This was just a drabble like story I made for a Distant Horizons Fanfiction contest. The theme was sadness So I kind of wrote the theme in an unorthodox manner. Hopefully you like it.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters (except the guy who dies) as I'm not that creative. I can't spell the people's names though so I'll say the characters belong to Mike and Bryan and Nick Studios.
Azula grinned as she felt the familiar tingle of blue flames on her palm. It was silent, the quiet permeated only with the crackle of flames and the screams of a man as his skin was set aflame. Hearing the howls of the dying man made the fire princess' lips curve into a sadistic smile as she watched him writhe in pain. There would be no remorse from her, no sadness. Violence suited her, fighting suited her, it made her strong an that was important. She needed to be stronger, she needed more power. She needed to be perfect and that meant no weakness.
Sadness, it was weakness that she couldn't stand. Anger made one stronger if only for a moment but sadness was only weakness. It made people mope and moan in the most unsavory manner. Such behavior disgusted her, seeing the lowly peasants groveling made her skin crawl. It was much easier to silence them with a burst of lightening but occasionally she felt the desire to allow the flames to envelop her enemies. It was entertaining, seeing them scream in pain as the flames kicked their skin, disfiguring the victims beyond recognition.
She looked at the man's scorched remains, thinking of his life. He probably had a family, a wife, children, friends. It didn't matter anymore though, he was dead. She didn't care about him she thought to herself, she had been the cause of so many deaths, why was this one any different? As long as she could achieve her goals, those who got hurt in the process were not important. She needed to be strong, she needed to be flawless she needed to please her father. She wanted him to be proud of her, not for her accomplishments, not just comparing her to her failure of a brother. If it meant she had to conquer all the nations, she would do it; no matter what the cost.
Azula's eyes misted and her lips slipped downwards as she recalled an unhappy childhood. She remembered herself as a girl, hiding her own hurt with bold words and manipulating her friends. She trained everyday because she wanted to be everything her father desired, everything Zuko was not. She would not accept anything less. A snap from the crackling flames claimed her attention, her vision focused once again. The sadistic smile returned as she saw the crying women and children from the village nearby. The smile had returned, but the fire princess could not shake the emptiness she felt in her chest.
Sadness, it was unacceptable. It was weakness, if she wanted to achieve perfection than she could not allow herself to feel such emotions. So she didn't. Besides, she thought to herself, sadness is so unbecoming for a future fire lady. So, with that thought, she left the desolate battlefield, walking past the charred bodies of her enemies. As she departed, she disregarded the moisture running down her cheeks as sweat from a battle hard fought. She had no explanation however for the hollow feeling that seemed to have settled in her soul.