Ty Lee had been sitting on the floor for about an hour. Azula had yet to respond to anything she said. She didn't even give her some kind of annoyed response, no retorts coming from her crimson lips. She just looked empty. Azula truly couldn't think of anything nice to say to Ty Lee. She didn't want to say anything mean either. The closer it got to night, the closer Azula got to madness. She didn't want Ty Lee to cry because she didn't know how she'd react. She didn't want to cry in front of Ty Lee.

"Azula I know there's something you want to ask me. I'm surprised you haven't yet." That caught Azula's attention. She had ignored most of what the girl had been saying, except when she talked about the Kyoshi warriors and how they "could be best friends forever now." She had felt a large pang of jealousy, as Ty Lee had always said things like that to her. But not anymore. Azula looked the folds in the blanket, trying to avoid this situation. She did not want to cry. She wouldn't if she could help it. But she was still so... curious.

"Why did you do it?" Her voice almost choked. She had still sounded confident to Ty Lee but inside she was breaking slowly. She was trying to keep all of her dignity intact. But it was slowly slipping in front of one of the few people she had ever cared about. Ty Lee looked very sad. She wiped away a stray tear, something that did not go unnoticed.

"It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. But I couldn't let you kill Mai. I know that's what you were going to do Azula. If I had let you, you would have become the monster you think you are. I couldn't stand there and watch my best friend kill one of my closest friends. Not if I could stop it," she looked down at her hands, "My fingers still feel your armor on their tips. It's something I have nightmares about every night Azula." Her tears kept coming and Azula tried to ignore it.

"Was it all a lie? Did you just sneak around with me because you were... scared? Or was it all just a game to you? To see how much you could make me feel for you so I would be more hurt when your betrayal came. So you and Mai could sit around and laugh about it later while I was left to rot in that cell for two years."

"No! I wasn't afraid of you! I really liked kissing you! You know that! I wanted to be your girlfriend! I wanted to hold your hand in public and sleep next to you at night. I still want to..." Her crying got a little louder as she confessed. Azula would never know how haunted she had been all those years. How her stomach ached because she made herself so sick just thinking about what she had done to Azula. At her lowest moment she had wished she had let her kill Mai. In Ty Lee's mind, she still couldn't understand how Mai could have chosen Zuko over Azula. And not just over Azula, over her.

"Now stop that blubbering Ty Lee. You're so ugly when you cry." Ty Lee hiccuped a bit, from the combination of laughing and crying. She didn't like when Azula seemed hurt, she liked it better when she was mean.

"Ty Lee get up here." Azula had been laying down, and Ty Lee crawled into the bed with her. She tried her hardest to stop sniffling but it was so difficult. But when Azula smiled shyly at her, her tears disappeared and she smiled back. Just like when they were kids, Azula still could control her emotions so easily, just with a single smile.

"We haven't done this in so long."

"I don't think we've done this since the beach."

Ty Lee picked up a shell and looked at it. She always loved silly things like that. Azula hated watching her in public. She didn't like the bathing suit Ty Lee had on. Well she did. But she didn't like the looks it got her. She didn't like that boys eyed her like a hunk of meat that they could just buy with pretty words.

"This is so pretty." Ty Lee was beaming, but Azula couldn't help but become rigid.

"Not as pretty as you are." Azula wanted to firebend that boy into oblivion. It wasn't as though she and Ty Lee were together, but they did do many special things together. They had been kissing for real since they were thirteen. Azula had mentally claimed her, but she couldn't help but think that some boy was going to take her away. No boy was going to marry Ty Lee. Not her Ty Lee.

Azula saw some other teenagers playing volleyball, and her competitive nature compelled her to play. Plus it would get Ty Lee away from all of her doting fans. She looked over to her friend to see all of the imbeciles fanning her. She grew incredibly annoyed.

"Hey, beach bums. We're playing next. Ty Lee, get over here now!" She yelled. Ty Lee eagerly did a handstand and walked over on her hands.

Later Azula had to angrily watch Ty Lee fend off boys. Literally. After punching through a crowd of them fighting for her affections, she walked over to Azula.

"Oh, I'm glad you're here. Those boys won't leave me alone. I guess they all just like me too much." Azula frowned. Her heart was stinging.

"Come on Ty Lee. You can't be ignorant."

"What are you talking about?"

"Those boys only like you because you make it so easy for them. You're not a challenge. You're a tease. It's not like they actually care who you are." Ty Lee started to sob. Azula felt guilty, and she instantly regretted the words. Her face got gentler, along with her voice.

"Okay, okay, calm down. I didn't mean what I said. Look, maybe I just said it because I was a little... jealous." Azula looked down, shyly. She didn't want to tell her how she really felt looking at them.

"What? You're jealous of me? But you're the most beautiful, smartest, perfect girl in the world." Azula tried to control the joy she felt from hearing that.

"Well, you're right about all those things. But, for some reason, when I meet boys, they act as if I'm going to do something horrible to them." Ty Lee held her inner thoughts in, thinking Azula would do something because she had no interest in boys. None at all.

"But you probably would do something horrible to them. I'm sure they're just intimidated by you. Okay, look, if you want a boy to like you, just look at him and smile a lot and laugh at everything he says even if it's not funny."

"Well, that sounds really shallow and stupid...let's try it."

"Okay. Hey there, sweet sugar cakes. How you liking this party?" Azula had always thought Ty Lee's fake man voice was adorable. She made a horrible fake laugh that was altogether too loud.

After everyone's emotional confessions, Azula waited for Mai and Zuko to be fast asleep. She quietly snuck into Ty Lee's room. She was still awake, sitting on the bed. Her back was turned to Azula. The tears were streaming down her face. Azula sighed, not knowing that Ty Lee was crying.

"Did you kiss him?" Ty Lee's voice sounded normal.

"Yeah."

"So I guess you have a boyfriend now huh?" She tried to sound cheerful.

"No I scared him away. You seem like the only one I can't scare away." Azula smiled, getting a little bit closer.

"Did you like it?" Her voice choked a little.

"No. I didn't. Don't act like you've never kissed a boy before Ty." Ty Lee got up quickly and embraced Azula before she could see her tears. Her lips were on Azula's and Azula let out a moan. Ty Lee rarely started their touches, but when she did Azula felt an extreme fire in her chest. She was desperately clutching to Azula, in a passionate frenzy, Ty Lee's tongue was in her mouth, her fingers were in her hair. Azula gripped onto her and growled. She grabbed the back of Ty Lee's head and thrust her tongue inside, and Ty Lee moaned. Suddenly Azula remembered that they had been talking. Azula pulled away, now noticing the tears all over Ty Lee's face, the redness of her eyes. She ran her fingers through the brown hair.

"I didn't like it at all Ty. Not like I like kissing you." Ty Lee smiled.

"Cuddle with me tonight?" Azula nodded, and they both scurried into pajamas and into Ty Lee's bed. Ty Lee ran her fingers through her hair, it was down so rarely that she savored the moment. Azula got in close, putting her arms around Ty Lee.

"Ty?"

"Hm?"

"If it was allowed, would you be my girlfriend?"

"I would even if it wasn't." Her answer was so quick that Azula knew she wasn't lying.

"Well, I think I'll consider it. I don't want other people touching you."

"I wish we could show everyone what we really are. Don't you?"
"No. Because then I would have to compete with girls too." Ty Lee smiled and they slowly fell asleep. And it was the last time before they were separated that they would share a bed.

"Can I tell you a secret?" Ty Lee whispered, her hand in Azula's hair. She had pulled it down, despite Azula's protests.

"Sure. I suppose."

"I was really jealous of Chan that day." Azula raised her brow, "I hated that he kissed you. I'm supposed to kiss you. I hated it. I wanted to Chi block him. That's why I was so happy when we trashed his house." Ty Lee was smiling a mischievous smile.

"I wasn't jealous of all the attention you were getting you know. I don't like boys Ty. I was jealous because I wanted to be them. I wanted to be able to freely show that you were mine. Not that it matters now. I haven't forgiven you."

"I didn't think you would. I'm just glad you're tolerating me."

"Well I don't really have much of a choice. Besides, it's better than riding with Mai all the way to Ba Sing Se." Ty Lee giggled.

"You would be so bored if she was guarding you. You might get into more fights though."

"Well that might be better than reminiscing with you."

"Please you miss how it used to be too."

"That's the thing Ty. It's never going to be like it used to be. You're never going to be the Ty Lee I remember. Because every time I look into your eyes I see your betrayal. And I don't think it's ever going to go away."