A/N: Guess what, I don't own anything.


The bison slowly descended on a small, but obviously wealthy town. The big houses and rich decorations visible from above were proof of this. This town was one of the first to benefit from the end of the war, in the past this place it used to be a major trading port, but the war killed international trade and with it – the business. Recently trade with the Earth Kingdom opened and with it life was born a new for the small town.

The bison landed in the middle of this small renaissance.

„Here we are, Gu Tamao bay"

The young Avatar jumped from the massive animal and took a good look at the new place. And a thousand puzzled faces looked straight at him. Someday he would learn not to park in the middle of a town. But not today – right now nothing could kill his excitement. A new place, with new people, with new things to see and experience. Aang was feeling like he was deep in his own waters.

In contrast the slowly descending and grumpy Zuko was anything but. The whole time they flew to here he couldn't take off his eyes from his sister. She was planing something, he could smell it in the air. She was always planning something. To trust Azula was to be a fool and he regretted that Aang did not know any better – he should. Then again he barely knew her, unlike him, he knew her. He knew her all too well...

Zuko eyed his sister with as much suspicion as he could as she was lumping off Appa.

"So, where to now?" Aang cheerful addressed his not-so-happy companions.

The former princess, and only person who knew where they were going, answered in quick, stern, and almost, or was it just a, commanding way "Somewhere we could eat."

"What?"

"I'm hungry, after that we continue."

Zuko slanted his good eye, he knew it.

"Where's mother Azula?"

"Close."

"Where is she?"

"You'll meet her soon."

"This is a waste of time, you lie, you don't know where she is!" Zuko turned towards the Avatar "Let's just go back."

"Come on Zuko, cheer up!" Aang tried to lighten up the situation. "Let's go grab something" as he said that his stomach started to grow "I'm vanished."

The truth of the matter was that Aang had another reason to be cheerful – the trip to hear was painful. Zuko was acting paranoid, more than usual. He never took his eyes off his sister, it was creepy really. He looked condescending in a way neither Katara, nor Sokka ever were. Then again, they never tried to kill each other. He couldn't imagine the water tribe siblings like that, the thought was blocked in his head, couldn't do it. Sure they argued, had back-and-fort and sometimes clawed at each other, but it was always in that typical sibling way.

Unlike the others Azula just sat there, in her corner, trying hard to ignore everyone and everything.

"So, where can we eat?" Aang asked after a moment.

Both siblings shrugged, this wasn't an area they were in before.

The people were starting to disperse, seeing as obviously the there was no show, although a few kids stayed and gazed Appa with awe.

They've been walking for two hours, made two whole circles around the small town. Zuko was as always eying Azula with as much paranoia as he could muster, Aang was slumped, annoyed and obviously frustrated, while Azula was looking around like a young child on a carnival, taking in the sight of the restored city.

"There isn't a single place to eat!" The last airbender threw his hands in the air, he was at his wits end.

"We passed five restaurants and a couple of dozen food stands." The Princess pointed out.

"But they only have meat."

"Duh." She counter-replied. "What kind of a person doesn't eat meat?"

The Avatar gave her the evil eyes, she just smirked victorious, she didn't knew he was a vegetarian.

"Look Aang" Zuko intervened "We could just sit somewhere and you can order a salad, we'd order something to eat, and we'd call it a day."

"Or..." His sister took the word before the avatar could "I have a better idea."

And just like that she disappeared.

"Where did she go?" Zuko suddenly jumped, frantically trying to find her among the stream of people, to no success.

"Relax Zuko, she'll come back." His friend tried to calm him to no effect. When he saw that didn't work, he tried changing the topic "You know, I expected you to be more cheerful. Usually when someone says he has a lead for your mother you lighten up."

"Usually that someone is not Azula." Zuko decided to further answer Aang's question before he even asked. "You don't know her as I do. She lies, she always lies, that's who Azula is. If there isn't anything in it for her, she wouldn't be doing this."

"But there is, she get's her mother back." The Avatar stated in a matter-of-fact way.

Zuko just scoffed.

And as he did that the girl in question popped up with flowers in her hand and a bright smile on her face. Eyes locked directly at Aang.

"What?" He asked.

She just pushed the flowers towards him.

"What?"

She pushed them more forcefully.

Then it dawned on him.

"I can't believe this."

"It's food, isn't it?" She said through her devilish smile.

"You bought it from a flower shop."

"You said you were a herbivore. "

"That doesn't mean I eat flowers."

"Flowers, grass, same thing."

Aang was starting to understand some of Zuko's issue with her.


They ate quietly, everyone absorbed in his or her own thoughts. The Avatar was eating some kind of grass and leaves, Zuko was eating some kind of a plain meal, while Azula was eating something good. She couldn't recall the last time she had a decent meal. Hospital food was not the best of the best.

But as she sat there eating her food a thought crossed her mind. This town, she's been here before. She remembered docking here on her way to the Earth Kingdom, to capture her traitorous brother and uncle. She remember the dusty streets, the ragged people, the near-collapsed buildings. She remembered it all. And yet, here was this town, flourishing, being in better state than it ever was, or she believed it could be.

But it shouldn't be. The Avatar and his ragtag warrior band won, the Fire Nation lost, she lost, her fool of a brother is Firelord. People should be dieing of malaria, diseases should widespread, everyone should be poor and there should be a crowd hungry for blood. Not well dressed people, not rich buildings, not clean streets, not happy people.

"Are you going to eat that?" She heard the Avatar speak to her.

She realized she hadn't taken a bite for quite a while. The food was delicious. She took some of her...meat...with her fork and lifted it towards her mouth. Was her hand shaking? She put it in her mouth and started to chew.

It tasted stale, dreadful, it was stuck in her throat. But that was the best thing she ate in a year just a moment ago. Why did it taste so bad right now?

"Are you alright?" She heard the annoying voice of that boy again.

She was not alright, she was wearing her emotions on her sleeves. She tried and failed at regaining her composure. It was getting bad, it was getting absurd. She couldn't control herself.

She couldn't take it anymore. Azula stood up, declared as coldly as possible "I'm done, I'll be waiting for you on the animal." and stormed off towards Appa.

"What happened?" The Avatar blinked several times, trying to process what just happened.

"I don't know, but I don't want to leave her alone." Zuko replayed, picking up his eating pace.

Aang sat still for a moment, trying to make do of the situation.

"You know, "Aang tried picking up the conversation, as well as a piece of lettuce. "I think you should give her a chance."

Zuko snorted at that "Give her a chance? Why? So she could stab me in the back?"

"Come on Zuko, sometimes trusting people is the best thing you could do."

"Yeah, right. Aang she tried to kill me, remember?"

"And you tied to capture me on so many occassions, remember?" Aang gave his bright, innocent smile to Zuko "Look how that turned out."

The Firelord looked at his friend, there was nothing he could say. He just left his half-eaten meal on the table and set course after his sister.

Aang gave a deep sigh, he just wanted his trip to not be as awkward. But in the same time he couldn't help but feel bad for his passengers. He remembered how Zuko lamented his lack of family and how jealous he was of the one Kori had. But good things don't just happen because you wish them to, he learned that, Zuko would not get a nice family if he just wished to have one. The young Avatar shook his head, was it so hard for everyone to just be happy and good to each other?


They left Gu Tamao bay before sunset, spending several hours in awkward silence. At midnight he landed Appa at a small island. After which the three of them, alright, he and Zuko, started making camp. No one was in the mood to eat so everyone was busy going to sleep. Although even this turned out to be an irradiating task. He and Zuko were on Appa, while Azula just went to the other side of the campfire and crashed on the ground. Now the young Avatar knew that the girl was somewhat pampered, so her choice to sleep on the ground instead of with them stung a little, even if they weren't the best of friends. At the same time the Firelord absolutely refused to go to sleep until he was sure his sister was not awake. Only when he too went to sleep did the hostile air lifted and Aang felt like he was able to sleep.

And as he was getting ready to do so, he noticed something – the princess was not asleep. He could swear that Zuko waited for her to fall asleep before going to bed himself, but could it be that he confused her passive, static state as sleeping? Possible, Aang was fooled as well.

Then again, he could make use of the situation.

He got up and walked to the girl's sleeping form, he had a question on his mind.

"You and Zuko don't like each other very much, do you?" Alright, that was a little direct, still, it got the point across.

He watched as she slowly, triedly turned towards him.

"No, can't be, what gave you that impression?" Aang was able to detect the sarcasm, although anyone would be able to detect sarcasm this thick.

"But you're brother and sister."

She gave him a smile, a creepy smile.

"That's not how the game is played Avatar." There was a strange tinkle in her eyes, he couldn't classify it. "If you want daddy to like you, you have to be on the top, which means that the other has to be on the bottom."

She was inspecting him, Aang could swear she was inspecting. Then, without pausing, she continued.

"I've spend my life making sure Zuko was on the bottom, that father knew he was a dissapointment. Zuko spend his life trying to climb up and hated me for being up top, hated me for my father's love."

There was no regret in her voice, no remorse, it was matter-of-fact and it creeped him out. He could say only one thing.

"But your father's gone now."

After that statement the twinkle turned into something he knew, an emotion he recognized – resignation. For a moment she seemed like she didn't knew what to say, how to react. Then her answer came in a cold and detached manner

"And this is all that's left."


A/N: Zuko doesn't like Azula very much – that isn't a surprise. Aang seems confused and baffled at the sibling interaction, since he doesn't have any siblings and the ones he knows act nothing like this. By the end of the chapter Azula flat out tells him the problem – she and Zuko are brother and sister in blood only, rivals in everything else.

Azula on the other hand has to confront one unfortunate reality for the first time. She was wrong, Ozai was wrong as well. Even more so, the world is doing better off without them. She tries to reason with it, but the only thing she could do is get overwhelmed. She isn't ready to accept the reality, so she runs away from it, especially when her emotional state blocks her ability to mask her emotions.

Zuko confronts one major issue this chapter – he can't control Azula, even when the cards are reversed he does not have a sway over her. Also, for the first time instead of receiving, he is asked to give a second chance. It isn't as easy as Zuko thinks it is.