Azula glanced nervously up at the sun. She and Ty Lee had left Taonan the night before, under cover of darkness, and had headed straight toward Ba Sing Se, keeping to the woods and fields. It was morning now – approaching noon, actually. They would soon need to stop and rest. Her leg was beginning to ache. She glanced at the acrobat. "Getting tired yet, Ty?"

"Yeah." She looked up at the sky. "Guess we should get some sleep, huh?"

"Let's find some cover first. We stayed in Taonan a long time; there's sure to be someone on our trail by now." They went on for about another half-hour before they finally found an area that was shielded on all sides by thick foliage. It wasn't ideal, but it would have to do. Ty Lee unrolled the sleeping mats while Azula got out their rations. Then they sat down together and ate.

Azula watched the acrobat out of the corner of her eye. It was strange. She'd known Ty Lee almost all her life, and had always been at ease around her – now, though, she felt almost shy. She watched as the acrobat finished her ration and licked her fingers. Then the girl's enormous gray eyes flicked over to hers. Suddenly aware that she had been staring, Azula quickly looked away, feeling a dark flush rising in her cheeks. Ty Lee smiled slowly and scooted over to where the firebender sat. Azula felt the girl's arms slip around her waist; her face burned even hotter as she felt a soft kiss press underneath her ear. "Like what you see?" Ty Lee murmured, with a chuckle.

"Maybe." The firebender awkwardly put her arm around the acrobat's shoulders. She knew that this was expected – they were in a "relationship" now – but she really had no idea how to act. Azula cast another sidelong glance at Ty Lee's smiling face. "Yes," she admitted.

The acrobat giggled and kissed her again. Her lips moved to hover by Azula's ear. "So do I," she whispered. The firebender's mouth fell open as she felt her earlobe being lightly nipped. She was sure that her face was now a furious shade of scarlet. With another light laugh, Ty Lee pulled away, and made a great show of laying their packs at the head of their sleeping mats, allowing Azula some time to recover. She turned back after a minute, smiling innocently. "You're tired, 'Zula," she said. "Why don't I take first watch?"

"O-okay." Azula moved to her bedroll and lay down with as much dignity as she could manage. Ty Lee giggled again. The firebender tried to scowl, knowing the girl was laughing at her, but somehow couldn't manage more than a light frown. "Make sure you wake me if you get too sleepy."

"I will." The acrobat settled herself down, sitting cross-legged. She cast Azula a playful look. "Need a goodnight kiss?" Her laughter bubbled up again as the firebender blushed furiously. Azula growled at her and shut her eyes.

After a moment or two, Azula slowly opened her eyes again. The acrobat was still sitting there, her gray eyes alert and moving over the foliage that surrounded them. Lazily, the firebender let her gaze linger. She'd lost a lot of things in her life – her mother, her father, her status, her home. But maybe, just maybe, she'd gained something, too. A faint smile twitched her lips at the thought. She closed her eyes. If we can just make it a few months into the winter, we can go back and maybe stay in Taonan after that. And Mai should be strong enough to come find us by this spring...maybe everything will be all right. She remembered the gentle pressure of Ty Lee's arms around her, and sighed contentedly as she drifted off to sleep.