Of Fire
Chapter 15
Ember Island, the number one vacation spot in the whole world. The white sand beaches and clear sparkling ocean water couldn't be beat. At least, that's what the brochure Detia held said. The countless restaurants and activities, including the plays the Ember Island Players would be performing and when, were all listed on the back of the thin sheet of folded paper. Lu Ten had excitedly handed the brochure to Detia when they boarded the boat, pointing out the fire-volley tournament and suggesting they enter. With no lack of apathy, she pointed out that the tournament was for teens and adults, not children.
Stubbornly, he huffed and took another brochure from a pocket in his clothes. She took it, her eyes catching the word junior before any other. "I've already signed us up!" he announced excitedly before Ursa ran up behind him and yelled 'tag'.
Without hesitation he ran after his sister, who dodged his hand easily. For a second, Detia watched her cousins play before turning back around and watching the sun glisten off the ocean. They came here on vacation every summer, except for last year when they went to Ba Sing Se for Toph's coronation. This year wouldn't be any different than the others. And as long as her mommy and/or Ezra didn't force them to go see the Ember Island Players, this vacation would be a good one, just like the others. "What's this?" Azula asked as she snatched the brochure from her child, leaning against the railing as she read through the small brochure, standing close enough to her child that their arms were touching.
For the past two years, starting after the whole fight with Agni, Azula had been uncharacteristically affectionate to her wife and daughter. Not that either of them minded. This affection did not extend to anyone else, mind you. The Fire Nation Princess was still the cold, calculating woman she always had been to everyone else. That hadn't changed. But the public displays of affection did change. Before the fight, public displays of affection were off limits, against Azula's better upbringing. Afterwards, those limits vanished, and if Azula felt like setting her wife on fire with deliberate touches and whispered words while in the middle of a formal meeting, she would – and did. Zuko actually chastised her for it, once, but she only brushed it off and did it again just to get on his nerves.
The only down side to this affection was that Detia, who seemed to always be in-tune with her parent's thoughts, had seen more than enough of what her parents do behind closed doors. It took everything she had to sever that connection to her parents, if only temporarily. Though, it was good practice for now. Looking at Azula one couldn't tell that just a couple of minutes ago she and Ty Lee were down in the hull of the ship doing things that Detia would rather not think about. The little lightning bender had to hand it to her mother for looking as if she had just come from a spa with her hair in a perfect topknot, no strand out of place. The red tank-top like top that covered the permanent burn scars on her back and baggy red pants seemed to have just come from being pressed, not a wrinkle in the entire get up.
Ty Lee, however, wasn't nearly as deceptive. The acrobat's long brown hair was down and while this wasn't unusual on their trips to Ember Island the pink ribbon that still clung to a strand of her hair was. If that and the fact that her clothes were all disheveled and crinkled didn't give away what they were doing then the satisfied glow that emitted from the brown-haired woman in thick heavy waves was. Detia only rolled her eyes and sighed, catching the smirk on her mother's face that told her the older woman knew exactly what she was thinking about. Ty Lee walked up to her wife and child, a lazy smile plastered on her lips as she laid her head on Azula's shoulder and wrapped an arm around her waist, unconsciously being careful of Azula's long healed back.
When the wind blew only a little, the light pink burn scars on her mother's back from the armor she wore during the fight with Agni became visible. The princess had let the doctor heal the burns and her ribs, but the old man informed her that, while they would be barely visible, he couldn't make them go away totally. Azula wasn't too concerned about it, seeing as her back was covered most of the time. It also helped that Ty Lee had informed her that the burns were a sign of how strong she was - and a major turn on. To prove it, the couple had spent much of the two weeks that Azula blackmailed the doctor into giving her – because technically she was okay to return to her normal duties after the first couple of days – in their bed. Thankfully, for Detia anyways, they mostly just relaxed and simply lay in bed. Detia wouldn't know what to do if she had actually caught her parents in bed, but she guessed she'd have to burn her eyes out of her skull.
"So, a Fire-Volley tournament. Let me guess, Lu Ten signed you up?" Azula concluded and Detia only nodded.
"That could be fun," Ty Lee offered, pulling the ribbon out of her hair. "Do you get anything if you win?"
'It didn't say. I'm guessing we'll get a small trophy or something,' Detia replied, completely uninterested.
The acrobat nodded, still leaning close to Azula to look at the brochures. "Is that a list of plays the Ember Island Players are performing?"
"No," Azula lied easily, said brochure going up in flames. "I didn't see anything like that, did you Detia?"
The little girl only shook her head in the negative. But Ty Lee wasn't buying it and placed her hands on her hips, giving her family a stern look. "Come on, they aren't that bad."
"You're right, they're terrible," Azula corrected, earning her Ty Lee's sad rabbit-puppy face. The princess groaned – she hated that face – vaguely hearing her daughter chuckle. "We see them every year…"
"We shouldn't break tradition," Ty Lee interrupted.
'We can't anyways,' Detia offered, saving her mother from certain doom. 'The tournament is held on the only day that Players will be playing this weekend.'
It was a total lie. Azula knew because she had read the listing of times before she incinerated the brochure. The Players were scheduled to play over five times this weekend. But by the way Ty Lee sighed in slight disappointment, the acrobat believed her daughter. Azula smiled approvingly at her little monster before turning back to her wife. "Well, that's too bad." The acrobat sighed and perked up a little, moving to lean against her wife again. This time with Azula's hand around her waist. "It'll be good to see you actually participate in a group activity."
Detia only scoffed, she participated in a lot of group activities. At least, in her mind she did. She was aware of every activity that was going on in her school, and sometimes, she did interfere mentally. But seeing as she was still the outcast, it didn't appear as if she did. The young lightning bender turned around, her back leaning against the railing of the boat. Lu Ten was still chasing his sister around the deck, who dodged his attempts to touch her easily while giggling the entire time. Ezra was asleep on her mother's lap, curled up peacefully. The steady rocking of the boat always put her to sleep. Mai and Zuko were sitting beside each other, not talking but words didn't need to be spoken for them to bask in their love. 'We won't lose. I do wonder how he convinced Ezra to join, though,' Detia replied, turning back around to gaze out at the endless sparkling ocean.
"Probably the same way he got you to join," Azula offered, snaking a hand around her little monster's shoulders and pulling her just a bit closer.
~x~
The public beach was absolutely nothing like the secluded royal family beach that Detia was used to. There were people milling about everywhere, probably more than the usual considering the tournament. The small beach front (small compared to what Detia was used to) was packed with people. Most of which were Fire Nation but there were a few Earth Kingdom and Water Tribesmen wondering around. "Look at all these people!" Ursa exclaimed as she and her brother took the lead and ran out onto the beach.
"Stay where we can see you!" Zuko called after them, smiling as he took the beach umbrella and Mai's hand and followed his two more active children.
Ezra only sighed, taking her mother's other hand and walking alongside them. Ty Lee, Detia, and Azula brought up the rear, only because Ty Lee insisted on bringing a ridiculously large amount of stuff. 'Why did you need all this stuff?' Detia inquired as she was handed a plastic beach ball.
"Don't question it," Azula remarked, placing a hand on Detia's head as Ty Lee effortlessly carried the oversized duffle bag onto the beach.
"Detia, be a good girl and go find us a spot to sit all of this stuff." Ty Lee called, stopping so that her two favorite people in the whole world could catch up to her.
The lightning bender rolled her eyes but ran off to find the perfect place for them to sit, which just happened to be right beside Zuko and Mai. Detia stood in one place, her white one piece with the light blue skirt tied around her waist like a beacon among the sea of red. Ezra stood beside her, waiting patiently for her aunts to reach them, so she and Detia could build a sand castle before the tournament started. When Azula and Ty Lee were half way to them, the acrobat motioned for them to go play. The younger girl smiled slightly and took Detia's hand as they walked to the wet sand near the water, being careful to stay out of Lu Ten and Ursa's splashing match.
Ty Lee ran to the empty spot, convinced that someone would steal it if it was left unguarded for too long. Of course, Azula only smiled and stopped in her tracks to watch the woman she loved run to the spot as if she had something to lose, the strings of her rose colored bikini flapping in the wind. Watching as that fit body seemingly glided across the sand, the toned muscles in her legs rippling with each step, reminded the princess of a time long ago on a beach. Her good mood was broken instantly as some random man approached Ty Lee, smiling as he eyed her perfect form. Azula saw Zuko only chuckle as Ty Lee basically threw her bag into the man's extended arms; the sudden weight sending him to the ground despite the fact that he was rather built.
Grey eyes caught Azula's golden ones, silently telling the princess that Ty Lee knew what she was doing and not to worry. Azula calmed marginally but continued her swift strides to her wife. By the time Azula made it to her woman and wrapped an arm around her waist protectively, the man had already set out the blanket and assembled the beach umbrella. "You're such a tease," Azula whispered, tracing the muscles of Ty Lee's stomach and earning a shiver from her woman.
From their place building the sand castle, Ezra observed her Aunt Azula as she threatened the poor man. "That was kind of mean," she said, returning her attention to the castle.
Detia only shrugged. 'It's his own fault for not putting two and two together.'
"What do you mean?" Ezra asked, patting more sand into the wall.
'He saw me standing there and managed to figure out that I was her daughter. He should have known that my 'father' wouldn't be far behind,' Detia elaborated.
"Oh." Was all the younger girl said for a second. "He was an idiot."
Detia chuckled lightly and nodded.
The two hours before the start of the tournament were spent playing in the sun, mostly. The first hour consisted of Lu Ten 'accidentally' crashing into Detia and Ezra's masterpiece and Detia getting revenge by easily wrestling him to the ground in the shallow water, which ended in a water fight between all four children. Zuko couldn't help himself and easily convinced Ty Lee that they needed to be out there playing with their children. It wasn't until Zuko held Ty Lee in a loving embrace, both of their eyes sparkling, while re-enacting a completely made up tale of the spirits of the ocean and the moon that they were ever in true danger. What with the dodging of blue fire and knives. This is how Azula and Mai found themselves in the water.
The second hour was much less dangerous. Ezra and Ursa had decided that taking a nap before the tournament started was a good idea, with much coaching from Lu Ten and Detia. Zuko made the mistake of falling asleep on the sand for a short while, just long enough for Lu Ten and Detia (and Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee but they feigned innocence) to bury him. They were content with rebuilding the sand castle, after that, which Ursa and Ezra joined in on when they woke up until the tournament's start was announced.
There were five teams for the junior tournament, and unlike their team, the other four seemed to have children who were older and around the same age as Lu Ten. Detia wasn't worried at all, Lu Ten feigned courage, Ezra didn't care either way, and Ursa was getting bored fast. Their team was lucky and managed to skip the first round, seeing as they were the odd number. The older children, along with Azula and Mai – because Ty Lee and Zuko had chased after the twins when they returned to the ocean – examined the qualities of the other teams, deducing their weaknesses and strengths. Well, that's what Detia and Azula were doing. Mai was there to calm her son's nerves.
'Piece of cake,' Detia remarked. Then a thoughtful expression crossed her face. 'That sounds good. Can I have a piece of cake after this?'
Azula chuckled. "If you win."
Detia huffed, placing her hands on her hips and scowled, 'Whose daughter do you think I am?'
Again Azula chuckled, placing a hand on her daughter's head. "Mine," she said just as the announcer called their team. 'Make me proud.'
"We're going to win this," Lu Ten informed nervously as the four huddled up before the game.
The lightning bender rolled her eyes and promptly took over the planning, informing her family of the other team's weakness. The twins listened intently to everything their cousin said, every once in a while looking up at one of the other players. Lu Ten was just surprised that Detia had caught their weaknesses by just watching one game. Detia informed her cousins how they would use the lower net and smaller field to their advantage. The four nodded in unison and got into their assigned positions.
~x~
"I can't believe how easy that was," Lu Ten announced happily, holding the small golden trophy in his hands, placing his hand over his cousin's shoulder. "I still can't believe how good you are at this game. It was amazing."
"Totally!" Ursa agreed. "The way you jumped like twenty feet into the air to kick that ball was way awesome. I thought the net was going to catch on fire for sure. Can you teach me how to jump that high?"
Detia nodded, smiling at her family. 'It wasn't just me, you know,' Detia replied. 'You guys were awesome too. Like the way Lu Ten saved that ball before it could hit the ground, and then Ursa jumped up and hit it over the net. That was great teamwork.' Lu Ten and Ursa smiled smugly. 'And Ezra was all over the field.' Detia hugged the little girl. 'I guess your training with your mother is paying off, hm?'
A faint smile played on the little girl's lips as she nodded. "Well, we were totally awesome!" Lu Ten proclaimed.
"Hey," A new voice that none of them recognized called from beside Lu Ten, making the quartet look in that direction.
"Hey," Lu Ten replied, eyeing the boy standing there and the girl who was standing silently behind him.
"I'm Chang," the boy said with a twinkling smile. "This is Ju Long," he said gesturing to the girl behind him, who waved slightly. "We saw you guys playing. And you were amazing."
"Thanks," again it was Lu Ten who answered, still unsure about this person.
'She thinks you're cute,' Detia informed her cousin with a devious smirk. 'So does he,' she added, conveniently leaving off the part that Chang was totally in denial.
And though this fact made Lu Ten blush, he brushed his cousin's comment off. Chang continued to smile as if he was the coolest thing on the beach, completely unaware of what Detia was saying. "Our Birthday party is later today, and we were wondering if you wanted to come."
"What about my sisters?" Lu Ten asked, finding it easier to claim Detia as his sister than his cousin. Chang hesitated, trying to come up with a good reason to deny them the invitation.
"Don't you know who we are?" Ursa asked curiously, butting her way into the conversation.
'No one's realized it, yet.' Detia intoned. 'These people are ridiculously oblivious.'
Lu Ten suppressed a chuckle at his cousin's remark. "Don't you know who we are?" Ju Long countered, her tone stuck up and indignant.
Ju Long brushed a piece of her light black hair behind her ear before she crossed her arms. "We don't usually come to this beach," Ezra replied in monotone, already tired of standing there talking to them.
"Wait!" Lu Ten exclaimed as he looked to his cousin. "How can nobody know who you are? I mean us I can understand. We look like everyone else. But I mean come on! Look at you! How many people in the world look like you?"
Detia's expression fell to one of annoyance. 'That makes me feel so much better.'
"I didn't mean it in a bad way," he amended quickly.
'I know how you meant it.' Detia sighed, snatching the trophy from Lu Ten. 'Go to the party and have fun. I have other things to do.'
"Like what?" Ezra inquired.
Detia shrugged. 'There's a storm coming tomorrow. I was going to riddle our beach with metal rods and let the lightning create glass. Would you like to join me?' the older girl asked, extending her hand to her cousin who promptly took it.
"I want to come too!" Ursa exclaimed, taking Detia's other hand. "Have fun at the party Lu! Don't forget to tell daddy about it."
"Hey, wait," Lu Ten called as Detia and his sister walked off. The young prince turned back to Chang and Ju Long, who by this point were completely confused about what was going on, having heard nothing Detia said. Lu Ten sighed and smiled slightly. He bowed very slightly and replied, "Thank you for inviting me to your party, but my family and I stick together. You can't just invite one of us and not the others. So, bye."
He waved as he turned and ran to catch up to his cousin and sisters. Then grabbed the trophy from Detia and ran off ahead, taunting her to chase him. "That was weird," Ju Long replied, after they were far away.
"I know who that girl was. The one with the white hair," Chang remarked, a stunned expression on his face.
"Who?" the girl inquired.
"That was the princess of the Fire Nation," he answered, almost unable to believe it.
"If that's true then that means those other kids were probably…"
"Yep."
~x~
"There you guys are," Ty Lee called from her place beside Azula on the blanket, both sunbathing. "We were wondering where you ran off to."
"Lu was invited to a birthday party," Ursa announced happily, getting her parent's attention with that statement as she walked to her daddy, sitting in his lap and curling up a little. "But he decided that playing with us was way more fun."
"Can we go home now?" Ezra asked as she followed her sister's lead but sat in her mother's lap instead of Zuko's.
"What? Come on guys," Lu Ten tried to encourage, the trophy long since finding a home with Detia. "There's still so much we could do."
'We can do that at the beach house. Let's just go,' Detia voiced, the comment causing the adults to stand and start cleaning up.
"Alright then, let's get all of our stuff and head out. I'm tired of this place anyways," Azula announced, taking the umbrella down and shoving it back into Ty Lee's bag as Ty Lee folded the blanket.
"Did you have fun today?" Ty Lee asked her daughter, after placing the blanket in her bag and coming over to her child. "You look like you might have spent too much time in the sun. Maybe you'll tan."
Detia only smiled and nodded. She did have fun and from the smiles on her cousins' faces they had fun too. The only thing that could make this vacation better would be a thunderstorm. And from the smell of the Earth and feel of the wind, that was going to start tomorrow morning and last all day.
~Next day~
Detia, much to her parent's dismay, was up with the first clap of thunder. The sun hadn't even risen when that sound echoed through the mansion, waking only Detia. Azula was the next to rise, a couple of hours later, still far earlier than the time the sun rose. Not that you could see it anyways with the thick black clouds covering the sky. The princess didn't even bother looking in her child's room, knowing that it was empty or Ezra was in there. Unsurprisingly, she found the little girl sitting alone in the kitchen looking out the window towards the ocean and storm. Azula still could not figure out why she came to the kitchen when there was a perfectly good sunroom that had a much better view of the ocean and, by extension, the storm.
'You're up early,' Detia noted, not bothering to turn around. 'You've had like two hours of sleep.'
"It's not my fault that your mommy…"
'Don't finish that sentence,' Detia interrupted, turning slightly to gaze at her mother sternly. 'It's hard enough to block you two on a normal day.'
Azula chuckled, walking up behind the girl who turned back to gaze at the storm, placing her hands on her shoulders. "I couldn't sleep," Azula answered, leaving out the part that she was worried that her little monster would do something crazy. Like go out into the storm while everyone else was asleep. She'd done it before, and wasn't likely to stop. "Strangely, I don't feel tired at all." She paused for a moment, noticing Thunder flying out in the distance, a slender golden creature chasing after him. She only rolled her eyes; those two couldn't be more trouble. "I'm surprised you're just sitting here and not out there with them. Since most of us are asleep."
'The storm's not here yet, and Thunder's no fun to ride when he's playing with Sun,' Detia remarked, leaning her forehead against the window pane. 'It'll be at least three more hours till it gets here.'
Azula nodded, pulling away from her child and moving to a cabinet. "Well since we're both up, how would you like to play a friendly game of Pai Sho?" she asked, pulling out a board, the pieces rattling in the bag attached to it.
Detia lifted an eyebrow in amusement. 'You keep a Pai Sho board in the kitchen?'
The princess smiled. "You'd be surprised where uncle hides these things. They are literally everywhere. So, what do you say? Care to lose a game or two?"
Detia scoffed. 'I won't lose. Not today.'
Azula smirked, placing the board on the small table and sitting in one of the chairs. "Don't count me out yet, little girl. I still have a trick or two up my sleeve."
Intrigued, Detia moved to the table, picking up a rose tile.
~Noon-ish~
"Bad news, everyone." Zuko said with a sad expression as he entered the living area, holding a scroll in his hands.
Without even turning to look at her brother, Azula answered, "The weather's far worse than anticipated, and uncle won't be able to make it today."
He scowled at her, vaguely wondering why he wasn't used to her knowing everything. The collective awws from his children brought him back from glaring at the back of her head. The Fire Lord forced a smile for his children, focusing on the flames in the fireplace to calm himself. "Is it true dad?" Lu Ten asked, standing from the table he and his sisters were using to put a puzzle together. "Is uncle really not coming?"
Zuko eyed his sister, who still hadn't faced him - not that she could with Ty Lee draped over her like a blanket – to make sure she wasn't going to answer. "I'm afraid so, buddy," he answered, handing the scroll to Mai because she silently asked for it.
"Aw," Lu Ten whined. "Now what are we going to do? I was hoping he was coming, at least then we could listen to funny stories."
"Yeah," Zuko agreed. "I know."
"Does Detia know?" Ezra inquired, though she was fairly sure Detia wouldn't care either way.
Zuko looked around the room, surprised not to see his niece there. "Azula," he called walking so that he was in his sister's line of sight. "Where is Detia?"
Azula looked at her brother, debating if it was any of his business. Their golden eyes locked. She was almost disgusted to see the concern in his eyes, as if she didn't know where her child was at any given time of the day. "She's outside."
From the shocked look on his face that probably wasn't the best answer to give him, even if it was the truth. "In this weather?" Mai inquired, simply not believing that Ty Lee would let her daughter outside when it could be so potentially dangerous. Azula, maybe, but not Ty Lee.
Before Azula could answer that 'this' weather was the weather her little monster preferred to practice in Lu Ten exclaimed, "She's outside!" Azula nodded once.
"Is she training?" Ezra asked excited, well as excited as she got.
"Yes," Azula answered, amused that her niece and nephew thought her daughter's training was so fantastic.
"Let's go watch!" Ezra suggested, earning a nod from her brother.
Before their parents could tell them that they were not allowed outside in this weather, the two siblings bolted out of the room. "Hey, wait for me," Ursa called, trailing behind them.
Azula stood, Ty Lee still sleeping in her arms, and turned, laying her wife in the chair. "Well, come on." She ushered her brother and his wife as she followed after the children. "We don't want any of them to get hurt."
They found the three siblings in one of the sunrooms, their faces pressed against the window pane as they watched their cousin perform high level techniques. "I can barely see through this window," Lu Ten whined, unaware that his parents were right behind him until his Aunt opened the door that lead to the garden Detia practiced in.
They jumped as the door was suddenly opened but followed Azula once they realized what she was doing – as did Mai and Zuko. Azula crossed her arms and watched her only child move through different forms, the heavy rain finding a path along the thin mental barrier that guarded her body like a glove. Two slim arms wrapped around Azula's waist, a chin resting on her shoulder. "You left me," Ty Lee whispered and kissed the sensitive vein in Azula's neck, the familiar tingle making the princess smile.
"She's amazing," Zuko intoned, his consort's arm looped with his.
Ty Lee chuckled. "You're surprised? Look who her mother is."
Azula only chuckled, but kept her eyes trained on her daughter. "We knew she was good but this…this is...I don't even know if there's a word to describe it."
"It's cool," Lu Ten offered. "So, cool. Haven't you ever seen her do this?"
Zuko and Mai only shook their heads in the negative. "We were always busy."
"I can't see," Ursa said lightly from behind her parents, light enough for them not to hear her over the sound of the rain hitting the ground.
The events that unfolded after Ursa pushed through her parents and tripped over their long robes, slipping off the short wet porch and falling directly into the path of the lightning bender's attack would always be a blur to Detia. Through the minds of others, though they were clouded with a sudden burst of adrenalin, Detia pieced together what had happened. Ursa fell, the heavy rain causing the garden to overflow with water, soaking the seven year old almost instantly. Detia had been in mid-attack, performing the same move that broke her leg so long ago. Her thin body three feet off the ground as her right leg soared in an arc, a standard fire nation form. She saw her cousin's face as her body twisted, the fear in her young eyes forever etched into her mind. As if the younger girl knew she was going to die in that instant.
According to her mother's memories, because the act was instinctual and she did it without any order from her brain, Detia twisted her waist – her leg still on its original path – and grabbed her foot with her left hand. Completing the circuit and sending the electrical energy through her body. She deduced from her family's memories that the bright light that covered everything for a few seconds, scorching the garden to ruin, had been a bolt of lightning from the sky attracted to the positive charge her human circuit created. Being struck by lightning was not something the girl remembered. The last thing she remembered was hearing Ursa say she was sorry, over and over.
Clearly stamped into Ty Lee's memory was the image that followed after the light cleared; the body of her child lying on the ground motionless, smoke billowing from her form like a fireplace, and small streams of electricity bouncing over her body. The acrobat watched in stunned horror as her little girl's aura dimmed significantly. Her wife did not hesitate to run to her daughter, checking for…well anything. Azula felt Detia's sternum creak under her hands as she performed emergency CPR, ignoring the streams of blood that ran from every orifice. Detia's cough brought Ty Lee out of her stunned horror, and before she even knew what she was doing, she was at her daughter's side.
The girl's eyes opened for a second before rolling back into her head, but she didn't remember that either. The doctor that actually lived on the grounds came as quickly as he could. Behind the closed doors of Detia's room, he healed as much as he could. He sighed after coming out of her room from a twelve hour healing session and told her family the good news first. "She'll live," he said with little joy in his voice, hesitating when Zuko and Mai hugged their children, truly relieved.
"But," Azula interrupted, Ty Lee pressed tightly against her.
The doctor shook his head. "She's in a coma," he replied and before anyone could ask, "It's not like the one she was in when she was two. This one may be permanent; I have no way of knowing for sure. Someone will need to watch her continuously while she's in this state. She stopped breathing while I was working on her five times." Ty Lee gasped, trying to make her way to the room but Azula stopped her.
"And if she does wake up?" Azula inquired.
He sighed again. "If she wakes up she won't be able to see. Her eyes were burned too severely. And she won't be able to walk or use her left hand. From the tips of her fingers to the elbow, her left arm is basically dead. The muscles and tendons are burned beyond repair. The same goes for her right leg, from her toes to her knee. That's not even considering what kind of brain damage she may have." Azula only nodded as her wife hid her face in her neck, sobbing lightly.
"Thank you," was all Azula could manage at that point, too overcome with grief to be rude or snide.
The weeks that followed were long and tedious. They decided that moving Detia was too risky, so Azula and Ty Lee stayed on Ember Island to watch her while Zuko and Mai and their children went back to the capital, where Iroh was waiting for them. Zuko tried to remind his sister that Detia was supposed to be a goddess and wouldn't die from this. She listened to him but kept her thoughts to herself. Detia was just a child, a somewhat odd but otherwise normal child. Besides what kind of goddess almost dies from being struck by her own element?
One week passed and then another and another. Meals were often forgotten, as was sleep. The doctor would come in every day to check on her, see how she was healing. He would never let them in the room while he was healing her, but Azula had seen enough burn victims to know what he was doing and that she didn't want to see it. When he finished, he would sigh, closing the door behind him, and inform her parents that her burns were healing as to be expected. To Azula, who had taken over the task of dressing her child's wounds because Ty Lee simply could not do it, the burns didn't seem to be getting any better. They were still raw, long, deep red patches marring the yellow skin, the thick black veins clearly visible like cracks in yellow-red marble.
When the doctor finally suggested amputation, a second opinion was needed, then a third when the second doctor agreed with the first. Reluctantly, after the third doctor agreed with the other two, Azula contacted Katara and Aang. The couple had already heard what had happened to Detia, most of the world knew by this point, and after dropping their children off with Sokka and Suki, arrived on the northern Fire nation island the very next morning, Gyatso and Yue accompanying them because the children would not take no for an answer and somehow managed to stowaway on Appa. "You look terrible," was Katara's first remark to the princess as they entered the mansion.
As true as the statement was, it still grated on the princess' nerves.
"Fuck you," was Azula's snappy reply, sleep deprivation and hunger making her attitude worse than it already was.
"Azula." Ty Lee remarked half-heartedly, looking just as bad as her wife. "You brought your kids?" she noticed, watching as Gyatso and Yue unpacked Appa.
"Just those two. They stowed away on Appa before we left." Aang answered, very aware of the acrobat's mournful expression as she watched the children run around the flying bison.
He could only imagine what was going through her mind. Apparently, he wasn't the only one who noticed as Azula pulled Ty Lee to her. "The doctors suggested that we amputate her left arm and right leg. We want another opinion," Azula elaborated.
Katara nodded. She knew Detia had been hurt, but she didn't realize it was that bad. "She's this way," Ty Lee said, her voice cracking slightly as she pulled away from Azula and led the couple to the room.
Aang stayed outside with Ty Lee and Azula as Katara went into the room to examine the child. At first glance, the lightning bender didn't seem to be breathing. When Katara looked closer, it appeared that she really wasn't, but just as she was about to panic, the child took a shallow breath, her chest rising only slightly. What the water bender saw as she unwrapped the nine-year-olds arm and leg almost made her cry. She had to stop and gain control of herself more than once. It looked terrible, but then again, fourth degree burns always did. They didn't seem to be healing though, causing unnecessary strain on the small body, and ultimately, she came to same conclusion as the former doctors.
She really hated telling Azula and Ty Lee her opinion. It was true she did not like the Fire Nation Princess and probably never would, but she didn't dislike her enough to tell her that her daughter, her pride and joy, would never be able to walk again. Never be able to truly bend again. The water bender wished she could think of another solution, but her mind drew up blank. As she exited the room, her expression was enough to tell the couple and Aang her opinion. "This isn't right," Aang intoned before anyone else could say anything. "She's a goddess. She's not supposed to get injured like this. There has to be something we're missing."
"Aang," Katara whispered, "her being a goddess was only speculation. There was no proof of it."
The Avatar huffed slightly but was unwilling to let this go. He turned to Azula and bowed. "With your permission, I would like to try one more thing before you do anything rash."
Azula paused, but she was too tired to think straight, and really, really did not want to disable her daughter. Whatever he had in mind would surely be grasping at straws, but that's where she was. So she nodded, giving him her consent. "What do you have planned?"
"I'm going to meditate and try to contact her spirit. Kinda like spirit bending but without the bending," he explained. "I'll need total silence."
They nodded as he walked into the room, closing the doors behind him, getting into his meditative stance and hoping that this would work. Calming his mind, he closed his eyes and breathed deeply. He made sure not to look at the child lying nearly lifeless on the bed, knowing that it would distract him. He felt his spirit ascend from his body, and he opened his eyes. What he saw was not what he expected. He expected to find himself in the room, looking down on it. Instead, he found himself in a cold, long room, the only source of light coming from the far end illuminating only one chair. "Hello," he called, cautiously making his way to the light.
"Hello Avatar." It was a woman's voice, sweet as honey but with a hint of sadness that hurt his heart.
"Where am I?" he asked, still walking closer and ignoring the emptiness he was feeling from the room.
"Why, you are where you wanted to be," the voice answered, sounding as if it came from behind him. He nodded slightly and fought the urge to turn around, knowing full well that the voice he was hearing was not coming from behind him. "I apologize for the lighting. I am not accustomed to holding grudges, you see. But you took so much from me, all that I held dearest. So, you'll understand if I don't show you what's in this room."
"I understand," The Avatar agreed. "But that's not why I'm here."
"Ah yes, I almost forgot," she chuckled. "You are here because of the vessel."
"Yeah," Aang agreed rubbing the back of his head and trying to overcome the spirit's aura. "I just don't understand how you, well her…er…can even get injured."
Again the voice chuckled, "You misunderstand the way we work." A stray hand whisked over Aang's shoulder, her mere presence sending chills down his spine. The feeling was similar to meeting the dragons, but this was worse, more powerful, more menacing. He knew that the only reason he was still alive is because she allowed it. If he were younger with less experience under his belt, he would have escape the instant he could, but he wasn't and he stayed where he was. "The spirit may be strong, may be a god, but the body is still only human. To become immortal, one must die."
"I…I don't understand," he admitted.
"It is not your place to understand," she answered simply. "The process has already begun. Though, it is a bit early. But then again, I always did do things in advance," she said, her voice fading as if she were talking to someone else and not Aang. The Avatar lifted an eyebrow still confused. The voice must have seen his confusion. "I will be fine, Avatar. Just don't let them cut anything off. I will need those. It shouldn't be much longer now," she mused. "You can leave now."
Aang nodded, he did not want to overstay his welcome, feeling her aura move away from him and closer to the light. "Before I go, may I ask one question?"
"You just did," was her reply, the smile in her tone clearly heard. "But I'm feeling generous, so continue."
He gulped, almost afraid to ask the question. "What…um…what is your name?"
"My name?" she repeated coldly, as if he just asked her the secret of life.
"Yeah, it's just that…you know…no one knows your name. I just thought…."
"That's enough," she said finally, her tone even as the chill in the air increasing. "Leave. Now."
"It was just…"
"Now." Her voice did not rise but reverberated through the chamber and sent him flying back into his body and slamming against the wall.
"Ow," he said rubbing his head and swore he heard Detia chuckle.
The Avatar shook his head, noticing that Detia was still laying motionless on the bed, and stood. He walked out of the room, finding no one waiting there. Surprised he looked around, finding that the sun had already set. This surprised him even more. "Don't be so surprised," Azula called as she leaned against the wall. "Talking to the goddess takes a lot of time, longer than it seems."
"Were you waiting?"
"No," she answered honestly, shaking her head slightly. "I was about to go to sleep, or at least try to."
Aang nodded. "You were going to say goodnight to her?"
The princess sighed but did not answer. "What did she say?"
"Right. The goddess said not to amputate, that she would be okay. She said that it was almost time." He opted to leave out the part about the dying.
"Time for what?"
The Avatar shook his head. "She doesn't like me remember."
Azula nodded, walking into her daughter's room and closing the door behind her.
~x~
The sound of thunder woke Ty Lee from her sleep. Not that it was a sound sleep or a restful sleep. For the past couple of weeks, the only thing the acrobat would dream about was what happened to her daughter and different scenarios about the future. In one dream, Detia had died, and as they burned her remains, Azula simply broke, retreating into her own psyche. They had to put her back into the sanitarium, and Ty Lee was left all alone. The depression she felt and the things she saw felt so real. She awoke crying and rushed from her room straight to her daughter's, where the child lay asleep and breathing. That one was the worst.
But this night, she had barely got to sleep when the thunder woke her. Needing to be comforted, Ty Lee searched the bed for her wife, finding it empty. As odd as that was, Ty Lee wasn't that surprised and stood, flinching as the thunder clapped loudly. Slipping on a silk robe, the acrobat left the room and walked down the empty halls, past the room Aang and Katara were sleeping in, and the room the Yue and Gyatso were sleeping in, to Detia's room. The electric charge in the air caused the hairs on her arms and nape of her neck to stand up, giving the house an ominous feeling. She ignored it as best she could. She found Azula slumped over the bed on Detia's right side, sitting in a chair Ty Lee knew was comfortable but not for sleeping in.
"Azula," Ty Lee called lightly, placing a hand on her wife's shoulder. She was vaguely aware of Thunder and Sunstone taking up most of the corner of the room.
The princess stirred slightly but did not wake up. Before Ty Lee could call to her again, movement on the bed caught her attention. Her head snapped to the bed but all was still. Sighing, the acrobat decided to join her wife. Without any light, Ty Lee found a chair and pulled it to the left side of her child and sat in it. Thunder clapped outside. Judging from the sound, it was a few miles away, but the sound and the light from the lightning was enough to keep her awake. She tried her best to stop her eyes from looking down at her daughter's burnt arm. Once and only once, she had seen the wounds her child sustained, and it nearly caused her to break down, which was why Azula was the one who checked and did whatever was needed to help the healing.
Movement from the bed caught Ty Lee's attention again, drawing it to Detia's left hand. A light groan echoed through the room, the foreign sound waking Azula. 'Mommy,' Detia's voice rang like a sweet melody, the sound alone bringing tears to the acrobat's eyes.
"I'm here, baby," Ty Lee answered, touching the part of her daughter's arm that wasn't burnt.
"Ty Lee," Azula called lightly, not believing what she was seeing as Detia's golden eyes opened, turning to look at Ty Lee and then Azula when the princess gasped.
'Mommy,' the little girl said again, turning her head to look at the acrobat.
"Yes," Ty Lee replied, tears of joy freely falling down her cheeks.
'I'm hungry,' Detia informed, earning a chuckle from her parents at the simple statement.
TBC
A/N: Sorry for the totally anticlimactic volleyball tournament. I had this really cool idea in my head and started writing it instantly, later realizing I knew absolutely nothing about volleyball. I avoided it like the plague in school. I would have deleted it but I had already written it and didn't want to waste the some odd number of pages it took up. So sue me ;]
Review….because I like them, it makes me want to write more