Katara handed Toph a coffee, "You need to relax more, Aang won't find out." The two had slipped away from school during a free period to get Katara coffee, Toph had only agreed since Katara had said it was her treat.
Toph took a sip from her caramel and coffee delight that flooded her taste buds, "You're able to say that because you know for a fact he will kill me if he found out that I took you away from school property."
She shrugged, "Whatever, he needs to learn how to relax more than you do. Everything is so business like when you two are around me, it's like being in Witness-Protection or something. I know how serious the situation is, but it doesn't mean we can't stop and smell the roses." Katara picked a flower from a small bed of plants in front of the shop as they exited, "Or, Panda lilies in this case." She handed it to Toph, who gave it an odd glance. "If you just let your guard down a little, you and I could be best friends."
The Earth Born tossed the flower, "I'm as friendly as I need to be, watching you is part of the job I signed up for…I can't get attached to you."
"Again with the business," Katara rolled her neck in annoyance. "My life is in danger and people are trying to kidnap me…but you don't see me whining about it, these past weeks have been fun with you and Aang. That one time I froze your hot soup made us laugh, that time I conjured up a pacifier when you made that comment to Aang…I'm forgetting what you called."
She smirked, "A big bitching baby."
"Exactly, you and I get along so well," Katara convinced her.
"Well except for the fact that you want to drink my boyfriend for sustenance," Toph reminded Katara, bringing a frown to her face. She would refute that claim, but Katara couldn't help but be drawn to Aang. Toph had caught her a couple times sniffing around Aang and a small amount of drool escaping her mouth. There was also the time that Aang began to give her hugs when they would separate for classes, she held the hug for a little longer than usual, her face against his neck. "That's probably the biggest problem with a 'best friendship'."
Katara took a drink of her coffee, her finger going around the rim, "I've gotten better…"
"True, you haven't tried to get a drink from Aang in," Toph checked her watch, "12 hours, I'm proud of ya," She punched Katara in the shoulder, making her coffee wobble in her hands. Katara mumbled as she rubbed the sore spot. "Why do you want to be friends so bad anyways? After we take care of Long Feng, you're probably just going to go back to your usual life."
"I like to make friends," Katara explained, finally ignoring the pain in her arm. "You and Aang are really nice people that use their powers, like the ones I and my friends have, for good. Both of you don't do it for the recognition, the fame or the power, you do it save people and I think that is pretty noble."
Toph snorted, "Who said I didn't do it for the fame? Last time I heard, we're getting a movie about us." Katara couldn't help but laugh at Toph's joke. "You know…you could use your powers too."
Katara tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "Yeah, I'll be 'The Witch'. Turning Demon's into bunnies and shrinking Criminals with the wave of my hand. As if…"
"That's not actually what I meant by using your powers…" Katara caught on, but didn't want to further it and was grateful Toph continued, "But I wanted to ask you about that, I thought Witches used wands and things like that."
"Some do, I don't," Katara said, "I've mastered my craft enough that I do not need a wand. Though I can use one if needed. But a wand isn't really needed for the best power of all." She popped off the top of her coffee and moved her hand over the cup like an octopus gliding through the water as a small orb of coffee rose from her cup. Katara brought it to her mouth and it started to shrink as if it sprung a leak into her mouth until it was finally gone. Licking her lips, she gave Toph a smile, "I have no real use for it defensively, so I just use it for useless things like this."
"So that's why you don't use a towel," Toph finally said, making Katara laugh again. "That must make a lot of things in life easier…though, not as easy as it is to control the Earth."
Katara gave her a skeptical look, "Like what?" She was about to warn Toph to watch out for the car she was about to into, but suddenly the parking space it was in rose up in the air with a pillar of Earth below it. A narrow hallow passage way, just perfect enough for Toph size let her walk to the other side as she let it back down. "Now you're just showing off…"
Ty Lee sat in the middle of the wall way, the darkness keeping her completely safe as two inches away from her was direct sunlight coming through the window. She had no clue how much she was going to miss the feeling of warm sunlight on her skin, the way it felt on a lazy weekend when she slept in. Sighing deeply again, she held her chin in her hands as she waited. Zuko was usually home from school by now. Ever since he let her drink off of him, he has been allowing her a little bit here and there, but not like last time. Footsteps began to echo off the hallway walls, bringing her head back up as she waited to see who it would be to round the corner. She prayed it wasn't another servant; they wandered around the house like a bunch of ghouls. Her interest piqued when it was Azula who came around the corner. "Hey Azula," Ty Lee acknowledged, her glum tone still present in her voice, "What are you doing on Zuko's side of the house?"
The Demon stood in the sunlight in front of her, "I'm here for a little visit Ty Lee." She sat in her lotus position before her, "I've also come to ask you a couple questions if you wouldn't mind."
Her cheery tone returned, "You want to ask me questions?" She asked with a smile on her face.
"Calm down, don't get used to it," Azula's rude tone seemed to go over Ty Lee's head. "I want to ask you about my brother."
"What about Zuko?"
"I want to know what has gotten into him, he's not the usual Zuko that when we used to tease him, he would light up like a red ornament, like when I had him take you bathing suit shopping," Azula said. "He's now serious and like…like…"
"Like you," Ty Lee finished, Azula looked back at her with an angry glare. She shrugged, "You have to admit you do have that trait Azula." There was a long pause before Ty Lee spoke up again, "If you want a serious answer, I'll have to answer with a question also, why do you care?" It hit Azula like a brick wall, Ty Lee was right, Azula never cared about what Zuko was doing or what was going on in his life. "I don't mean to be rude Azula, because that would be horrible for my skin, but you always seem to not like Zuko."
Azula scoffed, "Of course I like Zuko, he's my brother…"
"But you never show it Azula," Ty Lee commented, "Don't you remember his 17th birthday? You burnt his cake to a crisp because he was 2 minutes late to his surprise party."
"Well he shouldn't have taken so long…"
A smile came across Ty Lee's face as she came to a realization, "Oh my Gosh! I know what it is!" The bubbly Vampire jumped up, "You do care about Zuko! The only reason you do mean things to him is because you want attention from him and because he is so separated from the family personality wise, that's the only way you think you can get his attention because that's how your Father treats you!"
Azula chuckled, thinking that even the idea was a joke, "You have no idea what you're talking about Ty Lee."
She sat back down, "No really, think about it Azula. Because Zuko is so much like your Mother, he is put off by what you guys do, though he won't admit it. Your Father never showed you love as your Mother showed Zuko, so you show your love for Zuko by being rude, though it just pushes him away and that's why you hate him, you think he's rejecting your love."
"That's absurd, you have no idea what you're talking about. Zuko doesn't regret this business anyways," Azula denied her again, thinking her ideas to be stupid.
"That's not true, Zuko told me." Ty Lee added a nod for emphasis at the end. "He said it was because of what happened to me." The look on Azula's face was unreadable as she tried to process what Ty Lee just told her, Zuko cared what happened to his little girlfriend, but not to his own sister? "That's probably why he changed. I've felt really bad for what he's going through."
Azula shot up, "You're lying, he's not changing because of you! Why would he care that you got changed into a blood sucker when he watched his own sister join the Underground Crime Ring?!"
Ty Lee frowned, seeing how distressed her friend was becoming, "Azula, you have to realize, you pushed Zuko away so much that he doesn't know how you feel about him. You've been so independent and put on a outer shell to keep him blocked out…while trying to pull him in. That's why he cared about what happened to me…instead of what happened to you."
The Demon's long fingers wrapped around Ty Lee's throat and yanked her up, her legs dangling beneath her, "SHUT UP! You have no idea what you are saying! My brother cares about me more than you! At least I can see him in the sun light!" Azula pulled Ty Lee closer to her face and closer to the sun light.
She pulled at Azula's hand as she sucked in big breaths of air, "Azula! The sun!" Ty Lee begged as she tried to get free, trying not to get any inch of her in the sun.
"How much would my brother care about you if you were ash!?" She pulled her closer and Ty Lee could feel her fingers start to burn, causing her to cry out in pain. Before she knew it, she was sent flying back to the shadows, rolling to a stop to see Zuko landing on top of his sister. She trashed around until he pinned her wrists to the ground. "Let go of me!"
"No! What is wrong with you?!" He yelled in her face, "That's your friend and my girlfriend! There is no reason for you to try to burn her!" Azula still continued to try to get free, "You're a crazy, sadistic-"
"Please stop!" Zuko stopped mid-rant to look up to see Ty Lee, "Just let her go. She didn't mean to."
Zuko gave her a crazed look, "Are you serious? She-"
"I promise you, she didn't mean to do it, she got caught up in it. Azula would never mean to hurt me…or you…" Ty Lee added at the end, Azula finally stopped, her eyes on the wall as she held back tears. "Just let her go…please…"
He looked from her to his sister before letting his grip loosen as he got up. Azula slowly got up while rubbing her wrists, both of them sharing a look before she left. Zuko went to Ty Lee's aid and looked at her fingers, they were already beginning to heal, he closed his eyes when he pressed his lips to the injured fingers, "I'm sorry. I can't get a hand on that Day Walker without being under the watch of the Avatar or Aang…"
"It's fine Zuko," She sincerely told him, "You need to stop blaming yourself for this, I forgave you for what happened, I know you would never let this happen to me on purpose."
Zuko pressed his forehead against hers while he took a calming breath, "Why was my sister trying to hurt you?"
"She should be the one to tell you…you're involved," Ty Lee told him.
He gave her a nod before picking her up, "Let's get you something to drink."
Aang stopped walking when he saw Katara and Toph looking outside of the doorway to the pouring rain. "It's rain ladies, it happens from time to time."
"I don't want to walk in the rain," Toph blew her bangs out of her eyes. "Why do you have to live so far away from the school Twinkle Toes?"
"Oh sorry, I'll be sure to make sure my Dad moves us so that if it ever rains, you don't have to walk through it…" Toph shot him a glare as Katara eyed the rain.
"I wish I could use my Water Manipulation to stop me from getting wet," She sighed, "Damn regular humans…"
"Why not just create a umbrella then?"
Katara turned back to Toph, "Because to conjure something like that, I would need to know the spell…but my spell book is back at Aang's house and I usually have an umbrella, so I didn't bother to learn the spell." Toph groaned and leaned against the wall.
She felt her phone vibrate and pulled it out of her pocket, "Hello?" Toph answered. It was quiet as Aang and Katara waited for Toph's conversation to end, "Now? Why? I don't want to go Mom!" He could hear her Mother's voice now. "Dināpātī o nejikomi!" Katara was surprised to hear Toph yell in a different language. She let out a growl, "Fine! Bye!" Toph slammed her phone shut, "I have to go home…"
"What did you say to your Mom?" Katara asked.
"Something along the lines of 'Screw the Dinner Party', if I'm correct," Aang responded.
Toph shrugged, "Something like that. My Mom is sending the limo…I would offer you guys a ride if I wasn't being taken directly back home." She leaned up and kissed Aang, "Have fun with the walk." Toph looked to Katara, "Make sure he doesn't get into too much trouble." Katara gave her a reassuring smile and a nod. Toph left, leaving Aang and Katara to eye the rain again.
"Katara!" They both turned to see Yue coming down the hall, "I'm so glad you haven't left yet. I was wondering if we could hang out? It's been so long since we've hung out."
She looked over to Aang, "I'm not sure Yue, it's up to Aang, he was told the rules." Katara gave an almost begging look to Aang as he gave her a blank stare. "It's just one time Aang, I'm sure the Avatar could at least allow one day to hang out. I've been really good." He looked from Katara to Yue who put on a big smile, as if to say she was okay to trust.
"You don't have any tracers on you?" Yue shook her head, "I'm serious, if I find one tracer on you, I won't be the one you have to answer to. He installed a sensor at my house that will instantly self-destruct any tracer that passes by it.
"I swear I have no tracer, it was Sokka's idea only. You can frisk me if you want to," Yue raised her arms up to shoulder length. Katara glared at him, telling him to back off.
Aang rolled his eyes, "Fine, but if she blows up in my house, you're cleaning her up."
Yue smiled, "Awesome, just let me get my stuff and I'll be right back!"
She gingerly skipped off as Katara looked back to Aang, "Do you really have that installed in your house?"
He shook his head, "Of course not, but it will teach them to try to trace me again, won't it?" The walk was long and tiring, mostly because of the rain with a cold wind that decided to blow through half way to his house. By the time they got to Aang's apartment building, the girls were shivering. They climbed the stairs quickly and got into the apartment.
Katara clenched and unclenched her hands to gain warmth, "I'm so cold, I can't manipulate the Water out of my clothes." Both girls watched as Aang pulled off his shirt, his built body coming into view, the small bumps forming across his skin because of his cold clothes.
"I suggest you get out of your clothes too," He told them as he carried his stuff to his room, "We can put all the clothes in the dryer." Katara took a couple breaths, hoping her blush would disappear. She walked to her room with Yue closely in tow. Dropping her stuff by her bed while Yue shut the door, Katara began to disrobe, bringing a blush to Yue's face now. Katara wore a black bra and panties that clung to her wet body, Yue almost fell over as she tried taking off her pants while watching Katara. It was almost like a dream as Katara took off her bra, tossing it in a dirty clothes pile and started pulling at her panties. Yue stood in her underwear that matched her hair as Katara now stood in front of her naked as the day she was born.
She looked over to Yue and gave her a smile, "I hope you don't mind that I'm naked."
"No, no, it's fine," Yue squeaked out. As Katara searched for another pair of underwear, Yue decided it would be better if she turned away.
"Here," Katara tossed her a large shirt, "I use it as pajamas sometimes, but it should cover up everything that needs to be." Yue put it on as Katara finally found a pair of underwear, pulling the front part of the collar up to her nose, she inhaled Katara's scent, unknown to Katara. She ended up putting on a pair of sweats and a sweatshirt. Rubbing her hands together and breathing into them, Katara's hands finally warmed up. She pulled the water from her hair, opened the window and let it fall with the rest of the rain. Katara grabbed her comb from her nightstand, "Are you going to let your hair dry normally?"
Yue nodded, "Yeah, when I take the water out usually it messes with my hair." Katara continued to brush her hair until they heard a knock.
"I need your clothes," Aang called from the other side of the door. Katara quickly picked up their wet clothing and opened the door. She was surprised to see Aang in only shorts and tank top, his muscles still clearly visible. He took the pile from her and walked off to the dryer. Strolling out into the living room, Katara continued to run the comb through her hair as Yue followed her. She looked over the apartment, it wasn't much, but it wasn't like she could really say anything since she lived in a big house.
Katara plopped down on the couch, "So what's up Yue? What have you been up to?" She sat down next to Katara, tucking her cold feet underneath her as she sat down.
"Nothing much, it's been pretty boring without you. All your brother and Suki do is make out and it gets really annoying." Yue sighed, "So I have nothing at all to do. I've tried getting into a club or something at school, but that's proved pointless. All I can really do is lock myself in my room and practice my magic."
The Half Blood frowned, "I'm sorry Yue, I wish things could go back to normal sooner, but I have to stay here until I'm not longer in danger. All I've really done around here is I played a couple board games here with Aang and Toph and thanks to you, I've been messing around with some spells." A light went off in Katara's head, "Why don't you get a boyfriend? It will make the time pass by a lot faster. With every guy lining to date you, it shouldn't be so hard to choose the right one for you."
Yue gave her an empty laugh, "I don't know about that…" Her eyes went to Katara, "The right one still hasn't gotten in line yet."
Running her fingers through her now silky hair, Katara set her comb down, "I'm sure he will come along soon, he would be stupid to pass you up Yue." Yue sadly smiled, knowing Katara was still completely oblivious to the situation. "If you don't do that, you might as well practice your Water Manipulation. That could always use some improvement."
"I can't," She sadly sighed, "My Mom freaked out last time when she saw that I was pretty much making a fountain in our backyard. She still thinks that I'm some Water Demon…"
Katara laughed, "That's because you haven't told her about your abilities yet. I know your Father doesn't want to tell her, but you should probably tell her before she tries to perform an exorcism." Aang came back into the room with his wet backpack and pulled out his homework, "You do know it's only been like 20 minutes since we left school and now you're doing your homework? I think you need to get a life."
Aang glanced over as Katara giggled, "I had things to take care of tonight…but I guess you're right, I should get a life."
She quickly caught on, "Oh, no it's fine then, go ahead…" Yue gave them both a curious glace as he continued his homework.
With her head buried in the pillow and her muffled sobbing, she didn't hear her door softly open and close. Nor did she hear the creak in the floor as her visitor slowly crept her way to her bed. Though, her head did shoot up from the pillow when she felt the weight of the bed shift. Azula wiped her tear filled eyes to see Ty Lee sitting on her bed, a wide smile on her face, "What are you doing here Ty Lee?" The bright Moon light coming through her window directly hit Ty Lee, making Azula wonder why it was only the Sun that burned them when the Moon was almost bright as the Sun tonight.
"I came to check up on you Azula," Ty Lee told her as Azula put her head back down on her pillow. "I'm sorry I crossed a line today, I know it must not be the best thing to hear." Azula didn't answer, hoping it would give Ty Lee the sign that she didn't want to be bothered. "And I know you didn't really mean to hurt me…look, it's completely healed." Ty Lee pointlessly extended her hand in the moon light and quickly moved her fingers up and down. "See? No damage at all." She sighed when it still had no effect on Azula, knowing that she just had to get to the point of it. "Why don't you just tell Zuko that you really do care for him?"
"My own brother tackled me to the ground and yelled at me…" She mumbled into the pillow.
"Well, in his defense, you were choking me and pulling me into the sun light," Ty Lee pointed out. "You just have to tell him that you care about him and actually show it like a regular person. If you just tell him how you actually feel and make it sound sincere, he'll accept you." She leaned over closer to Azula, "You can't expect him to automatically assume what you think…I use to think that, but as much as I thought that Zuko should get me a pony, he never did." Ty Lee heard a small chuckle escape Azula, she knew that she had gotten through a little. "See? Just be regular Azula, the one that doesn't try to strike fear into everyone's heart and complements people." Ty Lee laid on her stomach, her head a couple inches from her shoulder. She felt her hunger quickly return once she inhaled Azula's scent. Licking her lips as venom started to drip from her fangs, "Azula…you smell really good…like Zuko." Azula rose her head up to see the hungry eyes of her best friend.
"Ty Lee…" She flipped over and started to back away, but Ty Lee pounced onto her, her knees on either side of her waist, she pinned Azula's hands on the bed above her head. "Let go of me!" Azula cried for the second time that day.
Ty Lee dipped her head down to rub her cheek against Azula's neck, "I just want a little, not enough for you to notice. I know how to control myself, don't worry." She moved her mouth to her neck and broke her skin with her front teeth, making Azula cry out in pain, but Ty Lee ignored it as she began to drink from her. Slowly, Ty Lee's grip loosened on Azula and wrapped around her body. Azula knew she couldn't do anything without further hurting herself, she stared out to the Moon as Ty Lee continued to drink from her before slowly losing control.
Fun Fact: This chapter originally was going to be just Katara and Aang and would turn into a lemon, but it seemed to predictable. Anyways, thank you all for the reviews and the new chapter will be out soon.
-SDB