Author's Note: Thank you for your reviews and the hits. I'm excited that people are finding interest in A Thousand Miles and will do my best to tell a good story. As always, reviews are always appreciated!
The Not So Typical
Inner peace can be reached only when we practice forgiveness. Forgiveness is letting go of the past, and is therefore the means for correcting our misperceptions.
-Gerald G. Jampolsky
She didn't realize how long it would take to get out of the mine. Back when she was at her prime, she could tell people to the exact second how long it would take to travel from the Fire Nation to the Earth Kingdom. Now? She hadn't seen daylight in over a year, and even if she refused to admit it, she was nothing like what she used to be.
When the ceiling collapsed, she and that earthbender boy agreed to utilize each other's strengths in order to get out, after which she planned to firebend his ass and then escape. Everything would've worked out perfectly except for the fact that her legs gave way every few minutes and she found herself leaning against the walls of the mine to catch a break. Though, stubbornly enough, every time she needed a break, she simply used that moment to stir up some crap with Haru whether it be about who started this entire mess to the stupid way he tied his hair. It bought her enough time to breath and then press forward.
This must have been her fifth break. Her knees were wobbly, and that sharp pain returned. It felt like a knife was slowly slicing through her calves. Azula considered herself to be highly tolerant of pain, but when one mixed that with the fact that she had not done extreme physical activity in over a year, got crushed by a giant pile of rocks, walked a shitload with two injured legs, and the fact that she only had jerky for lunch, it was pretty hard for her to not suffer. Azula leaned against the wall and glared at the earthbender who also looked equally as tired.
"Are you kidding me?" Azula sneered at Haru who took that opportunity to kneel down. "I am injured but am doing much better than you are. You're so worthless and weak."
"At least I can admit when I need a break. I don't pretend to act tougher than I am."
"Wake up, vermin, I am tough. In case you haven't noticed, I kicked your ass and will continue to kick your ass in battle."
"Seriously? I wasn't even trying to fight back. It's called defending myself from a crazed person spitting fire at me for no apparent reason."
"You approached me, and when you approach me that is when I attack."
"I was just trying to pick up that ax for you!"
"And then attack me with it!"
"Are you insane?"
"No! Well-trained!"
"Gah! You're impossible." Haru took that moment to stand and storm off. His face looked genuinely annoyed, and it seemed as if he really didn't want the conversation to continue. Azula muttered a swear word under her breath and followed him. A ball of blue flames surrounded her hand, and she held it up to light the way.
The mine was dark, dirty, and frickin long. Her stomach growled again, but it wasn't like she was able to do anything about it. Haru didn't have any more jerky strips after Azula ate all of his supply. It seemed as if she was always hungry these days and it had certainly affected her concentration. She wasn't really able to think straight. Was the path to the exit supposed to swirl? Things didn't look right.
The flames dancing around her fingertips dissipated, and she stumbled to lean against the wall. Azula recomposed herself for moment and tried to keep the stress off her legs. She couldn't see passed the darkness, so it was nearly impossible to see where that earthbender went.
"Azula?" Haru's voice could be heard. He didn't seem too far away from her, though it did seem like he was hesitating to get close. Azula inhaled deeply before forcing the blue flames to surround her hand again. It was a small light, but it allowed her to see where Haru was. She only got a small glimpse of him before he began moving forward. His expression wasn't one that she could really read, which was strange because she considered herself to be a person who could read others.
"Oh what, so are you trying to ditch me?" Azula snapped. She took long, quick steps to catch up to the earthbender who stopped in his tracks and paused for a bit. "As always, you are unreliable, incompetent, idiotic -"
"Can you be quiet for one second?" Haru hissed. The tone in his voice caught her by surprise and made her recompose herself. A slow, shaky rumbling could be heard from a distance. She could feel a small prick on her head and had to hold her hand up higher to see what it was. Sand and small pebbles were falling from the ceiling. At first it was only a small amount, but the sand was falling faster and the pebbles became bigger and bigger. Azula quickly turned to Haru who seemed to have noticed the same thing.
As if in survival mode, Azula took that opportunity to bolt for it. She sprinted as fast as she could down the caves of the mine. Her breathing was fast and quick, but she forced herself to remain in control. A couple of years ago, her stamina was incredible. She could run for hours without tiring, do a shitload of pushups without falling, firebend all day without stopping… where did that girl go?
The ground of the mine shook violently again and literally threw Azula off her feet. She caught herself though and continued to run as if her life depended on it. Actually, her life really did depend on it.
"Azula!" A voice yelled from behind her. Haru was panting, but he was running as fast as he could in order to keep up with her. "The mine is crumbling way too fast! We should be near the exit, but we can't outrun it! I need you to stop running and trust me!"
Azula grunted in response and continued to run. She wasn't going to listen to an earthbender who could barely help himself let alone others. Her calves were burning, burning¸ and she wanted to scream out the pain, but she forced herself to stay focused and moving.
"Azula! Stop running!"
This never ending sensation of pain was actually somewhat thrilling to her. Everything else simmered down to a low buzz and all she could hear was a beautiful voice. Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration to make out who that voice belonged to. It was familiar to her, but she hadn't heard it in a long time. She couldn't make out what the voice was saying though, but its melodic tone reminded her of her mother. The voice was soft and velvety – a voice that anyone wouldn't mind hearing more of. As she ran faster and faster, the voice became louder.
What was she saying?
Was it "my daughter"?
Azula pushed herself to the limit and used every ounce of energy to catch up to her mother's voice. A wide, almost evil looking grin crept onto her face as the voice became louder and more audible. At last! Her mother was waiting for her at the end of the cave, and she would finally be recognized as the perfect daughter.
"My daughter."
Finally!
"My daughter."
Yes!
"The monster."
Azula's eyes widened out of shock, and the blood in her body felt hot and boiling. She let out a surly scream, her legs gave way, and she found herself tumbling onto the floor. A loud roar could be heard behind her drowning out her screams. It rumbled and cracked before coming to a sudden stop. Azula could feel the warmth of a hand on her shoulder. It took her a couple of seconds to register whose hand it was, and when she realized that it was Haru's hand on her shoulder, she immediately jumped to her feet and slapped it away.
"Who do you think you are to touch me?" She screeched while dusting off her robes.
"I just wanted to see whether you were actually alive." Haru rolled his eyes. "I told you to stop running."
Azula took that opportunity to peer behind Haru. It was as if the crumbling ceiling was frozen in time. They created a concave wall and looked as if they were floating in the air. Her golden eyes moved back towards Haru who sighed and smiled just slightly.
"We should be near the exit… I must admit. It was hard keeping up with you." It was a small chuckle, but it was certainly one that broke the awkward silence.
"If I were to run off a bridge, would you follow?" It may not actually be a bad idea. Then she would get rid of him forever and never again would she have to deal with this annoying bastard.
Azula grunted out of annoyance and spun on the heels of her feet. It was about frickin time that the exit came. She was sick of being stuck in this mine with an annoying peasant who thought he was some sort of big shot. Then again, the warmth of his hand was something that she hadn't felt in a long time. She will never admit it, but that feeling was nostalgic.
"Hey, Azula?" Azula paused for moment, but she didn't bother to turn around. It would be wasting her time. Haru slowly took a step closer, careful not to make it seem as if he was trying to "approach" her. "I have a question to ask."
A small grunt from Azula meant for him to continue.
"If I was on fire, would you spit on me to put it out? I mean, I know you would spit on me when I'm not on fire, but what if I was?"
Totally random question, though Azula must admit, it caught her off guard. She paused and thought about it. Indeed, as annoying as he is, she must admit that he wasn't too terrible to tolerate. She's dealt with worse.
"Sure. I'll throw a couple of spits your way." And she continued onward. She did hear a chuckle behind her and didn't even notice her lips curling upward into a small smile.
