Avatar: Mage of All Elements

I woke up with difficulty. My head hurt like hell. It felt like I'd been hit with a hammer. And my body was in perfect condition. I didn't understand what had happened. The last thing I remembered was finishing Azula's mind alignment. Then darkness. The horror of it.

I tried to get up and almost fell over, but after waiting a while I managed to get up. Next to me, in a nearby sleeping bag, was Azula.

«She's pretty though.» I remarked.

First, I checked her with water magic. Surprisingly, she was fine. Just out of interest, I decided to take a look inside her skull. Last time, I realized that the closer our minds were, the easier it would be for me. So I crouched down near her head and, touching her forehead with mine, linked our minds. Like the last time, I had to separate her from me. Since I was already experienced in this, I did it quickly. And looking at the big picture, I felt bad.

I had done what I wanted to do. I had become Azula's anchor. Changing her attitude towards me was no longer a problem for me. The problem was something else. Whether by instinct or by following my lead, she did to me what I did to her. And now she's my anchor.

The worst part is that I can't take it all back. There was a chance before I left her mind the first time. But not now. I just feel like if I take my anchor away, I'll either go crazy or change completely. And I like myself the way I am.

Bitch!

When I realized there was nothing I could do, I had to accept it and finish what I'd started. I had to change the way she treated me. I could have waited and let things work themselves out, but I wasn't going to put up with her nonsense.

So I rolled up my sleeves and started to search my memory and adjust it a bit. I started in the present and went all the way back to my childhood. What's interesting is that I figured out how to make these changes smoothly and without an emergency overload of the mind.

So that's what I did. If all goes well, she'll get used to me in about a week, and in a month she'll be unbearable without me. Yes, in time the effect will wear off, but what has been done will not be changed. The feelings, emotions, and memories she gets during this time will serve as a foundation. From there, it's up to me and my attitude toward her.

After making sure she wouldn't betray me again, I left her mind. And looked around. We were in some kind of ruins. Something ancient Mayan. There was no one around. Walking away and leaving Azula behind wasn't an option. She'd run away and I'd have to look for her later.

I closed my eyes and concentrated. Gathering a little strength, I fired a pulse into the ground. I could see the ruins. Sokka wasn't far away and neither was Toph. Aang and Zuko were in the center of the ruins, and Katara was by the river. I sent out the pulse again and saw Toph and Soka coming this way.

It didn't take long to wait for them. Two minutes and they were in sight. Without further ado, Toph came over and hugged me. Even though she's small, it's nice to be hugged. So I hugged her back and, already out of habit, ruffled her hair.

«Oh, you're awake!» Soka's hand waved at me, «How are you feeling?»

«Fine», I waved back, «Where's Aang and Zuko?»

«They went to the ruins to look at the ruins», he pointed his thumb behind his back, «Since Zuko's magic is gone.»

«And if you go there, it will reappear?» I raised an eyebrow in surprise, doubting his words.

«I have no idea», he shrugged, «Are you hungry?»

«Nah, thanks», after thinking for a bit, I decided to go to them, «Listen, I'll catch up with Aang. I want to go with him. Keep an eye on Azula, okay?» Toph hugged me tighter, «Don't worry. Everything will be fine now.»

I was curious and so I went to join them.

***

POV Toph

The little blind girl stared after him. It didn't bother her that she couldn't see like the others. It didn't stop her from seeing him. A storm raged inside her.

«I will remember», she whispered softly, barely hearing her own voice. And turned around, glaring unkindly at the girl he was spending too much time with.