"It's surprising how many people don't know what animal is what even as adults," was Aang's wisdom of the day.

Zuko was so distracted by the incredible artwork Aang made for Izumi that he almost did not notice a ghost sulking in the corner wearing a vengeful expression. Izumi and Aang did not seem remotely disturbed by what was the most frightening thing Zuko had seen in years. It was the kind of scary that you just could not look away from.

"Yeah," Zuko replied out of the corner of his mouth. He dared to lock eyes with her. "Why are you glaring at my child?"

That just made her glare intensify.

"What?" Azula said softly. Her eyes glinted.

If Aang was not bothered by Azula before, he looked it now.

Zuko refused to stand down so easily. "I said: why are you glaring at my child, your niece?"

"I am not. I am glaring at you, the father of your child, my niece."

"Is there are problem here?" Aang asked, standing.

His height was far more intimidating with time, Azula had noticed. Yet, not nearly as intimidating as her presence, and she knew that very well.

"No," Azula whispered. "My brother was just leaving. He is uninterested in teaching his child, my niece, about animals, seeing as how poorly such a brilliant child has been doing at your game."

Zuko began to speak before changing his mind. It was a challenge, but he had to choose his battles, and this was not worth it. He slowly left the room and allowed whatever madness that he witnessed to continue.

"I haven't seen you all day," Ty Lee exclaimed excitedly.

"Me, or Izumi?" Azula knew the answer; Ty Lee had been pretending she really was dead for the past two days.

Ty Lee surprised her by saying, "Both of you all day! But mostly Izumi!"

Azula said nothing; Ty Lee did not ask her to.

"Mommy!" Izumi shrieked, running at Ty Lee and hugging her legs.

Azula remained calm. Well, she briefly remained calm. Her smoking hands gave it away.

"Are you a good mommy, Ty Lee?" she purred. Azula made sure she sounded delicate, but she was anything but.

"You seem to think I am!" Ty Lee grinned wickedly.

Azula did not have a response to that.

Izumi had just been tucked in when Ty Lee literally bumped into Azula and covered her gasp with one hand. Her heart raced when she faced the woman whom was waiting for her.

"Do you love my brother?" Azula asked. She did not break eye contact with Ty Lee.

"In a sense," Ty Lee replied nervously. She did not know what else to say.

"In what sense?" Azula whispered, leaning against Izumi's bedroom door.

"I love him like he's my best friend." Ty Lee meant that wholeheartedly.

"You said that about me before," Azula replied.

"I was lying to you," Ty Lee admitted, adding a gentle smile. "I'm not lying about him."

"Have you slept with him?" Azula demanded.

Ty Lee flushed so red it looked as if she had a bad sunburn.

"Mmmm. One time," she squeaked.

"That is one too many." Azula crossed her arms.

"I'm not trying to impress you, and I don't want to be with you anymore," Ty Lee said.

"You would rather be with him?"

Ty Lee growled, "No. I would rather be with nobody for all of eternity than be with you again."

"I have no desire to be with you either," Azula lied.

"Mmmm. Then why are you trying so hard?"

"To spite Zuko." That was very believable, and would have worked on anyone but Ty Lee.

"Mmmm. I think you love me."

Azula gave up, yet again.

Ty Lee wanted Azula to keep trying, and she hated herself for it.

Did she like the attention after so long? Did she want the sex after so long? Did she love Azula and want her back?

She did not know, and not knowing killed her inside.

As she entered the master bedroom, Zuko kissed Ty Lee.

She stepped back and nearly bolted.

"Do you love my sister?" he asked, the realization wide in his eyes. He knew that her reluctance was always out of loyalty to Azula, and he knew he would lose her before he could even acquire her now that Azula was back in the picture.

"In a sense," Ty Lee replied. She did not know what else to say.

Azula clearly disagreed, judging by the combustion of the hallway.

"Eavesdropping always was her favorite hobby," Zuko murmured as he put it out.

Ty Lee knew that, while Zuko remedied their walls, she now had two metaphorical fires to put out now and she did not know how to do it.

Azula was trying to eternally sleep to no avail when her door opened, slammed shut, and locked in one noise. She sat up to see Mai, of all people. Mai, who had no right to be within five feet of the currently dead princess.

"We need to have a talk," Mai said. "This is the most passive aggressive house I have ever been in, and you've been to the house I grew up in."

"I don't appreciate the company of extremely fair-weather friends. You shouldn't even be here," Azula snarled, her muscles tensed.

"You should be ashes," Mai retorted instantly.

Azula was too curious to resist any further. "What talk are we having?"

"Tell me what your brother is lying about." Mai always did like to get to the point.

"Do not try to trick me by pretending to mock my brother," Azula said, forcing Mai's eye contact.

"No one is pretending that." Mai almost laughed. "I'm just trying to bait you into telling me what you and your brother are lying about. Zuko may have wished for your death countless times, but the one thing that makes Zuko Zuko is that he never gives up, no matter how ridiculous the lost cause is. He would never give up on finding you until he found your corpse."

"Well, we have been running a grand scheme of sorts together and I needed to be dead in order to keep it secret. It is very illegal, you see."

"No."

"Fine, it is completely legal and that is why I am so ashamed of it."

"No."

"This does not effect you."

"Yes. Until I leave this palace and go home, it effects me," Mai said, crossing her arms and steadying her stance. She made it clear that she was not even leaving this room until she had her way.

Azula waved a hand and lay back down. "Go stay elsewhere. You have the means."

"No. I saw you rise from the dead and I'm pretty sure that's the reason no one else has left your memorial service yet. We're waiting for someone to inevitably let it slip."

"That is not inevitable."

"Zuko," Mai said, and they both knew his conscience was a ticking time bomb.

"Why is he so moral?" Azula sighed, rubbing her face. "Where did he get it? I cannot believe he is somehow related to me."

"No else can either," Mai joked, "but, I'm pretty sure your dad wouldn't stop at his face if he wasn't certain. So, there must be some kind of morality deep inside of you that has a burning desire to tell me."

"My turn to say no. Go ask Zuko." Azula, again, lay back down and pretended to sleep.

It did very little for her.

"I'm supposed to be comforting you and I'm going to give it another five minutes to make it more believable."

Bemused, Azula asked, "Who asked you to comfort me?"

"Ty Lee."

That did the trick. Azula's wall of ice melted at the name.

"This is all her fault. I bet she was the one who wanted to fake my death in the first place. She coerced Zuko into doing it by batting her eyelashes and lying to him about the paternity of his child because obviously she has had so much sex with him even though I could have returned for her at—"

"That was so easy," Mai said in utter disbelief. "Zuko asked me to talk to you, not Ty Lee. I could just tell that she had something to do with this all, given her extremely dampened spirits since you showed up."

"I returned for her," Azula said.

Mai sighed. "That was a pitiful lie."

Azula sighed. "I returned for Izumi. And no one will give her to me even though she is rightfully mine."

"Are you just mad that Zuko stole yet another thing that was rightfully yours?" Mai could not help that one.

"She is though." Azula did not sound vivacious about this like she did about the throne, their mother's love and Ty Lee and all else. She sounded sad and broken. "She deserves better than my pathetic shadow and traitorous slut of an ex-girlfriend."

"Better like… you? And your famed skill with children?"

"I have never had enough contact with children to prove how good I must be with them."

"That wasn't a joke, was it?" Mai waited for a few moments. "So, it wasn't. Did Zuko decide to do the right thing an adopt your abandoned baby as his own or did he just turn a blind eye to Ty Lee lying and saying it was his so people would think she had sex with him?"

"Both, I guess."

Mai could not believe the connection she had to make in her mind. There was no way that Azula would do something as reckless as the implied act. "So I take it that you left Izumi with Ty Lee."

"Yes."

"You didn't just drop her off in front of the palace or sneak into your brother's room or even just go to a random doorstep somewhere? You went to Ty Lee. Do you remember when she forgot to feed her cat until it died? What were you thinking?"

"I trusted her at the time."

Mai snorted; that was pathetic. "No."

"I liked her a lot at the time," Azula corrected, playing with the hem of her blankets. She no longer was so passionate about eye contact.

"Better. I don't have a reason to tell anyone because I want to watch how they all figure it out eventually. Maybe Zuko will have an outburst? Maybe it'll be an awkward one by one sort of thing? Will you steal her in the night when everyone is sleeping? Who knows?" Mai smirked, but it was quickly gone.

"If I were to ask you for a favor – do not say no before I am done speaking – would you do it?" Azula whispered.

"Probably not, but I'm listening."

"Would you help me steal Izumi in the night when everyone is sleeping?"

The shadowy bedroom was silent as Azula awaited Mai's reply.

Mai at last answered: "For a price."