Title: Battle
Pairing: Azula/Ty Lee
Summary: Azula is a ruthless Master Firebender. But against some enemies, even she cannot stand.
Author's Note: Well, I'm back again. Yeah, I'm just as shocked as you. This story was inspired by both RadiantBeam's "Pink Aura" and Iced Blood's "Best I Am, Chapter 35." I highly recommend both authors.
Disclaimer: I do not own "Avatar: The Last Airbender."
Azula stared.
Blinked and stared some more.
Closed her eyes, shook her head, and opened her eyes only to find the same situation before her.
Deciding that she was not, in fact, dreaming and that the scene before her was all too real, she cleared her throat.
Ty Lee looked up from where she was sitting against the corridor wall and smiled widely when she saw who in front of her. "Hi, Azula!"
Repressing the urge to smile back at her, Azula calmly replied, "Hello, Ty Lee. Where did you get that kitten?"
Glancing down at the calico kitten that was currently in her lap, wrestling her hand into submission, Ty Lee looked back up, frowning slightly. "A mean man was about to kill him. He said something about the little guy stealing one of his fish. I asked him not hurt the kitten, but he just laughed. So I knocked him out and brought the little guy back with me."
She looked thoughtful for a moment. "You know, I think that guy might still be lying there. Maybe I should let the guards know."
Looking back down at the kitten, which was now gently biting her finger without breaking the skin, she regained her smile and cooed, "Aww, isn't he cute?"
Deciding to treat that as a rhetorical question, Azula sighed and said, "Ty Lee, you can't keep him." She then braced herself for the inevitable reaction.
Ty Lee jumped to her feet with a loud gasp, scaring the kitten half to death. She held the kitten tightly to her, as if she was afraid Azula would snatch it from her.
"B…but why not?"
Azula sighed again; she had never been very good at dealing with emotional people, especially ones she didn't want to destroy.
"Ty Lee, this is the Fire Nation palace. Every day, it is filled with the most important officials, generals, and noble of the Fire Nation, many of them accomplished firebenders. Do you really think that is any place for a kitten to be running around?"
Determination replaced the sadness on Ty Lee's face. "But I can keep him out of trouble!"
Azula mentally rolled her eyes. You can't even keep yourself out of trouble. "Ty Lee-"
"And you'll help me, won't you Azula?" Ty Lee asked in a pleading tone.
"Me?!" To Azula's annoyance, her voice was considerably higher pitched than normal. She cleared her throat and put on her sternest expression, determined to shoot down the idea immediately. She opened her mouth-
Only to be interrupted by a long, drawn-out, "Please, Azula," accompanied by Ty Lee's most potent and cutest pout.
Looking at Ty Lee's face, with her huge eyes brimming with tears and her lower lip trembling slightly, Azula could feel her resistance crumbling. Ty Lee looked so sad, and helpless, and cute…
ARGH! Azula closed her eyes and took deep, calming breaths. All right. Get a hold of yourself. You're the Fire Nation princess, firebending prodigy, and conqueror of Ba Sing Se. You are not going to let yourself be manipulated by your pouting best friend, no matter how cute she looks.
Keeping her eyes closed until she was sure she had regained her composure, Azula readied herself to face Ty Lee again. She opened her eyes…
And was immediately confronted by Ty Lee, still pouting, and now holding the kitten up against her cheek. The kitten, which seemed to sense it's master's intentions, looked very cute and sad, with it's big green eyes gazing at Azula longingly. Even as she watched, it let off a pitiful, "Mew."
Azula tried to resist but felt her resistance crumble until finally…
"Oh for Agni's sake-"
"YAY! Oh thank you, Azula!" In the blink of an eye it seemed, Ty Lee bounded over to Azula and wrapped her in a fierce one armed hug, the other arm holding onto the kitten.
Before Azula could come up with a response, Ty Lee drew back slightly, looked Azula in the eyes, smiled one her wide, happy smiles, and said, "I love you."
Then she leaned in and gave Azula a brief but passionate kiss on the lips before turning and skipping off down the corridor, giggling and talking to the kitten about showing him off.
Azula stood there, stunned, her mind reeling. One slightly trembling hand reached up to touch her lips, which began to curve into something that may have been a smile, had she not remembered-
"TY LEE! I NEVER SAID 'YES!'"
A faint giggle was her only reply.