A special gift

Four months had passed since Azula had been in the institution and the doctors hadn't removed the chains that tied her wrists and hadn't let her leave her room. The place was spacious and white, but the bars that divided it by half made her believe that she was in a prison cell.

During the first month, the only thing the former princess did was shout and breath fire to anyone who dared to enter her room, either to examine her or to leave a tray of food for her near the bars. But now Azula was tired, she just wanted to be left alone while her spirit faded into the darkness.

Zuko and Mai had visited her together once per week during the first two months, but they stopped. His uncle went twice, but after seeing that her niece did not seem to think things over, he had stopped visiting. One by one everyone in Azula's life gave up on her and decided to make of her just a bad memory of the past.

Everyone except Ty Lee.

The acrobat visited the former princess three times per week and she always stayed at least five hours accompanying her. During the first visits Azula had shouted her insults and threats, but Ty Lee never stopped to go to see her. Finally, the captive chose to ignore her and not speak a word when the pink clad girl spoke. Although the girl will never admit it, a small part of her was pleased for Ty Lee's visits because she felt valuable again, instead of what was left of an era of war and suffering. With the acrobat, Azula was able to establish the flow of time, without her she didn't know whether she had been stuck at the hospital a day or a year.

But the other part of her – the part that had prevailed throughout her life - just wanted to get this traitor out of her sight. Not only she was satisfied with having betrayed her, but now Ty Lee also had to come to humiliate her, to talk about the outside world and tell her how happy was the rest of the world without her. Azula couldn't bear the false innocence of her former friend.

It was in one of these visits when Azula looked into her eyes, causing the acrobat to stop telling her story about what happened that morning at breakfast with the Kyoshi Warriors. Ty Lee smiled at the girl, happy that at last she was paying attention to her after all this time.

But, after hearing what Azula said, she preferred that she hadn't done it.

"Go" the captive whispered hoarsely, her voice rough due the days of unused

"Azula?" Ty Lee cocked her head slightly in disbelief of what she heard

"I don't want to see your face again in my life" the captive's eyes promised death if she wasn't obeyed "do you think I enjoy your presence? Do you think I'll forget your betrayal if you come to see me? I lost everything thanks to you and Mai! I will never forget it!" Azula tried to lunge Ty Lee, but her chains prevented her from reaching the acrobat "get out of here!"

And, as she had done since before Boiling Rock's incident, Ty Lee obeyed the order and fled the room with tears in her eyes.

And since that moment, Azula lost all knowledge of the flow of time and every day became a drab and agonizing eternity.

A few days later the girl regretted what she had said. She was no longer the powerful princess she used to be, she could no longer manipulate anyone through fear or power. No one was obliged to obey her anymore, not even her own mind did.

But Ty Lee had always come to visit her, although she had no longer any obligation to the princess and that at any moment she could forget all about her and stay with her new friends. Even when Azula was cold and sullen, the acrobat returned to the hospital one or two days later with a smile on her face.

A week passed and the girl did not return, but Azula still believed that the acrobat would come back at any time apologizing for not having visited her. The captive missed the incessant and exhausting chatter of her friend. She realized that Ty Lee was the only person who spoke to her and treated her like a human - not a monster or an object of study that should be locked up and examined. So Azula kept waiting in her room, hoping that the acrobat still remembered her.

Three weeks. Three entire weeks, and no visit of Ty Lee. At this point Azula lost her hope, as everyone else had lost theirs with her. Not for the first time she wanted to turn back time to change things. Exhausted, the girl closed her eyes and resigned herself to remain imprisoned and alone for the rest of her life.

It was then that she heard the front door of her room open.

Azula, who at that time was sitting on her bed, lifted her head to look at the right moment in which an institution guard came and removed the lock on the door of the bars. After opening this second door, the man looked at the captive and turned toward the entrance of the room.

"The patient is calm, you can pass"

A girl entered as the guard came out and locked the steel door. She passed the door of the bars and stood a few meters from Azula who was dumbfounded at the identity of her unexpected visit.

Ty Lee.

The acrobat smiled at her and sat beside her on the bed. Just then the former princess noticed that the pink girl carried a small red bag in her hand that now was resting in her lap.

"Hi, Azula" she said gently "it has been a while since the last time I came, how have you been?"

The firebender continued to look at Ty Lee with a mixture of confusion, joy and disbelief unable to find words. Odd, that all of her life being so eloquent, now her mind was blank at that simple question.

"The doctors told me that since my last visit you've been very calm, I'm glad to hear that"

The acrobat's voice was soft and barely audible, as if she thought the girl at her side could lose control and attack at any time.

"They also told me you haven't said a word since then" Ty Lee's face changed to one of concern "why haven't you? Do you feel bad? Is something wrong?"

After a few seconds of silence, Azula was able to regain her voice.

"Why are… you here?"

"Huh?"

"Why... why did you come to see me?" she exclaimed hoarsely and added bowing her head "I told you that I didn't want to see you ever again in my life"

Although her words were harsh, Ty Lee noticed, for the soft, fragile tone in the girl's voice, that what she said was far from being a reproach.

"I couldn't stop coming on this special day!"

The captive looked at her rather confused.

"Why is it so special?" she asked, completely forgetting that she kept silent during the previous visits

"Today is Summer Solstice Day... you know, the holiday where family and friends gather to celebrate, give thanks to Agni for the prosperous years that they have passed and to deliver gifts... oh! I almost forgot! Now that I mentioned that…"

Ty Lee opened the red bag and pulled out a small box. She extended it with both hands to Azula.

"I brought you this!" the acrobat said smiling

Azula's eyes went from the happy acrobat to the small box wrapped in red paper and gold ribbon that she was holding. Noticing that the firebender not seemed to understand, Ty Lee smiled gently.

"Go ahead, take it"

Slowly, Azula took the object and watched it for a few seconds.

"Happy Summer Solstice!" Ty Lee cried excitedly "Come on, open it! It's yours"

With trembling hands, the girl broke the golden ribbon bow and opened the package. Her eyes widened in amazement.

A thin, gold necklace laid at the bottom of the wrapper.

"Do you remember when you conquered Ba Sing Se and we were trying to gather Mai and Zuko on a date?" the acrobat laughed at the memory "after those two left the Earth Palace we walked around the city... the market was so full of exotic objects, do you remember? You saw this necklace there... I knew you liked it although when I asked you said that it wasn't worthy of a princess"

Ty Lee paused for a moment to watch Azula's astonished expression.

"It was your way to say that you wanted it, but that it didn't fulfill what was expected of you... I knew that you wouldn't accept it then, but I thought it would be a splendid gift for this day"

Azula ran her fingers through the thin chain without a word. After a few moments trying to pull herself together, she looked at the acrobat.

"Did you go to... to Ba Sing Se?

"Yeah, I returned from there today... I'm sorry, that's why I haven't come to see you, I was away this entire three weeks"

"Did you go there for something as... trivial... as this?"

"Yeah! I stayed a day in the city and then I began the journey back... hey! And this isn't trivial! It's your gift! It's not trivial to me!"

A knot formed in Azula's throat. Even after everything she had said the last time the acrobat went to visit her, Ty Lee embarked on a three weeks's journey just to give her an object that the captive had barely showed interest.

The pink clad girl kindly removed the necklace from the firebender's hands and placed it on Azula's neck, mentally thanking to Agni that the girl hadn't reacted aggressively to this. The former princess pressed the gift on her chest and closed her eyes.

"Why? Why did you come back?" she asked in a low whisper "Why did you travel all this time just to give me a gift instead of staying and celebrate with your new friends? I... I don't understand"

Ty Lee smiled sweetly a little surprised at how open and fragile Azula seemed. She put her hand on Azula's. The captive looked at her again.

"Because I care about you and it hurts me to see you suffer like this, because..." Ty Lee could feel her own eyes water "because you are my friend and I love you"

The former princess looked carefully at the acrobat's eyes looking for some sign that she lied, but only finding transparent honesty and tenderness. Moved, she lowered her head and closed her eyes to fight back rebellious tears.

Ty Lee embraced Azula not worrying anymore about if she became aggressive. The firebender returned the hug and rested her head on the acrobat's shoulder, finding it as comforting as the actions and tenderness of the girl.

"So... Does this mean that you liked my gift?" the acrobat asked innocently

Azula couldn't help but start laughing at the comment. A laugh full of sheer happiness, totally normal and healthy that she couldn't remember to have used in her entire life. Tears began to fall on her face but she didn't mind them. She didn't mind looking weak anymore.

The former princess couldn't understand how it was possible that Ty Lee could still call her friend after all she had done and why she came to visit her while she could perfectly forget everything about her. Surely these were things Azula didn't understand, but she was deeply grateful for them.

So Azula tightened the embrace, letting her tears moisten the acrobat's shoulder.

"Thank you"

And since that moment, Ty Lee began to visit daily to Azula and the captive started to enjoy every instant she spent with the only person who she could honestly call friend.