Chapter Six: Ghost

                                    

                                          
A/N: Unedited; sorry for any grammar/spelling mistakes. 
                          


                          
Azula didn't sleep that night. All night, Azula laid awake tucked under the plush covers of her bed. She thought endlessly about her old friends. She thought about the day they'd met, she thought about the times they spent at the palace growing up, the times they spent hunting the Avatar. Her heart ached with every memory, and guilt swallowed her whole every time she thought about a time when she had manipulated them to get what she wanted. Finally, just before sunset, she fell into sleep. 
                          
Of course, considering that the universe hates her, she was woken up not even an hour later. 
                          
She coughed and wheezed when something jumped on her, startling her awake. She opened her eyes to see her daughter looking right back at her with a big grin. Azula groaned and rolled over. "You better have a good reason for waking me up." She grumbled. 
                          
"We rise with the sun, stupid. Let's go, it's practice time!" She announced with enthusiasm. Before Azula's life had fallen to pieces, waking up at dawn was a ghastly idea. However, after living in the wilderness so long, it became routine. Only on sleepless nights was she able to stay in bed past dawn. 
                          
"No." Azula protested, shutting her eyes. 
                          
"Yes." Zira argued, smirking. She knew she'd already won. 
                          
Azula groaned once more before rolling over on her back and opening her eyes again. "Fine." She muttered, mumbling a bunch of irritated curses afterwards. She begrudgingly got out of bed and her daughter victoriously danced out of her mother's room to go get changed. Both got changed into training apparel, Azula taking her sweet time. As soon as Azula exited the bathroom fully clothed, a very impatient Zira took hold of her arm and dragged her out of her room and to the courtyard. The morning air was a bit chilly, but it was still warm outside. Plus, they didn't really get cold. 
                          
They set up in position, Zira mirroring Azula's movements as they went through their routine warm up, going through the motions without summoning fire just yet. Once both were warmed up and Azula was completely awake, they started working with rhythm and control. They moved swiftly, their movements graceful and precise and in tandem with each other. The fire they produced was a magnificent blue, the shade captivating and heat invigorating. After an hour or so passed, Azula called out stances and strikes for Zira to get into and use at a moment's notice, Azula walking patiently around her to adjust and perfect her daughter's form when necessary.
                          
They proceeded to Azula being the one striking and Zira forced to avoid the flames and attacks without bending to work on her defense. She had to be prepared to win a fight against a fire bender should her bending be taken away. Finally, they proceeded to Zira's favorite part. Sparring. She was far outmatched when it came to dueling her mother, but Azula went easy on her. After all, she was training her, not destroying her. Ozai would have approached it a different way. Ozai fought her until she was injured and bleeding, even knocked unconscious. Azula would never subject her daughter to that.
                          
Zuko had heard the bending after he had woken up and stopped outside to watch, finding that Suki, Katara, and Aang were already watching with awe. Azula still possessed unparalleled power and had only grown in skill, and Zira was impressive to say the least. They saw the way the girls fought, moving in sync as if they were a single organism. They could tell Azula would let Zira get the upper hand sometimes to see how she would finish it off and not diminish her spirits. She was a good teacher, that's for sure. 
                          
They trained for hours until they were both exhausted and dripping in sweat, completely unaware that at some point, people had watched on. "You did well today." Azula complimented, smiling at her daughter who was still trying to catch her breath. Despite her exhaustion, she smiled brightly at her mother's words of encouragement and praise. "Now go take a shower." Azula wrinkled her nose comically. "You stink." Zira's smile turned into a glare and she stuck her tongue out at her mother, scurrying off with amusement.