Ember Island
Chapter 2
"Keep an open mind…" ~ Lo and Li
Azula laid lazily on the couch with a pleased smile on her lips and her feet in Ty Lee's lap. Ty Lee was pleased that her massages put the princess at ease, allowing her to relax. "You really need to be more careful when you practice." The acrobat scolded lightly, her fingers ghosting over the swollen ankles. "You could really hurt yourself."
"Um-uh." Azula agreed lazily, not really hearing what Ty Lee was saying.
"Azula, I'm serious." The acrobat scolded lightly, "You could break your wrists or ankles so easily."
Azula sighed. "Ty Lee, I know my limits."
"Do you?" Ty Lee countered, making Azula sit up and remove her feet from Ty Lee's lap setting them soundly on the ground.
Her golden eyes bore heavily into grey ones. "You don't believe I do." The princess stated.
"It's not that." Ty Lee quickly denied. "I just don't want to see you hurt. Not again and not if I can help it."
The acrobat sighed deeply, her eyes casting to the ground. "Ty Lee." Azula called gently, lifting her only friend's chin so that they were looking at each other. "I do know my limits."
"But." The acrobat started, only to be stopped by a kiss.
It was a good way to shut the acrobat up, in Azula's opinion. It was also very pleasing but that was only an added bonus. The control Azula felt when that toned body melted into her hands by just one little kiss felt oh so good. Like clay to be molded into whatever she wanted. And despite the fact that she would never admit it that control was a defining factor in her recovering shattered ego.
Like an eager little kitten-owl Ty Lee was easily convinced to scoot towards Azula and into her lap, straddling her waist. Never once breaking the kiss as it deepened in passion. She loved the little things that Ty Lee would do in these sessions, little things she didn't know she would like so much. Like the way she'd have to move those deceptively soft hands to her shoulders when Ty Lee would try to touch what she wasn't supposed to. The way Ty Lee would slowly move the hands on Azula's shoulder to run through charcoal hair, messing up the topknot Azula spent a half hour to put up – but Azula could never make herself mind. The way she'd smile and moan and quiver when Azula curved her tongue in just the right way or kiss the sensitive spot behind her ear. And the way she'd instinctually grind her well formed hips against Azula's, making the princess move her hands to the acrobat's hips to stop her.
Just knowing that she was the one who had so much control over the acrobat, the one who was making her react in that way, and the only one who could (according to Ty Lee and Azula was just vain enough to believe it), was simply intoxicating. She'd never admit how good it felt to be wanted and loved so unconditionally by someone so pure and innocent like Ty Lee, her Ty Lee.
"Ah-hm." Azula barely caught the sound of someone coughing behind her. "Are we interrupting something?" Whoever it was asked.
The princess broke the kiss momentarily. "Yes. Go away." She said sternly – not bothering to turn around and see who it was, almost feeling the glare the person behind her directed to her.
"Um…Azula." Ty Lee whispered, her lips swollen and face flushed bright red and Azula couldn't help but want to kiss her again. "It's Zuko and Mai."
Azula sighed, turning slightly to see her brother and his wife, who was scowling while she held their young son covering his innocent eyes. Smirking as she looked at her brother, Azula pressed her hands on Ty Lee's hips as the acrobat tried to get up. "We need to talk." Zuko announced.
Rolling her eyes Azula let up on Ty Lee, though the acrobat decided not to move. "Don't we always." She mocked lightly, "Can't you see I'm busy. Come back in like…an hour." She turned to Ty Lee. "That's about long enough, right?"
Ty Lee giggled despite the situation, "Sounds about right." The acrobat whispered her breath ghosting over Azula's lips and making her shiver involuntarily.
"This can't wait." He said sternly and Azula sighed to cover her anger.
"What does it concern?" The princess asked.
"Your doctors…" He answered.
"Then it can wait." She interrupted, pressing a light kiss to Ty Lee's shoulder.
He growled, which made Azula smirk against the acrobat's skin – making Ty Lee shiver. "This cannot wait. You've ran off the best doctors in the whole world."
"Those were the best?" Ty Lee asked turning Azula's smirk into a smile and earning her a light kiss on her neck.
"Yes they were." He assured.
"Well they sucked." Ty Lee stated and Azula chuckled.
"She didn't even give them a chance before running them off."
"To be fair," The acrobat defended. "She only ran off the second one. The first one left of his own accord and the third one is buried out at the beach."
Azula glanced back at her brother and his consort to gauge their reactions to Ty Lee's statement, chuckling at their shocked expressions. "He left last week." Azula corrected. "He was in quite a hurry if I remember correctly. Especially after the ultimatum you gave him." She said, looking at Ty Lee with a smirk.
"Well, yeah." The acrobat answered, smiling wide and peaking Mai's interest.
Zuko sighed, running a hand through his long hair. "Look, I don't care what happened to him or any of the others. They all tell me the same thing. That you are dangerous and can't be helped…."
"But they all sucked." Ty Lee said again. "You can't believe a word they said. Maybe the first one but he left not even an hour after he met her. I don't even know why you sent the second one, all Azula had to do was say a few choice mean things and she ran away crying."
"And the third?" Mai inquired with a very slight smirk.
"Don't even get me started on that bastard." The acrobat cringed, making Mai chuckle at her best friend's uncharacteristic use of a curse word.
Zuko sighed again. "Look, alright fine. I'll disregard what those doctors said. But this is your last chance Azula. I managed to find one more Doctor who read all the reports from the other doctors and is still willing to take you as a patient."
"Is she water tribe?" Azula inquired.
The Fire Lord stood there with his mouth gaped open for a minute. "How did you know?"
Azula rolled her eyes "You seem to be going in a pattern. The first doctor was male and from the Earth Kingdom. The second was female and an Air Nomad, where you found one of those I have no idea. The third was male and from the Fire Nation. Logic would conclude that the next doctor will be female and from the water tribe."
"Well you're right." He said, slightly stunned for he didn't even know he was going in a pattern. "Doctor Une is currently in the room she will be staying in, the same one the last doctors were staying in, unpacking her things."
"You don't like her." Ty lee noted, seeing the color for dislike filter through his otherwise annoyed and tired aura when he mentioned the doctor's name.
"I didn't say that." He denied.
"But it's true." A smooth deep female voice, a voice that literally seemed to flow like water into the room – covering everything in a soothing calm – said from behind the royal couple.
Ty lee got up immediately, eager to meet the person whose voice was able to change the aura of everyone in the room by only saying three words – though it made Azula sigh at the missing weight. Standing in the doorway of the room, holding a bag full of something, was a rather tall thin woman. At least she seemed to be rather tall upon closer inspection she was probably no taller than Azula, who by her own right was slightly tall, maybe 5'7". She just had really long legs, it almost look unnatural – almost. Her outfit was simple, an aqua tunic covering baggy teal pants with a matching obi wrapped around her waist. Flush around her neck was a dark blue band sporting a red flame shaped gem with a character Ty Lee couldn't identify carved professionally into it, reminding the acrobat of Katara's necklace.
With a lifted eyebrow the woman flicked a thick light brown bundle of hair, held together by a thick band the same color as her outfit, behind her shoulder. Oddly enough as the sun hit her long hair the highlights weren't brown or gold but light teal; Ty Lee assumed it was the reflection of her clothes or something and didn't think too hard on it. "You must be Ty Lee." the new doctor said, extending her pale hand to the acrobat.
For a second Ty Lee only looked at the hand, wondering why it and its owner were so pale. No one in the water tribe that Ty Lee had ever met were as pale as this woman, hell no one in the whole world that she had ever seen was as pale as this woman. Her skin was white, whiter than snow even, Ty Lee would swear up and down that it was the palest of light blues and not white at all, and her hand was cold, despite the hot temperatures of the Fire Nation summer they were surrounded by. The acrobat did her best not be rude by pulling away to fast. The new doctor chuckled, her cerulean eyes sparkling – eyes that spoke volumes of knowledge as vast as the ocean itself and far beyond the maybe late twenties her appearance provided – as she pulled her hand away from the girl. "I am Une. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"I don't mean to be rude or anything but you don't look like someone from the water tribe." The Acrobat noted, earning a chuckle from the woman again.
"Eastern water tribe." She answered simply, confusing the acrobat.
"The Eastern Water Tribe?" Ty Lee questioned, looking at Zuko for answers.
The Fire Lord only shrugged as Une passed by him, handing him the bag in her hands. "These aren't mine, do something with them."
"I like her already." Azula commented from her still seated position on couch, watching with a smirk as her brother fumed at being looked down on and told what to do. The pale woman approached the princess with an easy eye, looking her over. "I presume you are my new doctor, here to judge if I am mentally okay." She stated mockingly.
Une chuckled slightly, bringing one hand to her chin while the other wrapped around her waist. "You presume wrong." She stated simply. "I can tell just by looking into your eyes that you are of sound mind. My goal is to assimilate you to this new-aged world. It is my professionally opinion, however, that you harbor great…shall we say problems. You do seem to have a slightly low opinion of yourself." Zuko and Mai scoffed at the notion, and Une eyed them for a second. "And your brother seems to be so full of himself, it's slightly annoying." Azula couldn't help but chuckle as Zuko tried very hard to calm down, failing slightly. He opened his mouth to speak but Une cut him with a raised hand. "Please spare me the 'I'm Fire Lord and you will respect me' speech, boy. I couldn't care less of your status."
"I could tell you to leave." He threatened, fist balled tight – the bag of things having been handed off to a random guard. "You did just say that she was of 'sound mind'."
She seemed unfazed. "You could and I did say that. However, I also said that I was here to assimilate her to this time. Or did you plan to lock her up again once she was cured?" The unspoken fear in the princess' eyes, fear she tried desperately to hide, was enough to tell the doctor that she had hit the nail on the head with that statement.
Zuko grunted, rubbing a hand around his go-tee angrily. "No, that wasn't part of the deal."
"Good." Une replied with a mock pleasant smile. "Now that that's settled, I believe we should start hashing out your problems tomorrow, possibly some time in the afternoon. I do like to sleep in." She patted Azula on the head – which did annoy the princess – as she turned to leave the room. "I hope that you will be gone by then." She said to Zuko as pleasantly as naturally possible as she stopped beside him. "You clearly agitate her and I'd like to start our sessions without outside interference."
"What about Ty Lee?" Azula inquired. "Isn't she outside interference?"
"Do you wish her gone?" Une asked, looking straight at the acrobat's suddenly tense form as she spoke.
"No." Azula answered simply.
"Then she can stay." She smiled, placing a cold hand on Ty Lee's shoulder with a small genuine smile playing across her lips at the acrobat's goofy smile. "Congratulations." Une said walking out of the room and out of sight.
"I hate that woman." Zuko breathed lightly, still fuming.
"I like her." Azula countered as Ty Lee went back to sit next to her. "You should have sent her first."
Before he could say something childish, his wife slapped him on the arm lightly. "Ty Lee." Mai called, grabbing the acrobat's attention. "I'm interested to hear about Doctor Huang. Let's talk outside." She said, motioning with her head towards the door.
Ty Lee looked at Azula who was in a tense staring contest with her brother, shrugged and stood – following Mai out of the room.
The pair ended up in one of the many Sunrooms, sitting at the table that was in it. Ty Lee had animatedly gone into her tale of misadventure with the 'good' doctor and Mai had set and listened, chuckling every once in a while at something she found amusing and keeping a close eye on her six month old son as he played with the toys they had brought. "And I kissed her." Ty Lee finished; a slight tint of pink to her cheeks.
"And she returned it?" Mai asked, turning to read her friend's reaction.
Ty Lee shrugged slightly. "Not at first. It took her a minute before she kissed me back."
The Fire Lady was silent as she ran through the information she was given. She knew Azula, she knew how the princess thought, how manipulative she was. She also know how caring and forgiving Ty Lee was, how easy it was for Azula to manipulate her. There was no doubt in Mai's mind that Ty Lee truly – for reasons that were beyond her – loved Azula. The silly acrobat always had, even when they were far younger. But Azula…Mai wasn't sure if Azula knew how to love somebody or something for that matter. Honestly, she was surprised that Azula had forgiven Ty Lee for that whole betrayal thing during the war. "Are you sure she isn't just using you?"
"What would she gain by using me?" Ty Lee answered. "I can't give her anything but me."
Mai sighed. "Despite what you may believe you are a pretty strong ally. With her mind and the combination of her bending and your abilities you two would be unstoppable."
"She can't bend." Ty Lee interjected.
This caught Mai off guard. "What? But I thought you stopped Zuko from taking her bending."
The acrobat nodded. "I did." She agreed. "But her wrists and ankles are so messed up from those heavy chains that it hurts her to bend. She's been practicing but after an hour she can barely walk."
"That's very interesting." The Fire Lady stated, a mischievous twinkle in her dull golden eyes.
"You can't tell anyone I told you that." Ty Lee was quick to demand, placing her hands on Mai's knee. "She'd never forgive me."
Mai looked into the pleading grey eyes of her best friend and sighed. "Fine." Mai deadpanned.
"Thank you." The Fire Lady rolled her eyes as she leaned over and picked up her son, stopping him from crawling out of the room and placing him back near his toys, grabbing his attention by waving one of his toys in front of him. Ty Lee giggled, "He's getting so big." She said, happily – her voice getting his attention.
He giggled happily as Ty Lee wiggled her fingers at him, cooing softly and speaking like a baby. "He has and gets into everything now that he can crawl." Mai smiled as Ty Lee picked the little boy up, ruffling his short hair – the same shade as his father's. "Have you ever thought about having any of your own?"
Ty Lee made a thoughtful face. "Once." She admitted. "But then you had this one." She bounced Lu Ten on her knee. "And I saw how out of shape you got and how much pain you were in and I reconsidered, no offense."
Mai did laugh at that. "It's so worth it. You really don't know love until you have a child."
Ty Lee gaped, surprised that her friend had changed so much simply by having one child. She was actually talking about her emotions. As if she were worried, Ty Lee placed a hand on Mai's forehead, "Are you feeling okay?"
Without hesitation, Mai slapped the hand away, making Ty Lee laugh and Lu Ten giggle. "Whatever." Mai again reverted back to her deadpan tone. "Just be careful around Azula. You can't trust her."
"She's changed." Ty Lee argued. "Why can't anyone see that?"
Mai sighed. "Because we see her for what she really is. You are blinded by some misconception of love."
"It's not a misconception." Ty Lee exclaimed and Mai didn't respond – only looked at her knowingly. The acrobat rolled her eyes. "Believe what like." There was a pause between them. "So, Doctor Une?"
"Zuko dislikes her." The Fire Lady answered as if she were bored, taking her son from her best friend as he reached for her. "Passionately." She added.
"I noticed." The acrobat giggled. "Where's the Eastern Water Tribe?"
"We have no idea. I asked Katara and she only looked at me like I had three heads. Then she said something about a Water Tribe legend but she didn't know the details."
"Oh." Was all Ty Lee said. "Well, I guess we're just going to have to find out."
Mai nodded.
~Next day~
Azula set comfortably, annoyed but comfortably, in a red chair facing her new doctor. For the last half hour the two had only stared at each other. Cool cerulean meeting bright gold in a soundless battle. The princess sighed, her arms crossed around her waist and one of her legs crossed over the other. "Is this going anywhere any time soon?"
Une lifted a long cylinder item and tapped it onto a pad. Azula looked at the two things; she assumed that the pad of paper was a new invention – wondering why no one had thought about it before hand. The other thing she didn't have a clue what it is. "Depends on you, Azula. I am here to help you, but only if you want it. I'm fine sitting here doodling on my pad for the entire session. Unless of course you want to talk."
"About what?" Azula inquired, her eyebrow lifted though her eyes never left the cylinder object.
"Anything you feel like talking about, be it an event from your childhood or a problem from this morning. Anything is fine and nothing is off limits." Une informed.
Azula paused, thinking over what her new doctor was telling her. "And how much of what I tell you will reach my brother?"
Une smiled warmly. "I have a strict doctor-patient confidentially clause in my contract. This is half the reason why Zuko wanted nothing to do with me. I will only give him status reports, nothing you say to me will be repeated to him, unless you tell me otherwise."
The princess nodded, she liked that. "Can I ask questions?"
"Feel free." Une encouraged but Azula remained silent. "I understand that you've been locked up for quite some time. Things that would seem common knowledge to the rest of the population will be foreign to you. The world has changed in little ways and in big ones. For example this pen," Une said, moving the silver cylinder object in front of her. "You are probably use to brushes with ink stones. This cylinder object is a writing utensil with an ink cartridge built in. It last a good month, maybe more if you don't throw it against things. You never have to clean it out, wash it, or refill it. Well, there are some that can be refilled. This however is not one of those."
"Convenient." Azula noted.
"Yes, very." Une agreed.
"Can I ask you personal questions, about yourself?" The convalescent inquired as she leaned forward, intertwining her fingers.
Une thought for a second. "I suppose it's only fair."
The princess smirked and leaned back into her chair. "I've never hear of the Eastern Water Tribe. Did you make it up?"
The doctor smirked. "How do you know that it wasn't found while you were incarcerated?"
Azula scoffed. "My people have traveled all over this world. I would think someone would have stumbled upon it in the past 100 years."
Nodding, Une answered. "Good point. No, I did not make it up. The Eastern Water Tribe was the capital of the Water Nation nearly…well a very long time ago. It was a beautiful tropical isle in the shape of the modern day Water Tribe insignia. Legends say that during the War of the Gods…do you know of it? The war I mean?" Une inquired.
"Vaguely." Azula admitted.
"Not surprising. It's an old legend. But anyways, the island sank into the ocean and it's been there ever since. I come from that island, I rule that island." Azula's laughter was sudden, unrestrained and riddled with disbelief.
"Maybe you need to see a doctor." The princess commented, still laughing.
Une only smiled. "I don't expect you to believe me."
Azula stopped laughing, though a smile still tugged at her lips. "For argument's sake, let's say I believe you. Why would you leave the safety of your underwater city to come here?"
The doctor touched her choker and smiled fondly. "I was motivated."
The princess rolled her golden eyes. "You fell in love."
It was Une's turn to laugh. "Hardly. I'm above sea level to help an old friend."
With a lifted eyebrow and crossed arm, "Then why are you here, helping me?"
"Means to an end," Une answered nonchalantly with a shrug of her pale shoulders.
"Gee thanks." The princess deadpanned, causing Une to chuckle.
She tapped her pen on her pad again. "Now, Azula, just because what I said is the base truth does not mean that I care any less about your well being. I chose this job of my own free will. I believe I can help you."
"What do you expect of me?" Azula asked bluntly.
"I expect you to be honest with me and speak your mind. This is not a place where you will be persecuted for what you think or say. I will not tell anyone and I will not judge you." Une answered. Azula nodded, looking down at the floor, but again remained silent. "Expectations is a big thing for you. It's good to know what people expect."
There was no response from the princess for a long time. Une was about to call it a day when Azula looked up with a stern expression. "None of this leaves the room." She said, though it sounded more like a question. The doctor only nodded, choosing to remain silent. Casting her golden gaze back to the ground Azula started, "Most of my delusions, the ones that I remember, were about what people expected of me."
"People?" Une prompted.
"Everyone, the war generals, Mai, Ty Lee, Zuko, my mother…" she paused. "My father. I never knew exactly want they wanted from me. I still don't. I was the best I could be, better than anyone else. But it was never enough. They always wanted more." Une nodded, still silent. The princess sighed deeply. "I don't want to talk about this anymore. Emotions are a weakness."
"Are they?" Une challenged.
"Yes." Azula answered simply and with such determination that Une dare not challenge it again, at least not yet.
The older woman sighed and smiled slightly. "Alright then." Seemingly out of nowhere the pale woman pulled out a single thin book, bound in red leather. "This is what I want you to do." She handed the book to her charge. Azula flipped through it, finding it to be a bunch of blank pages. "This, if you haven't noticed, is a diary. It's yours. You can put anything in it. Anything at all. All I ask is that you try to write in it at least once a day. When you write don't think about what you are writing just write, no one will read it but you. And you don't even have to read it if you don't want to."
"That's it?" Azula inquired. "You want me to write in a dairy."
"Yes. It helps I promise." Une answered. "Also, I'd like you to think about one thing." The princess gave her doctor a look telling her to go on. "Who is the strongest person you know?"
"Physically?" The convalescent queried.
"I meant in every aspect, not just physically. And I want you to think about it. Don't answer now."
Azula nodded again somewhat liking the feel of the book in her hand. "Can I have that pen?" She asked, wondering why she was even asking and not just taking it from the doctor.
If she thought hard enough she would realize that Une did not seem the type to be ordered around. Especially with the way she talked to Zuko. And she held herself so confidently, as if there were no one better than her – no one worse either if Azula considered the way Une was talking to her. If she factored in that she knew nothing about this woman or the abilities she did or did not have and the fact that her own abilities where…lacking she would realize that she had no chance against her. It was a good thing she didn't think too hard on it. Otherwise she would be depressing herself.
Une easily handed over her pen and stood. "Have fun." She replied with a smile, before adding. "If you need anything, regardless of the time, you know where to find me."
"Anytime?"
"Anytime." Une confirmed. "Unless something comes up, how does the day after tomorrow sound for our next session?"
Azula paused in surprise, the only doctor that stayed insisted that they met every day and didn't ask her if it was okay, he just assumed it was. But he was a bastard so she ignored it and assumed that what Une was doing was the right way. "It sounds fine. I'll see you then."
"Good. I'll see you then." The doctor replied, walking out of the room and leaving Azula to herself.
~x~
It was bright outside, the morning sun shining brightly over the endless waves of the ocean in the distance. The princess set on the short porch, her feet barely touching the ground, overlooking the only garden on the grounds. Her dairy lay opened to the first blank page, the first page, on her lap and the pen in her hands. The plan was to sit in a comfortable quiet place and try to write anything in it. The first time she had tried last night had ended with the book on the other side of the room. Unfortunately for her Une was still prowling the halls of the mansion. The pale woman had walked into room following the noise and saw Azula sitting with her arms crossed and a scowl on her pretty face as she glared at the offending book.
Her chuckle was the thing that brought Azula's attention to her. Une walked over and carefully picked up the book. "I told you not to think too hard on what to write in it. Just relax." The doctor suggested, handing the book back to its owner and walking out of the room.
So that's why Azula was sitting in a place where she could calm down and relax. Of course with Ty Lee doing cartwheels and back flips and all kinds of acrobatics her concentration on the book was the last thing she could think of. Every once in a while she would look down at the blank page and sigh but then look back up at whatever Ty Lee was doing and smile. "Azula!" Ty Lee called happily and plopped down beside the princess. "What'cha doin?"
The princess looked down at the blank page in her lap, taping the pen on the page. "Trying to write in this thing."
Ty Lee lifted an eyebrow, making a confused face. Her eyes widened with realization. "Is it an assignment or something?"
Azula nodded. "Yes, Une wants me to write in this thing at least once a day."
"Oh, did she say what she wanted you to write in it?"
The princess shook her head in the negative. "She said I could write whatever I wanted into it." The acrobat nodded. "That's the problem; I have no idea what to write in it."
"Write about the garden." Ty Lee suggested.
"The garden?" Azula deadpanned.
"Yeah!" Ty Lee exclaimed. "You could write about how pretty is it and how the sunshine feels against your skin."
The princess remained silent, watching the young woman beside her smile and talk animatedly. She really missed Ty Lee, though she would never admit that to anyone. But she really did miss her. The realization surprised Azula, she didn't even miss her father – which she thought was odd considering how much she loved him. She stopped, looked down at the paper as her pen moved with her thought process, as she mentally corrected herself – on the paper and in her mind. She never loved her father; looked up to him yes. Admired him, yes. But loved him, no. she tried to think back to one person she may have loved and no one came to mind. Except maybe…
"Ty Lee." Azula addressed, pulling the acrobat's attention away from the butterflies that flew around the garden.
"Yeah?" she asked with a smile.
"Who is the strongest person you know?"
Ty Lee gave her princess a look that clearly stated 'isn't it obvious?' before smiling brightly and answering, "You are."
Azula nodded, a half smile on her face. With that one sentence she knew who she thought was the strongest person she knew. "Thank you." She said, catching Ty Lee by surprise.
She had never thanked anyone before, so the words were foreign to Ty Lee but she appreciated them all the same. "For what?" she asked.
The princess smiled, truly smiled, as she leaned forward, kissing Ty Lee's cheek and whispering, "For everything."
TBC
A/N: I don't know what it is about this story but I can't seem to get into writing it, which is weird considering I already know how it ends and some of the things I want to happen in it. I don't know it's weird. :P
Anyways I hope you enjoyed it! Don't mind if Azula seems a little OOC. I'm sure that everyone wouldn't seem like themselves after a mental breakdown.