Sorry that this chapter came out later than I would have wanted, but I was a bit indecisive in regards to the content to put into this chapter that it was delayed for a bit.

I also apologize if this chapter is a bit slower than what some of you would be expecting since the last chapter, but I think this one was needed to help set things up for later plot points involving Azula's new job as a Spirit Navigator. Hope you'll all bear with me till then !

Big thanks to HammerTide for beta reading this chapter and providing important feedback and critic.

With that said, let's get it started.


Azula's first official task as a Spirit Navigator- was helping Kazumi to clean out the basement since it was clearly dusty and hadn't been used in a long time.

" If we're going to be serious about restarting the Spirit Navigators than first order of business is to clean up the basement and take inventory of what equipment and tools we still have " Kazumi had said at the time.

The princess couldn't deny the logic behind Kazumi's words, it certainly wouldn't be productive or efficient for them to work in such a dirty environment. And Azula wasn't opposed to cleaning since she had started helping Kazumi a couple months back to routinely clean the house and she had watched the servants back in the palace enough times to know what to do for the most part.

At the moment, they were going from room to room, sweeping and cleaning away any dust or cobwebs that may have formed. With the two of them working in tandem, of Azula sweeping up the floors while Kazumi wiped down anything that was especially dirty. They were currently cleaning out the room Azula had been in yesterday that Kazumi told her really was a training room they used for spars. After the room was appropriately lighted for their cleaning session, Azula could now see practice swords hanging on the wall along with wooden staffs.

As she sweeped up some more dust, she had to admit that she was a little disgusted by how dirty this place had gotten.

" Agni, when was the last time you even came down here Kazumi ? " Azula asked as she sweeped up an obscene amount of dust from the floor.

" After I abandoned my duties as a Spirit Navigator, I rarely came down here. There wasn't much point really...too many bad memories..." Kazumi confessed " I hung up my armor and sword and shut this place up..."

" I see..." Azula didn't press too hard on that topic since Kazumi had literally just talked about her daughter Shami last night. Instead she turned her attention to the armor stands and inspected them " So these belonged to you ? "

"Yes, passed down from mother to daughter..." Kazumi said as she gently ran her hand along one of the armor " And now this one belongs to you...hope it suits you well enough..."

" Its perfect Kazumi " Azula nodded as she felt almost excited to eventually try the armor on. It felt too long since she had worn proper armor, it will be nice to feel it again in a weird sorta way. Her attention turned to the sword that stood proudly displayed " What about the sword though ? What makes it so special ?"

" Ah, it is made out of a special alloy that allows us to literally cut through spirits, though it is less effective against certain spirits " Kazumi explained.

" Cut through spirits ? I thought our whole job was literally to bring spirits peace " Azula didn't consider herself a tame person, but even she was surprised by the level of violence that seems to be apparent in this line of work.

" And banishing malicious and malevolent spirits to oblivion when we need to " Kazumi added on.

" Agni, being an exorcist involves a lot more violence than I thought it did " Azula said with a bit of humor in her voice.

Kazumi chuckled at that " Well, we do try to be peaceful and diplomatic when we can. But we do not hesitate to resort to more extreme measures when we need to "

So we try to be peaceful when we can, but don't hesitate to use violence when diplomatic means have failed. I can respect and work with that.

Azula thought in her head as she continued sweeping up the room, the two of them quickly finishing up and heading to the next room to clean.

Kazumi simply call this one the 'Storage Room' that they mainly used to store gear and other thing...

But Azula was dumbfounded as she found herself in what could definitely pass for a military grade armory. Swords, axes, sais, bo staffs, nunchucks, spears and several other weapons adorned the walls of the room. There were also several crates filled with more weapons and stuff she couldn't quite see. There were some more armor stands, though the armor was inherently different seemed to be made out of different material than the one in the training room.

Some appeared to be basic leather training armor, while others seemed more robed like with hoods attached to them with similar masks from before.

" Spirits why does your family have so many weapons Kazumi ? " Azula said as she picked one of the dusty swords from the boxes " There are enough weapons in here to arm an entire company of soldiers "

The older woman chuckled " Well,the Spirit Navigators truly have been going on for a long time and my ancestors were known for keeping trophies of their own weapons from their tenure of being Spirit Navigators. Some of these should still be good to use "

" Still these are a lot of weapons for just two people..." Azula said as she picked up some kind of steel knife with a...chain attached to it ?

" What even is this thing ? " The princess asked the veteran.

" Ah, the chain-blade or more properly known as kyoketsu-shoge " Kazumi said with pride as she took the blade from her hands " The idea behind it, is that you would swing the blade around and cut enemies from a distance. Making it deadly in close and mid-range combat, and with the right training you could even grab enemy weapons and take them out of their hands "

" Sounds deadly... I like it " Azula said with a smirk " Can you teach me how to use it ? "

" Admittedly its one of the harder weapons to pick up and learn how to use effectively..." Kazumi smiled " But rest assured, I will teach you all you wish to know about the Spirit Navigators and weapons...right after we finish cleaning "

Azula let out a sigh as she and Kazumi continued cleaning, with Kazumi telling her some more tales of the Spirit Navigators to sate her boredom.


The cleaning only went on for the next 2 hours, since they only had to clean a few of the rooms according to Kazumi since others were to be left...untouched. Whatever that means. And Azula promptly laid down on the couch in Kazumi's living room while the older woman sat down on the comfy leather seat opposite of her.

Azula had to be honest... this wasn't exactly what she had in mind for her first day as a Spirit Navigator.

" Not exactly what you had in mind for your first day as a Spirit Navigator I assume ? " Kazumi said with a smile.

" Is mind reading another one of your powers Kazumi ? " Azula said with a hint of amusement at just how accurate the woman could read her.

" No, I just assumed that was what you were thinking " Kazumi patted her gently on the shoulder " Its alright, I promise that I will teach you all that you wish to know tomorrow. There is much that I must teach you now that you are officially a Spirit Navigator "

" Oh ? What's on the itenary ? "

" Banishment techniques, entrapment papers, rituals...and that's just the basics " Kazumi listed off " Then I need to tell you all about spirits, how to fight and approach them, the different types...and well let's just say that we're going to have a busy few weeks ahead of us "

" Nothing I can't handle "

" Trust me Azula, I would never have you do anything I didn't think you could handle..." Kazumi chuckled " Which I assume is a very small list for someone of your magnificent skills and abilities"

They both got a good chuckle out of that.

" I think that's enough for today, for now let's have some lunch " Kazumi changed the topic.

Despite the day being slow...Azula felt good.

She no longer felt like that mad woman who had lost all control of her life, emotions and mind...now she almost felt like she did before. She now felt like she had finally gained some stability of her mind and emotions...but it was different.

She was happy here. And she had Kazumi.

And that made her feel at peace. How odd.

She almost wished this feeling would never end.


Mai liked to think of herself as a very blunt person. The person that was willing to say what nobody else wanted to say and didn't bother sugarcoating the truth for the sake of whoever she told it to. Her mother must have thought it was such a waste for her with such an unreadable expression to be so damn truthful all the time.

But this was the one instance where she regretted being so blunt all the time. She was currently in her room with Ty Lee sitting beside her, giving her a full explanation about things.

" So...that's everything that's happened since we've been away ? " Ty Lee asked for a recount " Ikem's poisoning, the potential rise of a rebellion, along with the fact that Azula might be held hostage by some spirit lady in the Forgetful Forest ? "

"...Yes " Mai said as she did her best to keep her mask on.

She had decided to give Ty Lee the full rundown of everything that had transpired since she and Suki had been gone. And right now the acrobat's face turned to worry and fear.

" Spirits...Azula could be...could be..." Ty Lee muttered.

" Calm down will you, there's nothing to worry about " Mai

" How can you say something like that ? How can you be so calm about all this ? Azula could be in mortal danger or she could be, could be..." Ty Lee didn't finish, her implication made clear.

" What should I do then ? Run around frantically while pulling my hair out ? " Mai said sarcastically " Zuko sent the tracker back into the Forest to find her...and there's always the chance the spirit was just lying to throw us off "

" Still...aren't you worried a little ? " Ty Lee asked slowly.

" Why should I be ?" Mai said a little snappy " She threw us both in Boiling Rock to rot..."

Mai knows how hypocritical that sentence alone is, like SHE has any right to say something like that when they left her to rot in that asylum...but she's feeling too petty to back down now.

" She was still our friend "

" Was our friend. She's nothing to me now " Mai said coldly.

" You don't really mean that..." Ty Lee argued.

" I do " Mai shook her head " Agni, why does everybody act like Azula is the center of everything. We would all be much better off if Azula just...just..."

" Just what Mai ? " Ty Lee asked.

Mai looked at her, before turning away.

" I can't believe I'm even arguing with you about this. I thought you would be on my side " Mai said as she stood up from the bed.

" I am...but I also am on the side of emotions and feelings " Ty Lee said softly.

" If that was true then why did you pick me over Azula that day at Boiling Rock ?"

Mai knows that she's crossing a line into uncomfortable territory here, because that was the day the trio had truly been broken up.

To her surprise, Ty Lee looked surprised rather than angry at first before she answered.

" That's something that neither you or Azula fully understood...I didn't choose you over Azula...I saved you because you're my friend " Ty Lee said with conviction in her voice.

Mai felt as though she got slapped in the face, but before she could say anything Ty Lee suddenly hugged her.

" And no matter what you say, we both know that you care more than you let on...especially for Azula "

"...Shut up " Mai said but she hugged back.

They both just stood there, enjoying each other's company.

Mai honestly hated it when Ty Lee was right sometimes.


Jiang liked to think of himself as a true servant of the people. Sure, his position granted him a degree of power, but he always did his best to ensure the prosperity of the Fire Nation...

That unfortunately has been put on hold due to the stupidity of the Fire Lord.

To Jiang's credit, he did at least try to help the boy get used to his position, giving him honest and critical suggestions about some of his policies...which the boy took none of in favor of his stupid morality. No matter what new problematic situation arose or how unsustainable their situation got, the Fool Lord remained headstrong in his need to make things right with the other nations and that made it apparent to Jiang at that moment...that the boy was too weak willed to ever lead the Fire Nation and was more likely to drive it into the ground, which Jiang would never let happen

Which is why he found himself in a dark room, being brought here after having a sack put over his head. He had no idea where he was, but he knew what he was here to do.

He wasn't alone either, he was seated at a round with several other ministers...ministers that had been unhappy with the boy's policies and wanted to make a difference.

They were oversaw by a few guards and a single masked figure that looked over them all with critical eyes.

" So you all agree to join us ? Be aware that treachery will be met with swift punishment "

" You don't need to worry about any of us, we're all here because we're sick of putting up with a child getting in the way of the Fire Nation's survival "

" He's right, none of us hold loyalty to the pretender of the Throne "

" Like that fool has any right to pretend that he's anything but a usurper ! "

" Here, here..."

" So what will our objective entail ? " Jiang asked.

" Right now ? Keep a low profile, keep an eye on the fool prince and try to act casual " The masked man explained " Collect information on the happenings of the Fire Nation, specifically more people who are just as unhappy with the pretender as you all are "

" So do you all agree ? "

Jiang looked among his fellow ministers.

" So what are we all waiting for ? Let's get this done people " Jiang announced as all of his fellow ministers pledged their allegiance to the true Fire Lord Ozai.

As of this moment...Jiang was a traitor to the crown.

But it was worth it, if it meant saving the Fire Nation.


Yeah... so sorry if we haven't quite gotten to the whole Spirit banishing and ass kicking, but we're still a bit away from that arc. Rest assured that you will not be disappointed when the time comes for Azula to kick some spirit ass.

Now getting into the actually important bits of this chapter, Mai and Ty Lee...can I just say how much I adore these two and writing them in the story ? I very much enjoy the complicated feelings of Mai especially and the vagueness I am purposeful doing for Ty Lee when it comes to anything Azula related.

And now we have most of Zuko's ministers pledging allegiance to Ozai...this is going to be a fun time.

With that said, please enjoy this omake I prepared for you all...which I will leave to all of you on how canon it is to this story.

:P


Omake: Room Functions

Kazumi: Alright Azula, now that you're an official Spirit Navigator, let me give you the grand tour of the hidden section.

Azula: Sounds great.

Kazumi opened the door that revealed what looked to be a bathhouse.

Kazumi: This is the underground hot springs, we use magic to keep it running and keep the steam and water at just the right temperature.

Azula: Makes sense, not even going to question how that works.

Kazumi opened another door that revealed some kind of training room.

Kazumi: And this is where we train primarily, with swords and other assorted weapons.

The older woman opened another door that revealed a room that had plenty of boxes and shelves lined with weapons, clothing, armor and other trinkets.

Kazumi: Storage room.

Azula shrugged as they kept going...until one particular door caught her eye. Mainly because it was made of metal.

Azula : Hey, what's this room for ?

Kazumi: NO WAIT DON'T-

Azula didn't wait for a response as she already opened it...

And revealed to be some kind of torture dungeon...it had all the appropriate tools for it. There was a rack, whips, chains, floggers and strap-ons-

Wait a minute...

Azula turned to Kazumi with a blank expression.

Azula:...This is a sex dungeon isn't it ?

Kazumi: Yes, it is dear.

Azula: Why even ?

Kazumi: You know how I said that we Spirit Navigators are allowed to get married and have children ?

Azula nodded.

Kazumi: Well...my great grandmother LOVED to get kinky with her husband...

Neither of them said anything...as they both slowly backed away from the room and closed it.

Both of them making a mental note to board up that room for later.