Blood Matters

Family

Azula rolled over as the sun was just beginning to rise, she suddenly felt a hand over her mouth, her hand grabbed the wrist and went to burn whoever grabbed her but looked up seeing Zuko.

"Shh," he put a finger to his lips. He pointed up as his sisters eyes looked in the direction seeing torches and fire nation soldiers near by.

"We gotta go," Zuko whispered as azula slowly got to her feet following his lead. The fire was already out and Zuko started packing the camp as well. Azula finished packing hers and threw the bag over her shoulder as they were backing away.

Snap

Zuko looked at his foot seeing a broken stick as azula glared unamused at him shaking her head.

"Who's there?!" A soldier called out.

"Run," azula growled as they stopped trying to sneak away and bolted through the woods.

"Get them!"

Five soldiers ran after the teens as they were gaining on them, sending fire their way but the siblings dodged and azula hid behind a tree as Zuko hid behind another panting.

Azula shook her head as they stayed silent waiting to see if the soldiers would pass by, she suddenly felt a hand grab the back of her shirt and pulled her arms behind her back tightly.

"Let her go," Zuko snarled seeing they were outnumbered.

"Don't you know who I am?" Azula hissed back but grunted when the man tightened his grip.

"Commoners trespassing," a man snorted at them but Zuko walked over and slammed his fist into the mans face that held his sister. He stumbled back by the hard impact as Zuko pulled azula behind him with a glare.

The men went at Zuko but azula kicked a wave of blue fire in front of her brother.

"Watch your tone, or there will be no mercy," azula snarled at them.

"Princess azula? Prince Zuko?" A soldier gasped a little recognized them.

"Show respect," azula threatened with a sharp gaze as Zuko glared that them.

"Didn't you hear? They're traitors," the man chuckled as he pointed a spear at them. Zuko grabbed it and bonked it against his forehead three times. When the soldier was distracted Zuko spun the spear to slam it against the side of his head as he kicked fire at the soldier on the side.

"Zula we gotta go!" Zuko grabbed her hand and ran.

——

They knelt by a river later in the day after loosing the soldiers as Zuko was refilling the water as azula was glaring at the ground leaning against a tree.

"Why'd you run?" Azula spat.

"What?" Zuko looked up at her from his crouched position.

"Why the hell did we run?" She stormed over to him.

"We were out numbered, had to much stuff to worry about than a small fight," Zuko stood up quirking his one brow a little.

"We could've taken them, just because we're on the run does not mean we're weak," azula shot back with a glare.

"Then we'll fight back when we don't have to worry about the needs on our backs being destroyed in the process," Zuko explained annoyed with his sisters attitude.

"Zuko we are royalty! Master fire benders! We shouldn't-" azula was cut off by a scream when Zuko pushed her in the river and she landed in the two feet of water on her back.

"We are refugees! We are only teenagers! We are equals to everyone that's been effected by this war!" Zuko snapped finally raising his voice.

"We are not royalty! At this point I wish I wasn't cause at least then I wouldn't have a permanent reminder on my face of the disgrace I bring to the royal name by our father!" He roared down at her as azula was frozen in the waters wide eyes.

"If you don't want to be here and go back to ozai go ahead! It's your choice! It's always been your choice since ba sing si! These are just consequences!" He finished with a huffed backing away from the end of the river rubbing his face.

Azula sat in the water looking down as Zuko sat in the grass glaring at the ground. She didn't think she was less than Zuko, he always had their mothers love and she had their fathers, it was fair that way.

But the way Zuko shouted and showed his anger at her she couldn't help but think of their father. He looked so much like the man he feared.

"I'm not giving you a pity party, stop pouting boo hoo poor zuzu, we're not children anymore," azula got up from the water as she got out annoyed that she was soaked.

"I don't want pity," Zuko glared.

"What ever happened to us?" Azula sighed sitting next to her brother.

"We use to get along so great, actually acted like family," she flipped her wet hair off her shoulder with a flat expression.

"You learned how to fire bend," Zuko rolled his eyes.

"Nah that can't be when, I was only five, we got along after," azula smirked at him.

"No, when you found out you could fire bend we stayed up at night making shadow puppets with them," Zuko told her. "Once you got better at training, that's when,"

"Because I'm better at it than you?" Azula asked.

"I was jealous," he shrugged.

"It's both our faults honestly, I was jealous a lot of you but when you started fire bending training that's when you got mean, started agreeing with dad.." Zuko pursed his lips a little.

"What do you mean?" Azula was confused.

"You were probably to young to remember but you found me crying one night cause dad yelled at me because I wasn't a strong bender and I failed my training... you came into my room and cheered me up, made drawings for me and we'd play at night trying not to get caught," Zuko inhaled deeply as azula watched him from the side, his scar side as she could barely tell his facial expression.

"Yea, I remember, like when we use to sneak out at ember island and go play at the beach!" Azula smiled a little at the memory.

"Yea, but when you started training and spending more time with dad, I remember you got mad at me when we played some game and you said something that dad was right that I couldn't do anything right, so on so on," he gulped a little.

"It's stupid, we were kids," Zuko laughed softly.

"But then you just got meaner every time we played so I just stopped, I think that's when we just started to hate each other," he smiled at her but there was no happiness.

"I was jealous of moms love," Azula admitted.

"She'd always tell you you did the best you could at something but she didn't love me the way she loved you, it seemed better than dads love," she nodded a little.

"I hope we can be family," Azula said under her breath like she didn't realize she said it outloud.

"Me too," Zuko agreed.

"Your still an asshole for pushing me in the river," Azula glare but saw zuko snicker a little.

"Don't be arrogant,"