Zuko…

"Zuko where are you?" called Zuko's mother.

"I'm right here!" cried Zuko running towards his mother who seemed to look right past him.

"Zuko! Zuko! Where are!" she called again as she had when he was young and his mother had good news for him.

"Mom! I'm right here! Mom, what is it?" called Zuko from right in front of her.

"No, you are not my son," answered Ursa looking at Zuko for the first time.

"Yes! It's me mom!" cried Zuko tears welling up in his eyes.

"No, my son listens to me," she replied simply, "have you seen him?"

"I do listen to you!" cried Zuko now allowing the tears to flow freely.

"No, I told my son to remember who he is and be true to himself," she replied stubbornly.

"I am true to myself! I do know who I am! I'm Zuko, Prince of the Fire Nation, son of Ursa and Fire Lord Ozai!" Zuko fell to his knees weeping before his mother.

"No my son would not betray his Uncle," she replied simply.

"I didn't betray him; he betrayed me!" Zuko cried this weak excuse.

"No my brother in law is to noble for that," responded Ursa as she turned and walked off disappearing into the dark, "tell me if you see my Zuko."

"I AM Zuko!" cried Zuko trying to grab onto his mothers hand to stop her from disappearing bust his hands went right through her wrist as if he'd just tried to grab a cloud, "I am Zuko, mom!" he shouted at the disappearing figure, "Azula even agreed with me!" but it was too late his mother's form was gone.

Suddenly, with his mother's form gone he was plunged into total darkness and faces started spinning around him. First was Katara "I thought you'd changed!" choked her tear stained face. "I have" he shouted back but before the statement was out of his mouth Katara's face went behind him and Aang's face came out. "Do you think we could have been friends then too?" he asked innocently Zuko stared at the face and wanted punch it but before he could react the face went behind him and the face that came out was his Uncle Iroh's "I'd hoped you were stronger then your sister" it said and made tears well up in Zuko's eye, "I tried!" he tried to explain once again losing view of the face before he was able to get out the excuse. Then Katara, Uncle Iroh, Sokka, Aang, Toph, Mai, Ty Lee, his Father, and his mother's faces were spinning around him. He could her snatches of conversations he'd had or over heard floating around in the darkness. "YOU LIED TO ME!!!" "Like I've never done that before" "Azula always lies" "I still think our Father would make a better Fire Lord then his royal tea loving kookiness" "Azula always lies" "Father want you home. Family is suddenly very important to him" "Azula always lies" "Zuko, it is time for you to make an important decision" "Azula always lies" "You will be welcomed back as a war hero" "but I don't have the avatar what if father doesn't restore my honor?" "It doesn't matter you restored your honor here today." "Azula always lies" "Azula always lies" "Azula always lies" The voices grew steadily until they were shouting "AZULA ALWAYS LIES!!" in his ear.

Zuko clamped his hands over his ears and slammed his eyes shut. "I didn't do it! I didn't mean to!" Zuko shouted at the, now yelling, chanting voice in his ear. The voice that kept a pulsing rhythm "Azula always lies, Azula always lies, Azula always lies". Zuko suddenly realized it was his mother's voice.

"Mom!" shouted Zuko sitting bolt upright in his bed sweating. His covers were sticking to his skin as he looked around his room. His room with in the royalty section of the palace in Ba Sing Se. The room Azula had given him for betraying his Uncle and Katara. Zuko screamed quietly screamed into the covers over his knees. What had he done!?