A/N: Hi guys! So sorry about not updating for...has it been two months? Roughly. I'm very sorry. I hope this chapter will make up for the long wait though. Enjoy! Reviews always appreciated.

"Whoa!" Juro cried, breaking through Azula's trance. "Whoa, whoa, WHOA!" he scrambled away from her clumsily, holding his hands up to protect himself from any harm she might suddenly throw his way. The sight was so comical Azula had to laugh. She still hated her laugh, hated the sound of it and how misused it was. There is little time for laughter when you're playing with fire. You could get burned. Now, of course, it came up whenever it felt like, and stayed lingering awkwardly in the air.

Eventually, Juro calmed down a bit, though he was still on edge. "Um…seriously?" he asked, somewhat hopeful. Azula stopped chuckling to glare at him, her eyes cold and menacing. He tensed and sat up with a start. "Well I'll take that as a definitely," he muttered.

"You've really been so thick as to not notice?" Azula asked, sneering. "You're just like Zu-Zu!"

Juro shivered.

"That's the firelord," he said. "What have I gotten myself into?" Azula said nothing in reply, choosing to let him sort his thoughts out. She leaned back on her hands, suddenly at ease. Finally letting her name out was such a release, a relief really. It was nice to know it still had an effect on people.

"So, you still support your father…that's why you were running away from the Avatar, right?" Juro asked tentatively. Azula's eyes seemed to focus. She looked at him sideways.

"Astute. And why were you running away from him?"

Juro shrugged. "Well, my parents started searching for me after I left. They started…putting up wanted posters and things, and that's why I was wearing the beard." Azula smiled, and Juro tensed as he stared at her. She looked like a predator about to make a kill. Azula turned her gaze on him.

"And what will you do now? You know who I am," she said.

"I…I don't know," Juro replied. Azula sighed, leaning back on her hands. She looked up at the sky, which was just now turning that odd mix of blue and purple and orange right before the sunrise.

"I could kill you," she suddenly stated, smiling a bit. Now it was Juro's turn to glare.

"For once, could you not talk about murdering, or hurting, or losing, or other crazy stuff? You're nothing now! You're not the princess, and you don't have your bending! You can't do ANYTHING to me!" Juro had started yelling, his fists clenched. He stood up abruptly, suddenly feeling nervous about what the girl in front of him would do. Maybe he was scared. She was the most infamous person in the Fire Nation after all. But Azula's face was blank. She said nothing in response to his outburst, merely looked up at him with a sort of resigned expression. That face told Juro that she'd heard his entire speech before, and she knew it was true.

"Why…what exactly happened to you, to make the Avatar chase after you? And why are you so…" he trailed off.

"What?" Azula said darkly. She lowered her gaze to the fire, burned fingers absently twitching, as if they remembered the pain of the coals.

"I want to know what happened to you, why you're out here, and not..."

"Locked up? In a mental health institution? Do I look insane to you?!" She turned to him, eyes wide, fingers grasping at the loose folds of her dilapidated servants-wear. Juro wanted nothing more than to say yes, and see what happened. At the same time he knew that that might not be such a good idea.

"I was just going to say in prison…How did you get there? By the way." Azula laughed. It came out in a single, short burst.

"When my father left to burn down the Earth Kingdom, he left me as Firelord. Zuko arrived to defeat me and claim the title. The Avatar beat my father. End of story." She said this whole spiel in a deadpan, a slight smirk on her face. Juro stared. He couldn't seem to stop. Everything about this girl was…bizarre. Sad. Interesting. Broken.

"I guess you don't really get much news when you're travelling the world…Hey, what happened to your mother? I never hear about Lady Ursa anymore," Juro said brightly. Azula seemed to shrink into herself.

"I hope she's rotting, wherever she is," the girl whispered harshly. Juro frowned, leaning away.

"Um…come again?"

"Oh, what am I talking about?" Azula continued, as if not hearing Juro's voice. "She's sitting right next to me, she's in my reflection, she's everywhere. She's in here." Azula put her index finger up to her skull and pointed, an insane smile on her face. "Always tormenting me…"

"I'm not even going to ask," Juro deadpanned. Azula put her head on her knees, which were hugged to her chest. Juro glanced at her, and instead of feeling perturbed, found himself feeling pity for the girl.

"I'm a healer," Juro muttered. "I'm a healer, and Avatar be damned…" He looked over at Azula again. "I think I'll try to help you, girl." Juro smiled at her, though she didn't see, and rose to his feet, joints almost creaking, as if he really were an old man.

"Time to get moving!" he declared, startling Azula out of her upright fetal position. Juro stepped toward the coals, kicking loose dirt onto them to put them out, and Azula stared.

"Moving?" she asked quietly.

"Yes! Onto the next town," Juro replied. "You've all but kicked me out of the last one, can't go back there and risk being caught." He started to sort through his pockets.

"Where did I put that….Ah! Here it is!" he cried, pulling his formerly white and unburnt beard up from the ground and brushing it off. He sighed.

"Maybe we'll see some koala-sheep on the way…" Juro looked at Azula, who was still sitting on the ground, staring at the fire.

"Hey girl, aren't you going to get up?" Azula looked up at him, startled. Then her fists clenched. She stood up slowly, brushing herself off until she stood at her full height.

"Where do your loyalties lie?" She stated calmly. Juro blinked, and then he shrugged.

"I kind of do what I want," he said, rubbing the ashes of the fire into the ground and covering them up with some leaves. "And right now, I want to help you. You seem…" he looked at her with his head tilted, observing. "Broken." Azula shook her head.

"Where are we going?" she asked harshly, arms crossed. Juro walked to the edge of the clearing and looked around, eyeing the mountains in the distance, their tops obscured by fog. He pointed up.

"I think there's a village in those mountains if I remember correctly. Up looks good." He looked again at the remains of his wig, and tossed them aside, wiping his hands on his coat.

"The cure?" Azula suddenly asked. Juro turned to look at her.

"Ah, yes. That. We'll see." He started to walk off in the direction of the mountains, but turned back on impulse. "Just…no killing people. Or threats." He stared at her, as if expecting something, but she merely looked unimpressed. Juro sighed. "We're trying to keep a low profile here…" He disappeared into the shade of the forest, Azula following along at a leisurely pace.

"We'll see," she said, and disappeared as well.

Azula decided that all Earth Kingdom villages and towns looked exactly the same. Each had more than their fair share of huts, shifty looking joints, many dirt roads, and for some reason, a particular cabbage merchant who was always bemoaning the state of his produce. Things seemed simple in these places, where one's only concerns would be food and shelter. "Avoid the Fire Nation" used to be on that list as well, but things had changed. Sadly.

Azula sighed, not even bothering to make sure the town held no soldiers or persons of suspicious intent. She was bored, more bored than she'd ever been in her life. She was as bored as Mai. Azula's lips curled in distaste at the thought of her old life, so she decided to focus on Juro, who was now wearing a hat pulled low over his ears, so that his face would be covered in shadow.

"Go faster," Azula muttered, crossing her arms. Juro shook his head.

"I have to find a place to set up my practice," he whispered over his shoulder. Azula rolled her eyes.

"Just pick a nice spot in the woods. There's obviously not enough room to accommodate you in town." Juro straightened, groaning.

"I guess you're right," he said reluctantly, and left the main street of the tiny town to scout out a spot on its outskirts.

Azula followed, formulating a plan. Once she convinced Juro to perform his ritual, however shoddy or pagan it might be, she would have to escape his watch as soon as possible, which shouldn't be hard to do. If all went along those lines, then she would have to locate the Avatar and company again…Wait, Why not just let them catch her? Yes, that could work…

"This looks good!" Juro cried suddenly, making Azula jump. He was pointing to the hard packed dirt underneath a large, rocky hill. Around them were trees, and the mountain continuing upwards into the distance. It felt almost secluded, even though they were out in the open, and there was a rough approximation of a path etched into the ground that led to the town they had just left.

Azula shrugged. "The cure," she said. Juro smiled nervously.

"I just have to get some things. You'll stay here right?" He left before Azula could answer, leaving her alone in the woods with nothing to do.

Azula sat heavily on the ground and crossed her legs. She felt continually tired these days, and maybe it had something to do with her bending being taken. She didn't know. Azula stretched out her left arm, wincing at the soreness of the wound, though it was slowly beginning to close up. She heard a sigh as her eyes were closed, and she let her arm fall back down. Azula opened her eyes. Ozai's face greeted hers.

"You are pathetic," he said, making Azula's jaw clench. "What are you doing, wasting time with this nonbender? You're supposed to be rescuing me!" Azula said nothing, though she put her head down, casting her face in darkness.

"What, no answer? No answer from the daughter who failed me? You are a disgrace. If Zuko could beat you, perhaps it's for the best. Maybe I was wrong to put my trust in you, my time. You are obviously broken." Azula's head snapped up.

"I…I…" she didn't know what to say, how to defend herself. She'd called herself these names before, cursed herself a thousand times for her mistakes, though she didn't quite know what they were. Perhaps she had only been doing it because she'd known her father would tell her the exact same thing. She couldn't stick up for herself, she was the one who'd been in the wrong. But why did she want to argue so badly?

"Now I remember why I liked you," Ozai continued, his pointy shoes pacing back and forth in Azula's peripheral vision. "You were nice and quiet. Obedient." He laughed softly. "But it's all over now, the whole war. What are you fighting for Azula? Who are you running from?"

"The Avatar," she said, fists clenched. Ozai sighed and crouched down, so that she could look him in the face. He seemed strong, looking the same as when she'd last seen him, leaving her in the Fire Nation.

"The Avatar…beat you," she whispered. Ozai's face went slack.

"What did you say?" he growled, rising to his full height again. Azula looked up, smiling now.

"The Avatar beat you," she repeated, this time with more force. She rose as well, though unsteady on her feet, listing to the side.

"He beat you! And you're just as much a failure as I am! JUST AS MUCH!" She swung her fist at him, but he backed up, glaring at her, and suddenly he was Juro. Yes, Juro was there. But where was her father? Had he gotten lost? Juro was approaching her, and he was…holding a table. Now that was weird. Where had her father gone? Where was Ozai, the fallen Phoenix King? Hmm, that was funny. He wasn't a phoenix. Phoenixes always rose up again when you shot them down, and her father was in prison. She was free though, Azula was free. She laughed then, sinking to the ground, her legs suddenly too weak to support her.

"I leave for one minute…"Juro said, putting his table down and going to her side. Azula felt herself be lifted up, and she allowed herself to relax, a delirious smile on her face. Ozai was gone. Ozai was no better than she was. Azula closed her eyes.

When Azula woke up, she found her settings to have changed. She was still in the same clearing, but it looked very different. Azula was propped against the mountainside, looking out at Juro's camp, which he had set up while she was asleep. All around Azula, people were being treated for their various illnesses on blankets and cots they'd brought from home. A table was set up beside her, filled with herbs and other natural remedies, and Juro was there.

He walked along the rows of the sick with ease, diagnosing and administering medicine. Azula didn't know what to think. How had he set this all up so fast?

Juro approached the table again, and this time he saw Azula's open eyes. He smiled.

"Hey girl, you're up." Azula blinked.

"What…what is all this?" she asked. Juro smiled proudly.

"My practice. I thought I told you. I help people, and they do me favors. Like this table for instance." He patted the object. "I was in town, and I helped a merchant's son relieve his cough. I got a table for my services. See?" Azula gave Juro a questioning look. He was an odd person.
Azula watched that day, unmoving as Juro went about helping the members of the village they had so recently entered. More people came to the clearing as soon as others left, all of these villagers with their ailing sons and daughters, and even their ailing selves. They all trusted Juro to help them. They called him "the wandering healer," and sometimes just "the healer," but he was their salvation either way. Azula couldn't understand it.

Late in the day, Juro left the clearing for a few minutes, and came back with armloads of stuff. There was food, bandages, bowls, basic stuff, but all necessary in some way. Juro spread everything on the table he'd gotten earlier, and proceeded to pick out two large rolls from the pile. He handed one to Azula, who was still sitting on the ground, her back to the rocky cliffs. She took it quietly, observing it with watchful and distrusting eyes.

"Where did you get all of this? The table included," she asked. Juro smiled, sitting down next to her and biting into his bread.

"All of this is the favors I've collected throughout the town," he replied smugly, his mouth full. Azula frowned.

"Favors?"

"Yes, you don't think I could do all this for free did you?" he gestured to the cots full of sick and elderly, most of them sleeping. "Guy's gotta eat." Azula nodded, pensive. She took a bite of her roll, and quickly scarfed it down, sighing when she was done.

"Hungry? I guess we haven't eaten in a while…" Juro remarked. Azula looked at him, her eyes roving up and down. He seemed at ease, content, even though Azula herself felt moody and more than a bit stir crazy. To Juro, Azula seemed hollow, her eyes especially, though every part of her was enhanced by shadow, everything diminished from its former glory.

"The cure," Azula said. Juro's grin slid off his face.

"Still going on about that are you?" he quipped. Azula glared, legs crossed, hands resting on the knees. It was beginning to grow dark and cool, the sky fading to a rosy purple, light cast from the setting sun. Azula didn't feel very appreciative of this though. She only needed one thing.

"You said you would help me, didn't you?" Juro rubbed his face awkwardly.

"Oh, you heard that? I kind of thought you were off in your own world." Azula's fingers grasped the loose cloth around her knees.

"I need that cure Juro. You wouldn't understand the intricacies of politics, but-"

"Oh, so this is about politics now is it? Because I was under the impression that things were just peachy!" Juro shouted. Some of the patients stirred as they drifted off to sleep, making Juro jump. He turned back to Azula with his voice now lowered. "The war is over. For better or worse, you're free now, and I want to help you."

"Then give me back my bending."

"No." Azula sat back. Juro had never once told her outright that he wouldn't give her the cure. He seemed incredibly serious now, however. He leaned forward from his spot opposite Azula, his body tense.

"You said when you first met me that you would help me. Do I have to call you a liar now?" she asked, quickly becoming angry; her breathing increased. Another betrayal.

"That was before I knew you," Juro replied frankly. "You've been hurt badly Azula, and not just by a knife." He glanced at her arm. "I don't know what happened in your past, but I want to help you through it, and I don't think the best thing for you would be to give you more power. You're self-destructive." He sighed heavily, seemingly calm now. Azula shook her head.

"Why? What am I to you?" she asked. Juro laughed humorlessly.

"Do you see the people behind me? Do you?" He gestured behind himself, where the sick lay. "What does that tell you about me?" Azula avoided his gaze. Juro laughed again, short and dark.

"I'm getting some sleep. I know the only reason you're here is because of your arm and the cure, so if you want to leave, try not to hurt anyone on your way out." He stalked away to a bare spot of open ground, and curled up.

Azula lay back against the rock wall behind her for several minutes, listening to the breathing of everyone around her as they fell asleep. She was in a state of shock, not sure what to do with herself. The cure had been her salvation, the only thing keeping her from leaving, fleeing into the wilderness. Now she had nothing, no one. Absolutely and completely alone.

Azula's fists clenched, her jaw locked. She rose unsteadily to her feet, her vision swimming. Juro was the one who had done this to her, given her hope where there was none. How dare he refuse her, how dare he continue while she had to struggle on! Azula spotted a sizeable rock nearby, and stooped to pick it up. If he denied her a life, she would deny him his. All it took to kill was something hard and heavy. You didn't need bending for this at least. Just one single hit…