Chapter Nine

"I've got her!" Aang exclaimed, holding Azula with one arm and his glider with the other.

    "Nice glider Avatar," Azula sneered, looking back at him. "Tell me, is it fireproof?"

    With that, she shot a small blue flame right above Aang's shoulder, the spot lighting up quickly.

    "No! This was a gift!" Aang uttered before they plunged towards the ground.

    He crashed to the ground, Azula leaping off just before they made impact. Appa landed mere seconds after, the other three passengers leaping off of him in unison.

    "You guys make sure Aang's ok, I'll go after Azula!" Zuko exclaimed, running after his sister.

    She sped along the rocky terrain, leaping over a stream, she stopped. Zuko was too far to hear her, but he saw her move as if she was talking to someone. As he approached, she shot a string of lightning at the water, the stream erupting into a short wall.

    "... You've turned my own mind against me!" Azula shrieked at the water, Zuko finally catching up.

    "Who are you talking to?" Zuko asked, looking at his sister's exhausted expression from across the water.

    "Why do you care?!" Azula shot back, still catching her breath.

    "Keep to our deal Azula, we'll find her together." Zuko reminded her softly, taking a step towards her.

     "You need me, Zuzu. I have information you don't. But now that we're so close to Hira'a, I don't really need you anymore." Azula replied, aiming what would end up being a shot of lightning at Zuko.

    "Please... I don't want to do this." Zuko protested, taking a stance.

    Before anyone could shoot anything at one another, Azula was wrapped in ice, falling to the ground.

    "Out of the way Zuko!" Katara called, though it was a little too late now.

    He turned back, seeing Aang and Sokka walk over. His eyes first went to Sokka who looked a little more chipper than he did before. Zuko smiled softly before turning to Aang who stopped beside him.

    "Are you ok?" Zuko asked the airbender.

    "My glider is a little singed but I'm ok." He replied.

    "Hey! I don't appreciate you trying to set my boyfriend on fire!" Katara shouted, marching through the water towards Azula.

    "Um, if you're ok, then why are you making that face?" Zukoarched a brow.

    "I feel the presence again."

    "Zuko," The Firelord's head shot up at the sound of Sokka saying his name. "You gotta reconsider this agreement with your sister."

    Zuko chuckled, his mood a little bit better. Sokka glanced at his smiling face and smiled himself.

    "Of all the conspirators she could have chosen, why an uncultured-" Azula started, glaring at Katara.

    She was cut off by the terrified expression that befell her face. Staring across the stream.

    "Hey! That fear in your eyes," Sokka boasted, raising his boomerang into the air. "So you've finally learned to respect the power of Mr Boomerang!"

    Right behind Sokka was the wolf Aang had mentioned. It towered over the water tribe boy and growled lowly at all the people around it.

    He arched a brow at everyone's terrified expression, though Aang's was more angry and Zuko was more concerned. He looked behind him to see the blue legs of the wolf and as he looked down, he saw an open mouth coming straight for his head. Before it could touch him, he was knocked to the ground, a hand cradling his head in order to protect him.

    He groaned a bit, meeting the eyes of Zuko who was returned the gaze with an incredibly concerned expression.

    "Are you ok?" He asked the water tribe boy softly, pulling him up to sit.

    "Yeah... I'm... I'm alright..." Sokka replied softly, staring at Zuko's face.

    "...Must have left the spirit world for a reason so everybody please be respectful!" Aang shouted at the group.

    "Respectful? It just tried to eat my head!" Sokka shouted, taking his eyes off Zuko.

    "The mark on his belly looks like a face." Zuko noted.

    "It's the same face you've been making Aang!" Katara shouted to her boyfriend, taking a stance just in case.

    "It must be the presence I felt!" Aang exclaimed, his face still wrenched into an angry frown.

    Katara bent an ice wall in front of herself. While Aang said the Avatar stuff to the wolf, he returned his gaze to Sokka.

    "Come on, let's go stay by Katara."

    Sokka nodded in agreement, moving to stand up. However, when he was on his two feet, he flinched, gasping in pain and faltering into Zuko's arms.

    "What happened?" Zuko asked.

    "My ankle...," Sokka hissed. "I think I sprained it."

    "Ok, let's get you over to Katara." Zuko nodded, scooping up Sokka's legs with his other arm.

    The water tribe boy flushed a bit, his mind distracted from the pain in his foot. He wrapped his arms around Zuko's neck.

    "If we disturbed you, please accept our apology!" Aang pleaded with the wolf, just as Zuko had reached Katara.

    The wolf growled, snapping at Aang who dodged it.

    "Aang!" Katara exclaimed.

    "You might want to think of another tactic!" Zuko shouted, watching as Aang landed safely on the ground.

    It looked as if it would pounce again, so he and Katara both shot their elements at it. Sokka also threw his boomerang from where he was sitting, it bounced off the wolf's head without even gaining a flinch from it. The wolf ignored Katara's water and instead sucked up Zuko's fire before burping out a thick stream of smoke.

    "Did it just...?" Zuko blinked.

    "Haha! It burped! It are your fire and burped!" Sokka exclaimed, smiling at Zuko.

    "Come on wolf spirit! I'm the great bridge guy! You don't wanna-" Aang started but was cut off from the wolf being knocked down by Appa.

    "Oh yeah! Giant animal spirit mega brawl!" Sokka cheered on.

    "Go easy on him buddy!" Aang called to Appa.

    The bison flew around the wolf, doing it's attempts on eating his legs. He landed and whacked his tail against the ground, sending a glass of wind which knocked the wolf spirit into a rock wall.

    "Appa! I said go easy on him!" Aang exclaimed.

    "Oh yeah, air bison one, giant, fire eating wolf, zero!" Sokka cheered.

    "Are you ok Giant wolf spirit?" Aang asked, walking towards the wolf who was sputtering and gasping as it got onto it's feet.

    It choked and gagged before throwing up a wave of pink winged insects who buzzed around the group.

    "He just threw up moth wasps at us!" Aang stated, watching the plume of bugs raise into the air.

    "You have got to be the grossest spirit thing we've ever encountered." Sokka grimaced.

    "Free me, Zuzu. I'll take care of those spirits for you." Azula offered, looking up to her brother who was shielding himself.

    "We don't need your help, Azula!" Zuko urged.

    "Right, because you all have it under control? Right?" She remarked sarcastically, nodding towards the others who were protecting themselves from the moth wasps.

    With a sigh, Zuko took a stance and melted the ice surrounding Azula's torso. She immediately focused some lightning into the swarm, lighting up the spirits with a burst of blue light. The wolf and the moths followed the beam of light off into the woods, leaving the rest of the gang to look at Azula.

    "You're welcome." She smirked, her fingers smoking.

_

    They set up camp in the woods, the world around them shaded with dark blue. Sokka and Zuko sat across from one another with the campfire between them. Aang sat on top of Appa's head while Katara lay on Appa, already asleep. Azula lay against a tree, muttering in her sleep.

    "So, you're just going to let her sleep with her hands untied?" Sokka queried, giving Zuko a look.

    "She saved us from the spirits," Zuko replied, looking back at his sister. "I'm giving her a chance."

    "That's a whole lot of chance for someone who tried to fry you." Sokka remarked, following Zuko's gaze to Azula's trembling figure.

    "It's fine, we agreed to watch her in shifts through the night," Zuko looked back to Sokka, meeting his eyes through the thin smoke of the campfire. "Why are you still up?"

    "Well, for one, I drank way too much water trying to get the taste of moth wasps out of my mouth so-" Sokka explained sheepishly.

    "I get it." Zuko interrupted, not wanting to hear the rest.

    "But also," Sokka bit his lip. "I wanted to thank you for saving me from the wolf."

    "Oh," Zuko flushed a bit. "You're welcome..."

    Sokka smiled softly, looking down at the ground. A gentle silence filled the air between them, both boys looking away from one another.

    "Mm," Sokka hummed, looking back at his sister. "It's a little bit cold tonight isn't it?"

    "I thought you liked the cold." Zuko commented, watching as Sokka pulled his blanket out of his bag.

    "Yeah, but we've been away from home for a while now..." He responded, draping his blanket over Katara and Momo.

    She snuggled into her pillow, looking more relaxed. Momo let out a soft snore, causing a tiny chuckle to escape Sokka's lips.

    He returned to sit across from Zuko again, giving him a little grin.

    "Even after all those snowballs she throws at your head, you still look after her, huh?" Zuko raised his eyebrow.

    "Eh, she throws snowballs, I throw witticisms, it works." Sokka shrugged.

    "Seems like you get the short end of that deal..."

    "Yeah, but... She's my sister so," Sokka looked back at her. "I don't mind."

    Zuko nodded slightly, looking back at his own sister. She shivered.

    "Do you have another one of those blankets?" He asked, turning back to Sokka.

    "Sure, here." Sokka replied, handing it over.

    Zuko took it softly, brushing against Sokka's hand he smiled. Maybe it was ok? Maybe they were still friends.

    He looked up at the water tribe boy's face as he excused himself. His bright, blue eyes and quirky expressions. He was a friend... But... Zuko sighed, watching him walk off.

    Maybe he wanted more.