The long, golden wheat grass shifted slightly, as a warm and gentle wind wove its way through. A road snaked through the middle of the field, looking like a lengthy and permanent scar from up above. On this road walked a girl. Her hair, long and jet-black, swayed in time with her stride. It was loose and free, a testament to the new person this girl had become. A simple topknot adorned the crown of her head; a small Fire Nation emblem kept it all in place. Pale hands reached out to brush the grass as she ambled on. Her fingernails, which were usually long and perfectly manicured, had been trimmed short. She was dressed in what she had worn to the beach, a long time ago.
A small town sat situated in the distance, the red roofs standing out amongst the greens and yellows of the grass. Not far beyond the village, waves crashed against a rocky shore. She could smell the salt in the air and it calmed her. This place was perfect to forget her past… and her mistakes. Her insides were a jumble of nerves, it hadn't been long since her release from the mental health facility and she wasn't sure if she was ready to live outside of the Fire Palace or the hospital. The Fire Lord had told her it would be fine, he had a friend at this seaside village who would take her in. She was told to meet this friend at the rocks and as she came upon the town, she moved quickly through the throngs of people. How was it that such a small village managed to hold so many residents?
The village was on the coastal outskirts of the Fire Nation and seemed to be thriving, despite the fact that the war had ended little more than five years. Marveling at this, the girl found herself at the rocks and sat down on the flattest one she could find. Not five minutes had passed before she heard the one voice she had thought she would never hear again.
"Azula."
Azula turned around slowly, golden eyes wide and unbelieving. She hadn't had a hallucination in over a year. Was her mind falling apart so quickly after leaving such a safe haven? "Mother?" she asked, doubt lacing her voice.
"Yes, Azula, it's me," said the woman, dressed much simpler than when she had lived in the palace. She was older, fine lines at the corner of her eyes. They became more pronounced as the former Fire Nation princess moved towards her daughter and smiled. She opened her arms and swept her nineteen year old daughter in.
"I've missed you so much," Ursa whispered, stroking the back of Azula's head.
Squirming away, Azula laughed. "I must be hallucinating. You can't be real. You are supposed to be dead!"
"No. Your father and I made up that story to protect us. Your father wanted to be Fire Lord so badly and he was willing to kill his only son for it," she replied, furrowing her dark eyebrows. "I had to save Zuko, no matter the cost." She held Azula by her shoulders, a warm smile splitting her face.
Azula let out a bitter laugh. "That's why you left?" she repeated, wrenching her shoulder so her mother's hand fell to her side. "You left me too, Mother. Zuko told me about how you went to see him before you left. Why not me? How come you didn't come to tell me that you love me?" A tear rolled down her pale cheek and a sob burst from inside of her. She wrapped her arms around herself, not daring to look her mother in the eye.
"Azula, I had-," Ursa started, but was cut off by her daughter.
"Don't pretend you care. You don't. If you did, you would have told me you were leaving. You thought I was a monster!" She whipped her body around, but looked behind her as her mother placed a soft hand on Azula's shoulder.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I really am. And I never meant to hurt you, but it seems that I have. Zuko told me about…." Ursa trailed off, clearly unsure of how to word it. "But I do love you, Azula. I really do."
Azula turned around, before the tears spilled over and she started crying loudly. Ursa took her daughter into a tight hug and this time Azula didn't move. She instead returned the hug, weeping into her mother's shoulder.
It was barely audible, but she said in a soft voice, "I've missed you too, Mother."
AN: I was listening to Billy Talent's Fallen Leaves. As I listened, I thought of this story for Azula. Just a simple oneshot about Azula after her stint in the mental health facility.