A/N: Yo! It's been ages, hai? Well, my humblest apologies. I just finished my VCE (Victorian Certificate of Education) Exams and am a free spirit (to some extent) for the next year until I enter Uni. I had my graduation.. oh, it was a while ago now, I suppose. It was awesome fun but a bit sad too. I really enjoyed my two years at Senior College and all the awesome colleagues and teachers who were there. I was so proud watching all my fellow students get their certificates and awards. Our duxs of the school was a young girl named Carli who had worked so hard all year and got something like a 98.6 (out of 99.95). She was in my Literature class. I ended up with a 76.1 which is plenty enough to get me into Adelaide Uni. I won't be going straight into Psychology (96.4), but I can do my Arts course (65.2) and then swap over. One of my best friends got an 88.2. I was so very proud of her. She had worked so hard and totally deserved it.
This chapter is dedicated to all the hard-working year 12 students of 2008. You all did so well regardless of the number you scored or the grades you received. After all, it IS only a number. I hope that you are proud of your efforts and pray you have an excellent year in 2009 whether you're working, taking a GAP (like me) or going on to further study. I'm so proud of you all.
So, speaking of a GAP, I have one year to finish this story for you all. I'll do my best to live up to your expectations. Arigato for your patience.
Ja ne!
Disclaimer: A notice from the Empress of the Whole World who will soon be Queen of the Universe: I own everything. Duh. But out of the goodness and grace of my heart, I will let Avatar temporarily remain in the hands of its creators. But be warned! It is not forever! Muwhahahahahaaaaa!!
Chapter 4—Friends
---*0()0*---
Apparently, Masuke wasn't as organised as Zhi had first thought. The man had seemed so decisive and, well… organised. In contrast to his first impression, which is always important, it turned out that he had some reports that Makati had needed, oh… three weeks ago? The water bender had scratched his head sheepishly as he tried to remember exactly when they had been due. In any case, the medic had promptly excused himself to some unknown area of the office to get some desperately needed work done.
Zhi had seated himself beside the girl with the intention of watching her sleep. It wasn't very interesting. People sleeping, that is. As he watched the steady rise and fall of her chest, Zhi found himself fighting off drowsiness. Where before adrenaline and concern had kept it at bay, now with nothing to distract him it was back full force. Leaning against the icy wall had no effect on his state of consciousness and he nodded in and out of sleep.
It didn't seem long, but it must have been at least half an hour at least before he decided enough was enough and rose to walk around for a bit to keep his eyes open.
It was around that time when a girl, probably around fourteen or fifteen, arrived at the infirmary artfully handling a platter laden with food. Zhi was curious to see three plates stacked on the tray. Evidently, 'the girl' wasn't able to eat yet. She wasn't even awake. Though, admittedly, that was partly due to Zhi's antics. Whoops. He wasn't particularly sorry, however, since she had been at risk of hurting herself. And him, of course.
Zhi, intending to relieve her of her burden, reached out. But as he did so, she shied away from him slightly. Zhi stood back having had enough of scaring females. Sheesh. Was he really that frightening?
"Hey, no offence meant, I just thought that looked heavy." His chivalrous side that his wife, after seven years of marriage, had beat into him didn't allow him to stand by while a delicate girl did the heavy labour. And carrying a platter of food was definitely what his wife would call 'heavy labour'.
The girl shook her head shyly. "Thank you, but I can manage." He voice was very soft and he had to strain himself to hear.
"Well, uh, okay." Zhi looked around, not seeing any tables that looked like they were made for eating. "I'm not sure where you're supposed to put it—" his remark was cut short as a low table seemed to rise out of the floor. Zhi was taken aback. This place just seemed to be full of surprises. "Did you do that?"
The girl gave a slight, trembling smile and shook her head. "No, sir. I'm not a waterbender."
"Aimi!"
Zhi's head whipped around at the sound of Masuke's deep voice. The man strode forward, a broad grin on his face. He carried two brown fur rugs over one arm.
The first thing Zhi noticed that Masuke actually smiled. Not that it was odd or anything, but evidently he didn't leave his mask on all the time. His dark blue hood was down as well to reveal a startlingly handsome man. His long brown hair was pulled back from his face into a ponytail. His dark blue eyes twinkled with humour and warmth. Zhi blinked. Perhaps he was older than he had first appeared.
Aimi blushed and ducked her head behind her bangs. "Masuke." She hesitated before gingerly placing the platter on the low table. "I-I brought you dinner. I hope you like it."
Masuke spread the rugs before seating himself at the table he had raised. "I'm sure it will be delicious. You're a great cook, Aimi."
Aimi blushed at the compliment. "T-thank you, Masuke." She bowed low. "Enjoy your dinner."
Zhi followed Masuke's lead and seated himself across from the medic. He noticed that the mats were wide enough to accommodate at least two people on each side. He threw Masuke and Aimi a sly glance. Hehe.
Instead of backing away as Zhi had expected her to do, she lingered in the doorway, hovering between going and working up the courage to stay. He recognised the symptoms immediately. Blushing, ducking the head, quiet, uncertain tones and now hesitancy.
Zhi raised his brow at Masuke who seemed to be totally oblivious and was filling his plate with gusto. This guy… how impossible.
Didn't he seem to notice that Aimi was in stutters around him?
Zhi had to admit, he himself was a bit of a matchmaker. Usually, that was the women's job, but he found a certain satisfaction with nudging people in what he perceived to be the right direction. Suddenly his fatigue was forgotten as he observed the shy maiden and impossibly ignorant older male.
After a moment, Masuke noticed that the young girl hadn't left. As Masuke's gaze landed on her, she seemed to lose any confidence she had a moment ago.
Blushing, again, Aimi shifted towards the door though clearly she wanted to stay. Zhi lifted a brow at Masuke, wondering what he would do.
Just when Zhi thought Masuke was going to let her walk out the door without saying anything, the oblivious man gestured with his chopsticks.
"Do you want to join us, Aimi?"
Zhi almost slumped where he was sitting. There was ignorance and then there was ignorance. Well, he supposed in the end it worked out the way he had rather hoped it would. The poor darling. Maybe if he had time later he would talk to her.
The girl looked a little startled at the question and more than a little intimidated by the notion of eating with a guy she obviously had a crush on. However, beyond her shy and timid facade Zhi could see true eagerness.
"A-are you sure you w-wouldn't mind?" her eyes darted to Zhi and back to the floor which constantly seemed to draw her gaze. "I d-don't want to i-intrude."
Zhi almost smirked. Yes, you do.
Luckily, Masuke was rather insistent. "Don't be ridiculous! The lieutenant would enjoy the company of someone other than me. Wouldn't you, Lieutenant Zhi?"
One look into her hopeful eyes and Zhi could do nothing else but acquiesce. He sympathised with the girl. Actually, she reminded him of his own hesitancy with his wife. "Of course. This is my first time in a Water Tribe settlement, after all. I've never seen snow before in my life."
Her eyes lit up slightly. "R-really? Never?"
Zhi suppressed a grin. "That's right."
A little more confident, Aimi moved to sit by Masuke, who scooted over slightly to make room for her, and gracefully settled herself on the furs that had been spread for the meal. They were seated so closely that their blue jackets brushed up against each other intimately. Every time Masuke moved his arm, which was rather often, Aimi would blush slightly and look away.
Zhi resisted a smirk.
The manner in which she had picked her way delicately through the food, taking small portions of this or that told Zhi that she desperately wanted to impress Masuke somewhat, or at least not make a fool of herself.
Zhi refused to allow dinner to pass quietly. Not while Aimi just sat there blushing. The poor girl must have felt so awkward. "May I call you 'Aimi'? Or would you rather something else?"
"Aimi is fine." The girl's quiet voice barely reached Zhi's ears.
Huh. These two were so contrary. Masuke had a loud, commanding presence, while Aimi simply seemed to float gently. If she weren't right in front of him, Zhi might forget she was even there.
"So, Aimi, as much as I understand about Water Tribe culture, and correct me if I'm wrong, don't the women do designated jobs around the Tribe? Is it the same as the Northern Water Tribe?" Masuke had told him it wasn't quite the same, but Zhi just wanted her to talk about something she would feel comfortable with.
"Y-yes. The women in the Tribe are e-expected to take care of domestic d-duties while the men hunt and repair the c-city."
"In that case, what do you so in the tribe? Anything in particular?" It seemed an appropriate question but Aimi ducked her head a little and blushed. Zhi gave her a bit of a quizzical look that went unnoticed among the two.
"I l-like to h-help out in the kitchen, s-sometimes. But m-mostly I look after the c-children in the nursery and p-pre-school classes."
"So you like cooking, then?"
"Y-yes." She gave a slight glance towards Masuke who didn't really appear to be paying much attention to what was being said. She smoothed her skirt and blushed.
Zhi smiled at her timidness. "Ah, so then it's you I have to thank for preparing this lovely meal, is that right?"
Aimi ducked her head. "I-I suppose so. Though you really s-shouldn't flatter, Lieutenant. I'm s-sure you've had m-much better d-during your time serving the F-Fire Lord."
Admiringly, she didn't seem to be fishing for compliments. Her modesty seemed to be genuine and arose from what Zhi suspected was a deep sense of insecurity and lack of self-confidence.
Her attempt at deflecting a compliment seemed to arouse Masuke somewhat. "Really, Aimi, you skills in cooking are exceptional. I'm sure Zhi was completely serious in his comment."
Masuke's attention almost immediately went back to his food and didn't see Aimi's face blush bright red. Zhi smirked. He was just so clueless. Dinner continued in an amiable manner with Zhi providing most of the conversation to either Masuke or Aimi. The two, or rather Aimi, seemed incapable of talking directly to each other despite Masuke's rather sociable welcoming of the young girl earlier. Looking at them now, it was obvious to Zhi that there was something else going on here that he wasn't aware of. Aimi obviously adored Masuke, but the dark man either didn't notice or didn't care.
In relation to what Zhi had already observed of Masuke's personality, he guessed it was the former. The guy just didn't seem to have a malicious bone in his body. And by the way he had casually invited Aimi to join them and then practically ignored her left the distinct feeling that he wasn't awkward around her but simply had nothing to say.
Dinner continued rather smoothly after that, only occasionally being interrupted by smatters of conversation, usually between Zhi and Aimi. The extent of Masuke's further input was either to agree with something Aimi had said or to nod at a question or comment Zhi had made.
The slow conversation reignited Zhi's forgotten exhaustion and he had to fight the urge to just close his eyes and sleep. Every now and again he'd see Masuke's distracted gaze watching him with concern and he knew the medic was aware of his struggles.
At the end of the meal, Aimi bade a timid farewell before scurrying out the doorway with the dishes and much-lighter platter. She had refused the assistance Zhi had courteously offered, much to his frustration. She still seemed slightly wary of the Fire Nation lieutenant. It was fair enough, he supposed. Despite the conversation they had shared rather amicably, people didn't just 'get over' one-hundred years of war and prejudices.
Once Aimi had disappeared, Masuke gave a luxurious stretch before rolling up his mat and rising from where he knelt on the floor. Zhi followed suit, rolling the fur and placing it in Masuke's out-stretched hand.
"Follow me, lieutenant, you need to sleep now." Zhi did as instructed, far too tired to object, following Masuke through the door at the rear of the infirmary. "The room we were just in is what we call the Emergence Room or ER for short. We typically use it for everyday things that only require a short healing session."
Zhi nodded his understanding. "We have similar rooms in the Fire Nation hospitals except it's a bit of a different layout. I suppose that comes from having to use conventional medicine rather than waterbending. We need more room for patient recuperation."
"Oh, make no mistake, if it is simply as an abrasion or harmless cut we allow most of it to heal naturally and prefer to use waterbending to clean out infections or on more unusual cases such as the one you brought with you. Also, bone is difficult to mend with water bending, so we simply speed the process and after that we allow it to heal naturally for a few weeks."
Zhi found himself being led past open doorways with the fur coverings rolled up above the lintel, or where he supposed a lintel would be in conventional construction. Here, it was an ice shelf above the doorway that seemed to serve the purpose of holding up the flap of fur when the room was not in use.
"Luckily you've come at a time when we have plenty of room here. Without the war, the hospital has been rather empty of patients that need overnight care. Here you go." Masuke had stopped at an uncovered doorway with the symbol for 'kyu' (nine) engraved into the ice on the floor in the entrance. "You can stay here for now until we find some other form of accommodation for you. It should be comfortable enough."
Zhi looked around curiously. It was a replica of the rooms he had already passed with furs laid out on the slightly raised area of floor and a bench in along the wall that he assumed was for his personal affects to occupy.
While it was a bit sparse of any individual characteristics, Zhi was simply grateful to have somewhere to rest that was out of the elements. He supposed that aesthetically pleasing design wasn't on the forefront of the builders' minds in the construction of the hospital. "I appreciate the hospitality. Thanks."
Masuke grinned. "Not a problem. While a bit troublesome, you've managed to make my life just that little bit more exciting."
Zhi gave him a dry look. "I'm glad you get some form of entertainment from this."
"No worries. Now," Zhi noticed that he had slipped back into a professional medic's voice, brisk and efficient but warm. "Make sure you get plenty of rest while I tend to our patient."
"Yes, doctor." Zhi replied, only slightly sarcastic, to Masuke's retreating back. The medic didn't reply but Zhi could imagine a smirk gracing his quickly becoming familiar face.
Zhi found it rather amazing just how rapidly he and Masuke has established a rapport. He guessed it must've been a gift on Masuke's side as he had never really been good at making friends and acquaintances. Maybe it was part of a medic's bedside manner. He guessed that having such an open and trusting disposition worked well for Masuke as a medic. Patients would be more inclined to trust the young man from the moment he smiled warmly at them.
Zhi sighed and crawled under the fur covers, not even bothering to undress. It was far too cold for that sort of nonsense anyway. The furs were warm and dry. Even comfortable. He had first assumed they would be scratchy and irritating but it was soft. He felt the stress from the last few hours creep up on him in the form of over-whelming fatigue. The sun had already sunk below the horizon and like most fire benders, Zhi felt the insistence to sleep through the cold darkness. With nothing to keep him awake, Zhi gave into the urge and let his eyes drift shut.
---*0()0*---
Zhi had been asleep for almost an hour now, Masuke knew. The lieutenant had been exhausted and as soon as his body had touched the furs he had been out like a candle in a draft. Masuke, however, found himself restless. It had been a long time since he'd had a patient in such a serious condition. Granted, he had done his utmost to heal and tend to all her wounds and had restored her body to a much cheerier state of health. If she hadn't had access to a healer she would have taken months, possibly an entire year or more, to recover. Worst-case scenario, she would have died from malnutrition.
Fortunately, water bending was able to heal sickness, disease and restore the cells of the body. Despite all this, however, it wasn't to say she'd simply be able to wake up and walk away. No. Even after all he had done, she would have to have regular healing and therapy sessions with the right nutritional diet to regain enough muscle mass to support herself. It would be hard, not just for her but also for him.
Masuke may be the most accomplished water bender in the village and the one with the most advanced medical training, but he hadn't spent quite enough time in the Northern Water Tribe studying medicine, as it was typically viewed as a women's job, to know how to run a rehabilitation program fit for the condition that she was in.
When she awoke and he had done all he could for her, he would have to raise the subject of sending her to a rehab centre in the Northern Water Tribe.
In the meantime, he would have to make-do with healing her himself as best he could. Hopefully he wouldn't completely disgrace himself.
He had seated himself beside the girl in order to monitor her condition throughout the night. Someone had to be on hand on the very likely chance that she woke up. Waking in a place one had no recollection of falling asleep in could be a very disconcerting experience and from what the lieutenant had said of what had happened the first time she had awoken in unfamiliar surroundings it seemed like a wise idea.
He had done this sort of thing frequently while studying in the Northern Water Tribe when the war had still been going. It was the usual occurrence for apprentices to take on these sorts of tasks.
Unfortunately, for Masuke, the apprentices had the day off. He rolled his eyes. The one day he could have genuinely used one of them was the day they had been allowed a brief reprieve from study and hospital life. He supposed he could have called one of them in anyway, but the day off had been promised to them for a long time and he knew most of them had planned specific events with their families.
The apprentices usually helped with mixing herbs and dealing with what Masuke had termed 'petty patients'. It had a nice ring to it and tidily summed up all those who decided that every single little scratch that leaked blood would certainly need to be seen to by a professional healer. Pfft. Other duties included keeping the hospital clean and continually researching diseases and cures. Some of the apprentices would practice the healing arts on themselves or each other by giving themselves small, precise nicks with daggers and then trying to heal them completely as quickly as possible. Notably, most of these students had planned on going on to become a field medic for the army before the war had officially ended over six months ago.
Masuke rather liked the method as it left many of the apprentices with an appreciation of injuries and just how much some of them hurt. He remembered the year before when one of the apprentices had deliberately broken his own finger to allow his friend the chance to heal bone before leaving for the medic exams in the Northern Water Tribe. The hospital had seen a quiet period and the lack of patients had left the students frustrated that they wouldn't get extra practice before the exams. Hence the unusual solution of self-inflicted injuries. The experience led to that boy becoming very sympathetic towards any patient with a broken or fractured limb.
Speaking of apprentices, the medic exams would soon be starting up in the Northern Water Tribe again. They were probably about three weeks away. Masuke and Makati had already nominated those they believed were ready to take them. The students were studying and working hard in order to be as ready as possible for the trial. The boy who had broken his finger the previous year was one of the nominee's and Masuke believed he would do just fine.
He returned his wavering attention back to the patient he was supposed to be monitoring. Some medic he was. After his and Makati's first exam of her injuries, they had dressed her in Water Tribe hospital gowns. 'Gowns' was a plural because while he could warm the water around the bed to an acceptable body temperature, it wouldn't be enough to warn away the frigid temperatures of the night. A conventional gown like those used in the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom, which allowed quicker access to the patient, just wasn't practical. Instead, the robes had strategic splits in the material over vital bodily organs that allowed the medics to access the patient without having to undress them. The slits were held closed tightly by large buttons and pegs. Everything they had designed in the hospital had purely practical purposes and allowed for better doctor-patient access. These measures were the reasons why Water Tribe healing centres were renowned for their medical services.
Undoing the buckle at her wrist, Masuke checked her pulse and found it steadier than it had been but slightly quicker than normal. A quick count of her breaths per-minute showed that her vitals had changed from slow and lethargic to slightly faster and not so deep. Her eyes moved rapidly under her lids and her muscles had relaxed noticeable.
Hmmm… REM sleep. The first stage in the sleep cycle. This was good. She was no longer unconscious due to the lieutenant's ill thought through blow to her head but rather sleeping instead. Being in REM also meant that there was a higher chance of her waking within the next twenty to thirty minutes.
Masuke relaxed a little. If she were truly sleeping then she was mostly out of danger. If she awoke within the respective time frame without any sign of obvious brain damage, he could confidently say she'd pull through completely without any other adverse affects from her condition.
With this in mind, Masuke sat back against the wall patiently, prepared to wait out the remaining time.
---*0()0*---
Yellow flames licked the mahogany hallways. Tall, round pillars stood at strict attention, lining the shadowed corridor. She recognised the intricate designs from the palace in Sozin.
Azula took a commanding step and her footfall echoed hollowly.
She smirked. This was her domain. Here, she was a princess and demanded respect.
She strode confidently towards the grand double doors. Golden dragons woven into the exquisite carpentry of the woodwork rose up in a fierce salute of their ruler; their mouths open as if to breathe a halo of fire around her head.
Her heart thumped with the anticipation of kneeling before her father and knowing that he was pleased with her. That she was the one he favoured.
Red clad servants stepped out of the darkness to grip the dragons' claws and sweep the doors open for her passage. Neither dared to look her in the eye. She revelled in the power their fear gave her.
Her eyes turned cold, arrogant. Her back straightened and her head rose. Beyond the doors was the expansive pillared throne room that she remembered. The light from the throne's fire pit was the only source of illumination and threw everything into shadows.
She loved this room. When she was here, she was respected as both the Fire Lord's daughter and as a prodigy in her own right.
She took a step forward, confident, and the doors clanged shut behind her. The sound reverberated throughout the space, unable to escape.
She took steps to her usual position in front of the throne.
She noticed then that something was wrong with this picture. A figure already occupied her position. He knelt reverently before the Fire Lord. His head turned at her entrance and as their golden eyes met she recognised him. Zuko.
"What are you doing here?" She asked him sharply.
Zuko grinned cruelly. "Don't like it, do you, Azula?"
"Like what? You are nothing to me but weak and cowardly without honour."
Zuko's laugh reverberated throughout the chamber and Azula couldn't help but take a hesitant step backwards. That wasn't the usual response she got from her brother.
"You are a disgrace. No longer a prodigy. No title. No crown. Nothing. "
"No! I am princess Azula of the Fire Nation—"
Zuko cut in over her. "And that's all you'll ever be. A lowly princess. The title of Fire Lord belongs to me."
She sneered at him. Unwilling to show that his taunting had hurt. "Father loves me but what have you got Zuzu? Despite your talk you have nothing to show for your words."
Zuko stood regally and for once Azula had to admit that he looked every bit the powerful leader. What had happened? Everything had been going so well. She was going to become Fire Lord. Not her brother…
"You are no longer needed, sister. How does it feel to be replaced? Disposable?"
At his words, she clenched her fists so tight her knuckles whitened and her blood-red nails bit into her skin. "That's not true! I am not disposable! I am not a failure like you!"
"Azula." The deep voice of the Fire Lord interrupted and Azula dropped to her knees in respect. She, not Zuko, was the favoured child.
"Yes, father?"
"I trusted you to retrieve your brother and uncle." He paused, his eyes boring into hers and she saw… dismissal. "You could not kill the Avatar and allowed prisoners to escape. I gave you the title of Fire Lord and you have made me regret it." Another pause. "You are a failure to me."
Her chest tightened. "No! I have never failed you. Don't treat me like Zuko!" Azula fought the tears that were threatening behind her eyelids. This couldn't be happening to her. Not to her. She was a prodigy, her father's pride and she was strong.
Then out of the shadows came a flutter of pink and a sliver of sombre black.
"Mai! Ty Lee!" She knew she could always trust her childhood friends. They had never failed her or let her down in any way. She could count on them to get things right.
But as her eyes took in their proximity to Zuko, her heart sank. "Don't do this to me. We're friends, right?"
When they didn't respond, Azula tried to harden her features just as she had done to Long Feng in Ba Sing Se. Emotionless. That was the key. "I—I order you! They are weak. I'll make you regret siding with them." Fear had always worked. What had changed?
Everything.
Rage filled her and all she wanted was to hurt them the way they had all hurt her. Her fingers came together in their customary position for lightning. The pain that gripped her heart seemed to lessen slightly when she thought of the satisfaction she'd feel for hurting them as much as they had hurt her. It was only fair.
As her fingertips sparked blue there was a familiar flash of pink and her arms dropped heavily to her sides. Two more jabs and her legs refused to support her weight. Azula met the ground with a thud and looked up into the grey eyes of Ty Lee and the emotionless black ones of Mai. She wondered briefly how the latter had pulled off being so cold and yet retaining something that Azula thought impossible.
The ultimate betrayal. Again. Only the anger in her heart burned away the tears in her eyes. But nothing could touch or heal the constricted feeling in her chest. It hurt so bad.
And she could do nothing.
---*0()0*---
It is cold.
The air was chilly and dry. That was the first thing Azula noticed upon waking. Even in winter the Fire Nation retained a fair amount of stickiness that made her clothes cling to her body in what Ty Lee assured her was a very alluring way. Azula had never found it anything but annoying and impractical. She had always ignored the discomfort but secretly loathed it. But now that it wasn't present she found herself annoyingly disoriented. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so utterly perplexed at her surroundings. She couldn't feel silken sheets beneath her and there were no blankets covering her; that much she could tell without opening her eyes.
In fact, she could feel… was that water beneath her palm? Albeit, it was comfortably warm water, but… water? The last thing she remembered was stealing away on a ship and being mistakenly locked in a storage cellar. She had attempted to stay conscious of her surroundings but had blacked out from hunger and malnutrition then… nothing.
Azula scoured her memory furiously. There must have been something there. The search ended frustratingly fruitless.
Okay, calm down. Remember, panic is a weakness that clouds you mind and gives the enemy an advantage. Stay calm, stay focused.
She took a few moments to calm her breathing, focusing on the simple task of regulating when she inhaled and when she exhaled.
Keeping her eyes closed, she gave her body an experimental wiggle. Finding that she could move her arms and legs helped to steady her welling panic. It was okay, no one had restrained her. This simple observation opened up a variety of interesting scenarios.
She experimentally ran her fingers along the surface beneath her. Minus the water, the surface was flat and smooth like glass. Okay, so, in summary: the air was cold and crisp. Not Fire Nation. She knew she had been travelling up the west coast of the Earth Kingdom. She was covered in warm water while wearing… Wait, what was she wearing?
These weren't the clothes she had stolen. They were soft, but not silken, and lined with fur. One more thing. She wasn't being restrained. She found it unlikely that she was on the Fire Nation vessel she had stolen away on. For one, all Fire Nation vessels were kept heated by the boiler room. Private quarters, baths, the command deck and the medical rooms were focused on mostly as the majority of people moved within the space. Since she wasn't being restrained, it was also apparent that she hadn't been recognised yet and was obviously far from the Fire Nation. That was odd.
Usual procedure upon finding a stow-away was to confine them to the infirmary pending an examination, file a report and upon them passing the medical exam, to be confined to the brig until the next Fire Nation port where they would be handed over to the appropriate authorities.
Okay, so the Fire Nation was ruled out. Fire Nation port or authorities were also ruled out. Good so far. But then, she didn't really have many friends or safe havens she could run to, either.
The only possibilities left were the Earth Kingdom or… the Northern Water Tribe. Hn. Earth Kingdom, okay. Northern Water Tribe, not so okay. The Earth Kingdom had so many settlements and ports that it would be easy for her to slip by unnoticed and vanish into the vastness of the continent. But the Northern Water Tribe… It consisted of one tight-knit city with water bender's every other step. The only way out was by boat and not to mention she had observed that the Northern Water Tribe as especially wary of outsiders.
There was one factor that she seemed to have going for her. A lack of manacles suggested that her 'captors' were unaware of her identity. No one would be foolish enough to leave her unrestrained. And if no one knew her identity, it would be in her best interest to leave it that way.
She needed a pseudonym. One she was familiar enough with that she would respond to it readily but not so close to her own name that people would get suspicious.
Hmm…
"I know you're awake."
To her credit, Azula managed to retain some semblance of sleep despite being startled. She fought to repress the small growl of irritation that threatened to escape her throat. She wasn't quite ready yet. How annoying.
"Your breathing changed exactly five and a half minutes ago. Your muscles tensed and your eyes stopped flickering."
Knowing she was caught and a little miffed at the deductive skills of the voice, Azula reluctantly opened her eyes. After a moment of searching, her glare came to rest on a smiling young man. He was seated next to her, one knee drawn up almost to his chest with an arm draped casually over it. His back slouched languidly against the wall. His posture reminded her of lazy-ass subordinates who didn't last more than a few hours in the palace before being fired for incompetence.
She didn't like him.
At her seemingly un-alarmed and indifferent attitude, the man gave her a quizzical glance. "Hm. You're not as disoriented as I thought you would be considering the circumstances and the reaction the lieutenant said you had last time you woke."
She gave him an icy glare. "I have not awoken before. Do not patronise me." She had calculated just the right amount of viciousness her voice would have to carry to unnerve him but instead all she saw was studied concern.
Without replying, the man rose to his knees beside her and picked up a clipboard that must have been resting beside her 'bed' where she couldn't see it. He pulled a brush out from under the clip and dipped it below the platform. When it came back up it was tipped in black, which she assumed was ink.
When his eyes met hers, they were suddenly professional but retained an element of warmth.
"Okay. I just have a few questions for you just to see how you're adjusting to your surroundings."
His, in Azula's opinion, overly bright smile and the look in his eyes that she guessed was supposed to have a calming effect served only to irritate her further. She was not a child and didn't deal well with being talked down to.
"I'm adjusting fine!" Her voice cracked like a whip through the cold room.
The medic gave her an unruffled smile. "I'm sure you are. But I'm sure you would understand that this is just a formality. Hospital protocol. Just try and bear with me."
"Don't treat me like… a child." The small pause was almost imperceptible but her breath caught in her throat regardless.
"It was not my intention. I have to ask these questions of all our patients. I will be quick. No more than five minutes." His blue gaze was steady and… honest.
She clenched her jaw and tried to still her irritation and the urge she had to show this peasant exactly what happened when you messed with the Fire Nation princess. But in the end, her analytical mind took over as it usually did to tell her that perhaps that wasn't the best way to stay incognito. "Fine."
"Good." His brush hovered over the parchment. "Can you tell me your name for the records?"
"Mae." Mae? What the heck? Where had that come from? She did not want to be reminded of the traitor every time someone called to her. It was a bit too late to change it now without arousing suspicion. She could change to something else as soon as she left this infernal place.
The man seemed to notice the strange expression that must have briefly flitted across her face before she regained control. Instead of pursuing the avenue as Azula would have done, he brushed it aside and essentially ignored what would have been an opportune moment to exploit weakness.
"Well, it certainly is a pleasure to meet you, Mae."
Azula tilted her head away from him. "What's good about it?"
He looked slightly taken back by her jaded retort. "Well. It's always nice to meet someone new, wouldn't you agree?"
"No. Not if they aren't of any use to me and I am of no use to them. Then the meeting is rather pointless and, frankly, a waste of time."
His lips twitched in amusement. "Well, I certainly find pleasure in it. How did you become so cynical so young." It was less of a question, but Azula was slightly insulted.
"I am fifteen, you know."
The man smiled. "Really?" he wrote something quickly. "Could've fooled me."
"I did fool you." What was wrong with this guy? He said the most useless and ridiculous things that Azula just couldn't understand the relevance of.
"So you did. Well, Mae, I am the head medic here. You can just call me Masuke." He looked at her as if his title should have meant something. But truly, Azula's mind was on a far more interesting point.
Hmph. Well, she supposed she could have thought of a stupider name. Masuke. Right. Poor guy.
"I don't care what your name is. Are you almost finished?"
'Masuke' sighed. "Just a few more, okay? I seriously won't take long." He ran a hand through his hair in what Azula recognised as mild frustration. She smirked. She had gotten to him.
"Alright, never mind then. What's your last recollection…er, memory?"
"Just because I'm fifteen doesn't mean I'm stupid! I know very well what recollection means!" She snapped at him. "And what does my memory got to do with anything? It's none of your business."
His bedside patience seemed to be waning slightly but he forced down his rising irritation and forced out the words as pleasantly as he could. "Your condition of malnutrition and the effects of being trapped in a confined space with no vitamin D for weeks could have adverse affects on your psyche. These questions will help me assess the damage done—"
"I haven't received any psychological damage!" The nerve they had to suggest that she would somehow be retarded simply from a couple of days of confinement!
Admittedly, she had miscalculated but she would be able to tell if she had sustained any type of damage. Nothing escaped her notice.
"As I was about to say, the likelihood of damage occurring is slim but we have to be certain." There seemed to be some sort of warning in his eyes that Azula paid no attention to. No one but her father had ever intimidated her before and she wasn't going to let this petty medic get to her. Although, the exasperation she read on his face was oddly satisfying. It granted her a small amount of power that she relished.
Azula calculated for a moment. He obviously knew about her being a stow-away and the conditions surrounding it. As long as he didn't know her real reasons for what she did, her identity should be safe and he wouldn't become a liability.
The only problem now was swallowing her pride enough to answer his questions no matter how useless they seemed. She had… miscalculated, yes, but admitting that to herself and admitting that to a stranger were two very different things.
"I… remember boarding the ship and being locked in the cellar," her cheeks reddened slightly at the embarrassing situation she had found herself in. It was undignified for a princess of her stature. "As there was no light everything from there on out is slightly hazy. I do know I was down there for an extensive amount of time. Perhaps a few days… maybe a week or more." She managed to grit the words out in what she thought was a rather amiable manner. "Is that enough?"
He ignored her last question. Something that rubbed Azula the wrong way. "Is that all? You don't remember anything after that?"
Why did he have to patronise her? "No. I blacked out some point and I don't remember anything after that. What are you getting at? I don't have all day for word games." She remembered a time when she had always enjoyed patronising people by dancing around a point and playing with their minds. Now that she was on the receiving end of one, no matter how insignificant, she found that she didn't care for it at all.
The medic sighed. "According to the Fire Nation lieutenant who brought you here you awoke briefly and were in a reasonably coherent state of mind. Apparently you panicked and he was forced to subdue you."
Azula looked at him. "I don't panic." She told him, deadpan. "And I do not get 'subdued'."
"I am only relaying what he told me. I was hoping you could verify his story. I have to record the event since injury occurred." He looked down at his notes. "I thought you may have incurred brain damage from that incident."
Azula scowled. A blow to the head was not going to give her brain damage. To her credit, she refrained from commenting on his lack of respect and instead allowed him to continue so that she might leave the hospital as soon as possible.
"Since you can't remember the incident, I would guess that the consolidation process for recollection was interrupted by the head trauma and has resulted in a very mild retrograde amnesia. Because it all took place within a time frame of twenty minutes, it is likely that you will never recover those memories."
"Never is a long time."
"I know. That is why I said it is unlikely, highly unlikely, actually."
Azula struggled to sit up, determined not to take this interrogation any further while lying in such a vulnerable position. However, when she went to move her arms, she found that she couldn't find the strength to lift them past her waist and they fell to her sides uselessly.
Masuke, seeing her struggles, leant over and tried to help her prop herself up.
At his hands on her arms, Azula stiffened. "I don't need your help, medic!" She snapped at him. The idea of her needing someone to do something as menial as sitting up was humiliating.
Masuke ignored her briefly to finish propping her in a sitting position with the aid of some sneaky waterbending.
When he was finished, he crouched beside her. "Look, you're going to be a bit dependant on me for a while, okay? Someone who went through what you did won't be able to just get up and walk away."
She wasn't really listening as she tried to desperately manipulate her limbs with the fluidity that she knew she had. For some reason, her arms and legs just wouldn't respond as she wanted them to. While her arms could be raised a shaky five centimetres, her legs remained glued to the bed. "Why aren't my muscles moving?" She loathed the anxiety she could hear in her voice but at that time, she was just so scared. She had never been so scared in her life. She was always in control of her body and had the ability to pull off any fire bending move that was demonstrated to her. But now… she had lost control of even her own limbs. "W-what's wrong with me?"
She fixed her eyes on the medic's calm face, almost grateful that someone was here who could explain this to her.
Masuke could see the distress in her eyes and his heart was moved. No matter how tough she acted, she really was only fifteen. He put a hand out to smooth her hair, hoping it would convey some sort of comfort. "Calm down. This isn't so unusual. I had hoped that you wouldn't incur it, but it isn't permanent."
His deep voice was soothing and the way his hand gently stroked her hair reminded Azula of her mother very briefly. When she had been young, she had seen her mother comfort Zuko in the same way and deep down had always been jealous of the affection he had received. She knew it was because he was to become Fire Lord. Why else would their mother favour him?
"Not permanent? How long will it last?"
Masuke sat back as rationality returned to her and her eyes became distant once again. "Well, the extreme paralysis, which you're experiencing now, should ware off in a day or so. You'll be able to sit up and such on your own by tomorrow evening probably." It actually wore off in a little less time than that, but he wanted to give himself some sort of buffer in case the scrolls he had read were wrong. "But it will take a couple of weeks with regular healing sessions for you to completely recover your strength."
"A couple of weeks?" She asked sharply. Her tone was somewhat due to incredulity, partly to lingering anxiety and partly to embarrassment at her loss of control earlier. "Can't you make it less than that with your…water bending?"
"That is with water bending. Normally you'd recover after a year or more."
She sat back. "Oh." Her limbs were trembling and she hated the weakness. Even though she tried desperately to hide it, Masuke noticed. Damn his perceptiveness.
He flicked the pages of his clipboard, scanning his notes quickly, before tucking away his brush and placing the lid back atop the jar of ink. Standing, he pushed the top of the clipboard into the wall above Azula's head with what she saw to be the aid of water bending.
Lazy.
"If you want to get up soon, your body needs to rest a little."
Ignoring his station as head-medic, Azula retorted hotly, "My body's been resting for ages, anymore and I'll get worse, not better."
Masuke pocketed the inkbottle and straightened his jacket. "Any other time you'd be right, but Makati and I put you through a healing session while you were unconscious and it has taken a toll on your body. Right now the best thing to do is to regain your energy by sleeping until you can manage to eat again. I'll wake you for breakfast tomorrow morning." He gave her a small, and what Azula supposed was friendly, smile. "Goodnight, Mae. We'll talk again tomorrow."
Azula huffed and ignored him. She saw no reason to wish him a goodnight.
She heard Masuke sigh and the ice she was leaning on slid seamlessly downwards, taking her with it. From her position on her back, she glared up at the medic. "I'll have you know that sleeping on glass-like ice is highly uncomfortable."
"I'll get you some rugs. Just a minute." He disappeared down a hallway and returned a few moments later with… was that furs? As in, dead animal skins, draped over one arm.
"I am not sleeping on dead things, thank you." She fixed him with another scathing glare.
"Well, look at it this way. It's either the furs or the 'glass'. Your choice."
Her murderous intent filled the room but her traitorous body betrayed her. Looking away, she clenched her jaw against unexpected tears of humiliation. "Fine."
Masuke seemed to sense that she was at breaking point and didn't comment. Instead, he moved to pick up Azula and place her temporarily against the wall while he fixed her sleeping pallet. He froze the warm water and placed the furs on top. She would be fine without his heating as long as none of her body touched the ice. He made sure that the bedding was arranged so that it wasn't possible for her limbs to trail on the icy surfaces. Done with that, he turned and lifted her up onto the pile. Her small body sank a few inches and he tucked the top furs over her to just under her chin.
"You'll be warm enough tonight." He spoke quietly in respect for her feelings at that moment. He hadn't realised how much her pride must have been damaged until he had seen her eyes well up with frustration. Her head was still turned away from his and he rose quietly with a sigh.
Azula refused to speak until she had complete control over her words. But by the time she had worked up the courage to say something, anything, he had already left.
And she was, once again, alone.
And cold.
---*0()0*---
Whew! Finally, yeah. Look, I apologise. I had intended to get this out before Christmas and I thought that I would have time to write after my exams. But the day after my last exam, I started working full-time as a teacher aid. I didn't finish until mid-December. My sister (Chipfest) and I, who is also writing a FF (a Zutara, Corollary, and an Avatar OC, Dissension, fic), decided we should compete to finish our chapters and we weren't allowed to post until the other was ready, too. It was supposed to inspire competitiveness and therefore produce faster updates… well, it didn't really work as well as I thought it would… But she finished her chapter today so I HAD to finish mine (especially since until then I had been ahead of her). So now it's… 1:40 Victorian time and my back and eyes are sore from staring hunched over the computer screen. But I finally did it! Yay! Happy New Year everyone!! I hope u have an AwEsOme 2009 and reviews would really be appreciated.
I'll try to update as much as possible while I'm on holidays before I have to go back to work. Damn, I HATE working. I've decided that being a teacher is the LAST thing I want to do. Thanks but no thanks.
Anyways, plz REVIEW!! Azula's up and I want to hear your thoughts on what's happened so far. I dunno if Azula is OOC. It's hard to know what she'd say or do in that sort of situation. There'll be a little bit of an arc here which will stabilise the characters and setting but I have some stuff planned to keep it from being the material u pick up when u can't sleep. I'm more into drama than a lot of just action (tho there WILL be some in later chapters). I like to focus on character development and their relationship with each other. And remember, Azula's gonna learn to fall in love.
Arigato for your patience guys (I assume patience because I haven't got any abusive emails) and I'll try to be A LOT quicker on the next updates. I am aware that 7 months is fairly ridiculous.
Ja ne!
Gabzalabza