21 Team Girl + Zan 12

When she trudged back to the tank train alongside Mai, soaked right through and the pair of them missing their mongoose lizard mounts, all Ty Lee wanted to do was get changed out of her soaking wet clothes and sleep.

She immediately realised that wouldn't be happening anytime soon.

She flinched a bit when Azula let loose a hiss of rage and slammed a fist clad in sapphire blue flames into the side of tank train, "Gah, to think Zuzu and Uncle would show up right when I had that bald brat!" she spat, rage glittering in her eyes, "If it weren't for uncle being so distracted keeping an eye on Zuko I wouldn't have been able to get a hit in and escape."

A snort came from Zan who was sitting atop the tank train looking down at her, "Well, maybe things would have gone better if you didn't order me to stay with this thing." he outright mocked her, molten gold eyes, the kind of spark Ty Lee had only ever seen on the royal family staring down at the crown princess in distaste.

It took a lot of effort for Ty Lee not to wince. Azula when she had found her driving in Zan's place when he decided to go meet his own mongoose lizard mount, had not taken it quite as well. Granted, she had only made a few snide remarks, but Zan hadn't taken that without returning fire, and for questioning her authority, Azula had punished him, ordering him to remain with the tank train while they pursued the Avatar, knowing full well how antsy and irritated Zan was getting being stuck driving it.

They hadn't had a chance to say anything else to each other, because it was then they came across the shed fur of the Avatar's big cute bison and the chase was on.

Blue flame ignited around her index finger and Azula pointed it up at Zan, "You're beginning to try my patience Zan," she sneered up at him, "Your attitude was interesting and I was content to let you stand your ground against weaklings like Mai's father, but don't don't forget who I am. I am the heiress to the Fire Nation, I've had people executed for less attitude than you are giving me over a simple order. There's only so much leniency I'm willing to show peasant."

Mai made a noise of interest from her throat, watching the confrontation intently. Ty Lee just felt her stomach flitter with nerves. Zan was very confident in his ability to take Azula, but he'd never seen Azula at her most serious, and it was Azula. Azula always lies. Azula always has a plan, and the thing she had gotten used to over the years was that Azula always won and got what she wanted in the end.

'..This is because of me.' Ty Lee bit her lip. It wasn't hard to see the interest Azula had in Zan. He was a strong, powerful fire bender, not to mention he was incredibly good looking with beautiful molten gold eyes, tan skin and strong, powerful muscles that looked and felt like they were carved out of marble.

And perhaps the most interesting to Azula, was his attitude, similar in ways to Azula herself, but different in others and the sheer fact that he was not afraid of her. There were very, very few people who were not afraid of Azula. The number who weren't afraid of her, could be counted on one hand with fingers left over.

Azula didn't like that Ty Lee had been spending so much time with Zan. But in all honestly, in the beginning...she was just watching over him because he was total eye candy and trained shirtless constantly. A nice view, was a nice view, and he gave some amazing ones.

It wasn't until she talked to him that first time properly, when they were alone and he revealed a precious secret of his that he hadn't told anyone else, just to cheer her up that she started taking a liking to him.

He was a bit of a brute, and held himself with the same arrogance the royal family did, so assured in himself. But, he was also kind, incredibly hard working and completely accepted her for who she was. Nobody had ever accepted her for who she was, not her friends Azula and Mai, not even her family, as much as she loved them and new they loved her back.

Everyone thought she was weird, a circus freak, and while he'd learned to take that as a compliment, it didn't change the fact that it would be nice for once, for someone to wholeheartedly and earnestly accept and praise her just sometimes. And it did feel good when Zan accepted her for who she was. And despite knowing the interest Azula had in him, Ty Lee couldn't lie that she felt comfortable around him, she could freely be herself with him as she pleased.

She was a bad friend, but she couldn't help but smile around him, and seek him out to be around him. She liked him, like really liked him. He was a total catch if there ever was one. Handsome and muscular. Strong and powerful. Accepting and Kind, at least with her. And strangely unique in his own way, just like her. Though while she'd been born with the ability to see the aura of others, he'd gained his own strange powers from being possessed by a dragon spirit of all things.

When he told her of it, and one of the abilities he gained from it, she'd felt a kind of kinship with him. Different circumstances, but unique all the same, with abilities that would have people looking down on them or finding them weird or freaky.

"Is that right?" Zan's lips curled up a bit, exposing sharpened canine teeth. It gave him a feral handsomeness, "Well sorry to say 'princess', but I don't recognise your authority, so I'll tell you right now. It's you who's run the limits of my patience, so you better apologise before I get really angry." he spat out the word 'princess' as if it was a foul word.

"Why you mangy, jumped up little peasant!" Azula's eyes went wide with rage and she thrust her fingers, a massive lance of blue flame shooting up at Zan almost blinding fast.

Zan didn't even bother dodging, just threw his palm up and brushed the lance of flame aside into the air above him. "That's it!" he snarled springing down at her, a clenched fist igniting into bright flame.