Oissu! Sorry this took so long, I had written the whole thing out a while back, but my beta got real busy and I needed her to fix it up a bit. The Third chapter is being typed up immeadiately after this is posted, so expect it SOON!! I will also write a few MPoaS chapters while I wait for my beta to be done with that chapter (since I beat my new video game and nothing else in life seems fulfilling, lol). This chapter is a bit short (on my standards) and kind of rushed (even with my amazing beta's handiwork), so sorry!! It is hard to write without so much action when action is coming!! IT IS COMING!! Sorry...a bit hyper there...anyways, R&R! Oh yeah...almost forgot... My beta isn't sure if the summary is up to par (perfectionist!!), so could you please tell me if it is good or not to make my beta feel better? Personally, I don't care...
Logged out reviews: Mazda the Crazy: All of those weird words at the end of the old summary were shipping names. Shippings are relationships and contain a bit of one name and a bit of another (ex. Ty Lee x Sokka Ty L (Ty Lee) + okka (Sokka) Ty Lokka).
Ty Lee smiled. Her friend's aura had grown from grey to light pink since they got out of prison. But she wouldn't dare tell her that. Orange and pink were Mai's least favorite colors.
Zuko, Fire Lord Zuko now, stood beside her, his hand holding hers. He looked so serious. Probably very intent on doing his best, as usual. He glanced at Mai and his eyes softened. Mai held his hand tighter and attempted to smile, but it didn't work. Today was a hard day for her.
Ty Lee turned her attention to the other side of the docks. Some of the Avatar's friends had crowded around Suki. There was the waterbender, Katara. She had always hated Ty Lee's guts during the war. But she completely believed her story about the Boiling Rock. She had seen the aftermath of her betrayal.
The little girl next to her was the earth bender, Toph. Ty Lee had learned the hard way not to call the girl cute; her head still throbbed sometimes from the fall. She had been beaten by her before, but she was still amazed by the girl's skilled bending.
Finally there was Sokka. Her heart ached. His lips were locked with Suki's for what seemed to be forever. Ty Lee sighed as she turned away. She had never seriously considered that she and Sokka would be an item, but she always hoped.
It just didn't seem fair. So many times he had entertained her thoughts with looks and flirts. But the whole time he was with another girl. She felt cheated. She figured it was Suki who had really been cheated. And yet there she was, both of them attached at the hip. Ty Lee would bet 10 silver pieces that she didn't even know what Sokka had done.
What had hurt her most was his initial reaction to seeing her in uniform. Horror. Disbelief. Fear. Like any attraction he had had to her was washed away. Just because she had been an enemy. Before, when she was on the other side, he still showed interest. What was the difference now? She was furious at his insensitivity. She had put on a fake grin and lived through it, like she had several times in her life. She knew the truth now: Sokka was out of her reach.
She could deal with it. There were millions of other boys in the world, right? No Sokka was going to ruin her love life.
"Ty Lee…" Mai muttered, bringing Ty Lee back to reality. Her friend had pulled from Zuko's light grasp and was walking briskly towards her. Mai embraced the younger girl tightly.
"Mai, don't be such a worrywart. I'm not gonna be that far away. And we'll still see each other."
"I know…" She sighed, and then looked Ty Lee up and down, "I still don't like the getup." Ty Lee grinned. Mai had always hated the Kyoshi Warrior uniform, especially when she had to wear it.
"You'll get used to it."
"I doubt it…" Mai's face was contorted with emotions, a rare sight. But Ty Lee wasn't going to jeer at her this time.
"Let your aura lighten up! I'll be fine."
"If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times, I don't believe in-" She was cut of by a small horn. It came from the small ferry that was docked at the port.
"Okay girls, the boats about to leave!" Suki called. The rest of the Kyoshi Warriors had started to line up behind her as she broke away from Sokka and made her way towards the boat. Ty Lee started to walk over but Mai stopped her.
"Just one last thing, Ty…" She said softly. Her eyes started to waver a bit.
"Yeah?"
"Don't let anything happen to you. If you get hurt I will personally kill whoever did it to you." She gave a quick glance to Nikumu and looked back.
"I'll be fine. I promise." She looked up at Mai and opened her mouth as if to say something.
"Ty Lee! Time to go!" Suki rang out, a bit more irritated this time.
"Sorry!" She cried back, embarrassed. "Uh…bye, Mai…"
"Bye, Ty Lee…" Her face softened, and she stepped backwards. Zuko wrapped an arm around her shoulders loosely. Ty Lee nodded and ran up onto the ferry.
She was almost to the ramp when Sokka jumped in front of her.
"Hey, Ty Lee." He said, rubbing his neck awkwardly, making one of his faces.
"Hi." A blush immediately spread across her cheeks, as unwilling as it was.
"I just wanted to say that… I'm sorry of accusing you of still being on Azula's side… Y'know… Earlier… Like… After the comet…" He slumped, obviously struggling with the words. Ty Lee giggled a little.
"It's okay. I get it. I mean, I did attack you on multiple occasions." Her face fell inside her mind, but on the outside she grinned. Mama always said if I grinned, good things would happen. So I have to keep smiling. Right? "So… I guess this is good-bye?" Sokka shrugged.
"I guess." Ty Lee thought a moment, then decided on something rash. She looked over at the ferry, to make sure it wasn't leaving, and to make sure Suki wasn't looking. Then she gave Sokka a quick kiss on the cheek. It wasn't quite up to par with her old fantasies (far from them actually), but it would do. A heavy blush instantly covered her face.
Sokka's face mirrored hers in surprise and redness, but it also registered shock.
She grinned, genuine this time. "G'bye, Sokka!" She turned and ran up the loading ramp.
Nikumu was waiting for her.
"Have fun saying good bye to that wretch? Mee? Mai? Good riddance, I say. No good can come from the Fire Nation natives. Any native." Nikumu gave Ty Lee a pointed glare. "And I saw that with Sokka." It was obviously supposed to intimidate her.Ty Lee just stuck her tongue out in reply.
Next to Zuko, Mai cringed.
"You heard her. She'll be fine…" Zuko said reassuringly.
"The fact that she said it worries me…" Mai gave a small, sad smile. "This is the first time since she ran off that we've been separated…" She looked up as Ty Lee turned from the railing of the boat to see them. The acrobat waved frantically.
"Bye guys! I love you!!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.
"You're right. She'll be fine…" Mai murmured, more to herself than anything.
"…But, if you want I can send surveillance to watch the island at all times." The Fire Lord teased.
"I'm not that worried," Mai rolled her eyes. "She can take care of herself…"
"Then don't worry at all."
"Okay then…" She pecked him on the cheek, "I won't…"
The port grew farther and farther away, but Ty Lee was still convinced she could see the small figures of Mai and Zuko standing by the Avatar's friends. She held back oncoming tears. A hand brushed her shoulders.
"Hey Ty…" A voice whispered.
"Hi, Hasoka…" She replied. The warrior stood beside Ty Lee, her two wisps of hair flying in the wind.
"You okay?"
"Oh…sure…never better…" She lied, giving a fake smile easily.
"I know how you feel…going to live in a new place and all…" She looked at the water splashing at the side of the boat, "I was new to Kyoshi once, too. After my parents died in the war I had to come and live here by myself. The Kyoshi Warriors took me in. They became my family."
"Oh…I'm so sorr-"
"Please don't be. It's nothing special. A lot of people are orphans. And it's not like your childhood was much better. You told us yourself."
"I guess…"
"Come on, be happy!" She punched her softly, "Ying Ying and Ling Ling are cooking dinner tonight. But I have to warn you, just because they are twins doesn't mean they are the same. Don't be surprised if half of your meal is burnt!"
Ty Lee stretched as she walked out of the prison. Everything in the world seemed so much calmer. Of course, this could be due to the fact that the war was over. The birds sang merrier tunes. The sun shone brighter. Even Mai was in a better mood. And that was a lot to say, for Mai at least. She turned to look at her friend, only to be surprised that she had run ahead of her.
No wonder. Her mother and younger brother were standing in front of the gondolas. Mai flew up to them and hugged them eagerly.
"Mom. Tom-Tom. What are you doing here?" She asked, a hint of emotion in her voice.
"We're bringing you home, of course!" Her mother replied cheerily. The blood ran out of her daughter's face.
"Home? Omashu?" She didn't try at the least to hide her disgust.
"No. The other home. Right next to where you-know-who lives." She winked.
"Zuko?"
"Fire Lord Zuko now." Mai's grin was larger than usual. She looked around.
"Hey, where's Ty-" Then she realized what was going on.
"We're going to bring her home too. To our home." Mai's mother announced, her voice grave. Ty Lee nodded. This didn't affect her much. She was used to being ignored by her parents.
They entered the gondola silently after that remark, the only sound a little babbling from Tom-Tom. The Kyoshi Warriors were going to stay behind at the prison and wait for Suki, who was going to pick them up shortly. They understood that Ty Lee needed to clear some stuff up before she left.
"Oh girls, this came for you at home. I brought it here." Mai's mother said, revealing a scroll in her hand. She gave it to Ty Lee, who blushed and handed it over to Mai.
"She can't read very well." Mai explained. She opened the scroll and scanned the page. She gasped. "It's about Azula!"
I hope you like it! The line about smiling is a reference to Many Phases of a Smile, even though technically Kei says it then...but Kei isn't canon and I want this to be as canon as possible. I must thank my beta, Aya (Zutarafan4) for writing the Ty Lokka scene I never planned (but it came out so beautifully!!), even though later she tried to erase Mai kissing Zuko (heel, Zutarian, heel). The next chapter should be longer, and I will introduce a new character and some old familiar faces! I hope it will be up soon!
