Chapter 27: Acceptance

XXX

As a new day arrived on the horizon, the group started to awake aswell. Azula woke with the sun, a difficult night but a peaceful one - Zhan had stayed with her this time, and that was a plus on her mood. Yet she wasn't in the mood to get up immediately, just a moment - a feel of the breath on her skin, to ease her worried mind and body.

"Morning beauty!" said Zhan, suprising her.

"What? Have long, have you been awake?" asked Azula.

"A couple of minutes, give or take - just about, to see you wake up," he replied. "How did you sleep?"

"Better. Once I knew you were here," she said, giggling a bit. "Yeah..."

"Something bothering you?" he asked.

"I am not...used to being this...vunerable," she said, twirling a hair-lock around her finger.

"Well then..." he said, suddenly pinning her against the bed, grinning. "I'll make sure your vunerability is...enjoyable..."

"Wha-MHM!" said Azula, before getting lip-locked while underneath him. By Agni, she had missed this: the closeness, the affection, the major ignition of her inner fire. Yet this wasn't any ordinary make-out, this had more passion in it, more tongue...as plaintly put. He could always ease or satisfy her needs, whatever they might be...and this time it was affection.

'Damned I missed this!' thought Azula.

"Jee! Get room you two!" said a voice, from the doorway - Toph.

"This kinda is our room," replied Zhan, breaking the kiss and looking annoyed.

"Whatever," laughed Toph, leaving them alone.

"Great..." puffed Azula, rolling her eyes. "No privacy."

"Would you prefer the door back?" asked Zhan, in one of his look's.

"Stop teasing!" she replied, nudging him off the bed, giggling.

"Suit yourself!" replied Zhan, pulling on his armored boots, leggings, waistguard, bracers and finally chestplate.

"Isn't that stuff, heavy?" asked Azula.

"Not really. Own-made," replied Zhan, patting the plating. "Light as a feather, but stronger than steel."

Today was more welcoming, as they spotted the Avatar' group eating in a circle: Mai and Ty Lee included. Although they were further away from Aang, and between Zuko and Sokka.

"Are we the last up?" asked Azula.

"Pretty much," replied Mai.

"Darn...you people are early birds," said Azula.

"We have to be, due to some people," replied Katara.

"Oh goodness' sake! What do I have to do, to prove I am trying to aid you?!" asked Azula, angry and arms crossed. "Jump off a cliff?!"

"Don' sweat it Princess!" said Toph, coming behind Azula and Zhan. "She gave Zuko a hard-time, when he joined. Give it some time!"

'If I don't crispy-cook her first!' thought Azula, rolling her eyes. Yet something caught her eye, a person in a distance - then she heard a crack, and a beam. "LOOK OUT!"

Azula had barely time to say it, when her body moved. Grabbing Toph and plunging both of them into the nearby fountain, as an explosion and rocks flew overhead.

"AAH! Wet!" yelled Toph, poking her head out of the water, glaring at Azula. "Nice going, Princess!"

"Would you rather been fried?!" replied Azula, coughing out some water.

"I wou-HE~"

"Move it!" yelled Zhan, grabbing Azula and Toph from the fountain, as another beam hit, this time the fountain, exploding it into pieces - sending the three flying a bit.

"What's happening?!" asked Toph, feeling around.

"We're under attack!" yelled Azula, ducking into cover with Toph and Zhan, as explosions rained over them. The rest of the group, having got to cover aswell, although the fire was directed at them.

"What the heck!" said Sokka, grabbing his boomerang, as he ran into cover. "What is happening?!"

"We're under attack, bonehead!" yelled Toph, from their place.

"Who is it?!" asked Katara, trying to look but getting blown into cover.

"Be careful Katara!" said Aang, catching Katara. "Who is it?"

"I don't know..." replied Zuko, as an explosions rained, giving a quick look, then taking cover. "Likely a firebender...although I don't know anykind...that can do this. A single man...alone."

"He's going to bring down the mountain!" yelled Katara, as the attacks increased.

"No he isn't!" replied Aang, readying his staff. Then he jumped out, conjuring massive amounts of air behind him, then unleashing it as a tornado at the attacker.

Watching as the tornado, ate through the hillside and rocks - might've of used to much bending. Yet to his horror, the man emerged from the carnage unharmed, looking with his iron gaze from afar. Then he fired a beam...from his head...at HIM.

As he attempted to jump away, he got pushed away instead...by Zhan. Unfortunately, he took the full-brunt of the blast...although Aang wasn't far away from it either - both getting buried under rubble.

"NOO!" screamed Azula, as she saw what just happened - trying to run over, but getting hold back by Toph. "LET ME GO!"

"Running over in this kind of fire, will get you burned!" yelled Toph, holding onto Azula' legs.

"AANG!" screamed Katara, on the other side, being held aswell by Suki and Zuko.

"It's too dangerous!" said Suki, trying to calm down Katara.

"Sokka do something quickly!" yelled Zuko.

"Come on...boomerang!" said Sokka, throwing out his weapon - curving in an arc...and directly at the attacker - dead-head center and knocking him down. Although getting back-up, to their dismay, his next attack never succeeded...blowing himself up instead.

"Oh yeah!" cheered Sokka, at their victory - then realized their two fallen companions. "Oh no.."

"ZHAN!"

"AANG!"

Both girls started to frantically dig at both mounds, trying to retrieve their closest. Mai and Ty Lee aiding Azula, while Toph, Sokka, Suki, Zuko and Katara dug-out Aang.

"I'm alright, I'm alright!" said Aang, bending the rocks, from under him - looking no worse for wear, while getting a death-hug from Katara.

"Nonono!" said Azula frantically, tears in her eyes. Removing rock after rock, and still nothing. "FOR GOODNESS' SAKE HELP!"

"Go!" said Katara sternly, to the others as she started to check-out Aang.

With the others helping, things moved more rapidly, as more rubble was displaced faster...until a hand appeared from under it.

"Don't you dare leave me!" whispered Azula, as he pulled Zhan from under the rubble - the left armoring-part of his arm and side fractured, hinting that it took the most damage and himself, knocked-out. "Wake up...wake up...please...please...wake up..."

"Az...ula..." came a hoarse whisper, that perked-up the crying Princess on his chest. A hand caressing her locks. "Please don't cry - it hurts me, to see you cry."

"Hurt you! Why! Why..." she replied, angry at first, then distaint, finally accepting - even in his state of injury, he'd always look out for her well-being. "Don't! Ever do that kind of foolish thing, ever again. You are to precious to me!"

"Only if it's relating to you," he replied, getting helped up - although from the grunts, they could tell he was injured still. "Ouch! Well that hurt."

"Diving infront of a beam of exploding fire, is usually dangerous," said Toph. "I'm suprised you did it."

"Well I saw that assassin about to counter-attack. So I acted instead," replied Zhan.

"I'm a little suprised to say this...but thank you," said Aang, joining the group with Katara.

"Anytime..." replied Zhan, in his usual smile. "We said, we wanted to help and we meant it. Although, I hate to inform you, but I think you weren't the target, Avatar."

"What do you mean? Wasn't Aang attacked?" asked Katara.

"He was...but me, Azula and Toph were attacked first...and the beam struck, where Azula was last standing," said Zhan, looking at Azula with troubled eyes. "Guess your father found-out, about your betrayal and sent someone after you."

"Great..." sighed Azula, in dismay. "Now do you believe us? I am practically, as wanted as the Avatar. If my own father, sent for an assasdin after me."

"We do!" replied Aang, offering his hand in gesture, to Zhan...who shook it. "Thank you for aiding us, in restoring balance to the world."

"I'm just a follower. Azula is the leader here," replied Zhan, nudging at Azula with his left-arm. "OW! Although, I could use some healing, I think I dislocated my left-arm aswell."

"Well..." said Katara, stepping upfront. "I can heal any injuries, although bones maybe a problem."

"OH! I can help, relocate stuff!" said Ty Lee, raising her hand.

"You can?" asked Azula, Mai and Zuko, turning to face her.

"I learned alot on anatomy, remember. Back at the Academy," said Ty Lee, reminding Azula about that place - suprised that Ty Lee managed to grasp onto a subject, beyond its basic levels.

XXX

After the attack, things seemed to warm-up a bit - Katara was less hostile on them and at Azula, for the time. Sokka and Suki more relaxed around them and Zuko, a little more chatty...

"How you feeling?" asked Zuko, approaching Azula who was leaning on a pillar - enjoying the view, while Zhan was being healed up. "I mean...about what happened?"

"It...shook me up. Didn't expect father, to react this extreme...although I should have expected it," replied Azula, looking at her brother. This was akward for them both, due to the fact, that both of them were at each others throats usually. "How...have you been...since...Ba Sing Se?"

"Usual. I had a hard-time, although I managed to aid them alot," replied Zuko.

"Oh...good for you..." replied Azula, with the same akwardness. "Zuko? Why can't we talk normally, like regular siblings? Like them two?"

"I...don't know," said Zuko honestly. They had bickered for so long, neither knew how to talk civilized around each other anymore. Then he noticed, the thing on Azula' finger. "You...have a ring?"

"Oh this..." replied Azula, a little embarrassed. "Yeah...I got it...engaged..."

"Who...is it?" he asked, continuing their chat.

"Well..." she said, nudging her head at Zhan' direction.

"Seriously?" asked Zuko, suprised that Azula' would fall for someone like that, and for someone to fall for Azula. "I...didn't expect that."

"Neither did I," replied Azula. "But...he grew on me. He might be all that, and despite what you might think of him and I at first thought about - he is actually...quite...charming."

"OK. Seriously didn't expect that from you!" said Zuko, with more force on his words.

"He isn't so bad - calm, supportive, accepting, willing to help out and always, has my interests at heart," said Azula. "No matter, what they are."

"And you, are accepting of this?" questioned Zuko.

"Not at first, but eventually...I opened up to him..." said Azula, with a sniffle and a small smile. "...and I didn't get hurt...or pushed away...or...you know..."

"When did that kind of thing happened?" asked Zuko.

Azula merely stared at her brother, until he got the problem - their childhood.

"Azula...that wasn't...our...she...was..." tried Zuko to explain, but got stopped.

"Don't deny it. Even you though I was beyond reason or...love. I didn't get a goodbye, like you did," said Azula, before leaving him.

As Azula left Zuko to ponder, he couldn't help, but feel a bit guilty about her sisters predicament or the fact, that he could've changed something, during their childhood. Now he was glad, that atleast Azula wasn't alone anymore - someone able to comfort her, through everything she was, must be a spirit-sent. Although, he made a mental note to check-out Zhan later.

Meanwhile, a little farther away, a certain boy was busy getting his wounds healed.

"Suprised you remained intact. That fire-blasty thingy, easily tore through everything," said Katara, healing Zhan' left arm.

"Well...I don't make cheap stuff," replied Zhan.

"I'll say!" added Toph, sitting nearby, with a piece of the now ruined armor, in her hand. "This is very pure stuff, I can't feel any impurities in this. Tough stuff aswell."

"It's platinum, a newly discovered metal, I've been experimenting with," he replied.

"Purest metal, I've ever touched," said Toph, throwing the piece away. "Judging by your intact state, then that metal says alot."

"Indeed!" he added.

"Alright. I did, what I could. Only your dislocated arm remains," said Katara.

"Okay-dokey, now then - your dislocation is easily fixable, but I have to ram it in place, fast. Otherwise, you won't be able to use your left arm again. Also...this might hurt."

"How much?" asked Zhan, as Ty Lee got into a position - then kicked into his painful place, relocating it and causing him, the mother of all pain's. "OH, SON OF A FUCK!"

XXX