Here is part nine! (it's a tad lengthy...sorry...) Only one more part left. Oh goodness. Finally!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. :'(
Azula was sitting at her mirror, her hand pressed against her cheek and her eyes locked onto the reflection. A hint of confusion sat in her otherwise contented eyes. Her normally colorless face had been covered by makeup and made the pink of a water lily: pale yet alive and beautiful. She didn't notice me, and I was hesitant to walk up to her for fear of startling her.
Her dress was red like I'd never seen before; it wasn't the normal Fire Nation red that often strayed towards a maroon shade. This was real red. Small gold flowers were embroidered on the edges, and a gold belt cinched everything together at her waist. Her dark hair had been pinned and braided into an elaborate cascade down her back.
I couldn't help but smile at how pretty she looked. Even the confusion in her eyes was beautiful, but that was nothing out of the ordinary. The pink in her cheeks would eventually become permanent as well. Ty Lee had been right; I was a lucky guy.
She sighed and placed her hand in her lap before turning in her chair towards me. At first she jumped when she saw me, but she relaxed almost immediately and started to smile. "You're one silly boy," she mused.
"Only because a pretty lady turned my into one," I answered as I came closer to her. "Happy birthday, Azula." I held my gifts out to her.
Azula was hesitant to take the gifts from my hands, but she did and carefully peeled open the invitation. As she read, I was more nervous that she would be upset with the offer than her brother would be. My hands started to sweat, and I began twisting at the rings on my fingers. Her lips curled into a small smile, and she folded the invitation back together. "You brought the seal for invitations from the king?" she asked lightly.
She'd been reading. "You never know when it might come in handy."
"Well, I don't see how a king as prepared as you are could possibly need an advisor," she teased with a certain delicateness in her tone; it was like dewdrops on a flower's petal. "But if you think you need one, I'd be more than happy to do the job." Azula set the invitation down on the vanity table and looked up at me. Her words lost their aloofness in the golden shine of her eyes and the pearl likeness of her smile. "Thank you, Kuei," she said, the delicateness dropping away like the water droplets sliding down the petal and onto the ground.
"There's more," I answered gently, and she looked down to the mirror still in her lap.
Azula held the mirror up to her face. "I've spent my whole day in front of a mirror," she complained.
"The front isn't the important part," I explained.
She glanced back at me, her eyes curious yet unconvinced. I came around to her side and knelt down before turning the mirror over in her hands so the side that faced us was the smooth, plain wood.
"You've lost me," she admitted.
I held back a laugh. "Just listen a minute," I told her. "What can't you see in the mirror right now?"
"My reflection."
"And what is your reflection of in a mirror?"
She glared at me with a playfulness hidden in it. "My face," she answered. "My body."
"But it's only what's on the outside," I corrected her. "And if you can't see your outside reflection in a mirror, what's left?"
She sighed. "I don't know."
"The inside," I said. "Everything I've told you about, your beauty and grace and intelligence and your love of romance novels and how you paint as though you've never forgotten any details of everything you've seen and all the silly things you like, they're all there on the inside. On the back of the mirror, behind the reflections."
The smile returned to Azula's face. "That's brilliant," she whispered.
"I can't take all the credit," I said. "A nice young man walking the market yesterday morning helped me out."
"But how do you see all of this?" she asked.
"I told you: your eyes and your smile."
Azula turned the mirror back around so it reflected both of us. "If there's one reflection I could enjoy, it's this one." She leaned down to kiss my forehead. "Thank you, Kuei, for everything."
I stretched up for one moment to kiss her lips and feel the warmth of her as my hand curved around her cheek. When we pulled away, Azula tilted her head to one side as she looked at me.
"You know what you're wearing, right?" she asked.
I nodded. "Do you think Zuko will mind much?"
She shook her head. "I'll be surprised if he says anything at all. The whole party has got him strung up enough."
I laughed. "And what do you think?"
The smile crept back onto her lips. "Even if Zuko doesn't say anything, I'm glad people will notice. Although red really isn't your color."
Now we both started to laugh. "I've already been told so by the fashion police outside your door," I said.
"Maybe it's your eyes," she wondered aloud. "But I suppose you wouldn't be much of an Earth King if you looked better in red than green."
An opening of the door caused me to stand, and I held my hand out to Azula to help her up as Zuko and Mai appeared. Mai's eyes widened at the sight of us, and I couldn't decide if it was because of Azula's appearance or mine. Hopefully Zuko had let her know what was going on.
"You look exactly like Mom," Zuko said in awe.
The smile left on Azula's face disappeared. "Please don't talk about Mom tonight," she answered in a near whisper.
Zuko nodded somewhat reluctantly. "You know I only mean that as a compliment," he said. "You look beautiful."
Azula began to smile but stopped and held her lips in a straight line. "Thank you."
"Are you ready?"
She nodded, and we proceeded out of her room. Even though I was Azula's escort, she still had to walk with Zuko into the party, followed closely by Mai and me. Her hair had been done up extravagantly-more so than Azula's-and her outfit was a dark maroon color covered in swirls of varying shades of red that lapped up from the bottom of the dress like the shadows of flames in the Fire Palace's throne room. Her usual bored face became one of power when it had a straight posture and relaxed shoulders under it. I wanted to believe it was just her act for the people, but a tightness in her jaw hinted that something was still not right.
"Something bothering you?" I whispered.
Mai turned her head to look at me. Her eyes were dark. "Everything bothers me," she answered.
With Zuko and Azula so close and the ballroom inching nearer with every step, now didn't make for the best time to press her for answers. She had reason to be mad if Zuko still hadn't told her, and she had reason to be mad if he had. Who her victim was would be the only difference between the two.
"In any case, you look lovely tonight," I told her.
She turned her head to look forward without answering me.
Zuko had given me one explanation of what was to happen when the great double doors into the ballroom opened for us. The room would be bursting with people who would all fall silent as we took our places on the stage. Zuko would say a few words regarding the nation as a whole and Azula herself. Then certain attendants hand-picked by him would bring out the necklace, and he would place it around Azula's neck. The attendants would disappear, Azula would thank the crowd, and Zuko would officially start the festivities.
Azula had given me a slightly different version of the events. When Zuko had started giving the speeches, she told me, his words focused on her as an example of how the Fire Nation could recover from the war. As she had said this to me, she had curled up by hugging her knees to her chest and resting her cheek on top of her knees to look out the window. Next, she explained that Zuko putting the necklace on would probably have to be intervened by Mai since he had proven himself to be pretty hopeless when it came to such things. When it came to her thanking the crowd, she had decided on a deep, respectful bow instead of speaking. "It's not the exact proper thing to do," she had said while her eyes moved from the window to the floor. "But I can't bring myself to say anything." Then she'd buried her face in her knees and mumbled about how she didn't even want to bow.
When the great doors to the ballroom were only feet from us, Azula glanced back at me. The worry that had been in her eyes the afternoon before was back again. I smiled, trying to assure her everything would be okay. But if Zuko's speech started to drift into the territory of Azula's depression, there wasn't much that could make the night easier. The whole room of nobility from all over the world would know her illness and pain. Azula had already told her brother not to talk about their mother; if the idea even came up in his speech, I feared what might happen.
Suddenly, the doors were being opened for us by attendants, and a room full of people waited on the other side of a platform where we were to stand not very high above the crowd. As Zuko and Azula took their first steps onto the platform, the room fell silent. When Mai and I followed, whispers began to circulate through the mass of people. Was it me they were talking about? My choice in clothing? Or just Azula actually being there took a second to sink in?
Mai and I stood back while Zuko and Azula took center stage. Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph all stood in the front row of people. The rest of the room was full of faces I couldn't recognize; even the handful from my own nation were strangers to me. Red pillars held the room up on either side, and the walls were an ivory color covered in gold and red designs. The doors we had come through began to close, and Zuko cleared his throat. The whispers ceased.
"Tonight is a very special night," Zuko began. Azula held her hands behind her back, and I could see her wring her hands. "Tonight," the Fire Lord continued, "my little sister finally made it to her birthday party."
There was a pause at first, but the crowd began to applaud. Zuko held up his hand for silence. "Tonight is a step forward for Azula, and tonight, she is nineteen years old."
The crowd began to applaud again, and I scanned the room quickly to see if anyone else had shown up to the party in the same outfit. Nothing caught my attention.
"A great man once told me that it's easy to do nothing, but it's hard to forgive."
Azula's hands froze. She turned her head towards Zuko, and I could see the alarm in her wide eyes.
"And my doing nothing has hurt both Azula and me as siblings, as leaders, and as sufferers of the same condition. Well, tonight, I want to forgive Azula for everything she's done to this nation and to me, personally, and I hope she can forgive the way I've been to her."
The crowd began to whisper again. Azula's eyes flashed in the light a sign of begging. Begging to stop. As much as this forgiveness should happen, Zuko was risking his reputation by doing this publicly. Azula either very well knew that and didn't want him to make a huge mistake, or she just couldn't handle a formal and public address like this.
"I was made to realize a few days ago that nothing that can or has happened is able to stop her from being my baby sister. Azula has been through so much-both of us have-and I think it's time we stopped our childish nonsense and started being the family our mother always wanted us to be."
Azula's jaw was set. Tears sat on her eyelids.
"So, starting tonight, Azula and I have a clean slate."
Her eyes fluttered, and she began to fall backward. I lurched forward immediately to try and catch her, Mai followed behind me, and Zuko, standing a step or two ahead of Azula and facing the crowd, only noticed what was happening when the crowd gasped and he turned around. Aang stepped in from the audience with a blast of air to keep Azula from hitting the ground with much force since no one could get to her fast enough. I pulled her into my arms the moment I got to her, and the warmth I could feel from her body was borderline hot. Mai knelt down on the floor, produced a small fan from her sleeve, and began to anxiously wave it over Azula's face to wake her up.
Zuko didn't rush to the floor, but was standing between Mai and me in no time, his hand on Mai's back. Maybe it was to give Azula space, but it wasn't exactly a presentable thing for a host to jump to the floor like I had.
Azula blinked her eyes open after a few moments. By now, a buzz circulated through the room. Katara stood with her hand on her skin of water that never seemed to leave her side. Aang's arm was in front of her shoulders, preventing her from coming forward.
Azula turned her head to press her cheek against my chest. "This place is too hot," she mumbled. Tears sat in her eyes. Mai kept the fan on Azula's face, but she didn't wave it so hard anymore.
"Can you walk to get outside?" I asked. I wanted to carry her, but enough commotion had been caused that I didn't think it was the best idea.
She nodded slowly. I helped her up, and Mai folded her fan as she stood. Before placing it back in her sleeve, she leaned into Zuko and whispered with her harsh voice, "We don't carry these to look flirty and sophisticated." Then she smacked him square in the chest with the fan.
Glass double doors were at the bottom of the platform on the side opposite the doors we'd entered through. Azula leaned heavily on me, and I was happy to support her. We made it through the doors and were met with the blast of cool air from the rain that had finally begun to slow. A bench sat under the awning that went around the courtyard we were in, and Azula collapsed onto it. She immediately laid down on her side as well as she could, her face against the cool stone the bench was made of. I knelt down in front of her and tucked loose strands of hair behind her ear.
"This isn't about how warm the room is, is it?" I asked.
"No," she murmured.
I kissed her burning forehead. "Zuko only means well."
"I know." Azula closed her eyes and sighed. "Everything I'd ever done that was horrible just came back and attacked me."
I wanted to wrap my arms around her, but she was so warm already it wouldn't have been comfortable for her. No one could've guessed Azula would be plagued with images from her past when Zuko talked of forgiving her for them, not even Azula. No one would've thought she could faint, either. Her attitude just didn't allow for it. Although, between her fragile body and nineteen years of awful things exchanged between the two of them, it wasn't so surprising anymore. We couldn't blame Zuko for this one.
The doors opened again, and I looked up to see Aang with a glass of water coming toward us. "I thought this might help," he said, offering the glass to Azula.
She glanced up at him with eyes lost in confusion. She began to push herself up to sit, and she took the water from Aang's hand with a slow, cautious movement.
"You look very pretty tonight," Aang said. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"
Azula shook her head.
Aang nodded and walked back into the ballroom.
Tears began to fall. "I don't understand," she cried.
Now I sat in the space next to her on the bench and took her into my arms. Coming to the party wasn't a good idea. "What don't you understand?" I asked softly.
Azula curled up into me like doing so would hide her from everything else. "How can they just forget everything? I was so horrible to them all."
I didn't have an answer. Was it pity? Or was Aang just beyond holding a grudge? I held her tighter and rested my lips in hair, letting her cry. No mirror, no ledge, no painting was going to fix this. Nothing in two weeks would make her forget the past. I hadn't performed much of a miracle; all I'd done was make a bigger mess of things.
Azula's sobs turned to whimpers after a little while. The glass of water was still in her hand, and she brought it to her lips and took a sip.
"It'll be okay," I said, lightly touching her cheek. "I know it will be. Eventually."
Her eyes met mine. "You're not going to give up, are you?" she asked, her voice beginning to sound hoarse. She coughed a few times after she spoke.
"I've given up a lot of things. You aren't something I'm going to let go of."
Azula set the glass of water down and wrapped her arms around me. "You know I'm no good for you."
"You're perfect for me." I leaned down and kissed her.
She kissed back with the warmth I was used to. Her nose rested against mine when we separated, and she mentioned, "You and I still have to dance."
Smiles broke across both our faces, and I kissed the tip of her nose. "Of course. Why else did we come?"
Azula finished the glass of water before we went back in. She pulled a red, silk handkerchief from her belt and dabbed around her eyes where the makeup had run. Her skin had returned to it's normal temperature, and by the time we stood up to go back in, her hands even felt cold.
"What about your necklace?" I asked as she took my hand while we walked back to the doors.
She sighed. "Maybe Zuko will wait until the end of the night."
When we re-entered the ballroom, music was playing, and people mingled about with champagne. Servants walked around with trays of hors d'oeuvres, one of which was the delicate peach cake from Azula's lunch the day before.
Under the lights inside, Azula's eyes shimmered like the bubbles in the champagne. She eyed the cakes on the trays, and I wondered if she'd eaten all day.
"Hungry?" I said.
A blush rose in her cheeks. "I need a drink," she admitted.
I smiled. "How about a little bit of both?"
She nudged my side with her elbow. "Think I can't handle a little champagne?" she teased.
"Of course you can," I said. "But I thought someone liked peaches."
Azula began to smile, but stopped herself. This was still the party she didn't want to be at, and smiling would mean she was having a good time. We got ourselves each a cake and a glass of champagne before we came under the presence of Zuko. Mai wasn't with him.
"I didn't think you'd come back," he said.
"I came tonight for a dance with Kuei," Azula explained before taking a sip of her drink. "I'm not leaving without one."
A smirk tugged at Zuko's lips. "I'm glad you came back, actually."
She shrugged.
"Your gift," he mentioned. "What would you like to do about it?"
Serious thought came across her face. Not presenting it would break the tradition, but tradition got broken enough around here it shouldn't have been that big of a deal. Could she even handle getting back up in front of people? Zuko knew now the limits he could take with his words, but the fact that she had already collapsed once tonight might make her nervous enough that it would happen again. Azula swirled the drink in her glass a few times and took a couple moment-filling sips.
"I would like it presented to me at the end of the night," she decided aloud. "Just before midnight."
Zuko appeared stunned for a minute. The glass in his hand could've slipped from his fingers without his noticing. "If that's what you want, that's what we'll do," he finally said.
"Thank you," she answered.
"You know," Zuko began, "I actually missed you causing me trouble in public." He took his empty hand and set it on her shoulder. "It's going to be a different place around here without you."
Azula's eyes flitted from her brother's hand on her shoulder to the floor. Any confidence she'd had disappeared. "Don't miss me too much," she said, her volume dropping. "I'm not coming back just to pick on you."
Zuko pulled his hand away, but he was smiling. Azula had said nothing was able to change that he was her brother. "Enjoy your dance," he said before turning around and disappearing into the crowd.
Tears sat in Azula's eyes again.
"What's wrong?" I asked softly.
She wiped at her eyes with her sleeve and looked up at me. "I know I need to leave this place, but I didn't realize it would be this hard."
"Nothing worth having is easy to get," I reminded her of her own words.
"I say we propose a toast," Azula said. "To being silly."
"And why is that?"
"Because if you can't be silly, you shouldn't bother being serious," she explained, holding up her glass. "And I've been serious all night, so it's time to be silly."
I couldn't have stopped myself from smiling if I'd have wanted to. She was perfect. "To being silly," I said, tapping my glass with hers. We both took drinks.
We finished our cakes and champagne just as a song was ending, and when the new song began, I took hold of her hand. "Shall we dance?" I asked.
Azula began to smile again, and this time she let herself. "Of course."
I led her out into the middle of the room where all the dancing couples had congregated. Eyes followed us all the way. I took hold of her, one hand on her waist and holding onto her hand, and she placed her other hand on my shoulder. As we began to move with the music, I held her gaze. Something in her eyes hinted at disbelief; this moment was actually happening. Azula was at this party, swirling around the room with me.
Her eyes also glowed with so much happiness. This was disbelief for me. I had done the impossible, and accidentally fallen for her in the process. I couldn't have dreamed of being able to make Azula happy in the way she looked up at me now. There was nothing else I could've wanted to do more at the moment though.
A smile broke out on her face, a side effect from the happiness in her eyes. As I twirled her around a few times, she began to laugh. By the end of the song, both of us were doing more laughing than dancing, and we were only interrupted by the applauding of the music when it was finished. Instead of clapping with the rest of the guests, Azula and I looked at each other, and before we knew it, our lips were pressed against each other's in a warm, happy kiss.
Was it proper? Absolutely not. People definitely noticed. But it was Azula's birthday, and I wasn't about to deny the birthday girl of any wishes.
We danced a few more dances before Azula claimed she was getting dizzy. Her solution was another glass of champagne, to which I laughed but didn't protest. As we sipped at our second glass, Katara wandered by, Toph holding onto her arm.
"Too many feet to handle tonight?" I asked Toph.
"Too much to drink," Katara corrected me.
Toph nodded slowly.
Azula immediately looked down at the glass she held with both hands.
Before Katara or I could say anything more, Zuko approached us. Still no Mai to be found.
"Where's the lovely Fire Lady?" Katara teased.
"She doesn't like parties," Zuko answered, his voice rough.
By now, Azula had finished her champagne and was setting the glass on the empty tray of a server passing by. Her eyes never came up from the floor.
"I actually came over to see if Azula wouldn't mind a dance with me," he said.
Now she looked up, but right at Zuko. An uncertainty sat in her eyes, but she held out her hand to him and let him take it.
"I'm not Dad," he said gently, "I won't embarrass you."
The side of her lip curved upward. He led her away without another word.
"You know," Katara said as she adjusted Toph who had begun leaning on her shoulder. "I remember finding you curled up in a ball on the floor of your hot air balloon one time, some years ago."
"That was a different time," I answered. It wasn't something I was proud of, but then again, when had I been proud of my politics?
She gave me a smirk. "You're right." Her gaze drifted to the middle of the room where Zuko had Azula. They moved to the music if somewhat awkwardly, but Zuko seemed pleased with his little sister's presence. "You've learned to take some risks since then, haven't you?"
I could feel a blush rising in my cheeks. What risks was she talking about?
"Azula needs you, you know," she said next when I didn't answer.
I finally spoke up. "I think I'm the one that needs her."
When Zuko returned with Azula after the song, Katara said she was going to take Toph to lay down and dragged her away. Zuko decided it was time to go hunting for Mai, and we were left alone once again to dance, drink champagne, and eat little cakes until we couldn't do any anymore.
By the time midnight came upon us, Azula and I were tipsy and laughing more than we were anything else. When Zuko reminded us of the necklace though, the laughing stopped. Mai had come out of hiding, and the four of us took the stage again.
The crowd had gotten noticeably smaller, but more than half the people were still there. Zuko announced that Azula would be presented with her gift, and otherwise he said nothing not directly pertaining to the necklace being brought on stage by a servant. The heavy gems sat on a velvet pillow, and the servant bowed on one knee to Zuko, presenting the necklace to him. He picked the jewelry up and held it up to the crowd, pausing for applause before continueing over to Azula.
Azula stood with her hands behind her back as before, and her eyes were downcast. Zuko placed the piece around her neck, causing her to look up. He fumbled with the clasp for a moment before Mai rolled her eyes and came up to snap the two ends of the necklace together in seconds. They both stepped back, and the room filled again with applause. Azula bowed respectfully to the crowd of people then looked to Zuko as the clapping died down.
"Happy birthday, Azula," he said.
She gave a small smile, and Zuko dismissed the crowd and began the music again. I came to meet her at the center of the stage, and she stretched up to whisper, "I think this necklace is going to make me fall over."
The light reflecting off the stones caught in her eyes. "If it's any consolation, it looks beautiful on you."
We both laughed a moment as we began towards the floor for one final dance of the night.