Unexpected

[darkauthor26]

Title: Unexpected
Fandom: Avatar: the Last Airbender
Character(s): Aang; Azula
Pairing(s): Slight mention of Aang/Katara
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1,307
Warnings: None
A/N: A little fanfic I wrote today instead of doing NaNo--like I should've been doing. Oh, well, I'll get something done on my novel before I go to bed tonight. This just came to mind and wouldn't go away till I wrote it down. Took about 30 minutes. This is my first time using both 2nd person and present tense, so...any constructive criticism is appreciated.

 

Unexpected

 

You aren’t sure what you expected to see when you walked through the Dinning Hall doors, but Azula sitting in a corner being fed a bowl of soup like a child while she stares blankly at the wall wasn’t it. The grandmotherly nurse, with laugh lines, lots of wrinkles and wisps of hair sticking out of her topknot at odd angles, murmurs something to her, and Azula turns her head long enough to allow the nurse to feed her. There’s another woman, in her early to mid twenties far as you can tell, whose sitting next to Azula on the opposite side as the nurse, holding and stroking a gaunt black rat. Her eyes dart around the room, never resting on a single point for more than a second.

 

 

You remain rooted to the spot, just watching, until the Healer nudges you gently and coughs. Suddenly remembering why you’re here, you stride across the room with purpose. Although you know you’re an odd sight, all decked out orange amongst a sea of varies shades of red, few look up at you, and those that do are quick to look away in disinterest. Only one locks onto you and their eyes are such a pale blue (almost white) and focused on you so intently that they look like the gleaming eyes of a predator tracking its prey in the darkness.

 

As you reach the table, the nurse looks up at you. Her mouth forms an O of surprise and recognition. With a nod and a smile, you gesture for the spoon. She seems hesitant, and you know she’s not entirely sure what to make of the Avatar coming to visit the former Fire Nation Princess after she chased you all over the Earth Kingdom, but after a glance around the room, she hands you the spoon with a warning look, and you know she’ll be watching you even as she goes off to help another patient. You take her spot, trying to hide your shaking as you dip the spoon in the soup and bring it to Azula’s lips. She could attack you at any minute; you have no idea what she’s still capable off… But Azula turns to look at you, obediently eats the soup from the spoon in your hand and is immediately gazing at the wall across the Dinning Hall again.

 

Whatever you expected that wasn’t it.

 

Setting the spoon down in the bowl, you stare at her thoughtfully. You wonder if this is still Azula. She looks like Azula, certainly, but she doesn’t act like Azula. Is there even anyone in there? Is this body sitting beside you just an empty shell, going through life doing what it’s told to do like eating and sleeping? Not that it looks like she’s been doing much of the later, judging by the bags under her eyes.

 

Whatever you expected to feel, the pity and sorrow rising up in you weren’t it.

 

“What happened to you, Azula?” you ask, the defeat in your voice surprising you.

 

She turns to look at you but offers no answers.

 

Zuko had told you about their Agni Kai, Zuko and Katara both, both had told you about Azula’s slipping sanity and the screaming, sobbing mess she had become at the end of it all, but you hadn’t see it yourself and found it difficult to believe. Perhaps, deep down, you never did believe it. Now, though, Azula seemed to have given up entirely. Even screaming and sobbing would have been better than this, you reflect: at least it meant there was someone still in there; someone who could scream and sob and rage, but Azula is just staring at you with lifeless eyes and at most, she looks only mildly confused, perhaps wondering why she isn’t being fed, but she doesn’t seem at all concerned by the lack of food—only very slightly confused in an unnervingly detached way.

 

You glance at the bowl, if only so you don’t have to look in her eyes and see that the bowl isn’t steaming. Wondering whether it’s cold, you have a sip yourself and make a face. Definitely cold. You hold up the bowl with one hand and place the other underneath it, making a flame in the palm of your hand. Azula leans forward as if drawn by the fire, and with a jolt (not at all unhappy) you realize that her eyes are intent, focused, interested; perhaps she is in there after all.

 

And this thought makes you brave, maybe reckless and stupid, but there’s a person in there, and you’ve never been one to turn your back on those who need you. Katara isn’t either, though she isn’t as forgiving and it will take time for her to come around, but she’ll help you because she loves you even if she hates Azula.

 

Azula positions her hands exactly as you do (despite having no bowl to hold) and there’s a look of extreme concentration on her face. You know she’s trying to create fire, but the fire won’t come. She frowns. She tries again. She fails. This time you can see in her eyes and the way her breathing quickens ever so slightly that she’s beginning to panic; that she knows she should be able to do this but can’t, and perhaps believes that not being able to do so is dangerous and leaves her vulnerable.

 

And you know now more than ever that you need to help her. She’s lost sight of her fire, just like Zuko; and she’ll find it again, but mostly likely with far more disastrous results than her older brother if left here alone. And she is alone: Zuko has visited her only once in the six months she’s been trapped here, and you know he doesn’t plan on coming again because he feels helpless. He wants to help her, but doesn’t know how and refuses to ask those that hate her for help so tries to forget the problem. But you can’t forget the hope in his eyes when you told him you were coming to see her, to offer her the same chance you offered her father and that you granted Zuko.

 

Azula’s breathing quickens again as she tries once more to light a flame in her palm. You take her hand to stop her.

 

“I’ll teach you,” you say. “You knew how to do this once before. You just need to remember.”

 

Azula leans back and watches you wearily, bearing her teeth at the contact. But she doesn’t pull away and this makes you smile. You stand up quickly, and Azula flinches. You hesitate, the smile beginning to slide off your face, but before it disappears completely, it’s back again, and you help Azula to her feet. The girl beside her twists around to face you, snarling and clutching the struggling rat. You ignore her. Azula’s unsteady, but you help support her despite still being smaller, and begin to make your way out of the Dinning Hall. The girl hisses as you leave and growls something about traitors and backstabbers and filth and the only ones worthy of trust being rats (you try to ignore the thought that that is probably what you expected from Azula) while the nurse who has been watching you hurries forward to stop you, looking alarmed and confused.

 

“Don’t worry,” you say. “I’m taking her with me, that’s all. She’ll be fine.”

 

The nurse still looks confused, but not alarmed now, and minutes later, you’re walking out of the building into the fresh air with Azula, toward the boat that will take you to the Fire Nation Capital where Katara and Appa are waiting for you—and where you know that Zuko is waiting, hoping that Azula will be with you.

 

You’re glad you won’t disappoint him.

 

Comments

[luv2game.livejournal.com]

Well this was an 'unexpected' read for me. Hardy har har!

Lame puns aside, I've never really pictured Azula as a limp, unresponsive person while confined to her mental facility. I always thought of her as more like the rat lady. But I like this take, and I think you wrote it nicely. Bringing Aang in as the 'healer', what with his gentle spirit and all, was a nice concept, and the writing style wasn't what I'm used to seeing, but I liked it.

The fire bit was also a nice touch. I liked this. :D

[darkauthor26.livejournal.com]

But lame puns are the best puns!

I'm contemplating turning this into a series of related oneshots and if I do, I'll explore Azula's madness and her reactions to things a little bit more. But I'm really glad you liked this take, and I'm glad you liked Aang as the healer, too; I was wondering what people would think about that since it's usually Zuko or Ursa or Ty Lee and I can understand why, but I thought, "Hell, Aang's one compassionate and forgiving guy, he's probably just that crazy!"

Thank you for reading, and I shall love you forever for reviewing!

[upstart-crow.livejournal.com]

I adore fics where Azula is helped, and this one made me smile. So very, very sweet. Thank you for writing it :)

[darkauthor26.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you liked it! And thank you for reviewing! ^_^