Hello, and welcome to another chapter of AWTF! This one is a nice break of pace from the other chapters. I decided to make a bit shorter as a way to give y'all a break. One of the things I'm changing is that in this AU there will be modern foods, and modern clothing. Hope y'all has a happy and safe Halloween. If you are reading this after Halloween, then I hope you have a good day. Don't forget to say it with me now, REVIEW, FAVORITE,AND FOLLOW. Enjoy the chapter!
I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender
"Do it again. This time, however, focus on your breath!"
It has been two weeks since Azula had started training Aang in the art that was Firebending. To say that he was gifted at the element would be doing a disservice to his progress and to his teacher. Aang was improving each and every day, and with the help of girlfriend-turned teacher, he would be able to master it quicker than she did.
Currently, the two were on the deck of Azula's boat practicing. Aang was wearing nothing but loose training pants choosing to show off his upper half since he got hot while training. It was also asked of him by the Princess who was secretly admiring his hot, sweaty body as he worked. She was wearing a black and red sports bra which showed off her accentuated bust and sculpted abs, and a pair of black leggings with red stripes on the sides.
"Like this, Zula?" Aang asked as he flawlessly kicked the air, causing a torrent of flames to shoot out of his foot.
She walked up to him and smirked. "Yes, Avatar. You did it correctly," she replied as she looked at his form and frowned slightly. "Your form is a bit lacking."
"But you just said I did it correctly!" Aang whined as he lowered his extended leg back onto the floor.
"Who's the Firebending Master?" she asked in a stern voice.
"You are," he said as he lowered his head slightly.
Mai said that I need to be reassuring him that he will get better or else he will lose confidence, she internally reminded herself as she sighed. She walked over and lightly placed her hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry, you'll get it!" Azula said, trying to speak in the most reassuring tone that she could muster while speaking to the clearly disappointed Aang. While she was not used to teaching people this way, Mai and Ty Lee had told her that students respond positively to positive reinforcement and reassurance.
"Why don't you do your set of one hundred push ups and sit ups and then we can go get some breakfast?" she suggested as she glanced up at the side of the deck where she saw Mai and Ty Lee finish up their own sparring match.
"Yes, Azula," he replied with a smile. He dropped to the deck and started doing his pushups.
That should keep him busy for a while, she thought as she looked back at her boyfriend who was doing push ups in quick succession. Damn, he's hot as FUCK! And he's powerful, too. He's picking up the basics faster than most soldiers. She continued to stare at her exercising boyfriend and failed to notice two girls walk up to her.
"See something you like, Princess?" Mai spoke, causing the Princess to snap out of her thoughts.
Azula immediately started blushing and turned to face away from Aang. "What did I tell you about scaring me?!" she yelped, trying to hide her embarrassment.
"It seems that you only let your guard down when you are around Aang," Mai noted in her normal monotone voice.
"What's it to you?" she asked while eyeing the assassin suspiciously.
"Nothing," Mai stated bluntly. "Just noticed it. You only let it happen when you're around him. Unless you are preoccupied doing something."
"That isn't ogling her eye candy, that is," Ty Lee chimed in which earned a glare for Azula.
"Well, I have no reason to be on guard," Azula stated, crossing her arms over her chest. "Soldiers aren't allowed to be on the deck during these hours. We are also on a boat in the middle of the ocean. There's no reason for me to be on guard."
Mai looked at her and searched her eyes. To anyone, they would have accepted the logic behind the answer and would have dismissed any other answer to the question, but this was Mai talking to Azula. She, of all people, knew that there was another answer to the question. "I think Aang is changing you."
Azula's eyes widened and her smirk left her face. It was true: Aang was changing her. She wasn't as cold to her friends or those below her. While, yes, she was still the Princess Azula, she had lost her edge slightly. She was becoming kinder and more considerate, along with the fact that she was slowly showing more of her emotions to her friends. She was bolder with Aang when they were in private. She would give him hugs and sometimes even lightly tease him.
"I-You're wrong!" Azula blurted, which only made her blush worsen.
"Aww, you're even stuttering like him!" Ty Lee teased.
"I will not tolerate this tomfoolery! I am still the same Azula as before," she decreed in an authoritative tone which made both Mai and Ty Lee stiffen slightly.
"Alright, Zula. I'm done my workout now," Aang cut in while jumping to his feet. He walked over to the girls and noticed the odd looks on Mai and Ty Lee's faces.
"What's going on?" he asked cautiously.
Azula turned around and looked at her boyfriend with a smile on her face. "Nothing!" she replied casually. "We were just about to head to our room so that we could eat breakfast!" She spoke in a tone that was totally different from the one she had just spoken in, which only proved Mai's point: she was slowly growing soft.
They walked towards the tower where they were staying and headed up the stairs reserved for only royalty. It led directly to the hallway with their rooms in it. Aang opened the door, walked into the room, went directly into the kitchen, and started cooking.
Over the past two weeks, Aang had greatly improved his cooking. Since he had nothing to do but stay in the room while Azula was working, he had the past Avatars help him improve his cuisine, as well as help strengthen his connection with the Spirit World. He would have lunch and dinner ready for when Azula would come to the room to check in on him.
Azula saw him walk over and smiled. He's such a housewife. "Maybe you should wash up," she suggested while walking over to the kitchen. "You smell awful."
"Who's gonna cook breakfast?" he asked, turning off the stove.
"I'll cook you breakfast," she replied, which made Mai and Ty Lee's eyes widen. "You've been cooking for me for the past two weeks. It's only fair that I help out as well." She shooed him away into the bathroom and sighed.
"You sure you haven't changed?" Mai asked with a smirk on her face.
The Princess sighed and looked at her. "Okay. Maybe I've changed a little."
"A little?! You NEVER cook!" Ty Lee exclaimed.
"Yeah, so don't get used to it!" she snapped as she put on Aang's apron. She looked in the ice box and grabbed some eggs, milk, and butter. She then opened a cabinet and grabbed the salt, sugar, and flour.
"What are you making?" Ty Lee asked. She was watching Azula pull out the ingredients and was curious as to what she was making.
"Pancakes and bacon," she replied while mixing the dry ingredients into a large bowl.
"Ohh!" Ty Lee squealed with excitement. "I haven't had your pancakes since we were little girls! They were so light and fluffy!" She reminisced about how good the pancakes were which made Azula giggle a little.
"I must admit, they were very good," Mai chimed in. "But what made you want to make them?"
"Well, Aang's been training really hard recently, and I wanted to do something for him." She grabbed the wet ingredients and mixed them into the bowl with dry ones. She then grabbed a large spoon and started to stir the bowl, making a batter.
"Actually, now that you mention it, how is he?" Ty Lee asked. She hadn't been able to see him as often because of her constantly doing stuff for Azula and the crew.
"I mean, he's okay. He seems to be happy enough," Azula answered as she put down the large spoon. "He looks happy. We eat dinner together and talk about our days."
"Have you both...done anything?" Mai cautiously asked. She was worried about the response she was going to get from the Princess.
Azula stopped moving and sharply turned her head towards Mai. She had the biggest blush and her cheeks were burning. "Who do you think I am?! A whore?!" she yelled as she placed the griddle pan on the stove.
"I mean, you ARE dating him," Ty Lee acknowledged which earned a glare from Azula.
"Yes, and I'm also a distinguished Fire Nation noble!" she yelled as she lit the stove. She cut a slice of butter and placed it on the pan, causing a sizzle.
"Oh c'mon, Zula. You can't seriously tell me that you haven't even kissed him yet?!"
"I'll have you know that this is my first relationship! Unlike you, Ty Lee, I like going slowly in a relationship," Azula retorted while pouring batter onto the pan forming circles.
"I think that you're scared," the acrobat accused in a childish tone.
Mai watched the argument take place. She thought that something like this was very amusing. While part of her agreed with Azula, she also felt that it was hard to believe that the most she had done was hug him and hold his hand.
"I am not scared of a relationship with the Avatar!" Azula shouted, which made Ty Lee smirk.
"Then when will you kiss him?" Ty Lee asked teasingly.
"I-I had a plan for that actually!" Azula stammered as she continued cooking the pancakes. Isn't his birthday soon? I need to get him a gift. THAT'S IT! The kiss will be his gift! She smiled a little as she flipped a pancake.
"Oh? So it's a surprise then?" Mai jumped into the conversation.
"Yes. Yes it is," Azula said smugly. She finished making the pancakes and grabbed another pan so that she could make the bacon.
"Aww, why can't you tell us?" Ty Lee whined.
"Because Aang can hear us, you idiot," Mai replied while looking at the bathroom door.
"Yeah, that makes sense." She replied.
"Could one of you pour drinks and the other sets the table? I want to eat right when he gets out of the bathroom," Azula stated as she placed the bacon on a large plate.
Aang was currently standing in the middle of the bathroom butt naked. He looked around the room and groaned. "Of course I forgot my clothes!" He was about to walk outside the room when he realized that everyone else was outside. "Fuck," he swore aloud. "NOW what am I supposed to do?" He stood there, thinking for a second, when an idea came to his mind.
"Hey, Zula?"
Azula looked up when she heard his voice. She looked around but didn't see him anywhere. Mai pointed to the bathroom and smirked. She walked over and put her ear next to the door. "Yes, Aang?"
"Can you hand me some clothes?" He was blushing like a mad man and was very happy that no one could see him.
Azula immediately flushed. Is he naked?! Why didn't he grab some clothes when he went in?! I bet he's also soaking wet. Something like a shock went through her body when she thought that. She lightly licked her lips and noticed that she was heating up lightly. "Why didn't you think of getting any clothes?" She gently bit her lip as she felt tiny little butterflies dancing in her stomach. I can't be acting like this. I am a Princess! But he's naked!
"I didn't think of it!" Aang groaned as he bended the water off of him. "There should be some clothes on the bed or in the closet."
Azula looked at her bed and saw Aang's clothing folded neatly on it. She walked over and grabbed them. She carefully cracked open the door and handed him his clothes. "L-let's not make a habit of this, okay?" she stammered as she walked back to the table.
Mai and Ty Lee, who had watched the exchange, were laughing their butts off. Ty Lee even fell out of her chair, she was laughing so hard. When Azula did reach the table, she sighed to herself and sat down. What were those feelings? They felt so...good. She looked up and still heard the two girls laughing at her. She glared at them and raised her hand, a light blue flame emitting from her hand. "Still think it's funny?" she threatened, smirking as both the girls immediately stopped laughing. "Good." She looked at the food on the table and then back at her friends.
Aang walked out of the bathroom fully clothed in a pair of black trousers and a green short sleeve shirt. He smiled at Mai and Ty Lee and sat next to his girlfriend.
"Who made this?" he asked as he started picking up a few pancakes and placing them on his plate.
"Your girlfriend," Mai spoke, her voice returning to it's normal monotone sound.
Aang looked at Azula and then immediately facepalmed. "I should have noticed. You're wearing my apron," he said as he pointed to the orange apron that he had found when he was wandering around the boat one night.
Azula went slightly crimson and smiled at him. "Yes. It's customary that you wear it whenever you cook, so I decided I should wear it when I cook." She grabbed a few pieces of bacon and put them onto both of their plates.
Aang accepted the bacon hesitantly and took a small bite out of it. He had talked to Yangchen about him eating meat. What he had expected to get from the conversation was how disappointed she was in him, but in reality she said that it was okay. The Airbenders would understand that he needed to eat meat and that it was fine. So, he started incorporating meat into his diet, which pleased Azula.
"So...how's the food, Avatar?" she asked while watching her boyfriend chew his food.
"It's fantastic!" he exclaimed, his eyes wide and sparkling. "What are they? I've never had anything like these." He put a few more of the pancakes onto his plate.
"Well, Aang," said Ty lee, "they are called pancakes. Azula used to make them when we were younger. They are really, really good!" She noticed that Azula smiled a little.
"Well, whatever they are, Zula, they are amazing and I love them!" Aang replied as he continued to dig into the pancakes that were in front of him.
"It seems like he really likes her cooking," Mai whispered into Ty Lee's ear.
"Yeah, no shit, really?" Ty Lee replied sarcastically as she watched the couple.
"You know I can hear you, right?" Azula replied, not taking her eyes off of Aang. Both Mai and Ty Lee frowned a little as they continued to eat their food.
The group finished eating their breakfast and went their separate ways. Mai and Azula got up to do administrative duties for the boat. Ty Lee got up to do random things for sailors and Aang went to meditate in the center room.
He stayed there for hours, his eyes closed, legs crossed, and fists pressed lightly against each other. He was floating about three feet off the ground in deep meditation when Azula walked into the room.
She saw that he was glowing and smiled. This was a usual sight for her to see. Since Aang wasn't really allowed out of the room to do anything, he spent most of his time meditating.
She walked up to him and sat across from him. She knew that he knew that she was there, even if he didn't show it. She closed her eyes and tried to mimic his lack of movement, crossing her legs and trying to empty her mind. After about twenty-five minutes, though, she gave up. She just couldn't clear her mind due to always having to think of plans and schemes for the Fire Nation. She opened her eyes and saw soft gray ones looking back at her.
Looking into them, she felt instantly calm. Any stress or tension that she had accumulated throughout the day quickly melted away. She smiled softly and lowered her posture slightly.
"You lasted longer than yesterday," he said as he stopped floating off the ground.
"Yeah," said Azula. "I guess it felt a tad bit calmer than usual." She got up and walked into the kitchen to fix herself some tea. "Would you like some tea?"
He nodded his head and got up to sit at the table. He watched her heat up the cup with her palm and sighed.
She walked over to him with a cup of tea and placed it in front of him. She noticed his disappointment and frowned slightly. "What's wrong?"
"I'm not that good at Firebending yet," he replied as he sipped his tea.
Wow, I thought we got his confidence back up. I don't know what to do to help him like this! Maybe just being there for him will help? She walked over to him and frowned slightly. "Aang, you are improving far better than others when they learn to Firebend. In fact, I couldn't ask for a better student." She draped her arms over his shoulders, and leaned her head into his neck. She leaned on his shoulders and took in his scent.
"Yeah, but usually I'm much better when I learn elements. It only took me like a month to learn Earthbending and that's my worst element," he said, his head drooping slightly.
"I guess," said Azula. "I have been stressing the basics, but if you want I can teach you faster. However, you have to promise me that you won't forget the basics." She got up and went to the door to grab their food that she ordered before she came to the room.
"I promise! I won't forget them, Zula!" He looked at her with a smile on his face, his eyes bright with happiness.
Wow, he can bounce back FAST. She walked over to the table with their food and placed it down in front of him. It was sweet chicken with rice and mixed veggies.
He smiled at her and waited for her to sit down before he started eating. "How was your day?"
"Oh, you know," she began, taking a sip of tea. "It was busy. I had to write some reports, go over plans of attack, and some other things." She took a bite out of her chicken. "How was yours?"
"It was mostly fine," he replied as he spooned some rice onto his fork. "I spent most of it meditating and thinking about how my life has gone so far. I also went to the Spirit World for a little while to make sure everything was fine there."
"What's it like in the Spirit World?"
"It's kind of like you're in a dream, but you can remember everything perfectly. You can move around and you can talk to people. I see the past Avatars and talk to them. Since I'm the Avatar, I can take you there if you want," he added with a smile and took another bite of his chicken. "I mean, if you want to go, of course."
She looked at her boyfriend and then back at her food. "How would you do it?" she asked as she finished her chicken.
"Well," he said as he finished his food and placed his silverware on his plate. "You would need to improve your meditation. But after a couple months of practice, I should be able to take you." He looked at her and smiled. "Would you be interested in going someday?"
"Sure!" Azula replied, smiling at him and moving to the balcony that was in her room. Aang got up and followed her. He put his arms around her waist and pulled her close.
"Isn't the sunset beautiful?" he reflected as they watched the sun slowly move lower down onto the horizon.
"Yeah," Azula said as she leaned on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him. "It is beautiful."
Commander Dai was sitting in his room reading over reports that had been given to him by his commanding officer. What he read was pleasing. He picked up the paper and smiled lightly.
"So," said Dai. "They have been spotted leaving and heading towards the Fire Nation with a merchant."
He walked towards the map that was hanging on his wall and marked Sokka, Suki, and Toph's positions on it. He chuckled to himself and checked where Anng and Azula were on the map.
"It seems like they are all heading towards the Capital for something," he noted as he walked towards a map that showed where all the Fire Nation's soldiers were in the world. "I wonder what the Avatar's friends will find at the islands they stop at?"
"I think they might be traveling with a merchant of some kind," a commander stated from a corner of the room.
"That would be most logical, considering he didn't mention the bison," Dai said as he looked at the map again.
"Wait. Weren't there five of them?" the commander asked.
"Yes, there were. Which begs the question." Dai walked back over to the board and looked at it closely. "Where are the Waterbender and Zuko?"