Azula tried her best to stand her ground. Even with her feet planted, she found her feet sliding backwards in the face of the wind, forcing her to lean forward to keep from falling. Ahead of her and to her left, Aang slowly began to hover in the air, his fists balled and to his sides. As she was being pushed further back, the wind became more and more volatile. She stretched am arm out, grabbing hold of the doorway that held the the curtains she and Aang had entered through only minutes earlier. Straining her right arm, she managed to pull herself towards the right, enough that her back was now pressed against the wall within the room. A crunch below her made her look down, and she resisted flinching.
She'd stepped on a skull, and even now, the debris from the remains were being blown backwards, and the ancient armour's cloth billowing restelessly. Her boot had stomped right through the stuff, and the wind was blowing loose sands and skeletal shards past it.
"Azula!"
Zuko's voice seemed to waver in and out of hearing range as if competing with the maelstrom of sounds, but he managed to pull himself into the room across from her to her left on the other side of the opening. The curtain was flapping wildly at this point, blocking their view of each other every few seconds.
"What happened?!" he asked, squinting an eye against the buffeting wind.
"It's his Avatar Spirit," she answered with a raised voice, attempting to speak over the increasingly louder winds. She put a hand in front of her mouth to block the sand from hitting her mouth. "Can you talk to him?!"
Zuko shook his head before voicing his negative, realizing visibility was low. "I can't get closer without getting thrown," he shouted back. As if proving his point, the wind picked up even more, threatening to pull Zuko away even farther. "Do something!"
Azula wanted to scream that she didn't know how, but she was too disciplined for that. Instead, she screamed internally. She wasn't used to talking to people in trances that summoned gale force winds. Azula considered herself a people person, but that was with small talk or getting information out of people.
She breathed in an out, turning towards Zuko. He had ended up sliding backwards some, managing to grab ahold of a dried out tree.
"What do I say?!"
"Anything!"
Azula thought back to her childhood, anything that could be used to snap Aang out of it. Steadily, Azula crouched down, planting her feet on the wall behind her. With as much force she could muster, which was a remarkable amount, she pushed forward as if jumping from the wall.
Fire burst from under her soles for only just a moment. She wasn't experienced enough to fly with firebending, but it was enough. She only needed to cover more distance. The moment she landed back on the ground, she desperately grappled the ground, managing to grip one of the thick vines snaking along the ground.
The wind was slightly weaker now, which meant she was getting closer to Aang, who was the eye of the storm of his own creation.
For a few more moments, she fought against the wind, before getting close enough to touch Aang's hand if she wanted. She pulled herself back up to her feet, looking up at Aang as he continued to hover.
At this point, the scattered skeletons along the edges of the room had been blown in different directions. Oddly enough, the Airbender remains were untouched, only it's stringy hair flapping wildly against the currents. One of the Water Tribe remains ended up flying into the open air past Zuko, who seemed to have lost ground. His legs were midair now and the only thing anchoring him down were his arms wrapped around the trunk of an ancient looking tree.
Azula sighed. She was a Princess of the Fire Nation! She was acting like some scared little girl that didn't know what to do.
That was so unlike her! So she willed the hesitation out of her system and gingerly grabbed Aang's closest hand -his right hand.
She expected Aang to react somehow and turn his eyes to her, but he didn't seem to react at all. In the back of her mind she was relieved.
"Aang! I can't pretend to know what you're going through," she projected her voice to be sure she could be heard over the wind and all of the flapping clothes. Aang didn't seem to acknowledge that she had even spoken. She continued anyway.
"Maybe my pain will never compare to yours, but the Water Clan took something important from me, too."
Zuko, who was holding on to dear life, even found himself hanging onto Azula's words over the wind.
"They took my mother, and maybe there'll always be a hole there," Azula held back her tears. She still had so many confusing feelings about her mother, but now wasn't the time to stew on it.
"Your family is gone, but," Azula swallowed, squeezing Aang's hand. "Maybe we can be your family too."
The wind didn't seem to let up, and Aang still wouldn't look at her.
She failed.
She failed and her and Zuko were probably going to die and-
Azula squeezed her eyes shut, but the wind seemed to finally slow down. The tension in her grip seemed to relax as she realized Aang's body was descending back to the ground.
Relief flooded her system as the air finally stilled and Aang's feet touched the ground. He was still glowing, but it seemed like progress.
On a whim, Azula pulled him into a hug.
The glow finally faded.
"I'm sorry," Aang breathed. His legs failed him, and Azula held tight, slowly lowering him to his knees.
Footsteps behind her revealed Zuko nearing them, and he kneeled on one knee next to Aang, opposite Azula.
"Don't apologize," Azula ordered, releasing the hug, but keeping a steadying hand on Aang's shoulder. No one could really look at the scene in front of them and not understand at least a bit of Aang's grief.
"But you were right," Aang insisted. "You tried to warn me not get my hopes up, and I didn't listen..." His head was bowed and Azula decided not to respond to that.
"I really am the last Airbender..."
Zuko regarded the skeleton that still lie a few feet of them. During that terrifying moment of Aang's Avatar State, it was untouched.
"Hey, it's not your fault," he said simply, squeezing Aang's shoulder. He nodded towards the remains across from them.
"Let's give her a proper burial, and get out of here."
The young boy that sat between the two siblings didn't speak immediately, but he nodded once at Zuko's suggestion.
"Thanks. I think she'd appreciate it."
So, without any more words said, Zuko and Azula helped Aang to carefully lift the remains of the Airbender nun, using cloths that the youngest of the team was able to find within the Temple. They took it to an open field not too far from the structure the remains were found in, and laid her to rest.
Zuko and Azula hung back as Aang waved his hand horizontally. The last of the loose soil was shifted to the side by a current of wind that they dug up to cover the body, hiding it from the rest of the world.
Aang sighed. Even though it wasn't anything close to a ceremony his kinsman deserved, he felt that at least a small weight was lifted from him. He could do this much, at least to honor them.
He looked up at the feeling of a hand resting on either of his shoulders. "C'mon, let's get out of here," Zuko suggested again, nodding in the general direction of Appa.
"Yeah."
They had all gathered back on Appa's saddle, with Aang atop the Bison's head. With a command of "Yip Yip!" Appa slammed down his tail against the air, and they were again airborne. Lightening Aang's mood was the Flying Lemur, who'd decided to tag along after all, to Aang's delight and Azula's mild annoyance.
It was quiet during the first few minutes of their flight, almost oppressively so. But no one was willing to break the quiet, as for each one of them it seemed as if they would be committing some unseen faux pas.
After what seemed like an eternity, but really may have only been just a few more minutes, Aang glanced back at Azula, watching her for a moment.
"Hey, Azula?"
"Hm?" she had been looking at the retreating Temple as they all lifted off, and spared a glance up at Aang.
"I just wanted to say thanks," he scratched the back of his head, finding himself looking away, now that her eyes were on him. "For everything today. When I kind of...lost myself, you pulled me out of there."
"I..." Azula paused, focusing momentarily on the wind as if gently buffeted her hair. "I'm just glad you're okay," she said, looking back down at the sky below them. It seemed as if she wanted to day something else, but she didn't add anything else. The Temple was long gone by now, replaced by the images of clouds that looked like airborne white carpets. Further down, they could spot the ocean, reflecting the light from the Sun.
"Well, where we're going next should give us time to relax," Aang assured. He pulled the map out out from the folds of his tunic. He hopped over, seemingly gliding over to where they sat -probably from airbending- and sat down into a lotus position.
"Kyoshi Island is surrounded by sandy beaches and lots of trees," Aang explained, pointing down at an island off center from the map's surface. He then traced his finger across towards the left.
"Crescent Island will be pretty much a straight shot from there."
Sokka nearly dropped his bowl. Remembering himself, he caught the bowl as it had left its grip, thankful that he hadn't just wasted some good food.
"That's crazy...He wouldn't do that," he asserted, his renewed hold on the food tightening. "He's been different lately, but he wouldn't just...dry out villages like that."
Pakku and Bato were silent, and Bato's shoulders slumped. "I wish I could agree with you," he intoned sadly. Shadows seemed to dance over their faces when it hadn't done that before. It was starting to get dark outside the tent.
Sokka set his bowl down. He was no longer hungry.
"This is getting worse," he finally said in a whisper.
Bato watched him sympathetically. "And, recently, she's been showing up to a majority of the war meetings recently."
A shudder ran up Sokka's spine. It seemed like capturing the Avatar was more important and necessary than ever. He breathed out a sigh, observing their surroundings. A map sat situated on a wall behind Bato, colored in reds, blues, and greens. Their was a disproportionate amount of blue on the map, representing Water Clan territories.
"Is the ship's repairs finished."
Bato nodded. "They're somewhat rudimentary fixes, but enough to last for several weeks, at least."
Sokka nodded once, standing up. "That should be good enough for now," he replied, voice even. "Thank you for your help, Bato." Sokka bowed at the waist, and Bato readily returned the gesture.
"Just be safe out there," Bato clapped a hand onto Sokka's shoulder. May the spirits grant you success on your journey."
The sun began to peak over the horizon again, informing the world's inhabitants of a new day. Team Avatar had unanimously agreed to camp out at a nearby landmass that had sandy beaches just like Kyoshi Island the night prior, to give Appa a chance to get some rest. Once the Sun was up, the made their way over to the aforementioned island, making landfall at the shore.
They'd seen evidence of a village beyond the trees while they were still airborne, so landed on the other side of the flora, to hide Appa just in case.
"Azula! I've got to show you the elephant Koi they have here; they're huge!" he pulled Azula along, excitedly, to the shoreline, where the water pushed and pulled against the sand.
Zuko, who'd been checking that all of their luggage was accounted for, slid down Appa's tail to the ground.
"Shouldn't we get going?" Zuko suggested, but it sounded more like an order.
"Appa's rested, and we should try to get to our first destination as soon as possible."
Appa grunted from behind him, but the prince couldn't tell if he was agreeing with him or not.
"And why would I be interested in some overstuffed fish?" the princess followed up, folding her arms. Aang was undeterred, though, his wide smile still present.
"Trust me, you'll love this," he began to explain to them, jogging along the sand and leaving light footprints in his wake. He stripped down to his under clothes as he continued to talk.
"You can ride them like super fast boats, and use their fins as a kind of sail!"
Azula shook her head, though he wouldn't have noticed. She didn't understand how he found these types of things amusing, rather than trying to find masters for the other elements. She almost wondered if they had a reason to be here, but she hadn't brought it up. Maybe they all needed a day to relax, she guessed, after everything that happened at the Western Air Temple.
A loud splash in the water paused her thoughts and she saw Aang wasn't exaggerating. The fish were absolutely massive, as big as your average Fire Nation speeder boat, if not a little bit larger than even that. Noticing that she was watching, he had a big goofy grin on his face and waving wildly. Two other Elephant Koi were swimming on either side of Aang's as if in some synchronized formation.
Well, it was a little impressive she had to admit.
Zuko sighed from where he stood next to her.
"He's crazy," he shook his head, gesturing mildly toward the Airbender kid in the distance. "We're in the middle of a war and he wants to ride giant fish on some secluded island."
Azula glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "Perhaps, you need to lighten up, Zuzu," she retorted. Zuko grunted in annoyance at the mention of her pet name for him. "We're moving a lot faster than if we were using one of Uncle's warships. Besides, it would probably do him some good to act like a silly kid once in a while."
Zuko didn't respond, but she could tell he was thinking about what she said. She decided to press on. "Maybe you need to relax too. You're already uptight as it is."
"What. Ever," Zuko ground out with finality. Azula smirked. He always got so easily mad about everything, but she decided he'd had enough teasing and didn't push it.
She watched Aang for a few moments before she heard Momo, Aang's lemur, rifling through their luggage, specifically her bag in particular which was secured to the side of the saddle.
"Hey! Those are my things, you little vermin!" She shouted, dashing back over to Appa's saddle. Momo seemed to chitter something in response but didn't move away from her belongings. She ignored that Zuko began to snicker from behind her.
Aang was hoping to further impress Azula, but she suddenly turned around, heading back to where Appa rested. Was she already bored of looking at him?
"Aw, man..." he sighed.
At least he still had an audience with Zuko still watching, even though he'd rather it have been the Fire Princess.
Well, he thought, he'd do a few more laps then they could go into the village. Maybe he'd have to impress her some other way. Azula was pretty honest about not caring about Elephant Koi. So he rode the waves on the back of the fish for a few more minutes, and the Elephant Koi began to do a few tricks of their own, flying out of the water and bouncing along it's currents like a skipped rock. He had to admit, he was still having some fun.
On his last lap, the other two Elephant Kou that were accompanying him suddenly veered off, but he hadn't noticed.
Zuko seemed to be cheering him on, waving both hands excitedly. He was wondering if he could ask Zuko to tell Azula how cool he looked in the water, but Azula returned too, and she was also cheering him on! So his performance wasn't a waste after all!
He waved back with a laugh.
Back on the shore, Zuko was yelling Aang's name.
"I don't think he can hear us," he told Azula, tousling his unkempt hair, nervous.
A large shape was surfacing from the water's depths behind Aang, seemingly chasing him. It must have been what had the Elephant Koi spooked.
Azula wanted to bite her fingernail, wishing there was something he could do.
The massive shape finally burst through the water with a roar, a huge mass of scales and serpentine glory.
Aang was suddenly bucked off of his ride, and he flipped forward in midair before crashing into the body of water.
The giant serpent didn't even bother to wait and surged forward to Aang's last known location.
Azula and Zuko called iut to him simultaneously. Was this how the Avatar's story would end? Being eaten by some giant monster they'd never heard of.
That's when Aang broke through the water like the Elephant Koi from before, and began running across the water's surface towards them.
Hysterical, Aang, barely slowed down as he made it back to shore before falling forward and sliding to a stop.
"He's safe, let's push it back!" Zuko said, clambering his right arm. Azula nodded, and they both settled into a stance, back to back, mirroring each other. They stepped forward, then pivoted with their backs to spin once, and punched forward, launching two large fireballs towards the sea monster's face.
With a cry pf pain, it reeled back from the hit. It faced them again and opened it's snout, a jet of pressurized water escaping from it's mouth. With the force of a cannon, the water missile crashed into the beach, spraying sand and mud every which way. The fire siblings were able to just barely evade by rolling to either side, and were pelted with debris.
The serpent reared its head back again, and then cried in pain and surprise at the blast of cutting wind that buffeted it's face. It growled in what could have been interpreted as annoyance before it turned around completely this time and finally disappeared back into the water.
Zuko released a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, and slumped to the ground. Azula raised a brow.
"I don't know about you two, but this smells of bad luck. We should go."
"Maybe that was the worst of it?" Aang asked with a shrug. They still needed to restock on supplies however, and he insisted they at least spend the day to check out the village.
Something sounded like wood snapping, and Aang, Azula, and Zuko turned their heads to the sound.
"You heard that, right?" Zuko asked them, raising his hands in preparation for an attack. The other two did the same, but they couldn't pinpoint where exactly the noise came from.
Momo decided to screech at that moment, jumping from atop Appa's saddle.
Then chaos erupted.
Several figures leapt through the treeline from the direction the village would be. They were all armored in green-colored uniforms, armed with swords and something attached to their sashes.
Zuko and Azula both punched Fire balls in opposite directions, attempting to disperse the attack. Aang decided to run support, grabbing his staff and swinging a gale of wind to protect the siblings' exposed backs.
The fire attack wasn't as successful as hoped, though. One of the lead warriors closest to the fire blasts pulled the strange weapon from their sash. A metal fan. With an expert swing and flick of the wrist, the flame was dispersed harmlessly, and now the attacking warriors had closed the distance.
Before they knew it, their arms were twisted behind their backs. A sharp pain behind their neck was all they could remember before blacking out.
