A.N. Warning: Includes discussions of previous abuse. 

Azara stared over at Katara and Sokka with concern as Katara held a cool rag to Sokka's forehead. "This should bring your fever down," Katara soothed as Sokka wiggled in his sleeping bag.

"You know what I love about Appa the most? His sense of humor," Sokka commented as Appa groaned. Sokka burst out laughing at the noise. "Classic Appa."

"How's Sokka doing?" Aang asked, walking over.

"Not so good. Being out in that storm really did a number of him," Katara sighed as she stared down at her ill brother.

"I couldn't find any ginger root for the tea. But I found a map. There's an herbalist institute on top of that mountain. We could probably find a cure for Sokka there," Aang stated, pulling out a map and pointing at a mark.

"Aang, he's in no condition for travel. Sokka just needs more rest. I'm sure he'll be better by tomorrow—" Katara was cut off by a set of coughs. Azara and Aang shared concerned looks.

"Not you too!" Aang exclaimed as Katara continued to cough.

"Relax, it's just a cough. I'm fi—" Katara coughed again.

"That's how Sokka started out yesterday. Now look at him. He thinks he's an earthbender!" Azara pointed out as Sokka swung his arms.

"Take that, you rock!"

"Aang, I'll stay here and look after them. You go find some medicine," Azara spoke, causing Aang to nod and walk out of the shelter they had found. Azara turned back to Sokka and Katara, a concerned look on her face as Katara continued to cough and Sokka hallucinated. Turning back to the fire, Azara started a brew of tea.

"You're a firebender?" Sokka asked Azara, clearly hallucinating.

"Uh, yeah," Azara replied, walking over to him as he looked up at her confused.

"I could have sworn Momo was the firebender," Sokka spoke, mostly to himself, as Azara sighed.

"Why don't I get you some tea?" Azara suggested, walking back over to the pot. Picking up the pot, Azara suddenly sneezed loudly, falling back as a burst of fire flew out of her face. The cup dropped loudly to the floor as Azara groaned in frustration.

"You okay?" Katara questioned, looking over at her with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine, why do you—" Azara was cut off by another sneeze, which pushed her back once more. "I think Sokka got me sick," she huffed, staring at the ceiling of the abandoned building. Katara walked over, placing a hand on her forehead.

"You're burning up! We best get you into a sleeping bag," she sighed as Azara sat up and trudged over to Appa. Pulling out her sleeping bag, Azara sneezed again in front of Momo, causing the lemur to jump back, scared. "Sorry, Momo," Azara sniffled as she crawled into her sleeping bag.

Turning to Sokka, Azara shot him a look. "You got me sick," she mumbled as Sokka looked at her weirdly.

"But, if you're a firebender, you should be warm, right?" Sokka asked, causing Azara to groan and roll over to face the wall. 

She managed to fall asleep until something was pushed into her mouth. Sucking on the object, Azara calmed as she felt better, but then the object started to move. Spitting out the frog and screaming, Azara leapt out of her sleeping bag.

"What the hell?" she yelled, rubbing her tongue against her sleeve to get rid of the taste. Sharing a look with Katara and Sokka, who had both recovered as well, Azara turned to Aang, who looked distraught as he laid down on Appa's tail.

"How was your trip, Aang? Did you make any new friends?" Sokka asked, looking over at the airbender as well. Aang turned to look at Azara, an expression Azara could not read on his face.

"Aang, what happened?" Azara questioned, looking concerned.

"Can I ask you a question, Azara? You don't have to answer it," Aang added, looking up at Azara with a mix of emotions in his eyes.

"Of course, Aang. What is it?" Azara walked over to Aang, sitting in front of him as the airbender stared at his lap.

"Was Zuko always . . .?" Aang trailed off, trying to find the right word. 

"Angry?" Azara supplied, sighing and she stared at the ground for a moment. "No, he wasn't," she stated, thinking back to her childhood in the Fire Nation. "He was . . . kinder. He looked out for others . . . for me." 

A younger Azara, around the age of six, enjoyed exploring the halls of the Fire Palace. Many wings, rooms, and hallways were used infrequently and were great hiding places when playing with her siblings. Or when she wanted to be alone. 

Azara curled her legs to her chest as she hid behind a large curtain in one of the unfrequented hallways. Wiping some of the tears away from her eyes, Azara stared at the ground as she quieted her sobs. 

She had gotten into an argument with her mother, again. Her mother had insisted she wear the most ugly dress Azara had seen to the ridiculous theater show she didn't even want to see. In an attempt to avoid the dress and the show, Azara had lit part of the dress on fire, to the horror of the seamstress and her mother. 

Azara's laughter had ended immediately, however, when Ursa had scolded her loudly, screaming at her for the better part of a minute. Then, she had banned Azara from going out of the palace that week to see her friends. Azara had stamped her foot and loudly complained, but Ursa was unmoved. Which led to Azara running away and hiding behind the curtain. 

At the sound of approaching footsteps, Azara quieted, curling further into herself. The curtain lifted, revealing a curious Zuko. Noticing his crying sister, Zuko immediately pushed aside the curtain and moved to pull Azara into a hug. "Why are you crying, Azara? Did Dad get mad at you again?"

"No, it was Mom this time," Azara sighed as Zuko nodded. "She told me I can't go out next week because I burned the dress she wanted me to wear tonight." 

"Well, it was a horrible dress," Zuko laughed, before quieting and turning back to her. "But you shouldn't burn things like that Azara." 

"I wouldn't if she would just listen to me for once," Azara huffed, resting her forehead on her knees. 

"What if I talked to her for you?" Zuko offered, causing Azara to sit up straighter, staring at Zuko with surprise. 

"You'd really do that for me?" 

"Of course! You're my little sister and I'll always protect you," Zuko promised before pulling Azara into a tight hug. 

Azara shook her head slightly at the memory, willing the tear that had snuck up on her to stay in her eyelid. "He used to be so kind and caring. It all changed when he got his scar." Sokka and Katara had walked over, looking at Azara in concern as she spoke openly about her past. 

"How did Zuko get his scar?" Aang asked quietly as Azara closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. 

"It's not a day I like to remember," Azara sighed, looking out at the landscape.

A younger Azara walked along the halls, chatting happily with Ty Lee as her sister ran around the corner. "Did you hear the news?" Azula asked, as Ty Lee and Azara shared a look.

"No, what happened?"

"Zuko is going to fight Father in an Agni Kai," Azula revealed, causing Azara's eyes to widen as her mouth dropped open.

"What? No! He'll lose!" Azara gasped, her mind whirling with the new information. "I have to find him!" Azara took off down the palace hallways, skidding to a halt in front of Zuko's room. Banging on the door loudly, Azara would have burst through the door if Uncle hadn't opened the door. "Zuko, are you out of your mind!?" she yelled as she walked into the room.

Zuko sat on the bed, turning to glare at his sister for barging in. "I have to for my honor—"

"—Screw your honor, Zuko! Think about your life!" Azara nearly screamed, as Uncle Iroh placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Azara, your brother has already accepted the challenge. He can't back out now," Iroh sighed as Azara shook her head.

"You always have a choice," Azara stated firmly, but Zuko sighed.

"I have to do this, Azara. You wouldn't understand," Zuko replied, turning his back to her. Azara's eyes filled with tears. Shrugging off Iroh's hand, she stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her as she left.

"Zuko, your sister only has your best interests at heart," Iroh spoke as Zuko turned back around. "Don't shut her out."

"At least she has Father's support. I've always had to fight for it, but she and Azula have always had Father's love."

"Don't confuse love with pride, my nephew," Iroh replied, his expression grim.

"Wait, what's an Agni Kai?" Katara questioned, causing Azara to look over at her. 

"I like to think of it as a contest between two male firebenders to decide who has the biggest muscles. But, it's basically a firebending duel until one yields . . . or dies." 

"And your dad challenged Zuko to one?" Aang asked, his expression horrified.

"Zuko spoke out of turn at a war meeting. My father doesn't take kindly to disrespect of any caliber."

Azara stared up at the stage as Zuko turned around, their father doing the same. At the realization that he was facing his own father, Zuko dropped to his knees. "Please, Father. I only had the Fire Nation's best interests at heart! I'm sorry I spoke out of turn!" Zuko begged, staring at the ground.

"You will fight for your honor," Ozai rasped, walking closer.

"I meant you no disrespect. I am your loyal son," Zuko continued, tears coming to his eyes. Azara placed a hand over her mouth, tears pooling in her eyes.

"Rise and fight, Prince Zuko!"

"I won't fight you!"

"You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher," Ozai snapped as Zuko looked up at him, tears streaming down his cheeks. Ozai reached out, grabbing Zuko's head with one hand and curling his fist into another. Azara sobbed and clenched her eyes shut as Zuko screamed, the flame from their father leaving his face forever burned and scarred.

"I lost my brother that day," Azara stated quietly, staring at the floor. "He was never the same person again," Azara replied as Aang, Katara, and Sokka shared horrified expressions.

"How could a father do that to his own son?" Sokka asked, disbelief clear on his face.

"Because my father never loved us. We were just tools, weapons, to him. If we didn't do what he asked . . . there were severe consequences," Azara trailed off as Aang placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "For refusing to fight, my father banished Zuko to find you, Aang, to reclaim his honor."

"I'm sorry for bringing up those memories, Azara."

"Don't be, Aang. It was bound to come up at some point," Azara shrugged, moving to tend to the fire. Aang, Sokka, and Katara shared concerned looks as she walked away.

"I can't believe that happened," Katara shook her head, the information still swirling in her mind.

"No wonder Zuko's so angry all the time," Aang added, looking to the ground. Sokka stared over at Azara as she pulled her legs to her chest, staring silently into the fire. Aang moved to get some sleep and Katara tried to gather the random materials Momo had brought her during the day. 

As Azara continued to stare into the fire, Sokka walked over, sitting next to her quietly. "You don't have to answer this, but back at the dam, when I rescued you . . . and that thing with Jet . . ." Sokka trailed off, trying to find the right words to say. Azara's gaze didn't waver from the flame, but Sokka could see her arms shaking lightly and her bottom lip quivering. 

"Did your father ever . . . ?" Sokka questioned softly as Azara clenched her eyes shut, memories of the past swirling around in her mind. She let out a loud sob, covering her face with her hands. 

Sokka pulled her to his chest, wrapping her in a tight hug. Hearing her sob and thinking about the horrible things her father could have done to her, Sokka let a single tear drop down his cheek as Azara continued to cry into his chest, gripping his tunic like it was her lifeline.

A.N. To clarify, Ozai was physically abusive to Azara when she was a child. It was a large part of the reason she left the Fire Nation, which will be expanded on further later on in the story, so stay tuned! And on that happy note, thank you again to everyone for reading/voting/commenting/etc.! The Fortuneteller episode is next!

Also, side note, this is what inspired the first flashback scene:  

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE IMAGE! RIGHTS TO THE ORIGINAL OWNER/CREATOR.