A/N: Hello dear readers! Thank you all for the comments I have been getting- seriously the comments make me fangirl, no lie- this is another long chapter and we get into the part of the story where we begin to see the group work toether, some tension and some humor comes into play here- maybe a little fluff? you gonna have to read to see! Quick question- I know Azula seems a bit OOC in this fic due to her line of thinking when it comes to her choices and how she interacts with the Gaang, so I was wondering, do you maybe want me to do a short one shot- posted seperatly from this fic- that delves into Azula's thinking during the eclipse? (So it would take place before the begining of this fic) Let me know, I just think it can clear things up a bit=) anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! (It's one of my favorites!) Read on!

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. None of it. I'm cry.

Chapter 7: Beginings

Azula woke up to the unframiliar sound of some animal chittering.

It was a second later that a small wheight setlled on her shoulder.

She resisted her first instinct- charring the burden to a crisp- and laid there silently as she heard someone chuckle.

"Momo! Get off her Royal Fieryness!" Azula identifyied the person talking to be Sokka.

After she was relieved of the small wheight, she grogily sat up and glanced around, her gaze settling on the water tribe prince who was grinning at the small creature.

"What is that thing?" of all the things she could have said to get his attention, she had no clue as to why that question tumbled out of her mouth.

Sokka looked up, as if surprised that the younger girl was awake, and glanced back down at Momo.

"This is Momo, he's a flying lemur. The last one to be found in the Air Nation. Aang, Katara and I found him when we first travled here." he answered quietly, making sure not to disturb the others, seeing as he and Azula where the only ones awake.

Azula eyed the creature, curiosity and intrest taking over. She had never seen anything like it before.

Sokka saw that she was eyeing Momo, her head tilting as she squinted, taking in his details. Sighing quietly, he gave Momo a nudge in the direction of the Fire Nation princess.

The animal chirped and glided- landing in front of Azula who was still looking at him quizically.

"He's… cute." She said uncertiantly, looking back up to Sokka who in turn was looking back with a small smirk gracing his features.

Azula rolled her eyes. "What?" she asked, slight irritation lacing her voice. She had to keep herself in check, however. These were her… friends now. She had to be nice.

If she even knew what "nice" was.

"Just interesting seeing you actually being civil towards something, considering how scary you can be." He chuckled a bit before sobering up, a suspicious look taking over his face, "Why did you decide to join us, anyway?" He asked geniunely.

Azula sighed inaudibly and looked down at her hands, considering her answer.

"Something my friend said made me consider how I really wanted to be seen. Did I really want people to fear me?" She said quietly. When met with silence she glanced up and saw the incredulous look the young Water Tribe man was giving her. She huffed, "I know I was… scary, before. That's exactly it though. After my return home from Ba Sing Se, I really paid attention to how my father ran things. After seeing him in a "new light", so to speak, I was honestly," she stopped, searching for the right word to describe that awful new feeling she developed upon arriving back home, "…appaled, that I had wanted to follow him. I wondered what was the point in having people practically worship you if they are only doing it out of unhealthy fear. I did some digging. I found I don't want people to fear me. Not the way they fear Ozai."

She shook her head. How could she have wanted to follow after her father? Pleasing him was all she had wanted. If she were honest with herself, she was starting to scare even herself with her crulety. She had secretly been afraid when her father burned and banished Zuko. Her older brother whom she tourtured, yes, but also liked having around. She had been scared of speaking out of turn, doing something imperfectly, her father becominging angry and subjecting her to the same puishment he had cast upon Zuzu. She was teriffied, yet hid it behind a mask of crulety and indifferance.

"So you did it out of a change of heart?" Sokka asked, looking at Azula with a curious-somewhat guarded- expression.

"I suppose so." She admitted.

"What about becoming a leader of your nation? Wasn't that your plan, let me guess- overthrow your father and brother and the throne is all yours. What changed?"

Azula thought for a moment."I guess I changed… overthrowing Ozai is still the plan of course, but taking the throne… That's Zuzu's place. Who knows, maybe I can rule along side him." She smirked a bit as she reminiced at how much her mindset and outlook on this whole thing had changed… change… "Speaking of changing, I guess I should… apologise for what I have done to you." She said quietly, the words forgien on her tounge, but honestly…they felt good to say.

"Sokka, I deeply apologize for being cruel to you and your family. While you are not the only one I have to make things up to, I do know where to start with you and… Katara?" Sokka nodded, both at the correct pronunciation of his sister's name and for her to continue with her idea of how to set things straight with them.

"I know where your father might be. He could be on the Boiling Rock, a fire nation prison for traitors and war prisioners. Speaking of the latter, that is also where 'my favorite prisioner' is." She said, smirking.

Sokka looked confused for a moment, not catching the refferance to the tilte Azula had given his girlfried on the day of black sun- just before she had visited her father.

Azula chuckled under her breath. "Suki." She said slowly. Sokka's eyes widened with excitement and understanding.

"You would really let them go?"

Azula nodded "I would break her out, your father too if he's there. It's the least I could do to repay you for letting my brother and I join you." She glanced to the side and was completly shocked when all of a sudden, strong arms were flung around her.

She stiffened, not used to being hugged- as it had been many sad and lonely years since anyone had done so, out of pure willingness that is.

"Thank you Azula!" Sokka mumbled before letting her go, seeing as she didn't really respond.

"Um.. Yes, no problem.." She muttered as he rose, an unwarrented blush forming on her cheeks.

Seriously Azula? She thought to herself. This was not going to be another Chan incident.

Sokka walked off, grinning as he went off to gather kindling for the fire they would need to make breakfast.

Azula sat there, wondering what it was she had said to make the water tribesmen act in such an affectionate way.

At the same time she found she really didn't mind…

Again. Really? She rolled her eyes at herself this time, but was pulled from her thoughts when-

"You could bring our dad back?" Azula snapped her head to the right at the sound of the master waterbender's voice.

"Yes… And I fully intend too. We just have to somehow get to that prison." Azula said thoughtfully.

Katara eyed the firebender for a moment before getting up to get a large pot they used for meals.

She knew she couldn't lift the heavy meatal object herself and decided to use this as an oprotunity to test how far Azula's Loyalty was willing to reach. Humility was a strong quality to have. Did she have it?

"Can you help me with this? It's too heavy for one person."

Azula nodded and stood up, grabbing one side of the pot while Katara held onto the other.

Together, they rolled it over to the currently empty fire pit and painstakingly hoisted it up onto the wooden frame above the ashes.

"Thank you." Katara said, slightly impressed at the girl's strength, even more so at her willingness to help out.

Azula, meanwhile, watched katara pull water from a nearby fountian, clean it and gracefully bend it into the pot.

Azula had never really seen waterbending up close and had to addmit it looked… beautiful.

Casting a glance back at the lemur that had woken her up that morning, she suddenly understood-with an odd sense of sadness- how much she had missed out on while living so secludedly in the palace walls, all the culture and ties, chances at friendships and bonds she could have made as a young girl just…wasted.

Katara saw that Azula was looking almost sadly at Momo and wondered what about the small creture had made her feel that way.

"Are you… are you ok?" Katara asked hesitantly, eyeing the girl in guarded concern.

Azula looked at her, a small smile playing on her lips as she thought that Katara would make a good friend here, a confidant of sorts. "I'm fine. I just… What's it like? Travling freely…ish- around the world, meeting all these other types of people?"

Katara was cuaght off guard slightly, unprepared for such a question coming from her… former nemises.

After a moment of concideration though, Katara understood what it must have been like for Azula, trapped in a palace, only going where she was permited and only travling where she was needed.

The two girls with her in Omashu appeared to be the only girls she was ever seen with, propbably her only friends. It must have gotten incrediably lonely. And now she was here, surrounded by people of all different backgrounds, coming from all sorts of places. It must have been overwhelming- a culture shock.

"It's different," she began, "Growing up in the South Pole I never did much travling. When we found Aang, he was the first person I had ever met that wasn't from my tribe. When we started travling with him it was shocking. I never really considered how different the world could have been outside of my home. But I wouldn't trade it for anything. It really opened my eyes, allowed me to see just how powerful and helpful I could be. It's what got me to the place in water bending I am now."

She knew she was rambiling and was wary of the fact that she should probably not be putting so much trust into Azula by telling her this. But at the same time, the firebender seemed sincere, even Toph had said so, and Aang could most likely tell too. She trusted Aang, so that was enough. Besides, the only way to get a person to trust you was to trust them first.

Azula smiled at the description… It…

"Sounds like fun."

Both girls turned at the sound of a new voice.

Zuko.

Katara narrowed her eyes as the fire prince came closer.

She couldn't explain why she was taking Azula's presance better then his, but that's just how it was.

Trust a voice in the back of her mind said. She ignored it.

"Yes. Fun." She said curtly as she walked away, likely to go hunt down her brother and try to find some food for the day.

Zuko dejectadly watched as she stalked off, her retreating form looking stiff and untrusting in the growing light of the morning.

"Why does she like you more then me?" He asked his sister, who was looking at her reflection in the water with intrest.

"If you want the truth," She started softly, trying not to anger her brother- for some reason it was just no fun any longer trying to get a rise out of him- she wanted to rebuild their relationship, "I would say it might have something to do with what happened in Ba Sing Se."

Zuko's face darkened. He knew he did a bad thing, but that might not have been it entierly.

He opened his mouth to reply but was cut of by a large explosion coming from a nearby cliff.

Looking over, he saw Aang was standing with his glider tilted towards somewhere in the distance, most likely where the explosion had come from. Everyone was stiring awake now.

"What's going on?" Zuko asked, rushing over to the young Avatar, who was glaring into the distance.

He didn't need to answer as another blast came from the same angel as last time, forcing Zuko and Azula to the ground as Aang deflected debris with his glider again.

"Combustion man is back!" Sokka yelled, running into camp carrying a few small twigs with a worried Katara following close behind.

"Yeah we noticed." Toph grumbled, feeling all around with her feet, getting a good sense of where everyone was, but she couldn't see past their building.

"I can't get a read on him, his cliff is to far away!" she yelled as another explosion sent everyone scattering.

"You mean you would feel him with your feet?!" Zuko asked, bewildered.

"Now is really not the time for teqnique questions! I can't get a good enough angle to bend at him!" Katara snapped as she grabbed Sokka by the arm and led him to a wall closing them off from combustion man's line of sight.

"Why did you have to hire this guy?!" Azula yelled as they joined the group up against the wall, another blast made the rock formation around them shudder.

"It doesn't matter- but we have to stop him!" Zuko yelled back as he snuck along the outer wall, obscured from combustion man's vision thanks to the overhang the hanging building provided.

"Zuko! What are you doing?!" Aang yelled as he watched the prince move as quickly as he could towards their attaker.

"Forget it, he's obviously trying to get himself killed." Katara said, at that moment more then happy to have the firebender blown into oblivion.

Azula was about to chew her out for talking about her brother that way, but before she could Toph spoke up.

"He's going to blast this place off the cliff-side!"

Sokka squinted in concentration as he calculated where the blasts were coming from, angling his boomarang accordingly. He was about to throw it before someone grabbed his arm.

"Don't! You might hit Zuko." Azula said, falling silent with everyone else as they waited and listened.

One-sided shouting was heard from the plateu above as Zuko tried to nagotiate with Combustion man.

"Pay…Double!" could be heard just before a yelp and another blast sounded.

Despite herself, Azula gasped slightly, fearing the worst.

Sokka shook his head. "Sorry, we have to take the risk." With that he lined up his boomerang again and flung it.

The group waited for another blast to come.

When it did, however, it sounded shorter and further away.

The next thing they heard was the deafining sound of earth sliding against earth as the cliff Zuko and Combustion man had been standing on fell into the crevice below.

Everyone hurried out to see what had happened.

There were mixed responses at seeinig Zuko alive and climping up a vine to a relativly flat area on the cliff-side.

Making his way back was easy and he was-to say the least- surprised when his sister threw her arms around him, pulling him into a tight embrace.

Yep. Still surprising.

"You are an idiot." She muttered.

Zuko chuckled, returning the embrace as he looked out to the rest of the group.

Katara was staring at him with an unreadable expression on her face.

Sokka was staring at the pair with indiffereance, though a hint of appreciation shone through.

Aang was looking contemplative and seemed to be happy that Zuko was ok.

Toph was just smirking.

Haru, the Duke and Teo were off behind a pilar, staring out with wide eyes at the mess that was now the air temple.

"You did it, you stopped Combustion man." Aang said reverently as the prince and princess released one another.

"Hey…What about me? I did the boomerang thing." Sokka said nonchalantly.

"What is it with you and that thing anyway?" Azula asked, eyeing the water tribe boy with amused curiosity.

"It's a usefull wepon!" He shouted, though said shout was muted in the dust filled air of the cliff-side.

Aang ignored Sokka as he stepped up to the pair. "I think we made the right choice in allowing you to join us. You at least proved your loyalty today." Aang bowed to them both in thanks, much like he had done the night before.

The fire nation siblings bowed back, hoping this was the last of hostile walls to be brought down between them and the Avatar's group.

"Well that's great, I'm glad Combustion man is gone and all, but if I recall correctly, twinkle-toes here has another element to master befor he gose up against Lord Firey-Pants." Toph said, smirking as she rested her feet on a chunk of fallen celing.

"Oh and hurry up, we still need to squeeze in time for earth bending practice." She added. She felt Katara nod as she said,

"Toph is right, I don't want to pull you in seven different directions Aang, but you still need to work on waterbending too."

Aang nodded understandingly, "It's alright, I have a lot to learn, I'm glad I now have a teacher or two for all the elements I have yet to master."

Katara discreetly glared at Zuko.

Apparently not discreetly enough, Azula cuaght her and smirked. These two being around each other was sure to get steamy in every sense of the word. Whille Katara still wanted to freeze the water in Zuko's guts, and Zuko himself was still a bit hesitant around the waterbender, Azula knew chemistry when she saw it.

Those two may have bad blood now, but enough time alone is sure to change that… Azula thought as she began to play matchmaker. The two benders had no idea what they were in for.

Zuko obviously felt Katara's glare and shifted uncomfortably.

"Right, well, lets practice then." He nodded to Aang and Azula.

The young airbender happily trotted after the prince.

Azula just cast a knowing smirk at Katara and followed after her brother.

What was that about? Katara wondered to herself.

Quietly in the coner, Toph was grinning from ear to ear.

That's that! I hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you guys think about me writting a one-shot for Azula and I will see what I can do! Until the next chapter- Writer out!