Come What May
By Gigawolf1
Chapter 3: Aggravation
The Blue Spirit ran until sunrise. As the sunlight filled his eyes, Prince Zuko removed his mask. His scar, though healed all but superficially, brought pain as the wooden mask was removed. Breathing in the fresh air, he relaxed until he heard the loud crack of a twig. He turned to the direction of the sound, but found nothing.
Still on guard, he leapt up as he heard the slight whistle of knives flying through the air. Where he had been but a moment before, the blades pierced the ground. Drawing his swords, he shouted to the hidden assailant. "Where are you?" The whisper came from behind him. "Right here."
Turning, Zuko found himself face to face with Mai, one of Azula's friends, and the girl who had once been his good friend. Their differences tore them apart, and Zuko could tell that seeing both Azula and Mai so near each other, and with so little time between, that the two were hunting him. However, he had something more important on his mind.
The two leaned towards each other, slowly approaching. As he got closer, Zuko grabbed her arms and forced her head down near the forest floor. "What is Azula up to? What is she doing with the Avatar?" The girl smiled, and, flipping herself, shot a dart from her ankle right into Zuko. The pain made him release her, but that was not the end of their battle.
While the two of them fought in the forest, Sokka tended to the wounds of Azula. He spoke to pass the time, which was other wise unoccupied, since Aang was training with Katara and Toph elsewhere. When Katara had asked if her skills were needed, Azula had said the wounds were more superficial than anything else, but Sokka found this to be startlingly true.
"It looks to me like you just got a couple of scrapes. How did you get hurt, anyway?" Azula visibly winced, though not from pain. "I got into an argument with some Fire Nation soldiers. It turns out that I really can't beat fifteen guys at once." She lay back in a makeshift bed, intending to make the most of her 'wounds'. Sokka got out a wet cloth, and placed it on her forehead. She hissed, but the Water Tribe Warrior ignored it.
Toph and Katara decided that Aang needed to practice by himself for a while, and so they went to a nearby river to relax. Toph was able to sense the running water against the shore, and so they reached it quickly. "As long as we have you, Toph, we'll never get lost!" Katara joked.
A grin reached Toph's face, but she had another thought on her mind. "Katara, do you like Aang?" A blush reached the other girl's face, unnoticed by Toph. "Aang is my friend. So, yes, I like him. Why?" asked the curious older girl. This time, Toph blushed, and instinctively turned away from Katara. "Just wondering!"
Meanwhile, two other characters hid in the woods, hoping not to be discovered anytime soon. Both would be forced to return to the Fire Nation if they were found, but they would do nothing if they were forced to by Azula, so great was her power, and so feared was she. In the meantime, though, they merely enjoyed each others company.
AN: I would rather destroy myself than go OOC. I despise AU. Most of all, I am beginning to hate pairings. Do NOT think of Kataang or Taang©!