Ozai has been weighing on her thoughts lately. So much so that it's putting her in a worse mood than usual.
The Avatar knows something is bothering her but he also knows when to leave her alone.
She feels listless and unmotivated. Never has she felt like this before. Surely, she isn't depressed?
If imprisonment in a Fire Nation prison didn't do it to her, then why would the gilded cage of the Air nation do it now?
It must be her insanity rising to the surface. It's an uncomfortable thought.
The guards look at her warily when she opens the door and stares them down.
"I want to speak to Fire Lord Zuko." This is the first time she has ever spoken to them.
They knit their brows in confusion.
"I want to speak to my brother now." She restates her request.
"No visitors allowed, Princess." One of the braver guards speaks up.
"On whose orders?" She challenges.
"Avatar Aang's orders, Princess."
She slams the door at the answer.
oooo
When he walks through the door, he stops short at the look on her face.
"Is everything okay?" He asks cautiously.
"Why did you order no visitors?" She snaps at him.
"You are a prisoner, Azula. I don't want just anyone stopping in when I'm not here." Placating and patient as always.
"Just what are you afraid of?" Her eyes are staring daggers at him.
He sighs as he sits down in one of the chairs. "What should I be afraid of?" It's the voice of a man resigned to his fate. So very domestic.
Her nails dig into the back of the chair opposite of him as she leans over it staring him down.
"I want to see Zuko."
He doesn't shrink from the look in her eye. "Why?"
The energy is just there under the surface pushing at her. "He's my brother."
The Avatar laughs. It's a bitter sound. "Like family matters to you? Besides he was here the other night."
Their sneak attack on the Water Benders had been a success.
"I need to speak to him." She strives for a calmer voice to try to convince him.
"About?" He prompts her.
"My father."
He sits up straight at this. "What about your father?" His gray eyes harden at her.
He may be gentle but he has a backbone she has come to admire.
Most of the time at least.
"Are you going to let me see Zuko or not?" She avoids his question.
The Avatar stands and walks across the room towards their bedroom door. She gave up the pretense of having her own room weeks ago.
"No, You aren't seeing Zuko and you are most definitely are not seeing your father." It's the voice of finality.
She surprises both of them with a streak of lightening that flies too close over his head, striking the wall with a loud crack.
He ducks then turns to her with wide eyes. "Azula, what the spirits are you doing?"
His anger is just under the surface. She wants to bring it out all the way.
![Ends of the Earth [2] (Sokka x Reader) by sagegravity](https://img.wattpad.com/cover/272909799-80-k191910.jpg)
He sees the fire in her eyes and the set of her jaw.
"Oh." The situation becomes clear to him. There is a note of sadness in his voice.
How could he not have seen this coming?
The door opens and the guards look from the Princess to the Avatar to the smoking hole in the wall.
They eye the fuming Princess nervously. Her hands are shaking and she wants nothing more than to lay waste to all of them.
He holds a hand up at them, "It's okay. I'll take care of this." But he never takes his eyes off her.
"Get me Fire Lord Zuko." She orders him. "I want to see my Father now!" She emphasizes her sentence with her hands and sparks fly from her fingertips.
A crowd has gathered in the hallway scrambling for a view through the open door.
Her fingers crackle with electricity. The room reeks of ozone and smoking wood.
"No, that's enough, Azula." His voice has a hard line to it that he has never used with her before. His gray eyes are dark, stormy even. He's on the edge too.
She raises her head up at his words, eyes flashing dangerously.
"What will you do, Avatar?" Her tone is cold as ice. It's everything she was during the war reborn.
The Phoneix rising from the ashes.
The Phoneix King.
Ozai.
Father.
She is her father's daughter.
She will not cry. She does not cry.
It's all right there just bubbling under the surface.
It's unclear which one of them moves first.
She thinks it may have been him but her vision was blurred with unshed tears.
The lightening flows from her fingers and something about it just feels right.
It strikes him straight on but he was ready for it.
He's been ready for it ever since Ba Sing Se.
He easily redirects it out the window.
Damn Uncle for inventing a way to channel lightening.
The crackle of electricity and the shattering of glass fill the room.
He's on her before the first shard even hits the ground.
The most important aspect is that she lets him.
He pins her to the ground, holding her wrists, trying to restrain her without hurting her.
But she wants to hurt him. She screams at him. Her resistance is born of pure rage.
The Avatar is stronger than her in so many ways though. She fights against his hold on her, almost breaking free, until her drive just suddenly runs out. She goes limp against him, only barely aware of his cool hand on her forehead.
Her hair has come undone . Her breathing is ragged. She feels lost and floating.
He holds her, tightly but gently. He is always gentle with her. He speaks soothing words to her while she cries.
Azula doesn't cry.
Time passes but she's not sure how much exactly.
She is vaguely aware of other voices in the room.
Zuko kneels down to look her in the eye.
The Fire Lord's golden eyes are filled with concern. His hand caresses her wet cheek tenderly, wiping away her salty tears.
The Avatar has his arm around her holding her back against his chest as they sit on the floor. He's unwilling to let go of her. She may almost love him for it.
She nestles deeper into his embrace. He holds one of her wrists but leaves the other hand where it is digging into his arm, holding tight, anchoring her to him.
Looking up at the Fire Lord, she says in a shaky voice. "I want to see father."
She is begging.
Azula doesn't beg.
Maybe she's not Azula anymore.
Zuko frowns then looks up. He's looking to the Avatar for direction. Zuko never had much luck handling her.
She feels the Avatar sigh against her. "I'll take her."
It's a victory of sorts.
Azula gets what she wants.
"Are you sure?" The ambivalence on Zuko's face is clear. He has as little love for their father as their mother had for her.
"Yeah, I am." It's the same voice of resignation from before.
Ever so gently, he lifts her and carries her to bed. He pulls the covers up around her, pushing her long hair back from her face. His eyes are so serious as they look at her.
"I told you I would betray you." Her voice is a whisper, flat and dull. She's so tired, drained.
He nods slowly. "You did tell me that." He didn't forget. He just had hope.
"I promised to kill you." The hand stroking her hair hesitates.
He gives a small smile. "I'm still alive."
She draws in a trembling breath. "I'm glad you are."
"Me too," He kisses her, softly, tenderly. "Get some sleep, Princess. When you're up to it, I'll take you to see your father."
"If you had only decided that first, none of this would have happened." She can't resist pointing out his mistake. There is fight left in her yet.
He stares at her and she imagines he must be questioning all his decisions concerning her.
Only a fool wouldn't .
"Good night, Azula."
The door shuts behind him as he leaves the room.
