Fixing the past

Chapter IX: Lets talk

Azula heard a knock at her door shortly after Ty Lee left. She just assumed Ty Lee left something, so she said, "Come in," when the door slowly finished opening she looked up to see, not Ty Lee, but Iroh. Her... Uncle. She looked away from his gaze and finished picking up the Pai Sho pieces and organizing them next to opposite sides of the board. She did all of this silently as Iroh sat down on the opposite side of the board. When she finished he spoke up, "Good job organizing the pieces, no one can ever get that right. Then again, you have an eye for those things." He said chuckling lightly as he said the last part. "That's why I was so successful in battle, and most other things." She said, "Because you could organize Pai Sho pieces?" Iroh questioned, "No, because I have an eye for organization and order. I would have been an amazing Fire Lo-" Azula stopped herself before she finished, almost letting her old self slip through. "I know," Iroh said, she looked at him dumbfounded, "But you wouldn't have been as good as Zuko." Iroh finished, and there it was, what Azula was waiting for. She was waiting for Iroh to tell her that Zuko was better, that Zuko was good, that Zuko was perfect! "But it's because it would have killed you." He said, she looked at him, staring as if she was trying to find out what he was trying to say. "While I don't doubt you would have been a better Fire Lord when it comes to almost everything, he is better when it comes to compassion. But also, if you would have continued down the path you wanted, you would have eaten yourself alive." As Iroh finished Azula was about as confused as she could be. "What are you talking about?" She said, "How could you possibly think that's a compliment?" She asked with vigor. "Because it's not a compliment, it's just the truth." He said, Azula looked at him for a moment, his face seemed genuine yet sorrowful. Then all of a sudden, like he took his face off and put a new one on so fast she couldn't see him do it, his face changed to a smiley cheerful old man. "Would you care for some tea?" He said delightfully exuberant about the prospect of tea. Azula decided to nod and so he grabbed a basket from behind him which slightly startled Azula because she hadn't seen the basket the whole time. He opened the basket and began looking through it, he grabbed out two cups and a pot, he opened the lid and to Azula's surprise, it was still steaming slightly. She was surprised that even a small amount of steam was coming out. "How is the tea still hot? How long ago did you make it?" She asked, "An hour or so," Iroh said, Azula looked at him puzzled, "The Sun Warriors gave me some eternal flame to keep my tea warm." He said, "Really?" Azula asked shocked, "No!" He said bursting into laughter, he laughed so hard small tears appeared at the corner of his eyes, it was a genuine laugh for sure. Azula looked away as if he was laughing at her, but then he placed his hand on her shoulder, she looked over at him, he was still chuckling. Once he pulled himself together long enough to speak he said, "I just use very well insulated teapots, it doesn't just preserve the heat, but also the flavor." He said, still a laugh brimming at his words. He took his hand off her shoulder and Azula shuttered a moment, partly because the warmth from his hand left his shoulder. Though it was mostly because his hand had been there so long yet she didn't realize, which made her feel.. weak? Maybe that was it. "This tea does need a bit of a heat-up though." Iroh said, and she looked up dragged from her thoughts by his voice. He looked behind his shoulder to see if the guards were watching, but they weren't. "I'm not allowed to do this, so don't tell." He said, then heated the bottom of the pot with some fire. She was confused why he couldn't do it at first, then realized it was because we weren't allowed to firebend near her. She sighed, "I can't believe Zuko put me back in here." She said not quite meaning to say it aloud, Iroh had poured her a cup of tea and himself one as well. Then he passed her his tea, and rooted through the basket a bit longer, he pulled out a bowl of fire flakes, and two small plates of some sort of cake, which had been wrapped to keep them from getting ruined or falling around in the basket. He unwrapped them and passed a plate to Azula as well. "I have no idea what they have you eating here, but I assume it's not good!" He said slightly chuckling, she had never noticed how much Iroh laughed, or smiled for that matter. Though she never truly, genuinely smiled until she had been let out, and she wouldn't of if it wasn't for Ty Lee. Maybe Iroh was just happy now that he didn't have to worry about the war or Ozai bothering him. Maybe he was happy because he felt free. She looked at Iroh, still sipping his tea and now he was also inspecting one of her Pai Sho pieces. "This is awful quality, if I didn't think you needed to get out of here before, I do now after seeing the quality of Pai Sho in this place. No wonder people are going mad here! How can they expect anyone to heal if they can't play a proper game of Pai Sho?" Azula laughed at how upset Iroh was about it, and more than that, the fact that he had such a winded rant about it. "Nice to see that Pai Sho brings happiness to you." He said jokingly, "It's not that, it's you." She said surprising herself. Iroh smiled at her, then his face fell a moment. "I'm sorry Azula," He said, surprising her. "For what?" She asked, "For neglecting you, for caring for Zuko, and not you. I treated Zuko with love, care, and compassion, but I treated you... I treated you with neglect, cruelty even. I could even say hostility, I never really gave you a chance. I never tried to help you like I helped Zuko, for that I'm sorry." Iroh said with genuine remorse. "I-I... I don't know what to.. say." Azula stuttered, barely getting her words out, she hadn't expected an apology, not such a heartfelt one at that. And she didn't expect it here, now. "You don't need to say anything Azula, just know I'm sorry, for everything, but especially for leaving you with a broken family, a broken father." He said sadly, and truthfully. "There's no family more broken than mine, I would know, I'm one of the cracks." Azula said, surprising herself she could even get the words out in her astonishment. "Your not a crack Azula, your just another piece that needs to be helped to get back to where it belongs." Iroh said hugging Azula, to her surprise, Azula hugged back. She had never been hugged by her Uncle in such away. She'd never felt love in a hug she got from... any family member. She had only ever felt love in Ty Lee's hugs. Azula liked hugs, or at least she was starting to. She never knew how much meaning a hug could hold, or how much love. When Iroh pulled back, Azula held on to him a bit longer, to his surprise. But Iroh didn't let go he just continued to hug her until she let go. Azula smiled at him, "Thank you for saying that.. Uncle." Azula said Uncle with actual care in her voice, not her usual sarcastic way. Iroh smiled back at her, she took a sip of tea, which was quite incredible. "W-would you want to play Pai Sho with me? Despite the poor quality." She asked, Iroh smiled and nodded, "I hope I'm more of a challenge than Th Lee." He said, which he couldn't have known was what Azula was thinking, but it felt like it to her at that moment. They continued to play Pai Sho and drink their tea, they ate some fire flakes and cake, even some laughs and jokes were exchanged. Azula was surprised her Uncle cared for any of her jokes, all of which were either horrible or dark. But he liked dark comedy a little more than she expected, he even told this hilarious story about an angry man and tea, it went.. well it's not that important (See what I did there?). When they were finished with their game and food and tea, Iroh got up and gave her another hug, then grabbed his basket and left with a promise to, at the very least, get her a better Pai Sho set. She sat down at her bed, and then lay down and slowly, happily drift off to sleep.

Azula woke up in a room, the room was completely pink filled with stuffed animals and cute little nicknacks. Then, she saw her, Ty Lee slowly walked over to her. A sway in her hips and her lips looking full. She walked around Azula and put a hand on Azula's stomach, which she slid around her body as she walked around her. When she got to Azula's front, however, she stared at Azula, deep into her eyes. Azula felt warm, more than that she felt hot. Azula looked at Ty Lee's lips then she felt them, Ty Lee had pressed against Azula's body she had pressed her lips to Azula's. Azula was practically melting at this point, and.. some sort of feeling in her.. her.

She jolted awake, it was all a dream, but more than just that it was a.. she looked down she snaked her hand under her pants and felt... it was. Azula's eyes widened, she had a dream like that about Ty Lee, and not only that but she came to it. Azula smashed her head against her pillow and was mortified by it all. Only one thing was certain, she had to do something about this.