TW: Implied abuse

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of its canon characters.


Snapshot Two:

Smoke


It was a song and dance she knew well. The hall was completely deserted, lending the raised ceilings, dark woods and red silks that the fire nation favored an oppressive air. Flames burned low on their candles and spat curls of black, waxy smoke, as if some invisible weight were smothering them. Her steps echoed off the walls and the polished floor in a way that only made the silence more evident - she didn't even see any servants.

Ty Lee slipped cautiously into Azula's darkened room. "Princess…?"

She could see a form huddled against the opposite wall, just under the heavily curtained bay windows. The other child was almost lost in the shadows, and it was only through force of will Ty Lee stepped deeper into the dark. It felt like an eternity before she finally knelt at Azula's side. The young princess was unkempt and soaked with sweat , still in her wrinkled training clothes. Ty Lee reached out to rest her hand on a slim shoulder.

"'Zula-"

Her wrist was caught in Azula's grip. "Don't."

Azula's loose shirt sleeves slipped to her elbow, revealing a wrist and arm mottled with red and lifted her chin defiantly under Ty Lee's helpless gaze.

"I lost control of a bending form." Her eyes were dry and full of a burning pride. How dare you pity me! She seemed to hiss with every angry movement. There was only one reason Azula ever 'lost control' of fire.

Ty Lee dared to settle at the other's girl's side, careful not to sit too close and get stuck by the bristling porcupine-frog that was her best friend. Her stomach churned with shared suffering and the crushing knowlege that there was nothing she could do to help. If Azula - a bending prodigy, princess of the Fire Nation - couldn't protect herself, what could Ty Lee do? After a moment those fierce golden eyes softened just a touch. It was a weakness reserved for these moments in the dark, where no one but Ty Lee could see the questions and doubts crowding to the surface. Am I really worthless? Am I weak? Am I stupid?

…Please, someone love me.

Ty Lee knew, because they were the questions Azula answered for her.

Suddenly Azula buried her face in her knees, her voice muffled in her folded arms. "I must perfect this form before grandfather comes to visit."

"It's okay," Ty Lee's knuckles brushed Azula's cheek. Gently, gently, as if she were a nervous eelhound. It was a weak comfort, but the best she could offer and all Azula would accept. "You're the strongest, smartest, prettiest girl I know. You can do it."

This was their little secret. Ty Lee would never tell.