Azula lay on the cool marble of the agni kai chamber, her arm burning where she'd been hit. The tiles soothed her aching muscles and sweaty body. She was alone. Finally. The sky, visible from the open roof, was blue and clear, birds flying across every once and awhile. It should have been a good day. It wasn't.
Zuko was gone and she was bored, life just wasn't the same without his cracking voice and weak spirit. She'd tried to learn a new kata, but that had only ended in a burnt arm and sore pride. It had been so many years since she'd accidently burned herself, this was ridiculous. Sloppy. Unacceptable. She grunted as she lifted the offending arm and looked. The burn was red and already bubbling up. Nothing like Zuko's wound. This would likely heal without a scar. It hurt though, it hurt a lot.
For once she missed her mother, who surely would have helped her up and brought her to a healer. Her father would never tolerate this. She let her arm fall down, crying out a little when it touched the marble. Agni, it hurt.
"Azula?" A voice called and Azula groaned again. She was not in the mood for Ty Lee's antics. She rarely was, but Ty Lee was unflagging in her loyalty. "Azula, where are you?" Sighing, Azula sat up, cupping the burn with her palm and stood, wobbling a little as the pain caught up to her.
"I'm here," She called back, her voice much weaker and high pitched than usual. She sounded like Zuko.
"Oh! There you-" Ty Lee bounded into the room, turning a cartwheel before reaching her friend and looking her up and down. "What's wrong with your arm?" She asked, reaching out. Azula flinched back, wincing as her hand brushed the burn.
"Nothing. I bumped it, that's all."
"I don't think so," Ty Lee observed, pushing past the princess' boundaries and pulling the hand away. "Oh, no! What-"
"I burned myself." Azula spat, wrenching her arm away. Ty Lee briefly looked hurt, but then her smile returned, like the sun passing a cloud.
"Hang on, there's gotta be some stuff for burns around here somewhere." She said and scurried off, before hurrying back with a little white bag. "Can you sit down, princess?" Azula did, but only because she wanted too, and Ty Lee grabbed her wrist. She took a bottle of something out of the bag and a little cloth along with it. "This might sting, but it should help." Ty Lee said, examining the bottle.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Azula hissed when Ty Lee dabbed the burn.
"Yeah, I stuck my hand in the oven once, trying to get a cookie. My mom treated that thing for days before it got better." She chuckled at the memory. "You remember, don't you?"
"Of course," Azula said, for once not lying. She winced as Ty Lee started wrapping the burn with medicated bandages. It stung.
Ty Lee finished and leaned back to examine her work. "That'll have to do for now," She said. It still hurt, much worse than before. Ty Lee squeezed Azula's hand trying to comfort her. "Would it help if I kissed it?" She said, half teasing.
"I don't know. Father doesn't believe in such things." Azula responded, not sensing the tease. Ty Lee pursed her lips and frowned.
"You mean your mom never kissed a cut or something to make it better?"
"Not that I remember, but I don't care. Kisses make you weak." Azula pushed herself up, but Ty Lee pulled her back down.
"Kisses don't make you weak." Ty Lee said, her eyes more fierce than usual. With that, she leaned down and kissed right over the burn.
Azula froze. She didn't know what to do! Her face turned bright red as Ty Lee pulled away, smiling at her princess.
"There, all better." Strangely, the burn didn't hurt as much as before. "You're so cute when you blush." Ty Lee teased, then stood, holding out her hand to her friend. "Come on, Mai is waiting for us in the garden." Azula shook herself and took Ty Lee's hand, dropping it as soon as she was steady. She followed Ty Lee out into the gardens and almost had to hurry to catch up with her friend, still a little shocked from the kiss.
"I'm not cute." Azula said when she caught up. "If you tell-"
"Oh, I know, Princess. Don't worry. I won't tell anyone."