Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: the Last Airbender.

Azula Always Lies

A ghost of a smile danced across the Fire Nation princess' face, she had lured her brother home. Her father would be pleased more so when she would describe to him in perfect dishonest detail his son's amazing feat. She was prepared to awe him and entangled her beloved father up in a web of her very own spun lies. If it meant precious Zuzu would be welcomed back and free whenever she was in a playful mood, felt a cruel impulse or needed to release her own anger.

Azula would never tell, she missed him. The few years without him hadn't been as delightful as she dreamed they would be. Her father had ruined Zuko's banishment, without his son to vent his hate to, Azula was given both positive and negative attention. Her brother wasn't there when she needed someone to talk to, taunt or tease to feel better when their father was mercilessly sadistic. She forgot those memories, they weren't important to her anymore. Zuko was on board this very ship heading for Fire Nation waters, home, and life would be better, it had to be.

They were alone in the kitchens, brother and sister. Azula showed him her brightest smile and embraced her arms around his neck, she kissed his cheek affectionately. "Welcome home, brother." She whispered into his right ear.

"Thank you, Azula." Zuko said reluctantly. This was his little sister, but the hug he received from her had a creepy element to it and she succeeded in making him uncomfortable, which unbeknownst to him wasn't her intent.

She retracted away from him and her face darkened at his expression, he wasn't happy receiving her affection and he never returned her hug. Zuko was staring at her, wearing the expression he wore throughout childhood that was more matured, yet still recognisable. It was an visage of distrust, he thought it was highly probable she was about to hurt him. She should have laughed at the irony, her brother hadn't known he hurt her. Azula felt foolish at her own behaviour, she turned away from him abruptly and left the galley.

She understood that even Zuko wouldn't give her what she was secretly searching for. She tried to reconcile with him and he treated her the only way he knew how when she got too close for comfort. She pushed the emotions down and she pretended to forget about them, but they always remained. They would bubble to the surface of her mind to be suppressed again and forgot about. She hugged herself, all she had ever had, just Azula.

A soft tap of knuckles against her door signaled a visitor, probably the captain. That man wouldn't relieve himself without checking through her first, he had somehow came upon the notion that his every action needed her permission. She couldn't complain, she reasoned her threats had created him.

"Can I come in?" It wasn't the captain, it was him.

"Yes, please do come in, Zuko." She answered considerably cheerful, her confidence readily defending her heart.

He entered her bedroom and shut the door behind him. He appeared nervous, tension started to build. "About earlier...?"

She glanced at him from her bed where she sat, and he returned her look. She opened herself up to him to see if it existed in him, but she was stung and now she would shut him out, she wouldn't allow him in.

"I thought we agreed you restored your own honour?" Azula spoke, her face emotionless. Agreed, manipulated, same thing to her. She knew exactly which 'earlier' he was talking about and she wasn't about to relive it.

"No, I meant before in the galle..." Zuko moved toward her position.

"That was nothing." She said offhandedly, her expression changed slightly, then it was back to it's original state. "I'm tired." She handed him an excuse to forget it, but he resolved he wouldn't, not so easily.

And she forgot this was her brother. She was lying, he could tell, despite her talent for fooling him flawlessly most of the time, today he could see right through it. "Azula always lies." Zuko smirked, his playful tone trying to cheer her up though their strained relationship prevented it and his smirk dropped as she glared at him. Instead of trying to improve things he seemed to hurt her further and tear the fraying remains of their bond.

"Leave, Zuko." He could hear the pain in her voice. A side of her that he had rarely seen, a side that made him wish she had been born into a different family. A family that loved her, no matter what. "I've had enough of you for one day."

"I'm sorr..." He began.

"Didn't I just tell you..." Azula interrupted him.

"I'm not leaving." Zuko interjected and crossed his arms determined to stay for the argument or fight, his words would undoubtedly ignite.

This was new, he was challenging her and she wasn't willing to hand him any control that was rightfully hers. He straightened his posture and she narrowed her eyes, but she didn't adjust her position on the bed, she needed not to move an inch to scare him back to submission.

"What?" Her eyes widened from their narrowed state and in them, he witnessed her hurt steadily develop into anger. "I'm sorry, dear brother, it seems you've forgotten the nature of our relationship." She sneered.

"Yes, I have." He admitted formally, unabashed. "You hugged me, then kissed me?"

"I was welcoming you home." Her voice lowered in volume, her face softened rapidly and he was completely confused.

"You missed me?" Zuko asked, his right eye wider than his left.

It couldn't be possible in his mind what he pegged her strange behaviour to, he felt like giggling giddily. Azula couldn't have missed him because she cared for no one, but their father. He was wrong, he was sure of it. She never cared for him and yet, she hugged and kissed him like she missed him. Sure, she probably just wanted to try out the role of being his sister, but she wouldn't treat him any different. Azula would expect to dominate him and he wasn't going to participate in her game. She didn't miss him, it was too absurd.

"No." She turned away from him, her back faced him and he was astonished, she had missed him.

He was careful and quiet in his steps toward her bed, he was soon looming over her casting a shadow over her body and bed from the light source in the centre of the room. Zuko reached out a hand toward her shoulder, but stopped himself before he touched her. He couldn't remember a time in their life when they were siblings, not adversaries or torn by rivalry.

He watched her breathe, her chest dropping and rising ever so slightly. Zuko touched her arm gently and he was surprised when she didn't reprimand or threaten to hurt him. He pulled her up from bed by her arm and hugged her to his front, he sat down with her by his side and he never let her go.

"You missed me." He stated.

Azula held her head against his chest, she shut her eyes tightly and let him hold her. She was beginning to feel it from him, warmth fluttered in her heart and somewhere inside him she thought he cared for her, maybe even loved her. He abandoned her side and quickly stood, he faced her. She was crushed, the emotion she sought to feel instantly left and she lowered her head not wanting to display her expression to her brother, protecting her reputation.

"That was nice, but I need to speak to Mai." Zuko said, his voice breaking in his unease.

She nodded and he went on his way, her shoulders sank with every step he placed between them. He wanted Mai, he was more interested in talking to her friend then spending anytime with her and now she was alone, again. She knelt on the bed and gazed out the small window, he spent more time with her when they were arguing or she was tormenting him.

Her right hand cupped her cheek as she watched the stars. She admired the reflection they created along with the moon on the surface of the water and then she wished it was possible to burn them all away. Moisture met the skin of her palm and she was shocked at the tear she discovered on her hand, she wiped her eyes and sniffled, one of those rare nights she would cry herself to sleep.

"Azula?" His voice was the first thing she heard in the morning, he woke her up by intruding into her room without an invitation. Hurt ran through her and ignited her anger at him for his inability to provide her with love after she had created a situation for him to come home with his honour restored.

"What do you want?" She rose up from the bed, stretched and crossed the room slowly, coming to invade his personal space.

"I'm sorry for leaving last night." He apologised. "You were upset, I should have stayed."

She laughed heartily and his sincere expression began to change. "I don't know how much you know about the female sex, Zuko." Her hands landed on each of his shoulders and she moved closer, so she was a mere inch from touching his body. She was hoping to make him as uncomfortable as possible, she showed him the Azula she kept hidden, protected and now she would threaten him to forget her. "But a few days of the month some of us are not really ourselves, its like an emotional overload and you had the misfortune of arriving in the middle of mine." She moved her head closer to his ear and whispered sensually, making sure her breath would tickle his inner ear, to increase his unease. "So, just forget it ever happened or I'll make you wish you had." She chuckled flatly and forcefully, he didn't seem to notice her laugh was unnatural.

Zuko shoved her arms off of his shoulders and stared at her, his face clouded with confusion, but his anger was far more apparent. He did not like how she was staring at him. "You're sick, Azula." He said thoroughly disgusted.

He glared at her and retreated to the bedroom door, which he opened then slammed closed as he departed. She frowned, now she had lost him forever and her heart sank in the possibility that he might have learned to love her.

Tears brimmed her eyes and she turned her back to the door. She was relieved by the thought that she was safe now, he was angry at her and would soon forget the vulnerable side of her, her weakness she had shown him.