A/N: I DO NOT OWN AVATAR OR ITS CHARACTERS

Previously on Avatar...

Aang returns to the Fire Nation after an extended absence, Zuko asks for Aangs help in bringing Azula home from the asylum where she is having nightmares.

CHAPTER 2

The Favour

"You want me to do WHAT!" Aang exclaimed barely able to control himself, completely shocked at what Zuko had asked him to do.

"I need you help in Azula's rehabilitation, I want her to come home, other than Uncle she's the only family that I have left." Zuko replied looking a little sad as he did, which caused Aang to frown.

"That's all well and good Zuko, but why now after all this time, do you really think I will be able to help?"

"I know you can because you believe that everyone deserves a second chance why not Azula?"

"Ok Zuko I'll try, I'll leave tomorrow and go and see her."

"Thank you Aang, you have no idea how much it means to me to finally have some family that can live in the palace." Zuko sighed relieved that he had managed to convince Aang.

Aang walked back to his room at the palace that night still unsure about whether or not he could make a difference to Azula's condition, because he had heard that she was still slowly deepening in her insanity. Once he entered his rooms he grinned at home little it had changed from the last time he had been here, the walls probably served as the greatest point of difference, having been painted to a range of yellows, oranges and greys, representative of Aang's Air Nomad heritage. He walked straight past the bedroom and out onto the balcony and leaned onto the railing, for he knew with such the events of earlier he was going to have trouble sleeping. The cool breeze of the night gently brushed across his face and he closed his eyes and reflected upon what he could remember of Azula, she had been quite an intelligent teen when they last met, she was often outsmarting the GAang and now that he thought about it she had also been quite attractive, which he could only see now because he had always seen her as the enemy and didn't have the time to consider her appearance.

After twenty minutes of reflection Aang had finally managed to come to terms with what he was doing and walked back to his bedroom and was able to sleep.

The sun, it is the greatest source of energy in the world for fire benders and as such all fire benders rise with the sun, it was this part of Aang that he wished would lay dormant but alas he awoke to the first rays of light peaking over the horizon. Aang quickly put on his robes and went to one of the training courtyards and began with an air scooter and constructed a circuit in the courtyard using his earth bending, this coupling of elements and further using all four at the same time had taken some time to master without the Avatar state as it took great concentration and energy. Once Aang had completed that part of his training he practised his fire bending, this sent intense streams of fire throughout the grounds. A hour later he was sweating profusely and decided that was enough so he went back to his room and took a bath, cleaning himself up before walking to the palace dining room for breakfast.

Katara and Zuko were already seated and eating when Aang walked in, both looking up before greeting Aang, "Good morning, how did you sleep?"

"Yeah is a good morning, and pretty well, I meditated for a bit before bed but slept soundly once I did" Aang returned, turning to Zuko, "Can we talk alone for a minute there are some last minute details I have to clear up?" Zuko nodded and went into the hall with Aang, Katara looked slightly confused as to what Aang could want to talk to Zuko about alone, and they had never had any secrets from each other before.

"Zuko, does Katara know about what you want me to do?" Aang cautiously asked him, Zuko froze a little at this before replying,

"No, she doesn't and I think it would be best if she didn't until you can return with Azula, she'll understand and accept it better if you show trust in Azula than if I do."

"I agree completely, the other thing I need to know is can you give me a map with the location of the asylum on it so I can get there on Appa?"

"Sure, here you go." Zuko produced a scroll from one of the pockets on the inside of his robes as if expecting something like this to come up.

"Alright well I'll go now, just tell Katara I had to leave to settle an altercation between some colonies"

"Ok Aang, well write to me with updates as soon as you can."

Aang went to the stables to get Appa and enthusiastically went up and patted the sky bison, "Hey buddy, you ready to go again?" Appa just let out a low rumbling growl as a response. Aang smiled as he led Appa outside and twirled himself through the air and landed in the saddle and brought up the reins and yelled "Yip yip."

Since the end of the war Aang had grown to be more mature however times like this when he is flying through the clouds bring out the child within as he jumps off of Appa and falls through the clouds before rising again soaked with water and landing on Appa laughing before air bending himself dry. He looked out over the ocean and saw the island to where the asylum is located; as he approached the island the vast expanse of the asylum could be seen. Aang got Appa to land on the beach and told him to find a place to rest, he then walked up to the building and as he got closer he realised just how daunting the building was, it was completely white and had marble walls at least 15 metres high. Aang was greeted by two nurses or at least they looked like nurses wearing grey tunics, who brought him inside and told him to wait in a room whilst they went to find the head doctor, after 10 minutes the nurses brought back an older man who introduced himself, "Hello, you must be Avatar Aang, I am Dr. Lee Tao we have been expecting you, the Fire Lord sent word that you would be arriving today."

"Hello Dr. Tao, yes I am Aang, I would like to see Princess Azula please."

"Very well, come this way please" as they walked the doctor further commented, "I'm not exactly sure what the Fire Lord can expect from your visits, she barely wakes and doesn't talk to anyone."

"Well perhaps a familiar face from her past will change that" Aang replies smiling to the doctor, "Well here we are, I'll be here outside just knock on the door when you want to come out."

"Thank you doctor"

Aang opened the door to virtually a pitch black room, he turned on one of the light using fire from the palm of his hand to see a dishevelled figure lying on the bed.

She was in the middle of a dream when she heard a different voice that pulled her from her subconscious; Azula had to cover her eyes at the vastly different amounts of light in her room from normal. Looking up Azula saw the figure of a bald man with a blue arrow on his forehead, she had to think and see if she could remember him and then he spoke and although the voice was deeper it dawned on her who he was. "Hello Azula, how are you?" was all he said before everything went black.

A/N: please read and review and let me know what your thoughts are.