"Did you like Piandao?" Azula asked her twin as soon as his first day of training finally ended.

"Yeah" he replied with that dumb, kind of cute smile he'd always have in his face when he was happy or excited "He's a great swords master"

A great assassin, Azula corrected mentally. She had realized there had to be something more about the man when she overheard her mother berating Ozai for choosing 'such a dangerous man to teach their son to fight', and it didn't take long for her to compare the few things she knew about Piandao's abilities with the techniques used by one of the 'secret' assassins Azulon paid to take care of noble men that decided they had any right to the throne just because their ancestors were important rulers a million years ago, when their nation was still divided in clans that were constantly at each other's throats, fighting for any resource, just like any of the foreign savages they were now saving from themselves.

But she also knew very well that some things should simply never be said out loud. And 'The Future Fire Lord is having his son be trained by one of the deadliest men on the nation who is only not seen as a bloody butcher because he's on the right side' definitively fit the criteria.

"It's a shame I couldn't watch it" the princess said, not even trying to hide the bitterness in her voice.

Zuko sighed "I know. I would have preferred having you there to support me as well, but mother says this will be best for the two of us"

"Of course you're siding with her" Azula rolled her eyes "Mom's little baby just can't be mad at her, ever"

"I'm not her little baby!" he said, cheeks flushed and face contorting in his best attempt at a truly angry, intimidating expression, that only made him look more like the little boy that he was.

"Sure, sure. Either way, mother doesn't know what she's talking about. How could be keeping us apart a good thing?"

"It's just for one every week. It's not that important, especially since we do pretty much everything else together" he argued, but he sounded more like he was repeating what their mother told him to say to himself and to others. Zuko was just physically incapable of being convincing while saying something he didn't actually believe in.

"Whatever. I'm going to train with you and Piandao too once dad allows you to practice your firebending with us"

"Do you have to master so many things?"

"Of course. Can't believe you even have to ask me that" she looked at him sweetly "And you know I don't like to be away from you. Even for a little while"

Zuko blushed again "I don't know if mom will want you training with us. She might not give you permission"

"Like that would stop me from doing what I want"

Zuko laughed and tried to kiss her, but she pulled away, making a disgusted face.

"Go take a bath first. You're all sweaty and gross"

Her brother smirked "Really?"

He tried to grab her and pull her to him just as Azula started running as fast as she could. He chased her through the garden, through the halls of the palace, and all the way up to her room, catching up with her just before she could slam the door right on his face and lock it. He gave her a bone-crushing hug as she struggled and failed to free herself. When he let go, they were both a little out of breath, and judging by his pained expression, Zuko was regretting having used all the energy he had left after training.

"There. You got your stupid hug and now I need a bath too. Happy?"

"No" without another word he started ruffling her hair, earning himself a kick.

"Why do you always do that?"

"Because I know you hate it" he kissed her cheek "Let's take that bath"

"I am going to take a bath. You'll wait"

"Oh, come on!"

"Should have just done it when I told you to" she said, ending the discussion and making her way to the bath-chambers. Zuko followed her, but simply stayed next to the door, waiting his turn. She made sure to take her sweet time, and even after she was done, she just stayed there, laughing to herself whenever she heard him knocking frantically telling her to hurry up and let him in already. All that did was make sure that she refused to move a muscle. She found it particularly funny when he - loudly - pretended to walk away as if he had chosen to just use the servant's bath chambers, and barely managed to stay quiet for a minute before demanding her to just let him have his turn.

I always win, dum-dum.

The thing Zuko disliked the most about a prince was, without a shadow of a doubt, having to act all polite to people he didn't like. Sure, he didn't have to be nice, thank Agni, but he still wasn't allowed to speak his mind, and he had never been okay with that.

Surprisingly enough, despite being just as proud as him, Azula excelled at handling everything a princess should: how to talk with their family, how to interact with their peers, how to address generals, admirals, commanders, dignitaries, sages and nobles, how to present herself to the public, how to address their teachers and masters. Even when talking to the servants, no matter how annoyed she was, she always managed to behave perfectly and be absurdly polite - while also making her opinions very clear.

So, he was more than a bit confused, and even a little disappointed when Azula had all of her classmates, the girls she'd relentless make fun of pretty much every day, come over to the palace. Dad, of course, allowed it because he just had to show to absolutely everyone how amazing his daughter was. Zuko knew that he was being petty, and even his mom had told him to just let her 'have fun' but he just couldn't understand how this could be fun.

His sister had never liked any of these girls and none of them had ever liked her, yet now they were at their home, acting like they thought Azula was the most incredible person in the world and she kept letting them, despite knowing how false their admiration was. Even Ty Lee, who Zuko knew truly thought highly of her, was acting just like those stupid, shallow girls that were desperate to pretend they were worth anything just because Azula was now willing to talk to them - to show off to them. Ursa had told him that interacting with more kids their age would be good for them and teach them how to friendships worked, but the only thing this pathetic situation seemed to be teaching him, was that his sister didn't care about being genuinely respected and admired, she only wanted to get enough attention to convince herself that people were in awe of her.

Mai was the only one who seemed as irritated by all of this as he was. He had always liked her company just as much as Azula did, but now that she seemed to be the only one truly on his side, he appreciated her even more. Sure, she was a little too serious and indifferent sometimes, but it wasn't enough to make her boring, just like Ty Lee wasn't annoying despite being... well, Ty Lee. Plus, she could be just as creative and almost mean when she complained about people, just like Azula.

And in a weird way, he even liked that she didn't care much about anything anyone did. When Azula practically dragged him to the gardens so he could show her classmates what Piandao had taught him, he had been flattered that she had found impressive, but he was also painfully aware that the other girls were bored and even seemed to be embarrassed for him. Just like almost everyone, they were all waiting for him to prove he was a prodigy too. Mai liked him, sure, she wouldn't spend any time with him if she didn't, but she wasn't expecting him to be like his sister, and it never felt like she didn't he was capable - she just wouldn't care.

Azula wouldn't get either. She'll still love you if you're never able to do the things she does, he told himself, remembering his mother's reassurance, but he was finding it harder and harder for him to believe. Despite how difficult his dad was to please, he had never thought his dad would ever hate him if he wasn't good enough, yet it still happened - how could he be sure his sister wouldn't get sick of him too?

"Hey, are you listening?" Mai asked, shaking him.

"Yes!" he said, a little too fast, clearly caught off guard.

Mai rolled her eyes "You guys can be so insufferable. Even when you're apart you can't focus on anything else"

"Sorry. I swear it's not personal"

"I know, I know. Don't worry about it" she sounded sincere, but with Mai it was hard to tell since she had pretty much the same expression at all the times and always spoke using the same tone of voice "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes. I just don't like having all these people here"

"You don't like that your sister is getting all the attention, or that she is not paying attention to you?"

"It's not like that" he snarled.

She shrugged "Whatever you say. Tell me one thing though - does it feel weird? Being engaged even though you guys are kids?"

"You're our age"

"You know what I meant"

He considered it for a moment "Not really. I knew I was engaged to Azula for as long as I've known my own name. I can't even imagine what it'd be like if things were different"

She chuckled "It will probably be weird for the two of you once you're actually married to each other instead of just engaged."

"Probably. But just a little"

Mai kept making small-talk, but Zuko could tell there was something she wanted to ask, but wasn't sure she should. Despite being their friends, Mai and Ty Lee also made sure they never crossed any lines. Nobility was respected by royalty, but it was still beneath it after all, and these two were already rather bold.

Eventually, she took her chance "How do you know that you really do love her like that?" noticing that she had both confused and offended him a little, Mai explained herself a little better "You always knew you were going to marry her someday, but when did you realize that was something you actually wanted? What made you not see her the way you see the rest of your family or me and Ty Lee?"

The young prince stayed silent for a long time, trying to find the words to explain something he wasn't sure he himself understood "There wasn't really one big moment that changed everything. I just... like her. And I know that she's special. It's not even that she gets me, it's more like she's part of me. I don't really understand much of what adults say when they talk about love, marriage, and all of those things, but the more time I spent with her, it just felt right. Does that make sense?"

"No" she answered bluntly "Now come on, we should get back"

"I don't want to"

"I know. Me neither. But I've already stolen you from your sister for an hour, and if I keep pushing my luck, she'll drown me in the turtle-ducks pond"

Zuko grimaced at the thought "No wonder Azula likes you. You're really morbid"

"Really?"

"Yeah. Weird and kind of scary too"

To his surprised, she offered him a truly beautiful, radiant smile that made him feel both happy and like he was seeing the laws of nature being completely ignored "Thank you, Zuko. Now hurry up before she kills me. And try to pretend you didn't like spending time with me"

He nodded solemnly and followed his friend to the garden.

The training had been a bit different that day. Azula liked practicing with her dad, and he was obviously the best firebender in the world, but Li and Lo's lessons were a bit more interesting, since they made even the simplest of things look exciting and new with their weird little additions. And besides, things were always more fun when Zuzu was around, be it when they were working as a team, sparring, competing or even just meditating together.

Li and Lo had them do a bit of everything on that particular training session, and Zuko was clearly enjoying himself a bit more, since he had never liked having to keep doing the basic moves over and over, so mixing it up a bit was the way to keep him from getting bored and being sloppy. She still won when they sparred, obviously, but at least her dum-dum had some fun. And getting him a little tired helped him not complain too much when they had to meditate.

Once again, Li and Lo had them create flames separately, their backs turned to each other. Azula could now keep the small flames on the candles blue for as long as she wanted, and even the big ones in the braziers were much easier for her to control. While Zuko had been making some progress handling his flames, Azula could see the disappointment in his eyes as they stayed red no matter what technique he used. He had seemed to get a bit more hopeful when the elderly sisters had him create as big of a flame as he could, with Azula using it as a way to create one even bigger, and it helped her keep it burning blue until he stopped feeding it, and the red kept appearing every now and again since she couldn't rely on his power.

But they switched things around, her flames became completely red the second Zuko tried to control them - and he couldn't even do it for too long. They had to stop before he got himself hurt. His abilities could make her stronger, but she was still clearly the more powerful of the two.

"How long until I can do what Azula does?" her brother ask the twins as the training ended, irritated and a bit sad.

"Your spirit already knows everything your sister knows"

"Your mind and body just need some time to catch up"

"How much time?" the impatience on his voice was impossible to miss.

"Impossible to say just yet" they said at the same time.

"It doesn't matter, Zuzu" she said, distracting her brother before he could lash out at Li and Lo as he was clearly planning to do "It will happen eventually, they just said so. And besides, you're missing something quite obvious: you're already a better firebender than you were before."

"Really?" he sounded truly touched. She couldn't believe he truly had not noticed how much progress he was making. Li and Lo's odd tactics helped him more than even their dad could have, since they were patient enough to not snap when he made his mistakes, but didn't coddle him either.

"Of course, dum-dum! You should stop worrying so much. Once all this training is over, we'll be the best firebenders in history. That's the whole point of all of this."

"Oh, this isn't just for firebending, princess"

"This training will bring you two closer together"

"In every way" the two women said in a way that sounded far too menacing for Azula's liking, but neither she nor her brother had the time to question them on what they meant. They rarely answered anything after the training was over, and even then the answers were as cryptic as the sisters themselves, and it usually didn't bother Azula at all... but something about how vague they always were about the goal of all this training made Azula very suspicious, even though she believed the women meant no harm.

This better be worth our time.

"Did you understand what they meant?" his twin asked, clearly puzzled, clinging to his arm as they left the Agni Kai room and made their way to the dragon pit.

"Not really"

She sighed "I don't know what I was expecting. You never know anything" she then laughed as she often did whenever she teased him, but Zuko didn't find it funny at all. That comment would not have bothered him at all just two months, or even a few weeks earlier, but at that moment he couldn't help but feel a little hurt.

It wasn't serious. She's just joking.

Still, he was too upset to think of some snarky comment to answer her with, and Azula seemed surprised. They continued walking in without saying another word to each other, but for once it wasn't the comfortable silence that the prince was used to. It felt more like both of them had something to say to each other, but didn't know exactly what it was or how to say it.

His sister was the one to break the spell, asking him random questions that he was only half paying attention to, without even looking at her. Despite him being somewhat unresponsive, she went on. Azula had always been much better than him at making situations go from uncomfortable to completely normal.

Suddenly, he heard her scream and immediately rushed to her side, seeing her pulling her hand away from the dragon eggs "What's wrong?"

She looked at him with a smile on her face "It burned me"

At first, that excited reaction seemed weird to him, but as soon as he realized what it meant, he became just as euphoric and hugged her tight.

"Go tell the guards to call our parents and the sages, dum-dum" she said, disentangling herself from him. He did as he was told, then ran back to her side, taking her hand and seeing if the burn had been serious. Azula rolled her eyes at the gesture, but the second he started gently kissing her palm, she chuckled and caressed his cheek.

The two of them kept their eyes on the eggs even as their parents walked into the dragon pit. Zuko's breath caught up in his throat and he felt his twin squeezing his hand tightly as cracks begun to appear on the eggs, smoke escaping through it. Ruk and Kyin came closer, and the affection in their eyes as they watched their babies come into the world seemed, for lack of a better word, almost human. After that, the eggs quickly started to melt, and they could hear the loud hissing of the dragons that were burning it from the inside. The older dragons seemed to gently caress and soothe their babies, and while the scene was quite touching, Zuko couldn't help but feel nervous seeing such huge animals interacting with tiny little things they could easily crush if they weren't careful. The four of them seemed to be demonstrating their firebending to each other.

Maybe this will help me turn my fire blue. The sages always said that the best way to learn was to understand dragons.

The little creatures in front of them could have been mistaken for common reptiles if it weren't for their wings and for the small, but still powerful flames they could generate. The one that belonged to Zuko had bright red scales, while the one that belonged to his sister of a dark blue. They both had golden eyes, and even from afar the twins could see the sharp teeth and claws. They didn't seem to be able to truly control the movements of their wings just yet.

The twins waited, rather impatiently, for their parents and for Kyin and Ruk to allow them to get close to the cubs. They weren't stupid, they knew that, even though they already a bond with the dragons, that were rather small, they were still dangerous... but they were still kids. The sages arrived as they continued watching, and eventually deemed it safe enough for them to interact with the animals. He hesitated a little to reach out for his dragon, while Azula looked completely confident. The little creatures seemed to relax into their touch, as if they were family too.

"Show them what you can do" Ozai said to Azula, a truly proud smile on his face. The princess obeyed him creating a small, bright, blue flame, that seemed to hypnotize the cubs and even Kyin and Ruk kept staring at it even though Azula had already shown off to them, and to any living creature she could find, a million times.

Even dragons are fascinated by her, the young prince thought to himself bitterly.

As if on cue, his mother immediately hugged him and offered him a loving smile, trying to make him focus on something else and silently comforting him while everyone else was ignoring him in favor of his sister "Did you kids think of what you want to name them?"

Both of them nodded, and Azula was the first one to speak up "Mine will be Sozin" for once, she ignored their father's proud reaction, and kept her eyes on Zuko. He had done well in leaving her curious "And you, dum-dum? What will you call yours?"

He prepared himself for the angry reaction Ozai would have, taking a deep breath "Roku"

The young prince could have sworn that even the sound of the flames burning in the braziers had stopped.

"Are you out of your mind?" his father looked like he was fighting the urge to hit him.

"Zuko, honey, maybe it'd be best for you to choose something else?" his mother practically pleaded with him.

"Roku was family too. And he was incredibly powerful, just like Sozin" replied, refusing to back down. The sages, trying to remedy the situation, kept saying empty phrases disguised as anything deep, talking about how beautiful it was that both the princess and the prince wanted to praise their family... only to then immediately take Ozai's side the second he snarled at all of them.

"Sozin wasn't a traitor"

"Roku wasn't the one who hunted dragons for sport!" the young prince had not meant to yell, but he wasn't able to hold back. The half the sages stared at him in absolute shock, eyes wide and jaws dropping, while the other half just sighed and probably started planning his funeral in their minds.

"Just choose something else, you idiot!" Azula sounded genuinely exasperated.

"Shut up!"

"Enough of this" his mother intervened, but this time she didn't look like she was angry at them for snapping at each other. She was trying to make sure they wouldn't push their father too far.

"Get out of my sight. All of you"

The three of them obeyed without hesitation, and Zuko noticed his sister looking back, clearly sad that she had not been able to spend as much time with her dragon as she had hoped. He felt slightly guilty and considered at least trying to offer her some comfort.

Instead, he locked himself up in his room.

"You're ridiculously lucky" the princess said to her brother, walking into 'his' room and sitting on the edge of their bed.

"Why?" he was clearly still upset, and for once Azula could blame him.

"Because I am kind enough to fix the mess you made"

"I didn't do anything"

"Really? Not even choosing to name your dragon after Avatar Roku? Intentionally trying to spite dad?"

"It had nothing to do with dad" he argued, being way too defensive "I just wanted to homage our mother's family"

"Oh, yes, and she has no other relatives, and definitively not a single family member that didn't go against our great-grandfather" she said while giving him an annoyed glare "Look, I understand you're mad at dad, but this is just gonna make things worse for you. And make me have to spend two hours doing every fire bending stance I've ever learned so I could impress the sages and make him calm down a little"

"And I'm sure you hated showing off and having everyone paying attention to you"

Azula ignored his comment despite being a little bothered by it "So what if I did? That has nothing to do with anything. We have our dragons, you won't have to choose a new name for yours, and dad is not mad anymore. What are you still sulking about?"

"You didn't stand up for me" he said, sounding genuinely hurt and even bitter.

"What?"

"Even when you don't agree with me, you always support me. You always back me up, even when dad gets mad at me, and you try to make him see my side of things. You didn't do that today. You told me to just do what father said. You chose him over me" the pain in his voice

"I was just caught off guard. If you had told me you were planning to do that, I would have helped you out. I did just do that, didn't I?" she said, unsure who she was really trying to convince. She didn't feel like she had done anything wrong, and she had meant no harm, but she still felt... ashamed? Guilty? Displeased with herself?

"Just forget about it" he said, lying down, pulling the covers over himself, facing the opposite side of the room.

Azula couldn't believe he thought she was going to let the conversation end like that.

She pulled the covers off of him, climbing on top of their bed, lying on top of him, throwing the covers over them, and holding on to him tight, not letting go no matter how much he struggled.

"Get off me!"

"No" her tone was perfectly calm "Consider this payback for your joke a few days ago"

"You already got back at me for that! On the same day!"

"That was just a warm up" she retorted.

"Get out"

"No. Not while you're still mad at me"

"I'm not mad anymore, okay? I'm just tired. Go."

"You're the worst liar ever. Now stop moving, so I can get more comfortable"

Zuko sighed in annoyance... and did what she told him to, making her smirk. Every now and again she'd allow him to shift his position a bit, but still hugging him tight and randomly kissing his cheek, nuzzling him, and playing with his hair. Eventually, he started to drift off a bit, getting more and more mellow and seeming to enjoy her affection - he was always easier to placate when he was tired. When he wrapped her arms around her, she smiled, and he basically allowed her to use him as a pillow. She knew things still weren't completely okay just yet, but it was better than having ignore her. She didn't know if she could handle that.

"Goodnight, Zuzu"

He mumbled a barely audible 'goodnight' and rubbed her back before falling asleep.