CW: discussion of attempted sexual assault and suicidal thoughts.

Chapter 38

Katara had to admit to herself that her plan of getting inside the Crystal Castles Sanatorium was the most half-baked plan in the history of half-baked plans. It essentially amounted to coming to Agna Qel'a, scoping out the place and then going on from there. So, it wasn't as much of a plan as it was simply playing it by the ear.

The mental asylum was located in one of the quiet suburbs of Agna Qel'a, neighboring a large park at its back and one of the many channels crisscrossing the Water Tribe capital on the other side. Standing outside on the street and facing the asylum, Katara took note of a larger building to the right of it, which also looked like some kind of a medical facility. Walking up to it and reading the plaque on the gate, Katara discovered that the grim structure fittingly housed the Agna Qel'a Institute of Oncology. It was not exactly the type of discovery that sent her spirits soaring.

Katara had taken Uncle Iroh's warning close to heart, and the first thing she had done upon her arrival was to casually walk past the asylum and take note of any suspicious men hanging around, or any cars parked nearby and looking out of place. It seemed that she was in luck, because she could not spot anyone that could pass for a goon with tire iron, sent by Ozai Nakamura. Still, it didn't make her task of getting inside any easier. The Crystal Castles Sanatorium was surrounded by a fence that was impossible to climb from either side. Looking from the street, it had only one gate leading inside, and it was securely locked. Next to the gate, there was a phone mounted on the wall. It seemed as if would be visitors had to announce themselves via the phone. This definitely decreased Katara's chance of being able to bluff her way inside. The staff would have an easy way of checking that she was not among the expected visitors.

Even worse, while Katara had been standing by the gate, wondering just how to proceed, a woman in a white doctor's coat had walked out of the asylum to bark at her, demanding to know if she had any business hanging around the place. Katara had quickly replied that she was actually visiting someone in the cancer clinic next doors before quickly withdrawing to a safe distance to reconsider her options.

Eventually, Katara was able to make a few interesting observations. She had been wondering just how the asylum staff was entering the premises. It didn't seem likely that they would use the front gate, so there had to be some kind of staff entrance at the back. There was a narrow driveway running between both the cancer clinic and the asylum, but since Katara had only seen the occasional ambulance using it over the past hour or so, she had assumed that the road was attached to the clinic. But perhaps it was also used by the asylum staff?

With no other options left to her, Katara decided to go and investigate. She did her best to assume an expression that made her look like she totally had the right to be there, before making her way down the short and narrow driveway, arriving at a T-junction. Her guess had been correct and the driveway did lead to the back of the asylum. It didn't take her long to come across the staff entrance. However, there was a slight problem in the shape of a bored looking nurse sucking on a cigarette as she leaned against the wall next to the staff entrance. Katara looked up at the young woman and instantly froze, unsure how to proceed. As they stared at each other, Katara watched the nurse's eyes widen, and she immediately knew that the asylum worker had realized that she was an intruder who had no business being there.

Katara quickly turned around and began to walk away. However, much to her surprise, the nurse immediately tossed her cig and rushed after her. Katara was about to break into a full run, in order to get away, but the words coming from the nurse halted the girl from Cape Kuruk in her tracks. "Wait, please! Miss Enuaraq?" the nurse called out to her. "You are Katara Enuaraq, the famous Pai Sho prodigy aren't you?"

Katara stopped and slowly turned around to face the nurse. She was older than Katara, but not by too much, in her early twenties. "Why do you need to know?" Katara asked guardedly.

"Oh, wow… you're going to have a laugh about this, but my little brother, he's only thirteen, but he's totally a fan boy of yours!" the nurse giggled. "When he found out about us having-" she said, then blushing deep red and slapping a palm across her lips. "Ooh, I'm not supposed to say that, but then again… why would you be here, Miss Enuaraq, if not because of, you know… her?" she asked with a conspiring wink.

"You're right, miss. I know that Azula Nakamura is being held here," Katara replied earnestly.

"I'm really curious how you found out," the nurse mused. "I was instructed that we definitely mustn't disclose this to anyone on the outside."

"I can reassure you that the leak isn't on your side, miss," Katara smiled. She wondered if she could somehow bluff or persuade this nurse to let her inside. "And before you ask, I came here because Azula and I have been best friends for years. She doesn't really have any other friends but me, at least nobody as close. I thought that perhaps seeing me would lift her spirits, but I didn't imagine that this place would be fortified better than a prison."

The nurse looked very intrigued and sympathetic at the same time. "Whoa, my brother is going to totally flip when he finds out that his two favorite players are actually friends in real life. He thinks that you two literally hate each other!" she exclaimed.

Katara shook her head and smiled. She decided to go one step further to convince the nurse. Reaching into her purse, she withdrew the slightly incriminating picture that she had taken from Sokka, one that she always carried with her because she was too afraid of someone else discovering it. At the same time, she found the picture so endearing that she couldn't bear the thought of ripping it to pieces. "I'm going to show you something as a proof of my friendship with Azula," Katara walked up to the nurse and showed her the photo.

"Oh my… well, aren't you all so precious? And that's Miss Taqqiq, am I right?" Katara nodded at the gushing nurse. The countenance of the other woman then instantly flipped from happy to somber and sad. "I'm sorry to say that your friend Azula, she hasn't been doing very well. She hasn't spoken a word to anyone ever since she was brought here. Even Yagoda… uh, that's Dr. Yagoda, is at the end of her wits, and usually she knows exactly what to do."

Katara's chest contracted painfully at the nurse's words. "I came here because I want to help Azula, miss. And I really think that seeing me would help Azula to open up," Katara spoke earnestly. "But I understand that you are under orders not to admit anyone inside. Since I'm not a family member, I can't make any demands-"

"You know, I really do believe that seeing you would help Azula," the nurse nodded, interrupting her. "But… ugh, you're right, I could lose my job if I'm caught letting you inside." She looked deeply conflicted, eventually coming to a decision. "I'll tell you what, Miss Enuaraq. Maybe we can make it work. I'll go back inside and check the situation. It's Saturday and there's only a skeleton crew running the asylum during the weekends. If everything looks safe, I'll be right back with you… but I'll want a small favor from you, alright?"

"Uh, sure," Katara replied, already knowing that she was willing to do almost anything to help Azula.

"Okay, I'll be right back," the nurse winked at her. Katara was left waiting for at least twenty minutes, maybe even more, becoming increasingly nervous as time ticked by. Eventually, the nurse reappeared, looking all sneaky and excited. "I think we're in luck," she whispered conspiringly. "Dr. Yagoda and the senior staff are about to have dinner, and I have orders to take Azula to sit outside in the garden. Once everyone is in their place, I'll come and fetch you, Katara. Can I call you Katara?" she asked. Katara nodded. "Alright, that's awesome. By the way, I'm Kya." Katara shuddered lightly, almost losing her nerve at hearing her mother's name, even if there was no real reason for her to be so shocked. Kya was a relatively common girl's name in the Water Tribes. In fact, it was one of the most popular names.

"It shouldn't take more than another half an hour of waiting, Katara," the nurse whispered. "Oh, also… about that favor," Kya spoke up. She retrieved a book that Katara immediately recognized from her own library of essential Pai Sho books. It was 'The 30 Best Games of "Guru" Pathik'. "Could you please sign this for my brother?" the nurse asked, handing the book over to Katara.

"Certainly," Katara smiled, writing down a short and hopefully inspiring message of 'Follow Your Dreams' accompanied by her signature. As she was handing the book back to the nurse, she accidentally flipped it to the previous page, noticing another inscription there. It said 'Get Good' and was signed by Azula Nakamura. "Oh… you were able to get Azula to sign it as well?" Katara smiled.

"Yes, but she did it without saying a single word," the nurse sighed. "Right, I'll be back as soon as it's safe." Katara settled in to wait some more, this time feeling less nervous. Nurse Kya seemed to be on her side here. It took another half an hour of waiting and Katara's wristwatch showed that it was already a quarter past two when the nurse reappeared once again.

"Alright, Katara, let's do it," Kya said, opening the staff entrance doors for her. "Take the corridor turning right and go down it all the way. It goes out to the garden. I left Azula sitting on one of the benches. And in case you get caught… please, try not to implicate me, alright?"

"I will keep our secret safe, Kya," Katara nodded gratefully, running down the corridor to emerge in the garden. It was a beautiful place, almost like a hedge maze of various evergreens to make sure that it appeared lively even throughout the harsh winters. It didn't take too long for Katara to spot Azula, sitting on a bench and staring impassively into the distance. Azula was wearing the customary white patient's gown and matching white slippers. As Katara came up to the bench she was sitting on, Azula at first showed no reaction. Her face was paler than usual and there were dark bags under her eyes. Her hair was down all the way and looked a little unkempt, even if someone appeared to have made an effort to brush it.

"Azula?" Katara asked softly, walking up to her friend.

Azula turned her head to look at Katara, but no other emotion other than simple recognition lit up in her dull looking eyes that seemed to have lost all of their shine. "Katara?" Azula sounded a little surprised. Katara immediately realized the reason for Azula's muted reaction. She had been pumped so full of meds that she was almost totally disconnected from any emotions. This was exactly what they had done to her in the first few months after the death of her mother, all because the doctors had feared that she might become suicidal.

Katara took in a deep breath and sat down on the bench next to Azula. She didn't dare to hug her just yet, for now simply taking Azula's hand in hers. "Yes, it's me, Katara," she said, as if to reassure Azula that she was real.

"Okay," Azula said in a dull voice. "How… how did you track me down here? I thought that he would have made sure that I was hidden from the world."

"Oh, he tried, but Azula, there still are people who care deeply about you, and who would risk a great deal in order to help you. I'm not the only one, Azula," Katara said, smiling softly. She didn't necessarily want to bring up Iroh right away. She knew that Azula had conflicting feelings towards her uncle.

"I don't know if that makes a difference," Azula replied.

"I want to believe that it will make a difference, and I hope you will see it too," Katara said, trying to maintain her optimism, even if Azula looked like she had been drained of all emotions. "What have they put you on, Azula? You look so out of it. Was it really necessary to make you this sedated?" Katara asked.

Azula shrugged. "I suspect they thought I might hurt myself," she said, confirming Katara's fears.

"Would you?" Katara asked, not quite able to keep her voice steady.

"I don't understand how they would know that. I haven't been speaking to anyone," Azula said. "My thoughts, however… you don't even want to know, Katara."

"What are you talking about, Azula? I took a lot of risks to come here because I care about what is going on with you," Katara insisted. "I could literally be arrested because I have no right to be here, and yet that's a risk I'm willing to take for you."

Something akin to a flash of emotion appeared in Azula's ember eyes, but the glow faded quickly. "Careful what you wish for, Katara," she said, turning away and staring down at her feet. "Do you really want to know that I've been fantasizing about wandering into the dirtiest, most violent Caldera City slum and throwing myself at some dangerous criminal degenerate to have their way with me before slitting my throat?"

Katara felt absolutely shocked to hear something so awful, but she tried to keep her emotions in check, somehow managing to do so. "Why do you want something so horrible to happen to you, Azula?" she asked quietly. "Surely you don't think you deserve it."

"Katara, I am having these thoughts because I literally don't own myself, or my own body," Azula replied. She then pointed at herself. "This is the most valuable property of Ozai Nakamura. And I want to hurt and destroy the property of Ozai Nakamura. I want to hurt my father by destroying myself."

Katara sat in silence for a while, unsure of what to say in order not to make things worse. "You will be eighteen in a couple of months, Azula," Katara tried. "Your father will no longer be able to lay any claim on you."

"I think he will remove me from this place before that, whether I'm ready or not," Azula replied. "He'll leave himself enough time to destroy what resistance I have left and bend me to his will completely."

"Maybe there's a way to avoid that from happening," Katara mused. "Whatever happened between you and your father, perhaps it can be used to remove his parental rights?"

"I don't think so," Azula shrugged. "He's never gone on official report as being abusive. And this time, well… I ended up hurting him, instead of the other way around as he had intended."

"But surely the child protective services should ask the question of what might have prompted a seventeen year old girl to attack her father?" Katara asked.

"They would ask that question if they were motivated to discover the truth, sure. In this case, they're motivated to look the other way," Azula replied. "Katara?" she looked at the Water Tribe girl. "I am sorry I didn't tell you about the real situation with my father. And I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the knife."

"It's alright, Azula," Katara replied. Really, it wasn't alright, though. Katara felt badly hurt by Azula hiding all of this from her. The excuse of not wanting to endanger her could only be stretched so far in Katara's opinion. However, this was not the occasion on which Katara could voice her hurt feelings. Azula was in a very bad way. Katara could be nothing but supportive right now. "After we read the newspaper article about your father having been injured, Sokka put two and two together and he told me that you had asked him to get a knife for you."

"Okay," Azula nodded. "I'm glad you're not mad."

Katara swallowed heavily. This was a talk for another time. Azula clearly still had a lot of work to put in when it came to being open and honest with people who genuinely cared about her. "I'm not angry, but do you think you could tell me what exactly happened between you and your father?"

Azula shuddered lightly at the question. Considering just how sedated she was, that was a very strong reaction. "I don't know if that would be wise," she replied, her voice dropping to a whisper. "It's not without reason that they're feeding me all of these," she slipped a hand into the pocket of her hospital gown and withdrew a handful of colorful pills of different shapes and sizes.

"Please tell me you're taking your medicine, Azula," Katara sighed.

"I am," Azula said. "I just lowered the dosage a little bit. I slept for two days in a row because they pumped me so full of meds that it would have knocked out a horse. I'm still feeling numb, but… at least I'm functional. Somewhat."

Katara took a deep breath as she pointed at a very familiar green pill in Azula's palm. "I recognize this one," she said quietly. "I've been on Librium for eight years."

Azula appeared surprised as she turned to look at Katara. "Why?" she asked. "You are so… normal, so stable. I've always seen you as a rock to lean on."

Katara let out a sad laugh at Azula's words, shaking her head. "Oh, Azula, if you only knew," she spoke bitterly.

"I remember that you once mentioned the passing of your mother to me," Azula said, quite astutely, given how sedated she was. "Is it related to that?"

"It is," Katara sighed. She was not eager to share the full story with Azula. Katara knew that reliving it would cause her to break down, and she didn't know if ending up in tears in front of Azula would be helpful at this very moment. However, perhaps opening up about her secret was a way to encourage Azula to tell her about the incident with Ozai. And really, hadn't she just been upset with Azula about keeping secrets from her? This was an opportunity to show Azula that she could open up to her about everything. "This isn't a story I am comfortable sharing, but… I will tell you if you really want to know. I warn you, I will end up in tears, though."

"Tell me," Azula said simply.

"It's not a very long or detailed story, really," Katara said. "It's not a secret that my mother died after being hit by a car. It was a dark winter evening and she had just left the local grocery store. She was on her way home when a car struck her as she was crossing the road. There were no traffic lights because they're not really a thing in Cape Kuruk. But there was a zebra crossing and it was well illuminated. It was a hit and run. Whoever did this to my mom didn't stop to check up on her. They just drove off and left her to die."

"That is disgusting," Azula said.

"Yes, it is," Katara took a deep breath to steady herself. She hadn't gotten to the worst part yet. "Sokka and dad were away at the hockey practice, so nine year old me was all alone at home. When my mom didn't come back, I became really worried and went out to look for her. I came upon the scene of the paramedics working, trying to save her life, but… there was just too much damage. They couldn't save my mom. They told me that she didn't suffer, but… that was a small consolation for what was essentially my fault."

"How was it your fault?" Azula asked. "That doesn't follow."

"Because…" Katara managed. There went the first tear, right down her cheek. Many more were sure to follow. "Because my mom went out to the grocery store only because I was being a complete brat. She was so exhausted after pulling a double shift at the kindergarten, but no, I just had to have my Lucky Charms cereal. We had just run out of it and I refused to eat anything else and I nagged and nagged my mom until she went out to get it for me. Azula, I literally nagged my mother to her death," Katara broke out into open sobs, unable to contain the flood of her emotions any longer, her shoulders shaking with the guilt still gnawing away at her more than eight years later.

"That is so fucked up," Azula could only say. Despite her emotions being dulled by the meds, she shuffled closer to Katara and did her best to wrap her arms around the other girl. Katara allowed herself to be embraced, weeping for what felt like an eternity before she finally began to get her emotions under control again. "I guess it is natural to blame yourself for something like that," Azula said thoughtfully. "But the fault lies with the driver who hit your mom and didn't stop to help. Thousands upon thousands of kids nag their parents to get them something every day, without suffering such terrible consequences. It is just something that kids do, Katara. You couldn't have known."

"That's what I've been trying to tell myself for eight years, Azula," Katara sobbed. "It hasn't really made it any easier."

Azula didn't say anything for a long while and Katara was grateful for it, because it gave her the opportunity to calm down. Eventually, the Fire Nation girl spoke up again. "This is… eye opening," she said thoughtfully. "I was raised thinking that mental health issues were simply a character flaw, a weakness. But I've always seen you as someone exceptionally strong, Katara. Like I said, you've been my rock. And to know that you have struggled with this for eight years… it makes me reconsider my opinions. Perhaps my current state is not a result of my weakness."

"Of course, it isn't!" Katara exclaimed, shocked that anyone would even think so. "I'll tell you what takes real strength, Azula. Real strength means admitting that you need help and asking for it. Real strength means tackling these issues honestly and head on, instead of trying to hide and pretend that they don't exist."

"Hmm," Azula mused. "It's starting to ring true, I have to say."

"Can you be open and honest with me now?" Katara asked pleadingly, turning towards her friend. "Can you tell me what happened with your father?"

Azula swallowed heavily. "Fine, I suppose you deserve to know," she nodded. "Remember what you told me on the phone back in the fall? That crude joke Long Feng made about my father wanting to… marry me if he could?" Katara nodded, unable to stop herself from feeling a little sick. "Turns out, Long Feng wasn't far off from the truth. Ever since dismissing Zhao during the winter holidays, my father began to act… weird and creepy towards me. It was almost as if he was trying to… court me."

"Spirits, that's…" Katara gasped, realizing that Azula had kept all of this from her as well. But this wasn't the time to feel upset about it. Her support was needed.

"Yes, I know," Azula nodded. "It was getting progressively worse, which was why I asked Sokka to get me that knife. I started to worry that he might get physical, and I don't mean it in the beating me kind of way. I don't know how it all would have unfolded, but a week and a half ago, I think it was Thursday night when he stormed into my bedroom and started to scream at me about how I had betrayed his trust by acting like a filthy and sick degenerate. He had discovered what had happened when we got shitfaced at the after-party."

Katara paled, immediately thinking about the incriminating picture in her purse that Suki had taken at her brother's stupid request. "Do you know how he learned about it?" she asked.

"Yes, that bitch Joo Dee must have seen us in the bathroom, because she went and told her father," Azula said. "So, Ozai flew into a rage. At first, I thought he was just going to beat me, and I could have coped with that. He slapped me and tossed me about a little, before climbing on top of me in the bed and pinning me down. He then began to tie my hand to the bedpost, and he had never done that before. I panicked. I thought he was going to-"

Katara reached out and put her arms around Azula. "It sounds like he was going to, yes," she said quietly. "I know this is hard, Azula. I think I understand the gist of what happened, so you don't need to continue."

"No, I would rather you knew," Azula said. "So, as he was struggling to tie my left wrist, I managed to free my right arm. I kept the knife under my mattress and I had practiced the motion to withdraw it quickly. My father had no idea what was going on before I had stabbed him three times between the ribs. He howled like a demon from hell, clutched his bleeding side and staggered away. I haven't seen him since."

"Alright…" Katara let out a sigh of relief, trying to calm herself, which was not easy at all. At least Azula had managed to repel her father before the worst had happened, so perhaps the psychological damage done to her was still salvageable. But another thing was becoming crystal clear. Azula could not return to Ozai. It would be a death sentence. "Azula, after all of this, we have to find a way to stop you from going back to your father. You understand what it would do to you, don't you?"

Azula refused to look at her. "My father always gets what he wants, Katara," she said quietly. "I don't see how I can escape my fate. He might be bedridden now, but I didn't injure him badly enough. As soon as he has recovered, he will make a request of the asylum staff to send me back to the Fire Nation."

"Perhaps something can be done to persuade the doctors here to stand up to your father," Katara mused.

"Look, Katara, I appreciate that you are determined to try-"

"Azula, let's make one thing clear, alright?" Katara interrupted her. "You don't actually want to go back to your father, do you?"

"Not after this," Azula shook her head. "But I don't know of any other way to exist than my old life. What else can I do but go back?"

"Let's tackle this one step at a time, shall we?" Katara said. "Stopping your father from reclaiming his rights over you is the most important issue and we need to address it before anything else. We can deal with the rest later. Do you agree?"

"In theory," Azula nodded. She still looked highly skeptical, more resigned than excited.

"Well, that's something, at least," Katara sighed. She hesitated a little before deciding to be honest about Iroh's involvement, gambling on it perhaps giving Azula some hope that there might be other options available to her. "I should tell you about how I actually came to find you here. I would have never managed to do so without the help of your uncle." Azula looked surprised at her words. "Yes, Iroh still has some contacts in the Fire Nation. Someone among your household staff is loyal to your uncle and they report to him. This is how he managed to find out where you had been sent to. And that's how Iroh has been keeping an eye on you for years, Azula, all the time lamenting that he can't do more than just watch."

"Really?" Azula asked. She seemed a little shaken up, but not necessarily in a bad way. "I… I don't know what to say?"

"Well, how does it make you feel?" Katara asked.

"Well, I… I suppose it makes me appreciate my uncle more," Azula replied. Katara smiled in relief.

"Good, that is good," Katara said. "Because I want to work together with your uncle, and between the two of us, I think we might be able to come up with a solution."

"I am not sure if my uncle can stand up to my father and his influence," Azula was not easily convinced.

"All we need to do for now is to keep you safe until you legally come of age," Katara insisted. "After that, we'll have more options available to us."

"What options?" Azula frowned. "You really think that Iroh would take me in? Maybe he has been keeping an eye on me, but that doesn't mean he'd be okay with me moving in with him."

"I think it's an option worth discussing, Azula," Katara spoke calmly. "Right now, you are dismissing it out of hand, because you're assuming the worst."

"I am not assuming the worst, Katara. I know my uncle," Azula insisted stubbornly.

"Do you, really?" Katara asked. "When did you actually last speak with him? Or is your perception of him completely tainted by Ozai's lies?"

"I… that may be true, but still, Zuko and Ursa wouldn't stand for me staying with Iroh," Azula argued. "They'd turn him against me, I just know it. They will enjoy their sweet revenge while I'm not at my best."

"Aren't you demonizing them as well, Azula?" Katara asked. "Surely, if they knew even a little of what you had to endure in Ozai's care, they would be supportive towards you."

"No, they wouldn't be," Azula shook her head. "They will forever hate me because I refused to support their lies during the divorce proceedings."

"This isn't the first time I have heard you saying that Zuko and your mother lied at the court," Katara remarked. "But what exactly happened? What are you referring to, Azula?"

"Do you know the story of how Zuko got his scar?" Azula asked. "Of course, you do, everyone knows the story, right?"

"Well… yes?" Katara ventured. "Your father burned one side of his face."

"As a punishment, because I had provoked Zuko and he went after me," Azula finished. "Like I said, that's how everyone outside the Fire Nation knows the story. Unfortunately, it's an utter lie. That's not how it happened at all."

"What? So, what really happened?" Katara asked with bated breath.

"It's true that I provoked Zuko into going after me, as I was keen on doing," Azula replied. "And my father was going to give Zuko a beating, but he never intended to burn his face. Anyway, as Ozai was struggling to get Zuko under control, Ursa decided to intervene. She was hysterical, screaming at Ozai to let go of Zuko. She had been working in the kitchen and she had a pot of boiling water in her hand. She threatened to toss the boiling water at Ozai if he didn't let go of Zuko, but my father tried to call her bluff. Ursa was… she lost it at that moment. She threw the boiling water at my father, but he dodged it. Zuko was standing right behind him. He got hit straight in the face with scalding water."

"Spirits, no…" Katara gasped, her heart almost stopping from the shocking revelation. "So, you're saying that it wasn't Ozai who burned Zuko? It was… your mother?"

"By accident, but still," Azula shrugged. "After that, Ursa decided that she could no longer remain with my father. She saw the opportunity to spin her terrible mistake into the basis for divorce. And she hates me to this very day for not supporting the lies to save her own skin."

"What she did was clearly wrong," Katara admitted. "But it sheds a new light on her decision to take Zuko away from Ozai instead of you. The guilt she must have felt for scarring her own son's face… I cannot fathom how overwhelming that must have been. I'm certain she is still paying for that mistake today, Azula."

"Maybe," Azula did not look convinced. "All I know is that she hated me well before that incident. She couldn't stand me because of how I always picked on her precious Zuko."

Katara had a strong feeling that the reason why young Azula had picked on her older brother was merely a roundabout way of attracting her mother's attention, but she decided against voicing these thoughts, fearing that Azula would not appreciate her theory. "Azula, your family situation is seriously messed up, I acknowledge all that," she said then. "But in the end, it all comes down to this. We are both in agreement that we can't let you go back to your father, right?" Azula nodded cautiously. "So, my question is this. Will you trust me to explore every possible avenue to prevent it from happening? I am ready to put all my heart and soul into helping you, Azula. But I will do it only with your agreement and permission."

Azula began to tear up. "I… I don't deserve you… your friendship," she sobbed, allowing Katara to pull her into a comforting embrace.

"You deserve everything I can give and so much more, Azula," Katara replied softly. "Please, give me the blessing to continue helping you."

"Fine, you can have my blessing. You're so damn sure that you know what's best for me," Azula sighed eventually, but there was a shadow of a smile on her face for the first time today. It made Katara feel as if she had accomplished something.

They spent some more time afterwards exchanging less emotionally taxing small talk, until Katara realized that it was already past four in the afternoon and someone was probably about to come and take Azula back inside. So, they had said heartfelt goodbyes, promised each other to stay strong, and Katara had then snuck out the same way she had entered, running into Nurse Kya at the staff entrance.

"I take that everything went well?" Kya asked, looking a little flustered for some reason.

"Yes, thank you so much for this opportunity, Kya," Katara smiled at the nurse.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that, Katara," the nurse said, reaching out and taking her hand. "And now, please follow me. Doctor Yagoda would like to have a word with you."

So, obviously this was a pretty key chapter in the story. Please, let me know what you thought about the secrets of Katara and Azula's pasts that were revealed in this chapter. :) As for the next chapter: Katara has to face Dr. Yagoda, who may or may not be a little peeved. I guess we'll see!