I didn't update this one until my Naruto story was done. Sorry for the wait.
XxX
"My poor dear," the woman said, setting the now filled glass of water on the bedside table. "What a high fever."
"Mommy, I don't feel good…"
"I know sweetheart, but if you get some rest I'm sure you'll be better by tomorrow."
"Of course she will be," said a gruff voice from behind them.
"Daddy?" the sick child asked, turning her head.
"She's my child after all," the man continued, ignoring his daughter. "She'll be healthy in no time."
"Do you think so daddy?"
"Of course he does," the mother said smoothing the girl's hair. "Now why don't you get some rest so you can play with your friends in the morning."
"Ok, goodnight mommy, goodnight daddy."
The couple walked out of their daughter's room, wordlessly going different directions once the door was closed. He went to the living room where he would read the paper, and she went to go read something far more interesting.
She knew reading the book wasn't the best of ideas, but she was drawn to it, and finishing it was something she'd like to do regardless of what she was told. That's how it was the first few times she read the story. It always captivated her, putting her in almost a trance-like state until she reached the last page. It was almost obsessive.
She stealthily pulled her treasure out from between the mattress, before curling up on her bed to read. She vaguely realized how preposterous she was being, a grown woman hiding just so she could read a book about her family history. But still, she checked the door to make sure no one was looking before opening the cover and continuing to read.
XxX
Of
Water and Fire
XxX
Zuko. That was his name, Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation. A sworn enemy. His father was the cause of the war that took my mother away from me. It wasn't anything personal to start with, but again, that's what I was taught.
But it became personal. It became a very personal matter for me. Having to live in fear that he might show up and kidnap Aang while we slept… or worse. At times it seems impossible to stop that nagging voice in the back of your head that knows nothing but negative, and wants you know just how bad things could be, and are. That voice kept me up at night more than a few times. After awhile I began to learn how to ignore it; how to force myself not to think about it at all. You just couldn't.
Instead I would focus on things like perfecting my Water Bending techniques, keeping Sokka out of trouble, and making sure no harm came to Aang. At one point I believed that I loved Aang. In fact, I still do. However, it was Zuko that made me realize just how I loved him. I felt the same way about Aang as I did for Sokka. He was like a younger brother. I just wish I could have figured that out sooner, it would've spared him a lot of heartbreak.
But unfortunately life for us seemed to be a constant heartache. Sokka and I both had to deal with the loss of our mother and our father's absence. Aang had to go through life knowing he was the only Airbender left; he had to live knowing that everyone he'd ever known before he sealed himself was long gone. Sokka lost Princess Yue. I saw Jet die. Aang couldn't be with me. It was a vicious cycle, yet we got through it. We had to. There were more important things for us to deal with than our love lives. Like staying alive ourselves.
It wasn't always an easy task, and at times I was sure we wouldn't make it. Yet we always managed to somehow avoid death. I am so grateful that I could heal people; it saved us more than once.
Toph saved us too. At first I wasn't entirely sure I liked having her join us, but without her we couldn't have accomplished everything we managed to. Her abilities as an Earthbender were amazing, and (although I didn't always approve of her teaching methods) Aang would never have managed to be as great as he is now without her help. I'm so glad she was part of our group, even if we were so different. She completed our group.
I sometimes wondered how Sokka managed to be… Sokka. Throughout all of his hardships he somehow managed to keep everyone's spirit up. Occasionally I thought that maybe he was faking it all. His whole attitude. I knew there was no way he could always be a form of entertainment; I'd seen his serious side. Yet I couldn't help but think that maybe when he was being a bit strange, that it was just a show to keep us from falling into the darkness that seemed to want to swallow us. Then again, I have been wrong before. But if there's one thing I do know about him, it's that even though we didn't always get along, I couldn't wish for a better brother.
It was the four of us. Together we were going to save the world. Yet there was always someone stopping us from doing so. Zuko. I'm not sure when it happened… maybe when Toph introduced us to Iroh properly, but somewhere along the line I had the feeling he had changed. That he no longer wanted to do us harm, that everything I had been taught was a lie, that he was an exception to the constant stereotypes I had heard about the Fire Nation.
I thought he confirmed all of this. We were in a cave… a beautiful one at that. Crystals of some sort were all around us, seeming to glow in a sort of green light. I'd touched my necklace when I had a sort of flashback. I remembered what the Waterbending master had told me at the North Pole. That it was a sign of engagement… I looked at the Prince when I remembered why I still had it. He had returned it to me at one point.
Maybe that's why I opened up to him (though later I would swear it was only because he had made me angry). Why I told him about my mother, how she was taken from me because of the war started by his father. I never imagined that he'd been through the same thing.
That was why I offered to heal his scar. That was why is betrayal hurt so much. That is one of the main reasons why I still despise Azula.
XxX
"Mommy…? I puked on my bed," her daughter said, startling the woman.
"My poor thing," she said as she tucked the book back in its hiding place. "Here, you lay down in my bed and I'll clean that up for you, ok?"
"Ok mommy."