Azula stares at the girl. Of all the places she can think of, Kyoshi Island would be at the bottom of the list. She highly doubts that they would want the princess of the Fire Nation living among them.

"Why there? I highly doubt that they'd want the sister of the Fire Lord living among them."

"True, but unlike your brother, you didn't burn down our village. You never attacked us at all, which is already a point in your favor. I'll vouch for you, too. What do you say?"

Azula looks at Sokka, who gives her a smile and a nod, clearly in favor of what the Kyoshi girl has said. She feels somewhat inclined to trust him and his judgment since he was the one who saved her from Zuko potentially throwing her off of a cliff. But what does she want? Azula knows that she wants to get better, and she certainly can't do that if she's sent back to that place. She knows that she doesn't want to be around her brother or uncle, two people who don't seem to be the least bit concerned about her well-being. She knows that she doesn't want to be anywhere near her mother. Perhaps being away from her family for a while would do her some good. Perhaps being away from the Fire Nation would do her some good. Both things definitely seem to be the source of her misery these days.

Azula nods in agreement, "Fine. But what about Zuko? I'm sure that he wouldn't want me going anywhere outside of the Fire Nation, let alone out of his sight."

"Don't worry about him. If your idiot brother has a problem with this then I'll make him agree. Even if that means I have to punch him again." Sokka says, looking slightly annoyed at the mention of Zuko's name. Azula's never seen anyone outside of her father being annoyed by the mere mention of Zuko, let alone for her sake, but it's nice to see.

Suki looks at Sokka, noticing how oddly protective he seems to be over Azula. She decides not to comment on it, however, lest he start making a fool of himself and try to deny it, and Azula does ... .something. Or maybe she would do nothing at all. She doesn't seem too keen to do much of anything.

Not for the first time, Suki wonders what exactly Azula went through in the asylum.

"I'm going to go and tell Ursa, Aang, and Katara about taking you to Kyoshi Island. If everything goes well, we can leave tomorrow. Or whenever you want to." Suki says, before walking back towards the palace. As they watch her, a thought occurs to Azula.

"Do you think that my uncle will agree to this?"

Sokka contemplates her question before saying, "I don't know. Maybe. And if he doesn't? Who cares? Based on what you've said, he's never really acted like an uncle to you like he was with Zuko. He's never shown any interest in your life before, and as far as I'm concerned he has no right to start doing that now."

"Young Sokka is right, niece. I have no right to tell you what to do."

They both jump at the sound of the old man's voice. Sokka shrieks and hides behind Azula. Azula is shocked by this before she glares at him.

"Why are you hiding behind me?"

"Blame your uncle, he scared me! Plus, you kinda sorta feel safe to be around?"

How many times was this fool planning on shocking her with his words and actions in one day?

Azula sighs and turns to her uncle. She doesn't know what he wants but she has a feeling that it'd be best to not ignore him. The look on his face says that whatever he has to say is important, and that he won't leave until he gets whatever it is off his chest.

"What do you want, uncle? Have you come to try and convince Sokka that I belong in the asylum?"

At this, Sokka comes out of his hiding place and glares at Iroh, telling the man with his eyes that his words won't work on him if that's really what he came here for. He's surprised when Iroh shakes his head.

"No, this isn't about that. Well, in some ways it is. Can we talk, Azula?"

Azula glares, wary of what her uncle has to say. The last thing that she expected was for the old man to get down on his knees and bow his head towards her. She turns to look at Sokka, who looks as shocked as she does.

"I'm sorry, my niece. For everything."

The first words that come to Azula's mind is what the fuck, because why is he apologizing to her? The old man has never cared about her before. She doesn't even think that he's ever even seen her as her own person. All Iroh has ever seen her as was an obstacle for dear Zuzu to overcome. Perhaps it's a trap to get her to let her guard down. Azula certainly wouldn't put it past the old man.

"I spoke with your mother a little while ago. We had….a lot to say to each other. She blamed me for not doing enough for you, something that she blames herself for as well, and I blamed her for the death of my father. I was away when he died, and when I came back, your mother was gone and my brother was Firelord. To me, it looked as if the two of them killed my father so that Ozai could take the throne. She then revealed something to me: that the reason why she had killed my father was because he had ordered Ozai to kill Zuko, as a consequence for something that my brother had said to him. She said that you overheard the conversation, and went to warn Zuko about it, and then your mother overheard the two of you and asked you to explain what was going on. Had you not listened in on that conversation, Azula, Zuko wouldn't be alive today. The boy who I think of as my own son would be dead. When your mother told me that, her words slowly began to make me realize that my view of you was wrong. I saw both myself and my brother in you, and that caused me to see you as a monster, rather than a girl, my niece, who needed me just as much as your brother did. The fact that you saved your brother that night proves that you have just as much good in you as Zuko does, and I was a fool to not see that before. You have every right to not forgive me, and to want nothing to do with me at all, but I just wanted to tell you this. I know that no amount of apologies will ever be enough to make up for my mistakes, but I will do my best to do right by you from now on. To be a better uncle."

Azula snorts. It figures that uncle would change his mind about her because of something that has to do with Zuko. Typical. And while it's better than Iroh hating her until his dying breath for things beyond her control, a part of her still feels angry. Why couldn't he have come to this conclusion on his own? Why did it take hearing about how she saved Zuko's life for him to change his view of her? Why did everything always have to be about Zuko?

Azula says none of this, however. She doesn't feel like getting into a potential argument with her uncle.

"If you really want to make it up to me, then see to it that the place you sent me to is shut down. It's the least that you can do. The people in charge don't do anything to help the patients there. They just made things worse for us. Of course, they wouldn't be allowed to do the things that they do to us if the family members of the patients actually came around to visit. If the Fire Lord actually cared enough about his little sister's well - being and checked on her and made sure that she was getting the proper care that she needs."

She notices Iroh flinching at family members who don't visit and if the Fire Lord actually cared about his little sister but she doesn't care. Her words make him feel uncomfortable? Good. Maybe then he'll realize just how much his actions have caused her nothing but suffering and abuse for the last year. Maybe she should put him in a straight jacket. See how he likes it. See how he likes being unable to defend himself against people who want nothing more than to harm you rather than take care of you like they are supposed to, who want to keep you like a bird trapped in its cage, unable to set itself free and fly away.

"I already said to your mother that I would investigate the asylum, so I'll make the same promise to you now, Princess Azula: I will personally see to it that a thorough investigation will be launched, and that the asylum will be shut down. Every single person who has abused you and the other patients will be brought to justice as well. You have my word."

Azula hopes that he didn't notice the way she froze up the minute he said the word "asylum". Sokka seems to have noticed it. The boy grabbed her hand the moment she reacted to that word. She hates how much power that single word holds over her.

"What about Azula going outside of the Fire Nation to receive the care that she needs? Are you opposed to that?" Sokka asks. Of course, he doesn't care one way or the other if Iroh is indeed opposed to the idea, but it would be nice to hear that he doesn't. He'd rather if they didn't get into a fight over it. He's sure that Azula would agree.

"No, I don't have a problem with that at all. In fact, I think that it's a great idea. Getting out of the Fire Nation for a while, away from us in particular, will do you some good, niece."

At least we're on the same page, Azula thinks to herself.

"As for Zuko, I'll talk to him and get him on board with the idea. Although based on what I've heard, I can't see him being opposed to it. From the sound of it, the two of you need to spend time away from each other for a while."

"You have no idea." Azula says. She still hasn't forgiven Zuko for the cliff incident, after all.

"I'll take my leave now. Take care, you two."

As they watch Iroh walk away, the two of them only have one thought in their mind.

Well that could have gone a whole lot worse.


Kiyi is amazed by how big the palace is. It's probably the largest building that she has ever seen in her life. She could probably get lost here. Get lost in the many hidden passageways that she's certain are around here somewhere. Best to avoid that though. She doesn't want to make her parents worry.

The thought of her mother gives her pause. Was that woman even her mom anymore? She has a different face. It's a different face than the one that she is used to, the one that she has seen for the five years that she has been alive for. As far as Kiyi is concerned, the woman she once called "mom" is gone. At least she still has her dad. And two older siblings, although she's only met one of them. She has an older sister too, but the girl in question has yet to show herself. Kiyi wonders if her sister is scared of her. That would explain why she has yet to come out and introduce herself.

Kiyi hears footsteps behind her, and turns around to see her brother. His face says that he's angry, about what Kiyi does not know. He looks down at her and smiles.

"What are you doing here by yourself? Shouldn't you be with mom? Or with your dad?"

Kiyi looks away at the mention of her….their mother. Thinking of her mother as someone else's mom too is something that she'll have to get used to, she supposed.

"...I don't want to be near mom. She scares me. And this place is big, so I wanted to explore and see if I could find any secret passageways."

Her brother makes a face at the last part of what she's just said, much to her confusion. She didn't say anything wrong, had she?

"You're afraid of mom? Why?"

"She has a different face! That face isn't the same mom that I had before! I want my mom back!" Kiyi says tearfully. She wants her mom back. Not whoever has taken her place. Her thoughts are interrupted when she feels her big brother hugging her.

"...I'm sorry. This is my fault. You want your mother back? Well, that's how I've felt for the last few years, ever since she was banished. I wanted to see my mother again. And because of that, she changed her face back to what it used to be. So, if you want to get mad at someone? Get mad at me. If you want to hate someone? Hate me. I'm the one who changed the life you've been living up till now. So…don't be mad at our mother, ok? She doesn't need both of her daughters hating her for things beyond her control."

Kiyi doesn't understand much, but what she does understand is that her brother is to blame for everything. Her mother is too. She didn't have to change her face and yet she did! She pushes Zuko away from her.

"I hate both of you!" She shouts tearfully before running away. She thinks about what Zuko said to her. One part in particular.

"She doesn't need both of her daughters hating her for things beyond her control."

So her sister hated their mother too? Perhaps she should go look for her. Maybe she would understand how Kiyi feels.


Zuko watches as the little girl runs away from him. He thinks that the conversation could have gone a bit better. His little sister (he's still not used to the thought of having another little sister. He can barely handle the first one) hates him, which is something that he can live with. He doesn't really know how to act around the little girl, so having her hate him may just be a blessing in disguise. For a moment, he wonders if Azula hates him too. If she hates him for threatening to throw her off of that cliff. It's not as if he was going to go through with it, of course. He doesn't want his sister dead. He just needed her to understand that her behavior wouldn't be tolerated. So he took a page out of her book: using fear to get her to do what he wanted. Of course, that hadn't worked out. She didn't seem to be afraid of him at all, and he hadn't counted on Sokka of all people coming to her rescue. He wonders if Sokka hates him too now. His friend had certainly seemed beyond livid with him, to the point of leaving him stranded in Hira'a (which Zuko still isn't over. Maybe he should punch Sokka in the face. See how he likes it.) and he hadn't even joined Aang and Katara when they went to go speak to him, instead opting to stay with Azula (now she was taking his friends away from him? Spirits, couldn't she let him have one thing?!)

"There you are, Zuko!"

Zuko turns around to see Suki running up to him.

"I've been trying to find your mother, Aang and Katara, but I guess running into you is fine, since this concerns you as well. I need to discuss something with you."

He has a funny idea what that "something" is (or rather, someone) but he humors Suki and asks anyway.

"What did you want to discuss with me?"

"It's about Azula."

Of course it was. That's all anyone seems to want to talk to him about these days (seriously, did they all just forget that she tried to kill them more than once?)

Zuko sighs, "What about her?" he asks, hoping that Suki doesn't notice the somewhat annoyed tone in his voice.

Going by the look on her face, she has indeed noticed it.

"I spoke to her and Sokka a little while ago. They got me up to speed on everything that's happened, and they told me that you all decided that Azula wouldn't be going back to the asylum, and that you were trying to figure out where to take her so that she can actually get the proper care that she needs. I suggested that she go to Kyoshi Island. See if we can do anything for her there. And if we can't, we can try Ba Sing Se, or even the Northern Water Tribe, since they have healers there."

Zuko blinks. Kyoshi Island? Why there? Why not here in the Fire Nation, in the palace where she can be under his care with doctors who (hopefully) know what they are doing?

(Plus, it'll be more convenient to have her in the palace so that she can be put under surveillance. He can make sure that Azula isn't trying to do anything, like take the throne away from him.)

"Why can't she stay here? This is her home. Why send her all the way to the Earth Kingdom?"

"Because she needs time away from here, Zuko. Being around you, your mother, and your uncle won't do her any good right now. Being in the Fire Nation itself won't do her any good right now, either. I went with Ty Lee to check out the asylum after you had left to find your mother. What we found out was…disturbing, to say the least. I don't know what those doctors have told you, Zuko, but they aren't helping the patients. They're making them worse. In order to keep them contained they have them wrapped in a straight jacket all the time. Whenever they lash out because of a hallucination, much like your sister does, they inject them with some kind of drug to 'calm them down'. Going by the way your sister is, I don't think these methods are doing anything. The doctors themselves don't really seem to know or understand what's wrong with the patients who have been admitted there, and they don't really seem keen on knowing either. We also overheard some of the doctors saying that they hate working there, hate working in a place filled with crazy people who are beyond saving, and that their families should have just killed them instead of dumping them at the asylum. Doesn't really sound like a safe haven where people go to get better, now does it?"

Zuko doesn't say anything, still processing everything he's just heard. Could that be the reason why Azula had been acting like that? Because she wasn't getting better at all, but was actually getting worse? If that's true, then it means that his friends were right. Azula hadn't been faking it after all. Her condition really had gotten worse within the past year.

And it's all his fault.

Suki senses the inner turmoil Zuko is currently going through and places a hand on his shoulder as a sign of comfort.

"I know that this must be hard for you to hear. You need to go to the asylum and see for yourself what Ty Lee and I saw. What Azula had to live through for a year. Then you'll see what I mean when I say that taking her out of the Fire Nation will be what's best for Azula. You do want what's best for your sister, don't you?"

Does he want what's best for Azula?

Zuko doesn't know how to answer that question.