"Do have to?" Shun groaned, his posture slanted: his small boomerang failed to hold his interest.
"Of course!" Sokka exclaimed. "You can't sort out all hardships in life with bending, kid."
"And I can sort them out with a boomerang?" Shun asked, blinking blankly. His father huffed.
"You might! Oh, you'll see what it can do soon enough, you grump!" Sokka exclaimed, dismissing his skeptical son's glare. "Take up your positions!"
Shun sighed, though Yuuna seemed excited, instead. Hotaru smiled, raising her boomerang as well: unlike her siblings, she held it the right way, for Shun clasped it dismissively, whereas Yuuna was holding hers on the wrong end by accident, something Sokka was quick to correct upon noticing it.
Their training session in the garden was witnessed by a curious Azula from afar. She smiled from the garden's roofed corridor as Sokka instructed the children: Hotaru, unsurprisingly, was the only one who managed a decent first throw, but she failed to catch the boomerang on its way back. Yuuna and Shun had theirs bouncing on the ground – they scrambled after each of their assigned weapons at once, and it seemed that chasing down the boomerangs was more fun for them than learning how to throw them properly.
"Quite the spectacle they're putting on for you," a familiar, deep voice spoke near Azula. She smiled.
"It's serious, proper training. My entertainment is a secondary matter, Mom," Azula declared. Her mother laughed.
"No doubt," Ursa said. "You should join them. They'd listen to your instruction far more than to Sokka's…"
"Theoretically, yes, but… I don't know how to throw a boomerang," Azula said, simply.
"Truly? He never taught you?" Ursa asked. Azula shrugged and smiled.
"I suppose it was kind of… his thing? I never thought about… huh," Azula raised an eyebrow. Her mother's wrongful assumption had some merit…
"Well…" Ursa smiled, squeezing her shoulder gently: the kids had scattered, with Yuuna and Shun running off, arguing over something again while Hotaru promised her father that she'd reel them in. "If you'd like that to change, this is your chance."
Azula smiled too. She squeezed Ursa's hand gently before taking the plunge, stepping into the garden.
Sokka sighed in resignation as he picked up his children's dropped boomerangs when Azula stopped beside him.
"Oh, what can you do? Kids are too unruly to learn useful skills in life," Sokka said, dramatically. Azula smiled.
"Kids might be, yes. But… have you considered changing your target audience?" she asked. Sokka raised his eyebrows.
"Have I?"
He understood her intent right away. He smiled in grateful surprise, and Azula shrugged.
"My mom's idea. Frankly, I'm not sure why it never crossed our minds sooner," Azula laughed. "But, if you want an obedient pupil…"
"You? An obedient pupil?" Sokka smirked. Azula laughed again.
"Now, now! I can be, until I feel bold enough to challenge you at whatever skill you're teaching me," she said. "At least I can promise to take this more seriously than our kids. How about it?"
Sokka smiled: he stretched his hand towards Azula. Once she clasped it, he pulled her towards himself, making her twirl until she wound up with her back against his chest.
"No takebacks now. I will be… a ruthless, relentless teacher," he teased her. Azula laughed and nodded. "How does that sound?"
"Fascinating, clearly," Azula smiled. "I've always admired your most ruthless sides, love. Now, then, should I use one of theirs, or…?"
Sokka shook his head: he raised a hand to his shoulder, unsheathing his own boomerang. Azula hummed in surprise.
"For you, the very best," Sokka smirked. "I'm sure you can handle it."
She clasped it firmly with her left hand: Sokka nodded approvingly, placing his right over hers.
"Better grip than the kids. You're a natural," he teased her.
"I've had years of… well, seeing you hold it. You pick up a thing or two, if unintentionally," Azula reasoned. Sokka chuckled.
"Well, that's a good start. But now… flex your legs slightly, yes. You need stability, to stay grounded in order to do this…"
"Right, right…"
Their training, naturally, was more of a flirting session. Ursa smiled as she watched them from afar, ever relieved to see her daughter's face brightening whenever she was with her husband.
The older woman was of half a mind to leave when an unsurprising scream reached her ears.
"Yuuna! Stop! Mom, she's trying to stick a squirrel-toad down my shirt! Moooom!"
Ursa froze on the spot: Sokka sighed and dropped his head on Azula's shoulder. The kids chased each other – Yuuna, indeed, had a squirrel-toad perched at the end of a long stick, and she ran after her terrified brother, a delighted grin across her face. Hotaru chased after them, too, calling their names, failing to stop them.
"Oh, these kids…" Sokka groaned, glancing back towards them… only to glimpse, instead, as Ursa stepped into the garden, raising her hand, urging him to stay put.
"I'll handle them this time. You two… carry on. Boomerang training is very important," Ursa said. Sokka smirked.
"You know it. Thanks, Ursa!"
Azula bit her lip and smiled: Sokka wrapped his arms tighter around her, swaying in place briefly as Ursa took to calling the children, who knew better than to be too reckless around their grandmother.
"Sokka! This… is not stability. Nor do I feel grounded," Azula laughed: Sokka kissed her cheek, hugging her tightly before taking her hand in his once more. He ensured that she'd stand firmly, the boomerang gripped properly between their hands.
"Okay, okay… let's get serious. Aim, and…!"
Azula smiled as, for the first time, she threw Sokka's boomerang: he smiled at her as he caught it when it spun back towards them.
"My best student," he smiled.
"The best teacher," Azula decided, leaning in to kiss him fully, disregarding the noise behind them: her hand met his over the boomerang, once more.
