Author's Note: As always, let me know what you liked/disliked about the chapter. This chapter and the next one were added in and written later so there's more room for tweaking.


Azula casts a disapproving gaze over the shabby houses and poorly disguised poverty. The village had such little significance that the overnight disappearance of its entire population had caused barely a stir in the local economy. The Avatar should have ignored it in favor of the bigger picture, but he was a genuine bleeding heart. How unfortunate.

Beifong snaps her out of her musings. "You gonna help me or what, Princess?"

They put the blind earthbender in charge of watching her. Hah. One empty village and they've forgotten she's dangerous.

"Is your earthbending failing you?"

"No, it's this stupid spirit stuff."

"Of course it is," says Azula with obvious sarcasm.

"Shut up and look," Beifong points to a set of indentations in the ground. "Can your eyes see anything that I couldn't sense the last fifty times?"

"My eyes see another regular set of footprints and an enormous waste of time."

"Heh. Try convincing Twinkle Toes that," Beifong kicks at the dirt. "All these footprints lead to the river and then disappear. If it was a spirit then it somehow got everyone to follow it willingly. There aren't any drag marks."

"Perhaps the rumors about a malevolent spirit are false and we're actually dealing with a waterbender. You should inform the Avatar. I'll check to see if any of the victims left a note before they went swimming."

Beifong rides away on a wave of earth. Too easy.

The village may be insignificant, but it's not isolated. Azula makes her way to the now unguarded mail room.

Scrolls and papers lay haphazardly on various surfaces with little rhyme or reason. Azula has to rummage through the piles to find what she's looking for: an unofficial royal decree. Trust her father to act as though he was never overthrown. Azula unravels the scroll and quickly bathes it in blue. The drawing of her face disappearing in seconds.

Evidently, word of her traveling with the Avatar has reached her father. She feels nothing.

Without a definite grip on the throne, her wanted poster is more of a statement than anything. The Fire Nation forces are too divided to be a threat, and most would be reluctant to go after someone with her titles. Although, perhaps her father is signaling to the glory hungry that whoever kills her will be his successor. Loyalty over blood. Not that she wasn't loyal. It doesn't matter. She feels nothing.

She's here.

Azula knows better than to entertain her. The mail room is practically smothered with kindling, and it's time for her to teach the peasants a lesson in the importance of organization. Azula steps back and, ignoring the chidings from her mother, launches one burst of blue after another. One for every 'royal' decree she imagines were sent, read, and passed on for all to see her disgrace. The room lights up quick. Azula watches it burn and forces herself to smile.

When papers are properly put away then your building doesn't burn as fast, peasants. Lesson learned.

"Why did you do that?" whispers her mother.

No, she's not here. She doesn't exist. Get that through your head.

Azula focuses on anything but her mother, and, perhaps because his actions are forefront in her mind, Azula ends up thinking of a long ago conversation.

There was a softness around his mouth that had made Azula dig her fingernails into her skin and pull. He wasn't supposed to miss her.

"You banished her," Azula had reminded him because her father was supposed to be too strong to mourn.

There is blame in his eyes that he would never voice. "I had to," he said.

If Azula had never said anything to Zuzu, if she hadn't felt the need to be such a monster, then Ursa never would have left. They would have been the perfect family.

"I love you, Azula."


"Azula! Where were you? Why was there smoke?" shouts Zuko upon her return.

"Unfinished business. Don't worry, no one died. Yet."

Zuko seethes. "We're supposed to be helping the village! Not burning it down!"

Azula doesn't look at her.

"Are you hurt?" asks the Avatar.

"The fire is out."

"Okay…well, the plan is for me to project my spirit and sees what's going on from there..."

"I believe in you Aang," says the waterbender. Starting a chain of well wishes. Azula doesn't deign to add any of her own.

Her mother frowns.

Not mother. Hallucination.

"Play nice, Azula. Why can't you be more like your brother?" scolds the hallucination.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Azula looks at her oh so beloved brother. "What did father give mother on their third anniversary?"

Zuko blinks slowly. "I, uh, I don't know."

"Neither do I," says Azula with a tight smile.

"If I only know what you know," says the fading hallucination, "then you must know that I love you. That I've always loved you."

Azula always lies, thinks Azula spitefully, especially to herself.