Chapter 2 of this story, I hope you love it
Remember, this story is a drama, not Fluff, it had to be a drama to seem logical, otherwise, you would think it's pointless romance.. or maybe it's just me.
Either way, the story needed to be logical for me to actually enjoy writing it and with this one, I enjoy it very much.
I hope you do too, and more awesome chapters to come in the near future.
Thank you and have a good read :)
Aang kept tossing and turning in bed, he couldn't sleep the whole night, Zuko's request really caught him off guard, the entire route to the firenation he thought Zuko summoned him to fix some problems with the rebels.
But summoning him to fix his sister? that's something he never thought the firelord would ask for, not in a million years.
First of all, because Aang never thought Zuko still considers Azula his sister, The firelord literally begged Aang to save his sister, Aang was most shocked by the display of emotions, Zuko never begged him to do anything, but this time, he really seemed to desperate for help, and for whom? for the person who was most eager to kill him during the war, and who was most eager to kill Aang as well, probably she still have that notion in mind, how's Aang going to heal someone if that someone is trying to kill him?
That was the right question, it wasn't just the fact that Aang wasn't mentally prepared to heal anyone, it was that he was still afraid of Azula, the princess of the firenation was the only one that actually killed the avatar, that lightening she unleashed on Aang could have ended the cycle of the avatar forever if it wasn't for Katara, it was unimaginable for Aang to even deal with Azula again, let alone try to heal her. Aang thought about running away, just take Appa in the middle of the night, leave a note to Zuko apologizing for the behavior and just run away from this.. which he actually did.
Aang pulled off the blanket that was covering him on the bed, took his luggage and made his way to the stables, he looked for Appa and he found him sleeping soundly, he assumed Momo was sleeping on top of the saddle as well, he scratched Appa's head to wake him up, and indeed the boy did just so. Appa groaned as he woke up, and Aang shushed him quickly, "No, Appa.. Shush, we have to do this quietly." Aang whispered.
The Avatar started climbing to the saddle, and as soon as he got to the top of the saddle he was met with a voice that said, "Leaving so soon?"
The Avatar screamed in shock and fell on his back from the top of the saddle, the person that was waiting for him in the saddle peeked from the top and Aang looked at her, it was The Firelord's girlfriend, Mai.
"Mai? What are you doing here?" Aang asked.
"I just wanted to make sure you are kept in check, your history of running away left me no choice." Mai said as she climbed down from the saddle and stood beside Aang.
Aang was genuinely hurt by Mai's words, "Ouch." He voiced out as he was still on the ground.
Mai felt bad for hurting the boy's feelings, she knew he didn't owe them anything, she was just desperate to help Zuko get some sleep, but that doesn't mean she should hurt other people to do so, so she extended a hand to help Aang up, and the avatar gladly took it.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to sound like that.. it's just.." Mai was silent for a moment, and Aang was in dire anticipation of her next words, "I want to help Zuko be at peace, he should be happy that this war is over and that he became Firelord, and yet he's still unhappy, it's bothered me for the longest time and so when I realized that it was this Azula matter that bugged him the most, I made it my sole purpose to try and fix it, so he suggested contacting you and I told him to go for it, if Zuko thinks you are the only one that could fix this, then you can never leave until you do, you are the only hope I have to get him to sleep soundly again, and I'd never let you go that easily." Mai said firmly, it was the most emotions Aang has ever seen her display, which is something that both amazed and terrified him.
"Why do you think I'm capable of fixing Azula?" Aang asked.
Mai sighed, "Aang.. Azula isn't hurt physically, she's hurt mentally and spiritually, she's not herself anymore, not that we want her to return to her former self, but we want her to become whole again, nobody knows about spirituality more than you, you are the avatar, the bridge between the two worlds, and you are the only living airbender, which were people known for their peaceful minds and ability to adapt to any situation." Mai said.
"It's all just words in books, I bet the books never mentioned that airbenders travelled in packs across the globe to keep away of any issues that could disturb their peace, you know what else? we were also taught to detach ourselves from the world so our spirits could be free, we've never used our peaceful nature to play mental healers, we've only used it to achieve peace for ourselves." Aang blurted out.
Mai wasn't shocked at all, "I know that, it's all written in the books.. but I also mentioned that you are the avatar, you are the balance, Aang.. the fact that you spared Firelord Ozai's life and sought another way to restore balance to the world was most remarkable, the fact that you forgave our nation for what they did to your people.. all that.. it gave away your true nature, you're not just a person who could only be identified as an airbender, you are a person worthy to be called avatar, because you balance your peaceful nature with your care for the world. What makes me think you are capable of healing Azula you are the only one that could heal her! you are PERFECT for Azula, Aang.. PERFECT." Mai finished.
Aang truly amazed by Mai's choice of words, he almost broke at her words, but he remembered one thing, he looked at the ground sadly as he said,
"I'm not who I used to be.. I need spiritual healing myself.. the fact that I've been living for two years without any friends around, not even Katara and Sokka, it made me think seriously of detaching myself from the world and just live with myself.." Aang's eyes teared up as he kept looking at the ground,
"it hurts to think that I could die alone, with no one beside me for comfort." Aang said, as a single tear slid down his cheek, he immediately wiped it away with his hand, and smiled sadly as he looked at Mai and said, "Sorry."
Mai felt really bad for the youngman, he didn't deserve any of this, "No, it's okay." she said as she brought out a tissue and gave it to Aang.
"Thanks." Aang said as he used the tissue to wipe his face of any tears.
"So, Zuko was right then." Mai said all of a sudden.
the statement startled Aang, "What?"
Mai smiled at Aang as she said, "this is truly a break from all of this, you're sad because you don't deal with people that you could call friends anymore, this new mission that we assigned for you could solve this for you.. if you succeeded with Azula, you could definitely call her a friend, and not just a friend, you would be the one that fixed her, you deserve a break from all the fighting and the bending and the politics.. Spirits! don't we all need a break from politics?!" Mai said desperately, which made Aang chuckle and nod despite the sadness,
Mai then continued, "Azula doesn't need a healer, she needs someone she could call a friend, you do too.. maybe you are both meant for each other, you are both destined to heal one another, you'll give each other second chances." Mai said.
Aang considered it for a while, but then he said, "I'm destined to find a friend in the person who murdered me?" He asked.
"Well, when you put it that way.." Mai said in agreement, but she continued, "But as I said, your forgiving nature will get the better of you, it got the better of you when it came to Ozai and Zuko.. it'll get the better of you when it comes to Azula too.. believe me, Aang.. you need not fear Azula.. inside the rough exterior is a frightened little girl desperate to get out.. you've sworn to bring this world to peace.. Azula is part of this world.. Please, help her.. for Zuko." Mai pleaded as well.
What Mai said seriously moved Aang, if what Zuko said put the idea in his head, what Mai said seriously convinced him, she sounded so genuine, Aang knew it wasn't just Zuko that she wanted Azula fixed for, she wanted to fix Azula for herself as well, they were once great friends, it's hard to forget something like that.
Aang sighed, he thought for some time, he mulled it over, but eventually he smiled as he looked at Mai and said, "You are right.. maybe that's what I really need. I'll try my best with her, I promise, first thing in the morning, we'll go to the asylum together." Aang said.
Mai's smile widened and she ran to Aang and hugged him, "Thank you, Aang." She said, as she broke the hug after seven seconds this time instead of her usual three.
"Wow.. that took longer than usual." Aang said, smirking.
"Shut up." Mai said, as she returned to her deadpan state.
"Yes, M'am." Aang said as the smirk was immediately wiped out of his face, Mai could be really terrifying at times.
They both returned to bed, and Aang found a new purpose to his quest, Mai helped him rethink the whole situation and find a new meaning to this which is something he never thought would be possible, he never thought there could be something gained of this whole Azula dilemma, but Mai made him realize that he can seriously achieve the peace he deeply desired from this whole thing, he was determined to carry on his promise for Zuko, Mai and himself and he slept on it.
The next day, he woke up and prepared himself for the upcoming meeting, he went to Zuko's office and waited for the firelord there, The Firelord arrived with his girlfriend, Mai, and the entire party moved from the palace to the asylum where Azula was being held.
They arrived at the caldera city asylum, the management told them that they have a lot of sections within the asylum, one for the mildly troubled and one for the most troubled, as anybody would assume, Azula wasn't kept in the mildly troubled section, so they walk deeper into the asylum in the underground. They finally made it to Azula's cell, she was there, sitting on the bench, her hair all messy, she was tied to the wall and wrapped with something that looked like a blanket which was covered in leather straps to keep her from moving or doing any sudden moves.
Aang felt sorry for her, as she was awake but staring into nothing, and giving her back to them.
"Azula, it's me." Zuko said. Azula's entire body tensed up, and she immediately turned around to look at them, Aang was even more disturbed by the look on her face, she looked seriously tired, the bags under her eyes, the thin cheeks, the strands of white hair, she seriously looked like an old man, when in fact she was just 17 years old, it was most painful to see her that way, not something you would want for your worst enemies.
Suddenly her face turned to that of a menacing smile, "My dear brother, Firelord Zuko has decided to visit me in my humble prison cell, Am I not the luckiest girl in the world?" Azula said, and then she noticed his company,
"Oh look! it's my former best friend, Mai! how's it going, old friend? I see treachery agrees with you.." she said, and then she turned her face to the man of the hour, Aang was terrified to say the least as Azula looked at him, Azula's smile was wiped off her face as soon as she saw him,
"The Avatar is here too.. I think I know what this is about." Azula said, Aang was confused by this, so Azula continued, "You've come to take away my bending too, is that it? you've come to take away the only thing that's giving me hope in life.. No! No, you won't! Let go of me!" Azula shouted as she kept struggling to take her chains off, she tried to breath out fire but she was too tired to get her bending working, tears kept sliding down her cheeks.
"Azula, Stop! We're not here to take away your bending! Stop!" Mai shouted at her.
"I don't believe you! Let go of me! I know the avatar wouldn't come all this way for nothing, You've become worse than father, Zuko! You've become worse! Let go of me!" Azula kept struggling so hard until a breath of fire escaped her mouth, but that was it, it terrified Aang, but it was nothing compared to the amount of fire she used to unleash on him.
Aang breathed deeply and mastered up the courage to get closer to the cell, he crouched beside it and looked at Azula, Zuko tried to stop him but Mai held him, she gave the firelord a meaningful look which he immediately understood and just kept looking at what Aang was going to do.
Meanwhile Azula was still freaking out, all the while Aang was looking at her, suddenly he decided to speak up, "I'm not here to hurt you, Princess.. I'm here to help you." Aang said.
The soothing words of Aang eased her up a bit, Azula stopped struggling and looked at Aang as one word stuck in her mind, "Princess?" Azula asked, as she looked shocked that Aang said that.
Aang got his opening, he knew how to get Azula's attention, and so he gave it his best shot, "No matter what happens, you are the princess of the firenation, nothing and no one could ever change that." Aang said.
Azula almost teared up, "I am Princess?"
"Yes, you are.. I'm here to help you, I'm here to get you out of this cell, not to take away your bending, but because your brother Zuko asked me to help you, no matter what happened between the both of you, he still loves you and cares for you, and so he summoned me to try and get you to feel better, so you could get back to being a princess." Aang finished.
Azula looked at him for a moment, and then she broke out laughing, Aang knew right then and there that his plan failed, Azula was aware of his attempts, she wasn't completely out of it, she was just toying with him.
"You really thought I'm that naive? Zuzu would never want me back on the throne with him, he just wants me out of the picture, he thinks fixing would stop my attempts from getting back to my throne, But I swear to you Oh Powerful Firelord.. I'll never stop until I get back to my throne."
Aang knew for sure that his attempts were in vain, he stood up and looked at Mai and Zuko.
Zuko looked at Azula and started to speak, "You're wrong, Azula! I don't care about the throne, you can have it for all I care, but you're not fit to be firelord, you need to be fixed first, you need to have a peaceful mind, and then you can have the throne all you want." Zuko said.
Azula was intrigued, "What are you trying to say?" She asked.
"What I'm saying is, if you give Aang a chance to fix you, and we see the proper results that we're expecting of you, I'll step down as Firelord and declare you the new leader of this nation." Zuko decided.
Mai and Aang were shocked to say the least, "Zuko, what are you doing? that's not what we agreed on." Mai said.
Aang gripped Zuko tightly and took him to the side and said, "That's not for you to decide." The Avatar said angrily.
"It is for me to decide when to step down, my sister is more important to me than a stupid throne, if that's the price I have to pay, then so be it." Zuko responded as he yanked himself free from Aang's grip, and returned to look at Azula.
"Swear to me, big brother. not just normal swearing, I want you to swear on our dear mother." Azula said with a smile.
Zuko wanted to stop all this right at that very moment, he thought for a second, he shut his eyes and said,
"I swear on my mother that if you agreed to let Aang help you, I'll step down as Firelord and declare you the new firelord of this nation." Zuko swore, his breath shaking as soon as he finished, he opened his eyes to see the shock on Azula's face.
Azula then wiped the shock off her face, and replaced it with a smile, "Now that's a reward.. Okay, brother, I can bear a couple of days with the avatar if it means getting me out of this cell and making me Firelord, when do we start?"
Aang and Mai were still shocked by what Zuko did, and so the firelord had to answer himself, "You'll start tomorrow.. and remember, Azula.. I won't carry on with my promise until I see results, so you better be good and you better listen to the avatar, I wish you the best, sister." Zuko said, he turned around and made his way to the door to leave.
"Don't worry, big brother! I swear I'll be good." Azula shouted behind Zuko with a smirk on her face.
Aang and Mai kept looking at him and then at each other, their feelings mirrored, Mai broke out of it first, and followed Zuko to the door, Aang took his leave as well, but he stopped dead in his tracks as soon as Azula spoke up.
"I hope you followed their example and you don't hold grudges against me anymore, I may have struck you with lightening and brought you down, but from what I can see, you're still safe and sound so we're all good." Azula said.
Aang looked at her, he wanted to take it all out on her, all his anger and frustration with the entire situation, but he remembered the quest, he remembered that he's doing for Zuko and Mai, he faked a smile and said, "Yeah, all good.. no hard feelings."
He then took his leave to catch up with Zuko and Mai, this is going his hardest task yet, yet again something he never asked for, but then again when has he ever gotten what he wanted?
I hope you enjoyed this one
and stay tuned for more chapters to come in the near future :)