Azula the Sacrificed Chapter 4 Preview

"You're kidding," Zuko said with wide eyes. Well, eye, rather. The injured prince was decidedly confined to the hospital bed and not allowed to wander off again.

"Nope," Ty Lee assured with a grin.

"There's no way that happened," Zuko refuted skeptically.

"It happened," Mai confirmed, smiling just a bit.

"I actually picked up and hugged Azula like that?" Zuko asked, trying and failing to imagine himself doing that. Hugging his sister was one thing, but doing it like that without her breaking a few of his fingers?

"Like she was your favorite stuffed toy," Mai elaborated, Ty Lee giggling.

"And you called-" Ty Lee started, only for Mai to cover her mouth quickly.

"She was going to say something stupid, ignore her," Mai instructed with a small blush.

Zuko looked uncertain. "But what did I-"

'Ignore her!" Mai insisted, giving Ty Lee a warning look, who just giggled behind the hand.

Zuko wisely decided to change track. "Okay....how long ago was this?"

"About a week ago. You've been, how would Azula put it? Very interesting when you had all that medicine in you," Ty Lee said with a devious, teasing smile.

"My honor is shivering," Zuko said blandly.

"......PFFFFT! Did you really just say that?!" Ty Lee questioned, holding her belly in mirth. Mai was keeping her composure, but just barely.

"Shut up, I'm out of it from the medicine," Zuko complained weakly. He sighed, rubbing the wrapping over his head. "I'm just glad my eye wasn't destroyed."

"Does that mean you'll be able to see out of it still?" Ty Lee asked in a hushed voice.

"I have no idea, just that it means I might be able too," Zuko answered, n ot sure to be hopeful or pessimistic. "But I still have my other eye. And the inside of my left ear seems to be fine. So, you know, its not all bad," Zuko said, trying not to worry them.

The two girls nodded, falling silent. This was the first day they had talked to Zuko without mind being too muddled by drugs. There were.....sooooo many questions they wanted to ask, but it was hard to tell when it would feel less awkward to do so. Or if it ever would.

"So, you shaved everything but your topknot?" Mai with a raised eyebrow. "You look like one of those traditionalist after losing an Agni Kai."

Zuko rolled his eye at that. "I figured it'd be easier this way. It'll grow back eventually," he waved off before cautiously looking over to where his sister lay in another bed, arms wrapped around herslef in her sleep. "Has she really been staying the nights here?"

"Yeah, I don't know what happened, and I probably don't want to," Mai started, glancing at the sleeping form of the princess in concern. "But your mom tried taking Azula back to her own room while she slept, once."

"Did not try that again," Ty Lee remarked observantly.

"So weird seeing her laying there. Usually by now she'd be train with D-" Zuko stopped with a wince, and not from biting his tongue. Both girls watched in concern as Zuko wipped a hand over his face. "It still hardly feels real. I don't know how many times I thought I was waking up from a nightmare, only to realize it was real."

Mai glanced at Ty Lee, who was bitting her lip in distress at not being able to find the words. "We have no idea what you're going through," Mai said bluntly, getting strange look from the other two. "I have no idea what its like to have a father like Ozai. But we're here for you. Both of you," Mai assured, glancing to the princess as well.

"This feels...weird to ask, since you're the one with the burn," Ty Lee started cautiously. "But is she going to be alright?"

"Ty Lee, I'm going to be honest here, I am still figuring up how many of my recent memories are imagined and how many are real," Zuko answered with a sigh. "But I know she can't be taking it well. Da- He was always the one praising her, building her up, teaching her things. I'm closer to our mother, but I can't even imagine how I'd feel if she wanted to kill me," Zuko admitted softly.

There was a long moment before Ty Lee groaned, wipping both hands over her face. "I hate not knowing how to lighten the mood without sounding aweful," she remarked mopily.

Zuko scratched his head uncomfortably as he tried to find something else to talk about. "Well, we're a bit out of good news around here. The only silver lining was the message from Uncle saying he'd be home withen two weeks if the seas are kind," Zuko remarked, lowering his eyes. "But that's still connected to the fact that the seige of Ba Sing Se failed, and we even lost Lu Ten."

Ty Lee gasped in rmemeberance as Mai shook her head. "You know, I didn't forget that happened, but it feels like it was so long ago after....everything else," Mai said delicately.

"Trust me, I know," Zuko agreed in a small voice. "Its been a streak of bad luck for the Fire Nation."

The Royal Family specifically, it went unsaid.

"So, honest question, did I imagine Ty Lee bringing a poodle-monkey to cheer us up?" Zuko asked curiously.