Chapter 6

Ty Lee lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling. Ever since her fight with Mai a few weeks ago, she'd been feeling so depressed. Of course she was also a horrible mix of angry and hurt to discover that Mai and Azula had done... things. But a touch of relief was there too, at Mai's insistence that they hadn't fully slept together. After Ty Lee had gone home to calm down, many of Mai's words finally reached her ears, including those most important ones.

Unfortunately, there was still something that nagged at her. Neither of her friends had told her what happened. Azula, she could understand. The only way Ty Lee had found out in the first place was because Azula probably wanted to get back at her for the Boiling Rock incident. And while she wasn't affected when she found out in Azula's cell, Ty Lee had to admit the confession was eating away at her.

But Mai… Mai could have told her. Mai should have told her at some point. Wasn't it just common courtesy to let her know?

She knew it was stupid to be so affected by something that happened probably five years ago. And she knew Mai was right, Azula did seem to care for Ty Lee in her own twisted way. The teasing, the jealousy over boy-talk, the rare but wonderful times when they just fell asleep together. Ty Lee was sure Azula never did those things with Mai. It was just one instance between them. Just for experimentation. She clung to the hope that it was more than that between Azula and herself.

Ty Lee sat up, long braid brushing across her back. She stretched and yawned, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Today she would go apologize to Mai. And then maybe set out for another visit.

She slipped into her clothes. It was mid-fall in the Fire Nation now, but it was still very warm. Living here meant never having to deal with snow or extreme cold; it was quite pleasant year round.

Ty Lee looked around her messy room. She had a lot of space to herself now that she moved out of her sister filled household. The extra room was certainly welcome, and Ty Lee filled most of it with scattered clothes and girly knickknacks.

She made her way to the kitchen of her small apartment and quickly made a cup of tea before stepping out into the Saturday morning sunlight. Bright and breezy, a perfect day.

The streets were quite empty. No vendors pushing carts full of various trinkets, no kids crying in the marketplace. They wouldn't arrive until the market opened in an hour or so. It was nice. Ty Lee enjoyed the quiet walk across the city to Mai's house.

Ty Lee dawdled a bit, weaving in and out of cramped side streets and looking in storefront windows. She knew eventually her feet would make their way to Mai's house, but there was no real urgency to get there and start the conversation. When she did finally arrive, it was mid-morning. Ty Lee knocked on Mai's door before her mind could think of a thousand reasons not to. It opened shortly afterwards.

Mai did not react at all to seeing her on the doorstep, "Morning," her voice was rough; Ty Lee thought she must have just woken up.

"Hi. Can I come in for a minute?"

Mai looked her over and seemed to seriously consider turning her away before nodding and stepping aside to let Ty Lee in. They settled in the two comfy armchairs of Mai's study, where there was a nice fire sparking quietly in the fireplace.

After a few moments of silence, Ty Lee took a breath and spoke, "I'm sorry I… I'm sorry, Mai. I was really mad and jealous, I guess. I'm still a little mad just 'cause I really wish you'd told me before Azula did." Ty Lee couldn't meet Mai's eyes and chose to stare down at her lap.

Mai was gazing into the fire, "I know. I'm sorry I didn't say anything. I never thought to bring it up, but you need to understand that we didn't sleep together. I never would have let it go that far."

The two of them sat quietly for another minute, as the fire crackled in the grate. Ty Lee looked up at Mai, unable to shake the heaviness from her shoulders.

"I thought maybe I'd get over her while I was away but…" she shrugged, "I keep coming back. I don't want to, but I keep thinking about her. All the time."

Mai's eyes moved to meet the gray-brown colored ones across from her, "I know."

"Do you think I'm crazy for it? I mean, after everything she put us through, I should hate her, right? Don't you hate her?"

"I… No, I guess I don't hate her. I don't like her, but I don't hate her either."

Again Ty Lee couldn't help but feel terribly sad about how much their dynamic had changed throughout the years.

"I thought we'd be best friends for life. All three of us. Now you don't like her, I think I love her, and she's locked in a mental hospital. I wish everything was different. Like it used to be."

A pained look flitted briefly across Mai's face, "Sometimes I do too."

The conversation stalled, but it was not awkward. Ty Lee knew Mai wouldn't have anything else to say and so she stood to leave.

"I just wanted you to know I'm sorry about the other night, okay? I should get going if I want to catch the next ferry. If… If you wanted, you could come with me sometime."

Mai laughed hollowly, "I think we both know that's not a good idea." She followed Ty Lee to the door.

"No, I guess not yet."

"Come over again soon if you want. I don't have an assignment for a while and it's going to be dull around here."

Ty Lee smiled, "Of course I will." She gave Mai a quick hug before setting off to the docks, feeling only slightly better after the brief conversation.

Hours later, Ty Lee arrived at the hospital. She hadn't seen Azula since the day of her sudden bout of honesty. That was almost a month ago. She felt a little guilty at not visiting, but she really hadn't been in the mood to face Azula after meeting with Mai.

She passed through each set of gates easily. Most of the guards knew her on sight now that she'd been visiting for several consecutive months. And she no longer needed Niko as an escort. Ty Lee was relieved at that; the turtleduck fiasco had made things awkward on their walks. As long as she checked in with each set of guards and Dr. Liu, she was allowed to visit Azula on her own.

This time however, when she knocked on the doctor's office door, he sat her down for a chat.

"Lady Ty Lee, I was unaware that you would be coming here today. Did you send a messenger hawk?"

Ty Lee shook her head, "No, I've never done that before. Usually it's okay if I just show up," She felt uneasy, "Should I have sent a hawk? Is something wrong?"

Dr. Liu fidgeted with his hands on his desk. He was nervous about something.

"Ah, no of course not. We just weren't expecting you. I don't suppose you'd like to come back tomorrow?"

Slowly, Ty Lee was getting worried, "I don't really want to turn around and jump right back on the ferry. What's going on with Azula? Is she okay?"

"Right, right, of course. She is fine. Thanks to you, we found out about Azula's little habit of burning herself. Since then, we've treated all of her burns and she doesn't have any visual scars. The habit has decreased, but she still does it occasionally. Probably to feel a sense of control over something."

"What? She said she accidentally burned herself during a nightmare. They were done on purpose?"

"We believe so."

Oh Azula. Ty Lee got caught up on the doctor's words, "Wait, what do you mean, 'thanks to me'? I never reported any burns."

"No. Not directly to us. But because of a conversation you and Azula shared in her cell some weeks ago, the guards informed me of her injuries and we investigated further."

Great. She's probably realized that too and blames me for whatever they're doing to her now.

"Okay, but you've found out about it. So what's the problem, why don't you want me to see her? Did she badly burn herself? I've seen burns before, I don't mind." Growing up in the Fire Nation, citizens typically learned quite a bit about burns and their treatment, even if they weren't able to bend the element themselves.

Dr. Liu sighed gently, "No, the burns are minimal. It is the burning act itself that we're trying to discourage. I'd much rather have her talk to me and tell me what it is that's causing these actions, rather than her harming herself. But because she has continued to burn, we have implemented a new system for whenever she does so. Yesterday the guards spotted a burn on her shoulder so today the conditions are in place."

New system? More restraints? More sedation?

"We've lowered the temperature in her quarters so she can't bend."

Lowered the temperature? Spirits, how cold must it be to prevent someone as powerful as Azula from firebending? Ty Lee couldn't recall a time where the princess couldn't bend. Not one. Well, not counting the eclipse.

Gut churning, she stood up abruptly, "I'd like to see her now, please."

Kai opened his mouth as if to deny her request, before inhaling and acquiescing, "You know the way. There aren't any guards posted inside for the time being, so if you need to be let out, knock on the door."

Cold enough for no guards.

Ty Lee practically flew down the stairs to the basement. She reached Azula's door and was skeptically looked at by the guards outside.

"Dr. Liu said to let me in."

They hesitated, but grudgingly obliged and Ty Lee entered the room she'd become so familiar with.

Or the room she thought she'd been so familiar with. As soon as the door opened, the frigid air clawed at her skin. She wrapped her arms around herself, chills wracking her body, and glanced around. A massive transformation had taken place. There was actual frost coating every inch of the exposed metal of the room and the air was probably North Pole level cold. Not that she'd ever been to the North Pole, but this had to be what it was like.

Immediately her eyes were drawn to the huddled figure on the bed. Azula was tightly wrapped in thin, why are they so thin, sheets, head buried under a pillow. Ty Lee was reminded of her very first visit here. Only that time, the doctor's methods of restraint seemed reasonable. This was inhumane. This controversial treatment was meant for dangerous prisoners, not patients.

"Azula!" Ty Lee called from the bars. The iron cylinders were covered in uneven ice crystals. It probably would have been pretty under different circumstances.

There was no response. Ty Lee craned her neck through the bars to see if she was breathing. Straining her eyes for any movement at all.

There was none.

"Azula! Can you hear me? Azula!" Panic. The princess was a firebender of insane ability, but even she couldn't handle this level of cold for so long. And if it was so intense that she couldn't bend, how was she keeping warm at all?

The burns were freezing her. Oh, the irony.

Ty Lee rushed to the door and angrily pounded on it, the warmth of her hand nearly causing it to seal to the icy surface. A guard quickly opened it.

"Are you ready to lea—"

"She isn't moving! Let me in there!"

"Lady Ty Lee, we can't do—"

"Does the Fire Lord know his sister, who is still a princess by the way, is being treated like this?" She violently gestured to the room, "I find it hard to believe he would order this kind of punishment." She glared at them. Her eyes every bit as cold and sharp as the ice that covered the walls inside.

The guards exchanged a glance behind the masks they wore. The one that hadn't spoken shuffled past his partner and approached the locked door into Azula's half of the room.

"Niko, Kai explicitly said we were not to approach the patient for twenty-four hours."

Niko? Ty Lee looked to the man unlocking the door inside and recognized the ponytail poking out of his masked head. She scowled back at the other guard.

"What kind of place treats a patient like this?" Rushing back into the freezer, she briefly paused at the door to the half of the room she'd never entered before.

"Thank you," she squeezed Niko's arm in desperate appreciation as he nodded, and then she ran to Azula.

Ty Lee slipped to her knees next to the bed, feeling as though she had just plunged them in ice water. She gently nudged Azula, but again there was no reaction.

Stay calm, stay calm, she's okay. She would never let this place take her out.

The former acrobat lifted the pillow from Azula's head and rolled the young woman over to face her. She was greeted with a frightening sight and choked on her own breath.

Azula was pale as a ghost. There was almost no color in her face at all and what little there might have been was the wrong color. Blue. The tip of her nose was starting to turn blue. So different from the gorgeous shade of cerulean that graced her flames, this was an abnormal, deathly blue. Ty Lee winced as she touched Azula's face. Her skin was ice.

She bent down to listen to Azula's chest, desperate to hear the distinct sound that signified life. Ty Lee was panicking, her own heartbeat pulsing in her ears. Not after everything, not like this.

Thud.

She released a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. It was there. It was faint, but it was regular and it was there. Ty Lee crawled onto the bed with Azula and wrapped her tightly in her arms, willing her body heat to transfer to the one that needed it more.

Thud.

Ty Lee had never felt so relieved. The tears in her eyes fell and froze almost immediately.

She was lying on her side, Azula on her back. Ty Lee's chin rested on her shoulder and she admired the princess from up close. Tiny ice crystals covered her eyelashes, like some kind of weird makeup. Ty Lee brushed them away and caressed the smooth skin of Azula's cheek, eyes tracing every contour of her face. The perfect nose, the gorgeous lips, the pointed jawline. Now that she'd calmed down, Ty Lee noticed a faint mist of breath puffing out of Azula's mouth. Alive. Thank the spirits.

Minutes passed as the former acrobat clung to her friend. Stroking her face, squeezing her arms through the sheets, and brushing the hair from her forehead. She noticed the shadow of a burn on Azula's neck. She leant in and kissed the delicate skin, wishing she could take all of this girl's pain away.

"Lady Ty Lee, I think it's time for you to leave," Dr. Liu's voice rang suddenly through the room.

Ty Lee didn't acknowledge his presence with any physical reaction, "I don't think so. I'm staying right here until you crank the temperature back up."

She heard footsteps approaching and spun around to face the doctor, shielding Azula with her arms.

"I'm not leaving her. And if you think for a second that Zuko won't hear about this—"

The doctor looked curiously at Ty Lee, "The Fire Lord suggested this."

Her jaw dropped, "What? There is no way Zuko would order you to freeze his sister to death just for a few burns!"

Dr. Liu appeared somewhat conflicted, "He gave us permission to do this when she first arrived here. And having been informed of her recent troubles, he thought rather than sedation, chilling the room further would entice her to speak to us since she values her bending so highly."

"She's never going to talk to any of you again after this! Are you serious?! I thought you were smart at first and had Azula's best interests at heart, but I guess I was super wrong. You're following awful orders. Zuko should have known better than to suggest cooling. It's cruel to do this to any firebender, let alone his own sister," Ty Lee spoke assuredly and stared at the doctor with flashing eyes. "I won't leave her side until she's warmed up. You can report that back to the Fire Lord. And next time I see him, I'll make sure he knows just how much she was cooled down."

With that, Ty Lee flipped around and resumed her hold on Azula. She heard a sigh and Kai's steps retreated out of the room. After a few minutes the gentle humming Ty Lee realized must be the power source for the cooling, halted.

She stared at Azula. Her breaths were shallow and slow. Embracing her, Ty Lee placed a light kiss on her shoulder.

"I won't leave you."