Raki
They put me below deck and locked me in a cell. I had fought as hard as I could, but my arms and legs shook from bending and my mind still couldn't fathom what Azula had done. She had just killed them, with a flick of her hand she had stopped their hearts and burned them alive.
I knew now why people trembled at the sound of her name. I knew why they had locked her up with all those precautions. I knew why they had dumped her on this island. Nothing could contain that power, not even Azula could.
I settled back against the bars of the cage and closed my eyes, but all I could see was the flash of blue lightning and the crazed look in her eyes. I had never been afraid of anyone, not really at least, but I was afraid of her-of what she could do. I had never seen anything like that in my life.
Was she the same girl who had stayed by my side, waiting for me to wake, praying that I would provide companionship for her? Had she just been using me? The Azula I knew was gentle and scared. She flinched at contact sometimes, but would always lean into my touch. She had walked among the Koala Sheep and, with lithe and tender fingers, helped to heal the sick ones and deliver the lambs. Those fingers had nursed the chunks of wool into thread and woven that thread into blankets and shawls for us.
Yet those fingers had brought so much death and so much delight to their owner.
I am not blind, I saw how she smiled and laughed in their falling, in their writhing, in their screams of pain. Those hands that had so recently touched me, clutched at me, had single handedly caused more destruction than I would ever cause in my life. At that moment I saw clearly that she hadn't changed at all since her days as one of Ozai's Angels.
But when she crumpled to the ground, so wound up in her own despair that she barely noticed them dragging me away, I knew that she felt the weight of her sins. I would be lucky if she didn't kill herself before I got back.
The ship shook, waking me from my thoughts. I heard a rumble and the sound of metal pinging off of metal. Voices echoed above me, shouting. Feet pounding on the deck above me. Whatever caused the scuffle it was over quickly. Suddenly all was quiet. Whoever had attacked had won, I heard no more armored feet stomping on the metal floor over my head.
The door opened and a lithe figure hurried down the stairs. For a moment, I thought it was Azula. I shrunk back, not ready to accept her as she was.
"Raki!" She bounded up to me, long braid streaming out behind her.
"Ty Lee!" I rushed to the front of the cage, embracing her through the bars. I saw Mai and Aang rush into the room. With a click from Aang's air bending, the lock released and the door swung open. Aang hugged me and Mai just stood aside, smiling that faint smile of hers. "I knew you guys would come! I thought it would be sooner, but-" Ty Lee cut me off with a kiss.
"I thought you were dead." She whispered, tears shining in her big grey eyes. "Are you ok? The letter said there was an insane person on that island, he didn't hurt you did he?" Her hand brushed the few small burns I'd sustained from the battle.
"She didn't hurt me," I couldn't meet Ty Lee's eyes. Suddenly I could remember Azula's fingers on my skin. "Ty Lee, we need to talk." Her eyes glowed with understanding. Aang cleared his throat.
"Raki, as much I would for you and Ty Lee to catch up, this ship isn't really that safe. So… we should get going." Mai nodded in agreement.
"You can snog when we get home." She smiled gently. Aang stepped forward and touched one of the burns on my arm.
"We should get some water on that." He noted, turning my arm around in his hands. "What on earth happened? You look like you got sprayed by fire, but…" He looked up at me. "None of those guys were fire benders." I needed to tell them about Azula. And yet… She obviously wasn't safe.
"It was the other person there, she tried to prevent them from taking me." I said, my voice low and echoey in the metal chamber. "She lost control of her fire and it sprayed me."
"Is she still on the island?" Aang asked, concern making his brows furrow. "Should we rescue her?" I trembled and Ty Lee's arm snuck around my waist, one hand resting on my chest. She was safe, I was safe with Ty Lee.
"No, that girl isn't safe to be near normal people." The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. "She's too dangerous." All at once the guilt set upon me, crushing my chest. Ty Lee leaned her head on me and rubbed my back.
"Come on then, let's go home!" She said.
Aang healed my burns. Mai helped me onto the bison. Ty Lee huddled into my chest. But I looked back at the island, I couldn't forget what I had done there… what Azula had done. She would never forgive me. I was abandoning her like everyone else. I would come back for her someday, just not today. Someday when she was sane and perfect, able to trust without fear, and so gentle she'd never bend again.
I knew that day would never come. So, I leaned over and kissed Ty Lee on the lips, hard, like Azula liked it. Ty Lee's smile lit up my world.
I was never going back.