Chapter 7: Bridge to Redemption pt. 1
-Fire Nation Royal Palace-
In the palace, Zuko woke up from his sleep to find his girlfriend sleeping next to him. This brought a smile to the Fire Lord's face, as he hadn't exactly had many moments like this.
Getting up, the young man kissed Mai on the forehead before getting dressed. For he only had an hour to have breakfast before he had to begin that day's delegations. He got up, cleaned himself and got ready for the day. As he made his way to the dining hall, a servant approached him.
"Apologies, my lord, but your uncle has sent you a message." She said, golding the paper out to him.
"It's no trouble. I'll read it at breakfast." Zuko replied as he accepted the letter before continuing on his way, wondering what his uncle had written to him about.
As the boy read it, his face slowly started to change into an expression of shock and disbelief. Especially when he realized that the Katsuya family had been harboring his–formerly–amnesiac sister, and lied to him about it!
And now, he just found out that not only did his sister get her memories, but now she and Enji Katsuya's son, Touya, was engaged to and had gotten her pregnant on top of that!
'How do I even begin to address this…?' The Fire Lord wondered, somehow already feeling tired despite only waking up about half an hour ago.
Deciding that this needed to be addressed, he started putting pen to paper and started writing an update letter to Aang and the others.
As he wrote, Mai came into the room with Suki and Tai Lee flanking her on either side.
"Zuko? What're you writing?" The knife thrower questioned, to which the Fire Lord pointed at the letter, causing her to pick it up and show it to the other girls.
As they read it, their eyes widened in shock as they went along it. Not only was Azula being harbored by the Katsuya family of Yu Dao, but her being pregnant was the biggest factor of their shock with her getting amnesia and recovering her memory being a close second.
"W-What…?!" Mai breathed, stunned.
"This is… Crazy." Tai Lee gasped.
"I honestly never thought that Azula knew what love was." Suki noted.
"Neither did I, honestly." Zuko admitted as he finished writing his letter. "But I'll be getting the others up to speed on this so they can see for themselves." He added.
"Good, because I have a few choice words to say to the 'princess'." Mai growled, hand twitching towards her throwing knives.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile back in Ba Sing Se, It'd been a few days since Azula made amends with Iroh and now the happy couple of Touya and Azula were in the process of getting ready to leave Ba Sing Se and head back to Yu Dao.
But before that, Azula decided to take another moment to explore the city again, and stop by the Jasmine Dragon one more time before she and Touya left. She decided to have Hot Blooded Nephew tea since she liked it quite a bit due to the rather amusing name and taste.
Touya, meanwhile, was playing a game of Pai Sho with another one of the patrons, letting her have some alone time.
Though as Azula waited, she spotted someone she hadn't seen before.
Namely the girl that Zuko had taken on a date once before, Jin. Again, Azula didn't know this… Yet.
"Uncle." The princess said, getting the man's attention. "Does that girl come around here often? I've seen her once or twice before, I think." She continued.
"Ah, that is Jin. She's actually a regular here and has a deep appreciation for tea. Easily a favorite of mine." The old man explained. "And I might also add, she even went on a date with Zuko once." He added, causing the blue flame user to pause.
"... Did I just hear that right?" She asked, a plan starting to form in her head.
"Indeed. It took me ten minutes to fix your brother's hair for it." Iroh nodded, recalling the rather fond memory.
Azula suddenly felt something she hadn't felt throughout her life: sisterly instinct. She had to see what about this girl made her good enough for at least one date.
'Better play it carefully and casually to avoid intimidating her.' She thought idly as she drank her tea.
After a pause to finish the glass she already poured, the blue flame maiden got up and walked over to Jin's table, pot and glass in hand.
"Excuse me." Azula said, getting her attention. "You don't mind if I sit here, do you?" She asked.
"Oh, not at all. The seat's open." Jin replied.
"Thank you." Azula nodded as she took her seat. As she sat down, she poured herself another glass of tea. "So, my uncle tells me you're a bit of a regular here." The princess stated rather frankly.
"Yeah. I really enjoy the tea variety here. It really gives this part of Ba Sing Se a touch of life." The girl nodded as she took a sip of her tea, savoring the flavor.
Seconds later though…
"Wait, did you just that Mr. Iroh is your uncle?" Jin asked, finally putting two and two together.
"I did." Azula shrugged in reply. Jin quickly pieced together that the Fire Lord's sister was sitting at her table, but wasn't trying to kill her.
She decided to keep a grip on herself since things were peaceful… For the moment, assuming things got derailed later.
"So." The princess continued, breaking the silence and taking a sip of her own tea, allowing Jin to let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "I heard that you also went on a date with my dear brother Zuzu." She added with a knowing grin.
"Um… Yeah?" Jin uttered with a small blush, not expecting the princess to say that. "But it was… before I knew who he really was." She stated.
"But you still did. Why?" The blue flame user inquired.
"Well, because I kinda liked him. He was nice, kind,and really sweet, if a bit awkward." The girl shrugged.
"Certainly sounds like my brother." Azula nodded. "And? What happened on this date?" She asked.
"Well, we went to a spot called Firelight Fountain and spent the last part of our date there." Jin replied with a small smile, recalling the memory of how that date went. "But when we got there, the candles weren't lit up, so he had me close my eyes and… Well, I guess he lit them himself." She continued, adding new knowledge to that date now that she knew who Zuko was.
Did she blame him for hiding who he was? Not really, since it was a time of war when it happened.
"*Sigh* If only I were so lucky to have that kind of time with my first crush…" Azula sighed, leaning her chin on her hand. Recalling when she basically scared away a rather handsome boy at Ember Island… who she now realized was a total blowhard.
"If only I could get a lasting relationship…" Jin sighed, copying her actions–wishing her relationship with Zuko had lasted longer than it had. "... What happened with that boy?" She asked after a beat.
"I… may have scared him away after he called me pretty…" The princess said with a chuckle.
"How?" The girl asked.
"I… got dramatic with my firebending and… well, he decided against dating me because of it." Azula said sheepishly.
"Wow." Jin snickered, envisioning that moment. Azula faceplanted on the table with a groan.
"We will be the most powerful couple in the entire world. And no one will be able to stand against us as we bring them under our heel!" She recited in a mumbled tone. "God, it's so embarrassing to think about it now!" She groaned in dismay as Jin couldn't help but laugh.
"… I gotta admit, that sounds kinda hot." A voice said, causing the two to jump as they turned around and saw Touya standing next to them.
"How long have you been standing there?" Azula questioned.
"Like half a minute. What's going on here aside from that silly recital of an old memory?" The redhead questioned as he took a seat.
"Oh, nothing, I'm just making a new friend." The princess replied, pulling Jin in.
"Wait, really?" The girl asked in surprise.
"Yeah. Why not?" Azula shrugged.
"... Fair enough." Jin shrugged as Azula let go and Touya sat down.
"Oh, Jin, this is Touya Katsuya. My fiance." The princess told her friend, hugging her lover's arm. "And the father of our developing child." The girl said, patting her nearly four week pregnant belly.
"... Say what now?" The Earth Kingdom girl asked flatly.
"I know what you're thinking: 'Having a baby before you're properly married? That doesn't seem like a good idea'" Azula said, laying on Touya's shoulder. "Well, we thought about having one after we got married but… Well, we decided we couldn't wait." She added.
"And we are unapologetic about it." Touya chuckled as he wrapped an arm around his fiance's shoulders.
Jin blinked a few times, as if trying to wrap her brain around what they just said, before shaking her head. "Well, congratulations, you two." She told them.
"Thank you." They replied. Azula then got up with Touya as they waved goodbye to Iroh.
"We should get going, we're headed back to Yu Dao today." The boy stated.
"But do be sure to keep in touch, alright Jin?" Azula said, shaking her hand.
"You got it." Jin nodded with a grin as the couple left after paying for their tea.
(Timeskip)
Fast forward a few days to a week later, and the rest of Team Avatar were caught up to speed on Azula's last known whereabouts and what exactly happened to her all those months ago.
Needless to say, the others had varied reactions.
Aang was slightly freaked out, which was fair since Azula did technically kill him. But was also a little smug since he also technically called the idea of Azula changing as a person.
"I figured that was what happened." He added.
"I think we get the idea, Aang." Katara said, rolling her eyes at her boyfriend's words. She was slightly miffed about Azula being out in the world, but since the amnesia and getting pregnant happened to her, she figured that it would do the princess a lot of good.
"How are you guys so calm about this?! We have a mini Azula to worry about now!" Sokka exclaimed as he panicked comically.
"Sokka!" Suki snapped at the boy and his insensitive comment.
"How do we deal with this? She seems to be doing pretty well, so I doubt there's really much to do." The waterbender of the group mused, ignoring her brother's randomness.
"I say we find her and make sure she's on the up and up, or make her." Toph stated, slamming her fists together.
"Toph, no. We're not going to do that to a pregnant woman." Aang scolded, which sounded funny when it was his voice. "Even if they're a formerly schizophrenic madwoman." He added idly.
"Aren't you being a little too lenient, Aang?" Zuko questioned. "I mean, changed or not, Azula tried to kill you–and nearly succeeded, no less."
"Exactly!" The Water Tribe siblings added.
"One of the steps to healing is forgiveness, remember?" The Avatar recalled. This made everyone look at each other and Katara realized that Aang was simply taking his own advice as she recalled what happened when she was hunting the Firebender that killed her mother with Zuko.
"Honestly, I wouldn't have expected less." Mai said, unenthusiastic as usual.
"But what do we do now, though?" Tai Lee questioned.
"We will confront her and the Katsuyas about the issue." Zuko declared. "Well intentioned or not, they still lied to us, to me–their fire lord." He continued. "What kind of example would I set if I let that slide?" He added as he went to make preparations.
(Elsewhere)
"Touyaaa~!" Azula sang as she laid herself on the couch about the same time, maybe a week later. "I'm craving ice cream, Earthen Lava cake and flaming spiced pickles again." She added as the embryo in her womb made her stomach grow yet again.
"Oh no…" Touya whispered under his breath. He loved Azula, but these cravings were crazy as all get out. "I'll go take care of it." He told her as he went into the kitchen to get her weird craving combo put together.
The former princess sighed as she leaned back. She hated having to send her fiance out on these runs, but alas, the baby was quite insistent about what it wanted.
This made the girl glare down at her belly. "Why must you make me crave all these foods and drinks, when you're just going to have me send them back up again the next morning?" She snapped at the as of yet unborn child inside her before groaning. "Amazing, I'm arguing with someone who isn't even born yet!" She added with a mirthful laugh.
If Zuko had seen that, he'd wonder if she was still slightly mad.
She was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a knock on the front door, causing her to look and wonder who that could be.
"I got it." Touya called as he went to answer the door. As he opened the door he was soon met with the sight of Team Avatar and the Fire Lord standing on his doorstep. All seeming less than pleased. "... Shit." He cursed under his breath.
"You and this entire household have some serious explaining to do." Zuko stated sternly, his visage appearing like that of a true Fire Lord.
Touya held up a finger to tell him to hold on a moment as he looked back at Azula, who was busy satisfying her cravings, before stepping outside and closing the door.
He then looked at the group and crossed his arms, making a hand gesture for them to continue–his "I don't give a fuck" look never wavering.
"So you guys put two and two together. What kind of answer do you want from me, exactly?" He asked them, his arms still folded.
"How about why you didn't come forward when we first came here, for starters?" Mai questioned with a hiss.
"Because Azula was still an amnesiac at the time. If we handed her over to you, then she would've been frightened to the point she'd likely use her firebending in a panic." The redhead stated. "And I don't think I need to describe how damaging that would be to the town, and her psyche." He added.
This seemed to satisfy Mai, though she seemed to be holding back the urge to throw hands right now.
"I hope you realize the kind of situation this puts me in." Zuko stated, though his words didn't seem to affect Touya's demeanor in the slightest.
"I am aware, alright." He said. "Question is: what will you do with a situation involving someone who hasn't exactly done anything since she was reformed?" He challenged.
"We're still not so sure that she is reformed." Katara pointed out, her attitude similar to Mai's in this situation, despite Aang's attempts to get her to let it go.
"You really are dead set on that, aren't you?" The young firebender mused. "Okay, fine. Say I let you be in the same room as her, make some conversation, all that stuff. What would you do when you see that she is reformed and not the same person you remember?" He questioned.
The Waterbender was silent for a moment or two. "I… Don't know." She replied honestly.
"Wait, how do we check that any conversation is true?" Sokka said. "She can lie really well, remember?" He added, causing everyone but Toph to facepalm.
"If that blow to the head she took was good enough, then she may have forgotten how to do that, wolf tail boy." The blind bandit stated bluntly. Classic Toph.
"I wouldn't be so sure." Touya stated. "My sister's an earthbender who's been working on her seismic sensing and Azula was able to fool her… five times, I think?" He added. "But that was mainly to keep her from finding where we hid the snack jars." He amended.
"... This might be harder than I thought." Sokka sighed.
"Ya think?" Touya quipped.
"Well, at this point we're just wasting time standing out here." Suki pointed out. "Let's just go ahead and get this done, and worry about repercussions after." She added.
"Fine." Zuko sighed as he gestured for Touya to let them into the house, to which he obliged and granted them entry while keeping a close eye on them.
"Azula, darling, we have–company." The boy said as he opened the door, and seeing a cranky looking Azula with a half eaten fire spiced pickle in her hand.
"Why the fuck were you not on call when I expected you to be?!" She demanded, ignoring the visitors in favor of voicing her annoyance at Touya. This made Team Avatar and Zuko's group feel confused.
"Dearest." Touya hissed as he led the group in while getting close to the girl. "Now is not really the best time." He told her.
"What are you–" Azula started to ask before her eyes landed on their guests. "... Oh." She uttered flatly.
"Uh…" Aang trailed off as he looked at the half eaten food.
"Don't ask about how bad it is." The redhead told him.
"I wasn't going to." The air Nomad defended.
"... You got any more of those?" Sokka asked, causing a few of the group to nearly faceplant.
(Later)
Azula sighed as she laid back on the couch while Touya held her, not looking at the group in front of her, for fear of drawing out their hostility.
The tension hung around them like a fog. A fog that was so thick, it was like butter that you had to cut with a cleaver.
"... You look much better than the last time I saw you." Zuko noted to his sister, finally managing to slice through said tension with relative awkward ease.
"And all it took was a hammer to the head to set it in motion." The ex-princess sighed. That's right, she could recall what hit her head that fateful day.
"Ow." Sokka winced, holding his head reflexively.
"Ooh." Aang nodded, getting a similar picture.
"She would have died from that injury if I hadn't found her." Touya explained, pulling his girlfriend closer to him. Azula set her gaze on Ty Lee, her mind set on mending the bridge with her.
The princess tried to speak a couple times, but couldn't find the right words–before she finally took a breath and tried.
"Ty Lee… I see you stayed with the Kyoshi Warriors. Is it–?." She started to say before the acrobat cut her off.
"Stop. Just…" She trailed off as she tried to catch herself. "You did a lot of terrible things to me and Mai. It's… not exactly easy to get over it." She told her.
"... Oh... I see." The princess nodded, her demeanor seeming to deflate at being shot down like that. It was this deflation that seemed to set Mai off as she slammed the glass of tea that Touya made for her on the table.
"Is that literally all you have to say?!" She snapped, drawing a pair of knives. Touya was quick to get between her and Azula, his hand in a position to blast her.
"Go ahead and attack her, it'll be the last thing you ever do." He warned, his palm glowing blue briefly before Azula put her hand on his shoulder.
"Touya, sit down." She told him. "Mai and Ty Lee are right, don't antagonize them." She added.
"... Alright." The redhead sighed as he reluctantly got out of the way. The three girls stood there, one across from two as Azula tried to figure out what to say.
After a moment's pause, the blue flame maiden let out a sigh and finally spoke. "I won't try to justify my actions and treatment of you both over the years. Or how I betrayed your trust. Because I know that there is no justifying it." She began, looking them in the eye.
Ty Lee and Mai both looked at each, not expecting such a humble start to the girl's statement–not even after all they've heard from Iroh.
"I also won't try to beg for your forgiveness, because I've already accepted that you will likely never grant it to me." She continued as her gaze and expression softened, with her eyes and unpainted lips starting to tremble like she did when she thought about her mother. "I only–I just–" Her voice then started to crack as she looked away from the two, tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, girls. I'm so, so sorry." The princess whimpered as she sat back down, burying her face in her hands.
Ty Lee and Mai looked stunned. They couldn't recall a single instance of Azula ever truly crying like this, effectively making it new to them. And the insane part?
They knew damn well she wasn't lying about this. She was being honest. Ty Lee was the one to make the first move.
"Azula?" The girl asked as her friend slowly looked at her, her eyes puffy from the tears.
Before Azula could say anything, the former circus performer hugged her friend tightly as tears of joy ran down her cheeks, nearly ruining her Kyoshi Warrior makeup.
"I'm so glad you're back." She whispered tearfully to the princess, causing said young woman to hug her back, tears streaming down her face again.
Mai didn't seem to want to partake in this action, but of course, Ty Lee was quick to give her a necessary push–or more accurately pull–she needed. Bringing her into the group hug as Azula slowly started to calm down.
Touya looked at the scene and smiled fondly, glad that his girlfriend was healing after all the shit she'd gone through.
As the three separated, Azula took her friend's hands and looked them in the eye. "I swear to you, girls, things will be different. I won't make the same mistakes I did back then, I promise." She told the two.
"I'm so glad to hear that, Azula." Ty Lee whispered, her voice full of happiness at the return of her friend in a new light.
The blue flame maiden then turned to Mai as the others got up and left for the dining room for the time being.
"Mai, you remember when you said that the reason why you betrayed me back at the Boiling Rock was because you loved Zuko, more than you feared me?" She questioned.
"Clear as day." The knife thrower replied neutrally.
"... You were right that day. I miscalculated, and I paid for it." Azula sighed, before looking back at Touya. "And I think… I finally understand why." She added, getting an understanding nod from her friend.
Back with the others, Touya looked at Zuko before getting an idea. "Hey, you guys mind helping me get some stuff from the market for dinner tonight?" He asked Aang, Sokka, Katara, Toph, Suki and the two remaining girls.
"That shouldn't be too big of a deal." Aang nodded in reply.
"Yeah, could give us an excuse to show crazy lady over there some real food from our knicks of the woods." Toph added, jabbing a thumb back at Azula, who was now taking a nap on the couch as little Sho slowly covered her with a blanket.
"She looks pretty drained, though." Katara noted, seeing how tired the ex-princess seemed.
"I can keep an eye on her while you guys are out." Zuko said as he took off his fire lord cape. This surprised everyone. "When we were in the Earth Kingdom for that conference, one of the things that the speaker taught was how it's important to treat one's family–as in country–with dignity." He continued, looking at his sister. "And if I can't make amends and treat my own sister with dignity, then what good of a ruler am I?" He added.
"... Fair enough." Touya nodded, liking the way Zuko was thinking. He and the others then left for the market to gather up the groceries they'd need for dinner that night.
Zuko sighed as he looked back at his baby sister, still sleeping, and quickly saw a flash of her as a little girl in a similar position.
Approaching her, the Fire Lord sat down on the couch and laid Azula's head in his lap, stroking her hair softly as she slumbered peacefully.
Smiling, Zuko leaned down and pecked her on the forehead, causing her to roll over and bury her face in his stomach in her sleep, much to the boy's amusement.
(Later)
About an hour or so later, Azula had woken up and was told by Zuko that Touya and the others had gone out shopping for the food needed for dinner later in the evening. The pregnant firebender was a tad miffed, but Zuko figured her pregnancy was just making her be a bit moody.
He wasn't dumb enough to say that out loud, though.
"You know, the last time we saw each other, you tried to kill me." Zuko noted, trying to lighten the mood with an awkward attempt at a joke.
"I remember that, alright… Back when I was still mentally broken." Azula sighed, recalling her less than… ideal state of mind at the time in their Agni Kai.
"Really? I seem to remember you being just as crazy even when we were kids." The Fire Lord smirked, getting a light punch to the gut from the girl whose head was still in his lap.
"Jerk." She grunted. The Fire Lord merely chuckled lightly, showing that he was enjoying their non-hostile interaction a bit. A silence followed, however, with neither party knowing what to say next. It lasted for about ten minutes before the ex-princess broke it. "I'm sorry, Zuzu." She whispered as she buried her face in his stomach.
"What?" Zuko said in a bit of confusion and surprise. Not quite hearing what she said, but also not quite believing what he thought he heard, either.
"I'm sorry…. For everything." She repeated clearly, causing the Fire Lord to widen his eyes. "I was… I was an insecure child. I wanted our mother's unconditional love, but she favored you too much and I was envious of you for it. I…" She fought down a sob. "I was left vulnerable to our father's terrible influence, and… and I felt like I was never good enough for anyone, not even myself." A sob escaped her this time.
Zuko looked down at her and remembered a time when she wasn't the manipulative girl he knew. Back when she was three and he was eight, his sister used to run into his room when she was scared.
Deciding to try and recreate the feeling they had in those days, he hugged her close to him, letting her rest on him. Azula leaned into his embrace, wanting the old feeling of safety she once pushed away to return.
Ozai's poor parenting had left a mark, and it would take time for that mark to fade away completely.
"It's alright, Azula." Zuko whispered as he held her close. "Your big brother's got you." He added softly as he let her cry herself asleep again.
(Elsewhere)
In Yu Dao's marketplace, Touya was still shopping with Team Avatar and company to get things ready for dinner. The only reason it had been taking so long was due to Aang taking some free samples that were scattered here and there.
Avatar or not, he was still a kid.
"Aang, I know that these are some good and enticing free samples, but we need to get a move on." Katara urged. She had tried a few of said samples, and was prompted to buy herself some for dinner.
"But they're so good!" The Air Nomad whined.
"All the more reason to buy some for yourself and not hog all the free samples." Suki told him, doing exactly that.
"Do I have an awesome girlfriend or what?" Sokka grinned smugly to Touya who only rolled his eyes.
"A good girlfriend, yes, but I'm the one with a fiancé." The blue flame user retorted as he grabbed a couple last things before he started leaving the group behind.
"He's got you there, Sokka." Toph chuckled in amusement as the boomerang user sulked.
"You got no room to talk, you're single!" The boy retorted as the group finally started heading back.
"And happily so." Toph nodded, picking her teeth with a toothpick. Mai could only roll her eyes.
"Oh grow up." She groaned.
"Don't be so gloomy, Mai. Talking about relationships is good socializing practice!" Ty Lee chirped cheerily.
"More like social torture." Mai grumbled as they walked back to the Katsuya house.
(Later)
Once everyone had gotten back, they all started helping out with getting dinner together… Well, except for Toph for obvious reasons. Temari had Sho and Hanako set the table while everyone else was busy.
Enji, meanwhile, was currently speaking to Zuko while Azula was calming herself with a glass of tea, and Touya was joining the conversation.
"Hang on, you're doing what now?" Touya questioned.
"I'm simply doing what I should have done ages ago. I'm reinstating Azula as the Fire Nation crowned princess." The scarred teen stated, before turning to Enji. "And I'm also rewarding you, Enji, with reestablishing you as a commander. If you'd like to have your old job back." He added, much to the surprise of both people.
"Oh! Well…" The man uttered, taken aback by the unexpected offer. He took a moment to mull it over, weighing the pros and cons. In the end, his decision was clear. "As generous as it is, I honestly prefer the simple life I have here in Yu Dao. It keeps me close to my family." He replied.
"As you wish." Zuko nodded, respecting the man for wishing to stay close to his family.
Azula, finally managing to get over her surprise, took this moment to speak up. "You're making me the crowned princess again? Are… Are you sure, Zuzu? I'm just fine with my status right now, you don't have to do this." She said. "Not after everything I've done." She added with a sigh.
"Azula, in the short time I've seen the new you, I can tell that you're more than ready to be reinstated as princess of the Fire Nation." The Fire Lord told his little sibling. "And, if you want to, you're more than welcome to come back to the palace. Your old room is still there, just as you left it." He added, seeming a bit hopeful that she'd accept.
He wasn't really ready to admit it, but he could really use support from his family for the big vote that was coming in six months regarding the colonies…
"As nice as it would be to sleep in my old room again, I'll have to decline in favor of staying close to my in-laws." Azula replied as she held Touya's arm close to her. "Especially this handsome man right here." She added with a smile.
"Actually, Azula." Touya said as he looked down at her. "With the baby coming, we're going to need to find a larger home. And if I'm being honest, Zuko has more than a right to get to see his future niece or nephew when they're born." He continued. "And on top of that." He then looked at her brother. "I'm sure he knows that you're looking to settle old accounts with your dad." He added.
Azula's face turned serious at the mention of her fa– No, Ozai. That manipulative man didn't deserve to have her refer to him as her father anymore, especially now that she had undergone her rebirth. Of all the bridges she wanted to burn, the one with Ozai was the bridge she wanted to see burnt to ashes.
"How could I forget about that detail?" Azula mused as she realized these points before Ty Lee and Mai approached the group.
"Hey guys, dinner's ready!" The acrobat turned bodyguard chirped.
"If you guys are done chatting, you'll be able to get it before it gets gold." Mai added boredly.
"Right, thank you, girls." Azula sighed as she hugged her friends again before turning to Zuko. "We were just making plans to make our way to the capitol soon… Back home." She added, much to Mai's surprise and Ty Lee's delight as they joined everyone else in the dining room for a friendly dinner.
Maybe the bridge to redemption wasn't so hard to walk after all.
Dragon Emperor0: Well, that's four people on the list down. Now all Azula needs to do is win over team Avatar next… Jesus, I'm having Book 3 flashbacks already. It's gonna be even more awkward than Zuko's Redemption.
ThermalsniperN&: Yeah, I can tell. Aang seems more liable to forgive her even if she killed him. He's simply taking his own advice on the matter. The others… Well, I can see Sokka being a drama queen as usual.
Dragon Emperor0: Not sure about Toph here. Suki may be a bit more slow to trust on account of Azula throwing her and the Kyoshi Warriors in jail. And Katara… It'll be her with Zuko all over again, more than likely.
ThermalsniperN7: Yeah, that feels like a given. Anyway, see you guys next time!