SACRIFICE

Azula did not sleep well last night.

Her nightmares have been worse lately.

Ty Lee has noticed. She cannot help it when she sleeps beside Azula every night.

Azula sits up while it is still dark out. It is not early enough to train but she itches to bend. Even if she did practice early, she is so tired that she can barely keep her eyes open, but too afraid to go back to sleep. She just sits, staring at the shadows on the walls. The images of her nightmares play again and again behind her eyes, haunting her to the core.

Ty Lee slowly sits up and kissed Azula's neck. Azula does not react to the touch and it makes Ty Lee frown for a fleeting moment.

"Nightmares?" whispers Ty Lee, gently running her fingers through Azula's sweaty hair.

"What do you think?" snarls Azula, unable to contain herself although she knows Ty Lee means well. Ty Lee always means well, the bitch.

"I'm sorry."

They sit in silence for a long while. Ty Lee gently using touch to drag Azula back to reality from the world of her nightmares.

Ty Lee says at last, "I would sacrifice anything I had to take them away from you."

Azula averts her eyes.

Would she do the same?

She does not know.