Howdy, and welcome to yet another chapter of A Walk Through Fire! I really liked writing this chapter due to how funny I made it. Thank you to everyone who has followed, favorited, and reviewed this story. It really does mean a lot. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Don't forget to favorite, follow and review!
I DO NOT OWN AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER!
It had been a few days since the event that would soon be known as the Stronghold Incident. Azula had to file a report to her father about what happened. In her report she detailed how the prisoner was able to escape due to the Avatar's group of friends coming in to save her during the transfer. She did not mention the massive fight that took place with Aang and Zuko, since it was assumed that Avatar was dead. Plus, she didn't want to put him in any more danger than he already was in.
There were no soldiers around when the fight took place so no one knew that Lee was actually Aang, which Azula was thankful for. It made her job considerably easier when everyone was in the dark; everyone except for Aang, Mai, and Ty Lee. Azula still wasn't used to the massive promise that she had made to them. It was in her DNA to lie on sight. If she encountered a problem, she would just lie her way out of it. If she didn't want to tell someone something, just lie to them and keep them in the dark. Now, she couldn't do that. Now, she had to tell them the truth and it was a struggle.
Azula wasn't the only one who was struggling with the aftermath of what happened. Aang had nightmares from the incident almost every night since it happened. He would sometimes wake up in the middle of the night panting and sweating. It got so bad that sometimes he would accidentally wake up Azula.
Azula was sleeping peacefully one night. She had been running the Stronghold, reading reports about Ba Sing Se and the war as a whole, planning more attacks on rebel forces, along with everything else that she had to do. To say that she was tired was an understatement. As soon as she finished eating, she crashed into bed.
Aang, on the other hand, was not sleeping as well. The nightmares he had been having about Zuko were plaguing him.
"He abandoned the world when it needed him the most. He let his ENTIRE FUCKING CULTURE DIE! What kind of Avatar does that?!" Zuko shouted with his hands raised in the cave.
"You're right, Zuko. I'm glad that we didn't rescue him. He is weak and useless! We didn't need him and we don't need him now!" Katara replied while glaring at Aang who was glaring at both of them.
"You're useless, Avatar. Not even Azula wants you!" Zuko shouted with a smirk on his face.
"He's right, you know. I never cared about you and you should know that," Azula whispered into his ear which caused him to shiver.
"That's…no, that's not true! You said no more lies," Aang cried as he stumbled back into a wall and looked at Azula who was grinning at him.
"How do you know that wasn't a lie too?" she spoke with venom and cunningness, almost like she was toying with him. "It's not my fault that you're dumb and gullible!"
"I don't know why I was ever friends with you, Aang," Katara sneered. "Zuko is everything that you weren't!" She wrapped her arms around Zuko and held out her hand showing Aang the ring. "I mean, just look at this ring!"
"You are weak, Avatar!" Zuko shouted, an enticing look on his face. "You can't even beat me, you have no chance against the likes of my Father!"
Aang balled up his fists and gritted his teeth.
"Oh yeah? You want to test out that theory?"
Suddenly, Aang's body twitched in the bed and his eyes and tattoos started to glow bright white. The entire room was engulfed in the light and the bed was shaking slightly due to his erratic movements.
Almost immediately, Azula woke up. Due to constantly being around danger, she was a very light sleeper. She looked around and saw that the room was lit in an eerie white light.
"What the fuck is going on?!"
She then realized that the source of the light was, in fact, her crush, the Avatar. What the fuck?! Is he in the Avatar State? She immediately started shaking him. Is he asleep? I have to get him to snap out of it.
"She never cared…"
Azula's eyes widened when she heard what he had said. While his voice was low, she could still make out what he said and it startled her.
Is it a nightmare? It must be a nightmare. Right?
She didn't have time to question what was happening. She needed to get him out of this state before he started bending and then kill her and everyone else in the area.
How did I get him out last time? Was it something I said? She looked at the glowing body and was startled when he started moving.
"Aang, wake up! It's a dream!" she called while trying to wake him up. "Aang, I'm right here. Don't worry. Please, you have to wake up!" She was starting to panic.
"No!" Aang yelled. "It's a lie. It was all a lie!" He started to sit up and raise his hand into the air which caused the air to start rotating around them.
Shit, shit, shit! What do I do?! Azula was in a frenzy, Aang was about to lose it and she couldn't stop him.
"Aang, please! Wake up! Everything is okay. I'm right here!" She held his hands in hers so that he couldn't bend with them.
Wait, I hugged him! she recalled. That's it! I need to show him affection.
She let go of his hands and placed hers around his torso. He instinctively returned the hug. She then began to hug him and try to calm him down.
"Shh, Aang, it's okay," she said softly as she hugged him and moved his head to her chest. "See, listen. That's my heartbeat. I'm not going away." She rubbed his back and kept hugging him.
"Th-that's a lie."
"No, it isn't. I will never lie to you again, Aang. I'm not going anywhere."
Eventually, the air around them stopped swirling and the white glow in the room began to diminish until it was once again dark in the room. Azula was relieved that she was able to calm Aang. She kept rubbing his back until she felt his breathing slow down, signaling that he had gone back to sleep. She decided that she was going to hold him for the rest of the night. She wrapped her arms around him which kept him firmly pressed against her chest and leaned back onto her pillow.
Well, I guess I won't be getting any sleep tonight for, what, the third night in a row? I'll talk to Mai about it tomorrow because this is the third time this week he's woken up in the middle of the night.
Azula sighed and laid there with her arms around Aang, who was now definitely asleep. Unfortunately for her, this would be yet another night with little to no sleep.
Ty Lee and Mai were walking towards Azula and Aang's room holding plates of food. They didn't see either of them at breakfast which concerned them.
"Where do you think they are?" Ty Lee asked, earning a shrug from Mai.
"Maybe they are still asleep," Mai replied. "Azula has looked pretty tired the last couple days and maybe Aang forced her to stay in bed and get more sleep." She walked up to their door and turned the knob. "That's odd. I guess they didn't lock the door."
The pair entered the room and were shocked at what they saw before them. Azula was currently barely awake holding a sleeping Aang against her chest. She looked tired and drained. Her eyes were drooping and she had dark circles under them. She looked up and gave a weak smile to them. They returned it with looks of concern and worry.
"Oh my gosh, Zula. What happened?" Ty Lee asked as she hurried to Azula's side and tried to brush the hair out of her face.
"Yeah, you look awful," Mai stated nonchalantly, placing the plates of food onto the table and then walking next to Ty Lee.
"Shh! Can't you see that he's asleep? Be quiet!" Azula spoke in a loud whisper and glared at Ty Lee, who quickly placed her hand over her mouth.
"Did you even sleep last night?" Mai asked as she looked at Aang, who was still perfectly asleep, and then back at Azula, who looked gaunt.
"No. Maybe 2 hours then he woke up," Azula replied plainly while rubbing the sleeping Avatar's back. "He went into the Avatar State this time, which was new. Usually, he just wakes up in a fuss and then goes back to sleep."
"Wait - he went into the Avatar State?!" Ty Lee shouted.
Azula instantly glared at her. "Did I not just tell you that you need to be quiet?" Azula hissed at the acrobat.
Ty Lee took a step back and sighed.
"You need to get some actual sleep Azula," Mai stated and started to walk towards the bed. "Ty Lee can watch Aang while he sleeps. You and I are going to go back to my room where you will sleep. Is that clear?" Man, both of them are gonna be a mess when they wake up, she added to herself.
Azula knew that this was one offer that she couldn't refuse. She knew that her work was suffering due to the fact that she hadn't slept in three days. She couldn't keep this up lest she eventually ran herself into the ground.
"Alright, fine," she said as she let go of Aang and started to get up from the bed. When she got up fully, she stretched and yawned.
"Are you okay to walk?" Mai asked cautiously.
"Yes, I'm fine! Now let's go."
The girls left the room, leaving Ty Lee with a sleeping Avatar. She looked at his sleeping form and smiled. Well, I guess I should just let him sleep. She looked around the room and saw some documents that Azula had left out and decided to read them.
Some time later, Aang woke up and looked around. He was confused when he didn't feel Azula next to him as they had been sleeping in the same bed for some time. He looked around and didn't see Azula at all, which worried him slightly. Hmm. Maybe she had stuff that she needed to do and left.
"Looking for someone?"
Aang turned around towards the voice and saw Ty Lee standing by the balcony. She was wearing her usual pink crop top and had a smirk on her face.
"What's with the look?" he asked, smiling at her and getting out of bed. "And where are Mai and Azula?" He walked over to her and leaned on the balcony.
Well, I can certainly understand why she finds him attractive, Ty Lee said to herself. He's hot as fuck! She internally screamed but kept her cool on her exterior. "She had a rough night so Mai took her to my room so that she could sleep."
"What do you mean she had a rough night?!" Aang asked alarmingly, as he didn't remember waking her up. Then again, he couldn't remember much from last night as he was quite tired from training with Mai the day before.
"Relax, Aangy, she's fine," she reassured the young Avatar who let out a sigh of relief and relaxed his physique.
"Nothing happened to your girlfriend," she added teasingly.
Aang stiffened and looked at Ty Lee, who cackled at his response. His face had scrunched up and was turning a deep shade of red.
She's not my girlfriend, right? he questioned himself. I mean, I do like her. I wish she was my girlfriend. Wait, did she call herself my girlfriend? Aang stared blankly at Ty Lee who was still laughing.
"Sh-sh-she's n-not my g-girlfriend!" he sputtered, causing his face to turn an even darker shade of red which made the acrobat laugh even more.
"Whatever you say, Aangy," Ty Lee said as she walked back inside of the room, leaving a stupefied Aang behind. "Oh, and wanna go out to the town nearby? Maybe you could do something nice for your girlfriend since you kept her awake all night."
Aang thought over his options. While the day would probably be much more fun being with Ty Lee, he didn't know how much more of this teasing he could take. Fuck it, what's the worst thing that could happen? "Sure Ty, let me go put on a shirt then we can go."
"Awesome!" She jumped into the air and smiled.
Mai brought Azula back to her room and sat down in a chair. Azula laid down on the bed and instantly passed out. Mai smirked, picked up a book, and started to read.
It's nice to finally have some peace and quiet around here. Finally, I can think without either fighting for my life, training, or listening to Ty Lee or Aang talk. Who knows, maybe I'll actually read more than 10 pages of my book.
After a few hours, Azula began to stir from her nap. She felt much better and was able to actually think clearly. She looked around and found Mai reading her book.
"How long was I out?" she asked while sitting up in the bed.
"Five or six hours, I think," Mai replied without looking up from her book. "They came in to check on you before they went to the village nearby to pick up some things before we leave."
"Huh, I wonder what they are picking up?" Azula wondered aloud as she got out of the bed.
"Do you know what Aang was having a nightmare about? Especially one that would cause him to go into the Avatar State?"
Azula stopped moving and sighed. She knew that it had something to do with her, but she didn't know what else happened in it.
"It probably had something to do with what happened in the cave before he lost it," she guessed. She was concerned for her crush since he had been waking up randomly in the middle of the night for the past three days.
"This isn't the first time this has happened, I'm guessing?" Mai pried.
Azula looked at Mai and groaned while shaking her head. "Three days. They have been happening for three days."
Mai placed down her book and groaned too. She had a feeling something was going on when she and Aang were training but decided to ignore it, thinking that he would eventually come back to normal.
"You should talk to him about it," Mai suggested. Maybe that will make them go away."
"Yeah, you're right," Azula agreed. "I'll talk to him about it over dinner." She started walking over to a chair when she heard a knock at the door.
"It's my room and I have to get the door, so sit down and look pretty," Mai ordered as she put down her book and walked towards the door. "I'm coming, jeez, you can stop knocking now!"
She opened the door and saw Ty Lee standing on the other side. "Um, hi?" Mai said.
"Hi Mai!" Ty Lee replied cheerily. "I have a request for Azula. Is she awake?"
"Yeah, she's in here, but where's Aang?" Mai asked as she looked out into the hallway trying to find him.
"Well, he's doing something right now, but I need to talk to Azula right now," Ty Lee said, walking into the room and tapping Azula on the shoulder. "Zula, Aang wants you to come back to your room."
Azula did a double take and looked at her friend. "Oh, he does, does he?" She got up, smirked, and then walked towards the door. "I wonder what he's planning?"
Katara was the first one to wake up the next day. While she couldn't say that she slept like a queen last night, she slept pretty well considering that she was still in a war. She got out of her tent and started checking the food that they had. Now that Suki was there, she would need to make more food.
After feeding Appa and Momo, Katara started making everyone breakfast. She got out five metal plates and placed some nuts and berries on them. She then got out a pan and started preparing a fire.
Suki was the second one to get up which surprised Katara as she thought the Kyoshi Warrior would be asleep well into the morning due to her being kidnapped.
Katara waved to her friend and bid her good morning. "Want some tea?" she offered as she started to bang rocks together to make a spark.
"Sure, that would be great," Suki replied as she looked at what Katara was trying to do. She smirked. "Would you like some help with that?"
"Yeah," Katara groaned as she dropped the rocks onto the ground. "I guess with Zuko out of commission, we will need another fire source."
"Well, lucky for you, there's a survival expert in the group," Suki said, smiling and grabbing the rocks. She struck them at an angle which caused a large amount of spark to hit the leaves, creating a fire.
"Thanks!" Katara said as she hugged her friend. "I'm so happy that you're back!"
"So am I!" Suki replied, hugging her back.
Katara brought out the pan, cracked a few eggs, and started to cook them. After a few minutes, she gave Suki her eggs and put the rest on plates for the others to eat once they were awake.
"So, wait, are we actually going to the lake today to go swimming?" Suki asked, looking at Katara.
Katara nodded her head. "Yeah! I even got you a swimsuit while we were traveling. It's in my tent since I didn't want Sokka to see you in it yet."
Suki blushed at the thought of Sokka seeing her in nothing but a bikini but then brushed the thought aside. "Aww, you didn't have to do that! I have to pay you back…once I get some money." She rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment.
"No, no, it's fine really," Katara said, shaking her hands in the air trying to convince Suki that it was fine.
Toph woke up not too long ago and got out of her earth tent. She walked over to the two girls and sat down seemingly undetected.
"So, what are you talking about?"
Both Suki and Katara jumped a little as they didn't notice Toph walk over to them.
"Oh, we're going swimming at the lake today and Katara was telling me that she got me a swimsuit," Suki replied while catching her breath.
"Ohh, that's gonna be fun!" Toph yelled as she clapped her hands together and started grinning maniacally.
"Uh, Toph?" Karata asked while scooting towards Suki. "Why do you look like that?"
"Oh, I'm just excited to get Snoozles back for forcing me to walk on top of that metal death trap yesterday."
"Wait, you walked on top of it?! How could you see?" Suki asked with a look of surprise on her face.
"Well, Fangirl, I had to in order to save your sorry ass. I even invented metal bending just for the occasion."
"Wait, FANGIRL?!" Suki yelled which caused Katara to start laughing.
"Yeah, Fangirl! Since Sokka is always talking about you and your fucking fans."
Suki didn't have a comeback and just sat down to wait for Sokka to get up.
Eventually, he decided to show himself and grabbed his plate of food but not before kissing Suki good morning.
"Alright, so what's the plan?" he asked while eating his food which earned him weird looks from everyone there. "What? I just asked a question."
"Isn't that your job?" Katara chuckled while she put away the pans and plates.
"Well, it's not like I know what our next move is. And, I think we need a break," Sokka added while finishing eating, thanking Katara and handing his plate to her.
"Luckily for you, I came up with a plan," Suki spoke which caused Sokka to look at her. "We are going to the lake to rest and relax!"
"Yesss!" Sokka shouted while pumping his fists into the air. "All I wanted was a day to have fun and now we have one!" And I get to see Suki in a bikini! his mind added. Today's gonna be awesome. I can't-
He was suddenly snapped out of his thoughts by a rock crashing onto his foot. "Ow, Toph! What the fuck was that for?!" he exclaimed.
"You were thinking dirty thoughts about Suki, weren't you, you pervert!" Toph shouted which caused everyone to laugh and Suki to blush a little.
"Okay, but you didn't have to drop a FUCKING ROCK ON MY FOOT!" he yelled as he tried to get the rock off.
"Well, dumbass, maybe next time you shouldn't think with your dick and think with your brain!" the Earthbender scoffed as she walked towards her earth tent to get changed.
Katara also left to get dressed but not before slapping her brother on the head.
Suki was the last one to leave and decided to give Sokka a kiss on the cheek. "It's okay, I don't mind." She then grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and slammed him into the ground. She got on top of him and smirked. "If you try to cop a look, I will punish you. We wouldn't like that, now, would we?"
Sokka was blushing madly and didn't know what to do. He was slowly getting turned on and was struggling to form words. All he could do was nod his head in agreement.
Suki smiled and got off of him. "Good! I'm glad we're on the same page."
Sokka got up and dusted himself off before walking towards the lake. The lake itself was huge and very deep. There was a large sandy beach that was covered by large cliffs that would keep them covered if someone was trying to find them. He looked around and smiled to himself. He took off his clothes, put on his swim-trunks, sat down on the sand, and started to veg out.
Man, this is nice, he thought. Just laying here, enjoying the nice breeze. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, a giant wave of water is heading towards my head, and peace and quiet. Wait, A GIANT WAVE OF WATER IS COMING TOWARDS MY HEAD?!
Suddenly, the water washed over him, leaving him soaking wet and covered in sand and seaweed. Katara and Suki were laughing while Toph was rolling her eyes.
Suki was wearing a green and yellow bikini. She had some scars on her arms and legs. She was around 5'8" and had an hourglass figure. Her hair was cut in bangs and she had on a small amount of makeup. Katara was 5'6" and was wearing a light blue one-piece with her hair tied up. She was a pear shape but was rather slim. Toph had on a green and black one-piece. She was shorter, being 5'4", but was compact with a moderate chest and womanly hips.
"Guys, if you think that was funny, wait until you see this," Toph said. She dug her hands into the sand and then lifted them up. A wave of sand came crashing down on top of Sokka who was now covered in water, sand, and dirt.
"Oh, for fuck's sake, guys, what the hell was that for?!" Sokka cried out as he tried to get the sand from out of his eyes.
"Oh, Sokka, you didn't do anything. We just like fucking with you," Katara replied in an innocent tone which caused them all to laugh.
The group settled down and decided to take it easy for a little while. Both Sokka and Suki were laying on the sand catching up on what they had missed. Sokka explained how Zuko fit into the group.
"Wow, I didn't realize he was that nice of a guy," Suki said, bewildered by the fact that Zuko could change.
"Yeah, it threw us all for a loop too," Sokka said. "Especially Katara, who has a crush on him." Sokka laughed while Suki went wide-eyed.
"What do you mean she has a crush on Zuko?!" Suki shouted while looking at him with a look of surprise on her face.
"Yeah, she's had one on him for a while now," Sokka said as he stroked his chin while looking at his sister.
"Has she done anything to move forward in the relationship?" Suki asked, now interested in her Waterbender friend.
"How the fuck should I know?!" Sokka exclaimed which caused Suki to facepalm. "I've kinda been focusing on rescuing this girl that I met this one time on an Island."
"Ha ha. These 'rescuing Suki' jokes are getting a little old, don't you think?" Suki flopped back onto the sand and sighed. "Are you sure you know absolutely nothing about it?"
"Yes, I'm sure I know absolutely nothing about their relationship, except for the ring that Zuko gave her. That was my idea," Sokka added smugly, puffing up his chest.
"Yeah, I saw it yesterday," Suki said. "It was really pretty."
Suddenly, the earth shook and a cloud of dust appeared above them. Sokka and Suki looked at each other and then ran towards the commotion. They spotted Katara yelling at Toph who was standing on top of a mound of rock and sand.
"Why the hell did you try to bury me in sand, Toph?!"
"What? I thought it would be funny!" Toph yelled as she saw Sokka and Suki. She smiled and then sent a torrent of earth towards them.
"Suki, get out of the way!" Sokka said as he shoved his betrothed out of the way before he got hit by the onslaught sent by Toph.
"Sokka, are you okay?!" Suki shouted, looking at Sokka who had a large gash on his leg.
"Yeah, I should be fine," Sokka replied. "It's not like we are going anywhere for a while. We don't have any information on the Fire Nation." He started trying to clean the wound in his leg.
Katara ran towards her brother and started trying to heal his wound. "Toph, I need you to bend the sand out of his leg. Suki, I need you to get bandages and fast," she directed everyone with superiority in her voice.
Sokka was sitting there in the sand thinking about his leg when something clicked in his brain. Wait, they were more effective when they split up. We were able to do more things but we were still the same group. What if we split the group and some of us went to get information, while someone could stay with Zuko? THAT'S IT! That's how we keep moving while Zuko is out of commission!
"I've done it!" he proclaimed aloud. "I know what we are gonna do!"
Katara was trying to clean out the wound in his leg while Toph was removing the debris in the wound. They both jumped with his sudden exclamation.
"Snoozles, what the fuck are you yapping about?!" Toph asked, annoyed at the fact that he scared the shit out of her.
"I agree with Toph, Sokka. What are you talking about?" Katara spoke while trying to heal the wound.
"Yours truly just figured out how we are gonna keep moving now that Zuko is out!"
Both girls sighed and shook their heads. They knew that they needed to get moving again, but they didn't think that it would be this soon. The group had just gotten back together now. They were going to be going back on the move.
"Oh?" Katara questioned as she bent more water to her hands. "What's your fantastic plan?"
"One of us is going to stay with Zuko. The rest of us are gonna go get information on Azula and the Fire Nation."
Toph thought about it for a second and then realized that it actually made a lot of sense. Someone needed to stay with Zuko since he wouldn't be able to be well enough to move for two months. She also knew that they were gonna have to get moving soon enough due to the fact that they were still in a war. "You know, that could actually work. The only problem is, who is going to stay with Sparky?"
"I will!" Katara said as she raised her hand and blushed lightly.
"You will what?" Suki asked while handing Katara the bandages.
"Your boyfriend here came up with a plan to keep us moving while Zuko recovers from getting butt-fucked by Aang," Toph explained as she finished getting everything out of his leg.
"So, I'm guessing that, Toph and Sokka, and I are going and Katara is going to stay with Zuko?" Suki asked while looking at Sokka.
"Yep, that's the plan. How long until this is healed?" he asked while trying to stand up.
"Give it three days and you should be fine," Katara replied while washing her hands in the lake.
"Alright, we have three days to gather supplies and stock up on necessities. Then the three of us will leave and gather info on the war. Does that sound like a plan?" Sokka asked while leaning on Suki for support.
"Yeah, that works for me," Suki replied while kissing him on the cheek which made him blush.
"It's not like I have anything else better to do," Toph mumbled, which earned a glare from Sokka.
"I think it's a great idea. It also makes the most sense since I can heal people," Katara added as they walked back towards the camp.
"Awesome," Sokka stated as they walked. "For the next three days, we relax and gather supplies."
"Alright, we get it!" Toph exclaimed when they got back to camp.
"Jeez, Toph, don't get your rocks all in a bunch. Gosh!" Sokka replied as he and Suki walked over to his tent.
Katara sat down next to her tent and smiled to herself. An entire two months of just me and Zuko alone! This is like a dream come true! I can't wait. We're going to have so much fun together. And I even get to heal him! She was giggling softly to herself as she thought about the ideas that she was having. She was already developing a slight blush and her heart rate was increasing.
When night fell, everyone excluding Zuko, who was still unconscious, gathered around the fire. Since it was Suki's first full day of not being captured, they decided to go a bit extra. Katara cooked some fish that she caught from the lake and cooked it over some roasted nuts and rice.
Toph had since apologized to Sokka for injuring him and he accepted it. Suki was snuggling up with Sokka when Katara handed them dinner.
"Wow, Katara, this looks amazing!" Sokka exclaimed as he started to eat the food.
"Yeah, Katara. You really outdid yourself with this one," Toph said with a mouth full of food which caused everyone to laugh.
"Aww, guys, I really appreciate it!" Katara said as she took a bite and smiled.
Eventually, everyone finished their food and thanked Katara for the wonderful meal. Suki and Sokka went off to his tent to catch up some more and Toph went to get some sleep in her earth tent.
Katara finished putting everything away, sat by the fire and looked at the sky. She was looking forward to the next two months and all the surprises that they would bring.