Chapter 32: They Know (Part 1)

"I can't believe my stupid brother just did that," Katara fumed as the girls congregated back in Mai and Azula's room. "I'm so sorry, Mai."

"It's fine," Mai sighed, fidgeting with her 'CORPSE' badge. "Really. I was more excited about the prize than the actual game."

"I know, but still – "

"Just make sure one of you wins, okay?"

"You will be avenged!" Ty Lee said boldly. "And in the meantime, you can strategize with me to help me take down Hahn."

Mai smirked. "Gladly."

"On the subject of strategizing…" Azula craftily rubbed her hands together.

"Oh, here we go," Mai chuckled.

"Since we clearly cannot trust the boys to stick to the alliance, why don't we form an alliance of our own?"

"How would that work?" Katara asked.

"You know," Azula started to explain, "we won't go after each other until very late in the game, we can protect each other by sticking in a group when it works for our schedules – "

"I like it!" Ty Lee grinned.

"Clever." Mai narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Azula. "But I see exactly what you're doing."

"Whatever do you mean?" Azula asked too innocently. Given the duration of their friendship, she should have known Mai would pick up on her little scheme.

"You're desperate for an alliance because you're still on crutches and won't be able to outrun your opponents."

"Oooh." Ty Lee and Katara turned their attention to Azula.

"Well, duh." Azula rolled her eyes. "This game couldn't have come at a worse time. How am I supposed to take everyone out if I can't even run?"

"Aren't you getting your cast off tomorrow morning?" Katara questioned, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"Yes, but it's still going to take some time and physical therapy before I'll be at my best. While I'm building up my strength, I'm going to need to play on the defensive."

"See," Mai said smugly. "Her tactical mind is already playing out whatever she needs to do to win."

"Well, the way I see it, the alliance still benefits everyone, even if it benefits Azula the most." Ty Lee smiled agreeably. "I think it's a good idea."

"Me too," Katara concurred. "And playing on the defensive isn't a bad strategy for anyone. If you think about it, it doesn't really matter how many people you kill as long as you're not killed yourself."

"So then, we're all in agreement?" Azula smirked.

"I'm in," Katara nodded.

"Me too!" Ty Lee's amiable smile melted into something more mischievous. "How about we do something to solidify our agreement?"

"Like what?" Azula asked flatly.

"Like… let's all share a binding secret!"

Azula and Katara shared an uncomfortable glance and then looked back at Ty Lee.

"It's collateral! This way, if one of us breaks the alliance, the others get to spill the secret."

Azula often forgot how cunning Ty Lee could be. "I find your terms agreeable."

"Fine," Katara acquiesced. "But you have to go first." She looked directly at her roommate in a challenging manner.

"No problem." Ty Lee smiled as she looked aimlessly off to the side. "Hmm, let's see… oh, I know!" She suddenly perked up. "Before Mai and I were dating, I had a sex dream about Suki."

Azula raised an eyebrow. "As in Sokka's ex Suki?"

"Yep! And it was good." She smirked. "Really good."

Katara looked over at Mai to check her reaction.

"What?" Mai shrugged. "Doesn't bother me. It's not like you can control your dreams. And besides, Suki's hot."

"I love having a cool, non-possessive girlfriend!" Ty Lee squealed before flinging her arms around Mai and planting a kiss on her cheek.

Katara snickered. "Okay, okay, well I have a secret." She lowered her voice. "During the semester I deferred so I could take care of Dad, one night… I accidentally walked in on him and his girlfriend, Malina, having sex."

"Yech," Azula groaned, wrinkling her nose and cringing.

"Yeah that's… horrible," Mai said, disgusted.

Ty Lee nodded supportively. "So sorry you had to see that."

"Yeah. Sometimes I still get flashbacks of it. And sometimes those flashbacks pop up at… less-than-ideal times…" She shuddered.

The rest of the girls exchanged uncomfortable glances.

"Okay, Azula, what's your secret?"

Somehow, Azula got the impression Katara was alluding to something specific. And based on their last conversation, she knew exactly what it was. It was time. She wanted her friends to know the truth. With all eyes on her, she took a deep breath. "I…"

Katara smiled at her encouragingly.

"I-I love Jet!"

Ty Lee gasped.

"I knew it!" Mai shouted, throwing her hands up in the air.

"I love him so much, it hurts." She buried her face in her hands, feeling disgusted by her own words. "I can't believe I just said that out loud."

"I thought you liked Sokka!" Ty Lee blurted, shocked.

"I used to, but… I don't know. Something happened during my accident and I realized that Jet's the only one in my heart."

"Does he know?! You should tell him!"

Azula shook her head. "I don't… I don't think he reciprocates my feelings." She sighed, slumping her shoulders. "Admittedly, he is rather flirty with me, we did text each other all throughout spring break, and we've definitely had our fair share of moments and 'almosts' – "

"Not to mention all the sexual tension," Mai muttered.

"But he's flirty with everyone. I just feel like… if Jet had feelings for me, then we'd already be together. But we're not."

The girls gave her a mix of sympathetic and pitying looks.

While she wasn't exactly feeling comforted by the response, finally admitting how she felt about Jet was a tremendous relief. "Anyway, that was my bold confession. I don't want to talk about it anymore. Mai?" She turned her attention to her roommate. "I believe it's your turn."

"No way," Mai laughed with her nose in the air. "I'm dead, remember? I'm out of the game and therefore not involved in this alliance."

Ty Lee's mouth fell open.

"That's fair…" Katara nodded.

"Yes, I suppose it is," Azula huffed.

Mai sneered. "Now let's circle back to this Jet thing…"

"Jet?"

Jet watched Azula's eyes light up as she saw him standing outside the student health center. "Surprised to see me?"

"I thought…" She smiled softly. "…the girls were supposed to pick me up."

"As part of your new alliance?" he smirked, cocking an eyebrow.

She opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out.

"Yeah. Mai texted Zuko about it. He immediately told me and Sokka."

"Damn it, Mai," she muttered.

"Don't worry about it. It's not like we're gonna do anything to mess with you. We still have our own alliance, remember?"

"Speak for yourself."

"Sokka may be a loose cannon with a thirst for blood, but that doesn't mean Zuko and I aren't trustworthy."

"Yeah, yeah," she said dismissively, rolling her eyes. "So… what are you doing here anyway?"

"Oh, well I wanted to be the first one to see you after you got your cast off."

"Why…?"

"Because… I'm probably gonna be a little late to your celebratory 'Azula can walk again' party tonight." He saw the hurt expression in her eyes. "I know, I'm sorry. I have to close up at the café tonight. I'm actually on my way there now."

"How late?"

"I don't know, maybe an hour?"

"Hmph."

"Hey, you'll be thanking me when I show up with all the uneaten pastries from the café bakery."

"Fine," she sighed before clumsily stumbling.

He quickly offered her his arm. "I've got you."

She took another step and winced in pain.

"How does it feel to walk again after all this time?"

"Weird," she mumbled. "Weak."

"You're doing great. You'll be running laps around everyone in no time."

"I hope so," she smiled. "I can't wait to get into the game. You take anyone out yet?"

"Sure did," he grinned proudly. "The guys and I went out hunting last night. We each took out our first targets."

"What?! No way! Tell me everything."

He laughed. "My target, Satoru, was super easy to take out. I ambushed him as he was leaving the library. Who studies on a Friday night anyway? What a nerd."

"I sometimes study on Friday nights – "

"Yeah, and you're a nerd too," he taunted.

She shot him a teasingly dangerous glare.

"Zuko's target was also really easy. I think her name was Song? Anyway, Zuko got her while she was helping some drunk guy find his dorm."

"Serves her right," she joked.

"Now Sokka's target, Jiang, she was tough. She was actually out hunting for her own target and was definitely feeling paranoid about someone sneaking up on her. The three of us had to team up and corner her. And now she's…" Jet pantomimed a knife slicing someone's throat.

"Hm… and who are your next targets?" Azula asked, an amused smirk twisting her lips.

"Nice try."

"Oh, come on! You were just saying how trustworthy you are and how we're still in an alliance."

"Yeah, and we all agreed to share our first targets with each other. Not the rest."

"So you have someone we know?"

"No." He paused. "But your brother does."

"So you did share!"

"Only after we found out about the all-female alliance!"

She glowered at him.

"Fine," he sighed. "I'll tell you. But just this once."

Her face lit up.

"I got some junior named Kei Lo – I think I may have had a class with him once but I'm not sure – Sokka has another junior named Ming-Ming, and Zuko has… Haru."

"Oh no…"

"Yeah… I kinda feel bad for him since Katara dumped him."

Azula shrugged. "Maybe Zuko will get killed before he can get to Haru. Not that I'd want that to happen, but you never know."

"All's fair in love and assassin."

"Wise words indeed." Her eyes flickered momentarily as a soft blush filled her cheeks.

"A-Anyway, unfortunately this is where we're gonna need to part ways. Otherwise I'll be late for my shift."

"Okay," she smiled. "See you later."

"See you tonight." Before they split off, however, both their phones sounded at the same time.

"Ugh. Which one of our annoying friends are bothering us now?"

He chuckled, opening the new notification on his phone. "Hey, would you look at that! Ten players have already been eliminated."

"Well that was fast."

"We've officially made it into the top 90." He gave her a celebratory high-five.

"It's more than Mai can say…"

"Yeah…"

She let out a reserved laugh.

"What…?"

"Oh nothing," she said flippantly. "It's just funny how out of the ten kills so far, Sokka is responsible for two of them. He really must be out for blood." Her smile grew. "Good for him."

Jet wasn't sure why, but for some reason, this comment irked him. Azula and Sokka were both competitive people. This "friendly" game could reignite her feelings for him… if she had even lost her feelings for him in the first place. And he didn't want that. Maybe it was because he knew Sokka was hooking up with Zuko and he just didn't want to see Azula get hurt, or maybe…

"Well, as soon as I'm able to run again, I'm going on a killing spree, that's for sure."

"Oh, I almost forgot!" He pulled his backpack around to the front, unzipped it, and pulled out a small gift for her, a stuffed turtle duck. Originally he was going to wait until the party to give it to her, but then he thought maybe this little gift would distract her from thinking about Sokka. "This is for you."

She eyed it cautiously before casting her suspicious gaze back up to him. "And what possessed you to give me a stuffed animal?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "I thought it was cute, and it seemed like something you would like. So… do you?"

She slowly took the turtle duck from his hands, lingering for a moment. "You know, Zuzu and I used to live right by this giant turtle duck pond. We'd always sneak out to feed them." She met his eyes, smiling softly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. I may not be able to walk you back completely to safety, but I hope this little guy can help guard you the rest of the way."

"Oh yes, he looks very intimidating," she laughed.

He chuckled. "Okay, now I really need to run. Later!"

"Later!" she called.

He stole a glance at her after crossing the street. She was still smiling down at the turtle duck. A warm feeling settled in his chest.

Azula was downright giddy. She couldn't remember the last time everything had seemed so bright. Not only was her cast finally off, but Jet had also just given her an unexpected gift. And, while she would never admit it out loud, the stuffed turtle duck was sickeningly cute. It also seemed like… something a boyfriend would do.

Damn it, she was striding around campus smiling like a complete idiot. Of course, she hadn't lost sight of the game. She was still careful to meander from building to building to be a more difficult target. But as she started nearing the dorms, she decided to take an impromptu detour. She was just too excited to go back. So she turned on her heel and made her way to her brother's house.

"Guess who can finally walk again?!" Azula sang as she burst through the door without warning.

Zuko and Sokka frantically separated their nearly naked selves on the couch, their eyes wide with panic as they met her stare.

"Oh spirits." Clasping a hand over her mouth, she spun back around, her cheeks turning crimson. She could hear the boys fumbling for their clothing. "I am so sorry." She darted back out the door and closed it behind her.

"Azula, wait!" Zuko called after her.

She stood in the entryway for a moment, completely frozen. Then she took a seat on the porch and brought her hands to her cheeks.

"What the fuck?" she muttered to herself. Did that really just happen? Zuko and Sokka?! They were… a thing?! Since when?! Who else knew? And when did Sokka realize he had feelings for Zuzu of all people?! Did that mean that Sokka never…

"Hey, are you okay?" Zuko asked gently as he slipped out of the house.

"Yeah," she nodded slowly. "I just need a minute to process."

"Take all the time you need."

Author's Note: Will update in two weeks! I'll be out of town next week for Father's Day.