In The Night

Actual 21

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Katara
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Toph gabbed on about this and that. Her parents, some guy, different ways to kill said guy in case things went south. I wasn't listening. My thoughts, of course, were occupied by Zuko.

He hadn't spoken a word to me about his visit with Azula. He had been so resistant to the suggestion of seeing her, yet now he seemed completely unaffected. Whatever she had said to him wasn't going to satisfy me, though. I needed to hear it from her.

"What do you think Azula said to Zuko?" I interrupted.

Lounging on a bench, Toph raised her brows. "Probably nonsense. Why do you care?"

"Zuko didn't say anything about it before I got to the meeting?" I ignored her question.

"Just that we shouldn't worry about her," Toph assured me.

"I'm going to go see her," I confirmed, more to myself.

Expecting her to protest, I was surprised when Toph merely quipped, "Okay, but I'm coming with."

"Why?"

She shrugged. "It's boring here. Things have been quiet with the loyalists, and Aang said it could be at least a week until he gets back."

And at that, she got up and walked out the door.

"We're going now?" I laughed.

"Yup!"

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We took a ferry. And the ferry took way too long. Tourists on their way to the beach bumped into us with their ridiculous water floats, and kids ran in circles disregarding everyone around them.

Toph and I wore Fire Nation clothes as usual, yet our outfits still had us standing out. The other young women aboard the boat were scantily clothed, with little but red wrappings covering themselves. My long, billowing sleeves made me feel awkward in the heat, but the shirt itself was oversized and kept me cool. I couldn't remember where I got this one from. . .

I told Toph that she would need to quiet her yapping when we got to the asylum, and she should wait outside.

At last we reached it. The nurse at the desk raised an eyebrow.

"You're here to see Azula, and you say the Firelord sent you." She repeated after I told her my business. She didn't believe me.

"Azula and I were close friends before... Everything," I said putting my best poker face on. "Ty Lee mentioned she was doing better so I thought it was time to see her after so long."

The nurse perked up after hearing Ty Lee's name. "Of course," she smiled, and lead me to her room. "I'll leave you be."

I braced myself as the door opened and closed behind me. The young woman who was hunched over in her lap looked up and smirked at me.

"I remember you..." She lulled in a low, sultry voice.

"Ya, and I remember chaining you to the ground after you tried to kill me," I countered harshly.

She only smiled even bigger. "Did you enjoy chaining me up, girl? Maybe we could do it again sometime."

"Again, you tried to kill me," I emphasized.

The girl kept going. "Or I could return you the favor," she gestured to the chains connecting her to the bed. "We've got everything we need right here."

"Stop it, Azula," I sneered, looking away from her spreading legs.

She cackled. "Just when I was about to invite your friend in to join our fun."

I narrowed my eyes. "How did you know Toph was here?"

"Toph is her name? How adorable." She quipped. "They're giving me a tea brew everyday. . . It's supposed to make me hallucinate. But now I can see better. See things that other people can't. I can help you."

"I'm not letting you out of here," I told Azula firmly. But if she could help. . .

"Fine. Go running back to my brother without any information. Try sleeping next to him with the guilt of being here behind his back," she ridiculed.

I backed up further. "How did you-"

"You're wearing his shirt."

My face went red as I looked down at the large garb covering me. I didn't even realize. How did we get our clothes mixed up? We hadn't even had-

"Oh I know," Azula interrupted my thoughts. "You still have that air of innocence about you."

"Did I say that out loud?" I asked embarrassed.

She tapped her temple. "I see things. Take me back to the Capitol and I'll help you."

"No."

"Fine."

"Tell me how to help Zuko get his kingdom under control," I demanded.

"Take me home."

I growled and called for the nurse to bring Toph in. I stepped out of Azula's room to confer with my friend.

"What should we do?" I lamented.

"Well, there's nurses at the palace. And cells. We can handle her," Toph counselled.

"Okay," I turned to the nurse. "We're going to check her out."

A concerned look went across her face. "That's not a good idea. We have her teas."

"Where do you keep them? Just let us take them," Toph inserted.

"The kitchen- That's not how this works!" The plump woman stammered. "And besides, only next of kin can check her in and out."

Toph and I exchanged a rare glance. I get the girl, you get the meds, her eyes said.

I ran past the nurse into the kitchen.

"Hey!"

I found a bag with Azula's name on it and rushed outside. Toph and Azula were already out there running, and alarms began blaring.

"Let's go!" Toph yelled, earth surfing us out of there.

And if she could do that, I could get us a couple miles across the ocean.

We finally got to the main island and had evaded Ember Island guards, and I crashed exhausted on the beach. Palace sentries found us and ran to my side as I lost consciousness.

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Toph
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I walked Azula into the palace and metal bent the rest of her chains off. I cut through them like butter. Katara was taken to her room to rest, and healers were on their way to check her up.

"It is good to be home," Azula sighed.

"Don't get used to it," I murmured.

A woman's figure approached us.

"Azula?" Mai asked.

But Azula didn't respond. She went tense in every muscle of her body.

"She's just here for the time being. She won't bother you, I swear," I told Mai.

The Fire Lady shrugged and walked off. Only then did Azula turn to me and whisper, "That's not Mai."