Things I really wanted to put in, but couldn't rationalize:

[Sometime post-capture of Ba Sing Se but before the delegation to the North Pole]

Sokka sighed as he sat by the docks. Seeing Azula and Xing being so sappy had made his mind wander back to Yue. He longed to see her again, hoped that she'd look at him the way Azula looked at Xing. Or that they'd get to share the same open intimacy that the Scorpion and the princess did.

It was a longing that he had to repress until moments of solitude like this. Otherwise, Katara and the others would be insufferable.

Sokka sighed again, but then he froze as he heard someone sigh as well from behind him.

"You ok over there?" Xing asked as he walked over with a mildly curious expression.

"I'm fine," came the Water Tribe warrior's relieved answer as he relaxed a little. At least it wasn't Katara or Toph.

The Scorpion walked up to where Sokka was sitting, and fixed the boy with an unusually intense gaze for a few seconds.

"Uh...really, I'm fine."

"Give me your hand."

"Huh?"

"Your hand, up," Xing commanded, and Sokka eventually relented. The Scorpion took his hand gingerly, and placed a finger on his wrist, taking a pulse for some reason. After a while, he gave a satisfied nod and let the hand go. "Uh huh."

Sokka couldn't help raise an eyebrow at him. "What?"

"You're missing someone, really bad," Xing declared. "You...have someone waiting for you?"

For a moment, Sokka wanted to vehemently deny it, but resignation won over and he let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah... I...I got engaged a while ago."

"The North Pole princess?"

"Uh, yeah. How'd you know?"

Xing shrugged. "Saw the way you two were standing back at the oasis."

"Oh."

"Well, my congratulations, and I wish you two the best."

Sokka stared at the other boy for a moment before accepting the well wishes at face value. "Thanks, I guess. Oh, hey. How'd you tell by reading my pulse?"

Xing smirked, and for some reason Sokka felt like he had to brace himself. "It's the heartbeat, you see. Most people's go in a variation of ba-dump ba-dump, right?"

"Yeah...?" Sokka nodded along, and the Scorpion's smirk grew.

"Well, when you're pining... Your heart goes shalala la la..." And then he clapped three times.

What?

*****

[There was a draft that saw Azula and Ozai end up in a duel (not an Agni Kai), with Xing and a lot of other FN people present]

As daughter and father stared each other down, Xing casually walked up some ways behind Azula, to place down a cloth covered something just inside the dueling ring's boundaries. It should've put a pause to the coming duel, but since nobody said a word about a mere bauble, it was ignored. After all, it was only a small almost-mound at the very edge of the large field, and people have sprinkled salt, thrown animal offal, and other such gestures before for luck.

[Fighting description, Azula surprises Ozai and his cronies by weathering his alpha strike, and she slowly pushes him back. Comparisons are made of Ozai's superior but orthodox stances vs Azula's more improvised but quicker bending. They fight to a stalemate, until Azula manages to rush in and close the distance, and Ozai's finally put on the defensive.]

Iroh watched in awe as his niece actually forced his brother to hastily backtrack. Like so many in the Fire Nation, Ozai was clearly unused to firebending right up close, and followed his instincts in trying to disengage from Azula's furious assault. She ducked and weaved around him, landing only glancing blows on the Fire Lord with fire and fists, but those small hits were quickly beginning to add up.

A sweeping kick behind his knees forced Ozai into an uncomfortable twist as he jumped, to keep his daughter in his sights. The awkward move left him open to a sudden uppercut, which he just barely blocked with both arms. The blast of fire that followed sent Ozai flying all the way to the edge of the dueling ring. Azula wasted no time in following her father, and the Fire Lord was quickly struggling to fend off her relentless assault to allow himself to even stand up straight.

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Ozai rolled and parried and leapt, but Azula chased after him, keeping up the constant, overbearing pressure. It was a testament to his skill that the still couldn't land a telling blow, but from where Iroh stood, it was only a matter of time. His brother was soon running around the edges of the ring, the princess courteously not forcing him off it at any point. She was satisfied with simply keeping him hemmed in and backpedalling frantically. Probably to show off just how beaten Ozai truly was, and probably to guarantee herself a winning blow by fully wearing her father down.

Eventually, the duo reached all the way back to her end of the ring. Azula was grinning suddenly, and Iroh only remembered of the covered mound Xing left behind when he saw Ozai slowly backstepping towards it. The princess suddenly lunged forwards, blasts of fire from her feet propelling her with the force necessary to knock her father back just as he was trying to turn and causing him to fall face first towards the cloth. She then followed up with a quick burst of fire that seared way the cloth, revealing a dark-colored pile of dir-

Oh no.

Iroh was not the only one gasping as he watched his brother fall face-first into the compacted pile of manure. For a moment, deathly silence descended in the hall, Azula content to stand some ways back and grin with immense satisfaction. Ozai slowly rose, sputtering and clawing off the night soil from his face.

Immediately the old prince wracked his head as he glanced to the officials overseeing the duel. The confused expression on their faces told him enough. It was...technically not illegal, not from what any could remember. No physical harm was done, no real advantage given to the other party. This was just a mean-spirited and humiliating move. If spitting and throwing sand was legal, then this should be legal...

Xing's voice was suddenly heard cutting through the silence. "Bad guy falls into poop. Classic element of physical comedy." Iroh turned to find the boy standing boastfully with hands on his hips. "Now comes the part where we throw our heads back and laugh. Ready?"

Seemingly out of nowhere the 11th's captains showed up behind Xing, their heads all bunched together above his, wearing wide grins. "Ready!"

And then they laughed. And the laughter soon spread to the spectators from the colonies.

[Ozai snaps and loses all composure, but Azula quickly beats him down. The duel's outcome is officially inconclusive, but PR damage is done]

*****

[Early on, I was entertaining the idea of the 11th holding some sort of talent night or something, and Azula was present. Either through her dare or someone else's Xing is made to sing one of his 'spirit songs']

Azula stared wide-eyed as Xing strode with purpose towards her. He raised a hand, palm up, and confused but unable to form words, she brought up her own hand and placed it on his. And then the musicians began to play, and Azula found herself unable to tear her eyes away from Xing's cheeky gaze as he crooned.

"I've never seen you looking so lovely as you did tonight, I've never seen you shine so bright..."

[Much later on, they have another talent night (probably near Ba Sing Se's capture), and Xing and Azula, now openly together, pull off this shit to the Gaang's sheer shock.]