Leaving a few hours before sunset, hiking well into the night and starting again in the early morning, Azula lead her prisoner and friends through the mountains. Using the road would be too risky, especially with the prospect of a flying bison in the area and also earth kingdom soldiers who might be looking for revenge for the massacre.
The thickly packed trees and all manner of plants made the journey exceptionally difficult, made all the more difficult by the mountainous terrain and hot weather. All these factors slowed their progress to a snail's pace, and even after half a day's march they had not gotten far. They were strangely quiet during the whole hike; the usual banter of Ty Lee and Mei's complaining had become nothing more than whispers and Aang, usually talkative and upbeat, was still very much affected by the events in the village, and seemed enveloped by a melancholy state of mind. A liability in this dangerous terrain, Aang nearly fell to his death twice and had it not been for his airbending, the story would have ended there. To safe guard her prize, Azula was forced to hold his hand. An akward position for both the people involved, Aang was embarassed that his girlfriend needed to do that and Azula embarassed that she beginning to like the wimp.
Aang felt particularly bad though. Not only was he a murderer, but now his girlfriend was annoyed and embarassed. He began to think that it would be in everyone's best interest to let his evil deed go for the moment and concentrate on the now. His carelessness could get them trapped or attacked again, and he could very well end up in the same life and death situation (although he promised himself that he would never again pick up a deadly weapon). He pulled his hand from Azula's grip and addressed his friends.
"Look...I'm sorry that I've been acting this way...I guess that my amnesia...well, it feels like all this stress and heat of the beat is happening for the first time for me. I'm just not used to it." said Aang.
Azula hesitated for a moment. She didn't want the others to think that she was actually starting to like Aang, but at the same time, she was still trying to convince Aang of their 'phony' relationship and past together.
"I...I forgive you Aang. I guess that amnesia did more damage then we thought! You used to be a true Assassin before that accident. I hope you'll recover your old self soon." said Azula. She could see that she wasn't making him feel better though; if anything the knowledge of his 'past' evil would only make him more distant, so she followed up by saying, "But even if you don't, we can still be together." Aang smiled at Azula and nodded at her as he was suddenly filled with renewed strength.
Mei just rolled her eyes, as it as obvious that Azula was starting to lose sight of her objective; namely, brainwash the Avatar into a cruel and obedient thug...instead, it seemed Azula was almost restoring Aang to his original "do good" attitude. Normally, Mei wouldn't be vocal about her thoughts, but she thought it was time for an intervention.
"Azula, can we talk to you in private for a second?" said Mei, grabbing Ty Lee and Azula. "Stay here Aang..." said Ty Lee looking backward. They walked some distance off to a small clearing in the dense brush.
"What are you doing Azula?" said Mei, "Even if you like him, your father isn't going to let you keep him around if he isn't 100 loyal."
Azula's eyes widened, "I don't like him! I'm trying to get him to relax! We saw how he responded to our earlier efforts with suspicion. If he doesn't trust us, he'll just desert us. I need him convinced that we are real and that the past I made up is real. He'll come around." said Azula, "He's too much a goody, goody to do anything bad outright..I have to convince him though, that doing things for me, is good and reward him as such."
"Oh...well, I just thought." said Mei, amazed at Azula's clear plan, "I just wanted you to be careful is all. Don't let your feelings ruin your plan." Ty Lee chimed in, "That's right Azula. Your kind of cutting it close."
"My feelings... I don't have any feelings for him! He is my servant! He is nothing but a puppet!" said Azula in a stern but uncovincing voice. Athough Ty Lee and Mei did not doubt for a second that Azula was capable of such cold heartedness, they still could not convince themselves that Azula's earlier tender moment with Aang in Sudra was just for show. Azula then reached into her pocket.
"Actually, though, I was thinking of giving him this...just to further convince him, you know." said Azula as she pulled out a bracelet made of red beads. Ty Lee and Mei nearly burst out laughing for ever doubting Azula's true feelings for Aang.
"You made that bracelet back in the academy! You said it was for your true love!" said Ty Lee. Azula, blushed slightly. She had hoped they wouldn't even remember that. She had been wanting to give Aang the bracelet ever since she talked to him Sudra, but was unsure of how he would react.
"That was a long time ago. It doesn't really mean anything!" said Azula. Aang, who had followed them quietly and overheard most of the conversation was heartbroken.
'I knew I couldn't really trust her. She's just trying to use me for something.' thought Aang as he moved quietly back to the spot where they left him. "Everything was a lie. She was never my girlfriend...who knows what else she made up. For all I know she coud be leading me to my death!" whisperd Aang to himself,. "I killed that man...I killed him for this liar! Oh, I'm such an idiot..."
Aang continued to stand still and think to himself as Azula and the rest of the girls came back. Azula, smiling and blushing as she walked up holding her bracelet.
"You know, Aang, I was thinking...maybe you'd like to wear this? It's kind of stupid, but well I made it myself." said Azula. Ty Lee and Mei smiled as Azula was doing her best to be nice and impress this boy. Aang did not show any emotion as he grabbed the bracelet from Azula and after looking at for a second threw the bracelet at a tree, breaking it and showering the ground with beads.
"I don't want anything from you!" shouted Aang angrily. Azula's heart broke as she saw her bracelet smashed by the only boy she had opened up to. Her heart sank and tears almost filled her eyes. The sorrow quickly turned to malice and hatred though as Azula was deeply insulted that this boy dared to humiliate her in front of her friends. In a fit of rage she knocked Aang to the ground and put her boot on his neck.
"Either this is some distasteful joke, or you have gone crazy to dare treat me this way!" said Azula.
Azula pressed hard against Aang's throat with her boot making it difficult for him to breathe, let alone speak, but he managed to respond to her.
"I...know about your lies..." said Aang. Azula looked away for a second, realizing it made sense now...she was foolish to even discuss such things with Aang so close by. But even more foolish for betraying herself. Had she just told Ty Lee and Mei the truth instead of trying to defend her reputation for cruelty, Aang would have never found out (or at least found out at later when didn't care anymore). Now, she had lost her 'boyfriend' and her enforcer; perhaps it was not fate after all.
"So you figured it out Avatar?" said Azula in a serious and more relaxed tone as she eased off Aang's neck. Ty Lee and Mei however were far from relaxed. Both of them felt immensely sad for Azula and Aang. Aang used all his strength to push Azula off him and stood up.
"Just leave me alone all right? Whatever you were planning I don't want to be apart of it!" shouted Aang as he began backing away from the girls.
"That isn't an option Aang. I guess it was always going to come down to this. We can do this the hard way or the easy way...it's up to you." said Azula getting into a battle stance.
"You know the answer already.." said Aang getting into his battle stance. Azula's heart was once again filled with pain. She had grown attached to Aang, and now she would have to destroy him. However, the most painful part was that she had begun to believe that he really felt something for her.
"So be it! I offered you power and love, and you threw it away!" said Azula.
"What power? What love? I was no more than a misguided puppet to you." said Aang.
Azula responded with a blast of blue flame, which Aang was barely able to dodge. Ty Lee and Mei were about to step in, but Azula motioned for them to stay back. The two fought fiercely, but unlike their first fight, in which Aang was augmented by experience and other bending principles, he now only had his reflexive airbending techniques to call upon, which was no match for Azula's skills. With a few well places blows, Azula easily defeated Aang and tied him up.
"Take him and let's go. We've wasted enough time with this nonsense." said Azula. Ty Lee and Mei carried Aang along as Azula stood still for a minute and then gathered up what remained of her bracelet before hurrying up to catch up with the others.