Loose Ends

by bricksailor93

Azula is lost in her loneliness, haunted by the voices of her failures. While her brother searches frantically to help her, she meets a stranger that offers her hope. Will he help her remember the strong woman that she is? Or will she give into darkness?

11. Chapter 11

Loose Ends

By bricksailor93

Part Eleven:

I do not own anything from Avatar: the Last Airbender. I do, however, own my mind and the desire to put words to the story in my head.

Alone in the dark, she sat with the strange necklace in her hand, the idea of sleep now long gone from her mind. Never before had such an odd combination of feelings swept over her, and if it weren't for the sharp pain of the edge of the cold metal digging into her palm from squeezing it too tight, Azula would have thought she was once again dreaming.

She felt relieved. The vivid vision of the storm had not been just a dream. It had not been all together real, but at least it was more than the hopeful illusions of her imagination. But at the same time, knowing that what she had experienced was more than a dream terrified her, as she had to admit to herself the existence of things that she had once deemed impossible.

She felt giddy, a repressed chuckle bottled up in her chest. Perhaps it was because if she did not laugh she would scream aloud in terror. At the same time, she felt a crawling, pressing foreboding curl up in her heart, warning her that the storm's message had more weight behind it than she had previously given thought to.

"This is ridiculous," she whispered to herself. "It isn't possible. It can't be real."

But she couldn't deny the reality of the necklace clenched in her hand.

Forcing herself to take a breath, Azula tried to calm her racing mind. Perhaps the storm was real, but what difference did it make? Everything that she had seen in the storm hadn't been made of stone-hard truth. The scene with Zuko, the scene with Mai and Ty Lee, and the scene with Ozai couldn't have been real. They might have symbolized something, but they hadn't actually happened.

But as soon as this reasoning began to help soothe her uneasy thoughts, Azula remembered the last thing she had seen before she had woken up. The scene the Lady had showed her of her parents.

"It is an actual truth that has been granted to you, not a mere memory or scene created with your mind."

The Lady's words rang through her mind, and she shivered. A part of her, the part of her that was the least changed from the storm, deemed it as nonsense. But another part of her, a bigger part of her, knew this was not the case. The necklace clenched in her hand somehow made the Lady's words seem much more real than before.

Of all of the things she had seen in the storm, it had been the last scene that had upset her the most. It went against everything she knew. For so long she had known her father was an unstoppable force that did not bother to waste his time with love. She had known that he didn't care for beauty or tenderness. And in the storm, she had known that he was a monster. She had known her mother hadn't loved her. She had known she had always thought she was a monster. And by her absence in the storm, she had known that she still did not care for her. The only thing she cared for was Zuko.

But the scene, the scene of her birth, challenged all of those things that were known to her. Suddenly, her father wasn't a monster, but a man in love with his wife who was caring toward his family. Her mother wasn't one who was always absent from her life, but one who had loved her from the start. Azula's head spun with conflicting ideas. What did she know? Was there anything that she knew for certain?

Yes, she decided with a snort, I know I'm trapped in this hospital.

Sighing, she laid back down on the bed. She knew it would be in her best interest to sleep, but it would not come to her. Her mind would not be silenced, and thought after thought kept her awake.

Have I betrayed my father? she asked herself. If he isn't a monster, does that mean I have been a treacherous daughter?

In the scene, he had been kind and gentle, but Azula could not recall a moment in her memory where her father had been so caring. She remembered the long lessons, the drills, the onslaught of war tactics he hounded her with. She could not recall a time when he had been anything other than a teacher, a teacher of war. It was as if the Ozai she knew and the Ozai she saw in the scene were two different people.

And her conscience was another problem. After the storm, she had felt justified for taking actions against Ozai in the dream. She had not questioned whether pulling away from him was right or wrong. Now, after finding the necklace, she doubted herself. Was he such a monster? Now her actions seemed questionable, and she didn't know if she was right or wrong. Two different realities were placed before her, and she was not sure which one to believe.

She lay awake for what seemed like hours. Finally, deciding she was not going to let her thoughts disturb her until the sun rose, she sat up and placed her bare feet on the cold floor. In the dim light, she could see very little, and she had to squint to make out her room. The bowl of soup that Jet had left her the night before was still half full. Her stomach rumbled at the sight of food, but she had no desire to eat the now cold broth.

"I'll eat tonight," she said decidedly, hoping no one would have a fit over her skipping a meal. It was so curious how one person's eating habits could be the focus of so many people.

Before she left the room, she clasped the necklace around her neck and tucked it under her gown. She had considered hiding it in her room, but the fear that someone would find it stopped her. She could not consider getting rid of it, for as much she wished to throw it away, she could not bear to part with it.

It did not occur to her where she would go when she left her room in the middle of the night. If she had been at the palace, she could have walked wherever she wished and found a servant or two along the way. The halls would have been lit with flickering torches, and there would have been a sense of comfort despite the enormity of the palace. In the hospital, things were vastly different. The halls were dark and empty. Her quiet steps echoed across the floor, and a feeling of uneasiness crept up along her spine. But, she decided, it was better than letting her thoughts bother her all night long.

In the middle of the night, the faces did not bother her, so her mind was left to its own. Her old curiosity pricked up again when she realized that there was more to the hospital than she had originally thought. She had known that there was a south wing and a garden and a wall around that garden, but the rest of the hospital had never sparked her interest. Now, alone in the middle of the night, Azula was free to explore.

Quietly, she crept along the different wings of the hospital, blending in with the shadows. It soon became a game to her. She would test her sense of direction by starting in one spot and then taking several different turns at random. After she was good and lost, she would turn around and find her way back to the spot she started at. To her delight, she found her sense of direction was still sharp.

Once or twice, she did see a nurse. The first time had nearly scared her out of her wits when she had turned a corner and had almost run right into a male nurse who had his back to her. She narrowly avoided colliding with him and turned back the way she had come before he noticed her.

You fool! she chided herself, Of course there's nurses up! This is a hospital! They'll be checking on patients to make sure they haven't died!

From that point onward, she proceeded with caution, but she still took an occasional risk. Sometimes, she would stop in a hall and hide in the shadows as a nurse passed her just to see if she would be noticed. She kept her eyes peeled for any sign of Jet or Kobe, but if they were awake and roving the halls like she was, she did not run into them.

Eventually, she realized the hospital was very simply laid out. There were four or five wings. The South Wing, which was more southwest to the center of the hospital, was the longest of the wings. She knew this wing the best, for her room was in it. North of the South Wing, there was the North Wing. Except for a few intersections between the two wings, the two wings were connected by one hall running north and south. The main hall dividing the two wings ran east and west. To the west, there was a smaller wing that was blocked by a single locked door.

That must be where all the nurses and Dr. Lin sleep, she decided. For a moment, she wondered if Jet slept there, too, or if he was given a room in a different room since he was just a cleaning boy. But she brushed this thought aside to continue with her exploration of the rest of the hospital.

There was a big room in the middle of the hospital which Azula knew as the common room. It was strange not to see anyone in the big room, but she was happy for it. There was too much to explore to be interrupted by someone. While she was on her way out of the room, though, she thought she saw a flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye. When she turned, however, there was no one there.

There were two parts to the East Wing. There was a smaller part that pointed to the north and one that pointed to the south. Combined, these two wings were almost the same size of South Wing. Before the East Wing, there was another locked door. Azula did not know what to think of this door. Perhaps it led to the kitchens.

The door to the garden was back in the main common room, facing the south. The door was locked, preventing her from exploring the garden, but she wasn't too upset. There was still a lot to explore.

One thing that confused Azula was the fact that she could not find a main door to the hospital. No matter how many times she searched the wings, she could not find a door that looked like it opened up to the outside world. It would be a bigger door, she decided, but none fit her expectations. If Zuko had been able to visit, there had to be a door for him to come in. Patients also needed a door to come into the hospital. She strained her mind to try and remember how she had entered the hospital when she had arrived, but she found she could not recall anything.

Another thing that she wondered about was the fact that she couldn't seem to find any rooms that seemed fit for surgeries or examinations other than the one in which Dr. Lin and the nurses had tried to feed her. But she knew there would have to be more than one. She made a note to find out from Jet or Kala the next time she saw them.

How many hours passed she did not know, but she guessed by the thin, grey light that filtered through the windows in the common room that morning was approaching, though she guessed the sun would not rise for another hour. Azula did some quick calculations in her head and decided she had time for another walk around the entire building and return to her room before the faces came. She would have rather gone straight to the garden, but seeing as the door was locked, she would have to wait in the room until it was opened.

Unfortunately, her night-time wandering was not to go unnoticed. As she was rounding the turn that would lead her back to the South Wing, a hand grabbed her by the shoulder suddenly. Azula bit back a scream of surprise and turned to see who it was. She had a feeling that it was either Jet or Kobe, but upon seeing the figure in front of her, she realized how wrong that feeling had been.

Azula was not a people person, but even she understood that the woman standing in front of her was not very likeable. She was a thin woman with pinched lips and black hair with strands of grey pulled back into a very tight knot. Her hairline was receding, perhaps because she pulled her hair back into its bun every day. Her nose was thin with a distinct point at the end. Her eyes were narrow and small and were coal-black in color. She was not a young woman, for the wrinkles on her neck and jaw were numerous, and her brows seemed to be set in a permanent scowl. She was perhaps only a few inches taller than Azula, but Azula couldn't help but feel intimidated by the woman.

"Ah," the woman barked, her voice cutting and unfeeling, "I see there is a wanderer. Tell me, who gave you permission to leave your room?"

Permission? Azula hadn't known she needed permission. She had never needed it during the day; she had thought night was the same way. She opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn't manage to think of a smart reply.

The woman released her shoulder and clucked her tongue. Azula thought she sensed a look of glee in her eyes. She had met people like this before at war assemblies. They were the kind of people that knew exactly how to cut down every suggestion except their own and her father's. No one ever dared to rise against them except the Firelord himself. When she was younger, she would never look at them for fear that they might make some comment about her.

"Oh, joy," she said sarcastically, "I've found a mute." Then in a darker, more vicious voice, she added, "I bet I can change that. What are you doing out roaming the halls?"

Azula forced herself to swallow the lump of fear in her throat and straighten her shoulders.

"Nothing," she said shortly.

The woman narrowed her tiny eyes at her and scowled. She obviously did not believe her. Azula dug deep inside to the part of her that still knew how to lie. It would take an expert, a Princess of the Firenation, to fool this woman.

"Nothing?" the woman said.

"Nothing," Azula repeated.

The woman's lips thinned into a straight line. The corners of her mouth were lined with wrinkles, Azula noticed.

"I don't believe you," she snapped. "Patients don't go roaming the halls without a purpose. Especially patients like you. Young, tiresome. I bet you were off to the kitchens. Or maybe you wanted to sneak out to the gardens. Is that it? Hmm? Come on, we both know you can speak."

"Nothing," Azula said again, "I only wished to walk."

"There is time in the day for that."

"Only for some."

The woman fixed her with a searching stare, but Azula made sure to give nothing away. In a way, the woman's interrogation made her feel at ease. It made her feel like her old self, if just a little bit. Perhaps all the training she had received had not gone to waste after all.

"I see," the woman said, though Azula could tell she did not see at all. "Very well, then. Who is in charge of you? Who is your nurse? I'll be sure to report this."

Azula saw the two options in her mind. She could tell the woman that Kala was her nurse, but something told her that if she did, Kala would be replaced by another nurse. If she said it was someone else, the woman could easily find out she was telling a lie. In the end, Azula decided to do neither.

"I don't remember names," she said, "I couldn't tell you."

The woman narrowed her eyes.

"I bet you could."

"I couldn't."

A silence stretched between them again. The woman was getting angrier each time Azula evaded her questions. Inside, Azula was laughing. This was the most fun she had had in a long time. It reminded her of the games she would play with the people at the palace she didn't like. None of them ever hung around for long.

"Well, fine," the nurse said, "Tell me your name then. I can certainly look it up."

Azula felt trapped. This was a question she couldn't escape. If she did know one thing, it was her name, and she couldn't think of a way out. Admitting defeat, she opened her mouth to tell the woman her name.

"There you are!"

Azula turned around and felt relief flood through her. Coming toward them was Kobe, looking worried and flustered. Though Azula didn't know the nurse well, she knew Kala and Jet trusted him. He certainly couldn't be as bad as the woman standing in front of her.

"Nurse Kobe," the woman addressed him coldly, "May I ask what relation you have with this girl?"

Kobe stopped in front of her and laid a hand on Azula's shoulder.

"Hardly any," he said, "Nurse Kala was asked to accompany Dr. Lin while he was away. I am simply filling in for her."

The woman crossed her arms and frowned.

"So she is in your charge," she said, clucking her tongue. "You're responsible for her nightly wandering."

"Actually," Kobe said, not looking worried at all, "She suffers from memory loss. She probably doesn't remember that I was taking her to change her bandages."

He pointed to Azula's wrists, which Kala had insisted on bandaging since the day she had been force-fed by the doctor. They were almost healed, but Kala was insisting on keeping them bandaged so they would not get infected. But even then, they did not need to be changed in the middle of the night. Azula knew Kobe was lying.

"She said she wanted to walk," the woman said.

Kobe laughed.

"She probably did!" he chuckled, "When she forgets something, she walks around until she remembers it. Don't you?" He directed his last comment at Azula.

Azula nodded silently. Perhaps Kobe was smarter than she had originally thought. He was certainly persuasive.

The woman did not seem convinced. She fixed Kobe with a nasty glare before opening her mouth to speak.

"I don't believe you," she said, "but I have better things to do. Return her to her room, and don't let me catch her wandering around again. Is that understood?"

Kobe nodded.

"Yes, it is," he said.

The woman turned her gaze upon Azula. Her eyes fixed on her face in such a way that Azula had a feeling that she was committing each of her features to memory. A cold, slippery feeling formed at the pit of her stomach, and Azula had the urge to run away. But she stayed rooted to the spot, not letting the woman have the better of her.

"And you, my little night walker," she said in a whisper, "Should start remembering names and faces. Mine is one you should not let slip from your mind so easily."

Azula felt her skin go cold. A chill ran down her spine at the woman's words, and she had a sick feeling that she would be meeting the woman again. She met her eyes once more, a bold move considering her eyes were so famous, but she didn't want the woman to feel her fear. Even so, she felt small and intimidated under her gaze, and she felt she had made herself another enemy.

Without another word, the woman turned on her heel and walked away. When she was gone, Kobe dropped his relaxed and confident façade and let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank the spirits," he said, wiping his face with his hand, "I thought she would never leave."

Azula, whose heart was still racing from the way the woman had looked at her, shared his relief.

"Who was that?" she managed to ask, looking up at Kobe curiously.

Kobe looked at her with raised eyebrows. Azula realized she had never spoken directly to him before. She had been around him several times when accompanied by Jet or Kala, but she had never bothered to say anything to him. And he probably still thought that she was refraining from speaking to anyone as the only person she had spoken to had been Jet.

"Well, it seems you've finally decided to speak," he said, "And to me of all people."

Azula shrugged.

"I simply asked a question," she muttered, wringing her hands. He didn't have to treat it like it was a miracle of some sort.

"Yes, I know," Kobe said, "And let me tell you, I prefer it much more to a kick in the shin."

Azula frowned in confusion before she remembered the first time she had met Kobe. It was the day she had first gone out into the garden, and he and the other nurses had held her back. She remembered the kick she had delivered in an attempt to break away from him.

"I'd say sorry, but I'm not," she said. "But it was nothing personal." She wasn't sorry. If anyone else had been holding her back from the outside, she would have kicked them in the leg as well.

Her statement seemed very funny to Kobe. His face screwed up into a ridiculous smiled, and he had to bury his face in the sleeve of his robes to muffle his laugh. Azula didn't understand, but there were a lot of things she didn't understand about the hospital.

"It is such a relief to know that your violent nature is not brought on by anyone in particular," he said sarcastically, still laughing. "I might be able to sleep easy now."

Azula still did not know why he found her statement so funny, but she did know that her question was still unanswered.

"Who was that?" she asked again, this time nodding in the direction that the woman had gone. "I've never seen her before."

Kobe's face turned grim. From his expression, Azula could tell she had been right when she had assumed the woman wasn't very likeable.

"A woman you don't want to mess with," he said. "Her name is Meri, and she's about as likeable as firetoads hiding in your shoes. I don't know of one person around here that likes her, not even Kala, and she likes everyone!"

"Is she a nurse?" Azula asked. She was afraid that if Kala left, the woman might end up as her replacement.

"Not really. 'Nurse' is her title, but she hates people. She spends her time sorting paperwork and taking care of notes and letters. If there's a message that needs delivering, she's the one that handles it. For some reason, though, she's in charge while Dr. Lin's away. I guess it's because she's as nosy as they come," he said. "She knows everything around here, unless you try to keep it hidden."

Azula put a hand on her chest where her gown was covering the shadow girl's gift. Would she try to take the necklace away if she knew about it? Suddenly, Azula was more protective of the little trinket.

"In any case," Kobe continued, "I hope Dr. Lin and Kala hurry up and get back. Everyone is on edge when she is in charge."

Azula frowned.

"You weren't lying about that?" she asked. She had thought it had been something he had said to get Meri to stop questioning him.

Kobe shook his head.

"No. I thought you knew. Dr. Lin and Kala left suddenly yesterday. No one knows why," he said.

Azula was silent. Why hadn't anyone told her Kala was leaving? She would have expected her nurse to mention something to her, and if she hadn't, she would have expected to hear it from Jet. She felt a pang of hurt, but she pushed it away. It was foolishness, all of it. So they left. So what? It wasn't like it changed anything.

Kobe sighed and shook his head.

"Well, you had better be heading back to your room before Meri comes back around. You don't want her to catch you," he said.

Azula nodded, but she groaned inwardly. She did not want to sit in her room and wait until the sun rose, until the faces came back to haunt her. She wished there was a way to get out into the garden before they came.

"I'm not going to sleep," she said, turning to face him, "Can't I just go out to the garden?"

Something odd happened then. The light, happy light that usually shone in Kobe's eyes flickered. If for a moment, his eyes widened, and Azula thought she saw something like fear creep into them. But if lasted so briefly that it was gone before she could confirm it with a second glance. But she knew she had seen it.

"No," Kobe said, his voice calm, "I mean, I would let you if I could, but with Meri lurking around, I don't think…"

"I'll make sure she doesn't see me," Azula sighed, "Being in this hospital doesn't suddenly make me a thunderous, clumsy dolt."

"Yes," Kobe said warily, "But I still don't want to take a risk. No patients are allowed out in the dark."

"But it won't be dark for long!"

"Then you don't have long to wait! It won't hurt you to wait until morning, will it?" he said.

Azula wanted to snap that it would, but she bit her tongue. For some reason, she didn't want to tell anyone about the faces. Even though they already knew about the voices and how she had lost her bending, she felt that she should be able to conquer something on her own. If she could rid herself of the faces, she felt she would be able to move forward.

"I suppose not," she muttered, lowering her eyes to the floor.

Kobe's face shifted back into its usual cheerful expression. Satisfied with her answer, he put a hand on her shoulder and started walking down the hall toward her room. Azula was tempted to slap his arm away, but in her mind she was forming a plan. If she wanted it to work, she would have to put up with the garrulous nurse a bit longer.

"That's the Azula I know," Kobe chattered aimlessly, "I must say, talking to you has been very enlightening. Why, I always thought you were constantly scheming. It seemed I was wrong, wasn't I? Perhaps I should listen to Kala more. But then again, that would be rather unlike me, wouldn't it? In any case…"

Azula bit her lip to keep from laughing. Oh, how little he actually knew about her.

…

As soon as Kobe had closed the door to her room, Azula pressed her ear against it, listening for the sound of his footsteps. When their echoes had vanished, she quietly opened the door and slipped back out into the hall. Eyes peeled for early-morning nurses making their rounds, she crept along the dark hall silently.

You're being especially daring today, aren't you, Azula? A part of her said to herself. The sun is not even up, and you're already looking for trouble.

Azula brushed off the voice, which was most definitely hers, and proceeded with a little more caution. She was looking for trouble, she knew, but she couldn't help but feel like it was something she had to do. Something to prove that she was more than just a prisoner in a little hospital room. So much of her had been questioned with the loss of her bending, the voices, the storm, and the faces. It was time she proved to herself that she wasn't lost completely.

She traveled along the halls with relative ease; in her night travels she had memorized most of what she had walked through. She decided that by this time that Kobe would be long gone; he would probably be running down to breakfast with the other nurses. Suddenly, she realized that it would be impossible to make it out to the garden without a nurse or other staff member. The door would be locked still, as it had been that night, and without a key, she would be trapped in the common room until someone came along and found her. She considered turning around and returning to her room, but she decided against it. It would be too risky to return now, with all the nurses waking up and checking on their patients. One would be bound to spot her.

So she was left with no choice but to continue forward. All the while, she thought frantically how she could make it outside before someone spotted her. If that woman, Meri, found her… Azula shivered at the thought. She just hoped that by some stroke of luck the doors would somehow be open.

Fortunately for her, she found that stroke of luck, or rather, nearly ran into it. So tangled up in her thoughts was she, Azula turned the corner without thinking about looking around it first. Heart jumping, she barely managed to stop herself before she ran headlong into Kobe.

What's he doing here? she thought as she ducked back around the corner. I thought he'd be gone by now!

But for whatever reason, Kobe was walking less than ten feet in front of her in the same direction that she was traveling. Taking a steadying breath, Azula pulled herself together and stepped out from around the corner. If she was right about him, he would be too occupied with his own thoughts to bother with looking behind him.

Not surprisingly, she was right. Kobe never bothered to turn around to see if anyone was following him. With her feet moving soundlessly across the floor, Azula began to think that following the nurse was almost too easy. He always took the time to look around corners before turning, but he never so much as glanced over his shoulder.

His skills of persuasion may be good, she thought, but he would never make a decent spy or assassin. He's as dense as they come.

What puzzled her about Kobe, besides his lack of common sense, was that he seemed nervous. He held himself in such a way that made her think that he was expecting an attack. But the fact that he never looked behind him made her wonder if he really was nervous. Perhaps he was overly confident. Perhaps he was trying to act natural. Either way, the more she thought about it, the more puzzling Kobe became. After a while, she found she was following him more to see where he was going than to get out into the garden.

When they reached the main room, she was almost surprised when she saw him reach for the door leading to the garden. Almost. She had figured after several turns that he was heading for the main room, and remembering his panicky reaction when she had asked to go out into the garden earlier, she had surmised that the garden was a probable destination. But she was still puzzled as to why he would go out to the garden before the sun was up.

Perhaps there's more to him than he lets on, she thought as she watched Kobe pull a key from his pocket. Peering around the corner, she didn't move until Kobe had unlocked the door and had slipped outside. Only then did she quickly cross the room, alert for anyone that could be watching her. Seeing no one, she opened the door and slipped outside after Kobe.

The early morning air was cool and brisk, and the grass was crowned with dew that soaked the hem of her hospital gown. Her skin prickling from the cold, Azula wrapped her arms across her chest and looked for Kobe. The garden seemed vast, but it was unlikely that he could have vanished in such short a time. However, there was no sign of the nurse she had been following. For a short while, she walked the nearby pathways to see if she could find him but to no avail. Kobe was gone.

"He couldn't have just vanished," she said to herself, frowning in confusion, "He has to be here somewhere." But if he was there, she couldn't find him.

She would have spent longer if she could have, but the day was growing fast, judging by the light growing fast in the east. If she wanted to make it to the pond before the faces found her, she would have to head toward it now before it was too late. Casting one last look around her, she lifted the dew-soaked edge of her gown and started walking down the path that would take her to the pond.

…

In the early morning glow of the nearing dawn, Jet suppressed a yawn. Stretching his stiff arms, he made his way toward the turtleduck pond. Once again, he thanked his lucky stars that Azula had taken to sleeping through the night. He couldn't imagine getting up any earlier.

Taking the back way to the pond so he wouldn't be seen, he rubbed his eyes and fought to hold off another yawn. These early morning days would be the death of him, he was sure. But he was unsure how else to beat Azula to the pond. She usually woke before the rest of the patients and rarely ate breakfast. Despite Kala's lecturing, Jet had stopped bringing it to her room because she was rarely there. He would bring dinner, but she was rarely awake by the time he stopped by.

That was why he hadn't bothered to wait for her answer when he had knocked the door the night before. The conversation they had had still ran through his mind. He still couldn't believe she had actually spoken to him. What he had thought would be an impossible challenge had turned out to be a rather simple endeavor. However, he still didn't quite understand how it had happened, or all of what Azula had said.

"I'm the Princess of the Firenation! I've destroyed hundreds of lives. I've manipulated everyone I've ever met. I've helped this war take its toll on all of the nations. I'm the most hated person in the world, except for maybe my father. And yet you cannot see that. That is very curious… very curious indeed."

The memory of her laughing while she spoke of herself in such a serious way still sent shivers down his spine. Did she not realize what her words meant? Or was she just too far gone still to understand it? Jet found he could not disagree with her words. She had destroyed hundreds of lives. She had manipulated numerous people. She had driven the war forward alongside her father. And yes, he knew just how hated she was.

But could he see it? Until that moment, he thought he had. He thought everyone could. But why did she have to point it out to him in order for him to realize it? He of all people should have known it in an instant, but he had looked past it.

"You're losing it," he told himself, "You're losing it like her."

The turtleduck pond soon came into view. As he neared it, he stretched out his stiff arms again, trying to rub out the soreness that had developed over the last several days. It seemed not climbing trees in so long had left him prone to stiffness. It was another grim reminder of how long it had been since he had been home, if the society in the trees had really been his home.

Of course it had been, he told himself every time he doubted it. The system of tree houses had been the closest thing he had ever had to a home. He had only to close his eyes to feel the forest breeze, to hear the leaves rustling, to hear his friends' laughter. He could see the complex system they had managed to build, the wooden buildings hidden from the world among the trees. He missed it, but he could not deny there had been something missing. There had never been anyone like Kala there. Or Kobe. Or Az… There was just something missing. But he still would return if he could. He was sure of it.

He ducked under the magnolia tree's low branches laden with flowers and made his way toward the tree's trunk. He rolled his shoulders out once more and reached up to grab one of the lower branches to pull himself into the tree.

Another day in a tree, here I come, he thought tiredly.

"What are you doing?"

Jet froze. No, it was too early. She couldn't be up yet. Patients couldn't get out into the garden before the sun was up. He could feel his heart pounding like a drum in his chest. Something told him this was not good.

Slowly, he turned around, swallowing the lump in his throat as he did. As the sight of Azula's face, frozen in disbelief, slid into his view, he felt his stomach turn. No, this was not good.

"What are you doing?" Azula asked again, her voice little more than a whisper.

Jet opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Azula's gold eyes searched his face questionably as if she were looking for some explanation he could not supply. Her mouth in a grim frown, she narrowed her eyes and shook her head.

"You were watching me," she said quietly, her words heavy with certainty.

"No, no! I…" Jet started.

"It was you!" she cut him off, stepping back from him in disbelief. "Yesterday, when I was here. You were spying on me!"

Jet held up his hands and shook his head frantically.

"No! It wasn't spying!" he insisted, taking a step toward her. "I was…"

"You liar!" she spat, pushing him away with a forceful shove. "I can't believe this! You act like I'm a real person, but then you watch me like I'm an animal on show at a circus!" She looked away as her face twisted into an expression of shock and hurt, and she pulled at her hair with her hands. "You were spying on me. You were spying on me."

Jet stepped toward her again, his heart beating in his throat. Things were falling apart so fast; he could hardly tell how to hold them together. Swallowing, he placed a careful hand on her arm.

"Azula, please. I was only looking out for you. Ever since you woke up…"

"That long?" she exclaimed, "You've been watching me for that long?"

"No, I…"
"Don't lie to me!" she yelled, throwing his hand off her arm, "Don't bother me with your words! You may think I'm lost, and I probably am, but I know a lie when I hear one!" She turned her back on him and held her head in her hands. Breathing rapidly, she bent her head down toward the pond, staring at the surface of the water. "And so the sun rises…" she murmured.

Jet looked up. Through the pink petals of the magnolia blossoms, he could see the first rays of daybreak shining down on them. Turning back to Azula, he shook his head.

"I didn't lie," he said, "I told you what I was doing."

Azula snapped up and turned to him, her teeth bared in an outraged look of hatred.

"Yes, you told me what you were doing!" she yelled, approaching him until she was inches away from his face, "You admitted that you are just like everyone else! Everyone else! And you don't even have the grace to act ashamed!"

Jet felt his blood start to boil.

"Ashamed?" he said, scowling in anger, "For what reason should I be ashamed? For all I'm concerned, I have done the honorable thing by watching over you! Taking care of you! Helping you! Trusting you! And you have the nerve to call me shameful!"

"I do!" she retorted, "If my nerve is all I have left, then so be it! I will tell you what reason there is to be ashamed! I trusted no one, no one, except you! And you turned around and betrayed that trust!"

"As if you are one to talk of betrayal!" Jet snapped back. "The infamous prodigy of the Firenation! The snake that poisoned the four nations at her father's will and never showed pity on anyone! You are the betrayer! Your bloodline is what betrayed the world!"

"You know nothing of my bloodline!"

"I know that because of it, my parents are dead!" he roared, "Because of your line of Firenation nobility, my parents were murdered when I was no more than a kid! I lost everything because of your family! Everything! But you wouldn't know what that means, would you, Princess? You have never known loss or want, have you?"

Azula retaliated with shove to his chest, sending him flying to the ground. When he pushed himself back up, she was inches away from his face, her wild eyes glowing like molten rock. If looks could kill, he knew he would be dead.

"You know nothing of me!" she said in a deathly whisper. "You know nothing of my life. You know nothing of who I am. You know nothing. Absolutely nothing."

"I know a snake when I see one."

"Then you must see one each time you look in the mirror!" she screamed.

Grabbing him by the collar of his shirt, she yanked him forward and at the same time, twisted her foot around his ankle. Jet went flying to the ground, landing with a thud on his knees. Scowling, he rolled back over to yell another response when Azula started to laugh.

Yes, laugh. The girl started to laugh like a madwoman, the cackle cold and shrill. It silenced all the thoughts and angry retorts he had stored in his head, so chilling was its sound. He had never heard anything so wild, so frightening. It made him realize his temper had gotten the better of him.

"I suppose I am the fool!" she shrieked, "I am the fool for letting my walls slide! I let down my defenses, my caution, my instincts! Trust is for fools! And I have become the biggest fool of all for ignoring my own wisdom!"

Another cackle overtook her with shaking ferocity. Jet backed up, his heart beating fast in his chest. What had he done? Weeks of patience and effort had suddenly vanished before his eyes as he watched the change come over the girl in front of him. All for what? His pride? He shook his head. No, this couldn't be happening.

"I am a fool!" she laughed mirthfully. "An ignorant, blind fool! Oh, what an existence, that of a fool!" She turned and stepped back toward the pond. Bending down, she regarded her reflection with a crooked grin. "I could perhaps even look the part," she said softly, touching the surface of the pond with her finger.

Suddenly, as her finger broke the surface, she let out a ferocious snarl.

"No!" she growled, snatching her hand away as if the water had burned her, "This is not true! Stop your cries! Silence! I command you! Bother me no more!" Her teeth gnashed together in a grimace; she clawed at her gown with trembling hands.

This Azula was more frightening than any he had seen before in her. The skin on the back of his neck prickled as he listened to her angry voice. Jet forced himself to his feet, his breath catching in his throat. A curtain of black hair cast shadows on her pale face. Her arms twitched as she duck her nails into the fabric of her hospital gown; he could see red spots from where they had torn through and pierced her skin.

Do something! a voice inside of him screamed.

But what could he do? If he touched her, she would attack him. If he let her be, she would fall farther into her fearsome rage. To her, he was no more than any other nurse.

"I wish for silence!" Azula howled, her snarls turning into rough cries of despair. "I wish to be alone!" She dropped to her knees, cradling her head in her hands. Her cries were loud enough to echo across the garden; someone would notice soon.

Jet stepped forward, desperate to silence her cries, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Please, Azula!" he said in a voice that was close to pleading, "They will hear you!"

His efforts were in vain. With an angry scream, Azula whipped around and leapt at him. He staggered back to avoid her, but in doing so he tripped and fell to the ground. She stood above him, her teeth bared in a vicious grimace.

"They should!" she spat, "I hear them every day!" Taking a step toward him, she leaned down and searched him with her burning eyes. "You can ignore them! Their voices have no effect on you! Their sounds don't fall on your ears! Their features don't haunt your eyes!"

Jet scrambled backward as she took another step toward him. His mind raced as it tried to comprehend what she was saying. What was she talking about? The nurses? The doctors?

"What haunts you?" he cried.

Azula wailed in response.

"All of them!" she groaned, "Each and every one of them!"

Jet knew then that something had gone terribly wrong. She was seeing something he couldn't, and if she refused to talk to him coherently, he would never be able to help her.

Azula took a shaky breath, and then suddenly, tears began to spill from her eyes. Astonished by the shift in emotion, he sat frozen on the ground, helpless like Azula. It occurred to him then that they were similar in that neither of them could control the world around them. They were at the mercy of the events unfolding in front of them, and neither of them could stop the pull of the current that dragged them along a dangerous river. The thought fascinated him, and it also frightened him.

The air stood still as a heavy silence descended upon them. The only sounds that could be heard were the wind moving through the trees and the uneven breaths of Azula. It must have lasted only seconds, but to Jet the silence seemed to stretch on for an eternity. For all the screams and rants and tormenting cries, this silence was perhaps the most disconcerting moment he had endured with Azula. It was the calm before the storm, the pause before the unthinkable. The tension grew in the air as Azula opened her mouth and drew in a shaky breath. Jet held his own, as if he were about to submerge below water.

"And it is a face I do not know that stares back at me," she murmured, her eyes bright from tears. "As it all falls around me, this is the one who haunts me most."

She extended a hand in front of her, reaching for something he could not see. Holding his breath, Jet watched her, afraid to move, afraid to speak. Her bottom lip trembled, and a sorrowful moan escaped her. Her face contorted in grief, as she watched whatever was in front of her, her eyes seeing nothing else.

"If you could see her, you'd be amazed," she choked. "Amazed at how similar we are. So similar. She has my eyes, my hair, my lips. She has my features, all of them. We could be the same, perhaps."

A strange smile lifted the corners of her mouth as she let out a sound that could have been a laugh or a sob. She traced the features of an invisible face with her hand, a sort of amusement shining in her eyes. For a short moment she seemed pleased, but soon the smile faded and so did the light from her eyes. Her hand fell to her side, and she squeezed her eyes shut.

"But I do not know her!" she cried, "For all the similarities, we are different! In my eyes she is a stranger, a ghost! I could remember her if I tried, but I am too afraid to try! And that is how we differ. I am afraid, and she is not." She shook her head. "I know her name, for it is my own, but she is perfect and cruel. I do not know which of us belongs to the name. Which one of us can claim it as our own? We cannot both be Azula. We are too different."

She sees herself! Jet realized. She sees an image of herself! But she does not recognize it! He found he could not tear his eyes from the girl standing in front of him. What he would give to see in her mind… But then again, perhaps he wouldn't give anything. Perhaps some things were best left unseen.

"If one of us is Azula and the other is not," she continued to murmur, "Then which am I? Am I Azula? Or am I something else?" Her eyes squeezed shut, and she pressed the heels of her palms against her forehead. "That is what I don't know! I do not know who I am!"

This revelation sent her falling to her knees, and a muffled sob wrestled its way from her throat. For minutes she stayed like that, oblivious to everything around her. Jet could only watch in sadness.

Suddenly, she sat up and looked straight at him. Her eyes piercing him, she gritted her teeth and stood.

"I am not what you think I am," she whispered, "I am not the monster you think I am!"

Jet found his voice.

"I do not think you are a monster," he said without looking away from her eyes.

Azula screwed her face up into a grimace and bent down close to his face.

"Liar," she hissed.

And with that, she turned and ran, leaving him under the magnolia tree.

...

Azula had no idea where else to go. She ran to her room.

As soon as she threw herself into the room, she regretted it. It was too small, too close. The faces that overwhelmed her mind were even worse within the walls of her room. Their voices echoed within the space, as if they were actually before her.

"None of you are real!" she shouted, clapping her hands over her ears, "None of you exist! You are only figments of my mind!"

She pressed herself into a corner and slid down to the ground, curling herself into a ball. She knew they weren't real. She knew it. She knew that it was impossible for them to be there, and she knew only she could hear their voices. She knew it was her mind and her mind alone that was creating the images she saw. But even if they weren't real, their message was.

Monster.

For all their differences, all the individualities that could be found within their visages, this word was one they could say in unison. They whispered it; they shouted it; they whispered it in her ear. There was nothing she could do to stop them. She could only watch and listen.

"I am… not," she managed to say.

A cold, clear laugh pierced through her mind. She recognized it at once, for it had once been her own. Removing her hands from her ears, she looked up at the figure before her. Figure. Person. No longer was it just a face. Suddenly, her blood ran cold, and she felt a tremor run up her spine as she stared into eyes that were just like her own.

"Never had I ever expected to see myself fall so far," the other Azula said, standing over her. She cocked her head to one side and looked at her curiously, as if it were a rather amusing spectacle she was witnessing. "How interesting."

It was looking into a mirror and seeing what she had once been. This Azula had on the Firenation armor she had once worn. Her hair was drawn up into a perfect topknot with the bangs hanging perfectly in front of her face. Her lips were red, her skin was pale, and her eyes were a bright gold.

"Who are you?" Azula said, trying to keep her voice from shaking, "And why do you come in my shape?"

The other Azula laughed.

"Your shape? Your shape? Now, don't be ridiculous! We hardly have anything in common, other than a name and a heritage. But other than that, I find it difficult to trace a similarity between us," she said, inspecting her pointed nails.

"I see many similarities."

"Do you?" The other Azula looked up at her in interest. "That's very strange. Then they must be very small, for I only see a cowering, weak girl hiding in the corner." She fixed her eyes on her with a smirk, as if she were challenging her to deny what she had just said.

Azula scowled and pushed herself to her feet. This was a battle she could not afford to lose.

"What do you want from me?" she snarled, not looking away from the other Azula's eyes, "What purpose is there for me to see these faces? Why have you tormented me since the Agni Kai? Why…"

"The Agni Kai?" the other Azula cut in. "What torment did I give you then?"

Azula frowned in disgust. How dare she pretend to be ignorant!

"You know of what I speak! The voices! The endless cold laughs and cutting words! The ones that nearly made me kill myself!" she exclaimed, "You cannot pretend you don't know what I am talking about."

The other Azula sniffed.

"I can't," she said coldly, "But that was not my doing. I had nothing to do with them."

"I don't believe you," Azula snapped. She knew herself. She was too good of a liar to be trusted, and therefore she could not trust this other Azula.

"Of course you don't!" the other Azula laughed, "I know what you are thinking! You think that I am you, and therefore, I can't be trusted, because you cannot trust yourself! But for once, it is truth that spills from my lips. Despite what they say, we do not always lie, you and I." She fixed her with a sly grin, one that sent a shiver through her.

"Fine," Azula said, forcing herself not to break eye contact, "Then why have you sent these faces to me? What purpose do they serve?"
The other Azula sighed and rolled her eyes, acting like what Azula had just said was very childish and boring.

"I can't say I am proud of you," she said, walking around the room, "Losing the Agni Kai was bad enough, but then you were foolish enough to listen to a spirit? Really, now, we both know that nonsense isn't real."

"Neither are you," Azula said in an even voice. She followed the other Azula with narrowed eyes, challenging her to deny it.

"Am I?" Golden eyes fixed on her again. "Then why do you act as if I am about to attack you?"

Azula scowled but said nothing.

The other Azula shrugged and continued to walk.

"In any case, it has become apparent to me in the past few weeks that there is a danger. A danger of losing what you are. What I am. In order to prevent this from happening, I took it upon myself to remind you what you are. What we are," she said.

"You mean to say you took it upon yourself to save yourself despite what pain it might put me through," Azula spat, "You have no care for others. You care only about your own survival."

The other Azula stopped and turned. A smirk played on her lips as she looked at her. Azula involuntarily wrapped her arms around her. The air had suddenly gone cold around her, and she felt the skin on the back of her neck begin to prickle.

"You know yourself well," the other Azula said, taking a step toward her, "And therefore, you know me well. I care only about myself, and since you and I are the same, I am forced to care about you."

"I hold the key to your survival then," Azula said. In a way, it made sense. Whether this manifestation of her was real or not, they were linked. In order for the old Azula, the one that stood in front of her, to survive, she would have to destroy the new Azula. Neither of them could live while the other still existed.

"Precisely," the other Azula said, "It has been my goal these past few weeks to remind you of what you are and to prevent you from becoming the very thing that you are becoming now. It would not have done to show myself to you at first. You would have been even more stubborn than you are now. Instead, I decided to show you faces, faces that would remind you of what we are."

"And what is that exactly?"

The other Azula grinned.

"A monster."

Of course. What else would they be? All this time she had known what she was, what they were. It was nothing new. But to hear that she was a monster from herself, it was something else.

The other Azula laughed.

"It's hard to deny when you hear it from yourself, isn't it?" she said. "When you know what you are, you cannot say it isn't so."

Yes, it was hard to deny. She had admitted to herself that she was a monster once. She remembered the day before she had met Jet, the day she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She remembered the straggly hair, the wild eyes. She remembered the monster she had seen in the mirror.

But as the image she had seen on that day flashed before her eyes, she could not help but see a difference between that monster and the monster that stood before her. The one that stood before her was cold and unfeeling. The one in the mirror had seemed lost and in pain.

Two different monsters. Was she one of them? She couldn't seem to identify herself with either one of them, for each held more differences than they did similarities. Yes, the shape of the face and the color of the eyes were the same, but there was more to it than physical attributes.

She was startled from her thoughts by the other Azula, who screamed aloud in anger.

"You fool!" she screamed, bringing her face very close to hers, "Why would you bring her here?"

"Who?" Azula asked.

"Her!" the other Azula snapped, pointing to a corner across the room.

There, sitting in the chair, was another figure. Playing with the frayed fabric of her hospital gown, the girl sat hunched like an old woman. Her wild hair matted hair hid her face, but Azula knew who it was.

"I will not compete with another!" other Azula exclaimed, scowling in disgust at the girl in the corner. "I will not compete with this monster!"

"She is not such a monster as you!" cried Azula, pushing around her, "She's lost! Can't you take pity on her?" She walked toward the lost Azula, stopping a few feet away from her chair. The girl didn't even look up at her. She merely continued to pick at the threads in the fabric and mumble to herself.

"Loose ends," she murmured, "Loose ends all unraveling."

Azula knelt so she could look up into the lost Azula's face. Hesitantly, she extended a hand toward one of the girl's. They were dry and bony, almost looking like they were meant for the grave. But before she could touch her, the girl snatched her hand away and looked at Azula with fierce, wild eyes. The shadows in her face made her look wraith-like and terrifying.

"She does not want your kindness," the other Azula said, "She wants to die."

Azula turned and scowled at her.

"And you would let her?" She stood up and clenched her fists at her side in anger.

"Certainly!" she said. She stepped up next to the chair and eyed the girl in disgust. "If she lives, I die, and if I live, she dies."

"And where do I come in?" Azula exclaimed, "This is all in my mind! Why don't I have a choice?"

"You do," the other Azula said, "But there is only one reasonable one."

Azula knew what she was going to say. Taking a deep breath, she squeezed her eyes shut and turned away. Her head hurt something horrible, and things only seemed to get worse by the minute. She had to choose. If she chose to become the other Azula, she would become what she was before the Agni Kai. She would be unstoppable and ruthless. She could regain her firebending and perhaps escape from this place. If she chose to become the lost Azula, she would fall back into the darkness she had so long tried to escape. The choice did seem obvious, but something felt wrong about it.

"Why should I become what you are?" she said, "Why should I go back?"

The other Azula snarled.

"Why would you ask such a thing!" she roared, "You are the Princess of the Firenation! You cannot deny what you are!"
"I don't want to be you!" Azula shouted back, "I do not want to be a monster like you!"

"You are a monster!" the other Azula cried, "You are the daughter of Firelord Ozai! You have aided him in the destruction of the other three nations! You cannot pretend you are something else! You are Azula! You are a monster!"

"I am not!"

"You are!" the other Azula screamed, "Look in the mirror! See with your own eyes!"

She pointed to the mirror on the wall, and Azula couldn't help but look. Unlike the last time she had looked into the mirror, the person that looked back at her did not look like a wild animal driven mad from imprisonment. This time, her skin was pale and even. Her hair was smooth and long, except the two sections that hadn't quite grown out. There were no longer shadows under her eyes, and her eyes were bright.

"You are more similar to me now than you have been in several months, though you are still a coward," the other Azula said, "It is time for you to accept it and become again what you were born to be!"

What she was born to be… The memory of her mother at her birth popped into her head. She could see her face, her loving face as she smiled at her newborn child. She had not thought her a monster then, would she now?

The other Azula's face screwed up in disgust.

"No!" she cried, "That woman abandoned you! Left you! She couldn't stand you! You were a monster in her eyes!"

Azula shook her head.

"Not always," she said.

The other Azula laughed.

"You think one spirit's trick is enough to change the truth?" she sneered, "Mother hated you! She feared you! She thought you were a monster! And she was right!"

"No…"
"Yes!" she said with a cruel laugh, "And you…"
A knock on the door cut her short. Azula's head snapped around, and to her horror, she realized she had not shut the door. There, standing in the doorframe, was Jet. Between the two Azulas and him, she did not know which she would rather face.

They stared at each other for a long moment, neither willing to be the first one to speak. She tried to read his face, but as usual, she was met by an immovable mask.

"Who were you talking to?" he asked quietly at last.

Azula scowled and turned away.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Not long."

"Liar," she snapped. She looked up at the mirror in front of her. She could see his face behind her reflection. His spying, lying face. Suddenly, she couldn't stand to look at him, even in a mirror. She busied herself with her hair, drawing it up into a topknot, holding it in place where she would put a ribbon. It looked perfect, except for the two uneven strands hanging in front.

"What a shame. You always had such beautiful hair."

Azula's breath caught in her throat. She dropped her hair and stared at the figure that entered the room beside Jet.

"What are you doing here?" she breathed, her voice shaking. No, not now. Not again.

"What do you mean, what am I doing here?" Jet said, "I'm here because…"

But his words were lost to her as her mother opened her mouth to speak.

"I didn't want to miss my own daughter's coronation."

Azula's breath came in quick, shallow rasps. It was like she had gone back in time to the night she failed, where all of this had started.

"Are you even listening to me?" Jet said with a frown, "You are stubborn, I will give you that!"

"Don't pretend to act proud!" Azula shouted, "I know what you really think of me! You think I'm a monster!" She wasn't sure who she was talking to anymore. There were two people in the mirror behind her. Were they both real? She wasn't sure of anything anymore.

"I think you're confused," two voices said in unison.

"All your life you used fear to control people, like your friends Mai and Ty Lee," her mother said.

"We are different, Azula," Jet said, "And there is no mending those differences. But we have to look beyond them, as much as I hate to admit it. I made a promise, and I mean to keep that promise. Trust me."

Blinking furiously to clear the blurriness that came into her eyes, Azula bit her trembling lip. She didn't understand. Why was she seeing this? There was no reprieve from the onslaught of tortures she faced. Voices, dreams, faces, memories, they all haunted her endlessly.

"But what choice do I have?" she choked, wiping her eyes, "Trust is for fools!" She bit off a sob and looked into the mirror again. "Even you fear me."

Where were these words coming from? They fell from her lips without any thought. It was as if her mouth worked on its own. She bit her lip and covered her ears, trying to escape this living memory.

"No," Jet and her mother said together.

Azula trembled. She knew what words were coming next.

"I love you, Azula," her mother said.

In the mirror, Jet walked into the room until he stood behind her. Her mother followed him, standing to the left as Jet stood to the right. A sorrowful smile graced her lips. A strange longing came over Azula, a longing to turn around and look at her mother, to see that she was real. But she knew she wasn't. She knew she was like the other faces and figures her mind had conjured.

"I want to help you, Azula," Jet said, "I do."

"I do," her mother whispered.

It was too much. Letting out a blood-curdling scream, Azula drew back her fist and punched the mirror without her might. She felt a biting pain as the glass sliced into her hand, red blood seeping from the cuts as the glass fell.

"Azula!" Jet screamed.

Azula clutched her bleeding hand and stared at the shining shards of glass on the floor. The only face that stared at her now was hers. Her mother was gone.

She was hardly aware of Jet grabbing her by the shoulders and turning her around. He was saying something to her, something important maybe. He grabbed her hand and shook his head, murmuring something that escaped her. She snatched her hand back and pushed him away. She didn't care about him.

"I want to be alone," she heard herself say.

Jet said something to her, but his words didn't make any sense.

"I want to be alone!" she shouted, turning around to face him, "Can't you just leave me alone!"

They stood staring at each other for several seconds, faces inches apart. Perhaps she could read his face, just this once. She could see a flicker of something in his eyes. What was it? Surprise? Anger? Sadness? Oh, what did it matter? He cared about her just as much as she cared about him: very little to none.

Then he turned and walked away and was gone, leaving Azula to ponder alone just like she wanted. And never before had she ever felt so alone.

…

A few hours before sunset, a young, stick-thin nurse came in with a broom to sweep up the glass. Azula, still standing where she had been that morning, looked up at her briefly when she knocked on the door. She gave a slight nod, and the woman came in, swept up the shards, and left. Azula hadn't bothered to show her the cuts on her hand. If she had, the nurse might have noticed the larger shard of glass she had kept for herself.

She didn't know why she had picked up the shard, but the more she looked at it, the more she became attached to it. Its edges were as sharp as a knife, but its surface was smooth and cool. She held it gingerly in her hand so not to cut herself and turned it this way and that to see how the light bounced off of it. It reminded her in a way of the knife Mai had given her in the storm, though it was far from the craftsmanship Mai's knife had.

Eventually, she realized that the room had been silent for several hours. No faces or voices bothered her. It was a lonely sort of peace that was upon her, and in an odd way, it disturbed her. Perhaps it was the room. Prisoners rarely found peace in their cells.

Wandering down to her spot under the magnolia tree, she watched the sun drift across the sky. How many times would she watch the sun set from the hospital? Would she ever see it somewhere beyond its walls? Or was she to remain there for the rest of her life? They were questions she could not answer.

Sitting next to the pond, she gazed at her reflection, troubled by what she saw. No matter how she looked at it, she still saw the other Azula staring back at her. Though she tried to focus on the uneven strands of hair hanging on either side of her face, she saw more similarities than she did differences.

Isn't that funny? she thought to herself, Just this morning I was trying to prove to her how similar we were. Now I'm trying to pick out the differences.

But why was she trying so hard anyway? Why did she want so bad not to be like the other Azula? She had been her at one time not so long ago. Why was she so adamant not to become what she had already been? Staring at the face in the water, she realized she could not answer these questions either.

Then her gaze fell to the shard in her lap. In its gleaming surface, she could only see a portion of her reflection. She could not see the full length of her hair, just a short portion of it. For a moment, she didn't recognize herself. And then she realized that was exactly what she had been looking for.

Taking the shard, she watched her reflection in the water carefully as she took a section of hair in her hand. Then bringing the shard neck to it, she cut it. The black hair fell to her lap, and she moved on to the next section of hair. Soon, she was surrounded by strands of silky black hair, and the hair on her head fell only to her shoulders. The girl that looked back at her from the pond's surface was one that was different from the other Azula. Considerably different.

"You see?" she told the surface of the pond, "I'm not like you! I'm not like you at all! And I will never be like you again!" She let out a large sigh, partly from relief and partly from exhaustion. She had been up for almost two days. Maybe it was the lack of sleep that had caused her to see such strange things today.

The surface shimmered for a moment, and Azula thought she saw another face, the face of the other Azula, glaring back at her in disgust. Then the water rippled again, and the face was gone. A strange feeling of serenity washed over her, like a cool breeze in the summer. Could this be the end? Were the faces gone for good? Like the questions she asked before, Azula could not answer them, but for now, she felt no need to.

"Ah, there you are."

Azula looked up to see Kobe walking toward the pond. In his hand was a length of bandage and a small jar. He didn't look angry or upset, but he did not look as cheerful as he usually did.

"May I join you?" he asked, "Or would you prefer me to stand here and pretend I'm not here? I can't let you stay out here alone after sunset."

Azula sighed. Of course she couldn't have sat alone forever. There was always someone poking around. She should have known someone would show up soon.

"Did Jet send you?" she asked looking back at the pond. The excitement she had felt a few moments ago seemed to have vanished with Kobe's arrival.

Kobe shook his head.

"No," he said, "I only came to fix your hand. The nurse that swept up the glass in your room said that she noticed you were holding your hand away from her. I figured you must have cut yourself."

"So Jet told you nothing."

"No, he told me what happened, but not willingly. Believe it or not, I actually had to wrestle the truth of your… encounter from him. He's about as stubborn as you. I finally told him that if he didn't tell me what happened with you, I would tell Meri that he was fooling around in the kitchen."

"That awful woman upsets everyone, doesn't she?" Azula said, looking back up at him. "I suppose you can stay."

"Thank you," Kobe said with a smile, "It would be hard to fix your hand if I had to hide behind a tree."

Azula snorted as he sat down next to her.

"At least you're not in one," she said, giving him her hand, "And at least I know you're here."

"Yes, I've heard Jet's taken to tree climbing again," Kobe said, examining her hand, "He has some strange fetish for heights. He used to live in a tree, he told me. He used to swing about from limb to limb with these hooks of his. When he first told me about all of this, I told him he was a fool, and a crazy fool at that."

"He is a fool," Azula agreed as Kobe started to rub ointment from the jar onto her hand, "And not just because he climbs trees."

Kobe snorted.

"I'd agree with you, but unfortunately, he's rather clever at times," he said with a grimace.

Azula scowled. Just because he knew how to climb a tree and spy on someone didn't make Jet smart. She crossed her arms and looked away from Kobe.

"He's not that smart," she said tightly.

"I didn't say he was smart," Kobe said, trying to grab her hand again, "I said he was clever. He thinks too fast for me."

Azula didn't respond. She didn't want to say any kind words about him, nor did she want to hear them.

Kobe seemed to realize this.

"But the world doesn't revolve around that knucklehead," he said, taking her hand and wrapping it with a strip of bandage. "I see you've cut your hair."

"Yes," Azula said, hiding the shard on her lap, "I did."

"I would ask how, but I would then have to confiscate the item you cut it with," he said, eyeing her with a knowing gaze. "Would you care to tell me why you did it?"

Azula shrugged. How could she describe what reasons made her cut her hair? It was like trying to explain why she was in the hospital or why she lost her firebending. She just couldn't answer those questions with words.

"I needed… I needed to be different," she said simply. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either. She hoped Kobe wouldn't be so nosy as to pry into things.

Kobe nodded.

"I can understand that," he said, "And that is a very interesting necklace you have there."

Azula looked down. The necklace given to her by the shadow girl had somehow come out of her gown. Quickly, she grabbed it and tucked it back into its place.

"Does it symbolize anything?" Kobe asked as he tied the bandage around her hand into place.

Azula shrugged.

"Not that I know of. Someone gave it to me, but she didn't bother to explain it," she said.

Kobe shrugged.

"Well, maybe you can give it a meaning," he said. He reached into his own robes and pulled out a small wooden disk tied to a piece of leather cord. When he held it up for her to see, she could see the swirls carved into it.

"What is it?" Azula asked, watching the ring as it spun in the fading light.

"This," Kobe said, "is a piece of wood."

"I can see that," Azula said. "It doesn't look that special."

"But this piece of wood was taken from the tree that grows next to my home. It's something to remind me where I come from, to remind me who I am." He placed the necklace back under his robes. "In any case, it's a good thing to have."

Azula sighed.

"Mine…" she stopped, "I don't even know where it came from. And I'm not sure who I am."

"Well, you certainly have made a point of becoming someone different," Kobe said, gesturing to the hair lying on the ground.

Azula shrugged but didn't say anything.

"I think, Azula," Kobe said, "that you are something other than what everyone thinks you are. And I think Jet, for all his cleverness, has yet to realize that."

She frowned and looked at him. He smiled at her reassuringly and stood up.

"Well, it's getting late," he said, looking at the sun, "I'd say it's time for us to head back."

Azula stood and brushed the hair off her lap. It seemed weird to leave her hair scattered along the bank of the turtleduck pond. She stooped to pick it up, but Kobe stopped her.

"Ah, just leave it for the birds. They love that stuff for their nests. Besides, what will you do with it? If it's still there tomorrow, I'll have Jet pick it up."

"I don't want anything to do with him," she said, "I don't want him near here." She looked up at Kobe and fixed him with a meaningful look. "If you want what's best for him, you'll tell him not to come around me tomorrow or anytime in the future."

Kobe shrugged.

"I suppose I could arrange that," he said, walking back to the hospital. "But then you would have to deal with me every day instead of him. And I'm told I talk too much and think too little."

Azula snorted.

"At least you don't climb trees," she muttered.

…

In the next few days, she didn't so much as speak to Jet. When she passed him in the hall or in the garden, she simply looked the other way. He didn't seem to care, but it wasn't like she could tell what he was thinking behind that mask of a face.

She found herself waiting anxiously for Kala to return. On multiple occasions she had asked Kobe where she had gone, but Kobe seemed to know little more than she did.

"I'm sure she won't be gone too long," he told her one day when he brought her breakfast, "She's not one to stay away for too long, especially when Meri is running things."

Azula had seen the nurse on a few occasions after their initial meeting in the hallway, but Azula's new hairstyle helped her in more than one way, she discovered. She found that if she kept her head down slightly to hide her eyes, most people didn't recognize her. Meri was one of the many who simply glanced at her and went back to what she was doing. It seemed normal patients concerned her much less than the royal ones.

Since her old gown had been stained with blood from her hand, Kobe had seen to it that she get a new one. When he brought her the new gown, Azula had at first been unwilling to wear it. It was, unlike the other gowns she had worn, a deep, rich color, which was a nice difference from the usual pastels. But it was also green. Earth Kingdom green. She had tried to convince Kobe to give her a gown in red, but he shook his head.

"No, I can't do that. Kala made this one for you, and she didn't make one in red," he said.

Upon hearing that her nurse had taken the time to make something for her, Azula couldn't help but feel obligated to wear it. It was an odd feeling. She had never felt as if she owed anyone anything before, and she tried not to think about it. Instead she took the gown and wore it without complaint.

She stopped spending her days by the pond; there were too many strange memories of the faces there, and she had a feeling that Jet would be hanging around there. Since realizing that he could hide in trees, she had felt a certain amount of uneasiness each time she passed under a tree. This was foolishness, she knew, but eventually she avoided the garden altogether. Sometimes she missed spending her days under the magnolia tree, but she soon put it out of her mind. Instead, she spent her days inside the hospital, wandering around. With her new gown and hair, she was rarely bothered. Hardly anyone recognized her, and therefore, they weren't concerned.

Soon, Azula realized she had missed a lot of what had been going on around her. When she woke up before anyone else to go into the garden or stayed out late to explore, she missed most of the activity that went on in the hospital. It was a very busy place. Everywhere she looked, there were nurses running here and there, checking papers, carrying laundry, delivering meals, escorting patients. Perhaps it was the patients that fascinated her the most. Before she had paid little mind to the other people living in the hospital and now was amazed by how many there really were. She could spend a day sitting in the common room watching the people in there.

It wasn't long before some of them began to notice her, but few ever knew who she really was. Some would come up and sit beside her, saying that she looked lonely. Sometimes she managed a conversation with the person next to her, but often words seemed to escape her. She'd let the other person do most of the talking, or she would let the silence drift between them. Sometimes people left; sometimes they stayed. No matter what, though, there was always another person that would come along.

This was the way she met Thu. One day, sitting in the common room before beginning her normal wandering, she noticed a patient sitting across the room. Perhaps he wouldn't have stood out so much if it weren't for the fact that he was yelling at another patient who had beat him at Pai Sho.

"You cheater!" he exclaimed, "You no good, rotten, lying, empty-headed, son of a turnip! You cheated! You cheated!"

The young man he had been playing against stood up to argue with him, but soon a number of nurses rushed over to separate the fight. In the end, the first patient walked away, muttering promises of vengeance under his breath.

Azula could not help but find the scene funny. She let out a small laugh, and immediately the man's gaze snapped to her. Azula stopped laughing as he huffed and stomped over to her.

"Young lady," he said with a frown, "Things like this are not to be taken lightly!" He crossed his arms and leaned toward her. "If I can't play an honest game of Pai Sho, what am I to do with my time? Hmm?"

Azula said nothing. She looked down at her hands, letting her hair fall around her face so the man couldn't see her eyes. If he made such a deal out of a Pai Sho game, he was sure to say something if he recognized the Princess of the Firenation sitting in from of him.

"And furthermore," the man continued, "Situations like these force me to do unspeakable things, like stealing opponents' Pai Sho pieces, for example."

Azula looked up, and saw the man holding a handful of pieces in front of her. He grinned and dropped them in his pocket, giving her a wink. The young man who had won the game let out a yell from where he was standing across the room, and the man in front of her nodded.

"Yes, I believe it's time for me to relocate. Would you join me?" he said.

And just like that, Azula found herself acquainted with the hospital's oldest problem, Thu.

Thu was a strange sort of person, Azula found. Not only was he exceptionally old and grey, he was extremely sharp. Most of the time, he had a gleam in his eye that hinted that he was up to no good, but every time a nurse or doctor passed him, the gleam would disappear, and he would begin to act meek and docile. But despite this act, Azula still noticed the looks that some of the nurses gave him.

"They don't seem to trust you," she said to him as she walked alongside him. She had to slow her pace to stay beside him; Thu walked with a cane, and he did so at his own pace.

The old man laughed, tapping his cane on the floor.

"Oh, they don't," he said, "They're always on edge whenever I'm nearby. I can't understand why though. I'm just a gentle old man who only wants to live out his days in peace."

He grinned, and Azula knew that the man was far from peaceful.

"Oh, pardon me," he said suddenly, "Here I've been rambling all this time about me, and I don't even know who you are!" He sighed and rubbed his nearly-bald head which was spotted with age. "What is your name, dear girl? And why on earth are you allowing me to waste your time on a day like this?"

Oh no, Azula thought. She couldn't tell the man her name. If she did, he would most likely tell the whole world that the Princess of the Firenation was standing beside him, and she wasn't sure if he was a violent sort of person or not. A rap on the head from his cane would hurt more than a little bit, she thought.

Not knowing what else to say, she said the first name that popped into her head.

"Zara," she said, remembering the name the shadow girl had called her. "My name is Zara."

Thu nodded like he approved of the name.

"Zara," he repeated, "What a curious name. It's a lovely one, don't misunderstand me, but I don't believe I've heard it before. Oh, never mind, it's no big deal. Now, what about that second question I asked you? Why would you spend your time with an old man like me?"

Azula opened and closed her mouth several times before she came up with something to say.

"I don't have anyone else to walk with, sir," she said, "And pickpockets are best kept where you can see them."

At this, Thu laughed a long, wheezing laugh. He clapped her on the back with a withered old hand, surprising her with his strength.

"Ah, you are a smart one," he said, wiping tears from his eyes. "That's very good, Zara, very good. Never doubt those around you, no matter their age or appearances. Though you don't have much need for worry. Unless you decide to cross me, you have no need to fear for your pocket's contents."

"So you are a pickpocket then," Azula mused. "And you haven't gotten in trouble?"

"No," Thu said, "After they've learned their lesson, their things will miraculously appear. That man you saw today will probably find his Pai Sho pieces in his pocket in about a week. I have no need of the things of others."

If Azula hadn't thought Thu was crazy before, she certainly did now. A pickpocket who returned the things he had stolen? It was almost a laughable idea, but she didn't dare let Thu know this. She had decided it was best to stay on his good side.

…

Late one evening a few days later, Azula started awake from a scream. Sitting up in her bed, she froze, wondering if the scream was real or if it was just in her dream. It had sounded familiar, as if she had heard it before. She sat and listened for several minutes, but she heard nothing. Deciding it must have been a dream, she lay back down and closed her eyes.

Suddenly the scream rang out again, and this time Azula knew it wasn't a dream. She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Quietly, she crept across the room to the door. Was someone in trouble? Was someone hurt? She reached to open the door, but before she could, the door swung open on its own. She scowled to see Jet on the other side.

"What are you doing here?" she snapped, keeping her voice down to low whisper. "I thought you knew I didn't want anything to do with you."

"I do know that!" Jet retorted, glaring back at her. "I was just making sure you were okay."

"Of course I'm okay!" she said, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I heard a scream."

"Oh, so every time someone screams, it has to me, right?" she said sarcastically.

"No, but…"

"Both of you, stop your arguing and get inside!" someone said behind them.

Azula was suddenly pushed back into the room along with Jet, who almost tripped over her. Before she knew what was happening, she found herself on the floor, looking up at Kobe, who was shutting the door.

"Kobe, you moron!" Jet exclaimed, "What do you think you're…"

"Shh!" Kobe said, "Keep your voice down! You're not even supposed to be up here right now! Remember that little rule Meri imposed yesterday?"

Jet fell silent, but still glared at Kobe. Azula felt more confused than ever. Frowning, she got to her feet and brushed herself off.

"What rule?" she asked, moving closer to the door, "And why are both of you here?"

Jet scowled and crossed his arm, shooting her a look of venom.

"I'm here because I was doing a good deed," Jet spat, "But no good deed goes unpunished, does it?"

"Oh, shut it, Jet," Kobe hissed, pushing them both away from the door again. He then turned to Azula and sighed. "There's a rule that says only doctors, nurses or other officials can walk around at night. Everyone else has to stay in their rooms or else Meri will deal with them."

"She's just trying to get back at me for that time…"

"Again, Jet, would you please shut it?" Kobe said, turning on Jet again. Sighing, he shook his head. "Anyway, I think she's up to something. It's always been sort of a rule that patients don't wander around into places they're not supposed to be, but there's never been a real curfew like this."

New rules? Azula wondered if her run in with the woman the other day had brought on this change in policy. She wouldn't take all the blame, though. She was sure Jet had something to do with it, too.

"I still don't understand why you had to shove us in here," she said, crossing her arms.

"I wasn't going to, until I heard you two arguing from all the way down the hall!" he said, "Do you realize how much noise you make? In any case, I was heading this way because Meri's coming. She's escorting a new arrival, and…"

He was cut off by another scream, and this time the hair on Azula's arm stood on end. It suddenly occurred to her where she had heard the scream before. In the storm when she had entered the dungeon, a long scream had echoed down the corridor. She had always thought it had been from Mai or Ty Lee, but now she realized she had been wrong. Looking at Jet briefly, she frowned.

"This new arrival," she said quietly, "Is she…?"

"Crazy?" Kobe said, "Yes. I didn't see much of her, but she's a young girl by the looks of it. One of us lit a light so we could escort her to her room, and she went off. She's absolutely terrified of fire."

"Being terrified of something and being crazy are two different things," Azula pointed out.

"Yes, I know," Kobe agreed, "But trust me, she's crazy. She was mumbling all sorts of things when she got here. Another nurse told me she heard her talking to someone who wasn't there."

Azula felt Jet's eyes on her for a moment, and she frowned. She opened her mouth to speak, but Kobe waved his hand to silence her.

"Quick! Meri's coming!" he said, "Azula, get back into bed and pretend you're asleep! Jet, hide under the bed, and don't say a word!"

Jet and Azula looked at each other, but didn't say anything. Azula watched Jet slide under the bed silently before she climbed back under the covers. Then she squeezed her eyes shut. The thought of that horrible woman coming near her made her heart beat fast. She knew Kobe was still in the room, because she didn't hear the door open. For what seemed like an eternity, there was only silence. Then, another scream split the air, and Azula heard footsteps on the other side of the door.

"Put that candle out, you fool!" she heard someone say, probably a male nurse.

"I can't!" said a second, "I won't be able to see without it!"

"Well, she's going to wake the whole hospital if you don't!" the first said, "And we're right by Azula's room! You really want to wake her up?"

Azula felt a small, ridiculous bubble of laughter come from inside her. Yes, why would they want to wake her up? She suppressed the laugh and continued to listen, hoping to learn more about what was going on.

"No! But I don't want to be blind either!" the second nurse said.

"Gentlemen!" a woman's voice said, "Why are we delaying?"

Azula's blood ran cold. That was Meri; there was no mistaking it. She felt Jet squirm underneath the bed, and she realized he liked her just as much as she did.

"I'm sorry, Nurse Meri," the first nurse said, "But he won't put out the candle, which is making her scream like a demon."

As if to prove his point, another scream split the air.

"Hmm. So I see," she heard Meri say. She sounded unconcerned with the problem. "Well, we've all endured plenty of nights of screaming from our little fire princess, so I am sure this will be nothing."

Little fire princess, Azula thought. This little fire princess could have seen you ruined.

"Now, hurry up and get out of our way," Meri continued, "I have visitors that don't want to be bothered by new arrivals."

Visitors? Why would there be visitors this late at night? Azula dared to open an eye to look at Kobe, who looked as confused as she felt. At first she wondered if it was Zuko. He hadn't come by in several weeks, which she had thought strange. He wasn't one to give up that easily on lost causes. Then she heard Meri speak, and she knew it wasn't Zuko she was talking to.

"You two gentlemen want to see the Firenation's Princess?" she said, her voice cold.

"Yes, we have business pertaining to her," she heard a man say.

Azula's heart beat fast. What sort of business would they have with her? The war was over. There was nothing more that could be done to her. She was locked inside a hospital with as much power as a servant. What could they want with her?

"Business?" Meri said, "I didn't know the Firelord's council approved of such late business calls. May I ask why you have need of the girl at this hour?"

"We are not the Firelord's council," another man said, "We are Firenation officials, and that is all you need to know."

"Yes, yes, that's very nice," Meri said in a voice that made Azula think she was rolling her eyes. "But really, I cannot allow you to see a patient without proper cause."

Azula had been raised in the midst of politics where deals and bargains were made all the time and where everyone always fought to know the most knowledge. She knew exactly what Meri was doing. She would only keep the visitors out only as long as they withheld their information. If they wanted in, they would have to tell her.

As much as she wanted to know why they wanted her, Azula had an inexplicable fear of the visitors entering her room. She struggled to keep her breathing slow and normal, and she squeezed her eyes closed, hoping they would give up and go away.

It was then she heard the door open. Her heart pounding, Azula heard Kobe step out of the room. What was he doing? Was he going to confront Meri?

"Ah, Nurse Meri!" Kobe said as if her were surprised. "I didn't expect to see you here!"

"Kobe," Meri said coldly, "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be keeping that cleaning boy under control?"

Jet moved under the bed, and Azula wondered what he could have done to make Meri angry. She figured it didn't take much, but she guessed that Jet had done something rash in the past few days.

"My duties to my patient come before Jet's," Kobe said evenly. "That is exactly why I'm here. I heard screaming, and I thought it might be Azula. I thought it would be good to check on her."

Meri snorted.

"Kala's made you jumpy, Kobe. You cannot react to every scream that comes from that room. The girl will just have to learn to handle herself," she said.

"Even so," Kobe said, "I checked on her and found the new arrival had woken her up. She's just fallen back to sleep."

"Really?" Meri said, "Because there are two gentlemen here that are interested in talking with her. I don't believe it would be too much to ask if you woke her back up, would it?"

Azula's breath caught in her throat. She hoped desperately that Kobe would be smart and say something to make them leave. Jet moved under the bed again, and she knew he was thinking the same thing.

"It would, actually," Kobe said. Azula heard the door shut and imagined him pulling it closed as the two men tried to look in. "She's been having trouble sleeping lately, and any amount of sleep she is able to get is important. I'm sorry, gentlemen, but I just cannot let you talk to my patient."

Azula heard one of the men grumble something in a low voice, but she couldn't make out the words. Then she heard Meri cluck her tongue in a disappointed way. As usual, Azula had a bad feeling.

"It is a shame, isn't it?" Meri said, obviously pretending to be upset, "But Nurse Kobe is her nurse, and what he says goes, at least until Nurse Kala and Dr. Lin return. I suppose that's that. Why don't we…"

"Wait," one man said, "I know those names. Aren't those the two that are in the capital right now?"

"Yes!" the other man agreed, "A thin man with glasses and that big woman."

"Well, that certainly sounds like Nurse Kala and Dr. Lin," Meri said, "But I don't know why they would travel all the way to the capital! Perhaps you know? I do like to know what my staff is up to."

"You're part of Dr. Lin's staff, though, aren't you?" Kobe said suddenly, his voice innocent and inquisitive. "I'd thought he'd be the one who likes to know what you're up to."

Azula could only imagine the glare that Meri was fixing Kobe with.

"Yes, you're right," Meri said tightly, "But for now, I am in charge, and I do like to know where my supervisor has gone."

"We could tell you," one of the men said, "But we'd have to see the girl first."

Azula held her breath for a moment before Kobe broke in.

"I'm sorry, gentlemen, but it's against policy. Nurse Meri will tell you, I'm sure. No visitors are permitted to the patients' rooms after hours. Just like only doctors and nurses are allowed to walk the halls," he said.

He must have a death wish, Azula thought. But when she heard only silence, she knew Kobe had played his game well.

"Yes," Meri said reluctantly after a while, "That is true." She sighed. "I'm sorry, gentlemen, but I'm afraid I cannot get you in to visit tonight."

One man grunted.

"We'll be back," he said shortly, and with that, they walked away.

Azula listened to their footsteps as they retreated down the hall. She let out a breath she had been holding, and allowed herself to open her eyes for a moment. She shut them again quickly as she realized Meri was still out there.

"Well, Kobe," Meri said tightly, "I hope you are proud that you have reminded us of the rules at a very crucial time. I believe it is time for you to return to your room."

"Yes, it is," Kobe said, "I'll just… Oh, Nurse Meri! Wait one second! I think I dropped a letter in the room. It's very important. Perhaps I can just give it to you now and save you the trouble of walking past my room tomorrow to pick up the mail."

"I don't send letters for anyone, Kobe," Meri snapped, "And I certainly do not pick up their mail for them."

"Oh, yes! I completely forgot! My apologies. It was a very important letter, though. It contains some information about Azula that I would like to send Dr. Lin and Nurse Kala. I think they need to hear it," Kobe said.

Azula couldn't help but smirk. She didn't know what Kobe was up to, but he sure knew how to dangle bait in front of someone's nose. Meri was cruel, but she was as easy to draw out as a fish toward a fisherman's hook.

"Ah, well, maybe I could send it off for you," Meri said sweetly, "You have, after all, done so well tonight."

"Well, if you think it would be too much trouble…"

"No, not at all!" she insisted, "Please, go get it! I'll wait down the hall."

"Thank you, Nurse Meri," Kobe said.

He walked back into the room and shut the door. Azula opened her eyes and watched him. Pressing his ear against the door, he listened as Meri's footsteps moved away. He breathed a sigh of relief and turned to her.

"Stay here until after sunrise tomorrow," he whispered, "Don't come out of this room. Meri will be watching it like a hawk. You, too, Jet."

"What!" Jet hissed.

"You heard me. I'll take care of the food, just stay here. Meri will eat you alive if she gets the chance. For once, Jet, just do what I say."

"She's all the way down the hall, though!" Jet said, poking his head out from under the bed, "I could slip away and…"

"You think Meri's that dumb?" Kobe said, "She's not down the hall. She's a few feet away. She'll catch you and use that against Kala and maybe Azula and me. Just stay here! I'll come get you tomorrow when it's safe."

Azula heard Jet groan as he slid back under the bed. She almost felt sorry for him, but she was still angry with him. She wished he could sneak out, just so she wouldn't have to be near him, but if that would do her more harm than good, she would put up with him.

"Fine," Jet mumbled, "What are you going to do about that letter?"

Kobe pulled out a scroll out his pocket.

"A decoy letter," he said, "I always keep a few on me. It mentions no names, and it's so vague no one can guess what it means."

Azula thought this was a crazy idea, but she didn't say anything. She sighed and shook her head. Things were becoming more complicated by the day.

"I'll see you later," Kobe said. He slipped out and shut the door behind him. Azula listened as he walked down the hall. Before he got far, she heard him stop.

"Oh, Nurse Meri!" he said, "I thought you were going to wait for me at the end of the hall."

"Does he really have to do that?" she heard Jet mutter from under the bed.

Azula didn't answer. She turned over and pulled the blankets up around. She doubted she would sleep at all after what she had just heard, but she still closed her eyes and tried to forget that Jet was under her bed. She almost managed calm her restless mind when another scream echoed down the hall.

No, there would be no sleep that night.

…

Author's Notes:

So, as usual, I'm sure a lot of you are not very happy about the long wait, especially since I told you it would be "two weeks." I guess I was being optimistic. In all seriousness, though, I did have this part mostly written not too long after part 10. At one point, I considered posting what I had and breaking it into two chapters, but I decided against it just because I didn't want to keep having short, choppy chapters. From now on, I'm going to try to make the chapters longer, partly because I feel bad about not being very timely with these updates.

About this chapter- there's a lot of stuff that just seems, well, random. Like why is Azula becoming acquainted with an old pickpocket? It's all part of the plan, I hope. The hardest part of this chapter (besides the length) is the fact that Azula is now mad at Jet (and somehow this chapter ended with him under her bed. Go figure). LifeTimesWorth, I'm guessing you're probably angry at me for creating this rift, but all good things to those that wait. I did want to let Kobe get some more attention, and by pushing Jet out of the way, this got to happen. The scene with Azula's mother was also difficult to write, just because I wanted the dialogue to be precise. In fact, the dialogue spoken by Azula and Ursa is the way it is in Sozin's Comet (I think that's what the episode's called). Jet's words are added in, of course. Oh, and three Azulas in one room? I'm surprised the hospital is still standing.

I've been asked how long I plan to make this story. Well, I'm not sure. I have a certain amount of things to cover, and however many chapters it takes to cover it, that's how many there'll be. I don't see it being any less than 20 and no more than 25. That's not set in stone, though, so if it ends up being 19 or 26 chapters, I won't be surprised.

As always, there are people to thank. Kylie, for editing as always and listening to countless rambling ideas and plots. My brain is sometimes too messy to hold all of my thoughts, so often Kylie has to listen and remind me of what I said later (And sorry, Kylie, I didn't let you read the final draft before I posted this. I hope you will forgive me). As always, the reviewers, especially (on Fanfiction) LifeTimesWorth (is it possible for someone to be this enthusiastic about a story?), Melody Sparrow, SaberGirl1005, VividDreamer624 and Hawthorne2 (Hawthorne2, I apologize for that hiatus I said I was trying not to go on), and (On DA) xlollx (as always), and Jetzula4eva (yes, I do know I'm thanking you twice). All the reviews are great motivators, especially for something as long as this. And to Passionworks who is always full of great advice.

One more note: For those of you who would like a visual for what goes through my mind when I write this stuff, there's some rough "fanart" that I drew while writing some of the parts on deviantArt. Right now there are only two, but I think there will be more in the future. In any case, feel free to check them out. My name on deviantArt is the same as Fanfiction, but I will also try to include links in my profile.

Wait, make that two more notes. Eventually, there will be editing done to the previous parts. Nothing major, just a little grammar and detail fix hear and there. Nothing major. There are instances where I like to contradict myself, which is rather annoying.

Thanks for reading! Reviews are always appreciated!