Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction ❯ Precious Illusions ❯ Not Ready to Make Nice ( Chapter 13 )

Authors Notes: If I bit my lip, would you kiss it better?

Disclaimer: Is not mine, I could never make up something so beautiful and predictable as it, though I do wish I had Zuko (I would lock him in my room and never leave). It belongs to Nickelodeon (I think) and its creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. I don't own any of the songs either.

 

Warnings: language (the f word is used twice in the fic), a bit of violence, emotional turmoil, insanity, yuri (light and far away), shoujo ai, mentions of shounen ai/yaoi. Original characters, made up avatar creatures (that's all the warning I can think of off the top of my head).

 

Not Ready to Make Nice by Dixie Chicks

 

Chapter Thirteen

Not Ready to Make Nice

 

“That's it, come on Lin, perfect!” shouted Aang watching as the kids played some confusing game that Azula had only now had completely understood the rules to. But watching the kid's play it was obvious that the avatar wasn't holding them to the rules and only called something if there was any malicious foul play or just too dangerous air bending. Which sounded ridiculous.

 

She was miffed, however, at how quickly these brats had taken to the avatar. They had been so excited to take lessons from the airhead, and had been having so much funthat they had forgotten about her. Azula was left to sulk slightly behind the bald boy.

 

“Their pretty good, you're a really good teacher for not being an air bender,” said the avatar with a huge smile. Azula just shrugged, she didn't really want complements from this boy.

 

“I usually have Gato here to help with the instructions,” she said.

 

“But the kids are a bit wild (Fig stop attacking Hesh, that's against the rules) you must have a very firm hand to keep them in line,” said the avatar, not losing his smile. Azula didn't answer the avatar, just turned back to sulk. She was happy to say that her rejection seemed to take the wind out of his sails.

 

“Azi, Azi!” shouted Jet, she looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “I can do it really well, watch.”

 

Jet struck out with his fist and a small burst of fire shot out. It wasn't great, but it was more than the pathetic thing he'd made before that.

 

“Fine, that's good enough for you to go on, but you have to get over this fear of fire bending,” said Azula.

 

“Maybe we should take him to see the sun people, that's how I got over my fear,” said Aang, though it sounded more like he was talking to himself.

 

“What?” asked Azula, the avatar glanced at her, smiled and turned his head away and whistled. Azula didn't want to know anymore. The guy was a moron, how had he defeated her father?

 

“Anyway, the next set of movements for fire bending looks like this,” said Azula and started fist forward like before, to the side and then finally to the back. She was careful to keep her fire from even trying to surface with the old movements.

 

Jet tried to copy her movements, his feet twisting in his ankle even though his arm movements started out pretty well. Azula sighed and grabbed his arm to drag him up.

 

“This time watch my stance and how I move my feet,” said Azula with a small amount of exasperation. Every fire bender started out with trouble, but this kid was the worse that she had ever met, it just proved that people from other countries, especially benders, really shouldn't try and procreate against their heritage, it didn't work. The kid wasn't as intoned to the steps as he should be, his movements almost wanting to be those of water benders instead.

 

Azula corrected the boy's stance as he tried again, and sighed as he lost footing. She kept one eye on him, and the other on the rest of the pests flying around and trying to kill each other.

 

“Hey, Azi,” Azula blinked and looked at the avatar, she had almost forgotten that he was there. “I'll watch the air benders, that way you can concentrate on Jet. Thank you, by the way,” Azula stared at him for a second, before nodding.

 

“Of course avatar,” said Azula letting a bit of bite into her voice as she grabbed Jet's leg and tried to force it into the right position, as the kid kept putting it back wrong.

 

“Aang,” the avatar said.

 

“Hm?”

 

“Aang,” repeated the avatar, Azula blinked and looked up at the boy. She glared lightly and then turned back to her work.

 

“Avatar,” said Azula firmly.

 

“Aang,” said the avatar slowly. Azula turned her back on him.

 

“Show it to me again. I'll keep correcting you until you don't fall on your ass,” said Azula, opting to find another way to ignore the avatars pleas. He popped right in her face forcing her to take a few steps backward, eye wide.

 

“Aang,” he said happily and she glared at him. Jet giggled. Azula made a face at the avatar and turned to her student, ignoring the little annoyance and hoping he'd just disappear.

 

“Right, I'll show you one more time and then you try it yourself,” said Azula firmly. She went through the three basic moves, pausing and going slower than normal so he could take in her whole stance. He nodded and skidder off a few feet to practice. Azula tried to continue to ignore the avatar who was watching her instead of the kids. His eyes begged her to call him by his given name.

 

“You're no help at all,” scolded Azula, Aang looked her in confusion. “You said you would watch the kids and instead you spend the time like a child.”

 

“Child? I was watching them,” said Aang, Azula turned to him, her hands on her hips.

 

“Is that why Ling is now hanging by his ankles by the temple?” asked Azula pointing toward where the boy was hanging.

 

“Hey!” called Aang, his feet barely touching the ground as he ran full speed toward the kid who was starting to rip his shirt and fall. Azula chuckled and a few miscreants followed her example. She looked down at them as they smiled at her. There were a few seconds of silence and their smiles started to melt, fear replacing it.

 

This was going to be fun, and there was nothing the avatar could do to stop her.

 

-----

 

“Alright, you all know you assigned groups?” asked Azula, the kids all nodded, she had forced all the kids to eat together and now split into three even teams. Thankfully she was only expected to look after a third of them in this mess. While it wasn't felt that air bending practices could be canceled, they also thought that the kids should help in fixing up the town. There were still huge branches in houses, roofs missing, and structures that had to be rebuilt so they were more sturdy, so the kids would have lots to do, and no attention span to do it.

 

They departed, Mother taking one group, Gato another, and Azula left with the last. Saki waved to her while she headed to her assigned area. Azula looked around, the Elder had pointed them toward a house that had been flooded and mostly destroyed. They were to gut it, find anything they could that was salvageable, and also help the family rebuild the house with the new layout the father was getting from the only architect around.

 

“Alright, everyone remember we're taking orders from all the big people, just because someone who isn't me gives you orders you're still expected to do what they say. I get any complaints from anyone running this and I will personally see to your punishment is severe during lessons the tomorrow. I get more than five complaints and I will not only punish the people who committed the crimes, but the whole class, the transgressors more so,” she pushed them to listen to another overbearing grandmother type.

 

“What's transgressors?” asked Mi, but she sounded scared enough that she wouldn't do anything. She guessed there would be three kids who didn't take her seriously, but she probably wouldn't have to think of something for the whole class.

 

“Hey Azi,” Azula jumped a little and turned around to see her brother, and the water bender behind him. Her life officially sucked.

 

“Please tell me you people are just passing by,” Azula begged. Zuko looked exasperated and Katara giggled, apparently she was getting used to Azi's personality and wouldn't take her comments so personally anymore. Pity.

 

“Sorry Azi, looks like we were assigned to the same place. I'm here because this is one of the largest homes and it has one of the largest families. They need a water bender to help get the water out, and they just stuck him with me,” said Katara with a smile.

 

“You any good at fixing things?” asked Azula to her brother.

 

“Better than I used to be,” said Zuko in a way that Azula got the idea a lot of angry villagers were getting their kicks out of making the Fire Lord help rebuild their homes. Her brother was pathetic.

 

“Do I want to know?” asked Azula.

 

“The first time he went back to the Earth Kingdom he was expected to help rebuild the village,” said Katara and then giggled. “It started out alright until they saw that the section of the roof he was working on had nails in completely useless places, mostly all bent. They didn't yell, but most stopped working and just watched Zuko mess up repeatedly.”

 

“They didn't help?” asked Azula.

 

“Nope, apparently they thought that it was hysterical that it was proven I was a spoiled brat. They helped eventually, but it took Aang sitting them all down and yelling at them,” said Zuko. Azula rolled her eyes. She didn't quite think that the avatar yelled at anyone, try and give an inspiring speech, but him yelling in a way that got people to listen to him was a little hard to imagine.

 

“He yelled?” she asked.

 

“Well, no, he talked to them very firmly, gave examples of our own trips, and begged them to understand. Most of the villagers got along with Zuko for the rest of our stay,” said Katara.

 

“Sounds like you're having a difficult time making up for all your ancestors' mistakes,” said Azula dully. She started moving as they were directed to start fixing.

 

“Yes, well, I did get to see and apologize to a few people I'd treated badly when I was still trying to find myself,” said Zuko with a strained smile. “Plus, this is only bringing the nations together with a stronger bond.”

 

“Making lemons into lemonade?” Azula found herself teasing.

 

“Something like that,” her brother said with an answering smile.

 

They worked as a team of three the rest of the day. Not that Azula didn't try to bail on them, she had, and almost succeeded twice, but eventually she just accepted her fate and listened in on their conversations. They were both trying to avoid talking about the state of the Fire Nation that was for sure, Azula guessed this was because her brother was supposed to be on vacation. They did wander into the conversation from time to time, but they were quick to change it. Azula caught enough to know that her brother had completely changed his personal staff and had the more important scrolls sent to him with a daily update on all the important incidents and news in the kingdom and anything connected, or could be connected to the Fire Kingdom. Katara scolded him for working, but Azula understood. Her bother probably had very few people that he could trust in the palace. He was still much too trusting, but she supposed if someone had to take the Fire Kingdom, it might as well be someone who could do good for it. It was her home land after all.

 

The day did not run smoothly. They found out quickly that even though the old woman was constantly pushing Azula to do construction and using a saw and the like, giving Azula any sort of tools usually ended in something bleeding or bruised. Unlike her brother, Azula seemed to get worse the more work she did. So Katara had her help move stuff out of the way to make her water bending more useful and then put her on scavenger duty after that instead. Until the old woman would come back and pushed Azula to hammer and sawing and causing general mayhem all over again. The two found this hysterical, but would take pity on her and as soon as the hag was gone have her helping Katara again.

 

Another thing that was frustrating was that she was on opposite sides of the building from her charges. It was one of the three long buildings (besides the kitchen and one other family building) that was in their village. So she had no way to look after the misbehaving children. But the grownups on that side insisted that they were family people and knew how to take care of quite a few children at once. The only problem was that whenever the kids did something out of turn they would come whining to Azula. She would volunteer to go back and watch them like she was supposed to, but they would just act all huffy and refuse her, like it was still her fault. By the tenth time they did this she was ready to kill them and the two goody-goodies had to restrain her. Azula was already coming up with cruelest form of punishment that she could think of.

 

Apparently Ling had already pulled five pranks (that the elders knew of) on his classmates. She had already decided that her lesson to him would be a lecture, not one of her usual, but something that she had seen a mother do. One that drove guilt into the little kid, that told him she was very disappointed he had chosen to seek revenge this way. But, his ideas had been interesting enough that she could suggest some more sneaky ones that wouldn't get him in trouble. Mostly because they wouldn't be able to tell it had been them.

 

“Alright you spawn-maggots,” snapped Azula pacing in front of the children. “When Mother comes to get you I want you to head right to bed when you get there. Anyone I hear doing different will increase the punishment that I have already worked out. Anyone who tries to skip tomorrow will also suffer a worse punishment, is that understood?” Azula shouted in her best military voice.

 

“Yes sir!” they all shouted back, completely serious. Azula nodded in satisfaction and sent them along as mother came.

 

“You know, uncle's serving tea, why don't you come join us, I'm sure Saki'll be there,” said Zuko, she heard the hope in his voice. Azula could hardly believe the day had come when her brother wanted to be around her. Granted he just thought she was a mean spirited, insane, but also inside kind girl. She was not kind inside.

 

“I'm not someone you want to become closer friend with,” said Azula and started leave, not in the direction they were going in. “And I do not do everything that Saki does.” She added, just so they got that clear.

 

“We know, but her being there helps you with feeling safe around us, doesn't it?” asked Katara.

 

“My not wanting to hang with you has nothing to do with me being insecure,” said Azula in irritation.

 

“That's what Saki said,” explained Katara, now looking uncomfortable. Azula glared at the girl.

 

“And how would she know?” demanded Azula. Zuko smiled and grabbed her arm. Azula tried to wrench it away from him, but it still seemed he had those muscles from all those years wandering around.

 

“Because she can read you like a book. But if you say your fine with us then you really have no reason not to join us,” Zuko started dragging her; ignoring all the threats and bruises she gave him. Katara smiling fondly and walked closely behind them.

 

---

 

Azula was not happy or amused. She was stuck in this loud crowd, with people she had once plotted to kill - many she had made real attempts to kill and many she had almost succeeded in, the avatar being one of those people. They all now sat in a small room talking and laughing. Sokka had started to try and make a picture to capture the moment. Katara had stolen the paper and ink and given it to a passing Elder and told him to hide it. Saki had gone out and apologized to the man. She hadn't come back yet.

 

“Come on, loosen up Azi,” said her uncle, elbowing her with bruising force into her ribs. She glared at him, though she couldn't help the fear that he knew who she was.

 

“I don't want to be here,” her uncle opened her mouth. “And I don't want to hear any lectures that take a day to figure out that it was half an insult. If you'll excuse me?”

 

An amused chuckle followed Azula but she ignored it and went to the other corner of the room to sulk. She watched Gato, who had apparently been slipped some alcohol along the way, because he was now attempting to… she did not need to see that. Azula sighed and tried to disappear into the wall. These people were very good at keeping her around.

 

“Hey Azi,” said Aang jumping out in front of her again. This time she didn't jump, just glared.

 

“Hello Avatar,” she said politely. Aang pouted at her and took a long sip at his tea. She took it from his hand and smelled it. She blinked and gave it back to the boy. She then started deliberately to head toward her uncle.

 

“Hey Ahzi,” said Sokka, another person just appearing in front of her. She glanced at the boy, he was definitely smashed.

 

“You get everyone drunk out of their minds water tribe peasant?” asked Azula, putting her hands on her hips. He giggled and through his hand around his shoulder.

 

“Nope, Ga'o found the liquor and the old fa' man a'reed to put it in the tea. You di'n't drink anah tea di' yo?” asked the boy. He laughed and then seemed to remember that he was supposed to be mad at her for not drinking the spiked tea.

 

“Gato's only, what, twelve, and Aang isn't that much older than him,” said Azula with a sigh and took another look around and shock her head. “Just how strong was this stuff?”

 

“Strong,” dragged out the water tribe peasant. “And Ga'o's fifteen.”

 

“Really?” asked Azula in surprise.

 

“His family confir'med it,” said Sokka happily. “Though they di'n't seem to keen on seeing him. I wonder why, it's really bes' to keep in tou'h with fa'ily.”

 

“Still, isn't that a little young?” asked Azula remembering that the legal age in the Fire Kingdom was eighteen.

 

“Nope, the legal agg is you'geh heer, thihrteen I thinhk was wha' the El'ers said,” Sokka slurred.

 

“Yeah, still, it probably be best if there was an actual adult here to watch you. The fat man does not count,” said Azula with as much bite as her tired mind could summon. She glared lightly as the boys head landed on her shoulder and he was lost in laughter.

 

“You know,” said Sokka while whipping his eyes and lying almost completely on her. “I dohwn e'en thinhk I'm really attrac'ed to you.”

 

“You're not,” said Azula with a little confusion.

 

“Then why do I wanh to tal' to you and be aroun' you?” asked Sokka, seemed genuinely confused. Azula sighed guys were idiots.

 

“Don't know, but do you talk about me constantly to your friends?” she asked.

 

“Not contan'ly, and no' abou' how beautuful you are like I did wi'h…” tears started to fill his eyes, Azula rolled her eyes.

 

“I'm not the one who you have a crush on,” she said making the boy look at her. He blinked at her.

 

“Then whho doh I ha'e a cruesh on?” asked the boy pathetically. She looked at the boy with reserve and then sighed, letting go of his chin.

 

“I don't think I should tell you,” said Azula, leaning herself against the wall. “You'll figure it out on your own I'm sure.”

 

Plus that would give the other moron time to catch up. She didn't think the water peasant would move first, he probably didn't even know what was going on.

 

“I'm here,” sang avatar in front of her.

 

“Aang, get out of my face,” said Azula duly. She looked confused as the boys face split into a wide grin, and then realized what she had just said. “That was just a small slip of the…”

 

“Nope, you already said it, you can't take it back, you have to call me Aang and everyone else by their actual name from now on,” said the avatar jumping around.

 

“Why everyone?” she asked in confusion.

 

“Because that's the way it works,” he sang.

 

“I'm leaving,” said Azula. Sokka grabbed her arm and gave her wide eyes. “And you aren't stopping me, I've had a stressful day and I have kids to watch in the morning. Good night.”

 

She walked out with a sigh.

 

“Hello Azi, leaving so soon?” asked Ursa while she was walking down the hall.

 

“Shouldn't you be making sure they don't do anything to hurt themselves?” asked the woman.

 

“They're very busy kids,” said the woman with a gentle smile that allowed kind smiles. “It's good for them to cut loose every once in a while. You should try it.”

 

“No thanks,” said the girl in boredom.

 

“I'll see you tomorrow,” said Azula with a wave. She continued to her room when Saki caught up to her, she looked angry, more so then she had ever seen.

 

“What's wrong?” asked Azula, worried that something had happened. Saki opened her mouth, but just sighed and cracked one eye to look at her friend and sigh again, Azula became worried.

 

“Nothing, nothing we have to talk about tonight. We'll discuss it tomorrow,” Saki left, leaving Azula a bit confused. But she really was tired.

 

Azula headed to his room and rolled into a ball. She was exhausted. Saki was acting weird, but tomorrow it would be easier to figure out. She took out her hair band and shook her hair out while changing into something more comfortable to sleep in. She curled up under the covers and took the earth kingdom doll down. She looked at it for a moment before replacing it on the shelf above her bed. She would wonder in the morning how she had ended up clutching the doll and waking up feeling more tired than she had ever felt.