Wheat Fields

"So explain it to me again… why are we here?" Azula asked in a whisper as she laid prone beside her very still boyfriend.

Only silence answered her question. Aizon made no acknowledgement he ever heard her as he continued to stare through his binoculars. He had been this way for hours, never moving an inch, and rarely ever taking his eyes off of the binocular sights.

The spring season was in full swing now, and it was a beautiful day outside in the southern Earth Kingdom. The birds were chirping happily in the trees, and their music filled the air with joyful notes. There was a gentle breeze on their backs, and the sun was shining, it's warming rays making their polished armor gleam in the daylight.

The wheat stalks around them swayed back and forth in the breeze, creating a hypnotizing symphony of nature. It all made for quite the idyllic setting. Azula even thought it would have made for quite a nice place to picnic. But one thing stopped her from breaking out the plaid blanket and wicker baskets.

They were currently deep in enemy territory, outside the walls of Gaoling.

Azula and Aizon were currently lying together in a wheat field, just on the outskirts of the city. It was a field that belonged to some random old farmer who was suspiciously paranoid of intruders. The straw hat wearing peasant kept doing random patrols through the field, and he had come dangerously close to finding their hiding spot.

It felt like only a matter of time until they were discovered, and when that happened, only the spirits knew how the farmer would react to discovering a couple of Fire Nation soldiers in his field. But despite this growing certainty, Aizon insisted it was the ideal place from which they could use to spy on a nearby marketplace.

Why they were spying on the marketplace at all, Azula had no idea. All her boyfriend had told her before he grabbed her on her way out of the shower was that it was an extremely urgent "reconnaissance mission," and that they "were not to be seen."

Azula hadn't even had time to dry her hair before she was pulled up to ride pillion on a mongoose lizard. If anyone else had dared try that on her, she would've smitten them with a blast of lightning on the spot.

But seeing as it was Aizon, all it took was one smile and compliment about her still wet hair before she felt her anger mysteriously disappear. They had ridden in silence for most of the predawn morning hours. Just as the morning sun was rising in the sky, they had ditched the lizard and proceeded on foot until they reached their current hiding spot.

Azula looked through her own pair of binoculars and observed the city for the millionth time that day, trying to glean some idea about what in the world it was that Aizon could possibly be planning. But for the life of her, Azula couldn't figure it out.

She knew Aizon received an abnormally large amount of intelligence reports, far more than she was sent, for that matter. Azula had even heard a rumor that he had formed something of a friendship with the head of army intelligence, so perhaps that explained it. But even if that was why, she had no idea why those slimy "operatives" would be interested in Gaoling.

She glanced over at Aizon again, biting her lip as she observed him. He had always been handsome, but Azula could've sworn that her boyfriend looked completely different these days. He seemed to have lost much of the boyish good looks he used to have, replacing them with manly edges that set her heart aflutter.

It made her feel insecure about the fact that she had still yet to grow into her own body in many ways. Azula blinked and looked away, feeling inexplicably angry as she tried to refocus her thoughts.

She thought she had pretty much figured Aizon out by now. She had thought she understood the way her boyfriend and future husband's mind worked.

Aizon had rarely acted on his own accord, and she never expected him to actually take the lead on a mission. But then he had to go and prove her wrong, catching her completely off guard with this spy-job.

Azula wasn't upset about being surprised like that. To the contrary, she was actually quite delighted that Aizon was begging to assert himself. This was what she had been hoping to inspire in him. To make him better than he already was.

Azula knew her boyfriend was already quite amazing. His quick reflexes had probably saved her life countless times. He had a clever mind that seemed hardwired for unraveling deceit, perceptive enough even that Azula herself often had trouble hiding her own wiles from him. And that was saying something.

Aizon also had an uncanny firebending ability that made him the perfect sparring partner, both in practice and in real battle. Aizon even complimented her well in the looks department, if she did say so herself.

But therein lied one of Aizon's biggest weaknesses. While all of those things were good individually, together they became a problem. Aizon was too good at complimenting her. He simply lacked the natural leadership abilities that Azula had been born with. Aizon seemed content to always play second fiddle to her.

For a while, it had comforted her that he was so steadfastly loyal, never even once attempting to usurp her authority. But now that things were starting to get serious between them, Azula no longer found herself enjoying his reserved nature. It had actually become intolerable to her, like breathing in smoky air.

If Aizon was to rule the world beside her, then he needed to be like an extension of her own being.

She needed him to be perfect.

It was why she had made him decide what to do with the avatar and the former king of Omashu. Azula couldn't allow her boyfriend to remain passive any longer, so she had forced him to make the call, leaving the important decision up to him and him alone.

She had felt a thrill of pride for him when he made the necessary, yet ruthless call to have the former king of Omashu executed. And to think that only a few months ago she had never even heard of Aizon, and now he was the most important person in her life… it defied explanation.

Personally, Azula thought it must have been fate. She was born with the divine right to rule. So why wouldn't there be someone who was born to rule alongside her?

A few minutes later she dropped her binoculars again and sighed, twirling a piece of her hair in boredom. She coughed, and Azula froze as she heard the patrolling farmer pause only a few steps away from their position. She smiled weakly at Aizon when he finally looked away from his binoculars, only for him to glare at her for her slip-up.

Thankfully, this proved not to be a fatal mistake, as they heard the farmer mutter a few words before he moved on, dismissing her cough as the wind. Aizon went straight back to looking through his binoculars again immediately after the cost was clear.

Azula frowned deeply as her mind scrambled for answers. It made no sense. Gaoling was a trading center, that while flourishing, was quite small. The minor port town certainly had nothing in it worth risking their lives over like they were currently doing, that much Azula was certain of.

There was the small fact that Gaoling was one of the last cities on Earth that the Fire Nation had yet to conquer. It had so far stayed completely untouched by the war.

Perhaps Aizon was scouting ahead to lead an invasion here? Maybe they would do a commando takeover of the city, just the two of them, like they had done at the North Pole… But Azula dismissed the idea after thinking about it for a few more seconds. Gaoling was far away from the front lines, and it's extreme remoteness at the southern edge of the Earth Kingdom made it more effort than it was worth to conquer.

But that wasn't the true reason that Gaoling had remained unconquered for so long. After all, the Fire Nation had conquered far harder to reach places, such as the air temples, or the North and South Poles. No, there was a much simpler explanation for this anomaly.

Money.

Wars were expensive. And you could guarantee that a war that had lasted a hundred years would be a hundred times more expensive than a normal one, which in turn meant vast amounts of money were needed to feed the always hungry war machine.

But this presented a dilemma to the Fire Nation's financial planners.

The Fire Nation maintained the lowest tax rates in the world. The country had long prided itself on being very different from the Earth Kingdom, which was somewhat notorious for penny squeezing of their poor and middle classes.

The low tax policy helped keep their own citizens happy, and it also helped to pacify the ever growing number of people living in areas newly conquered by the Fire Nation.

After all, to the simple farmer, what did he care if his ruler was a firebender or an earthbender? The only thing most people cared about was putting food on the table for their family. Anything that let them keep more of their own money was a positive development, as far as they were concerned.

But then, if the Fire Nation didn't get money from taxes, where did it get its money?

For years the Fire Nation had merely borrowed the money. They used war bonds to fund military expenditures, but eventually even that proved to be insufficient. Constant design and research for having the latest and greatest battleships and war machines simply cost more money than the Fire Nation could raise from it's citizens.

One logistician had come up with an ingenious solution. And it wasn't just any logistician, oh no, Azula thought with a quick smile at her boyfriend.

It was nice to know where Aizon had gotten his smarts from. It seemed to run in his family.

The answer he had come up with was elementary. Bribes. No one noticed that the few scattered cities the army left alone were also home to a dozen of the wealthiest families in the world.

Gaoling, for example, remained entirely unoccupied completely due to the fact that it was also home to the fabulously wealthy Beifong family. A steady stream of gold from them ensured that the Fire Nation's soldiers never stepped foot in town.

But that might be changing soon. Especially now, when they were so close to achieving total victory. When they were so close to achieving Sozin's dream. There was no way Fire Lord Ozai would allow even the smallest of villages to remain free much longer, as nothing but the complete and utter subjugation of the entire world would satisfy him.

Azula was sure that as soon as it became feasibly possible, the her father would order an invasion all the cities that had long remained undisturbed. He wouldn't let a small thing like a major loss in revenue stop him from acquiring eternal glory for his name.

She glanced over at Aizon again, watching as the sun glinted off of his gold plated binoculars. Indeed, Azula didn't think anything would be enough to keep the Fire Nation at bay much longer, even if Beifongs offered them all the money in the world.

War minister Qin's idea of dual-use telescopes had been a massive hit with the troops. Their tactical advantage on the battlefield had become well known, and dozens of Fire Nation field commanders had ordered them by the thousands.

But it was her and Aizon's popularity that really made civilian sales skyrocket. "The Princess and the General," as they were often collectively referred to now, had achieved a level of celebrity seldom seen before in Fire Nation history.

And so when word had gotten around that the much admired duo had used some binoculars during their now almost mythical coup-d'etat of the northern water tribe, well, suffice it to say that every Fire Nation citizen and his brother had wanted a pair too. There were whispers going around that the royal coffers now enjoyed a level of wealth not seen since before the war started…

"Alright Aizon, I give up. You've stumped me, I admit it. Now tell me why we're here," Azula poked the boy next to her when she had finally had enough of lying on the ground in bored silence.

She poked him harder when he stubbornly remained silent. "I asked you a question, General Aizon. I afford you quite a few allowances due to the nature of our relationship, but I will not put up with outright refusal. I think I've entertained your little game for quite long enough. Now answer my question, or else," she demanded as loudly as she dared.

But still, Aizon infuriatingly said nothing, and Azula fumed. She almost stood up to give him a piece of her mind when Aizon pulled her back down to the ground again.

"I told you this morning that this was a reconnaissance mission. What part of 'we are not to be seen,' didn't you understand?" he whispered furiously, looking quite upset with her inability to sit quietly.

Azula glared at him, smiling inwardly when she saw him flinch slightly at the furious look she normally reserved for hated enemies. She threw his arm off of her angrily, and slowly settled back down into her previous position.

"I'm so sorry, O great General Aizon. Forgive me for questioning the wisdom of your mysterious ways. After all, you clearly said it was a reconnaissance mission. How much obvious could you get? It's not like you never told me what it was exactly that we were doing reconnaissance on… Oh wait. You didn't!" she said in an equally furious whisper.

Aizon seemed hesitant for a second, but only for a second before his stubbornness returned. "You'll just have to wait and see, Azula. I'm sorry, but I…" He got no further as Azula finally really did have an outburst.

"Wait and see?! Wait and see? I'll show you wait and-" her yelling was cut off when Aizon clamped a hand over her mouth, looking panicked as the still patrolling farmer - who was nearly at the complete opposite end of the field - stopped and turned on a dime.

Aizon gave his girlfriend a pleading look. "Please Azula. You have to be quiet. I'll explain soon, I promise. But we can't be discovered here. Not yet. The mission depends on it!" he whispered urgently.

But Azula had had enough. She ripped his hand off her mouth, and gave him a look that told him there would be consequences if he refused her any longer. "We're not even supposed to be here!" she scolded, taking some savage satisfaction when he recoiled from the heat - both literal and figurative - in her voice.

Then she remembered who she was talking to, and she took a few calming breaths. "We're supposed to be supervising construction on project badgermole, remember?" she asked in a gentler whisper, feeling slightly more sane now that her anger had abated a bit.

"Fire Lord Ozai, you know, your future father-in-law? He ordered us to stay in New Ozai. We were to ensure that the project was well guarded… Am I ringing any bells?"

Aizon withered slightly under Azula's disappointed look, but then he shrugged his shoulders, as if he had no choice other than to disobey the direct orders of the Fire Lord. "What your father doesn't know can't hurt him. And besides, I'm sure that Mai and Ty Lee are more than capable of babysitting the project for a few days."

"Anyways, I'd have thought you would've enjoyed spending some alone time with me…" he said, wiggling an eyebrow suggestively, smirking slightly when she growled and hit him over the head.

"I might've been, if it weren't for all this cloak and dagger nonsense," Azula replied in a miffed voice. "And going behind my father's back and subverting his orders isn't something that I typically associate with romance," she bit out with dry sarcasm. "Now, do you care to finally tell me why we're out here?" she asked with a pointed look.

Aizon's smirk only increased. "Sorry honey, that's a state secret," he said smugly. "But it might have something to do with that nobleman I've been watching for the past few hours," he elaborated after a second, caving slightly to her pressure by giving her a clue.

Thankfully, that seemed to have been enough to satisfy her… for now. He heard Azula take a look through her binoculars, a few seconds of silence, then give a sigh as she rested her head in her arms, no doubt closing her eyes again as she was prone to do when her mind wandered.

Aizon felt his own mind begin to wander. Him and Princess Azula… It still seemed unreal. But he had no doubt that what they had was definitively special, and it was quickly making them legends.

There was no denying it anymore. They were probably the most famous couple in the world now. But while Azula didn't seem to really care about all the new attention on them, Aizon did.

He wasn't quite as comfortable with his ever growing notoriety. He wasn't like Azula. Aizon hadn't grown up in a palace where his every move was watched. He had grown up on Ember Island, a sleepy vacation town that had always remained far away from the war.

He had nearly gone crazy when they spent a few days at the palace in New Ozai. He couldn't go anywhere without a contingent of imperial guards following him around. Him, Aizon, being guarded like he was royalty? It was crazy.

But Azula had taken great pleasure in reminding him that yes, he was royalty, or he would be once they became engaged. There was another thing he couldn't quite get used to the idea of thinking about. Getting engaged, getting married. He was only 16 for spirit's sake!

He still woke up many days expecting to find himself in the modest home that he had shared only with his mother.

His mother… that was someone who Aizon hadn't seen in almost half a year now. Someone who had told him to come back to her when he became a General… which he now was. So why did he feel so reluctant to go to her?

Aizon's eyes watched the tall grass around them sway mesmerizingly in the wind as he searched for an answer. He wanted to visit her. Truly, he did. Everyday he missed her more and more.

His mum's constant presence growing up had been a comforting pressure, like a warm blanket on a cold winter's day. It was something that Aizon hadn't realized about her until he had left…

Aizon didn't even have the excuse of being needed in the war. He was sure that Azula would give him time off to visit his home if he asked her. Spirits, Aizon was sure she'd even ask to come along herself, making a big royal spectacle out of it just for him.

But as much as he wanted to ask her, Aizon just couldn't bring himself to do it. Maybe it was cowardice, but he was afraid he wouldn't be able to face his mother.

Oftentimes he wondered if she would recognize him anymore. Many days, when he looked himself in the mirror as he shaved, Aizon wasn't even sure if he could recognize himself. He had changed so much since he had last seen his mum.

He was no longer a royal guard, like he had been the last time he saw her. Instead, he had risen rapidly through the ranks of the army, breaking records as he became the youngest General in modern Fire Nation history.

He won battles. He had invaded and conquered cities. He had brought a whole nation to its knees, and he was working on a second. He had fought and defeated the avatar. He had met the princess and fallen in love with her… And he had killed people…

Of course, it had always been necessary. Aizon had never set out to kill anyone. But he was sure the people of the Earth Kingdom and the former Water Tribes would beg to differ. How would his excuses sound to his mum?

How would she react to his courting of Azula?

What would she think of the brutality of his actions during the war?

Aizon honestly didn't know the answers to these questions. His mum had always supported the royal family, and especially supported the Fire Nation. But Aizon knew that ever since his father had died, she had never approved of killing, even when it was justified. It was probably why she had been so happy when she found out he would be drafted as a guardsmen.

And he also knew she still harbored a small grudge against the Fire Lord for not doing more to avenge his father, despite her denial about it the one time he gathered the courage to ask her. And while normally he wouldn't have cared about something trivial like what other people thought of him, his mother's opinion was the exception to this rule… Well, hers and Azula's.

Suddenly, Aizon felt Azula tense beside him. He must have dozed off at some point, as he found his face lying on her warm shoulder. He rubbed his eyes and pulled his discarded binoculars back to his face so he could see what was going on. It only took him a moment to find the source of the disturbance.

An elderly man was talking quietly to an expensively dressed nobleman. The nobleman wore a distinctive pencil mustache, and he seemed extremely pensive, his gaze never lingering in one spot for long as constantly glanced all around him.

The older man to whom he was speaking with had his back turned on them, but he still seemed strangely familiar. And he wasn't alone. He had three younger companions, but all of their faces were concealed behind the deep cowles of traveling cloaks.

"That noble you were watching is talking to some people… and he looks suspiciously nervous… " Aizon heard Azula tell him in an excited whisper. He glanced over at her, watching in fascination as her face went through a rapid succession of recognizing, furious, and finally contemplative looks.

"That's Iroh… I'd recognize his fat balding head anywhere," Azula continued a moment later, her voice transforming instantly from one of excitement to one of pure loathing. "But what's he doing here? And who's that he has for company?" Azula asked in a much quieter voice, looking to Aizon for an answer.

He sighed deeply before he finally gave in. Aizon couldn't take the sight of her pleading eyes anymore, and besides, she would've figured it out on her own eventually anyways.

"The head of intelligence sent me a letter yesterday… They received an anonymous tip that Iroh would be at this marketplace today… But that's not all," he continued when Azula looked ready to interrupt him.

"Iroh's got allies now… dangerous allies. Somehow, in the short time since we last saw him, he's been joined by a powerful firebender, a powerful earthbender, and a powerful warrior… we think one of them sent us the tip…" Aizon finished curiously.

"Well, three guesses as to who the firebender is," Azula replied with disdain dripping from her voice.

Aizon gasped quietly. "Of course, your brother…"

Azula nodded. "Mhmmm. No idea who the other two are though…"

Aizon sighed in frustration. "Their identities don't really matter. I'm just trying to understand what your turncoat uncle is playing at. He must know the risk he is taking being seen in public. What could possible be so important to him that he would just expose himself like this? Even if we are inside the Earth Kingdom technically, everyone knows we have spies all over the place…"

He was silent for a few seconds more before continuing. "And why the meeting with the guy bankrolling our war effort? It just makes no sense… It's why I was asked to do some reconnaissance, see if I could get some answers."

"Wait, who's bankrolling our war effort?" Azula asked in confusion.

Aizon pointed at the nobleman. "That's Lao Beifong that Iroh is talking to…" he explained, watching as Azula's eyebrows shot into her hair.

"But why would…" she struggled to give words to her thoughts, but thankfully Aizon understood where she was coming from. She watched as he peered through his binoculars again at the baffling group. They were laughing about something now, and the nobleman was hugging the shortest of Iroh's companions.

"Well…" he said slowly, speaking as his brain began to put the puzzle pieces together. "Iroh is a traitor. We all know that… so what if he's trying to spread the treason around? Like some sort of demented holiday cheer…"

Azula clamped a hand over her mouth to hide her laughter. "Aizon… surely you're not suggesting a conspiracy, are you? Need I remind you that this is Lao Beifong we're talking about here… the money he pays us every day alone is enough to keep entire legions fed for months," she whispered with a muffled giggle coming through her hand.

Aizon raised an eyebrow in challenge at her. "So? That's all the more reason for Beifong to conspire against us, isn't it? If the tide of war were to suddenly shift against us, imagine how much money he could save…" he whispered.

His girlfriend still looked unconvinced of his theory, so he continued making his case. "Azula, listen to me. I don't know all the sordid details about every noble family in existence, like you do, but even I've heard about the Beifongs."

"Of course you have, everyone knows their name. Those sniveling snobs think themselves royalty, they do," she replied with a snort of derision.

Aizon nodded. "Yes, and I also know they're filthy rich. More than that. They define rich. And sure, they might be coughing up the golden doubloons to us now, but imagine what would happen if they were approached with a better deal…"

Azula bit her lip, distracting Aizon for a moment before he looked away with a blush. "What could Iroh offer him? He can't have much money. What could he possibly offer that Beifong would risk being executed for?" she asked.

Aizon shook his head, watching as the two men shook hands. "I don't know, Azula. It doesn't make any sense to me either. Why would he even agree to talk to a wanted former Fire Nation General who had recently escaped from prison in the first place…"

He was silent for a few seconds, and then it hit him. He nearly slapped himself for not thinking of it earlier. He turned to Azula, a dawning look of comprehension on his face. "Azula, what other extremely powerful person did the Fire Nation imprison recently?" he asked her quietly.

She glanced at him. "The avatar?" she answered confusedly, not following along.

Aizon nodded excitedly as all the dots started to connect in his mind. "Yes, that's right. And who better to break the avatar out of a prison than someone who just recently broke out of the same prison themselves?"

"But why would Iroh risk going to Beifong for that? He could easily just do it himself," Azula argued.

Aizon nodded his head again. "Right again. He could, but that's not the point. Don't you see? Iroh doesn't just want to break the avatar out of prison and go back to being on the run. He wants to ease the pressure on him, get us off his back for a while while they regroup…"

Azula nodded, the expression on her face no longer one of doubt. "And gaining the support of Beifong serves a threefold purpose. It gets us off his back as we're forced to deal with the fallout, it helps him break the avatar out of prison, and it also undermines our financial support at its weakest point, striking three blows in one move… textbook Iroh strategy," she said in an begrudgingly admiring tone.

Aizon nodded in agreement, a similar look on his face. "The old man hasn't gone senile just quite yet, that much is obvious. He knows we need Beifong's money. And he also knows that Beifong probably doesn't like being forced to pay us. From there it's only a simple leap of logic to try to turn him against us," Aizon concluded with a smirk, proud of himself for untangling the old man's web of lies without even breaking a sweat.

"We'll have to warn the prison services then," Azula continued after they sat in silence for a few seconds, absorbing all the new information. "Make sure they're prepared for anything."

But before Aizon could reply, they were interrupted as the patrolling farmer finally discovered them.

"AH HAH!" he yelled loudly, making the two firebenders jump in surprise. "I knew I 'erd voices coming from these here wheat stalks. And well, well, well… What do we have here? Looks like I caughts me a pair of runaway firebenders, I did."

He raised a rusty sword threateningly above their heads. "Come out quietly with your hands wheres I can see 'em. And don't play no games with me, ya hear? I ain't afraid to use this thang," he wanted, waving the weapon around wildly.

Azula and Aizon looked at each in mild amusement before they slowly rose to their feet together. It only took a few seconds before they were spotted, and screams were heard from the marketplace as people recognized their Fire Nation armor.

The farmer gave them a smile that was missing a few teeth. "I thinks I'll get meself a new hippo cow what with the rewards y'all will fetch me. Ol'Bessy's been lookin' peaky for a while now anyhow… Oh Charlene'll be so happy! Just wait till she hears about this, she'll be tootin a different horn abou' wantin' anotha' bab-"

"Azula! Aizon!" another voice interrupted his rant. They all turned to see Iroh and his group running in their direction. One of the previously cowled people had his hood down now, revealing a distinctly scarred face.

"Zuko!" Azula and Aizon shouted in unison, before turning back to the farmer. A short burst of blue fire and a clanging sound was all it took before their would-be captor was lying on the ground moaning, clutching a burnt hand that had only seconds previously been threatening them with a rusty sword.

Aizon dug a few gold pieces out of his pocket and tossed them onto the farmer as he jumped over him. "Sorry about your hippo cow… and tell Charlene we're sorry!" he called as he and Azula began running, only just avoiding the blasts of fire and flying boulders sent their way.

And just like that, the chase was on.


Pohuai Stronghold

Drip. Drip. Drip.

He squirmed uncomfortably as he felt drops of water being slowly splashed on his forehead. He struggled to get his bearings, but his eyelids seemed to have been glued shut, and his entire body was burning up, even as it felt like he was being held down by something cold as steel.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

He shivered violently. He suddenly realized how cold it was. He was freezing, and he couldn't feel his fingers or his toes. It was then he also realized that he wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

He tried to scream as the water continued dripping against his forehead, but he quickly found out that he was gagged. He had only been conscious for a few seconds, and already the dripping had become unbearable. The water seemed to split his skull open as it reverberated through his entire being like a cannon shot.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

The veins bulged out of his neck as he struggled frantically to free himself from whatever it was that was holding him down. But his restraints were unyielding. He couldn't even manage to tilt his head away from the direction of the incoming drops.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

He didn't know when he had started crying, but he suddenly tasted the salty taste of tears mingled in with the water that flowed down his face. He bit down hard on his tongue, hard enough to taste blood. It's warmth gave him some minuscule amount of comfort from the freezing cold.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Some unknown time later, just when he felt his sanity start to slip away from him, just when he felt his mind begin to retreat from the reality it was experiencing, the dripping stopped. If he hadn't already been sobbing, he would have cried tears of joy.

The sound of footsteps approaching reached his ears, and suddenly the gag was ripped out of his mouth. Even with his eyes closed, he saw stars as his face was slapped. Hard. Then he was slapped again. And again.

He screamed as he felt his eyelashes get torn out when his eyes were forced open despite the glue sealing them shut. Through the haze of blood, sweat, and tears, he found himself face to face with a woman who looked familiar to him. But in his delirium, he couldn't bring his brain to work well enough to remember who she was.

The blonde must have seen his look of non-recognition, because she leaned in until her sparkling green eyes were just a hairsbreadth away. "Oh? Did the mighty avatar forget about little old me already? And here I was hoping that I made a good first impression," she said in a singsong voice.

Aang swallowed and forced himself to speak, despite how dry his throat was, and despite how painful each word was. "Please… help… me," he croaked out haltingly.

The girl laughed at him, not caring as her spittle flew everywhere, including on his face. She stared at him for a few seconds before her hand flew down and touched him at a spot he had never been touched before, making him yelp in shock.

Aang felt immense self-loathing as his body reacted of its own accord, through no conscious input of his own. He felt his disgust for himself reach new peaks when he couldn't bring himself to protest as he was molested. So much of him hurt that he was physically unable to summon the will to fight the one thing that actually felt good at the moment.

He lost it when the girl leaned in pecked him on the cheek, a delightful scent of strawberry perfume filling his nostrils. Then it was over, and the reality of the situation came slamming back to him with all the gentleness of a sledgehammer. Fresh tears began to pour down his face.

Suddenly, his vision was once more obscured with that same pair of green eyes. It was quickly becoming his least favorite color. "What's the matter, little avatar? Didn't that feel good?" she asked in the same singsong voice, making him cringe away, or at least try to.

"You… monster… why?" he choked out in question, glaring at her with equal parts confusion and hatred.

The girl giggled. "Not monster, Mao, remember? Silly little avatar," she said, flicking his nose hard enough to make him flinch. "As for why," she began slowly, giving him a shark-like grin. "The why is simple, little avatar. I like you. And before long, I think you'll come to like me too."

Aang shivered as he heard Mao's high-pitched laughter echo off the metal walls as she walked out of the room, leaving him alone to the drips again. Never had a compliment sounded so ominous before.


Sixteen Hours Later. Tu Zin

Aizon and Azula panted heavily as they dragged their feet inside the crumbling building, breathing a sigh of relief at the peace and quiet. They crumpled to the ground when they heard no telltale sign of the air whooshing, announcing the imminent arrival of their dogged pursuers of the past sixteen hours.

For the last sixteen hours, they had been hounded by Iroh and his companions from the air. The flying animal that Azula had blasted with lightning in New Ozai had apparently survived, and boy did it seem angry at her. More than once it had tried to flatten them as they ran for their lives.

Azula had been in favor of simply hopping off their mongoose lizard and facing their pursuers head on, but Aizon had vetoed that idea. Until they could reach an area with air cover, it was simply suicidal to confront them.

Unfortunately, because of Gaoling's extreme remoteness, the next nearest town that offered any cover and wasn't in Earth Kingdom territory was the abandoned mining town of Tu Zin- a thirteen hour ride away.

Needless to say, they hadn't slept a wink.

"Well, I guess you'll finally get your wish now, princess. Only a matter of time until the flying fuzzball and his entourage arrive," Aizon said in a slightly delirious voice, coughing as he breathed in the dusty air around them.

Azula choked out a half cough half laugh as she leaned her head against his shoulder like it was a pillow. "Insolent cretins…" she denounced them with a yawn, even as her eyes drooped closed. "You'll wake me up when they get here, won't you General?" she asked in barely a whisper.

"Anything for you, princess," Aizon whispered back as he pulled her up onto his lap and buried his head into her silky hair. He breathed in deeply the scent of lavender mixed with sweat, the former smell making him feel strangely lightheaded. He hummed contentedly when Azula finished squirming and settled, her breathing slowing down.

Then his own eyes drooped shut as well and he knew no more.

They woke to the sound of the ceiling collapsing on their heads. Luckily, there was a hole in the wall they were leaning against, and Aizon managed to pick Azula up and throw themselves out of the building before they were crushed by the falling debris.

Azula slowly got to her feet and dusted herself off. Then she marched right up to him and poked his chest hard. "You said you'd wake me up!" she said indignantly.

Aizon smiled bashfully as he scratched the back of his head. "I was going to, but you don't make it easy. You're a very good pillow, did you know?" he asked with a blush.

Azula also blushed, but then yelling from the other side of the crumbled building they had just escaped from distracted them both.

"They're over here!" someone shouted from an alarmingly close position.

"I don't know about you, but I'm feeling remarkably refreshed after that nap we just took. Care to join me as I take down my worthless uncle and backstabbing brother once and for all?" she asked with an outstretched hand.

Aizon smiled widely and took her hand. "With pleasure," he said, pulling her to his side just as the ground beneath her caved in. "That's twice in five minutes I've saved your life," he taunted her with a smirk.

Azula blasted a flying boomerang away that had been inches from hitting his face, and forced him behind some barrels with her to avoid an explosion he never even saw coming. "Now we're even," she replied with a grin that was like looking in a mirror for him.

"Hey chickens! Why don't you stop hiding and come out to fight us like real men!" one of their attackers shouted.

"Only one of them is a man, dweeb! The other's a girl!" a second shouted voice replied, which was followed quickly with the sound of skin slapping against skin and a yelp of pain.

Aizon stood to his feet, and this time he was the one who proffered a hand up. "Shall we go on the offensive?" he asked her.

She took his hand and allowed him to haul her to feet, but then surprised him when she grabbed his face and kissed him deeply, not letting go until another explosion nearly blasted them to smithereens.

"We shall," she answered, and then they jumped into action.

Aizon took the lead by erecting a shield of fire that covered for Azula as she dodged left and launched a whirling disk of fire at one of their opponents. The feign worked, and the boy she struck screamed as he flew in an arc through the air before crashing into one of the buildings in a heap of dust and splinters.

The two of them slowly advanced on their remaining opponent, a small girl who was strangely looking at their feet, rather than at their faces. "Not another step, or I'll crush you both where you stand!" the girl called out to them.

Azula laughed at her mockingly. "With what? Your muddy feet? Try and stop me, peasant," she taunted. She stopped laughing when a rock slab the size of her torso burst out of the ground and forced her to hit the dirt in order to avoid being cut in half.

"Whose muddy now, princess?" the girl taunted back, making Azula sneer. As if princess could ever be an insult…

But rather than let her thoughts be known, she somersaulted forward, flying over another rock slab that was shot in her direction.

Azula immediately noticed that the girl seemed to hone in on her whenever she touched the ground, but seemed clueless whenever she was airborne.

Blood pounded in her ears as she threw her leg out from behind her and flipped forward, performing a fiery wheel kick whose explosive force shattered the earthen column that had popped up to block her path.

Acting on instinct, Azula jumped onto the disintegrating column as it toppled forward. She ran forward over the column even as it fell, leaping mid-air over a gap that had opened in the crumbling stone. She ran until she reached the edge of the column, and then she tensed her calf muscles and launched herself as high as she could.

Azula sailed through the air, and for a few seconds that seemed to pass by in slow motion, she could actually observe the whole battlefield. The boy whom she had sent flying was dusting himself off. Aizon was holding his own against two firebenders simultaneously. And the girl who she was fighting currently was right beneath her, with a look of confusion plastered on her face.

Azula punched out two jabs of fire above her head, and she rocketed towards the ground. A second later she collided with the earthbender at high speed, and Azula's boot clad foot crashed into the girl's face, instantly knocking her out.

Meanwhile Aizon was struggling to fend off the attacks from both Iroh and Zuko. He had never faced two powerful firebenders alone like this before, and he had had to fall back on the defensive training he had received from Jeong Jeong, from what seemed like so long ago.

None of Aizon's movements were wasted. He felt sweat pour down his forehead as sidestepped another lash of Zuko's fire whip, his body twirling and his muscles rippling as he poured energy into the wall of fire he was using to shield himself from the absolute barrage that Iroh was pummeling him with.

Aizon leaned forward and closed his eyes, breathing deeply as concentrated with an intensity he had rarely ever achieved before in his life. He could see himself performing his next move in mind.

He threw his arms out, and he could feel every strike that hit his shield. He could sense the foreign energy as it crashed into and dispersed across his own wall of pure power. He could sense that that wall being slowly broken down.

Aizon kicked his left leg backward, and he never even noticed that he was leaning forward while standing on one leg. He was too busy focusing on the fact that he could somehow see, without actually seeing it, that Zuko's fire whip was coming down for another strike.

And Aizon knew instinctively that this one would be right on target.

He lashed out. Aizon's fists clenched as he seized the fire being smashed against his shield, and sent it back in to direction it came from. He collapsed his shield and threw its power in the same direction as well.

Then, only a heartbeat later, he tucked his head in as he tumbled forward in a dive, hearing, but not seeing the hissing sound of melting rock as the fire whip crashed into the very spot he had vacated only a split second earlier.

He was just about to beam Zuko with everything he had left when he heard the boy give a pitiful whimper as something smashed him into the ground.

Aizon slowly opened his eyes to the sight of the world burning. Buildings all around him were being consumed with strange green and blue fires, sometimes combining into a shade of dazzling gold. It was a fire that Aizon knew deep down that he had somehow created, even though he also knew he had never actually seen himself do so.

The sound of footsteps made him sit up wearily.

His shoulders slumped in relief when he saw it was just Azula walking toward him. Inexplicably, even now, right after fighting a battle for their lives, she had not a single hair out of place. She didn't have even a single smudge of dirt on her glowingly beautiful face.

She was perfection incarnate.

How this was possible was beyond Aizon, but he was seized with the sudden urge to show Azula his appreciation, in more than just a physical way. He leapt to his feet and tackled her to the ground, the two of them laughing happily as they tumbled over each other, with Azula eventually coming out on top.

Aizon's heart skipped a few beats when he saw the way her golden eyes were looking fervently at him. The green fires exploded as they grew stronger. "I love you," he blurted out, unable to stop himself from admitting the truth.

The blue fires too grew to heights that would've alarmed Aizon if he had at all cared about anything other than Azula in that moment. She had a look of pure adoration, bordering on idolization on her face. "I love you too," she whispered, before she closed the gap between them with a searing kiss that set Aizon's world on fire.

Perhaps a bit too much on fire, as the second she initiated the kiss, it was like an enormous bomb had gone off. The green and the blue fire roared at each other like they were two dragons trying to kill each other, and then burst together in a flash of light that Aizon could see even with his eyes closed as he kissed Azula.

He instinctively rolled the princess over and threw himself over her body to protect her, his every muscle tensing as he braced for the worst. But when nothing came, he slowly looked up and opened his eyes, his jaw dropping at what he saw.

All the buildings had been reduced to ashes. Where there had previously been the abandoned town of Tu Zin now appeared to be only a smoldering crater with low burning fires of shimmering gold. The previously sandy ground had been transformed into clumps of glass and shiny rock. Only a small circle around Aizon and Azula remained unaffected.

"Uhh… Azula," he tried to say, before he was pulled down and silenced with another kiss that left him feeling dizzy. When they finally had to catch their breaths again, Aizon tugged weakly on her shoulder strap, trying again to get her attention.

"Azula, really. Look around. I… uh," he swallowed hard at the passionate look she was giving him. He shivered almost uncontrollably when she ran her soft hands up and down his arms in a loving manner, covering his neck and chin in tender kisses.

"Azu… Azula, please. I really think we should leave," he whispered, before he collapsed on her again, his muscles unable to maintain their rigidity under the assault of her creamy smooth fingers and puffy lips.

Just as Aizon was starting to fall asleep again, comforted by Azula's soothing touches and the warm fires still burning around them, Azula gave a cry of alarm and shoved him off of her. He groaned as he rubbed his forehead where he had banged it against the ground, already missing the feeling of Azula's skin against his own.

"Spirits of the Islands!" she exclaimed in shock and surprise, probably seeing for the first time what he had already seen half an hour prior. "What is this?"

Aizon chuckled mirthlessly as he stared up at her with love. "We did that. We destroyed Tu Zin by our mutual confession of love."

Azula glanced down at him in confusion. "What? Tu Zin? Who cares about the worthless village. I'm talking about this," she said, pulling him up to his feet and handing him a scroll with a wax seal on it. A seal that Aizon recognized well. It was the seal of the Fire Lord…

"What's this?" he asked, echoing her question as he began to read the already opened letter.

"The letter was just dropped on me from the sky… Perhaps the area was too hot for the messenger hawk to land?" she wondered aloud, sounding greatly amused at the idea of their fire being too hot to handle, even for a bird specifically bred to bear the heat.

"No matter. Mai's just sent this to me. It's from my father. Apparently, War Minister Qin has finished Project badgermole way ahead of schedule… Congratulations, General Aizon. The Fire Lord has deigned you worthy of receiving the great honor of leading the attack on Ba Sing Se."


A/N: Wow. That was ridiculously long. I'm sorry if the first part seems like one long tangent, but it was supposed to be world-building. I'm sorry if it took a while to get past. I'm also sorry if the torture scene was a little too graphic. This took me almost 24 hours of nonstop writing to finish. I'm sorry if not much seemed to happen plot-wise in this chapter. But there were fight scenes, just like I promised. Let me know what you guys think. Please fav and review, thank you!