A/N: So my flash drive was never returned. I have finally gotten up the willpower to attempt to rewrite the chapter. I am still very sad by the loss but the show must go on. Please review. It's a great motivator when all your ideas have been lost and then DPS (department of public safety), on the day you decide to start writing again, calls you and goes "hey, we found your flash drive." So like an idiot, you get all excited and proceed to practically sprint to the DPS building (ON THE OTHER SIDE OF CAMPUS) get there and search through all the lost flash drives and keys and then they go, oh jk, we called the wrong person, sorry about that. I then proceeded back to my dorm to cry, call my dad, and eat Cookies and creme ice cream. (My roommate now probably think I'm insane after such an emotional display over a flash drive but whatever. The kid up the hall offered to get me a new one and ran away when I launched into my rant about how that's not the point, it's what's on the flash drive not the actual fact that it's gone. btw, before you mark me down as crazy for not accepting a free flash drive, my dad has actually bought me a 4GB to replace the lost one but I just can't bring myself to use it, to trust such technology again...at least not until I have a true need anyway.) So there you have it, an update on my sad little life and the only reason I can give for being so slow with getting this chapter up. I was being taunted by DPS and have only just come out of my depressed coma, part II.

Chapter 30
Alive

Azula woke with a pounding headache. The sun was just moments from creeping up over the horizon, her whole body ached. She took a moment to try and assess her current situation. Her brain was functioning because she was capable of wondering what the hell happened to her but she couldn't seem to move her body beyond twitching her fingers which caused a sparkling crack that sent a jolt up her arm. Her head echoed with a rhythmic beating which accompanied the pounding of her headache and a whooshing sound breezed in and out of her ears as though there were another being breathing in her head. A groan escaped her as she battled against the lead feeling of her body and attempted to sit up. It didn't work, it just made her feel twice as dizzy. A soft groan escaped her as she tried yet again to force herself up.

Aang felt horrible. He was lying on his stomach with a mouth full of grass. He felt horrible, the . only thing he could compare his current feeling to was that of the time Azula shot him full of lightening. Gritting his teeth, he dug his fingers into the ground and forced himself to sit up. His eyes bulged as the new position doubled the pounding in his head. He pressed his fists against his forehead and squeezed his eyes shut, while attempting to will the pain away. He frowned at the sounds of a soft groan behind him. He frowned puzzling over the sound and the last minutes he could recall before he lost consciousness. It was painful to try to concentrate on a single thought right now but something inside him told him it was important that he remember.

'Azula!' His eyes snapped open. An array of images of the fire nation princess swept his mind in a dizzying heap and then subsided with the last memory he had of her. Her hair splayed across the ground and her skin so pale it was abnormal even for a person of the fire nation.

"Azula!" He yelped, turning around in a hurried swing. It caused he great pain but he was more concerned about what he had just done to Zuko's sister. He'd be in a lot worse pain if he'd just accidently killed her.

Getting onto all fours since standing still just wasn't an option he crawled the few steps to her side.

"Azula?" His voice was a terrified whisper as he reached to stoke back the cascade of hair that fell across her face.

"Azula?" He tried again now that he could see her pale face. His eyes flickered worriedly over the soft curve of her cheek, to the smooth pale forehead; his gaze flickered down the elegant column of her neck to the way she was sprawled across the grass. 'Please be alright.' He reached and touched her shoulder this time and she turned her head towards him.

"Azula!" He cried joyously.

Azula winced at the loudness of the Avatar's voice. She wanted cut his throat…or curl up and hide from the sound for the next couple of hours. She groaned again, forcing her arms up to grip her head.

Aang was overjoyed as her hands came up and covered her ears. He was about to say as much when he found liquid gold eyes glaring up at him.

"Er hi…sorry about that." Aang blushed, not quite certain he was apologizing for being so loud when they both had raging headaches or for attempting to give her, her bending back which resulting in these headaches.

Azula was too busy inwardly rejoicing her resumed ability to move, to care about what Aang was babbling about. Forcing herself to roll over, she planted her hands firmly against the ground and pushed up. The sudden movements had caused such a violent wave of nausea to overtake her that she collapsed back to the ground feeling weak and ill.

Aang was watching Azula and was reaching to help her when a sudden rush of nausea hit him. His stomach churned and his eyes widened. Since when was he nauseous? Placing a hand over his reeling stomach, he looked down at the now panting Azula.

"Are you alright?" He groaned.

"I think I'm going to be sick." She muttered into the ground, more to herself than him.

He was about to try to say something helpful when a thought struck him. "What did you say?"

"I said I'm going to be sick. Now shut up, I have a monstrous headache." Azula snapped.

"I think I'm going to be sick too…only I wasn't a minute ago." Aang mused.

"Am I supposed to care right now?"

"No, I just…" Aang frowned. The other pounding in his head was pretty steady until Azula began trying to move. The pain he felt had doubled when she'd started to move and he hadn't felt nauseous until just moments before she declared she was in danger of being sick.

Despite how sick she was feeling, Azula felt a wondering and then an enlightenment, not her own. It was like her brain had just discovered something new, only all she was thinking about was not puking her brains out.

"Azula? Are you feeling less sick now?" Aang asked.

"Well considering, I'm just laying here trying not to be sick, yes, I am feeling slightly less nauseous."

"So am I." Aang stated.

"Look avatar, I'm sorry to tell you but I just don't care right now. I feel horrible which leaves no room for being nice to you right now…"

"No, I mean, I don't think I was ever really feeling sick. I think I was feeling…well, what you're feeling…I still am. And I can hear your heartbeat…in my head…" Aang said.

It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him he was being stupid when she stopped and considered his last comment. Her heartbeat…in his head. Her head was pounding but it was an unusual pounding because of the two distinct beats…and the whooshing. The whooshing… 'Oh Kami, I can hear his breathing.'

"And…and my breathing…can you hear that too? It's like a little whooshing sound…in the back of your head?" Azula whispered, slowly pushing herself up into sitting position.

Aang's eyes widened. "Can you hear me too?"

She nodded rigidly.

They both sat in silence, staring at each other trying to process the new information.

"What did you do to us?" Azula finally whispered.

"I don't know. I was trying to give you your bending."

"Well you gave me a whole bunch of your memories instead."

"I have some of yours too."

"WHAT? Don't you dare look at them; those are my own personal memories. How dare you? You just violated my mind."

"I didn't mean too. I was trying to give you back your bending."

"Well great job of that." Azula sneered sarcastically.

"Well you don't know that it didn't work yet. Yeah, there seem to be some side effects but you haven't even tried bending yet." Aang snapped.

"You're just trying to distract me from the fact that you just mind raped me."

"What? That's ridiculous. I wasn't trying to get inside your head. I was just giving you your bending but it seems to have opened up some sort of bond, I gave you part of me and replaced it with a part of you or something. I'll have to ask the past Avatars about it when I'm feeling well enough to meditate."

Azula stared at him for a moment then gazed down at her hands. When she fluttered her fingers a few blue sparks still crackled from them. She pressed her lips together staring at her hands, fearing the feeling of disappointment if nothing happened when she tried.

Aang felt a wash of fear and insecurity take over him. His eyes widened as he looked at Azula. He could feel what she was feeling. It wasn't just coincidence the nausea and the rhythm in his head. He'd somehow opened up a path between them.

"Hey." He whispered, placing a hand on her shoulder. A rush of energy and a warmth spread through them both at the contact. "Don't be afraid…you can do it. I know you can, somehow I just know that I didn't screw that part up. You can bend, I promise."

"How can you be sure?" It pained her to show her fears to allow him to see her insecure but at this point what could she do about it? If he could feel her doubt like she could feel his concern for her right now, she wouldn't be able to hide anything from him.

"I can't be but somehow I just know. It's hard to explain. Will you just try for me?" Aang asked.

She paused for a moment, unsure but then rose to her feet and stepped away from him. Closing her eyes, she breathed in a long slow breath. Steadying herself and attempting to close her mind to anything but Aang's encouraging presence, she raised two fingers into the air in a elegant and twisting arch.

A grin adorned her face at the first stirrings of power within. Her breathing came much easier and her body felt suddenly alive. She arched and swayed with the movement of her hand until she'd extended it fully up into the sky and her eyes flew open dancing with the light of crazed anticipation.

Aang suddenly feeling very afraid, looking at the wild expression on Azula's face, both hands crackled with sparks of electricity and then she made her first move, slashing her hand down towards the earth and a streak of blue lightning followed her. A familiar crazed laughing was heard from inside the cocoon of electricity she had surrounded herself with and when she turned to face him, parting the dangerous bolts, he somehow knew he'd be alright. She looked crazy but alive, she radiated such a joy, an enthusiasm for her bending that he felt less in the presence of a psychopathic murderer that a child who had just gotten their favorite toy back.

As he looked at her now, she seemed less calculated and stiff as she had in the past. She looked like she was dancing, allowing the currents to bend and sway her with their ebb and flow. Her hair was flying wild and free as she spun in circles and tossed herself side to side and as he looked at her now, Aang couldn't help but think he'd never seen her look more beautiful.

He cringed, beautiful? Azula was not beautiful, she was crazy and dangerous. Her pale skin may be glowing now in the lightning surrounding her but he had a scar to prove that while lightning may be beautiful it could also very easily be death. Her eyes may be dancing with a light he'd never noticed before but that was because he'd never taken the time to look, he was sure she probably always got excited like this in the past too, when bending. Her hair may have a swish and bounce now but that did not make him want to touch it. No, he was just happy for her and he was attracted to the joy of the moment, the fun it looked like he was missing.

Azula felt breathless and alive as she stopped dancing around like a lunatic. Her cheeks were flushed and her skin tingled with energy. She turned to Aang to thank him when a feeling of exhaustion trickled through her. Her eyes traveled over the boy who was now in a slumped position breathing just as hard as she was.

"Are you alright?" She asked, dropping down beside him.

"I, uh, I don't know. I just suddenly got very tired, like I've been bending all day…like I feel after a lesson with Zuko on redirecting lightning…" As he murmured this, he thought it over. They had opened a bond…she was using his energy to bend, that had to be why he was so tired. All he'd done otherwise was sit here. "I…I think you might be using my energy to bend."

She glanced at her hands, eyes widening. "What exactly does that mean?"

"I'm not sure, really. I've never done this before. I want to try something though. I want you to bend and I'm going to try to stop you, okay?" Aang asked.

She nodded, it was a simple task and she was curious about her abilities and limitations as well. Standing once again she raised both palms up and this time concentrated on heat. She envisioned her beautiful blue flames and felt the flush of heat and rush of energy that always accompanied her fire bending. Turning in a sharp striking move she thrust her palms towards the open air. Nothing, just a small blip of flame and then a haze of smoke, she frowned looking at her hands then at Aang. Her eyes widened in concern, he was on his side, panting hard.

"Aang?" She cried falling to her knees beside him and rolling him onto his back. "Aang, I'm sorry. I don't know what I just did but I'm guessing it's my fault."

"Nope, no…I always knew you were strong. I guess I just forgot how strong." He wheezed. He'd been knocked over by the amount of mental strength and energy it had taken hold Azula back. It would put him out of commission but at least he knew he could do it, in case she decided to turn on them now. "You now have your bending."

"Do I? Or am I just borrowing yours?" She frowned.

"I don't know how to turn it off so we'll just assume you have your bending, okay?"

She frowned, "But will it work when you're away? When everyone goes back home will I be nothing again?"

Aang forced himself up despite his body's protest.

"You're not nothing." He said propelled by an inward command, to take her hand. "You're never nothing."

He blushed at the cheesiness of his own statement.

"Thank you." She whispered. A small smile danced across her lips and lifted the corners of her eyes. She turned her head enough that her hair fell into her face just as Aang was trying to decide if she was blushing or still flushed from her crazy lightening dance.