"Mom, let her breathe!" Shisui approached his mother and fiancée, trying to separate them. However, Chang'e clung tightly to her daughter-in-law and pushed her son away.
"Don't be annoying, bunny. Can't you see I'm getting to know my dear daughter-in-law?" Chang'e asked with feigned anger. Realizing that she had taken Princess Azula's breath away, she let go. The girl took deep breaths to recover.
"Imagine suffocating a Firebender," Yue commented, standing next to her sister so their features could be compared. This made Azula truly understand that the two were family, especially since they had similar attitudes.
Especially since they had similar attitudes! Azula, who had met Yue the previous day, could see that Shisui's relatives had peculiar personalities, at least her mother and aunt did. In contrast, Arnook seemed to behave more seriously, in keeping with his status.
"You know, I've wanted to strangle one for decades," said Chang'e grimly. This made Shisui, who had memories from very early in his life, feel particularly uncomfortable.
'Her traumas, her jokes, I guess,' thought the sage without commenting on his mother's words. Only Yue understood them, apart from him. Meanwhile, Azula and Arnook had bewildered expressions on their faces.
"Well... Chang'e, how have you been?" After failing to understand his eldest daughter's peculiar sense of humor, Arnook approached her and asked that question.
Chang'e didn't respond quickly but looked at him intently instead, making the man feel nervous. After all, it was partly his fault that his daughter had fled the North Pole and died.
"You're getting old, aren't you? When I last saw you, you were young and vibrant. Now, you're an old man," said Chang'e. Arnook felt relieved when he realized his daughter wasn't angry with him.
Chang'e approached her father and gave him a big hug. Arnook was stunned because he had not expected this gesture from his daughter. He had expected her to complain or scold him.
Without wasting any more time, he returned her hug, putting all the love he had for her into it. Due to past circumstances, he had been unable to show her this affection before.
Shisui watched all this with a neutral expression, but a subtle smile appeared on his lips. He didn't suddenly like Arnook very much, but he found it quite moving to see his mother forgive his father.
"Is Pakku still as strict as before?" Chang'e asked after breaking away from the embrace. Although it was obvious she already knew, seeing how shy Arnook was made the woman laugh.
"Yes... It seems that the old traditions no longer work for us. They have caused a lot of pain. Even so, someone from outside had to come and wake us up," Arnook replied. Looking at Shisui, he saw that he simply shrugged upon receiving such attention.
"Seriously, who limits their citizens like that? Didn't they want a female leader? I guess Yue will have to deal with some stubborn detractors who don't accept change," Shisui commented. This caused his mother to approach Yue and hug her from behind, leaning her full weight on her younger sister. Luckily, she was a spirit with very little weight.
"My sister will be the leader! If you're going to make changes, you must do so in a balanced way. Give women the same rights and responsibilities as men. Otherwise, the same thing will happen as in the past, but in reverse," Chang'e said. After watching her son grow up, she had learned many new things and concepts, and her words were part of that learning process.
"Of course! If a man wants to learn how to heal with Waterbending, he can do so freely. Likewise, if a woman wants to learn the most offensive aspects of Waterbending to fight, no one can stop her.
I didn't expect my father to give up his position so easily, but I already have a plan to bring about social and cultural change. Pakku agrees with me. Finally, that old man with a head as hard as an iceberg is starting to come around," said Yue. She felt that she was about to embark on a slightly different path since she could feel her father's full support. This was a small but important difference.
Even if she managed to become the leader of the Northern Water Tribe, she would probably still face obstacles, but her father's influence could help her succeed, earning the total respect of her people.
She planned to bring about profound changes in her nation. She wanted to encourage industrialization because the Fire Nation's advantages over the rest of the world were obvious.
'But this is no time to dwell on political thoughts and ideas,' Yue thought as she approached Azula, who was still clinging to her back. This caused Shisui to laugh.
"Well, we came here so you could get to know each other, right? Chang'e, your son is going to be a father!" Yue pointed to Azula's belly, causing the princess, who had remained silent due to the topics being discussed, to blush.
"It was something I asked him to do! I learned years ago that if you don't push Shisui on certain... 'matters,' he hardly ever takes the initiative. The only time he did was when we lost our virginity." Knowing she was among friends, Azula began to talk freely, making Yue and Chang'e laugh.
"My bunny is shy. But he seems a little wild, doesn't he?" Chang'e pointed to her neck, reminding Azula that Shisui had left a hickey there. She had already been embarrassed enough, though, so she simply hugged her fiancé's arm. He was covering his face with his other hand.
"Well, half and half. He only wins because he's stronger." Azula looked at Shisui, her golden eyes narrowing as she thought about more intimate things.
"Is it appropriate to talk about that? Shouldn't we be discussing the daughter they're going to have? She has a perfect name! If it were up to me, though, I would call her something else, like Meiko or Natsumi. At least they didn't choose strange names from the South Pole," Arnook muttered. He couldn't join the conversation because he was technically an old man, although he was much better preserved than others.
"No problem! After all, there are no strangers here." Yue used her hands to show them the surroundings, the same beach where Shisui usually met her and Chang'e.
"Terumi is a name we chose. I already have plans for how she will grow up. No matter whether she inherits the element of water or fire, even if she is born without one, she will be an incredible and powerful girl.
She'll be the perfect princess for the Fire Nation! Even if she doesn't inherit the throne, she'll be an excellent advisor to Zuko's successor," Azula replied. She took Shisui's hand and placed it on her belly, allowing her fiancé to feel closer to their future daughter.
"But aren't you planning to have many children?" Chang'e asked, causing Shisui to roll his eyes. He realized that his mother's spiritual espionage was much more serious than he thought.
'It looks like I'll have to research how to block out certain spirits' visions,' Shisui thought. He wanted to preserve his privacy at certain moments while listening to Azula's response.
"Yes, we'll have as many as necessary," Azula said with a smile. The tone she used sent a chill down Shisui's spine. Yue looked at his nephew and his fiancée.
"Oh~! With Shisui's 'vitality,' it will surely be easy for you to get pregnant. With his abilities, everyone will be able to inherit your excellent talent, with little risk to you.
That's something that would make any woman jealous. You won't have stretch marks!" Yue commented, making Azula's eyes sparkle. Shisui felt strange for a moment.
He knew the things he had mastered allowed him to do many things, but he never thought Yue would make him the caretaker of Azula's figure. Deep down, though, wouldn't that be good? He didn't mind stretch marks, but if his fiancée didn't want them...
'Damn, wouldn't using Life-bending for that be like using Blood-bending to give erections or Waterbending to prevent semen from spilling inside? I never needed any of those things; maybe that's why I never thought about it.' Shisui's thoughts were a whirlwind as he listened to the three women's conversation.
He was already used to this kind of dialogue. Azula and the others talked about even more intimate topics, which made the Sage realize that women could always be more open than men, no matter the universe, in the right context.
"Well, when it comes to Shisui's 'vitality,' he lasts quite a long time, you know? As for Mai, I know my brother doesn't have as much stamina as Shisui in that regard, although compared to the gossip I heard in the army, Zuzu is pretty good." Without caring about bringing her older brother into it, Azula brought up certain issues, expanding the topic of conversation more and more.
For example, she mentioned that Chang'e only had one romantic partner, Sai, whom she genuinely fell in love with. She was always cautious with him because of his position in the army and the circumstances of the Fire Nation at the time.
Ultimately, she didn't hold much hatred toward Shisui's father after many years had passed, and she had time to process the matter. However, she did want to strangle him a little. She met with the man once before he entered the cycle of reincarnation, a gesture from Agni, and a fact that Shisui didn't know until now.
Shisui didn't know how to handle this matter, but at least his father had no choice at the time. Azulon did keep the promise he made to Sai and managed to get Shisui to forgive him.
Another issue that arose during the conversation greatly surprised the old man from Arnook: Yue was interested in Hahn, and the boy wasn't as bad as he seemed at first.
"He wants to apologize to you. Even though he wasn't the one who said those words, his body was being manipulated. He had negative thoughts about you, as did many other North Pole inhabitants who consider you a traitor.
But with what you did yesterday, who knows what they think of you now?" Yue said to Shisui, who remained silent, deciding to form his impression of Hahn when the boy approached him.
"You like him? I thought you would reject him like you did the others. Your mother always thought you liked that adventurer..." Hearing this, Yue and Chang'e looked at their father in disbelief.
"But Magalie is the same age Chang'e would be now. How could I get involved with her? I also swim on that side, but she's like my sister," Yue replied to her father. Chang'e shook her head constantly.
"Mom always makes things up like that. When she was alive, she said I was going to end up with Magalie. Is my mother hiding something, or is she just a fan of certain stories?" As she said this, Chang'e glanced sideways at her son, who was responsible for her having this kind of modern cultural knowledge.
For some reason, a spirit that stored knowledge in its library decided to publish all the recently published stories in the world after Shisui brought about changes.
The spiritual world was flooded with this type of content, and, out of boredom, Chang'e read it. She understood that the world was different now, or perhaps more expressive. Those things couldn't just come out of nowhere.
"Now I understand Zuko... Why do all topics end up being about sex?" After spending some time listening and chatting, Shisui muttered this question, having a better understanding of his best friend.
He had a smile on his lips, fully enjoying this time with his family.
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AN: Imagine being the only man when women talk about things... for that reason, this chapter is relatable for anyone who was like me xD.