Later that day, Ty Lee had been taken to the infirmary by Azula and Mai. Her hands were red and bleeding. She cried for most of the day, until her parents were came to pick her up. They were upset and angry from what happened to their daughter.

Because of what happened, Ursa had no choice but to ground both her children for the rest of the week. They were not aloud to leave their rooms, unless they were given permission to.

It was Ten o' Clock at night. Within the Fire Nation palace, Zuko was lying in bed in his chambers. He dreamed about that same scenario of him burning Ty Lee, over and over again. That film burned into his mind.

He imagined himself in the garden next to the turtle-duck pond. He saw himself and the pink acrobat, Ty Lee. She was on her knees sobbing with her back turned away from Zuko. "Ty Lee?" he silently called.

Ty Lee stopped sobbing for a bit and her head was raised as she heard a masculine voice. She refused to turn around. "Zuko? Is that you?"

Zuko walked closer to Ty Lee without caution. "Look, Ty Lee. I'm sorry for what I did." He walked over to Ty Lee's right side and bent down. She still refused to show her face. He let a hand out to help her up. "I want to help you."

"Zuko?" Ty Lee paused. "Do you think I'm pretty?" Ty Lee asked.

"Um, sure?" Zuko gave an unsure answer. "I need you to come with me so I can treat your hands." Zuko said as he noticed her burned hands.

"Before we go, I want show you something first, Zuzu... then I want you to give me your honest answer, 'kay?" Ty Lee asked.

"Okay, but what does tha-"

"I'm going to show you my face, right now." Ty Lee stood up with her face hidden. Then slowly turned her face to the right towards Zuko. He couldn't understand why Ty Lee was acting this way. He tried to help her up, but now she was acting strange. He wasn't sure about the way she was acting, but he wanted to be there for her. She fully turned around and faced Zuko.

Zuko gasped. "Ty Lee, your-"

Ty Lee suddenly had golden eyes instead of brownish-gray eyes. Her left side of her face was burned. She had a big red scar that resembled a flame over her eye. Part of her ear and left eyebrow burned off. Some of the hair over her left eye was burned. Ty Lee smirked. "Zuzu."

"Aah!" Zuko panicked and fell on his butt.

"Am I pretty?" Ty Lee asked as she took a step forwards towards him.

"No, stay back!" Zuko scooted backwards so that Ty Lee with the burned face wouldn't touch him.

Ty Lee decided to mess around and walk a little faster towards the cowering Zuko as he scooted backwards. "Aw, don't treat me like that, Zuzu. Or did you that you were the one who burned me?"

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to..." Zuko said while trying to scoot away from the burned face Ty Lee.

"Sorry is not going to cut it, this time." Ty Lee reached a burned hand out towards Zuko, which added more fear to the fire.

"Just, what do you want?I already told y ou that I was sorry!"

"I want... your face." Ty Lee creepily smiled and pointed at his face. "This one is too scorned and ugly." she pointed at her own face, or should I say... Zuko's future face. "Give me your face!"

Zuko crawled back away from the creepy Ty Lee. "No! I like my face! You can't have it!"

Ty Lee pointed out her burned face. "You did this to me, so it's only fair that I take your face!"

But what he didn't know was that the turtle-duck pond that was behind him was a deep dark abyss. "Please stop! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-" He then felt his right hand that was behind him slip and he fell backwards into the abyss. "AAAAAH!" He screamed as he was falling down deep into the abyss. The last thing he saw falling down was Ty Lee's silhouette, standing at the edge over him. Watching Zuko fall and silently chuckle.


In reality, Zuko was having a nightmare, muttering in his sleep and his body moved right to left within the covers over and over again. He begged Ty Lee to stay away from him, but would ignore his pleas and cries.

"Wake up, dumdum!" yelled a voice.

"AAAAAAHH!" Zuko screamed as his body shot upwards and actually woke from his nightmare. He panted heavily and less than a dozen orbs of sweat had dripped from his face. He looked to his right and saw the face of his younger sister, Azula, standing next to his bed.

"Wow, you're quite the dreamer, Zuzu." Azula smirked at him.

"Go away, Azula. And stop calling me that!"

"You should've heard what you were saying in your sleep," Azuzla started acting and. "No, Ty Lee get out the way. Ty Lee, I'm so sorry. Ty Lee, I didn't mean to! Ty Lee this-Ty Lee that!" she laughed, as Zuko gotten embarrassed. "Aw, Ty Lee…"

"Stop it! You know as well as I do that was an accident." Zuko gripped the sheets.

"Was it, really? Was it a real accident?"

"Of course it was!" Zuko shouted.

"Funny, because one of the lasts things I remember was that you tried to kill me during that little… Accident."

"It was not like that, I only wanted you to-"

"To what? Shut up?" Azula finished his sentence.

"Yes, that's what I wanted you to do."

"Instead of you shutting me up, you actually burned Ty Lee." Azula sat on the side of Zuko's bed and smiled at him. "You should've seen her after the incident. She cried to her parents and was acting all like, Mommy! Daddy! I wanna go home! Waaah!" Azula pretended to sob, mocking Ty Lee and laughed afterwards. "It was so pathetic that I almost cried at first." she chuckled.

"How could you say that about Ty Lee? I thought she was your friend!" Zuko protested.

Azula wiped a fake tear from her eye. "Friend? Don't make me laugh, Zuzu. I don't have any real friends."

Zuko looked down at his hands. "Where's Ty Lee now?"

"Probably back home with her family. Thanks to you, she's not allowed to come back to the palace after what had happened today. You should've seen how furious Ty Lee's father was. Mom tried to reason with him, but he was just too angry with you. She had him escorted out the palace when he threaten and called you a BEAST." Azula laughed.

Zuko flinched at the word, "Beast". He knew that Ty Lee's father was talking about him. He glanced at his hands in sadness. "But, it was just… an accident. I didn't mean to hurt her. I just want to tell her I'm sorry..."

"Tell that to Ty Lee and her family. Not me."

"I wish there was something I could do to fix it." Zuko pouted.

Azula stared and rolled her eyes. "Stop feeling sorry for yourself, Zu Zu. Today I saw what you were capable of. Ty Lee witnessed firsthand of what you were capable of." No pun intended. "And I bet her father could imagine how much you were capable of." Zuko remained silent for a moment. "Face it, Zuzu. You're a monster."

"What did you say?" Zuko met Azula's gaze.

"I said that you are a monster." Azula begun to taunt.

"No, I'm not!"

"Yes, you are."

"Stop it!" Zuko growled.

"You're gonna grow up and become a monster, bigger than me and father." Azula leaned smiled in amusement as she watched her brother snap.

"Stop it! I am nothing like you or father, and I never will be!" Zuko shut his eyes to reassure himself.

"Never be what?"

The third voice had caught both Zuko and Azula off guard. Zuko gasped and opened his eyes as he heard his father's evil voice. They looked at the doorway and saw a silhouette of their father, Prince Ozai, whom was in his royal uniform. His upper body was covered by shadow, but his glowing golden eyes were visible to see. Zuko could feel Ozai's gaze penetrate his skin.

"Father," Zuko muttered. He never thought that Ozai would come visit his room, ever. "What are you..."

Prince Ozai stepped into the light and glanced over to Azula. "Leave us." Ozai demanded.

Without speaking a single word, Azula obeyed her father without a second thought, leaving Zuko with their father, alone.

"Why are you here, father?" Zuko asked.

"I saw about what you did earlier today." Ozai walked towards and moved closer to his son, whom was sitting on his bed. "I heard that you… Firebended against your own sister. And hurt her friend, very badly." He added.

Zuko felt depressed inside and looked down. He could not say anything, thinking about himself burning Ty Lee, whether it was intentional, or unintentional. He expected his father to scorn him again.

"I did not come here to scold you, this time. I came to tell you..." Ozai sat down close to Zuko, so he could hear his father's words. "That I'm proud of you."

Zuko gasped, which surprised him, greatly. "Proud of me?"

Ozai slowly nodded.

"But. How could you proud of what I did? I hurt someone!"

"I am proud of you, Zuko. Not because you threatened your sister or hurt her friend… I'm proud of you, because when you Firebended at your sister… you showed raw power... the true potential of a true Firebender."

"How could you tell?" Zuko questioned.

Ozai stood up. "I know because I have experienced that raw power before. It is not something you can inherit from passing down to different generation, but it's what you feel. I've experienced that power a couple of times. One of them was when I mastered Firebending. And now you had experienced that feeling, too."

Zuko nodded and reminisced during earlier that day. He remembered getting mad at Azula and unleash Firebending towards her. "I was angry at Azula."

"I see." Ozai stroked his long chin beard. "Your sister may be talented and smart, but she has yet to feel that kind of power, yet. You could be even one step closer of becoming the future Fire Lord than your sister." Zuko's eyes widen in shock, as he just heard from his father, acknowledging him to become the future Fire Lord.

"I could be closer than Azula… to become Fire Lord?" Zuko hesitated.

"Perhaps. When I take the throne as Fire Lord, I'll make sure to recommend you as my successor." Ozai then took his leave as Zuko watched. He stopped at the doorway. Without turning his body around, Ozai spoke to his one last time with his face slightly turned. "I am looking forward to seeing that raw power of yours. Do not disappoint me." He closed the door, leaving his son alone in the room.

Ozai's words left Zuko shocked. He looked down at his hands that were shaking. He then thought about the time earlier today. 'If that raw power is only meant to hurt others… then, I don't want to use that power again.' Zuko threw his pillow to the side and his body shook as he grabbed his head and panic.

The door to Zuko's chambers had opened up, and his mother Ursa had walked into the room. "Zuko, I just saw your father leave the room. Is there something wro—" Ursa gasped as he saw her firstborn having a panic attack. "Zuko!"

Zuko paused and looked at his mother. "Mom. Am I really... a monster?" Zuko cried.

Ursa paused, as she saw her son cry.

"Azula called me a monster. And dad... he praised me for what I did, today. Am... I really like them?"

Ursa immediately rushed over to Zuko and embraced him, by bringing his head to her chest. "You are not a monster."

Zuko sobbed into her chest. "I'm really, really sorry, mom!"

"I know you are, sweety." She whispered as she let a few tears out.


A few days had passed since Zuko and Azula's grounding was now lifted. They were aloud to roam the palace grounds again, but wasn't allowed to invite anymore friends to the palace.

A Fire Nation messenger had personally delivered Princess Ursa a scroll. It was delivered to her by her brother-in-law, General Iroh. She took the time to open and read the scroll. After ten seconds of reading it, she cried. The first person she decided to tell was her son, Zuko.

There were gray clouds covering the sky, showing no sunlight. He was depressed from what he did. He didn't feel like training for his presentation. In fact, he was too depressed to train.

"Zuko." Ursa called as she had approached her only son.

"Mom?" Zuko replied.

"There's something I must tell you..."

Zuko raised his head, giving his mother full attention.

"Your cousin, Lu-Ten... was killed in Ba Sing Se." Ursa said, letting a tear out.

Zuko's eyes had slowly widened. His jaw nearly dropped. His ears had nearly muted afterwards for a minute, after his mother had confirmed his cousin's death. He felt paralyzed for a minute.

A Few Days Later

Zuko lied in bed asleep.

Ursa had entered Zuko's room with a dark cloak. She had wakened her son from his slumber. "Zuko. Please, wake up." Ursa silently pleaded as she had grabbed him.

"Mom?" Zuko muttered as he was half asleep.

"Listen to me, Zuko. Are you completely awake?" Ursa asked. It took about a minute for Zuko to be awake, completely.

Zuko stared at his mother, fully awake. He noticed the dark cloak she was wearing. "Mom?"

"Listen to me, Zuko. Everything I did... it was to protect you." Ursa told Zuko as she hugged him.

"What's going on?" Zuko asked, feeling confused.

"I can't tell you where I am going... but I can tell you, this." Ursa said as she looked over and saw Zuko staring at her through the doorway. "No matter how things seem to change... promise me, this. Never use Firebending to harm others. And never forget who you are."

"Where are you going?" Zuko asked.

"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you." Ursa then gave him a kiss on the forehead. "Goodbye, my son." She then left Zuko's room. As she was leaving, she placed the hood over her head.

Zuko couldn't help but look out of shock, as he realized that his mother was walking out of his life for an unknown reason. The next morning, Zuko sat in front of the turtle-duck pond. He wrapped his arms around his knees and stared at the swimming turtle-ducks in the blue pond. The baby turtle-ducks would be cared by its single mother. This would remind Zuko of when his mother was around to care for him.

"Mom... where did you go? Why did you leave?" He mumbled to himself as he berried his head into his knees. With his mother gone, his sister who constantly teases him and his father who will become the next Fire Lord, soon.


Author's Note: The same events that happened with Zuko failing his presentation, his grandfather dying, his mother leaving and his father becoming the new Fire Lord still happens.