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seyaryminamoto · 1 year

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Leap of Faith: Sokkla Saturdays 2022

Day Six: Falling in love

On FF.net//On AO3

I've always been a firm believer of the philosophy that, if you have a problem with canon, the best thing you can do is write your own take on it. This particular story came to mind as a result of my grievances with the unexplored potential of some ideas and concepts canon introduced too late in the game and that could have impacted the show positively if they had been planned all along.

Therefore... here goes a canon divergence based on one of the most controversial choices from The Search. This is a more Azula-centric story, but I hope you guys will enjoy it regardless. The Sokkla will begin to happen around halfway through the story, in case anyone needs to know that.

Hope you enjoy this one!

"I can do more than give you a new face. I can give you a new mind – one that does not remember the life that came before."

"Will I remember my children?"

"Are they part of the life you wish to forget?"

"Yes."

"Then you will not remember them."

It was a tempting offer. An easier way to live. So much easier…

And so wrong. The burst of pain the very notion caused inside her soul seemed to snap everything into focus again: Ikem – Noren, whatever the right name should be anymore – may have been welcome company, and yet… how could she compare the feelings he elicited inside her to the feelings her children did? Ultimately, he was a good man… but she was no longer the woman he had once loved. No longer the innocent, joyful woman he had wished to marry long ago.

"Then a new face will do, and nothing more."

"Are you certain?"

"I appreciate your generosity. I thank you for your gift. I will endeavor to make the most of the new life it will grant me… a life I will live for them, as I always meant to."

"Then very well. Hold still…"

A new servant arrived at the Fire Nation's Royal Palace. Her name was Noriko.

She was assigned to Zuko at first. She sought to serve the young, hot-headed and enthusiastic prince with devotion: the child was already on the verge of teenage life when she arrived, and he devoted most his energy to obtaining the approval of his father and uncle.

At times, her duties required for her to serve Princess Azula briefly as well. Where Prince Zuko's constant overlooking of Noriko could be easily traced to being caught up in his personal pursuits of approval, to a point of near-blindness over everything and everyone else, the same could not be said for Princess Azula, though it wasn't for the best: she was abrasive, dismissive, judgmental and quick to undermine any figure of authority in her life save her father, and no meaningless servant could hope to earn her respect. The dynamics of that family had changed irreparably on the day they had become the primary branch of the Royal Family.

One afternoon, Noriko did her chores in Zuko's bedroom only to be told, briefly afterwards, that she was to stop such duties at once. She was perplexed and she requested an explanation…

"Prince Zuko has been banished for speaking out of turn in a war meeting and for disrespecting his father in an Agni Kai. He will not be welcome in Fire Nation lands until he redeems himself by finding the Avatar. Such is Fire Lord Ozai's will."

The royal butler offered no further explanations. Noriko could ask for them, but she would receive a severe reprimand if she failed to focus on her new responsibilities, no matter if her anguish upon hearing of Zuko's fate was so powerful she nearly lost her composure right then and there:

"From this day forward, you will serve Princess Azula."

She didn't like Noriko.

She was nosey, more than any other staff members of the Palace. She asked asinine questions. She wanted to know if she was doing well in school. She even attempted to watch some of her firebending training sessions and even had the gall to tell Azula, at one point, that one of her newest maneuvers was too dangerous – as if any firebending could be too dangerous for a prodigy like her.

So, upon being told that the woman had been assigned as her personal handmaiden, Azula was irritable. She dismissed Noriko quickly on the very first day of her assignment, noticing the woman's eyes were red with tears – she did not care to listen to any manner of whining over Zuko's fate. Ozai had determined it was the appropriate fate for one who committed the faults Zuko had: going against Fire Lord Ozai in any regards was treason. If this fool of a woman did not understand that, it wasn't Azula's problem.

She wasn't quite as annoying over the first weeks of her assignment as Azula had dreaded… probably because she spent most her time sulking over Zuko. But one day, Azula had been sitting casually at her desk, finishing one of her very final school assignments before graduation, when the woman stepped up nervously.

"Princess… the Palace guards have asked me to deliver this message to you."

The young princess scoffed as she took the paper – what an unnerving woman. She shook her head dismissively as she spread the message open…

I need to talk to you. I don't know who else to ask. Please come to the bay, to the westernmost dock. Hide your identity so no one knows you've seen me. I know this is sudden… but I need you.

Azula scoffed: she fisted the letter and it burned quickly, the blue hue of her fire scorching it to cinders. Noriko, behind her, gasped.

"Princess…!"

"Did you read the message? Should you be looking into my private correspondence?" Azula retorted. Noriko actually looked angry. "You're dismissed. I will take a nap now."

The woman snarled before walking away. She had swallowed her insolence somehow, then? Good. It was what she ought to do.

Azula finished her school assignment before rising to her feet. She approached her closet, pulling out a long cloak with a hood, and she draped it over her shoulders. She picked a bag of money she could spare: then, she opened the secret passageway that connected to her bedroom and she snuck out of the confines of her suite without being noticed.

She had been furious. She had no right to say anything, not in this life, not in this form, and yet… she had genuinely expected better. She had believed Azula would be better than that…!

Her mental rant slowed down when a cloaked figure crossed her line of sight briefly, in the corridor Noriko was about to enter. The woman frowned, watching the cloaked figure cast a blue flame in a small surface of the wall… a secret passageway. Oh, Azula was always fond of claiming she'd found those… but they weren't empty boasts. She truly had found them, then, and…

And she was leaving the Palace.

Was she going to see Zuko, after all?

Noriko didn't need to think twice about what she'd do next.

She found him in a back alley by the harbor. He was covered in a fabric that might just have been something he found lying about rather than a genuine blanket. He had seemed shocked to see her… no matter if he was the one who had asked her to come for him.

"I need a ship. I need a crew. But Father… he won't give me anything. He won't so much as look at me. Please… help me."

Azula frowned: it wasn't as if she could convince Ozai to change his mind about Zuko's punishment. However much he preferred her over her brother, he'd probably banish her along with Zuko if she dared question any of his choices…

"I need a ship. That's… that's all I ask."

"Flattering as it is to know you need me… I can't guarantee any success. You understand that, don't you?" Azula said, staring down at him sternly. Zuko swallowed hard and nodded. "Then… I'll try to make it happen. But do try to take better care of yourself too, Zuzu."

She tossed the bag of coin to him. Zuko gasped in a pitiful way as he picked it up: he truly was as good as a beggar at this point. To think he had been the proud heir of Fire Lord Ozai merely a few days ago… if just out of the sheer indignity of knowing a member of her own family was living in such unsightly conditions, Azula would have to fulfill his request, somehow.

"I will do whatever I can. You will owe me much for this, Zuzu," Azula said.

"I… I know."

That was the sole answer she received. No words of gratitude. Not that Azula expected any, to begin with.

Two days later, a small ship set sail out of the Fire Nation harbor: aboard it, Iroh and Zuko would sail the seas in search of the Avatar to fulfill Ozai's condition so his son's honor would be restored. Once Azula proposed the possibility of getting rid of both Iroh and Zuko by providing her brother with what he'd asked of her, Ozai had found the possibility of arranging a ship for them profoundly appealing.

Her life, then, would go back to normal… to a fault. Right now, she was the de-facto heir to the Throne since there were no other eligible candidates around.

Perhaps that should have meant she could get rid of her handmaiden if she was too irritating… and it seemed she was about to be annoying again when she stepped up to speak with Azula on the day the ship had sailed.

"Prince Zuko and General Iroh have taken their leave, Princess," she said. Azula hummed.

"Good for them. My father was surprisingly generous, wasn't he? Providing them with a ship and a crew, as he did…" Azula said, casually. Noriko swallowed hard.

"You… are much more kindhearted than you allow anyone to see."

Azula gasped: she had been in the middle of testing a new shade of lipstick when the woman said such utterly uncalled for and offensive words. Her jaw dropped.

"I… what? How… how dare you?" Azula said: her voice hitched in a rather foolish way. Was she actually experiencing some level of… unnecessary satisfaction upon hearing such unusual words?

Her outrage was answered by a kindly smile. An irritatingly kind smile.

"That… that shade is much too strong for you, though," Noriko said, frowning slightly next. "You are too young for makeup like that. I suggest… this one. This shade is much nicer…"

"That shade looks like something my mother would wear," Azula said, cuttingly: Noriko froze on the spot. "I'm fine with this one. And besides, I didn't ask for your opinion."

"I… I understand."

Noriko backed down… but Azula's mind did not. She turned towards the mirror again: was this hue really out of place? Maybe it did feel like it was. She grimaced before glancing at the woman anew.

"What… what shade would you propose otherwise? And don't say the one that looks like my mother's. I'm not saying I would wear whatever you choose, I'm only wondering because…"

"Because you wish to find out what's outdated, perhaps?" Noriko asked, with a weak smile. Azula winced. "An old woman like me surely has no idea what is in fashion these days with young girls like you."

"That… yes. Exactly," Azula said. Noriko smiled again and stepped forward.

"Then… here. This one," she said. "Also avoid this one. As for your eyes, though… have you ever attempted to wear eye liner? Perhaps you would like to try that…"

"I… haven't attempted it, no," Azula admitted, unexpectedly bashful. "My friend Ty Lee, she… she tried it and poked her eye with the brush. My friend Mai only wears eye liner, though…"

"You're all of age to start trying out makeup, of course," Noriko smiled. "Well… perhaps I can teach you how to apply it. Then… you could try doing it yourself, and that way you'll grow used to wearing it so you can do it as often as you like."

Azula blinked blankly: how had this woman gone from being so bitter at her merely a couple of days ago to offering her guidance when it came to makeup? It was strange, and random, and…

And not entirely unwelcome.

"Well… you may try. I suppose," was her response: she should have been more eloquent, perhaps try to threaten the woman somehow, to ensure she understood there were boundaries she couldn't overstep…

And yet it seemed Noriko would overstep every single one of them. She certainly tried to, in the three years that followed.

She followed Azula most everywhere. She took care of all her chores, did most everything she could by herself, working tirelessly even when Azula purposefully gave her more work than necessary. Azula couldn't understand the woman's strange willingness to be around her, or to do extra work, but she grew used to it, on the most part.

Still, Noriko was opinionated and surprisingly authoritarian sometimes: Azula's training sessions weren't perfectly placid, beautiful matters in the slightest, and the Princess never failed to wind up more disheveled than she ought to be… to which Lo and Li always had comments, of course. Azula was used to it, if annoyed by it, naturally. But on a day when Noriko happened to watch her…

"Her hair is beautiful, whether it's out of place or not! How dare you make her feel self-aware about it?! Her bending feat was impressive, and her hair is magnificent! Do not say that to my d-… t-to the Princess ever again!"

Azula blinked blankly. Lo and Li appeared perplexed. The handmaiden was flustered after her outburst… but she didn't back down. There was something unexpectedly regal about her stubbornness, even Azula had to admit as much.

Thus, Lo and Li never commented negatively on Azula's hair again.

The strange woman rejoiced in Azula's every accomplishment in ways not even the Fire Lord did: she would bring her snacks – always healthy ones, of course – every time Azula learned and mastered a new firebending form, even if she constantly seemed terrified that she might get hurt while bending. A foolish concern, of course… but a strange part of Azula even grew fond of Noriko's anxious comments and questions about how she felt right after she landed a difficult kata – she even cried the first time Azula bent lightning. She went all out on Azula's birthdays, too, ensuring to provide a small, personal celebration to her in the morning, before Azula had to focus on the more formal events of the day.

It was strange, out of place… and it was probably the first time Azula genuinely felt cared for by someone. She clashed with Noriko at times… clashes that occasionally reminded her of her conflicts with her own mother. But curiously, as time passed, the arguments changed in nature: sometimes Noriko refused, outright, to leave Azula if she was having a bad day. If Azula made mistakes, if Azula felt uneasy, she would never accept Azula's orders to leave her be. She would stay until she could do something, anything, to make her laugh. And sometimes she couldn't succeed at it… in which cases, Azula would wind up taking a nap and waking up to find the woman still sitting by her bedside.

She wasn't used to this.

She didn't mind it as much as she thought she would, at first.

Thus, Azula suspected that Noriko would join her once Ozai tasked her with a mission, her very first mission, to hunt down Zuko and Iroh, a failure and a traitor, and bring them home.

Upon hearing of Azula's assignment, the woman rushed off to pack both their bags for the long voyage that awaited them.

"This is no leisure journey. We are to find my brother and my uncle and bring them back to the Fire Nation, as commanded by the Fire Lord. They have disgraced him with their foolishness and failures. More competent soldiers than them will carry forward the search for the Avatar. Do you understand this, Noriko?"

Noriko sighed and nodded: bottling up her urges to rebuff the Princess's words was almost a talent by now. She hoped her compliance would reassure Azula… for as soon as the opportunity arose, Noriko meant to help Zuko once he was aboard. She would help the two siblings bridge their distance once again, and she would ensure that Azula stood up for her brother when they faced Ozai, just as she had stood up for him when requesting the ship and crew that had accompanied Zuko for three years. She might be wrong to place such hopes on Azula, considering she never held back from fulfilling her father's orders… but Noriko had taken care of the girl for all these years. In that time, she had found there was so much more under the surface… so much substance behind the abrasiveness and arrogance that served as a barrier for the Princess, a barrier with which she kept everyone and everything at bay. A barrier Noriko had challenged multiple times by now, in a myriad of ways… and the Princess hadn't fired her for it, no matter if she had threatened to, sometimes. To this day, she kept Noriko by her side…

Until, of course, it was time for her to speak with her brother and uncle. By then, she expressly demanded that Noriko stayed behind, and the older woman pouted as the girl took off alone to the Fire Nation colony's Resort.

Noriko had only sulked for a few hours, lounging carelessly on the ship's deck, when the Princess returned with a triumphant smile: she had set her plan in motion, and Zuko appeared to wish to come home indeed. That he wouldn't understand in which quality he'd return was no concern for her, of course: all that mattered was fulfilling her father's orders at all costs.

Iroh and Zuko showed up at the harbor of the Fire Nation Resort on the next morning: Azula welcomed them graciously, and Noriko lurked on the ship's deck… the sight of the banished prince, however, erased the smile from her face: his hair, mostly shaved and bound in a tight ponytail, appeared to highlight his scar as best as possible. Her heart clenched as Azula continued to speak: Zuko's face… he was scarred, he had been through so much pain and Noriko hadn't had a chance to do anything for him. She would do her best to help him now, of course she would… and she would reason with Azula. She would convince her to…

"Set our course for home, Captain."

Azula's voice rang in that beautiful morning, and Noriko's clenched heart hurt in more ways than she could explain as Zuko gazed at Azula with hope…

"You heard the Princess! Raise the anchors! We're taking the prisoners home!"

Zuko and Iroh were halfway up the ramp when the captain carelessly blurted out the worst words he could have.

The resulting pandemonium was nearly impossible to follow: Iroh had been prepared for the deception, unlike Zuko. Even so, Zuko wasted no time jumping ahead to shout at Azula, to lash out against her for her misdeed.

"You lied to me!"

"Like I've never done that before," was her simple response: the guards stood between her and Zuko, defending her from him…

Though their defense fell apart disturbingly quickly: after successfully circumventing both firebenders and knocking them off the ship, Zuko rushed up to the deck, and a fierce fight broke out between him and his sister, even if an alarmingly one-sided one. Zuko attacked aggressively, violently, while Azula merely seemed to make a display of her fighting superiority by dodging his attacks and keeping them from reaching their target, mostly.

"Zuko! Let's go!"

Noriko winced upon hearing those words in Iroh's voice: she had taken to shrinking in a corner, away from the battle… only to realize then that everything had truly gone awry. There would be no reconciliation between the siblings, no chance of healing their bond… Zuko had recognized Azula's cruel intent before anything positive could happen between them.

"N-no, no… Zuko! Azula! Don't fight, please…!" Noriko cried out, stepping forward nervously as Azula taunted her brother:

"You know, Father blames Uncle for the loss of the North Pole! And he considers you a miserable failure for not finding the Avatar!" she said, with a vicious smirk. "Why would he want you back home, except to lock you up where you can no longer embarrass him?"

Zuko roared, and he continued to fight recklessly: Azula's cruel barbs landed perfectly, spurring him into a wild frenzy that she could take advantage of, down to even scratching her brother's forehead with her dangerously long nails…

"Azula, stop!"

Her focus broke when she heard those words. Azula's eyes widened.

"What are you…?!" Azula roared: Noriko rushed towards her, and because of her distraction, Zuko succeeded at landing a blow against Azula's shoulder. "Ugh…!"

Zuko kept screaming in frustration and rage as he attacked, but he certainly rejoiced over his first successful attack. Azula scowled as she kicked at him: a burst of blue fire he failed to anticipate pushed him back, causing him to jump away while Azula glared at the woman on deck.

"Get back inside the ship, you fool!" Azula exclaimed… only to be ignored when Noriko rushed to stand between them.

"Prince Zuko, I beg you, please listen to…!"

His response was another roar: he rushed ahead, trying to dodge the woman he regarded as a simple, meaningless obstacle standing between his sister and himself.

"Get out of here!" Azula shouted at Noriko… only for the handmaiden to decide that her best course of action was to throw her arms around Zuko.

"Stop…! Stop fighting…!"

"Get off me!"

A furious shove that knocked her off balance sent her towards the ship's railing.

Azula gasped, eyes wide as the handmaiden tripped clumsily: she wouldn't fall. She would simply bounce back against the railing, and she wouldn't…!

The momentum sent her overboard.

"NO!"

Zuko froze on the spot just as Iroh marched up the deck, ready to defend his nephew from Azula… only for Azula to inexplicably throw herself off the side of the ship. Zuko blinked blankly, frowning at what he could only read as utterly atypical behavior from his sister…

"Zuko! The way is clear! Let's go!" Iroh told him urgently.

Zuko swallowed hard and nodded: one more glance at the railing through which Azula had vanished wouldn't offer any more answers about whatever had gotten into his sister, or about whoever that woman was… so he simply obeyed his uncle, joining him in running through the long dock and then, into the depths of the northern Earth Kingdom's wilderness.

An hour later, Noriko shivered guiltily on the shores of the Fire Nation resort as Azula finished giving some menacing speech or another about the hunt for Zuko and Iroh. Her guilt only seemed to worsen by the minute… most of all because she knew Azula would hold her responsible for the failure of this mission. She had already reprimanded the captain fiercely – even though Azula had been dripping wet after swimming Noriko back to safety, she had scared the man profusely with her flaring temper.

The Princess, irritable but dry now, marched up to Noriko next. Her brow was furrowed, and Noriko eyed her apologetically before bowing her head.

"I… I apologize, Princess. I didn't intend to…"

"Did you get any treatment for your burn?"

Noriko winced: yes, it hurt, but she hadn't thought it would mean or matter much in the grand scheme of things. Zuko had been bending, he had applied some fire into his shove, it had burned through her clothes… but the soaking in the ocean had at least cooled down the potential pain, which certainly hadn't been as bad as Zuko's scar, nowhere near as severe as that.

"I… I'm fine. I don't need…"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Azula hissed, shaking her head. "Utter fool, taking such risks and then failing to heed your Princess's commands…! Go to Lo and Li and have them treat you, now!"

"Y-yes, Princess. Of course."

Noriko rose to her feet: it felt as though the Princess was indeed scolding her… and yet she wanted her taken care of. Protected. Healed, even. Noriko's heart clenched as she glanced over her shoulder… at the fourteen-year-old who stood, fuming, behind her. Her gaze was lost elsewhere, full of frustration and anger at the backfiring of her plan… it was easy, at times, to think of her as a much greater, stronger individual than the child Noriko could only see her as, to this moment.

They replenished their supplies and took off anew a few days later. The Princess's frustration at the captain, at the incompetent guards who had not just failed to hold their own against Iroh but even against Zuko, seemed to mount constantly. She attempted to school herself back into proper tranquility, however, and she even appeared pleased when Lo and Li advised her not to search for Iroh and Zuko with the full Royal Procession. The words daunted Noriko, however: if they were a liability, so was she. Would she be left behind as well? It was quite likely…

… Or so she thought, until she found herself riding a mongoose dragon and following the Princess into the location where a traveling circus had been stationed recently, near the very heart of the Earth Kingdom. Why Azula decided to bring her along, why she hadn't scolded Noriko at all since the incident on the ship, Noriko still had no idea… but she was delighted to witness Azula's reunion with her childhood friend.

"Azula!" Ty Lee exclaimed: the girl's handstand – or finger stand, for she only used her index fingers, to Noriko's utter surprise and amazement – broke as she dropped gracefully on the ground, performing a quick reverence before hugging the Princess. "And… you brought a friend!"

"This is Noriko," Azula said, curtly. "She travels with me."

"It is my pleasure to… to meet you, lady Ty Lee," Noriko said, with a gentle smile – she knew Ty Lee already… but Ty Lee would have no memory of having met the maid. Only of the woman she had been, long ago…

"The pleasure's all mine!" Ty Lee grinned brightly.

"Say… what is the daughter of a nobleman doing here? Certainly, our parents didn't send us to the Royal Fire Academy for Girls to end up… in places like these," Azula said, glaring with distaste around herself. Ty Lee, however, seemed utterly unconcerned with Azula's words or judgment, simply stretching her legs, swinging them back and forth while lying on her chest, on the ground. "I have a proposition for you. I'm hunting a traitor: you remember my old fuddy-duddy uncle, don't you?"

"Oh, yeah! He was so funny!" Ty Lee said, smiling carelessly.

"I would be honored if you would join me on my mission," Azula said, with a sharp grin. Ty Lee, however, stopped smiling quickly.

"Oh, I… uh, would love to," Ty Lee said, before jumping back on her feet, to stand upright. "But the truth is, I'm really happy here. I mean, my aura has never been pinker!"

Azula grimaced as she eyed the platypus-bear nearby – it had only just lain an egg, it seemed.

"… I'll take your word for it," was her initial response to Ty Lee's claims. "Well, I wouldn't want you to give up the life you love just to please me…"

"Thank you, Azula," Ty Lee said. Noriko smiled warmly at Azula's friend, and then at the Princess. The kindness she constantly hid beneath her harsh exterior continued to amaze her, it truly did–…

"Of course, before I leave, I'm going to catch your show."

Noriko blinked blankly, staring at the Princess in surprise: Ty Lee winced, and Noriko noticed the movement and unease of the girl as she responded to Azula's statement.

"Uh… yeah, sure! Of course!"

And so, Noriko found herself sitting by the Princess's side as the circus function began that evening – she found she truly didn't enjoy these events much, and Azula noticed it quickly.

"Is something wrong, Noriko?" Azula asked.

"Oh, only… I suppose I prefer other kinds of spectacles," Noriko said, with a gentle smile. "Like… like theater. Perhaps next time we could…"

"We aren't sightseeing, Noriko. We don't have the luxury of choosing our sources of entertainment," Azula said, bluntly. Noriko smiled sadly and nodded.

"I know. I understand you're hoping to show your support for the lady Ty Lee. I'm sure she's grateful for it," Noriko said. Azula eyed her skeptically. "Princess?"

"You're too old to be so naïve," Azula said, bluntly. Noriko's eyes widened.

"What did you…?" Noriko said, a surge of proud irritation taking root in her heart: old? She wasn't that old! She certainly looked older than she was, but how could she…?

Oh, the urge to scold the child beside her and tell her not to speak to her so callously almost overcame her. Her face flushed, and she couldn't suppress a frustrated pout. Azula blinked blankly as she noticed her companion's reaction.

"Oh, did I upset you?" she asked, amused. "If I must spell out the truth for you, we're here to recruit Ty Lee, even now."

"We are? But you said…"

"I simply need to be more convincing."

Noriko's jaw dropped at the Princess's certainty: Ty Lee's turn on the tight-rope had arrived, and the Princess smirked at her friend's efforts to remain suspended on that complicated, dangerous position and contraption, so high up in the air…

"Do you think she'll fall?" Azula asked the master of ceremonies, who was startled by the question.

"Of course not!" the man responded, proudly.

"Then wouldn't it be more interesting if you removed the net?"

Noriko gasped. Azula ignored her.

"Ah… the thing is, the performers…"

"You're right, you're right. That's been done," Azula reasoned, toying with her hair carelessly. "I know: set the net on fire!"

"No!"

Azula froze. The master of ceremonies stared at her and her companion in utter fright… as Azula turned a scowl upon Noriko.

"Did you just…?"

"I did!" Noriko scoffed, folding her arms over her chest. Azula let out a bark of disbelieving laughter. "Princess: you're better than this!"

"What are you…?" Azula growled: Noriko's glare gave away that she was on one of her stubborn sprees all over again. The Princess rolled her eyes and scoffed. "You're impossible."

"Princess…!"

"We'll talk after!"

Her refusal to make a scene in the middle of the performance was quite welcome, though her mood through the rest of the evening was dreadful anyway: once the performance ended, Azula dragged Noriko behind the circus's largest tent, glaring pointedly at her.

"What do you think you're doing, raising your voice at me in front of that man?!" Azula said. "I brought you with me because I believed you wouldn't sabotage my efforts and cause the trouble the Royal Procession has! And this is what you choose to make of that opportunity?!"

"You came here to find a friend," Noriko said: her tone immediately caused Azula to frown… that strange frown that hinted at some level of fear. Of recognizing that she had been scolded in a similar way, with similar energy, by one of the few people she had genuinely feared in her life. "And I expect you to do exactly that, Princess Azula. Recruit her by terrifying her into complying with you, and you'll only recruit an unwilling vassal who will be looking for any opportunity, any chance, to run away at once!"

"Is that so?" Azula said, glaring at Noriko, who glared back. "The subtleties of recruitment are irrelevant in the face of the Fire Lord's orders! I have come here to ensure I can fulfill my father's commands, and I will!"

"And I have come with you to ensure that you do not lose yourself in fulfilling them," Noriko responded, stubbornly. Azula huffed.

"If that's how it is, you're going back to the ship. And I'll watch another of Ty Lee's shows tomorrow," Azula declared, scowling heavily.

"I won't go back," Noriko said, simply. Azula huffed.

"You really think you can talk back to me? We're not home, curses, Noriko! We're in the Earth Kingdom, we're fulfilling my father's mission, whatever it takes! So…!"

"Not whatever it takes," Noriko stated. Azula scoffed.

"That's treasonous."

"I'd rather be a traitor to the Fire Lord than let you become a traitor to yourself."

Azula's eyes widened. She had no response to that, though probably not because she respected the sentiment… she was simply so confused over it that she couldn't seem to make heads or tails out of what Noriko had said.

"Who… who do you even think I am?" Azula asked: the question wasn't quite injected with affront, though. It wasn't a mere arrogant boast, a way to remind Noriko of the station of whom she spoke with… she genuinely was confused. She didn't know what Noriko saw in her… how she could be so certain of who Azula was, to the point of speaking such words without hesitation.

"I think you are Azula. And you're more than just a Princess… more than your father's agent," Noriko said, bowing her head towards Azula. "And I hope to ensure that you'll see that in time, too."

Azula's jaw dropped: and now she was affronted, for sure. Noriko didn't care, though: Noriko wouldn't back down. Not now, not like this, not under these circumstances…

"Ah! They told me you two were back here!"

Ty Lee's voice startled Azula. The Princess huffed angrily at Noriko before turning to Ty Lee with a tense grin.

"What a wonderful performance you offered, Ty Lee. I'm sure you must be proud," she said. "Though I'm certain it might be much more entertaining tomorrow, I have a few ideas for the master of…"

"Oh, I won't be performing tomorrow," Ty Lee said, with a casual shrug and a grin. Her eyes were bright as she glanced between Azula and Noriko. "You… you really do want my help, don't you, Azula?"

"I…" Azula froze on the spot: help? She didn't say that word. She didn't want Ty Lee's help, she didn't need it, she was simply a more convenient, efficient and effective companion than her procession! That was all there was to it…!

But Ty Lee's smile was surprisingly kind, genuine even. She gazed at Noriko too, nodding in her direction.

"And I feel like we're going to be great friends!" she said. Noriko smiled and bit her lip. "I'm coming with you!"

"I… I'm grateful that you will join us, lady Ty Lee. So is Princess Azula."

"Princess Azula… can speak for herself," Azula growled. Noriko raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"She can, so long as she speaks what's in her heart," Noriko said, shamelessly. Azula scoffed, and Ty Lee giggled deviously.

"What's so funny?" Azula growled, and Ty Lee clapped happily at her reaction.

"You two are! I like this team!" she said, beaming brightly.

Her simple statement brought a bright smile to Noriko's face. Azula's irritability, her failure to keep her barriers in place, her inability to control the situation fully… all of it sat poorly with the young Princess, who sulked as they rode back to her ship, with Ty Lee happily sitting behind Noriko on their mongoose dragon, chatting her ear off with all sorts of nonsense that didn't concern the Princess in the least… though a stupid, ridiculous thought came to mind once she overheard something Ty Lee was saying.

"… I just feel like your aura's somewhat familiar, you know?" Ty Lee said, sitting behind Noriko, who laughed off the girl's words. "Are you sure we never met?"

"We may have seen each other in passing at times, lady Ty Lee, when you visited Princess Azula in the Palace. Beyond that, I fear it isn't likely," Noriko answered. Ty Lee sighed.

"Well… I'm still glad to know you now, if that's the case!" Ty Lee grinned again.

Would Noriko bond more with Ty Lee? Would they become actual friends and…?

Azula's stomach twisted and tightened as she scowled, furious at herself for that foolish thought. That older woman was a pain, a maid, a servant and not a friend. Ty Lee could befriend her if she pleased, though it was quite embarrassing to be friends with an older person, Azula thought. And quite embarrassing for that older person to only have friends of such young age. Not that she knew how many people Noriko actually was friends with, to be honest…

What did she know of Noriko anyway? She was a maid… a strange one, true. She acted so motherly at times that Azula couldn't help but wonder if she was a mother, or had been one, at some point. What was her life's story? Who had she been before becoming part of the Palace staff?

"I'd rather be a traitor to the Fire Lord than let you become a traitor to yourself."

What the blazes did that mean? How was Noriko so utterly reckless as to utter a phrase as damning as that one? Azula ought to report it to her father once they returned, yes. She ought to…

Her heart ached at the very notion.

At the possibility of losing Noriko's constant support.

She couldn't do that. She couldn't report her, she couldn't turn her in, she couldn't…

She snarled at that realization, speeding up her mongoose dragon – thus, Noriko spurred on hers to keep up with her.

Their journey to Omashu was quick: they reached the city by the next morning. A night's rest allowed Azula to be more level-headed once they arrived: her palanquin marched her into the city, with Ty Lee and Noriko following, and they were greeted by the very person Azula wanted to see. She climbed off the palanquin and approached the dark-haired teenager, whose demeanor was as bleak as it ever had been.

"Please tell me you're here to kill me," said Mai. Azula, a hand on her hip, smirked at her friend, who smirked back. They shared a quick laugh, and Ty Lee jumped forward to hug Mai quickly.

"It's great to see you, Mai," Azula said. Mai patted Ty Lee's back gently.

"I thought you ran off and joined the circus. You said it was your calling," she said. Ty Lee grinned as she pulled back.

"Well, Azula called a little louder. And Noriko did, too!" Ty Lee grinned, clasping the older woman's hand and pulling her forward: Mai's distaste for the woman was immediate.

"Who's this?" she asked. Azula sighed.

"My handmaiden. She's rather stubborn, you see, and won't leave me alone for an instant," Azula said, rolling her eyes. Noriko smiled fondly at Azula.

"It's always a great honor to serve the Princess. And to meet her friends, too," she said, bowing her head towards Mai.

"Well, we're not here simply for sightseeing," Azula said, with a dry grin: she clasped Mai and Ty Lee's shoulders, growing much more serious quickly. "I have a mission, and I need you both."

"Count me in: anything to get me out of this place," Mai said, immediately, scowling at the city she certainly wanted nothing more to do with.

Shortly afterwards, they learned of the current trouble plaguing Omashu: Ukano, Mai's father, had allowed all the Earth Kingdom citizens of Omashu to leave simply because of a reported disease, pentapox, something Azula had never heard of. In that chaos, Tom-Tom, Mai's younger brother, had vanished, presumably taken hostage by the citizens and the resistance that had fled the city.

Thus, Azula took charge. She prepared a plan to handle the complicated circumstances they were in: Ukano had promised to the resistance that he'd exchange King Bumi for his son. Azula had no intentions of allowing said exchange to be finalized, however: the Fire Nation did not negotiate with the enemy.

"I… I hope all goes well in the exchange today, Princess," said Noriko, by the next morning. Azula sighed.

"There will be no exchange. Did I not make that clear?"

"But… you will take back the boy, won't you?" Noriko asked. Azula frowned.

"The boy and the king. We will keep them both, and the resistance will have nothing," Azula declared, proudly. "No one stands in the way of the Fire Nation."

"Good…" Noriko said, with a gentle smile. "I'm glad you intended to save him."

"Of course I did. Why wouldn't I?" Azula said, rolling her eyes. "He's a Fire Nation citizen and I would not allow him to become a coercion tool for our enemies to exploit. The sooner he is returned to his parents, the better."

"No child deserves to grow up without their mother."

Azula froze. The words struck her deeply, in a way she didn't quite comprehend right away. She shot a glare at Noriko: did she not know Azula had grown up without a mother? At least, for the past five years?

The vacant, melancholic expression in the handmaiden's face floored her, though. Azula opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out at all. She swallowed hard and shook her head.

"Some of us have gotten by without a mother," Azula said, simply. Noriko winced: the sadness in her eyes puzzled Azula. "What? Why are you looking at me like…?"

"Your mother was… she didn't do right by you when she was around, did she?" Noriko asked. Azula frowned.

"That's not relevant, is it?" Azula said.

"I'm sorry she failed you," Noriko said. Azula scowled.

"Don't pity me for…"

"This is not pity," Noriko sighed, shaking her head. "You… you deserved better than her, Princess. You, of all children… you deserved better."

Azula's eyes widened: for the second time, Noriko uttered treacherous words… and yet this time they were words that echoed within Azula's very soul in a way she didn't anticipate. Someone saying that her mother was in the wrong…? That her mother had failed her, to a fault?

"You…" Azula started, before clearing her throat. "You will provide us with your aid in today's mission. You shall take the child… while me, Mai and Ty Lee defeat the resistance, should they put up a fight. They're likely to try. So… stay sharp, and make sure to run with the child as soon as the opportunity arises. Understood?"

"Yes, Princess," Noriko said, offering her a gentle smile. Azula nodded.

"Then let's go."

The exchange happened at the height of the tallest pyramid of Omashu. By the time they arrived, the resistance members were already there… Noriko lurked inside the construction area, hidden away from the others so she wouldn't interfere in such a delicate situation without meaning to.

Azula stepped forward, following Mai as King Bumi was lowered right behind them. The king laughed and snorted, being all around ridiculous while Azula studied the situation carefully: they were up against two teenagers, and the one standing at the front of the group them was a child, instead. The resistance was certainly peculiar…

She couldn't help but assume that the child, so young and innocent-looking, couldn't be the leader of the group. Instead… the one holding Tom-Tom caught her eye. He glared at them intensely, ignoring the baby as best he could while Tom-Tom patted his face in some foolish attempt to amuse himself.

Those clothes… blue? It was a rare color. His skin tone, too… his hairstyle, even the weapons he carried with him immediately stood out to Azula as she assessed the situation. If the circumstances were any different she might have even let herself take notice of his looks… but she had a job to do, and she'd do so now that Mai had exchanged a few words with the younger member of the other group.

"I'm sorry, but a thought just occurred to me: we're trading a two-year-old for a king? A powerful, earthbending king?" Azula recited her lines of the dialogue they had prepared ahead of the exchange. Mai glanced back at her with feigned interest. "It just doesn't seem like a fair trade, does it?"

"You're right," Mai said, glaring at her brother, at the people holding him, before raising a hand and exclaiming: "The deal's off!"

And so, the chaos began anew: Noriko barely caught sight of any of what happened once Azula bent a blast of blue flames towards her foes. But she certainly overheard her words when her fire failed to hit its target:

"The Avatar!" Azula smirked knowingly. "My lucky day."

She marched towards the construction area, on her way to a lever: she glanced towards Noriko on her way there, and she shouted:

"Go get the child, now!"

And with that, she clasped a rope and took off, rising to the height of the statue's construction site.

Noriko swallowed heavily as she ran through the construction area, towards where the enemy stood. They hadn't seen her… so she simply had to be stealthy and take the child when they were fighting, that was all she had to do…

Oh, but they were all children, and they were fighting each other instead of being friends. Her heart ached upon realizing as much, and she grieved for it in silence, arriving at the other end of the construction site just in time to see the dark-skinned boy rushing down a ladder.

"Wait! Wait!" she called, making for the ladder too.

The boy turned towards her, immediately hostile, raising his boomerang as to defend the child from her. Noriko climbed down the ladder awkwardly before reaching him, breathing heavily over the strain from the last moments.

"T-that boy belongs with his family!" she said. The young man scoffed.

"Tell that to the girl who thinks he's not worth trading a king for!" he said, though he grimaced. "To be honest, it's not like I don't see her point… but still! Stay away!"

"Princess Azula may seem harsh, but she didn't mean to keep the child from his family!" Noriko said. The boy eyed her skeptically.

"But she literally just said…! Wait. Wait. Princess who, now?!"

"Princess Azula…?" Noriko said. His jaw dropped. He grimaced before raising his voice as loudly as he could.

"KATARA! THAT FIREBENDING GIRL'S ZUKO'S SISTER!"

"WHAT?!" a female voice – that of his companion – drifted down from above.

"Do you know Zuko?" asked Noriko, eyes wide.

"Oh, you mean the crazy ponytail guy who's always trying to kill us?!"

"W-wha-…? Kill you?! That's not…!"

"Oh, lady, don't tell me you don't realize your Prince and Princess are out for blood," the boy huffed: a scary roar startled Noriko just as a massive creature flew up to their level, reaching the place where the boy stood – only then did Noriko notice he had a white whistle in his hand. "The Fire Nation's willing to discard their own, you saw it just now…!"

"She wanted me to retrieve the boy!"

Noriko's confession startled the young man just as he was about to climb on the bison's saddle. He frowned at her as Noriko breathed deeply.

"You will find it dishonorable anyway…! But she wanted both the king and the child! Her methods… they weren't the wisest, and I'll be sure to tell her so! But please… let me bring that baby back to his parents. Please."

"And what about Bumi?!" the boy huffed. "The king is…!"

An echoing laughter, drifting down through the chutes of Omashu, froze the Water Tribe boy in the middle of his demands. He glanced over his shoulder… and he saw the Avatar rushing downhill, riding the king's imprisonment device on one of the city's chutes. Shortly afterwards, one of the chutes' carts followed, ridden by none other than Princess Azula.

"Ah…!" Noriko gasped. "That's so dangerous…!"

"This is war: everything's dangerous, lady," the boy replied… though he stepped forward and offered the child to her. "You're sure you'll return him? Promise me…!"

"He'll be safe. I swear it. I promise, I… oh, thank you, young man. Thank you…" Noriko said, smiling as she took Tom-Tom in her arms when he handed her the toddler. The teenager frowned still as he jumped on the bison's saddle. "W-what is your name? So I may thank you properly…!"

"What?! You don't need to know my name, I…!"

"SOKKA!"

"Oh, damn… Katara!" Sokka shouted, shaking the reins of the bison and flying quickly to help his sister. Noriko, holding the baby, smiled as she watched him fade from her field of vision, once the construction site hid the large bison.

"Then… thank you, Sokka."

The deceitful hostage exchange didn't proceed according to plan at all: Mai and Ty Lee nearly took a bad wound upon being flung violently away by the bison's tail. Azula's relentless pursuit of the Avatar went nowhere, for King Bumi somehow proved capable of bending earth while still in imprisonment, endangering Azula in the middle of their pursuit. The Princess returned to her friends, scowling heavily… until her eyes fell upon Noriko, who had only just rejoined them too. Her lips parted at the sight of the restless boy in her arms.

"You… you did it," Azula said, stepping toward Noriko and smiling slightly. "Well, I suppose this wasn't a complete failure… though I did fail. I'm pleased that the three of you did not."

"You were chasing the Avatar… if anything, I'm relieved he didn't do anything worse to harm you," said Noriko, gazing at her with heartfelt concern.

"You got Tom-Tom?" Mai asked, puzzled. Noriko smiled as she offered the child to Mai, who picked him up almost unwillingly, going by the grimace on her face as Tom-Tom giggled carelessly in her arms.

"That young man…" Noriko said, smiling. Azula raised an eyebrow. "He handed him over to me when I told him I would bring Tom-Tom to his family. I suppose it's inevitable that we would be enemies…"

"They're the Avatar's group, so it is inevitable," Azula said, bluntly. Noriko smiled and shrugged.

"I couldn't help but think they look like good kids. Much like the three of you do."

Ty Lee giggled, jumping to hug Noriko. Mai, of course, grimaced in displeasure. Azula's heart fluttered stupidly again… but she said nothing other than nodding at Noriko until she heard a strange, scraping sound behind them.

"Well, hello again!"

Azula's jaw dropped at the sight of the King's imprisonment device: the man had somehow bent his way back to the top of the pyramid while still inside it. He laughed in a rather disturbing way as they gaped at him in surprise.

"I'm back! It's not time yet!" he said.

"It… it won't ever be time, actually," Azula said, though she smiled as she stepped towards Bumi. "But… you're back. Which means…"

"You didn't fail," Mai said, simply.

Her work to ensure that Bumi would remain their prisoner hadn't paid off, it was true… but Azula smiled upon registering that Mai was right: unlike how it had been with Zuko's capture, she had succeeded at resolving Omashu's trouble while maintaining control over both the King and Tom-Tom. She hadn't failed. She hadn't caught the Avatar, no… but she hadn't failed.

"Well, then… let's take your brother to your parents, Mai," Azula said, with a proud grin. "We'll be setting out after that."

"To find Zuko and Iroh?" said Ty Lee. Mai raised her eyebrows.

"We're tracking down her brother and uncle?" she asked. Ty Lee smirked knowingly at her.

"It'll be interesting seeing Zuko again, won't it, Mai?" she teased, and Mai finally smiled too.

"It's not just Zuko and Iroh anymore," Azula said, with determination. "We have a third target now."

From that point onwards, their group would travel through new means: Lo and Li would drive the train-tank the Mechanist had designed by the Fire Lord's command, carrying Azula's team in it. The three teenage girls would be ready to strike against their foes as soon as they found any of them.

"This is so noisy," Mai groaned – that, admittedly, was the greater drawback of the chaotic, complex machine.

"It's the best method to travel quickly across the Earth Kingdom. We won't find Zuko and Iroh if we keep traveling on my ship," Azula declared: she and Noriko shared one of the seats of the vehicle while Mai and Ty Lee sat opposite them.

"Or the Avatar," Ty Lee remarked. Azula nodded.

"All the reports my father received were correct: he is only a child after all," Azula said, crossing her legs as she folded her arms over her chest. "I expect we will be able to exploit his inexperience."

"It's not just him, though. He has that waterbender, and the other boy…" Ty Lee said. Azula hummed and nodded.

"The leader," she said. All the group stared at her in confusion. "What? He is their leader."

"How do you know that for sure?" Mai asked.

"The Avatar was standing in front of them, wasn't he?" Ty Lee asked.

"The one holding Tom-Tom was him," Azula said. "And not only that… but you say he didn't confer with the waterbender to confirm he could give you Tom-Tom, did he, Noriko?"

"Oh… he didn't," Noriko confirmed. Azula smirked.

"He makes his own decisions, he doesn't wait for the Avatar or the waterbender to give him permission to do anything, so… he's their leader."

"The non-bender is the leader?" Mai repeated. Azula raised an eyebrow.

"Is that so surprising?" she asked. "You three are non-benders and I chose to travel with you instead of my procession. Is it that unthinkable? The other two appear much younger than him, so…"

"So, it could be a matter of age?" Noriko asked. Azula shrugged.

"Well, whether you're right or not, Azula, I thought he was cute," Ty Lee said, simply. Mai scoffed as Azula sighed, shaking her head.

"Unsurprising…"

"Your tastes are weirder every day," Mai said. Ty Lee gasped, affronted.

"Says someone who thinks Zuko is cute?" Azula asked, smirking derisively at Mai. Mai huffed.

"Well, Zuko is cute too, but so is this guy, and…!" Ty Lee froze suddenly, glancing at Azula. "Wait. I guess you could just be making fun of Mai, but… oh, Azula, do you think the Avatar's friend is cute too?!"

"I… no! I didn't say that!" Azula huffed: her cheeks, however, turned red.

"You didn't not say that either, though!" Ty Lee gasped, eyes wide with delight as Mai covered her face with a hand.

"You two are out of your minds…"

"I'm not…! I never said I thought anything of the sort, he's an enemy, and…!"

"It's forbidden love!" Ty Lee exclaimed, hugging Mai's arm as Azula rolled her eyes.

"You're such a child when you get any ridiculous romance ideas in your head, Ty Lee. Honestly…"

She stopped dismissing Ty Lee, though, when her eyes fell upon Noriko: the woman's gaze glowed with wonderment and Azula tensed up immediately.

"W-what's with you?! What are you looking at me like that for?!"

"Your… your first crush? Sokka is your first crush?!"

"Sokka? Is that his name?!" Ty Lee gasped, clapping happily. "Oh, yes! Oh, I feel this is a wonderful story waiting to happen…!"

"It's not! And he's not my first crush, he's not my first anything!" Azula huffed. Mai raised an eyebrow.

"Could be why you think so highly of him, actually. To the point of assuming a non-bender could be the leader of a group that includes the Avatar…"

"Oh, you three are just… ugh!"

They would be a pain, of course they would be, for however long they cared to be: she wasn't about to admit to having found the tall boy with the boomerang a little handsome, no, otherwise they'd never let her live it down. It didn't matter if he was good-looking or not, though: she had a mission, and that boy was simply in her way. He was inconsequential, for all she truly needed to do was to capture the Avatar, Zuko and Iroh, and bring them to her father as soon as possible.

Their new plan came together a few days later, once they noticed a strange trail of white fur around the southeastern territories of the Earth Kingdom. They marched at full speed, chasing down what Azula pinpointed as fur shed by the Avatar's creature, and they even came across their group at night, in the mountains:

"You should say hi to your crush now that you have the chance…" Ty Lee smiled deviously at Azula, who shot her a scathing glare as the train-tank's door opened.

"Focus, Ty Lee," Azula hissed: within moments, she, Mai and Ty Lee took off at haste on their mongoose dragons, and Azula attacked only to be thwarted by earthbending… ah. Their team had a new member, looked like.

That attempt to attack the Avatar's exhausted group didn't yield results, either, and Azula deeply hoped no one would pretend that she'd failed to capture their foes solely over her alleged interest in that boy. Sokka was his name, was it? Noriko said as much, but… oh, his name didn't matter, all that mattered was seizing the Avatar. They could fly as far as they dared on their bison, but they wouldn't get away for good…

Until their trail led Azula's team to a river.

Azula, Mai, Ty Lee and Noriko climbed off the train-tank when Lo and Li reported something was odd about the fur's pattern. Azula confirmed as much, kneeling by the river and picking up the strange patches of fur while Ty Lee rambled about clumps behind her.

"The trail goes this way," Mai said, pointing towards the nearest batch of fur inland. Azula glared in that direction before rising to her feet, inspecting her surroundings intently.

"Is she looking for him…?" Ty Lee asked. Mai grimaced.

"Could you stop thinking about this crazy romance you've made up for two seconds?" she asked. Ty Lee giggled guiltily and shrugged.

"The Avatar is trying to give us the slip," Azula said, startling her companions and pointing towards a tree: an unnaturally broken branch suggested a flying creature might have collided with it. "We saw him using his glider in Omashu. They washed their furry creature here, and he collected fur with which he's creating a false trail."

"And… you think the bison went that way?" Mai asked, raising an eyebrow as she pointed at the broken tree. Azula nodded.

"You two will head in that direction and keep an eye out for the bison. I'll follow the Avatar's trail," she said, with determination.

"Wait… but the Avatar can't glide with lots of people, can he?" Ty Lee reasoned. Azula raised an eyebrow. "It means Sokka is that way, you know, with the bison! Azula, you should go that way!"

"This isn't the time for your nonsense, Ty Lee!" Azula huffed, glaring at her friend, who pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. "The Avatar is dangerous, and neither of you can fight him. You'll be better served by capturing his allies, you can defeat them far more easily. If you make them our hostages, we will succeed even if I fail to defeat him. We will be able to use them to capture the Avatar and then we shall deliver him to my father. It's as simple as that."

"Ugh, whatever," Mai sighed. Ty Lee pouted.

"You should go meet up with Sokka, though…"

"Curses… weren't you the one who said you found him cute? Go find him yourself, then!" Azula huffed, cheeks flushed. "All the more reason for you to go in that direction!"

"I can't do that to you! He's your first crush!" Ty Lee huffed. Azula covered her face with her hands. "No, no, no! Girl code applies here, I'm deferring to you completely, Azula! Good luck!"

"Don't wish me luck, just get on your mongoose dragon and go find that bison!" Azula huffed. Ty Lee didn't seem as moody anymore as she grinned at her, taking off to obey her orders.

Azula scowled, shaking her head dismissively… until she saw Noriko standing beside her. She raised an eyebrow and Noriko blinked blankly.

"We will be going after the Avatar, right…?" Noriko said. Azula's jaw dropped.

"We? You and me?" Azula repeated. Noriko smiled and nodded. "No, you… you'll go with Mai and Ty Lee as well."

"What? But Princess…!"

"Do as I say, Noriko!" Azula huffed, marching up to her own mongoose dragon and shooting the woman a significant glare.

She didn't allow any further rebuttals from the woman: without another word, Azula took off to follow the false trail of bison fur while Noriko was left behind with Mai and Ty Lee.

"You know… all jokes about her crush aside? Azula has changed a lot," Ty Lee said, with a more serious tone than before. Mai hummed.

"Changed?" Noriko said, glancing over her shoulder. "In what way, if I may ask…?"

"Well… she really cares about you," Ty Lee giggled: Noriko's eyes widened.

"It's as if you're the mother figure she never knew she wanted in life," Mai commented with a bored tone, before sighing. "I can't believe she's being that corny, but anyway… we have to go, don't we?"

"We do! Let's do this!" Ty Lee giggled, urging Noriko to climb on her own mongoose dragon.

The three creatures ran quickly, covering ground in a matter of moments until that large creature showed up in the sky: they heard the young man screeching his companion's name, and their bison was supposed to speed up further… but it dove down towards the ground, instead.

"Well, here's our shot…" Mai said. Ty Lee grinned brightly.

"To get Azula a date with her dream boy!"

"That's not our goal here, Ty Lee…!" Mai grimaced with distaste as her friend sped up further.

Their chase saw the mongoose dragons crossing the river awkwardly: the waterbender attacked them then. Noriko tried to stay out of the way of the two fighters, but she still attempted to help in some ways by distracting the opponents… namely Sokka.

"Hi there!" Noriko called him. Sokka winced. "Remember me?"

"Woah, weird lady!" Sokka exclaimed while dodging Mai's projectiles. "Did you turn the kid over to his family?!"

"Oh, I did indeed!" Noriko exclaimed.

"Well…! Great! Good to know!" Sokka said: he and his companion switched opponents now, and now Ty Lee fought him instead…

"We don't have to fight!" Ty Lee said. "We can just talk things over…!"

"Talk what over?!" Sokka exclaimed: his attempt to attack Ty Lee, however, went nowhere when his arm failed to move after she struck it. "Ugh…!"

"Ty Lee, cut it out!" Mai shouted while battling Katara fiercely. Ty Lee huffed, shaking her head.

"Look, my friend has a crush on you!" Ty Lee revealed, beaming brightly: the rigid Sokka, preparing to raise his weapon, froze on the spot and shot Mai a confused stare. Her reaction, of course, was that of utter disgust.

"Ew, not me!" she roared. Katara snorted.

"What the hell is going on here?!" she exclaimed, freezing Mai's latest attack in midair.

"Don't ask me!" Sokka huffed, as Ty Lee groaned in frustration.

"Princess Azula has a crush on you, Sokka!"

Sokka's jaw dropped. All fighting ceased as the girl in the pink outfit finished making her statement proudly. Mai slapped her face with a hand as Katara, her opponent, marched past her with an outraged expression on her face.

"Y-you just said… huh?!" Sokka froze on the spot, eyes wide – and bloodshot too, for he hadn't slept properly in over a day now.

"Sokka! What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Katara roared.

"You're asking me?! I have no idea either, Katara! I only saw her once in Omashu and…!"

He froze then, blinking blankly as if to remember the girl in question: his confused expression then changed to intrigue, as he raised his eyebrows and tapped his chin with his free hand.

"And she wasn't half-bad, I guess, but…"

"SOKKA!"

"What?! I'm just saying…!"

"The Princess of the Fire Nation has a crush on you?! That's seriously what's going on here?!" Katara asked, glaring at Ty Lee and at Noriko, standing not far behind her. "Is it?!"

"W-well… no, not just that, but we did come after you in the hopes of letting you know that you had an admirer, as well as, uh, well…" Noriko said, biting her lip.

"As well as capturing you and using you as bait to capture the Avatar, next," Mai stated, bluntly: Sokka and Katara glanced at her in horror as Mai stepped forward, to stand along Ty Lee and Noriko. "That's our primary mission, if anything. They're the ones who got that other nonsense into their heads."

"W-wait. But does she actually like me, or…?" Sokka asked: Katara smacked the back of his head. "Hey!"

"Stop fantasizing about dating the Fire Nation Princess! This is war, Sokka!"

"I'm not fantasizing, this could be good for us! If she actually likes me then, uh, I could actually agree to go on a date with her if she promises to leave us alone! How's that?!"

"Unlikely to work, considering you just announced your brilliant plan in front of her allies. Very smart of you," Mai said, deadpan as ever. Sokka winced.

"Uh… I'm sleep-deprived, okay? Not making the soundest decisions ever, no thanks to you, dangerous ladies," Sokka grimaced, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands. Katara, beside him, huffed and shook her head. "Why are you acting like this is my fault?"

"Because…! I mean, it has to be! Why would the Fire Nation Princess feel anything about… ah!"

"Mai!" Ty Lee gasped: her friend had rolled her eyes, clearly bored by the conversation, and she had flung another of her blades in Katara's direction.

"I really thought things would be more interesting once we caught up with them… but it looks like victory is boring," she said, glaring dangerously at the Water Tribe siblings…

A loud roar was the next thing that echoed in the area before the bison's large tail swept over Mai, Ty Lee and Noriko, flinging them right into the river they were fighting by.

The three managed to reach the safety of the shore without much trouble – the water wasn't too deep – but not before the bison and his two humans took off anew. Noriko sighed, biting her lip as she squeezed water from her braid, much as Ty Lee did.

"Well, I hope we didn't ruin Azula's chances with Sokka…" Ty Lee said, and Noriko grimaced.

"We might have. She won't be pleased," she said.

"Won't she? They took off again. Bet they're going to go help the Avatar, so… she'll get to see her 'crush', if he really is that at all," Mai said, rolling her eyes.

She spoke the words carelessly… but they sank in on Noriko after a moment.

The bison would fly in the Avatar's direction… Azula would face their full group on her own?

She might be strong enough to defeat them, she really might be. But Noriko couldn't think rationally whenever her charge was in danger.

"We have to go! Now!" she exclaimed.

They had no choice but to return to Azula's side. Azula might be strong enough to win on her own… but in the case she wasn't, Noriko meant to reach her on time to shield her from any harm, no matter what.

Fighting two opponents didn't prove as taxing as it could have been, no matter how chaotic the fighting area was: the Avatar grew cocky at one point, hovering in the ruins of a building without floors with his strange, swirling ball technique. Azula succeeded at avoiding a fall… and Zuko rushed in recklessly behind her. It was, however, not the Avatar's victory just yet, no matter how distracted he was by Zuko's undignified fall: Azula attacked, and the Avatar's defenses weren't much good this time.

With one powerful blow, Azula succeeded at knocking Zuko down briefly, flinging him through a wall while chasing after the Avatar before he ran away: her razor-sharp firebending tore down chunks of the building, causing the Avatar to fall amid debris… and that meant her victory was as good as guaranteed, at long last.

Azula stepped forward: she shot fire into the crumbled building, causing the boy to gape at her in fear as the blue inferno turned orange once she stopped bending it. She dared smirk, raising a hand menacingly, ready to summon a new burst of blue fire…

A sudden water whip that wrapped around Azula's wrist, yanking her back and away from the Avatar: the waterbender? Curses: Mai and Ty Lee had failed…

"STAY AWAY FROM MY BROTHER!"

Azula blinked blankly as she turned around: the attack she had been readying faltered as she stared at the waterbender in perplexity. Was the Avatar her brother? They looked nothing alike…

"Katara!" the Avatar cried out: Azula scowled before powering her fire again: the water whip struck her anew, but her flames succeeded at causing her new enemy to flee.

Azula ran after her: the Avatar was trapped in debris, but if new people had joined the fray, it meant her intent to capture the boy was about to become more complicated…

Her certainty to fight against the newcomers wavered, however, when she came across the tall boomerang boy, even if he was brandishing a club right now, instead.

"Uh… hi there?" Sokka said, before swinging the club in her direction.

"Sokka!" Katara's shout startled Azula. "Don't flirt with her!"

"I just said hi!"

Azula's eyes widened: her stance nearly broke as she leapt away from them both: flirting? This was a battle!

"What nonsense are you prattling about?!" Azula huffed, aiming a new attack at the boy, who screamed and rushed away from her.

"See? I told you it made no sense! She doesn't like me, her friends are just crazy!"

Azula's eyebrow twitched as her eyes widened.

No way.

Those idiots hadn't told this complete stranger that she had some sort of crush on him, had they?

"What did you just…?" Azula gasped: the Avatar had managed to loosen up the debris by now, though, causing Azula to backtrack as the three made to corner her.

Still, something about the boy's words caused unrest in her chest. She glared at Sokka in particular, trying to sound menacing and intimidating… rather than fearful.

"Where are they? What have you done to my allies?!" she shouted.

"Uh, it was Appa, but they just got soaked in a river," Sokka responded. "I'm sure they're fine, though…"

Azula snarled: she expected Mai and Ty Lee would be alright… but a strange part of her heart suddenly seemed to quake in terror over Noriko's fate. The woman was no fighter, she was hardly a capable rider, let alone could she do more than that… she had sent her away to the safer fight deliberately, to ensure she would be fine. And now…

Now she had to defeat these three in order to return to her.

Well, she'd ensure to bring the captured Avatar with her once she reunited with Noriko, that much was a certainty.

She fought the Avatar's group, finding them far more resilient and skilled at fighting firebenders than she anticipated – she knew herself fortunate that their current location was as dry as it was, otherwise, the waterbender would have been a much bigger threat. Yet while all three of her foes were clearly merciless, the ridiculous banter over her alleged feelings for the tall boy had yet to cease.

"Say what? She likes you, Sokka? Wow!" the Avatar laughed. Sokka made a sound of frustration and exasperation.

"What's so surprising about it?! I'm not a bad catch!"

"I never said I felt anything of the sort!" Azula roared: why the hell were her cheeks flushing? Why the blazes was she embarrassed over something that wasn't even real…?

She had very little time to ponder that when she nearly fell face-first into the dirt: the team's new earthbender knocked off her balance, and the others rejoiced in her apparently unexpected arrival. Azula, however, wouldn't stick around to let her enemies continue gathering their strength. Curses, she had hoped to take the Avatar, but now…

Her attempt to run away was broken by her uncle, who knocked her down with his voluminous belly somehow.

After that, Azula found herself backed into a corner, breathing heavily as her foes closed in around her, including her brother. She smirked as she scanned the opponents, knowing the situation was not in her favor, but the minute she found an opening, even a measly one…

"Are you going to ask her out?" the Avatar blurted out suddenly: Azula's focus broke, just as Iroh glanced at the earthbender.

"Aang!" Sokka huffed: his cheeks were red… much like Azula's were, too.

"Ask her out? Was that what this was about all along?" the earthbender girl smirked. "Guess that's one reason to chase a guy all across the world, huh?"

"That's not what…! Ugh! I have no interest in any of you! Enemies and traitors…" Azula hissed, eyes gliding over the others frantically… only to land on a disgusted Zuko. "What's with the face, Zuzu?"

"Zuzu?!" Sokka and Katara exclaimed as Zuko blushed. Aang snickered.

"That's what she calls him," he confirmed.

"You know what? I think I wouldn't mind asking her out if just because of that," Sokka laughed…

And Azula's stomach fluttered. He just said… what? No. She wouldn't say yes even if he did ask her anywhere, and…!

She was losing her mind. She was losing her grip. What was wrong with her? They were closing in, ready to strike, they were her enemies and she couldn't fall into their control! If she did, then…!

The sudden sound of very heavy and fast footsteps startled her. She frowned, glancing in the direction of the sound as the grounds beneath their feet shook with ripples of heavy movement…

Her jaw dropped when Noriko, riding a mongoose dragon, her hair a chaotic mess, showed up around the corner, running in her direction.

"AZULA!"

The Princess's eyes widened. A few of her opponents actually ventured a glance towards the approaching mongoose dragon, followed by two more such creatures…

"What are you doing…?" was all Azula could say before the creature arrived.

Noriko leaned down, scooping her up as if she were a child, and the mongoose dragon rode off, away from the dangerous scene where Azula had almost become a prisoner to her enemies.

"Wait…!" Katara gasped: she didn't dare attack and, to her surprise, neither did Zuko nor Iroh, much closer to the creature than she had been.

Zuko watched the mongoose dragon with utmost confusion… and his eyes met Noriko's. For a moment, their gazes collided and the older woman offered him sympathy, regret, even… and then she took off anyway, her mongoose dragon trotting off into the distance.

"Wait for me!" Ty Lee exclaimed: she spurred her mongoose dragon to follow the other two, leaving Azula's many opponents to watch as she vanished into the distance.

"What just happened…?" Toph said.

"Sokka's girlfriend got stolen away, I guess," Aang said, with a shrug. Sokka grimaced, cheeks flushing anew.

"She's not my girlfriend! She said she doesn't like me!"

"She does."

"What d'you know?! Uh, wait a second…" Sokka blinked blankly as he realized the one insisting on it had not been any of his friends, let alone Iroh or Zuko…

Instead, it was Azula's companion: the dark-haired one that marched her mongoose dragon up to Zuko. The exiled prince gazed at her in confusion.

"Mai…" he said. "What are you doing here?"

"Azula recruited me to help her find you and your uncle. Guess I found you alright," Mai said. Zuko frowned.

"Well, she's gone and you should go with her too. I'm not letting Azula catch me," he said, stubbornly.

"That's none of my concern. I simply came here to find you," Mai said, bluntly. Zuko raised his sole eyebrow.

"W-wait… you mean you won't turn me in to the Fire Nation?" he asked. Mai blinked blankly.

"Do you want me to?"

"No!"

"Then why would I?" Mai said. "I came here for you, Zuko. I'm staying with you."

Zuko's jaw dropped: Iroh, beside him, let out a hearty giggle, elbowing his ribs gently as his nephew's cheeks lit up.

"I guess you found a lady friend…!" he said.

"Uncle…! Cut it out!" Zuko huffed.

Mai raised an eyebrow before glancing to her right: the Avatar's group, it seemed, was sneaking off silently. The bison wasn't far away, and by the time Zuko noticed they were halfway there, the group broke into a full sprint, climbing on the creature's saddle quickly.

"WAIT!" Zuko roared, but it was obvious the Avatar's group wasn't about to waste their chances to run away. "Damn it… gone again!"

"Zuko…" Iroh said, and his nephew groaned.

"I know, I know… I'll do better next time, damn it, but I was so close!" he growled. Iroh sighed, though a smile lit his face quickly.

"Though… if we catch them eventually, we could just take the Avatar and distract Azula by handing over the boy she likes, should she close in on us!" Iroh declared: Zuko grimaced Iroh grinned at Mai. "Because you say she does like him, do you?"

"Looks like it. I have no idea what she sees in him… but I don't really care," Mai said, simply: her eyes fell upon Zuko again, and he felt his stomach twisting with unexpected nervousness upon realizing that the person Mai had come here for, the only real reason why she had joined Azula, was him…

"We're fugitives," Zuko said. "And we're in danger, Mai, constantly. You're sure you're going to take your chances joining me and Uncle Iroh?"

She smiled: the sight was unusual, and Iroh found it a little foreboding… but Zuko smiled, pleasantly surprised, all in all, by the surprising outcome that day had brought him. Iroh was back by his side… and so was Mai.

"You're fools! Utter fools! Of all the things you could've done… you went and told the enemy that I was romantically interested in him?!"

Hidden away in a distant, abandoned cabin, far from the ghost town where the fight had taken place, Azula stared down Noriko and Ty Lee, who eyed Azula guiltily.

"Well… I thought he looked like he might be interested too," Ty Lee pouted: Azula cried out in exasperation. "And he really did look like it! His sister – I think she's his sister anyway – she was scolding him for it and, well… it was kind of funny, heh. But I mean, Azula…!"

"We were out of line," Noriko said, and Azula turned towards her with a heavy frown. The woman closed her eyes and bowed her head towards the Princess. "I… I thought we could help you find some happiness, but… I made a terrible mistake by not showing better sense or restraint. You were in grave danger, and I… I'm sorry, Princess. I'm sorry."

Azula's anger froze over: the genuine emotion in Noriko's voice took her by surprise. Even Ty Lee seemed confused by how seriously the woman was taking her mistakes… by how worried she had been for Azula's sake. The Princess, however, wasn't about to voice her own emotions just yet. She cleared her throat and shook her head.

"If so… then very well. I accept your apology," Azula said. Ty Lee raised her eyebrows, smiling at Azula. "Hers, not yours. Considering you haven't even apologized…"

"But Azula…!"

"Save it!"

Ty Lee pouted as Azula shook her head: they would rest in the cabin for now, and they'd find whatever they could to eat and feed the exhausted mongoose dragons before making the long trek back to the train-tank. Survival was the priority, not people's feelings, let alone people who didn't seem to care to understand what Azula's actual feelings were, in the first place…

They built a small fire within the hut, and Ty Lee fell asleep quickly after a weak dinner comprised by wild berries that Azula deeply hoped wouldn't be poisonous. She sat within the cabin too, but Noriko sat outside instead. The Princess breathed out slowly before making up her mind to speak with the woman – hours had gone by since the chaotic confrontation in the ghost town, so Azula's frustration had dimmed sufficiently to speak calmly with Noriko, at the very least.

The woman sat right by the door, hugging her knees to her chest. Azula sat beside her, and Noriko spared her a guilty glance.

"You should rest, Princess. I'm keeping watch…"

"You don't have to do that," Azula said, curtly. Noriko smiled sadly.

"I can't do much else for you… I'm as good as a liability. If I can at least ensure that you'll sleep soundly… then my presence here will be justified, regardless of the mistakes I've made."

"Mistakes?" Azula asked. "You mean… telling that boy whatever you told him?"

"Well… that was a mistake too, and we were out of place for certain. I'm sorry about that," Noriko said, eyeing her remorsefully. "I hope… I hope we didn't humiliate you. And that, if you truly feel anything for that boy, well…"

"He's an enemy," Azula said, curtly. Noriko smiled and shrugged.

"He seems like a good boy," she said. Azula raised her eyebrows. "They all do, truth be told. It… it seems like such a waste that this world would be so dark and unpleasant. In other circumstances… all of you might be friends. But as it is…"

"You make a sport of saying treasonous things, seems like," Azula said, softly. Noriko smiled.

"Either way, I… I'm also sorry for intervening without your request or permission. I couldn't… couldn't think properly once I realized you were in danger. All I could do, all I wanted to do, was rescue you…"

"And you did," Azula said, simply. Noriko gritted her teeth.

"You had a chance to finish your two missions… and I took you away before you could do so. I… I would likely do that again, if anything similar happened, and that… that makes me a terrible companion for you, I fear. I care for you so much that… that the mere notion of you being hurt sends me into a spiral of panic. I need to protect you and yet… I'm so weak that I have no idea how to do it. I… I'm sorry, Princess. I'm sorry. I wish I were a better companion than I can be."

Azula's eyes widened: she cared for her…? Well, that was no surprise, Noriko had always watched over her. But that was the first time she had said those words so bluntly, and…

It was the first time anyone had said those words to her, altogether.

Azula flinched, swallowing hard and averting her gaze from the woman: that tingling, growing sensation within her chest seemed to embrace her heart now… to trigger a strange feeling she wasn't sure she had experienced before. Because someone cared for her… someone wanted her to be safe, even if it was someone who had next to no tools, no means to ensure that she would be.

But Noriko had looked after her for three years. She had fixed Azula's hair, helped her make better choices with her makeup, talked with her about anything Azula wanted to talk about, and sat in silence whenever Azula wanted silence, too. She had taken care of Azula's laundry, of fixing her bed, of bringing her every meal, accompanying her to places, even places as distant as the Earth Kingdom's southeastern territories, where they were now…

She had jumped into what could have been mortal danger today, too, just to pick up Azula and take her to safety.

"For someone who… who feels so weak, it's quite unnerving how strong you are," Azula said, with a small smile. "No one else stands up to me as much as you do, so… don't sell yourself so short, Noriko."

"I… w-well, I'm glad that doesn't displease you much, if so," Noriko said, smiling a little too. Azula breathed deeply, glancing at her with uncertainty.

"You probably shouldn't have done what you did. And I… I probably should have scolded you for it. But the odds weren't in my favor today. Even if I managed to flee somehow, I… I would have never captured Zuko, Iroh or the Avatar. And Mai stayed with Zuko, to boot… not that it's surprising, really."

"She has always… uh, always liked him, I understand?" Noriko asked. Azula nodded.

"I suppose what you and Ty Lee started about me and this boy amused her only so she could get back at me for all my teasing of her crush on him," Azula sighed.

"Is… Zuko good to her?" Noriko asked. Azula raised an eyebrow.

"Good?" she repeated. "In what sense, exactly?"

"Do you think they could have a… a healthy relationship?" Noriko asked. Azula scoffed.

"Unlikely… though that's true to any members of my family, I suppose," Azula said, with a shrug. "We're royal. Very little about us can be healthy, Noriko."

"I suppose that makes sense, but…" Noriko said, sighing. "I suppose I had hopes that the two of you might find happiness, regardless of the family's pressures."

"Happiness isn't a priority," Azula said, simply. "The Fire Nation and the Fire Lord are. All our happiness should come from…"

"From serving him?" Noriko asked. Azula nodded, though her brow furrowed slightly. "You have experienced happiness, though… haven't you? If only in small ways."

"I don't know," Azula said, simply – her heart, fickle and treacherous, urged her to say yes.

"If not…" Noriko said, gritting her teeth. "Then I hope you do, in the future. As I hope Zuko does, too, no matter if, well… if sometimes it feels like I don't know who he is anymore."

"Oh? Because of his scar?" Azula asked. Noriko winced, but she shook her head.

"His scar… the physical side of it isn't all there was to his pain," she said. "His father's rejection, his failure to rise to his expectations… all of it must have devastated him. But the truth is, I… I don't think he's ever noticed me, Princess. I stood between the two of you, and…"

"And he shoved you off," Azula repeated, scowling.

"Right now, he stared at me and… and it felt like the first time he's properly seen at all," Noriko said, biting her lip "I'm worried about his demeanor, his behavior, his treatment of others. When I started working for him, at the Palace, I… I felt invisible. As though he couldn't see me because all he could see was his father. The only thing that mattered was pleasing him… and those of us who weren't Ozai were as good as insignificant. You, of course, weren't insignificant, but…"

"But I was an obstacle in his path. A challenge he needed to prove himself superior to," Azula finished. Noriko grimaced. "Mai… she was a girl who liked him, and I suppose that boosted his self-esteem even higher than it got boosted after he became heir to the throne. You'd have thought he'd always been born to be Fire Lord, with the way his confidence grew in the years since… since Father's coronation."

"I believe he… he is a good boy. That his heart is in the right place," Noriko said. "But… he's gone astray in ways I never anticipated. So I… I'm left to wonder if I knew him at all. I suppose I should ask you, shouldn't I? About… about who your brother really is,"

"You know who he is," Azula said, simply. "The Crown Prince in Exile…"

"That's his title. That's not who he is."

It wasn't the first time Noriko said words of the sort. The conviction with which she spoke them made Azula self-aware, and she shivered as she glanced at the stern woman beside her.

"What he's been through would change and hurt anyone… it's been a scarring, damning experience in ways most of us would never understand. I know I'll never truly understand his pain… I hope you don't, either," Noriko said, gazing at Azula heartily. "It isn't out of lack of empathy that I say what I do, only… out of fear of who he might have become in the years of his exile. Even if he was so keen on chasing after his father when I first knew him… he wasn't the volatile, angry young man we've met since your mission began. He was fighting you, wasn't he? He wasn't… wasn't helping you capture the Avatar."

"He wants to capture the Avatar himself," Azula said, simply. "I suppose it never occurred to him that, if he fought alongside me, perhaps the two of us could be victorious…"

"But the Avatar is just a boy," Noriko said. Azula grimaced.

"He's a mission."

"He's more than that. Just as you are more than a Princess, and Zuko more than a Prince in exile," Noriko said. Azula gritted her teeth: she could have simply dismissed Noriko's insolences, been affronted by them… but she glanced at her with confusion instead.

"You say that, but… how are you so sure?" Azula asked. "I… I've been my father's daughter all my life. Whatever he wants from me, I deliver the results he requires of me. That's my purpose. That's…"

"You are more than your father's orders. So is Zuko," said Noriko.

Her hand reached out, clasping Azula's gently. The Princess's shame urged her to yank her hand away… but she didn't. For some reason, she didn't.

"I wished to know who Zuko is, if you have any better notion of the answer than I do… for if he's nothing without his title, it means all the potential I know he has in his kind heart is going to waste."

Azula's eyes widened. Her hand, still in Noriko's, trembled slightly.

"Potential?" she repeated. Noriko nodded. "You… you don't mean, of course, as Fire Lord. You mean… as an individual? As a person?"

"Of course," Noriko sighed, closing her eyes sorrowfully. "A good man might not be able to be a great king… but I'd rather he is a good man above all else."

Azula frowned. A good man? Was Zuko one? Whether he was or wasn't… Azula herself certainly wasn't a good person. Noriko would be quite disappointed if she saw Azula without her titles, then, if she got to know her for who she was…

But in truth, the notion of lacking her title was as terrifying as it was intriguing. She certainly didn't want to empathize with Zuko's position much, but what would she do, were she in a similar situation? Granted, she was traveling the Earth Kingdom, hoping to obtain victories for the Fire Nation that she would later offer her father as a sign of her effectiveness, her loyalty, her true devotion to his cause… but she was traveling with Noriko, now with Ty Lee as well, while living as distantly from the luxurious life she had ever indulged in – a dinner comprised by wild berries? She'd never eaten anything as weak as that for a meal. A needling, prickling fear kept gnawing away at her insecurities, too: what if she failed? What if she couldn't capture Zuko and Iroh? What if the Avatar gave her the slip, too? There was one more endeavor, one thing her father wanted done in the Earth Kingdom and, as far as she knew, the Drill might already be on its way to Ba Sing Se… could she join that mission, even take command in it, in order to claim an important victory to prove to her father that she wasn't useless?

If so… she would be no better than Zuko.

Even if her father had given her all the resources he had, she was constantly faced by failure. Needing a victory, any victory, to prove she wasn't as weak as her brother was embarrassing: she knew herself better than him, why would she need to prove otherwise? Yet Ozai's harshness, the unyielding steel of her father's glare, daunted her whenever she recalled it. He wouldn't care whether she was a better firebender or a better strategist or a better leader if she had no results to prove it. If he concluded that he'd squandered countless resources on her only for her efforts to yield no fruit…

In a twisted sort of way, it seemed she would discover who she was without a title eventually, whether she liked it or not.

"How…?" Azula said, swallowing hard before composing her words fully. "How do you know someone isn't a good person? Or if they are one, anyway? Zuko… well, he's not exactly stellar in my opinion. But… I suppose he has some manner of instinctive bravery that makes him charge into everything without hesitation. Is that a sign of a good person?"

"I… suppose it's a sign of recklessness, truth be told," Noriko said. "He should take better care of himself, but…"

"He hardly thinks he should, I expect, for our father has made it clear that he's a failure," Azula said. "He's desperate to prove otherwise."

"He wants his father's love and approval," Noriko said. Azula gritted her teeth.

"And I'm no better."

Her confession spilled before she knew what she was doing. Noriko's eyes widened, but Azula offered her a dry, insincere grin.

"I won't lie to myself about something as obvious as that," she said. "Nor is there any point in lying about it to you. I… I don't know if Zuko is, down to his core, a decent person… I do know I'm not one, myself."

"Azula, that's not…"

She glanced at Noriko with a slight frown: the woman paused upon realizing she hadn't spoken with the appropriate respect for one of her position, even if she had such slipups quite often. She pulled her hand back nervously, lowering her gaze.

"Princess… you are young. You are still getting to know yourself. You still have chances and opportunities to… to discover you are more than who you think you are."

"And if I'm not?" Azula said, eyeing Noriko skeptically. "You… you may think everyone is like you. You're too kind, if anything… and most people aren't like you. I know I'm not."

"You helped your brother when no one else did," Noriko said. Azula tensed up. "His ship… it was your doing. His crew, even the opportunity to travel with Iroh…"

"I… I only did that because it was convenient for me," Azula said, stubbornly. "Because without Zuko nearby, my position as my father's heir was cemented further. And I convinced Father solely because he wanted Iroh gone, too. I… I offered him a way to achieve both his goals in a single choice."

"And in doing so, you ensured your brother would have a chance to fulfill his mission with a faithful companion, his uncle," Noriko said. Azula gritted her teeth. "I… I fear I don't believe that's your true motive, Azula. You hide behind all these walls, these pretenses of cruelty solely because it's what you believe your father would approve of… probably because it is. He has spent years teaching you to crush any obstacles in your way… and you have spent those years learning how to circumvent them quietly instead, I suspect."

"You're wishful," Azula said, stubbornly. Noriko raised her eyebrows.

"Am I, truly?" she asked. The Princess scoffed.

"What I said before… you're too kind. Too nice. You're too good a person, and that somehow has convinced you that the rest of us are just like…"

"I'm not a good person, Azula. I haven't been one for a long time."

The Princess's jaw dropped: she stared at Noriko in utter disbelief, finding the woman crestfallen, her head bowed in apparent remorse.

"Of all the things you've said tonight, that's by far the most ridiculous one," Azula blurted out. "If you're a bad person, the rest of us don't stand a chance."

"You… you don't know who I was. Who I've been. The things I've done…" Noriko said, shaking her head. Azula raised an eyebrow. "I…"

For a moment, it seemed as though Noriko was going to say something vital. To confess something that would get a massive weight off her back… just as it would cause her situation to grow more muddled and complicated. The anticipation increased as she looked at Azula… until her expression changed, and she offered the girl a sad smile.

"I've hurt people with my actions. I've… done things I shouldn't have," she concluded. "I… I never told you, did I? That I… was married, once?"

"You were?" Azula raised her eyebrows. "You're not anymore?"

"Actually? I… I suppose I still am," Noriko said, grimacing. "All the more reason to conclude I am a bad person, isn't it? I… I married someone, when my heart yearned for someone else."

Azula's eyes widened. She blinked blankly for a moment, trying to process the information as Noriko breathed deeply, shaking her head.

"I was but a girl… a foolish, mindless girl who got swept up by fantasies. The man who loved me… he asked me to marry him. I agreed to it, we had been together since we were children, it felt like, and… and I thought I'd build a life with him. But then… a better offer came along, you could say. It was only better in terms of social advancement, truthfully, and yet I had no choice but to accept the deal, because…"

"It was what your family expected from you," Azula concluded. Noriko nodded.

"I married the second man, and… and for a long time I simply yearned for the past. Eventually, I learned to live life as best as I could with my husband, but it wasn't easy. The bad parts outdid the good. Eventually, he… he forced me to leave."

"He forced you?" Azula said, frowning. "He sent you away? And you're still married, even so?"

"I don't know… perhaps he saw our marriage legally dissolved and dismissed since then, I truly don't know," Noriko said, sighing and shaking her head. "But I… I left. I left behind so many things I treasured… and I only truly understood how badly I wanted it all back once I was faced with the impending reality that I had lost it all forever. Perhaps if… if I'd made different choices, I wouldn't have lost those I cared about…"

"You cared about him, in the end?"

"No… about our children."

Azula froze. Children? Noriko had…?

Her suspicions were right then. Her motherly behavior made far more sense if seen in this light. Was she projecting her children onto Azula, where Iroh did the same with Zuko? Her foolish heart tingled at that notion, somehow…

"I should have never left them… I should have never allowed my husband to send me away," Noriko sobbed, shaking her head as tears spilled down her face. "But I left… and I found the man who loved me, afterwards."

"You… you did?" Azula asked. "The first one? Did he take you back, or…?"

"He would have… had I allowed him to," Noriko said, swallowing hard. "We traveled together for some time and I… I tried to deceive myself into believing this was what I wanted. That this was the life I deserved to live. But ultimately… I was no longer the girl he had once loved. And he was no longer the man who had once loved me, either. He had changed, too… maybe for the better, I cannot say for sure, but he had changed regardless. I cared for him, though… just, not in the way I did once. The very notion of… of forsaking even the memory of my children and playing blind, foregoing my claim upon my identity, upon everything I was, all be it to indulge in a mindless fantasy of love? I… I couldn't do it. I broke his heart with my choices, I know I did… but I couldn't stay with him."

Azula swallowed hard. Noriko sighed, wiping the tears from her eyes as she smiled sadly.

"So… I broke the heart of the man who loved me. I left my children under the care of their father, who… who I'm sure hasn't cared for them at all. And all I can do is… is look after you as best as I can, Azula. Because even if I know I'm not much… I still hope I can justify my existence by being helpful, useful, to you."

"You've… you've been more than that."

Noriko gasped. She glanced at Azula… just in time for the Princess's hand to fall on hers now.

"I… I don't think that what you've said sounds like you're a bad person. But I suppose… I'm bad enough that nothing short of my own cruelty would faze me," Azula said, with a weak smile. "At least… at least you feel bad about leaving your children behind. At least you grieve for that. If I were in your shoes, I… I would have forsaken anything that I thought weighed me down and I wouldn't have looked back. So… if I'd felt any affection for that man, I probably would have simply chosen him. You didn't, though."

"I… I didn't," Noriko said, breathing deeply.

"I take it you couldn't return to your children, could you?" Azula asked. "Not with the father in the way, doing whatever he could to keep you away…"

"I… I've tried, but…" Noriko said, with a sad smile.

"Well… once we return to the Fire Nation, I can help you sort it out," Azula said. Noriko's eyes widened. "If you had told me of this sooner, I might have…"

"Oh, Princess, you don't have to do anything at all…"

"I do, though. You… you're a better person than you think you are, and I'm sure you'd be able to see it if you return to your kids," Azula said, firmly. Noriko smiled sadly at her.

"And then… then you claim it is me who is too kind? Princess…"

"I'm willing to do this for you, it doesn't mean I'm any better than I say I am," Azula said, curtly. "I… I envy your children, I'll say. They'll be grateful once you return to them. Once they… they realize that you've done everything in your power to be with them. My mother… she left, and she didn't even say goodbye. So… as you can see, it's not easy for me to think you're an awful person, no matter how you argue that you are one. I'm used to… to a lot worse than anything you've been capable of, Noriko."

The woman's eyes appeared to betray something deeper than Azula could understand… but she smiled sadly, squeezing Azula's hand gently.

"Perhaps we are both wrong, then. And we're both better people than we think we are."

"In your case, certainly. In mine…"

"Oh, Princess…"

Azula smiled, despite herself, at Noriko's frustrations. The woman appeared determined to defend Azula from herself… it was endearing, even. But after their conversation tonight, Azula couldn't help but feel they had grown closer… that they had cemented a strange familial bond that had been latent so far, and that she only truly appreciated now.

She had a strange sort of mother in Noriko, she supposed… but a mother, indeed. She was someone she could count on, someone she could genuinely trust… and that was such a novel, strange notion after her father had told her, numerous times, that trust was weakness. That believing in others blindly would result in nothing but betrayal. That they would hurt her and turn on her at any chance they got… but just one look at the kind-hearted Noriko persuaded her otherwise at once.

"I'm grateful… that you still wish to have me by your side," Noriko said, with a heartfelt grin. "I hope I never give you cause to feel any differently. Whatever you want from me, Princess, I…"

"Well, if that's the case, I would very much like for you to stop telling that Water Tribe boy that I like him," Azula said, startling Noriko.

"I… yes. Of course, Princess, I… I overstepped all boundaries," Noriko said, swallowing hard. "You may still have a chance with him, though, if…"

"I… come on. That's not… not relevant at all," Azula said, frowning. "It's not like he would ever consider starting a relationship with someone from the Fire Nation, he likely despises all of us altogether. And even if he were strange enough to be interested in me, well… my father would never approve. He would never let me be with someone he can't approve of."

"Solely because he's Water Tribe?" sighed Noriko. "I suppose he wouldn't be pleased, but… Sokka does seem to be a good boy. I really think all of you could be friends, if anything were different… even Zuko."

"Well, nothing is, I fear," Azula said, breathing deeply.

They sat in silence for a moment, watching the twinkling stars above, the silence of the dry land that spread before their eyes. In that moment, Azula built her resolve to ask a question she never thought she'd speak… but upon letting Noriko into her heart as she had, it became slightly easier to feel like she could share her thoughts with her. Like she could ask questions and not be judged or ridiculed for them. Thus, she breathed deeply, her voice trembling slightly as she blurted out.

"What… what is it like, falling in love?"

Noriko raised an eyebrow. Azula's cheeks heated up as she turned her gaze away from the woman.

"I only ask because… well, it hasn't really happened to me, I don't think. All your insistence about this boy, Sokka… I don't think it makes any sense, but I just thought I'd find out if there's anything in common between that notion and, well, whatever all of you have assumed I feel towards him."

Her awkward explanations made her feel more self-aware yet… and Noriko's answer took her by surprise.

"Falling in love… to be honest, I'm not sure I've ever experienced it. Not in the way people usually talk about it," she said. Azula frowned.

"But… you were going to marry that man, and then you married the other man? You had no feelings for either of them?"

"I had feelings for the first of them, yes, but… I was young. I didn't truly understand my heart, and… and he understood his all too well. Before I knew it, I was in a relationship with him and it was even comfortable, I suppose, but… it feels like I never truly made the choice to be with him myself," Noriko said, with a sigh. "It was as though, because we grew up together, it was expected that our bond would become romantic… and I never truly slowed down to think it through. Not until I was walking away for good. By then… I realized that maybe I just wanted to return to him because he was all I knew, and that maybe I didn't love him as deeply as I had realized I could love someone…"

"What do you mean?" Azula asked. Noriko smiled sadly.

"What I felt for my children… that was love. The purest, truest love I ever experienced. It was love, because I… my heart was lighter whenever they were around. Every dark thing in my life faded away as long as I was with them. They were so young, and conflictive… but deep down I just wanted them to be friends, just as I wanted to look after them myself. I wanted to protect them forever… and I couldn't do that. To this day, nothing I've ever done fills me with sorrow as that awareness.

"I wanted to help them find happiness. Their laughter, their joy… they brought a smile to my face every day, and I wanted to ensure theirs would last for as long as possible. I wanted them safe, protected from the horrors of this world. I wanted them to live in peace, even if it wouldn't be likely to happen in a world at war. Their needs, their hopes… they were so much more important than my own. Nothing could have mattered more… nothing has ever mattered more to me. In the end… I lived for them. To this day, I live on for them. Without them, I would be lost. I would have no true purpose. I suppose… you could say they're the ones who taught me who I was. The ones who taught me how I wanted to live my life. And every day I'm away from them, I… I feel this anguish inside me, this dread that I might never be with them again. That, even if I returned… they might not want or need me anymore. And that would hurt, yes, but… but even if that were the case, I'd be happy as long as they are, too. I would accept it, so long as they can live the lives they deserve to live. That is all that matters."

Azula blinked blankly as Noriko breathed out slowly, turning a sad smile upon the girl beside her. Azula swallowed hard, turning her gaze away.

"Well… safe to say I'm not falling in love with that boy, if that's what I'm supposed to be feeling for him," she concluded, cheeks reddening. Noriko laughed, squeezing her hand gently.

"Oh, dear…" she said: Azula's eyes widened upon hearing an unusual term of endearment used on her. "This is the way you'll feel once you have established a proper bond, first. And it's true… it might not be him. But if the day comes when you find someone you care for, if you allow that relationship to blossom fully… you may come to feel exactly as I feel about my children. Thus… I can't really tell you much about falling in love, I fear. If I ever truly loved Ikem, I hardly noticed the 'falling in love' stage, personally. Like I said… it felt like we were always together, like our relationship was a given. So… you'll have to explore that for yourself, Azula. Whether now or in the future."

Azula swallowed hard but shrugged. Her cheeks were red still over her recklessness upon asking such a question… also over the answers she had received. Imagining herself feeling anything quite as profound as what Noriko had described towards that Water Tribe boy sounded idyllic and quite unlikely…

"In the future, at best," Azula said, shaking her head. "It's not like I had any manner of certainty about him as a potential match for me, but then you and Ty Lee told him I liked him. I don't even know if I do or not, to begin with. Him being handsome is beside the point…"

"True. Though you took notice of his leadership, and I think you may have some respect for him…"

"I have to respect my opponent, especially if it's one I have yet to outdo," Azula said, simply. "But either way… like I said before, nothing is bound to come from this, and not solely because of that. My father… even if I ever grew to feel what you explained, he'd never accept it."

"Well… you'll call me treacherous anew for saying so, but your heart is more important than your father's approval," Noriko stated, simply. Azula frowned.

"My… heart?" Azula said, with a slow, derisive smile. "Well, that sounds wishful of you, but… I don't think I have one. At least… my mother didn't think I did."

"W-what…?" Noriko said: her face paled, and Azula eyed her with uncertainty.

"Well, she… she thought I was a monster," Azula said, with a shrug now. "It's not like she's wrong, so…"

"Azula…!"

Noriko's voice suddenly sounded terribly familiar. Again, it reminded her of the way someone had scolded her, long ago, whenever she misbehaved. Even that frown on her face… Azula almost flinched away, shocked by her companion's reaction. What had she said that could be so outrageous? She was a monster… that was what her mother believed, so why…?

She couldn't elaborate a single thought, or say any words, before Noriko made her next move.

Azula froze cold, the impact of Noriko's choice flooring her at once. A flush rose over her face over how reckless and outrageous this woman dared be…

She was hugging her.

Noriko was hugging her.

She had no memory of ever being hugged this way. Ty Lee was rather given to quick, random embraces, but not this way. Not with as strong emotions as the ones Noriko conveyed now. Not with that intensity... not with that affection.

Azula shivered, raising her hand as to push Noriko away… knowing, quickly, that the woman wouldn't yield. So… it would be a waste to try to make her stop doing this and remember their social standing. She wouldn't listen, anyway, it was pointless to try and fight off this embrace, so…

So her hands fell upon her companion's back. Her face wound up pressed to her shoulder as Noriko's grip around her tightened.

"I… I'm so sorry," she said. Azula gritted her teeth.

"You don't have to…"

"I do. You're not… you never were a monster. You could never be a monster! Your mother… she was a miserable, foolish woman with no notion of the severity of her words and actions…"

"You can't… c-can't keep saying those sorts of treasonous things," Azula said, though her heart churned upon hearing those words.

"She was… she was unworthy of her children. Unworthy of calling herself your mother," Noriko said: tears spilled down her face as she shook her head repeatedly. "She didn't see… she didn't see what I've seen. She didn't know you as I do. She didn't understand you… a-and wherever she is, I guarantee she… she regrets failing you every day, for she could never be the mother you deserved. But… but that's not what matters. What matters is your wellbeing, Azula, your… your peace of mind. You're not a monster, Azula… you were never one. Any fool who would think so… is far more monstruous than you could ever hope to be."

Azula shivered, uncertain of how to answer those words. Uncertain if they warranted an answer at all. She should warn Noriko not to say anything so treacherous again, or else she'd be in trouble, and–…

A soft sob burst from her lips before she knew it.

Only upon hearing her own choked sound did Azula realize that tears were spilling down her cheeks, too.

She held onto Noriko tightly, unable to temper or restrain her tears. Unable to process what the woman's words truly meant just yet. Knowing that someone didn't think her to be a monster, however… Noriko, the strangely kind-hearted woman who had somehow chosen to take care of her, didn't think she was a monster. She wasn't here solely because it was her job… she truly cared about Azula. She truly cared…

The words she had spoken earlier about her children rang powerfully within her heart: was that how Noriko felt about her? Was that why she was so defensive over Azula, so willing to lash out at Ursa…? Did Noriko actually love her?

The realization broke her down even further: whether the tears were caused by sadness over thoughts of her mother, or over relief to know someone appeared to love her unconditionally, they still spilled from her eyes and unleashed the depths of her despair and hope, of her passion and misery. The restraints that Azula herself, her father, her advisors and even her mother had bound around her throughout her fourteen years of life came undone, leaving her bare, pure and true to who she was, for the first time in her life.

They had meant to return to the train-tank by morning, but it seemed their feeble meal of berries didn't sit so well with Ty Lee or with the mongoose dragons. The former circus performer had woken up groaning and moaning over a stomachache – she had certainly eaten more than Azula and Noriko had. The Princess had left Noriko to care for her friend, then, and she had taken a walk in the nearby areas, wandering the dry canyon lands they had wound up taking refuge at. It was easy to miss the Fire Nation in lands as foreign and distinct as those of the Earth Kingdom… lands she knew she didn't belong in, and where she didn't seek any manner of belonging, either.

Noriko's words from the previous night continued to round her mind: the notion of learning who she was without her title, of discovering her true self without the privileges, the luxury… what about her bending? She had always considered that to be a crucial part of who she was… but it wasn't everything she was, either. Noriko might even think it wasn't that important… not as important as her choices, or her understanding of the world, at least.

It was so strange that a woman like her would have as much power over Azula as she did. So strange that Azula would allow her to hold that power, too… but after last night, it was easy to understand why she did. After last night, she couldn't help but cling to the first time she had been hugged in such a genuine way. The first time she had ever heard someone dismissing her mother's words… something about the passionate defense Noriko had made of Azula had struck her as odd. Had she known Ursa, perhaps? Did they have a clash at some point or another? Was Ursa somehow responsible for something terrible that had befallen Noriko? Her vitriol towards her mother should have shocked Azula, it should have even upset her… perhaps Ursa was right, and she was a monster after all, for she had even felt relief upon hearing someone convey something other than praise and admiration towards the Fire Lord's missing wife. She would have taken a stand to defend Ursa, she supposed, if only she were a better person… but she wasn't one. She had felt appeased for once in her life… for once, she had felt understood. Her experiences hadn't been dismissed in the face of every good thing Ursa had done… of how nice she had been to Zuko. Whatever Noriko's reasons might be, she had thoroughly shaken up Azula's heart last night, and the Princess still had no idea of what to do about it…

Her ruminations were interrupted by a sudden scream, coming from a cluster of trees on a lower area of the canyon: a male scream, she thought, but she couldn't be sure. She had thought there was no one nearby… wary, and ready for any confrontation, she approached the source of the voice slowly.

Azula's footsteps were as quiet as could be – it was made all the easier by the strange noises drifting from what she soon noticed to be a crack on the ground. Azula frowned, approaching steadily…

Her eyes widened, and she gasped, when she saw Sokka's head, as well as some of his fingers, poking out of the crack on the ground.

Her gasp alerted him that he wasn't alone. He whimpered, turning his head towards her, perhaps hoping to ask for help… then he noticed who she was, and he flinched.

"Oh, just my luck. Dinner runs away and then she shows up…" he groaned, glaring at her. Azula scoffed, glaring right back. "Don't even think about it!"

"Well, well… the Avatar's friend," Azula said, with a slow smirk. "Did you get left behind somehow? They must be rather ruthless if they decided to abandon you this way. Was it some manner of mutiny?"

"Mutiny?" Sokka repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"You know the meaning of the word, don't you? As you're their leader, they decided to rebel against you and buried you here…" Azula said: Sokka's eyes widened.

"I… ha! You think I am the leader too, don't you?!" Sokka exclaimed, smiling. Azula raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I'm going to tell Katara that you… u-uh, anyway, that's not it though. They didn't bury me here, it was an accident."

"You… fell into this crack by accident?" Azula said, blinking blankly. Sokka grimaced. "Heh. Well, that's… not very dignified of you. Maybe you really aren't the leader after…"

"I am, though!" Sokka exclaimed, blushing as he squirmed awkwardly in the crack. "Ugh! This stupid, damn…!"

Azula raised an eyebrow as she watched him struggle against his restraints. His hair was slightly disheveled right now, with a few strands hanging loosely around his head. It wasn't an unappealing appearance, she supposed, but she'd do best to do something other than admire him mindlessly.

"Then I take it your friends are around here?" Azula asked.

"Yeah, and yours aren't, so I don't know what you hope to pull off, but you'd better save it," Sokka grunted. "Aang's already becoming an earthbending master, and he's going to have you biting his dust if you try to attack him now…"

"That… sounds unlikely," Azula said. Sokka frowned. "You're lying, aren't you? He's nowhere close to being a master yet."

"I… how do you know I was lying?" Sokka grimaced. Azula smirked.

"You're terribly transparent. No matter if you're just a head on the ground," Azula said, breathing deeply. "I appreciate the information, of course…"

"Augh!" Sokka scowled: she hadn't known all along that it was a lie, but he had wound up confirming as much by blurting out that foolish question. He eyed her warily, and Azula smirked at him.

"Anything else you'd like to share?" she asked.

"Heh, not a chance. What're you going to do, set me on fire, huh?!" Sokka asked, confrontationally.

"Well, that would be no fun while you're stuck in the ground this way, I have to say," Azula smirked. Sokka pouted.

"Then… what, I'm at your mercy?" Sokka asked. "Well, you're getting nothing from me! Be it information or anything else…!"

"Anything else?" Azula asked, raising an eyebrow. Sokka's cheeks flushed, and her own did too. "I… no. Don't even… I told you that's not what's going on here! I don't even know you!"

"Yeah, and I don't know you either! So clearly, we have nothing to do with each other on a personal level, right?" he said. Azula scowled at him. "Therefore… y-you wouldn't try to kiss me while I'm helpless or something, right?"

"That… would be very uncomfortable. I would have to crawl on all fours to do it. That sounds undignified and stupid," Azula said, pointedly. Sokka snorted.

"Well… that's an argument I can accept, I guess," he said. "You do have standards, huh?"

"Evidently," Azula said, glaring at him pointedly. Sokka blinked blankly before balking.

"Hey! I'm a real catch! Your friends think so anyway, and surely you think so too, or else they wouldn't think you…"

"They were entirely out of line by deciding who I allegedly have any manner of interest in," Azula scoffed, glaring at Sokka. He winced, pouting slightly. "I never said I liked you."

"Oh…?" Sokka blinked blankly. "Then… you don't like me? Really?"

Azula frowned as she stared at him: something about those blue eyes was terribly compelling… though she could as good as hear the gears inside his mind turning. Much as those inside her own head did.

He genuinely thought she liked him. If he was so foolish as to assume as much… then she could, perhaps, profit off his assumption. She might be able to convince him that it was true, all in a bid to ensure he would underestimate her… Azula raised her eyebrows, and her pause caused him to eye her even more warily.

"You really don't, do you?"

"I… never said I didn't, either," Azula said: her cheeks flushed stupidly, but she certainly hoped that would make her pretense more believable. Sokka scoffed.

"Are you sure?" he said. "Look, I get that the appeal of a guy like me can be difficult to resist for a girl like you…"

"A girl like me?" Azula repeated, blinking blankly and folding her arms over her chest. "And just what is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, you know… handsome? Smart? Terribly unlucky?" Sokka said, with a sigh. "Oh, who am I kidding? To be honest, when your friend said you liked me I just… kind of blanked for a minute. I mean, a crush at first sight's not an unthinkable concept, but I don't think a girl like you would…"

"What does that mean, exactly?" Azula said, stepping closer to Sokka and glaring at him pointedly before kneeling beside him. "A girl like me? What kind of girl am I?"

"W-well… you're Fire Nation. And you're a Princess," Sokka swallowed hard… and his cheeks reddened as he tore his eyes away from her. "And you're pretty. So I figure if you want a boyfriend you'd get yourself some Fire Nation guy rather than me, right? That part never made sense to me, and it still doesn't, so that's why it's easier to believe you don't like me. See?"

"You…" Azula blinked blankly before blurting out a question without even thinking it through. "You really think I'm pretty?"

Sokka frowned, glancing up at her: she seemed… surprised. Innocently so. That certainly wasn't what he had expected from the Fire Nation Princess. Was she that vain? That didn't look like vanity, truth be told. Insecure, then…?

"I mean… I have eyes," Sokka said, shrugging weakly and wincing for the difficulty in doing so while stuck in that hole. "Damn it! Anyway, well… is it that big a deal if I do? You're not going to actually like me now just because I said that, are you?"

"I… no!" Azula said, with a nervous smile: her cheeks remained red enough to match her clothes. "That would be… foolish. I'm well aware of how appealing I am for boys like you, so…"

"Great! And I'm aware of how appealing I am for girls like you," Sokka said, with a dry grin. "We've reached a nice understanding, haven't we, dangerous lady?"

"Dangerous…?" Azula repeated. Sokka smiled a little.

"It's kind of what I figured I'd call you and your friends…"

"My name is Azula," she replied, curtly. Sokka raised his eyebrows. "It… it's fitting for you to know it, considering I know yours. Sokka, isn't it?"

"Oh… huh. I guess you heard it at some point… Katara did shout a lot of weird things yesterday," Sokka said, with a weak smile.

"My handmaiden told me what it was, actually. She's the one you handed Tom-Tom to," she said. Sokka raised an eyebrow. "Mai's little brother? The child?"

"Ah! Oh. I see now," Sokka said. "She's a bit old compared to everyone else traveling with you, huh?"

"Not really. The drivers of the train-tank are older," Azula said. Sokka grimaced. "We are quite diverse in that sense, you see…"

"Is it safe to have older people driving a big dangerous vehicle…?" Sokka said. Azula smirked.

"Not really, but the vehicle isn't trying to be safe, so… I can't pretend I care," she said. Sokka blinked blankly. "At any rate, as fascinating as it may be for us to chat this way, I'm assuming you'd like to get out of there, wouldn't you?"

"Oh… yeah! But, um, well…" Sokka eyed her apprehensively, and Azula smirked at him. "Not that I want to reject your offer, if that's what you're offering? But if you want something from me once I'm out of here, eh, well, I don't think that's going to happen. I'm not handing Aang over to you."

"Is that the only thing you'd refuse to do?" Azula asked, probing him without much subtlety. Sokka blinked blankly.

"Uh… I won't hand Katara, either. Or Toph. Or myself, if I can help it…" he said. Azula smirked.

"Alright. How about… if I ask you to abandon them and join me?" she teased. Sokka scoffed. "Ah, see? There are other things you wouldn't be open to doing after all…"

"Well, I'm not down for eating rocks either, but I wouldn't think you'd tell me to do that! And believe me, I've tried, it's not fun, so don't make me do that again…"

"You've… tried eating rocks?" Azula said, raising her eyebrows. "Your group lives in more precarious conditions than I thought…"

"Well, I haven't had much to eat today, so I guess maybe we do," Sokka grimaced. "I was trying to hunt, and the little rascal I was going to capture escaped before I could catch it. So… I'm hungry. What about it?"

Azula might have answered his query with a dismissive sneer… but she couldn't do so before her own stomach growled loudly. Sokka gasped as she blushed, and then his smile caught her unawares.

"And you're hungry too!" he said. "Okay, get me out of here and I can hunt something. I'll give you half of it, and we'll go our separate ways, with full stomachs!"

"That's not… not the reward I had in mind," Azula said: she had to play up this nonsense now. She had to do it and make certain that this boy would lower his guard with her completely. It seemed to her he had lowered it considerably already, so…

"Uh… but you're starving too," Sokka pointed out. Azula shook her head.

"I don't need to obey the mandate of my stomach at every waking moment," she said – she certainly would have liked to, but that wasn't the priority right now. "This time, I… would obey another mandate. I… I suppose I don't owe you any explanations, do I? So… simply agree to my terms and I'll see about how to get you out of there. Understood?"

"And what's that?" Sokka asked, raising an eyebrow. "Your terms, I mean. A favor for a favor?"

"Indeed," Azula said. Sokka's brow furrowed as she prepared herself to reveal her grand demand… "I want… a date with you."

Sokka's preparation for a horrible demand was deflated instantly. His jaw dropped, and the Princess simply blushed at his reaction.

"I… what?! Y-you're extorting a date out of me?!"

"You're extorting a rather considerable effort out of me," Azula responded, simply. "In order to get you out of that hole, I have to find a way to break the land apart, something unlikely considering I'm not an earthbender, and I don't have any tools to achieve that with any degree of success, let alone with any certainty that I won't make matters worse…"

"U-uh…" Sokka grimaced as Azula continued.

"Or I could seek to yank you out of there. Which I suppose I could very well try right now…" Azula said, eying him warily. "But if you're as stuck as you say you are, it won't be easy. You'll probably be in pain once I try."

"I can handle it," Sokka said, bluntly. "Though… that doesn't mean I've agreed to it yet. Didn't you say you never said you liked me?"

"I did say that. And then I said that I didn't say I didn't."

"This is confusing," Sokka grimaced, hanging his head slightly.

"Is it that appalling, perhaps even embarrassing, to go on a date with me?" Azula asked, with a weak smile. Sokka winced and stared at her with surprise. "Ah… scary, perhaps, is the right word. What do you think I'll do to you, Sokka?"

"Uh… I don't know. But I guess… a date's a date, right?" Sokka said, swallowing hard. "We'd spend time together, and uh… hold hands? See a pretty place or something and that's it?"

"Well, we would be spending quality time together, mind you…" Azula said, rolling her eyes as she spoke with a hint of pride. Sokka couldn't help but smile.

"If that's really what you're thinking, then… I can accept it," Sokka said, with a shrug. Azula's eyes widened. "What? I mean, I don't like Fire Nation people, but at least you're pretty…"

"Heh. Well, then… if you really think so, I suppose I shall begin devising a plan to break you free," Azula said, folding her arms over her chest as she assessed her surroundings: the fool had agreed to it, then. She would make the most of his trust in her, gain proper insight into the workings of his group, perhaps even find a way to knock him out and use him as a hostage the Avatar would need to save at all costs…

But in all his foolishness, Sokka was sharp. She couldn't be too obvious about her intent. Masking everything behind a date would work. Acting like a lovestruck fool would be appropriate.

"Well, then… the tree branches above us are resilient, don't you think?" Azula asked. Sokka glanced up. "I may be able to use a rope, then, throw it over a branch, tie it around your… well, chest, if possible. Your neck would certainly be too dangerous…"

"I'd choke!" Sokka exclaimed. Azula chuckled. "You have a wicked sense of humor, don't you?"

"You could certainly call it that," she said. "Very well, then… hmm. But if the branch breaks…"

"You need support on two sides of the branch for it to be steady," Sokka said. Azula raised an eyebrow. "And if the branch is very tall, it'll be harder to keep it strong. You have to have good foundations for a tall construct not to break or fall."

"Especially one that would have no central support, of course," Azula said, frowning as she eyed Sokka with interest. "Your pain is another matter, too. Everything hurts while you're getting crushed down there, right? So… you may need to be chi-blocked once the operation to extract you begins."

"Chi-blocked?!" Sokka winced. "That's…"

"Unfortunately, I don't know the subtleties of the technique myself… meaning I'll have to hope Ty Lee's stomach has recovered," Azula said, with a dry grin. Sokka grimaced. "Rest assured, you won't feel a thing by then. But beyond that… do you really think the tree won't do?"

"I mean, it might? But it's not going to be easy," Sokka said, eyeing Azula warily. "Or safe. I think you need two foundations, you should set them down at either side of me, not too close together but not too far apart. Then…"

"A beam, of a sort, across those foundations. Perhaps a wooden plank," Azula said. "But if it moves around a lot…"

"Put big boulders to affix it to either side?" Sokka suggested. Azula hummed and nodded. "But not too many, I guess, or the weight might be too much…"

"The plank should be flexible enough to withstand your weight, but not so much that it wouldn't be firm and allow the rope to reel you up…"

"But not too firm, or it'll break as soon as you start pulling me. So… maybe we need extra support? Very big foundations? A thicker plank?"

"Hmm…"

They discussed the possibilities for what might have been around an hour. By the time they decided on a plan, though, Azula started to rummage through the area to seek the elements they needed: not much in the wilderness sufficed… so her best bet for some of their rudimentary tools would have to be found elsewhere.

"You're going to get your friends now…?" Sokka asked, nervously. Azula nodded.

"And a few other things too. The cabin we stayed in might have been empty, but with any luck, it might have a few wooden planks in good enough state for us to use. Don't go anywhere… oh, woops," she said, with a careless shrug. Sokka huffed.

"Ha ha! You're so funny, Azula!" he retorted, bitterly: she shot him a devious grin over her shoulder as she raised a hand in farewell.

"I'll be back shortly. Bear with it, Sokka."

He didn't quite expect he'd feel lonely once she walked away… he also didn't expect he'd wind up admiring her figure as she did exactly that. Strangely, while he had certainly processed that she was pretty before, the reality of it hadn't truly dawned on him until he'd seen her up close, pondering how to get him out of the hole. She was surprisingly civil and agreeable compared to her volatile brother, Sokka reasoned, no matter how persistent and dangerous she was…

About another hour passed, and his stomach churned with hunger when Azula finally returned: the women with her appeared as hungry as him, and Azula wasn't as strong as when she'd first found Sokka, either. Still, they brought planks from the house with them, as well as an old rope that Sokka deeply hoped wouldn't bite too unpleasantly into his skin.

"It's good to see you again, Sokka," Noriko said, with a gentle smile. Sokka let out a nervous laugh.

"Hello, uh… I have no idea what your name is," he said. Noriko chuckled.

"I am Noriko, and this is Ty Lee," she said, gesturing at the pale girl next to her, who still looked somewhat sickly. "You already know Princess Azula, of course…"

"Yep," Sokka said, casting a glance at the girl: she was already hard at work at preparing the rocky foundations of their contraption to rescue Sokka.

"That thing over there…" Azula said, gesturing at a white weapon lying on the floor behind Sokka.

"You mean my machete?" Sokka asked.

"It's our only actual available tool to build this system with," Azula remarked, reaching for it and glancing at Sokka. "You don't mind lending it to me if it's for your sake, do you?"

"Well… I guess not," Sokka said.

"What about the boomerang?" Ty Lee asked, looking at Sokka's back. "It's right there…"

"Not sure I know what we'd use it for, but if anything comes up, I suppose we will," Azula stated. "You do have a much more dangerous weapon… a club, I suppose? The one you nearly struck me with yesterday?"

Noriko gasped in horror, and Sokka blushed as he lowered his gaze shamefully. Azula eyed her handmaiden skeptically.

"It's not like I wasn't trying to set them on fire, myself," she said, and Noriko pouted.

"Still…"

"You didn't really, uh, try that hard with me, though," Sokka said. Azula raised an eyebrow. "Just saying, when I attacked you with my club…"

"You don't think I'm stupid enough to assume that a weapon as heavy as that one could be countered with fire, do you?" Azula said. "Your arsenal of weapons is… somewhat impressive, I suppose. Don't expect everyone to underestimate you just because you're not a bender."

"Well… mostly, it seems like it's benders who underestimate me," Sokka remarked, with a pout. "When you guys were chasing us, Toph just went and basically said I didn't count in the fight because I was a non-bender…"

"Toph?" Azula asked.

"Our new teammate. The earthbender," Sokka said. "Who is teaching Aang earthbending right now, so…"

"Why don't you just call for them to help if there's an earthbender you can ask…?" Ty Lee said. Sokka blinked blankly.

"Uh… well, I got a bit far from them when I was looking for food, and… and then she showed up," Sokka said. Azula raised an eyebrow. "I mean, you kind of found me two seconds after I fell in this stupid hole, so…"

"So, if I had been any less fortunate, I might have come across you before you fell at all?" Azula said, with a smirk.

"Well… I would've held my own against you in a fight. Still can, so…" Sokka said, blushing. Azula chuckled.

"Perhaps that's what we'll test on our… uh, well. Never mind," she said: her face flushed, and it was the first thing that got Ty Lee to act like herself again as she smirked at Azula.

"What? Azula, what happened here…?" she asked, with a teasing voice. Azula scoffed, glaring at her.

"We have work to do. Get to it."

"Azula! You have to tell me! Well, rather, us! You know Noriko and I are very supportive of your forbidden romance…!"

"Our… forbidden romance? Like, we're already in one?" Sokka asked, glancing at Azula, who sighed and shook her head.

"Don't listen to their nonsense. Everyone, get to work now," Azula said, firmly.

"Right, right. We'll save your boyfriend, Azula, no worries…" Ty Lee said, with a devious smirk: both Sokka and Azula shot her a nonchalant glare, and she could only giggle at how similar they were.

The work to yank him out of the hole began then: Noriko and Azula built the rudimentary system they tested gradually, ensuring that the planks from the cabin's walls and ceiling would work properly for their purposes. Meanwhile, Ty Lee found the better rocks to hold the weight of the planks, ensuring to gather many, as per Azula's command. Eventually, Noriko took to digging lightly around Sokka, and the others followed by using his machete and boomerang to break the ground slightly, if carefully, in the hopes that his release would be easier.

"Alright… we're ready," Azula declared: it was almost sunset by then, and Sokka reeled from the need to eat something, much like the rest of them did.

Azula, Ty Lee and Noriko would pull the rope they had set up atop the beam: they had bound it around Sokka's chest as best they could, but before the pulling could begin…

"Here we go!" Ty Lee grinned: her fists tapped Sokka's nape and spine with perfect precision, and Sokka yelped as his body suddenly lost all feeling. "How's that?"

"I… don't feel anything anywhere. Nice job," Sokka grimaced.

"Then we have no time to waste," Azula said: her hands remained firm on the rope, and she waited for Ty Lee to take her place before exclaiming: "Pull!"

Three weakened, hungry women – one of whom had struggled with indigestion that morning – weren't in the best of conditions to break Sokka's body free from the chasm he was stuck in, but their joint efforts began to deliver results in time. Sokka winced, not so much over pain but over the strange feeling of his body being pulled and shifted against his will, when he couldn't quite feel much… but even after one of his hands was freed, and his situation slightly less uncomfortable for it, he wasn't fully free just yet.

"Pull… harder!" Azula shouted.

"I can't do much else, Azula…!" Ty Lee groaned, the rope digging into her palms. Noriko did apply further strength, sweat dropping down her brow…

The plank upon which the rope rested suddenly made an unsettling sound: Azula gasped, yanking more of the rope on impulse – if it was going to break, then at least it better be after Sokka was free…

She pulled harder: the plank snapped and the entire contraption collapsed around Sokka.

Azula gasped as the rope's resistance faded: she dropped it and rushed towards the chasm, eyes wide, shoving everything out of the way to find Sokka still in the hole, down to his waist now… but he lay face-first on the ground.

"Sokka? Sokka!" she called him, forcefully pulling him up, to look directly at his face…

"I'm… sort of okay," he said, eyes meeting hers. Azula blushed: she had thought he was unconscious, and now they were too close for comfort.

"Then you shouldn't have dropped on the ground like that…!" Azula huffed, setting him down again and stepping forward, yanking him out of the hole fully, forcefully: finally, his legs were loose and Sokka was free… even if he had yet to move at all.

"Chi-blocked… remember?" Sokka said: Azula flushed upon realizing the anesthetic effect of the chi-blocking also translated in inability to move.

"But it's done! You're free!" Ty Lee exclaimed, clapping for a moment before dropping on her knees. "And I'm tired. And hungry. And I really want to go to the train-tank now."

"We will," Azula said, breathing out slowly before turning towards Sokka and pushing him over so he'd lie on his back. "You're alright?"

"I… I'm fine. Your concern is touching," Sokka chuckled: she scowled at him as he grinned carelessly at her. "Don't know what you'd want to do for that date, but I could go for eating a feast right now."

"Uh… oh. Right," Azula blinked blankly: immersed as she was in this operation, she had outright forgotten she wasn't pulling Sokka out of the hole for the sake of it. She had a mission, she was supposed to use him to get information, to lure out the Avatar, to…

"A DATE?!"

Her cheeks flushed as she heard Noriko gasp, after Ty Lee's apparently absent energies returned fast enough for her to shout those words.

"T-that's not…!" Azula said, turning towards her two companions with an unrelenting fluster. "He doesn't mean…! I mean, well, we reached an agreement, and that's…!"

Noriko's foolish grin made Azula feel even more self-aware with each passing moment: curses, why was she so happy? It was bad enough with Ty Lee being such an annoying, hopeless romantic… but Noriko shouldn't be so supportive of this nonsense too. It almost made Azula take this matter seriously when she knew she shouldn't. When she knew that, to Sokka, she was simply…

She glanced back at him… and found he was smiling. Her heart skipped a beat.

Just then, a rustling sound and a sudden sensation of movement in the corner of her eye caused Azula to tear her gaze away from Sokka… and towards a newly arrived, apparently distraught Avatar.

He was confused and alarmed once he lay eyes upon her. It certainly didn't help that Azula was leaning over Sokka, who still had a rope over his chest, while Azula's companions sat nearby, looking thrilled about whatever was happening there.

"Sokka!" Aang gasped, scowling before raising his hands to summon air.

"No, no, Aang! Stop!" Sokka shouted: the burst of air caused them to blow off violently, and not even Azula's attempt to grab onto Sokka's hand kept her from being flung away from Sokka.

The Avatar rushed in then, untying Sokka's makeshift harness while constantly glaring at the two girls and the woman who traveled with them: Noriko had tried to cushion Azula's body from being blown off into a rocky wall, though she hadn't been very successful at it. Ty Lee groaned, no doubt exasperated, tired and annoyed all over again.

"Stay away from him!" Aang shouted.

"Aang, they saved my life!"

The Avatar froze then, his bending cut off just as Azula huffed, incorporating herself and leveling a glare in his direction. The boy's jaw dropped before he turned his confused gaze towards Sokka anew.

"T-they… how? When?! You're tied up and you can't move, they chi-blocked you!"

"I was stuck in a hole and Azula got me out!" Sokka said. "Well, Azula, Noriko and Ty Lee did, but still…"

"Woah. You got all their names?" Aang blinked blankly. Sokka sighed.

"He was stuck in there for hours. And not you, nor any of his friends, so much as noticed," Azula hissed, dusting herself off as she marched up to the Avatar. Aang grimaced, jumping upright and positioning himself as though to fight. "Would you have preferred it if we left him there so wild beasts could turn him into their snack?"

"Uh… no," Aang swallowed hard, lowering his hands. "Thank you, if you really did this, but… why did you do it?"

"Because they're going on a date!" Ty Lee exclaimed. Azula groaned, dropping her face in her hands as Sokka let out a careless laugh. Aang's eyes widened.

"Woah… so it's true that you like each other? That's great, Sokka!" Aang exclaimed, beaming. "This way we won't have to fight her anymore!"

"Who said anything like that?" Azula huffed, glaring at Aang. "That's neither here nor…!"

"Oh, so that's how it is… you're friends with the girl who was trying to hunt us down, Sokka?"

Azula frowned, turning towards the newest arrival on the scene: the short earthbender rested against the rocky wall, arms crossed, the Avatar's staff resting by her side on the wall. Aang gasped.

"Toph…!"

"Can't say I like the sound of that," she said, with a smirk.

She raised a rock from the ground with a heavy stomp: everyone in the group gasped in confusion as Aang jumped forward.

"Toph! Stop! Sokka says they saved him!"

"And I say I don't buy it!" Toph said: even now, she was smirking. "What're you going to do? Run away because I don't believe you? Come on: prove your point, Twinkle Toes! Stand your ground and fight back, or I'll hurl this rock right at them!"

Aang yelled: he stepped forward and flung a flurry of air at Toph: she simply used the rock as a shield, smirking at Aang.

"You'll have to do better than that!"

The Avatar roared: his stance was firm, his arms and legs were tense, full of power…

Toph flung the rock at him. He jumped forward, roaring fiercely…

The rock stopped in midair. Aang gasped: he felt control over the rock for the first time, his body channeling the strength required to hold his own against Toph at last. He smiled, dropping the rock again, and this time, nothing he did was based on airbending.

"I… I did it?" Aang gasped, smiling brightly. "I did it!"

"See? You did have what it takes, Twinkle Toes," Toph smirked.

They seemed to have as good as forgotten about Sokka now, focused instead on the Avatar's first success at earthbending. Azula gritted her teeth, approaching the confused Noriko.

"We may have overstayed our welcome. We should…" she started, but she couldn't finish the sentence before someone interrupted her.

"Wait… but you're all hungry," Sokka said, flinching as the feeling started to return to his body. "And it's getting pretty late, right? Can't we call a truce, just for tonight?"

"Oh? A truce?" Azula asked, raising her eyebrows. Sokka smiled awkwardly as he pushed himself up to a sitting position, uneasily.

"You can go right back to hunting us… in two days or something. How about it?" Sokka asked.

Azula snorted lightly, but she smiled: truthfully, eating more berries that might not be entirely healthy for them didn't sound like the right idea. She wasn't sure what they'd eat, anyway, considering the circumstances… but at least it was an agreeable proposal, if nothing else.

"This doesn't count for our agreement, though: too many people around," Azula said, with a shrug. Sokka smiled awkwardly, cheeks slightly red before he nodded.

"Agreed."

Katara, it seemed, was frantically looking for her brother when the whole group finally made their return to camp… though she gasped in utmost confusion upon finding three new people had joined them, even if with no apparent ill-intent.

"Don't overreact!" Sokka warned his sister, an arm draped around Aang's shoulders as he helped him walk. "They're just… staying for dinner. We don't really have much for dinner, but that's okay, right?"

"What's…? What…? What?!" Katara shook her head, glaring at Sokka. "Oh, no. Don't you tell me now that you're seriously flirting with the Princess of the Fire Nation…!"

"I'm not!"

"He's not," Azula said, quickly.

"He is!" Ty Lee exclaimed, and both Azula and Sokka groaned in response to her claim. Of course, Katara was quicker to believe her than the other two, raising a menacing hand in their direction.

"I… I don't know what's going on, but I do know that I don't like it," she said, gritting her teeth.

"Katara… they saved Sokka, or at least, that's what he says," Aang explained, with a small smile.

"And we're hungry. And tired," Ty Lee added, with a groggy smile.

Katara blinked blankly: her compassion appeared to be about to rear its head, but her confusion still won out as she stared at her brother in perplexity.

"Saved you from what, exactly?"

He would share the story as the whole group took to finding food: an apple tree was the source of their meal this time, no matter if the fruit wasn't a very fulfilling one, and the two groups in a truce sat together by the fire Azula ignited for them, resting and recovering after a long, complicated day. Katara's distrust of the Fire Nation women didn't diminish, but even she, once the meal was about to end, couldn't help but remark:

"At least they're not as bad as Zuko."

Noriko grimaced upon hearing those words, but she said nothing. Clearly, the banished prince either had very few chances to prove himself to the Avatar's team… or he had simply allowed his darkest impulses to take the wheel upon each of those chances, instead. Whatever the truth might be, it was out of her hands right now.

Tired as they were, Ty Lee and Noriko wound up sleeping against a tree trunk while the Avatar's team took to their own accommodations: Sokka offered to keep watch, something Katara didn't appear too comfortable with, but seeing as he was the neutral party and mediator between both the Avatar's group and the Fire Nation one, strange as that concept might be, it seemed that he was the more likely one to keep the dangerous Princess at bay without violence.

"Well… that was a weird day," Sokka said, with an awkward grin directed at the Princess, the only other person who remained conscious in the group. The two of them sat side by side at one of the canyon's ridges, their legs dangling in the air as the cool night air brushed against them lightly. "But I'm glad you showed up when you did. Still pretty surreal that you went that far to help me… but I'm grateful that you did."

"I wasn't exactly doing it selflessly…" Azula said. Sokka smiled and shrugged.

"You did it anyhow. Pretty sure your brother would've laughed in my face and walked away… or decided to finish the job and set me on fire while I was trapped, I don't know," Sokka said. Azula raised an eyebrow.

"It sounds like he's been quite the nuisance for you and your group," Azula said. "Has he ever come even close to capturing any of you?"

"A few times. But we managed to escape anyway," Sokka smirked. "He caught me and Katara once, you know? He asked me how stupid I thought he was. I was honest and told him I thought he was 'pretty stupid', and…"

Azula couldn't muffle her devious laugh as she covered her mouth with a hand. Sokka grinned, swaying his legs even more enthusiastically over the ledge.

"I… I can only imagine the look on his face upon hearing that," Azula said, with another devious chuckle.

"Figured you might find it funny. Guess you and Zuko are a bit like Katara and me," Sokka said. "Nothing makes her laugh harder than seeing me make a fool of myself, so…"

"Well… I suspect your sister and you have a far more agreeable bond than mine with my brother," Azula said, glancing up at the sky. "He and I… well, we're enemies now. Our father tasked me with bringing him home… and that's what I'm supposed to be doing. Not having apples for dinner with the Avatar and his friends."

"Heh… I thought that it'd be 'Sokka and his friends,'" the Water Tribe boy said, and Azula's cheeks flushed.

"Well… perhaps it should be. You are their leader, after all," Azula remarked. Sokka chuckled, shaking his head.

"I'm probably blowing it out of proportion. I'm not really… well, leader material, I guess," he said, smiling sadly at her.

"Oh, really? What do you know about leader material?" Azula asked. Sokka blinked blankly. "Nothing, it seems. Clearly."

"W-well, I…"

"The very reason why I assumed you were the leader was precisely because I could sense that potential from you, Sokka," Azula said, bluntly. "And so far, you haven't proven me wrong. It only took a few words from you for the Avatar to fight his own earthbending teacher, to save me and my allies from her attacks. If that's not the sign of leadership that inspires genuine loyalty, I don't know what is."

"Heh, I guess when you put it that way…" Sokka smiled, blushing slightly. "You know… I used to think all Fire Nation people were monsters."

Azula shuddered upon hearing those words. His tone wasn't confrontational at all… even if his words were dangerous ones to utter near her.

"Well…. You wouldn't be the first to believe that," Azula said, simply. "Everyone believes I am one… well, except for one person."

"Make that two, then. Because I don't believe that either," Sokka said. Azula's eyes widened. "Whatever your motives… you saved me today. Thank you."

"I…" Azula's heart quickened its pace again: gratitude? She wasn't used to that. She wasn't sure what to even feel about receiving those words… she swallowed hard, biting her lip. "Well, I suppose I accept that sentiment. Though…"

"We have a date to schedule for the future, yeah," Sokka chuckled. "It'll be tough, scheduling it in the middle of a war, but… I'll look forward to it."

"We are in the middle of a war," Azula remarked, knowing the mood would change darkly now. "And we're on different sides. What happened today hasn't changed that."

"I know," Sokka said, breathing deeply and releasing the air slowly. "I guess I'll probably run into you in battlefields in the future again. Though… I can't say I look forward to it at all. Doesn't matter how much I connect with you, or how much I might enjoy talking with you or watching you work on strange engineering experiments…"

"It didn't go as well as it should have," Azula admitted, and Sokka chuckled.

"Either way… the truth is that we mean to defeat your father," Sokka said. "And we'll restore harmony after we do."

"Restore harmony," Azula repeated, glancing at Sokka. "Between… all four elements?"

Sokka swallowed hard before nodding. A shiver shook Azula deeply.

"It's… it's easier to see it now, after a day like today," Sokka said, with a gentle smile. "All four elements working together? It's… it's kind of a cool idea, isn't it?"

"Even after everything the Fire Nation did? After all the monsters we've unleashed in this world?" Azula asked. "Would you forgive the Fire Nation as easily as that?"

"Heh, well… I don't know if the full nation. I'd rather make up my mind for each specific situation," Sokka said. "I once met an Earth Kingdom guy who hated the Fire Nation so much that he nearly destroyed a village just to get back at the soldiers stationed there… with no regard over the many Earth Kingdom people in that very same occupied town. If it weren't for an old man from the Fire Nation who vouched for me, a man I'd saved from that guy, too… if it weren't for him, hundreds of lives would have been lost that day. So… anything's possible. Your nation wouldn't have to be the villains, the monsters, if you made a different choice. And… I think you made a different one today."

"I… chose you?" Azula said, raising her eyebrows. Sokka smiled and shrugged.

"We do have a date to go on, after all."

She didn't know yet if she agreed with everything he'd said – her heart was turbulent and jumbled, after all. But she still couldn't help but smile back, hoping he might be right about everything he'd said so far. For, if he was…

Maybe she was more than a monster, underneath her title.

Maybe she wasn't even a monster, to begin with.

"Anyway… I'd rather we were friends than enemies," Sokka said, with a shrug. "I know there's not much I can do about it… but I hope you know that. And that you also know that… I wouldn't be all that against it if we were a little more than friends, too."

Azula froze up. Sokka averted his gaze from hers once she searched him with her eyes. Her perplexity only gave way to a profound blush… until she smiled.

He held himself on that ledge with his hands on the rock: Azula dared reach her pinky finger out, brushing against his softly. Sokka raised an eyebrow, puzzled at first… but then he smiled. An innocent, simple grin… and yet it stirred feelings in Azula's chest that she had never thought she'd know. Feelings she had experienced already, if in a different way, over Noriko…

Affection. That was the right term for it.

She didn't dare think much more of it… didn't dare make more of it. It wouldn't do for her to be swept up by the situation only to wind up falling in love with him indeed…

But by the next morning, it seemed that was inevitable: the Avatar's group gathered their things, ready to take off on the next leg of their journey. Sokka lagged behind briefly, smiling at Azula in particular.

"Guess we'll be seeing each other, so… maybe we'll decide on that date next time," he said. Azula shrugged.

"Maybe we will," she agreed. He raised a hand in farewell… the very hand she had dared touch just lightly last night.

"See you, then… uh, Noriko, Ty Lee. Azula."

The way he spoke her name shot wild adrenaline through her system: the young man turned around, marching up to his friends, who seemed to not fly on the bison so far, all be it to ensure the Avatar would have time to work on more earthbending while they traveled by walking on land. They would shrink in the distance, and their voices would fade, and…

And Azula's chest would continue to yearn for something she didn't understand. To cling to the second person who, in a matter of days, had turned her understanding of herself upside down, entirely.

"Well, that was a crazy adventure," Ty Lee said, smiling and stretching her arms. "We should go, though. Lo and Li will be waiting and… I miss Mai. Maybe we should go look for her."

"Look for her where?" Noriko asked, puzzled. "Is it possible to track her down now? She stayed with Zuko…"

"It would be possible, but difficult," Azula said, curtly. Noriko hummed.

"Then we'll simply go to the train-tank?" she asked. "To continue our mission without her?"

Their mission… Azula's mission. Capturing Zuko and Iroh, the primary mission her father had given her, had resulted in utter failure. Her chosen mission to take the Avatar had failed, too. Then there was the matter of the Drill… which was likely on its way to Ba Sing Se by now. Her body shuddered at the thought: she shouldn't find it unsettling. She should be proud of what their great nation had accomplished… she should want their army to conquer a city. She should want all those things…

And yet in a world where there was only Fire Nation, she would never find a Water Tribe boy like him.

She couldn't resent them for causing her so much turmoil. She shouldn't. Sokka was only trying to be nice… to be a friend. But… perhaps he already was more than that in the heart she hadn't even known was there, dwelling inside her.

Who was she without her titles? What did it mean to be loyal to the Fire Nation? So much of her conversation with Noriko had shaken her… the woman was wise in strange, unexpected ways. So perhaps she'd know what to do. Perhaps…

Azula turned towards the woman, eyes heartfelt. Noriko raised her eyebrows.

"You told me… that you wondered who my brother was without his title," Azula said. "That if he was nothing without it, he was wasting away his life… and that's no different for me either."

"I did say that," Noriko whispered. Azula swallowed hard.

"And… what if my idea on how to find out who I am without mine isn't, well… an idea that would be agreeable with the Fire Nation?" Azula said.

"With the Fire Nation, or the Fire Lord?" Noriko said, curtly. Azula swallowed hard.

"I don't know. I… I don't know," she admitted. Ty Lee listened on the sidelines, her eyes widening at the unusually insecure side of Azula she was witnessing now. "I just… I don't know if this makes any sense. They don't want… they don't want to destroy the Fire Nation. He doesn't want that, at least. What the Fire Nation is trying to do… why are we even doing it? What is the point of it?"

"That's a question that has plagued many… and I fear not a lot of people come to a good answer for it," said Noriko, stepping forward and cupping Azula's face gently with a hand. "But Azula… you're a child. A young child, just like all the rest of you, and you shouldn't be fighting in any wars. You should be making friends… living a life you can find true enjoyment in. A good father, a loving father, would prioritize his daughter's heart… if Ozai cannot do that, then he doesn't deserve to call himself your father."

Ty Lee gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. Azula didn't flinch, though: those were treacherous words, as usual… and yet they rang deeply in her heart as she raised her gaze towards Noriko.

"What if this fails?" Azula asked. "What if… if this nonsense idea I've got in my head goes nowhere? What if he and I don't really…?"

"If true, long, everlasting love weren't born from your bond?" asked Noriko, with a gentle smile. "It wouldn't be the end of the world if it doesn't. You deserve to live your life... a life that has already been marred by warfare and chaos. You deserve to test the waters and find someone to share your life with, if you would like to do so. More than anything… you deserve to be your own person, dear. Not just your father's daughter… not just the Princess of the Fire Nation. You are those things, yes… but you are so much more than that too, Azula. And maybe… maybe it's time you see that for yourself. For I already see it… and I know your potential is beautiful. It's marvelous… and if you wish to reach for it now, I'll stand by you every step of the way. I promise."

Azula swallowed hard… glancing quickly at Ty Lee. She blinked blankly, eyes shifting between Noriko and Azula repeatedly…

"You… you can go back to your circus, if you want. Or find Mai. I shouldn't have dragged you out for this when I can't even… can't even find my resolve to keep doing it anymore," Azula admitted. Ty Lee shook her head rapidly, though.

"Oh, I need to be here with you, though! If you and Sokka do become an item, I have to give you lots of relationship advice!" Ty Lee giggled. Azula rolled her eyes.

"I'd rather ask Noriko…"

"Well… I'm not much good at romance, as you know, Princess," Noriko sighed, shaking her head. Azula raised her eyebrows. "So perhaps lady Ty Lee's advice would be better."

"Oh, yes!" Ty Lee giggled, clapping happily as Azula smiled, shaking his head.

"So… you'll stay. And you… you will too, Noriko?" Azula said. Noriko smiled and clasped her hand gently. "I suppose… I really might find out who I am underneath all the titles then? I've been intrigued by the notion since you said that to me, but…"

"You're worried about what you'll find?" Noriko asked. Azula nodded subtly. "Aren't we all, Princess. Aren't we all."

Azula smiled again as Noriko withdrew her hand: even then, her eyes radiated genuine affection… and Azula's heart warmed further upon knowing she had her approval. More than that, she had her affection… she had her support with whatever she might do going forward.

"Whatever the outcome may be…" Noriko said, her voice heartfelt and earnest. "I'm proud of you, my child."

Azula's heart pounded hard in her chest… for those were words she hadn't heard before, either. Words she had longed for, coveted without quite knowing it… words that meant something so different coming from Noriko than they would coming from her father.

But why had her voice sounded so strangely familiar suddenly?

Why did her eyes seem more… gold?

What was that strange, sudden mirage, that brought the notion of Ursa to mind when Azula was gazing at Noriko, instead?

Her lips parted… but she closed them again: just as suddenly as that strange visual had crossed her mind, it was gone again as soon as her rational mind interjected – her longing to hear those words from Ursa had brought her to think of her, surely that was all there was to it…

But she had Noriko. She had her, and if all went well, she'd have more friends, going forward. A smile spread over her face as she let herself imagine a world so different from the one the Fire Lord fought for… a world where Noriko's kindness might be the norm, rather than Ozai's coldness. A world where children didn't have to go to war against each other… where a prince, or a princess, wouldn't need to undergo trials and complications beyond compare to find out who they truly were.

It sounded idyllic… and she had so much to think about, so much to ponder, so much to think about thoroughly before she was ready to embrace it in full. But she might do best to think about such things, to talk about them, once she genuinely expanded her worldview beyond the confines and limitations of the Fire Nation.

She turned on her heels and she began walking with long strides, followed by Noriko and Ty Lee. Lo and Li might grow weary of waiting… Azula hoped they'd eventually return to her Barge, at least, and simply go home: she wasn't bound to need the train-tank anymore.

The sound of their footsteps on the dry land were first sensed by Toph: she warned the others, and Sokka slowed down, glancing over his shoulder. His heart sped up, and he smiled, once he saw Azula was smiling, too.

She didn't settle for a light brush from their fingers: this time, her hand wrapped gently around his palm once she reached him.

And so, they walked together, hands linked, into a brighter future.