XXXVII: What Happens to Azula

"That's the work of Koh the Face Stealer!" Aang exclaimed, looking down at Rafa.

"What did you say, Avatar?" The Mother of Faces asked.

"Koh the Face Stealer! He's this spirit who looks kinda like a big ugly sow bug with a bunch of big ugly legs, and a bunch of ugly faces, he's…" Aang started.

"He is my son." The Mother of Faces interrupted.

"Wait, Koh the Face Stealer is your son?" Aang asked.

"That's not the name I gave him, but yes."

"Heheh, did I say 'ugly', I meant, uh…"

"He's been estranged from me since the beginning of time. The legends say that he misses me so much that he spent all of history stealing faces. How do you know him, Avatar?" The Mother of Faces asked.

"We've met, and to tell you the truth, your son isn't the nicest of spirits. He took someone important away from one of my past lives; and yet my past life spared him." Aang replied.

The Mother of Faces turned to Rafa and enclosed a hand around his head, and she spoke: "I can feel his handiwork here. It's been so long since I've seen him." Her hand glowed and Misu and Katara watched in both curiosity and concern as the Mother of Faces worked her magic.

"What's going on? Is she hurting him?" Misu asked, worried. Rafa started moving, and then made some sounds; when the Mother of Face pulled her hand away, Rafa gasped and panted, life fully restored to him! Misu approached him and he turned to look at her with his deep blue eyes and he spoke: "Hey sis."

"Rafa!" Misu exclaimed, sheer joy in her voice, and the siblings came together in a tight embrace. Aang and Katara watched, happy for them.

"Thank you, Mother of Faces. I know that we humans can be aggravating, so often we're ungrateful for what we've been given. I hope that it wasn't too out of line for me to say that we needed two favors; but we needed your help to restore two relationships, one between a brother and sister, and another between a mother and son. Thank you for your help." Aang stated.

The Mother of Faces gave him a small smile and nodded to him, but then she stood up straight, her attention directed towards Hira'a, and she spoke again: "Don't thank me yet, I believe that I'll still be needed, this time by someone in the village."

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Zuko, Sokka, and Mai reached sight of Noriko and Noren's home, and Zuko breathed a sigh of relief: "Good she hasn't torched the place yet. Will the two of you watch over the house?"

"Of course." Sokka replied, drawing out his boomerang.

"Yes." Mai added.

They approached the house and Mai spoke: "It's too quiet here, you don't think that Azula's been in there and done something awful already, do you?"

"Just be alert. I'm going to look inside." Zuko told them. He then approached a window and looked inside.

"How's it look in there?" Sokka asked.

"They're fine, they're having dinner." Zuko replied. Sokka gave a sigh a relief and looked in with him: "So that's her, that's your mom?"

"That's her." Zuko confirmed.

"Well go on, go in, we'll keep watch for Azula." Mai told him. Zuko gave her a nod and rounded about to the door where Noren answered his knock. With his head bowed, Zuko spoke: "Noren, I know it's late, but I…"

"I had a feeling you would return." Noren replied.

"What do you mean?" Zuko asked. Before Noren could answer, Kiyi gave a squeal and ran over to him, flinging her arms around his waist with enough force to knock Zuko back a step: "You came back! You came back because we're best friends!"

"Kiyi, it's good to see you again!" Zuko told her.

"Come eat dinner with us!" Kiyi told him.

"I don't know if…" Zuko started.

"No, please join us." Noren told him, and they sat Zuko down and set up a place setting for him. However, his mind didn't focus on his hunger, it was focused on Noriko's happy family as they just ate and talked, ever so peacefully. Then Noriko caught his gaze and spoke: "You haven't touched your food yet. Is something wrong?"

"Do you do this every night?" Zuko asked.

"Wait, eat dinner? Doesn't everybody eat dinner at night?" Kiyi asked.

"No, I mean eat dinner like this together." Zuko spoke.

"Yes, of course, that's why we're eating so late. I insisted that we wait until Noren came home." Noriko replied.

"I appreciate that, dear, rehearsal ran over."

"So what brings you back this way, are you looking for more information on the Hira'a acting troupe?" Noriko asked.

"No, I came to find…" Zuko started, but then he asked: "Tell me, Noriko, are you happy?"

"What an odd thing to ask."

"Just answer me, please." Zuko told her keeping his tone gentle.

"Well of course I am, I'm right where I belong." She replied. Zuko smiled, his mother was happy and healthy, but she no longer remembered him. How could he just come into her home and remind her of a life that was sure to've brought her great misery? He got up and told them: "I've bothered you folks long enough, thanks, and have a good evening."

"No, stop." Noren told him. Zuko halted and Noren turned to his wife and took her hand: "Noriko, I knew this moment would come sooner or later."

"What's going on?" She asked.

"Go ahead, young man; do what you came here to do. Tell her that you haven't forgotten who you are."

Zuko took a deep breath and turned to Noriko and told her: "My name is Zuko. I am Lord of the Fire Nation… and I am your son."

"When I saw you in the crowd, I recognized you immediately because of your scar. I had learned all I could about Ursa's life in the royal palace, knowing that it would come back to haunt us." Noren explained, he then got to his knees, bowing before Zuko and spoke: "Forgive me for not confessing the whole truth when you and your friends were here, Fire Lord. I had hoped that the information I gave you would satisfy you and hoped that it would be enough to protect my family."

"Ursa?" Noriko questioned.

"That was your old name, my love, from your old life. You were once the princess of the Fire Nation where you had two children, one who grew up to be the Fire Lord."

"Mommy, what's Daddy talking about?" Kiyi asked, now being held in her mother's arms.

"You don't remember because a powerful spirit altered your memories." Noren told Noriko. He then looked up to Zuko and told him: "I also had an old name. I used to be Ikem."

A flash went through Zuko's mind, the letter Ursa wanted sent to Ikem, that he was "our son". Could it really be true, that he was standing before both of his parents? He wondered, but then he thought about what this new era could mean. He wanted so much for Ozai to not be his father, but if that was true, then what claim did he have to the throne? Power over the Fire Nation didn't exactly interest him, but he was interested in restoring his nation's honor, if Azula took the throne then there would be war all over again.

Perhaps he could ask?

"Noren, Ozai intercepted a letter from Ursa to be sent to you, in it she claimed that I was your son."

"What?! No that's impossible! Ursa and I… We never… well not before!" Noren stammered. Then they heard a loud crash outside, and a rukus on the roof!

"Fire Lord, what's going on?!" Noren asked.

"Daddy, I'm scared!" Kiyi cried, clinging to her father.

"Stay here, I'll find out." Zuko told them.

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Sokka and Mai stood guard outside the house, watching the forest, all had been quiet for a while, to the point where they hoped that Azula had lost her way. Sokka was imagining all the possible animals that could've eaten her, until he saw movement approaching the tree line.

"Get ready." Sokka told Mai.

"I've been ready." She replied.

Azula emerged from the forest her face like that of a rabid wolf-bat, twisted in mania and bloodlust, her hair already in a bit of a mess. She prowled on over to the house, and eyed up Mai and Sokka as if they were prey.

"Get out of my way! My treacherous mother needs to pay for turning my mind against me!" She hissed.

"You're not getting anywhere near this family without a fight!" Sokka announced. Luckily those inside didn't hear that. Azula lunged for them while Mai threw her knives and Sokka nailed her in the head with his boomerang.

"Nice hit." Mai told him, but Azula was having a good stroke of luck in dodging her knives, although one cut her arm, and another sliced through one of the streaks of hair that she normally kept loose in front of her face.

"I'LL NOT LET YOU WIN! TRAITOR! I'LL NOT BE BEATEN BY THAT WATER PEASANT! I WON'T LET MY BROTHER REMAIN ON THE THRONE! I WON'T LET MY MOTHER LIVE AFTER HER TREACHERY!"

"She's really lost it this time!" Sokka exclaimed.

"It took you this long to figure it out? Go on and hit her with something!" Mai snapped, but Azula propelled herself onto the roof! Sokka and Mai leapt onto it and began their tussle, but then Azula started bending lightning, and then put it through the thatched roof of the house!

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"Oh no." Zuko spoke, as Azula came tumbling through the roof she punched through, bringing Sokka and Mai with her!

"Get out of my way!" Azula snapped, sending Zuko a blazing kick, knocking him aside! She then stood on the table and snarled to Noriko: "You! FINALLY! I can't tell you how long I've dreamed of this moment!"

Noren held Kiyi close to him and out of the way. He wanted to help, but how could he?

"Mommy!" Kiyi cried out, drawing Azula's attention. Luckily, in all her hostility, she didn't approach what she saw as a sniveling little brat; instead she turned her attention back to Noriko: "Tell me Mother, did you have a new daughter because your last one turned out to be such a monster?!" Her eyes were manic, her face twisted, her stance still proud and tall, her hair a true mess, lightning sparked from her fingertips, and patches of blue flames ignited around the house. Noren held Kiyi close to protect her.

Sokka got up and ordered her: "Stay back, Azula!"

"HA HA! Back for more SNOW PEASANT?! Where's your little toy?"

"Right there." Sokka replied, pointing. Azula turned and the boomerang nailed her in the face, right on her nose, giving her a good cut. Sokka caught the boomerang and called out: "Everybody scatter!"

Mai shoved Azula into a wall while the crazed princess was still reeling and nailed her arm to a wall with another knife in an effort to slow her down, and she ran after the family, Sokka, and Zuko.

It wasn't long before Azula recovered and freed herself.

"No more distractions!" Azula hissed to herself, and she began her pursuit, when she caught up to them, she launched herself into the air after Noriko: "YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!" She pinned Noriko against a wall, a blue fireball in her other hand: "It all ends right here, right now!"

"I don't know what you're… I don't know what you're talking about!" Noriko pleaded.

"OH REALLY MOTHER?! I'VE BEEN IMAGINING ALL OF THIS?! YOU HAVEN'T BEEN TRYING TO TAKE ME DOWN FROM THE MOMENT I WAS BORN?!"

"Azula, let her go!" Zuko commanded.

"STAY BACK, ZUZU, I'm warning you!" Azula snarled, sending him a feral glare.

Then Noriko did something that neither of the siblings expected. She reached out her arm to touch Azula's cheek and told her: "If what you say is true, if I really am your mother, them I'm sorry that I didn't love you enough."

Azula paused a moment, her eyes getting teary. Zuko seized this as an opportunity to intervene and stepped in-between them.

"No!" Azula exclaimed.

"Get away from her!" Zuko ordered.

Azula threw a flaming punch, and Zuko returned with a kick, while Noriko moved out of the way to safety. Zuko and Azula continued to exchange blows until Azula switched over to lightning: "Oh for crying out loud, QUIT MOVING!"

"Don't do it, I already told you that I know how to deal with your lightning, I can redirect it anywhere." Zuko replied. He didn't say it lightly, for this time he knew that he would have to throw it right back at her.

"AAAARRRAAAAGGHH!" Azula screamed and she struck at him. Time seemed to slow down for Zuko, as he caught the bolt, and returned fire to Azula, striking her. She lay crumpled against a wall, looking almost defeated, and then she looked up, now almost pleading to him: "Don't you get it Zuko? You and I will finally be free! You of a throne that you never really wanted, and me of that incessant nagging in my head!"

"No, you're wrong." Zuko told her calmly.

"OH STOP KIDDING YOURSELF! The other morning when you had a hold of me, you could've gotten rid of me and this letter at the same time! IT WOULD'VE BEEN SO EASY! Admit it, you need me to help you be free!"

Zuko seized the letter from her and then pulled out the crown: "In my heart I know, I've always known, that the throne is my destiny!" He did up his hair and put on the crown: "Azula, our relationship is so messed up, its been that way for as long as I can remember. Perhaps it will be like that for the rest of our lives… but one fact never changes, you're still my sister."

"

"Shut up." She spoke, defeated. She then got to her feet and stormed off.

"Azula, come back!" Zuko called out. She had no intention of listening, and kept running.

Zuko then cleared his mind, and then rode a bolt of lightning to put himself between Azula and the forest. With his eyes glowing gold, he seized his sister, and pulled her in for an embrace, the first one that he could remember, ever, and then he whispered in her ear: "Please stop this, Azula, I wish to help you. I want you to get better."

Azula started to weep, she was defeated, but for some reason this felt right too: "Same as always, Zuzu, even when you're strong, you're weak."

"No, you're wrong there. There's no weakness in wanting to take a chance on someone, to make someone better."

Azula then looked up and let out a gasp; for up in the sky, she saw the Mother of Faces, Appa, and the Azatar approaching. Now the great spirit even towered above the trees. Aang landed, and as Azula tried to break free, Katara held Azula fast by triggering her Tidal State and held Azula in a Bloodbending grip.

"Human, do you wish to return as you were before, do you wish to remember?" The Mother of Faces asked, looking down at Noriko.

"You don't have to, you have a beautiful life here." Zuko told her, but without much thought, she accepted the Mother of Faces' offer.

"Hold still." The Mother of Faces told her, and she returned Noriko to Ursa, her face slightly aged from before, but still just as beautiful as anyone had remembered it. The Mother of Faces then bade her farewell and departed.

Aang then restrained Azula in an earthen box so Katara could release her Bloodbending grip.

"What are we going to go with her?" Aang asked.

"I hope to rehabilitate her. She'll probably go back to the asylum for a few days, maybe a couple weeks, but I'll make sure that she's treated well, and I'll send a Fire Sage in or Uncle Iroh, to instruct her through meditations. Once she's had some time to cool down and reflect on herself, I'll tell her the teachings of the Sun Warriors way of Firebending, the uncorrupted form of Firebending. If all goes well, then perhaps she will become a Fire Sage."

"Are you sure about that? What if she's a Child of Raava?" Aang asked.

"I don't think that she is. How could someone get so out of balance with just her human spirit that she could support a Child of Raava. No, she takes more after our father's side, she's not like me or Katara." Zuko replied. He turned to Azula's earthen cage and told her: "Rest Azula, hopefully you'll be on the road to recovery soon."

Zuko turned away from her and found his mother looking to him, he approached.

"Zuko, we need to talk." She told him, her eyes distant and a little sad.

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