A/N: Guess who's back?
Azula and Zuko had pretty similar teaching styles with only minor differences in tonality, well that wasn't entirely true. Azula still used her anger to fuel her firebending and would use every trick in the book to pull it out of him. Aang thought of himself as a patient person, but she always managed to draw out his anger. Sometimes he got close to telling her that anger wasn't the only way to fuel firebending, but that would raise too many questions that he was duty bound not to answer.
Luckily he got a break because they both had a different focus. "Lightning is a much more precise and deadly form of firebending, it only needs a spark," Azula explained, showing Aang the lightning kata again. "You separate negative from positive energy and then bring them back together to create lightning," Azula continued and finished the movement by pointing two fingers at the dead tree at the base of the tree. Aang felt a shiver run down his spine and he had to remind himself he was being taught. "When you get this we can go into town." She reminded him.
Aang took a deep breath and repeated the circular motion Azula had shown him just moments before, "Like this?" He asked and finished as she did, pointing two fingers at the tree.
Azula nodded, "I'll do it with you, but after this you're on your own." She warned, getting into the stance herself.
Azula and Aang moved together, and as he moved his arms he felt his chi be converted into the crackling electricity that made his hair stand on end. Aang stretched out his hand, directing the energy towards the tree. A weak arc of lightning raced from Aang's hand towards the tree unopposed. Azula's lightning never materialized, instead an explosion big enough to cause Aang to stumble and knock Azula off of her feet.
As the smoke cleared Aang shook his head and offered her a hand. "Are you okay? What was that?" Aang asked.
Azula ignored his hand, pushing herself to her feet. Azula ran her thumbs over the tips of her forefingers, and expressions flashed across her face far too quickly for him to identify. "I'm fine," She replied coolly, keeping her voice level. "Stand back," Azula ordered.
So Aang quickly backed out of her way. Aang briefly wondered if he'd distracted her enough to cause an explosion to form instead of lighting. Azula stepped into the beginning of the lightning kata and as lightning crackled down her forearms, again it exploded. This time Azula was ready for that and she only stumbled a few steps before composing herself.
"Well, you conjured lightning," Azula said, her demeanor shifted to be almost congratulatory. "So let's go meet the others," She continued.
Aang hesitated, but only briefly, he had faith she would figure it out now that she was doing good. "Okay, are we going to talk about the lightning thing?"
"What is there to talk about?" Azula asked curtly. "You were here to learn lightning bending and you did, so let's go." She finished, marching down the hill.
Aang hesitated, but decided it wouldn't be good to press this particular subject, at least not while the wound was fresh. "Alright, I'm sure the others are waiting for us. Let's go!" He said, making a note to ask her about this later.
Katara found it easy to manipulate smaller targets with her bloodbending. Even after only a little practice she was able to pluck fish from the rivers without over touching or bending the water. With so many more mouths it felt like they were always searching for or shopping for food with money they didn't have.
If she hadn't tried bloodbending fish out of the river, there wouldn't have been enough for them. Bloodbending offered a brutal efficiency that was undeniably useful. It was probably why Azula insisted she learn it in the first place. It was cold and decisive, maybe necessary to defeat the Fire Lord.
With each new practice session the unsettling feeling of shame that threatened to consume her the first time began to fade. The terrifying thing was that it wasn't replaced by satisfaction or disgust, it wasn't replaced by anything at all. Katara took stock of this morning's catch, counting a little over a dozen fish. Enough to feed everyone and then some.
"Katara, come on! We're leaving!" Sokka yelled across the valley.
Katara hid her hands as if she had been doing something wrong a moment before. Katara shook her head, "Coming!" She replied and gathered up the fish before following the sound of her brother's voice to the others.
Mai usually wasn't too excited to visit all the tiny villages on the way to Ember Island, but for the others it never seemed to get old. Mai had come to expect a positive disposition from Ty Lee and it seemed the "Gaang" had cultivated a similar atmosphere. Mai was excited this time around too, she'd really missed hanging out with Zuko even when he wasn't gone long. Mai thought that after three years she would've gotten used to it, but it just felt like there was never enough time for them to be together.
Since Ty Lee had decided she would help Katara sell the fish she had caught. Mai had tried to talk to Azula earlier, but she'd brushed her off, which was just fine with Mai. It meant her friends weren't going to bother her and she was going to take advantage of all the time they had together.
Mai laced her fingers between his resting her head on his shoulder. "What are you doing? When we get to the village?" Mai asked.
"I don't know, maybe it'll be nice to just relax," Zuko replied. Since they'd left he seemed so much more at ease despite the fact that he was probably taking one of the biggest risks in his life. Apparently Zuko was more equipped to handle the pressures of being a fugitive than the ones of Fire Nation nobility.
A smile graced Mai's lips, "Does that mean I get you to myself today?" Mai asked, meeting Zuko's eyes.
Mai's smile was contagious, sharing it with Zuko caused the corners of his lips to turn upward. "Yeah, I suppose it does," Zuko replied, his golden gaze drifting briefly over her lips before he caught them in a kiss.
"Hey if you guys are done being mushy I have a proposition for you," Toph interrupted, her arms crossed over her chest.
Mai bit back her comment as Zuko pulled away from her. Mai was almost certain that Toph had done that intentionally, but she'd give Toph the benefit of the doubt. More likely than not Toph had something interesting to do or say. "What is it, Toph? We were kind of busy," Zuko sighed.
"I have a proposal for you," Toph explained, "I heard there's a gambler's alley in town and I'm planning on making some money."
"Are you kidding?" Zuko asked, "Everyone knows their games are rigged," Zuko reminded her.
"Let me finish," Toph quipped, "I know they're all scams, I've played before. People think I'm easy pickings because I'm blind, but I have a few tricks up my sleeve," Toph explained, her confident smirk never wavering.
"But what do you need us for?" Mai asked, raising an eyebrow. Mai had to agree that spending her day in a crowded alley wasn't her idea of entertainment, but she was tempted to hear her out. It worked out the last time after all.
"I just need you to stick around and bail me out if someone is a sore loser," Toph replied,"You might not have to do anything, but watch me make tons of money."
Zuko rolled his eyes, squeezing Mai's hand as he turned to leave, "Thanks for the offer, but we're not wasting the day being your body guards," Zuko retorted, pulling on Mai's hand.
"As if I need bodyguards," Toph contested, "I'm just asking you to stick around and distract people when necessary. I'm even offering half my winnings today."
Zuko's brow furrowed and he connected eyes with Mai again, trying to gauge her thoughts. "What do you think? If we end up having to plan a prison break again that could cut the day short," Zuko reasoned.
"It's fine, Zuko," Mai promised, squeezing his hand in an effort to ease his frustration. "We'll probably just end up hanging out, the worst case scenario is things get really interesting," Mai added.
Zuko nodded, turning towards Toph. "Okay, we'll do it." He agreed.
Toph pumped her fist in light of her success, she stretched onto her tiptoes to wrap one arm around Mai and the other around Zuko, pulling them into a hunched position to meet her level. "I promise you guys won't regret this!" She exclaimed excitedly.
Mai sighed, but Toph's mirth was almost always contagious. "We'll see," Mai replied simply, returning to her full height as Toph let them go, to begin the path to the village.
"Are you sure about this?" Zuko asked, catching her gaze.
"No, but that makes it a lot more interesting," Mai pointed out, the hint of a mischievous grin briefly crossing her face.
Sulking wasn't very becoming of a princess, but brooding was far too much like Zuko so Azula stuck to the former. She found herself lagging behind the others, Ty Lee checked on her once or twice, but Azula told her that she needed to think. It got her some alone time and Ty Lee decided to grace Katara with her presence instead. So Azula turned her thoughts again to her bending.
Lightning bending, relatively speaking, was new to her. Her Father had begun to teach her a few months before, she'd barely had time to master it before she had time to leave. Maybe she'd forgotten something crucial or her mind wasn't clear enough. Azula racked her brain, trying to remember every piece of advice her Father had given her, but she couldn't think of much without reconsidering how helpful it could really be.
Azula was pulled from her thoughts as they traveled from the outskirts of the village to the center. It was like any other dull village she passed through on her way to the palace or the docks. The smells of food and flowers wafted off the various stalls and vendors shouting at and startling any patron who unintentionally wandered into their orbit. Azula lifted her chin, pulling her shoulders back in an effort to look unapproachable.
"Ooo! Look at those!" Sokka exclaimed, pointing to set up telescopes with eyes filled with awe and wonder. He looked like a giddy child, but was blissfully unaware of that fact.
"Unless you have another 500 coins I wouldn't get your hopes up," Suki warned him before they got too close, holding his hand tightly.
"I just want to look," Sokka promised her, in an attempt to pacify. It didn't appear to work, nevertheless they disappeared into the crowd.
Ty Lee pointed out a fishing vendor to Katara, "We could try over there? Or maybe one of the restaurants?" She suggested.
Azula wasn't planning on spending time with anyone in particular, but she still wasn't in the mood to hang out with Sokka or Katara. Azula was pretty sure she'd seen Mai and Zuko together earlier and as she turned to join them she realized at some point they must have vanished into the crowd. Toph must've been there plus one, leaving her alone with the avatar. Azula hadn't intended on hanging out with Aang. There were way too many mixed emotions that came with him.
Azula had half expected him to chase Katara and Ty Lee. The affection he felt for Katara wasn't particularly well hidden, but for whatever reason, here he was. This was probably for the best, though it was an inopportune time. Aang was the last person she needed to gain the trust of before they faced the Fire Lord.
"Azula?" Aang called out. Aang was staring at her, his head tilted slightly, his grey eyes examining her with concern. It probably wasn't the first time he'd called her name.
Azula shook her head, "Sorry, what were you saying?" Azula asked. Beginning the afternoon distracted didn't bode well, but fortunately Aang didn't seem upset by her aberration.
"I said, I guess it's just us. What do you want to do?" Aang asked, "I'm kind of hungry,"
They had had a light breakfast, "I suppose we should find something to eat," Azula answered, scanning the street for restaurants.
Aang nodded, scratching the back of his head. "Well, as long as I don't have to eat meat," Aang replied.
Azula crossed her arms looking down at Aang, "Right," Azula assured him.
Aang rubbed the back of his head, his fingers running over the arrow, "Great, let's head that way?" He suggested, following the smell of food away from the town square. Azula didn't bother trying to keep up the conversation, but unfortunately Aang did it for her. "Thanks for helping Katara," He said.
Azula scanned the buildings on either side of her, anywhere but Aang's eyes, "You're welcome," She replied, "I wasn't entirely surprised by her decision, but it was still a fruitful journey."
"I'm glad you agree!" Aang exclaimed, "I think Katara found peace and was able to find it in her heart to forgive you and Zuko."
Katara had told them as much when they returned, but it never hurt to have it confirmed with one of their friends, "We made a better team than I thought we would," Azula admitted.
Aang smiled warmly, "Yeah, she's amazing," He replied, "I mean both of you are amazing benders," He added quickly, his face flushing pink.
Normally Azula would've taken the opportunity to tease him over his obvious crush on Katara, but instead her thoughts were drawn back to her bending or lack thereof. Maybe the spirits saw fit to finally punish her for killing the Avatar. It was irrational, she knew that, but the thought was particularly difficult to dismiss.
Azula shifted her attention quickly to the restaurants running parallel to each other on either side of them in an attempt to gain control. Azula ruled out the more ornate ones immediately, too expensive. Between some of the other more expensive looking restaurants was one that seemed to be overlooked by most of the patrons. The exterior gave off a bit of an unkempt impression, but it seemed perfect to avoid attracting attention.
"Let's try this one," Azula suggested, drawing Aang's attention towards it.
Aang followed her gaze to the restaurant and only scanned briefly before his gaze returned to her, "Sure, let's check it out," He agreed and made his way towards the building.
Inside it was lit by oil lanterns lining the wooden walls. All of the room's corners had people stationed in them already, positioned in a way that obscured their features. Just as she'd suspected it was full of figures who were attempting to avoid attention while they attended to their own matters. Most of the patrons were hanging around one of the center tables and talking loud enough that it was difficult to pick out any single conversation. It was perfect.
Azula and Aang we're seated with their respective choices. Aang dug into a bowl of noodles while Azula allowed her dumplings to cool. Azula absentmindedly poked at the dumplings and pushed them around the bowl, lacking the motivation to do any more than that.
Aang cleared his throat, "I'm actually really glad you joined us," He began as he set down his utensils. "I was scared at first, but you're different than I thought and honestly, I'm not sure if I could defeat Ozai without your help."
"You're right of course, that you stand a better chance with me, Mai, and Ty Lee here. But even without our help you would've stood a chance, a slim one, but a chance." Azula replied.
Aang chuckled with an amused grin crossing his face, "That almost sounded like a compliment," He remarked.
"It is a compliment," Azula corrected him, "Previously I wouldn't have considered it possible for you to beat the Fire Lord, but all of you are more competent than I initially thought." Azula admitted. Azula's mind again drifted to lightning bending.
Aang smiled again, "Thanks then, I appreciate it!"
Azula met his gaze and again, found only genuine
pride. Aang had no ulterior motives for telling her this and her suspicion of him wasn't really there because of something he'd done and just like that she was being bombarded with thoughts she'd been distracting herself from. It was so much easier to justify killing the Avatar when she hadn't known him and here he was being kind to her, despite everything.
"Azula?" Aang called, "Are you okay?" He asked, scanning her face with concerned grey eyes.
Azula steeled herself, this was a long time coming and she knew that, "I'm sorry," She apologized, her eyes lifting from the table to meet Aang's. "For killing you, it was the " Azula tapped her fingernails against the table, the clicks serving to soothe her nerves temporarily.
Aang was quiet for too long, but she didn't have any clever quips in her reserves that would resolve this situation. The longer she waited for an answer the more she began to think that it was a mistake to bring it up. Aang broke the silence, "I forgive you," He accepted. "I wasn't ever really angry with you, a little nervous maybe," Aang admitted.
Azula let out a sigh, a little tension leaving her shoulders, "You don't seem nervous," Azula pointed out.
Aang nodded, "I'm not anymore, when you helped my friends you helped me." He paused again, gathering his thoughts briefly, "And they started to trust you, so now I do too,"
Azula knew Aang was pretty forgiving and easygoing, but she still hadn't expected to be forgiven before she'd even apologized. "If you're sure there isn't anything I can do." Azula insisted.
"You're already training me, that's more than enough." Aang replied casually, waving off her comment.
Not very well. The sentiment had firmly rooted itself within her consciousness, what was she without her bending? Who's to say she couldn't lose firebending if she could lose her ability to lightning bend without even noticing. She would no longer mean anything to Aang or any of the others. Even if fear wasn't what kept Mai and Ty Lee bound to her, even they must know that without her bending she was insignificant. Useless.
Aang shifted in his spot, breaking the silence between them, "Er— I know we don't know each other well, but something is bothering you right?"
Azula scoffed, "It's that obvious?" She asked.
"Well, maybe just if you're paying attention," Aang answered, almost nervous. "It's about this morning, right?"
"If by 'this morning' you mean when I pathetically failed to conjure lightning not once but twice, then yes it's about 'this morning."' Azula [ ]ed.
Aang rubbed the back of his head, his eyes flitting downward and then back up at Azula, "If it makes you feel better, the first time I trained with Zuko he could barely firebend," Aang admitted and a smile began to spread across his face. "We had to go on a little journey so he could find himself, so maybe you need something like that too?"
Azula had been ready to brush him off, but the little tidbits about Zuko were amusing enough to lift her mood slightly. Azula noted Aang had been rather vague about the nature of that journey, besides being curious, it could be helpful, but only if she learned more. "Zuzu didn't mention that," Azula mused, "Not that I'm surprised. Don't tell me exploring an old air temple was enough for him to regain his skill."
"Well not quite, we found a couple masters," Aang said, hesitant to divulge more. "I don't think he'd want me to talk about it," Aang said.
Azula wasn't aware of any masters she hadn't already met or heard of but she could tell from Aang's face she wasn't going to get a name out of him. Now Zuko, on the other hand, she was certain she could get all the information she needed from him. "That's alright," She assured him, "Let's talk about something else,"
All-in-all Mai considered the day enjoyable, of course the day wasn't over yet so it was still up in the air. Not that she expected it to get any worse from here. The dozens of hostile eyes trained on her may have unnerved her if she hadn't dealt with much more competent foes in the past year including the pair standing next to her at the present moment. With Zuko and Toph they could make quick work of the townsfolk, the only problem was that they weren't supposed to draw attention themselves.
Mai nudged Zuko with her shoulder, narrowing her eyes. "She wasn't cheating, tell them," Mai said, nodding towards the growing crowd.
Zuko's eyebrows knit together in frustration, he clearly hadn't appreciated being put on the spot. Nevertheless he fumbled for an answer to give them, eventually clearing his throat and beginning with no clear plan. "Er- she obviously couldn't cheat because…" He trailed off, "She's too… honorable?" He added.
The crowd standing opposite then seemed unconvinced and Mai rolled her eyes. Where was Azula when you needed her? This was going to require a quick escape. Obviously the only thing that motivated them was money so she'd have to use that to motivate them. "Hate to interrupt, but is that guy taking all the gold?" She asked, feigning a passive interest in something behind them.
The dealers and gamblers alike whipped around, ready to spring to action to catch the non-existent thief. A murmur of threats and curses ran through the crowd.
Fortunately, Zuko and Toph caught quickly and the three of them took off down one of the alleys that hopefully ended in them finding the others. "That was the best you could come up with?" Mai hissed.
"I didn't see you interjecting with any bright ideas!" Zuko shot back, shooting her an exasperated look as they ran past the back side of the town.
"Would you guys shut up for a second?" Toph demanded, "And I'm pretty sure this alley ends in a dead end."
Mai quickly discovered Toph was right about the dead end, though Toph made no issue of it once they reached it. Mai watched with hidden awe as Toph widened her stance, pushing up with her forearms. Beneath her the Earth abruptly jutted upward, launching her lazily through the air and landing on her feet on the roof.
"Coming up?" She taunted, with a smirk.
Mai glanced behind her and sure enough, she could hear murmuring and footsteps drawing closer. Zuko connected eyes with her and without a word a plan was set into motion. Zuko moved forward and pressed his back against the wall, knitting his fingers together to create a foothold. Mai took a couple steps backwards, then ran towards him. Using her momentum and Zuko's extra launch herself onto the roof with a thud. Mai quickly got onto her stomach reaching out to Zuko, to return the favor.
Zuko grasped her hand with his calloused one, grabbing her forearm tightly with the other. Mai had to use all of her strength to drag him up onto the roof with her, just as their pursuers stepped into the alley they'd been standing in moments before.
Toph crossed her arms, "I'm a little impressed you two pulled that off without bickering," She remarked, "What now?" She asked after a short pause.
"We find the others and we get out of here," Zuko answered, looking over the city streets in search of a familiar face.
Ty Lee shielded her face as she stepped from under the tent into the hot summer sun. Despite the heat, she was still in a good mood. Ty Lee had managed to stretch their coins much further than they should've gone just by being nice. Ty Lee looked over her shoulder as Katara joined her.
The boy behind the stall, Li— at least she was pretty sure his name was Li, his face was flushed and quickly looked away as soon as her eyes reached his face. Ty Lee smiled, blowing him a kiss, "Thanks Li! I'll see you!" She said and waved.
As soon as Ty Lee turned to leave a solid thud came from the stall, a cloud of dirt floating up into the sky. Ty Lee hadn't meant for him to faint, but even she made mistakes sometimes. Katara hesitated beside her glancing back to check on him, "Is he going to be okay?" Katara asked.
"Probably," Ty Lee guessed, "They usually get over it in a minute or two!" Ty Lee assured her cheerfully.
Katara considered him for a moment more before deciding that he would be fine and deciding to move on. "I knew you said you could get us a good deal, but I didn't expect half of it to be free," Katara commented with a pleased smile.
Ty Lee felt pride swelling in her chest and her grin spread wider across her face, "Oh really? I'm sure you could do it too if you really tried!" Ty Lee encouraged her.
Katara quickly turned her attention back to her basket of food, but Ty Lee caught the rosy color her cheeks had begun to take on anyway, "Well, we have enough food that I don't think I'll need too," Katara deflected.
Ty Lee had been intending to reply, but instead gasped as her wrist was grabbed and she was pulled from the main street, between two buildings. Ty Lee raised the opposite fist, ready to disable (temporarily) her mysterious assailant, but stopped mid jab.
"Mai?" Ty Lee asked as Mai let go of her wrist, crossing her arms and nodded towards the other three people in the alleyway.
Katara had similarly hesitated as she saw who had pulled her into the alley. Zuko and Toph were standing side by side, Toph with a mischievous smirk painting her features, conversely Zuko sulked beside her. "What exactly do you guys think you're doing?" Katara asked, seething.
Zuko shushed her, looking over his shoulder quickly before beginning to explain, "There's a mob after us, so we need to get out of here before they find us."
"Do you know where Azula and Aang went?" Mai asked her, though she exhibited calmness more than Zuko, the way she held herself a little instead of simply resting her hands on her arms portrayed the urgency Mai refused to voice.
Ty Lee shook her head, "I don't think Azula had a plan, but she wasn't very talkative on the way over here." She explained. Mai shot her a knowing look, interpreting from the statement that Azula had been in a mood. Mai had always been smart like that.
"How about Sokka then?" Toph asked impatiently.
"I haven't seen him since this morning either, but he's probably still in the market somewhere." Katara said, her gaze fixed on Toph. "What exactly did you guys do?" She asked.
"Long story," Toph replied, tapping her foot impatiently, "But we should really get going before they find us."
Katara narrowed her eyes, "I'm not going anywhere until you guys tell me what happened," Katara declared, putting her foot down.
"There they are!" A voice called out, alerting all the guards in their immediate vicinity of their approximate location. "Grab them!" The order came just as quickly.
"Well, looks like we don't have the time, Sugar Queen, let's get going." Toph said, with a little smirk. Katara realizing she didn't have much of a choice, huffed and ready herself for an escape.
Though Suki feigned annoyance at Sokka's desire to buy every shiny gadget they came across, she actually thought it was adorable. Sometimes Sokka could be so sarcastic. While Suki certainly appreciated that side of him, watching his face light up with excitement and curiosity at the sight of something new made her fall in love with him all over again. So, when they came across a treasure trove of stuffed animals and Sokka's eyes went as wide as saucers she knew she'd have to get him one.
That was how they ended up with a huge purple platypus bear with silver wings. They were questionable design choices, but Sokka seemed to love it so what did it matter?
"Suki!" The hiss was barely audible, but still it stopped her in her tracks. Suki was certain she heard her name. Before Suki could think on it much longer, Sokka caught up with her and made his presence known by slamming into her back. Suki stumbled forward, only stopped from colliding with the ground by her reflexes. Suki shot him a look for breaking her focus, but she couldn't find the source of the sound.
"Sorry," Sokka apologized sheepishly, tucking the stuffed bear beneath his arm. "What happened?"
"I thought I heard som—" Suki began, but again a whisper cut across the hum of the marketplace.
"Suki, over here!" This time it was unmistakable. Someone had called her name and she was going to find them. The source was difficult to identify, but it wasn't anyone out in the open and She was certain it'd come from behind her on the right. Suki turned, heading towards the sound. As Sokka opened his mouth to speak, she pressed a forefinger to his lips, shushing him before he could get out a word.
Suki spotted movement from one of the alleys lining the street, just where she'd heard that voice. Suki took Sokka's hand and cautiously pulled him along, but when she reached the alley it wasn't anything to be wary of. The majority of the friends she'd been traveling with were seemingly trying to avoid the attention they would net in the square.
"Guys?" Sokka asked, "What are you doing?"
"Long story," Zuko replied impatiently, "Do you know where Azula and Aang are?"
Azula and Aang stepped out into the blazing heat of the afternoon. Aang definitely thought that that had gone as well as it could've, but he was eager to get back to his friends and especially Appa and Momo. Azula grabbed his arm before he could step into the more populated areas of the village.
"What?" Aang asked, glancing towards her, then the roads.
"What? You don't see that it's crawling with guards?" Azula asked, nodding towards whatever she'd seen.
Aang followed her gaze, immediately settling on guards, scattered about patrolling,talking with citizens, and searching for something. Aang turned his attention back to Azula, "Well they don't know who we are, right? We should be able to walk out of here," Aang suggested.
"They're looking for someone and Team Avatar is the largest group of fugitives in town," Azula pointed out. "If they're not after you they're after one of us."
Aang knew she was right. It was rare for Fire Nation soldiers for someone other than them. "Well let's just go another way, maybe we can find them?" Aang suggested, heading in the opposite direction. Azula followed him, keeping quiet and observant. They quickly reached an intersection between the buildings, the path out of town was a straight shot from here, but there was only one problem.
It was being guarded by a handful of soldiers. Aang hesitated, "Uh oh," He muttered, "Maybe they won't notice it's us," He considered.
Azula paused, her gaze fixed on the soldiers ahead. She seemed to size each one up individually, drawing conclusions before she spoke. "Maybe, if we can't talk our way out of it we can take them down quickly and quietly." Azula reasoned, tapping her finger on her chin.
Aang nodded and as he turned towards the soldiers again there was a familiar figure approaching the soldiers. Aang hesitated, "Is that Zuko?" Aang asked, as the figure attacked the smallest of the soldiers, sweeping him off his feet and knocking him out with a swift strike to the face. As he moved to face the next soldier, the messy mop of brown hair and rough pink flesh covering a quarter of his face made him unmistakeable.
"Well, we can't let him have all the fun," Azula quipped, taking off towards the gates, "And you're only allowed to use firebending!" She ordered, as she leapt into the air, sending a volley of blue then orange flames at the soldiers.
Aang groaned, but found himself readying himself with two fingers and using well placed blasts of flame, the jabs were too small to do any real harm, but it certainly caught the attention of some soldiers. Two of the remaining soldiers converged on Aang quickly, clearly not wanting to waste time. Aang smiled and quickly ducked under the man's jab, but was grabbed around his waist in the process. "Gotcha, ya' little weasel!"
Aang looked up then back at the soldier who was now approaching him again and knew he had to make a quick decision. Aang kicked off of the ground, using the concussive force of his fire bending to push the man in front of him into the bushes and the one holding him let out a grunt as doubling over in agony. "Sorry," Aang apologized, meeting back up with his now much larger group of friends. The soldiers scattered all over in various states of consciousness.
Azula rolled her shoulders back and smirked at him as he returned to the group. "So you show some promise after all," She remarked.
"Hey, where were you guys?" Sokka interjected.
"Oh!" Aang exclaimed, "We just went to get some lunch." He replied casually.
Sokka's jaw dropped, "You got food? Without me?" Sokka whined.
Katara smacked his shoulder, "You know we got supplies to make a big dinner tonight.
"Hey guys, the losers definitely had a bunch of friends, remember? And more than I can count are coming this way right now so maybe let's get out of here?" Toph urged them.
Aang nodded, "We can finish this conversation later," He agreed, heading into the woods.
The difference between the mealtimes Azula was used and the ones with the Gaang were striking. Even when both her mother and Zuko were present it was tense, sometimes quiet. Father was like one of the Earth Kingdom bombs hidden beneath the earth who could be set off by the smallest indiscretion. Sometimes it was better to be silent than to risk exploding. Zuko never really learned that, and that was why when he was gone meals got a whole lot quieter.
Now this was it's polar opposite, all of them were loud and unafraid of expressing their feelings. They argued, but without malice. It seemed they were always smiling and laughing, bonding and growing closer. This dynamic was still foreign to her, it was incredibly frustrating that she could break all of its components down to a science and start from there. So Azula only made the occasional interjection, mimicking the Gaang's way of teasing each other until they all broke off to sleep in their separate tents.
Azula followed her brother, grabbing his arm before he could disappear under the red canvas, "Hello brother, I just wanted to ask you about something Aang mentioned today."
A/N: I've returned fellow Azula simps. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I worked very hard on it and it's over 6000 words. Next I'm gonna be writing Chapter 3 of Warped Existence and I've ironed out a lot of things for both fics. I promise it won't take as long next time ;)