Gladiator

by Seyary-Minamoto

In a world where the Avatar wasn't found, the Fire Nation took over two nations and they strive to overcome the last one. Water Tribe warrior Sokka seeks to fight for his people's rights, but he's captured by his enemies. His life is no longer in his hands as he fights as a Gladiator, and his fate will eventually depend on the Fire Nation Princess, who needs him for her own ends...

209. Chapter 209: Gladiator & Sponsor Race 9

She had bottled up her frustrations initially, trying to diminish her irritation and outrage at being defeated by two people she had hoped might never beat her. It wasn't enough that they would have an unbreakable bond she couldn't help but envy them for, at times… no, they had to take that bond and turn it into their greatest strength on the battlefield, to the point where they could hardly be defeated in a fair battle.

Thus, when Iroh had suggested the ambush, Toph had been thrilled to orchestrate one. She had been all the more ecstatic when the Millennium Dragon and his sponsor had joined in… and then she had panicked, quite a bit, when she sensed the pair she both loved and resented had leapt off the cliffside. If Iroh hadn't told her Azula had taken off on a firebending-powered flight, she probably wouldn't have moved another inch from that cliff, in sheer horror over what she'd done.

Then, of course, the realization dawned on them all: Sokka and Azula would get ahead if they managed to fly all the way across the cliffs and to the mountain range around Omashu. Upon cornering them so effectively, they had also offered their enemies an advantage neither team had intended to give them.

So, instead of finishing their battle, the two teams had taken to running to the mountains, and dealing with every foe along the way as mercilessly as possible. Renzhi and Aonu took to a path through the forest, and they fought and defeated several opponents there, while Toph and Iroh continued along the edge of the cliffs…

They had reached the mountains, and the front of the race, so much faster than they had expected, and the young earthbender had been distressed at the thought that her royal friend might have bent herself all the way to Omashu already… but Iroh reassured her quickly:

"Not even the Millennium Dragon, with his extraordinary stamina, would be able to fly for as long as Azula would have had to. They can't be far" he said, with certainty.

"Yeah, well… I hope you're right. If they beat us to the city, I'm seriously going to…!" Toph started, but she fell silent when her feet picked up a sudden set of vibrations… that of footsteps down below, near the base of the mountains, so far away she couldn't quite make out who they belonged to "Uh, Iroh? Stay here"

Iroh did as he was told, standing back and watching as Toph aided her climb down the steep cliffs with her bending. The earthbender worked her way down until she was close enough that, with one proper step taken while fully exercising her seismic sense, she could recognize the people she had sensed earlier: a malicious smirk spread over her face: time for proper revenge, then.

They were making this remarkably easy for her, however: somehow, Azula and Sokka, along with who she later identified as Haru and Ty Lee, were heading into a tunnel. Had Iroh come along with Toph, she might have decided to join the other four just to obliterate Sokka and Azula while in an environment she'd be absolutely superior in… but she didn't need to take it so far this time: this was the perfect chance to sabotage the Princess and her gladiator.

"I'll just come back and fetch you two once I've won the stage. That'll do, right?" she said to herself, smirking as she leapt down from the edge of the mountain and raised her hand to bend an onslaught of rocks to cover the tunnel's entrance.

It was a cruel move, she knew it was. Surely those two would be quite angry later, and she wouldn't blame them… she was being childish, wasn't she? And yet her petty revenge was a little satisfactory, even if she knew it was wrong to do something like this to two of her very best friends.

"TOPH!" they called at unison, and even in that they were perfectly synched. It was absurd how attuned they seemed to be with each other…

She kept going, however, ignoring their shouts and bringing the rocks down before they could do anything to stop her. Perhaps Haru would bust the way clear again later, but they would waste time regardless, and that was what mattered. If Haru didn't clear it up, they would be sentenced to wandering within those mountain tunnels for ages… none of them had seismic sense, none of them would figure their way out of a maze that, even at a distance, she could sense as the craft of badgermoles, like her old masters. She smiled at the nostalgic memory, resolving to return to rescue her friends and, perhaps, say hello to the badgermoles that lived in this area. She had no doubt she'd get along with them wonderfully.

"I saw what you did" Iroh said, once Toph had bent her way back to him "I… am impressed. I didn't think you'd be so merciless with your friends"

"Eh, they'll be fine. Badgermoles aren't dangerous unless you're a wolf-bat" she said, with a careless shrug.

"Well, one of them is part wolf" Iroh said, with a crooked grin "It's a tunnel made by badgermoles, then? I seem to recall there's quite an important tunnel in this area… there was a song about it, at least"

"I don't know anything about any songs, but what I sensed was definitely the work of badgermoles" Toph said, smiling proudly "I'd recognize it anywhere"

"As the expert earthbender you are, I take it?" Iroh asked.

"Nah, as the badgermole apprentice I was once, if anything" Toph laughed, and Iroh whistled.

"Oh, my mistake, you've always told me you learned from them! They must have been great teachers"

"Yeah, the very best an earthbender could ask for" Toph said, beaming "At any rate, I'll come break these two out of there after we've won the race, if you were wondering. They'll be pissed, but if this is a way to win and get all the points, then…"

"They would be likely to do the same thing to us, if they could" Iroh said, reassuringly "Which begs the question of why you'd even want to break them out later…"

"Oh, come on! I'm being mean enough to them already, aren't I?"

"Ahaha, I merely jest, Toph, really…!"

"Really? You'd better just jest! I don't want to kill my friends, not even if you don't like them" Toph said, huffing as she began to bend an easier path up the mountains "Now come on, the sooner we get to Omashu, the sooner I can get those two out and face their wrath"

"Ah, and you can tell me more about your friends the badgermoles while we make our way through the mountains, right?" said Iroh, beaming as he followed Toph.

That someone would want to hear about her old earthbending masters was enough to cheer up the young woman briefly, just in time before her guilt about closing in the tunnel's entrance gnawed away at her a little too persistently for comfort…

The way to Omashu wouldn't be easy: some teams would take advantage of the path Toph and Iroh would carve through the mountains, others would make their own, and many would seek to fight them as they traversed the many tall peaks on their way to the big city. But they would fight back, and carry on climbing each mountain resiliently until the largest of prizes was written to their name…

Deep underground, the mood was decidedly not quite as cheerful as above. Ty Lee sighed beside Haru, stroking his wounded arm gently: she had wrapped his elbow carefully with the only bandage left in their pack, but she didn't think that would be enough for Haru to be back in shape, not when his dislocated elbow needed to be tended to. Even so, he remained as optimistic as possible, often smiling kindly at her and thanking her for her support with kisses to her cheek.

"They're going to take a while, aren't they…?" Ty Lee said.

"Say… I know you said I shouldn't, but I really could try to bend the way through with my other hand" Haru suggested, and Ty Lee shook her head vigorously "Then we really will just wait here?"

"The tunnels might change again, so maybe we'll be cut off from them anyhow…" Ty Lee admitted, throwing her arms around Haru's waist "But I don't want to risk it. I'd rather stay here with you, or… hmm. There was a fork earlier, wasn't there? Just before we chose to come this way, to take a break…"

"You want to see what's back there?"

"If it's not cut off… maybe? We'll come right back afterwards!" Ty Lee said, lips pursed with determination. Haru chuckled.

"Hopefully we'll find the exit, or any exit, that way" he said, and he allowed Ty Lee to help him to his feet, her free hand holding their makeshift torch still. It hadn't gone out, miraculously, despite the chaos that had arisen when the new tunnel wall had been erected between them and their friends.

It was just a quick detour, for a moment. They'd be back soon, much sooner than Azula and Sokka would be, for sure. Who knew how far into the tunnel those two would be by now, after all?

---

"I haven't felt any more vibrations…" Sokka said, casting wary glances around himself as he walked beside Azula "So I guess that big nasty beast isn't chasing us, huh?"

"It must have been a badgermole, come to think of it…" Azula mused. Sokka frowned at her assessment.

"Badgermoles? Didn't Toph say something about being taught to earthbend by those things, when she escaped her house…?" he asked. Azula shrugged.

"Well, they're blind and they earthbend. She'd certainly understand them perfectly" Azula said "I don't remember if they'd be willing to eat humans, however, so the sooner we get out of here, the better"

"We've been walking for ages, feels like, and there's no sign of the exit yet" Sokka sighed, shaking his head "Maybe Ty Lee and Haru are closer to it than we are by now"

"Not impossible, but we'll keep going regardless" Azula said "What else can we do, at this point…?"

"Tell Xin Long to come, beat up those badgermoles and get us out of here…?" Sokka said, with a sad grin. Azula snorted.

"He's not our one-way-ticket out of every predicament, you know? As far as I can sense… eh, he's not too far away, but it'd still take him around half a day to reach us, at his best speed, and that's without considering the likelihood that he'll get lost in this maze of tunnels just as we are. Might as well keep going instead, right?"

"I suppose" Sokka pouted, hanging his head in defeat.

The tunnel they traversed at the moment was curved slightly, and once again, it split in two possible paths. Sokka groaned, rolling his eyes at the sight: they had chosen the left side of every fork so far, hoping they might go around in a circle and find their friends again. They hadn't had any luck yet, though.

"Do we keep going left, or do we go right instead…?" Sokka asked, glancing at Azula with exasperated uncertainty.

But the Princess ignored her grumpy companion as she raised her left hand higher, powering her fire further so she could shed more light on the tunnel… to find three statues lining each side of a large, round doorway.

"Sokka!" Azula exclaimed, and she heard him gasp in relief behind her.

"A way out?! It's got to be a way out! Oh, shit, Azula, I can't believe it… oh, I love you" he said, smiling as he wrapped her into a quick embrace "Is that what the whole 'trust in love' nonsense meant? Trust the love of your life will make the right decisions to get you out of this hellhole?"

"Maybe" Azula smiled, cupping his chin with a hand before kissing his lips softly "Come on. Let's make sure it's really an exit first: if we're close to the city we can go get help for those two… if we're not, maybe we ought to go right back and dig them out of the tunnels so they can come with us"

"Sounds like a plan" Sokka said, smiling warmly at her. Ah, while Azula certainly didn't blame him for being so frustrated earlier, it was quite wonderful to see him back to his more cheerful, easygoing self.

They approached the large, round door, with smiles that waned once they reached it: there was no handle. This was meant to be a bending-powered door… but Sokka cared little for subtleties of the sort right now.

"You know what? If the door won't budge the good way, we're doing it the bad way" he announced, drawing Space Sword and stabbing the wall violently with it.

Azula watched him work, offering her fire's light as he did away with chunks of earth, bit by bit. While she could have simply been enthralled by her manly lover and his displays of strength, she frowned upon noticing that no light was seeping through the hole Sokka was carving into the earth, no matter how much wider he made it…

"Ugh, okay, I'm not sure this is what we think it is…" Sokka said, gritting his teeth as he drew back his sword and kicked the newly broken wall.

The remaining circular door fell off its rightful place after Sokka's kick, with most its base removed. Azula stepped closer to Sokka, bracing herself against the cloud of dust that rose after the wheel of earth had fallen away… only to find they had broken their way into a closed, old room with stale air and more statues within it.

"And what on earth is this now…?" Sokka said, entering the room right behind Azula.

She raised her fire higher, powering it again to let light bathe the entire location. Both their bodies trembled with an unexpected shiver at the sight of what appeared to be two long coffins propped side by side on a circular platform…

"A tomb?" Azula said, and Sokka flinched.

"It's not for people who can't get out of this wretched place, right?" he said "Shit, why is it caves only get creepier every time I come anywhere near one…?"

"I… I don't think it's for multiple people" Azula said, reaching for Sokka with her wounded hand "See down there? That's two coffins only. Just… two people"

"Huh?" Sokka said, blinking blankly "Well… wait a minute, two people? This is the Cave of Two Lovers, isn't it? Which means…"

"Those are the lovers' tombs?" Azula said, eyes wide "Then… they did die? That part of the legend was true?"

"Well, as long as it wasn't the badgermoles that killed them and put them in this tomb, I guess we'd be okay" Sokka said, grimacing "Didn't Ty Lee say something about the second verse of her weird song having something to do about Omashu, though? If they're real… do you think maybe that part of the song is accurate too?"

"Could be" Azula said, shrugging "I think there's some inscription, or maybe paintings, on the platform down there. If the song is accurate at all, I'd expect the tomb of those who inspired it to be much more accurate… right?"

"I guess" Sokka acknowledged, following Azula down a flight of stairs, down to where the coffins awaited "Why do you suppose the badgermoles haven't messed up this place with their tunneling? From the looks of it, it doesn't appear like anyone's been here in a while…"

"Definitely doesn't look like it's been torn up by badgermoles before" Azula nodded, appreciating the smooth walls and the many crafts of earthbending across them, as they walked towards the circular platform "Who knows? Maybe they don't like breaking something that was bent by humans. There were statues at the entrance of the tunnel too, weren't there? They probably have been there a while too, and they were in perfect shape as well"

"Hmm, true enough" Sokka said, stopping beside Azula "Alright, then! What do we have here?"

The platform, as Azula had seen from a distance, was decorated with old but resilient artworks, likely crafted through earthbending. Words accompanied the carvings, and Azula raised the fire in her hand towards them to properly read each inscription: the first was a mountain, at the foot of which were drawn two different kinds of houses, symbolizing two distinct human settlements.

"The man and woman meet at the mountains: they lived in separate villages" Azula said, as they moved to the next artwork, one that depicted a man and a woman dressed in elegant clothes "Their people were at war, their love is kept a secret for it"

The hands of the two lovers touched, but their surroundings were marred by what appeared to be bloodstains. The symbol for war had been highlighted, and Azula shivered as she raised her right hand, conjuring more fire on its palm as she continued to study the story, with Sokka following her closely.

"Their love is stronger than the enmity of their people" Azula continued: the two lovers gazed at each other from a distance, connected no matter how far apart they might be "The badgermoles are their masters: they learn the art of earthbending from them"

"Woah. Just like what Toph said she did, isn't it?" Sokka said, reaching to touch the carving of the badgermole: the two lovers stood at either side of the creature.

"Well, seems like these guys beat her to it" Azula smiled, reading the next carving, where the two lovers were shown in the middle of an earthbending kata: "The man and the woman are the first people to bend the earth"

Sokka held back the urge to whistle in admiration. Was this the true origin of earthbending? He didn't know for sure, it might just be a legend like many of its kind… but he wasn't merely hearing a campsite story this time, or reading about strange myths in a book: he was standing inside the tomb that apparently belonged to the two people from the legend. The two lovers…

"The tunnels they can bend are a maze that allows their love to blossom in secret" Azula continued, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. How she'd hate to admit Ty Lee was right… yet the more she read about the story, the more it resounded deeply within her heart "Any who follow them into the tunnels risk losing their way, so their love is safe from prying eyes. But…"

"But?" Sokka said, his eyes drawn to the carving of the two lovers sharing a kiss while hidden inside the tunnels.

It was Azula who reached out to touch the carving of the woman. Her left hand, no longer bending any fire, trembled when her fingertips grazed the solid rock.

"The man didn't arrive one day" she said, her voice fading into a whisper as knowing dread spread through her body, expanding from her chest invasively, a cold rush that chilled her to her core.

Sokka had been intrigued by the story, as enthralled by it as Azula was. The last words Azula said brought a frown to his face, though: he moved past the Princess, taking advantage of the brightness of her fire to read the next inscription, accompanied by two drawings: one, of arrows flying across the sky. The other, of the woman crying at a tomb.

"The war killed him" Sokka said, his voice grave "He… died in battle"

Azula was tempted to stop reading immediately. They were in a tomb, that was obvious enough, she knew the story would end in death one way or another… but for him to die, and for her to be left behind mourning him? She shivered, wracked by wild emotions that suddenly felt as powerful and all-encompassing as they had in her nightmare about her mother…

"Azula…" Sokka said, and she drew in a sharp breath.

"Sorry. I… I'm just not sure I want to know what happens next" she whispered. What could someone do if their loved one died? What could ever make life worthwhile once they were gone from the world? If the next artwork was merely a depiction of the woman committing suicide, she would hardly be shocked…

"I understand" Sokka whispered, his voice small "But… there's still nothing to say how this tunnel connects to Omashu, so, well… if just for that, we should see the whole story"

She glanced at him warily, and they both knew what the other was thinking upon finding the same apprehension in their eyes. She didn't want to know, she didn't care for a story where a woman lost the love of her life to a war… but he did. From the first time he had faced deadly danger once their relationship had begun, Azula had fought to no end to ensure he'd survive, even when all odds were against it. And just so, Sokka had tried to tell her she had to keep going, she had so much to achieve, a whole world to change… and even if he were gone, she had to do so. No one else could do it in her place.

Azula closed her eyes, wishing there wasn't a painful knot in her throat right now. But after a few deep breaths she walked past Sokka and raised her fire towards the next engraved artwork, the blue flames shaking unsteadily.

"The woman's heart is broken" Azula read, as the woman was shown bending large pillars of earth, her arms outstretched "She bends the ground, and all the land shakes and trembles. Her grief and power could lay waste over the villages…"

And then the next carving… the woman stood, peacefully, between two groups that seemed to beg for her forgiveness, or perhaps to revere her for her earthbending feat. Azula stood still for a moment, studying the artwork in confusion: it was Sokka who read the next inscription aloud:

"She used her power to end the war" he said, without holding back a small smile. Azula swallowed hard as Sokka guided her carefully to the next artwork: four pyramidal shapes comprised the silhouette of a city they had both visited once before "The woman leads the villages to build a city where they live in peace. The woman's name… is Oma. And the man's name is Shu"

"Seriously…?" Azula whispered, hardly giving her eyes any credit. But there was no mistaking the city carved into the earth before them.

"Omashu city: to forever remember their love" Sokka finished, a hand gently placed on Azula's shoulder.

The Princess was tight-lipped now, perhaps dreading the story would cause some sort of argument between them about what she should do, in case the worst ever happened. Her entire body trembled now, as was obvious by the shaky flame. Why on earth had she switched hands? Her right was already weakened, it was even worse now after reading that story…

Sokka released her from his hold, and Azula missed his touch immediately, wanting nothing but to hug him, to kiss him, to cling to him and ensure nothing would ever take him away from her. The fear that ever took hold of her when she considered a life without him was stronger than she could bear…

But he hadn't let go of her for no reason: he had turned around and was gazing up at the largest statues yet. Azula struggled with strengthening her fire, raising it up so they could see the statues properly: a man in armor and a woman in an elegant dress leaned towards each other, their lips joined in a chaste kiss.

"Love is brightest in the dark" Sokka recited the words that hung in the space between the lovers' statues.

"Is it, now…?" Azula said breathlessly, lowering her hand again as the urge to cry increased, so much it threatened to overwhelm her.

"Azula…"

"I know, I know, I know what you'll say, I know what you're thinking, I…"

"Azula, don't" Sokka said, moving closer to the Princess, placing his hands on her shoulders "You don't know what I'm thinking, okay? Things… have changed, a lot, since we last had these conversations. On some level, no, my feelings haven't changed, I do believe you're incredible, extraordinary on your own right and you can make this world a better place on your own…"

"And that's always going to be the problem, I don't want to do it on my own…"

"And I don't want you to do it alone either" Sokka finished. Azula froze, the tears in her eyes held back by those words before they could tumble down over her cheeks "I… I know you could, love, and I trust with all my heart that you'd do an amazing job. But if it were up to me… you'd never have to face a life without me. I'd be by your side at all times, and no damn war, no battles, nothing would keep me away from you. I'd gladly fight death itself if I must… because I know where I belong. And it's with you, no matter what"

Now she couldn't quite hold in the tears, though they were accompanied by a smile. A frail one, certainly, yet a smile all the same.

"Well… that certainly was better than anything I thought you'd say" she conceded, and Sokka smiled kindly at her "I don't want to be overdramatic, I… I don't want to overthink things. But their story…"

"Sounded a hell of a lot like ours" Sokka said, nodding as he pressed his brow to hers.

Azula breathed deeply, trying to still herself as the thoughts coursed her mind too quickly to keep up with them. The future they had always dreamt about, the world they could change… none of it seemed to matter more than the love they cherished with every fiber of their beings.

"She was really strong, if she could keep going as she did… definitely stronger than me" Azula whispered. Sokka snorted.

"Not possible. No one is" he said, and she smiled "But she definitely sounds a lot like you"

"He probably was like you too" Azula said "No woman like me would be swayed by anything less, and any man who isn't you is guaranteed to be lesser…"

"Ha, well… that's flattering too, Princess" Sokka smiled, and Azula laughed softly.

"It's really unfair they couldn't live their lives together properly" she said "Who knows… who knows what else they could have achieved otherwise. The Earth Kingdom might have been much stronger that way, huh? Led by Omashu, rather than by Ba Sing Se…"

"Probably strong enough to crush all other nations, eh?" Sokka said "But… they wanted peace. So, surely… they would have found the balance we always talked about, huh? And the world would be a much better place. Maybe… maybe a place where you and I could've…"

"Yeah" Azula said, her free hand on the nape of his neck. The fire in her hand flickered now between blue and gold, but neither of them took notice of the change. They were far too lost in each other to perceive it.

"Maybe it's up to us to make it so" Sokka whispered, and Azula raised her eyes to find his "I mean… our story may be a lot like theirs. But it doesn't have to be the same in every sense, does it?"

"Well, we're certainly not earthbenders, so there's enough differences. I'd say we're not fated to end up the way they did" Azula's voice was small and weak "We can make our own destiny, as far as I'm concerned"

"I agree" Sokka smiled "Shu didn't survive, and Oma had to fight all her battles alone, but…"

They spoke the next words in unison, their hearts so aligned, their souls so close they seemed to merge into a single one:

"I would never let that happen to you"

All thoughts of the race, of their friends, of reaching the city and winning all the points vanished from their minds: all that mattered right now was each other.

Sokka leaned closer, kissing Azula fiercely enough that he tilted her body back, his hand firm on her lower back, the other reaching to cup her cheek. Her hold on his neck tightened, nails grazing his skin as she returned the kiss with the same devotion he offered her. Her right hand moved over his shoulder, and if her eyes had been open she would have seen the flame's color shift from blue to gold… but the fire vanished quickly enough, forsaken and forgotten, as she wrapped her arm tightly around his neck, all be it to continue cherishing their love, caught in a desperate whirlwind of emotions as they were.

The deep, desperate kiss was a balm for their souls, appeasing the pain and fears brought to mind by the myriad of possibilities that spread ahead in their future. Their relationship faced countless obstacles, and they had skirted many dangers in it so far, as complicated as they had been. But there was no telling if the future meant to bring them to the same untimely, tragic conclusion Oma and Shu had faced when they had been forced apart by a deadly war…

Yet their love had endured. A city existed in their honor, a song was sung by countless people from different cultures, shared throughout history: maybe their full story wasn't known, but their impact on the world was everlasting.

Was it too arrogant of them to hope their love could linger for just as long, for the world itself to celebrate their defiance of fate, their quest for balance, their true cherishing of each other for everything they were? Or was it just right to dream that their love could be like Oma and Shu's, eternally carved into the memory of the land itself, building the powerful foundations of a city that would remember and honor them for as long as its pyramids stood against the test of time?

They didn't quite care whichever the answer might be: perhaps they would go forgotten, in the end. Perhaps no one would remember the name of Crown Princess Azula, or that of her gladiator, Sokka the Blue Wolf… but if forsaking such fame, such glory, was the only way they might spend the rest of their days together, they would do so gladly. A life without each other had never appeared less appealing than it did right now.

Their lips parted only for instants before they claimed each other's mouths again, breathing the other in as though theirs was the air they needed to survive. Their armor crashed together uncomfortably, and there seemed to be no way to angle their bodies so the metal wouldn't inconvenience them, but all such thoughts were irrelevant in the face of overwhelming passion. Too often they had lost themselves in each other irrationally, guided by deep desire, by unsurmountable despair, by heart-warming love… and today it seemed all such feelings had merged together and possessed their bodies, hearts and souls in the process.

She had cupped his face between her hands, the tips of her fingers caressing the factions she could rebuild in her mind by memory effortlessly every time she closed her eyes. She knew him, his every flaw and virtue, his true heart, his gentle soul. She understood all he conveyed, the high tide of his emotions as he finally did away with all her doubts: he wanted to be with her, to stand by her, to witness all the wonders he believed she could weave in their world, and he would fight, to the bitter end if that was what it took, to remain by her side, at all costs.

Her chest ached for him: it was as though each kiss healed and cut across a new wound over their hearts, wounds they could only recover from by kissing anew and sustaining more damage still. Perhaps one day their hearts would be stronger: perhaps one day they would no longer be afraid of facing a future like Oma and Shu's. But until then, they shared their fears just as they shared their courage. They shared their strength, just as they shared each weakness. And as small and scared as they might feel upon gazing into the mirror the tragic earthbenders posed for them, they felt strong all the same, for they were still together. They still had time. They still had a love to protect, to treasure, to defend against anything that tried to damage it.

Sokka's arms embraced her so intimately, wordlessly promising she would never lose him. What they were likely to lose was their footing, though, for Sokka leaned further in, as though to take in more of her, and Azula responded merely by welcoming him, caring little if she fell on the ground as long as she could continue to kiss him. He wouldn't let her fall, though, not now, not ever, no matter the circumstances: he surprised her by hoisting her into his arms, raising her enough that she might wrap her legs around his waist, and she did it readily, locking all her limbs around him as she carried on kissing him.

Memories of their journey together overflowed them: long ago, he had carried her just this way when they had first succumbed to the desire that had long lingered between them. And just as it was that day, Sokka walked with shaky legs until he found a wall to support them both just as his world seemed to crumble around him. But why care about a crumbling world, when the most wonderful woman in it was in his arms, offering an everlasting, unconditional love he reciprocated with every beat of his aching heart?

Pinned against the wall as she was, Azula's hands traveled over Sokka's hair with total disregard for common sense and decorum: the time and place they were in didn't matter in the least anymore, nothing else did. All she wanted, all she needed, was the man she had admired from the moment she had seen him making the biggest sacrifices possible for his people. That he would have come to love her too, so ferociously that he would fight death itself to stay with her… oh, she had no idea what she had done to deserve such devotion, but she cherished it so much that the tears she had tried to contain slipped through her tightly shut eyelids.

It wasn't until she sobbed that he realized she had surrendered to her overwhelming emotions: he only withdrew from her lips to kiss the tears away, and that as well brought memories she couldn't help but smile for. How he had cared for her, how he had constantly looked after her, ever since their love had begun to blossom for good. He had stopped at nothing to ensure she would be safe and happy, and with each of his actions, even if not with words for a long time, he had showed her he loved her. She had been so insecure, so stubborn, she had failed to understand it for a long time… but after many years of walking the same path with him, their hands ever linked, she could turn to see the distance they had crossed already, and pride filled her soul as she marveled at the long journey they had shared. If they could have their way, it would continue to be a longer journey still…

"Azula…" he gasped breathlessly against her cheek, his lips trailing over her smooth skin. Her fingers clenched the hair she had been caressing, and she urged his head lower, until he found her neck, stretched for the taking.

There was no holding back, not when moans poured from her lips, accompanied by a few more tears. So long ago she would have punished herself for showing her emotions so openly, he knew as much, withdrawing into herself and refusing to let anyone see her for who she truly was… but he had broken through those barriers long ago. She had allowed him to know her fully, to understand her, and she had trusted him completely. Now, whether she cried of bliss or rage, of joy or sadness, she would never conceal her truths from him.

How long had he spent stemming in the darkness of his heart, feeling useless, secondary, disposable? For all his teenage years, and his time in the Amateur Arena, the very source of his anguish had been the fear that his life would amount to nothing. But from the start of their partnership, Azula had needed him: she still did, to this day, and now she loved him desperately too, wanting him beside her, no matter what.

Her hands found his face: she tugged him away from the neck he had been devouring only to gaze into his eyes, lit by a pale, green light she paid no mind to. His blue eyes were half-lidded, his jawline firm, his cheekbones strong, his lips parted and lightly swelling after their wild kissing…

"I love you" she whispered breathlessly, her left hand traveling over his armored body "I love you, Sokka, I…"

"And I love you, Azula" he said, offering her a smile so gentle she felt choked up once again. He did love her. He loved her like no one ever had before, like no one else ever would in the future…

His sash fell to the side, and her belt joined it before long: it wouldn't be the first time they recklessly joined their bodies while propped against a wall, both mostly dressed still. Yet their desperation was such that they couldn't quite find another position, or waste another moment doing away with more clothes than they could: Sokka raised her tunic, tugged down her pants' waistband with a jerk, and Azula raised her legs slightly, so his waistcloth would fall down and pool at his ankles. His trousers had fallen too, held by the boots that reached up to his calves. One hand continued to hold Azula in place, while the other tugged the cloth of her underwear to the side. And without another moment's hesitation from either of them, Sokka slid his cock inside her opening, prompting Azula to gasp right by his ear, her hands finding some balance by clutching at the edge of his armor.

It was to be a slow tryst, guided by emotion rather than wild lust. Yet, even though they had scarcely touched each other, let alone done more than that, their bodies responded to every thrust knowingly, anticipating the pleasure they were certain to find together.

It felt so right, it always did, for him to fill her in this way, their bodies linked and bonded. Her walls squeezed his manhood, and he couldn't hold back his own groans and gasps: they mixed with hers, their joint voices echoing in the chamber in the song of their shared desires.

Sokka's breath escaped him with each gasp, and every thrust would have his head swimming in pleasant bliss. The pain in his chest still lingered, but it was weaker than before: this was ever the solution, they always had known as much. Giving themselves to each other, all else in the world be damned, could do away with every doubt, every sorrow, every problem they ever faced. The beauty of her features was eternally mesmerizing, no matter how overwhelmed she was by the natural arousal, no matter the tears that still occasionally trailed over her cheeks. She was every pleasant dream he'd ever dared envision, every wish he had made without any hopes of seeing them come true…

He could have admired her beauty for hours, but he decided to lean in again instead: how he longed for each kiss, how he craved the feeling of her perfectly-shaped lips, how he needed the flutter of her tongue against his, ever daring and eager, just as it had been the first time they had dared kiss at all…

The fire in her hands had died away, but the flame of their love burned so brightly in that cave that they needed nothing else: between constant thrusts and tender moans, kisses that tasted sweeter than any wonders in their world, caresses poised to cherish every last inch of their bodies, they rose together into a world of blissful joy meant only for them. They were eternal there, their love no longer put to the cruelest of tests, allowed to flourish just as it was, to grow into the most beautiful creation either of them had ever witnessed. They belonged with each other, to each other, so willingly and openly it was as though their hearts had merged into a single one…

And why not? They beat fast and strong, perfectly synchronized, as though connected just as their chi-paths already were, just as their minds that ever were filled of thoughts of the other. Just like their bodies, coupled perfectly as the peaks of arousal approached rapidly, far more rapidly than either of them had meant them to.

A burst of arousal inside Azula brought her to cry out in blissful abandon: she felt completely undone, and she relished in the sensation as she became nothing but energy, sheer, wild, uncontained energy that answered Sokka's own without any hesitation. With each new thrust, he offered her all the more power, all the more bliss, all the more fulfillment, and she returned the favor every time, compelling him to surrender even as he carried on with his relentless motions, his hips rocking him back and forth, his manhood plunging deeper and deeper every time, and she was ready, so ready for more…

Again, her body dissolved, and she was more than just herself, no longer restrained by the trappings of worldly living, for she had risen high above it all. But she wouldn't be alone: he was there with her, and she knew he would share in on that extraordinary feeling of floating in a sea of bliss with her. His body weakened as the urges to set himself free along with her took hold of him completely. It was Azula who took him in, who guided him to join her, offering him a place beside her, a destiny entwined with hers…

Their lips had found each other again when he reached his culmination: his entire body shuddered, and he cried out as Azula took her chances to kiss him deeper, chasing the last climax that he gifted her through the final, potent thrusts that led him to the highest peak of all inside her. Her moans no longer were accompanied by sobs: their chests still ached, but only with gentle, softened pain, smoothed over by their overwhelming love. The desperation, the chaos, the fear… all of it had been chased away in the sealing of their promise. As they finally returned to themselves, remembering their bodies, surroundings and circumstances, they couldn't help but share a laugh and one more tender kiss, their brows pressed together even after it was over.

"Well… that's definitely a new one for us, doing this in a tomb" Sokka whispered, as Azula laughed and embraced him tightly "I suppose we're being judged by a couple of spirits in the afterlife, if there is an afterlife they can judge us from…"

"Maybe… maybe they're our past lives, then" Azula smiled "That way they wouldn't judge us… because they are us?"

"That'd be convenient" Sokka chuckled, supporting his weight against the wall and glancing up at the statues of Oma and Shu "But in case that's not it… sorry for defiling your tunnel and tomb!"

"Considering their love was brighter in the dark…" Azula said breathily, arms and legs still locked tightly around his body "Chances are they weren't all that chaste when they snuck into these tunnels either, eh?"

"Huh… if that was the case, I guess they'd understand" Sokka smiled, gazing at Azula again warmly.

She nearly caved in to steal one more kiss from his lips, but upon losing herself in his eyes she noticed something strange: she could see him. They were in the middle of a dark cave, and she had long stopped bending… but she could see him perfectly, as she had seen him while they made love against the rocky wall. The puzzlement across her face earned her a questioning gaze from him.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"I see you" she whispered, her uninjured hand trailing over his face gently "You look a bit green compared to your usual self, but… I can see you"

"Heh. I can see you too. Which makes no sense in this cave" Sokka realized, chancing a glance over his shoulder and towards the source of the greenish light.

Both were speechless when they caught sight of the crystals that glowed brightly in the ceiling of the cave. How hadn't they been affected by that light before? If those crystals had been there all along, how hadn't they noticed them before?

"Is that what it meant? Love is brighter in the dark?" Sokka asked, blinking blankly.

Their bodies remained joined, sending gentle shivers of pleasure under their skin whenever they moved too much. But Azula didn't wait for Sokka to set her down before raising her hand and conjuring a small plum of gold fire.

Immediately, the green lights above vanished. She snorted before allowing the gold to fade away, and moments afterwards, the green crystals were glowing as powerfully as before.

"Unbelievable" she said, closing her eyes "Shouldn't have tried to bend at all, then"

"The key out of this maze is to trust in love" Sokka recited, turning towards the Princess "Might be that's what it meant, then. No need to use another light source…"

"They didn't have to be that enigmatic about it, though" Azula laughed "Otherwise, they might just end up convincing people to do exactly what we did in their cave"

"Heh… yeah, maybe that's what they were after all along" Sokka chuckled, kissing the tip of her nose softly before separating their bodies and setting down Azula as delicately as possible.

They helped each other rearrange their clothes as neatly as possible in those circumstances: they were tired, battered, wounded and in dire need of respite after four days on the road… but what had happened within the tunnel filled them with a light, an energy that relieved them profoundly. It was a new source of inner strength, perhaps, that encouraged them to return to the road, to follow the path marked by those crystals until they found their way out of the mountain.

"The crystals seem to go that way" Azula pointed at the tunnel they'd come from, an arm around Sokka's waist "I don't know for sure if this is reliable… but it's worth a shot to follow that path and see if we might find our way out of here by doing so"

"Yeah" Sokka whispered, kissing the top of her head "I love you"

"Yeah, that's supposed to be why this is working" Azula smiled, leaning closer to kiss her husband's lips softly "I love you too, Sokka. I know you hate caves… but if I'm to be lost in one, it better be with you"

"I suspect it brings us luck to get stuck in them with each other" he chuckled, stroking her hair gently "Maybe I shouldn't hate them all that much, huh?"

Azula laughed as well, embracing him tightly. The warm bliss she felt in his arms seemed the perfect opposite to the lingering melancholy that permeated this place. Yet, whether they were Oma and Shu reborn or not, Azula suspected the two first earthbenders would have approved of their love, no matter how inappropriate it was for them to hold trysts in places that ought to be sacred, by all means… the thought brought her to smile as Sokka guided her back to the stairs, still holding each other closely. However dark and foreboding the tunnels had appeared before, now it felt like a place that would welcome them rather than crush them. A place where they could be safe and free, just as Oma and Shu had been…

They stopped at the top of the stairs, glancing back at the tomb over their shoulders… at the two statues, lit up by the green glow of the crystals. Sokka breathed in, taking in the room one more time, every beautiful, elaborate detail across it, before bowing his head in a gesture of respect towards the statues.

"I hardly believe in spirits, frankly…" he said "But in case they're real, and in case you were watching, sorry again… and thank you, from the both of us, for helping us find our way. And for setting an example we'll try to follow… though not too closely"

Azula smiled fondly at him, kissing his cheek quickly before nodding in the statues' direction.

"I doubt we'll ever come here again, but, if just for this, it was definitely worth making the trip through the cave" Azula said "I'll never forget their story, that's for sure"

"Nor will I" Sokka whispered, caressing her hair "Guess Ty Lee and Haru were right after all. This really is the most romantic place in the Earth Kingdom"

Azula smiled and nodded, hugging him tightly. Sokka draped an arm around Azula's shoulders as they climbed out of the room again, finding the string of crystals indeed had continued through the tunnels, pointing them in the direction they were meant to follow.

"So…" Sokka said, his voice playful enough to warrant him an amused and intrigued smirk from Azula "I think it's clear what we have to do, once the Race is finished"

"And what's that?" Azula asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Isn't it obvious, Princess?" Sokka smirked "We'll lay the foundations for the city of Azulasokka!"

"Did you just…?!" Azula started, but her words trailed off with a laughter spree that she couldn't possibly control. Sokka joined in before long, his hand rubbing gentle circles on her shoulder.

"Maybe the city of Sokkazula then, that might work too!" he chuckled.

Their laughter resounded through the tunnels, and the crystals above them seemed to glint with blissful amusement, accompanying their reckless laughter. It didn't matter how far away the exit might be anymore, for they walked together, with sure footing, knowing the way was clear for those who truly trusted in love wholeheartedly, and they certainly did.

---

A broken leg, a snapped rib, a knockout, a block of earth straight to the chin. One by one, runners would falter at the violent attacks by the leaders of the race: the staff members on the hot-air balloons had taken to bellowing at the most vicious fighters to take it easy and not knock down anyone off the mountain while quickly rushing to tend to those in worst shape. So far, it didn't seem anyone had died… but with the most aggressive gladiators terraforming the tall peaks around Omashu, it wasn't unlikely that someone would in the future.

"Toph, to your left!" Iroh shouted, bare seconds before he unleashed a flurry of fire through his mouth.

The Blind Bandit obeyed her sponsor's call, raising a rock with a kick and launching it squarely at Emerald Gem's stomach: the young woman was breathless as she reeled from the blow, and her sponsor rushed to help her instead of fighting back against Toph. Meanwhile, Iroh had successfully set the Frizzy's remarkably frizzy hair on fire, and he currently ran desperately over the mountain, slapping the flames and hoping a kind-hearted firebender would help him put out the flames.

Kori and Sneers had done their best, but the exhaustion across all stages had taken its toll on them: she had carved them a safe haven within another tall peak, and there they had stayed, embracing as they regained their strength and conceded they wouldn't achieve a top-tier result in the Race. However difficult the process had been, they felt closer than ever before after fighting for their lives side by side.

The Sentinel Knight carried his sponsor up the mountains across his arms: Eri had been injured in a chaotic brawl earlier, and she couldn't quite bend fire after sustaining a nasty blow to the head – she had lost consciousness and regained it several times since then. Her fighter tried to protect her to the best of his ability, but with countless dangerous opponents ahead, it seemed better to lag behind and allow them to destroy each other instead of fighting back.

The Millennium Dragon and Aonu had been one of the fiercest pairs through the stage, but across the last two hours they had been locked down in a combat that seemed to fated to continue until they reached the gates of Omashu: the Light Bearer and the Dark Rook, once again spurred by their vicious sponsor, attacked the fire and earthbending pair with as much strength as they still could muster.

"Ack, Aonu! The little earthbender and the old General… are on the next mountain!" Renzhi shouted, after blocking the Light Bearer's blinding attacks, constantly keeping his eyes focused elsewhere to avoid the potential damage the bright fire could do to his visibility.

"They're ahead of us?!" Aonu asked, bending a massive boulder at the Dark Rook, who evaded it: the rock flew downwards, threatening to smash into other contestants who, fortunately, saw the attack coming before it was too late.

"Dunno, but they sure as heck will be if we don't do something about these three soon!" Renzhi said, crafting a powerful attack charged with condensed fire: the Light Bearer braced himself for it, but the Millennium Dragon launched it towards the Dark Rook instead.

"Kei!" the Light Bearer shouted, only for Koshing, hidden safely at a crevice in the mountain, to snap at him.

"Didn't I tell you to fight the enemy?! If your brother can't keep up, that's his problem! Focus, damn it all, Sei, or else…!"

Aonu knew the Light Bearer and the Dark Rook weren't technically slaves… although they were in anything but in title. The twins cared for each other and wanted to keep one another safe… whereas their sponsor cared for nothing but whatever he could turn to his benefit, spewing wrathful orders without making any efforts in the race himself – the Dark Rook, again, had been tasked with carrying Koshing all the way to the mountains up until they had caught up with Aonu and Renzhi.

It was enough, though. It was frustrating, ridiculous that those two men would be at that man's beck and call, constantly. One stream of sand to his face hadn't been enough, definitely.

Aonu took the opportunity offered by Kei's current predicament to wave his hands carefully, manipulating the earth under Koshing without the man's awareness… up until he withdrew the grounds Koshing was standing on, which had him sink to the chest into a rocky mountain side, to the man's horror and chagrin: he screamed so loudly, terrified upon being the victim of what he seemed to think was a vicious attack, that most of them had to cover their ears with their hands to muffle the man's voice.

"SEI! KEI! GET ME OUT OF HERE! GET ME… -Umph!"

It didn't hurt one bit to stuff the man's mouth with dirt, Aonu supposed, and Renzhi's disbelieving laughter certainly pleased Aonu plenty. He offered Koshing a careless shrug as both the Light Bearer and the Dark Rook stared at their sponsor in chagrin.

"He'll never get over this, will he?" the Dark Rook said, as his brother sighed hopelessly.

Neither Aonu nor Renzhi heard those words, though: they had rushed down the mountain by now, eager to reach the destination they could already see from afar. Omashu's four pyramids had never appeared so inviting before, and they smiled wildly on their way towards the single bridge, the only entrance to the city.

But the Blind Bandit and the Dragon of the West were racing in the same direction, and as much as Aonu wanted to believe they could reach the bridge faster, he wasn't all that certain of it. Renzhi kept up with him, and Aonu's bending eased their passage down… still, he was nowhere near as efficient as the Blind Bandit's long sled, through which she enabled herself and her sponsor to slide down to the very ledge they had to reach before the bridge was theirs for the taking…

"You're not getting the better of me this time, you pricks…!" Toph shouted, launching a rock towards Aonu and Renzhi: the firebender destroyed it with a timed, precise fire blast, and the battle between them was promised to begin anew…

"Toph! Toph, the bridge!"

The young earthbender was startled by her sponsor's urgency, but not enough to stop fighting against their two dangerous foes. Certainly, not for long enough to understand whatever bothered Iroh about the bridge…

"What is it?!" she shouted.

"They're crossing already!"

"What?! Like hell they are, I'm fighting the Millennium Dragon right…!"

"I mean Azula, Toph!"

She lost all control of the rocks she had been bending, and her lips parted in disbelief. Oh no. No, no, no, that couldn't possibly be, she had locked them inside a cave, there was no way…!

And yet, as soon as she stepped on the ground, hard enough to trigger the most accurate reading of her seismic sense… two people, running across the bridge. Holding hands, if her perception was that accurate, and it ever was.

How? How could they seemingly overcome every single challenge? It was absurd that two people could prove resilient to such an extent… what on earth could drive them forward so relentlessly, without ever slowing down, without ever allowing any obstacles to stand in their way? Toph had prided herself on being exactly like that, once… but what they were proving capable of defied all boundaries she had never even realized she had abided by. How could they break out of a cave without needing any help, without being earthbenders? How could they fly across the sky when the one doing the flying was injured? What the hell kept them running forward towards a finish line that surely had seemed completely out of their reach merely a few hours before…?

It made no sense, that was the truth of it… and it was also true that she had no intentions of letting them reach the finish line before she did, no matter how much she appreciated her friends.

"Toph?" Iroh called her, urging her to act: he could try to mount an attack, but the Princess and her gladiator were already too far away, his fire wouldn't be likely to reach them. But a boulder might…

Toph took a step back, drawing in as much strength as she could muster before summoning blocks of earth, large enough to damage the bridge. She could build another way into the city, if need be: as long as she defeated those two, she could ignore the consequences of wrecking the city's main bridge.

The Princess and her gladiator had found their way out of the tunnel thanks to the crystals, rejoicing in finding an exit that, to their surprise, was barely a short climb away from Omashu's entrance. Yet they could see, in nearby mountains, the chaos and pandemonium weaved by the race: they had rushed towards the bridge as quickly as possible, hoping to reach the city before anyone could stop them… but when they were halfway across the chasm, Sokka cast a wary glance over his shoulder to spot a small, vicious earthbender in the distance, raising large rocks to throw at them.

"Azula…!" he called his partner, tightening his hold on her hand "Run! Faster!"

"What…?" she asked, breathlessly.

"Toph! She's over there, and she'll tear down the bridge if that's what it takes to make sure we…!"

As though to illustrate Sokka's words, the walkway they were traversing shook violently when a rock impacted into it, landing on the spot the two of them had been on moments ago. Azula glanced over her shoulder too, finding Toph had far more ammunition where that had come from… and Aonu and Renzhi seemed to have joined her and Iroh, too. To her surprise, Aonu seemed reluctant to attack… whereas Toph seemed desperate to ensure her main rivals wouldn't reach the finish line before she did.

She flung more rocks towards them, and they avoided them with difficulty, with Sokka wrapping his arms around Azula to help her speed up when her strength faltered. Yet it wasn't long before the young earthbender lost her patience altogether:

With two powerful steps, and raised hands that Toph tightened into fists, the bridge began to crumble.

It started at the end of the bridge right beside Toph: the loss of balance when the first columns broke down, however, would tear the entire structure to shambles. Azula gasped, almost losing her footing, and she clung to Sokka's arms tightly as she felt the bridge was falling to pieces underneath her feet. Sokka, more accustomed to running across earthbending-caused chaos, managed to continue running for as long as the collapsing bridge allowed it: they weren't all that far away from the arrival point now, the city gates were wide open, the stakes were in sight, the final stage was almost over…

The rest of the bridge collapsed.

They lost their footing amidst crumbling debris.

They fell.

Toph breathed with difficulty after her latest bending feat. All the onlookers stared at the space where the bridge had stood, disbelieving and aghast: even a hot-air balloon, the one Yang was riding, hovered at a standstill, watching on for a sign amidst the dust cloud that had risen once the bridge had collapsed, any sign that those two had survived the catastrophic crumbling of that bridge…

"D-did I…?" Toph finally asked: the guilt she had tried to muffle when she blocked the cave entrance was nothing against the horrifying feeling of desolation that arose inside her now. She had been impulsive, erratic, proud to the point of utter arrogance… all of it to keep those two from achieving victory.

But she had gone too far this time. Had she done the worst? Had she actually…?

"Oh, no. Damn it…!"

Iroh's frustrated voice brought Toph to raise her head warily. And then Aonu laughed – that was a new notion altogether, that guy could laugh? – and Renzhi shouted and hooted in amazement. Toph struck a hand down on the earth, trying to figure out what had happened… but she couldn't feel anything. Why would Iroh be so angry, and the others so cheerful…?

Only then did it dawn on her that Azula had already flown herself and Sokka out of danger once before in that stage. And her jaw dropped when she realized that she was, most likely, doing the same thing once more.

It was difficult to propel them high enough, especially when she was so weak, and her hand throbbed painfully, but Azula cared little for the state of her hand when both her life and Sokka's hinged on her power to bend them out of the chasm around Omashu.

Her gladiator and husband clung to her as he had earlier, an eye on the ground down below, while watching the gold flames pouring out from his lover's hands and feet. He smiled, inevitably, admiring her strength and power as she brought them up slowly, but surely…

She intended to exert all the strength possible to get them to the city again, but her strength did falter, causing her flames to chortle and choke up on occasion. She continued regardless, knowing this was a life-or-death situation… but they couldn't falter here and now, absolutely not. She had to keep going… she had to get them to safety, even if it took every last remnant of her strength…

But when it seemed the flames would falter for good, once they were near the edge of the city, Sokka drew his boomerang quickly. He roared and slammed it on the ground, clinging to it fiercely while keeping a firm arm wrapped around Azula: the boomerang served as a hook to support their weight on the remaining rocks at the foot of the mountain, where the crumbled bridge had connected the city with the surrounding mountains. By then, Azula's fire output dimmed and dwindled: she clutched at Sokka with what little strength she had left, the flames at her feet fading away too as he hoisted her up with a single arm, encouraging her to climb up to the city gates.

It wasn't easy, but Azula's weary fingers clutched at the solid ground before long, and she succeeded at climbing to the surface after Sokka had exerted all his strength to raise them both higher, ever using his boomerang as a source of stabilization and support. Once he had both arms over the edge of this new cliff, Sokka held himself in place without as much trouble while Azula clambered up onto the flat ground. She took to yanking him up moments afterwards, her aching hand forgotten while she aided Sokka with whatever strength she had left.

"Come on, come on… you can do this" she was saying reassuringly, as Sokka pushed himself up with difficulty.

The shattered bridge had certainly brought instability to the area outside the city. Sokka moved slowly, not only over his exhaustion but also to avoid making any dangerous moves that could shatter the grounds they'd reached together. He breathed in sharply, his leg riding up the ledge until he finally pushed himself enough to bring his full weight onto solid ground.

"Good… there. You… you did it" Azula said, with a faint smile as she brushed the dirt off Sokka's armored shoulders as he crawled further away from the chasm, and closer to his lover.

"We did it" Sokka corrected her, smiling and holding back the urge to kiss the love of his life at that very moment "We're here. Omashu"

Azula's exhausted smile was charming in its own way: Sokka chuckled and leaned in, careless about whoever might see him hugging the Princess before he hoisted her up with difficulty, for she had pushed herself so hard her limbs barely seemed capable of holding her weight without help anymore. Together, step by step, they walked to the waiting finish line past the wide-open gates of Omashu, where an excited group of staff members gazed at them with reverence.

"You did it! You've won! You've won the stage, and the Race!" the chairman shouted excitedly, as Sokka and Azula supported each other in their walk through the city wall "Congratulations! Well done, both of you!"

Azula smiled at Sokka, and he reflected the gesture, as they finally stepped over the finish line together.

With that, the staff members launched into full celebration – they launched fireworks, even if they wouldn't be seen easily on the sky when the evening was barely beginning, and they clapped and cheered them on, surrounding them while offering food, water and health checkups to the Princess and her gladiator, the undisputed champions of the Gladiator and Sponsor Race.

All the while, his arm remained locked around her shoulders, with no regard of how others might judge their closeness to be inappropriate for two people of their standing – though it seemed they had forgotten all about enforcing proper boundaries between the royal and her gladiator right after they had barely escaped death's claws moments ago. No one would pull him away from her now even if they tried, not when Sokka's heart soared in bliss upon overcoming this challenge with Azula, against all odds. The satisfaction they both felt upon having proven themselves above all the difficulties only seemed to confirm, yet again, that they were ever fated to make the other better, to build and foster the greatest partnership their world had seen yet.

Toph couldn't sense the celebration at the city, but her guilt over her last actions certainly calmed down all potential wrath she might have felt over their victory. That was that, then. They had won, and she had nothing to do but accept it… just as Aonu, Renzhi and Iroh would have to.

But second place was still up for grabs, wasn't it?

Toph raised her hands carefully, shifting the earth underneath them just slightly. Her movements caught Aonu's eye, and he didn't waste a moment trying to stop her: instead, he struck his hands forward, forging a platform that he intended to extend all the way to the city.

Iroh and Renzhi shared a horrified glance when both the earthbenders in their respective teams began working so soundly, without quite interfering with each other despite it seemed quite likely they'd clash eventually. Was it wise to follow them as they walked across their respective bridges, erected over the large gorge? Or were they all going to plummet to their deaths in case Toph and Aonu decided to sabotage each other's crafted bridge halfway through the final stretch of their journey?

"I… I won't attack you if you don't, old man" Renzhi said, and Iroh nodded promptly.

With that, the two joined their partners: the process was slow, but it felt fast, frantic: they had to extend their bridge across the entire chasm, stretching the earth from the mountain around them into forming into a new, far less stable bridge than the one that had stood before.

Relieved, tired and battered as they were, Azula and Sokka still glanced over their shoulders upon hearing the noise made by the two earthbenders in their dangerous, chaotic ordeal. Aonu's progress was slower but steadier, whereas Toph moved in quick bursts, her face drawn into a dangerous snarl. At the rate at which they were moving, it was impossible to tell which one would be triumphant.

"Princess… come with me. Your hand…" Azula heard one of the staff members call her, but she ignored the voice as she continued to watch the chaotic bending feat of their most vicious opponents.

"That sure doesn't look like the right way to build a solid bridge" Sokka said, with an awkwardly grimace.

"I suspect Mai's dad won't be all that pleased with the League after this mess" Azula admitted, with an awkward smile. Sokka snorted, glancing at her with a playful smile.

They were mere meters away at last: Toph, however, fell into a disadvantage when Aonu reached out to the earth at Omashu, yanking it towards his bridge and easing his passage across the gorge that much more quickly.

"Toph!" Iroh shouted, as Aonu smiled wildly when his bridge finally connected with Omashu "He finished his bridge!"

"Ah, shit, just…!" Toph shouted, snarling before changing her bending method:

Instead of reaching all the way across the chasm, the next burst of earthbending merely patched her bridge onto Aonu's. Scrambling towards the city as he was, Aonu didn't notice Toph's latest move until he and Renzhi were halfway through the last chunk of his bridge.

"Damn it… we have to move faster, Renzhi!" he shouted, and his friend surprised him by scooping him up by the waist and running the remaining trek of the bridge, disregarding all caution even if it was ill-advised "N-not that fast! Renzhi, the bridge could collapse if we…! Renzhi!"

The bridge was threatening to give way again: it was too thin, too unstable, and Toph sensed it as she was crossing into Aonu's earthbent passage.

"Iroh…!"

"We have to run, Toph, or else…!"

"Grab onto me!" she called back to him, reaching for his shirt just in time to draw back her elbows…

The bridge began to collapse when she extended her arms: the chunk of bridge where they'd stood was fired forward by the strength of her earthbending. They flew across the remaining distance on the gorge, much as they had virtually flown at the start of the race…

And while riding the chunk of earth as they were, they crossed the finish line mere seconds before Aonu and Renzhi could do the same thing.

The staff members, as well as the race's champions, scrambled out of the large rock's way just in time: Toph and Iroh as good as collapsed on the city's entrance, breathing with difficulty as the panic they had refused to acknowledge earlier finally tore through the surface.

"T-that was… a close one" Iroh said, his hand still gripping Toph's shirt "Thank you…"

"N-nothing to… to thank me for. I should've done better…" Toph whispered, both disregarding the noise and cheers of the staff members, keen on congratulating them for their second place.

"Ah… guess we messed up" Renzhi sighed, setting down Aonu as soon as they'd crossed the finish line "Ought to have just powered myself with fire, like the Princess always does, eh? Sorry about that, Aonu…"

To his surprise, his friend chuckled and patted his shoulder, shaking his head. His behavior, so different from his usual attitude, as of late, still left Renzhi blinking blankly at him.

"Aonu…?"

"It's fine" he said, smiling reassuringly "I… I don't think I mind not being first as much as I did before"

"You…?" said Renzhi, though he was speechless while he attempted to process his sponsor's words. Aonu laughed.

"Thank you for… for everything. For being the only person who could have been my partner in this race" he said, offering his hand to Renzhi "Maybe we're not the greatest team of all, but we're a damn good one anyhow"

"Heh. Damn good doesn't begin to cut it" said Renzhi, snickering as he clapped Aonu's hand into a powerful handshake "We finished the race, Aonu! We're third!"

Aonu laughed as his friend reeled him in for a hug. Toph and Iroh had finally sat up again, and as much as they weren't as pleased for their second place as Aonu and Renzhi were with their third, they smiled and thanked the staff members offering them food, beverages and medical treatment. A small campsite of sorts had been erected on the very entrance square of Omashu, set for all new arrivals to finally rest after the harsh, complicated race was over.

Sokka and Azula had been tended to, and although Azula had told the staff members that they had friends who needed help, they could only promise to go look through the tunnels once everyone else had been accounted for. The Princess and her gladiator had been in no shape to go out to seek Ty Lee and Haru themselves just yet, not when they both sported a fair number of wounds that had only just been bandaged, and when there was no solid bridge they could cross yet, even if they'd disregarded their exhaustion and wounds right now. Azula's right hand had been wrapped completely in a splint and bandages, kept rigid so she would heal the injury – the physicians had found she had a small fracture on her wrist, and all attempts to bend with her injured hand were strongly discouraged now.

"You put up with a broken wrist, even bent with it to save us from a free fall twice…" Sokka said, sighing and shaking his head. Azula laughed at his recounting, choosing to nibble on the gyoza she had been offered to replenish her strength instead of responding to Sokka "You can complain all you want about me being a nightmare patient, but you, Princess, are a piece of work yourself. Same as when you were sick, I swear…"

"It's not that bad…" she said, but she sighed and dropped her head on his shoulder, eyes closed "I'm so tired, though. I… I think I could sleep for weeks"

"Good plan" Sokka agreed, smiling at her "Though as much as I like it, I guess you shouldn't do it on my shoulder in plain view of the entire world… you should do it on my chest when nobody can watch, instead"

She smiled knowingly at his offer, and he chuckled as she sighed and sat up straight again, most unwilling to separate from him even when she knew it was necessary. By the city gates, a group of Omashu's earthbenders had been tasked with crafting the bridge all over again… only for a new team of earthbenders to sabotage the process and tear it down just when the fifth team had crossed. The Winged Champion and her sponsor had outpaced the Light Bearer and the Dark Rook in the final stretch of the race, taking the fourth place for themselves while the other two, carrying a pale, shivering sponsor between them, had rushed across the gorge just in time before the bridge came down once more.

"Well, that's really not much help" Sokka said, sighing and shaking his head "Guess they should've set up the finish line at the other end of the chasm, huh?"

"Probably" said Azula, releasing a breath as she glanced about herself with a slight frown "Say, where's Toph?"

"What? If you want to give her a piece of your mind, only use your left hand, please…"

"No, I want her to make up for trying to kill us thrice today by sending her to get Ty Lee and Haru, seeing as the staff members can't afford to do it yet" Azula said, sighing and pushing herself up: her entire body ached, but she managed to stand regardless of how shaky her legs still were "That's the main reason we rushed here in the first place, right?"

"Yeah" Sokka said, swallowing hard and joining her in her quest for their earthbending friend and foe.

They sought their friend amongst wild staff members and finished racers who seemed all too overwhelmed by the exhaustion to care about their results. At last, they glimpsed the small earthbender pouring water over her face, shoulders hunched as she sat in a corner, away from all attention for once.

"Toph…?" Azula called her, and the young woman flinched.

"Uh… congrats, you guys" she said, her voice small "And, uh… sorry. I know it's not going to cut it, but, well, I don't know what would, so…"

"Never mind that, we'll deal with our unresolved problems later" Azula said, with a weak grin "Can you go back across the chasm sometime soon, though? Ty Lee and Haru… we had to leave them behind in the tunnel. Those badgermoles bend like you"

"No idea if you meant it as a compliment, but that's too much flattery for someone who could've killed you countless times today" Toph said, with a sad grin "Honestly, though, I… I'm sorry about it all. Guess we'll talk about it later, though…"

"Yeah, Azula seems to be in a forgiving mood today but I sure as hell am not" Sokka growled, and Toph smiled.

"Good for me you're not half as intimidating as she is, then" she said, standing up and digging her toes into the ground below her feet "Alright, so-… uh, I don't think I'll have to do anything, actually. I'm pretty sure it's them crossing right now"

"What?!" Sokka exclaimed, though he wasted no time running to the gates to glance at the bridge.

Azula followed him, as did the apologetic Toph: the earthbenders had carved another bridge at last, and this time around several pairs were crossing at once:

"That's the Priestess" Sokka said, gazing anxiously over San and Raiden's heads as they crossed sixth, according to the staff members around them "And I don't know those guys…"

"The Scarlet Knight and his sponsor!" exclaimed a voice beside them, and Sokka jumped before recognizing its source.

"Yang!" he said, smiling at the beaming spiky-haired writer.

"Congratulations for taking first place! I know I'm not supposed to be rooting for anyone, but you both must know that I, w-well…" Yang said, glancing between them both. Azula and Sokka only laughed and nodded at his implied confession.

"Thank you for supporting us in silence, then" Sokka said, clapping his shoulder with a hand.

Yang smiled brightly as his two heroes returned to watching the bridge attentively: another pair crossed now, the Lone Star and his sponsor, and just behind them…

"Ty Lee!" Azula called, with what little strength she had left, as the non-bender and her husband finally crossed. His bandaged elbow certainly had seen better days, but Haru was smiling in relief upon reaching the finish line, as was Ty Lee.

"I'm so sorry, you guys…! I'll never ever drag you into a tunnel again!" she sobbed, clinging to Haru "Please, a physician! Medic! Anyone! My husband needs help!"

"It's okay…" Haru laughed, but Ty Lee had relinquished him from her hold just to rush inside for a staff member to tend to her partner.

"You guys made it out, though? Did you get out with your bending, or…?" Sokka asked, eyeing him warily.

"Not really" Haru admitted "The tunnels were a maze, so we got lost when we tried to find another way out. Then the torch went out, and Ty Lee nearly started crying, but then on the ceiling…!"

"The crystals" Azula and Sokka said together, smiling.

"You guys followed them too?!" Haru asked, beaming.

"That's the entire reason we're out here as well" Sokka chuckled "We'd only just asked Toph to track you guys down, but it seems you found your way out before we could help you"

"I'm glad you did, though. Ty Lee was afraid you'd still be stuck in there and we'd have to go back for you" Haru chuckled "Who won, though?"

"Uh…" Azula and Sokka shared a guilty glance that Haru interpreted correctly at once.

"Wait, seriously?" he said, his jaw dropping.

"Yeah, turns out even locking them inside a cave isn't enough to put a stop to them" Toph smiled "I'm starting to think nothing is"

Her words brought an easy laugh to their lips, one that was only interrupted when Ty Lee brought a physician for Haru at haste, wasting little time with explanations until he had been tended to.

By the time Haru had been tended to, his elbow set again, if very painfully, almost all the runners had reached the finish line. No one else had shattered the provisional bridge, for the remaining racers had been too tired to resort to such wild maneuvers to obtain a higher position in the final standings. When the last team arrived – Harbinger of Chaos, bruised and battered, with a few missing teeth yet a bright grin over having fought as wild and freely as he pleased –, the Gladiator and Sponsor Race was officially finalized, as dusk settled on a lantern-lit city.

"Thank you, and congratulations to all of you for your great efforts in the Race!" the chairman said in his final speech, beaming brightly at the unkempt group of racers who no longer appeared to care much for whatever words he might say next "This was an extraordinary experience, an event I had long wished to hold but never had a chance to! Thanks to all your enthusiasm and hard work, I can say this was a successful venture indeed! I'm grateful to all of you, truly… and I would especially like to thank our winners, both for being the biggest advocates for this project, and for offering a performance beyond anything we could have imagined! Crown Princess Azula, you and your Blue Wolf have most certainly earned your victory!"

A round of polite clapping followed after the chairman's speech: a few staff members and runners cheered, even if not quite as excitedly as the Blue Pack ever would. Azula and Sokka smiled gracefully as a staff member approached, offering them a golden trophy, slightly more ornate than the Slate's trademark slate-like reward, yet shaped much like it; Sokka was the one to receive it, for Azula wasn't supposed to hold anything with her wounded hand. He grinned at her, proudly, and Azula laughed as they continued to bask in the celebratory cheers around them.

It came as little surprise when Sokka chuckled and threw his free arm around her shoulders: for once, their enthusiastic closeness could be interpreted as the natural result of a partnership like theirs, rather than something much more meaningful… which, of course, it was. Yet even the staff members rejoiced carelessly, as did the chairman. Their friends in the public clapped and cheered for them, and even Iroh, who could have been scoffing towards them, scrutinizing the contact between them, seemed to react with nothing but polite clapping as he accepted that he and his partner had been outdone in this challenge.

If just for a moment, in a city that meant more to them now than it ever had before, Azula and Sokka allowed themselves the freedom that neither they nor the city's namesakes had enjoyed. If just for that small instant they could be in each other's arms, rejoicing in their triumph while no one judged them for being who they were. It only seemed fitting for it to happen in Omashu, of all places: a city built to honor two secret lovers now proved to be a refuge for another such pair. The strength of their partnership had been tested, and they had proven themselves, without fail. Just as Sokka had been acknowledged as the best non-bending gladiator, today they had proven to be the greatest team of gladiator and sponsor, an honor they hoped to continue being worthy of, for however many years they would continue to participate in the Superior League.

The trophy ceremony was brief, and all teams returned to nourishing themselves and dealing with their wounds afterwards. Night had fallen, and it would soon be time for Sokka and Azula to make their way to Omashu's governor's home, where her assigned Imperial Guards and Song should be waiting for them. But as this was the last night before the Race's group broke out, the teams that had bonded throughout the past four days were slightly unwilling to see everything end so soon.

"I knew you guys would win, I just knew it" Kori laughed, weariness plain over her cheerful face as she congratulated Azula "Sneers and I could've done better, but… I think we need more training. At least we were the eleventh team in the end… could've been worse, right?"

"Why, yes, there's ten more teams below you guys" Azula smiled earnestly "Either way, don't be too hard on yourself for that result. I think all of us could have used better preparation going into this mad race… but it was fun, wasn't it?"

"So much" Kori said, beaming "Oh, I can't wait to do it again. Do you think they'll hold it next year? If they do, we'll be ready!"

"You'll have to ask the chairman" Azula shrugged "But if it happens, I'm quite certain Sokka and I will join in just as well"

"Eh… well, vying for second place isn't so bad" Kori said, with a shrug, and Azula laughed and shook her head "What? No way we're beating you guys! Not after all you pulled off over the last four days, for sure!"

The Princess had been about to reply, to encourage Kori not to give up on a fight before it even began, but someone approached them before she could begin a sentence. Her smile waned slightly, uncertainty rising inside her chest despite Aonu hardly looked as angry or bitter as he ever had… if anything, there was an air of hopefulness around him Azula would have never associated with the man before their lengthy conversation from two nights ago.

"Uh, sorry to intrude" Aonu said, bowing his head curtly towards Kori "I, uh… I just wanted to ask if your offer was still available, Princess"

"My offer for a job with the Enforcers?" Azula asked, raising her eyebrows "Why… yes, it certainly is. Have you made up your mind yet?"

"I believe so" Aonu said, grinning before taking a deep breath and offering Azula another, deeper reverence "I'd like to be part of your initiative, Princess. I'll do my best not to disappoint you"

Kori had fallen silent at Aonu's sudden appearance, but now she seemed stunned cold by his words. Azula, however, smiled at the man who, until a few weeks ago, had been a mere afterthought, a foe she had hoped not to cross paths with anytime soon.

"Strange how alliances can be forged in the most unexpected circumstances" Azula said, nodding towards him "Thank you, Aonu. I look forward to working with you. And to watching you two working together, as well, of course"

Kori blinked herself out of her daze then and she offered Aonu a nervous grin. He responded with a much more genuine one before turning to the Princess again.

"If it isn't too much trouble… could I ask for a few more details right away?" he said "I'd like to know what sorts of duties you'll expect me to handle"

"Well, overseeing the Enforcers is a job that entails much more than the title lets on" Azula smiled "It's good you're both here, then, I can explain everything in one go this way"

Kori and Aonu grinned more enthusiastically as Azula, exhausted and wounded as she was, took to offering an overview regarding the duties her two new allies would undertake for the Enforcers. All the same, she would see to it that they settled properly into their future responsibilities and roles once she visited Yu Dao soon, as they both resided there… but offering them a few early guidelines couldn't be a bad idea.

Sokka watched their conversation from a short distance, smiling as he overheard Azula's explanations about the Enforcers, their duties and organization. She would need rest direly before long, but she certainly wouldn't do so until she had finished speaking thoroughly about her biggest project to date. He couldn't quite help but watch her on with pride, most unwilling to interrupt her.

"She'll give you proper attention again before long, Sokka. You can cheer up" Toph told him, punching his shoulder lightly, without half the strength she ever did.

"And you can stop being so mellow too" Sokka scoffed, prodding her with his elbow "What happened to calling me 'Dog', huh?"

"Uh… slipped my mind, I guess" Toph said, though her voice still lacked the bite it ever had before.

"Toph…"

"Look, I know I messed up big time today. And not just with the bridge" she admitted, with an awkward smile "I knew those badgermoles wouldn't hurt you guys, but you weren't in good shape already, and…"

"Worst part is we were probably better off for it" Sokka admitted, shrugging "Hadn't you forced us into the mountain… then we wouldn't have found a shortcut to Omashu through those tunnels. That's the entire reason it paid off, you know?"

"Yeah… I should've thought it could be one" Toph smiled "Had I used my seismic sense right then and there, maybe I would've sensed it'd go all the way to the city, but it didn't cross my mind. Just like a lot of things didn't. I… I really shouldn't have torn down that bridge either. Shit, I… I really am the worst friend ever, huh?"

"Heh, well, that's pushing it…" Sokka said. Toph scoffed.

"Right. I'm sure you have a lot of friends who've tried to kill you, huh?" she asked.

"Well, I know you weren't trying to kill us, you were mostly trying to win" Sokka said, raising his eyebrows "Had you figured out a way to do it without reaching those extremes, I'd like to think you wouldn't have gone so far. Therefore… you're not the very worst of my friends. Second-worst, perhaps"

"Wow. Someone really set the bar that low?" Toph asked, raising an eyebrow "What'd he do?"

"Eh, he did want to kill me, for real" Sokka said, with a weak grin "Maybe he won't try anymore, doesn't mean he didn't try real damn hard when he did. He could have even succeeded if Azula hadn't gotten involved. To be perfectly fair, I have no idea if I ought to consider him my friend or not anymore… things weren't so bad when we last met, but I'm not sure anymore"

"I could be relieved there's someone worse than me, but all I can think is you two are damn unlucky" Toph said, with a sigh "I just… was really impulsive, and stupid. I shouldn't have gone so far, but I couldn't even think straight, I just… acted. And I only realized I'd done something I couldn't take back after it was done and… shit, the more I try to reason with it, the worse it sounds"

"Want to know what I think?" Sokka said, folding his arms across his chest, his head tilted sideways slightly "The whole reason you went so far, did all the things you did… is because you're terrified of losing"

His words hit her hard, enough that she had none to counter them. Instead, she lowered her head and found a box to sit on, as though afraid she might lose her footing if she remained standing. Sokka pursed his lips before sighing and sitting beside her: by then, Toph's hands were rushing through her untidy hair.

"The first time I came across the two of you, together… I'd just kicked your ass, remember?" Toph said "I'd fought you, and… I thought you weren't worth killing, even. I looked down on you, I was annoyed by you, I thought you were everything a gladiator shouldn't be… and now it turns out the tables have turned, haven't they? You two… you've changed. You went from being the pitiful ones to the ones worth admiring. Which… makes me what, exactly? Am I the pitiful one now?"

"Only if you want to be, I guess" Sokka said, with a careless shrug. Toph huffed "Truth is, we've changed in many ways, Toph, but… Azula and I didn't change as much as you might think we did. Even back then, when you beat me up, she came to me. She felt responsible for me. She looked after me because I needed it. That, believe it or not, was her first real display of kindness towards me…"

"Joy, so it's my fault you fell in love now?" Toph asked, with a cheeky smirk. Sokka laughed, shaking his head.

"Nah, I blame that on her exclusively, don't go around taking credit you're not due" he said, and now he was the one to punch Toph's shoulder lightly. She snickered "My point is, though… if things had failed for us, if you'd beaten me to a pulp again today or yesterday, do you seriously think she wouldn't have carried me over her shoulders as she did that day? I don't even doubt she would have… I mean, in a way, she did: she flew with me twice today, huh? No less than that, with a fractured wrist, apparently. Which, by the way, I really ought to kick your ass for"

"Eh, I'll have to ask you to reschedule that beating for later" Toph smiled "But I'll take it. I'm sorry. I could've gone easier on you guys with the ambush, but…"

"You're about as bad with competitivity as she is" Sokka said "You're both prodigies, so maybe that's why, huh?"

"Maybe" Toph conceded.

"My point is, though… she and I have changed in some ways, but we knew we had to learn to trust each other since the start. We had to rely on each other, and… that's why we still do, to this day. She never let me down. She… she had never dropped me. So, for as long as she wants me to, I'll continue to fly with her, wherever we may go next"

"Very poetic of you" Toph said, and Sokka smiled "Alright, well… you guys definitely are the perfect match, that can't be denied. I just… honestly never thought you'd beat me at anything as thoroughly as you did this time around. It shouldn't have mattered so much, but it did and… and I could've really done something awful to you guys if you weren't so damn resourceful. I'm honestly glad you guys won, come to think of it. That you pulled things off as you did. Because I… I don't think I would have deserved any sort of victory after all I did"

"Gee. You really are sorry if you think that" Sokka said, his smile softening "Well, Toph… I guess you'd have to come to this point eventually. I don't think the Race really counts in your record, so I guess your perfect victory streak won't end, even now… but I'd expect constantly winning would get old eventually, huh?"

"Uh, no. It honestly never does" Toph said, biting her lip to stifle a smile. Sokka rolled his eyes.

"Okay, then… but see, when you lose, it means you get a chance to look back on what happened. To figure out where you went wrong, what you could have improved on… how to avoid that same fate a second time around, understand?"

"That's what you did when you fought me again, right?" Toph asked, and Sokka nodded.

"You, earthbenders in general… you guys were a sore thumb for me for a long time" Sokka said "Is it fun losing? Nah, not unless you're losing against someone you really care about, who you'd rather see winning instead of yourself…"

"As it is for you with Spicy, I figure"

"Exactly" said Sokka, grinning "But is losing the worst thing ever, whenever it isn't in that kind of situation? Why… I'd definitely say it's not"

"Because you can reflect on how you messed up and do better the next time?" Toph repeated.

"You can learn about your enemy. You can learn about yourself too, in the process" Sokka said, breathing deeply "Had I defeated you, as impossible as it sounds, back when we first crossed paths? I would have never discovered Azula would come to my rescue. I wouldn't have known how far she'd be willing to go for my sake, to see me nursed to health. It would've taken longer for health check-ups to become mandatory in the League, too, and who knows who else would've suffered all the more for it, not just me…"

"Heh. Guess that's all true" Toph admitted, biting her lip.

"Losing is when you get to see what you're really made of, I think" Sokka said "Back when I lost against you the second time? I really was in a darker place than I had any right to be. I thought I'd let her down, that I'd never be a gladiator worthy of her because I couldn't overcome the one obstacle she needed me to. I figured she'd be better off without me… and she proved me wrong. She was angry, of course, but she made sure to get it through my head that I mattered to her, more than victories or defeats ever could…"

"Well, crap" said Toph, snorting and shaking her head "I… I never knew I'd done that much for you guys. By beating you, no less. Sounds like… like I made you stronger, even. Shit. I've been strengthening the enemies I looked down upon, and now… now they're so much stronger than me that, even when I go all out and try to kill them, they still beat me. That's… distressing"

"Oh, so this was you going all out?" Sokka asked, amused "You hadn't gone all out on me before?"

"On our first fight, yeah. On our second, not so much" Toph admitted "But… after you guys defeated us yesterday, I… I've been at a bit of a loss. Panicking, I guess. Because I… I don't know what to do. I always took for granted I'd be better than you, I never thought you might actually turn things around one day… and hell, maybe you haven't. Maybe it's just because you had Azula giving you a hand, huh?"

"Yeah, I could be an arrogant prick and say that it's all me, but that'd be pretty stupid" Sokka laughed "She's the truly amazing one"

"Heh, I knew that" Toph smirked.

"Good that you did"

"Still…" she said, breathing out slowly "I guess I'd better face reality for what it is, eh? I'd better… try to learn whatever I can now that I'm becoming a loser like you, eh?"

"You wish you were half the loser I am, Toph Beifong" Sokka declared pompously, prompting her to laugh "Oh, and just so you know, this momentary truce of ours isn't going to last forever. You as good as broke my wife's hand and I'll make you pay for it one day"

"Boohoo, I'm so scared" Toph smirked "I suppose you'll take it out on me on our big fated fight, huh?"

"Yeah… sounds like a plan" Sokka said, smiling proudly.

Toph chuckled, pushing herself off the box and breathing deeply again. It was strange that talking with Sokka had helped lighten the load in her chest so much… even if she wasn't quite sure what to make of all his suggestions.

"Say… I'm supposed to learn more about who I am now that I've been defeated, you said?" she asked. Sokka nodded.

"That's right"

"And what if…? What if I don't like what I learn?" Toph asked, her voice trembling "What if… if I'm not proud of who I am in defeat?"

"Do you think anyone is?" Sokka asked, an eyebrow raised "Didn't you hear my story about what happened after our second fight…?"

"Well, yeah, I guess you're not proud of that, but… you didn't try to kill anyone" Toph mumbled, almost shyly. Sokka couldn't hold back a grin.

"You know what I think? I'm actually glad, to a fault, that you had to go that far" he smirked "Because, heh, the first time we crossed blows you chose to let me live because I was so cringeworthy I didn't deserve being killed, isn't that right?"

"U-uh, well…"

"And now? Now, try as though you might, you couldn't win, not even when you did try to kill us" Sokka said, proudly "That's no invitation to try harder, though. All I'm saying is…"

"I get it, I get you" Toph said, chuckling "Ugh, shit, when you look at it that way… sounds like everything's come full-circle between us, huh?"

"I'd think it means we can fight without holding back, the next time we do" Sokka smiled "And we can acknowledge each other as genuine rivals, can't we?"

"Yeah. Seems like we can" Toph said, raising her head "Gotta say, Dog… you're not half-bad a rival. Better as a friend than a rival, can't lie, but if there's someone in that damn ranking I might respect a little, it's you"

"Just a little, huh?" Sokka smiled.

"Yeah, don't push it too much" Toph laughed "Sorry again, for… everything. I won't hold back the next time we fight, though I still don't want to kill you… Ugh, anyways, thanks. For all this"

"No worries" Sokka said, reassuringly "Just… go get some rest, something to eat or drink, whatever you need. Maybe once you wake up tomorrow, you'll find coming up second for the first time in your life isn't really the end of the world, huh?"

"Hopefully. Still sucks, though" Toph said, playfully.

She laughed but raised a hand towards him, a wordless goodbye as she walked towards her sponsor. Iroh had taken to talking with some other runners after his final medical revision had been finished, and he rejoiced when Toph reached him. Sokka smiled as he watched them: sometimes it was easy to think of Toph as a powerhouse, a deadly enemy anyone ought to be careful with… yet those glimpses into who she was, deep down, betrayed the insecurities and uncertainties that ever plagued her. It showed how much she still had left to learn about the world, about life, about herself: it reminded him of a certain firebending prodigy who hadn't been much better than that, back when he had first met her.

Said firebending prodigy was glancing at him by now, her left hand placed over her wounded wrist: both Aonu and Kori had taken off moments ago, and he was free to approach her once again.

"Is she alright?" Azula asked, once Sokka reached her.

"She will be, I think" he smiled "You must imagine how it is, she's never lost at anything in life, so as this is the first time she ever does…"

"You speak as though I'd understand such mundane plight" Azula replied haughtily, and Sokka snorted "I have never lost at anything in life either, I'll have you know…"

"You've lost more than enough times by proxy through me" Sokka laughed, and Azula snorted.

"Can't even be a stuck-up snob around you anymore, can I?" she said, as he offered her a gentle smile "Well, be that as it may… we ought to get going now. Everyone should be waiting at the Governor's place…"

"Yeah" Sokka smiled "We can take it easy, though. No need to overexert yourself, you're wounded and all…"

"I know, I know" Azula rolled her eyes, despite she was smiling at his caring ways.

Sokka grinned as their started the way through Omashu's uphill streets. The city had changed slightly: most the fumes didn't seem to be working at the moment, affording the city a less unpleasant atmosphere. The houses remained more Earth Kingdom than Fire Nation, suggesting that however hard the occupying nation might try to destroy its spirit, the city would continue to fight for its identity, no matter the cost.

"You know… I really didn't like this city when we first came here" Sokka admitted.

"And I always hated its name, myself" Azula said: Sokka snorted.

"I think I remember. Why is it you didn't like it, exactly?" he asked.

"I honestly have no idea" she smiled "Maybe… it sounded like it belonged to the Earth Kingdom far too much. It didn't suit the Fire Nation… and after what we saw today, I stand by that belief. Though, of course, I certainly don't stand by the belief of erasing the name anymore…"

"Thought so" Sokka smiled, resisting the urge to take her hand in his.

"It's sad to think they never could walk these streets together" Azula whispered "I'm sure he would have loved to see the peaceful city she built for their people…"

"Oh, definitely" Sokka said, gazing about himself "I don't know about you… but I think Omashu can't really be defeated by your father's wicked, wily ways. I mean, yeah, you guys conquered it… but it really doesn't look like a Fire Nation city, not even with all those banners and fumes and what-have-you…"

"Well… you're quite right about that. It doesn't" Azula admitted: they took a turn at a corner, which would lead them to the Governor's house "And while I once would have condemned it for that… now I think it's wonderful. Doesn't matter who tries to break it, doesn't matter who tries to change it… Omashu will ever remain true to its purpose. To its origins"

"Maybe one day, once you're Fire Lord, you'll be able to pay their founders the homage they deserve here" Sokka suggested, smiling warmly at her.

"Maybe so" Azula raised her eyebrows "And I expect you'll be right there, giving me all kinds of outlandish suggestions on how to do that, huh?"

"Gladly" Sokka chuckled, and Azula smirked.

They stopped right before the gates to the Governor's Residence, taking a chance to admire the scenery: the silhouette of the mountains nearly blended with the darkness of the starlit sky, a sliver of the moon hovering amongst them. Even though the city was calm, the soft noises of families at dinner, of people in streets, of games being played, of laughter shared between friends, reached their ears.

"We did it, didn't we?" Azula said, breathing deeply "After all this time… no one can contest the truth of that claim anymore, can they?"

"That we're the best team ever?" Sokka asked, closing his eyes as he smiled heartily "Yeah, we definitely did. And I couldn't be prouder of us for it"

Azula breathed deeply, the night air filling her lungs, refreshing her body and soul altogether. Daring as it might have been, her left hand reached out to find his right, fingers lacing as she compelled him to gaze at her with his ever-loving eyes.

They stood side by side, at one of Omashu's pyramidal hills, taking in the city before them, the world around them, their partner ever so loyal beside them. Long ago, two people had stood in hills like these, gazing at each other with the same love they held in their eyes, the same certainty of having found their soulmate nestled in their hearts. Whether past lives were real or a nonsensical fabrication mattered little when they felt so connected to the very energy that had brought this city to life, to the souls of those who, just like them, had found love where they hadn't been seeking it, and endeavored to protect it in a world that would doom them for their bond.

Perhaps spirits weren't real at all, but for once, they both hoped they might be. If just so that, from whatever afterlife might exist, Oma and Shu might know that their love lingered on, ever remembered by two people with a plight much like theirs. Two people who had become the greatest team that ever was, who stopped at nothing to defend each other's dreams, who endeavored to protect one another from harm and who were determined to bring balance to their war-torn world…

They would enter the house soon, to be greeted by their friends and allies, eager to hear about the happenings and the results of the race. But for now, in a gentle moment of peace, shared in an ancestral location they would hope to restore to its rightful glory once they had the power to do so, the two lovers stood side by side, fingers intertwined, honoring the land that had ever been the silent witness of secret love, of promises made truth, of the powerful convictions of ancient heroes who had left their mark across the world, crafting a brighter future for countless generations to come…