.

Awesome song, the first time I actually listened, listened to it. Love it! Btw I'm so so so sorry for not posting on Adi Gre! I've been working at the next chapter like crazy, and I think it's almost ready for public viewing, thank you all for being patient with me! Please forgive me!

On with the show!

Disclaimer: …

"Imagine the insult's a blessing. Imagine accepting the truth." ("Truth" by Limp Bizket)

It had always been Azula's way to insult those around her. Ty Lee had long accepted that. She'd also accepted that the closer one was to Azula, the more barbarous her tongue became. It was because of this she'd learned to grin and bear whatever insults might come her way from the fire bender since the more there were the closer it meant she was to the princess.

Mai and Zuko had stopped early on trying to get her to see Azula's insults were anything but the veiled terms of endearment she believed them to be. Now they only watched from a distance, shaking their heads when they saw her flinch at some new venom filled words.

Of course, Azula's tongue became more vicious behind closed doors. While in public the princess had learned to curb her insults to jabs at the acrobat's intelligence or hitting the multitude of reasons the fire bender had come up with as to why she was a freak.

Behind closed doors she could not defend herself. Those were the ones whispered against her skin in moments of heat. When her voice caught and hitched in moans Azula's turned husky and heated, but all the more brutal, punctuating her words with a thrust of her fingers into the acrobat, not allowing her to contest. Words like 'whore' and 'slut' branded her skin deeper than the fire bender's teeth that trailed her neck.

She didn't mind it, or she told herself she didn't. It was just Azula being Azula. Even when they struck too deeply, like when the fire bender would purposely call out one of her sister's names in the throes of passion, or when she would tear into the acrobat with unfounded accusations of sordid activities with the other circus performers. Ty Lee took them and smiled back, believing they were signs of the princess's affections for her.

Now, her eyes met the sharp gold of the princess's and she felt the cool spread of fear run through her.

For a moment Azula's jaw worked, and Ty Lee knew a slew of vicious words were warring to be first off the princess's lips. However, instead of the impassioned rant she was waiting for, Azula only said one word: "traitor." Then she was gone.

In that one word there was anger, but not the anger Ty Lee had expected. In it was only the fury of betrayal, not the pain of loss or regret.

That one word worked its way between her ribs and into her heart more surely than a bolt of lightning from the princess's finger tips, and with it came the truth.