Empress Of The Old World {Legend Of Korra}

Goodbye

Azula couldn't wait to see Sukara. She hadn't been back to the spirit world in a week or so, she had been back to the fire nation to see her family instead.

"Sukara!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around the old soul, "something amazing happened."

Sukara held her tight, "what was it?" she asked happily. The young fire bender beamed up at her.

"I've missed you," Azula said softly as she let go of her, "I'm sorry it's been a while."

"It's okay," Sukara smiled with a chuckle, "are you gonna tell me what happened?"

"Oh yeah," she said excitedly, "Iroh and I went home to the fire nation to see the family. And Zuko and Mai have had a baby! A girl."

"That's amazing Zu," Sukara said softly. She tried to keep her spirits up for Azula but she knew where this was going.

"Her name is Izumi, and and," Azula continued, her excitement bubbling through, "Iroh vouched for me, and I got to hold her."

Sukara gave her a smile. If Azula had a chance to make peace with her family then that's what's best for her, and Sukara knew that. She couldn't be selfish with this, as much as she wanted to be.

"She's just so cute," she continued in her ramblings as Sukara struggled to keep her expression happy, "and I don't usually like children, they smell and they're uncontrollable, but this one. This one is different. She's calm, and she just grabs at my hair. And-- what's wrong? You look sad."

Azula could see in her eyes that something was wrong. The smile was there but Azula was good at reading people.

"What's the matter?" she asked, reaching out for her girlfriend.

"Nothing," Sukara said shaking her head, "tell me more about Izumi and Zuko, did you guys make up?"

"We did," Azula told her, still a little sceptical, "we talked a lot of it out. He wasn't all the way happy about my anger towards our mother but we seemed to bond over dad."

Sukara just nodded, the half baked smile still on her face. Azula frowned, they had talked about Sukara before, mostly about her past, but she had always felt that Sukara was holding something back. That she wouldn't open up the way she had.

"What is the matter?" Azula asked again, getting annoyed with the unusual response.

"It's nothing."

"It's obviously something," Azula snapped, "otherwise you wouldn't be looking at me like I was about to bleed out and you didn't have the guts to tell me."

Sukara's smile dropped as Azula got more frustrated. She turned away from Azula as she thought of what to say. She knew that Azula would never agree to go back to her family and not come back but, the last thing Sukara wanted was to get in the way of Azula's happiness. Her peace.

"One of the spirits died," Sukara lied, trying to come up with a reason for the look on her face, "they were one of the last ones I knew from the outside world. This one was just rough, that's all."

"Why didn't you just say," Azula sighed, taking the brunette into her arms again, "you know you can tell me anything."

Sukara gave a weak smile as Azula sat them both under a tree, "I didn't really wanna talk about."

"That's alright," Azula said softly, as she stroked her hair trying to comfort her, "whenever you're ready."

"Thank you," Sukara said as she placed her head into Azula's lap, laying herself down on the ground, "can you tell me more about your visit home? You seemed so excited to tell me, I'd love to hear it."

"Of course."

######

They talked and lounged for a while, even taking a walk at one point. Just spending time together for, what Azula didn't know, was the last time. It was only when Iroh returned, so that they could go back together, that Sukara's heart really broke. He put his arm around his niece as a hello and gave Sukara a knowing nod. He could trust that she would do the right thing and when she gave him one back it was confirmed.

"Goodbye Azula," Sukara said, her voice cracking with emotion as she tried to hold it in.

Azula frowned again trying to work out what was happening. She'd never said it like that before.

"Until next time," Azula said in an attempt to correct her but it didn't gain the reaction she wanted at all.

"I love you," Sukara told her, a tear finally falling from her eye.

"I love you too," Azula frowned, panic starting to set in, "What is this?"

"It's for the best Azula," Iroh told her.

"No, don't--!"

But she was gone. Sukara pushed her through as Iroh left. It broke her but she used what little control she had over the spirit world to send her home to her family.

End of part 2