Sorry guys about the delay in posting uni has been crazy lately but hopefully the updates will be either weekly or fortnightly from now on thanks.
A/N: Once again I do not own the right to Avatar or its characters.
Flashback
"Katara, why are we going to the Fire Nation again it's only been a few weeks?" Aang turning and scratching the top of his head to her asked.
"Because Zuko asked us to, he needs our help with something." Katara replied, sprawled out on the saddle on Appa's back looking up at the night sky.
"I guess so but I can't just drop everything whenever Zuko calls, I can't have the world thinking that I'm only helping the Fire Lord. Anyway this was supposed to be our holiday time, away from everyone, just you and me." Aang replied his face lighting up when he said the last part of this.
"It was, but the holiday can wait, and I know you can't spend all your time here in the Fire Nation but when they call for help surely you have to respond." Katara responded showing very little emotion, yawning then curling up to fall asleep.
Aang sighed but looked back out towards the horizon where the Fire Nation Capital looms.
"What do you mean you need a friend? You're the Avatar, everyone loves you." Azula scoffed. He can't seriously expect me to believe that he is lonely like me, and even if he is it wasn't forced upon him.
"Yes Azula I am the Avatar, but most people just like me because of that and not for who I am, the closest friends of mine used to be Katara and Zuko but, that changed when Katara left me for him after I found out that they were seeing each other behind my back." Aang replied shaking slightly and had to pace for a few moments to calm himself down. I hope Azula and I can be friends, it's so lonely travelling the world with no other people to talk to.
"Really, Zuzu is with the water tribe girl hmmm, how did this happen?" Azula consoled, walking over to Aang and directing him over to the bed, making him sit on the edge, she then to his surprise sat down next to him and held his hand. "It's okay; you can tell me how it happened." Azula said looking up into Aang's eyes.
"Well it was about a year after I ended the war; I was starting to get a little suspicious because every few weeks Katara would say that Zuko needed our help with something…"
Flashback
"Katara, Aang you made it, that's great how was the journey here, not to difficult I hope?" Zuko exclaimed as Aang and Katara made their way up the stairs into the palace. Zuko hugged Katara and was holding the hug a little too long for Aang's liking and what made it worse was that Katara was making no effort to pull away. Eventually when then broke the hug Zuko then hugged Aang, but for a noticeably shorter time.
At dinner later that night the three of them were eating when Aang looked over to Zuko and asked "Zuko, where is Mai? I haven't seen her today, is she unwell or something?"
Zuko and Katara glanced at each other nervously; however this went unnoticed by Aang, as he was looking down at his plate of vegetables and rice. "Um, no Aang Mai is not unwell; it's just that we are no longer together." Zuko replied again glancing over at Katara, this time however Aang did see it and just frowned slightly.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, what happened?" Aang carefully responded, sitting up a little straighter waiting for Zuko to answer him. Zuko finished chewing his mouthful and took a sip of his drink before also carefully responding,
"Well actually, over the last few weeks and months we had been growing more distant towards each other so we thought it would be best for everyone if we went our separate ways and so I have been living here on my own for about a week or so." I really hope Aang isn't starting to suspect anything between Katara and me, but maybe it would be better if he did, that way I could have her to myself.
"What happened next Aang?" Azula asked still holding his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.
"Well, we had been at the palace for a couple of days, when one night I woke up and Katara wasn't next to me, so I went looking for her…"
Flashback
Where is she? It's not like Katara to go for walks in the middle of the night, there's no full moon tonight so it can't be that either. Aang walked the halls looking for Katara when all of a sudden he heard a moan, it was like nothing he had heard before, and he followed the sound until he noticed it was coming from inside Zuko's room. Aang air bended himself up to hover outside the window and peered inside but what he saw made him wish he never had, that he had never left his bed. What Aang saw was Katara's back facing him and she was on top of Zuko.
Aang bent an air scooter and got away as fast as he could not caring how much noise he made, when he got to one of the courtyards he stopped and began earth bending and sending boulder after boulder flying into the night sky, they crashed all over the palace making an almighty raucous, but through some kind of miracle he didn't hit anyone or any part of the building. Katara heard this and stopped on top of Zuko,"What! Why did you stop" he asked panting.
"Can't you hear that crashing everywhere?" She said, then she heard an almighty roar in the distance, and she got off of Zuko and said "It's Aang, there must be some sort of trouble" and she put on her robes and hurried out the door, Zuko huffed something about not catching a break but followed suit.
When Katara and Zuko got to the courtyard they saw what Aang was doing and both of their jaws dropped in shock. Aang was now virtually creating small mountains and setting them on fire then shooting them in every direction. He noticed Katara and Zuko out of the corner of his eye and this put him over the edge, Aang entered the Avatar state rising above the palace, he looked towards them and started to move his arms in very fluid motions, Zuko had seen this before, just not from Aang, he quickly yelled to Katara, "Run, he is about to shoot lightning."
Katara nodded not knowing when Aang had taught himself how to shoot lightning, and ran under cover but where they could still see Aang and she saw what he was bending, he had produced the biggest bolt of lightning she had ever seen. The bolt of lightning was huge; it was easily 100 feet long and had been shot into the sky and left the rancid smell of sulphur in the air. Katara started to cry and ran out to the courtyard and creamed to Aang, "STOP IT AANG YOU ARE GOING TO HURT YOURSELF."
Aang began to lower down to the ground and as he did he turned his back and asked her, "How long Katara?"
Puzzled Katara responded, "What do you mean how long?"
Aang turned and she saw the cold fury within his grey eyes, but also saw the hurt and she knew he had found out, "I mean Katara how long have you been sleeping with Zuko behind my back? Are you the reason Mai's not here, did she find out like I did?"
"Ok Aang, yes I have been with Zuko," Katara dropped her eyes from Aang she couldn't take that look anymore,"It has been probably a month or two since we started and yes Mai found out, that's why she's not here, is that how you found out did she tell you?"
"NO Katara that's not how I found out, I woke up tonight with you gone, I went looking all over the palace for you and do you know where I find you, I find YOU sleeping with my BEST FRIEND." Aang thundered, moving towards her.
"Leave her alone Aang." Zuko stepped in between the two.
"Zuko if you know what's good for you you will stay out of this."
"No Aang your over reacting you need to calm down" Zuko said reaching out to Aang.
Aang paused for a moment to calm himself and then spoke,
"Well I hope the two of you find this worth it." Aang said turning to leave
"Worth what Aang?" Zuko and Katara replied in unison sharing the same dread in their voices.
"My friendship that's what, because I'm leaving right now and I don't think I'll ever be able to come back, I sincerely hope that the Fire Nation doesn't need any help any time soon Zuko because I don't think I will be able to do it." Aang rounded on them, causing them both to flinch. And with that Aang stormed off and jumped onto Appa yelling 'Yip Yip." They then flew off into the night not even looking back once.
Azula pulled Aang into a tight embrace, he leaned into it and put his head on her shoulder and started to cry. Why did I just hug him, I don't understand I've never felt this way before, I sort of feel sorry for him I guess; someone so good gets his heart broken by those who he trusted most.
They stayed that way for quite some time before Aang pulled away wiping his eyes and smiling to Azula saying "Thankyou Azula."
"What for?" she responded unsure.
"For being there, I needed that, you are the first person that I've told any of this to, I just needed to get that off of my chest it has been weighing me down for years." Aang said bringing Azula back into a quick but caring hug before getting up and heading towards the door. "I'll see you tomorrow ok."
"Sure Aang you know where to find me." Azula found herself smiling as Aang left the room. He seems to genuinely trust me; maybe it's time that I trusted him as well. I mean so far he has kept his word every time, coming every day; talking to me making me feel wanted. From now on I'm going to be more open with him and let him in. Azula smiled again as she looked forward to his next visit.
I don't know what happened in there, one minute I was ok the next I was telling her about what happened all those years ago, it took me so long to forgive Zuko and Katara and I never told anyone else about what happened, not even Sokka, Suki or Toph. How is it that I trust Azula more than them? Maybe it's because I know deep down she too knows turmoil and together maybe we can make the other stronger. Aang smiled as he walked down the corridor and found his way back to the earth tent he had made for his time at the asylum.
The next few weeks seemed to fly by for Azula and Aang, he would visit every day, he would bring a different plate of food each day and they would just eat and talk to each other, they were finding it easier each time to be open to one another about themselves. After some time they each knew most of the others deepest secrets and had so much trust in each other. This brought out the best in them it seemed, Azula was looking beautiful again; she had her hair straight and her skin had its glow back. The biggest difference was her eyes; they had their spark back, not the menacing spark of before but a gentler, friendlier glow. Aang was almost back to his childish best every time he saw Azula he couldn't help but smile, seeing her find herself, but a better self was rewarding for him and he was proud to have been a part of the change.
Eventually after a month of visiting Aang asked, "Azula, are you ready?"
"Am I ready for what Aang?" she replied smiling to him; what is he talking about, what could I possibly be ready to do?
She looked up at him again and his smile was infectious and as amber eyes met grey he chirped,
"Tomorrow we are going out of this cell"
A/N: Thanks for reading, hope you are liking where this is going remember to keep the reviews coming because I'm always open to some new ideas or if I've done something wrong let me know and I'll be able to go back and fix it :)