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fractal_mirrors2011-09-24 04:30 pm
laurus-nobilis.livejournal.com) wrote in fractal_mirrors2011-09-24 04:30 pm
Entry tags:
Always One More Chance (2/3) [Avatar: the Last Airbender; English]
Title: Always One More Chance
Rating: PG
Genre: Genfic / friendship / drama
Characters: Ty Lee, Azula, Mai, a little bit of Zuko
Pairings: Mentions of Mai/Zuko in the background.
Warnings: Parts of the story deal with Azula's (canon) breakdown.
Words: 6842
Summary: Ty Lee has changed for the better, and so have Mai and Zuko. She thinks it's only fair to give Azula the same chance.
Notes: First of all, thanks a lot to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sea_of_tethys for beta reading! :)
Written for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
femgenficathon with the prompt Her wrath makes people tremble/ Her wrath is...a devastating flood / Which no one can withstand. Enheduenna (circa 2300-2225 B.C.E.), Sumerian priestess of Inanna, first recorded author and poet in world history. The prompt inspired one scene of this, actually, and the rest sort of grew around it. It ended up so long that it didn't fit in a single entry, but that is the only reason why I had to split it. It's meant to be a one-shot.
Part 1
Ty Lee visited again a few weeks later. She was rather excited about it, but when she arrived, she found that Azula was as unreadable as ever. It was impossible to tell if her friend was pleased to see her, or annoyed, or just resigned. Still, she wasn't going to let that discourage her.
"Do you want to go to the beach?" she asked, cheerful. "It's a gorgeous day! We shouldn't waste it indoors."
"If you insist," Azula said with a shrug. But she didn't protest, so Ty Lee didn't make much of her lack of interest. If they were going to have awkward conversations and even more awkward silences, like the previous time, they might as well be somewhere pretty at least.
The walk towards the private beach wasn't long, so she didn't bother trying to make small talk along the way. It took barely a few minutes until they arrived to Azula's favorite spot. Ty Lee couldn't hold back a little smile at the familiar setting. The last time they had been here, everything had been so... different. She had honestly believed that the four of them could only become even closer friends from that point on.
Funny how briefly that idea had lasted.
She sat down on the sand and stretched out her arms, simply letting herself relax. The salty air of the sea was always great for that. She had grown more and more used to it, back on Kyoshi Island. It wasn't nearly as cold here, though. She almost wanted to go for a swim. But she hadn't brought a bathing suit along (she'd have to fix that mistake, next time) and, besides, she was here for Azula. It wasn't exactly a personal holiday.
Neither of them spoke for a long while. Still, it didn't feel as uncomfortable as she had imagined. Maybe it was the landscape. After some time sitting there on the beach, doing nothing but look at the sea and listen to the sound of the waves, Ty Lee broke the silence.
"It's nice here, isn't it?"
Azula snorted.
"Right. It's the best place in the world. And it never ever gets boring."
"You must like something about it."
"Your optimism is starting to get tiring, Ty Lee."
"It's not optimism," she said. For the first time since she had arrived, she couldn't hold back a small but genuine grin. "Come on, Azula. I know you. We both know that if you really wanted to leave, there is nothing in the world that could stop you."
For a moment, Azula just looked at her, without showing any expression. Then she allowed herself a tiny smirk.
"I forget that you aren't always as clueless as you look."
"I guess I'll take that as a compliment," she laughed. After a short pause, she decided to go ahead and ask something that had been on her mind for a while now. "So... why do you stay?"
Azula didn't reply immediately. Ty Lee was beginning to wonder if she would get any answer at all when her friend spoke.
"That's none of your business."
Well. It had been worth a try, at least.
"You know, if you're really that bored..." Ty Lee hesitated just a little, then went on before she had time to change her mind. "We could train together. Like we used to."
Azula gave her a thoughtful look, as if weighing her choices. Or perhaps she was wondering if Ty Lee truly meant it. It was always hard to tell, with her.
"All right," she said at last. "I'll go get changed."
She was only gone for a few minutes, but the wait was more than a little awkward, anyway. Suddenly Ty Lee found herself thinking of everything that might go wrong with that idea. True, she had been practicing a lot during all this time, and she felt she'd become much better. But who was to say that Azula hadn't done exactly the same? They had always been at about the same level, which was great when they worked as a team, but on those times when they'd tried to play-fight each other... well. Azula wanted to win, even when it was just practice. There was no reason to think that much had changed. What had she been thinking?
And more importantly, why hadn't she thought of all this five minutes earlier? Mai was right. She need to start paying attention to what she said before she said it.
She tried her best not to appear nervous when Azula returned. This had been her own idea, after all. And wasn't she here to show she trusted Azula, anyway? She couldn't ruin it all now.
"Ready?"
Azula's smirk was enough to find out that, yes, at least some of her uneasiness was showing. Ty Lee did her best to steady herself and nodded.
"Ready."
Of course, Azula took that as a sign to charge without any kind of warning. But Ty Lee had been expecting that. She jumped aside to avoid her blow. The sand made it a bit more difficult than usual to find a footing, but at least it affected them both equally, so that wasn't too much of a problem.
Which was... odd. It took her a moment to realize what was going on. It should have been a disadvantage. Ty Lee's fighting style was entirely physical; it depended on the way she moved. Azula, on the other hand, could easily attack from a distance.
Except she wasn't using her Firebending this time.
But why? She still had it, Ty Lee knew that. She had seen her use it even to heat their tea. Perhaps she wanted this to last longer...? Then again, this wasn't the time to wonder about it. She needed to keep focused on the fight – she still hadn't ruled out that Azula's reason for doing this could be to take her by surprise later. It was her kind of trick, after all.
That moment, however, never came. They spent a long time sparring, without either of them using their powers; Ty Lee figured it was only fair if she did the same. After a while, her tension disappeared. It felt natural to do this. It was... enjoyable. Much easier than talking, even. By the time they stopped, they were both exhausted. And pretty evenly matched, too. There hadn't been a clear winner.
"That was fun," Ty Lee said as she dropped herself on the sand.
Azula sat down in a much more dignified way and shrugged. But she seemed to be in a good enough mood, so Ty Lee decided to risk the question.
"Sooo... why weren't you bending?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Azula replied. "It wouldn't have lasted half a minute."
... right. Ty Lee bit back the comment about how she could say exactly the same about herself and her chi blocking, since that would take them in a direction she'd rather avoid.
"You've been training," she pointed out.
"Of course I have. It's not like I have many other things to do here." There was a small pause. "It's more interesting with someone else."
Ty Lee didn't even try to hide the way she smiled at that. Coming from someone like Azula, that meant a lot. Then she noticed how low the sun was, and sighed.
"I'm going to have to go, now," she said. Azula didn't turn to look at her.
"... are you going to come back?" she asked.
"Do you want me to?"
Azula shrugged.
"I don't care."
She decided to take that as a "yes".
* * *
"You want me to what?"
Great. She had managed to make Mai raise her voice. This was going to be far, far more difficult than she had expected.
"It's just an idea..."
"It's a terrible idea!"
"You'd be surprised," Ty Lee said. "She's changed, Mai. Or... changing. I don't know. But she didn't really want to see me at first, and now she's almost asked me to come back. I think she misses us."
"I am going to marry the Fire Lord," said Mai, her voice flat. "She was going to be the Fire Lord. Somehow I don't think she'll be glad to have me there."
"Look, I know it's... complicated," she agreed. "But maybe if you gave her a chance..."
"Do you even realize what you're asking, Ty Lee?"
She was getting angrier, now. So much that it even showed. Ty Lee bit her lip.
"People gave me a chance."
"If you can't see the difference –"
"I'm not saying it's the same," Ty Lee told her. "All I'm saying is that we should try. She's really lonely, Mai."
"She brought that upon herself."
There was no arguing with that. She really did have a point. Ty Lee wasn't about to give up now; not after all she had already achieved. But she knew Mai, and she was quite aware that insisting would only serve to make her even more stubborn.
"... it was just an idea," she repeated, and, for the moment, left it at that.
* * *
Somehow, without either of them planning it, training together had become almost a routine. Ty Lee enjoyed it. It reminded her of the old times – the good parts, when they could simply do things together. There was no need to talk, or even to think too much. When they sparred like this, they understood each other. It was proof of how well they knew each other, how close they had been.
They still complemented each other, after all this time. Although their styles were very different, they were a good match. It was the kind of thing that Ty Lee would have loved to say aloud, if she wasn't so sure that it'd earn her a sarcastic comment, or a bored eye roll at the very least. She supposed it showed, anyway. Ty Lee kept getting more and more confident. She didn't hesitate or second-guess Azula's intentions anymore. They still limited themselves to physical sparring, without either of them using their other abilities.
It worked out better, that way. It was enough for Ty Lee to let herself trust her friend. It seemed silly, now, that the first few times she had doubted Azula's intentions.
This time, however, everything changed.
It all happened very fast, so much that she could barely register what was going on. Azula's move seemed to be perfectly innocent – and then, all of a sudden, there were flames. Ty Lee didn't even stop to think. She dodged, reacting on instinct, and blocked the chi flow on Azula's arm. But she couldn't help losing her balance, shocked as she was, and ended up sitting on the floor, breathing hard.
"How dare you!" shouted Azula. It wasn't a scream of fear. She was angry, and it was terrifying.
"I'm sorry!" Ty Lee exclaimed, instinctively holding her knees towards herself and hiding her face in her arms. "I'm sorry! It was a reflex!"
"A reflex? Is this how you train with your new little friends in Kyoshi?"
"... yes, actually." She lifted her head just enough to look up. "Suki says it's good practice. And I've been teaching the others to –"
"I don't care!" Azula interrupted. "That's not why you did it now! You were scared of me!"
"I–"
"Well there's your answer, isn't it? This is exactly why I'm staying here! Do you think I want to go back there, and see everyone acting like this? Like I'm some kind of out-of-control monster who lost her mind? Even you think –"
"It has nothing to do with that!" she snapped. "I've always been scared of you! Ever since we were little girls. It's what you wanted."
Azula stood there in silence for a moment, clearly shocked at her explanation. Ty Lee took the chance to go on.
"Besides, I was defending myself! We had an agreement, Azula. You weren't supposed to use Firebending in the first place."
"And you weren't supposed to trust me," she said, once again cold and hard. "I'm a terrible person, remember?"
"... you're not nearly as terrible as you used to be." Ty Lee shrugged. "Look... I'm not saying you should leave the island, if you don't want to. Or that other people won't think the way you just said. But I don't. You know that, right? I wouldn't be here if I did."
Azula looked as if she didn't know how to react. Coming from her, it was quite unsettling. She was always in control. Seeing her like this was... odd. But it didn't take long until she regained her composure. All she did was sit down herself, right beside Ty Lee, who decided to take it as a good sign.
"... why did you do it?" she asked. This time it was Azula who shrugged, avoiding her gaze. That was new.
"I guess I wanted to see what happened."
"Well," said Ty Lee, with a small grin, "you're not getting rid of me that easily."
"Lucky me," said Azula. Her sarcastic tone was quite clear. Still, Ty Lee knew that was as close to a "thank you" as she was going to get.
* * *
True to her word, Ty Lee continued visiting Ember Island. She even kept training with her. After that incident, Azula didn't try anything unusual anymore. They went back to physical moves only, just like they had been doing earlier. She supposed it was true, then, that her friend had simply wanted to see how she would react.
... there could have been a better way to find out, sure. But, all things considered, Ty Lee wasn't too angry. In the end, she had made her point.
However, there were still some other things that needed fixing.
"What about Mai?" asked Azula one day, all of a sudden, after they finished their practice. "Isn't she the least bit curious about me?"
"It's not like that. It's just..." Ty Lee hesitated, wondering how to say it right. The last thing she wanted was to make Azula angry, but she knew that anything less than the truth would upset her even more. "She didn't think you'd want to see her."
"And I don't," she agreed, but her voice was cold. "I don't even care about her."
"... that's not true."
"Yes, it is. But I guess you're still under the impression that I care about you, aren't you?"
"You did once," Ty Lee said quietly. "We were your friends."
Azula let out a short, bitter laugh.
"Of course you'd think that," she said. "You believe the world is made of rainbows and pink bubbles and ostrich-ponies. You were tools."
"No," Ty Lee insisted, her voice firm. "Not completely. I know I've never been the smartest one of us, but I'm not a fool, either. And I know you, Azula. If we were just as expendable as everyone else, then why did you get so angry when we finally stopped listening to you?"
"You 'stopped listening to me'. Right. What a cute way to say it." Even the fake amusement was gone, now. She was cold, ruthless, aiming for where it hurt the most. "You betrayed me, Ty Lee. It's a bit too late to try to sugarcoat it."
Ty Lee couldn't help but look away. It was incredible, how she still had that effect on her. Even after all this time. Azula had always known exactly what to say, hadn't she?
"... you betrayed us first," she whispered.
"That's ridiculous."
"It's the truth!" Ty Lee insisted. "We were your friends, Azula. And don't try to tell me that we didn't mean anything to you, because even if we didn't – then it's just as bad! You made us believe you cared about us. And then you just used us."
"And that gave you the right to ruin everything? To side with the one who sabotaged me? If you wanted to be my friend so badly, you should've shut up and done what I said!"
"No!" she shouted, and her confidence surprised even herself. "I refuse to feel guilty about that! I did the right thing!"
Azula was silent for what seemed like forever. It took Ty Lee a great effort, but she didn't look away. She didn't take her words back, or bite her lip, or even slump her shoulders a little. She was right about this and she knew it.
"Get out," Azula said at last.
"That's all you are going to say? Really?"
"Get out!"
"No."
Once again, there was silence. It was hard to tell if Azula was more angry or surprised – when she spoke, her voice was low again, but cold as ice.
"What?"
"I'm not leaving," Ty Lee insisted. "Not because you say so. I'm done taking orders from you."
"But why?" she asked, and she was beginning to sound frustrated again. "If you hate me all that much, why don't you just leave me alone?"
"Because I don't hate you," said Ty Lee. "Because, for some reason, I still want to be your friend. For real this time. And real friends tell each other when they disagree and they fight and they let you know when you're being stupid."
Azula's eyes flashed with rage.
"No one has ever dared to call me –"
"I know," she interrupted. "And that's really, really sad."
"No," Azula snorted. "You know what's sad? They way you keep going on with this little game of yours. Do you really think you can change me, Ty Lee? That you can make me stop being a monster?"
"I don't think you're a monster," she said quietly. "But if you think you are, then – then I can't help you. No one can."
"Then give up already!"
There it was again, a show of frustration. A crack in her perfect façade. As strange as it sounded, that was exactly the kind of thing that gave her hope.
"Not yet. You might still change your mind."
"Oh. Of course. You're going to save me from myself with the power of friendship."
Ty Lee couldn't help but sigh at that, and let herself relax her posture at last.
"I'm not that silly anymore, Azula. I know I can't make you get better. But maybe..." She frowned a little, thoughtful. "Maybe I can help you find a reason to try."
"That's still silly."
"Perhaps." She shrugged. "But I'm going to try anyway."
"Suit yourself," Azula replied, with an overly dramatic sigh. But she didn't order her to leave again – or order anything, for the rest of the day, and that was a victory already.
Part 3
Rating: PG
Genre: Genfic / friendship / drama
Characters: Ty Lee, Azula, Mai, a little bit of Zuko
Pairings: Mentions of Mai/Zuko in the background.
Warnings: Parts of the story deal with Azula's (canon) breakdown.
Words: 6842
Summary: Ty Lee has changed for the better, and so have Mai and Zuko. She thinks it's only fair to give Azula the same chance.
Notes: First of all, thanks a lot to
sea_of_tethys for beta reading! :)Written for
femgenficathon with the prompt Her wrath makes people tremble/ Her wrath is...a devastating flood / Which no one can withstand. Enheduenna (circa 2300-2225 B.C.E.), Sumerian priestess of Inanna, first recorded author and poet in world history. The prompt inspired one scene of this, actually, and the rest sort of grew around it. It ended up so long that it didn't fit in a single entry, but that is the only reason why I had to split it. It's meant to be a one-shot.Part 1
Ty Lee visited again a few weeks later. She was rather excited about it, but when she arrived, she found that Azula was as unreadable as ever. It was impossible to tell if her friend was pleased to see her, or annoyed, or just resigned. Still, she wasn't going to let that discourage her.
"Do you want to go to the beach?" she asked, cheerful. "It's a gorgeous day! We shouldn't waste it indoors."
"If you insist," Azula said with a shrug. But she didn't protest, so Ty Lee didn't make much of her lack of interest. If they were going to have awkward conversations and even more awkward silences, like the previous time, they might as well be somewhere pretty at least.
The walk towards the private beach wasn't long, so she didn't bother trying to make small talk along the way. It took barely a few minutes until they arrived to Azula's favorite spot. Ty Lee couldn't hold back a little smile at the familiar setting. The last time they had been here, everything had been so... different. She had honestly believed that the four of them could only become even closer friends from that point on.
Funny how briefly that idea had lasted.
She sat down on the sand and stretched out her arms, simply letting herself relax. The salty air of the sea was always great for that. She had grown more and more used to it, back on Kyoshi Island. It wasn't nearly as cold here, though. She almost wanted to go for a swim. But she hadn't brought a bathing suit along (she'd have to fix that mistake, next time) and, besides, she was here for Azula. It wasn't exactly a personal holiday.
Neither of them spoke for a long while. Still, it didn't feel as uncomfortable as she had imagined. Maybe it was the landscape. After some time sitting there on the beach, doing nothing but look at the sea and listen to the sound of the waves, Ty Lee broke the silence.
"It's nice here, isn't it?"
Azula snorted.
"Right. It's the best place in the world. And it never ever gets boring."
"You must like something about it."
"Your optimism is starting to get tiring, Ty Lee."
"It's not optimism," she said. For the first time since she had arrived, she couldn't hold back a small but genuine grin. "Come on, Azula. I know you. We both know that if you really wanted to leave, there is nothing in the world that could stop you."
For a moment, Azula just looked at her, without showing any expression. Then she allowed herself a tiny smirk.
"I forget that you aren't always as clueless as you look."
"I guess I'll take that as a compliment," she laughed. After a short pause, she decided to go ahead and ask something that had been on her mind for a while now. "So... why do you stay?"
Azula didn't reply immediately. Ty Lee was beginning to wonder if she would get any answer at all when her friend spoke.
"That's none of your business."
Well. It had been worth a try, at least.
"You know, if you're really that bored..." Ty Lee hesitated just a little, then went on before she had time to change her mind. "We could train together. Like we used to."
Azula gave her a thoughtful look, as if weighing her choices. Or perhaps she was wondering if Ty Lee truly meant it. It was always hard to tell, with her.
"All right," she said at last. "I'll go get changed."
She was only gone for a few minutes, but the wait was more than a little awkward, anyway. Suddenly Ty Lee found herself thinking of everything that might go wrong with that idea. True, she had been practicing a lot during all this time, and she felt she'd become much better. But who was to say that Azula hadn't done exactly the same? They had always been at about the same level, which was great when they worked as a team, but on those times when they'd tried to play-fight each other... well. Azula wanted to win, even when it was just practice. There was no reason to think that much had changed. What had she been thinking?
And more importantly, why hadn't she thought of all this five minutes earlier? Mai was right. She need to start paying attention to what she said before she said it.
She tried her best not to appear nervous when Azula returned. This had been her own idea, after all. And wasn't she here to show she trusted Azula, anyway? She couldn't ruin it all now.
"Ready?"
Azula's smirk was enough to find out that, yes, at least some of her uneasiness was showing. Ty Lee did her best to steady herself and nodded.
"Ready."
Of course, Azula took that as a sign to charge without any kind of warning. But Ty Lee had been expecting that. She jumped aside to avoid her blow. The sand made it a bit more difficult than usual to find a footing, but at least it affected them both equally, so that wasn't too much of a problem.
Which was... odd. It took her a moment to realize what was going on. It should have been a disadvantage. Ty Lee's fighting style was entirely physical; it depended on the way she moved. Azula, on the other hand, could easily attack from a distance.
Except she wasn't using her Firebending this time.
But why? She still had it, Ty Lee knew that. She had seen her use it even to heat their tea. Perhaps she wanted this to last longer...? Then again, this wasn't the time to wonder about it. She needed to keep focused on the fight – she still hadn't ruled out that Azula's reason for doing this could be to take her by surprise later. It was her kind of trick, after all.
That moment, however, never came. They spent a long time sparring, without either of them using their powers; Ty Lee figured it was only fair if she did the same. After a while, her tension disappeared. It felt natural to do this. It was... enjoyable. Much easier than talking, even. By the time they stopped, they were both exhausted. And pretty evenly matched, too. There hadn't been a clear winner.
"That was fun," Ty Lee said as she dropped herself on the sand.
Azula sat down in a much more dignified way and shrugged. But she seemed to be in a good enough mood, so Ty Lee decided to risk the question.
"Sooo... why weren't you bending?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Azula replied. "It wouldn't have lasted half a minute."
... right. Ty Lee bit back the comment about how she could say exactly the same about herself and her chi blocking, since that would take them in a direction she'd rather avoid.
"You've been training," she pointed out.
"Of course I have. It's not like I have many other things to do here." There was a small pause. "It's more interesting with someone else."
Ty Lee didn't even try to hide the way she smiled at that. Coming from someone like Azula, that meant a lot. Then she noticed how low the sun was, and sighed.
"I'm going to have to go, now," she said. Azula didn't turn to look at her.
"... are you going to come back?" she asked.
"Do you want me to?"
Azula shrugged.
"I don't care."
She decided to take that as a "yes".
"You want me to what?"
Great. She had managed to make Mai raise her voice. This was going to be far, far more difficult than she had expected.
"It's just an idea..."
"It's a terrible idea!"
"You'd be surprised," Ty Lee said. "She's changed, Mai. Or... changing. I don't know. But she didn't really want to see me at first, and now she's almost asked me to come back. I think she misses us."
"I am going to marry the Fire Lord," said Mai, her voice flat. "She was going to be the Fire Lord. Somehow I don't think she'll be glad to have me there."
"Look, I know it's... complicated," she agreed. "But maybe if you gave her a chance..."
"Do you even realize what you're asking, Ty Lee?"
She was getting angrier, now. So much that it even showed. Ty Lee bit her lip.
"People gave me a chance."
"If you can't see the difference –"
"I'm not saying it's the same," Ty Lee told her. "All I'm saying is that we should try. She's really lonely, Mai."
"She brought that upon herself."
There was no arguing with that. She really did have a point. Ty Lee wasn't about to give up now; not after all she had already achieved. But she knew Mai, and she was quite aware that insisting would only serve to make her even more stubborn.
"... it was just an idea," she repeated, and, for the moment, left it at that.
Somehow, without either of them planning it, training together had become almost a routine. Ty Lee enjoyed it. It reminded her of the old times – the good parts, when they could simply do things together. There was no need to talk, or even to think too much. When they sparred like this, they understood each other. It was proof of how well they knew each other, how close they had been.
They still complemented each other, after all this time. Although their styles were very different, they were a good match. It was the kind of thing that Ty Lee would have loved to say aloud, if she wasn't so sure that it'd earn her a sarcastic comment, or a bored eye roll at the very least. She supposed it showed, anyway. Ty Lee kept getting more and more confident. She didn't hesitate or second-guess Azula's intentions anymore. They still limited themselves to physical sparring, without either of them using their other abilities.
It worked out better, that way. It was enough for Ty Lee to let herself trust her friend. It seemed silly, now, that the first few times she had doubted Azula's intentions.
This time, however, everything changed.
It all happened very fast, so much that she could barely register what was going on. Azula's move seemed to be perfectly innocent – and then, all of a sudden, there were flames. Ty Lee didn't even stop to think. She dodged, reacting on instinct, and blocked the chi flow on Azula's arm. But she couldn't help losing her balance, shocked as she was, and ended up sitting on the floor, breathing hard.
"How dare you!" shouted Azula. It wasn't a scream of fear. She was angry, and it was terrifying.
"I'm sorry!" Ty Lee exclaimed, instinctively holding her knees towards herself and hiding her face in her arms. "I'm sorry! It was a reflex!"
"A reflex? Is this how you train with your new little friends in Kyoshi?"
"... yes, actually." She lifted her head just enough to look up. "Suki says it's good practice. And I've been teaching the others to –"
"I don't care!" Azula interrupted. "That's not why you did it now! You were scared of me!"
"I–"
"Well there's your answer, isn't it? This is exactly why I'm staying here! Do you think I want to go back there, and see everyone acting like this? Like I'm some kind of out-of-control monster who lost her mind? Even you think –"
"It has nothing to do with that!" she snapped. "I've always been scared of you! Ever since we were little girls. It's what you wanted."
Azula stood there in silence for a moment, clearly shocked at her explanation. Ty Lee took the chance to go on.
"Besides, I was defending myself! We had an agreement, Azula. You weren't supposed to use Firebending in the first place."
"And you weren't supposed to trust me," she said, once again cold and hard. "I'm a terrible person, remember?"
"... you're not nearly as terrible as you used to be." Ty Lee shrugged. "Look... I'm not saying you should leave the island, if you don't want to. Or that other people won't think the way you just said. But I don't. You know that, right? I wouldn't be here if I did."
Azula looked as if she didn't know how to react. Coming from her, it was quite unsettling. She was always in control. Seeing her like this was... odd. But it didn't take long until she regained her composure. All she did was sit down herself, right beside Ty Lee, who decided to take it as a good sign.
"... why did you do it?" she asked. This time it was Azula who shrugged, avoiding her gaze. That was new.
"I guess I wanted to see what happened."
"Well," said Ty Lee, with a small grin, "you're not getting rid of me that easily."
"Lucky me," said Azula. Her sarcastic tone was quite clear. Still, Ty Lee knew that was as close to a "thank you" as she was going to get.
True to her word, Ty Lee continued visiting Ember Island. She even kept training with her. After that incident, Azula didn't try anything unusual anymore. They went back to physical moves only, just like they had been doing earlier. She supposed it was true, then, that her friend had simply wanted to see how she would react.
... there could have been a better way to find out, sure. But, all things considered, Ty Lee wasn't too angry. In the end, she had made her point.
However, there were still some other things that needed fixing.
"What about Mai?" asked Azula one day, all of a sudden, after they finished their practice. "Isn't she the least bit curious about me?"
"It's not like that. It's just..." Ty Lee hesitated, wondering how to say it right. The last thing she wanted was to make Azula angry, but she knew that anything less than the truth would upset her even more. "She didn't think you'd want to see her."
"And I don't," she agreed, but her voice was cold. "I don't even care about her."
"... that's not true."
"Yes, it is. But I guess you're still under the impression that I care about you, aren't you?"
"You did once," Ty Lee said quietly. "We were your friends."
Azula let out a short, bitter laugh.
"Of course you'd think that," she said. "You believe the world is made of rainbows and pink bubbles and ostrich-ponies. You were tools."
"No," Ty Lee insisted, her voice firm. "Not completely. I know I've never been the smartest one of us, but I'm not a fool, either. And I know you, Azula. If we were just as expendable as everyone else, then why did you get so angry when we finally stopped listening to you?"
"You 'stopped listening to me'. Right. What a cute way to say it." Even the fake amusement was gone, now. She was cold, ruthless, aiming for where it hurt the most. "You betrayed me, Ty Lee. It's a bit too late to try to sugarcoat it."
Ty Lee couldn't help but look away. It was incredible, how she still had that effect on her. Even after all this time. Azula had always known exactly what to say, hadn't she?
"... you betrayed us first," she whispered.
"That's ridiculous."
"It's the truth!" Ty Lee insisted. "We were your friends, Azula. And don't try to tell me that we didn't mean anything to you, because even if we didn't – then it's just as bad! You made us believe you cared about us. And then you just used us."
"And that gave you the right to ruin everything? To side with the one who sabotaged me? If you wanted to be my friend so badly, you should've shut up and done what I said!"
"No!" she shouted, and her confidence surprised even herself. "I refuse to feel guilty about that! I did the right thing!"
Azula was silent for what seemed like forever. It took Ty Lee a great effort, but she didn't look away. She didn't take her words back, or bite her lip, or even slump her shoulders a little. She was right about this and she knew it.
"Get out," Azula said at last.
"That's all you are going to say? Really?"
"Get out!"
"No."
Once again, there was silence. It was hard to tell if Azula was more angry or surprised – when she spoke, her voice was low again, but cold as ice.
"What?"
"I'm not leaving," Ty Lee insisted. "Not because you say so. I'm done taking orders from you."
"But why?" she asked, and she was beginning to sound frustrated again. "If you hate me all that much, why don't you just leave me alone?"
"Because I don't hate you," said Ty Lee. "Because, for some reason, I still want to be your friend. For real this time. And real friends tell each other when they disagree and they fight and they let you know when you're being stupid."
Azula's eyes flashed with rage.
"No one has ever dared to call me –"
"I know," she interrupted. "And that's really, really sad."
"No," Azula snorted. "You know what's sad? They way you keep going on with this little game of yours. Do you really think you can change me, Ty Lee? That you can make me stop being a monster?"
"I don't think you're a monster," she said quietly. "But if you think you are, then – then I can't help you. No one can."
"Then give up already!"
There it was again, a show of frustration. A crack in her perfect façade. As strange as it sounded, that was exactly the kind of thing that gave her hope.
"Not yet. You might still change your mind."
"Oh. Of course. You're going to save me from myself with the power of friendship."
Ty Lee couldn't help but sigh at that, and let herself relax her posture at last.
"I'm not that silly anymore, Azula. I know I can't make you get better. But maybe..." She frowned a little, thoughtful. "Maybe I can help you find a reason to try."
"That's still silly."
"Perhaps." She shrugged. "But I'm going to try anyway."
"Suit yourself," Azula replied, with an overly dramatic sigh. But she didn't order her to leave again – or order anything, for the rest of the day, and that was a victory already.
Part 3