honey [azula]

the confrontation

.·:*¨ ¨*:·.

i've made my peace with them

❉ ╤╤╤╤ ✿ ╤╤╤╤ ❉

"WE'VE landed," Azula said, stepping through the open door of the medical bay with no other introduction. Airi turned to her, slightly confused. It had only been a few hours since they had properly last spoken and Airi had moved up from the bed and tried to fix her salt-stripped hair with her still blistered fingers. "I'm going to go and find Uncle and Zuko, you're welcome to come with, though I'm sure you'll see plenty of the both of them when they're prisoners on the ship."

Airi smiled slightly at Azula, though the thought of seeing Iroh in a prison made her slightly unsettled. "I think Iroh might be suspicious if I come along, frankly," she said, not lying. Truthfully, Iroh knew better than anyone what the relationship between Airi, her morals, and Azula was, and Airi was afraid that he might be disappointed in her to know that she would so recklessly abandon all that she had pontificated on during her time at sea just to be with Azula again. Frankly, she was disappointed in herself for it. But she brushed the thought away and picked up her smile again. "Besides, I should help prepare for our guests' arrival, shouldn't I?"

"You make excellent points, as per usual," Azula sighed. "Well, as long as you go nowhere while I'm gone, I suppose it is not so cruel for you to leave me to go alone."

"Of course, Princess," Airi's smile widened. "Not a muscle moved."

Azula's teeth flashed dangerously in the candlelight. "I'll hold you to that, you know."

"I know," Airi replied, fingers finding her hair again. "I'm counting on it."

"And I'm looking forward to it," Azula smirked. "See you later."

And once again, Azula was gone from the medical bay, the smile from their encounter still spread out across Airi's lips. It had felt different, even from when she had first seen Azula after her time away. The butterflies in her stomach had a name now, and they sat there without disguise. There really was no escaping it. Perhaps she was not in love just yet, but she was falling for the crown princess of the Fire Nation, who just so happened to be her best friend.

The time passed and Airi spent most of it fixing her hair, even though she had promised she would not move a muscle. It wasn't the first time she had broken her promise to Azula, and Airi had spent enough time around Azula to know that she would either be indifferent or Airi would die.

For some reason, Airi didn't think Azula would kill her as much as she used to and to be frank, Airi wasn't sure she cared anymore. She flushed at her own thought, knowing she was acting like a silly schoolgirl who was in love for the first time and was all consumed by it. But Airi didn't mind it for now. 

Time passed slowly and Airi was starting to get worried. She sighed and decided to leave the medical bay and go to the top of the ship for some air and hopefully some information on what was going on. Her body still ached, but as she felt the ocean air on her face, it eased slightly.

It was countered by the sounds of a fight. Zuko and Azula were fighting, Azula winning of course. Zuko looked betrayed, probably because he had been. Azula's triumphant smile was probably already enough of a snub for him, but she continued to taunt him. "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 sneered at him. Zuko barely dodged the attack that followed. "Why would he want you back home, except to lock you up where you can no longer embarrass him?"

Zuko conjured up two fire daggers, roaring in anger. He leaped into the air and sent a powerful fire blast at Azula using his foot. She jumped and landed with a smug smile safely on the deck several feet away. Zuko charged at her, snarling, Azula smiling as she rose to her feet. Azula reached out, catching Zuko by surprise and scratching three twin lines into his face. Zuko fell back a few feet from the impact, yelling as he charged at her again.

Airi couldn't help but just stand and watch as Azula fought Zuko. She didn't feel the need to step in, neither of them was really killing the other, and Airi had already made her peace with Zuko. They continued to fight back and forth until Azula started to collect energy from the air, the unformed lightning bolt crackling at her fingertips. Airi watched in surprise, her feet stuttering beneath her without thinking about it as Iroh stepped in front of Azula, grabbing her arm and redirecting her lightning. Airi stared at him, amazed--she had never seen someone who could redirect lightning before. If she ever got the chance, she would ask him to teach her some time.

However, she had more urgent problems as Iroh has tossed Azula off the ship and was staring at Airi, unsure if he would have to fight her. She shook her head just enough for him to notice and that was all it took for Iroh and Zuko to run off, disappearing back into the wilderness. Airi didn't stick around to watch where they were going. She was already at the edge of the boat, jumping into the water without hesitation to make sure the furious princess wasn't so upset that she was going to drown herself. 

Azula stared at her as Airi surfaced after the splash with an impressed sort of wonder. "I thought I told you to not move a muscle," she murmured, her anger seeming to dissipate as soon as she set her eyes on Airi.

"Sorry for breaking the rules," Airi said, though the smile that spread across her face betrayed her.

"My little rule-breaker," Azula hummed, as though she liked the sound of what she was saying. Airi knew she certainly did, something was stirring in her gut, the kind of something that made her want to laugh and cry and scream all at once anytime she was around Azula. The princess sighed. "They got away."

"Yes," Airi admitted. "It wasn't your fault." Airi wasn't sure it wasn't Azula's fault but it didn't matter to her. She knew what Azula wanted to hear, and she wanted to please Azula. 

"No, it wasn't," Azula replied. "If that idiotic captain hadn't revealed the plan we would be halfway to the Fire Nation by now."

They had made it back to the shore now. Airi rested a comforting hand on Azula's shoulder. "You can have every place under Fire Nation command on the search for them. They're officially traitors to the crown now, they'll be caught in no time."

"You're right, of course, as usual,' Azula said, the quiet wistfulness replaced by her usual tone. "There will be nowhere to hide for them."

Airi smiled, following  Azula back to the ship, her heart pounding so high in her throat she thought she could taste the nerves. She wished she had never gone away, of course, but maybe it was better that she had. Whatever exactly had changed in their relationship with distance, Airi certainly thought it was for the better.

Of course, she had yet to admit her feelings. And knowing Azula,k there was no way to know how she would react.

 
.·:*¨ ¨*:·.

❉ ╤╤╤╤ ✿ ╤╤╤╤ ❉
written: 2/1/22
edited:-
word count: 1294

an: I'm so sorry for making you guys wait for so long on this chapter! I got super stuck on how to end this one, and life sort of got me distracted with other things. hopefully, now that I've worked through the block, I can keep giving you more chapters, seeing as things are really starting to get interesting here!

also thank you for 10k reads <3 you guys are all so amazing 
❉ ╤╤╤╤ ✿ ╤╤╤╤ ❉