Chapter 1

    "You'll need to try better if your going to chi-block me, Lotus!" A girl that looked about thirteen years old yelled at another girl, grinning as she sent a blast of blue flame at her.

    "You asked for it, A!" The other girl called, laughing as she easily jumped off a wall and cartwheeled out of the way of the flame.

    "Your girls are so crazy." The third girl said from the sidelines, stepping out of the way of a stray flame, twirling a dagger in her hand.

    "Well, that's a little rude, don't you think?" The girl named A said, smiling, wiping a few uneven strands of hair off her forehead.

    "I'm just stating facts, A." The third girl deadpanned, smirking. "And it's not my fault that you wanted to cut your hair like that."

    "Mailee, you love her!" The other girl named Lotus said, laughing, jumping down from the roof to stand next to A.

    "Never say that again," Mailee said, glaring at Lotus, though her lips formed into a small smile, betraying her. "Or I will pin you to the floor and leave you there."

    "You would never!" Lotus said, gasping, laughing.

    "I would," Mailee said, smirking.

    "No, you wouldn't." A said, smiling. "And you do love her. And me. Because I'm just so awesome."

    "If by awesome you mean annoying and crazy then yes," Mailee said. "You're right." The doors that led to the coryard opened, and Mai, Ty Lee, and Azula stepped out.

    "Girls, dinner's ready." Mai said, walking over and standing beside Mailee.

    "Is dad going to get back soon?" Mailee asked Mai, smiling softly.

    "Hopefully," Mai said, smirking. "But you know how Zuko is."

    "Lotus, can you do the move I taught you yesterday?" Ty Lee asked Lotus, skipping over to her, grinning.

    "Yeah! I can't do it as well as you, of course, but I think I got it down!" Lotus said,

smiling back at her mother. She did a backflip and jumped off of a wall and spun in the air, did multiple difficult movements and landed perfectly, grinning.

    "Wow." Ty Lee said, smiling at her daughter proudly. "That was amazing."

    "A, come on, let's go inside." Azula said, smiling softly at her daughter and giving her forehead a quick kiss. "Before dinner gets cold."

    "That's barley and excuse, Mom." A said as they walked back inside. She faced her hand up, a small blue flame flickering in the middle of her palm. "We're both firebenders, after all."

    "My daughter has become sassier than me," Azula laughed. "I have found my match."

Chapter 2

    "I'm back," Zuko called as he stepped inside. "Sorry I'm late."

    "Dad!" Mailee called, jumping up and running to Zuko, giving him a quick hug.

    "Took you long enough." Mai said, standing up as well, squeezing Zuko's hand, smiling softly. "We just started on desert."

After dinner, the three girls got ready for bed, giggling and laughing. After a few minutes, they were in their beds. Lotus was already snoring softly, tangled up in her blankets. The door to the girl's room creaked open, and Ty Lee, Mai, Azula, Zuko, and Teo stepped inside quietly. Teo and Ty Lee stepped over to Lotus and whispered goodnight to their snoring daughter. Zuko and Mai walked over to Mailee and gently kissed her goodnight, whispering softly. Finally, Azula walked in. Silently and without a word, she walked over to A and kneeled in front of her bed.

    "Goodnight, my spark," Azula whispered, gently kissing A's forehead.

    "'Night, Mom..." A whispered, already dozing off.

Chapter 3

    "Good morning, A! Good morning, Mailee!" Lotus said, cartewheeling out of her bed and shaking each of them awake.

    "Lotus," Mailee groaned, sitting up, rubbing her eyes. "It is WAY to early for you to be cartwheeling."

    "It's never too early to be happy!" Lotus said, jumping onto Mailee's bed and giving her a tight hug that made Mailee fall on her back against the mattress. "Is it to early for hugs?"

    "No," Mailee sighed, laughing as she held Lotus close. "you win."

    "She always does, Mailee." A said, sliding out of her bed. "At least she always does when it's you."

    "I find that highly offending." Mailee said, hopping out of bed as well.

    "Not as offending as you calling me crazy." A fired back, smiling as they walked out into the hallway. Suddenly, A jerked, her eyes snapping wide

open, her hands twitching. She started mumbling something that nobody could understand, and then as quickly as it started, it went away. A blinked, rubbed the side of her forehead, and then continued walking, completely normal. Lotus smiled softly, reaching out and holding A's hand, squeezing her hand softly. A smiled softly and squeezed Lotus' hand back. Mailee stepped a little closer so her shoulder was brushing against A's every step. It was normal for A to do that. Mailee and Lotus were use to A's weird genetic. Having grown up with her their whole lives, they knew what to do, and they weren't scared.

    "Morning, Mom! Morning, Dad! Morning, Aunt Azula! Morning, Aunt Mai! Morning, Uncle Zuko!" Lotus said, letting go of A's hand and running into the kitchen and giving Teo and Ty Lee a bouncy hug.

    "Morning, my little ray of sunlight." Ty Lee said, grinning, picking up Lotus and spinning her around. "How'd you sleep?" She asked, setting her down and booping her nose.

    "Like Appa!" Lotus answered, giggling, her nose crinckling cutely in happiness. "Are we going to the Jasmine Dragon today?"

    "Yes," Ty Lee said. "So you'd better eat some breakfast to get some energy!"

    "She already has to much energy." Mailee said, standing next to Mai and leaning against her.

    "If I'm going to race A to the Jasmine Dragon then I'm going to need all the energy I can get!" Lotus mumbled, stuffing her mouth full.

    "Oh, your so on!" A said, her golden-blue eyes glinting with a playful spark. "I'm going to win!" A teased, running to the front door and dashing outside.

    "A! No fair!" Lotus said, jumping up as well, cartwheeling out the door. "See you at the Jasmine Dragon, Mom!"

Mailee grabbed a bun off of her plate and put it in her pocket, running outside and chasing the A and Lotus down the crowded streets if Ba Sing Se.

    "Girls, wait up!" Mailee called, laughing as she dashed after them. "And be carful, A!"

Mailee yelled as A put her hands behind her and sent a burst of blue flames behind her to make her faster. Mailee shook her head, smiling as she sped up, racing after the others.

Chapter 4

    "I win!" A said triumphantly as she touched the front doors of the Jasmine Dragon, leaning against the doors.

    "I was closer than last time!" Lotus said, smiling as she caught her breath.

    "And the only reason you won was because you used your fire to boost you." Mailee pointed out.

    "Lotus chi-blocked some people that got in her way." A retorted, smiling.

    "I did not!" Lotus said defensively. She paused for a second. "OK, maybe I did."

    "See?" A said, smiling at Mailee. "Even she--" Suddenly the front doors-- That A was still leaning on--opened. A yelped, falling backwards onto her back.

    "Oh, I'm sorry, my dear niece!" Iroh said as he helped A up. "I thought I heard your voices, so I had to come out to see if my imagination was playing tricks on me! Come in, come in."

    "Also, great Uncle Iroh, A --and me-- are your great nieces." Mailee said as they

walked inside.

    "Awesome nieces." A corrected, smiling. Iroh laughed.

    "That makes it sound like we are farther apart, my dear Mailee." Iroh said. "But to me, family is always close. Sit, sit. The jasmine tea is brewing."

    "Thanks, Uncle Iroh!" Lotus said, smiling at him as he set out plates of food.

    "If it isn't one of my favorite acrobats!" Suki said as the front doors opened. The girls turned around, and saw the Gaang walk in.

    "Suki!" Lotus grinned, jumping off of her seat and running to her. Suki laughed and met her halfway, wrapping her arms around her and lifting up Lotus so her feet were just barely touching the ground.

    "Is Ty Lee here?" Suki asked, setting down Lotus.

    "She's on her way." Lotus said, smiling up at Suki. "For now, come and eat! I bet the flight on Appa was crazy!"

    "It was," Suki agreed, laughing, sitting down next to Sokka, who was already stuffing

his mouth full of dumplings. "Yuè and Jìngyǎ practically dragged me and Sokka out of the house."

    "Lotus!" Yuè, Sokka and Suki's youngest daughter screamed, jumping on Lotus in a tight hug that almost knocked her off her seat. "I missed you!" Lotus laughed and squeezed the younger girl tightly.

    "I missed you, too!" Lotus said, grinning.

    "It's only been a few weeks, Yuè." Jìngyǎ, Sokka and Suki's oldest daughter said, walking over to them and sitting next to her father, reaching across the table to grab a rice bun from a plate. "But I missed you too, Lotus." Jìngyǎ added, smiling at Lotus.

    "Did anyone miss me?" A asked, smiling playfully.

    "I did! I did!" Kuzan, one of Aang and Katara's sons said, razing his hand in the air and waving it around. A laughed, tosling his hair, making him giggle. The front doors opened again, and Zuko, Azula, Teo, Ty Lee, and Mai walked in.

    "Suki! It's so good to see you!" Ty Lee said, immidietly walking over to her and giving

her a hug.

    "Uncle, what can I help with?" Azula asked Iroh, smiling.

    "Oh, dear Azula, join your family. I will handle the tea and food. Thank you, kind niece." Iroh said, beaming at her, his old, kind eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled.

After everyone was seated, Iroh brought over the jasmine tea and set down plates of steaming food, as the Jasmine Dragon filled with laughter as breakfast began.

Chapter 5

After a cheerful breakfast full of laughter and giggles, Iroh asked Lotus, A, and Mailee if they could go to the market to get him some supplies he was running low on.

    "Sure, great Uncle Iroh." A said, laughing as Roku, another one of Aang and Katara's sons jumped on her back, messed up her hair, and jumped back off. "Come on, girls! Let's go!" The girls burst outside, laughing as they ran out onto the bustling streets of the market. Suddenly, someone yelled.

    "Look at her! Azula's spawn!" An older man yelled, pointing at her. A froze, her laughter dying in her throat. People turned and whispered, pointing at her, backing away slowly in fear. Mailee glared at the man, then turned to A.

    "A, don't listen to them." Mailee whispered gently.

    "Yeah, they don't know what their talking about." Lotus whispered, taking A's hands in hers.

    "She's a monster!" The man continued. "She's even worse than her mother! She-"

    "Sir, one more word, and I swear by lightning," Mailee growled at the man, reaching into her sleeves and pulling out her daggers, the blades glinting in the sunlight. "You will regret it." The man swallowed, backing away. But the crowd kept murmuring.

    "No..." A whispered, her voice shaking, taking her hands out of Lotus' and gripping her head, as if she could claw the words out of her brain. "No..."

    "Look at her..."

    "Her eyes, her hair..."

    "Dangerous..."

    "Don't deserve to live..."

    "Shouldn't be free..."

    "A monster..."

    "A monster..."

    "Monster..."

The words echoed in A's ears, drowning out Lotus and Mailee's calming whispers. A

gripped her head harder, squeezing her eyes shut, a low growl escaping her throat.

    "...A...?" Lotus whispered, grabbing Mailee's hand and stepping back. Suddenly, A's head snapped up. She roared, blue flames spurting from her mouth, scorching the air.

    "GO GET AZULA!" Mailee yelled to Lotus as the market dissolved into chaos. Lotus nodded, sprinting away towards the Jasmine Dragon. Mailee turned back to A. "A, breathe. It's OK, your safe. A, look at me." Mailee said to A. A's gaze snapped onto Mailee, her pupils narrowing into sharp slits like a cat's eye. In a haze of sadness, loneliness, and complete, relentless fury, A was everything but herself. She glared at Mailee and brought her hands up, shooting blue flame at Mailee. Mailee doged the flame quickly, but it still managed to burn her right arm badly. Mailee fell to the ground, gripping her burned arm, groaning in pain. A froze, tears filling her eyes as she looked at what she had just done. She squeezed her eyes shut in shame, looking away, tears running down her cheeks. A monster, a monster, a monster.

    "Look! See?!" Someone yelled. "She just burned her friend! A monster!"

    "YOU WANT A MONSTER?!" A screamed, sobbing. "I'LL GIVE YOU A MONSTER!"

Chapter 6

The doors of the Jasmine Dragon flew open, Lotus bursting in.

    "Azula!" Lotus yelled. Azula came running out from the kitchen. "It's...it's A." Lotus said, catching her breath. "She...lost control."

    "Let's go." Azula said, throwing aside the cloth she had in her hands. Together, her and Lotus ran out of the Jasmine Dragon, dashing through the market, Azula at the front, her eyes burning with fierce love.

    "Mailee!" Lotus gasped, running over to her, dropping to her knees next to her. "What happened? Mailee, where's A?" Lotus asked, her voice paniced, holding Mailee's hands tightly.

    "She didn't mean to," Mailee mumbled, wincing as she tried to sit up, leaning heavily against Lotus. "She just ran."

    "Lotus, help Mailee get to the Jasmine Dragon." Azula said, her eyes scanning the streets. "Katara is there. She'll be able to help that burn."

Lotus nodded, helping Mailee stand up, and together, they walked to their way back to the Jasmine Dragon. Azula turned her atteionton back to the streets right as a burst of blue flame erupted into the sky from a nearby allyway. Azula pulled herself onto a roof and jumped from roof to roof, whispering,

    "I'm coming, my spark. I'm coming."

Chapter 7

Azula jumped off a roof a few feet from A.

    "A." Azula called softly, stepping closer. A turned at the sound of her mother's voice. She saw Azula and glared, tears running down her cheeks. A lifted her arms, and a sphere of blue flames surrounded her.

    "Mom, get back." A whispered, looking at Azula through the flames. "I'll hurt you, just like I hurt Mailee." She swallowed. "I...I am a monster." Azula stepped closer. She reached out and parted the flames surrounding her daughter. Without a word, Azula stepped right in front of A. She dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around her, pulling A against her. A buried her face in the crook of Azula's neck, sobbing. Azula put a gentle hand on the back of A's head, burying her face in A's black hair, kissing the top of her head.

     "Never say that, sweetheart." Azula whispered fiercely. "Never. They don't know you. They don't understand. They're still hurt. They're still scared. And that's because of me.

I'm sorry. You are not a monster. You are A. You are my daughter. And nobody but you can define who you are and what you are."

    "But I hurt Mailee-"

    "It was an accident." Azula said. "You didn't mean to, and Mailee knows that. She knows who you really are." A let out a shuddering sigh.

    "Thanks." A whispered.

    "You don't need to thank me, sweetheart." Azula whispered back, wiping away A's tears with her thumb, kissing her forehead.

    "I love you, Mom." A whispered, smiling softly.

    "I love you too." Azula said, smiling. "Now come on, my spark." Azula murmured, standing up and helping A up. "Let's go home."

Chapter 8

A and Azula stepped inside the Jasmine Dragon. A looked around the room for Mailee and Lotus. When she finally found them huddled in a corner with Katara, Mailee and Lotus saw her, standing up. They walked to her, and before A could take a shuddering breath, Mailee embraced her tightly.

    "I'm sorry, Mailee." A whispered, holding Mailee tightly. "I'm so, so sorry."

    "Stop it." Mailee said. "Don't you dare apologize. You didn't mean to do that. I understand, A. It's OK. I'm OK."

    "Your arm-" A started, her hand hovering over Mailee's arm.

    "Is perfectly fine now," Mailee said, putting her hand over A's and pressing it on her arm where the burns used to be. "Thanks to Katara. I'm fine now, A. You can breathe." Mailee gently pressed her forehead against A's for a few seconds before stepping back to let Lotus hug A. Lotus practically dived onto A, wrapping her arms around A's neck and pressing her face into the crook of A's neck. A laughed softly, wrapping her arms

around Lotus and holding her tightly.

    "I'm sorry, Lotus." A whispered.

    "Enough apologizing!" Lotus said, booping A's nose, making her laugh. "We still love you!"

    "Now, I wouldn't go that far..." Mailee said. She paused and looked at A and Lotus, her lips forming a small smile. "OK...maybe I would."

    "Say it!" Lotus said, giggling. Mailee rolled her eyes, but she grinned at both of them.

    "I love you two." Mailee said, smiling despite herself.

    "I love you, too!" Lotus grinned, pulling Mailee into the hug. A laughed and grinned at them.

    "I love you girls." She whispered, smiling as Lotus took their hands and brought them over to the counter where Iroh was waiting with three cups of ginger tea, beaming at them as they sat down.