Sokka panted lightly, adrenaline still coursing through his veins after his lengthy sprint. He bent over, his hands on his knees as he fought to get air into his lungs.
"Zuko… Hhn. Have you seen… Azula?" He forced out.
The Fire Lord stared at his friend, his one remaining eyebrow furrowing in confusion.
"I haven't. You were supposed to be watching over her, Sokka. What happened?" He demanded.
Sokka straightened up, but refused to look the former exile in the eye. Nervously he shifted in place.
"I… might have been a bit careless, and said something I probably shouldn't have. Azula took it the wrong way and got a little upset. Now she's run off but I haven't been able to find her anywhere," he explained.
Zuko's lips pursed in irritation at this new problem. He sighed deeply, standing up from his throne and circling around to crouch behind it.
Sokka gawked, thoroughly bewildered, as his friend seemed to root around for a moment before suddenly popping up again with a golden goblet and a small bottle.
The young ruler swiftly reseated himself, pouring a generous dose of a clear, golden fluid into the cup. In one quick swig he drained the goblet, before carelessly dropping it beside his throne.
"Look, Sokka. I'm under a lot of pressure right now. There are still those who protest my rule, and want to seat someone else in my place - someone like my sister. Not to mention that Mai's been colder than usual since she got back."
Zuko took another drink, foregoing the goblet this time.
"I really can't afford to have any more problems, especially concerning Azula. What was that phrase you once told me - 'If the ice begins to creak, it's not long before it breaks', wasn't it?"
Despite himself, Sokka opened his mouth to correct Zuko, before shutting it hurriedly at his glare.
"I can feel it creaking. So, I'm trusting you once more to go and fix this. Please, find Azula, and do whatever it takes to bring her to heel," Zuko finished wearily.
Sokka bowed his head.
"Hey, you can count on me. Just sit back and relax, everything will fine," the tribesman smiled cheerfully.
He turned around, gave a friendly nod to the guards on the door and walked out. On his throne, Zuko clutched the empty bottle in his hand.
"I really hope so," he murmured.
She shivered, the burning heat of the flames before her doing nothing to quell the ice creeping under her skin.
Her arms were covered in thin red scratches where her sharp fingernails had raked across the pale skin. Not even pain kept the memories at bay.
"Your father has requested an audience with Fire Lord Azulon. Best clothes, hurry up."
She smirked briefly, an image of the decrepit royal slumped over on his throne flashing in her mind.
"Fire Lord Azulon. Can't you just call him Grandfather? He's not exactly the powerful Fire Lord he used to be. Someone will probably end up taking his place soon."
Her mother's eyes narrowed in disgust.
"Young lady! Not another word."
As she ran past her mother, a faint whisper crept into her ears.
"What is wrong with that child?"
She dumped another log onto the blaze, watching blankly as the heat gradually swept over it. Her stomach growled, but its calls went unanswered. There was nothing left here.
The girl glared at her contemptuously underneath her bangs.
"Leave us alone."
Her orders were obeyed without question. For several seconds there was nothing but the bubble of the volcanic lake beneath them.
"I never expected this from you. The thing I don't understand is why. Why would you do it? You know the consequences."
The girl's lips curled into the barest smile for a second.
"I guess you just don't know people as well as you think you do. You miscalculated - I love Zuko more than I fear you."
So be it.
"No. You miscalculated; you should have feared me more!"
Her arms whirled as energy built up within her stomach, arcing through her body to her fingertips.
Fists struck her from behind and she toppled over. Her body was numb yet all she could feel was pain.
The fire crackled and writhed with her torment, the vivid cobalt burning into sunset.
Above her the trees rustled incessantly, the leaves murmuring their secrets on the wind. Perhaps they were warning the Avatar.
And if he came, she wouldn't run.
"Sorry I'm late, Father. Good palanquin bearers are so hard to come by these days. So, is everything ready for our departure?"
It was time. The world would see their power, and pay the price for their defiance.
"There has been a change of plans, Azula."
Her eyes widened in shock.
"What?"
"I've decided to lead the fleet of airships to Ba Sing Se alone. You will remain here in the Fire Nation."
He was leaving her behind? She, who had dutifully carried out every order, who had never strayed and was ever faithful?
"But… I thought were going to do this together."
"My decision is final."
She was nothing to him.
A low keen escaped her throat before she could swallow it back down. The sound pierced the sudden veil of silence, for the trees had ended their susurrus, and the flame had languished into smoke.
A shadow fell over her, hardly visible in the morning light. Not a muscle moved, her body perfectly in control.
"Azula, I've been looking for you everywhere. Have you been out here all night?"
A bolt of fury rose in her chest, flooding her very soul. How dare he pretend that he cared?
She was done with pretence. They all thought her a joke, a monster. Something to prod and poke and laugh at.
The jet of flame soared through the air, scant millimetres from his face.
She cursed in her mind as he blanched, immediately throwing himself to the ground to avoid her next strike. In only seconds he was up again, dashing behind a gnarled tree stump.
"Azula, stop!" He called anxiously.
She ignored his cries. The barrier wouldn't save him for long. The inferno washed over the wood like a wave, and his yell rang out across the skies.
She faltered for a second, before redoubling her efforts. He would suffer as she had - they all would.
After a moment she released the torrent, watching the remnants of the stump turn to ash. Had she done it?
There was a faint gasp, and a black shape burst out from behind the scorched tree. Her eyes tracked his movements, tiny balls of fire leaping free from her palms as he ran towards her.
"Azula, listen to me!" Sokka roared.
He grunted in pain as the fireballs seared his skin, but his charge didn't halt for a moment. She could only watch with wide eyes as he closed in on her.
And then she was crumbling, unable to withstand his weight as he gripped her tightly. The pair rolled around in the ashes, each seeking to subdue their opponent.
Her nails slashed across his torso, seeking to dig under his armoured back. His own fingers naked around her wrists, holding them tightly as his larger body pressed down on hers.
She growled lowly, teeth bared and eyes wild before her energy drained. What was the point of fighting?
"Please," he whispered as her struggles subsided.
She glared up at him, hating the way his blue eyes glistened and his unbound hair hung down in a brown curtain.
"Azula, I swear, I never meant to- I just wanted…" His words cut off as he swallowed thickly. "I'm sorry."
Her anger still roiled deep inside her, a burning pit of hatred that could never be silenced.
"You're not sorry," she hissed. "Not yet."
"I am, truly. I didn't mean to make you feel like I was just using you. I'm just stupid, I didn't think," he claimed. "I never do, it seems."
The pressure on her wrists began to loosen, but she couldn't muster the will to take advantage of it.
"I don't believe you. They always use me. And then they throw me away."
Her voice was nothing more than the faintest mumble, but he still jerked like he'd been struck. For a moment the two stared at each other, her gaze jaded and his horrified.
And then he tightened his grip, rising up to lay on his knees, and she was pulled along with him. Before she could wonder what he was doing, he'd gathered her into his arms and cradled her gently.
"This isn't like that any more, Azula. Things are different now," he insisted, his voice hushed. "Zuko and me, we care about you."
His hand softly stroked her hair, uncaring of the twigs and dirt that had lodged within the dark tresses.
"You're going to get better. That's all we want. Nothing else," he assured her.
She peeked up at him, her eyelids heavy. His smile was small, yet brighter than any grin he'd flashed her before.
"You promise?" She asked, her voice a little stronger now.
He nodded simply, leaning his head down to lay a sweet kiss upon her forehead. Her eyes widened in surprise at the gesture. No one had done that to her before.
It felt strangely nice.
"You must be tired. Rest, I'll carry you back to the palace," he said, slowly standing with a wince.
She noticed the grimace that passed over his face.
"You're injured," she noted solemnly.
He brushed it off, laughing unconcernedly.
"You're not the first firebender to land a hit on me, and I doubt you'll be the last. I'll heal."
He adjusted his grip, holding onto her securely as he walked them back to the palace.