Still told from Ty Lee's point of view.
This one really deviates from the episode, but I'm fairly happy with how it turned out.
Characters are still not mine.
"So where are we going Azula?" Ty Lee asked when the silence got to her. "Have patience, we're almost there." The princess quipped back at her friend as they all walked along the sand. Mai didn't seem too happy about coming, and Azula had a look of determination on her face. Ty Lee's gaze was on the ground, at the footprints that were in front of them. Azula seemed to know exactly where they would lead, and had the other two girls wait at a gathering of rocks as she continued along the path her brother had taken. "Are you okay?" Ty Lee finally as one Azula was gone. Mai looked at her friend, but didn't say anything. If there was something that Mai was always good it, it was hiding her emotions. It made her give off this rather depressing aura that Ty Lee hated, even if she didn't admit it to anyone. Silently, she agreed with Zuko's assessment of Mai being a "big blah".
Then Azula and Zuko appeared around a large group of rocks. Mai seemed to perk up slightly, but when Zuko snapped at her, she frowned and looked away from him again. Ty Lee watched in confusion as Zuko then tried to be nice to her again. "Are you cold?" He started to put his arm around her, only to have his hand smacked away. Trying to lighten the mood only slightly, the acrobat spoke up. "I'm freezing." She didn't get the answer that she subconsciously realized she had wished for. All the young gymnast got was "I'll make a fire." And a somewhat pleasant smile from him. What he said next, though made her frown. "There's plenty of stuff to burn in there." He was talking about his family's old house, and Ty Lee looked a bit sad and as Zuko walked away to head up there and get their kindle, she jumped up and followed him. "I'll help!" The prince shrugged and allowed her to follow, leaving Mai and Azula to sit alone in the dark until they got back.
Just before they got out of earshot, Ty Lee heard Azula ask Mai a question and held in a giggle at it. The princess was still looking for advice, clearly, and Ty Lee held back a laugh at the one being asked the question – Mai wasn't exactly her first choice for advice.
Despite Azula's plan for how this would all work, Ty Lee decided to take matters into her own hands. "Zuko? What's wrong?" He stopped in his tracks and looked back at her. "What do you mean?" "I mean what's wrong? I've never seen your aura so dark before, are you that upset with Mai?" He sighed and shook his head, turning away from her and continuing on into the house. "Then who are you upset with, Zuko? Me? Your sister?" "No." He replied coldly as he stopped in front of the painting of his family, reaching up to take it down. The thought of something like that becoming kindle brought tears to the acrobat and she jabbed Zuko at various points on his body, quickly and expertly. He collapsed back onto her and she helped him to the ground so he wouldn't hurt himself. Anger crossed his features as he growled at her, "What did you do that for?!" She was kneeling next to him, frowning. "It's a painting of your family."
"Does it look like I care?!" He snapped back at her, groaning as he tried to move his limbs. "I think you do care – it's your family." The attacks she had made on him weren't bad and he was slowly starting to get feeling back in his limbs as he laid on the floor with the gymnast leaning over him. "Why does it matter to you?" He asked his voice not as harsh or strained. "Because I know you, Zuko, and you care. Even if your father doesn't care about you, your mother disappeared, and your sister is a monster – I think you care." "You don't know me." He glared and looked away from her. Tears ran down her face, "I do know you." "No, you want to know why I don't care? Because they're not my family, Uncle is." He finally spit out after several long moments of silence. Ty Lee looked surprised by this, and also the fact that he had recovered pretty quickly and was getting up. She hopped up and helped him, but stood between him and the painting. "I still don't think you should burn it, it's not right."
Zuko shook his head and pushed past her anyway, pulling the painting down and staring at it for a few moments. Tears welled up in Ty Lee's eyes as she watched him. "Please Zuko, don't do it. Please." He shot a glare at her, then turned sharply and walked away from her. "Why did you come?" He asked coldly. "Because I care about you, Zuko." She said quietly, almost meekly, but it made the prince stop in his tracks. "What?" "I care about you; you haven't been the same since you came back." He sighed, "I'm not the same person I was when I left." Making a face, Ty Lee spoke again, "Of course you're not, you were gone for three years. But do you really love Mai?" A look of shock crossed her own face at her words and she instantly smacked her hands over her mouth. He turned around, a look of surprise also on his face. "Ty Lee… I, I don't know."
Sucking in a deep breath, she regained more confidence in herself, just rolling with what she had started. "Well, it's just – you don't seem to trust her. It seems to me, you should be able to trust the one you love." She looked off to the side a little meekly, and Zuko moved closer to her, surprised to hear all this coming from the young acrobat. "What are you trying to say?" He asked, watching her closely. She responded pretty quickly, looking up to him. "Maybe it's just time to move on. I think you're only with her to try and get the past back, well it's not coming back Zuko, and you need to just move on if you're not happy with her." Tears pushed at the back of her eyes, but she managed to hold them at bay for at least a short time.
"It's not that easy." He responded, starting to turn away. Jumping forward, Ty Lee stopped him from turning and planted her lips firmly on his, her hands gently resting on his cheeks. She broke the kiss and whispered, her voice a little shaky, "Yes it is." Despite being slightly surprised, he still pulled her into an embrace and returned her gesture. After a moment, he broke away and stepped back from the acrobat, a hand going up to his head. "No, I don't know. I, I don't think I can do this." Shaking his head he turned and ran down the stairs and back toward the beach. Upset by this turn of events, Ty Lee charged after him, but took her own path to the beach, getting there first and sitting in the sand between Azula and Mai. Zuko had slowed down when he noted she had followed him, so it took him a bit longer to arrive and in the mean time Azula and Mai both looked at their friend. The princess spoke first, "Well Ty Lee, what took you so long?" Blushing, she looked away, "Nothing." Mai narrowed her eyes at the usually cheery girl and shook her head. "I can't believe you, Ty Lee." About to try and explain more, Ty Lee was cut off when Zuko arrived with the painting. Letting out a sigh, she let the fact go that he was burning his family's painting and remained silent.
