Firebending, duh!

Azula rolled her shoulders for a moment, her mind already made up. "Been a while since I got the chance to cut loose... you don't mind if I train a bit, do you, Zuzu?", she asked. A justified question... the last time she had used firebending, it was in their Agni Kai. Their firebending, fueled by Sozins coment, had been truly devastating. Thinking back on it, it was a miracle they had both managed to walk away from it. Not unscathed, they both had their scars from that battle, but they were both still alive, which Zuko was very thankful for.

So he should have been a bit more hesitant to allow her, but Zuko trusted Azula. "No, I don't.", he agreed to her request. "In fact, I think I'll join you.", he added and together, the siblings walked to the nearest open courtyard. Servants hurried past them, many of them doing a poor job of hiding their surprise (and fear) as they looked at Azula from the corner of their eyes. Zuko knew it was an inevitability that this evening, they would tell their friends and families about the return of the princess and from then it was only a matter of time until the whole world knew.

Zuko wondered what peoples reaction would be. Sure, Ozai had been the Fire Lord, the one actually perpetrating the war, but Azula had always been his loyal daughter. Especially in the Earth Kingdom, there'd be a few, the Earth King first and foremost, who might be calling for proper punishment for her. He'd been able to quiet those demands by persuading them that Azula had been as much a victim of Ozai as them, that she was ill and needed help. Now that he had brought her back to the palace, that excuse wouldn't be very convincing anymore.

Still, that was a worry for another day. And a bit of firebending was just the right thing to take his mind off such things. The two siblings stood side by side in the courtyard, assuming the basic Firebending stance and Zuko move first. Punch, roundhouse kick, jump and ending on another punch, each fluid movement producing the familiar heat of his fire. As he finished the first kata, he turned to look at his sister.

Azula had seemingly stopped the exercise in the middle of the kata, looking at her hands in confusion. "What is this? Why... why can't I...?", she muttered, then punched the air in front of her, with no effect whatsoever. Now confusion turned into frustration and anger. "Urgh, just work, dammit!", Azula growled, repeatedly performing firebending motions while producing no flame.

"What's wrong, Azula?", Zuko asked, approaching his sister.

"I don't know. For some reason... I just can't seem to firebend.", she admitted. Zuko could tell just how much it irked her, so he wanted to help her as best he could. But when he realized just what it was that was hindering Azula, he couldn't help but laugh. Unfortunately, Azula, not knowing the reason behind his laughter, took it as an insult. "Oh, does it amuse you to see me like this, Zuko?", she snarled.

"No, no, that's not it at all, Azula... it's just...", Zuko started, composing himself, knowing he had just the thing to calm her down. "When I left to join the Avatar, I had the exact same problem. I couldn't firebend anymore.", he told her. It had been fairly humiliating, joining the Avatar to teach him firebending only to discover that he could barely produce a flame himself. "It was because all my life, I had drawn my fire from my anger, from my drive to regain something that I no longer cared for.", Zuko explained and Azula, for her part, was listening intently. "Only when I found and embraced a new purpose for my life that I managed to firebend again.", he finished his little tale. "So, whatever it was that drove you before, you need to find something new to dedicate yourself to. And once you find it, your firebending will return.", Zuko advised his sister.

"I see.", she said simply, looking at her hands in contemplation.

Zuko remembered the trip fondly. Before, Aang had (rightfully) been a little wary about him and whether or not his change of heart was genuine. By travelling to the ruins of the ancient Sun Warriors, they discovered the source of firebending and not only was his bending restored, it was made stronger than ever. And his friendship with Aang had begun in earnest. "You know, if you want... I know of a place where I went together with Aang in order to...", Zuko began, unaware that Azula had stoppened listening. He was already looking forward to a similarly bonding experience with Azula when she kicked upwards and a brilliantly blue flame shot up into the sky.

"Oh.", was all he said, his hopes dashed quite expertly.

Azula followed the kick up with a jump, propelled herself further up with a burst of flame from her hands and landed a fair distance away in the yard, a circle of blue fire erupting around her as she landed. She followed this up with several quick jabs, each producing impressive jets of fire before finishing the exercise off by thrusting both closed fists in the air, sending a huge blast of fire into the slowly darkening evening sky. Then, she non-chalantly turned back to Zuko. "Thanks, that was surprisingly good advice.", she thanked her brother with a rather backhanded compliment.

"Uh, you're welcome...", he said. Though he was glad of course that he was able to help Azula and she seemed to be in a much better mood now, he couldn't help but regret that the chance for them to bond through the Dragon Dance was no longer needed. Somewhat defeated, Zuko sat down on a nearby bench and watched Azula go through the various forms of firebending. She truly was a prodigy, he noted to himself. Even after a year of imprisonment, her skills were only slightly dulled and as she progressed through the forms, Zuko found himself getting lost in the display of Azula moving gracefully.

He hadn't even noticed he'd been staring until Azula stopped. How long she had been training, he couldn't say, but the sky had darkened considerably now as she walked up to him, wiping some sweat from her forehead. "Phew... that felt good.", she exhaled, even deigning to show him one of her rare smiles. Zuko stood up but before he could ask her what she wanted to do next, Azula pre-empted him. "Let's go for a bath next, Zuzu. I worked up some sweat and I don't think I've felt clean in a long while.", she said.

Zuko nodded his head in consent and so, the two siblings were off to the royal bathhouse..