New Ozai (the city formerly known as Omashu)
Omashu was not the way that he remembered it. So much had changed in the months since he had last visited the famous Earth Kingdom city. If that wasn't made obvious by the way the place seemed ghostly quiet, or by how there was no traffic going through the gates of the once flourishing trading center, one thing removed all doubt.
Fluttering banners of black and red hung from the city walls and proudly proclaimed that the impossible had happened. The city of Omashu, the city that had once been deemed "impenetrable to all but the mightiest of armies," had fallen into the hands of the Fire Nation.
He sat heavily on the ground and put his face into his hands."I guess that settles it then. The Fire Nation army is the mightiest of all. We're too late. Bumi is probably.. probably.." he moaned miserably.
"Aww, c'mon Aang. It's not that bad. Bumi's one of the strongest earthbenders alive. If anyone could have escaped, it would've been him," Katara reasoned, kneeling next to him in an attempt to cheer him up.
Aang sniffled. "You don't understand. Anyone who knows Bumi knows he would never abandon Omashu while there were still people inside it. If the Fire Nation conquered has the whole city, that means he's been either captured, or he's…" he couldn't finish the sentence.
No one said anything for a little while as they all mourned the fall of one of the last remaining great cities of the Earth Kingdom. Katara was the first to break the silence. "So what if they conquered one city?" she asked softly, before slowly getting louder.
"Big deal. It's just one more place we'll have to kick their butts out of, nothing we haven't done before. Remember when we did exactly that at the North Pole? We held an entire army off for days. Aang sent an entire fleet of battleships running away like possum chickens without a head."
"Well technically, they reconquered the city right after we left, so if anyone resembled a bunch of headless chickens it was probably us," Sokka cut in.
Katara pretended like she didn't hear him, continuing to rub Aang's back in a comforting manner. "And then there was that time when we helped the Kyoshi warriors defend their island from invasion."
"The same island that now lies under Fire Nation control," Sokka interrupted once more.
Katara finally looked back at him with a furious glare. "You're not helping," she hissed at him.
He held up his hands in defence. "Hey, I'm just saying. It's probably too late to help Omashu. I think it's time we stop trying to help lost causes."
Katara stood up to her full height and put her hands on her hips. "Fighting the Fire Nation is not a lost cause!" she all but shrieked. "Just because we've suffered a few setbacks doesn't mean we can just give up! Everyone is counting on us. Or have you forgotten that we're all that stands in the way of the Fire Nation and total world domination?!"
"I'm not saying we should give up, I'm just saying we should be smarter about how we fight," Sokka argued back just as passionately. "The Fire Nation keeps winning because we keep fighting them on their terms. The North Pole and Kyoshi Island. What do they both have in common?"
"They're both places where you got rejected by girls out of your league?" she asked with an eye roll.
"Hey! That's so not fair! Yue didn't reject me, she got turned into the moon and saved the world!"
Katara sniffed and turned her chin up at him. "Hmmph. Well that sure sounds like a rejection to me."
"You're one to be talking," Sokka said, pointing accusingly at her. "Who was it that you were crushing on big time in a certain Earth Kingdom forest? Oh yeah, that's right. A freaking psychopath named Jet."
Katara's face turned red, whether it was from embarrassment or anger was impossible to tell. But before she could reply, Aang finally spoke up.
"This pointless bickering isn't getting us anywhere guys," he said in a resigned tone.
They both turned to look at him, at each other, and then back at Aang. "So who do you agree with, Aang?" Katara asked him gently.
Aang sighed. "I think you're right Katara. We can't give up, no matter how bad the odds may seem. We need to enter Omashu and figure out a way to help the people there. And I need to find Bumi, not the least of all because he's my friend. If we don't do that, no one else will."
"But-"
Aang continued on past Sokka's objection. "And I also think you're right Sokka. We need to start fighting the Fire Nation on our own terms. The sooner we do that, the sooner we can turn this war around. The only problem we have right now is figuring out a way to do both."
Sokka looked skeptical for a few seconds before shrugging. "Well I suppose it could work. There's nothing to stop us from trying. The worst that could happen is that the entire world falls into Fire Nation hands, right?"
Aang laughed. "That's the spirit. Got any ideas?"
Sokka scratched his chin. "Hmm. Well... although we're outnumbered here, again, there's one thing that's different that we've never had on our side before."
"And what's that?" Katara asked, curious despite her earlier anger at him.
Sokka grinned mischievously. "They don't know we're coming."
At the Fire Nation circus
"So… you have friends here?" Aizon asked, sounding slightly perplexed as he kicked a rock in boredom.
Azula made no visible reaction to his query. "I have a friend here, though to be sure, I haven't seen her in a few years. It's entirely possible that she doesn't remember-"
Aizon's snort of laughter caused her stop short. "That she doesn't remember you? I hardly think it possible, Princess Azula. You're simply too memorable a person for anyone to forget," he said with a wink. Azula glared at him for the interruption, but he could tell that she was amused by the way her lips shifted up in a barely visible grin.
He smiled back at her, and for a few seconds they simply stood there in companionable silence. Aizon had noticed that moments like these were becoming much more frequent since their confrontation with ex-General Iroh and the ex-Prince Zuko.
Maybe it was because they had fought side by side yet again, and had once more been victorious. Or maybe it was because he had been so badly injured, and she had mysteriously had an epiphany about her feelings for him. Or perhaps it was simply because they had finally grown comfortable enough with one another.
Aizon could think of a million reasons why it was happening, but that wasn't what was important. What was important was that he knew that his relationship with Azula was growing deeply personal. He felt it every time she graced him with a small smile, or gazed at him with fondness when she thought he wasn't looking.
There was still that ever-present mask of formality between them. But increasingly it was slipping for longer and longer periods of time, giving way to moments of connection like these that always made his heart beat ten times faster. He wasn't sure what to call it, but he knew it was something special.
"Be that as it may, Major Aizon," Azula eventually continued, breaking eye contact to stare back at the empty tent opening behind her. "The fact remains that it has been some time since we last saw each other… And people can change over time. They can forget about the things that they had once previously known well. They become unpredictable…"
Aizon nodded, glancing around distractedly at the colorful tents made in shades of purple and pink. They made for a stark contrast in background against the dull and monotonous gray mountains that rose up high above the valley floor in the distance.
"Yes, I suppose that makes enough sense. It's just that… it's just that-"
"It's just what?" Azula cut off his stuttering. "What are you trying to say, Major?"
Aizon threw his hands up helplessly. "It's just that this isn't the sort of place I'd imagine you having a friend."
"Oh? What is the sort of place you'd imagine then?" Azula asked in an indulging tone.
"Oh, I don't know," Aizon replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Probably some place on the front lines like New Ozai."
Azula turned back and quirked an eyebrow at him, and he could tell that she had just barely stopped herself from laughing aloud. "As it so happens, my other friend that we'll be meeting is indeed inside New Ozai. Though I would hardly call her living situation 'on the front lines,' speaking to Mai yourself you'd be forgiven for thinking otherwise…"
She muttered the last sentence so quietly that Aizon couldn't quite hear it. "What was that? I didn't quite catch that," he asked, saying as much.
Azula glanced at him, then back at the tent opening as someone could be seen making their way out. "Nothing. I'll explain later. Be on guard."
Suddenly the person who was exiting the tent bounded forward and flipped midair in a somersault, coming out the other side of the tent flaps in an impressive handstand. She was wearing a tight pink acrobatic outfit that showed off her toned midriff.
She had her brown hair tied up in a long braid, and she had striking grey eyes that almost made Aizon feel like he was looking in a mirror. But the most impressive part was when she lifted all but her index fingers and did a finger stand without seeming to strain herself at all.
"Ty Lee, is that you?" Azula called to get her attention.
"Azula!" The girl exclaimed as she finally noticed Azula's presence. She did a swirl and came down to prostrate herself in a bow all in one fluid movement. Then she ran forward and embraced Azula in a tight hug.
"Is it so good to see you!" the bubbly girl exclaimed with what sounded like genuine happiness. She noticed Aizon and her cheeks pinked prettily. "And who's this handsome man you've got keeping you company?" She tried to get closer to him, but was stopped when Azula suddenly wrapped her arms around Aizon's waist and pulled him away from her.
"This, Ty Lee, is my boyfriend, Major Aizon. And before you ask, yes, it's official. The Fire Lord granted him permission to court me right after we came back from our glorious victory at the North Pole."
Aizon waved awkwardly as he squirmed in Azula's tight grip. "Hello. Nice to meet you," he greeted politely before he glared halfheartedly at Azula. He had no idea where this sudden possessive side of the princess was coming from, but he secretly kind of liked it.
Ty Lee's eyes widened dramatically before she gasped in delight. "Oh spirits above! Your auras compliment each other so beautifully… I've never seen anything like it! It's like you two were made to be together!"
Aizon and Azula exchanged an incredulous look, but that only made Ty Lee laugh for some reason.
"It's like I'm seeing double!" she exclaimed in amazement, flipping backwards onto her elbows and stretching her legs forward until they reached the back of her head. She stared at them with the adoring that one might associate between a child and a new puppy.
Aizon cleared his throat, and finally Azula released him, though he couldn't help but notice that she kept him very close beside her. "Right, um, well Azula and I have come a long way to meet you, so… um…" he trailed off when Ty Lee flipped into a new position that made her flowing silk shirt ride up dangerously high on her well proportioned chest.
An elbow to his side brought his wandering attention back to Azula. She had a distinctly sour look on her face as she continued talking in his place. "Yes, as Aizon was saying, we've come a long way to find you, Ty Lee. We want you to come with us."
The very flexible girl stretched her head up to look at the princess with interest. "Come with you? Why?"
"We want you to help us capture the avatar," Aizon cut in this time.
Ty Lee paused noticeably for a second before she jumped up into a normal standing position. "So it's true then? The avatar has returned?"
"Yes of course he has," Azula replied irritably. "That's been old news for months. How have you not heard of the avatar's return before now?"
Ty Lee shrugged, looking at Azula hesitantly before she spoke. "No one talks about the war here at the circus. It's part of the reason why I love it so much…"
She gave Azula another hesitant look before she sighed regretfully. "I'm sorry Azula, but I don't want to leave the circus. I'm happy here."
Azula and Aizon glanced at each other, and something seemed to pass between their gold and silver eyes. "Say Ty Lee, tell me something. Are you a firebender?" Aizon suddenly asked.
Ty Lee looked at him confusedly, then grinned at him and batted her thick eyelashes. "Why do you ask, Major? Is it because I'm so ho-"
"Answer the question, Ty Lee," Azula abruptly cut her off.
Ty Lee glanced back and forth between Azula and Aizon in bewilderment. "No… I'm not a firebender. But you already knew that Azula, why would you-"
"Tell me something else, Ty Lee," Azula interrupted her again, as she slowly began walking closer to her. "Have you ever fought against a powerful firebender and won?"
Now Ty Lee was beginning to look alarmed. She backed up as Aizon too began closing the distance that separated them. "W..well, maybe once or t..twice-"
"How about two powerful firebenders?" Aizon asked before she could finish her previous answer.
Ty Lee suddenly tripped over a barrel behind her, and fell sprawled to the ground. In a flash Aizon and Azula were beside her, flickering blue and pale yellow flames inches away from either side of Ty Lee's face.
"Y..you w..wouldn't h..hurt me, w..would you Azula?" Ty Lee stuttered in fear.
Azula's face showed no mercy or hesitation. "I'd hurt anyone who refused to serve the Fire Nation when called upon by their rulers. So you tell me Ty Lee…"
Ty Lee looked ready to cry. "B..but we're friends! We went to the Royal Fire Academy for Girls together, remember?"
Azula glared at her. "I remember a friend who would've done anything that I had asked of her. Not some selfish little airhead who preferred the company of platypus bears to that of the crown princess."
Ty Lee turned desperately to Aizon. "P..please, you've got to listen-" she reached for Aizon's boot but pulled away quickly when he kicked at her hand.
"Princess Azula's word is law. Either you obey her command and come with us, or you refuse and suffer the consequences. The choice is yours," Aizon told her succinctly. He never noticed the look of pride flashed his way.
Ty Lee gave them both a few more pleading looks before she finally relented, and her shoulders slumped in defeat.
"Oh alright," she finally conceded, her expression changing from sad to excited so fast that it made Aizon worry for her mental health.
"But you will come with me to see my show tonight, won't you? You have to see my tightrope performance!"
Azula and Aizon glanced at each other for a moment before Aizon shrugged. "We'll come," Azula answered. "But we're leaving for New Ozai straight away afterwards, so have everything you need ready to go."
Ty Lee bounded to her feet and pulled the both of them into a tight hug. "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you! You won't be disappointed! It'll be so much fun! Just you wait and see," she told them before, giving Aizon a peck on the cheek before she dashed out of the tent, leaving the pair of firebenders alone once more.
For a few seconds neither of them said a word, awkward silence filling the air. "Well… she was…" Aizon struggled to find the right words.
Azula shot him a look of exasperation. "Trust me, I know."
"But there's no way she's always like that, right? It would be exhausting to even the most energetic of people," Aizon tried to argue with her.
Azula said nothing to him as she led the way out of the tent back to the village. Feeling unusually merciful for a change, she decided not to correct him.
A day later
Aizon quickly learned just how wrong he had been. Perhaps it was because she had spent so long in the company of wild animals at the circus, but whatever the reason Ty Lee just didn't seem to be capable of putting a filter on her speech. Whatever was on her mind, she'd voice it without hesitation.
Sure, the girl was nice enough. But after spending so long in the company of the prim and proper princess, Aizon had grown used to hearing people choose their words very carefully. Being around someone who so casually voiced their every thought grated on his nerves and felt intolerable.
After the fifth time he had been asked about his workout routine and what kind of shampoo he used, he had decided to seek refuge from the insufferably happy girl in Azula's private quarters. For some unknown reason that irked him immensely, the princess seemed to find the whole situation greatly amusing.
"It's not funny! She's really a nightmare Azula. You'd think that after we nearly killed her by setting that net aflame that she'd be at least a little subdued. But no! It's like it never even happened!"
Azula chuckled softly. "You forget, dear Aizon, that it wasn't you who set the net on fire. It was me," she reminded him.
Aizon peered up at her in disbelief. "Yeah but I was sitting there right next to you, wasn't I?" he tried to justify. "And I was there with you when we threatened her before the show too!"
Azula raised an unimpressed eyebrow at him. "Right. But you never actually did anything yourself. That's the difference. You merely assisted me."
Aizon slowly narrowed his eyes at her. That had been a growing fear of his for a while now. That Azula would come to see him as nothing more than a sidekick, instead of as an equal.
"Assisted eh? Is that why you think this is so funny? Because I'm just an assistant to you?"
She was quick to put those fears to rest though when she rolled her eyes at him and pulled his head into her lap. "Oh stop being so grumpy. Of course I don't Aizon, you're far more important to me than than just a mere assistant. You're my boyfriend. My cunning, powerful, and oh so handsome boyfriend."
She smiled at the way he seemed to perk up when she said that. "That's just how I think Ty Lee probably sees you."
Aizon huffed in annoyance even as his muscles started to relax when she began running her hands gently through his hair. He usually wasn't comfortable being touched by girls, but for some reason it always felt different when Azula did it. Different in a very good way.
"I swear Azula, if your other friend is like this, I think I'll just throw myself overboard," he said, voice slightly slurred from his relaxed state.
Azula hummed a pleasant tune in her throat for a few moments before she said anything. "You have nothing to worry about then. Mai isn't anything like Ty Lee. She hates talking in general just about as much as she hates everything else," she said in a reassuring voice that slightly shocked her.
She had only said what had come to her intuitively, but she couldn't remember ever caring about anyone enough to try to comfort them like she was doing now with Aizon. But Aizon's quiet laughter distracted her before she could contemplate that fact any longer.
"I take it then that Mai is a bit less… extroverted shall we say?" he asked with a yawn.
Azula scoffed. "That's a nice way to put it, yes… Though, to be perfectly honest, the only thing I can ever recall Mai expressing actual like for was probably her love of throwing knives… that and my halfwit brother."
Aizon peaked one eye open, looking up at his girlfriend with interest. "Your brother, you say? This wouldn't happen to be the deceased ex-prince Zuko we're talking about, would it now?"
She hummed noncommittally, and stared at the wall like her mind was a million miles away. "Yes, the very same. Mai always had a soft spot for little Zuzu. News of his death may be devastating to her…"
"I take it she won't react well to the fact that you killed him then?" Aizon asked after a few moments
Her golden eyes snapped back to his face, searching intensely for even the smallest hint of disapproval. This was a make or break moment for their tentative relationship. Did Aizon support her? Or did he think her a monster… like someone else that had been important to her had once did.
Right now she trusted Aizon above just about anyone else in the world, but she still had never let her guard down completely around him. She purposely avoided talking to him much about what she had done to her brother, because she feared what she would discover if his true feelings about the matter became known to her.
"Perhaps you disapprove of my actions, Major Aizon?" she asked tensely, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Aizon appeared not to have noticed the shift in tone she was using, as he shrugged his shoulders indifferently. "You did what you had to do, Azula. You were forced to choose between your brother and your country, and that's never an easy choice."
He opened his silver eyes and he saw… something warm in her amber orbs that made his heart flutter.
"Good answer," she whispered in a scratchy voice. Then her face came closer and her cool lips touched to his, setting his world on fire.
For a second he was too shocked by the sudden romantic gesture to react, but then his instincts kicked in and he found himself eagerly returning the kiss before he could even consciously register himself making the decision.
He brought his hands up and cupped her face, marveling at the extremely smooth skin of her cheeks. He ran his hands through her silky fine hair, caressing her scalp like she had done for him.
He heard her gasp when he bit down hard on her lip. He quickly seized the opening and poured his passion into the kiss as his tongue explored the inside of her mouth.
They stayed together for as long as possible, until the need for air simply became too demanding to ignore. When they were finally forced apart, their faces were red and their breath was coming in short gasps as they panted heavily, sending hot puffs of air into each other's faces.
Aizon almost initiated another kiss when there was a pounding on the door, stopping him dead in his tracks. Azula didn't seem to share his hesitation though, as she eagerly resumed the make out session with a kiss at the place where his neck met his shoulder blade, sending his pulse racing.
He groaned in delight when she bit down on the tender flesh there, making him squirm with delight as she sucked on his suddenly extremely sensitive skin. He had almost forgotten about the person at the door when the pounding started again, startling Azula and making her bang her nose into his own.
"Ow!" they both exclaimed as they each clutched their noses.
"Maybe you should see who that is," Aizon said, giving her a weak smile.
Azula clutched her nose for a few more seconds before she nodded. "This had better be important," she muttered, actually growling with anger.
Reluctantly, she lifted Aizon's head off her lap and walked over to the door, a furious look on her face. She threw the door open and glared so hard at their interrupter that Aizon was surprised they weren't instantly reduced to ashes.
"A..Azula. I've come to tell you that we're here. We've arrived in New Ozai," the voice of what could only be Ty Lee said in a stutter of fear.
Both Azula and Aizon blinked. The ship they had charted to bring them up the river to Omashu was completely still, and it must've been that way for a few hours already, as neither could remember feeling the ship come to a halt recently.
Azula was the first to recover. "Right. We'll be down in a minute. Have the palanquin prepared and meet us on the deck," she said authoritatively.
Ty Lee nodded, glanced around Azula's shoulder to wink at Aizon, then flipped backwards and skipped down the rest of the length of the hallway without missing a beat. Azula slowly turned around to Aizon and gave him an inscrutable look.
Half an hour and a boring palanquin ride later and they were standing at the foot of the stairs by the governor's palace. A girl with long black hair wearing a modest dark maroon and black dress curtseyed as soon as she saw Azula.
"Please tell me you're here to kill me," she seemed to say with complete seriousness. It must have been a joke, as Azula laughed quite unconvincingly. Many pleasantries were exchanged between the three girls before Mai finally took notice of Aizon.
"Who is-"
"That's Azula's boyfriend," Ty Lee enthused while batting her eyes at Aizon flirtatiously. "His name is Aizon," she said with a longing sigh. "Isn't he handsome?"
"Boyfriend?!" Mai exclaimed with the most emotive face Aizon had seen her use yet, but that was only for a second before what seemed to be her trademark bored expression returned. "Very funny Ty Lee. Azula doesn't have any boyfriends… right Azula?" she asked dismissively, as if she was sure of the answer.
Right on cue Azula pulled Aizon's arm around her shoulders, a strangely gleeful expression settling on her elegant face. "It's true Mai. Aizon here was granted permission to court me after we returned from conquering the north pole."
Aizon, used to this by now, simply went with it and smiled at the dour noble girl. "Nice to meet you Mai. Azula has told me so much about you," he said by way of greeting.
Mai's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as she stared back and forth between the two of them, before they finally resettled on Aizon again. "You've met the Fire Lord then?" she asked in a disbelieving voice.
Aizon nodded nonchalantly. "Yep. Spoke to him in his throne room and everything. Pretty scary guy, but he's not so bad. He made this lovely lady after all, didn't he?" he said with a grin, squeezing Azula closer to his side.
He was pleasantly surprised when Azula grinned back and leaned up to plant a kiss on his cheek.
Ty Lee squealed at the sight of their public affection, and Aizon felt his cheeks heat up at the noise. "Oh aren't they adorable?" Ty Lee said breathlessly, as if she was on the verge of fainting from excitement. Luckily Azula was far more composed than Aizon was at the moment, so she was able to handle the rhetorical question.
"That's right we are, and don't you forget it," Azula said, her face almost glowing with satisfaction. "Daddy will be so pleased when he hears of Aizon's valiant capture of my traitorous uncle. I'm sure he'll be made a General in no time," she said with a smirk, staring at Mai as she said the last two sentences.
Mai seemed to want to say something as she opened her mouth, but then she immediately shut it again. She visibly swallowed down her questions, and turned to begin walking up the stairs of the palace.
"You can tell me all about it later. Right now we've got a situation," she said without looking back once. It was a good thing too, as that way no one saw her facade of boredom crack for more than just one second.
Hours Later
It turned out that sneaking people in and out of a Fire Nation controlled city was much easier than he had ever thought it would be. Who knew that purple pentapuses could ever come so in handy?
It felt good to know he was making a small difference for the resistance, giving them hope where they had had none before. It also did something to alleviate the enormous guilt he felt for the current state of the war.
Aang saw it on the people's faces when they thought he wouldn't notice. They blamed him. They blamed him for the defeat of the water tribe at the North Pole. They blamed him for the loss of Omashu. They blamed him for everything.
And the worst part of it was that they were right to do so. Aang blamed himself more than anybody. The only reason this war had lasted a hundred years was because he hadn't done his duty in the first place. And now the world was paying the consequences for his poor decision.
That was most of the reason why he had decided to go through with taking a hostage. He didn't like fighting dirty. Kidnapping a two year old made him feel nauseous. But his back was up against the wall, and there was no other choice. He had to do something. He couldn't just let the Fire Nation win.
These thoughts and more raced through Aang's mind as he saw a party of four approach their position. They must be the negotiators. The backdrop of the giant statue of Fire Lord Ozai really hammered home just how far this war had spiraled out of control.
He saw the recognizable face of Bumi encased in a steel coffin being lowered from a crane behind them.
Three girls and one boy slowly came to a stop. Aang didn't recognize any of them, but he could tell they were all clearly nobility from the Fire Nation by the way they were dressed.
It was the girl and the boy at the front of the group who made him pause. They seemed to be the leaders, and Aang could feel instinctively that they were the most dangerous of the four.
"Have you brought my brother?" the grimacing girl to the boy's left asked.
Aang glanced at her before he looked back to the boy and girl at the front. "We've brought him. We're ready to trade," he said with as strong of an inflection as he could. Aang knew from years of haggling at bazaars that the only way to win a negotiation was from a position of strength.
As an airbender he didn't like strong-arming people, but he knew it worked, and that was the important thing here.
Which was also why he was so shocked when the quartet didn't immediately agree to turn over King Bumi. Instead they seemed much more intent to start a debate amongst themselves on the wisdom of doing a trade at all.
"Just doesn't seem quite fair, does it Aizon? Trading a powerful earthbending king for a two year old?" the girl at the center asked the boy beside her.
The boy who must've been Aizon, shook his head. "No, Princess Azula. It doesn't feel fair at all. Feels much too one sided if you ask me," he replied conversationally.
The girl, or princess, smirked in a manner that made Aang feel dread in the pit of his stomach. He had seen that look before. This negotiation was over before it had even gotten started.
"That settles it then," she said, before staring Aang straight in the eyes with a wicked grin.
"The deal is off!" she announced loudly. The steel-encased Bumi retracted up the crane quickly after her announcement, and Aang grit his teeth as his mind raced for ideas. Drawing a blank, he decided to take a leaf out of Bumi's book and charge forward to rescue his friend.
And that was when everything started to fall apart.
Before he even got three feet he was met with a huge plume of blue fire that forced him to leap high in the air. For a moment everything stood still as everyone watched him launch off the scaffolding of the giant Ozai statue, then unfurl his glider.
He could hear the gasps when his identity as the avatar was revealed when the scarf on his head was blown off by the wind. He paid it no mind as he landed on Bumi's coffin and began trying to freeze the chain off with breaths of cool air.
Meanwhile, back on the ground, Azula's eyes widened as she realized just who had decided to grace them with their presence. If they could capture the boy, they could bring this war to an end and secure victory for the Fire Nation. Not to mention eternal glory as the ones who brought down the legendary avatar.
She glanced at Aizon, and she could tell he was thinking somewhere along similar lines. She waved him closer. "Right. Aizon, you're with me. Mai and Ty Lee, you take care of those two," she said, motioning to two water tribe peasants slowly approaching them.
Nothing more was said as everyone launched into action.
Aang wasn't even halfway into his second breath of cool air when he was suddenly forced right off Bumi's steel-coffin. A pinwheel of white fire had come out of nowhere and he was had no choice but to take a leaping dive to avoid it.
He barely managed to unfurl in glider in time to stop himself plummeting to the ground, but not even a second after he did so, a second wheel of fire, this time blue, struck the glider's left wing.
"Aaaaah!" he screamed as he took a nosedive and crashed into the ground.
It was lucky he was so light on his feet, because he would probably not have survived the follow up blast of fire if he didn't throw himself to his right as soon as he landed. Aang twirled his damaged staff to dispel two simultaneous bursts of white and blue fire.
But just as soon as his sight was clear of flames again, his eyes widened when he saw the girl-boy duo were only feet away from him. Aang dodged left to avoid being burnt to a crisp by a missile of blue fire, and rolled to duck beneath a flying kick to the face.
When he came out of his roll it was only to be met with three walls of white fire that burned so hot he was forced to cover his face from the heat. That split second he covered his face left him blind, so he never even saw the blast of fire that swept his legs out from underneath him and sent his head crashing hard into the ground.
The last thing he heard before he blacked out was Katara's cry of "AANG!"
Aizon and Azula quickly closed ranks around the fallen avatar as they fended off furious attacks from an irate waterbender girl.
"You jerks!" the girl shrieked. "Give us back Aang!"
She cried in pain and fear as her water tentacles were vaporized by a zigzagging strike of Aizon's scorching hot fire.
"Not likely," Azula said with a smirk as she flashed Aizon an approving grin. She cartwheeled forward and had the girl unconscious and beneath her boot in only two jabs and one kick.
he laughed contemptuously as she heard the water savage moan and wiggle unconsciously in a pathetic attempt to remove Azula's boot from digging into her ribs.
She only let it distract her for a second as she heard a booming crash and saw Mai and Ty Lee get thrown back in the air past her and Aizon's spot on the platform.
An enormous white furry beast with six legs and a beaver's tail and crashed into the platform. It was looking right at them, and it did not seem very happy.
"Yipp yipp!" the water tribe boy atop the beast yelled. "C'mon Appa. Save Aang and Katara!" The beast seemed to understand him, as the massive thing launched into the air coming right at them.
For a crucial second, Azula froze. The sight of a flying animal that size coming right at her activated her fight or flight instincts, and made her body seize up until she was stiff as a board and unable to move a finger.
For one terrifying moment, she felt all but certain that she was about to be flattened into a pancake.
She never felt more grateful for her boyfriend's presence when she saw him leap in front of her, twirling in a circle as sparks of electricity flew off of him. He was unmistakably preparing to channel lightning. Something that was extremely dangerous in close quarters like this.
At the last possible moment before the flying beast crashed into them, Aizon thrust his hand forward and a bolt of flashing lightning discharged from his extended fingers and collided into the side of the beast in a strangely green explosion.
The thing gave a great roar of inhuman pain as it was struck, and it's beady black eyes looked murderous with rage. But Aizon's lightning had done the trick, and the beast seemed to lose all control of it's flight as it was diverted midair from crashing into Aizon and Azula by the sheer power of his lightning.
Azula could only watch stunned as the flying animal and it's screaming rider just barely managed to avoid crashing into the city walls, it's six dangling feet scraping the bricks as it passed over. After that it disappeared from sight.
In the next second Aizon was at her side. She allowed him to worryingly run his hands all over her body in a way that completely lacked all impropriety, as she was half worried she was injured herself.
Finally when he seemed to be satisfied that she wasn't going to drop dead in the next couple of seconds, he took her face into her hands. The look of genuine concern on his face warmed her heart greatly. It felt nice to have someone worry about her like this.
"Azula! Are you okay?" he asked her with audible panic in his voice.
She smiled and brought her hands up to grip the ones he had placed on her face. "I'm fine Aizon. But thank you for asking," she told him without any sarcasm. Still he didn't seem to be satisfied, and she nearly laughed aloud when he cutely bit his lip and gave her whole body another once over.
"Are you sure Azula? You seemed to freeze up there. I've never seen you do that before," he whispered, sensitive to the fact that she wouldn't want something embarrassing like that broadcast for just anyone to hear.
She looked at him fondly before she leaned in and pecked his lips for a few moments, not moving back until she was sure he had that slightly dazed look on his face he got whenever she kissed him.
"I'm sure," she whispered, giggling at the goofy grin he had on his face. Aizon looked ready to initiate another kiss when a throat clearing made them both jump. They both turned to see Mai and Ty Lee standing there looking a little worse for wear.
"I swear it's like we're not even there," Mai said in a tone that was halfway between disgust and envy.
"I think it's cute," Ty Lee countered in a cooing voice.
Aizon and Azula glanced at each other before they both broke out into identical evil grins. It wasn't until several more throat clearings that they finally looked up again.
"What should we do about the prisoners?" Mai asked with almost a growl.
"The what now?" Aizon asked, somewhat confused. He wasn't sure why she was asking him when Azula was right there. She clearly outranked him.
Mai actually did growl this time. "The prisoners! You know, the avatar and his little snow savage companion?"
Aizon looked behind her and saw said people bound up tightly in steel chains. Aizon blinked and looked at Azula. She nodded at him, apparently leaving the decision of what to do with them at his discretion.
He scratched his chin. "Have them fitted in steel and prepared for transport. They should be moved to a maximum security prison in the colonies as soon as possible," he said after a moment's thought.
"And what of King Bumi?" Mai queried him as she relayed his orders to a pair of nearby soldiers, who in turn dragged the avatar and his friend off without another moment's delay. Aizon glanced up at the disgraced earthbender king, still dangling in his steel-coffin from a chain, and then over at Azula again.
Her nod of permission granting him deference only confused him more. Why was she leaving these decisions up to him? Not able to come up with any reason to refuse her at the moment, he took another second to think before he answered that question too.
"Have him executed. He's more dangerous to us alive than dead, and whatever value he had to us as a hostage token is gone anyway," he reasoned. Mai seemed somewhat reluctant to relay these orders, but a nod from Azula made sure she obeyed.
"It will be done," Mai said without enthusiasm. "Now if there will not be anything else, I am going back to the palace."
She only got a few feet before Azula called her back. "Mai stop. Don't go anywhere just yet. We didn't come to New Ozai just to chat. We have a proposition for you," Azula said.
Mai slowly came to a stop, but didn't turn around. "A proposition involving what, exactly?" Mai asked in a tone that spoke of extreme caution. She didn't even need to see the princess's face to hear the sadistic smirk on it.
"How would you like to help us bring down the walls of Ba Sing Se?"
A/N: DUN DUN DUUUNNN! Sorry for the long wait, I've been busy with school. I'm on spring break now, so yeah, that's why I'm finally updating. Anyway, no, this story isn't even close to being finished, if that's what anyone was wondering. Trust me, even though I know it seems like it's only been smooth sailing for Azula and Aizon up until this point, the waters of conquering the world are about to get much rougher after this chapter.
I know I also said there were going to be more fight scenes in this chapter, but there was only just the one. There was much more dialogue that I was intending to write, but that's just the way it turned out. I hope you still liked it in any event. Next chapter will be where more characters start coming into more serious play. Please fav and review, thank you.
