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Adolescents are not monsters. They are just people trying to learn how to make it among the adults in the world, who are probably not so sure themselves.
-Virginia Satir
We make our own monsters, then fear them for what they show us about ourselves.
-Mike Carrey
Monsters are tragic beings. They are born too tall, too strong, too heavy. They are not evil by choice. That is their tragedy. They do not attack people because they want to, but because of their size and strength, mankind has no other choice but to defend himself. After several stories such as this, people end up having a kind of affection for the monsters. They end up caring about them.
-Ishirō Honda
Aboard Fire Nation Prisoner Transport Ship
Somewhere in the sea separating the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom
A deep moan through the hull of the ship awoke Azula.
It was low, muffled by the thick steel of her cell. Ordinarily, she would've dismissed it as a rogue wave or the roar of the engine as it was filled with more coal. But she'd been chained up here long enough to recognize if they'd hit rough waters. Or when the engine was fueled up to keep the fires powering this forsaken vessel her dear brother had shoved her into afloat.
…or maybe it was the engine. And her mind was playing tricks on her.
Again.
Almost on cue, she saw the red robes and sad face of her mother watching her from the darkened corner of her cell. My love. I…I never wanted this to happen.
Azula would've blasted the phantom if her hands were free instead of bound by chains. "Don't give me that," she hissed. "I bet you were laughing your heart out when that peasant tied me down in chains and when your dear Zuzu locked me away in an asylum while he stole a crown he never deserved."
I wasn't laughing, Azula. If there was anything I could've done to prevent this from happening, I would've done it a long time ago.
"More like made sure I was out of the picture so the traitor gets the throne," the girl muttered under her breath. She wondered if Mother would be saying these things if she knew that the oh-so-benevolent Fire Lord was in the process of gutting his own country and groveling before the Avatar to keep the crown.
All those lives (including their own cousin's) sacrificed to see their destiny through…now made worthless cause the weak link was in charge.
And who's the one who LET the weak link take the throne I entrusted to you?
Azula went pale, now seeing the ghostly image of her father in the other corner, all done up in the resplendent robes of the Phoenix King. He has been appearing more and more ever since her shameful performance during the Comet. A constant reminder of her absolute failure and why she was the one in chains.
Losing to the failure AND a peasant. Now being carted off to the Earth Kingdom to be judged along with how many of her countrymen. This was a just punishment for being worthless.
Her lack of response only served to fuel her father's anger. Even now, you STILL won't defend yourself?! Even when you know the traitor is going to ruin everything we have strived for?! Pathetic.
Pathetic. That was the only word Azula had for herself.
You can still escape, you know. Run when the time is right. The guards can't keep their eyes on you forever.
And then there were…those voices. Azula thought it was her brother at first. Or maybe Ty Lee or Mai. Yet she never saw them manifest like Father or Mother did. And they almost always said the same thing. Three voices speaking with the mind of one. Sometimes at the same time like Lo and Li did sometimes. Great. Her mind was fragmenting so much that voices of her past were beginning to mix.
"What's the point?" she asked them. "I couldn't even beat Zuko. And he has the Avatar on his side."
But you beat them before once. Didn't you? Mai's voice answered. You can beat them again. No one is invincible. You just need to tear them apart, the sing-song tone of Ty Lee joined almost cheerfully.
"Shu…shut up."
Or you can just sit here to rot. Your choice, Zuko's newfound word of authority declared. The three began to say the same things they always did. Escape. Fight. Punish those that put her there. Azula tried to block them out, rightfully knowing that these were the words of madness. And yet…she couldn't ignore them completely. Not when they seemed like the only things keeping her soul alive.
Another moan silenced them all though, bringing Azula back into the coldness of reality.
Her senses were brought to bear. This time it didn't sound like an engine.
It sounded louder.
And almost…alive…
Before her mind could betray her further with some nightmare lurking in the depths, the world suddenly lurched. Azula's stomach almost hurled the prison-grade food up, though the groaning of the metal would have drowned out any sick noises she ordinarily would've made. Quite frankly the only thing keeping her on two feet was the chains holding her arms and legs to the steel wall behind her.
Through the walls, she could hear the intercom crackle to life as the ship's captain barked out, "Alert! We are under attack! All personnel are to man their battle stations!"
Almost on cue, she heard a stampede of armored boots race past her cell door. Her mind raced as fast as they did, trying to figure out what was going on. An attack? From whom? The prison ship was being guarded by a squadron of battleships armed to the teeth. Granted she had heard rumors of whole groups of the army threatening to go rogue due to the new Fire Lord's policies, but she never imagined they'd be bold enough to launch an attack like this. Especially if they risked the wrath of the Avatar and his cronies.
Quite frankly though, it didn't matter. As the voice said, her time had come.
Already she brought up a thin blade of blue fire to her palm, eating away at the metal. Ironically, Zuko had rejected the use of needles to block her chi points or any sort of medicine to keep her "subdued". Said that it wouldn't be humane or necessary given her worn-out demeanor ever since the Agni Kai. Azula inwardly called him an idiot, since he of all people should've known when she was putting up an act. Or at least played up what she truly was feeling at the time…
She also wondered what part of shipping her off to the territory of their enemy was considered "humane" to begin with. Typical. All talk. No willingness to back it up.
Azula decided to focus on getting herself free without the heated metal burning her hands first. There'd always be time to tear Zuko's "era of love and peace" rhetoric apart with what she had seen.
She managed to get the first of the bonds free, putting just enough power into her palm to blast the metal away before it could scorch her skin. Right now she was in the process of wrenching her arm free and working on the second chain before she heard a voice from outside. "You two stay here and check on the prisoner. Make sure she stays put."
Right then. No time for finesse. She thrust out her fingers, letting forth a concentrated blue fireball blast into the chain restraining her other arm. The bindings melted, releasing her second arm, but the chain still dangled off her wrist. Quite frankly she was just glad her aim hadn't deteriorated with her mind.
Before she could move on to her legs though, the door burst open, and the armored forms of the two elite firebenders assigned to watch her came rushing in. Seeing she was loose, the first one thrust out his fist and let out a blast of orange flame right at her. Instincts kicked in seeing her element charging at her, drawing out both of her arms and redirecting the fire to smash into the chains restraining her right leg.
Cinders and flame separated her from the guards, giving her cover to thrust out her palm and free her last leg with one more burst of blue flame.
"SHE'S FREE!" one of them yelled, causing the both of them to let out a pair of fire bursts at once. Azula jumped up against the wall and above the flames, letting her body hang there for the only second the steel would allow her. Not wanting to let Ty Lee's training go to waste, she pushed herself off the wall and tackled the first guard to the ground.
Before the second could let out a cry, Azula used the momentum of her leap, rolling herself back up and maneuvering behind the guard. Turns out that wearing prison garb meant you were a lot more agile than heavy armor. Something she took full advantage of as she wrapped the remains of her chain around the guard's neck and pulled.
Adrenaline and survival ruled her senses. A teenager weakened from imprisonment wouldn't be able to strangle the life from a full-grown man after all. But that wasn't the point as the first guard wobbled to his feet. Azula jumped up again and kicked out, letting blue fire out from her feet to smash the second guard into the first.
The two were crumpled down and trying to untangle themselves when Azula made a break for it into the hallways, slicing away the last remnants of her restraints.
Her break for it didn't last long though as she came face to face with a whole line of soldiers rushing down the hallway. They all stopped to gawk at the escaped prisoner for a moment or two before somebody shouted "GRAB HER!", prompting them all to either bring up their weapons or get into their stances.
Azula got into her own stance. Looks like she was going to fight her way out.
A blue light illuminated the hallway as…
-wait a minute.
Azula blinked. She hadn't released any fire yet. Something that dawned on the soldiers as they looked just as dumbstruck as she was. Her eyes were drawn to the portholes lining the length of the hallway. All she saw was stormy skies and rough seas, yet the light certainly didn't seem like any kind of lightning…
What she did see, or rather feel, was a massive wave crashing into the side of the ship. Her whole world turned sideways as the ship was pushed sideways, the sudden movement taking everyone off guard and scrambling for balance.
Azula found hers a bit quicker. Just one more testament to her discipline. The soldiers on the other hand weren't as elegant. Their heavy armor and forward momentum caused them to stumble, some just barely managing to avoid tumbling on their face.
Well, time to show them the difference between guarding prisoners and being the Phoenix King's chosen successor. Using the tilted ship to her advantage, Azula lept and ran along the wall. She couldn't help but smirk as she breezed past the clumsy guards. Zuzu honestly should've stationed better help if he wanted her to stay in her cell.
Pushing herself off the wall, she twirled in the air and kicked out an arc of flame at the cluttered mess behind her to keep them off balance. Nodding to herself, she turned to make a beeline toward where the exit should be-
-only to swing her fist around to bat aside a fire blast from a firebender in elite armor standing in front of her. The first of a whole squad.
Azula snarled as she took a defensive stance. Behind her, the guards were scrambling onto their feet while the squad in front of her began to get in position. To her frustration, she also felt her legs wobble a little. A testament to how out of practice she'd gotten in that cursed asylum.
No matter. She'd fight her way out or die trying. Azula wouldn't give her brother the pleasure to serve her up to the Earth Kingdom on a silver platter.
Before anyone could throw the first fireball though, something slammed into the ship once more with a loud clang. It was followed by a metallic tearing noise. The Princess turned her head in the direction of the sound. Maybe they hit a coral reef or something.
Her thoughts were dashed when she saw the soldiers coming right at her. Or rather away from whatever that awful sound was with fear overcoming any need to apprehend her.
Once she saw the hull of the ship being torn through, Azula promptly started running too.
Any illusions of sides or order were gone as she sprinted down the hallway. It wasn't like any of the firebenders were going to stop her. Once they saw the chaos coming their way, they started running too. The screams of the soldiers behind her only quickened her pace, bobbing and weaving between the armored bodies in a mad dash to the stairway. She could see it! Just ahead! Not too much farther.
So close in fact that she made the mistake of looking behind her to see the bodies being flung by what looked like gigantic hooks, tearing right through their armor. And hear the screams of horror were joined by screams of agony.
She jerked away, just getting to the staircase in time. Azula climbed the first few steps before she felt somebody run up after her. Looking behind, she saw one of the elite firebenders with their helmet off clambering after her. The elite was a woman, something that was pretty rare. Rather than trying to catch her though, the soldier thrust out her hand trying to reach for Azula's. "HELP ME! PLEASE!" she yelled.
And for a moment…Azula paused. This woman would've locked her up just a few days prior. A thousand scenarios passed through her mind. Was this a trap? Was it worth it? If she reached out her hand, would she find herself being flung in the way of the oncoming chaos? That couldn't be right. The soldier was clearly terrified, and she felt a nagging need to take that hand.
Unfortunately, a moment was all it took until the woman was carried off by the oncoming hooks. Her screams for help were replaced with terror, joining the din of tearing metal and chaos.
Azula could barely hold herself up, before adrenaline kicked in and propelled her up the stairs. There was one thing that was etched in her mind though.
Those massive hooks didn't look like metal. Metal wasn't ivory white.
The closest thing her mind could conjure up was claws.
And that moaning sound through the metal above her was sounding less like the hull being battered by waves and more like the sounds of-
She didn't want to think about it. There was a time to run and there was a time to think. And right now she needed to run.
Up and up she climbed through the levels of the ship. Everywhere she looked, chaos reigned. Soldiers were either running to their stations or just running. Some prisoners like her had managed to break free and were making a break for it. A few guards took shots at her, but panic ruled the majority. No more metal was torn nor did more claws pierce the ship, but she did hear and feel something tossing the ship around. Not enough to capsize, but enough to rock a military-class transport ship.
What little she could see from outside didn't help matters. She saw orange flashes of fireballs and catapults being fired at…something through the stormy outside. And she saw more of those blue flashes, followed by what sounded like explosions and the ship being thrown about. Not enough for her to make any clear image in her mind of what was going on.
A time to think, a time to run, her mind kept repeating to her.
After…she didn't know how many levels, Azula could finally see the stairway that led to the deck of the ship. Climbing up the stairs, her hands gripping the railing, she kicked the door open to the outside. The first thing she was hit by was the wind and the rain, the deck of the ship being drenched in a torrent. The second thing was who she suspected was the captain, barking orders to the crew up top. A catapult was flinging its payload into the stormy night, but Azula didn't bother to see what they were aiming at. What she was most concerned about was trying to find a lifeboat.
Quite frankly, the need to get off a boat under attack by who knows what was a more pressing matter than what IT was. She'd have time to figure out a plan once she got out to sea.
"THERE'S THE PRINCESS! APPREHEND HER!"
Scratch that. The first imperative was not getting herself killed. By instinct, Azula lunged towards a crewman who had his back to her, just about to turn around before she kicked his calf to bring him to his knees. Before he could shout, she wrapped an arm around his chest and brought up a dagger of blue fire to his neck.
"NOBODY MOVE OR HE GETS IT!" The captain and crew stopped dead in their tracks, seeing her take the hostage. Inwardly her stomach churned. The man at her mercy, no matter who his allegiance was to at the moment, was still Fire Nation. Wasn't his fault their current Fire Lord was a weakling and a traitor. Hopefully, she got the message across the raging tempest and the crew wouldn't bring harm to one of their own.
Azula dragged her hostage up, hoisting him in front of her as she began to look for the lifeboats.
"Azula! I have orders from your brother to bring you to the Earth Kingdom to stand trial, and I mean to honor them!" the captain shouted. Great. So he must've bought into the stories about her so-called "crimes".
"This is stupid! You're gonna try and capture me when the ship is under attack?!" Zuzu must've put this idiot in charge. Made sense. They both have the same amount of self-preservation.
Said idiot and his men were taking up their stances regardless of her threat, trying to maneuver their way into a flanking position. Azula backed up, hostage in hand, making sure her dagger of blue flame was visible to all. Her eyes were torn between trying to look for a lifeboat and keeping her would-be assailants in check. "Just point me to the lifeboats and nobody has to get hurt!" she demanded, deciding to kill two birds with one stone.
The guard she held was breathing rapidly. She grimaced, realizing who she held may be an older teen. Probably got assigned here as some favor to one of the clan heads. Certainly wasn't for experience given how fidgety he was. "Captain! Please-!" he choked out.
"It's okay son. Just…hold still and don't do anything rash," the captain consoled. His fist on the other hand began to heat up, heralding a blast of flame. Azula paled. He couldn't risk a strike without harming his subordinate. Granted she understood that sometimes sacrifices needed to be made, but for the love of-THE SHIP WAS UNDER ATTACK! Was capturing her their biggest priority at the moment?
Didn't help that her hostage was getting more panicked, begging the captain to not do anything stupid. The regretful look on the older man's face though was enough for Azula to realize that duty was more important to him than common sense.
Behind the captain, the catapult's crew launched their bombardment into the night. And she decided she wasn't going to wait for somebody else to screw up. She kicked the teen to the ground and dove out of the way of a fireball. Rolling up on the rain battered onto her feet, she brought her fist up to launch another blast of fire in retaliation.
She didn't need to though. A set of massive claws smashed into the catapult, crushing both it and the crew and almost causing everyone to lose their balance. Another set of claws emerged from the stormy darkness, gripping the bridge of the ship.
Azula stopped, seeing the great powerful arms clad in gray scales that the claws belonged…and looked up. She couldn't see much in the tempest, but she could just make out a powerful chest with tons of seawater pouring down the reptilian-looking hide.
She heard its breathing and a contemptuous snarl.
She saw a blue glow faintly come to life from behind the…the thing…
And fear took over.
Without thinking, she sprinted to the side of the ship. Nobody tried to stop her. They were focused on throwing pitiful-looking blasts of fire against the rocky skin. She didn't look back, not when the glow kept getting brighter. And certainly not when she leaped over the side.
Azula quickly straightened herself as she plummeted, feet held directly to the surface of the water. She pierced the surface like a missile, her body coming under assault by the sheer cold of the seawater. As bad as it was, at least she could move her arms and legs around rather than being encased in ice.
The cold suddenly didn't become a problem when a muffled explosion along with a burst of blue light behind her heated her back. Looking around, she saw the huge ship, clad in hardened Fire Nation steel sink into the depths in flames.
So spellbound was she that she almost didn't notice her body beginning to be sucked down along with what was once her prison. Panic gave way to control, an inner determination to not die here. A Princess of the Fire Nation would not drown at sea. Azula brought forth every last ounce of strength to her fists and feet, channeling a furious amount of blue flame to propel her through the water. It took everything to escape the ship's pull.
The effort needed for such a maneuver though was taxing. Along with everything else that had transpired, Azula could feel her consciousness fade, her vision blurred just as she was about to reach the surface.
No…she…she couldn't…
Father…Mother…somebody…please…
Just as her strength failed her, she saw the ghostly image of her mother hovering above the water, looking at her with sadness in her eyes.
…no…no! She wouldn't die here!
Calling upon the last of her reserves, Azula burst herself through the surface of the water, coughing and gasping for air. Her arms and legs worked overtime to keep her afloat, while her head swiveled in all directions to find something, anything to grab onto.
All she found was a torn sheet of metal. Wasn't much, but it would have to do.
Weakly, Azula swam herself over to the piece of debris and latched onto it as if it were the only thing between life and death. She breathed a sigh of life as it remained buoyant. Exhausted, she coughed up sea water as she clung to the metal in the stormy sea. Thankfully it seemed to be calming down, but it felt like the whole world was spinning.
It didn't matter though. Azula was alive. Every breath she took was a testament to that.
And more importantly, she was free.
A fact that calmed her strained mind as her eyes drooped, fatigue beginning to set in.
The great tail rising from the water and slamming down opened them back up.
Azula's attention was drawn to the carnage surrounding her, and reality began to set in. Burning wreckages of what were once Fire Nation ships dotted the sea. Charred corpses coughing out the last bits of blackened air before being claimed by the dark water, their fires being smothered by the rain.
Not too far away from her was where the massive prison ship was. All that was left was the ruined hulk of the wreckage.
As well as the mountain rising from the sea.
One of the things Father had taught her was that she was a monster. It surprised her at first, but in some way it gave her…she wouldn't say comfort, but stability. She'd describe it as one of the great truths of her life. A fact as cold and hard as her lightning. That there were people out there who naturally brought fear. The only three she knew of to be truly monstrous were herself, Father, and the Avatar.
This…this thing on the other hand…its titanic body soared high up into the angry heavens above, with charcoal scales covering a powerful torso and covering powerful arms. A row of great dorsal spines ran down its back, each one resembled a raging inferno captured in a sheath of bone. And at the top rested a saurian face, growling at the devastation it had wrought.
Those eyes though…they almost seemed to be reflecting the fires the beast had caused.
Reflecting nothing but rage.
Azula thought she knew monsters. For she was one herself. But the great reptile standing amidst the dying storm had just rewritten the definition.
A fact made clear to her as lightning struck and danced along its dorsal spines while the monster reared back and let out the same sound she had heard in her cell. Now erupting into the violent air as if announcing its arrival to the surface. What was once a moan had now become a roar. A promise that this was only the beginning.
SKEEEEEEEROOOOOOOOONK!
A/N: Hello all! A while back I wrote a one-shot crossover between Avatar: The Last Airbender and Godzilla, testing the waters for a proper length fic.
Well, the time has come. I understand some of you might not be familiar with the original Godzilla movies outside of the Legendary films, so I'll do my best to explain things.
Keeping in the proud tradition of the Avatar franchise, our story begins on a boat as every season does. Thing is, boats don't typically have a long life expectancy in most kaiju (Japanese word used for giant monsters) films. The first Godzilla film from 1954 opened with a tuna trawler getting destroyed by the monster. I will also admit that the image of Godzilla's claws coming in through the metal was inspired by the 1998 film where that film's version of the beast also had it attack a tuna trawler.
I'd figure that I'd introduce this version of Godzilla in a similar way this time around. I'll go into details in later chapters, but needless to say things are gonna get worse before they get better.
Anyways, thank you all for reading. Make sure to leave a review or ask any questions and I'll be happy to answer. Feel free to favorite or follow if you want to see more, and I'll see you all in the next chapter.