The palace loomed above, a dark inkblot spiking into the night sky. Guards lit the low-sitting torches on the palace steps as prince and princess, brother and sister, approached.

Azula ascended the few stairs and paused at the top. She turned her head, firelight flickering across cold, triumphant features.

"Welcome home, Zuzu."

Staring up at the towering structure, Zuko tried to reconcile the word with the image. Home. He had earned this.

He felt slightly sick. Must have been the transition from sea to land — it had taken several weeks to sail to the Capital from Ba Sing Se. He walked up the steps, still looking upward.

The large double doors creaked open to a spacious entrance hall. Zuko followed Azula, who strolled in casually, barely giving a glance to the lavish decorations scattered about. Nothing's changed, Zuko thought as he took everything in with his good eye. It's as though my banishment never happened.

Two servants hurried from the end of the echoing hall and bowed low. "Your Highnesses," said the first, "is there anything you require? You've had a long journey."

"Yes. Tell my father that we've returned, and that I'll report to him tomorrow afternoon," Azula's voice rolled out silkily.

"Yes, Princess. And you, Prince Zuko?"

Zuko, who hadn't anticipated being addressed, started. "Uh… no. Nothing."

The second servant inclined his head. "Yes, Majesty. Call if you need anything further." Both servants bowed once more and left.

Azula turned to Zuko once more. "Take as much time as you need to reacquaint yourself with the place. You'll be staying in your old room. Good night, brother." She left as well.

Zuko wandered around the dark palace feeling detached. Every tapestry, every piece of furniture in every room was the same as before he had left.

Was he the same as well?

It didn't matter. Now he was home, and he had his honor back. The last three years may as well have not happened. Not the scarring, the banishment, the mad chase for the Avatar, any of it. Not even the quiet snatches of peace he had felt with Uncle.

Uncle. The sick feeling got worse… homesickness. But Uncle is a traitor now, he told himself, and he leaned against the wall, fist clenched.

It wasn't a wall he was leaning against. He turned around and found himself facing a large wooden door.

Night air creeped from underneath it, and he knew where it led. The Agni Kai arena, tall and ceilingless, with a central platform for the combatants.

Zuko froze, his eyes fixed on the door. A terrible scene suddenly crashed over him, and he was powerless against the rapidly flashing images, images of a child bowed at the mercy of a shadowy figure, pleading for forgiveness... but the darkness rebuked the child with a voice of blazing thunder, advancing ever closer as he cowered. Zuko was shaking, gasping for breath, unable to think, desperate to intervene and save the child behind the door, but shadow covered all until it split open into blinding flame —

Zuko cried out, staggering into the wall as pain screamed over his left eye. He dropped to the floor, hands pressed to the burning scar, hyperventilating, wanting nothing more than to end the terrible vision burning its way through him, but it continued, and as flames engulfed him he saw the shadow's face, and it was his own…

In confusion and panic he ran, pushing out the nightmare, trying to focus away from the wildfire raging in his eye and onto his footsteps beating, tripping down the halls. He didn't know where he was going, only away, as far away as he could get from the past, from himself. The palace hallways never seemed to end...

When he finally stopped running he found himself in a corner of his bedroom, pressed against the wall in semidarkness, still fighting to draw in air.

Why is this happening? I haven't lost control like this in years. The last time had been before the Avatar had returned, and before he had learned how to shove the trauma out of sight where it couldn't hurt him…

As Zuko blinked away tears he hadn't noticed before, a shadow on the floorboards caught his eye. A familiar-looking shadow, coming from the open doorway.

He looked up, and Azula had already left.