I'm sorry that this update is a little bit late, I thought that I posted it earlier before I realised that I hadn't. But as they say, better late than never right? Just because they're back at the Fire Nation, that doesn't mean that there isn't gonna be any drama for Azula and Izanami. In fact, the drama is probably going to heat up even more now that they're back. This chapter takes place directly after the last one before venturing off into the time period of the Painted Lady.
Unplanned Destiny
Sitting in her room with her door shut, Izanami couldn't have been more angry with her parents than she was right now. Once Izanami had realised that they had organised an arranged marriage with Natsumi, she tried to argue against it but both sets of parents agreed that it was best for their families. With nobody to back her up, Izanami had excused herself for the night before locking herself up in her room.
While her initial shock at the situation had subsided, it was quickly replaced with anger at her parents for doing this to her. Anger at them for putting her in this situation without even asking how she felt about it. Granted, if they had come to talk to her about it Izanami would have without a doubt said no. Then again, that's probably they didn't tell her about this in the first place.
There was also apart of Izanami that was angry at Natsumi too. When he first came to her at the welcoming Gala, Izanami thought that he was being genuine with his intentions just like she thought he was genuinely offering her friendship. Only now Izanami realised that it was probably because he had already been made aware of the arrangement that had been made.
In that moment, there was nothing that Izanami wanted more than to be with Azula right now. If she was with Azula, Izanami knew her friend would be able to make her feel better. But Azula wasn't here right now, and Izanami had to deal with this on her own. Never before had Izanami felt so many emotions swirling around inside of her, and she had no idea how to deal with them. If there was ever a time she could use a friends support, now would be it.
A knock on the door caught Izanami's attention, and she didn't feel like talking to whoever was there. Now was certainly not the time where Izanami felt like talking to anyone. But whoever it was didn't stop there, as they knocked again. This time, they spoke.
"Izanami, it is me. I would like to speak with you." It was Natsumi.
Sighing, Izanami crawled onto her feet and positioned herself so that she was somewhat presentable. Even though she had nothing to prove to Natsumi, Izanami still didn't want to loose what little dignity she had. When Izanami opened the door, she wasn't so sure what to make of Natsumi's sudden appearance. Part of her just wanted him to leave her alone but considering their current arrangement, she figured that doing that would be hard.
"What do you want?" Izanami snapped.
Natsumi sighed, "Listen, Izanami. I know that our situation is less than ideal for both of us. But since this is happening regardless of what we think or want, I feel that it is best if we just take the opportunity for what it is."
Izanami scoffed, "This isn't an opportunity. An opportunity is what allows you to do something. This doesn't allow me to do anything. In fact, it takes away everything that I had planned for myself. If anything, this is a punishment."
"I could understand why you feel that way. But please do not make this any more difficult than it needs to be. Just give it some time, and I'm sure that we will eventually be able to come to an understanding," Natsumi reasoned.
"I have already come to an understanding. And that is that this is not what I want. I do not want to be forced to marry somebody I barely know," Izanami insisted.
"You will not be forced to do anything you don't want to. There will be a choice," Natsumi said.
Izanami raised her eyebrows, "What do you mean?"
"If you had stayed long enough to hear the conditions, you would know that we do not have to get married right away. Our parents have decided to give us a year to potentially get used to this idea. If in a years' time your thoughts haven't changed, then you don't have to do anything that you don't want to," Natsumi explained.
"My thoughts on this matter will never change, Natsumi. And I hope that you realise that this is to buy them time, not us. This isn't time for us to get to know each other before making a decision. This is the time for them to plan out our entire future for us," Izanami snapped.
"If that's how you really feel then I guess there is nothing I can do to change that," Natsumi admitted.
"You're right," Izanami agreed with a nod. "My thoughts on this matter will never change and I hope that you realise we will never be able to have anything together. Any chance of any form of relationship that we could've had was blown away when you made your true intentions obvious."
With that, Izanami turned around and slammed the door shut in Natsumi's face. As she did so, a slight tear fell down Izanami's face as the enormity of the situation dawned on her. Although Natsumi had said they would have a choice in a years' time, Izanami knew that there would never really be a choice. When her parents set out to do something, they saw it through to the end which was what they were going to do with this. No matter what Izanami thought on the matter, she was going to marry Natsumi. It might not be now, but she was going to marry Natsumi whether she liked it or not.
~*•°•*~
In the days that passed following her parents announcement, Izanami refused to acknowledge them. While Izanami had been upset with her parents before, nothing compared to how she felt towards them about this situation. Izanami had hopes that they'd be able to work through their problems, but after what they had pulled with Natsumi, Izanami wasn't sure if she would ever be able to look at her parents the same way again.
For the first time in her life, Izanami felt truly alone. Sure, she knew that Azula had her back but there was only so much that Azula could do for her. While Azula might have power as the Princess of the Fire Nation, she knew that Azula wouldn't be able to stop her parents from doing this since they weren't technically breaking any Fire Nation laws. The legal marrying age was sixteen, and Izanami knew that her parents wouldn't force her to marry Natsumi until she turned sixteen.
Thinking of Azula suddenly reminded Izanami that she was supposed to see Azula again today and that was enough to snap Izanami out of her self-induced misery and get her out of the house. She did so without even acknowledging her parents or letting them know, since they certainly didn't deserve that curtesy after they didn't give her the same in regards to her arranged marriage.
The walk to the Fire Nation Palace was a sombre one for Izanami. There was so much on her mind and so many things that were just jumping around. One thing Izanami knew that she was going to do was tell Azula about her parents plans for her future. If there was anything that Izanami could count on Azula was for her to be the support that she needed.
Upon arriving at the Royal Palace, Izanami headed towards Azula's room after being informed that her friend was there. The whole time Izanami was preparing herself for how she was going to break this news to Azula, since she had no idea how she was going to do that. But Izanami figured that she'd just say whatever felt right and entered the princesses room where she found her sitting at her dresser.
"Any time for me?" Izanami asked.
Azula turned around to face the other girl, "There's always time for you. After all, that's what this day is for."
"True," Izanami sighed.
Glancing at her friend, Azula immediately noticed that something wasn't right with Izanami. On any day of the week, Azula was able to read her friend better than anybody else so she knew when something wasn't right which it wasn't right now.
"Alright, what's wrong?" Azula asked.
"I'm getting married," Izanami replied.
"What?" Azula sputtered, shocked.
"Wow, Az. I never thought I could make you speechless," Izanami commented.
"Of course I am because of this news. How could you possibly get married? Who could you be even getting married to?" Azula wondered.
"This guy I only met like a week ago," Izanami answered.
Azula shook her head, "Your parents can't do that. You're not sixteen!"
Izanami rolled her eyes, "They've given me a year to get used to the situation so that I have time to process it when in reality it's giving them time to plan out my entire future."
"This is ridiculous. I'm going to go over to your house and give your so-called parents a piece of my mind!" Azula exclaimed as she rose to her feet.
Izanami put a calming hand on her friends shoulder, "While I appreciate the rage, it's not necessary. My parents technically aren't doing anything to break the law. They're not gonna force me to get married until I turn sixteen."
"Ugh, you're right," Azula grumbled. "But still, it's ridiculous that they think they can do something like this to you! You should have a say in who and when you get married."
"My parents obviously don't think that way, since they're so willing to marry me off before they even can. They're saying that it's to ensure my future and secure their bloodline but really, it's probably just to punish me," Izanami said.
"Your parents just continue to surprise me with their stupidity," Azula shook her head.
"You and me both," Izanami agreed. "Enough about my stupid parents and their stupid decisions. What's been going on here?"
"Mai's been coming over a lot lately since she and Zuzu are official. Father has been treating him with far more respect than he's ever treated anyone before. It's almost like Zuzu is some kind of hero in his eyes when I'm the one who conquered Ba Sing Se. It could've easily been done without him," Azula explained.
Izanami raised her eyes, "Maybe this is what you get for giving him all the credit."
"But I do not like this at all. Father is supposed to shower me with adoration. Not Zuzu. That's how things have always been and I hate how they're starting to change," Azula admitted.
"Your father knows how amazing you are, Az. He knows that you were the true brains behind the operation. He's probably just acknowledging Zuko because he has no choice to now that he's home," Izanami reasoned.
"I guess that's one way to look at things. And you're probably right too. Father has never once showed any kind of love for Zuko before and even now it's not really love," Azula stated.
"See? So things are still the same as they've always been," Izanami said.
"Father has also been talking to me a lot about my future in the Fire Nation. He says that I'm going to continue to do great things for the Fire Nation - which I know I will – but he's also saying that there is no point in having all of that success if I have nobody to share it with," Azula continued.
"Of course you have someone to share it with. You have me," Izanami stated.
Azula rolled her eyes, "Not that kind of someone, Izana. Apparently I've been getting a lot of notice from the other important generals and figures in the Fire Nation after my recent success. They've been propositioning me to join forces with their families to spread even more power."
"Isn't that good?" Izanami asked, knowing how important it was to maintain strong relations with other important figures in the country.
"No, it's not. Because like your parents, my father has been saying that I need to secure my future as well as our bloodline. Nothing is ever set in stone in the Fire Nation and anything could happen at any time to ruin everything that we have," Azula explained.
Izanami's eyes widened at the implications of Azula's words, "Wait, so your father wants you to marry someone too?"
"Obviously not right now since I can't, but father has said that when my time comes I need to do my duty as the Fire Nation Princess to provide for our family," Azula replied.
"What is it with parents and thinking that we need someone to support us and to secure our future? We've done just fine so far and I'm sure we will continue to do so without the support of anyone," Izanami complained.
"The thing is, Izana, is that this is my duty as the Princess of the Fire Nation. This sort of responsibility should never fall on you, but for me it is nothing unheard of. There have been countless members of the Royal Family who have been married off as soon as they hit the legal limit. But the reality of that happening to me is so much more possible since we're living in a time of war," Azula explained.
"But haven't we won the war already?" Izanami asked.
"While we might have taken control of Ba Sing Se, we still don't have control over the entire world. There will always be rebellions that could threaten our grasp on victory. Not to mention, the Water Tribes are still somewhat in tact and there are still parts of the Earth Kingdom where we haven't achieved victory," Azula pointed out.
"This is so messed up. We're only teenagers and we shouldn't be worrying about marriage now. And we certainly shouldn't be worrying about an endless war," Izanami grumbled.
"Hopefully it will finally come to an end on the day of Sozin's Comet. While I'm not sure what exactly he has planned, I know that father is sure to take advantage of the comet to achieve total victory in the war," Azula said.
Izanami sighed, "Let's hope that you're right. This war has gone on for far too long."
"In the meantime, lets make the most of the time we have to spend together because who knows what could happen," Azula suggested.
"Sounds like a plan," Izanami smiled, and for the first time in days.
Since the girls already had so much on their minds after recent events, Izanami knew that this little get together wouldn't be like it should be since they both had so much pressure on their shoulders. But they still had to make the most of what little time they had together because of their responsibilities, especially since they needed each other now more than ever.
~*•°•*~
Following the time that Izanami spent with Azula, she grudgingly made her way to the Capital City's most luxurious restaurant as that was where she had agreed to meet Natsumi for dinner. Even though Izanami didn't want to waste any time on this, she knew that her parents would only become more unbearable if she didn't make it seem like she was showing any interest. So against her own wishes, Izanami had agreed to meet up with him for the night just for the sake of keeping her parents happy.
Knowing that Izanami had to get along with Natsumi, it only made her want to hate him even more. As much as Izanami wanted to give him a chance, she knew that she was never going to be able to force any kind of connection with Natsumi. While she had been open to the possibility of a friendship with him before, that was only because she thought he genuinely wanted to be her friend. Only now Izanami realised that he had sought her out on purpose and was never genuine with his intentions.
"Hello, Izana. I'm glad that you agreed to meet with me," Natsumi greeted her.
Izanami glared at him, "First of all, you can't call me that. Second of all, I only agreed to this to keep my parents off my back. That's all there is to this."
"I see that you're still as repulsed by the idea as you were before," Natsumi noted.
"My thoughts on the matter will never change, Natsumi. But my thoughts don't mean anything to my parents. They never have," Izanami stated.
"Fair enough," Natsumi grumbled. "Since we're probably going to end up getting married anyways, we might as well get to know each other."
"What's there to know?" Izanami snapped.
"Well, what do you enjoy doing? While you might find it hard to believe, I only want to make you happy, Izanami," Natsumi replied.
"If you really wanted me to be happy then you wouldn't have agreed to this arrangement," Izanami pointed out. "Why did you even agree to this arrangement? Surely there are other families out there with girls more suited to your type."
Natsumi shrugged, "My family has always been big on maintaining tradition and part of that tradition is expanding your success with other families. I've always known that an arranged marriage was in my future purely because nobody in my family ever married for love. They only ever married to fulfil their duties."
"Unlike you I actually want to marry someone that I want to spend the rest of my life with. Not someone that my parents assigned me to. But I guess that's not going to happen now," Izanami said.
"Let's just start getting to know each other," Natsumi suggested.
Izanami sighed, "I guess we might as well."
"So, tell me about yourself. Anything at all," Natsumi probed.
"You should know that I care more about the people I'm close with more than anyone else which includes myself. So if you think you can go through them then you'll have to get through me as well," Izanami proclaimed.
Natsumi nodded, "I like a girl who's protective of the people she cares about. You come across as the type that would rather die than let anything happen to those you care about which is an admirable trait to have."
"I've always cared about people. Even though my parents continue to mess with my life, I can't help but care about them," Izanami admitted.
"Do you think you could ever care about me?" Natsumi asked.
"I'm not sure. I think in time I could come to care about you but I could never care about you the way my parents want me to," Izanami replied.
"Tell me about your relationship with Princess Azula," Natsumi demanded.
Izanami raised her eyes, "What do you mean?"
"You know, how close you two are. How you met. What she means to you," Natsumi elaborated.
"Why would you want to know that?" Izanami questioned.
"Because I'm going to have to know the people in your life," Natsumi answered.
Izanami shrugged, "Azula is well… She's just Azula. I first met her when I was seven after my brothers first deployment. Our parents left us to our own devices at Ember Island before we eventually went our separate ways. Then when I was eleven my dad got transferred to the Royal Plaza so I ended up going to the Royal Fire Academy for Girls where I met Azula again. After that we stayed close, and have been close ever since. She's the only person that I've ever really called a best friend and she knows me better than anyone. Probably even better than I know myself."
"It seems like your parents have always had a strong influence over your life," Natsumi observed.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Izanami agreed. "If there's one thing that they've done right its introducing me to Azula. I can't imagine my life without her."
The rest of their conversation continued in an awkward silence as they started to really get to know each other. One thing that Izanami got from the conversation was that Natsumi wasn't as bad as she'd pegged him to be and that he was just as much of an involuntary participant as she was. This was something that they were both destined for since the beginning and it was certainly a destiny that they hadn't planned for, but one that they'd have to go through anyways.
A bit of a filler chapter, but you got to see some Azula/Izanami interaction. The possibility of Azula's arranged marriage came to me from the fact that Azula was actually going to have an arranged marriage in Book Three but the idea never went through. Next chapter is when the Fire Gang goes to the beach which should be fun to write with Izanami in it.