Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction ❯ The Next Chapters ❯ And then... ( Chapter 3 )
[ A - All Readers ]
By: Miss Luccifer 
Non Anime: Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Adventure | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 04.23.2009 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.2K | Visits: 344 | Status: Work In Progress
Non Anime: Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Adventure | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 04.23.2009 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.2K | Visits: 344 | Status: Work In Progress
Azula was sitting cross-legged, her arms heavy by her sides, her head hanging forward so that her matted hair fell all around her face. She was muttering to herself, but it was barely audible. The wooden door creaked open, and the firelight flooded the room. A deep voice said, "You have five minutes."
The door closed, dimming the room again, but with seemingly less light. Azula lazily brought her face up just enough to see what or who was blocking out what little glow there was. Upon seeing the figure, she burst into laughter.
"Come to gawk at me in my new home? Well, get a good look at what you helped do! Look at me!"
Mai had never taken her eyes away from the former princess. She stood solidly in the middle of the room, her posture perfect.
"Look at me, Mai! If you'd have just stuck it out with me! But NO." Azula's head snapped up completely. "What do you want?"
Mai didn't even flinch. "Where is your mother?"
Azula actually seemed stunned by the question. The surprise didn't last long. A knowing, devious smile crossed her lips. "Why do you want to know that?" she asked sweetly.
"I'm curious."
"Liar. Zu-Zu sent you up here to wheedle information out of me, didn't he? Well, he'll get nothing! He already has my throne, my army, my nation! He can't have anything else!"
The Firelord's girlfriend refused to show emotion of any kind. Especially not to the Firelord's sister. If there was one thing Mai knew for certain, it was that, even though she'd grown up with Azula and they'd been close friends, Azula would throw anyone under the metaphorical bus if it would get her anywhere. It was better to not give her anything to work with.
"Zuko didn't send me." It's true, she thought. In fact, he has no idea that I'm here.
"Oh, no?" Azula looked momentarily intrigued. "Then why are you here, Mai?"
"I want to know what happened to your mother."
Chuckling, Azula started to slide toward the bars. "Oh, Mai. You expect me to believe that out of the blue you have a sudden interest in finding my mom?"
"Yes."
Azula shrugged. A dark sparkle gleamed in her eyes, and Mai knew that she'd just had an epiphany. "Very well. I'll make a deal with you."
Mai narrowed her eyes. A deal? "A deal? I can't get you out of that cell, if that's what you're thinking."
A filthy hand waved dismissively. "It wasn't, actually. I was thinking--you know, in exchange for exact details and documents containing the whereabouts of Mommy--you could bring someone to visit me."
"Who?" Mai asked suspiciously.
"A certain Waterbender, that friend of Zu-Zu's. It's her fault I'm in here! It's her fault Zu-Zu still lives!" the maddened woman shouted.
As much as she wanted to shout a defense, Mai kept quiet.
"I just want to thank her," Azula finished calmly, her eyes never leaving Mai's face.
After a moment of considering the absurd plan (like Zuko would forgive her for doing that behind his back!), she turned to leave. This was a mistake, she thought glumly.
"Wait, Mai."
Mai turned back to her former friend, who looked pathetic slumped against the bars, her face pressed as far as it would go between two of them. "Just think about it."
Mai said nothing else as she left the room, leaving behind the crazy woman and her maniacal laughter.
___________________________________________________ ___________________________
Zuko stretched as he strode down the hallway. Another day, still nothing that would lead him to his mother. He would be patient with this. He wouldn't be so hurried or impatient that he overlooked anything. I'll find her, he promised himself.
He started to turn the corner when he bumped into Mai. She stumbled, and Zuko grabbed her arms to steady her. "Whoa, Mai. Sorry."
"It's fine," she said quietly. In a nutshell, she felt...
"You look bummed about something. Is everything okay?"
Mai looked up into Zuko's golden eyes. Just tell him what happened. Tell him what you did, AGAINST his wishes...
"Zuko...I..." Her cheeks flushed.
"What's wrong?" Zuko was on the defensive.
She blew out a breath, recognizing her own cowardice. "Nothing. I'm just tired."
He relaxed, but didn't look fooled. That was everyone's excuse for everything. And he knew that if something was really wrong, she'd tell him.
"I looked for you after lunch today. Where'd you go?"
Mai's color had about turned to normal. She'd worked on this lie on the way back from the prison...just in case.
It's not exactly a lie... But she felt incredibly guilty. She knew she was misleading him and leaving out information. "I was visiting an old friend. I hadn't seen her since the Boiling Rock. After she left there, she made a permanent residence here."
"That's crazy," he mumbled, sliding an arm around her shoulders as he led her down the hall the way he'd been going.
"More than you know." She stopped walking after just a few steps. "I think I'd better get home. My parents are expecting me for dinner."
Zuko watched his fiancee leave, and he knew something was wrong, and she wasn't telling him.
______________________________________________ ________________________________
"Zu-Zu, Zu-Zu..." she sang. "Zu-Zuuuuu! Where arrrrrre you?" She laughed, eyes wide, teeth clenched together.
Her grin turn into a scowl, and she yelled, "Zu-Zu! Where's your Waterbender?"
She'd gone completely mad. The only thing she could think of was that last battle, and the two people that had brought her down.
"Waterbender. Waterbender," she hissed over and over. Yes, if it hadn't been for that pesky Waterbender, she could have killed Zuko. If it hadn't been for that interfering Waterbender, she wouldn't be here in this prison cell, behind these bars, in the dim light of a torch from the hallway.
Her hair fell wildly around her head, and she had bags under her bloodshot eyes that made one believe that she never slept. Azula pressed her face against the stone wall at the back of the cell and stared off a thousand feet ahead. Unconciously, her index finger began tracing a pattern on the wall.
"Zu-Zu, Zu-Zu, Zu-Zu," she repeated over and over. Her finger stopped on a crack between the bricks and anger spread across her face. "Where's your Waterbender?!?"
_____________________________________________ _________________________________
Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar.
The door closed, dimming the room again, but with seemingly less light. Azula lazily brought her face up just enough to see what or who was blocking out what little glow there was. Upon seeing the figure, she burst into laughter.
"Come to gawk at me in my new home? Well, get a good look at what you helped do! Look at me!"
Mai had never taken her eyes away from the former princess. She stood solidly in the middle of the room, her posture perfect.
"Look at me, Mai! If you'd have just stuck it out with me! But NO." Azula's head snapped up completely. "What do you want?"
Mai didn't even flinch. "Where is your mother?"
Azula actually seemed stunned by the question. The surprise didn't last long. A knowing, devious smile crossed her lips. "Why do you want to know that?" she asked sweetly.
"I'm curious."
"Liar. Zu-Zu sent you up here to wheedle information out of me, didn't he? Well, he'll get nothing! He already has my throne, my army, my nation! He can't have anything else!"
The Firelord's girlfriend refused to show emotion of any kind. Especially not to the Firelord's sister. If there was one thing Mai knew for certain, it was that, even though she'd grown up with Azula and they'd been close friends, Azula would throw anyone under the metaphorical bus if it would get her anywhere. It was better to not give her anything to work with.
"Zuko didn't send me." It's true, she thought. In fact, he has no idea that I'm here.
"Oh, no?" Azula looked momentarily intrigued. "Then why are you here, Mai?"
"I want to know what happened to your mother."
Chuckling, Azula started to slide toward the bars. "Oh, Mai. You expect me to believe that out of the blue you have a sudden interest in finding my mom?"
"Yes."
Azula shrugged. A dark sparkle gleamed in her eyes, and Mai knew that she'd just had an epiphany. "Very well. I'll make a deal with you."
Mai narrowed her eyes. A deal? "A deal? I can't get you out of that cell, if that's what you're thinking."
A filthy hand waved dismissively. "It wasn't, actually. I was thinking--you know, in exchange for exact details and documents containing the whereabouts of Mommy--you could bring someone to visit me."
"Who?" Mai asked suspiciously.
"A certain Waterbender, that friend of Zu-Zu's. It's her fault I'm in here! It's her fault Zu-Zu still lives!" the maddened woman shouted.
As much as she wanted to shout a defense, Mai kept quiet.
"I just want to thank her," Azula finished calmly, her eyes never leaving Mai's face.
After a moment of considering the absurd plan (like Zuko would forgive her for doing that behind his back!), she turned to leave. This was a mistake, she thought glumly.
"Wait, Mai."
Mai turned back to her former friend, who looked pathetic slumped against the bars, her face pressed as far as it would go between two of them. "Just think about it."
Mai said nothing else as she left the room, leaving behind the crazy woman and her maniacal laughter.
___________________________________________________ ___________________________
Zuko stretched as he strode down the hallway. Another day, still nothing that would lead him to his mother. He would be patient with this. He wouldn't be so hurried or impatient that he overlooked anything. I'll find her, he promised himself.
He started to turn the corner when he bumped into Mai. She stumbled, and Zuko grabbed her arms to steady her. "Whoa, Mai. Sorry."
"It's fine," she said quietly. In a nutshell, she felt...
"You look bummed about something. Is everything okay?"
Mai looked up into Zuko's golden eyes. Just tell him what happened. Tell him what you did, AGAINST his wishes...
"Zuko...I..." Her cheeks flushed.
"What's wrong?" Zuko was on the defensive.
She blew out a breath, recognizing her own cowardice. "Nothing. I'm just tired."
He relaxed, but didn't look fooled. That was everyone's excuse for everything. And he knew that if something was really wrong, she'd tell him.
"I looked for you after lunch today. Where'd you go?"
Mai's color had about turned to normal. She'd worked on this lie on the way back from the prison...just in case.
It's not exactly a lie... But she felt incredibly guilty. She knew she was misleading him and leaving out information. "I was visiting an old friend. I hadn't seen her since the Boiling Rock. After she left there, she made a permanent residence here."
"That's crazy," he mumbled, sliding an arm around her shoulders as he led her down the hall the way he'd been going.
"More than you know." She stopped walking after just a few steps. "I think I'd better get home. My parents are expecting me for dinner."
Zuko watched his fiancee leave, and he knew something was wrong, and she wasn't telling him.
______________________________________________ ________________________________
"Zu-Zu, Zu-Zu..." she sang. "Zu-Zuuuuu! Where arrrrrre you?" She laughed, eyes wide, teeth clenched together.
Her grin turn into a scowl, and she yelled, "Zu-Zu! Where's your Waterbender?"
She'd gone completely mad. The only thing she could think of was that last battle, and the two people that had brought her down.
"Waterbender. Waterbender," she hissed over and over. Yes, if it hadn't been for that pesky Waterbender, she could have killed Zuko. If it hadn't been for that interfering Waterbender, she wouldn't be here in this prison cell, behind these bars, in the dim light of a torch from the hallway.
Her hair fell wildly around her head, and she had bags under her bloodshot eyes that made one believe that she never slept. Azula pressed her face against the stone wall at the back of the cell and stared off a thousand feet ahead. Unconciously, her index finger began tracing a pattern on the wall.
"Zu-Zu, Zu-Zu, Zu-Zu," she repeated over and over. Her finger stopped on a crack between the bricks and anger spread across her face. "Where's your Waterbender?!?"
_____________________________________________ _________________________________
Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar.