— Azula POV —
The halls of the royal palace had never felt this quiet.
Not even during curfews, not even during war briefings.
Something was missing. Something had been ripped from the foundation, and all that was left was an echo.
I walked past the training grounds.
Empty.
No footprints. No marks scorched into the dirt. No distant grunts of effort, no rhythm of shuriken slicing through air. The targets were untouched.
He hadn't been here in days.
I stepped closer, kneeling beside one of the wooden dummies. The faintest scorch mark still clung to the surface. Old, but still there. Leftover heat from one of his last sessions.
"Sasuke…"
The word came out before I meant it to.
They said he died at sea.
An accident, they claimed. A mission gone wrong. A ship overturned. Lost to the tides before help could arrive.
A prince, swallowed by the ocean.
I wasn't allowed to ask questions. No corpse. No funeral. Just silence and orders to move forward. Ozai gave the command with a practiced voice and cold eyes. He spoke like it was expected.
Like it was planned.
I didn't believe it.
Not for a second.
He wouldn't just vanish. He wouldn't leave without saying anything. He wouldn't leave me. Not after everything. Not after—
Tap. Tap.
I looked down. My hand was trembling, two fingers extended unconsciously. The same motion he made the last time we spoke. That light tap on my forehead. Dismissive, yes—but familiar. Safe.
He was never affectionate. Not with words, not with gestures. But I watched him.
He protected people when no one saw. He trained harder than anyone, but never bragged. He walked alone, but never stepped on others to stay above.
He was never like Father.
And maybe that's why Father hated him.
"Your brother's death is a loss to the Fire Nation. But losses must be endured."
That's what Ozai told me. Like it was a lesson. Like it was my fault for needing him at all.
Now he calls me his only child. His true heir. He parades me around the palace, has me stand in his war councils, and forces me to recite doctrine.
Every word he speaks tastes like ash in my mouth.
He never looked at Sasuke like this.
He never saw him as a tool to sharpen.
No. That was always me.
"You will carry on your brother's legacy."
That's what he says now. Like I'm meant to inherit something from ashes. Like Sasuke ever wanted a legacy here. I'm not stupid. Father lies with a smile and burns the truth behind his teeth.
Sasuke didn't die in an accident.
Sasuke didn't just disappear.
He was removed.
And the worst part?
I think he knew it was coming.
He stopped talking to anyone weeks ago. He trained longer. He avoided the palace corridors. I caught him once, sitting on the roof at night, staring at the moon. Like he was waiting for something. Like he was saying goodbye.
I didn't say anything.
Now I wish I had.
"Azula."
I turned. Ozai stood behind me, hands clasped behind his back. Composed. Always composed.
"Your training is starting shortly. You're to meet me in the war chamber."
I nodded.
But I didn't move.
He stepped closer. I felt the weight of his presence before he even opened his mouth.
"Sasuke's death has left a void. One that must be filled."
I stayed silent.
He crouched slightly, lowering his voice.
"You have a gift, Azula. Greater than even your brother. I want to cultivate that. I want to help you become something this world has never seen."
I looked up at him.
I smiled.
A perfect, practiced, empty smile.
"Yes, Father."
He smiled back, satisfied.
And turned away.
I watched him walk, his figure disappearing down the corridor like smoke.
When he was gone, I looked back at the training grounds.
Still empty.
Still silent.
But the embers remained.
And embers... don't die quickly.
Later that night, I sat beneath the cherry tree that overhung part of the palace garden. It was quiet again, and I realized that lately, quiet was becoming the loudest part of my day. I reached into my robes and pulled out the shuriken I'd found buried half-deep in one of the outer wall targets. The edge was still sharp.
He left it. On purpose? Or did he forget it?
I don't believe he forgets anything.
I don't know where you are, Sasuke.
But I know you're not dead.
You wouldn't leave without a reason.
And one day, I'll find out what it was.
___________________________________________________________
(A/N: Tsk Tsk Ozai you son of a ***
Switched things up with the POV of our favorite sister. She is a very smart girl, and manipulating others to do what she wants was a specialty in the series. Now we have an idea of where she learned it from.
Let's see if she conforms to Ozai's cultivation or if her true personality stays hidden under his eyes... )