Blood collected around the sink as she scrubbed her hands clean. Her knuckles had turned light purple; hands riddled with small cuts. Azula removed all the dirt and blood before carefully wrapping bandages from her knuckles to her wrists. She looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. She was alone, no dark figures. Her messy hair was now fixed back into a bun. Her face had returned to being calm and collected,
"Better," Azula sighed as she quietly stepped into the hallway. There were still murmurs coming from Zuko and her mother downstairs. It was hard to tell what they were saying but Ursa had seemingly calmed down. She heard someone get up as she slid back into her room. Azula expected to come back and see her room in shambles, just like she left it. Boxes scattered over the floor; her covers torn from her bed, but instead she saw that nothing was out of place.
Everything was perfect. Her moving boxes were still neatly stacked against the wall. They were taped shut proving they hadn't been tampered with. Covers were tucked tightly into her bed. The floor was clear of junk,
"What-?" Azula mumbled, searching around her room. Double checking every nook and cranny. Trying to find any evidence of what had happened, "Th- this isn't-"
She spun around trying to compose herself as she heard footsteps climb up the stairs. Maybe she had picked everything up and just didn't remember it? It didn't make anysense. As embarrassing as it might be to admit Azula clearly remembered ripping her room to shreds, but looked like that never happened.
"Azula?" She heard her brother say as he knocked on the door. Azula jumped slightly, looking herself dead in the mirror, she looked tired. Maybe she had just fallen asleep against her door and dreamt it?, "Azula, can we just talk please?"
"What do you want Zuko?" Azula sighed, refusing to open her door,
"I- are you okay?" He asked. He actually sounded worried about her for once. That couldn't be right,
"I'm fine Zuzu," She replied, "Go away."
"Listen- Mom really wants you to come down to dinner," He said, ignoring her request, "I calmed her down, she's not mad anymore. I promise."
"So? Why would I care if mom is mad at me," She said, biting the inside of her cheek,
"Do you have to be so complicated," Zuko groaned. She could hear his head fall against her door, "Please? I'll owe you one, okay?"
"Fine," Azula sighed, finally opening her door. A smirk printed on her face, "You're going to regret owning me you know."
"Yeah yeah," Zuko sighed, smiling slightly in relief to see his sister appearing to be perfectly fine despite what had happened earlier. He turned, gesturing to her to follow, as he started to make his way back downstairs, "I know."
Azula's smirk quickly faded as she looked over her room once more before following her brother downstairs. She knew there had to be some logical explanation.
Ursa had already set the food on the dining table by the time they arrived downstairs. She was standing over the table looking at them. It seemed she was surprised at Azula's attendance, but she didn't seem upset. Maybe Zuko wasn't lying about her not being angry anymore?
"Smells great mom," Zuko smiled as he sat down, "Thank you."
"You're too sweet Zuko," Her mother smiled back at him before glancing at her daughter, "T-thank you for joining us Azula."
Azula didn't respond, instead she elected to sit as far from the both of them as she could. Just because she came downstairs doesn't mean she was interested in playing fake family.
They all sat in silence for a while. It was surprising to Azula that Ursa and Zuko didn't partake in their normal mother son talk. Her mother usually idolized everything he did as soon as she got the chance. Instead they just ate their food quietly. Azula could feel her mother's eyes on her but she didn't turn to return the gaze. The faster she finished her food, the faster she could excuse herself.
"Azula," Her mother finally said. She sounded nervous. Again Azula didn't respond. This time however, her mother continued her thought, "I want you to know that I am still very disappointed in you, but I don't want to fight about this anymore."
When isn't she disappointed in me? Azula thought. She always did something to upset her mother, even if she wasn't trying too. She remembered when Katara and her would fight as kids. Even if Katara had been the one to start it, which she usually was, Ursa always found a way to make it Azula's fault. That was one of the reasons her mother and father fought a lot, because of her,
"Zuko and I will be watching you carefully from now on, and you are also grounded." Ursa finally finished, trying to sound as confident as she could,
"Grounded meaning I don't get to leave my room?" Azula sighed sarcastically, "Tragic."
"Grounded meaning you don't get to get rides home from your friends anymore!" Ursa spoke up, "Zuko or I will pick you up and one of us will be watching you at home at all times! Zuko will also be watching you at school to keep you out of trouble, since you clearly can't control yourself."
Azula rolled her eyes, resting her head against her hand, "Is that all?"
"Yes," Ursa nodded, "Until we can trust you, this is how things will just have to be Azula."
"Right so, forever then?" Azula snickered, standing up from the table,
"This isn't a joke Azula!" Ursa said, raising her voice,
"Yeah yeah whatever, I'm grounded Boo Hoo," Azula said waving her hand in her mother's direction, "If there's nothing else I'm going to bed,"
"When you wake up tomorrow I expect a better attitude." Her mother insisted. Zuko continued to sit there silently, not even looking over to his sister as she walked back upstairs and into her room.
She sighed as she fell onto her bed. So her mother demands her daughter turn into someone she's not, how surprising. It's not like it would matter once father came back.
Azula stared at her ceiling. It was obvious that something was wrong. Chan's father had dared to threaten her, declared her not a threat. He wouldn't say something that stupid unless maybe her father really did flee the country, but why? Why would he leave her behind? He always said he needed her, that she was important. Which she was, of course.
Ozai wasn't going to come and help her anytime soon. Maybe she would need to help him? How though, she was stuck here. She barely had anything to go off of. If only she was able to finish packing up her old room. The cops had been watching her the whole time, meaning she had to leave everything actually important at her father's house.
Azula sat up on her bed and stared out the window, it was dark outside. She wondered how much of what she could remember actually happened. Did Sokka actually ask her for help? Seems unlike him. He never liked having her win, but she supposed there was only one way to find out for sure. It's not like she planned to listen to her mother anyway.
She threw on a black hoodie before checking outside her room to assure her annoying family members were still downstairs. Azula made sure to shut her room light off so they would assume she was already asleep. She grabbed her backpack before climbing out her window, standing atop her roof. She hadn't done this in years. Just standing there in the cold night air brought back memories. Sneaking over to Sokka's house every night and playing video games with him. Always making sure her father never found out just exactly how much time she spent hanging around the neighbor boy. Surely he would've killed her had he known.
Azula carefully leaped over the fence that divided the two houses, landing firmly on the roof just outside his window. His current was drawn but she could see the lights were on. She took a deep breath as she knocked on his window. Hoping that he actually did talk to her and she wasn't completely insane. Of course she was still crazy for even coming over to his house again, but that's besides the point.
She could hear rustling from inside his room before he quickly appeared in the window,
"I didn't think you'd actually show up," He smirked as he opened up his window,
"How could I resist telling you how stupid you are," She smirked back. Pushing him out of the way and climbing inside his room,
"Wow, how could you be so rude," Sokka sighed dramatically, "After everything you've done! And now ontop of that, calling me stupid!"
"Stop being dramatic, you're acting like Zuzu," She chuckled. Her arms crossed as she looked around his room. It was a lot different from the last time she saw it. Less childish and more organized. However she could still see his favorite action figures displayed proudly on his shelves. He was such a nerd,
"Wow you still know how to laugh?" Sokka gasped, "I thought your dad dragged that out of you, along with the rest of your heart,"
"Ha Ha," Azula said, rolling her eyes, "As if I ever had one to begin with,"
"Edgy much?" He questioned, leaning in towards her. She looked up to him, making their eyes lock onto each other, "Thought you were better than that."
"Whatever," She said pushing away from him, setting her backpack on his desk, "What homework do you need help with so I can get out of your filthy room already."
"What! My room isn't filthy!" Sokka exclaimed, throwing his arms up into the air. He followed her with his eyes only to find her with her arms crossed with her eyebrow raised towards him, "I just cleaned it!"
"Trying to impress me?" She smirked,
"Wouldn't you like that," He sighed, as he walked over to the desk and started rummaging through his backpack, "Here it is."
Azula snatched the papers from his hands and looked over them carefully, "So what exactly do you need help on?"
"Uh well-" He started trying to think of a good answer. Obviously he didn't need any actual help, he wasn't that stupid. Before he could think of something he heard a knock on his door,
"Sokka, mom wanted you to know-" Katara started as she walked into his room. Of course she never cared about respecting her older brother's privacy, why would she? Sokka gulped nervously as his little sister set her eyes on Azula, "What are you doing here?"
"Katara- it's not what you think I swear," Sokka quickly defended, pulling his sister into the room and closing the door behind them,
"I don't care! You know you're not allowed to have girls in your room!" Katara argued, her eyes going back and forth between her brother and their old friend, "Especially not after you got caught-"
"Yeah, okay I get it! No need to go into details," Sokka said, his face growing red with embarrassment, "She's just here because I needed help with my homework, okay?"
"Since when? And why ask her!" Katara said, pointing at Azula who just awkwardly backed towards the window,
"I just do, and she already said she would help me." He insisted,
"She did?" Katara questioned, turning towards Azula, "You did?"
"As a joke," Azula sighed,
"But you're still here-" Katara started, glaring at her,
"To make fun of him," Azula replied quickly,
"Katara really, nothings going on," Sokka said, grabbing his sister's shoulders and looking into her eyes, "I just need help with one question okay?"
"Fine," Katara sighed, "But if she's still here in ten minutes I'm telling mom and dad."
"Deal," Sokka nodded, before shoving his sister out of his room. Not letting her say anything else. He was lucky no one had told her what happened at school today yet. If she knew she would be throwing Azula out the window herself. Worried that Azula would hurt her older brother if he ended up saying the wrong thing. Sokka shut his door and turned back towards Azula, "Sorry,"
"No girls allowed huh?" She questioned, looking back down to his homework,
"It's a long story," He insisted, "Trust me you really don't want to know."
"What if I did?" She asked, not looking up to him,
"What?" He said, shocked,
"Not that I do of course," She insisted, "But it's hard to believe any girl would actually want to- ya'know, with you."
"It's not hard to believe at all!" Sokka said, his face growing red again,
"Sure, If you say so Sokka," Azula smirked, finally looking up at him. He was always too easy to tease, "Now can you finally tell me which question you need help on?"
"Right- Uh," Sokka looked over the homework and quickly pointed to a random spot on the page. Receiving an odd look from Azula, "That one,"
"Sokka that's where your name goes," Azula glared, "You're not that stupid- wait are you?"
"No! I'm not!" Sokka insisted, ripping the papers from her, "I just- was uh- pointing to the wrong thing."
"Jesus you go even worse at lying." Azuka sighed,
"Like that's a bad thing?" Sokka pouted,
"What do you actually want?" Azula glared, placing her hands no her hips, "You're wasting my time,"
"Okay fine, you win." Sokka said, "I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I know we're not friends or whatever, but still-"
Azula rolled her eyes before quickly turning towards his window and trying to climb out. Sokka was fast to grab her arm and pull her back, "Azula wait,"
"I told you I was fine! I don't need you pretending to care just because you pity me!" Azula glared, ripping her arm away from him,
"I wasn't pretending-" He started,
"Oh sure," Azula sighed, looking away from him
"No really!" He said, quickly moving in front of her, "Zula, just because I'm mad at you doesn't mean I'm not worried about you."
"Stop calling me that," She said, a tint of red showing on her cheeks,
"Nope," He smirked, leaning down to her, "I thought you said you liked it when I called you that?"
"Yeah when I was 13!" She glared turning back to him, his face was right in front of her own. Azula could feel her face heat up, she hated it. He was standing there smirking while he stared into her eyes. How was she supposed to come up with a better retort while he was staring at her like that?
"Zula?" He questioned due to her lack of response, looking at her with concerned eyes,
"Since you don't need me I will be going home," Azula said picking up her backpack,
"Wait-" He started,
"Don't!" Azula said as she climbed out the window. Not even giving him a chance to react this time. She quickly slid down his roof, jumping back over to her own. Her face was still red when she landed in her bedroom. She threw her backpack onto her desk chair and face planted right onto her bed.
That's it, I'm finding father. Before this gets any worse, she thought.