"She's in a better place now."
"This is your chance to be in a real relationship. A happier one, Ty Lee. Doesn't that sound nice?"
Ty Lee squeezed her eyes shut and willed the echoing words in her mind to go away. The past month she had heard nothing but the falsely sympathetic words of people around her, people who didn't care about the fallen Princess.
After she was informed of Azula's suicide, something changed. Anybody who knew her well enough, or even bothered to see past her smiles and false statements of, "I'm doing fine," or, "I'll be okay," would see that through the smiles, Ty Lee wanted to cry. Through all of her words, she wanted to break down and scream.
Mai told her that Azula's death was a chance for Ty Lee to be happy again and have a real relationship. Ty Lee had been forced to sit through that lecture and quietly nod, afraid that if she opened her mouth she would end up losing her fraile friendship with Mai.
Ty Lee slept in Azula's bed at night. It made it easier for her to deny the brutal truth in front of her. If she held tight to the memories and even the faint hope that Azula was really alive, waiting for her somewhere, it made it just a little bit easier for Ty Lee to get by.
The past week she had only gotten three nights of sleep. Every time she closed her eyes she saw Azula burning. She saw Azula welcoming death, she saw Azula leaving her. It was unfair.
Ty Lee, who had been lying in bed on her back, staring up at the designs on the ceiling, rolled over on her side and glanced at the spot where Azula was supposed to lay. Her lower lip quivered and tears filled her eyes. This was never what she wanted. As a little girl Ty Lee always dreamed about falling in love and marrying somebody who would treat her like a princess, loving her until they grew old.
She had always believed in love. It was the strongest thing in the world, after all. It built nations and destroyed them. It kept people together forever. Ty Lee threw her arm over where Azula was supposed to lay, her arm catching the silky red sheets. She clutched them tightly and shook her head. A sob came up her throat and she allowed her tears to fall.
How could loving somebody end up so wrong? She bit her lip hard and covered her face with her hands.
Ty Lee shot up in bed, eyes wide. She was being haunted by the terrible image of Azula being consumed by her own element. Every time she closed her eyes it was there. Always there. Even when she blinked.
There was no way she could live like this. Everything she had been told was a lie. There was nobody like Azula, nobody could even compare. And Ty Lee had promised she would love Azula forever. But there was no Azula. There was nobody for her to love anymore.
She pulled the blanket up to her chest and dabbed her eyes with it, salty tears turning the silk bloody red. She wondered if this was what Azula wanted. Maybe Azula didn't even love her at all to begin with. Ty Lee couldn't recall a single time her romance scrolls ended up with such heartbreak.
IT was just so unfair. Ty Lee allowed herself one selfish moment. She had given Azula everything, made Azula the centre of her world, and never asked for anything but a thank you or a rare "I love you" in return. She didn't even get that.
It was too much. Ty Lee felt like she was going to suffocate. She wanted to die.
With a choked sob, she laid her head to rest, facing the empty spot where Azula was absent. Maybe Azula was waiting for her on the other side. Maybe that was where Ty Lee's happiness resided. In the Spirit World... but maybe, just maybe, Azula wouldn't be there.
She squeezed her eyes shut, seeing the image of Azula burning. It kept playing over and over in her mind, but she didn't open her eyes to escape it. Her life had turned into a nightmare that she didn't want to wake up from anymore.
Her heart must've agreed, because by morning, it had stopped beating.
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