Wow! I hoped, to get some reviews, but I didn't expected to get one so fast! Thank you to prisesseazula for the support. I'm very glad to make your wish come true. I hope you and the other readers will enjoy the next chapter.

The first one was has left a question: Okay, she is back and fine, but how did this happened? Now my story will get in action, to show her rocky road back home. Still a lot of chapters to come, so I hope you will all stay with me an Azula on her way.

between -...- Azula's thoughts
between +...+ Zuko's thoughts

Reasons

Several months earlier….

It was far beyond midnight, when the wagon rumbled through the forest. It was an armored black vehicle pulled by two comodo-rhinos with fenced and covered windows and it was guarded by ten mercenaries. A small slot opened at the wagon.

"How long will it takes, until we have reached the city? This hard road starts killing me."

The voice out of the wagon sounded more than unhappy.

"We should reach the Capital within an hour, sir,"

One of the mercenaries had come to the open slot.

"If you find your trip so unpleasant, why don't you enjoy your lovely accompaniment. I think she could make you forget the bad road."

He ended his words with a dirty laughter.

"Right now, she isn't quite a good company, she has been so mad and furious, I had to sedate her,"

The guard laughed out loud at this explanation.

"I have to watch their vitals. Normally this is nothing to worry about, but I'll better be careful. If she dies, while we return her to the clinic, it will make all more complicated. There would be questions and this can cause investigations and even not, it will cause a lot of paperwork. Nevertheless he will start asking questions."

The mercenary nodded. The guards and the wagon passed an old milestone, when suddenly a strange mist starts to cover the road. Then the group stopped. A dark figure was standing several meters ahead on the road, right in the mist. It ware a mask, so the face was hidden.

"What's going on out there?"

The voice out of the wagon sounded alarmed.

"Nothing we can't handle. Only someone, who tries to scare us with an old bedtime story, mothers used to tell her children, when there were naughty. Stay in the wagon, we will give this idiot something, he can be scared of,"

The mercenary sounded grim and determent.

The slot closed immediately and the guard rushed in front of the wagon. Two other mercenaries were there and had taken fighting positions, the others had quickly established a guarding circle around the vehicle.

"Make the road clear and get lost, or, I swear, you will regret it!"

While confronting the figure he also took a fighting position and lighted a flame in his palm. Like on men, the other mercenaries did the same. The figure slowly tended its head to the side, but didn't moved.

"I really hoped, you wouldn't choose running away! I always prefer the rough way."

With these words the three men threw fireballs at the figure. But as the flames started flying forward, the stranger seemed to be gone. The next actions almost happened at the same time. He heard his comrades gasping and screaming, when more figures broke out of the forest. He just wanted to start to move, when his world exploded in pain. The masked person, who had disappeared a few seconds ago, was right in front of him and had hit him with two hard strikes, one in his stomach and one right between his legs. He coughed and gasped for air, while got down to his knees. He could taste a mixture of blood and vomit in his mouth. Through a cloak of pain he recognized, that all other men were taken out. Then he realized, that the figure was standing beside him, slowly bowing down to him. Behind the unemotional mask, a female voice started to whisper in his ear.

"Me too."

Then the masked woman hit him right between his eyes and he passed out.

The person stood up and the other figures surrounded the wagon. She knocked gently at the door.

"Somebodies home?"

But no reaction came out of the wagon. The figure waited a few more seconds, then she lighted two blue torch-flames by making fists. Immediately the person started cutting through the armor. The door was cut out from the wagon within seconds and felt on the ground. But the inner of the wagon seemed to puzzle the masked woman.

"That is quite a surprise…"

They had found a little man inside, who was in one corner of the inner space. He looked terrified at figures outside the wagon. A young girl, about eighteen, laid on the other side in a straitjacket. The poor girl was obviously unconscious.

"No…! Stay away from me! It can't be!"

The man was almost screaming hysterical.

"You!"

It was another female voice, full of hate and loathing. One of the figures behind the masked woman, who had cut through the door, suddenly came to the hole.

"What have you done you dirty sadistic bastard! I swear I will cut your skin of your face in little slices! You will beg for mercy, you…"

The first masked person stopped the figure cursing and terrifying the man, by raising her right hand. He was still in the corner, clearly shocked. But then his eyes opened a little an his face became a surprised look.

"That can't be…..! I know that voice….! But you died in a fire at the clinic…..! How…?"

He couldn't finish the sentence, because the first person rushed into the wagon and knocked him out.

"Why did you done that? I wanted him to know, who will set an end to his miserable existence!"

The voice of the cloaked woman outside sounded mad.

"Fear is a powerful weapon. Not to know who or what someone has to face in a battle, gives us a great power over our enemies. I thought you had learned this lesson from me and from him."

Blue fire flamed up in the hands of the figure, who had knocked the man out. She hadn't turned back while she explained the situation but she could feel, that the other woman still stared at her with anger.

"Am I wrong, or must I give you an extra lesson?"

By saying these words, she finally turned to her and the flames grew higher. Both fixing each other for a few seconds, then the second woman turned away.

"What will we do next? We didn't expected him or this girl in the wagon."

The figure sounded disgruntled. The first woman took off her mask slowly, so the other figures could see her face. Azula gave them a dark grin.

"Ladies, this is an unexpected opportunity. We will search through the whole wagon. This is an official military wagon for high members of the Fire Nations Army. It has secret cases under the seats, one under the floor and one under the coachman's seat. But you must be observant! Most of these wagons also got customized cases as well. Take everything, you found inside. I bet we will find more than the money, general Zao has earned with selling Fire Nation equipment to these dirty sand rats in the Earthkingdom."

"And what about the girl and the sadistic bastard?"

The other woman still sounded angry. Azula tended her head to the side and put thumb and index finger to her chin, pensively rubbing it.

"I like to see, how this all will fit together. I have no doubt, that the girl is also a 'special patient', like you was. We will take her with us and left him here with these dimwits. If we keep a close eye at him, we can get quite more information."

The woman made a fist in anger.

"I still want to make this bastard whining in grace!"

Azula placed a hand on the woman's shoulder and gave her a deadly and satisfied smile.

"He will, I promise! But patience is sometimes the better choice. This incident tonight will cause a lot of trouble for him. And he will get under pressure from all sides. His partners will ask questions, her family will ask questions, the police will ask questions and we will be there, so we can assure, that the right questions will be asked. And we will hear his answers. We will assure, that the weakling, who has allowed people betraying the Nation, has to face his mistakes an hunt them down!"

The woman nodded.

"Oh…" Azula sounded uninterested. "If it satisfies you, you might take a little slice of his face, but be careful. As I told you, it's important, that he stays alive for now and that he'll be capable to speak. There is still so much he has to tell us."

Azula couldn't see the face of the woman, but she knew, that Zirin had now a grim smile behind her mask.

About half an hour later, all men were tight up and leaned at the wagon. There were all undressed to their naked skin. The man, who was inside the wagon had a bloody cut on his left cheek. A good slice of skin was missing. He had woken up short and screamed, as Zirin started cutting of the stripe but he quickly passed out, when he saw his blood. Azula had put on her mask again.

They had found a money chest, sedatives and the instruments from the man. But they had also found a lot of papers and these papers gave her strange feelings. She was concerned about this. Some of these papers were lists. Lists with girls names, combined with names of persons and monetary amounts. Probably client list and the payments for 'special services'.

Azula felt a grim hate growing in her. Since she had escaped her brother and the clinic and had helped Zirin escaping too, she felt a strange connection between her and the girl, who had suffered a lot more than herself during the time in this 'sanatorium'. At this place it seemed that everyone has tried to tare her apart from her own will, her right to make her own decisions. This connected her with Zirin and with these girls on this lists. But Zirin and these girls had suffered much more and were still suffering in this situation. Blue fire started to spread in a circle around the wagon.

"Are you alright?"

Zirins voice brought Azula back.

"Yeah, everything is fine." She took a deep breath and let the flames die. "Let's move!"

The girls disappeared in the forest, leaving the men and the damaged wagon behind. But there was a letter with these lists, that gave Azula a bad feeling. It was addressed to a man, who was named 'The Wise Dragon'.

- I heard this nickname before, but I can't put a finger on it. All I know is, it must be long ago in the Palace. Maybe I will remember, when I visit some of my old places there. But first we have other things to do. -

Azula took a look at the girl, they had found in the wagon. Zirin had laid her over her shoulder to carry her. She was still unconscious. Blue flairs came out of her mask, as she snorted contemptuously.

- Now it seems this isn't only about making the Fire Nation stronger. This event makes all personal. Revenge is best served cold!-

The Fire Lord stood outside in the cold night. A bright but ice-cold moon stood in a crystal sky. He was in front of a small igloo. He could her the voices and laughter from inside, where Aang, Katara and the other members of Team Avatar were celebrating with the Erarthking, the head-chieftain from the Southern Water Tribe and his new girlfriend and Katara's and Sokka's grandma and her husband. It was a wonderful party, but during the night he had noticed a strange choking in his chest and finally he had to leave the igloo to get some fresh air.

+ There must be a way to get through to her! +

"Zuko, are you alright?"

Kataras soft voice brought Zuko back to reality.

"Maybe, maybe not. It should be, but…. I don't know."

He shook his head. Katara didn't missed the sadness and frustration in his voice.

"Was it something, that happened this night? This unpleasant welcome at your arrive?"

Her question was gently.

"Or was it Toph's last joke, as she compared your firebending skills, you had showed Aang at his training start in the air-temple, with a weak fart of a dragon-whelp?"

She tried to sound worried, but Zuko could hear, that she was starting to giggle again.

"NO!"

Zuko shouted angry at her and turned to Katara. She saw, that he was going to get really mad, and took a step back, but still giggling.

"And yes."

Zuko turned away from her. His voice had a bitter sadness. Katara was stunned.

"But these are my problems. I must deal with them."

"I'm sorry. I won't make you angry, neither Toph."

She made two steps to reach Zuko and put her hand on his shoulder.

"No, you wanted to make fun of me! You wanted to get me angry a bit! That is the problem, but not quite in a way, you probably think of."

Zuko was really upset. He had pushed her hand away and faced Katara's look, while waving his arms at his sides up and down.

"All this here is making me crazy. It right the way she would tease me!"

Suddenly his feelings broke out of him. Katara stared at him, obviously shocked.

"And now you, your brother, your father! Of cause you all have a different point of view. But you all can stand at different sides sometimes AND still love each other and be a family. This is …. NARGH!"

With an anguished scream, he blew a hot fireball in the cold sky. Then he sank to his knees, while tears were rolling down his cheeks. The night was now filled with an awful silence. Katara looked at him and tears came to her eyes. She felt confused and terribly sorry.

"Katara..?"

Aang stood in the doorway of the igloo. Behind him, she saw the other friends. They looked worried. She took a deep breath.

"Get back inside, all of you."

"But Katara, what happened? Can we help?"

Aang started to come out, but Katara shook her head.

"No! Not now. I will handle this, Sweety. Get back inside, please."

Her voice was softer now but still shaking a bit. Aang nodded.

"Call for us, if you need some help."

Katara nodded back and waited until Aang had closed the door. Then she walked over to Zuko, who was still kneeling in the snow. She knelt beside him.

"Zuko, what's the matter?"

She sounded deeply worried. Zuko looked up in her eyes, which were still filled with tears.

"I miss her. I miss Azula!"

Katara looked at him with a mixture of shock and a lack of understanding.

"I know, she did terrible things to me. She lied to me, she tried to kill me. She tried to kill you, my friends, my uncle. She messed up with completely everyone I know and love, but…"

Tears came back to his eyes.

"She is my sister. We really loved each other, when we were young. Yeah, she teased me, but in a way like you and Sokka do. My father did most of this to her. That's what I found out, at the search for my mother. He used us both against her. My sister, who was born lucky and I was lucky to be born, remember. It was all his construct and it still works! How can I fix all these wounds in the world, my Nation has done, when I'm unable to fix the wounds in my own family."

He sounded desperate. Katara gave him a warm hug.

"Zuko, I can imagine, how you feel right now. Remember when we searched for the murder of my mother? I felt so torn inside, but you helped me through! Our friends helped me through. Look at me!"

Zuko watched Katara in her eyes.

"First of all, you haven't to face this all alone. We're all here to help you. At least we can be there for you, if you need someone to talk to, to cry with you or even someone you can scream at, if necessary."

She gave him a smile and Zuko nodded, while giving Katara a hug. Both stood up after a while.

"I go back inside, it's cold out here and I don't have this firebreath you got. Take your time, I will brief the others."

Katara started to go back to the igloo, but Zuko grabbed her arm.

"No, I will come back in with you. You're right, maybe none of you could find a perfect solution for this mess, but maybe we can find a hint how I could face this problem together, to help me finding my own way."

Katara smiled at him.

"Then let's go in."

"What! Are you completely out of your mind?"

Sokka was totally aghast. The gang was alone with themselves in the igloo. The others had decided to take a walk, so they had the time and privacy to discuss the problem.

"Sokka!"

Katara looked angry at him, but Zuko just raised his hand to show her, that this was okay.

"Sokka look, this seems to me like my Agni Kai against my father. I had no chance against him. I was just a kid. Azula also had no chance, as she had to face him."

"But Azula had never fought him. She enjoyed to hurt you and everyone around her."

Sokka sounded still mad and puzzled.

"Didn't she had to face him Sokka?"

Zukos voice had a grim bitterness.

"There was no real fight, but my father had faced her secretly, so she couldn't even recognize, that there was a fight for her own will. Let me reflect: He dragged her away from our mother in a most subtle way. By blaming me over and over again and threating my life, he made Ursa to focus on me an let Azula think, she wasn't loved by her own mother! A little child! An so he could manipulate her easily, giving her attention for becoming more and more a cruel and merciless person. So tell me Sokka, can't you still see the parallels? Where did I miss a point, where did she had a chance to fight against this diabolic plan?"

Sokka now looked embarrassed to the ground, as the Fire Lord continued.

"For myself I have found one, and if I read your face right, Aang, you had found one too."

Zuko turned to Aang. The Avatar rubbed his head unsure if he should answer or not.

"Well… I don't mean the next word as an offense, really. But the difference between you and Azula… I mean… Zuko you had…."

Zuko gave Aang a weak smile.

"I see you got it Aang. At my Agni Kai I had a chance to fight against him. Azula didn't got this chance."

"But that is ridiculous! Zuko you didn't got a chance at this Agni Kai! There was no way, that you could have beaten him!"

Katara looked furious at him. Zuko put a hand on her shoulder to cool her off.

"Of cause. A fight would have ended in an devastating defeat. But that is not the point. I had the chance to decide, whether I wanted to fight or not. And sometimes I wish, I had faced my father in the arena. But Azula never got this chance to decide, which way she would like to go. Which place she would like to take in the world, the nation and in her family. I'll give her this chance. A chance my father denied her. I will show her, that she could be a part of our family again, and a part of us all, if she want so. But I don't know how to start this."

A sad silence hung in the igloo.

"All I know is, that this must be done carefully."

Aang sounded worried.

"Neither I know, if this is an good idea at all, nor if this will finally work, beside the problem that none of us have a clue how you could start this. But I have to ask you this: What will you do, If you get the chance to offer her to decide her further way by her own will and she chooses to stay at her cold and dark side?"

All eyes were now on the Fire Lord.

"Then I will do all I can, to keep my promises. I will fight for this peace and the balance, we all try to restore in this world. I won't let her do any harm to anyone. To none of you, to none of my family and my Nation or any other person in this world. If she really wishes to fight us and our goals, she'll not only have to face me as her brother, but she'll also have to face the Fire Lord with all consequences!"

All friend were astonished. Zuko seemed to grow, while he said these words. Toph's slow claps suddenly draw everyone's attention.

"What's the problem Toph?"

Zuko sounded annoyed.

"No problem, but I'm confused that none of you had seen what seems to be obvious. And everyone says to me, that I'm blind"

She waved her hand with a smile before her eyes.

"Would you come to your point, please"

Katara was obviously annoyed, too.

"With pleasure. Zuko, you are searching for a starting point, but right in this moment you have took a first step in the right direction. And none of you had noticed that. Look, you have to start from where she is, not from where you wish, she should be. Your little pyromaniac sister respects only strength and she wants a strong and glorious Fire Nation. In general, this doesn't misfits our goals, and as the Fire Lord these must be your goals, too. To do, what's the best for your Nation and the world is the most important and most difficult duty of the Fire Lord, right Zuko? There is your starting point! And your nice speech here, your plan to bring her back to your family. It is a great sign of strength to present your friends such a plan, beside the fact that everyone here, me too, thinks, that this plan sucks!"

"Toph!"

"Common Katara, even in your peachy little world, you must say, that Azula is big bad fire dragon with short temper and a terribly unpredictable behavior."

Now even Zuko had to focused not starting to laugh a bit.

"But here you are, beside all this trouble, giving us really good reasons, why you should try to bring her back, and why we should help you. You're willing to oppose us all, your friends, because you think this is worthy to fight for. But you would also kick her butt, if she tries to cheat you or threatening your goals. If this isn't the right attitude to tame the dragon, then I'm only a little mud-frog."

Everyone were bluffed.

+ I think Toph got the point. +

"You've to show her, like you showed us, that you are strong and that you are capable to protect the grace and the glory of the Fire Nation and of your family. Show her, that strength could be shown in many different ways and doesn't has to be the same like fear, terror and cruelty, I think that could be a way, to get her back."

"Thanks Toph, this is a good advise."

Zuko gave her a thankful smile, beside the fact, that she couldn't see it. Toph came to Zuko and gave him a good thump on his shoulder.

"Of cause, it's a good one. It came from me. And beside this, it's always a good advise not to behave like a dragonbaby, who has burned himself at his last fart."

She gave her friend a wide and impish grin.

"TOPH!"

All the friends shouted at her at once.

"What….? I only said, that…"

A knocking at the door interrupted the group. Katara opened and a fire warrior bowed at her.

"There is a message for the Fire Lord. A falcon brought it a few minutes ago."

Zuko came to the door and took the message. His face got darker, as he read the paper.

"Sometimes it seems you cast the spirits, you were talking about."

He muttered these words for himself, but Aang had heard it.

"What' happened? You look worried."

Aang had come to Zuko and Katara.

"It's a message from the Chief of the police from the Capital. Azula and the Kemurikagean had attacked and robbed out an military wagon in the woods outside of the Capital. He said, that my presence is needed immediately. I have to go back to the Fire Nation."

"Should we come with you, to help you?"

Katara seemed to be worried again.

"Yeah, we could help you to kick some butt. Mr. Boomerang is always ready!"

Sokka waved his boomerang in great circles over his head. Zuko gave them a warm smile.

"Thank you, but you have work to be done, right here. If it would be really necessary, I will call for your help. But I hope, that you could come with me, Toph."

"What? Why Toph?"

Sokka was confused and Zuko gave him a mischievous grin.

"First of all, she had the right idea, how to deal with Azula and this might be the chance, I'm looking for. And for giving butt-kicks, she is a way better choice than you, I'm sorry!"

"Hey, that's mean, and not fair!"

Sokka's face turned into a deep red color. Toph made a joyful jump in the air.

"The Fire Lord has spoken. Earthbender: One - Motivation Bender: Zero! But don't worry Sokka, if we need one for clumsy butt-slides, we will definitely have you as our first choice, I promise."

She stood triumphantly in the room.

"I will come with you Zuko. I just have to fetch my stuff."

"No time, I will order someone, to get all your stuff, we have to go now. Goodbye everyone and thanks for all."

Zuko bowed before his friends and left the igloo.

"Bye folks, I see ya!"

Toph waved her hand and followed Zuko to his airship. On the way she caught up with Zuko.

"Why such haste. It will take some time to get back to the Capital and Azula's track will be cold then anyway?"

"It's not Azula, why I make haste. I'm worried about the circumstances. The message stayed too vague. I think the Chief is really concerned about something, so he wants me to come back immediately, but he doesn't want to mention it in the message."

Zuko sounded very serious and worried and Toph's face also got an concerned expression.

"I think not mention the clear reasons, why to make haste is a bad sign?"

"To my experience…. Yes it, is a bad sign. If she would have been the reasons for his concerns, he had mentioned it, so it must be something else. I have to find it out. First of all I'm the Fire Lord now. Maybe Azula has to wait."

Zukos steps got lager.

"No problem. Like you said, I'm also a great help for butt-kicking"

Zuko now laughed out loud at Toph's playful quote.

"Yeah, you definitely great in that!"