Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the Avatar the Last Airbender franchise. All rights belong to their respective owners.
Hey everyone! It's great to be back. I decided to write short chapters for this story because I don't want to waste my time and yours making a story that you wouldn't like, and as of now this story isn't my top priority, my other story, The Story of the Dragon Pirate is. But I still would like to see how you like this idea so far. So Let's get to it!
ATTENTION: This is just an experimental story, I hope people can review telling me how they thought the chapter went. (P.S if nobody reviews I'll assume no one likes the story and most likely discontinue it)
Chapter 2
Last time on the Artic Knight...
There was a crash right outside the hallway Sokka and Azula were.
He went to get up but Azula grabbed onto his arm tightly in fear, feeling as if the only thing giving her comfort was slipping away. Azula didn't know what it was that gave her that feeling of comfort but she did not intend to let it go.
"Where are they?!" A man's voice boomed which Sokka recognized it to be the guy who chased him from the Detention Facility. Sokka heard more crashing noises beginning to occur and knew he had to stop the guy before innocent people got hurt. But much as he tried, Azula did not intend to let her only feeling of being safe leave her side.
Sokka had to act fast.
He scouraged the cabinets that were the closest to him and found a scented candle that induced a relaxation in the body.
Managing to light the candle using only one hand, he wafted the aroma to Azula allowing her to be surrounded by the lovely smell.
Her grip slowly relaxed and a small smile began to form on Azula's lips. Sokka moved his arm away allowing him to move freely.
Sokka noticed Azula was peacefully sleeping, somehow Sokka felt like this was probably the first time she was having a nice sleep.
"Alright, time to take care of business" Sokka thought as he walked out the door.
Republic City Local Hospital*
"Sir please calm down!" One of the healers shouted as the patients and nurses nearby hid behind walls afraid of the man throwing a violent fit in the hospital.
"Not until I find Princess Azula and put her behind bars along with that bastard who took her out!" The man shouted as he kicked in every door looking for his escaped patient.
"Turn around and you won't have to look far"
The man turned around as he saw Sokka walking forward with a pissed off look. He snarled at Sokka as he bent down taking a jagged piece of glass from a vase he shattered looking for Sokka and Azula.
"Where is she?" The man snarled as he cocked his head sideways like a madman.
"That's none of your concern" Sokka spoke calmly.
"Don't give me that crap! She's a dangerous person!" The man shouted.
"And what you aren't!? You psycho, you destroyed a good amount of the hospital and you're going to stand there telling me she's insane?!" Sokka retorted.
The man snorted "It doesn't matter what you think, my job is to make sure the patients don't leave without consent" The man edged forward waving the jagged piece of glass in the air.
"And by the authority of the council, I can use excessive force to bring a patient back" the man smirked.
"What authority?" Sokka voice steeled in response. "I don't remember issuing anything of the sort"
The man chuckled "Oh that's rich, councilman Sokka left clueless to what's going on in his city."
"What is he going on about?" Sokka pondered
"Listen up councilman Sokka, while you went on your little vacation, the other members made an agreement with the institute to allow them to privatize the place" The man grinned as he cocked his head to the side.
"Of course they needed a little persuasion..." the man looked at his blade and picked at the tip of the shard.
Sokka narrowed his eyes "They were bribed"
"Ooo you really are smart!" The man said with a hint of sarcasm. "After all who can deny someone with a fat stack of coins stuffed in your face"
"Last I recall, there was an outside reference who helped evaluate the patients seeing if they are well enough to leave; by privatizing the Detention center, you'll be able to evaluate your own patients and be able to keep them in longer, profiting from their families who have to pay the bills for their loved ones medical treatments" Sokka replied disgusted.
The man smiled. "Hm, you're no idiot I'll give you that Councilman Sokka"
Sokka bent down into a stance preparing himself for a fight, "There's no way in hell i'm letting that happen"
The man laugh boomed across the hallway "Wha- What are you going to do?! Bore me to death with politics?!" The man hysterically laughed on the verge of tears.
Wham*
The man's head whipped back as blood flowed from his broken nose. Sokka had his fist out covered in the man's blood, gritting his teeth angrily "Come fight and see what I'll do to you"
The man gritted his teeth angrily "YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!"
Charging forward the man slashed his jagged piece of glass at Sokka. Sokka turned his chest away from the glass and moved to the side of his assailant. Sokka clenched his fist and jabbed the man on his oblique causing him to stumble for a moment.
Sokka took advantage and jumped into the air to do a round house which struck the man directly into his chest. The man rolled backwards in shock "How the hell are you moving so quickly?!"
Sokka smirked "Let's just say, I've been training to beat assholes like you"
The man gritted his teeth "Oh yeah? then dodge this mutha-" (Woah woah Calm yourself, this is Rated T!)
Grabbing a book, the man threw it at Sokka.
Sokka bent down avoiding the thrown book, but just as he did that he felt the ground beginning to rumble louder.
"Eragh!" The man shouted as he collided with Sokka and tackled him into a pillar chipping the edge off.
The two rolled around trying to gain the upper hand over each other.
"Give up! You're not getting away with this!" Sokka punched the man's jaw. He spit blood on Sokka's face blinding him.
Wham* The man went for Sokka's jaw getting him off.
Sokka managed to close his eyes before the blood entered his eyes, but it now left his blinded momentarily. He heard a chuckle.
"So what now councilman Sokka? You're wide open and at this point it feels like it's not worth fighting you" The man's voice echoed into his ear.
Sokka smiled and turned his head to have his ear closer to voice. Picking up on his voice Sokka did a one hand stand and used his leg to slam on the man's neck.
"Argh!" The man groaned as his back was on the pillar and he slumped on the ground.
"Looks like training with Master Piandao on learning to fight with different senses paid off well" Sokka chuckled as he felt around and found a cloth to wipe the blood of his eyes.
Just as Sokka wiped the blood and opened his eyes he saw the man charging at him again.
"OH COME ON!" Sokka shouted as he was again tackled but this time into a door breaking it into two halves.
The man began to strike punches on Sokka who kept blocking his face by covering up with his arms.
"HEY!"
A child like voice shouted causing both men to stop what they were doing. They looked up and saw a little girl sitting on a bed with her leg wrapped in bandages and holding a doll in her arms.
She had a vein appearing on her forehead "IM TRYING TO WATCH MY PUPPET SHOW!" The girl screamed as she pointed behind them. They looked behind them to see a puppet stage with a puppeteer nearly drained of his color as he held with a tight grip on the puppets.
They looked at each other with wide eyes, the man got up and picked Sokka up "S-Sorry" They both mumbled to the girl as they walked out the room uncomfortable with the situation.
As they walked out, both looked at each other with the same confused reaction. "So..." The man scratched the back of his head not sure what to say.
"I guess... we continue tro fight?" Sokka said as he shrugged his shoulders also not sure what to do.
"Um, sure..." The man said as he slowly pulled out his jagged glass in view of Sokka.
Quickly, the man tensed as he charged forward thrusting the blade to Sokka's abdomen. Sokka grabbed the man's arm and raised it into the air allowing him to knee the man in the stomach.
The attacker fell to his knees allowing Sokka a second to grab the nearest thing, which luckily for him was a vase and smash it into the man's head knocking him out cold.
Taking no chances, Sokka opened a cabinet filled with extra bed sheets and used it to tie down the man, making sure he wouldn't escape.
Sokka started breathing heavily, he used a lot more energy taking out a punk like him than he anticpated. "Maybe I should make a training regimine" Sokka thought. He looked down at the unconscious man.
Flashback*
"Listen up councilman Sokka, while you went on your little vacation, the other members made an agreement with the institute to allow them to privatize the place"
"By the authority of the council, I can use excessive force to bring a patient back"
End of flashback*
"They have gone too far..." Sokka gritted his teeth angrily.
"Ugh" a feminine voice whimpered.
Sokka suddenly remembered he left Azula unattended and quickly ran back into the room seeing Azula starting to wake up.
"What's... going on?" Azula groaned as her head was throbbing in agony.
"Azula! Oh thank Agni you're alright" Sokka sighed with relief.
"Of course i'm alright water peasant" Azula huffed. Suddenly her eyes shot open. Azula looked at Sokka for the first time but with a curious look "Wait, Sokka was it?" Azula asked but to Sokka's astonishment, asked timidly.
"Yeah?" Sokka asked confused at the Princess' reaction.
Flashback* (Azula's mind)
NO! PLEASE!" Azula screamed scaring the living daylights out of Sokka.
"H-Hey Azula! Im trying to help you!" Sokka said trying to reason with Azula.
"No more! I can't take it anymore!" Azula screamed as she began throwing punches desperate to get away.
Sokka gritted his teeth as he powered through and brought her to a healer who helped set Azula down onto a bed.
Sokka cupped Azula's face as gently as he could "Azula, listen, no one is going to hurt you, I just need you to trust me" Sokka said as he grasped her hand and began rubbing it gently.
With every few seconds, Azula slowly began to toss and turn less and less, allowing the healers to treat her wounds.
End of flashback*
"You were the one who saved me..." Azula whispered, barely audible for Sokka to hear.
"I'm sorry I didn't catch that" Sokka said leaning in forward only to recieve a glare from the fire nation princess.
"Right, right, personal space" Sokka said pulling away "Won't happen aga-"
"Give me your arm" Azula said cutting him off.
"Excuse me?" Sokka asked confused at her request.
"Do not make me ask twice peasant, I know you heard me the first time. Unless you want don't want to get burned, I'd suggest listening." Azula said as she began twitching as well as her eyes darting around.
Sokka noticed this and assumed she was going insane, "no way she would say this would a clear conscience" Sokka thought remembering Zuko's letter informing him that her mind had been slipping for awhile. Sokka just didn't think it would be too bad.
"Sure..." Sokka said moving his arm towards the princess at a slow pace. Thankfully not too slow to aggrevate Azula.
The Fire nation princess slowly grabbed his arm and linked it across hers. Azula's eyes widened before they began to fall. Azula remembered this feeling, it was the same feeling that she latched onto hoping that she would never let it go.
Azula looked up at Sokka and gave him a teary look before looking away with a shyness Sokka had never seen before. "Thank you..." Azula whispered as she wrapped her arms around Sokka leaving him shocked to what was going on.
Before he could even acknowledge Azula, the most dangerous person he had ever faced just thanked AND HUGGED him for something he didn't know, he heard a soft snore.
Sokka looked up to see Azula resting her head on his shoulders fast asleep. "What just happened?" Sokka carefully rested her head back onto her bed and placed the covers over her.
Sokka looked at the resting princess one last time before he left the room.
As Sokka walked out the room, a voice called out to him. "Sokka!"
Released from his train of thought, Sokka turned his head and sighed in relief seeing it was Toph and Ty lee who were approaching him.
"Hey what took so long?" Sokka asked a little annoyed that they didn't show up AFTER he had managed to subdue the man.
"Blame the Council, they wouldn't authorize the metal bending officers to engage" Toph balled her fist tightly. "That's why Ty lee and I decided to go by ourselves to investigate" Toph said to which Ty lee nodded.
"Yeah! Those jerks still won't let us do our job!" Ty lee huffed as she folded her arms. "Humph! What type of bribe did they do to get their position at the council?!" Ty lee questioned.
Sokka smirked at Ty lee but frowned afterwards. "Enough to get him to go crazy and nearly destroy part of the hospital"
"What do you mean Sokka?" Toph inquired.
"After telling them the entire ordeal about the council members privatizing the institution and the corruption going on with the council members, the ladies were disgusted. "I can't believe they would do such a thing! Ty lee crossed her arms.
"It makes sense now! Why the council wouldn't let the metal bending officers investigate any cases on their own. They knew we would catch their dirty work and arrest them" Toph said cupping her fist in her hand with the realization.
"We have to get them!" Ty lee exclaimed but Toph shook her head "It's not going to be easy, we're talking about actually taking down the entire council, it would impossible to take them all down let alone try to arrest one of them.
"Not really..." Sokka smirked getting the two ladies attention. "In Article XXII Section IV Line III: A council member or members can be impeached if solid evidence can be used to prove the act of corruption within the council or a member of the council."
"And luckily for us, we have our solid evidence right here" Sokka said before lightly tapping on the unconscious man on the floor
"Ugh... my head..." the man croaked as he stirred underneath them.
Toph and Ty lee looked down. A smile appeared on their faces. "This is perfect! All we need to do is have him locked up in jail and set a date where we can plan the arrest on the council" Toph said recieving a nod of approval from Sokka and Ty Lee.
"How about next month? Everything is booked right now within the council and that'll give us the time and opportunity to negotiate our suspect into confessing for a shorter jail sentence" Sokka said with a smile "We fianlly can take down the council, we just need to make sure no one else knows about it until we have everything in place. Don't tell anyone you know about our plan"
They nodded in agreement. As they were walking away with their suspect, what Sokka, Toph and Ty lee didn't know was a shadowy figure perched over them seeing everything that had occured.
"Hohoho... Sho isn't going to be happy about this" the figure chuckled before running away and disappearing down into the alleys.
Returning to work the next day, Sokka immediately brought up the case to make the detention center a rehabilitation center and for it to be once again a public institution. To his surprise, the council all quickly agreed to his plan which made him suspicious that of all the times they would agree, is when he's found out their corrupted plans.
After hours, Sokka decided to have lunch with Chief Toph at the Haungfei resturant. "Hey chief" Sokka smiled as he walked over to the seated Toph. "Hello councilmen Sokka" Toph smiled back hearing Sokka's voice
Sokka chuckled "What's with the formality?"
Toph shrugged, "I don't know, but better than calling you ponytails" Toph smiled getting Sokka to laugh.
Sokka sat down and ordered a cabbage soup to start off. After the waiter left, Sokka got straight down to business. "I just spoke with council, they approved the change of the private detention center building into making it a public rehabilitation center." Sokka said.
"That's great! You got them to actually agree with you" Toph congratulated but Sokka nodded his head in disapproval.
"As good as this sounds, it may be a whole lot worse than we think"
"How so?" Toph asked.
"Well think about it, Why would the rest of the counsel suddenly agree to this when we planned on taking them down? Unless they have an insider man, the plan may be in jeopardy." Sokka said.
Toph burrowed her brows "Or... they could be agreeing because they want to save face when you addressed the issue to the public..." Toph deadpanned.
"I don't know, they could be setting a trap for us and we may not know about it" Sokka persisted.
Toph sighed. "Look, I can't be a hundred percent sure myself, but I believe that no one heard us when we made the plan. You just need to relax" Toph said resting her hands on top of his.
"Hm, I guess you're right" Sokka smiled.
"And?" Toph said
"You're the greatest earth and metal bender in the world" Sokka said
"True, but not what I wanted to hear" Toph smiled.
Sokka shrugged "Alright, maybe not everything has some complex meaning to it."
Toph grinned. "Glad you finally acknowleged it" The two laughed as they continued to enjoy their lunch before departing in seperate ways.
Casually strolling down the street, Sokka remembered he had schedualed an appointment to see Azula. After the whole incident with him, he believed it was best to check up on her from time to time.
Before heading towards the rehabilitation center, Sokka decided to shop for a few things he believed Azula might enjoy.
Going to the local shop, Sokka bought a Pi sho board game for whenever she wanted to play against someone who visited her, a box full of cusine from the fire nation, and a book on war strategies he believed Azula might enjoy reading during her lesiure time. Purchasing everything that he wanted, Sokka left for the rehabilitation center.
After walking ten mintues, Sokka stepped through the front gates of the facility. He looked around and was surprised how fast construction was moving especially since the council agreed to his idea not too long ago.
"The place orginally had a murky vibe to it, but now it actually feels a bit relaxing in here" Sokka thought.
*Crash* "Ahhh!" A voice squealed inside the facility
Sigh* "So much for relaxing..." Sokka mumbled before running towards the noise. Sokka ran inside to see armed gaurds running down a hall where he was hearing the commotion and decided to run there to see what was going on.
As Sokka ran down the hall, one of the doctors working there noticed him coming towards them. "Sir stop! We have a patient who is out of control! We don't want anyone near until we handle the situation" the doctor called out to Sokka.
"I can help!" Sokka replied running towards the doctor. "Is there someone with a mental illness that's causing the facility problems?" Sokka asked.
The doctor sighed "I can't disclose that information to you unless you're family relative or legal guardian" the doctor said.
Sokka looked at the doctor before speaking, "Fne, but you can at least tell me if this happend before right? With the same patient?" Sokka asked trying to gather information little by little if he had too.
"Yes, I can tell you that much, but no the patient was recently transferred here, this is the first time we are seeing the patient acting like this" the doctor replied.
Just as the doctor finished speaking, a guard came flying out the door Sokka and the doctor were and slammed in the wall, slumped.
"Oh dear! Sir can you hear me?" The doctor said leaning down checking for any serious injuries. Sokka looked and was shocked to see the severe burn marks all over the man's armor. Sokka believed if he wasn't wearing it, he would have been seriously hurt.
Cough* "I'm hurting back on my left shoulder but I should be alright" the man wheezed.
"No you aren't that wheeze doesn't sound too good, I think you should rest here for now and I'll have one of my healers look at you" the doctor advised, but the guard motioned his head no.
"I can't, my team can barely handle this patient with 5 people, we need as many people as we can to stop them" the guard said trying to get up but grunted as the pain seared his lower abdomen making him slide back down on the floor.
"And to think, all of this is happening because of one patient" Sokka said.
The guard grunted "We can't get near because as soon as we get close the patient sends flames towards our way, it's really freaky especially when she darts her eyes around the room and then starts screaming at the mirror to go away" the guard said. "It's like the patient is seeing an illusion of some sort"
Sokka pondered everything he had heard so far. "The patient is a female based on the guards use of the words she and her; the patient must be a firebender due to the scorch marks all over the gaurd's armor and it appears she is experiencing high levels of stress and paranoia" Sokka thought.
"Whoever this is is going under constant stress right now, and with the gaurds trying to reatrain her it's going to cause her stress to accelarate. If this patient doesn't stop right now, her heart might give out due to the intense stress it's going under." Sokka believed worried that the guards may not have much time.
It was then when the realization struck him. "Oh no..." Sokka mumbled "please let it not be her..." Sokka ran towards the door. "Hey stop! You can't be in there!" The doctor's voice shouting behind him. But Sokka didn't care, he needed to know if his suspicsions were right.
Bursting through the door, Sokka was immediately bumped into by a guard who fell unconscious after being sent flying. Luckily Sokka caught the man and placed him in the floor.
"Get away from me!" The voice screamed. Hearing the voice had broken Sokka's heart because he knew who it was and wished that he didn't.
He looked up to see none other than the fire nation princess Azula.
Azula looked terrible, her hair was scattered all over her face, her eyes were darting around the room as if she were a madman, Azula's body was shivering as she knelt on her knees with her hands to her head screaming at something Sokka couldn't see but could tell it wasn't directed at the guards.
Sokka noticed one of the guards slowly approaching her "DON'T!" Sokka hollered. It was too late however, Azula noticed the guard and stood up sending a high dosage of blue flames at the man which sent him flying into the wall unconscious.
Azula began breathing heavily clutching her heart as she fell to one knee; Sokka knew what was happening, her heart was giving out under the high levels of stress. Sokka knew he had to act fast but he didn't know what to do!
Sokka looked on with worry as Azula slunped over on the opposite wall and began quietly sobbing but did not stop clutching her heart.
"Screw it" Sokka thought as he slowly walked towards Azula and sat almost beside her but close enough.
The guards were wide eyed shocked seeing this, they all thought the same thing "Is he trying to get killed?!"
Sokka quietly motioned his hand telling everyone to leave, saying he's got this. Not wanting to be there much longer, the guards reluctantly took it and left to tend their wounds and burns.
Sokka waited for total silence until the only noise he heard were the soft sobs from Azula "go away... I can't take it anymore" Azula mumbled but Sokka knew it wasn't meant at him.
"Hello Azula"
Azula flinched hearing another voice, she looked up to see Sokka. She didn't say anything to him, only stared at him.
Sokka decided that if she didn't want to talk, then he should go first. "I see you're adjusting comfortably into your new room" Sokka joked looking at the torn and ripped up room but Azula never piped a word or chuckle
Sokka cleared his throat, "I brought some things I thought you might like, I bought you a book on war strategies, a box filled with fire nation cusines, and a pi sho gameboard, in case you ever wanted to play when you get bored" Sokka said with a smile at her but she placed her head into her legs but also kept her hand clutched at her heart.
Sokka knew he wasn't getting her to relax so he would have to try harder. "Azula, i'm trying to help you... these people want to he-" Sokka was cut off when he heard a chuckle. He looked up to see it was Azula chuckling. But it then grew louder.
"Hehhehhehheh... HaHaHaHaHaHa... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Azula's head whlpped upwards as her eyes looked up to the ceiling laughing as if she was going mad.
Sokka was shocked because he wasn't expecting that type of reaction, from there he noticed Azula stopped laughing as she turned her head to look at him with a devilish grin and eyes widened. "Please, no one can help me" Azula smiled sadistically "besides they're just doing it because they get paid for it." Azula said
Sokka stood up "That's not true! We really are trying to help you Azula" Sokka explained but Azula blew her hair away from her eyes.
"Oh please, don't try to sugar coat it peasant, i'm not stupid, my brother sent me here because he couldn't handle me anymore, he left me here to rot!" Azula barked
"Zuko wanted you to get better, he didn't know about the way you were being treated, i told him what happened and he asked for me to hand over the people who did this to you and I glady agreed. You shouldn't have deserved that and you won't feel like that ever again" Sokka tried to reassure Azula but she wouldn't.
"You're all the same, doing something only to get something out of it. Heh, I guess that's why it was easy to manipulate peasants like you back when I wasn't full-on crazy, wasn't it?" Azula smiled sadistically.
Sokka had enough "Oh yeah? If the doctors here are here helping you because they get something out of it" Sokka marched in front of her and knelt down to stare her right into her eyes.
"Then explain to me what the hell I get out of trying to help you" Sokka growled. Azula frowned, almost confused actually wondering what does he get from visiting her. "Go ahead, my day is all clear, I can sit here all day waiting for an answer" Sokka said as he crossed his legs and sat in front of her.
Azula wanted to burn him alive for the way he was speaking to her, does he not know what's she's capable off? "Might I remind you who you are talking too? I'd keep my mouth in check peasant" Azula snapped.
Sokka rolled his eyes "enough with the peasant crap because at this point, you're not so high and mighty you know" Sokka said hearing enough of peasant this or peasant that.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me"
Azula stood up. "You know, I think I'm going to do something crazy, and you know what it is? Im going to burn your face off!" Azula screamed as she went to punch Sokka in the face. Sokka rolled back to his feet and tensed as Azula was about to make a move.
Azula jumped into the air lashing a trail of blue flames from her leg and whipped her leg at Sokka. Barely having enough time, Sokka raised his arms blocking the strike but couldn't block the flames from burning his arms.
"Ergh..." Sokka fell to his knee writhing from the burn marks on his arms. Azula grabbed Sokka by the collar and raised her fist. "I'm going to give you a chance peasant, to rethink your decision on saving me" Azula smiled seducitvely as she leaned foward in front of Sokka's face. She placed her hand on Sokka's face and began slowly raising her chi.
Sokka's face began to burn as he clenched his teeth holding in a howl of pain. Sokka looked into Azula's eyes and mustered a smile. "You're going to have to try better than that to make me give up"
Sokka locked his hands behind Azula's head and jumped, lifting his knees to her chest, pulling her over him and thrusting his knees outwards making Azula launch into the air and crash into the wall.
Sokka picked himself up and tensed, ready for round two.
Azula looked up, her eyes burning with rage looking at Sokka. But as she had her sights on Sokka, Zuko and Mai walked out from behind Sokka. Azula's eyes widened as she fell back and pushed herself to the back wall.
"How did you get here?!" Azula barked pointing at Zuko and Mai.
Sokka cocked his head "What?" Sokka turned around and saw no one there, "who are you talking too?"
Mai chuckled and turned her head to Zuko, "It's kind of funny Zuko, here's the only person that's actually willing to help Azula and just like always she cast them aside just like the pathetic mess she is" Mai said.
Azula flinched hearing this from her so called friend
Zuko nodded in agreement and held Mai by the waist "Yeah, i'm so glad we got rid of her, honestly those people who inflicted pain on her did us a favor, I'm glad I had Sokka bring them over to the fire nation. After all" Zuko looked at Azula sadistically "They needed a hero's welcome"
Azula clenched her fists angrily as she grabbed a broken piece of chair "SHUT UP!" Azula screamed as she threw it with perfect accuracy at Zuko's head. Sokka ducked thinking she was going to attack him but saw how she intentionally aimed beside him, not at him.
It struck Zuko and Mai causing the two figures the explode into dust. Azula huffed as she fell to her knees. But just when she thought it was over, Ursula, Azula's mother appeared.
"He knows how crazy you are. He knows about the terrible things you've done. He'll have to put you down, like the animal are"
Azula clutched her head as she curled her knees to her head mumbling "It's not real..." over and over and over.
Ursula swiftly walked over to Azula "You're nothing! You've always been nothing ever since you were young, do understand why I never paid attention to you now? You deserve to burn... to rot like the animal he knows you are..." Ursula smiled looking back at Sokka making Azula to look up at Sokka as well.
Suddenly, Ty lee, Mai, Zuko and Azula's father Ozai appeared from thin air surrounding her crumpled form, their voices blended into each other, echoing in the air around her as she fought to ignore them, but their words drilled through her brain, her shattered and numb brain.
"Shut up, please... Leave me alone..." Azula mumbled to herself as the voices rose filling her ears until she couldn't hear anything else. She rocked back and forth, her mind failing her as she felt her sanity slowly slipping away from her grasp.
Azula felt wetness near her cheeks, it was there she realized that she was crying. But she didn't care anymore. She deserved this, "I deserve this, I deserve to die" Azula croaked as she felt numbness coursing through her body.
"No, you don't deserve this"
Suddenly a different voice boomed over the rest as she felt someone wiping away the tears from her face.
Azula mustered all the strength she could and looked up to see it was Sokka who wiped away her tears with a cloth. He carefully closed his hands over hers.
"Sokka?" Azula trembled on her own words which made her garble his name.
"Azula? It's me, it's Sokka," he said in a soothing voice. "Whatever you think you're seeing isn't real, there's no one here except you and me"
"Just... us..." Azula whispered as she looked around. The voices were gone, the pain and despair feeling she had was gone.
Azula looked up to see Sokka smiling at her, genuinely smiling at her, as if he actually cared for her. Azula didn't understand him, she remembered him on their first ecounter, he was fierce when he held her at point of his sword but yet here, Sokka's acting as if they've been friends for years.
Azula shook her head, she wearily looked up at him "I don't understand, I burned you, screamed at you, threatened you... but yet, you choose to stay... why?" Azula asked.
Sokka looked down to think over his answer before he spoke. "To be honest, I haven't really hot the slightest idea"
Azula looked away dejectedly
"But I know this, Azula you're hurting bad, and I know you can't do this alone." Sokka said resting his hand on her shoulder. "I know I'm not you first choice to help you but... I want you to know that I'm for you all the way" Sokka smiled.
Azula's eyes had tears that she refused to let him see but she was feeling herself lose that battle.
"And if you feel like crying, giving up or feel hopeless, don't worry about it, i'll help you until you feel better" Sokka said giving a soft squeeze to Azula's hand.
Sokka heard a soft sob, looking up he saw Azula through teary eyes looking straight at him. "Sokka... I..." Azula shivered before she grabbed Sokka into a tight embrace "I need help!" Azula sobbed "All i see is the people I've inflicted pain on and they all won't go away!" Azula cried out feeling her heart lessen when she got that out of her chest.
"I want to be normal, I really do... but everytime I try, these thoughts appear feeling all too real and it makes me feel afraid, afraid that i'll always be the broken Azula everyone thinks I am."
Sokka heard what she had to say and rubbed her back trying to make her feel relaxed "It'll be alright, because you know I will tell you if it's real or it's in your mind right?" Sokka asked making Azula nod.
... The room was deafing silent, that the only thing heard was Azula's sniffles
"... I guess then I should head out and tell the gaurds that you're good so far..." Sokka said slowly getting back up to his feet.
"No!" Azula shouted causing Sokka to tense as she held onto his arm. "Not yet... please... until I fall asleep, will you stay with until then? I dont feel comfortable with those guards around me 24/7"
Sokka nodded to her request. "Of course, i'll stay with you as long as you need princess, I won't let them touch you" Sokka said pushing his back on the wall next to Azula to get comfortable.
"Thank you..." Azula whispered as her eyelids drooped and she rested her head on his shoulder before she succumbed to her slumber.
Sokka wrapped his arm over her shoulder and grabbed a blanket to cover Azula from the cold. Sokka looked at Azula who was still sound asleep. He smiled.
"Good night princess" Sokka said, and got up and walked out the door.
End of chapter 1
I hoped you enjoyed this chapter, let me know by leaving a review telling me what you thought about it. I'd love to hear your thoughts! I want to thank those who commented and read my stories as it helps gives me a general idea of how the story is progressing. I see the numbers growing with every chapter I make from my first story so I can only hope I can receive the same amount with this story. Be sure to expect another wait and with everything out of the way, Thanks and Enjoy!
