The Fire Within - an atla fanfic (Zuko x OC)

As If Nothing Really Matters

This was so stupid.

Aang agreed to finding a way to get in the avatar state. Yesterday, we all watched them try stupid ways to induce the avatar state. Katara and I stayed in our room today because it would be useless just watching them try stupid methods all day again.

I was laying on a bed, concentrating on raising and lowering a flame from my fingertip. I had begun to get better at holding a flame for long periods of time.

Katara looked at me cautiously. "I couldn't help but notice you haven't ever told me about your dad."

I paused my firebending and stared at the ceiling. "I've never had a 'dad'".

Katara looked at me with sympathy. "I know how you must feel then. I haven't seen my dad in years."

"No, I don't mean it like that. I just don't consider my father my dad. I consider him an asshole." I explained.

"Why's that?" She asked.

I sighed and looked at her. She seemed scared that I was about to make a retort at her, but I instead lifted up my shirt halfway, revealing two long scars on my torso, one still freshly pink. "This is why."

Katara widened her eyes.

I sighed. "When I was about 9, my dad started doing weird experiments on me. He cut me open and closed me back up, and told me to simply suck up the pain. He was a doctor trying to make a medical breakthrough." I explained. "He kept doing it until I was 12, and then he decided I was no longer any use. I had been used to my full ability. So he just left."

Katara blinked in confusion. "Why is that one scar new then?"

"When I was on Zuko's ship, one of my kidneys failed. The doctor there had to cut it out. He said that all my other organs were messed up too." I said, placing my fingertips on my forehead with anger.

"They treated you well, on Zuko's ship, didn't they?"

I nodded."Yeah, they all did. He did."

Katara smirked. "Do you like Zuko?"

I glared at her. "I don't know. Roku said I needed to find something I didn't have a home. Maybe he meant a boyfriend."

Katara brushed my idea away. "There are way more important things you could need other than a boyfriend." She said, sounding disgusted in me. Her eyes lightened up. "You need to find your father!"

I looked at the ground uneasily. "My father wouldn't be here." I dismissed.

"Well, one of your parents must be from here, you are a firebender. And since he randomly disappeared, he probably came here! We can help you find your father!" Katara said eagerly. "Ashley, you didn't need to find a boyfriend, I think you needed to find your father!"

I gulped. It was a compelling argument. "My father." My thoughts were racing with fright and anger. "I can't go see him, he is the source of all my fears. He is a terrible person. If he saw me, he'd snap my neck or something."

"Ashley, we all have to go against our fears at some point. I know you can do it."

I looked at the ground in silence, trying to change the subject. The room began to shake, and Katara and I looked at each other in confusion.

"I wonder what crazy thing they're trying now. Maybe we should just make sure Aang's okay." Katara suggested.

I stood up and stretched my back. "They are probably doing some stupid rock ritual. We walked out to the outside of the tower and gaped our jaws as we saw the troops fighting Aang. We started skedaddling down the stairs, Sokka running down the staircase parallel to ours.

"What's going on?" Katara asked Sokka.

"The general's gone crazy. He's trying to force Aang into the Avatar state!" Sokka responded.

We made it to the bottom of the stairs, and Sokka threw his boomerang at one of the guards, knocking him out cold. Say what you will about Sokka, but he was darn good at using that boomerang.

Katara and Sokka both ran off to help Aang, and I continued standing there like an idiot, contemplating what to do. Could I expose that I was a firebender? Eh, I was the avatar's friend. It's not like I could get put in jail if I was the avatar's friend. I smirked in determination and ran up to a soldier trying to run towards Aang with a spear. I concentrated and flicked a dollop of fire at the man's hand. He dropped the spear and held his hand in pain. Looking at me, he let out a tiny yell. "She's a firebender!"