Title: What She Left Behind
Author: winterxlovee
Chapter Rating: PG-13
Summary: The abandoned child of Fire Lord Ozai travels home after 6 years to find everything's altered. She is changing her family's plans, especially Azula's, and will come to find out hidden information on her true destiny . *Starts at the beginning of Book 3*
Disclaimer: I don't own anything! All rights go to the Avatar team! Of course if I owned this series it would be so much less awesome, but it would have way more romance! ;D
Pairing: Zuko/OC, later on I'm pretty sure.
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"This is it," I whisper, standing outside the large doors leading to Fire Lord Ozai's throne room, holding on to the door handle, contemplating opening them or running away screaming.
'Stop being such a baby!' I think, my heart beating out of my chest.
I take a deep breath and open the double doors, three faces staring at me as if I had just committed murder. The looks on their faces are all different, yet all the same.
"Aria." Zuko says with an exasperated voice.
A hint of a smile tugs at my lips as I look at my big brother. He's more handsome as I ever imagined. His dark hair is pulled back with a ribbon, different from his signature ponytail, but it definitely suits him.
A large scar over his right eye caught my attention. I had to question him about it later, definitely. It worried me about how he got it in the first place.
The clothes he wore showed he had developed a lot of muscle over the years. He had been training and building his fire bending skills I guess.
The room's lighting was very dim, so I couldn't tell much about his facial features, which was disappointing.
"So you're not going to give your big brother a hug?" He asked, snapping me out of my thoughts instantly. He had the same golden eyes I remember from so long ago. They had a hardness to them, but his face was gentle. He was always very gentle towards me.
I giggled as I felt him sweep me into his arms, spinning me around like I weighed nothing.
He finally set me down after a moment and I wound my arms tightly around his neck.
"I really missed you," I said, snuggling my face in the crook of his neck.
"Okay, enough with the love fest. There are things that have to be done," I heard the sharp words of our sister spit out.
I peeked up at his face and caught a glimpse of his handsome features. The same boy was in those features, buried somewhere, wanting to escape. To smile and laugh, but he seemed very melancholy after he heard the words of our sister.
Something had changed in him. The carefree young boy I once knew was gone. It scared me.
"Aria," Azula stared at me stalkingly, like a predator hunting their prey. Her words were like acid against my ears.
"Azula," I nodded my head in her direction, my voice somber. I was going to be the bigger person about this. No matter what she said, I wouldn't let it show that it hurt me. I knew it would hurt me inside, but if she saw, she would draw great satisfaction from it. She wasn't going to win this time.
"Aria, I would like to discuss some things with you. In private." Fire Lord Ozai warningly spoke.
Both Zuko and Azula let out a huff but did as he asked, trudging out the large doors.
"Fire Lord," I said, falling to my knees.
"So Aria, I would like to discuss some things with you about this war. I think you would be very useful by Azula's side. As you know, the Fire Nation has taken control of Ba Sing Se finally, but a little bird told me you befriended the Avatar and his friends while they were staying near you."
I glanced up and noticed that he was making his toward me. Each step getting closer. I thought he was going to hurt me.
"Father, Azula and I don't get along that well, but I would make an effort if it was what you wanted," I paused, trying to figure out my wording so I wouldn't sound like a traitor, "And about befriending the Avatar, I knew that the Fire Nation would take siege of Ba Sing Se, so I wanted to pump some information out of him."
He stopped in front of me. It was the first time I had seen him face to face, not behind the terrifying blue flames he had always stationed at. His eyes were heavy, and had a coldness to them, "I just need your cooperation, because I won't take 'No' for an answer. So either you work with Azula or you will be known as a traitor. Your choice . . . "
"Father, I . . . " I trailed off, not knowing how to finish my sentence.
I felt a hand move to the back of my neck and goosebumps covered my arms. He was standing behind me, so I couldn't see what he was a bout to do.
"Tell me the truth, Aria. If you were really my daughter, you would have known my wishes to capture the Avatar and bring him to me. Azula would have known that, which is why she's being put in charge of the missions I want to be carried out. So I ask you one question, Is the Avatar really dead?" His hand tightened its grip around my neck and his voice turned dark.
I knew why he brought me here. Why he pretended to love me all these years. I was the puppet and he controlled the strings, forcing me to carry out all his deeds he would be too lazy to do himself. That's why he brought me here, why he took me in under his wing as a daughter of his own when I was so young. He knew he could use me because of my naive nature. Azula was his little prodigy and I was some trash he found on the street. I know that now.
I wasn't about to let Aang be killed by a monster. He was the only hope to save this world from the works my father has done. There was a possibility he was alive. Katara, a waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe and one of his close friends that traveled with him, carried around Spirit Water from the oasis in the Northern Water Tribe. It had great power and I remember her telling me that she would use it for a great emergency.
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"So you're the Fire Lord's daughter? No offense but you're nothing like him," the boy named Sokka snorted. He had an odd humor about him that I really liked. It was refreshing.
"Sokka, what's that supposed to mean?" Katara asked. She was the first person out of the group that I spoke to and I really liked her.
"I'm just saying she doesn't look like normal royalty."
"Oh, so she's ugly!"
"No, no! She's really pretty. It's just that she's alot nicer and not as terrifying. That's all I'm saying. I didn't mean it in a bad way. I meant in a good way!" Sokka said, raising his hands in defense.
Katara's eyes narrowed to slits as she stared her brother, "Whatever."
"Is it always like this?" I whispered to Aang. We were both trying to get away from the arguing siblings.
"It's alot worse than this, of course, they're brother and sister, but you think this is bad, you should see Toph and Katara argue." He whispered, the heated argument finally starting to settle.
"We're girls, it's what we do!" I laughed, getting a giggle out of him, "So, what's the plan?"
"Well-" Aang started.
"Aang!" Sokka yelled, running over to where we were standing, "Did you forget who her family is? How do we know we can trust her?"
"Apparently you forgot that I'm here." Toph spoke for the first time.
Sokka turned his head, not understanding what she meant, "What? OH! Yeah, we can ask her if we can trust her and you can tell if she's lying or not."
"You're a genius," Toph said, sarcasm coating her voice.
"So, can we trust that you won't tell the Fire Lord or anyone else about our plans?" Sokka turned to me and asked.
"I'm one of the people that WANT him off the throne. I swear you can trust me," I strongly said.
"We can trust her," Toph affirmed.
"Okay, so onto the plans," Sokka added, "During the solar eclipse, there's only a 7 minute window of time when all firebenders lose the ability to bend. That's when we strike."
"Wait, there's only 4 of you, how-"
"That's where everyone else comes in. My dad and the men of our tribe are gonna fight with us. Some other people are coming and we're gonna fight our way to the palace, and since the firebenders won't be able to firebend, we'll make faster time, hopefully making it before the eclipse ends. Aang's going to try to get to the Fire Lord when the eclipse is happening so he'll be helpless and it'll be easy for Aang to finish him off. It would be great if you would come, too."
"Me, fighting?" I snorted, "I wouldn't be any use without my fire bending."
"Can't you lightning bend, too? We've heard around town that you're one of the few lightning benders in the world." Aang asked, "I mean we could really use you, even if you couldn't fight. You'll know all of Ozai's secret plans for the Fire Nation."
I contemplated the thought. If they do win, things would be so much better off. On the other hand if they lose, I would be locked in jail forever and be known as a traitor.
"I don't know. There's just so much to lose." I finally said, shaking my head.
"Aria, we wouldn't let anything happen to you." Katara promised, pulling me into a tight hug and patting me on the back.
"Yeah," Aang and Sokka said in unison. Toph stood there, arms folded like she was ready to fight if someone looked at her wrongly. Well, not really looked, but you know what I mean.
"If I can get away from my father, I'll be there." I announced.
Sokka had a goofy grin on his face, as did Aang. He walked over and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, "Our secret weapon."
I glanced up at him and giggled, "I've never been a secret weapon before."
I notices a twinkling hitting my eyes and followed where the light is coming from. My eyes locked with a beautiful necklace used for keeping water, it looked like, around Katara's neck.
"What is that?" I asked, pointing to Katara's neck.
"Oh this," she looked down, "It's Spirit Water from the Spirit Oasis at the Northern Water Tribe. They gave it to me for healing purposes."
"Could it heal someone from the dead?"
"It's pretty strong, so I guess, if the body was in good condition." she shrugs.
"Awesome," I breathe.
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"There's no way the Avatar's alive." I finally whisper, "Azula finished him off."
"Excellent. I wish you could be more like your sister," he says with a menacing tone, "You could learn a thing or two from her."
"So, I'm just another firebender to you?" I say under my breath.
"Of course. You didn't think I meant all those things, did you? The only reason I brought you here is because you have immense power, Aria. Stronger than even Azula. It just depends on which team you're going to play for." He whispers, his voice warm against my ear, his hands trailing down my back, resting at my hips.
"Azula will always be your number one." I whisper, my voice shaken.
"Always," he whispers, his breath tickling my neck, "So go be a good little girl and go practice your firebending."
He plants a kiss under my ear before loosening his grip on me.
I tear his hands away from my body and hastily walk out the door, hearing his tormenting laugh beating in my ears.
Tears fill my vision as I crawl up the flights of stairs to my chambers, not taking a chance on falling with the long dress I have on.
I didn't care about where my brother and sister were, I didn't care if they saw me crying, I just wanted to disappear off the face of the Earth. Never to be seen again.
I close the doors to my bedroom, locking them tightly. Tears I had kept in for years overflow and stream down my face, clouding my vision once again. I land face down on the silk sheets and grab for a pillow and bury my face in it, smudging my makeup in the process.
Why did I have to come here in the first place? No wait, why did my mom have to be such a whore? What did she see in him? He was married and she had to come along and screw everything up. Now I'm getting hell for her mistake.
Just as I'm about to scream, I hear a soft knock on my door.
"Hello? Aria, you in there?" the voice yells, seeming very familiar, "Listen I know you don't want to be here, but I wanna see you. It's Ty Lee."
My eyes widen as she says her name. Ty Lee? Her and I used to be inseparable when we were younger.
I wipe the dry tears and smeared makeup away with my sleeve. Rushing over to the door, I quickly undo the locks and open the door, standing face to face with someone who seemed like a stranger.
"ARIA!" she yells, jumping up and down in her skimpy outfit, "Come here, you! I haven't seen you in years! I'm so glad you're back!"
I giggle as she pulls me into a tight bear hug. It was so good to see her again. My mood was instantly lightened.
She loosens her grip on me, "Your aura's all black, what's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing." I say, shrugging my shoulders.
"Come on, Ari, you can tell me anything." she says, leading me to my bed.
She was right, I could tell her anything. When I first came to the palace, we had known each other for five minutes and already were best friends. Even though I haven't seen her in years, I still felt we had that connection. I guess it's because our personalities are so similar. We were always the ones to brighten the mood, which we had always gotten along well, even when everyone else was fighting.
"It's my father." I whisper.
"Hun, listen to me, Ozai was and always will be a big meany. It's nothing against you, okay?" she said, smiling.
She brushed a stray piece of hair behind my ear and ran her fingers along my cheek.
"By the way, when did you get all hot?" I asked, motioning to her outfit, if you could call it that.
"Oh you like it? I have some other ones with me. We can play dress up like we always did! It'll be so much fun, plus it'll get your mind off of all the drama," she hopped up and said with enthusiasm, then started tugging on my arms.
"I don't think I could pull that off."
"You sure have filled out over the years, though! Guys would love to see you in a skimpy little outfit. You have such a pretty figure, so show it off!" she pulled me up and led me to the door.
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Ty Lee was throwing clothes right and left, covering her bed. We had been sitting in her room for over an hour, trying to decide which attire I was going to wear to meet my people. She was headstrong about making me look sexy for all the boys.
Every so often she would walk over to her bed and start mixing and matching tops and skirts, then she would walk back over to the closet and start the process all over again.
"So, have you talked to Zuko or Azula yet?" she asked, though I could hardly hear her since she was leaned over the bed, examining different tops.
"Yeah, we said 'Hi'. That was it, though. I ran up to my room after I finished talking to Dad." I shrugged.
"They, well, Zuko asked me where you were. Mai asked too, which is weird since she isn't really a people person. Probably because you're the only one that would ever risk getting skewered by her when you guys would practice."
"Wow, Mai . . . I guess one person missed me."
She cleared her throat and turned to look at me with an irritated expression on her face, "TWO people!"
I giggled at her attempt to try to be intimidating.
We sad there in silence for a while. Ty Lee always took so long when it came to fashion. She always told me you had to get the perfect outfit or you'll look like a total dork.
"Aha! This is the one." she said, making me jump from the outburst, grabbing the outfit I was going to wear from her bed.
She had already helped me clean my face from all the makeup and tears that had transformed me into a bear-raccoon, so all I needed was the outfit.
The top was a light pink made of silk, was sleeveless, and stopped just above my belly button, showing off more skin than necessary. The skirt was pink also with ruffles at the bottom, which stopped above mid-thigh.
"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, you look so cute!" she yelled, hopping up and down, "My work is now done. I can't wait to show you to everybody!"
"Wait, everybody? Even . . . them?" I slowly asked.
"You mean Zuko, Mai and Azula? Of course! Why do you think I gave you these clothes in the first place? You're gonna show them you're not a little girl anymore! Now come on!"
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AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Well, this is a short chapter but I'm saving something good for the next chapter, which will be longer! I know this wasn't that good but this is kinda the introduction to what's going to come in the following chapters. I do nothing all day so that's why I update so fast! I really like where this story is gonna go and I hope you like it too. (:
I thank all of you guys for reading this story and for reviewing. I took every review to heart and I tried to incorporate what each of you said to make my writing better. (:
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KnightOfZaku: Thank you so much! I wanted to incorporate Ty Lee into this chapter just because you said that, because I didn't know when I was going to use her. I really appreciate you reviewing and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Karma of the Fire Nation: Thank you so much! And thanks for reviewing. (:
dawnwish112: Thanks and the bending scenes are really difficult to write since, ya know, we can't really bend, but I try to do the movements so I can see how everything is going along. And I'm trying to work on the chapters as fast as I can! ^.^
VividDreamer624: I know, I really have to stop putting myself down when it comes to that.
I was trying to show the manipulative side of Ozai. Aria thinks he willingly accepts her in but in reality he's just saying those things to manipulate her into doing what he wants, as Azula's always gonna be his favorite!
I actually don't know where Zuko and Aria's relationship is actually going to go. I have an idea, but it's my little secret. ;D
I really thank you for giving me this constructive criticism because the way I see it is: you took time out of your day to help me! Thanks for reading and reviewing.
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Can't wait to show all of you the next chapter! I hope all of you are following where this story is going! (: