Alright, yet another chapter, finally finished. You know, in a way it is good that this story doesn't have way too many followers, it makes me feel like I'm not letting too many people down by taking so long to write so little. But anyways, hope you enjoy this!
Chapter 6: Reunion
Lead.
Yes, that was the correct word. She felt like there was a big ball of boiling hot lead in her stomach. And it only grew as she watched the island on the horizon grow larger.
The acrobat had been woken up early that morning by Mai who had informed her that the arrangements for her to visit Kuang Mental Hospital were finished. She was still surprised that her request had been handled with less protest, but she wasn't about to argue.
Mai had escorted her to the harbor but when they got to the ferry the Fire Lady informed her that she had no intention of going to visit Azula a second time and while Ty Lee didn't like the tone in which she said she, she supposed she understood.
As the ferry drew closer to its destination the smooth marble tower became more visible and every detail reminded Ty Lee of her last trip. It looked eerily similar, although it seemed there was more activity around it than the last time. She guessed it was to be expected. The last time she was there was only a few days after the war had ended and the place had just reopened. During the war Ozai had not been fond of the idea of spending time or resources to help those with illnesses of the mind and the island was in stead used as a lookout post intended to spot enemies and send warning to the capital, but with the war over and a new, more caring Fire Lord on the throne it had been converted back to fulfill its original purpose.
Many other institutions had also been either reopened or created purely for the sake of repairing a hundred years worth of damage to the world. Hospitals were opened, factories were converted to make medicine or building material instead of machines of war and schools for middle- and lower-class citizens were opened, free of charge. Teaching material in schools and academies was also drastically changed considering that what had been taught earlier had just been blatant propaganda. Along with all this a lot of resources went into helping the rest of the world rebuild, the Earth Kingdom was being particularly demanding on that part. They used the fact that Zuko wasn't in any position to deny them after making an official declaration about doing all in his power to help repair the damage his nation, or as he would often put it, his family had caused over the years.
Even though many people, including the acrobat, felt that these changes were nothing but great there was a surprisingly large group of people who did not care for Zuko's new regime and said that he was destroying the nations glory that his forebears spent years to build up. Many called for Ozai to be put back on his throne but since it was public knowledge that the Avatar relieved him of his bending abilities most loyalists hailed Azula as the rightful heir, since her mental state was not public knowledge. After the war an official statement had been made stating that the crown princess had been stripped of her titles and was under custody but it was obvious to many that something was out of place since the location of her prison was not given and even more so because she did not stand any trial for crimes committed during the war as many generals and Ozai himself had.
Thankfully there was no open rebellion but the citizens of the Fire Nations sure did use their newly acquired freedom of speech to badmouth the new Fire Lord. Many powerful families also lost huge sources of income and influence with the coming of peace since most military industry was either owned or operated by the noble houses.
Ty Lee had never had a particular interest in politics, in fact she found it dreadfully boring, but with the coming of freedom of speech so came the freedom of press. She couldn't put a number on the sleepless nights she had nothing to do on but reading from the new international newspaper 'The Peace Press'. If it wasn't for that she wouldn't have the slightest idea of what was going on in the world around her.
When the ferry arrived at the small docks on the lifeless island it was still early morning but none the less Ty Lee could see that the asylum, at least on the outside, was bustling with activity. It was most likely due to the fact that there seemed to be major construction going on at the towers base.
What could they be building? New cells? A medical ward? She distracted herself in any way she could as she walked towards the menacing white building for the second time in her life.
The place was full of people similar to the once who were there the last time. Guards who were thankfully not wearing those awful skull masks anymore and doctors and nurses dressed in white robes. As Ty Lee walked up the steps that lead to the main entrance she noticed one of those white-clad people standing under the open archway, smiling down at her.
It was a middle-aged woman, perhaps in her fifties, with dark hair streaked with an occasional gray one tied in a large bun at the back of her head. She was about Ty Lee's height, which is to say not tall at all. She smiled warmly down at the acrobat, making the slight wrinkles around her eyes and the corners of her mouth more apparent.
"Uhmm, hey. I'm-"
"Lady Ty Lee. Yes I was told you were coming," the woman interrupted. There was something off about the way she acted, like she was too...cheerful. Ooh, who the hell am I to think someone is too cheerful?
"I am Tomiko, the head-nurse. I've been in charge of your friend care for the past two years," she said, still smiling. "If you would follow me, please."
Ty Lee followed Tomiko into the tower and as they started walking up the hallway spiraling the inside of the building she noticed how everything seemed nicer than it was two years ago. Cracks in the walls had been fixed and there were plants and various other decorations all over the place. She guessed it was to be expected, it had been two years of great improvement for most of the world.
They walked by a small window that gave them beautiful view over the ocean and suddenly a thought entered Ty Lee's mind. "Hey, uuh, Tomiko? All of the tower's rooms and cells are in the inner layer, right? They have no windows?"
"That's right. Why do you ask?" the older woman glanced back at her without slowing down even the slightest.
"Well I was just wondering how the air in all those rooms is if they have no windows. It must be awful."
"Well actually, we very recently completed the construction of a large ventilation pump at the base of the tower," Tomiko stated, sounding quite proud. Ty Lee was pretty sure she'd read about those. After the war the Mechanist had used Aang's knowledge of air currents and the technological advances of the Fire Nation and invented a system that pumped air systematically through small pathways inside the walls of buildings to keep the air inside fresh and cool. It was installed in many palaces around the world and quickly became popular with the richest families as well. Well, it's good to know that they're going through the trouble to make the priso...PATIENTS here feel better.
"I guess that explains all the construction work I saw when I got here." Ty Lee said as they stepped through a small doorway leading into what looked like a small office. It was almost empty except for an expensive looking desk and chair in the the middle of the floor and a small flowerpot in the corner of the room.
"Yes that," Tomiko answered as she sat down on the opposite side of the sedk from Ty Lee. She was starting to sound a little bit impatient. "And we're having a courtyard built so that the more relaxed patients can safely go outside."
Ty Lee opened her mouth to speak but was quickly cut off by the head-nurse. "Now, I was told I should prepare you for your visit to the princess." The acrobat nodded. "Well alright then. Where to begin?" Tomiko opened a drawer on her side of the desk and pulled out a rather large notebook.
"Alright," the nurse started flipping though the pages. "The patient's behavior can vary from day to day and there is not real way in which we can know how she will act. Sometimes she is violent and sometimes she seems afraid of her own shadow, but most of the time she is in a catatonic state."
There was a short silence while Tomiko observed Ty Lee's reaction. "Would you like me to explain what that means?" she finally asked.
"Yes please," Ty Lee answered, blushing slightly.
"Well, the easiest way to describe it is to say that she is unresponsive. She doesn't speak, she doesn't move, she doesn't do anything."
This isn't good. The pit in Ty Lee's stomach was growing and every word the head-nurse spoke was like oil on a flame, only making it worse. "She doesn't move at all? N-nothing?"
"I'm afraid not," Tomiko sighs. "She hasn't even stood on her own legs for the past four months. She just lays or sits on the floor."
Despite the lump that was already forming in the acrobat's throat she forced herself to ask further. "What else."
"When the patient arrived here two years ago she was completely out of control," Tomiko was quick to answer. "We were forced to put her in a straight jacket, which she still wears for security reasons. We've also-"
"What!" Ty Lee said a bit louder than she had intended to. "You keep her in a straight jacket so that she can barely move for your safety!" She's supposed to be a patient, not a prisoner!
Tomiko stared at her for a moment. The look on her face was one Ty Lee had seen many times before. She was looking at her like she thought she was a complete idiot.
"We do not restrain her for our safety, but for hers."
"Ooh really?" Ty Lee scoffed. "And how exactly could it be good for her to basically be tied up?"
"I was getting to that actually," Tomiko said in an annoyed tone. Her overly friendly smile had vanished and the acrobat wondered if maybe she'd been a bit rude.
"As I said," Tomiko continued. "When she first arrived here she was completely out of control. She attacked anyone who got near her and tried to light everything on fire. After about a week she'd calmed down slightly, but then she began clawing furiously at the wall in an attempt to get out. We stopped her, but not before she'd lost the majority of her fingernails." Ty Lee cringed. She had no idea things were so bad. But it wasn't over. "And the final straw was when she tried to tear her own eyes ou-"
"STOP!"
The acrobat pleaded the nurse to stop talking as she covered her ears with her palms. She couldn't listen to this. It couldn't be true. It couldn't! But she knew it was.
Listen to yourself! You can't take listening to this? She's been living like this for two years.
In pain.
Alone.
She straightened herself and looked Tomiko dead in the eyes. "I want to see her," she said in the most confident voice she could muster. "Now."
A bolted metal door, Imperial Firebenders on either side. Few sources of light besides the small torches on the walls. It was exactly the same, down to the last detail. Even the shadows cast by the guards and the cracks in the walls felt like the were identical. She remembered the last time she was there, and she felt the exact same feelings as she did now. She was inclined to just run away again. But no, this time she would be strong. This time she'd actually try to help.
Her trip up the spiral hall to the princess' cell had been much less ceremonious than the last time. It might have had something to do with the fact that the last time she'd been accompanied by the Fire Lord's wife. Although she didn't receive as much attention as before she did notice the occasional odd glance from the nurses in the hall. They must know who I'm visiting, then.
Tomiko and two guards walked behind her down the small corridor that lead into the center of the building. They stopped in front of the second steel door, the one Ty Lee remembered lead into the patient's room.
"The patient has been catatonic since she woke up and I expect her to remain so. I am going to let you go in alone, but I will be watching through a lid in the door. We are hoping that seeing you will elect some reaction from her," Tomiko told her in an all too happy manner. Ty Lee did not much like the idea of her reunion with Azula being watched, but she guessed it was the best she was going to get. Mistaking the acrobat's frown as reluctance, the head-nurse was quick to add, "Don't worry. You will be in no danger at all." Ty Lee jerked her head in a nod. Just let me in already.
Tomiko motioned for one of the guards to open the lock on the door and he quickly obeyed. Tomiko gave Ty Lee an encouraging pat on the back as the acrobat started slowly entering the cell. It didn't help in the slightest.
It occurred to her that this was in fact the first time she got a good look at the inside of her friends new habitat. It wasn't a very large room, a little larger than her bedroom back at Kyoshi Island, but it was split in two by vertical metal bars going from floor to ceiling. The half opposite to the entrance had padded walls, floor and ceiling and it even looked like the metal bars were covered in the softer material on that side as well. Otherwise the room was the same as the rest of the structure, white marble.
The whole place was illuminated only by a single torch on the wall next to the door. Ty Lee could just barely see several small holes at the top of each wall which she assumed were part of the ventilation system Tomiko had talked about. Her eyes moved across the cell and she realized there wasn't a single piece of furniture there, not even a mattress.
And then there was her.
Ty Lee's heart skipped a beat when her eyes finally landed on the person she'd come her to visit. It was not a pretty sight. She had trouble to believe that the miserable looking bundle on the floor was Azula, but she knew it had to be. There were just so many things off about her. She was lying in the center of her cell's floor in the fetal position, arms constrained in the yellow-white straight jacket. Her skin looked much paler than the acrobat remembered it but there was one other, much more noticeable change. She was so very thin. Azula had always been lean and muscular and in her naivety Ty Lee had never really thought about whether the princess' appearance would have changed, but looking at her friend now, she thought she understood the meaning of the phrase 'skin and bones'. Haven't they been feeding her?
But the most disturbing thing of all was one only Ty Lee could see. She'd expected Azula's aura to be streaked with black like when they were children and the princess felt bad, but she never imagined anything like this.
Her aura was completely black and still. It almost blended with the shadows in the corners of the dark cell. So thin, pale and a barely visible aura. She looked like a corpse.
Lip quivering, Ty Lee sat down as close to metal bars as she could. She reached out with her hand between the bars and could just barely touch the princess. Azula's hair was a tattered and uneven mess hanging in clumps like a dark curtain completely covering her face. The acrobat gently brushed her friend's hair away but quickly pulled back, startled to see that Azula's eyes were wide open, almost unnaturally so. It was very unsettling, even more so because of the fact that her eyes seemed empty, almost dead. Other than that it also looked like her eyes were a little to large for the rest of her now gaunt face, and while her cheekbones had always been prominent they were now showing dangerously much.
Ty Lee sat there for a moment, the princess' eyes fixed on her. She slowly moved back to the metal bars but the prisoner's eyes didn't move in the slightest, not even a twitch.
"Azula?" Ty Lee reached out to her friend again. "Azula, can you hear me?"
Nothing.
Placing her hand on Azula's cheek, the acrobat's eyes welled up when she realized that her friend was both covered in beads of cold sweat and was shaking uncontrollably.
The little acrobat was on the verge of breaking down. Come on Ty, keep it together. For her.
"Azula? Azula, please!" Ty Lee placed her hand on her friend's shoulder, shaking er slightly. Despite her inner protest her eyes were filling with tears. "Please talk to me!" The princess didn't respond and her vacant gaze never faltered.
That was the final straw. Ty Lee couldn't take it. It had been two years since she last saw her best friend and now that she was here it looked like Mai was right all along. Azula was gone. She reached out and pulled the princess as close as she could, cradling her through the bars. "I'm so sorry Azula!" she cried out, rocking her back and forth as much as the cold metal would allow her. Then it started. The screaming.
She fell back onto the floor as a horrifying shrike erupted from Azula's throat. As she let go of her, the princess started screaming and thrashing around, her eyes stayed wide open as ever, but now they were filled with horror. She couldn't make out any words other than the occasional cry that sounded very similar to 'mother'.
"I'M SORRY" Ty Lee cried back at her when suddenly she felt a gentle hand rest on her shoulder. She quickly looked up to see that Tomiko and the Imperial Firebenders had entered the cell, she hadn't even noticed. "That's quite enough dear," the head-nurse said. "The patient needs her rest."
The guards entered the cell and as one of them moved to hold Azula down, the other one pulled a syringe out of a small bag on his belt. Using both his arms and knees to hold the patient as still as possible one of them motioned for the other to inject her.
"No, what are you doing! Leave her alone!" Ty Lee shouted. She felt Tomiko's grip on her shoulder become more firm. "We have to do this, child. She sometimes has these fits and the only alternative to sedating her is to allow her to thrash around and hurt herself," she spoke as they watched the guards stick the sharp needle in the patients neck and a few moments later her body went limp and her eyelids began to lower.
Tomiko helped the miserable little acrobat on her feet and slowly led her out of the cell to the hallway. She explained how Azula would not be up for a few hours and it would be pointless to wait for her to come to. She then escorted the still trembling and weeping Ty Lee down to the main entrance and bade her good day, asking her to send another messenger hawk if she intended to visit again.
Ty Lee walked slowly down to the small pier where the ferry waited, lost in her thoughts. SHe didn't even know what to make of what she had seen yet. Should she even bother to visit again, was there any point? Was the friend she knew even still alive? Her mind raced, but she never managed to come to any concrete conclusion.
There was only one thing she kept thinking back to. One thing that remained there in the back of her head. She'd almost seen Azula in one of her fits when she attempted to visit her two years back, and then when she saw her today there was one tiny difference that she somehow couldn't let go.
Where was the fire?
Wow, finally I am able to reach this point! It's only a few chapters but it's been MONTHS since I started writing this. I do once again apologize for how late this is, I have been swamped with other things to do. I don't have much else to say other than I hope you like it and I would love it if you wrote reviews to tell me what you think, even very short ones are fine.
Peace out!
