I do not own avatar or any of it's characters.
As Azula sat in her room, she started to think about what led to her being so closed off now. She barely talked to Mai and Ty Lee and when Feng was around, she would finch at any of his movements towards her. Both Mai and Ty Lee noticed, but when she was questioned on it she would tell them it's no big deal.
She thought about the letter she just sent out a week ago and the one she recently sent off. She began to wonder if it was the right thing to do. She felt alone and confused. It all started when Naruto decided to show up on the beach and air out their family secrets. Some she did know and some she didn't know. At first she thought he was lying and after she thought about it, Naruto didn't have a reason to lie to them. Add in the fact that he just dropped a bomb on her that he's related to her and Zuko which didn't help much.
She was such a wreck right now and has hardly slept in days since the incident with Feng. She would wake up at the slightest noise she heard and would barricade her door with whatever she could find. The fire nation capital was destroyed during the invasion. Her father hasn't sent word for what he wants her to do next. Zuko has officially become a traitor again. Feng has completely changed towards her and has been abusing her when they're alone.
She had to stab him the last time because he was beginning to rip her clothes off of her and she was not going to give him the satisfaction of raping her. After she stabbed him she shot him with lighting and now whenever she sees him coming towards her room, she locks the door and would either hide in the closet or somehow manage to get under her bed. She was broken at this point and didn't know what to do with herself. Add in the fact that she just had to fight Zuko, Sokka and Suki a few days ago at the boiling rock didn't help her at all.
She was brought out of her thoughts when there was a knock on her door. She quickly jumped in the bed and pretended to be asleep while holding onto the covers with a tight grip. Her door opened and she began to panic as the footsteps got closer and closer to her bed. She felt like she was in an empty hallway and each footstep had an echo to it. Her heart started to beat faster and faster once the footsteps stopped by her bed. She tended when somebody placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Azula." The voice said
she visibly relaxed and her heartbeat went back to normal. She came from underneath the covers and saw Ty Lee and Mai standing next to her bed. They both saw how horrible she looked right now and couldn't help but feel sad for her. Whatever she was going through they were going to find out right now.
"Azula, it's been almost 2 weeks since you've spoken to us." Mai said
"Yeah. What's wrong? We're really worried." Ty Lee said
"Nothing's wrong. I'm perfectly fine." Azula told them
"Is it Feng?" Mai asked and they both saw the fear on her face when she said his name
"Ty Lee. Close the door." Mai said
"You got it." Ty Lee said
"Barricade it." Azula said
"Huh?" Ty Lee asked
"Barricade the door." Azula told her and both Mai and Ty Lee barricaded the door
"Azula, what's going on?" Ty Lee asked
"What did Feng do?" Mai asked
"He's abusing me." Azula whispered
"I'm sorry he's what?" Ty Lee asked
"He's been abusing me since the invasion. I have bruises on my face and a black eye." Azula said
"But you look fine." Ty Lee said
"It's makeup." Azula said and wiped the makeup off of her face
"Why didn't you say anything to us?" Ty Lee said as she gathered some stuff out of Azula's bathroom to clean her wounds
"Because I'm scared. I don't know what to do. He even tried to." Azula stopped talking and shrunk into herself
"Azula, did he try to do what I think you're telling me?" Mai asked and Azula nodded
"Yeah. A few days ago." She said quietly and brought her knees to her chest
"We need to get him off of this ship." Ty Lee said
"Why didn't you tell anybody?" Mai asked
"I did." Azula said
"Who?" Mai asked and Azula looked at Ty Lee as did Mai
"She didn't tell me." Ty Lee said
"No not you. I sent two letters to him through a messenger hawk. He hasn't responded." Azula said
"Seriously? You sent him a letter? What makes you think he'll help you?" Mai asked
"Because of what he did for me on Ember Island. He didn't have to do that, but he did. He didn't treat me like princess Azula or somebody who has a lot of power. He treated me like a normal person. When he patted me on the head it reminded me of what my mother would do when I was little." Azula said
"Have you heard back from him?" Ty Lee asked
"No. I know he's alive still." Azula said
"How do you know?" Ty Lee asked
"You were too busy crying, but something happened after the volcano erupted. Something roared from inside that smoke and I'm guessing it saved him. He's out there, but I don't think anybody knows where." Azula said
"Then why send out a messenger hawk?" Mai asked
"Because they are trained to find anybody no matter where they are. It has a scent to follow from one of the knives he gave you. If he was dead the hawk would've never left." Azula said
"Ok. What about Feng? We can't keep him on this ship if he's treating you like that." Mai said
"Should we tell the fire lord?" Ty Lee asked
"No. He's not going to care anyway." Mai said
"When's the next time we land?" Azula asked
"In a few hours." Mai said
"When we land and are about to take off again, Ty Lee you disable him and we leave him wherever we are." Azula said
"I won't let you down." Ty Lee said
"Now. What are you going to do?" Mai asked
"About what?" Azula asked
"You're now traveling the same journey as Zuko. Naruto told you the truth about your family and now you have to deal with Feng and eventually the fire lord will become even more forceful since Naruto destroyed his capital. What side will you choose?" Mai asked
"I-I don't know. When I sent the letters to Naruto, I wasn't thinking straight. I panicked. Being evil is all I really know. Hatred fuels me. It makes me better. Being nice isn't my way of life. If I want something I take it by force." Azula said
"Naruto told me that maybe the life someone lives is just a facade, an act they put on just because they are too scared to live how they really want to. Maybe deep down you don't want to live your life as a tyrant." Ty Lee said
"If my firebending wasn't acting up I'd shoot you with a fireball." Azula said
"What's wrong with your firebending?" Mai asked
"I don't know. Ever since we left ember island, it's been getting weaker and weaker." Azula said and shot out a fireball that was pitiful
"What was that?" Ty Lee asked
"That was me putting everything I had into a fireball. I don't know what's going on with me." Azula said
"Well, we're going to give you some alone time to figure everything out. Make sure you barricade the door again." Mai said as she and Ty Lee left the room
Hallway
"Do you think she'll make the right choice?" Ty Lee asked
"Don't know. I hope she does." Mai said
"Hey, is Azula awake?" Feng asked as he walked up to them
"She's having lady problems. I would just let her be alone for now." Ty Lee said
"Lady problems or not, we're supposed to be training right now." Feng said
"Leave her alone. She'll be ready to train twice as hard tomorrow. The first day is always the worst." Mai said
"Fine! We're landing in a few hours. Don't take forever when we land." Feng said
"Who put you in charge?" Ty Lee asked
"I did! What are you going to do about it? Your weak little boyfriend isn't here to protect you." Feng said
"Weak? He was able to beat the fire lord when he was 14. Little? He towers over all of us and I personally can tell you he isn't little. So run along. I may not be a bender, but I'm still the most dangerous person on this ship." Ty Lee said
"I don't have time for this. I'd be wasting my time on somebody like you. Circus animal." Feng said and walked away
"Lady problems? That's the best you could come up with?" Mai asked
"Hey he bought it. It's not like you said anything." Ty Lee said
"Whatever. I'm going to my room." Mai said and walked away
"Where are you, Naruto?" Ty Lee thought before going to her room
Azula's room
"Why? Why did it have to be me? I was supposed to grow up and be strong. Become the fire lord and rule the world. What do I do?" Azula asked herself
She was laying down in her bed with thoughts that were battling against each other. One second she wanted to join the other side and then in an instint she wanted to find the avatar and kill him. She refused to believe that she was the same as Zuko. She's better than him. Always has and always will be. To her, she's the best fire bender alive, only coming second to her father.
Hate and anger is what drove her, but ever since the talk with Naruto on the beach, she's been conflicted on what to believe. She knew Naruto had no reason to lie, but he also had no reason to tell the truth either. She looked in the mirror and was disgusted by what she saw. Her, Princess Azula, beaten and bruised by somebody she basically gave power too.
Without her, Feng wouldn't have been given the best firebending instructors the fire nation could give. Without her, Feng would be some lonely fire nation soldier most likely already dead from fighting in battle. Without her, Feng would be nothing. She mentally berated herself for actually catching feelings for him. Feelings of love were for the weak and pitiful. She was strong and brave. Fearless, one might say.
She was brought out of her thoughts when a peck was heard on her window. She looked and saw both of her messenger hawks returned with letters in each of them. She quickly read them and burned them with what little fire she could use. She got dressed and grabbed a cloak she had in her wardrobe and stealthily made her way out of her room to the outside deck. She walked towards the edge and stood there looking down.
"What are you doing here Azula?" Feng asked
"Nothing." She said
"Listen, I'm sorry about how I've been acting lately." Feng said and took a step
"Don't come near me. A simple sorry won't cut it for how you've been and what you tried to do to me. We're through." Azula said and turned to face him with a blank look on her face
"You don't mean that! I said I was sorry! What more do you want from me?!" Feng asked
"I want you to leave me alone. Don't talk to me ever again or come near me again." Azula said
"You heard her, Feng." Mai said
"Leave her alone. There's no coming back from what you tried to do to her." Ty Lee said
"Shut up! I'm not going anywhere! I said I was sorry! We were supposed to rule the world!" Feng said
"Things change, Feng. Obviously you have." Azula said walking backwards to the edge
"Azula? What are you doing?" Ty Lee asked hesitantly
"I'm not doing anything. I'm simply doing what's best for me." Azula said
"Azula! You better get your ass away from that ledge! You could fall!" Ty Lee said
"Maybe I need to fall. You never know what kind of person you are until you've reached the end. Maybe it's my time to find out what kind of person I really am." Azula said
"AZULA STOP." Feng said
"Why?" Azula asked
"Because I care about you!" Feng said
"If you cared about me then you wouldn't have done what you did to me." Azula said and Ty Lee started to cry
"AZULA! I SWEAR IF YOU DON'T COME BACK FROM THAT EDGE I'LL DRAG YOU BACK MYSELF." Ty Lee yelled
"Then you'd risk killing both of us. I'm sure you don't want to leave Naruto heartbroken. You two have plans, remember? A nice family and living peacefully." Azula said
"Azula. Why do this all of a sudden?" Mai asked trying not to cry
"Ever since the incident between me and Feng, I've been thinking. Would life be better off without me around? During his assault, he showed no remorse for what he's done to me." Azula said
"Azula please! I'm really sorry!" Feng said
"Sorry won't cut it. Mai, Ty Lee. Goodbye." Azula said and fell off the edge
"AZULA." All three of them yelled
Team Avatar
After the events of the invasion, team avatar minus Naruto made it to the western air temple where they would camp out until they planned their next move or until Naruto met up with them. During their stay, zuko came back wanting to join the group and admitted to sending an assassin after them.
It took zuko nearly giving up his life for them to welcome him into the group. Katara was the only one who didn't want him in the group, but decided to go along with it since Aang did need a firebending teacher. Sokka and Zuko recently went to blood prison and returned with Suki and Hakoda. They almost didn't make it since they had to fight Azula, Mai and Ty Lee in order to escape. They barely made it out alive, had it not been for one of the cables about to snap on the gondola they were using forcing them to retreat.
Right now Toph, Katara and Suki were sitting around while Sokka went hunting with his dad while Zuko and Aang went out for firebending lessons. When Zuko first joined the group, he couldn't firebend anymore so he and Aang had to go find the source of firebending to relearn what Zuko lost. Turns out they were taught by dragons who were the original firebenders and were being protected by the sun people. What they didn't know was that there were more dragons around, but we kept well hidden away from society until the war was over. Katara was looking at Toph who was reading a book while still wearing the necklace that Naruto gave her before he destroyed the fire nation capital.
"Toph, what are you reading?" Katara asked
"I don't know. It's like a book for little kids, but I need all the reading I can get before Naruto comes back." Toph said
"I don't think he's coming back. From what I've been told, he was most likely killed by lava." Suki said
"No, he survived." Toph said
"How do you know?" Katara asked
"Because something went in there and saved him. Plus, Naruto wouldn't die that easily. Just trust me. He's alive somewhere." Toph said
"If that's the case, then why hasn't he met up with us yet?" Katara asked
"Did you not see him destroy an entire city? He's probably resting and healing up now." Toph said
"That is a good point." Suki said
"Speaking of good points. How did you end up at the boiling rock?" Katara asked
"We were ambushed. We were doing our usual Kyoshi training when we came across Appa in the woods. We tried to help him get healthy again, but Azula and her two friends showed up out of nowhere." Suki said
"Mai and Ty Lee." Katara said
"Yeah. They took us out easily and Ty Lee knocked all of us out. The last thing I saw was Azula walking up to Appa with a fireball in her hand. I'm guessing they captured Appa and then once we were locked away in prison, used our outfits to get into Ba Sing Se." Suki said
"I don't get it. What did Azula want with Appa?" Katara asked
"She didn't want Appa. She wanted the avatar. I know about that guy Long Feng holding Appa hostage, but Azula was the one who paid for Appa to get brought to Ba Sing Se since she knew you'd eventually show up there. She planned everything from the start, but she seems off for some reason." Suki said
"Their entire family is off. Well except Naruto of course." Katara said
"No. What I mean is, during our escape from the boiling rock, it was like she lost a step in her fighting skills." Suki said
"Maybe she's been slacking off in training." Toph said
"Maybe. I'm just glad we escaped and didn't have to find out." Suki said
"Why didn't the other Kyoshi warriors come? Weren't they in blood prison as well?" Katara asked
"They were, but I had them escape during the eclipse. No fire bending was available so they used that time slot to escape. I stayed behind because I'm the leader and it would raise questions if I wasn't around." Suki said
"I still can't believe Naruto can lava bend." Katara said
"Why?" Suki asked
"From what Aang told us, lava bending was usually done by the avatar once they were in the avatar state. Naruto shouldn't be able to lava bend. Add in the fact that he can use two elements." Katara said
"I mean it isn't really impossible." Toph said
"Why do you say that?" Katara asked
"Well, I'm the first person to metalbend. Lavabending isn't like you have to combine both fire and earth. You're basically using the earth down by the earth's core." Toph said
"When she puts it that way, I guess it makes sense." Katara said
"Wow Toph. When did you get so smart?" Suki asked
"Hey! I'll have you know that I did get homeschooled. That and Naruto would teach me whenever he could." Toph said
"Sorry. It's just most earthbenders we meet are usually dumb idiots who think with their muscles. You're different though Toph. Your movements are stiff and rigid like the typical earthbender. You move like a waterbender when you fight." Suki said
"Naruto trained me. He said that I should not have any wasted movements as an earthbender and it gives me an advantage earthbenders don't have." Toph said
"How does he know how to move like a waterbender?" Suki asked
"He spent some time in the North Pole learning from them. At first they were hostile towards him because he was from the fire nation, but he told them his story and explained to them that he's an enemy to the fire nation for nearly killing the fire lord." Toph said
"Wow. That's something that is also hard to believe. A 14 year old nearly killing the fire lord in front of all of his people." Suki said
"That's not the worst part. The fire lord is his uncle by marriage." Katara said
"WHAT?! HOW?!" Suki yelled
"His aunt was forced to marry the fire lord and that's what started the entire animosity between his father and the fire lord. Naruto himself didn't really care for that since it had nothing to do with him, but the instant the fire lord killed his parents is when he really got involved." Toph said
"So wait. You're telling me he's related to Zuko and Azula?" Suki asked
"They're his cousins. Zuko is a year younger than him and Azula is maybe 2 or 3 years younger than him." Toph said
"Really? The way Azula carries herself you'd think she's the same age or a year older than Zuko." Suki said
"Katara is the same way. She acts older than Sokka, but she's also younger than him." Toph said
"How old are Azula and her friends since you know so much?" Katara asked Toph
"Azula is 15 or 16. Ty Lee is 16 and I think Mai is 16 or 17. I can't really remember." Toph said
"Well, let's not worry about them for now. It's our turn to give Appa a bath. The quicker we bet this done the better." Katara said
Airship
"I can't believe she really did that." Ty Lee said
"I know. I guess Feng damaged her more than we thought he did." Mai said
"What should we do now? We're about to land soon. Do we still kick Feng off the ship?" Ty Lee asked
"Yes. I'm not riding on an airship with him on it. He's unstable and I'd rather not deal with that." Mai said
"Then what do we do?" Ty Lee asked
"We stall for time. Tell the captain that Azula wants to relax here for about a week before leaving again. That should buy us enough time to figure out what to do." Mai said
"Maybe she used her firebending at the last moment to survive." Ty Lee said
"She didn't." Mai said
"You don't know that." Ty Lee said
"Yes I do. She couldn't firebend anymore, remember? Her firebending is too weak now. It's basically non-existent. I think that's the part that really crushed her. Firebending is everything to her. It's what she was known for. Add that on top of what Feng did to her and this is the result." Mai said
"I wish I could've stopped her." Ty Lee said
"Me too. It's nothing we can do now except move on with the plans." Mai said
"I don't know. I'm not really feeling the plan anymore." Ty Lee said
"What are you saying?" Mai asked
"I think I'd rather be on the opposite side of this war." Ty Lee said
"You'd betray the fire nation?" Mai asked
"Think about it. Do you want to be known as the person who supported the fire lord in nearly destroying the world? Or would you want to be on the side that wins and helps create peace? I don't want one of your bland you don't care answers I want an honest reply." Ty Lee said looking her in the eyes
"Ty Lee. As much as I agree with you, the fire lord will be powered by sozin's comet. He'll be unstoppable once the comet comes and he's going to have an army of fire benders. How can we go against that?" Mai asked
"Naruto will also be powered by sozin's comet. If the avatar can't defeat the fire lord, then Naruto will step up and do it. Besides, it's not like he won't face any resistance." Ty Lee said
"You know something." Mai said
"Maybe. Maybe not. Which side do you want to be on?" Ty Lee asked and before Mai could respond a messenger bird landed in front of them and Ty Lee took the message
"What does it say?" Mai asked
"It just says she's fine and told us she'll be back in a week so don't do anything stupid." Ty Lee said
"Who's it from?" Mai asked
"There's no name on it, but we should both know who sent it." Ty Lee said
"Naruto. I guess she's either made up her mind, wants answers or both." Mai said
"She's made up her mind. If she didn't then whatever he said to get her to come with him wouldn't have worked. That's two of us who don't want to end up on the wrong side of history." Ty Lee said
"No. It's the three of us. I made up my mind when we left Azula's room earlier." Mai said
"Yes I'm so happy! What's next? She'll be back in a week. How do we get rid of Feng?" Ty Lee asked
"We wait a week. Once Azula gets back then we go on with the original plan. After that we need to figure out our steps moving forward." Mai said
"Here comes Feng." Ty Lee said and they quickly put depressed looks on their faces and stared at the clouds
"We're about to land. We only have a few hours before takeoff so get what you need to get and get back to the ship." Feng said with authority
"I don't take orders from somebody who's beneath us in the chain of command." Mai said
"Excuse me?" Feng asked
"You heard me. You may have been Azula's boyfriend, but we still can order you around. When Azula's gone, we're in charge not you. Now, tell the captain once we land we will stay for a week to rest up and give the mechanics enough time to give the ship a thorough inspection." Mai said
"You will not order me around!" Feng said
"Either do as I say or I'll throw you over the edge so you won't have to worry about me telling you anymore." Mai said
"Feng. Do not make us report you to the fire lord for trying to overstep your boundaries. If you think what he did to Zuko was bad. Imagine what he'd do to somebody that's not even family. You have your orders now carry them out." Ty Lee said
"This isn't over." Feng said and walked away
"Let's go inside." Ty Lee said
"Sure. I'm getting cold." Mai said
Azula
After Azula fell off the edge she barely heard the yells coming from Mai, Ty Lee and Feng. As she was falling she hoped she would survive this or she would be royally pissed for even going through with this plan. Once she fell through the clouds she was soaking wet since they were storm clouds and just as she was about to give up hope, she felt a hand grab her and she suddenly stopped falling.
"Well it took you long enough." Azula said
"Sorry. It's kind of hard to fly through clouds." Naruto said
"Flying? What do you mean flying? What are we on?" Azula asked
"You'll see once we land." Naruto said and used his firebending to warm her up
"Thanks. I didn't think you'd respond to my letters." Azula said
"Why would you say that?" Naruto asked
"Well, we are kind of on opposite sides you know." Azula said
"If we were really on opposite sides, then you wouldn't have come or even sent me a letter." Naruto said
"I haven't completely made up my mind. I still have questions." Azula said
"I know. I'll give you the answers once we land." Naruto said
"Where exactly are we going?" Azula asked
"A secret. I can't tell you until after we arrive and have our talk." Naruto said
"Again with the secrets. How long until we get there?" Azula asked
"A few hours. You should get some sleep. I can tell you haven't been sleeping." Naruto said
"I sleep just fine." Azula said
"Tell that to the bags under your eyes. I'll wake you up once we land." Naruto said
Azula didn't say anything and when Naruto looked behind him, she was fast asleep with her head resting on his back. He knew she's been through a lot in her life so far and knew their next conversation would choose what she will do in the future. As they were flying, he noticed she would have nightmares and would yell out stop and yell Feng's name like he was killing her.
He had to calm her down a few times before she fell off of LuLi since he didn't have a saddle for her. He watched as she would silently cry in her sleep and squeeze him for dear life. Growing up, he never liked her because of her partially being responsible for his parents death and now he wanted answers to know why she told. From what he knew about her, Azula was great at keeping secrets no matter how major they are.
LuLi flew for a few more hours and finally landed where her and Naruto were staying after the invasion. Naruto tried to wake Azula up, but she was completely out and he had to carry her. He made it to a makeshift house he had and tucked her into the bed. She looked like she wouldn't wake up anytime soon so he went out and caught some food for them to eat. The smell of the food being done woke her up and when she sat up, her guard was immediately up and she pulled out one of her knives.
"You're finally up." Naruto said
"Where are we?" Azula asked
"A safe house I guess you could say." Naruto said
"What's that smell? It smells delicious." Azula said
"It's dinner. Roast duck, extra spicy fire noodles and rice. We have your favorite drink also. Watermelon juice." Naruto said
"How did you know it was my favorite?" Azula asked as she got out of bed
"I talked to your mom before she was banished." Naruto said
"What did she say other than what you've already told me?" Azula asked
"She wanted me to look after you and Zuko to make sure you stayed out of trouble. She knew it would be difficult, but she asked me anyway." Naruto said
"She really cared about me." Azula said
"More than you could imagine." Naruto said and gave Azula some food
"Thank you. Now, I have questions and I know you have answers." Azula said
"Ask away." Naruto told her
"What really went down between our families? I know we don't like each other, but what happened?" Azula asked
"It started when your great-grandfather betrayed your mother's grandfather when they stopped a volcano together." Naruto said
"Wait. The only person my great grandfather stopped a volcano with was Avatar Roku." Azula said and her eyes grew wide
"Exactly. Avatar Roku was your mother's grandfather and our great-grandfather. He betrayed him by leaving him to die because he was against the war and Sozin couldn't have anybody getting in his way. From that moment on it was passed down to his children and then eventually it was passed down to our fathers. The reason our parents hated each other is because after your father killed your mother's ex-boyfriend, my father found out what happened to your fathers previous girlfriend." Naruto said
"What happened to her?" Azula asked
"Your father found out she couldn't have kids and he had her killed one night when she was returning home. Despite the fact that they were married, the marriage between your mother and father was loveless. He only wanted to marry her because if anything would happen to Uncle Iroh, then Ozai would become the fire lord. Before he could become the fire lord, he needed a family and he chose my aunt to be his wife, but he couldn't have her since she was already about to marry one of my fathers friends." Naruto said
"So my father basically threw a temper tantrum and killed him." Azula said
"Yes. He killed him and forced her to marry him, by threatening to have her best friend killed who just so happened to be my mother. The marriage happened and then 9 months later, Zuko was born. After that you were born. Ozai never wanted a daughter as he wanted his second born to be named after your grandfather Azulon to get him some leeway to the throne. That's why he named you Azula to have some sort of resemblance to his father. Zuko was a momma's boy so he couldn't really sink his claws into him like he did with you. He pushed all of his and Azulon's ideologies onto you and turned you into what you were." Naruto said
"What would've happened if my parents never married and Iroh would've turned down the throne?" Azula asked
"Then it would've gone to the next highest ranked family in the fire nation." Naruto said
"It would've gone to your parents and you would be the heir to the throne." Azula said
"Yes. Azulon didn't want that because he knew both of my parents were against the war and if they would've taken over, then they would've ended the war to start creating peace amongst the nations. Azulon pressured Ozai into finding a wife and once Ozai threatened your mother into marriage, they were married that exact same day." Naruto said
"We could've been living two different lives. You would have the power and I would be living as a commoner." Azula said
"No. If you and Zuko were born you would've lived in the royal palace with us. Actually my family was supposed to live in the royal palace due to our lineage, but my father and aunt turned it down deciding to live amongst the people and not rely on servants to do everything for us. Did you know that Zuko should've never been banished?" Naruto asked
"He spoke out of turn during a war meeting." Azula said
"How many times have you done it once you took his spot?" Naruto asked
"A lot of times actually. I did it every meeting." Azula said
"How many times were you punished by your father?" Naruto asked
"None." Azula said and realized where he was going
"Exactly. Zuko was well within his rights to voice his opinion when he did. Your father never liked Zuko because he reminded him too much of uncle Iroh. Add in the fact that he was surrounded by people who supported the war, he abused his power and challenged Zuko to an Agni Kai knowing he would lose. He burned Zuko and banished him on a nearly impossible conquest." Naruto said
"Why did you step in like you did against my father?" Azula asked
"Me and Zuko were like brothers up until the entire banishment happened. He didn't know we were cousins until I revealed it to you two." Naruto said
"Why was our family's actual relationship kept secret?" Azula asked
"It was kept a secret because in the fire nation during Sozin's reign, he may have been the fire lord, but avatar Roku is who everyone respected the most. If word got out that we were descendants of avatar Roku and the previous avatar, Azulon would've had a civil war on his hands because the people would've begun fighting him at every corner to have him step down and have my family take over the throne. He kept it a secret and the people were brainwashed basically and believed everything he said was true and even bought into the war." Naruto said
"The previous avatar before Roku was Kyoshi and she died many years before Roku became avatar. How would you be related to her?" Azula asked
"My mother is a descendent of Avatar Kyoshi. What many people don't know is that Kyoshi had a daughter before she died and the line kept going. I'm the last of her descendants currently alive and I'm the last of Avatar Roku's descendants as well." Naruto said
"Answer two last questions. What would we be like if I wasn't raised to be like my grandfather?" Azula asked
"We'd be like a brother and sister. Your mom would always leave the palace and bring Zuko to my house a lot when we were kids and we eventually became brothers. Of course I knew he was my cousin, but I couldn't exactly tell him since Zuko isn't good at keeping secrets or lying." Naruto said and Azula laughed
"That's the truth. Do you hate me? For you know being involved in your parents death." Azula said
"At first I did. I really wanted to kill you. But then after I had some time to think about it, something occurred to me. You were great at keeping secrets as a child and you still are, why did you tell your father I was an earthbender as well as a firebender?" Naruto asked
"Trust me I didn't want to. As a child despite how I was, I actually thought it was pretty cool to have the ability to bend two elements. Feng told me, but I didn't say anything to my father. I swear I didn't. Feng brought it up one time when my father was around and then told my father that I knew about it. My father forced me to tell him if it was true or not and threatened to beat me like he did Zuko as a child. I didn't want that so I caved and told him it was true. Now that you know you can get your revenge on me." Azula said
"I think making you free fall from the airship was enough revenge. How scared were you?" Naruto asked
"Scared! I WAS FUCKING TERRIFIED." Azula yelled
"It wasn't that bad." Naruto said
"I was free falling and couldn't use my firebending to help me." Azula said blankly
"That's why we're here. It's time to get your firebending back." Naruto said
"Where exactly are we?" Azula said
"This is the land of the sun warriors. The birthplace of firebending you could say." Naruto said
"How is this going to help me with my firebending?" Azula asked
"You'll see. Like me and uncle Iroh, you'll learn from the original masters." Naruto said
"Who are the original masters?" Azula asked
"Ran and Shao." Naruto said
"How did we get here? What exactly were we flying on?" Azula asked
"Before I show you, I need to know where you stand now. Are you with me or against me?" Naruto asked and Azula sat there and thought about it
"I-I'm with you. What about Ty Lee and Mai? I can't leave them behind." Azula said
"I know. I sent them a letter while you were sleeping. I guarantee that they're already on my side as well. I told them you'll be back in a week so they're going to stall until you reach them again." Naruto said
"Good. Now show me how we got here." Azula said and Naruto whistled and a loud roar was heard
"WHAT WAS THAT?" Azula yelled and pulled out a knife
"That is our ride." Naruto said and LuLi landed behind Azula
"A dragon?! You have a dragon?!" She asked
"LuLi, meet my cousin, Azula. Azula, meet my companion, LuLi." Naruto said and LuLi sniffed Azula before turning her nose up at her
"Did your dragon just disrespect me?" Azula asked with an eye twitch
"Yeah, but it's nothing personal. She can tell that you've lost your ability to firebend." Naruto said
"I haven't lost it! I can still bend a little." Azula said and attempted a fireball, but all she got was a small poof of smoke and she swore she heard LuLi snicker at her
"Don't worry. That'll be fixed rather quickly and I'll even teach you to generate lightning without having to go through the motions." Naruto said
"That's impossible." Azula said
"No it isn't." Naruto said and created lighting in his hand with ease
"How did you do that?" Azula asked
"I'll tell you after you learn firebending again. Now, it's time to go dance." Naruto said
"Dance? I am Princess Azula and I do not dance." Azula said stubbornly
"You'll dance if you want to learn fire bending again." Naruto said
"I'd rather die then dance." Azula said and crossed her arms
"If you don't learn the dance then Ran and Shao won't teach you." Naruto said
"Did you have to learn the dance?" Azula asked
"Yeah, but it was harder for me. It's a two person dance and I was alone so I had to do double the work." Naruto said
"Fine. Let's get this over with." Azula said
"Let's go." Naruto said
As they left, Naruto and Azula were bonding a bit by just talking. She started to feel better about everything Feng did to her, but one thing was bothering her. Naruto never said what he'd do to Feng and never acknowledged his actions.
"I told you what Feng did to me and what he tried to do. Why haven't you given me an answer on what you're going to do?" Azula asked
"I was giving you time to recover. I didn't want to bring it up if you didn't want to talk about it. As for what I'm going to do, it's self explanatory. He's dead. Unless that's not what you want." Naruto said
"No it's fine. I would've done it, but I was weak at the moment and only got away because I stabbed him." Azula said
"Then that settles it. Next fight we have will be his last." Naruto said
"What's going on with you and Ty Lee? Are you two officially back together? She's been in a very good mood since ember island." Azula said
"I guess you can say that." Naruto said
"The first time you two did it, was it painful for her?" Azula asked
"Didn't you ask her?" Naruto asked
"No. I haven't done that yet. I know Mai and Ty Lee have, but I'm too prideful to tell them that. So did it hurt?" Azula asked
"Yeah. From what I can remember she was in a lot of pain that day." Naruto said
"I'm scared to do it. It's like giving someone power over me." Azula said
"That's why you should do it with somebody you actually love and wouldn't mind spending the rest of your life with. You don't have to give them power over you during that moment. Who knows? You might find a guy that likes when a woman takes charge." Naruto said
"Is Ty Lee like that? You know submissive?" Azula asked
"No. She's very active in what she wants. It's more of a 50/50 with us." Naruto said
"You know she wants a big family right? That'll be expensive." Azula said
"It's not like I'm broke. I have just as much money as the royal family. As for the big family, all she told me was that she wanted at least 4 kids." Naruto said
"That's a lot of kids to watch." Azula said
"That's why they'll have aunts and cousins to play with." Naruto said looking at Azula
"I am not babysitting." Azula said
"Sure you will. I'll just have Ty Lee teach them her sad face." Naruto said
"I think she's an air bender." Azula said
"Who?" Naruto asked
"Ty Lee. I mean the way she glides in the air when she jumps is too graceful. She's been able to do it before she joined the circus. The way she fights is too similar to an air nomad. They fought, but never to do major damage and she fights by using pressure points and the effects go away after a while. I know it seems weird, but it's just a feeling I have." Azula said
"It is possible. During my travels I stopped at 3 of the air temples and some journals did say that some air benders never stayed at the air temples. During Sozin's reign and attack on the air temples, some sky bison were sent away with children on them so it's possible she comes from an air benders lineage. If she was an air bender what would you have done before you switched sides?" Naruto asked as they stopped in front of a temple
"Nothing. Ty Lee is one of my best friends and if that's a secret she had then I would've kept it and took it to the grave with me. Where are we?" Azula asked
"This is where you will learn to dance before we go and meet Ran and Shao. This temple only opens during the solstice when the light reflects off of the gem representing the sun." Naruto said
"Well looks like we came here first nothing because the solstice is still time away." Azula said
"That's why I'm going to speed things up a bit." Naruto said and used his sword to reflect light off of the gem and then soon the doors opened
"Well, that certainly is convenient." Azula said
"Let's go inside." Naruto said and they walked in
"Is this what we have to learn? The dancing dragon? It even sounds lame." Azula said
"I don't have to learn it, you do. Once you get the steps down we'll do it together." Naruto said
"You tell anybody about this and you're dead." Azula said
She looked at the statues and got into the first stance she saw. She went through the stances a few times and messed up almost every time until she got it right. Naruto stood opposite of her and they began dancing just like Naruto said. Azula wouldn't admit it, but once the dance moves we coordinated into a fluent motion, they weren't that bad. It reminded her of some of the fire bending moves she did during training. They came to the end after the final pose and then she realized it wasn't dancing. It was the sun warrior firebending forms. Once they were done she saw a stand rise from the ground and it had a golden egg on it.
"What's that?" Azula asked
"Don't touch it. You won't like the end result." Naruto said
"I'm guessing you touched it before?" Azula asked
"I actually picked it up and instantly regretted it." Naruto said
"So now what do we do?" Azula asked
"Now, we go and meet the sun warriors. They'll take us to the eternal flame." Naruto said
"What's that?" Azula asked
"It's name answers that question. It's the eternal flame. Fire that will burn for eternity." Naruto said as they left the temple and were greeted by the sun warriors
"Naruto, I thought we agreed to no more outsiders." The leader said
"This isn't an outsider per say. She's Princess Azula and she recently went through a change and lost her firebending. I brought her here to learn from the masters and she's already completed the stances." Naruto said
"Why doesn't she have the stone?" The leader asked
"Because I stopped her from grabbing it." Naruto said
"Very well. Come with us to the eternal flame." The chief said
"You can't let her learn from them. She's the daughter of the current fire lord. She's evil to a fault." A sun warrior said
"Shut up before I show you how evil I once was." Azula said with a glare
"Come now. Ran and Shaw do not like to be kept waiting." The chief said
They walked over to the eternal flame and to say Azula was amazed was an understatement. The sun warriors thought she might not survive Ran and Shaws test because along the way the same warrior from earlier kept making smart remarks about her and she constantly kept beating him whenever he did it and she actually stabbed him one time to get her point across. Needless to say he stopped talking after she stabbed him.
"Now, Princess Azula. If you wish to learn the ways of the sun, you must learn from Ran and Shao. When you present yourself to them, they will examine you. They'll read your heart, your soul and your ancestry. If they deem you worthy, they'll teach you. If they don't, you'll be destroyed on the spot. If you're going to see the masters, you must bring them a piece of the eternal flame. This fire is the very first one. It was given to man by the dragons. We have kept it going for thousands of years." The chief said
"I don't believe it." Azula said
"Naruto, I know you have already done this, but you will each take a piece of it to the masters, to show your commitment to the sacred art of firebending." The chief said
"What? Why do I have to do it again?" Naruto asked
"Because you didn't let her pick up the golden egg." The chief said
"That's a bunch of crap. Fine, I'll do it again." Naruto said
"I can't firebend anymore though. Can he carry mine for me?" Azula asked
"No." The chief said as he grabbed fire from the eternal flame and broke it into two parts
"This ritual illustrates the essence of sun warrior philosophy. You must maintain a constant heat. The flame will go out if you make it too small. Make it too big and you might lose control." The chief said and gave both of them the fire
"It feels like it's alive. Almost like a heartbeat actually." Azula said
"Fire is life, not just destruction. You will take your flames up there. The cave of the masters, is beneath that rock." The chief said
"Ugh. I have to walk again." Naruto said
"Stop complaining and get a move on." Azula said
They walked towards the huge rock they were pointed to. Along the way Azula started to lose focus and her flame got smaller and she had to concentrate really hard to get it back to normal size. She found it difficult to climb using one hand, but Naruto helped her out with his earthbending skills. They reached the top and the sun warriors were already there waiting for them.
"How did they get here so fast?" Azula asked
"They have a short cut that they won't tell me about." Naruto said
"Facing the judgement of the firebending masters will be dangerous for you, Princess Azula. Your ancestors are directly responsible for the dragon's disappearance. Hunting them down for sport, your great grandfather and grandfather have ruined the sun warrior people and nearly made us extinct. The masters may not be happy to see you." The chief said
"I know I wouldn't be." The sun warrior from earlier said and flinched when Azula pulled out a knife
"But LuLi is a dragon." Azula said
"Yes, but she's the last surviving dragon around and she is under our watch as well as Naruto's." The chief said
"Speaking of that. Is she done with her training yet?" Naruto asked
"She should be done in a few days." The chief said as he slammed his staff and took some fire from the and passed it around
"I think I've seen enough. It's not too late to turn around." Azula said
"No. You're going to see this through to the end. You won't be held responsible for something that happened before you were born. They will judge you by your heart and your entire ancestry, not just part of it." Naruto said
"Chanters!" The chief said
The chanters began playing music while others did a dance. Naruto and Azula walked up to the chief who let them pass and walked up the stairs to the top where they saw two entrances to the cave they were told about.
"Those who wish to meet the masters Ran and Shao will now present their fire." A sun warrior said
Azula and Naruto turned and offered their fire to each cave opening and then a loud horn was sounded making birds fly away. Azula heard crashing coming from inside of the cave and Naruto could tell she was terrified. All of a sudden two golden eyes were seen in the cave and out came a red dragon from Azula's side of the cave followed by a blue dragon.
"Remember the dance?" Naruto asked
"We have to do it again don't we?" Azula asked
"Correct." Naruto said
They went into the stances and Azula watched as the two dragons would move along with them each time they did a different stance. They were moving in perfect sync with one another and once they were finished the dragons were staring both of them down. Naruto had a calm look and Azula was freaking out on the inside. The dragons growled and after staring at them for the while, they landed on the steps and breathed fire at them.
Azula screamed and Naruto remained calm. Azula opened her eyes and looked around. She was amazed at all of the colors that fire was and she noticed the color blue wasn't in there. She saw orange, red, green, purple, white and yellow. She finally realized what the sun chief meant earlier when he said fire means life and not just destruction. The fire died down and the dragons returned to the cave. Azula and Naruto returned to the bottom of the stairs and stood in front of the sun chief.
"Their fire was so beautiful. I saw colors I wouldn't have imagined. I didn't see my blue fire though. Why is that?" Azula asked
"Your fire turned blue probably as a reaction to you learning how to generate lightning. I'm guessing you had the regular fire color before you learned to generate lightning." The chief said
"I did. My fire was more of a red color though. Not the typical orange look it gives off." Azula said
"You may have a different color this time then. My fire has always been green so I doubt it will change. What you saw was something akin to firebending harmony." Naruto said
"Yes. They judged you and gave you visions of the meaning of firebending." The sun chief said
"I can't believe that there are still living dragons. Until I saw LuLi, my uncle Iroh said he faced the last dragon and killed it. He lied." Azula said
"It wasn't a total lie. Iroh was the last outsider to face the masters before Naruto showed up. They deemed him worthy and passed the secret on to him as well." The sun chief said
"He lied to protect them so no one else would hunt them. I rarely take LuLi from over here because I know if she's seen then she'll be hunted down. That's why I have her over here training still. I keep her here until I know she can handle being out in the open and knows when to hide." Naruto said
"All this time I thought firebending was destruction. It's what I was taught growing up by all of my teachers and my father. I didn't want to believe it was anything but that. Coming here I know all of my teachers were wrong and they aren't masters." Azula said
"Well now you have a true firebending master to teach you." The sun chief said
"Naruto's a firebending master?" Azula asked
"Yes. That's why I had him do the test with you. I could sense his growth since the last time he's been here and I wanted to know if he was ready to become a true master. Had he not been ready, then Ran and Shao would've just focused the fire around Azula. Congratulations, Naruto. You are now the only person to officially become a firebending master. Not even Iroh has reached the level you are at. You must now go up and let out a dragon's roar with Ran and Shao." The sun chief said
Ran and Shao came back out and were patiently waiting for Naruto to walk back up the stairs. Naruto sighed as he really didn't want to walk back up these stairs again. He slowly made his way up to the top and stood between Ran and Shao. He turned to face the sun people and then breathed out a gigantic fireball with Ran and Shao. His fire was no longer green. It was pure white color as was the color of Ran and Shao's fire they were using.
"The fire of the true masters." The sun chief said as everyone bowed to the newly appointed firebending master. Naruto came back down the steps and everyone stood
"Firebending. It's not just a flame to cause destruction. It's energy and life. It's like the sun, but inside of you. Do you guys realize this?" Azula asked
"Well, our civilization is called the sun warriors, so yeah." The chief said
"That's why my firebending was so weak and eventually stopped working. For so many years, destruction and rage is what fueled my fire. It was what I considered my drive. Ever since the talk we had on Ember Island, I started to question myself and everything I believed in. So when I was leaning towards joining you, I lost sight of my inner fire. Now, I have a new drive. I'm going to help you end this war and stop my father. It's gone on long enough. Besides, I don't think Ty Lee would approve if her children's aunt helped destroy the bending nations." Azula said and shot out a fireball that was dark purple
"Nice color." Naruto said
"Thanks. It's more powerful, but I can tell it's calm and not raging." Azula said and generated lighting which was weaker than it was
"It's a bit weaker than what it was before, but I'll be training you for the next couple of days before I drop you off with Mai and Ty Lee." Naruto said
"Your brother was here as well. He came with the avatar." The sun chief said
"We know. Some of the traps were used. Only Zuko would come this far after losing his firebending." Naruto said
"Yes. Now that Azula has learned the secrets of our tribe's existence, we have no choice but to imprison her here forever." The sun chief said
"WHAT!" Azula yelled
"Just kidding. But seriously, don't tell anyone." The sun chief said
"You might hear some commotion, but it's just us training. I'll fix everything once we're done." Naruto said
"Good. It takes years to fix the simplest thing around here." The sun warrior said
5 days later
"Again!" Naruto said
He was on his final day of helping Azula train her fire and lightning bending and she instantly regretted it. She thought her other trainers were a bit hard, but compared to Naruto and his training methods, they were just babies. He had her work on fire first and she needed to melt a piece of metal only using her chi and everytime she made an actual flame, he had her start all over and made it even harder.
He also had her make a small flame in her hand and control it by expanding it and compressing it. Expanding the flame was easy for her, but shrinking it is where she had problems. She would always completely end the flame or get frustrated causing the flame to blow up in her face. Right now, he had her focusing on generating lighting without having to stop in the middle of a fight and go through the motions.
She took a deep breath and focused on generating lightning and began to run around. Naruto placed a hand on her shoulder as he always did so he would be able to absorb and redirect the lightning as he did a few times already. She felt the positive and negative energies inside of her move in a fluent motion throughout her body. She held up her hand and the lightning shot out of her fingertips into the sky.
"You finally did it." Naruto said
"I hate you so so much right now." Azula said breathing heavy
"I said I was going to train you. I didn't say it would be easy. Now do it one more time on your own before we end training." Naruto said
Azula nodded and ran around the training area and began to generate lightning in her body. She did it again and then lighting once again shot out of her finger tips. She collapsed to the ground and was breathing extremely heavy. Naruto put her through hell and she didn't appreciate it, but loved the results.
"Your training is officially over, Azula." Naruto said
"Fuck...you." Azula said trying to catch her breath
"You'll get over it." Naruto said
"I'd be over it, if you took these damn rocks from around my ankles and arms!" Azula said
"Oh yeah. I forgot about that." Naruto said and used his earthbending to remove the rocks
"You forgot! They weigh maybe 25 pounds each! I'm telling Ty Lee you were mean to me!" Azula said as Naruto picked her up and put her on his back
"I'm not scared of her." Naruto said
"What are we going to do about the fire nation though? I can't exactly just show up and then betray them." Azula said
"You don't have to. The plan for us will be I need you to act the same. We're going to be at the western air temple. You need to attack us on a random day. Wait about 3 days after I drop you off to attack. I need you to keep up the act of being psychotic and wanting Zuko dead. I won't tell them though to make it more believable. You can tell Mai and Ty Lee, but you won't actually show your true colors until the comet comes. You can change up anything on your side if the fire lord does something unexpected. I'll drop you off to Mai and Ty Lee tomorrow before I go to the western air temple." Naruto said
"I can do that. Should I try to kill Zuko a little bit?" Azula asked
"Sure." Naruto said
"Good. Now put me down. I need to go soak in some hot water again." Azula said as Naruto set her down
"I'll see you in the morning." Naruto said
"Thanks again for everything, Naruto." Azula said
"No problem. When you get back home, search your fathers office for anything detailing where your mother might be. After the war is over, we can go and look for her." Naruto said
"I'd like that." Azula said and walked away
Next day
"Mai, we have less than a day until we leave and Azula isn't back. What are we gonna do?" Ty Lee asked as they were relaxing in a hotel room
"She'll be back. If she isn't, then we still need to move forward with the plan." Mai said
"Where do we go from there? We ditch Feng and then what?" Ty Lee asked
"Then, you follow my lead." They turned around and saw Azula standing there with a smile on her face
"AZULA." Ty Lee yelled and gave her bone crushing hug
"When did you get back?" Mai asked as she hugged her
"About an hour ago. I had a hard time finding you since you aren't walking around with fire nation soldiers." Azula said
"We didn't want to be bothered with them. It's bad enough Feng is walking around like he runs everything." Mai said and then Feng came into the room
"What's with the yelling?! Azula!" Feng said and walked up to her but she stopped him
"It's Princess Azula to you, Feng. Don't forget who I am." Azula said
"What's gotten into you?" Feng asked
"What's gotten into me isn't important. What's this I hear about you overstepping your boundaries during my time away?" Azula asked
"I was just doing what you would want." Feng said
"No. You were doing what you wanted. The rule on my ship is that if I'm not around, then the role of leadership goes to Mai and Ty Lee. Do not do it again." Azula said
"My apologies." Feng said
"Your apologies what?" Azula asked
"My apologies, Princess Azula." Feng said and Azula detected his anger and disappointment in his voice
"I don't like your tone. Why are you just barging into their hotel room? You know I do not tolerate that in my crew." Azula said
"I heard yelling and thought something was wrong." Feng said
"Then why did you come in here sounding annoyed until you saw me? You should've made your presence known before you just barged into the room." Azula said
"My annoyance stems from a lot of things. Why didn't you send word that you survived?!" Feng asked harshly and Azula punched him in the stomach making him fall to his knees
"Do not talk to me like I am some commoner on the street. I am Princess Azula and you will show me some respect! I didn't send word to you because it was not needed. Mai and Ty Lee knew I would be back in a week and they had instructions to not tell anybody so I did send word." Azula said
"I'M YOUR BOYFRIEND. YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME." Feng yelled and was slapped by Azula who heated her hand up
"EX-BOYFRIEND. A boyfriend wouldn't abuse somebody because he can't handle the truth. A boyfriend doesn't try to rape his own girlfriend! Don't worry though, you'll get what you deserve soon. Ty Lee." Azula said
"Yes Princess Azula?" Ty Lee asked
"Do it." Azula said and Ty Lee struck Feng's pressure points and he collapsed to the ground.
"What are you doing?!" Feng asked
"You are hereby removed from my crew. Be lucky we didn't kill you or throw you off the airship while it's in the air. Let's go ladies." Azula said and they all left to the airship and took off
"So, how was your trip?" Mai asked
"It was nice actually." Azula said
"Did Naruto teach you anything?" Ty Lee asked
"He actually trained me and I will not be doing that again." Azula said and detailed all the training she had to do
"How did you survive?" Ty Lee asked
"I simply relied on my urge to hurt him after training." Azula said
"Have you made up your mind?" Mai asked
"Yes and I'm joining him." Azula said
"Good. We agreed to that as well." Mai said
"That's good." Azula said and explained the plan to them
"That's actually a very simple plan." Ty Lee said
"I have a bone to pick with you, Ty Lee." Azula said
"What did I do?" Ty Lee asked
"You didn't do anything. It's more of a question I have and Naruto dodged the question when I brought it up. Are you an air bender?" Azula asked
"Seriously? She can't be an air bender." Mai said
"Yeah, Azula. That's just crazy." Ty Lee said looking around
"Ty Lee, please. Are you an airbender?" Azula asked again
"Okay, fine. Yes, I'm an airbender. Are you happy?" Ty Lee asked
"Why didn't you say anything?" Azula asked
"Because I didn't want to be mistaken for the avatar. I can't float in the air as long as I do and as gracefully as I do for just joining the circus. I've been able to airbend since I was 4, but I kept it a secret. I knew all about your fathers hatred of the air nomads since one of them was the avatar." Ty Lee said
"How long has Naruto known?" Mai asked
"Since the 2nd day I met him. He caught me practicing and I was scared that he'd tell on me, but he showed me that he could earthbend and firebend. We promised each other that we'd keep it a secret and then we sometimes trained together over the years. That's how we started to like each other." Ty Lee said
"How good are you exactly?" Azula asked
"I can do everything the bald guy can except fly, but that's because I don't have a glider. I don't think I'd want one, flying isn't really my thing." Ty Lee said
"Does that mean you'll have to shave your head?" Mai asked
"I'm not shaving my head for an arrow. They do that to show commitment to their spiritual life and to discourage vanity. I'm not spiritual and I am certainly not discouraging my vanity. I didn't grow up in air nomad culture so I won't just change who I am. No disrespect to them at all, but I'm just not doing it." Ty Lee said
"What if Aang finds out and tries to force it on you?" Mai asked
"Then I'll just have Naruto kick his ass again." Ty Lee said with a shrug
"Speaking of Naruto. Where is he?" Mai asked
"Yeah. Why didn't he come back for a bit?" Ty Lee asked
"Well, he said he'd rather not deal with an angry Toph since she's an earthbender. He quickly left to go meet up with them. He did say that he loves you though." Azula said
"WELL THAT DOESN'T CUT IT. NEXT TIME I SEE HIM I'M KICKING HIS ASS." Ty Lee yelled
Team avatar
Team avatar was relaxing around a fire eating dinner. Everyone was having a good time except for Toph who everyone could tell was agitated. It's been plenty of time for Naruto to heal up and meet back up with them. Everyone was laughing and joking around the fire, but what was really annoying was the fact that Appa and MoMo were fighting again. MoMo started screeching even louder, but then was shut up after a loud roar was heard and even Appa grew scared.
"What was that?" Suki asked
"HE'S HERE." Toph yelled and got up
"Who's here?" Katara asked
"I am." Naruto said as he made his presence known and was tacked into a hug by Toph
"What took you so long to get back?" Katara asked
"Had to get some last minute training done. I'm officially the world's first firebending master that was granted the honor by the original firebenders." Naruto said
"Then what would that make the other firebending masters?" Zuko asked
"They aren't firebending masters. They're just really good firebenders to learn from." Naruto said
"Wait so does that mean you'll train me now?" Aang asked
"No." Naruto said rather bluntly
"Isn't your uncle Iroh a firebending master?" Katara asked
"No. He never was a firebending master and never claimed to be one. He knows everybody that claims to be a firebending master are just frauds." Zuko said
"Then how do you know if somebody is a true firebending master?" Suki asked
"The true firebending master will be able use the white flames. They are considered the hottest flames of all time." Zuko said
"Well there you have it. If Naruto can't bend white fire, then he isn't a firebending master." Sokka said
"Show us the white flames." Katara said
"Are you asking or demanding?" Naruto asked
"Uh, I'm asking ." Katara said and Naruto did a simple fireball from his fist, but it scorched the ground
"Whoa. I can feel the heat from that." Sokka said
"That's pretty intense." Suki said
"So, what's our next move?" Naruto asked
"We're going to stay here for a few more days before heading out again. Aang needs to work on his firebending still, so after we leave here we need to find another place to train in peace until he's ready to fight the fire lord." Sokka said
"Alright. That works for me." Naruto said
"Good. Now let's sit back down and eat. I'm sure you're hungry." Katara said
They all sat down again and got Naruto some food. He did good to catch up with them, but in the back of his mind he was wondering how Azula would pull off her part of the plan. It was going to be an interesting next couple of weeks until the comet came. One thing he knew for sure though, was that no matter what happens, the fire lord was going down. He had a feeling that he'd have to kill the fire lord for Aang though.