Training: Part Three

Azula jolted herself awake, and she hastily sat up to look around. However, It was too dark to see what was around her. Azula conjured a small, azure flame in hand as darkness gave way to its light. The shadows of furniture danced along with the flickering flame in silence as Azula glanced around.

It was strange; everything around felt so familiar to her: the bed, the walls and even the smell. It was until something suddenly clicked in her mind. Azula found herself back in her room at the Royal Palace. However, Azula found it incredibly odd; why was she back in her room? Unfortunately, it seemed that her memories were jumbled up, and she couldn't remember anything. Damn it, why couldn't she remember?

Azula slid off of her bed and walked towards the door. She made her way out into the hallways and was greeted by an eerie silence and hollowness of it all. Not even a palace servant was heard afoot. Azula walked in stark silence in the midst of dark as she looked around to find anyone she could talk to. It was empty and cold - not even a soul wandering about as if the palace was abandoned and left to rot.

Azula suddenly heard the echoes of foot steps coming her way, thumping with a slow and rhythmic beat. Azula was on edge as the sound of footsteps grew louder by the second. Out from the darkness, a servant appeared, wearing robes that were of typical royal red with black trimmings. Azula took one closer look at the approaching servant and felt a chill ran through her spine. It had no face.

"What are you," She muttered out. However, It gave no response, simply walked ever so close to her. Azula quickly moved out of the way as the servant walked past her. It paced a few more steps before it suddenly stopped, its head slowly turned back to face Azula no human could imitate. It was as if hell had frozen over.

Azula felt her breath hitched, and she couldn't stop her hands from shaking; her skin paled, and her lips turned blue. What did it want with her? Her body stood frozen still as she stared back at it. Should she just run away? Should she attack it? Thoughts of self-preservation had only sprung up on her mind.

Suddenly, The servant looked away from her and walked deeper into the decrepit halls. Azula blinked in surprise; for a moment, she had prepared herself in case it ever charged at her to attack. But, why did it suddenly stop to look at her? Did it want her to follow?

Azula's thoughts clashed against one another as she decided her two options: follow it or run away. Balling her fists, Azula quickly made up her mind, "Damn it." She swallowed her fear and chased after the servant. She needed to know what was going on.

Azula could see faint of its swaying robe, but for some reason she was having a hard time catching up to it. She pushed herself to run faster and faster yet the servant was out of her reach. It was like she was chasing a carrot on a stick. Azula suddenly tripped over her own foot and crashed onto the ground. When she looked back up, the servant had disappeared, but Azula suddenly found herself in the Royal Garden.

It was much different than before, much darker with a tinge of evil swirling in the air. The trees that were once full of color were now dulled gray with its foliage gone, the plants and flowers wilted and the beautiful pond she once remembered dried up. The air was cold and thick in the stench of rot, and Azula could feel herself suffocating from the smell alone. Laying before the dried pond was Zuko in a pool of blood.

"Zuko?" Azula eyes dilated as she approached him. Seeing the blood around him, she quickly cried out, "Zuko!"

Azula dropped to her knees and pulled Zuko closer to her, who was already on the brink of death, "Who did this to you?" Her voiced laced with a mix of anger and sorrow as she stared at his pale face. She would find the person who did this to her brother and kill him.

Zuko whispered something incompressible to Azula so she brought her ears closer to him, "Why?" Azula heard him faintly say.

"What do you mean?"

"Why did you leave me here all alone to die?" His voice croaked out.

"I-I would never do that to you!" Azula protested. Father must have done this to him, she just knew it. Yet, she felt guilty at the same time for leaving Zuko alone with him. If only she was strong enough to stop her father.

"You betrayed me!" Zuko's eyes suddenly grew pitch black. His skin turned ash grey as pulsating black veins coursed all over his body. His voice grew deeper and more demonic as he shouted once again, "You betrayed us!"

Azula screamed and hastily threw Zuko off of her. She panicked as Zuko slowly clawed himself towards her, staring at Azula with haunting pure black eyes as fingers dug into the ground. Azula pushed herself backwards, trying her hardest to get away from Zuko until her back was up against a tree.

This had to be a freaking nightmare; she wanted out now. Blue fire shot out towards the demonic being yet not a scratch to be seen on him as he moved closer and closer. How was he still fine? Azula threw more fireballs with increased ferocity, shouting at the monster to get away.

Azula quickly made a break for it, running back into the palace for safety. Her heart pounded against her chest, and her breath grew increasingly rapid. Wake up, wake up, wake up!

*****

Naruto was scared out of his wits. Azula had suddenly fallen over and wouldn't wake up at all. He thought she was playing a really bad prank on him until her body began to glow red as if she was on fire. Naruto tried to touch her but burnt himself in doing so.

"Azula!" Naruto shouted at her to wake up. No reaction. "Azula!" He shouted louder yet not a single reaction from her. What the hell was happening to her? Naruto needed to think of something fast. However, he couldn't think of anything in mind at the moment. How the heck was he supposed to deal with this?

Then, his eyes darted towards the clothes on her body. Naruto needed to cool her down now. Gritting his teeth, Naruto ignored the burning sensation and began to remove Azula's clothes. Throwing her clothes aside, he gazed at her glowing red body that had nothing but black undergarments.

Naruto hoped that he would be able to reach her before something bad happen. However, he still had confidence in her; whatever Azula was experiencing now, she would be able take it head on. He squeezed her hand, ignoring the burning pain he felt. Naruto was going to stay by her side no matter how long it took.

*****

Azula felt like she was running in circles in these seemingly endless halls. Each door led to different doors and rooms like some godforsaken labyrinth of darkness.

"Where is that damn exit!" Azula shouted in frustration. She swung open a random door that led her into another hallway. However, this one seem different from the previous ones. At the end of the hallway laid a room shrouded behind a large, red curtain. Azula instantly knew that it was the throne room just behind there.

The door suddenly slammed shut behind Azula, locking her there. She tried to pry it open, evening burning it, but it didn't budge at all - she was trapped here. The only way now was to move forward. Azula took in a deep breath and walked forward in a snail's pace. She did not want to find out who was behind that curtain, but she could already guess who it was.

There she stood just before the royal curtain, the only thing that seperated her from the other side. Azula held her breath and entered into the throne room. The grand wall of fire hid the silhouette of the fire lord away from the eyes who stood below him. And Azula stood, staring at the man who was her father, in silent anger.

"You, the traitor of my nation, the failure of the family now shows her face once again," The wall of fire grew brighter as Ozai spoke. "You lack the bearing of a true warrior; you are no daughter of mine."

"Shut up."

Fire Lord Ozai vanished from his throne and appeared behind Azula. Frightened by his sudden presence, Azula hastily backed away from her father. She could see his disgusting eyes, the ones that harbored hate and disdain for her.

"Even your own mother hated you."

"I said shut up!"

Ozai slowly approached her with a sneer until he stood before her, looking down at Azula's smaller form.

"You will die alone, forgotten by everyone."

Enraged by her fathers words, Azula screamed as she fired a torrent flames at him. The flames disappeared along with the Fire Lord, leaving Azula all alone in the throne room. She didn't understand what was going on anymore. Her fathers words repeated in her mind on replay. No, she didn't want that. To be alone, to be forgotten.

The throne room vanished, and an empty black void surrounded Azula that stretched as far as her eyes could see. It was then that her mother appeared in front of her.

"You will forever be alone."

No, stop.

Then Zuko, "You will be forgotten."

Stop it.

Then Ozai, "And hated by everyone."

Stop it!

One-by-one, everyone that she knew slowly surrounded her from all sides. First, it was Mai and Ty Lee, then her uncle. Then, it was Suki and Tenten. Their voices laced with hatred as they cried for her death. Azula screamed at them to stop, but they only got increasingly louder. Azula couldn't take it anymore of this verbal abuse. She quickly covered her ears to drown out their voices.

"Azula!"

That voice. It was so familiar and close to her. It was different from the others; it was soft and warm. Azula pulled her hands away from her ears, ignoring the hateful shouts from her family and friends. She just needed to hear that voice one more time.

"Azula!"

There. Azula immediately ran towards the voice. She pushed against everyone that blocked her way. They simply watched Azula leave before turning into a cloud of smoke. His voice was getting louder than before, and Azula knew she was getting closer. A white light enveloped the darkness as a silhouette of a boy appeared just ahead.

It was Naruto. Azula ran as fast as her legs can carry her. She could see his soft eyes and bright smile from here. As Azula got closer, she reached her arm out to hold him. He was as warm as ever. Then, the white light brightened with intensity before it blinded Azula.

*****

Azula's eyes snapped open wide awake. She found herself back in the real world. She still remembered everything back in that horrible nightmare. She didn't know if she successfully attained her Spiritual Fire; However, Azula would never want to step foot into that hellhole ever again. Her head felt like it was being smashed in with a hammer as she slowly sat back up.

"Ya nearly had me scared for a moment there," Naruto sighed in relief.

Azula smiled to herself. It was him who had saved her, and she glad for that. If he wasn't there, Azula didn't think she would ever be able to escape from that nightmare. Azula glanced down at her own body and noticed that she had nothing but her undergarments, "Did you take off my clothes, Foxy?"

"You were burnin' up, so I had to take them off. I thought it would help cool you off, ya know?"

So that was it. Strangely, Azula didn't feel any lingering burning sensation at all. However, if she had to guess, it must have gone away right after Azula woke up.

"So, uh, did ya manage to get it? your Spiritual Fire?" Naruto tried not to gaze down at her developing body. Maybe just a few quick glances wouldn't hurt at all.

"I'm not sure," Azula replied, ignoring his obvious lecherous gaze. "I realized how difficult it was to tackle my own fears."

"Oh..." Naruto's eyes grew downcast momentarily before hopping back up to his joyful self. "No worries, princess, what doesn't kill you make ya stronger, right? I'll know you'll get it the next time."

"Thanks, foxy," She smiled softly at him.

However, Azula didn't think she would go back there anytime soon.