Chapter 28

"Come on Aang," Katara grinned, washing his blast of fire away with a wave of water, leaving him open to a flying boulder coming from Toph, "The invasion is only a month away, you're going to have to do better than that!"

"I know!" Aang shouted, punching the rock with a rumble of earth, the stone ball shattering into a hundred pieces around his fist. "You don't have to remind me!" He said as he ducked beneath a column of air sent by Feng, using his advanced grasp of the element to redirect it into Katara's icicle shards.

Momentarily free, Aang took the chance to catch his breath before he launched himself into the air using his Airbending before then rapidly slamming back into the stone tiles of the training ground by extruding air from his fists, the jets of air allowing him to hit feet first with great force as a wave of earth rolled across the training ground, all three of the boy's opponents dodging in their own way.

Feng simply jumped over with a flip, extending his legs to blast Aang once more with a forceful gust of air, this time actually hitting him and causing him to fly backward.

Toph brought her hands together and stamped her feet to create an earthen bulwark, two titanic triangular shields parting the earth wave in front of her as she paused to sense the action occurring on the battlefield, the rapid use of bending denying her the standard ease she normally had in seeing the battlefield.

The most vulnerable to Aang's earth wave should have been Katara, but a new addition surrounding the edges of the training ground had left her with more options. During the ongoing preparation the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes had done for the approaching eclipse, spies had managed to collect some of the blueprints for the construction of the Fire Nations' capital city.

Combine this with the testaments of the trapped Firebenders and Aang's memories of the city from his time as Roku, and a fairly accurate map had been gathered of the Imperial City, one that had highlighted its advanced infrastructure.

Now, one could say that this is unimportant for the battle currently taking place, but the plans had actually shown that there was a highly developed and organized drainage system in the city, one that helped to deal with the strain of supporting an advanced population in such a small space. The Fire Nation's industrialism had actually let them down here, as it meant Katara would never be without water to bend, so long as she could bend it from a small distance away.

"Hah!" Katara grunted as she covered herself in water, forming a waterspout from the fluid she had gathered from the trenches on the outskirts as she flew above the earth, the wave passing through her spout with little disturbance due to the flowing nature of the water.

"That's it guys, keep it up!" Sokka yelled in enthusiasm from his place spectating the fight, sequestered away in a tower at the edge as he coordinated the group's fight against Aang. They had all decided in unison that in this kind of battle, as skilled as Sokka was, there wouldn't be many benefits for him actually participating.

He was already receiving advanced training from the best swordsmen and women of the Earth Kingdom's capital city and sparred every day with the Royal guards, which was more than enough combat practice for the boy. What he couldn't work on with them, however, was his ability to coordinate. To lead. As he had shown in the past, Sokka was quite the 'idea guy', having a knack for coming up with unusual yet highly effective plans on the fly.

"Gee, thanks for the support Sokka!" Aang complained as he grunted, sweat pouring off his body as he fought off a combined assault. From his left, Toph had sent a series of pillars coming toward him. From his right came Katara with her spout of water, one she intended to use to sweep him away to leave him vulnerable to his teammate's attacks.

Coming from his front, however, was Feng, who was attacking with an intensity seldom seen, leaving no gap in his movements as he sent blast of wind after blast of wind at Aang, sticking primarily to simple attacks for speed while occasionally chucking in an air blade or using an air funnel to redirect one of the flying rocks traveling around the battlefield.

If Aang was any less of a bender than he was, he would have been finished here. Three simultaneous attacks coming from three separate directs, all sent by skilled individuals? That was not a good situation to be in. But Aang wasn't a mere bender, he wasn't even merely a master bender. No, he was the Avatar, master of two elements, expert of the third, and a skilled wielder of the fourth.

His many experiences over the months had tempered him, turning him from a scared boy who ran from his problems to a young man who would stand in the face of anything to protect his friends. So, harnessing this instilled sense of determination that came with it, Aang put in his game face as he set about dealing with his attackers.

First, he punched toward Feng while twisting his fist, creating a directed whirlwind that counteracted the direction of Feng in a way that would create a temporary barrier that would last a few seconds. It wasn't much, but it would give Aang some time.

Next, he rotated on one foot as he slammed a fist into the earth, kneeling on one foot as he did as a wall rose in front of his body, one that was only as thick as his chest but was more than enough for his purposes against Toph's pillars.

With the same breath, Aang scrunched his embedded hand to condense the earth around his feet, doing in a way that it would take Toph a few seconds to get around it in the heat of battle. That had ended one of their previous spars, so he had made sure not to make that mistake again.

Finally, he was left to deal with Katara, the young woman barely meters away from him with a smirk on her face and a large collection of water behind her.

"Let's see if the student is ready to face the master!" Katara grinned, a happy smile lighting her face up as she let go of the water carrying her, moving her arms in a circular arc around her body as the water wrapped first around her and then above her, coiling up tightly.

With the lack of support, she fell through the air for a second as she prepared her attacks, but Katara felt no fear as she let her carefully structured control wither, allowing the water to flow freely in only the direction she wanted it to as the water exploded toward Aang, blasting the boy against his earth wall as he was forced against it, the stream soon ending as she froze the water on his body to keep him pinned in place.

Or at least, keeping who Katara thought was Aang pinned, because as she glided down under the control of her water, she was able to see that instead of Aang, she had trapped a stone-lookalike in her grasp, the pale skin of the Airbender nowhere to be found.

"Where did he go?"

"Katara! Above you!" Sokka voiced warned her just in time, alerting her to his presence on top of the wall.

"I don't know, this student feel's pre-tty ready to face the master," Aang retorted as he whipped his arm around his head while thrusting his other palm at her, unleashing another swirling blast of wind that buffeted her, throwing her to the ground despite the water around her.

"Gah!" She grunted, rolling along the ground as she tried to regain her bearings.

Aang gave her no mercy however as he held his arms out, ready to close his fists in an earthbending move before his connection with the air around him let him feel a blow coming from behind, a disc of earth.

Abandoning his earthbending move, Aang twirled around the disc, ducking beneath the second and shattering the third and fourth with a double kick as he lifted his head before throwing it forward, performing the dragon's breath technique in Toph's direction as both an attack and a defense measure.

"Nice, good teamwork guys! He almost had you there! Keep pushing and you'll have him!" Sokka cheered them on, causing a ruckus from the nice, sequestered lookout. The boy had practically insisted on it, dubbing it in remembrance of his snow tower as soon as Toph had finished building it.

"You think we don't know that?!" Katara yelled out in frustration, taking her eyes off Aang for a second as he respectfully ignored her distraction. After all, a sister should always be given time to annoy her brother, as dubbed by the spirits of old.

Feng was not, however, so Aang felt no hesitation as he used one of his newest and favorite techniques, the fire jets, to zip along the earth, moving towards him as he sent off a few air blasts of his own, the first of which Feng dodged with a flip while the second was split down the middle with both hands, Feng creating a localized air blade to disrupt the attack around him.

"You're getting better, Feng!" Aang grinned as he moved closer, circling around Feng as he continued to send attacks of air at the teen. He would have used water or earth, but he hadn't progressed that far in using multiple techniques.

The only combinations he felt comfortable with doing so were air and one of the others, as even now it was his go-to element, requiring barely any concentration to use.

"Thanks, I've been working on it!" Feng replied with a smirk, closing his eyes for a second as he clapped his hands together before throwing them apart to seemingly no effect. The truth couldn't have been more different, however, as it was really Feng's gesture to activate his sensing technique, a mnemonic device of sorts that helped him focus.

Aang could see it in the way he moved even as Aang circled around him, sending attacks from every direction. Despite not being in visual sight, not once did he catch Feng off guard. From the front, the side, or the back, it didn't matter.

Feng dodged or countered them all.

Deciding to test this for a second, Air let his fire jets cease, sending him skidding over the ground in a way that would have torn up his feet before he had learned earthbending. Instead, it just let him connect with the earth in a way that was easy to transition into his next move.

Sliding to a stop, Aang focused all of his attention on the elements of Earth as he stamped three times, dozens of stones shooting themselves out of the earth at his command as they floated weightlessly in the air.

Not because they were under his control or anything. It was simply because gravity had yet to take control over them. Aang reacted faster than gravity did however as he flicked his hands rapidly, throwing in a roundhouse kick for good measure to send the remaining stones in a wave.

What Feng did in retaliation, however…left Aang stunned in a way that caused him to freeze, amazed at the sight, as did Toph and Katara who had been sneaking up on Aang in his state of focus at the oldest member of Team Avatar.

Feng was a whirlwind of movement, his feet barely touching the ground as he avoided the first stone of Aang's assault. His eyes were closed, the input from them too distracting as Feng leaned back out of the way of a head-sized rock, placing his hands upon it briefly to use it as a springboard as Feng twisted through the air, moving through a gap in Aang's assault.

To the other, it was like he was flying, with no need to ever come down as he shot blasts of wind out of all four of his limbs, the two on his feet giving the height while the ones on his hands were held out at his side, forcing his body to rotate faster before he flipped over the final rock, flipping over it as he slammed into the ground with a blast of wind on three limbs, breathing heavily from the exertion as he released the control he held over his sensing technique.

Opening his eyes, Feng was surprised to see the stares of all four members of Team Avatar, every single one of their mouths wide open.

"What?" Feng asked dumbly.

"What do you mean, what?" Katara demanded, marching forward to step in front of Feng, the fight they were in clearly forgotten. "Feng, that was amazing! When did you learn to dodge attacks like that?"

"Yeah," Aang agreed with a nod. "I don't think even I could have done that, at least not as effortless as it looked while you did it."

Feng spared a second to give the others a confused look before he replayed the previous events back in his mind, finding that much to his surprise, they were right. Looking over his shoulder, her could see that there was about 100 stone boulder of various sizes scattered behind him, an amount that even in his most recent practice with Toph he hadn't gotten even close to reaching.

"I…wouldn't say that it was effortless, but I understand what you mean," Feng admitted, turning back to look at his friends with a shrug. "I guess I just...did it? I'm sorry, but that's the best I can explain it. As soon as I turned on my Air Sense, it just kicked in and I was away. I didn't exactly have the time to think about what I was doing."

"Well, if this is what happens when you don't think, you shouldn't think more often," Toph grinned, pointing at Sokka behind her with a thumb. "Ask Bozo here for some tips, he should be able to help you."

"I heard that!" Sokka yelled from halfway down a series of ladder-like poles.

"What she meant to say," Katara interrupted with a short glare at Toph before going back to smiling at Feng, "is that you just performed a high-level technique on instinct. A technique of your own creation that highlights the trait of Airbenders to its highest degree."

"Yeah," Aang agreed as he walked forward, placing his hand on Feng's shoulder as a gentle smile graced his face. "You looked like you were flying, Feng. Like the wind was carrying you. It's something that only one type of Airbenders can achieve."

"Really? Who?"

"The Masters." Aang grinned, greatly enjoying the stupefied expression on Feng's face.

"T-The Masters?!" He yelled incredulously, swapping between the similarly amused expressions of the other members of Team Avatar, even Sokka who had finally made it over to the group by running.

"Yep, and I think it's safe to say that you've mastered your Air Flow Sense technique," Aang continued, his grin growing wider.

"That makes three, if I'm not wrong," Katara replied as she counted them off on her fingers. "First the Air Blade with your Fans, then your Air Fortress Technique after you reworked it, and finally your sensing techniques. Forgive me if I'm wrong Aang, but doesn't three signify something in Airbending culture?"

"It sure does, Katara," Aang agreed, a giant shit-eating grin present on his face. "It means, that along with mastering the basic Airbending moves as you did long ago, you have finally fulfilled the final criteria."

Feng's breath hitched as he locked eyes with Aang, his gaze as steady as granite. "You mean…"

"Congratulations Feng. I, as the Grandmaster of the Airbending Order, declare you, Feng, to be a Master of the Element of Air." Aang said in a serious voice, his grin disappearing momentarily before it was replaced with an earnest smile, his eyes shining as he tackled Feng with a hug. "Welcome to the club!"

"I…" Feng trailed off as his voice was suddenly filled with emotion. "I have no words."

"You don't need to Feng," Toph replied as she slapped him on the shoulder, "Sokka's got more than enough to go around."

As the others laughed, Feng among them, a small part of him couldn't believe that it had finally happened. That after so long stagnating in his progression, Feng had finally fulfilled one of his lifelong goals.

One that he had never dreamed he would, or at least he hadn't before he had heard about Aang in that bar what felt like years ago, even if he rationally knew it was less than a year. Regardless of his disbelief though, he had done it. He had put in the work and could now declare himself a part of a very exclusive club of presumedly two.

"Thanks' Aang," Feng said instead of saying anything mushier. From the way Aang was looking at him with joy, his face said it all. Scars and all. "I promise you won't regret it."

"No worries, Feng. You earned it." Aang nodded, stepping back to give Katara a chance to give him a hug, the maternal girl far too happy not to. Seeing this, her brother decided to join in on the fun as he came at Feng from the other side, squishing Feng between two Water tribe members.

Together, the group stood there, just soaking in the ambiance of the happy occasion.

"Of course, since you are a Master, you do know what that means, right?" Aang queried, earning an inquisitive look from the still-sandwiched Feng.

"No, actually," Feng replied, still in a slightly delirious state of happiness. It had been a long time since he'd felt this happy.

"It means you're going to need to get your tattoos, as a rite of passage of every Airbending Master."

"Ahhhh," Feng uttered, his happy grin not leaving his face at the reminder. Sure, getting the tattoos might be painful, and they would immediately out him to anyone who didn't know who he was, but that ship had sailed long ago when Azula had published his identity as the Vengeful Oni.

"That should be fine. Do you have everything you need for it?"

"Just about," Aang nodded, his smirk still present. "You've been close for a while now, so I've been preparing for the occasion. I have the flowers necessary for the ink and the needle ready as soon as you are, but aside from stripping down to the bare minimum, you're going to need to do one other thing for me."

"Yes, what is it?"

"Well, let me put it this way," Aang mused, turning around to begin walking toward the training grounds exit where a couple of Guards were always stationed, there to make sure that the spectators didn't interfere with their training.

"You're going to have a cold head."

A cold head? Why would he have-

"No!"

"Yeeesssss." Aang nodded, the smile clear in his voice even if Feng couldn't see it.

The others looked at Feng in confusion, wondering why his behavior had changed so rapidly. Instead of answering their questions, Feng just stroked his long black hair, the silky strands parting pleasantly around his fingers.

He had put so much care into it, especially after his burn, and now he was going to have to shave it all off. It was five years' worth of growth, and it would all be gone in the snap of a finger.

Or the rasp of a blade.

It was enough to put a damper on his mood even as he followed sulkily behind Aang, his attention focused on his soon-to-be goon hair even as a part of him felt excited to have the blue markings replace it.

…

"Nice Tattoos," Azula hummed upon seeing Feng as he opened the room's door, "shame you're now a hairless freak."

"Thanks, I'm quite proud of them," Feng smiled, completely ignoring the later pater of her sentence as he heralded Toph into the room, shutting it behind them. The breeze generated from the action flowed over his newly bald scalp, almost making him shiver from the foreign sensation.

"And the Blind Wonder too, greeeaaaaattttt," Azula continued, making Toph smirk as she tapped a foot, creating a chair in a rumble of stone for both her and Feng right in front of Azula, the girl now bound to a comfy chair that had been brought in for good behavior.

"I am a wonder, aren't I?" Toph agreed, preening as Azula sighed, losing some of her energy. While the two comments were par for the course for the entrapped girl, after over a month in confinement with no escape, her hopes had begun to dim.

Her father would have long since heard of her imprisonment and would have had more than enough time to restructure his forces for a new assault. The fact that not even an attempt had been made was quite telling.

Gingerly, Feng eased himself into the seat that Toph had provided, easing his weight down onto his sensitive skin. Getting the tattoos with Aang had been a laborious process, with hours spent on him just needling the ink into his skin in a way that was profoundly uncomfortable.

Not painful, thankfully, the needles were too thin and sharp for that, but still uncomfortable, especially when Aang hadn't gone deep enough and had to redo the ink for a section of skin to ensure the color was uniform.

But the eight hours it had taken had been worth it because now he could declare himself a Master bender, with the evidence to prove it.

"Now that our complementary greetings are out of the way, I felt like we can get started where we left off. Would you be so kind as to remind me what that was?"

"Hmm," Azula said, looking like she would be tapping her chin if she could, but due to her restriction simply settled on shifting her facial expression to look inquisitive. "I believe we were last talking about my Father, the Fire Lord, and how he is going to defeat the Avatar and finally rule the world."

"Really? That doesn't sound like something we would have talked about." Feng said in faux surprise as he turned to Toph. "That doesn't sound like me, does it?"

"Nope." Toph replied, making sure to enunciate the 'p'.

"I didn't think so," Feng nodded. "In all seriousness, we were talking about what kind of defense structure the Fire Nation Warships will take behind the Gates of Azulon. Our current theory is that they'll be gathered in small groups of 3-5 ships, which is enough to be able to concentrate fire on individual targets whilst also being spread out enough that the Navy caught be wiped out in a single strike."

Noticeable, Azula remained quiet on the topic, her lips glued shut as she glared at Feng. Evidently, it was a confidential topic for the teenage girl, one that she felt the need to keep secret.

"Hmm, no answers? And here I thought we were forming a bond Azula. The silence hurts me Azula, right here," Feng said as he pattered his chest. "I can understand staying quiet for a stranger, but we hardly qualify as those now. Really, I'd say we were friends."

"We are not friends!" Azula snarled as her eyes flashed dangerously, leaning forward in spite of her bound state. "You are in league with the Fire Nations' greatest enemy, the Avatar, who any true Fire Nation citizen will stop at nothing to see dead, just like his and your pathetic Air Nation!"

And like that, her state of calm was cracked. Now for part two of the plan, Feng mussed even through his state of irritation at the comment, tapping his left armrest twice to alert Toph of the change in approach. You see, their purpose here today was not to get secrets out of her.

It would be nice if they could, yes, but they already had plenty of information from all the other Fire Nation prisoners they held The kind of information they were interested in couldn't be held from everyone in the Navy. No, Azula held far more worth than just that. Right now, she was legally the next ruler of the Fire Nation and would know plenty of the Nation's upper echelons.

Her beliefs and ideals would have nationally been shaped by this royal environment, which meant she would also know just who didn't share the xenophobic beliefs she so clearly held. Getting this kind of information though would require forming a connection with the girl, and as it was, Feng was the best man for the job, as strange as that was.

He had been instrumental in her defeat multiple times and had been the one to finally capture her, leaving her with a lifelong reminder of it. But through this, he had demonstrated himself as someone worthy of her attention, possing enough skill to not just be relegated to the worthless commoners she was surrounded with.

This assumption was supported by the fact that Feng's old mask had been found among the Princess's clothing, not even leaving her presence as she assaulted the city of Ba Sing Se.

Sure, they could have brainwashed her for such information, but there was always a chance that some key information could be lost in the process, as different people reacted differently to the Dai Li's hypnosis, with those who were less stable often going catatonic.

Azula exhibited too many of the same traits as a number of those who had gone catatonic to risk putting her through the process.

"Okay, okay, we're not friends," Feng agreed, holding his hands up in surrender, his eyes momentarily being attracted by the blue arrows on the back of his palms before he refocused. "But you can agree we are a bit past strangers, yes?"

Azula growled, but after a few seconds nodded.

"Good, glad you agree," Feng smiled. "Now, I take it you aren't willing to answer my questions about the Fire Nation Deployments?"

"You got that right."

"That's a shame, but I won't force you" Feng sighed as he bowed his head, acting like it really was. The action of lowering his head however allowed him to hide his smirk as his partner went into action. Because through his words to her, he had thrown her off balance, leaving her mental state not quite as sound and thus less likely to consider the ulterior motives they may hold.

"Yeah, shame," Toph scoffed before leaning forward, placing her elbows on her knees and her head on her hands, drawing the room's focus to her clouded eyes. "But if you won't answer any questions about the military, perhaps you can answer another question I have, one that's bugged me for a long time."

Azula seemed to consider Toph's words for a moment before slowly lowering her chin, the girl staring unblinkingly at the younger teen. "If you wish to ask me, I can't exactly stop you, but I make no promises on answering."

"Eh, that's fair," Toph shrugged as she leaned back, a footstool raising itself beneath Toph's feet as her chair molded around her, leaving her in a reclined position and looking particularly comfy as she did.

"Now, my question is this girly. Why exactly did the Fire Nation start the war in the first place? Because my teachers when I was growing up always said that it was because you wanted to conquer everyone, to have the other nations groveling at your feet. Care to weigh in?"

"I might as well," Azula sighed as she shifted slightly, clearly uncomfortable but unable to do anything about it. "And while I personally believe that the Fire Nation should rule over the other nations as you described, the groveling at our feet part I particularly like, that isn't what my own tutors taught me when I was younger."

Azula's eyes flickered as she thought back on her lessons, the action leaving her face go into a more neutral position that Feng found gave her a much prettier face. Not more youthful, as even with a scowl it was pretty obvious she was young, but like this, she seemed…normal, or maybe just not so violent? It was hard to explain.

He did like it though. lightning scar and all.

"Now, the lessons were boring considering it was on events a hundred years ago, but I do remember that the war was a culmination of Fire Lord Sozin's rein, beginning when he was only a child with his friendship of Avatar Roku."

Toph Blinked.

"There were friends?" The question was addressed to both Azula and Feng.

"They were, continue," Feng nodded towards Azula as he answered Toph's question.

"Yes, it is surprising that they were friends, isn't it, but Avatar Roku was a Fire Nation Citizen even if he betrayed it later on," Azula sighed. "Anyway, Sozin and Roku were friends for a number of decades, allowing them to direct the Fire Nation in a way they both agreed with. This allowed for the Fire Nation to reach an unheard level of prosperity for the time, one that dwarfed the other nations."

"Well, in some ways your not wrong," Feng mused. "Your technology does outstrip anything the other nations have to offer."

"It does," Azula said, "which is why when Fire Lord Sozin saw the conditions the other nations' people were living in, he found himself displeased with how far they paled in comparison. The Southern and Northern water tribes only had their ice and animal pelts, the Earth Kingdom only had their dirt and stone huts, and the Air Nomads sequestered themselves away from the world with no access to any of the modern conveniences the Fire Nation possessed."

Feng's fist clenched slightly at the mention of his Nation, but he made no other moves as by looking at Azula's bored expression, he could tell it was not to get a rise out of him. Truthfully, they were not wrong in a way. The Air Nomads of old had sequestered themselves away from everything and didn't have access to things like metallurgy and crop rotation.

But that wasn't because they couldn't have, but because they didn't want to. The Air Nomads embodied the very air they named themselves after, seeking to free their lives of all distractions in the pursuit of true freedom.

Freedom that had been stolen from them.

"Seeing this, Fire Lord Sozin decided that he wanted to share the Fire Nation's good fortune with the others, but he was realistic enough to know that people are resistant to change and unlikely to adopt new technologies and practices if it was simply offered to them."

"Yeah, just like the Fire Nation couldn't accept that we didn't want them to," Toph grunted, scowling at Azula.

"I'm sorry, I thought I was answering your question, shrimp, I could stop if you want?"

"Shrimp!?" Toph squawked, the pedestal under her feet lowering as she made to assault Azula before Feng's outstretched arm stopped her.

"Play nice, Toph. You promised you would."

It was actually the only reason she was even here, that she had promised she would. Yes, he was working with her to get Azula to open up, but he could have done it just as easily with Aang, who was a far more open and cheerful, not to mention less antagonistic, individual.

But Toph had badgered him about it, and much to his dismay, he had eventually been worn down and agreed. Sure, it had taken her a month, but that girl was nothing if not persistent.

"Sorry Feng, you know I don't like being called a shrimp," Toph sighed as she sat back down, slumping in her seat.

"I know Toph, but there will be no fighting today," Feng said softly, turning his attention to the triumphant-looking Firebender. "If you would continue?"

"For you, Feng?" Azula blinked, a wide smile gracing her lips. "Anytime." She purred, earning a growl from Toph from where she was sitting, but no other action.

Luckily, Feng had some practice in ignoring such provocation from both Azula and Ty Lee, so he showed no reaction to the suggestive tone as he waited patiently, wearing her down after a few seconds as she began to speak once more.

"Anyway, fast forward a decade, and Fire Lord Sozin had set up the Fire Nation Colonies in the Western Earth Kingdom, giving them advanced housing and equipment in exchange for showing loyalty to our Nation."

"Yeah, exchange," Toph scoffed disdainfully, surprisingly earning a nod from Azula.

"Yes, I have to agree. It wasn't much of an exchange on our part, but Sozin seemed to feel like doing it anyway," She shrugged. "Unfortunately, Avatar Roku didn't agree, which led to a falling out between him and Fire Lord Sozin, one that resulted in the Royal Palace being devastated and the Avatar being declared an enemy of the state."

"Which has continued to this day," Toph interjected, earning a smirk from Azula as she nodded.

"Indeed. Fast forward another couple of decades, and Avatar Roku passed away when dealing with the erupting volcano on his island home, leaving no one to oppose Sozin's mission to unite the nations."

Okay, that was over the line in Feng's book.

"And how, exactly, was wiping out my people, uniting the nations?" He demanded, his voice turning gravelly as the air around him began to twist.

"Apparently, he tried going to them first as the most peaceful of the nations but found out that the Air Nomads were planning to rebel against him, so as a pre-emptive measure he wiped them out first." Azula shrugged, not looking in the least bit intimated as she stared Feng down.

She should have been, as she was treading dangerous ground.

"Let me ask you this, Azula, princess of the fire nation. What were you told about my people? What have you discovered about them in your time on this earth?"

Feng's voice was as cold as the artic, his tone making even Toph shiver despite it not being used upon her as she 'stared' at Feng in concern.

"Well…I didn't learn too much in my assigned studies," Azula admitted softly, "but after I was assigned the mission to bring in the Avatar, I did all the research I could on both his people and on Airbending. Especially so after I encountered you the first time due to the humiliation you inflicted upon me."

"Didn't enjoy the earth gag, did ya?" Toph grinned, glad to have something to distract herself with.

"As a matter of fact, no, I did not," Azula scowled as she looked at Toph. "It ended up leaving me with chaffed lips and cheeks, along with irritated skin and some torn-out hairs. At least these new restraints only restrict my movement."

As to demonstrate this fact, Azula rotated her arms, making the chains rattle but leaving her unharmed thanks to the cloth padding on the inside of the restraints.

"As for your people, the sources were restricted, but I did learn a few things from scrolls and stories," Azula continued speaking to Feng, acting like she hadn't paused in her discussion to speak with Toph. "Firstly, it was the cultural norm for male Air Nomads to be completely bald, with no hair allowed on their head except for their beards. For women, they just had to shear back their forehead. Secondly, all Air Nomads were vegetarian, which sounds quite ridiculous in my eyes," she scoffed.

That was actually an opinion that Feng agreed with, disliking the lack of animal protein a meat-free diet possessed. He still stuck with it as a way to feel closer to his people and his grandfather, but he could understand why some people might find it weird.

"And do you know why my people are Vegetarians? About why we give up on meat even though it would have made living at such high altitudes easier on ourselves with the furs they gave and the meat animals could provide?"

For the first time in her recollection of the ancient history, Azula stuttered in her actions, pausing to think as an unsure expression appeared over her lighting-stained face.

"I believe…it was something about life being… honored with them? Or something along those lines?"

"Sacred," Feng drawled with a nod as he momentarily calmed, "but yes, it was. Life was considered sacred for my people."

"But why would you consider animals to be so special, to be seen as something to protect?"

"Did I stutter?" Feng interjected as he leaned forward, his presence becoming heavy as the air in the room pressed down on its occupants. "I didn't say animal life. I said life, as in ALL life, was considered sacred. From the largest Flying bison to the smallest lemur. Humans are included in that mix."

"Human life was sacred to your people?" Azula scrunched her nose up as she looked Feng up and down, her movement slightly stiff due to the pressure she was experiencing.

"You must have missed the memo then."

The pressure lightened up as Feng sighed, reaching up to rub his eyes.

"Yes, maybe I did. But that doesn't stop it from being a core tenant of my people, one that, with very few exceptions, was never broken."

"Then why would they have been plotting against Fire Lord Sozin?" Azula asked, actually sounding confused as she looked between Feng and Toph as if she was waiting for one of them to say they were joking.

"That's exactly it, Azula," Toph frowned, answering in place of Feng as he remained silent. "They weren't."

"They weren't?" Azula blinked as her mind started to connect the dots. "But that would mean…"

"That the Fire Nation slaughtered an entire nation of people for no reason other than One. Mans. Fear." Feng snarled as the wind ruffled his clothes before he took in a deep breath, forcefully allowing the air to settle as he took control of himself. He was a Master Airbender now, he had to be better than that.

"Because Sozin knew that the next Avatar would be born among the Air Nomads and knew that with the Avatar's duty of keeping the balance of the world, they too would oppose Sozin. That one of my people may pose a threat that he might not be able to handle. So, he decided not to. Instead, he ordered his soldiers to use the power granted by Sozin's comet to slaughter my people down to the last man, woman, and child. A baby in their diapers?" Feng laughed darkly as Azula sunk in on herself, her eyes wide open in shock and fear.

"They were spared no quarter. That is why the war started Azula. Because the other nations saw the Fire Lords' actions for what they truly were. The act of a deluded tyrant who was hell-bent on ruling the world with no regard for who had to die to allow it to happen. The same belief that your father holds, Azula."

Feng stood to his feet, too worked up to continue the conversation as he turned around, marching towards the door with Toph quick to follow.

It didn't stop him from throwing a parting comment over his shoulder though.

"Why else do you think your Father hasn't freed you yet, hmm? It's because, in his eyes, you are just like anyone else." Feng's eyes flashed as Azula's widened. "Expendable."

With a flourish of his cloak, he slammed the door open, walking out with Toph to leave Azula alone to her thoughts.

"That…couldn't be true…could it?"

Needless to say, because of Feng's words, Azula had a lot to think about.

AN: And that's another chapter, a bit quicker this time I should say. Thanks for Reading.

Also, if you don't know about it already, Fanfiction has enabled this new feature that turns off notification emails every 90 days or something. To be honest, I didn't notice until I stopped receiving them, so if you want to receive updates from any of the stories you follow, you might want to enable the setting.

Ervin.