Azula could hear something chasing her. She was running as fast as she could, but she knew it was catching up with her.

You failed me, Azula. You let our nation fall apart.

She tried to ignore his voice as she ran. He's gone. He's not the Fire Lord. He can no longer bend. He can't hurt her. He can't hurt anyone anymore. She will never see him again. She couldn't think about him now.

This isn't your world anymore, you're not meant to be here. Run away, run away.

That presence was getting stronger, and the sounds it made were getting louder, but Azula still couldn't see it. It was always in the shadow, always hidden from her eyes, waiting for a moment to strike. It had been following Azula since her friends betrayal, and now it was closer than ever. Many times before, she had tried to use her fire to attack it or at least to see what it was. It didn't work. Nothing would ever work. If she stopped, it would kill her. She had to keep running, she had to get away.

But how? She had no plan, no one else was around, there were no stars in the sky, and the voices in her head made it harder for her to focus on finding a way to escape. She was completely disoriented. And even if she managed to survive this, where would she go next? She wasn't welcome anywhere.

"You can't run away forever" she heard her mother say. She knew it wasn't only in her head, but she couldn't identify where her voice had come from. She was all alone. She had always been all alone. No one could be trusted, no one could help her.

You don't belong here...

She was in pain. She was struggling to breathe, and her blue flame was dying out. She would be left in the dark, completely vulnerable. She would get caught. She would be destroyed. It was only a matter of time.

Azula, wake up

She felt more and more creatures starting to surround her. Running wouldn't help her now, there were too many, and they were too fast.

Azula, wake up.

She jumped as she felt a hand on her shoulder. As she tried to get away, the grip tightened and another hand touched her. "Let me go" she begged, tears starting to run down her face.

"Azula, it's me" a kind, familiar voice reassured her as she felt someone's weight keeping her where she was "It was just a nightmare. You're safe."

Slowly, she recognized her brother. He was holding her wrists against the pillows and had trapped her legs between his. When she calmed down, he gave her a quick kiss on the forehead, and let her go.

He'll leave you eventually. They always do.

Azula wrapped her arms around Zuko and fought the urge to cry.

"It's okay. Let it out." He said as he held her tight "I know it hurts, I know you're scared. It's okay."

She struggled for a few moments before giving in and letting the emotion take over.