He kissed her hair; his lips passing as she turned.
He said nothing, avoiding her gaze as his hands moved to expertly set up the tent.
Was that an apology? Azula, hypocrite she may be, wanted to ask, no—demand, that Aang speak his mind.
She kissed his hand instead.
Zuko put on his mask and quietly crept through the woods.
Azula stared into the flames as the voices around her softly layered over each other before dipping into comforting lulls and boisterous exclamations.
She looked up during the storytelling to see a fond smile run across Aang's face before lapping over to her own.
"This is nice," she said, thinking back to a time Mai, Ty Lee, and her brother gathered around a fire. "We should do this again on the beach."
It would be nice to have someone to mediate and listen and ask questions, thought Azula, her hand creeping closer to Aang's. At the very least, this time I'd have someone nice to look at.
Aang's face lit up as he launched into a tale about the time he made a sand sculpture as big as a bison.
Azula appreciatively observed his movements and let his comforting voice rake over her, before growing contemplative.
Always things never people, mused Azula, cradling her chin in one hand.
"I was thinking of getting back together with Jet," blurted out Katara.
"That maniac?" shouted Sokka.
Azula watched as Aang's eyes widened in surprise before they, strangely, landed on her.
"No one is truly evil," said Aang, as though he was harboring a well-worn wisdom, one kept in a lower shelf and brought out at only the oddest of times.
He turned from Sokka to Katara and added, "We can't stop you."
"The hell we can't!" protested Sokka, "Toph, arrest my sister."
"That would be an abuse of authority and a police officer would never do that," deadpanned Toph, joining the others in silence as her words weighed in, before adding her own peals of laughter to the groups.
"Look," said Katara, as the laughter died down, "I want to give him a second chance. If he hasn't, if he pulls another stunt, then we can collectively kick his butt."
"Butt?" echoed Toph, causing Azula to interpose with, "Cursing is uncouth."
"Lame," proclaimed Toph, bluntly.
Sokka crossed his arms and grumbled towards Katara, "Boomerang Boy will certainly be keeping a close eye on Jet, I'll tell you that," causing the group the break into another fit of laughter.
Azula used the laughter as a distraction, nudging her hand against Aang's.
"If swearing's not allowed then neither is sharing tents," announced Toph, kicking the heels of her feet against the ground with a pointed, "I don't need to feel those vibrations."
Azula was stirred out of her sleep by a hand jostling her shoulder. "Aang?" she questioned, before turning around and catching the glint of steel.
Fire.
It comes so ready to her; the flames. Faster than her subconscious. Fast enough to earn her mother's fear.
The blue fire illuminated her assailant's wooden mask as dual swords crossed to block her blow.
Azula sprung to her feet. She fell into a stance her body had all but memorized when he dropped the mask.
"Zuko?!"
Zuko lifted a finger to his lips in a shushing gesture.
"Are you trying to get killed?" asked Azula in a heated whisper because her brother, of all people, should know that firebenders are dangerous.
"I'm here to save you," said Zuko solemnly, and Azula burst into laughter.
"Azula—"
"I chose to go with them," cut off Azula. Her statement hanging in the air, immune to the gravitas, in a bubble built by adrenaline and freedom.
"Why?" asked Zuko, his face contorting with shock, anger, disbelief, and more anger.
"Come on, Zuzu. It's not as if I haven't lied to father before," she said with the exact amount of nonchalance that never failed to get under her brother's skin.
"This isn't something you can lie about!" snarled Zuko.
"I did," smirked Azula, and then when Zuko opened his mouth, she quickly added, to stop a tirade, "I'll say that I escaped unharmed. Father will be mad, but he won't be mad at us."
"Father doesn't know."
Father doesn't know.
Azula felt cold.
"Are you sure about that, Zuzu?" she asked, falling back into familiarity.
Of course Zuzu wouldn't know. He's a failure.
"You're hardly subtle with this," Azula gestured towards him with her hand, "get up."
Father must have followed him.
"I intercepted the note," said Zuko, jutting out his chin, "and I wasn't followed."
"Why? Because you turned off your phone?" mocked Azula. "Brilliant way to avoid detection, Zuzu. Not."
"If I was followed then father would have intervened before you nearly took my head off!" snapped Zuko.
"Perhaps he was hoping I'd finish the job."
Zuko sucked in his breath and snarled. "He didn't even notice! Okay?"
Azula silently glared.
"You think you mean something to him all because you're better at firebending," continued Zuko, "but he doesn't need tradition. You're nothing to him! He left for a meeting while I trapezed through these woods for no apparent reason! Because, of course, this was just your sick idea of a prank!"
"Zuko. That's enough."
Zuko froze, before jerking around violently to glare at Aang. "You! You're behind this?"
How much did you hear? wondered Azula. "He's not behind this," she said, "but it doesn't matter anyway. Hurry up and run home."
"He can stay," said Aang, piercing her heart with three words.
Everyone loves Zuzu.
Azula moved to leave the tent but Aang stopped her with a far too forward hand across her waist.
"Remove your hands," ordered Azula.
He moved his hand up, trailing along her shoulder before Azula slapped his hand away.
"What's wrong?" Aang asked quietly.
Heart pounding, Azula turned away and replied, "Don't follow me."
"Azula?"
She walked past him, past the clearing where the others had gathered, past their questions voiced her way. Azula walked until she reached the dark woods, and then she walked further still.
She made sure not to look back.
He didn't even notice.
