The woman who stumbles in isn't the girl who had ran away so many years ago. The first thing he notices is that she is rougher, more rugged. Her face and clothing are dusted with dirt and her hands are calloused. Her dirtied skin is lightly sunburned and her cheeks are flushed with burn. It is plain to see without the makeup that she used to wear. And then there's her hair. Her hair that had always been so important to her. Her hair, cut to just below her chin, is wind blown.

He doesn't need to talk to her to know that she has changed.

She is smaller than he remembers, but he thinks that this is a trick of so much time having gone by. Or that he had watched Toph and Aang grow taller. The former princess is still so tiny. He doesn't know how he hadn't noticed before.

Her eyes are also softer, possibly kinder. But they are sad, he thinks that she hasn't smiled in a very long time. He thinks that she might have forgotten how and he has an impulse to try to make her remember.

He doesn't get the chance. She takes one more staggering step before pitching over. He catches her before she can reach the floor. She is limp in his arms and for a moment he struggles to get a solid hold on her. When he finally does, he scoops her into his arms and carries her into the throne chamber.

"Zuko, guess who's home!" He declares.

He sees Zuko swallow, likely his mouth runs dry. He knows that he recognizes her. Despite it all, he recognizes her.

She doesn't wake for quite some time, Sokka thinks that she has had a long journey physically and emotionally. It will probably be nice to wake up to plush pillows in her own bed. Or maybe it will be jarring and intimidating, melancholy in a way that only nostalgia can be.

Zuko brushes a few strands of hair out of her face. Up close and without makeup he realizes that her face is speckled with freckles. He thinks that some of them are new, the product of her sunburns. He also notices scarring, a few thin lines like slashes from a razor or from running through a forest of pine. His stomach aches when he sees the one on her neck. Someone had tried to kill her. He has an urge to trace his finger along the gash. For a moment he hovers his fingers above it. Zuko takes him by the wrist, but it is too late, he thinks that she has probably sensed him.

She stirs and for a moment he thinks that she is going to roll over and go back to sleep with a groggy murmur. He gets that soft, sleepy mumble but her eyes open and they stay open.

He thinks that she will ask where she is. This doesn't happen either, "I'm thirsty, Zuko."

Zuko nods, "tea or water?"

"It doesn't matter, I just want a drink."

"I'll have them bring a snack for you too."

Azula nods and sits herself up. Shorter locks tumble messily into her face. Impulsive, Sokka pushes them back for her.

"Don't touch me." It isn't snappy or harsh. More like a plain and simple request.

"Sorry." He mutters. The silence that falls isn't comfortable so he fills it, "so...where have you been?"

"It is probably easier to tell you where I haven't been."

"You've been in the Earth Kingdom!" He guesses.

"Yes, for a while."

"A long while." He notes. "I can tell."

"How?"

"Your accent."

"I don't have…"

"You do!" He insists.

Her face flushes lightly. "My dad said the same thing to me when I came home from the Fire Nation. He said that you pick up on how they talk and…" he trails off, feeling as though he is being too enthusiastic. She doesn't seem too thrilled at the notion of losing touch with her Fire Nation roots. "It's a good thing!" He tries. "I mean I like it." She shifts and he knows that he is only making her feel more awkward. "Nevermind. How long have you been back home?"

"However long I've been asleep."

"I mean, when did you get back to the Fire Nation?"

She thinks for a moment. "A few weeks ago. I had enough coin to buy myself a trip from Chin Village to Yon Rha's Village. I walked the rest of the way."

"That explains why your shoes are so worn."

She nods.

"What were you doing in the Earth Kingdom?"

She shrugs. "I guess that I just wanted to find somewhere quiet to stay."

"Did you?"

She nods again.

"Did you like it there?"

Another nod.

"Then why did you leave?"

"You ask too many questions."

"You answered them all." He points out.

She shrugs and lays back down.

"Does it have to do with that?" He points to her neck. She pulls the blanket up to cover it. "It does, doesn't it?" She rolls to face away from him. "Okay, fine. Different topic. Where did you live? Did you make any friends?"

"Why do you care what happened to me?"

"I don't know, I guess because it's been so long and we thought that you...you know…"

"Died."

He rubs the back of his head, "yeah."

"And that would be preferable, yes?"

"No!" He answers right away. "I think that it would have been kind of sad if you did."

"It wouldn't have been all the tear jerking." She replies quietly. "I think that I have more waiting for me in the Spirit World than I do here."

At first he thinks that she is speaking of honor and pride, of ending herself to prevent further disgrace. But her word choice, she always chooses her words carefully… "you lost someone, didn't you?"

She gives no answer and that is answer enough.

"Sorry." He mumbles as more dots connect in his mind. She found someone, maybe several someones that she cared for. She wasn't planning on coming home until her newfound peace was stolen. He looks at her neck, at that thin white line. She had tried to save them but lost them or that one person all the same. And she fled. Fled back home from one place of dreadful memories to a place of older wounds.

"Well, it's good to have you back."

"Is it?" She asks.

He looks into her eyes. Sad, soft, kind...she had loved someone. She knows what it is to love and be loved. He takes her hand and offers her a gentle smile. "I think so."