When Katara arrived at the council for the first time since the Yakone incident, she was relieved that nobody gave her any special treatment other than a simple welcome back. As she ascended the stairs towards her office, she noticed Aang talking to a woman she had never seen before.

The woman looked to be around her age dressed in formal Fire Nation attire and from what Katara could tell, she was quite chummy with Aang. As she got closer to her office, Aang spotted her and smiled and waved for her to come over.

"Katara! Your back! I'd like you to meet someone."

The woman in question turned to look at her and Katara felt a chill run down her spine when her amber eyes met Katara's blue.

"Katara, this is Azula, Firelord Zuko's sister. Azula, this is Katara, our new Councilwoman representing the Southern Water Tribe."

For whatever reason, Katara felt tension in the room as Azula looked her up and down in a calculating way. She felt like Azula was dissecting her from the inside out. Hesitantly, Katara offered her hand to the girl.

"Nice to meet you Azula."

Azula looked at her hand for a moment, and for a second Katara thought she was going to blow off the handshake completely. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Azula grasped Katara's forearm for a Southern Water Tribe handshake.

"The pleasure is mine," Azula said in a voice that was somehow smooth yet dangerous. "I've heard you're quite the waterbender. I'd love the chance to spar with you sometime."

"I'd pay to see that!" Aang piped in looking at Katara, "Azula is the best firebender in the world and from what Master Pakku has told me, you may very well be the best waterbender."

"What do you say Katara? Azula asked in a daring tone. "I've always considered the element of water to be the weakest of the four, but then again, I've never had the opportunity to spar with a true master like yourself."

"Maybe some other time," Aang answered. "Katara just went through an intense-"

"I'm in," Katara responded firmly cutting Aang off. Normally, she wouldn't be baited so easily, but right now, nothing would bring her more satisfaction than wiping that smug grin of Azula's pretty face.

"Are you sure? You don't have to." Aang said concerningly.

"She's a big girl Aang, she can speak for herself. Right Katara?"

"I'll be fine Aang," Katara said before turning to look at Azula directly in the eye. "From my experience, firebenders have never been much of a challenge for me."

"Well, if you're up to it, great!" Aang said with boyish delight completely oblivious of the tension brewing between the two girls in front of him. "We'll all meet at the dojo after we are done for the day."

"As much fun it is chatting with the almighty Avatar, I should be going. Zuzu set me up with a seamstress and if he finds out I blew her off I'll never hear the end of it. I'll see you guys tonight," she said and gave Katara a wink.

Katara watched the firebender stroll out of the city hall and turned her attention to Aang. "Well, she's…"

"Intense," Aang finished for her and smiled sheepishly. "I know she can be a bit much, but she has come a long way since I first met her."

"How did you two meet?"

"She tried to kill me with lightening," Aang said flatly.

Katara looked at him as if he told her the sky was green. "And your friends with her?!"

"Ya, why?"

"How in the world can you be friends with someone who has tried to kill you!?"

"It didn't happen overnight," Aang responded. "In fact, it took months before she could even look at me without wanting to slit my throat. Spirits, it took a few years before she called me by my real name."

"Why try so hard to be friends with her?"

"Number one, she's my best friend's sister. Number two, she had a terrible childhood. Her idea of right and wrong was distorted by her father. While she has done bad things in her past, she got the help she needed and became a new person. She even opened her own firebending school where she helps kids maximize their true potential as firebenders."

"If she is this intense now, I can only imagine what she was like back then."

"To put it in Toph's exact words, she was a psychotic bitch."

That caused the pair to erupt in laughter for the blind earthbender's unsavory language.

"But seriously though," Aang said once his laughter died down, "she got dealt a bad hand when she was born. Her father was a true monster and it's not easy to break away from that. I know it may not seem like it, but beneath that toughness is someone who has a big heart."

"Still, if I were in your shoes, I'm not sure if I'd be able to be friends with someone who has tried to kill me before."

Aang chuckled. "You'd be surprised. When you spend enough time with someone and really get to know them, your perspective of them changes."

"If you say so," Katara said unconvinced.

"Trust me, she'll grow on you."

"Doubtful," she muttered quietly.

"What was that?"

"I said uh hopefully," she answered cheerfully and put on her best fake smile.

"That's the spirit!"

"Avatar Aang!" Jin's voice boomed from down the hall. "Chief Beifong has sent a messenger hawk for you and it says she wants you at the station."

"How can she send a messenger hawk when she's blind?" Katara whispered to Aang.

"She makes some poor soul write for her. Does it sound urgent?" Aang asked Jin.

"Honestly, no. The actual words she used were a bit more colorful, but the main takeaway is she wants you for something."

"Alright, I'll head over," he said to Jin before turning his attention back to Katara. "When you're ready to head out tonight, just knock on my door and we can take Appa over."

As he began to depart, he stopped in his tracks. "Oh! I almost forgot! The reason Azula is here is because there is a formal celebration for the 10 year anniversary of the end of the war. Have you heard about it?"

"I have. I'm actually supposed to pick up my dress tomorrow."

Katara saw him begin to get flustered. "I don't know what your plans are," he said nervously with his cheeks turning red, "but I was wondering if you'd like to accompany me as my date?"

Trying to contain her excitement and not look like a psychopath, Katara just gave him a smile. "I'd love to."

"Great!" he beamed. "Well, I better get going otherwise Toph will kill me. I'll see you later."

Katara nodded and proceeded to head to her office. When she closed the door she leapt in the air with pure joy. She didn't care if she looked like an idiot. All she cared about was finally being able to explore the possibilities of being more than friends with Aang.

When she sat down, she saw some blood trickle down to her wrist from her palm and realized it was from clenching her fist so hard when talking to Azula. That caused a 180 in regards to her mood. While she was sure that Aang was right about her changing into a better person, it didn't change the fact that she could use a dose of Southern Water Tribe medicine to teach her a lesson on what a waterbender is capable of.

When Aang and Katara arrived at the dojo, Azula was already there working on her forms. To their surprise, another firebender with an unmistakable scar was there as well.

"Zuko!" Aang shouted happily and gave his friend a hug. "What are you doing here already? I thought you wouldn't be coming until the day before the celebration."

"That was the plan," Zuko replied. "But Mai was getting a a bit restless in the heat of the Fire Nation and talked me into coming a little earlier. Uncle will be able to manage while I'm gone."

"How is Mai by the way?"

"Well… let's just say the pregnancy hasn't been the best in terms of her mood lately. She practically booted me out of our inn to give her some time to rest. That's when I ran into Azula and she told me about some sparring match with a waterbender and that I shouldn't miss it. I assume that must be you?" he asked turning his gaze towards Katara. "I'm Zuko by the way, it's nice to meet you."

Rather than tell him about how they actually met briefly 10 years ago the day before Sozin's Comet, she decided to save everyone from the awkwardness. "Yep, I'm Katara, it's nice to meet you as well. This is just a sparring match so I don't think it's going to be all that exciting."

"With my sister," Zuko said while chuckling, "even just a sparring match is bound to bring some excitement."

"Ah there you are Katara," Azula said and strolled over to to the group. "I was beginning to think you weren't going to show up. You ready?"

"Just give me a few minutes to loosen up a bit," Katara replied through gritted teeth and walked to the other end of the dojo.

She took a few breaths to calm herself down before she saw a hand with a blue arrow grasp her shoulder. "Try not to let what she says to get in your head. She doesn't mean any of it and is just doing it to get you off your game."

"If she keeps running her mouth, I can't promise this won't end with her getting an icicle shoved up her ass."

Aang shook his head and laughed quietly before responding. "I'm being serious. Azula is the most calculating bender in the world and she is the most competitive person I've ever met. If she sees you bending with your emotions, she will use it against you and wipe the floor with you. Just do your thing and you'll be fine."

"Are we doing this or what?" Azula shouted to them.

"Don't worry Aang, I'll be fine."

Aang took a seat next to Zuko on one of the benches and the two girls stood about 20 yards from each other. They gave a respectful bow to one another before the sparring began.

Katara was the first to strike and sent a flurry of water whips, but Azula dodged them with ease without even using any firebending. Once Katara stopped to reconsider her options, Azula gave her the smuggest smile Katara had ever seen in her life.

Despite knowing that she was just doing exactly what Aang said she would do, Katara was too competitive to not want to knock the smugness out of her. Knowing that Azula was capable enough of a fighter to not get seriously hurt, she sent a barrage of icicles at her. She didn't want to kill her, but she wouldn't exactly be too broken up if one of the icicles stuck to her thigh.

Once again, Azula dodged each one with ease without much difficulty. This only angered Katara more and she sent even more icicles at the firebender with even more ferocity. Finally, one of the icicles was able to land, but it only caused a small cut on Azula's arm.

"You're good," Azula cooed as she examined the small cut on her arm. "I thought you'd be better. Let's see how you handle this."

Azula sent her own barrage of blue flames at Katara, but unlike the waterbender, they were precise and difficult to defend. While Katara was able to block them, each blast caused her to lose ground. Katara had never seen blue fire before and the fact that it hit her a lot harder than a normal firebender's wasn't surprising.

Each time Katara had attempted to send a counterattack, Azula was easily able to defend herself and the water Katara had sent her, turned into steam. It was clear to both benders that Azula had the upper hand.

Azula continued her onslaught of attacks using a variety of moves. While it was extremely difficult to defend, Katara was able to prevent herself from getting burned.

After a Azula finished her barrage of attacks, Katara saw a bit of frown on Azula's face and decided to give her a taste of her own medicine.

"Is that it?" Katara taunted. "I was expecting more."

To Katara's surprise, Azula gave her a smile. Unlike the other ones, this smile actually felt genuine and wasn't filled with smugness. She couldn't dwell on it for too long as the firebender slammed her fist into the ground and caused a massive wave of fire headed right toward her.

All Katara could do was pray that the ice wall she summoned would be enough to soften the blow. Unfortunately, it wasn't, and the blast caused Katara to slam into the wall behind her.

Once Katara regained her bearings, she saw Aang get up from the bench and begin walk over to her. Before he got far, she held up her hand and gave him a small nod to signal she was alright. Reluctantly, he abided and retook his seat next to the Firelord who was a bit overwhelmed by how serious this sparring match was.

Knowing that she would need to put out all the stops in order to come out on top, Katara decided to use her go to technique; the Octopus form. Before Azula knew what was happening, Katara sent two of her tentacles towards the firebender and grabbed her left arm and right leg.

Unable to do anything, Azula had the exact look Katara had been waiting for; fear. Not wasting another moment, she picked up Azula and sent her spirling towards the wall behind her. Azula crashed into the wall so hard that it caused a rather large dent.

After a few moments of feeling proud of herself for besting her opponent, Katara's healer instincts kicked in when she realized Azula was still down.

"Azula!" Katara screeched as she sprinted over to the fallen firbender. "I'm so sorry, I got a little carried away."

When she got to her, Katara also felt Aang and Zuko's presence behind her to see if Azula was ok. When Katara bent down to check on her, Azula burst into a fit of laughter. Stunned, Katara saw Azula stand up and dust herself off like nothing happened.

"Well done," Azula said sincerely while giving Katara a formal bow, "It's been a while since someone has bested me."

"Umm.. thanks? Are you sure you're alright? I could've seriously hurt you."

"I'm fine," Azula scoffed. "I pushed you hard and instead of cowering in fear, you rose to the challenge. For that, you have my respect."

Katara was speechless. She still wasn't exactly fond of the girl, but her genuineness was surprising.

"I don't know about you, but I could use a drink. Plus, it will give time for these two lovebirds to catch up. Care to join me?"

"Sure," Katara responded brightly. She was bewildered at this point. A few moments ago, every fiber in her body was screaming to hate this woman. Now she had agreed to get drinks with her. Maybe Aang was right and she would grow to like the firebender.

Azula brought Katara to the restaurant connected to the inn she was staying at. Unsurprisingly, the two girls talked about their sparring match. Katara learned just how intelligent and passionate Azula was when it came to bending.

Somehow Azula was able to recall every detail from their spar. She was then able to instruct Katara what she did right, what she did wrong, what she should've done, and overall, how she could improve as a waterbender. While blunt, everything she said to Katara was true.

Aang was right. Even though Azula could be a bit brash, she was someone that Katara enjoyed talking to. She was honest and wasn't afraid of being herself and Katara respected that about her.

"Hey Azula," a slithery voice said, disrupting the two girls from their conversation.

When Azula saw who it was, she rolled her eyes. "Jet."

Katara saw Jet approach Azula in a very seductive way. He was tall man with shaggy brown hair and a smile that spelled trouble. He didn't even bother glance at Katara as he had a clear destination in mind.

"It's been a while. It's good to see you," he said while taking a seat next to her without bothering to ask.

"It has and it hasn't been on accident," Azula responded without looking at him. "I assume you're hear for the celebration."

"Of course, as a personal friend of the Avatar, I had to be here. Plus, I couldn't miss the opportunity to see my favorite firebender again."

Katara was going to ask how this random guy knew Aang, but she rather not be roped into whatever was going on between the two people in front of her.

"This firebender didn't come to see you."

"Come on Azula," Jet pleaded. "Can we just talk for a bit?"

"As you can see, I have company right now and I'd appreciate it if you could let us get back to our conversation."

"She doesn't mind, right?" he asked Katara.

Before she could even come up with an answer Azula stepped in. "I'm going to say this and I'm only going to say it once. Fuck. Off."

Katara could see steam coming out of Jet's ears, but he eventually obliged and left the two girls alone.

"Ex?" Katara asked after an uncomfortable silence.

"Jet!?" Azula scoffed. "He wishes. I had sex with the guy once and he thinks I'm in love with him."

"Is it true he's friends with Aang?"

"Why? Are you unimpressed with his choice of friends?" Azula teased.

"It's not that. It just seems like he would say something like that to impress people."

"Believe or not, he actually is pretty good friends with Aang. All I know about him is that they met during the war, he did some shady things until he turned his life around, and the fact that I rode him like an ostrich horse after a party once."

"I guess that explains why he is so interested in you," Katara said while chuckling.

"I'm just a challenge to him," Azula said in an annoyed tone. "He tried hooking up with me numerous times before we eventually did it."

"What changed?"

"I was super horny and a little buzzed," she responded which caused Katara to laugh at her bluntness.

The two girls continued their conversation deep into the night. After more talk about bending, the rest of the time they talked about embarrassing stories about their brothers. Eventually, it was time for Katara to head home.

When she plopped into bed, she sighed in satisfaction with how well the day went. She made a new friend, improved as a bender, and of course the cherry on top, Aang asked her to be his date to the celebration.