VILLAIN
In some other life, Azula and Ty Lee are standing side by side, laughing that in another world they are apart.
But in this life, Azula watches from a few feet behind her brother as Ty Lee enters the palace with Suki and Sokka for the summit being held this week.
"Be nice." Zuko pauses. "Or at least whatever your variation of nice is."
"Polite. I will be polite. No promises on nice."
"If I were you—"
"You would get laid more?"
"If I were you I would avoid all interaction with Ty Lee and her girlfriend."
"Do not pretend you can control me."
"I have every right to control you if it means keeping peace."
"You are not my father! And you know nothing about Ty Lee and I! She is just a friend and you are an asshole!"
"Yeah, well I know you still love her! You told me yourself!"
"I told you in confidence! No one else is supposed to know! She's here with her girlfriend for Agni's sake!"
"As if it's a secret!" Zuko spreads his arms. "Everyone knows about Azula and Ty Lee's abusive, toxic and failed relationship! It's obvious even to a blind girl or a clueless kid!"
Azula does not respond. She just throws fire at him that he barely dodges.
If he wants to paint her as the villain yet again, she will be the best damned villain the world has ever seen.
The fight begins and the Kyoshi Warriors slowly step back. They are prepared to intervene if necessary, but want to avoid an international incident.
Blue flames collide with red. Azula and Zuko violently, passionately fight with bared teeth and narrowed eyes. Azula makes an advance. Ty Lee sees the beginning of lightning on Azula's fingertips. It does not scare Zuko, but it scares Ty Lee, whom breaks free from the line of Kyoshi Warriors, batting at her girlfriend's arm as she tries to hold her love back from intervening.
"You two stop it or I will!" shouts Ty Lee.
They ignore her.
Ty Lee gives them three seconds to shape up.
And then she lunges forward and punches them both on each arm.
Azula and Zuko fall back, cursing and complaining and glowering.
Ty Lee's girlfriend gently takes her by the waist and pulls her as far away from the fight as she can.
But Azula claws just to the right place to grab a piece of the broken vase and hold it to her brother's throat. But it expended too much energy getting it. She trembles and he easily twists it out of her hand.
But in the struggle, blood accidentally spurts.
He didn't mean to, but in his clumsiness after the chi blocking, he sliced Azula's arm open.
"Azula!" cries out Ty Lee in a desperate panic as she roughly shoves her girlfriend out of the way to run to the injured princess's side.
She takes the princess in her arms to see the wound. Zuko apologizes over and over and over. It becomes background noise even though he is on the verge of tears from accidentally hurting her.
Ty Lee removes her shirt and hastily makes it into a makeshift bandage as she was taught in military training. She applies pressure and tries to hold back her strong and passionate emotions. Her strong and passionate love.
"You're going to be okay," softly whispers Ty Lee.
Azula rolls her eyes. "I know that."
"I missed your overconfidence." Ty Lee suppresses a giggle, knowing it would be highly inappropriate.
"What overconfidence?" teases Azula.
Ty Lee continues to kneel beside Azula and keep pressure on the wound as Suki dashes off to get help.
Swept up in Azula's eyes, her aura, her breath, Ty Lee almost forgets why she broke up with her. And almost forgets that she came here with a girl she loves, a girl who treats her right.
Ty Lee exchanges a furtive and embarrassed glance with her girlfriend and all she can do is hang her head in shame.
Azula briefly smirks at Ty Lee's precious girl when no one else is looking.