Azula: the New Avatar

7 - Rendezvous

"Yes, Princess Azula," the man said with a bow, gulping audibly. Well, audibly for Zuko, at least. "I'll prepare your vessel immediately."

Azula didn't acknowledge him as he scampered off, and she grinned subtly as she approached Zuko. "How's your training going?" she asked.

"Well," Zuko said, a wide grin on his face. "Very well. I didn't realize I had this much power in me."

"Neither did anyone else, thanks to whatever was going through the great Firelord's mind when he decided on your training regimen," Azula said, rolling her eyes. "Welcome to how it really feels to be a royal, Zuko. The two of us are more powerful than the rest of this crew combined."

He grinned, looking at his hands in disbelief. "This is crazy," he laughed. "When we get to Kyoshi I'll show you another move I just made up. You remember that dead whale the lookout spotted?"

"The one with a hole burned through it's skull?" she asked, raising her eyebrows incredulously. 

"Yeah," he said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "My bad."

Azula shook her head, suddenly worried that Zuko might be a bit too much for anyone to handle if he kept progressing like this. She scowled. She wasn't supposed to have to worry about Zuko being powerful! It was always the other way around.

"If you're that eager I could show it to you now," he said, misinterpreting her scowl. "I have to warn you, though, control your power this time. Last time I showed you something you almost killed me."

She rolled her eyes. "I don't need a lecture about control from you of all people, Zuko."

"Yeah, you do. Because I accidentally burned through a whale's skull, and you're more powerful than me. You have to use barely a fraction of your power, or you might sink the ship even if you don't hit it."

Azula sighed. "Fine. Show me."

He still looked wary, but he raised his hands in front of him, facing over the railing of the ship and over the water. He had his left hand underneath his right, about a foot apart like he was holding something in his left hand and cupping the top of it with his right hand. A spark formed between his hands and started moving in a small circle, picking up speed until it formed a solid ring of flame, sparks flying off the edge in a spiral. He kept it there for several seconds, concentrating, and the ring began vibrating with energy as if it was trying to break free and Zuko was holding it back. Finally, he opened his hands and the tiny ring, which was hot enough for Azula feel several feet away, zipped off across the ocean faster than an arrow.

Azula managed to keep the shock off of her face, turning to face Zuko and ready to demand an explanation. His eyes were still locked on that ring in the distance, though, and his concentration never wavered. "Zuko?" she said. "You want to tell me what you just did?"

"If I lose concentration before it runs out of fuel, it'll explode," he muttered, still completely focused. As if to prove his point, the ship suddenly hit a large, rogue wave. Ty Lee and Mai had crept closer to see what the two siblings were doing, and the wave sent the acrobat tumbling directly into Zuko. She may have had perfect balance, but she still didn't quite have her sea legs.

Zuko tumbled to the floor, catching Ty Lee before she hit the metal deck, and Azula got to watch exactly what happened when he lost concentration. The ring, too small and far away to see, erupted to a fireball comparable to a close-combat flame punch. Azula whistled appreciatively; if that was what happened when it was almost out of fuel, and when it was so small, she couldn't wait to see what kind of destruction the move could cause with some real power and effort behind it.