Author's Note

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story. I have read some Azula fanfics that tell a story about her either escaping from her prison, never changing, or changing because she fell in love. I don't believe that people can change simply because they fall in love; rather, they can change through the experiences that they face.

For some reason, I feel like incorporating a bit of pairing – Azula x Haru to be exact. It's not a real pairing, I'll admit, but I was just in this sort of mood.

So, I hope that you enjoy reading Azula's journey to better herself. Of course, reviews are always appreciated!

Disclaimer: Characters of Avatar: The Last Airbender are properties of Nickelodeon, Mike, and Bryan.

The Fallen

Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.

-John F Kennedy

Click. Click. Click.

Footsteps could be heard walking along the never-ending walls of the facility. They were controlled, slow, and cautious. The hallway was dimly lit and eerily dark. Even if it was day outside, there was no way for the sunlight to creep in.

A tall, lean man strolled along the hallway of the mental health facility carrying a tray of hot dumpling soup with both hands. He was a middle-age man with streaks of graying hair and a thin face. His skin was taut and wrapped tightly around his face making it look as if the man never had a wrinkle in his life. He held the presence of an authority figure with his arrogant manner of walking and his particular style of dress.

The hallway was long and narrow. Anyone who is unfamiliar with the facility would easily find themselves lost. He began to whistle a song once he turned the corner and stopped in front of a large metal door. He shifted the tray onto one arm and then knocked quite loudly with his knuckles. Slight shifting could be heard, and once he was confident that someone was awake, he slipped the tray in a slot at the bottom of the door. His long, bony fingers pulled the little window that covered a peephole open.

"Princess," the man called. His voice was hoarse and raspy. It was almost uncomfortable to listen to.

There was no response.

"Princess, I know you're hungry. The kitchen has prepared some dumpling soup for you."

Still no response.

"There is a visitor waiting for you. He said that he will wait until after you finished your lunch. It might be good for you to talk with someone other than me. After all, you haven't seen your brother in a long time."

A sudden load screech could be heard before blue flames came erupting from the peephole. The man didn't act surprised though. He tilted his head in order to avoid the flames and folded his arms. The flames didn't take long to settle, and once they did the man strolled off with a small, accomplished smile. A guard came running and stopped once he saw the man walking in his direction.

"Do I have to replace furniture again?" The guard sounded exasperated as if he had done that so many times before. His shoulders slumped as he craned his neck to catch a glimpse of the metal door.

"No no," The thin man looked thoughtful. "Just relayed the news of a visitor. She took it much better than I expected. Return to your position."

The guard gave a firm nod, and both men left.

Although the flames died down, the screeches came in sudden, sporadic intervals. The young woman inside the metal cell looked disturbed and furious. Dark circles were underneath her eyes, her hair was disheveled, and her body was thin. She eyed the dumpling soup and crawled towards it as if she had finally found the Holy Grail. Indeed she was hungry, and that dumpling soup did smell very good. The warm, rich scent of the soup calmed her down a bit and made her remember the good times.

On special occasions when they were able to eat as a family, dumpling soup would be served. Her brother would sit next to their mother, and she would sit next to their father. Everyone was impatient for the soup to come and once it did, her brother would wait for their mother to serve it to him. Their mother would dip the spoon ever so slightly and then blew on the soup before feeding him. She would watch enviously and waited for her father to do the same… but he never did.

Everything came so easy for her when she was child. She excelled in school, was popular among her peers, was considered the most talented firebender in her class, was her father's favorite… and was her mother's monster.

The thought of her mother made her snap. She screamed as she knocked the bowl of soup out of her sight. The bowl flew against the wall and soup splattered all over the floor. Strands of dark, jet-black hair fell over her face, and her breathing was heavy. She felt like screaming at the top of her lungs, but she found that her energy was waning after refusing to eat for the past couple of days.

The peephole window suddenly flew open, and a pair of golden eyes examined her with sympathy. One eye was larger than the other due to a peculiar shaped scar that is forever cradling the left eye. She knew exactly who it was and snarled at them as if ready to rip those eyeballs out with her teeth.

"How are you doing, Azula?" The voice was soft and sounded caring enough. She hated it with a passion. She responded with a grunt, folded her arms as if she was five-year-old child throwing a hissy fit, and refused to look at him.

"I don't need your sympathy, Zuzu." Azula made her voice sound as vicious as possible, but her stomach did not cooperate with her. It grumbled and growled and ruined her moment.

"The warden told me you haven't eaten in a couple of days. I think you really should."

No response came out of her. She was determined to not give him the satisfaction of feeling any sort of victory just because she was stuck in this hell hole.

"You were making progress before this hold out, Azula. Uncle Iroh and I were really quite proud of you."

She still refused to respond. Her brother sighed and paused for a bit to see if she was going to say anything. When she didn't, he continued.

"Uncle and I were talking, and we were also speaking to the Avatar. We think it might be better for you to get out of this cell."

Azula's eyebrows raised out of curiosity. But like a stubborn five-year-old, she refused to look at him.

"But not in the way you think. We truly believe that living in a cell won't really change you for the better."

"I don't need changing! What I need is for you to get the hell out!" Her reaction was so fast that it seemed to have caught her brother off guard. Azula sprang from her seated position and slammed her palms against the door. Her face was only several inches from her brother's with only the metal door between them. He stood his ground, though, and remained calm.

"Azula, we think that you will greatly benefit from helping others."

"How about I help you get the hell out!" Blue flames spat from her mouth, but they did not have that fury, that energy, that they once had. It was weaker than it used to be, and Zuko realized that. She was getting weaker after not eating and being cooped up in the cell for the past couple of years. She hasn't seen daylight in the longest time, and she was getting hungry for some sun. Her flames themselves seemed out of control and imperfect, not like what they used to be. It was a pathetic sight to see.

"We're going to send you to the Earth Kingdom." Zuko continued, ignoring Azula's hysterical screams. "The Earth Kingdom is still rebuilding after the war. We think that if you were to help the citizens that would teach you a lesson in humility and appreciation."

"Help them?" Azula began laughing menacingly. "Help them? What and then have them take over the Fire Nation? I don't think so. How about I just torch their little kingdom after what they did to me!"

"You did this to yourself, Azula. You should start taking responsibility for your own actions." His voice was stern and paternal. It was actually a little surprising, since he was a huge baby the last time she saw him. It didn't faze her though. After all, he is nowhere near the firebender that she is.

"What do you know about taking responsibility?" She grunted. She recalled him refusing to fight an Agni Kai with their father because he didn't follow through with his responsibility. The scar from that day still hung onto his face as a souvenir. It gave her a happy sort of feeling whenever she sees it. It was a constant reminder to her that he was not worthy of the title of Fire Lord.

"I've learned things the hard way when I was banished. I think you would benefit from doing the same. You'll be leaving tomorrow morning." Zuko pulled away from the peephole and breathed a deep sigh of relief. "Don't think about running away though. There will be someone watching you, and if you run, you'll be brought back here immediately."

"I'd like to see those bastards try to stop me." Azula snickered deviously as she began plotting her own escape. Once they take her onto a boat, she would get rid of the crew and take the ship for herself. She'll use that ship as her home base and make sure that others are punished for what they did to her. Punished for making her live in this piece of shit that they call a mental health facility. Punished for making her look like a fool. Punished for ruining her entire life.

"A lot has changed, Azula. The outside world was not like it used to be. I only hope that with time, you can change too." Zuko's hand gently onto the handle that opened and shut the window. He slowly began to close it. His eyes looked saddened when was doing so. "It really is good to see you again, sister."

That set Azula off. She continued to kick and scream and spit fire. Zuko took that opportunity to close the window shut and leave. She was delirious and crazed. Her screeches echoed down the hallway creating a haunting atmosphere. Eventually, her screams came to an end, and the guard standing by the entrance to the hallway knew that the Princess probably screamed herself to sleep.