Chapter 5

It was raining in the Fire Nation. A gloomy evening fit for the meeting that was about to take place.

Ty Lee hurried up to a polished wooden door in a noble neighborhood of the caldera, covering her head with a small pink jacket. She was dreading this. She'd been dreading this since she left the institution a few days ago. Her stomach was a tangled knot of dread. Did she mention how much she dreaded this?

She raised her hand to knock and hesitated. Okay. It's okay. Deep breath and… do it. Before she could tell her hand not to, it rapped gently on the door to Mai's house.

A few moments of only the pattering of rain on wealthy rooftops and the former acrobat was lost in thought. What if they were together for a long time? No, they wouldn't be able to hide it. Oh, who am I kidding, those two are the best at secrets, their entire lives are secret until I force my way in. But how would they be together? Maybe it was just a kiss or something. That's not a big deal. Azula was probably lying. But what if they—?

She hadn't heard any footsteps shuffle up to the door before it opened suddenly. Mai caught her completely off guard. Ty Lee was staring at the street imagining her two friends engaged in all kinds of activities that she thought were exclusive to Azula and herself.

She jumped and spun around, showcasing a strained smile, "Oh. H-hi Mai."

"Don't sound so excited. Come in, before you drench the whole entryway."

Mai was wearing a long black nightdress with a blood red robe over it. She must have just stepped out of the bath. Her hair was damp and completely tied up in a bun, showing off her slender neck. A strong floral scent trailed behind her. Ty Lee slipped off her wet shoes and followed her friend through a study and short hallway to the kitchen.

Mai's house was small but gorgeous. It seemed that she was doing quite well on her own. Ty Lee remembered she'd gotten a job as an ambassador to the Earth Kingdom, since she and her family spent a good amount of time in Omashu. It certainly must have paid well. The place was decorated like a tiny version of the palace. Fire Nation historical paintings adorned the walls and little dragon statues sat atop tables and bookshelves. There was something distinctly Mai about it though. Maybe it was the heavily curtained windows or the lack of family pictures.

A teapot was heating up over a little flame in the kitchen. Mai gestured for Ty Lee to sit at a dark wooden table while she prepared the cups.

"So, are you finally going to tell me what this "urgent meeting" is about?" Mai had her back to Ty Lee as she steeped tea leaves in the steaming water.

Ty Lee shifted uncomfortably in her chair. She'd worried about how to bring this up, but figured the best way was to jump in head first. That was how she did most things anyways.

"I saw Azula a few days ago. She's been doing pretty well the past few weeks actually! I've wanted to tell you. No more crazy bursts of anger at me anyways. And we even talked like we used to for, well, like five minutes. But I swear she's doing better!"

Ty Lee paused, knowing she was rambling to delay the reason she was here, "But she, uh, told me something the last time I was there."

Mai turned with the teacups and sat down at the table opposite her friend. She slid one cup over to Ty Lee and licked her lips before blowing softly on her own drink.

I wonder how much of Azula those lips have touched.

"Hello?," Mai was looking at her with a raised eyebrow, "I asked what she said. It must not have been good if it has you zoning out every five seconds."

Ty Lee flushed, glancing down at her hands and untouched tea, "Were you and Azula together at some point?"

"Yeah. All the time as kids whenever you couldn't play with us. You know that." Mai sipped the hot drink, but her eyes flickered downwards. She could guess where this was headed. It wouldn't be the first time she had to explain it.

Ty Lee took a breath and continued, "No. I mean together as more than friends. Like… like how she and I were together?"

Mai did not answer right away and that was enough of a yes for Ty Lee. She finally looked up at Mai, "Why didn't you tell me?" Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, but she furiously wiped them away with the sleeve of her shirt, "You know it would have been a lot nicer hearing it come from you instead of Azula." More tears.

Mai looked at Ty Lee with just the barest hint of regret, "We weren't together like how you're thinking."

Ty Lee's heart pumped an ache that coursed through her entire body. Azula wasn't lying.

"Tell me everything."

Mai sighed at the look on her friend's face, "Really?"

Say no, say no, say no.

"Yes."

A soft scraping sound echoed through the kitchen as Mai slid back in her chair. She folded her arms and looked up at the ceiling, wishing it would collapse on her and relieve her of this awful conversation.

"Well, you know how we all met and played together as kids. Eventually we got to that age when you start to, you know, feel curious things. Azula knew how boy-crazy you were and how uninterested in everything I was. So, since we were her only friends, she picked me and said we should practice kissing when she and I weren't training at our other specialties. And we did. At first they were just innocent pecks, but with age came more boldness. She wanted to do other things."

"You slept with her?" Ty Lee buried her face in her hands, hoping to shield herself from the inevitable response. Images of Mai's thin lips traveling down a groaning Azula's naked abdomen.

"N—"

"When?" She snapped her head up to stare at the apathetic girl, not quite listening anymore. How could Mai be so bored when Ty Lee was over here, pieces chipping off of her heart every second? Flashes of dark black hair and pale skin moving together on the sheets of a plush mattress.

Another sigh, "I guess right before I left for Omashu."

"What?" Ty Lee was frantic.

Mai reached across the table to take Ty Lee's hand in a rare show of sympathy, but the former acrobat pulled away quickly. Mai retracted her hand, annoyed, "Look, you know I had a thing for Zuko then. It wasn't anything, it was just part of that experimentation phase. She was always more into you anyways. I think she wanted to do things because she was upset you left to join the circus."

"Oh yeah, that makes me feel a lot better. 'Hey Ty Lee, don't worry, I slept with the girl you like behind your back, but it's okay because she likes you more than me.' Give me a break, Mai!"

She pushed away from the table in anger and stood with her back to the still sitting Mai. Two bodies entwined in a panting rhythm. Letting out a cry of frustration and pain, Ty Lee broke into a sob.

Mai was struggling with how to phrase what actually happened. She and Azula hadn't slept together. They were still so young at the time, that would have been a bit much. It was more exploratory, but they, mostly Azula, had touched and kissed. And they hadn't strictly limited those kisses to each other's lips. Upper bodies only, though. Even Azula wasn't so bold as to wander further south.

"We didn't—" Mai was cut off before she could wrap her head around how to explain.

"I thought I was, ugh, how dumb can I be?" Her shoulders shook with another painful realization. She whispered half to herself, "She's never loved me back, has she? I thought maybe, before everything got all messed up… It's all just sex and games and manipulation."

Ty Lee felt a chilly hand rest on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I didn't think it mattered." Mai moved to face Ty Lee, "I knew she cared about you in her own way, more than she did for me. She recruited you first when she wanted us to go after Zuko. She picked on you the most. She was too jealous of the attention you got from every boy. And when Zuko and I dated, you guys got really close. You were basically each other's dates to that dumb party we went to. You knew you loved her, but she doesn't really know how to love so how could she tell you whatever she felt?"

Tears drying on her cheeks, Ty Lee glanced up at Mai, uncertain if she should be mad. Mai's pretty face resting between Azula's legs.

"Ty Lee, you're the one going to see her at the hospital, not me. And even you said she's been getting better since you started visiting. That must prove that she doesn't completely hate you after four years, right?"

Ty Lee thought. Mai's words were a little blunt, but she remembered the recently rekindled charge in Azula's eyes whenever they looked at each other. And after the most recent visit, it was undeniable that there was still chemistry between them when Ty Lee was trying to entice her. Just the thought of the way Azula's eyes grazed her body gave her chills.

"H-how am I supposed to know that it isn't just… lust or-or tricks or something?" She sniffed and looked at Mai with watery eyes. A drawn out moan from a royal girl being coaxed down from euphoria.

Mai looked blankly at her, "I don't know."

Ty Lee shifted her eyes, suddenly pricked by a thought that fought its way through the scene playing in her mind.

"Why did you and Zuko break up?"

For the first time that evening, Mai's face was not a mask of stone. Her eyebrows shot up as a look of genuine surprise crossed her face.

"What? Why?"

"Was it because of Azula? Did he find out? Or do you… do you still think about her?"

Mai scoffed, "You think we broke up because I'm in love with his sister? I told you, I never loved her, not like that." She looked away, "He did find out though. Azula told him a few years ago. I think he couldn't really look at me the same way after he knew. Besides, I never saw him much once he became Fire Lord. All of the waiting around got boring. It was for the best. We're both too busy for each other." A tiny blush crossed Mai's cheeks before it vanished almost as fast as it appeared.

"Why would you give up on something you betrayed your best friend for?" Ty Lee could feel anger bubbling inside her.

Another look of incredulity from Mai, "You did the same thing."

"To possibly save your life. I thought you would at least be Fire Lady by now."

Mai stopped herself from rolling her eyes, "And I did it to save Zuko's life. If I hadn't, I never would have even had the chance to see if he and I might work out. Azula would have let her own brother die. Would you have been okay with that? He was your friend from childhood too."

Ty Lee knew that. She knew all of that, but she wanted to pick a fight with Mai. She wasn't ready to immediately accept these new revelations. The floodgates in her brain had burst with the confirmation of Azula and Mai. The images jammed in front of her eyes.

She pulled away from Mai, "No, I wouldn't have been." She closed her fists and felt a burning in her throat. More images. Her eyes stung, "Did she like it?"

"What are we talking about now?" Mai was growing tired of this meeting. She wanted to go to bed.

"Did Azula like it when you had your fingers inside of her?"

The blush that painted Mai's cheeks earlier stayed there this time, "I never did that. You're angry, I get it, but it happened years ago. I think you need time to cool off and—"

"Or maybe she cracked through that porcelain mask you wear all the time when she went down on you?" Ty Lee was obviously not listening. She was lost in frames and frames of explicit imaginings. Mai had never seen such a dark look cross her friend's face as Ty Lee said in a sickeningly sweet tone, "I bet you make the prettiest sounds."

Mai's eyes narrowed dangerously, "Okay, you aren't listening. I'm done with this for tonight. Come over again when you've calmed down and realized that there's nothing to worry about. You can deal with her manipulative cruelty. She's all yours."

Mai steered Ty Lee down the hallway to the front door. She waited for her to shove her shoes on before closing the door not so gently at Ty Lee's back. Mai stared at the door, riled up because of Azula's untimely confession for the second time. The fallen princess was still wreaking havoc on her life from behind bars.

Meanwhile, Ty Lee stood outside. Her face upturned at the cloudy night sky, her last few tears mixing with the falling rain. What did Zuko like to say?

Azula always lies.

Maybe, but her honesty hurt just as much.

Everything was inky blue. Her arms were chained together and her legs kicked furiously. She heard choking gasps coming from somewhere nearby. Another moment and she realized the noises were coming from her own lips. Two shadowy figures appeared above her and she realized where she was.

Azula was drowning. Trapped under the grate that the water peasant chained her to on the day of the comet. The chains cut into her wrists, the water freezing her and forcing its way down her throat. She kicked and propelled herself upwards, only to have her face crash into the metal barrier. Her hands gripped the frosty lattice, desperate to catch a breath. She managed a shallow gulp of air while the water churned around her, slowly rising, before one shadow came into the light.

The peasant. Murderous intent flooded through Azula's veins. The bitch was giving her a look of total satisfaction, standing some feet away in the arena. Cold, blue eyes watched her inhale too much water and too little air. She sank below the surface again, lungs burning with the strain to stay alive. Her movements slowed as she mustered the strength to bring herself to the half inch of air remaining between the grate and the water, hands clutching the metal for dear life. The second shadow appeared and Azula looked Ty Lee in the eyes.

The space to breathe was nearly gone and she panicked, thrashing in the water. Ty Lee merely watched with a detached expression. She would let me drown? Azula stared up at her, golden eyes freezing over in the water as she pleaded for the first time in her life.

"H-help me."

Ty Lee approached and with a swift stamp of her foot, crushed the fingers latching onto the grate. Azula released her hands and used a precious breath to elicit a shout underwater that came out in a stream of bubbles. She sank, surrounded by the element she despised the most. She felt every last molecule of oxygen leave her lungs as Ty Lee watched her drown.

Gasping harshly, Azula awoke in her cell. Her lungs burned as if she'd held her breath during the nightmare. The look on Ty Lee's face was etched in her eyelids. Every time she blinked, the former acrobat taunted her with that second, more lethal betrayal. Shaking her head, she exhaled to calm down. Just a dream, nothing unusual, it wasn't real.

But she felt weak. Weak and freezing. She wrapped herself tightly in the sheets of her bed. The cold of the room had never truly bothered her before. Her father used to train her in harsher conditions than this place. But it was colder than usual. Much colder. She saw her breath clearly and was frightened to see her fingers had taken on a blue tinge. Azula tried to disperse the fire in her veins to warm them up. When she could not, she began to panic.

What is going on? Why can't I feel my fire? I'm not still dreaming, right? She looked around the room and found it crystallized in an icy sheen. The guards usually posted inside the door were not there.

Azula reluctantly put her feet on the floor to walk towards the bars. As soon as they touched the ground, she recoiled from the icy bolt that shot through her legs and up her spine. She tucked her feet back into the sheets and sat on the bed, staring at the footprints she'd left on the metal floor. They were quickly frosting over again.

For a second time, she tried to spread heat through her body. Nothing, I can't feel anything. She remained on the bed as she shouted for answers.

"G-guards!" She cursed at having lost control over her voice. Too cold to speak without her teeth chattering wildly.

It seemed they could not hear her from outside. She waited a good twenty minutes in the cold before the outer door opened and a brief rush of warmth tumbled into the room. In walked Kai.

Was he just waiting for her to wake up in this freezer? What did she do to deserve this treatment?

"W-what's g-going on? W-hy is it b-below zero in here?" She tried to sound assertive, but imagined the tone was lost in the cold.

Kai shivered, "Good morning, Azula. The guards informed me that you'd taken to burning yourself again," Azula's eyes narrowed, Ty Lee just couldn't keep her giant mouth shut that one evening.

"We can't have you hurting yourself in here. If you burn yourself so badly that you need medical attention, how are we to know? You certainly wouldn't tell us and I don't think you'd take kindly to an implementation of daily burn searches either. So for a day or two, the temperature will be turned down to show you that it isn't okay to hurt yourself like that."

His kind tone made Azula want to vomit, "R-really? You say you don't want me hurting mys-self, but you'll th-threaten my life by m-making me stay in these conditions? How is th-this a legal treatment?"

"The temperature won't kill you. And it's only for one more day. This is a reminder that I am here to help you. If you feel the need to burn yourself, then there are obviously issues you're struggling with. And for some reason, you don't want to mention them. Reach out to me, Azula. You may find it could actually help you."

With that remark, he turned on his heel, white coat swishing behind him, and exited through the door. She relished the quick warmth again before it was swallowed by the icy abyss of her room.

Ty Lee. Ty Lee couldn't shut up when it mattered. Didn't she know drawing attention to her burns would have consequences? Idiot girl.

"She was trying to help you," the voice of her mother entered the room. Azula's glare lowered the temperature a few degrees more.

"Oh, h-honestly, not now," she was in no mood to hear a lecture.

"You know she loves you. She was pointing it out because she cares about you and doesn't want you hurting yourself like that," Ursa kept her distance, perched on one of the guest chairs. Azula was foolishly annoyed that her mother couldn't feel the cold too.

"I s-said, not now," Azula buried her face into her thoroughly chilled pillow and bundled into what little warmth she retained in her sheets.

"Don't listen to that nonsense, it's your fault this happened. You were too weak to control your emotions. Though I expect you'll endure this," a deep voice barked out from just next to her head.

Azula's eyebrows furrowed but she didn't turn around to face her father. Both of them at the same time? That's… new. This cold is working wonders. She didn't respond.

"You best make sure it doesn't happen again. Some prodigy, using fire purposefully against yourself? Pathetic," Azula could feel his gaze boring a hole into her back, but she refused to roll over. She ignored whatever else the two of them said and began thinking of anything to distract herself from the temperature. Oddly, she wished she was in her straightjacket. Another layer of clothing, no matter how humiliating, would be welcome.

After a couple hours of restless fidgeting and attempts to keep her extremities somewhat warm, Azula fell into a light and fitful sleep.