A/N1: It was a tie, which means I had to make the decision myself. Which is pretty ironic, since most of the reason I put it up to a vote was to avoid that decision.


She had dashed past the guards so quickly that they hadn't had time to stop her, barely time to acknowledge her presence. Despite the fact that they were Firebenders, it was obvious they would not risk chasing her into an already burning structure. More the fool them.

Azula thrust the fire away from her, working her way down the halls, casting her eyes back and forth as she worked her way through the inferno. The wails of the woman who had taken in the orphans of Omashu receded through the sounds of the blaze. The guards were yelling at something, most probably her, but she ignored them.

"Warau!" She inhaled smoke after the call and coughed, impatiently waving the fire away. Her face was hot, and she swiped at it. Her fingers came away yellow.

"Great," she murmured, still casting about in each room for the little girl. "That's going to be hard to remove n-"

Her heart caught in her throat. In the middle of the largest room was a dark shape, underneath a large beam. Dark hair lay fanned around in front of the shape, and Azula rushed in, pushing fire away from her as she did so. She knelt, feeling the shape, her heart pounding. It was a child.

She pulled as hard as she could, then, in a fit of frustrated anger, blasted the beam with a jet of blue flame, disintegrating enough of it that she could push the rest away from the child.

She pulled her out and turned her over.

Warau's eyes were closed, he shirt and some of her torso horribly burnt. Her body was still, limp.

"No."

Azula's heart pounded harder and harder as her fingers sought the girl for some sign of life.

"No, please, Agni, please not this."

She touched the little girl's face, practically willing her to open her eyes, laugh, and reach out and hug her. Her face was still in death, unmarred save for a streak of soot at her left cheek.

A droplet fell onto the streak, sending a dark rivulet running down the little girl's cheek, then another. Azula pulled Warau's body close to her and heard rather than felt the keening sob bursting from her own chest.

A piece of burning tatami hit her in the shoulder, shocking her, bringing her back to a semblance of rationality. She had to get out of there. She could Bend the fire away, but the building collapsing would still kill her.

She clutched Warau to her and began to retrace her steps to the exit. The house was groaning, as if it, too, were mourning the death of the child. Chunks of clay and wood fell from the ceiling, dropping behind Azula like tears of flame. Despite the path she had cleared, it was harder to make her way out because new flames had sprouted where the old ones had been forced away. She was hampered by her hold on the child, but she would not let go.

For one wild, almost eternal moment, she considered staying in the building, letting it collapse on her. She had never felt so adrift.

"I told you the way would be hard."

Azula turned, lifting her hands and willing flames to thrust at the figure behind her. Nothing happened.

Ursa stared back at her, unperturbed, but with the saddest of expressions on her face. "I'm sorry that it came to this, my daughter. If I had known--"

"You're telling me you didn't know?! You're telling me this wasn't somehow planned?! Abi take you, 'mother', you knew all along!"

Ursa nodded sadly, looking, for a brief time, like a mirror of the Avatar that day when her torment started, both infinitely wise and infinitely sad. "I only knew your path would be hard, and that you would suffer. I didn't know..." She put her hand on her face, and Azula felt her anger drain from her.

"She was just a girl. She was just a little girl. And she laughed."

"I'm sorry, my child." Somehow, Ursa was there, stroking her hair, and Azula did not want her to stop. She heard a tiny, childlike voice whisper to her mother, and realized that it was her own.

"Am I dead?"

"No." Ursa knelt and tilted Azula's chin to face her. "Time has no meaning here. But you should hurry. Your friends are worried about you."

Azula stood, turning away from her mother, surveying the landscape around her. "It was warmer last time I was here."

"It will be warm again." Ursa stepped forward, and Azula heard her voice very close to her ear. "I know you are hurting, my little love. But I am proud of you for the path you are walking now."

A crack and a shout snapped Azula out of her fugue, and she leapt through an opening between a burning mass and the door, landing on her feet, still clutching Warau. A keening cry that seemed to echo the painful buzzing in her chest came from her left, and she turned to face the matron, whose hands were on her face in horror.

Azula stepped forward and knelt, laying the child carefully at the matron's feet. "There was nothing I could do," she choked out, feeling hot tears on her face once more.

A cruel voice sounded from behind her. "Looks like you've one less mouth to feed."

"The others," cried the woman, unheeding of the Fire Nation soldier. "Where are the others?"

"There aren't any others," Azula said, her head spinning. She had heard the soldier's cruel comment, and her vision began to burn. "I felt air. I think they got out. Look behind the house."

"They're safe," came Ty Lee's voice, strained and angry, but otherwise clear. "Jun and I found them crawling out of the window and took them to the Inn."

Azula turned as Ty Lee grunted, seeing a group of soldiers around her, on the ground, and another flying from her outstretched foot. Her top was burnt, but she looked unharmed. Similarly, Mai was locked in a throwing battle with a Firebending soldier, her knives slicing the air after each fireball passed her.

The cruel voice came from her left. "Good riddance."

Azula turned, her lip curled into a snarl, and before the man could take a step either away or toward her, a blue gout of flame engulfed him, drowning out his scream and leaving nothing in its wake.

All movement stopped as the Fire Nation soldiers gaped at the space where their commander had stood. Two of them stepped back, dropping their arms, trembling hands splaying in a universal sign of surrender. Four more, however, advanced on Azula.

They launched fireballs at her, spread in a pattern that would prevent dodging. To take control of another bender's fire was difficult, but Azula's hand swept out and around in an easy motion, and the fire turned back on their owners, hastily blocked or hitting their surprised marks.

One bender thrust his arms forward, then back, in an intricate pattern which sent a web of fire at Azula. She leapt straight up, screaming a battle cry, and landed on the other side of it, thrusting her own hands out in rapid motions. The soldier screamed as blue fire jets erupted around him, burning him, melting his armor and face mask, sending him fleeing toward the water supply.

His comrades followed him at a tumbling run, and Azula felt an hand touch her arm. She spun, but Ty Lee's face was all that she saw.

"How much do we have?" Her voice was raspy and tight in her throat.

Ty looked her in the eyes, then pulled a pouch from her belt. "That's half."

Azula turned without a word and walked to the sobbing matron. She dropped the pouch between the woman and the body of the little girl, her throat constricting as she took in the little face one more time. "Bury her well. Rebuild if there's enough. But bury her well."

She turned and walked away, her feet like lead. She had gotten less than a meter when a hard object hit her in the back, causing her to stumble forward. She heard the distinct sound of coins clinking together.

"I will not take money from Fire Nation scum who kills children!"

Azula's heart dropped, and she screwed her face against a wail. A small part of her, a quiet, tinny, shrill voice screamed at her to engulf the woman like she had the Commander. Her hands clenched into fists, and her breathing became rapid.

It would solve nothing, she knew. It would hurt more people than the gratification could possibly justify. The children, living and likely frightened, would live as outcasts.

A sharp voice cut through the haze of her rage. "Grow up!" Swift, near silent footsteps receded behind her, and she heard a choked gasp. "This woman risked her life to try to save that little girl! She gave up everything just to avenge her! You will do as she asks because she's EARNED it, or I will gut you right here and now."

She thought she heard a drops of water on the ground, and the sudden tang smell confirmed her suspicion. Mai's voice came back to her, filled with low disgust. "Then you'll clean yourself up and get the children."

Mai strode toward them and steered Azula away.

"You didn't-"

"She soiled herself," Mai whispered, still tinged with disgust. Ty Lee choked back a wet giggle, then apologized softly.

"What now," Mai asked, low and soothing.

"We find the Avatar." Azula could all but see the stares of her friends, resigned, uncomprehending, possibly disappointed. So she clarified.

"We have to help him stop this damned war."


All around the Fire Nation occupied lands, posters were pasted on each community board and post. They held a picture of a yellow face surrounded by wild black hair, golden eyes practically glowing.

All of them read the same thing down the left side. "Wanted for the death of Fire Nation Soldiers: The Yellow Demon."


A/N: I'm going to go off and cry now.

Abi is as close as I can come to finding the name of Hell as we know it in Chinese Lore. It is the name of the level where souls are tortured.

The "Not Sad" version will be put up as a separate one shot fic.