A/N: Yeah, this is another short story that ran long. Sorrynotsorry.

WARNING: Discussion of past rape.

To the surprise of both his parents, rather than moving back to the palace full-time after graduating from Capital University three years ago, Kazuo had elected to rent his own apartment in the Caldera. A "bachelor's pad," Azula was pretty sure it was called in modern slang. Kazuo had said that this was because he'd wanted to take a stab at independent living, but Azula suspected that the real reason was so he could have a place to entertain various lady friends in private. Azula didn't care to think about that too much, and decided that as long as her son was diligently using protection and keeping everything consensual, she would keep quiet on the subject. Besides, he wasn't so caught up in his liaisons that he was neglecting his duties as a member of the Royal Family. He showed up for every required event, and had inherited Azula's knack for public appearances.

Last year, Kazuo had gotten into his first serious romantic relationship, and had taken the young lady to meet Azula and Tom-Tom. Azula had initially been excited about her son finally thinking about settling down, but the meeting had not exactly gone well. Kazuo's girlfriend, who was named Kumi, had completely defied royal protocol and run up to shake Azula's hand, even having the audacity to address her by her given name without so much as a "Princess" before it! The young lady had then spent the entire encounter bragging about her accomplishments so that neither Azula nor Tom-Tom could get a word in edgewise. Azula had made her displeasure known by giving Kumi death glares at every opportunity, yet this did nothing to curtail the woman. Tom-Tom, of course, had been as unerringly polite as he always was. However, when Kumi finally left, he admitted that even he hadn't cared for her much. Neither of them was surprised when it turned out that Kumi had been in it simply for the status.

Azula had been relieved when that was over. On the other hand, poor Kazuo was heartbroken. Then, this spring, a devastating earthquake had hit Shuhon, destroying most of the island's natural gas deposits and killing tens of thousands of people. It was the worst natural disaster to hit a home island in living memory. Her son volunteered to take an extended trip there to help with the rebuilding process once the air was deemed safe to breathe, and Azula had thought it was probably for the best. She'd hoped that the hard work would take his mind off his anguish.

What she hadn't anticipated was that within weeks, Kazuo would write home that he'd met a girl in Shuhon and was going out with her. And now, six months later, he was bringing her home with him.

Tonight was the big night, of both their reunion with Kazuo and introduction to his girlfriend…and they were late. At this rate, the food would get here before her son would. Azula began to worry that Kazuo had crashed his…what was it called again? Satomobile, that's right. Some young upstart in Republic City had started manufacturing them a couple of years ago, and now everyone in the Caldera wanted one. Everyone except Azula, that is. Those vehicles went entirely too fast for her liking.

Just as Tom-Tom was attempting to talk Azula out of sending servants to look for the pair, there was a knock on the door. Azula bid the person to come in, and felt enormously relieved as her beaming son ran straight past the servant announcing his arrival and into his parents' arms.

"Mom! Dad! I missed you both so much!" Kazuo exclaimed. "Sorry we're late…traffic was horrible." When they broke from their embrace, Azula appraised him with her sternest maternal gaze.

"You have been gone entirely too long. Your skin is all brown; did it never occur to you to wear a hat?" she demanded. But she couldn't keep the act up for long. Within seconds, she had cracked a smile, hugging Kazuo again.

Tom-Tom cleared his throat.

"Son, I believe you said that you wanted to introduce us to someone?" he prompted. Azula finally got a glimpse at the young woman hanging back in a doorway, who fell into a kowtow as soon as she saw that Azula was looking at her. Well, that was one point in her favor already.

"You may rise," Azula told her. When the girl stood and walked into the room, Azula finally looked her over properly. She was quite tall and a little gangling. However, seeing as how Kazuo had attained a height of 6'3'' (just like his grandfather), it didn't look as awkward as it might have. Although her face was nothing memorable, her hair was glossy and reached down to her mid-back. She was attired in a pretty yet modest outfit of a pink tunic and a matching set of red jacket and pants.

"Mother, Father, this is Lady Botan," Kazuo said.

The girl was shaking like a leaf, but managed to get out, "P-princess Azula. Prince Tom-Tom. It is an honor to meet you."

"And it is a delight to meet you too, Lady Botan," Tom-Tom assured her. This, combined with Kazuo placing a protective hand on her shoulder, made Botan look slightly more relaxed.

"Yes, well, dinner will be ready shortly," Azula added. Then, at another knock on the door, "I stand corrected. Dinner is ready now."

The four of them sat at the table as the servants arranged the first course. Azula gazed intently at Botan over her bowl of wontons in clear broth. She was perfectly aware of how intimidating her appearance could be to those who weren't close to her. Although she would be sixty next month, she could pull off her trademark eyeliner and bright red lipstick as well as ever. Plus, as this girl's potential mother-in-law, was it not expected of her to be overbearing? Her standards were exacting; none but the best would do for her only son.

"So," she began, "How did you come to meet Prince Kazuo?"

Botan jumped a little in her seat at being so abruptly addressed, and began, "Shuhon is my home island, Princess. My dad, my sister, my brothers, and I were all contributing in any way we could. We were lucky that our house escaped the worst of the damages…but anyway. The first day I arrived there from Capital Island, I was carrying some heavy crates of medical supplies. They slipped, and I would have dropped them all if Kazuo hadn't run up just then to help! And then we started talking, and something just…clicked. He said his name was Kazuo, and I was like, 'Oh, like the prince?' and he was like 'Uh…yeah.' He didn't end up actually telling me who he was until after our fourth date! Can you believe that?"

She gave a very annoying high-pitched laugh.

"I see," Azula responded. She daintily picked up a wonton from her bowl with her chopsticks and popped it in her mouth, her eyes never leaving Botan's. Once she had swallowed her food, she continued, "My son called you Lady Botan. That means you are a member of the nobility. How could you possibly not have known who he was?"

"Azula…" Tom-Tom said softly. However, his pleasant smile never left his face.

"I don't believe we have ever seen you at court, Lady Botan," he said in an attempt to soften Azula's words.

"No, my mom was the one who was noble," Botan explained. "She was an only child and inherited the estate. But she died when I was four, from cancer. My dad's just a silk merchant, and he didn't see a reason to live at the Caldera after that."

"Ah, yes, I remember hearing about that now," Tom-Tom replied. "Lady Ayako, wasn't it? I think I met her once or twice. I offer my condolences for your loss."

"Thank you," Botan said. "But it's okay. I hardly remember her, so I'm just kind of used to it now, you know?" Another nervous giggle escaped her.

Their conversation had to be suspended at that moment, since the servants were clearing away their soup bowls; Azula noted that Botan had scarcely touched hers. Then, two beautiful roast ducks were presented for their main course, skin sizzling and deep golden-brown. They were accompanied by a sweet and spicy sauce, along with sides of rice, scallion pancakes, and mixed vegetables.

"You're in for a treat, Botan!" Kazuo said while grinning. "They make the best roast duck here in the palace. It was one of the things I missed the most when I was in Shuhon."

Botan smiled back at him, although it looked a little strained.

For a few minutes, they ate in silence. However, Azula wasn't quite done with her interrogation yet.

"Prince Kazuo informed me that you are a recent graduate of Capital University," she said. "What was your major?"

"Psychology and sociology, Princess. Double major," Botan said. At least that was a hopeful sign. Perhaps this young lady wasn't as unintelligent as she appeared.

"Then you must have made the acquaintance of my friend Ty Lee," Azula stated.

Botan nodded eagerly, seemingly relieved that they'd found some common ground. "Yes. She taught my Trauma Psych class. She…well, it could be a difficult class at times, but it was always interesting."

Azula raised an eyebrow, feeling annoyed for reasons she didn't fully understand. "Why 'difficult?' Is my friend too strict of a teacher for your liking? Or are you simply averse to a little hard work?"

She heard intakes of breath from both her husband and son. Botan's face flooded with color. "No, no, she was a great teacher! Really nice. It's just…it was difficult for another reason…" Her gaze darted frantically over to Kazuo. He squeezed her hand and whispered in her ear, and she nodded.

"We're going to go take a walk," he stated, glowering in Azula's direction. Before she could protest, Tom-Tom said, "Yes, that's fine. I think it would be best for all of us."

As soon as the younger two had left the room, Azula's husband turned to her.

"Azula, we have been married for twenty-seven years, and I love you more than anything. You know that," he said. "Nevertheless, you went too far this time. I thought that Botan was a perfectly nice young lady, and was trying her best. You should consider apologizing to her when she returns. I will certainly do so myself for not doing more to intervene." His voice was as level as always, but it had a hint of underlying steel that Azula had only heard a handful of times during their marriage. It meant that this was one of the rare occasions that Tom-Tom was genuinely angry at her. And if something was sufficient to piss him off, then she knew it was serious.

"I didn't think I was that…" Azula began somewhat lamely, only to cut herself off when she heard muffled sobs coming from down the hallway. It was clear that Tom-Tom heard it too.

"…Right. I'll go apologize to her now," she sighed in resignation as she got up from the table.

When she opened the door to their apartment, she heard Botan wailing, "She hated me! A..and I can't blame her because I sounded like an idiot!"

Kazuo took her into his arms. "Aw, no, sweetie, you did just fine. Mom can be…difficult. But I'm going to talk to her later tonight, and I think Dad already did."

Azula waited in the shadows for a while, until Botan's tears faded, and her mind wandered back to the day almost twenty-nine years ago when Tom-Tom had comforted her in much the same way. It appeared that her son had turned out to be as good a man as his father.

Finally, she cleared her throat, and both Kazuo and Botan's head shot up.

"If you wanted to say something to me, you might as well do it now," she said.

Kazuo frowned. "I don't think this is a good time, Mom…"

"No." Botan stepped out of Kazuo's embrace. "I…I want to tell her. Alone."

"Wow. Are you sure? That's…I know that would be difficult for you, especially since this is just your first time meeting her." Kazuo touched her shoulder again. Botan looked down and took a deep breath.

"…Yes," she finally said.

"Might I suggest doing this in my study instead of in the hallway? The palace servants are quite proficient at making themselves almost invisible in order to eavesdrop," Azula pointed out.

"Good idea," Kazuo admitted. Then, to Botan, "One last time…are you really sure? I don't want you to feel pressured to do it if you're not ready."

The younger woman squared her shoulders. "I'm ready."

"Now," Azula said, once they were both situated in comfortable upholstered chairs and free from any listening ears, "What was it you wanted to tell me? I give you permission to speak freely."

She was expecting for Botan to yell at her, to fling all sorts of insults. What she actually said was somewhat surprising.

"I'd been wanting to meet you for so long, before I ever knew Kazuo," she began. "You're...you're my hero. All that work you've done to raise awareness for sexual abuse, all the charities you run…and I read the book you co-wrote with Professor Ty Lee. It was so comforting to me after…"

She broke off; tears were running down her face again. Azula wordlessly gave her a handkerchief from the stack on her desk. Even though her own crying spells occurred nowhere nearly as frequently as they had in her youth, they still had the nasty tendency to blindside her every now and then.

Once Botan had gotten this latest burst of emotion under control, the words poured out of her like water from a burst dam. She said, "I was nineteen. A man who I had seen as one of my closest friends put something in my drink when we were at a party, and then he took me to his dorm room and…and raped me. And everyone thought I was lying about it because he was so popular! I tried to go to the campus police, and they wouldn't press charges because they didn't think there was enough evidence. All they said was that I shouldn't have looked away from my drink. I was so discouraged that I kept it from most of my family; didn't even tell Kazuo until about a month ago…"

"And yet you told me, even after I upset you," Azula pointed out.

"Yeah," Botan acknowledged. More scrubbing at her eyes, and she continued, "I know it seems weird. But I thought if anyone would understand, you would. Your book helped me get through that. I kept telling myself that you had it so much worse than me, since I was an adult when it happened, and not…I mean, I'd had boyfriends before, and I couldn't even remember much of it, and he wasn't my dad, and I didn't…didn't…"

"Didn't get pregnant?" Azula guessed.

"…yeah."

"I see." She took a moment to figure out exactly how she wanted to say this.

"Trauma isn't a competition," she finally said as she rose from her chair and walked closer to Botan. "Just because yours was different from mine, doesn't mean it wasn't as real. And…I apologize for my behavior, as difficult as it is for me to say that. You shouldn't have had to feel compelled to share something so personal just to seek my approval. At the same time, I am glad that my life's work meant something to you. My goal was that no abuse survivor should feel as alone as I did, or my father's other prey did. It appears as though there is still much work for me to do, though. Perhaps my charities need a younger spokesperson who is more in touch with the times. Someone like you…if you find that arrangement pleasing."

Botan was struck speechless for a few moments. Then, she breathed, "Of course I would, Princess. It would be such a great honor, and my dream job. I just hope I can be worthy of it."

"If you are seeking to become a part of the royal family, you'll have to find some cause to champion," Azula remarked. "My brother is all about public service. Now let us finish our dinner, shall we? There is plum ice cream for dessert, which we won't want to miss."

"Sounds good," Botan replied.

"It is Kazuo's favorite flavor. If you intend to marry my son, it would be wise of you to memorize all of his preferred foods, don't you think?"

Perhaps she had found that perfect mate for her son that she'd been hoping for after all.