Azula always lies, Zuko thought bitterly. And he had believed her like a fool. He knew that he had made the wrong decision in Ba Sing Se, at the crossroads of his destiny, but it had been so tempting at the time and he'd wanted so badly to believe that his father wanted him, accepted him, loved him… he growled angrily at his thoughts. There were no excuses for what he'd done. And he knew regretting his actions and offering an apology were not enough to erase the past. Especially not for her…
He knew what he had to do now. He was going to leave the Fire Nation, find the Avatar, and teach him firebending. He would start again, no matter how much pain it caused him, because maybe that would begin to atone for his mistakes. Maybe the Avatar would forgive him for chasing him all over the world. Maybe she'd forgive him for betraying her. And maybe…just maybe he'd be able to start forgiving himself.