1. Capture

Authors Note: I rated this mature because there are some scenes that I feel are too gruesome for younger readers to view without being warned. In order to read this story, one has to keep an open mind throughout it. Without further ado, here is the first chapter. It's a bit short, but it's only the beginning.

Disclaimer- I do not own Avatar, the last Airbender or any of its characters.

Chapter One- Capture

A bead of sweat ran down Aang's face and fell on the forest floor far below. The sedative flowing through his veins was taking its full effect now, slowing his motions and blurring the forest before him.

Azula noted this with a cruel smirk on her face. She kept a close pace with the slowing Avatar, close enough to make him think he had to keep running. Running right where she wanted him to go. Of course this forest was unknown territory to him, but Azula had mapped out every tree, every river, every god damn twig. After all the painstaking care she put into this plan, it better work. Ahead of her, Aang was beginning to slow down ever more. Azula did the same, if only to keep him moving. She had to make sure he didn't feel cornered, or else he may turn around and fight her here. Just a little further and he could have all the fighting he wanted. For some reason, a fire nation bard came into her head.

Run little child, the war drums are drumming.  
Run little child, the fire is coming.  
Run little child, 'fore the flames drop you dead.  
Poor little child, you've no idea what lies ahead.

Yes, that fit the situation quite perfectly. Suddenly the trees gave way, revealing a solid wall of rocks. Yes, the cliff rose before them massively, blocking off all escape. The avatar had wheeled to a stop and now turned to face Azula, only to discover that she was not alone. Emerging from their hiding places, the fire nation soldiers quickly surrounded Aang. Perched in the tree branches were Yu yan archers, training their arrows onto the stunned boy.

Azula did not offer the Avatar a chance to surrender, for she knew that he would not accept it. Stupid boy.  
"Fire." She ordered, and the soldiers were quick to obey. From their palms sprang streams of fire, hungry and growling as it raced forward to consume its prey. Defensively Aang spun the air around him, creating a force-field like shield that protected him from the merciless flames.

A bead of sweat ran down his face.  
The soldiers remained expressionless.

A second passed. A minute. An eternity.  
Aang could not tell how long they kept this up, and could only feel his own muscles scream under the pressure of maintaining his shield.  
Another minute.  
Aang's eyes began to roll into the back of his head. A thin line of blood trickled out of his nose.

Azula raised a hand, and the soldiers stopped firing. Aang's shield immediately dissipated, leaving him vulnerable and exposed. The boy moaned in exhaustion, his legs shaking horribly under the strain to keep standing. Suddenly his knees gave way and he collapsed, his body hitting the forest floor and resting there motionless. A row of soldiers moved forward, like animals swooping in on their prey. One knelt down and began to bind the Avatar's hands, while the others lowered their swords threateningly towards his neck, ready to impale at the sign of resistance.

But of course, as Azula had known, he did not move. Unable to walk, or even stand, the Avatar was carried over to her. Aang struggled to raise his head, gray eyes glazed over and uncertain. Azula moved towards him, lowering her head so that her lips were even with his left ear.  
"Whatever you imagine I have in store for you, it's going to be ten times worse. I promise."


	2. Welcome Home

**Authors Note- I know the first chapter is painfully short, and this one isn't to lengthy either. It'll get better, I promise. Anyways, here's some of the violence I promised. Not as bad as what I wanted, but it'll do. BTW, I absolutely hate to play this card, but I'm not gong to post another chapter unless at least four people review. It's a bit ridiculous that my story has over two hundred views, yet only two people actually reviewed don't you think?**

**Gigerfan- Yes, it is unreasonably short isn't it? I'll try to improve that, and thanks for your review  
The Reviewer- Thank you very much!**

**Disclaimer- Do I really need to say it? No, I don't own Avatar.**

Aang's head was held high and proud, not hung low as was the custom of most prisoners. He did not struggle uselessly against the chains, but rather sat straight and noble. His eyes blazed alive with defiance, unwilling to ever show a moment of uncertainty.  
Aang was terrified.

The room that was his prison was bare, except for the chair he was chained to. Shackles bound his wrists to the chair and his legs as well, giving him very little mobility. Obviously, he was not going anywhere.

The silence was broken as the door swung open, revealing a very smug looking princess. Aang pressed his back against the chair, as if that would get him farther away from her.

"How old are you?" The question was sudden and unexpected, so much so that Aang did not reply. Before he could even flinch, Azula backhanded him viciously across the face. He released a cry of surprise, tasting metallic blood in his mouth.

"Thirteen!" He gasped, spitting out a mouthful of blood. 

"And how many of the bending arts have you mastered?" Dawning a mischievous grin, Aang replied;  
"All six of them."  
Blood filled his mouth once more under the viciousness of Azula's blow.

Aangs face was throbbing painfully by now, and the grin on his face quickly melted away. With a proud smirk, Azula leaned in closer to Aang, so that she was eye level with him.  
"Now Avatar, are you willing to corporate?" She asked calmly.  
Aang spat in her face.

Azula drew herself up with regal disdain. She withdrew a handkerchief from her pocket, wiped her face, and discarded the ruined cloth into the corner of the room.

"You're only making things worse for yourself Avatar." She sneered, drawing a small but dangerously sharp knife. She raised the blade to his throat, the cold steel prickling his skin. Aang closed his eyes, desperately hoping that she would not puncture his exposed throat.

"You seem to forget who you're dealing with. I'm going to make sure you never forget again." Aang heard the sound of fabric ripping and felt a sudden breeze on his chest. He opened his eyes to see Azula throwing his shirt beside the handkerchief.

Aang winced at the cold blade as Azula pressed it against his bare skin, though felt confident she was only trying to scare him. She was bluffing.

Azula applied more pressure to the knife, and it easily slid into his skin. Aang drew in a deep gasp as pain shot through his body, though at least it was bearable. He gritted his teeth together as she carved some sort of symbol into his chest, one that he could not make out because of the blood flowing freely from it. She finished one symbol, and then moved on to make another next to it. Aang began to squirm in his chair, moving as much as possible but not making Azula's task any more difficult for her. Aang squirmed. He groaned, moaned, and ground his teeth together. He would jerk the chains, gasp and growl. But he would not scream, and this irritated Azula to no end. What might have only been minutes felt like an eternity as Azula pulled the knife out of his skin and stepped back to examine her work. Aang looked down, but could make nothing out. Blood was pouring from his wounds at a dizzying rate, staining his pants and falling silently onto the floor. The sight made him feel sick.

Azula was not done. She moved forward again, a dangerous gleam in her eye.  
"Its amazing, the things I pick up from my friends." She began, kneeling to examine Aang's legs. She lightly pressed the knife to them, but made no incision.  
"For instance, there are many tender spots on the human body. Like in the back of the knee." The knife trailed down his thigh and rested on Aang's kneecap. He began to struggle against his bonds, jerking his body violently in an attempt to avoid the pain he was sure to come. The chains were strong,and his struggle fruitless. "There are many nerves close to the surface, meaning that to achieve pain, all one has to do is make a shallow cut." Aang swallowed hard, fear rising like bile in his chest. The cold blade slowly traced around his knee, stopping on the soft flesh in the back of his knee. Without further warning, Azula plunged the knife in. Aang threw back his head, screaming as sheer agony ripped through his body like an angry beast. Azula twisted the knife savagly before ripping it out. Aang's body convulsed violently before coming to a still rest as he passed out. Azula cleaned off her knife, returned it to her belt and made her way to the door.  
"Clean his wounds." She ordered the waiting Healers, who nodded in response. Before departing, Azula looked back at the Avatar and sneered.

"Welcome to your new home."------------------------------------------------ Azula was smart.  
She understood the human mind with such clarity that many experts themselves felt inferior in her precense. She knew that every mind, no matter how strong or spirited, could be broken into and taken control off. She viewed the Avatar's mind as a fortress, with three strong walls surronding the treasure inside.  
And all I have to do is break down those three walls. Azula thought smugly to herself. Yes, her plan was extremly complicated, as anything involving the human brain is. Complicated, but flawless. Azula stepped out onto the upper deck of the ship, looking down at the soldiers who had gathered at her command below. They all stood silently, waiting for her orders. Azula smirked. Fire nation soldiers were the most well trained in the world, they would stand there for days until she told them otherwise.  
"Within those trees are three fugitives." Azula began, indicating the forest that lay by the water.  
"They are enemies of the fire nation, and must be apprehended. Two of them are of the water tribe, and one of the earth kingdom. They are companions of the Avatar, so I expect you know their faces well enough. Spread out and comb the trees, and bring me anyone who gets in your way. These fugitives are to be captured alive" With that, Azula spun on her heels and returned inside, three of the Royal Gaurd in tow.

"Tell me, what are the nearest surronding communities?" Azula questioned them, and they did not hesitate to respond.

"There are three towns, only one of which we occupy." One replied, and another hurridly added;  
"Yes, but the other two are smaller villages. Worthless, unnotable." 

"I want you to assemble a party to accompany me to these villages. And also, send out a notice to the occupied village that every trace of the fire nation is to be removed by nightfall. Understood?" It was an odd request, but the Royal Gaurd only nodded and vanished around the corner. A smile spread across Azula's lips, one of genuine happiness. Why should she not be happy? This was a chess game, and she was but a few moves away from Checkmate.

--------------------   
Katara. Sokka. Toph. The names played in Aang's head over and over again. His gaze was focused on the steel wall several yards in front of him, studying its smooth and flawless surface. For the millionth time that day, Aang looked around the room for a window. He never realized how much he depended on open skies for his happiness. Swallowing hard, he glanced down at his chest, which had stopped bleeding and had been cleaned. Azula, the sick witch, has carved her name into his skin. The door opened soundlessly, and Aang's stomach heaved with fear. Please don't be Azula. Please don't be Azula."Hello Avatar." Azula cooed as she strode calmly before him. Dread wrapped its icy cold fingers around Aang's heart as he helplessly met her gaze. Azula wrapped her arms around herself in faux shivers.

"It is rather cold in here, wouldn't you agree?" She asked Aang, who did not reply. The room was not cold at all, but was rather uncomfortably warm.

"How rude would it be for a host to neglect her guest? Let me warm you up." Azula's hand extended down to rest on Aang's arm. Aang choked back a whimper, not wanting to give Azula the satisfaction of knowing how scared he was. His skin suddenly felt hot, as if the sun had focused all of its heat onto Aang's skin.

He began to squirm nervously as Azula's hand grew hotter and hotter on his bare flesh. Pain crept up on his like a wild animal, springing and grabbing hold of all of his senses. He threw back his head in a soundless scream as the skin on his arm began to redden.  
"Stop!" He gasped.  
"Don't tell me you can't take a little heat, Avatar." Azula sneered in response, locking her golden eyes with his gray ones.

The skin she clutched began to rise, like a pie left in the oven to long. Painful blisters sprouted from its surface like unwelcome weeds. Hot tears spilled down Aang's eyes and he cried out in agony, each second longer and more unbearable then the last. Azula withdrew her hand to examine her work.

Aang looked down at his arm and almost gagged. The skin was an angry red, broken in many places, with bleeding blisters sprouting out of it.  
"Poor thing, I know just what will take care of those." Azula cooed, producing a small packet from her pocket. She spilled some of its contents into her hand and held it up to Aang, as if asking for approval.

Aang's face contorted with horror as he stared at the salt in her hand. He began to struggle in his chair, curses flying from his mouth. Calmly, as if nothing were amiss, Azula lowered her hand and began to rub the salt into Aang's open wounds. Aang began to scream desperately in pain, thrashing under his bonds. Pain was like a monster, obliterating all thoughts and turning humans into creatures less then animals who sought only one thing; escape. 

Azula finally stopped and stood up, inclining her neck to meet Aang's furious gaze.  
"I swear over the Air Nomads that when I get out of here, I'm going to kill you." He hissed, his voice low and uncharacteristicly dangerous.

It is working…. Azula thought happily to herself.  
"And I swear to Agni, you will never escape." Her words were so powerful and final that Aang felt as if the hope was being sucked out of him.  
"You think you're the first prisoner to ever show defiance? Trust me, it melts away quickly." With that Azula left Aang, bleeding and with angry tears running down his smeared face, alone in his cell. His prison. His home.

But before she departed from the room, Azula stopped to view Aang again.  
"You think this is bad? Its nothing compared to what I have planned for you."  
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**Hmmm, now that wasn't so bad was it? Do you think you have Azula's plan figured out? I doubt it, but leave your guesses in a review of pm me and I'll see if anyone here is clever.**


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