Another chapter. And a lot of twin love XD I love twins, and I've not gotten a lot of chances to write the two in here. They'll get a LOT more important, I'll tell you that.
Ty Lee glared at the merchant's booth in front of her with utmost disgust.
It wasn't that she had any particular distaste for this booth. She was actually well acquainted with the owner and often helped him carry cargo and such. He was a nice man who had a family to look after and she was glad to help him. His children were absolutely adorable too. She was pretty certain that one of his daughters was a part of Koko's little troop.
No. It was the burning message on the side of it that caused her disapproval.
Katara and Haru were already at work putting the fire out. It wasn't as big as many of the others she had seen recently; just a relatively small flare rather than the ravenous ones that ate away at buildings. This proved one thing: Azula wasn't trying to be destructive. She was trying to tell them something. Something about Ty Lee. She knew she should be scared for her life, but found that her old friend's threats didn't frighten her. It just brought up bad memories.
Ty Lee figured she should be used to this by now. Ever since the fire at the dormitory, this became a weekly thing. On the first day of every week a new note appeared along with smoke from an inflamed building. Always slightly different, but it still bore the same meaning. She was surprised no one on the island had caught on that Azula was most likely here. They probably thought it was a troublemaking youth or something of the sorts instead of a very powerful and very dangerous firebender.
Katara had confirmed that this had to be Azula's work, or at least of a bender as strong as her. If one without bending abilities was just setting a building on fire they wouldn't have been able to be so precise. And writing with flames? Impossible without the talent of firebending. As far as they knew, no other firebenders were on the island or showed interest in the location. So it had to be her. It had to be her. No matter how much everyone wished it was someone else, it had to be her.
Oddly enough, Ty Lee could've cared less about the death threats right now. Sure, this man's booth almost burned to the ground, but nothing Azula had set on fire had been completely destroyed so far. Her heart was hurting more than anything.
Sokka had recently announced that he and Suki were an item again. Very publically in the dojo. With kisses. Lots and lots of kisses. Beautiful, lengthy kisses. Not so long ago that had been her in his arms, feeling his lips. She had been the one he had loved. The anger surged inside of her, mixed with pain and treachery. He had said he was doing this to protect her, but she was now convinced he had made up that story. At least he hadn't gotten back together with her leader the day after he broke up with Ty Lee. That would've made it hurt worse.
"You ready?" Hasoka asked, handing her a paintbrush.
Ty Lee didn't respond, staring at the tool in her hand. She had learned about Sokka's so-called 'feelings' for her while painting. Had he really just used her? Was it all a lie? She didn't know what to believe anymore.
She breathed in, pushing her struggles aside. "Where do we start?"
"Lemme see…probably where it says 'I see you, Ty Lee'." Hasoka said with a grin. "But that's just my guess."
Ty Lee couldn't help but smiling back. Both she and Hasoka were the only one it seemed who weren't taking this whole Azula thing seriously. Probably because Hasoka was the only one who understood that Ty Lee could protect herself and she wasn't in any real danger. It was nice to still have her around during her current depression, even if her best friend didn't know about her fling with Sokka.
Haru stepped back, the fire extinguished. He was sweating, and he pulled up a bit of his shirt to wipe it off his face. Ty Lee found herself blushing as she caught sight of the muscles hidden underneath the cloth. He was in better shape than she thought. He had appeared slightly weak, but now he seemed so strong. If only he didn't have that facial hair. Maybe then…
No! No rebound romance for her! She wouldn't be used again. Wouldn't get hurt again. She was already accused of being too boy-crazy. She wasn't going to let the charges against her be proved correct. Ty Lee was perfectly able of controlling herself around boys. Perfectly able.
Now that the fire was out, they had a new job. Repair the damage as much as possible. Painting over the scorched areas was the only way they could do it so far without bringing much attention to the messages scrawled over the burn marks. And it was a lot more fun than replacing the wood. Less time consuming too. They also got to wear something other than their usual uniforms since it was messy. Ty Lee loved the feeling of the softer tunics they had on. She hadn't gotten to wear it since feeding the Unagi. No make-up either.
"Am I holding this right?"
It was Ling Ling. She had decided to join them today on account of Ying Ying being off with the others going offshore on a cargo ship, watching for any unusual activity suggesting that Azula was hanging out far off in the sea. And at the moment she was handling the brush from its bristles, staring at it with as much confusion as one could express. Her face was scrunched up so tight it looked like it would stay that way.
"No, no. Like this!" Hasoka demonstrated. Ling Ling's cheeks burned bright red and she rotated the brush so that she was doing it correctly.
"S-Sorry… I knew I've painted before but…" she frowned. "My brain feels all muddled right now…"
"Like how?" Ty Lee asked, concerned. Ling Ling tended to exaggerate about ailments and scary things, but she really appeared to be sick.
"I… I don't know…" she said softly. She looked really frightened, completely in the dark about what was making her feel bad.
"I do," Hasoka interjected. "Its Ying Ying."
"Huh?" Ty Lee didn't understand how Hasoka had come up with that conclusion.
"She's never been off the island without you, has she?"
Ling Ling shook her head. "No, we usually go together."
"Then that's it!" Hasoka exclaimed triumphantly. "It's that weird twin thingy that makes you guys hear each other's thoughts. It also makes it hard for you to be apart for long distances and long periods of time. I also heard you can feel each other's pain and stuff."
"Are you sure?" Ty Lee asked. She had never heard of anything like this before.
"Positive. I knew some twins who said that stuff happened to them."
"What? But… there are no other twins on Kyoshi Island… we were celebrated as the first pair in almost fifty years…" Ling Ling objected.
"I was talking about before I was on the island," Hasoka replied stoically. "Oh, yeah. And they said they knew some twins who actually died after being separated for too long and-"
"Okay! I think we've heard enough stories for today!" Ty Lee interrupted. She could see Ling Ling's face paling rapidly, her eyes shrinking smaller than pinpoints. The poor girl already got scared too easily. Though Ty Lee wondered what she was more scared about: herself dying, her sister dying, or both of them dying and never being able to see each other again. She knew that a twin's bond was one of the strongest in the world.
"Let's get started then," Ling Ling offered, the color slowly coming back to her skin.
As they began laying the new coat of paint, Ty Lee noticed Katara and Haru standing at a distance, keeping a look-out of the area. She had let them know that she had needed space to breathe, and they had agreed to it unless an immediate danger appeared. Like that would really happen. But she was relieved that they actually wanted her to be comfortable. She had been afraid they were too concerned about her safety to think of anything else.
Ty Lee found herself watching Haru again. His eyes were so gentle and yet sharp. Not as piercing as Sokka's, but that made them less likely to hurt her. She was well aware the duller the knife the smaller the wound. But no. She wasn't going to initiate anything with Haru. A relationship with her bodyguard? Those never worked out. Especially after a bad one with someone else. Besides, hadn't she told herself not to think like that earlier?
Maybe everyone else was right. Maybe she was boy-crazy.
Hasoka was applying the paint neatly and smooth. Ling Ling was brushing wildly, missing the wood several times and hitting herself with paint instead. Ty Lee hadn't started, watching as the hostile note slowly disappeared behind the cover. If only Azula could just disappear like that too. It would make everything a lot less stressed around here.
"Haven't you noticed something odd, Ty?" Hasoka asked, making up for the sudden lack of conversation, it seemed.
"Like what?" Ty Lee frowned.
"Like she isn't painting?" Ling Ling suggested.
"No, no, I'm talking about Azula. She seems to know her way around here pretty well." Hasoka explained. "I mean, how does she strike and then slip away without anyone of us seeing her?"
"What are you suggesting?" Ty Lee asked, suddenly intrigued.
"Maybe…" she lowered her voice, "…maybe someone's helping her."
"We already know that," Ling Ling reminded. "That's how she escaped."
Her eyes narrowed. "Maybe someone from the island is helping her."
It was quiet as they all realized what Hasoka was insinuating. Ty Lee did admit it was strange that Azula hadn't been spotted yet, especially in an unfamiliar place that had to be hard to navigate… but really? Who would be helping her? There wasn't anyone who supported the Fire Nation on the island. Or anyone who particularly hated her.
Wait a minute…
"Nikumu!" she realized aloud. "D'ya think it could be Nikumu!?"
Nikumu sure hated her enough. She made sure to remind her of this almost daily. Ever since they first met in prison she had hated her. No. Even before that. The day they had fought in the woods, when she was against the warriors. No doubt that was the start of her animosity. And a loathing that had lasted for so long could make someone do something as rash as this.
"Dunno… maybe…" Hasoka muttered. Then her eyes widened. "Wait! She did go away from the docks for a bit some time before the first attack… she might have been helping her then!"
"I don't know… Nikumu really isn't that…" Ling Ling began.
Ty Lee ignored her. "Are you positive she went away?"
"Cross my heart and hope to die," she promised, doing the appropriate motions for the oath.
This was astonishing. Nikumu was trying to kill her? But it made sense. Practically everything the evil girl said to her was a death threat. No one else would believe her, though. Takumi would say she was paranoid or Suki would tell her she was trying to get her rival in trouble. How could she get them to really consider her claim?
"We need more evidence than that," Ty Lee informed.
"I know," Hasoka said. "But I promise I'll help you get it. We need to stop her before she does anything stupid… er."
Ty Lee nodded, filled with a new initiative. She could catch Nikumu, then get her to tell them where Azula was, and then get her off the island. Her life could be normal again! The thought of it made her almost squeal with joy. And getting Nikumu in prison for a long time didn't sound too bad either.
"Okay. The investigation starts now."
Ty Lee stood outside of the dojo, looking sadly at the sunset. Usually it made her happy. She loved the brilliant display of pinks and oranges in the night sky. All of her favorite colors wishing her a good night. But this time it just made her more depressed. On a normal occasion, she would be meeting with Sokka tonight.
It was stupid to think that standing here would make him want to see her at their special spot, but that was her momentum anyways. He was with Suki again. Happily with Suki. Showing off once more how many times they could kiss in public. Revolting. Absolutely revolting. Why was he doing this to her!? Didn't he know it was tearing her up on the inside?
But of course, she tried to keep a giddy disposition on the surface. She couldn't let anyone see that she was upset and put two and two together. It was rather suspicious that she was overly content while Sokka and Suki weren't together after the kissing scandal and now that they were together again she was depressed. She didn't know if anybody else other than those present actually knew about her first kiss with Sokka, though, but she was sure they could have figured this out.
"Hey."
Ty Lee almost jumped, startled to hear anything except her own thoughts. It was a masculine voice. Her hopes soared. Sokka? Was he really coming?
Of course not. It was Haru, walking up towards her from the path to the village.
"Oh… hi…" She said, trying not to show her disappointment.
"Are… are you okay?" He asked hesitantly. She could already see the sweat beading on his brow, even with the low light. She liked the way he got all uncomfortable around her.
"Yeah. Just needed some air."
"Oh… okay…" Haru tried to look like he was interested in staring at the sunset, but he was failing miserably. Ever two seconds he would sneak another glance at her, then quickly go back to be unnoticed.
"Y'know…" Ty Lee mused. "You're kinda cute…"
She hadn't exactly meant for it to come out like that. Not making it sound like she was that interested in him. She didn't want to be interested in him. It was clear that he was interested in her, though. The whole sentence had been an accident, saying her thoughts aloud before thinking about what it could mean. She really had to work on controlling that.
His face was completely flushed, and she couldn't tell whether her confession had stirred confidence in him or made him even more uneasy. She considered what she could say to tip him off that she wasn't that attracted to him. That she wasn't ready for another relationship.
"But…" she began, "I really hate that moustache."
Then, to avoid embarrassment and seeing his reaction, she quickly ran back inside the dojo, closing the door behind her.
