Good and Evil || An ATLA Fanfiction

Chapter 16

"I thought I had lost you Azara" Grandpa whispers, running a hand down my hair.

A warm smile floods my face, tears of my own falling, "I'm here Grandpa, and I'm okay" I whisper, slowly pulling away from his warm embrace.

Next, I am pulled into the arms of my cousin. "We tried to go back to Kyoshi, but we couldn't" he rambled "How could you be that stupid?! Azara we were all worried sick!" Zuko fumbled out, clearly upset.

"Good to see you too, cousin" I whisper, a sad grin still on my lips.

"How are you here?" he questions, releasing me from his quick, yet helpful hug.

"You're not going to like it" I sigh, sitting down on a chair that Jong had brought me.

"Tell us" Zuko demanded.

With a growl fierce as a dragon, I comply. "I was on my way to help you, but I passed out. I woke up...flying in the air. It was the most terrifying yet most beautiful thing I've ever seen" I explain, vaguely getting lost.

"What do you mean.." Ren asks before trailing off, his eyes widening.

"The Avatar and his friends rescued me" I whisper, my eyes bright.

"You were with the Avatar?!" Zuko asks, outraged, "How could you not capture him?!"

"Because Zuko, without them, I would have died of an infection. And after they healed me, I wasn't exactly focused on plans to capture him", I try to say calmly.

"They healed you?" Grandpa questions, his eyes wide.

"I can see that you weren't focused Azara, spirits, you're wearing clothing of the Water Tribe!" Zuko snarls, glaring at me.

Confused, I look down, finding that I am in fact wearing the disguise that Katara had given me. Taking another breath, I try to calm myself, but the fire is burning inside me, dying to come out. It's been days since I've used my bending, and it's killing me.

"Are you going to call me a traitor?" I snap, standing up abruptly.

He looks down, averting my gaze. Scoffing, I shake my head. "Thanks for the warm welcome Zuko." I snap before walking towards the stairway that will lead me below deck.

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Pulling the blue clothes from my body, I fumble to change back into my regular clothing. 

Zuko's words hammered in my head, my own subconscious trying to prove him wrong.

Anger boiled inside my body, everything was like wood being added to the fire. First was my conflicting feelings of the Avatar, then Zhao and the fact that he could easily find me, and Zuko, with his temper that managed to make my own arise. 

My room was hot, the anger pushing heat off of my body in waves. I needed to release this, even if it is with firebending.

With each step towards the deck, I feel my body get hotter and hotter.

Finally, the cool air meets my face, my hot breath spilling out into the air.

"Azara-" a voice says, but I stop them when I release my inner anger. The fire blasts out of my clenched fists, the color was a dark red, meaning it was weak. I almost never bent out of anger, always using the true way of bending. 

Yet here I was.

I looked up, lips parted, waiting for the fire to shoo out of my throat. When it failed, my fingers curled outward, their own spurts of fire flying free.

Within a matter of days, my life was turned upside down, leaving me confused, pained and angry.

Letting out a frustrated cry, I try to make the fire shooting from my fingers to grow. Yet, two hands grab my hands, stopping my blast.

Grandpa's eyes meet mine, his eyes filled with worry and fear, but somehow his hands kept my fire from breaking free. "Azara.." he whispers.

And that was enough.

Tears springing from my eyes, I fall to my knees, my hands falling from Grandpa's. The anger that overtook my body was now replaced with sadness. This was the first time I had cried since my Father's funeral, so the tears kept coming.

Joining me on the floor, Grandpa tries to console me. "What is troubling you Azara?" he whispers gently.

Sniffing, I try to calm myself down, but the tears keep escaping from my eyes.

"I-I was..protecting you and Zuko" I cry out, shaking my head. 

"What happened.." Gradpa trails off, his own eyes filled with tears.

"Zhao...h-he" I choke off, biting down on my lip to stop myself from crying out. 

Quickly, Grandpa's hands are on my shoulders, and pulling me to him. In a steady embrace, he continues to mumble soft words to me, hand running down my back.