Welcome to my first story about Azulas way back home to the palace. I will try to update the story at least once a month, but I hope, that I will find the time to update faster. The sentences between -...- are Azula's thoughts. I hope you will enjoy the story.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything form Avatar - The last Airbender.

Thanks to prinsesseazula! I have redesigned the layout, so I hope it will be easier to read now.

(30.04.19) I have started to move my fics to Ao3 and I'll use this occasion for correcting some mistakes in this story, I have noticed (hopefully without adding too much new ones). It will take some time, but I plan to correct the whole story chapter by chapter. And thanks again for all the hits, favs, follows and comments :-)

Prologue

Azula woke up, as a servant opened one of the windows. A nice and warm golden glow of the first morning sun lighted the room. It was just rising above the edge of the crater of the giant volcano, where the Palace and the Royal City laid in. Three other servants were busy, preparing the breakfast and making everything ready for the Princess having a bath.

"Good morning Princess, hoping you had a good night."

The servant girl smiled gently at the Princess.

"Hoping for you or for me?"

Azula faced the young girl with a soul-piercing look. All servants in the room just stopped working at the same time, fearful watching the scenery between the Princess and the poor girl. The color had fainted from the servants face and her hands had started shaking a bit.

"…Of course for you, Princess."

She was unsure, if this was all, Azula wanted to hear from her. The Princess kept looking at her without showing any change of emotion. Oh how she loved situations like this. Everyone was waiting for her next reaction, her next decision.
Azula suddenly relaxed after a few seconds and started giggling.

"I had a very good night and a good morning, thank you for the kind question. But now it would also be kind, if all of you would continue with your duties."

While saying the last part Azula stretched herself again and her voice got this little warning touch.

"Of course, Princess. Thank you."

The girl bowed in front of her and got back to work with the other servants, still a little pale around her nose.
Azula gave herself a satisfied smile.

- This seems to become a really good morning… -

"Azuuu….!"

Kiyi rushed into the room, almost crushing into Azula, grabbing her tight at her hips and giving her a big hug.

"Good morning Kiyi. Wow you're really early up today, our breakfast isn't prepared already."

Azula gave the servants a serious look, while she was putting a strain of Kiyi's hair out of the kid's face. Immediately all of them started to work a little faster.

"Don't be so harsh to them, they're really nice, especially Uzusa." Kiyi pointed at the young girl, Azula just frightened a few moments before. "She caught me, while I was taking some fresh cookies in the kitchen last week, but she let me take three with me and didn't told anyone about this. Mum only allows me just one of them."

"Sooo…. Did she..."

Even without looking at Uzusa, she had heard the shocked gasp and Azula knew, that the girl must have been frozen right in the movement.

– It is actually a good morning and it keeps getting better –

Azula laid her hands on Kiyi's shoulders and got down on her knees, by pushing the kid softly back a bit, so she could speak to her eye to eye.

"What did I told you about sneaking around in the palace and ignoring orders?"

Azula's vocie for Kiyi was most serious.

Kiyi rolled her eyes while she put her head down.

"Follow the orders, except they are stupid and if you disobey an stupid order, don't get busted,"

The girl responded to Azula with a terribly sulky voice. Azula put her hand at Kiyi's chin and lifted her head up, giving her a warm smile.

"Good girl. And I won't be so harsh to them, if this is your wish."

Kiyi gave her one of her bright smiles.

"Promise?"

"Promise!...Kiyi stop, I can't hardly breath…"

The kid had hugged Azula with a cheerful scream.

Her little sister let her go finally, after a few moments. Azula stood up and turned to her bed, where the tablet with the breakfast was now prepared. The servants had already relaxed a bit, but were still quiet nervous.

"Then let's have breakfast. Oh and…. Uzusa, right?"

The girl winced, as Azula spoke to her.

"Princess…I…"

She got down to her knees bowing in front of Azula, her face had finally turned into a unhealthy gray-pale color.

"Azu…you gave me your promise!"

Kiyi interrupted Azula with a voice, which immediately reminded her at her mother. She was surprised by herself, that it didn't made her angry, but almost making her just laugh. She had to bite her bottom lip to avoid to follow this impulse.

"Stand up, please."

The girl did, as her was told, but it seemed, that she could pass out any moment.

- Yes, it still gets better -

"Your should been forgiven not informing anyone about my little disobeying sister. I think you've done enough for today. Take the rest of the day for yourself."

For a second, the girl looked just stunned.

"Thank you, Princess. If there isn't anything else I can do, then I'll return to my quarter,"

Uzusa face and voice showed great relief. Azula nodded and sent her of by waving her hand. The girl bowed as deep, as she could, without loosing balance and started to walk out the room.

"Just one last thing…."

These four words made Uzusa freeze again.

"Yes…Princess…?"

Azula smirked at the stammered answer of the poor girl.

"If my little sister will ever get busted by you again, while acting against an order, you won't let her get away with it and you will report me directly about what has happened! Do you understand that Uzusa?"

The last word seemed to be able to cut through steel.

"I won't forget it, I promise."

Uzusa's voice trembled and she was still shaking a bit.

"Good...! Otherwise how will she learn the lesson right, that I gave her about breaking the rules."

With these words she gave her sister a mischievous smile, which Kiyi instantly quoted by crossing her arms and putting her tongue out against Azula. Then they both started laughing and Kiyi gave her big sister the third squeezing hug this morning.

The sound of Uzusa cleaning her dry throat made them stop giggling.

"Please forgive me this interrupt, but may I leave now?"

"It's all for today, thanks Uzusa,"

Kiyi had answered, before Azula got a chance to react.

"And don't worry about today, it's all fine. And if my sister tries to scare you again, you will report me about what has happened, so she won't get away with breaking her promise."

She gave her sister a warning look, while saying the last words. Azula couldn't do much more, than biting on her lip again, otherwise she had have to start laughing again. "Thank you, young Princess."

Uzusa gave Kiyi a thankful look, bowed before the two sisters and rushed out of the room.

"It wasn't nice of you to scare Uzusa so much, Azu, but it was very nice to give her a free day as an apologize."

Kiyi analyzed the situation and gave her sister a mischievous smile.

"What!? I don't need to apologize, I've just made her clear, not to make such stupid decisions again! It was not her right to judge in this situation!"

Azula had recognized during her words, that she was obviously sounding upset and angry. Her sister just had pierced her guard.

– Why could she do this to me just so easily? -

She took a short breath to get back to a most uninterested behavior.

"I just have no use for a servant, who is close to a total blackout. Imagine she would have passed out and had broke something from my stuff. It was much better to give her a break."

"Of cause you didn't apologized, but what you did could count as an apologize. But if you think your explanation fits better, well fine. If you fell better this way, it seems to be okay for me."

Now Kiyi acted most uninterested but Azula noticed an impish sparkle in the eyes of her sister.

– That does it –

"If I get you I will make you apologize,"

Azula yelled at her sister, narrowing her golden eyes.

"Make me!"

Kiyi response was an open offense, but a cheerful one. The impish sparkle was now a bright fire.

"But first you have to catch me, if you can!"

– Drat –

Azula hadn't recognized, that her sister had carefully taken some distance between her and herself, and Azula had learned long ago, that she was really fast, if she needs to be. Azula jumped forward, but Kiyi started running away from her immediately, bringing a couch and a table between herself and her older sister. While doing so, she made a joyful mixture of giggling and screaming. Azula rushed after her quickly, faking a movement to the left and then starting a good dash around the right side of the table. Instantly Kiyi had realized, that the first move was trick, but she didn't expected Azula to be so fast this early in the morning, so her sister got her grabbed and brought her down easily.

Zuko could hear his two sisters screaming and giggling, as he got closer to Azula's room. As he looked into his sisters's room, he saw Kiyi lying on he floor, laughing and yelling while her sister was sitting on her, tickling the kid. Zuko shook his head with a smile.

"Kiyi, I thought you only want to wish Azula a good morning. Remember why we had to get up so early? You've got a serious task from me."

"Oh, so it was your plan, that Kiyi came here and started making fun of me, Zuzu?"

Azula had asked him with an unconcerned voice, but she was still tickling her sister. It made her brother chuckle a bit.

"Of course not, but I'll keep that in mind for next time. Seriously, let her go, Azula. She has work to do,"

Azula stopped teasing her sister but didn't stood up. She had noticed that Zuko's last words had sounded very serious.

"So she just came here around, squeezed me half to death troce, made fun of me and I should let her go, even without an apologize?"

Azula shared looks with Kiyi and Zuko.

"Why should I apologize, I've done nothing wrong!"

Kiyi's cheerful protest felt on deaf ears at her sister.

"Neither do I,"

Azula had crossed her arms before her chest and remained sitting on Kiyi.

"Azula, Kiyi….please….,"

Zuko seemed to be a little annoyed, because he knew, that this discussion probably could take some time. Azula kept looking at him a few more seconds. Then she made a decision.

"Fine, I think another hug from you, ought to be enough, to let you go. But don't think, this is over!"

Kiyi looked at her, waiting a few more seconds. It seemed she was thinking about this offer, if it would be a good deal or not. Zuko could see the impish glows in the eyes of his sisters and the mischievous smiles.

"Deal!"

Kiyi spread her arms and Azula took her sister up and squeezed her. Kiyi gave her sister a smooth and ran to the door.

"But that doesn't mean I apologize."

Kiyi yelled these words mischievous, as she reached the door, while turning around to Azula. Her sister just grinned.

"If this fits better for you, fine, but I think it could count as an apologize."

Azula sounded very satisfied. Kiyi grinned and shrugged shoulders: "Bye Azu, bye Zuzu see you later."

And the kid was gone.

– Still a really great morning –

"I think you like it, how she could make me freaking out so easily?"

Azula observed her brother with an impish smirk.

"Don't think you are her only victim, I had my turn about an hour ago,"

Zuko rolled his eyes at his anser, which nearly caused Azula to chuckle.

"So Zuzu, what is the big task, you gave to Kiki?" Azula walked to her bed and started with breakfast. "What is so important, that the Fire Lord and Kiyi got up so early?"

Azula's voice had a little sarcastic note, in order to tease Zuko a bit. But to her surprise she found an impish glow in his eyes.

"Of cause I could tell you, but then I have to face Kiyi. So all I could say is: It's a surprise and you will find out, when you are finished with breakfast and dressing up. I'll send someone to fetch you up here. See you Azula."

Zuko gave his sister a smile and left the Princess room.

– Strange. A few months earlier it would also caught my attention, if Zuko had planed something for me. But it would have worried me. At least a bit. But today I am only excited. –

Azula took a look around her room.

- It has been a long way back here in the Palace. And there was a lot of ups and downs, until Zuko had offered me the opportunity to come back. It was astonishing, that he let me choose by free will and that he had found the strength to put things right. Of cause with my help. And Kiyi's help, but he had found a way. And he found the answers how to solve it, all by himself. Little Zuzu has grown up a bit. And now a surprise for me. Yeah this morning really get better… -