Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA or Naruto. They belong to their respective creator until further actions are taken… which most likely never will happen.
Beta: TheHumanWiki
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New Imperial Palace…
Mai was a girl of simple things… Give her something to do, and she'll most likely leave you alone –until she grew bored of it. When she was bored with it, she'll either find you to bug you in her own way to get something to do or go find something to do herself. Give her Zuko, and she'll smile before dragging him away or settle down by some out-of-the-way corner for some light talk. That will be the case until someone either interrupted them, or Zuko (and sometimes, Mai) let his (her) temper get the best of him (her) again.
Give her a frustrated Zuko and asked her to calm him down? She'll try, and depending on the circumstance, she might succeed or fail. Sometimes a few touches here and there and she'll have him like putty in her hands, and other times it require some shouting. Rarely did it ever require her to get truly physical with him, and usually those moment just required a simple fast tackle, her lips on his, and voila.
At this particular moment, she was not having any success at all. If the way he paced and his immediate surrounding shimmer in heat, then no, she was not having any success at all.
"I employ you to think rationally. Who would want to break Azula out of… well, where she was?" Mai deadpanned the last part before blowing a puff of air at her hair. The girl's eyes tracked her beloved as he paced back and forth in worry and anger, and Mai wondered if she could track down this person herself and have a few go with them. "Believe me, with the Avatar now as powerful as he is, only the most foolish would dare plan something."
"Or the most devious." Zuko answered immediately, his golden eyes shot up to meet his girlfriend's, soon to be queen. "You don't understand Mai. Azula is powerful, and I'm sure despite her… questionable mental state, she is not one to be trifled with if provoked. She is dangerous!"
"You mean she could be in danger, or she is the danger?" Mai deadpanned once more, her arms now folded beneath her breast while cocking one hip to one side. The urge to find the kidnapper or liberator had grown stronger. When Zuko didn't answer immediately, Mai silently congratulated herself for getting to the root of the problem. "So what is it Zuko? Is she someone who is dangerous to your throne or to your nation perhaps? Or maybe she's just in danger and you're worried? Come on Zuko, which is it? It is either she is the danger, or she is in danger."
"BOTH! NEITHER! I DON'T KNOW!" The young Fire Lord exclaimed before finally plotting himself down on a chair. The effect seemed immediate, as the shimmering died down, and all that was left of his unconscious firebending was the smoke coming from his clothing. This gave Mai the chance to try the physical approach. "I just don't know what to do Mai… I'm the all powerful Fire Lord of the Fire Nation, and I can't even keep my own sister safe and healthy. Now someone wanted her out, and they did. For all I know, she could be plotting our demise or suffering through some sick torture." The Assassin will admit that while the former made her wary, the latter didn't exactly let her sleep at night. "What should I do?"
The soft tone he talked in was not a stranger to Mai. She had listened to it often, most of the time due to Azula's temperament or her gloating. The irony of the fact that while it was also caused by Azula this time, she was in no way immediately involved.
Letting out another sigh as she sat as close as the bench allowed her to, Mai putted her arms around Zuko in an embrace and said, "I think what you need to do right now isn't to worry about your sister. Rather, take a deep breath and perhaps take a nap. I think you'll think clearer when you have some rest. All these works must have gotten to you."
"But Azula was… is family… Family is important. I couldn't just sit around and do nothing…" Zuko whispered softly, his head still down from depression and, Mai reasoned, stress built up from all the international things he needed to take care of. Being Fire Lord really was not an easy job.
The female assassin let loose one of her tender smiles as she gently pulled Zuko onto his feet. When his questioning eyes met hers, she said, "You are not doing nothing. You're worrying, and I personally think that is sweet if not a little overrated considering who it is you're worried about. Now come, let's go to your room. You need to take a nap."
"But…"
The weak protest was immediately stopped by a finger. "No but. The world can wait for a few short hours. I'm sure nothing bad will happen to Azula too. She's too… strong and prideful for that."
With some more coaxing and sweet words, Mai finally managed to guide Zuko into his chamber. A little more and she had him under cover, and sooner than she expected, within dream land. The assassin sighed again. Politics really was not good for his health.
However, if she was to be really honest with herself, Mai too worried about Azula. Rather than worrying about her being in some torture chamber however, Mai was more worried about her plotting about their demise. The Fallen Princess was not someone Mai can dismiss so easily; not when she knew Azula as well as she think she did.
Still, first thing first, Mai intended to keep this as contained as she can. It wouldn't do to let people know that Princess Azula was running without restrain; not when people think her mad and insane.
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Aboard the trader ship…
Azula grunted as she ran through another set of kata, blasting flames when appropriate and striking out at imaginary enemies as she moved. However she was not satisfied with the result.
As it stood, Zuma was wrong about her bending being impeded by some herb or remedy from the asylum. She can bend, but she can't bend. Tiny puffs of flames were all she managed so far and to say Azula was not happy would be like saying Ty Lee was only slightly hyper.
"I think you're stressing too much on this." Zuma said from the side, leaning against the rail of the boat. The man had stripe off his cloak, leaving only the worn gray top and pants on to ruffle in the ocean wind. Currently he was wrapping white cloth around his wrists and hands, putting on a layer of protection often used by non-benders who practiced martial arts. Azula was familiar with those, having seen Ty Lee and Mai wearing them in the past when they were still in the Royal Academy for Girls. The Princess had to admit she was curious about Zuma's ability.
That did not excuse him from making that comment. "You are over stepping your boundary fool. I will not tolerate such talking." Azula grounded out as she clenched her fists in an effort to restrain her temper. As far as she liked her bending back, she was not willing to accidentally sink the ship they're on if she did let loose and actually managed to fire bend as she did before.
"Well, I still think you're over reacting to it all. It isn't so bad." Zuma replied, completely unaffected by Azula's biting remark. With one final tug, the man finished wrapping his arms before doing a few jabs to ensure that they were holding on. "Non-benders aren't weak as you should know. Your friends Ty Lee and Mai are very good examples."
"They are not my friends…" The Princess hissed, her fists clenching tighter as she remembered their betrayal. She however cannot be sure if she clenched her fist in anger or in pain – she quickly discarded the latter because it was a sign of weakness. "They were fools, and they are weak."
Zuma shook his head and returned with, "I wouldn't say that. According to my sources, Ty Lee disabled you pretty quickly."
"She took me by surprise! If in a proper fight, I will triumph!"
"Ah, ah, ah!" Zuma tsked at the Princess while waving a finger back and forth, as if chiding a child. "In a fight, there is no such thing as proper. Besides, a proper fight is an oxymoron if I ever know one. How can a fight be proper? It's a fight for Agni's sake!"
"I am just about had enough of your cheek Zuma…" Azula snapped, and Zuma quickly held up his hands in a surrendering gesture, though his grin contradicted his action. The second child of Ozai saw the grin, and her beautiful face twisted slightly to show an ugly side of her as she said, "You will do well to remember your place…"
Upon hearing that however, Zuma just barked in laughter. Azula couldn't quite place it, but it felt as if he was laughing at her. "You make me laugh 'Zula-chi. You really do!"
"'Z-Zula-chi?" Azula squeak in indignation at the nickname, and it only caused Naruto to laugh harder. "Who gave you permission to call me something like that?"
"Eh? Why not? I think it's cute!" Zuma replied, his grin as big as it was before. Waving his arms in excitement, the man explained, "Beside, I can be Zuma-chi! Your brother can be Zuko-chi! Or would you prefer Zuzu-chi?"
Azula had no doubt that her brother will not like either one, though she personally found Zuzu-chi quite endearing. "No! You will not call me 'Zula-chi! You are never to call me by that degrading name!"
"Whatever you say Princess!" Zuma said with a shrug. Then as he folded his hands to rest against the back of his head, his face turned serious. "All fun aside, what do you intend to do?"
"About what you fool?" Azula asked, folding her hands beneath her growing chest as she straightened her pose.
"I am talking about your fighting capacity of course! As it appeared to be, fire bending as both self defense and attack is out of the question right now. You probably can't even make a camp fire to save your life!" Zuma replied, his face grim and serious as Azula bit back a snarky reply about her fire bending. She cannot fault his logic, for as she was now, Azula can only do so much with just regular attacks. Fire bending katas were good and all, but they were designed to reach maximum efficiency with fire bending, not physical attacks. While it was true and well known that those punches and kicks can hurt someone pretty good by themselves, they were relatively useless against well trained soldiers and mercenaries, and that was pointing to non-benders. Against a bender, those attacks were completely useless without fire bending. "What do you plan to do about it?"
"…" Azula had no answer for that. She did not know what to do about it. Back when she was vulnerable or simply couldn't perform her duty, she always had other benders or non-benders to defend her. Now that she didn't any body guards except with the possible exception of Zuma, Azula simply do not know what she could do.
"This is a weakness of benders. This is the one weakness shared by all benders." Zuma started to explain as he paced the ship's deck. He now resembled a teacher or sifu giving a lecture to his students or pupil, and Azula mechanically started paying close attention to his words. "Take away their bending, and more often than not, the benders are reduced to simple civilians. Your father is a pretty good example of this. It is the same with trapping an earth bender in a metal or wooden cage, or a water bender in the desert. With no bending, there can be no attack or defense."
"What about air or fire benders? You can't exactly keep them away from their element." Azula asked with a sneer. It intrigued her to see what this man can come up with to neutralize fire benders or air benders.
"For both of those, it is indeed rather difficult to neutralize their bending. It is not impossible, only difficult." Zuma explained as he finally stopped pacing, and instead leaned back against the ship's rail once more. "For fire, one must find a way to either neutralize the flame completely or be one step ahead of the fire bender. You can't burn someone if your fire can't reach them. Air is perhaps by far the most difficult, simply because you are always surrounded by it. Restricting their motions proved to work the best. They can't bend if they can't move. Gagging them also keep them from firing air currents with their mouth… We are of course going off topic though." Zuma finished with a careless shrug before focusing his eyes onto Azula's slightly disappointed frown. "What we should worry about is what to do about YOU."
"Well, what do you suggest oh-wise-and-mighty Zuma?" The sarcasm and bite within Azula's voice was really obvious, and one must be the most dense to miss it. Zuma was however completely unaffected by it. "I doubt you can do much about it."
"That my dear, is where you are wrong." Zuma said, his voice trailing off and his face breaking out into a slightly sadistic smirk. Azula had to fight off a shudder at that look, and it made her very aware of the fact that Zuma was not the talkative fool he appeared to be. "However, to truly understand where we should start with, I must first get an idea of what I need to work on."
"And pray tell, how do you plan to do that?"
Zuma's smirk grew larger at that, and Azula sudden felt like she just asked for her own execution. "That is very easy Princess. We start with something simple…" Zuma trailed off for a moment, and all was silent save for the wave crashing against the ship's hall or the sea birds calling out.
Then as if a switch was flipped, Zuma started screaming, "DROP AND GIVE ME A HUNDRED PUSH-UPS!"
The look on Azula's face would make her brother's day. "…What?" She did imagine his head growing several times bigger, right? Of course she did. There was no way a head can grow that big…
"YOU HEARD ME MAGGOT! DROP AND GIVE ME A HUNDRED!" Zuma continued to scream with his face red with effort and his neck bulging with blood vessels. He looked angry, and coupled with his massive frame Zuma appeared to be really intimidating. The best way to describe him would be a drill sergeant from hell.
If nothing else, it accomplished the job of making the Princess dropping onto her hands and feet and start counting out each push.
"I CAN'T HEAR YOU MAGGOT!"
"FIVE! SIX! SEVEN! EIGHT! NINE!"
In the future, the Princess will always tell others that she listened because there was nothing better to do. Never in a hundred years will she admit that she listened because of Zuma's authority within his voice.
It also didn't help when one of the ship's crew, a man in his late fifties said, "Now that is how we do it in the old days little girl."
"YOU TOO LADY! DROP AND GIVE ME FOURTY!"
"W-WHAT? WHAT DID I DO?" You talked… Azula mentally said.
"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT! I SAID DROP AND GIVE ME FOURTY!"
"B-but…"
"I AM WAITING!"
"Why do I have to anyway!" Because you were stupid enough to made a comment. Azula mentally explained as she called out the twentieth push-up.
"WHAT WAS THAT SOLDIER? ARE YOU QUESTIONING MY AUTHORITY?"
Yes he was. "N-NOTHING SIR! I'LL GET RIGHT TO IT SIR!" No, he will not voice it.
Well, it made Azula felt slightly better to know that the man got dragged in by his own big mouth.
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That day, various crew members were dragged in to do whichever exercise Azula was doing at the moment. More often than not, this was due to them making some kind of comment. By the time the sun rose to its peak, the crew had smartened up to realize that should they leave the duo along, Zuma will not drag them into doing some grueling exercises.
Of course, Zuma still found some way to pull the reluctant crew members into said exercises.
The day passed by, accompanied by the sound of waves and the painful moans of the crew of a trading ship.
Moral of the day: Zuma was an Agni-branded psycho.
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At night…
She will kill Zuma. She swore to Agni that she will make him pay. Azula will make that white haired sadist pay.
"Well, that is a good start, wouldn't you say?" Said man beamed down at her, his grin large and his eyes twinkled in amusement. Azula made a sound that was a mixture of angry scream and pitiful whimper as an answer, and Zuma's grin only grew bigger. "Oh come now Princess, don't give me that. You did pretty well all things considered. I'm actually very amazed that you're still awake!"
"Ugh…" Translation: I'll kill you.
"Oh please, you can hardly move! Don't make empty threats Princess. It is unfit for royalty."
"Rrraaa~~!" Translation: It is not empty threats!
"Still, a princess mustn't make threats. It wouldn't help with potential suitors at all! Just think. You, an old maid because of you making threats! Oh the horror!"
"AAAAGH!" Translation: I'LL KILL YOU! I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU!
"Wow, careful there Princess. You might bite your tongue! We wouldn't want that now would we? We still have much to do tomorrow!"
"…Mmm…" Translation: I hate you…
"Oh please, you didn't mean that. Now let's tuck you in bed. I don't think you can keep any food down at the moment."
"…Uugh… " Translation: I can to eat…
"You can barely speak! Actually, you're not even speaking. Anyway, let's get you in bed! Tomorrow will be a new day, and that means more tor… I mean training!"
"…Meep…" Translation: Momma…
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…You might have gone overboard.
"Oh hush Yue. It was needed."
I'm not Yue anymore… I simply appear this way right now.
"Does it really matter what I call you? Besides, I can never remember if you're Tui or La. And don't pout. It is unbecoming for a spirit."
Still…
"…Fine. It's your call for now. I'll go easier on her."
Good. That is all I wanted to hear.
"Hmm… Hey Yue, should I get eggs and hams for breakfast or some simple oatmeal?"
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As morning come, Azula moaned in pain as she woke up to a world of pain.
Agni was she sore. In fact, she was sore at places that she didn't even know existed. How in Ozai's name does one be sore in between your toes?
If there was ever a day Azula wished to lie in bed and simply sleep, today was that day.
"Good morning Princess!"
And of course, she simply couldn't. Someone must hate her. "Go away…"
"Eh, come now. You don't mean that."
"Yes. Yes I do. Go away Zuma." Azula grounded out before tossing the cover over her head in a vain attempt to shut out the man. It felt like it worked, until large hands swoop down on her and flipped her onto her stomach. "W-wha? What do you think you are doing peasant? Unhand me this instant yo-ooh… Oh… that was nice…"
"Of course it is. It's messages." The man straddling her legs and pinning her arms under his knees said, and if Azula can see his eyes, she was sure that he'll be rolling them. "Now relax. Let the master do the job."
"Master? You can hardly be call a… Ah… there, that's the spot! Where did you learn to-ooh!"
"That's a secret. Now let's see if we can do something about this knot between your shoulders."
"Sur-eeh~! Do that again…"
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Two more days passed in similar fashion, with Zuma making Azula do grueling exercise somehow, then he'll let her rest a day (today) while tossing in a message that the Princess learned to love. The fool of a man had very skilled hands.
The crew learned quickly to leave the white haired man alone, though the captain cheerfully invited him to be the ship's quarter master. Much to the crew's relief and Azula's small disappointment, he refused.
On the second day Azula was pressed into the work out, the Princess asked, "Why am I doing these? What purpose could they possibly serve me?"
"Why, to make you stronger of course!" Zuma replied naturally without missing a single beat. The next moment he was having her do a ridiculous amount of sit-ups. She never had the time to ask for clarification. This was due to him making her doing another set of exercises immediately or she simply couldn't summon up the strength to do it.
It drove Azula a little bunker to know that the man was deliberately doing these things to either annoy her, torture her, or a combination of both. The possibility that it was in all actuality there to make her stronger crossed her mind, but that was quickly dismissed for thoughts of painful revenge and pay back.
She never went through with any of the painful ways to roast Zuma, simply because of the fact that she couldn't; not with her miserable fire bending as it was. She never tried to physically assault him, simply because of the fact that he left her with no energy to spare. She never tried to bite his head off, simply because his massage effectively and quickly drove any and all violent thoughts from her mind.
She was of course aware of how he manipulated her chi to both heal and revitalize her during the massage. Which fire bender couldn't feel his or her chi? It was required. Fire was given form from one's own chi after all. So when he manipulated her chi to sooth her own muscle to prepare for another cruel day of physical workout, Azula simply let herself drift into the pleasure that came with it even though it unsettled her slightly.
Like she first said, Zuma had really skilled hands.
Still, as she rested in the cabin provided by the captain (on the reason that she was a girl, and to live with the other men was indecent) Azula couldn't help but wonder what the white haired man planned to do with all of these physical exercises.
Then she remembered how it all started: with a conversation about how useless most benders become when striped of their element.
Then it seemed to all make sense. "He wants me to be stronger." The Princess voiced out loud, mostly to herself as she mused about the possibility this present. As honest as she can be, Azula knew that in her current form, most soldiers or mercenaries wouldn't have a problem subduing her. She was far from helpless of course, but as she was now, facing a master bender would simply be marching to her doom. She could still fight, but she lack Ty Lee's ability to decisively take out enemies or Mai's skill in pinning multiple enemies down. Agni knew just how many people wanted her dead, so not being able to fire bend only served to decrease her chance of survival.
"…I suppose a small gesture of appreciation would have to do." Azula said with a shrug as she pulled herself onto a sitting position. As much as meditation worked, lying on a bed and think helped give things a new prospective.
As she navigated down the corridor that would lead to the ship's deck, Azula found herself wondering if she was sick or confused. She never show gratitude to others before, at least, she never expressed it.
With a small bitter smile, Azula admitted to herself that Princess Azula never thanked anyone in her life, at least not anyone that truly deserved it.
Oh you poor dear. You are growing weak, filling your head with such unnecessary sentimental thoughts. A voice that sounded too much like her father's said in her head, and Azula stopped just before the door leading to the deck. The girl's golden eyes narrowed as her lips twitched into a frown. It appeared that her insanity chose this moment to resurface. To think I raised you to be such a perfect daughter! But now? Now you're weak, just like your brother and mother.
"You're not here…" Azula whispered, mostly to pull herself together from the mental assault of her own mind. She was vicious, the girl knew, and it seemed that she will not have mercy even on herself. "You are locked away, in the prison near the palace. Zuzu kept you there, and the Avatar made sure you can't get out with fire bending. You are not here."
But am I really locked away? Poor, diluted 'Zula, if I'm locked away, why am I here talking to you? Her father –no, not her father! This voice was not her father- said to her, and she could practically feel the sickening smile that blossomed on his face. It wrecked a shiver down her body. Aww, is my wittle 'Zula afraid of daddy dearest?
With gritted teeth and clenched fist, the girl retorted, "Go away… You're not welcome here… Go the hell away."
Trying to get rid of me are you? Poor child. You will never be rid of me! You need me…
"Go away… I don't need you… go away… you're not here… go away…"
Oh come now Azula, you didn't mean that. I love you after all! Don't you love me?
"Lies… All lies… You never loved me… Now go away!"
"Loved who? Go where? Princess, are you alright? You're talking to yourself you know? And have you been standing here for a while now?" Zuma's deep voice pierced her foggy mind, and Azula had to bite down on her lips to keep a gasp from coming out. Looking up, her wide molten eyes landed on the curious visage of the white haired man, his blue eyes glistered in whatever moonlight that escaped his frame. She wouldn't say that he wasn't a welcomed distraction. "Hey Princess, you alright? You're a little pale."
"I'm always this pale you buffoon. It's part of my perfect complexion." Azula answered automatically, and immediately she screamed at herself, Damn it 'Zula! What is wrong with you? He was just being nice!
But you don't do nice, do you now, dear child? Ozai's voice called out once more, and Azula had to viciously stomp it out. Physically, her right hand gave a small twitch, though Zuma seemed to notice it seeing as how his eyes zoomed in on it before returning to her face.
"You sure you're alright? What are you doing here anyway? It's in the middle of the night. You could get sick." Zuma asked again, his body leaning down a little to peer down at her with obvious concern. It was then that Azula noticed how close he was to her.
Taking a step back, the girl cleared her throat before addressing the man whose body all but blocked the door leading to the deck, "I'm quite alright. I simply wished for some fresh air. Of course, I suppose that won't be necessary now. I am not in the mood to be sharing the same space as you. If you will excuse me, I will be returning to my own room now. Have a nice night peasant." What was that? What in Agni's name was that!
"Err… if you're sure…" I'm not sure you IDIOT! I just had a mental break down, so what make you think I'll be fine? "Well, good night Princess. I think we'll be arriving at our destination soon; tomorrow at noon at the earliest."
"That is good to hear. I don't think I could spend another day on this miserable boat." The Fire Princess said smoothly, her lips twisting into a smirk before she dipped her head in a mock bow. "I shall take my leave now." Stop me, call me, or yell at me, whatever. Hell, maybe call a midnight impromptu training, I don't give a damn! Zuma, make me stay!
"…Good night Princess; sweet dreams." The man said before backing out of the door and closing it with a soft clank. Azula stopped mid step for the tiniest moment before resuming her walk on autopilot. Should anyone see her now, they'll found her eyes unfocused with the thousand yard stares.
They would see the image of a lonely girl walking back to her lonely room, all by her lonesome self.
Let's face it Azula, you have no one. You got no one… but me. Ozai's voice called out once more, and Azula's face gave a small twitch before settling back to its stoic expression. Her eyes though became half-lid, lazy and careless; a vast contrast from the sharp and intelligent shine she expressed earlier that day. She was almost expecting to see that transparent dragon… Really now Azula. When did you start having imaginary friends? Oh wait, I forgot, you don't HAVE friends…
"Shut up father… I don't need anyone, especially not you. I'm perfect just the way I am…"
Really? Azula, you should know better. Hasn't your brother told you? You always lied…
Sadly, Azula wasn't sure what she lied about; her perfection, her not needing anyone, or her not needing her father.
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Kyoshi Island…
Ty Lee was not a complicated girl. She was a flirt, and she was a hyper girl who liked to flirt. She flaunted her body because she could, and she wasn't ashamed to admit that she flaunted it.
She was also a very perspective girl, being able to see aura should she tried hard enough; however she was also very indecisive you could say (though people often confused it with fickleness). Due to this, she hardly acted on what she saw from other people, and instead chose to stick with her hyper and cheery attitude. It served wonder, and it had yet to serve her wrong. Besides, you couldn't deny the power of Ty Lee's smile.
The Kyoshi Warriors could easier tell you just how contagious that smile was.
Today Ty Lee, Suki, and one other warrior were asked to accompany the village head to the dock to see off some transaction. The cheery girl was of course eager to go, hoping on the chance that there would be some cute or handsome male to perhaps finally sink her claws in.
As much as she tried not to, Suki's constant talk of her Sokka made her somewhat jealous of all the love in the air.
Still, as Ty Lee allowed her eyes to scan the incoming merchant ship, her eyes immediately latched onto one particularly large man, who appeared to be in his thirties. Despite his worn cloth, Ty Lee had no doubt that he was quite fit. She almost drooled at the prospect of pressing herself onto an actual man's body before quickly dismissing it, thinking that he was either too old for her or he was taken.
Just then, another figure caught her attention, and Ty Lee mentally groaned in disappointment. It seemed that her assumption that he was taken was true, for next to him was a female with raven black hair and a regal beauty.
Something about her tickled Ty Lee's memories though.
"It appeared that we have some unexpected visitor." The village elder said with curiosity, and by Ty Lee's side, Suki tilted her head a little in wonder. "It wasn't often that we get visitors."
"With all due respect elder, Kyoshi Island isn't exactly a tourist attraction." Suki said with a strained smile, and the elder just laughed. Ty Lee giggled as well, thinking about how Suki pouted when she was forced to play guide tour for the occasional tourist that came to visit the Kyoshi Island.
"None the less, we should welcome them." The elder said with a big smile, and Suki can only return it. Ty Lee giggled ones more before focusing her eyes back onto the black female on the ship.
Now that it was closer, the acrobat could somehow made out some features, such as the full lips, the golden eyes that burned with a familiar intensity, and the face shape of the royal family…
Royal family…?
Despite what many thought, Ty Lee had very good eye sights, and it had nothing to do with her eyes being big. Her eye sights must be good, for if she were to press the correct pressure points, she must be able to point them out instantly. To do that, she must have very sharp eye sights.
It was this eye sight that allowed Ty Lee to see the girl's feature as the ship slowly pulled into the port. It was this eye sight that made Ty Lee's eyes widen in surprise before she whimpered in fear. It was this eye sight that caused Suki to turn a questioning face to her, asking, "Is something the matter Ty Lee? You look like you just seen a ghost."
"…That's Azula on the boat, next to that big man…" Ty Lee said, meekly pointing a finger at the raven haired beauty that now entirely focused her golden eyes upon her, a smirk slowly working its way onto her face. The acrobat remembered very well what she did on the Boiling Rock, and she was sure that despite all this time, Azula remembered as well.
Ty Lee heard from Mai that Azula had gone mad, and the acrobat felt very bad for it, though she never did find the time to visit the Fallen Princess.
The Azula that leaned forward against the railing and focused entirely on her did not seem mad or insane. She looked perfectly sane and ready to dish out some pain.
This probably won't end well…
"Azula? What are you talking about Ty Lee? She's locked up in an asylum remember? That person could not possibly be… Oh crap, that is Azula… Wasn't she supposed to be insane?"
Oh crap indeed.
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Author's (corny) corner:
The next installment within the Strength story. We now have Azula making her way (without really knowing) into Kyoshi Island as well as on the road back to kickass level slowly but painfully. Just so you know, Azula did not know they are going to Kyoshi Island, and you'll get a piece of her reaction next chapter when Zuma reveals their actual destination.
Mai and Ty Lee's reappearance is essential considering this story focused more on Azula and her development with Zuma as the mentor/guide person. She has to deal with her two childhood friends/lackeys eventually, and for the moment I decided that Ty Lee may be the easier one to do instead of Mai. You will see where this goes eventually.
Zuma's randomness is planned. I envisioned him as a little on the crazy side for reasons that you'll probably never know. You can guess, but I won't confirm or deny anything.
The little thing with the Ozai voice and what not is important. It's needed. Don't question me about it haha.
Either way, this chapter didn't take long to write, having got it done within like a day's work. I just have to pump it out for some reason. The fact that TheHumanWiki worked rather fast with his betaing helps. He is also a very good guy to bounce ideas off of.
Well, leave a review and tell me what you think. Criticisms are welcomed, for those let me know what I need to work on.
So until the next time... Ta-tah!
APH, Signing off!