Author's Note: Hey, people! This is my entry for InspiredByFyre! Week 2012. The week begins tomorrow, but this is a Prologue, so I'm required to post it today to to somebody's stupid rules...
*That was you.*
Ohhhhh yeah. Anyways, this story WILL BE VIOLENT. I could probably be rated T for violence, but believe me when I say Violence is it. Nothing else. Well, maybe a Kiss. Okay, Violence and a Kiss.
*Are you done yet?*
No. Anyways, I can't wait for my week to begin tomorrow! So without further ado, I present to you...

Prologue: What if Mai and Ty Lee Stayed with Azula?

"Leave us alone."

As the guards released her shoulders, the assassin took a deep breath to steady herself. Her golden eyes locked on a small crack on the ground, trying to ignore her old friend's murderous glare. She softly bit the inside of her lip, tilting her head up ever so slightly and making eye contact with the Princess in front of her.

The Princess's eyes narrowed sharply, cutting clean through the tension in the air and causing the pit in Mai's stomach to swell up into her chest. Every breath hurt, and she felt as if her lungs were full of rocks.

"I never expected this from you," Azula hissed, her eyebrows pushed deep into the bridge of her nose. Mai felt her own eyes narrow softly as her old friend continued to speak. "The thing I don't understand is; why?"

Mai saw Ty Lee out of the corner of her eye. The young acrobat had her hands clamped tightly in front of her face. Her knuckles were white from pressing her hands together so hard, and the young woman's eyes were constantly moving back and forth between her two best friends.

Mai was hardly paying attention when Azula's head tilted up. "Why would you do it?" She asked, her eyes softening. "You know the consequences," Azula said, catching herself and narrowing her eyes once more.

The moment of silence threatened to make Mai's knees collapse. She broke it by muttering, "I guess you just don't know people as well as you think you do." She couldn't believe the words slipped out of her mouth, but there they were, hanging in the air. "You miscalculated," Mai continued. "I love Zuko more than I fear you."

That sent Azula off of her edge. "No, you miscalculated! You should have feared me more!" She screamed. Mai saw Azula's fingers flinch and automatically reacted. As Azula pulled her fingers together, ready to make fire or lightning at any given moment, Mai pulled out one of her knives and held it in her hand, ready to strike.

The glint from the knife sent Ty Lee to life. She jumped forward, hitting Azula in the shoulder, then in the back. As Azula fell to the ground, Ty lee saw the look on Mai's face and realized she wasn't done yet.

The young acrobat's feet hardly hit the ground as she rushed to Mai. Mai most definitely wasn't expecting it, but before she knew it, she was on the ground, as well. Ty Lee stood over both of her friends, trying not to make eye contact with either of them. Azula's eyes were narrowed into the hardest glare the acrobat had ever seen. Mai's eyes, however, were tangled in pure shock, unable to believe that her best friend had just sent her falling to the ground.

"You fool!" Azula hissed as a small mob of guards rushed over to the three teens. Ty Lee took a small step back as the guards made their way over to her, grabbing her and pinning her arms behind her back. Several of the other guards ran over to Azula and Mai, holding them up to where they could both look at Ty Lee.

Ty Lee looked over at Azula – her best friend – and bit the inside of her lip. "I'm sorry, Azula, but I couldn't have my best friends killing each other." Ty Lee's voice was much rougher than she had expected it to be. For the overwhelming amount of fear she felt, it was surprisingly blunt.

Azula narrowed her eyes at this. It wasn't like Ty Lee to be so snappy about anything, and especially not to Azula.

"She's right, Azula," Mai said, causing Azula's attention to snap over to her quickly. Her tone was a tad softer than usual; Azula figured she was a bit afraid.

Ty Lee's lips flinched up into a soft smile. "Please. You guys are friends! You shouldn't be fighting over something like this." She paused, looking down at her feet for a moment. "I'm sorry I attacked you both, but if you guys ever hurt each other and I was just sitting by watching..." She trailed off with a soft sigh.

Azula shut her eyes for a moment, before her train of thought was interrupted by one of the guards' voice. "Princess, your airship has been stolen!" he announced, causing the attention of all three girls to shoot over to him.

"What?" She hissed, narrowing her eyes sharply. "Send for another one immediately!" she shouted. The guard bowed softly, before turning to send a messenger hawk. Azula sighed. "Now, if you would be so kind, Ty Lee, to give me back feeling in my arms, then the three of us can get out of this steam-hole."

O

"Mai?"

The teen didn't flinch at the mention of her name. Her eyes were locked on the near-full moon, shining directly into her face. She took a deep breath, before softly saying, "Yes, Princess?"

There was a short pause. "You're still mad at me."

Mai bit her lip softly, pulling herself up from hunching onto the sill of the window. "No, I'm not," Mai said, her eyes not moving from staring at the moon. "I'm just..." Mai sighed, slowly turning around. "Look, Azula; you're my friend - or at least, I used to think you were - but you're taking advantage of me and Ty Lee, just like you always have."

Azula's eyebrows curved into an upside-down-'V'. "What do you mean?" She asked, shifting the weight on her feet.

"You know exactly what I mean, Azula." Mai's voice was colder than usual. "Ever since we were kids, you've treated Ty Lee, Me, and everyone you've ever met like your servants. You attack us, threaten us, manipulate us, and yell at us until we do exactly what you want us to do, and I'm sick and tired of it." Mai's voice was rising to a shout. "Look, I know you have some childhood issues, but that doesn't give you the right to treat people like they're garbage. I've put up with so much of you because you're my friend, but when you make me attack my boyfriend, that's taking it too far!"

The Princess stood there, staring with wide eyes at her normally rather emotionless friend. She sighed softly, moving over to Mai's bed and sitting down, placing her head in her hands. Mai looked at her friend for a long hard moment before sitting down on the window sill. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you."

"It doesn't matter," Azula said softly. Her voice was breaking, so Mai could easily tell she had hurt her friend's feelings.

Mai stood up slowly, making her way over to Azula. "No, it does matter. I got mad and did the exact same thing I just accused you of, and I'm sorry."

Azula sat still for a moment, before looking over at Mai slowly. "Me, too."

The older of the two sat down next to her friend. "I still want to be your friend, Azula. I really do. But for that to happen, I'm going to need you to promise me something," Mai said, her voice ending just louder than a whisper.

"What?"

Mai took a deep breath, looking down for a moment, before glancing back up to make eye contact with Azula. "I want you to promise me that no matter what happens, no matter how mad you get or how bad the situation is, I want you to promise me that you will never make me fight Zuko ever again. And that you won't hurt him." Mai's voice was sharper than her knives. She saw Azula shift uncomfortably, so she decided to add, "Unless he tries to break up with me again. Then you can tear him limb from limb for all I care." Her voice ended in her normal bored tone, and Azula smiled. "Promise?"

Azula looked at her for a long hard moment, before softly muttering, "Promise."