"Haha! I was just messing with you!" Azula burst into laughter, clutching her stomach as Kahn stood frozen like he'd seen a ghost.
"Oh, come on—don't tell me you actually believed that? If Father really stabbed the old Fire Lord, wouldn't Uncle Iroh have noticed the wound on the body?"
Kahn blinked blankly, realization dawning.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
Only then did he realize—he'd been played.
Relief washed over him. At least he wasn't going to be silenced after all.
But before he could even breathe out in relief, Azula smirked and added, "Although, the old Fire Lord wasn't stabbed to death, his death was definitely related to my father—Fire Lord Ozai."
Are you serious right now?!
WDNMD!
Kahn stared ahead, face blank, deciding the only winning move here was to pretend to be deaf and blind.
Seeing his deadpan expression, Azula finally grew bored of teasing him and continued, "Anyway, that day I was hiding in a corner of the main hall, and I accidentally overheard a conversation between Father and Grandfather…"
She went on for a bit, but Kahn didn't react.
"Hey!" she snapped, frowning. "Are you even listening?"
She raised a hand and tried to slap him—but Kahn easily dodged.
He dodged?
Her expression twisted in disbelief before her annoyance kicked in.
She switched to a whip kick, but Kahn leapt back, escaping into the courtyard.
If anything breaks inside, I'll be paying for it, he thought grimly.
Moments later, the courtyard echoed with the sound of crackling fire and shuffling feet as Azula chased Kahn across the training ground.
Her strikes blazed with frustration, but Kahn's movements were too agile.
It looked less like a fight and more like a deadly dance.
After a while, Azula finally stopped, panting lightly, glaring daggers at him.
When Kahn didn't react, she suddenly changed tactics—eyes shimmering with mock tears.
"I really thought my poor brother finally made a decent friend. But I guess you're just like the rest—disappointing. My poor, pitiful Zuzu…"
Kahn blinked. This little girl's wasted in the palace. She should be in theatre.
Finally, he sighed. "Why did you really come here, Azula? Was it just to leak royal secrets and then send assassins to shut me up afterward?"
"Leak secrets? Huh. I guess that does count as one."
She smirked, but when she caught the second part of his sentence, her expression darkened.
"You think I came here to kill you? Is that how you see me?"
Wait, you're mad now? Kahn blinked again, completely thrown off. But seeing her mood sour, he quickly backtracked.
"Alright, fine. No more jokes. What do you actually want?"
"Hmph!"
Azula flicked her wrist, sending a small burst of flame at him. Kahn sidestepped effortlessly.
"Although I didn't see how Father killed Grandfather that night, I—"
"Stop!" Kahn interrupted, rubbing his temples. "Do you think I can still pretend none of this ever happened?"
"What do you think?" she said with a cold smile.
Kahn exhaled deeply, composing himself. "Go on, then."
Her eyes flickered briefly with amusement before she continued.
"That night, Father requested an audience with the old Fire Lord. I was hiding in the hall's corner. He accused Uncle Iroh of weakness after losing his son and demanded Grandfather strip him of his title as Crown Prince."
She paused, her tone turning sharp.
"Grandfather was furious. He shouted—'You dare ask me to remove my eldest son?! His child's body isn't even cold yet!' Then he told Father, 'He has suffered enough. But your punishment is just beginning!'"
Kahn's brows furrowed. "So he punished your father by… making him kill Zuko? To experience the pain of losing a child himself?"
"Exactly." Azula spread her hands dramatically. "And that's absolutely true."
Kahn blinked slowly. What level of insanity is that?
So much for thinking the old Fire Lord was a sane man. He took it back.
"But wait," Kahn said. "Zuko's clearly fine. I'm not wishing him dead or anything, just stating the obvious."
"Right," Azula huffed. "That's the point! Zuzu's fine, Grandfather's dead, and Father became Fire Lord. What a happy ending, right?"
She leaned in closer, her tone suddenly dark. "—If Mother hadn't disappeared."
The words sent a chill through the air.
Azula's once-beautiful expression twisted under her fury. Kahn frowned slightly, taking a cautious step back.
"By the way," he muttered, "has anyone ever told you about expression management?"
"…What?" she asked flatly.
"I mean your face," Kahn said. "You look all sinister when you talk. Even when you smile, it's kinda creepy. You actually look nice when you smile normally."
Azula blinked, caught off guard. "Tch… who cares what you think."
But for a brief moment, her tone faltered.
Kahn shrugged. "Anyway. Back to the point."
Azula huffed, turning away.
She explained that after Grandfather's outburst, Ozai was banished from the palace.
She slipped out early and went home ahead of him, gloating to Zuko about what she saw—and warning him to run.
But, of course, Zuko didn't believe her.
Then, Ursa—her mother—overheard the conversation. She quickly told Azula to go to bed and left in a hurry.
When Azula woke up, Zuko was safe, the old Fire Lord was dead, Ozai had ascended the throne, and Ursa was gone.
"After Mother sent me to bed, something must've happened," Azula muttered, pacing furiously across the courtyard. "That's the key to her disappearance!"
"But if it's such a secret," Kahn reasoned, "it's normal the servants and guards wouldn't know."
"You're right—but it's still infuriating!"
In her frustration, Azula kicked over a dead potted plant, sending dust and shards flying.
Kahn silently took note. Remind me never to buy pottery again.
He sighed. "Why don't you just ask your father directly?"
Azula froze, then gave a cold laugh.
"Obviously, he doesn't want me to know."
She'd asked before. Ozai's answer had been short and dismissive—"She left on her own."
It was a blatant lie.
He didn't even bother to make it convincing.
Though Ozai had always favored her, this was the first time Azula felt something like disgust.
The image of her perfect father had cracked—just slightly.
Maybe the thrill of seizing the throne had clouded his mind. Maybe he thought Azula was too young to question him.
Either way, he underestimated her.
He underestimated how much Ursa meant to her—and how dangerous Azula could be when left curious.
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"If Father won't tell me…" Her golden eyes burned with cold determination.
"Then I'll find out myself."