Family.

Azula didn't quite know what it meant to have one.

Not truly anyways. Hers was a broken one. So it was easy for her to come to view her Kemurikage as family. They acted like a family, Zirin constantly poked fun at the others for their hairstyles and color. Miko, the youngest of the lot always pestered Zirin, as she was the eldest of them.

But one by one they were taken, swept away by Zuko's guards and escorted back to their own families until Azula had none again. It hurt to have had such a brief taste of what it was like to have people who seemed to truly care for her. A wild bunch of sisterly figures who fought with her and then turned around and fought for her when it really counted.

They were all home now, with families that probably cared for them, and she was back in the institution. In that loathsome place where she could no longer tear Zuko's new and picture-perfect family apart. It must be nice for him to have a new father and a new little sister. It was probably easy for him to pretend that they were his only father and sister. She supposed that she couldn't blame him, she would likely jump at the chance to join Zirin's family. It would be a very humble lifestyle but it was better than the one she had in present. Azula wrapped her arms around herself, she was all that she had.

Or so she thought. She was taken aback when she was told that she had visitors. Even more so when she found Zuko and Kiyi waiting for her.

"She wants you to teach her firebending." Zuko spoke. "I've been trying to talk her out of it, I even offered to teach her, but she said no."

"She's already making good decisions about her bending." Azula muttered, though she was curious. "Why does she want to learn from me? I kidnapped her."

"Apparently that's when she first found out she could do it and apparently, hands on learning is her favorite kind."

"It's the most practical." Azula agreed.

"So you'll teach me?" Kiyi asked.

"I can't." She muttered. "I'm stuck here."

Kiyi peered up at Zuko, batting her lashes.

Zuko sighed. Azula wondered if he would actually let her go free. She had no such luck though. "Tell you what, I'll take you over here every other day and you can spend an hour with…"

"My big sister." Kiyi filled in. It was odd to hear, the title felt somehow out of place to Azula. She wanted it, yet she could see herself filling the role. Not like she did with her Kemurikage.

It must have been a foreign taste on Zuko's tongue as well. "Uh…yeah. You can spend an hour firebending with Azula." It wasn't ideal by any means, but it was a start. At least she would get the chance to bend again. Not that an hour would be remotely enough time to accomplish anything, neither for her own gain or for Kiyi's lessons but it was the only offer on the table.

Kiyi was a nuisance to her. She had too many questions and too many ridiculous tales about Zuko, it was taking away from Azula's own practice.

If it wasn't, "when am I actually going to firebend?" It was, "this form is too hard, I want to learn a new one." But Azula knew skill when she saw it and she wasn't going to give the child easier stances when she was more than capable of preforming the harder ones. Before that, Azula had been very adamant about Kiyi learning the breathing techniques before anything else—it was what was making her a particularly powerful bender and it had left Azula with more time to work on her own bending. Something that was growing harder as Kiyi's skills flourished.

Very slowly over the passing of weeks, Azula found that working with Kiyi was becoming less of a task. The girl had skills to match her own. Though she was on a much lower level, she was right on par with were Azula herself had been at that age. The girl seemed to be developing a curiosity about the art of firebending itself, this was something the princess seldom got to speak of.

A little after that, Azula decided to let the girl have fun with her firebending. She would make up games much like hide and explode in nature. These games seemed to drive the nurses crazy so she would part-take very eagerly, even if doing so meant compromising a genuine practice or two.

.oOo.

Every day, Kiyi would come home beaming from ear to ear. She seemed to truly enjoy Azula's company. He thought that she had to be making things up, after all, she spoke of childish play. He couldn't picture Azula engaging in such. Yet Kiyi, was grinning as if that was exactly what had happened.

Every other day he would catch her in the middle of practice. Azula was somewhat stern but Kiyi didn't seem to mind. In fact, she seemed to actively try to imitate her older sister's impeccable drive and focus. She was pretty good at it too.

All in all they were a startlingly good match for each other and Zuko didn't know how to take it.

Presently, he found himself pacing, a nervous habit of his. He was contemplating something; Azula was so…different around Kiyi. The two seemed to click very well. He'd been observing them so closely for those weeks and Kiyi had learned so much. He had to say that Azula seemed happier too; she smiled more, laughed more openly. He bit the inside of his cheek as he watched Azula sling Kiyi over her shoulder.

"Put me down!" She hollered with a laugh.

"You're going to have to make me."

He watched Kiyi puff out her cheeks and with all of her might she heaved herself forward. But Azula's balance was as sturdy as it ever was. She tired again, this time adding a boost of fire that toppled them both.

"I mean, that was a good try but you knocked yourself down too." Azula pointed out. "And I'm still holding you."

"Because you're cheating!" Kiyi accused.

Zuko almost didn't want to intervene. "It's been an hour. Actually, an hour and about ten minutes…"

"Aww come on Zu-Zu." Kiyi pouted. "We're in the middle of something."

"You're always in the middle of something." He argued. "You can get back to that something when we get home."

"But you don't know how to play this game." Kiyi pouted. "Azula knows though."

"Yeah, well maybe she can teach me to play it when we get home."

The look on Azula's face almost made his decision worth it. It wasn't often that she looked puzzled, much less that comically confused. "I'm coming home?"

He helped Azula to her feet. "I suppose that if Kiyi likes you, you can't be that bad."

.oOo.

Azula was quiet for much of the ride home, still trying to comprehend that he was actually bringing her back to the palace. Still trying to fully grasp that he was looking at her without fear or resentment. She scarcely noticed when Kiyi tucked herself under her arms. And when she did notice, she let the girl stay. She had grown fond of Kiyi who was so similar to her but without such a sinister nature—without the nature Ozai had instilled within her. She made a note to herself to not pass whatever that nature was onto Kiyi.

That child was a more likable version of her, and she wouldn't ruin that. She couldn't, not when Kiyi was staring up at her as though she were some sort of mentor. Not when the girl was starting to prattle on to Zuko about her—speaking of her as if she was a suitable role model. Azula kept quiet and let Kiyi get comfy in her lap, something that softened Zuko's own expression considerably.

"I always wanted a sister." Kiyi declared. "I'm glad I have a sister now."

Zuko smiled, "I am too." His smile was directed at her. Azula could recognize a peace offering when she saw one. As completely sickeningly sappy as it was, she wanted to take it. She wanted to have a family. A real family