Warning this chapter might trigger some people.

Steve pov

I followed the Firelord Zuko down a series of corridors, everything in the palace look so expensive. I had a couple million dollars in the bank enough to live a comfortable life, but not enough to afford this the luxurious lifestyle that Azula was used to. I suddenly felt the insecurities hit me again I couldn't offer her the life that she had been accustomed to, and even though she told me that it didn't matter to her, it still did me. I had always been a sickly boy growing up, and back then being sickly made it hard to get a job. Being sickly meant having to take a lot of days off work, and taking off days from work that that often times I got fired. When I was able to find a good job the majority of my money went towards medication which meant that often times I would have to go without food, even with Bucky's help it was still hard to scrape by. I entered the Firelord's office closed the door, only to turn around and find the Firelord slamming me against the door. From what I've seen of Azula's training and the heat I was feeling under my chin, it meant I had a fire knife at my throat.

"What are you doing?" To say that I was nervous was an understatement.

"Are you using my sister?" I could see the anger behind his eyes "If you are I need you to leave and never come back."

"No, I'm not using your sister," I replied. "I love her, and I would never intentionally hurt her." The Firelord nodded, and let me go. I breathed a sigh of relief, because there was no way it would have ended well if I attacked the Firelord I would have ended up dead. I could have fought back, but I would have lost Azula in the process. Azula would have never forgiven me if I hurt her brother.

"Good, I love my sister, and there isn't anything that I wouldn't do to keep her safe." Even from you I could hear him say in my head. The Firelord went around his desk and sat in the chair. He looked so exhausted I felt pity for the Firelord, ruling a nation was a stressful job.

"I understand the need to protect the people you love," I said. The Firelord nodded, and then pointed to the chair across from his. I walked towards the chair, and sat down.

"My sister has been through so much... I almost lost her."

"I know, your sister told me everything."

"Did she now? Did she tell you what my father did to her?"

"Yes she told me what he did to he-"

"You still want to be with her, even after everything she told you?"

"Yes, I wanted to ask you-"

"Good, that makes me happy to heart that." The Firelord looked so exhausted for someone so young. "It was my fault... what my father did to her was my fault-"

"With all due respect Firlord Zuko-"

"Just call me Zuko"

"Zuko it wasn't your fault"

"Yes it was...it was the day of the eclipse I confronted my father. I told him that Azula had lied, and that she had been the one who shot lighting at Avatar Aang. I had also told my father that the Avatar was alive. I know the kind of man that my father is, and I also knew back then too. I did that with no care to what would happen to Azula...I knew that Ozai would see Azula's lie as betrayal. I was certain that he would punish her,"said Zuko. I couldn't help but realize that his eyes were beginning to water. "I thought that since she was his favorite that he would spare her, but I was stupid to think that. Ozai burned my face for speaking out of turn. When I came back to the palace I had been prepared to fight my sister, but I was not prepared for what I found."

"I know what your father did to her, what he made his guards do." The Zuko nodded his head, and tears were coming down his face.

"I-I had brought Katara with me for back up, my sister was a prodigy, and knew that I wouldn't be able to take her on my by self. We were unprepared for what we found. My father's guards had been the ones to do that to my sister, and they left with him. One of the guards that my father left in charge of watching Azula had been kind enough to cover her up with his cloak. The image of Azula tied up will always be engraved in my mind. I had been frozen in place, but Katara took quick action she had been the one to untie my sister. I had not know the extent of the damage done to her at the time, because all you could see was blood. I remember how Katara's crying got worse when she got closer to her, and I understood why when I stepped closer to her... yo-you could smell the semen on Azula. I looked at the Fire Sages, and they confirmed that my sister had been raped."

Zuko got up and walked towards the window. I could hear him crying, so I got up and gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

Zuko's pov

flashback

"Zuko this is going to take me days to heal. Let's take her somewhere more private, but let me heal her some of her wounds first,"said Katara. All I could do was nod. I turned towards the Fire Sages.

"Who did this and why?!" The none of the Sages spoke up, and that only angered me some more. "Answer me now!"

"Your father was angry that she lied about the Avatar-"

"That doesn't make since. How did he find out?" Katara asked the Fire Sages. It made me sick I told him about Aang, which means that what happened to her was my fault. The Fire Sages didn't answer her question they just looked at me.

"I did, but I didn't think that he would do this to her," I answered. Katara signalled for one of the Fire Sages.

"That's all I could do for her today, like I said it's going to take a week of healing her daily to completely heal all her physical wounds." Katara turned away from me and looked towards the Fire Sage with Azula in his arms. "Take her to her room and have a very loose fitting nightgown put on her by one of her personal maids." I nodded towards the Fire Sage and he took Azula.

"The lashes on her back was because she lied about the Avatar. Apparently you weren't the only one who was planning to run away the day of the black sun, and when your father questioned her, she responded that she was tired of being a monster." The guilt was consuming me if I had kept my mouth shut Azula would have been free, but instead she had been raped, and tortured. The Fire Sages left, but I couldn't bring myself to look at Katara's accusing stare.

"I keep on asking myself why you told your father, but the only answer I can come up with is that you wanted your father to hurt her."

"Katara I didn't think that-"

"No, you obviously weren't thinking, but you knew that she would get hurt didn't you?"

"I didn't think that it would be this bad."

"The man burned half of your face for talking out of turn. What do you think that he would have done to-"

"I know, I regret it and I'm sorry" I felt tears coming down my face, but that did nothing to quell Katara's anger.

"I'm not the one who needs to hear your apology. You will always regret what happened to your sister, because it was your fault Zuko. You told your father about Azula's lie, because you wanted him to hurt her the same way he hurt you. Did it make you feel better?"

"No." She was right I wanted my father to hurt her, and if Aang beat my father I will regret this till my dying day. I could feel the tears running down my face, and I looked at Katara's face, which was covered in tears.

"I'm going to find your sister, and see if she has any clothes that fit me, because mine are covered in blood. I need to be by her side she lost so much blood, that it'll be a miracle if she survives the night. You stay here and wait for Aang. I can't look at you."

a couple of hours later

I saw Appa and felt relief. Sokka was the first one to jump off the flying bison.

"We won...why are you covered in blood? Did something happen to Katara?" Sokka was beginning to panic.

"Katara's fine, it's Azula's blood."

"What, did princess crazy give you a good fight before going down?" Toph seemed worried as she built stone steps leading up to the flying bison. Aang dragged Ozai off the bison and down the stone steps.

"How's Azula is she still alive?" Aang asked with a worried tone, but I didn't answer him instead I attacked my father. I punched him repeatedly, until Aang dragged me off of him.

"How is my daughter is she still alive?" Ozai was laughing. Toph metalbent a metal stripped around his mouth.

"What is he talking about." Aang looked worried, and the guilt hit me again.

"He found out that Azula lied about me killing you, so he had his personal guards rape and torture her. Katara said it'll be a miracle if she survives the night." Everyone was frozen in shock, Sokka was the first to react, by punching Ozai in the face.

"I know she killed you, but could you help Katara heal her, please Aang."

"You guys can go I'll stay here Suki and I will stay with him," said Toph.

Suki stayed with Toph, while Aang, and Sokka followed me to Azula's room. I knocked on the door, and Katara answered. She was wearing my sister's workout clothes, her eyes were red and puffy from crying. She hugged both Aang and Sokka. She let us come into the room, my sister's eyes were still swollen shut, her face was covered in bruises. She covered my sister in a sleeveless loose nightgown, so the hand shaped bruises on her neck, arms, and ankle were visible. I felt tears running down my face again, so I turned to look at Sokka, and Aang. They didn't like Azula but that didn't stop the tears from coming down their face, no one deserved what happened to Azula.

"I regret taking away his bending. I should have killed him, because only a monster would do this." We were all shocked by what Aang said.

"No, you did the right thing by stripping him of his bending, because death would have been too easy. A monster like Ozai would rather be dead than be a nonbender. To think that if we had lost the war he might have done the same to my sister...a part of me wants to kill him, but living as a nonbender with no power would be more torture for him. I never liked her, but she didn't deserve this. No one deserves what happened to her," said Sokka.

"This gown is covering up so may injuries," Katara replied. There was cuts, burns, and bruises all over her arms. "He whipped her so badly that in many places, her ribs, and spine are visible. Aang if you help me her chances of surviving the night will go from ten percent to fifty percent. Even with your help it will still take us days to heal all of her wounds. I can walk you through it, I know you don't like her, but please Aang for me." Katara was crying, she had a gentle heart, and couldn't stand to see people suffering. "She woke up for a couple of minutes...she told me to let her die, that no one can love her now that they all know she's broken. I asked her what she meant, and told me that your father has been raping her ever since you mom was exiled. All this time I wondered why she did the things she did. Did you know that if she upset your father in anyway her punishment was rape? That's why she wants to die, to end her suffering. She apologized to me saying that she never wanted to kill you, but she was so terrified of her father. Aang we have to help her."

Katara was crying profusely at this point, so Sokka tried to comfort her by putting his arms around her. Katara buried her face in her brother's shirt, everyone in the room was crying. I hated my father, but Sokka was right being powerless was more torture that killing him.

"Katara I will help you heal her, body, and soul. No one will ever harm Azula again, not while I draw breath," vowed Aang. With Aang's support it'll be easier to convince all the other rulers to spare Azula, and hopefully keep her out of jail. I should have been there to protect her. I should have protected her, and knowing that my sister was being forced to do my father's bidding in fear of the punishment broke my heart.

I decided to tell Azula's story the flashback will continue for one more chapter then it'll be their date. I tried to do it tastefully, but I couldn't bring myself to write a graphic rape scene. Can someone please tell me how to put up pictures because idk