(Wow I know this chapter is a few days early, but don't fret you'll still get your tuesday update too XD. I don't know what to tell you guys but I love each and every one of you! Thanks for the reviews, it really let's me know just what you guys are thinking! And Just a small WARNING this chapter kind of is a little bit dark, with some choice language. Mai is one of my favorite characters, but let's face it, in this fanfiction she's friends with Azula and anyone who is friends with Azula is a lil' bit off their rocker.)

CHAPTER TEN: Boiling Rock Lockdown- Part One

"What are you in for?" The guy beside me asked, eyeing the shackles around my arms and ankles. "Must've been pretty bad if they've got you all tied up like that."

I rolled my eyes, but did not reply. That was probably the ninetieth time someone had asked me what I did to end up here. I was sure that telling them I attacked the Prince and Princess of the Fire Nation so that they didn't kill the Avatar would earn me no brownie points.

It had been three days since the battle in Ba Sing Se, and since then I had been tossed around by the Dai Li, kept in a secluded room on the ship where I was given nothing but water and stale bread, and now I was currently on a Gondola that was taking me to a prison that no one had ever escaped from in the middle of a volcano no less. And I hadn't seen Zuko since he took Iroh to his prison room.

"Alright scum, get off!" The soldier cried grabbing the middle chain of my shackles and tossing me off. Fire bending soldiers had no respect nowadays. "Get in a straight line, and don't speak until the Warden gives you permission!"

Two other inmates began to laugh low in their chests. I smirked at their cockiness, but knew that in the end, it would probably cost them.

We stood there for what felt like hours, but were only minutes when finally a decorated man, with dark hair pulled behind his head, and an abnormally large mouth for his body stood in front of us, eyeing us like we were his next meal.

"Listen up you pathetic wastes of skin. This is going to be your home, and probably forever. No one has ever escaped from the boiling rock, and I don't plan on that happening as long as I am the Warden of this here facility. You may only call me Warden if you address me, and you may only address me with permission. Many of you will be on the main floor, where you will be permitted to leave your cells at certain points of the day. As for others," He stated looking at me. "You will remain in lockdown, indefinitely. Princess Azula gave me strict rules when it came to your care."

I once again held my tongue, knowing that it would only cause me more trouble. The only thing I could do would be to endure Azula's plans until I could come up with an escape plan, and I only hoped that plan came soon."

"Officer!" The Warden barked as the young soldier turned to him.

"Yes sir?"

"Escort the rest of the prisoners to their rooms; I'll handle this one alone."

The soldier nodded and I felt the Warden's strong grip around my bicep. I'd thought I'd be used to people harshly pulling my along, but the pain was still very much real as his grip tightened.

"I've heard a lot about you Anara Uruha. You attacked the Royalty of the Fire Nation, and are here because of your high treason. Now Princess Azula also warned me of your little magic trick, so my men have all be warned never to take the shackles off of you, and if you ask anyone to do so, they will report it to me right away and you will be punished accordingly."

He opened the door to cell that had only a small window barely big enough for one eye to let the light through. The darkness was cold and I thanked god for my breath of fire to keep me warm. He threw me into the cell and I looked him square in the eye, surprised as he started to chuckle.

"I can see the defiance in your eyes Uruha. Your strong now, but I guess I shouldn't have to worry about that for much longer. Another thing that the Princess told us was a part of your stay was that we would break you."

I did not gasp, or move, I sat there completely emotionless as the Warden left.

I sat on the floor with my legs crossed as best as I could, and was happy that the know-it-all Warden was finally gone. So he thought he was going to break me did he?

"Good luck."

v-v

"That's enough!" The Warden ordered as he threw his hand out to the side.

My breathing was heavy and I was sure that the scar's I had from the last ten days of being in the godforsaken place would probably haunt me, but I would never fall to the Fire Nation, they would have to kill me first.

"Sir, we've been doing this for hours and her attitude still hasn't chang-"

"Shut up!" He yelled, and then stalked towards me, pulling me up by the collar of my shirt. "You will bow to me! You will bow to the Fire Nation you filthy half-breed."

He looked in my eyes which never once looked away; I had become immune to the pain, after the first session of beatings, and found that at this point it was just redundant. Same routine every-day and every-day the Warden would try and succeed in making me fall. But I was stronger than that, I had defeated nineteen full-fledged soldiers when I was just a baby, and there was no way in hell, one Warden would make me break.

"Send the Wench back to her cell, we'll continue this tomorrow."

The soldier nodded grabbing my bindings and leading me out of the room used for my torture. Once back in my cell, I carved another line in the concrete with the side of my shackle. Eleven days, and I was still going, although as much as I put on a hard face, I could feel my hope slipping with each punch to the ribs, with each burn to my back, with each time he called me a half-breed.

My cell was cold, and I could hear the footsteps outside my door. The guards were more than likely switching shifts, since I was never to be left unguarded. Whomever it was quickly opened the door, and tossed in a bowl of rice (most of it ending up on the floor) and a bucket of water. I drank most of the water, lapping at it like some sort of animal and ate what I could of the rice; I needed my strength if I was going to last in here.

v-v

Day twenty seven at the Boiling rock, and I felt sick. My wounds were sore, and probably infected, since I was unable to heal them with my hands bound behind my back. If I could simply pull one hand out when they dropped in my daily water, I might've been able to heal myself, but lately I had begun to feel worse and worse.

The Warden tried hard each day, and if he wasn't there, he got the second in command to take over his duties. It had gone from simply physical attacks, to torture with fire bending, yet the Warden seemed frustrated that I would not give into the pain.

I sat in my cell trying to ignore the pain that came from the sores, as my mind drifted to Prince Zuko. Something it had been doing a lot of lately, even though it was completely unintentional. I never wanted to see the Prince again. In fact, if someone was to push him out of a building and he didn't make it, I probably wouldn't care.

I groaned and grabbed my head in my hands. No matter how much I tried to tell myself that I hated Zuko, that I wanted him to die, it was a lie. I had the uncanny ability to see the good in people, and at this point I had absolutely no desire to even think of the Prince.

"All right, let's go!" The door opened as the guard pulled me up. Same thing day-after day.

We finally reached the secluded room used for my beatings, as they threw me into the ever familiar beating chair and locked the door. But why did they leave me alone?

"You're all he talked about!" A feminine voice growled out as she stepped out of the darkness.

She was obviously Fire Nation, since she was here and the guards didn't question. That also meant she had to be high up on the military food chain. She had dark hair, pale skin, and her voice was monotone, although slight anger could be heard.

I said nothing and she walked towards me, her eyes showing her fury.

"He left me, just up and left me, with nothing but a pathetic letter, saying that he didn't love me," she drawled out pulling a sharp instrument from her sleeve. "He shouldn't like you, you're weird, different, not one of us!"

She through the weapon at me, missing by a few inches as it stuck into the wall on the other side. Maybe, this was going to be the end of me after all.

"Azula was right. Her brother was pathetic falling in love with you, I mean look at you. No matter how hard I tried though, Zuko never looked at me the same way. He always compared me to you, and I know that's why he left, because he wants to save you."

Okay so it was easy to see that this girl was obviously not in the right state of mind. There was no way Zuko really cared for me, especially after the cruelty he showed in Ba Sing Se, so she had obviously taken his leaving her and her anger and turned it on me.

She smirked walking towards me, as another silver object caught my attention.

"He said he liked your hair," she laughed. "Well, that's too bad."

I cringed knowing what would come as the slicing sound made its way through the room, and my head felt relatively lighter. I looked down as my raven tresses fell to the ground, I did everything in my power not to cry out.

"Oh and this!" She cried yanking the pendant from my neck. I had managed to keep it on and no one ever tried to take it away from me, even during my sessions and now, I felt naked. "I wonder how much Zuko will like you now? You ugly whore."

The door opened revealing the Warden who was wearing a smirk that reached from cheek to cheek.

"Well Mai, how did you do?"

"I feel much better Uncle," She stated as her footsteps faded away.

I felt humiliated, and yet I couldn't help but laugh inwardly. What kind of luck did I have that Zuko fell for a girl who happened to be the Warden's niece and who seemed to think that his leaving was my fault? Apparently my luck was terrible.

I marked another day off on my cell. Maybe tomorrow would be better?

v-v

Fifty three scratches marked my wall. I was surprised I even had the strength to etch the days in anymore. My hair had grown out since Mai had visited me, but it was now an uneven glob of black that encased my head. I had once prided myself on my hair, and now, I just wished she had taken all of it.

Most of my older wounds had healed, and the scars still stood out, but luckily the beatings had gotten less painful in the past week. The Warden was apparently gone at some sort of meeting, and then was bringing back new inmates in a few days. I thanked the Gods for that.

I didn't need a doctor to tell me that I had lost a lot of weight. I didn't have a mirror, but I could tell by the way the prison clothes hung off of my body, that I was anything but healthy. The food here did nothing for me anymore, and I only ate and drank what I needed to survive, and I was wondering why I was even doing that? Was there any point in me being here?

"Ana, you must help the Avatar learn the art of fire bending before the comet reaches the earth."

Did I? Was I really the only one capable of teaching Aang how to toss a couple of fire-balls around? I had been in this prison for so long that I was sure my skill had probably returned to beginner level.

I wanted to leave this place! I didn't care how it happened, but I needed to leave. I was sick of the torture, and sick of being locked up. I was done trying to be the strong one, I was almost eighteen, and at this point, I had no desire to reach that birthday. I was tossing in the towel.

"Sir it's been four days and she hasn't eating a thing, and she's barely touched the water!"

I could hear the soldier's voices outside of my cell. Ha, the bastards sounded worried, like if I died from my own causes the Warden would punish them or something. Although what he said was true, I had nothing to eat, and maybe a few cups of water in four days. The beatings still continued, and I had apparently passed out in the one that occurred yesterday. Maybe, I was finally winning for once.

"I see…"

I zoned out in my own little world. I was thinking of all the good times I had. Times with Soina and Kazai, even the good times I shared with Iroh and Zuko.

I laughed at myself. I was a sick person. I still had feelings for Zuko. Even after everything that boy did to me, I could never bring myself to hate him. I tried, I tried to make my heart see the truth of the terrible things he had done, but it wouldn't listen to my rational side at all.

Every time I closed my eyes I saw him smile, or I felt his lips on mine and I didn't want it anymore! I didn't want to feel those things ever again! Why wouldn't anyone help me? I thought I was supposed to be blessed by the moon spirit? Where was Yue when I needed her! Why was no one giving me guidance when I truly needed it!

Mom, Dad…anyone?

But no matter how many times I called out for someone, nobody ever answered because I was meant to suffer and die at the Boiling Rock, and maybe that was my destiny from the beginning, because no matter what happened, I was still a firm believer in the idea that if it was meant to happen than it will.

I groaned the door to my cell opened. I closed my eyes waiting for the beating that was supposed to come like it did every day, but all I saw were two tear filled eyes looking into mine as I looked back into his.

"Ana…"

Ana you've officially lost it.

(Okay guys, that's the boiling rock for you. Just want to let everyone know that this was my own person interpretation of the rock. Let me know what you guys thought and the next chapter will be up on Feb. 1. Ciao!)