Title: What She Left Behind
Author: winterxlovee
Chapter Rating: M
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 except my original characters! 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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The poor girl sat with her back against the cold cell wall, her dark surroundings a constant reminder of what her life had become in such a short time. It had been five days since the Fire Lord had captured her during the invasion, and he had visited her every day since. He would only station at her cell for a short time, only to try and pump valuable information out of her. The man was intent on forcing Aria to confess her true power, and would do whatever it took, usually by forcing the guards to burn her until she begged them to stop, screaming only what she knew, which were bits of information to Ozai.
Hukana would always heal what was left of Aria's flesh, flinching whenever the girl's gutteral screams would rip at the strings of her heart. Ozai was malevolent, everyone was aware of that, but the man wouldn't let the young fire bender suffer, mainly because her screams were heard all throughout the walls of the prison whenever the girl would move the slightest, and it was annoying, always giving him a fierce migrane.
Aria's hands were bound behind her back in heavy shackles, and her wrists were rubbed raw from the friction of the chains against the girl's sensitive skin. The same tactic was also mirrored around her ankles, as was the stinging of her skin caused by the tightness of the cuffs. The guards were very thorough when it came to stopping all mobility so she couldn't fire bend. Aria would have been able to easily squeeze through the bars of her cell and slaughter every guard to stand in her way of freedom with a flick of her wrist, easily escaping the prison.
Tears streamed down Aria's cheeks as she drowned in her silence like a stormy ocean. When the hunger pains hit, it felt as if she was ripping out her internal organs with only her bare hands, and she silenced them for a short while by curling up on the metal ground in a fetal position.
After a few hours, the clanging of metal aroused Aria from her sleep, who was growing unsettlingly uncomfortable sleeping on the ground. She realized that someone was visiting her as the door was shut with a loud squeak. The girl didn't think Ozai would arrive so early, and she was mentally preparing herself for whatever he would throw at her.
"Look at what we have here." a familiar voice said, echoing off the metal walls. The steps of her visitor grew closer, and stopped short of the cell storing the Fire Lord's most prized trophy.
"I'm not in the mood... Azula." Aria managed to choke out, still laying on the ground, hugging her knees against her chest in an attempt to stifle the waves of pain traveling through her stomach.
"You know, the longer it takes for you to answer silly little questions, the longer you're going to be stuck in this cell, suffering." Azula says as she puts her hands on her hips, her voice becoming bossy.
"I'm telling you, Azula. I don't have any powers yet." Aria whined, not bothering to turn and face her "sister".
The Princess leaned against the wall, standing just outside the cell. She was growing increasingly tired with the peasant's games. What did the girl think Azula was? She could see right through the prisoner's feigned ignorance.
Azula sighed. "Just fess up, peasant. Then you and I can go back to trying to conquer the world together with the aid of Father. I don't want to admit it... but you would be extremely useful."
"I don't want to conquer the world, let alone share it with the likes of someone like you!" Aria yelled at the princess who was crouched down in front of her cell. The stomach pains had turned into a dull ache, so the girl could move around a little more. The girl tucked her arms under her legs and pulled them up so her hands were now in front of her. Azula's cold gaze never showed a hint of cowardliness. Aria crawled over to the cold, metal bars and gripped onto them, her knuckles turning white as she was eye to eye with Azula. Blue eyes met a harsh, golden gaze, and happily returned the visual assault.
"Oh, ouch. That really hurts." Azula mocked, clutching her chest in spurious agony. "You should treat you princess with some respect, peasant."
"You should go fuck yourself." Aria laughed when the Princess growled.
"You're this close. And to think I was going to pamper you a little." Azula grips the prisoner's shoulder, her nails digging into her skin. Aria tries to escape the teen's efforts because she knows what's going to happen next. As if on cue, the palm of Azula's hand becomes heated to a smoldering temperature. Aria's skin became reddened under the girl's palm, and Azula sat with a wry grin on her face.
"Azula, please. I - I'm sorry." Aria begged when the heat ramped up, and she had to bite her tongue to retain a scream, staring at Azula in bewilderment.
"That's Princess Azula to you. Beg me. Beg me not to cremate you right now." Azula snapped, though her expression remained the same grisly smile as before.
"Please, Princess Azula. Don't hurt me. I beg of you." Aria had to force herself to say those words, and for her reaction to seem real, withholding snarky comments that would only end in disaster. A few disses wasn't worth an amputated arm that she would have to deal with the rest of her natural born life.
"Fine." Azula sighed, clearly depressed that she had to stop the torture, seeing as she was enjoying it so much. "Thank me for not incinerating you right here and now."
"Thank you Princess Azula... for not incinerating me right here and now." Aria mumbled, cringing as she spoke, silently cursing the princess with every profane word in the human language.
"What? I didn't hear you. Louder!"
"I said... Thank you Princess Azula for not incinerating me right her and now! What that clear?" Aria growled and dropped her hands in her lap, the chains clattering against each other at her movement.
"Crystal." Azula smirked, reveling in the feeling of triumph. She knew that the words that were coming off of Aria's tongue were like acid, and the wench would never say them again, so why not enjoy it? Especially when the person that despises you most grovels at your feet, it's a feeling of triumph. Similar to the feeling of a great orgasm...
That gave Azula an idea...
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"Where is my daughter! What the hell have you done with her!" Inna yelled to the man standing before her, scooting across the floor on her knees as her hands and feet were both bound the same way as Aria's.
"Inna, you shouldn't worry so much. We're taking good care of her." Ozai told the woman softly, striding over to the cell bars and gently tugging on them, causing the slightest movement.
"I want my daughter!" Inna burst into tears, and cried in such an agonizing way that Ozai actually felt a little sympathy for her, to his horror. "Give me my baby!"
"Look at what you've become. You're throwing a tantrum like a four year old, and on the floor of a prison no less."
"Oh, and you think you're better than me!" Inna wiped her cheeks with the sleeve of her over-sized prison uniform. "Aria is my daughter, and I'm going to protect her no matter what the cost. I'm sorry that I don't feel anything for anyone but myself like you do! I am so happy that I left this life behind before I could get wrapped up in the throws of power, and I would rather be laying here on this cold floor than standing by your side as Fire Lady!"
Ozai reached out a hand through the metal bars and stroked the soft, mocha skin of Inna's cheek. She didn't protest, and instead leaned into his palm, calming her cries as the attentions carried on. He noticed the outline of her full lips as they parted slightly to let out a soft sigh.
"Ozai," Inna started, fluttering her eyes open to look at him, "I don't understand... What happened to you? To us? Why can't we be a family again?" Her words slurred as she finished the set of questions and she sat there in silence, waiting for a plausible answer.
"You were the one to leave, and I thought you were never going to come back. I needed powerful heirs as soon as possible and I wasn't going to waste time tracking you down across the world. So I did what I had to do. What more is there to understand?" Ozai tugged his hand away and stood up, tucking his arms in the over-sized sleeves of his robes.
"Everything is about power for you isn't it? Did you ever truly love me?" The water bender stood up and asked him just as he began to walk toward the metal doors.
"At one point, yes. But love doesn't make the world go 'round. Fear is the only way to really control people; to make them do whatever you ask. They'll always stand by your side, and are too afraid to turn on you. Once you realize that, my dear, you will much better off." Ozai told the prisoner just before he sauntered off, to pay a visit to a certain little girl.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE:
I apologize for the shortness of this chapter but the next one will be EXTREMELY fun, I promise. (:
Also, I just started a new story the other day. I don't wanna give too much away, but you should check it out! :D
I have nothing else to say, so, bye!
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So, what's in store for Aria and friends the next chapter? Stay tuned for more on What She Left Behind: Chapter 10! :D
PLEEEEEEEAAAAAAASSSSSSEEEEEEE R&R FOR I DO ACCEPT EVERY COMMENT! I LOVE THEM AND THEY KEEP ME GOING TO WRITE THIS STORY. (:
TELL ME WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN FURTHER CHAPTERS; THOUGHTS, IDEAS? (:
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I would also like to say thank you to ILY-Tyler for adding this story to your alerts! *Glomps*
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I THANK ALL OF YOU FOR READING THIS STORY, ADDING TO YOUR ALERTS, FAVING, AND REVIEWING! I LOVE YOU ALL!
*CUE CHEESINESS* YOU GUYS KEEP ME GOING ON THIS STORY AND YOU ARE MY INSPIRATION. (:
'TIL WE MEET AGAIN! :D
