Howdy team! Welcome to another chapter of A Walk Through Fire! In this chapter, I tried to make it more focused on comedy so I hope y'all find it funnier. Don't worry there is still plenty of plot in this chapter. I want to warn y'all that towards the end of the chapter there will be gore. I hope y'all like some of the headcanons I created for this chapter. Thank you so much for reviewing chapter 14! It really means a lot that you guys like the story so much that you review it. I hope y'all enjoy this chapter. Don't forget to Review, Favorite, and Follow.
I DON'T OWN AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDE!
Azula was the first one to wake up. She found that she had very strong arms wrapped around her waist and something heavy was laying on her chest.
Well, I guess he slept well, she thought to herself as she started trying to untangle herself from Aang's embrace without waking him up, but soon found it impossible. Wow, when he holds something he doesn't want to let go! She started to wiggle out of his arms, but abruptly stopped when she felt something jab her in the side. Is that… it can't be… it's the morning! How is it already like that? She instantly started blushing and tried to move around it but couldn't. Don't tell me I have to wake him up! She kept trying to move but failed again. Sighing to herself, she decided to wake up Aang. "Aang," she whispered in his ear.
He lightly turned his head and continued to sleep. She frowned lightly and shook her head in disappointment. Of course he would be a heavy sleeper. "Aang, I need to get up," she tried to whisper again while shaking him, but it didn't work. Alright, let's try this. She started moving her fingers on his lower stomach which caused him to twitch slightly. "Aang," she quietly spoke in a quiet singsong-like voice. "I won't let you sleep on me if you don't get up."
"But Zula is warm and I love her," he mumbled while still asleep.
Wait, did he just say he loved me?! she internally squealed as she continued thinking of more things to say in order to wake him up. "I won't teach you Firebending if you don't wake up!"
Almost immediately after the mention of the word 'Firebending,' Aang's eyes flared open. "Wait, what did you just say?"
Azula giggled and used the opportunity to get out of his embrace. "I said that I wouldn't teach you how to Firebend if you didn't get up." She got out of the bed and stretched. She watched as Aang kept his eyes on her as she moved. Man, he really loves my body. "I will teach you Firebending since you don't know how to do it, but not here. We will do it on the ship." She gathered her clothing and walked into the bathroom. "We can talk more about it when Mai and Ty Lee get here for breakfast."
"Okay!" Aang replied as he watched his crush disappear into the bathroom. Man, she's, like, the best Firebender in the world. Wait, aren't I still her enemy? Aang got out of bed and changed his clothing. He looked at his arms and saw the vibrant blue arrows on them. He sighed and put on his dark green tunic.
He started setting the table for breakfast and put a pan on the stove with some eggs and leftover potatoes. I hope she likes this, he hoped to himself. I really don't know anything about cooking.
"Aang, you do realize that you have over a hundred different past lives living in you, right? All of which know how to cook breakfast?"
Aang turned around and saw Avatar Kyoshi standing next to him looking over his shoulder. He did a double take and his eyes went wide. "KYOSHI?!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
The Earthbending Avatar smirked and looked in the open cabinets so she could see what foods he had available. "Well, Aang, we couldn't help but see you struggle in the Spirit World, so I took it upon myself to come and help you."
"Wait," he said as he stopped chopping more vegetables and looked at her. "You've been watching me the entire time?"
She nodded her head and smiled at him. "Yes. In fact, we sometimes even see the world through your eyes! It's quite fun to do." She sat on the table and watched him cook. "Roku doesn't interfere with your life except for when it's absolutely necessary, but Kuruk and I couldn't sit by as you butcher cooking food for your brand new girlfriend!"
Aang facepalmed and glared at Kyoshi. "So you come and help me when I'm cooking for Azula, BUT NOT WHEN I'M HANGING IN A PRISON CELL?!"
"Well, Roku thought that we shouldn't interfere with things that could drastically alter your life. So we usually don't come to you unless you call us or we as a collective think that it would benefit you in some way. Plus, I wanted to talk to you personally."
"Oh?" he said, turning around and sighing. He moved the eggs into four plates and started finely chopping the potatoes into small cubes and mixing them into the pan so that it would make a hash. "What did you want to talk to me about?"
"Why, your new girlfriend, of course!" Kyoshi stated as she stood up and walked over to the stove where Aang was. She examined the food and smirked. "Are you gonna cook meat with that?"
"What do you want to know about Azula?" he asked as he side-eyed her and brought out the extra slices of rhino from last night. "And, if you didn't already know I'm an Airbender, I DON'T COOK WITH OR EAT MEAT!"
"That's what Yangchen said before she met Roku," she snickered to herself and looked at a confused Aang. "You'll figure that one out later," she dismissed, moving to the cabinet and pointing to a spice on the shelf. "Slice the meat into small chunks, season it with this, and put it with the carrots and potatoes."
Aang did as she said and added the leftover meat to the pan. "You were saying that you wanted to know more about Azula?"
"Oh, yes," said Kyoshi. "Why do you like her?"
Aang stopped what he was doing and looked at Kyoshi. Why do I like her? "Why do you want to know?"
"What, besides wanting to know more about the person who currently sleeps next to you?" She looked at Aang who went back to cooking. "I just want to know what you think of her. I'm all for your relationship and so is Roku, but others of us are more skeptical about it due to the fact that she has tried to kill you and knows that if she kills you in the Avatar State, the Avatar will cease to exist."
Aang sighed to himself, moved away from the pan, and sat in front of Kyoshi. "Well, Azula has had a troubled past," he began. "Her dad is Fire Lord Ozai, as you know, who is currently trying to find and kill me. I also know that she has said that she won't lie to me, went on a date with me, stopped me from having nightmares, and didn't try to kill me while I slept or was in the Avatar State." He looked at her pale form and smirked.
"I think that you both are very cute together," Kyoshi said. "I just want to make sure that you love her. You are risking a lot for this relationship, Aang."
"Azula didn't abandon me. Even when everyone else left me for dead, she was there for me. Yes, she tortured me, but she also made sure I had food and clothing. No one has ever cared about me like that. She might have a cold exterior, but deep down, she cares about me. She went on a date with me, Kyoshi! She's smart, cunning, confident, powerful, but can also be gentle and soothing. I feel safe when I'm around her. I feel confident in myself and my abilities near her."
Kyoshi smiled and nodded her head. She looked at Aang and then at the pan of food that was sitting on the stove. "Aang, I'm glad you feel that way. I'm sure that soothed the thoughts and worries of some of us. I also think you should pay a little more attention to the food you are currently cooking." She pointed to the pan on the stove and he immediately headed to it with a worried expression on his face.
"I'm glad that I was able to help sooth your worry, Kyoshi. Tell everyone I say-"
He stopped as he turned around. He sighed to himself since he didn't see Kyoshi anymore. "Why do they always do that?"
While Aang was cooking breakfast, Azula decided that it would be a good idea to take a nice relaxing bath. She had been soaking in the tub when she started hearing voices from where Aang was supposed to be. What confused her was that it sounded like Aang was having a conversation with himself. Is he talking to himself? Has he always done that? She leaned closer towards the door to try and make out what he was saying, but couldn't hear it all the way. Oh well, I'll ask him about it later.
After a few more minutes, Azula decided that it would be a good idea to get out of the bathroom. She heated her body so that the water evaporated off of her. Then she dried her hair and put it into a messy bun. She brushed her teeth and applied a light amount of makeup. She put on some tight black stretchy trousers and a dark red shirt that clung to her curves. She looked at her reflection and smirked. I'm a bad bitch.
She walked out of the bathroom and was confronted by Aang who was standing over the stove shaking his head about something. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist which caused him to stiffen immediately.
"Good morning," she purred in his ear which caused him to blush and internally melt.
"G-g-good m-morning, Azula," he stammered out which made her giggle.
She let go of him and smirked. "What? Don't like a good morning hug?" She almost immediately started panicking. "Was it too much? If you didn't like it I won't do it again."
"No, no, it was fine. I just wasn't expecting it!" Aang said as he turned around and tried to reassure her that everything was okay.
"Are you sure? I don't want to make you uncomfortable." Well, that's new, she internally thought. I guess he is rubbing off on me.
"Yes, Azula, it's fine. Don't worry about it." Aang smiled at her which also made her smile.
"Well, if it isn't the two love-birds."
Aang and Azula both immediately turned around to see Mai smirking at them and Ty Lee jumping up and down with joy.
"H-how much of that did you see?" Aang asked which made both him and Azula blush.
"Oh, you don't need to worry about that," Mai said in a disinterested voice as she moved towards the table.
"Something smells really, really good!" Ty Lee chirped, walking over to the stove and seeing what Aang was cooking. "This looks really good! Did Azula help you with it?"
"No, she didn't," he stated confidently as he started grabbing plates and putting the eggs and hash onto them. "Would anyone like any tea?"
The three girls nodded their heads which gave Aang the signal to start boiling water on the stove. Azula shook her head in a disappointing way which made Mai frown.
"What's he doing wrong? He's just making tea," she whispered into the Princess' ear.
"He's not Firebending. That's what's wrong," Azula whispered back. When Aang brought the tea over, she thanked him and drank it.
"Who cares?! I'm hungry!" Ty Lee shouted which made Aang chuckle. He brought her over a plate of food. She smiled and wrapped her arms around his forearm. "Don't we just love it when a big strong man hands you breakfast?"
Azula's cheeks burned and she glared at Ty Lee. "That's MY big strong man. Get your own!" What the fuck did I just say?! Azula started blushing immediately while Aang just stared at her as he tried to get his arm loose.
"Well, you don't claim him until you're an official couple!" Ty Lee commanded, smirking as she hugged Aang's arm tighter to her chest which made him blush a little.
Mai watched the situation with amusement on her face. She's playing Azula into a trap so that she forces her to confess. Oh, Ty Lee, I need to give you more credit. She turned to face Azula who was fuming and was immensely flushed.
"I captured him, so he's mine!" Azula shouted which made Aang a little more uncomfortable.
"Well, it was also you who told us to treat him normally," said Ty Lee. "I'm treating him how I would treat any hot single man who makes me breakfast."
"Well, for one thing, he's not single! So you can get your hands off of MY boyfriend!"
Aang's eyes went wide and he went stiff. His heart was racing and he had a shade of crimson creeping on his face. She said it! She actually said it. Holy shit! I'm her boyfriend. I'M PRINCESS AZULA'S BOYFRIEND. Aang jerked his arm out of Ty Lee's grasp and quickly handed out the rest of the food before walking out to the balcony.
"Great, now look what you did!" Azula yelled at Ty Lee who had a look of utter shock on her face. She started to get up from her chair but was stopped by Mai who was already up and moving.
"I'll talk to him," said Mai. She sighed as she moved towards the balcony. "Ty, I want you to apologize to Azula because that wasn't very nice of you to do." She left the room and saw Aang leaning on the balcony.
"Did that actually just happen?" Aang asked, dumbfounded.
"Yes," stated Mai. "Yes, it did."
"Did she mean it?"
She looked at him and smirked. "How the fuck am I supposed to know?"
"So I really am dating Princess Azula of the Fire Nation?"
"Yes, yes you are."
There was a moment of silence between the two. Aang was slowly letting the idea that someone he liked actually returned the feelings for him. He slowly started to smile. She actually likes me! I have a girlfriend now!
"Hey, Mr. Smiley," Mai voiced to Aang. "Are we gonna go back and actually eat our food now?"
Aang gained his trademark grin. "Yeah sure!"
They both walked back inside and saw Azula and Ty Lee were eating their food silently.
"Well, did you apologize?" Mai asked Ty Lee.
"Yes, I did," said Ty Lee. "But I think she's still mad."
Aang took a look at Azula who looked back at him, their eyes meeting which made her smirk a little. "No, I think she's normal again," Aang said while blushing.
"Good. Now that that's taken care of," Mai stated as she sat down to eat her breakfast, "we can finally eat."
After a few minutes of eating, Azula looked at Aang who was still smiling. She shot him a raised eyebrow. He looked at her and lightly chuckled. Ty Lee giggled a little and Mai just sighed.
"So, what are we going to do for the last day that we are here?" Aang asked as he finished his food.
"Well I'm guessing you're hanging with your girlfriend," Ty Lee quibbled which made both Aang and Azula scarlet.
"Well, I need to do paperwork before we leave, so I will be joining you all at the dock," Azula announced as she stood up from the table. "I would expect that you all spend your last day on dry land wisely. I've heard that it's going to be a long trip to the capital." She walked over to Aang and leaned in close to his ear. "Can you pack up the room? I'll pay you back when we get onto the ship."
"S-sure I'll do that after breakfast," he stuttered as his face once again turned a bright shade of red.
"Excellent!" She smiled as she started towards the door of the room. "I'll see you all at the dock when the boat arrives." She left the room and started walking towards the main command room where her desk was. She had last minute paperwork that she needed to take care of before they left the Earth Kingdom.
Back at the room, Aang was cleaning up the kitchen while Mai was reading a book that she brought. Ty Lee was walking around when she saw that the box that had the earrings in them was empty.
"So, last night went well?" she asked, holding up the empty box.
"Actually," Mai began as she put down her book and looked at Aang's back. "How did last night go? Ty and I saw that you weren't here, so we did the dishes." She spoke in a seemingly disinterested tone.
"Well," he started, bending the water off the dishes and putting them back into the cabinet where they originally were, "we ate dinner - which she loved - and then took a walk on the beach." He turned around and continued to explain. "We talked about each other's childhoods, how we grew up, the nightmares...you know, normal stuff."
"Aww, that sounds so cute!" Ty Lee squealed which got a chuckle out of Aang and an eye roll from Mai.
"Did anything else happen?" Mai asked suspiciously.
"Well, we held hands. And I gave her the earrings which she loved!" Aang added, puffing up his chest a little. He was proud of the fact that he had a great first date with Azula and it clearly showed.
"So, she didn't ask you about your lack of Firebending?" Mai continued to probe at their evening. She found it extremely skeptical that the evening went as planned.
"Well..." He was starting to get a bit nervous at the intense questioning he was getting from Mai. "She asked about it and I said that I didn't know how to," he explained while twisting his thumbs. "I mean, of course, she pried at it a bit, but I didn't mind. She was just curious. If anything, I found out that she can be really gentle, which was a new side of her I had never seen."
Mai smirked at this. "Hmm…" She looked at her book and then back at Aang. "What did she say about Zuko, or did that not come up?"
"No, she didn't talk about him last night." He walked over to the table and took a seat directly in front of Mai. "She did say that she thought her mom thought of her as a monster, which I, of course, said wasn't true."
"Hold up, she talked about her MOTHER?!" Ty Lee shouted which threw Mai and Aang off their game a little.
"Yeah...why, is that surprising or something?" Aang cautiously asked. He knew that they both knew her for far longer and was interested in what they had to say on the topic.
"Yes," answered Mai. She looked at him and sighed. "She usually never brings up her mother. She's only talked to us about her a few times."
"Hell, I've only met her maybe three or four times in my life!" Ty Lee chimed in from the couch, where she was flipping through a fashion pamphlet she got while out the day before.
"Wait, seriously?" Aang asked, quite surprised by this. Of course he knew that Azula was very selective in the information that she told people, but he didn't think anything of it before. "Do you think she has a reason as to why she told me that?"
"She likes you," Mai answered bluntly. "More importantly, she trusts you."
For the second time that day, Aang's mind came to a screeching halt. She trusts me? She actually trusts me? But why? I mean, I trust her, too. Why wouldn't I? She hasn't killed me. She's been nice. She's my girlfriend. Of course I trust her. Holy shit, I'm her boyfriend! I'm actually her boyfriend!
"Earth to Aang..."
I'm her boyfriend. She actually likes me! I can't believe it!
"Avatar..."
Wait, does that mean I get to kiss her? What if something happens? Does she love me? Do I love her? What even is love?
"AVATAR AANG!"
Aang snapped out of his thoughts when he felt a hand strike his left cheek. He looked and saw that Ty Lee was cackling on the floor and Mai was leaning over the table with her hand on the other side of his face. Then the pain set in.
"OW, MAI! WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR?" he hollered while holding the left side of his face. He glared at Ty Lee who was still laughing at him.
"You didn't answer me when I was talking to you," she explained nonchalantly. "So, I decided that the best course of action was to force you to snap out of your trance."
Aang glared at her. "You didn't need to fucking bitch slap me!" he said as he removed his hand from his face and winced. He had a bright red mark on his face from where her knuckle made contact with his cheek.
"It did the job perfectly fine! Couldn't have asked for a better result."
"I fucking hate you," he mumbled as he looked down at the table.
"I bet you do. Anyway, Azula seems to trust you," Mai continued as she got up from the table. "Don't fuck that up," she added as a warning, walking towards the door.
"Trust me," he said, chuckling a little. "I'll try not to. I like living."
"Good. I'm glad we've reached an understanding." She waited for Ty Lee to get up from her spot on the couch and meet her at the door.
"See you later, Aang!" Ty Lee said as she stepped into the hallway.
"Bye!" he said as he got up and closed the door behind them.
He looked around and noticed that it was actually messier than he thought it would be. He sighed to himself and started cleaning up the room. Eventually, he realized that it was time to go down to the docks and meet the boat. He looked around the room one more time. Seeing that he didn't leave anything behind, he put on his hat, grabbed Azula's bag, and started walking towards the docks near the Stronghold.
Azula was waiting by the dock with her arms crossed. She had been there for around twenty minutes and was hoping that she would see Aang but was disappointed to see that he wasn't there.
I guess he got held up doing something. She sighed to herself and looked at her ship.
It was a top-of-the-line Royal Fire Nation battle cruiser. It had a large red and black building towards the stern that reached high into the sky. The ship itself was at the top of its class and was fitted with multiple cannons, two anchors, and many other weapons and catapults. It was around 890 feet long and could go very fast.
Azula looked at her ship and smiled. "I guess this is where we'll be for the foreseeable future," she mumbled to herself. Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming towards her. She turned around and was delighted to see Aang standing in front of her with her bag in his arms. She smiled at him and walked towards him. "Well, look who decided to show up."
"I'm sorry," he apologized hurriedly. "Security leaving was really tight." He looked down slightly. "And I kinda got lost," he added, nervously scratching the back of his neck which made Azula giggle.
"It's fine, Avatar. I don't expect you to know where everything is." She grabbed her bag from him and held his hand.
Soon after, Ty Lee and Mai arrived with their belongings. While Mai was less than thrilled to be spending almost two months at sea, she was relieved to find that they all had their own rooms. She looked at Ty Lee who was eagerly bouncing on the balls of her feet.
A soldier walked up to the group and bowed his head. "My Princess, your ship is ready for your command."
"Excellent," she responded, letting go of Aang's hand, walking towards the loading area, and entering onto the boat. Aang, Ty Lee, and Mai followed her and made their way to the main deck of the boat where the crew members were loading different things onto the boat. There were also soldiers who were preparing for the ship's departure.
The four made their way to the observation deck of the ship where central command was and sat in chairs. They looked around at everyone in the room and noticed that it was only high-ranking officials on the boat.
Aang leaned over to Azula and cupped his hand near her ear. "What's going on here?"
"We are waiting for the all-clear from the Stronghold that we can depart," she replied, which earned a nod from Aang.
Around twenty minutes later, a Fire Nation Naval Officer walked up to Azula with the all-clear for them to depart the port. She, of course, accepted it and stood up. She gestured for everyone to follow her. She led them down a flight of stairs and into a hallway similar to the one in the Stronghold.
"Alright," she began, looking at her companions. She pointed to the two doors on the opposite side of the hallway. "Mai and Ty Lee, you have your normal rooms from when you are normally on the ship. You, Aang, get to stay with me." She looked at her boyfriend and smiled. She noticed that he was turning pink and giggled. "Oh, come on, Aang. It's not like we haven't been staying in the same room for the past week."
"Th-that's true," he replied as his blush got worse. "I guess I just figured you would want your own space."
"No," she answered, looking him dead in the eyes and causing him to shiver slightly. "I like having you at arm's reach. You will be sleeping with me." She opened the door and grabbed his arm, pulling him into the room.
"Aha, okay, I get it, Zula!" he yelled which made Ty Lee laugh. "You don't have to pull me so hard!"
Azula merely smirked and closed the door, leaving a laughing Ty Lee and a sighing Mai in the hallway.
"This is gonna be a crazy few weeks," Mai spoke in a disappointed tone.
"Hey, look on the bright side," Ty Lee said as she walked towards her door. "Azula looks much happier when she's with Aang. Maybe this could be fun!"
"Yeah," Mai agreed as she walked towards her room and started opening her door. "Maybe it could be fun."
"Alright, someone go wake up Zuko," Sokka said as he looked at the map he had in front of him.
"Is he even able to walk?" Suki asked as she leaned on her boyfriend's shoulder.
"I mean, he did get his shit kicked in pretty hard by Twinkle Toes," Toph chimed in while picking at her feet.
"He should at least be awake," Katara said as she moved towards his tent. "I don't think that he can move around very well yet since both of his legs were badly broken."
"Well, we are about to leave this place, so we kinda need to tell him before we leave for three months," Sokka retorted as he was marking their path on the map.
"How are we even getting there?" Suki asked as she looked at Appa happily playing with Momo. "Wouldn't it be a little obvious if we just rode there on Appa?"
"We are going to be island hopping until we reach the Fire Nation Capital," Sokka responded as he looked at the map again and smiled.
"Do you even know what we're looking for?" Toph asked as she laid back against a rock.
"Well, obviously, we're looking for information. We need to find people who will sympathize with ending the war," Sokka replied as he rolled his map up and started packing up his things.
"So, we are looking for people who don't agree with the Fire Nation IN THE FUCKING FIRE NATION?" Toph questioned which made Suki laugh.
"Yes," Sokka answered simply, putting his bag over his shoulder and seeing Katara walking towards them. "Is he alive?"
"Yes, you idiot. Of course he's alive!" she snapped, blushing a little and looked at Suki and Toph who were now standing next to Sokka.
"So, did you tell him that we were leaving?"
"Yes, I did. He said don't do anything stupid." She went up to hug her brother who graciously hugged her back. "Please don't die."
"I won't. Don't worry. I'll try to write often when I buy a messenger hawk." He broke the hug and started walking towards the path that led to a village.
"Toph, Suki, don't let him do anything stupid," Katara called out after the two girls who smiled and waved.
"Don't worry, 'Tara. I won't let him get himself killed," Suki yelled back as she followed Sokka down the path.
Katara watched her friends fade further down the path towards the small village that was close by. She sighed to herself and walked back to the tent where Zuko was and saw that he was awake again.
"Did they leave?" he asked in a raspy voice.
"Yes," she replied, handing him a glass of water. "They just left."
"Right." He took the water and drank it slowly. He looked around the tent and saw that his stuff was all there with him. "How long was I out for?"
"Around three and a half to four days," she answered, her eyes never leaving him.
"How bad are my injuries?" He tried to sit up but instead felt a shooting pain come from his chest.
"Hey," she called, rushing over to his side. "Try not to move so much!" She helped him lay back down onto the floor.
"I need to get moving. I can't just lay here!" he pleaded, his eyes focusing on hers.
She looked at him and instantly felt sorry for him. She could clearly see how much he wanted to do something. Hell, she wanted to help him but she didn't know how to.
"I'm sorry, Zuko. I just can't help you. Aang basically crushed you. You're lucky that only one of your arms and legs was broken." She moved to his side and checked his bandages. "You should be able to start walking in around three weeks or so but no bending for at least two and a half months.
"Two and a half months?!" he exclaimed, groaning and leaning his head back onto his pillow. He sighed. "When I see him again, I'm gonna kill him," he snarled at the ceiling which made Katara sigh as well.
"Zuko, don't focus on Aang right now." She tried to soothe the angry Zuko by tending to his bandages and making sure his splints were tight enough.
"He deserves to be captured by Azula."
"Actually, she seemed very remorseful about the entire situation."
"What do you mean?" He looked at her with curiosity and question in his eyes.
"Well, she wanted to save both you and him. She even got chi blocked so that she wouldn't interfere and capture us once we got you free from Aang's grip," she replied as she tugged on the splint on his arm.
"Wow, she really must have a plan for him, then." He chuckled to himself. "I almost feel sorry for him."
"I feel bad for him, too. I think that maybe we could have done more to help him when we were back in Ba Sing Se." She sighed and looked down at her hands. "I know you don't like him, but can you at least try to see him as human?"
"Fine," he grunted. "But only for you." He closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep.
"Thank you." She left the tent with a slight blush on her face. Did he really mean that?
Inside of the tent, Zuko sighed to himself and looked up at the brown fabric above his head. I can't believe I'm stuck here for three more weeks. It's gonna be so fucking boring just sitting here. He looked around and saw a large amount of parchment lying on the ground. I guess I can become ambidextrous.
He grunted and turned himself onto his side so that he could properly write with his left hand. Alight Zuko, you got this. Just have to write with my left hand. Not that hard. He started writing, but found it incredibly difficult. Whelp, this is going to be a long three weeks.
A few hours later, Katara returned with soup and tea for Zuko. She opened the tent flaps and walked in.
"Hey, I brought you some dinner. It's soup, so I hope you like it." She placed the soup on the ground and walked over to him. "What are you doing?"
He looked over his shoulder and smiled at the Waterbender. "Since I'm gonna be here for three weeks, I'm gonna become ambidextrous!"
She giggled to herself and looked at his back. Even with bandages on it, it was still obvious that he was built. His arm was in a sling and was pressed against his side. There were small scars tracing his cheeks and neck from the rock as well.
"I hope that goes well for you," she said, smiling at him and leaving the tent. She had already cleaned up the fire pit and retired to her own tent where she would sleep for the rest of the evening.
"Sokka, do you even know how we're getting to the Fire Nation?" Suki asked as they walked through the village.
"By boat, of course! We just need to find someone who will either give us a boat or sail us there," he responded while searching for a bar or inn.
"So then, where are we going now?" Toph chimed in as she flanked Sokka to his right with Suki holding his hand on the left.
"Toph, I literally just told you that we are going to find someone who will either give us a boat or will sail us there!"
"Well, to me, it just seems like we are walking aimlessly around a village for no fucking reason!" Toph snarled back.
"Guys, stop arguing!" Suki pleaded while squeezing her boyfriend's hand.
"We aren't wandering around," Sokka repeated. "We are looking for a bar or place to get information! This isn't that complicated."
The trio continued to walk around the village until Suki was stopped by two very drunk men. She looked at them and nearly gagged.
"HeY, BEaUtIfUl," one of the men hollered, stumbling forward and grabbing her wrist. "CoUlD wE bY chAnCE bUY yOu a DrInK?"
"What?!" Suki exclaimed which caught Sokka's attention. "Why do you want to buy me a drink?!" Oh, how I love fucking with people.
"wE thInK yOu'rE very bUStY, riGht phiL?" the drunk man asked his friend who gave him and her a thumbs up.
"Hmm...well, I'd love to! But, I'm just 17." She smirked as the men suddenly realized that she was underage.
"N-nO, tHAt'S quItE aLriGHt," the men stammered as they started clumsily running away from her.
Suki looked over to Sokka and Toph who were both laughing.
"I think we found your bar, Sokka," Suki said while pointing to an old building in the middle of the village.
"Alright," said Sokka. "Don't get anything to drink or eat because we only have enough money to actually get stuff." Sokka walked through the door and surveyed the crowd inside. There were a few people in the bar who were drinking and eating. He walked up to the bartender and sat down.
"Can I help you?" the bartender asked as he walked over to the Water Tribesman.
"Yeah," Sokka answered. "Do you know where I could get a boat to the Fire Nation?"
"What does this look like, the shipyard? I'm a bartender, not a fisherman. Now, if you don't want anything to drink, I'll have to ask you to leave," he stated while he cleaned a few glasses with a cloth.
"Alright, fine. Can I get three teas, please?" Sokka reached into his pocket and paid the man who then started pouring the tea.
"Well, genius, did you get us a boat yet?" Toph asked while taking a sip of her tea.
"Still working on that, Toph." He looked around and saw Suki talking to an elderly man who was wearing a large coat.
"Well, make it quick. I don't like the feelings I'm getting in this place," Toph warned as she took another sip from her tea.
Sokka stood up and walked to the center of the room and cupped his hands against his mouth. "IS ANYONE GOING TO THE FIRE NATION?!"
Everyone who was talking immediately stopped and those who weren't already looking at him started staring at him. Some growled at the mere mention of the Fire Nation. Others showed their disdain a little more…vocally.
"Why would you want to go to that hell hole?" one man asked.
"Yeah, why would a pipsqueak like you need to go to a place like that?" someone else asked.
"Especially with such beautiful women!" one stated while moving towards Toph who then punched him in the stomach.
"Watch it, buddy. Don't test us," Toph snarled at the man who was now coughing on the ground.
"Hey, man, watch your bitch over there!" one of the men shouted as he got up and started walking towards Toph who, at this point, was in a fighting stance and was about to whip the floor.
"How about you watch your tongue before you don't have one to use," Toph growled.
The bartender realized that a fight was imminent and hid behind the bar. He covered his head and neck with his hands and started shaking. "Please don't destroy the shop too much!"
"Oh, don't worry," Sokka cracked his neck and knuckles. "We won't destroy it too much."
He ran towards one of the men and punched him in the throat. Another had a knife in his hand and was about to stab him when he dodged and knocked it out of his hand. Sokka then took the opportunity to slam the man's head into the table and knock him unconscious.
He then grabbed a knife from the table and threw it at a man who was about to flip a table at him. The knife landed in his eye and he fell to the ground, screaming in pain. Another two men were charging towards him with their arms locked. Sokka ducked under them and grabbed their arms, pulling them back and driving them to the ground, effectively dislocating their arms. He separated them and twisted their arms individually to make sure that they were dislocated.
Toph found herself at the center of a circle of five big men with knives. She smirked and stomped her foot on the ground. Five large stones rose into the air and crashed into each of their skulls, effectively killing them. She then turned around and felt another man coming towards her with a wooden chair. She dug her heel into the ground and dragged it back. The ground beneath the man suddenly opened up and he fell in. Toph closed her hands and the man's body was instantly crushed in the ground. The floor then closed up, leaving nothing but a blood stain remaining.
"Showoff."
Toph turned around and saw that everyone on Sokka's side of the room was unconscious and on the floor. She smirked and whipped her hands on her tunic. "What? I don't like being called a bitch."
"Yeah, but you didn't have to do it so flashy!" he cried as he grabbed a napkin and started wiping his hands.
"Aww, you guys didn't leave me any to have fun with!" Suki complained from the back corner of the room. The man who she was sitting with had a look of pure terror on his face as he had just witnessed the two young adults massacre fifteen bulderly grown men.
"W-who are you guys?!" he whispered to Suki who merely smirked.
"We used to be with the Avatar before he got captured by the Fire Nation," Sokka answered as he walked over to where Suki and the man were sitting. "I am Sokka from the Southern Water Tribe."
"I am Toph Befong, the greatest Earthbender in the world," Toph stated proudly as she walked over to the group.
"And I'm Suki, leader of the Kyoshi Warriors," Suki said with pride.
The man's face was painted with shock as he looked at the group of young adults sitting next to him. "Well, I must say that you all are very impressive individuals. I was talking to Suki while you both were fighting and it seems like you need a boat to the Fire Nation capital, is that right?" the man asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes that would be correct. We need to gather intel on how to defeat the Fire Lord and win this war," Sokka stated, albeit a little too loud.
"Well, I just so happen to be a merchant who is on his way to the very place you are going," the man spoke. "I would be more than happy to have you accompany me, but in exchange, you will be my security detail. We have a few stops to make before we get to the Capitol so it will be a five week journey. Does that work?" The man reached out his hand to Sokka so that they could finalize the agreement.
"That sounds great!" Sokka shook the man's hand and smiled. "When will we leave?"
"We can leave right now if you would like. I'm sure this man would want you out of his hair so that he can clean up his bar." He got up and started walking out of the bar followed by Toph, Suki and Sokka.
"That works for us," Sokka agreed while looking for confirmation from his friends who both nodded their heads. "Oh, and what is your name?"
"Oh, my name," he repeated as he stopped and smiled at the group. "My name is Rizon."
"Pleasure to meet ya, Mr. Rizon," Sokka said excitedly which made Suki laugh and Toph facepalm.
"This is gonna be a looong trip," Toph mumbled to herself as they walked towards the dock.
The bartender grabbed a piece of parchment and started writing down what Sokka was saying to the man at the back table. I knew they looked familiar; they were on the "Wanted" posters I saw. He continued to write down everything that the group was saying, including their names, where they were going, and why they were going there.
He looked at his parchment and was pleased with himself. He rolled it up, placed it into a carrying container and put it into his pocket. He then started walking towards the back of the bar where a door was. He opened it and walked into the room where he stored his messenger hawk. He placed the container onto the hawk's back and grabbed the hawk. He led it to the front of the bar and signaled for the hawk to take flight.
"Commander Dai is gonna love this," he spoke to himself as he saw his hawk fly further into the evening sky.