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

Mama

I squirmed uneasily as I felt the pain radiating from my side and throughout my body. I stared down at the table I was laying down and suddenly jerked my head up as my father entered the room.

"The procedure didn't work again. I'll have to try again later." He told me as he looked through papers on a desk.

I aimlessly moved my wrists around in the restraints they were tied in. "Why do you have to keep trying experiments on me?" I mumbled quietly, my little voice cracking with pain.

"I've already told you. I need to make a medical breakthrough. And I can't do experiments on someone who could sue me."

I scrunched up my nose and looked at the ceiling. He walked over to me and harshly untied my wrists from their hold. "Come on. We have to go home. Don't tell your mother about what happened today."

I sat up and gasped as the pain increased. Father stared at me. "I'm not giving you painkillers for that. Suck it up, sissy."

I glared up at him and stood on the ground gently, holding on my side with pain.

———

My eyes flickered open with pain, and I stared at the ceiling, too tired to look anywhere else. I winced as my side throbbed, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of deja vu.

A man appeared in my field of vision and I glared at him with mistrust. "What did you do?" I questioned him.

Iroh appeared beside him and rested his hand on my shoulder. I calmed down and sighed. "Iroh, what happened?"

Iroh shook his head.

The doctor answered for him. "It's seems as though you had failure in one of your kidneys. I had to try to remove it."

I widened my eyes. "Try to? What did you do to me? Are you even a good doctor?" I started to sit up.

Iroh pushed me back down on the table. "Ashley, you must rest."

"Is he even a good doctor?" I repeated. "I can't imagine that your world has the best medical advancement." I added anxiously.

The doctor nodded slightly. "I know what I was doing. You should be fine. For now."

I widened my eyes. "What do you mean for now?"

"Your organs have been tampered with. I wouldn't be surprised if your other kidney was about to give out too. I'm not sure what someone has done to you, but it's definitely nothing good."

I shut my eyes tight. "Alright. Good to know."

Iroh took his hand off my shoulder. "We should let you rest." He said, nodding to the doctor.

"I'll check back on you soon." The doctor told me as they both walked out of the room.

The door shut and I sighed with exhaustion. "I'm gonna die." I told myself helplessly. "Oh well. I lasted longer than I thought I would." I added aloud with a sad head shake.

A knock on the door startled me and I gulped. A familiar face popped in from the doorway and I smiled weakly. "Hi Zuko. Apparently I only have one kidney now, isn't that fun?"

Zuko walked over and sat down in the chair next to the cot which I was laying on. "Does it hurt?"

"I mean, yeah, obviously." I said quietly. "I'm assuming I'm on some sort of pain relieving herb or something." I added. " It isn't that bad."

Zuko widened his eyes. "You had an organ taken out of your body and you think it 'isn't that bad'?"

I shrugged. "I've felt worse to be honest." I looked around to change the subject. "You know, it's funny. I've been on this ship for a while and I've never been in this room."