A/N: I was planning to update this on Friday after my presentation was out of the way, but I've been feeling down lately and needed a distraction, so guess you can thank my low mood for this update.
Anyway, I really appreciated your responses on the last chapter, got a bunch of 'yikes' and 'ouches' from you all which made me realise I put you all through a rollercoaster more than I realised XD This chapter is angsty, but I don't think it's as much as the last one, so you can have a semi-rest this chapter. I hope you enjoy it regardless.
Next Day:
Azula's POV:
I yawn from my perched position on top of one of the large containers as I watch dozens of men slowly work on building our tools of war.
When I turn my attention to the airbender, I find that he's working harder and faster than I anticipated for someone who's supposedly a pacifist as he switches between drilling and electrically wiring the tanks as two men keep their guns trained on him. Of course, there's still a guard standing outside of the waterbender's cell with permission to shoot if he tries anything, but I suppose the fright he had yesterday has him determined to avoid a repeat of such an incident.
I wrinkle my nose as I recall how Yon Rha blatantly disregarded my orders of not harming either of our prisoners. 'If father didn't regard the man so highly, he'd have paid more dearly for his disobedience.'
I sigh as I cross one leg over my knee in boredom. 'Preparing for war is so much duller than actually fighting.' I think to myself as I gaze at the young airbender once more. My eyes rake over the way he winces every now and again and it makes me wonder if Yon Rha had got to him too. 'Not that I care, but it would affect his effectiveness.'
I cluck my tongue in thought. 'Perhaps, the waterbender is a healer and would be able to help him if she actually had some water. However, I'm not foolish enough to assume she wouldn't try to attack. Although perhaps it might be worth goading the girl for my own personal enjoyment.' I think with a sly smirk as I jump down from the metal container.
However, I don't take more than two steps before my phone starts to ring. With an annoyed grunt, I glance at the device only to find my brother's name. I quirk an eyebrow curiously, as I answer.
"Why Zuzu, what an unexpected surprise. I can't seem to recall the last time you called me." I drawl out in boredom.
"What the heck Azula?! Why have I opened the news to find out that the councilman's daughter has been kidnapped?" Zuko rants down the phone. I'd almost be amused if I wasn't concerned about the sudden turn of events.
"What makes you think that was me?" I cut straight to the point. A loud grunt echoes through the line.
"Because the news leaked the name of the so-called gang behind it. Why would you even take her? She's got nothing to do with this." My brother bites, sounding like he cares a little bit more than he should, but the rigidity around my shoulders ease at the news regardless. A gang name was a genius idea on Father's part. Nothing to link back to us unless they knew what the triple Z stood for.
"I take it you're keeping your mouth shut?" I probe offhandedly. There's a long pause on the other end of the receiver. My eyelid twitches at the silence. "Zuko!" I snap.
"Of course I haven't told anyone. But you haven't answered my question. Why did you take her?" My supposedly dumb brother whispers in a hush. I purse my lips for a moment.
"She wasn't the target and got in the way is all." I mutter, but the man is already taking a sharp breath.
"You...took Aang? You said we were going to find the Avatar first! The police are probably swarming the surrounding area for her." Zuko hisses, but I simply click my tongue at his naivety.
"On my part I actually did try to keep that promise." I start, ignoring the snort coming from the other end as I continue. "But what can you do when the boy hands himself over and reveals that he's the Avatar? He brought it on himself." I state with a wave of my hand, getting ready to end the conversation. Silence greets me for a whole minute before the older boy speaks up.
"No. He would've told me." Zuko grits back finally. I roll my eyes at his childish belief.
"Sure he would've, because the two of you are such great friends." I drawl out. I can sense a retort is on the tip of his tongue at the throaty sound that escapes his mouth.
"What are you going to do with him?" He questions in the end.
"Not me. Father. Anyway, see you around." I say before hanging up, not in the mood to hear him moping when he realises how his bid to find the Avatar to restore our father's love for him was all but a pointless game. A game that he lost.
I shake my head, almost pitying him as I stroll past our minions and tanks. I pause a few paces away from the airbender just as he hunches forward and clasps his knee with one hand, while the other clutches his side. I roll my eyes and approach the boy.
"Being lazy won't keep your peasant girl safe." I point out breezily. I watch in amusement as the Avatar stiffens up at my words before lifting his head from its bowed position, but otherwise he remains in his hunched posture.
"Neither will keeping her here." I hear him mutter and almost chortle at his flippant response.
"Arguing won't change anything." I retort smugly. The boy's shoulders fall before he straightens himself, but no sooner than he does so, he sways slightly. His arm shoots out to steady himself against one of the unfinished machinery as he closes his eyes briefly. I furrow my eyebrows at the pitiful display.
"Not used to this much work Avatar? And here I thought you were supposed to be all powerful." I jeer, but the airbender barely flinches as he re-opens his eyes.
"No one is all powerful." He voices firmly, but it's hard to take him seriously when the sheen of sweat on his forehead shimmers in the light. I'm just about to throw back a haughty quip when I notice the way he clenches his hand more tightly around his side. In two quick steps, I'm pulling his arm up in the air and hiking the edge of his top up to find out what has the boy in such a pathetic state.
"Hey!" He shouts, but I ignore him and turn my attention to his pale abdomen. I receive my answer less than a second later as I stare at the horrid looking burn. And if I didn't know any better, I'd say it looked infected.
"Yon Rha." I growl under my breath. 'That lying piece of ash, he said he didn't touch the Avatar.' I curse silently as I release my hold on the boy.
"It wasn't him!" Aang protests, surprising me. I lean back and cross my arms.
"Your need to protect those that hurt you is quite honestly sad." I sneer, but the boy continues shaking his head.
"I was bleeding so I cauterized the wound with firebending." The airbender insists. I blink twice at those words and drop one hand to my hip.
"You do realise that's a foolish thing to do. Infections can be just as deadly as the wound themselves." I patronise, but instead of the annoyance I expected on his face. He just smiles.
"It almost sounds like you care." He jokes as slight mirth dances across his eyes. I growl and snap out a hand to grab him by the collar, pulling him up several inches off the ground.
"Don't forget your place airbender. You're lucky I even think it's worth my while to pity you " I snarl while tightening my grip around his neck. I watch as he jerks his head up in a nod, before I drop him. He doesn't tumble to the floor as I expected. Instead, he uses his bending to land lightly on the ground, but his stance is so obviously crooked from what I imagine is either the pain or the infection. I shake my head and kick a pile of nearby blank papers in his direction.
"That's enough of on-site engineering. Go and continue with those battle strategy plans." I order, not bothering to watch him leave as I spin on my heels.
"Why did you do it?" His words has me pausing as I straighten my back, not turning to face him.
"You'll have to be a bit more specific than that." I reply bluntly.
"Why did you punish Yon Rha for hurting Katara? You don't even like her." Aang asks quietly, but his question still pierces through the air. I turn my head to the right, allowing him to see the side of my face as I answer.
"Because I wanted to. And because I can." I say elusively with a confident smirk before sauntering away. I click my fingers at a nearby guard and motion for him to escort the Avatar back to his cell.
I can't help but glance back over to the boy as he's being led away. He twists his head to look at me where a look of confusion is etched on his face. But there's something else in his features that has me reeling. An expression of gratitude.
I jerk my head away from him with a scowl, annoyed at the feelings that he's making me experience. 'I didn't do it for him and I certainly didn't do it for the peasant. I did it for me. I enjoy asserting my dominance.' I growl to myself, but for some reason it feels that I'm only trying to convince myself. I shake my head and storm off to the training room as an unwelcome memory arises unbidden in my mind.
9 Years ago:
"She's just like you." I hear my mother mutter to my father in contempt as I crouch hidden behind a curtain to eavesdrop.
"Why does that sound like a bad thing?" Father hisses back to her.
"Because it is. Her lack of empathy and enjoyment of other people's suffering is wrong. You should know better than to instil those attributes into your daughter." Ursa argues, prompting the man to narrow his eyes at his wife.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Did you want her to be more like our weak, pathetic son?" Ozai sneers as Mother crosses her arms rigidly over her chest.
"If you call kindness weak, then I'd far prefer Azula to have some than not." My Mother retorts. I clench my tiny hands so tightly that they start shaking in a mixture of fury and hurt.
"If you're angry that our daughter is more like me, then you only have yourself to blame." Father jeers as a glint of twisted enjoyment enters his fiery orbs.
"What are you implying?" Ursa demands sharply as Father leans back into his chair.
"She's like this because you give all your attention to your precious boy." Ozai replies wickedly as he glances towards my hiding place. I swallow and watch as Mother's lips part in shock.
"I...Zuko needs me more. You know how he struggles with school. But Azula's perfectly capable of flying through all that." Ursa protests, but even to the ears of a child, the excuse falls flat.
"Don't fool yourself dear. You've always been scared of your own daughter, ever since that incident with the other kids." Father reminds with a wave of his hand. Mother dips her head.
"What parent wouldn't be scared when their own daughter nearly kills another student?" I hear her whisper. "Children aren't born as monsters." She murmurs with an obvious ache.
Bile rises up my throat as I slowly back away. In a rare moment of incoordination, I bump into a nearby plant vase which totters loudly before steadying. But it's too late. I've been spotted. As soon as Mother's eyes fall on me, the colour from her face pales.
"I..." She starts, but the words get lost in her mouth and I don't wait till she finds them as I bolt out of the room. "Azula wait!" I hear her shout, but I don't stop.
My heart thuds against my ribcage at the knowledge of what my Mother truly thinks of me. 'A monster. No wonder why she spends more time with Zuzu. He's her perfect little angel and I'm the devil. A thorn in her side. She probably wishes I was never born.' A pained whine akin to that of a wounded animal escapes me as I continue running until my lungs burn for oxygen. I fall to my knees when my legs can't move any further.
"Mother, all I've ever wanted was for you to love me like Zuko." I whisper as something pricks my eyes.
Present Day:
I growl and punch a nearby wall. 'You saw me as the monster Mother. Well, that's exactly what I'll be.' I think maliciously as I shove open the doors to the training room with the intention of hitting the punching bag into oblivion. But a familiar head of black hair catches my eye. 'Speaking of Mother's pride and joy, here he is.'
Zuko's POV:
No one spares me a second glance as I weave through the gang members and their machinery. I keep a cautious eye out for either my father or sister, knowing hell will break loose if I bumped into the former. 'The only way I could've found this address was if I went into his office…without his permission.' I swallow and continue walking through the old warehouse. I remember coming here as a kid a few times. Never would I have envisioned this was what it was being used for.
"Ah Zuzu, what a surprise." I jump at the sound of my sister's voice and turn to face her. Her face is donning that infuriating smirk of hers, but her eyes appear a bit distant. Sad almost. "If Dad finds out you went into his office without permission, he will not be pleased." Azula drawls out as she takes a step towards me. I clench my hands by my sides.
"How did you know about this place?" I fire back as the girl twirls her finger in the air.
"We came here as kids. It wasn't that hard to work out father's ulterior motive of having a warehouse this huge in the middle of nowhere. Besides, he asked me to keep an eye on things when he's busy." My sister adds as an afterthought. My clenched hands tremble slightly.
"So, it's back to Father loving you more." I spit, prompting the girl to snort.
"Don't try and bring up this whole drama again. Father trusts me more, that's all. He's incapable of love. You should know that by now. Besides, it's you that experienced real love. Mother and uncle adored you. I was just the devil child." Azula points out. Her perfect mask is still intact, save for the slight twitch in her eyebrow.
"And where are they now?!" I yell, but it only elicits a shrug from the woman.
"Who knows. It doesn't matter either way. A war is coming and if I were you I'd leave before Father sees you." My sister advises with a flick of her wrist. I narrow my eyes at her.
"I'm going to see Aang." I announce, expecting her to stop me, but instead she just purses her lips.
"You're free to see him, this whole place is our inheritance after all. But you can't release him." Azula utters, her voice echoing with all the royalty that runs through her blood.
"Why not? He's a kid. Our family has put him through enough." I insist, but the girl only laughs.
"It's like you don't know our father at all. If that airbender escapes, then consider your position as the next CEO destroyed. You'll be disowned in a heartbeat. And that's after you've been given a beating so bad that you'd be lucky if you can even walk afterwards." Azula lists off in that chilling way of hers. I swallow, knowing she has a point.
"ZUKO!" The bellow has my heart plummeting to my feet as I pivot to find my father stalking towards me with all the fury of a violent bull. My chest constricts as my breathing takes a nosedive. Azula takes one glance at me before sighing lightly.
"Told you to leave." She mutters under her breath just before our father reaches us.
"What in Agni's name are you doing here?! If I find out that you went into my office, I'll..." He shouts as he raises a hand. I flinch in anticipation of the hit, but Azula steps in.
"I told him." The girl lies smoothly. I almost gawk at her as Father shifts his attention from me towards his daughter.
"And why would you do that?" Ozai hisses between grit teeth as he drops his hand to his side.
"He was whining about wanting to prove himself to you. So, I thought why not? He's due to step up and with the war approaching maybe he can make himself useful for once." Azula answers calmly. I watch as our father considers this for a moment before jerking his head.
"Fine. Maybe we can put him out on the front line as a diversion." I hear him mutter as he gives me his back. "Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." Ozai orders the girl before disappearing behind a corner. I stare after him as angry tears start running down my face. 'Every time I think he can't be any worse. He just proves me wrong.' I think thickly.
"You're welcome." My sister mutters sarcastically. I blink and twist my head to look at the bored expression on her face as she looks at her nails. I rub my face across my forearm before I scrutinise the woman once more. I open my mouth, ready to demand what twisted plan she's plotting now, but I stop myself as our conversation from a few weeks ago rears its head in my mind. I chew my lip.
"Thank you Azula." I murmur quietly. That must've not been the answer she was expecting as she flickers her gaze to meet mine with a slight frown.
"Spirits, don't go all weak on me. I have better uses for you than death." The firebender utters sharply as she crosses her arms. But for the first time I'm really looking at her.
After that incident at primary school, she scared me for the longest time. Our normal-ish sibling relationship disintegrated. Then Mum disappeared not long after and I blamed it on her. Then later me. And things were never the same between us again. 'Maybe all this time I got her wrong. Maybe it was all an accident, but we all jumped to see the worst of her because she was such an emotionally detached child.' I swallow, feeling guilty at the thought, especially if it's true.
"You were right. You have more good in you than I've ever thought to acknowledge." I voice so firmly that I surprise not only myself, but also my younger sister. She stares at me long and hard before shaking her head.
"Don't be naive Zuzu. I'm still me." Azula replies sharply. The corner of my mouth twitches.
"Of course you're still you. But the misunderstood part of you is a part that I never noticed." I retort. The girl's lips thins into a straight line before she jerks her head to the side.
"Didn't you have someone you wanted to see?" Azula mutters dryly, brushing off my words as if they were never spoken, but I don't let it bother me. I've said what I needed to. Or at least, what I should've said a long time ago.
"Right." I answer with a nod. Just as I turn away from her, she re-opens her mouth.
"Cells are at the back. And Zuzu?" At the girl's pause, I quirk an eyebrow. "No freeing the prisoners." My sister orders. I pause and glance behind me at her stiff posture.
"Sure." I say and with a half shrug, I make a beeline to the prison rooms at the back. I glance through the door window of the first one and spot both Aang and Katara.
I gulp at the sight of the waterbender. 'If she hated me before, what's she going to think now?' I chew my lip deliberating on my next move. 'It isn't like I care what she thinks.' I try to convince myself, even though our time together at the library made me dislike her a little less.
With a deep breath, I push open the door. Aang's head is the first to jerk up at the sound of approaching footsteps. His eyes are initially weary, but they widen at the sight of me.
"Zuko?" He whispers as he pushes himself to his feet. At the sound of my name, Katara finally shifts from her stiff position and turns around to see me. She scowls, but surprisingly no biting quips escape her mouth. It's then that I notice the weird tension in the air and I'm pretty sure it's not because I entered the room. 'Wait, when I came in Katara had her back to Aang and the door. Did they have a fight? At a time like this? Unbelievable.' I think to myself in disbelief.
"Are you two fighting?" I blurt out, which I realise is the absolute least important thing right now. The airbender blink twice while the waterbender's scowl deepens. Aang brushes his gaze over the girl who automatically jerks her face away from him. I spot the kid's shoulders slumping at the action before he returns his attention to me.
"It's nothing. What are you doing here?" Aang mutters. I frown, but decide to drop the matter for now.
"What? You don't think I read the news? 'Councilman's daughter is kidnapped' has been headline news since yesterday." I answer bluntly, but if anything that has the boy frowning even more while the waterbender's eyes widen.
"That still doesn't explain why you're here." The airbender presses. I growl at the boy.
"And you didn't tell me you were that dumb forsaken Avatar! I found out from Azula of all people!" I retort sharply, feeling slightly stung by the airbender's silence considering how open he's been with everything else. The young Avatar purses his lips.
"How was I supposed to tell you when you said to my face that you wanted to capture the Avatar?!" Aang argues as he crosses his arms defiantly. My lips part, but no words leave me. I scratch the back of my head hard, feeling frustrated.
"It's not like you gave me a good reason not to!" I grumble in annoyance before shaking my head. "Whatever. This isn't helping. Have you come up with any plans to bust yourselves out of here?" I ask, silently praying to the spirits he says yes. But when his face falls slightly, I've already got my answer.
"Still working on it." He mumbles. At this point, the waterbender takes this opportunity to intervene.
"What do you care? You're the son of a monster." Katara quips cruelly. I clench my hands into fists, ready to return the comment in kind when the airbender speak up.
"Katara, don't." Aang orders, but his interference just lands him a scathing glare.
"Oh, so now you're talking to me? All it took is for you to defend the person who's related to the man responsible for my mother's murder." The waterbender throws back icily. Aang's back tightens at the comment as he turns to face the waterbender properly.
"I told you it's for the better!" Aang snaps in a rare display of anger. I balk at the sight. Katara heatedly pushes herself to her feet and it's then that I spot the splatter of burns across her shoulder and legs. I cringe at them as the puzzle of why they might be fighting slots into place.
"You're unbelievable, you know that?! I can't believe I ever felt anything for you!" The woman screeches. It feels like a knife had cut straight through the boy as he stares at the waterbender with trembling lips. I can't deny that even I felt the pain of those words and they weren't even directed at me. The airbender pulls himself back together quicker than I expected as he drops his arms to his sides.
"Then I succeeded in getting what I wanted." He voices statically as he keeps his gaze steady and fixed on the girl. The response leaves her stunned for several moments before she clenches one hand.
"If this is what you wanted then after we get out of this mess, you'll never see my face again!" Katara vows harshly. Aang's mask cracks, but it's so brief that I almost miss it as he jerks his head in a stiff nod.
"Good." He says and I physically cringe at how downright foolish he's being. The waterbender's eyes glisten with unshed tears as she spins around to give us her back.
"I wish I never met you." Katara chokes out thickly as she squats close to the ground. I might not be able to see her face, but I can't mistake the shaking in her shoulders in what I can only presume is her attempt to hold back her crying. I scowl and without thinking I punch the airbender square in the face through the small prison window.
"You're being a jerk." I hiss as the boy stumbles back a few paces. He doesn't even bother clutching his face as he stares absently at the ground.
"Good." He mutters. I stare at him in disbelief, before growling at the boy.
"What in spirits name is wrong with you?! She's meant to be your friend!" I yell as I reach forward to fist the front of his clothes and pull him slightly off the ground.
"I don't have any of those." Aang utters emotionlessly. I hear the girl's breathing catch painfully and I don't know why her pain adds fuel to my own anger as I get ready to punch the boy again.
Maybe it's because Aang's attitude is reminding me of how much of a jerk my father is. But I could never do anything about him. I always had to endure his horrible words and his brutal beatings. Or maybe it's because in some very small way, Katara reminds me of my mother. How faultlessly caring she was, regardless of how mean spirited my father could be towards her.
My fist goes flying, but for some reason my eyes flicker briefly down and what I see has my hand freezing inches away from the kid's face. I stare at the angry red, pus-filled burn at his abdomen. 'Shoot. They've both been burnt badly. I'm no doctor but that looks infected.' I think anxiously.
I glance at the boy's forehead and what I had thought was sweat from being imprisoned in a stuffy cell has me double tracking. 'Spirits. He has a fever.' I curse as I release my hold from his shirt.
"I'm going to see what I can do to get you guys out of here. I'm not going to let anything happen to either of you. I promise." I pledge strongly even though part of me is unsure why I suddenly care so much. My words seem to have returned a small amount of life and fire in the airbender's eyes as he gives me a small smile.
"Thanks Zuko." Aang whispers. But Katara doesn't look at either of us as I go over to the exit. And I don't blame her. She's surrounded by a jerk of a friend and the son of the guy that had her mother permanently taken away from her. 'I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually feel sorry for her.' I silently voice with a shake of my head.
"For what it's worth, I never wanted to be like my father." I mumble. While the girl refuses to meet my eyes, her shoulders slump slightly and that's enough for me. I push open the door and let it swing behind me. 'How on earth am I going to get them out of here without my father finding out and disowning me?' I wonder in dismay.
A/N: Ok so still angsty XD I wanted to add more depth and layers to Azula. I think in the show the biggest thing about her character was that she was misunderstood. At a young age she received approval from her father for being ruthless while her mother feared her. When someone thinks the worst of you, you start to become that thing they dislike or fear in you. As if moulding to their preconceived assumptions of you. But if they tried to ask and find out the truth of who you really are then you'd become the better you. It's just often they don't think they're wrong. I feel this is what shaped Azula to be who she is. Maybe all she needed was someone to show her that she was loved and that being loved wasn't a weakness, but a strength, she might have turned out differently;
Also, I think it was an interesting parallel where Zuko always craved for his father's love and attention while Azula always wanted her mother to love her for who she is. They both wanted what the other had and it's quite sad. I wanted to touch on this because I know the pain that favouritism has on a person. You keep thinking to yourself, what am I doing wrong? What will make them love me more? Why aren't I as special as my brother/sister? Why do they love me less? Why am I not important? And lastly, why don't I matter? It's painful. And those effects last, regardless of your age, it will always be something that makes you ache inside. So, I wanted to depict this here because it's not a topic that's covered enough in kids media.
Lastly, I've had this idea of Aang sort of withdrawing more and more into this shell of his. Unhealthy I know. But I wonder, if someone has gone through hell, don't they just start to become numb? Anyway, I know I've been rambling. I guess this author's note was for myself as much as it is for you guys or anyone that can relate.
Next chapter is a painful one, I've not finished writing it, but it's nearly there. On that note, this story is nearly done. Next chapter is the climax and then it will be prob 2-3 chapters worth of tying things up. There might be things that I've forgotten to include, so please can you let me know over the next few chapters if there's anything you feel that I forgot about (because I may have).
Having said that, I do have an idea for a sequel, but I want to know how many of you would read it? If enough of you are interested, I will go ahead with it. I know I'm not giving you much to go on and I would love to give you a short synopsis, but I can't decide whether to give it to you in the next chapter or whether it would make more sense to give it to you in the final chapter. Let me know in the reviews so I can decide. Also, let me know of your thoughts on this chapter, always love hearing your reactions. On that note, I'll see you all next time. Keep well guys.
17/03/22