A/N: There are no words to describe how sorry I am for taking this long to finally write another chapter. I fully intend to finish this story, so please bear with me. On to the chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.
When the physician opened the door he was greeted with a strange sight. Despite the disturbing screams moments before, the scene before him was almost eerily serene. The princess lay still on the white sheets; her bandaged hands and arms being held loosely by servants at her sides. They glanced at him when he reentered the room but focused their attention back on their charge almost immediately when she began to moan. It sounded almost like she was attempting to speak; however, because of the severe damage to her face and mouth, she was completely unable to do so.
"Princess Azula." She stilled. "I am your physician Dr. Shu. I was summoned here by Fire Lord Ozai to care for you and assist in your rehabilitation." The heavily bandaged young woman on the bed struggled for a moment, attempting to free her arms from the servants grip. The doctor nodded to them and they released her. Once again she moaned, attempting to form words. Unable to do so she brought her bandaged hands to her face, seemingly attempting to removed the bandages over her face. Dr. Shu shook his head to the servants and they once again grasped her arms.
"Princess Azula, please relax." She struggled once again, moaning louder. He raised his voice slightly. "Fire Princess Azula!" He barked, instantly gaining her attention. She calmed and stilled. "You are injured and have very severe burns. You need time to rest and heal. Please do not fight us or your healing process will only slow." He took a quiet breath. "For now, my staff and I will limit our questions to a format that will only require a yes or no answer. Please nod gently if you understand what I am saying."
The well-bandaged head on the white pillow nodded slightly and the physician allowed a small, silent sigh of relief. For a moment he was afraid she had lost her sanity. "Very good Princess Azula. The Fire Lord has ordered the best care for you and my staff are ready and willing to assist you in…" the rest of Dr. Shu's sentence was lost in the chaos of the next few moments of time.
The previously relatively calm, heavily bandaged patient on the bed was very suddenly transformed into a screaming, shrieking, thrashing white creature with no regard to her personal safety.
It took the doctor's assistants and two guards to subdue to hysterical girl, until finally she passed out on her own and they all breathed a sigh of relief.
After some time, they had her burns treated and bandaged once again and the physician had spoken with the Fire Lord about the incident. Angry that the girl seemed to be out of her mind, and, if he were to admit it, slightly disturbed, Fire Lord Ozai commanded a special room be built off from the dungeons; a room specifically created to be sound proof.
They were ordered to build a bed, with neck, wrist, waist, and leg restraints designed to keep a patient still to maximum efficiency to be placed in the center of the room. During the construction process he instructed them to keep her in one of the cells to protect the palace. He ordered around the clock guards and servants, sworn to secrecy under threat of a violent death.
0o0o0o0o0o0
Zuko was beginning to go stir crazy. He appreciated the hospitality of the nice people who had allowed them to stay, but he was getting more and more restless by the day. For the first time in years he felt like his old self again, only better. He woke every morning with the sun, once again greeting the celestial body with the ages old katas he learned as a child.
This morning was no exception, and as he moved through the stances with only a small measure of the grace and strength he had once possessed Zuko lamented, not for the first time, the time spent unable to do the simplest of actions. His mind drifted to the one responsible for his salvation, she had given up so much for him, willingly and entirely without complaint.
How could he ever even come close to thanking her? Was a thank you even enough? How could he ever repay her?
The young firebender was so deep in thought he didn't even notice the older man standing nearby smiling gently. Iroh couldn't seem to stop smiling these days. It made an old man's heart glad to see his self-professed son gaining back some of what he had lost. He never grew tired of seeing the young man whole and active after so long. The old general was no fool though, he knew Zuko was anxious to be off, to be doing something. It was only a matter of time. He hoped he could keep the three of them together when the time came.
Finished with his morning ritual Zuko turned around and blinked in surprise. "When did you…" his voice trailed off. "Just a few minutes ago, my son. Your forms are looking better."
Nodding his thanks, the young firebender sat down on the large, flat stone he'd been using moments before and sighed heavily, dropping his head into his hands.
Concerned, his Uncle turned father moved to sit next to him, watching in silence as the sun's rays continued to brighten everything around them, waiting for him to speak.
"I owe her my life, and more, and I can't ever repay that debt. Besides, I hardly know what to say to her. I mean, she gave up eternity, literally forever, her bending, everything she's ever known, for me! She must hate me now! She has to be regretting it. I can see it, she's not happy, she tries to hide it but she's struggling and it just kills me!" He made a frustrated sound and jumped up from the stone and began to pace in front of Iroh.
Wisely, the old general kept silent and let the boy speak. "It's like the proverbial white elephant rhino in the room. I can't see around it, I can't talk past it and nothing else seems to exist." Pausing in his pacing a moment Zuko looked towards the house before shaking his head and resuming his pacing.
"If that wasn't enough, I feel like we should be moving, I'm on edge and I don't like it." Agitation fueling his movements, he slid smoothly from rapid pacing to rapid fire bending stances, falling back into his katas out of sheer frustration and a need to do something.
Iroh waited for the energetic young man to tire before he finally spoke. "I am grateful that you shared your thoughts with me, but should you not tell Umi instead? I believe it is she who would benefit most from your honesty." Zuko shook his head. "How can I? I must be a reminder of what she lost…" his voice trailed off as the wise old man in front of him stood and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Why not let her make that decision?" he said in a quiet voice; giving the young man's shoulder a squeeze before ambling off to find breakfast. He had no doubt that Zuko would do the right thing.
He pondered his adopted father's words for some time before thirst and hunger drove him to join the rest. It took him two days to find the courage to approach Umi. He hadn't meant to avoid her during that time, but he had done so, somehow, anyway, and he knew she had noticed. It only made it all the harder to actually walk up to her and speak when he finally did so.
She was spending time at a rain barrel when he slowly walked up to her.
"U..Umi I.." he stuttered ungracefully and cringed, mentally punching himself in the face and calling himself all kinds of a coward. Her head snapped up and she looked hesitantly at him. A tiny half smile graced the corner of her full lips as she replied "hi Zuko" she answered shyly before turning her attention back to the water in front of her.
Gathering his courage, he started again. "I wanted to..to talk to you… about something" he managed to get out. Her head snapped back up and her clear blue eyes sought his face questioningly but she didn't answer; she seemed to be waiting for him to continue.
"I'm so sorry, Umi!" he burst out before he could lose his nerve. "You don't deserve to be treated the way I've treated you, especially not after what you've done for me!" she seemed about to argue with him when he held up a hand to interrupt and shook his head. "Please let me finish or I don't think I'll get the courage to do this again."
He started talking again and this time the floodgates just seemed to open wide. He began to pace. "You're so sacrificing and kind and sweet, you've lost everything you've ever known and you never complain, you don't treat me any differently even though I'm the reason you lost it all! You should hate me Umi! I kind of wish you would, it would make it easier to handle!"
He meant to keep going until he saw her tears. His throat closed up around the words as twin tears created rivulets down her cheeks. She hugged herself as she spoke, seeming to try to hold herself together. This time he didn't hesitate, didn't second-guess himself, he just acted. Side-stepping the barrel neatly Zuko reached out and gathered the ancient-young woman into his arms. A small sob escaped her and her hands fell to her sides; he pulled her closer, one arm around her, the other hand cradling her head against next to his neck.
In moments her arms were around him, holding tightly as she wept her loss, her uncertainty, her confusion and her pain into his shoulder. He gently rubbed her back without saying a word as she cried. He should have done this weeks ago. This was his fault. Another black mark against him. This time though, this time he realized it wasn't all about him. This was about her, and for the first time he was learning to care about someone else.
It was there, by the water barrel with the lovely girl sobbing in his arms that Zuko realized, without a shadow of a doubt, that he loved Umi.
A/N: I did it! Oh, and, ZUKO'S IN LOOOVE! Er, well, at least, that is to say he finally figured it out, the slowpoke! That poor girl… Until next time!