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Rating:
Mature

Archive Warning:
Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Category:
F/F
Fandom:
Avatar: The Last Airbender

Relationships:
Azula/Ty Lee, Aang/Katara, Sokka/Suki, Mai/Zuko

Characters:
Azula, Ty Lee, Aang, Ozai, Katara, Toph, Suki,
Sokka, Zuko, Mai, Iroh, Ursa, OC's
Additional Tags:
Fluff, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Alternate Universe -
Modern Setting, Soft Azula, Violence, Abuse, they can
still bend though, Azula (Avatar) Redemption, Crazy
Azula (Avatar), Lesbian Azula (Avatar), Angst with a
Happy Ending, motorcycle accident, Follows Avatar
Book 3 plot, Parties, Burns, Ozai (Avatar) Being a
Terrible Parent, Ursa (Avatar) is a Good Parent,
Therapy, Recovery, Cuddling & Snuggling, ignoring
comic canon except where it benefits me

Language:
English
Series:
Part 1 of the Love Is Uncertain series ● Next Work →
Stats:
Published: 2020-10-02 Completed: 2021-02-09
Words: 192017 Chapters: 54/54 Comments: 373
Kudos: 827 Bookmarks: 101 Hits: 30200

Azula: The Prodigy

With Blue Fire
huhyouexist
Summary:
Republic City was a utopia. Clean water,
blue skies, a functioning government.
The people lived happily, unbothered by
the inner workings of this massive city
and who exactly ran it. That was just
how they wanted it. Keep the people
unaware, and they have no reason to
suspect foul play.

Azula was determined to keep it that

way, even when a ragtag group of
children tried to mess it all up.

Notes:
Disclaimer, if you came to this fic from
my fluff series thinking this was gonna
be all sunshine and rainbows,

It's not.

This is going to focus on Azula's

downfall from the prodigal child to
psychotic tragedy. You cant have fluff
without a journey to earn it, and that's
what this will be.

DONT GET ME WRONG, THIS IS STILL

VERY MUCH A LOVE STORY BETWEEN
AZULA AND TY LEE

but its going to cover the more serious

and angsty side of their relationship.

so if you want fluff, go read my tyzula

fluff series, and if your in the mood for
some angst? come on back!

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Chapter 1: Prologue

When Azula was 4, she produced her first flame.

She was out in the garden when it happened, Zuko

feeding the ducks with their mother while Ozai talked
with a potential business partner on the patio. The sun
beamed down on the family, filling the fire benders -with
the exception of Azula's mother who had no ability to
bend any of the elements- with a profound amount of
energy.

Azula had felt it that day, suddenly understanding what it

was about the sun that made her felt so energized. The
way the suns heat trickled through her limbs along with
the blood that flowed endlessly in her.

Without thinking, she held out her hands, cupping them

into what look like a bowl, and focused all of that
newfound energy into her palms.

And right there, floating just an inch over her hands, a

tiny ball of flames erupted into existence, flapping with
the wind as it blew by.

She didn't quite understand what it was yet. She hadn't

been taught about fire bending, learning later on that
they were saving it until they were older and could
handle the more mature aspects of it.

She heard her fathers chair scrap against the patio

flooring, and she looked up to see him standing up,
staring at her in complete shock. The other man wasn't
quite as animated as her father, but he too shared a
similar look of surprise.

Azula, not knowing what to make of it, looks to her

mother for guidance, but only see's her staring at her.
She had a different look in her eyes. One that Azula
would come to see often when eyes were directed
towards her. One that made her feel powerful.

Fear.

Zuko, still as much a child as Azula was, ran over to his

sister excitedly, staring at the flame in awe. " That's so
cool Azula! I wanna do that too! " He had exclaimed, and
joy filled Azula's heart, sharing her brother's excitement.

Little did she know, that tiny flicker of a flame, so

innocent and pure, was the beginning of the end.

Republic City. The futuristic capital of the Fire Nation was

a beacon to the three other countries of the world. A
beacon that screamed, 'You can never be as good as us'.

Some outside the cities walls may call that arrogant, but
Azula would argue that it was simply the truth. Even at
16 years old, entering her junior year of high school, she
could see that nowhere else would ever come close to
the efficiency and idealistic haven that was Republic City.

How she knew this you may ask? The answer was
actually very simple.

Her father, or Ozai as the people knew him, ran it.

She doesn't mean by this that he was the mayor. No, he

was a businessman. Agni Corporations was the most
diverse and flexible business in the game. After years of
stock piling resources, gaining the peoples love and
trust, Ozai climbed to the very top. Soon, he was selling
practically anything Republic City needed. From
toothbrushes to generators, Agni Corps had it all.

With this came a close relationship between himself and

the mayor, who Ozai had quickly ensnared in a tightly
wrapped noose. If he so much as stepped a foot out of
line, Ozai would metaphorically murder him, ruining his
life in every way possible.

And Azula was determined to be the one to take her

father's place.

Ever since that day in the garden, Ozai had taken Azula
under his wing, and began grooming her to become the
heir to his business. He would make he train for hours a
day, and when she wasn't he would teach her the ins and
outs of manufacturing, selling, and distributing goods.
Even from an early age of 7, Azula knew more about how
a company worked then most business majors in college.
She could take in information as easily as it was to given
it to her. Her brain just understood, knowing and
memorizing every detail of every word her father spoke.
He would often call her a prodigy, and she was.

She was everything an heir should be. She was smart,

talented, hardworking, focused, calculating.

But most of all, she knew how people worked.

This was most exemplified when she met two young girls
at a Fire Nation boarding school for girls. Their names
were Ty Lee and Mai, who couldn't be farther apart in
terms of personality. Yet, somehow, Azula managed to
make them follow her.

She didn't mean to at first. One day, she had seen Ty Lee
being bullied by the other children and scared them off
with her already fearfully impressive fire bending. From
that moment, Ty Lee followed her like a cute puppy,
doing whatever Azula wanted.

Mai was a different story. One day, Ty Lee had pointed

the quiet girl out to Azula, making her go up to Mai and
ask to be friends. 'Ask' is used lightly in this situation, as
it was more of a demand then anything else.

Despite seeming to hate the world, Mai had agreed with

a shrug of her shoulders. She claimed that she thought
Azula was interesting, so she would stick around and see
what happened.

The three of them grew inseparable. Even now, years

later and about to start their third year of high school,
the girls were always seen together. Whether it be
sleepovers in Azula's mansion or out in the city doing
who knows what, one was not seen without the other
two.

Which is why it was no surprise that all three were

present as they walked about a local mall.

"Azula that would look so good on you!" Ty Lee

exclaimed, eagerly pointing to an electric blue crop top.

Azula took one glance, raised her eyebrow and said,

"No."

Ty Lee pouts. "Aw c'mon! Why not?"

"Mainly because I have one exactly like it already."

"That's never stopped you before." Mai comments, not

bothering to look up at her two friends.

"Which is why that is not the only reason."

"Then what else is there?" Ty Lee asks.

"Because it would look far better on you, Ty Lee."

Azula smirks, watching as Ty Lee's eyes sparkle with joy

at the compliment. It was rare when Azula gave
compliments to other people, even her closest friends.
So when the words left her lips, even Mai look up,
perplexed.

"You mean that Azula?!" Ty Lee squealed.

"If you don't believe me, why don't you go try it on

yourself?"

"Okay!" Ty Lee says, eagerly running into the store and

grabbing the piece of clothing from the shelf. Azula and
Mai make their way in too, but more casually, waiting for
Ty Lee to come out of the changing rooms.

The two didn't speak much, not having to really say

anything unless there was reason to. It wasn't bad, it
was just how they worked. Mai wasn't one for small talk,
and Azula just didn't care, so it worked.

"You guys ready?" Ty Lee asks, her excitement bleeding

through.

Azula leans back into the chair, crossing her arms and
legs expectantly. "Whenever your ready, Ty Lee."

Ty Lee appears from behind the black cloth. "Ta da! What
do you think?"

Azula smirks, admiring her choice of clothing as it hugs

Ty Lee's body in all the right ways. "Just as I thought. It
looks marvelous."

"I have to agree with Azula on this one." Mai says,

making Azula quirk an eyebrow.

"Really now?" She says, and Mai glares.

"I can take it back right now."

"Guys...!" Ty Lee whines, turning back to the mirror.

"Stop bickering and tell me if I should buy it."

"Do whatever you want, I couldn't care less." Mai

mumbles, looking back at her phone, beginning to type
something.

Azula catches a small glance at her screen, seeing

familiar grey and blue chat bubbles, indicating she was
texting someone.

'Probably Zuzu.' Azula thinks, quickly dismissing the

thoughts and standing up, placing a hand on her hip.

"You won't be buying anything Ty Lee."

"What?!" She says, turning around quickly with a look of

hurt. "Why?!"

Azula points her chin up. "Because I'm buying it for you."

There was silence for all of 3 seconds before Ty Lee

bursts into a fit of no's. Walking straight up to Azula, she
places a finger on her chest with an accusatory glare.

"No way! I don't care that your rich, I won't let you buy
things for me!"

"And why not?" Azula says, promptly grabbing Ty Lee's

wrist and removing her hand from Azula's chest.

Ty Lee isn't fazed. "Because then I'll feel guilty about it!"

"Okay let me get this straight." Azula says, a smirk

curving on her lips. "I say a top will look good on you,
tell you to try it on, compliment you about it, and now
you won't let me buy it for you?"

"Yes!" Ty Lee exclaims as if it's the most obvious thing in

the world.

"Don't be so dramatic Ty Lee. It's a 40 dollar top. It's not

like I'm buying you a sports car."

"Maybe to you it may seem that way! To me it's-"

"Excuse me," A store employee cuts in, making all three

girls look towards them. It was an older looking lately,
who seemed to be nervous to approach the trio. They
must know who Azula is. "Could you kindly quiet down?
The other customers are trying to shop."

"Oh!" Ty Lee squeaks. "I'm so sorry!"

"It's alright dear. Just tone it down a little?"

"Of course." Ty Lee says with a warm smile, bowing as

an apology. They watch the lady disappears past the
several arrays of clothes.

Azula, still watching the lady go says, "I'm buying it."

"Azula...." Ty Lee whines. Azula's smirk deepens, she

knew she was on the losing end of this fight.

"Think of it as an early birthday present." Azula

compromises.

"Her birthday isn't for seven months, Azula." Mai points

out.

"A very early birthday present then."

Ty Lee groans, knowing there was no way to change

Azula's mind. "Fine..."

"Excellent." Azula says.

They quickly buy the top, Ty Lee giving the employee one
more apology, which was waved off without thought.
Leaving the store, Ty Lee skips ahead of them, leaving
Mai and Azula to walk in silence.

At least, that's what Azula thought it would be.

"What's with you today?" Mai suddenly asks.

Confused at the sudden need to converse with Azula, the

fire bender asks, "What do you mean?"

"Two compliments, a relatively nice attitude, and buying

something for someone other than yourself? That's not
like you at all."

"Says the girl who hasn't looked up from her phone in

the past 5 minutes."

"At least that's normal for me. This isn't normal for you
at all, even if she is the closest friend you've got. We
both know I don't compare."

"Well yes, you're right about that." Azula states. "But I

am simply in a good mood. You can give me relationship
advice when you start doing something about that idiotic
crush you have on my disappointment of a brother."

"He's not a-"

"Ty Lee!" Azula calls over her, grabbing the brunette's

attention. "Why don't we go in there next?"

"Oh! Good idea Azula!" Ty Lee chirps.

Azula didn't miss the way Mai sighed behind them. She
narrowed her eyes suspiciously, knowing Mai couldn't see
her from her position slightly ahead.

Mai had always been a wild card when it came to her

loyalties. While Azula had certainly gained it, Mai's
infatuation with her dear brother Zuzu made it unclear as
to where her true fealty lies.

It was a waiting game, but Azula was patient. And

prepared.

Azula places the few shopping bags on the ground,

making a mental note to unpack them after she handles
some homework from school. She settles down at her
desk and starts on the work.

She gets all but 15 minutes into it when there is a knock

at her door. Without looking up, she says, "Enter."

Their family butler, Walter, is revealed, dignity in his

stance as he says, "Your fathers requires you presence,
Miss Azula."

"Tell him I will be there at once." Azula says, hearing

Walter shut the door as she stands.

With a deep breath in, she exhales and moves to head to

her door. On the way, she passes by a family picture, one
of the few in the house that has their entire family
present.

Azula stares at it, nearly glaring at it but not quite there.

She makes a mental note remind her to take it down and
burn it.

No weaknesses.

Leaving her room, she walks down the dimly lit corridors
of her house, reaching her father's study. Walter is there
waiting for her, and she gives him a nod, one he
reciprocates with his own.

He pushes open the door for her, and she walks inside.

If anyone else were in this position, the first thing they'd

say is that this looks likes something from a movie. Azula
had seen enough to know that it was fairly true.

Her father's study wasn't huge, but it wasn't dainty

either. Every wall was filled to the brim with books that
lined the world's finest wooden shelves. His desk
stretched along most of the remaining width of the room,
only enough remaining to get to the other side. On the
opposing side of the desk, a chair that was swiveled so
that Azula may not see her father was present. On top of
the desk laid various papers and documents that Azula
hadn't yet received the privilege of seeing.

'One day...' Azula thinks as she walks in, standing just

behind the two twin seats sitting in front of her father's
desk. She interlocks her hands behind her back,
straightening herself into a more elegant posture.

"You wanted to see me father?"

"Yes, Azula." He says, his voice commanding her to

listen. "I have a task for you."

"Anything you need, I shall get it done."

He doesn't respond to her statement, merely continues

his own. "It seems we are having some difficulties
sending out cargo ships at the port. I need you to go to
the scheduled loading tonight to make sure everything
goes smoothly."

"Anything I should know?"

"There should be nothing for you to worry about.

Although these...children have been messing with our
business, you should have no trouble getting rid of
them."

"Are they other benders?"

"Yes, Their files are on the desk."

Azula grabs the manila folder from the table and glances
over each of these so called children. "These are kids my
age." She notes, then reaching a boy with a blue arrow
tattoo on his forehead. She reads his bio, finding not
much except that he's the last known air bender and that
he's-

"-The Avatar?"

"It would seem our ancestors...missed one."

Azula's grip tightens ever so slightly. "It would seem

so..."

"Don't lose focus Azula. He is but a child, and from what

I hear, he has barely begun earth bending. All he knows
is air and water."

"I'll take care of them, father."

"You leave in two hours. Don't disappoint me."

Azula turns around, determination flickering in her hazel

eyes. She wouldn't disappoint him. She had yet to fail,
and she wouldn't let a couple of kids stop her now.

"Make sure that crate gets on the ship." Azula orders,

watching as one of the men adds it to the pile about to
head onto the ship.

With crossed arms, Azula surveys the area around her.

She finds nothing out of the ordinary, but she could feel
the stiffness in the air. All of them men seemed to be on
edge, knowing that their fellow comrades have been
attacked on nights such as these.

'Cowards.' Azula thinks, rolling her eyes before promptly

shutting them.

Azula had memorized each of the profiles in the folder,

finding there were five total.

The first name was a girl name Katara, who was from the
Southern Water Tribe. There, people lived in a more
survivalist way, staying more hunter-gatherers and
passing down generations of tradition and knowledge.

Looking up her file on a tablet, Azula found video

surveillance of Katara water bending next to a skinny
man with what seemed to be a boomerang. The girls
seemed to be very skilled, but Azula could see the
sloppiness in her footwork. She was clearly self taught.

Next was Sokka, who was Katara's brother and the man
who held a boomerang in the video. Most footage of him
showed the boy running around and trying to fight men
with his boomerang. Clearly a non-bender, and was not
even a smidge of a threat to Azula.

Next, Suki. She's come from Kyoshi Island in the Earth

Kingdom, and was a part of the Kiyoshi warriors. She
seemed to be skilled in hand to hand combat, but was
still a non-bender. Azula found little footage of the girl,
but what she did find was that she could easily maneuver
her way through even the toughest looking men.

Azula would keep an eye on her, but focused on the next

profile.

Toph Beifong, an earth bender who seemed to be blind.

Azula raised her eyebrow at the file when she first read
it, but after seeing the footage she knew without a doubt
that this short girl would no doubt be a problem.

She was skilled in earth bending, in a way that Azula had

never seen before. Azula could respect the ingenuity of
the blind girl, but ultimately decided that she wouldn't be
much of a problem.

Finally, there was Aang.

This clumsy looking boy was apparently the Avatar. Azula

watches with muted displeasure as Aang flailed about,
occasionally focusing on the battle and taking a few men
out. It was clear he was trying to have fun while
interfering with her father's business.

Azula would have to assume he'd be a bit more serious if

they came to fight, but would have to be prepared for a
more...silly approach.

Dink!

Azula's eyes opened slowly, picking up on the noise but

not yet doing anything. It'd be better if they think they
had the drop on her. Lower their defenses, then strike
when they least expect.

Clank!

"Shhh!"

"Sorry!" Came a hushed voice.

Azula rolled her eyes. Were these seriously the twerps

who were giving her father's business so much trouble?
Could they at least try to surprise her?

She catches one of the mens eyes, and she signs him
with her fingers to get the men ready. Pointing behind
her slightly, he understands with a nod.

Azula's head points up a little, letting out an exaggerated

sigh. "My my," She calls. "Sure is such a quiet night in
the docks. I hope nothing goes wrong."

"Unfortunately for you, things are about to go very

wrong!" A mans voice calls from behind her, followed by
several paris of footsteps.

She turns around, seeing Aang holding out some kind of

stuck with the other four in fighting positions behind him.
with a smirk, holding up her hands in mock surrender.
"Oh no, You caught me." She says sarcastically.

Suddenly, guards surround the group of five. Making

them all falter. Azula sighs, bored as she checks her
nails. "Alright twerps, you have two options. Either you
can leave now, and keep your heads, or I order my men
to kill you right now."

Aang speaks up. "We'll stop you. What you're doing here
is illegal!"

Azula raises an unamused eyebrow. "Right...and you

care because...?"

"Because the other countries are suffering because of

what you're doing to them!"

"It's called business kid. Somebody always suffers in the

end."

"How can you not see that this is bad?!" He yells.

"Okay look," Azula says, taking a step into the circle of

spears pointed towards the group of kids. "I know your
the Avatar, and your whole gig is being worlds savior and
whatever-"

She stops just a foot in from of him, her eyes staring into
his burning grey ones. "-But this is real life. You're
messing with shit you don't understand, so stay out of
it."

"Like hell, have you seen the world outside of this city
lately? It looks terrible!"

"Not my problem." Azula answered. "If people are

suffering that means that they are refusing to cooperate.
It's not my fault that people can't see we're just doing
what's best for them."

"But it's not what's best! You're enslaving citizens into

improper rule!"

"You 'Heroes'-" Azula states, putting up air quotes to

emphasize her point. "-Are always so self-righteous. Stop
acting like your a god who can fix all the worlds
problems."

"We can stop you!" Aang says. "And we will!"

"Not tonight you won't." Azula says, and as if on cue the

cargo ships horn bellows into their eardrums.

Once it stops, the group all look on as the boat sails

away out into the open ocean. "No..." He mumbles
defeatedly.

"Yes..." Azula mocks, turning around and waving her

hand. The spears all retract themselves and the group
looks around hesitantly.

"It was fun distracting you, but I have places to be, so

lets call it a night." Azula says, heading to a black
mercedes-benz. She opens the door, but turns around to
add, "Oh! One last thing! If you try and chase after me
the guards will kill you. Have a nice night!"

She gets into the car, telling the driver to take her home,
where she could report to her father that it was a
successful operation.

Azula pondered on what Aang had said. She knew that

the jobs that she was running were very illegal, but that
was the price to pay for world domination. No one
questions your morals when you control everything.

Still, it was amusing to see the Avatar with so much hope

in his eyes. Like he genuinely believe that what he was
doing could bring about a change in the world. And while
it may have an impact, nothing can stop people from
greedily wanting more than what they have. It was in
people nature, like her father, and her father's father;
even she too feels that lust for more power.

Azula would make sure to crush that hope in his eyes.

Starting with his foolish dream of being this world's hero.

Chapter 2: Transfer Students

Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

The following day, Azula woke up to the sun peaking

through her windows.

As a fire bender, Azula was hardwired so that she rose

with the sub. As soon as the first rays of light began to
seep in through her windows and hit her exposed skin,
Azula knew it was time to get up. She wouldn't allow
herself to laze around in bed, wasting the accumulated
energy in preference to more sleep.

No weaknesses.

Azula was adamant about her routine, making sure she

got at least an hour of practice in every morning before
school. Sometimes, she would push it and go for two, but
most days only got to an hour and a half. She had other
things to do after all, considering she sometimes would
has leftover homework she was unable to finish the day
before.

Today was no different, except for the fact that she had
finished her homework last night after her job. After
waking up, she went downstairs to the kitchen to make
some food. Azula was quite sure that if she entered a
food competition, she would come out on top by a
landslide.

This wasn't by accident. From the moments Azula was

tall enough to stand over the stove, she was told she
needed to be able to cook her own food. Ozai had said
that it proves she can take care of herself, and is not
weak in any regard.

That being said, cooking was not something that came

easy to Azula.

Unlike fire bending, where Azula focused more on

mastering the forms rather then working to just be able
to do them, cooking was a complex and intricate activity
that Azula messed up time and time again.

She was proud to say that she was never as bad as

Zuko, who nearly burned down the kitchen any time he
so much as touched the stove. Where he would hope for
the best, she would work to be the best. That was just
their dynamic.

She would spend hours working on her skills, sorting

through books and learning all the best techniques. It
took thousands of tries and do-overs before Azula started
to feel like her food was actually edible, and a million
more until she thought it was great.

Azula became cook of the house, cooking meals for

herself and her brother, but never for Ozai. She was
warned that if she ever made food for him unannounced
and it was anything shy of perfection, it would have
dastardly consequences.

That was a line Azula wasn't ready to cross just yet. She
would wait until she had perfected her cooking, and then
she would win her father's favor in that regard too.

No weaknesses.

After making a substantial breakfast, and giving it proper

time to settle, Azula walked outside in traditional training
attire.

Fire bending was a taxing activity for anyone, even the

best. It was important that when training for long
amounts of time they have the most breathable and
comfortable clothing. It helps in their ability to keep
going for longer amounts of time, and the dark clothing
soaks in more energy from the sun and into their body,
allowing them to amplify their fire bending abilities.

Such attire called for a sleeveless, dark red tunic, and

baggy, breathable pants in the same color. They ended
just below the start of her calves, leaving her feet bare
except for the shoes she walked in. Upon arriving, she
discarded her walking sandals at the edge of the large
cement arena.

It should come as no surprise that Azula had a full scale

Agni Kai arena in her backyard. While some families had
pools or play sets, she had cold cement and burnt grass.
Where kids would sweat in joy, the thrill of running
around freely exciting the adrenaline in them, Azula
would sweat in pain, working for hours a day to perfect
the next form or get just the right angle to make the
landing stick.

Her feet touched the familiar stone, and she takes a deep
breath in, focusing her body's temperature to aclimate to
the chillier floor. Once her body regulated, she took
stance, and began.

Fire bending was always an excellent use of her time. It

was always something that came easy to her, at least
easier then most. She had always been athletically
inclined, and while she wasn't as acrobatic as Ty Lee, she
could certainly do her fair share of flips and somersaults.

So what happened when Azula perfected the forms? She

refined.

She refined, and mastered them to a point where she

found herself questioning if she could push what the
world knew about fire bending and do something new.

With years of practice, experimentation, and a large

amount of blood, sweat, and burns added to her body,
Azula had created her own array of hidden techniques.
Things that Azula didn't feel obliged to share with anyone
until she needed to use them in a fight. That day had yet
to come though, and she doubt it ever would.

Then, one day, her father took her to one of his

warehouses, and introduced her to something very few
people knew of.

Lightning bending.

It was a very complex form of fire bending, one that

could kill you if you so much as step out of form. Her
father had warned her of such things, but Azula wanted
to learn.

She wanted to learn things no one else could possibly

think to understand. She wanted them to cower before
her, and whimper in fear. She would make them obey
her, and make so that they never try to sabotage her.

She would be perfect.

"Teach me." She had said, a fire burning in her eyes. A

bright, blue fire.

Her feet hit the ground, landing perfectly as fire expelled

from her body and spread to the farthest corners of the
arena before vanishing.

Her breath was heavy, and she could feel the beads of
sweat running down her face.

"Not a hair out of place as usual. Well done, Azula." A

deep voice called from behind her.

Azula straightens up at her father's voice, turning around

and kneeling before him. Although they weren't actually
royalty, her father wanted it to feel like they were. It
reinforced that he was the one in charge, and stepping
out of line was treason to him. "Thank you father."

"Rise, child. You have school today, correct?"

"Yes, I was merely getting in some practice before I had

to leave." Azula affirms as she stands, finally getting a
good look at her father.

If one were going on looks alone as for what a

businessman would look like, her father certainly looked
the part. His tall, well built stature towered over almost
anyone who came into contact with him. His muscles
from decades of honing his own fire bending skills were
visible under his fitted suit. His long hair and top knot
spoke to his elegance and regal charm, and his cool,
confident expression showed the world that he could take
on a god and make it whimper before him.

"Good, and how have your studies been?"

"Straight A's, perfect GPA, and not a single tardiness to

our families name." Azula iterates. It was the same any
time her asked, and Azula sounded like a broken record
any time she talked about it.

"As it should be. It's too bad you're fool of a brother

couldn't share your drive and focus."

' Yes, pick me. ' Azula wants to say. ' I've proven myself.
I'm better in every way. He can't even compare to the
leaps and bounds I've made for this business. I am the
rightful heir! '

"Yes, quite the shame." Azula says instead, only a hint of

sarcasm revealing itself. "Is there anything else you'd
like to speak to me about, father?"

Despite his condescending glare, Ozai's voice stays calm

as he replies, "You will not address me in such a manner.
I will dismiss you when I am ready, child."

Azula's head bows out of sight from her father's gaze.

"Of course. My apologies, father."

She hears him let out a deep sigh. "To answer your
question, no that is not all. I came to hear how your
operation went last night. Did you manage to get rid of
those pests?"

"I distracted them long enough for the cargo ship to

make it out of the harbor safely. Anything else was left to
the guards, if they are smart, they won't come back. If
they do, I will capture them."

"And what if they go public with any information they

may have on my operations?"

"I'd hardly call it a threat." Azula smirks, making

confident eye contact with her father once more. "If they
know of your side business then they know that you have
full control of this city. We have the complete trust of the
people, and if anyone were to come public, we would
simply redirect it in our favor."

Azula watches a grin form onto her father's skinny face.

"Well done Azula, your ability to think ahead it
unchallenged, even by some of my most trusted
colleagues."

"Of course, I am your daughter after all."

With a firm nod, he says, "You may go. We wouldn't want

to lose that perfect attendance streak, would we?"

Azula internally gulps, not even wanting to think about

the consequences to her being even a second late to a
class. "Certainly not."

She moves past her father, but not before bowing once
more and grabbing the sandals at the edge of the arena.
Putting them on swiftly, she begins the trek back to her
room, where's she'd shower and get ready for the day.

As her walked along the morning grass, which prickled

her skin, leaving wet drops of condensation on her feet,
Azula reaffirms the notion in her mind.

She would do it. She would be the one to take her

father's place.

Zuko doesn't deserve it. He was weak, and a true heir

would never be banished from his own house, forced to
live with their retired Uncle.

Azula was the only one fit for the job. And Azula would
make her father see that.

All she needed to do was be patient, and wait.

"Azula!" Ty Lee yells, waving enthusiastically while Mai's

glum mood sat in the background.

She had just pulled into the parking lot, taking off her
helmet and propping up her kickstand of her motorcycle
up with practiced ease.

"Hello girls." Azula says.

"How was your night?! I feel like you did something

really cool!"

"That's one word for it." Azula says with a shrug. "But
only if you call homework cool."

"I'm heading inside, are you two coming?" Mai asks,

already pivoting away.

"Wait! I have news!" Ty Lee exclaims, drawing both girls

attention. "I have some friends I want you guys to
meet!"

"No." They both say in unison. Azula looks up at Mai, at

least they could agree on some things.

"Why not?! They're super nice! I met them yesterday and

they seem really cool!"

"I don't care." Mai blunts.

"I'm not in the market for new friends, Ty Lee. Two is

quite enough for me." Azula explains, getting off her bike
and leaving her helmet on the handlebar.

"Everyone needs more friends Azula, even if you don't

realize it!"

"Ty Lee-"

"Nope! Not gonna hear it! Think if this as paying you

pack for the top yesterday."

"Even if I wanted something in return, this is hardly a

suita-"

"Just shut it Azula, we aren't getting out of this and you

know it."

Azula narrows her eyes at Mai. "Wanna say that again?"

"Nope. You heard me well enough the first time."

"Oh! There they are!" Ty Lee squeals, and Azula squints

into the distance, seeing a group of people she couldn't
quite make out just yet. "C'mon!"

As Azula was dragged closer and closer to the group, she

quickly discerned that their were five of them, all ranging
in various heights and skin tones. Azula thought they
looked oddly familiar.

"Hey Azula, you happen to know where Zuko is? He's not
answering his phone." Mai says, drawing her attention
away from the group.

"How should I know, I don't keep tabs on my banished

brother." Azula says, taking Mai's phone and checking the
texts he had sent to see if there was any clue.

"You make it sound like he was sent off and out of the
city."

"He may as well have been." Azula reasons, handing her

the phone back. "He's either running late or is in class
and has shut off his phone."

"You're family is so fucking weird." Mai mumbles. Azula

decides to ignore that remark.

"Hey guys!" Ty Lee chirps, and Azula realizes they've

stopped moving.

"Hey Ty Lee! Are these you're friends?"

Fuck .

Azula turns her head to look at the group of teens, and

finds five very familiar faces staring back at her, shock
written all over their faces.

The group of kids from the harbor.

"Seriously Ty Lee?" Azula says, trying to keep up a

nonchalant facade.

"Yes seriously! Their super nice!"

"As you keep saying." Azula comments, staring at the

short boy with arrow tattoos in the middle.
' Keep your cool Azula...Don't do anything rash...'

"Azula, but please, never speak to me again." She says

holding out her hand to the boy

"Azula! Be nice to Aang!" Ty Lee scolds. The fire bender

ignores her in favor of soaking in the fearful looks on
their faces.

Aang merely stares at her hand, too stunned to speak.

She smirks, leaning down a little. "What's wrong? You
look like you've seen a ghost."

Recognizing the challenge, Aang takes her hand firmly.

"Not at all, just not what I was expecting."

"Good, I live to exceed expectations."

"Try disappointing them instead." Sokka says with his

arms crossed.

An innocent smile presents itself on Azula's face,

removing her hand from Aang's and saying, "Afraid I
don't know the meaning of the word, but you seem
familiar with it. Care to illuminate me?"

"You bit-"

Katara slaps a hand over Sokka's mouth stepping out

and towards Azula with her own hand extended.

"Katara, the oaf next to me is my brother Sokka. I hope

we can get along."

"I doubt it, but it'll be fun to see you try." Azula says,
taking the girls hand. They exchange one shake before
removing their hands with disdain.

Next was Suki, who just gave a wave saying, "Suki.".

Azula appreciated that, if she touched another one of
these foreigners hands she was going to light this place
ablaze.

"Hey! Aren't you guys forgetting someone?!"

Azula glances towards the small, and apparently feisty,

earth bender. "And you are...?" She drawls.

"Toph Beifong, and I'll kick your sorry ass if you even
think about calling me short!"

Azula smirks, glancing back at Ty Lee and pointing to the

blind girl. "I like her."

"See?!" Ty Lee says enthusiastically.

"I didn't say I like anyone else." Azula says with a scowl,
making Ty Lee pout.

"Oh come on, give it a shot! Besides, you have

homeroom with all of them, so you can show them to the
class!"

"Why can't you do it?" Azula asks, watching with a

restrained anger as Ty Lee starts to back away with Mai.

"Cause I gotta get to my own class, and so does Mai!

You'll be good right? Okay! See ya!"

And with that, Ty Lee and Mai turn a corner, out of sight.

Azula narrows her eyes at the wall they had ducked

behind, noting to chew Ty Lee out for that later. For now,
she had a few things to make clear.

"Alright, listen up twerps-" Azula starts, turning to see

that the group had already gotten in a defensive stance.
She furrows her eyebrows. "For fucks sake, get the hell
up I'm not going to attack you at school."

Hesitantly, the group stands back up into a normal

posture, allowing Azula to continue.

"First off, what are you doing at my school?"

"We entered as transfer students."

"Agni help me..." Azula groans. "Why exactly?"

Aang shrugs innocently. "Cover story?"

Azula places a hand on her hip and raises and eyebrow.

"And yet you still use your foreign names that anyone
looking for you could figure out from your document
papers?"

"...Yes?" Aang says, a disgustingly goofy smile working

its way onto his face.

Azula stares at them in disbelief before turning her head

to Katara. "You look like the mother of this bunch of
idiots. You didn't stop to consider that this wasn't the
best idea?"

"Oh trust me, I did. But they had already done it before
they told me. No choice but to go through with it now."

Azula silently laughs at the absurdity of this entire thing.

This group of children, the people that have helped the
Avatar evade the authorities for months now, were a
bunch of fucking idiots.

"Okay you know what, I don't care." Azula dismisses.

"Let me just say this so we're clear,"

She takes a frightening step closer, towing over the

Avatar with a murderous stare.

"Tell Ty Lee or Mai anything, and I'll make sure your

heads are put on a spike and broadcasted for the entire
world to see."

Aang voice cracks at the threat. "Y-You're telling us they

don't know?"

"Of course they don't, and I prefer to keep it that way."

Azula answers, backing away. "Listen, we can hate each
other as much as we want, but we keep school a neutral
ground. For Ty Lee and Mai's sake."

"And what makes you think we'll do what you want?"

"Because if I wanted to, I could have ended the Avatar's

life 17 seconds ago, and none of you could have done a
thing to stop me."

Their faces more into that of fear, pleasing Azula

immensely.

"Y-You're crazy-" Katara says, and Azula watches her

grab a hold of Aang's hand. Azula watches him squeeze
back, and quickly realizes what it means.

'Good to know...' She thinks.

"No, I'm merely playing the game that you idiots joined
without thinking. I told you last night, you're messing
with things you don't understand."

She snaps her fingers, and a tiny pure blue flame hovers
over her index finger. "So stay out of my way." She
warns.

They all look at the blue fire, and Azula prides herself on
the look of fear. No one else in history had been able to
produce blue fire from their bending, so as far as they
were concerned, she was one of a kind.

And dangerous.

With a flic of her hand, the fire dissipates, letting her

hand move to her hip as she gives them a pointed stare.
"Do we have a deal?"

Azula is surprised to see them all look like their

genuinely thinking about it. Suddenly, they all form a
circle facing away from her and speak in hushed
murmurs.

She rolls her eyes, what did they think this was? Some
sort of movie?

"If you all don't mind, I'd appreciate it if you hurry this
up. I'd hate to be late to class." She calls over their
whispers, taking a moments to check her nails. She'd
have to go to a salon soon and get them painted a new
color. Black wasn't cutting it anymore.

She hears shuffling, and looks up to see the group all

staring at her once again.

"Well?" She waves her hand in a 'Go on' sort of motion to

get her point across. Aang nods his head, which is
followed by everyone else's.

"Deal."

Notes:
I like writing badass azula. i jus think
shes neat ya know?

plus, her roasting everyone she comes

into contact with will probably be my
fav thing to do in this series.

anywayyyyyyyyy what do u guys think

so far? ik we havent gotten much into
the plot yet and that sort of intentional.
in my last big book the chapters were
super long and eventually i got so burnt
out i nearly didnt finish it. this time im
trying to keep the chapter at around 3k
words. makes it easier for me to upload
on somewhat of a schedule. if yk yk

comment what u guys think, i v much

like comments. im kinda sad not a lot of
ppl are reading it yet but i totally get it
bcz not a lot of people wanna read an
unfinished angsty au.

side note, im babysitting my friends dog

and she chews on her bones SO
LOUDLY OMFG. shes cute tho so we
excuse it.

ok bye everyone, gonna go write chap 3

:p

Chapter 3: Lights Flicker

Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

"Glad that's settled. Never speak to me again unless your

forced." Azula says, turning on her heel to walk to her
first period.

"Wait!" Sokka calls, making her stop and glance at him

with a questioning eyebrow. "Ty Lee said you'd show us
to our first period."

Azula lets an amused smirk stretch onto her face. "Why

on Earth would I do that?" She cackles.

Without giving them a chance to stop her, she walks

away, letting her feet carry her to her first class, English.
Upon arriving, she finds there's still a few minutes left
before the bell rings.

Ignoring the teachers hello, Azula makes her way to her

seat in the front, closest to the window. She settles in,
taking out a pencil and the required materials before
waiting for class to start.

A minute and half later, a loud chime echoes through the

class and the hallways outside, signaling that first period
had officially started. Azula smirks, enjoying the fact that
the idiotic group of 'transfer students' were late to class.

As if on cue, 4 body's trample their way into the class,

the only exception being Toph, who walks in with at least
some decency. Drawing everyone's eyes to them, they
freeze awkwardly in the door.

"...Can I help you lot?" The teacher asks after a beat.

Aang makes quick eye contact with Azula, who

innocently bats her eyes with an all too smug smirk on
her face. Breaking the contact, he looks to the teacher,
saying, "Yes, we're all transfer students. We registered a
couple days ago?"

"Oh, yes! I think I recall such arrangements. Could you

all give me your first and last names?"

"Yes, I'm..."

Azula rolls her eyes and tunes the conversation out.

Looking to her textbook, she glances over the
information she had memorized the week prior. Instead,
she flips three chapters ahead of what it says on the
smart board and begins to read.

The first time she had done this in class, Azula had been
pulled aside by the teacher at the end of the lecture. She
had been asked why she wasn't paying attention to
instruction, and other pointless questions like if she was
feeling alright. Azula had scowled, merely explaining that
yes, she was feeling fine and that she had learned the
material the teacher was going over before school had
even started. The teacher was, of course, surprised, and
advised Azula to stay with the class so that she doesn't
forget the material.

Azula assured her that wouldn't happen, and the teacher

agreed that so long as she kept her grades up and could
still participate when needed, she could go as far ahead
as she liked.

This applied to all of Azula's classes, with the exception

of her electives, as those were classes you were forced to
learn as you go. Azula didn't care, so long as she had
perfect scores and straight A's, Azula was happy.

Lunch arrived in a flash, and Azula found herself sitting

at her usual table, Ty Lee and Mai already there waiting
for her. They greeted her in their usual attitudes, Ty Lee
being the one to strike up a conversation first.

"So what'd you think of them?" She asks, obviously

excited to hear Azula's answer.

Despite knowing who she was talking about, Azula plays

innocent. "Think of who, Ty Lee? You'll have to be a little
more specific."

"Don't be coy with me Azula! The group from this

morning! What'd you think?"

Azula rolls her eyes. "Ah, you mean them . I told you this
morning, I don't like them."

"You said you liked Toph!"

"Toph see's more then the other four combined. Do you

know how idiotic it is to watch 4 perfectly capable
teenagers fall through a door, whilst the blind one just
walks in like it's nothing?"

Mai snorts, and Azula cracks a smile. They can both see
Ty Lee is trying to take this seriously but the edges of her
lips are twisting upwards. Azula smiles as Ty Lee's
emotions betray her and she lets herself burst into a fit
of giggles.

"That's so mean Azula!" She laughs in between breaths.

"It's the truth." Azula states. "I don't know where you
found those imbeciles, but I am certainly not going to be
friends with them."

"I mean their annoying yeah, but I don't think their that
bad." Mai chimes in, making Ty Lee's laughter die slowly
as they focus on what Mai just said.

"Mai," Azula calls, a hint of disbelief in her voice. "Did

you just admit to liking someone?"

"I hate you." Mai says flatly.

"No you don't." Azula says. "After all, you like me enough
to where you still pay attention to our conversations."

"I should go find Zuko."

"You could." Azula comments, crossing her arms before

placing them in the table. "But I'd suggest not hanging
out with the reject, it wouldn't do good for your
reputation."

Mai finally looks up at her with that same bored

expression, but Azula doesn't miss how her eye twitch
slight. "He's not a reject."

Azula plays her off with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Anyway; Ty Lee, didn't you have cheer this morning?"

"Oh yeah! It was great, we've started to work on actually

doing the choreography now!" Ty Lee gleefully exclaims.
"I think this is gonna be our best year yet. The girls are
all so nice and we really seem to cli-"

"Are you confident you'll win?" Azula interrupts, placing

her cheek in the palm of her hand while her elbow rests
on the table.

Ty Lee tilts her head. "What do you mean?"

"Cheerleading has a form of competition right? Are you

confident you're team will win?"

"Azula, it's not always about winning-"

"Then what is it about, Ty Lee?" Azula says, a hint of a

glare sprinkling onto her features ominously. "Friendship?
Camaraderie? The thrill of doing flips and tricks for the
world to see? Sounds more like a circus than a
competition to me."

"What's wrong with a circus?"

"Maybe the fact that it's shameful, a disgrace to a

person's dignity, or maybe that nobody cares if you can
juggle 6 bowling pins while riding a unicycle?" Azula lists.
"That's just off the top of my head, though. Would you
like me to keep going?"

Ty Lee sniffles, and it was then that Azula notices Ty Lee

was about to cry.

"I happen to really like circus's, Azula!"

Confused, Azula thoughtlessly says, "Ty Lee I-", but Ty

Lee takes off out of the cafeteria before Azula can speak
another word.

"Now you've done it." Mai mumbles, making Azula grit

her teeth.

"Shut the fuck up Mai." She growls, standing up about to

go after Ty Lee when Mai says;

"When are you going to realize it?"

Azula freezes for a moment, before turning back to Mai

with a seething glare. "Realize what , Mai?"

The non-bender is silent, muttering a quiet, "Whatever.".

Decided to hold off on that, Azula walks off in the
direction Ty Lee had taken off in.

Once she leaves the cafeteria, she scans the hallway for
any sign of a crying brunette. And while she finds no sign
of the girl, she

see's 5 teenagers looking very skeptical outside of the

nearest girls bathroom.

Bingo.

She begins her way over, drawing the attention of the

group quickly. They all form a wall in front of the
bathroom, and Aang holds out a hand to stop her from
coming any closer.

"Out of my way." Azula commands.

"I'm afraid I can't let you-"

"You think I care what you think?" Azula says, reaching

the wall and quickly shoving through the lot of them.
They don't stop her, and Azula doesn't hesitate to open
the door, closing it and locking it behind her.

There's a small barrier wall Azula had to walk around

before the stalls become visible, but once she see's the
red structures become visible, she speaks.

"Ty Lee?"

A quick sniffle alerts Azula that it was indeed Ty Lee. She

narrows her eyes onto the stall the sound emanated
from, walking up to it and knocking on the door. "Ty Lee
open the door."

She receives no response, making her sigh heavily. "I'm

not leaving until you open this door."

"W-Why do you have to be so mean, Azula?!" Ty Lee

says in between sobs.

Azula exhales through her nose, resting her head on the

stall's door. "I have a feeling this isn't just about the
circus." She mutters to herself, recalling the times she
had said some...questionable opinions on how Ty Lee
spent her time.

Azula had never particularly liked how Ty Lee spent her

free time. The girl was a natural born fighter, and Azula
admired that in her, but she was far too bubbly and nice
for her own good. It was part of the reason she never
allowed Ty Lee in on her father's business. She drew
people in like a moth to a flame, and Azula was sure that
everyone in the entire school had had a crush on her at
least once.

And every time someone worked up the courage to say

something, Ty Lee politely rejected.

It was both admirable and confusing to Azula. On one

hand, she respected Ty Lee's lack of need for a
boyfriend, but on the other she couldn't figure out why.

Why did the most crushed on girl in the entire school, the
person who told Azula everything about her life, not need
one of the thousands who fawned over her? And why
would she not tell Azula why?

It perplexed Azula to no end. In fact, it was probably one

of the few mysteries Azula had yet to solve. The others
being things like who Jack the Ripper was, but she was
starting to get close on that one.

She doesn't get a response for several minutes, but

Azula can hear the girl's crying on the other side of the
door start to slow. The sniffles slowly dwindle out into
more or less just aftershocks of what they once were,
and Azula hears Ty Lee taking big breaths in and out.

Finally, Ty Lee says, "I was in the circus you know.

During the summer, I got a job at one near the beach."

Azula doesn't say anything, letting the words hang in the

air as she processes them.

"I didn't tell you because I knew you would say

something like that." Ty Lee speaks after a moment. "But
I really liked it there, and I didn't want to give it up."

"I wouldn't have made you quit, Ty Lee." Azula says. A

lie, but a needed one in this situation. "If it made you
happy, then who am I to get in the way of it?"

For a moment, there was silence, only the lingering

whisper of Azula's words hanging in the air between
them. Azula then hears shuffling from the stall, and
backs away from it just as Ty Lee begins to open the
door.

When her face is revealed, Azula see's Ty Lee wipe her

eyes delicately, sniffling sharply before running to
capture Azula in a hug.

Azula freezes, hands shooting out at either side, not at

all sure of what to do.

Ty Lee knew not to do this, Azula had told her a long

time ago and Ty Lee had always obeyed. No one ever
gave Azula hugs, that was just a silent rule that everyone
followed. Azula didn't need this. Azula didn't need Ty
Lee's warmth. She didn't need anyone's warmth. She
wasn't weak.

So why was her heart beating a thousand miles a

second?

"Thank you." Ty Lee mumbled, voice as soft as a pillow.

Azula decides that it's just shock that she's experiencing.
Nothing more, nothing less.

Azula's rigid body relaxes a little, and against her better

judgement, she returns the hug. It's awkward for her, as
she's never actually done this before, but she tries.

As soon as Azula's hands touch Ty Lee's back, the

brunette tightens her hold, making Azula lurch forward a
bit and rest her head on Ty Lee's shoulder.

"I thought this hug was supposed to be for you." Azula

jokes lightly, her voice surprisingly soft for once.

Ty Lee's body bounces against Azula's, proof that Ty Lee

was laughing, but a quiet giggle leaving the brunette's
lips. She never says anything though, so neither does
Azula.

Closing her eyes, she tries to focus on just getting this

over with, but finds it rather difficult when the smell of
vanilla wafts into her nose. It's so sweet and relaxing
that Azula can't help but let out an unrestrained
comforting sigh.

'Weak'

The voice fades in from nowhere, sharply whispering in

her ear and making her open her eyes with haste.

They land on the mirror, Ty Lee's back to her as Azula

see's her own reflection.

And yet, for the briefest of seconds, Azula thought she

saw her . That long, flowing black hair and silky red
dress that was present in most of her childhood
memories. Or, at least the bad ones.

Forcefully closing her eyes again, she backs away from

Ty Lee, leaving the brunette confused.

"We should go. Lunch is almost over." Azula says, voice

reverting back to its normal tone.

"O-Okay..." Ty Lee says. "Are you okay-?"

"Of course I'm okay, Ty Lee." Azula says with faked

confidence. "I've never been better."

"If you say so..." She mumbles.

Azula turns around and leaves, the only indication of Ty

Lee following her being the footsteps behind her.

'A trick of the light', Azula decides as she steps out into
the hallway. The school always was a little short when it
came to budget since they thrusted most of it towards
the football team.

"Hey!"

Azula frowns. Right, them .

"What do you want nerd squad?" Azula groans, seeing

them all converge on her in front of the bathroom door.
Azula shuts the door as to not let Ty Lee out just yet.

"What did you do to Ty Lee?!"

"Yeah, is she okay?"

"I swear if you-"

"Oh hey guys!" Ty Lee chirps, coming out of the

bathroom and standing next to Azula with her usually
bright smile. It was only until after that Azula realized
that her grip must have loosened enough for Ty Lee to
open the door. "What's up?"

They all stare at Ty Lee, dumbfounded. Aang is quick to

look at Azula, who merely stares down at him.

"What? Nothing to say baldy?" Azula asks.

"I- Uh-...Wasn't she-..."

"Wasn't she what?" Azula grits, eyes burning holes into

his.

"...Nothing. It's nothing." Aang relents, to the shock of

his other friends. "Let's go guys."

"I have to agree, 7th is about to start soon. Shall we go

Ty Lee?" Azula asks, and Ty Lee nods with an affirmative
hum.

Beginning down the hall, Ty Lee skips at her side, leaving

the other group of foreigners speechless at the bathroom
entrance. They don't even budge when the girls going
into the bathroom give them judgmental looks or glares.

"What was that all about Azula? They seemed angry at

you." Ty Lee asks, tiltiing her head to look at Azula.

Azula lets a confident smirk rest on her face, her go to in

halls and public spaces. 'Never let them see you with
your guard down.' Her father always said.

"Nothing for you to worry about Ty Lee. Now, tell me

about this job of yours, and how you managed to keep it
hidden from me."

Ty Lee beams in surprised excitement and launches into

a rant of hoops lit aflame by bright red fire and ropes set
50 feet in the air.

The animated girl doesn't even realize that Azula was

barely paying attention. Instead, she was focused one
what she could have seen in the bathroom.

It certainly wasn't another student, she had locked the

door behind her after entering. And there was no one
else already in the bathroom, seeing as all the other
stalls were unlocked and their doors were tilted in a bit.
So was it just her imagination?

'No.' Azula decides, she barely ever imagined things. It

would be out of character for her to start now. It had to
be the lights. Maybe she just was tricked by their
flickering and yellowish glare painting the walls and
ceiling.

However, the lights didn't explain how warm Ty Lee was,

or how the ghost of the embrace still lingered on Azula's
skin through her clothes. Even as she walked down the
hall, Ty Lee only inches away from her, she found it
surprisingly hard to stay focused.

Not when all she could think of was the relaxing scent of
vanilla.

Notes:
i had a thought.

azula and ty lee as beetlejuice and

lydia.

i mean come on-

ok we'll stop w that because i know i

dont have the energy or time to write it
but if someone else does I WOULD
READ THE SHIT OUT OF THAT

anyway this chapter was shorter i know

but think of it as a short filler. honestly
im not too sure of how i want to pace
this fic yet. i know i want it to be long
and in depth but i dont want to make it
super long and burn myself out. that
said, i feel like azulas mind needs time
to really understand and i cant do that
without spreading things out.

ill figure it out, but for now im just

gonna konda go with what my mind
comes up with. so if it looks messy,
thats why. sorry :p

also im almost done w the next chapter

and i gotta say if any of u like villainous
but cunning azula ur gonna love it.

OH! ive created a little game while i

write these too. i call it:

lets see how many cuss words azula can

use against the gaang.

so far we're up in the double digits

already. personal favorite? dipshit

okay i think thats all for today, lemme

know ur thoughts on this chapter. see u
all soon!

Chapter 4: Late Night Phone Calls

Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

"Miss Azula." A worker calls out to her, and Azula gives

him her attention. "The trucks are all loaded, shall I give
the go ahead to send them off?"

"If everything is order, then yes." She states, resting her

cheek onto her palm. Her elbow sat propped up on the
table she leaned over, watching her men run around the
lot hastily.

He gives her a bow, and proceeds to blow a whistle, the

noise invading her ears harshly and making her frown in
displeasure. The sound leaves as quickly as it came, but
Azula can still hear the echoes of the high pitched whistle
as the sound of truck engines turn on one by one.

As the first begins to drive out of the parking lot, Azula

catches a glimpse of something falling out of the sky
before it lands just in front of the truck. Dust shrouds the
area and Azula can't see anything from her position, but
a loud crash, and the same truck flipping out of the cloud
of smoke tells her all she needs to know. She isn't even
remotely fazed when the truck proceeds to blow up.

"Good grief..." Azula mutters, standing up and placing

her hands at either side of her hips. "I thought I told you
to stay out of this!"

"I'll never turn a blind eye to corruption!" Aang says as

he and his posse fade into view and out of the smoke.
"What your doing is illegal!"

"Congratulations! Do you want a medal Captain

Obvious?" Azula retorts.

"It's over!" Sokka yells, waving around a phone

pridefully. "We've recorded everything!"

"Well done boomerang man! You're not completely

useless after all!" With the clap of her hands, Azula
shoots off into the sky, fire shooting from her feet. With a
flip to better nail her trajectory, Azula passes just over
Sokka's head, grabbing the phone and landing with grace
behind them.

She can hear them all shuffle to face her, and she looks
over her shoulder, a knowing smirk on her face as she
waves the phone next to her. "Butterfingers." She says to
Sokka, who seems to turn a deep shade of red.

"Give that back!" Sokka shouts, running at her with a

hand already gripping the boomerang attached to his
back.

When he gets close enough, he unsheathes it and takes

a swing at Azula, which the fire bender easily dodges.
Grabbing his arm as it swings just next to her, she loops
herself under his form and pulls, making him fly in the
air and land harshly on his back.

Standing over him as he rubs his head, Azula places her

right foot on his stomach, pushing down painfully. She
hears him yelp at the action, his hands going to punch at
her legs. Azula merely presses harder, and he all but falls
limp in the floor to the pressure.

"Sokka!" Suki yells, taking out two twin fans and hurling
one at Azula.

She moves her head fast enough, and the fan misses by
a hairs breath, but when she looks back towards the
brown haired girl, she finds her sprinting with an
agileness that came close to Azula's own.

Releasing her foot off of Sokka once Suki gets close, she
creates a wave of fire from the bottom of her heel,
kicking her leg up with flexible ease, making Suki
stumble backwards.

She lets her foot come down fast and hard, landing on
Sokka's stomach and making him groan in pain. Stepping
over him, she shrugs her shoulders.

"A nice try, but you'll have to do better then that." She
teases, walking up to Suki who has an enjoyable look of
fear. With a shaky hand, Suki starts to get in a defensive
position, but Azula says, "Don't even try it sweetheart,
this was a warning. Next time, I won't be so merciful."

Fear still in her glossy eyes, she lets Azula walk past her,
favoring to run to Sokka's side instead.

Ignoring the two obvious lovebirds, Azula stops in front

of the last three benders. Aang had his staff pointed
towards Azula threatendingly, while Katara had one hand
on her little water pouch. Toph stood in position, ready to
hurl a boulder at Azula if necessary.

She scans over each other them with a smirk, her eyes
landing back on Aang as she says, "Do you really want to
fight me?"

Confidence dripped from her voice, oozing into their ears

and allowing them to properly assess their situation.
Even if it was three on one, Aang could see that his
posse was at a disadvantage.

Still, he wears a strong mask, hiding his worries behind it

and saying, "Why are you doing this?!"

Azula huffs, placing a hand on her hips, "You'll have to

elaborate on that one, tattoos. Do you mean the job right
now? Or-"

"All of it! I can tell you know it's wrong!"

Azula fake pouts, "Is it though?"

"Yes! People are suffering because of this!"

"Are you sure?" Azula taunts, the confidence in her voice

making Aang hesitate.

"Y-Yes?" He says wearily.

Azula smirks. "Well if you're so sure, why don't you go

check the other trucks? Here, I'll even tell my men to lay
down their arms."

With the wave of her hand, dozens of men emerge from

the shadows, unbeknownst to the group and stand aside.

"Drivers, give each one of them a key, let them see what
good their doing for the world."

3 men walk up to the benders and hands them each a

pair of keys. Dropping it into their palms, Azula follows
them as they head to three of the 6 trucks left.
Simultaneously unlocking the backs of the trucks, they
lift the sliding door up. Aang jumps up into his truck and
opens one of the crates to reveal it filled to the brim with
packages of food and medical supplies.

"All of these trucks are loaded with basic necessities and

tradable goods that are scheduled to be sent to the Earth
Kingdom. Recently, there have been riots by their own
people against the government there, so my father
thought it wise to smuggle food for them."

The other two jump out of their own trucks, sharing

similar looks to Aang's shock. He was completely
speechless, and looked five seconds away from spiraling
into a mental breakdown.

"And you just blew up an entire truck's worth of it." Azula

says, adding salt to the wound as Aang's eyes start to
gloss over.

"I- We didn't know! We thought-!"

"Guards." Azula calls, snapping her fingers. Immediately,

each bender was restrained by two bulky men on either
side of them. "Hold them there." She orders, and they
move the here of them so that they stand just in front of
Azula. Azula knew that if they were in the right
headspace, they could easily free themselves, but they
had just learned they destroyed food that could have fed
thousands of families.

So, they were pretty much useless. That was nothing

new though.

"You need to realize that just because something is

illegal, that doesn't automatically make it horrible. You
probably don't even realize the large amount of illegal
shit you do on the daily."

"Hey! I'm a monk and we are strictly peaceful and law

abiding people!" Aang defends.

"Oh really? Ever use public wifi?"

"Yeah..." Aang drawls.

"That's illegal." Azula says, and holds out her index

finger to indicate one crime. "How about singing happy
birthday?"

"Of course!"

"That's illegal too." Her middle finger goes up as well.

"Ever downloaded music onto your phone? And no, I'm
not talking about buying it or streaming."

Aang stays silent on that one, but out of the corner of

her eye Azula see's Katara nod her head. Narrowing her
eyes at the water bender, her ring finger goes up too.

"You see my point, Avatar?"

"But this is completely different!"

"If you had a brain, you'd see it's actually not. Everyone
has a reason for doing something, even if others don't
agree with it. I may not have the cleanest hands in the
crowd, but this is how we restore order to the world."
Azula explains, bending down so they're on the same eye
level. "Do you see what this city is? It's clean,
prospering, and peaceful. It's proof that what my father
is doing is working, and it will work for everyone else."

"Then what about free will?! The right to choose! When

he's done, he'll have control over everyone and
everything!"

"You'd be surprised at how quickly people give up their

freedom just to know there will be food on the table and
a roof over their head." Azula snarks.

"That's Tyranny!" Aang yells.

"It's a compromise, dipshit." Azula grits. "When will you

realize that your not the heroes of this story? You're a
bunch of idiots who think taking out a business tycoon
will save the world from all it's problems."

"It's a start! With your father's company gone, people

can live freely and make their own laws!"

"Without my father this city would be in chaos.

Democracy has been proven time and time again to fail
at the hands of the electives the people themselves put
in charge. At least my father can see what people need
and is able to give it with a snap of his fingers."

"If your father is so great, then why did your mother run
away?!" A voice calls from behind them, Azula
recognizing it as Sokka.

Azula's mind is lit ablaze with the memory from the

bathroom.

Mother.

"My mother was a fool, and a coward." Azula says,

turning to face the boy, who was being lifted up with the
help of Suki. Apparently she had underestimated Sokka's
smarts. She makes a mental note to consider what he
will do next more often. "She failed to see the bigger
picture."

"Really? Because from what I found out, I think she saw

all too much." He spits.

"Is that so..." Azula drawls. "And what all did you find
out?"

"Enough to know that your not the person you're trying

to make yourself out to be."

"That's a shame, really. I was starting to think you were

smart." Azula sighs. "Guards, take them to prison, you
know what to do."

"Yes Miss Azula." They say simultaneously.

Azula watches as the group of kids struggle against the

men holding down their limbs. She almost wishes Ty Lee
was here to chi block them. That would be nice.

Her mind focuses on Sokka's words. He had a lot of

nerve mentioning her mother like that. She was rather
impressed she had managed to find files on her. As far as
Azula knew, she had made sure any and all records of
her were destroyed.

Shaking her head to try and clear away the thoughts,

Azula heads to her bike which was parked in a far corner
of the lot. Igniting the engine, she puts on her helmet
and takes off down the road. She was confident that the
employees still left at the dock could finish the job. After
all, all they needed to do was drive.

Arriving back at her house, she places the keys to her

motorcycle in the little bowl by the foyer. She begins her
way down the hall to head to her room, where she
planned to take a quick shower before heading off to
bed.

"Azula." Her father calls from behind her.

She must be very tired if she couldn't hear her father's

footsteps behind her. Turning around, show bows. "Yes
father?"

"How did it go?"

"The Avatar and his cohorts showed up again. They blew

up a truck full of the supplies."

"Did they by the cover crates we planted?"

"Of course, they never suspected otherwise."

"Good, and I expect they were taken to the police

department?"

"If my calculations are correct, they should already be

locked away in cells."

"Very good, you may go and rest."

"Thank you father." Azula says, pride swelling in her

chest as she turns to start walking again.

"And Azula," Ozai calls, making her turn around with

haste. "You've done well. I see a bright future for you in
the families business."

Azula bows her head slightly, fighting the urge to smile

as she thanks him and bids him goodnight. As soon as
she is in the safety of her room, Azula allows herself to
let her lips stretch upwards.

Yes, it was happening. If she could get rid of the Avatar

and his friends, then she would finally be proven worthy.
Zuko may be the true heir, but that can change with a
simple sentence from her father.

She deserved it anyway. It's not like he was trying to get

it back. Ever since he'd been banished he's looked so
depressed, it was honestly sad. Father gave him no way
to earn back his place, so he was stuck until he magically
found a way back in.

Azula wouldn't let that happen though. Not without a

plan behind it. This was her birthright, and she wouldn't
let Zuko come in last minute and take it from her.

Hopping in the shower, Azula washes the accumulated

sweat and grime off her body, noting that some of the
soreness of her activities were starting to set in. She'd
have to work harder in the morning during practice.

No weaknesses.

She hears a familiar buzzing sound, distant through the

running water. She squints through the fogged up glass
to see that her phone had lit up. Azula ignored it for now
in favor of finishing her shower.

Once she was done, she dries off quickly and changes
into a nice set of clothes for the night. As she rubs the
ends of her hair with a towel, Azula takes her phone and
checks it, finding a message from Ty Lee. Odd, since it
was late and Ty Lee liked to get to bed early on school
nights.

'Are you up?' It read.

Azula raises her eyebrow, typing, 'What's it to you?'

back.

'Nothing, I just can't sleep and wanted to talk to you.'

Azula stops drying her hair and contemplates her

options. On one hand, she could ignore Ty Lee and get
some much needed rest, but on the other, she could stay
up and talk to the brunette.

One of them sounded far more enjoyable than the other,

and yet, Azula still typed. 'Would it be easier for you to
call instead?'

Throwing her towel onto a nearby chair, Azula falls into

bed, the grey chat bubble popped up as she pulls the
covers over her body.

'Yes.' Came the reply, followed by her phone lighting up

with a black screen, a decline and accept button on the
lower right and left corners.

Azula accepts, holding the phone to her ear and

muttering a, "Hello?"

"Hey." Is all Ty Lee says.

"You sound tired." Azula comments, noticing how Ty

Lee's usually bubbly voice was more dull.

"So do you." Ty Lee says, following up with, "How was

your night?"

"Uneventful," She lies smoothly. "You?"

"Yeah, me too. I've been stuck at home doing homework

all day, my group left me all the hard parts of the
project."

"Should I say something to them?" Azula asks, a little

too quickly for her liking. She winces.

"No, no." Ty Lee declines with a small laugh. "It's not

that serious, just annoying. I can handle it, and it'll make
the outcome ten times more gratifying."

"That it will." Azula utters.

Things were silent for a moment, the only filling the air
being the crackly static from the phone call. For a
moment, Azula forgot everything that had happened just
a couple of hours ago, and allowed herself to drift.

"Hey Azula?" Ty Lee says once the moment has passed.

"Hm?" Azula hums tiredly.

"Have you thought about who your taking to prom?" She

asks.

This wakes Azula up slightly. "Were only like, 3 months

into school Ty Lee. Prom isn't for another 4."

"Yeah but...It's never too early to at least start thinking

about it, right?"

Azula thinks about it, deciding that, "I suppose, but I

think it's far too early to say."

Ty Lee is silent to Azula's response, which was even more

unlike the girl. "Have you?" She asks.

"Me?"

Azula chuckles, rolling her eyes even if Ty Lee can't see

her. "Yes you, who else would I be talking to?"

"Right." Ty Lee laughs nervously. Azula hears the distant

echo of a thoughtful hum on the other end of the line.
Azula was surprised to feel oddly soothed by the sound.
"I have...someone I'm thinking about, but you're right.
It's too early to say anything."

Azula frowns at the disappointment in Ty Lee's voice.

"What is it?" She huffs out, exhasperated.

"Huh?" Ty Lee asks.

Azula sighs. "You've been off the entire call, so spill it.
What's this person's deal?"

She hears Ty Lee gulp before speaking. "Well...their

smart and cunning, and can be a little rude at times, but
I think deep down their a good person. It's just...their a
little dense."

"So someone has finally managed to capture Ty Lee's

heart huh? Must be really special. Haven't you turned
down practically everybody at school at least once
already?"

"That's just it, they don't try to win me over. They just...
exist next to me, pulling me to them like a magnet.
Sometimes I try to fight it but I always come back, even
if I shouldn't."

"Sounds complicated." Azula comments bluntly.

Ty Lee laughs. "They are."

"Will I ever meet them?"

"I hope so."

"Good, I must congratulate this mystery person on this

spectacular feat."

Ty Lee giggles. "You're so weird Azula."

"I am not weird-" Azula retorts, face morphing into

repulse at the insinuation. "-Merely stating the obvious.
Somehow, the most sought after girl; the girl who turns
literally everyone down, has found someone. Isn't that
what we call a miracle?"

"I guess..." Ty Lee admits, but follows with, "I never did
thank you for the bathroom incident." Ty Lee mumbles
sadly, seemingly straying from the present conversation.

"I'm pretty sure you did, actually." Azula insinuates, but

Ty Lee continues anyway.

"I really am thankful Azula, and I'm sorry I hugged you.

I know you don't-"

"Don't worry about it Ty Lee. What's done is done." Azula

says, shrugging off the brunette's concerns easily.

"Are you sure?" Ty Lee asks warily.

Azula chuckles, shifting in bed to sit up. She bends her

legs up so that her feet rest on the mattress, and rests
her free hand on one of her kneecaps. "Yes, Ty Lee. I'm
sure."

"Okay." Ty Lee confirms, and they fall into yet another

moment of silence:

This one was different from the last though. Azula could
feel it. She could feel how there was something that
should be spoken, and yet, she neither had the words
nor idea of what to say. Maybe it came from Ty Lee.

"Could I-"

"Are you-"

Their words come at the same time, making both of

them wince at the loudness of the others unexpected
voice. Ty Lee laughs a bit, making Azula smile. Just a bit.

"You go Ty Lee, I'll wait." Azula says, a softer demand

then what she usually sounds like.

"I was just wondering if, maybe, I could...do it more

often?"

Azula, for once in her life, has no reply.

What does she say to that? The obvious answer is no,

the word resting on her tongue just waiting to be spoken.
Yet, she imagine Ty Lee's face, and feels guilt seep it's
way in. She would be sad, wouldn't she? Defeated? Azula
truly didn't know, but she knew Ty Lee well enough to
know that she really wanted this.

Because Azula did not give or receive hugs, it was a rule.

One Ty Lee knew very well, so if she is asking Azula this,
she must really want it.

"That is if you want to!" Ty Lee suddenly shouts,

beginning a rant. "I know it's not your favorite thing in
the world but I really enjoyed hugging you and I just-"

"Fine."

Silence.

"What?" Ty Lee squeaks.

Azula can't help the stupid laugh that comes out. Placing
a hand over her eyes, she rubs the bridge of her nose. "I
said fine. Just...keep it to a minimum."

"...Seriously?"

"I can take it back." Azula threatens.

"No!" Ty Lee says quickly, and Azula winces at the girls

sudden change in volume. "No don't, don't take it back.
Please."

This was absurd. Azula hated hugs, and yet here she was
giving Ty Lee permission to do so. Even when every bone
in her body told her to say no.

"Should I be worried?" Azula jokes.

Ty Lee giggles. "No...I just- You're my best friend, and I

don't want to take anything you give me for granted."

"Careful now, your mystery crush might get jealous."

"If only you knew Azula..." Ty Lee chuckles, her voice

fading as the last words leave her lips. Azula found
herself wondering if there was a double meaning behind
them.

Before she could ask, a yawn comes from Ty Lee's end of

the phone. "I'm starting to get sleepy Azula, how about
we call it a night?"

Azula frowns at the unknowing interruption, but nods

along. "Yes, I think that's wise."

"Okay..." Ty Lee drawls, and Azula can hear the shuffling

of covers. "Goodnight Zula..."

"Goodnight Ty Lee."

Azula hangs up, and her room is back to complete

silence. She lets her hand fall limp at her side and stares
up at the ceiling. She could make out the vague outlines
of where the roof and walls connected, but the darkness
of the night made it difficult.

She didn't care though, her mind was betraying her. For
some reason all she could think about was why? Why on
earth had she said yes? What had possessed her to
willingly enter into such a fate?

Ty Lee had, apparently.

Azula rolls her eyes, placing her phone on the charger

and letting it rest on the nightstand. Yeah right. Ty Lee
may be the epitome of happiness thrust into a persons
body, but that did not give her control over Azula. Plus,
Ty Lee had a new crush. It would be better to leave the
controlling to them.

Wait, why was her heart throbbing like that?

With confusion written all over her face, Azula clutches

her chest as if she was in pain. "What the-" Cut off by a
hiss, Azula lays down, trying to see if a better position
would make it go away. It doesn't, and Azula feels her
eyes glossing at the pain.

She forcefully shuts them closed, and orders her brain to

sleep. If she slept this off, she could forget all about this
little episode as if it had never happened.

No weakness...right?

Notes:
i have zero regrets about the ending

sooooooooo do we so plot starting to

form? i think so!

tbh it is scary how obsessed i am w

azula like ive gotten to the point where
ive started drawing her PLZZZZZ SAVE
ME

im not even that good of a drawer i jus

wanna see her in a suit (p.s: shes
fucking HOT)

im thinking about including the art work

in this fic, as it will probably work w
what i want to do. and yes, if any of u
care, i will be doing ty lee as well in a
dress. because lets face it, she would
totally gay panic over azula its
OBVIOUS.

ok comment plz

bye

Chapter 5: Bowling
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

"...Why am I here again?" Mai asks as she and Azula

walk into a knives shop.

"What? Can I not spend time with you because I want

to?" Azula replies.

"No." She retorts.

Azula chuckles, proceeding to explain herself. "Truthfully

there is no reason, I just felt like hanging out."

That was a lie. Ever since this morning, when she had
woken up to still recall the events of her phone call with
Ty Lee, she hadn't been able to forget them. She had
tried training, reading, studying, anything that could
have possible taken her mind off things. None of it
seemed to work though, so she turned to her last option.

Now, Mai certainly wasn't an interesting person. She was

blander then a piece of bread, but what she lacked in
personality she made up for in pure skill.

Ever since they were children, Mai had shown great

interest in knives and how to use them. It was a strange
hobby, but her parents were willing to oblige her,
considering she had not shown such a passion for
anything else.

That passion grew into fascination, and that fascination

developed into pure unbridled talent. Azula could never
recall an instant where Mai was not walking around with
at least one knife on her. Whether it be hidden in the
long sleeves of her dark maroon jacket or out to display
as she twirled it expertly, they were always there.

Naturally, Azula felt a need to grow attuned to the

weapon as well. While she may not be as good as Mai
when it came to showing off, she was still perfect in aim,
preciseness, and agility when using them.

It became a shared activity for them, one they could

actually agree on. Thus why they entered the knife store,
which also happened to double as a throwing range.

While Mai browsed the various pointed weapons, Azula

greeted the shopkeeper, who granted them their usual
access to two of the lanes. Perks of owning the city, you
get free shit like, all of the time.

Heading to her designated alley, she is met with an

employee who is holding out a dark red box, with gold
patterns running along the side.

"For you, ma'am." He says as she takes the box.

Giving him a curt nod, he leaves her be. Upon opening

the box, she finds a familiar set of expensive knives that
she favored using whenever she came here. Picking one
up, she gives it a twirl, re-familiarizing herself with the
weapon.

"Ready?" Mai says as she walks to the lane next to hers.

Azula smirks. "Is that a challenge?"

"Maybe." Mai shrugs. "Guess you'll just have to find out."

With seeming ease, Mai flicks her wrist and the knife that
once rested there flies out ahead of them and lands on
the wooden board.

"Not bad." Azula admits. "You've certainly been

practicing."

"Only for the past 12 years of my life." Mai comments,

making Azula chuckle as she sends her own knife out.

"What say you to a little wager?" Azula challenges as she

watches Mai's second knife fly. "Best of 15 to see who
can hit the bullseye the most."

"What are the stakes?"

"If I win, you have to do something about your silly crush

on my brother. I'm tired of seeing u dance around it in
this weird emo lovesick version of what normal people
do."

"And if I win?"

Azula turns around and lets her elbows rest on counter

behind her. "Up to you. Though, try to keep it realistic."

"Define realistic."

"I will not be buying you your own throwing range."

Mai sighs. "Fair enough. If I win..." She trails off,

seeming to think about what she wants from Azula. She
watches Mai's face light with recognition for a second
before she says, "If I win, you have to tell me why you
really brought me here. No lying."

Azula is mildly impressed at Mai's ability to see through

her lies. It shows on her face as she shrugs, saying,
"Fine. Let's get to it, shall we?"

10 minutes later, Azula finds herself with 13 bullseyes to

her name. By normal standards, anyone would have said
that was a fantastic number.

Azula wasn't normal. She was perfect. She had to be

perfect. Even in something as simple as a friendly
competition.

Gritting her teeth, Azula scans over the memory of her

two failed attempts and makes mental notes on how to
improve. Whilst she does that, Mai lands her 15th knife
dead center. Azula sighs.

"Alright, I know when I'm beaten."

Mai turns to face her and crosses her arms. "Well? Let's
hear it."

Azula groans internally, debating on whether or not to lie

again. Probably a bad idea, if Mai could tell the first time
she'd definitely be able to tell the second.

She relents to telling the truth. "I have a lot on my mind,

that's all. I needed a distraction."

Mai raises her eyebrows, to which Azula gives an

indignant huff. "I'm not lying if that's what you're
thinking." She turns back to the board, picking up a knife
and hurling it into the target.

"Why didn't you get Ty Lee?" Mai asks after a beat.

Azula frowns, picking up another knife a little too tightly.

"Why would I?" She replies smoothly, taking aim.

"Because you like her far more than me, and I'm not
exactly the best distraction."

"Maybe, but I must say, throwing knives is an excellent

way to forget things."

"Like you're phone call with Ty Lee last night?"

Azula's loose grip on the knife she was fiddling with in

her palm visibly tightens. "Wha-"

"You aren't the only one who needs a distraction Azula.

She came to me this morning and talked to me about it."

"So you know about her mystery crush then?"

"I knew long before you did." Mai confesses.

Azula scowls. "Seems like Ty Lee is keeping a lot of

things from me these days..." She mutters. She can't
really hold it against the girl, Azula was keeping a lot of
things from her too.

"She didn't know how you'd react." Mai offers as an

explanation, making Azula scoff. "It's true. She thought
you might get defensive or something."

"Hardly." Azula scorns, throwing another knife harshly.

Even from the distance, she can see a tiny piece of wood
fly out upon the impact.

"She told me something else too. Why did you give her
permission to hug you?"

Azula twitches a bit, gripping the edges of the counter in

resigned anger. "I don't know." She grits.

"I think you do."

"Would you shut up?" Azula finally snaps. "I came to you
so I wouldn't think about it, not to go into a full ass
analysis on it."

"I told you, I'm hardly a distraction."

"Yes I can see that." Azula utters, stepping out of her

lane and grabbing her jacket. "I'm done here. You stay
as long as you want."

"Azula." Mai calls as she nearly steps over the line

connecting the wooden flooring of the range to the
carpet of the actual store. She stops and looks over her
shoulder, eyes narrowed at the non-bender. "You can't
run away from this."

Azula looks forward, thinking of all the possible

connotations that could have. Taking a deep breath in,
she exhales slowly. "I'm afraid I don't know what your
talking about."

With that, she leaves, the cool fall air hitting her leather
jacket and blowing through her hair. Pausing for just a
moment, she allows the breeze to clear her mind.

With a deep inhale, she lets it out smoothly. Time to get

to work.

Azula was finishing up the last few sentences of her

English essay when her phone buzzes next to her. She
glances at it briefly but decides to leave it until she's
finished.

Getting out a few more words, her phone starts to buzz

violently, making her eye twitch in irritation.

Picking up the device, she clicks accept without thinking

to look at who it was. "What?" She grits angrily.

"Zula! Wanna go bowling?"

Momentarily lapsing out of anger, a confused, "What?",

leaves her lips.

"Bowling, Zula." Ty Lee laughs. "I'm going bowling with

Aang and his friends, do you want to come?"

Azula frowns at the mention of the idiot gang. "Hard

pass." She answers, voice full of restrained malice.

"Aw, why?" Ty Lee asks, her pout visible even over the
phone. "It'll be fun."

"It's bowling, Ty Lee."

"And with the right people, it will be fun!"

“Well they are certainly not the right people.” Azula

blunts.

“Please Azula? For me?”

“No.”

Ty Lee audibly whines, and then Azula hears what sounds

like a body crashing into something. Probably a mattress.
Rubbing the bridge of her nose, she lets out a small
groan. If Ty Lee didn’t stop whining like a little child she
was going to-

A particularly loud whine escapes Ty Lee and Azula finally

breaks.

“Fine! I’ll go fucking bowling with you! Just stop

whining!” She snaps, hearing Ty Lee let out a cheerful
squeal of victory.

“Awesome! Pick me up at 7, and bring money for shoes!”

Before Azula could respond, Ty Lee hangs up.

Tossing her phone onto the desk with resigned anger,

Azula crosses her arms, shuts her eyes, and leans back
in the chair she sat in.

So the idiots had managed to break out of prison, that

was interesting. Hopefully they didn’t harbor any bad
blood for it. They were presumably destroying company
property.

Oh well, that didn’t matter. All that mattered was making

sure they kept their traps shut about her. If there was
one person that Azula would make sure stayed out of this
life, it was Ty Lee. And yes, when it came down to it, Mai
wasn’t too much of an issue. If one day she happened to
find out, Azula likes to think it wouldn’t be too big of a
deal.

But Ty Lee. Sweet, innocent Ty Lee.

Azula would protect her, if no one else. If she were to

find out what Azula was doing...well, she can’t imagine it
would be a good reaction.

Checking the time, Azula notices that it’s around 6:30

already. The drive to Ty Lee’s takes around 20 minutes, if
Azula decides she wants to go the speed limit that is.

She’d leave soon, she decides. For now, she had an

essay to finish up.

30 minutes later, Azula sees Ty Lee's house come into

view as she turns a corner. Slowing her motorcycle to a
stop, Azula takes off her helmet and waits for Ty Lee.
She opens her phone to text her a quick, 'Here.'.

A moment later, she receives, 'Okay, just give me a

minute!'. Azula rolls her eyes, pocketing her phone and
staring out towards the road ahead of her.

Her thoughts drift to her phone call with Ty Lee, and who
could have possibly caught the girls attention. It certainly
couldn't be Mai or Zuko, seeing as those two were
obviously in love with each other. So was it someone
from school? Obviously, otherwise Ty Lee wouldn't be
able to ask them to Prom.

"Azula! Thanks for waiting!" Ty Lee calls out to her from

her porch. Azula looks up to see Ty Lee shutting the door
and bouncing down the steps with excitement.

"Let's just get this over with." Azula says, putting on her
helmet and starting the motorcycle.

Once Ty Lee comes close, she slows to a stop with a

worried expression. "You don't have to come if you really
don't want to."

Even if Ty Lee couldn't see her, she rolls her eyes in faux
irritation. "I'm here aren't I? Just get on so we're not
late."

Ty Lee seems to take that as a confirmation that Azula

did want to come, even if it was very reluctant. With a
cheery, "Okay!", she hops onto the bike and holds onto
Azula's shoulders.

Azula laughs as she kicks the kickstand up with the heel

of her foot. It hits her then that this is Ty Lee's first time
riding with Azula on a motorcycle. "You're going to need
a better grip than that, Ty Lee."

"Wha-?" Ty Lee starts, but it turns into a yelp as Azula

takes off down the street. In record time, Ty Lee's hands
wrap around Azula's waist with fervor and the brunette
buries her head into the small gap between Azula's
shoulder blades.

Azula tries not to think about how warm the feeing is.

"Hey guys!" Ty Lee cheers as they find Aang and his

friends at a lane.

"Hey Ty Lee!" Aang gives a friendly wave back from his

seat. Though, it vanishes and his face morphs into a
hardened frown as he sees Azula. "Azula." He greets
curtly.

"Baldy." Azula says, her voice more amused than his.

"How was your time in the slammer?"

"Wait, what?!" Ty Lee shouts, a very panicked expression

written all over her.

"Oh don't worry Ty Lee, it was nothing serious! The

police merely thought we had smuggled ourselves into
the city. Just a big misunderstanding." He lies, making
Azula's smirk widen. Bravo.

"You knew about this, Azula?" Ty Lee asks, and Azula

shrugs, taking a seat on the bench opposite to Ty Lee's
friends.

"My father brought it up in passing is all." She dismisses,

ignoring the way Katara and Sokka glare daggers at her.

"It's really not such a big deal, Ty Lee. We got it all

sorted out."

"If you say so..."

"Alright, since everyone's finally here, lets get started."

Sokka announces.

"I'm not playing." Azula says.

"Azula!" Ty Lee scolds. "Why not?"

"I would beat everyone here, and there is no way in hell

I am wearing those shoes."

"I have to agree with you on that, they are hideous."

Katara chimes in, and Azula gives her a smirk, making
the water bender's face contort in disgust.

"Be that as it may, you're already here. Why not just

play?" Ty Lee says.

"It's stupid." Came Azula's reply.

"It's fun!"

"Same thing."

Ty Lee pouts, those big grey eyes working their way into
Azula's stone cold soul. With a groan, she relents. "Fine."

"Great! I'll go get the shoes." Ty Lee says, and with a

skip in her step bounces off to the counter.

Azula watches her until she deems Ty Lee out of earshot.

Once she is, she turns to Aang. "So how'd you get out? I
hope you didn't break too many federal laws in the
process. Or is that not illegal too?"

"You locked us in there with no allegations!" Aang

counters.

"Trespassing; destruction of property; unlawful use of

video camera's in a privately owned lot..." Azula lists.
"Would you like me to go on?"

"I- uh-..."

"That's what I thought." Azula remarks.

They notice Ty Lee walking back with several pairs of

shoes. Suki gets up to help her and with a little
cooperation, everyone had a pair of shoes that fir them.

"Fucking atrocious." Azula snarls, holding one of the

shoes up to glare at it.

"They are pretty ugly." Ty Lee comments. "But it's only

for a couple of hours."

After everyone's shoes are on and their names are typed

into the keypad that displayed them on the screen, they
begin. The line up was first Aang, then Katara, Toph,
Sokka, Suki, Azula, and lastly Ty Lee.

As Azula watches them all take their turns, she notes

that they were all mediocre at best. Suki was probably
the best one, and when Ty Lee asked, she said she
played a lot with her friends on Kyoshi Island.

When it was Azula's turn to go up, she smirked. Not even

Ty Lee knew that she used to come here with Zuko often
and would crush him. They had only recently stopped,
since his banishment and all, but she could still feel the
familiarness of holding the heavy bowling ball as if it was
nothing.

Picking it up, she lifts it with ease and tests its weight.
Once she deems it perfect, she eyes the pins in front of
her. Subconsciously twisting the ball in her hand, she
determines the best way to swing it and begins the small
buildup walk.

With expert finesse, she launches the ball off a little to

the left of being dead center, but watches it gracefully
curve back in a hit the middle pin. It causes a familiar
chain reaction of crashes, and Azula watches with pride
as all of the pins fall down.

With a haughty smirk, she turns back around to see

everyone, including Ty Lee's, jaws to the floor in shock.
She pays them no head, eyes focused on Ty Lee as she
makes her way over to the girl and sits down. "Your
turn."

"You never told me you were so good at bowling!" Ty Lee

exclaims when she snaps out of it.

"I have my secrets. Maybe someday you'll know them all,

though I highly doubt it."

After that, the rounds went on as Azula figured they

would. Sokka became very competitive, but his
impulsiveness and very headstrong approach almost
never landed him a strike. Toph managed a few, as well
as Katara and Aang. Suki and Ty Lee came closest to
Azula's perfect streak of strikes, but still fell short by a
few.

As the night when on, Azula couldn't help but notice the
glances Ty Lee and Sokka gave each other. The smiles
she gave him or the jokes they shared. Or how Ty Lee's
cheeks seemed to glow even in the dark lit setting of the
bowling alley.

Then it hit her.

No.

No, no, no, no. Anything but that.

She can't possibly have a crush on one of the idiots

trying to ruin Azula's life. That wasn't how this worked.
And besides, wasn't he with Suki?

Goddamnit, why was her heart throbbing so fucking

hard?

She didn't have time to process any of it though,

because on the second to last round, Ty Lee heading up
to bowl, Azula felt her phone buzz in her pocket. Pulling
it out, she looks to see a text from her father.

'Get to the office, we have things to discuss.' It read.

Azula takes her shoes off in record time, pulling back on

her boots with ease. She looks up to the others. "I need
you to take Ty Lee home. I hope that won't be an issue?"

She stands, glancing at Ty Lee to see her still

methodically planning her attack on the poor white pins.

"I mean yeah sure, but what's going on?" Aang asks.

"None of your business. Just get her home and I'll lay off
the nicknames for a while, deal?"

"Deal." He says.

With a nod, she takes one last look at Ty Lee, a bit

disappointed that their time had been cut short, but
priorities are priorities. Not even best friends can get in
the way of her father's plans.

As she exits the building, she feels a harsh whip of cold

air against her skin, making her shiver as she regulates
her body temperature using her bending. The
motorcycles comes into view and she dutifully starts
walking towards it.

Pulling her keys out of her jacket pocket, Azula flips to

the bikes key and holds it at her side.

"Azula!" Ty Lee calls out to her, and the fore bender turns
to see Ty Lee running after her. "Where are you going?!"

"My father needs me at the office." She explains as Ty

Lee stops just in front of her.

"But we're having fun! Can't you stay?"

"I'm sorry, Ty Lee, but no."

Ty Lee pouts, shoving her hands into the pockets of her

own jacket. "I know it's important to you that you take
over the family business or whatever, but don't forget
your still a kid. There's no need to grow up so fast."

Azula fights the urge to roll her eyes, instead saying, "Ty
Lee, you know better then anyone that I have never had
the pleasure of being a kid like everyone else."

"I know..." She mumbles.

Azula knows she should say something, or do something

to help the girl, but she just can't. There's too much at
stake and Ty Lee...Ty Lee doesn't need Azula to do that.
She has plenty of friends, friends inside that can help the
her far better then Azula ever could.

"I'll text you, okay?" Azula says, voice softer than usual.
It's all she can afford, but part of her wishes she could do
more.

"Yeah...Yeah, okay." Ty Lee says, and there's a brief

pause between them.

In a flash, Ty Lee wraps Azula in a sudden hug, holding

on tighter than Azula had ever imagined a hug could feel
like. She is immediately invaded with that familiar vanilla
that Azula couldn't help find relaxing. So relaxing in fact,
that she forgot everything, even for just a second. Forgot
Sokka, forgot her father, forgot everything that wasn't Ty
Lee. Ty Lee was safe, she wouldn't hurt Azula like some
before her. Ty Lee was kind, and sweet, and-

"Be careful, okay?"

Azula scoffs, but returns the hug. "It's just a meeting

with my father, Ty Lee. It's not like I'm going off to war."

"I know, but do it anyway. For me?"

Azula sighs, but lets the smallest of smiles tilt her lips
upwards. "For you."

Ty Lee lets go, and Azula hops onto her bike, turning it
on and putting on her helmet. Slowly, she backs up with
her feet, passing Ty Lee as she stands their.

Azula pauses, staring at the girl from under helmet, and

watches as Ty Lee gives her a forced wave. It's clear she
doesn't want Azula to go.

Sadly, it's not up to her.

Azula takes off down the parking lot, turning the corner,
out of Ty Lee's sight. As Azula drives onto the open road,
she tries not to think about Ty Lee's face as she left.
How...hurt she looked.

Azula didn't think about the swell of guilt either, or the

incessant thump of her heartbeat that she could hear
even over the motorcycles loud engine.

Notes:
lmao am i dumbass? yes.

will i stop? no. absolutely not.

okayyyyy so basically i had a thought

that it would be funny if azula thought
ty lee had a crush on one of the gaang
members. so i basically said eenie
meenie minnie moe and picked one of
them at random. sokka won since it IS
shown that ty lee thinks hes cute in the
show.

ill go into azula processing all that in

the next chapter but things happen too
quickly sometimes and u get what
happens.

also, for everyone saying that azula is

an oblivious lesbian disaster? yes, yes
she is.

i regret nothing.

(p.s. it hurts like a BITCH to write rn

because i sprained my wrist but we will
push through for the purpose of my will
to write angst and longing)

anyhoo, comment ur thoughts or

anything at all. i enjoy hearing from yall
so v much

bye bye, see yall soon.

Chapter 6: Revelations of The Heart

Notes:
if ya want a good song to listen to while
reading this listen to "don't blame me"
by taylor swift. very azula-esque
(See the end of the chapter for more
notes.)

As Azula walked through the last hallway that connects

to her father's office, she noticed the petulant stares
everyone gave her.

She was well aware that everyone here hated her. They
hated that a sixteen year old girl had managed to climb
the rank faster in a few short years than most employees
did in their decades of service. Azula hardened stare
stays forward, not wavering in the slightest.

Let them hate her, so long as they fear her all the same.

The man posted outside of her father's office recognizes

her immediately and opens the door for her. Once she
steps inside, she finds her father waiting at his desk,
hands connected in front of his mouth.

His office at work was much larger than the one at his
house. It wasn't filled to the brim with books and files,
but it did have varying assortments of awards, portraits,
and magazines throughout it to show his lengthy history
of success.

"How was your night out?"

"Fine. The Avatar and his friends managed to escape

prison." Azula replies, taking a seat in one of the two
guest chairs.

"Yes, I was informed of that. Do you know why I called

you here?"

"Not particularly, but I can assume it's important."

"You'd be wise to not get snarky with me Azula, lest you

want to end up like your brother."

Azula's eyebrow twitches at the mention of her brother.

"Apologies father, it has been a rather long night."

He leans back in his chair. "If school is becoming a

distraction for you, I can arrange for you to graduate
early. No one would be surprised if you skipped a year
ahead of everyone."

Azula ponders that for a moment. While it would be nice,

school was the one thing she'd allowed herself to be
selfish about. In the beginning, her father recommended
that she just skip it all together, but Azula thought it best
to keep up the charade. If Azula appeared like every
other kid in the school, then no one would suspect her
father of being anything more than a clean cut
businessman.
"No, I assure you it won't be a problem." Azula answers,
and Ozai merely nods in response.

"Moving on, things are going to start to move quickly

around here. Sozin's comet is fast approaching in the
coming months and we need to be ready."

"Of course father, what should you have me do?"

"I need you to be smart. That Avatar boy has started to

master earth bending. If he masters all four, even you
won't be able to stop him."

"So I'm on a time limit?" She asks. She had no problem

with that, a quick set up and the boy would be locked in
jail for the rest of his life.

"Not necessarily. If he tries anything during the comet,

he will not be able to beat us. But, if he masters all four,
including fire, then I fear it will be too late to stop him."

"That won't happen, I'll make sure of it."

"I hope you do, for your sake." He says, and Azula foes
miss the threat in his words.

'Fail me, and you end up like Zuko. Banished and

dishonored.'

Worthless.

"That's all I had to say to you, you may go."

"Yes father." Azula says, standing up and moving to

leave.

"Azula."

"Yes?" She asks, turning back around.

"How is that friend of yours? Ty Lee, was it?"

Azula's heart spikes. She very much doesn't like the way
he said her name. Like there was something on the line.
Something she didn't know.

"She's fine. Why do you ask?" Her voice edges on the

more defensive side.

"Merely wondering is all. I've heard you two are getting

closer as of late."

"She's my friend, is that not normal?"

"Under normal circumstances, I suppose it would be." His

face stays completely neutral, and Azula is having a hard
time reading him. He'd always been the one person she
could never read. But there's that missing phrase, one
Azula knows too well.

'You're not normal.'

Leaning back in his chair, he waves her off. "Go on, I

have some documents to look through."

Saying nothing, Azula leaves the office, forcing herself to

carry the same aura of confidence as she usually does
until she's out of the skyscraper she called her Father's
headquarters. As soon as she reaches her bike, she
throws on her helmet and flies out of the parking lot.

Not wanting to go home just yet, she drove through

backroads that allow her to exceed the speed limit in a
far greater amount than any populated city road. It was
a way to pass the time that Azula always found
enjoyable, especially when her mind was processing too
much at once.

She drives for what was probably an hour, but she isn't
really watching the time. She didn't have anything to
watch it with anyway, her phone was in her back pocket
and she doesn't have a wrist watch.

Stopping in a remote and open field of grass, she parks

her motorcycle near the edge of the road and walks out
into the field. The mood was bright tonight, not a full
moon but getting rather close.

The next full moon would be sometime in winter. And the

third after that would coincidentally be when Sozin's
comet arrived. This had never happened before, there
had never been a day where both water benders and fire
benders were amplified in the same 24 hour period. It
was a bit of a paradox if Azula thought about it, because
while Sozin's comet made fire benders stronger, the full
moon would make water benders stronger. But the moon
doesn't come out till night, so all they had to do was
conquer before nightfall.

Still, Azula would have to keep an eye on Katara while

they dominated the rest of the world. And so long as
Aang doesn't master the third element, Azula can break
him down. Toph would probably be a challenge,, but
Azula was confident in her abilities to outwit the blind
girl. The same went to Suki, fans only make flames
stronger after all.

Sokka.

Azula's mind flares up in anger at the thought of the

insolent fool. Not only had he managed to push the long
buried down buttons of Azula's mother, but now he was
messing with Ty Lee.

'What's so bad about Ty Lee liking Sokka?'

Startled, Azula swivels around with haste, wide eyes as

she comes face to face with her mother. She was wearing
those stupid red robes that her father made her adorn
almost constantly at home.

"What the fuck are you doing here?!" She demands,

posture defensive as she glares at her mother's figure.

'Is it so wrong for me to want to see my daughter?'

"I'm not your daughter." Azula spits. "Not after you

decided to leave."

'I did that to protect you.'

"You did it for yourself!" She shouts, too angry to notice

that there was no car stopped on the road for her mother
to have come from.

'Is that really what you think?'

"What else do you expect? You left us alone, and I hate

you for it."

'I love you Azula.'

"Get out of my sight." She grits turning away with

crossed arms. A breeze blows through her hair, and after
a moment, she looks back to see her mother gone. As if
she was swept away with the wind.

Azula huffs, good riddance.

Once Azula got home and showered after the exhausting

night she had just endured, she gets into bed. Fully
prepared to sleep, she shuts her eyes and focuses on
nothing at all.

Until something interrupts her.

How the fuck does Ty Lee have a crush on Sokka?

She shoots up, the thought tormenting her endlessly. It

made no sense. He had been here all of a month and
somehow Ty Lee managed to catch feelings for him. He
was taken for Agni's sake.

Azula groans, head hitting the headboard of her bed.

All this time, Azula thought she would be ready for the
day Ty Lee finally found that person. The person that's
swept her off her feet and carried her away. She figured
it would be easy, right? One less person to deal with.

Apparently not, because now Azula was angry. And for

good reason.

Couldn't she have picked any of the boys that fawned

over her at school? One of the thousands of generic
teens who would bend to her will if she asked? Not one
of the idiots that was friends with the Avatar, who was
trying to take her down?

Why not one of them?

"Why not me?" Azula mumbles thoughtlessly.

Azula's eyes widen, and a hand goes to her mouth

immediately after the words are uttered.

Fuck.

It all made sense now. The anger, the incessant

throbbing, the warmth, the relaxing smell of vanilla that
haunted her wherever she went.

Azula's eyes glossed over, and she feared she might cry
for the first time in years.

Ty Lee was melting her.

She had always been melting her, Azula was just too
dense to notice. Ever since they were children, Agni it
was so obvious. Azula had always been rather...soft
around Ty Lee, as much as she loathed to admit it.

And yet, she couldn't bring herself to be mad. Ty Lee

was...

She was the sun.

As a fire bender, Azula loves the sun.

But Ty Lee liked Sokka. Fucking Sokka. Azula knew now

that this feeling wasn't anger, no, it was far worse.

Azula was very, very jealous.

Taking a deep breath in, Azula decides to let her mind go

the only way she knows how.

10 minutes later, in the dead of the night, Azula is out at

the training arena, sitting in the middle to take part in a
brief meditation.

Azula is hardly impacted by the harsh chill of the night.

Even with her more summer attire, she has regulated her
breathing so that the fire that flows within her keeps her
warm and comfortable.

She allows her mind to go blank, even just for a second.

When it is, she uses that to focus on her bending.
Pushing herself to spin around with her hands, she twirls
across the ground, letting the blue fire light up the area
as it shoots out from her feet.

She spins until her hands get a solid landing on the

ground and she pushes herself up, flying with her eyes to
the sky. Flipping, she shoots her feet out, fire thrusting
her in the opposite direction.

Focusing the energy fully into her feet, she allows herself
to push off into the sky, one foot sending her diagonal so
that the other can do the same. It almost looked as if
she was running up an invisible staircase.

She gets at least 400 meters up before she decides to

just fall.

She lets the wind rush past her as her back falls closer
and closer to the ground. The harsh gust fills her ears,
voiding her from hearing anything else. Of thinking of
anything else. Anyone else.

It had been a skill she had spent months building up. It

had started with simple jets of fire that propelled her
forward. Then, it was seeing how far she could push
herself up into the air. When she learned that a clearer
mind and more focused energy were the key, Azula
worked tirelessly to improve the leaps she could make
into the night sky.

To put it in perspective, Azula had just thrusted herself

so far into the sky that it was the equivalent to a 1,250
foot skyscraper.

And now she was free-falling. Nothing between her and

the ground.

She should probably do something about that.

With a sigh, she goes into a pencil dive and shoots fire
down that ground, her feet slowing her fall until she is
hovering about 5 feet from the ground. Then, as if
flicking a switch, the flames dissipate and all that was
left was Azula standing there as if she hadn't just fallen
from the height of a skyscraper at 1 in the morning.

"What the hell was that?!" A high pitched voice cuts

through the air, making Azula's heart drop.

Not now. She can't handle her right now.

"Hello Ty Lee." She says cooly, her perfect mask worn

upon her face. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're
talking about."

"The-The fire!" She stutters, gesturing to the sky as if

that would get the point across. "I saw everything! How
did you do that?!"

"Practice and experimentation."

"I'd call it dangerous!"

Azula sighs. She really can't deal with this right now. It
was far too early in the morning and there have been too
many revelations. "What are you doing here Ty Lee? You
should be in bed."

"You never texted me, I got worried." Ty Lee says,

making Azula pause for a moment. She indeed had said
she would text the brunette. A spike of guilt shoots
through her briefly.

"Well it has been a rather long day, it must have slipped

my mind." She comments. "Let's go inside, I'm sure
you're cold."

Ty Lee says nothing, but Azula can hear her following as

they walk back to the house. The entire trip was silent,
and Azula couldn't help but twitch every so often.
Apparently she was twitchy now. Great.

"Azula are you okay?" Ty Lee asks as they entire the

house. Azula shuts the door behind them, holding her
index finger to her lips and shushing the girl.

With a gesturing hand, Azula beckons Ty Lee to follow

her and together she leads them to her room. Once the
door shuts, Azula finally speaks. "Alright, say what you
want."

Ty Lee lets everything out. "How long have you been

doing that?! Why are you doing it in the middle of the
night? What happened with your father? Why did you
never text me back?!"

Azula closes her eyes and crosses her arms to process

the questions. "2 years, I needed to clear my head, we
talked about financials, and I simply forgot."

When Azula opens her eyes, she sees Ty Lee merely

staring at her, face surprisingly neutral for someone who
just word-vomited to Azula. "Is that everything?" She
asks.

"You never forget anything." Ty Lee mumbles. "You

always make sure to do everything right. What
happened, Azula?"

"Nothing happened." She says bluntly, but her eye

twitches against her.

"Does it have to do with your father?"

"No." She grits, growing irritated.

"School?"

Azula scoffs. "As if."

Azula could see the way Ty Lee moved to say someone's

name. She knew all too well who it was she was going to
mention, but Ty Lee was smart. Instead, she says, "Did I
do something?"

In that instant, Azula forgets her anger and lets out a

sigh. "No. Never you." Azula reassures, voice soft.

"Are you sure? Is this about making you go bowling? I

didn't mean to make you-"

"This is not about bowling, Ty Lee." Azula interrupts. "I

swear to you, I am fine."

Ty Lee doesn't look convinced, but Azula takes the

silence in stride. Looking out of her windows, she sees
that the moon is still high up in the sky. "It's late, aren't
you tired?"

In that moment, Ty Lee chooses to yawn. Azula holds

back a smile. Cute.

Shit. Not right now damnit.

"I was up waiting for your text, so I guess I am."

Azula frowns, guilt working into her at the knowledge

that Ty Lee would have stayed up waiting for a text that
would have never come. "You shouldn't risk your health
for a silly text, Ty Lee. That's irresponsible."

Ty Lee giggled. "Oh please, what's a couple of extra

hours awake gonna do to me?"

Azula doesn't answer that. She had spent too many

nights up until the break of dawn to qualify as anyone
remotely allowed to argue on this.

"You should get some rest. You can stay here for the
night, and I'll drive you to school in the morning."

"Okay." Ty Lee yawns, moving to the bed.

"I'm going to go shower." Azula says, pinching part of her

shirt and wrinkling her nose in disgust. "Again." She adds
before heading into the bathroom.

As soon as the door closes behind her, her breathing

starts to worsen. She hadn't prepared to be around Ty
Lee so early. It was all too much right now. She couldn't
handle Ty Lee being...Ty Lee.

Climbing her way out of the mess of her thoughts, Azula

turns on the shower, letting it run cold. She doesn't
firebend to keep her warm this time.

When she leaves the bathroom, changed with damp hair,

Azula see's Ty Lee asleep in her clothes. They didn't look
too uncomfortable, just a pair of shorts and a shop top
hoodie. At least it wasn't jeans.

Sighing softly, Azula stares at the girl, arms clutching the

ends of the towel that was wrapped around the back of
her neck. Ty Lee was her best friend. Or, at least the
closest thing she's ever gotten to one. She can't ruin
that.

She can't ruin Ty Lee with the weight of Azula's life.

And even if she hated him with every fiber of her being,
apparently Sokka made Ty Lee happy. Which still made
no fucking sense since he was taken. But Ty Lee was
happy with him, who is she to get in the way of that?

'You're starting to understand now.'

Azula, surprisingly, isn't fazed by her mother's presence.

"Go away, this is none of your business."

'Do you know what he'll say if he finds out?'

"More like what he'll do."

'Both won't end well. For either of you.'

Azula understands, and for once, agrees with her

mother's words.

She can't have her. Ty Lee was a piece of Azula's life that
didn't fit into the bigger picture. No matter how she tried,
there was no way she could possibly stay. If she sided
with the Avatar, which Azula is completely sure would
never happen, Azula would be forced to fight her as well.
If Ty Lee were to know what Azula was going, she would
most assuredly leave.

And if she, for whatever reason, found it wishing herself

to confess, Ty Lee would reject her. All because she liked
a boy who was already taken.

'You have to let her go. You know it's for the best.'

"That's the thing." Azula starts, eyes not leaving Ty Lee's

face for even a second. "I've let things go all my life. I let
you go, I let my childhood go, I let Zuko go. I've always
been able to let things go because I didn't care."

Azula walks over to the girl and pushes back a strand of

Ty Lee's hair that had fallen in front of her face back
behind her ear. Ty Lee shifts, nuzzling closer into the soft
material of Azula's bed. Her heart throbs at the sight of
the innocent girl.

"But for once, I don't know if I can let this go."

'He'll kill her.'

"That won't happen." Azula says, voice firm and

determined.

'How can you be so sure?'

Azula's heart fights against what she's about to say, but

her mind has made up its mind. It's the only logical
solution. Keeping Ty Lee safe was all that mattered. What
Azula felt or wanted was of no consequence anymore. It
never had been.

"He can't end something that never happened. I'll

simply...break away."

Notes:
HNNNNJDJSJJSJZKZ IM SO SORRY

lmao what am i saying no im not i live

for this.

SHES FINALLY FIGURING IT OUT! sort

of....
still yayyyyy!

i think the next chapter is gonna have a

big time skip, as much as i love writing
them gay angsty pining hearts, i dont
have the time nor patience to make this
super long. i wants to get to the juicy
stuff. ill still do a big overview of what
happened ofc but i dont think anyone
wants to sit through three months (in
the story) worth of pining and
heartache.

that being said, it will still very much be

there, so be prepared bitches.

also, about the whole sozins comet and

full moon thing, its for plot so excuse it
if it doesnt make a lot of sense. (its so
bad i fear for my sanity when i get
around to writing it)

ANYHOO PLEASE COMMENT UR

THOUGHTS!

bye everyone, till next time!

 Chapter 7: Mistakes and Plenty of
Heartache
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Azula did not expect this to be so hard.

The plan was simple. Treat Ty Lee like before everything

happened. No more hugs, no more late night calls,
nothing out of character anymore. It was going so well
the first couple of days. Azula could handle it. After all,
she didn't need anyone except herself.

She did not, however, plan for Ty Lee's resistance.

"Why are you ignoring me?" Ty Lee asked one day at

school. They sat in their seventh period, Azula's eyes
following the words load out for her on the page.

"We're in class Ty Lee, and it's rude to talk during

lectures. Pay attention." She says, eyes not leaving the
page. She turns the page and begins the process again.

"Not until you tell me why you're ignoring me."

"I'm not ignoring you, Ty Lee." 'Just keeping you at a

safe distance.'

"Yes you are, you never answer my calls and you haven't
let me hug you in the past 4 days."

"I did tell you to keep it to a minimum, didn't I?"

"So if I was at your house right now, would you let me

hug you."

Azula goes to say no, but is interrupted by a teacher,

who Azula can assume is glaring at Ty Lee. "Ms. Ty Lee!
Can't you see Ms. Azula is trying to focus on her studies?
I'd suggest you do the same!"

Azula peeks an eye over to Ty Lee, who wears a guilty

expression. "Sorry, Ma'am. It won't happen again."

The teacher lets out an approving huff before getting

back to her lecture. Azula's eyes go back to the page,
but she can still feel Ty Lee's eyes on her.

'Don't make this harder for me.' Azula pleads silently.

'Please, Ty Lee.'

Azula hopes she understands. Maybe Ty Lee can read

minds. She would be shocked. After all, the girl could
already see auras, so it's not too far off of a guess.

Still, Azula doesn't hear anything from Ty Lee for the rest
of the class. While her mind thanks Ty Lee for it, her
heart screams at Ty Lee to keep pushing. Azula buries
herself in the work, scanning line after line without even
flinching upwards.

No weaknesses.

The next couple of days were more or less the same.

Azula would go about her business as usual. She'd study,
act normal, help her father prepare for Sozin's comet,
and just be any other teenager.

But Ty Lee never failed to make it so uncomfortable.

Any second Ty Lee wasn't talking, she was staring at

Azula. Even if Azula wasn't in the vicinity. She could be
across the gymnasium and Azula would feel the grey
eyes looking at her.

Azula realized soon after that Ty Lee was studying her.

She was waiting for Azula to do something. Anything to
give her a reason to bring it up.

Azula wouldn't give it to her. No matter what happened,

she couldn't give Ty Lee that way in.

So as Azula sat at the lunch table, Mai and Ty Lee both

present, she ate her food like normal. Even with Ty Lee's
eyes on her, Azula merely ate as if all was right with the
world. Her heart hated her for it, but Azula didn't care.
She wasn't allowed to care.

Shit hit the fan when Mai noticed. At least, that's

probably what Ty Lee thought.

"What the hell is up with this one sided staring match

you two have had going?"

Azula chuckled at that. That was quite an interesting way

to put it. Stabbing another piece of her food, Azula looks
to Ty Lee and points it at her. "You wanna tell her or
should I?" She takes the piece of food into her mouth
shortly after.

"Go ahead, Azula." Is all Ty Lee says.

Azula smirk, letting her chins rest on her interlocked

hands, one of which still holding the chopsticks. She
looks to Mai. "Ty Lee here thinks I have been ignoring
her."

"Are you?" Mai asks with narrowed eyes.

"Would I be eating lunch with her if I was?"

"That's not what I mean."

Azula raises an eyebrow quizzically. "And what do you

mean?"

"Are you letting her hug you still?"

"She hasn't tried to, so I can't really say."

"Then hug her." Mai blunts, making Azula smirk. This was
amusing. "Right now."

"No." Azula says, taking another bite of her food,

smirking as she does so.

"Why not?"

"We're in a cafeteria, at school." Azula says as if it was

obvious. "It's inappropriate."

"Then what is appropriate?"

Azula chuckles again, picking up another piece of her

food. "Not school I can tell you that." When she got no
reply, Azula shrugs. "As much as I love your attempts to
break me, I'm afraid there's nothing to break."

She takes the last bite of her food and stands. Grabbing
her bag, she slings it around her shoulder. She looks at
Ty Lee, who's staring at her with an analytical level
focus. "I'm not ignoring you, Ty Lee. Everything is just as
it should be."

Then, she leaves with her natural confidence radiating

the area surrounding her. What she fails to hear as she
leaves, is what Ty Lee mumbles to Mai once Azula leaves
their vision.

"Her aura is grey."

No matter how hard Azula tried, there was always an

inevitable meet up with Aang. At some point, she had
heard Sokka call themselves, 'the gaang', which was
utterly revolting.

It was probably for the best though. Being forced to hang

out with them gave her an excuse to keep an eye on
them. And Azula, being the smarter one of everyone
here, found some things that she probably shouldn't
have.

One day, Ty Lee had suggested they all go hang out at

Aang's house, which also housed all the other 'gaang'
members as well. Azula had-seemingly-begrudgingly
agreed, but secretly loved the idea.

It was the perfect way to try and find some of their

plans. Because let's face it, these idiots probably couldn't
remember shit on their own, and either Sokka or Katara
would write it all down.

It was perfect for Azula. A few quick pictures sent to her

father and all of their plans would be ruined. It was all
too easy.

And of course, it actually was.

When they got to the house, Azula waited about 45

minutes before asking where the bathroom was. Aang
narrowed his eyes at her, which she gave him no
revealing expression. Saying nothing, he pointed to the
bathroom down the hall.

Azula follows that hand and it leads her to a door on the

left side of the hall, opening it, she steps inside to indeed
see bathroom appliances. Lucky for her though, there
was a second door that connected to a bedroom. Perfect.

Azula pauses before she does anything and looks at the

ground. It was all wood, and when she tapped it, she
could hear that there was nothing under it. She almost
laughed in utter disbelief. They had an earth bender who
could see through her feet, and didn't think to make sure
the ground she was walking on wasn't 'seeable' for her?

This was going all too well.

Briefly peeking out of the door, Azula see's no one in the

bedroom. So, she steps out and locks the door behind
her.

Sneaking around the apartment, she checks every room,

every drawer, the flooring for loose boards, anything that
could be used as a hiding place. She comes up empty till
she reaches the final door, farthest from the living room.

Testing the handle, she finds it's unlocked, making her

roll her eyes.

If this was a trap, it certainly wasn't a good one. Because

when Azula opened the door, she quite literally found a
small room, a table, and a scroll in the middle. There
were no cameras, no laser detection devices, no alarms.
Azula knew because she had been trained to notice any
and all even in a dark room such as this.

Stepping over to the scroll, she opens it up and looks

over the plans briefly. She'd have to make this quick.

What she sees actually surprises her.

Apparently this group had managed to find a fire

bender's one weakness. They called it the Day of The
Black Sun, when it was still known to the world. Ever
since her family had started their quest to take over the
world, they had buried the information so deep they
couldn't even find it when they tried to go back.

But somehow, these shitheads had found it.

Pulling out her phone, she takes a picture of the entire

scroll and promptly rolls it closed. She leaves the room
silently, and makes her way back to the bathroom.

Once the door is closed, she flushes the toilet and

washes her hands in the sink. She does this for real since
she's not gross and actually cares about her health. Once
her hands are dry, she leaves the bathroom.

Returning to the group, Sokka narrows her eyes at her.

"You were gone a really long time."

Azula raises her eyebrow as she takes her seat back on

the couch. "It would seem I had a bad lunch. Do you
really want the details?"

"No-" Sokka says all too quickly. "-No I don't. Never

mind."

With a victorious smirk, she returns her attention to the

TV. She can still feel Ty Lee's eyes on her.

The smirk dwindles, even just for a second, before it

goes back to its normal position. She's beginning to
realize what her father meant when he brought up Ty
Lee.

'You're not normal.'

"Well done, Azula." Ozai praises as he stares at the photo

on his computer screen. "I'm not quite sure how they
managed to find this out, but your resourcefulness in
discovering this might have just saved our entire
operation."

"Thank you, Father." Azula says, a proud smile on her

lips.

"We'll have to cancel any and all business for that day."
Ozai says as if that was that.

"They will still come for you." Azula offers, making him
raise his eyebrow.

"Excuse me?" He warns, his tone icy.

"They don't care about stopping the operation. They care

about stopping you."

Ozai leans back in his chair in thought. "Yes...You're

right. I'll have to hide myself away. Azula, I need you to
act as a decoy. I assume you've been keeping up with
your non-bending fighting?"

"Of course, Father?" She assures him.

He nods. "Good, you'll have to distract them until the

eclipse passes."

"I'll station myself in the bunker here. The earth bending

girl will most likely find me. You can find in a remote area
that even she won't be able to see."

"A very good plan Azula." He praises. "See to it that it is

done, and make no notice to the employees of this
except that any scheduled jobs for the day are
cancelled."

"It will be done, Father."

"Good, go home and get to training. I hear your lightning

bending is coming along nicely."

"Yes, I have nearly perfected it."

"Nearly isn't good enough. Go, practice."

Azula's eye twitches. She's not good enough. Not yet, at

least.

"I won't fail you, Father." She says, and leaves when he
doesn't say anything back.

Azula took a heavy gasp in as she landed on her feet.

She had been training for about an hour now, and her
body was starting to feel it. There weren't too many
aches, only a few tweaks that weren't damaging nor
concerning.

That was just fire bending though. Now, she was getting
into lightning bending.

Standing up straight, she flattens her hand on either side

of her palm, holding them in front of her stomach and
clears her mind. With perfect form, Azula drags one of
her hands up, two fingers lifted to the sky as lightning
starts to form as she moves. She does the other hand,
feeling the energy course through her veins and ordering
it to bend to her will. Lightning was a wild, sporadic form,
but Azula was determined to control it.

She quickly points two of her fingers in front of her chest

for a moment before releasing a cacophony of lightning
bolts out and into the distant sky.

Breathing heavily, she watches it fizzle out with wide

eyes. She quickly realizes what she's done. Not a step
out of balance, not a finger in the wrong direction, not a
chair out of place.

It was completely and utterly perfect.

Collapsing to her knees, she clings to the cement floor as

her brain processes this. She had done it. She had
perfected that last and most complicated form of fire
bending that anyone had ever discovered.

She was perfect.

She was enough.

Azula, still trying to catch her breath, narrows her eyes

at the ground.

No, not perfect. She wasn't perfect yet. Her fire bending
may be perfect, but there was still something wrong with
her. And it all had to do with the way her heart skipped a
beat at the mere thought of one acrobatic brunette.

"Damnit..." Azula utters, drawing herself closer to the

ground so that her forehead is touching the cold cement
and her forearms rest on the ground as well.

Why couldn't this just go away? It had come into her life
so easy, why couldn't it leave just the same? Why did it
have to be so goddamn resistant?

'My poor Azula, you know that isn't how this works.'

Azula grits her teeth and shoots her head up to glare at

her mother. "What do you know?! You left Father so
easily!"

'That was because I didn't love your Father anymore.

You still like Ty Lee.'

Azula slumps to sit on her read, letting her hands lay

limp in between her legs. She hates asking her mother
for advice, but she had no other options. She couldn't
exactly talk to her Father, or any of her friends, and
definitely not Ty Lee. Especially Ty Lee. "How do you
make it go away?"

'You can't sweetie.'

"Like hell I can't." Azula growls. "I can do anything I

want."

'Nobody can just shut off their feelings.'

"Watch me." Azula says, voice cold and determined.

She didn't need anyone. Relying on people was a

weakness. Ty Lee was no exception. She can't be the
exception. It didn't matter if Azula wanted her. It didn't
matter if Azula thought about the girl constantly, even
when she knew she shouldn't. It didn't matter that she
wished she could answer the multiple calls Ty Lee sent
her every night before bed. None of it mattered, because
Azula wasn't allowed to care. If she didn't care, then it
didn't matter. Simple as that.

She had to be perfect, so that she could prove her

Mother wrong, and show her Father she was capable
enough to do this. If she did, then she would have
everything she ever wanted. Everything would be
perfect, and Azula would reach her destiny.

She had to.

Otherwise he'd-

Shaking her head, Azula stands and starts to walk back

to the house. They had a fully sized gym in the
basement. She'd have to give her sparring coach a call.
It seemed she'd need to brush up on some of her hand
to hand combat. The eclipse was in a couple of days. She
didn't have any time to waste.

It wasn't until the next morning that Ty Lee finally said

something other than the usual barrage of questions.

"Come to a party with me tonight."

Azula slammed the door to her locker shut, staring at Ty

Lee with a raised eyebrow. She could tell this was a test
by the way Ty Lee was narrowly watching her response.
"Why on Agni would I do that?"

Ty Lee crosses her arms. "Because it'll be fun."

"Is that your excuse for anything nowadays?" Azula asks,

and begins to walk to class. Ty Lee follows after her,
quickly catching up to her side.

"It's as good a reason as any."

Azula chuckles at that. Only Ty Lee would think that way.

"Unfortunately, I have to decline. My father requires my
presence at the office tonight."

Ty Lee groans. "Office this, work that. Live a little, Azula!

You're in high school but you act like you're 35!"

Azula stops just a few feet from her classroom door. She
turns to face Ty Lee, face completely neutral. "The
answer is no, Ty Lee. Don't ask me again."

And she didn't. Azula didn't hear another word of this

party for the rest of the day. And even if Ty Lee seemed
a bit irritated or possibly sad about her answer, Azula
wouldn't change it. She had never been a big fan of
parties to begin with. She went when it was required of
her, like her father's award ceremonies, but never for
personal amusement.

If Azula was completely honest, she wasn't the most

socially adept person on the planet. She could order
people around and talk business with adults all damn
day, but place a random kid her age in front of her, and
she blanks. She wasn't used to having to talk to
teenagers. She wasn't used to making stupid small talk
in the hopes of kissing a boy. She wasn't used to being a
teenager in general.

So when an unknown number called her at 11:30 PM,

Azula was quite confused. She had gotten home from the
office around an hour ago, and was now reading over
some text for Physics. Hesitantly, she answers the call
saying, "Hello?"

"I need you to come down here and pick Ty Lee up."

Azula recognizes her voice. Leaning back in her chair, she

crosses her free arm and says, "Katara, right?"

"Yes, can you do it or not?"

"Why can't one of you do it?"

"Because none of us can drive except for me, but I can't

leave my friends here alone."

"It's called dropping her off and coming back. Or taking

them with you?"

"They won't leave, and I can't exactly trust them to stay

out of trouble while I'm gone."

Azula sighs. The girl made some valid points that she
couldn't argue against. "Alright, send me the address
and I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Thanks." Is all Katara says before hanging up.

Standing up, Azula grabs the keys to her bike as well as
her jacket. What on Agni had Ty Lee gotten herself into?

She'd find out once she got to the house, which was
blasting music that she could hear from a mile down the
road, that Ty Lee was absolutely wasted.

She parked on the opposite side of the road, getting a

full view of the rainbow lights emanating from the lower
floor of the house, as well as the trashed lawn where
people stood with red cups in their hands. Azula glared at
the scene, was this some sort of movie she was living?

Not dwelling on it, Azula heads inside and searches for a

good five minutes before stepping back outside, only this
time onto the porch, a clear view of the backyard visible
below her. Standing on the end of the porch, hands
perched onto the wooden rail, she scans the ground and
quickly finds a familiar brown ponytail.

Even from here, Azula could see the usually balanced girl
very wobbly in terms of stance. She swayed back and
forth, as if trying to keep in tune with the song that was
playing, but her brain was too slow to process it to do so.

With a sigh, Azula heads down to the girl. She couldn't

figure out if she was relieved or disappointed, but she
knew it was one of the two.

"Ty Lee." She calls out to the girl when she's close
enough.

Said brunette swivels uneasily towards Azula and her

smile widens. "Zula! You came!" She slurs.

Before Azula could respond, Ty Lee falls into Azula's

chest, making her flinch in surprise. The warmth floods
her body, and her heart urges her to reciprocate, but she
can't.

Forcing Ty Lee out of the hug, Azula mumbles, "You're

drunk Ty Lee, let's get you home."

"But I wanna stay and have fun!" She protests with a

whine.

Azula grunts. "Don't make this difficult Ty Lee, I'm trying

to help."

"No!" She says, suddenly defensive, making Azula

confused. "You don't get to boss me around! Not after
how you've been ignoring me!"

Azula tries to start with, "Ty Lee I'm not-", but the
acrobat leaves before she can explain herself.

Azula doesn't follow, her nose wrinkling in frustration as

Aang and his friends look at her. "Are...Are you two
okay?"

She glares at the boy. "Stay out of this."

"Hey, we're the ones that called you in the first place!"

"That was your decision, not mine." Azula counters, and

walks off to go find Ty Lee. She remembers seeing the
girl walk in the direction of the house, but lost sight of
her when she went up the steps to the porch.

Huffing to herself, Azula heads inside the house, doing

her best to tune out the far too loud music coming from
the room just next to her. Passing the doorway, she saw
a sea of teenagers all packed together in the room, doing
their best to dance in the minimal space left. Azula’s face
contorts in disgust. She’d check there last.

Moving past that, Azula searches the rest of the house,

seeing many similar brunette’s to the one she was
looking for, but never one with a high braided ponytail.
She’s close to giving up as she reaches the front door to
the house, but then hears some noise from outside.

“Let’s head back to my place, girl. We can have lots more

fun there.” A snarky and arrogant voice says. They were
on the porch just outside where Azula was standing.

“Okay!” A girl chirps, and Azula’s heart drops.

Ty Lee.

Quickly running outside, Azula scans to see Ty Lee being

taken away by two teenagers, well built in size. They
were only a few yards from where Azula was standing so
she says, “Ty Lee get over here now.”

Her voice was loud, and firm enough to startle all three
of them. Ty Lee looks at her for a moment, seeming to
register who she is before she says, “Don’t worry Zula!
I’m just gonna go hang out with these guys!”

“Sorry to burst your bubble, but you're coming home

with me, Ty Lee.”

“No!” Ty Lee says. Azula was seriously starting to hate

how defiant that alcohol was making her.

“Buzz off weirdo, can’t you see the girl wants to go with
us?”

Azula’s eye twitches and she steps a little closer to the

group. “She’s wasted and has no idea what she actually
wants.”

‘She doesn’t need to be wasted for that.’ Her mind says,

thinking of the girl's childish crush on Sokka. Burying
that thought, she focuses on the brunette in front of her
and holds out a hand. “Just come with me Ty Lee.
Please.”

“I don’t know Azula...These guys seem like a lot of fun…”

Ty Lee drawls, seemingly stuck in between the two
parties.

“Yeah, we just wanna have a good time together.” One

says, and snakes an arm around Ty Lee’s exposed waist.
“Why do you gotta ruin all the fun?”

Azula feels something snap inside her.

“Take your hands off her. Now.” She orders, eyes burning
with rage.

“Or what? Gonna complain me to death?”

Azula titles her head, a maniac look in her eyes as she

gives him a twisted smirk. “You have no idea who I am,
do you?”

The man shrugs. “Should I?” He laughs.

“Oh, you should.” Azula chuckles then points to the car

just a few feet directly behind him. “How far do you think
you can make that car bend inwards?”

Confused. He goes to look behind him. “Wha-?”

Before he can finish, Azula kicks him in his stomach,

hitting it with so much force that she can feel a few of his
ribs crack in the process. She can see a few puffs of blue
fire seep out of the collision from the action as he is
launched into the cars side doors. As soon as his back
hits the door, Azula can hear another crack, but pays no
attention to it. She hums in disappointment, not affected
by the car’s blaring alarm as it draws attention to her.
“Only a few inches, that’s sad. Usually they go about a
foot inwards.”

The man can’t say anything, too busy yelling out in

agony and drawing the attention of the party-goers
around them. Great, now she was causing a scene.

“Hey! Let go of me!” Ty Lee suddenly shouts, and Azula

looks to see the other guy lifting Ty Lee’s up by her waist
from behind and dragging her away.

“Did you not learn anything from your friend?” Azula

says, anger seeping through her words. “Don’t touch
her.”

The man doesn’t listen, and Azula unconsciously cracks

her fingers. This is gonna be fun.

Getting close enough, Azula jabs the man's side, making

him yelp and release Ty Lee to hold his hip. Azula takes
the advantage and grabs the man's head which was
focused on his side, and slams it into her knee. He
collapsed almost immediately due to the sudden action,
whining just the same as his friend in front of the car.
Azula takes a deep breath, relishing the feeling of
making the man collapse at her hands.

“Y-You bitch! You're crazy!” He says once he’s recovered

enough.

“Oh save it for someone who cares, you piece of shit.”

Azula snarks, fed up with his arrogant ass. She turns to
Ty Lee and takes the girl's hand. She wasn’t taking no for
an answer this time.

Ty Le doesn’t retaliate this time, she goes willingly as

Azula pulls her onto her bike. As she turns it on and
begins to put on her helmet, she turns her head half of
the way to address Ty Lee. “I need you to hold on tight,
okay?”

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees the girl nod
wordlessly. Soon, a pair of arms are wrapped around
hers as tight as they can without being uncomfortable for
Azula. She takes that as a good sign and starts down the
road, completely ignoring the teenagers who stare at
them go, completely bewildered at the scene they had
just witnessed.

When Azula is out of view from the house, and the road
is void of any other vehicles, she lets herself slip up. She
takes her left hand off the handlebar, and places it over
Ty Lee’s. She gives them a tiny squeeze, and Azula can
feel the girl’s grip tighten ever so slightly. ‘Just once’, she
reasons. Ty Lee needs this. It’s not about Azula, it’s for
her.

Not long after, Azula pulls into her driveway, parking the
bike and turning off the engine. While this probably
wasn’t the best idea considering her current mental state
focusing around Ty Lee, she wasn’t going to drop the girl
off at her house. Not when those boys could show up
later, if they could even walk, that is.

Azula twists to talk to Ty Lee, but doesn’t get far

considering Ty Lee’s arms were still around her waist. “Ty
Lee, we’re here.”

The brunette mumbles something incoherent, making

Azula a bit irritated. “I’m not carrying you inside, Ty Lee.
Can you stand?”

Begrudgingly, Ty Lee stands up, arms now wrapping

around herself shyly. Azula doesn’t say anything, merely
gets off the bike herself and gestures for Ty Lee to follow
her inside. They reach her room in a matter of minutes,
the entire walk made in complete silence. Once inside,
Azula looks at Ty Lee, sighing softly. “You need to sober
up. Go and take a shower.”

It’s more of a command than a suggestion, but Ty Lee

does it anyway. Just before she could close the door,
Azula says, “And keep it cold, Ty Lee.”. Ty Lee pauses for
just a second, then shuts the door closed.

Heaving an exhausted sigh, Azula looks down at her

clothes. There were bits of dried blood littered across her
pants. She grimaces, noting that she needs to change.
With that in mind, she moves to head to her closet,
picking out a pair of comfy joggers and an old sweatshirt
she hadn’t worn in years. It’ll do for tonight.

She gets out something similar for Ty Lee, placing it on

the sink for Ty Lee to see when she got out. Hearing the
water still running once she leaves, Azula changes into
her own clothes and starts brushing her hair. It had been
in a topknot all day and her head was starting to throb
because of it. Letting it down, it falls like cascades of
curly ink, tangles visible to Azula as she grabs her brush
and starts to go through it.

It takes her about 10 minutes to go through all the knots

and tangles in her hair, and just as she’s finishing up, Ty
Lee is walking out of the bathroom, still swaying slightly.
“That was nice…” She mumbles, collapsing onto the bed.

“Try not to get wasted again, I won’t be picking you up a

second time.”

“Aw come on Azula! You can’t say you didn’t have a little
fun!”

“The only fun I had was kicking that dickhead’s nose in.”

“Oh yeah.” Ty Lee says, seeming to remember that whole

event as Azula brings it up. “Did you really have to be so
harsh with them?”

“Yes.”

“You could get in big trouble though.” Ty Lee says, and

Azula can see from her mirror that Ty Lee was pouting.
“And then I’d feel guilty about it.”

“There is no reason for you to feel guilty Ty Lee. That

bastard was putting his hands where he shouldn’t have.”

“It was pretty gross.” Ty Lee concurs, and Azula finally

gets up from her seat, making her way to the bed and
sitting down herself.

Once Azula is settled, she notices that Ty Lee has been

staring at her this entire time. This shouldn’t be too out
of the blue considering she’s been doing it for the past
couple of weeks. But this was different, it made Azula a
bit on edge. “What?”

“You're pretty.” Ty Lee mumbles.

Azula can feel her cheeks heat up from the sudden

admission. This can’t be real, can it? This is just what
friends do right? Azula doesn't really have any friends
other than Mai and Ty Lee so she wouldn’t know.

“You're drunk.” Azula dismisses, forcing herself to calm

down as Ty Lee pouts at her.

“Do you think I’m pretty?”

“You don’t need me to tell you that Ty Lee. Anyone else

can tell you for me.”

Ty Lee sits up so that she’s sitting crisscrossed just in

front of Azula. “But I want you to tell me.”

Azula makes no readable expression, but everything

inside her is screaming. Every bone is urging her forward
and her heart is pleading with her to just tell her. Just
get it out of her system because this was absolute
torture and her heart wouldn’t be able to take much
more. But it would have to, until these feelings finally
went away.

For now though, Azula takes a piece of Ty Lee’s hair

thoughtlessly, twirling the soft chocolate lock with such a
softness it was foreign to her until this moment. Yet, it
felt so natural to her that she didn’t stop.

“You’re beautiful, Ty Lee.” She mumbles. She wishes she

could say more, but that’s all this life would allow her.

Ty Lee doesn’t say a word, merely shuffles forward and

collapses to lay on Azula’s chest. Eyes wide, Azula
hesitates with her hands. Her heart was losing its mind,
and her mind was ripping itself to shreds. Was this just
what friends do? That had to be it, right? There was no
way Ty Lee would mean anything by this other then a
friendly gesture. Why was she so warm? Was that her
conditioner she could smell? Azula get her off of you!

No.

For once, Azula blocks the noise and allows herself to

just exist with Ty Lee. No thoughts of possible romantic
inclinations or stressed panic. No thinking about how
Sokka could have this for himself if he noticed, or how
her Father would murder her if he saw this.

No thoughts, just Ty Lee. Just for one night, she’d

indulge herself.

She’d waited 16 years already, she deserves at least one

night to truly enjoy herself.

So, she wraps her arms around Ty Lee and mumbles

something she shouldn’t. “Since you probably won’t
remember any of this anyway, want to tell me who that
crush of yours is?”

Ty Lee moans softly against Azula's stomach stiredly, and

Azula tries not to think about the many different ways
she could get Ty Lee to make that sound again. “Nope,
it’s a secret.” She giggles.

“Can I guess then?”

Ty Lee hums, and Azula can feel the vibrations on her

stomach. “Sure, why not?”

Azula moves a bit into a more comfortable position.

She’d start off with some natural first guesses. “Do I
know them?”

“Yes.”

“Do I know them well?”

“I’d say so yeah.”

“I doubt it, but is it Zuko?”

“What?! No!” Ty Lee laughs. “He’s way too emo for me,
and besides, Mai’s all up on him anyway.”

“Fair point.” Azula agrees. “Alright, how about...Aang?”

Ty Lee snorts. “No way, he’s like a little brother to me.”

Azula pauses for a moment. This was it, the moment of

truth.

“Is it Sokka?”

Ty Lee doesn’t say anything for a moment, and Azula

feels her heart dropping with every passing second. It
was him, the hesitation was obvious. It was stupid
fucking-

“Nah, I’ll admit he’s cute but he and Suki are already
dating. Plus, I’ve only known him for a couple months,
I’ve got no business trying to mess up their chemistry
that they’ve built over like, a year and a half of dating.”

Wait...what?

“So it’s...not him?” Azula asks, tone a bit disbelieving.

“No…” Ty Lee drawls. “Why, did you think it was?”

“I had...suspicions after bowling.”

“No, silly! Gosh, you think I’d try to take an already

taken man?”

“I prefer the word insolent boy.”

Ty Lee giggles. “Whatever you call him, he’s not really

my type.”

Azula smirks at that. “Oh, then what is your type?

Because as far as I can tell, it’s whatever air occupies the
space next to you.”

“Hey! I just...haven’t found the right moment to tell

them.”

“You’re the girl who can get literally anyone she wants.
How is this so hard for you?”

“Because they’re the one person who doesn’t fawn over

me like everyone else.”

Azula has no response to that. She quite literally couldn’t

think of a single boy who didn’t drop to their knees when
they stood in front of Ty Lee.

“Hey Azula?” Ty Lee calls, and Azula hums in

acknowledgement, still in thought. “Is there anyone you
like right now?”

Azula tenses, She can tell Ty Lee is half asleep, so the

question probably came from the alcohol and tired state.
Still she answers with a harsh, “No.”

Ty Lee yawns audibly, mumbling out, “Are...Are

you...lying to me?”

Azula waits. She waits because for once she doesn’t want
to lie. It would be so easy to just say no and be done
with it, but her mouth restricts her from saying it. So
when Ty Lee’s breathing evens out, and the only noise is
the light pitter patter of rain beginning to fall in the night
sky, Azula ever so gently holds Ty Lee closer and
whispers;

“Yes.”

Notes:
okay so originally this chapter was
going to take a super dark and more
gruesome turn bu i decided it was a
little early on for that. So instead, take
this little filler piece of what the next 3
months will be like for Azula! I read
your comments and ultimately agreed
that another chapter or two will do the
story well in terms of pacing and just
good structure. Plus, as i was writing
this I remembered The Day of The
Black Sun's whole plot line and how it's
kinda crucial to the story as a
whole....oops.

So I think next chapter will focus

heavily on that, and THEN we will have
the time skip, because i have plans. and
their very angsty, yearning and
heartache full plans. you all will hate
me for it I promise.

But look on the bright side! Azula knows

Sokka isn't the mystery person now!
That's good! Though she is going to
remain clueless like the disaster lesbian
she is for the time skip. then we'll get
into the juicy shit >:)

for now though, enjoy the little bits and

pieces of plot scattered about through
this chapter and that way too fluffy
ending. Also possessive Azula does
things to me that I wish it wouldn't.

That's all, comment pretty please and

let me know what you think. I shalst be
finishing my English Essay now, which I
was supposed to do for the past 6 hours
but instead wrote this.

wish me luck!

Chapter 8: Day of The Black Sun

Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Azula looked out the window of her Father's office. The

moon was growing closer to the sun. In less than an
hour, the time of judgement would be upon her.

"Is everything prepared?" Her Father asks. Azula couldn't

see his face, as his chair was facing away from her. She
could assume he was watching the sun too.

"Of course. The room you will be in will be 3 feet thick

with solid wood, and I will be in an open room that only
one guard will know of. Everyone is carrying on as if it is
a normal day, so the attack will seem unwarranted and
akin to an act of terrorism. Just how you wanted it."

"Good, I will be heading down there shortly. I suggest

you do the same."

"I have a few things to take care of, but I will as soon as
they are complete."

"Very well."

With that, Azula leaves.

As she walks through the halls to head to a quiet area,

Azula runs the numbers through her head. The eclipse
would only last 8 minutes. Short yes, but she was about
to face a group of highly trained benders, including the
Avatar. All while she was unable to use her fire bending.

Luckily, she was trained for this. She had spent hours in
the dojo with a sparring coach, and while he could never
actually beat her, he brought up good points. Points she
knew of, but it was nice to remember them and think on
them up until this moment.
See, jumping around rocks and air was one thing, but
facing Sokka or Suki would be a completely different
story. Sokka, for all his impulsiveness and stubbornness,
was actually quite smart. That was proven when she
found the scroll in their apartment. She didn't know then,
but upon taking a glance at their notes in various shared
classes, she determined that it was indeed Sokka who
had written the plan down.

He was smart, and Azula needed to take that into

account.

She wouldn't be able to bring him down with combat

alone. His stubborn will to win was stronger than anyone
she had ever seen, save for her of course. So she'd have
to attack him mentally. If she could throw him off his
game, then she could win without even laying a finger on
him.

Plus, she had a few surprises for the group, if they

managed to find her.

Fixing the compression bands around her wrist, she

reaches a quiet sector the building. A lone office that no
one was using right now. Azula had checked and all of
the security cameras for this office had been shut off.
She may have tinkered a bit if she was being honest.

A girls got to have her privacy, after all.

Shutting the door and locking it, she heads to the wall
that was really just a big bullet proof chunk of glass.
Seeing that the sun was about 10 minutes from it's
destined overlap with the moon, Azula takes her phone
out and hits the call button on a person she wants to talk
to.

It answers after 4 rings. "Hey Azula! What's up?"

Azula smiles. It was good to hear her voice. "Hello Ty

Lee, how was your day?"

"Boring without you at school. Plus, none of Aang and his

friends were there either, so I was stuck with Mai."

So they were coming like Azula thought. Good.

"Apologies, but you know this is important to me."

"Yeah I know. Taking over a company as big as your

Father's is a big deal."

"Exactly."

"How's it going anyway?"

"Good." Azula says, watching men go in and out of the

front doors like usual. "We've made some real progress
with our plans."

"That sounds boring to me, but I'm sure you're thrilled."

"You have no idea." Azula says with a smirk, watching

the moon start to edge over the sun's circular shape. She
needed to get going. "Hey look, I have to go, but I'll text
you when I leave, okay?"

"Promise you won't forget this time?"

Azula laughs. Really laughs because she hadn't expected

that from Ty Lee. "Promise." She affirms.

"Okay, see you Azula."

"Goodbye, Ty Lee." Azula says, pressing the end call

button and pocketing her phone. She looks back out the
window, and mentally prepares herself for what was to
come.

There were two reasons for making that phone call. The
first was making sure The Avatar wasn't tricking her with
this plan. Ty Lee had loose lips when it came to
seemingly trivial things such as that, so Azula took
advantage of it.

The second was...well, Azula missed her. Plain and

simple.

Azula knew it was a weakness. She knew she should

stop, but after that night with Ty Lee just 2 days ago, she
couldn't stay away from the girl if she tried. Even if the
brunette remembered nothing from that night, Ty Lee
wouldn't let her go, and she had proven that over the
past few weeks. So she decided to revoke her rule of
pulling away from the girl.

The whole thing raised too many questions anyway. Ty

Lee getting curious was never a good thing. Mostly
because she always figured it out in the end, no matter
how well she thinks she's hidden it away.

Leaving the office, she begins her way down to the lower
levels of the building. Once at the very bottom, the
elevator she travelled in opens to reveal reddish-orange
rock lined walls.

Stepping out, Azula makes her way down a primitive

looking hall of drilled through rock, passing by a single
guard who she makes zero eye contact with. Even in
times of inevitable weakness, she must appear strong.

She opens one of the large doors to her 'throne room',

shutting it closed behind her. The room was simple
enough, a spacious area that could double as an arena if
needed, with pillars lining either side of the wall and a
throne in the middle. Theatrics, but Azula liked to give
her enemies a show.

She makes her way across the room, but halfway down
she suddenly feels herself grow weak. Her eyes widen a
bit when she realizes that the eclipse had begun.

Adjusting to the loss of energy in her quickly, Azula takes

a seat on her throne, crossing her legs and placing either
elbow on the arm rests. With her fingers interlocked,
Azula waits.

Minutes pass, and Azula stares at the door, starting to

wonder if they were smart enough to find her. It would
be easier if they didn't, but Azula was in the mood to
fight. She had a lot of emotions she was dealing with
right now, and letting them out on the 'gaang' would be
a good way to let off some steam.

Her ear twitches slightly when she hears footsteps

running to her door, but stopping just outside of it.

She smirks. Finally.

The door explodes into pieces, and in come Toph, Sokka,

and of course, The Avatar.

"It's over, Fire Lord!" Aang shouts, but once the dust
clears, that childish look of determination vanishes into
something more akin to shock.

"So, you came after all. I was beginning to think you

wouldn't make it." She says, checking her nails for a
moment.

"Azula?! How did you-?!"

"You all need to work on hiding your plans. They were so

easy to find when you let me into your apartment."

"I knew it!" Sokka shouts, pointing an accusing finger at

her. "Bad lunch my ass!"

Azula raises an unimpressed eyebrow. "Yes, good for

you, boomerang. You're intellect continues to astound
me."

"Listen Azula! Where's the Fire Lord?!" Aang demands.

Azula hums briefly, standing up and placing her hands on

her hips. "You mean I'm not good enough for you?" She
fake pouts, a smirk edging on her face despite her
words. In the most dramatic way possible, she places a
hand to her heart and another lifted towards the sky.
"You're hurting my feelings."

"Save it! Where is he?!" Toph yells. "And stick to the

truth! I can tell if your lying!"

Oh yes, Azula was well aware of that. "Are you sure?"

She asks, heading down the small flight of stairs to come
closer to them. "I'm a pretty good liar." She comments.

Then, with her face completely neutral, Azula says, "I am

a four hundred foot tall platypus with pink horns, and
silver wings."

Toph is silent for a few moments before she says,

"Alright! You're good I admit it!"

Suddenly, the rock around her lifts up to trap her in a

stone prison, rendering her completely unable to move
her limbs. "But you should still tell the truth anyway."
Toph adds.

Azula gives the girl an unimpressed look even if she

couldn't see it. Guess it was time to reveal her little
surprises for the group.

To Aang's and his friends complete surprise, the earth

surrounding Azula crumbles to nothing, and the girl
merely dusts off the excess dirt left on her shirt. "See,
when I heard about your little plan, I asked my Father to
bring me some souvenirs from a little place called Ba
Sing Se. I'm sure you've heard of it."

Two men fall from the ceiling, dressing dark green colors
and golden yellow linings. "Their called Dai Lee agents,
and they answer to me."

The group visibly tenses, furthering into a more

defensive position now that the teams were evened up.
The Dai Lee summon an enormous wall in between them
and the teens.

Azula feels adrenaline starting to shoot through her

veins. She had never fought someone whilst being
completely unable to fire bend, but she was confident in
her abilities.

Toph and Aang break through the wall, and the Dai Lee
become preoccupied with dealing with the blind girl. The
Avatar is left to Azula.

Good, this will be fun.

Aang shoots a wave of rock at her, but she moves her

foot at just the right angle and time to allow herself to
push off the chuck of earth and flip backwards onto her
throne.

Azula knew she couldn't beat him while he was bending.

That was a given, so it would have to come down to if
she could outwit him in speed and agileness.

A gust of harsh wind flies towards her chair, and Azula

jumps off it quickly, landing on her foot and beginning to
run down on right side of the room. She jumps on walls
and pillars to avoid Aang's attacks. Even climbing up to
one of the broken chunks of rock from Toph and the Dai
Lee's fight so she could slide down it, flying into the air
and landing with grace. She turns back to see the
Avatar's angry face, making her smirk.

She runs to the wall, and feels the ground below her
shift, and soon she is being shot like a cannon out and
towards the broken gap in the wall that Aang had made.
Just as she flies through it, she see's Sokka just below
her, looking scared to death as she passes right by him.

It's amusing how he thinks he can keep up.

Once her feet hit solid land, she hears one of her agents
land slightly behind her. As she passes through the
broken down doors to her room, the agent summons a
wall of rock to block The Avatar's path.

It does little other than by her a few seconds before he is

bursting through the wall. Azula can hear it as she runs,
as well as Toph and what she assumes is her other agent
crashing into a wall behind her. Then, she hears what
sounds like metal bending. Azula raises an eyebrow, that
was new.

"Wait!" Sokka suddenly shouts. "She's just distracting us!

Can't you see, she's not even trying to win this fight!"

Azula turns around, impressed he was able to figure it

out. "Not true, I'm giving it my all." She counters, and
Toph points her index finger out to her.

"You're trying to keep us here and waste all of out time!"

"Right, you're friend just said that, genius." Azula blunts,

raising an eyebrow before saying, "And since you can't
see, I should tell you I'm rolling my eyes."

Her comment is met with a snarled, "I'll roll your whole

head!". Toph goes to attack, but Sokka places a hand on
her shoulder. What a way to spoil the fun.

"She's just baiting you again!" He explains.

"Okay...So then what do we do? Just ignore her?" Aang

asks.

"We have to. We need to find the Fire Lord before the
eclipse passes."

They all turn to run in the opposite direction, but Azula

says, "It's a trap! Don't say I didn't warn you."

Sokka waves his hand up in the air dismissively.

"Ignore!"

Azula tilts her head. "So, Sokka's you're name right?"

Azula asks, feigning ignorance. "A little birdie told me
that we have a new prisoner as of late. I think she's
gonna turn out to be one of my favorites."

She's lying of course, she doesn't have a single way to

contact the people on the upper levels, but if she could
get him to break? Game over.

"I think you know her quite well. Short brown hair, likes
to throw fans, wears that horrendous make up whenever
she comes here..."

That gets him.

He turns around, and sprints at Azula, boomerang raised

and ready to attack. She smirks. "Come and get it." She
mutters, and the knife that was hiding under her sleeve
come out and rest in her palm.

Apparently Toph notices, because as Azula goes to throw

it, her hand is hit by a rock and she is sent backwards
into the wall behind her. She lets out a grunt as her back
collides with the rock wall, but keeps her level headed
smirk as Sokka pushes her up so that he can face her.

"What have you done to Suki?!"

Azula says nothing.

Even as he hounds her, getting up in her face and

shouting in her ears, she merely contorts her face in
disgust. No words leave her lips until Azula feels it.

That small stream of pure fire flowing through her veins.

It fills her with confidence, as well as power as she says,
"Oh! Looks like the fire-bending's back on!"

She then kicks her foot out, a wave of fire being released
with it and forcing all three of them backwards and away
from her. She lifts herself so that her feet land on the
wall above her hands, and together with her bending and
pure strength, she breaks out of Toph's rocky handcuffs.

They all jump away from her in defense, but she makes
no move to attack them.

"Dad's room is down the hall, past a secret stairwell,

third door on the right. I'm sure he'd be more than
happy to see you." She reveals, and promptly runs the
opposite direction.

They don't follow her.

Later, when all is said and done, Azula learns that the
group all managed to escape with their heads in tact. Oh
well, at least they didn't get what they came for. Her
Father was unharmed, and unseen for the duration of the
eclipse.

At least, that's what she thought until she entered his

office to see his hair disheveled and his clothes wrinkled
and tattered.

"Father? What happened?" She asks, and he turns to

face her with an angry face.

"It seems you're brother had his own plans for today's
eclipse."

Azula's eyes widen. "Zuko was here?"

She hadn't even thought to factor him in. How had she
not factored him in? Of course he'd try to come plead
with Father while the man was powerless. What a
coward.

"Yes, and he has made it apparent that he is joining the

Avatar in his quest to bring me down."

That traitorous, cowardly, little piece of-

"No matter." Ozai dismisses. "I'm sure you can handle

him."

"Handle him?" Azula scoffs. "I'll kill him."

This raises her Father's attention.

Yes. Look at me. See that I am willing to do what's

necessary for this company. For the world.

"If he's really joining the Avatar, then he'll teach him fire
bending. We can't have that."

"Correct, but is it wise to approach this so violently,

Azula?"

"This is treason against you. There must be

consequences for his actions."

Ozai nods in agreement. "I must say I agree. You have

my permission to plan an attack on his life."

With a curt nod of understanding, Azula goes to leave,

but is stopped when Ozai asks, "What happened to your
wrist?"

Confused for a moment, Azula looks down to indeed see

that their was a blueish-purple bruise forming along her
wrist. Toph's handcuff must have hit a lot harder then
she remember.

"The earth bending girl managed to put me in a bind. It

was nothing I couldn't handle."

"Get it treated properly, we can't have it interfering with

your fire bending."

"Yes, Father."

As she leaves, she uses that same wrist to close the

door, but finds it sends a piercing sharp pain through her
arm. She winces, and clutches the wrist as if it would
help.

Azula can't say she's not impressed. If anything else,

Toph had managed to harm her, so that was a feat no
one had managed to do.

Except for her Father...when he's angry...

Azula shakes her head, and focuses on the fact that her
legs had carried her to the medical office that they had
inside the building. Her Father was nothing if not
prepared.

Inside, she found all the necessary materials and

appliances to properly treat this growing bruise. In 30
short minutes, Azula was leaving with a bandaged wrist
that was still a bit cold from the ice pack. She had to
force herself not to fire bend, lest she melt the ice trying
to help her wrist.

As she reaches her bike, she can feel her phone buzz in
her pocket. She takes it out, and it's a text from Mai.

'We need to talk.'

She takes. a seat on the leather cushion of her

motorcycle. 'Sounds serious, am I in trouble?'

'Depends on your answer, meet me at your house. I

know you're at the office right now.'

'How clever of you.' She responds before pocketing her

phone and starting her bike.

When she reaches her house, she finds Mai leaning on

her car, waiting in her driveway patiently with a frown
plastered on her face. Parking her bike, she takes off her
helmet and asks, "Alright, what is it?"

"Not here, you're gonna want privacy for this

conversation."

Azula hums cheekily. "So I am in trouble. My my, what

have I done this time?"

Mai says nothing, merely turning around and heading

inside. Azula follows her casually, not quite sure what the
deal with this girl was yet. Once in her room, Mai finally
speaks.

"Alright, I'm drawing the line. When are you gonna stop
playing this little game with Ty Lee?"

Azula raises an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"You've been playing this game of push and pull with her
for weeks now. When are you going to actually do
something?"

"I have no idea what your talking about, Mai."

"You can't be serious." Mai says, shoulders slumping

slightly.

Azula shrugs. "Afraid so. What exactly is the problem

here?"

"I'm going to put this in the most blunt way possible so

your oblivious ass can understand it. "When are you
going to stop pretending like you don't have feelings for
Ty Lee?"

Azula wants to scream to the high heavens. Of course

Mai knew, she was Mai. Even if she didn't act like it, Mai
knew her better then most people give her credit for. But
this was bold, even for the gothic queen herself.

Instead, Azula remains composed. "That's absurd. Why

would I have feelings for Ty Lee?"

"Cut the bullshit, Azula. I've known since we were like,

8." She steps a hit closer to Azula. "You can't keep
bottling it up. As your friend, I am telling you it's only
gonna lead to bad things."

Probably. Azula knows that, but what else could she do?
Confessing was a no go, obviously. And she couldn't
exactly talk to anyone about it. Mai would most certainly
tell her brother, and now that Zuko was ganging up with
the Avatar, he would tell them, then they'd have a
weakness on her.

"It's cute that you think that, Mai. Really, it is. But
there's nothing going on. Ty Lee is just my friend,
nothing more, nothing less."

"You're lying to me."

"For once, I'm not. So why don't you go back to uselessly

pining over my brother and come back when you want to
have an actual conversation with me."

Mai stares at her for tat least a good 2 minutes. In that

time, Azula merely looks back with a faked confusion.
Until finally, Mai says, "Whatever, it's your funeral."

She moves to leave, and Azula watches her go, saying,

"It was nice talking to you, Mai. Let's do it again
sometime." as the girl shuts the door.

Azula internally sighs. That was a bit too close. So Mai

knew, that was a development. She's have to be extra
careful about it now. Any mire slips ups or leniency
wouldn't do.

No weaknesses.

Notes:
tbh ion rlly like this chapter :/

yeah i kinda just copied the actual

episode for the most part, and of course
changed a few elements for setting
purposes but thats it. I kinda winged
the last bit, and ive decided to leave out
the whole kill zuko thing because im
lazy af and dont feel like it. just assume
azula plans an attack, surprises the
gaang but ultimately fails like in the
show.

anywayyyyyyyy. next chapter will be

the time skip, i plan to jump about 3-4
months in the future because sozins
comet happens in the late spring early
summer.

or late summer actually but im not

waiting that long. ignore that lmao.

mkay well im gonna go now. comment

as usual i demand ur opnions.

OH

ok so ive made a ton of artwork for

these two but i dont wanna make an
instagram account jus to post it.
soooooo im thinking ab just making a
"fic" in the tyzula fluff section but really
its just a ton of fan art ive done LMAO.

is that allowed? idk but i might do it

anyway.

alright really going now, hope u all

enjoyed this bs chapter i didnt rlly prep
for. till next time

Chapter 9: 3 Months Later

Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

A lot had changed in the three months leading up to

Sozin’s comet.

While Azula was the same on the outside, the same could
not be said about what happened behind closed doors.
Behind that snarky, confident persona that everyone saw
at school lied a girl scared of her own skin. Her Father
had become more...demanding as of late, forcing her to
do more hands on jobs. Sworn to silence, Azula would
come home shaking, and more often than not would
collapse into a state of shock while she tried to wash the
blood off her hands.

It wasn’t the job itself that caused this. No, Azula was
perfectly capable of carrying out whatever her Father
wished of her. It was when she failed to complete the
job, for whatever reason, that brought reason to her
hysterics? Let’s just say there were no more threatening
comments. Instead, her Father took a more physical
approach.

It started slow. A slap to the cheek here, a forceful punch

to her arm there. Azula took it, her brain reasoning that
she deserved it. And when the punishment got worse?
Azula took it. Took it until there were burn mark marks
littering her back and arms.

No more crop tops or t-shirts for her.

It was fine. That’s what Azula concluded after tonight’s

punishment. Those were the consequences of failure,
Azula reasoned. She had failed to stop the Avatar from
destroying their latest shipment of supplies, therefore
wasting precious time and resources that her Father was
disappointed to see. She’d do better.

She had to do better.

‘Azula you know this isn’t right. You don’t deserve this.’

Her Mother’s voice haunted her constantly as of late.

Sometimes she’d even show up at school, and Azula
couldn’t for the life of her figure out why no one wasn’t
confused as to why a 40 something year old woman was
standing next to her in a high school. She was right
there, was everyone just too awkward to say anything?
Even the teacher said nothing about it. Was this because
she stood next to Azula? Did her reputation, by fault, fall
to her Mother as well?

“I failed my job, Mother. There must be consequences for

failure.”

‘This is immoral and you know it.’

“It’s life. Maybe you’d understand if you had stuck

around and not run off like a coward.”

‘I ran for precisely this reason Azula. Your Father is a bad

man.’

“Father does what’s best for the business. As his

daughter I am supposed to do the same.”

‘Even if it’s evil?’

“It’s not evil.”

‘But if it was?’

“Yes. It’s called loyalty, Mother. Though, I doubt you even

know the meaning of the word.”

Azula moves to one of her drawers, pulling out a first aid

kit that she had become very familiar with these past
couple of months. Heading to the bathroom, she begins
the process of treating the new burn on her upper arm.

It wasn’t always like this. Most jobs Azula could complete

with ease. It was just the ones that the Avatar interfered
with. Somehow, he always managed to escape by a
hair's breadth, and no matter what Azula did to reason
that it wouldn’t affect the plan, her Father still became
angry. He still punished her for failing, and each time,
Azula came out with more hate towards the group than
before.

This was their fault. Azula’s life was falling to pieces

because of them. She was failing because they were on
their stupid, self-righteous quest to fix all the problems
with the world. Well she’d stop them. She’d end their
silly little game of hero even if it drove her to the point of
insanity.

And even then she wouldn't stop, because they were

fucking with her. Azula. The prodigal fire-bender who
never so much as stepped out of place. The perfect child
that even the first born, big brother Zuko couldn’t
measure up to.

‘He worries for you, you know.’

“Oh, so you talk to Zuzu too? Of course, I should've

guessed you’d want to speak with your favorite child.”

‘I do not have a favorite child, Azula.’

“Oh yeah? Then why’d you say goodbye to him and not
me?”

‘I did say goodbye-’

“No you didn’t!” She shouts, throwing a bloody rag that

she had been using to clean her wound at her Mother.
“You left me without so much as a word, whereas Zuko
got everything! Don’t you dare say that me and him are
the same, because I know you think I’m a monster!”

‘No Azula. I love you just as I love Zuko. You're my

daughter.’

Azula turns back to the mirror, grabbing the gauze.

“You're a terrible liar.” She mutters angrily.

Her Mother makes no further comments, and when Azula

glaces at her reflection through the mirror, she finds her
gone. With a huff, she focuses her attention back on
wrapping the burn mark. It was a bigger one this time.
Probably because the job had been bigger. Stupid Avatar,
does he have to blow up every cargo ship in the port just
to get his point across?

The following day at school was monotone. Every action

was the same nowadays. Arrive on time, read the
textbook till she feels her eyes falling out of their
sockets, go to lunch, put up her perfect mask, ignore the
glares from the gang and Mai’s piercing stare. After that,
it was back to the textbooks.

Oh, but we haven’t even talked about Ty Lee yet.

Azula’s heart hurt just thinking of the bubbly brunette.

She thought that these feelings would go away by now,
but it seemed they only grew stronger these past few
months. Every interaction with the girl was a constant
reminder that she was failing. She was failing to be
perfect. She was failing because these goddamn feelings
were distracting her from work, thus causing her to slip
up at work, letting the Avatar get away and her Father
to-

Azula takes a deep breath, ignoring the way some of her

classmates give her funny looks. This was giving her far
too much of a headache.

She had thought of any and all possible ways to rid

herself of this dilemma. The first and most obvious one
was to cut Ty Lee off completely, but that proved to be
far too much of a struggle the first time Azula tried it.
Any other plans she came up with always ended in Ty
Lee being worried, which basically ended in her getting
curious. Curious Ty Lee was never a good thing.

So the only thing she could do was pretend. Pretend that

everything was fine and perfect like it always is, and Ty
Lee wouldn’t become curious.

Problem is, Once curious Ty Lee is gone, clingy Ty Lee

reveals herself.

Azula’s rule of keeping it to a minimum seemed to fly

over the girls head, much like anything else Ty Lee was
told to do. This meant that Ty Lee hugged her any
chance she got. So, basically any time Azula saw her.

It was excruciating. Even the burns on her back couldn’t

compare to the way her heart was lit ablaze by Ty Lee’s
touch. Even through the fabric or leather of her clothes,
Azula still felt the girl’s warmth as if she was touching
the skin of Azula’s body. Azula would always manage to
work around it, but the ghost of each and every hug
lingered until the next one was given. Haunting her like
her Mother had been for months.

Azula needed to make it stop, otherwise she was sure

she’d combust. She was a firebender after all, maybe
they explode if they get too close to the sun.

Huh, is this what drew Icarus so blindingly?

Azula narrows her eyes, Icarus was weak, and arrogant.

He became obsessed with the power of flight. Azula
wasn’t Icarus, she wasn’t obsessed. She was determined.
Yes, that's it, determination. Determined to be perfect,
determined to be the best, and most of all, determined
to get rid of this silly little crush.

Then, it clicks. If Azula was in a cartoon, she was positive

a lightbulb would be shining above her head.

Fear.

A powerful motivator that Azula was very familiar with. It

works on everyone at school, even Mai. So, it would
stand to reason that it would work on Ty Lee, would it
not? Make Ty Lee fear her, and even the bubbly girl
would stay at arm's length.

Yes, that would work. Azula could act the same, and Ty
Lee wouldn’t be curious, but that clinginess would
dwindle.

The plan was implemented when Azula was forced into

going to a party for the first time in her life. She had lost
a bet really, but who knew that Mai could fit so many
marshmallows in her mouth? Zuko would have a field
day with that…

Nope, didn’t need that mental image.

“Stop pouting Azula. This is good for you.” Mai says as

she turns a corner. They were in the girl's very expensive
first car. A Lexus LC Coupe that her parents had
surprised her with early this year. Azula liked the car,
with it’s satin grey exterior and its black interior with
accentuated red linings in the seats and car doors. It was
very on brand for the goth, and Azula silently praised the
girls parents for their choice in car dealers.

“One, I am not pouting. Two, I doubt greasy pizza and

cheap beer is good for anyone.”

“Mentally. I meant this is mentally good for you.”

“Alcohol is hardly a good thing for your mental health.”

“Agni help me…” Mai mutters. “Ty Lee, you try.”

Said brunette turns around from the passenger seat up

front and smiles at Azula. “This’ll be great Azula! I bet
you’re aura will be nice and pink by the end of it!”

“I still have no inclinations as to what those auras mean,

Ty Lee.”

“Oh! Pink is like when you’re feeling romantically

involved or in love! It could just mean happiness or
positivity, but for you, after we get you a man, you’ll be
radiating pink everywhere!”

Azula’s heart spiked in considerable measures. What had

her aura been these past few months? Obviously not
pink, otherwise Ty Lee would have said something by
now. Was that why she asked Azula if she liked anyone
that one night? It was very possible, as Azula had
softened up a lot that night, admitting a few things that
Azula was glad Ty Lee couldn’t remember.

“Azula? Did I lose you?”

Blinking back into reality, Azula nods slightly. “I was

merely thinking, Ty Lee. So what is this about a plan to
get me, ‘a man’?”

Ty Lee beams. “Well, your aura’s been all grey lately, so I

thought that getting you someone at this party could lift
your spirits!”

So her aura’s been grey. What does that one mean? If

color was anything to go by, it was probably something
like depression or gloomy. Though, Azula hardly thought
those things qualified for her. “I’m afraid I will have to
cut your little plan short. I am in no need of such a thing
at the current moment.”

“You lost a bet, remember? You have to do whatever we

say for the rest of the night!”

Shit.

“I hate your bets, Ty Lee.”

The girl giggles, and Azula pushes down the skip her
heartbeat tries to make. “And yet, you did it anyway!
Now, let’s get you a smoking hot boy!”

Azula concurred that, once at this party, she officially

hated them. Sure she hated them before, but she had
never actually been to one to solidify that fact. There was
that hiccup when Ty Lee got wasted, but Azula decided
not to count that one.

Now, though, now she hated them with all the malice in
the world.

Why did people do this on a regular basis? The alcohol

looked like darkened piss-water. The pizza was
undercooked so probably half of the kids would be going
home with food poisoning tonight, and the trashy music
was so bad that Azula’s ears wanted to bleed. Seriously,
she wouldn’t be surprised if she came home deaf in at
least one ear.

Ty Lee seemed to enjoy it though. Unfathomable, but still

true as Azula watched the girl socialize with practically
everyone in sight. She had always been a socialite,
drawing people to her like a magnet and instantly
earning their favor whether it be boys begging to date
her or girls trying to get tips on how to get her hair to
bounce like that. Ty Lee always smiled and stayed
humble, but Azula knew the truth.

Ty Lee loved the attention. The girl had been deprived of

it all her life. She had grown up with six identical sisters
who her parents always mixed up, but never bothered to
try learning the differences. That was fucked up, even for
Azula’s taste. At least her Mother, no matter how much
she didn’t love Azula, still knew her name at the end of
the day. It was like Ty Lee didn’t exist at home, so she
made up for it by being the center of attention
everywhere else. She made herself known by being
heartwarmingly nice and winning every boy’s heart.

Even the supposedly nicest, sweetest, and most humble

girl in Fire Nation had her faults.

“Hey.” A deep voice called to her. “What’s a pretty girl

like you doing all alone?”

Azula fights every urge not to grimace . Even if this was

the stupidest bet Ty Lee had come up with to date, Azula
was anything but quitter. She’d see this through till the
final second of the day. So, she turns to the boy and
plasters the fakest smile she’s ever used onto her lips.
“Careful, I may think you’re trying to kidnap me.”

Clearly not what she was supposed to say, because the

second it leaves her lips, the boy’s haughty smirk turns
into confused repulse, walking away quickly. Azula rolls
her eyes, whatever. It’s not like she cared anyway.

Leaving the living room, Azula takes a walk around the

house, soon finding herself going up a flight of stairs and
seeing pictures framed all along the walls. Most displayed
a boy next to his parents. She recognized the father, it
was one of the high ranking businessmen in her Father’s
company. In fact, she was fairly certain he worked
directly under her. She smirked, good to know.

After her quick self-tour of the house, Azula heads back

to the living room where she bumps into a teen she
recognized from the pictures.

“Oh! Sorry about that.” He apologizes, and Azula

determines he’s at least halfway decent since he
apologized.

“It’s alright.” She says simply.

“I’m Chan, what’s your name?”

Azula pauses for a second. This man's Father knew her,

so he must surely say things about her at home. If she
uses her real name, it might scare him off by recognition
alone. So, instead of using her real name, she says,
“Laya.”

“That’s a pretty name, Laya. I don’t think I’ve seen you

before.”

Play it cool Azula, you have a bet to uphold. “Makes

sense, I moved here a couple of days ago.”

Lying was easy for her, it was something that she was
just inherently good at. And boy did it help to be a quick
thinker in situations like these.

“Really? What school did you enroll into?”

“Agni High.” God she hates small talk.

“Really?! That’s where I go!” He exclaims, and Azula

restrains herself from wincing at the sudden volume.

“That’s certainly...something.” Azula says, slowly losing

grip of the conversation. How was she, a master liar,
genius prodigy, and up and coming business woman
doing this bad a small talk? Azula decides to blame it on
the fact that he’s bland as hell.

Chan says nothing, and they fall into an awkward silence.

Azula racks her brain for things to say, but the only thing
that comes to mind is the fact that he reeks of alcohol
and how-

“That’s a sharp outfit, Chan. Careful, you could cut the

hull of a top grade Fire Nation cargo ship, leaving
thousands to drown at sea.” A pause, and Azula rebuttals
with pointing her finger at his shirt and saying, “Because,
it’s so sharp.”

His confusion turns into nervousness, and he gives her

an awkward finger gun, muttering a, “Right…”, before he
takes off into another room. Azula frowns, how was she
so fucking bad at this?

Leaning against the wall, she does her best to forget the
whole exchange ever happened. Oh well, at least she had
used a fake name so it wouldn’t be associated with her. If
there was a Laya at her school, she was in for a whole lot
of weird looks and comments said behind her back.

Scanning the room, she finds it mostly uneventful until

she see’s a pack of boys surrounding a corner of the
room. Azula rolls her eyes, knowing immediately that Ty
Lee had managed to wind another group of boys around
her finger. Seriously, couldn’t she at least try to play hard
to get? Did she have to go and show off all the time?

In her head, Azula counts down, ‘3...2...1.’

On cue, a series of sharp and precise hits can be heard,

and all five boys fall to their backs, drawing the attention
of everybody in the room when she see’s Ty Lee standing
there, previously hidden by the boy’s large frames. Azula
watches the girl cartwheel over the bodies and walk over
to where she was leaning.

“Azula! I’m so glad youre here. Those boys just wouldn’t

stop bugging me, I guess they all just like me too much!”

Azula rolls her eyes, time to initiate the plan. “Come on

Ty Lee, you can’t be this ignorant.”

This earns a confused stare from the acrobat. “W-What?”

She stammers.

Azula feels her insides turn in jealousy. Just thinking of

those boys made her want to puke. “Those boys only like
you because you make it so easy for them. You're not a
challenge, you're a tease. It’s not like they actually care
who you are.” She says, looking away as to look cold
hearted. It wasn’t exactly a lie, and Ty Lee must know
that. Those boys don’t care about any girl’s feelings or
want any true connection with them. Most just want to
either fuck her and be done with it or get bragging rights
that they took the untakable.

Still, Azula can hear the girl start to cry.

Shit.

Fucking hell, ignore it. Let her cry, it’ll be better for both
of you in the end. Azula’s eye twitches as the crying
worsens, and she can’t take it anymore. She’s always
hated it when Ty Lee cries. It was like watching a cloud
fall over the sun and block it’s eternal glow. She hates
this weakness, her plan was going to fall apart because
of it.

Taking Ty Lee’s hands that covered the girls tears, Azula

says, “Okay okay, calm down. I didn’t mean what I said.
Look-” She pauses to see if Ty Lee had stopped crying,
and when Azula see’s that she had, she continues. “-
Maybe I just said it because I was a little…” She glances
around before leaning in closer to whisper something she
probably shouldn’t have. “...jealous.”

Just like that, any sorrow that Ty Lee had issapears from
her feature and is replaced with an innocent confusion.
“What? You're jealous of me? But youre the most
beautiful, smartest, perfect girl in the world!”

Azula looks away in an effort to conceal and rid herself of

the blush growing on her cheeks. Azula should have
never taken that bet. “Well youre right about all those
things, but whenever I talk to boys they act as if I’m
going to do something horrible to them.”

Ty Lee giggles, “That’s because you probably would,

Zula. Look, if you want my advice, just laugh at anything
he says even if it’s not funny, and you’ll be good!”

“That’s shallow Ty Lee.” She says, but the proud smirk

isn’t withheld from gracing her lips. “I’m impressed.”
The acrobat gives a bashful smile. “Thanks, Zula.”

Azula quirks an eyebrow in amusement, before letting

out an exaggerated sigh. “Alright, teach me your ways. It
seems I have a lot to learn.”

15 very informative minutes later, Azula was being taken

outside with Chan. Azula had come up to him and asked
for a tour of the house, even if she had memorized the
layout already. Together they stood on the second floor
balcony, away from everyone else. The mood was
shining, and a little over halfway visible. Azula may be
more in tune with the sun, but she had done her
research. This phase of the moon was what people call
the waxing gibbous, and Azula could tell just by sight
alone that there was about a week left until the full moon
was at its peak.

“Awesome party, right?” Chan says, making Azula

internally roll her eyes as she leaves her arms on the
balcony railing. The wood was mildly uncomfortable, but
Azula bore through it.

“Yes, it’s been very fun.”

“Yeah, I got lucky that my parents are out of town this

week. Said something about a super important work
thing that they couldn’t talk about.”

Azula knew exactly what that super important work thing

was. Being a week away from the comet meant that
preparations were almost constant, and that the bigger
jobs were having to be handled by more trusted
advisors. Today’s job was importing steel for the
production of something very secret that only a few
people knew of. Azula felt lucky to be included in that
inner circle.

“Let’s not talk about your parents, this is supposed to be

a party, isn’t it?” Azula praised her ability to be confident,
because he seemed to get the message when she gave
him a knowing look.

“Oh yeah? What should we talk about then?” He says,

voice low and suggestive as he leans in a bit close to
Azula.

“I think that I’d rather not talk at all.” She responds.

Just like that, he kisses her.

Azula had never kissed anyone before, but she assumes

she must be doing pretty well since he hasn’t pulled
away yet. His lips are rough and chapped, probably from
the harsh cold that winter had brought to the city these
past few weeks. Azula tries not to grimace at the feeling,
and instead allows him to take control. She’d have to
learn this eventually, might as well be now.

He pulls away, saying, “You’re a really good kisser. You

can trust my authority, I’ve been with plenty of girls to
know.”

Another thing she was naturally good at, Azula supposes.

That doesn’t surprise her, even if she wasn’t good, she
was a quick learner. With more confidence now, she
leans in so that her lips ghost over his, “Then why don’t
you stop talking and show me how good of a kisser you
are?”

He doesn’t need to be told twice, and Azula finds herself

making out with Chan for a solid 15 minutes. Azula didn’t
exactly enjoy it, he was far too rough with her, and she
was starting to understand that this isn’t what kissing
should feel like. It should be softer, more gentle and
caring, shouldn’t it? His body shouldn’t be able to tower
over hers like that, it should be more slender, with pink
cloth clinging to the skin while Azula buried her hands in
those chocolate brown locks-

Azula’s eyes widen as she realizes just who her mind was
imagining.

Shit.

What does she do? Don’t push him away, that’s for sure.
That’ll only cause problems, but she couldn’t exactly stay
in this position. Not when her mind was thinking of her.
So with tactiful little pushes back and coaxing out of the
kiss, they both break apart, Chan breathing much harder
then her. It was clear he was really trying here, and while
Azula was certainly giving it some effort, her stamina as
a fire bender was making itself known.

Azula says nothing, merely holding a hand to his chest to

keep him away while he catches his breath. When he
does, the first thing he says is, “Wanna be my Prom
date?”

‘Nice Chan. Real classy,’ Azula blunts.

She really wants to say no, but that stupid bet had
locked her into this mess. Ty Lee said that she had to
find a man by the end of the night, so she supposes
Chan will have to do. Plus it will be the perfect cover for
Mai to stop accusing Azula of liking Ty Lee. Yeah, Azula
definitely needed to make that stop.

‘Don’t do it.’ Her mother’s voice whispers in her ear and

she shuts her eyes. If only that woman would shut up for
3 goddamn seconds.

‘This won’t end well for you.’

It’ll end how she wants it to end. Nobody has ever made
the rules for her except for her Father. She wouldn’t let
her Mother come back and start ordering her around
again. With a genuine-looking smile, Azula says, “Of
course, Chan. Together we’ll be the strongest, most
powerful couple at that dance. They will kneel before us
in fear!”

Fuck.

“Uh...oh, hey, I think someone’s calling me downstairs! I

gotta go, but I changed my mind, you have a nice night!”
Azula watches him scurry out of the room like his pants
had caught on fire. She narrows her eyes, well that was
a bust. Oh well, at least she hadn’t done it intentionally.

Leaving the bedroom, Azula catches sight of Mai and

walks over to her. “I’m leaving, let Ty Lee know will you?”

“She’s not gonna like that.” Mai responds.

“It’s not up to her, and if she tries to bring up the bet,

tell her the bet was dumb and didn’t work.”

“So you tried?”

“Of course I tried, but if you haven’t noticed, I’m not

exactly a boy magnet like her.”

“Ever consider that maybe it’s not boys you want to

attract?”

Azula glares worsens. “Careful Mai, youre asking for a

conversation youre not prepared to have.”

“Oh I’ve been prepared to have it for the past 8 years.

The question is, are you?”

Azula turns around. “I’m leaving, goodnight Mai.” The

goth says nothing to her as she walks away, but Azula
can feel her eyes the entire way to the front door. She
doesn’t wither in the slightest, stepping outside and out
of sight from Mai with a huff.

Mai was getting too curious, she’d have to do something

about that. But that was a thought for a later date. Right
now, Azula had to find a way home. Though, from the
looks of it, everyone here was too drunk to drive and she
didn’t feel like hotwiring a car tonight.

Azula ended up walking home that night, thoughts of a

brunette invading her mind and making her scowl in
anger. She hated how much influence Ty Lee had on her
life, how even when the brunette wasn’t present she still
managed to distract Azula to the point of fucking up her
preformance at work. She hated it, and wanted to hate
her just as much.

The problem was, Azula just couldn’t bring herself to

hate the girl, not even in the slightest.

Maybe she was Icarus.

Notes:
lol i finally got twitter and i gotta say
the tyzula tag there is funny as hell to
look at.

ok back go the chapter. i think i like

how i set this up. i tried really hard to
hit all bases i wanted to cover. seriously
i was up till like 3 working on it

and yes, i am well aware that this is

straying a bit from azula canon fall into
insanity, but i think making the world
modern requires a few changes to the
characters as well. oh, and for all of u
wondering, i am going to be showing
graphic scenes of abuse in the future,
as it is necessary for azulas character.

see, im 100% positive that in this kind

of setting, ozai would definetely be
more abusive, and azula would blame
herself for failing. that just the kind of
fear she lives under. seeing what he did
to her brother (which i have yet to get
into much but i will i promise) has given
her that mindset that even the slightest
mistake is cause for disappointment.
she has engrained it into herself that
she has to be perfect otherwise shes
not good enough.

but we all knew that, so ill stop w that.

alright imma go now, comment what

yall thought

Chapter 10: Burns of The Heart and

Skin
Notes:
WARNING: GRAPHIC DEPICTIONS OF
VIOLENCE AND CHILD ABUSE. IF THIS
IS TRIGGERING FOR YOU, PROCEED
WITH CAUTION.
(See the end of the chapter for more
notes.)

Well this was a surprise. She wasn’t expecting Zuko to

face her head on like this. Didn’t he know he’d lose?

“Zuzu, what on Agni are you doing?” Azula mocks,

placing an unimpressed hand to her hip. He only keeps
that annoying scowl on his face, hands directed outwards
to her in the first form fire bending technique.

“Fighting you, obviously.” He replies, shooting a ball of

fire from his fist out towards her. She blocks it with a
downward slice, a more complicated way of blocking an
attack.

“Yes I can see that. What I meant is why your impudent

brain has led you to such a decision.”

“Because you need to be stopped.”

Azula hums. “I’ve been hearing that a lot lately, and yet
no one has the balls to stay and finish the job. Three
guesses why, Zuzu?”

He says nothing, instead opting to fight, sending flurries

of fire toward her. She deflects and blocks them all,
redirecting his last one back at him and catching him off
guard. He stumbles backwards, reaching Azula’s eyes
with a glare while she smirks victoriously.

“So, how have you been? I hear you're working at

Uncle’s tea shop now. Maybe I’ll stop by-!” She gruffs out
the last bit as she jumps into the air to perform a double
kick, shooting two rounds of ice blue fire at him. He does
his best to block them, but the power behind them and
Zuko’s more faulty form causes him to lose control,
falling to the ground harshly.

She lands just in front of him, staring down at his

groaning figure. Azula narrows her eyes, she knows a
fake when she sees it. Just as she suspected, she
catches him just before he tries to kick her legs, jumping
over the action swiftly and letting one of her feet come
down on his chest. He lets out a real groan now,
shrivelling up as she wrinkled her nose in pity. “Really
brother? I thought you’d at least take defeat with pride.”

“It’s not me...who’s defeated…” He heaves, and as if on

cue, the sound of a helicopter's wings can be heard in
the distance. Confused, Azula looks out into the distance
where, from her overlooking balcony, she can see the 5
airplanes loaded with supplies supposed to land in a few
minutes explode over the open ocean.

Azula’s eyes widen. “You little bitch-!”

Just as she says that, she feels two hands wrap around
her leg and pull roughly, sending her to the ground as
her arm collides with the cold concrete. Pain shoots
through her entire body, the burn from two days ago still
tender, making her let out a sharp scream. She hears
Zuko stand, and she follows quickly after, clutching her
arm and seeing that some blood was starting to bleed
through her white shirt. She really should have worn her
usual jacket today.

“I didn’t do that, Azula.” He says, as if figuring out some

big mystery. She glares at him, a silent warning not to
continue. He doesn’t listen. “Who gave you that injury,
Azula?”

Her looking away was enough of a sign for him

apparently.

“He’s been hurting you, hasn’t he?” He asks, sounding

mildly concerned which only fuels Azula’s growing anger.

“What do you care? It’s not exactly like you’ve been

around to notice.”

Zuko, for all his ignorance, always did show some level of
caring for her before he got banished. He somehow
always knew when she was having a bad day, and would
force her to go bowling with him. They both hated the
pastime, but it was something they agreed upon, so they
kept doing it. Even if he always lost.

“I was banished! I couldn’t see you even if I wanted to!”

“So you don’t want to see me?” She says jokingly. She
doesn’t care, but the words send a little zing through her
heart that she can’t explain.

“S-Stop twisting my words! Look, what he’s doing is

wrong! Trust me, I’m living proof!” He says, pointing to
the scar on his left eye.

Azula rolls her eyes. “You got that because you were a
fool and thought you could talk out of turn. I’m not you
Zuko, I’m smarter than you’ll ever be.”

“Not on this, Azula. Not on this.” He says, shaking his

head.

Deep down, a small piece of Azula wants to believe him,

but the fact that this defeat would make things worse
was overshadowing any such feelings that could have
allowed him in.

“Well, I was going to keep you alive, but now that you’ve
said that, I think I’ll take home a souvenir for Father to
see.” She gives him a toothy smirk, leveling herself down
low to get in a defensive position.

“Too late Azula. We beat you.” He says, and suddenly

Aang appears being him on Appa, their big furry bison
that shed like no tomorrow. He grabs hold of the wooden
ladder, but looks at her and says, “Please stop by, I’d be
more than happy to talk.”

“I doubt that very much, Zuzu.” Azula mutters as he flies

away, out of sight and, hopefully, out of mind.

“You let them do what?!” Ozai shouts, slamming a hand

down on the foyer table, making the bowls and keys
rattle violently in her ears.

When she had gotten home, she had found her Father
waiting for her in the front lobby, immediately asking
how it went. He didn’t like what she had to say.

“It was my fault. I allowed Zuko to distract me-”

Azula has barely enough time to gasp as a large hand

grabs her by the neck and pushes her into the wall. She
can hear a crack, and hopes it wasn’t anything severe.
The hand squeezes, and Azula chokes on her breath, her
hand reaching to try and pry her Father’s hand away.

“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t kick you out right

now.” He snarls, voice low and threatening. She then
realizes the hot sensation starting to burn the skin of her
left wrist, and tries to glance at it and say stop but her
Father lifts her head off the wall for a moment before
slamming her back into it. “Look at me when I am
speaking to you!” He shouts, spit flying into her face and
making her wince in disgust.

“Pl-ease… Fa-ther I-”

“You’ve disappointed me far too much as of late, Azula.

I’m starting to think you’re not as capable as I thought
you were.”

“No-!” She shouts, but Ozai squeezes on her throat,

making her voice choke on itself.

“Do not talk back to me!” He all but screams in her ear,
and without warning, the burning increases and Azula
can swear she can hear her skin start to sizzle
underneath his grip. She wants to cry in pain, but the
hand around her neck prevents her from saying
anything. Everything hurts, but she has no options left at
her disposal, forced to take it all with what dignity she
has left.

“You listen child, and you listen well.” He spits, leaning

into her ear so that his next words ring in her ears.
Suddenly, she is liften on the ground so that the tips of
her toes were just out of reach from the ground. Her
heart spikes in fear, feeling her throat close on itself as
she struggles to breath against his harsh grips. Her legs
flail about to try and touch solid ground, but is never
allowed to meet its mark. “If you fail me one more time,
I promise your fate will be far worse than anything I
gave Zuko.”

With what strength she has left, she nods her head,
gritting her teeth as her few final breathes start to leave
her. She could no longer feel her wrist, too focused on
the fact that she was literally dying right now.

Then, she is released, dropping to her knees while she

gasps to regain her breath.

“You’re pathetic. No wonder Ursa thought you were a

monster.”

Azula shuts her eyes closed, trying to force away that

comment as well as the stinging feeling in her eyes.
When she feels herself well enough to breathe normally,
Azula releases the hand that she had placed around her
neck and looks at her wrist. It seemed her mind was still
playing catch up, because even as Azula watches the skin
of her wrist throb and pulse with a disgusting red instead
of a tanned peach, she feels no pain.

Curious, Azula foolishly touches it, and is immediately

met with a sharp sting, making her hiss at the pain.
Standing up, she quickly makes her way to her room,
shutting the door behind her and locking it.

‘There’s going to be a bruise around your neck in the

morning.’

Azula scowls as she digs out her first aid kit. “I’ll wear a
fucking scarf then.”

‘It’s the middle of spring.’

“I don’t care! Just leave me alone for 2 goddamn

seconds!” She screams, but when she turns to face
where her Mother’s voice was, she finds no one there.
Letting out an angry huff, she storms into the bathroom
and begins the usual procedure. It seems her Father
wanted to make this one last, because the burn was far
worse than any other she had been given thus far. She
had really fucked up this time.

In all honesty she shouldn’t be surprised. Those airplanes

contained thousands of munitions that were essentially
for their plan during the comet. To have all of that lost
was a great disadvantage, but Ozai had his own
production going here. They would be fine with what
they had.

Taking off her shirt, she looks at her arm in the mirror
and sees that the bandage she still had wrapped around
it had bled through and would need to be replaced.
Getting to work on that, Azula tries to ignore the other
marks lining the skin of her arms and shoulders.

‘You can’t keep torturing yourself like this.’

“Stop pestering me.” She snarls.

‘I’m worried for you Azula, and so is your brother.’

“I don’t give a damn what you or Zuko is feeling. He

made his choice and got himself banished for it.”

‘He was a child who knew no better.’

“I’m a child too damnit!” She screams. “I’m younger than

him and I knew not to talk out of turn! Why do you
always excuse everything he does but not me?!”

‘Zuko is not-’, Her Mother stops, falling silent as Azula

waits for the words to be spoken.

“Go on, say it. I already know what it is.”

‘I wasn’t-”

“I’m a monster, right? That’s what you always said.

‘Azula, you monster!’ , this, ‘What is wrong with that
girl?’, that.”

‘I don’t think youre monster Azula.’

“Then what am I to you? I freak of nature?”

‘You are my daughter, and I love you.’

Azula feels tears in her eyes. Those were the truths she
always wanted to hear from her Mother. Was that so
much to ask from Azula? For her Mother to love her? It
shouldn’t be, should it? Weren’t all mothers supposed to
love their children unconditionally?

“Fucking liar.” She spits, trying to force the tears away

with sheer will.

‘I’m not lying Azula.”

“Leave me alone.”

‘Azula-’

“I said leave! Get out! I don’t ever want to see you

again!” She screams, swiping her hand across the sink
and knocking everything down in pure, unbridled rage.
When she finds her Mother gone without a trace, Azula
collapses.

Her breathing becomes labored, and the tears she had

been fighting so hard to keep back spill freely as her
hands grip at her hair. So tight in fact, that the bun she
had made up perfectly this morning falls out, letting her
hair surround the area around her eyes. It was all her
fault, all of this was because she couldn’t do a simple
task her Father had asked of her.

Why was this happening to her? Why was everything

falling apart so fast? Why can she not think straight?
Everything was moving too quickly, she had no time to
process. If she didn’t stop the Avatar from learning fire
bending, then she wouldn’t be able to stop him during
the comet. Why was Zuko even helping him? What
happened to the boy who was wallowing in self pity for
more than a year now?

Why were her thoughts so fucking loud?

Azula grips her head tighter as she grits her teeth. There
was a pool in between her legs where her tears were
starting to form together. She needed to get rid of all of
them, but apparently her Father didn’t want that,
otherwise she would have told her to do it. No matter
how many times she failed, she was still the best soldier
he had. She was indispensable.

Slowly, she starts to take deep breaths, working herself

back up so that all that was left of this little episode was
a sniffle here or a stray tear there. Once she’s ready, she
stands, using the sink for support while she begins to
pick up the scattered pieces of medical equipment she
had thrown to the floor so violently.

When her floor is clear of bandages and alcohol wipes,

Azula gets back to work. With great pain, Azula leaves
the bathroom 30 minutes later with a new bandage
around her upper arm, and a similar one around her
wrist. She’d have to come up with an alibi for this one.
Maybe she fell while training and scraped her wrist
badly.Yeah, that sounded good.

Alibi set in place, Azula realizes just how tired she was,
and finds herself crashing into bed a few minutes later.
She misses a call from Ty Lee.

The next day, Azula found herself being dragged along

for Prom shopping. Ty Lee insisted upon it, saying that it
would be a fun girls day out. As the girl tried on various
dresses in one of her favorite stores, Azula sits next to
Mai, who is staring at her all too bluntly.

Azula shifts in her chair, arms crossed with a neutral

stare as she watches Ty Lee go into the dressing room.
“If you want to say something to me Mai, now would be
the time.”

“You lied to me that night.”

Azula sighs. “You say this every day, Mai. I told you, I
didn’t lie.”

“Oh yeah? Then what’s with the hugs? You never did
explain that part to me.”

“You really think Ty Lee is going to take no for an

answer?”

“For you she would have.”

Azula snorts. “Funny, Mia. Hilarious even.”

“I’m serious. She knows you have rules and has always
respected them. I mean, who asks for permission to give
hugs, Azula?”

“Sane people with good manners?” She offers, watching

with amusement as Mai rolls her eyes.

“You know, you really are an idiot, Azula.” She says,

standing up and leaving Azula to be dumbfounded by her
bold words. And dumbfounded she was. Was she talking
about her feelings for Ty Lee? She certainly wasn’t an
idiot, that’s for sure. Azula had figured them out months
ago, so that couldn’t have been it.

Her phone buzzes, and Azula pulls it out to see who it

was.

It was from her Father, and it read, ‘Jai Madere, get

information as to where he’s hiding the blackmail he has
on us and report back to me by midnight.’ . Azula
glances at the time. It was four in the afternoon, which
meant she only had 8 hours to get this guy talking.

She could make that work.

Standing up, she turns her phone off and puts it back in
her jacket pocket. The two girls who were now standing
out at a mirror turned to look at her. “I have to go, I
assume you can take it from here, Mai?”

“Where are you going Azula?” Ty Lee asks.

Azula smiles at the girl. “Just the office, Father has called
for me.”

“Okay!” She chirps, turning back to the mirror while Mai

still watches her suspiciously. Azula smirks, winking at
her before turning around and walking out of the store,
back towards the direction of their cars. Azula was
fortunate to have rode on her bike today, separate from
the two girls.

She reaches her bike, and in no time she’s speeding off

to her Father’s business.

Oh she had made him talk alright.

She had left that room at a quarter past nine at night,

victory spread across her lips as she reported to her
father the exact location of the man’s hard drives.

It was when she got home that things went to shit.

Because as her house came into view, so did Ty Lee’s car,

parked right there in the driveway. Waiting for her.

Azula stops in the middle of the road, wide eyed and jaw
unhinged as she stared in shock. She hadn’t prepared for
this. She wasn’t expecting Ty Lee to be here, why hadn’t
she texted Azula? She would have changed out of her
blood soaked clothes if she knew Ty Lee was going to
fucking be here.

There was no time to think about it, Ty Lee had surely

heard her engine by now, and was probably coming out
to look for her. She’d just have to make up a story and
go with it. Parking in her driveway, she shuts off her
motorcycle and quickly heads inside.

There she was, waiting patiently in the lobby for Azula,

who was glaring at her with such rage she was sure Ty
Lee wouldn’t be able to comprehend the scope of it.

Ty Lee turns to her with a smile, but it morphs into

horror when she sees Azula standing there, glaring while
her clothes are stained with red splotches of blood all
over her.

“What the fuck are you doing her?” Azula growls, but it
seemed Ty Lee was angry too.

“What am I doing here-? Azula what happened?! Why are

you covered in blood?!”

Fucking hell. Fuck everything, just-

With no explanation, Azula storms down the halls,

ignoring Ty Lee’s rapid shouts of questions. She can hear
the girl gaining on her, but Azula slams the door shut in
Ty Lee’s face, locking the door behind her. The knob is
twisted and pulled with force, making Azula think briefly
that Ty Lee might actually break her door down.

“Azula open this door right now!” She shouts, starting to

bang on the wood relentlessly.

“Go home Ty Lee. None of this is your business.” Azula

calls calmly.

“Not until you tell me what the fuck is going on!” She
hears Ty Lee shout back.

Azula presses her good arm against the door, letting her
ear rest on the wood even as Ty Lee continues to pound
on the material. Even as Ty Lee shouts until her lungs die
out, and her hands wear into more soft thuds.

“Please Azula...I’m scared…” Ty Lee mumbles, and Azula

can feel something stab her heart clean through.

Goddamnit, these fucking feelings just won’t shut up.

“...Go home Ty Lee. I promise everything is okay.”

“Then let me inside.”

Azula winces, and her heart aches for the girl. “I’m sorry,
but I can’t do that.”

“Then nothing is okay. I’m not leaving, even if I’m here

all night.”

“You will be.”

“Then I’m going to find a blanket.”

Footsteps go off into the distance, and Azula falls to the

floor, her back leaning against the door as her heart
fights with her mind once more.

‘You don’t deserve her.’ Her Mother comments.

“You think I don’t know that?” She spits.

‘I told you this wouldn’t end well for you.’

“I thought I told you I never wanted to see you again.’

‘Nothing can keep me from you, Azula. You’re my

daughter.’

“Sweet lies from such cowardly lips. You should have

been a con artist.”

‘You know I love you, Azula.’

“I don’t. I do know that you hate me though. Enough to

call me a monster.”

‘I didn’t mean-’

“I’m back.” Ty Lee interrupts, and Azula says nothing.

She has nothing to say. She’s still working on an alibi for
the blood, and anything she says would be redirected
towards coaxing Azula to open the door.

‘Say something. Isn’t this what you wanted?’. Her Mother

says. Azula ignores her, bringing her knees up to her
chest and burying her face in them.

“You know, the week leading up to Prom is supposed to

be fun, isn’t it?”

‘Yes.’ Azula thinks.

“We’re supposed to go buy outfits, and get our hair done

together. We’re supposed to laugh at stupid jokes we find
online, and talk about the boys who are taking us.”

‘I only want to take you.’ The thought enters before

Azula could stop it, and she has to resist the urge to hit
her head on the back of the door in irritation.

“But now I’m sitting here, wondering why you're covered

in blood so late at night. Did you get roped into some
shady business deal? Or are you picking fights where you
shouldn’t?”

Silence.

‘You caused this, you know that right?’

“Azula I don’t care what it is, just please, talk to me.”

Azula feels her eyes sting once more.

‘She’s hurting because of you.’

“You're my best friend, and I wanna help you.”

She wishes she could say something. Anything to ease

the poor girl's mind.

‘This is your fault.’

“But I can’t do that unless I know what’s going on. So

please…”

Why hasn’t she left yet? Everything always left Azula. So

why hasn’t she?

‘All of this pain is now your burden to bear.’

“Just let me in…”

Azula wishes she could.

‘You're alone.’

But Azula is alone, and no one could help her now.

Notes:
i-

i have no excuses for this.

im so sorry but this is necessary for the

plot so just please bear with it :(

anyway though, i was up till two in the

morning writing this last night, as well
as making a spotify tyzula playlist. if
anyone wants it just ask and ill drop the
link in your comment.

were reaching the climax in the next

few chapters, so please be prepared for
lot of drama and lots of painful angst.
im not holding anything hack and plan
to make this as painful as i can think of
for azula. i apologize in advance.

alright im gonna go cry ab this chapter

and pray yall done hate me.

comments as always, i love reading ur

thoughts

Chapter 11: Restraint and Release

Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

In the days leading up to Prom, Azula found it hard to

focus on anything.

Even at school, she was having trouble keeping her eyes

focused on the text in her book. She would read the
words over and over, but none of the information would
be retained. But that was when she looked at the text,
because now her Mother wouldn’t shut up. She would
speak constantly and always be a shadow wherever
Azula went. She did her best to play it off, keeping her
usual composure and making it through the day with
nothing more than a weird glance from a random teen or
two.

Mai was not so easily fooled though.

At some point during a class they both had together, the

burn around Azula’s wrist was starting to act up. The
irritation seemed to set the skin under the bandage
aflame, making Azula lose focus on anything the teacher
might have been saying.

She must have interrupted class at some point, because

when Azula focused back into reality, she found herself
standing in front of the girls bathroom closest to her
class. Not bothering to question why or how she ended
up there, she heads inside, quickly walking over to the
sink to unwrap the bandage. She turns some lukewarm
water, or at least as close as she could get with the
school's faulty sinks, and lets her wrist lay under it. It
stings at first, but the pain is washed away with the
relaxing feeling of water tending to the burn.

“Youre going to explain that to me, right now.”

A click can be heard from the bathroom door, and Azula

freezes. A particularly cold splash of water hits her
wound and she winces, pulling away sharply. She looks
to stare at Mai, who is standing in the doorway with her
arms crossed. It was clear she wasn’t getting out of this.

“Scraped my hand during training a couple days ago.”

“That is not a scrape, Azula.”

Azula throws her hands up in exasperation. “What do you

want me to say, Mai?”

“The truth, for starters.” Mai blunts. “You’re not leaving

until you tell me everything.”

“You say that like there is something to be said.”

“There is a fucking burn mark on your arm. I want to

know how it got there.”

Azula narrows her eyes suspiciously, then widens them.

Azula would bet her life that she had heard about it
already from Zuko. “Oddly enough, I think you already
know the answer.”

“How on Agni would I know?”

“Why, my dear brother Zuzu of course.”

Mai’s clearly caught off guard by this, as she takes a step

back. “How do you know about that?”

Azula’s eyes widen. “So you finally did something about

it, didn’t you?”

“I-”

“My my, this is quite the development. So what, you’ve

been getting information about me from Zuko? That’s
low Mai, even for you.”

Mai says nothing at first, allowing her mind to catch up

to the conversation. Then, with more confidence, she
says, “Yeah, I have. Wanna know why?”

“Because my brother can’t keep his mouth shut for two

seconds even if he wanted to?” Azula offers, fighting
down a laugh at the words.

“Because any time I tried to ask you about it, you lied.
So yeah, forgive me for trying to be a good friend and
figure out what the hell has been going on with you.”

“And pray tell, what did you find out?” Azula relents,
knowing that trying to deflect was a lost cause at this
point.

Mai takes a step forward. “How many others has he

given you?”

Azula is surprised. She expected her to say his name. It

makes her wonder, why hadn’t she? “Enough.” Is all she
allows herself to say.

“Show me.”

Azula scoffs. “No.”

She’s relieved when Mai says, “Okay, that’s fair, but it

still proves my point.”

“Which is?” Azula drawls, rolling her eyes.

“Whatever your Father is really doing needs to stop, and

you need to stop helping him.”

“I have no-”

“Don’t lie to me. Remember, I know everything whether

you decide to talk about it or not.” Mai interrupts, and
Azula’s lax smirk turns into a frown.

“So much for secrecy.” She mutters. Heaving a long sigh,

Azula says, “Alright. I guess you should first tell me what
all you know, and then we can continue from there.”

Mai nods in agreement, continuing on to say, “I know

your Father is planning something for Sozin’s Comet.
World domination or something like that. Zuko wouldn’t
go into the specifics. I know you’ve been helping him for
years, and that you kept it from us all. I know he’s been
burning you, but I don’t know for how long.”

“3 months.” Azula says without hesitation.

“What? She asks.

“You said you don’t know how long. It’s been 3 months.
Ever since Zuko decided to team up with The Avatar. Oh,
I assume you know that too?” She adds, and rolls her
eyes when Mai nods.

“Why haven’t you told anyone?”

Azula lets out a clever smirk. “You don’t know? My Father

has eyes everywhere.” The wide eyes and nervous gulp
she gets back is proof enough that Mai didn’t know. She
taps the side of her head. “It’s all about how you play the
game, Mai.”

“And how long have you been playing?”

“My entire life.”

“And in this game, are you a pawn or the queen?

Azula smiles, rocking on her heels a bit as she re-

bandaged her wrist. A chess analogy, that was good.
“Only time will tell.”

“You’re on the losing side of this game, Azula. You at

least know that, right?”

“Are you sure? You never know what plan I might have
up my sleeve.”

“Why can’t you just stop, Azula? Do you know what this
is going to do to Ty-”

“Don’t you dare say a word of this to her.” Azula snarls,

taking two large steps towards Mai and placing a
threatening finger on her chest. “Ty Lee stays out of this,
do you hear me?”

If looks could kill, Mai would be 6 feet under this

bathroom flooring. The way Azula’s eyes seemed to burn
hotter than any flame the fire bender could produce was
a tell tale sign to the seriousness of her words.

Apparently, it only solidifies Mai’s next topic of

conversation. “Which brings me to my next question.”
She says, and Azula wishes she could run out of this
bathroom right now. She probably could, but she knows
Mai won’t let her leave without a fight.

“When are you going to do something about your

feelings for Ty Lee?”

Azula does the best thing she can think of at that

moment. She lies.

With a groan, she walks away from Mai. “What is with

this odd fascination you have with thinking I have
feelings for Ty Lee? I don’t!”

“Yes you do.”

“You don’t even believe me when I tell the truth!” Azula

shouts, faking exasperation. “Just drop it okay? Besides,
doesn’t she have a big fat crush on one of the thousands
of boys in this school?”

Azula can see that Mai is clearly not buying it at all, but
Azula makes her move before the goth can say anything.
“I’m leaving, we need to get back to class.”

“Azula-” Mai calls, but Azula slams the door to the

bathroom shut behind her.

Over the next couple of days, anyone could see that

everyone was on edge. The Student Coucil was always
racing through halls, checking and double checking to
make sure the equipment would be arriving on time and
the decorations were here to be put up the day before.
Many girls were whispering about who might ask them,
while others were finding out as a boy walked up to them
with some grand gesture to try and win their hearts over.

Azula groans at the reminder of how many Ty Lee had

had to reject.

Seemingly at every turn, there was a different boy

waiting to ask Ty Lee. Some brought flowers, others
brought posters, and some with a thick wad of cash
brought other expensive bribes to try and claim the
unclaimable. Mai watched next to Azula boredly, while
Azula internally raged with jealousy

That should be her.

But it wasn’t her. It couldn’t be her.

Ty Lee, ever the kindred soul, let them down easy, saying
she just didn’t see it happening and hoped they found
someone worthy of their time. Azula silently scoffed at
that. Didn’t she realize what wanting to go to Prom with
you meant? If a boy was asking you, it meant they
wanted to spend their time with you. Not someone else.

Azula should know, that’s how it went with Chan after all.

She had really dug herself into a whole, hadn’t she?

The problem was, Ty Lee wouldn’t stop nagging her

about that night when Azula came home with bloody
clothes. No matter what the conversation topic, Ty Lee
would always bring it up easily. Azula would always deny
any possible situation it could have been, because
truthfully, she had no alibi for this one. How do you
explain clothes soaked in blood during the middle of the
night?

She could have said she got in an accident, but that was
off the table considering her motorcycle was literally
parked outside of her house where Ty Lee could have
seen. There was also the option that she got into a fight,
but she knew Ty Lee wouldn’t believe that for even a
second. Azula had never publicly gotten into a fight. Sure
the threat was there, but no one had gotten brave
enough to challenge her.

Plus, the night it did happen, Ty Lee was totally wasted

and didn’t remember a thing. So really, she had no hard
evidence to back that up.

She just wanted Ty Lee to shut up about it if she was

being honest. The constant questions that the acrobat
gave her daily was starting to push some of her buttons.
Azula feared what she would do if Ty Lee pressed the
wrong one. Whether it be saying something all too
honest or doing something all too harmful, Azula knew it
wouldn’t end well.

So Azula did her best to stay calm, keeping everything

sizzling inside her until she was either training or facing
The Avatar. It was then that she allowed herself to
unleash every poke or praud that Ty Lee gave, every
instance that she was jealous, and so much anger
towards herself for not being able to complete what her
Father asked out into the open air. And it all took the
shape of wild and unbelievable hot blue flames.

Some call it unhealthy, Azula called it rewarding.

That feeling of releasing everything she had been holding

in was so freeing. Every burst or ball of fire was like
sending away another swell of emotions inside her. For in
those moments, Azula forgot everything that wasn’t
taking The Avatar down.

She felt nothing more than the fire coursing through her
veins, fueling her body even in its weakest moments.

However, fire couldn’t help her now.

It was at least one in the morning, and Azula stared at

her ceiling, wide awake. If she glanced next to her, she’d
find Ty Lee next to her, and Mai on the other side of her.
They had had a sleepover, Ty Lee proclaiming it was
essential in preparing for Prom. Neither Mai nor Azula
were too thrilled about the idea, but what Ty Lee said
goes, whether they have a say in the matter or not.

She had prepared herself for this, of course. She had

silently trained her emotions ever since the plans had
been finalized to hold herself together so long as Ty Lee
was conscious. She did not, however, plan for Ty Lee to
torment her even in sleep.

Not 10 minutes after the girl falls asleep, Azula is startled

to feel Ty Lee’s forehead land on Azula’s shoulder
thinking it was another pillow to rest on. Ty Lee makes
no indication that it was a conscious move, her breath
still perfectly even as it comes out in exhaled whispers
that tickle the hairs on Azula’s neck. The feeling brings a
blush to Azula’s cheeks immediately, and she needs to
get out of this position.

Carefully, Azula maneuvers out of the position, bending

her shoulder just so that Ty Lee’s head falls onto an
actual pillow. Now free, Azula gets out of the bed,
running a hand through her bed ridden hair and huffs a
quiet breath. What the fuck does she do now?

Racking her brain for ideas, she ponders just pulling out
a spare blanket and pillow and sleeping on the floor. It
would be uncomfortable, and her back would surely hate
her, but at least she’d be able to sleep in peace.

Azula hears someone in the bed shift, and looks to see

the end of Mai moving to lay on her side. Odd, Mai never
moved in her sleep. She slept like the dead, which was
creepy enough on its own. Narrowing her eyes, Azula
focuses on Mai’s breathing, and finds it being held
instead of moving up and down rhythmically. Mai was
spying on her, even in her sleep.

Azula would be lying if she said she wasn’t impressed.

A thought hits her. What if she just told Mai? Just, laid it
all out there. She could swear the girl to secrecy, Mai
would at least do that. And besides, it would be...nice to
finally talk to someone about it besides her fucking
Mother.

Making up her mind, Azula walks to Mai’s end of the bed

and hits her lightly. Mai pretends to startle herself
awake, and Azula decides to ignore it in favor of nudging
her head towards her balcony. Before Mai can even say
no, Azula starts walking to the door. It was a glass door
with wooden outlines, but Azula knew from experience
that no one would be able to hear them until someone
opened the door.

She heads outside, ignoring the cold chill in the air and
heating herself up with her bending. Mai, ever the cold
hearted bitch, makes no indication that she is even
slightly affected, and takes her place next to Azula,
leaning on the railing. She waits for Azula, as the fire
bender was the one that called her here in the first place.

“Before we start, you are under no circumstances to tell

Ty Lee any of this. Do you understand?”

Mai is silent, but nods her head as confirmation. Taking a

deep breath in, Azula finally allows herself to tell a truth
she’s hidden for so long.

“I figured it out 4 months ago, when Ty Lee took me

bowling with Aang and his friends.” She starts, and when
Mai says nothing, she continues. “I think deep down I
always knew, I just didn’t want to accept it. I still don’t
think I’m ready to accept it if I’m being honest.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t deserve her.” Azula says simply, subconsciously

rubbing the bandages covering her left wrist.

“What makes you say that?” Mai says, and Azula scoffs.
She’s not serious, right?

“Have you met me?”

“Fair enough.” Mai concedes. “Truthfully, I don’t think you

deserve her either.”

“Then why are you so adamant about me telling her?”

“Because it’s eating you alive, and sitting there letting it

fester is going to do nothing but hurt you.”

Azula could agree with that, but she wasn’t about to let
Mai have that satisfaction. “More than it would to be
rejected?” She says instead.

“You know Ty Lee is always...gentle when letting people

down.”

“And yet, it hurts all the same.” Azula mumbles, watching

the nearly full moon slowly glide across the night sky. If
she didn’t know what that moon meant for the next
coming days, Azula might have been oddly at peace. She
did though, and all it did was add to the turmoil of her
ever increasing stress inside of her mind.

“So what, you plan to just keep it inside you forever?”

“Yes. Until it goes away.”

“That’s not healthy, Azula.” Mai warns. She had been

hearing that a lot lately.

“What other options do I have?”

“Go see a therapist?” Mai offers.

Azula laughs, really laughs because wow, even she

hadn’t thought of that one. “And do what? Tell her all my
woe’s and heartache? I’ll pass.”

“You have to tell someone, Azula.”

“Why do you think I’m telling you?”

“You have to do this for yourself, Azula. Not because I

nagged you about it for months.”

Azula sighs, why did she decide this was a good idea
again? Right, because she’s utterly miserable and needed
a distraction. “Look, I told you because it was all I could
think of, but if you really have no good ideas for me,
then I’ll just go back to sleep.”

Azula goes to head inside, but Mai grabs her arm,

effectively stopping her in place.

“Bottle it up, and you’ll explode, Azula. I won’t be there

for you if you do.”

“Thanks for the heads up, but I’ll be fine on my own.”

Azula says, shrugging her arm out of Mai’s grip and
walking back inside. She had forgotten that, once Azula
laid back down, Ty Lee was right there next to her. Even
if she was no longer physically touching Azula, the mere
presence of the girl was enough to light Azula’s heart
aflame.

These feelings had done nothing but grow these past

months. She can recall the last time Azula had willingly
let Ty Lee sleep over, and how she had helped the drunk
girl as she fell asleep in her arms, and was perfectly fine.
But now? Now if Ty Lee breathed on her she went into a
strange sort of panic.

Ty Lee sighs in her sleep, mumbling incoherently as she

moves to lay and arm across Azula’s waist.

Oh, for fuck’s sake.

Notes:
HAHA FILLER CHAPTER GO BRRRR

hi everyone! it feels like i long time

since ive talked to all of u lmao but
somehow im still on schedule.

going back to the book, prom will be

next chapter and i plan to have plenty
of drama and angst to add to that

but i promise there will be fluff, so stay

tuned.

i love writing oblivious, panicky azula

because it really shows just how
different she is with ty lee then
everyone else. but this chapter was
mainly just to fill in some holes i
thought needed filling and establish that
yes, mai and zuko have finally gotten
together. yes, azula told mai because
why the fuck not at this point. in two
days azula is going to destroy the world
so might as well leave it out there
right?

anyway, the days of angst and

depression are upon us, but hey, this
will be the climax of the story so after
the bad shit happens, we'll have to see
how azula dissolves from there

COMMENT UR THOUGHT. ik its jus a

filler but i wanna know what u thought

bye bye everyone, see u soon!

Chapter 12: Burn The Ashes Of Our

Love So That Nothing Remains
Notes:
I made art of their outfits, go check it
out on twitter, it would mean a lot :)

https://twitter.com/tyzulacanon/status/
1320549790837604352
(See the end of the chapter for more
notes.)

One hour left.

The clock ticked mercilessly as Azula shrugged on the

dress shirt to her suit. She would have worn a dress, but
those were rather revealing, and Azula would prefer not
to explain the many burns across her back and arms. So,
she went to one of her family's trusted tailors and they
made her what they claimed to be, ‘The finest suit that
would be worn to her Prom’. It was good enough for her.

It was very her if she was being honest. The simple black
jacket was accentuated with vibrant icy blue flames,
similar to how her own flames looked. They spread
around the bottom of the jacker and the sleeves around
her arms, and were complimented with a dress shirt in
the same color. She had done her makeup the same way
as always, as well as her hair. She saw no need to do
anything different, after all, she was already perfect.

Not a hair out of place.

She had no idea what Ty Lee or Mai would be wearing, as

they had both left this morning to make their own
preparations. She was slightly on edge thinking about
how Ty Lee would look, but distracted herself with fixing
the collar of her shirt. As she did so, the sleeve around
her left arm fell down a bit, revealing the clean white
bandage underneath. She frowns at it, annoyed that it
couldn’t completely heal before this so that she wouldn’t
have to wear the ugly thing.

‘You look very...handsome.’

“Shut it.” Azula snaps, not wanting to deal with her

Mother right now.

‘Am I not allowed to see you off to your junior Prom?’

“No.”

In the reflection of her mirror, she sees her mother

frown. ‘ Aren’t you worried Ty Lee might see that?’

By that, Azula can tell she means the bandage. She

glances at it briefly before shrugging her sleeve down
nonchalantly. “If she knows what’s good for her she
won’t say anything even if she does.”

‘Do you plan to tell her?’

Azula’s face contorts in confused anger. “What? No.

That’s preposterous.”

‘I know my daughter, Azula. The thought has at least

crossed your mind.’

Azula drops her hands and turns to face her mother with
a glare. “Of course I have, you imbecile. That doesn’t
mean I should though.”

‘And why shouldn’t you?’

“Because I will be taking over the world in less than 24

hours and would prefer not to have anything distracting
me.”

‘She already distracts you.’

“God, you never shut up, do you?” Azula groans, moving

past her mother to grab the keys to her motorcycle. “Let
me live my life. After all, you walked out of it years ago.”

Her Mother says nothing after that, and Azula leaves the
room shortly after, slamming the door behind her. Taking
to a brisk walk down the hall, she reaches the living
room before she is interrupted.

“Off to that silly little dance your school is having?” Her

Father’s deep voice asks. Azula stops in the doorway,
silently pleading just to let her go without
anymore...complications.

“Yes, it’s called Prom.”

“Right.” Ozai comments. He takes a sip from the glass of

whiskey he was nursing before setting it down to stand
up and walk over to her. Azula stands frozen in place as
he circles her once. She has to force herself not to jump
when one of his hands lightly drags across her shoulder.
“A fine suit. Was this tailored by Kina?”

A nod, and he moves back to face her head on. Keeping

her head down, Azula feels the heat of his stare as his
eyes wander over her body. Azula didn’t like this. She
didn’t like being scared of anything, but that fear of any
wrong step kept her frozen in place in front of him until
he said, “Very well, go.”

She all but bolts down the hall, but does it with the most
grace she could muster. Once she’s outside and in front
of her motorcycle, Azula realizes she’s never enjoyed the
cold more than in this moment.

When she pulls into a parking spot outside of the school,

Azula can already hear the faint beat of music playing
from inside. Even through the padding of her helmet, the
tune of some popular song could be heard, and even the
thump of the music was being carried into the asphalt of
the parking lot. Toph must be having the time of her life
right now.

Beginning the trek towards the school entry doors, which

were open for students to come in from, Azula takes out
her phone, checking social media briefly. Just scrolling
through the pictures, Azula could already make out the
layout of the gym, with dim, blue-ish lights that created
a relaxed atmosphere for students to let loose.

Azula concurs by Mai and Zuko’s couple photo that they

were already here, and pockets her phone. Walking
inside, she passes by several streamers and decorations
to mark the event. Azula rolls her eyes. While she was
always one for theatrics, this was a bit much. One simple
glance and Azula could tell they were self-made in
between classes.

She reaches a desk, and Azula hands the ticket she had
bought days ago to the girl. She takes it quickly,
pocketing it and giving her a curt, “Enjoy the party.”

Ignoring the malice in that girl's voice, Azula heads

inside. Just by opening the door, the music was amplified
tenfold that made Azula’s ears thump violently. She
winces as her ears adjust, and scans the room for any
signs of her brother or Mai. The room was dark save for
the blue lighting, as well as the thin, white laser lights
flying across the roof and walls of the gym.

Off to her right was the photo station, where there was
quite the hefty line of students waiting to have their
pictures taken. Azula wrinkles her nose in disgust as one
student put on a pair of ridiculously large sunglasses and
gives the camera a goofy smile.

Scanning the rest of the room, she ignores the sea of

kids laughing and dancing to the song currently playing,
and spots Mai and Zuko near the food table, sitting on a
bench with cups in their hands.

Well that's depressing.

Making her way over to them, she says just that and
earns herself a glare from each of them. One the way
over, she had grabbed a cup if whatever concoction this
school had deemed well enough for the event.

She takes a whiff of it before drinking it and finds it reeks

of alcohol. She grimaces. "Did a kid manage to sneak an
entire bottle of vodka in here so he could spike the
punchbowl, or did i just get the unlucky cup?"

"You'd be right. The entire football team each brought a

flask and dumped it in." Zuko comments, boredom
shown in his slouched posture.

Azula's face radiates disgust as she throws it into the

trash can just next to her. "Anyway," She says, trying to
move on from the topic. "Who else is here?"

"I saw Aang and his friends on the dance floor. Ty Lee's
out there too." Mai says.

Azula gives a nod of acknowledgement, trying to look as

if she didn't care as much as she did. It was then that
she saw Zuko's tense glare. "What's with the look,
Zuzu?"

"I'm just surprised you haven't tried to kill me yet."

Azula snorts. "Not a dull moment with you, brother. Don't

you know? School's a neutral ground."

"Who decided that?"

"Me." Azula says, and rolls her eyes at Zuko's surprised

look. "I talked to Aang on his first day here."

"More like she was forced to." Mai mutters.

"You're not wrong.” Azula concurs.

“So wait, you, Azula, decided to play nice because Ty Lee

asked you to?”

Azula raises an eyebrow. “Is there a problem with that?”

She asks, and she can see her brother visibly gulp. It
was good to still have fear reign over at least one of the
pair.

“No, I just-”

“Hey Zuko!” A voice exclaims from behind her, one Azula

acknowledges as Aang. When she turns, she is met with
the nervous faces of the entire gang. “Uh...h-hey
Azula...How’s it going?”

She rolls her eyes. “Nice try shortstack, but just say, ‘I
hate you’ next time, okay?”

“I was trying to be nice.”

“We agreed to be neutral. Not nice.” Azula replies curtly,

pocketing her hands as he side-eyes him. “You can stop
acting like I’m gonna burn you at the stake. I’ve decided
to try and tolerate you fools for tonight.”

“...Thanks?”

“The displeasure is all mine.” She utters, which earns a

rare laugh from Mai.

“Nice.” Is all the girl says before she reverts back to

normal, ‘I hate the world’ Mai.

“Guys! You left me with that guy!” Another voice coined

in, and Azula ignores the way her heartbeat starts to pick
up at an alarming rate.

She sees Aang smile as he turns around to say, “Sorry

Ty! We figured you two would want some alone time!”

Ty Lee makes a noise resembling disgust, starting to say,

“No way! You know I like- Holy fuck.”

The words leave Ty Lee’s lips just as the gang separates

to reveal Azula. Azula stands there, not sure of what
exactly she should be doing. As a compromise, she gives
Ty Lee her usual smirk, teasing her with, “What, cat got
your tongue?”

Ty Lee seemed to have, for all the life of her, lost all
coherent speech, which was internally flustering the hell
out of Azula. Seriously, why was she looking at her like
that?

Then, as if a switch was flicked, Ty Lee beams at Azula,

“Azula you look so good!”

“And you look as stunning as always, Ty Lee.” Azula

compliments.

Ty Lee giggles, giving Azula a twirl, letting the pink dress

lift into the air slightly. It came just to her knees. It was
an off shoulder dress, with beautiful patterns lining the
skirt and strip of pink silk going horizontal across her
arms and chest. The rest was a simple light pink, her
signature color. It made Azula nearly blush.

I’m nearing the end of my fourth year

Ty Lee and Suki both gasp in recognition of the song. “I

love this song! C’mon, let’s go dance!” The acrobat
squeals. Everyone seems to shift to move, but Azula’s
wrist is grabbed before she is roughly pulled to follow Ty
Lee into the sea of kids on the dance floor.

I feel like I've been lacking, crying too many tears

Everyone seemed to say it was so great

But did I miss out, was it a huge mistake?

Azula couldn’t help but focus on the warmth Ty Lee’s

hand gave as they reached an open area. She vaguely
noticed everyone else joining her and the brunette as
they started to dance to the music.

I can't help the fact I like to be alone

It might sound kinda sad, but that's just what I seem to

know

Azula stood there amidst the rest of the group. She

watched as they danced without a care, something Azula
had never been taught how to do. The only other person
not dancing was Mai, as she just stood there with a
bemused smile as Zuko lazily shrugged along to the
song.

“Azula?” Ty Lee calls, making Azula direct her attention

to the brunette. It was amazing what the lighting was
doing for Ty Lee. How her eyes seemed to sparkle a
greyish blue, drawing Azula in without a second thought.

I tend to handle things usually by myself

And I can't ever seem to try and ask for help

“Do you not know how to dance?”

Not wanting to speak the words to life, Azula shakes her

head ever so slightly. No one else would have noticed,
but Ty Lee was staring, so she saw everything.

Azula had never had to dance before in her life. It was

never a requirement her Father saw fit to hold her to.
Business wasn’t about how well you could move your
body, it was about how well you could move your lips.
How efficient you were at smooth talking and convincing
even the most hard-shelled customers.

I'm sitting here, crying in my prom dress

I'd be the prom queen if crying was a contest

“Here.” Ty Lee says, taking Azula’s hand and placing one

on the brunette’s waist, while the other one she kept
interlocked with her own so that it could rest outwards
next to them.

Makeup is running down, feelings are all around

How did I get here? I need to know

“It’s not the typical dance for this kind of song, but you
gotta start somewhere, right?”

Azula stares, trying to combust at the feeling of holding

Ty Lee so intimately in public. “Right.” She swallows,
forcing her fears down her throat and telling herself to
enjoy it. Enjoy having this for just one night.

I guess I maybe had a couple expectations

Thought I'd get to them, but no I didn't

Ty Lee starts to sway, and nudges her head as if to say,

‘You too.’ . Azula tries it, looking down to match her pace
with Ty Lee’s, earning a laugh from the brunette.

“Don’t think about it, Azula. Just feel the music, and
move.” She explains, and Azula’s lips form into a hard
line. Azula wasn’t allowed to not think about things.
Analyzing a perfecting were the sole traits that got her as
good as she is with everything else in her life. And now
Ty Lee was asking her to just stop?

I guess I thought that prom was gonna be fun

But now I'm sitting on the floor and all I wanna do is run

Maybe just once.

Daring to pull Ty Lee the tiniest bit closer, she allows her
heart to take over just this once. Aang and everyone else
forgotten, Azula allows herself to move to the beat with
Ty Lee, moving from swaying to stepping in a little
square pattern. She isn’t sure how she got herself there,
only that she knew it felt right. Judging by Ty Lee’s proud
smile, she was doing pretty good. She always was a
quick learner. The next few minutes were spent dancing
in silence, Azula’s steps gradually becoming more bold
and fluid as Ty Lee was beautifully humming along to the
lyrics of the song. Bliss.

I guess I thought that prom was gonna be fun

But now I'm sitting on the floor and all I wanna do is run

All I wanna do is run

Confident as the song ends, Azula twirls Ty Lee out of the

embrace, letting her spin once before pulling her back
into Azula’s body. Azula’s breath was a bit shallow, but
no worse then Ty Lee’s. They stare at each other, hazel
and grey meeting with fixed amazement.

Azula realizes it then. This feeling, the feeling that had

been pulling at her heart for months now and refused to
let go.

She was in love with Ty Lee.

“Azula.” Ty Lee breathes, reaching a hand up to touch the

skin of Azula’s cheek. “Your aura-”

Azula’s heart stops, and prays what Ty Lee is about to

say isn’t what she thinks it is.

“-It’s so pink.”

Azula’s mouth opens to say something, and yet, no

words come out. She’s speechless because she can’t
possibly think of a reason to justify why her aura had
apparently turned pink so suddenly. The blush that rises
to her cheeks is a completely different problem too, but
she decides to ignore it in the hopes that it was too dark
for Ty Lee to see it.

“Hey, let’s go get some punch, guys.” Katara offers, and

Azula restraints from sighing in relief.

Mind taking back over, she pulls away from their

embrace, saying a quick, “Come on.” to Ty Lee before
walking with the group. The brunette catches up to walk
beside her, but Azula can feel the tension now radiating
from Ty Lee’s body. It permeates all around them, filling
them in this nervous silence where they didn’t dare
speak of it.

Apparently Katara had forgotten that the punch was

basically hard vodka at this point, because when she
came over with Aang in tow to where the rest of the
group was sitting, she took a sip only to spit it back in
the cup immediately. Azula smiles, greatly amused at the
events unfolding in front of her as Sokka and Aang
immediately see if she’s alright. Toph is howling from
laughter, and Suki isn’t faring much better.

“Careful necklace, one or two more sips and you’ll be

passed out on the floor.”

“Shut it, daddy’s girl.” Katara snaps.

Laying in the silence

Waiting for the sirens

A collective gasp could be heard from everyone, and

Azula’s eye twitches. She manages to keep her smirk
plastered on her face, but as she stands and walks the
three steps over to Katara, it feels more threatening than
teasing.

“Wanna say that again, Miss know-it-all?”

Signs, any signs I'm alive still

I don't wanna lose it

Katara’s seething glare doesn’t budge as she gets up in

Azula’s face. Emphasizing each word, Katara spits.
“Daddy’s. Little. Monster.”

I'm not getting through this

Hey, should I pray? should I pray

“Okay guys that’s enough-” Ty Lee tries, but Katara is

quicker.

“No, why don’t you tell her, Azula? I’m tired of playing by
your rules.”

To myself? To a God?

To a saviour who can

Azula’s smirk turns into a murderous glare. She did not

just do that.

“Tell me what?” Ty Lee asks, and Azula can hear the

uneasy waver in her words.

“Don’t do this.” Azula grits as quietly as she can. It only

serves as fuel to Katara’s growing smirk as she says.

Unbreak the broken

Unsay these spoken words

Find hope in the hopeless

“Watch me.” Then, “Ty Lee, are you aware that Azula’s
Father runs a second business?”

“Katara, I’m warning you-”

Pull me out of the train wreck

Unburn the ashes

Unchain the reactions, I'm not ready to die, not yet

She ignores Azula’s threats, instead moving to walk over

to Ty Lee, who looks just as confused as she sounds.

“W-What?” Ty Lee asks.

Pull me out of the train wreck

Pull me out, pull me out, pull me out

Pull me out, pull me out

“That’s right. Ozai’s been trying to take over the world

for years, and tomorrow he plans to use Sozin’s comet to
finish the job.”

Azula see’s many emotion’s flash across Ty Lee’s face.

Confusion, anger, fear, hurt, betrayal. It all comes to a
head when those big grey orbs look up at Azula.

Underneath our bad blood

We still got a sanctum, home

Still a home, still a home here

“And guess who’s been helping him do it? All behind your
back?” Katara ends, and the air around the entire group
grows thick with tension.

It's not too late to build it back

'Cause a one-in-a-million chance

Even from her far spot away from Ty Lee, she can see
tears beginning to form. It simultaneously breaks and
fuels her heart with anger towards Katara.

“Is that true, Azula?” Ty Lee asks, a single tear spilling

from her eye.

Is still a chance, still a chance

I would take those odds

Azula doesn’t like that tone, one that suggests that if

Azula makes one wrong move she’ll bolt out of this gym.
She’s already standing as if she’s going to.

Azula takes a cautious step forward, saying, “Ty Lee, let

me explain-”

Unbreak the broken

Unsay these spoken words

Find hope in the hopeless

She doesn’t get that chance, because the moment she

takes that step, Ty Lee bolts. “Ty Lee!” She shouts,
turning to watch the girl sprint out of the gym, bursting
the doors open and vanishing from any of their sight.

The weight of this entire exchange finally hits her.

Pull me out of the train wreck

Unburn the ashes

Unchain the reactions, I'm not ready to die, not yet

She’s losing her.

She’s losing the one person who she promised herself

never to hurt. The one who she vowed to protect even if
she lost her sanity doing so.

Pull me out the train wreck

Pull me out, pull me out, pull me out

Pull me out, pull me out, pull me out

“Whatcha gonna do now, Azu-!”

Katara doesn’t get to finish that sentence, because Azula

whips around and socks Katara right in her cheek,
knocking the girl to the ground roughly. Azula can hear
the others all stand, ready to defend if Azula starts to
attack, and she notices how many random eyes land on
the scene in front of them.

You can say what you like 'cause see, I would die for you

I, I'm down on my knees and I need you to be my God

Katara looks up at Azula, a mixture of shock and terror in

her eyes as Azula points a threatening finger down at
her.

“I’ll kill you.” She says, eyes wide with homicidal rage.

She would have done it too. She would have burned a

hole through Katara’s chest right now if it wasn’t for the
fact that Ty Lee had just run out of the building. So, she
backs away slowly before turning to sprint after Ty Lee.

Unbreak the broken

Unsay these reckless words (find hope in the hopeless)

Pull me out of the train wreck

Shoving the doors to the gym open, she scans possible

ways Ty Lee could have gone. Ignoring the way the
teacher at the door stares at her, she deduces that she
must have gone outside, seeing as the hallway into the
school was blocked off.

Knowing this, she runs outside and lets her eyes analyze
every inch of the layout in front of her. She goes from
cars to bushes, to roads and sidewalks until she spots a
flash of pink disappear behind the edge of the school
building in the distance.

Immediately knowing it’s Ty Lee, she takes off down the

pathway that would lead her to that part of the building,
and turns the corner with fervor. There she finds Ty Lee
pacing back and forth, hands above her head as she
seems to hyperventilate.

Unburn the ashes

Unchain the reactions, I'm not ready to die, not yet

“Ty Lee-” Azula says, taking a few steps forward but

stopping when Ty Lee backs away in fear.

“Stop! D-Don’t come near me!”

Azula obeys. “Ty Lee let me explain-”

“How could you keep something like this from me?” Ty

Lee cries, and Azula see’s how the moon makes the tears
in Ty Lee’s eyes shimmer woefully.

“I was trying to keep you safe.”

“Safe?! Azula in what world did you think keeping this

from was going to keep me safe?!”

“It was all I could do!” Azula shouts back. “What, would
you rather know that I’m part of an illegal business?!”

“Yes!” Ty Lee exclaims, throwing her hands up as she

laughed in disbelief. “I would take that ten times over
being left in the dark!”

Azula says nothing, only letting her silence be her

argument as Ty Lee brings her hands down. “Does Mai
know?”

“She found out when she started dating Zuko. I had no

control over that.”

Ty Lee puts her face into her palms and drags them
upwards in frustration. Groaning, Ty Lee asks, “Is this
why you came home bloody that one time?”

“Yes.”

“Agni…” Ty Lee breathes, covering her mouth with one of

her hands as the insinuation to what that answer meant.
“Azula what have you been doing?”

“Whatever my Father tells me to.”

“And that justifies anything and everything he forces you

to do?”

“He’s not forcing it, I do it voluntarily.”

“Then explain to me what exactly it is.”

Azula takes a deep breath in. “Do you want the long
version or the short one?”

“Tell me everything, Azula. No more secrets.”

“Then you tell me a secret.” Azula says. If she was going

to lose everything tonight she might as well learn at least
one thing.

“What?” The brunette asks, confused.

“If I tell you my secret, then you tell me one of yours.”

Ty Lee’s eyes dart everywhere and nowhere in seconds

as she lets out a quick, “Fine, but I don’t see the point in
it.”

“Well I do.” Azula says before finally explaining

everything. “I can’t get into...specifics, but most of it was
just jobs. Smuggling cargo, watch over trade deals,
anything Father required I could do it.”

“And the rest of it.”

“Are you sure you want to hear this?” Azula warns,

peaking a lowered eye up to see Ty Lee’s determined
gaze. She wasn’t getting out of this.

“Tell me Azula.”

Sighing, Azula relents. “The rest was what you saw.

Sometimes he needed me to get information, one way or
another. And sometimes it required more...extreme
methods.”

“Is that why you’ve been hiding that bandage on your

wrist from me all week?”

Azula is actually very impressed that Ty Lee managed to

catch that. She’d been paying extra careful attention to it
for that very reason. “Very observant of you, Ty Lee, but
no.”

“Then tell me what it is.”

“I’m afraid that’s a secret I can’t tell you.” Azula deflects.

“Onto my question.”

Azula can see the irritation in Ty Lee’s face, but

nevertheless the brunette says, “Fine.”

“Who’s this crush of yours?”

Ty Lee gapes at her, and Azula watches with growing

nerves as the open mouthed shock turns into something
akin to anger. What, was she angry? Why was she-

“Azula you're such an idiot! How have you not figured it

out?!”

Azula puts her hands up in defense as Ty Lee comes ever

closer to her. “I’m sorry? Am I missing something here?”

“It’s you! I love you!”

Azula’s brain and heart screech to a stop.

What.

“You...what?” Azula asks, and Ty Lee scoffs.

“It’s always been you, Azula. Ever since we were kids,

but apparently you were too busy sucking up to your
Father to notice.”
“No you...you can’t love me. That’s...that’s not right…”
Azula utters.

That can’t be right. Azula was a monster, and monsters

were supposed to be unlovable. There was no way Ty Lee
could possibly love her. So why would she say that? To
mess with Azula’s feelings even more than she already
has? Why was she staring at Azula as if waiting for her to
say something?

“You really are an idiot, Azula.” Ty Lee mutters as tears

fill her eyes.

Ty Lee loved her...She loved Azula. Ever since they were

kids.

No. That can’t be right. Ty Lee wasn’t...she didn’t

deserve her. She was supposed to never love Azula back.
That was how this worked. Azula was a monster, and
monsters were not things someone could love. She only
loved what Azula let her see. Yes, that was it. Ty Lee only
saw the good parts. She didn’t see the bits of Azula that
weren’t perfect.

“Azula.” A voice calls from behind her.

Azula frowns. Now was not the time for this.

“Hello, Aang. What can I do for you?” She utters, turning

around to see the rest of the group waiting for her.

This time, Mai is with them. Her glare hardens. “Mai,

what are you doing?”

This was the girls only exit. If Mai walked over here right
now then Azula would forget the possible reasons as to
why Mai was on their side.

“Joining the winning team.” She replies, moving to the

front of the group so that she wasn’t hiding from Azula.
“You said it yourself, Azula. It’s all about how you play
the game, right?”

Azula’s hands curl into tight fists, and she can feel her
bandages wrist start to burn and tighten under the
pressure. Of course she’d join Zuko and his new friends.
“I should have expected this from you.”

“Well, you didn’t, and now we’re giving you a choice.”

Azula scoffs. “You know the consequences for this Mai,

don’t you? You’ll end up like Zuko.”

“I’m starting to think that’s not such a bad thing.” Mai

retorts, narrowing her eyes as she says, “You
miscalculated. I love Zuko more than I fear you.”

You didn’t do good enough.

Azula snaps. “No you miscalculated! You should’ve feared

me more!”

Moving her hands up into a lethal fire bending form,

Azula goes to shoot outwards, but something hits her
arm, knocking her off balance.

No…

Another hit to her chest, knocking the breath out of

Azula immediately and making her crash to the floor. On
the way down though, she catches a glimpse of the
person responsible.

Brown hair and grey eyes shine at her from above, and
all she sees is the hurt worn on Ty Lee’s face.

Of course.

After all, who could love a monster.

“Come on, let’s get out of here.” Mai says, and Azula
watches her and Ty Lee walk away with the gang.

“You're both fools!” She shouts, trying her damnedest to

move her limbs but finding herself incapable of even
twitching her thumb.

Of course she didn’t. Azula wasn’t good enough for her

Father, so why would she be good enough for Ty Lee?

Azula watches as Ty Lee takes one last longing look back

at Azula, to which she only glares at Ty Lee with rage.
How could she say those things, and then stab her in the
back like this? Ty Lee was supposed to be the one person
she could trust, even if she hated her. Even if she feared
her, she was supposed to be there for Azula. Wasn’t she?

Azula can’t take it, and she lets out a gut wrenching
scream, tears starting to spill because she just wants to
move her goddamn body.

Ty Lee had betrayed her, and left her to rot alone.

‘I told you this wouldn’t end well for either of you.’

Her Mother’s voice only enraged her further.

Nothing mattered anymore. She had no one left except

her Father. She would make him proud, it was all that
she could do.

She would burn this world to the ground, and make it

kneel breath her feet.

Pull me out of the train wreck

Pull me out, pull me out, pull me out

Pull me out, pull me out, pull me out

Notes:
im so sorry.

Chapter 13: Crack In The Mind Lead

to Devastating Events
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

When Azula was little, things were easier.

In retrospect, anyone’s life as a child is easier than when

they are forced to grow up and face the harsh reality of
the world they live in. For Azula though, things were just
easy.

There was a brief moment, a memory frozen in time that

Azula held no malice looking back on. One spent in the
gardens of her house, playing with her friends Mai and Ty
Lee while Zuko attempted to learn Pai Sho from their
Uncle. Off in the distance, Azula could see her Mother
feeding the turtle ducks silently, and on the porch she
would find her Father looming over them like a shadow.

“Azula! Let’s play hide and seek!” Ty Lee offers with

excitement.

Azula’s gut bubbles with adrenaline just thinking of the

game. “Yes, let’s do it. Mai, you be the first seeker.”

“Whatever.” Mai says from her spot leaning against a

tree. She seemed to be somewhat interested in a book
during all of this, but she all but tossed it to the floor
without a care at the mention of doing something
different.

“You know the rules, Mai. No peeking-”

“-Count to thirty, don’t ask Zuko for help. Yeah yeah,

just go.” Mai cuts off, turning around and covering her
eyes with her hands.

Once Azula had deemed herself fully out of Mai’s sight,

she turns to go find a good hiding spot, but her wrist is
grabbed and she is pulled along behind a long, silky
brown braid.

“Wha-!”

“Shh!” Ty Lee whispers quietly. “Follow me.”

Against her better judgement and will, Azula follows Ty

Lee into the forest next to her house. They cut through
bushes and dart around tree’s hearing a faint, “I’m
coming to get you two!” in the tone of Mai’s sharp voice.

Azula hears Ty Lee giggle from the front, and Azula

couldn’t help but smile too. Wherever Ty Lee was taking
her, it had better be a good hiding spot. The ground they
were running across slopes sharply, and Azula is pulled
to stand in front of a rack of vines. She scowls, mildly
disappointed at this turn of events

“You brought me all the way out here for shrubbery Ty

Lee?” Azula says.

Ty Lee laughs. “Not the shrubbery, but rather what’s

behind the shrubbery!”

Just then, the brunette grabs a side of the wall of vines

and pulls them to reveal a small cave, perfect to fit too
small children. It would be cozy, but it was a perfect
hiding spot.

“This is perfect, Ty Lee!” She praises, a proud smile on

her lips.

“Thanks Zula! Come on, get in!”

They both climb inside, Ty Lee letting the leaves and

vines fall back to cover them completely. It was dark, the
only rays of sun being that of the ones peeking through
the vines that protected them from the outside. It was a
bit cramped, and Azula’s knee’s knocked into Ty Lee’s
several times. She huffed in annoyance, but the brunette
only giggled.

“Here, what if we-” Ty Lee shifts, moving her body to lay

her back on the wall directly opposing the vines. “See?
No more bumping!”

Azula hums, and moves herself. She found Ty Lee was

right, this was much more comfortable for them both.
“Not a bad idea, Ty Lee.”

A ray of sun hits Ty Lee’s face just right so that she could
see the girl’s beaming smile. It transfixed Azula, leaving
her to wonder how Ty Lee was able to make such a large
smile without hurting her cheekbones.

As the minutes go on, Azula hears the faint noise of

leaves crunching in the distance, making her tense, but
they never come close enough to be dangerous. Quick as
they come, the noise dissipates into thin air.

It feels like they’ve been in this cave forever at this

point, and Azula is starting to feel the edges of sleep pull
at her. Her childish nature begged her for a chance to
regain her energy. Azula couldn’t find the will to resist.

“Ty Lee, we should probably-”

Thunk.

Azula flinches as Ty Lee’s head falls onto her shoulder

limply. Glancing at the girl, she finds Ty Lee’s eyes shut
and lips parted, breathing evenly as a sign that the girl
had indeed fallen asleep. Right here, in a cave, using
Azula as some sort of makeshift pillow.

She couldn’t leave the girl here, that was just wrong.
Imagine what her parents might say if they found out if
Azula had left Ty Lee out her alone in the woods? No,
leaving wasn’t an option. Neither was carrying Ty Lee, as
the house was too far for Azula to get Ty Lee back
without collapsing.

She sighs, her only option left was to just wait it out. She
could wake Ty Lee up, but there was something in her
peaceful expression that kept Azula from doing so.

So, she rests her head back on the rocky wall, and waits.

And waits.

But Ty Lee doesn’t wake up, and Azula is growing too

tired to stay awake herself. The soft, rhythmic pattern of
Ty Lee’s breathing and the unmistakable warmth that
she gave off was two large blows to Azula’s current state
of consciousness.

15 minutes, Azula decides as she shuts her own eyes.

She’d take a quick power nap for 15 minutes, and then
would wake Ty Lee so that they could head back to her
house.

But she didn’t wake up, and when Mai found them with
Ursa an hour later, Azula’s head had fallen to lay on top
of Ty Lee’s own, sleeping blissfully next to the girl
without a care in the world.

Azula stared at that very cave. It looked smaller to her

now, and the leaves that once covered the small space
were now overgrown with lush green life. The grass
around it had grown to about a foot tall, so it was nearly
inconceivable to the unknowing eye, but Azula knew. She
knew what this cave held, with its secrets and lies of fake
friendships and memories.

Azula wanted to hate the stupid cave. She wanted to

burn down the surrounding forest so the tree’s collapsed
over it, never to be seen again by anyone, including her.
Maybe she would during the comet. A symbol to Azula’s
will, that even the most personal memories she had
meant nothing in the end.

All that mattered was victory.

“Tch.” Azula grits, turning away from the cave and begins
to walk back to her house.

‘It was a lovely day.’

“It was a lie.”

‘You were children, Azula.’

“So? I hated you when I was a child. Is that not a lie?”

Her Mother doesn’t answer that. “God I hate you.” She
grumbles.

She clears the forest, her mansion coming back into

view. She looks to the porch, and sees a familiar figure
looming over the garden like that day so many years
ago.

He was waiting for her.

Hope fills her chest, and she quickens her pace over to
him. The preparations for their strike today had been
completed yesterday morning, so now it was only a
matter of waiting for the right moment.

“Sorry Father, I had to take care of some things.” She

apologies when she reaches him.

He says nothing at first, merely turning around. “There’s

been a change of plans. I am to lead the attack. Alone.”

Confusion and rage alike fill her heart and soul, and that
feeling of betrayal from last night surfaces. “But I
thought- I thought we were going to do this together!”
She complains, almost as if a spoiled child had gotten
their favorite toy taken away.

“My decision is final.” He grits out, and Azula knows she

shouldn’t push it, but she’s angry. She has every right to
be angry, right? This was wrong, she couldn’t be treated
like this.

“You can’t do this! You can’t treat me like Zuko!”

“Azula silence yourself!”

Any rage in her body filters out as his head turns so that
one of his eyes burns holes into hers as a warning. Her
eyes widen as fear takes over. She wasn’t like him, she
wasn’t like Zuko. Was he going to do it again? He
couldn’t, he had done everything right.

Was she going to end up just like Zuko?

“Besides, I have a far more important task for you. I

need you to stay here and watch over Republic City.”

Wait. “What?” She asks, fear starting to trickle out of her

system.

“Despite your recent...shortcoming, I believe you to be

the only one capable of taking over the business here. I
have decided to make you CEO to my company here in
Republic City.”

Her lips twitch upward in shock. “CEO…?” She repeats,

the words processing and her brain filtering in her next
sentence. “It does seem appropriate, but what about
you?”

“Being CEO of just Republic City no longer interests me.

Once we burn the world to ash, I too shall be born anew
as the ruler of all kingdoms. The Phoenix King.”

Despite how serious he sounded, Azula found it

incredibly hard not to laugh at the ridiculous name.
Somehow, she managed to keep it in, only allowing a
small smile out because who the fuck thinks that when
they plan to take over the world?

Straightening up, she neutralizes her face and says, “It

will go down in the history book, Father.”

He says nothing, instead walking inside to leave Azula to

her own devices.

What’s the first thing she does?

She laughs.

Genuine, shockingly, or in disbelief, she didn’t care.

She had done it. She was going to be CEO.

She had proven herself to be better than Zuko.

Finally.

‘Azula you have to stop.’

“Shut up.” She growls, throwing on her outfit for the day.

‘I only want what’s best for you.’

“Then leave me alone.”

‘I can’t do that, Azula.’

“Why not? You did it so easily years ago. What’s the

difference now?”

‘Because now you’re about to do something you’ll regret.’

Azula laughs cynically. “Who says? I rather think I’ll

enjoy this.”

‘You’re doing this out of spite.’

“I do not spite people, Mother. I make them know who is

in control.” She explained calmly, going to put up her
hair. She gathered up the bunches of black locks, pulling
them above her head with a smile. Everything was
perfect, she was perfect. She was enough.

Why was her hair doing that?

Glaring at her reflection through the mirror, she releases

the hold she has and grabs a pair of scissors. This was
her special day, the day she had been waiting for her
entire life. The day she finally proved herself to Father
and got everything she wanted.

She wasn’t going to let some hair get in the way of her
perfection.

“Alright pesky hair, time to meet you doom!”

With one clean swipe, Azula cuts straight through her

bangs, letting the excess fall to the floor tragically. She
stares at herself, grinning almost too widely for any
average human. Yes, this was better. Now it wouldn’t be
in the way, now she could be perfect without flaws. No
weaknesses.

‘What a shame. I always loved your hair.’

That smile fades into a seething scowl. “Don’t pretend to

care about me, I already know what you think of me.”
She twists around to face her mother, hand making
purchase on the table next to her. “You think I’m a
monster. That’s all you’ve ever thought of me.”

‘I think you’re confused.’ She replies calmly. ‘All your life

you’ve used fear to control people. Like Mai and Ty Lee.’

“Well what choice did I have?! Trust is for fools. Fear is

the only reliable way.”

‘You know that’s not true, Azula. You trusted them.’

“And look where that got me.” Azula mumbles. “Fear is

all I know, all that has ever worked. Even you fear me.”

‘No, I love you Azula. I do.’

Azula’s lip quivers. Deep down, she wishes those words

were true. That they weren’t an empty lie and Azula
could believe her own Mother but she can’t. She can’t
because her Mother left her without even saying
goodbye.

Why wasn’t she good enough for her? Was she not the
perfect daughter?

Why did Zuko always get everything?

With a yell, Azula grabs whatever object is nearest to

her, taking the form of a hair brush and swivels around
to chuck it at the mirror. It shatters into pieces, and the
spot where Azula’s Mother was once reflected back was
now void of anything except a deep, soul crushing black.

Silence envelops her, and all she could hear was the
sound of her own ragged breathing. Tears streamed
down her eyes but she found herself unable to focus on
them. She could only see herself, in all her shattered
glory.

She falls to her knees and begins to sob uncontrollably.

She really was a monster.

“Good evening, Miss Azula. If you’ll just take a seat we

can begin-”

“Just get me the paperwork that I need to sign and let's

be done with it.”

“But-”

“Are you disobeying me?” Azula threatens, turning to

glare at the man, who visibly and audibly gulps.

“No ma’am, but there are certain procedures we have to

go through.”

“I don’t care!” Azula snaps. “You know what?! You’re

fired! In fact, all of you are fired!”
“Miss you can’t fire us. You’re not CEO yet-”

Azula sends a flaming ball of blue fire towards the

wooden table all of them were gathered around. It
ignites instantly, and the ten or so men wrapped around
it all stumble backwards in fear. Good. She liked fear, it
meant control. “Want to test my patience? Get out!”

They didn’t need to be told again, especially with the

threat of Azula’s hotter then average fire being pointed
towards them. They all scurry out of the room, tail
between their legs as they all try to jam through the
door.

Once they all disappear, and the door is shut behind

them, she swipes her hand, and like a vacuum, the
growing fire in front of her is sucked into her hand before
it evaporates completely. All that was left was the
charred and nearly collapsed table in the center of the
room.

She takes a seat in her chair, taking in deep breaths.

She still needed the fucking paperwork.

It wouldn’t be later till she got it though. Due to the

timing of it all, no one had been prepared with any of the
documents, so Azula was having to wait while they
prepared everything. Plus, they were understaffed at the
actual building right now, as everyone was with her
Father, who was on his way to the Earth Kingdom right
now.

So it wasn’t until moments before the actual comet

arrived that a worker came up to her and said that they
were ready. He led her to her Father’s office, and inside
were two of Ozai’s closest advisors. One was named Lo,
and the other Li. There were twins, and the winkled and
worelorn frowns spoke to their ages of wisdom. Azula
knew them very well, as they were the ones who
watched over most of her lightning bending exercises
and judged if she was doing it perfectly.

“Hello, Lo, Li.” She greets. “Can we finally get started?”

“Of course Princess. There are quite a few documents to

get through, as you can see.”

“Just give them to me.” She says harshly, pushing past

both of them to reveal a stack of papers, a centimeter
thick. She frowns at it briefly, but gets to work.

She scans over each page of course, but she knew what
most of them were beforehand. She was her Father’s
daughter after all, who would she be if not prepared?

“Just one more.” Li says, and Azula goes to sign, but

hears a strange noise from outside. Confused, she lifts
her head and only has time to see a ball of white fur
heading straight at the window before it shatters
completely and Azula is sent flying backwards.

Groaning in pain, she lifts her head to see Lo and Li also

knocked to the floor on either side of her, and the desk
had been snapped in two.

A roar emanates from the spot in front of her, and

Azula’s eyes widen in rage. She stands quickly to see
Appa flying at the window, the two riders that had
interrupted her ‘induction’ so to speak, being her brother
and Katara.

“Well well, if it isn’t Zuzu and the water peasant.” She

says to nobody, laughing a bit as her brother climbs off
Appa and jumps into the office space.

“It’s over Azula. I’m taking over the company today. Not
you.”

Her eye twitches.

Fuck no. He doesn’t get to just swoop and take away

everything from her like he always did. This was all she
had left. She wouldn’t let him take it. This was her day of
glory.

Unless…

“You want to be CEO? Why on Agni would you want

that?”

“Because I am the rightful heir, and I can make things

right here.”

Azula sighs. “Alright, you wanna be CEO? Fine. Why don’t

we settle this the old fashioned way.” She gives him a
sharp toothed smirk. “I challenge you Zuko, to an Agni
Kai!”

His face hardens in determination, and Azula catches a

glance of Katara’s fearful expression. “You’re on.” He
says.

Father had a special arena for occasions such as these. It

was located just next to his main building, and was
surrounded by beautiful architecture and supreme
craftsmanship.

It was also where Zuko had gotten his scar.

Katara stood back, away from the large rectangle of

cement that lined the arena. She stood opposite to Zuko,
one end to another as they both took a traditional
kneeling stance with their back to each other. Count to
ten, open your eyes, and stand.

They turn around at the same time, Zuko immediately

taking a stance while she was more lax about it. Time to
finally show this asshole that she had to call a brother
who was in control. Who deserved the throne.

“I’m sorry it has to end this way, brother.” She says

draggingly, not at all trying to hid the malice in her voice.

“No you’re not.” He replies calmly.

Azula says nothing, because she doesn’t care. Instead,

she finally takes her own stance, pauses to feel the
amplified power the comet gave her, and then releases.
Azula was only shocked for a second at the amount of
fire that came out. She knew it was going to be stronger
than anything she had ever witnessed, but this was like a
tornado flying out from her fist.

Azula loved it.

It was like holding the power of 100 armies in her body.

She felt like she could conquer anything. Burn anything
to a crisp. Anyone. Him. His moves were mostly
defensive as Azula became obsessed with the feeling of
attacking. She shot endless bolts of fire out at him, all of
which he dodged and blocked repeatedly

As the fight wore on, the surrounding buildings and

structures began to burn around them. The excess fire
from their battle was hitting everything that wasn't one
of them, and causing major damage to the property.

At one point, Azula shoots into the air, using her

propulsion trick to launch herself above Zuko and send a
cacophony of flames down directly onto him. He seemed
to deflect it, running out of the way and angling his own
fire up towards her. Her eyes widened, realizing it was
too late to move.

Don’t let it touch you. No burns. You can’t be burned.

He’ll be furious.

Creating a last minute wall of fire in the middle of the air,

Azula is shot backwards due to the force of Zuko’s flame,
but not burned. She was still in this, and her landing on
the ground, a short distance away from Zuko was proof
of that as well.

“No lightning today?” Zuko taunts as she stands up,

breathing heavy with anger and rage. “What’s the
matter, afraid I'll redirect it?”

How dare he. How dare he suggest that he’s better than
her. She’ll show him a thing or two…

“Oh, I’ll show you lightning!” She exclaims, sloppily

moving her hands through the motions of first lightning
bending form and holding it to her chest.

Wait.

He’s planned for this. She can see it in his eyes.

But he hasn’t planned for Azula to break the rules. Azula

never broke the rules. But just this once, she could deem
it necessary.

Her eyes dart to Katara’s and with a smirk, she shoots

the lightning towards her instead of her brother.

It all happens so fast, but next thing she knows Zuko is

on the ground, scrunched into a ball while the lightning
he redirected it shot out towards the sky. Azula can’t
keep the smirk off her face if she tried. Finally. Get rid of
the waste of space. It’s not like she would miss him
anyway.

“Zuko!” Katara shouts, moving to run to his aid.

Oh no you don’t.

Shooting a blast of fire at the girl, she jumps to an

overlooking balcony off one of the buildings while Katara
watches with a heated stare. “I’d really rather our family
doctor look after dear Zuzu if you don’t mind!” She says,
drawing another line of lightning and shooting it at the
girl.

Katara disappears behind a wall of water, and Azula

shoots fire anywhere she can see. When the last of it
disappears, she switches positions. Katara had no doubt
picked up on her location by now, and would try to attack
it. She moves away, and watches a predicted stream of
water slaps where Azula once stood. She grins, falling
around the opposite side of the roof and surprising the
water bender.

She manages to get a solid hit on the girl, and Katara

falls to the ground, groaning in pain as Azula stalks up to
her.

“I told you I’d kill you, you bitch.”

Katara scrambles up and runs, managing to find cover

behind a pillar before Azula’s flames could touch.

“Who gave you the right to do that?!” She screams. “She

was mine, and you took her away from me!”

“You're insane! I did what’s best for Ty Lee!”

“You did it to help yourself! Don’t act so noble, we both

know the truth.”

This was getting irritating, she could find the damn bitch
and now she was getting twitchy. She wanted to make
her pay, and the currency would be burning her. Burned
everywhere on her body until Katara no longer had the
strength to go on.

“I can see your whole history in your eyes. You lost your
Mother at a young age, so you had to grow up for your
brothers sake.”

Fucking weak. She lost her Mother but she didn’t let that
affect her. She became better than everyone, not some
half baked waterbender who is the Mother to a bunch of
fucking idiots.

“Shut up!” Katara shouts.

Bingo.

Tuning around a pillar, she indeed finds a side profile

matching that of Katara’s. “There you are, you filthy
bitch.”

Katara stumbles back, and Azula can see the faint ends
of a chain behind her back. She didn’t register that she
might have a plan, because all she had on her mind was
killing her.

Make her pay for taking Ty Lee away from her. Make her
pay for taking the one thing that Azula actually gave a
damn about. Yes, fucking kill her because how date she?
How date she take Ty Lee away?

How could she?

With a growl, Azula moves in, Katara twisting around her

attack but Azula was prepared for that. She swivels
herself in mid air and just before she could release the
energy accumulated in the tips of her fingers, everything
is cold.

Azula can’t move.

Why can’t she move?

Still able to move her eyes around, she quickly deducts

that Katara had frozen them both in a block of ice. Why
the hell was she doing this? Now they both couldn’t
move.

Azula watches Katara take a large breath out, and if she

could she would have gasped as the water around Katara
became liquid once more.

No. No, no, no, no, no. This can’t be happening, move
dammit! Move so you can stop her! So you can make her
pay! Stop letting her wrap those uncomfortable chains
around you. Fuck!

Azula is forcefully brought to her knees as the chains are

locked and tied around the gat below them. Ah, so that
was how she did it. Her Father had streamlines of water
running along the pathways so that checking the clarity
of them would be easier. They were barred behind thick
metal gates, bit that was child's play for a bender who
could just lift that water through the tiny square holes.

The air in Azula’s lungs nearly ran out by the time Katara
bended the ice back to water, completely drenching them
both as it collapsed back into the gate. She gasped for
breath, but still strugged with the chains.

“Untie me right now, you bastard!” Azula commands, but

Katara doesn’t listen. She only stands to tighten the
restraints before taking off towards Zuko, who was still
collapsed onto the ground.

Azula was forced to watch from her chained position as

Katara healed her idiot brother, and watches him sit up
weakly.

The reality of this hits her.

She had failed.

Failed everything.

Failed him.

No, she can’t have lost. She was a prodigy, he was an

idiot. A Momma’s boy who spent too much of his life
sucking up to people to see the bigger picture. How had
she lost?

Azula lets out a ear piercing scream, not caring to worry

about the blue flames that come hurtling out of her
mouth and to the surrounding area with each breath.

She pulls and lushes, she bends and flexes but the
restraints won’t budge. She falls to her side, and tears
spill from both of her eyes as her screams become sobs.

She failed.

She failed the one thing she had been born to do, and
now she had nothing left. They had won. They had
fucking won. Her forehead hits the cold hard gate, and a
particularly loud sob leaves her lips.

Why wasn’t she ever enough?

Notes:
WHOO OKAY HERE WE GO

the big climax is here, and i tried to

keep it as true to the canon episode as i
could. i thought id add that little
beginning fluff so yall weren't
completely heartbroken

that being said? howd i do with azula

actually going insane? im not sure tbh. i
tried to keep her more or less the same
until the actual fight because i think
thats when she really lost it

nevertheless, id love to hear some

feedback on what i could have done
better

this was the climax, so now we can

begin the journey past her lowest point
and start to build her up :)

i hope yall are still loving this story, sry

it took me longer to make but i was
having trouble really pinpointing azula's
mindset but i think i did pretty good.

comment and let me know, till next

time :)

Chapter 14: Fragile Sanity

Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Apparently her brother thought it would be a good idea

to throw her into a psychiatric hospital. Yeah, one of
those big, fancy, mansion looking buildings which, once
you got past the extravagant lobby, turned into what
looked like a modern day asylum.

Azula had only been here for all of 3 hours and she can
slowly feel her sanity being lost with every waking
second. The walls of her room were a lightish grey, with
white scratch marks lining every inch from previous
patients. The bed was a single twin, nothing but a
mattress and a sheet over it, and a rock solid pillow.
Seriously, Azula thought she was going to get a
concussion if she laid her head down too fast.

The door was metal, bolts lining it’s frame and a single
sliding latch being the only way for her to see out into
the other side. That is, if it was open, which right now, it
wasn’t. It was clear that they weren’t even trying to hide
the fact that they hate her.

Probably because she had been screaming bloody

murdered since first entering this fucking death trap.

“Hey! Quiet down in there!”

Probably a passerby watchman, Azula stops her

screaming a grins maniacally.

“Why don’t you come in here and make me?!” She

laughs, almost hysterical as she hears the man groan in
aggravation.

Click.

Her laughing stops, but the grin stays.

That’s right. Come on into the monster’s lair.

The door creak open, its sharp piercing noise invading

her ears and making her wince slightly.

“I said quiet down. Keep this up and you’re getting put in

the marshmallow room.”

Ah yes, the stupid fucking marshmellow room. It may

sound cozy and fluffy to the unknowing soul, but Azula
knew better from her short tour around the building. This
so-called marshmallow room was a small square room
isolated from everyone else. The walls were lined with
seemingly fluffy white squares, which were actually hard
as rock to the touch. The floors were the same, the only
difference being the fact that it was a white tile instead.
Even the bed, same as every other room, was painted
white so that it fit the room's aesthetic.

She struggles in her straightjacket for a moment before

giving the man a pleading look. “Could you adjust this? I
swear, the thing is cutting off my circulation.”

“Sorry ma’am, I’m under strict orders not to come near

you.”

“Oh come on.” She groans. “Live a little and help a girl
out, will you?”

“I can’t, sorry.”

She commends his loyalty as he shuts the door behind

him, leaving Azula alone once again. She scowls, if only
she had that same loyalty.

“Fucking bitch.” She spits at the thought of her.

‘Now, now. That’s no way to talk about Ty Lee, is it?’

“Shut up you stupid bitch.”

‘What did I tell you when this all first started? I warned
you it would end badly.’

Azula scoffs, the glare she was giving her Mother

intensifying. “Right, because any sane person would
listen to you.”

‘This place is awfully inhumane. I hope Zuko realizes

what poor conditions these are and moves you to
somewhere more...sanitary.’

“I hope he comes back so I can snap his neck.”

‘You’re in a straightjacket Azula. You cannot move.’

“If I have to break a few bones to get there, so what?

It’ll be worth it.”

‘He is your brother-’

“He’s a fucking traitor!” She snaps. “Why do you always

find reasons to excuse his actions?!”

‘He is doing what is right.’

“He put me in a straightjacket!” She laughs in disbelief.

Was her Mother really this stupid?

‘...That is a bit immoral I must admit.’ Ursa concedes.

“Oh, well thank Agni for that at least.” Azula grumbles,

shifting uncomfortable in the restrictive piece of clothing.
It was actually starting to hurt. If that was the point of it,
Azula was going to scorch someone alive.

It wasn’t until two weeks later that Azula received her

first visitor.

She was heading back from her latest trip to the

marshmallow room when she was informed. Her ‘doctor’
was waiting outside her door to deliver the news.
Though, when she asked who it was, he said he was told
not to say.

She was unpleasantly surprised to find Zuko waiting on

the other side.

“Fucking wonderful.” She snarls as they wheel her to the

bed. “My dear brother finally comes to see me.”

Once she is placed on the bed, Zuko stands from his

chair. Apparently they had brought him one. “Leave us,
please.” He commands, and the employees oblige, the
door shutting closed with a harsh crash.

Azula smirks, leaning back until her back hits the wall.
“So, to what do I owe the pleasure, Zuzu?”

“How have you been, Azula?”

“Oh, just wonderful! You know, they should really make

these jackets the latest style, I find myself very
comfortable.”

The sarcasm laced in her voice wasn’t missed by her

brother as he sighs. “Azula, this is for your own good.
You tried to kill both me and Katara, and you keep
rambling about Mother-”
“Have you come to taunt me, Zuko?” Azula sighs.
“Because I’m hearing a lot about me and a lot less about
why you're actually here.”

“I came to see you, Azula.”

“I find that hard to believe. I doubt anyone wants to

come visit the person who wants them dead.”

“Is that really what you want?”

“Yes.” She blunts.

“You’re lying.”

“Right.” Azula mumbles with a smile. She closes her eyes

and takes a deep breath in. “‘Azula always lies’ has
always been your motto, hasn’t it?”

He says nothing, which only adds to her point.

“I know you don’t want to see me, Zuko. So spit it out.”

“Fine, I came at the request of someone who does want

to see you.”

Azula laughs. “Don’t be ridiculous, Zuzu. No one wants to

see me.”

“Really? Well clearly someone does, otherwise I wouldn’t

be here.”

“Alright.” She chuckles. “I’ll play along. Who is it that

sent you?”

“Ty Lee.”

Azula freezes, smirk not leaving but holding no emotion

behind it. Great, so now he was playing with her too.
Fucking wonderful. “Who knew you had it in you to lie
straight to my face Zuko.” She says after a moment,
directing her gaze straight at him so that it pierced his
soul.

“Contrary to literally only your belief, not everyone hates

you, Azula.”

“But you do.”

Zuko pauses for a moment, his neutral stare never

leaving her. “I don’t hate you Azula. I’m trying to help
you, but you’re making it very difficult.”

“You wanna help me? Get me out of this fucking prison.”

“Their helping you, Azula-”

Azula burst out laughing. “Helping?! You call this

helping?! They keep me strapped up like a rabid dog all
day and throw me in a barren room for hours when I so
much as curse!”

“They...what?”

Azula’s laughter dies slowly until all that's left are short
hiccups in between breaths. “The marshmallow room
isn’t as nice as it sounds, Zuko. You should really do your
research on places before you throw your sister in them.”

“But the website-”

“Is a fucking hoax, you dumbass. Maybe if you had a

third of a brain cell left you’d know real psychiatric
hospitals don’t use light pink as their background color.”
He gapes in complete shock at her, and Azula wishes she
could burn the life out of that expression. “You’ve always
been a little dimwitted.”

“I’ll...I’ll look into it.” He says after the initial shock,

straightening the collar of his school uniform.

Wait.

“When did we get school uniforms?” Azula asks, voice

moderately neutral.

Zuko made a questioning hum before realizing that yes,

Azula had been in this room for two weeks with no
contact to the outside world. “Oh! It’s a new thing. The
school’s budget has been increased now that I’ve given
the mayor his freedom back.”

“Ah.”

Azula never thought she would feel this. This funny

feeling in her stomach that made her guts twist and turn,
knotting in different ways and making her feel so...so…

Lonely.

And...regretful.

No. She doesn’t regret it. She doesn’t regret any of it, in
fact, she’d do it all again if it meant she knew how to win
this time.

“She wants to see you, you know.” Zuko says abruptly,

pulling Azula out of her thoughts and back to the
present.

“No she doesn’t.”

“Yes she does.”

“She thinks she wants to see me, Zuzu.” Azula corrects.

“One she does, she’ll see the monster I am, and run
away just like before.”

“If I allowed her to visit, would you talk to her?”

“No.”

Zuko stares at Azula, and he must be seeing through her,

because his narrowed eyes were keeping her on edge.
“Stop analyzing me Zuko, we both know you’ve never
been good at it.”

“You sound awfully sane right now.” He questions, taking

a step closer.

“Funny thing about sanity,” Azula laughs. “It’s a myth. No

one is ever truly sane, we just mask out desires for the
benefit of others around us.”

“I don’t believe that.”

“So what? You’ve never had that urge? That tiny flicker
of a thought in your mind that just tells you to snap?”

“No, but clearly you have.”

“I wouldn’t be in here if I hadn’t.”

Silence, and although Azula isn’t looking at him, she can

feel his eyes on her. Still analyzing her, apparently.

“I’ll tell Ty Lee you don’t want to see her, but I doubt that
will stop her.”

“Only time will tell Zuzu.” Azula mumbles as he leaves, a

slow grin working its way onto her face. “Only time will
tell.”

It takes 3 days until she hears shouting outside of her

door.

Azula opens her eyes from her sitting position on the

floor. Her back was on the wall directly opposing the
door.

“Let me in that room right now, Zuko!” A familiar voice

shouts from a distance away from her door. It was
heavily muffled, but being alone in isolation for almost a
month now will give you some excellent hearing.
Seriously, she could hear the ants crawling on the walls
around her.

“She’s still unstable, Ty Lee! I can’t!”

“You promised I could see her!”

Azula narrows her eyes. Her brother should know by now

to keep his mouth shut.

“Yes, but I thought she’d be calmer by now!”

“I don’t care! Let me in!”

Suddenly, the voices become quieter, and Azula can’t

hear anything except the pulse thumping through her
head. Was she nervous? Preposterous. It was Ty Lee. Ty
Lee couldn’t harm a fly even if she was ordered to at
gunpoint.

A pair of keys jingle from outside her door, and Azula

directs her attention to it. The door opens to reveal Ty
lee standing before her, Zuko just behind her as the
guard holds the door for them to come in. Ty Lee takes a
stumbling step forward into the room, seemingly shocked
at Azula’s worn appearance. Azula wants to scream,
because who’s fault was that?

She says nothing to the girl. She has nothing to say to

her. She doesn’t deserve to be spoken to anymore.

“Take that...thing off of her.”

“What?” The guard asks.

“I said take it off.”

“We can’t do that ma’am, she’s un-”

“I don’t care! Take it off of her!”

The harshness of Ty Lee’s voice, as well as the

knowledge that the girl was able to take them both down
in half a second with just a few jabs make them quickly
move to start unravelling the binds around Azula’s body.
She certainly wasn’t expecting this from Ty Lee, but she
planned to use it to its fullest advantage.

In a few minutes, the tight clothing that restricted

Azula’s movements for the past few weeks unravelled
itself, but she could barely feel her arms. The restrictive
piece of cloth had been on so long, she had forgotten
what it felt like to use her arms.

“Leave me alone with her.”

“Ty Lee I’m not doing that.” Zuko says, voice stern.

“Zuko if you don’t leave this room in the next ten

seconds I swear I will make your life a living hell.”

Azula, for all her apparent calm state, bursts out

laughing. Who knew Ty Lee had it in her?

“...5 minutes, that’s all you get.” He mumbles after a

moment before he and the other guards leave the girls
alone.

Azula says nothing to her, merely grinning devilishly

while Ty Lee seems to pout in a certain way that almost
made Azula feel sorry for the girl.

Almost.

“How long have they kept that thing on you?” She asks,
pointendly staring at the hideous jacket that pooled
around Azula’s legs. Azula takes a brief, nonchalant look
down at it before looking back up. She refuses to say
anything.

“Right,” Ty Lee sighs. “Zuko said you might do this.”

Azula smiles, unable to control herself. Zuko really

needed to lean to keep his mouth shut.

“Please talk to me Azula, I can’t bear this.” She pleads,

and Azula see’s the seemingly genuine look in her eyes.
“I can’t bear it knowing you’re angry with me.”

Ty Lee takes a few steps closer to Azula.

Just a few more.

“If you’re mad about Prom, please understand I did that

to protect you-” Ty Lee pleads, and Azula determines
that she’d only need one or two more steps closer. She
smirks when Ty Lee unknowingly takes them. “I couldn’t
let you kill Mai-!”

Without warning or hesitation, Azula throws her leg out

and trips Ty Lee, sending the girl falling to the floor. She
hears Ty Lee gasps once she makes contact with the
hard flooring. One similar to that of Azula’s when Ty Lee
chi-blocked her.

Good. Let her feel an ounce of that pain. That betrayal.

Before Ty Lee found the strength to move, Azula threw a

leg over Ty Lee’s body, now straddling the girl as her
hand wraps itself around Ty Lee’s neck firmly. One hand
moves to get Azula off of her, but Azula grabs it and pins
it to the ground.

She hears the girl choke, and one of those hands grabs
Azula’s own, her eyes wide with a pleading look. “Azula-”
She manages, voice restrained and losing its strength
with every waking second.

“I’m not just angry, Ty Lee.” Azula finally speaks. “I’m

fucking livid. In fact, I see no reason as to why I
shouldn’t kill you right now.”

“Please, Zula-”

“Don’t call me that!” She screams. “You don’t get to call

me that you fucking liar!”

Even with death promised at the grasp of Azula’s hand,

Ty Lee still manages to smile. That same stupid smile
that Azula had fallen in love with before everything went
to shit. Slowly, the grasp loosens, and Azula’s anger
turns to sorrow.

“You left me...You don’t get to act like my friend when

you fucking left me…”

Ty Lee’s heavy breathing was her only answer. Now that

the grip was loose, air was returning to the brunette’s
lungs, replenishing her energy while Azula vented her
anger onto her.

“I would have done anything for you...I put up with my

enemies because you asked me to. I let you hug me
because you wanted it. Why wasn’t that enough for you?
Why wasn’t I enough?”

“Azula…”

“You left me...You fucking lied to me and left...How could

you do that? How could you do that?!”

Anger boils up once more, and that grip tightens, but this
time Ty Lee is prepared. This time, Ty Lee’s grip on
Azula’s hand is quicker then he rmotion and Ty Lee uses
her superior flexibility to twist her way out of the
vulnerable position so that the roles are reversed.

Not a second after Azula’s head hits the ground, she is

thrashing under Ty lee. Of course. Of course Ty Lee
would do this, the fucking bitch. Using Azula when she
was most vulnerable. How did she never know how low
Ty Lee would go?

“Mai told me something last night.” Ty Lee says calmly,

ignoring the way Azula pushed her wrists and kicked her
legs violently. “I don’t want to believe it’s true, but I
have to know.”

Three quick jabs, and Azula’s breath is knocked out of

her. She tries to move, but it registers that Ty Lee had,
once again, chi-blocked her.

“Forgive me, Azula.”

Azula’s eyes widen when Ty Lee pushes Azula’s body up

to rest on the wall behind her. Then, those hands move
to her shirt, and Azula realizes what she’s going for. She
urges her body to move, begs for it, but it’s no use. Ty
Lee is already pulling the piece of cloth over Azula’s
head, her limp arms coming up with it only to fall
uselessly back down once the shirt is completely
removed.

Ty Lee gasps sharply.

Amidst the weaker state of her body, Azula’s burn at her

wrist can be visibly seen. No only that, but the burn on
her upper arm, as well as a few other scratches lining the
sides of her arms.

It got worse when Ty Lee moved Azula so that she could

see her back.

There, right in the center of her spine, laid a circular

gash from where her Father had burned her straight on,
as well as several other, less intense and more faded
scars.

“Azula-” Ty Lee chokes.

“Is this what you wanted to see, Ty Lee?”

“How could he have done this?”

“It was...necessary.” Azula mumbles after a moment.

This makes Ty Lee tense. “...What?”

“I failed, so there had to be consequences. I have no one

to blame but myself.”

“No one deserves this Azula!” Ty Lee shouts.

It was then that Zuko opened back up the door. “Time

up, let’s go Ty-”

Any words he had left die on his lips as he sees the scene
in front of him. Azula watches as Ty Lee turns to look at
him with teary eyes and an accusing glare. “You knew
about this?”

Zuko has no answer, only a gaping hole where his mouth

is supposed to be.

“Answer me Zuko.” Ty Lee says, voice stern and

threatening as he gulps.

“I knew about it, but not to this extent…”

Without a word, Azula watches with glee as Ty Lee walks

up to Zuko and slaps him harshly on the cheek. He turns
to glare at her, but Azula laughs at the way it instantly
forms into fear once he sees Ty lee’s murderous eyes.

“She leaves this place by the end of the week. If you

don’t do it, I will.”

“Ty Lee she’s not-”

“Not what Zuko? Mentally stable? No shit! But this place

isn’t doing anything for her! You said it yourself, there
should have been signs of improvement by now but look
at her!”

Ty Lee pauses so he can do so, seeing Azula’s rather

impressed raised eyebrow and knowing smirk. “Go on,
listen to her Zuzu.”

“And you,” Ty Lee says, pointing a finger towards Azula

directly. Azula frowns at the gesture. “You’re going to
start going to therapy, and I don’t care if I have to chi-
block you to get you there.”

Azula gives an indignant scoff. “I am not a-”

“Fine.” Zuko agrees. “But she’s not going back to school

yet. She stays at my house.”

“Our house, Zuzu. You act as if I’m not related to you at

all.” He glares at her, making her snort.

“I’ll complete the paperwork and talk to the people

running this place. We should be going though.” Zuko
says, and Ty Lee nods, but turns back to Azula.

“You go on ahead, I need another minute.”

“You sure you’ll be okay?”

“She’s paralyzed for at least another 10 minutes. I’ll be

fine.” Ty Lee says with a smile.

Zuko leaves, and Ty Lee moves to kneel in front of Azula

once more. Grabbing her shirt, she helps Azula into it,
and pats down any wrinkles it may have gotten from
being on the floor.

“Why are you doing this.” Azula mumbles, voice still

stern and commanding but...softer than before.

Ty Lee sighs, giving Azula a small smile. “I never lied to

you at Prom, Azula. I meant everything I said.”

“Then why’d you leave me?”

“Because you were going to kill Mai. I couldn’t let you do

that. She’s still my friend, even if you hate her.”

“I hate all of them.” Azula utters.

“I know.” Ty Lee says, and moves her hands to cup

Azula’s cheeks. “I’ll be back soon, I promise.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Ty Lee.” Azula

warns as Ty Lee moves to leave.

Grabbing the side of the door, Ty Lee looks back to Azula.

That smile is there, that warm, sunny smile that always
made Azula melt even if she didn’t want to. Azula finds
herself wanting to smile back.

“I’ll keep this one, even if you hate me for it.”

Ty Lee leaves, and Azula is alone.

But for once, she feels warm. There’s this feeling

bubbling in her stomach, and Azula realizes what it is.
She silently cursed herself for having it. This was only
going to hurt her in the end, but here it was, taunting
her.

Because for once, Azula had hope.

Notes:
i have no life lmao i skip doing school
just to write this book

anywayyyyysssssss so this progresses

over a month, and i tried to start it out
as azulas was just irrationally insane,
but after those two weeks she was this
more calm, but still manipulative and
ruthless psycho. then ty lee shows up
and suddenly she just turns to mush.

no i dont plan for this to be it for azulas

insanity, but i do believe that locking
her up in a hospital for months on end
like they did in the comics did
absolutely nothing for her. azula needs
to see a real therapist and learn to
enjoy life that does revolve around
 being perfect.

she cant do that from inside psychiatric

hospital. thats just not how it works
lmao

anyhoo. comment ur thoughts as

always.

ill see u soon :)

Chapter 15: Escape's Lead To

Misfortune
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Did they seriously think this plan of their’s was going to

work?

Azula laughed as she ran. Who knew they could all be so

dumb. Like hell she was going to get therapy, and there
was no way she was going to take those meds. They said
that they would help her, but they were all liars. They all
worked against her in the end.

They betrayed her. There was no changing that.

Trust is for fools. Trust never got her anywhere.

“Azula stop!” Ty Lee shouts, and Azula determines she

must be catching up. She can hear leaves crunching
sloppily behind her. It was early morning, so Ty Lee’s
balance was probably still a little off.

“A nice thought, Ty Lee, but very poor execution!” She

laughs, throwing a maniacal smirk over her shoulder and
seeing Ty lee’s determined yet concerned face.

She didn’t need them. She didn’t need anyone. She was
a prodigy. She would make them pay for their insolence

She didn’t need Ty Lee’s help.

“Azula you’re going to this meeting!” The brunette’s

words were stern, but her lack of carrying them out only
made Azula’s devilish smile grow.

Go on, try Ty lee. Try and cage this monster.

You can’t.

She wouldn’t let her.

“I’m afraid I can’t, actually. Conflict of interest and all

that!”

Azula streams the sun’s energy into her fists and shoots
up, propelling herself into the sky.

It was a rather strange setting that they were in. The

woods behind her mansion didn’t provide much in terms
of hiding places, but the density and length to the
expansive ground made it easy for anyone to get lost in.

That seemed to be what she was aiming for.

She knew if Ty Lee caught her that was it. Three

betraying jabs and she would be put in front of a random
stranger and forced to talk about her feelings. Azula
scoffed. Like she was ever going to do that.

Her feet hit the ground, but her fire keeps her going
forward, gliding over the damp leaves and broken tree
branches. Ty Lee can’t keep up with fire. Not unless she
wanted to get burned. If Azula cared to glance behind
her, she’d see the fiery mess she was making. It was
fine, the damp ground would make the fire disappear
quickly anyway. Other than some burned leave, the
forest would be fine.

‘Stop running.’

“Shut up!” Azula shouts, refusing to hesitate in even the

slightest. “You’re not real! I know that at least!”

‘I’m always with you Azula. You can’t get rid of me.’

Azula stops, huffing out breaths as her Mother forms

before her. “I’ll kill you. I’ll find you and I’ll kill you for
everything you’ve done to me.”

‘I love you, Azula.’

“No you don’t!” She screams.

“-zula!”

“You think I’m a fucking monster! Nobody could ever love

a monster!” Azula says, ignoring the voices ringing in her
head.

“Azula!”

Azula grips her head, nails digging into her scalp as she
screams.

‘Face it, Azula. You brought this all upon yourself.’

“Would everyone just shut up?!” She shreiks, falling to

her knees as she screams over her Mother’s words. She
has no idea that her vocals were ripping streams of blue
fire from her thoat as well.

Thwack, thwack, thwack!

Her stomach hits the ground, and she is forced to lay

there, motionless. “Azula stop! You’re going to burn down
the entire woods!”

Azula’s brain calms, if for just a moment, to register that

Ty Lee had caught up to her. Ty Lee had...caught up...to
her.

No.

“Don’t take me there! I’ll kill you!” Azula shouts. Ty lee

doesn’t say anything, merely kneeling down to hold
Azula’s body propped up on her knees.

“Did you get her?!” Zuko's voice. Leaves crunch in the

background to alert them both of her presence.

“Yeah, but...Zuko, I don’t think today’s a good day. We

might be rushing this.”

“But it was your idea, Ty Lee.” He states.

“I know, but look at her. Even if we do take, she’d not

going to say anything. She’ll probably just start burning
things.”

“I’ll burn your faces off! Un-block me right now!” Azula

demands.

“No Azula! You’ll just run off again!”

‘She’s right.’

“Don’t take her side, you bitch.” Azula spits, not able to
see her mother from her spot.

“Azula who are you talking to?” Ty Lee asked.

Azula laughs. “You don’t see her? Dear Mother has joined
us to torment me as always.”

“Azula...there’s no one there.”

‘They can’t see me, Azula. You know that.’

“Shut up.”

“Azula…” Ty Lee mumbles sadly, looking at Azula’s

disgruntled features. The fire bender took a glance at the
girl before giving a scoff and looking the other way. She
wouldn’t let her win this. Defeated, Ty Lee sighs, “...Let’s
get you home.”

Azula could only watch as her paralyzed form was hauled

back to the house in Zuko’s arms. Ty Lee kept glancing at
her every few seconds, which only irritated Azula more
than she already was.

“We’re not taking you to the therapist, Azula, but you’re

going to have to go eventually.” Ty Lee says, making
Azula grimace.

“I don’t need someone to psychoanalyze me. I’m

perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

“This isn’t about that, Azula. This is about healing and

working through your trauma.”

“I don’t have trauma.” Azula grits. “How many times

must I say it? I’m fine.”

“Oh, so impulsively cutting your bangs and seeing

hallucinations of your mother isn’t enough of a sign that
maybe not everything is good, Azula?” Zuko stops
walking so that Ty Lee can stand next to Azula. “Maybe
almost burning down Republic City during Sozin’s Comet
wasn’t a sign? Or the fact that you tried to kill Mai, Zuko,
and Katara in less than 24 hours of each other?!”

While Ty Lee vented, Azula merely stared boredly. She

knew it. This is always what Ty Lee thought of her. The
villain in this story, when all she was trying to do was
keep things perfect. If Aang hadn’t jumped into her life
with his ragtag team of criminals, then maybe everything
would be. Maybe she’d be ruling over the world with her
Father like she was supposed to be. Not forced to sit in
the confines of this god awful house with Ty Lee trying to
force feelings out of her.

“I can’t change you Azula, but I’m trying to help you

make that choice.” Ty lee says. Azula’s eyes focused in,
realizing she hadn’t been listening to a word the girl was
saying.

By a force of habit, Azula scoffs. “Like you care. You’re

just like the rest of them.”

Azula with glee as her words seem to have an affect on

the brunette. A moment later, Azula hears the smallest
sniffle, and registers the glossed over eyes Ty Lee had.

“I just want my best friend back. Is that too much to

ask?”

Azula glares at her. She’s kidding right? Ty Lee was doing

this just so Azula would be her best friend again? After
she fucking lied to Azula and betrayed her? After she
chose Mai, and Zuko, and Aang, and basically everybody
who wanted to end Azula? What a fucking joke.

“After betraying me? Yes, yes it is.”

Later that afternoon, when the sun was just peaking over
the horizon through the kitchen windows and filling the
room with a warm yellow glow, Azula decided she wanted
to take a walk. She had been getting some water at the
time, and had suddenly found the urge to just wander
about the house.

At least, that’s what she told Zuko, who stood in the

doorframe to the kitchen ominously.

“No.”

“Oh come on, I’m not even going outside. Just let me be
by myself for 5 fucking minutes.”

“Not happening.” He repeats. “Knowing you, there’s

some secret exit out of her where you’ll escape.”

Azula laughs. “Not a bad thought, Zuzu. I’ll have to look

into that.”

He glares at her, and she merely rolls her eyes. “No

Zuzu, there’s no secret exit in this house. Trust me, if
there was, I would have used it by now while you were
all asleep.”

“...Do I need to get a bodyguard outside your bedroom

door too?”

Azula sighs. “Can I go or not?”

Zuko narrows his eyes, but after a moment relents with a

grumbles, “...Fine.” Pleased with the answer, Azula leaves
the kitchen and begins to walk through the halls.

See, Azula had an ulterior motive behind this. Sure, she

wanted to have a smidge of alone time for once, but it
was more than that. She needed to be able to find some
things.

‘You know he’s probably following you.’

Azula ignores her Mother, and turns a new corner. Seeing

no one else in the long strip of a hall she was now in,
Azula pushes a particular brick in the wall next to her,
and watches it slide open without too much noise. She
slips inside, shutting it closed just as Zuko’s footsteps
can start to be heard. Sure enough, through a peephole
in the wall, just small enough to see through, Zuko
stands there, searching frantically around him before
yelling. “She’s gone! Search the house!”

Azula snickers and turns around, beginning down the

secret corridors that Azula had discovered as a child. No
one else knew of these, not even Ozai himself. It was
Azula’s fun little trick to give her an edge in games and a
way to spy on people when her Father had private
meetings. Every room had some sort of secret entrance
connected to it, which made Azula’s current mission very
easy. She could sneak around the entire house
undetected, and look for the things she needed.

The first being her fucking motorcycle keys.

‘I don’t know why he ever let you get that deathtrap.’

Her Mother scolds, making Azula grumble in annoyance.

She pushes open her first door, just a smidge, revealing

the inside of Ozai’s now empty office. Seeing that no one
was here, she opens it the rest of the way and searches
for anything that might be of use. Files, documents,
books, research, anything that could give her a clue as to
where they were holding him.

‘Honestly, why do you bother with him? After everything

he’s done to you?’

“You wouldn’t understand.” Azula utters, pulling out a

new file and skimming the contents. Her eyes widen as
she reads a police report with her Father’s name on it.

Bingo.

Cell 28B in Rupublic City Police Department.

Shutting the file, she places everything back where it

was.

From the other side of the door, a muffled, “Have you

checked in there?” rings in Azula’s alert ears.

She shoots her head up, closing the drawer and running
to her passageway. Hopping in, she shuts it just as a
man began to open the door to the office. Azula waits for
a moment, waiting to see what he would do. She only
hears a few footsteps be taken into the room before they
stop, a man’s voice saying. “Nothing here.” Before
leaving the room and shutting the door behind him.

Azula lets out a sigh of relief before putting a finger to

her lips in thought. Now that she knew where he was,
she needed to find a way to get there. The easiest option
was to steal a car, but those were slow and hard to
manuever in traffic. No, she needed her bike for this, but
they had taken her keys and hid them away somewhere
in the house.

So, where would they have put them?

Zuko probably doesn’t have them. That’s too obvious,

and none of the bafoons her brother had hired hid them,
because if they did she would have found them by now.
The only person that could possibly have them is…

Azula scowls.

Ty Lee.

‘Oh boy.’

Azula glares at her Mother. “What the hell is that

supposed to mean?” She spits, moving past her and
heading down a set of halls she knows lead to Ty Lee’s
guest room.

‘It means, you’re about to do something you’ll regret.

She’s just trying to help you.’

“She should have thought about that before fucking

betraying me.”

‘She loves you. You heard what she said.’

“She loves the idea of me!” Azula whispers harshly,

turning around so that her burning eyes can bleed into
her Mother’s imagined ones. “She loves the parts of me
that I let her see! Once she see’s the monster I am she’ll
leave me alone just like at Prom!”

‘Don’t you think if that were the case, she would have
left by now?’

“She’s in denial.” Azula grumbles, turning back around

and seeing the secret door coming up ahead of them.
“She’ll figure it out eventually.”

‘Is that what you want? For her to leave?’

“Yes. I don’t care about her anymore. She’s betrayed

me.”

‘You’re lying.’

“And you’re a figment of my imagination. So go away.”

‘It’s not that simple, Azula.’

Peeking throught the tiny hole, Azula finds the room

empty. She pushes open the door, and gets to work
searching for her keys. Ty Lee was smarter than people
gave her credit for, but she usually kept things where
they had significance. What significance would her keys
hold though…

Azula shuts her eyes for a moment to think. Not the

closet, or in drawers, those would be the first places Ty
Lee knew she would check. No...it had to be more
personal than that. Personal...personal…

Azula opens her eyes, and lets them wander to lock onto
her bed. Making her way over to it, she takes the red
throw pillow, at the forefront of the other satin pink
pillows and checks the covering. Her hand falls into the
soft material and sure enough, she feels a familiar set of
keys fall into her grasp.

Azula smiles. “Ty Lee, you’re clever, but not that clever.”

“It was worth a try.”

Azula jumps, her head darting to the door to see Ty Lee

standing there with her arms crossed. “When Zuko said
you vanished into thin air, I figured you were up to your
old tricks like back when we were kids.”

“You have to admit, it made hide and seek much more

fun.” Azula shrugs, pocketing the keys.

“It was cheating, and it was cruel. Now give me the

keys.”

“Afraid I can’t do that, Ty Lee. I have a few errands I

need to run.”

Azula smiles as Ty lee’s stare only hardens. “You can’t

get past me Azula. You know that.”

“Maybe.” Azula shrugs. “Let’s find out, shall we?”

Ty Lee wastes no time in lunging towards Azula. The

room was big, but not big enough for Azula to safely use
her bending. Looks like this was purely hand to hand
combat. That was fine, Azula just needed to escape.

Dodging and evading each jab or punch, Ty Lee’s quick

attacks began to become more sloppy. Azula had to
admit that Ty Lee was an excellent fighter, but Azula had
trained for years, and had been put into action far more
than anything Ty Lee had done in a gym.

They weren’t at the same level, and it was showing in Ty

Lee’s increasingly heavy breaths.

“You were always the one person who gave me the most
challenging fight, Ty Lee.” Azula gruffs, duging another
attack by grabbing onto Ty lee’s wrist as it flew bye,
pushing her forward with force so that Ty Lee’s foot
stumbles into Azula’s own, making her fall to the floor.
“But you never could beat me.”

Azula heads to the door, shutting it quickly while Ty lee

was still delayed by her fall. She runs into the nearest
room and climbs into the secret passageway.

She follows the halls until she reaches the garage, and
she can see a man walking around the space. He was
expecting her. Ty Lee must have alerted them. Azula
chuckled in amusement. They were going to need more
men then just him.

It hit her that they're all probably outside, waiting for

her.

Not a bad plan if is Azula is to be frank, but a stupid one.

They should have moved the bike before trying this. She
doubts anyone wants to get run over by a motorcycle
today.

She makes quick work of the single guard, and reaches

her bike with a sigh. Running her fingers over the fine
leather, she realizes just how much she’s missed it’s
material. So familiar and real. It wouldn’t betray her like
her friends before.

Settling down, she puts on her helmet, closing the visor

with a grin. She grips the remote to the garage door,
pointing it towards the sensor and pressing the open
button. It slowly starts to make its way up, but Azula
hears the door leading into the house open.

“Azula no!” Ty Lee shouts, sprinting at Azula, but the fire

bender was quicker. She twists the throttle on her
handlebar, and ducks her head. It was a tight fit, but she
manages to squeeze past the opening garage and barrel
past the pile of men that she had succeeded in assuming
were there. She doesn’t think she killed anyone, but
honestly, she doesn’t really care.

I’m coming Father. Just a little longer. Then we can get

on with the plan.

Speeding up, Azula races through red lights and

crosswalks with pedestrians crossing. Doesn’t matter, she
couldn’t get caught. This was probably her one chance to
do this right.

‘Azula stop.’ Her Mother’s voice urges, and Azula shakes

her head.

“Shut up!”

‘You’re going to get hurt.’

She throws off her helmet, letting it fall to the road

behind her and feeling the hair flip through her now
exposed hair. Her wide eyes scanned the road as the
harsh pull of the wind brought tears to her eyes.

‘Go back, Azula. Go back to her.’

“I have to do this!”
‘No you don’t. She can help you, just turn around and-’

“No! She doesn’t get to be a part of this!”

‘Azula just-’

“No!” She screams, eyes landing on the yellow light

closing in in front of her. She can make it... She can
make it. This will be fine. She passes by slowing cars,
her own speed only increasing and she see’s the light
turn red.

“I can make it…” She mutters, leaning forward just a tad

as her speed increases more.

‘Azula-’

“Shut up you fucking bitch!” She shrieks.

A horn invades Azula’s ears as she passes through the

intersection. She barely has time to turn her head to see
the bright, haunting white lights fill the black irises of her
eyes.

She didn’t make it.

Everything goes back.

Notes:
:)

so this is going to be azulas big

moment, the moment where she
decides which path she wants to take.
and yes, i will have a bit of ty lees
perspective so that we can understand
her side of things.

the question is;

will azula make the right decision?

comment ur thoughts pls!

Chapter 16: Oh How The Mind

Works In Mysterious Ways
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

“Azula!” Ty Lee laughed as she chased the prodigal fire

bender through the garden. “Slow down!”

Azula did no such thing. “You’ll have to catch me Ty

Lee!”

It was a sunny day, with birds chirping and the leaves

fluttering on their branches ever so lightly due to the
slight breeze in the air. Her Mother watched from the
distance as she and Ty Lee played a fun game of tag. If
Azula spared a glance, she’d see a small smile resting on
her Mother’s beautiful features.

Eventually, after several stubborn minutes, Ty Lee

caught up to her and tacked her to the ground, both girls
falling in a chorus of laughter and giggling. Her Mother
disappears from sight, as they had fallen behind a bush,
but Azula felt Ty lee’s small frame pressed up against her
stomach above her.

“Sorry, Zula!” She apologizes quickly, getting off the girl

and sitting cross legged next to her. Azula waves her
hand dismissively.

“Relax Lee, you’re not hurt are you?” She asked.

“Nope! You kind of took the fall for me.” She laughs
nervously, rubbing the back of her head for a moment.

“Well I guess you’re right.” Azula states.

Ty Lee, not knowing what else to say, looks to the sky.

She gasps, and points a finger up. “Zula look!”

Azula does so, and finds Ty lee’s finger to point towards

two clouds merging together. “I don’t see why you’re so
excited, Lee.” She comments boredly.

“It’s cool though! Two different things becoming one, it

sounds so romantic, but it’s only clouds.”

Azula stares at the brunette as she watches innocently.

There’s an unfamiliar tug on her heart, and it clenches
ever so slightly when Azula thinks of how pretty Ty Lee is
right now. She clutches a hand to the fabric of her
clothes her heart lay under, and takes a shaky breath in.

“Lee-”

“Children?! Are you alright?!”

Azula is interrupted by her Mother, who is coming around

the bush with haste. Azula drops her hand and stands
up, disappointed that she didn’t have more time. “We’re
fine.”

“Yeah! It was just a little accident!” Ty Lee beams.

“I see.” Her Mother states, but is staring at Azula. She

watches as Ursa crouches down to be at Azula’s level,
and grabs her arm. “Then why do we have such a nasty
little scrape here?”

Azula looks down to indeed find a bleeding wound on her

wrist. Azula frowns at it, not understanding how she
didn’t notice that. Innocently, she looks at her Mother.
“Mom?”

Azula wonders why her voice chokes up like that, but she
also figures it’s probably because of the fear growing in
her chest.

“It’s okay Azula, nothing a band aid can’t fix.” Her

Mother reassures, and picks Azula up to hold her. Azula
places her tiny fingers on Ursa’s shoulders, but looks
towards Ty Lee, who is staring with childish concern.

“Is she gonna be okay, Mrs. Ursa?” She asks.

“Yes my dear, we just need to go and clean her up.

Would you like to come help?”

Ty Lee beams. “Yeah! I’ll always help Azula, no matter

what!”

“You're a very good friend Ty Lee. Isn’t she, Azula?”

Azula doesn’t say anything at first, merely struggles in

her Mother’s arms as a sign that she wants to get down.
When her feet hit the grass, she immediately runs to Ty
Lee and takes her hand. She looks back to her Mother
with a confident face.

“The best.”

Ursa smiles and nods. “Come along you two.”

Azula watches them go from her spot in the garden with

blank eyes. She wasn’t sure where she was, or why she
was being shown this. She knew she wasn’t asleep, but
she also wasn’t awake either.

“Where am I?”

“You're subconscious, dear.”

Azula turns around, the world her mind had built fading
away into nothingness alone with her and being replaced
with a maddening white.

She stares at her Mother. “Why?”

“You don’t remember?”

Azula shrugs irritatedly. “Am I missing something?”

Ursa nods her head to the right, and Azula looks to see a
rectangular screen playing what seemed to be a
memory. Azula watched as she screamed at herself,
passing through the light only to hear a loud horn before
turning to see the truck collide with her body.

She hears a crash, and sees her body fly into the air
before everything goes dark.

Azula lets out a shuddering breath, turning to face her

Mother with fear in her eyes. “Am I…?”

Ursa gives her a sad smile. “No, but you're badly hurt.
The doctors think you might not make it.”

“W-What?” Azula stutters.

“I can show you what it looks like, but only for a

moment.”

Azula gulps, turning back to the now black screen. “Show

me.”

The screen, for just a moment, shows a blip of the

outside world. Azula see’s her body lying on a hospital
bed, her arms covered in bandages and the heart
monitor beeping rhythmically. There’s a mirror directly in
front of her, and Azula can see her sleeping face, one of
her eyes covered by bandages while the other seemingly
looks like she’s in pain. Her lips are cut slightly, as well
as several scrape marks and bruises along her neck.

The image fades, and Azula feels her heart drop.

“She’s there with you. Sleeping in a chair just out of your

view. She screamed when she found you lying there in
the road.”

“Stop.” Azula begs, shutting her eyes tightly and hoping

this was all a bad dream That she’d wake up and be
perfectly fine in her bed.

“Why do you torture her like this?”

“Because I- I can’t…” Azula’s words die, not being able to

come up with a reason as she falls to the floor in
anguish. She cups her face into her hands and sighs, “I
don’t know.”

“I think I do. I am the physical manifestation of your

subconscious after all.”

Azula removes her hand and stares distantly into space.

For once, she’s ready to listen. “Enlighten me.”

Ursa brings her hands together as if she’s praying and

walks over to Azula. “You think that if you push everyone
far enough away, then they’ll see you as the monster
you believe yourself to be. You believe that everything
Ursa told you as a child was true, because no one
contested it. No dared utter a word against your Mother
because of who she was and who she was married to,
and when she left, you took that as only a confirmation
that she was right. She ran away because she didn’t love
you, and thought of you as a monster.”

It was weird to hear her Mother talk in third person like

this. It made her cringe a bit. “Can you not look like my
Mother while you talk about her?”

Ursa raises an eyebrow. “Oh? Would you rather me look

like this?” As if in the blink of an eye, Ursa is gone and
instead replaced with Ozai. Her eyes widen in
subconscious fear at his cold stare.

“Or maybe this?”

Ozai transforms into Zuko, filling Azula with anger as she

looks away defiantly. “Definitely not.”

No words were spoken from Zuko, but Azula could hear

footsteps approaching her. Stubbornness fueling her, she
keeps her eyes distant and away from her subconscious.
Until a warm, familiar hand gently caresses the soft skin
of Azula’s cheek.

Realizing who it was, Azula twitches in pain, but forces

herself to push the hand away. “Not her, please.”

“She’s the person you’re most comfortable with.” Came

Ty Lee’s voice, but not at all sounding like herself. Azula
suddenly missed her Mother’s form.

“You’re not her, so don’t pretend to be.” Azula orders.

“Very well, how about me?”

As she spoke, her voice morphed into that of Mai’s. Azula

looked to see Mai’s neutral yet familiar stare looking back
at her. With a huff , she relents. “She’s fine.”

“Very well.”

Azula brings her knees up to her chest and rests her chin
in between her knee caps. “What am I even doing here?”

“You’re caught in between life and death, and it is up to

you which path you must take.”

“Easy, life. Can I go now?” Azula blunts, glaring at Mai’s

bored state.

“I’m afraid it’s not so simple. See, as your subconscious,

I know what you truly want and feel, and if I let you go
right now, nothing will be different.”

“So?”

“So,” Mai repeats. “I know that what you are doing now
is not who you truly are. You're too angry and lost to
make the right choices, and too stubborn to ask for help.
You’ve buried and repressed your trauma under the
pretext that it’s necessary and that you deserved it,
when the reality is quite different.”

Azula huffs. She can’t argue with her own subconscious,

she knew everything that was true about Azula down to
her core. She couldn’t lie her way out of this. “It doesn’t
matter now, I’m dying right?”

“Not exactly. Your body still has the strength to keep

going, but it is up to you to put in that effort. It is your
choice whether you live or die.”

“So what, I just forget everything everyone has done to

me and be a goodie goodie like Aang?” Azula scoffs.
“Sorry, but even you know that’s never going to
happen.”

“I do, but that doesn’t mean you have to be the villain.”

“I’m not the villain.” Azula mumbles.

“Right.” Mai comments. “You're not the person who tried

to burn the world down and make a new one with your
Father. You didn’t destroy countless lives, not to mention
kill-”

“Okay!” Azula shouts over Mai. Then, in a softer voice,

she says, “Okay I get it, I’m the villain.”

“One of them, yes, but it’s not too late to save yourself.”

“Save myself from what?” Azula asks, and Mai gives her
that same rare smile. One so genuine and truly caring,
even if it doesn’t seem so.

“Becoming the monster you so desperately think you

are.”

When Ty Lee was 6, she realized she was in love with her
best friend.

It didn’t register that it was that kind of love until she

was much older, but she knew it was love. That love that
makes you do anything for them. The love that pulls you
in and won’t let you go, and keeps you there in an
eternal state of bliss. The way it creeps up on you until
one day it just clicks, and you’re not even shocked
because how could you be?

It was Azula.

Azula, the person who she looked up to, who she shared
everything with. Who she trusted with her life and would
literally kill for her if she asked. Azula, who scared her,
but in a good way. With the fear that yes, she was
dangerous, and could probably ruin Ty Lee with a wave of
her hand or the press of a button. Oddly though, it
thrilled her. That knowledge that she was close to Azula
in a way that no one else was. That she was Azula’s best
friend, and not even Mai could compare to that.

Ty Lee was special to Azula, and even if it wasn’t in the

way Ty Lee wanted to be, it was enough. Because Azula
was still here, and she had her.

That was what Ty Lee told herself everyday for the next
10 years.

Being best friends with Azula wasn’t like how everyone

imagined a best friend relationship would be. Azula was a
very closed off person, and even if Ty Lee was closest to
her, there was always that barrier. Both physically and
emotionally. Ty Lee could vent all day about her boy
problems, but Azula never spoke a peep about what
really went on in her life. She never spoke of her Mother,
or Zuko, or Ozai, it was always just listening. Listening
with that charismatic smirk plastered on her face.

They never hugged, they never gossiped about boys late

into the night, they didn’t braid each other’s hair. They
didn’t do any of it because it was against the rules. The
rules Azula had made when she was young. One’s Ty Lee
didn’t dare break. There was no telling what would
happen if she broke them. Would it ruin their friendship?
Would Azula hate her for it? Would Azula figure out what
Ty Lee had been keeping from her for so many years?

Ty Lee didn’t know.

Until she did.

That day in the bathroom was the day Ty Lee broke

those unbreakable rules. When she hugged Azula,
because in that moment she just needed it. She wanted
to forget the rules and just have this one moment with
Azula. If Ty Lee couldn’t have Azula like she wanted, then
the world could at least let her have this.

And it did.

God , it was wonderful.

Ty Lee practically melted into Azula’s broader and more

masculine frame. Even under the leather jacket, she
could feel the firmness of Azula’s muscles as her fingers
pressed into the dip of her spine. Ty Lee didn’t care that
Azula wasn’t hugging her back, in fact, she kind of
expected it, as sad as that is.

But then she did, and in that moment, all she could smell
was cinnamon, and all she could feel was Azula, and she
couldn’t get enough of it. The intoxicating safety of
Azula’s presence flooded her system and Ty Lee was sure
she could stay here forever. To just be held by Azula in
this moment.

Ty Lee wanted it forever.

But she couldn’t.

That feeling stayed with her for the rest of the day. The
next couple of days in fact. It tortured her, the craving to
feel it again only growing and growing until one night she
finally has had enough and she calls Azula. She knew it
would be suspicious, as Ty Lee was always one to sleep
early so that she had plenty of energy for the next day,
but this was haunting her. She could barely sleep just
knowing that if she just asked, then maybe, just maybe,
Azula would let her.

So she did, and Azula, to apparently both of their

surprise, said yes.

Ty Lee had ended the call shortly after that, and in the
quietness of her own room, let out a disbelieving scoff.
She was in no way tired, she was ecstatic.

Azula had bended the rules. Molded them so that only T

Lee had that privilege, that right, to give Azula hugs.

Her, and only her.

Ty Lee was quite certain that she could fly at this point.
It was like having the power of a God. Something no one
else was able to do, and yet here she was, able to do it
whenever she wished.

Ty Lee didn’t waste it. The night Ty Lee invited Azula to

go bowling was a great example of this. She had waited
until they were alone, of course, because she doubted
that Azula would let her in front of the people she for
some reason did not like. So when Azula ran off by
herself, Ty Lee’s heart dropped because no. This wasn’t
how it was supposed to go. This was supposed to be fun,
a way for Ty Lee to go on some semblance of a date even
if Azula had no clue of it.

She ran after her, finding her in the parking lot about to
go to work once again.

Work.

Ty Lee hated Azula’s work.

She had no reason to if she was honest, she just had a

gut feeling and stuck with it. No job should require
almost all of your free time. Ty Lee didn’t care if Azula
was the CEO’s daughter, she was still a teenager just like
Ty Lee. She deserved to live and be a child like everyone
else. She shouldn’t have to grow up so fast. Yet her job
took all of that away from her. It enveloped her, slowly
swallowing her whole until Azula didn’t even realize how
disconnected from the world she was.

Ty Lee saw it, Zuko saw it, Mai saw it, the whole fucking
school saw it.

And they feared her for it.

Because at just 16 years old, Azula had climbed her way

to the top of the most influential business in Republic
City, arguably the world, all by her own merit. Her Father
gave her no leniency or special favors, and Azula didn’t
ask for it. She didn’t need it.

Azula could do anything she wanted. That was just who

she was as a person. She had that power, and used it
when it best suited her interest.

But that power corrupted Azula, and Ty Lee didn’t realize

that until the night of Prom. She had been so blinded by
the growing closeness of the two of them that she had
completely missed the growing problems building in
Azula. She didn’t notice the bandage around her wrist
until it was lightly scraping against her own as they
danced. She didn’t see that paranoid look in her eye until
Mai stepped out from the gang when they confronted
Azula during Prom.

Ty Lee remembers the night Azula came home with blood

staining her clothes, and that gave her too many
assumptions to filter through. She couldn’t tell if it was
Azula’s or someone else’s, and she didn’t know which
one she would rather it have been.

She looked passed that, because what else could she do?
Azula wouldn’t tell her anything, and Ty Lee wasn’t dumb
enough to go poking her head into Ozai’s business.

So she didn’t say anything. She stuck to giving

concerned glances as Azula’s stoic personality and letting
the well of dread in her stomach grow. She knew
whatever she saw was bad, and that it didn’t bode well
for her and Azula’s future, but she couldn’t risk losing
Azula.

Prom came, and everything was going so wonderfully.

Azula showed up and effectively turned on Ty Lee in
every way possible without even realizing it with that
suit. That gorgeously fit suit that Ty Lee wanted to rip
from Azula’s body and see what lay under. The suit that
pressed close to her as Azula slowly learned to dance,
filling her with such an intoxicating warmth that Ty Lee
wanted nothing more than to just kiss her. Throw all
rules and caution out the fucking window because Ty Lee
couldn’t take being just Azula’s best friend much longer.
Azula was unknowingly giving Ty Lee more and more
reasons to ruin their friendship all together because how
the fuck could Ty Lee not want her?

Azula’s aura was so pink that night, it was blinding.

Really, blue had never gone so well with pink. The way
the colors danced with each other in Ty Lee’s vision,
making Azula seem that much brighter.

Then Katara went and screwed everything up with her

admission to Azula being an accomplice to Ozai’s plan of
world domination.

She may have asked Azula if it was true, but deep down
she knew it was. It made too much sense for it not to be
true. That blood on Azula, the constant need for Azula at
the office, the bandage on her arm, they were all signs.

Ty Lee was just too distracted to notice, and now Azula

was trying to explain herself.

She’s not sure why she ran, she only knows that she did.
Too much was being thrown at her and she needed some
space to think. Plus, she was angry.

Angry that Azula didn’t tell her.

Angry that she didn’t notice. That she wasn’t a good

enough friend to tell when her secret love was involved
in some illegal affairs.

How could she be so blind?

Azula came after her, and even if she didn’t want to, Ty
Lee yelled. She screamed because why? Why couldn’t
Azula just let her help her? Why did Azula always have to
do things alone and be the perfect daughter?

Then Azula asked about her crush, and Ty Lee snapped.

Because really? That’s what you wanted to ask? Out of all
the things they had been covering tonight that’s what
Azula wanted to circle back to?

She shouts that it was her, because who cares at this

point. Whatever relationship they had was in shambles
now. She doesn’t care about Azula’s stunned face, only
the fact that she was letting too many words slip out of
her mouth.

Thankfully, the gaang showed up just as Ty Lee had

calmed down. Mai was there, and everything went to
shit.

Ty Lee had made a decision that night, though not an

easy one.

All her life, she had done what she believed would be
best for her. And while yes, joining Aang’s group was
probably what was best for her, that’s not even remotely
close as to why she did it.

She did it because she knew there was no other way. If

Azula killed Mai in that moment then that was it. There
was no way Azula was coming back from that. If she
could stop Azula from doing that, then maybe, when this
was all over, she and Azula could start fresh. She would
no doubt hate Ty Lee for what she was about to do, but
Ty Lee had made her peace with that.

In the end, Azula would thank her.

Ty Lee prayed she would.

She chi-blocks her.

It hurts doing it, as if her fingers themselves were knives

being plunged into Azula’s back. As Azula falls to the
floor, she sees that hurt. The complete betrayal written
on her face was heartbreaking but Ty Lee wouldn’t flinch.
She only felt pity.

Pity that she couldn’t save Azula before it had gotten this
bad.

She doesn’t help during the comet. She’s too devastated

over her choices to do so. In fact, for the next couple of
weeks that very choice haunts her. Azula is in her
dreams sometimes, screaming that she hates her. That
she’ll never forgive Ty Lee for what she’s done.
Sometimes, Ty Lee fears she believes her.

Mai tells her something in that blip between the comet

and her growing nightmares. Something Ty Lee doesn’t
fully comprehend, but knows enough to have a general
idea of what it was about. Ty Lee almost wants to ignore
it, to push it down so far within her that she never thinks
about it again. He couldn’t have, could he? No one does
that to their child...

Then Zuko says she can see her in the next few days,
and Ty Lee is given hope.

It’s shattered when she sees Azula in that...abomination.

She wants to kill the inventor of the straightjacket as she

orders the men to take the damn thing off of her. When
Azula’s arms are revealed, she can see how bruised they
are from the awkward positioning of the jacket. How
weak they have become compared to how built they
were the day of Prom.

She looks almost frail, and Ty Lee doesn’t want her to be.
She wants Azula to be strong again. Not only that, she
just wants Azula to be herself.

She vows to stay by Azula’s side no matter what.

Even as Azula choked her, restricting Ty Lee’s right to

breathe, she can only smile because at least Azula was
angry. She had every right to be angry at Ty Lee, and
while she certainly didn’t want to die, at least Azula was
screaming at her instead of giving her the silent
treatment. Anything was better than nothing at all.

Then Azula starts to vent her frustration, and as much as

Ty Lee’s heart aches for her, she can’t let Azula win this.
So, when she sees the anger bubbling back up in Azula,
she flips the positions and does something potentially
world shattering.

She chi-blocks Azula, and slowly lifts the shirt up above

Azula’s head, confirming her suspicions as to what Mai
had told her about. Littered all across her arms and back
were scars and burn marks of the abuse Ozai had
inflicted on Azula. All under the pretext that it was
Azula’s fault and that she deserved it.

He did this to her. That son of a bitch did this to Azula

and she didn’t even notice.

In that moment, Ty Lee has so much fury and rage in her

that she’s surprised she didn’t leave and kill Ozai that
very second. She probably would have, had Zuko not
come in to see the scene before him. She then
remembers that Zuko knew about this. After all, Mai had
to have gotten the clues from someone.

Her question was clear, asking if he knew. His only

answer was to an extent, but that wasn’t good enough.
There was a giant burn in the center of Azula’s back, so
Zuko was going to have to do a little better then to an
extent.

She slaps him. Hard. So hard that the tingling sensation

doesn’t leave her palm for hours after that moment.
Declaring she be released, Zuko can tell he doesn’t dare
challenge her, even if his words spoke to reason.

Ty Lee was throwing reason out the window on this one.

She didn’t care that Azula was a homicidal psychopath.
This place was doing absolutely nothing for her so Ty Lee
was going to take matters into her own hands.

At least, that’s how she thought it would work.

It seemed simple in theory. Take Azula to therapy, help

her heal, and mend their relationship. Simple, easy,
organized.

Azula was making it very difficult.

Any chance she got Azula took her shot at escaping.

Whether it be jumping out a window or burning the
entire house down, Azula would do it. Because
apparently anything was better than trying to be better
than what she had become.

That was another thing. Azula kept screaming about how

she was a monster when things got out of hand, and Ty
Lee remembered a moment in her childhood where Ursa
had called Azula a monster for nearly burning down the
entire west wing. Surely Ursa didn’t say that to her often
enough to ingrain it in Azula’s mind, had she?

Apparently she had, because as it turns out, Azula had

been seeing hallucinations of her mother. She would
come find Azula sometimes talking to herself, whether it
be in her room or a random part of the house.
Sometimes she would listen in, but Azula always ended
the conversations before they could get anywhere. One
thing was for certain though, Azula hated her Mother
with unbridled fury.

Then Zuko was shouting that Azula had escaped again.

This time, when she asked, he said it was like she had
just vanished. As if a ghost.

Ty Lee knew in that moment, exactly what Azula was

doing.

When they were kids, Azula would often cheat at hide

and seek. No one ever knew how she did it, but she
always would show up in random parts of the house
quicker than anything humanly possible. So for her to be
pulling these tricks again, it meant she had a plan.

She needed to be ready for it.

Luckily, she was right, because when Ty Lee found her

grabbing the keys to her motorcycle from the place Ty
Lee had so expertly hidden them, she knew it had to be
those cheats. There was no way Azula could have gotten
in here just by running in. Her door was locked and only
Ty Lee had the key, one which she had been gripping at
the time.

Azula got past her then, with a crazed look of victory in

her eyes as she disappeared once more.

The last time Ty Lee saw her was the moment before it
happened. Her face covered by the visor of her helmet as
she raced out of the garage.

She and Zuko had gotten in the first car they could, and
followed Azula. She was far ahead of them, but not so
much that she was out of view. Ty Lee had watched with
fear as Azula’s helmet rolled by the car. Her eyes had
darted up quick enough to see Azula’s bike before the
truck collided, but she wishes they hadn’t.

The terrified, gut wrenching scream she let out could

have been heard around the world.

Zuko didn’t even have time to stop the car before Ty lee
flung herself out of it, falling under the extra velocity but
picking herself up and sprinting to Azula’s lifeless body.
Even from a distance, she could see the pool of blood
beginning to form around Azula, soaking her clothes in a
dark red, illuminated by the harsh lights of the truck's
front.

She screams Azula’s name, hoping it might wake the girl.

It doesn’t.

Ty Lee all but collapses next to Azula, ignoring the way

her jeans feel wet and her knees scrape against the
asphalt. She takes Azula’s head into her arms and holds
it against her chest protectively.

“You’re okay...” She had whispered, more as a

reassurance to herself than anyone else. She can hear
the faint voice of Zuko on the phone with 911, but she
doesn’t care. “I’m here...You’re okay…”

She holds Azula with a gentle firmness, hoping that Azula

would wake and return it. She never does, and even as
Azula is pulled from her grasp by the first responders, Ty
Lee keeps a hold on one of those limp hands, refusing to
be parted from her.

Ty Lee couldn’t lose her.

She wouldn’t.

Even as Azula slept in the very bed that was helping

keep her alive, Ty Lee refused to give up. She refused to
lose her grip on that hand. That hand that has yet to
squeeze back. She wouldn’t let it end like this. There’s
was nothing she could do and yet she couldn’t-

“Ty Lee?” Zuko says, popping his head into the room and
holding up a bag of food. “I brought dinner. Are you
hungry?”

She doesn’t say anything, merely keeps her eyes focused

on Azula as he makes his way into the room. Pulling up a
chair, he sets the bag in his laps and holds out a cup of
fries to her. She smells the mouthwatering aroma of
freshly made fries, but it does little to sway her. “You
need to eat, Ty Lee.”

“How are you talking about food right now?” She asks,
squeezing Azula’s hand a little tighter.

“There’s nothing we can do. The doctors said she needs

to rest.”

“She’s in this mess because of us.”

Zuko sets down the fries. “Ty Lee-”

“No, you know what I don’t get?” Ty Lee interrupts. “How

did we not notice? How was I so fucking blind that I
didn’t realize she was-”

“Stop.” Zuko states, voice firm. “You can’t blame yourself

for the decisions she made.”

Ty Lee bows her head. “I could have helped her…” She

mumbles. “Maybe if I had known I could have helped…”

Zuko says nothing, for he has nothing he can say to that.

Yes, maybe they could have, but Azula kept everything in
her life so closely guarded that not even Ty Lee knew of
it. And with how persistent Ty Lee can be? Well, it was
something to behold for sure.

Ty Lee feels a firm and reassuring hand on her shoulder,

but doesn’t acknowledge it. She just keeps her head
bowed and fights off her tears.

This really was selfish of Azula, making Ty Lee hurt this

much. Ty Lee understood some considering her actions
but she thinks this might be taking it a little too far. Ty
Lee needed Azula. She couldn’t be this cruel, could she?

Please, Azula...I need you.

Notes:
hey kings and queens and everyone in
between, its ya girl...angsty bitch

anyways, heres an actually good

chapter to make up for my lacking
ability to write the past few chapters. it
covered a lot and i hope you all enjoyed
having ty lee's perspective for once. it
was fun to kind of go back and write her
side of things.

next chapter is going to go back to

azula, and will focus on the internal
conflict, as well as the decision she has
to make, i just wanted to set it up in
this chapter so i don't have to explain it
in 17.

okay, im gonna go, i hope you all

enjoyed it, i really loved writing this
chapter it was so much fun and the
creative liberty i took with the
subconscious was a treat.

comment as always, ill see ya soon :)

Chapter 17: Subconscious

Understandings
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Azula had lost all perception of time at this point. There

was no way to tell how long it had been since her
accident, but she did know it had been a long time.

Her subconscious was being stubborn, and wasn’t

allowing her to leave until she made a choice that Azula
still didn’t know the correct answer to. After that
conversation with Mai, the white nothingness she was
surrounded by faded away and transformed into a
segment of memories. Most were of her childhood.
Happy moments that oftentimes had Ty Lee and her
Mother somewhere in the picture. Sometimes Ozai was
there too, congratulating her on perfecting another form,
or Zuko asking her to teach her some stances.

What Azula didn’t understand was why she was being

shown these memories. Why was she being shown
moments that proved she was once weak and
vulnerable?

“You’re missing the point, Azula.” Mai says, and Azula

can feel her presence next to her.

The current memory was one of Azula and Ty Lee playing

in her bedroom. She had graciously allowed Ty Lee to
braid her hair for the first time, seeing as she kept
nagging Azula about it with no end in sight.

“Then what am I missing? Because I don’t know what

you want me to see.” Azula huffs, turning to face Mai.

“I want you to understand that what you're doing is

wrong. It isn’t who you are.”

“No, you’re wrong!” Azula counters, quite pathetically if

she’s being honest. “Father is-”

“Abusing, manipulating, and using you to get what he

wants.” Mai interrupts, making Azula falter. “You know
it’s true, you just don’t want to believe it because you
have to be perfect for him.”

Mai places a hand on her shoulder as Azula processes the

information. She couldn’t do much else, it’s not like she
could lie to her own subconscious. “You don’t have to be
anything for him, you know. He’s treated you like shit for
the 16 years you have lived on this planet, and yet you
still blindly follow him.”

“I have no choice.” Azula quivers. “His approval is all that

I have left.”

“No it’s not.” Mai replies curtly. “You have people who
want to help you. They know now that you have
struggled, and want to be there for you. All you have to
do is let them.”

“Easier said than done. They all betrayed me, so why

would they ever actually care about me?”

Mai takes a deep breath in, glancing to the side. “Let me

show you something.”

The hand is removed, and Azula watches as Ty Lee fades

away, and the warm evening sun of the day turning into
a pale moonlight glow, spilling in through the curtains of
Azula’s bedroom. She saw herself sleeping in her bed,
still a child, but just a bit more older than what the
memory once was.

“I don’t have an exact memory, since you were asleep at

the time, but using what I could hear and feel around
you, I made the most accurate copy I could.”

“What is this?” Azula demands, looking to Mai but finding

the door just behind them both open, making her
subconscious disappear as it swipes through her
nonexistent body.

Her Mother walks in.

Azula stifles a gasp, fearing she might alert her Mother of

her presence but quickly remembering that this was a
memory. Nothing here was really happening.

Now Azula recognizes it. This is the day that she

abandoned her. Abandoned Azula without so much as a
simple goodbye.

So what was she doing here?

She watches her Mother walk to the side of Azula’s bed,

with careful steps as to not wake the sleeping child. She
is flabbergasted to see her Mother bend down to give
Azula a simple kiss on the side of her forehead.

“Goodbye, I love you Azula.” Ursa whispers, and stands

back up straight. Azula watches with glossy eyes and
bated breath as her Mother stands there for a moment
longer, as if waiting, hoping, that Azula might wake up.

She doesn’t.

“This-” Azula breathes. “This has to be fake. Why would

you show me this?”

“It isn’t fake, Azula.”

“Then how come I don’t remember it?!” Azula screams as

Mai forms back into the memory. Her blank stare burns
holes into Azula’s desperate eyes. It didn’t make sense.
Why would her Mother ever say goodbye to her? Azula
was a monster to her, it made sense that she wouldn’t
say goodbye.

“You weren’t conscious at the time, but even so, I still

register things happening around you. I could hear your
Mother’s words that night, as well as feel the kiss she
gave you. The only thing that could be remotely fake
about this memory was the way it truly looked. Since I
had no vision to compare it to, I had to try and configure
how it would look.”

Azula remembered reading something like that once in

psychology class. How the human subconscious never
truly turns off. Even in sleep, it is fully awake, taking in
information and events around the body it is attached to.

“Then...why did Zuko... Why did she…” Azula mutters,

her thoughts jumbling up. She clamps her hands to
either side of her head and lets out a frustrated, “It
doesn’t make sense!”

“What doesn’t?”

“She never loved me!” Azula shouts. “She only loved

Zuko! It was always him, and he got to say goodbye! I
didn’t!”

“He woke up, you heard what he said back then. It was
purely coincidental.”

“He lied! He lied because wanted to spare my feelings!”

“He was telling the truth, and you know it.”

“He fucking lied!” Azula screams.

“I am your subconscious, Azula. You can’t lie to me.”

Azula breaks, falling to the floor as tears start to spill

from her eyes. “Why didn’t he fucking lie?” She sobs.

“Because he cares for you, and he wants to be there for

you.”

“No he doesn’t.” Azula sniffles.

“Stop denying what I’m telling you. I am only speaking

what you yourself know to be true.” Mai says.

Azula can’t argue. This entire time she’s known that her
subconscious was right. Deep down, under layers of
sealed walls and doors locked shut, that was the truth.
Now though, it was all coming out and Azula wasn’t
ready for that. She needed to be eased into it.

She’s starting to understand the answer her

subconscious wants her to give.

“...Show me.”

“Show you what?”

“You said you're my subconscious right?” She asks, her

face turning stoic as Mai nods. “Show me what I truly
want.”

“Are you sure?”

“No.”

Azula gives her no other answer than that, but Mai

understands, and soon, there is a world forming around
Azula that she has yet to see.

She sees herself first, sitting on the couch in the living

room of her house and watching a movie. A bowl of
popcorn rested between her legs, her hand diving in to
take out handfuls every once and a while. The sun was
setting, a yellow-orange glow filtering in through the
windows of her luxurious house and coating the room in
a warmth Azula could not really feel, but knew it was
there..

“Azula! I’m heading out to see Mai. You’ll be good right?”

“Yes, Zuzu. Don’t worry about a thing.” Vision Azula

replies, a lazy smile resting on her face.
“Okay!”

Azula watches the door shut on Zuko’s form, but doesn't

pay anymore attention to it then that. That
was...relatively normal. She could handle that.

“Here’s the drinks you two asked for.”

Azula shuts her eyes in pain. She knows she asked for it,
but she didn’t realize that she would be in the picture.

“Thanks Mom.” Azula says with a smile.

“Of course, dear. I’m heading to bed, you two behave,

okay?” Ursa says, kissing the top of Azula’s head lightly.

“Yeah, yeah.” Azula dismisses.

Ursa only chuckles at Azula trying to keep her stone cold

personality intact. “Goodnight, Azula.”

Despite herself, Azula looks to see herself smile. It’s

genuine. “Night, Mom.”

Ursa leaves the vision, leaving both Azula’s to herself for

a moment. She takes a deep breath. That had to be the
worst of it right? Now that the worst part was over she
could just watch the rest of this play out-

“Hey, I couldn’t find any of those popsicles you like, but I

did find ice cream. Is that okay?”

Azula’s eyes widen. How could she forget about her?

Beautiful, sweet, caring-

“Sounds perfect, Ty Lee.” Vision Azula smiles, making Ty

Lee beam and walk over to the couch quickly. She plops
herself right next to Azula, quickly adjusting so that she
can take the popcorn's position in Azula’s lap. The
popcorn moves to the coffee table as Ty Lee fiddles with
opening the tub of ice cream.

Azula laughs at Ty Lee’s apparent struggle “Here, let

me.”. She takes the tub, and around the edges of the lid
that had frozen shut, uses her bending to warm it just
enough so that it can pop right off. “There.” Azula says
with pride.

“Thanks Zula!” Ty Lee beams, eagerly dipping her spoon

into the dessert. They say nothing more after that,
merely snuggling together to watch the movie together
with content smiles resting on their lips.

Azula watches with muted pain, a single tear rolling

down her eye as she watches what could have been.

“Not what could have been, Azula.” Mai says, reading her
thoughts. “What could be.”

“She has to hate me by now.” Azula mumbles sadly.

“I’ve hurt too many people for her not to hate me.”

“She doesn’t, even I can tell that much.”

“You’re only saying what I want to be true.”

“Even if I am your subconscious, I can see the way she

looks at you. She loves you far more than she could ever
hate you.”

Right. Ty Lee loved her. For whatever messed up reason

that Azula would never understand, she loved her. She
wanted to be happy, because here she was, reciprocating
her feelings, but her heart is only filled with sadness, an
air of melancholy surrounding her like a shield from any
hope of happiness.

“Even still, I don’t deserve her.”

“But you would like to.”

“I’m a monster. Ty Lee doesn’t deserve that.”

“No, she doesn’t. But to her, you’re not a monster.

You’re her best friend.”

“That doesn’t explain why she betrayed me.”

“She betrayed you for you, Azula. She knew you were
too far gone, and she made a decision.”

“She left me to rot. Alone.”

“She was trying to save you.”

“That doesn’t make sense.” Azula grumbles, shrivelling

into herself more.

After a moment, Mai says, “Can I say something?”

“I’m not going to like it, am I?”

“No.”

Azula chuckles glumly. “What the hell do I have left to

lose?”

“More than you know.” Mai says, making Azula raise and
eyebrow.

“What do you mean?”

“Imagine this, Azula.” Mai says, and the world

transforms into the front of Azula’s boarding school.
When she was young, Azula was enrolled in a private
school for girls, as her Father thought it wise to let her
get a head start on her education.

Azula recognizes the scene in front of her immediately.

This was the day she met Ty Lee.

“A young child, tucked away to the side of the main

entrance to a prestigious boarding school, is being bullied
by a group of girls. Her clothes are in tatters, and there
is a bruise on her cheek.”

The scene plays out in front of them, and Azula bites the
inside of her cheek. She doesn’t need to be reminded of
that. If she had been older, she probably would have
killed those girls.

“Then along comes a girl, clothes without so much as a

single wrinkle on them comes up to them and says-”

“-It would be a shame if those uniforms were to catch on

fire, now wouldn’t it?”

Azula’s words are in perfect synch with her younger self.

Azula’s is much sadder though, watching with pain as the
young Azula flicks a tiny ember onto the girl’s skirts,
making the flammable cloth catch fire immediately.

Azula doesn’t bother to watch the girls run off, tails

between their legs as they try to extinguish the fire.

Younger Azula cackles, and turns back to the girl who

she had saved. With a more demanding tone, Azula says,
“I haven’t seen you here before. Who are you?”

Ty Lee covers her clothes, trying to distract both herself

and Azula from the fact that they were ripped at the
seams. “M-My name is Ty Lee…”

“Well, Ty Lee,” Azula states, taking a step closer to move

Ty Lee’s hands and assess the damage those bullies had
done. “Your clothes are absolutely unacceptable. Come
with me, I know where you can get a fresh pair while a
seamstress fixes this one.”

“And in that moment, the child knew she would follow

this random girl forever. She knows that she’ll always be
there for her, even when things get rough, because no
one had ever shown this girl kindness before. Her home
life was a disant one, where she never got enough
attention from her parents, with her 6 identical twin
sisters.”

Azula follows the pair with longing eyes, seeing them

scurry into the building as Azula scolds Ty Lee’s poor
appearance. Ty Lee had smiled then, and Azula realized
she would do anything to protect that smile.

“And that random girl would do the same, because she

felt an overwhelming need to protect this girl. This girl
whose clothes were torn and face bruised. This girl who
smiles so brightly she felt she didn’t need the sun to
replenish her energy as a fire bender. Just staring at that
smile filled her with fire, warming her heart to its very
core.”

It clicks.

Azula wanted Ty Lee.

Nothing more, nothing less.

She wanted to be worthy of the love Ty Lee so

desperately wanted to give her.

“I understand.” She breathes.

“Then you know things need to change, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Even if it tears you down in the process?”

“If it’s for Ty Lee, I’ll do anything.”

“So long as you know.”

“Just let me see her, please.” Azula pleads. “No more

memories. I need to see her.”

Mai gives her a consensual smile, nodding her head

slightly. “Goodbye, Azula. I pray you make the right
choices.”

“Thank you for showing me.” Azula says. “I know now, I

have a lot to apologize for.”

“All in good time, Azula…” Mai says, and slowly, Azula’s

vision starts to go black. “All in good time…”

When Azula came to, her vision was black, and the only
thing she could process was the irritating sound of her
rhythmic heart monitor.

Then the pain set in, and the ache in her limbs made her
want to groan, but her vocals could barely produce the
sound. All that came out was a choked up cough. Forcing
her eyes open, Azula finds that only one is able to see
the world around her.

Right, her left eye was bandaged.

Reaching a hand up to touch the fabric covering said eye,

she notices that every inch of her arms with the
exception of her fingers was covered in the sickly white
cloth as well. Flexing her fingers slightly, she finds them
tolerably movable, but slightly painful when she bent too
far.

It was then that she felt the weight of something on her

other hand.

Azula looks to find Ty Lee sleeping with her head rested

on the mattress of Azula’s bed. Her arm was looped
under her head for some semblance of comfort in that
unbearable-looking position. Her free hand was what
caused the tingling sensation on Azula’s own, seeing as it
was laid over Azula’s tenderly.

Things have to be different now. Azula knew that. She

also knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but she wanted to
try. She was willing to put in the effort. She understood
now that she could have it. If she really tried, she could
have what she truly wants. Ozai wasn’t here to stop her,
and Azula had nothing but her own demons holding her
down.

‘I think it’s time for the real work to begin.’

Azula darts her one eye to see her Mother's form at the
end of the bed. She stood there, looking as prim and
proper as ever, but this time, there was no hate in
Azula’s heart. She was angry, yes, and confused, but it
was no longer hatred.

She would understand in time. When she was ready.

Azula smiles as she watches her Mother’s body float

away, disappearing into nothing as reality set back in. Ty
Lee shifts next to her, the hand over here unconsciously
squeezing a little tighter.

Azula squeezes back, and Ty Lee groans. She slowly lifts

her head, groggily opening her eyes to look at the time.
They only get halfway there when she realizes the
pressure in her wrist.

Grey locks with one hazel eye, and Ty Lee is speechless.

Azula can see the emotions flooding through Ty Lee with
every passing second, so she says something instead. It
hurts her throat, but she needs to say it. It was the start
of a new chapter for Azula, and this time, she wouldn’t
mess it up.

So, in a voice barely above a whisper, as that is all

Azula’s vocals would allow, Azula lets the first of many
apologies leave her lips.

“I’m sorry.”

Notes:
THE RECKONING IS NIGHHHHHHHH

Azula finally understands what she

needs to do :)

alrightyyyyy now we can start to get

into the more fluffy side of this story IM
SO EXCITED

am i doing a good job? i really like how

i paced this part of her story so i think
its pretty good, but id like to hear
feedback from all of you. also who let
this book get 4k hits? WHICH ONE OF U
WAS IT -.-

jk jk thx u sm for reading it it's so nice

to know people are enjoying this as
much as i love writing it :)

alright, imma go do my schoolwork

now. bye bye

Chapter 18: A New Chapter

Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

“Y-you’re awake…”

Azula doesn’t miss the way Ty Lee’s voice shakes. How it

crumbles in on itself under the shock of its own words.
Guilt worms its way into Azula’s heart, and she wants to
say so many things,but she can’t speak anymore. Just
speaking those first two words of apology were enough
to dry out her throat and cause such an ache that Azula
hacked up a cough immediately after.

Ty Lee lets out a laugh, Azula’s is a bit surprised to find

how relieved it sounded. “You’re awake!”

Ty Lee practically jumps onto Azula, and she feels a

sharp pain in her chest, making her yelp in agony. The
brunette immediately flinches back, worry morphed into
her face. “Oh god! I’m sorry, I wasn’t-”

“It-” Azula rasps, throat closing up as she coughs. “It’s

fine…”

Ty Lee notices, and places a gentle hand onto Azula’s

neck, feeling how it clenches and tightens at the touch.
“The doctor said that it might be hard for you to speak,
so don’t push it. Here, let me go get you some water and
tell the doctor you’re awake.”

Ty Lee leaves the room, and Azula is left to sit in silence.

Her heart monitor was sort of comforting now. It let her

know that she was really alive. That rhythmic beep that
invaded Azula’s ears, letting her know every second that
her heart was working as it was intended to.

Motorcycle accidents like hers, if by what she remembers

it to be, very nearly left the driver alive. A head on
collision like that was almost certain death for people like
her.

She had been given a second chance.

She wouldn’t waste it.

“Miss Azula!” The doctor cheers as he comes in, Ty Lee

and a nurse not far behind him. “I’m so glad to see
you’re awake! How are you feeling?”

Azula doesn’t want to risk damaging her voice any

further, so she just shrugs, gesturing to all of herself. The
doctor seems to understand with a nodding smile.

“Yes, you went through quite the accident. Concussion,

broken ribs, multiple contusions across your entire body,
and a very bad road rash. The swelling in your throat is
probably from the concussion, but I can safely say that
will come back to you in no time.”

“How long?” Ty Lee asks, coming to sit next to Azula,

feet dangling off the edge stiffly.

“It shouldn’t be more than a couple days. I’m not sure

how, but this accident, for as severe as it was, did a lot
less damage than it has to some of my previous patients.
Azula should count herself lucky all she has is a sore
throat and some broken ribs. Others end up with things
like paralysis.”

If there was one thing Azula did not need, it was that .

"For now though, just rest. I'll have my nurse here check
on you every couple of hours. I assume you'll be staying
with her, Ty Lee?"

Azula watches with mute affection as Ty Lee gives her

signature sunshine smile. "Of course!"

The doctor leaves, and after a couple of minutes, the

nurse finishes her inspection of Azula. Without so much
as a smile, she says, "Call me if you need anything."

She leaves, both her and Ty Lee watching her go in

silence until the door clicks shut.

"She does not like you." Ty Lee laughs.

Azula doesn't say anything. Truthfully, she can't blame

the nurse.

"Oh!" Ty Lee exclaims, reaching to the table behind her

to grab a glass of water for Azula.

"Here."

Azula grabs the glass as firmly as she can and brings it

to her lips. The cold liquid is harsh going down her
throat, but quickly turns into something more pleasant
once she notices that her throat already feels better.

She takes another sip before handing it back to Ty Lee,

who dutifully places it back on the table for when Azula
needs it again. Azula watches her do so, and wishes she
could thank her. That’s a first.

“This is kinda awkward…” Ty Lee mumbles, a nervous

laugh leaving her lips, urging a small smile to work its
way onto Azula’s face.

It was awkward, but it was nice in a way. At least to

Azula it was. Ty Lee was still here, she was with Azula
even after everything she had put the girl through. That
meant something.

Something weird, but also nice.

A light bulb flashes over head, and Azula’s eyes dart to

grab Ty Lee’s attention. They do, the brunette asking,
“What is it?”

Azula moves her hands up, and gestures as if she’s

writing something. Ty Lee eyebrow’s wrinkle in confusion
for a moment before they move up in realization. “Oh! I
got it!”

Ty Lee jumps off and moves to her bag, which Azula

recognizes as the one she takes to school. She must
have come here straight after. She tries not to focus on
the way her heart warms at the thought.

She hears lots of shuffling and crinkling from the

direction of Ty Lee’s figure, which was blocking her bag
completely until Ty Lee turns around, holding up a
notebook as if it was the Holy Grail. “Got it!” She
exclaims, and fishes out a pen for Azula to use as well.

Flipping to a new page as she walks back over to Azula,

she holds out the blank piece of parchment, letting Azula
take it, as well as the pen. She fiddles with the awkward
positioning of it in her palm. The bandage was making
things a bit uncomfortable, but Azula was willing to
endure it for the sake of their current predicament.

Clicking the pen’s point open, she scribbles a bit onto a

corner, testing out her hand positioning, as well as to
make sure the pen had ink in it.When she finds both
acceptable, she begins to write.

She’s not sure what to say, so she starts small. She could
build her way up to things.

‘How long have I been here?’

She hands Ty Lee the notebook, letting the girl read it.
She sees Ty Lee’s lips move to mouth the words Azula
wrote, processing them as she went before her eyes
sparkle with recognition.

Beautiful even when doing nothing. Azula had it bad,

didn’t she?

“Three days.” Ty Lee answered, handing the notebook

back with a small smile. “I came every day after school,
and Zuko would stop by a lot. Aang visited once, to say
he was sorry and hoped you’d get better. Mai too, though
she came more for me, I guess.”

It felt like so much longer to Azula. Weeks, months even,

trapped in her own subconscious until she found the key
to her own heart. One taking the form of a pretty
acrobatic.

Azula’s lips turn downward, a sign to her guilt as she

begins to write again. This time it was longer, more
personal but still something Azula needed to say even if
she couldn’t speak. She feels Ty Lee shift to move closer,
and Azula guesses it’s so that Ty Lee can answer quicker.

The pen lands on the dot to the question mark at the end
of the final sentence, and she pauses with bated breath
as Ty Lee reads them over.

‘I know we have a lot to talk about, but I’d rather say it

to you with my own voice. So, just for the time being,
can you wait a little longer?’

Ty Lee turns her head to Azula, a weepy smile on her

face as she gives her a shaky nod.

“I think a few more days couldn’t hurt.”

True to the doctor’s word, Azula’s throat was completely

healed after only two days of simple rest and recovery.
Ty Lee came back to visit after school everyday, and
would leave only when she absolutely had to. Azula knew
she shouldn’t be keeping Ty Lee tethered to her like this,
but the brunette’s presence made her days in the
monotone hospital better.

Zuko visited the morning after she woke up, before

school had started. He had already been told she couldn’t
speak just yet, but still came in anyway. They didn’t
share a single word, but Azula did something that she
thought might help the tension in the air. She placed her
hand over Zuko’s, which was gripping the railing of
Azula’s bed rather tightly, and gave him a knowing look.

No words spoken, but an entire conversation shared.

He knew then, and Azula could tell because this was

Zuko, and he was always so easy to read. He knew she
was sorry, and that she would work on things.

He placed his other hand on top of hers, and gave her a

steady smile. One of reassurance, of that unconditional
love only a brother can have for a mentally unwell sister.

He was sorry too. Azula saw it in his eyes. He knew he

hadn’t done things the best way he could have, and he
was sorry about that.

They would talk.

They had time.

Mai visited too. It was short, but they had said what they
wanted. Well, Azula wrote it.

She understood now, and honestly? She was grateful.

Mai had tried for weeks to help her but Azula now
realized she was too stubborn to see the truth. It hung
there in front of her face, taunting her, but Azula denied
it.

All because a man told her reaching for the truth was
considered weak.

‘Thank you.’

Two words. That is all she wrote to Mai, and Mai

understood. She was good at that. Understanding Azula
even when she seemed unreadable. It was a trait very
few possessed, and Azula felt lucky that Mai was one of
them.

“I just did what was best for Zuko. The rest is up to you.”

Those words stuck with Azula for days. Mai was correct in
saying them. The people around her, who she once had
called friends but now wasn’t so sure, had shown her
correct path. Now, it was up to Azula to walk it.

The question that lingered on Azula’s mind though, was

would they be there to guide her?

She couldn’t do this on her own. She could talk all day
about how she wanted to get better, but there were
things blocking her. She hadn’t even begun trying yet
and she could already feel them weighing her down. Like
chains nailed to rocks, pulling her down deeper and
deeper into the ocean of her past decisions.

“Ty Lee.” Azula said, voice normal now with the exception
of a small scratch in the back of her throat. That could
easily be swayed downwards with a few sips of water
though. Sips Azula took while Ty Lee directed her
attention back to her.

“Yeah?” She asks, closing her textbook that she had been
studying with.

Azula takes a deep breath in. You can do this. You have
to do this. It can’t be that hard right? Just ask about that
therapist. Easy. Simple.

“Shit.” Azula groans, letting her face fall into her palms,
ignoring the strange feeling of the bandages against her
cheeks. She couldn’t do it. Why couldn’t she do it?

“Azula, what is it?” Ty Lee asks, and Azula hears her get
up and move to sit next to Azula on the bed.

“I-” Azula trails, laughing a bit as her mind denies her

the willingness to seek help. “You’d think almost dying
would make this easier on the mind.”

Her words were more towards herself then the brunette

next to her, but Ty Lee still answers. “Make what easier?”

Think of something. Azula urged her brain to do so

because she had to. If her mind wouldn’t let her ask it
directly then she would find a loophole. Something to get
the message across even if she couldn’t say it.

An idea pops into her head. “Give me your phone.”

“What?” Ty Lee asks, bewildered at the demand.

“Give me your phone.” Azula repeats. “I need-” She

pauses to take a deep breath. Baby steps. Work on it,
Azula. “Let me try that again. Ty Lee, can I see your
phone?”

The words come out sharper than she minted, but that's
okay. She could work on that.

Ty Lee narrows her eyes suspiciously, a devilish smirk

rising to her lips as she leans forward a bit. “What’s the
magic word?” She taunts.

Azula’s eye twitches in annoyance, and her glare worsens

when Ty Lee’s demeanor doesn’t change. With extreme
resistance, she grits, “Please?”

“Of course!” Ty Lee beams instantly, pulling out her

phone from her back jean pocket, opening it before
handing it to Azula with a smile. Azula takes it, and
immediately opens the call icon, going to the recent
section and scrolling a ways down until a contact shows
up. She clicks on the little info box and shows the name
to Ty Lee.

“Azula that’s-”

“I know.” Azula says before Ty Lee can say anymore.

“Seriously?” She asks. “You...you actually want to?”

“Well…” Azula drawls hesitantly. “I wouldn’t say I want to,

but after recent...events, I have realized a few things.”

“So you want me to…?” Ty Lee’s eyes dart down to the

caller ID, if just for a moment to get the point across.
Azula resists the urge to laugh, and settles for a small,
confirming nod. “That’s...that’s amazing Azula!”

Ty Lee lunges at Azula, wrapping her arms around

Azula’s neck tightly and pulling her as close and as
comfortably as she could with the bed’s small framing. A
small pain stabs at Azula’s torso, but she ignores it.

Ty Lee was worth it.

If Azula had to endure this pain all the time to just be

near Ty Lee, then it would be worth it.

She was Icarus, and she was going to learn how to fly
again.

“I changed my mind.” Azula says, staring at the building

in front of her. “I’m going back to being clinically insane.”

“Azula you’re still clinically insane, you’ve just reached a

calmer state since you’ve finally started taking your
meds.” Zuko blunts, staring at the building with narrowed
eyes as well. After the whole mental institution thing,
he’d been a lot more suspicious about the facilities
working with these kinds of issues.

It was about a week after Azula had been cleared to

leave the hospital. She had only spent about five days
there, seeing as the only real reason to worry was
Azula’s concussion and impartial speaking. But now that
she could speak like normal, and the concussion was
nothing more than a distant memory, they had let her go
with a bottle of pills, a fresh roll of bandages, and
instructions on how to treat Azula properly.

Ty Lee had booked the appointment with this therapist

the day after Azula returned home, saying she'd give
Azula a few days to recuperate before she had to dive
into anything serious. Azula was grateful for that.

That week was nice. Now that she had no desire to

escape the mansion of her house or to try and kill
everyone who came within five feet of her, she could find
a somewhat sense of normalcy. Wake up, make
breakfast, sit in front of the TV, get yelled at by Zuko
when she tried to go practice her fire bending. That was
always amusing to experience.

Take her meds, sit in bed and read through another

chapter of her textbook. Azula may not be going but she
was certainly not about to fall behind in her studies. Text
Ty Lee on the occasion she was on her phone, maybe
pick up a phone call or two, let her come over and-

Azula stops that train of thought. She did not need to be

thinking about that right now. She had more pressing
matters right now.

“They are disgusting , Zuzu. Imagine-”

“Don’t even!” He warns, clasping his hands over his ears

to block any future continuation to Azula’s statement. “I
don’t care!”

“Come on Azula.” Ty Lee chimes in. “You said you would.”

Azula doesn’t want to look at her, because she knows Ty

Lee is pouting and if she sees that then she’s gone.
Whisked away into an imaginary world where Ty Lee’s
word was law and she would be forced to comply. She
wouldn’t do it. She may be trying but she’s not trying
that hard.

“No.” Azula says with closed eyes, stubbornly crossing

her arms in retaliation.

“Azula…” Ty Lee whines, and Azula can hear her voice

swerve to land in front of Azula. She pivots sharply.

“No.” She repeats, voice firm.

“Don’t make me chi block you.” Ty Lee warns.

“You wouldn’t.” Azula snarls, eyes opening to glare at Ty

Lee.

Damnit. Big mistake.

Ty Lee’s big grey eyes bore into Azula’s with all the
determination of a lost puppy. Azula was almost
disturbed at how inhumanly Ty Lee’s eyes were able to
look at this angle. They were taking up her entire face.
Not fucking fair.

“Shit.” Azula cursed.

“Please Azula?” Ty Lee pleads, eyes somehow widening

even more as she takes a step forward into Azula’s
space.

“Stop it-”

“You promised!” She whines, throwing her arms around

Azula dramatically.

Azula wants to fucking scream. Who the fuck does Ty Lee

think she is? She cannot just...just do this!

Azula catches a glimpse of Zuko’s smug smirk and knows

she has to get Ty Lee off her immediately. By any means
necessary.

Damnit.

“Okay fine!” Azula relents, shoving Ty Lee away, playfully

though. Not enough to actually cause harm.

“Yay!” Ty Lee cheers. “Come on!”

Ty Lee runs ahead, and before she could begin to follow,

Zuko leans over and says. “You’re so fucking whipped.”

Azula breaks out into a maniac smirk, and stares at her

brother with crazed eyes. In a fluid motion, she slaps her
hand onto Zuko’s shoulder. “You realize I can still kill you,
right?”

The fabric under Azula’s hand starts to smoke, and

Zuko’s eyes widen when he realizes what she was doing.
“Okay!” He exclaims, darting away from Azula’s vicinity
and patting down his shirt frantically. “Message
received!”

“Good.” She grins, and proceeds to follow after Ty Lee

into the building.

The brunette was waiting at the door, and together, the

three of them walked into the lobby, Ty Lee checking
Azula in. The secretary smiles once everything is good to
go, and gives Ty Lee directions to where Azula’s therapist
would be.

After a short walk down a connecting hallway, they reach

an open door, the little label on the side reading 3A. Just
from this angle, she can tell the room was going to be
filled with a more homey aesthetic to make Azula feel
more comfortable while she was here.

She hated it.

“Okay, you go on ahead Azula. Me and Zuko will wait in

the lobby for you.”

“And I can leave if I can’t do this?” Azula gulps, staring

at the door with a mild dose of fear.

“I’ll take you straight home.” Ty Lee reassures. “You can’t

rush these things. I know that now.”

“Okay.” Azula takes a deep breath in.

She heads inside, and there, on the other end of the

room in a brown leather chair, sits a blonde woman with
her legs crossed formally. Her bespectacled eyes scanned
over the contents of the file she was reading over in her
lap. Probably Azula’s.

“Hello.” Azula greets, voice neutral as green eyes look up

to meet hers. They flash with recognition as the woman
realizes who Azula was and she gives her a polite smile.

“Hello! Azula, right?”

“Yes.” Azula confirms, watching the woman march her

way over to Azula and hold out her hand for Azula to
take. She shakes it with hesitance, a bit put off by the
woman’s strange kindness. It wasn’t Ty Lee’s. It wasn’t
warm or comfortable. It was just...dull.

Oh. Right. She wasn’t here to be Azula’s friend. She was

here so she could fix Azula. Like some broken toy. And
get paid for doing it well.

Azula takes back her hand rather forcefully, ignoring the

way the woman’s face flashes with confusion. “Let’s just
get this over with, shall we?”

Azula is impressed by Doctor Glenn’s ability to recover

quickly. “That’s not the attitude I’m looking for, Azula. I
read your file. Why don’t you have a seat?”

She takes a seat in the chair just opposite to Glenn’s,

and lets out a sigh. “Your file says you're suffering from
paranoid schizophrenia, PTSD, and a mild case of bipolar
disorder. Do you know what that means?”

“You’re the doctor here, not me.”

Glenn laughs. “Well I suppose that’s true. I can tell from

your school records and reputation at your Father’s
business you’re a smart girl. Can I call him Ozai?”

“Do whatever you want.”

“Careful, Azula.” Glenn warns with a misleading smile.

“That could open a lot of doors you don’t want opened.”

“I’m here so that you’ll-” Azula stops and takes an

aggravated breath in. This wasn’t getting her anywhere.
She knew this was a waste of time. Standing up, she
says, “If you're not going to take this seriously then I’ll
just leave. It was nice meeting you, Doctor Glenn.”

“You walk out of that door, and nothing will change.”

Azula slowly turns around, ill-concealed hate in her eyes,

ready to lash out at this therapist. “Excuse me?”

Glenn stares at her with a smug, knowing smirk. “You

came here because you want things for you to change,
right? You leave, and nothing changes. You’ll stay lost,
because you have no idea how to sort through all the
things circling through your mind right now.”

‘She’s right, you know.’

Fuck, why was she here? Didn’t she get rid of her
Mother?

“I’m not here to be your friend, Azula, let’s make that

perfectly clear, though, I’m sure you know that.” She
chuckles briefly. “I’m your therapist, and I have been
given your case so that I can help you recover. So if you
want to leave, go ahead. Go and try to do this on your
own, with no help, but you know that it won’t work. You
spent two months before this trying to do that exact
thing and look where that got you?”

“Stuck to a hospital bed.” Azula grits, fist clenching and

unclenching rhythmically.

“Stuck to a hospital bed.” Glenn confirms, leaning back in

her chair. “I know exactly who you are, and what you’ve
done, and I can’t say I like you all that much. But you’re
my patient now, so I am bound by my job to try and help
you.”

Azula stares at her, and almost wants to shout, but

cannot find anything to shout about. Nothing worthwhile
anyway.

“So sit down, and let's talk. We don’t have to start with
anything big, this is just to help me get to know you as a
person.”

That...doesn’t sound too bad actually.

Slowly, Azula returns to her seat. “Fine. Let’s talk.”

Glenn smiles. “Wonderful. Let’s start with something

easy. What’s your favorite color?”

This might not be so bad after all.

Notes:
before i say anything about the fic, i'd
like to say to the person who made 5
separate accounts just to send 5
different hate comments throughout my
fic to please don't :) it's rude and got
you nowhere. what did you think would
happen? think i'd stop writing? very
funny, because i have people who like
this fic and want to see more of it, and
to hell with me if i stopped doing that
because of a few mean comments.

im all for constructive criticism, but this

was just flat out rude. and after the
second comment, you just completely
lost any originality. like, "crap
commented: "Crap story."" ???? were
you even trying dude?

anyway, moral of the story, if you don

have something nice to say, don't say it
at all.

OKAY ONTO THE ACTUAL STORY LMAO

sorry about the tardiness with

uploading, i got a small dose of writers
block and got super busy so i apologize
for that. but it's here and i think i'm
doing the plot well. it's hard to show
azula wanting to help herself but still
having that one part of herself hold her
back, but i think i did a good job. we'll
see

let me know what you thought in the

comments. see ya :)

Chapter 19: A Step Backwards

Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

“Red.”

That was Azula’s answer to her therapist. No explanation,

no emotion, just red.

“Okay…” Glenn mutters, scribbling down the answer into

her file. “How about your favorite activity?”

“Training.”

“I suppose I should have seen that one coming.” Glenn

smiles. “How often do you train?”

“Any time I can.”

“I see, and when you're not training, what do you usually

do?”

“Go to school, do my work, the usual.” Azula answers

boredly.

“Interesting.” Glenn says, scribbling something down.

Azula’s eyes flutter to the pen flipping back and forth
before they dart back up as if it never happened.

“Let’s talk about something easy. From the two questions

I just asked you, I can tell that you are a perfectionist.”

Azula sits up, wide eyed. “Wha-!”

“You’re constantly working to stay at the top in school,

and always training to perfect your skills. You often don’t
think about taking breaks or trying to loosen up with a
bit of fun.”

“You-!”

“Am I correct?” Glenn interrupts once more, eyes fierce

as Azula is stunned to silence.

How did she do that? Just by asking her favorite color

and activity? Who the hell was this lady?

Azula falls into her seat, too shocked to even form a

proper answer. Apparently, Glenn doesn’t need one.

“I thought so. That kind of outlook on your daily routine

is bad for your health Azula. You need to work on finding
time for yourself, it will help tremendously with any
stress or tension you might be building up.”

Azula finds that hard to believe. “Are you saying I

shouldn’t try to be the best?”

Glenn quirks her lips up and nods her head to either side
in thought. “Yes, I suppose I am.”

“Father says that's a weakness.” Azula says, crossing her

arms. “I should always-”

“Your file also said that he had some rather...permanent

discipline tactics.” Glenn interrupts.

Azula freezes, unconsciously guiding her hand to her left

wrist, arms loosening in their crossed positions so that
she could do so. Glenn notices, and leans forward a bit.
“We don’t have to talk about that today. For now, I want
you to focus on taking a break every once and awhile.
Give your brain a chance to slow down.”

“I…” Azula mumbles thoughtlessly. “That’s not right...I

shouldn’t...I have to be better…”

“Azula, no one should have to force you to be perfect.

Especially when it is taken to the extremes that your
Father took it.”

“But I failed. He had to do it.” Azula enunciates.

“Your Father didn’t have to do anything. He should have

tried to help you, but instead he hurt you.”
“No, he taught me to be strong.”

“He taught you to build walls.”

“Same thing.” Azula grits.

“No.” Glenn says. “They really aren’t.”

“So what? Everything my Father ever told me was a lie?!”

Her voice was rising, but she didn’t care. This random
therapist that she had met not 10 minutes ago was
telling her everything she ever knew was a lie. She
wouldn’t let that stand.

“In a sense, yes.” Glenn reiterates.

“Bold words from someone who just met me.” Azula

retorts, but Glenn’s smugness only grows.

“This is not the first time I have worked with your family,
Azula.”

Azula freezes. “What?” She blurts out.

Glenn sighs. “I’m not allowed to disclose my patient’s

personal files, that’s illegal, but since you’re blood with
them, I suppose I can make an exception. If you promise
to keep it a secret, that is. Deal?”

A teasing wink, and Azula’s rage simmers down to

something more manageable. She had to hear this.
“Deal.”

“Let’s shake on it.” She says, throwing her hand out to

Azula.

“No.” Azula blunts, glaring at the woman.

Glenn retracts her hand. “Trust issues too...Good to

know.” Before Azula could counter that claim, the
therapist says, “It was a long time ago when I last saw
your Mother. You would have been around...8 or so.”

Her...Mother?

“Why were you seeing my Mother?” Azula questions,

eyes filled with fearful confusion at the new information.

“It’s no surprise you don’t know. She made sure this was
kept secret from everyone.”

“ Why were you seeing her?” Azula grits, that confusion

morphing into anger as her annoyance grows. Glenn
doesn’t say anything, if only for a moment. She merely
stares at Azula, studying her reaction to the information.
Like she was analyzing her.

Azula hated being analyzed.

Finally, Glenn says, “She came looking for a place to vent

her troubles, and look for a way to bear through her life
at home. Were you aware that she was being emotionally
and physically abused?”

“If she was she probably deserved it.” Azula mumbles,

not too surprised by the revelation.

“What makes you say that?”

“She never saw the bigger picture. Always too focused on

Zuko to care about anything of actual importance.” She
gruffs.

“Are you sure you’re not just saying that so cover up

your own problems with her?”

“She never even-!” She stops in the middle of that

sentence, realizing just what Glenn was doing. The arms
she had so expressively opened in her near-outburst
clenched into fists as her eyes dart down to meet
knowing green ones.

Working Azula up until all of that anger busted out into

an emotional venting session.

“Very clever, glasses.” Azula smirks, standing up from her

chair. “I’ll admit, you almost had me.”

Glenn shrugs. “I am a therapist. You get good at knowing

what will make people break.”

“Well you can use your tricks on someone else. We’re

done here.” Azula concludes, turning around to leave the
room.

“Good work today, Azula! Remember what I told you

about taking-!”

Azula slams the door shut behind her, cutting off

whatever Doctor Glenn was going to say.

“Fucking doctors.” Azula grumbles, shoving her bandaged

hands in her coat pockets and walking back out to the
lobby. She passes Zuko and Ty Lee without so much as a
glance, the only acknowledgement of their presence
being her firm words of, “Get up. We’re leaving.”

She didn’t speak of what happened in that meeting to

either of them. Even if Ty Lee pouted at her, she wouldn’t
break.

She knew that was a mistake.

Two torturous weeks later, and Azula was finally allowed

to take off the bandages for good. When she did, she
couldn’t see any of the wounds from her accident, the
only marks being those of her punishing burns. She had
frowned at the, recalling what Doctor Glenn had said
about them.

‘He should have tried to help you, but instead he hurt

you.’

She was right about one thing. He had hurt her, but it
was to make her stronger. It showed her that failure and
imperfection was weakness. That it shouldn’t be
tolerated lest she suffer the consequences.

She hasn’t scheduled another appointment with the

therapist, and didn’t plan on doing so any time soon.
That whole meeting was a complete waste of her time.
The only possible good thing to come out of that was the
new information she had acquired.

Her Mother had been to therapy.

An interesting development, but not a surprising one.

Azula saw how much Ursa hated the mansion she was
bound to. She noticed how stiffly she had walked the
halls while Azula watched from secret halls and hidden
corners. How even from a hallway down, Azula could
hear the muffled yelling of her two parents behind their
closed door.

No, not surprising, but very interesting.

She wonders what they talked about. What Ursa had

vented to Doctor Glenn all those years ago in the secrecy
away from her own family. The family which she seemed
to despise so much. Did she ever talk about Azula? If she
did, what did she say? Did she finally talk about how she
thought of her as a monster? At least she admitted it to
someone.

“You’ll wear yourself out, Azula.” Zuko calls from behind

her.

Right, she was training.

It had only been about a half hour or so, but she could
already feel the aches of exhaustion trickling through her
bones. It had been a long time since she had had a
proper chance to train and refine her skills. That said, it
didn’t take her long to get back in a groove. She’d need
to build back up her endurance though.

“Tell that to your minuscule training regimen.” Azula

retorts, fixing the compression sleeve around her wrist.
The cloth against her burn was starting to itch. A few
moments in fresh air would do well to relieve that. “I bet
I could beat you easy right now.”

“I won’t challenge that, mostly because I know you’re

serious.”

“Good.” Azula says with a confident smirk. “Glad to know

we’re on the same page.”

“Is everything a competition with you?”

“It certainly makes things more interesting.” Azula

comments. “Don’t you think, Zuzu?”

She could see his irritation growing. It was amusing.

“And here I thought I could have a normal conversation

with you like old times.”

“No conversation we ever had was normal, Zuko.” Azula

answers, moving to take off her other sleeve. “You know
that.”

Zuko groans, reeling his head back. “Then let's make

them normal!”

“I’d rather not.”

“Fine! Then I’ll just start asking questions.”

Azula lets out a breath of laughter. “Do whatever you

want, Zuko.” She moves to walk the short distance to her
water bottle.

“How’s Ty Lee been?”

“You tell me. I’m sure she talks to you more then me
nowadays.” Grabbing the bottle, she opens the cap and
moves it to her lips.

“Actually, she doesn’t. All I ever hear from her is stuff

about you.”

Azula hesitates, gripping the bottle a little tighter as she

says, “So?” before taking a gulp.

“So, obviously she’s been talking to you.”

Azula twists the cap back on, her face contorting in

bewilderment. “Those have no correlation. Is this why
you needed so much help in statistics last year?”

“Shut up! I asked for help on one thing!”

“And yet you still got a C. Father was furious, you know.”
She says, placing the bottle back down.

“Yeah well, what wasn’t he furious with me about?” Zuko

replies, making Azula crack a smile.

“True.” She agrees.

“Hey, you’re not supposed to agree!”

“But he was.” Azula says, taking stance for the next set
of forms. “He never failed to mention it at every
opportunity.”

“Wait, what?” Zuko says, voice taking the shape of a

confused child as Azula rolls her eyes.

“I hate you, you know.”

“But I thought-”

“You thought wrong.” Azula says, standing up straight to

face him with a cold stare. “Sure, I want to fix things
with you, but as of this moment right now? I hate you.”

Azula takes a few steps forward. “I loathe you and

everything you stand for. You’re whole ‘I’m the edgy boy
who walked the right path and found love and friendship
where I once only saw anger and revenge’ disgusts me.”

“I don’t understand. Aren’t you trying to do the same

thing?”

Azula scoffs. “What?! No! You think I'll ever fit in with
that merry band of misfits?!”

“Well, I thought you might at least consider it.”

“Then let me make this perfectly clear to you, Zuko.”

Azula says, voice low as she claps her palms together
and jabs her fingers into his chest so that she holds his
attention. He may be taller than her, but they both knew
who was stronger. It made him feel small next to her,
and Azula revelled in it.

“I will never be like you. I am not a good guy, nor am I

the villain. I can be your worst nightmare, or your most
valuable player, but that is up to me . Not you. Not those
idiots pretending to be heroes. Not even the world. Me,
and only me.”

Every word was enunciated clearly, nailing each one to

Zuko’s brain so that he would never forget it. She could
tell by the fear in his eyes that he understood
completely. He wouldn’t push it. He wouldn’t nag her.

He would leave her alone.

“Then what about Ty Lee?”

Azula takes a deep breath in, concealing her

exasperation with only a sigh. “What about her?”

“It’s obvious you both like each other. Are you going to
confess?”

“She already has.” Azula says, hoping she wouldn’t have

to talk about this right now. She was growing a rather
annoying headache.

“She what?!” Zuko exclaims, and Azula waves him off

with a scowl, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“The night of Prom, before you and your new friends

showed up. That’s what we were talking about.”

Zuko morphs into worry. “Did you-”

“No.”

“Are you-”

“I don’t know.”

“Can you let me finish please?!” Zuko shouts, and Azula

glares at him, but gestures for him to go ahead. He
huffs, “What’s stopping you?”

“Is it not obvious?”

Azula was broken. Ty Lee didn’t deserve a broken toy, no

matter how much Ty Lee loved her.

“Well yeah, but that’s never stopped you before.”

“Well it is now. Happy?”

“Why?”

Azula lets out a groan. “Agni, did you forget the part
where I said I hate you?!”

“No.”

Azula laughs, shaking her head. Her brother really knew

how to get under her skin, apparently. She’d have to
work on that.

“I’m heading in to shower. If you have something in

particular you want for dinner, make it yourself. I’m not
your servant.” Azula says, walking past him without a
second thought.

“Azula you know I can’t cook!”

“Precisely!” She yells back.

He doesn’t see the smirk on her face.

It’s not like she didn't want to confess, she just knew she
couldn’t.

She knew it would be so easy to just tell Ty Lee. After all,

the brunette had already proven to reciprocate her
feelings, but Azula was still hurt.

Ty Lee, no matter how much she tried to reason it, had

betrayed Azula, and that hurt. The one person that Azula
actually gave a fuck about left her alone. She can’t just
go back to her after that. She wouldn’t.

Azula heaved a sigh as the water of her shower head

trickled down her body, washing away the sweat and dirt
of today’s shorter training session. It would take a while,
with how long she was out of her schedule, but Azula
was confident she could work back up to her previous
levels of strength in no time.

Grabbing the cloth and. a bar of soap, she finishes

cleaning off the rest of her body. For a moment, she
forgot that the burn on her wrist was actually a burn,
and kept trying to scrub it off.

Even when she did realize, she didn’t stop.

She only quickened her strokes.

She scrubbed so hard that it actually started bringing

pain to Azula. A sharp, searing sting that travelled up her
arm to make her wince.

“Come on…” Azula mumbles, hoping that if she tried hard

enough it might just...go away. That she would wake up
from this dream and find herself awake, perfect, and
scarless.

Of course, that never happened, and Azula had to hold

herself together from breaking down in the shower. A
difficult task, but Azula wouldn’t let herself break.

“Damnit…” Azula grits, aggressively shutting off the

water and throwing the curtains to the side. She grabs
her towel to start the process into getting dressed.

How did this become her life? Thrown to the side, behind
everyone else when she should have been at the very
top.

Oh. Right. She went insane.

Makes sense.

Throwing a shirt on, Azula exits her bathroom,

multitasking by drying her air in the process. Once the
door clicks behind her, she turns to face the direction of
her bed, but nearly screams when she sees Ty Lee
standing there, sheepish.

“Agni fuck! Ty Lee!” She scolds, placing a hand over her

heart to try and will it to slow down.

“Hey.” Is all Ty Lee says.

“What on Agni are you doing here? It’s nearly 11!”

Ty Lee doesn’t say anything, and Azula finally notices the

nerves crinkling her face. The small, almost inconceivable
blush that Ty Lee was trying very hard to hide. Was
she...scared?

In a softer, more delicate voice, Azula asks, “What is it?”

“Do you remember what you said in the hospital?” Was

Ty Lee’s answer.

Cryptic for sure, Azula had said a lot of things in the

hospital. She was there for the better part of a week.
“Care to elaborate?”

“The night you woke up, you said something to me. Do

you remember what it was?”

Azula thinks, and runs her head through that hectic night
as best she could remember. She recalled talking to the
doctor, then Ty Lee, getting the idea for the notebook. Ty
Lee answered some of her questions and Azula has said-

Her eyes widen when she realizes what Ty lee was trying
to get across.

Ty Lee wanted to talk. Azula had said that once she was
able to talk properly then they would talk, but Azula had
forgotten about that. She had forgotten just how hopeful
Ty Lee looked in that moment.

So this was guilt.

Blood rushed into her ears, and Azula could hear her
heart pounding over her own breathing. She wasn’t
ready for this. She wasn’t ready to have Ty Lee. She
wasn’t worth it. She didn’t...she didn’t deserve Ty Lee
yet. Plus, Ty Lee had still hurt her, did the brunette
expect her to forget about that. Probably not, Ty Lee was
a smart girl. Azula knew that much. Yet, they were still
here, and Azula was sure she was going to lose her mind
tonight if she hadn’t already before.

Apparently, her fearfully shocked expression was a dead

giveaway, because not a moment later, Ty Lee says, “Can
we have that talk now?”

Fuck.

Notes:
*sobs in cliffhanger*

Chapter 20: Complicated

Confessions
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Azula manages to revert her face to something more

composed as she lets out a nervous chuckle. “I was
rather hoping you’d have forgotten about that.” She
chucks her towel onto a nearby chair and settles for
crossing her arms, standing directly across from Ty Lee.

“I never forget anything you tell me, Azula.” Ty Lee

responds, eyes focused with determination bleeding
through her words.

“Unfortunate, really.” Azula mutters before sighing. “Do

we have to do this right now? It’s late and I’d rather like
to get some sleep.”

“Yes, we do.”

Azula let’s out something between a hum and a groan.

“You’re awfully persistent today.”

“And you’re stalling.” She counters.

“Clever girl.” Azula smirks. “Alright fine, what do you

want to talk about?”

“Everything.” Ty Lee breathes, breaking her composure

and taking a few steps forward. “Azula I still don’t really
understand anything that’s happening with you.”

“For good reason.”

“To protect me right?”

Azula shrugs. “I’d say that’s a pretty good reason, no?”

“You should have told me, I could have helped.”

“The minute you found out, you chi blocked me and

joined the other side.” She sees Ty Lee freeze. She
hadn’t been expecting that. “Did you really think I had
forgotten that? You shouldn’t peg me for the fool, Ty
Lee.”

“I didn’t I just-” A deep breath. “I thought you

understood why I did it now.”

“I do, but I’m still mad.”

“Why?” Ty Lee asks, and Azula scoffs.

“You left me alone, paralyzed on the fucking sidewalk the

night of Prom! Of course I’m still mad!”

“You were gonna kill Mai!”

“And for good reason!” Azula shouts, her breaths

becoming labored as Ty Lee’s eyes fill with fear. She
registers just what she had said, and calms herself down,
pinching the bridge of her nose. “At the time , I thought
it was the answer. That’s what I meant Ty Lee.”

“I know.” Ty Lee mumbles, but Azula doesn’t believe her.

“No you don’t. I can still see that fear in your eyes.”

Ty Lee hugs herself, saying “Can you blame me?”

Azula’s eyes soften. She didn’t blame Ty Lee for being

scared of her. She had every right to be. In fact, she
should be scared of Azula. After all, she was a monster.

“No, I don’t.” Azula says after a beat. “Now, if that’s over

with. Say what you want and go. I’ve had enough of a
lecture from Zuko today, I don’t need one from you too.”

She hears and sees Ty Lee take a shaky breath in,

exhaling it slowly. “I just want to understand Azula. Two
months ago, I found out my best friend has been trying
to take over the world, and has been abused to make
sure she does it. No one knows anything past that, so
forgive me for wanting to help you.”

“You’re a fool.” Azula utters softly.

Ty Lee doesn’t hear her. “What?” She asked.

“I said you’re a fool.” Azula repeats, more firm than the

last.

“Why’s that?”

“You can’t help a monster.” She explains. “You’ll only get

hurt.”

“Azula…” Ty Lee mumbles, closing the distance between

them and placing a soft hand over Azula’s cheek. Azula
remains strong, even if she wants to lean into the touch,
and keeps her features stone cold. “You’re not a monster,
you’re just lost.”

Azula’s features turn to irritation as she shoves Ty Lee’s

hand off of her. “Everyone keeps telling me that, and yet
nobody bothers to explain it to me.”

“Would you like me to?” Ty Lee asks, eyes full of genuine

affection that makes Azula take pause.

Why the hell not?

She nods.

“I think,” Ty Lee starts. “That you’ve spent your whole

life listening to what your Father has told you is right, but
you never considered to stop and think about what you
think is right. He manipulated you into thinking what you
were doing was best, but in reality, it only made things
worse, and now that he’s locked away, you’re lost. You
have no one to listen to, no missions to complete, no
enemy to bring down. You have the chance to just be
yourself, but you’ve forgotten who that is.”

“I am a prodigy.” Is Azula’s weak answer.

“You are, but that’s not what defines you as a person.” Ty

Lee says, trying once more to rest her hand on Azula’s
cheek. Azula allows it.

“Then who am I, Ty Lee?”

“Whoever you want to be.”

Who did Azula want to be? If she wasn’t her Father's

right hand, or an enemy of the Avatar’s, then what good
was she? She was nobody without purpose. If she had no
purpose, then she was just...Azula.

Who was Azula?

Who was she?

“I don’t know who that is.” Azula finally admits, and Ty

Lee gives her a soft smile.

“You have a chance to figure it out.” She replies, her

thumb gentle caressing the smooth skin of Azula’s cheek.
The fire bender finally allows herself to lean into the
touch. “It’s going to be hard, and I know you’ll try to
resist help at every turn. It’s in your nature if the
therapist meeting is anything to go by, but give it time,
and you’ll realize that having people you can trust isn’t
such a bad thing.”

“I trusted you .”

Golden eyes meet grey orbs, and Azula can see the
sadness in them. There was guilt, and there was longing,
but Azula didn’t see a smidget of regret. Ty Lee knew she
had to do it, and would have done it again if she had to.

Azula would be lying if she said that didn’t hurt, but

what’s new honestly?

“I’m sorry about that. I really am, but if you expect me

to just sit there and let you kill someone, then you don’t
me at all.”

Azula feels a piece of that hurt chip away. “I know, and I

want to forgive it’s just-” She inhales sharply. “I need
time.”

“That’s okay.” Ty Lee reassures. “I don’t expect

everything that happened to go away overnight, I just
wanted to talk to you about it.”

Azula nods distantly. “Is there anything else?”

“What was it like when you were...asleep?”

“You mean after the accident?” Ty Lee nods. “Painful.”

“Really?” She asks, making Azula chuckle.

“Not in the sense that you think. " Azula explains. She
wants to tell Ty Lee about her little trip to the
subconscious of her mind, but would the brunette believe
her?

"Tell me." Ty Lee pleads, using her free hand to tug on

the material of Azula's shirt.

"You won't believe me if I did."

"A lot's happened, Azula. I doubt anything can surprise

me."

"Oh I doubt that." Azula smirks, knowing that Ty Lee had

lost this fight already.

"Try me." Ty Lee challenges.

Azula feels a bit embarrassed actually. So when she

speaks, her words come out more mumbled than
previously intended. "I was stuck in my subconscious."

Due to their close proximity, Ty Lee is able to make out

what she says, and lets out a laugh. "You were what?"

"I knew you wouldn't believe me." Azula sighs, making

Ty Lee laugh even harder.

"No I believe you! I just wasn't expecting...that." Azula's

silence spoke to how she didn't believe that at all. "What
did you see?"

"Memories." Azula recalls. "So many that I couldn't tell

how long I had been trapped there."

"Memories of what?"

"Whatever my subconscious wanted me to see." Azula

laughs. "Apparently it really wants me to get better. Who
would've thought?"

Ty Lee is silent for a moment as both girls digest the

meaning of those words. "Azula, you know what that
means right?"

"Afraid not." Azula denies. She didn't want to admit it

just yet.

"It means that you know you want to change, even if you
see yourself as a monster."

"I am a monster."

"I hate it when you say that." Ty Lee says, eyes full of
glimmering hate towards the descriptor. Azula narrows
her eyes.

"And why is that?"

"Because I did not fall in love with a monster."

Azula freezes up. She was not expecting Ty Lee to be so

blunt about it. She expected a blush, or a stutter in her
words, not a stone cold, rock hard voice that practically
slapped Azula in the face with each word.

“I fell in love with my best friend, Azula.”

“You don’t love me.” Azula laughs. Lying through her

teeth was easy. It was what she knew when she couldn’t
understand something. Unfortunately though, it only
made the recipient angrier.

“Yes I do.” Came Ty Lee’s firm response.

“No you don’t.” Azula lies. “You love the idea of me.”

Ty Lee stares at her, hurt in those big grey eyes. Good.

Show her the truth that you know. Show her that she
shouldn’t be trying this hard for a monster. She should
just break away now, before Azula hurts her too much.

“So what if I do?”

“What?” Azula asks, bewildered.

Ty Lee shrugs. “Okay sure, I love the idea of you. Do you

know what that means?”

Azula’s silence was enough for Ty Lee to continue.

“It means that I love the idea of you getting therapy. I

love the idea of you being able to love me. I love that
idea so much that I’m willing to do anything it takes to
get you there. I love the idea so fucking much that I’m
not ever gonna give up on you. You wanna know why?”
She doesn’t give Azula the chance to respond before she
continues. “Because I love you. I love you so much that
it physically hurts me to see you like this. You don’t know
how my heart shattered after having to chi block you.
You don’t know how I cried when I saw you get hit by
that truck.”

“Ty Lee-” Azula calls, all the anger and stubbornness

flushing out of her body as she listens to the brunette’s
plea.

Ty Lee, even as she starts to let tears fall from her eyes
and her voice chokes at some of her words, keeps going.
“I don’t care if you don’t love me back. I just want to see
you get better. I want you to be you again. I want you to
be that girl I played games with in the garden all those
years ago. The girl who let me braid her hair in the
secrecy of her room. I just want you back. The real you.”

Azula doesn’t know what to say. What does she say to

that?

Ty Lee…wanted her to be better, and Azula had promised

her subconscious she would. She just had to accept it,
and work. She had to let down her walls, and let
someone in.

But was it a good idea?

All her life she had been taught that vulnerability is

weakness. That caring is a weakness. Only the end goal
mattered. Being perfect mattered. She had to be perfect.
That’s how she got his approval. How she felt like she
actually mattered. If he saw her as perfect...then wasn’t
that all she needed?

Wasn’t it?

What if...she didn’t need him?

The cogs in Azula’s brain started to turn. Ozai was in

prison, and would be for a long time. World domination
was out of the question for her now. So, what if she
found something else to believe in? Or rather. Someone
to believe in.

What if she believes in herself for a change?

Believe she can be better. That she can change and be

this Azula that Ty Lee so desperately wanted to see.

Azula...wanted to see that too.

But that depends on the answer she gives Ty Lee. It all

depends on her next words.

What does she say? How does she say it? Will it be
enough for Ty Lee?

Will she be enough?

Maybe, maybe not. Azula is starting to think that’s not up

to her anymore. She’s never been able to control that.
Not with Ursa, not with Ozai, not with Ty Lee or Mai, or
Zuko. All she could do was hope that one day...she would
be enough. Clearly she went about that the wrong way
with her Father, if the burns on her back were anything
to go by, but that doesn’t have to define her choices now.

Choose a new path. One where Ty Lee was waiting on

the other side.

Yes, she wanted that. More than any position in her

Father’s company. More than any perfect score on a test.
More than anything.

All she wanted was to be good enough for Ty Lee.

All she had to do was-

“Let me help you.”

Ty Lee’s voice was so desperate. Like a child begging for

their favorite toy back. Only, hers was softer, almost a
whisper into the air of Azula’s bedroom. Azula heard her
though, and she can’t help but melt. Just a bit.

Maybe she could. Ty Lee had hurt her, but

maybe...maybe she could forgive her. Maybe it was for
the best. If Ty Lee hadn’t, then Azula would probably be
in jail, or locked in another institution for murdering Mai.
She’s fairly sure that this was a better outcome than
that.

Maybe, for Ty Lee, she could be vulnerable.

“Okay.” Azula breathes, reaching her own hand up to

wipe away any stray tears on the brunette's cheeks.
They were slightly flushed, and a sniffle escapes her as
she stares up at Azula.

“Okay?”

Azula smiles genuinely. The hope in that single word was

powerful enough to make Azula feel like she could fight
the Avatar at his best, and win . She finds the courage in
her troubled heart to pull Ty Lee into a hug. It was
awkward, but when Ty Lee wrapped her arms around
Azula and squeezed, she knew Ty Lee understood. The
brunette was good at that.

“I’m yours.” Azula whispered, daring to place a gentle

kiss to the side of Ty Lee’s head. If Ty Lee noticed, she
didn’t say anything, and Azula was grateful then that.

“I knew you’d be back.”

Azula grits her teeth, hearing the smugness in Doctor

Glenn’s voice.

This is for Ty Lee.

No. Well yes, but this was more than that. Ty lee played
a part in this, but she couldn’t do this for her.

This was for herself.

“I had some time to think about what you said, and after
much deliberation, I have concluded that it would do me
good to...talk about it all.”

“And what helped you reach this conclusion?”

“None of your goddamn business.” Azula snaps sharply,

and Glenn chuckles.

“Fair enough. What would you like to talk about first?”

“I don’t know.”

Glenn places the clipboard she was holding onto the

coffee table and crosses her legs, interlocking her hands
and resting them on her kneecap comfortable. “Alright,
what is easiest for you to talk about? We can start there,
and work our way up.”

Azula purses her lips uncomfortable. All of it was hard to

talk about. That’s what got her here in the first place, but
if she had to choose, then it would probably be…

“My brother.”

“What about him?”

“What?”

“What has he done to you?”

Azula can already feel the anger boiling inside her, but
she represses it in favor of letting it filter out into words.
“He was always Mother’s favorite, and because of that,
Ursa never...well, you get the point.”

“I do, no need to explain about your Mother just yet.”

Azula sighs, a bit shaky. At least there was that. “I never

understood why though. He was always so weak, and
could never do anything properly. He never saw the big
picture. He was nothing compared to what I was, and yet
she still preferred him.”

“How did you and your brother act as children?”

“What do you mean?” Azula asks, eyebrow raised.

“Did you two fight a lot? Did you spend a lot of time
together? Did you get along well?”

Azula looks down. “Like I said, he was always with

Mother, and Mother didn’t want to talk to me, so…”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes I’m sure.” Azula snarks. “She always scolded me

whenever I did anything!”

“Can you give me an example?”

Azula recalls a distinctive one. “One time, when we were

in the gardens, I was with him, Ty Lee and Mai. Zuko and
Mai have always had crushes on one another, so I
thought it would be funny to tease them a bit. One thing
led to another, and they both ended up in a fountain
soaking wet. Mother saw the entire thing, and dragged
me away by the arm, shouting this and that about being
nicer to him.”

“I see, and this was normal behavior for you?”

“I just wanted to have some fun.” She grunts, leaning

back into her chair with her arms crossed.

Glenn is silent for a moment, studying Azula as she

inhales slowly, exhaling loudly. “Your definition of fun is
more of what the average person would call bullying.”

Azula huffs, but doesn’t deny it.

“So, you enjoyed seeing your brother suffer, but can’t

understand why your Mother scolded you for it?”

Well when she put it like that , Azula found it hard not to
understand. “I understand now, but back then I didn’t.”

“Let’s go back to what you said about your Mother not

wanting to talk to you.” Glenn says. “You say that you
resent Zuko for taking all of your Mother’s attention. Did
you know that when your Mother spoke to me, she often
talked of you?”

“How am I supposed to know that?”

“You’re a clever girl.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m fucking psychic.”

“Language.” Glenn warns.

“Oh fuck you.” Azula growls.

Glenn laughs, but decides not to comment any further

about it. “Yes, one of your Mother’s constant
conversations with me was about you?”

“What? Did she tell you how terrible I was? How much
she couldn’t stand the sight of me?” Azula retorts,
looking away from Glenn with distantly hurt eyes.
“She often said you were impossible, and stubborn, but
no. Never anything that extreme.”

“She called me a monster when I was 7.” Azula blunts,

side eyeing Glenn with a glare.

“And she vented to me how regretful she was about that

very exchange.”

“I thought we were supposed to be talking about Zuko.”

She deflects.

“We were, but it seems to me like most of your issues

with Zuko stem from your complicated relationship with
your Mother. She had cried during that session, and had
called herself a bad Mother because of it.”

“Serves her right.” Azula grumbles.

“She did care about you, Azula. A great deal more than I
think you realize.”

“Well she never showed it.”

“She never knew how.”

“Oh I don’t know. Maybe just say, ‘I love you, Azula.’?!

Or possibly try and actually talk to me when you’re not
trying to scold me?!”

Glenn pauses, letting Azula calm down from her

outburst. When Azula reaches a calmer demeanor, she
says, “I can’t give you an answer to that, but I do know
that you didn’t put much of an effort in either.”

“I thought she hated me. What was I supposed to do?”

“I’m sure if you asked, she would have been more than
happy to-”

“Who cares.” Azula interrupts, her words mumbling a bit

as her scowl increases.

“What?” Glenn asks.

“She was weak anyway. It’s not like it mattered in the

end.”

“And yet, you still want her to love you.”

Azula freezes, and Glenn gives a sad smile. “I can see it

in the way you talk about her. You deny wanting to have
anything to do with her, but there is always that hint of
hurt.”

“I don’t need anything from her.” Azula says, weaker

than her previous statements.

“Maybe not. I can see that you're a strong young

woman, but every child needs the love and support of
their Mother.”

“Yeah well, she’s gone, so there’s nothing I can do about

it anymore.”

“You can forgive her.” Glenn offers, making Azula’s eyes

narrow into a seething glare.

“For not loving me like she was supposed to? Yeah right.”
She scoffs.

“It will take time, but the more you hold onto this anger
and pain, the harder it will be for you to move on.” Azula
says nothing, merely sitting in silence.

Her Mother never gave a damn about her. It was always

Zuko. She had no right to be forgiven. Azula didn’t need
to do shit for that woman. Not when she called Azula a
monster, even if it was true.

“Just think about it, okay?” Glenn asks, checking her

watch. “That’s all the time we have for today, but I think
we made some real progress, Azula.”

“Whatever.” Azula utters, standing up and grabbing her

jacket off the back of the chair.

“Remember, Azula. Fine time to take breaks. It might

help you more than you know.”

Azula doesn’t want to entertain that idea as she drapes

her jacket over her shoulder, but the more she thinks
about it, the more she believes it actually might help.
“...I’ll keep it in mind. Goodbye, Doctor.”

“See you next time, Azula.”

Azula leaves, and her mind recalls that memory her

subconscious had made up. The one of her Mother
kissing her goodbye the night she disappeared.

Could she trust that that was real? If it was, then it

meant that she cared enough to say goodbye, but that
didn’t make sense. Ursa had said she was a monster, and
monster’s don’t receive love from people.

“Azula!” Ty Lee calls, and Azula looks up to see the

brunette standing from the chair she had been in when
Azula had seen her sit in when they first got here. Before
she knows it, Ty Lee is running at her, and Azula shifts
her arm so that the jacket she had draped over her
shoulder could move to run behind Ty Lee’s back once
the brunette had enveloped her in a hug.

Azula had to take a few moments to work up the courage

to wrap her arms around Ty Lee in response, but when
she did, Ty Lee squeezed tighter, and Azula felt so very
warm, and safe .

“I’m so proud of you.” Ty Lee says, face buried into

Azula’s shoulder.

Maybe...maybe her Mother did love her. She was just

focusing on the wrong thing. Maybe she wasn’t a
monster. Maybe she was just lost. After all, monsters
don’t receive hugs from pretty brunettes in pink
sweatshirts.

And monsters wouldn’t enjoy it this much, either.

Notes:
For those of you who might yell at me
for not making Azula confess, I don't
think Azula is in a very good place right
now to do so. I think she's struggling
too much to try and start a relationship
with Ty lee, but knows she wants one,
so i kept things a little ambiguous.

comment what you thought :)

Chapter 21: Lapses in Judgement

Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

When Azula finally got an answer to her insistent

questions about her motorcycle, she was not happy
about the news. It had been totaled completely, which
shouldn’t have been a surprise considering the nature of
the accident, but Azula was still angry.

That was her bike, and it was one of the few things she
still liked about her fucked up life.

She demanded to get a new one.

Zuko said no initially, saying that she couldn’t even drive

it since her license got revoked, but Azula was not going
to take no for an answer.

“I will make your life a living hell if you don’t let me get a
new one!”

“You already have.” Zuko says, calm and cold about his
answer.

“Oh you think this is hell?” Azula scoffs, slamming her

hands down on his desk, which was once Ozai’s. “I can
be so much worse, Zuzu. Just you watch.”

Zuko stares at her unflinching features, and heaves a

sigh when he realizes that Azula could quite literally ruin
his life if she wanted to. “Fine, but I have two
conditions.”

“What are they?”

“The first is that you build it from scratch. I’ll buy you all
the parts you need, but you need something else to
focus on other than fire bending.”

Azula could handle that. It sounded like a challenge, and

a good way to pass the time while she was still cooped
up in this house. The only way she was allowed out was
for her weekly therapy session.

“And the second?” Azula asks, shifting a bit. Zuko’s calm

demeanor falters when he lets out a shaky breath. Azula
can tell she’s not going to like this.

“I know you said that you wouldn’t be doing any goodie

goodie stuff, but I need your help to find someone.”

“Who.” Azula demands, her patience wearing thin as

Zuko gulps.

“Mother. I want you to help me find Mother.”

Azula is silent for at least a minute as the words process.

When they do, the wood under Azula’s palms begin to
smoke, a blue haze being distinguishable in between her
hand and the wood.

“Azula!” Zuko says, standing up and shoving Azula off

the desk so he can pat down the wood and prevent a
potential fire.

“You want me to...what?” Azula asks, not quite believing

the words.

Zuko pats down the last of the embers of the burnt

wood, and rests his own palms over the desk as well.
“I...I want to see her again. Aang has agreed to help
with everyone-”

“There is no way in fucking hell I’m doing that.” Azula

responds. This was uncalled for, even for Zuko. She
never expected this amount of foolishness from him. He
wasn’t actually serious right? He wanted her , to help
him , find the woman who had called her a monster all
because he wanted his Mommy back?

“Please, Azula. You’re the only one other than me who

could know anything about where she could have gone!
And, it will give you a chance to patch things up with
her!”

“I don’t want to patch things up with her! I hate her,

Zuko! Why on Agni would you think this was a good
idea?!”

Zuko is silent for a moment as he dangles his head in

frustration. “Look, if you don’t want to help that’s fine,
but whether you come or not, I’m going to find her and
bring her home. So either you stay here, with no
motorcycle to build, or you come with and have a chance
to find closure on part of your messed up life. If I were
you, I’d take this chance.”

“Yeah well you’re not me, so don’t act like you know
what I want.” Azula retorts, malice seeping through her
voice as she turns around. “Go find that wretched woman
for all I care, just make sure I never have to see her
face.”

Azula huffed as she let out another round of fire,

completing the next form with grace. Her stamina was
slowly starting to build back up, she could feel it in the
way her muscles didn’t ache as much as they did the day
before, but still there.

As the last breath of her flames left her fist, Azula stood
up and took a second to catch her breath before starting
the next form. It was hot, with summer having started
just a week ago. All of the students in her school should
have been released for the year by now, but Azula didn’t
care much to pay attention. Ty Lee always brought her
the work she would need to do, and would take it back
for it to be graded. It was a cycle, but it gave Azula some
familiarity to her previous lifestyle.

‘Remember to take breaks, Azula. It might help.’

Doctor Glenn’s voice rang in the back of her head, and

Azula took a moment to think about it. She had been
practicing for a while. Maybe it would be good to stop
and...what did she say about it last time? Let her mind
slow down? That sounded right.

Deciding it couldn’t hurt to at least try, Azula begins to

walk, leaving the cement flooring of the arena in favor of
letting her bare feet stick against the short hedges of the
green grass. Just doing that seemed to wash away a
swell of tension in Azula as she let herself acclimate to
the feeling. Beginning to walk again, she can feel the
light breeze of the hot summer day, a nice sensation as
the sweat on her skin begins to dry.

She reaches the garden, which Azula hadn’t ventured to

in a very long time. Too many memories surrounded this
place. Too many of her Mother.

She stops, looking distantly at the varying species of

birds chirped on top of bushes and benches, recalling she
and her brother’s earlier conversation.

It was stupid of him to even think she’d agree to such a

thing. For one, she had no desire to see her Mother now,
or any time in the future, and she was pretty sure she’d
kill any member of the gaang if she came face to face
with them

Especially Katara.

Azula frowned. If Katara was crushed by a boulder at this

very second, Azula would probably laugh. That girl
thought she could ruin Azula’s life, and in a way,
succeeded. Azula almost wanted to be impressed, but
she was more angry than anything else.No, angry wasn’t
a strong enough word.

Furious? No, still too soft.

Ah, now she knew.

Livid.

And she would be for a very long time, but right now she
was supposed to be calming down. Finding her zen or
whatever. Azula still didn’t really know how any of this
worked.

Deciding to take a seat in a patch of grass near the

fountain in the very center of the garden, Azula criss
crosses her legs and takes a deep centering breath in.
Closing her eyes, she allows her mind to go blank as she
focuses on nothing but the voices of nature around her.

Branches and leaves swaying in the distance.

Bushes ruffling as wild animals ran amuck through the

garden.

A bird’s friendly singing as it flew above Azula’s head.

The water rushing out of the fountain’s spout, crashing

against the small pool of water at the bottom.

The sounds of footsteps approaching her-

Wait.

Good grief not again.

“I’m not in the mood Zuko. I told you my answer is no.”

Azula warns, but the footsteps neither sway nor stop,
they just keep coming closer. Azula twitches in
aggravation. “Zuko! I said-!”

She opens her eyes to glare at her brother, but doesn’t

see him. Rather, she sees Ty Lee.

“Oh.”

Ty Lee giggles. “ Oh is right.” She teases, moving to take

a seat next to Azula on the grass.

“What are you doing here? Didn’t you say you were
going to the mall?”

“We did, but I decided to leave a little early.” Ty Lee

explains.

“Why’s that?” Azula snarks, looking down as she fiddle

with a few strands of grass. “I thought you loved the
mall.”

“I do, but I got the strangest text.” Ty Lee says in teasing

mystery. “Something about a fire bender nearly burning
down Zuko’s desk this morning.”

Azula is silent, the only thing leaving her being some

unintelligible grumbling. Ty Lee leans forward so as to
draw Azula’s attention. “Wanna tell me about it?”

Azula sighs, and plucks the grass off the ground, fiddling
with it in her hands as she creates a small knot in the
fragile blade of grass. “He...He wanted me to help him
find someone in exchange for allowing me to get a new
motorcycle.”

“Who’d he want you to find?”

“Our Mother.”

A deafening silence envelopes them, and Azula is sure Ty

Lee can feel the silent rage radiating from Azula’s calm
demeanor. How those eyes turn cold and hard as she
holds the blade of grass at either end and pulls sharply,
breaking the plant in two easily.

“And I assume the burnt desk…”

“Was my answer.”

“Got it.” Ty Lee says, leaning back a bit to seemingly

think on the situation. “Out of curiosity, why did you say
no?”

Azula scoffs. “You can’t be serious.”

“I am.”

Azula throws her hands up halfway in exasperation,

letting them fall back down to the grass limply. “I don’t
want to see her or any of those stupid idiots right now.
What makes you think I can tolerate that for however
long this trip will be?”

“I think, and this is just my opinion so don’t get mad,

that this will be a good opportunity for you.”

“And why’s that.” Azula mocks, the words not coming out
as a question but rather a statement as she goes back to
picking at the grass.

“You don’t have to like them, Azula, but I think you need
to try and understand them.”

“I understand enough. Their idiots with a hero complex.”

“Maybe that’s true, but I think if you understand their

point of view, then you can reach an understanding with
them.”

Azula thinks about that. Honestly, the gang would be

more than thrilled to do that. They’re too friendly for
their own good. Still, it did sound nice. Reaching a
neutral ground, with the bad blood between them put to
the past.

Idealistic, but far from her grasp right now.

“Azula?” Ty Lee calls, waking Azula from the slumber of

her thoughts and giving a acknowledging hum. “What do
you think?”

“I think it's pointless.” Azula says. “I don’t agree with

them, and they’ve proven never to agree with me, so
what’s the point?”

“The point is that it will help. If you can forgive others for
the wrongs they've done to you, then we can begin to
forgive you, if we deem you worthy.”

Azula chortles. “Now who’s the one sounding formal?”

Ty Lee giggles, playfully shoving Azula. “I’m serious! If

they can see that you’re working on it and yourself, then
I think you have a real chance at at least being
frenemies.”

“I’d prefer to be nothing at all to them.”

“That’s fine too, but I hate seeing my new friends and

my best friend fight like this.”

She hadn’t thought about that. About how this was

affecting Ty Lee. If Azula had to compare it to something,
the best she could come up with was that Ty Lee was a
rope, and Azula was on one end, tugging it towards
herself while Aang and his friends were on the other side.

“Just think about it okay?” Ty Lee says, voice soft and

gentle and Azula almost wanted to agree just because of
that. “I’m gonna go say hi to Zuko, you’ll be okay, right?”

Azula doesn’t say anything, too deep in her thoughts to

manage a proper response. All she can do is nod her
head, eyes still glued to the grass she was plucking from
the ground beneath her feet.

She can hear Ty Lee’s footsteps grow farther and farther

into the distance, and decides not to focus on them
anymore.

Think. That’s all people told her to do nowadays. Think

about what you’ve done. Think about the people around
you, the people you’ve hurt, betrayed, trusted, cared
about. It never fucking ended and Azula was getting tired
of it.

She didn’t want to think anymore, she just wanted to be

left alone. But that wouldn’t help her get better, and
Azula wanted to get better.

It was just so hard.

There were too many things to focus on. Too many

things she had done. There was so much that Azula
couldn’t really tell what was real or not. So much had
been thrown at her face these past few months, she just
wanted to lock herself in her room and sit. Sit in silence
because everyone was too fucking loud and-

Azula takes a deep breath in, and tries to meditate once

more.

Clear the mind, only focus on the present.

Nothing else.

Suddenly, everything fades away, and Azula is surprised

when she feels it. Pure streams of fire flowing through
her body under the hot summer sun. She could feel it
energizing her, as if she was a flower just about to
bloom.

A good opportunity huh?

Well, nothing was going to change if Azula just stayed

here in denial about it all, and she wouldn’t get her
motorcycle parts either…

And it wasn’t like they’d find their Mother for sure, right?
They had no way of knowing if she was even still alive,
so maybe this couldn’t hurt.

A neutral ground…

Azula opened her eyes.

That sounds nice.

-

The next two days, Azula watched as her brother scoured

every inch of this house in mild intrigue. She knew every
nook and cranny of this house, so if he found something
that she hadn’t? Well...Props to him.

She’d never admit that though.

“What on Agni are you doing, Zuko?” Azula asks, looking

with disappointment as her brother runs his finger along
the crack in between the wall and the wood flooring.

“I’m checking to see if there’s any secret room here.” He

grunts, slamming his hand into the wall when he can’t
find anything.

Azula laughs. “You won’t find them that way, Zuzu, but
keep trying. It’s funny to watch.”

Zuko shoots up. “So there are secret passages! I knew

it!”

“Yes, well done, Zuko. You’re only about 11 years late to

the party.”

Zuko tilts his head in confusion. Azula sighs, stepping

over to the exact spot he had been searching around and
staring to play with the stones of the wall. The mansion
had several different personalities, as some would say.
One room would be filled with wooden furniture and
things of that assortment, and another would look like
this, more medieval and rustic.

“You were close to Zuzu, but you were looking in the

wrong place. Notice anything about these stones?”

“They’re...stones?”

Azula turned around, keeping a hand on a specific stone.

“Yes, but look closer you idiot. Each one has been
ordered in a specific way. Red here, then a coral, to white
and then grey, and repeat.”

Azula looks back to the door and smirks. “All except for
our lovely little red stone here, which has been placed
out of order.”

She pushes down, and the door reveals itself, pushing

out and leaving a bit of dust and crushed rock to fall to
the flooring. As the hallway reveals itself, Azula stands
for Zuko to see the dark passageway with wide eyes.

“How on Agni did you find this?!”

“Have you not met me?”

Zuko waves her off dismissively as he slowly walks

inside. Azula watches him go with narrowed eyes. “The
door doesn’t shut on its own, and you’ll need to come
back and clean up the mess it made. Have a blast,
Zuko.”

With that, Azula takes the door and shuts it behind him.
She can hear his initial shout, and chuckles. “You’ll be
fine Zuzu! There’s plenty of ways out! Isn’t this what you
wanted?!”

The silence she got back gave her all the answers she
needed. She chuckled, shoving her hands into her
joggers and continuing on down the hallway.

Part of Azula wondered if he’d find anything.

Probably not. If Azula couldn’t, then how would he?

“How in the fuck did you find this?!” Azula yells, scanning
letter after letter of messages Ursa had been trying to
send to her hometown.

“I don’t know! One minute I was wandering into a new

room and the next I’m falling into a room full of all this
crap!”

Azula looked around the room. There were various little

knick knacks and paintings stored in here, but their main
priority was the dark red and black chest hidden under
an old Fire Nation flag. How had she never found this
place? It...She had checked every inch of these
passages. How did this one evade her?

That wasn’t what was important, what was important

was the content of these letters. Each was addressed to
some kind of old flame from before her engagement to
Ozai. Never signed with a name, probably for privacy and
safety reasons, which Azula had to admit was clever.

They all spoke of a village. Somewhere in the colonies

Ozai had taken while he was conquering the world. Never
given an exact location, but the description was enough.

“I’ll have one of my men at the office find out which

village this is. One is bound to match these descriptions.”
Zuko says, pocketing a few of the letters.

Azula says nothing, still stuck on the letter in her hand.

It was different from the rest. It spoke like the others for
the most part, but at the very end, something caught
Azula’s full attention.

‘-Our son.'

Azula’s eyes widened, realizing that she was talking

about Zuko.

Zuko...wasn’t Ozai’s.

He had no claim to the business.

Azula...Azula is the true heir.

Composing herself, she folds the letter up and shoves it

into her pocket. She had to keep this one. This one could
change everything.

“Help me carry this out of here, will you?”

Azula wastes no time in doing so, and with more

cooperation between the two of them then there had
been in years, they get the letters to the foyer with little
trouble. Azula stands off to the side as Zuko talks to the
men, ordering them on what to do and where to take
these.

Those...Those were her men.

They were rightfully hers.

Not his.

Azula narrows her eyes, a plan forming in her head.

She changes her mind.

She’s going on this trip.

The day Zuko had set to head out on this journey, Azula
makes a surprise entrance.

“Got room for one more?” She says, and everyone turns
to look at the new voice.

She can’t stand the sight of them, but this was more
important than some petty squabbles.

She’d find out the truth, and then Azula would take back
her life.

“Azula! You changed your mind?!”

Azula huffs as he walks over to her, but merely shoves a

piece of parchment into his chest. It was a list
comprising of top quality omtorcycle parts that she would
need in order to build her own bike. Her hazel eyes stare
narrowly at him. “I expect these parts delivered to me as
soon as possible.” She commands, not leaving any room
for an argument as she walks past him and stares at the
giant fur beast in front of her.

“So this is your little pet, Avatar?”

“Yup!” Aang says, far too cheery towards Azula after she
had tried to conquer the world and kill his girlfriend. “His
name’s Appa!”

Said Appa turns his head, and everyone watches in

wonder as he takes a big sniff of Azula. Azula freezes,
her face contorting into disgust.

She wants to scream when a tongue that was bigger

than her entire body sloppily licks her.

“He...likes you.” Katara breathes in disbelief, Azula tries

to ignore her in favor of not having to kill anyone today.
Though, she had to agree. She couldn’t quite believe it
either.

The only response she gives is an ill-tempered,

“How....revolting.” as she tries to wipe the slobber off of
her clothes.

“You might want to go change. That’s not coming off

easily.” Sokka offers a strange gesture of kindness that
Azula merely nods to. Gratitude or curtness, she couldn’t
be sure.

“We’ll wait for you.” Zuko says as he throws his own bag
up onto Appa. Azula nods, and after a few minutes inside
Zuko’s company’s bathroom, she is changed and ready to
go.

“If that thing licks me again, I’m blasting you all to

space. Got it?” She threatens as she climbs up with
them.

“Loud and clear!” Aang says quickly, and once Azua is

settled, they take off.

The people at the company had managed to narrow

down Ursa’s description to a few colony villages about a
day's travel from here. It was part of the reason they
were leaving so early. Azula wasn’t complaining, she
usually woke up at this hour anyway.

“So...Azula.” Aang says once Appa’s heading the right

direction. He climbs down from the beast’s head to sit
with the rest of the group. “How was the institution?”

Azula groans, falling back to lay down and not give Aang
a proper response.

This was going to be a long trip.

Notes:
if yall read the comics, then yall know
whats about to happen.

I WILL NOT BE FOLLOWING IT

DIRECTLY THOUGHT. (obvi) i just
thought the story was a good way to
have Azula figure some things out, and
a way for me to show that she's not
truly on the right path yet. if she sees
an opportunity...she's gonna take it.
there's no working around it.

i promise though, this will divert from

the comics a lot in terms of plot and
decisions azula made. im also probably
not gonna include the whole 'new face'
ursa because personally i just think
that's dumb.

i hope you all enjoyed, i really liked

writing this chapter. comment ur
thoughts :)

Chapter 22: A Neutral Ground

Azula had expected stupidity to a certain extent when

she had tried to somewhat mentally prepare for this
adventure, but she had not expected this.

They were fucking imbeciles.

How was the Avatar this clumsy? Why was Sokka using
Appa’s hair as a beard? Toph was just pointing at random
things in the completely wrong direction, but that was
averagely normal. Katara seemed sane enough, trying to
wrangle up the idiots.

Zuko? Zuko was probably the most collected out of all of

them.

He, much to Azula’s relief, stuck to the plans and maps

that he had drawn. He gave the group orders and
suggestions on when they should stop and rest. Overall,
Azula was pretty impressed with her brother.

Then she feels that letter that she had tucked into her
combat boots, and her hate boils back up.

He may be shaping into someone to hold a smidge of

dignity to, but that didn’t make him worthy of her
respect.

The first village they had gone to was a bust. No one

there knew of a woman named Ursa, and seeing as most
of the villages Zuko had on his list were very close knit
communities, it probably was easy to say that they would
know Ursa by now. Now, they were heading to the
second village, but the day was wearing this, and the sun
was falling under the horizon with a warm orange tint
lighting up the evening sky.

“We should probably set up camp out here for the night.”
Katara says, looking over the woods they passed at the
moment.

Azula couldn’t oppose. For the past hour she had been on
edge as Appa seemed to wobble unsteadily. It was clear
the beast was tired and she’d rather not pay the
consequences of keeping it going longer then it had
energy for.

They landed in a clearing of the woods, and while

everyone set up camp, Zuko and Azula worked to start a
fire. It wasn’t hard, but they did need to find some logs
and twigs to keep it burning.

“How’re you holding up?” Zuko asks as he picks up

another dry branch and adds it to his growing collection.

“Just peachy.” Azula spits, eyeing a good log in the

distance.

“Look, I know you didn’t want to come, but I am glad

you're here.” Zuko says, tone genuine as Azula gives him
a narrowed glance. She couldn’t tell if he was lying or
not, which was weird. She always knew when someone
was lying to her.

Was he being genuine?

“I think this is a really good step in your recovery.”

Azula rolls her eyes. There it is. Always about Azula

getting better. Never...never just a heartfelt confession
from brother to sister.

“Whatever Zuzu. Let’s just finish this up.”

After all, she had a company to take over.

They returned back to the camp shortly after that, and

Azula didn’t miss the skeptical glares the gang gave her.
She ignored them, throwing her own pile of logs to the
side and waited merely two seconds for Zuko to finish
placing his wood strategically before flicking a tiny blue
flame at it. It erupted right into Zuko’s face, and he
yelped as he jumped backwards.

Azula snickered, but when she heard the sound of

running water, the earth being moved, and a blade being
drawn, Azula looked behind her to see the entire gang
standing in offensive positions.

She raises an unimpressed eyebrow. “I’m flattered, but

there’s no need for such dramatics.” She says, placing a
hand on her hip as Zuko shoots up to stand between
Azula and the gang.

“Hang on guys! She’s fine, it was just a joke.”

“She nearly set your face on fire!”

“But I didn’t.” Azula adds, looking over Zuko’s shoulder.

“Trust me, if I wanted to attack you idiots I wouldn’t
have done it by lighting a campfire.”

“See?” Zuko says, and Azula wants to laugh at the trust

he has so foolishly placed in her. “She’s fine guys,
nothing to worry about.”

Oh you have everything to worry about, Zuzu.

“If you say so, Zuko.” Katara is the first to diffuse,

pocketing her small pouch of water and standing up
straight. “I’m still keeping my eye on her though.”

Everyone else follows Katara, and they all sit back down,
beginning to have some small talk. Azula ignores them in
favor of focusing on the blazing flames in front of her.
They were far more interesting than anything those
numb nuts had to say.

Staring at them, she felt her own fire flowing in tandem

with the seemingly wild flames. It was almost relieving,
to know that something was working at the same
wavelength as she was. Comforting.

“Hey, Azula!” Aang calls, and Azula lifts her head with a
bored expression to meet his eyes.

“What, tattoos?”

“Aw come on! Still using those nicknames?” He pouts,

puffing out his bottom lips for emphasis. Azula resists the
urge to roll her eyes.

“I prefer the word insults, but yes. I am.”

Aang huffs, but moves on. Good. At least he knew he

wasn’t going to get anywhere with her. “Anyway! How
have you been?”

“Oh just wonderful Aang.” She says sarcastically. “It’s

been a blast. Really.”

“Oh don’t be like that! The worst of it is over!”

Azula’s eye twitches. Really? Did he really just say that?

“Excuse me?” She spits, staring at him with slightly

crazed eyes.

“I- uhm-” He stutters, noticing the phrasing of his words

as he tries to back pedal. “I mean-! You’re doing better
now, right? Yeah! Don’t- uh...W-Why are you looking at
me like that…?”

Azula was glaring at him with such intensity that she was
probably burning holes into sockets. She would like that,
honestly, but sadly, that was only in her mind. So
instead, she merely stands, and looks at Zuko, her
fearsome features not leaving her as she grits, “I’m
going to get some air.”

She walks as calmly as she could into the darkness

surrounding the forest, not caring where it took her. All
she knew is that she needed to get away from them .

God she hated this, but it was necessary.

Find out the truth, and crush him. He had controlled her
long enough.

She didn’t like being controlled.

She felt like a caged animal.

Fitting, she supposes. She was a monster.

Her feet take her to the edge of a cliff, and just off it was
a beach, leading out into the ocean until you could no
longer see over the horizon. A breeze blows her hair to
the side, letting her stray bangs tickle her cheeks as she
takes a seat, letting her legs dangle over the edge.

The Avatar had a lot of nerve saying that. Does he not

know how this works? If anything, losing her mind was
the easy part. All it took was a little…

Snap !

Azula inhaled sharply, the noise was right behind her.

She swings around, using her legs to swipe whoever’s

shin was behind her, making them fall to the ground with
a thunk. As soon as they hit the ground, Azula lunged
forwards and wrapped a hand around their neck,
summoning a threatening blue flame from her fist that
was hanging over their head.

Azula’s eyes only narrow when she realizes who it was.

“Thought you could sneak up on me, necklace?” Azula

says, loosening her grip just enough so that Katara was
able to speak.

“I wasn’t trying to.” Katara breathes.

“Try saying something next time.” Azula suggests,

releasing her grip against Katara’s neck with a shove.
She stands up, and moves back to the ledge, this time
staying standing since she had a feeling this was going to
be an interesting conversation.

“I was going to ask if you were okay, but you seem to be

doing just fine.” Katara says, and Azula rolls her eyes.

“What do you care how I’m feeling?”

“I was trying to be nice, Azula. Maybe you should try it

sometime.”

Azula chuckles. “You have a lot of nerve asking me to do

things.”

“I’m trying to help you.”

“I don’t need your help.” Azula says sharply.

“Geez, why are you so stubborn?!” Katara shouts. “I try

to make peace with you and all you do is reject anything
I say!”

This got to Azula, making her turn around and take two
intimidating steps towards the water bender. “You really
think I’m just gonna forget everything you did to me?!”
She shouts. “You ruined my life!”

“You ruined it yourself when you started working for your

Father.”

“Oh, sorry!” Azula laughs. “Did your Mother leave you

when you were 9?! Or call you a monster when you were
7?!”

“No! My Mother died fighting your Father’s invasions!”

“And what?! Did it teach you some kind of lesson?! Are

you some enlightened hero who knows all?!”

Katara doesn’t respond immediately, her angry features

softening. Azula’s don’t, but she doesn’t say anything
else either.

“No, it didn’t. All I knew was that my Mother was dead.”

Katara’s voice was low, and somber as she reached to
touch the base of her necklace. Azula wants to vomit.
“But it made me grow up, for my brother.”

“How selfless of you.” Azula mocks, her voice returning

back to normal as well.
“Look, nothing can change the fact that our parents were
enemies, but that doesn’t mean we have to be.” Katara
says, grabbing Azula’s attention with the offer. “I can’t
say I want to be your friend, and I’m positive you don’t
want to be mine.”

“Glad we’re on the same page.” Azula says.

“But,” Katara continues. “I’d like to understand what Ty

Lee seems to see in you.”

Azula freezes at the confession. “What are you talking

about?”

“We all knew, Azula.” She says. “Ty Lee had told us a
month before Prom. She practically begged us not to say
or do anything about it.”

“Why would she tell you that?”

“Have you met Ty Lee? She doesn’t exactly have the

tightest lips.”

Azula, despite her anger, chuckles a bit, looking at

Katara’s growing smile as she joins Azula.

“I uh-” Katara starts, in between her laughs. “I also came

to apologize for what Aang said. It was insensitive and
he should have known better.”

Azula looks at her in shock.

Maybe...maybe this wouldn’t be such a bad idea. She

was still mad, but if Ty Lee saw something in them that
Azula could tolerate, then it wouldn’t hurt to try right?
They could work on forgiveness, but they had to start
somewhere.

When she regains her composure, Azula holds out a

hesitant hand, making Katara raise an eyebrow. “You’re
right. I don’t want to be your friend, but Ty Lee seems to
think you idiots are worth the effort so...I guess we can
call this a truce?”

Katara gives her a smile, and Azula is a bit put off by it.
She can’t tell if it's smug or genuine, which is unsettling
in and of itself. She takes Azula’s hand, and they shake
to seal the deal.

“You’re still a know it all.” Azula says when their hands

separate. They begin to head back to the camp together,
the leaves crunching loudly under their feet.

“Okay Daddy’s girl.”

“Watch it, necklace.”

The next village held no mention of any Ursa either, not

even one who came in passing. Zuko had been annoyed,
but Azula wasn’t surprised. Her Mother, for all her faults,
was clever. She always managed to find Azula when no
one else could. That was a feat in and of itself.

Aang had to console Zuko on the ride to the next village,

which didn’t take long since there were still 2 villages left
to check. All it took was a few choice words and Zuko
was back to himself.

Azula despised it.

Every second they spent looking for that wretched

woman was another second Azula’s impatience grew
thinner. She had started fidgeting because of it all. Even
Katara had noticed and gave her a curious glance. Azula
ignored her. They may be at a truce, but that didn’t
make them friends.

“Well that was a bust.” Sokka said as the next village

came into view. “But hey! New village, new
opportunities!”

“Truly inspiring, boomerang.” Azula snorts, and Sokka

glares at her.

“You got anything better?”

“Better than that bullshit? Always.”

Everyone, even Zuko grows quiet.

“Really?!” They all shout in unison, making Azula jerk up

from her more slouched position. She saw their
expectant eyes, and shook her head firmly.

“No way.”

“You can’t just say that and not give us something,

Azula!” Aang says, scooching closer. “Come on, give us
just a little something.”

“Not on your life, airhead.”

He says nothing, keeping his puppy dogs eyes locked

with hers as she stares in revolt.

This wasn’t gonna end, was it? He was just gonna keep
staring at her like this.

God she was so uncomfortable.

“Ugh, fine, but only because you're making me

uncomfortable. That goes for the rest of you too.” She
says, pointing a surrounding finger at everyone else.

“Yes!” Aang exclaims in victory, and Azula sits up

straight, thinking of something that would please these
idiots.

Azula was not motivational, nor was she kind in her

words, but she knew what to say to people. She could lie
through anything, and make even the dumbest shit
sound like fact. All it took was a serious face, and a few
choice words.

With a sigh, she says, “As long as there is light still

touching the earth we walk upon, then there is hope.”

Simple, easy.

They were in shock.

“Did I...kill you all or something?” Azula asks, staring

nervously as their mouths hang down to the saddle on
Appa’s back. “I mean, I’m all for that, but I don’t really
appreciate the staring…”

Zuko is the first to speak. “That was...that was beautiful

Azula.” He says, and she scoffs.

“You’re just easy to please, Zuzu.”

“Where did you learn to do that?” Katara butts in.

“Do what?” Azula asks.

“How did you come up with that so easily? Did someone

teach you?”

“Business, Katara. It’s all about the way you talk.” She
explains, leaning back as everyone starts to settle down.
“As for who taught me, it was mostly learning from my
Father at parties.”

“Parties?”

“Celebrations, important birthdays, the Mayor’s

inauguration, anything that was classified as important, I
was brought to with my Father. Zuzu here never came
because someone still had to work on his manners.”
Azula says, pointedly staring at Zuko.

“Oh come on! You know it’s more than that.”

“True, but that doesn’t help your case now, does it?”

Zuko huffs, but doesn’t deny it. Azula looks forward in

victory.

This felt...nice. Being on somewhat decent terms with

everyone.

Almost...right.

Too bad it had to end soon.

Right?

Azula realizes she’s starting to second guess herself.

She’s never done that before. She’s always sure of
everything. Why was she having doubts?

“Oh! Guys, we’re here!” Aang says, and they all look to
see the next village come into view.

“Aw!” Katara coles. “It’s so cute!”

It was a smaller village compared to the ones they had

already visited. And that was saying something
considering the fact that those villages were small
themselves. Only a couple dozen houses could be seen,
and Azula wondered just how much they had struggled.

Wait, what?

Azula shakes her head. She doesn’t care about anything

like that. She never has.

“As long as there’s solid earth, I’m happy.” Toph says,

holding onto the sleeve of Sokka’s shirt. She did that any
time they were on Appa, as Azula had learned. Safety
reasons, and all that.

Appa lands with a crash, dust clouding the ground a bit

on impact before it dissipates into the air. Toph is the
first to hop down, wiggling her toes against the cold
earth in satisfaction as everyone else makes their way
down.

If there was one person that Azula had almost no

problem tolerating, it would be Toph. She found she
actually quite liked the girl and her aggressively stubborn
personality. That, and she always had a good comeback
for Azula’s insults. It was fun, and Azula didn’t have any
personal reason to hate the girl.

They just got each other, she supposes. Toph had never
really affected Azula’s life in any way, and she had never
affected the earth bender’s. Not really, anyway. The only
reason they were on opposite sides was because Azula
was trying to conquer the world, including the earth
kingdom, and Toph wasn’t going to let that happen.

Azula understood her.

Wait.

Azula understood her?

Was...was this how it was supposed to feel? Azula felt

almost at peace with it. No quarrel with the blind girl, not
compelled to use her for a bigger scheme, just...neutral.
There was no tension between the two of them, they just
stood next to each other, neither affected nor put off by
one another’s presence.

Neutral ground.

Huh.

This was nice.

“Alright you guys, let’s do this!” Sokka exclaims, and

they begin to trudge into the village.

No luck.

The sun had long since set, and they had asked everyone
in the village. It hadn’t taken long with the small size of
the village, but even Azula was tired, and she usually
made it through these long days with ease.

It was exhausting having to help look for someone she

didn’t even want to see.

But now, as she woke up in a cold sweat, gasping

heavily, she couldn’t be more energized.

It had been of her Father. Another memory that had

snuck into her dreams. She had just come home from
losing 7 supply boats of resources, and her Father was
absolutely livid. He had dragged her down to the
basement that night, and forced her to train until her
legs gave out.

Azula was tired.

She had been for the past two hours, drenched in sweat
and heaving sharp desperate breathes. She couldn’t take
much more of this. He was making her do the most
difficult forms, and although Azula could complete them
perfectly, he wanted her to suffer.

She had cost him a major loss tonight. Discipline was

needed.

She deserved this.

“Again.” Her Father orders from his spot off to the side.

With a frustrated huff, Azula takes stance again, and

begins the form. Halfway through though, her legs,
against her command, just give out.

She falls to the floor, palms resting on the cold cement of

their basement floor as she gasps for breath.

“I-I can’t.” She breathes, her chest moving up and down

in a rapid pattern.

“You can, and you will.” Her Father orders, and she hears
his footsteps beginning to walk towards her.

“Father please. I understand the severity of-”

“Then you know the consequences of your actions. To

repent, you must continue.” He affirms, his voice neither
softening nor any amount of merciful.

Azula shuts her eyes tightly and looks back towards the
ground. She had to, but her legs wouldn’t let her. She
could barely even stand. “Please-”

“You will do as I say, Azula.” Ozai commands, and Azula

knows this was her final warning.

In a last attempt, she tries to stand, but under the

weight of it all collapses back to her previous position.

She was failing. She couldn’t stand but she had to. She
had to make him proud.

“You’re weak, Azula. The strong would stand and fight till
their last breath. For this, you must be punished
accordingly.

She braces herself for whatever her Father was about to

do.

After a second, all she could feel was the blazing heat of
her Father’s fire against her back.

She screams.

Azula stumbles through the woods, mind still clouded

with pain at recalling the memory. Her shoulder hits the
edge of a tree, and she is knocked off her balance until
her back lands on the back of that very same tree. She
stays there, her emotions spilling over in the forms of
tears in her eyes.

She falls to the ground as her hands move to cover her

eyes.

It’s like she could still feel the moment it happened.

That sizzling, throbbing feeling of her skin being melted

under the intense heat of the fire her Father sent at her
back. Fresh as the day it had been given to her all those
months ago.

She wasn’t good enough for him, was she? She was
never good enough for him.

It was always only about him.

In the end, she was just a means to an end in his game.

Mai was right.

She was a pawn, not a queen.

“Azula?!” A voice calls, making Azula gasp through her

sobs. Her blurry eyes scan her surroundings, and
through the haziness she can see a red flame in the
distance. “Azula where are you?!”

It was Zuko.

She rubs her eyes clean of her tears to see better, and
indeed there he was, standing around thirty yards away,
flame lit in his hand as to see.

His eyes lock with her teary ones before she can move
out of his sight.

“Azula!”

He was running towards her now. He looked...scared.

Genuinely scared.

Azula’s too shocked to move. Even as he collapses in

front of her and wraps her in a hug, she’s frozen.
Was...was this what comforting was?

Azula should hate this. He saw her when she was weak.
She should hate him by now. She should be pushing him
off of her or...or something , but she just sits there.

“I thought you had run off! Or someone had taken you!”

Zuko explains, tightening his grip. Azula stares with
blank eyes at the view of stars and trees in front of her.
“I know we’re not on the best of terms Azula, but you're
still my sister, and I don’t want anything to happen to
you.”

He...cared about her?

That...that doesn’t make sense.

But here they are.

Maybe he did deserve her respect. Maybe...maybe she

should start acting like a sister to him.

Ozai was gone, and Zuko was head of the company.

Although that letter says he wasn’t legally entitled to it,
maybe he was the best person to run it.

Azula was broken. She wasn’t worthy of anything.

Plus, she’d probably be exploited if she did come to

become CEO. Zuko had kept all the previous employees
understaffed when he came to take over, so they all
knew what she had done and how she acted. They
wouldn’t respect her. If anything, they would fear her.

Azula isn’t sure fear is going to work anymore.

Look where fear had gotten her so far.

Zuko...Zuko was where he was supposed to be. He had

found his destiny.

Now it was Azula’s turn.

Slowly, she returns the hug, and buries her face into his
shoulder, and cries.

She felt so small. So weak and vulnerable.

And yet, for once, she was okay with that.

Chapter 23: And The Mother of The

Year Award Goes To...
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

After Azula had calmed down, she had told Zuko about
the memory. She figured it couldn’t hurt, since he had
already seen her this low. What else could happen at this
point, right?

She actually felt better. Like a piece of her pain had been
lifted off of her, because once she finished, he had
wrapped an arm around her shoulder and said, “I can’t
solve your problems Azula. Only you can do that, but I
can promise you that I’ll be there to support you through
them.”

Support.

Why was that so comforting to Azula now? She has never

liked the idea of needing people before, and yet, Zuko’s
comforting words strike a chord in her.

“Even after everything I’ve done?” She asks, voice

quieter than it usually is. Azula is surprised, because she
usually would have described such a tone as pathetic.

She’s...she’s growing.

“Especially after everything you’ve done.” Zuko says, his

grip tightening. His words are firm, but oh so reassuring
to her now. She felt like a small child after just getting
scolded, and here was her big brother. He’s come to
rescue her. “I know now that I can’t try and lock you in a
room and hope you’ll get better. You need to experience
things, and learn what is good about this world.”

“What if I don’t like what I see?”

“That’s okay.” Zuko says. “I don’t like a lot about this

world either, but that’s what makes my job so great. I
have the power to change things, with the help of The
Avatar.”

Azula’s features grow somber. He had grown so much,

hadn’t he? In all that time she had spent ignoring him,
and insulting him, she had missed just how much he had
changed. His fear of their Father was gone, his fire had
grown so much more refined and powerful. He was
calmer, and more understanding. His willingness to
cooperate would be crucial in his position at the
company.

He would be a good leader, Azula decides.

The letter.

Azula’s eyes widen, if only for a moment at the

realization of what the letter in her boot could do to
Zuko.

He couldn’t see it.

She wouldn’t let him see it.

No one would know but her.

She knew now, she couldn’t take this away from him.
She wasn’t the right leader for this world.

She felt...content with that, if she was being honest. He

would do better than she ever could.

“You’ve grown Zuzu. I can see that now.” Azula finally

says, and with almost no hesitance lets the side of her
head rest on his shoulder comfortably. “I...I think that
she’d be proud of you.”

The words surprise Azula herself. She never thought she

would speak of her Mother in such a...gentle tone, but it
was the truth. She didn’t feel the need to lie to him
anymore. He was trying to be a good brother, so it was
only fair that she try to be a good sister, right?

“I-...Thank you, Azula. That means a lot.” Zuko says

after a few moments. “You’ve grown too, you know?”

Azula smiles.

“Yeah, I guess I have.”

They landed at their final village on the list in the early

morning. The sun seemed to glisten against the small
lake they passed on the way into town, and Azula felt
oddly calm. A new sensation for her, but one she was
growing quite attached to.

“Guys, is that a theater?” Aang asks, pointing up ahead.

Everyone then notices the large crowd in the center of
town, a stage just above them with actors playing their
scenes.

“I think so, Aang! Come on, let’s go watch!” Katara

exclaims, and the two take off to go enjoy the show.

Everyone else walks at a leisurely pace, catching up to

the gross lovebirds shortly after and watching the
production.

“Azula.” Zuko whispers, leaning over to her slightly to

grab her attention. She hums, keeping her arms crossed
as she smiles at a witty joke an actor made on the stage.
“Isn’t this Love Amongst The Dragons?”

“I believe so, Zuzu.” She confirms, watching and recalling

that this was the final scene to the play. “Remember
when we re-enacted this scene?”

“Why did I always have to play the Water Spirit?” He

huffs in mock frustration.

Azula chuckles. “Because I made a better Dragon

Emperor of course.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she spots Aang and Katara
kissing, and rolls her eyes, but does nothing more.

Feels nothing more.

This was...this was nice.

They watch, listening to the people in front of them talk

about the actors and props of the production, and once
the final scene ends, and the applause stops, they get to
work.

“Excuse me, is there an Ursa living here by chance?”

“Hello, yes, do you know a woman named Ursa?”

“We’re looking for a-”

“Excuse me.” A deep voice calls from behind Zuko and

Azula, making the pair jump and turn around to face a
man in a water spirit mask.

“Can...can we help you?” Zuko asks, and the man seems

to finally realizes he’s wearing a very ominous looking
mask.

“Oh!” He laughs, reaching up and taking off the

accessory to reveal his face. He was a darker skinned
man, his wrinkles telling of his older age and the thinner
hairs on his head proving to his wisdom. They weren’t
grey yet, but Azula can assume they’re not too far off.
“My apologies, my name is Ikem. I heard the commotion
you kids were making and came to ask what it was all
about.”

“We’re looking for a woman, in her mid thirties, maybe

early forties by now. Her name is Ursa, would you
happen to know her?”

His face morphs into shock quickly, and Azula knows. He

knows her. Ursa is here.

“Well I should hope so, she’s my wife .”

Silence.

Then, Azula and Zuko both shout in unison, “What?!”

“I miss Azula.” Ty Lee huffs, swirling the straw to her

frappuccino boredly as she stares out of the window of
the cute little cafe she, Suki, and Mai were all
frequenting.

“So you’ve said. Every five minutes. For the past hour
we’ve been here.” Mai blunts, sipping her black coffee
boredly.

Ty Lee says nothing, merely sighing for the zillionth time

today.

She really did. As much as she loved hanging out with

her friends, she missed her. Nothing compared to Azula’s
presence, no matter how complicated the girl was. Ty
Lee, despite herself, and despite everything Azula had
done, couldn’t bring herself to hate Azula. She couldn’t
even dislike the girl.

Azula wasn’t evil.

Ty Lee just had to prove it to everyone.

“Your strange version of brooding isn’t going to get you

anywhere, Ty Lee.” Suki says, taking a sip of her on
caramel macchiato.

Ty Lee groans, sliding her arms across the table and

resting her forehead on the counter space. “I know...It’s
just, they’ve been gone so long…” She whines.

“If Ursa doesn’t want to be found, then she’s not going to

be found, Ty Lee.”

“I hope she does.” Ty Lee mumbles, curling her arms in

so that her chin can rest on them easily. “It’d be nice to
see her again.”

“It would.” Mai agrees, making Ty Lee give her a funny

look. “What? Ursa was nice, even I can say that.”

Ty Lee giggles, but nods. “Yeah, she was.”

“What was she like?” Suki butts in, leaning into the table
as if this was some big secret. Ty Lee and Mai share an
amused look before looking at Suki’s pouting face.
“What? I want to know!”

“Okay, okay.” Ty Lee relents. “She was...she was perfect

really. Whenever we saw her she always looked so calm
and composed. She was gentle and fair with us, and
sometimes would let us pick a flower from her garden.”

“Really?” Suki asks. “She does sound nice.”

“She was. She really was.” Ty Lee mumbles distantly.

“What happened to her?”

“Do you really not know any of this?” Mai asks.

“No one ever told me, no.” Suki replies.

“She just disappeared one day. Zuko and Azula woke up

to their Mother gone, and their grandfather Azulon dead
in his bed.”

“That’s suspicious.” Suki says with narrowed eyes.

“They never linked anything about the death to her. He

simply...died in his sleep.” Ty lee says, sitting upright and
taking a sip of her drink.

“That must have been hard on them.”

“Zuko seemed to be more upset about it, but you can

never really tell what Azula thought of it. Even back then
she was so closed off, even from me.” She says, swirling
the ship cream in her drink as she recalls the memory of
Azula’s seemingly unaffected face when Ty Lee had come
over that day. “I thought back then that she was just
trying to keep a strong face, but until a couple months
ago I had thought she was genuinely unaffected.”

“Are you sure of that?” Mai asks.

“Not anymore. Now, I think Azula was heartbroken, but

she buried it so deep inside her that even she forgot.”

Suki has been quiet the entire time, and when Ty Lee
looks up, she see’s guilt in her eyes.

“We should have tried to help her.” Suki says, anguished.

“You didn’t know.” Ty Lee reassures. “How could you?

Even I didn’t.”

“But you said she’s recovering now, right?”

Ty Lee nods. Azula had already started taking some big

steps in her recovery, but there were so many demons
still in her path. It would be a long time until Azula was
ever truly okay.

“That’s great. I’m really happy for her.”

“I just hope she can make it through this trip.” Mai says.
“Are you sure this was a good idea, Ty Lee?”

She keeps her eyes focused on her drink. “She needs to

face Ursa. It has to start with her, and you know that.”

Mai says nothing, but Ty Lee knows she agrees.

All they could do was pray everyone came back in one

piece.

Azula most of all.

“So...this is your house?” Zuko asks as they walk

towards the cozy looking house.

“Yes! It’s small, but we prefer it that way.” He explains

happily. “Ursa is out right now, but you all are more than
welcomed to stay and wait for her. I’ll go and make some
tea.”

Azula gulps.

Her...Her Mother lived here.

This is what she gave Azula up for? This?

“I...I can’t do this.” Azula breathes, stepping away from

the house as Zuko looks back at her fearful face. “It’s too
much, I can’t-”

“Hey, hey.” Zuko reassures, taking her hands and holding

her steady. “I know it’s scary, but you need to do this.
For yourself.”

“I can’t-” She breathes.

“We’re uh…” Aang calls, pointing his thumb over his

shoulder awkwardly as the scene plays out in front of
them. “We’re gonna go look at some of the stores in
town. Let us know how it goes, okay?”

“Thanks, Aang.” Zuko says, for the both of them, and

Aang and Katara both push the other two gaping idiots
away and back down the road.

Azula was ready for this, but it was nice having someone
to help her through this.

“Zuko you don’t get it, she-”

“I know. She called you a monster, and was not exactly

Mom of the year to you-” Azula laughs despite her being
on the edge of tears. “-But I know you need to do this.
Rip the bandaid off, you know?”

Rip the bandaid off.

Azula hated her brother sometimes.

A step up from hating him altogether, she supposes.

Nonetheless, he was right. Nothing was going to get

better until she did something. This was that something.

“Okay.” She says, taking a collective breath in. “Okay,

I’m ready.”

They head into the house, and meet Ikem in the living
room as he brings in a kettle of tea with some cups. As
he pours their drinks, Zuko compliments his home,
earning a grateful smile from the man.

“Thank you, you’re very kind.”

“So what do you do for a living?”

“Oh! I’m-...”

Azula tunes out the conversation as she looks around. It

certainly felt modest, and quiet. Peaceful...gentle…

Safe.

Azula frowns. Had Ursa not felt safe at their home?

Stupid question, the obvious answer was no, but then
why had she left her children. If it was so unsafe for her,
then wouldn’t it make sense to take her children away
from that danger too?

Unless there was a reason she had it.

Was it because Azula was a monster?

That was a possibility, but if it was something so simple

as that, then Ursa would have taken Zuko and left Azula
alone.

There was something she was missing.

“And you, Miss uh…” Ikem trails drawing a blank on her

name.

Azula tunes herself back in, and with no change in her

features simply says, “Azula.”

“What a lovely name.” Ikem compliments. “How are you

faring these days?”

“Some days are better than others.” She responds

smoothly.

“I suppose everyone can relate to that.” He laughs.

“Anyway, what has brought you to look for my Ursa?”

My Ursa.

Azula scowls. That didn’t sit right with her.

“Oh, we knew her a long time ago, and want to

reconnect.” Zuko explains, and Azula turns to him with
slightly shocked eyes. Why wasn’t he telling the whole
story?

“Well, I’m sure she’ll be thrilled to see some familiar

faces, and I’m sure Kiyi will love you!”

Azula hums, but her mind registers what he had said.

Kiyi?

Who is Kiyi?

“I’m sorry, who is that?” Azula asks, leaning forward a

bit.

“Did I forget to mention? She’s-”

“We’re back!”

Azula’s eyes widen, and she stands almost immediately,

facing the direction of which that voice came. Loud
stomps come running down the hall, closer and closer to
them until finally-

“Papa! Look what I- Oh, hello!”

Azula stares in shock. There in front of her stood a small

girl, big oval eyes that shone into hers with a childlike
innocence.

Papa.

This girl was Ikem’s daughter.

Which meant-

Ursa’s voice can be heard as she begins to walk down the

same path Kiyi had. “Sorry it took so long! I had no idea
the line was going to be-”

The bag of groceries Ursa had been holding falls to the

floor the instant she see’s Azula and Zuko standing in her
living room.

It’s...It’s her.

She’s here.

She has a daughter.

But... Azula was her daughter.

Had she... Had she replaced Azula?

“Azula….Zuko…” Ursa breathes, holding her hands up to

her mouth as her eyes flood with tears.

“Mom…” Zuko says, nearly breathless. She hears him

move, and she watches them hug, but she doesn’t
experience it. She only looks at Kiyi, who stares at her so
full of wonder.

Ursa hated her so much she had a new daughter.

One that wasn’t a monster.

Azula’s eyes fill with tears, and the hurt displays itself
proudly. Her hazel eyes meet Ursa’s, and her Mother
realizes what she had been thinking.

“Azula-” Ursa says, breaking the hug to reach for Azula,

but the fire bender slaps that hand away.

“Don’t touch me.” She spits at her Mother, posture

defensive as her Mother stares in shock. She scoffs. “And
to think, I was actually starting to think I could fix things
with you. Am I such a painful part of your life that you
have to go and replace me completely?”

Azula’s hand gestures to Kiyi, and Ursa follows it,

shaking her head quickly. “Azula that’s not it-”

“Then tell me why!”

Ursa stutters with her words, not able to formulate a

proper sentence. Azula shakes her head.

“I can’t believe I ever thought you were worth the

effort.” Azula spits, and runs her shoulder in Ursa’s
harshly, shoving past her and pushing Zuko away when
he tries to stop her from leaving.

Only when she had left the house did she allow those
pesky tears to fall.

Notes:
ahah...

sorry.

Chapter 24: Explanations

Azula had let her feet take her wherever they wished,
sprinting off until she registers the sound of leaves
crunching under her boots. She had run for so long that
her legs had given out on her, and made her fall to the
ground.

Her Mother had replaced her.

Honestly, why wouldn’t she?

Azula was a monster to her, after all.

This only solidified it.

In a fit of rage, she had started to scream. Out of anger,

agony, defiance, or something else, Azula wasn’t sure,
but she knew she needed to do something.

She didn’t register the blue flames she had spat from her
throat until they were turning red on the flammable
wood around her.

All this time, she had a small inkling in the back of her
mind. A sparkle of hope that maybe, maybe she was
wrong. Maybe her Mother had a reason for everything
she did. If Azula could see that then, then maybe she
could understand why her Mother had treated her like
that.

Now, that hope was gone. Blown into the wind the
moment she saw Kiyi in the living room.

Azula was nothing to her Mother.

She was forgettable. Unlovable.

A monster.
Azula chokes on a sob, a single tear leaving her eye
before a stream of them follow suit. She stumbles to sit
properly, instead of kneeling over like a pathetic little
dog. Resting her feel up, she moves to grab the letter in
her boot. Maybe she’ll just burn the thing. Nothing
mattered anymore to her.

Azula’s heart stops when she realizes that the letter

wasn’t in her boot.

The letter wasn’t there.

Azula didn’t have the letter.

Silence.

She had lost the letter, containing some of the most

important information Azula had left in her possession.
Oddly, Azula found herself blanking on any amount of
fear or nervousness.

Why wasn’t she more frantic about it?

Maybe she just didn’t care anymore.

Even if the letter was true, Azula wasn’t suitable for the
company. This... This trip had proved that. In fact, her
whole life thus far had proved that.

She had chased after perfection her whole life. For

herself, for her Father, for anyone who may have been
watching, but now no one was even glancing her way.

Not even her own Mother.

If she couldn’t be perfect, then what right does she have

to run a company.

That was it, she supposed. These past few months had
opened all of her flaws for everyone to see. Those little
imperfections that Azula tried so hard to keep secret,
bottling them up before that moment when they busted
wide open.

She had seen herself at her worst, and now, she wanted
to make that different. She didn’t want to have to
experience that pain again. That feeling of losing
everything she once held so dear, letting it slip from her
grasp right as the tips of her fingers touched it.

Now, she doesn’t care.

Nothing mattered anymore. Not the company, not her

control over people, nothing that she had once so
diligently protected held even the slightest interest to
her. The only thing that Azula cared about was…

Was Ty Lee, she supposes.

Ty Lee was still here.

Ty Lee hadn’t left her.

Ty Lee hadn’t replaced her.

Ty Lee was good, and kind, and everything right with this
fucking world.

Azula wanted to keep that in her life. That was the only
thing worth protecting.

Maybe...Maybe she was ready to forgive Ty Lee.

Azula understood now. Ty Lee had betrayed her, yes, but

she had done so in the hopes that maybe it would bring
about change in Azula’s life. She knew that now, and she
was ready to let that anger go.

She’d tell Ty Lee as soon as she saw her, Azula decides.

She would let that be the first words she said to her.

Azula would keep her sun in her life, and would bask in it
wonderfully.

She was not, however, ready to forgive her Mother.

That’s where the difference lies. While Ty Lee was worth

forgiving, Ursa was not. She had...she had hurt Azula too
much. Azula wasn’t sure she’d ever forgive her Mother
after the things she had done.

But during this trip, Azula had come to hope that maybe,
just maybe, she could move past it. She could let it stay
in the past and let themselves work on a new
relationship.

Not forgiveness, but understanding.

Understanding that yes, they had hurt each other. Yes,

they both could have done things differently, but now
they had a chance to do so. They had a chance to be
some semblance of the Mother daughter relationship
they both wanted. Azula albeit more secretly.

Then she had to go and replace Azula, and all of that

hope was shredded into tiny little pieces.

To hell with her.

Azula then realizes that the woods around her were

starting to burn at an alarming rate, and she stands to
bend it all back into the palms of her hand. Once she was
finished, all that was left wat the tiny, more manageable
flame that floated just above her hand, entrancing her in
it’s wild dance of white’s and blues.

No, Ursa would never be worth forgiveness.

Azula was sure of that now.

“Azula!”

Azula vanquishes the flame, turning around to see Zuko

sprinting at her from a distance. Her eyes narrow angrily.
“What do you want bimbo?”

“It’s not true!” He replies, reaching her and gasping for

breath.

She raises an eyebrow. “What the fuck are you talking

about.” She states, tone almost bored as he waves a
little piece of parchment in his hand.

Her eyes widened.

The letter.

“We...We found it on the trail…” He explains breathily. He

stands up straight, taking one last deep breath before he
finally composes himself back to a sense of normalcy.

“We?” Azula asks.

“Azula!” A second voice joins, and Zuko moves so that

Azula can see Ursa joining them.

She recoils immediately. “No! You stay away from me! I

don’t want to see you ever again!”

“Azula please! Let me explain!” Ursa pleads, eyes wide

with concern.

“No! You’ve explained plenty already!” She retorts.

“Azula stop!” Zuko orders, standing so that Azula can no

longer see Ursa from his close distance to her. With both
hands resting on her shoulders, he says, “Calm down,
okay?”

“Don’t tell me what to do!” She says, pushing him off of

her. “You always think you know what’s best for me, but
you don’t!”

“Azula stop being so-”

“So what?!” She interrupts. “So stubborn?

Unreasonable?”

“Yeah! Stubborn! We’re trying to explain, so just let us

talk!”

Azula, still fuming, compromises. “You explain. You will

say nothing. Got it?” Azula says, pointing her finger at
Ursa accusingly.

She doesn’t want to hear a word from her.

“Okay.” Zuko agrees. “The letter you’ve been keeping? It

isn’t true. Ursa said she only wrote is a way to tick Father
off, and as a way to see if he was intercepting her letter.”

Azula grunts, but waits for him to continue.

“I’m still Ozai’s son, but this letter doesn’t change that
fact that I’m still your brother Azula.” Zuko says, words
tender.

Azula wants to smile, but she doesn’t want to give her

Mother that satisfaction. She only gives him a small nod,
glaring at her Mother now.

Zuko notices, and says, “Azula please, let her speak.”

Azula wants to say no. She didn’t need an explanation.

She got all the information she needed when she saw
Kiyi for the first time. Still, Azula nods her head. She
figures she might as well know. See what excuse Ursa
could come up with.

Ursa looks like invisible chains had just released her

hands and legs, because she moves forward instantly.

“Azula, I never replaced you with Kiyi. I love you and Kiyi
equally, and I am so sorry for how I treated you as a
child.” Ursa says, words spilling from her mouth with
absolutely no filter. “When I came here, I had found
Ikem, and was able to live with him here. I wanted to
have a family with him, and so we had Kiyi, but she was
never meant to replace you, Azula. I swear it.”

Azula stares, processing the information but finding it

unsatsfactory. The words may be true enough, but Azula
wasn’t ready to accept them.

“I don’t believe you.” She says.

Ursa moves forward closer to Azula. “Please, Azula. I’m

so sorry-”

Azula holds up a threatening finger, stopping Ursa in her

tracks. “One more step and I’ll burn the leaves beneath
your feet.” She warns.

Ursa does as she’s told, but keeps talking. “I love you,

Azula. Please believe me.”

“I don’t.” Azula says simply. “I don’t believe you at all,

and I don’t think I ever will.”

Ursa all but falls to her knees, crying uncontrollably as

she brings her hands up to cover her mouth.

She looks pathetic.

Azula doesn’t want to see her.

Not right now.

Azula says nothing more, merely walking past them, only

stopping when Zuko grabs her forearm.

“Where are you going?”

Azula meets his eyes with a deadly glare, She’s

impressed to see his don’t falter.

“Far away from her.” Azula answers, shrugging Zuko’s

arm away and continuing on.

Zuko doesn’t follow her, and she doesn’t look back.

By the time she reaches the village, her angered state

has calmed down, and she doesn’t look like she could
murder someone anymore. Which is probably a good
thing, since the villagers here seemed like decently good
people.

She wanders around, doing anything to keep her mind

off that incorrigable woman. She watches the play that
was now going in the center of town, a different one to
the play she had seen whent hey first arrived. She
stopped to watch it for a few minutes before ultimately
losing interest.

From there, she goes into a few shops here and there,
sometimes seeing a member of the gang here and there,
but never interacting with them.

She just wanted to be alone right now.

She wanted Ty Lee here.

Azula freezes, holding the mug she was looking at a little

tighter at the realization.

She...She missed her, didn’t she?

That...Azula didn’t like that.

Azula was not one to miss people. She didn’t need

anyone, so why was she starting now? No, that didn’t
sound right anymore. That sounded like she was just
lying to herself. So what was the real reason for this
uncomfortableness?

Azula realized not moments later that it was the fact that
Azula did not like missing Ty Lee.

She didn’t like the feeling of being away from the

brunette.

She wanted her here, with Azula.

Azula...Azula needed her

Ty Lee always managed to feel comforting. Even just her

presence would be enough, but she wasn’t here, so what
was Azula supposed to do?

Azula wanted to talk to her...at the very least.

Oh.

It’s almost laughable how she didn’t think of this sooner.

Setting the mug down, she pulls out her phone, opening
Ty Lee contacts and hovers her finger over the call
button. Azula is nervous to find that she’s,
well...nervous.

What if she’s busy?

Does she even want to talk to Azula?

She’s probably with her friends…Maybe she should just

leave her alone-

“Hey.” A child's voice calls, and Azula feels a tug on her

jacket.

That voice sounded familiar.

Azula looks to her side, then dowards to find a small

child staring back up at her with big, hazel eyes.

They looked like Ursa’s.

Azula growls, “Go away, brat.”

Azula is surprised to hear Kiyi giggle. “You’re funny! Do

you want to be my friend?”

Azula narrows her eyes at this childs naivety. “No, now

leave me alone.”

Kiyi whines, clearly not fond of the answer. “But I wanna

be your friend! Please…”

Azula rolls her eyes, and pockets her phone. It was clear
this child was not going to leave her alone, so might as
well have some fun with it. “Fine, you little gremlin,
we’re friends. Do you know what friends do?”

Kiyi’s eyes sparkle with wonder as she shakes her head.

Azula chuckles, and places a hand onto Kiyi’s small
frame.

“Friends leave each other alone when we want to be left

alone. So run along, got it?”

“Are you just saying that so you’ll get me to leave?” Kiyi

asks suspiciously, and Azula blinks.

Smart Kiyi. Maybe she is her sister after all.

Azula chuckles, moving her hand to pat Kiyi’s head.

“You’re a clever girl, Kiyi. Go find your Father, I’m sure
he’s looking for you.”

“Don’t worry! If I’m with you, then I know I’m safe!”

“You’re foolishly misplaced trust in me is laughable, you

runt.” Azula blunts.

Kiyi laughs again. “You talk funny! Kinda like my Mom!”

Azula tenses. “Is that so?” She drawls.

“Yeah.” Kiyi says, looking off distantly. “She’s always

using such big words. You remind me a lot of her,
actually! Do you wanna meet her?”

Azula stares at the child.

She...reminded Kiyi of her Mother?

She supposes it makes sense, since they were blood

after all, but still…

“Oh wait! You already have! Weren't you the one in my

house earlier?”

Azula blinks, but nods.

“Yeah, you said a lot of things at Mom. Why are you

angry at her?” Kiyi asks, eyes so innocent.

Azula sighs. “Your Mother has done a lot of bad things to

me. I’m sure you can understand. You’re a clever girl,
aren’t you?”

Kiyi nods. “So...You know Mom?”

“I do.” Azula responds, and casually sits on the floor of

the shop she was in. “Would you like to know how?”

“Yeah!” Kiyi exclaims.

Azula smiles. This child...She wasn’t so bad. A little

annoying, but not bad.

She leans in as if it was a secret, gesturing for Kiyi to do

this same. Kiyi lights up, and does as she’s told. Then,
Azula whispers, “She’s actually my Mom too.”

Kiyi gasps. “Really?!”

Azula hums. “Do you know what that means?”

Kiyi’s excitement turns to hard determination as she

rests a finger under her bottom lip in thought. “We have
the same Mom, so that means...we’re…sisters?”

Kiyi looks to Azula for an answer, making Azula chuckle.

She nods, and the child’s eyes fill with excitement. “Oh
my gosh! We’re sisters!” Kiyi squeals, tackling Azula in a
hug.

Azula’s eyes widen at the ferocity of it, and realizes she’s

falling backwards. Her back hits the ground, and she
instinctively holds Kiyi to her chest, protecting the girl
from injuring herself. She grunts when her head hits the
hardwood floor, but instantly looks to see if Kiyi is alright.

Wait...Why did she care so much?

Perplexed, Azula is neither fazed nor aware when Kiyi

jumps out of her arms and starts bouncing excitedly.

Kiyi was her replacement, so why did she already hold

such fondness for the girl?

“Oh this is great! I always wanted a sister!”

Azula looks at Kiyi, watching her bounce around the

store.

Kiyi was nothing like Azula.

Kiyi was different. She wasn’t...she wasn’t Azula.

Not a monster, yes, but also a completely different

person.

She wasn’t Azula’s replacement, she was just Kiyi.

Kiyi was at no fault for anything Ursa had done.

Azula...Azula liked this child.

Azula smiles, and stands. “Come on, Kiyi. Let’s get you
home.”

“Can you carry me?” Kiyi asks, tugging on Azula’s pants.

Azula raises an eyebrow. “Why on Agni would I do that?”

“Cause it’s fun!”

Fun.

Azula didn’t understand fun.

Maybe she wants to.

“Alright you gremlin, but as soon as we get to the house

you're getting off of me. Is that clear?”

“Yay!” She beams, and Azula roaches down to pick Kiyi

up from her armpits. She lifts the girl with ease, feeling
those small legs wrap around her torso and one of her
hands go behind the back of her neck.

She’s light, Azula notes.

“Onward!” Kiyi proclaims, and Azula can’t help but

chuckle as she begins the trek back to Ursa’s house.
Yeah, Kiyi wasn’t so bad.

When they arrived back at the house, Ursa was waiting

on the porch, looking worried sick. When they spotted
Azula and Kiyi, she was quick to come running out at
them. Azula let Kiyi down, and the girl went running to
Ursa.

“Kiyi! Where on Agni did you go?!” Ursa says once her
arms were locked around Kiyi’s small frame.

“I found Azula! Did you know she’s my sister?!” Kiyi asks.

Ursa pulls away and chuckles, booping Kiyi’s nose

playfully. “Yes in fact, I did. How did you?”

“Azula told me!” Kiyi beamed, and Ursa looked up to

Azula.

Azula had been watching the display with muted pain.

She had had a long time to think things over, and was
now ready to talk civilly with her Mother. She knew what
she needed to say, and also knew she would not be
changing her mind.

“Kiyi, why don’t you give me and Ursa a moment alone.”

Azula says, not breaking eye contact with her Mother.

“Okay!” Kiyi says, with all the naivety of the child she
was.

The child runs off, meeting Zuko at the front door as they
go inside.

Once they hear the door click, Ursa tries to speak. “Azula
I-”

Azula holds up a hand, making Ursa stop immediately.

She takes a deep breath in, lowing it once she knew her
Mother was listening.

“I’m not going to forgive you.” Azula starts. “I don’t think

I’ll ever be able to forgive you for what you’ve done to
me. You called me a monster when I was 7. 7 .” She
emphasizes.

“I didn’t mean it, Azula.” Ursa says quickly.

Azula hears her, but doesn’t acknowledge it. “When you

left, do you know what Father did?”

Ursa, fear in her eyes, shakes her head.

“He tripled my training regimen, and you know how

rigorous it was before that, don’t you?”

A nod. Azula continues.

“I’ve hated you for a long time. I’ve despised having to

remember any memory of your face. I wanted to kill you
up until a couple months ago actually. Zuko can tell you,
I actually would have.” Azula says, almost joking but not
quite there. “But now I feel nothing for you. I don’t hate
you, and I certainly don’t love you. I just can't bring
myself to care about you right now.”

Ursa is on the brink of tears, but Azula doesn’t let it

affect her. She has to say this.

“I don’t know if that will change in the future, and if it

does, then maybe we can try again, but right now, I can
barely stand the sight of you. I know now that Kiyi is not
my replacement. She’s a child, who you seem to care
about far more than you ever will me, and I can’t hate
her for that, even if I should.”

Those tears spill freely now, and Azula’s eyes narrow.

“I wanted to fix things with you when I first came here,

you know. Zuko-” She takes a breath in. “-Zuko had
given me this hope that maybe you were worth it. Maybe
I could have the Mother I always wanted, but seeing
this? This new family you’ve built with a new daughter?
You can’t expect me not to be angry after that, can you?”

Ursa shakes her head.

Good. She understands.

“I read the letters. I know you love this...Ikem, so I

won’t bother you on that. I know you and Ozai’s
relationship was never truly love, but I want to know two
things.”

“Anything it is, I’ll answer Azula.” Ursa says through her

tears.

“Why didn’t you take us with you, the night you

disappeared. And why was Zuko the only one you said
goodbye to?”

“He wasn’t! I swear to you he wasn’t!” Ursa says, taking

a few rushed steps forward. Azula takes a step
backwards, showing her distaste for the action. “I came
to you first that night. I kissed your forehead, right here,
see?”

Ursa points to a spot on the side of her head, and Azula

recalls that’s exactly where she had seen her kiss in the
memory her subconscious had made up. “I told you I
loved you, and I said goodbye, I swear it!”

“I believe you.” Azula says, making Ursa take pause in

her hastiness to explain.

The events lined up with what her subconscious had told

her. It...it had really happened. Zuko wasn’t the only one
she said goodbye to. He had just had the luck of waking
up before she could escape.

“Y-You do?”

“Yes. Now answer my other question.” Azula orders.

Ursa’s expression turns more solemn, her head dangling

in shame. “I wanted to. So very much, but your Father,
Ozai, had found the letter you had been keeping, and
had confronted me. I told him that I had written it as a
sort of hope. A dream that maybe Zuko wasn’t his and
that he would be free of him one day, and he promised to
make Zuko’s life hell for having such a dream.”

“That doesn’t answer the question at all.”

“Later, I found out that Ozai planned to kill Zuko, but I

compromised with him. I would do a...task for him, but
the consequences required me to leave Republic City. For
good.” Ursa explains. “He made it explicitly clear that I
couldn’t take you two. If he found out I had, then he
would hunt you down and kill you both. I...I couldn’t do
that to you two. I couldn’t risk it.”

Azula hums. “So instead of risking us being murdered,

you kept us with him so that could use us as he
pleased?”

“He said you two would be safe-”

“He turned me into a fucking weapon, Mother!” Azula

shouts, raising her voice. “He made me a weapon and he
burned half of Zuko’s face off!”

“He would have killed you both!”

“But we would have been with you!” Azula shouts, and

the air grows still. Ursa’s eyes went wide in shock. Azula
huffs her breath, ragged from the extremity of her voice.
“I went my entire life thinking you hated me. Thinking
that I was a monster to you all because you thought it
would be better to leave me behind?

“Azula I’m so sorry-”

Azula's expression reverts back to coldness. “No. I’m

done here. You have a wonderful life with your new
family.” She says sarcastically, turning around.

“Please, Azula-” Ursa says, getting down on her hands

and knees. Azula looks over her shoulder to see the
display.

Azula felt something for the woman now.

Pity.

“Goodbye Mother. Tell Zuko I’m going to meet the

others.”

She leaves her Mother crying once more, and does not
care to look back.

That felt good. She felt good.

This was the right path, Azula decides. The sun peeks out
from its spot behind a cloud, and Azula feels the warm
summer rays soak her skin comfortably.

She smiles.

Chapter 25: Forgiveness To One And

Only One
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Azula had found Toph first which wasn’t very hard. The
girl was quite literally shaking the ground Azula was
walking on once she got near her, and when she found
the source, there stood Toph, erecting a statue of herself
while people marveled at her skills.

Azula snorts.

Nice.

“Shortie! Where’s the rest of the idiots?” Azula calls,

grabbing Toph’s attention.

“I dunno!” Was Toph’s reply. “What? You need something,

Platypus?”

Azula smirks. “Not particularly.”

“Well if that’s the case, wanna have some fun?”

Oh they had fun alright. This was the type of fun Azula
understood.

Toph was turning out to be a person Azula could get

along with fine. They walked through the village, smirks
evident as their eyes gleamed with deviance. They
scanned through the people, and found their prey
quickly. A group of boys that were not so subtly trying to
lure some girls back to their house with them. Azula and
Toph had to only share one glance before they knew
what to do.

Toph bended a few rocks into her hands, and sent them
towards where she knew the boys to be. Azula watches
as each hits its mark, the boys turning to look the
opposite way of where Azula and Toph were passing by.

Just as she passes them, Azula flicks a spark of blue fire

onto the boy's pants. She catches a glance of the girls
looking at them in amazement, but she merely keeps
going.

They don’t look back when they hear the boys screaming
that they were on fire, but they do smile when they hear
the girls starting to laugh.

“Not bad shortie.” Azula praises, watching the girls run

off down the road with cheeky smiles and snickering
laughs.

“I could say the same to you, Platypus.” Toph retorts,

punching Azula’s arm harshly.

Azula stumbles a bit, not expecting the ferocity behind it

and looking to glare at the girl. “The fuck was that for?!”

“It’s how I show affection, duh.”

Okay, Azula could understand that.

“Well, we’re fixing that right now, because if you do that

to me again I will set your hair on fire.”

“We both know hugging isn’t an option. For either of us.”

Toph replies, making Azula hum in agreement. She was
right, Azula was most certainly not hugging her, and
Toph had made it clear that she doesn’t like hugs.

“How about…” Azula wonders, getting an idea. She stops,

taking Toph’s wrist and holding it out. “Make a fist.” She
orders.

Toph does so, and Azula releases. It states there, and

Azula makes the same motion, bringing her hand up to
lightly bump the sides of their fists together. “Would this
work?”

She sees Toph smile. “Yeah. I like that.”

“Good.” Azula says, bumping her fist with Toph’s once

more before they continue their walk.

“She’s moving back to Republic City with us.”

Azula hears Zuko’s words, but she doesn’t really care.

They were sitting in a cafe, their first moment together
since the woods.

“So?” She replies, sipping her tea. It was Iroh’s favorite,

she knew that much. Jasmine.

It was nice. She would have to visit him soon.

“I just thought you should know.”

“As long as she leaves me alone, then we won’t have a

problem.”

“She might stay at the mansion for a bit, until they can
get their own house.”

“Fine.” Azula says, keeping her eyes out the window. “It’s
not like I have much of a choice anyway.”

“I’ll be coming back with them. They need to get the

proper things to move, and I’m guessing you want to go
home, right?”

Home.

It was odd hearing it said so casually between them, but

Azula didn’t mind it. She found she actually quite liked it.
It felt normal. Right.

“Yes, I have things I need to do.”

“When do you not?” Zuko jokes, pulling out his phone. “I

got a text earlier this morning. All the parts you gave me
are at the house, so they should be there when you get
back.

“Wonderful.”

“Hey.” Zuko calls, and Azula finally turns to look at him.

His eyes are glimmering with worry. “Are you okay?”

“In what context?”

“Any. With Mom, with going home with the gang alone,
with just your overall...state of mind.”

Azula chuckles, placing her cup down on the table. “I’ll

be fine Zuzu. There’s no need to worry.”

“Are you sure?”

Azula smiles, “No, but that’s half the fun, isn’t it?”

“You hate fun.”

“I’m getting better at it.” Azula says.

“If you say so. So you’re good right?”

Yeah...Yeah she was good. She could handle the gang

now. One more ride with them wouldn’t kill her.

Maybe she’ll finally get the chance to text Ty Lee.

It would be nice to hear from her.

She nods, and Zuko says, “Well, if that’s the case, then
you guys will probably head out in the morning. It’s a
long trip from here to the City, and it’s already getting
late. Why don’t we head back to meet the others at the
hotel?”

“We have a hotel this time? Thank god.”

Later that night, Azula woke from another nightmare.

She couldn’t remember this one, but knew it must have
been bad. The heavy breaths were particularly harsher
and the sweat coating her body was almost twice its
usual amount.

Throwing the covers off her body, she stands, albeit

shakily, and makes her way to the bathroom. She was
lucky to get a single bedroom, as the others had taken
the rest of the space in the other room. She had a feeling
it wasn’t just that, though.

They clearly still didn’t trust her.

Azula didn’t blame them. She didn’t trust them either.

Flicking on the lights, her blurry eyes only worsen under

the harsh fluorescent light of this hotel’s bathroom
lighting. Rubbing them, she makes out enough to turn on
the sink, cupping pools of water into her hands before
splashing the cool water onto her face.

It calms her down, albeit only a little, and once she’s

dried her face, her hands make firm purchase on the
sink’s counter.

These had been happening more frequently lately, and

Azula couldn’t figure out the cause. She had been doing
better, hadn’t she? She had confronted her
Mother...made somewhat amends with Zuko, and was on
a steady foundation with the gang. She...she was finally
ready to forgive Ty Lee…

So why was this happening to her?

‘It’s not going to go away, Azula.’

Azula jumps hearing her Mother’s voice. She darts

around, but calms when she finds it’s only the
hallucination of her.

“Fucking hell…” She curses. “What do you want?” She

demands, voice full of anger as her Mother’s expression
doesn’ change.

‘You’ve been doing better, but you know what these

nightmares are about.’

Azula freezes, the pieces finally clicking together.

This wasn’t about any of them. It was about him .

“I’m...I’m not ready for that…” Azula breathes.

‘You’ll never be ready for it, Azula.’

“I know but...not yet.”

‘If not now, then when?’

“I don’t know!” She shouts quietly, making sure not to

alert anyone that she was awake. “I just...I can’t deal
with that right now.”

‘...Very well.’ Her Mother relents, and Azula watches her

vanish from sight.

She sighs, finally leaving the bathroom to head back to

her bed. On her way, she glances at the time, seeing it
was around two in the morning. That was disappointing,
she was rather hoping to make a phone call, but now she
knew they wouldn’t pick up.

She wouldn’t pick up.

But...it couldn’t hurt to at least try right?

Azula desperately wanted to hear her voice, even if it

was only for a few minutes before the girl passed out.

As she climbs into bed, she unplugs her phone from the
charger and opens up Ty Lee’s contact. The bright, white
screen hurt her vision, but she focused on it anyway. Her
hand hovers over the call button for only a moment
before she taps it, bringing the screen up to her ear. The
faint sound of the phone buzzing to Ty Lee’s end of the
call rang in her ears. Each ring filled her with more and
more despair as she came to the knowledge that Ty Lee
wouldn’t be picking up.

The line cuts off, and instead, Azula hears, “ Hi! This is
Ty Lee, sorry I didn’t answer my phone, I’m probably
busy. Leave a message!”

The line gives a little beep, and Azula can’t help but
laugh. Of course Ty Lee had a voicemail that was that
ecstatic. It was so her.

“Hey Ty Lee, I know you’re asleep right now, but I…”

She turns her head, looking to see out of the dark

window. In the distance, she could see a few faint lights,
but other than that it was just pitch black.

“...I guess I just wanted to hear your voice.”

Azula pauses, taking a moment to recollect herself before

saying, “Anyway, we’re heading back tomorrow. I’ll fill
you in on everything once I’m back, but uh...we found
her, so…yeah.”

Azula doesn’t know what else to say, so she decides to

end it.

“Goodnight Ty Lee, I’ll see you soon.”

She presses the large red button at the bottom of her

screen, and that blinding white screen returns. Azula
winces at it, shutting it off quickly in favor of placing it
back on her nightstand.

Her head hits the back of the bed's headboard softly,

only making a slight thumping sound before Azula sighs.

She’s glad this trip is almost over, she wasn’t sure she
could handle much more of this. The gang was starting
to irritate her a little too much, and she wanted to get as
far away from her Mother as possible. At least for a little
bit.

Most of all though, she wanted to see Ty Lee.

From the moment she had thought about her in that

shop, she had been a constant in the back of Azula’s
mind. Well, at least more so than usual. Any moment not
spent thinking about her issues with Ursa was a moment
spent thinking about Ty Lee, and she couldn’t bring
herself to be angry about it.
Ty Lee was safe.

Azula was ready to forgive Ty Lee, if no one else.

She was tired of being angry at her. Sure, it was painful

to look back on, but she thinks she’s over it. Ty Lee had
done what she thought was best at the time, and had
apologised and proven to Azula that she was going to
stay. That she still cared about Azula and nothing was
going to change that.

She had seen Azula at her worst, so Azula thought it only

fitting to let Ty Lee see her at her best.

Her real best.

What was that exactly? Azula still didn’t really know yet,
but she knew it was something happy.

She could see a vague outline of it. One with more

genuine smiles and laughter. People surrounding her,
caring for her.

Accepting her.

Ty Lee accepted her.

Azula smiles, and for a brief moment, wonders what

would happen if she told Ty Lee.

She had kept things somewhat ambiguous after their last

conversation on it all, but Azula thinks she’s ready.

Ty Lee had waited long enough.

They would talk, Azula decides. For real this time.

Azula hums, looking out over the distant horizon. It was

early morning, and they had started their flight back to
Republic City only an hour ago, but Azula was already
growing antsy of being able to see Ty Lee.

Then her phone buzzes, and Azula sees a text from the
brunette herself.

“I just heard your voicemail. Everything okay?”

Right, her little episode last night.

She responds with, “Yeah, a lot happened is all.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Azula ponders that, but ultimately shakes her head, even

if Ty Lee wasn’t there to visibly see it. “No, I was actually
hoping we could talk once I get back.”

“About what?”

“That takes away the purpose of the talk, Lee.”

“Shit.” Azula curses quietly, looking up to see that no one

else had heard her or was paying attention. She hadn’t
meant to send that, it just came out.

“Did you just call me Lee?”

Fuck. Fucking dammit.

Azula silently berates herself for being so stupid. In what

world did she think that was a good idea?

Nervously, she responds, “It slipped out.”

Ty Lee takes a long time to respond, and Azula could feel

the edges of her sanity being chipped away with every
passing second.

The little 3 typing bubbles show up, and Ty Lee’s

response emerges for all to see.

“It’s okay, Azula. It was nice hearing it from you again.”

Oh thank Agni.

“So Azula, are we good?”

Azula rolls her eyes, typing a quick goodbye to Ty Lee

before directing her attention to Katara.

“What do you mean, necklace?” Azula asks, turning to

face Katara when she realized that this was going to be a
more serious conversation.

“I mean, do you still hate us?”

Azula chuckles, shifting a bit. “You’re asking if I still feel

a need to kill you?”

“Pretty much.” Sokka adds.

Azula glances at him, impressed with this bluntness. “To

answer your question: No, I don’t. I still don’t like any of
you, except for maybe Toph-”

“Hell yeah!” Toph chimes, and Azula does her best to

stay serious.

“-But no, I don’t hate any of you anymore.”

“Then I guess that's all we can really ask of you.” Aang

says, turning around from his spot on Appa’s head. “We
know that forgiveness isn’t an easy thing after what we
did to you, but we at least don't want to be at each
other's throats all the time.”

Azula could agree with that.

“Yeah, we just want you to be happy, honestly. Zuko told

us about your Mother and Father.”

“Of course he did.” Azula groans. “Never knows when to

keep his mouth shut.”

“You can say that again.” Katara chuckles. “When he first

came to us, he was so awkward.”

“Zuko’s always awkward, and emo.” Azula replies.

“Right?! He just sits there like a depressed dog!”

“And he always needs help with his classes-”

“I’ve never seen someone so bad at math before!” Katara

adds.

They pause, then the entire group breaks out into

laughter.

“At least we can agree on something.” Azula laughs.

“I have a feeling we could agree on a lot of things.”

Katara chuckles, the laughter dying down.

Azula smirks. “I’ll keep it in mind, know it all.”

“Hey!”

The minute Republic City came into view, with it’s

skyscrapers that seemed to ascend past the clouds and
into the sky’s above, Azula grew very, very nervous.
Katara had told Azula that everyone else would be
waiting for them to get there.

Ty Lee would be there.

Waiting for her.

Azual realizes she wasn’t nervous. She was excited.

God she wanted to see her.

She wanted to tell her everything.

She wasn’t scared anymore. She wasn’t scared Ty Lee

would leave. She wasn’t scared of what would happen
when she did.

If Azula was being weak, then maybe that was okay. If

she was with Ty Lee, then she could be weak.

Just for Ty Lee. No one else.

Azula loves her, and she wanted to show that love.

She fears that may be hard for her, but she would make
it happen. Ty Lee had endured too much of Azula’s pain
not to be given some sort of reward. She had carried too
much of Azula these past few months, and even if she
says she doesn’t want anything in return, Azula can tell it
hurts her.

“Already everyone, hold on. We’re going down.” Aang

warns, and Azula feels Appa slowly start to descend.
They pass by towers of class and see the people inside.
Some look to watch them go, while others don't even bat
an eyelash, but Azula doesn’t care about any of that.

They round the corner of her family company building,

the front coming into view where a handful of people are
standing, waiting.

Azula can already tell which one is Ty Lee.

She smiles, and goes to grab her bag. Appa’s feet hit the
ground, and Azula couldn’t be quicker about getting off
the furry beast. As soon as her boots hit the ground, her
eyes dart up and meet Ty Lee’s.

Ty Lee smiles, such a familiar warmth that Azula had

grown quite attached to lately. She runs towards Azula,
and Azula drops her bag without a care in the world.

“Azula!” Ty Lee beams, and Azula is tackled into a hug.

Vanilla.

All she could smell was vanilla, and Agni, Azula never
wanted to smell anything else ever again.

Wrapping her arms around Ty Lee tightly, she doesn’t

care if the gang is watching her. She doesn’t care if this
was once a weakness to her, or if she didn’t deserve it.
Ty Lee was giving it to her, so Azula would give back.

Azula could be weak for Ty Lee, and vulnerable, and

anything that she once would never even dream of
being. She wanted to do those stupid couple things that
she saw everyone in their school doing. She wanted Ty
Lee to be hers and only hers, and all she had to do was
say the words.

It might be hard, but Azula has a feeling Ty Lee won’t

mind.

Ty Lee knows Azula. Better than anyone else.

She understood Azula, so she knew that all of this was

hard for her, and it would be hard for a while. But that
doesn’t mean she’s not trying.

Ty Lee knows that, and Azula couldn’t be more grateful.

Even in her lowest of lows, Ty Lee was there for her.
Supporting her, taking the weight Azula couldn’t handle.

But Ty Lee was her own person, and Azula needed to

acknowledge that now. Ty Lee had her own flaws, and
her own demons, and Azula wanted to be there for Ty
Lee when her lows came. She wanted that, and she
wanted to do it how she should. She wanted to be able
to hug Ty Lee without a voice saying it was weak. She
wanted everything that came with being Ty Lee’s.

And if that was wrong of her? So what?

For Ty Lee, Azula would do anything.

Which is why, in such a quiet whisper for Ty Lee and Ty

Lee only, Azula says;

“I forgive you.”

Notes:
GUYSSSSSSS ITS
HAPPENINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

Chapter 26: Saying Without Words

Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

It was an understatement to say the look on Ty Lee’s

face was shock. It couldn’t really be described with one
word, but it was no less amusing to see when Ty Lee had
pulled out of the hug to see if Azula was being truly
genuine or not.

Azula only smiled at her, and that indescribable look

turned into something familiar.

Happiness.

Ty Lee was glowing. Her smile was one of pure joy,

stretching across her face in pure, unfiltered happiness
as she embraced Azula once more.

If anyone saw them, they didn’t say anything, and Azula

was grateful for that.

Azula was finally ready to have that talk. She was ready
to give Ty Lee the answer the brunette had been silently
hoping she’d give her. Never spoken into the air between
them, but always there in the whispers of the night,
haunting them like ghosts.

Azula would make them go away.

All she had to do was say it.

Ty Lee was more than ready, and all that was left was for
Azula to reciprocate. Say those three words that held so
much meaning to the both of them. So much
profoundness that Azula knew it would be hard to say it,
because those three words had been missing from her
life. She has never heard them directed towards her, at
least, not when she was conscious to hear it herself.

Only Ty Lee had said those words to her.

Azula doesn’t want to hear them from anyone else.

She doesn’t need it from anyone else.

Ty Lee was all that mattered.

“So what did you want to talk about?” Ty Lee asked as

she shut the door to Azula’s room. They were finally
alone, having finally finished unpacking Appa’s saddle
and making the journey home. It took longer than usual,
since they had to drop Mai off at home, but Azula didn’t
mind.

Mai and her weren’t on speaking terms, but Azula wasn’t

trying to kill her, so that’s something, she supposes.

Azula drops her bag onto the bed. “You said you listen to
the voicemail, right?”

Ty Lee nods, but says nothing else. Azula takes a deep

breath in.

“We found her, and I...It was hard, Ty Lee.”

“I know.”

Azula lets the smallest of smiles fall on her lips. Ty Lee

really was something.

“I’ll spare you the details right now, but I didn’t forgive
her.”

Azula can see the sadness in Ty Lee’s expression as she

says, “Can you tell me why?”

“She’s not worth it.” Was Azula’s immediate response.

“I’ll put this in the briefest of ways,”

Azula makes sure Ty Lee’s full attention is on her, even if

it already was in the first place.

“I have a sister, Ty Lee.”

Azula watches as Ty Lee’s jaw drops to the floor in

absolute shock. It’s written all over her face. “You
what?!”

“Her name is Kiyi.”

“Wait no, slow down. You have a sister?!”

“Yes.” Azula says, mildly nervous. “That’s what I said.”

“Named Kiyi.” Ty Lee restates. Azula nods. “How old is

she?”

“Four.” Azula answers. “I...I don’t hate her.”

The brunette is a bit taken aback by the admission.

“Really?”

“She…” Azula smiles. “She reminds me a lot of you,

actually.”

Ty Lee falls silent, hands falling limp at her sides. Azula

steels her nerves, washes down any screaming voices,
and just speaks.

“Which brings me to why I wanted to talk to you.” She

starts. “While I was...figuring things out with my Mother,
I realized a great deal of things about you. Things I had
been denying for a long time.”

“What is it?” Ty Lee asks, and Azula can see her eyes
shining with such hope. Such a glittering longing filling
those grey orbs.

“My Mother may not be worthy of forgiveness, but you

are.” Azula says, pulling the words from her heart and
laying everything bare. “These past few months have
shown me that...that you really do care about me. In a
way I thought was never possible.”

“Don’t say you’re a monster-” Ty Lee begs. “Please, I

don’t think I can-”

“It’s alright Ty Lee, that wasn’t what I was going to say.”

Azula says, holding up a reassuring hand as to quench
any of Ty Lee’s nerves. “I was going to say that I...I…”

God fucking damnit.

Why can she never just say what she wants to?

It’s like the words are glued to her tongue, with no

chance of escaping into the air between them. Forever
trapped by Azula’s trauma, keeping her silent on the one
thing she wanted to be genuine about.

She had to. She couldn’t wait any longer.

“Azula?” Ty Lee says, voice reaching her ears like a

prayer. Azula clings to that voice, and lets it guide her
into her next actions.

“I have spent my whole life believing that I didn’t need

anyone. That this...this feeling was a weakness. That it
was something to be exterminated. Eradicated
completely, because I was supposed to be perfect, and I
believed it.”

Azula takes a few steps forward. She has an idea, she

just hopes Ty Lee will understand. As her feet guide her
into Ty Lee’s personal bubble, the world around her
becomes much smaller. She can hear her own anxious
breaths, and smell that wonderful vanilla that was only
ever present when Ty Lee was near her.

It relaxed her. Enough for her to close her eyes, and

softly reach out to Ty Lee’s hand, wrapping her pinkie
around the brunette’s, pulling it so that they hung in the
middle of their close bodies.

“Azula-” Ty Lee gasps, but Azula doesn’t let it hinder her.

She continues, moving her slender fingers so that they
and Ty Lee’s interlock tightly.

Azula’s eyes stare at Ty Lee’s distracted ones. She was

too focused on their hands to notice the look Azula was
giving her. She was so beautiful right now. So confused
yet so full of hope, it radiated around them and gave
Azula strength in this moment of weakness.

“But I’m starting to think that...maybe being weak isn’t

such a bad thing, if it’s for you.”

Ty Lee’s head lifts immediately, her eyes shimmering

with hope. Azula smiles, because how can she not?

Ty Lee…

“You’re everything to me.” Azula whispers, hesitantly

letting her forehead touch Ty Lee’s. Ty Lee jumps a little
in shock, clearly not expecting the move, but she doesn’t
pull away. No, in fact, after the first moments of surprise
wear off, Azula feels Ty Lee push back, ever so slightly.

“Do you mean it?” Ty Lee asks, voice low enough to be a

whisper but not intentionally trying to be.

“Every word.” Azula answers, hearing Ty Lee make a

breathy laugh. It makes her smile.

“I love you too.” Ty Lee says, and Azula’s smile widens.

Ty Lee understood. She knew what Azula was saying.

But of course she did.

Ty Lee knew her better than anyone else.

“I love you so much.” Ty Lee says, voice growing more

desperate, and Azula can tell what she wants now. The
way that Ty Lee’s hands move to wrap around Azula’s
waist, keeping them at this close distance.

Azula isn’t sure how to do this. Everything past this is

new territory for her. She’s never...never even seen this
in a movie. She doesn’t know how to initiate, or...or
anything .

“Azula.” Ty Lee calls, breaking Azula’s tiny panic attack as

two hushed words leave her lips. Two words that set her
heart on fire.

“ Kiss me .”

And just like that, everything is clear.

Azula gets it.

Their noses touch briefly as Azula leans in just the

slightest. She can hear, and feel Ty Lee’s breath on her
own. A little shallow in anticipation, it makes Azula want
to tease her.

She refrains, for obvious reasons.

Okay, Azula. Just do it. Just lean and-

Ty Lee tastes like strawberries.

Azula blanks, only registering five things.

One, Ty Lee’s lips were incredibly soft. Two, vanilla was

surrounding her in all the right ways, and strawberries
was all she could taste. Three, Azula found herself
gripping onto Ty Lee’s hips, pulling the girl closer, loving
how Ty Lee’s arms tightened around her neck in
response.

Four, Azula didn’t care if this was weakness. It felt far too
good to be wrong. She’d never accept anything else
again.

And five? Easy.

Azula never wanted to feel anything other than Ty Lee’s

lips on hers ever again.

Coincidentally, this also meant that Azula forgot she

needed to breathe.

When Ty Lee pulled away, just enough to let a few

instructing words leave her lips, Azula heard her say, “
Breathe , Azula.”

Right. Breathing was a thing that she needed to do.

One look at Ty Lee though, and Azula through

fundamental knowledge out the window.

Fuck breathing. If it meant Azula could kiss Ty Lee

forever, then she’d learn how to live without breathing.
Shouldn’t be too hard. Azula could do whatever she
wanted.

Capturing her lips once more, Azula hears Ty Lee let out
a squeak in surprise, but feels her melt into it just as
quickly as it came.

This was right, Azula decides.

Ty Lee in her arms. This was good. This was...this was

safe.

Ty Lee was safe.

Not forgetting to pull away and breathe this time, Azula

is the one to leave Ty Lee breathless. In all honesty, the
brunette would probably be fine if Azula hadn’t caught
her by surprise.

“Even better then I imagined.” Azula says, voice low,

letting her words fill the air while Ty Lee regains her
breath.

“You...you imagined it?” She asks.

Azula grins. “You have no idea.”

With one final, deep breath, Ty Lee’s breathing is back to

normal. “I bet I do.”

“Oh do you now?” Azula teases, pulling Ty Lee flush

against her body, making the brunette gasp at the wave
of confidence washing over Azula’s aura.

“I’ve been in love with you since we were six, Azula. I’m
pretty sure I have you beat.”

Azula hums. “I guess that’s fair.”

Ty Lee sighs blissfully, placing her head on Azula’s

shoulder. “You love me…”

She frowns, guilt edging the corners of her heart, making

her squeeze Ty Lee tighter. Hold her closer. “I wish I
could say it.”

“It’s okay.” Ty Lee reassures. “I don’t mind waiting a little

longer.”

“I wish you didn’t have to wait at all.” Azula affirms. “I

wish I didn’t have to wait.”

“You told me in your own way. That’s enough for me right

now.”

Azula stays silent. Maybe it was enough. It’s proof. Their

own secret way of saying it.

Yeah. It’s enough for right now.

“Does this mean I’m your girlfriend now?”

Azula’s eyes widen at the question. “Way to be blunt

about it.” She comments, making Ty Lee giggle.

“Is that a yes?”

“Depends on if you want it to be.”

Ty Lee breaks away from the hug so that she can look
into Azula’s eyes. Azula can see a million emotions
swimming in those orbs. The most prominent was the
most heartwarming for Azula.

Love.

“I very much want it to be.”

Azula smiles. “Then I’m yours.”

Ty Lee seals the deal with a kiss.

Yeah, this was enough. So long as Azula has Ty Lee, this

was enough.

Zuko arrives home 5 days later. Azula only knows

because she was in the garage flipping through her brand
new motorcycle manual when the garage door started to
open, revealing a large U-Haul pulling into their
driveway.

Azula doesn’t care to get up, simply reverting her

attention back to the information as she tries to soak it in
over all the noise.

“Hey Azula! Can you come help?” Zuko says, revealing

himself to the fire bender.

She doesn’t look up. “Can’t you see I’m busy?” She
replies.

“Never took you for a bookworm!” He says, making Azula

twitch in anger.

“I’ll show you a fucking bookworm…” She grumbles,

standing up from her chair and hurling the manual at her
brother, the book hitting him in the back of the head.
Azula snickers, thankful she had told him to get a
hardcover version.

“Hey! That hurt!” Zuko gorans, rubbing his head with a

free hand, the other holding a box of...whatever.

“Good!” Azula replies, walking over to him to pick up the

book and close it shut. Dusting off the dirt, Azula starts
to walk back to the work bench. “Where’s Mother?”

“They’ll be here any second. Traffic was bad today, so we

got separated.”

Azula stares at him for a moment. “Yeah...I don’t care.

Have fun unpacking all that worthless garbage.”

“It’s not garbage!”

“Maybe to you.” Azula replies, taking a seat once more

and propping her legs up on the bench. She opens the
book to the page she was on and begins to read.

Apart from the occasional passing worker, who took box

upon box into her house, Azula was not disturbed by
anyone. She got a good 20 pages of reading done before
an obscenely happy voice called out to her.

“Azula!” Kiyi exclaimed, and Azula looked up, or down

she supposes with Kiyi’s height, to see the child running
towards her.

“Oh look, the gremlin has arrived…” Azula comments,

watching with mild intrigue as Kiyi tries to climb up onto
the chair. “I’m reading Kiyi, go help your family unpack.”

“But I wanna stay here!” Kiyi gruffs, stopping her efforts

to cross her arms. Azula snorts. Azula could see the
vague resemblance in their personality now. Especially
when Kiyi looked like that.

“Alright you weirdo, come on.” Azula says, leaning down

to pick Kiyi up. She lands on Azula’s stomach, and once
Azula is settled back into her previous position, Kiyi
moves to lay the same way, staring at the book with
absolutely no intention of reading it.

“What’s this thing about, Azula?” Kiyi asks, referring to

the book in Azula’s hand.

Azula flips the page. “Motorcycles.” She answered plainly.

“Do you have a motorcycle?”

“Not yet. I have to build it first.”

“Build it?! How are you gonna do that?!” Kiyi exclaims.

“Well, first I have to read this book from front to back,

and I can’t do that with an annoying little gremlin asking
my questions every five seconds, now can I?”

Kiyi is quick to realize that it was about her. Azula is

impressed. “No…”

Azula hums in victory, directing her attention back to the

book.

She makes it to the second paragraph of the page she

was reading before Kiyi says, “Azula, What’s a
motorcycle?”

Azula groans, shutting the book loudly and throwing it

onto the bench. “You don’t shut up, do you?”

“Nope!” Kiyi chirps.

Despite herself, Azula smiles. She’s so similar to Ty Lee,

she can’t help but be reminded of her. With their overly
cheerful attitude, constant pestering, loving Azula even
when she doesn’t want it…

“Kiyi? Where are you?” A concerned voice calls. Kiyi’s

head shoots up, but Azula just rolls her eyes.

“In here Mom!”

Ursa comes around the corner, seeing Kiyi and Azula.

“There you are! Is this where you ran off to?”

“Yeah! Azula was teaching me about motorcycles!”

“Was she now?” Ursa comments, staying a reasonable

distance away from the pair, more for Azula than anyone
else.

The fire bender makes brief eye contact with her Mother.
“Is there something you need?”

“Yes, Kiyi needs to help unpack her things from the car.”

“But I wanna stay with Azula!” Kiyi protests.

“Too bad, gremlin.” Azula says, grabbing Kiyi and setting

her down on the ground. “I need to get going anyway.
You run along with your Mother.”

“But-”

“I don’t want to hear it, Kiyi.” Azula says, voice stern.

“Okay…” Came the child's response, solemn and gloomy.

Azula rolls her eyes. “If you do this, I’ll let you watch me
fire bend.”

Kiyi’s eyes immediately light up, her entire demeanor

changing in half a second. “You mean it?!”

“Yes, now go.”

“Okay!” Kiyi cheers, now all too excited to get this done.

Ursa lags for a moment, almost reaching out to Azula.

“Azula-”

“Don’t even think about it.” Azula says, eyes cold with no
mercy in them. Ursa’s halfway outstretched hand jolts
back a bit before being put down completely.

With a satisfied hum, Azula heads inside, finding Zuko in

a guest room after a few minutes of searching. “Zuzu, I
need to talk to you.”

“What is it?” He grunts, placing down a box before wiping

his brow of the lingering sweat.

“I need your keys, and an address.”

“Okay first off, no. And second, why?”

Azula tilts her head playfully. “I thought it was about

time I go visit our dear Uncle.”

Zuko’s shock is not missed, earning a laugh. “You’re

serious?”

“Of course I’m serious.”

Zuko smiles. “Well, I can't give you my keys, seeing as

you don’t have your license yet, but I can drive you.”

“Aren’t you helping them unpack?”

“I can drop you off and come straight back. The tea shop
isn’t far from here.” Zuko compromises, grabbing his
jacket from a nearby chair and putting it on. “Does that
sound good?”

Rip the bandaid off. Azula remembers that vividly.

“Yeah, sounds good, Zuzu.”

Notes:
YES BITCHESSSSSSSEES

Chapter 27: Forgotten In Mourning

Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

The ride to the teashop was short, and quiet. They

didn’t speak, Zuko far too focused on the traffic, and
Azula far too focused on her phone.

A small vibration alerted Azula to a new next from Ty

Lee. ‘So you’re going to see your Uncle Iroh?’

‘Figured it was time to face some other demons.’

‘I get it. Do you want me to be there?’

Azula wanted to say yes. Having Ty Lee there would be

wonderful, but this was something she had to do by
herself. Plus, she couldn’t get...distracted.

‘No, let me do this alone.’

‘Okay Azula.’

“We’re here.” Zuko says, putting the car in park. Azula

looks to indeed find a substantially sized building with
the words, ‘The Jasmine Dragon’ Hanging on a wooden
sight, dangling from two metal chains on either end. She
types a quick goodbye to Ty Lee.

“Thanks.” Azula says, unbuckling and pushing the car

door open.

“Hey.” He calls before she can close it. “Try to have an

open mind, yeah?”

Azula smirks. “Relax, I’m not gonna kill him, you know.”

“I know.”

Leaving it at that, Azula shuts the door and turns back to

the shop. She hears Zuko’s car leave its spot, pulling
back out into the open road and taking off to somewhere
Azula doesn’t care to think about right now.

Her Uncle’s tea shop was one of the most renowned

places in Republic City. Their exquisite and seemingly
perfectly brewed tea made headlines from here to the
Water Tribes across the world. Their specialty, of course,
was jasmine tea, one of Iroh’s personal favorites.

Inhaling sharply, Azula opens the door to the shop, the

tiny bell above the door jingling, alerting everyone
currently enjoying their drinks to her presence. Azula
scanned the room, seeing how some people stared in
agape shock, while others took a mere glance before
returning to their drinks and conversation.

“Hello!” A kind old voice says. “Welcome to The Jasmine

Dragon! How may we-”

Azula makes eye contact with her Uncle, and watches

with muted pleasure as his eyes go wide in shock.

“Azula...What a pleasant surprise.” Iroh says, almost

seeming breathless but still curt in his welcome.

“You have a nice place, Uncle.” Azula remarks, taking a

few steps in to survey the room more. The walls were
covered in an earthy green, with golden accents lining
the corners and edges. Wooden frames lined the walls
with beautiful paintings ranging from oils to water colors.

“What are you doing here?” He asks, and if it wasn’t for

the kindness in his voice, Azula would’ve taken that as a
demand.

“I wanted to catch up, see how you’ve been. You know,

like a family should.” Azula edges, teasingness in her
voice. He seems to catch on quickly.

“That sounds like a wonderful idea, Azula. Come, why

don’t we head upstairs?”

“You have an upstairs?” Azula asks as they start to walk

towards the back of the shop.

“Of course, this is where I live as well.”

Weird, but whatever.

Following Iroh up to his private second floor, they

ascended the stairs, and Azula found a more homey
building. There was a door, but once it opened, Azula was
led into a hall, the living room visible directly in front of
them.

Glancing over the walls, Azula see’s paintings and

pictures littering the space, most of which being Iroh and
Zuko.

“Would you like some tea?” Iroh asks, once they reach
the living room.

“No thank you.” Azula says, remembering her manners.

“You know I don’t like tea.”

“Things change Azula, and it has now become clear to

me just how much.”

“Are you going all philosophical on me?”

“What if I was?” Iroh says from the place in the kitchen,

and Azula heard the sound of pottery hitting his stove.

Azula rolls her eyes. “Not everyone can be Zuzu and

enjoy your teachings. Please, for my sake, keep it to
yourself.”

“Oh…” Iroh says, coming into the living room with his
hands knit together. “Zuko hated my lessons. It was only
until he joined the Avatar that he realized how much he
relied on them.”

“How touching.” Azula snarks, moving to look at the

fireplace. “So how has business been?”

“Booming!” He replies with a laugh. “I see more and

more friendly faces every day!”

Very traditional style furniture, painting were similar to

those downstairs…

Interesting.

“And Zuko works here?”

“He comes in whenever he can, with being the CEO and

all.”

Azula ignores the way that his words prick at her heart,
instead moving to say, “I suppose you're wondering why
I’ve really come here today.”

“I assumed that-”

“You’re wrong.” Azula says. Anything that would have left

his mouth would’ve been wrong.

Iroh’s words die, being replaced with a heaving sigh. The

tea starts to whistle from within it’s kettle, adding to the
tension in the room as Iroh goes to take it off the stove.
Azula moves to take a seat on a white arm chair, feeling
the material and deeming it not too bad. Not as good as
the furniture at home, but not bad.

“So tell me why you’re here, Azula.” Irohs says, carrying

a tray with two cups and the kettle of tea.

As he begins to pour his own cup, Azula says, “I’ve been

doing a lot of thinking lately, and I’ve been left confused.
Zuko and I have been...Oh what’s the word...bonding I
believe, as of late, and he’s told me something quite
interesting.

“And what may that be?” He asks, sitting down and

blowing on the tea cup delicately before taking a cautious
sip. His lips curve upwards in delight, but Azula continues
on.
“ ‘She’s crazy and she needs to go down.’ Do those
words sound familiar, Uncle?” Azula asked, and watched
Iroh choke on his tea.

He coughed out his response. “You heard this

from...Zuko you said?”

“Yes. Is it true?”

“I-...” Iroh trails, and it’s obvious he has no excuse. “Yes,

it is.”

“I never thought of you to be so quick to judge, Uncle.”

“I did not mean any offense-” Iroh starts, but Azula

promptly interrupts.

“You called me crazy, Uncle. Forgive me for taking

offense.” She blunts.

Iroh sighs. “I have no excuse for that Azula. I am truly

sorry for saying that. I can see now that none of what I
said was true.”

“Oh no, you were right.” She laughs, watching his face
morph into confusion. “Zuko never told you, did he?” She
says with a smile, watching Iroh shake his head
hesitantly.

“What do you know about what happened during Sozin’s

Comet?”

“The Avatar and his friends took down you and your
Father.”

“Do you know what happened to me after that?”

Another shake of his head, and Azula can already feel the
anger boiling into her nearly wicked smile. “They put me
in a mental institution, Uncle. They locked me in a cell
and threw me in a big white room whenever I did
something wrong.”

Azula enjoys the absolute bewilderment on his face. He

was flabbergasted that anyone could do that. “And your
darling nephew Zuko is the one who put me there.”

“I-” He stutters. “If he...he had done that then there

must have been a good reason.”

“I suppose.” She sighs, leaning back and resting her

hands on the arms of her chair comfortable. “I was
insane, but those idiots didn't do shit to treat me.”

“Did you cooperate?”

Azula snorts, recalling the amount of times she had

managed to headbut a few guards, even in the
straightjacket. “Agni no, but they didn’t do much to try
and stop me. They didn’t put me on medicine, or give me
a therapist, all of that came after Ty Lee got me out of
that place.”

“Ty Lee?” Iroh asks.

Azula tenses a little, her nails digging into the cushiony

material of her chair. “She came to visit once, and
practically threatened to kill Zuko if he didn’t get me out
of there.”

She remembers that whole scene, every moment, and

finds she regrets a lot of what she said, and did.

She had tried to kill Ty Lee.

In anger, sure, but she still did it. She still tried to end
the one person she loves life out of petty anger.

“She must care for you a great deal.”

“She does.” Azula says, softer and more fondly than she
would for anything else. “More than I’ll ever understand.”

“That’s sweet.” Iroh cooes, and Azula glares at him.

“Shut it, old man.” She threatens, voice ice cold as he

merely chuckles.

“Ty Lee has always been good to you, I’m glad you two
are still close.”

A little closer than that, Iroh, but he doesn’t need to

know that.

Yet.

“Yes, she’s been a key part in my recovery.” Azula

responds.

“Oh I bet.” Iroh says, a hint of a teasing nature in his

voice. It draws Azula’s attention.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Azula accuses.

“Oh nothing.” He smiles. “The tea is growing cold. Excuse

me while I go and heat it up.”

Exasperated, Azula sighs, “Just bend it Uncle.”

“That would ruin the tea, Azula.”

“It’s leaf water. It would make no difference.”

“Maybe you should try some and find out.”

She grimaces. “No.”

He shrugs, moving back to the kitchen. “Suit yourself,

Azula.”

While he is off doing that, Azula looks at the other side of

the room she hadn’t cared to survey upon her entry. In
doing this, a certain ink painting catches her eyes, and
makes them grow wide.

Because there, framed on the wall for all to see, is a

painting of her cousin. Someone who Azula had tried so
hard to forget, but was now remembering them as if it
were yesterday.

Lu Ten.

Azula watched as her brother played in the gardens,

completely unaware that Azula had been holed up in this
room for the past two hours.

A faint, “Zuko!” could be heard, and Azula’s eyes narrow

as her Mother’s body comes into frame. She can see the
side of her face, the way she looks so happy as she
chases after Zuko through the garden.

Azula frowns.

She never does that with me...

“Pay attention, Azula.” Her homeschooling teacher

commanded, drawing her attention back to the screen in
front of her.

“Sorry Ma’am” She apologies, straightening her postures

and holding her pencil, eager to take notes.

“As I was saying, if you look back one hundreds years

from now, you’ll see that…”

Sighing, Azula let’s her pencil falter down, and lets her
eyes wander back over to the window.

She...She wants to play too, but Father said it was

important that she learn this at a young age. It will help
her be ahead of the kids when she goes to boarding
school.

Maybe she could play after?

No...She has practice after this, and then she’s supposed

to start learning about the business from her Father..

It was important. Father said so, and Father has never

lied to her.

Father knew what was best.

With a confirming hum, Azula directs her attention back

to the screen, beginning to take down notes. She ignores
the way she can hear the happy laughter and giggles of
her family from the gardens.

She didn’t have time for that.

She had to learn this.

Father said so.

Azula holds her head high as she leaves the classroom,

her teacher deeming what she learned enough for today.
Now, she was heading down the familiar corridor so that
she could be taken to the basement, where her Father
would be waiting to instruct her on her bending.

“Azula!” A voice calls, making Azula stop in confusion

and turn around.

There, running down the hall to catch up to her, was her

cousin Lu Ten, smiling brightly and waving at her.

“What are you doing here?” Azula asks. “Weren’t you out
of the country or something?”

“Yeah, but they called me back for a few days, I ship out
tomorrow morning to head to the Earth Kingdom.”

Azula nods, processing the words, but not quite

understanding.

“Why exactly?” She asks out of pure curiosity.

Lu Tne falters. “They- Uh...My Dad needs me to help him

take care of some...business stuff. You know?”

Azula shakes her head, an eyebrow raised as he laughs

nervously.

“Well, I can’t really tell you.”

“Why not?”

“Cause...It’s...it’s super top secret. Can’t tell anyone or

they’ll have to kill me!”

“Oh.” Azula says. Was that how this company worked?

She wanted to know more…

“Anyway, where are you going in such a rush?” He asks.

Azula answers with, “To practice my fire bending.”

He gapes at her. “No way! You’re firebending already?!”

She nods, hesitant for his reaction.

“That’s crazy, I didn’t start bending till I was 7 or so.” He

trails, words distant as he tried to recall, but it goes
away as he smiles brightly at her. “Good for you! I’m
sure you’ll be a great fire bender.”

“I’m gonna be the best.” Azula says, voice neutral but

firm.

“Oh are you now?” He asks, voice edging the line of

teasing as he rocks back and forth on his heels. “Pretty
big ambitions for someone your age.”

“Father said so, so it has to be true.” Azula reasons, and

she’s confused when Lu Ten frowns.

“Hey, I got an idea!” He exclaims, crouching down to be

eye level with her. “Why don’t you ditch lessons today,
and I can take you out on the city. We can go visit your
friends or something!”

Azula’s brow furrows as she shakes her head. “No,

Father was clear when he said I have to come to
lessons.”

“Well did he tell you that you also need to take breaks?”
He continues when Azula shakes her head. “Breaks are
important, Azula. It gives us time to let our body relax
for a bit before we have to use it again. It’s very
important when it comes to fire bending, and I’m
surprised he hasn’t told you that yet.”

“Father says that I should keep going no matter what, or

I’ll appear weak to my enemies.”

Lu Ten clicks his tongue disapprovingly. “Nope! Do that

and your body will give out! Come on, let’s go see one of
your friends.”

“I don’t have friends.” Azula blunts.

“No friends?”

She shakes her head with a shrug. “I don’t leave the

house that much, and Father says I shouldn’t have to
rely on anyone.”

Lu Ten frowns again, and Azula can’t figure out why.

Wasn’t that right? That’s what Father had told her. It had
to be right.

“Come on, just for a bit. If he says anything, I’ll take the
fall. That sound good?”

Azula should say no, but the childish desire in her, as

well as the jealousy from seeing her brother play all day
fueled her to take his outstretched hand.

“Okay.”

They had gone so many places that day, from weird

shops to those aesthetic cafes that Lu Ten had said were
all the rage. Azula nodded, not knowing any different as
she had sipped her drink.

It was fun, and Azula had enjoyed herself.

Then he left.

And died.

Azula didn’t know what she was supposed to feel. Father

said not to mourn too long, and that it was a necessary
loss for their business, but that made Azula wonder. Why
were people dying for a production company?

She didn’t understand, but she wanted to.

And she would.

The day of the funeral, Iroh had come home, and Azula
figured out what she was feeling.

Anger.

She was angry. Not sad, or mournful, but angry.

So when Iroh was alone, after everyone had gone to

thank him, Azula walked up to him, face completely
neutral. He had smiles at her, albeit sadly, and said,
“Hello, Azula. How are you feeling?”

“Burn it.”

Iroh is taken aback. “What?”

“Whatever you are doing for the business. Whatever is in

your way, burn it to the ground. I won’t accept anything
less.”

It was the first time she had given an order to someone.

She was nine, and she had just ordered her Uncle to do
something.

It felt good.

“Azula-” He starts.

“I have to agree with Azula on this, brother.”

Azula looks up and over her shoulder, seeing her Father

fall into place next to her. His arm rests on her shoulder,
and she feels a wave of confidence and pride wash over
her, making her grin. “They must pay for this retribution.
And it will be with fire.”

Iroh stutters, but upon seeing his younger, more

ambitious brother, and his already cunning daughter
standing against him, he sighs.

“I will talk it over with Father, Ozai.”

“I think he will like the idea. After all, one of his

grandson’s is dead.”

Iroh nods, and Azula merely huffs.

Whatever was going on, they’ll burn for what they did.

They killed Lu Ten.

That required reprimandation.

Let them burn.

“I hated you when you came home from the Earth

Kingdom.” Azula says as he walks back into the room. He
froze, tea tray in his hands as she followed her eyes to
see his son’s painting.

His eyes grow solemn. “Yes, I’m sure you did.”

“They killed him, and you came home whining like a

baby.” Azula reiterates. “You were a coward.”

“I was in mourning.”

“No, you were stupid, and didn’t calculate your

advantages.”

“Azula what are you talking about?”

“Everyone knew of your son’s death. They would have

never expected you to attack while your son’s death was
still in its morning period. You could have taken that god
forsaken city so that my Father didn’t have to do it for
you.”

“My son was dead!”

“And you should have made them pay for it!” She shouts.
“They killed my cousin, Iroh! One of the few people who
actually cared about me! I wanted them to burn!”

Iroh stops his shouting, and hangs his head low. “I’m
truly sorry, Azula, but it was for the best. I hope one day
you’ll understand that.”

Azula takes a deep breath, and stands up, walking the

few paces to where her Uncle was sitting. “Look at me.”
She commands, voice neither soft nor merciful.

He obeys, and her hazel eyes meet his.

She looks into them, and sees a million stories.

Ones of hurt, and sadness. Solemn, gloom, regret, guilt.

She can see he has struggled, but there were others,

more prominent in those golden eyes.

Hope.

Hope for a world that wouldn’t have taken his son away.

Love.

Love that Iroh would give his son every day even after
he had been gone for so long.

And understanding.

Understanding that Lu Ten’s death was a casualty, and

while it was meant to be mourned, it was also inevitable.
They all died in the end, there was no changing that. Lu
Ten’s time had just come quicker than most.

He was only 20, but he had died.

Azula’s hard eyes soften, and she looks up to Lu Ten’s

picture. His eyes may be black in the picture, but she can
remember the warmth they held. How he had told Azula
that they were a reminder of their power. That it flowed
through them, even passing into their genes, painting
their eyes a sunny gold.

Iroh had been hurt too.

Maybe Azula could forgive him.

“I’d like to do this again, Uncle.” Azula says. “I meant it

when I said I wanted to catch up.”

Iroh sniffles, and Azula can now see the tears in his eyes.
He nods with a smile.

“I’d like that very much, Azula.”

Notes:
HEY GUYS

okay so im not sure if theres like a

description of lu tens character or not
but i couldnt find one so i kinda tried to
mimic a younger more enthusiastic iroh
for his character. as for azula seeming
so bland and not really herself, she's
five in this flashback and is caught in
between being a child and doing what
her father says. shes kind of a robot
until she realizes how good it feels to be
in control, as i tried to show through
iroh and hers conversation

anyway, im not entirely sure about this

chapter, so please let me know your
thoughts on it

see u guys soon :)

Chapter 28: Conversations and

Confrontations

“I saw my Mother.”
Azula had blurted that out during her latest therapy
session. Glenn was going on about something she had
psychoanalyzed about Azula with her behavior or
whatever, but Azula wasn’t really focusing on that.

Glenn, of course, was taken aback by the new, leaning

back in her chair a bit as she says, “Oh? You did?”

“My brother forced me to help him find her.”

“And how did it go?”

Azula finds it’s easier to talk about it. Like...Like it wasn’t

weighing on her mind, holding her down anymore.

“She has a family now, a husband and child. Daughter.”

Glenn is silent for a long time, making Azula sigh when

she realized Glenn was waiting for her to continue.

“I was angry at first, but not anymore. I thought she had

replaced me with Kiyi, but that wasn’t true.”

“I’m glad you were able to figure that out, Azula.” Glenn
praises. “Lots of patients would lapse when something
like this happened to them.”

“I almost did, I think.” Azula says. “I was so...angry, and

furious at everyone. Nearly burned down the forest
because of it.”

“What calmed you down?” Glenn asked, pencil already

touching the sheet on her clipboard, anticipating an
answer.

Azula doesn’t have to think about it. The answer was

obvious.

“My friend Ty Lee. She wasn’t there, but thinking about

her helped.”

“Interesting. Is Ty Lee a close friend of yours?”

Azula smirks. She’d been hearing that so much lately.

“You could say that.” Azula comments.

“That’s a very vague answer. Is there something you’re

not telling me?” There was a hint of playfulness to
Glenn’s words, making Azula meet her eyes with equal
pride.

“Depends on what your definition of close is.”

“You’ll find that all psychologists have a pretty clean cut

definition for everything.”

“Must be so exciting.” Azula drawls, rolling her eyes in

boredom.

“For me, yes it is. But this isn’t about me, it’s about you.
Let’s get back to your Mother. Did you confront her? Tell
me your feelings.”

Azula narrows her eyes, but relents. It wasn’t too big of

a deal. She didn’t care about her Mother anymore, so it
shouldn’t be hard. “She came to me, and I yelled at her.
I was still angry at the time, but more so at her than
anyone else. I...I needed time to think, and during that I
had a chance to meet Kiyi.”

“How did you react?”

“Harsh at first, but...she’s grown on me.”

“Will you visit them?”

“Don’t have to.” Azula says. “Zuko convinced them to

come live here in the city. They're staying at our house
until they can get a place of their own.”

“That must be exciting.”

Azula shrugs. “Not really. I mean, I Kiyi I can tolerate but

I can’t go three seconds before wanting to punch my
Mother for being weepy about everything.”

“So you haven’t forgiven her?” Glenn asks.

Azula frowns, her features hardening. “No, and I don’t

think I ever will. I gave her a chance to explain, and it
wasn’t good enough.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, but if that’s what you think is

best, then no one can really stop you.”

Azula takes a deep breath in. “I gave her a chance, and

made my decision. That’s good right? I...I’m doing this
right, aren’t I?”

Glenn gives her a kind smile, acknowledging Azula’s

nerves and insecurities with a nod. “Well you’re not
setting things on fire or trying to kill anyone, so I’d say
so yes.”

“Okay.” Azula says, more out of relief. She can tell Glenn
is soaking in her moment of weakness, ingraining it into
her so that she knows Azula is capable of it. She’s
capable of opening up.

“I suppose I understand why you can’t forgive her.”

Glenn says, leaning back a bit. “She had said and done
horrible things to you. Neglected you, favored Zuko over
you, and of course called you things that no one should
ever have to be called.”

Azula blinks.

“You...understand?”

Glenn shrugs, but leans over the coffee table. “I’m not
really supposed to insert personal opinions, but yes, I
do.”

“I thought you didn’t like me.” Azula blunts, narrowing

her eyes as Glenn chuckles.

“Opinions change.” Was Glenn’s answer. “People change.

You have proven that, and in only a few short weeks
too.”

“What?” Azula asks, not understanding. She...She still

felt the same, so what was different about her?

“If you had seen your Mother as the same person you
were when you first came to my office, I am positive you
would have killed her.”

Azula finds she can’t disagree.

“You have changed far more than you know Azula, and
you should be proud of that.”

“I don’t feel different.” Azula says, looking down at her

hands. “I just feel...nothing.”

“Want to elaborate?”

Azula shrugs. “I can’t describe it, but it feels like nothing

happening around me really matters anymore. I know
I’m angry at people, and I know people are angry at me,
but I don’t care. It’s always been like this, but now it’s
just...different.”

“So you don’t feel anything for anyone?”

“I didn’t say that.” Azula glares. “I feel plenty, I just don’t

care about what people think of me.”

“That’s a good thing, Azula.” Glenn says, making Azula’s

eyebrow quirk upwards.

“How?”

“Tell me something.” Glenn redirects. “Do you feel guilty

about the way you treated the people in your life?”

Azula thinks about it, and finds her answer quickly. She
did feel guilty. She felt guilty about the way she treated
Mai, and Zuko, and…

And Ty Lee.

Especially Ty Lee.

“...For a few of them, I suppose.”

“And are you working to earn their forgiveness?”

Azula frowns. Ty Lee...had she forgiven Azula for what

she had done? Was Ty Lee bottling that up? Trying to
keep it hidden as if it had never happened?

“I think so.” Azula answers hesitantly, not quite knowing

herself if that was the truth.

Glenn stares for a moment, and checks the time briefly

before sighing. “Our time is up for today, but I want to
give you some...homework, if you will.”

Azula gulps, but nods anyway.

“Think about everything you have done. Think of how it

has affected the people around you. Think about it and
we can discuss it next week. Does that sound good to
you?”

“...Okay.” Azula says, and they both stand.

“I’ll see you next week, Azula. Today was really good,
and I’m proud of how open you’re being about all of
this.”

Azula, who had nearly walked out of the room, turns her
head halfway, eyes to the ground as she mumbles,
“...Thanks.” Before leaving.

This was...This was weird.

Azula never thought too much about another person’s

feelings before, but there was no denying it. She had
been far too focused on deeming if other people were
worthy of being forgiven by her rather than the other
way around. Azula had to accept that she had done some
terrible things. Things that won’t disappear.

Azula stops in the middle of the hall.

She had tortured people. Beaten the life out of them until
they broke.

She had enjoyed it at the time, but looking back on it,

the memories haunt her.

And when she was finished with them? They were carried
off.

Azula never saw them again. She didn’t care to ask what
happened to them, but she knew.

Azula had essentially sentenced them to death.

And while that may be the worst thing she’s ever done,
she can’t imagine how bad it will be when Ty Lee finds
out.

Because Azula can’t hide that from her. She’s going to

have to come clean to Ty Lee if this relationship is going
to work.

She wants to make it work, but Ty Lee didn’t know the

full story.

When she does, will she still want Azula?

“God this is too much thinking…” Azula mumbles, pain in

her voice as she reaches a hand up to her forehead,
beginning to walk once more.

She’d figure it out later. For right now…

“Azula!” Ty Lee beams, crashing into Azula once she

emerged from the hallway and into the lobby of the
building.

Azula, despite her troubled mind, wraps her arms around

Ty Lee and says, “Hello, Ty Lee.”

For now she’d enjoy this while it lasted.

“How’d it go?” She asked.

“Oh just splendid.” Azula teases. “I feel like an entirely

new person. I changed woman who can-”

Azula is cut off by Ty Lee laughing. “You’re mean! I’m

asking a serious question!”

She smiles, because who can’t smile when Ty Lee looks

like that. So carefree, so innocent.

That smile falters slightly when those intrusive thoughts

of a future conversation start to trickle back in.

Worry about it later. For now, smile and be with her.

Deciding to answer honestly now, she says, “It was fine

Ty Lee. She says I’m making good progress.”

Ty Lee beams. “That’s awesome! What did you guys talk

about?”

“I’ll tell you later. For now, let’s go home.”

Don’t think about it.

But she was.

It was the only thing she could think about the entire
ride home, and after that, the only thing she imagined
while reading her manual. She was nearly finished with
it, but the words seemed to blur together as her eyes
scanned the page over three times now.

She can’t keep this from her.

It would be better to just get it out sooner rather than

later.

She supposes it’s a good thing Ty Lee is still here then.

Sitting on her stomach across the end of the bed,
scrolling through social media and humming a
thoughtless tune.

“Ty Lee.” Azula says, closing the book quietly and setting
it on her nightstand.

“Yeah?” The brunette asks, not taking her eyes off the
screen.

“Can I ask you something?”

This grabs Ty Lee’s attention, grey eyes looking to meet

hers. “Anything.” She answers, shutting her phone off
and placing it on the bed face down.

“Have you forgiven me?”

Silence.

“It’s just I’m not exactly sure, and-”

“No.”

Azula’s eyes widen. “No?”

Ty Lee smiles, and moves to sit up completely, fiddling

with her fingers a bit. “I...I haven’t. As much as I want
to, you did a lot of bad stuff Azula.”

Azula looks away, ashamed. “I know.”

“Hey.” Ty Lee calls, scooting so that she can sit next to

Azula, but her legs facing the headboard which Azula
rested her back on. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not
trying to.”

Azula chuckles. “I’d hope so, otherwise this thing we've

got going on isn’t going to last very long.”

Ty Lee’s features harden a bit in seriousness. “We've hurt

each other, and we both know that.”

“One of us more than others.” Azula mumbles, referring

to herself.

The brunette continues with, “So talk to me. Tell me why,

and let me understand.”

Azula meets her eyes, pondering the offer for far shorter
than she would have a few weeks ago. It seemed so
much easier now, talking to Ty Lee now that she knew.
Azula knows Ty Lee knew of everything she did. When
they put her in the institution, her Father’s company was
raided, and revealed all the blackmail and any footage of
Azula’s wrongdoings. They wanted to put her in jail for it
all, but Zuko convinced them that an institution would be
better with how she acted during Sozin’s comet.

That being said, all of the records were public. Anything

and everything she had ever done was on display for the
entire world to see if they pleased.

And Azula knows Ty Lee was one of the first to see it,
because the brunette wasn’t dumb enough to ignore it.

Still...

“You’ve seen my records right? Everything I’ve done?”

Couldn’t hurt to check.

“Of course I have.” Ty Lee mumbles, reaching to take

Azula’s hand. “I was there when Zuko got the folder. Mai
too.”

“Of course.” Azula grumbles at the mention of Mai.

“Azula.” Ty Lee scolds, knowing that tone and not having

any of it. Azula glares at her briefly before rolling her
eyes, seeing Ty Lee wouldn’t budge.

“I did what Father told me to do. Simple as that.”

“I’m not sure your Father told you to manipulate me.

Your Father barely remembers my name.”

Azula nods her head slightly in agreement. “True. That

was for my own personal gain.”

“What did you have to gain out of manipulating me?”

“Information.” Azula says, impressed at how calm Ty Lee

is talking about all of this. “You were friends with the
Avatar, and keeping you in check meant that I could get
information about them from you.”

Ty Lee’s eyes hold a fair amount of pain in them, but she

presses on. “Can you give me an example?”

“Remember the day I missed school, and I called you?”

Azula says, watching Ty Lee’s face flash in realization.

“Seriously, Azula?”

“It was the Day of The Black Sun. I needed to know if

they were still going through with their plan.” She
shrugs. “There was also that time you asked about
bowling. Fun fact, I was the one who got them sent to
jail in the first place, and you told me that they were
out.”

Azula was met with silence, which did nothing but worry
her as Ty Lee closed her eyes to think. Understandable,
but still enough to drive her crazy with worrying
thoughts. She feels the hand holding hers tighten
significantly, almost making her wince in pain.

“So I was just a messenger?” Ty Lee asks, hurt in her

voice. “You used me to get to them?”

Azula’s shame cannot be overstated when she sees those

grey eyes glare at her, but she answers anyway.
“Essentially, yes.”

The hand removes itself, and Azula’s heart drops. “That’s

it? That’s all I was?”

The pieces click, and Azula shoots up. “No no no.” She
says quickly, taking Ty Lee’s hand back. “You were so
much more than that, Ty Lee.”

“Then why did you-”

“I thought you meant what I used you for, Ty Lee. You

were much more than just a messenger to me.”

Ty Lee doesn’t look convinced, so Azula has to use her

impeccable skills in the art of persuasion and convincing.
This time though, she wasn’t lying. “Look,” Azula starts,
scooting closer whilst taking Ty Lee’s other hand, rubbing
the back of them gently. “I always kept you out of this
because you were more to me than anyone else. I kept
you out because I didn’t want you to get hurt. I used you
without you knowing so that no one would suspect you. I
know that doesn’t excuse it, but it’s the truth.”

The brunette takes a shaky breath in, and the hands

Azula was holding so delicately tighten. “I just- You know
how I feel about being...With my sisters and all that-”

“Of course I do.” Azula reassures, releasing her hands so

that she can cradle her acrobat’s cheeks. “You were
never just a pawn Ty Lee, you’re my best friend. You had
no idea how much that meant to me.”

“Meant?” Ty Lee asked, raising an eyebrow at the past

tense.

Azula does everything in her power to stop it, but the

blush still rises to her cheeks. “You know what I’m
talking about, Ty Lee…”

Ty Lee openly gapes at her, and Azula has to look away

to stop the blush from growing. “Oh my god, are you
blushing?!”

“Shut up!” Azula shouts, falling into her pillows, but Ty

Lee follows her, kneeling next to Azula’s laying position
on the bed with a wide smile.

“You are! You’re blushing! I’ve never seen you blush

before!”

“If you don’t shut up I swear to Agni I’ll-!”

“Too late! You’re so cute!”

“Ty Lee shut up!”

“Never!”

“You never told me how your visit with Iroh went.” Zuko
says, taking a sip from his glass of water.
Azula, working at the stove to make them both an edible
dinner, turns to him briefly with an eyebrow raised. “Why
do you care?”

“He’s my Uncle too, you know.” He blunts, and she turns

around to move the contents in the pan around, making
it sizzle delightfully.

“We talked, that’s all there was to it.”

“No arguments? Forgiveness? Anything?” He eggs on.

Azula puts the spatula down, and turns around to fully

face him, exasperated. “Can you let me finish dinner
before you make me burn it? I can tell you about it while
we eat.”

“Fine.”

With a huff, Azula turns back to the food, and hears Zuko
leave the room.

Finally.

Azula was grateful for the fact that it was only Azula and
Zuko tonight. Ursa and her family had been out looking
at houses all day, and decided to go to a restaurant for
dinner, leaving only the two of them until they got back.
She could actually eat with her brother instead of
grabbing some food on her own. She refused to eat with
her Mother, mostly because she knew the woman would
try to bring something up, and dinner would turn into a
massacre.

Ty Lee had left an hour ago, something about needing to

get some summer reading done. Depressing considering
Azula’s current state of mind, which was pretty much
overthinking everything that she had ever done wrong.
Well, not so much as overthinking, but rather coming to
terms with the fact that it was wrong.

They had continued their discussion after

Azula's...moment, and basically came to the conclusion
that Ty Lee wasn't ready to forgive her. She heard Azula,
and made sure Azula knew that, but also made her know
that she wasn't going to be forgiven just for explaining
things. Ty Lee was going to need time, and Azula was
more than willing to give it to her. Surprisingly.

Ty Lee had waited for Azula for so long, shouldn't she

return the sentiment? It was only fair.

She'd wait forever for Ty Lee. Even if she never forgave

her, Azula would wait. Ty Lee was everything to Azula,
and she wouldn't let her past mistakes, ones which drove
them apart, be carried into this new beginning that they
had. Azula would do things differently now.

Azula sighs.

This was too much thinking.

She knew all of it was wrong, she wasn’t stupid.

Torturing people didn’t fall under things that The Avatar
would agree with.

A shame, really.

Deeming the food was done, she plates it and takes it

out to Zuko.

“Remind me what on Agni possessed you to want

omelets for dinner, again?” Azula asked, handing him the
dish before taking her own seat at their far too big dining
table.

Zuko takes a bite out of his food bashfully. “I had a

craving okay?”

“You’re an 18 year old who runs a fortune 500 company,

and you want omelets for dinner.” Azula restates.

Zuko waves his fork around in exasperation. “Well when

you put it like that I sound stupid.”

“You are stupid.” Azula emphasized, and he groans. She

laughs, taking a bite of her food. She was never the
biggest fan of omelets, but she was practically a master
chef, so she’s fairly sure she can make anything taste
good. Azula grins with the fork still in her mouth. She
had missed confidence.

“So?”

Azula side eyes him, knowing exactly what he was asking

for. Putting her fork down, she sighs.

“Well, we talked about his business, and I mentioned

what you told me about. You should have seen his face.”
She snickers. “He was pale as a ghost, and couldn’t even
come up with a good excuse.”

Zuko has narrowed his eyes. “I can’t tell if you’re mad or

not.”

Azula grins. “Of course I’m mad, Zuzu. I’m mad at

everyone, and everyone’s mad at me.”

“But not Ty Lee, right?”

The question catches Azula off guard, her eyes widening

a bit as she stares at her brother’s smug expression.
“No.” She grits out. “No I’m not.”

“Then you’re not mad at everyone, and not everyone's

mad at you.” He says gleefully, eating a piece of his
omelet.

“You’re the worst.” She grumbles.

He hums, pointing his fork at her. “We both know that’s

not true.”

Azula’s impressed at the bold claim. “My my, is Zuko

finally growing a fucking backbone?” She taunts, leaning
over the table a bit. “I didn’t know if it was possible.”

“Yeah well, people can surprise you. Isn’t that right,

Azula?”

Azula scoffs, throwing her fork down with a clatter. “Why

does everyone keep telling me that?!”

“Because you’re living proof of it.” Zuko answers, voice

completely neutral and genuine. “You’ve changed a lot,
Azula.”

Azula rolls her eyes. “You sound like my therapist.”

“Anyway.” Zuko straightens up. “What else did you talk

about?”

Azula grows silent for a moment, recalling

the...memories that had resurfaced during her time at
her Uncle’s teashop.

Lu Ten was a part of her life that Azula had completely

forgotten. Perhaps it was because she was so hurt from it
all, and because her Father basically told her to get over
it, that she buried it so far within herself that even she
forgot him.

Yeah, that’s probably it.

Azula had been so angry, so destroyed, hearing her

cousin was dead, and when Iroh had come home with
defeat and retreat carried on his shoulders? She was
even angrier.

She wanted the earth kingdom to suffer. To burn.

She didn’t know who had done it at the time, but she
knew they were going to pay one day.

So when Ozai became CEO four years later, and took a

place Azula now knew as Ba Sing Seh in another 5, the
place Lu Ten had died fighting, she felt a weight lifted off
her chest.

But she had forgotten what that weight was.

All she knew then was that Father had begun his quest.

And she was helping him do it.

Azula had unknowingly taken that pain and anger that

was once so focused on avenging Lu Ten, and redirected
it into thinking it was about the company. That it was her
own personal desire to see the world burn.

Wait, that didn’t sound right.

That doesn’t make sense.

Why would Azula forget something like that for the

company?

“-La?”

Unless…

“Zula?”

She had been manipulated into thinking that.

“Azula!”

Blinking back into existence, Azula looks at her brother,

who was leaning close to her with a worried expression
written all over his features.

“You okay there?” He asks, leaning back to a normal

position in his chair.

“I...I must have spaced out.” She excuses quickly. “What

were we talking about?”

“What you and Uncle talked about.” Was Zuko’s

response.

“Right.” Azula confirms, ignoring his concerned stare.

“We talked about Lu Ten.”

“Lu Ten?” Zuko gapes. “I haven’t heard that name in a

while...But, what do you have to do with him?”

“He…” Azula trails off, biting her lips as she recalls her
childhood. “On the off chance he was in town, he would
come see me.”

“So...He would hang out with you?”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you just meet us out in the garden?”

Azula is silent for a long time. She knows exactly why

she didn’t do it.

Finally, “Because Mother only wanted to spend time with

you.”

The air around them becomes stressfully tense. Zuko

knew of Azula’s feelings for their Mother to an extent,
but he never heard the full story. He didn’t hear that
Azula didn’t get bedtime stories and kisses on foreheads
every night like he did, or how she would only ask him to
feed the turtle ducks that swam in their pond.

He didn’t know everything.

That’s what Azula hated the most.

He never tried to understand.

He never...He never noticed how lonely Azula was.

“I’m not very hungry actually.” Azula bluffs, standing up

and moving to head to the kitchen. “Enjoy your meal,
brother.”

“Azula wait-”

“Don’t do this.” Azula warns, looking over her shoulder.

“Don’t start something we’re not ready to discuss.”

Zuko wants to counter that. She can see it in his eyes,

but he doesn’t. He stays silent, and she doesn’t waste
that silence.

She puts her plate near the sink, and leaves to head
back to her room.

She couldn’t deal with that right now.

Chapter 29: Stubbornness

Azula couldn’t sleep.

This was nothing new, of course. Azula had spent too

many nights wide awake because she didn’t want to have
another one of those nightmares. They always came,
whether Azula was ready for them or not, and they
always left her gasping in a fearful sweat. No matter
what, it was always about one thing. One person.

Ozai.

Every night of sleep came at the cost of reliving one of

the many...punishments she had endured. Azula wasn’t
sure why it was only those moments. There had been
plenty of other more...horrific memories stored away in
her mind to choose from, but they only brought those,
and Azula never understood why.

However, that was not the focus of her torture tonight.

Tonight, she couldn’t help but feel a smidge of regret for

what she had said to her brother.

She shouldn’t, considering it was only the truth, but for

some reason it felt wrong. Like...Like he didn’t deserve
how she seemed to place the blame on him.

Zuko...Zuko was a child just like Azula. Azula had to

understand that.

He was given affection from their Mother, and he had

taken it blindly. He didn’t stop to think that maybe Azula
wasn’t being treated the same. Was it bad of Azula to
blame him for that? They were children after all.

Azula sighs, laying on her side, head buried into a pillow

comfortably.

Zuko wasn’t as smart as Azula. No one was as smart as

Azula. Everyone knew that, even Zuko.

So it made sense, Azula supposes. Zuko was too dumb

as a child to notice the cracks in their families
relationships. Azula noticed because she was smart, and
diligent. She saw what no one else did and used it to her
advantage.

Zuko wasn’t capable of that.

He couldn’t be blamed for their Mother’s actions.

Getting up, Azula makes her decision. She leaves her

room, not caring that it was the middle of the night and
heading to Zuko’s. He was closer to where her Mother
and her family was sleeping, but farther down so that he
could have his own privacy when Mai came over.

Azula grimaces as she makes her way down the hall. She
did not want to think about that.

His door comes into view, and she pushes it open quietly,
finding her brother sleeping peacefully in his king sized
bed.

Azula stares at him, wanting to be revolted or angry or

anything to justify her conversation with him, but
nothing comes. She feels nothing but regret.

With a quiet sigh, she walks over to the side of his bed,
noting how he sleeps on the not-burnt portion of his
face. Azula quirks an eyebrow up. She has a few theories
as to why that might be, but for now she’d stick to the
topic at hand.

The deafening clap that makes him shoot up in bed

makes Azula cackle loudly.

“Azula?! What the hell?” He shouts groggily, rubbing his

eye awake so that he can properly glare at her.

“You should have seen your face!” She hollers, and he

groans, flopping back down onto the bed.

“What do you want, Azula? It’s the middle of the night.”

Azula’s laughter dies down to nothing more than a

chuckle, and even that dissipates after a moment. She
meets his eyes sternly. “We need to talk.”

“I thought you didn’t want to talk.” He grumbles,

throwing a pillow over his face so he can try and tune her
out. Too bad, he was gonna wanna hear this.

“I was wrong.”

The body under the pillow stills, and the fluffy cushion is
lifted so that Zuko’s eyes can meet hers. There’s not a
single ounce of any other emotion in those hazel eyes of
his other than complete and utter disbelief. “I’m sorry,
you were what?”

Azula scoffs. “You heard me well enough the first time.”

Zuko hums, watching her take a few steps towards the

bed. She stops just shy of it, and awkwardly gestures to
the wrinkled sheets covering an unused section of the
bed. It seemed to startle him, as he stares with blank
eyes at her seemingly smaller composure.

After a brief moment of hesitance, he curls his legs in, as

well as sitting up with a nod. She takes a seat, feet
dangling off the edge of the bed. He mimics the action.

And then they are silent. She can tell Zuko wants to say
something, but he refrains. Azula convinces herself that
it’s a show of mercy. A way for Azula to collect her
thoughts and prepare herself for the conversation to
come.

She is grateful for it, taking a deep breath in.

“What I said to you at dinner was unfair. I’ve had a lot on

my mind.” Azula begins, and Zuko shifts a bit.

“No, I should be the one apologizing.” He says, ahamed.

“It was insensitive of me to bring up our childhood like
that.”

“It was.” Azula agrees, and chuckles when she sees his
pout. “Still though, I suppose you deserve an
explanation.”

Zuko is taken aback. “Of what?”

“Everything.”

Azula takes Zuko’s silence as confirmation to continue.

Even if it wasn’t, she’d do it anyway. She’d already made
up her mind, and Azula’ didn’t like cowering from things.
In fact, she loathed it.

Makes her resistance to go to the therapist seem

hypocritical, if she’s being honest.

Oh well.

“When we were kids, I always blamed you for taking

Mother’s love away, but you knew this.” The nod she gets
is enough. “I...I always saw you with her, doing things
that she never wanted to do with me, and I guess...I
guess I was jealous.”

She can feel his eyes on her, tormenting her already

nervous posture. Steeling herself, Azula continues. “I
wanted to do those things with her too, but after a while,
I saw how foolish it was. Father always told me that I
shouldn’t bother wasting my time on trivial things such
as tag and animal feeding when there was so much for
me to learn. It didn’t help that she never tried to stop it.
All of her attention was always on you, and never on me.
The only way I could ever get her to focus on me for a
change was lighting something on fire or breaking her
favorite vase.”

“That was pretty rude of you.” Zuko remarks, and Azula

punches his arm roughly. He yelps in pain, but it’s
followed by a brief chuckle.

“It was the only thing that ever worked, and soon I just
forgot it was ever a bad thing. If it got Mother’s
attention, then it couldn’t be so bad, right? Father never
said any differently either, so I assumed it was fine.” She
shrugs.

“You never tried to listen to her when she scolded you?”

Zuko asks, his tone soft so that it doesn’t accidentally
upset Azula. It doesn’t work, and Azula is hurt by the
statement, but she calms herself down by telling herself
he only wanted to understand.

“Sometimes, but Father always told me differently, and

whose word was I gonna take? The word of my Mother,
who never spared me even a glance, or my Father, who
was constantly teaching me new things and helping me
with my firebending?”

Zuko, for the briefest of moments, is silent. Then, in a

hushed, and fearful tone, he says, “You know he was
manipulating you right?”

Azula takes a shaky breath in, shutting her eyes tightly.

The thought had crossed her mind, and she wasn’t dumb
enough to say it didn’t make sense, but she hadn’t had
to say it yet. She hasn’t had to...admit it. To own it, and
accept that that is how he treated her.

“I’m not trying to force you into anything Azula, but...I

thought I’d at least say it.”

Azula knows he’s right. There’s proof to his testament on

her own fucking skin. It’s written in blood, and signed in
scars.

He used her.

He used her and when he was done, she had left her to
rot. It didn’t matter if he was being locked up too. She
knew that he had loyal followers somewhere in this
godforsaken city. They were out there, and they never
came to see her. To rescue her. To prove to her that she
wasn’t dispensable like everyone else.

He manipulated her. He abused her.

Azula had to accept that.

“I always thought it was what I deserved.”

“Not even you deserved that, Azula. No one in the world

should have to go through what you did.”

Azula says nothing to that, staring blankly at the ground

in front of her.

“He never cared about me, did he?”

It came as more of a statement than a question, but

Zuko still answers it like one. With a hesitant hand to her
back, he says, “No. He didn’t.”

“I always thought he’d-” Azula says, voice choking up.

What she wanted to say was much more than what her
mind would allow. She wanted to say everything. She
wanted to tell Zuko how she always hoped he loved her
like she always wanted her Mother to. She hoped that
she hadn’t wasted her life away training and learning for
nothing.
“I know.” Zuko says, drawing her eyes to his.

Azula's eyes widen when she sees it.

He understands what she’s feeling.

It clicks.

She had been treated like Zuko. They both had been
abused, and manipulated. One more than the other, but
there was still that familiarity. That sympathy sparkling in
his eyes that made her feel understood.

Azula lets the tears fall, and doesn’t pull away when
Zuko’s hands wrap around her in a gentle embrace.

Azula knew building a motorcycle was going to be hard,

but not this hard.

The parts had been broken up into each individual

section, and even with reading the entire manual front to
back, she still had to go back and look things up.
Honestly, she should have expected that.

No matter, she had time to work through it all.

Azula had grinned when she had finally gotten a good

look at all of the parts. She had made sure to buy only
the best parts for what she wanted to build. Zuko
complained about it once, but after a few choice words
about their little adventure, he was quick to shut up
about money. She had held up her end of the deal, and
Zuko wasn’t going to go back on his word.

Boy did he deliver.

Azula had double checked, and every single thing that

had been on her list was sitting in front of her. Frame,
muffler, engine, oil tank...Everything was here.

Today, for the past three hours or so, Azula had been
putting together all the tiny pieces to make the larger
pieces. A bolt there, and screw here, and soon, Azula
had all the pieces necessary to start assembling her bike.

“Azula?”

Said fire bender perks up at the sound of Ty Lee’s voice,

an eyebrow raised. “In here!” She answers, and hears
footsteps from inside. She had left the door open, mostly
because she didn’t care if it bothered anyone, and she
didn’t want to get oil all over the fine wood of their
mansion’s doors.

Standing up, Azula gives a proud nod to her progress for

today, and reaches for a towel. Looking down, she see’s
how messy her appearance is and winces.

“There you are! Zuko said you might be out here.”

“You found me.” Azula taunts with a smile, wiping bits of

oil from her hands. “What are you doing here?”

“I thought I’d stop by for a visit before going to work.” Ty

Lee says nonchalantly.

“Work?” Azula asks. “Since when do you have a job?”

“Since when do you wear a ponytail?” Ty Lee counters,

and Azula smirks, running a hand through the pulled
back hair. It was a bit messy, having been up all day and
Azula’s running her hands through it in frustration. Her
bangs were still visible on the edges of her face, covering
her ears, but small hairs were poking down towards her
forehead, as well as others around her entire head. She
kind of liked it if she was being honest, but it needed to
be fixed soon or Azula feared it may fall out.

“What? Don’t like it?” She asks, an edge of teasingness

in her voice.

“I never said that.” Ty Lee responds, and Azula can see a

glint in the brunette’s eyes. One that made her chuckle.

“I’m trying something new. Your turn.”

Ty Lee giggles, and skips over to the organized

motorcycle parts. Picking up a random part and
examining it she says, “The circus wanted me to come
back for the summer, and I said yes. What is this thing?”

“It’s a valve lifter for the engine, don’t touch it.” Azula
says, walking over to Ty Lee and taking the part and
placing it back where it was.

“Sorry, there’s just so much here! How do you keep up

with it all?”

“Reading.” Azula answers, taking her manual. “Come on,

let’s go inside so I can wash up. When do you have to
leave?”

“In about fifteen minutes or so. They really don’t care as

long as I can perform on time.”

Azula nods, and together they make their way into the
kitchen, and Azula begins to wash her hands and arms of
any oil that had stuck onto her skin.

“So how were things after I left?” Ty Lee asks innocently,

but enough to make Azula freezes for a moment.

“Fine.” Was Azula’s tense answer, slowly going back to

washing as she tries not to recall the events of her
midnight talk with Zuko.

She doesn’t see it, but she can feel Ty Lee’s eyes on her
as she gives a disapproving hum. “Yeah, no. We’re not
doing this, Azula. You need to be honest with me.”

“Nothing happened, Ty Lee.” Azula firms, knowing she’s

being far too defensive about this but can’t will herself to
stop.

Last night had been a lot of realizations, and Azula

wasn’t quite ready to just...share all of that. Even if it
was Ty Lee.

“Azula, talk to me.”

“Drop it.”

“Azula-”

“I said drop it!” She shouts, turning around but groaning,

realizing what she had done. Putting her fingers to the
bridge of her nose, she rubs it rhythmically. “I didn’t
mean to shout-”

“It’s okay.” Ty Lee says far too quickly. Azula looks up,
and sees fear in Ty Lee’s eyes.

Great.

Azula removes her hands and leans against the counter,

crossing her arms. “It’s not okay, and I should know that
by now. I’m sorry.”

“You’re working on it.”

Ty Lee sounds far too robotic for Azula’s taste.

“Ty Lee, if I have to be honest then so do you. So...talk

to me.” She says, hating the way the words come out.
They sound more strained than Azula would like them to
be, but Ty Lee knows. Or at least she hopes the brunette
does.

“I...It’s just...I don’t like it when you shout. It...It

reminds me of the day I visited you in the institution.”

Azula feels every bone in her body seize up at the

mention of that visit. “Ty Lee I-”

“I had a bruise for a week, you know.”

Azula shuts her eyes and tries to hold back the tears. “I
know.”

“It hurt, Azula.”

“Way to rub salt into the wound, Ty Lee.” Azula jokes

halfheartedly.

She hears Ty Lee come closer to her, and then a gentle

hand on her cheek. Opening her eyes, she is met with
grey orbs very close to her own, searching through hers
like she was a book.

“It’s weird. You’ve always been so hard to read, but

now…”

“Now…?” Azula repeats.

Ty Lee hums, removing her hand so that it can snake

around Azula’s neck and pull her into a hug. “I can see it
all.”

Azula gulps, following Ty Lee’s motions before saying,

“Is...Is that a bad thing?”

“No. It helps me understand even when you can’t say

it.”

Azula hums noncommittally, enjoying the way vanilla

floods her senses, releasing the tension in her body and
letting herself melt against Ty Lee’s body pressed against
hers. “One day I’ll say it all to you. I promise.”

“I can’t wait.” Ty Lee whispers, and Azula hears a large

intake of breath before it is exhaled in a relieving sigh.
“You smell like cinnamon. It’s so relaxing.”

“Cinnamon?” Azula asks, eyebrow quirking up curiously.

“Yeah.” Ty Lee replies, and Azula can hear her smile. “I

love it.”

She chuckles. “You should get going, Ty Lee.”

The brunette grumbles against Azula’s chest. “5 more

minutes.”

“You’re going to get fired.” Azula warns, and Ty Lee

scoffs.

“I don’t care. There are more important things than

acrobatics.”

Azula sighs, but doesn’t push anymore. Ty Lee was

stubborn when she wanted to be. It was no use fighting
her when she had her heart set on it. Plus, Azula was
enjoying this far too much to be complaining.

Five more minutes wouldn’t kill anyone.

Azula let out a frustrated groan. She had been trying to

meditate for the past half hour, and nothing was working.
All of her thoughts were so focused on her conversation
with Zuko, and how much it hurt that Ty Lee still hadn’t
forgiven her.

She knows it’s selfish, but she wishes Ty Lee would hurry
up. Hurry up and forgive Azula so that they can start
anew. Forgive her so that Azula did feel this heavy guilt
whenever she saw Ty Lee’s eyes.

It hurt so much more than anything Azula had ever

endured, and that was saying a lot. To know that the
person Azula loved, loves, still hasn’t forgiven her was
heartbreaking. It tormented her constantly, a reminder of
everything she had ever done wrong.

She deserved it, sure, but it still hurt.

That was why she was trying to do this. Normally, Azula

would laugh at the idea of meditation, but if it really does
help one clear their mind, then it was worth a shot. If
she was able to clear her head for a while, then maybe
she could think things through a bit clearer.

But that’s where the problem laid, she supposes.

It wasn’t working.

No matter how still she became, or how much she

focused on her breathing, nothing worked . It was
annoying, and frustrating, and unbelievable, and-

Letting out an aggravated shout, she falls to her back

while spitting fire from her fist angrily.

She watched the blue fire shoot out into the sky, and for
a second convert to red before disappearing completely.
Azula sighs, anger flushing out of her as she stared at
the calm clouds above her.

It was funny, honestly. It really was. Azula, prodigy fire

bender and master of deception, could not, for the life of
her, figure out how to sit still and think.

She hums. Maybe six months ago she would have, when
she was still the perfect daughter, but now? Now she was
nothing. An heiress to a company she didn’t deserve, and
a prodigy to a bending that was only useful for heating
up tea.

She has no purpose.

What a depressing thought.

“Need a hand?”

Azula swivels sharply, standing up just as abruptly as she

comes face to face with The Avatar. He smiles at her
kindly, while she looks at him, miffed. “What the hell are
you doing here?” She demands.

“Zuko needed a hand with some company stuff, and I

saw you from the window. Are you trying to meditate?”

“None of your business, arrow boy.” Azula snarks, turning

and sitting herself back down. She can still feel his eyes
on her back as she shuts her own, but ignores it. Maybe
he’d get bored and just go away.

“Straighten your back.” Aang tutors.

Azula turns her head to glare at him. “Excuse me?”

“Straighten your back.” He repeats, sitting next to her

and replicating her position. “I’m a monk, Azula. I know
how to meditate, and you can’t do it with such a
slouched posture.”

Azula huffs, complying stubbornly, fixing her posture to

be straight.

“Good. Now place your hands like this-” He

demonstrates, interlocking his hands at the center of his
waist, letting them rest on the fabric of his baggy pants.
Azula does the same, noting how different the position
was to how she was sitting earlier. “-Close your eyes, and
keep your head held high.”

“This is stupid.” Azula remarks as she does so.

“You wouldn’t be doing it if it was.” Was Aang’s

comeback. Azula chuckles, impressed. “Take deep
breaths, let yourself unwind and become one with the air
around you-”

“I’m not an air bender, idiot.” Azula interrupts. She could

tell where this was going from the way he seemed to
recite the words from a scroll he had read so long ago.

“Right.” He laughs. “Sorry. Just focus on your breathing,

and let it fill your mind. Let it block out your thoughts
until you are ready to let them in, and when you do,
don’t let them consume you.”

“Are you sure you’re a monk? This sounds like a bunch of

gibberish to me.” She jokes.

“I’m sure, Azula. Now do as I say.”

Sighing, she starts to take deep breaths.

“Clear your mind. Focus on the nature around you. What

do you hear?”

Azula is silent for a moment, processing what she can

hear.

“Wind.” Was her answer, the rest spilling from her lips
easily. “Trees in the distance. Birds chirping overhead…”

“Focus, Azula.”

Azula twitches in irritation. What did he want from her?

She should just get up and leave-

A particularly strong breeze blows through them, and

Azula feels it.

It all makes sense now. This is why airbender were

monks. The air around her suddenly stills, and Azula can
hear everything from the worms moving in the ground
around her to the door sliding open from her house.
Everything amplifies, wind rushing through her ears so
loudly, taking any other thoughts she may have had with
it.

When it dies, Azula is left with nothing but silence. She

can hear nothing but her own breathing.

She is in control. No thoughts would enter her mind

unless she said so.

Azula had missed this. This control over herself.

She smiles, and answers Aang’s previous question.

“...Peace.”

Chapter 30: His Next Move

Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

“Hello Azula.” Doctor Glenn greets, standing up curtly

and gesturing for her to sit as well. They do this every
time, purely out of good manners.

Sitting down just after Azula, Glenn asks, “How have you
been since last week?”

“Fine.”

“Did you do your homework?”

Azula laughs. It sounds more absurd when Glenn says it.

“I did actually.”

“Good! How did it go?”

“It has proven to be...eye opening.”

“How so?”

Azula sighs, shifting in the seat so that her legs can

dangle off the arm rest, and her back to be perched
against the other. “Thinking about it all, I came to the
conclusion that...that I was wrong about a lot of things.”

“Can you give me some examples?”

“It...It is wrong to hurt people, and to lie to people like I

had. Dominating the world is wrong, and wouldn’t have
solved anything. And…”

Azula sees Glenn scootch forward in her seat out of the

corner of her eyes. She had anticipated this, Azula
thinks. There’s no way she hadn’t. She had almost made
Azula break in their first session.

“...You planned for this, didn’t you?” Azula redirects.

“I did.” Glenn confirms. “Lots of the problems you have

stem from your parents, Azula. One more than the other,
even if it feels like it should be the other.”

Azula says nothing, but knows she’s right. Her Mother,

while cruel, wasn’t exactly deliberate in her actions. She
neglected Azula, but she knew now that when it came
down to it, Ursa had loved her enough to say goodbye.
She cared about Azula.

He however; He did not.

Azula understood that now.

Was she ready to admit it though?

Maybe she was.

“Ozai.”

One name. One name is all it takes for Glenn to give her
a proud smile.

“Very good, Azula. I’m proud of this development. Would

you like to talk about him today?”

“No.” Azula says firmly, eyes hardened on the wall in

front of her. This was all she could do. She had admitted
it. She had said his name. That had to be enough for
now.

Glenn nods understandingly. “That’s completely fine.

Instead, why don’t we talk more about your brother. How
have things with him been.”

Azula lets out a breath, thankful for the easier topic.

“Good. I...I think we’re getting better.”

“Have you two been talking a lot?”

She nods. “I’m starting to understand him I think, and

he’s starting to understand me.”

“That’s wonderful, Azula.”

She says nothing. Zuko had been kind to her, and

nothing if not patient. Azula felt...better about being
around him. Like he wasn’t a threat to her. With no more
competition for the company, Azula felt she could just
exist with her brother. They didn’t have to be attached at
the hip, but they could talk and joke like siblings should.

And sure, they fight a lot, but that’s to be expected. They

were both problematic, and they knew that. They were
working on it though, and that was enough.

“What about this friend of yours? Ty Lee?”

Azula feels her heart skip a beat, and a smile creeps onto
her lips. “What about her?” She asks, despite her
obvious shift in mood.

“You two are obviously very close. Is she aware of

everything you’ve done?”

“Yes. In fact, she’s the one who brings me here.”

Glenn smiles. “That’s very kind of her.”

Azula lets out a shaky breath, a thought lingering in her

mind. “I do have a question about that, actually.”
Glenn hums acknowledgingly. “What is it?”

Azula sits properly, fully facing Glenn as she says, “If

that smug smile on your face is anything to go by, I’m
sure you’ve already guessed that Ty Lee and I are in a
relationship.”

“I have.” Glenn nods, that very smirk not leaving her

face for a second.

“I...I want to say something important to her, but I can’t,

and I want to know if there is some way I can...Show it
without...Do you know what I’m trying to say?” Azula
asks, and frowns when Glenn’s features grow even more
smug.

Without a vocal answer, Glenn leans a bit, pointing her

index finger down to the coffee table and tapping three
times against the glass.

Azula watches with focused awe. This...This could work.

Simple yet meaningful.

“Try that next time.” Glenn says. “If she asks, then
explain it to her, but I’ve learned that a lot of patients
find this useful for the very same problem you face.”

Azula unconsciously taps her finger on the fabric of her

chair’s armrest. “...I will...Thank you.”

Glenn nods, saying nothing more on the topic. “Now, let’s

discuss how you’ve been managing those breaks I’ve
been telling you to take.”

Azula rolls her eyes.

This was going to be a long session.

“Why do you want to watch me so bad?” Azula asks,

wrapping her compression sleeves around her wrists.
They were out at the arena, Kiyi having bugged her for
the past hour to let her watch Azula train. Azula gave in
after the 5th time Kiyi attached herself to her leg.

“Cause fire bending is super cool!” Kiyi squeals. “And

Zuzu says you’re really good at it!”

Azula smiles, both at Kiyi’s enthusiasm and the

knowledge that Zuko complimented her skill to the child.
“I am. In fact, I’m probably the best fire bender the
world has ever seen.”

“Really?!” Kiyi gasps excitedly.

“Really.” Azula grins. “Now, go sit over there. Your

Mother would kill me if you got hurt.”

Kiyi does as she’s told, and once Azula sees that she is
seated at a proper distance, she begins. She trains as if
there wasn’t a child watching her, she’s never been
affected by an audience. No spectator would get in the
way of her refining her skills.

She does register the squeals and cheers of excitement

from Kiyi as she goes through the forms flawlessly, and
when she is done, they only become louder. Growing and
growing until Kiyi has once again latched herself onto
Azula’s leg.

“You’re so cool, Azu!”

Azula freezes at the nickname. “What did you just call

me?”

Kiyi seems to notice the sharpness in Azula’s voice, and

quickly removes herself from the fire bender's body.
“Sorry Azula…”

Hearing such sadness in Kiyi’s voice, Azula sighs,

kneeling to be eye level with the girl. “Kiyi, look at me.”
She gives the command gently, and gives Kiyi a smile
when she complies. “I want you to tell me why you called
me that.”

Kiyi digs the toe of her shoe into the ground, hands
wrapped behind her back with her head hung low in
nervousness. “Nicknames are easier to remember...And I
think they're fun to give people…”

Azula hums, shifting so that she may fully sit on the

floor. “Is that all?”

Kiyi nods, an innocent glint in her eyes, but hope in them

too. Azula chuckles, deciding it wouldn’t be too bad if Kiyi
gave her a nickname.

“It’s okay, Kiyi.” Azula says, watching with amusement as

Kiyi’s head shoots up. “You can call me Azu, if that is
what you prefer.”

“Yay!” Kiyi squeals, launching herself at Azula in pure,

unadulterated joy.

She laughs, wrapping her larger arms around Kiyi’s

smaller frame. “Try not to wear it out, though.”

“I’m gonna call you Azu all the time!” Kiyi shouts,
completely ignoring Azula’s remark as she shoots out of
the embrace. Azula barely has enough time to blink in
surprise. “Azu! Can we go look at your bike thingy?!”

Azula stares miffed at the girl. “How much energy do you

have in that tiny little body?” She asks, making Kiyi
giggle.

“Lots! Come on!” She answers, taking two of Azula’s

fingers, because that was all she could fit in her smaller
ones, and pulling Azula up to her feet. Or, at least was
trying to. She wasn’t getting very far as Azula watched in
silent amusement.

“Okay, okay, stop pulling!” Azula laughs. “I swear, my

arm’s gonna fall off if you keep that up.”

As Azula was dragged off, she couldn’t help but relish

this feeling. This feeling made her smile, and warmed her
heart.

She was happy.

It felt nice.

When they got to the garage, Kiyi was in awe at the

machinery in front of her. It had been a long time since
Kiyi had seen it, and Azula was, if she had to estimate,
about halfway down with assembling the bike. She had
put about 10 hours worth of labor into the bike, and it
was going relatively smoothly. Most of the things online
said it would take up to a month or even longer, but
Azula already had all the necessary pieces, so all she had
to do was fit it together.

Plus, Azula was a quick learner.

Once she got the hang of it, she started to recall what
part went where, and got into a rhythm of things. Still, it
was going to take a lot more work.

That was for later though. Now…

“This is so cool!” Kiyi says in awe. “What are all of the

parts for?”

“They make up what will be a motorcycle.”

“What’s that?”

“A vehicle, like the one your Mother drives you around

in.” Azula answers, and Kiyi’s mouth makes an ‘o’ shape.

“Cool…” She mumbles, making Azula chuckle.

“Come on, I’m sure your Mother is looking for you.”

“Okay Azu!” Kiyi says, and bounches to take Azula’s

hand. Azula stares at the girl for a moment, impressed
by her boldness, but then remembering that Kiyi was in
the dark of Azula’s past. “By the way, why do you always
call Mom my Mother? Isn’t she your Mom too?”

Azula sighs. She was hoping Kiyi might not notice that.
The child is smarter than she gives her credit for. “She is,
but your Mother and I aren’t on good terms. You
understand, right?”

Kiyi nods, a bit saddened by the explanation but seeming

to understand it well enough. Azula goes to say
something, but her phone starts to buzz repeatedly in
her pocket. Pulling it out, Azula see’s the caller ID and
raises an eyebrow.

She should be at work right now...Why is she calling me?

“Kiyi, I have to take this, go find Zuko or your Mother,

okay?”

“Okay Azu!”

Shaking her head with a poorly suppressed chuckle, she

waits until Kiyi turns the corner until she answers Ty
Lee’s call. “Aren’t you at work right now?” Is what she
asks, an edge of teasing in her voice.

“I messed up.” Came Ty Lee’s quiet reply.

Azula’s smirk drops into a serious frown. “What

happened.” She demands.

“I’m sorry, I know you-”

“Ty Lee.” Azula interrupts. “Take a deep breath, I won’t

be mad.”

“Promise?” She replies, voice nothing more than a

whisper.

“I promise.” Azula reassures, hearing Ty Lee take that

breath.

“I may have... Accidentally ...Let it slip that we’re

together.” The last part comes out rushed, jumbled
together as if it was one big word that Ty Lee had just
invented.

Don’t get mad. That is what Azula repeats to herself with

every deep centering breath she takes. “To who, Ty Lee.”

“Mai.”

Shit.

“We were talking about getting food after my shift and

she mentioned something about you and I wasn’t
thinking-”

Azula listens to Ty Lee ramble, trying to reason her

blunder but Azula wasn’t paying attention. She was too
focused on not setting the hallway she was standing in
on fire. She was pretty damn close to it, feeling surges of
fire burn through her hands, threatening to blow if Azula
didn’t get her emotions in check.

“I need to go.” Azula grits out, hearing Ty Lee fall silent

at the words.

“...You said you wouldn’t get mad.”

Deep breaths. “I’m not mad, but if I know Mai she’s

going to be here any minute, so I need to go.”

“Okay...” Ty Lee mumbles apologetically. “I love you.”

Azula’s anger very nearly goes away, being replaced with

a different burning in her cheeks. Subconsciously, Azula
picks her index finger up off the phone and taps it three
times. “I know. I’ll text you later, okay?”

“Okay.”

Azula hangs up, is silent for all of ten seconds before she
shouts. “Zuko!”

It reverberated through the entire house, and after a few

moments, she hears a distant, “Yeah?”

“Get your ass over here!” Azula commands, heading into

the foyer where he found Zuko heading down the stairs
quickly. “Your girlfriend is probably on her way to beat
the shit out of me, so I need you here to calm her down.”

“What?” Zuko asks dumbly. “Why would she do that?”

Azula laughs. “Do you really want me to go down the

list?”

Zuko blinks, but shakes his head. “Nope I got it, but why
now? Wouldn’t she have done that when you were...you
know...”

“Something’s come up.” Azula mumbles cryptically,

ignoring his insinuation.

“Azula I’m gonna need more than that.” He demands.

“Too bad.” She grits, running a hand through her

disheveled hair. This was a bad time, Azula had just
finished training, so she was already starting to feel the
ache in her bones.

“Azula-” He starts, but is promptly cut off when the front

door slams open.

There stood Mia, boot outstretched towards them,

lowering slowly to reveal the murderously calm
expression on Mai’s face.

Azula huffs, pointing to the door. “Couldn’t you have at

least knocked?” She sighs, but Mai says nothing, merely
beginning her walk towards Azula. Azula could see a glint
of something shiny hiding behind Mai’s hand. She has
one of her knives ready, she deducts.

“Mai, let’s talk about this.” Azula starts, not really feeling
like fighting today, but knowing that is probably where
they’ll end up.

“I’m far past talking to you Azula.”

“True.” Azula agrees, taking a step back. Then another.

“But is this really the best option?”

“Since when do you care about the best option? You

always chose violence before peace.” Mai asks, and Azula
rolls her eyes.

“ Someone has been out of the loop for a while. Tell her
Zuzu.” Azula says, her eyes darting to Zuko’s concerned
ones for a moment. She’s quick enough to see the knife
coming down towards her and block it with ease.

“Mai she’s changed! Listen to her!” Zuko shouts,

watching his girlfriend and sister begin to duke it out
over something he didn’t even know about yet.

Mai gruffs, beginning her onslaught of jabs, stabbing

anywhere she thinks might hit Azula. “So she’s gotten in
your head again? Of course she has.”

“My god I never took you for ignorant, Mai!” Azula

insults, sliding out of Mai’s vicinity and holding her hands
up defensively. “Believe it or not, Zuko is right!”

“I don’t believe you. You’re using him, and you’re using

Ty Lee for whatever plan you’ve concocted.”

Agni this bitch just did not quit did she? Azula was
constantly pressed with more and more offenses with
every wave of her calculating hands.

“I’m not-” Azula huffs, dodging another attack with her

arm pushing Mia’s away. “I’m not using them, Mai!”

“You’re lying.” Mai states.

“I’m not!”

“That’s enough!” Zuko cuts in, shooting a blast of fire

between the two of them, making them jump apart.
When they both look up from their fallen places on the
floor, they find him in the middle, arms extended towards
either of them with a stern glare. “What the hell is
happening?!”

Mai is the first to get up. Meanwhile, Azula just watches

from her place on the floor. “Your sister here is dating Ty
Lee.”

“Okay?!” Zuko asks incredulously. “What’s wrong with

that?!”

Azula’s eyes widen. That was new. She figured he’d be

on Mai’s side when he found out. She didn’t think
he’d...side with her…

“She’s obviously using her for some scheme she’s got

planned!”

Zuko lowers his hands, deeming both parties calm

enough. “What makes you say that?” He asks.

“It’s Azula! Since when does she not have something

planned?” Mai gestures to Azula, who was now standing
up.

Dusting herself off, Azula sighs. “I don’t have a plan, Mai.

I’m trying to get better, that’s all.”

“You’re lying.” Mai repeats.

“For fucks sake.” Azula groans, turning to head to the

living room. “Make up your goddamn mind, Mai.”

“What was that?” Mai demands.

“I said make up your goddamn mind! A few months ago

you told me to tell Ty Lee, and now that I have, you’re
pissed! Which one do you want?!”

“I wanted you to tell her so that you didn’t go insane, but

you did! You’re not good for her, Azula!”

“You think I don’t know that?!” Azula shouts, turning to

glare at Mai’s surprised face. “I tried to convince her,
okay?! I tried everything and she fucking stayed, and
guess what? I’m glad she did. I need her Mai, and if she
wants to stay then I’m gonna try everything to make
sure I deserve her.”

Both Mai and Zuko are frozen in shock, and Azula takes
that moment to compose herself. Taking a deep breath,
she settles for a simple stare. “So, Mai , is that a lie
too?”

After a beat, a mumbled, “...No.” graces her eardrums.

Azula nods. “Now, is there anything else you need from

me?”

A shake of her head, and Azula feels a weight lifted off

her shoulders. “Good. Please leave me alone.”

“Fine by me.” Mai mutters. “Oh, and just for the record, I
thought you wouldn’t be here, but I thought I’d check
first.”

“ Where else would I be, Mai? I’m practically on house

arrest.” Azula jokes.

Mai shrugs. “I don’t know, but my Father has been

disappearing a lot lately, and since he’s such a loyal
follower of your Dad’s, I figured you had some secret
thing going on.”

This peaks Azula’s attention, as well as Zuko’s as they

share a fearful look. “I’m sorry, what?” Zuko asks.

“My Dad. He disappears every night and doesn’t come

home until like four in the morning. He doesn’t know that
I know, and I figured you might have something to do
with it.” Mai explains, and Azula starts to understand
what’s happening.

“I knew it.” Azula breathes. “I fucking knew it.”

“Knew what?” Zuko demands.

“I had my...suspicions that there was still a group of his

followers.”

She did. Not everyone in this city was as happy-go-lucky

as Aang or as contemporary as Zuko. There were some,
like Azula up until about a week ago, who still believed in
Ozai’s cause. Probably more of his higher ranking staff,
but they still existed.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Zuko asks, walking a few

paces over to her.

“I had no proof.” Azula shrugs. “And would you have

even believed me if I did?”

Zuko’s lips stay in their firm line, but he shakes his head.
“I wouldn’t have. You’re right.”

“So what does this mean?” Mai asks.

“It means…” Zuko trails, fully processing all of this

information. Then, like a switch had been flipped in his
mind, his eyes widened, and they shot to Azula’s
knowing ones.

They were on the same wavelength for once. They both

knew what he was about to say.

“Ozai’s not done.”

Notes:
FINALLY WE'RE BACK TO THE ACTUAL
PLOT

tbh the last few chapters have been a

little hard to write because i didnt know
where i was trying to take the story, but
then i remembered what i was fucking
doing and said OH YEAH LOL

anyway, we will be getting back to the

actual plot now. i hoped you liked a few
filler chapters, because im about to kick
up the angst again. thats right. im not
done.

lets see how azula is affected with

whats to come :)

Chapter 31: Tests

Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

‘Everything’s fine, but you need to get here as soon as

you can.’

‘I’m already on my way.’

Azula sighed, shutting her phone off and tuning herself

back into the conversation. Ty Lee could wait until she
got here.

“There’s no way he could be planning something. He’s

been locked up for more than four months now.”

“This is Ozai, Mai. His followers are smart, so it’s not

impossible.”

“Okay then we’ll triple security and limit his contact with
people even more.” Mai offers, and Azula places a finger
to the underside of her lip, thinking.

Ozai was a smart man. He had people on the outside

who were more than willing to risk everything for him. If
he wanted something, he’d get it. No matter how shady
it would be to get him there.
If Azula knew anything about him, it was that.

“Where’s he being kept anyway?” She asks, and after

being met with silence she looks up to see Zuko’s eyes
nervously distant and Mai’s in a hardened glare. She
raises an eyebrow. “What?”

“Azula...I can’t tell you that.” Zuko mumbles, and Azula

is about to ask why when it clicks.

Oh.

“I see.” Azula grits with poorly concealed anger.

They didn’t trust her.

But of course they didn’t.

Azula was...well, she was Azula.

It makes sense.

“I’ll just go then.” She mumbles, forcing her feet to move

out of the living room.

“Hey guys! What’s going o-!?”

Azula doesn’t acknowledge Ty Lee’s presence, even as

her shoulder shoves into the brunette’s harshly. She just
keeps going, unbothered and unwilling to care.

“Azula? What’s wrong?” Ty Lee calls, but Azula doesn’t

hesitate when slamming the door to the garage shut.

She locks it promptly after, and takes a deep breath in.

Forget it.

Don’t focus on it.

Taking off her shirt, she’s left in nothing but a bra and
pants because if she doesn’t get some cold air on her
skin she’s going to explode. Swiping her manual off the
table and turning to the page she had left off on, Azula
reads it, focusing her anger into starting to work again.

She manages to work in complete silence for 10 minutes,

but she wasn’t counting. This is what Zuko had told her
this was for. Build it so you have something else to do.
Or, in other words, build it so you can distract yourself
from the fact that everyone still fucking hates you.

“Azula?”

Fuck.

Apparently Ty Lee knew how to pick locks. That, or she

had gotten a key from Zuko. That seemed more likely.
Either way, she doesn’t acknowledge the girl's presence.

“They told me what happened.” Ty Lee starts, and Azula

can hear calculated, but hesitant steps being taken
towards her. “Did you mean all that, Azula?”

She says nothing, merely finishing bolting in this piece.

Connect this tube to that valve...ignore Ty Lee...Hope
she leaves Azula alone for once…

“Talk to me.” Ty Lee commands softly, a gentle hand

placing itself on Azula’s back.

Azula huffs, moving the wrench she was holding in her

hand up, but realizing it was pointless with her current
mood and insteads lets it fall from her hand and to the
floor with a clatter. If she kept going like this, she’d only
get frustrated with the bike and either end up breaking it
or setting the rest of the garage on fire.

“Of course I...I…” Azula mumbles half heartedly, too

furious to find proper and genuine words. “Damnit.”

“Hey…” Ty Lee says, moving to be in front of her so that

she can see Azula’s conflicted emotions spelled out on
her face. Soft hands reach Azula’s face comfortingly, and
Azula resists leaning into them stubbornly. “It’s okay. You
can be angry.”

“I’ve done... everything right, haven’t I?” She accuses,

pointing towards the door.

“You’ve had a few bumps, but yeah, Azula. You’ve been

doing great.” Ty Lee reassures. “But trust isn’t easy to
gain after it’s lost, okay? They need time.”

Azula grumbles something unintelligible. She could feel

herself calming, but it still hurt to know that even after
everything she’d done they still...that he…

“Let me ask you something, Azula. If it came down to it,

would you trust Zuko with your life right now?”

Azula pauses.

Would she? It was a complicated question. Probably not

if she was being totally honest. Sure he was open to
talking about things...and was willing to stick up for her
even if he knew nothing about the situation…and defend
her...support her...care about her…

Huh.

“I would.” Azula answers, seeing the surprise in Ty Lee’s

face.

“Okay,” Ty Lee breathes. “I’ll admit, I wasn’t expecting

that, but good! That’s really good, Azula!”

“Yeah, fucking wonderful Ty Lee.” Azula scoffs, feeling

her anger boil back up within her. “It’s great to know he
doesn’t trust me, even when I do. That’s great!
Fantastic!”

“Azula, stop yelling.” She says.

“Or what?” Azula snarks, a familiar glint in her eyes that

seemed to scare Ty Lee. Azula didn’t care. She was too
worked up to care. “What are you gonna do? Chi block
me? I doubt there’s a move to paralyze my mouth, Ty
Lee!”

Shit.

Azula’s eyes widened when she realized what she had

said. Her body seizes up when it see’s Ty Lee’s wincing,
fearful face.

She looked like...Like she was afraid Azula was going

to...hurt her.

Azula would never do that though.

“Ty Lee…”

“Please stop yelling, Azula.” Ty Lee pleads silently.

“Okay.” Azula says softly. “Okay, no more yelling. I’m

sorry.”

With that, Ty Lee seems to unravel, eyes gracing the

word once more, but distant to Azula’s as she speaks.
“Azula, you need to understand the fact that, while you
may not be the Azula who runs back to her Father at
every chance, you are still likely to do it. So unless you
can say for absolute certainty that you won’t double
cross us trying to deal with Ozai, then you can’t be a part
of this.”

Azula is quiet, processing the information. A bit hard to

swallow, but Azula knows she’s right. Honestly, Azula’s
just glad she hasn’t stormed out of here. She’ll keep
quiet and let Ty Lee finish, because she knows the
brunette isn’t done yet.

And she wasn’t.

“Believe me when I say I want to trust you Azula, but if

those scars on your back that you refuse to acknowledge
are any indication, you're running from your problems
with him.”

“I’m not running-”

“No you let me finish.” Ty Lee states firmly, and Azula

shuts her mouth. She’s never seen demanding Ty Lee.
She’s a little scary, if Azula’s honest. “I don't know
anything about how you got those scars except for the
fact that he gave them to you.”

Azula frowns, eyes focusing on the ground. She prays

that this conversation isn’t going where she thinks it’s
going.

“I know it hurts Azula, but that only proves their point. If

you can’t even bring yourself to talk about him, what
makes you think you can help with an entire
investigation about him?”

Azula rolls her eyes. “Maybe I just wanted to help.”

“Why?” Ty Lee asks.

Azula thinks on that, and doesn’t come up with a proper

answer. In fact, she’s pretty sure Ty Lee is right.

She had been raised by this man to do as he says, no

questions asked. There was no telling what she would do
if at some point she had to choose between her friends
and him. Plus, there was the fact that she could barely
even say his name, let alone stop his acultist followers.

Maybe...maybe she wanted to prove that she was

different now.

That was a thought. If that really was it, then that would
mean her mindset has changed. She no longer had any
will to follow his orders.

No...No that wasn’t it. Just thinking about him brought

shivers down her spine, about what he would do if she
disobeyed him.

Azula wonders if he knows.

Does he?

“...I don’t know.”

“Yes you do.” Ty Lee states. “You just don’t want to admit
it.”

A familiar spike of anger surges through her, but she

controls it in favor of not having Ty Lee look at her like
she had the last time she yelled. Such fear on display.
Azula hated it. She hated knowing that Ty Lee was still
afraid to be around her sometimes.

“Maybe you're right.” Azula sighs, and moves to sit down

at her work bench. Her shirt is laid on the table, and she
grabs the piece of clothing so as to put it back on.
“Maybe I will run back to him the second I see the
chance.”

She can see the mistrust in Ty Lee’s eyes as she speaks,

but doesn’t give her the chance to voice any of them as
she points a finger at her back. “These... scars are proof
of that very fact, just like you said. He gave them to me,
and what’s not to say he won’t give me more if I don’t
come running back to him?”

And just like that, something flashes in Ty Lee’s eyes.

Something Azula had yet to see directed towards her.
Ever.

She doesn’t know what it is.

So she ignores it.

“He scares me, Ty Lee.” Azula finally confesses. There’s

more to those words. More that she’s not willing to
expand upon yet, neither in mind nor voice. Those will
have to wait for another day. “So yeah, maybe I will run
back to him, but maybe I want to face him head on...”

She mumbles that last bit so that Ty Lee can’t hear.

“He scares you?”

Azula stays silent. She has never been scared of

anything in her life. Childish things like being afraid of
the dark or spiders never fazed her. She knew there was
nothing there, and if there was, then she would kill it.
She was a fire bending prodigy, one which wouldn’t be
brought down by weaknesses like that.

But Azula quickly learned she was scared of her Father

the moment he first laid a flame upon her skin.

In that moment, Azula knew she had something to be

scared of.

Failing her Father was the most terrifying thing in the

world. The only thing worth being scared over.

And even when she tried to get rid of that fear. That
weakness. It always lingered. A shadow in the dark, just
waiting for it’s moment to strike.

So yes, Azula was scared of her Father.

The only difference between now and then was that

Azula feared what he might do if he found out she was
recovering like this.

Then, Azula hears, “Are you okay?”

It makes her laugh, because no. Of course she’s not

okay. Her Father, the man that she fears, is growing
stronger with the help of an apparent cult following. The
people around her didn’t trust her either, which was just
the cherry on top of it all.

“Just peachy, Ty Lee.” Azula laughs.

Did he even care about her at all?

Great. Now she was spiraling, wasn’t she?

Azula didn’t want to think about this anymore.

“Fine. I’ll stay out of this, because clearly I am too

emotionally unstable for you all to trust me.” Azula
remarks, standing up and moving to leave the garage.
Maybe she’ll go to her room and get a shower. Agni
knows she needs one after training for so long.

She doesn’t make it past Ty Lee’s suddenly outstretched

arm.

“I know it hurts to talk about him, but I want to

understand Azula, and Mai does too, even if she’s being
more stubborn about it.”

Azula’s eyes narrow. “Mai has nothing to do with this.”

“Then why are you so mad about what she said?”

Her head turns to face Ty Lee’s forward one. She was

being serious.

“Why on Agni would you think that?”

“Because you're not being open with me.”

Azula scoffs, removing Ty Lee’s hand from blocking her

way. “I’m not obligated to open up to you Ty Lee. I
thought you understood that.”

“I do, but-”

“But nothing.” Azula states firmly. “I will tell you what I

want to, when I am ready to.”

“...You’re right.” Ty Lee admits. “I’m sorry, I just...I really

want you to be able to talk to me.”

Azula stares in silence. She wanted that too of course,

but trying to force it out of Azula wasn’t how it was going
to happen. “I know, and I’m trying, but I need time.” She
explains. “This...this isn’t easy for me, you know that.”

“Yeah.” Ty Lee mumbles sadly.

She doesn’t like seeing Ty Lee sad.

“Hey.” Azula says, shifting so that she is facing Ty Lee

directly, those big grey eyes looking at her curiously. “Do
you want to sleep over?”

They light up instantly.

“Really?” Ty Lee asks, her excitement bleeding through,

making Azula smirk.

“Would I have offered if I wasn’t serious?” She replies,

and that’s more than enough for Ty Lee.

“Yay!” She squeals. “Oh my gosh, we’ll have so much

fun! We can watch movies, and-”

“Okay.” Azula interrupts, waving a stopping hand with a

small laugh. “No need to get into it.”

Ty Lee, still beaming with joy, gives Azula a wide smile as

she asks. “Can I kiss you?”

“Really, Ty Lee? Right now?”

“Yes right now!” She pouts. “I wanna kiss you, what’s

wrong with that?”

Absolutely nothing at all.

“Fine.” Azula relents.

Giggling to herself, Ty Lee leans in and gives Azula a

small kiss. It’s nothing stupendous or ground breaking on
the outside, but on the inside, it sets so many things
inside of Azula on fire.

So much so, that before Ty Lee can break away, Azula is

pulling her closer by the hips, keeping her close, and
their lips interlocked.

She hears, and feels Ty Lee gasps, and it only fuels Azula
more into continuing this little dance. And when Ty Lee’s
arms wrap around her neck to tangle themselves in her
hair, which is now falling down loose because Ty Lee felt
the need to release it from it’s ponytail?

Even better.

“Well this is something.”

Azula bites back a choicy insult at the sound of Mai’s

voice, pulling away to glare at the goth. She only
receives a raised eyebrow. “Can we do something for
you?” She grits, watching as Mai takes a few steps
further into the garage.

Mai pays her no mind, fiddling with the knife in her hand,
twirling it expertly as she looks to Ty Lee. “So?”

Ty Lee is quiet for a moment, and Azula looks curiously

at her. What was going on? What was Mai talking about?

“...Yeah. I think it’ll work.”

“What?” Azula asks, and Mai twirls her knife again.

“Are you sure?” She asks, to which Ty Lee shakes her

head.

“No, but I have faith in her.”

Her? Did she mean Azula?

“What is going on here?” Azula demands.

“She could betray us.” Mai says, completely ignoring

Azula’s comment.

So they were talking about her.

Azula falls silent, letting this conversation carry on

without her unnecessary input.

“Yeah, but she knows him. She could be a big help.”

Another twirl, and Mai takes a few steps closer to the

pair. “...Fine.”

The knife stops, and is pointed at Azula’s throat, the tip

just shy of the skin that rests there. Mai’s hardened glare
reaches Azula, but she isn’t fazed by it. She merely
raises a questioning eyebrow.

“You betray us, and I’ll make sure you’re locked up

somewhere no one will ever see you again.”

Ah. So that’s what this was.

They were testing Azula to see if she was sane enough to

work on their side.

Good plan.

Azula smirks, lifting her hand and pushing the blade of

Mia’s weapon away with her index finger. “Well when you
put it like that, how could I possibly even think about it?
I am curious though, why not run a second test for
yourself?”

“I trust Ty Lee, and it’s obvious you trust her. If I were to

ask you the same things she had, you wouldn’t have told
me.” Mai explains.

Azula couldn’t disagree.

“Can we go back inside? It’s airconditioned in there.” Ty

Lee asks, wiping her brow as a few beads of sweat begin
to form.

“I agree. Plus, it smells like oil out here.” Mai says, her
nose wrinkling, a disgusted frown on her face as she
turns to head back inside.

Azula shrugs. She could smell the oil, but she doubted it
was as bad as Mai was making it out to be. “I think I’ve
grown an immunity to it.

“Maybe you should become a mechanic.” Mai snarks,

already in the house's hallway as Azula and Ty Lee enter.

“Did you just make a joke, Mai?” Azula smirks. “My, it’s
almost like how things were before.”

“Don’t get your hopes up.”

Azula snickers. Mai had always had an affinity for Azula’s

bitchy attitude. When it came to insults and comebacks,
they were on par with each other.

Azula didn’t realize how much she had missed it until

now.

“Hey.”

Directing her attention to Ty Lee, Azula gives a raised

eyebrow, silently telling her to go on.
“I’m sorry about lying to you. I know we said we needed
to be honest, but I had to know.”

Azula smirks at Ty Lee. “Is that all?

Confused, the brunette says, “I-I mean, yeah I guess?”

“Honestly, I thought you’d be mad about my little

outburst.” Azula sighs. “I’m not mad Ty Lee, if anything,
I’m impressed.”

“I- uh...Why?”

“It was a smart move, well done.”

“I don’t get it…” Ty Lee pouts.

Azula chuckles, shaking her head and beginning to walk

down the hall. She says nothing more, amused by the
way Ty Lee seems unable to catch on. Nevertheless, the
brunette still catches up, and together they meet Mai and
Zuko in the sitting room.

Zuko speaks immediately. “I’m sorry, Azula, but you

know-”

“It’s fine.” Azula interrupts, and upon seeing his concern,

she adds, “We’ll talk later.”

Seeming to satisfy him enough, he moves on. “Okay,

well first we need to tally what we know. Mai, tell us
everything you know about what your Father has been
doing.”

Mai crosses her arms, straightening her posture a bit.

“Every night at midnight on the dot, my Father sneaks
out and leaves in his car. I never cared to follow him, but
I would always wait to see when he came back. It was
always four in the morning exactly. He’s been doing this
for the past two weeks.”

“Do you have any clue where he might be going or what

he’s doing?” Azula asks, but Mai shakes her head. “We
need to figure that out.”

“I agree.” Zuko says. “If your Father really is a part of a

group of Ozai’s followers, he’ll take us right to their
meeting spot. From there, we can begin surveillance.”

“I can follow him one night. It’s easiest for me since I’ll
know exactly when he leaves.”

Azula, who seemed to be deep in thought, is shrugged

out of it when Ty Lee lightly shakes her arm. Her eyes
scream ‘Are you okay?’ , to which Azula gives a
reassuring nod.

“Zuko, has there been anything out of the ordinary with

the police lately?” She asks, and the boy shrugs.

“I wouldn’t know. I’m only informed on Ozai’s

conditions.”

“Check, and do it quickly.”

“Why?”

“Just a hunch.”

He narrows her eyes at her, which she doesn’t bother

giving a reaction to. Not taking his eyes off her, he
makes a phone call.

“Hello? Yes, has there been any strange reports at the

police department lately?” He asks into the phone. Azula
watches as his eyes slowly wide, an unbelieving, “What?”
leaving his lips, followed by, “Okay, thank you.”

The phone call ends, and Azula gives him a perfectly

sculpted raised eyebrow.

“Apparently there have been a number of kidnappings

lately. All...children. The police don’t know what to make
of it.”

“Did you know about this?” Mai accuses, and Azula

scoffs.

“Please, I haven’t been allowed out of this house without

an escort.”

“That’s true.” Zuko concurs. “Maybe I should ease up on

that…”

Azula ignores that for the time being, mentally adding it

to the things they would talk about later. “I simply
guessed. These supposed meetings have been happening
for two weeks. I’d be shocked if they hadn’t started
doing something.”

“But why children?” Ty Lee finally chimes in. “What would

Ozai need children for?”

Azula shrugs. “No clue. Guess that’s what the

surveillance will uncover.”

“Okay well, I need to get home. If these people are

taking kids, then Tom-Tom might be in danger.”

Azula nods. “That’s a safe assumption. We need to keep

a close eye on Kiyi too.”

“Should we tell Ursa?” Zuko asks, and Azula ignores how

her anger spikes a bit.

“If you want, I couldn’t care less.” She says. “For now, all
we can do is wait for Mai to figure out where this
meeting is happening. Once you do, call Zuko. We’ll
figure the rest out from there.”

“Sounds good.” Mai states quickly, moving past them all

but stopping in the doorway. She seems to hesitate,
second guessing herself before Azula catches it.

“It’s good to have you back, Azula.”

It’s quiet, and faint, but that doesn’t take away from its
authenticity. Even as Mai takes off, leaving the mansion
with the click of the front door’s lock, Azula still grapples
with what she just heard.

Did she mean that?

Probably. Mai didn’t say things she didn’t mean. She was
always blunt and straight to the point. This was genuine.

Azula cracks a smile, turning back to her brother and

girlfriend with a new sense of happiness.

“It’s good to be back.”

Notes:
i redid it because i didnt like that one
part. it was so ooc for ty lee and wrong.
i hope you guys like this one more

Chapter 32: From The Ashes, A

Pheonix Rises
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

There was something to be said about Azula’s ability to

keep herself together in all this. Seriously, she wasn’t
sure how she hadn’t set something on fire yet. Two
weeks ago, she would have jumped on this opportunity
to be of aid in her Father’s plan. She would have felt that
hunger once more, or maybe the sheer compulsion to
follow him out of fear of what would happen when she
did.

And yet, here she was, laying on her bedroom floor,

waiting for Ty Lee to come back from her house to sleep
over. She wasn’t sure why she was on the floor, staring
at her ceiling blankly, but it just felt right.

Then she hears her door click, and after a minute, Zuko
is laying down next to her.

“What are you doing?”

Azula takes a minute to respond, but when she does, she

says, “Thinking.”

Zuko, who had turned his head a bit to look at her, looks
back at the ceiling. “So you and Ty Lee, huh?”

Azula hums. A confirmation that he understands. The

only confirmation she was willing to give him.

“I’m happy for you, but I agree with Mai. You’re not good
for her.”

“I’m well aware of that, Zuko.”

Azula didn’t know where he planned to go with this. It

was very contradicting, but she was willing to let it slide
if he did. Luckily, he seemed to be on the same page,
shifting the conversation to, “I was hurt by him too, you
know.”

Of course she knew. It’s on his goddamn face.

“I’m not blind, Zuzu.”

“I know, but sometimes you act like you're the only one
who has problems with him.”

Azula sighs. “I know.”

“Why?”

Azula shrugs. “It’s easier.”

Zuko sits up, bewildered. “What?”

She groans internally. Should have figured he’d take that

the wrong way. “Whatever.” She mumbles.

“No, you’re going to answer my question, Azula. Why is it

easier?”

“Why must you force this out of me?” Azula groans,

moving to stand up.

“Because I want an answer!” He demands, his voice

raising slightly as he shoots up.

“Well maybe I don’t have one to give you!” Azula

responds, equally as loud. He says nothing, stunned to
silence. Clenching her fists, her cheeks on the inside of
her cheeks. Damn, such a fickle thing, emotions. “I...I
don’t know what you want me to say.”

This seems to get a rise out of him. “Maybe sorry for

once? I know you’re struggling but I think I deserve-”

“You don’t deserve anything from me!” Azula shouts.

Zuko pauses, seeming to accept that and move on.

“Maybe, but it still doesn’t answer my question.”

“You’re not getting an answer to your fucking question,

Zuko. Just drop it.” Azula grumbles, and feels her phone
vibrate in her pocket. Checking it, Azula sighs in relief
when she sees Ty Lee’s contact. “Ty Lee is here, I’m
going to go let her in.”

Zuko nods, and as she makes it through the doorway, he

says, “We’ll continue this later, okay?”

Azula pauses, not quite turning around but enough for

Zuko to see the side of her face. She knows what that
entails, and she gets it. They needed to talk this out.
This...this was important. With a little hesitance, she
nods, and leaves.

The moment Ty Lee arrives, Azula can tell something is

off. Her smile is duller, and her eyes are more distant.
She has something on her mind.

Azula kept quiet for the first two hours, and all
throughout dinner. They had eaten with Ursa tonight, and
while Azula didn’t say a word, Ty Lee was more than
willing to fill the air with eager questions for her Mother.

Something was off though, and Azula couldn’t figure out

what it was.

“Zuko.” Azula says after dinner. He was in the kitchen,

helping clean the dishes with Kiyi, laughing about
something Azula didn’t care to ask about.

“Azu!” Kiyi squeals, bouncing over to Azula with her

soapy hands. “Wanna help?”

“I’m good, Kiyi, I just need to speak with our brother for
a moment.” She explains, meeting Zuko’s eyes
expectantly. He finishes drying the plate with a nod,
wiping his hands before directing his attention to Kiyi.

“It’s okay, Kiyi. Go get Mom to help you out, okay?”

“Okay Zuzu!” Kiyi says, and runs out of the kitchen to do

just that.

Azula gives him a knowing smirk. “Zuzu?”

“Shut up.” He grits, and together they head into the

garage. No one ever came in there unless it was to see
Azula. She was in there practically all the time, so it was
her domain at this point. Her safe spot.

When they're inside, and the door is shut, Azula starts.

“Have you noticed Ty Lee is acting weird?” She asks.

“Yeah actually.” He agrees. “She seems...I don’t know.”

“Not herself.”

“Like she’s hiding something.”

Azula hums, thinking about what Ty Lee could possibly

be hiding. Suddenly, she remembers that instant during
Ty Lee’s little test. Could that have anything to do with
this? “...I’ll figure it out, I just wanted to make sure I
wasn’t imagining it.” She says finally, and Zuko nods.

“Okay, where is she anyway?”

“Getting a shower. She came here straight from work and

didn’t take one when she got home.”

“Gotcha.”

They head back inside, Zuko rejoining Kiyi in the kitchen

with Ursa. Azula pauses, watching the group for a
moment, but when Ursa turns around to see her, she
leaves.

She’s already dealt with one parent today. She didn’t

need to talk to the other.

Reaching her room, she knocks once, and hears a

muffled, “Azula?”

Opening the door, Azula see’s Ty Lee drying her hair, a

fresh pair of close layering her body and a curious
expression. “Why’d you knock? It’s your room, silly.” She
giggles, and Azula feels the faintest heat upon her
cheeks.

“It’s called manners Ty Lee. Just making sure I didn’t

walk in on something I wasn’t supposed to see.”

Ty Lee mumbles something, but Azula can’t make it out.

Instead, she says, “What?”

The smile she receives back only does more to worry

Azula. “Nothing!” She chirps. “So what should we do
first? We haven’t done this in a long time.”

She’s right. The last time Ty Lee slept over was before
Prom, and…

Well, it wasn’t her favorite memory to relive.

“How about a movie? Has anything good come out during

my house arrest?” She offers.

“Oh! There was this really good show about a dragon

egg! Why don’t we watch that?” Ty Lee beams, reaching
into her bag to pull out her laptop. Without a second
though, she throws herself onto Azula’s massive bed and
begins to pull up Netflix.

Rolling her eyes, Azula moves to the bed, sitting next to

Ty Lee as the first episode starts.

When she was seven, Azula’s Mother called her a

monster.

Azula wasn’t having a good day. Her fire bending practice

had come to an abrupt end when she couldn’t nail a
certain movement in one of the forms. With every try,
she and her Father grew more and more frustrated.
Azula, out of anger that she couldn’t please her Father
and surpass his expectations, and him, seeming to think
that this was wasting his time.

Then, Ozai got a call, and her Father had cut her training
short, saying to take the day to think on the forms and
understand what she was doing wrong.

Azula didn’t like doing things wrong.

She never did things wrong.

So she wasn’t about to start now.

But it was getting late, so she decided that the best use
of her time would be to head to her room to change.
Once she did, Zuko knocked on the door. “Hey, dinner’s
ready. You coming?”

His nerves were shot, Azula could tell. Maybe he wasn’t

having a great day either.

“Oh suck it up, Zuzu.” She remarks, walking past him as

they begin to head towards the dining room.

“W-What are you talking about?” He asks, catching up to

her.

“Unlike you, I’m not dumb. I can tell you're upset over
something, so suck it up.”

She can hear him huff. She rolls her eyes. “Why do you
have to be so mean?”

She shrugs. “I’m not mean, I’m merely telling you the
truth. You’re weak compared to me. I don’t cry any time
something doesn’t go my way.”

They pass an empty hall, and Azula does a double take,

an idea forming in her head. Zuko, who was still walking,
turned around with confusion written all over his face.
“Azula?”

“Wanna do something fun, Zuzu?” She grins.

“I don’t know Azula…” He falters. “We should get to

dinner, Mom is waiting and-”

“Oh who cares about Mom?” Azula says, grabbing his

wrist and pulling him into the hall. “Do you know what’s
in that room, Zuko?”

“No…” He mumbles as they enter said room.

“This is Mom’s sitting room. It’s where she does all of

her...Whatever, you know?”

Zuko shakes his head. “Azula I don’t like this, I’m

leaving.” He stammers, forcing himself out of her grip
and running out and down the hall.

Whatever, he was too weak.

Azula returns her attention to the room, so full of things

that her Mother never cared to share with her. Books she
never read to Azula, clothes she never made for her
daughter. Only men’s wear. For Zuko.

This room wreaked of love. Love for Zuko, and Azula

hated it.

It wasn’t right. It wasn’t perfect like how things should

be.

Love was weak, and weakness had to be exterminated.

With a snap of her finger, a flame enraptured her hand,

movements like a wild dance as she held it up and
outwards towards the things.

Her Mother was weak for holding such affection.

Zuko was weak for accepting it.

She would teach them a lesson.

Like Father taught her.

“I’ll make you strong.” She whispers, and shoots the

flame towards the rug, the furnishing immediately
catching on fire.

When they found her, the entire room had already been
set ablaze. Azula had heard her Mother call for her, and
from her place among it, walked out of the room. Fire
covered her path, but for her, it parted it’s tongues of
light. It swayed ever so slightly, but never once made an
attempt to come closer to her than necessary.

When her Mother saw her, she was smiling, because why
wouldn’t she be.

This would make them see the truth.

That this affection they had was weak, and it was wrong.

But instead, her Mother looked terrified, eyes watching in

horror as she screamed three words Azula would never
forget.

“Azula you monster!”

“Azula?” A voice calls, relinquishing Azula from her

daydream as she sees Ty Lee looking at her worriedly.
“Are you even paying attention?”

No she was not.

She was reliving traumatic experiences, the likes of

which Ty Lee would never understand.

But she didn’t need to know that.

So instead, Azula gives her a smile and says, “Sorry, I

must have spaced out for a moment. What’s happening?”

Ty Lee narrows her eyes skeptically, but Azula plays off

her concern easily. She points to the screen. “Is that the
egg?”

The brunette looks back to the show, and nods. “Yeah,

they dropped it in the lake, so now they're trying to
figure out why it isn’t glowing as brightly as before.”

“Well that’s obvious.” Azula scoffs, watching two children

run about a village on screen. “The egg is sick, it’s the
only logical explanation.”

Ty Lee shushes her. “You’re no fun! Just watch and see

what happens!”

Azula chuckles, but says nothing more. She’ll let Ty Lee

have this. It’s the least she could do.

The show sucks, as Azula concludes, and she finds

herself far more preoccupied in thinking of that fateful
day.

When her Mother had said those words, Azula wasn’t

sure how she felt. She recalls being shocked, and...and
confused, because why? Why was she the monster? She
was just doing what Father had taught her. Eliminate
weakness so that all may be perfect.

So why was she the monster?

It didn’t make sense to her then, but it does now.

She wasn’t a monster.

She was a child who didn’t know any better.

Azula holds back a gasp, in fear of really worrying Ty Lee

this time.

She understood that now. She wasn’t the monster,

because the only monster was her Father. He had taught
her the principles that had led her to that day. To that
decision.

She was the spark that sent their family into ruins.
Burned into nothing but ash.

But that was then, this was now.

She could rebuild a new family, one with Zuko and Kiyi.
One without her parents, who had put such high
expectations on her that the minute she faltered, her
whole life came crashing down.

Ursa didn’t mean what she said to Azula that day.

Azula is ready to accept that.

Ursa was wrong. She was always wrong when it came to

Azula. She never understood her well enough. No, that
wasn’t it. She never tried to understand her. To support
her, and help her through this.

She never tried, and she was going to have to live with
that.

It wasn’t Azula’s burden to bear anymore.

“I’m not a monster.” Azula says without thinking, but it

means more than that.

She’s accepting it, and letting it go.

The show pauses.

“What?”

Ty Lee’s voice is trembling, and Azula can sympathize.

She almost wants to cry herself.

“I’m...I’m not a monster.” She repeats, this time making

Ty Lee shift so that she can face Azula fully. “Right?”

“Right.” Ty Lee breathily repeats, a laugh escaping her as

she pulls Azula in for a hug.

Azula is stunned for more than a moment. She wasn’t

expecting this. In fact, she wasn’t expecting to even say
it. It just...slipped out.

But here they were, Ty Lee clinging to Azula like her life
depended on it, and Azula...Azula admitting something
she had fought so hard to convince herself of for the past
ten years.

Azula is shocked to find that this feeling is relief.

With shaky hands, she returns Ty Lee’s embrace, holding

the girl to her as she says, “I’m not a monster.”

“No, you’re not, Azula.” Ty Lee affirms, and Azula can feel
the tears soaking into her shirt. Ty Lee was crying.

Let it in.

“My Mother was wrong.”

Understand it.

“I’m Azula.”

Accept it.

“And I am not a monster.”

And release it.

She was not expecting this tonight, but supposes she

can’t be surprised. That’s a lie, she has every right to be
surprised.

What she means, is that she wasn’t shocked at this turn

of events. She and her Mother, while not speaking to
each other, had grown a common ground. As long as one
didn’t interfere with the other, then they had no reason
to hold resentment.

Azula no longer cared for her Mother in any regard. In

neither hate nor love did she feel anything for her. All
that was left was to accept what had happened, and let
those feelings of unbridled anger and resentment go.

She just wasn’t expecting it to happen tonight.

Yet here she was.

Azula can’t be mad about it.

She feels wonderful. Like a piece of her tarnished soul

had been washed clean. Ready to face whatever
challenges life brings upon it with clarity.

It was a step forward. Something Azula could be proud

of.

“I’m so proud of you.” A voice whispers, as if hearing her

thoughts and speaking them for her.

Ty Lee always knew what to say.

“You don’t know how much you help me.” Azula mumbles
into Ty Lee’s shoulder, tightening her holds just slightly to
show her acknowledgement. Without thinking, her index
finger taps Ty Lee’s back three times.

I love you.

“Me?” Ty Lee asks, not seeming to pick up on the

gesture. “All I’ve done is push you. Sometimes too
much.”

“ Sometimes I need that push. Even if it is too much.”

Azula counters. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed Ty Lee,
but I’m quite the stubborn personality.”

Ty Lee giggles, pulling back slightly so that she can look

at Azula, seeing the amused smile on the fire benders
lips. “Maybe just a little.” She jokes.

“Oh ha ha , very funny.” Azula states, shoving Ty Lee

playfully, which only fueled Ty Lee’s amusement.

This is what Azula wanted. This is what she was aiming

for. These simple moments with Ty Lee that seemed too
bar and in between.

“You do, Ty Lee.” Azula repeats, drawing the laughter to

a close. There was something in the way Ty Lee was
looking at her right now. Like this was exactly what she
needed to hear. Was Ty Lee not feeling useful to Azula, or
was it more than that. Did she not feel special, or loved.

Azula wouldn’t let that happen.

Even if she still can’t say it, she would show Ty Lee. Any
way she can.

“I wouldn’t have gotten this far if it wasn’t for you.”

The words come easier than she expects them too, and it
seems to be exactly what Ty Lee needed to hear. The
brunette beams, and pulls Azula in for a searingly deep
kiss, both startling her and making her heart explode. In
shock or excitement, Azula didn’t know, nor did she care.

This was the Ty Lee she knew. One so impulsive, and

cheerful, and so brazen with Azula. She was no longer
dulled by some unspoken sadness, no, she was bright
once more. And even if Azula didn’t know the reason for
such a state, she would take this, because if Ty Lee
wants to talk to her, then she will.

Ty Lee never withheld her worries from Azula, unless

they were about Azula herself.

That is what she had learned, and what she now vowed
to change.

Azula wanted Ty Lee to feel safe with her. To talk freely of

anything she might have troubling her mind, no matter
what, or who, it pertains to.

When they break apart, Azula takes a few moments to

catch her breath before saying,“I know...I know I’m
difficult, and I know you don’t trust or forgive me, Ty
Lee.”

She looks into those grey orbs, and they are full with
wonderment. Wondering what Azula will say next, and
what it will bring. Azula hopes it will be something good.
Something wonderful, even.

“But I want you to know that you can be honest with me.
About anything.”

Azula feels more than she sees Ty Lee nod her head. Tier
foreheads are so close, and Azula can hear every little
breath or sigh that leaves the acrobat’s lips. “I know,
Zula.”

Azula is taken aback. “Now that’s new.” She says.

“Do you not want me to?” Ty Lee asks, and Azual hums.

“Depends.” She taunts, leaning back in once more. “Can

I start calling you Lee again?”

“You can call me anything you want.” She breathes

against Azula’s lips.

“Really now?” Azula teases, all sorts of names coming to

mind. One’s she won’t use just yet, but she’ll keep them
stashed away for when she was ready. “One day I’ll take
you up on that, Lee.”

“Good enough for me.” Ty Lee says quickly, and Azula

barely has enough time to hear the words before lips
meet her own.

Strawberries .

She’s beginning to grow an addiction to the taste of

them.

“The elf girl is my favorite.” Azula remarks. It was much

later into the night, the mood being lightened by both of
their less troubled hearts. Ty Lee had dared to place her
head among Azula’s shoulder. Azula didn’t stop her, nor
did she shrug her off.

“She has a name, Azula.” Ty Lee scolds playfully.

“I’m aware.”

Ty Lee sighs, making Azula smile. Good, she knew she

wasn’t going to get anywhere with this. “How long have
we been watching this anyway?”

Ty Lee pauses, checking the episode number they were

on. “Around...three hours or so?”

“And this is what normal teens do all the time?”

“I mean, yeah. I guess so.” Ty Lee says, as if it was news

to her as well.

Azula frowns. If this is what she had missed out on as a

child she couldn’t exactly complain. Everything about this
screamed lazy. She should be spending time training,
or...or something productive.

Like figuring out what the hell Ozai was up to.

Azula couldn’t figure it out. She had followed him for her
entire life, and she had no clue as to why he would want
children. Wouldn’t it make more sense to go after the
people that imprisoned him? Or young able bodied adults
who he can force into fighting for him? Why children?

“Why…” She mutters, drawing Ty Lee’s attention.

“Well because they probably have nothing better to do.”

Ty Lee says in a joking manner, and Azula realizes Ty Lee
is still thinking about their conversation.

Shifting a bit in bed, she decides to not think about it

anymore. “Well their stupid. They should be more
productive with their lives.”

Ty Lee giggles. “You don’t have to keep trying to be

perfect, Azula. No one’s expecting that of you.”

She disagrees.

She needs to be perfect for this.

Without that, she can’t figure this out. Her fire bending
needs to be without flaw in case she...she sees him.

Fear spikes her heart, filling it with dread.

If she sees him, could she do what needs to be done?

She’s not sure.

With a shaky breath, Azula says, “I know.”

“You can know and still not believe it.”

“Can we talk about something else?” Azula forces out. “I

think I’ve had enough of my emotions for one day.”

Ty Lee pauses, but inevitably says, “Okay.”

“Let’s talk about you, for once.” Azula suggests, feeling

Ty Lee tense. “I know you’ve been off since you got here.
What’s wrong?”

“Nothing anymore.” Ty Lee says.

“So there was something.” Azula sighs. “Let me guess. It

was your sister wasn’t it? Your identical twin?”

Ty Lee says nothing, but that silence speaks volumes.

“What did she do?” Azula demands, a gentle firmness to
her voice to show she wasn’t mad at Ty Lee, but rather
someone else.

“The usual.” Ty Lee mumbles, uncharacteristically

solemn. “ ‘You’re not special’, ‘There’s no reason for her
to care about you’, ‘you’re nothing to her’ . I know I can
handle it, but I guess with everything you’ve been going
through, I felt like I wasn’t doing enough. That I...wasn’t
really needed.”

“You are. Believe me when I tell you that.”

“I know.” Ty Lee says, more lax in her answer as she

melts back onto Azula’s broad shoulder comfortably.
“Those things vanished with your little speech.”

“Good, because the next time I see that vile little-”

“Hey.” Ty Lee scolds. “You won’t hurt her, got it? Ty Lin’s
just a bully, and hurting her only brings you down to her
level.”

“And yet, I still want to punch her all the same.”

“I know.” Ty Lee says, abruptly taking Azula’s hand and

squeezing it. “I know.” She repeats, a little quieter.

Azula stays silent, because she has nothing more to say.

She had never liked Ty Lee’s family. So much so that she

never even bothered to remember any of their names. Ty
Lee was the only one worth remembering in that
wretched family. Her parents never bothered to
remember which of her seven twin sisters was which,
and her sisters acted like Ty Lee was nothing. The
youngest, and therefore disposable. Ty Lin was only ten
seconds older than Ty Lee, and yet she treated it like it
was ten years. Their parents never cared, of course.
They just...they shrugged it off like it was no big deal.

But it was.

It was such a big deal.

It gave Ty Lee insecurities. Insecurities she shouldn’t

have to have, because she is special. She’s so special to
Azula, and she wanted to make sure Ty Lee knew that.

Normally, Azula wouldn’t care. If it were Mai, she’d tell

the girl to grow up, but this was Ty Lee, and Ty Lee was
special. Azula loved her, like no one else and if anyone
tried to inflict an emotional scratch on Ty Lee, Azula
would give them a physical beating .

No one would hurt Ty Lee.

Azula had done enough of that herself, and she would

make sure no one ever does the same.

“You’re special to me.” Azula says in a hushed voice.

“Never forget that.”

Three taps to the back of the brunette’s palm.

I love you.

Ty Lee shifts. “Hey Azula, what’s that-”

The door to Azula’s room slams open, making them both

jump in surprise.

Zuko stood there, eyes widened in fear, phone clutched

in his hand tightly.

“Zuko what the hell!” Azula shouts. “Ever heard of

knocking?!”

“They took him.” He says, almost as if out of breath.

“They took him, Azula.”

“Took who , Zuko.” Azula says, getting out of the bed and
starting her way over to where her brother stood, frozen
still.

There was absolute terror in his eyes, and Azula already

has a guess of who he was referring to.

No…

“Ozai.” He confesses, and Azula stumbles backwards a

bit.

Anything but that…

“Ozai’s out.” Zuko repeats. “He’s free.”

Notes:
:)

Chapter 33: Conditioning

Ozai was free.

He was out there, somewhere in this city plotting his

next move, and Azula wasn’t there to know what it was.
And what’s worse?

She couldn’t think straight.

Nothing made sense about any of this. The kidnappings,

the children, breaking him out so suddenly. None of it
made any fucking sense and Azula was to preoccupied
with the fact that the man who gave her these scars was
loose.

What if he finds out?

She’s been doing so well, and if Ozai were to figure that

out, he would no doubt try to eliminate it.

That is, if he wasn’t already.

“Azula?” Ty Lee calls, voice gentle.

Right. They were waiting for a reaction. Something other

than her just standing there, miffed.

Zuko looks to her, as she looks to him, and they share a

conversation with no words.

This wasn’t about them anymore.

This was about the fate of the fire nation, and the world.

Azula told him she’d pick when she would be his ally.

This was one of those times.

“We…” She breathes, collecting herself as best she can.

“We have to call Mai. She should be on her Father’s trail
right now.”

“Okay. I’ll get her on the phone, you two should probably
get dressed in case we have to head out.”

Zuko leaves, and Ty Lee finally runs over to Azula, who

still looks shell shocked. “Hey.” She says, and Azula only
then realizes her heavy breathing. “Hey, look at me.”

Azula does, and finds comfort in those wonderful grey

eyes. “He won’t hurt you. I’ll make sure of that.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about, Lee.” Azula forces
out.

Confused, Ty Lee says, “What?”

Azula takes the hands that had been placed upon her
cheeks, and holds them dutifully. “Love is weakness to
him.”

It’s all the answer she needs for Ty Lee’s eyes to widen,
and even less for her head to start shaking resistantly.
“He won’t, Azula. Nobody even knows about us except
for Zuko and Mai.”

Azula lets out a tired breath, and lifts a hands to caress

Ty Lee’s cheek. “He’s always known, Ty Lee.”

You’re not normal.

Before Ty Lee has a chance to respond, Azula says, “Go

get dressed in the bathroom. You brought a change of
clothes, right?”

She can see that the brunette wants to say more, to ask
just what she meant by that, but she doesn’t. Azula
wouldn’t give her an answer, and she knew that. So, with
a reluctant nod, she grabs her bag and heads into the
bathroom.

Azula gets to the walk in closet that adorns her luxurious

clothing items before she all but stumbles into one of the
walls inside.

Ozai was free, and Azula would probably be one of his

top priorities. Whether that be to eliminate her or get her
to join him, Azula didn’t know.

All she knew was that she had to protect Ty Lee. If he

knows about them, then he’d no doubt go for her soon.

Azula wouldn’t let him take her.

She couldn’t.

Azula stood quietly in the corner as Zuko repeatedly

called Mai, pacing the floor worriedly. Ty Lee sat on the
couch, watching the boy strut from wall to wall.

Azula had to evaluate what she knew, and then she could
start her theories. She knew there’s a group of followers
that worship Ozai enough to break him out of a heavily
guarded prison cell. She knows Ozai is free, and plans to
do something with his followers. He was kidnapping
children, and while it didn’t make any sense, it was still a
variable in this equation.

Once Mai found their base, she would know more.

“Zuko stop pacing.” Azula commands, and he turns to

glare at her.

“My girlfriend is out there, not picking up her phone

while our Father is newly released from prison. Forgive
me for being a little anxious!”

Azula ignores his shouts, and merely says, “Mai can take
care of herself. She’ll be fine.”

“Our Father-”

“-Has no bending and is weak from the limited amount of

food he’s been given at the prison no doubt, so I’d say
she’s just fine. He can’t do anything to her.” Azula offers
as some semblance of comfort to her brother. “And
besides, so long as she’s not caught, there’s no reason to
worry.”

“Then why isn’t she answering her phone?” Zuko

demands.

“For the same reason I need you to shut the fuck up.”

The room falls silent once more, and Azula closes her
eyes.

The children were the only part of this that didn’t make
sense right now. What purpose did they serve? She
needed to learn more about that. If she can figure out,
then she can start piecing together parts of this plan.
One step at a time.

“What do we know about the children?” She asks.

Zuko sighs. “As far as I could tell from the files the police
emailed me, there's no correlation to each other. They
are all from different lower or higher profiting families, all
varying ages, and no relation to Ozai through any of the
families. The only thing they have in common is that
they're all from the city.”

“And you’re sure?”

“Positive.” Zuko confirms.

“What if they have nothing to do with this?” Ty Lee

chimes in, and Azula raises a questioning eyebrow to her,
silently telling her to go on. “I mean, they're just kids.
Ozai doesn’t really have a use for them.”

Azula eyes widen.

That’s it.

Ty Lee just solved it.

“They're a distraction.” Azula says. “The kids were a way

to draw the police's attention away from Ozai while his
followers broke him out. The less people on Ozai and the
more on the kidnappings would-”

“-Make it easier for them to break him out! Ty Lee, you

genius!” Zuko finishes with glee, and said brunette
beams, eyes meeting Azula’s with pure joy. Azula smiles
at her, and winks.

They’ll talk later.

“Okay.” Azula says. “So the kids were a distraction, and

are probably only being held there because if they let
them go they’ll no doubt tell their parents. Is Mai still not
answering?”

“Oh.” Zuko says, looking down to see his phone had

stopped ringing. He forgot to keep calling. “I’ll uh-, let’s
see.”

Azula rolls her eyes as her brother calls Mai once more.
While he does that, Ty Lee gets up from the couch and
skips over to Azula happily. Azula, knowing what’s
coming, is already uncrossing her arms as Ty Lee leaps
into them.

“That was genius Ty Lee, great job.” Azula whispers, and

Ty Lee giggles joyfully.

“Thanks Zula.” She replies.

“Hello?” Came a fourth voice. It was Mai.

“Mai! How are things going?”

“Fine, why did you call me like 47 times?”

“It was not-!” Zuko starts, but upon looking, his

confidence dies. Azula smirks. “Okay maybe it was, but
it’s important.”

“Then spit it out.”

“Ozai’s free.”

Mai is silent for a good ten seconds before they all hear a
forced, “What?”

“My Father is loose, so we need you to be extra careful

when you find their base. Where are you now?” Azula
convenes, releasing herself from Ty Lee’s grip and taking
the phone from Zuko’s hand.

“Some old country roads outside of the city. There’s lots

of trees.”

“Did you see a name for the road? Any landmarks?”

“No, but I followed him out on exit 385.”

“Okay, keep us updated.” Azula says.

“Okay, I’m hanging up.”

With that, the line cuts out, and Azula gives it back to
her brother. “Exit 385. Where is that?”

“I think it’s the one closest to the police department. It

makes sense. Gives them an easy escape route.” Zuko
replies.

“It also makes it easier for the police to follow.” Ty Lee

says.

“If they knew who they were dealing with.” Azula adds,
looking at Ty Lee briefly. “But they don’t. So it’s a safe
bet to say that they haven’t done anything.”

“True.” Zuko says. “I’ll get in touch with the chief, tell
them what’s going on.”

“No.” Azula says, holding up a hand to stop him from

calling.

“What?” Zuko asks. “Why?”

“Too many eyes and ears. My guess is Ozai has followers

in the prison too. If you make it public knowledge, they’ll
tell Ozai, and disappear.”

Zuko’s thumb, which was hovering over the call button,

hesitates as he thinks on Azula’s words. After a moment
or two, the thumb lifts, and his phone shuts off. Zuko
gives her a nod, and she returns it gratefully.

“Okay.” She says. “There’s not much else we can do

other than wait for Mai to give us a location. I can go find
some wiretaps and camera’s for us to use.”

Zuko nods, sitting down in one of their plush sitting

chairs. “You do that, I’ll let you know if Mai calls.”

“Come on.” She says to Ty Lee. “I could use another pair

of hands.”

Ty Lee gives her a nod, and together they head down the
halls. After a minute, she asks, “So where is this stuff,
anyway?”

Azula takes a deep breath. “My Father’s office.”

They turned the corner, and there it stood. Large wooden

doors, sealed shut to her ever since she had shouted at
Zuko and nearly burned his desk.

“Azula you don’t have to-”

“We need them, Lee.” Is all Azula says, and begins

onwards.

Azula hears Ty Lee follow, but her footsteps are hesitant,

and slower. Azula hears it, but says nothing. She merely
pushes open the door.

It was different now. The files on the desk were lessened,

and the layout was messier. The threatening aura was
gone, and the books along the wall had been taken out,
some put on Zuko’s desk for reading purposes.

It felt nothing like when her Father once sat in here, and
yet Azula could still feel his presence. She could still
recall the memories of her times here. Both good and
bad.

Were there any genuine moments here?

Azula isn’t so sure of that.

“I’ll check the desk, you look through those boxes along
the shelves, okay?” Azula points to a series of black bins
lines along the bottom shelf, and Ty Lee goes to it with a
nod.

Rounding the desk, Azula kneels down, opening the

bottom drawer first. There were files upon files, but
Azula wasn’t looking for any of that. Closing it, she
moves on, she heads to the middle drawer, opening it to
see even more files.

Grunting in annoyance, she checks another, and this time

only office supplies. When she moves to the other side,
she finds them exactly the same. “Damnit.” She
grumbles, shoving the bottom cabinet closed particularly
hard and looks to Ty Lee, who is only on her second bin.
“Anything?”

“No, just more books and business stuff.”

Azula sighs. If there weren’t any in here, then they’d

check the garage next. That’s the only other place they
could be unless Zuko had moved them all to a separate
room, or even back to the company. That last one might
be the most probable.

Azula looks down when something catches her eyes, and

she sees that the bottom cabinet she had just chucked
was still open. She moves to close it but freezes when
one of the manila folder titles catches her eyes. There, in
Ozai’s inked handwriting, was one word.

Azula.

Her eyes widen as she lets her hand slide over the rough
texture of the folder.

He had a file on her.

Of course he had a file on her. He had files on everyone.

So why does Zuko still have it?

With a shaky hand, she grips the edges of the folder

facing upwards, and pulls it out of the rack, gripping it
with both hands as she turns away from the direction Ty
Lee was facing.

She opens it, and finds a small picture taped to the first
page. A recent photo, from about a year ago that served
as her license photo as well. Flipping it over, she starts to
read it with weary eyes, terrified of what she might find.

June 28th

Four years old, and has already produced a flame. She is

a prodigy, and will need to harness her power
immediately.

Azula gulps. Nothing bad yet.

October 14th

Four months, and she has been doing well. Fire bending
comes naturally to her, like any prodigy should. Continue
to condition for the company.

Azula tenses. Condition? What the hell does that mean?

Skipping ahead a few pages, she reaches the past year,

and the earliest entry is when Azula was informed of The
Avatar’s existence.

August 5th

Azula shows promise to become my successor. The

Avatar will be her final challenge. Defeat him, and I am
sure she is a worthy successor to my company, and its
true cause. She will be loyal to me, and the conditioning
has proven to that.

So he was the final factor. If Azula had succeeded in

destroying the Avatar, she would have proven her worth.

She doesn’t want that anymore, though. She knew that

now.

December 31st

Azula’s attention is being distracted, and I suspect it’s

that girl, Ty Lee. Azula will need to be conditioned more
convincingly if it becomes more of a problem.

Oh.

Oh .

Her eyes well with tears at the realization of what that

word meant.

He had manipulated her from the very beginning.

Not a single moment was genuine praise. She was used,

just like everyone else under the pretext that she wasn’t.

The file falls out of her hands, and Azula’s cheeks sting
with the impact of her tears streaming down them.

“Azula?”

She hears Ty Lee’s voice, but doesn’t register it.

She was nothing to him.

All this time, his only goal was to use her as a back up
plan. Sure, she would have been CEO, but he would still
hold the reins. He would make the decisions.

She would always be under him.

And he had abused her to make sure of it.

There was no denying it now. He had abused her.

Physically and emotionally until she was nothing more
than a slave to his game. A pawn for him to toss around
the board as he so chose.

“Azula!” Ty Lee exclaims, finally coming over to face her,

seeing the tears on Azula’s face as the fire bender looks
up to her sadly.

“I was nothing.” She whimpers, looking back down at the

files. “I thought he might- That he was doing it to make
me strong, but he-”

Ty Lee kneels in front of Azula, hands gripping either side

of Azula’s cheeks as her thumbs work to rid Azula of her
tear stains. It was no use, as new ones came to fill the
old ones. Softly, she shushes Azula, blocking any view
she might have had of the folder’s contents. “It’s okay,
Azula.”

“I let him hurt me, Lee.” Azula cries. “I thought I

deserved it but-”

“-You didn’t, Zula.” She reassures. “No one deserves

that.”

“It hurt so much.” She chokes, recalling every moment of

searing pain and without warning, she falls from the
chair and into Ty Lee’s arms, The brunette’s arms are
around her in record time, one already getting to work
brushing through Azula’s hair comfortingly.

All this time, she had thought she deserved it. Failures
were not to go unpunished. That is what she grew up to
know. It was proven with Zuko when he failed to keep
his mouth shut, so the same applied to her.

Zuko was right on this. They were the same when it

came to this.

She meant nothing to him. Just a soldier in his army to

use as he saw fit.

Azula can do nothing but cry, and Ty Lee takes this as a

chance to speak.

“You’ve spent your whole life fearing what he might do to

you, and you never got a chance to see what Zuko did.”
She says. “The pain he gave you haunts you, and no one
has cared to acknowledge that fact, because Zuko seems
to handle it so well nowadays.”

Azula’s sobs begin to lessen, now becoming more

focused on Ty Lee’s words than the ache in her heart.

“You’re so strong Azula, and not just as a fire bender.

Zuko could barely handle one scar without breaking
down completely, but you’ve endured so many, and you
did it all alone.”

Azula sniffles, her tears still spilling, but no longer

accompanied by the wails of a broken child.

“But you don’t have to do it alone anymore. I’m here,

and so’s Zuko. We can help you, if you’ll let us.”

Azula’s eyes shut, her grip on Ty Lee tightening. All her

life, Azula had been taught to never show weaknesses.
That things like trust and love were for weak fools. That
she had to be perfect, and that would only come when all
she could trust was herself.

Ozai had taught her those things.

But Azula had meant nothing to Ozai, so maybe he was

wrong.

She could trust Ty Lee, because Ty Lee had proven to

care about her. Genuinely. Deeply. And as complicated as
their relationship was, it was real, and Azula wasn't
willing to give it up for a man who never gave a damn
about her.

Ozai was rough, and punishing, but Ty Lee was soft and
gentle.

Azula felt safe with Ty Lee.

She would try. That was the only way she was ever going
to get past this. She had to talk about it, and face it.
She’d have to do it eventually or she was always going to
live with this fear, and this pain that he caused her.

But Azula didn’t have to do it alone.

Azula taps Ty Lee’s back three times, her crying finally

coming to an end.

I love you.

“What does that mean, Zula?”

Azula lets a small smile grace her tired expression. “You

know what it means, Lee.”

Ty Lee’s grip tightens. “I love you too.”

They stay there for a while, neither willing to part from

the other just yet. Azula revelled in the sweet, relaxing
smell of vanilla, and slowly calmed herself. For once, she
allows Ty Lee to just hold her, and even if she feels so
small, and so weak, she was okay with that. She was
getting better at that.

Ty Lee was safe, and wouldn’t lie to Azula about stuff like
this.

“Why does Zuko have that anyway?” Azula mumbles at

some point.

Ty Lee hums. “He hasn’t brought himself to go through

any of that yet. This is a process for him too, you know?”

Azula could acknowledge that. They both had their

demons to face when it came to their Father. Maybe they
should have that talk soon. “Okay.” She whispers.

Azula takes a deep breath, and slowly begins to extract

herself from Ty Lee, standing up. “We should get back to
work.”

She holds her hand to the burnette, and she takes it.

Azula doesn’t let go.

Instead, she intertwined their fingers as she walked back

over to the last box Ty Lee was searching through. She
lifts a blanket that was covering the top, and what laid
there was a box labelled ‘wiretaps ’ next to one labelled ‘
cameras ’.

Azula gives Ty Lee a grin.

“Jackpot.”

Chapter 34: Alliances

Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Azula had some free time. After she and Ty Lee had
found the wiretaps and cameras, they had given them to
Zuko, who was still waiting for a call.

Apparently wherever they chose to set up their camp, it

was far away from the city.

Nevertheless, they all couldn’t do anything else until that

call came, so Azula headed to the garage. Her bike was
in the last stages of being complete, only the more
decorative pieces having to be assembled. That’s where
she was now, attaching the fenders to her tires safely.

Then Zuko barged in.

“Hey! Where-!”

“Shh…” Azula whispered calmly, pointing an oil covered

hand in front of her, where Zuko saw Ty Lee sleeping
peacefully on a couch. All of Ursa’s furniture had been
moved out here for the time being, so Ty Lee took to the
opportunity to get some rest. Azula couldn’t blame her, it
was three in the morning.

“Oh.” He says, not realizing the girl was out here, making
Azula hum, finishing the last screw.

“What do you want?” She asks.

Zuko holds up his phone. “Mai called. She’s got a location

for us, and she’s heading back now.”

Azula grins. “See? Nothing to be worried about.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He waves her off. “How’s the bike coming?”

“See for yourself.” Azula says, grabbing the rear fender

piece and moving it into position. They, as well as the
fuel tank, were decorated with blue flames, a specific
design Azula had given Zuko when she gave him the list.

Zuko examines the bike for a moment, giving an

impressed grunt. “Do you think it’ll run?”

“It better.” Azula says. “Otherwise you bought me faulty

parts.”

“I bought the stuff on your list!” He whispers harshly.

“I’m joking, Zuzu.” Azula blunts. “I checked before I even

started, and they're all fine.”

“Oh. Well that’s good.”

Azula hums, and gets back to work. Zuko says nothing

for a while, merely wandering around the garage as he
looks at the various things Azula had laid out. She pays
him no mind, focused on finishing up this fender. Maybe
she could get the cushions in by sunrise.

“You should probably sleep, Azula.”

“I’ll be fine.” She mumbles. “Sleeping isn’t exactly my

favorite activity right now anyway.”

“Why’s that?” He asks curiously, and Azula pauses.

She looks back at him, and finds he’s completely serious.

Hitting the wrench against her thigh a couple times, she
ponders telling him. This could be their time to talk.
Azula needed to talk about it anyway. Plus, Zuko
had...experience in these matters. He would know how
to help her, right?

“Nightmares.” She says, turning back to her bike and

finishing the last screw. The rest would have to be
welded in, but that could come in the morning when Ty
Lee wasn’t asleep.

Zuko is silent for a long time, even as she gets up and

puts the wrench back in the toolbox. It’s only until she
has her back to him that he finally speaks.

“I have them too.”

Azula freezes in the middle of putting on her shirt,

turning to face him with a confused expression.

He smiles, and Azula doesn’t understand why she feels

like crying. “I see it a lot. That day.”

Azula knows exactly what he’s talking about. The day he

had gotten half his face burned off.

She sighs, moving to finally put her shirt back on. “Yeah
well, that makes two of us.” She says.

“How often do you see him?” He pushes ever so slightly.

Azula purses her lips. “Every night.”

“When did they start?”

“That day in the forest. Remember when you found me?”

Zuko nods his head in understanding. “You don’t have to

talk about it, but I’m here for you. I get it, you know?”

Azula, despite herself, laughs, nodding a bit as well.

“Yeah, I know.” She says, and glances at Ty Lee. “I
should probably take her inside.”

“Probably.” Zuko agrees, following her gaze to the

brunette. “How is that even comfortable?”

“I don’t know, but this is Ty Lee we’re talking about.” She

jokes, heading over to the girl and kneeling in front of
the couch.

Zuko chuckles, but says nothing more. He merely gives

her a smile, and walks out of the garage. She watches
him go, hearing the door shut behind him.

“You have nightmares?”

Azula turns to Ty Lee, whose eyes are open now.

“Eavesdropping is rude, Lee.”

Ty Lee pouts. “I was asleep, but Zuko woke me up when

he came in.”

“He was pretty loud.” Azula concurs.

Ty Lee doesn’t add anything more to that conversation,

merely staring at Azula. “What kinds of nightmares?”

Azula gives her a sad smile. “Guess you’ll just have to

find out.”

She moves to stand, but Ty Lee grabs her wrist,

squeezing it firmly. “I’m serious.”

“So am I.” Azula replies with a sigh. “I really don’t want

to talk about this right now.”

It’s clear Ty Lee doesn’t want it to end like this. It’s

written all over her face, but she stands anyway with a
nod, moving her hand to interlock with Azula’s. The fire
bender looks down at their hands briefly before looking
back up to Ty Lee’s eyes.

“One day?” Ty Lee asks.

Azula squeezes her hand. “One day.”

Mai got back while Azula was in the process of making

everyone some food. Zuko had called Aang and told the
boy about what was happening. He said he would tell the
other and they would be there as soon as they could.

It didn’t take very long. By the time Azula was done

cooking, everyone had assembled in the living room.

“I’m not making more food.” Azula grunts, setting down

plates in front of Zuko, Mai, Ty Lee, and herself.

“We all ate individually, don’t worry.”

“Enough about food.” Mai says taking a bite out of hers.

With her free hand, she moves so that the computer she
was working with could be shown to everyone. On it, a
map was displayed with a marker placed down in the
center. “That is where Ozai’s followers have been
meeting. What we need to do now is get the wiretaps
and cameras Azula and Ty Lee got into it without being
noticed. Suki, you pick who goes with you on that.”

Azula is impressed. She would have picked Suki too, due

to her background as a kyoshi warrior. It meant she was
good at stealth, which is exactly what they need right
now.

“Katara and Zuko will do. The team doesn’t need to be

any bigger than that.” Suki replies. “How many devices
are we working with.”

“Seven cameras and ten wiretaps.” Azula recites from her

count earlier this morning. “Can you make that work?”

Suki nods. “Definitely.”

The room falls silent, and it is only then that Azula see’s
the hardened stares trained on her.

She sighs. She expected this. “Go on. Spit it out.”

“Why the hell are you here?” Sokka blurts out directly
after.

“Because I want to be.” Azula replies, and notices his

seething glare. “What? Did our field trip together not do
it for you?”

“This isn’t the same!” He exclaims, turning to Zuko. “She

could be using us, Zuko! What if this is all what her
Father wants us to do?”

Zuko takes a protective step forward, standing in

between Azula and Sokka. Azula takes a bite out of her
food.

“Azula hasn’t had contact with Ozai in over 4 months ,

Sokka. She’s done nothing but help us up to this point.”
Zuko says, and Azula feels like there’s more to that. One
glance at his face, and that is only backed up with his
eyes that speak more than words ever could.

“I trust her.”

Azula’s eyes widen as Zuko looks to her, a silent

conversation shared. With a single nod of his head, Azula
understands all that he wants to say anymore.

He trusted her.

She had earned that trust.

Even after she nearly killed him the day of Sozin’s

Comet, he had the heart to trust her again. Against
everyone who told him it was a bad idea.

Azula smiles, and nods her head too.

“You can’t be serious, Zuko.” Katara butts in.

“I am.” He says firmly, holding his ground honorably.

“She nearly killed you!”

“And Ozai nearly killed her.”

Katara gapes, making Azula smirk when blue eyes are

directed towards her. She raises an amused eyebrow.
“Wanna see?” She taunts.

“Enough, Azula.” Zuko says, and Azula merely takes a

bite out of her food, smiling as it goes down. That was
the easiest she’s ever talked about it. Huh.“This isn’t the
time to fight with someone who could be a big ally. She’s
here to help, and I’m willing to vouch for that. So if any
of you have a problem with it, you’ll have to go through
me.”

Katara grunts, but says nothing more. No one speaks

another word.

“I for one think it’s an awesome idea. That bastard won’t

know what hit him.”

Well, except for Toph.

“Thanks, shortie.” Azula remarks, and Toph turns her

head to somewhat face her.

“Thank me by sticking it to your old man.”

Azula grimaces slightly at that proposition, not sure if

she’d be able to do that if it came down to it.

“I’ll try.” Azula finally says, and it’s enough for Toph.

“So what do the rest of us do?” Ty Lee asks.

Mai crosses her arms and leans back. “We wait.”

Wait they did.

Mai watched TV in the living room while Sokka joined

her. They didn’t speak, apart from Sokka’s occasional
laugh at whatever was happening in the show. Aang was
out in the gardens meditating, while Azula and Toph took
to a sparring session.

It was the most fun Azula had had all month.

She could tell Toph had been keeping up with her earth
bending, which didn’t really surprise her, but was
relieving. It was much more fun when it felt like your
opponent was trying to kill you. Plus, back when they
were sworn enemies, Toph always gave her the best fight
when it came to brute strength and a test of their natural
skill as benders.

Ty Lee watched from her spot on the ground, doing some

unnaturally flexible gymnastics as Azula and Toph sent
hell’s fire at each other. Azula more literally.

When they were done, drenched in sweat and breathing

heavily, Azula was standing over Toph, fists out towards
the girl offensively while Toph raised hers in surrender.

“Alright you win, you win!” She exclaims.

Azula heaves a gasp, stepping away from the girl and

holding out her hand. She’s not sure how Toph knew it
was there, but she took it, and got up from her defeated
position.

“You got too impulsive.” Azula remarks. “But well done.

You almost had me a couple of times.”

“Whatever Princess.” Toph grunts, making Azula chuckle.

She holds out her fist, and after a moment she see’s
Toph grin and bump it lightly with her own.

“You two seem to be getting along.” Ty Lee chirps as they

come within distance of her.

Azula winks at Ty Lee, making the girl blush ever so

slightly. “Unlike the rest of her merry band of idiots, Toph
has an actual sense of humor.”

“And good form.” Toph adds.

“And good form.” Azula repeats, and they share a

knowing smirk at each other.

“I’m gonna go see Aang. Interrupt his guru goody goody

stuff, you know?” Toph says after she takes a sip of
water.

Azula gestures her hand to the garden. “Be my guest.”

Toph takes off, and Azula watches her go. She silently
vows that if she hears a scream within the next few
minutes she’ll give Toph 50 bucks.

“You need to rest, Zula.”

Ty Lee’s voice was soft, and concerned. Azula sighs. “I’m

fine, Lee. I’ve stayed up longer than 36 hours before.”

“What’s your record?” Ty Lee asks, lifting herself up onto

her hands and letting herself fall forward into a standing
position with practiced ease.

Azula thinks on it for a moment, and comes up with,

“96.”

“96 hours ?!” Ty Lee exclaims. “Are you sure you’re not a
robot?”

Azula laughs. “At this point I wouldn’t be surprised.”

Ty Lee doesn’t say anything at first, merely walking up to

Azula and wrapping her arms around the fire bender’s
neck. Azula watches her do it, eventually letting her
hands slide around the brunette’s waist. She raises an
expectant eyebrow.

“Just a few hours, okay? You may be beating your record

with all of this, so you need them now.” Ty Lee offers.

A good point, if Azula didn’t keep her energy up, who

knows what kind of decisions she could make with an
exhausted mind and an even weaker mental state.

“Fine.” Azula agrees.

Ty Lee squeals. “Can I join you?” She asks excitedly.

Azula relinquishes herself from the embrace, and looks

over her shoulder as she begins to walk away from Ty
Lee. “ That is entirely up to you.” She says.

It takes Ty Lee a full minute to process the words, but

when she does, she hears, “Wait up, Azula!”

Azula smirks.

Once they got inside, they had been informed that there
was still no news from Suki or the others, so it would
probably be a while until they checked in. A few hours at
least.

Ty Lee had smiled, and nodded her head. Azula had gone
ahead and started to shower, leaving Ty Lee to talk with
Mai and Sokka.

When she got out, Ty Lee was already in the bed, doing
something on her phone with her earbuds in. She hadn’t
seemed to notice Azula yet, which was probably good
because Azula was staring.

She never stared at things, but this was all too

interesting.

Never had something looked so right. So normal to

Azula, as Ty Lee was acting so casually in front of her.

She wanted this . Not her Father.

She would stop him. No matter the cost.

Even if it was losing her damn mind.

Again .

Ty Lee chose that moment to look up, and smiled at

Azula. “Hi.” She says.

“Hey.” Azula returns, throwing her towel to the chair,

mentally making a note to deal with it later as she crawls
into the bed next to Ty Lee. “What are you listening to?”

Ty Lee doesn’t give her a verbal answer, only taking out

the earbud from her left ear and giving it to Azula. She
takes the piece, and places it in her ear comfortable,
recognizing the vocals of one Taylor Swift.

“Seriously?” Azula remarks with a gloat.

Ty Lee pouts. “She’s got amazing songs and you know

it.”

When you left her all alone and never told her why, why

“Whatever you say, Lee.” Azula jokes, focusing a little too

much on the lyrics for her own likings.

And that's how it works

That's how you lost the girl

Azula takes the earbud out, the lyrics fading away as she
hands it back to Ty Lee, settling down in her bed. She
can feel Ty Lee’s eyes on her as she does so, but doesn’t
acknowledge it, laying on her side and shutting her eyes.

She hears Ty Lee move, shifting in the bed until it comes

to a stop. Then, in a quiet voice, she whispers, “A lot
happened last night.”

Azula huffs, amused at Ty Lee’s ability to bring up a

serious conversation at every turn. A little annoyed by it
too if she was being honest.

“Great observation skills.” She snarks, opening her eyes

so she can stare at the wall in front of her.

A hand presses to the back of Azula’s shirt, and while she

can’t feel it, Azula can assume Ty Lee’s hand is cold,
because she goes absolutely rigid.

“Are they ever about me?”

Azula doesn’t say anything for a moment, weighing the

possible outcomes of her answer. Inevitably, she ends up
saying, “No.”

“Are they painful?” Ty Lee asks, but follows it with,

“That’s stupid, of course they are.”

Azula smiles, but says nothing.

The hand traces random lines over Azula’s back, the soft
material of her shirt bunching up a bit before Ty Lee
straightens it out. It’s relaxing in a way, something to
focus on instead of actually sleeping.

She doesn’t realize her eyes had grown so heavy until

she feels blackness swarming her vision, and her eyes
are shutting closed.

“I’ll be here, okay?”

I’ll keep you safe.

Azula’s heart warms exponentially, and without warning

she flips around so she can face the brunette across from
her. Ty Lee watches Azula, and doesn’t even flinch when
Azula’s hand raises to her cheek.

Three gentle taps.

I love you.

Ty Lee smiles, and Azula finally shuts her eyes closed, a

black void ensnaring her vision and pulling her into the
unconscious. But just before she can fully slip under, she
hears four words spoken with nothing but pure love.

“Dream of me instead.”

Notes:
just a filler before the serious stuff
starts :)

Chapter 35: Breakpoint

“Azula? What are you doing out here all alone?”

Lu Ten’s voice filtered through her ears, and Azula only

bundled up more into her knees. “Mom yelled at me.”

“Again?” He asks, sitting down next to her. She nods,

tears in her eyes as she tries to force them back. Father
says she shouldn’t cry, or it makes her look weak. “What
did she yell at you for?”

“I broke her favorite vase.”

Lu Ten tilts his head slightly. “Was in an accident?”

Azula buries her chin further down, so that only her eyes
are visible. “No…”

“Well you did break her vase, Azula. That’s not a very
nice thing to do.”

“Zuko breaks things all the time, and she never yells at
him.” Azula replies, turning her head to face Lu Ten.

He smiles at her, and pats her head, ruffling her hair

slightly, making her whine in retaliation. “Stop! Stop!”

Lu Ten only laughs, watching his cousin fumble to fix her

hair. “I’m sure your Mother is just stressed about some
things and didn’t mean to yell.”

“If that’s true then she’s stressed all the time.” Azula
grumbles. “It’s annoying.”

Lu Ten laughs, but stands up. “Come on, let’s go do

something fun.”

“Like what?” Azula asks.

Lu Ten hums, putting a finger to his chin in thought. He

lights up and snaps his fingers suddenly. “How about ice
cream?”

Azula’s eyes deceive her stubborn posture. They sparkle

with glee while her body holds her back. A mumbled, and
not at all convincing, “I shouldn’t.” does nothing to break
Lu Ten’s resolve.

“Nonsense!” He says, and scoops her into his arms. She

yelps, but makes no move to struggle or get down. She
actually holds on tight, a foreign gesture to her these
days, but it felt right. Safe. “You’ve been working hard!
You deserve to be treated.”

“But-”

“Nope!”

Azula pouts, but he only beams at her, a toothy smile

escaping beyond his lips. “Okay, but can we invite my
friends?”

Lu Ten is shocked, not expecting this development. “You

have friends?!”

Azula nods.

“That’s amazing, Azula! I’m so glad!” Lu Ten exclaims.

“What are their names?”

“Ty Lee and Mai.”

Lu Ten smiles, and nods. “Alright. Then let’s go get your

friends.”

When Azula wakes up, the feeling is foreign, because for

once, she’s not covered in a thick coat of sweat and
desperate for air. Now, she simply opens her eyes, and
sees a mess of brown hair in front of her.

There, in all her sleeping beauty, is Ty Lee.

Tiny sighs leave her lips rhythmically, and Azula fights

every urge in her body to kiss her. She won’t wake her
up, not when she’s sleeping so peacefully.

Lying on her back, Azula stares at the ceiling and thinks

about that memory. All her memories of Lu Ten were
good ones. He never did anything to wrong her, never
hurt her or yelled at her. She cared a great deal for him,
far more than she ever realized until this moment.

If one were to ask her, Azula would dare to say that Lu

Ten was more of a brother to her than Zuko was as a
child.

It wasn’t fair, and she knows it, but it’s the truth. Zuko
was always with Mother, and because Azula thought her
mother couldn’t stand Azula, she was alone. She was
alone every day, with no one but her Father and teachers
to hold her company.

And even then, she wouldn’t exactly call it enjoyable.

It was hard during the first few years, with Azula’s

childish urges driving part of her body to disobey her
Father and skip some practices. However, after a
few...conversations with her Father, those times
dwindled, till they were nonexistent.

With a sigh, Azula gets up from bed, careful not to wake

Ty Lee. Trudging over to her desk, she sits down, and
stares at a drawer she hasn’t opened in seven years.

She knows what’s in that drawer. It’s something she put

away, and swore never to look at again. The only reason
she still has it is because she couldn’t bring herself to get
rid of it.

It’s important to her, in a way she never realized.

Steeling her nerves, she grasps the drawer tightly and

pulls it open.

There, in the center, lay a necklace, left exactly where

she put it seven years ago.

Reaching in, she picks up the metal insignia, running her

thumb over it. In the history books, she had seen it
many times. The crest of the Royal Fire Nation family. It
adorned crowns, clothes, weapons, flags. Anything to
signify their power over others.

To Lu Ten, it was a sign of their will.

Back when there were Kings and Queens, soldiers and

peasants, their ancestors ruled the Fire Nation with
strength. Sure, they weren’t the nicest people, or the
most morally correct, but they were iron willed people.
They showed dedication for what they believed in, and
that was something Lu Ten admired.

Three pointed ends, one longer than the other, sharp to

the tip and shaped as if it were a flame itself. Covered in
a polished gold even after all these years, Azula held it
tight. It was all she had to remind herself of him.

“Who’s is that?” A voice calls, heavy with sleep. Azula

finds Ty Lee just waking up, rounding the bed to head
towards her.

“Lu Ten’s.” Azula answers, and after a few seconds

follows with, “I dreamt of him last night.”

Two hands press against her shoulder blades, and a chin

rests on her head. “It’s beautiful.” Ty Lee murmurs.

It is. It really is.

Putting it back in the drawer, she shuts it closed and

stands up. “Come on. Let’s go see what we missed.”

“Okay.” Ty Lee yawns, taking Azula’s hand as they start

to head down the hall. “Can you make us food? I’m
hungry.”

Azula smiles, and squeezes her hand. “Sure, Lee.”

When they got to the living room, everyone was there,

waiting.

Azula glances over each of them, noticing their faces and

raising an eyebrow. “What’d we miss?”

Mai says nothing, merely turning her camera around for

the pair to see.

Ozai sat on screen. Distant from the hidden camera, but

there all the same.

Azula’s heartbeat becomes very clear in her ears, pulsing

loudly as she stares at the face who had looked down
upon her for years. Who she worshipped as if he was a
god, bending to his whim at every turn.

“We’re in.” Mai says, but Azula doesn’t respond.

Her expression is safely guarded, but her insides are

screaming. Her back aches, and the grip she has on Ty
Lee’s hand has tightened significantly.

He seems to be talking to people around the table, but

she can’t hear his voice. They must have muted the
audio right now. Probably a good thing.

“What-” Azula clears her throat. “What’s he been

saying?”

Mai sucks in a breath. “Not much. They just started,

want to join the watch party?”

Azula shakes her head. “Let me know how it goes.” Then

she turns to Ty Lee. “What do you want?”

Ty Lee looks concerned, but doesn’t say anything about

it. She knows well enough that Azula won’t talk about
this until they're somewhere private. So instead she
says, “Ramdon?”

Azula nods, and heads to the kitchen, getting started on

making Ty Lee some...late afternoon lunch Azula learns
after checking the clock.

As she lets the pot start to boil, she grips the counter
tightly.

She wasn’t expecting it to have this much of an effect on

her, but things have been surprising her lately, so what’s
new.

Laughing to herself, she grabs the pasta and puts it into

the pot, hearing it sizzle loudly. Then comes the meat,
which she was just finishing cutting into tiny squares.
Throwing them in the mix after a minute or two, Azula
gets to work stirring and mixing the ingredients with a
pair of chopsticks.

If there was one thing Azula could be grateful for, it was

cooking.

As taxing as it was on her childhood, it proved to be a

sort of comfort for her now. A way to clear her head and
just be silent for a while. Granted, this meal only takes
ten minutes to make, but it was enough.

By the time she’s putting the dish in a wooden bowl, she

feels confident she can get through this. After all, she’s
handled worse.

Heading back into the living room, she hands Ty Lee her
lunch, who takes it with a delighted hum. “Thanks Zula.”
She murmurs quietly, so as to not disrupt Zuko, who was
currently talking.

“Looks like they're planning to take over the government

with force.” He remarks, listening to Ozai speak.

Azula listens, and determines the plan they have is solid.

Get inside the government, and you have control.
Doesn’t matter what the people think, so long as you
hold the power over them.

Shockingly, she disagrees.

This world may be shit, but tyranny isn’t the answer. The
Fire Nation tried that hundreds of years ago, and it
failed. Just like how it failed with her Father ruling this
city. Dictators never win. They always crash and burn.

And lose their minds too, if Azula’s any basis to go off of.

“We can’t let that happen.” Katara says.

“Yeah no shit, necklace.” Azula snarks.

Katara moves in aggressively, but Zuko is the one to put

an arm out and stop her. “You got something you want to
say to me?” She asks.

“Yeah.” Azula stands up. “You all don’t really want me

here, and that’s fine. I don’t particularly want to be here
either.”

“Then why are you here?” Sokka asks, a sharpness to his

words that will cut if Azula says the wrong thing.

Azula grins. “Oh you know. It's fun watching you all fall
apart trying to guess my Father’s plan.”

“Why you-” Sokka growls, and goes towards Azula but

Zuko puts out his other hand to stop him too. Azula
smirks, this is fun.

She sucks in a breath. “My Father wants to take over the

city, that’s a given. What you idiots should be doing is
sending The Avatar here to protect the Mayor, but you
can’t make a big show of it.”

“And how are we supposed to do that?” Suki asks.

Azula raises an eyebrow. “Tell me, are there any cameras

looking down on the table?”

“Yeah, why?”

Azula’s impressed. This girl thought ahead. Very clever.

“Switch to that one, we need to see the plans.

Mai does, and they see documents and maps littered

about the space. Over top all of them is a map of the
Mayor’s office, blueprints probably stolen from her
Father’s company records no doubt. She leans down to
the computer and points to it. “These are the routes
they're gonna take. Red is always first, then blue. Green
is a backup in case things go south, but they usually
never do.”

She turns her head to Aang, and gives him a knowing

stare. “Unless a group of idiots try to mess the plans up.”

Aang slowly begins to nod his head, understanding what

Azula was saying. “So we sneak in in pairs, and stop
whatever they're planning to do.”

“Oh, we know what they’re planning.” Azula says. “Their

planning to kill the Mayor.”

They hadn’t said it yet, but just after Azula says it, Ozai’s
voice booms over them all.

‘Once we capture him, I will finish the job. Then, we can

finish what we started.’

All eyes fall to Azula, and Azula shrugs as if to say, ‘I told

you so.’

“Point is,” Azula starts, moving away from the laptop.

“You all may not trust me, but I know how my Father
works. Hell, most of the plans he developed came from
my suggestions. You need me.”

Katara is unconvinced, same as Sokka, but Aang steps in

and says, “Azula’s right. We need to stop Ozai, and she’s
probably our best chance at doing so.”

“She’s a psychopath-” Katara starts.

“Former.” Azula adds nonchalantly.

“-Who tried to kill all of us!”

Azula laughs. “Katara if I wanted you dead I would have

done it on our little...what do you call it? Life changing
field trip?”

“She has a point.” Toph chimes in. “I’m in. Hell, I’d say
I’d trust her too.”

“Toph?!” Katara exclaims.

“What? She sparred with me earlier and whooped my

ass. She had every chance to kill me but didn’t.”

“You’re too good of a sparring partner to die.” Azula

jokes, crossing her arms.

“See?” Toph says. “I think we should trust her on this.”

Silence rules the air for more than just a few moments.
Brains turn, and thoughts process. Azula can see it all.
It’s clear as day to her, she always had been good at
reading people.

“Fine.” Katara says, shrugging Zuko’s arm off of her.

Once he lets go, Sokka’s arm is released too. “Let’s get
back to the plan.”

Azula turns to Ty Lee, who smiles and gives her a

thumbs up after she puts down her chopsticks. Her
mouth is full of food, but her smile still shows. It makes
Azula grin in amusement.

After hours of debates and cycling through different

ideas, they finalized their plan. Two teams would move to
take out Ozai’s red and blue group. Katara, Suki, and
Toph in red. Sokka, Mai, and Ty Lee in blue. Aang would
be with the Mayor alone, and Azula and Zuko were
backup in case things went to shit. They also acted as
the group who would take out the green group if it came
down to it.

It was also a preference of the gaang’s. They didn’t know

how Azula would react during this, so they had to keep
her out unless absolutely necessary. Zuko was only with
her as a glorified babysitter.

Azula didn’t fight it. She wouldn’t win even if she wanted
to.

They decided to stay the night. There were enough

rooms in their mansion, so it wasn’t a problem. Ursa
helped everyone get adjusted while Kiyi played with
Azula and Zuko in the sitting room. Zuko more than
Azula, because she was too caught in her own thoughts.

So Ozai was planning to take over Republic City. A bold

move, but very him. He no longer would have the good
businessman cover, but if he can control the people one
way or the other, then he wins. Sure, theoretically The
Avatar could stop him, since his bending was gone, but
guns still existed, and Azula was sure he’d have them.
They’d have to be careful if they were gonna pull this off.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Zuko asks, sitting down next

to her. Kiyi ran amuck around them, too caught up in
some imaginary world to care about them.

Azula smiles. “You couldn’t handle them.”

“Wanna bet?” He snarks, and Azula’s taken about.

“Zuzu, am I rubbing off on you?” She taunts.

He shrugs. “Only the good parts.”

Azula nudges his arm with her own playfully. “Liar.”

“Nah. That’s your bit.” He retorts, and she really laughs

this time.

This was nice. He really felt like her brother now. Not
some distant cousin or hated sibling. Not like before. It
was nice having trust. Trust was...good.

Did that make her a fool?

Maybe.

“Thank you, by the way.” Azula mumbles.

Zuko tilts his head. “For what?”

“Standing up for me.” Azula answers, rubbing her left

wrist unconsciously. “No one’s...no one's ever done that
for me.”

Zuko stares at her, and Azula can feel the heat of his
gaze. It makes her turn inwards, and she hates herself
for it. She’s grown weak, and...scared of what other
people might say or do to her. When did that start?

Then, Zuko’s hand is placed over hers, and Azula

watches it squeeze hers gently. “Well now you do.”

Azula chokes back a sob, holding herself composed

because she is not about to break down right here. Not
in front of Kiyi. So instead, she straightens her posture
and sniffles, saying, “We should get her to bed. It’s late,
and Ursa will come looking for her soon anyway.”

Azula stands, and Zuko follows soon after. “Yeah. You’re

probably right.”
She goes to move, but Zuko grabs her arm, effectively
stopping her. She meets his gaze with a raised eyebrow
and expectant eyes. “What?”

“I’m worried about you, Azula.” He says.

Azula sighs. “I’m fine, Zuko.” She peels his hand off of
her, and shrugs. “I’ve faced worse, right?”

The look on his face says it all. He knows she’s breaking,

but she won’t let him have the pleasure of getting her to
admit it. She wasn’t ready to admit that to herself.

He lets go, and Azula says nothing more.

She may break, but it won’t be for him. Doesn’t matter if

he trusts her now.

“Come on Kiyi, time for bed.”

Azula woke up to the sound of a crash.

Shooting up, she scans the room, eyes going to the

space in her bed next to her, and finding it empty. Panic
filled her, because where was Ty Lee?

Getting up, Azula leaves her bedroom, opening to find

others starting to come out of their rooms too. They all
share confused looks, but a child’s scream makes their
heads all dart to the opposite end of the hall.

No.

“Kiyi!” Azula shouts, taking off down the hallway. She

hears rapid feet behind her, but is too focused on the
path in front of her.

“Azu! Zuzu!” Kiyi screams, and Azula's speed increases

tenfold.

Zuko and Azula meet in the middle, just outside of Ursa’s

door, and without hesitation Zuko slams the door open.

They catch a glimpse of Kiyi struggling in a man covered

head to toe in black just before he jumps out of the
window.

“No!” Azula screams, running after her and jumping out

of the window too. They were on the second story, so it
was always down, but Azula’s blast of fire kept her on
her feet, allowing her to run after the man.

She hesitates when she sees Ty Lee being dragged away

too, gagged with wide eyes pleading at Azula.

This wasn’t just about them trying to stop Ozai.

This was about her.

Adrenaline shoots through every vein in her body, and

she takes off after them.

She won’t let them take her.

Not Ty Lee.

Ozai would…He would kill her.

But he’d do it slowly.

Love is weakness. Trust is for fools.

It would be a lesson, and Azula didn’t want to learn it.

Because of her struggling, the man holding Ty Lee was

easy to catch up to, but two men flanked him, and were
ready to take Azula on. She doesn’t hesitate when she
sends her flames into their clothes, sending them into a
panic to extinguish the fire, and moves on.

“Azu!” Kiyi screams again, voice so desperate.

“I’m coming Kiyi!” Azula grunts back, fighting the three

men who had replaced the other two quickly.

By the time she gets rid of them, it’s too late.

The last thing she sees is Ty Lee managing to get the gag
out of her mouth, screaming “I lo-!” before they slam the
door shut on her.

Azula’s paralyzed, watching as the car takes off, too far

away to chase from her spot and too fast to even hope to
catch up to now.

“Azula!”

She hears her brother, but her ears ring over his voice as
she drops to her knees.

Ozai had taken two of the three people she cared about
in this god awful world.

He had taken them.

Her eyes well with tears, making Zuko’s face blur in front
of her.

“I couldn’t stop them…” Azula whimpers. “I failed…”

“You did everything you could Azula.” Zuko reassures,

pulling his sister in for a comforting hug. Azula’s tears
stream into his shirt, and the embrace does nothing to
comfort Azula at all. “You did everything you could.”

They both know that wasn’t true. If Azula did better, then
Ty Lee and Kiyi would still be here. They would be safe,
and not at the mercy of the man Azula feared more than
death.

Azula does the only thing she knows how to do at this

point.

She screams.

Chapter 36: Impulsive Decisions

Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Azula was going to fucking kill him.

That is what she vowed as she stormed back into the

house, fists blazing and ready to burn anyone who tried
to stop her into a pile of ash.

He took Ty Lee.

Azula was stupid enough to think she’d be safe with just

her, but everyone was vulnerable when they were asleep.

Zuko was following close behind her, placing a hand on

her shoulder as he says, “Azula you need to calm-”

“Don’t tell me to calm down!” She shouts, slapping his

hand off of her with a murderous glare.

“Azula-”

“No! What would you do if he had taken Mai?!”

Zuko is frozen in place, shocked at her words.

“That's right.” Azula growls. “You’d do the same thing,

wouldn’t you?”

“I get it Azula.” Aang says, trying to be calm about this.

“But we need to come up with a plan.”

“Fuck plans!” Azula shouts. “They never work anyway,

let’s just go in and kill the bastard-!”

“Hey!” Zuko shouts, this time using both arms to hold

her steady. She tries to struggle and push herself out of
it, but his grip is strong, and unbending. Eventually she
stops, and he continues, “No one’s killing anyone, okay?”

“He’ll kill her if we don’t kill him first, Zuko.” Azula snarls
angrily. “It will never end, so we have to-”

“No.” Zuko refuses. “If we do, then we’re just as bad as

him.”

“You don’t get it, Zuko.” Azula says, reaching up and

grabbing his arms by the wrist. Without warning, she
lowers herself to kick his legs out from under him,
sending him to the ground with Azula over him, pinning
his arms above his head. Teeth bared, she finishes with,
“I am just as bad as him.”

He groans briefly in pain, and Azula picks herself up,

turning her attention to the other people in the room.,
who were merely watching the scene in shock. “I am
going to get her back tonight, so don’t try and stop me
unless you want to die too.”

Her words were clear, voice cutting through the air

sharper than one of Mai’s delicately polished knives. No
one opposed them.

“We won’t because we’re coming with you.” Katara says,

and upon seeing Azula’s eyes widen adds, “She’s our
friend too.”

Azula glances over all of them, seeing their hardened

eyes. They were all in agreement. They were on her side.

“How many times am I going to have to tell you, Azula.”

Zuko huffs, and Azula looks back to see him standing up,
rubbing the back of his head in pain. “You’re not alone
anymore.”

She wasn’t alone anymore.

They were willing to help her, to be by her side while she

did this.

She could...rely on them.

With a sharp inhale, Azula says, “Okay. We leave in 20

minutes, get whatever you need.”

“Woah, woah.” Zuko says. “What’s the plan?”

“Kill that bastard, and bring Ty lee and Kiyi home.” Azula
responds.

“Good enough for me.” Toph chimes in.

“Okay but how? Ozai’s-”

“-Got no bending and won’t be able to fight again The

Avatar and seven of his friends.”

“Eight including you.” Aang says with his arms crossed.

“I am not your friend tattoos.” Azula says, pointing a

deadly finger at him. “We get Ty Lee and Kiyi, and then
we’re done.”

“Fine by me.” Katara breathes. “Let’s do this.”

“We don’t even know if she’s being taken there!”

“Actually we do.” Mai interrupts, and everyone turns to

see that she had gone to the laptop, which was still on
the sitting room table. She turns it to face them, and
they see Ty Lee chained to a wall, gag now back in her
mouth and a man talking to her.

Azula feels her heart stop when he punches Ty Lee.

Oh yeah. Ozai’s dead.

Luckily, this seemed to be enough to incline Zuko to

agree with her. “...Alright, I got it. Let’s go.”

After Azula changed, she headed out to the garage. She

had finished the final few stages of her motorcycle, so
she’s hoping it works. If it doesn’t, well, at least it gives
her another excuse to be angry.

Letting the motorcycle down from its elevated position,

strung up by chains to make it more accessible to work
with, Azula checks over the vehicle, making sure
everything looks okay before hopping onto the seat.

Grabbing her key, she puts it in its designated slot, and

turns.

The bike makes a small whirring sound, showing that the

key did something. Azula checks the dial resting on the
top of the fuel tank, making sure it's full. Now all that
was left was to hit the ignition switch.

Azula takes a deep breath in. “Moment of truth.”

She hits the switch, hearing a small click, and suddenly

the engine revs to life.

She lets out a breathy laugh. “I’m awesome.”

“Hell yeah you are.” Toph calls, and Azula sees her and
the others filtering out into the garage. “I can’t see it,
but I know that sound. Did you build it?”

“Yeah.” Azula confirms.

“That’s fucking awesome.”

Azula grins, and meets Zuko’s eyes. “Want a ride?” Zuko

gulps, making Azula roll her eyes. “Oh relax. I’m not
gonna kill you.”

“The last time you drove a motorcycle you…”

Azula frowns, deciding to not make any further comment

on that. She moves her attention back to Toph. “Fine.
Toph, let’s go.”

“Hell yeah!” The short girl exclaims, quickly climbing on

the bike behind Azula.

She stares at them expectantly, and opens the garage.

“What are you waiting for? Let’s go.”

Azula got there faster than the car Zuko was driving,
holding the rest of the gang in it. Toph was having the
time of her life, screaming and shouting in pure ecstatic
joy while Azula focused on making her speed climb faster
and faster.

They didn’t have the luxury of being slow.

Ty Lee was being beaten because of her stupidity. God

knows what they were doing to Kiyi, but Azula hopes she
was put with the other children and that was it.

They stop a ways away from the location, so as to not

arouse suspicion to anyone who may be on guard. As she
and Toph climb off the bike, Zuko and the rest show up,
stopping just next to them.

“We have got to do that again.” Toph laughs.

Azula says nothing, merely narrowing her eyes. They

could see the building, and old warehouse from the looks
of it. “I count five guards out front, but we’re too far to
know for sure.”

“Suki can get in close.” Katara says, emerging from the

car. “We’ve been here before, remember? This’ll be easy.”

Azula nods. “Zuko, you go after Kiyi okay? Take Sokka

with you, she likes Sokka.”

“How do you know that?” Sokka asks.

“She told me.” Was her answer as they begin to walk

closer, they duck off into the woods just next to them for
cover.

Zuko comes up beside her. “She didn’t tell me that.”

Azula smirks at him. “Then I guess we know who her

favorite is.”

“Everybody quiet.” Suki whispers, whipping out a pair of

binoculars, as they all take cover behind bushes and
trees lining the edge of the forest.

As they allow Suki to do her thing, Azula does her own.

Not too many cars, only three or four that she can see,
but there may be more in the warehouse. The men
outside, five that she had correctly guessed, were all
armed with a side arm and assault rifle.

They were relying on guns. Probably a smart move.

Bullets were more lethal than bending.

Azula’s got her tricks though, and now was a perfect time
to use them.

“I count five, armed and loaded. No cameras, but

safety’s are off.” Suki says, confirming Azula’s own
survey as she turns back to them. “We’re gonna have to
do this quietly.”

A shame really.

“Fine. Suki and Katara, you take out the guards and go
through the front. Zuko and Sokka head round back.
You’ll need a keycard to get in but one of the guards
there will have one. Mai, go with them because Agni
knows you’ll be the only smart one in that group.

“Copy that.” Mai says, pulling out three knives with ease.

“Aang, you go in from the roof.”

“Wait, how do you know so much about the building?”

Sokka asks.

Azula turns to look at them. “Did none of you look over

the building blueprints?”

Blank faces stare back at her, and she scoffs, turning

back towards the building. “I can’t believe you idiots are
the reason I went insane.” Then, “Toph, you’re with me.
We go in with Suki’s team.”

“This is gonna be fun.” Toph grins, cracking her knuckles

loudly.

Azula holds up her fist, waiting until just the right

moment when all of the guards are facing away from
them. Suki and Katara shift behind her, and Azula finally
see’s the last back, letting her hand fall forward as if an
arrow. “Go.”

They take off, Katara bending a wave of water at two of

the men and freezing their feet in place. Suki throws her
fans at two others, pinning them to the fall as she knocks
out the last one with what Azula recognizes to be a chi
blocking technique.

Guess Ty Lee’s been teaching her a few things.

Suki and Katara make quick work of the four immobale

guards. Finally, Azula says, “Alright, let’s go.”

Everyone breaks apart, Azula and Toph heading towards

the two girls. Zuko, Sokka, and Mai disappear behind the
building as Aang air bends to the roof. Katara snaps the
keycard wrapped around one of the guards neck off and
uses it on the door, a beep following with an affirmative
green light.

Suki opens the door slowly, finding no one in the hall.

“Clear.” She mumbles.

They head in, and Azula is quick to survey her

surroundings. The warehouse looks to have been
renovated, split up into several rooms, connected by
confusingly similar halls. She’d have to keep track of
which ways they turned.

“Okay, Azula. You said you know the building. Where’s Ty

Lee?”

Thinking, her photographic memory of the place recalls

there being a section with multiple doors lined up next to
each other. Ten by fourteen foot rooms each, branching
off from the rest of the building. It was separate,
isolated, where no one could hear someone screams.
Mapping a path from the door to that point, Azula takes
the lead.

“Follow me.” She orders, and they all do as she says. At

some points, a guard or follower pops out, but Azula
takes them out easily. A jab to their pulse point here, a
knee to the nose there. It was easy.

Too easy.

All of this, it was like no one was here right now, which
didn’t make sense considering they fucking kidnapped
two people from Azula’s house not a few hours ago.

They reach what Azula is just going to call the prison,

and take cover behind a wall. Azula peaks her head over
into the room, and finds two guards standing in front of
one of the doors.

That was Ty Lee they were guarding. Not for long. Azula
turns back to the others. “Suki, Katara, you stay and
stop anyone who comes by. Toph,”

The earth bender perks up, eager to hear Azula's next

words.

“Do your thing.” She finishes.

Toph grins. “With pleasure.”

Without even the slightest hesitation, the short girl heads

into the room. Azula listens to the music.

“Hey! Who are- Stop! Stop!”

Crash!

“We need-!”

Thunk.

When Azula turns the corner, she sees one man knocked
out on the floor, and the other out cold, held up in cuffs
not unlike the ones she was put in during the eclipse on
the wall.

“Nice job.” Azula says to the girl. “Mind getting this open
for me?”

Without a word, Toph grabs the metal door, the steel

bunching under her grip as she peels it open easily.

“What is the meaning of this!” The man inside shouts,

and Toph reaches in to unlock the door, then pulling it
open for Azula to walk in. “You can’t just-”

Azula’s fist collides with his jaw before he can finish, and
he falls to the ground harshly. Azula watches over him
with neutral pleasure, too angry at this cult for taking
away what she loves to show any more emotion than she
was.

“Azu?”

Azula’s eyes darted to the wall opposite to the door,

seeing Kiyi, a small chain locked around one of her tiny
wrists.

“Kiyi.” Azula breaths, taking the chain and melting

straight through it easily, disconnecting Kiyi from the
wall. As soon as it was done, Kiyi launches herself at
Azula, latching on like a leech. “Thank Agni.”

Azula wraps her arms around the girl tightly, relishing in

the fact that Kiyi was unharmed.

“Wait, if Kiyi’s here...Then where’s Ty Lee?” Toph asks,

and Suki steps into the room a bit to look at the space
between the top of the door and the roof.

“This is the room the camera’s in.” Suki states, and Azula
looks to see the small, well placed camera. “She was
here, but they moved her. Question is, where?”

Azula pulls Kiyi back enough in her arms so that the child
can look at her. “Okay Kiyi, we need your help. When
they brought you here, did you see Ty Lee?”

“Lee Lee?” Kiyi asks for clarification.

She smiles. “Yes Kiyi, Lee Lee. Did you see her?”

Kiyi whines in thought. “A little, she looked hurt. Is she

okay?”

“I don’t know, Kiyi, that’s why we need your help.” Azula

explains. “Did the men say anything about where they
might be taking her?”

“I don’t know…” Kiyi mumbles. “Azu I’m scared. What’s

going on?”

“I know.” Azula reassures, pulling the girl back in. The

others fade away, and Azula focuses only on Kiyi. She’s
all that matters right now. “I know you’re scared. I am
too, but I bet Ty Lee is even more scared than both of us
combined.”

Azula sets the girl down, and brushes both her hands
through Kiyi’s hair. “She needs your help, Kiyi, so I need
you to think.”

Kiyi settles down, and Azula watches her. She can see
the cogs turning in the child’s mind, trying desperately to
remember anything.

“They...They said something about a plan. No,

a...planning room?”

Kiyi starts mumbling, but Azula understands, and when

she looks at the others, they do too.

Ozai’s room, the one where he discussed his plans.

“I’m sorry, Azu. I can’t-”

“No no.” Azula says quickly. “You did great Kiyi, that
helped a lot.”

“Really?” Kiyi asks, eyes sparkling with hope.

Azula smiles. “Yes, thank you Kiyi.”

Azula stands, taking Kiyi’s hands, feeling it squeeze

against the two fingers it could hold. “Suki and Katara,
you’re with me. Toph, take Kiyi back to the car. You make
sure nothing happens to her, got it?”

“Scouts honor.” Toph says lightly, but Azula knows she

means it.

Crouching back down to Kiyi’s level, the child looks

scared. “Azu?” She asks innocently.

Azula sighs. “Kiyi, I need you to go with my friend here,

okay? She’ll get you home.”

“What about you?”

She smiles. “I have some...unfinished business here. Go,

She’ll keep you safe.”

Kiyi is silent for a moment, but tackles Azula in a hug. “I

love you, Azu.”

Azula’s eyes widen, but they soften almost instantly,

heart warming as she returns the embrace.

“I love you too, Kiyi.” Azula whispers. “Now go. I’ll see
you soon.”

Kiyi leaves Azula’s embrace, and Toph picks her up. Azula
stands, and they make eye contact.

“I’ll protect her with my life.” She vows. “I swear it.”

“You better.” Azula threatens.

Toph leaves and Azula takes a moment to get her

thoughts in order.

Okay, so Ozai had Ty Lee somewhere, which wasn’t good

because that means he had leverage over Azula if she
tried to face him head on. She has no idea where the
others are, which also isn’t a good thing.

“So what’s the plan?” Katara asks, crossing her arms.

Azula inhales deeply. “I don’t know.” She breathes.

“Where are the others? Do we know?”

Just then, a loud crash reverberates through the hall and

a man flies to the wall just outside of their door. Azula
watches, flabbergasted as Aang comes around the
corner, peaking into the room.

“Hey guys!” Aang smiles. “Come on, we need to hurry.”

“What? Why?” Katara asks.

“Because Zuko’s group is fighting Ozai. I found them on

the cameras while looking for you.”

Azula’s mouth gapes open. “That’s where we’ll find Ty

Lee. Arrow head, lead the way.”

They take off, running past collapsed guards and

followers as he leads them to a set of double doors. Both
guards stationed at either side had been knocked to the
ground, motionless before them.

They hear a shout of agony from inside, and Azula

wastes no time in slamming open the door.

“Where is she?!” Azula shouts, and quickly locks eyes

with her Father, who was standing over Zuko with a
crowbar.

He grins, throwing it to the side as he rolls up his

sleeves. “Azula, it’s been quite a long time, hasn’t it?”

Zuko scrambles up, running to Sokka and Mai, who have

collapsed on the floor.

Azula steals her nerves. “Where is she.” She repeats, her

threatening tone filling the air as Ozai laughs.

“You are in no position to make demands, child.” He

responds. “But I’ll oblige, and give you two options.”

Azula watches him clap his hands, and in comes a man,

holding someone.

Her eyes widen, and her heart stops as Ty Lee is forced

into the room, hands tied behin her back, mouth gagged.

“Ty Lee!” Azula shouts, grabbing the girls tired gaze.

Those eyes widen and sparkle with both hope and terror
as she sees Azula in the flesh.

Azula has a different feeling burning through her, and the

bruises on her face only serve to fuel that fire.

Anger was a powerful ally when it came to a fire benders

strength.

“It’s very simple actually.” Ozai starts. “Rejoin me, and

forget this rebellious phase you’ve been having trying to
play the good guy,”

Ozai’s simple face hardens into an intense frown,

practically bending Azula’s will like it was nothing under
its heated gaze.

“Or don’t, and I kill Ty Lee.”

Notes:
the moment of truth, the reckoning is
nigh

what will azula choose?

Chapter 37: Killing It At The Source

Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Join, or she dies.

A simple, yet very complicated ultimatum.

Join him, and everyone in this room will no doubt be

captured, or even killed for what happened during
Sozin’s comet. Join, and Azula goes back to square one,
and Zuko will never forgive her.

Simple in words, but complicated in actuality.

Kiyi was safe at least. Toph was the most powerful earth
bender Azula had ever met. If anyone could protect her
baby sister from a cult of elitist fire benders, it would be
her. That eases a small part of her mind, but now she
had to focus on the problem in front of her.

Azula glances at Ty Lee, whose eyes are screaming,

‘Don’t, it’s not worth it!’ at her.

Azula disagrees.

Ty Lee is worth everything. Not even total control over

the world held even the slightest value to her now that
she had Ty Lee.

That said, if she didn’t agree, Ty Lee dies.

“Clocks ticking daughter.” Ozai says, running out of

patience and moving to pull out a handgun, pointing it at
Ty Lee’s head.

“No!” Azula shouts, and holds up her hands. Any

thoughts of maneuvering around the two options vanish
the second the end of that barrel presses to the side of
the brunette’s head. “I’ll join you, just don’t kill her!”

Ozai raises an eyebrow at her desperate plea. “You’ve

become so weak, Azula. We’ll have to work on that.”

“I’ll do whatever you want, so long as you don’t lay a

finger on her ever again, got it?” She bargains.

Ozai hums, and takes the gun away from Ty Lee’s head.
Azula immediately sighs in relief. “Very well. Guards,
seize them.” He commands, and a group of men filter
into the room, each grabbing the gaang and her friends
and tying their hands behind their back.

“Azula what are you doing?!” Katara shouts, struggling a

bit in her restrained position.

Azula looks back at her, and her eyes wash over with
guilt.

I’m sorry.

Turning back to Ozai, she hardens her features. “None of

them are to be hurt, Father. Release them or I won’t do
anything for you.”

“You’d ask me that while your pathetic little girlfriend’s

life is on the line?”

Azula’s eyes widen. So he knew. She had assumed

because of the lengths he had gone to, but now it was
confirmed. “...Okay.” She relents. “Just, don’t kill them.
You can hold them prisoner, but you might need them
right?”

Ozai stares at her, mulling over her suggestion. “...Fair

point.” He says, and his attention moves to the guards.
“Lock them up.” He orders.

As they begin to file what she had almost begu to call her
friends out of the room, Ozai says, “Wait! I want them to
see this first.”

Azula’s eyes flash with confusion, and Ozai gestures a

hand to Ty Lee. “You need to prove your loyalty to me
before you can start making decisions here again.”

The gun moves back to Ty Lee’s head, and Azula’s eyes

fill with fear.

“Kill Ty Lee, and eliminate your weakness. Only then will

you have my trust again.”

“No!” Azula shouts. “That wasn't part of the deal!”

“We agreed that I wouldn’t lay a finger on Ty Lee. I never

said anything about not making you do it yourself.”

Azula’s head tilts pathetically. No. She can’t do that. She

can’t kill the only thing she was living for at this point.
She couldn’t kill the light of her life, who had been there
with her at her worst. She couldn’t do it, but now he was
asking her to, and if she didn’t he would do it for her, and
then kill everyone else.

She looks at Ty Lee, who was beginning to struggle in

her own guard’s grip. Her eyes were wide, terror written
all over her face as she tried desperately to get the gag
out of her mouth.

Azula looks to her Father. “Let me say goodbye.” She

demands. “Take the gag out. Now.”

He looks at her, disappointed, but nevertheless nudes his

head. The guard moves a hand to rip the gag out of Ty
Lee’s mouth. The brunette spits out the extra piece of
cloth, and the words come falling out of her mouth
immediately.

“It’s okay Azula.” Ty Lee says, and Azula can feel her
eyes beginning to water at the edges. “It’s okay, I love
you. You know I do.”

Azula can’t do this, but she has to. She’ll hate herself if
she does this, but Ty Lee will die if she doesn’t.

“I forgive you.” Ty Lee weeps, eyes beginning to stain her

cheeks with streams of tears. “I need you to know that.”

Azula gasps, seeing nothing but genuine love in Ty Lee’s

blurry eyes. She was being serious. She had forgiven
Azula. For everything.

Now she definitely couldn’t do it.

How is she supposed to kill someone who had the will to

love and forgive her for everything she had done? How
does one do that?

Something in Azula’s mind clicks, and the cogs in her

brain start to turn. Maybe she doesn’t have to.

“I’m running out of patience, Azula.” Ozai calls, pressing

the gun further into Ty Lee’s head. “Do it.”

His command carries the weight of a full blown dictator,

as well as an abusive Father who knows that this broken
child will do anything he says. At least, the child he had
known five months ago. Azula was different now, and she
wasn’t about to let him do this to her again.

A plan formulates in her mind, and she gives Ty Lee one

last glance. With great effort, Azula gives Ty Lee a forced
smile. Crouching down a bit, she breathes, “Everything’s
gonna be okay, Lee. I promise.”

Her hand drags itself in a circular motion, lightning

beginning to generate itself with Azula’s flawless
technique. She glances at her brother, who stares at her
in horror. Only, it turns to confusion when she gives him
a knowing stare.

Not having time to give him anything further, Azula does

the other hand, and two fingers from each hand point
towards themselves, and she can feel the surge of
electricity they hold within them, waiting to be let out in
a wild tandem.

Time seems to slow as she makes up her mind. Her eyes

look at Ty Lee once more, and the brunette, still so
obviously scared, is giving Azula a smile. It breaks her
heart, and now Azula knows there’s no way she can
possibly even think to lay a finger on her.

She makes up her mind, but then, was there even really
a decision to be made? There was no question about
what Azula would choose. It was simple.

In the final second, Azula smiles at Ty Lee and says, “I

love you.”

She doesn’t have time to gauge Ty Lee’s reaction, her

eyes darting to Ozai. He has just enough time to widen
his eyes before Azula points two precisely calculated
fingers straight at her Father.

The lighting that flowed her body flushes out of her, and
is sent straight into his skull.

He doesn’t even have time to scream before the lethal

electricity fries his brain, killing him instantly. His body
falls to the ground, limp and lifeless.

She vowed that he’d die for that, and Azula never goes
back on her word.

“Zuko now!” She screams, and the boy who was still
frozen in shock seems to finally understand the look
Azula had given him.

With a shout, he throws himself forward, taking the

guard behind him with him. Because there were no real
restraints on them yet, the guard flies off of him, leaving
him able to move once more as he is quick to knock the
man unconscious.

The others follow suit as Azula runs to Ty Lee, quickly

making quick work of her guard with a single jab to the
neck and kick to the balls. He falls over with a groan,
holding his crotch in pain.

Azula kicks his face for good measure, knocking him out
cold as blood trickles out of his nose.

“Zula?”

She turns around, meeting Ty Lee’s eyes, shining with

too many emotions for Azula to count. That was the last
thing on her mind though. All she cared about was that
Ty Lee was here.

“I…” Azula starts, feeling sick to her stomach at the

realization of what she had just done.

She had just murdered her Father.

“I couldn’t let him take you away from me…” Azula

reasons out loud. “He- I couldn’t-”

She had killed him.

“I’m sor-!”

Azula gasps sharply when a body collides into hers. If

she had cared to notice, she would have seen Katara
untie the rope binding Ty Lee’s hands behind her back.
Azula then felt two arms wrapping around her tightly,
and a faintly worn out scent of vanilla filling her senses.

“It’s okay.” Ty Lee’s voice was gentle, kissing the air

between them delicately so as to not scare Azula away.
“I forgive you.”

Right.

Ty Lee forgave her for everything.

Pulling away quickly, Azula searches Ty Lee’s face, lightly

grazing her fingers over Ty Lee’s bruises. “Are you okay?”
She asks quickly, and Ty Lee laughs at Azula’s protective
nature finally starting to shine through.

“Oh this?” Ty Lee asks, referring to the bruise on her

upper cheekbone. “You should see the other guy.”

“I’d love to.” Azula grumbles. “Then I can give him a

taste of his own medicine.”

“You already did.” Ty Lee says, and Azula follows her

attentive eyes to the man Azula had knocked on the
floor. A puddle of blood had begun to pool around his
nose.

Azula huffs. “Well he deserved it.”

Ty Lee chuckles, placing her head on Azula’s chest. It’s

only then that Azula realizes how tired the girl must be.
“Can we go home now?”

Home.

That sounded nice coming from Ty Lee.

Looking to the others, who seemed to be waiting for the

two of them, she gives them a nod. It was time to leave
this place. “Of course, Lee.” She whispers into the
brunette’s hair. “Go with Mai and the others.”

“I wanna go with you.” Ty Lee argues, making Azula

smile ever so slightly.

“I know.” She says, and makes firm eye contact with her
brother. “But I have to do something first.”

Ty Lee pulls away enough to see that Azula meant it, but
also to know that she wouldn’t do anything stupid. When
she is satisfied, she mumbles, “Okay.” and leaves Azula’s
personal space and walks towards Mai, who wraps a
comforting arm around Ty Lee as the others all lead her
out.

Zuko stays behind.

“I had to do it.” Azula starts, making her point perfectly

clear for her brother.

“I know.” Is all he says.

They turn to their Father’s body, limbs pointed out in

different ways. Azula stands over the corpse, and looks
at his face, still frozen with the shock of Azula’s lightning.
That face would probably haunt Azula for the rest of her
days, she knew that, but if it meant that she could live in
a world without fear of what her Father might do, then it
was worth it.

Not having to see his face anymore after this moment

was good enough for her.

Azula hated him, and still does. She will never have a
day where she doesn’t hate him, and that’s fine. He had
abused her, and manipulated her just like he had Zuko.
She was a pawn to him, and now, he meant nothing to
her. He doesn’t scare her anymore. She could live in
peace with the fact that he was dead.

She knows, because she’s the one who killed him.

“Good riddance.” Azula grumbles.

Zuko actually finds the humor within himself to laugh.

“Yeah, good riddance.” He agrees.

“Do you think he ever cared about us at all?” Azula asks,

tilting her head and scanning his dead eyes for any sign
of life. All she found was cold, dead, and lifeless shock.

“No.” Zuko was quick to answer. “We were nothing to

him. Just another means to an end.”

Azula hums, and kicks his body for good measure. When
he doesn’t move after the aftershake of Azula’s action,
she turns halfway, saying, “Have fun in hell, Dad.”

Zuko mirrors her action, finishing her sentence with,

“You’ll fit right in.”

She laughs as he comes up next to her. As they walk

away, he wraps an arm around her shoulder, pulling her
towards him. Azula snickers, but wraps her own around
his torso, walking out of the room.

Together.

When they got back to the group, Kiyi practically

bounced on Azula, and the fire bender had to peel the
girl off so that she would get in the car with Zuko and
the others. Toph gladly gave up her seat on Azula’s
motorcycle so that Ty Lee could ride home with Azula.

“I see you finished it up.” Ty Lee hums lazily, wrapping

her arms around Azula’s waist from behind as she seated
herself comfortably on the bike.

Azula hums affirmatively. “Scared?” She asks, both

recalling Azula’s last drive on such a vehicle.

Ty Lee rests her head on the crevice between Azula’s

shoulder blades. “Not with you.” She whispers. “Not
anymore.”

Azula smiles, relieved to hear those words as she starts

the engine, revving it to life.

“We’ll see you guys back at the house!” Mai calls from
the passenger seat of Zuko’s car. They had pulled ahead
into the building parking lot to turn around, and were
just now coming back.

“Yeah.” Azula says. “Zuko! You called the cops right?!”

She calls, and he pops his head over to nod.

“They're on their way.” He says.

Azula says nothing, watching them take off down the

road. As she turns the bike around, revving the engine
slightly, but stops when Ty Lee says, “Did it make you
feel better?”

Did killing your Father make you feel better?

Azula narrows her eyes at nothing, a hardened frown

painting her face.

“No.” She says. It was probably a good thing, honestly. If

she had felt good about killing someone, then she didn’t
deserve the forgiveness or the love Ty Lee had given her.
“But you’re safe now. From him.”

“Are you okay?”

“No.” She answers. “But I will be.”

“Okay.”

With that, Azula takes off down the dark road, her single
light illuminating her path as her speed increases tenfold.
She feels Ty Lee’s grip tighten, and Agni she had missed
this feeling.

When they got home, Ty Lee was practically asleep, only

being kept awake by the harsh roar of the motorcycle’s
engine. Upon parking it and turning off the ignition,
Azula looks over her shoulder and says, “Ty Lee, we’re
here.”

Ty Lee moans softly, only snuggling closer into Azula and

making the girl chuckle. “Do you want me to carry you?”

A nod against her shoulders.

Sighing, Azula lifts herself off the bike, watching as Ty

Leeis able to sit up on her own, but her head is still bent
down and only her arms are moving out to reach for the
fire bender. Laughing softly at the display, Azula leans in,
allowing Ty Lee’s to wrap those arms around her neck as
Azula hoists her up, one arm scooping under her knees,
while the other rests under her upper back.

Ty Lee immediately curls her head into the crook of

Azula’s neck, the only noise she makes being the relaxed
sigh of contentment.

Azula smiles at the action, but focuses herself and heads

inside. Passing by the sitting room, she hears a snicker
to see everyone smiling at them. Kiyi is with them, Ursa
holding the girl in her arms, still too relieved to even
acknowledge Azula’s presence. Ikem was in the same
boat.

“Oh shut it, all of you.” She grits, walking passed them,
nose turned to the sky.

Ty Lee giggles in her arms as they head to Azula’s room,

making Azula raise a questioning eyebrow. “Something
funny?”

She shakes her head, and Azula sighs, knowing she’s not
getting a further answer than that.

Opening her door with her elbow, she carries Ty Lee over
to the bed, dropping her delicately but falling with her as
Ty Lee refuses to let go of her. She yelps a bit, but after
rolling to end up with Ty Lee on top of her, she can’t
really complain.

Beginning to run a hand through Ty Lee’s hair, which she

had carefully let loose from it’s braid, Azula hums
constantly.

She wouldn’t trade this for the word. She had the chance
but she couldn’t even think about doing it. Ty Lee meant
far too much to her.

“You said it.” Ty Lee says suddenly, and Azula makes a

noise of acknowledgement, not quite understanding what
Ty Lee meant. “I heard you say it.”

Azula’s hand stops when it finally clicks.

“I love you.”

“I did.” Azula comments, trying to stay nonchalant about

it.

Ty Lee shifts, and soon Azula is graced with Ty Lee’s face

in front of her. Chocolate brown hair drapes around them
like a veil, isolating the conversation for them and them
along.

“Can you say it again?”

Can she?

Azula had meant it then, of course, but that was in the

heat of the moment. She didn’t know what should
happen after she let that lightning go, so she knew she
had to say it once.

Yet, thinking about it now, she thinks she can.

The first time is always the hardest right?

Her fingers thread through Ty Lee’s hair as the brunette

stares at her. She is expectant, yet patient. If Azula can’t
say it, then she knows Ty Lee can wait. She always
waited. Ty Lee’s too patient for her own good. Azula
could tell it hurt her, and that’s the last thing she ever
wanted Ty Lee to experience because of her. Never again.

Azula’s made her wait long enough.

“I love you.” She says, voice barely above a whisper,

watching Ty Lee’s eyes widen and a smile spread across
her lips. Using her grip on Ty Lee’s hair, she pushes her
head towards her until their foreheads are touching.
Shutting her eyes, she tries to force the bad memories
out of Ty Lee. To make the pain she had endured while
under Ozai’s capture vanish. “And I will never let
anything happen to you ever again.”

Her words were firm. A solemn vow to the brunette. One

she would keep even if it killed her.

“I love you too.” Ty Lee breathes, and Azula opens her

eyes to see those grey orbs staring down at her. So close
to her own that she could see the faintest hints of blues
and greens in them. “So much.”

Vanilla finally hits her nose. It’s faint, but still noticeable,
and Azula immediately relaxes as Ty Lee returns her
head to the crook in Azula’s neck.

They’ve no doubt dirtied the bed, but Azula doesn’t care .

She has Ty Lee, and that’s all that matters to her.

Notes:
rejoice.

Chapter 38: Self Defense

Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

When Azula woke up, Ty Lee was there.

It brought her immediate relief. Last time she had slept

with Ty Lee in her bed, she had woken up to it empty.
Even the thought of it terrified Azula. Being alone,
without Ty Lee there. She slept better when Ty Lee was
next to her. Like some sort of angel, or guardian keeping
the demons away.

Azula let out a breath, feeling the brunette shift slightly

next to her. At some point she must have shifted so that
she could curl into Azula’s side, because she was latched
onto her so tight Azula could feel the air in her lungs
restricting.

Azula wonders how much it affected her.

Was she traumatized? She didn’t seem so bad, but if

Azula knows anything it’s that the damaged don’t like to
show their broken parts.

She wasn’t held for long, but lots of shit can happen in
just a few hours. Hell, Azula went from sleeping
peacefully with her girlfriend to killing her Father all in
the same night.

Shit, she was gonna get charged with that, wasn’t she?

She needed to talk to Zuko.

Slowly, she extracts herself from Ty Lee’s grip, careful

not to make any sudden movements lest she accidentally
wake the sleeping girl. When she’s finally out of bed, Ty
Lee moans softly, latching onto the pillow Azula was
previously using and settling back down.

Azula smiles. She was adorable.

Momentarily forgetting the fact that Ty Lee could wake

up, Azula dares to place the lightest of kisses on her
forehead. Her lips just barely graze over her forehead,
but it’s enough contact to make the brunette smile in her
sleep. Azula’s eyes widen for just a moment, thinking she
has woken the girl up, but upon seeing Ty Lee just
snuggle more into the pillow, she relaxes.

She’ll be back before Ty lee wakes up. With everything

the girl has been through, it would be a while before she
was up.

Heading out of the room, Azula makes her way to Zuko’s

room. She passes by the kitchen, seeing Mai and Katara
already up and talking. They notice her, and she notices
them, but they say nothing. No one really knows what to
say.

Azula keeps walking.

Reaching Zuko’s room, she notices the door was cracked

open, just a sliver of light filtering in through the small
crevice and onto the fine rug adorning the mansion’s
floors.

“Ah-!”

It was hissed, more a sound than an actual word. Azula

raises an eyebrow, and with curiosity getting the better
of her, opens the door silently, not making her presence
known.

There, looking into a floor mirror, was Zuko, shirt

discarded on the bed. The noise comes again, and it’s
then that Azula see’s it.

A giant, red scar in the center of his chest, ragged edges

lining it, just like a lightning bolt.

Azula’s eyes widen, but before she can even process it,
she hears another hissed, “Ow-!”

She can’t move. She can’t feel anything because she did
that. She did that to him and now it was...bruising? Azula
frowns, burns and lightning don’t bruise, they scar. This
was something different.

“Uhm-” Azula starts, not exactly knowing what she

should say. Zuko’s head flips around quickly, shocked at
Azula’s appearance.

“Oh, Azula. Hey.” He says, mildly panicking over the fact

that the scar was now on full display.

Azula gulps, doing anything to try and not focus on that

goddamn scar. “I need to...to talk to you. About last
night.”

“Oh, yeah right, okay. Lemme just-”

Zuko grabs his shirt, quickly putting it on and patting

down the wrinkles. “Okay, what is it?”

Azula stutters, actually stutters because, “I killed

someone.”

She didn’t mean to say it like that, but the cats out of
the bag now. “I killed him, and now the cops are gonna-”

“Okay.” Zuko interrupts, walking the short distance over

to her and trying to find out what he should do with his
arms. Eventually he settles on leaving them at her
shoulders, giving them a tight squeeze as he says,
“Everything will be fine Azula.”

“How can you possibly know that Zuko.” Azula says,

voice growing more tense and firm with every word. “I
killed our Father.” She emphasizes.

“In self defense.” He reassures, hands sliding down to

rest on her upper arms. “I’ve already called the police
department, and there’s gonna be a trial, but we have a
solid case. Our family's attorney says there’s enough
evidence to put any doubt in the judge’s mind to rest.”

“Evidence?” Azual asked. Apparently her brain that was

usually at a hundred percent all the time was short
circuiting. “What evidence?”

“Camera footage, audio files, public witnesses. There

were nine of us there, Azula, and that’s not including the
guards who will no doubt have to testify too.”

Zuko’s words finally start to register, and she realizes

that she was freaking out over nothing. She had killed
him, but it was to protect Ty Lee. He was holding a gun
to her head and promising to kill her if Azula didn’t
comply. She had to do it or he would do it himself. There
was…

“There was no other way.” Azula mumbles. “The judge

will understand that.”

“Exactly.” Zuko agrees. “You, you killed Ozai, but you did
it to protect someone one worth saving. Someone you
care about.”

Someone worth saving.

Azula smiles. Of course Ty Lee was worth saving. She

thought Azula was worth saving, so Ty Lee should be
held far above any danger, out of harm's reach so that
nothing could hurt her ever again.

“Okay.” Azula breathes. “So I’m good.”

A statement. One she desperately needed to be true

right. Not just for legal matters, but in the eyes of her
brother. She had killed their Father, and no matter how
cruel the man was, he was still their Father. She needed
to know that Zuko...that she and Zuko were good.

“Yeah.” Zuko says, his soft hazel eyes staring into her
own, more concerned ones. “You’re good Azula. We’re
good, I promise.”

Azula lets out a relieved sigh, but as her eyes narrow to

the ground, they get stuck on the patch of Zuko’s shirt
where she now knows a scar that she had put on him
laid.

“I’m sorry.” Azula whispers. “I almost killed you, and I

haven’t even apologized for it.” She laughs miserably.

Zuko chuckles, confusing Azula. “I’d like to think of it as

a way that makes us even.”

This only furthers Azula's current state. “Even…?” She

trails, waiting for an explanation she hopes Zuko will give
her.

He laughs again, and merely walks around her. Azula tilts

her head a bit to follow him, but she feels his finger on
her back, directly on the spot her own gash lay, hidden
under her shirt, same as his.

The finger removes itself, and Azula is frozen, still feeling

the ghost of it’s touch as he makes the full circle around
her, landing back where he started and simply placing
that same finger on his stomach.

“I may not have given you that scar, but I blame myself
for it every day.”

Why?

Azula can’t understand for the life of her, “Why?”

Zuko smiles, and looks down. Azula follows his eyes, and
sees that he had lifted the shirt, revealing the scar once
more. “When you gave this to me on that day, I know
you may not believe me, but I didn’t hate you. I saw you
crying that day, sobbing your eyes out and all I felt was
pity, and regret.”

He takes a deep breath before continuing. “You gave it to

me in a fit of rage. A moment where you had decided
that killing me was better than losing. You had it stuck in
your mind that anything was better than failure, even
murdering your brother.”

“I’m sorry-” Azula chokes.

“Let me finish.” Zuko demands, but the smile is still

evident. “For a while after, I was angry. I thought, ‘How
could she do this? To her own brother?’”.

He lowers the shirt. “But then it clicked.” He says. “You

weren’t angry at me, or Aang, or even Katara-”

“Oh no I was definitely mad at her.” Azula says, crossing

her arms with a firm frown. He laughs.

“Okay, then her too. But I think you were mostly just
mad at yourself.”

Azula tilts her head. “I don’t…”

“You were mad at yourself, Azula.” Zuko repeats, more

firmly this time. “You were mad that you were failing
him, so you took it out on the world. On me.”

Azula purses her lips, looking down because he was

right. He was so spot on that it was actually not possible.
How was he this good at understanding what was going
through her head. “This...This doesn’t explain why you
blame yourself.” She redirects.

Zuko takes in a deep breath. “You'd said Father

constantly talked about me right? As some like standard,
or threat to you I’m guessing?”

Azula nods, not allowing herself a chance to speak.

“Then I’m part of the reason that those scars are on your
back.” Zuko says. “He used me to get to you, and when
you failed like I had, he did the same thing to you that
he did to me.”

“You didn’t…” Azula says, eyes betraying her as they

begin to water up. “You weren’t-”

“I was, and I don’t think you know that yet.” Zuko

explains. “I wasn’t there for you Azula. I should have
been, but I wasn’t. I should have been the big brother I
was supposed to be and kept an eye on you, but instead
I let him treat you so much worse than he did to me-”

Azula can’t let this go one. She can’t.

It’s not his fault .

She needs him to see that.

She needs it.

So, she does the only thing she knows that will shut him
up.

Her arms are around him faster than she ever thought
possible. Just as planned, his blabbering is quickly
silenced and is followed by a tense silence. Her awkward
gesture meets no resistance, but no acceptance either.
He’s frozen still.

“Don’t blame yourself for something you didn’t have

control over.”

It’s a textbook statement. One she had received from

Doctor Glen, but she can work with it. “I’m...I’m not
good at this, but you didn’t...you didn’t know it was
happening Zuko, so don’t blame yourself.”

“That’s the problem, sis.” Zuko says. “I should have

known, but I didn’t care back then.”

“If it’s any consolation, I didn’t give two shits about you
either.” She jokes, trying to lighten the mood.

It works, earning a genuine laugh out of her brother, and

she feels two hands press against her back. “We were so
different, weren’t we?”

Azula smiles, and nods against his shoulder. “Yeah.”

“I’m glad we’ve changed.” He says. “This feels nice.”

“Yeah.” Azula agrees. “Yeah, it does.”

When she arrives back at her room, Ty Lee is still asleep.

Zuko had told her that Azula probably didn’t have much
time. The cops would show up at some point to arrest
her. It was inevitable, so Azula had to make this moment
count.

Taking a seat on the bed, she stares at Ty lee. The light

from the window was hitting her just right, so her skin
seemed to practically glow in the early morning sun.

Azula would never take this girl for granted. It

just...wasn’t allowed. If she ever did, she would die,
because how on Agni could anyone expect her to take
this walking angel for granted? She was everything Azula
wanted, and needed in her life. She just hoped she was
the same for Ty Lee.

Have faith in others.

It was something Glenn had told her. Having faith could

lead to something good. Something wonderful.

Azula was inclined to believe this was it.

What’s more wonderful than Ty Lee?

Agni she sounded like a sap.

Whatever, Azula decides, brushing a fallen hair out of Ty

Lee’s face. She was worth it.

A small moan emanates from the brunette’s lips, followed

by two tightly shut eyes blinking open to meet Azula’s. A
lazy smile stretches across her face when she sees the
fire bender. “Hi.”

“Hey.” Azula replies with a smile. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine.” Ty lee replies, stretching her limbs to help wake

herself up. “What about you?”

Azula’s smile falters, if only for a second at the thought

of what was to come, but she decides to not ruin this
moment. She wouldn’t throw this on Ty Lee yet. She had
no clue of what was to come.

Months of trials. Cameras in their faces, microphones

shoved towards them aggressively. Too many crowds of
reporters. Questions asked with malice that she has
sworn to answer truthfully.

It was all waiting for them, but Azula doesn’t want to

think about that right now. She wants to think about how
beautiful Ty Lee is with her morning bedhead.

“I’ll be fine.” She answers.

Ty Lee frowns, more of a pout than anything else.

“Azula…”

“I’m serious, Lee.” Azula reassures. “You’re safe now.

That’s all that matters.”

It’s during lunch that it happens.

The cursed doorbell rings, and Azula and Zuko share a

knowing look. They know who’s on the other side of that
door, but the others don’t.

“Who’s that?” Katara asks, wiping her mouth of any

remains of her food.

“I’ll get it.” Mai says, but Zuko holds her down. She’s
confused, but when she sees him staring at Azula, she
finally understands.

They were here.

“Azula, what’s going on?” Ty Lee asks, noticing all of the

eyes on her and not understanding what it meant.

Smiling as best she could, she wipes her hands and

places her napkin down. She reaches and firmly grips the
opposite side of Ty Lee’s head, pulling it towards her so
that she can place a kiss to the side of her head. When
she pulls away, Azula lets her forehead rest on Ty Lee’s.

“Everything’s going to be okay, Lee. I promise.”

“Azula, what-”

She stands before Ty Lee can finish, and begins to head

towards the main foyer. The doorbell rings again, echoing
through the mansion as she reaches the front door. She
hears eight other pairs of feet following behind her, but
she pays them no mind.

She opens the door, and there, hands on their hips, just
above the gun strapped to their hip, are two police men.

“Good evening, is this the home of Ozai and his

children?”

“Yes.” Azula answers. “How can I help you?”

“Is your name Azula by chance?” The other man asks.

She nods, and he follows with, “You’re going to need to
come with us, Ma’am.”

“Azula?” Ty Lee calls, and Azula looks back to see tears in

the girl's eyes. Zuko already has a hand on her shoulder,
and she makes eye contact with him.

“Keep her safe, okay?” She says to her brother.

“With my life.” He answers.

“We don’t have to do this in front of your friends.” The

cop offers.

“No.” Azula replies, and holds out her hands. “They know
what this is about, so just do it.”

The cops share a brief glance, shrugging at each other.

“If that’s what you want.” One says, pulling out a pair of
handcuffs.

“Azula, you have been charged with the murder of your

Father, Ozai. You have the right to remain silent,
anything you say can and will be used against you in a
court of law. You have the right to an attorney…”

The handcuffs are chained around her wrists, tightly so

that there is no leeway for her to try and get out. One
begins to lead her away, but Azula can hear Ty Lee
screaming. Saying that they had it wrong, that she was
protecting her from him and that she didn’t deserve this.

Azula spares a glance back, meeting Ty Lee’s utterly

terrified eyes. Zuko and Mai are holding her back by the
arms, and Azula hates how horrible this must be to see.
She could spare to say anything, so she settles for
something else. Something only they knew.

She lifts a cuffed hand up, and taps her lips three times
before being shoved into the back of the cop car.

Azula watches Ty lee, and even though she can’t hear

her, she can see her screaming. Shouting, struggling,
anything to let her go to Azula, but she can’t. Azula was
paying the price for what she had done, and now Ty lee’s
was going to get sucked into it. All of them were.

Ty Lee is finally let go when the car begins to move down

the road, and Azula watches her chase the car until she’s
too far away to even see her. Only when they turn the
corner, completely vanishing from sight does Azula turn
around, letting the tear slip from her eye.

She was good. It was self defense. That’s what Zuko told
her, so she has to believe it.

Now all she could do was hope the judge believed it too.

Notes:
hey everyone!

so this is going to be the last chapter

for a while. im going on vacation during
christmas so im going to be a bit
preoccupied with that. but i do have a
mini series written that ill be posting
that for the next few days, so dont
worry.

i hope you all are still enjoying this,

now we get to tackle the law and
consequences of azulas actions.

stay safe everyone, and happy holidays

:)

Chapter 39: An Old Friend of The

Family
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

There’s a faint buzz in the room. Probably from the

lighting.

Azula can hear it distantly, behind the voices of the two

cops sitting across from her. Her head was facing
towards the metal table, locked onto her cuffed hands,
resting comfortably interlocked just behind the metal bar
in the center. On the cops side, there was a file.

Suddenly, that file is pushed towards her.

“Do you recognize this image, Azula?”

Her eyes glaze over the photo. It’s low quality, but she
can distinctly make out what it is.

It’s her Father’s dead corpse, and Azula and Zuko are
standing over it.

“There were 3 security camera’s recording you from

different angles. You may as well just confess.” One of
them says, a bit too quickly if Azula has any say in it.
She can tell he just wants this to be over. They had been
holding her for about 15 minutes now. That doesn’t
include the 2 hours she spent in a cell filled with other
convicts, and the four before that with the judge to
figure out her bail. “It will make things a lot easier for all
of us.”

Azula looks up, no readable expression on her face.

If there was one thing she was not going to do, it was
that.

5 more minutes. That’s all she needs.

She smiles, and tilts her head playfully. “Tell me, how
long have you been working here?”

The cop narrows his eyes. “That’s none of your business.”

“Now that’s no fun.” She pouts. “You get to know

everything about me, but I don’t get to know a single
thing about you?”

“We aren’t your friends Azula.” The other pipes in,

putting his hand down on the table as some sort of show
of strength.

“I am well aware of that, officer…” She drawls, raising an

eyebrow at him.

“Benjiro.”

“Officer Benjiro.” Azula confirms, leaning back a bit in her

chair. “I merely want to know how long you’ve been
working here. I have no intention of becoming your
friend.”

They glance at each other, and the still unnamed man

shrugs. Benjiro sighs. “I’ve been working here for four
years.”

“And I’ve been working five.” The other adds. “My name
is officer Hayato.”

“A pleasure.” Azula says with the slightest hint of disgust.

“It’s clear they picked you two because you have had no
affiliation with me in the past.”

The way they both take a step back is confirmation

enough for Azula, but she makes no visible sign of
pleasure. It’s important she stays calm and level headed
here, anything she says will be recorded and used in the
trial.

“See, you both came into this thinking you had me

cornered, but you seem to forget just who I am.” Azula
sighs. “I’m Azula, and my Father was the best
businessman in the world. I know my way around the
government’s systems, and that includes the courts.” She
says. “Also,”

She stands, her cuffs jingling against the metal as she

does so. They both watch in muted horror as her hazel
eyes meet theres, seemingly to glow with confidence as
she says;

“I’ve been through this before, so I know exactly what

you’ll do, and what happens next.” She proclaims. “I also
know that I only need 20 minutes before my lawyer
shows up.”

Right on cue, the door opens to reveal another officer,

and a man in a navy blue suit walks in, holding a very
expensive briefcase, as well as the release order saying
her bail has been paid.

Azula looks at the clock on the wall. “You’re a minute

late, Ahiro. Are you sure you’re not losing your touch?”

Ahiro grunts, but makes no further acknowledgement of

that, instead preferring to hold up the release from the
police. “My client is to be released now. The bail has
been paid, and all the requirements have been met.”

Benjiro swipes the paper away and does a once over. He

grits his teeth visibly, clearly frustrated by the setback,
but nudges his head to Hayato, who sighs and moves to
take off her handcuffs. As soon as they are gone, Azula
rubs her wrists soothingly, and makes her way over to
Ahiro, who stands by the door, waiting for her.

“It’s been fun gentlemen, I’ll see you soon.” She gives
them a smile, probably the fakest one she’s ever made,
and leaves the room, hearing it shut behind her.

It takes Ahiro all of three seconds to begin his own

interrogation. “What did you say?”

“Nothing.”

“Did they show you the evidence?”

“Of course.”

“Then you know how bad this is for you.”

“I’m not an idiot, Ahiro.” Azula grunts. “This isn't my first

time in a murder case.”

“I know, Azula, but you’ve put yourself in a tight spot.”

Azula narrows her eyes, turning the corner. “Isn’t that

why my family pays you $200 an hour?”

“Just...keep your head down, Azula. This is going to be a

very big mess, and you’ll only make it worse to clean
up.”

“Whatever you say.” Azula mumbles, and finally reaches

the lobby. As soon as it comes into view, Azula’s eyes
lock onto the three familiar faces sitting in the waiting
chairs across the room.

Ty Lee is the first to stand, and even quicker to sprint

over to her.

Azula settles for a brisk walk, but her posture is hurried,

and a little concerned after seeing the terror in Ty Lee’s
eyes.

The second Ty Lee’s arms are around her, Azula

whispers, “I’m sorry.”

Ty Lee sniffles. “You better be.”

Her arms tighten, and she directs her attention to Zuko

and Mai, who are now only a few feet away. “You paid
the bail?”

“Of course I did.” Zuko says, appalled.

“It was a million dollars, Zuko.”

“And you’re my sister.” He justifies. “I’m not gonna leave

you here if we have more than enough money to pay it.”

Azula couldn’t justify any retort to that, so she merely

shifts to Mai. She says nothing, but they share a silent
conversation.

Mai knows what she’s asking with those eyes.

Was she okay?

Mai shakes her head, and Azula grits her teeth. Her hold
tightens, and Ty Lee squeezes right back.

“Pardon the interruption, but we should go. There’s a lot

we need to discuss.” Ahiro butts in, and Azula sighs.

“Right.”

Pulling away from Ty Lee, She takes one of her hands,

instead and together they all walk out. Azula realizes
that Ty Lee seems to be on the cusp of crying any second
now, but they can’t make a scene.

“Wait.” Azula says just before they head out the front
door. She turns to Ty lee, whose head is now turned
down to the floor. Shifting herself to be directly in front
of the girl, Azula picks her head up, cradling her cheeks
and stroking the skin there gently. “Ty Lee, listen to me.”

Ty Lee’s eyes gloss over, and Azula quickly shushes her.

“Don’t cry, Ty Lee. You can’t cry.”

“Azula-” Ty Lee chokes.

“Ty Lee.” Azula says, voice firm as she pulls Ty Lee’s head
ever so slightly towards hers. “Listen, there is going to
be people outside. People who want to see reactions
from us. From me, and from you.”

“Why?” Ty Lee asks.

“It gives them a story, and paints a narrative. We can’t

let them have that.” Azula explains. “I’ve been through
this before, Ty Lee. You remember that, don’t you?”

Ty Lee nods her head slightly.

“Good, so then you know what a single tear can do to the

media.”

Another nod.

“It’s just until we get to the car, and then we can go

straight home. Okay?” She says. “Can you do that for
me?”

Ty lee shakely brings her hands up to clasp over Azula’s,

bringing them down with a nod. With a deep breath, Ty
Lee’s eyes are no longer glossy, and her composure is
set.

Azula looks over to Ahiro, who’s hand is on the door,

waiting. Taking her place next to Ty lee, hand still
interlocked with the brunette’s, she gives him a nod.

The door opens, and a wave of shouts swarm her ears.

There were two officers waiting for them outside, and
with their help, the five of them pushed their way into
the car.

But not before Azula caught some of the questions being

thrown towards her.

“Azula! How does it feel to know you’ve murdered your

own Father?!”

“Why did you do it Azula?!”

“When will the trial be?!”

Azula ignores them all, focusing on getting Ty Lee into

the car safely, and then herself. Once she’s in, Ahiro
holds the door open behind her and says, “I’ll meet you
at the house, okay?”

His voice was loud in her ears, trying to speak over the
booming reporters and journalists behind him. Wincing,
she nods, and is grateful when the door slams shut.

When they got home, Ahiro was not far behind, and they
all assembled in the living room. Mai and Zuko sat on the
couch, Ty Lee took Azula’s chair while Azula leaned on
one of the arm rests. Ahiro sat cross legged in the chair
across from hers.

“I got a call on the drive over. The arraignment is set to

be two days from now.” Ahiro says after a beat.
“Apparently they want to get this thing done quickly.”

“There’s no way I’m going to be able to plead innocent.”

Azula says. It wasn’t a question.

Ty Lee looks up. “Why not?”

“They have too much evidence stacked up against me. If

I were to plead not guilty when I definitely am, the
punishment could be worse than it would be if I pleaded
guilty.” Azula explains.

“Exactly.” Ahiro confirms. “Which is why you’re going to

plead guilty due to self defense.”

Azula nods, already knowing this.

“What does that mean exactly?”

“It means that if we can prove the murder was in self

defense, then the murder will be ruled justified, and
Azula will be safe.” Ahiro says. “All four components are
already shown in evidence, I just need you to say the
words during the arraignment.”

Azula nudged her head slightly. “Done. What else do you

need from me?”

Ahiro brings his hands up to his mouth, clasping them

together just in front of his lips with a heaving sigh.
“You’re not going to like this.”

Her eyes narrow, thinking of what he could be talking

about until they widen because-

Oh.

“You want photos of them, don’t you?” She asks, eyes

turning into a seething glare.

“Photos of what?” Ty Lee asks.

“Yeah, of what?” Zuko chimes in, leaning forward in his

seat.
Ahiro inhales. “If we can show evidence of emotional and
physical abuse, then-”

“Are you fucking kidding me?!” Zuko shouts. “You want

pictures of her burns?!”

“Yes!” He says. “That, and the video from the warehouse

will be more than enough to win the case!”

“This isn’t about the case!” Ty Lee suddenly screams.

“This is about Azula!”

“It’s fine.”

All heads turn to Azula, who quite literally looks numb.

“A-Azula?” Ty Lee says.

With a deep breath, Azula looks up at Ahiro. “You said all

you needed were pictures and the video right? Nothing
else?”

Ahiro gulps, but gives her a firm nod. “It will reinforce
your reasoning to kill him. If they know of the abuse you
endured from him, it will paint a more understanding
picture.”

Azula recognizes this. She doesn’t like it, not one bit, but
she knows it’s the best possible action to take right now.
They’ll probably bring in her therapist too, which doesn’t
concern Azula too much. They can use the events that
happened with her Mother to back up her mental
stability.

“You can have your pictures, but nothing else, you

understand?” Azula says, standing up from her position.
Everyone watches her, completely stunned by her
maturity and understanding of the situation. They
shouldn’t be, considering just who exactly she is.

He nods, and she promptly leaves the room.

Ty lee followed her out, of course. They had a lot to

discuss.

“You knew this was going to happen, didn’t you?!” Ty Lee

accuses as soon as the door is shut behind her.

Azula says nothing at first, merely heading over to her

desk. “Of course I did. I killed someone Ty Lee, there
was going to be consequences.”

“You didn’t think to tell me?!”

Opening her drawer, she takes out Lu Ten’s necklace.

“I’m sorry.”

Ty Lee scoffs. “Sorry’s not good enough right now, Azula!

Do you know what it’s like to watch that?! To watch the
person you love be dragged away?!”

“I do.”

Azula looks up, and see’s Ty Lee stumble back when she
notices the tears in the fire bender's eyes. “I know
exactly what that’s like, Ty Lee, and you know that.”

“I-” Ty Lee’s words are halted, not being able to find the
right thing to say to Azula.

Azula takes the necklace and puts it around her neck.

I need you Lu. Can you help me out, just this once?

Azula likes to think she can hear him say yes.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, Ty lee.” Azula sighs, fixing the
necklace to be perfectly rested around her neck. “But I’m
not sorry either.”

Ty Lee’s eyebrows knit together, confused. “What? That

doesn’t make any sense?”

Azula takes a step towards the brunette. “I’m not sorry

that I got to have that morning with you. I’m not sorry
that I got to see you happy, and unconcerned. I’m not
sorry that I finally got to see what you look like when
you finally felt safe from him.”

Ty Lee openly gapes at her, completely baffled and at a

loss for any argument she could make against Azula.

“But I am sorry for what about this is going to put you

through.”

The gaping stops suddenly, and Ty Lee looks confused.

“Me? Why are you worried about me? Your the one who’s
on trial for murder, Azula.”

“And you’re going to get dragged into it.”

Ty Lee stares at Azula’s guilty expression. “Then let’s get

this over with quickly.”

“Ty Lee that’s not how this works.” Azula says. “Cases
like mine could take months to get a final verdict.”

“Ahiro said we have all the points, so all we need to do is

convince them that you killed in self defense. Which you
did, might I add.”

Azula says nothing, but they both know Ty Lee is right.

“I’ll be here for you Azula.” Ty Lee reassures. “And you’ll

be here for me. Right?”

Azula softens. “Of course I-.”

The door opens, and Azula looks to see Mai on the other
side. She looks between the two girls and raises an
eyebrow. “Am I interrupting something?”

Azula takes a deep breath. “What is it?”

“Ahiro says he needs to get the pictures as soon as

possible. I have no clue why, but that’s what he said.”

“Of course he does.” Azula groans. “Okay, tell him I’m on

my way.”

Mai leaves and Azula grabs her jacket.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Ty Lee asks as

Azula shrugs the piece of clothing onto her body.

Shaking her head, Azula says, “No, I’ll be fine.”

“Okay. Let me know how it goes?”

Azula smiles, flipping the hair stuck under her jacket out
and onto her shoulders. Reaching up, she takes Ty Lee
by the cheek and presses a kiss to her forehead. “You’ll
be the first one I call.”

“Thank you for this, Azula.” Ahiro says.

“Just do your damn job.” Azula grunts, taking off her

jacket. “Did we really have to do this today?”

“My friend that has a good quality camera is going out of

town after today, so I’m afraid so.” Ahiro explains,
fiddling with said camera. “Stand over there please.
Against the white wall.”

Azula glances at the wall. They were in his house, where

he had led her to the basement. It was mostly full of
files, records, and other things that a lawyer apparently
had stowed in their house. But an entire section of the
basement was empty, probably for doing things like this.

Sighing, she does as she’s told.

Ahiro was one of the most professional, and top earning

lawyers in Republic City, and quite possibly the world.
He’s won hundreds of cases over the years, and people
pay him top dollar to hire him as their attorney. He was
clean cut, hardworking, and fair.

However, Ozai always had his grasp over Ahiro, as he did

with countless others. Ahiro would keep his slate clean
from any prying eyes, and take any and all of his cases,
including the murder of his Father, Azulon.

Azula didn’t notice it as a child, probably never cared to,

but now that she was older and more observant, she saw
the disgust in his eyes towards her and Zuko. Her more
so than her brother. He knew exactly who she was, and
what she’d done.

Still, she was the one paying him, so he was going to do

his job like he was supposed to.

“Why did you do it, really?” He abruptly asks.

“Excuse me?” Azula inquires, voice taking the offensive

as he begins to head over to her.

“I know you Azula, and I know what you’re capable of.

So why did you kill him?”

Ah, now she gets it.

Clearly he hasn’t been keeping up with her more recent

proceedings.

“You have no clue, do you?” She laughs.

He shrugs. “Afraid not. You pay me to keep you out of

jail, not keep up with your personal life.”

She snickers. “Exactly what I thought you’d say.”

“Well?” He presses.

“And here I thought you said you watched the video.”

She sighs.

“I did.”

“Then you should have enough brain cells to realize that

the girl he had pointed a gun at was my girlfriend, Ty
Lee.”

“Really?” Ahiro laughs. “Well you just broke all the rules
with that one, didn’t you?”

“I broke a few more if you care enough to ask.”

“Well, I am supposed to be painting the narrative, right?”

Ahiro says. “Take off your shirt please.”

Azula smirks, and turns around. “I think this’ll be proof

enough.”

Crossing her arms around the hem of her shirt, she lifts
it up over her head to reveal the array of scars and
bruises left marking the back and arms.

See, Ahiro may have been informed of the abuse by

Zuko or whoever cared to tell him, but he hadn’t seen
just how much damage Ozai had done.

“Holy shit.” Ahiro breathes. “I knew it was bad, but this…”

Azula’s smirk disappears. “Is it enough for you to win this

thing?”

“I mean, yeah but-” He pauses. “Are you sure you're

okay with this? These images will become public
knowledge.”

“I know what evidence is, Ahiro.” Azula grits. “Just take

the damn pictures.”

She hears the first of many photos taken a few moments

later.

Maybe she should get a tattoo.

Notes:
im baaaaackkkkk :)

my vacation is over and i am currently

in my two week quarantine period, so i
will be getting back into the groove
now. sorry for keeping all of you waiting
for so long, but i feel refreshed with a
clear mind with what i want to do.

(p.s. please dont get mad if i happen to

get anything wrong about the whole
court plot, ive done a bunch of
research, but theres probably stuff ill
still miss, so sorry in advance.)

Chapter 40: A Talk, A Session, and

An Arraignment

That night, Azula was woken up to a sharp tug on the

end of her bed sheets.

It wasn’t the first, and Azula could figure it probably

wouldn’t be the last if the consistency of the tugs kept
up.

So after the fifth one, Azula finally opened her eyes, and
shifted to look at whoever was causing her to lose sleep.

To her surprise, she sees Kiyi.

“What are you doing here, gremlin?” Azula groans. “You

should be asleep.”

Kiyi's nervous expression falls to face the floor, where her

foot dug into the wooden floor. “Can...Can I sleep with
you, Azu?”

Azula raises an eyebrow. This was a first if she was being

honest.

Sitting up, Azula glances at Ty Lee, who was still soundly

asleep next to her. She figures the girl’s probably out for
the night so long as they keep quiet. Looking back to
Kiyi, Azula see’s something that gives the girl away.

Kiyi’s fiddling with her thumbs.

She’s scared.

Sighing, she pats the spot open between her legs. “Come
on.”

Kiyi crawls up onto the bed in the space provided, and

looks at Azula. Even with only the moonlight filtering in
through the windows, Azula could make out those wide
grey eyes staring at her.

“Did you have a bad dream?” Azula asks.

She knows that look, she’s had it too many times herself.
Only, she’s never had someone to go to before now,
before Ty Lee. What Azula doesn't get is why Kiyi came
to her, and not her Mother.

A nod from Kiyi gives her an answer.

“Do you want to tell me about it?”

Kiyi shifts nervously. “It was about the bad men.”

Azula’s eyes widened for a moment. She was having

nightmares about it.

“It’s like...like I’m there.” Kiyi explains. “I see you, and

Lee Lee, but they always get me.”

“Have you talked to your Mom about this?” She asks,

placing a hand to Kiyi’s back.

She shakes her head. “She holds on too tight.”

“Ursa does?”

Kiyi nods. “When I wake up, she’s squeezing too hard. It

feels like I’m still there.”

Fucking Ursa.

Azula knows she doesn’t mean to, but she’s scaring Kiyi
to the point where the child doesn’t think she can talk to
her about this.

“Is that why you came to me?”

A nod, and Azula sighs.

“Kiyi, I understand, but she’s your Mother. She’s just

being protective, okay?”

“Protective?” Kiyi asks.

“Yeah, it’s like-” Azula licks her lips, trying to think of a

good explanation. “She wants to keep you safe, and
doesn’t want anyone to take you from her again.”

Kiyi seems to ponder that. “Is that what it’s like for you
and Ty Lee?”

Azula freezes up slightly. “What makes you say that?”

“You like Ty Lee a lot, right? Are you protective of her?”

Azula clicks her tongue, a smile edging on her lips.

Bringing her hand up, she ruffles the hair on Kiyi’s head.
“I knew you were smart, you little gremlin.”

Kiyi tries to swat Azula’s hand away, seemingly annoyed

but her smile defies her. Good. That means she’s feeling
better.

Stopping, Azula gives her a small pat on the shoulder. “I

am. Very much, Kiyi.” She says. “Which is why you need
to believe me on this. Your Mother...She’s just scared,
okay?”

Kiyi nods. “Okay, but can I still sleep with you?”

Azula inhales deeply. “Fine, come here.”

Kiyi breathes a small, “Yes!” and crawls into the space

between Azula and Ty Lee.

Apparently, she caused too much of a ruckus, because Ty

Lee shifts with a sleepy groan. “Zula? What’s going on?”

“Kiyi is adamant on sleeping with us tonight. Is that

alright?” Azula yawns.

Ty Lee’s eyes open. “What’s wrong?”

“Nightmares.”

“Please, Lee Lee?” Kiyi pleads, with both her words and
eyes.

She softens. “Of course, Kiyi.”

All three settled into bed, and not long after they had
shut their eyes, Kiyi spoke once more.

“Azu?” She whispers.

“Sleep, Kiyi.” Azula whispers back.

“Why did you get arrested?”

Azula’s eyes open, and she stares at the wall distantly. “I

did something bad.”

“Like what?”

Take a deep breath, and tell Kiyi the truth. Lying would
only make things worse. Though, it was a lot harder than
just saying it in her mind.

“I killed someone.”

Kiyi is silent for a very long time. At least a minute in full

until she finally says, “Who?”

“My Father. His name was Ozai.”

“Why?”

“You’re taking this far better than any seven year old
should.” Azula remarks, and Kiyi furrows her eyebrows.

“Why, Azu?” Kiyi repeats, and Azula’s impressed at her

forcefulness.

“Azula, just tell her.” Ty Lee groans. “I want to go to

sleep.”

Both girls look at one another, and both smile at the

same time.

“Lee Lee is cranky.” Kiyi whispers.

“I am not cranky!” Ty Lee exclaims flipping over. “Azula’s

the cranky one!”

“Not right now I’m not, darling.” Azula chuckles, but

stops when she registers what she just said.

“Darling?”

Azula gapes a little, meeting Ty Lee’s eyes, which were

trained on her, waiting for an answer Ty Lee was silently
asking the question to.

“Uh-” Azula starts.

“Azu you never answered me!” Kiyi accuses.

“I- What?” Azula asks as Kiyi topples onto her.

“You never answered why you did it! Tell me!” Kiyi
presses, and Azula is confused until Kiyi looks up slightly,
and gives Azula a small wink. Well, at least, Kiyi
attempted to do so. In actuality, it looks like Kiyi was
trying to get something out of her eye.

Azula huffs. That little shit was saving her the

embarrassment of the moment.

She’d thank her later.

“I did it to protect you, and Ty Lee.” Azula answers.

“Remember what we talked about? With protectiveness?”

“Oh...So he was one of the bad men?” Kiyi asks.

Azula nods. “Yes, he was the bad man who ordered the
others to take you and Lee Lee away from me.”
“But why did you have to kill him?”

“Because if I didn’t, then he would kill Lee Lee.”

Kiyi gasps. “No! He can’t kill Lee Lee!” She exclaimed,

launching at Ty Lee who, under the force of the impact,
was pushed off the bed with a scream.

Urging herself up, Azula leans over the side of the bed,
only to hear laughter, and see the two girls giggling
joyfully.

Azula pauses, taking in the scene before her, and smiles.

She chose this over her Father.

She killed him to protect this, and she would do it again

in a heartbeat.

There was no doubt in her mind about it.

“What are your thoughts on tattoos, Doctor?” Azula asks,

fiddling with the stress ball she had so graciously been
given.

“I’m sorry?” Glenn asks. “My thoughts on...Tattoos?”

“Yes.” She confirms, giving it a squeeze. Firm, but still

squishy. Interesting.

“Well, if we are referring to the therapeutic side of them,

they can be...healing, in a way.”

Azula raises an eyebrow, uncrossing and crossing her

legs in the opposite way. “How so?”

“Well, they can cover up injuries one may want to move

past. A...A blanket, if you will.”

“A blanket?” Azula asks, taking another squeeze.

“Yes.” Glenn says, and holds out her arms as if to gesture

something, but not actually doing anything with them.
“Consider...A first responder has a large scar or injury.
They may find comfort in covering it up with a tattoo that
signifies growth or development past that point in their
life. I’ve seen it many times in patients who were
struggling with self harm.”

Azula hums, thinking over the new found information.

Glenn shifts her hands back to her clipboard, but her

eyes glaze over with concern for Azula’s unnaturally calm
state. “I must say, you seem to be holding up a lot better
than I thought you would be.”

The squeezing stops. “And why’s that.”

“I’ve been watching the news.” Glenn replies. “And I

know your arraignment is taking place later this
afternoon.”

Azula is silent. She knew this was coming, but she had
rather hoped it wouldn’t have.

“...Why did you kill him?”

She frowns, eyes narrowing. “You haven’t seen the

recordings?”

Glenn shakes her head. “No. The police have all evidence
strictly under wraps.”

Azula leans back in her chair. “He pointed a gun at Ty

Lee’s head and threatened to shoot if I didn’t join him
and his cult.”

“Cult?” Glenn replies.

“His followers.” Azula explains. “People who still worship

him as if he was a God.”

“I see.”

“He took my little sister too. She was unharmed when I

found her, but she’s been having nightmares.” Azula
reveals.

“Does your Mother know about this?”

Shaking her head, Azula says, “No. I suppose she thinks

I’ll understand better then Ursa will.”

“Do you?”

“Of course I do.” Azula scoffs. “I was there .”

“Interesting.” Glenn says, scribbling something down.

“How did it make you feel, having to go through that?”

Azula laughs. “ That is the first time you’ve ever sounded

like a generic therapist.”

Glenn chuckles. “Well, as generic as it is, it is an effective

question, so I hope you’ll answer it.”

“One can’t really explain how I felt. I suppose the best

word to describe it was terrified.”

“Terrified?”

“At first, I was angry. Livid.” Azula says. “I had watched

my Father’s followers take my sister and girlfriend away
right in front of me.”

“That would have made anyone angry, I suppose.” Glenn

agrees.

“But when we got to where they were holding them, and

I saw Ty Lee with a gun pointed at her, I was...I was so
scared. He was threatening to kill her and I was
powerless to stop him. I felt so weak, and so useless in
that moment.”

Glenn is silent, waiting for Azula to continue.

Taking a deep breath, Azula composes herself. “It was

either him or Ty Lee. He said he would do it if I didn’t, so
I did what I had to to keep Ty lee safe.”

“Did you take pleasure in it?” She asks.

“No.” Azula says. “I know that I wanted to before, when

Ty lee had first been taken, but I took no pleasure in
taking his life. All I wanted was for Ty Lee to be safe.”

Glenn smiles.

“You did the right thing, Azula.”

“What?” She asks, in complete disbelief. “I killed a man,

Glenn. I killed my Father.”

“That is only my personal opinion, if you will take it.”

Glenn replies, standing up. “If what you told me is true,
and I trust you enough to think that it is, then you
handled that the best way you possibly could have. You
could have killed him without a single care as to how it
might affect you or the people around you, but you
didn’t, and now here you are, feeling guilt.”

Azula’s eyes were wide, and the stress ball fell to the
floor with a small thunk. “So that’s what this feeling is.”
She laughs sadly. “Guilt.”

“Yes.” Glenn affirms. “And you will probably feel it for a

long time, but that is why I am here. To help you. Sadly,
our time for today is up.”

Glenn walks over to her desk, and places the clipboard

down gently. “You have suffered more than anyone
should ever have to Azula, and I’m truly sorry about
that.”

Azula takes a deep breath and stands as well. “You’ll

probably have to testify, you know. As my therapist.”

Glenn nods. “And while I will not lie to defend you, I will
do my best to show those people the truth.”

“Thank you.” Azula says. “And I truly mean that, Doctor.”

She smiles, and bows her head. Azula begins to head out
of the door.

“A dragon.”

Azula stops, and turns around. “Sorry?”

“The tattoo you were talking about.” Glenn clarifies. “You

should get a dragon.”

Damn, she could see right through her, couldn’t she?

Azula smiles nonetheless. A dragon wasn’t a bad idea

actually.

“A dragon, huh?” Azula chuckles. “Now that’s a thought.”

She says, and leaves, shutting the door behind her.

The wait was excruciating.

8 minutes since the time the five officers surrounding her

had put her into a seat. Clad in a formal button up, Azula
kept her head down as she sat in complete silence. Her
eyes sat trained on Lu Ten’s necklace around her neck.

Don’t focus on the press that whispered in the stands.

Don’t pay attention to their stares. She knew the truth,
and soon they would too.

“All rise.” A voice calls, and Azula feels a hand on her

shoulder, then one on her upper arm. They both urged
her upwards. Azula complied, standing but keeping her
head down just as Ahiro had instructed her too.

“The date is August 13th. Please be seated.”

Azula sits, and the hands leave her body. From there,
she listens.

“We are here for the arraignment of Azula, daughter of

Ozai. Would the lawyers please state their names to be
on record?”

Azula hears two pairs of feet shuffling, stopping just a

few feet away from her.

“Good evening, Your Honor. Ahiro Ito on behalf of Azula.”

“Ukano Saito, on behalf of Republic City.”

Azula’s eyes widen.

That was Mai’s Father.

Shit. She should have seen this coming. She knew Mai’s
Father, and he was a top notch Lawyer, known for his
brutal interrogations in the courtroom, knowing just how
far to push before he was put down.

She should have expected this. This was Ozai’s murder

trial. It only made sense.

Azula could’t focus on this now though. While Ukano may

be heavily biased towards Ozai, this judge was not. Ahiro
had explained that because of everything revolving
around this, Aang was entrusted with picking out a
suitable judge who would be objective and fair
throughout the trial, so there shouldn’t be a problem.

Keep calm. That’s what she needed to do. Ahiro was

good at his job, so she had to trust him.

“Azula, you have been charged with indictment, and

count one of the indictment being the murder in the first
degree of Ozai, a count which is punishable by death.”

At this point, Ahiro speaks. “Your Honor, we will waive

formal reading of the indictment at this time. We have
received a copy of the indictment from Republic City and
have gone over it with Ms. Azula, and she is aware of the
charges she is facing.”

“Very well, we shall move onto the plea of the

defendant.”

“In terms of entering a plea we stand mute, Your Honor.”

Ahiro says.

“Is there any objection to a plea hearing on the

prosecution’s side?” The judge asks.

“No, Your Honor.” Ukano states.

“Then we shall have a plea hearing a week from now, on

the 20th of August.”

A week.

Azula had a week to prepare.

This was a very fast trial compared to the one she was a
part of as a child. That one took months with all the
investigations and back and forth between the
prosecution and defense. Now that the evidence was all
here though, and both parties seemed to be confident in
their cases, Azula supposes this could be a rather speedy
trial.

Good. Get this over with quickly so that it doesn’t hurt Ty

Lee and her family as much.

If Azula looked over there, she’d probably see the

brunette looking scared out of her damn mind.

God Azula hates herself for putting Ty Lee through this.

“Yes, Your Honor.” Ahiro confirms.

“If that is out of the way, let us move into…”

Azula lets the voices of the judge and lawyers fade into
nothingness, and allows herself to think, shutting her
eyes so as to have complete silence from any and all
distractions.

The plea hearing usually happens just before the trial.

Maybe a few days. At most it was a week. This case was
strange in its appearance. All the evidence was clearly
laid out in front of both parties, so it was not hard to
formulate their cases, and have them solid. Ahiro told
Azula yesterday that it only took him two and a half
hours, with an extra hour to refine his points and speech.

Ahiro was a damn good lawyer if nothing else.

Azula cracked a smile, albeit small.

He was worth every damn penny, and he knows it.

Plus, with the added evidence of Ozai’s abuse, plus

testimonies from Zuko, Mai, Ty Lee, and Aang, as well as
the guards who were in the room, Ahiro was confident in
his abilities.

But it was safe to assume Ukano was too.

He would push every single one of Azula’s weaknesses.

Her murderous tendencies in the past. He poorly
controlled anger from Sozin’s comet. The fact that she
was clinically diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.

He would hit her, and he would hit her hard, and Azula
would have to endure it.

Her friends would have to endure it.

Her family would have to endure it.

Ty Lee.

Ty Lee would have to endure it, and it would probably

hurt her the most. Watching Azula be tried for a crime
she committed for her. To protect her, and watch Mai’s
Father fight so hard to prove Azula did it because she
didn’t need to, but wanted to.

Azula breaks form, and looks towards the stands,

immediately locking eyes with Ty Lee, who’s gaze has
been trained on her the entire time. Azula is surprised at
the message they convey.

I’ll be okay, but will you?

Azula exhales. Ty Lee was too good for her own good,
worrying about Azula this much. She didn’t realize just
how much this would hurt, did she?

Everything they had been working so hard to move past

would be brought back up, center stage.

Azula doesn’t know if she can handle it a second time.

She hopes, now that she has Ty Lee and people she
cares about on her side, it will be easier.

She smiles at Ty Lee, speaking seven words to the

brunette that she was unable to say at the moment.

I have you. That’s all I need.

Chapter 41: the days in between

choas

“You’re getting good at this.” Aang praises from his spot

next to her, referring to her serene state of focused
meditation.

Three days. It had been three days since the

arraignment, and Azula had been doing her damnedest
to stay calm. The others were inside, currently being
instructed on what would happen when they were called
to testimony. Ahiro was doing his best to prepare them
for Ukano’s incoming attack.

This wasn’t going to be easy on them. He was going to

ask all the wrong questions, and draw out answers that
Ahiro was going to try and keep as quiet as possible.
Even if they don’t seem relevant to the case, Ukano had
a way with words that could make even the smallest
detail make a big door blow wide open.

“Yeah well, as annoying as your voice is, you give pretty

good advice.”

“Did you just compliment me?!” Aang exclaims.

Azula opens a narrowed eye. “Don’t let it go to your

head, Avatar. You’re still annoying.”

He mockingly salutes, but his poorly contained smile

made her roll her eyes.

“I did the best I could, by the way.” He says after a beat.

“Picking the judge.”

Dropping her form, Azula reveals both her eyes to the

solemn ground with a frown. “I know.”

“What if Ukano tries to bribe him or something?”

Azula chuckles, standing. “If that happens, then we’ll

deal with it when it comes to pass. For now, I’m focusing
on what I can control.”

She holds a hand out to him.

“But feel free to go make some threats if you like. You

won’t hear any criticism from me.”

Aang looks at the hand for a moment before smirking

and taking it. “Yeah, only from Katara.” He jokes as he is
lifted to his feet.

Azula laughs. “Now that is something we can both agree

on.”

Heading inside, they both see that everyone was now

sitting around the couch, seemingly doing nothing.

“Done already?” Azula asks.

“He’s taking us one by one for personal counsel or

something.” Mai sighs, doing something on her phone.

“Probably a good idea.” Azula says, and scans the room

to see that Ty Lee is the one missing. “I’m guessing it’s
Ty Lee’s turn?”

“Yeah, he took her in a couple minutes ago.”

“Oh! Azula, we need to talk about school.” Zuko

exclaims, getting up from his seat and gesturing for her
to follow him.

“Why?” Azula asks, crossing her arms.

Zuko stops, but his hand is still gestured outward.

“There’s just some forms and shit you need to sign,
okay? Normally Ozai did it for us, but now that he’s…” He
pauses, glancing around to see everyone’s concerned
expressions, doesn’t finish that. “Just- Come with me,
please?”

Azula sighs. “Fine.”

He takes her into his office, where he rounds his desk

and pulls out a black folder. Stepping up to the other
side, Azula looks to see him open it and reveal various
papers, all relating to her admission into her senior year
of high school.

Right, school was a thing.

“Okay, so I don’t think there’s anything new for you…”

Zuko drawls, taking a few of the papers and holding
them up for examination. “I think the only thing is the
school uniforms, but I’ve already paid for those. You just
need to sign a form that says you’ll wear them even if
you hate it or something.” Zuko squints at the paper
before shrugging and handing it to her. “I don’t know, I
skimmed it.”

Azula scoffs, swiping the paper away and beginning to

read. After a bit, she says, “Lucky for you, you seemed
to get the gist of it.”

Zuko hands her a pen, and she gets to work signing each
of the forms he handed her.

“Do you really have to read them all?” Zuko complains,

watching her read through a lengthy packet on the
schools code of conducts and the expectations they have
of senior students in the coming year.

“Says the boy who was held back for failing Calculus.”
Azula smirks, finishing the last paragraph and singing the
form.

“Mr. Watanabe was a dick to me and you know it.”

Azula snickers. “Yeah, I was in the class with you,

dipshit.”

“I can’t believe you showed him up with that one

problem he got wrong.”
“He had it coming.” Azula replies. “He wouldn’t shut up
about my pen twirling.”

“Who does that?” Zuko asks, his face contorting in

confused disgust.

“Right?” Azula agrees, taking the next sheet of paper. “It

helps me focus, who is he to take that away from me.”

“Exactly.” He agrees, watching Azula sign the form and

takes it once she’s done. “And...That should be it! I’m
pretty sure the principal will talk to you on the first day
with everything regarding your condition, but I wouldn’t
stress about it.”

“I don’t stress, Zuko.” Azula says, standing with her

hands firmly at her hips. “I plan for every outcome.”

“Yeah...But this is like, not worth that much trouble?” He

tries. “So maybe just, don’t focus on it.”

Azula shrugs, chuckling as she turns to leave. “Whatever

you want, Zuzu.”

“Hey, quit it with that nickname!” He shouts before she

could close the door.

Azula looks over her shoulder and smiles.

“No.” She says before shutting the door.

Chuckling to herself, she makes her way down the

corridors of her house, lazily perusing the various types
of artworks strung about them. Ozai wasn’t the most
interested in art, but his buyers were, so he made sure
to fill his house with any possible conversation starters
that would give negotiations a positive start.

Apparently, she had been so focused on that, that she

failed to notice the person heading straight for her. She
has just enough time to say, “What the-!” before that
body falls into her chest.

The air fills with vanilla, and Azula can now see the
familiar braid poking out from Ty Lee’s hair.

“Ty Lee?” Azula asks. “Is something wrong?”

“He brought up everything , Zula.” Ty Lee says, lifting her

head to meet Azula’s concerned gaze. “ Everything .”

Shit.

Gritting her teeth, Azula takes Ty Lee by the waist,

turning around in the direction of her bedroom.

Fucking Ahiro.

Closing the door behind her, she guides Ty Lee to the bed
and sits her down. The brunette hadn’t uttered a single
word since that moment in the hall, and her cheery
disposition was completely shattered.

Azula knew this would happen, she just didn’t expect it

so soon.

What the hell did Ahiro say to her?

“Ty Lee.” Azula calls, kneeling in front of her. “Look at

me.”

Ty Lee doesn’t budge.

Azula exhales deeply. Frustrated, she looks away,

chewing on the inside of her cheek trying to think of
something that would get Ty Lee’s full attention.

Azula freezes for a moment, an idea popping into her

mind.

Reverting her direction back to Ty Lee, Azula says,

“Darling?”

An eye peaks out, and Azula smirks.

“You like that, don’t you?” She asks, reaching a hand up

to take Ty Lee’s. A small nod, the other eye opening to
watch Azula’s movements fully. Chuckling, Azula rubs her
thumbs over the back of Ty Lee’s hands.

Looking away distantly, Azula says, “Do you remember

that one time, at the Academy when I got my first grade
that was lower then a B?”

A nod, and an oh so hesitant smile beginning to form.

Good, keep it going.

“I was so mad. If memory serves, I set the dorm’s

curtains on fire.”

Ty Lee giggles a bit, recalling the memory herself.

Azula smiles, chuckling as well. “I didn’t even notice it at

first, too caught up in the moment I suppose. I only
realized what was happening when you shouted-”

“-Azula quit being an idiot and help me put out the fire.”
Ty Lee finishes with a laugh.

Ty Lee seemed better now, meeting Azula’s eyes with a

genuine glint so proudly displayed.

“That was the first time anyone had ever insulted me to

my face.” Azula confesses. “I had half a mind to set your
pants on fire, but I didn’t. Do you know why?”

“Because it was wrong?” Ty Lee guesses.

“Oh please, like I cared about that.” Azula scoffs, making

a small laugh erupt from Ty Lee once more. “It was
because I was impressed by you. Here was this girl, who
had only known me for a few short weeks, and had the
nerve to call me an idiot even when nobody else dared. I
couldn’t fathom it.”

“You had it coming.” Ty Lee replies with a knowing smile.

Azula laughs. “I did, and I see that now, but you know
who didn’t?”

Ty Lee knows the answer, if her smug expression is

anything to go by. Still, she asks, “Who?”

“The Azula who didn’t care if the world burned. The Azula
I was before.” Azula answers, and Ty Lee’s smile goes
away, but she is still intently focused on Azula’s words.

“The things he told you about me, about everything that

happened. You know that’s not me anymore. If I was,
then you would have never forgiven me.” She says. “Am
I right?”

Ty Lee smiles. “Yeah. You’re right, Azula.”

“I know I’m right.” Azula snarks, standing and inevitably

taking Ty Lee with her. “So know that whatever Ukano
throws at you in that room, he doesn’t know the real me.
He doesn’t know the person I am with you.”

You bring out the best in me.

It went without saying, but Ty Lee could still feel the

linger of its promise in the air.

Then, a laugh. “I can’t believe you shoved Mai into a wall

once we got out of the arraignment.”

Azula frowns. “Her Father was leading the prosecution

against me. I had more than a few questions for her.”

Ty Lee wraps her arms around Azula’s neck, pulling her

closer. “How are you holding up?”

Confused, Azula says, “What?”

“You’ve been putting on a brave face through all of this,

but I’ve can feel how tense you’ve been.” Ty Lee
explains. “So, how are you holding up?”

“Always so good at reading me.” Azula huffs, earning a

smug shrug from the brunette. Azula was beginning to
wonder if she was rubbing off on Ty Lee. “I don’t know,
honestly. I don’t regret what I did, but I don’t like what
it’s brought upon all of us.”

“He was your Father, Zula.” Ty Lee says with a worried

frown.

“He pointed a gun to your head, Lee.” Azula says lowly,

voice beyond angry at the mention of her Father. “He
stopped being my Father the moment he tried to take
you and Kiyi away from me.”

Ty Lee says nothing, earning a sigh from Azula.

“I just wanna get through this, okay?”

“I get that, but you shouldn’t have to lock your feelings

away to do it.” Ty Lee says.

Azula gives her a genuine smile and kisses her forehead.

“If at any point you see me doing anything of the sort,
you have my permission to stop me, okay?”

“Your permission?” Ty Lee remarks. “That’s never

stopped me before, now has it?”

Azula belts out a laugh.

By dinner, Ahiro had gotten through everyone, and left

them all to eat. It was only until after everyone had left
with the exception of Ty Lee and Mai that Ahiro finally
came to Azula.

“Your turn.” He says, interrupting all four of them during

their movie.

“My turn?” Azula repeats. “What for?”

“You're going to be sitting in that courtroom too, and I

need to prepare you.”

Azula sighs, he makes a good point.

“Alright.” She says, getting up from the couch and

following him into the game room. Fashioned in the
center was a pristine pool table, two sticks already laid
out.

“Do you know how to play?” He asks, heading over to

pick up his stick.

“Ozai taught me, but it’s been a while since I last

indulged in a match.”

Ahiro laughs. “So formal.” He taunts, taking a piece of

chalk and coating the end of his stick with it. “No matter,
I’m sure you’ll regain your teachings quick enough.”

Azula hums, finally grabbing her own and chalking it up

as well.

“So, your aware that you’ll be pleading-”

“Guilty due to self defense. Yes, I know.” Azula sighs,

gesturing to the white ball. “Guests make the first move.”

“Much obliged.” He replies, moving to take position and

line up his shot. “And you’re aware that after that the
judge will issue a courtroom date?”

“Very.”

“Good.” He says, shooting the ball towards the neatly

stacked triangle of assorted colored balls. Knocked in
different directions, two went into one of the six holes
laid out on the sides, earning him another round. “What I
really wanted to talk to you about was plea bargains that
the prosecution will no doubt try to make.”

“Ukano never makes plea bargains.” Azula remarks,

holding her stick to the ground in front of her.

“From what you’ve seen.” Ahiro reveals, shooting the ball

once more but missing his target. “Damn, my sight
seems to be failing me these days.”

“What do you mean by that?” Azula asks, taking aim.

Letting her stick go, the ball flies at one of the balls and
it easily falls into its designated whole.

“Ukano would make plea bargains with generous sums to

people who tried to rat out Ozai’s scheme. Most of them
took it, but were sworn to silence.”

Azula frowns. How did she not know that? Maybe she
didn’t care.

“So you’ll think he’ll try to make a plea bargain with us?”

“It’s a possibility, but I have a feeling he wants to try and

convict you with a death penalty punishment.”

“Go figure.” Azula says sarcastically, winning two more

balls. “I assume we have no intention of taking this
bargain?”

“You have enough money without whatever he tries to

offer.”

“Oh I’m sure he’ll find something.” Azula sighs.

“I just needed to know what your stance on it was.”

“And now you have it.” She replies, dropping another

ball. On the next round, she missed by a hair. “I don’t
care what he offers. I’m winning this case.”

Ahiro grins. “That’s what I thought you’d say.”

Azula smirks, watching him miss on his turn. “You’re not

very good at this, are you?”

Ahiro shrugs. “My Father and I used to play before he

passed. I always did poorly, but I still enjoy the game.”

Azula could respect that, leaning down to shoot an easy

ball in. “How good was he?”

“Better than he ever let me see, I suppose.” He replies as

she rounds the table for a better angle. “He always
seemed to miss, even if the shot was easy. I guess he
was giving me a chance to catch up.”

She frowns. Ozai never did that with her. He always went
out, and expected her to beat him. If she didn’t, then she
wasn’t good enough yet.

Azula realized how absurd that way of thinking was.

“He sounds like he was a good man.” Azula says, letting

the next ball go in.

“He was.” Ahiro agrees distantly. “I loved him very much.

It broke mine and my Mother’s heart when he died.”

Azula pauses, silent as she realizes just how fucked up

her family was compared to his. She hadn’t even
bothered to check how Ursa was doing with all of this.
Why would she? Maybe she should.

Ahiro lets out a loud sigh. “But enough about my life. You
seem to have picked this back up fairly quickly.”

She laughs. “So they tell me.”

She misses the next ball, making Azula chuckle and

Ahiro laugh. He moves to line up his shot. “How are you
and Ty Lee?”

“Good, no thanks to you.” Azuka snarks, thanking him for

bringing it up. “She came to me nearly in tears because
of your little interrogations.”

Ahiro stands up straight with a frown. “I’m sorry about

that, but Ukano would probably yield the same result in
the courtroom. I want to be sure she’s ready.”

“Just,” Azula takes a deep breath in. “Let me know, next

time? It will help her keep calm.”

He nods. “Very well.”

They got back to the game, each taking their turns until
only two balls remained. It was Azula’s turn.

“What are your thoughts on tattoos, Ahiro?” Azula says,

staring at the two balls, both set in a diagonal line,
separate from the white ball Azula had to hit. It would be
a difficult move.

He raises an eyebrow, but props his stick against the

table, shrugging off his jacket and rolling up his sleeve to
reveal a tattoo on his forearm. It was a single eightball,
the back of the ball engraved with intricate patterns.

“I got it the month after my Father died. I wanted to do

something that would stick with me. Make it feel like he
was always with me.”

Azula nods understandingly. “It’s nice.”

Ahiro shrugs his shirt back down, butting the sleeve back
up. “Why? Want to get one?”

“I’m thinking about it.” Azula answers.

“You should.” Ahiro replies. “They’re cool, especially

when you put meaning behind them.”

Azula fake gags. “You saying ‘cool’ doesn’t sit right with
me.” She remarks, throwing her hands up to make air
quotes as she speaks.

“Just make your move.” He laughs.

Azula smirks. She had always been good with adults. “So
impatient.”

“More like hoping you’ll miss if I rush you.”

Azula clicks her tongue. “That's unsportsmanlike, Ahiro.

Are you sure you’re as good a lawyer as you say you
are?”

“Those have zero correlation.” He counters with a snicker.

“Don’t they though?” Azula says, leaning to get into

position. “As a lawyer, you have to play your best cards,
and if you lose, then you suck it up and move on.”

She hits the first ball, and it goes in. She moves to
reposition.

“And if a lawyer makes a fuss about losing, then wouldn’t

that be considered unsportsmanlike? If we were to
equate a trial so something similar to a sports match of
course.”

Ahiro seems to ponder it, mumbling out, “I mean...I

guess?”

“So then, Ahiro,” Azula says, lining her stick up. “If we
can make Ukano break, then the courts would see him
as...unsportsmanlike.”

“A bad lawyer.” Ahiro clarifies, seeming to finally come to

the realization himself.

They just need to break one bad egg.

“If we do that,” Azula starts, finally making her shot. It

goes in, declaring her the winner of the game. She
stands up straight, and shoots him a smirk, baring her
sinister teeth. “Then the game is ours.”

Chapter 42: Lost Skin, A Poor

Conversation

Most plea hearings only took around ten minutes at

most. In fact, when Ozai was being tried for the murder
of his Father, Azulon, his only took five. He, of course,
pleaded guilty, and at the end of the trial, the judge gave
that same verdict.

Azula’s seemed to be running the same course. After the

simple inaugural speeches from the judge, she was
asked the million dollar question.

“How do you plead, Mrs. Azula?” He asked her, leaning

over his desk, eager to hear her answer.

She had been looking down at her cuffs, wondering why

she was still wearing these when he did. It was probably
for caution’s sake more than anything else. Honestly,
with everything they knew about her, she couldn’t blame
them.

But upon looking up, she scans the room, seeing every
pair of eyes trained on her. She saw a few friendly faces
in the crowd. Ty Lee, Zuko, Mai, Aang and his friends.
Even Doctor Glenn had come to support her. Kiyi was
here too, watching from her seat in her Mother’s lap.
Ikem held a reassuring arm around her shoulder, but
Ursa dared to look concerned for her.

She’d deal with that later.

Her eyes land on Ukano, who is glaring at her furiously.

She smirks.

“Guilty due to self defense, Your Honor.” Azula says, not

breaking eye contact with him as his expression only
worsens.

The room erupts into whispers, some even turning into

voices you could hear clearly before the judge bangs his
gavel once. The various voices go silent.

He sets it down, and Azula turns to meet his awaiting

eyes. “Very well. Since this is the case, we shall issue a
court date for the 17th of September, so as to not
coincide with school. Is this acceptable, Mr. Ahiro?”

With this, Ahiro stands, straightening his jacket for

presentation purposes only. “Yes, Your Honor. Thank
you.”

The judge nods curtly. “Does the prosecution hold any

objections?”

Ukano stands, a grunt leaving him as he does. “No, Your

Honor.”

“Then this plea hearing has come to a close. I bid you all
a good day.” He finalizes with a bang to his gavel.”

Azula is released from the confines of her handcuffs and

Ahiro leads her out of the courtroom.

“Can we get them to stop putting on the handcuffs? It’s

awfully annoying.”

“They stop after today. Now that you’ve pleaded, what

comes is the preliminary trials and the court trials. They
won’t use handcuffs unless you give them a reason to.”

Azula hums, finally escaping the herd of people trying to

leave the room, and meeting her friends out in the hall.
“Well that went well.” Sokka jokes sarcastically, earning a
slap from Suki. “Ow!”

Ty lee immediately grabs Azula’s hand, squeezing it

earnestly. Azula glances at the girl, but sees her neutral
expression. She was steeling herself for the reporters
outside. A good idea.

“We should go.” Ahiro says, coming over to them after.

“The longer we’re here, the more chances for people to
come asking questions.”

“I agree.” Zuko says. “Let’s get you home, Azula.”

“Fine by me.” Azula mumbles. She was only in there for a

few minutes and she was so very tired.

On their way to the front doors, Azula’s friends seemed

to create what was sort of a shield around Azula and Ty
Lee, with Ahiro and Zuko leading in the front. Azula only
noticed when she realized she no longer felt any prying
eyes on her. At one point, Azula makes eye contact with
Katara, who to her shock, smiles and gives her a wink.

They had planned this.

Azula gives a small, but genuine smile back, and

squeezes Ty Lee’s hand reassuringly.

“Just keep your head down, and we’ll be fine.” Azula

whispers to her. She nods, keeping her head just like
that.

“Azula!”

Everyone stops, and Azula is the first to turn around.

Sokka and Toph, who were guarding the back of the
enclosed bubble, both separate so that Azula could see
Ukano walking over to them with mild haste.

“I’m afraid I can’t allow you to talk to Azula, Mr. Ukano.”

Ahiro says, moving from his spot to stand in front of
Azula.

“Oh come now.” Ukano says with a grin. “I just want to

talk to her.”

“It’s fine Ahiro.” Azula says, steeling herself for whatever

was to come. “Let him speak.”

“Are you sure?” He asks, voice lowering so that it was

only for her to hear.

Azula nods, and he too moves so that Ukano can face her
head on.

Azula had known Ukano for a long time. She had met
him when she met Mai, when they were both dropped off
at the Academy all those years ago. He had always been
loyal to her. Or rather, her Father, but who was keeping
track, honestly?

He was an older man, the greys in his hair beginning to

show behind it’s inky black. His beard was pointed into
three sections, breaking off at her chin and lower
cheekbones and into triangles. The wrinkles under his
eyes were a testament to his age and wisdom, though,
Azula wasn’t too sure on that last one. Though he was
not a fire bender, his eyes burned a hazel much akin to
hers, but his burned with the knowledge of what she
was, and who he was going to make her out to be now
that she had killed his God.

“You’ve done an awful thing, Azula.” Ukano starts, his

menacing tone seeping out with his words. “And I’m
going to prove it.”

“Weren’t you paying attention, Ukano? You don’t need to

prove anything.” Azula smirks.

His expression, once bordering on smug, now turns to

anger as he grits his teeth. “I’m going to expose you for
the monster you are.”

Monster.

If that’s what you call someone who protects the ones

she loves, then yes. She was a monster.

Azula sighs. “Is that all? It’s been a long morning, so I’d
like to go home and start preparing for school.”

Ukano growls, but Ahiro steps back in. “If you’re done
speaking to my client, then I have to ask you to go.”

With a grunt, Ukano turns and leaves, walking back down

the hall from which he came.

Azula watches him go with a smirk.

May the best team win, Ukano.

“Another failure.”

Azula grits her teeth, eyes shut closed as tight as her

fists were clenched. She was utterly and irrevocably
infuriated with herself for letting such an outcome come
to pass. How could she have been so stupid? So
careless?

“I’m sorry-”

“No matter.”

Azula’s eyes are blown wide open in shock, and she

hears the annoying creak of her Father’s chair, a sign to
his movement from his desk. No matter? What did that
mean? It always mattered before. Why was this time any
different?

“The cargo was replaceable, so it’s not too much of a

loss.”

Azula feels her Father's presence directly in front of her,

having stopped there to place a firm hand on Azula’s
upper arm. She doesn’t move. She is frozen because this
is new. Usually who would have yelled at her...punished
her...something to show her that this was wrong. That
she couldn’t fail.

She couldn’t help but feel the tiniest bit relieved.

That’s when she felt it.

It was a minor sting, just barely registering in her skin,

but the fact that it was growing from underneath her
Father’s palm was unnerving to her.

“However,” His voice says, commanding her attention,

drawing her head up as if it was hooked onto a string. A
puppet he controlled at will.

The sting becomes something familiar, but still oh so

painful.

It burns.

“You have still failed to carry out a direct order from me,
and created quite the mess in doing so.”

His palm begins to steam, and her wincing turns to a hiss

as she glances at the area of infliction. “Father please-”

“Do you know what people are saying about me?” Ozai
asks, not expecting an answer because he is the one who
is going to give it. “They say I have become incompetant
for putting so much power in a child who can’t even keep
a few crates protected.”

His grip tightens, and she yelps at the increase of it’s

molten temperature.

Her pain is forgotten when he leans in, eyes so close to

her she can feel the heat of his golden orbs burning into
her own, making the edges of hers sting with the threat
of tears. Instead, that pain is filled with complete and
irrefutable fear.

“I’m beginning to believe their right.”

His grips forcibly tightens, making the skin under it

sizzle, and ripping a scream from her throat.

That scream carried over as she woke, propelling herself

forward with terrified eyes, scanning the room for any
possible threats. When she finds none, she feels the
tears streaming down her cheeks, and feels the slightest
ache in her forearm.

She reaches a gentle hand up to it, staring ahead as her

mind still recalls the dream. No, that wasn’t a dream. A
dream would be something gentle, something warm and
nice. This was a nightmare. A horrific memory from an
age Azula wanted to forget.

And to make things worse, Ty Lee wasn’t here to help.

She had gotten a call from her parents, shocking the

brunette because honestly they didn’t even notice when
Ty Lee would sometimes be gone for days at Azula’s
house. With seven identical twins, Ty Lee just sort
of...fell into the shadows, and her parents were
completely ignorant to it.

So to get a call asking where she had been was uncanny,

but nevertheless she told them she would head home.

Thus leaving Azula alone, to face her terror by herself.

She needed a drink.

Lifting the covers off of her, Azula’s feet land on the floor
of her bedroom. Her body still shook lightly, the intensity
and surrealness of her dream still washing over her in
waves. She wondered if this would ever stop.

Maybe then, she would finally know peace.

Standing, Azula slowly walks out of her room, keeping

close the edges of the walls in case she needs to grab
onto something, anything to ground her back to reality.
She actually has to stop a few times to get her breathing
under control.

This one was the worst she had ever had. Was it because
they had been so absent recently? Hell of a wake up call
if she were asked.

Eventually, gradually, she reaches the main room,

trekking across the open space, past the couches and
dinner table towards the kitchen, where she found a
glass in a familiar cupboard. Filling it with water and a
few pieces of ice to keep it cool, Azula heads out and
towards the large glass panels lining the wall that leads
out to the porch.

The only visible lights in the area were the ones hanging
over the porch, shining a guiding light for anyone who
may need it, and the fluorescent lights hidden
underneath their pools of water, making them glow a
bright blue.

Taking a sip, Azula allows the water to clear the throat,

and her mind. It still burned with her Father’s intense
fire, making it throb, even causing her to wince. The
water made it better though, and helped her calm down
considerably.

Still, she wished Ty Lee were here with her. She always
made things easier.

“Azula?”

Her Mother’s voice still managed to irritate her with that

fake concern it harbored.

“Ursa.” Azula says, her voice stable as she tried to

compose her features. She was grateful for the cover she
had from the woman, her back turned away from Ursa.

“What are you doing up so late?” She asks.

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” Azula sneered.

Through the reflection in the mirror, she sees her Mother

throw her hand into the sleeves of her opposite arm. This
scene looked all too familiar.

“It’s two in the morning, Azula. Is something wrong?”

Azula scoffs, shaking her head. Like she would tell her
Mother. Her Mother was the last person she would ever
go to for aid in this particular area. Why couldn’t it have
been Zuko, or even Mai . Someone other than her .

Instead, she decides to talk to her Mother about

something a bit more important. Turning around, she
swirls the water in her glass. “Are you aware that Kiyi
has been having nightmares?”

The surprise written on Ursa’s face is enough of an

answer for her.

“No? That’s a shame. I figured she would have told you

by now.”

“H-How do you know this?” Ursa asks.

“Isn’t it obvious? She came to me, of course.” Azula

chuckles. “The little gremlin wouldn’t quit unless I let her
sleep with me that night.”

Ursa, past her shock, seems confused, notable by her

furrowed eyebrows and tense posture. She was so easy
to read. “But...Why you?”

“Apparently I understood better.” Azula sighs with a

shrug. Then her own eyebrows turn in as she says, “She
also said you hug too tight.”

Ursa’s head hangs at the knowledge. “I just want to

protected her.”

So predictable.

“That’s what I told her, but she was adamant on staying

with me, so I would ease up.”

“Did she tell you what the nightmares were about?”

Azula stares at her for a moment, feelings of anger

boiling up because where the hell was this when she was
a child? She didn’t get concerned or tight hugs.

That was in the past though. Azula had to remember

that, so she heaved a sigh. “It was about Ozai’s
followers. When they took her away.”

Ursa gasps at the revelation, her hand falling to make

purchase on the couch with a white knuckle grip.

Azula watches her hand fly up to her face. She looked

ashamed. “I should have protected her.”

Her eyes narrow. Yes. You should have.

But she should’ve too.

Azula’s gaze turns solemn, and she sets the glass down.
“You’re not the only one who regrets what happened that
night.”

Ursa’s eyes reveal themselves once more, masked with a

confused daze to her words. Azula decides she’ll indulge
her Mother and explain.

“I came so close to saving them both, but they fell right

out of my reach.” She says. “I regret so many things I
did that night.”

Behind her rigid posture, her fist clenched and

unclenched rhythmically. She prayed they were done
here, that Ursa would go back to her room to dote on
Kiyi or whatever it is she did.

“Do you regret what you did to him?”

Azula’s mouth twitches. Bold question.

“Do you?” She retorts, matching her boldness with a

stern gaze and strong disposition.

Ursa hesitates, and Azula knows she’s won this battle.

“...Leaving him and killing him are two different things,

Azula.”

“But you don’t regret it.” Azula concurs.

“I regret leaving you.”

Azula feels her heart stop, then start beating all too fast.
Processing, she is quick to turn to anger. How dare she?

“Yeah right.” She scoffs, taking the class and moving

back to the kitchen. Dumping what was left, Azula turns
to leave the room completely.

“I heard you scream.”

Azula freezes.

“It was what woke me up. I came to see what it was, but
I don’t think you even noticed me in the hall.” Ursa
continues. “You looked terrible, Azula.”

Azula laughs. Of course she did, she was in a state of

panic.

“It’s none of your business.” She mumbles, but her eye

twitches. Even she knew that was a weak excuse.

“Azula I’m your Mother-”

“Oh that’s rich.” Azula laughs, swiveling around and

heading straight towards Ursa with a wicked grin. “So
you want to play Mother now? That’s just wonderful .
Glad you’ve finally made that decision a whole seventeen
years too late.”

Ursa gulps, Azula having stopped only a few feet from

her face. Though she had grown taller, she still lacked a
few inches on her Mother, forcing her to look up at her.
She doesn’t fail to give off a terrifying aura, one that Ty
Lee could probably feel from her house if she was awake.

“Azula-” She starts.

“Let me make this abundantly clear.” Azula interrupts,

jabbing a finger into Ursa’s shoulder and pushing her
back.

“I.” Push. “Don’t.” Push. “Care.”

Push.

Ursa stumbles back, eyes wide at Azula’s hardened gaze.

Turning around, Azula doesn’t spare a glance over her
shoulder. She merely says, “Goodnight, Ursa.” and
leaves.

On the way back to her room, Azula’s rolls her wrist,

trying to alleviate some of the anger still in her system.
It causes some tongues of blue fire to escape, circling
her hand before disappearing to be replaced with
another. It only stops when she reaches her doorknob
and has to open it without burning the wood down.

Closing it behind her, she makes her way towards the

bed, stopping just beside it to look at her nightstand.

Picking up Lu Ten’s necklace, she rubs the metal

thoughtfully.

What would you do, Lu?

She sighs, setting it back down and deciding to think

about it in the morning. She’s too tired to think about the
possible consequences of falling back asleep.

Yeah, she really wished Ty Lee was still here.

Chapter 43: A Forgotten Birthday

There were times in Azula’s life that she could live

without. Many such moments were obvious to the
knowing eye. There were probably more bad ones then
good at this point, but no one was really counting at this
point.

“Zula…It’s time to wake up…”

This was not one of those times.

Azula smiles, but refuses to open her eyes just yet.

“What are you doing here, Lee?” She asks, sleep
worming through her voice.

A scoff. “I come here at the crack of dawn, and that’s the

response I’m given?”

Azula feels the bed shift, and she knows it’s no doubt
from Ty Lee moving the place her hands on her hips.

Without warning, Azula swipes a hand around Ty Lee’s

waist from under her covers and pulls the brunette down,
rolling over as she does so, landing on top of Ty Lee.
Only yelping in surprise, Azula finally meets the sunlit
room, finding Ty Lee in her vision with a happy smile.

“Hi.” She giggles.

Reaching a hand up, she brushes away a strand of Ty

Lee’s hair. “You’re up awfully earlier.”

“Well it’s a special occasion.” Was Ty Lee’s reply. Azula

raised her eyebrow.

“Special occasion?” She asked.

Ty Lee’s giddy expressed morphs into shock. “Do

you...Do you not know what day it is?”

Shit, was she missing something?

Racking her brain, she tries to think of what this day

was. Any sort of significance. August 23rd was boring
though, there was nothing, and it definitely wasn’t an
anniversary or something. They hadn’t been together
long enough for that.

“Oh my god, you totally forgot, didn’t you?”

“I’m...Sorry?” Azula says, sitting up and rubbing her

neck nervously.

Ty Lee sits up too, a playfulness taking over her features.

“Azula, how on Agni did you forget your own birthday?”

Oh.

“That’s…” Azula starts. “...A good question.”

How did she forget her birthday?

“Guess I got too caught up with everything else going

on.” Azula says thoughtfully.

“Makes sense.” Ty Lee concurs, getting up from the bed

and pulling Azula along with her. “But we’re not going to
think about any of that today.”

Azula smirks, starting to see where this was going.

“What did you have in mind?”
The brunette shrugs. “In all honesty I didn’t make a plan.
I just knew I wanted to do something special with you.”

How touching.

“So you drove over here, earlier than usual just so you
could wake me up for once?”

Ty Lee beams. “Basically!”

Azula laughs. “That is undeniably something you would

do.”

“Obviously. Now come on! Zuko’s waiting with breakfast!”

“Zuko. Cooked breakfast.” Azula deadpans, being

dragged out of the room, pulled by the hand wrapped
around on her wrist. The right one. Ty Lee was always
careful with that. With her.

Maybe the dragon’s tail would wrap around that one.

Could be cool.

“Mai helped.” Ty Lee pouts, moving into the living room.

“That does nothing to ease my nerves.”

“It should.” Mai calls from the couch, holding up a bowl

of rice, still steaming slightly. She takes a bite out of it
and swallows. “See? Edible.”

“You didn’t let me do anything!” Zuko grunts from his

spot at the kitchen counter overlooking the sitting room.

“Probably for the best.” Azula jokes, finally seeing the

array of food laid out before her. Azula was surprised
because they had, basically, made all of Azula's favorite
dishes.

“Nice job Mai.” Azula says after taking a grape and

popping it into her mouth.

“Thanks. Iroh did the tea, by the way.”

“Iroh?” Azula asked. He was here.

Just then, the older man came into the room. “Did
someone say my name?”

Azula raised an eyebrow, looking to Ty Lee for help, but

merely getting a smile in return. “Okay, what’s
happening?”

“What do you mean?” Iroh blatantly asks.

“I know it’s my birthday, but this-” Azula says, gesturing

to everything around her. “-Is just weird.”

“Why?” Zuko asks.

“Because no one’s ever done this for me before!” Azula

exclaims.

She always cooked the food. She always woke up by

herself. She didn’t get visits or happy mornings. Her
birthday was just supposed to be another normal day. It
wasn’t that special. It wasn’t this special.

“Azula,” Iroh calls, grabbing the girls attention. “While

Zuko stayed with me, he didn’t understand the
extravagances I gave him on his birthday either, but
believe me when I tell you, this is normal, Azula.
Birthdays are meant for you to be spoiled.”

Spoiled?

Azula...Azula was never spoiled.

“My parents always make me a bunch of rice on my

birthday, since it’s my favorite. I thought you might like
it as well.” Mai says, and though Azula couldn’t see her
face, she could feel the emotion behind her dull tone.

“I made the eggs, just like how you taught me to,

remember?” Ty Lee says, pointing to them. Azula
watches Ty Lee, with her kind smile, not faltering in the
slightest.

“I didn’t do much, since I’m a disaster in the kitchen. But

I helped brew the tea with Iroh.” Zuko says, giving her a
warm smile when she met his eyes.

“And I’m giving you a big hug!”

Azula had barely enough time to turn around before she

was tackled into a hug by Kiyi. The girl could jump,
because she had managed to latch onto Azula hips.

“Kiyi?!” Azula asks, quickly moving her hands to support

the girl that so suddenly was in her arms. If Kiyi was
here, that meant.

Looking up, she sees her Mother, standing in the doorway

entrance with Ikem.

“Happy Birthday, Azula.” She says.

This was stupidly surreal. So much so that Azula was

almost convinced it wasn’t really happening. Maybe she
was still dreaming. Everything about this was so blatantly
bizarre that Azula actually couldn’t comprehend it.

“Azu?” Kiyi whispers. “Are you okay.”

“I’m…”Azula breaths. “...Fine, Kiyi. I’m fine.”

“Okay! Then you have to open your gift!” She explains,

dropping herself down and running over to Ursa and
taking the neatly wrapped gift inside. She holds it out to
Azula. “Happy Birthday!”

Azula takes the gift, looking at her Mother with such

bewilderment.

“It’s nothing much. Kiyi was adamant on getting you

something.”

She looks to Zuko, who says, “Go on. The food can wait.”

Looking back at the gift, she sees the various reds

coating the paper, sprinkled with golden flakes so
beautifully Azula almost didn’t want to open it.
Nevertheless, she does, and reveals a small white box.
Pulling off the top, she grabs the contents and drops the
bottom, revealing the white sweatshirt in it’s full length.
A bit oversized from the looks of it, but the blue dragon
embroidered on the back caught Azula’s full attention.

She...She loved it.

“Thank you…” Azula whispers, first glancing at Kiyi but

ultimately ending at her Mother’s.

It’s clear she can’t keep the smile off her face, but she
merely nods and says, “Kiyi thought you might like it.”

“Mom’s lying! She totally saw it first!” Kiyi exclaims

before tugging Azula’s pants. “So? What do you think,
Azu?”

Azula smiles, setting the sweatshirt down on the table

and picking up her sister. “It’s wonderful, Kiyi.”

“Yay!” She squalls, throwing her hands up in victory. “We

did it Mom!”

“That we did, Kiyi.” Ursa replies happily, and Azula

smiles.

She should know better not to try and keep secrets with
Kiyi around. It was amusing though, seeing Kiyi
innocently blowing any sort of truth she could find wide
open for Azula.

Refreshing, and quite illuminating.

“Now that that’s over.” Ty Lee says with a clap of her

hands. “Let’s eat!”

Azula quickly learned that Mai wasn’t too bad in the

kitchen. While Azula could definitely tell there was room
for improvement, it was clear Mai had done this more
than a few times. All of the food went down easy, and
soon came time to open Mai’s gift, which was wrapped in
black paper.

“Very goth of you, mai.” Azula sneers, taking the small

box and feeling it’s rather rough texture.

“Oh shut it.” Mai grunts. “If I had any say I’d just give
you the gift without any of the wrapping.”

“Let me guess. Zuko?”

They both look at the boy, equally amused grins as he

blushes.

“Just open it.” He grumbles.

Azula sighed, but did as he asked. With the paper gone,

Azula was left with a small darkwood box, a golden
insignia that Azula knew very well from her time in the
knife shop she and Mai always go to.

Opening it, She sees a set of matte black knives. Kunais

if she’s being exact, with the sharpened part of the blade
coated in a metallic blue. She smiles, picking one up and
twirling it. Perfectly weighted for her fingers, Azula
respected Mai’s attention to detail.

“They're beautiful.”

“Only you would say that about knives.” Zuko blunts.

“Wrong.” Both Mai and Azula said, grinning when they

realized the jinx.

Setting the knife back in the box, Azula closes it and

leaves it next to the sweatshirt. “So did Ahiro leave any
instructions for today?”

Zuko nods. “He said it’s probably best if we don’t leave

the house, reporters and all that.”

A safe bet. Reporters would go wild if they saw Azula

during her trial on her birthday. Everything was a story
nowadays. “Well, I need to shower, so if you’ll all excuse
me, I’ll be going back to my room now.

“Okay.” He says.

“Bye Azu!” Kiyi waves from Ursa’s lap.

During her shower, Azula had a lot of time to think about

just what was happening.

And it was weird .

Letting the steam fill the room, Azula closes her eyes.
This wasn’t something she would have ever thought
possible, but here it was, presented in front of her. Now,
to an outsider looking in, sure, it was a normal birthday.
But to Azula, this wasn’t how it worked.

Birthdays were nothing more than another day to train or

study. Father always made it explicitly clear that nothing
was special about this day.

Azula supposes, in a way, he was really just saying there

was nothing special about her.

She moves her head to be directly under the water,

making it cascade down and around her head in streams.
She had been such a fool. To not see how wrong
everything she was doing was.

A fucking idiot.

She’s changed thought. Enough to realize how much of

an idiot she had been. To see the error of her ways.

And now the very people she hated with every fiber of
her existence, were trying to give her a good birthday.
One where she feels like something more than a pawn. A
tool to be used by her Father.

They were doing a pretty good job, if Azula’s growing

smile was any indication.

Finishing in the shower, she changes into some fresh

clothes, but upon leaving the bathroom, sees the
sweatshirt sat uptop her bed. Without thinking, She
takes the article into her hands and feels the soft
material, easing her shaky hands with its comforting
feel.

She puts it on, noting the loose fit and baggy arms. It
wasn’t too oversized, the cuffs of its arms only ending at
her palms, and the hem landing just below her hips.

Smiling, Azula closes her fists, the cottony material of

her sweatshirt bunching as she did it.

She really liked it.

“Hey Azula-” Ty Lee says, opening the door only to stop

when she sees Azula standing in the center of her room.

Her dopey grin only transfers to Ty Lee when she says, “I

really like it, Lee.”

Ty Lee is visibly holding back her squeal. “I want-” She

breathes beginning to head over. “To take so many
pictures.”

Azula’s smile vanishes as she points a finger at her

girlfriend. “Don’t you dare.”

Ty Lee pouts, but obliges. As a reward, Azula holds out

her arms, and Ty Lee finally releases her squeal before
falling into them happily.

After a few moments are pure, tenseless silence, Azula

mumbles, “I know you planned all this.” into Ty Lee’s
hair. The girl freezes a bit, but relaxes.

“Aw, looks like you caught me.” She says, and moves her
head so that she can look at Azula. “Did you like it?”

Ty Lee’s answer was a chaste kiss pressed to the

brunette’s lips. “Does that answer your question?” Azula
says when she pulls away.

“Completely.” Ty Lee smiles, and leans in for another.

Azula was compelled to oblige her.

Though they hadn’t done much considering their inability

to go out, Azula could safely say this was the best
birthday she had ever had. After her shower, everyone
had gathered to watch a movie in the theater, which
really just gave Azula an excuse to hold Ty Lee in front of
the others without cause for retribution.

Then, she, Mai, and Ty Lee had all sparred, which was
refreshing. It had been a long time since they had done
so, and going up against two of her friends, which she
would probably rank as her closest matches out of
everyone she knows, was always fun.

Ty Lee even said they should do it more, and Mai agreed,

which gave Azula a pinch of excitement for what was to
come.

After that and a nice lunch, Azula tried to get in some

early studying done, but not five minutes in, Ty Lee
threw her book halfway across the room, claiming there
would be no studying on her birthday. The comicality of it
all was really quite hilarious, but in the moment Azula
could only hope the book wasn’t damaged.

The rest of the afternoon was spent in the sitting room,

playing with Kiyi, and getting a visit from the gang who
wanted to stop by and say happy birthday as well.
Apparently Zuko had told them. Appreciating the
sentiment, Azula thanked them, and after some tea they
left.

As the evening sun began to set, Azula was checking on

her bike, making sure that everything looked okay. She
was also doing a bit of polishing, as well as cleaning the
leather of her seat when Zuko interrupted her.

“Got a minute?” He says. Azula is quick to notice the

small box he is holding.

Wiping her hands clean, she meets him in the middle of

the garage. “Sure.”

He holds out the box to her. “Happy Birthday, sis.”

Azula takes the box with a scoff. “You really need to stop
calling me that.”

He grins. “Not until you stop calling me Zuzu.”

“That’s never gonna happen and you know it.” She

retorts, meeting his confidence in equality.

He shrugs. “Then I guess you stuck, sis.”

Rolling her eyes, she opens the gift. It was one of the
store bought card holders made to look like a box.
Pulling off the top, Azula’s eyes widen when she sees the
gift.

A drivers license, dating back before the kidnapping.

“Is this…?” Azula trails, picking up the license and

reading over the contents thoroughly. It checked out,
everything asked for was correct, so Zuko must have
spent some time on this.

“It’s all real. I figured that Ukano was going to try and
bring up the fact that you didn’t have a license when you
drove your bike to Ozai’s base, so I made a few calls and
voila.”

This was both the smartest and nicest thing he’d ever
done for her. It almost made her want to cry. “Who
exactly did you call?” She laughs.

“Some friends down at the Republic City Department of

Motor Vehicles owed me a favor for screwing up my
license when I took the test.” Zuko explains. “If I recall
correctly, the age they gave me was 13.”

Azula laughs. “That’s amazing. I want to see it.”

Zuko’s eyes widened in fear. “No! Don’t you dare tell

anyone!” He says quickly.

Grinning evilly, Azula says, “Or what?”

“Oh I’ll show you what-” He grunts, and Azula recognizes

an attack when she sees one, quickly ducking and
running to the door. “Come here!”

Laughing with the joyfulness of a child, Azula dashes

through the halls, Zuko trying to catch up but doing
poorly with her quick reflexes and agileness. It was clear
who was keeping up with their training regimens.

“Thanks for the gift, Zuzu!” She shouts, looking over her
shoulder and running into her room, slamming the door
in his face and locking it before he had the chance to
turn the knob.

“Azula I swear to god-!”

“Don’t worry, Zuko! You’re secret’s safe with me!”

“Like hell it is!”

Laughing, Azula turns around and leans on the door. It’s

then that she notices Ty Lee laying on her bed, her damp
hair resting on the towel around her neck. Her phone had
fallen into her lap as she watched the scene with an
amused smile.

“Care to share?” She says.

Pushing herself off the door, Azula gives her a grin.

“Can’t. It’s a secret.”

Ty Lee booes, but relents, instead asking, “What did he

get you?”.

Azula holds up the box that Ty Lee had been pointing at,
registering that she didn’t know. “A drivers license.”

Ty Lee raises an eyebrow, indication for Azula to explain.

“I didn’t have my drivers license when I came to save
you and Kiyi, so it would have raised some questions.”

“Oh…” Ty Lee understands. “So he got a fake one?”

“No, he said it’s real, and from what I can tell, it is.”
Azula says, flipping the idea in her hand to read the print
before setting it down on her nightstand. She makes a
mental note to put it in her wallet tomorrow.

“I think it’s sweet.”

Azula chuckles, getting into bed. “Smart too. I would’ve

never pegged him as someone who could think of small
things like that.”

Ty Lee rests her head on Azula’s shoulder. “You don’t give

him enough credit.”

“Maybe so.” Azula hums, letting her cheek land

comfortably on Ty Lee’s head.

Comfortable silence swallows the air around them,

submerging them in their own private bubble, safe from
anything else that may try to harm them. Without
warning, Ty Lee’s hand finds hers, and interlocks them
with a squeeze. Azula smiles.

Then, a rectangular shaped present fills her vision,

leaving Azula with a raised eyebrow.

“What is this?” Azula asks.

The brunette giggles. “What does it look like? It’s your

birthday present, silly.”

“Smart ass.” Azula mumbles, taking the corner and

ripping it down as Ty lee laughs.

When the wrapping paper is gone, what’s left is a small

board, showing nothing but an intricate ink drawing of a
dragon.

Now it was Azula’s turn to be confused, eyes begging for

Ty Lee to explain.

“I got the strangest call the other day from Doctor

Glenn.” She says, a hint of playfulness in her voice. “She
said that you had asked her about tattoos.”

She’d definitely be talking to Glenn next time she sees

her, that’s for sure.

“For your back, right?” Ty Lee continues, catching on to

Azula’s silence.

She nods, now noticing the way its tail wrapped around
and down her left arm. It’s main body wrapped around
the large scar on her back, as well as the other small
ones. It would cover everything in one go.

“You don’t have to use it, but I thought I’d give you an
idea.” Ty Lee says. “I know it’s not much-”

“It’s perfect.” Azula cuts in, turning to face Ty Lee. “I

mean it, Lee.”
“Really?” Ty Lee asks, eyes sparkling with hope, but still
wanting to make sure.

Azula genuinely smiles. “Really.”

Ty Lee bites her bottom lip, poorly concealing her smile

as she turns to look back at the dragon, pointing at the
arm. “I really liked the tail bit.”

Following Ty Lee, Azula says, “I hadn’t thought of that

before, but yeah. I like it.”

“Are you really gonna do it?” She follows up. “Tattoos are
expensive.”

Azula scoffs. “Do you know who I am?”

Ty Lee giggles. “Right, forgot that you're literally a

millionaire.”

“That’s Zuko, actually.” Azula corrects.

“Still, your family is rich beyond comprehension.”

“It’s absolutely wonderful.” Azula finalizes, making the

both of them laugh.

Setting the gift on her nightstand, Azula turns off the

light, and they both settle into bed. Neither of them were
ready to sleep though, so instead Ty Lee says, “Did you
like your birthday?”

With a smile, Azula nods. “I’m pretty sure this was the
best birthday I’ve ever had.”

“That makes me happy, but that’s really sad Azula.”

Azula shushes her. “None of that tonight.”

“Okay.” She whispers.

There’s a hint of something in the hair. Azula can’t quite

tell what it is but she wants it gone, because it’s making
Ty Lee’s smile vanish.

“Hey.” Azula calls, moving a hand to rest it at Ty Lee’s

cheek. “Thank you, for all of this.”

“Of course.” She says sincerely. “I love you.”

Every time. It still means just as much every time she’s

said it since the first. Azula hoped it never changed.
Hoped these warm feelings and soft smiles never
vanished.

She never wanted it to end.

Lowering her voice to a whisper, Azula says, “I love you

too.” topping it off with a kiss.

Yeah, best birthday ever.

Ty Lee sighs when they pull away. “I can’t wait till I turn
eighteen.”

Raising an eyebrow, Azula asks, “Why?”

She says nothing, just giving her a sunshine smile

followed by, “No reason!”

Chapter 44: A Shift In Perspective

Two days before the first day of school, Azula’s peacefully

quiet room was bombarded with her brother’s loud
entrance, slamming the door open with his foot as he
carried a box with his arms. Azula watched him trudge
over to her desk, eyebrow raised. Her eyes follow the
box as it crashes onto her desk.

A successful sigh of relief leaving Zuko, Azula merely

gestures to the box. “...What am I looking at?”

“Oh! Right.” Quickly, he cuts through the packing tape

with one of Azula knives, which she had put on her desk
for decoration , and opens it.

Standing to get a better look, Azula quickly recognizes

the logo. “School uniforms.” She blunts, swiping her knife
back and pointing it at her brother. “Do that again and I’ll
cut you.”

He gulps, nodding in haste. Message received.

Placing the knife back where it was, Azula takes out the
black and red blazer on top. “They’re not as bad as I was
expecting.”

“You literally saw mine.” Zuko deadpans.

“You made it look worse.” She replies casually, and

ignores the smoke coming out from his nostrils. “Thank
you, but you can leave now.”

“I just got here.” He says, almost a bit disappointed.

“With my school uniforms, that I need to try on.” Azula

continues, and watches his eyes widen in realization.

“Oh.” He says. “Yeah, I’ll just- I’ll just go then.”

“Please do.” She drawls, watching him scurry out of the

room.

“Oh!” He says, quickly flipping around. “There’s pants in

there too. I didn’t know which-”

“Out, Zuko!” Azula shouts, and the door shuts not a

second after she’s raised her voice.

Huffing, Azula pulls out the rest, seeing that there were
two sets of shirts, ties, skirts, and pants. Only one blazer
though, and a winter coat for when it got cold. It all
matched accordingly with their school colors, red and
black, the only exception being the white button up.

She wonders if she can wear her leather jacket instead.

Knowing that wasn’t gonna happen, she sighs and begins

to take off her shirt.

It was gonna be a long year, she could just feel it.

After confirming the clothes fit, Azula headed downstairs

to see Zuko watching a movie with Kiyi. Glancing at the
TV as she walked passed, she saw it was some action
movie that Kiyi looked completely immersed in. Azula
hums with a smile.

Heading to the kitchen, she opens the fridge, debating on

what to have for lunch when a figure passes out of the
corner of her eye. Azula turns quick enough to see raven
black hair flowing out of view, instantly knowing who it
was.

Closing the fridge, Azula heads out the kitchen and sees
her Mother’s figure walking down the hall before turning
into the laundry room.

She isn’t sure why she follows her, or why she ducks
behind a cabinet when she comes out. Nothing makes
sense until the moment she’s standing in her Mother’s
guest room, in the doorway.

And even then, she’s still a little clueless as to what to

say. So much so that while her Mother has yet to notice
her, she turns to leave out the door which she came.

“Azula?”

Shit.

Wincing to herself, she says, “Hello, Ursa.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Nothing. I was just about to leave.”

“But you came here for some reason.” She laughs. “So
what is it?”

Taking a deep breath, Azula turns around, not quite sure

what she wants to say until the words leave her lips.

“I guess I just...Wanted to...Thank you…” Azula ends up

muttering. “For the present.”

Her Mother smiles, turning back to her laundry and

beginning to fold the different articles. “You already did.”

Right. She had when it was given to her. That was

completely true, and yet Azula felt like she needed to do
it properly.

Her Mother hadn’t shown her kindness like that in a very

long time. Even the past few months were mostly just
longing looks or wrongly worded reassurances. She was
trying, and Azula could tell, but she didn’t understand
Azula in the slightest.

All she saw was the girl she left behind, and the
destruction it had caused.

And yet, Azula still wanted to thank her for giving her a
gift. Maybe it was the manners ingrained into her core.
Something that would always be with her, much akin to
her more formal tone.

“Still, it was nice of you to do that.”

“I was Kiyi’s idea.”

“But you picked it out.” Azula says, a bit forcefully. She

didn’t understand why her Mother was being so humble.
“Didn’t you?”

Ursa stops, but her smile never leaves. “I did, yes.”

“Why?”

She shrugs. “I thought you might like it.”

Simple. No ulterior motives for forgiveness, Azula could

tell. “At least you know me well enough to pick out
clothes I like.”

Ursa laughs, albeit sadly. “That’s true, I suppose.”

Azula doesn’t regret what she said, but she doesn’t like
that look on her Mother’s face. Depression doesn’t suit
her. It didn’t back then, and it doesn’t now.

“This isn’t forgiveness you know. It’s just a thank you.”

Ursa interlocks her hands and turns to Azula fully, bowing

her head slightly. “Of course.”

Azula narrows her eyes. “Why aren’t you fighting back?”

Ursa tilts her head. “Pardon?”

“You always fight back about this stuff. Did you give up
or something?”

She laughs. “Certainly not. I will be spending the rest of

my life trying to earn your forgiveness, but I realize now
that words aren’t going to be the way to do it.”

Well at least she’s figured out that much.

“I’m not going to fight you anymore, Azula. I want us to

have a good relationship. Or at least find some common
ground with each other.” She explains. “I figure, if you
ever want to talk about this kind of thing, then I should
let you come to me first, instead of annoying you about it
every time we see each other.”

Wow, Ursa had figured it out.

“I want to be a good Mother to you, Azula, and if not

that, then at least a friend.”

A friend.

That might be...doable.

“...I have to go.” Azula mumbles.

Ursa merely gestures kindly. “If you need anything else,

I’ll be here.”

Azula turns around, doing a double take before she

leaves to stare at her Mother. She can tell there’s pain in
her eyes. More than any Mother should harbor when
looking at their child, but Azula does not blame herself
for it. She had brought that pain on herself.

Shutting the door, Azula lets her conflicting feelings go,

locking them away until a proper moment to think about
them.

“So I think we covered the basics.” Ahiro says, looking at

the large file placed on the desk. “You’re already pretty
accustomed to what will be happening, so I’m not too
worried about that.”

“Then why did we just spend a full two hours talking

about it?” Azula draws from her seat, her bored
expression narrowing at his own, all too happy smile.

“I could have given you the much longer, but more

thorough version. Would you like me to do that?”

Azula groans, throwing her head back. He chuckles.

“Thought so. Let’s talk about your behavior while at the
stand.”

“What about it?” She asks, staring at the ceiling.

Ahiro audibly places his hands on the desk. “You can’t be

crude about this, Azula. We have to keep your prideful
attitude to a minimum.”

“Why not? Isn’t ‘Honesty the best policy’?” Azula jokes,

throwing her fingers up to make air quotes.

“You can be honest without insulting Ukano every second

you can.”

Azula meets his eyes with a grin. “You’re no fun, Ahiro.”

“I’m serious. Any wrong move and the judge could sway
in Ukano’s favor.”

Azula sighs. “Alright fine, let’s say I play nice. Then

what?”

“Then you tell the truth. Answer his questions, and do

nothing but.” He explains.

“Sounds like you're going to let him toy with me.”

“That’s not-”

“Tell me, have you ever seen Ukano in action?”

Ahiro leans back in his chair, biting the inside of his lip in
frustration. “Many times yes.”

“Then you know how difficult he is.”

Ahiro gestures around them. “Why do you think we’re

talking right now?”

“So why on Agni,” Azula starts, leaning forward to rest

her hands on the desk, interlocked into a tightly knit fist.
“Would you think letting him drag me around on the
stand is a good idea.”

“It’s all about what the judges see, Azula.”

Azula smiles. “Then let them see me , not this goody two
shoes persona you're trying to thrust onto me.”

He stutters, shifting in his seat and combing through his

hairs. “You don’t get it, Azula-”

“No, I get it just fine, Ahiro.” She interrupts. “If the

judge’s are going to judge the person who killed their
Father , they're not going to like it if I act like a polite
little school girl, are they?”

Ahiro, clearly intimidated by her words, only nods his

head.

Becoming less hostile, Azula decides to lighten her tone.

“Look, I don’t want to tell you how to do your job.
There’s a reason you're the lawyer and I’m not, but I
think you’re wrong about this.”

“Why’s that.” He asks, clearly agitated at her previous

attack on his dignity.

“Letting Ukano take what answers he wants is like asking

to be ruled as guilty, how can you not see that?” Azula
asks. “We have to show the judge that while yes, my
actions led to murder, and my anger during the situation
didn’t help, I only did it to protect the people I care
about.”

“Which is what I will explain-” Ahiro tries.

“It is not yours to explain, Ahiro.” Azula grits out. “You

may be the lawyer but it will have more impact if I, the
client, tells it to the judge directly. Why won’t you let me
do that?”

“Ukano will raise an objection before you can even-”

“Then we’ll do it while you question me.” Azula offers. “I

want everyone in that courtroom to see that I’m not the
person I was when I worked with Ozai. I’m not a person
who would kill people in cold blood anymore.”

“It doesn’t help that you kicked the body.” Ahiro states.

Azula sighs, dropping her head. “Yeah, not my best

move, but what’s done is done.”

“It’s fine, we can find a way to explain it. In fact, that

may be a good time to mention the physical abuse.”

Digging a handful of photos out of his file, he hands them

to Azula. They were the shots taken when she had gone
to Ahiro’s.

“You’re using color?” Azula notes, flipping through the

various shots.

“It’ll invoke stronger emotions in the judge.”

Azula hums, handing the photos back. “Alright.”

“So you’re okay with that?” Ahiro asks. “It will also act as
a sort of warning for you, so you know when I’m about to
bring it up.”

“I appreciate that, and yes. I’ll be fine.” Azula says with a

cheeky smile. “Let’s talk about something else though.”

“Alright. How about…” He trails, looking through his

notes. “Ah, your mental state. Ukano will most definitely
try to use that.”

“Paranoid schizophrenia, PTSD, and an unhealthy dose of

bipolar disorder.” Azula recites, chuckles as she meets his
eyes.

“I hear you’ve been doing a lot better. I can see it too.”

Azula nods. “It’s been a rough couple months, that’s for

sure.”

Ahiro laughs at the dark joke. “If the Azula I had known
back then were standing in front of me, I’d have little
hope of getting you out of this as guilty due to self-
defense. You know that right.”

“Of course. I tortured people. Enjoyed it too.” Azula

recalls, mind flashing with hurtful memories of agonizing
screams and bones breaking under melting skin. “I wish
I didn’t.”

Ahiro points his pen at her. “Use that.” He instructs,

writing something down his notepad. “Showing guilt is an
ally to you, especially when you mean it.”

“Nobody will believe it.”

“So make them.” He says, leaning into towards her.

“You’re going to be labeled as all the things that were
whispered about you behind your back. Mentally insane,
a pathological liar, a monster. You need to prove to
everyone in that courtroom that you're not. Isn’t that
what you said you wanted?”

Azula smirks. “Nice play, Mr. Attorney.”

“What can I say?” He shrugs. “I’m good at my job.”

“You damn well better be.” She laughs, but gets back to
business quickly. “But you worded that wrong. Those
weren’t just rumors, they were true. I still am one of
those to this day, but that’s not the point.”

“Lemme guess, it’s the pathological liar, isn’t it.”

Azula gives him a smile for his joke. “No.” She drawls.
“But you're right, I’m different from who I was, but not
so much that I can’t throw that idiot Ukano around while
I’m in there. Making him seem like the fool while he’s
trying to do the same will be so much fun.”

“I admit, I would like to see that.” Ahiro confesses.

“Then I think we have our strategy. I simply have to beat

him at his own game.” Azula finalizes, and opens her
arms out pridefully. “After all, who better to beat a
monster than a better one?”

Azula watched the reporters in front of her house, a cup

of tea in her hand as reporters reported to TV channels,
journalists wrote on their notepads, and paparazzi took
pictures to their heart's content.

The media disgusted her.

Vultures, really. No regard for human feelings, only the

objective to get the latest scoop before their competitors
did. Azula always made sure Ty Lee came over before the
vultures came knocking at her house, or that it was night
when she left. She didn’t want her to have to deal with
that.

Taking a sip, Azula fiddles with the necklace strung

around her neck, drifting in and out of her thoughts
lazily. She wonders what Lu Ten would think of her now.
Would he be proud?

Azula hoped so.

Shutting her curtains, Azula moves back to her textbook,

already open to the end of the third chapter, ready to
start the fourth. Next to it lay a notebook, neatly written
notes written out for Azula to go over when she needed
to.

Setting her coup down, she takes the notebook and

shuts it, placing it in the book before shutting the cover
on that. It was awkwardly positioned against it, but Azula
kept it there. She didn’t want to lose her page.

There was still some light outside, so Azula was left to

wonder what she should do with her free time. School
starts only a day from now, and she was already
prepared for it. Her clothes had been tended to, proper
supplies packed into her bag, and mental state already
learned to cancel out whatever insults or whispers she
heard.

School was a nasty place, especially for her now. Before,

while she by far was not the most popular or outgoing,
she had made it clear that if anyone crossed a line with
her, they would regret it. She would make it painfully
obvious when necessary.

For example, Chan.

After that party she had gone to, he was quick to

recognize her in the hall, and called her out as a liar and
a bitch. He was lucky that morning, since she was in a
good mood, and he walked away from that with only a
sprained wrist and broken nose.

The students laughed, but she knew they were all

terrified. Their insides screamed ‘That could be me’ if
they didn’t watch where they stepped.

Maybe she’ll go train.

Actually no, Azula had already worked on her fire

bending today, and honestly, her skills were sharper than
ever. She wanted a new challenge, something to fill the
time and her mind while all of this was going on.

Azula gets an idea.

Zuko knows how to use swords. That could be

interesting. Plus, he’d get a kick out of teaching her
something.

Definitely a challenge, but it was a little too late in the

evening to be starting a new skill. Maybe she’d just listen
to some music and do a bit more studying after dinner.
Yeah, that sounded good. She’d talk to him about it
tomorrow when they were both not so sluggish.

Grabbing her earbuds and plugging them in to her

phone. She opens her music and hits shuffle, not
particularly caring for any sort of mood.

She is surprised to find out that somehow, Taylor Swift

had been added to her collection.

Checking it, Azula found out that indeed, ‘ Don’t Blame

Me’ was now playing on her phone.

“What…?” Azula trails off, looking it up in her library to

see an abundance of her songs now added. Azula
deadpans when she realizes who did it, recalling their
night where Azula had listened in on Ty Lee’s music.
“That brat.” She laughs, letting the song play because
why not?

On her way to the kitchen to cook some food, Azula texts

Ty Lee.

‘A rather large collection of Taylor Swift songs has

mysteriously found its way into my library.’ It read. ‘Care
to explain?’

‘You needed the change in tune.’ Came Ty Lee’s quick

response.

Azula laughs, typing her response quickly. ‘How did you

even get them onto my phone?’

Mai gives her a weird look as she passes but Azula

merely shows her the conversation and she laughs as
well. “Yeah, that’s my bad. I told her because I thought
she had forgotten her password.”

“That’s awfully dimwitted of you.” Azula jokes, moving to

the kitchen.

“It’s happened before.” She responds

Azula shakes her head. “Of course it has.”

‘I have my secrets.’ Was Ty Lee’s response.

She smirks. ‘I thought we weren’t keeping secrets

anymore.’

‘This is an exception.’

‘No fair. ’ Azula replies.

‘Completely fair. Do you like them?’

Azula can’t believe the nerve of this girl, but she let’s it
go for now. ‘They’re not horrible.’

‘Azula likes Taylor Swift? Who would’ve known?’

She frowns. ‘I never said that.’

‘You implied it.’

Chapter 45: First Day of School

Leaving the house for school was...how should Azula

word it...Fun.

As soon as the garage began to creak the beginning of

it’s opening, the reporters outside were in a frenzy.
Azula, wearing her helmet with the visor down, was blind
to the camera's peering eyes. Ty Lee behind her wore a
similar one, only this one a matte pink, but her visor was
still tinted black. It would help with the flashes glare.

Her motorcycle roared as she began to slowly move out

of the garage, but the several people crowding her bike
made it hard to get passed.

Having enough of this, Azula revs the engine loudly,

causing the crowd to go into a panic and shuffle away
from her quickly. She smiles, and says, “Thank you.”
before taking off down the road.

She can hear Ty Lee’s giggle.

The rest of the ride was smooth, and soon they both
stood in front of Agni High, a school Azula hadn’t seen
for a very long time. It brought back memories, if Azula
was being honest, though she pushed them down. She
had prepared for this, and the stares she was already
getting the second her helmet came off.

Ty Lee seems to notice her melancholy state and places a

hand on her shoulder. “It’s in the past. Remember that.”

Azula gives her a smile. “Yeah.”

They meet Zuko and Mai by his car, and together they
head inside. All eyes are on them, particularly Azula as
she hears some of the things they whisper.

“Is that Azula? She’s been gone for months!”

“I heard she went insane and got put in an asylum.”

“Isn’t she on trial for killing her Dad?”

All true, Azula thinks. She heard a few more false ones,
but paid them no mind. The students were probably in
shock that she was still going to school with everything
that's happening right now to make any rude comments.
They’d come though, they always did.

Reaching her locker, which hadn’t changed in the four

years she had attended this school, she opens it with
ease and reaches into her bag, taking out the textbooks
she didn’t need. Meanwhile, Ty Lee rested comfortable on
the locker beside hers, leaning on her side as she
watched Azula hold herself with complete dignity.

“How are you so calm?”

Azula shuts her locker. “What do you mean?”

“Everyone is staring at you, and you're completely

unaffected.”

Baring a smile, Azula begins to walk away. “Who cares?”

She says, Ty Lee following close behind. “Whatever they
have to say about me makes no difference to what we
both know is the truth.”

Ty Lee seems to think about it, but ultimately says.

“You’re right.”

“Of course I’m right.” Azula boasts.

Azula’s first class is Calculus 3, which Ty Lee did not

share with her, and had made it clear she was glad of
that fact. Calculus 3 had a teacher with both quite the
personality, as well as teaching style.

While Azula can handle it, Ty Lee can’t, so she is content

to stay on course with the more average seniors, and
says goodbye to the fire bender with a kiss on the cheek.
Azula thinks nothing of it, but cracks a smile upon seeing
everyone’s eyes widen as their rumors of them dating is
confirmed.

Azula had nothing to hide from them. Let them talk, and
speculate, it made no difference in the end. Only a few
select individuals had the right to judge Azula’s character,
and it was certainly not any of these nobodies.

Heading into the class, Azula greets her teacher with a

knowing smirk.

“Hello Mr. Watanabe.”

“Azula.” He greets, voice completely monotone. His feet

were crossed, perched up on his desk as he fiddled with
the pen in his hand. The handful of classmates that were
already in the class watched, invested in the scene.
Anyone who was in this class would have had to take a
class with Mr. Watanabe last year, and since Azula took
Calculus 1 and 2 with Zuko last year, anyone sitting in
this room knew of their notorious back and forth
conversations.

“How’s the family?”

He narrows his eyes. “Fine. Aito just got accepted into an

Ivy League University.”

“Congrats.” Azula acknowledges. “You must be very

proud.”

“I am.”

“May I ask which one?”

He visibly grits his teeth. “Ba Sing Seh.”

Azula stifles her laugh. “Well, it’s nice to know that

someone from your family got accepted.”

He stands. “They only rejected me because of that-!”

He freezes, realizing his error.

Azula raises a knowing eyebrow. “I win.”

Caught in a battle of wits, Azula had the upper hand. She

always came prepared to his class, and was able to
outwit him at every turn, but this was the best part of
both of their days. Seeing who could get the other to
raise their voice first.

Watanabe laughs, and pats her shoulder. “Well played,

Azula. It’s good to see you again.”

“You as well.” Azula concurs. “Zuko’s mad at you for

failing him though.”

He shrugs. “The boy couldn’t keep up. What was I

supposed to do?”

Azula grins. “Absolutely-”

“-Nothing.” He finishes.

Laughing, Azula heads to her seat near the window, the

same she had kept for her past classes and would
continue to do so. Pulling out her textbook, Azula turns
to the chapter she had made it to before school, which
was chapter five, before a boy takes a seat next to her.
Apparently her hair had positioned itself to where he
didn’t get a good look at who exactly she is.

“Uh, it’s the first day of school, why are you reading
chapter 5?” He chuckles.

Azula goes to respond, but one of his buddies does it for

her.

“Dude!” He scolds, punching his arm. “Do you not know

who that it is?”

“No.” He scoffs. “Why should I?”

“That’s Azula you dumbass!”

“Oh shit.” His voice cracks, an inhuman squeak leaving

him as well, and Azula chooses that moment to smile up
at him, revealing her face.

“Pleasure to meet you.” She says sarcastically with a fake

smile. “Is there something you want to say to me?”

He gulps, shaking his head quickly, looking away from

her. Azula rolls her eyes, directing her attention back to
her book.

Boys.

The rest of the day was monotonous and boring. Part of

her hoped someone would speak up and start
badmouthing her, just to make things a bit more
exciting, but alas, her frightening aura hasn’t left her yet.
So while everyone kept their distance and their mouths
shut, Azula kept to herself and went on with her life.

Better for everyone if it stays that way.

Azula only got excited one her way to lunch, prepared to

meet Ty Lee and Mai there, only to be dragged aside by
five very familiar faces and into an abandoned stairwell.

“Hello all.” She says once the door is closed. “What can I
do for you?”

“We need to talk.” Sokka says, flamboyantly puffing out

his chest to make himself look bigger than he is.
Ironically, it just makes him look like more of an idiot.

Just like that, Azula’s excitement dissipates.

“Oh for fucks sake.” She groans. “I’m playing nice, aren’t
I? Isn’t that what everyone wants?”

“Not about school, Azula.” Katara states. “About Ty Lee.”

At this, her interest is piqued. “What about her?”

Azula raises her hands to shrug, but to her surprise, Toph

throws two chunks of rock at them, making her fly back
into the wall. Inhaling sharply at the sudden contact,
Azula can’t deny that she had missed this feeling. The
rush of adrenaline pumping through her veins as a wide
grin breaks out across her face.

“Now this feels familiar.” She jokes. “And I wasn’t even

trying to attack you this time.”

“This is just so you’ll hear us out.” Katara explains.

“We’ve all agreed on this, so know I speak for all of us
when I say that if you ever hurt Ty-”

“Oh, good!” Azula laughs. “I was wondering when I was

gonna get one of these!”

“One of what?” Aang asks.

She narrows her eyes at the boy, and gestures her hands
stiffly in the cuffs. “The whole, “You hurt her I hurt you”
speech from friends or loved ones. I’ve been wondering
who it was gonna be.”

“I-” Katara stutters, pointing a finger but defeatedly

lowing it. “Whatever, she’s ruined the mood of it all.”

“You can still tell me, I just already know what it is.”
Azula snarks.

Suki says, “You do?”

“Of course I do, who do you think I am?” Azula scoffs. “If
I hurt Ty Lee in any way shape or form, you all will kill
me or make it so that I rue the day I ever did hurt her.
Sounds about right?”

“Y-Yeah actually…” Sokka mutters. “You pretty much got

it.”

“Good, now Toph. Can you do me a favor and take these

things off me?”

“Yeah. Sorry.” Toph says, the rock crumbling with a

stomp of her foot. Azula rubs her wrists.

“Are we done here? I’m sure the others are looking for
us.”

“Yeah. We’re done.” Katara says, picking up her bag.

Azula makes a small noise of acknowledgement, and
moves to leave.

“It’s not because we don’t trust you, you know.”

Azula stops, and listens to what Suki says.

“Personally, I think whatever makes Ty Lee happy is her

business, but as her friends we have a-”

“Moral code?” Azula offers. Suki nods, making the fire

bender chuckle. “I know. It’s good to know you’re all
looking out for her, but there’s no need to worry.”

She shrugs. “I only want what’s best for Ty Lee.”

They all glance amongst themselves, but ultimately look

back at her, dumbfounded, Azula doesn’t understand
why. Hadn’t she proved that very fact during the
summer?

Deciding not to comment on it, she merely nudges

towards the door, expectant.

“Shall we?”

During lunch, that started with just herself, Mai, and Ty

Lee at their usual table, but quickly evolved when the
gang thought it was a good idea to join them. Azula
couldn’t stop them really, so she just begrudgingly kept
looking at tattoo shops near here.

At some point, Ty Lee joins her, pointing out ones that

she thought looked nice. Azula reviewed them all, and
the winner was the last one Ty Lee had picked. All very
good reviews, with the only bad ones being minor things
like the artists wasn’t very nice. Nothing negative was
said about the product though, so Azula thinks it’s the
best she might get.

Having made her decision, she hands the phone to Ty

Lee to let her see, and she squeals handing it back.

“Are you gonna call them?”

“After school.” Azula dismisses. “Care to accompany

me?”

“Of course.” Ty Lee says suavely, lowering her voice, but

the cracks in her accent all too obvious and they share a
stifled smile.

It was at that moment Mai butts in from the other side of

the table.

“Really? Right in front of my salad?”

Azula can’t hold her laugh any longer, letting it leave her
lips as she ducks down to face the table. Ty Lee’s all but
losing it at this point, making the others feel extremely
left out at this point. Even Mai cracks a smile when they
compose themselves.

“If you must know,” Azula starts. “I need to make an

appointment, and-”

“Yeah I wasn’t asking.” Mai dismisses going back to her

lunch.

Azula glances at Ty Lee and shrugs, earning one in

return. They go back to their food, idly chatting with Mai
and Zuko. Azula doesn’t make much contact with the
gang, but they certainly made their presence known.
Their rowdy and almost chaotic disposition was more
than enough for Azula not to bother engaging with.

“Oh, Zuko.” Azula says at one point, gaining her brother's

attention as he sipped his bottled water. He hums into it
slightly, and Azula smiles slightly as she digs around
through her food. “Can you teach me how to fight with a
sword?”

He chokes on his water.

Sweat trickled down her skin pleasantly as she dodged Ty

Lee’s precise jabs. They came in flurries, but over the
years Azula had learned to adapt and predict where Ty
Lee was going to try and hit.

The brunette, though not faring much better than Azula,

was keeping up well, making Azula’s balance falter more
than a few times. It didn’t help by her choice of clothing
either. Azula has half a mind to think those shorts are far
too short.

The mistake is hers. She’d allowed her thought to drift

from the battle too long, and Ty Lee gets a good hit on
her, sending her stumbling backwards. Without any time
to regain her footing, Ty Lee takes a hold of her arms
and kicks her feet out from under her, pushing down so
that Azula’s back hits the cement floor, hands held above
her head with a fist under her chin.

Ty Lee grins, leaning down a bit. “I win.”

“What does that make the score? 34 to 15?” Azula

teases, and Ty Lee’s fists moves that chin awards, a
message that Ty Lee still holds her defenseless here. “My
mistake, 34 to 16 .”

Ty Lee makes an affirming huff, but does not let go. It

both feeds Azula’s curiosities and piques them as well.

“You can let go now, Ty Lee.”

With a smug smile, Ty Lee says, “Now why would I want

to do that?”

Ah, now Azula gets that comment from her birthday.

How amusing.
Without warning, and with pure superior strength over Ty
Lee, she flips them around so that Ty Lee’s hands are
now restrained, and Azula has the upper hand.

“Don’t tempt me, darling. Your school uniform did

enough of that on its own.” Azula husks into the
brunettes ear, biting it for good measure and earning a
sharp gasp from Ty Lee. “That’s 35 to 16, I believe.”

Azula lets go, getting up and leaving Ty Lee on the

ground, looking quite literally like putty. “You are...The
absolute…. Worst .” Ty Lee pants.

Azula snickers. “You started it.”

Standing up, Ty Lee pouts at her. “No fair.”

“What did you say not too long ago? It’s completely fair?”
Azula recalls, earning a groan from Ty Lee.

“That was about something different!”

Taking a towel off to the side, she pats the sweat off,
walking back over to Ty Lee. “Doesn’t matter, the same
rules apply.”

“No they don’t!”

Quickly, she flings the towel around Ty Lee’s neck and

pulls her close, halting any further word or processable
thought from Ty Lee’s brain. The close proximity was
doing wonders for the brunette’s blush as well.

“I can think of multiple ways we can have some fun

before your 18th birthday, Lee. Can you?”

Ty Lee’s breathing only hastened. Azula was pretty sure

Ty Lee couldn’t even think at this point.

“The question is: Do you think you can wait that long,
darling?” She husks, leaning ever so slightly more.

To her surprise, Ty Lee manages to whisper, “Can you?”

Her eyes widened. “Are you challenging me?”

Slowly regaining her confidence at ability to speak, Ty

Lee says, “Maybe.”

A small grin stretches across her lips. “2 months. That’s

an awfully long time.”

“I’ve lasted 11 years. I think I can wait a little longer.”

“Always so patient.” Azula cooes, but her voice was

anything but soft.

“It’s terribly hard.” Ty Lee responds, her eyes darting to

Azula’s lips. “Now shut up and kiss me.”

Azula doesn’t have time to grant that request, as Ty Lee

initiated herself. Probably a smart move, Azula thinks as
she drops the towel behind Ty Lee’s figure, instead
letting her hands wrap around the back of the brunette’s
hair. Azula would have probably teased her a bit more if
she hadn’t gone and cut her off completely.

The stagger back slightly, the force of the kiss knocking

Azula’s footing off before she can fix it.

Seconds turn into minutes, only minutes begin to feel

like hours, lost in the eternal bliss of each other

Ty Lee was going to make this game painstakingly hard

for both herself and Azula, she could feel it in the way
her lips taunted her, begging for more but knowing they
couldn’t.

But the wait would make the reward oh so much more

satisfying.

While Azula knew the bare minimum about sex, she

knew how to taunt, and she knew how to tease to the
very edge of that line. And she made a solemn vow to
herself to use every trick in her arsenal to make sure
they could peak the very tip of this tension in the 2
months that they would have to wait.

One might call her all talk, and no game, but that was
fine. Ty Lee knew very well where Azula stood when it
came to these affairs, so she wasn’t worried.

“Azula!” Came Zuko’s voice, screaming from his position

on the patio. Azula pulled away, instantly agitated and
ready to chew her brother out when she saw, even from
the distance his wide eyes and tense posture.

Leaving Ty Lee’s relaxing hold, she steps towards her

brother. “What?!” She asks, no anger in her voice, only
confusion at his panicked state.

“Get in here right now!”

Azula looks at Ty Lee, who’s looking similarly concerned,

and they both make a dash for the patio, climbing up the
stairs and peeking into the large windows for some sort
of context as Zuko holds the door open. Azula’s
expression morphs into a horrific shock at what she sees.

The entire sitting room was burst into flames.

“Zuko what the hell did you do?!” She yells, heading
inside, feeling the burst of heat upon her skin as new
beads of sweat begin to form due to its intensity.

“I didn’t do anything!” Zuko says. “And it’s too big for me

to put out on my own!”

“Then who-!”

“Zula!” Ty Lee shouts over the crackle of burning wood,

pointing towards where the flames seemed to have
centered upon.

Azula steps towards the fire, and it’s threatening dance

of flames seems to warn her. To stay back or feel it’s
wrath. However, she wasn’t scared of it.

Bending part of the fire in front of her, a hole opens, the

outline of it turning blue against her touch so that she
could see inside. She couldn’t believe the sight in front of
her.

It was Kiyi, huddled in a ball, looking scared for her life

as the flames erupting from her hands seemed to shoot
out uncontrollably. Her eyes meet Azula’s, terrified of
herself.

“Azu, I can’t control it!” She shouts over the fire.

Kiyi...Kiyi was a fire bender.

Chapter 46: Making Plans

“Zuko, I’ll handle this portion! You get over there!” Azula
commands. He merely nods, running over and beginning
to bend the fire away and towards him. Azula does the
same, jumping into the circle around Kiyi where the fire
was most prominent. She had more experience and
control when it came to big fires such as these, so in only
a few minutes, the walls of fire that had mixed with
Azula’s icy blue bending became fully under her control.
All that was left to do was to draw it in until there was
nothing but a small flame in her hand.

Turning to Kiyi, who‘s hands had stopped shooting balls

of fire, but were still completely absorbed by the orange
heat, she kneels. Kiyi watches her, as Azula lets the blue
fire vanish, preferring to focus on the child’s hands. With
one fluid motion, Azula’s hands, without touching Kiyi’s,
wave down the side of her palms, then under, pulling out
and going overtop.

The fire turns blue, and Azula easily controls it into Kiyi’s
palms, cupped into a bowl, now watching with
amazement at Azula’s skill.

“It takes practice, Kiyi.” Azula instructs. “You have a

powerful fire, and you’ll need to learn how to control it.”

Kiyi cooes, watching Azula’s hands move away, the fire’s

blue tint slowly transitioning back to orange, only this
time controlled in Kiyi’s hands.

“But you will understand it in time.”

Awestruck by the fire, Kiyi moves her palms up and

down, watching how the fire stays in its place, hovering
just over her hands. “Cool…”

Azula chuckles. “Very.”

Clasping the back of her sister’s hands, Azula slowly

closes them towards each other, the fire weakening with
every inch closer until her hands touch into a praying
position, and it vanishes completely.

Azula drops her hands, one to her side and the other on
her bent leg. “Congrats Kiyi, you’re a fire bender.”

“Does that mean I can do all the cool stuff you can,
Azu?” Kiyi says, an excited glint in her eyes.

Azula spares a glance at her brother, who’s watching with

a caring smile and his arms crossed. He nods, and she
turns back to Kiyi. “Eventually, yes. Do you want to?”

“Heck yeah!” She squeals, getting up and shooting a fist

out in a punching motion. “I wanna do all those cool
tricks you can do!”

“Uh oh, Zula. Sounds like you have competition.” Ty Lee

giggles.

Azula sends her a playfully raised eyebrow, but Ty Lee’s

cheeky smile never falters. Rolling her eyes, she stands
up. “We’ll see about that.”

“Hey Azu!” Kiyi exclaims, latching herself onto Azula’s

leg. “Can you teach me?”

“Can I what?” Azula asks, completely taken off guard.

“Teach me fire bending, duh!”

Azula groans. “Make Zuzu do it.”

Kiyi frowns. “But you said you were the best!”

“I said I was the best fire bender. I said nothing about

being the best fire bending teacher .” Azula clarified, but
it does little to sway Kiyi’s persistence.

“Please…?” Kiyi drawls, her puppy dog eyes coming out

for display.

She looks to Zuko for help, but he shakes his head. “No
way. This is your problem.”

Turning to Ty Lee, she happens to just be watching

fondly at the sight in front of her. “She is asking nicely,
Zula.” She cooes.

“You both are useless.” Azula grunts, turning back to the

gremlin, who still stares at her with such conviction. She
really wants this, but could Azula do it? What if she
messes up? What if her perfectionism-is that the right
term?- gets in the way?

They’d take it slow, Azula decides, and Zuko would be

there. Both to watch her and help when needed. It would
be a learning experience for both Kiyi and herself.

“Fine.” She says. “I’ll teach you.”

Kiyi squeals, tightening her hold to the point of pain.

“Yay! Thanks Azu!”

“What’s going on in here?” A voice says, joining the

commotion. Azula hears something drop, and turns to
see Ursa in the doorway. “What on Agni happened?!”

Before anyone could answer, Kiyi bounds over to her

excitedly. “Mom Look! I’m a fire bender!”

Briefly putting all of her focus on her palms, a small

orange flame erupts once more, this time merely
swaying slightly from the wind coming in through the
door Azula and Ty Lee had come in through.

Ursa, shocked, leans down to cradle Kiyi’s hands, as

Azula had earlier. “You...are, aren’t you?”

“Yeah!” Kiyi exclaims, and easily removes one hand,

keeping the fire controlled in her other as it points to
Azula. “And Azu’s gonna teach me!”

Shit. Kiyi picks the worst times to have absolutely no

filter.

Ursa, bearing no visible reaction stands and heads over

to her other daughter. “Is this true?”

Azula, refusing to be intimidated, shrugs and responds

with, “Yeah.”

“And was this your idea?”

“No, it was Kiyi’s.” Zuko interjects, feeling the rising

tension. Azula feels a hand on her back, and glances to
see that Ty Lee had come to stand beside her. She gives
her a brief smile.

“I see…” Ursa mumbles, watching Kiyi now come to stand

in the middle of the group. “Well, I’d be lying if I said I
didn’t have my...reservations about this.”

“Zuko will be there too, don’t worry.” Azula says.

“Yeah.” Zuko affirms, but his eyebrows furrowed not

moments after. “Wait, what?”

Ty Lee can’t help but laugh, and Azula cracks a smile. “I

share Ursa’s reservations, so you’re going to be there as
a mediator. You’ll step in whenever things go in the
wrong direction.”

“Oh. Okay.” Zuko blunts.

Silence loomed around the room, the air of finality

around them as Azula clapped her hands. “Well, if that’s
over with, I need to make a call. Coming, Ty Lee?”

“Yep!” She chirped, taking Azula’s hand as they began to

walk out of the room.

Zuko stops them, saying. “What should I do about...all

this?”

Azula looks over her shoulder, Ty Lee mimicking her

movements. “Replace it. It’s not like we don’t have the
money, right?”

His mouth shapes into that of an ‘o’ and he pulls out his
phone with a confirming thumbs up.

Azula rolls her eyes turning back around.

“Bye Azu!” Kiyi shouts. Azula merely waves over her

shoulder, not turning around to face the child.

Azula has already pulled up the tattoo shop’s phone

number by the time they are safely inside her room. Ty
Lee jumps onto the bed, assuming her invested position
laying on her stomach, elbows out with palms resting on
her face. Her legs cross behind her, swaying up and
down, her eyes egging Azula to call them.

Amused at the girl’s antics, she sighs and hits call, the
line ringing a few times before it picks up.

“Hello this is Everlasting Ink, how can I help you?”

A woman's voice, not exactly bored but not thrilled to be

taking the call either. Azula plays it off. “Yes, I'd like to
make an appointment for a tattoo. My name is Azula.”

“Alright, what kind of tattoo do you want to get?”

“A full back and left sleeve tattoo.”

It takes the women a few minutes to reply, and Azula

hears idle tapping coming from the other end. She’s
probably checking on her computer. “Well lucky you, our
artist that specializes in that has just opened up for the
entire month.”

“Excellent, any day other than the 17th of September

works for me.”

“Got it.” She replies, then a few moments later. “Since

this is a big project, it could take more than one full day.”

“How about a weekend then? School’s just begun.”

“How about…” The girl trails off. “The 9th of September.

One week from now, 8 AM?”

Glancing at her calendar, she finds nothing on that

Saturday. “Works for me.”

“Alright, I’ll book you for that then.” She says, and Azula
hears a bit more typing. “The last thing I need you to do
is, using the email I’m about to send through this
number, send a picture of the tattoo you want used, as
well as any colors and sizings that you want. I’ll send you
an email if we need anything else from you, but that
should be it.”

“Sounds great, thank you.”

“Alright, I’ll see you in one week then.”

“Yes, goodbye.” Handing up, and drops the phone on her

bed, falling next to Ty Lee with a smirk. “Easy peasy.”

“I’m not sure why that was so fun to watch, but it was.”
Ty Lee jokes.

“I’m glad it amused you.” Azula says, turning to lay on

her back. Ty Lee shifts to face her more.

“So when is it?”

“The 9th. A week from now.”

“That was quick.” Ty Lee remarks. “Don’t they book you

like, months in advance?”

Azula responds with “Their artist had an opening.”

Ty Lee nods, an understanding hum leaving her. “Well

I’m gonna get a shower. I feel all sweaty.”

“Want me to join you?” Azula taunts with a smirk,

earning a slap from Ty Lee, but no rebuttal. She takes
that as a no, but a clear sign that she wished Azula
could. She laughs.

As Ty Lee heads into the shower, Azula remembers she

was supposed to send the picture, and grabs her phone,
seeing the woman had indeed texted her number with
the artist’s email. Below it, she simply wrote, ‘Oanez
Fujii’

The artist’s name no doubt.

Opening it, it sends her to their contact info, and Azula

opens a new draft, quickly inserting a picture of the art
that she had taken earlier and laying out the specifics.
Black and blue coloring with hints of white, the dragon's
body looped around the center of her back while the tail
swirled down her arm, all the way to her wrist. It was
pretty self explanatory, but Azula thought she should
include it anyway. After deeming the email done, Azula
hits send.

Closing her phone, it hits the bed once more and she
sighs.

So Kiyi was a fire bender.

Azula wanted to say she was surprised, but she honestly

couldn’t. It ran through their bloodline, so there was
always that high chance. Ursa wasn’t too shocked by the
news either. Azula half expected her to freak out.

Still, this was probably really exciting for Kiyi. Azula had
always seen how fully enamored the child was when
Azula or Zuko did anything involving their bending, even
if it was just heating up tea or starting the fire. It was
quite the amusement, but now she was going to learn
how to do all of that herself, and Azula was going to be
the one teaching her.

How the hell was she gonna do that?

“Azula?” Zuko’s voice called from the other side of the

door, followed by 2 knocks on the piece of wood.

“Yeah?” Azula responds, hearing the faint sound of

rushing water now that she wasn’t deep in her own
thoughts.

Zuko opens the door, “Can I talk to you for a second?”

She sits up, and gestures to the bed. Closing the door
behind him, Zuko makes his way to the bed and sits
down. “So you want to learn sword fighting?”

“I thought it would be a fun challenge.” Azula shrugs.

Zuko nods, but asks, “Why do you want me to teach you

though?”

“You’re clearly very skilled in the art.” Azula explains.

“And don’t act like you aren't. You brought your twin
blades to nearly every single one of our fights.”

“Well yeah, but I’m not the greatest teacher, Azula. I just
learn and do rather than teach.”

“Well that makes two of us. I have no idea how I’m

supposed to teach Kiyi firebending.”

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” Zuko reassures.

Azula gives him a smile, but it morphs into a grin quickly.

“And so will you.” She says, slapping his back. “Just take
pride in the fact that you're better than me at
something.”

After a bit more talking, Zuko leaves, telling her to give

him a few days to sort everything out, and then they can
begin. She agrees, and soon she’s left alone in her room.
She hears the water still running, making Azula wonder
just how long Ty Lee’s been in there. It didn’t feel very
long, but she wasn’t paying attention so one could never
really know.

A thought pops into her head, instantly piquing her

curiosity. Grabbing her phone, she opens Ahiro’s contact
and types a message. ‘Question.’

His reply is almost instant. ‘What is it, Azula?’

‘Is it a bad idea to cover up abuse marks before a trial?’

His response is delayed a little, due to the length of the

text that is eventually received on her end. ‘Not really. If
we’re talking about the tattoo you want to get, then it
shouldn’t be a problem. We already have recorded
evidence of the marks, and I’ve verified with the courts
that they came from you so getting them covered up
won’t cause any comeuppance.’

Azula smiles. ‘Just what I wanted to hear. Thank you.’

‘Why? Did you make an appointment?’

Azula hears the door to the bathroom open, and sees Ty

Lee exiting, still drying her long unbraided hair with a
towel. Returning to the conversation, Azula types, ‘I did.
It’s scheduled for the 9th. That won’t interfere with
anything, I hope?’

‘Nope, but may I ask, how big is the tattoo?’

‘Full back and sleeve.’

She can almost hear the laugh in his response. ‘Oh dear.
That’s going to sting.’

‘Don’t remind me.’ Azula replies. ‘Alright, that’s all I

wanted.’

‘If you need anything else, you know how to reach me.’

“Whatcha doing?” Ty Lee asks, falling onto the bed, her

hair covered by the towel as the smell of Azula’s
shampoo invades her nose.

“Texting Ahiro. We just finished.” Said Azula.

“Anything bad?”

“No, just making sure getting the tattoo before the trial
wasn’t a bad idea.”

“I didn’t even think of that.” Ty Lee says, a bit breathless

as she rolls onto her back. “I guess it’s okay then?”

Azula hums as confirmation, lost as she fiddled with Lu

Ten’s necklace. She doubted it, but a small part of her
held out hope that maybe this would help. Even thinking
about the scars brought vividly horrific memories to the
forefront of her mind, and she desperately wanted them
to go.

“Where’d you float off to?” Ty Lee asks, cutting through

her thoughts, drawing her eyes like a moth to a flame. A
questioning hum leaves the crease between her lips.
“You start fiddling with his necklace any time you're
thinking about something.”

Azula looks down, seeing the hand holding the necklace

and dropping it with a sigh. “It’s nothing.”

At this Ty Lee moves to sit up on her elbow, reaching a

hand to take Lu Ten’s necklace. “It’s not nothing to me.”
She whispers.

Agni, what did Azula do to deserve her?

Not being able to stop the smile, she lets it rest on her
lips, proudly on display for the brunette and no one else.
No one made Azula smile like this, not even Zuko or Kiyi
could match the comfort Ty Lee gave Azula by just being
here.

“I just hope it helps, is all.” Azula says, making Ty Lee

furrow her eyebrows, confused. Azula laughs softly, and
watches Ty Lee’s towel drop when she tilts her head.
Azula takes it, feeling the soggy material in the tips of
her fingers as she places it back over Ty Lee’s head. “The
tattoo.”

“Oh…” Ty Lee mumbles, placing her hand to reposition

the towel to her liking. “I think it will.”

Azula raises an eyebrow. “Why’s that?”

Ty Lee smiles. “Because it’s like you're starting a new

chapter in your life. I mean, you’ve never been one to
express you feeling easily, but those scars are a part of
you, and covering up is like admitting that they don’t
define you.”

Azula narrows her eyes. She doesn’t like how spot on

that was. “You’ve been talking too much with my
therapist, haven’t you?” She accuses,seeming the
brunette then burst into a fit of giggles.

“No! That’s just what I think!” She laughs.

“You sound just like her.” Azula groans. “So many

metaphors.”

“Well, clearly they work.” Ty Lee taunts, moving just a bit

closer to Azula.

Letting out a low chuckle, Azula takes the moment to

admire the brunette. Her hair was still wet, strands of it
flowing down like melted chocolate, glistening in the
evening sun filtering through the window. The oranges
and yellows of the sky painted her complexion a
beautifully warm color, giving her almost a glow.

She was stunning, even when she wasn’t trying.

Especially when she wasn’t trying to.

Reaching a hand up, she wraps her finger around a

strand of her hair, sticking to her dry finger as it wraps
itself around it, drawing a giggle from Ty Lee’s breath.

“What are doing, weirdo?”

Weirdo.

Someone who is weird, yet said in such a playful manner

that the possible negative meaning behind it held no
effect. It only served to remind Azula of their trust in
each other. Ty Lee knew she could say what she felt in
the moment, because she knew Azula would never do
anything to try and silence or hurt her like she had in the
past. How she had driven such a large wedge between
them, it nearly broke them apart.

Ty Lee’s voice mattered to her now, and while of course it

had in the past, it was at the very forefront of Azula’s
mind. She constantly thought about it. What was the
best decision for herself, and then think of how it will
affect Ty Lee. Anything else that came after that would
be dealt with as she deemed necessary, but Ty Lee took
precedence.

Always.

With a small, but all too genuine smile, Azula removes

her grip around the piece of hair and curls all her fingers
in, with the exception of her index finger. With that, she
points to Ty Lee’s nose, watching Ty Lee’s eyes focus on
the finger intently, even going cross eyed when the
finger draws too close.

Boop, boop, boop.

Three taps upon the brunette’s nose, and two gentle

words spoken.

“Your weirdo.”

Chapter 47: The Needle's Sting

Brings Painful Healing

For the next week, things went as one would expect

them to. Zuko began to teach her the basics of sword
fighting, Azula stopped Kiyi from losing control of her fire
nearly every time she tried to summon it. The furniture
was replaced, Ahiro noting the subtle change in scenery
when he came over for court affairs, to which they
explained it to him. He didn’t dare ask for more.

Azula would say, under the circumstances of what was

looming over them, that things were going pretty
smooth. No one at school had the balls to confront her or
any of the people involved in the case, the reporters
were at least being respectful of the boundaries they
were asked not to cross, Ahiro was confident in
everyone’s testimonies, and Azula was keeping herself
together. For the most part.

Right now, she was just focusing on not focusing on the

stinging in her back.

It wasn’t that it was particularly bad or painful, it was

just constant. Festering as the needle dragged itself
along the twists and turns of the dragon’s able body. The
tattoo was taking longer than she expected, and that was
already accounting for the length she had assumed it
would take before this. When she first met the artists
just yesterday, he had informed her that the tattoo would
take longer than the time left for them in the day. Large
tattoos such as hers could take up to 20 hours, maybe
even longer considering the slight additions he wanted to
make.

See, the first time she had revealed her back to this total
stranger, he took a good ten seconds to stare at the state
of it before saying, “ I have a suggestion. ”

Azula had heard him out, and actually agreed to his

proposal. His idea was to, for the areas that were not
fully covered by the dragon’s body, have clouds in the
background. Not huge or overbearing, but just to add a
sense of completion to the piece. Azula had seen the
sense in that suggestion, and told him to go for it.

They had finished her entire back in the 14 hours they

spent together until closing. Now, the day after, a fresh
sense of soreness coating her entire back, he got to work
on her arm, trailing the sharp point of his pen down the
curves of the dragon's tail.

Ty Lee, to Azula’s disappointment, had to go out of town

to help one of her sisters move into college. See while
they all are identical in every sense of the word, Ty Woo
seemed to have a knack for education, much like Azula in
that sense. Thus, she was allowed to skip a year or two
at some point. Over the summer, she had been accepted
by a Fire Nation university not too far from here.

The brunette had told her she’d be back as soon as she

could, which if Azula was to guess, would be around four
days. Nonetheless, she wouldn’t be here until the tattoo
was complete.

Which brings her to now, Azula’s loose, sleeveless shirt

uncovering her arm to Oanez. If there was one thing she
liked about him, it was that he didn’t ask questions, only
made suggestions. Azula respected him for that, though
one might argue that it was simply him not digging into
other peoples business, Azula found that it came in short
supply these days.

“How long have you been doing this?” She asked

abruptly. The sudden question did nothing to falter his
movements. That in and of itself was a testament to his
skill and experience.

“Why, are my skills not to your liking?” He jokes, not

taking his eyes off of the linings where he was meant to
be covering.

Azula chuckles. “No, merely a question to pass the time.”

He sighs, seeming to recall former years. “Well let’s see.

I started when I was fresh out of college, so 21. I would
say around...13 years now.”

She said nothing on his age, for that held no significance

to her. “Yes well, your product certainly shows to that
level of experience.”

“Thank you.” He says graciously. “Not many thank the

artist while they still work. Only until they are satisfied
with the end product.”

“Well you will learn I am not one of the many.” She

replies.

Oanez gives a smile. “I would hope so. Those are the

most interesting clients to work on.”

“Why’s that?” Azula asks.

“Because those in the many know nothing of true

struggle.”

An interesting thought. Pondering it, Azula might

consider the fact that she was one of the many not long
ago. A life without struggle had been hers come a year
ago. In her eyes that is. Now, Azula could see that even
in her childhood, life was one pebble thrown at her, which
quickly turned into stones, and then rocks, until one final
boulder came to deal the finishing blow.

That Azula may, if she was generous, call that struggle,

but she never would have called it true struggle. That
Azula would say she was above struggle, that she did
not, nor has ever struggled. Everything was given to her,
and her only struggle was to fight to keep it.

“I suppose your right.” Azula hums, staring off at the wall

in front of her, covered head to toe in glass panels,
decorating the walls with all the various tattoo’s this shop
has to offer. “I’ll admit, up until recently I had never
even given tattoo’s a thought.”

“Is that so?” Oanez says, a bit shocked. “I must say, I

would not have pegged you as that kind of person.”

“Really?” Azula asked, wanting to be offended but only

humor leaving her.

Stopping his work, he flails the pen around in a wondrous

manner, as if thinking of his answer as he said it. “How
should I put this? You look like the person who would
indulge in these sorts of things.”

Azula gives him a smirk. “And what does one of these

people look like?”

He looks as if he’s thinking it over, but the smile he

displays speaks to his knowledge he knows to be true.
Finally, he says, “Independent.”

This man. A man who knew nothing of her, to her best

knowledge that is, made the assumption that she is an
independent woman. Azula wondered how he reached
such a conclusion. Was it the fact that she was getting a
tattoo? Or maybe that she carried herself well?

Maybe it was because he had seen a sight not many see

of her, and was respecting her for it.

Her smirk lowers into something more of a sad smile.

“Maybe so.”

They talked some, but not as much as one might think.

Azula preferred to be with her thoughts, and he was
focused solely on the tattoo. Occasionally, Azula would
have been caught texting someone, mostly Ty Lee, but
those never lasted long before it turned into Ty Lee
begging to see the tattoo. Azula always refused.

‘It’s a surprise. ’ She had said, not willing to bend to Ty

Lee’s wishes.

‘But I literally picked it out! I know what it looks like!’

Azula had smirked at that. ‘I may have made a few

additions. Oanez made some good suggestions too.’

Azula went home that night with a full complete and

bandaged tattoo, instructions on how to take care of it
for the next three weeks, and a nearly numb arm. Even
opening the door to her house was painful.

Ty Lee wouldn’t stop barraging her with texts, knowing

full well what time the shop closed. So, apart from the
near constant tingle up her entire arm and back, Azula’s
phone made her pockets buzz too. Wonderful.

She managed to get to her room without seeing anyone,

which was probably because it was so late. Everyone had
gone to bed.

Sighing, Azula immediately takes off her shirt, letting it

fall to the floor as she steps into her bathroom to look at
the bandage covering the entire tattoo. She wasn’t
allowed to take it off for 24 hours, so it would have to
stay on as she slept. She’ll just throw on her new
sweatshirt, it was baggy enough and wouldn’t make a
fuss with any of the wrappings.

In the morning, she was greeted by a gentle throbbing

coursing literally everywhere. To make the sting even
worse, Ahiro had texted her, predetermining her pain by
saying, ‘Bet that stings, doesn’t it?’

‘Shut up and get back to work, Ahiro.’

The rest of the day was spent trying not to wince every
time her back hit a chair or someone grabbed a specific
part of her arm. She played it off well, managing only to
wince after they had turned away, but Agni it hurt.

She was tempted just to tell them all, but she wanted Ty
Lee to be the first to see, and if she told them, they
would beg her to show them.

To make her point clear, the sweatshirt stayed on until

she sat in front of her mirror that night, features
contorting in pain as she took the bandages off her back.
The area over the fresh design had a glossy finish to it,
and the edges swollen in red, but Oanez told her that
was normal, and to just apply the ointment after a nice
shower.

Doing as she was told, Azula spent a good hour trying to

cover the entire tattoo, but the fact that it was dead
center on her back made it quite the challenge. She does
it though, and her right arm aches from it.

Azula went to sleep telling Ty Lee not to jump her when

she got home tomorrow.

“Focus, Kiyi.” Azula instructs.

The child’s eyebrows furrowed in concentration. They

were working on her control. It was how any and all of
these sessions started. Without firm control over her
bending, Kiyi would never be able to fully master any of
the forms. Zuko had agreed it was probably the best
course of action considering Kiyi’s powerful fire.

Even now, a week from when they started, she still lost
control sometimes, distracted by something. When Azula
asked, Kiyi said she didn’t know, but there was a familiar
glint in her sister’s eyes. One Azula knew well.

She was scared behind that excited exterior.

Which is why they were alone today.

“Alright, that’s enough.”

Seemingly tired, Kiyi releases her hold on the burning

fire in her palms and sighs in relief. Azula grins because
she’s not done with Kiyi yet. “Alright gremlin, what’s
going on with you?”

“Huh?” Kiyi blanks, seemingly confused.

“I’m going to ask you something, and I want you to give

me an honest answer. Do you think you can do that for
me?

Confused, she nods, and Azula continues. “Why are you

scared?”

“I-I’m not scared!” Kiyi exclaims.

Azula narrows her eyes. “You’re a terrible liar, Kiyi. Now

tell me the truth.”

She pouts, and looks away. “It’s embarrassing.”

“It’s not embarrassing if it’s holding you back.” Azula

says, softening her voice. “I’m not just your teacher, Kiyi.
I’m your sister.”

Now the girl looked on the verge of tears.

“I’m scared of...of becoming like grandpa.”

“Grandpa? You mean-?” Azula cuts herself off, realizing

just who Kiyi was talking about. “I see.”

“I heard Mom talk to Dad about him one night...He

sounded really scary.”

“He was.” Azula admits. “He was a bad man, who hurt
our family in a lot of ways, but you know how we
survived?”

Kiyi shakes her head, but she’s completely enamored by

what Azula was saying. Her eyes glued onto Azula like if
she looked away wouldn’t be able to truly understand.

“We grew from his mistakes, and made ourselves better

than he was.” Azula says. “And one day, when you're
older, I’ll tell you everything.”

“Promise?” Kiyi asks, holding out her pinkie to Azula.

Blankly staring at the gesture, Azula laughs when she
figures out what it was, and wraps her own finger around
Kiyi’s.

“Promise.”

Kiyi beams at her, giggling. Azula smiles. Good, she was

feeling better than before.

Azula then tightens that grip, and shocks the girl by

pulling her in close. “But for now, do you think you can
get that fire under control?”

Kiyi laughs, and mocks salutes. “Yes sensei!”

After their session, Zuko came to see them, and Kiyi

boasted about being able to hold her fire for as long as
Azula told her to. To them, it was nothing to brag about,
but Kiyi made it seem like the hardest thing possible, so
he gave her his congrats, and they headed inside.

“I have a surprise for you.” Zuko says as they both watch

Kiyi run into the house.

“Oh really?” Azula eggs, raising an amused eyebrow.

He only hums, but before they could get back inside, Kiyi
rounds the corner and yells. “Lee Lee’s back!”

Azula looked at Zuko, a smirk plastered on her face. “Not

so much a surprise anymore, is it, Zuzu?”

He grumbles, shoving her forward. Azula had to do

everything in her power not to scream in pain. “Just get
inside.”

Weakly laughing, Azula heads in to indeed see Ty Lee

standing in the sitting room, completely focused on Kiyi
as she shows the brunette her growing talents. Azula
prefers to merely watch the exchange, but Zuko had
different ideas, clearing his throat and gaining Ty Lee’s
attention.

She looks up, and her present smile widens when she
sees the girl before her. “Zula!” She beams, skipping over
to her. Azula's eyes warned her to not do anything
extravagant. Ty Lee complied, merely kissing Azula on
the cheek and latching onto her right arm.

“How was the move in?”

“Oh you know. She wanted everything a certain way.” Ty

Lee explains. “She’s always been a control freak.”

“Sounds fun.”

“It was something, that’s for sure.” She replies, making

Azula chuckle.

She directs her attention to Kiyi. “Go shower gremlin,

and tell Ursa I was a good teacher.”

“Easy peasy!” Kiyi exclaims, bouncing out of the room,

the only remainder of her presence being the stomps
fading down the hall.

With all the subtleness of a charging bull, Ty Lee says,

“Well, it was fun seeing you Zuko. Tell Mai I said hi!” and
drags Azula out by the hand. She wants to laugh, but
knows Zuko would ask questions, so she merely looks
over her shoulder and shrugs at her brother. He gives a
confused wave back.

The second Azula shuts the door, Ty Lee says exactly

what Azula thought she would.

“Show it to me. Now .”

“It seems all of your manners have left you in the four
days you’ve been gone.” Azula jokes, only stepping
further into her room. Her entire upper body was covered
by her sweatshirt, which yes, she had kept on during
Kiyi’s training.

“I don’t care , show it to me!” Ty Lee begs, following

Azula and tugging at the ends of her sleeves. Then, with
adorably big puppy eyes, she adds, “Please?”
Azula can’t help herself from laughing, resting her
forehead on Ty Lee’s. “As if I could ever deny you.”

Backing away, Azula turns around and slowly pulls the

sweatshirt off her body, revealing the tattoo to Ty Lee
completely. She hears a gasp, and then a few steps
forward. She nearly squeaks when a cool hand meets the
warm skin of her back.

“It’s beautiful…”

Her voice is soft. It reminds her of a cool summer

breeze, or a pillow after a long day. Something that
makes you sigh and relax into, relishing like you would
never feel it again.

That hand trails over the intricate patterns of the

dragon’s scales, looping with its body and up towards her
arm. Circling around, Azula is granted the ability to see
Ty Lee, captivated by the way the dragon’s tail swirled
down her arms. It’s black scales and blue underbelly add
a hint of Azula’s nature into it, and the clouds
surrounding anything the beast might not have been able
to cover.

“Do you like the additions?”

Ty Lee smiled, and nodded, but Azula noticed the

wickedness forming in it when she said. “You just made
waiting two months a lot harder.”

Azula laughs, and begins to pull the sweatshirt back on.

“Well it needs about three weeks to heal anyway.”

“Does it really hurt that much?” Ty Lee asks, recalling

what Azula had texted her the day before.

“Yes, it does.” She affirms. “Zuko slapped me earlier and

I nearly set his hair on fire for it.”

The brunette giggles, falling into Azula’s chest now that

her sweatshirt was properly on. “When are you gonna tell
them? She asks, her arms snaking around Azula’s waist
comfortably. Azula mimics the action.

“I’m not sure.” She wonders, letting her head rest on top
of Ty Lee’s. “I figure I’ll just wait for them to notice.”

“Kiyi’s gonna love it.”

A chuckle leaves her. “Oh I’m sure she will. I bet she’ll
ask Ursa to get one as soon as she sees it.”

“That will be fun to watch.”

Azula hums, holding Ty Lee tighter. “It helped.”

“What?” Ty Lee asks.

“The tattoo.” Azula clarifies. “It helped.”

She can’t see it, but Ty Lee smiles and squeezes. “I’m
glad, Zula. I really am.”

Azula wasn’t lying, but the tattoo didn’t do near as much

as Ty Lee had. The brunette didn’t realize it, but just
being in the same bed as Azula, knowing what laid under
her shirt, and loving her even still, did more than any ink
could do to cover it up.

The tattoo may have covered it up, but Ty Lee helped her
accept them. Each and everyone one of those scars was
given to her out of cruel unloving abuse, but Ty Lee still
hugged her. She still dragged her fingers up and down
Azula’s back so carefully, so cautiously Azula felt like
there was nothing to be scared of. She was gentle, and
never harmed her like her Father had.

Love was trust, and if that made her a fool then who
cares?

She’d give up everything for Ty Lee, and would do

anything to take back all the hurt she had given Ty Lee.
She would do it in a heartbeat, but that wasn’t possible,
so she’d settle for making sure she knew it every day for
as long as Ty Lee would have her.

Because accepting that meant throwing away everything

Ozai had taught her. Everything he had burned into her
body, forcing her to believe it even when it hurt.

Accepting Ty Lee’s love came at the cost of losing

everything she once knew.

And Ty Lee made it such an easy decision to make.

“I love you.” Azula whispered, kissing the top of Ty Lee’s

head. “Thank you.”

Chapter 48: Doubtful Minds and

Promises to The Weary Heart

In the days leading up to the trial, everyone was clearly

on edge.

They went about their days like any other of course, but
that dark cloud, providing an ominous warning as to
what was to come loomed over them silently, waiting for
the right moment to strike.

Kiyi was a good distraction though. The girl was mostly

oblivious to the true implications of what the trial meant,
and what it could mean for Azula’s future. She was a ray
of sun poking through even the densest part of that
cloud, shining down onto them with a smile.

But in the privacy of the night, kept away from that

bundle of joy by the duties of sleep, Azula became tense.
Almost unhinged, if one were to describe. At one point,
Azula had been pacing for so long that Ty Lee got up and
had to force her down into bed so that she could try and
get some sleep.

And most nights she did. She slept soundly with Ty Lee
next to her, like a shield hoarding off the demons.

Until one day, they managed to sneak past.

They didn’t take the form of her Father this time, no.
Instead, they took to the shape of a man dressed in
black robes, and a gavel in hand.

The scenes came in flashes, so quickly Azula barely had

time to process it before the next one came. She could
make out that they were in order, as if a sequence of
events that could lead up to the final verdict. Ukano
slipping the judge a wad of bills behind his back, a slight
bit of tampering with the evidence, and a shouting Ukano
facing a terrified Azula in court, until finally the judge
slams down his gavel and says;

“I find Azula guilty of murder in the first degree, and

sentence her to death!”

Azula jerked awake after hearing Ty Lee scream. The

noise was not carried over, Azula only sat there, upright
and startled at what just happened.

What could happen.

Azula feels something wet drip down her cheek, and she
hears the tear drop to her sheets with a fain plop .

She could be sentenced to death. Taken from Ty Lee

without another thought.

Would she be allowed to say goodbye?

Azula wipes her cheek quickly, but only finds that a

stream of tears follow, now hitting the bed one after the
other, a constant background as doubts corrupted her
mind, heart, and soul.

What if she wasn’t as safe as Ahiro thought she was?

What if Ukano does something to rig the court? Aang had
picked out the judge, but anyone was susceptible to
leaning towards a particular side for the right amount of
money. What if...What if Azula didn’t do it out of self
defense?

What if she did enjoy it? Killing the man who tried to kill
Ty Lee, possibly even Kiyi at that. The man who burned
her, and called her a failure. The man who discarded her,
only to try and force her back when he realized he
couldn’t let her roam free.

What if she did enjoy getting rid of that vile waste of a

human.

Would Ty Lee hate her for it if she did? Would it even

matter?

Gripping the hairs covering her skull, Azula shrivels

inwards, the blankets around her legs bunching up and
shifting as she did so. Apparently, it makes Ty Lee groan,
turning over in her sleep. Azula hears Ty Lee try to say
something, but it was unintelligible as the brunette was
clearly still deep in her slumber. A faint smile rested on
her lips, and Azula couldn’t help but find solace in that
fact.

Not wanting to wake the girl, Azula finds the strength to

stand, grabbing a stray flannel from around her room
and throwing it over her shoulders, buttoning it up as
she stepped onto her balcony. The night brought a chill,
blowing through her hair, but not affected her body as
she acclimated to it.

Gripping the railing, Azula heaves a sigh, lifting one of

her hands to wipe the tears left on her cheeks.

She couldn’t be thinking like this now, it didn’t bode well

for what was to come. Still, that didn’t make the fact that
it was a possibility any less true. There were too many
possibilities. Too many chances for things to go wrong.
Ukano could twist their words, shaping them to his liking.

How was she going to fight against that?

“Azula?” Came Ty Lee’s sleepy voice. Azula turns to see

the brunette rubbing her eyes, a yawn escaping her as
she stepped outside. Immediately she felt the cool
breeze, and visibly shived. “What are you doing out
here? It’s cold.”

Azula gives her a weak smile, following the girl’s steps as

she molds herself into Azula, sighing when she realized
Azula was using her bending. She wonders if Ty Lee likes
having a human heater for a girlfriend.

“You’re warm.” She mumbles into her side. Chuckling

softly, Azula snakes a hand around Ty Lee’s waist.

“Well I am a fire bender.” She replies, making Ty Lee

laugh.

The sky was clear, Azula noticed in their silence. Stars

sprinkled across the sky, twinkling in the distance,
almost fading into the blackness of space before
exploding into light once more. The view ahead of them,
lit by the moon’s ethereal glow, casted a shadow over
their bodies, only serving to make their spot colder, but
that mattered to neither of them.

Azula would keep them as warm as she needed to. As

long as she could let the fresh air seep into her lungs,
calming her spirits and relaxing her once tense muscles.

“You know, you kinda remind me of the moon, Zula.” Ty

Lee starts, drawing her attention with a raised eyebrow.
“Even though you’re a fire bender, the moon just fits you
better.”

Azula holds her tighter, a wave of heat hitting them both

from the shared contact. Their bodies relax even further.
“Why’s that?”

“You’re always so calm, and even though you’re always

there, no one pays attention to you during the day.
You’re cold, and sometimes harsh in your way of life, but
you do it without fail, and without fear of what other
people will think of you.”

Ty Lee was wrong. Azula did fear what people thought of

her.

Well, not everyone.

“I fear what you think of me.” Azula mumbles into the

still night air. “I still do. All the time.”

“Azula-”

“It’s a good thing.” Azula explains. “Keeps me from

getting too high and mighty, you know?”

She feels Ty Lee’s eyes, steady but uncertain. “Azula why

are you out here?”

Take a deep breath. You can talk to her. “I’m scared of

what might happen during the trial. What if things go
wrong?”

“They won’t.” Ty Lee assures.

“But what if they do ?” Azula repeats, leaving their

cocoon of warmth to pace nervously. “Anything could go
wrong, Lee. Anything .”

“ Azula .”

Freezing in place, Azula’s eyes go wide as she sees Ty

Lee’s. Everything about her dripped with an aura of
complete and utter confidence in what she was about to
say next.

“Everything’s going to be fine.” She states, taking Azula’s

hand and giving it a squeeze. “I promise.”

Azula scoffs, but her disbelief is still visible. “You can’t

possibly promise that.”

“I can, and I will.” Ty Lee says boldly. “Whatever Ukano

throws at us, at you , we will face it, and we’ll beat it. We
didn’t get this far just for Mai’s old man to decide your
fate for you.”

An awfully simple way of putting it, but Azula can’t help

but smile. Ty Lee had complete and utter faith in her and
their side. She was going to put everything into this and
Azula should be expected to do the same.

Looking down at Ty Lee’s hand, her eyes travel up

towards her wrist, noticing the goosebumps lining her
arm. Azula is pretty sure those aren’t from nerves or
anticipation.

Shrugging off her flannel, she drapes it over Ty Lee,

helping the brunette into it. Ty Lee takes it gleefully,
sighing when both the flannel is on and Azula’s arms are
back around her, enveloping her in a comfortable and
familiar warmth.

“I guess you’re right, darling. I am the moon, in a way.”

Azula admits, and Ty Lee pulls her head away just
enough to meet Azula’s loving smile. “Because I’ve
always thought of you as the sun.”

“So, I see someone was busy since we last talked.”

Azula smirks, knowing full well her jacket sleeve was

hiking upwards to reveal her left wrist. She lifts it in front
of her. “Oh this? It’s nothing.”

“It does not look like nothing, Azula.” Glenn counters

with a grin. It was clear she was eager to see this. “Let
me see it.”

With a sigh, Azula took off her jacket and rolled up the
sleeve of her shirt. She wasn’t about to take off the
entire article, so her therapist would just have to settle
for this.

The Doctor leans forwards, marvelling the expert level of

design and artistic ability. “That’s beautiful, and this
covers your back too?”

She nods, pulling her sleeve back down before her jacket
follows into its normal position. Glenn gives her a smile.
“How does it make you feel.”

“Apart from the constant stinging? Wonderful. The pain

kind of dulls the past hurt.”

Glenn writes that down. “So it acts as a cover up?”

Azula shakes her head, confused. “What do you mean.”

Gesturing her hands out, Glen says, “You’ve endured

pain in those spots, and up until this tattoo, that’s the
only pain you ever associated with it. Now that you have
that stinging from the tattoo, you have a different pain to
associate with those areas. It acts as a blanket to cover
up the things your Father did to you.”

Huh. That actually makes a lot of sense.

“I guess so.” She remarks, leaning back in her chair.

Glenn flashes her a smile. “So tell me how you’ve been.

Anything new happen?”

Azula thinks about it. “Not really. The nightmares are

different though.”

“How so?” Glenn says, scribbling something down.

She shrugs, recalling last night's moment with Ty Lee.

“They aren’t about...him anymore. The one I had last
night was...was about the trial.”

The air shifts, and Azula can see the shit eating grin on
Glenn’s face. “Azula, I think you’ve conquered your fear
of your Father.”

That very air tenses, freezing like Azula’s posture. “I-

What?” She stammers, not able to believe the words that
Glenn was saying to her.

“Think about it. The dissociation of your scars from your

back, the absence of nightmares about him, the fact that
you chose Ty Lee over him. You’ve faced your fear, Azula,
and conquered it.”

She faced her fear.

And conquered it.

She conquered her fear of Ozai.

“I...I did?”

“That’s what I think, but I can’t really tell you this for
certain. Most patients will always be haunted by their
demons, but the ones that conquer them rarely ever see
them again. I like to call the moments that they do
lapses.”

“And...How do these lapses present themselves?”

“It can be anything.” Glenn shrugs, fixing her glasses.

“Hallucinations, nightmares, seeing something that
reminds the person of that demon. Anything emotionally
triggering that could send them into the lapse.”

Azula nods, still grappling with all of this new

information.

“We can stop early, if you’d like. I know this is a big step
forward.”

“No-” Azula says quickly, dismissing it with a wave of her

hand as she grips the arm of her chair, readjusting in her
seat. “No, I’m fine, we can continue.”

“If you’re sure.” She agrees. “How are things with your
Mother?”

“Stable.” Was Azula’s immediate response. “We...We’re

stable.”

“That’s good. A step up from barely speaking to each

other.” Glenn notes. “What caused this change, though?”

“I thanked her for a birthday present, and past that it’s

all a bit confusing.”

“Relationships can definitely be confusing.” Her therapist

agrees.

Azula sighs, relaxing a bit. “I just don’t think she really

understands me yet. Not the person I am now, at least.”

“So she’s only seeing the Azula she knew?”

“Exactly.” Azula confirms, her palm hitting the arm of her

chair lightly. “She says she wants things to be different,
but can’t get her head out of the past.”

“Have you tried talking to her about it?”

“That’s just it.” Azula remarks, a bit shocked as she

recalls that moment they shared. “It was like someone
flipped a switch on her. Now she’s all, ‘I’ll wait for you to
come to me’ instead of sobbing every time she makes
eye contact with me.”

“And is this bad?”

“No it’s just…” Azula trails. “Weird.”

She has no explanation, she’s at a loss as to what to

make of it herself. Glen merely jots something down and
says, “Well I think that's a good start. I wouldn’t be
surprised if things start changing between you two soon.”

Azula doesn’t have it within her to disagree. Maybe she

was tired of being mad. She had every right to be, but
maybe she was tired of it.

Friends.

She’s starting to think they could at least be that.

That night, while Ty Lee took a bath, Azula headed to the

empty sitting room. Well, it would have been empty if
Zuko wasn’t there, as if waiting for her to come in.

“Hey.” He says. There was no playfulness in his voice, but

it was neither serious either. They both knew what the
other was feeling, and knew better then to ask before
the other spoke first.

She doesn’t say anything, merely taking a seat next to

him on the floor. The dying ember of the fire crackle
against the charred wood, a subtle noise that provided a
familiar comfort to both of them.

They sit there, silently enjoying the others' presence.

Lately, they hadn’t needed words to get across what they
were feeling, they just understood. They knew each
other, and cared enough to know what that meant.

“I need you to do something for me.” Azula says,

breaking their silence but not taking her eyes of the
dimly lit fire.

“Yeah?” Zuko asks.

She holds a pause, making sure she knew what she

wanted to say. There were so many things she wanted to
say before the day came, but they were running out of
time.

“If things don’t go well tomorrow-”

“Don’t talk like that-” Zuko starts.

“Shut up, Zuko.” Azula snaps, voice sharp as she glares

at him. He promptly shuts his mouth and listens to Azula
like she asked.

“I need you to take care of Ty Lee.” Azula says, bending

her knees up towards her chin and burning her face into
them as she watched the fire. She refuses to look at her
brother. “I don’t...I don’t know how things will end, but if
they take me away from her, then I need to know you’ll
be there for her. I need you to swear it.”
Azula had never felt so small in her life. Never in her life
had she thought she’d care for someone so much more
than herself, but here she was. She refused to pity
herself. This was about Ty Lee. She needed to make sure
Ty Lee would be safe.

“I swear.”

Wait. That wasn’t Zuko’s voice.

Both Azula and Zuko turn to see Mai standing next to the
couch. Who knows how long she’s been there, watching
them.

Her eyes are fierce too. A rare emotion from the goth
which only displayed itself in her most genuine of
moments.

Azula feels her eyes stinging with tears, She’s happy Mai
is here, because she wanted to ask this of her too. Mai
was Ty Lee’s second closest friend, so if anyone would be
able to pull her out of the hole she’d dig herself into, it
would be Mai.

She nods, turning back to the fire, not flinching when Mai
takes a seat next to her.

“I swear it too.” Zuko finally promises. “She’ll always

have a home here. No matter what happens.”

“But you’re going to win.” Mai says, voice surprisingly

soft. If even Mai realized the gravity of the situation,
Azula knew she must look pretty bad right now. She was
curled into a little ball at the moment.

“I hope you’re right, but this is just in case.”

“You will.”

Mai and Zuko speak at the same time, but no one

comments on it. It only further reimburses their point.
Azula was on the right side of this, and they all knew it.
Ukano wouldn’t stop them from bringing her home a free
woman.

“Thank you.” Azula whispers, not being able to manage

anything above that.

Mai’s hand places itself on Azula’s shoulder reassuringly.

A promise and a comfort to Azula. Zuko’s wraps an arm
around her waist and scooches a little closer. Not having
to think about it, Azula lets her head fall onto his
shoulder.

A small part of the weight in her heart is lifted away.

Knowing Ty Lee was in good hands if things went
south...well, that’s all she could ask for at this point.

But that wasn’t going to happen.

This was just a back up. Azula was not giving up. She
planned to beat this bastard. To ground him into the pulp
he was. No one gets away with trying to take Ty Lee
away from her, or vice versa. Her story wasn’t over yet.
Their story wasn’t over yet.

“Ukano’s gonna wish he never took this case.” Azula says

coldly, cutting through the solemn air like one of her
brand new knives.

She doesn’t see it, but both her brother and friend grin.

“There she is. Azula’s come out to play.” Zuko taunts. He

knows that tone. A confident edge in her voice, followed
by the overwhelming power it held whenever it
addressed someone. Ukano would fall to his knees in fear
of her power. She’d find his weak spots, and use them to
her advantage. Like she always did.

Azula can’t help the sharp-toothed grin that etches itself

across her face.

Congrats Ukano.

You’ve woken the monster.

Chapter 49: The Trial: Part 1

The car ride to the courthouse was one spent in absolute,

gut wrenching silence. No one dared speak a word,
fearing for what might happen if they were to say the
wrong thing.

Azula sat there, conditioning herself to be numb for the

next several hours. Trials could take multiple days to get
through, but she wanted this over with today. Whether
she would be locked up for the rest of her life, sentenced
to death, or cleared of all charges, the verdict would
happen today. She was going to make sure of it.

The only thing she could feel was Ty Lee’s tightly

interlocked hand, gripping onto hers for dear life. It hurt
a little, but she said nothing. She knew Ty Lee needed
this, and truthfully, she needed it too. Azula only
managed to give a small squeeze back.

When they got there, the cameras were waiting. Cops

provided fencing for the group as they filed out of the
car, Azula wrapping an arm around Ty Lee’s waist to help
guide her through the crowds.

They got inside, but the eyes never stopped. Even as

they walked down the dull corridors to where the
courtroom was, everyone stared, whispering among
themselves. Even the people who stared at them weren’t
subtle in their looks. They all scowled at Azula, as if
disgusted by what she had done.

If any of them knew the story then they’d think twice

before giving her the dirty eye.

The cop that led them to the double door of the room
they’d be in, stopping just short. “I need any witnesses
that are testifying to come with me.

Azula’s grip tightens when she hears Ty Lee’s breath

hitch.

She gives the officer a stern look. “Can you give us a

minute, please?”

He nods, turning to walk around the corner.

“Zuko, Mai. Go with him. Ahiro, you can head inside with
Ursa and Kiyi.”

They all follow her orders, and Kiyi waves at her sadly.
Azula gives her a smile until the door shuts, then
focusing all of her attention on Ty Lee.

“I can’t do this, Zula.”

Azula pivots to hold the brunette fully. “I’m sorry, but

you have to.”

“What if he gets to me?”

“He won’t. Ahiro will interject if things get out of hand.”

Azula says, but sighs, adding, “I wish you didn’t have to
do this.”

“I wish people could just understand that he was evil.” Ty

Lee mumbles.

“They will.” She assures. “We’re going to do that today,

no matter what Ukano throws at us. That’s what you
said, right?”

Ty Lee audibly laughs, but it comes out more as a sigh

into Azula’s dress shirt.

“Promise me you’ll make him hurt.”

Her eyes widened slightly, a bit shocked to hear this from

Ty Lee. With every second that passes, Azula feels more
and more determination coursing through her veins,
pumping through her heart and into her brain where a
plan starts to form.

“I’ll do more than that, darling.” Azula says, voice low

and threatening as she glares at the door Ukano was
behind. “I’ll break him.”

“Sorry you two, but we have to get going.” The officer

interrupts, and Azula looks over her shoulder to see him
pointing to his watch. She gives him a nod, and pulls Ty
Lee out of the embrace.

Without a word she pulls her into a deeply needed kiss,

pouring everything she wanted to say but didn’t have the
time for into it. Ty Lee gripped the edges of her jacket
tighter, clinging to the moment and not wanting it to end.
Not wanting it to bring them closer to an untimely end to
their story.

Azula refused to let it end like this.

Pulling away, she whispers, “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Ty Lee replies without hesitation,

beginning to move towards the officer, dragging her hand
along Azula’s arm, outstretching it until their fingertips
were the only things touching.

She slips away.

“I’ll see you soon.” Azula says, offering Ty Lee a smile. In

return, she gets one back before the brunette turns
around fully, following the officer down the corner and
out of sight.

Upon entering the spacious room, filled with chairs that

were occupied by several familiar faces, Azula holds her
head high. Ahiro opens the small gate separating the
audience from the prosecution and defense, and Azula
heads in, taking a seat in a firmly padded chair. Shifting,
she finds the most comfortable position, and rests her
hands on the table.

“How are you feeling?” Ahiro asks, taking his seat next to
her and opening his binder.

“Peachy.” Azula says, keeping her eyes forward.

“Want to know the line up?”

“Hit me.”

He flips to a certain page. “First will be Zuko, then Mai.

Then we’ll have the guard who held Ty Lee, followed by
Ty Lee. Glenn will follow as an expert witness, and
finally...Well, you.”

“And Ukano agreed to these witnesses?”

“He didn’t have any objections, so yes.”

Azula hums, but says nothing more. They had what they
needed, all they had to do now was execute it.

Humiliate him. Put him in the spotlight and let it blind

him.

The judge heads into the room just a few minutes after
the jury. He reads the usual, what the case was for, who
it was charging, the standard jargon. Azula ignores most
of it, even going into Ukano’s opening remarks. She
catches some of the end though, and manages to get the
gist of it.

It was exactly what she expected. He plans to prove her

guilty on the pretext of her past actions working at the
company, and her mental state. He wanted to show the
monster she once was, and plaster it over her forehead
again.

He’s going to have to do better than that.

“Now for the defense’s opening remarks.” The judge

proctored, leading Ahiro to stand up and address the jury
on the side of the room. Azula watches, hyperfocused on
the man.

“Ladies and gentlemen, you’re here to watch a young

woman be accused for killing a man who she called her
Father. You will hear terrible things, and see videos you
wish you hadn’t. Videos that so plainly show Azula to
have struck her Father down only when he put a gun to a
young woman by the name of Ty Lee’s head, and
threatened to pull the trigger if she did not comply with
those demands. You will see her try to reason with him,
and bargain for their lives, but to no avail. The
prosecution will try and label her as a killer, when the
truth is much more complex.” Ahiro begins, adjusting his
tie. “We are not here to judge her innocence, we know
she’s killed a man. The question though, is whether or
not she did it out of self defense.”

Ukano looks at her, and she spares him a glance, seeing

his smug grin. She raises an eyebrow, as if to say, ‘Pay
attention, asshat.’

He frowns, and Azula returns her attention to Ahiro.

“Over the next several hours I’m going to prove that

Azula, a woman who has endured much more than she
has let the public eye see, is not the monster you think
she is. She merely wants to protect her friends, and in
this case, she is willing to take the absolute measure.”

The absolute measure. That’s a good way of putting it,

Azula thinks briefly.

“I am well aware that most of you do not hold much

favor towards Azula’s family for the grievances they have
no doubt caused on your lives. I too share that
sentiment, but I can assure you that the children of Ozai
do not bear what he once wished for this world anymore.
Azula has changed from the person she was when she
worked for her Father, no matter how hard Ukano tries to
prove otherwise.” He continues.

Getting personal with the jury, always a nice touch.

“So please, take a moment to open your minds. Go into

this case with the notion that this is not the Azula who
ruined people's lives. This is the Azula that saved them.”

Azula dared to think that that’s the nicest thing he’s ever
said about her.

Taking his seat next to her, Azula turns her attention to

the judge, but leans over slightly and whispers, “Thank
you.”

“Thank me when I get you out of this.” Was his

response.

She smiles. “I’ll hold you to that.”

“Now that the opening statements have concluded, we

will move into the presentation of evidence on both
sides. Would the prosecution please call their first
witness to the stand?”

Ukano stands, drawing all the eyes to him as he steps

out in front of his desk. “Thank you Your Honor. I would
like to call my first witness, Mr. Chan to the stand.”

The judge gestures to the guard, and a single guard

leaves through a side door. A moment later, Chan comes
out, taking a seat where the officer pointed to.

Well this was a surprise.

She had completely forgotten about this kid. Great, they

were going to bring up her little accident.

“Who is this?” Ahiro whispers while Chan took the oath to

tell the truth.

Azula leans back a bit. “The kid from my school. I went

to his party and ended up putting two kids in the
hospital. They were trying to force Ty Lee to come home
with them.”

He nods, not needing anymore than that. “I remember

looking into this. Don’t worry about it.”

Azula raises an eyebrow, but doesn’t question it. She

can’t be surprised either. Ahiro looks into everything. It’s
why he’s so good, he covers every nook and cranny of a
person until there is nothing he can’t explain or direct in
his favor.

“Hello Chan.” Ukano greets kindly. “I just need you to

answer a few questions for me, is that okay?”

“Sure.” He responds quickly. His hands were covered, lost

behind the wall of his stand, but they shuffled nervously.
He was antsy, and it was clear they hadn’t prepared him
for this.

“Several months ago, did you throw a party at your

house, inviting many of the student body from your
school?”

“Yeah, I did.” He responds.

“And was Azula at this party?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t know it was her.”

“She didn’t tell you her name?”

“I didn’t talk to her. I only saw her for like a minute or

two before she left.”

“And what was she doing at this party?”

He shrugs. “I dunno. All I know is that while she was

there, she beat up two of my close friends.”

“She beat up two people?” Ukano says, feigning shock.

“And did she have a reason for doing this?”

“Like I said, I don’t know. Probably not though.”

“And a few weeks later, she attended another of your

parties?”

“Yeah, she told me her name was Laya and we ended up

kissing for a bit. Then she said something super weird so
I left.”

“Why would she give you a false name?”

He shrugs.

Azula rolls her eyes. Chan was a flimsy foundation to

start this case. Sure, she beat a few kids up, but that
was barely anything against her. Kids get beat up and
bullied all the time, and they aren’t arrested for it.

“That’s a very strange thing to do, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, I guess.” Chan agrees.

“And the day after, you confronted her about this, yes?”

“Yeah, and she broke my nose spraining my wrist!”

Ukano merely smiles, and gives Chan a polite nod,

pleased with his answers. He looked a tad smug if Azula
were to squint. Probably because he thought Ahiro didn’t
do his research on him. “Thank you, Mr. Chan. I have no
further questions for you.”

“The defense will now begin their cross examination.”

Ahiro gives Azula a wink, buttoning his suit as he stands.

She merely watches, a bit excited to see Ahiro in action.

“Mr. Chan, was it?” Ahiro starts, earning a small nod from
the boy. Fixing his collar, Ahiro stands in the center of the
court, nearing Ukano’s desk but not breaking the
respectful boundary. “You spoke of these two boys that
were hospitalized at your party by my client, correct?”

“Yeah, what about it?”

“Were you aware that the two of them were trying to

take one of Azula’s close friends home with them while
the girl was clearly under the influence?”

Chan looks confused. “No…”

Ahiro looks down, a small but victorious smile on his face

as he turns to head back to his binder. “Your Honor I
would like to present the court with Defense Exhibit #23,
two written testimonies by the young men Mr. Chan
speaks of.”

Ahiro pulls out two packets, first handing them to Ukano,

and then to the judge. “In these you will find confessions
that the boys knew the girl was inebriated, and wanted
to engage in sexual behavior with her. It is my
understanding that Azula came to this conclusion and
took it upon herself to stop these men when they
resisted her attempts to try and take the girl home
safely.”

Azula is slightly glad Ty Lee isn’t in here right now.

The judge nods, handing the packets to the clerk so that

he can mark them into evidence.

“So Mr. Chan. With this knowledge, can you look down
upon Azula for simply wanting to protect her friend?”
Ahiro asks, keeping his tone polite even if he was cross
examining. That was always an interesting thing about
Ahiro. No matter who interrogated, or how disgusting
they were, he kept his tone kind and polite. Never
faltering in his knowledge or predisposition.

He looks away, clearly frustrated by this new knowledge.

“...No.”

“No…” Ahiro repeats, turning to the crowd and giving

them a shake of his head. “Now, if you will, I’d like to ask
what exactly was said in the moments prior to you
earning a broken nose and sprained wrist.”

“Objection! Relevance?” Ukano tries. It was flimsy at

best.

“Mr. Chan will answer the question.” The judge says.

Azula lets a small smile onto her face. They had the
judge interested.

Chan seemed to squirm in his seat. “I told you...I

confronted her about not giving me her real name.”

“Forgive me, but I don’t believe that.” Ahiro blunts. “My

client may be a far cry from a good person, but she does
not attack without good cause to do so. I will repeat the
question, what exactly did you say to her?”

Go on. Say it Chan, Azula thinks, resisting the urge to

laugh.

“I...I called her a liar, and a bitch.”

A few members of the jury gasp, and the audience

behind her whispers among themselves.

“No further questions, Your Honor.”

Azula can’t help but give Ahiro a fist bump as he takes a

seat. The judge allows a moment for the jury to collect
their thoughts before continuing the trial. “Thank you Mr.
Chan, you are free to go.”

He quickly gets up, heading out the same way he came

in.

Ukano stands once more, clearing his throat after that

clear loss of trust in both the jury and judge. “The next
witnesses I would like to call forth are Lo and Li.”

“Very well.”

Azula watches as her two former instructors and close

advisors sit down in the stands, and an extra chair is
brought for Li. They didn’t look any different from the
last she’d seen of them all those months ago. Though, if
she cared to look close enough she’d probably see a few
new wrinkles added to their cheeks.

“Lo and Li, is it true that you were Azula’s fire bending
teachers in her youth?”

“Yes.” They both replied at the same time. Azula sighs.

“This’ll be fun.” She grunts quietly. Ahiro says nothing,
but his eyes glitter with amusement.

Ukano continues. “And, was she ever dangerous to the

people around her?”

Lo speaks this time. “She’s always been a danger. Ever

since her birth, she has sought nothing but destruction
and chaos. A true deviant if I ever saw one”

Azula wants to laugh at how ignorant that statement

was.

“How so?”

“On many occasions she broke several household items,

even going so far as to burn the entire west wing of their
family’s house.” Li answers.

“Azula you monster!”

Her Mother’s voice rings in her head, and if she turns

ever so slightly, she catches a glance of Ursa’s guilty
expression.

“Thank you, just one more question.” He says, a small

chuckling leaving him. “I’m sure you both are aware of
the day we in the Fire Nation know as Sozin’s comet.”

“Yes, we are.” They confirm.

“And you were there when Azula was signing the

documents to become the next CEO of her Father’s
company?”

They nod. Azula sees his smile only grow. She wants to
sigh. Of course he was going to bring this up so early.

“How was she? Did she seem...unhinged?”

“She fired nearly the entire staff, including my sister Li.”

Lo explains as if it was obvious. “I’d say she was a little
more than unhinged.”

“I see, and did anything else happen during that day?”

“She challenged her brother to an Agni Kai. Only, this

one wasn’t just to burn the opponent. It was to the
death.”

The room explodes into a whispering chaos, and Azula

hears one man say there's no way she’s getting out of
this now.

“No further questions, Your Honor.” Ukano says, turning

to grin at Azula smugly.

How cute.

Azula smirks.

“Shut them down, Ahiro.” She commands.

“With pleasure.” He says.

Ahiro stands, and makes his way over to the twins,

patting his bottom lip as if in thought. “You ladies said
you were Azula’s fire bending teachers, is that correct?”

They nod, seemingly agitated by the repeat question, but

say nothing.

“So, in the definition of being a teacher, you taught Azula

how to use her power, and educated her on the proper
manners befitting someone of her status?”

They nod once more, not finding any objections to that.

“I see, and you explained Azula as ‘Dangerous’ and

‘Deviant’?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you.” He replies before continuing with, “What I

want to ask you both is, if you were her teachers
responsible for teaching her proper use of her bending
and her manners, how did she end up as such a danger
to everyone around her?”

Lo and Li sit there, speechless.

Azula turns to Ukano, who’s gaping at the scene quietly.

He promptly shuts his mouth, but it’s too late as he turns
to look at her, seeing her knowing expression.

You're off your game, Ukano.

It will be your downfall.

“We are not responsible for Azula’s decisions-” Li speaks

up, but Ahiro intervenes with a single wave of his index
finger.

“No, you agreed that you were responsible for teaching

her the proper use of her powers, and using these
teachings, she made the assumption that burning down
the entire west wing of her house was okay. I’d like to
know just what you have been teaching her.”

“Objection! The question was vague.” Ukano exclaims.

“Mr. Ahiro, please restate the question.” The judge says.

“Forgive me, Your Honor.” Ahiro apologizes, but it causes

no difference. Ahiro still had them in a noose, the chair
below them every so close to tipping over, sending them
to their doom. “What I meant to ask was, did you teach
and enable Azula to use her powers in a dangerous and
deviant way?”

The two women remain silent for a full minute,

processing just what Ahiro was asking of them.

“We taught her what we knew.” One of them finally says,

quietly but still enough to be heard by everyone. “We
had no idea she would do something so destructive with
it.”

“I see.” Ahiro says, feigning solemn as he asks his next

question. “And, did you, or did you not do anything to try
and stop any similar actions Azula made in the future?”

“Ozai told us not to intervene.”

Now that was something she didn’t know. Azula leans

forward in her seat.

Ozai ordered them not to stop her?

“Did you object to this decision?”

“No.”

“So you were submissive to Ozai and the obviously ill-

fated plans he had for his daughter?”

Ill-fated plans?

Ah. He wanted her to become the monster she was

labeled as. Azula’s eyes grew numb, solemn to the
thought. All along, it was all part of the plan. She was a
simple pawn, a secret monster to use when things got
too out of hand.

Disposable.

“Yes.”

They were completely broken. If they had said anything

but it would have been an obvious lie.

“No further questions, Your Honor.”

Azula says nothing as she watches the twins head back

into the waiting room. The air was stiff all around them,
tensing her muscles and making it hard to even take a
breath. It was suffocating.

“Does the prosecution hold any more witnesses?”

“...No, Your Honor.” Ukano says, the surprise evident in

his voice. His two witnesses that could have provided
evidence to Azula’s dangerous background had
completely and utterly failed. Backfired right into his own
face. He was no doubt feeling humiliated by this turn of
events.

Azula could sympathize with that.

This whole thing was shining a light on her, and they

hadn’t even gotten to the bad stuff yet.

They would though, and that’s what scares her the most.

“Then we shall move into the defense’s witnesses.”

Ahiro leans over to her while she still wrangles with her
mind, dazed to the outside world. “You ready?”

Calm down.

Repeating that in her head, Azula takes a deep, centering

breath in, letting it out slowly. She had prepared herself
for this. Ukano could throw whatever he wanted at her,
but nothing would change the fact that Azula was going
to come out of this victorious.

She had to.

“Ready.”

Ahiro stands, brushing the wrinkles from his suit with a

single swipe.

“I’d like to call Zuko to the stands, Your Honor.”

Chapter 50: The Trial: Part 2

Azula felt the slightest bit of comfort seeing her brother

in the room. Before anyone said anything, his eyes met
hers, and he gave her a smile.

Don’t worry. I’m stronger than you think.

Azula grins, tapping the fingers perches along the side of

her head rhythmically.

We’ll see about that , it said. Taunt him, tease him. Make
it feel like this was just another day at home. Make him
feel confident.

“Zuko, how are you this morning?” Ahiro begins kindly,

and Azula can tell there’s real genuineness in his
curiosity.

“As well as any brother can be doing in this situation.”

Surprisingly, a few of the jury members laugh. Azula

even hears Kiyi giggle from afar. It makes her smile.

“I suppose that’s all we can ask of you.” Ahiro responds.

“Let's start with the most obvious question, could you
call Azula a monster?”

Zuko visibly steels himself, glancing towards Azula

briefly. She gives him a nod.

Tell them the truth. They won’t believe anything but.

“At one point, I probably would have. She was what all
the rumors said she was. A prodigy, a liar, a brute,
torturer, and an arrogant and unloving human I had to
call my sister.” Zuko responds.

Ouch.

“And during this time you had been disowned from the
family?”

“Not officially, but Ozai forced me out of the house. I had

to live with our Uncle Iroh and work at his tea shop.”

“Oh his tea is just splendid, isn’t it?” Ahiro comments,

sighing at the mere mention. Everyone laughs, familiar
with Iroh’s notorious name in the tea industry. “And she
was the same way at school?”

“Yeah, she was a real bully to anyone she thought had it

coming.”

“I see, and during Sozin’s Comet, something changed?”

Zuko gulps, nodding as he leans in a bit. “She uh...I

guess it had been building under the surface, but the day
of Sozin’s comet, she cracked. Went insane and
challenged me to an Agni Kai for the position of CEO. She
nearly killed me with lightning that day before Katara
stopped her and healed me.”

Ahiro heads back to his briefcase. “I’d like to direct

everyone’s attention to Exhibit 46, which display
photographs of Zuko’s scar, the one which Azula gave
him that day.”

The evidence is displayed on a large monitor off towards

Azula’s side of the court, visible to all jury members as
they gasped at the gorish red scar. Ahiro returns to Zuko.
“So Azula was clearly not in the right mind, and was
making impulsive decisions?”

“Yeah. She was angry, and clearly psychotic.”

Harsh.

It would be worth it in the end. If they covered

everything before Ukano could, he’d have nothing to use
as cannonfire against them.

“Over the next 2 months, Azula was admitted into a

mental institution, correct?”

“Yes.”

“And while there, it became clear that it was doing

nothing to help her?”

He nods, his eyes glistening as he recalled those events

as if they were yesterday. “The doctors weren’t giving
her any medications, and none of the therapists were
actually trying to help her. All they did was send her into
a barren room whenever she acted out. Which was a lot.”

“I can imagine. Under those circumstances, I dare say

anyone could go insane if they weren’t already.”

“I definitely would have.” Zuko agrees, making Ahiro

chuckle a bit. “With the help of Ty Lee, we got Azula out
of there, and tried to get her real treatment. Y’know,
medication and a therapist. The support she needed.”

“Of course.” Ahiro bows his head. “But this didn’t go

according to plan, did it?”

Zuko shakes his head solemnly. “She would try and

escape every chance she got. My guess is that she was
trying to free Ozai so they could finish what they started.
She didn’t get the chance though, because when she
managed to get out on her motorcycle, she got into a big
car accident.”

Most people didn’t know about this part, and Ahiro

directs their attention to photographs and videos of that
very day, taken by the camera’s perched next to the
stoplight on the roads. Azula sees one of them gag in
their mouth. Azula couldn’t blame them, that was
definitely one of her more bloody moments. Only, this
blood was her own.

“How long was Azula in the hospital?” Ahiro says, his

voice noticeably solemn as his eyes still focused on the
slideshow of images.

“About a week and a half, give or take. She wasn’t

banged up too bad, but it was clear the accident took its
toll on her. When she woke up for the first time after the
accident, she was different.”

“How so?”

“Calmer, stable. Not fully okay but she wasn’t fighting us

anymore. In fact, she was the first to bring back up the
idea of a therapist after we had nearly given up on it.”
Zuko explains, hanging his head in shame. “We weren’t
the greatest people to her, but we were trying.”

“No one knows how to deal with an unwell sibling

straight off the bat, no one can blame you for that.” Ahiro
reassures, showing some compassion in his voice for
both Zuko and Azula. She finds it comforting. “Tell me
what happened next.”

“After a few rocky starts, Azula started seeing her

therapist weekly, and slowly, things started getting
better. Though, things took a dive when I asked her to
help me go find our Mother, Ursa.”

Azula is surprised to see that no one had objected to this

yet, not even Ukano was doing anything. They all just
watched, too enthralled in the story of Azula’s life from
the person who had been there through all of it to do
anything else.

It was all going according to plan.

As Zuko droned on about Azula's time spent lapsing,

finding their Mother, and the conflict she overcame in
those days, Azula watched the crowds. More specifically,
she watched Ursa.

It was quite a sight.

She wasn’t sure she’d seen anyones, not even Ty Lee’s

eyes go that wide. Her position in the front row, leaned
forwards a bit with her mouth gaping slightly made her
position in this whole affair quite obvious.

She had no clue just what Azula had struggled with these
past several months. She hadn’t cared to even try and
guess.

To see it all hitting her in waves, Azula didn’t feel guilty

in saying she was enjoying it.

Give her a taste of the hurt she had inflicted on Azula for
her entire life. Make her realize just what she had helped
to create. Those demons she’s hearing off? Congrats
Ursa, most of them are your fault.

Nevertheless, Azula was supposed to be paying

attention, so she turned around to do just that.

Though, as her eyes wander back in front, they catch

sight of something strange. The judge was staring at her.

Azula raises an eyebrow, confused but it curves up in

shock when she realizes just what that pitiful expression
meant.

He felt bad for her.

As quickly as she saw it, it vanishes, but that doesn’t

make it any less real. She had sympathy from the judge.
Did this mean-?

Directing her eyes to the jury, she was shocked to see

that some were growing weepy as he explained their
Fathers behavior, the true origins of his scar, and a peep
into what they would be covering when Mai was brought
to the stand.

She couldn’t believe this. They were...They were sad for

her?

One glance at Ukano, and she knew this was diving in

their favor.

He was gaping, jaw dropped to his desk as Ahiro

uncovered everything before Ukano even had the chance
to. Ahiro had set his cards up perfectly so that the
questions he asked couldn’t be objected, and the jury
saw the whole truth.

He was the perfect lawyer, and even Ukano knew that.

When it came Ukano’s turn to cross examine, all he could

do was ask leading questions, trying to keep his
composure but failing when he got overly passionate and
Ahiro objected due to aggressiveness.

Ukano basically gave up, falling back into his seat and
dismissing Zuko after only five minutes of cross
examination.

The humiliation written on his face was worth every

damn sentence of Ahiro’s interrogation of Zuko. Every
pinch and prod at Azula’s character revealed through
Zuko to get this face, one that looked so defeated was
completely and utterly worth it.

It only got better when Mai was called in.

“Let’s talk about that day, shall we, Mai?” Ahiro suggests
after a bit of small talk and general overview of Mai’s
feelings on things.

“What else would I be here for?” Mai blunts, only

narrowing her eyes when some of the jury members
chuckle.

“March 4th. Can you tell me what happened on that

day?”

Mai sighs, crossing her arms and leaning back in her

chair. Azula internally notices that Mai was a bit antsy.
Her finger was tapping against her shoulder rather
quickly, a tick Azula had been aware of since they were
kids.

“Me and Azula had one class together that year, History.
One day, a week before Prom, Azula ran out of class as if
she were in pain. I followed her.” Mai began, closing her
eyes, and Azula recalls the memory with her. “That was
the first time I saw them. The burns.”

“Burns?”

“What burns?”

Azula looks at Ukano while Ahiro moves to take the

photos out of his binder. He’s flabbergasted. Stunned to
silence at the newfound knowledge.

Aw...Ukano, did you not do your research?

What a shame.

“Are you sure, Azula?” Ahiro asks, one final time. Azula
commends his respect for not wanting to cross that line.

“Do it.” Is all Azula says.

Ahiro takes a deep breath in, and turns back around,

holding a folder in his hands.

“At this time I would like to admit these photos into

evidence, Your Honor.”

“And what are they of?” The judge asks incredulously

while Ahiro flips the folder open on Ukano’s desk. Azula
watches the sweat trickle down his forehead.

“Photographs of abuse inflicted on Azula by her Father,

Your Honor.”

Azula rubs her left wrist, pulling down the sleeve slightly
to reveal the tip of the dragon’s tail, clouds dazed into
the background.

Let the games begin.

“As you can see,” Ahiro starts, handing the file to the
clerk, who swiftly gets the images displayed on screen
from his digital file. In a slideshow form, the clerk passes
through each burn mark, the unforgiving detail in the
camera's lens making each wrinkle and patch of dead
skin even more horrific to look at. “Azula has endured
what professionals believe to be 3 months worth of
physical abuse. Most taking the form of burns, healed
into scars over the months since she was given them.”

One of the weaker-stomached jury members nearly

throws up before a guard could hand them a trash can.

“Mai, is this the burn you say that day? On her left
wrist?” Ahiro asks when the picture is projected.

Mai nods. “That’s it.” She confirms. “I asked her about it,
but she didn’t tell me anything of use. I knew more than
others, but I was still in the dark.”

To the audience, Ahiro says, “Using this photograph, as

well as knowledge from Ozai’s autopsy, we were able to
confirm that the size of the burn as well as the odd shape
was a match with how Ozai would have gripped Azula.”

Solid confirmation, with evidence to back it. There was

absolutely no doubt in the jury’s mind now that Ozai was
indeed a terrible person, and a Father.

“Why didn’t you go to anyone about it? To try and help

her get out of that situation?” He asks Mai.

“Ozai had eyes and ears everywhere.” She says casually,

and Azula smiles at the nod to their conversation that
day. “Even if I tried, it would have been intercepted and
Azula would have been at even more risk.”

“I see. So you told no one of this?” Ahiro asks.

Mai shakes her head.

“Alright, I have one final question for you, and I want

you to give me your honest feelings about it.”

“I’m already under oath, aren’t I?” Mai says, holding up

her hand for exaggeration.

He blinks. “Oh, yes. I suppose you are.”

Some people laugh quietly, but it dies within a few

seconds. Ahiro continues.

“Do you think Azula would kill someone purely because

she wanted to?”

“Objection-!” Ukano starts.

“Denied!” The judge returns immediately, before Ukano

can even think of a reason for the objection.

Mai looks to Azula. She raises an eyebrow.

Truth or not?

Azula raises an eyebrow back.

Tell them what you think is right.

Mai blinks.

Is that what’s gonna get you free though?

Azula smirks.

Depends on what truth you tell them.

Mai chuckles, and by now the entire room had watched

the exchange happen. They didn’t care, no one knew
what it meant but them.

“No. Not the Azula sitting here today.” Mai says, speaking
her truth. “Though, if we had been talking about the
Azula from before Sozin’s Comet, and the couple of
months following before she got some real help, then
yeah, she would have.”

“But we’re not?” Ahiro leads.

With a shake of her head, Mai says, “No. This Azula is

different. She regrets what she’s done in the past, and is
trying to make herself a better person. She wouldn’t
have killed Ozai unless she had to.”

Ahiro gives her a kind smile. “Thank you, Mai. I have no

further questions for you.”

“Does the prosecution have any questions for the

witness?” The judge asks, almost bored at having to
mention the other side.

“Yes Your Honor.” Ukano says, standing. Mai narrows her

eyes at her Father.

Alright Mai, time to prove your worth.

Mai was essential in breathing Ukano’s spirit. If even his

own daughter turned against him in front of everyone,
then that was clearly a big wound to his case. Because if
his daughter didn’t support what he was trying to prove,
then well...it wasn’t going to end well.

“Hey Dad, how are things at home?” Mai asks, tilting her
head.

Ukano grunts. “Tom Tom misses you. He wishes you

would come home.”

“Tom Tom can’t speak yet.” She replies dully. “I should

know. I visited him yesterday, while you were off
doing...whatever.”

“Anyways.” Ukano directed quickly, pulling at his collar.

“You said you were the first to see Azula’s burns-”

“Nope.” Mai cuts in, popping the ‘p’ for added effect.

Azula wants to gasp. Was Mai enjoying herself?

“Excuse me?” Ukano says.

“I never said I was the first to see them, only that the
first time I saw them was March 4th.”

Azula leans forwards in her chair. Ahiro seems to notice,

and whispers. “What is it?”

“Do you know what happens when Mai gets excited?”

Azula replies cryptically, the smile on her face not
disappearing.

“No...What?” Ahiro asks.

“She breaks things. Specifically, spirits, like she did mine

on the night of Prom. Before I, you know...”

Ahiro turns back to Mai and her Father, who were going
back and forth, but you could tell who was in control. Mai
was fiddling with her thumbs, and Ukano’s voice was
slowly raised with every new sentence.

Almost there.

“So you mean to say you enabled her?”

“No, I warned her not to do half the stupid shit she did,
but she never listened.” Mai responds. “She always got
what she was after, no exceptions.”

A light at the end of the tunnel. Ukano thought he could

see it.

“You’re saying she did whatever it took?”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

“By any means?”

Mai shugs with a nod.

Ukano slams his hands down on her stand. “Even

murder?!” He shouts, eyes bulging out almost
hysterically.

Sadly, the light he saw was nothing more than an

incoming train, ready to plow right through him.

“Objection!” Ahiro shouts. “Hostile nature towards the

witness!”

“Mr. Ukano, back away from the witness!” The judge

orders, two guards rushing towards him and pausing just
at Mai’s stand. Ukano immediately pushes himself away
with his hands up.

“I apologize, Your Honor.”

“If I see any more behavior like that from you, and to
your daughter no less? I’ll have you removed from this
case and have someone else take over. Are we clear?”

“Yes, Your Honor.” Ukano says, bowing to the judge

sincerely. “I have no more questions for Ms. Mai.”

Mai gives Azula a look.

You’re welcome.

Azula gives her a mock-salute.

Well done Mai. The seeds of doubt in Ukano’s credibility

have no doubt grown exponentially from that little scene
of his. Now, they just needed to keep shutting him down
completely, and he’d be nothing in the eyes of the court.
Even now, they whispered among themselves. Nearly all
eyes and comments were directed at him now, and not
at Azula.

They call the guard who had held Ty Lee, restrained and
put onto the stand in cuffs, his orange jumpsuit with
black embroidered letters making his situation all too
clear. Ahiro was polite with him, and though the guard
expresses his complete devotion to Ozai, he never lied in
his answers. Azula guesses it has to do with the fact that
Ahiro pulled up footage of his moments in the
warehouse, proving his guilty nature and basically
rendering him useless to swaying the argument.

It was also the same guard that had punched Ty Lee,

which they showed from the official camera Ozai had set
up in that room, not far from the bug they had placed.
They couldn’t use their footage, since they had recorded
it illegally, but the proof was still there in Ozai’s own
videos and audio files.

When Ukano cross examines him, he did his best to paint

Azula as more of the bad guy, but with the notion of the
guards abusive, almost torturesque behavior towards Ty
Lee, it was hard to give him any real credibility.

He left ten minutes later, once Ukano was done with him,
and Azula realized it was finally time.

Azula wanted to see her. Not on that stand, but in her

arms before she came to testify. She wonders if they’d
let her do that. Honestly, she doesn’t really care.

“Hey.” Azula whispers, drawing Ahiro in. “Do you think

they’ll let me see her if we call a short break?”

Ahiro slumps for a moment in thought. “They should, so

long as you aren’t on the prosecution's side then they’ll
let you.”

“Call the break. It’s been hours anyway and I need to

stretch.”

“Got it.” Ahiro says before directing his attention to the

judge. “Your Honor, we’d like to ask for a brief bathroom
break.”

The judge sways in his chair slightly, thinking it over.

With a nod of his head, he says, “Alright, the court will
hold a brief intermission. We will reconvene in ten
minutes.”

Azula is out of the courtroom in less than a minute,

walking her predetermined path to where she knows the
witnesses are being kept. Turning the corner, the guard
notices her and holds a hand out. “Ms. Azula, I’m afraid I
can’t-”

“Just let me see one of my witnesses. Her name is Ty

Lee.” Azula replies, not leaving room for debate. “Both of
Ukano’s witnesses have already gone, there’s nothing I
can say that will change their testimonies.”

The guard stands in silence, still holding her back but a

bead of sweat forms down his brow.

“...Alright.” He replies, gripping the knob and opening the

room. “Remember, you have ten minutes.”

Simply grunting at his comment, Azula steps inside, the

door shutting behind her as she scans the room.

“Told ya she’d come.” Mai calls from her spot on the

couch. She laid down the length of the couch, head in
Zuko’s lap as he played with her hair. The guard was
nowhere to be seen, probably in a more secure location
so he didn’t try anything. Chan, Lo, and Li all sat on the
other side of the room, at a table with various assorted
snacks laid out for them.

Azula hears the satisfying crack of a soda can tab, and

directs her attention to the kitchn, where Ty Lee stood,
hand still pinching the beverage’s lid with shock.

“Zula?” She asks involuntarily.

Azula smiles, the tenseness in her body washing out

immediately once she locked eyes with those familiar
grey orbs. “Hey Lee. How are you holding up?”

Letting out a shaky breath, Ty Lee hastily walks over to

the fire bender, immediately engulfed in a hug once she’s
close enough. “What are you doing here?”

“We called a break. I have ten minutes.” Azula explains,

and looks to Mai. “Nice job Mai, you threw Ukano totally
off his objective.”

“I know, he didn’t even mention how the burns affected

your psychology.” She replies, taking a bit out of her
green apple. “Or how it made you more prone to want to
kill your Father out of revenge.”

Azula hums. “He’ll get to it once Glenn is on the stands.

My entire psychology case is riding on what Glenn can
do.”

“Don’t underestimate me, Azula.” Came that very

person’s voice as she left the bathroom. Azula notices
the confidence coming off her therapist in waves. “I’m
not too keen about letting you die either.”

Azula grins. “Oh yeah? Prove it.”

“Oh I will, but I think you should be paying attention to

your girlfriend right now.”

A tight squeeze at her waist reminded Azula of just who

she had come to see. However, she did not like the fact
that Chan and her old instructors were watching them at
this very moment. She also hated the way Lo and Li were
glaring at their display, clearly proving something Azula
had had her suspicions about for a while now.

Leaning into Ty Lee’s ear, she whispers, “Is there

anywhere private we can talk?”

“The only place is the bathroom.” Ty Le shakes her head.

“Want us to cover our ears?” Mai jokes. Zuko laughs a

bit.

Azula grunts. “Shut it, Mai.”

“Yeah yeah.” She dismisses, turning back to her phone.

“Zula.” Ty Lee whispers, and Azula can hear the

distinctive tremble in her voice. “How have things been
going?”

“Good. Everything’s gone according to plan, Lee. I just

need you to speak the truth, okay?” Azula says, dropping
her voice but the genuine love behind it never leaving it
for a second. “This break will give Ukano time to
reorganize, but that’s fine. So long as you tell them
everything, it’ll be okay.”

“Are you sure I can do this?”

Azula grits her teeth, the hand fiddling with Ty Lee’s

braid, in such a manner she has learned comforts Ty
Lee, falters for a moment. “I wish you didn’t have to, but
I know you can. Just tell them everything. I’ll be there
the entire time.”

“And if it doesn’t work?”

“Then me and Glenn will finish him for good.” Azula says.
“I won’t let him do this.”

Ty Lee laughs a bit. “Our story’s not over…”

She chuckles, her hand stopping, simply resting on the

back of Ty Lee’s head.

“Not by a long shot, darling.”

Chapter 51: The Trial: Part 3

“Tell us about that night, Ty Lee.” Ahiro says, “The night

Ozai’s followers kidnapped you.”

Azula watched, fist dug into the skin above her mouth,
eyebrows furrowed as she carefully gauged Ty Lee’s
reactions. Ahiro wasn’t going to go easy one her, and by
the looks of Ukano’s more regal composure now, he
wasn’t either.

“I...I don’t know much about what happened. One

minute I was asleep, and the next I was being dragged
out of bed by a guy in bed. She held his hand to my
mouth so I couldn’t wake Azula up, but Kiyi managed to
wake everyone. I was already outside by the time Azula
crashed out of the window.” Ty Lee recalls. “She fought
as many as they threw at her, but she couldn’t get to
either of us.”

Element number one of self defense: An unprovoked

attack.

“These men that she fought, were any of them killed?”

Ty Lee shook her head fervently. “No, they all were fine
except for some burns. She had to use her bending since
they were too far away from her.”

Ahiro nods. “At the warehouse, you were subjected to a

mild form of torture, correct?”

“Yes.” Ty Lee mumbles, and Azula’s eyes narrow

menacingly. She hated that Ty Lee was subjected to any
form of such atrocities. Atrocities she had committed
once herself. Ones Ty Lee had seen the result of, never to
be wiped from her mind.

Sometimes Azula still wonders why in Agni Ty Lee

forgave her. Especially when she thought of those
moments.

“But it didn’t last long, because Azula and her friends

were quick to come and rescue you and Azula’s sister,
Kiyi?”

“Shit…” Azula whispers under her breath, cursing

whatever gods were looking down on them. She could
tell Ty Lee was struggling to answer verbally, so she only
gives him a nod.

“I’m going to recount the events of what happened at the

warehouse, correct me if anything is missing, okay Ty
Lee?”

She nods.

Ahiro continues. “At 11 PM, Ty Lee entered the

warehouse, bound and gagged with Kiyi not far behind
her,” As he spoke, the large screen pulled up video
surveillance from the warehouse for the jury to see.
“From there until 12:30 PM, Ty Lee was questioned,
injured, and insulted by members of Ozai’s followers. Kiyi
on the other hand, was placed with the other children
Ozai had abducted, until she was moved to act as a
decoy in Ty Lee place at 1 AM.”

Azula watched the footage, perking up slightly when it

switched to footage inside the door Azula and the others
entered in from.

“At 1:15 AM, Azula and her friends successfully rescued

Kiyi, Toph taking the girl out while the rest went to
search for Ty Lee. It was then that Aang met up with
them, and took them straight to where Ozai was. At 1:20
AM, Azula came face to face with her Father, standing
over her brother with a crowbar in his hand.”

The video displays that scene to everyone, and some of

the judges begin their whispering. Azula steals a glance
at Ukano, and sees his stoic face unmoved. He was back
in the game now that he’d had time to recover.

“I’m now going to allow the video to be played for

everyone to witness. Jury members, you will find
headsets for you on the back of the chair in front of you.
Please take a moment to put these on, the rest will listen
from the speakers set up around the room.”

For a minute, nothing but the sound of shuffling bodies

and plastic headsets are heard, and Azula is among one
of those people, putting on her own headset. She gives
Ty Lee a glance, seeing her concerned expression as she
put on her own headphones.

She gives her a warm smile, and taps the base of her
headphones three times. Ty Lee can’t help but blush at
the action.

“The video will now begin.” Ahiro proclaims.

“Azula, it’s been quite a long time, hasn’t it?”

Just hearing her Father’s voice sent a shot of anger

straight into her heart, pumping through her entire body
as she watched the events from that night unfold in front
of her. She remembers every line they say, and every
detail of that warehouse down to the nails on the wall.

“Or don’t, and I kill Ty Lee.”

Element number two: Threats of imminent injury or

death.

Azula watches herself stand there, completely frozen

with her back to the camera. Even from the bad angle,
one could tell she was scared.

“Kill Ty Lee, and eliminate your weakness. Only then will

you have my trust again.”

The threat made the room erupt into a chorus of

mumbles.

“No! That wasn’t part of the deal!”

“We agreed that I wouldn’t lay a finger on Ty Lee. I

never said anything about not making you do it
yourself.”

Azula can feel the trained stares of the people around

her, and she keeps her head down, eyes shut. She was
unable to see anything but the memory played so vividly
in her mind, forcing her to relive every second.

A conscious nightmare.
“I’m running out of patience, Azula. Do it.”

His voice, even through the artificial audio, carried so

much force under it. She could feel her resolve crumbling
under its pressure even now.

“Everything’s gonna be okay, Lee. I promise.”

The crackle of electricity filters through her headphones,

and Azula braces for what’s coming.

Element number three: An objectively reasonable degree

of force, used in response to...

Azula had no other way to save Ty Lee. Her method may

seem cruel, but given the circumstances it was all she
was able to do to save Ty Lee.

A crack of thunder reverberates through her ears, and

Azula sees her Father’s body fall for the second time.

Element number four: ...An objectively reasonable fear

of injury or death.

All four elements are present, and she can tell the others
know it too.

The video shuts off, and everyone takes their headsets

off.

“I apologize if that was disturbing to see, but

unfortunately, it is why we are here today.” Ahiro says.
“Ty Lee, I’m sorry you had to witness that again, but I
still have a few more questions for you.”

“Anything you need.” Ty Lee answers, noticeably calmer.

Azula raises an eyebrow, scanning the brunette's lax
position, waiting for her questions.

“Most people don’t realize this, but how would you

describe your relationship with Azula?”

“We’ve been dating for a few months now. Since June.”

There it goes. Privacy gone forever.

Azula wasn’t too mad about it.

“And how would you say this has affected Azula as a

person?”

“She’s working to be a better person. She realizes I’m

not going to stay with her if she was anything like she
was before Sozin’s Comet.”

“So you two have talked about it?”

Ty Lee smiles, and glances at Azula, who gives her a grin

back.

Go ahead, Lee. Sweep them off their feet.

The brunette leans forward. “Azula has, and will always

be my best friend, but one night she crossed too many
lines, and I made a decision that caused us both a lot of
pain. It led her to do some really bad things during the
comet, and it took a really long time for her to come to
terms with the fact that I did it for her own good.”

“How was hurting your best friend helping her?” Ahiro

asks.

“The night of Prom, it was made clear to me that Azula

was part of Ozai’s plans, and was doing some really bad
stuff. I tried to make sense of it, but then Mai and my
other friends, the Avatar included, showed up, and Azula
was ready to kill Mai.”

Ty Lee takes a deep breath. “I couldn’t let that happen.

Whether Azula was a good person or not wasn’t the
problem to me, it was the fact that Azula was about to
kill Mai, my closest friend next to Azula, so I stopped
her.”

“So Azula was ready to kill people just for not being her
friends at one point in her life?”

“Yes.” Ty Lee answers.

“This is strange, because before you, Zuko said Azula

only caused harm to those who had it coming.”

A nod. “That was the problem. Azula hadn’t been in the

right state of mind for a while, so while what she thought
she was doing was right, it really wasn’t.”

“I see, and this applied to Zuko’s near death experience

as well?”

“Yes.” She replies, and pauses for a moment before

saying, “Can I say something just to say it?”

Ahiro bows his head. “Go ahead.”

Azula raises an eyebrow. This wasn’t part of the plan.

“Azula was a terrible person, there’s no denying that.

Everyone looks at her and sees a monster, but you're
only seeing the surface level.” Ty Lee says, addressing
everyone in the court. “She’s been through so much
more than you can possibly imagine. Take a minute to
think about what abuse and manipulation does to a child
as young as Azula was. She did those things because she
was basically brainwashed into thinking it was the right
thing.”

Gray eyes meet her wide hazel ones.

“But look at her now.” Ty Lee says, and Azula hears

everyone shift, and suddenly hundreds of eyes are
trained on her. “She’s different now. She listens to me,
and has said that she cares about what I think and feel
about her. She cares, and that’s something the old Azula
would never have admitted.”

Azula blushes. Did you really have to tell them that?

“She just wants to protect the life she’s been growing

since she woke up that day in the hospital. She’s worked
so hard to build a new life out of the one we let burn to
ashes. All she wants now is to live with the people she
hated most. Can you really say the old Azula would have
wanted that?”

The courtroom is silent for an excruciatingly long minute.

Azula can’t keep her eyes off Ty Lee even if she tried.

Three taps against the table’s surface. They echo through

the entire hall, but only two people know the true
meaning behind it.

“Very well said, Ty Lee.” Ahiro finally speaks. “Thank you,

I have no further questions.”

Ukano stands immediately after Ahiro takes his seat. “I

had no idea she was gonna do that, did you?” He asked
while Ukano padded his way over to Ty Lee.

Azula shakes her head, an almost giddy smile playing on

her lips. God Ty Lee was incredible.

“Ms. Ty Lee, you’ve known Azula for 14 years, correct?”

“Yes.”

“So it’s a safe assumption to say you’ve seen Azula grow

up through her entire life?”

“Pretty much.” Ty Lee shrugs.

“Was she nice to you?” He asks.

“Define nice.” Ty Lee jokes, earning a chuckle or two. “In

seriousness, yes. I think Azula was as nice to me as it
was gonna get. Her Father-”

“So she treated you kindly?” Ukano interrupts. Azula

twitches her eyes. Here it comes.

“Yes…”

“She never...lied to you?”

Ty Lee, surprisingly, keeps her guard up. “She did, but

you would know all about that, wouldn’t you Mr. Ukano?”

A collective “Oo” rumbled through the courtroom. Azula

nearly laughs at Ty Lee’s boldness.

Ukano doesn’t sway. “So she has lied to you. How many
times?”

“I don’t know. Do you count how many times you lie?”

“Ty Lee’s pretty good at this.” Ahiro whispers from his

seat.

Azula snickers quietly. “People don’t realize that she can

be just as ruthless as me if she wants.”

“What has she lied to you about?”

“Lots of things, but we worked it out in the end.”

“How touching.” Ukano coos. “Has she ever manipulated

you into getting what she wants?”

“She has.” Ty Lee confirms.

“Recently?” Ukano leads.

Ty Lee shakes her head. “We’ve made it a point to call

each other out when the other is doing anything of the
sort.”

“Has she ever hit you? Or threatened you in any way?”

“Azula has never hit me. She yelled at me a few times,

but we were in arguments when that happened, and,
let’s be honest, who hasn’t yelled in an argument
before?”

The whole room laughs at the comment.

“You really know how to pick them, Azula.” Ahiro

comments.

Azula lovingly smiles at Ty Lee. “I know, but she picked

me first. Long before I even knew what love was.”

“Has she ever made an attempt to hurt someone you

know?”

“Never.”

“Not even Katara?”

Ty Lee raises an eyebrow. “Why Katara?”

“Well, she was the reason you found out, wasn't she?
Azula had to have been pretty angry about that.”

“I mean yeah, but-”

“So much that she could inflict harm?”

Ty Lee narrows her eyes. “Can you stop interrupting me?

It’s awfully rude.”

Uh oh. Ty Lee was using formalities.

After hearing no comments from Ukano, she says, “Azula

was mad at Katara for a very long time, in fact she
probably still is, but she has never once thought about
killing her after Sozin’s comet.”

Azula watches Ukano bite the inside of his cheek, the

skin pulling in slightly as a result. Ty Lee was frustrating
him. “They never threatened each other?”

“If they did, Katara incited it. Azula never made the first
move.”

That was true. It was far more enjoyable watching Katara

lose her cool and come after her instead of the other way
around.

“Let’s move back to the main point. You said Azula has
lied and manipulated you in the past. How do you know
she's not doing it again to get what she wants from
you?”

“What would she have to gain from manipulating me?”

Ukano shrugs innocently. “A loyal witness who will do

anything to defend her?”

“She doesn’t need to manipulate me to do that.” Ty Lee

scoffs.

“But she would.” Ukano points out. “She’s already done it

before, what’s to say she won’t do it again?”

“We already covered this. If she was manipulating me I

would-”

“But one doesn’t know their being manipulated, Ms. Lee.”

Ukano points out, a curt eyebrow raised in curiosity. “You
think everything is fine while Azula convinces you what
your saying is right.”

“Mai and Zuko would notice, and you can trust me on

that.” Ty Lee says firmly.

“So you can say, with complete and utter confidence,

that Azula would never lie or manipulate you?”

Ty Lee leans towards him, her lips just centimeters from

the mic. “Yes.”

He grits his teeth. “No further questions, Your Honor.”

“Did she-” Ahiro stutters, completely baffled. “Did she

just shut Ukano down completely?”

Azula leans back in her chair, arms crossed with the

proudest smirk plastered on her face. Ty Lee catches her
orange aura and beams at her. “Ruthless.”

So much for him getting to you, Lee.

“That was certainly an enlightening conversation, thank

you Ms. Ty Lee. You may go.” The judge says, and Ty Lee
is led out of the room.

Ahiro stands. “Your Honor, I would like to point out for

the record that all 4 elements of self defense are clearly
witnessable in the video we watched during Ty Lee’s
testimony.”

“Yes I think we can all agree that Azula was put under
tremendous pressure in such a dangerous situation.” The
judge reples, earning the nods and agreements from the
jury members. Azula sees Ukano grit his teeth quietly.

“And as such, I’d like to call my expert witness on mental

psychology to the stand, Dr. Glenn.” Ahiro says, and
while the guard leaves, continues with, “You see, Azula
has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, PTSD,
and bipolar disorder following the events of what
happened during Sozin’s comet. Dr. Glenn will be able to
shed some light on Azula’s therapy and other mental
questions me or Mr. Ukano here may have.”

The judge nods just as Glenn is led into the room. Taking
the oath, she sits down in the stand, and awaits Ahiro’s
question.

“Hello Doctor, how are you doing today?”

“Good.” She answers, schooching the chair forward a bit.

“Ready to answer and questions you boys may have.”

“Well that’s good.” Ahiro chuckles. “Let’s start with the

basics. What is paranoid schizophrenia, PTSD, and
bipolar disorder for those who may not know.”

“Paranoid schizophrenia is a mental disorder where a

person experiences delusions or hallucinations, making it
hard for them to distinguish what is real and what isn’t.
PTSD is a mental health condition where the person has
difficulty recovering after experiencing a traumatic event
in their life. Finally, bipolar disorder is characterized as a
person who has extreme shifts in mood.”

“And this was your diagnosis for Azula?”

“It was the diagnosis provided to me from the institution

she was admitted into, but I agree with it yes.”

“When she first came to you, how did she act?”

“She walked out within the first 30 minutes, but came

back the next week. She didn’t seem all that happy
about it.”

“Like she didn’t want to be there?” Ahiro asks.

“One thing you’ll learn about Azula is that if she didn’t

want to be somewhere, she wouldn’t have come in the
first place. She can say anything she wants, but she still
showed up, and that spoke more than anything else.”

Azula rolls her eyes.

“See? She knows I’m right.”

The courtroom laughs, and even the judge bears a grin.

Azula swivels in her chair slightly, an amused smile
playing on her lips.

“I guess you can’t really argue with that, can you?” Ahiro
says, shrugging his shoulders. “As a therapist, how would
you say Azula’s state of mind was in the session prior to
Ozai’s death?”

“We have actually been talking about him a lot lately.

Ever since Azula had found peace with what happened
with her Mother as a child, Ozai became a prominent
feature in our talks. She would tell me of nightmares
where she lived through traumatic events in her past, the
fear she had of Ozai’s escape and what he might do to
her family and friends.”

“But there was never any inclination that Azula wanted to

kill her Father?”

Glenn shakes her head. “I don’t think Azula ever even

considered it. Whenever she talked of him, there was
more fear than anger. See, she was never angry for the
fact that he gave her burns, she was angry because she
couldn’t believe it was abuse.”

“So she was manipulated?”

“Yes. From an early point on it was clear to me that Azula

held her Father in very high regard. She couldn’t grapple
with the fact that what he did wasn’t what was best for
her. In fact she has called her burns “punishment” for
failure, and that she deserved them.” Glenn explains.
“She has only recently accepted that this was not the
case, and that he hurt her, and pushed her far more than
any child should have to be pushed.”

Ahiro looks at his notes. “Would you say Azula is a

perfectionist?”

“Absolutely. In fact, it’s one of the reasons for her very

way of thinking.”

“How so?”

“See, Azula is an interesting case.” Glenn provides,

putting her hands on the table and gesturing to nothing.
“She has been told her entire life that she has to be
perfect in every regard, and if she wasn’t, then she
wasn’t good enough as a daughter. This directly
translated into the abuse, because she took her
“punishments” as proof that she wasn’t good enough,
and thought she deserved them. She thought it made
her stronger.”

“And when she started to realize the fact that this was
abuse. Did she hold any anger at her Father? Any need
for revenge?”

Glenn shook her head. “She was mostly confused. She

couldn’t understand why her Father would hurt her
unless it was to show her the truth. It is my
wholehearted belief that Azula did this purely to protect
Ty Lee and her little sister.”

Ahiro smiles. “Thank you Doctor, I have no further

questions.”

See, normally therapists wouldn’t divulge confidential

information like that, but because Azula saw no reason
not to, she gave her consent to have it be questioned. It
was critical in unmasking Azula as a person, so she had
to. Plus, she had nothing to hide anymore. Everything
bad she had ever done was on public record from when
Ozai was locked away and his company scandal revealed.
Now, it was just a matter of if Azula had changed enough
not to kill someone because she wanted to.

“Doctor Glenn, how long have you been a therapist? For

the records sake, of course.”

“13 years.” Glenn answers.

“You said Azula wasn’t angry at her Father in the days

prior to his death, and yet, he died by her hand?” He is
innocently confused, and both Azula and Glenn realize
how flimsy that question is.

“Out of self defense for her girlfriend, who Ozai was

blatantly trying to kill.” Glenn replied coldly.

“You don’t think it’s a bit odd that Azula, who had
endured countless amounts of pain from her Father,
didn’t feel even the slightest bit of anger at the man?”

“Everyone processes abuse in different ways. Sure, some

are angry, and some can turn violent, but Azula never
expressed any anger towards her Father in such a way.”

“None at all?”

“Are you going to keep making me repeat the same

answer? No, there were no violent tendencies in Azula in
the days prior to her killing Ozai.”

“So, even after Ty Lee was kidnapped and taken from

Azula, you don’t think Azula had any motive to kill Ozai
out of pure anger?”

Glenn scoffs, and taps the desk. “May I ask you a

question, Mr. Ukano?”

Azula raises an eyebrow, curious to see where this goes.

“Go ahead.” Ukano grants.

“Are you so completely inept of human feelings that you

feel it necessary to call out any minor error in Azula’s
emotions as a human being?”

The entire courtroom’s jaw collectively drops. Glenn sees

no reason not to keep the ball going.

“Let’s all put ourselves in Azula’s shoes. Imagine you’re

at home, sleeping soundly with your loved ones, when
you are awake to them missing, and soon find that they
are in the process of being kidnapped. Go on, close your
eyes and imagine it.”

Still stunned, everyone closes their eyes, imagining it

happened to them.

“Now, let's say we all have Azula’s fire bending and try to
stop them, would you?”
Azula sees almost everyone nod their head, the only
exception being Ukano who was not partaking in the
experiment. Instead, his fist is clenched into a ball with
his eyes glaring into Glenn’s confident ones.

“Now, imagine failing to save them, and watch them

escape right in front of you, I think it’s fairly reasonable
that Azula would be feeling quite angry at Ozai at that
moment.”

Mumbled agreements fill the room as everyone blink

their eyes back open.

“Angry enough to kill him?”

“Angry enough to do anything to get her back.” Glenn

replies. “She went to that warehouse thinking Ty Lee was
being held in a room like how she found Kiyi. You saw
the way they snuck into the building. They had no
intention of being seen by anyone, most of all Ozai. He
just happened to think ahead of them.”

“You don’t think the sight of him pointing a gun to her

girlfriends head wasn’t enough to elicit some anger in
Azula?”

“Do you hear yourself right now? That’s an absurd

question. Imagine your Father points a gun at your wife’s
head, would you feel angry at that moment?”

Glenn answers before Ukano can even comment.

“No. No you wouldn’t be. You’d be scared out of your

mind because someone is threatening to kill your loved
one. Nothing is more scary than that moment.”

“Ozai was Azula’s Father. She loved him to some-.”

Glenn scoffs. “I think we’ve established that nothing

about Azula and Ozai’s relationship was loving. Azula
wanted her Father’s love, but never received it, which in
turn led to her wanting to be absolutely perfect. Thus,
creating the chain of dominos that is Azula’s life.”

“But he-”

“ But he , nothing.” Glenn interrupts. “Azula went into

that warehouse with the objective to bring Kiyi and Ty
Lee home safe without any intentions on killing anyone. I
know for a fact no one that night was killed except for
Ozai, only knocked out or severely injured.”

Ukano glares at her. These were clearly not the answers

he wanted, but what did he expect? He wanted an expert
opinion from someone who has seen Azula’s behavior
first hand, and he got it.

“After the death,” Ukano says calmly. “Did Azula show

any guilt or signs of mourning for her Father?”

“Yes, she did.” Glenn replies. “She expressed clear

remorse from killing her Father, and what it was going to
do to her family.”

“Then why did she do it?”

“To protect Ty Lee.” She says. “Do you need me to repeat

myself anymore?”

“ Tsk .” Ukano grits, turning around. “No further

questions, Your Honor.”

Glenn smirks at Azula, who rivals her with one of her

own. Without a word, she leaves, and Azula could not be
more satisfied with the result.

“Mr. Ahiro, do you have any more witnesses you’d like to

call in to testify.”

“Just one more, Your honor.” He says, standing up.

“You’ve seen many sides of the story today, and heard
many gruesome details and depressive stories of her life,
but now it’s time to hear it from the young woman
herself.”

The room seems to tense, even the air constricting

around her.

Azula smirks.

“At this time, I’d like to call my last witness, Ms. Azula
herself to the stand.”

My turn.

Chapter 52: The Trial: The Final Part

A deafening silence enveloped the air as she walked

towards the stand. She passes Ahiro with a curt nod, and
pulls her direction towards the bailiff. Once she stands in
her designated spot, he holds out his right hand.

“Please raise your right hand.” He commands, and she

dutifully does so. “Do you swear to tell the truth, the
whole truth, and nothing but the truth?”

“I swear.” Azula states.

The bailiff nods, and gestures to the seat. Azula sits

down, watching the bailiff leave and Ahiro takes his
place.

He sighs, a smile on his face. “It’s been a long day,

hasn’t it, Azula?”

“Longer than any other.” Azula replies.

“What do you think about all of this?” He asks, gesturing

to the courtroom.

“Objection!” Ukano exclaims. “Relevance?”

The judge sighs. “Mr. Ahiro, please try to stay on topic.”

“My mistake, Your Honor.” Ahiro apologizes. “Azula, it is

public knowledge that you subjected many different
people to severely forms of torture.”

“Didn’t we cover this with Zuko?” Azula questions.

Ahiro laughs. “We did, but I’d like to hear it from you.
Did you enjoy it?”

“Define enjoy.” Azula replies nonchalantly, and gestures

her hands outwards. “You’ve seen the records. My Father
would send me names and information I needed to get
out of people. I wanted my Father’s acceptance, so I did
as he asked. Did I learn to tolerate it? Yes. Did I come to
enjoy it? Yes. Do I regret it now? Absolutely.”

“Why would you enjoy doing such barbaric things?”

“Because it meant I was pleasing Ozai. Getting that

information meant getting him what he wanted, and all I
wanted was to earn his favor. Torturing people was one
of the things he saw fit to earn that favor.”

Ahiro nods. “Tell us about your Father’s ideals. I’m sure

you knew them better than anyone else.”

Azula gives a solemn smile. “Love is weakness, trust is

for fools.” She mumbles into the mic. “Those are the very
principles I lived by for the first 17 years of my life.”

“What was that like?”

Azula takes a deep breath in. “When you live in a house

like mine, with the advanced mindset I had been born
with, you quickly learn the limited choices you can make.
For me, Ozai was everything I was taught to look up to,
because I had never been taught anything different. Ursa
was everything my Father disdained, therefore, she was
the enemy. She taught Zuko compassion and love, while
I was left with strength and discipline. He played tag in
the garden while I studied our country’s long and
arduous history.”

She pauses, wondering if Ahiro was going to ask another

question. He says nothing. No one can say anything. She
keeps going.

“I don’t blame my brother for what happened in our

childhood. He was just as easily susceptible as me when
it came to what we believed, but I do blame everyone
else. Ozai knew what he was doing when he convinced
me the world should burn. Ursa knew what she was
doing when she called me a monster and abandoned us
to build a new family elsewhere. My teachers knew what
they were doing when they began to teach me lightning
bending, but I didn’t.”

She looks the jury dead in the eye, meeting each pair
individual for a second before moving to the next. “I
didn’t know that my Father was wrong. I didn’t know
that, that loving Ty Lee would be the best thing to ever
happen to me. I didn’t know seeing my Mother every day
when she wasn’t really there was me being psychotic.”

Her eyes break off, and for some reason, out of all the
eyes in the room, the ones she lands on are Ursa’s.

“I didn’t know it was going to ruin my life. No one knows

that kind of thing, but now I do, and I take full
responsibility for everything I’ve done.”

“Then why would you kill a man who represents

everything you once believed? Why kill your Father,
Azula?”

There’s only one right answer to that question, and she

says it without even the slightest falter in her voice.

“To protect my second chance. To protect Ty Lee.” She

answers. “Is there any other reason I need than that?”

“Mr. Ukano here seems to think so.” Ahiro points out. “He
seems to think that you held more anger in your heart
than fear for Ty Lee’s life in that moment.”

“No anger supersedes Ty Lee’s well being for me. Not

anymore.” She replies. “I tried that once, and the cost
was losing what sanity I had left.”

“You love her a lot, don’t you?”

“More than I ever thought I was capable of.” She

mumbles, tapping the desk solemnly. “But we’re not here
to talk about my love life, are we?”

Ahiro laughs. “No, we aren’t.” He agrees. “Why don’t you

tell me about your Mother more in depth.”

“What do you want to know?”

“The West Wing incident.” Ahiro suggests. “Why would

you burn down an entire hallway, Azula?”

She laughs. “Do you know what was in that wing?”

Ahiro shakes his head, but his coy smile and relaxed
position told her all she needed to know.

“It was my Mother’s private study, where she made us,

more Zuko than me, clothes and kept all of her most
precious items.”

“And you thought it wise to burn it to the ground?”

“I thought it necessary .” Azula enunciates. “There’s a

difference.”

“Can you explain it to those who don’t understand?”

Her eyes glaze over the jurors, who all watch her silently.
There are no longer looks of disdain from this morning,
or anger of lost jobs and poor incomes. Now, they stared
objectively, only seeking the truth from what she spoke.

She is grateful for that. Whether this trial takes a dive or

not, at least they are objective.

At least it is fair.

“My Mother cherished love, and love was a weakness to

me. So, being the young, ambitious child who only
wanted the compliments of her Father, I took it upon
myself to eradicate the love my Mother plagued our
house with.”

“And what did Zuko think of this?”

“He was too dumb to understand it. He thought I was

crazy, while my Mother called me a monster.” Azula
laughs as she says it, but it comes out sadder than she
wanted it to. “Guess it must have stuck.”

“Did you ever want to harm her, or feel the need to kill
her?”

“Lots of times.” She says honestly. “She was the source

of my hallucinations, and always said the wrong things,
so of course I’d want her gone even if I had to do it
myself.”

“But when you finally saw her that day in the village?”

“Nothing but anger.” Azula responds. “Hate, betrayal,

disbelief; you name it and I felt it.”

“According to Ukano’s logic, this hate would have led you

to kill Ursa.” Ahiro says, and pivots to gesture towards
Ursa in her seat. “And yet, she still sits in this courtroom
with us today, alive and well.”

“Quite the conundrum, isn’t it?” Azula jokes, watching

everyone turn to see Ursa with Kiyi in her lap. The child
takes the opportunity to beam at Azula and wave.

“Hi Azu!” She exclaims, not a care in the world as to the

fact that this was a very serious trial and Azula was in a
life or death situation.

Azula smiles. “Hello Kiyi.”

“Is it almost over?”

“Not quite, put your headphones back on and watch your

movie, okay?” She asks.

Kiyi whines, but does as Azula asks of her. “Fine…”

Azula turns to the jury. “See what I have to deal with?”

They all laugh, clearly sympathizing with the overbearing

workload that came with taking care of a child or
younger sibling. Ahiro is chuckling too, but quickly
reminds them all to stay focused.

Azula’s peels of laughter die, and she merely watches

Kiyi, so focused in her own world away from this, as she
says, “There’s a difference between anger and violence.
Not every angry person would resort to killing someone,
and not every person that kills someone is angry. Yes, I
was angry when Ty Lee was taken. I was enraged
because I knew my Father, and I knew what he would do
to her, but that doesn’t mean I wanted to kill him. I’d
have much rather preferred sneaking in, getting Ty Lee
and Kiyi, and getting out without having to lift a finger,
but Ozai planned for us, so we were forced to improvise.”

“You call murder improvising?” Ahiro accuses lightly. A

slight push to seem objective, but not one Azula couldn’t
work around.

“What would you rather have me call it? Plan B? There

was no plan B. In fact, there was no plan A in the first
place. The whole thing was improvised as we went.”

Ahiro nods, seeing her point and moving on. “Do you
regret it?”

“Yes.” Azula answers without a moment's hesitation. “But

I’d do it again if it meant saving Ty Lee’s life.”

He smiles. “I have no further questions for Azula, Your

Honor.”

The judge scribbles something down. Azula can do it

from her spot next to his overarching seat. “Prosecution,
do you have any questions for the defendant?”

“Yes, Your Honor.” Ukano confirms, and Azula leans back

in her chair.

“Well, well, well. The moment has finally arrived.” She

snickers. “Ready to do your worst, Ukano?”

Ukano doesn’t take the bait, instead referring to his

notes, “Azula, earlier Ty Lee said that you have lied to
and manipulated her multiple times.”

“Correct.” Azula confirms with a nod.

He shrugs. “That’s it? No rebuttal?”

Azula laughs. “What? Do you expect me to lie about it

now?”

He is silent.

Azula leans forwards, interlocking her hands and placing

them on the desk as she gleams into Ukano’s eyes.
Suddenly, she points to the court reporter. “Ukano, do
you know what that is?”

“The court recorder.”

“That’s correct.” Azula praises. “And can you tell me what

they do?”

“Record the conversations during the trial.”

Azula tilts her head with an innocent smile. “So why on

Agni would I lie when you have a written copy of what
we already know to be the truth?”

She hears a snort from the jury, and his glare at her only
worsens.

“So you have lied on multiple occasions?” He asks,

running a hand through his hair after taking a deep
breath.

“Yes.”

“So how do we know you're not lying and manipulating

us right now?” He eggs. “Do you have any way to prove
that you aren’t?”

“Do you have any way to prove that I am?” Azula shoots
back, and his clenched teeth are ever so slightly visible.
“I’m under oath right now. To tell lies would be breaking
the law, and I for one am tired of lying to people.”

“This wouldn’t be the first time you’ve broken the law

though, Azula, and I am inclined to think it won’t be the
last.”

Azula shifts her hands so that her palm rests on her

cheek, elbow dug into the desk as she watches him
boredly.

“I have no reason to lie, Ukano. Ask me any question you

want, and you will only hear the truth.”

“You have every reason to lie.” He bites.

“Oh yeah?” Azula eggs on. “And why would that be?”

“To trick us into thinking you're innocent.” He proclaims

boldly.

Azula snorts. “Ukano, I think you missed the point of the

trial. We are not here to debate whether I am innocent or
not. My father is dead, and I am the one who killed him.
You are here because you think I didn’t kill out of self
defense, so please try to stick to the actual case.”

More laughter, but it halts when Ukano turns around to

glare at them all.

“You said you’ll answer any question I want? Fine. Did

you ever say or think, ‘I’m going to kill Ozai’ at any point
before his death?”

“Yes.” Azula replies. “Just after Ty Lee was kidnapped.”

“So you did want to kill Ozai!” Ukano exclaims, a wide

grin breaking out onto his face.

“No.” She responds, just as flat as the last.

His smile falls. “What?”

Azula sighs. “Approximately 30 seconds after I watched

Ty Lee be taken away from my house, I ran inside and
thought, ‘I’m going to fucking kill him’ , pardon my
language.” Azula apologizes to the judge, but he merely
gestures for her to keep going. “But before I could even
say it, Zuko knew and talked me down from that point,
and helped me realize that going in with the objective to
kill him wasn’t going to save Ty Lee. It was only going to
make things harder.”

“But that could have easily welled back up when you saw
him pointing a gun at Ty Lee.” Ukano suggests, pointing
a lazily held pen at Azula.

Azula shrugs. “It could have, but it didn’t for me.”

“How can we know you're not lying?”

“If you watched the video, then you know I took no

aggression towards my Father until the moment he
forced me to make a decision.” Azula points out. “I said
nothing about killing him at that moment. All I felt was
the fear that I was about to lose my girlfriend forever.”

“You didn’t think to just knock him out? Or injure his

hand?”

Azula sighs. “You’ve clearly never learned the mechanics

of how fire bending works.” She mumbles, and turns to
the judge. “Your Honor, can I make a request?”

The judge hums, thinking it over. “I’ve never had a

witness make a request before, but I’ll allow it out of
sheer curiosity.”

“Thank you.” Azula smiles. “I’d like for someone to pull

up the video of me and Ozai in the warehouse.”

It is done for her, and brought over so that she can get a
good look at it.

She points to the distance between her and her Father.

“The distance from where I was standing to my Father
was around 50 feet, wouldn’t you say, Ukano?”

Ukano judges the distance himself, and nods. “That

seems accurate to me.”

“As a fire bender, you become very accustomed to how

fast fire travels. I knew from my spot that just shooting
a small amount of fire to try and disarm him wouldn’t
have worked. He would have dodged it or shot Ty Lee
before it had even covered half the distance.”

“You judged all that even under the pressure he put you
under?”

“I’ve been fire bending since I was four years old, Ukano.
I’ve spent every day training every part of myself to be
ready for any obstacle. It’s second nature to me to
observe my surroundings and figure out the weaknesses
in the situation immediately. It wouldn’t work. I knew it,
and he knew it too.”

“So there was no other way for you to save Ms. Ty Lee?”

“No. Ozai set it up so that I’d have no other option.”

“But you could have gotten one of your friends to drop

from the vent above the room this took place in.” He
points out, and a camera flips to an angle showing that
very vent.
Azula looks at it with a raised eyebrow. “Interesting
camera work, I’ll give you that.” She acknowledges. “Can
we change the angle to a horizontal landscape showing
the entire room?”

It is done, and the vent is clearly visible.

“The vent is right above Zuko’s head, you see? He

wouldn’t even be able to fit his shoulders through if he
tried.”

The jury whispers among themselves at Ukano’s attempt

to misguide the evidence.

Azula smiles at Ukano, whose teeth are clenched so hard

she feared they might break. “Do you have any more
questions for me?”

“Lightning is a dangerous force, wouldn’t you agree?” He

snarls after a moment.

Azula nods. “Yes, it is.”

“It’s also fairly excessive in order to kill someone out of

mere self defense.”

Azula boredly narrows her eyes. “Is this all you’ve got?
I’m disappointed.”

“Answer the question.” He demands aggressively.

With a sigh, she says, “Lightning travels at 270,000 miles

per hour. It was the only thing capable of reaching Ozai
in a short enough amount of time before he realized it
was him I was aiming for. Whether it was excessive or
not wasn’t my concern.”

Ukano is silent, as if trying to think of anything else

potentially incriminating he can ask her.

“I didn’t want to kill my Father.” Azula says out of the

blue. She isn’t really sure what she’s saying until it
leaves her mouth. “Even though he took two of the most
important people in my life away, and gave me too many
bruises and scars to count, he was still my Father.

“And you are still a monster who will do anything to get

what she wants.” Ukano spits.

“If that’s what you want to call someone who was trying
to save their family, then yes. I’m a monster.” Azula
replies. “And I’m truly sorry that you can’t seem to
understand I only wanted to save Ty Lee from an evil
man.”

Ukano shuts his eyes, turning away in defeat. “I have no

more questions.”

Azula gets up with a smile, returning to her seat as Ahiro

pats her back. “Well done.” He says proudly.

“Let’s hope it was enough.”

“It was more than enough, look at the jurors.” He says,

and she looks to see their almost agitated mood when
they see that it was Ukano’s turn to make his closing
remarks.

“The prosecution will now give their closing statement.

Mr. Ukano.” They say, and gestures for him to begin.

Clearing his throat, Ukano turns to the jury. “Ladies and

gentlemen of the jury, you’ve been brought forth to
decide the fate of a young girl who killed her Father in
cold blood. Azula may have fooled you all with her pretty
lies and manipulated friends, but don’t let it deceive you.
Her past proves her murderous tendency, and the abuse
made her all the more prone to having a clear motive for
killing her Father.”

He points to Azula, not bothering to turn her way but still

nailing her position. “Azula was not trying to protect Ty
Lee. We’ve learned that Azula is fully ready to kill
someone if they do not do what she wants them to. We
know she is not the sanest person, and that her reality is
different from ours. One where she thinks murder is the
best way to end disputes or get her way. She is not like
us, she is dangerous. She is a murderer, and a monster.”

He huffs, and straightens his suit collar. “I rest my case.”

Their expressions do not sway until Ahiro stands.

“Jury members,” He starts. “You’ve seen the evidence,

you’ve heard the testimonies. Azula has killed someone
in order to save another. These lies and manipulation
that Ukano throws around are nothing more than lies in
and of themselves. His entire argument is based solely
on what Azula was like prior to Sozin’s comet. He has
tried to sway you into believing that Azula cannot change
as a person, and try to right the wrongs of her past.”

He adjusts his tie, and gestures to the TV, which still has
the images of Azula and Ozai on display. “Experts like
Doctor Glenn have testified that Azula has been
recovering, and was in a good state of mind. She was
finally moving on, before things took a dive. You’ve seen
the video, and you saw how Ozai openly threatened to
kill Ty Lee if Azula didn’t do what he asked of her. She
merely did what she thought was the only way to save Ty
Lee from imminent death.”

He lets a sad frown rest on his lips. “All of the pieces

have been laid out for you, and only you can decide
Azula’s fate. So, with that in mind I’ll leave you with one
final question: If you were put in the same position as
Azula was, would you not have done the same thing?”

He bows to them, and then to the judge. “I rest my

case.”

“Thank you Mr. Ahiro.” The judge says as Ahiro takes his
seat. “May I say, this was the most interesting case I’ve
had in my 32 years as a judge. That being said, you
jurors have a difficult task in front of you. A life of
another is in your hands, and you must separate the
truth from the lies. Whatever you decide, it must be a
unanimous vote. If you do come to the decision that
Azula is guilty please bear in mind that the bench will not
entertain a recommendation for mercy and could face
the death penalty. I thank you for taking on this role, and
eagerly await your verdict.”

Azula watches the jury stand and leave, some taking

glances back at her. As if committing her face to
memory, and to forlorn the events that could soon come
to pass.

It takes them 10 minutes.

Azula and Ahiro had barely any time to review what had
happened and start a decent conversation before the
guard who had escorted them out returned to the judge
and whispered something in their ear. They nod, and the
guard nods to another at the door.

The judge bangs their gavel once. “The jury has made a
verdict, if you all could please take your seats, we can
wrap this up.” They command, and everyone is quick to
do so.

The guard opens the door, and Azula watches her fate
walk through it before her and takes it’s seat. She could
feel her heartbeat in her ears, nonstop and constantly
increasing with every noise it catches. It swallowed her
senses, reeling her inside herself as she felt the
overwhelming urge to curl up into a ball take over.

A hand on her shoulder.

“We did everything we could.” Ahiro says quietly.

“Don’t sound so defeated.” She mumbles distantly. “We

haven’t lost yet.”

Ahiro laughs, but says nothing more. There was nothing

more to be said.

From them at least.

“Has the jury procured a verdict?” The judge asks, and

the foreperson stands.

“They have, Your Honor.” He proclaims.

“And what is it?”

A brief pause, only so that he can look at Azula. His

expression is cold, but his eyes sparkle. They shine a
bright blue, like the sky. He smiles.

“Guilty only due to self defense, Your Honor.”

Chapter 53: To Reap The Rewards

Azula thought clapping was only something that

happened in the movies, but here and now, the whole
room erupting into applause, she was absolutely
bewildered. Even the judge lended a clap or two into the
crowd.

“We...I….” Azula stumbles, looking to Ahiro with a smile

that only increased with every passing second. “I’m
free?”

He laughs. “You’re free!”

She was free.

“Azu!” Kiyi exclaimes, and Azula swivels to see Kiyi

pushing through the gate to her side of the room. The
child ran as fast as she could, meeting Azula’s waiting
arms to pick her up. “Does this mean we can go home
now?”

Laughing, Azula holds the girl to her chest. “Yeah, Kiyi.

We can go home.”

A pair of heels stops just a few feet away, and Ursa

stands before Azula, the beginnings of tears in her eyes.
She can see the regret in her eyes now. Pure, genuine
regret for not trying to understand the entire situation.

Removing a hand from Kiyi, she outstretched it to her

Mother.

You want my forgiveness? Prove it.

“We have time.” Says Azula.

Ursa’s smile spoke louder than any word as she

embraced her daughter for the first time in more than a
decade.

“We have time.” She repeats wistfully.

Bang!

Azula looks to the judge, Ursa parting from the hug to

look at them as well.

“Given this verdict, I’m dropping all charges on the

defendant. Congrats, Azula. Go live a happy life with
your girlfriend, and pray I never have to see you here
again.”

Azula smiles, and bows her head to him. Then, she turns
to Kiyi, who meets her gaze with wide hazel eyes.
“Wanna go see Lee Lee?” She asks.

Kiyi beams. “Yeah! Let’s go!”

Azula turns to Ahiro, who merely scoffs. “What are you

looking at me for? Go, I’ll handle everything here.”

She doesn’t need to be told twice, for she is out of the

courtroom and nearing the witness lounge all in the span
of a few minutes. The guard looks at her, and quickly
discerns the events of the trial, enough that he is already
holding the door open for Azula when she is close enough
to walk through.

Not hesitating, Azula walks into the room, and six pairs
of eyes lock on her immediately. Azula meets a pair of
grey ones, whose shine with just the hope of Azula being
here.

Azula sets down Kiyi, who runs to Zuko, and holds her
arms out for Ty Lee, a smile forming on her lips. “Time to
go home, darling.”

The brunette’s lip quivers, a shaky hand making

purchase on the cloth protecting her heart, as she starts
to hastily walk towards Azula. Azula see’s tears beginning
to form, and Azula can feel her own starting to begin as
well.

That walk turns into a full blown sprint into her arms,
and Azula has ever held onto anything tighter in her life.
Her back stings from the grip of Ty Lee’s hands on her
back but she doesn’t care. She could hold her now,
without fear of being taken away from her. She didn’t
have to be scared of that now.

Her nose takes in the vanilla aroma surrounding them.

Freedom had never smelled sweeter.

“I can’t believe they called Chan in to testify against

you.” Mai dejects as they walk down the court halls. Ty
Lee was practically skipping next to her, a complete
change from this morning's gloomy atmosphere. “I
mean, what did they expect out of trying to claim Azula
for assault when the two men were trying to rape Ty Lee.

The brunette freezes in her tracks. “I’m sorry, what was

that?”

Azula glares at Mai, who only raises a perturbed

eyebrow. “She doesn’t remember?”

“She was piss drunk! Of course she doesn’t remember!”

“Hello?!” Ty Lee barges in. “I’m still here you know!”

Azula groans, but Mai smirks. She can see the devilish
plan forming in the goth’s brain.

“Azula here took it upon herself to put two boys in a

hospital because they were trying to take you home with
them.” She explains, and Azula is trying her best to fight
the blush off her face.

“Azula?”

She in question, who had a hand planted over her beat

red face, peaks an eye out to Ty Lee with a hum.

Ty Lee raises an eyebrow. “Is that true?”

Azula grunts, lowering the hand and shoving it into her

pocket. “They put their hands where they shouldn’t
have.”

Mai rolls her eyes. “Oh please. His back went five inches
into the car.”

“Azula!”

“What was I supposed to do?!” Azula retorts loudly. “Let

them take you and do as they please?!”

“No!” Ty Lee laughs. “I’m just wondering why they didn’t

go further in!”

“Well-!” Azula starts, but pauses with, “Wait.”

She does a double take at Ty Lee’s expression, and

dutifully notes how her face is ready to explode into
laughter. Azula’s eye twitches. “I knew you were
ruthless.”

Ty Lee can’t hold it in any longer, letting it out with, “I

learned from the best!” and collapses into Azula’s arms.
The fire bender joins Ty Lee, and even Mai is chuckling to
herself before going back to her phone.

Just before the brunette pulls away, she pulls Azula in so

she can whisper, “We have a lot to talk about, got it?”

“Yes ma’am.” Azula smirks, connecting their hands once

more.

Ty Lee beams. “I like the sound of that.”

Chuckling, they begin to walk once more, but Azula picks

up on the faint sound of stomping in the background.
Initially, she thinks nothing of it, but as the steps become
louder, and closer over time, Azula can’t help but put
herself on edge.

“Ms. Azula, watch out!”

Widening her eyes, she turns around just in time to see

Ukano mere feet from her. She pushes Ty Lee away as he
lunges at the fire bender, who in turn dodges his
incoming hands, but pivots just enough to wrap a firm
hand around his neck and take him with her. He spins
with Azula, pushed to the ground with her forceful hands
as a guard catches up.

“I should have known you’d try something.” She

mumbles, pitying his limp position.

“You’ll never get...Away with this…” He grumbles, his

voice strained against her ruthless grip. She was tempted
to squeeze, but that would be held against her, and the
courthouse was no place to be making such an action.

The guard takes him off her hands. “Nice reflexes, Ms.
Azula.”

“Just make sure he stays away from me and my family.”

She replies.

“Will do.” The guard says, and begins to walk away with
him restrained. He struggles, and yells some things Azula
doesn’t have the care to remember. Instead, she turns
back to Ty Lee and takes her hand, finally walking out of
the court house and into the mob of reporters waiting.

By now they’ve all heard the news, and are asking all of
the questions. How does it feel to be free? What are her
plans for the future?

“What will you do now?”

She hears that one just as Ty Lee is safely inside the

vehicle, and it makes her pause. Turning back to the
press, who’ve all gone silent waiting for an answer, she
smiles.

“I just wanna go to school and be a normal kid for once.”

“Ms. Azula! How has this affected your family?” Another

asks.

Azula chuckles, not giving the reporter an answer.

Instead just turning to the car and heading inside it.
Once the door is shut behind her, the Zuko takes off
down the road.

“A normal kid, huh?” Mai asks from the passenger seat.

A hand slithers its way into her own, and Ty Lee’s head
rests comfortably on her shoulder. Azula watches over
the girl fondly. “I think I’ve earned it.”

When they arrived home, Aang and the entire gang were
waiting for them. Azula looked to Zuko for an
explanation, but he just shrugged his shoulder and said,
“I may have gotten excited.”

They get through that debacle without too much fuss,

and are soon in the privacy of Azula’s bedroom. It was
nice being home knowing she could stay. There was no
longer any fear of potentially being pulled away and into
a deadly chair. Only the joy that she could come back to
this room as many times as she likes, and hopefully a
pretty brunette would be with her more often than not.

“Alright. You’ve got some explaining to do.” Ty Lee

accuses, looking ever the part with her hands placed at
her hips.

“Whatever do I have to explain?” Azula replies casually,

shrugging off her jacket.

“Something I’ve been wondering for a while, actually.”

She shoots back. “Just how long have you known you
liked me?”

“Aw, I was hoping you wouldn’t ask.” Azula mockingly

pouts, putting the coat on its hanger and beginning to
walk over to Ty Lee.

She scoffs. “I want an answer.”

“Must you?” Azula sighs. “It’s rather embarrassing.”

“That only makes me want to hear it all the more.”

Without warning, Azula grabs Ty Lee and pulls her in for

a kiss, dazing the girl completely by the time she pulls
away. She tastes the faintest hints of cherry soda on her
lips. Probably from the lounge.

“The night of bowling with the others.” Azula finally says,

pulling away to walk over to her bed.. “I came home and
couldn’t get the thought out of my mind. ‘Why did she
have to like Sokka of all people? Why couldn’t it have
been me?’ ”

Azula laughs. “Looking back, I can see how embarrassing

that is.”

Ty Lee turns around, looking a bit shocked. “And you

didn’t kill him?”

“Believe me, I came very close to it on more than one

occasion.” Azula deadpans, recalling several times Azula
shut Sokka’s annoying mouth forever.

“But you didn’t?”

Azula shakes her head. “You actually told me that you

didn’t have a crush on anyone. Well, the one you did you
held behind very tight lips.”

Ty Lee tilts her head, confused. “I don’t remember that.”

“That’s because you were blackout drunk, darling.” Azula

explains. “Though, I must commend your ability to keep
that secret even under that much of an influence.”

Ty Lee giggles. “Oh well. It all worked out in the end.”

Azula hums, and looks at the clock on her wall. “It’s

getting late, and I don’t feel like cooking. Want to order
something?”

“Ooh! Can we get pizza?”

Already opening her phone with a chuckle, Azula says,

“Whatever you want.”

While Ty Lee hopped in the shower, Azula headed down

to the front lobby where the pizza would eventually be
delivered.

She did not, however, plan to meet her Mother along the
way.

Stopping in the middle of the hall, Azula taps her side.

“Ursa. Can I do something for you?”

“Can we talk?”

Uh oh, that was never a good sign.

“What is it?” Azula asks. “You have until the pizza gets
here.”

“I didn't realize he hurt you.”

Azula chortles. “Yeah, didn’t exactly make him Father of
the year looking back.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing? You weren’t even here.”

“But I should have been.”

Azula’s quiet, but inside she’s screaming. Yes. You should

have, but you weren’t, so here we are.

“I love Ikem and Kiyi with everything that I am, but you
are my firstborn daughter, and I should have loved you
unconditionally. Maybe if I had done that, I could’ve
helped you see the truth faster like Zuko did.”

“Maybe you could have.” Azula agrees. “Do you know

how many times I sat in hidden passageways and
listened to you read Zuko bedtime stories? Do you know
how awful that felt?”

“I know.”

“No you don’t.” Azula accuses, walking closer to her

Mother. “I get that you're trying, but it’s not gonna take
one simple talk to fix the fact that you called me a
monster, and then treated me like one for the next 5
years.”

Ursa takes a deep breath in. “And I’ll spend the next five,
and the rest of my life making that up to you.”

Sighing, Azula replies, “You know, back when I first saw

you. I wanted to forgive you. I wanted to have a Mother
that loved me, that I could love too. I probably still want
that, but I don’t want to forgive you now.”

She meets her Mother’s eyes. “Not until you prove to me

you’ve earned it.”

The doorbell rings, and Azula moves past her Mother,

who has remained completely silent. “I know I was a
terrible child, and probably was a monster in some
respects, but I’m doing my best to recover. It’s high time
you start doing the same.”

She leaves her Mother, not expecting nor wanting a

response as she takes the pizza and thanks the teen
delivering it to her. Clearly he had seen the news, and
was avidly shaking in his spot. Azula snorts as soon as
the door closes, and notices Mai in the lobby.

“He looked like he was about to pee himself.” Mai says,

and Azula shrugs. “Is that for you and Ty Lee?”

“Want to join us? I think she wants to watch a movie.”

“Can I bring Zuko?”

“Zuko hates pizza.” Azula remarks as they start to walk

down the now empty hall. Azula only briefly notices that
Ursa is no longer there.

“Yeah, but he’ll still come.”

“I doubt that.”

“Wanna bet?”

Azula says nothing, and Mai calls Zuko, who picks up

quickly.

“What.”

“Don’t sound so rude.” Mai retorts.

“I was trying to sleep.” He grunts back.

“I’m gonna watch a movie with Azula and Ty Lee, wanna

come?”

“Yeah sure. Give me a few minutes.”

“Okay.” Mai replies, and hangs up, meeting Azula’s raised

eyebrow with an amused one.

She rolls her eyes. “Alright, you win this one.”

Coming back to her room, Azula opens it to see Ty Lee

having just gotten a shirt on. One of Azula’s from the
looks of it. The blue dragon on the back material made it
pretty obvious.

Azula holds up the pizza. “Dinner’s served.”

“Yay! Mai’s here too!” Ty lee beams, skipping over to

Azula and snatching the box from her.

“I caught her in the lobby. Zuko’s joining us too. Is that

okay?”

“Perfect!”

“So what movie is it?” Mai asks as they all settle in the
bed.

Azula looks at her girlfriend. “Ty Lee?”

She, who currently had a mouthful of food, hums in

realization and opens the laptop already perched onto
the bed. Logging in, she pulls up Netflix to reveal a
movie Azula had never heard of.

“Enola Holmes?” Azula asks. “Like, Sherlock Holmes?”

“I’ve been wanting to watch it forever.” Ty Lee says,

clicking play. Azula hums, sharing a look with Mai and
taking her own slice of pizza.

Zuko joins them a few minutes into the show, scowling at

the choice but watching anyway. Azula had to admit, the
movie was pretty good, and judging by Mai’s lack of a
phone in front of her, she was enjoying it too.

After the box of pizza was successfully emptied, and the

movie finished with Ty Lee raving about it non stop,
Azula gave Mai and Zuko a chance to escape, pushing
them out while her girlfriend rambled about one of the
fight scenes and how cool it was.

Once that was done, she returned to attention back to Ty

Lee, who had all her attention on the laptop, probably
eagerly looking up facts or news about the movie. She
liked to watch the bloopers and behind the scenes
videos.

“Maybe you should become a stunt woman.” Azula

offered. “You’ve always taken a keen interest in that.”

Ty Lee laughs. “Very funny, Zula.”

“I’m just saying,” Azula continues, returning to her spot

in the bed. “You’re superb at gymnastics, work well with
others, and I’m sure you’d have a lot of fun crashing a
car or two every now and then.”

Ty Lee narrows her eyes playfully. “And you wouldn’t?”

“Slight problem with that.” Azula points out. “I’d have to

work well with others.”

Chuckling, Ty lee leans in a bit. “You work well with me .”

With a smirk, Azula does the same, stopping just before

their lips touch. “And what about it?”

Ty Lee, conveniently forgetting all manners of speech,

disregards any and all things and closes that distance,
finally kissing Azula. Smiling a bit, Azula shuts the laptop
and throws it to an unimportant part of the bed.
Throwing a leg over Ty Lee, she deepens the kiss, hands
moving to rest at either side of the brunette’s face.

Suddenly, Ty Lee starts to giggle.

What starts out as small little ones, turns into full and
joyful laughter. Eventually Azula is joining in for reasons
she does not yet know.

She’s just...Happy.

“We did it.” Ty Lee breathes in between giggles. “We did

it. You’re...You’re not gonna go.”

“I’d never leave without a fight.” Azula responds with a

sly grin. Ty Lee looked beautiful like this, under Azula
with the cushiony backdrop of silk pillows for comfort.

“You get to stay.” Ty Lee trembles, and Azula can now

see the tears brimming in her girlfriend's eyes. “You’re
not gonna leave me like they wanted you to.”

“Never.” Azula affirms, voice strong and resilient against

her girlfriends ever crumbling resolve.

“I-I’m sorry.” Ty Lee whimpers in between choked laughs.

“I don’t know why I’m crying.”

“It’s okay.” She reassures. “I get it.”

“I’m happy. I really am.” She cries, wrapping two tight

arms around Azula’s neck. Azula grasps Ty Lee’s waist
and pulls her upward to settle in her lap. “So happy.”

“Good.” Azula laughs. “Because I’m getting about a

thousand mixed signals here.”

Ty Lee’s laughter bursts out, and she tightens her hold.

“You absolute dork.”

Saying nothing, Azula buries her face into the crook of Ty

Lee’s neck, taking the chance to bask in her girlfriend's
calming presence. Vanilla bursts through her senses, and
Azula lets out a relaxing sigh.

“It’s all because of you.” She mumbles into Ty Lee’s skin.

“I would have never won that case if you hadn't been so
stubborn and helped me change.”

“You were hurting, and I loved you too much to not try
and help you.”

“Regardless, you saved me.” Azula replies. “No matter

what anyone says, or whatever happens. You saved me.”

“We saved each other.” She responds. “And now we get

to reap the rewards.”

Azula chuckles. “Normal lives as normal kids.”

“It’s all I ever wanted for us.”

All she ever wanted. Ty Lee had wanted this for more
than a decade, and now she was finally allowed to have
it.

Azula lifts her head and meets those beautiful grey eyes,
so full of love towards Azula that it practically pulled out
with the leftover tears dripping down her cheeks. Tears
Azula was quick to wipe away, before using her grip to
kiss Ty Lee’s forehead.

“I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Chapter 54: A Birthday To

Remember

If there was one thing Azula had learned over these past
two months, it was how to dote on Ty Lee.

She got teased for it constantly by her friends, but she

doesn’t really care when all is said and done. Ty Lee was
happy, and if she was happy, then Azula was happy.

Which is why getting Ty Lee’s birthday was so

inexplicably important. Ty Lee had gone out of her way to
give Azula the first birthday she can look back on without
fear of sadness or anguish, so it’s only fair Azula did the
same. Plus, she wanted to.

On the bright side, it was reassuring to know they

already had their night planned out.

Luckily, Ty Lee’s birthday fell on a weekend, so they had

the entire day to do whatever Ty Lee desired. Today was
to be a day for Ty Lee, where Azula would pull out all the
tricks up her sleeves.

It started with breakfast in bed.

Stepping back into her room as quietly as she could,

Azula closes the door with her foot, her hands
preoccupied with the tray of food. Her feet padded across
the floor, and Azula sets the tray down on her nightstand,
preferring to sit next to Ty Lee’s sleeping body.

Or, that’s what Ty Lee wanted her to believe.

“Darling...” Azula sings slowly, leaning down to give Ty

lee a kiss to her forehead, earning the smallest of smiles
to show. “Wake up...”

The brunette refused to open her eyes.

Azula rolls her eyes. “I know you’re awake, Lee. You’re

terrible at hiding it.”

Nothing.

Sighing, Azula takes a piece of toast off of Ty Lee’s tray

of food. “And here I was being nice making you breakfast
in bed-”

Just before Azula could take a bite, the food is swiped

out of her hand, and Azula grins, looking to see Ty Lee,
giving her a playful smile as she bites into the toast.

“There she is.” Azula mumbles as Ty Lee shifts to sit up.

“How’d you even know I was awake?” Ty Lee yawns.

“I think your body is set to consciously wake up any time

I am not in the bed with you.” Azula theorizes.

Ty Lee scoffs. “That’s crazy. No one does that.”

“And yet, you're awake.”

The brunette merely bites into her food, her smile all too
evident.

Chuckling, Azula gives Ty Lee a kiss on the cheek.

“Happy Birthday, Lee.”

Clearly not satisfied, Ty Lee pulls her in for a kiss to her

lips.

Strawberries.

Deepening the kiss, Azula takes the piece of toast and

sets it down on a plate so that her hands could roam
free. Once they are, Ty Lee’s fingers immediately wrap
themselves in Azula’s hair, still completely down from her
time asleep.

After a few minutes of passionate kisses and all too

teasing touches, Azula pulls away briefly to say, “You
really should eat before it gets cold.”

“Your lips taste better.” Was her girlfriends response

before pulling her in once more

So she wants to play this game? Fine.

Grabbing the bread once more, she bites down on Ty

Lee’s bottom lip, pulling it slightly to make Ty Lee gasp.
Before she can close it, Azula shoves the bread into her
mouth.

Ty Lee squeaks, the unforeseen food now placed in her

mouth giving her tastebuds a more bland flavor than
Azula’s sweet and tantalizing lips. She narrows her eyes
into a glare, displeased by Azula’s actions.

“Don’t look at me like that.” Azula replies, knowing

exactly what that look meant. “I made you breakfast in
bed. Not Azula in bed.”

Ty Lee hums. “You’re right. That’s for dessert.”

Azula chokes on the air surrounding her while Ty Lee

takes the tray to begin eating. “This is really good, Zula!
Thanks!”

Composing herself as best she could while harboring the

darkest blush a person was humanly capable of, Azula
clears her throat and says, “I’m-I’m glad you like it.”

Shit.

Ty Lee giggles mischievously. “You’re cute when you're

flustered. Have I ever told you that?”

“I haven’t given you the chance to realize it, so no.”

Azula grits.

She pouts. “Don’t be mean, it’s meant to be a

compliment.”

“It’s hard to take it as such when your grinning ear to ear

like that.” Azula quips.

Ty Lee booes her, and continues to eat her breakfast.

“So, got any plans?”

“Nope.” Azula says. “This is as far as my predetermined

path goes. Everything else is up to you.”

“I can do anything I want?” Ty Lee asks, pausing for a

moment to fully register the implications.

Azula shrugs. “If I can do it, then I will make it happen.”

“So if I wanted to have lunch in Venice, you would do

that?”

“Do you want a private jet to get there?” Was Azula’s

immediate response.

Ty Lee skeptically narrows her eyes. “You’re not serious.”

“Want to test that theory?” Azula says, whipping out her

phone for Ty Lee to see. The brunette says nothing,
merely watching to see what Azula would do. Azula
shrugs with a hum and after a few minutes she hears a
ding emanate from her phone. Azula holds it up.
“Reservation for two at Osteria Da Fiore in 5 hours. Want
to book a hotel?”

“Azula!”

“What? You said-”

“I didn’t mean literally! Venice is 15 hours from here!”

“And Japan is 8 hours ahead in time.” Azula comments

casually. “If we leave one hour from now, we’ll get there
by 12 AM in our time zone. When converted to Venice
time, then it’ll be two in the afternoon.”

Ty Lee stares at her, completely flabbergasted.

“Did you just do all of that in your head?”

Azula blinks. “Yes?”

“You’re unbelievable!” Ty Lee exclaims, slapping Azula’s

shoulder. “I don’t actually want to go to Venice you idiot!”

“Then I’ll cancel it.” Azula replies, shying away from Ty

Lee’s threatening hand and clicking a few buttons.
“There. Cancelled.”

“I can’t believe you.” Ty Lee laughs. “You’d actually do

that just because I asked you to?”

“It’s your birthday.” Azula reasons. “Whatever you say

goes.”

Azula is certain she can see hearts in Ty Lee’s eyes, and

it’s starting to concern her.

“You’re the best girlfriend ever, Zula!” Ty Lee shouts,

pulling Azula next to her and giving her a crushing hug.

Azula can feel her lungs compressing in from the force

behind Ty Lee’s arms. “Ty...I need...To breathe…”

“Oh!” Ty Lee realizes, releasing Azula’s strained breaths

and allowing her to properly breathe once more. “Sorry!”

Azula waves her off, not speaking until she regains her
strength. “Have you been working out without me?”

Ty Lee beams. “Suki’s been letting me come to the dojo

and spar with her! It’s lots of fun!”

“Is she still using those fans?” Azula asks.

“Yup! It’s her group's thing from back home.”

“I see.” She comments, bored of this topic already.

“Enough about Suki, you never told me what you wanted
to do today.”

“That’s cause I just wanna spend the day with you!”

“Like normal?”

“Yup!”

Azula raises an eyebrow. “You have the world at your

fingertips and you want your birthday to be absolutely
normal.”

“If it means spending it with you, then absolutely.” Ty Lee

implores, finishing her breakfast with a sigh. “I love your
cooking…”

If Azula’s wasn’t already drop dead in love with Ty Lee

before, then she most certainly was now.

Taking the brunette’s hand, she fiddles with her fingers,

tracing outlines of shapes before interlocking them. “You
really are perfect, you know that?”

“You only tell me like, every day.” Ty Lee giggles. “What’s

with the compliment?”

“Do I need a reason to compliment my girlfriend on her

birthday?” Azula smiles, moving one of her fingers to
draw lazy hearts around the indents between her
knuckles.

Ty Lee taps Azula’s three times with her index finger,

Azula freezes.

She’s never been the one to do it. It was always Azula.

“You don’t, it’s just the implication that I’m only with you
for the money that concerns me.”

Azula’s eyes widen. “I never-!”

She is shushed by Ty Lee’s index finger pressing to her

lips.
“You complimented me because you realized I didn’t
need anything extravagant from you for my birthday to
be perfect. I thought you knew me better than that.” Ty
Lee teases, and removes her finger. “I just want you
Azula. I don’t need anything else.”

“Not even your friends?” Azula questions, not quite

believing her.

“It would be great if they stopped by, yeah, but I’d be

perfectly fine if they couldn’t make it.”

“Well that’s good because I’m pretty sure Mai’s coming

over with them.”

Ty Lee gives her a look, and Azula follows with, “Zuko

told me while I was making breakfast.”

“I’m surprised Mai wasn’t already here.”

“Her parents wanted a date night, so she had to watch

Tom Tom.” Azula explains. “But that’s besides the point.
Tell me what you want to do today.”

Ty Lee sets the tray back down on the nightstand. Once

she is free of it, she holds her hands out to Azula.

“I want to cuddle.” She says with big puppy dog eyes.

“That’s it?”

“You woke me up early. I deserve it.”

“It’s 8 in the morning.”

“And that is far too early for a Saturday. Now lay down
and hold me.”

Azula couldn’t say no even if she wanted to.

Roughly an hour or two later, -Azula wasn’t keeping

track- there were three soft knocks on her door.

“Zuko don’t you dare open that door.” Azula calls out to
him, but she hears it open anyway. Shs groans and
mumbles, “I’m gonna kill him.”

“For once, I won’t stop you.” Ty Lee grumbles back,

clearly upset their time together had been interrupted.

Zuko, oblivious to their ominous threats, says, “I don’t

remember you being able to give me orders, sis.”

“I specifically requested that you leave us alone this

morning.” Azula replies, neither getting up nor opening
her eyes. “Or did your pea sized brain forget that along
with your Math homework?”

“I just finished it, thank you very much.” He gloats. “But

it was either me or 5 excited teenagers ready to swallow
Ty Lee in birthday hugs.”

“I take it back. Don’t kill him just yet.” Ty Lee mumbles,

less aggravated as she sits up. “Thanks Zuko, I’ll be
down in a minute.”

“Yes. Please go away.” Azula adds.

“That’s no way to talk to your brother, now is it, Zula?”

Zuko teases while proceeding to walk backwards out of
the room.

Suddenly, Azula shoots up, pillow in hand as she hurls it

at her brother. He manages to duck behind the cover of
the door, the pillow hitting it with a thunk before falling
to the floor. If one were close enough, they’d see the
faintest amounts of steam coming from the cushion.

“I hate it when he calls me that.” She grunts angrily,

falling back down into bed.

“And he hates it when you call him Zuzu. So you're

even.” Ty Lee giggles, leaning down to give her a kiss on
the cheek. “Now come on. We have to go be social.”

“ I don’t have to do anything for them.”

“No.” Ty Lee says, tilting her head a bit in agreement.

“But I’m asking you to do it for me .”

Azula peaks a glaring eye open at her girlfriend.

“You love playing that card, don’t you?”

“It’s the ultimate trump card. Now get up before they

barge in here and see how adorable you really are.”

Clearly not wanting to, Azula gets up and throws on a

hoodie. Following Ty Lee, they make their way to the
living room where everyone shouts their birthday wishes
and tackles her into hugs Zuko had warned her about.
Azula watches, content to stay away from this and
merely watch her girlfriend mingle with her friends.

Zuko comes over to her after giving Ty Lee his present.

“Lazy Saturday? I thought you were gonna do stuff.”

“Her request, not mine.” Azula replies lazily. “She just

wants to spend the day with her friends. I see no reason
to oppose her.”

He hums, and together they watch Ty Lee open her gifts,

most of which being clothes she had been asking for.
Occasionally, there was something different, like a phone
case or a new bracelet, but it made no difference to Ty
Lee.

Azula could see it in her eyes, the way they sparkled.

Ty Lee always loved being the center of attention.

It wasn’t as prevalent as it used to be, but Ty Lee always

loved having the spotlight. Whenever everyone was
looking at her, it meant she was important, distinct,
loved. Growing up with six identical twin sisters was
rough in the sense that she never felt distinctly loved by
her parents. Whatever she did, it was always mistaken
for being an accomplishment of one of her sisters.

Thus, Ty Lee’s need for attention was born.

Azula couldn’t blame her, nor would she deny her the
love she craved. She never failed to be absolutely furious
when she would come over and Ty Lee’s parents wouldn’t
be able to get the name of the daughter she was there to
see right.

So yeah, Azula spoiled her.

They all spoiled her.

They were here to make up for years of indifference and

neglected love from her parents.

Ty Lee deserved it. They all knew it.

“Azula?” Ty Lee calls to her, breaking her train of thought

with a hum.

“Yes?”

“Can we go to that cute cafe I’ve been telling you

about?”

“For lunch?” She asks to confirm.

A nod.

Azula shrugs. “I don’t see why not. Are we bringing

everyone?”

“Yup!”

“Why do you have to ask permission, Ty?” Suki accuses,

and Azula notices the narrowed eyes directed at her.

“Yeah.” Sukko adds. “Is she telling you what you can and
can’t do?”

“What?” Ty Lee asks. “No.”

“Then why’d you ask her for permission?” Katara says,

repeating Suki’s question.

Azula rolls her eyes, but notices that Ty Lee looks a little
agitated at them.

“It’s called manners ? I was making sure my girlfriend

didn’t plan anything special for lunch.” She answers,
glaring at them and earning 5 guilty looks. They all
murmur their apologies, but only to Ty Lee. She waves
them off, saying they were only being protective.

“I told you anything past breakfast was completely up to

you, Ty.” Azula confirms, ignoring their manners with a
smirk.

“I know!” Ty Lee beams. “Just wanted to double check,

you know?”

“Well now you have. Are we heading out now?”

“Yup! Let’s go guys!”

Lunch was splendid, and Azula could safely say Ty Lee’s

good taste in food hadn’t changed. Everyone had lots of
fun chatting and walking around the city once they
finished, allowing them a chance to do some shopping.
Anything Ty Lee wanted, Azula bought for her.

“You know,” Ty Lee had said as they were paying at one

store. “That day you bought the top for me makes a lot
more sense now.”

Azula blinks at her, having completely forgotten about

that. “You remember that?”

“Of course! That was one of my favorite outings we had!”

“I suppose it was quite fun.” Azula concurs, thanking the

lady as she hands Azula the bag.

After everyone had had enough fun out in the city, they
all headed back to Azula’s house, where the others
stayed for tea, but ultimately went home, with the
exception of Mai wishing Ty Lee Happy Birthday one last
time.

“They aren’t bad people, honestly.” Mai says when Ty Lee

comes back into the room from seeing everyone off.
“They just get anything after a while.”

“Really?” Azula responds, shifting in her armchair as Ty

Lee comfortably sits on her lap. “I just think they're
annoying.”

“Oh hush, Zula.” Ty Lee scolds.

“They insulted both of us, and you expect me not to be

just a little peeved?” She shoots back.

“They didn’t insult you.”

“They think I’m manipulating you.” Azula blunts.

“Okay maybe they did, but they were just being

protective.”

Azula grunts, a clear sign as to where Azula stood on the

subject.

Ty Lee leans into her ear. “Can you blame them?”

Normally, that statement might tick Azula off more than

it does prove Ty Lee’s point, but she simply sighs. Ty Lee
was right, she couldn’t blame them. While Ty Lee had
been by Azula’s side through pretty much everything that
happened, they hadn’t. They were still sceptical of Azula,
even if they knew she was trying to do better.

“No. I can’t, but it still hurts.”

“I know, Princess.” Ty Lee whispers. “They’ll see you

someday, just like I do.”

“You two are disgustingly adorable.” Mai calls from her

seat on the couch. “It’s making me sick.”

Azula chuckles. “And what about you and Zuko? Where’s

he?”

“He got a phone call from the office.”

Nodding in response, she turns to Ty Lee and asks,

“Wanna head upstairs?”

Ty Lee raises a suspicious eyebrow. “It’s only nine.”

“And?” Azula says.

Not quite convinced, but too curious to say no, Ty Lee

nods, and together they head out and down the hall. Mai
watches them go, rolling her eyes when she sees the
small, thin box in Azula’s hand, hidden behind her back.

When they reach Azula’s room, dimly lit by only one or

two lamps around the room, Azula watches Ty Lee step
into the room fully. Closing the door behind her, Azula is
content to watch her girlfriend before she turns to Azula
with a questioning glance.

“What are you doing over there?” Ty Lee asks with a

giggle.

Smiling, Azula pushes herself off the door and walks over
to Ty Lee. Once she’s close enough, she stops and raises
a gentle hand to caress the skin of her girlfriend's cheek.
Ty Lee leans into it, making Azula’s smile soften
significantly.

She reveals the velvet box she’d been hiding behind her
back, and whispers, “Happy birthday, darling.”

“Zula you didn’t have to.” Ty Lee whines, taking the box
and feeling its soft texture. “You’ve already done so
much.”

The smile doesn’t leave her face, and she pivots so that
she’s just next to Ty Lee, wrapping an arm around her
waist and placing a kiss against the side of her head.
“Just open it.”

Doing as she’s told, Ty Lee gasps when she sees the

beautiful necklace inside.

In between a silver heart, is a blue rose. It’s vibrate hue

along with the green of the leaves have a nice contrast to
the sparkle of the small diamonds encrusted on half of
the heart.

“Zula…” She breathes, starstruck by the piece of jewelry

as she carefully lifts it out of its case and into her palm.

“Mai helped me pick it out. She surprisingly has good

taste.”

“Are these real?!” Ty Lee realizes, referring to the

diamonds. “Azula that’s too much!”

“I don’t care.” She firms, meeting Ty Lee’s eyes sternly.

“You don’t care about the money, and neither do I. Plus,
it hardly made a dent with the profits Zuko’s company
makes.”

“Still I-” Ty Lee stammers, running a thumb over the

chrome finish. “No one’s ever bought me jewelry this
expensive.”

“A few hundred dollars is not expensive.” Azula blunts.

“It is to me!”

Azula ignores that. “Here.” She says, taking the necklace

by the ends of each chain. She then asks, “May I?”

Ty Lee looks concerned, but nonetheless nods her head.

With approval, Azula drapes the necklace over Ty Lee’s
open neck and clips the two ends together. Done, she
steps away and turns Ty Lee towards her mirror,
watching the brunette’s eyes blow wide as she takes in
the jewelry on her neck.

Ty Lee reaches a hand up to hold the piece, and Azula is

proud to know that she was correct in assuming Ty Lee
looks good in blue.

“You know, I googled it, and the blue rose symbolizes

unattainable love.” Azula murmurs, wrapping her hands
around Ty Lee’s waist from behind, pressing the brunette
to her. “Sounds about right to me, don’t you think?”

“It’s beautiful…” Ty Le finally says, and turns in Azula’s

arms to reciprocate. “Thank you…”

“Anything for you, Lee.” Azula replies, holding on tightly.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.” Ty Lee replies, and she almost sounds

like she’s crying, but when Azula pulls away and lifts her
chin, she finds that is not the case. Instead, Ty Lee is
smiling.

Without a word, Azula pulls her in for a kiss, that

deepens almost immediately, full of love.

Soon, it turns to passion.

Breaking away for just a moment Ty Lee whispers,

“About that dessert…” against her lips.

Azula’s breath catches, knowing where Ty Lee wanted to

take this and needing to make sure Ty Lee understood a
few things.

“You know I’ve never done this before.”

“I know.” Ty Lee whispers, voice soft and reassuring

under Azula’s sudden nerves. “Don’t worry, it’s mine too.”

This catches Azula off guard. “You never…?”

Ty Lee smiles, and presses her forehead to Azula’s.

“I never wanted anyone but you.”

No one but her.

“We’ll take it slow, okay?” Ty Lee says. “No ones good at

it the first time.”

“Slow.” Azula repeats. “Okay. I trust you.”

“Aw…” Ty Lee cooes, hearts in her eyes. “I trust you

too…”

Azula wants to rebuke the obvious tease in Ty Lee’s

voice, but she can’t find the willpower to do so. She was
serious when she said it, and it wasn’t too often that
Azula actually said it, so she supposes that the reaction
wasn’t that exaggerated.

She initiates it with a simple kiss, which, just like last

time, grows and grows into a fiery passion neither of
them could control any longer.

They had no idea what they were doing, but they had
each other. That was enough to put the other at ease.

Slowly, Azula guides Ty Lee to the bed, who in the

process takes off Azula’s hoodie. It’s a simple show of
strength that Azula lifts Ty Lee and lays her on the bed,
crawling on top of her.

Ty Lee is clearly enjoying the view, but Azula is still

hesitant with her hands.

“Hey.” Ty Lee calls, grabbing her shaking hand and

kissing the inside of it lovingly. Azula feels a sharp bolt of
electricity shoot from the spot Ty Lee’s lips touch and
throughout her entire body. “It’s okay.”

They would do this together.

Ty Lee was safe. She always has been, and always will
be.

Azula smiles, and leans down to kiss Ty Lee’s neck,

earning a sharp inhale of breath from the brunette.
Slowly, she realizes that this was like anything else she’s
learned to do. With practice, they would learn what suits
each other, but for right now they would learn.

Soft touches, and fiery kisses. These make up the

foundation of what Azula knew Ty Lee likes so far. Now, it
was time to build. To learn more of what Ty Lee liked.

The gifted necklace comes off with Ty Lee’s shirt.

Leaning up to Ty Lee’s ear, she whispers, “Happy

birthday darling. I love you.”

Azula and Ty Lee will return.

Notes:
ALRIGHT LADDIES LISTEN UP THIS
AINT FUN AND GAMES NO MORE

first off, id like to thank everyone for

their comments and ideas on how to
approach. i took some of the stuff and
am planning on working its way into the
story at some point.

that being said, prepare for a very

sophisticated journey into azulas mind,
or at least what i believe to be azulas
mind. ive done a ton of research on
mental illnesses to try and nail azula's
slow fall into insanity down correctly.

yes their will be pain, and pining, and

LOTS of emotional manipulation. i plan
to really take this in depth and try and
figure a more modern-esque way of
showing how ozai manipulated azula, as
well as why azula thinks its okay to do
the same. (probably some physical
abuse as well because im a sucker for
giving broken characters physical scars
IM SORRY. dk yet tho so we'll see)

BUT im still going to give this plenty of

pre-relationship fluff, because even if
azula wont admit it, what her and ty lee
have is real. she just needs to accept it
and then recovery can begin.

pwease comment what u thought, i

very much like hearing from u guys ur
all so sweet !

(p.s. recently on insta i saw so many

comments ab this relationship being
toxis and im like: yes? but? its? called?
redemption? and? forgiveness????????)

Series this work belongs to:

Part 1 of the Love Is Uncertain series ●
Next Work →

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