well, but scores won't be out for about two more weeks. Life has been supremely busy, most of it good - currently car hunting, welcoming a new nephew into the family, and preparing for my cousin's wedding.
While I'm still editing, I've come to the conclusion that editing, while important, really saps away at my motivation to write in the first place. While it is important to have a coherent story, I think I'll mostly be fine as long as I avoid plot holes. So I'm rededicating my time to writing more because that's what I enjoy in the first place. I never want this to become a chore.
Now, as for you lovely reviewers: Thanks for all your well wishes. A lot of you got some things right about the dream, though I'm glad I've sufficiently bamboozled you to some of the things that'll be coming in the future. If you guys have any more theories, be sure to leave a review telling me what you think might happen. Though if you get it right, I'll probably deny it anyway :)
Also, welcome all new readers. I hope you've enjoyed the story thus far.
Some of my past chapters have been way too long, I think, so I'm trying to write extra long chapters (like this one was going to be) as multi-parters to give you guys more digestible chunks of story. I think 12k word chapters will likely be split into 3 4k long chapters, or 2 6k long chapters, or something like that as the narrative suits. This chapter will have a part III.
ALSO: One more thing. HOLY CRAP THAT BATMAN TRAILER! I'M SO READY FOR A BATMAN MOVIE THAT EXPLORES THE DETECTIVE MURDER MYSTERY SIDE OF THE CHARACTER
Chapter XXVII
Crescent Island, Part II
The temple was a beautiful building. Aang stared at it in awe as he stood atop Appa's saddle in the sky, partly in appreciation for the aesthetics, and partly because of its significance. It was set against an impressive backdrop. Crescent Island was well named. In the middle of its curve, there was a sizeable volcano that belched lava. The flows went down all sides of the mountain, and the lava hissed as it touched the waters of the ocean.
I've been here before, he thought. But I have no memory of this place.
"Like what you see?"
Azula's high voice shook him out of his thoughts. He looked at her and smiled.
"You guys know how to build a temple," he replied.
"Yes, it is a beautiful building. Do you know the significance of it?" she asked.
"I mean… it's my sanctuary here, in the Fire Nation, isn't it? Well, specifically it's Roku's… who was me…"
"Yes, true, but it's also a refuge for Fire Sages, and it was built in such a way that the light of the sun in the solstices and equinoxes penetrate into the inner sanctum, where supposedly there's a large statue of Roku."
"Have you ever been inside?" he asked.
"No. I've never been out to this particular temple, actually," she said. "Even if Roku was a Fire Nation Avatar, Father never wanted us to be associated with him publicly. He thought it might garner sympathy for the Avatar – or worse, indicate that the Avatar was still alive. For so long, we kept up the fiction that we'd managed to wipe out the Avatar with the Air Nomad genocide."
Aang scratched his head. "So… why did your dad send the Prince after me, then? Did you guys really believe the Avatar cycle was broken?"
"I think Father meant it to be a permanent exile," she muttered. "But he knew Zuko's weakness. He was always looking for Father's approval, and never able to get it. It was like dangling food in front of a starving man. And look where it got Zuzu. Look what it did to him. That man I saw on the beach was not the brother who left on the ship so many years ago."
"Do you hate him?" Aang asked. "I mean… he kidnapped Katara and used her as bait. I want to hate him for that…"
"But you don't?" she asked sharply. "Not even for the woman you love?"
"It's because I love her that I don't hate him. When I think of her, I don't want to think of the time she was nearly killed. I don't want love to be associated with a desire to hurt," Aang said with a shrug. "Does that make any sense?"
Azula stared hard at the temple, not meeting Aang's eyes. "I hate him," she said, simply. "I hate him because I love Sokka," she said plainly. "He nearly took Sokka from me, and I don't particularly care if my hatred for Zuzu is associated with my love for Sokka. Love and hate are two sides of the same coin, two extremes of the same madness."
"And are you mad?" Aang pressed. "Is that who you are?"
Azula trained her eyes on him, her expression stony. "So what if I am?"
"So what if you are? My best friend from my past was a madman. He still is. But I don't think you're mad, Azula. I think you just… feel strongly. Whatever you feel, you're all-in."
"So I'm 'all-in' both in love and hate?" she asked. Azula recalled the Ursa voice's words: the extremes.
"I can't tell you that for sure. Only you really know. But I don't think you hate your brother. If you did, you would do it and not lose sleep over it. I think you want to hate him as badly as you think you do, but you can't quite bring yourself to do it, for whatever reason. And that, you hate more than anything."
Azula's shoulders slumped in one of the rarest signs of defeat – or at least, understanding – that Aang had ever seen in the Princess.
"I loved Zuzu once," she said. "There was a time, when I was three, I fell into a somewhat deep pond in our garden. I was trying to play with the turtleducks. He pulled me out and saved me, and then he held me while I sobbed like a child."
"You were a child," Aang pointed out, but Azula handwaved it.
"I didn't get to be one. I couldn't. My mother wanted me to be the prim and proper demure princess, but I never had whatever she saw in Zuko. I wanted to be a warrior. My father abetted that by wanted nothing more than for me to be his sword. Zuzu was my oasis of peace in my earliest years. But I grew to resent him for it. I grew to resent that he was loved and that I wasn't."
"And you weren't?"
"Not by my mother, and not by Uncle, and certainly not by Father. That much I know now." She became silent for a moment, and Aang followed her eyes to Sokka and smiled. "But Zuzu did. I know he did. I hated him for it because he had the luxury. I had only him."
Aang whistled. "That's a lot to unpack, Azula. What would you do if we fought him again?"
Silence passed between them, and Aang realized that even Azula did not know the answer.
"You ready?" Katara asked, as sidled over to Aang and pecked his cheek. Turning her attention to Azula, she said, "I'm ready to see some Fire Nation hospitality."
The princess only smirked in response, but Aang didn't miss the strange sadness in her eye. It was a type of emotion so alien on the Princess's usually stoic or determined face that Aang almost didn't understand it until it was gone. He felt a pang of hurt in his heart for the loneliness the Princess must have felt in her childhood, but also a little warmth for the fact that she was no longer alone anymore. "Say, what's the plan for getting in there? Will it be heavily guarded? Are the Fire Sages going to be… friendly?"
"Likely not. During Azulon's reign, there was a large purge of the remaining Avatar-loyalist Fire Sages in favor of those who were loyal to the state," Azula said. "I wouldn't count on Roku's sages being of any help to us." She sighed. "I always used to think it was one of my grandfather's best political moves to control the legacy of the Avatar in such a manner, but after having met you, Aang, it seems a pity."
Sokka and Suki were gearing up behind them, strapping up for war. Between them, they had enough face paint to mask their faces a thousand times over – so much so that Sokka had taken to calling Suki his 'paint buddy.' The party was ready.
"What's the plan?" Sokka asked. Naturally, the tactician would think of that first, but his eyes were trained on Azula. This was her home territory.
"I've not been on this island before, but this temple is a newer structure, built on top of an older one. Avatar Roku accidentally destroyed the original temple here, so he helped erect a new one." She shrugged and looked at Aang. "If you could remember something, anything… did Roku give specifics? Perhaps secret entryways?"
Aang shook his head. "No, unfortunately."
Suki smiled and asked, "why won't we just go through the front?" which caused Sokka to grin.
"Storming the gates." He flipped Boomerang, tossing it and catching it. "Hell of a way to kick off an invasi- I mean, liberation, of the Fire Nation," he hastily corrected himself, receiving a glare from Azula.
"It's a temple, ice-for-brains. If we can, I'd like to avoid desecrating the cultural heritage of my people," Azula hissed. Sokka mimed a kiss at her, which caused a few giggles to go around, but Azula's glare only intensified.
"Well, if it's just a few Fire Sages – who I assume are firebenders – we could probably overpower them, tie them up, get in, get out, and call it a day, right?" Katara added.
The group looked around, everyone searching for any better suggestions. A few half-hearted shrugs later, and it was wordlessly decided that there was no better option.
XXXXX
They flew Appa behind a small rocky cove, big and comfortable enough for the sky bison to lay in. It was simultaneously close enough to the temple in case they needed to make a quick escape, and far enough away that Appa would be safe from discovery. Momo chirped happily as he explored his environs. The group shared a meal as they waited for the later afternoon to settle in.
As soon as Appa was comfortable, the sky bison let out a big groan of exhaustion and rolled over onto his side. Katara laughed and rubbed his belly.
"Aww, you must be tired."
"No, I'm actually feeling pretty good," Sokka said, obliviously, stretching his limbs out. "Refreshed and ready to fight."
"She was talking to Appa, bonehead," Suki said, rolling her eyes.
"Well, I was talking to Momo," Sokka shot back. The lemur only cocked his head in confusion at the exchange, while hanging from a nearby tree branch.
The party trudged up the long, winding stone path that inclined to the front gates of the temple, ready for a battle, but they saw no one. The entire place looked deserted, even as the haze of hot evening sun began to settle in.
"How do you guys live here?" Sokka wondered in a breathy voice, plucking at his drab olive tunic in a futile attempt to cool himself off. It was decidedly thinner than any of his Water Tribe wear, but he still felt it clinging to his skin as he began to sweat. Azula, on the other hand, was the picture of perfection and composure. Not a bead of sweat graced her forehead. Katara was struggling like Sokka, as were Aang and Suki to a lesser extent. Momo, on the other hand, seemed unfazed by it all. Sokka found himself envying his large-eared friend.
"Even with the volcano, this is rather balmy compared to Caldera in the summer," Azula remarked offhandedly.
"It gets hotter?" Katara asked, exasperation apparent in her tone. "How? How can it get hotter than this?"
"Did I complain this much when I was in the South Pole for nearly two months?"
"No, but-"
"Precisely, Katara."
"Don't buy her stories, Kat. She's got her firebending to keep her warm," Sokka grumbled. "Unfair, if you ask me. I could dive into an ice bath right now."
As they arrived at the gates, the temple was still unguarded. There were no priests or sages patrolling the fine dark marble courtyard.
Suki looked on edge. "I don't see any guards, and that worries me."
"Well, temples aren't exactly high priority military installations," Azula said. "And my father is rather overconfident in his naval blockade's ability to safeguard the Fire Nation from threat. An exploitable weakness."
"I'm more worried about Temple assassins," Sokka said, clenching his jaw.
They stalked into the temple, moving slowly, checking corners and crevasses, fanning out to make sure that they weren't being watched or tracked. They got past the gates untouched and unbothered, but that only served to unnerve Sokka more. His intuition began to cry out in alarm, as if expecting some kind of ambush or treachery with every step he took.
The main chamber of the temple was a large octagonal room, with a number of passages set in the sides leading off into unknown directions. Sokka looked to Aang and Azula, hoping for some kind of answer.
Aang just shrugged. "I still don't remember anything. I'm sorry, guys."
"I haven't seen the inside of this temple before, and the architecture and layout are somewhat unique. Still..." Azula tapped her jaw as she thought. "Roku's chamber is likely at the top. We should worry more about finding a staircase that leads there." Though the spire was long, the hallways of whatever upper floors existed were not exposed to the large central chamber. Sokka realized the halls must wind around the central pillar on the upper floors too.
He was about to explain his thought process to his companions when a shuriken flew past his ear, nicking the side of his head just above the tip of his ear and drawing blood.
"AMBUSH!" cried Suki.
Dozens of black-clad figures burst from the hallways, pouring into the octagonal chamber. Sokka whipped out Boomerang and sent it flying, before roaring, "tighten up! Back to back, all of us!"
The group collapsed into a compact ring. Each bender took control over a third of the chamber, using their bending abilities to crowd control, while Suki and Sokka zipped between, fighting individual assassins. Azula's blue flames divided men from each other, forcing them into narrow spaces where Sokka dispatched them, while Aang manipulated the air, creating shearing, splitting winds inside the chamber that knocked men down as they attempted to close into the group. Any projectile thrown or shot at them met a fierce headwind that stopped it dead in its tracks. Even Momo contributed, swiping at the hoods and eyes of attackers before flying back up away from danger.
It was Katara, ironically, that was the most effective. A sudden thought had gripped her, and she bent the sweat droplets on the assassins in front of her into little icy needles. Some of the sweatier attackers screamed in pain as blood began to bloom from their clothes, as they were punctured by hundreds of little icy pinpricks.
Still, there were too many. They attacked at such a pace that even Azula's crowd controlling abilities were not effective enough to keep larger groups from breaking in at a time, and at least twice Sokka was almost late in getting to Aang or Katara in time to protect them from one of the breakthroughs.
"We can't keep this up!" Sokka shouted. "We need to get out of here!"
"NO!" bellowed Aang. "I HAVE TO TALK TO ROKU!"
"Everyone, DUCK!" shouted Azula.
Her companions, as well as a number of the assassins, followed her command. The ones that didn't, however, were burned alive as Azula spun on her hands in a circular motion all around the room, kicking out a ring of fire in the middle of the air.
"Let's get into one of the passageways!" Sokka ordered.
The group found one opening clearer than the others, through the bodies and attackers, and charged forth. Aang blasted twin walls of air between the passage, clearing it of enemies, while Azula and Katara continued to keep them at bay and maim them with their attacks. They forced their way into the passageway, while Azula and Sokka held the narrow entry. The chokepoint forced the assassins to come in smaller numbers, and they were easily dispatched by the Princess and the Nightwolf.
Aang saw a lone figure skirt around from the periphery of his vision. He spun to his side and saw a middle-aged man in crimson robes and an ornate headpiece lunge towards him...
only to fall to his knees and prostrate in front of him.
"Avatar! Please, you and your companions must follow me! I can lead you to Avatar Roku!"
"Why should we trust you?" snarled Katara. "You're probably working with the assassins!"
"No, my lady, please! You must understand, some of us are still loyal to the Avatar, to our mission! I was told that one among you was a member of our order!"
Suki glanced nervously at the narrow passageways to their sides. The hallway protected by Sokka and Azula led to a small side chamber, but there were two more hallways at the sides, leading off into the darkness. She wagered that any of the other hallways would eventually lead here, and they would not be able to effectively hold off a flanking maneuver. "Guys..." she said. "We don't have much time. They'll be here soon."
"Which order?" Katara demanded.
The man pulled out a White Lotus tile.
"He's with Iroh," Aang breathed. "Lead the way."
"Please, Avatar, tell your two warrior companions to follow us. I have a way for us to take."
"GUYS!" roared Katara. "Let's go! We've found a way out!"
Azula sent a spiraling vortex of flames out of her hands and down the narrow passageway, forcing all the assassins, firebenders or not, to scurry out of the way. It bought them enough time to retreat back down the passageway towards the middle-aged man, who placed his hand onto one of the red lanterns affixed to the hallway wall and twisted it to reveal some kind of receptacle. He then placed his hand over it and let out a small cough, forcing a little burst of firebending through the hole. The metal wall suddenly moved back, as if into a recess, and slid open, revealing a hidden hallway and staircase descending into the temple bowels.
"Time is running out, quickly!"
XXXXX
"Why are you helping us?" Azula asked, dusting off her forest-green clothes, as they descended down the staircase. The hall opened into great underground caverns. The rock here was dark brown or coal black in color, and it seemed to ripple, as if it was solidified water. It reminded Azula rather of waves, and for a moment, the oddness of lava - liquid fire - struck her before it was gone, replaced by the oppressive heat of the cavern it was even more stifling than the outside humidity, though it bothered her far less than her non-firebending companions.
Shyu gave her a short bow. "Apologies, Princess." He bowed to Aang. "Deepest apologies, Avatar Aang. My name is Shyu. I'm likely the only Fire Sage you'll find here that is sympathetic to your cause."
"Our cause?" Suki asked inquisitively.
"Yes. The cause of the Avatar. My grandfather was a Sage here during the time of Roku. In my family, we still carry on the old ways. Some of us still believe in balance. Many generations of Fire Sages have wandered the halls of this temple. We all feel a deep spiritual connection to this place."
"Did you know we were coming?" Aang asked.
"About a month ago, the statue of Avatar Roku began to glow. We knew then that you had returned. We only knew the precise timing of your arrival two days ago."
"A month ago... when we were at the Southern Air Temple?" Azula wondered aloud.
"Maybe what happened inside the temple sanctuary happened at other temples throughout the world, too?" Katara offered. Azula seemed to accept it, and Shyu nodded in affirmation.
Sokka eyed the man carefully, before pulling the White Lotus tile out of his pocket. Shyu gave Sokka a knowing smile.
"Who knocks at the guarded gate?" asked the Fire Sage.
"One who wishes to eat the fruit and taste its mysteries," Sokka replied solemnly.
Shyu's jaw dropped. "An Initiate? Well, I was told that there was a member of the Order traveling with the Avatar, but an Initiate? There hasn't been one… in…. well, Agni knows how long, to be honest. Who inducted you?"
"The Grand Lotus himself," Sokka said, with the slightest hint of pride entering his voice.
If Shyu's jaw could drop any further, it would have hit the ground. "Wha-? The Grand Lotus?" He eyed Sokka again, this time in a new light. "He means for you to be a knight-lotus, doesn't he? You look like one. A soldier, I mean – a warrior."
"I am a warrior already, but I have to meet a master in Shu Jing before I can become a knight-lotus. If we can find the time, it'd be nice, but we have to get going towards the North Pole," Sokka said with a shrug. "Say, you wouldn't happen to know of a master called Piandao, would you?"
Shyu nodded. "I do, but it's not my place to tell you much more than what you already know. Piandao is the Master of the Knights-Lotus. All I will add is that I hope you find the time, dear Initiate, because, under Piandao's tutelage, you will make a very fine knight-lotus indeed."
An errant thought struck Azula. "Sage, you wouldn't happen to know of a sage named Vahram, would you?" She recalled the information they'd extracted from the Sacred Flame operative, hoping Shyu would be able to shed some light on the name.
"Yes, Your Highness. Why, Vahram is the very head sage of this temple," Shyu responded. "Have you met with him before?"
Sokka exchanged a glance with her. "Sage Shyu, I think you should know – it's pretty likely that Vahram is a member of the Temple of the Sacred Flame."
Shyu stopped in his tracks, as if he'd collided with an invisible wall. He whipped around and his eyes were bulging.
"What?" he asked, incredulously.
"We extracted the information from a Temple assassin, Sage," Azula said. "He named Vahram as a member. You might want to know, since you are a Lotus. Perhaps you can pass the message on?"
"Yeah, the Grand Lotus needs to know of this," Sokka said in agreement. "I don't know how much power this Vahram guy holds, but you have to consider that all elements of your priesthood and your government might be infiltrated by Temple members. Someone brought the assassins here onto Crescent Island. We've run into some before. The Sacred Flame sent them after us."
Shyu scratched his chin, and a worried look entered his eyes. "I cannot believe that I have not seen any sight of it with my own eyes," he whispered. "A Temple member under my nose this whole time… and yes, it does explain the ambush." Shyu shook his head. "My apologies. I should have known, but I cannot destroy my cover."
"No use beating yourself up, Sage," Aang added. "It's not like these guys walk around with big emblems on their foreheads."
"It's probably for the best that you stay hidden, but you have to report this to the Grand Lotus. We'd love to stick around and help, but we can't, and that means you have to let him know," Sokka said.
"Sage, does the Order suspect that my father is controlling the Temple?" Azula asked. She had to ascertain something.
Shyu remained silent for a moment. "Very well – I should not divulge this, but I believe the Order and the Grand Lotus support you tacitly, and I can't see the harm in it. The Grand Lotus seems to believe that Fire Lord Ozai is not in control of the Temple. What's more, we are not sure that the Fire Lord is convinced of their existence, even with several senior members having infiltrated into his cabinet and inner circle."
"I guess that leaves us with one disturbing question – if not the Fire Lord, who controls the Temple?" wondered Katara.
The thought settled unpleasantly in Azula's stomach. Yes, her father was no stranger to the use of societies, clubs, organizations, and cabals when it came to maintaining the delicate balance of power in the court of the Fire Nation, but he would not ever wield something that could evolve out of his ability to control. The Temple was one of those – a fire too deadly to rein in when loosed. It was always the first thing most firebenders learned - to take stock of their power before they created conflagrations out of the bender's control. What if Ozai had unleashed the Temple, and then let them get out of hand?
And who was this shadowy leader of the Temple? What did he – or maybe even she – want?
As their conversation had taken place, Shyu had led them upwards and upwards through the caves until they had arrived at a giant spiral staircase. Aang glanced nervously out at the windows. The evening sun had begun to dip precariously low, and sunset could only be minutes away.
"When we enter the sanctum, wait for the last fading light of sunset to hit Avatar Roku's statue. Then, you will be able to speak with him," Shyu said to Aang. He led them through a hidden opening that opened up into the outer chamber of the sanctum, through a hidden floor panel. They emerged into a large room, with beautifully crafted grey columns supporting the roof. Dragon adornments snaked around the pillars, which led to an ornate door.
"No!" cried Shyu.
"What's wrong, Shyu?" Aang asked, quizzically.
"The sanctuary doors - they're closed. The other sages must have shut the doors so that you could not enter."
"It looks like a firebending lock," Sokka observed. "Like the Airbending door, we saw at the Southern Temple. Is there something stopping us from unlocking it?"
Shyu hung his head. "Only a fully realized Avatar can open the door alone. Otherwise, five sages must open the door with five simultaneous fire blasts."
Sokka scratched his chin. "Five blasts... wait! I've got it!"
He set them all to gathering oil from the various lamps scattered around the antechamber and tied them into small animal skin bags. He wrapped twine around them and displayed his bags to his friends. Azula gave him a huge grin.
"Sokka, this is... brilliant."
His eyes twinkled with the same mischievousness she'd come to love. "I knew you'd get it first."
It seemed to hit Katara at the same time. "Damn, Sokka... I think you've outdone yourself this time. Simulated firebending, huh?"
He nodded proudly. "One of our resident firebenders here lights the oil-soaked twine, and ta-da! Fake firebending."
"This might... actually work," Shyu said. But even after they tied the bags to the lock holes, and Shyu erupted them with a resounding bang, the door didn't open. Sokka stared at his failed experiment with a look of disappointment, and Azula touched his shoulder.
"I think it was an excellent idea, love," she whispered. "Let me try something."
"We have to do something quickly," Suki muttered. "Everyone in this temple will have heard that explosion."
Shyu stopped Azula. "Princess, you are a gifted Firebender, but-"
"I know, Sage. I've heard it before. But... there's something beyond the door. Some kind of pull. I feel it deep in my heart."
"You too?" Aang interrupted. "It's been in me ever since we got into this chamber." Azula nodded in confirmation.
"Maybe it's a bender thing?" Suki said.
Katara shook her head. "I feel the same as I have the rest of the day. I don't think that's it. Shyu said something about spiritual connections. But what kind of spiritual connection would- wait. Azula. Remember what happened at the temple, with the statue of Roku? You and Aang had almost the same reaction."
"I think I might be able to open this door," Azula said. "I suppose, at the very least, it can't hurt to try. We're pressed for time."
"But five lockholes? How are you going to hit all five at once?" Aang asked, in confusion. "Can Shyu help you?"
"She can do it, Aang," Sokka said. His voice carried a confidence that made Azula's spirit soar. Not that she'd ever lacked for confidence in her own abilities, but this was different. Technical competency and artistry were one thing. This was delving into the realm of the metaphysics of bending, and the spirit of it all. This was a realm her father had never deigned to explore, and the vastness of it was confusing. The door pulsed with this sam energy, and it drew her in like a siren song.
"Stand back, everyone." Azula closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She willed her fire, from deep inside. A flurry of emotions whirled in her, but she sifted through them all, finding the ones that mattered.
That first day at the Academy, when she had corralled Mai and Ty Lee and declared them all friends.
The day she fell into the turtleduck pond, and Zuko comforted her afterward.
The day cousin Lu Ten had come back from the front lines and told her stories from noon till night about his adventures in the Earth Kingdom.
The day Mother brushed her hair before bed, humming her favorite lullaby into her ear, and giving her a kiss on the forehead.
The day she met Sokka, and the day she realized she loved him.
The day Kanna had made her a member of the tribe.
Meeting Ursa again in the Spirit World.
The call of Avatar Roku, humming with familiarity from behind the sanctuary door.
All the energy burst forth from her in a heady breath, exploding from her mouth, hands, and feet. She catapulted backwards and white-gold flames kicked out from her in five beams, shooting straight for the locks as she flew back across the chamber from the force of her own flames. The door hissed, and the five-headed dragon lock began to unwind, as the machinery keeping the door closed geared and whirled and finally churned until the door came open. Azula picked herself up and dusted herself off, brushing her hair back into place, and rejoined her companions, all of whom were staring at her in awe. All of them except Sokka, who had barely contained pride in his face. She'd striven so hard for that pride, done so much, and never received it - not from Mother, and only the promise of it from Father. And here was this silly man, who somehow loved her, and loved everything about her, who made her feel special.
"That was amazing, little dragon," he whispered, as he embraced her in a hug. "I really like the white flames." Even in the presence of their companions and Shyu, who was practically a stranger, Azula found herself not caring, and she melted into his arms with a content smile.
Aang's voice shook her out of her reverie. "Azula, I think we better get inside. Both of us. I know Roku is calling you too, and I think we should go figure out why."
Azula extricated herself from Sokka and gave Aang a little nod. "Yes. I think it's time to find out why I feel this call the same as you."
"Go. We'll hold off any enemies that'll come," Sokka said, as he brandished his club and his boomerang, and Suki and Katara readied themselves. "Shyu, I think you should get out of here. We can't have you risk-"
"Not to pull rank, Initiate, but I can decide for myself. I've lived too long in the shadows. I've served quietly. But I want to aid the Avatar openly. I want to stand on the path of good, in the light of day, not in the dark. I'm going to help you any way I can."
"It might be your head, Shyu," warned Azula. "The best you can hope for is the Boiling Rock."
"I know, Your Highness. But we must all do our duty."
As if by cue, a loud clamor erupted from across the antechamber, where the main entrance to the room was. Enough noise had carried through the temple, and they'd been found out. Sokka could make out footsteps clambering up the staircase. "They'll be on our asses soon. Go, both of you. We'll hold them off," he muttered.
"Sokka," Azula said, warningly.
"I know, love. We'll be fine. You do what you need to and I'll be waiting here on the other side when you're done."
Azula made a face at him. "I don't believe you, not after last time." She shifted her glance to Katara and Suki. "Please be the adult and keep this moron alive for me. I'd be very upset if something happened to him."
"Promise," said Katara. Suki nodded in confirmation and brandished her war fans.
Azula turned her attention to Aang. "Shall we, Avatar?"
Aang smiled. "After you, Your Highness."
A/N: Yes, I know they opened the door in a non-canon compliant way, but hey. Azula is Roku's great-granddaughter and the most talented Firebender alive, and she's been sucked into the spirit world. I feel like that's a reasonable explanation for her to magic the door open. I thought it was kind of cooler than the deception they pulled on the Fire Sages.