Chapter Text
Since she can remember, Ty Lee had admired Azula. Not only for being the princess, but also for the hard work she put in every day. She had also noticed that it was never enough.
Azula was acting strange, and Ty Lee guessed it was for the same reason they no longer saw her mother around the palace. The princess never spoke well of her, quite the opposite, so Ty Lee assumed she wouldn't miss her.
The princess was training as usual. And also as usual, Ty Lee watched her do it. It had happened so many times that Ty Lee could probably repeat some katas from memory.
The strange thing was that it was already night, and Azula showed no signs of stopping.
"Princess? It's quite late."
Azula remained focused, kata after kata.
"Rest is necessary too; all the teachers say so."
This didn't make her stop, so Ty Lee brought her knees to her chest and looked at her with concern. Azula was sweating a lot, so Ty Lee couldn't see clearly if her vision was failing or not, but she would swear there were tears in the princess's eyes.
While Ty Lee tried to figure out if she was right, the color of the entire room changed. Temporarily shifting from blazing orange to an intense blue.
Azula abruptly stopped, and Ty Lee stood up in surprise. The firebender looked at her hands, puzzled, and repeating the kata, they both confirmed that the usual orange had been replaced by an intense blue.
Ty Lee rushed to Azula's side. Feeling the acrobat beside her, Azula stretched her arms and generated a blue flame, both of them gazing at it in awe.
"Zula, you're the best firebender in the whole wide world!" Ty Lee squealed in a high-pitched tone, smiling at the princess. Azula extinguished the flame, and Ty Lee hugged her, albeit briefly.
Azula looked back at the flame, but this time with sadness.
"Azula, you're perfect."
Instead of replying, she went to grab a towel to wipe off the sweat. Returning to Ty Lee, she said, "I need to master that completely before presenting it to Father. It's not perfect yet, and that’s simply not enough."
Nevertheless, she stopped training. But her face didn't show the excitement of someone who had just accomplished something incredible in the world of firebending. With a smile and holding her hand, Ty Lee said, "You're the best firebender in the world, 'Zula."
Azula didn't respond, but she squeezed Ty Lee's hand in return.
Azula and Ty Lee were in Mai's room, sitting by her side, trying to console her. Well, Ty Lee was consoling her, while Azula sat beside her, staring at the wall, unsure of what to say.
"He should have fought and trained more," Azula spoke suddenly. Ty Lee looked at her in surprise, while Mai responded with anger.
"Your father engaged in an Agni Kai with his own son, burned his face, and banished him with an impossible mission to redeem himself," Mai said, her tone filled with resentment.
"Why didn't he fight? Why did he fail? Because he wasn't prepared. It's his fault," Azula stated without any emotion, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Mai got angry, and Ty Lee grew concerned.
"Get out," Mai shouted at Azula, something that rarely happened.
Azula got up to leave without arguing, which worried Ty Lee even more.
Once the firebender was no longer in the room, Mai resumed crying and said, "What the hell is going on in her head? Even if she doesn't get along with Zuko, that's not how it works."
"No, it doesn't."
Hours later, Ty Lee found Azula training, but she was surprised to see that the katas were different from the usual ones, and there was a peculiar smell in the air.
Unaware of Ty Lee's presence, Azula began to perform movements Ty Lee had never seen before, eventually generating lightning and shooting it directly at a target.
Unable to contain her amazement, Ty Lee started clapping. Azula looked towards her, surprised that someone was there.
Ignoring the new feat, the princess asked, "Has Mai calmed down?"
Caught off guard by the question, Ty Lee nodded and added, "She fell asleep after crying for a while."
Azula nodded, and as she was about to resume training, Ty Lee interrupted her, "Why did you tell that to Mai?"
Azula looked at her for a few seconds, considering what to say. "Because it's the truth. If Zuko had lived up to what was expected of him, this wouldn't have happened, and she wouldn't be sad. Zuko would be here."
"Zuko only made one mistake."
"He is the prince of the Fire Nation; he can't afford to make mistakes."
Ty Lee frowned, "You can't always be right or do everything perfectly."
Azula prepared to launch another lightning bolt at the target, stating, "That mindset is what makes someone end up like my brother," and she shot the lightning, much more powerful and precise than the previous one.
Before she could continue, Ty Lee approached her and grabbed her arm, saying, "Azula, you're perfect. You're probably the best firebender in history."
Azula looked at her with a gaze that Ty Lee couldn't decipher and said, "I can't afford not to be."
And she prepared to continue training.
Mai had gone to sleep, Azula was reviewing plans, and Ty Lee was undoing her braid to go to bed while watching Azula strategize. They had removed their Kyoshi Warriors makeup and uniforms a while ago.
Azula seemed tired but at the same time intensely focused.
"Zula, your plan is perfect, but you need to rest."
"I need to go through everything one more time, Ty. It has to be perfect."
Knowing Azula wouldn't listen, Ty Lee stood up and hung onto her back like a monkey.
"Ty Lee, what are you doing?"
"Pressuring you to rest."
"I've already told you I need to review the plan one more time."
Ty Lee rested her head on the firebender's shoulder and, looking at what Azula was looking at, said, "Your plan is perfect, you are perfect, please rest."
Azula didn't move, but she wasn't reviewing the plans anymore; she was lost in thought.
Ty Lee noticed something, "Zula, it's hard for you to sleep, isn't it?"
She glanced at her, and Ty Lee knew she had hit the mark. But she also knew Azula would never ask for help.
"It is to me though. Can I sleep with you tonight?"
"Why would you do that?"
"Because sleeping with the strongest person I know is surprisingly reassuring."
A small smile appeared on Azula's face, and she nodded. Ty Lee climbed down and went to Azula's bed, and Azula followed suit.
Ty Lee lay down, looking at Azula and placing an arm under her own pillow. Azula looked at her with a gaze that Ty Lee couldn't decipher.
"Good night, 'Zula. You'll see, everything will go well. After all, it's you who has planned it."
She didn't respond, but she held onto Ty Lee's hand.
Mai and Zuko had gone for a walk. Ty Lee knew it was a euphemism, but neither she nor Azula were going to point it out.
Ty Lee lay on Azula's bed, watching as the princess removed her makeup.
"It's not that I didn't have a good time, but why did we wreck that guy's house? Weren't you interested in him?"
Azula finished removing her makeup before answering, "He kissed me and then acted like an idiot."
Frowning and feeling a pit in her stomach, Ty Lee replied, "But you're perfect. Where would he ever find someone better than you?"
The princess stopped looking at the acrobat and said, "Can you stop saying that?"
Ty Lee looked at her strangely and sat up on the bed. "But it's the truth—"
And with a hit on the vanity table, Azula cut her off, saying, "STOP. IT'S NOT TRUE!"
This made Ty Lee shudder, and she looked at her with deep concern.
Azula seemed to be trembling. "I'll never be perfect. I'm broken, Ty Lee."
Ty Lee got up to stand by the princess.
"Today, I felt disgusted kissing Chan. Everything felt wrong. He was handsome, had a good social position…Why did I feel like this?"
Azula was on the verge of tears, so Ty Lee tried to console her.
"Maybe he wasn't the right one. It doesn't mean you're broken because of it."
Azula was lost in thought, and Ty Lee grabbed her hand to bring her out of her trance. "Or maybe it's because it was your first kiss, and considering how much of a perfectionist you are, you've never practiced before."
This made Azula look at her strangely. "Does it get better after kissing more guys?"
Ty Lee wanted to tell her yes, wanted to say that practice makes perfect, but she would be lying. It hadn't happened to her, and she didn't want to lie to Azula when she was being vulnerable with her.
Ty Lee made her stand up from the vanity chair and led her to the bed so they could talk face to face. Azula allowed herself to be led.
"Experience does play in your favor, that's for sure."
"I don't think I can just bring guys to the palace until I stop feeling disgusted kissing them."
Ty Lee bit her inner cheek. "What if I help you? Both of us being girls, it doesn't count for anything, and we'd just be practicing, right?"
Azula studied her for a moment and nodded, saying, "It seems like a good plan."
Nervously, Ty Lee cupped Azula's face with one hand and slowly brought her face closer to the princess. Azula closed her eyes, and Ty Lee kissed her gently.
Ty Lee didn't know what Azula might be feeling, but if she felt even half the butterflies that Ty Lee was experiencing, she would probably be scared.
When they separated, Azula was slightly blushing, Ty Lee still holding onto her face, and Azula didn't pull away.
In a whisper, Ty Lee asked, "How was that?"
Azula looked at her without saying anything, as if wanting to speak but unable to. This scared Ty Lee a lot, but before she could escape in fear, Azula kissed her. Not as gently as the previous kiss, but with need. Without stopping the kiss, Ty Lee climbed onto Azula's lap, gripping her face tightly. Azula, in turn, wrapped her arms around Ty Lee's waist.
When they broke apart, both breathing heavily, the acrobat said without thinking, "Agni, it was better than I had imagined."
This puzzled Azula, who still hadn't let her go. Ty Lee covered her mouth with both hands and closed her eyes.
But suddenly, she heard, "That makes two of us."
Upon opening her eyes again, she saw Azula looking at her with sweetness, and Ty Lee released the breath she didn't know she was holding. She laughed in disbelief.
For the first time since she had known Azula, the princess seemed scared and insecure. "Can we... Can we do it again?"
Ty Lee happily grabbed Azula's face and, near her lips, said, "Your wish is my command."
A good while later, with swollen lips and nestled in bed, Ty Lee rested her head on Azula's chest while Azula played with her hair.
Suddenly, in a whisper, the princess said, "We can't talk to anyone about this, you know. No one."
Ty Lee nodded in agreement.
After a while, lifting her head to look at her, Azula said, "My opinion of you hasn't changed, you know? You're still perfect to me."
Azula didn't believe her, but after giving her a tender kiss on the forehead and wrapping her in her arms again, she didn't worry either.
Azula didn't know how much time had passed; it could have been days or months. She couldn't feel her arms due to the straitjacket, and she was unconscious most of the time from whatever they were injecting into her.
One day, she felt someone open her cell, or whatever it was she was in.
"You have twenty minutes. If you don't come out at that time, we'll come in to get you."
That sounded like a guard's voice. It didn't matter which one; Azula never bothered to learn their names.
The princess was sitting on the bed, propped against the wall to stay upright even with the straitjacket when she saw someone dressed in green in front of her. A Kyoshi Warrior?
"Azula."
Oh.
Azula looked at her, still dressed in the Kyoshi Warriors' uniform, Ty Lee was not wearing any makeup.
"Have you grown tired of pink, or do you want to stop drawing attention? It's a shame, Ty Lee."
The Kyoshi Warrior simply clenched her fists. "I'm here to close this chapter with you."
"Are you here to kill me? Finally."
This confused Ty Lee a lot. "What? No, of course not."
Azula rolled her eyes and made a dissatisfied sound.
Ty Lee glanced toward the door as she spoke. "I'm here to tell you that I've moved on, that I won't follow you anymore, and you have no power over me."
Azula started laughing.
"Sure. Be happy. And I hope the people listening behind this door know how to handle a stab in the back; it's one of your great qualities."
Ty Lee looked at her angrily. "You were going to kill Mai."
Azula didn't respond to that. "Betrayal and attacking a member of the royal family carry the death penalty, did you know that? But Mai and you are still free and alive out there..." changing her tone almost to a whisper, she added, "but well, who am I to judge after all? We played in the illegal realm too, didn't we, dear Ty Lee?"
Ty Lee was about to cry.
"Although, I'm rotting in here while you play being part of a matching set. Each of us is in our own hell."
"I'm happy within the Kyoshi Warriors."
The firebender scoffed. "Of course you are. Your face of happiness is astonishing."
Tears streamed down Ty Lee's face, but she made no sound.
Azula didn't take pleasure in seeing her cry; she didn't enjoy making her cry, and that angered her.
"Goodbye. I hope they don't discover how fake you are or the empty compliments you're an expert at giving."
"I've never told you anything I didn't mean, Azula."
"Do you think I'm perfect right now?"
Not answering, Azula looked at her with disgust. "That's what I thought. Leave already. You wanted to close this chapter? Consider it closed. To me, you're a dead traitor."
Ty Lee wiped away her tears and left the room without saying anything more.
Azula cried until she fell asleep or until she received another injection. She wasn't sure.
While the other Kyoshi Warriors were busy helping the villagers, Ty Lee ran into the forest where Azula had disappeared.
She was going to run until she found her, but she knew she would never catch up, so gradually, she began to slow down until she stood still in the middle of the forest. It was raining, and Ty Lee looked up at the overcast sky. Feeling the rain, she closed her eyes; it was washing away her makeup, but she didn't care. She was so tired.
They had been chasing Azula for years—well, she had been chasing for years, and almost everyone tried to support her…at the beginning.
"Ty, you should give it up. She's good at hiding."
"She hasn't committed any crimes in years. Maybe she's changed."
"Ty Lee, you need to forget about her. It's not healthy."
Maybe she should listen to them. Maybe she should have also told them her story with Azula. But that never happened.
It was easier to pretend it didn't. That Azula hadn't been one of the most important people in her life; that Azula wasn't the one who listened to her complain about her sisters for hours; that Azula wasn't the one who made sure anyone who messed with her in the Royal Academy didn't do it again, or that Azula was the first person who made her feel special in more than one way.
Every time they asked about her, Ty Lee had to talk about the fear she experienced fighting alongside her, how she ruined every chance she had at happiness, or the luck she had in stopping her.
It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth, and it was eating her up inside.
With no strength left, she fell to her knees on the ground. Soon, she would have to go back and face Suki's anger for not following strict orders.
"What are you doing, crying in the middle of the forest, at night, in the rain? Are you looking to get killed?"
Ty Lee rubbed her eyes and saw Azula in front of her. She wore a kind of cloak that shielded her from the rain and looked at Ty Lee with disdain.
"Azula."
Ty Lee knew she had to get into an attack position; she knew the person in front of her was dangerous; she knew...
"You still look awful when you cry."
Upon hearing those mocking words, Ty Lee was in shock and looked at the firebender who continued to stare at her. But she didn't move.
With an annoyed tone, Azula said, "Shouldn't you be attempting to capture me fruitlessly?"
"Shouldn't you be trying to kill me?"
Azula snorted, turned around, and began walking towards a cave practically next to where they were. Ty Lee got up to follow her, mentally punishing herself for not thinking earlier that Azula would take shelter from the rain and not run around in circles.
Once there, Azula took off her cloak, lit a fire by snapping her fingers, and began to dry herself.
Ty Lee looked around; it was a normal, empty, and sad cave. The only noteworthy thing was the fire ignited by Azula and several fish impaled on stakes, possibly Azula's dinner.
Ignoring Ty Lee, Azula sat in front of the fire, heated one of the fish with her bending, and started eating.
"Since you've followed me without permission, can you at least sit down and not ruin my dinner?"
Instead of rebelling and attacking her to capture her, Ty Lee did as told, sitting on a rock in front of the fire, feeling the warmth it emitted, warmth her body needed.
Ty Lee's stomach growled loudly. Azula snorted, took one of the fish, and, after using her bending, offered it to Ty Lee. Feeling that none of this was real but being hungry, she took it and started eating.
"Why are you helping me? Just a while ago, I was chasing you to lock you up again."
"We both know that's not true."
Ty Lee clenched her jaw but instead of debating it, she stared at the fire and said, "I hate you so much."
Azula looked at her. Ty Lee continued, "Why can't I turn the page and forget about you?"
"Maybe it's because all the women around your wear clown makeup, and I know how to do a proper eyeliner."
Ty Lee took a moment to process what the princess had just said and started laughing in disbelief.
Azula simply settled as comfortably as possible on the rock and began playing with a small fireball in her hands.
“Azula, why aren't you attacking me?”
“Ty Lee, why aren't you either?”
The kyoshi warrior didn't respond, and knowing she wouldn't get a direct answer from the princess, she started removing layers of wet clothes to let them dry, remaining in the tank top and pants she always wore under the uniform.
Azula discretely glanced at her but said nothing, but the intensity of the fire increased.
Ty Lee pulled her legs to her chest and held them, resting her face on her knees. “Suki is going to give me the lecture of the century; we weren't supposed to chase after you.”
This piqued Azula's curiosity.
“You've been doing nothing 'bad' for a while, and Zuko asked us not to.”
Azula just made a sound of acknowledgment and said, “Zuzu is too naive.”
“Are you going after him?” the Kyoshi Warrior asked with a furrowed brow.
Azula continued playing with her fire and honestly said, “No.”
“Then why are you running away?”
Azula extinguished the small flame she was playing with. “I wasn't running away; I just passed by the village, and a man thought it was a good idea to try to harass me. I think my response was quite logical, even if your cult doesn't think the same.”
“So what do you plan to do?”
"I don't know. I might travel until I make a decision."
Azula summoned the fireball again and, without looking at her, asked, “And what do you plan to do?”
“I am a Kyoshi Warrior.”
“And I am the princess of the Fire Nation.”
Understanding Azula's point, Ty Lee sighed, “As soon as Suki returns, she'll scold me for not following orders. I'll have to clean the baths alone for about a week and say for the millionth time that I did it because you're dangerous and they don't know you like I do.”
Azula chuckled ironically, raising an eyebrow as she asked, "And what would have happened if you had caught me?"
The logical question bewildered the acrobat, "If I had caught you... I hadn't really thought about it."
Azula started laughing, and Ty Lee blushed, "No wonder Suki yells at you."
"Oh, sorry for not being the perfect strategist like you."
This caused Azula's laughter to abruptly stop.
"If I were perfect, I would have a pure gold hairpin in my topknot right now and would be having mochis for breakfast every morning."
"Why do you say it like it's my fault?"
"Because you were the only variable I never controlled. The one I never expected to have to control."
Ty Lee looked at her surprised; Azula stared at her intensely. "Or maybe it was a chain of misfortunes, but it sounds more dramatic this way," she said mockingly.
Ty Lee wanted to hit her, hard, and wipe the smirk she had put on her own face. "Has it been a game for you?"
Azula raised an eyebrow at that. "We both know it hasn't. However, that's rich of you, considering I'm still your dirty little secret." The fire in the campfire flared for a moment.
"You know nothing about my life."
"You're right, I don't," Azula conceded, but in a more serious tone, she said, "Still, you just confirmed that I haven't been wrong. It's okay, Ty Lee, I might do the same in your place. I don't judge you for it."
"You did?"
Azula remained silent for a few seconds to carefully weigh what she was going to say "You know, not everyone in mental institutions is insane."
Ty Lee looked at her confused by the change of topic. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Do you remember Zirin? The one with the braid from the Fire Warriors?"
Ty Lee nodded, still puzzled.
"It turns out she thought her in-laws were not at home and didn't close the door properly. They didn't appreciate finding their daughter in that situation with a stranger."
The acrobat looked at her with horror.
"It turns out she's not the only case, and it turns out that when you talk to them about that girl who broke your heart, you can move a lot of people." Azula changed the tone to a more serious one. "Before you go crazy, I never told them who you were; they only knew you were a very close friend and you have a long braid."
"Why the braid?"
"Similarities," she said, gesturing with her hand to downplay its importance.
Both remained silent for a moment. Ty Lee hugged herself tighter against the cold; her clothes were still not dry, and Azula watched her shivering without moving.
Suddenly, Azula said, "I hate you too, by the way."
The acrobat sighed exhaustedly and said, "Good to know."
"My plan to escape the institution almost didn’t succeed because I couldn't help but see your face when I was with other girls."
Ty Lee felt a strange sense of pride and, mimicking what Azula had said earlier, "Maybe it's that all the women around you aren't weird enough to fall in love with you, and I am."
Azula laughed sadly and changed the subject, ignoring what Ty Lee had just told her. "You didn't answer before. If you had me trapped, what would you do?"
"A few years ago, maybe I would have imprisoned you in an ice cell. A few months ago, I would have confined you to a Kyoshi Island cell to know you're there at all times. Now... I don't know."
This created a small silence between them. A silence that Azula broke in a gentle tone. "How do you see your future?"
"My future?" Ty Lee looked puzzled by the sudden change of topic, again.
"Yes, how do you visualize it? There was a time when I saw myself in the palace wearing Fire Lord robes, and you annoyingly doing cartwheels in the throne room." Azula chuckled, and Ty Lee thought for a moment.
"A house, with a small garden at the entrance. Cozy but not too big. Far enough from the neighbors to be able to scream, but close to a town to comfortably go shopping every day." Ty Lee paused for a moment and said, "And a cat."
"Do you live like that on Kyoshi Island?" Azula asked with curiosity.
"No, but I don't see that house there either."
"And where do you see it?"
"Do you know the small region I always talked to you about before reaching Ember Island? There."
Ty Lee was shivering more and more from the cold, so she touched her uniform to see if it was dry. The disappointment of realizing it wasn't shown on her face.
Azula stood up and sat beside her. Ty Lee looked surprised at every move she made, and upon feeling the warmth radiating from the Firebender just by getting closer, she let out a sigh.
"And how would you make a living?"
"I would teach people in the area how to fight or perform acrobatics, depending on the demand."
"Would you live alone?"
Azula had one leg against her chest, the other one fully stretched, and she rested her arm on the knee of the contracted leg. Ty Lee, even though she was afraid she might be pushing the boundaries too much, took her hand and held it.
Instead of pulling away or attacking, Azula interlocked their fingers. Her hand was warmer than Ty Lee remembered.
The princess looked at her curiously, and Ty Lee recalled the question. "It depends."
"On what?"
"Maybe in the village, I'll meet a girl who can endure my hours of hyperactivity, my forgetfulness, or can listen to me for hours without telling me to shut up. If that's the case, then yes."
"That sounds nice."
Azula gently caressed her hand with her thumb, and Ty Lee, looking at the princess, said, "Do you think we could work again?"
With a little smirk, Azula said, "I thought we hated each other."
"And we do. At least, I do." Ty Lee pressed closer to the Firebender, their sides fully touching. "The problem is that I love you more than I hate you."
"I'm a mess, Ty Lee. Sometimes, I still hallucinate about my parents. I'm a monster, the Fire Warriors abandoned me because of it."
"I know." Ty Lee rested her head on Azula's shoulder, feeling even more the heat emanating from the princess. "Still, I miss you so much it hurts."
Azula released her hand and wrapped her arm around Ty Lee's waist, pulling her closer. "I'm not perfect anymore; I'm broken in many places."
That made Ty Lee start to laugh. "Since when have you been perfect for that reason?"
Azula didn't respond. Ty Lee pulled away to look at her, seeing tears in her eyes. She made Azula stretch the leg she had against her chest, sitting on her lap and looking her in the eyes. Azula averted her gaze but didn't push her away.
Determined, Ty Lee grabbed Azula's face with both hands. "Azula, if I've loved you all these years, it's never been because you were perfect in everything but because you were perfect in my eyes. When you wanted something, you fought until you got it. You were careful in everything you did, observant of your surroundings... yes, you were a total bitch, but I haven't been a saint either."
Ty Lee caressed Azula's face as she looked at her with adoration, an adoration she had longed to see again for years.
"I've always complimented you for two reasons. First, because you needed it, and second, because everything I say, I truly believe. So when I tell you that you're the most beautiful, smartest, perfect girl in the world, it's because I believe it."
Azula was crying, gripping the Kyoshi Warrior's waist tightly. Ty Lee wiped away her tears with her thumbs.
When she seemed to calm down, Ty Lee kissed each cheek where the tears had fallen. She kissed her forehead to make her open her eyes, and before kissing her on the lips, she asked, "Can we please give it a try?"
Feeling Azula’s nod, Ty Lee kissed her.
The Kyoshi Warrior was not rooted in anything. She had gone from an overcrowded house to a circus, lived in a village days away from her family. But nothing had ever felt as familiar as what she was feeling now.
When they parted, Azula sought her again with need, a need that Ty Lee decided to reciprocate.
But as Azula's kisses traced a path starting from her neck, she momentarily pulled away and said, "Agni, you have no idea how much I've missed this." And when she resumed her work, Ty Lee couldn't respond with words.
Outside, it was still pouring rain. The cave was a dark and cold place, but wrapped in the arms of the princess and nestled against her chest, Ty Lee couldn't think of a better place to be.
Azula was catching her breath, and Ty Lee was playing with her hair. "And now what?" the acrobat asked, looking up at the firebender.
"We need to drink water first."
Both laughed, feeling a peace they hadn't experienced in years. "No, silly. Where were you planning to go now?"
After thinking for a moment, Azula replied, "There's a village a few hours from here. I was planning to stay there for a few days, see if I could make some money."
"Sounds good to me."
"Are you going to leave the Kyoshi Warriors and come with me? Just like that?"
"Do you promise me a house in that village near Ember Island with a small garden in the front?" Before Azula could answer, the Kyoshi Warrior added, "And a cat."
"It might take months or years to achieve that."
"That's why I want the promise for the future, not to have it now. I'd like to see the whole Fire Nation first, without a war happening."
"Do you want all that with me?"
Ty Lee kissed her on the neck and snuggled even closer. "Does it scare you?"
"It surprises me, especially considering our history."
"We can make up our story in every town. One could be that I saved you from being eaten by a platypus bear, and you rushed into my arms after that heroic act."
Azula burst into laughter, and Ty Lee felt even more at peace as she felt Azula's chest vibrate against her ear.
"It could be fun."
Azula started playing with the acrobat’s bangs. "Ty, are you thinking of leaving your entire life behind to come with me?"
"You say it as if you're not the most perfect girl in the world."
Azula held her tighter and, giving her a kiss on the head, said, "Only if you say so."