I Will Possess Your Heart
By Nikkel
(c) to Nickelodeon, Michael Dante DiMartino, and Bryan Koneitzko
Even Ozai had to admit that Azula's growing obsession was a little strange. Maybe not disturbing, but still strange. And that was saying something, coming from him.
He drank his coffee, watching as his daughter sat at the table, hunched over three stationary cards spread out in a row before her. Her hands were clasped underneath her chin, her lips were pursed, and her jaw was tight. Her coffee was growing cold. Ozai glanced at the vase of roses at the center of the mahogany table. Yes, he understood obsession, but hardly a lick of teenage drama, much less romance.
"So. . ." Ozai cleared his throat, breaking the silence. While they usually didn't talk in the first place, Azula's behavior was quite intriguing. "You find out anything about this boy yet?"
"Somewhat," Azula replied shortly. She flipped the three cards over, observing their backsides. They were not identical. "Mai and Ty Lee are going through the list, but I believe I know who to target."
"And who would that be?"
"It's either Haru, Jet, or Sokka. I eliminated Aang yesterday."
Ozai's eyebrows raised slightly. He had no idea that his daughter knew so many boys personally. "So which one is it?" he asked, a slight edge to his voice.
"I'm not certain, but I planned on going to a number of card shops tonight to investigate."
"Azula, they're stationary cards. You can get them anyw—"
"The back says 'Hallmark'."
"Oh. But it's not like he'd be returning to the shop. He probably bought them all in a package. And besides, that place is so low-class."
"Can you think of any other card shops?"
Ozai actually thought about it. "Well, no, but—"
"He left the price sticker on them. Idiot. Each card is individually worth fifteen dollars."
"Huh. Then maybe that place isn't so low-class. . ."
"Anyways, Father, I've got to run," Azula announced, brushing the cards into her bag. "I have to see if there's another bouquet in my car."
"I thought you parked in the garage last night."
"I did. But you never know."
"Smart girl. Make sure you catch the stalker before he catches you."
Azula rolled her eyes. "If anything, Iknow more about him then he does about me."
Ozai shrugged. "Just be careful."
Azula walked into the garage. There sat the Corvette, bouquet-less and rose-less. There wasn't a sign of them. That was a relief. She could get on with life. Now if only they weren't sent to her throughout the day.
Entering school was no big deal. No roses came first or second period, but Azula noticed something different anyways. Though she was used to the scowls girls gave her ("Jealous" was the term which applied to these scowls) or the lingering gaze of boys (they whispered that she was hot, of course, but her personality wasn't really dating material) in the hallways, the general crowd was. . . well, giggling and blushing. But what about?
As she headed for third period Calculus class, she found out. A boy she didn't even know walked past. But it wasn't him that astounded her, but what was spray-painted onto the front and back of his shirt:
Azula Hamill, will you go out with me?
She wanted to explode on the boy right then and there. She didn't care if he was the secret lover, he deserved to be murdered for such public humiliation! But the boy was not alone, for another and another passed with similar shirts and different Houses, until Azula felt as if she were trapped in a swarm of them. Fury built up inside her and she shoved through the crowd to get to third period. She sat closest to the door, as always, and sank low into the seat. There were a couple of boys in the class with the shirts. She did not want to walk in front of them.
The clock ticked by, and for a while Azula's head was preoccupied with nothing but derivatives and integrals. But that only lasted 21 minutes into the period. There was a knock on the door, and an aide walked in with a bushel of roses. Azula threw down her pencil and covered her face with a hand, her other extending out.
"Just give them here," she muttered, eyes closed in annoyance. "I know they're for me."
The class snickered as the aide handed her the roses. She laid them down on her desk, not looking at them and ignoring the laughter. There was no way she was going to focus on calculus now. But she wouldn't touch the roses. Yet, another part of her mind was amply curious about the card. It might hold a source of information, however little it was. She opened it.
Yes, Azula Hamill, this is my revenge. You threw the roses on the ground yesterday. I'm glad you took the card, though :)
The second time that day she wanted to explode. How… how infuriating! How dare he! What gave this nameless fool the right to take revenge on her?! Not to mention that the whole shirt ordeal was undeniably clever, but still. It was bold and humiliating. She hated it.
The moment the bell rang, Azula snatched the roses and bolted for her locker. She shoved the bouquet inside, thankful that her secret admirer hadn't figured out her combination or broken the lock. She did not want a ton of flowers and lovey-dovey notes falling on her when she opened it.
It didn't help that she received another bouquet during fourth and fifth period either. For fifth period an aide delivered them, setting them down at the end of the table. Azula didn't even look up, her nails drilling at the wooden table, forcibly distracting herself.
"At least they didn't fall out of the sky like yesterday," Ty Lee stated cheerfully. Azula glared at her.
"You're not going to talk to the boys today?" Mai asked, surprised that Azula wasn't blowing her head off like she had the day before.
"It's not worth it." Azula glanced at the lunch table on the other side of the courtyard. Zuko, Sokka, Jet, Aang, and Haru were all wearing the shirts she so despised. She had expected the parapros to attack them with the dress code, but no such luck.
"You have to admit, though," Mai said. "It is pretty funny. It rivals a senior prank."
Ty Lee gasped. "Maybe it is the senior prank!"
"Don't you two have lists to attend to?!" Azula snapped, and Ty Lee flinched back to her packet of names. Mai sighed exasperatedly and picked up her list, touring the courtyard for interviews. Azula just waited for the day to end.
Even during sixth period gym, she got roses. They were in the locker room when she returned from a vigorous game of kuai ball. How that had been managed, she didn't know, but didn't care much after seventh and eighth periods, where more bouquets arrived. The cards weren't even that significant.
I had some other ideas, but this shirt thing is the best. You should totally wear one.
You know, why don't you ever eat anything for lunch? I mean, I know you're on a diet, but you don't need to be. You're beautiful.
Just looking at you makes me "thorny". Get it?
Azula Hamill, you may be a bitch, but tie a leash around my neck and I'm all yours.
O, my love's like a red, red rose That's newly sprung in June.
By the time she was in her car at the end of the day, Azula didn't even know if she wanted to go to the Hallmark store. The place was low-class, as her father had mentioned, and she didn't want to humiliate herself further.
No. She would go. She would catch him in the act of buying the cards. Package or not, he must have run out by now. Azula raced out of the parking lot, practically speeding through the stoplight and around the street corners, one of the fastest (and not to mention most dangerous) drivers on the road. She raced through the suburbs to the other side of town, flying past various Walmart stores and Cabbage King restaurants. She swerved a sharp right, tires skidding on the pavement, following the directions of the GPS in the dashboard. The sun was setting by the time she arrived at the Hallmark shop, stealing a parking spot in front before any one else could get it.
Really, she wouldn't get caught dead in a place like this. It was so… average and cheap, and a fifteen dollar card didn't make a difference. Much to her annoyance the door dinged a bell when she walked in, making a rather ugly-looking clerk in a bright yellow sundress smile and wave at her. Agni, Azula was glad she had sunglasses on. If she was recognized, her whole reputation may as well go down the toilet. A quick tour around the store revealed that it was overstocked with fruity cards, Beanie Babies, and balloons. Unfortunately, the location of the fifteen-dollar-cards was not found. She had to walk up to the sundressed-clerk at the counter.
"Hi, how may I help you?" the girl asked. Her voice was rough. Like she was a bad smoker. Azula cleared her throat and adjusted her sunglasses to make sure the girl couldn't see her eyes.
"I was wondering if you've seen anyone as of late," Azula replied in a lower, very un-Azula-like voice. She had been an actress in the school play the previous semester—not that she needed a stage to act, it came as talent. "They've been purchasing these cards."
She handed the clerk one of the cards. Azula pulled up on her uniform collar, hoping to hide her face more. The girl didn't seem to notice, taking the card and inspecting it.
"This is pretty romantic. Who's it from?"
"That's exactly what I came here to find out." That was annoying. Why else would she be here? The clerk flipped the card over a couple of times, thinking back, a thumb resting on her chin. Azula grew impatient. "So do you know who bought this or not?"
"You see, these are special-order cards," the girl explained. "You get them online."
"Oh."
"But I remember this boy came in here the other day picking up a shipment of them."
"What did he look like?" Azula dropped her guard, nearly lunging over the counter. The clerk didn't seem at all phased.
"He was certainly handsome, for one," the girl giggled. "He was a little on the tall side. Dark eyes. Dark hair. Kinda tan, too. Absolutely gorgeous smile, he had me blushing the entire time he was picking up the order."
Something awful twisted inside Azula's gut. "Do you know who he was? You must keep a record or something for online shipments."
"Sorry, but I don't have access to that. Only the manager does."
"May I speak to the manager then?"
"She's not here at the moment. She's on vacation in Omashu."
Azula recoiled. She quickly stuffed the card back into her bag. "Thank you. That's all I needed."
She headed out of the store as quickly as she had come in. Azula sat down in the convertible, finally satisfied that she had some kind of answer. Perhaps she could go through the yearbook tonight and eliminate whichever boy had light hair and light eyes, in addition to the lists that Mai and Ty Lee were going through for her. Tall, dark, and handsome was her secret admirer—if he looked good, maybe she wouldn't complain, but the entire rose-ordeal was a little much. Azula leaned back in her seat, contemplating the idea of a "boyfriend". Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.
She smacked herself on the forehead. That was so stupid!
A thought had occurred to her—almost every boy in the school had dark hair and dark eyes! Haru, Jet, Sokka (he had dark blue eyes, if Azula recalled correctly) . . . they all had those features! And thinking about a boyfriend? One of them? No! Out of frustration she punched the horn in the steering wheel, startling several customers inside the store. That would be the last time that she would let her stupidity get the best of her.
Or maybe it wasn't Haru, Jet, or Sokka. Maybe it was someone more popular, more intelligent, more. . . A pleasant smile came to Azula's lips, her anger fading away. She had nearly forgotten about the boy that had pestered her during freshman year, always flexing his muscles and promising her diamond rings. Not to mention that he did have a gorgeous smile—pearly white and shining like the sun.
Azula started the car up and drove home, no longer speeding. Instead, she enjoyed the drive, a name calmly circulating through her head, over and over again.
Chan Detten.
Author's Note: Haha, I love opening up a scene with overprotective!Ozai. Call it a running gag. And the prank? Inspired by this one random guy in the hallway at school that was asking this girl to prom. Awesomesauce. And then ZOMG CHAN!!!11!! CHANZULA!!! (Don't be totally discouraged, though. . . there's more to come).