006. Tyrant
"I don't know why you tolerate her," Zuko says over breakfast.
Ty Lee had been paying too much attention to fruit; she hadn't even thought about conversation. She really didn't want to have conversation, to tell the truth, because Zuko always wanted to talk about Azula.
Everyone thinks Ty Lee is doing it wrong.
But Azula is a tyrant by birth. Zuko forgets that he is the same, but he overcame that nature.
No one notices that Zuko had been in Azula's shoes before, but he was way better off, at least in Ty Lee's opinion.
"Because I love her."
007. Glacial
Ty Lee does not think about romantic love until a very cold day.
It is uncharacteristic of the Fire Nation, even at this time of year. Azula stands on the patio and wonders why she does not go back inside.
"Why are you out here?" Azula asks Ty Lee.
"Because you are," Ty Lee replies.
"And you are always with me," Azula says coldly.
"I am. I'm always with you and I always will be," Ty Lee says.
In the very uncomfortable following silence, Ty Lee leans forward and kisses Azula on the lips.
It warms their cold, cold skin.
008. Dollhouse
Azula sees her as a doll to play with.
It is so very easy. Her emotions are tied to Ty Lee's and her fake emotions spark very real ones in that Kyoshi Warrior. Not a Kyoshi Warrior anymore. A doll.
Ty Lee hurts when Azula hurts. Ty Lee hurts when Azula pretends to hurt.
How absurd is that? Azula has never experienced anything like it before.
Her head is too easy to make into a toy. No one could blame Azula for using her breakdown in such a way.
The palace is her dollhouse, and Ty Lee is her doll.
009. Late
Ty Lee stays up late.
Azula is that reason, of course.
"Do you do anything for yourself anymore?" Azula asks and Ty Lee thinks for a long time.
Blinking her dry, tired eyes several times, Ty Lee says, "No, no I don't."
"How very unfortunate. Perhaps you should. I thought you moved past being mine and made yourself independent," Azula says.
"I am independent. I'm choosing this, and everybody better stop telling me not to," Ty Lee says.
"So ferocious." Azula smirks and sets her hand over Ty Lee's. "I like that nerve."
"I like you."
"I like you too."
010. Promise
Azula makes a promise to herself in the mirror.
"I will stop falling in love with her. She's mine to toy with. I will not show her real emotions. This is how it works. I will stop falling in love with her. I will stop falling in love with her. I will stop falling in love with her. I will stop falling in love with her. I will stop falling in love with her. I will stop falling in love with her. I will stop falling…"
Unfortunately, Azula is a notorious breaker of promises, and this one is no exception.