Chapter 6: Mending Bridges
Review Replies
PsychicTitan: Cute chapter. Touya and Azula are really moving along fast. It makes a lot of sense in Azusa's case, seeing as how her childhood (if you can even call it that) all the way to her imprisonment was brutal as all hell. Add Ozai's treatment of her and it's obvious how she had no room for any real emotional development. The closest we ever saw in the show was her on Ember island and the brief moments with her hallucinations before her coronation, but that was practically nonexistent even then.
In Touya's case it's not quite as clear as to why, but we only know him in this story and we're still finding out more about his character. It feels a little odd, because Azula seems to know him so much better, but we haven't seen that as much.
It's a little funny how Azula states that she thinks she knows exactly what she wants to say to Iroh, but the writers have yet to figure it out.
All in all, a pretty solid chapter. I'm looking forward to the next one.
ThermalsniperN7: Thank you, and yeah. It is funny how the character knows what to say while the authors don't.
Dragon Emperor0: And thanks for the suggestions on what we could do in the PM you sent us. It really helped us out.
Guest: Super fanfic, habe sie gerade entdeckt und hoffe das es bald weiter geht. Translation: Super fanfic, I just discovered it and hope that it will continue soon from
ThermalsniperN7: Thanks. It's nice to see people in other nations read this.
Dragon Emperor0: Apologies if any of what we wrote was lost in translation, though. But still, thank you.
-Ba Sing Se, Earth Kingdom-
In the gargantuan walled capital city of the Earth Kingdom, the middle district where most better-to-do residents were beginning to turn up with the daily bustle of the morning light.
The various inns that the district housed, were no different, as with the rise of the sun, so too rose a young couple who was staying in one of its second story apartments.
More specifically, the former crowned princess of the Fire Nation, Azula. She was rising rather early for a royal of her age, but not without reason.
Looking down at her new fiancé, the girl smiled as she brushed Touya's hair aside as he slept, still tired from the several nights of passionate sex they'd had earlier.
However, this tender moment was interrupted when both her head and stomach started acting.
"Oh… okay." She sighed as she got up. "I'll be back soon, love." Azula whispered as she kissed the boy's forehead and got dressed, before heading downstairs and out of the inn into the streets. Her veiled hat was still on her head.
Her destination? The nearest physician.
(Later)
Touya let out a groan as he woke up, and felt a strange sense of vacancy next to him. "Azula…?" He groaned as he felt the bed next to him groggily, but found nothing there.
Jolting up, he looked around and quickly saw that his fiance was nowhere to be seen.
"Azula? Azula! Where are you?!" He yelped frantically as he looked around. Seeing he was alone in the room, he cursed. "Fuck!" He hissed as he got out of bed and threw some clothes on. He needed to find Azula before someone recognized her.
He really hoped he was quick enough.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile, Azula was currently visiting a local Earth Kingdom doctor. Specifically one who was visiting from the Northern Water Tribe to assist with the over abundance of needed healing throughout the kingdom and its capital.
Said doctor was using his water bending and healing to scan through the chi in the girl's body, searching for any signs that seemed familiar to the condition Azula had described to him.
These conditions included: headaches, slight nausea and occasional lightheadedness. Which usually meant one thing…
"Ma'am, you're pregnant." The healer said, much to the hidden princess' shock and joy.
"Are you serious?" Azula asked, still in shock. The man nodded as she continued to take the news in. "You're quite sure? You're not mistaking this for a different condition like a disease, are you?" She questioned further, wanting to be absolutely certain.
"I'm very certain about it. You're going to be a mother." He nodded. The blue flame maiden sat back in the same chair as before and took all this in, before she smiled and started chuckling. "Miss…?" The doctor questioned.
"Third time's the charm, he was right." The girl couldn't help but say as she sighed. "Thank you, you have no idea how long my fiance and I have been trying to arrive at this outcome." She told the man.
"Oh, I see." The waterbender nodded in understanding. "Anyway, I assume you have payment on your person presently?" He asked. Sure, it may make him sound greedy, but he did still need to pay for medical supplies.
"Business is business, I see." The girl sighed. She'd gotten used to paying for things out of pocket long before she regained her memory, but it was still tedious. "This should handle it." She said, handing over a small sum.
"Yes, and congratulations." The doctor said as Azula got back up and left, her smile never leaving her face.
'Me, a mother. Now this is perfect.' The girl thought, her hand drifting to her stomach where a new life was growing.
(Elsewhere)
Touya barely kept his walking speed under control as he searched for Azula, worried out of his wits. All he could focus on was finding her before someone recognized her.
'Fuck fuck fuck! Where is she?!' He thought as he kept searching.
As he continued to feverishly search for his fiance, he soon came up to the Jasmine Dragon again, and saw that Iroh was outside the door just about to open up shop. Figuring he could use some help, and maybe even some advice, he walked up to him.
"Excuse me, sir?" The boy said as he walked up to the man, who turned to face him as he unlocked his shop's doors.
"Ah, hello there. You look rather distressed." The elderly man noted, seeing the look in the young firebender's eyes.
"Sorry to bother you, but have you seen a girl wearing a veiled hat anywhere?" Touya asked as he tried to catch his breath. "She's my fiance and I'm worried that something could happen to her, she's never been to a big city before."
This was only a partial lie, he knew Azula would be able to take down any muggers who tried to mess with her, even without her fire bending. But if she were to run into the Dai Lee… then they'd be in trouble.
He also knew that she was no idiot, but what do you expect? That's part of being a boyfriend.
"Before you continue, you should calm down. You won't accomplish anything if you're frantic like this." Iroh stated as he opened the door. "Come. Some tea and Pai-Sho should help soothe your nerves." He beckoned as he led the boy into his tea shop.
"Uh, Th-Thanks." The boy nodded as he sat down at said table while the Dragon of the West got a pot of tea ready. Turning towards the game table, Touya couldn't help but smirk. Pai Sho was by far one of his favorite board games next to Mahjong and Earth Kingdom checkers.
He always enjoyed teaching his siblings how to play–and by consequence–always ended up kicking their butts at it.
'If what I've heard is true, then this could be a fun game session.' He thought as he looked the tiles over. He had heard things through the grapevine about Iroh's Pai-Sho prowess, and he was very interested in playing a game with him.
"Here we are, my personal Air Nomad tea, courtesy of the Avatar himself." Iroh said as he set a pot and two glasses on the table for them, along with a plate of tea cookies.
"What's in it?" Touya asked as he took the glass Iroh poured him.
"A simple blend of white tea leaves, lavender and a little bit of love. Like all my house teas." The White Lotus leader replied, taking his own glass.
"Hm. Sounds appealing." The redhead remarked as he took a sip. Touya would freely admit that it tasted wonderful. "Definitely a rival to your "hot blooded nephew" Chai tea." He chuckled. "Makes me wonder what the other nation inspired teas are like." He mused.
"I'm sure in time you'll be able to sample them all during your stay." Iroh smiled. "Now, tell me young man, have you played Pai Sho before?" He asked.
"Yes, actually. I often teach my siblings how to play it, and kick their butts in the process." The boy replied as Iroh set the board.
"Really? And where exactly do you hail from? Fire Nation, Earth Kingdom…?" The master fire bender said, setting out the tiles.
"Neither, I'm actually from the first Fire Nation colony, Yu Dao." The young man explained.
"Ah, I've heard some bustle about the older colonies." Iroh mused thoughtfully. "My nephew is trying to delegate a treaty that will allow at least the older colonies to stay. Since the two cultures of the nations have become so intertwined." He continued.
"I know what you mean, I actually come from a mixed family." Touya replied as he pondered his first move. "My mother is Earth Kingdom born and my father is Fire National." He added as he moved a tial to his left in a diagonal move to the right.
"That sounds remarkable." Iroh remarked as he moved a tile in front of him to the left. "It sounds like you could become a lavabender if desired." He added.
"Ha! Oh, I wish!" The redhead laughed as he moved another tial, this one to the right. "It does look that way at first glance, true. But in reality, I'm a firebender with an earthbender's body. My own fire hurts me if I use it for too long." He explained, recalling that painful discovery.
"A low constitution? Hmmm, that's never happened before." The man hummed.
"But it's not uncommon. In fact, although remarkable, a lot of things in Yu Dao are both that and not uncommon." The boy replied. "I mean, there are at least eight mixed families in the colony that I know personally, and I even know an Earth Kingdom guy who's head over heels for this fire national girl from his reading class." He added. "Contrary to popular belief–the colonies aren't all bad."
"It must be nice knowing that some good has come from that dreadful war." Iroh stated as he moved a tile to a position near one of Touya's. "To see two cultures mix together so seamlessly after a time of constant strife." He added. "It's nothing short of a miracle."
"Preaching to the choir, sir. You should see the metal work and food fusions we crank out." Touya chuckled as he swiped left and snagged the tial that Iroh just moved, much to the older man's surprise and amusement.
"I'm sure, and that was an excellent move there, young man." The elderly tea lover grinned as their game continued. "And please, call me Iroh." He added.
"Please, call me Touya." The redhead told him, sipping his tea.
"Well then, Touya, I don't suppose you could tell me a bit about your fiance?" The tea master asked.
"Like…?" The boy asked, pondering his next move as his opponent did the same.
"How did you meet, for example?" He asked.
"Well… We met after she took a bad hit to the head from a couple of muggers. I didn't even realize what had happened to her until I found her and got her medical attention." The redhead explained. It was technically true, since Azula had taken a blow to the head, but he didn't actually know if muggers did the deed since he never saw it happen.
"Mmmm." Iroh hummed in dismay, as if recalling a rather unpleasant memory at the mention of that.
The two enjoyed a brief pause as Iroh made another move and swiped one of Touya's tiles before the boy continued.
"After she woke up, it soon became immediately apparent that she had amnesia. The only thing she could remember was her name and a few sparse details, but the rest was blank." He continued. "Like how she came from Boiling Rock after finishing a term there… as a guard, if I recall." He added.
"A Boiling Rock guard?" The old man asked with a raised eyebrow. "I'm sure you would have heard about my deranged niece, Azula, breaking out of there. Was your fiance's term finished before or after that incident?" He questioned as he watched the boy move a tile.
"Honestly, I can't say for certain." The blue flame soldier sighed, moving the tile back and forth a few times before settling on a position. "Her memory comes back in waves, so it's impossible to nail down an exact time line at present." He added.
"A reasonable response. Amnesia is a difficult thing to deal with." Iroh nodded as he made a move and grabbed another tile from Touya.
"Especially when it caused her to temporarily have hallucinations." Touya nodded as he swiped another pair of tiles when Iroh's last move left him wide open. "She's stopped having them recently, but they were pretty rough to deal with." He added.
"Has the experience changed anything about her?" The Dragon of the West questioned curiously, recalling how one of his own friends from the White Lotus became a different person when his memory failed him.
"Yeah. She became more… Well, I guess one could say 'joyful'." The redhead replied, trying to figure out how to describe Azula's changes in comparison to how she was back then.
But since he didn't really have much to go on except hearsay, this was the best he could come up with at that moment.
"I see." Iroh nodded as he drank again from his tea, followed by Touya as well. "You said that she left this morning, do you have any ideas as to where she could have gone?" He asked.
"No. That's why I was looking around." Touya replied as he made a move. "I'm worried about her." He added.
"You should be. It proves how much you value her, and how far you would be willing to go for her sake." The tea lover stated with a nod as he made his own move.
The two fell into silence for a moment or two as they continued their game–the younger of the two doing decently well against the elder–before Touya let out a wistful sigh as something came to him.
"You know, there is one thing I could see my girlfriend doing without me around that could explain her being missing." He said with a slight chuckle, a little embarrassed he didn't think of it sooner.
"That being?" The man inquired.
"Going to a physician to get checked out." The redhead replied.
"Oh really? And why would that be?" Iroh asked, moving his tile back a space to avoid a move he could see Touya setting up.
"Well, the thing is, we've been trying to conceive for a couple months now, you see." Touya explained. "And, well, she really wants us to have a baby after our wedding." He added with a blush, recalling the many occasions when Azula nearly took initiative outside of their inn room.
"Ah, I see." The Dragon of the West nodded in understanding, successfully hiding the pain he felt when the thought of children was brought up. He then made a move that Touya didn't see coming, taking him by surprise.
"Ah crap, now I'm definitely in trouble." The redhead groaned as he scratched the back of his head.
Iroh couldn't help but chuckle at this, right as the door of the Jasmine Dragon opened again, causing them to turn and–instead of seeing one of the waiters or waitresses–in walked a familiarly veiled girl in a green and gold sequined dress.
"That's her." Touya said, surprised that Azula had come here. His words caught the girl's attention who smiled under her covering.
"Touya!" Azula smiled as she quickly ran to and hugged him. "I was looking for you at the inn, I have wonderful news." She told him.
"What's up?" The redhead asked, standing up and taking her into his arms. The former princess smiled as she looked at Iroh out of the corner of her eye and slowly removed her veiled hat, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"I went to the doctor, we did it, Touya." She told him, pressing her forehead to his. "We're going to have a baby." She added. Touya's eyes widened before they started watering as he hugged her happily.
"Yes…!" He whispered in happiness. Iroh looked at Azula's face like he was trying to figure something out.
'Could she…?' He thought before shaking his head. 'No, no. This girl acts nothing like her.' He added, but the face and eyes were a perfect match. Then again, there were a million Lees, so the girl in Touya's arms could just have a similar face by chance.
As the two lovers separated, Azula then turned to her uncle and gave him a knowing grin.
"Is there something wrong?" The formerly prolific–and still very believable–liar questioned as she noticed the man's thoughtful gaze.
"Nothing. You just remind me of my niece." Iroh replied as he shook his head.
Azula looked at Touya and then at Iroh before smiling, causing her boyfriend to groan as he facepalmed, realizing where this was going.
"As always, you do tend to point out the obvious quite frequently, uncle." The girl said with a bit of a chuckle.
"... Azula?" He gasped in shock at the fact that he initially thought otherwise. "But… You're so different now. What happened?" He questioned.
"Just like I'm sure Touya already told you, I suffered from amnesia for several months." The former princess told him.
"And it appears to have changed you, for the better." Iroh nodded. It was like the old Azula never even existed.
The girl then looked at Iroh and closed her eyes and took a deep breath, opening them to look at him again and attempted to say something, but was having a very hard time finding the words. Needless to say, it was very frustrating.
She thought she knew exactly what to say, but it would appear she was wrong. As she kept stumbling over her words, tears of frustration started to well in her eyes.
Iroh saw her dilemma, and placed a hand on her shoulder, getting her to look at him.
"You made many mistakes in your past, and I was always so disappointed to see how you allowed your father's influence to make you do so many horrible things." He began as tears started showing in the amnesiac girl's eyes. "You will have a lot of work to do in order to make up for your past mistakes, and some may not forgive you at first. "He continued before giving her that warm smile he was known for. "But the important thing is that you're trying. That you want to change and make amends is an important part in the process." He added further.
Azula was fully in tears now as she hugged her uncle, unable to hold herself back anymore. Touya stood off to the side and listened, and could see why someone like Iroh was considered a good man.
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry I became such a monster…!" Azula whimpered tearfully.
"Shhh. No, Azula." The man told her softly. "I thought you were lost forever before we defeated Ozai, and I had given up on you. I'm the one who should be sorry for thinking you had no hope of pulling yourself from the dark path you were on." He stated regretfully.
"But I still have those evil impulses, Uncle." The girl told him plainly. "I won't try to deny it, when I began regaining my memories, I kept getting those same impulses over and over." She continued before looking at Touya. "Honestly, if I hadn't gotten the help I did from Touya and his family–I likely would have stayed the same." She added.
"You aren't rid of the evil inside you, but you're overcoming it with great effort, basically." Her boyfriend surmised.
"An astute observation." Iroh nodded. "It will take time for you to truly be rid of the evil inside you, but if you keep going as you are, I believe you will overcome it." He told his niece.
Azula was quite shocked by what her uncle was saying. Honestly, she half expected him to regard her as a lost cause, but–she was glad that he didn't.
"Thank you, Uncle." The blue flame maiden sighed as she hugged him tightly.
"My pleasure, niece." Iroh replied, feeling pretty good about being able to say that as he returned her embrace. After a few moments, they separated. "But now, Princess Azula, I believe that this is a time for celebration." He continued as he got up to fix another pot of tea. "After all, one doesn't get the chance to see his family prepare for marriage and a child on the same day very often, now do they?" He added as he boiled more water.
"Sounds like a great idea!" Touya smiled, looking at Azula. "Anything you think would help make this better?" He asked.
Azula sat in silent thought before blushing slightly. "Well… I have had a craving for lava chocolate mountain cakes and Fire National spiced tea all morning." She replied as her pregnant belly made its desires known.
"Well, we're in the right place for that." The redhead chuckled as they took their seats at a table.
(Later)
Later on, Iroh had offered for the two to stay with him in his house which was next to the Jasmine Dragon, but the couple told him that they were fine as they were. Seeing no reason to bother him any further.
Now though, the man was currently in his room at his work desk. Where a picture of his son Lu Ten and his departed wife sat where he could see them, and a picture of Zuko and himself after his tea shop opened just above him.
Gazing at the paintings fondly, the Dragon of the West took out a pen and began writing a letter. One addressed to his dear nephew, Zuko.
Dear prince–Fire Lord Zuko. How have you been these past few weeks? The letter began. Since the celebration and council at the Earth King's palace I hadn't heard from you much at all. It continued. I'm writing to you about a possible lead for your search for Azula… He added as he continued writing, a smile creeping across his face as he imagined the dumbfounded look his beloved nephew would have when he saw how much his sister had changed.
Dragon Emperor0: Alright, that's one bridge mended, now all Azula has to do is wrangle with mending the other six or seven bonds she's messed up over the years.
ThermalsniperN7: With the exception of one since it's a bridge that's better off burned. You guys get one guess as to who I'm talking about.
Dragon Emperor0: And on top of that, it would seem that Azula and Touya are going to be bringing a new member of the current dynasty into the world. As well as an opportunity for Azula to learn how her mother felt, and how Iroh used to feel as a parent.
ThermalsniperN7: Yeah, and I'd say she deserves that feeling. Especially after all the shit she's been put through. And apparently Touya plays Pai-Sho, and also teaches his siblings how to play on top of that.
Dragon Emperor0: That really shows two interesting parts of his character: he enjoys games that engage his mind–meaning he's smart and inquisitive, on top of enjoying being a mentor to people younger than him. And that he's really good with kids, a great quality for a future father. On top of that, he also seems like the kind of guy who just enjoys a good conversation, if his talk with Iroh is anything to go by.
ThermalsniperN7: Speaking of which, Iroh proves that he is the best uncle once again. He literally saw how different Azula was, and he was happy that she had been able to be saved.
Dragon Emperor0: That's gotta be a big plus for him, since it's clear that he'd nearly given up on her in Book 2 of the show. I guess it just goes to show that, with the right kind of help, anyone can change.
ThermalsniperN7: Damn right. Anyway, see you guys next time!