"Mommy, Mommy, watch what I can do!"
Azula glanced up from her spot in the shade of a spice wood tree, where she had been reading a Firebending scroll, to watch her brother run giddily over to where their mother was resting on a bench.
"Mommy, you have to watch this! It's amazing!"
The six-year-old Fire Princess rolled her eyes out of annoyance and waited for Zuko to demonstrate whatever he was so excited about.
"Okay, my son. I'm watching." Ursa turned her attention to her first-born child with a gentle smile.
Zuko took a deep breath and squeezed his eyes shut. A moment later, he leaped into the air and swung his leg up in front of his torso. A small burst of flame erupted from the underside of his foot, and he landed on the ground in a crouch, grinning from ear to ear. Azula simply stared, her mouth slightly gaping in disbelief. Her brother was already eight years old, and he had only just now mastered that move? She was two years younger than him and she had learned to do that ages ago!
Her eyes flickered over to her mother, and she felt a pang of jealousy when she saw her clapping and laughing joyfully because of Zuko's success. She glanced back down at the techniques she'd just been studying and smirked. Her brother wasn't the only one capable of new tricks.
"Mother," she called as she stood up and let the parchment fall to the ground. "I've also learned something new and wish to show you."
Ursa placed her hand on Zuko's shoulder and pulled him a few steps back before nodding for her daughter to proceed. A smug smile crept across Azula's face as she found her center and inhaled. She collapsed to the ground and kicked her leg out, swinging in a 360 degree arc. A circle of fire surged forward in all directions, with her in the center, at an astonishing speed, and the Princess's eyes widened in shock and excitement. She had never tried that move before, and was very proud of herself for getting it right.
"Ow, Mommy! It burns!"
Azula's head snapped up and she caught sight of her brother, who was hunched over on his knees and cradling his hand against his chest. Her mother was bending over beside him, concerned for his well-being.
"Mommy, do something! The fire burned my hand!" There were now tears in his eyes.
"Calm down, Zuko," Ursa soothed as she rubbed his back comfortingly. "We'll get you back to the palace and have a doctor look at it. You're going to be okay." She lifted her gaze to her daughter, anger and disappointment having replaced the worry that was evident a moment ago. "Azula, look what you've done. In your attempt to upstage your brother and draw attention to yourself, you have inflicted pain upon him. I suggest that next time you want to steal the spotlight, you practice what you are about to do, instead of just throwing caution to the wind and letting all of your power loose with something you have just learned." She let Zuko grasp her arm with his uninjured hand in order to haul himself up from the grass.
"But- But, Mother, I did it right," Azula's brows furrowed in confusion. "Didn't you see? I got it right."
Ursa lightly shook her head and emitted a small sigh. "Yes, you did it right. But that is a tricky technique to master, and just because you performed it correctly on your first try doesn't mean you will not have to practice and reign in the flames." She began to lead Zuko away, and a very baffled and angry Azula was left behind in the garden.
"You wouldn't have scolded him if he had done the same thing," the enraged young girl called after them as tears brimmed her eyes. "You wouldn't have gotten angry at him! You never get angry at Zuko! Nothing is ever his fault! It's always mine! Always my fault!"
"It's always mine!" Azula's eyes snapped open as she held back a choked sob. She sat straight up in bed, her fists clutching at the blanket that covered her. Her chest heaved from her heavy breathing as she collected her bearings and tried to calm herself. She collapsed back onto her pillow and rubbed her eyes groggily a moment later.
She hadn't dreamed about that incident in over a year, hadn't felt the echoes of the neglect and disregard that had surged through her in such a long time. Honestly, what was with these sudden, unwanted reminders of her childhood? They were going to drive her crazy. Again.
A soft knock on the door startled her out of her daze. Azula silently prayed to Agni that whoever it was hadn't been subjected to her outburst as she stepped over a snoring Katzu and made her way over to answer their call. She schooled her features into an expression od sleepy surprise as she twisted the knob and swung the door open. Jet stood before her, arms crossed over his chest and his signature blade of sweet grass protruding from his mouth. He seemed to be deep in thought and his eyes roamed all over her face for a brief moment before he spoke.
"I thought about your request."
Azula nodded. "And?"
He gazed at her for a minute longer, as though he was trying to read her mind, and the intensity from his stare nearly caused her to flinch. She had looked countless others in the eye before, usually right when she was about to fire them from their jobs, sentence them to a lengthy term in prison, or kill them. She loved to see the fear etched on their faces, relished catching a glimpse of their pain and knowing that she would always remain stronger than and superior to them.
However, with Jet, it was different. The former Fire Princess was rather on the petite side to start with, and though she refused to admit it even to herself, she felt even smaller under his scrutiny. She almost had to force herself not to shrink away, and it took a bit more effort than she would have liked to keep her feet firmly planted to the spot. She decided to blame her sudden discomfort on the fact that she had just relived one of her most despised recollections and had drifted into a vulnerable state.
But vulnerable was something she should never be.
"And... I accept. I will talk to the rest of the colony later today so that we can start to pack provisions and supplies. We'll leave tomorrow at dawn. Sound good?"
She feigned a sigh of relief and smiled up at him. "Yes, that sounds perfect! Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to us."
He smirked down at her. "Don't mention it. I figure that if you and your father were willing to travel this far, it wouldn't be for a lie. If the new Fire Lord really is planning a second attempt at world domination, then I want to be there to help take him down. We are the Freedom Fighters, after all."
Excellent, Azula thought as she waved goodbye to his retreating form, Everything is going according to plan.
"Oh, and Song," he called as he turned back around to face her. "Breakfast will be ready in the cantina in about an hour. That's the second tree to the right of Town Hall. Help yourself."
"Okay, thank you," she replied before closing the door and making her way over to her sack of clothes. After a moment of contemplation, she decided to just go with what she had worn yesterday; a cheap, red, white, and gold, paisley-printed tunic with her red leggings and metal boots. She collected these items in her arms and started towards the large shade in the corner of the room, behind which she could change. Once she was dressed, Katzu's snoring caught her attention and she marched over to him angrily. It was a wonder he was still asleep.
"It's time to get up, you lazy bastard," she all but yelled as she delivered a kick to his side. "Get your ass in gear. We have an audience to charm."
Jet had, in fact, overheard his guest's outburst; he had just thought better of asking her what exactly was wrong. He barely knew her, after all. Why should he be concerned for a new acquaintance's personal troubles? She had probably just had a bad dream, anyway. She seemed as though she had just gotten out of bed when she answered the door.
He himself hadn't gotten much sleep the previous night. He'd lain awake for hours, contemplating the pros and cons of trusting the two strangers who had wandered into his camp and daydreaming about Song's pretty face...
Jet shook his head slightly to prevent his mind from wandering too far into that area, but smirked all the same. Yeah, she was a good-looking girl, even with messy bedhead. He couldn't deny it.
But beauty like hers was poisonous. She was still from the Fire Nation, and it was going to take a lot to get him to trust her.
A/N: So, I decided to post another chapter today after realizing how unbelievably short the last one was in order to make up for it. I mean I knew it was short, but after I published it, I realized it was short short. I'm not the best at judging how long a chapter's going to be once I type it on here, as I usually draft everything on notebook paper and just stop when I feel like it's the right time to. The length never really has much of an influence there. But, anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well and don't forget to review. I do try to respond to all of them! Also, I have a request; if anyone knows of any "Jet moments" videos or something of the like on YouTube, please, let me know. I like to watch these every once in a while just to be reminded of a character's demeanor, their habits, and the way they talk. I find that it helps with character development, something I feel like I struggle with. I've searched for a Jet moments video myself, but I can't seem to find any and it frustrates me because I KNOW they exist. So please, let me know if you've found any!