Azula Alone

Training

Author note: Soooo, I couldn't find the drawing... Instead, here is a picture of my cat wishing someone a happy birthday! Maybe that someone is you. Maybe not. I don't know. So yeah. I also wanted to say: I don't know if anyone is reading this thing or not, but it's my first fanfic so I didn't expect much. I hope you enjoy this a little. Have a nice day! 

It was already sunset, so Pana went to the outskirts where they planned to meet. It was totally empty. "You failed."

Pana turned around and saw Kallik standing with her arms crossed. She looked down on him as she stood on a block of ice. "The sun is just setting", Pana tried. "Don't talk unless I permit it. You are late. I will not tolerate tardiness."

Kallik was indeed stern. "lapses for each letter you waste my time with." She smiled, it was devilish: "Just so you know, you're at 19 now"

Pana looked around him. Not knowing where to begin a lapse. "Are you really this stupid?"

Azula moved her finger along the path he had to run on. It was clear that these lapses were not to be underestimated. While Pana was on his second lapse, Azula trew some icicles at him. He could barely dodge them and had scraped his skin in two different places. He stopped running immediately  "What was that for?", he screamed.

Azula didn't bat an eye: "32"

"What?"

"36"

As Azula calmly said the number, she threw another icicle at him. It grazed his cheek. Pana looked directly into her fierce orange eyes. They danced like flames he was unable to escape from. He wanted to scream at her. He wanted to lose it. But then he remembered the shame he felt when the moon spirit died. So he swallowed and kept on running.

During the lapses, Kallik continued to trow  icicles at him. At first he was a disaster trying to dodge them, but around the 20th lap, he started to deflect them with his arms. Kallik never once showed any mercy.

When Pana was finally done with the lapses, he hoped for a simple smile of satisfaction from Kallik, but all he got was a disappointing look. "Looks like I have my work cut out for me", she said disinterested while looking at her nails. "I never seen anyone fail warming up, but here we are."

Pana was terrified. Warming up? This was warming up? It wasn't even training yet? He fell into despair, but knew that if he showed Kallik, she would not be amused. So he straightened his back and nodded. He didn't say a word.

She nodded with a faint smile, it was clear she had just taught him to shut up. So he hadn't failed yet. But when Kallik noticed his relief, she was determined she would make him know what relieve really felt like. "Down.", she commanded.

Pana was confused at first and just looked like a scared goat. Kallik swept his feet from under him. He fell face first. 

"Up"

Pana tried to get up as fast as possible.

"Down"

Pana went trough his knees and slowly laid himself on the ice.

"Failed"

Pana looked up at her. He wanted to ask why. He needed to ask, otherwise he would get beaten down time and time again. "Enemies smell fear. If you are not ready to fall, you are not ready to get up"

Pana was doubtful. This sounded more like gibberish than anything else. Kallik rolled her eyes. She dropped down. She had everything under control. All her muscles tensed up and she was planking. She then pushed and stood back up again. "Fall."

Pana tried to mimic her movements. He could not do it with as much grace as she did, but he was planking... sort of. He felt a foot on his butt, pushing it down. Then a kick in his feet. "Failed.", she said, "But not miserably."

This was a compliment. Or at least, that's how Pana took it. But he had no time to be happy as she began the string of commands that would make his muscles ache for days to come. He stopped counting how many times he had gone down and up again after 53. When he collapsed and felt the cold ice underneath him, he wanted to pass out, but that did not sit well with Kallik.  "Failed."

Pana's breathing was heavy. He simply was exhausted. He couldn't push on anymore. He didn't care if he failed or not. But then, the moment he gave up on everything, Kallik bowed down and patted his head. Pana had never felt so at ease. Her soft fingers slit trough his hair. Every touch felt like heaven.

How her fingers softly gripped his hair. How the tips of her fingers caressed his skin. How her nails softly scratched the surface of his head. And then pulled his hair violently back as he was forced to look into Kallik's fierce eyes.

"Don't show your enemy any weakness, not even when you look death into its eyes"

Kallik let his head go and it just fell into the ice again.

Pana was officially broken. There was no kindness in any of her actions. She was determined and cold. And he was not. He had looked up to her. He had wanted her to touch him sincerely. To be kind and affectionate. To soften her expression.

But she was cold.

She was stronger then the ice surrounding her.

And she was as merciful as the tides sinking a ship.

He watched Kallik turn her back to him. It was clear he failed. Miserably. How can a person be so cruel, he thought, but then stopped his thinking. He had asked her for this. She was not the cruelest person alive. She didn't kill the moon. And if Pana were to protect anyone, he shouldn't weaver.

Pana breathed in and out. He cleared his mind. Kallik may be fierce, but he will not be useless. He looked up at the beautiful, hardhearted girl. Her eyes were a fire burning and her will was unbreakable. Her beauty was unmatched and deadly. Like a poisonous blue rose. Its beauty is no were near its deadliness.

Kallik was a lightning strike: precise, beautiful, deadly.

He wanted to be like her.

To have discipline.

To be determent.

To be fearless.

So he got back into planking position.

And he got back up.