They were somewhere in the vast reaches of the Earth Kingdom. Ty Lee had stopped paying attention once the entire landscape became flat plains or dramatic mountains, switching between the two extremes as if there was no middle ground.
Hunting the Avatar wasn't turning out to be as fun as it sounded, but Ty Lee felt glad to be back with her old friends again. The three of them had been the most elite trio at the Royal Fire Nation Academy and the sheer potential their professors had seen in them was still inspiring, even though Ty Lee had focused all her energy on her circus career.
Of course, she had just been biding her time while keeping her body in the best shape possible. With Azula as primed for the battle field as she was, the wait wouldn't have been long anyway. Not with a hundred year war to win, and Azula would certainly win it. She would triumph where Zuko and even the Firelord had failed. The princess was a master huntress. After all, she had only tracked down Ty Lee and Mai in a matter of days. The elusive Avatar couldn't be a much more difficult target.
As of now, however, nothing had come up. No leads, just land for miles and miles.
But Ty Lee was content, happier, if that were even possible, than she had been in the circus if only for one secret reason that she could never truly reveal. When she had explained to Mai that Azula "called a little louder," she had made yet another one of her obviously obscure statements with implications that only she could understand.
Sure, she had initially hesitated leaving her circus life so soon. After all, she genuinely enjoyed the performance. At the same time, seeing Azula again–aged a few years since they had last been together–brought back all sorts of memories and reminded Ty Lee of the path she had helplessly fallen into, one that she could never truly abandon.
For these reasons, Ty Lee had been more jovial than usual, humming and prancing almost everywhere she went. Most of all, she spared no compliment from the princess and Azula, surprisingly, wasn't nearly as biting as she remembered. She seemed to relish in the praise while Mai rolled her eyes and contented herself to her own grayness.
Whatever. Ty Lee overflowed with energy, practicing flips and handstands even on their breaks. A couple times, she thought Azula watched her with an amused smile on her face, but maybe that was wishful thinking.
One such break found them on a bit of a geological anomaly. It was a cliff with a waterfall that pooled on a hundred foot ledge and then dumped out again into the ocean. The moment Ty Lee saw it, she beamed and immediately wanted to stop. Once again, Azula oddly had few complaints.
"It's not like we have any leads anyway. Besides, it won't be that hard to find Zuko."
"I thought we were hunting the Avatar," said Ty Lee.
The princess smirked, her eyes playfully fixing on the acrobat. "Well, Zuko is still obsessed enough with his honor that he's probably still searching for the Avatar anyway. Once we find him, the Avatar won't be too far ahead and like I said, he's so predictable that finding him won't be a problem."
Azula's eyes lingered on Ty Lee for a moment before the princess turned her attention elsewhere. Ty Lee's face felt hot and she suddenly her desire to jump in the cool water became an urgent need. With a few swift motions, Ty Lee stripped down to her undergarments and plunged herself into the shallow pool. When she surfaced, she saw that Azula had done the same and even let her hair loose. Once again, Ty Lee was filled with a nervous energy.
Mai opted to wait by their camp, saying that at least someone in this group couldn't fool around on the off chance they got attacked in the middle of nowhere, but Ty Lee read it as just another excuse for the girl to be by herself.
Ty Lee floated on her back and gazed up at the waterfall filling the pool. Its constant rushing sound mingled with the crashing ocean below and the effect was strangely calming for something so noisy.
Azula leaned against one of the walls and submerged herself to her neck, setting her gaze on nothing in particular. When Ty Lee passed by, she stopped, sensing that the princess was taking another one of her introspective trips.
In these situations, it was always best to wait for the princess to speak first. So, Ty Lee resumed her floating, swimming to and from the waterfall at least three times before growing bored and getting herself out of the water. She wanted to see if there was a cave or something behind the waterfall and if Azula wasn't going to talk, she wasn't going to force her. Still, she was certain she sensed the princess's eyes on her. Seconds later, Azula was also out of the pool and not-so-subtly followed Ty Lee.
It turned out there was only a shallow alcove behind the the fall, but despite the water's calming effect, Ty Lee felt on edge. The princess had something on her mind, and she only thought to approach in such sneaky ways when she could gain an advantage. Azula was biding her time, waiting for Ty Lee to fall into whatever clever trap she had set.
"Did you really enjoy the circus that much?" the princess asked with her typical pointed sarcasm.
Ty Lee froze and crossed her arms over her stomach. "Well, of course I did, but. . ."
"I'm not entirely convinced that my tactics worked on you."
Not the ones you're thinking of. "Does it really matter though? I'm here."
Azula's breath passed like steam over her neck. "Look at me," she said and with a surprising gentleness, she turned Ty Lee around. "Don't think I don't know how easily you can overpower me. Three hits from you would quell my firebending for hours, days even. You don't totally fear me, do you? There's something else." Azula cupped Ty Lee's chin in one hand and traced the girl's jawline with her thumb. "Something you don't really want me to find out, but something you don't hide either."
Ty Lee tried to keep herself calm, but the air suddenly became thick with humidity and her face burned. Azula smirked and Ty Lee now recognized the futility in keeping it a secret. She should just get it over with and deal with the consequences.
But where could she start? She let her arms hang at her sides and lost herself in the princess's gaze. Did she begin with their childhood years as playmates and sunsets in the courtyard where the young Azula admitted things she was too scared to say to anyone else? Or did she start with the princess's captivating beauty–the way her hair now hung loosely at her shoulders and the sharp fire in her amber eyes. The few times that they've hugged, Ty Lee felt like a puzzle piece clicking into place.
Did she dare mention her ability to see Azula's aura and what had slowly been happening to it since they were children?
Could she ever admit that she was simply drawn to the princess?
"Um–"
Azula pressed Ty Lee against the stone wall and used her free hand to play with the acrobat's braid. She leaned in and their lips were only centimeters apart. "You're so obvious," she whispered.
Before Ty Lee could respond, Azula closed the gap between them. The kiss was surprisingly gentle, but from the way the princess pressed into her, Ty Lee could tell it was genuine. Years passed between them in seconds and seconds in years. Azula was entrusting Ty Lee with something that she couldn't quite explain, but Ty Lee decided that was okay. The princess's lips were warm and a bit moist from the waterfall's mist. After an eternity that ended all too soon, Azula pulled back a little, but kept her arms snug around the acrobat's waist.
"Are you surprised?" she asked.
"Yeah," Ty Lee replied, nearly breathless, but she couldn't suppress her smile.
At this, the princess softened and pulled Ty Lee into a hug. "I'm not."
Ty Lee closed her eyes and heard only the sound of the waterfall and the princess's heartbeat. She thought she could stay there if she wanted to. No more hunting for brothers or Avatars. All of that seemed like frivolous, distant distractions from a stark truth.
The princess returned her affections much more than she had ever imagined.
A/N: Last upload before NaNo. Sequels to "Descent" will come after November some time.