Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender
Sokka tried repeatedly to talk to her when he was reluctantly accepted into their already-too-large group. There were eight of them now and it was already hard enough. He tried repeatedly to speak to her and to sit next to her on Appa, a sad look in his eyes that she ignored.
She refused to speak to him.
How dare him, Yue thought, to slide back into her life and pretend that everything is normal between them. To think that she would go back to be being best friends with him after he betrayed Aang, betrayed her in favor of his war-hungry sister. It made her angry and she did not want to talk to him. It was only because of Aang that she had even allowed him back into their group.
Because if Aang was happy, then she was happy.
But not this time.
It was stubborn of her and it was mean, but she couldn't-she wouldn't-forgive him so easily after he had abandoned them. He had left them when they needed him most and then he stood back while his sister when on her rampage. It was stubborn of her but she deserved to be a little yak-headed sometimes. Just this once.
Azula looked at her disapprovingly and Aang shook his head when he thought she was being overtly rude, but they didn't understand the whole story. She and Sokka had been best friends since they were children, they had played together and when she was younger and had felt sad, they had held each other until the sniffles were gone. Aang didn't understand. Sokka had betrayed them, he would have allowed the Dai Li to brainwash him to be the perfect Water Tribe Avatar.
"I have to go to Taku." Sokka said to Azula as she sat in Appa's saddle, holding up the map. They had only stopped long enough to regain their bearings and to stretch their legs. They would stay in this place for too long and the animals were already getting restless. "It's a very important message I have to deliver." The Water Tribe prince said and pulled out the scroll that he had kept in his pocket.
The Fire Nation girl pursed her lips. "Oh, really?" She asked and Yue could hear the smirk in her voice. "So, the Water Tribe prince is a little messenger boy? I thought you had abdicated from your rank, or did you say that because you didn't want to embarrass yourself?"
Yue cast a glance at her former friend and she thought she saw Sokka wrinkle his nose. "No." He said rather stiffly, "I'm not a messenger boy, if that disappoints you." He held the scroll up and waved it before Azula, tossing it at her feet. "See it for yourself, since you're a firebender."
Azula raised her eyebrows and unrolled the scroll, her eyes flickering over the inked characters and then back at Sokka as she read. Part of Yue wanted to see what it said, what had caused Sokka to leave his precious sister and travel half-way across the Earth Kingdom. Zuko, Azula's brother, moved to his sister's side and read the message over her shoulder, frowning deeply.
"You're gathering an army." Azula said simply and let the scroll fall. "You're gathering an army to stop the Water Tribes because they're going to attack the Fire Nation on the day of a solar eclipse." Yue couldn't quite tell if Azula was being sarcastic or not, but then the firebending girl nodded her head once, briefly. "I think Garsai can wait just a little longer."
Sokka nodded, even though Azula hadn't spoken directly to him. "The scholars of the university pieced together the date. It's called the Day of Black Sun, when the moon crosses in front of the sun. There's a solar eclipse and firebenders momentarily lose all their bending power. Some of the scholars are against the war and then the others that aren't…the Water Tribes know this already."
Yue wondered if Katara knew this.
She probably did.
"So what's in Taku?" Aang asked and reached for the map. He stretched it out before him and traced it with his finger, searching out the city. They had planned on skirting it on their way to Garsai, Yue remembered, and when she looked over the child Avatar's shoulder, she saw that it was rather close to their original destination. "Or rather, who's in Taku?"
Sokka shrugged, "I'm just the messenger." He said and Yue looked over at him, just for a brief moment. "I just know that this message has to get to Taku." He leaned back against the side of the saddle and crossed his arms. "Does that answer all of your questions? Any more doubts about me?"
Azula looked skeptical. She exchanged a look with Zuko and Yue could almost see something like worry in Zuko's eyes, though it was mixed with doubt. They were from the Fire Nation, if Sokka's message was true, then the Water Tribes would attack their homeland directly, when they were weakest.
It was a low, and it was dirty, but it was war. Yue watched as Azula leaped down from Appa's saddle and remounted Sanjiv. Zuko followed suit and climbed up on the dragon after his sister. Yue pulled her knees upward and looked at the blind, earthbender, Toph. She had been quiet for the most part, listening to their conversation with her keen ears.
"Well, if we're going to Taku…" Aang said and looked back his companions. "Then maybe we can fly over the Western Air Temple. Maybe there are some airbenders there. Maybe they went to the Western Air Temple." There was a painful longing in his voice and Yue looked sympathetically at her young friend, reaching over to pat him gently on the shoulder.
Yue thought she was a very selfish. She had concentrated on her own emotions, on struggling to stay mad at Sokka when Aang-only a twelve year old boy-had been keeping his own heart's longings locked away. He had hoped that his people-just a few-were still alive and waiting for them. And that he just had to find them. What kind of friend was she?
"We can go to the Western Air Temple, Aang." Yue said, "And we can try and find your people. There might be some left." It was a lie and she knew it, and she knew that Aang knew it, too. But there was no reason why they shouldn't look. She wanted to explore the temple, though, to experience what it may have been like when the Air Nomads were still alive, before her people had slayed them. She wanted to experience a relic of Aang's past.
"I didn't sign up for all of this." Sokka said and laughed a little. Yue turned towards him and narrowed her eyes at the Southern Water Tribe prince. Katara's bad attitude had rubbed off on him, Yue decided. Or maybe she had forgotten about her former friend's biting wit.
Toph raised her head at that, as if sensing the vibes of tension coming from Yue's skin. "You didn't sign up at all, Princely Pants." The young earthbender said and Yue couldn't help but smile. Sokka turned his head at the blind girl and Toph smirked. "Hey, your surprise is showing."
Yue laughed as Appa rose into the air at Aang's command. Sokka looked at her with a look of hurt and amusement and the Northern Water Tribe felt her anger at him slip away for a brief heartbeat. But then she snatched it back. She had to stay mad at Sokka. He had betrayed her.
Azula's dragon, Sanjiv, flew over them and then moved in front. Yue shook her head as she caught sight of Ty Lee, turned all the way around on the dragon, waving and blowing kisses back at them. Ty Lee was strange, Yue decided, but she liked the acrobatic girl. She didn't look Fire Nation and Yue thought she looked more like an Air Nomad. Or rather, what she thought Air Nomads might look like. She had never seen a real one, except for Aang. But Ty Lee seemed close enough.
"Yue," The Northern Water Tribe princess heard Sokka say and she pursed her lips, rolling her eyes a little before turning to half face the boy. "Yue, how many times do I have to say sorry before you forgive me?" Sokka asked. "Or do you want me to sing an apology instead?"
Yue snorted. For his age, Sokka was one of the smartest people Yue knew and he was also funny, but he wasn't a very good singer. "No," She said and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Her smallest finger brushed over the amulet that Kya had given her before they left. She paused and ran her fingers over it again, feeling the thin crack in its side. The necklace was almost a part of her now.
Sokka looked at her neck and then raised his eyes to meet Yue's gaze. "Mom gave you that." He said simply and Yue nodded. Yue wondered what Lady Kya thought of the events going on around her. Her husband, Hakoda, was devoted to a war that his ancestors had started. He was devoted to a massacre that was masked as an effort to change the world for the better. Both of her children had left her. Sokka had left the Water Tribes to journey across the earth and Katara was just rotten all the way through.
"She did." Yue said and she remembered the vow that she had made to Kya when the Southern Water Tribe queen had given her the amulet. She had vowed to use the water that was inside the vial to heal a broken mind and erase evil influences and even now, Yue had no idea who she was meant to heal and how. She wished Kya had been clearer, but it was too late now.
She couldn't give up now, not when they were so far away from home. Not when she was an enemy of her own tribe. Not when they were so close to doing something that would change the world.
"You miss that woman you're talking about, don't you?" Toph said and Yue looked up in surprise. "You loved her and you still do." The blind earthbender had no clue who Lady Kya was as a person. Of course she knew that Kya was the queen of the Southern Water Tribe, because the Bei Fongs had to pay taxes to the Water Tribes. But she knew nothing of Yue's love for the woman.
Yue nodded and then she remembered that Toph couldn't see it. "I miss her, dearly. She was like a second mother to me." She was more of a mother figure than my real mom, Yue thought, even though she would never say such a thing. "I made a promise to her."
Toph nodded and Yue couldn't read her expression. Her eyes were blank-they always were-and her face was neutral. She never showed much emotion when she was talking, Yue noticed, and she wondered if the blind earthbender was listening instead when she fell into her silent spells. If Toph could sense Yue staring at her-which she probably could, Yue decided-she didn't say anything.
"So, Aang, how are you doing with your Avatarly duties?" Sokka asked and turned towards the young Air Nomad boy, changing the subject. He rubbed his hands roughly over Aang's dark hair and Yue could see a goofy grin spread across the child Avatar's face.
"He sucks." Toph said bluntly, speaking before Aang could even open his mouth. A smirk had crossed her lips and her eyebrows had disappeared underneath her dark bangs. "To put it lightly, Twinkle Toes." She chuckled and grinned cheekily.
Yue covered her mouth with one hand to stifle her giggles and she hung her head. It wasn't exactly true, but it wasn't a lie either. Aang wasn't a good earthbender and he still had a lot of learning to do before summer came. She saw a shade of red spread across Aang's neck and ears, disappearing into his hair.
Sokka stretched his legs out. "Why does that no surprise me?" He said jokingly and patted Aang on the shoulder. "You get the hang of it one day. Maybe." He looked over at Yue and smiled. And for a moment, Yue forgot she was supposed to be mad at him and smiled back.
Suki felt uncomfortable when she saw Hama with her gnarled hands on Katara's head, moving the water over her temples. Her tiny hands would ghost over Katara's head without touching her skin and her long fingernails would brush the sides of Katara's hair. Whenever Katara's "relaxation" sessions over, Suki thought that the bad side of the Southern Water Tribe princess would come out before she calmed down.
Hama was weird and Suki couldn't understand how Katara could follow the elderly woman all the time, like a little puppy. But it wasn't her place to wonder what went on in the princess's head. It wasn't her place to wonder what exactly Hama was doing when she put her hands to Katara's head.
She was just the Kyoshi Warrior.
They weren't on a boat anymore. They had crossed into the Earth Kingdom and it would take too long to go back out to the ocean to skirt the continent. They had no idea where they were going and they had to travel cautiously. Or as cautiously as a small army of Water Tribesmen riding on the backs of cheetah falcon could, but Suki wasn't complaining. Much.
They were in the Earth Kingdom now, and Suki wondered if she should feel some sort of connection to the people in the country. But she didn't. It had been a long time since she had been on land, but she didn't feel anything for the Earth Kingdom. Long ago, the last Earth Avatar had been a woman named Kyoshi. She had pushed her homeland-Kyoshi Island-away from the rest of the world and closer to the Water Tribes.
Suki wondered what Kyoshi would think if she saw her homeland being occupied by Water Tribesmen. It had been like that since forever, Suki thought, or at least for a long time. Kyoshi Island was more Water Tribe than Earth Kingdom and Suki felt more loyalty to the Water Tribes than she did to the massive continent, even though they controlled her tiny home. She knew more about Avatar Kuruk than she did about Kyoshi and she barely knew anything about Avatar Roku.
Avatar Kyoshi, Suki decided, would be sad if she saw what had become of her island.
"What are you thinking about?" Katara asked and tapped on Suki's shoulder. She was sitting in front of Suki on the cheetah falcon and Suki was faced the opposite direction to avoid ambush. They were a reasonable distance in front of the Water Tribesmen for Katara had driven the animal harder than Suki thought was normal, but it seemed that the dark green beast enjoyed the hard pace.
They had gotten the cheetah falcon from a Water Tribe settlement, but that wasn't exactly the proper way to define it. It had once been owned by the Water Tribes, but it had been abandoned and so people of both nationalities rebuilt the town. There was a cheetah falcon breeder, though, who had been more than willing to sell the Southern Water Tribe princess several of his best animals.
Suki wasn't sure what she thought of the animals. She had certainly never seen one before and she was intrigued by their huge, sleek bodies. They had the talons and beak of a falcon and the same piercing stare, but the spotted fur of a feline. The Kyoshi Warrior ran her hands over the soft golden fur and then looked over at Katara, "Nothing much."
Katara was in her calm stage at the moment and her blue eyes looked out over the land as they passed it. "Do you miss your family, Suki?" The young waterbender asked and Suki couldn't help but feel startled by the girl's question. "Do you ever wonder if they are proud of you? That you're doing what they would want you to?"
The Kyoshi Warrior wondered what Katara's childhood was like. She was a princess, so she probably got everything she wanted. Suki wondered it was like to be a princess, if just for a day. "I've never really been far away from them before." She admitted and shrugged, "I miss them a little. Especially my dad." She looked more like her father, people would say. They had the same hair color and the same eyes, but she took more after her mother personality wise. "I know my parents are proud of me. I've always been told to do what I thought was right." She looked at the Southern Water Tribe princess.
"Do you ever feel trapped, Suki?" Katara asked and then paused, "I mean, not physically trapped but trapped in your own head?" She turned her blue eyes on Suki and the Kyoshi Warrior thought she saw some type of emotion flash across the girl's gaze, but she couldn't name it. It had passed too quickly.
Suki wasn't sure what it meant to be trapped in your own head. Wasn't your mind the one place you were free to do as you wish? She didn't understand, so she didn't answer. It seemed as if Katara hadn't expected her to, because she turned back around and spurred the cheetah falcon even faster.
Returning to her original position, Suki looked out at the blue sky beyond them and she wondered what Sokka was doing. Was he alright? Why had he left? Suki wondered if Sokka had felt trapped and that was why he had left. She wondered if he missed his family and she wondered if he ever questioned that he was doing the right thing.
What was the right thing?
Suki was no philosopher, so she couldn't answer. She decided it was a matter of perspective. If you asked a Water Tribesmen what was the right thing, they might say it was winning the war. If you asked a peasant, they might say it was making enough to get by. If you asked a king, they might say ruling the people. Perspective, Suki decided, was pretty funny.
In fact, it was downright hilarious.
In a sad sort of way.
"Do you think Sokka and Yue like each other, Azula?" Ty Lee asked, looking over at the two Water Tribe teenagers in the flying bison's saddle. They couldn't hear them and Azula was glad of that. "I mean…do you think they're friends again?"
Azula slid her gaze over the white haired princess and the blue eyed prince and shook her head. "No." She said and Ty Lee frowned. She could see the acrobat's mouth forming around the word why and Azula cleared her throat. "Look at their body language. Yue's shoulders are tense. She's not at ease with him, but she tolerates him. They aren't friends again."
Ty Lee looked at the two again and shrugged. "Well, Azula, I think they are." The pink clad girl veered onto another subject, "Do you really think that the Water Tribes are going to attack us during the eclipse, Azula? What if we're not home by then? What about Lu Ten and Zhao?"
The Fire Nation princess paused. The Water Tribe prince had brought the message of the Water Tribe's plans to attack her homeland during their weakest, darkest moment. "Yes, I think they are going to try to attack us during the eclipse." They won't succeed. "We know of their plans now. We can intercept them and destroy them before they even get close to the archipelago."
For a moment, Ty Lee was silent. Her thick brown braid was wrapped over her shoulder to avoid it flying back and hitting Zuko in the face. "You're right, Azula, I hadn't thought about it that way." She looked at her hands and if Azula hadn't Ty Lee since they were children, she wouldn't have believed that the girl's small hands could effectively block the chi of a bender with just one hit.
Beneath them, Sanjiv snorted. Azula reached down and touched the dragon's scales, though gingerly. She had never been very good with animals, especially not pets, but Sanjiv wasn't exactly a pet. She couldn't push him away when she was born of him and she couldn't exactly give him a swift kick if he decided she would make a good claw sharpener.
Well, she could, but the result wouldn't be very pretty when Azula thought about it. Sanjiv wasn't her pet. He was her…partner. He helped her when she needed it-which wasn't often. Azula could see it was the same with the Air Nomad boy-the Avatar-and his flying buffalo thing. His flying bison, Azula corrected herself. His flying bison was his best friend and his partner and it seemed to pain the boy when someone even mentioned separating the two of them.
Perhaps, she thought, it had been an Air Nomad thing. Maybe their obsession with spirituality had something to do with separation. What had the world been like, Azula thought, when the Air Nomads had been living? Azulon, Azula's grandfather and the man she had been named after, had been a child when they were eradicated, but she was sure that he remembered nothing of them, even if he had been alive for her to ask him. Azula had admired her grandfather.
"Even if you're not perfect, make it seem like you are." He had told her once, before he had died. Azula was surprised that she remembered it so clearly, even though she had just been a child. Part of her still didn't know what to make of Azulon's words. She had seen the softer side of him, because they were so alike. "It's alright to not be perfect all the time."
Azula wasn't sure if she believed that or not.
"So, Azula," Ty Lee spoke again and the young Fire Nation princess raised her head. "I heard Yue and Aang talking about going to the Western Air Temple. Are we going to go with them, Azula?" She asked and Azula lifted her shoulders in the beginnings of shrug.
There was in nothing in a ravaged old temple for them, and even if there had been anything of value, it had probably been looted in the generations since the genocide. There were no Air Nomads left to protect the temple and Azula wondered if there had ever been anything of worth in the first place. She didn't know why the Avatar would want to visit a temple that was probably filled with skeletons, but perhaps it was a spirituality thing.
They had to get to Taku and then to Garsai, and between their two main destinations was the Western Air Temple. "I think we should, Azula," Ty Lee and Azula could feel her pale eyes boring into her back. She knew that Ty Lee's eyes were shining. "We're all friends now, Azula, and we started this journey differently, but we're all together now. That means we have to finish it together. And everything in between!"
Friends. Was Yue her friend? Azula thought about it for a moment and she decided that Yue was her friend, but certainly not her best one. She was the Avatar's acquaintance, for she had never really spoken to him very much, and she didn't exactly like Toph. The Southern Water Tribe prince had only recently joined their group and Azula knew nothing of him other than his name-Sokka-and that he had had a falling out with Yue in Ba Sing Se.
A lot had happened in Ba Sing Se.
In Ba Sing Se, Azula had been exposed to the slums. She had always been above such things for she was a princess and while she wasn't afraid of the dirt, she certainly didn't like it. In Ba Sing Se she had learned of the importance of peasant gossip, or else they would have never known that the Royal Family and the Avatar were in the city. In Ba Sing Se, Sanjiv had returned. In Ba Sing Se, Azula had thought she had killed a girl-Yue-only to find out she was alive and well.
And to think that the girl was travelling with her now. Azula thought it was ironic and funny, in a twisted sort of way. She was sure that the Air Nomad boy would say that it was destiny. That they were destined to travel together and end the war. Azula simply wanted to stop the Water Tribes from turning the world into a gigantic puddle. She simply wanted to lead her country to greatness. Destiny had nothing to do with it.
It was only coincidence and Azula had no time to ponder over such things.
Katara urged the cheetah falcon even faster, even though they were already far ahead of the others. She had never ridden a cheetah falcon before, but it wasn't very hard to get the hang of it. The Southern Water Tribe princess tightened her grip around the animal's harness and looked back at Suki. The Kyoshi Warrior was facing the way they had come, sitting perfectly still despite the cheetah falcon's harsh pace. Katara wasn't surprised, though, for Suki was trained to be motionless when she had to. She was an elite warrior, even though she was just sixteen years old.
She was the perfect person to help find Sokka and bring him back home. And when they found Sokka, Katara had no doubt they would find Yue and the Avatar. Then, she would show the whole world-once it was created anew and there was peace-the real Yue. The treasonous, evil, poisonous, deceptive Yue that hid behind an innocent, naïve smile. She would show everyone and then she would show everyone the Avatar, too. The Avatar, Aang, was on Yue's side and he would hold back the world's progress.
Katara hated how her thoughts always traveled to Yue. She would try so hard to push the girl out of her memory for she was evil and a liar and Katara hated her, but it seemed like every time she thought Yue was gone forever, her face would appear in Katara's mind. And Katara would get angry all over again. Yue just wouldn't stay away.
"What are you going to do if you can't find Sokka?" Suki asked and Katara leaned back, easing her hold on the cheetah falcon's harness. The beast had slowed down for a moment to catch its breath. They would have to stop to give it water and feed it soon; Katara didn't want to ride the animal to death. They were far enough ahead of the others to scope out the terrain anyway. "I mean, before…"
"The eclipse?" Katara finished, turning around as Suki nodded. "Let's hope that we do. Sokka is a traitor and he knows about the eclipse," She said, "If he puts that information in the wrong hands, then everything we have fought so hard to achieve will be worthless." The Water Tribes were orchestrating an attack on the Fire Nation during the upcoming solar eclipse, when the firebenders would be powerless. There were probably ships at the Water Tribe's various ports already, being repaired and enhanced, even though the eclipse wasn't until months from now. They would be ready.
But if Sokka really had betrayed his own family, there would be no hope. Katara could hope that her brother had an ounce of loyalty to his tribe, to his family, to his father, and to her. She hoped that Yue's influence hadn't rubbed off on Sokka and rotted him to the core. Yue was like a rotten fruit, Katara decided, and she would need to be picked before she ruined all the others.
Katara pushed away her thoughts of the white haired Northern Water Tribe princess and smiled briefly. "What will you do when we win the war, Suki?" She asked and looked at the auburn haired Kyoshi Warrior. Even though Katara called Suki her friend, she didn't exactly know the girl very well. Katara thought it was kind of sad that she knew her enemies-Yue, the Avatar-better than she knew her own friends. She thought it was sad and kind of funny, because one of her enemies was also her brother.
Suki shrugged. "I hadn't really thought about it." She paused, "I mean… there's no doubt that we'll win, don't get me wrong, but it just seemed like a distant thing." Katara lifted her shoulders. Winning the war had always been a driving force in her mind, but it obviously wasn't in Suki's. "I guess I'll go back to doing what I do best. Being a Kyoshi Warrior."
The cheetah falcon passed through a small patch of trees and Katara thought she heard it growl, but then it was silent again. It was one of the easier tempered ones that the cheetah falcon breeder had given them, not like the jumpy animals that Katara had seen when they were there. Katara wasn't good at naming things, at least not like Sokka was, and so she made sure not to get too attached to the beast. It wasn't exactly her choice of a pet and it could never survive in the icy terrain that was Katara's home.
Katara heard the distant sound of running water, perhaps a river, and she flexed her fingers. It had been a long time since she'd done any serious waterbending, but there was no time to stop for fun. But, she thought, it would be an excellent opportunity to give their cheetah falcon the water it needed before it keeled over and died.
Underneath them, the cheetah falcon's body seemed to stiffen. Katara moved around to grip the harness, narrowing her eyes. Something seemed to have come over the animal and Katara felt the air change around them. She looked back at Suki, who had moved her hands to her war fans and shifted her right leg to join her left leg on the cheetah falcon's side.
"Do you feel anything weird, Su-" Katara began, but then there was the sound of something moving in the trees and then the cheetah falcon let out a screech as its legs were pulled out from under it. Katara let out a cry of surprise as the animal's legs bent awkwardly. The cheetah falcon fell to the ground, nearly pinning Katara and Suki under its body.
The Kyoshi Warrior wiggled out from under the cheetah falcon and helped Katara to her feet, eyes searching the trees for whatever had surprised the animal. "To answer your question, yes." She said and stooped down to the cheetah falcon's feet. She stood again, holding up a bit of rope. "It seemed like someone knew we were coming this way."
Katara took the rope from the Kyoshi Warrior and squinted. "Maybe not specifically us," She said as their cheetah falcon scrambled to its feet, arching its back. "But someone. Whoever laid this trap was waiting for someone." She threw the rope down and opened her water pouch. "And we're going to find out who." She said and narrowed her eyes.
Suki smirked and grabbed the cheetah falcon's harness, pulling it after them as Katara moved along the path slowly. Katara had never tracked someone before, but she was not reckless, nor was she a fool. She could hear the bushes along the path rustling even though there was no wind.
Suddenly, Katara wished that she hadn't been so eager to get away from the adults. But she wasn't afraid. She wasn't afraid of some faceless coward who was too afraid to openly attack, but instead laid traps in the middle of a path.
"They're Water Tribe!" Katara heard someone cry and she turned quickly. Suki whipped open her fans, letting the cheetah falcon go. The waterbending princess guided water out of her pouch and faced the source of the shout. There were four people standing in the path behind them. "Get 'em!"
And then, two of the people were rushing at Katara. One-a boy- swung two hooked blades while the other was a girl. An earthbender. The boy came at her, lashing out with his swords and Katara could see a murderous glint in his dark eyes. He had dark hair, she noticed, and bronzed skin that was damp with sweat. But that was all she noticed, because the earthbender had raised the earth underneath her feet.
The ground surged and Katara moved with it. Her master had always told her to flow with the current when she couldn't control it, to not force her way through, and so she did. She rode with the earth as it buckled underneath her and formed a whip of water, lashing out at the boy with the swords.
She could stand a few bruises from the earthbender, but she wasn't sure she could hold out if she got stabbed with one of those blades. The boy with the swords glared at her, narrowing his dark eyes. "You're a waterbender," He said between gritted teeth and Katara moved sideways when the blade in his right hand nearly came down on her legs.
Katara nodded and looked over at Suki. She was handling her own, wielding her war fans with precision. The Southern Water Tribe princess swept the water around her, hearing the earthbender approach. It hit the other bender in the chest, knocking them into the bushes. "Yes," She said, "Does that offend you?"
The boy with the swords seemed enraged by this and the loss of his partner and he came at Katara again, nearly catching her arm with one of his blades. Instead, he caught the side of her top and it cut into the fabric, nearly grazing her skin. "You killed my family. And you're in my territory now." He growled and Katara's eyes widened.
She almost felt sorry for the boy.
But then his blade came frighteningly slow and any feelings of sympathy for the boy was lost. Katara raised both of her hands and brought them down at once. The water slammed down on the teenager and before he could regain his balance, Katara flicked her wrist. Her water whip drove him into the bushes where the earthbender had once been. She raised her hand again and the water turned into ice.
Katara swept her hand down and the ice followed her motions. The bush trembled for a moment and was still. For a moment, she felt disgusted with herself, but it quickly passed. For a moment, she felt rage, but then she was calm.
"Jet!" One of the guerillas-for that's what they were-cried and darted into the trees from which they had come. The second one, the shorter one, hobbled at his companion, limping from a wound that Suki had inflicted. "Ah man, this isn't good!"
Then they were gone.
Katara guided the remaining water back into her canteen and turned towards Suki, who was clipping her war fans back on her belt. "I think," Katara said and smoothed her hair, "I think now would be a good time to wait for the others." She heaved herself back onto the cheetah falcon. "At least, once we get out of this forest."
She wished Hama was with them.
Suki climbed up behind her, narrowing her eyes as the cheetah falcon lurched forward. "That boy with the swords said that the Water Tribes killed his family." She said quietly, "I almost felt bad for him, but then he attacked us. I think he was in pain."
"There's no war without pain. That boy lost his family because they were bad. They should have surrendered to the Water Tribes instead of fighting them. You can't fight the right thing. There's no war without pain." Katara said quietly. "Which is why when the world is recreated, there will be no pain. There will be no pain. Only peace."
Peace.
When they stopped for the night, Zuko built and kindled the fire that they gathered wood for. They had a dinner of fruit and dried meat, which Yue would have enjoyed had Sokka not reminded her of the warm meals that she used to have in the Water Tribes, before she became an enemy of her own family.
"Where's the meat?" Sokka asked when his ration was distributed. He looked down at his meal in disbelief and held up the handful of dried meat that he had been given. Yue looked at him over Toph's head. They had more, she thought, before Sokka came. Before they had eight mouths to feed instead of seven, not including the flying bison and the dragon. Well, Aang didn't eat meat, but that didn't make much difference.
"I think you're holding it." Azula said simply and raised her eyebrow. Yue noted that the firebender was very meticulous about her food. It did not touch and she made sure to finish one thing before starting another. Yue wasn't sure she had seen Azula chew, even though she was sure the girl didn't swallow her food whole. She was simply very discreet about it.
Sokka bit into a strip of the meat and looked off into the space. "Back in the Southern Water Tribe, we had delicious, tender, well cooked meat ready at all times of the day. Hot meat, chewy meat…" He took another bite, as if he was imagining a hot meal sitting before him.
Yue's mouth watered and she glared at the Southern Water Tribe prince. "Thank you," She said darkly, "For reminding me of something I don't have." Beside her, Mai snorted and across the fire, Zuko raised his eyebrows, his golden eyes glittering in the light.
"You're welcome." Sokka said and smiled at her. Ty Lee giggled, as did Aang, and even Toph chuckled under her breath. He shoveled the strips of dried meat into his mouth. There was no point in pretending that there was a meal fit for a king sitting before him. They had to make do with what they had, in order to get by. It had taken a while to get used to, but Yue didn't mind.
"Do you think I could firebend a little?" Aang asked and his gray eyes were focused on the fire before him. "I mean, I'm not very good at earthbending, but I think I could come back to it, couldn't I? I mean, how hard is it to firebend?" He looked up at Azula and Zuko. "I mean, Azula has blue flames and she's just a kid like we are!"
The two firebending siblings exchanged a glance with each other. "Azula's a prodigy." Zuko said softly and the female firebender smirked. "It's a lot harder than it looks." Zuko went on and to Yue, he sounded a little offended. "There's a lot you have to remember if you're going to firebend effectively."
Aang straightened. "Well, do you think you can teach me the basics?" He took another bite of his plum and dug a tiny hole with his foot, dropping the seed into it before recovering the hole with his heel. "Just a few sets and maybe a few pointers?"
Azula looked at Zuko and Zuko looked at Azula, and they looked at Yue. She was the Avatar's guardian, in a way, and she helped him make decisions that he couldn't always make on his own. The Northern Water Tribe princess shrugged and the siblings stood.
"First things first," Zuko said and Yue scooted backwards, urging for the others to do so as well. "Firebending is about power and control. The more control you have, the more power you have. Firebending comes from the breath. The easier you breathe, the easier you'll bend."
"Power." Azula repeated and blue fire appeared at her fingertips. "And control." She thrust her fist out and the fireball flew above their heads. "Everything must under complete and utter control." Zuko looked at her and Azula clenched her fist, dousing the flame growing in her palm.
Yue looked at Zuko and then at Azula and she decided that they had two very different teaching styles. "Start with inhaling and then exhaling." Zuko said and inhaled deeply, his chest expanding. He exhaled and his chest returned to its normal position. "Just breathe."
Azula took a step forward. "Concentrate on heat when you breathe. Imagine capturing it and controlling it, and owning it. It's yours. It always has been and always will be." She said and Aang looked rather confused. Yue was, too, but she didn't want to say anything.
"Is it just me," Sokka said and leaned into Yue. "Is it just me, or are they trying to show each other up?" He asked and cupped his hands, placing his chin in the small cradle of his palms. "That Azula girl is teaching something completely different from Zuko."
Yue nodded. "She's telling him about controlling and forcing the fire out, and Zuko's still talking about breathing!" She said and looked over at Ty Lee and Mai. The two girls had known the Fire Nation siblings longer than she had. "Do they always contradict each other like that?"
Mai lifted her eyes skyward, her eyebrows disappearing into her bangs. "Sadly, yes." She shook her head and brought her knees up to her chest. "After a while, you just get used to it. Azula likes to control things. Zuko…Zuko is just…slower than Azula is, to put it simply."
"Just let it out." Azula said and thrust her hand outward towards the fire. "Firebending is mostly external. Let it out and control it. It's your energy, use it like it's yours." She explained and Aang copied her movements to the best of his ability. Yue shook her head. Poor boy. Poor Koinu.
Yue dropped her head and closed her eyes. Toph scooted closer to her and the tribal princess held her head in her hands. This, she decided, would take a long time. Aang wasn't a good earthbender and she should have known that he would make a good firebender either.
There was a great whoosh of wind and then red light flashed behind Yue's eyelids. She raised her head to see Aang's surprised face and the camp fire bursting into wild tongues of flame, leaping into the air and spraying hot sparks everywhere. She could hear Azula's shout and then she was aware that several sparks had fallen on her clothes. She smacked them away quickly.
"My hair!" Yue heard Ty Lee cried and the princess turned to see the acrobatic girl fanning her braid frantically, her gray eyes huge with fear and surprise. Several sparks had landed on her braid and it was rising up the thick brown braid with alarming speed.
And because she had no other idea, Yue took the water from her canteen and dumped it on the Fire Nation girl's head, wincing when Ty Lee gasped. But the flame was extinguished and Ty Lee's hair was saved, if that counted for anything.
The Fire Nation girl looked gratefully at Yue, even though her clothes were wet, and turned her gray gaze to Aang. She glared at the child Avatar and Yue had never expected to see such an angry light in Ty Lee's eyes. The girl was hurt and she was angry, but she was alright.
If that counted for anything.
"What were you thinking? What was that!" Zuko yelled and Aang winced under the older boy's intense amber gaze. "You could've gotten us killed! You better be glad Yue helped Ty Lee in time or she would have gotten hurt. What were you thinking, airbending the fire like that?"
The child Avatar winced and seemed to shrink into himself. "I didn't mean to." He said softly and Azula narrowed her eyes at the boy. He looked down at his shoes and then lifted his head again. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I didn't mean to hurt Ty Lee!"
Azula looked over at her friend who was examining the damage done to her hair. She was alright, Azula decided, if just a little stunned. But she would survive and her hair would grow back. At least she wasn't horribly disfigured or worse, dead.
"Maybe," The Fire Nation princess said and pursed her lips, "You should stick to learning one element at the time." She moved towards Ty Lee, even though Yue, Mai, Toph, and Sokka had already crowded around the pink clad acrobat. "Just a thought." She didn't want to admit that she had agreed to teach the boy. She didn't want to admit that she had pushed him.
He should learn faster, Azula decided. It wasn't her fault that he airbent instead of moving the fire with his breath. It wasn't her fault and she shouldn't feel guilty for something that she didn't do. It wasn't her fault. Not hers. His.
"Aang didn't mean to." Yue said to Azula as she approached and moved away from Ty Lee. "He didn't hurt Ty Lee intentionally. It was an accident. They happen sometimes." The Water Tribe princess reached up to touch her short white hair and Azula was sure she wouldn't have said that if it had been her hair on fire.
"Well," Azula said, "They shouldn't." She sat next to Ty Lee, who smiled lightly. At least her friend was okay, and even though Azula didn't want to admit it, she was glad of that. Behind them, in the shadows, Sanjiv growled and the flying bison, Appa, grumbled low in his throat.
Yue turned her dark blue eyes-they were a pure blue-on Azula and she frowned. "Don't be too hard on Aang, Azula." The princess said. "It's alright to not be perfect all the time. No one is. Aang's just a kid, he has a lot to learn. He's not perfect."
It's alright to not be perfect all the time.
Azula frowned at that and crossed her arms in front of her chest. It was merely a coincidence, she decided, that Yue had said those words. They did not apply to Azula. She would not allow them to. The Fire Nation princess looked up at the night sky. Yue's words held no merit.
Merely a coincidence.