Hello again. New chapter's up. Hope you like it. *Insert lame apology for lateness of chapter. Blah, blah, social life, blah, blah, excuses.*


Chapter 4: Homecoming

28, 29, 30...

Ty Lee silently counted as she ran her wooden comb through her long brown hair spilling over her shoulders and back, her trademark braid absent. It was dusk and a few minutes ago the captain had informed her that they would be docking in the Fire Nation Capital in about an hour. She'd looked in a mirror to make sure she looked acceptable but realized that the last few days had left her looking like what she could only describe as a 'wreck'. So now she was sitting on a small stool in front of her vanity, looking into the mirror and making herself presentable. Getting dressed, combing her hair and carefully using make-up to hide the dark bags under her eyes.

Ok, now that's done. Only one thing left.

She pulled her hair back and began the annoyingly long process of tying it into a braid. She had plenty of time though, and over the years she'd gotten used to this time-consuming task.

She was quite nervous about going ashore. She'd promised herself to go and visit Azula in the hospital, and she wasn't sure Mai and Zuko would take the news all that well. But she was also discouraged by the fact that leaving the boat was most likely going to lead to a confrontation with Suki, something the acrobat had managed to avoid for the past few days. The argument they had a few days ago- well, it wasn't as much of an argument as it was Suki yelling at her, but the point was that her leader and good friend now probably hated her.

Even though Suki had been one of the last to accept Ty Lee on Kyoshi island, she'd been one of the few that she'd really formed a connection with. Sure people liked her, and most of the other warriors were friendly, but Suki was almost the only one of them she considered a close friend, and now she'd ruined that.

Man, I am really good at this whole 'friend' thing.

After a few minutes of carefully braiding her hair and tying a small ribbon at it's end to hold it in place, she took a long hard look at herself in the mirror. Great, she looked just like she was supposed to.

Just like she did all those years ago.

She could almost see Azula standing behind her, fiddling with her hair.

No! Stop it. I can't start thinking about this now!

But as it had been for these past few days, the acrobat wasn't strong enough to keep the thoughts about her old friend out of her head.


"Stay still, Ty Lee!"

The twelve-year-old princess scolded her friend sitting on the small chair in front of the vanity in the royal's room.

"Well, I wouldn't move so much if you could just be little more gentle, you kn- ouch!"

Another sharp tug at the acrobat's braid made her wince. Azula stood behind her, trying hopelessly to untangle the mess hanging from the back of her friends head. It was tangles in the worst places imaginable and dry leaves and small twigs stuck out of it here and there. "What were you even doing in those hedges?" The annoyance was clear in her voice, though it was likely more because of her own inability to fix her friends hair than anything else.

"Well, I was just seeing if I could swing over them from that big tree and...I couldn't," she was happy that Azula was too busy to see her blush slightly. She was never one to brag about her acrobatics but she still liked to impress her friend, and failing like this was a bit embarrassing.

"Ugh. And you felt the need to get me to help you because...?" Ty Lee had just popped in on the princess out of nowhere and asked for her help.

"I was on my way to see you anyways," the pink girl's smile faded as she continued. "You've been so busy lately. I hardly ever see you anymore."

Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Ty Lee could see Azula's face soften. She looked a bit...guilty?

"Well, it's not my fault," the princess replied a bit more defensively that Ty Lee had expected. "Now that Zuko's been banished I'm next in line to become Fire Lord. I have to train. I have to be good enough." It was starting to sound like she was talking to herself rather than the girl sitting in front of her.

"I know 'Zula. But I still wish we could spend some more time together."

Azula sighed. As the conversation went on her hands had slowed down and gotten more gentle in fixing up her friend's hair. "Tell you what Ty. I'll try to get a day off from training as soon as I can and we'll hang out. We can even have a sleepover like when we were kids."

Ty Lee wanted to point out that they were in fact still kids, but over the years she'd gotten a bit better at knowing when something that popped into her head was a good thing to say or not. Rather, she focused on the amazing news. The hadn't had a sleepover since that one time three years ago. She was beginning to think they never would again. "That sounds awesome Azula!" She jumped up from the chair, forgetting that the princess' strong hands were still in her braid. She was quickly yanked down by the sheer force of her enthusiasm. "Ouch!"

She heard Azula chuckle lightly behind her. "Calm down. I still haven't finished fixing you hair." She didn't sound as bothered by the task as she had been earlier.

"Ok, thanks again 'Zula."

"Don't mention it. You'd probably do the same for me."


A loud knock brought her back to reality.

A masculine voice called from behind the door. "Miss Ty Lee. Captain Wei Chan told me to inform you we'd be docking in five minutes!"

It took her a while for the words to sink in. "Y-yeah. Be right there," she muttered, not wondering if the man heard her or not. Her eyes were fixed on the girl in the mirror in front of her. Her mouth was slightly open, it's corners curving downwards. Tears mixed with make-up had made several colored streaks down her face and the bags under her eyes were revealed.

This had got to stop. Ever since they set sail for the Fire Nation she'd been having trouble with controlling these random flashbacks. She'd completely zone out for some time and 'relive' some childhood memory of her and Azula before the war ended, when ironically, she'd actually been happy.

Wait. Did he say five minutes?

"Shit!" She started hastily wiping the make-up smudges of her face and reapplying it to once again hide the bags under her sleep-depraved eyes. She didn't have time to do it carefully like before so she just clumsily applied it and hoped nobody would notice. She looked back in the mirror. Well, this will have to do.

She walked over to the metal door of her room, sighed and put on the best fake-smile she could manage, which, to be fair, was pretty good.

She made her way down the narrow hall and up the stairs to the top-deck. She looked ahead and saw the city she'd grown up in moving closer and closer. The sun had almost set and cast a weak red glow over the capital of the Fire Nation, accenting it's already visible red features. It was beautiful.

As the ship slowed down and eventually stopped in the harbor, allowing it's crew to start fastening it and placing a ramp for the passengers to get on land with, Ty Lee noticed Suki climbing up the stairs and onto the deck. They made eye-contact but the acrobat quickly broke it and looked shamefully down at her feet, fiddling with the end of her braid nervously. Should I say something? No, she's probably still mad at me.

The leader of the Kyoshi warriors walked over to where Ty Lee and the other passengers were waiting to get ashore. Awkward silence ensued.

Suki was of course not wearing her Kyoshi warrior outfit. She was dressed in a sleeveless, dark green belly shirt and a matching skirt that reached her knees. It was very simple but it suited her well.

The boarding ramp was finally fastened into place and the captain informed the passengers they could step onto the docks. Most of the other passengers seemed to be either Fire Nationals returning to their homes or travelers from the Earth Kingdom. It was easy to tell by the way people dressed.

I single line was formed and people started walking off the ship one at a time. It went on slowly but Ty Lee supposed it was better than letting everybody just rush off the ship. Most of them would probably be pushed in the sea.

Stepping on something solid for the first time in two weeks felt really weird. It too the acrobat a few moments to get familiarized with it.

"Lady Ty Lee?" she heard someone call though the crowd. She stood on her toes to try to see who it was, with no success. Why do I have to be so damn short?

As the crowd started to clear up she saw a short man dressed in expensive looking red robes with a golden trim. He was waving at her, motioning her to come closer. Behind him were four large men, each standing at different sides of what she recognized as a royal palanquin.

"Aah yes. You must be Lady Ty Lee," the man said with a smile as he gave a curt bow. His voice was slightly high-pitched.

"Yeah, that's me. How did you know?" She figured Mai and Zuko must have sent these guys as some sort of greeting party to escort them to the palace, she saw that the palanquin was empty. She appreciated the gesture and all, but it still felt too much like she was being treated as a kid.

"The Fire Lady instructed me to look for a girl with a long braid, and here you are," he smiled again.

Hey, for all Mai knows I could have changed hairstyles, it's not like we ever see each other anymore. Aww, who am I kidding?

She didn't understand why she was feeling so irritated all of a sudden. It could just be the sea-sickness. Yeah, that must be it. She knew that wasn't the case but she decided not to think about it further.

"And you must be Lady Suki," the man bowed politely again, this time to Ty Lee's side. Suki had walked up to her without the acrobat even noticing. "Yeah, that's me."

"Well, then," the man clapped his bony hands together, looking quite content, "I am Daisuke, the head of the Royal Palanquin Bearers. Fire Lady Mai asked me personally to welcome you and escort you to the palace."

"Well, thank you for your...uhm...hospitality," Suki didn't have much experiences talking to high-ranking people, she always preferred acting more casual, "but we're not royalty. Should we really have to be carried in one of the royal palanquins?" Ty Lee was thinking the same, but didn't say it. Now that she knew Suki was right next to her she found it exceedingly difficult to speak up.

"That may be true, but you two are, none the less, honored guests of the Fire Lord and Lady. That, on its own, comes with its privileges," he smiled and put his hands into his sleeves. "Now Ladies. If you would take your seats, we can get moving." Suki just smiled and walked towards the rather large palanquin and with Ty Lee trailing nervously behind her. The thought of being alone with Suki in such a small space was very uncomfortable to say the least.

They stepped past the red curtain that sealed to inside of the transport from the rest of the world. There were plush silk pillows on either side of it, indicating the seating positions. They both carefully sat down without a word.

Ty Lee didn't like this one bit. She'd never been good with facing her problems head on, or at all for that matter. She'd been deliberately avoiding Suki for the past few days and now she was going to be stuck with her in that small, confined space for what she guessed would be at least half an hour. What if she starts yelling at me again?

Daisuke could be heard clapping his hands and giving some short command to the palanquin bearers. Somehow the thick curtains managed to block out most of the sound outside of the small box they were seated in. Ty Lee couldn't quite decide whether this was a good or a bad thing.

She could feel the palanquin being lifted off the ground and almost immediately started moving. The men carrying it managed to hold it incredibly steady, then again they probably had a lot of experience. This was their job after all.

With most outside sound blocked off, the silence was almost unbearable. Suki just sat there and Ty Lee stared down at her own lap, fiddling with the end of her braid, making sure to absolutely not make eye contact with her friend. If they even were friends at this point.

After about fifteen minutes, Suki finally broke the silence. "Ty Lee? Are you mad at me for what happened back on the ship?"

"Huh?" The acrobat was speechless. Her? Mad at Suki? That didn't even make sense.

"What are you talking about," it took some time to finally get the words out.

"Well, you've been avoiding me ever since. What else am I supposed to think?" To Ty Lee's surprise, Suki didn't sound angry at all. Her voice was full of regret. What's going on?

"I-I thought you didn't even want to speak to me. You looked so mad," her gaze fell back down at her lap as her lip started to tremble slightly. "I thought you hated me."

"Ooh, Ty..." Suki leaned in and gently wrapped her arms around her smallish friend. "How could I possibly hate you? I'm sorry." They stayed like that for a while, it felt nice. When the hug broke and Suki leaned back she stopped for a moment and wiped away a couple of tears that Ty Lee had unknowingly let out. She notice Suki's brow furrowed a bit. What's she...the make-up. Damn it!

"What's..." Suki moved her fingers over the area under her friend's eyes, no doubt revealing the mark of her lack of sleep. "Ty! Haven't you been sleeping at all?"

"Well, I've tried," she said as she actually managed to form a half-hearted smile.

The Kyoshi warrior just shook her head. "Ooh, this won't do. We're supposed to on vacation and you just look worse than ever."

"Gee, thanks," Ty Lee replied dryly, yet slightly playfully. Her mood was definitely improving. And although sarcasm had never been her strong suit, that was more Mai's department, she just couldn't resist.

Suki just looked at her for a few seconds before starting to chuckle. The acrobat quickly followed, laughing at this fundamentally unfunny situation. When they stopped, the air between them seemed to have cleared. They sat laid back in they cushioned seats and relaxed. No more words were needed.

A few minutes later they could feel the palanquin slowly coming to a halt and being slowly lowered to the ground. Daisuke's slim hand pulled back the thick curtain as he poked his head in. "We've arrived, ladies." He held the curtain open and motioned for them to step out.

As Ty Lee stepped out and looked forwards the realization of where she was hit her like a brick.

There it was, the Imperial Palace. The steps she used to run up, the walls she used to climb, the roof she used to sit on, the gardens she used to play in.

Yeah, I'm home.


Ok, chapter done. I don't have much to say about it, other than this: For those who might worry I'm going to write Azula as a very 'nice' person in this story rest assured, she only acted like that because it was Ty Lee. Also, Ty Lee may be exaggerating happy memories in her head. Also, fun fact: Daisuke is a Japanese name and I'm pretty sure it means 'great helper'.

Hope you liked it, peace out.