InsaneJournal

Who: Azula, Iroh, Ty Lee, and Zuko
Where: Azula’s condo
What: a series of confrontations
When: after this log and thislog
Warnings/Rating: PG-13 for mention of injuries and implied threats of torture
Status complete


Iroh was not pleased with the task he’d been given. For one thing, it was beneath him under normal circumstances. For another, it was likely to strain his relationship with Azula. But on this thing he agreed with Ozai. Ty Lee should be the one getting shot, not Azula. He worried that he’d misjudged Azula’s character, that she’d become too attached to the girl too fast. The idea that this might happen had never crossed his mind, and her felt foolish, in hindsight.

He knocked on the door, and was shown in by Ty Lee. He carried a black canvas bag, and regarded Ty Lee with a cool expression.

Ty Lee didn’t meet his eyes. She felt horrible for her failure, and for the pain Azula had suffered. “Are you here to see my master?”

Iroh nodded. “Take me to her.” He wondered if Azula had given Ty Lee orders to the contrary. He almost hoped she had, it would be an excuse to put this off.

Azula was laying on the couch, resting her eyes while the TV displayed some people making fools of themselves. It was muted as she'd gotten bored with it. Advil wasn't even taking the edge off of it and she was considering taking something a little stronger.

Really, she should be in bed, but that was weakness.

Ty Lee led Iroh to the living room (all ten steps). “Azula, your uncle is here to see you.” She moved into the living room, to help Azula sit up if she wanted to.

Iroh stepped into the room, his eyes narrowing in anger when he saw his niece. He wished he’d punched Ozai instead of preaching at him.

"Lovely." Azula let Ty Lee help her up, and rolled her eyes at her Uncle. She was pale, and the bandage on her side needed changing, but she pretended that everything was fine, especially since her brother was in the other room. "Everything is fine, Uncle. Nice of you to come see me."

Zuko was sitting in Azula’s kitchen. He’d been here for a while now -- long enough to know that his sister was fine -- well, that she’d live anyway, and that she was being just as stubborn and annoying as she usually was. If not a little more. But he couldn’t blame her for that. Their father had just shot her.

He’d said he was going to get some water -- but he found himself sitting at a little table for much longer than he’d originally suspected he might. He still hadn’t been able to really figure out why Ozai had shot her -- he’d gathered it had something to do with Ty Lee, though. The thought worried him. Did Ozai know? More selfishly, he wondered -- would this affect what he had with Draco?

What he did know, completely and absolutely, was that this changed everything. There had been a secret part of him that had always thought that he’d been the one to make the mistake in the family -- and that if he did things right for a while, he might be able to go home. To have regained his honor and status within the family and -- well. What? He laughed, but it was silent. Everything was fucked.

“Unfortunately, it is business that brings me here, though I intended to check up on you anyway.” He looked at her bandage, shaking his head. “What happened? I need you to be honest with me, Azula.” He wanted as much information about this as possible, so he could make a fair decision regarding Ty Lee’s punishment. Then he’d administer it, and call a doctor to come and look her over. After that, he’d go home and drink himself stupid before going to bed.

Azula frowned, and shrugged a shoulder. She was in too much pain to think about lying, or even twisting the truth. Mostly, she wanted to sleep. "I received reports that a warehouse wasn't reporting in a timely manner. I made some inquiries, and had reasons to suspect that there was mismanagement at best, and someone skimming at the worse."

She tried to sit up, wanting to touch Ty Lee, but something inside her stopped her hand before she could move it. "They refused us entrance, and laughed at us. Ty Lee acted with a throwing knife when it seemed violence was imminent." She closed her eyes, envisioning the scene. She had the grace to at least turn a little green. "Someone shot her, and I got very angry. There wasn't anyone left standing but us, when I was done."

Azula continued. "Inside the warehouse were weapons, and a three-headed dog logo. This was not a weapons warehouse. I went to confront the manager while Ty Lee took pictures. He let me look through the files, and when I started to question him on them, he killed himself."

Sweat dribbled down her forehead. "That's why I messaged you. I was going to see you about this when my father called me in. I gave him a briefer version of the story. He started to drag Ty Lee into his back room, so I gave him more detail. He pulled his gun out and shot me."

Iroh listened, his face very grave. This went deeper than he’d suspected. What was Ozai getting into? “Do you have any proof?”

Zuko might have been a bit oblivious sometimes (usually on purpose), but he wasn’t exactly an idiot either. He’d heard his Uncle enter Azula’s condo -- but thought better of going to greet him, even after he’d stood to do so. Instead, he stayed silent in the kitchen and listened. Azula clearly was in no mood for falsifying the truth.

Azula nodded. "Ty Lee, show him your phone." She pushed herself up, and swung her legs off the couch. "I have papers in the safe. Only I have the combination."

“Keep it that way, the pictures will be enough.” Iroh moved to stand next to Ty Lee, who took a moment to pull them up, before handing her phone over and checking Azula’s side. She’d stitched Azula and herself up, but Azula’s wound was still seeping pretty steadily. She worried it needed more care than she knew how to give. Any wound was life threatening without the proper care.

Iroh looked at the pictures, his face increasingly grim. What was Ozai doing? Was this whole things orchestrated to cover up these shipments? Iroh needed to know more. “Are you dissatisfied with Ty Lee’s performance as your bodyguard? Could she have done more to protect you?”

Azula frowned, wondering why he was asking. "Why would I be dissatisfied? She has done everything I have asked of her and more, and she reacted quickly with her throwing knives. She can't stop a bullet."

If she thought about it, Ty Lee probably could have hit Ozai's hand when he'd pulled the gun. There might have been a hesitation there.

Ty Lee looked distinctly uncomfortable, and Iroh handed her phone back, facing her directly. “Is there more you could have done?” His voice was soft, but very firm. He was only as nice as the situation allowed him to be.

Ty Lee’s head dipped forward. “Answering that question would be a direct violation of two conflicting sets of orders which I cannot disobey.” She hated the way this was going to work out. No one was going to be happy with her, and that thought made her sick inside.

"There's nothing else that she could have done," Azula insisted. There was a burning sensation in her stomach that had nothing to do with a bullet. She kept her voice light and airy. "If there was she wouldn't hear the end of it from me. Believe me." She shot a look at Ty Lee.

Ty Lee continued to look down. “Azula, who is the head of the family?” She hated her life and her job then, and she knew Azula wouldn’t understand. But Ozai’s threats had more weight, and she’d been trained since early childhood to follow Ozai’s orders. It was her place. She could keep secrets, lie to him, swear allegiance to someone else, but she couldn’t counter a direct order, and now that she’d been promoted, she couldn’t even say why.

Iroh understood the implications of the question, and his attention turned to Azula. What was she expecting? How would she react?

"My father," Azula replied, brow furrowing in irritation. She didn't see the need for all of this. It felt like she was being backed into a corner, which was a very uncomfortable feeling and one she wasn't familiar with.

"Are we done with this?"

“I’ve been ordered to punish Ty Lee for her inaction when you were shot. Did Ozai issue any orders at the time?” Iroh went back to his bag and opened it, the tinkling sound of metal making Ty Lee gasp and straighten. He let the tools rest in their pouches for now. The sound would be enough to unnerve Ty Lee, and by God he wanted her unnerved. If she was nothing more than Ozai’s puppet, it would no doubt become clear soon.

This was all just ridiculous. Azula had just told him a few days prior that they were all a part of some Japanese Mafia -- but he’d been trying hard to think she was just pulling one over on him. It was clear now that she wasn’t.

It hurt him, he realized. Badly. To finally see that his entire life had been a lie. Had his mother known? Was he really as weak as Azula had said? Was that why no one had thought to include him? Not that he wanted to be included. Not in this.

He stepped into the room, and realized he was far more angry than he’d thought possible. “What are you doing?” he asked of his Uncle -- even as he took in Azula’s overly nervous expression, and Ty Lee’s downcast one.

He wouldn’t allow this.

"He told her to stay put," Azula said. Her eyes burned like embers, and she pressed a hand to her side. Damn it.

"That was it." She looked up when her brother came in, and her expression passed between annoyance and gratitude.

Iroh was somewhat relieved to be stopped, until the full implication of what Zuko’s presence meant. “Zuko, I didn’t know you were here.” His voice wasn’t grandfatherly and benign, now. “I suppose it was inevitable that you be touched by this darkness. I’m sorry, nephew.”

Ty Lee moved away from Azula and Iroh when Zuko provided and adequate distraction. She wouldn’t try to escape, though she could if she wanted to, but she wouldn’t draw attention to herself, either. Maybe this whole thing would turn into something where she didn’t get in trouble, and that would be wonderful.

“I’m obviously here, Uncle,” Zuko said, still standing in the doorway and not daring move forward. Not yet; doorways were dramatic places to stand in, you know. He ignored the idea of replying to the latter part of his Uncle’s words and instead narrowed his eyes. “What are you doing?” He repeated again. It was rare when Zuko acted as if he cared. More rare even when he acted as if he weren’t just some shy and moody boy. But he wasn’t, not really. There was a definite fierce power behind his words.

"Yes, uncle," Azula said, her voice sweet sweet venom. If she could use her brother's stubborn presence to her advantage, she would. "What are you doing?"

Iroh straightened. Lying would only make this worse. “Ty Lee responded to an order from Ozai which overruled the ones we gave her. I assume you made her swear to be obedient, and I made her swear that she would protect you. Ozai’s punishment is a facade, probably intended to test my loyalty. If I don’t punish her, my loyalty is revealed, though it’s hardly concealed at the moment, anyway. So I am doing nothing but exposing your bodyguard’s loyalty. I am also, it seems, revealing the reality of our family’s business to Zuko, who should have been informed sooner, but was not.” He carefully rolled his tools up again and sat.

Azula had finally pushed herself to her feet, and swayed. She was unsure what was happening, but didn't want to face it sitting down. Had her brother's presence inadvertently saved her love bodyguard from something terrible? And saved Iroh from carrying that blood on his hands?

Zuko glanced at Ty Lee, and then his sister again -- and he wondered if Ty Lee really did love Azula. If it was Draco swaying and bleeding there, Zuko knew he’d go to him -- help him. But she was, he supposed, being threatened.

“You can’t hurt her,” he said, to his Uncle, and it was more a firm pleading than it was a command. “It’s not right.” Zuko: the humanitarian, or something. He didn’t really know the girl. But he didn’t want his sister to watch something like that. Not when she’d described the girl as sunshine the other day. Not when Ty Lee made her smile the way she did. Because Azula seemed so sad sometimes, too. And wasn’t Zuko the older sibling here?

Seeing Azula standing like that wrenched at Ty Lee’s heart. She wasn’t sure what was going on anymore, if it was safe to come out or not. Azula herself might be angry enough to hurt her. She’d never faced a situation like this. She took a deep breath and moved closer, so she could at least catch Azula if she fell.

Iroh gave Zuko a look, his expression mild. He smiled after a moment, but it was a blatantly fake smile. “I have no reason to. She has not hurt me, and Ozai has no right to order her punished. Her fate is in Azula’s hands now, and I’m glad to be out of it.” He took a deep breath. “I told you to do what you want and not worry about Ozai. This is why. Seeing you become what is necessary to take over for your father would be unbearable.”

"I will punish Ty Lee, myself," Azula said, the world swimming around her. She snerked, rather undignified-like. "I have a crop."

Zuko wasn’t even going to pretend he had grace enough to reply to Azula. Because there was really something wrong with his little sister.

Instead, he crossed his arms, leaning against the frame of the door. Suddenly he looked very sad. “How do I do what I want and not worry when Father shoots Azula?” He asked, and it came out almost tiredly. “The same way I shouldn’t have worried when he burned off half my face?” He shook his head, and pushed himself out of the kitchen doorway and toward the real exit.

“I’m leaving now,” he said, because he couldn’t handle it. Any of it.

Iroh nodded. “It’s better if you do.” He felt old, and tired. “I’ll leave Ty Lee to you, Azula. I’m done working for the day. My doctor will be by in an hour.”

Azula slipped to her knees, leaning on the couch and taking a long shuddering breath. She didn’t care for once, that those three especially might see her weak. She was too relieved. It was enough to make her giggle. “There’s no way out, you know.”

Ty Lee moved in to grab Azula, to make sure she didn’t hurt herself.

Azula leaned against Ty Lee, then looked at Iroh. “Thank you.”

Iroh shook his head. “I wish I could do more for you, Azula.” He gently picked her up and put her back on the couch. “Let me know if you need anything.” He stroked her hair softly, before grabbing his bag and leaving.

Ty Lee knelt in front of Azula’s legs, her eyes down.

Putting her hand on Ty Lee’s head, Azula trailed her finger down to her cheek, then forced her to look up. “I wish I could give you another life.” Her eyes fluttered closed as the exertions of the day pulled her into blackness.

Ty Lee kissed Azula’s forehead and covered her with a blanket. She wished she could give them both new lives, away from this mess.

--
Once Zuko had exited the building, he gave pause and a little sigh, looking back at the door. He knew he’d have to deal with this more in the future -- probably quite soon. But for now, all he could think of was going over to Draco’s. They needed to talk.