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Book 4: Spirit

Chapter 1: Azula's Lost Days

Page 10– Acts of Kindness

Azula stirred slowly from her position on the floor. She had never crawled from the floor after that horrible nightmare. Her vision was blurry as her eyes focused and tried to chase the sleep from them as she sat up. She rubbed her head as the door swung open. She didn't need her eyes to hear the overly friendly sounding foot steps as Ming brought her breakfast.

"Good morning Princess Azula I brought you…" Azula's eyes had focused and she could see Ming staring at her. "Princess, are you all right? Did you sleep on the floor last night?" Azula could even hear the pity in her voice.

"As if you cared." Azula managed in a hoarse whisper. "I'm not hungry. Take that slop away!" Azula managed a defiant glare and winced as her stomach growled voraciously as the scent of the porridge met her nose. It was savory smelling and smelled much better than the usual food she was given. Her father always said, 'sweeter honey, sharper poison'.

"You need to eat something." Ming started in that mockingly warm voice.

"You do not control me!" Azula yelled and managed to stand and stumble to the bars as she glared. "You are nothing to me, just some stupid peasant who's a bad actor!" Azula smirked in a bitter self satisfied way at the frown on Ming's face. As if I wouldn't figure it out Azula thought bitterly. No one is that nice without a hidden agenda. Her stomach growled in protest at her resolve as the scent of bacon drifted to her nose as she bit her lip.

"But Princess…" Ming mocked her.

"Don't call me that!" Azula shouted at her as she gripped the bars so hard her pallid fingers turned even whiter. "You don't deserve to call me that." She hissed trying to keep her eyes off the overly large bowl where her breakfast was.

"Very well, but you must be hungry." Azula closed her eyes trying to shut out the smell of the food and Ming's insistent voice. "You haven't eaten well in weeks."

Azula could not decide whether she was angry at Ming's continuous one track mind or how much her resolve was getting worn down. "You're not my Mother. You eat it!" She snapped at the girl with a smirk. Let Ming call her bluff. She knew no one would willingly poison themselves.

Azula's eyes narrowed when Ming simply nodded. "Very well then, I haven't eaten today either." Azula was more surprised when Ming ladled the porridge into the bowl and sat down and sipped from it. She watched as Ming downed the serving in a few minutes and then ladled the rest into the same bowl and held it to her from one of the serving gaps in the bars. She simply waited.

Azula reached out and grabbed the bowl and looked at it suspiciously. She sniffed it. The food did smell appetizing. She could smell the savory scent of bacon and the yeasty smell of the rice porridge. It wasn't as good as what she had at the palace for breakfast, but it was a good peasant stew.

Azula ran it through her mind over and over. Ming had taken and eaten an entire portion of porridge. She ladled from the same serving bowl. She used the same ladle and used the same bowl Ming herself used. Her brain raced trying to find the trick, but calculation after calculation later she just could not find it. She could not believe it. The food was safe. Her brow knitted and she tilted her head back and nearly swooned as the thick, and fatty concoction poured past her lips.

Azula's eyes closed; she barely held back a whimper of ecstasy as she poured the porridge down her throat. Hunger indeed was the best spice, she realized, as she nearly swooned at the heavy thick taste as her stomach quickly filled. She never even realized she hadn't paused to breathe as she pulled the empty bowl away and gasped for air as she wiped her finger along the sides of the bowl and sucked her finger clean. It wasn't until that moment that her mind focused on what her exhausted and starved body was doing automatically. It, also, wasn't until that moment that she felt the disgust at how desperate and pathetic she had become.

Azula saw Ming standing there watching her in a calm quiet way. It reminded her of the way Mai would observe people, unobtrusively. She felt her face grow flush in embarrassment at being witnessed in such a shameful display. Azula gritted her teeth and thrust the bowl between the bars and dropped it to the floor. "I'm done." She hissed in her awkwardness.

Ming calmly took the bowl and set it down. Azula could tell that something was bothering the woman's mind. It started to grate her after a minute. "Well what else do you want?" Azula snapped. "You fed your caged monster, now go!"

Azula grew even angrier when Ming refused to leave. She was about to yell at the guard again when she nodded and took a rolled package and looked back to the door. Azula could tell right away Ming was ensuring the guards were not watching her. Her snarl faded into a curious frown. What was Ming worried about?

Ming quickly pushed the wrapped parcel through the bars on the floor and looked to Azula and spoke quickly. "The water is going to run much longer for you from now on." She then quickly turned and walked out.

Azula thought Ming's comment odd as she stared at the door when the woman left. After a minute, she remembered the other odd thing about Ming's visit and looked down. She reached down and picked up the wrapped bundle. It wasn't particularly heavy and Azula stared at it for a few minutes before she unwrapped the white cloth that covered it.

She blinked in shock as she looked at the contents. A vial of her favorite shampoo, juniper, jasmine and rose, and a small comb were in the parcel along with a bundle of blank paper. She unfolded them and found several sticks of crayon: a black one; a green one; a blue one; and a terra cotta one. She looked back to the door in confusion. "Why would she give me any of these?" Azula wondered out loud.

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Azula had her eyes closed in relish as she lathered her poor mistreated hair. She was careful to keep quiet. She had to admit, Ming was true to her word. The water had run at least double the amount of time it normally would have. She never used the shampoo of course. Agni only knew what poisons could have been laced in the fragrant mixture that would have soaked in her skin. No, Azula knew better. Ming wanted her trust, and Azula would not be won over by a simple full belly.

Still, Azula had to admit if playing along meant that she had enough time to give her hair a proper washing with the cheap soap they had already given her, then so be it. She rinsed the lathered soap out of her hair and started running the comb through it. She winced, suppressing a yelp, as she pulled the carved bone instrument through her tangled hair forcefully. For the past few weeks she barely had enough time to give her hair a quick rinse as she tried to comb her hair straight back.

Azula still felt disturbed. Something felt too familiar about the whole situation. That horrible feeling of deja'vu refused to die down as she finished rinsing herself when an odd noise rumbled through the pipe. She stared at it for a few seconds as the warm water ran down her form until a massive deluge came through the spigot and splashed right into her. She was knocked from her feet with a yelp. Azula desperately clawed at the wall as she was dragged out into the main room of her cell and was pinned to the wall and frozen to the spot.

When her eyes focused from the stars after her head hit the wall she realized she was literally frozen to the wall. Her entire body save her head was encased in ice. Standing before her was that Water Tribe bitch.

"Let me go you bitch!" Azula screamed part in anger and part in fright and struggled as best she could. She felt some of the water melt and cover her mouth and refreeze holding her still.

"Now, now Azula, we need a little girl talk." The other girl… Katara that was her name, said in a frighteningly calm voice. Azula noticed the look in the girl's eyes. Azure eyes reflected pure ice with a malicious smile that would have made Ozai proud. "And I don't take kindly to your tone of voice. We'll have to do something to make you respect others." She said with a sadistic mirth.

Azula watched terrified as Katara gestured with her arms. Suddenly, Azula felt a sudden burst of cold agony in her chest and she couldn't draw a breath. Azula panicked when she realized Katara had frozen her lungs solid. The rest of the ice turned to water and Azula just gagged and spasmed on the floor.

Katara calmly walked toward the shivering and writhing form of Azula as she gaped in pure terror. When did she walk past the bars? The rational part of Azula's mind chimed in weakly.

Azula's vision began to turn black as Katara bent down to stare right into Azula's golden eyes with her ice blue orbs of hatred. "Go ahead and struggle Azula. In here, no one can hear you scream…" Was the last thing Azula heard before her awareness ceased.

Azula sat upright in bed with a gasp of fright clutching her chest as she felt her heart beat race in her chest. She was close to hyperventilating again as she struggled to slow her breathing down. Calm down! She told herself as she realized it was just another nightmare.

Azula quickly calmed down. With a full stomach her mind was acting clearer. She had laid down to sleep after taking her shower. Her meal and the extra long shower had lulled her into enough relaxation to get some decent sleep. Azula felt her heart beat slow down to a decent crawl and her breathing slowed to where she wasn't hiccupping from swallowing too much air.

"How long was I out for?" She whispered out loud as she rubbed her head with a headache that told her it should be around meal-time. Azula didn't have to wait long as the door to her chamber opened and in walked Ming with another tray of something.

"Good evening!" Ming said in her overtly cheerful Ty Lee voice. Azula stared astonished. Had she actually slept the entire day?

"What time is it?" Azula asked in as neutral voice as possible.

Ming looked to her confused. Azula figured it was because she wasn't used to her asking anything. "It's about seven hours past noon. I have dinner for you Princess… I mean Azula."

Azula was too put off by her head ache to care at Ming's use of her stolen title as she reflected on the time. Not good. I can't afford to leave myself that vulnerable for that long. Azula figured she must have been asleep at least ten hours!

Azula was brought out by her thoughts as Ming said in her voice. "And I have a plate of sushi for you. I heard how much you enjoy it." Azula narrowed her eyes instantly suspicious as Ming showed she indeed had a decent platter of platter of sushi with at least thirty pieces and a large pitcher of water with two glasses. Azula also took note that there was at least two pieces of each piece of sushi. When Azula looked back to Ming, the guard calmly stated. "I took the liberty of having my meal prepared along with yours. You can pick what ever you want first."

Azula was not stupid. She knew exactly what Ming was trying to do. Ming thought that just because she was willing to eat what Azula was eating that would build some sort of trust between them. "I can't decide." She said in an even tone. "You pick first."

Azula could see Ming's eyes narrow in confusion before she shrugged. "Okay." Ming sat down and using a set of chop sticks she sectioned off half of the sushi and offered the rest to Azula.

"No." Azula said simply. "You take half of what's left and give me half of yours." Azula smirked. She knew she had the woman dead to rights. Even if Ming took into account that Azula would demand the half that she took for herself, Azula guaranteed that Ming took at least half of the tainted food. She watched as Ming portioned the food out again and offered Azula the plate. Azula took the plate and sat on the bed and ate with her fingers. "It's not going to work girl." Azula said with all the spite she could muster. The food from breakfast, the shower and the sleep, despite the nightmare, helped Azula be much more coherent. Thank Agni her eyes weren't telling her she was speaking to Ty Lee any longer.

"What isn't?" Ming said in, what Azula thought was a convincing, feigned tone of confusion.

"Your little bonding exercise." Azula replied calmly as she took a sip from the water cup Ming was about to put to her lips. "I know you're the guard that watched over my loser of an Uncle."

Azula arched a brow and saw she had hit a nerve as Ming replied. "General Iroh is a great man."

She bristled as she retorted. "Iroh is a pathetic quitter and a loser and a traitor just like little Zuzu as he plays with his stolen crown." Azula smirked as Ming kept her mouth shut. Azula could tell she wanted to say something, but she was holding her tongue.

The rest of the meal was finished in idle chatter as Azula could sense Ming's attempt to connect with her. Azula found it all rather boring. When Azula wouldn't respond, Ming just prattled on in a few half hearted attempts at pleasantries. After a few minutes, Ming just gave up and bid Azula good night and took the plates out.

Azula smiled darkly as she watched the guard leave. It had been a long while since she had, had anything even close to fun. After a few minutes the little sadistic glee wore off and Azula was once again alone and brooding. She sighed and sat on her cot and tapped her leg with that nervous energy that came with being still for too long. Her mind was finally clearing enough to realize how bad her situation was, and it depressed her to no ends. She bit her lip.

She would not let it get the best of her again. She would find some way to keep herself occupied. Just then her eyes strayed to the art kit that Ming had brought her that morning. She had left it on the floor, and honestly had forgotten it since this morning and before her last nightmare of when Katara… Damn it no! I'm not going to think about that! She ordered herself inwardly. She shivered and rolled her eyes, picked up the kit and sat at the little table in her cell.

It was later that she looked up as the door opened. Azula's eyes narrowed wondering who was coming to see her, or wondered if she simply fell back asleep and this was another nightmare.

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Katara sighed as she made her way to the prison. Her conversation with Mai hadn't been as helpful as she hoped. She could not believe that Mai didn't know Azula better. Though as guarded a girl that she was, maybe it wasn't that surprising. After all for years Toph's parents hadn't known a thing about their daughter. Katara had done her best to prepare herself. She ran over everything in her mind that she knew of Azula, and had meditated nearly constantly since she woke up this morning. She had done everything in order to prepare herself.

She sighed as she entered the prison. It hadn't been nearly enough. Katara knew she was in way over her head. She was going into a battle and she just did not know the rules of engagement. The Azula she knew would be razor sharp, intelligent and manipulative, but this Azula wasn't anything like that. With all the reports she poured over were anything to go by, this Azula was very, very fragile. She didn't want to push too hard and risk shattering her like an over taxed ice sculpture.

Katara winced when the guards let her pass without incident into the prison itself. She supposed Zuko had already instructed them to let her pass. She was grateful that the moon was full again. She wouldn't have felt safe going into Azula's cell without her being at some advantage. Even despite the mechanist's cell and the reports describing that she hadn't Bended once, she knew what kind of reaction Azula would have towards her, and she didn't want to risk Azula finding a way to Bend out of sheer willpower.

She shivered again at the memory of Azula's broken sobbing when she had thought Katara was her mother, weeks ago when she was first imprisoned. Katara had to admit, it was heart wrenching.

"And that idiot Doctor was just going to leave her alone until she broke." She hissed in anger. To think that, that Doctor was considered some sort of expert on the mind. She shook her head angrily. What an idiot! She thought.

Maybe it wasn't so surprising that Azula snapped; Katara mused. With Ozai as a father and as obsessed with being perfect that she was, maybe she just finally snapped. Maybe Ty Lee's action to save Mai's life was just one final straw of a breaking that had been in the making?

Katara just rubbed the bridge of her nose in frustration. She still did not know what she was going to say when she was face to face with the Fire bender. All this guesswork didn't amount to anything without a plan of action. Katara was just going to have to go with her feelings on how to help Azula. There was nothing else to do at this point. She was almost at Azula's cell.

Katara rubbed her fingers in her pocket and felt the parchment that had arrived today. At least there was some good news. She finally heard back from Sokka and Toph and she could not believe the news. It was amazing that… Katara was pulled from her thoughts, suddenly, when she reached Azula's cell and was stopped by two guards.

"I'm sorry Miss, but we have been instructed to not allow any visitors into the Princess's cell." The lead guard said in a commanding voice.

"Excuse me Sir…" Katara said in what she hoped was just an authoritative voice. "… My name is Katara. I was asked personally to attend to Lady Azula by the Fire Lord himself."

Katara felt relieved a moment when she saw the guards nod. "We understand that, but we have been instructed to not allow anyone into The Lady's cell until further notice."

Now Katara was growing frustrated. She already was put off balance by the whole situation, and to be honest the frustration of having her family and friends away for weeks put together with her trepidation of being in the same cell as Azula was getting to her. Granted she was grateful for any reason to stall her 'chat' with the Princess, she was not, however, going to let Zuko down after she promised him. "And why is that?" She asked with her frustration just coming through.

The guard straightened and said with finality. "Because the Fire Lord ordered no one to disturb him and his sister until he singled." He tapped his spear to the ground to indicate the matter was closed.

Katara just blinked a few moments processing the news. Zuko decided to talk to Azula himself? Katara frowned with worry. Although it spared her from the deed, she was very concerned. Zuko had walked right into the Moose Lion's den.