This was originally part of the third chapter. However, I felt that I should have separated this because it seemed like an individual chapter itself. It also focuses on the other character besides Azula, and how her insanity is affecting them.
Near the end of this chapter, there is a poem written by two of the characters
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE! READ THE POEM!
It is some of my best work yet.
I may not have time to work on this again. I trying out in an audition for something big. I don't know what it all, the only information that me and my mother were given, was that Disney was a part of it, and it might be a commercial for something. So if I do get the part, I will barley have time to work on fan fictions. However, I promise that I will try to write as much as possible.
Wish me luck on my audition.
And without further ado, here it is.
Zuko laced his hands within his hair. He grabbed fistfuls of his hair as the frustration became unbearable. His thoughts couldn't stop running about in his head. The problems that have presented themselves today were maliciously horrific. They caused discomfort and frustration in his head. The headache was now ten times stronger, and he could feel his pulse pumping through his head. He looked down at the dinner that was presented before him. The guest at the table all stared at Zuko. He was acting like this ever since they sat down at the table. The gang was already finished with their food, and Zuko's plate was completely full. He had never once touched his food; not once. The truth was, Zuko wasn't really hungry. He couldn't even gain the ability to feel anything. Attitude is toxic, and can spread from person to person. And Zuko was now suffering from Azula's attitude. Zuko's stomach was twisted in so many knots, that he feared he could even swallow a piece without regurgitating it.
Aang, feeling concern about his friend, walked over to Zuko's side of the palace table, and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Eat," Aang commanded with a smooth voice.
"I don't want to." Zuko mumbled.
"You'll need it." Aang said. "A man who starves himself only hurts himself."
Zuko sighed as he stared at the plate of noodles; the steam no longer rising. For the plate was now cold and empty, just like Zuko's heart at the moment. The frustration and self loathing was eating him alive.
"It's just…." Zuko began, trying to release his tension. "She's now so much worst. I don't know what to do. And now with Mailto gone, I don't know who to hire. I can't find a replacement doctor in time, and even if I did, I fear she'll affect the doctor's life as well. What should I do?"
"Why do you ask me?" Aang said. "I can help you, but in the end, it's your decision and your decision alone."
"Well thanks a lot!" Zuko exclaimed sarcastic, and aggravated.
Aang at this point, looked away in frustration. Zuko was a self loathing man that could cause the cheeriest of people, even Aang himself, to have a low self opinion. As he looked away, he noticed a messenger speaking to Katara. He was leaning forward and whispered in her ear. She seemed happy about whatever information she received, for a smile grew across her face.
"What's going on?" Aang asked his loving wife.
Her smile only grew wider and happier. "They're here." She replied buoyantly. She stood up from the table, and made a small commentary towards the guest at the table; being Sokka, Aang, Zuko, Suki, and Mai.
"Now as we all know," Katara began marching a bit. "Azula needs a new doctor. But not just any doctor. She needs a doctor that has a high degree in psychology, and knows his way around the mind. We literally need a doctor, who can bend a mind, and force it into his or her will. But where do we find a doctor like that? Now my friends, on this day of all days, my friend Toph suggested to me such a doctor who could do so. And although he does have a history, of being a criminal, I believe that even though we may not trust him, he is the right man for the job. He has molded minds. And he is also aware of Azula's evil nature. He has been affected by her evil core as well. I released him from the Ba Sing Se, prison myself. And Toph had made promises of showing him Azula's file. Toph is bringing him in right now." And with that, she waved her hand in the direction of the hallway.
From the darkness, the sound of footsteps echoed with a receding thud. They became louder and louder as two figures became clearer and clearer. One figure was larger than the other, and it was apparent that the smaller figure had the other figure bound to prison chains, and was pulling him along. The smaller figure came out of the darkness. It was Toph who was master over this criminal. The taller, leaner, and more deviating figure made its way out of the darkness. He was a very tall man. He had on a fine Earth Kingdom robe, which was tarnished after years of imprisonment. He was now bald, with the only hair being his devious mustache and goatee. It was none other than the master of brain washing, former Dia Li leader, Long Feng.
Everyone's eyes immediately slanted in annoyance when Long Feng became present. The hate towards him was still present. Aang seemed to be the only one that had no more resent. As the Avatar, he had to move on. Otherwise, he would have become grouchy and bitter, and no longer peaceful. Still, there was still some left over annoyance.
The only true person that wasn't angry or resentful was the only person that hadn't met this man. Zuko.
"Who is this guy?" the fire lord asked Aang.
"My name is Long Feng." The tall man replied. "I was the leader of the Dia Li before your sister viciously and rudely betrayed me and ruined our disagreement."
"He's also a betraying and deceptive liar, so I wouldn't listen to him." Sokka loudly yelled.
"I am sorry for the acts I've commented in my past." Long Feng proclaimed. "Truly, I am. But I know that I have the cure to Azula's insanity, and I insist that you must listen."
Sokka slowly began to set down. Zuko's ears immediately opened. He wanted to know of the knowledge that this stranger had. He seemed so confident that he had the answer. And Zuko was so desperate at this point, he'd take anything. So, with his eyes opening wide, his ears perking up, and his heart rate rising, he began to listen.
"I am a strong advocate of hypnotherapy." Feng began. "I have used its powers before to erase minds. And as you all know, it's radical power is truly effective. I know of a certain technique, to not erase minds, but to erase bad and repressed thoughts. Thus, it will effectively cure any mental disease. I believe, that if we were to initiate a hypnotherapy session right now, it will immediately cure her."
"Immediately?" Zuko stated with awe.
"Yes, Immediately." Long Feng answered. "But In order to do so, I must know Azula more in depth. I pulled up her file, with the help of my parole officer, being Toph at the moment. It was good information, but I fear it may not be enough. She said during one of her latest therapy sessions that she was writing poetry."
"Yes." Zuko replied.
"Do you have any poetry that she has written before her mental collapse?"
"I'm sorry to tell you this," Zuko began. "But she was never invested in the arts before her mental breakdown. In fact, she hated the arts. I'm afraid that there would be nothing to help you, in my case."
"Hmm, fair enough," Long Feng commented. "But if anything does come up, let me know immediately. I must be heading off to the cell given to me in the fire nation, for my time is up. However, am I clear to assume that I may have an immediate hypnotherapy session with Azula tomorrow."
Zuko didn't have to think on this. Though Long Feng was a past traitor, and a possible deceiver, he was confident that he had the cure. And if that was true, Zuko would forgive the man of his crimes any day, and he hoped that his friends would forgive this man as well. His answer was immediate. He knew what had to be done, even if it was drastic. Zuko wanted his sister cured immediately. The time to act was now.
"Crystal." Zuko replied.
As Mai was walking Zuko towards their room, the fire lord could tell by here twitchy posture that something was up. She never was twitchy. She seemed so smooth and monotone through her life. Never, did Zuko ever see his wife nervous. When they reached the door, Mai silently opened it, and hurried to her nightstand that was present on her side. She opened the drawer, and began rummaging through it, as though she lost something.
Zuko corked a brow. "Mai?" he asked. "What seems to be the problem?"
Mai looked up quickly. Her face was anxious. She looked like that she had something to say, but she feared the words wouldn't come out right. Slowly, her nervous face became that of fear of rejection. She slowly closed the door, and presented herself at Zuko. In her hands was a small paper. She nervously held the paper, and it started to crinkle as she held it tight. Zuko brushed his hand caringly and lovingly across Mai's cheek.
"Mai," Zuko whispered passionately. "You can tell me anything."
Mai looked up, and after a sigh, she told him what needed to be said.
"Remember when I, Ty Lee, Azula, and you all stayed at Ember Island?" Mai began. "And you remember how we came back and completely annihilated Chan's house?"
"How could I forget?" Zuko said with a smile. "It's my fondness memory of my sister; true teenage rebellion at its finest."
Mai nervously handed Zuko the paper. He grabbed it slowly out of her hands. Her eyes darted between the paper and Zuko. So he fully knew that this paper had to be important. But how did the incident at ember Island came to play was unknown.
"Today, when Long Feng asked us if Azula wrote any poetry before her descent into madness, you said that she didn't." Mai fully let go of the paper. "You're wrong. She did. The day when we were leaving, I found her slumped over a desk, with this under her. She wrote this all night. She didn't tell me, but I could tell due to the hand writing. I read before I left, stuffed it in my clothing, and kept it with me all these years."
"Why?" Zuko asked.
"Because it was like she knew us." Mai retaliated. "This Poem is deep. And it's directed to herself. And she feels just like we do. It's entitled 'I know you.'"
Zuko stared into the paper. The ink was now painting itself in his brain. He picked up every word, every syllable, and every line; determine to know more about Azula's thoughts on him. As he read it, he slowly became shocked. He couldn't believe it. Not only was it a fantastic piece of art, but it was very deep. And the biggest shocker of all was that she did indeed know him and herself pretty well.
Here is what the poem said.
I know you
You were too short
You had bad skin
You couldn't talk to them very well
You were socially awkward
Words didn't seem to work
Words lied when they came out of your mouth
They lied
You tried so hard to understand people
You wanted to be part of what was happening
You saw them having fun
And it seemed like such a mystery
Almost magic
They had the ability to have fun with life
They had the ability to smile
Why couldn't you
This magic made you think that there was something wrong with you
You'd look in the mirror trying to find that little kink
You thought that you were ugly
And that everyone was looking at you
So you learned to be invisible
You learned to look down
You learned to avoid conversation
The hours
The days
The weekends
Ahh, the weekend nights alone
Where were you
In the basement
The attic
The room
Were you working at some shit no end job just to have something to do?
Or did you hurt yourself just to have something to do
Were you given a task to restore your honor, but you realized that you may have none left
Did you work just to have something to do?
Just to have a place to put yourself
Just to have a way to get away from them
A chance to get away from the ones that made you fell so strange and ill-at-ease inside yourself
Did you ever get invited to one of their parties?
You sat and wondered if you would go or not
For hours, you imagined the scenarios that might transpire
They would laugh at you
If you would know what to do
If you would have the right things on
If they would notice that you came from a different planet
You alien
You monster
Did you get all brave in your thoughts?
Like you were going to be able to go in there and deal with it and have a great time
Did you think that you might be 'the life of the party?'
That all these people were going to talk to you
And you would find out that you were wrong
That you had a lot of friends, in fact, and that you weren't so strange after all
Did you ever end up going?
Did they mess with you?
Did they signal you out?
Did they kick you out?
And did you find out, that the only reason they invited you, was because you were so weird
Yeah, I think I know you
You spent a lot of time full of hate
A hate that was pure as sunshine
A hate that saw for miles
A hate that kept you up at night
A hate that filled your every waking moment
A hate that carried you for a long time
Yes, I think I know you
You couldn't figure out what they saw and the way they lived
Why was life so easy for them?
Home?
Home was not home
Your room was home
A corner was home
The place that they weren't, that was your real home
I know you indeed
You're sensitive
And you hide it, because you fear getting stepped on one more time
It seems that when you show a part of yourself that was the least bit vulnerable
Someone takes advantage of you
One of them steps on you
One of them screws you over
One of them betrays you
And even if they hadn't yet, you fear that one day you do, and the paranoia eats you alive
Like worms descending on an apple
Like bugs eating up a corpse
Like scavengers
They and the people most close to you mistake kindness for weakness
But you know the difference
You've been the brunt of their weakness for years
And strength is something you know a bit about, because you had to be strong to keep yourself alive
You know yourself very well now
And you don't trust people
You know people too well
You try to find that special person
Some you can be with
Someone you can talk to
Someone you won't feel so strange around
And you found that they don't really exist
In fact, you feel closer to fictional characters, than actual personas in reality
Yeah, I think I know you
You spend a lot of time day dreaming
And people have made comment to that effect
Saying that you're 'self-involved' and 'self-centered'
A snob
A monster
But they don't know you, do they
They don't know about the long nightshifts alone
About the years of keeping yourself company
All the nights you wrapped your arms around yourself
So you could imagine someone holding you
The hours of indecision
Self-doubt
You feared that you couldn't live up to anyone's expectations
Even if you had talent
The intense depression
The blinding hate
The rage that made you stagger
The devastation of rejection
Well…maybe they do know
But if that's the case, they sure do a pretty good fucking job of hiding it don't they
It astounds you how they can be so smooth
How they seem to pass through life as if life itself was some divine gift
And it infuriates you to watch yourself with your apparent skill
With your talent
With your ability
And finding every way possible to somehow screw it up
To blow your chance of becoming 'normal'
To blow your chance of having 'honor'
To blow you chance of gaining 'love'
All you wanted, in the end, was love
For you, life is a long trip
Terrifying and wonderful
Birds sing to you at night
The rain and the sun
The changing of seasons
They are true friends
Solitude is hard won ally
Faithfull and patient
Yeah, I think I know you
Later that night, Mai woke up with a thunderous head ache. Her whole body could no longer sleep. She hated these nights. These were the nights were her whole body wouldn't sleep. She feared that she had a disorder, but she didn't care. As long as she was next to her boyfriend, who'd be equally naked as well, she'd be happy to stay up for a few more hours.
For last night, was pretty much, the best sex she had in her life.
But when she rolled over, to plant a kiss on her boyfriend's lips, she discovered that he disappeared. His side of the bed was vacant and empty. In place of his body, was an empty spot? It was just a piece of air. Nothing. Mia frowned at this revelation. She almost panicked that Zuko was taken away from her. And she would be justified in her state of panic. With the recent Azula escapes, it was hard not to fear someone killing her husband. But she immediately noticed a glimmer of light. It was a small shimmer. She recognized it as a lamp, which the fire lord lit whenever he had paper work that he had to work late on. When she turned her head towards the lamp, she noticed a gracefully asleep fire lord; head stuck on the desk; body slumped; and a thunderous snore erupting from him, as he slept in his chair.
A smile crept up her face. A dirty thought plant itself in her mind. She slowly got out of bed, and snuck up towards him. Her naked body pressed up against his back lightly. Her mouth slowly got closer to Zuko's ear, and she was only moments away, from whispering his name very seductively.
But then, her eyes caught the paper under him. It was the poem Azula wrote long ago. On the left of the poem, was a letter. The letter was addressed to the republic city hospital. She almost hated herself for doing stuff like this, it was very nosy. Still, curiosity swept over her, and she opened the letter and began to read. It was another poem, addressed to Azula. And it was defiantly written as a response to Azula's poem long ago.
Here's what it said.
Dear Azula,
I know you too
Do you know me?
You're not alone
Some of us do know your pain
All these things pass away
As we do
And life gives as well as takes
And you learn that fact, but it still angers you
How life seems to only give you shit, and take away happiness
On this temporary plane of existence
There is no time to forgive
No time to forget
No time to become popular
No time to be normal
Right?
Wrong!
There is time
And you don't have to be anything, other than who you are
You are you, and you are unique, and no matter what anyone says, you are yourself, and that makes you amazing
Let them laugh
Let their words hang in the air unchallenged
Let them show their true selves for the entire world to see
And wait patiently, for their judgment is coming
And they will be cast down
And they will be humiliated
And one day, they will be the ones misunderstood
Lonesome
Fearful
But love them back
Do not take vengence
Violence be gets Violence
Love thy enemy
For they are now you
Instead of being vengeful
Instead of being hateful
Instead of being secluded
Open up
Someone will kick you,
But those corny little motherfuckers will get their just deserts
One day
One day they'll hear themselves
One day they'll discover how horrible they were
One day, they'll discover how ugly they can be
One day, they will become you.
And one day, you will find them,
And you will forgive
And you will laugh with them, and not at them, like they use to with you
One day, you'll find a friend
Search for a friend now
Search the crowd where the laughter becomes silent, and search for another pair of pain filled eyes.
And then my friend you will find me.
So now we know each other
So now we are friends.
Let me introduce myself
Hi, I am your brother
And I do know you.
I do.
Azula's poem, while some of it is written by me, it's a somewhat edited version of Henry Rollin's poem 'I know you'
The second poem, Zuko's poem, is mine, all mine. I can assure you.
I just like this chapter cause it's showing how Azula is getting into their heads, more than they are getting into her's.
Thank you for reading. You have no clue how much you people keep me going on my writing.
PLEASE REVIEW.