Azula's secret friend

Back home?

A/N: Hello beautiful people, I hope you're all doing well. As usual enjoy and don't forget to comment and vote. It motivates me to write more.
Aritho's POV

I briskly walked the path that Azula had disappeared into. I could still feel her run in the galleries. I knew that she could go on for a long time if i didn't catch her before she pushed herself too much. It was one of the punishments she often used on herself when she felt like she deserved to hurt. I broke into a jog to catch up with her. She had began to loose her orientation as she made more and more turns in these torturous tunnels.

Finally she stopped, she had reached a dead end. I reached her quickly as she leaned on the rocks of the wall. I slowed to a walk, then to a stop when i deemed close enough.

"Are you alright?" I asked calmly, catching her off guard. She turned around hands ablaze in front of her. She took three steps backwards but only hit the wall with her back. Her hands began to shake and she bit the inside of her cheek. Her legs started to shake. I took the couple of steps that separated us and engulfed her in a hug. She gasped and laid her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes. Tears began to pour on my shoulders, wetting through my shirt. She sniffled and shuddered mumbling apologies after apologies. I lowered the both of us on the ground keeping her firmly in my hold. She continued to cry in my arms for many minutes. Finally her cries subsided and she was reduced to small sniffles and shuddering breaths.

"Why are you doing this!?" She shouted out of the blue. Pushing herself harshly from me. Fury in her expression.

"What?"

"Why are you being nice... I'm broken! I'm a monster..." She added, pushing herself agains the rock wall. "I'm not worth it..." She mumbled, turning her head away from me.

"You're going to listen to me very carefully." I said clenching my jaw at the end. "I am the one who decides what and who i care for. Even if Agni Himself told me You had lost it and you were beyond helping i would do everything in my power to bring you back. I would stand beside you forever even if you wouldn't see it." I expressed, emotions pouring from my voice.

"I'M NOT WORTH IT! WHAT DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND IN THAT!!" She yelled, tears falling freely from her eyes. "GO AWAY! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! You Don't Understand, you don't understand..." She wiped her eyes hastily with the back of her hand.

"WHY AREN'T YOU ANGRY AT ME!" She exploded again, "I JUST KILLED HIM!" Fire erupted from her clenched fists. She clenched her jaw and scowled.

"I am angry, furious even," She opened her mouth to talk but i cut her off. " But... Not towards you. I'm angry that it was instilled in you that doing that was to become first reaction. I'm also very sad i couldn't change that for you. I'm absolutely enraged at your father for doing that to you."I confessed sadly.

"However like i have said many times before:
There's no bad students, only bad teachers." I had told her many times over the tears when she was judging students less advanced or at the same level she was at. It is a philosophy i have stood by for my entire life. If you teach the wrong things to your students they won't be able to perform the right way. Azula looked at me for a moment and then moved towards me. I wasn't sure what to expect but it wasn't at all what she did.

She engulfed me in a hug and whispered in my ear that i wasn't to blame.

That broke the dam inside of me, emotions coming in waves in my mind and body. Tears began to fall from my eyes. We held each other for a long minute before letting go. I cupped her face a loving smile on my face.

"Let's get back to the surface now. They should be waiting for their princess." I declared moving away from her. She hummed in agreement and turned around, but stopped after two paces. She then looked back at me and asked: