A/N: First off,thank you to everyone who has kept up with this story and reviewed it as well. Even through my dry spells/random disappearances.

I own nothing!!!!! Except for the concept of Dream Weaving.

Ch. 19

Azula

My head is spinning...I'm not sure if I am awake or asleep...I followed the image out of the cave but there was no sign of Zuko or his party. Not even a hint of him ever being there at all. This is so confusing...Only moments ago I saw my father burned, but there was no screaming? How does that work?

"It doesn't..." I muttered before allowing my body to collapse from exhaustion.

All of my hallucinations were gone in that moment and I found myself laying on my side in the sand. A breeze pushed it against my face but I was too weak to move.

Ty Lee

I hate that I love you sometimes, Azula...I hate it so much.

Like any other warrior after a prisoner, I prepared for my potentially short travels and set off to follow Azula. This time I would capture her and whether or not she fought back, she would be mine and mine alone. I will finish my job and escort her to Ba Sing Se and wish her a better life.

It hadn't been long since she fled the small home we were staying in with Ursa, an hour or so? I was told she was suffering from sever exhaustion, and her joints, I noted only days before, were weak. She shouldn't be far from me now.

"Be alive..." I prayed out loud in a nearly inaudible whisper.

I headed out and trailed along the edge of the desert, my eyes were now trained better than ever to hunt for any given prey specified to me. Becoming a Kyoshi Warrior enhanced all of my abilities and then some. Now, I was more powerful than I was when working with the former Princess Azula. My heart ached for her, I cannot deny that, but we are too different now and I must put my feelings for her aside,

"Even if it hurts..."

The sun is beating down on me, it feels so horrible. If I were a Fire Bender it would probably feel much different. Zuko and Azula used to say that their power and energy would rise with the sun, that must be amazing, feeling a natural high from something so incredible like the sun. When I started following after Azula I didn't even consider the weather, my anger got the better of me and I stormed out. With the heat this intense right now...who knows how Azula may be feeling...

"What is that?" I broke my own silence, and train of thought, when I caught a glimpse of something dark in the sand. "....Azula?"

My pace quickened immediately and soon I was running full force towards the figure in the sand. Sooner than I could imagine, I was standing over her, my prisoner..my princess...

Rethinking this entire journey, and all the pain I was put through since the war ended. Losing her once because of my own betrayal, then watching her deteriorate when she lost...I saw all of her pain in her eyes and accepted the job as her escort immediately because I believed it was a way for us to have a second chance...to make up for our losses...and when I had to lose her again because of her stupid delusions...

"I just..can't take it anymore..." I sighed and knelt down to her, pulling the trick restraints out and securing them tightly around her wrists and ankles. "I'm sorry Azula..."

Lifting her from the ground, I mustered up what was left of my strength and started to carry her back to the village. I would need more supplies for our trip to Ba Sing Se. I had to stop and rest a few times, and for most of that time she slept.

"Ty Lee..." Her fainting voice called to me as I continued carrying her along.

"Yes..." I hesitated in response, in truth I thought she was going to freak out from the restraints like the old Azula would, but something was different about this Azula...

"Where...where is Zuko..."

"I don't know." I tried to keep my answers short, I didn't want to stop being angry with her.

"Father...our father..he's..." And with that her dazed muttering stopped and she passed out again.

By the time we returned, everyone was waiting for us, all but the guys of course. Suki looked surprised when she saw Azula in my arms but was quick to help me get her in another room where we would be able to keep a better eye on her.

"Are you sure you need to be so extreme?" Ursa sounded concerned as any mother would, as I fixed the restraints on Azula's wrists to the corners of the bed I had been sleeping on.

"Yes." I replied, my voice flat and serious. "These restraints will keep her from bending, and if she tries it will be extremely uncomfortable. I'll leave her ankles undone so she can still move around some..."

"Um...Ty Lee..." Suki cut me off. "Isn't it a little weird that she's pinned down like that on your bed?"

"I'll be sleeping on the floor, if at all." I responded quickly.

As tempting as this position was, I was in no mood to play games with my princess tonight. When everything was settled, everyone left me with her and retired to their own rooms to sleep. I sat against the wall across the room from Azula, just staring at her as she slept. Then her golden eyes shot open and she looked only at the ceiling before she spoke up...

"Are you giving up on me?"

"What?"

"I don't blame you, I've been hardly trustworthy to you...always running off and trying to fix things..."

"Fix things? Like what?"

"My life..."

"That's why I'm taking you to Ba Sing Se...to help you.."

"I don't want to go to Ba Sing Se!" She snapped like a spoiled child, making an attempt to sit up. "I want to go home! I want to go back to the Fire Nation!"

"You can't go back! There is nothing for you there!"

"And what could there possibly be for me in Ba Sing Se?"

"Well what's back in the Fire Nation?"

"My Throne, my legacy..."

"Those are no longer yours!"

"...and what about you?" She asked, and that threw me off guard.

"What?"

"What about you?" She asked again, her voice became calmer. "Because of this war I have lost so much...all that ever mattered seems to...not exist anymore..."

"Azula...You helped fuel the war...and now you're basically saying you regret it? Is this a trick?"

"No." Her eyes met mine. "Though...Could you...let my arms down? They ache terribly."

"I'm not taking the restraints off..."

"I'm not asking that...just...let me have my arms down...keep the restraints on me if you must, bind my wrists together if you think you need to...but please...my arms are so tired..."

Cautiously I stood up and approached the bed, undoing the restraints from the bed corners I quickly bound her wrists together. I sat down with her and made sure they were secure on her and she pulled a move I hardly expected...

"Azula...what are you...?" I tried to back away but she stopped me when she lifted her tired arms and captured me in the space between her tied wrists and the rest of her body, holding us in a comfortable embrace.

For the first time in so long I felt safe, my arms slowly circled around her and hot tears stung my eyes as we leaned in together for a small and seemingly shy kiss. It was real for once, not a dream like all of the others. I could feel her heart beating with my own, the warmth from her body and softness of her skin against mine. The things we take for granted, I had it all back if only for just that one moment in time. The kiss grew more passionate and before we could go any further we both pulled away, overwhelmed and I started crying. Looking at her, ashamed at my own emotions, I expected her to be angry with my weakness but when I looked tears were staining her face as well and she pulled me close to her. Kissing the side of my face she rocked us a bit as my hands ran through her hair. Her gentle hushing calmed me and she continued to speak.

"I hated this war...so much...at first I thought it was brilliant, that it would send my life flying into different yet successful directions. That I would finally feel the love and compassion that my homeland seemed to have. I worked hard, I was a child prodigy to the untrained eye when really...I was just a tool in someone else's war..."

"Your father..."

"Promised me the world and then some...anything I ever wanted, I got with no questions asked, as long as I held up my end of the deal...no problems. My brother feared me and my mother thought I was a demon in human flesh. And the only thing I ever really wanted was love and acceptance, not just from my family...but from Mai...and you..."

"Azula..."

"He never approved, my father, of my feelings for you or for anyone else...he said it was wrong and that it made me weak...weakness will not be tolerated...."

Azula

"You don't know how it is to have your honor hanging in the balance, not like my brother who completely lost his and regained it later...but to have it hanging over your head all of your life just to be shorted in the end.

I jumped through hoops of fire for him, did everything he ever commanded and never once truly complained about how he went about his business...but when it came down to it...I hated that man more than anything in this world...

I still remember...the day my father departed for the Earth Kingdom to burn it to the ground...when he announced me as the new Fire lord...and himself the new ruler of the world...the Phoenix King...I remember that day perfectly...

The day he left me behind..."

"Azula silence yourself!"

"But...it was my idea to burn everything to the ground! I deserve to be by your side!" I protested, the only time I had ever done so.

"Azula!" He turned and glared at me.

Regaining my composure was harder than I expected. He had promised me the world for so long and in an instance he was taking it away from me. Dangling all of my hard work in front of my face as though I deserved nothing. Even as he began to speak again I felt a fire burning in my stomach that I wanted so dearly to spit at him...

"Listen to me, I need you here to watch over the homeland its a very important job that I can only entrust to YOU."

Then like some kind of sick pet, the one who would jump through the hoops of flame I stared at him as though the honor and hard work that he dangled before me was some treat or toy that I had earned...feeling my face twitch slightly at what he was offering me it was as though I was completely lost...

"Really...?"

And then he said it...what I've always wanted him to say...

"And for your loyalty I've decided to declare you the new Fire lord."

"Fire lord Azula..." I marveled. "It does seem appropriate...but...what about you?"

Try to imagine, if for only a moment, how it sounded in my ears. How he spoke so highly of how the world will be reborn in Fire, and he would be the new world ruler. The Fire Lord has always been the highest ranking position, a position I always thrived to get to. Yet...a new title would soon replace it...

"The Phoenix King!" He said it so proudly...

Nothing would have changed. I would still be only second best...A title like 'Fire Lord' compared to 'Phoenix King' had little to no meaning whatsoever. That day was the first time I ever considered a possible dislike towards my father....but that was for selfish reasons. He had only taken a title from me as the next in line to rule...but I had to look on the bright side...he can't live forever. Then even more reality struck when I was defeated by my brother and that stupid water tribe girl. I was declared insane beyond reason and sentenced to a possible life imprisonment...only to end up here...now...with only my love for Ty Lee keeping me somewhat sane.

But that day...that Ozai left me behind...still haunts me...andthose thoughts still haunt my memory even in my dreams...yes...my dreams. You Think I'm stupid, don't you father? How you've managed to harm all that I hold dear, the only thing that keeps me sane, and what makes it so amusing is that...you've never spoken two words to her let alone learn her name. All you've ever known was that she's my 'little friend in pink'. You don't realize how well you've trained me....

"And now I follow him like a sick puppy, but he doesn't realize that the pet that used to love and adore him has grown rabid and has sharper fangs...my bites can kill."

"Then..." Sighed the confident Kyoshi Warrior. "...I think it's time we woke your father."

Aang

It took us long enough to reach the cave that Ozai had been hiding in, Zuko was a complete mess. He hadn't slept for most of the journey, but a man with a life like his mustn't sleep much to begin with. Either way, I was worried about my friend.

"Maybe you should stay here..." I suggested as Appa made his landing in front of the cave.

"No...I need to end this." Zuko yawned and was the first to climb off Appa's back.

"Zuko..."

"Let him get some closure, Aang, he needs it." Sokka intervened just in time.

We all took one large breath almost simultaneously, sighing it out together the three of us approached the mouth of the cave and entered it slowly. Even though I took his bending away, the former Fire lord Ozai was still very frightening for some reason. Zuko walked a few steps ahead of us until his quick steps faded him into the darkness.

"No..." I could hear him sigh, defeated.

Sokka and I caught up and stood beside the Fire Lord, who at that point was standing over an old fire pit and a tarp of some sort. There was no sign of Ozai.

"DAMNIT!" Zuko kicked the tarp against the wall of the cave and turned away.

"Every time we come another step closer to ending this, we wind up going ten steps back! How do we break someone like Ozai?!" Sokka became aggravated and started to storm out of the cave.

"He knew we were coming..." I said, more or less to myself.

"No..." Zuko shook his head. "He doesn't see us as a threat, whatever plan he has he's going through with it thinking that he is still powerful enough to take us down."

"That's a little arrogant..." Sokka turned back to us.

"Why wouldn't he think of us as a threat?"

"Well...you have your morals, you didn't kill him before and he won't expect it now..." Zuko said mildly, which made me step back, but his face lit up at that and he said, "I won't ask you to do that, it wouldn't be right."

"So you're going to do it?" Sokka said to him, eyebrow raising.

"No...my status as Fire Lord...and my attempts at creating a more Peaceful world would be discredited. And by law, murderers are sentenced to life at the Boiling Rock...there's too much at stake for all of us really..."

"And he knows that..." I sighed.

"Well, before we worry about what we're going to do to him, we have to find him first...any leads?" Sokka asked as we left the cave.

"My mother..." Zuko sighed and walked towards Appa. "Let's get out of here..."