Hi there everyone :) So this is just a one-shot on Azula (Avatar: The Last Airbender), I hope you like it! :D
I don't know really how this turned out, I have mixed feelings about it, but hey, I hope you enjoy reading it and it turned out good! :)
**I know Azula is a harsh character who everyone hates, but even harsh, cruel characters have feelings . . . right? I began writing this story a while ago, but I never finished it, but now I did, haha :) So, this story shows Azula's true feelings and how she feels about herself. How she wants to run away from herself and just start over.**
Please comment/review and let me know what you think of it, thanks!
Enjoy! ^_^
I own nothing; I do NOT own Avatar: The Last Airbender.
'Running From The Devil'
. . .
Running.
That's all she could do . . . run.
Why is she running? Who is she running from? Where is she running to?
Herself.
She is running from herself; she is running anywhere that can save her from herself.
But . . . where is there to go when you're running from yourself?
She wants it all to end. She wants all of it to stop.
A long time ago she vowed to herself that she would never be weak, but how can she be strong? She lost everything and everyone. The only thing she has left is memories . . .
After running seven hours straight, she is tired. The sun is beginning to set under the horizon; the sky is a blend of pinks and purples.
Azula has been running for a year now . . . it's been a year since the war has ended. The Hundred Year War is over and now everyone lives in peace and harmony. At least, everyone is, except for the ex-Firebending Princess. Azula.
As Azula sits there, against the tree, with her eyes closed, all she sees it black, but then she starts to see images . . . memories.
*Memory*
Azula is lying on her bed, twirling blue flames around her fingers. She's staring up at her bedroom ceiling. Her head is slightly cocked to the side and her golden eyes are half open and half closed.
Seven year old, Azula, lets out a sigh as she continues to swirl the blue flames around and in between her fingers.
It's been a long day. Her father wanted her and her brother, Zuko, to attend a bunch of meetings with him and they lasted forever. It's almost nighttime and they started the meetings early in the morning; before the sun rose above the horizon.
The young Firebender yawns as her eyes start to close further more. However, Azula jumps awake when she hears a voice speak to her with a chuckle, "Azula, don't you fall asleep while you firebend. I don't need you burning the house down."
Azula rolls her golden eyes, "I won't, mother."
"What are you doing anyways, Azula?" Her mother, Ursa, asks as she leans against the door.
"Just thinking. Where's Zuko? Still outside playing with his stupid friends?" Azula asks with a raised eyebrow.
Her mother shakes her head and rolls her eyes, "Don't call your brother's friends stupid. They left, though. He's hanging out with Mai and Ty-Lee. I came here to see if wanted to hang out with them."
"It's almost nighttime, I'm tired. No thanks." Azula answers, a bit on the harsh side.
Ursa lets out a sigh, "Azula, what are you thinking about?"
"About me being the Princess of the Fire-Nation." Azula answers with a smirk.
Ursa raises an eyebrow at her daughter, "Is that so? You do realize that's a few years away. Your grandfather is still alive and the Fire-Lord and your father then would have to take the throne, not your Uncle Iroh."
"Uncle Iroh won't become Fire-Lord, I know that for sure." Azula answers with a shrug.
"What makes you think that, Azula?" Ursa asks with a raised eyebrow.
"Because, Dad would make a better Fire-Lord and everyone knows it." Azula says with another shrug, "Dad's strong and fearless; Uncle is too nice and weak."
"That's enough, Azula." Ursa says in a demanding tone, "That's not nice or right to say about your Uncle."
"What?" Azula questions with an innocent look on her face, "You're the one who asked me what I was thinking of."
"Why do you want to be the Princess so much?" Azula's mother suddenly asks.
The young Firebender smirks, "That's a simple question. Because everyone has to like you, they have to respect you, and listen to you. I would be the best Princess and maybe one day I'll even be the Fire-Lord."
"Oh?" Ursa asks as she tilts her head to the side. "And what about your brother? He doesn't get to be Fire-Lord?"
Azula rolls her golden eyes and raises an eyebrow, "What about him? Just because he's a male doesn't mean he gets to be the Fire-Lord. I'm stronger than him and better. I deserve to be Fire-Lord someday and everyone will see it."
Ursa shakes her head. She watches her daughter stare up at her ceiling, still twirling the fire around her fingers. She sighs. Ursa never really understood her daughter. She was always so . . . harsh. It was like Azula liked to watch people in misery.
Ursa, deep down, was sometimes scared of her own daughter. Ursa truly believed there was something evil inside of Azula. Don't get her wrong, she loves her daughter, but she feels like Azula would have no problem being cruel and end up making a very rash decision one day.
When Ursa brought this up to her husband, Azula and Zuko's father, Ozai, he disagreed. He said it's good she's strong, independent, powerful, and harsh. She's being strong and showing off her strength, is what Ozai always said.
Azula lets out an annoyed huff. She knows what her mother is thinking of her and she gets annoyed by it. Azula turns her head to her mother so she is facing her and she says coldly, "Can you shut the door on your way out?"
Ursa, who snaps out of her thoughts at her daughter's words, just nods. She slowly turns around and shuts the door as she walks away.
Azula turns back to facing her bedroom ceiling. She sighs and surprisingly, for the first time in her life, she lets a tear slide down her cheek.
*End of memory*
Azula's eyes snap open. She shakes her head and rubs her hands over her face. She never liked that memory; and she always kept that to herself. She never told anyone how she truly felt when she was young.
Deep down, Azula hated the feeling of how her own mother thought she was evil. That's part of the reason why she's running today. Azula wants to run away from her dark self and just start over.
Sounds stupid and surprising for Azula, right?
After the Hundred Year War ended, Azula truly realized how insane and crazy she has become. She became evil, cruel, insane, and consumed by her darker self.
Azula honestly believed she wasn't always evil and cruel. She thought, somewhat deep down, she was normal. She always wanted to have a boyfriend, true friends; a life. However, the desire of power and being powerful made her forget about those wants and make her only want more and more power.
The power turned her into a monster and she knows now, she lost it.
She's running from all of that. She's running from that part of her life. She wants to start over and forget all the problems and destruction she had caused.
Once the Hundred Year War ended and Team Avatar won, she knew she had to get away. She had to run; run away, run anywhere far from everyone else.
Zuko told her she had a choice: Either go to jail with their father, or go into a mental hospital and be locked away for the rest of her life.
Azula told her brother she would go into the mental hospital. Two guards went to her jail cell where she was being held in the meantime and went to take her there, but she refused. Instead, Azula unleashed powerful, blue flames at the guards and ran.
She ran . . . she ran as fast as she could and she never looked back once.
Azula thinks back to the memory she just relived and she lets out a sigh. Not only until she rubs her hands over her face again does she realize a tear slid down her cheek.
The Firebender growls, "Why do I always feel the same when I think of that same stupid memory . . ." Azula runs her hand through her silky hair, "It's the past, Azula, get over it."
"That's why I'm running . . . to get away from all those memories . . . the past." Azula mumbles to herself.
"So, why does that memory affect you the most?" A voice suddenly asks her.
Azula jumps. Not expecting anyone to be around. The Firebender looks to the side to see a man, around her age she would guess, standing there. He has forest green eyes, tan skin, messy, jet-black hair that's a bit long, and by the way he's dressed, Azula would guess he's an earthbender.
"Who are you?" Azula hisses as she slowly stands up and faces the man.
The man could tell Azula is starting to get into her fighting stance. He smiles at her and shakes his head, "No need to get into your fighting stance. I'm not here for a fight. I'm Haku. What's your name?"
Azula raises an eyebrow at him. She then simply says, "Azula."
"Ah," Haku says with a grin, "I'm assuming you're the Azula who was the Princess of the Fire-Nation?"
Azula clenches her jaw and nods slowly, "Yes. You've heard of me?" She wished he hasn't. She doesn't want to run anymore or fight. She's tired, but she will fight if she has to, to make sure she isn't turned in.
"Of course. I think everyone has." Haku says with a smile, but when he notices her body tense and her jaw clench, he shakes his head, "Like I said before, I'm not here to fight."
"But you're here to turn me in? No thanks." Azula coldly says.
"I know you're wanted, Azula." Haku begins, but then quickly adds, "But I'm not here to turn you in."
Azula rolls her golden eyes, now annoyed, "Then why are you here?"
"I saw you sitting against a tree with your eyes closed and a tear running down your cheek. I came over here to check to see you're alright." Haku simply answers.
Azula narrows her eyes at him, but before she could respond, he asks, "So, what were you thinking of?"
"None of your business." Azula coldly replies as she folds her arms across her chest.
Haku chuckles, "Why don't you stop trying to act all tough and just tell me what's going on? You look like you need someone to talk to."
"Why would I tell some stranger how I'm feeling or what I was thinking? I don't even know you. I have to get going anyways." Azula says as she begins to walk away.
However, Haku's voice stops her, "Where are you going?"
"What's your problem?" Azula turns around and sends a glare to the man standing there with his arms sitting across his chest.
"I saw you through my window running through our village this morning. You looked scared or something and I thought you may need someone to talk to. Our village isn't big and I haven't seen you around so I figured you were new. So, I was walking around outside of my village just to think, like I do every late afternoon, and then that's when I saw you here crying." Haku explains as his head slightly tilts to the side.
Azula rolls her royal, golden eyes and quickly says, "I wasn't crying and I did not look 'scared' before."
"You're very stubborn, you know that?" Haku asks with a grin and with a roll to the eyes.
Azula lets out a low chuckle, "I know."
"So, who are you running from?" Haku asks, curiously.
The Firebender puts her hands on her hips and looks up at the sky, "From a few things."
"Things or people?" The Earthbender asks.
Azula lets out a sigh, slightly annoyed that the Earthbender keeps asking her questions, but a bit . . . happy . . . that someone actually cares . . . at least she thinks he cares.
Azula looks down and finally says, "Both. I'm running from everything . . . everyone. Everyone thinks I'm evil . . . cruel . . . heartless . . . insane, but I don't want that anymore." Pause. "I'm running from my old life. I'm running from my old enemies and friends. The thing is, the person I'm running mostly from . . . is myself. I'm running from the devil."
Haku stares at her, not sure what to say. He places his hand on her shoulder, "Everything happens for a reason, Azula. One day you won't need to run anymore and you could start over."
Azula lets out a sigh. She closes her eyes for a moment and takes a deep breath. The Firebender then turns around and goes to say something to Haku, but when she turns around, he's gone.
She blinks a few times and she quickly looks around, looking for Haku. Her eyebrows knit together and she quietly mumbles to herself, "Where did he go?"
The sun continues to set and night continues to come. Azula shakes her head. She needs to keep running. She has to keep moving on.
With one last look around, the ex-Princess turns around and continues to run under the now night sky.
She never did find out if the man she met that day was real or just her imagination. Was he real? Was he really there or was he just a figment of her imagination?
Or maybe he was the same person she was trying to run from. Or maybe that was the devil himself, but either way, she continues to run and run and never looks back.