This is a postwar AU- Ignore the Search and the Promise- eventual Azutara

I wanted to give a shout out to Ember Island, Decisions Made and Measure Each Step to Infinity. I loved all three stories (one is still in progress) and they had some influence in how I wrote this story. I hope they don't feel too similar, but I don't think they will.

Things you should know if you skipped the teasers: Aang and Katara dated for 2 years and then broke up. They remained friends. Sokka is still with Suki. Zuko is with Mai. A year after the war, Zuko was overwhelmed by assassination attempts and political drama. Not only did he ask the Kyoshi Warriors to defend him and Mai, but he also released Azula from the asylum to get her help in sorting out the political drama.

This was not well received by Zuko's friends or Uncle Iroh, but Azula did as promised, forming a new alliance of nobles that was strong enough to keep Zuko's government stable. Her methods, however, were largely unknown to Team Avatar, causing them to distrust her even more.

The story begins in December 102AG. I set Sozin's Comet in August so it's 2 1/3 years after the war ended. Drama, violence, angst, smut and drugs use (and possible abuse). This shit ain't for kids!

How We Started to Become Friends?

Suki's Room (In the Palace)

"I don't see why he invited her," Sokka complained. They were going to a private New Years celebration. There was a festival for the public in Capital City, but Zuko was having a private get together on Ember Island. The beach was closed to the public in the off-season. Only the locals could use it and Zuko had his family's beach house renovated.

Suki didn't like it either but "it's his house. We can't tell him whom to invite."

"But she's so nasty." Azula was always insulting people or ignoring them if they said something she didn't like.

Aang had a different perspective. "It's not like we've been particularly nice to her either."

"Should we be? After all she's done!"

"She did a lot of bad things, but she did a lot of good things too." Zuko couldn't control the country. Even excluding Ozai's associates who wanted to kill him, the people were generally frustrated and could revolt at any time.

By forming the alliance that bolstered the government, Azula was able to help strengthen the economy and lower taxes for the middle and lower classes, helping Zuko gain the public support he had desperately needed. "Without her, I'd probably be stuck in the Fire Nation on riot control all the time." And Aang had a lot of other work he could be doing instead.

"Most of the assassination attempts have stopped," Suki admitted.

"Most?" Sokka questioned.

"There was that deranged man who thought Zuko was an evil spirit, but he had stopped taking his medication. Azula found his family an in house nurse and the problem should be gone."

Sokka groaned. "I don't have to like her."

"You don't, but she won't hesitate to sick the guards on you again."

Sokka shivered at the memory. At another party, he had been rather drunk when he accused Azula of causing some disturbance amongst the public. When she told him to get out of her face, he didn't, and with a snap of her fingers, the guards hoisted him in the air and were ready to take him to the drunk tank.

Aang and Zuko managed to secure his release, but it served as a lesson to Sokka that Azula still had enough power to have him locked up overnight, he best stay mindful of it.

Suki kissed Sokka. "I'd rather you not start the new year in jail!"

"Fine, 'I'll behave myself.'"

"No you won't," Aang teased him. "Just don't misbehave too much!"

Azula did not want to go to this party. "This is going to be terrible," Azula complained as she packed her bag, well as she watched Ty Lee pack her bag.

"It can be fun. There will be alcohol and fireworks and …"

"A bunch of people who hate me, but don't hesitate to come to my home, eat my food, and discuss loudly how much they hate me."

Ty lee frowned. "It's not as if you tried to befriend them."

"How? I wasn't back in the palace for a week before I got death threats from that water tribe wench, a sword in my face from her idiotic brother and assurances from your boss that it was only a matter of time before I killed my brother."

"So it wasn't the best welcome home party. It doesn't mean things can't change."

"Things will change. Someday, they'll die."

Ty Lee snorted. "What am I to do with you?"

"You could help me hide in the palace, so I can go to the City's celebration instead."

"You'd rather go out with commoners?"

"I'd prefer commoners who like me to annoying peasants that don't."

Ty Lee laughed. "If it's that bad, I'm sure we can sneak on a boat back to Capital City."

"Really?"

"Yeah. That's what friends are for."

"Thanks Ty Lee."

"For what?"

"For being my friend."

Zuko hoped that this party went well. He had to do something about the tension between his sister and his friends. Any political meeting where they were both present, i.e. any international meeting involving the Fire Nation, was impeded by the animosity. If Katara wasn't complaining that Azula was there, Azula was saying that uneducated peasants have no business trying to think about complex issues. Maybe she should go plant some rice. That would actually be helpful.

He had to do something, and he decided he was going to make them party together until they could get along.

"This has to be the craziest idea you've had yet," Mai said to her boyfriend.

"I know, but I don't know what else to do. I've tried talking to them separately, to them together. I've begged. I've threatened. I've bribed."

"You bribed your friends to be nice to Azula?"

"I paid Azula 50 coins to be nice to them, and it was working. She complimented Katara's dress, but Katara thought she was mocking her, because it was a worn dress, and they got into a fight."

Mai laughed. "I wish I could have seen that."

"I'm hoping there won't be a repeat performance."

"Oh there will be."

Katara was the last to arrive. She had been teaching waterbending to some waterbenders who had just moved to Whale Tail Island. To try and ease racial and national tension, they tried having people of different nations move all over the world, as cultural ambassadors. Now, there were waterbenders living pretty much everywhere, but many of them had never been able to learn, either because they had been captured or were hiding from the Fire Nation or were women living in the Northern Water Tribe.

A servant took Katara's bag as she went to find somewhere to sleep. She found her room too far to walk to right now and decided to sleep on the couch. She managed to fall asleep right away, but it was only thirty minutes before, Azula and Ty Lee came into the room and a servant brought them a cart full of treats.

"I'm so happy about this," Azula flopped on the opposite facing couch, not even seeing Katara sleeping right behind her.

"I love dim sum."

They drank their tea and began to eat and talk about what was new.

"So what's the latest warrior drama," Azula questioned.

"There isn't always drama."

"Hah! Yeah there is. I've seen more catfights since y'all moved in here than I saw in my entire time at the royal academy and that was a 5 year span."

Ty Lee sighed. "So there have been a lot of slapping matches, but we all love each other."

"Does that mean each time I hit Zuko, it's really just a love tap?"

Ty Lee laughed raucously. "I like that one. Anyway, I kind of got myself into some trouble because I hooked up with another warrior, but I didn't realize she was already hooking up with yet another warrior and there was some drama."

"So you all do sleep with each other. The original Kyoshi warriors were Kyoshi's concubines."

"You're making that up!"

"I am NOT! Ask Aang about his past life. She was one for being pleased, by many women, most of whom were younger than she was, kind of like my grandfather."

"EWWW!"

Katara woke up to the smell of snacks and saw Azula and Ty Lee wrestling over something.

"You can't eat my taro puff!" Ty Lee told her.

"But I want it."

"Ask for more."

"But they'll have to make them."

Ty Lee tickled Azula long enough to reach for the table and grab the treat, shoving it into her mouth.

She just started to chew when Azula said, "you're always shoving things in your mouth."

She almost laughed out the treat before swallowing.

"Swallow like a good girl."

Ty Lee flipped her off.

"Didn't you learn your manners at the royal academy? I'm pretty sure flipping of a princess is a crime."

"Bite my ass."

"I would take you up on that, but I don't need to be involved in any warrior drama.

Also, you've been around the block a few too many times."

Offended, Ty Lee shoved her. Azula flipped her over and they started wrestling. Eventually, they were laughing on the ground.

"You're such a bitch," Ty Lee told her.

"You love me for it."

Katara had never seen Azula playful before. It was a strange event. She was still nasty and insulting, but it's almost like she means it in a benevolent way. Could this be?

Her stomach started to growl, giving her away.

"Hi Katara," Ty Lee said cheerily.

Azula only said, "humph!"

"What did I tell you about being nice?" Ty Lee chided

"It's only for losers?"

"Azula!"

"Hello Katara, how are you doing today?"

"Um, Fine!"

"Would you care to join us for dim sum?"

"Um, sure."

Azula called the servant for more taro puffs and siu mai and steam buns, and also more tea and a third plate.

"Of course."

"So how was living in a snow bank?" Azula questioned.

Katara frowned.

Ty Lee elbowed her. "What's wrong with you?"

"Didn't you say you make friends by sharing past experiences? Wouldn't asking her about her upbringing be normal?"

Is she trying to be my friend?

Ty Lee sighed. "I did say that, but you need to work on your delivery."

"Delivery of what?"

Ty Lee shook her head.

Katara answered, "We live in igloos, not snow banks."

"What's the difference?"

"An igloo is a structure made of snow. A snow bank is just a pile, usually one of snow that was in the way, like if you were digging a path."

"Ah."

"Anyway, living in an igloo is very cozy. There isn't much afforded for privacy, particularly when you live with your family."

"Then how do people have sex?"

"They do, it's just awkward."

"EW!"

"Azula!"

"What? If I didn't have soundproof walls, I would have burned down Zuko's wing, so I didn't have to hear him and Mai rutting."

"I do not rut," Mai said as she entered the room. "Rutting is for komodo rhinos."

"It can actually refer to any mammal," Zuko said.

"And humans are mammals, so rutting."

Mai rolled her eyes. "Katara welcome. Hello Ty Lee. Azula, I don't know what to do with you."

"You mean you aren't taken away with my beauty and charm?" She winked at her.

Zuko groaned. "How is it you're so full of yourself?"

"I just am aware of my many talents." Just then another tray of food appeared. Azula quickly shoved a taro puff in her mouth only to yell about how hot it was.

Ty Lee laughed at her stupidity. "You do that every time."

"Shut up."

After getting some food, Katara excused herself to go lie down.

Zuko and Mai asked what that was about.

"What?" Azula didn't know where Katara had come from. She had just appeared.

Later at dinner, Aang was happy to see Katara. "I didn't know you got in today." He hugged her.

"I took a nap after I got here. I was tired."

Azula watched the two curiously. "Do people usually stay friends after they break up?"

"Azula!" Zuko hissed.

"What? I've never had a (real) break up. I don't know what to expect."

"Who would date you?" Sokka retorted.

Suddenly, his plate caught on fire. "She burnt my MEAT!" It was now inedible ash.

Suki shook her head. "Can't you stay quiet for five minutes?"

"No. I think he has a complex," Azula told her.

Zuko slammed his fist on the table. "That is it. I refuse to put up with the shenanigans that have gone on with you all a moment longer. I'm going to keep making you all and Azula interact until you can tolerate each other, so you better get over your issues, or else you will be stuck with each other at every celebration forever."

Azula was silent. When did Zuko get a backbone?

Mai shook her head. This was the dumbest solution ever.

"How is that legal?" Sokka whined.

"Don't try me."

Sokka got a new plate and ate in silence.

Katara was impressed that he stayed silent. This was like a world record or something.

After dinner, they had drinks in the lounge.

Aang tried to lighten the mood. "Maybe we can play charades."

"What's charades?" Azula didn't know what he was talking about.

"You have partners and you pantomime something. If your partner guesses correctly within the allotted time, you get a point. Whichever pair has the most points at the end wins. You can't talk."

"How do you know what to act out?"

"You draw the words from a box." Aang went and got one.

Sokka paired up with Suki. Azula paired up with Ty Lee, and Aang asked Katara to be his partner. Zuko had a different idea. "I think we should shake this up."

He paired Mai with Aang, Azula with Suki, Ty Lee with Katara and he was with Sokka.

Azula and Suki looked at each other suspiciously.

Sokka went first. He drew forgiveness.

He started reaching out, pulling his hands towards his stomach and doubling over.

"Hunger, food poisoning, poison, betrayal." In 30 seconds he didn't get it. "What were you trying to act out?"

"Forgiveness!"

"WHAT?"

"You suck at this Zuko!"

"You should have gotten down on your knees."

"Ha-ha!" Azula laughed loudly.

"That's not what I meant."

Everyone else laughed.

"I didn't know you liked Sokka that way," Mai teased.

Zuko and Sokka frowned.

Azula and Suki were next.

"I'll act this one out," Azula declared. She reached into the box and got "betrayal."

Of course she did. When her time started, she motioned for Sokka to get up, slapped him the face and stormed away.

"BETRAYAL!" Suki yelled

"Exactly."

"I can't believe you slapped me," Sokka complained.

"You're supposed to act."

"You don't actually hit people!"

"No one told me!"

"You have to be told not to hit people!"

"I got a point," Suki was glad to be winning.

Zuko separated them. "Let's move on."

Mai drew boredom. Azula thought that was cheating since her face evokes boredom.

Katara drew anger, which again was an easy one.

Zuko was up now and he tried to act out whimsical. His attempt at being playful, however, caused Sokka to guess, "crazy, deranged, split personality, Azula and koala sheep."

"It was whimsical you idiot!"

"How am I in the same category as a koala sheep?"

"Well you both are cuddly," Ty Lee told her.

Azula hushed her. "No one's supposed to know about that."

Suki got trollup. She sat on Zuko's lap and started flirting with him

"Concubine, governor's daughter, trollup!"

"Trollup it is!"

"I like how governor's daughter was guessed before trollup," Mai snickered.

"Have you met Governor Shu's daughter?"

"I have, and I think trollup is too generous a word for her."

After three rounds, Azula and Suki won.

"Victory is sweet!" Azula declared.

"I didn't think you'd be able to act," Suki told her.

"It runs in the family," Zuko said.

"Then why were you so bad at it?" Katara questioned.

Azula snickered.

Zuko frowned.

Everyone dispersed after the game.

"See that wasn't so bad," Ty Lee told her.

"Yes, MOM!"

"Stop calling me that." It was inappropriate, given their past dalliances.

"Does that make me a mother…?"

Ty Lee covered Azula's mouth. The princess licked her hand.

"EW my hand."

"I think my tongue got the worse end of that deal," Azula retorted.

Sokka went off with Suki.

"That wasn't so bad," Suki said.

"You didn't get slapped."

"That was pretty funny."

"Not for me."

"You do realize you were her boyfriend in the skit, and you cheated on her. That's pretty funny."

"EW!"

Suki laughed as she led him to bed.

Zuko and Mai shared a drink.

"That kind of worked," Zuko said proudly.

"I must say that your plan to integrate Azula is amusing."

Aang had gone looking for Katara. "She's not in her room."

Maybe she went to hang out with Zuko and Mai. He went and found them drinking.

"Aang, why don't you join us?" Zuko said.

He poured himself a whisky with lots of ice. They started to chat.

Mai only hoped he didn't mention Katara.

The waterbender knocked on Ty Lee's door. She said come in while someone else said, "hark who goes there?"

"Azula, you're so corny," Ty Lee teased.

"Hush. I'd make an awesome pirate."

"You are fearsome enough," Katara offered.

"See, all I have to do is get an eye patch and rob vessels!"

Ty Lee shook her head. "What brings you here?"

"Just wanted to see what you were up to."

"Lies!" Azula declared. "You're hiding from that airbender.

Katara quickly shut the door. "How did you know?" She hoped he didn't hear that.

"I read people quite well. It's why Zuko hired me. He was never good at it."

"It took him two years to figure out Mai liked him," Ty Lee admitted. "Then he got banished."

"Aang's a nice guy, a really nice guy, but he and I are just too different."

Azula was surprised that Katara was confessing. "Hold on, we need booze!" Azula started searching Ty Lee's closet and found a bottle of rum. "Do you have any mixers?"

"I think I have juice in the cooler."

Katara opened it. "Your ice melted."

"Good thing you're a waterbender."

Katara made the juice cold and Azula mixed the drinks. She poured heavy.

"Aang wants us to move to the Air Temples, have lots of airbenders and to teach them his culture and traditions and I know he needs to do all that, but I'm not in a rush to get married, and I don't know how many airbenders I could give him."

"Because you're a master bender too," Azula said.

"Yes. Maybe half of our kids would be airbenders, but what about the other half? I'm afraid they won't get the same Dad that the airbenders get, and he'll be saving the world on top of that and I am daunted by the probability that I will play mother and father to resentful waterbending children."

"Maybe he'll be a good dad to all of them," Ty Lee offered.

Katara sighed. "I know he will love them all, but he has a way of getting so excited about airbending that he forgets everything else. Even when the acolytes come for him to teach them their ways, he gets so excited that he ignores me, only for me to grow resentful of this group of girls who would all marry him in a heartbeat and then we fight. I don't know if he can change the way he would have to in order for us to work, and I feel bad about trying to change him."

"It sounds like he should marry one of the acolytes," Azula said. "They're all nonbenders from what I gather."

"They are, and even though I was really jealous of them before, I think he would be better off with them. I can't imagine him married to a woman who's not one of them. His wife would be in competition with them for his attention all the time."

They had made a good dent in the bottle. "Maybe you just need to date someone else," Azula said. "He thinks he has a chance if you are single too."

"What do I say, hey please date me so my ex goes away?"

"You could say that or you could just find a hot guy to bring to the next party. Better yet, let's find you a man on the beach for New Years. One steamy New Year's kiss, and Aang will have to get over it."

"That's not very nice," Ty Lee told her.

"Since when am I nice? I'm effective. There's a difference."

Katara couldn't see herself kissing a guy just to scare Aang away. It sounded too cruel to play with him like that. She drunkenly stumbled to bed.

"Do you think Katara's dating anyone?" Aang asked Zuko.

Mai rolled her eyes internally. Here it is!

"She hasn't mentioned it."

"I know she broke up with me because she wanted to focus more on work, but as she teaches people to waterbend, they will be able to teach others. Maybe we could try again."

SHE'S NOT THAT INTO YOU! Mai screamed internally. Instead, she just gulped the rest of her drink.

"Don't close your eyes to other options," Zuko told Aang. "Maybe the right girl is just around the corner."

"Maybe," Aang didn't seem to believe it.

When they got back to their bedroom, Mai questioned, "When will he give up?"

"Maybe they can work."

"Are you stupid? She doesn't want him." Mai wondered if she ever did.

Zuko shrugged. "It's not my place to intervene."

Two days later, they went to Ember Island. It was a tight fit on Appa.

"Why didn't we take a boat?" Azula questioned. "I'm sure this poor fur ball is struggling with so many people."

Appa grunted at being called a fur ball.

"You could have taken a boat," Sokka told her, "or better yet, stayed home."

"Why don't you go home instead of mooching of our palace, you lazy, unemployed, good for nothing ingrate?"

"SHUT UP!" Zuko yelled, making Aang cringe as he had been sitting right in front of him.

"What? He has no job. He stays with his girlfriend who actually works, and he can't be a stay at home dad with no kids. What does he do? Watch the socks in case of thieves?"

Zuko was not even going to let Sokka respond. "I will turn this sky bison around and put you both on time out!"

"Toph is going to love this," Mai said dryly. She was meeting them there.

They got to the house and most of them would have to double up.

"Toph isn't here yet, so someone will have to room with her," Mai told her.

Azula and Ty Lee took the room with the bay window.

"I wanted that room," Sokka complained.

"I bet Toph could blast a hole through your wall and give you a bigger window."

He walked away angrily.

"Was that necessary?"

"He started it!"

"I can't believe she called me all those things," Sokka whined.

"What do you do all day?" Katara questioned.

"What?"

"Suki works. I work. Aang work. Zuko works. Do you see a trend?"

"What? You think I sit around and eat all day?"

"Don't you?"

He frowned. He offered ideas sometimes.

"Maybe Dad could use your help."

"Twinkle Toes!" Toph showed up at the house about an hour after they arrived. She punched the airbender in the gut. "What's going on?"

"Hey Toph," he hugged his short friend. "How have you been?"

"Same old junk. Where's everyone?"

"Um, Azula and Zuko were arguing about where to go for lunch. I think Ty Lee and Mai are sunbathing in the back and I don't remember where everyone else went."

"The street carts are closer and the line will be shorter," Zuko told her.

"That's because their food is mediocre and likely to lead to food poisoning. The turtle crab shack is tastier, cleaner and it's closer to the shops anyway."

"Which is why the line is longer?"

"You're such a dunce!"

"Sparky, Princess Firebitch, how's it going?"

"Your friend here wants to kill you with the food from the street carts."

"Poisoned food. I would at least hope you'd kill me in a duel like a man!"

"Poisoning is common in our family."

Zuko frowned.

"In that case, I won't eat your cooking."

"I don't cook. That's why we have help."

Mai suggested they split up. "Those who want to go to the street carts go with Zuko. Those who don't go with Azula."

Ty Lee and Mai went with Azula.

Everyone else went with Zuko.

"You're not going with me?"

"The street carts suck," Mai told him.

"Why didn't you say so?" Toph left her friends.

"I like them," Zuko said.

"You also like bangers and mash," Azula teased, "like a peasant!"

"HEY!"

They went their separate ways.

Toph was making various sculptures in the sand as they walked, most of them obscene.

"Is that a giant penis?" Azula questioned.

"It's sure not an oyster prawn," Toph retorted.

"I bet you can see that from the villages," Ty Lee laughed.

"How mature," Mai said dryly.

"Who doesn't like a nice rock hard cock?" Azula teased. "I mean I don't but …"

"Rock hard, you're so corny," Toph told her.

"Coming from the girl who made a penis in the sand. If you wanted complexity, you would have made a giant vagina."

Toph did that next.

"Can you get them to have sand sex?" Ty Lee questioned.

"PERVERT!" everyone told her.

The other group got to the street carts faster. Zuko and Sokka got kabobs. Katara thought the carts looked kind of dirty. "I'll get ice cream." It was prepackaged.

Aang got the fries and Suki got some fries and ice cream.

"Is that a giant penis?" Aang questioned.

They looked to see a massive sand erection.

"I bet it was Toph," Sokka laughed.

"She's making something else."

"Is that?"

"EW!" Zuko spit out his water.

"Since when do you not like vaginas," Suki teased.

"Since she's making that one menstruate."

"EW!" Sokka complained.

"GET OVER IT!" the girls yelled at them.

The girls got in line for their lunch.

"Why can't I just go to the front and demand to be seated?" Azula questioned.

"It's not nice to scare people into giving you what you want."

"Who cares if they fork it over?"

They finally got a table and Azula requested the Turtle Crab sandwich, Princess style.

"What's princess style?" Toph questioned.

"Lettuce wraps instead of the bread and extra spicy mayo."

"They named a sandwich after you?"

"I was the first to come up with it."

They got their food and Toph had to admit, "This is really good."

"Worth the wait?"

"Yeah. Sparky is missing out."

On the way to the shops, Azula saw fireworks for sale. "Could you deliver this to my house?"

"Is it on the island?"

"Yes." She wrote down the address and paid.

"Didn't Zuko get fireworks?" Mai questioned.

"His are tiny. These are going to light up the sky."

Mai shook her head.

They got there and Zuko had a smug look on his face.

"How was your lunch?"

"Delicious, unlike whatever you ate."

"The kabobs were good," Sokka insisted.

"Meat on a stick. No thank you."

"Guess you don't like men," Sokka teased.

"I don't, little boys, especially not."

Katara laughed at him.

"I AM NOT LITTLE!"

"Whatever."

"Tell her SUKI!"

"I am not discussing your manhood."

"Or boyhood," Azula added.

"YOU LITTLE!"

Zuko grabbed his collar. "Restraint!"

The girls went looking for clothes.

"This one's cute," Ty Lee said as she grabbed the dress.

"Must you always buy pink clothes," Azula was so over pink.

"I like pink."

"I like conquering, but I had to broaden my horizons. You need to find a new color!"

Ty Lee rolled her eyes.

"I love that," Toph laughed. "Wearing pink is a war crime. It should be!"

Ty Lee bought her dress anyway.

Azula saw Ruon Jian checking out Katara. If he's here, does that mean …?

"YOU RUINED MY SUMMER!" Chan yelled at her.

"What?"

"You destroyed my dad's house. He still won't let me have parties there."

"Well maybe he shouldn't have let man child lose on the island."

Zuko dragged him away. "I already paid for the house. Get out." He punted the kid from the store.

"Aw, Big Brother Zuzu coming to the rescue."

"I will send you home."

They were on their way to the second store when Sokka ran off.

"What's wrong with him?" Katara questioned.

"I think he feels sick from lunch," Suki said.

"Told you," Azula said.

"But I'm fine and I …" Zuko frowned. "I need to leave." He ran off too.

"I only ate the ice cream. That grill looked nasty," Katara commented.

Sokka and Zuko were stuck drinking water and eating rice for the rest of the day.

"Damn those street carts."

The others all went swimming that night, except for Toph.

"I can't swim."

"I'll teach you," Aang volunteered. He got her to get in the water.

Katara was waterbending.

Ty Lee stole Mai's bikini top.

"Get back here!" Mai had to hide her body in the water.

Azula had a bucket. She filled it with water and crept up behind Katara. She dropped it on her head.

"AHH!" she yelled as a bucket trapped her head.

Azula swam away laughing. Toph started cracking up as well.

Katara threw a waterbending fit before Aang removed the bucket, sending whips and tentacles everywhere as her friends watched the chaos.

"What the heck was that?"

"This got on your head!"

On the bottom, it said 'Azula's bucket.'

"AZULA!"

The princess was sprinting away.

Katara made a water whip and used it to grab Azula and fling her back into the ocean.

The firebender decided to keep the prank going. When she didn't resurface, Katara retrieved her and started to panic.

She rushed the princess to the sand and started pushing water out of her lungs. When that didn't work, she tried CPR.

Azula broke away to say, "If you wanted to kiss me, you only had to ask."

"You're fine!"

Azula laughed as Katara smacked her repeatedly.

"The look on your face when you thought you killed me was so good."

"I HATE YOU!"

"No you don't."

Aang separated them. "That wasn't nice."

"It was hilarious. I was just teasing."

"Don't pretend to drown again." Katara scolded.

"YES MOM!"

"Don't call me that!"

Toph found it pretty funny. "Who would have thought Sugar Queen would lose her marbles in the ocean?"

"I know. She can waterbend like no other, but she couldn't get a bucket off her head."

Katara scowled.

Mai finally got her bikini top back.

"You're a pervert Ty Lee!"

"DUH!" Azula and Toph said at once.

"I like you," the earthbender said of the princess.

"You're not so bad."

The next day was New Years Eve. In Capital City, there were stands selling food, toys, posters and shirts. Taverns had specials on their beer. There were street performers, floats and at night, there would be a fireworks display and a countdown to midnight.

On Ember Island, however, the mood was tamer. The shops had sales and the restaurants had beer, but they didn't have the mass of people that the cities had.

It was a more serene experience. Ty Lee, Mai and Suki were sunbathing.

Toph was making obscene sculptures in the snow and Katara was waterbending, her eye on Azula. "I can't believe she put a bucket on my head."

"It was pretty funny watching you struggle," Aang admitted.

Katara glared. "I'm going to pay her back for that."

"You should."

Zuko and Sokka played kuai ball. Azula was upstairs sketching in her sketchpad.

When Aang went to get his pan flute, he heard someone whistling "March of the Wooden Soldier." It was a tune he hadn't heard since before the war. Who would know it?

He went inside the room to see Azula whistling while she drew. He walked up to her and she had a drawing of Zuko being chased by a koala sheep.

"That's a good likeness of him."

"What?" Azula turned around to see the avatar. "What brings you here?"

"Your tune. I was wondering how you knew that song."

"My grandfather liked it. It was called March of the Wooden Soldier," they both said at once.

"I haven't heard it in over 100 years."

"There's a singing group in Capital City that does classical singing," Azula said. "They probably know a lot of the tunes that you grew up listening to."

They started talking about music on their way outside. Azula knew how to play a variety of instruments. "Music was the only thing my mother and I had in common."

Her lessons stopped once Ozai disappeared. He thought it was a waste of time.

Aang never would have guessed that it would be Azula of all people that had an affinity for music. It was so emotive and free flowing; she always came across as cold and rational.

Maybe they could be friends.

Azula was about to ask Ty Lee something when a bucket of water hit her in the face.

"HAH!" Katara said triumphantly as everyone else looked shocked.

"You little wench!" Azula started chasing her. Let the games begin!

The Gaang spent the day, eating, drinking and playing on the beach. Azula realized she had to stop drinking if she wanted to be sober enough to set up the fireworks. She started raising her temperature to burn off the alcohol.

"Are you sick?" Katara questioned. "You feel warm."

"I'm burning off the booze."

"You can do that?"

"Yep."

"I feel like I stay drunk forever."

"It's because you're cold, blooded that is. Waterbenders run cold."

"Then why is Sokka such a lush?"

"That's because he drinks until he can't see straight. You can't help stupid."

"Why are you sobering up now? It won't be New Years for a while."

"I have fireworks to set off."

Azula had purchased the largest firework they had in the store. This should be fun.

As Azula started to set up her display, the others continued eating and drinking.

Toph wanted someone to kiss. Aang was single, why not him?

Aang was hoping to kiss Katara, but she wasn't anywhere to be seen? Where did she go?

"Do you think kissing someone at midnight brings good luck?" Azula asked Katara.

"I can't say I've noticed any difference between the years I kissed someone and the years that I didn't."

Azula shrugged. "I've never kissed anyone at midnight."

"Have you ever been kissed?"

"I have, but he wasn't a good idea."

"I thought you didn't like boys."

"That kiss was how I knew I didn't."

"Maybe he was just bad."

Azula shook her head. "It wasn't bad. It just felt wrong, like my insides felt all twisted up."

"Maybe you could kiss Ty Lee at midnight."

"I'm not going down that path again."

"I hadn't realized …"

"I didn't exactly advertise it."

"What happened?"

"I thought she wanted us to be together. She was, however, still sowing her wild oats."

"I'm sorry."

"For what? You didn't do anything."

"I know, but it must suck feeling like you were led on."

"I got over it. It wouldn't have worked anyway. We're too different." Ty Lee wants to be able to roam and travel at a moment's notice. Azula was tied to the Crown for the foreseeable future. They were like Ying and some other guy who was incompatible with Ying.

It was getting close to midnight. Azula had the fireworks show set up the way she wanted it. The smallest ones would go off at midnight precisely and the largest one would go off last. Given the distance between her display and the house, she needed to light the fireworks 5 seconds early.

When the time came, she lit the first row. They would burst in red and gold.

When the boom hit, Zuko kissed Mai, Sokka kissed Suki and Toph tried to kiss Aang, but ended up kissing Ty Lee.

The acrobat giggled. "I didn't know you felt that way about me."

"I kissed the wrong person again!" Being blind sucks sometimes!

Ty Lee hugged her. "Sorry I'm not Aang."

Aang was alone. The colors in the sky did look nice.

Katara watched as the fireworks exploded. There was something about the bursts of color that were mesmerizing.

It was time for the big kahuna. Azula set off the dragon firework, and a gold dragon with a red flame appeared in the sky.

"Where are Azula and Katara?" Mai questioned after the show was over.

They came back. "Did you enjoy the show?"

"That was you?" Sokka questioned.

"They didn't set off themselves."

For better or worse, Azula was in their Gaang.