She was paralyzed as she stared into the now empty sand pit. Her nails were clawing into the velvet that covered her chair's armrests; they had been from the moment Sokka's strength had started to falter in the middle of a fight he should have been able to win with ease.
He had fought against Kyoshi's Heir, 140th in the Ranking, and he had triumphed even if not by a wide margin. He had beaten the Savage Hook even when the combat had almost cost him his life. And now, against a female non-bender who stood 283rd in the Ranking, his performance had been nothing short of mediocre. Why?
His weapons were the same, he had recovered most of his physical strength by now… so why? Why had he struggled so much against the Butterfly Lady? She should have been easy to defeat! Her skill with her two short dao swords wasn't that remarkable. But Sokka's usual intelligent fighting style had been nowhere in sight. His strategies to tire out his opponent, his ability to use his weapons in the most unexpected of ways… they had disappeared without a trace. And Azula simply couldn't understand why.
What was it with him? She had told him time over and time again to focus on his duty as a gladiator, to keep his mind in the game… had he ignored her? Was that it? No… she could tell that wasn't it. He had been fighting to his current best… but that was nothing next the best performances he had given in the past. What was going on with him?
She looked at the table that had separated her seat from the one of the Butterfly Lady's sponsor. The man had left a bag of money on it before leaving her alone in the sponsor's balcony, the money she had earned thanks to Sokka's victory. But Azula didn't feel as the victor from this fight. The judges delivered their verdict, but the thrill of triumph hadn't filled her upon knowing her fighter had won. She wasn't angry at Sokka this time, as she had been during his fight with the Red-Striped Hornet… this time she was confused. She was worried. Because on his second fight in the Superior Gladiator League, Sokka had foolishly decided to quit fighting and endangered his victory by doing so… this time he had fought to his utmost, and it hadn't been anywhere near good enough. He wasn't fighting at all like the gladiator she had come to know so well.
Watching him fight used to be fun and interesting, at least before Kyoshi's Heir had come along. The smart way in which he played his enemies was amusing. He would turn them against themselves, use their energy against them, laugh his way into victory… this time he had snarled angrily as he swung his black sword at his opponent, who had stopped his attacks time after time. He had provided her with openings he normally wouldn't have allowed, done no feints. He hadn't even used his smoke bombs to disorientate the Butterfly Lady. He had won because he had managed to disarm her a couple of times, and because he had left a deep wound on her right arm. Sokka had sustained an injury on his cheek as well, but since he hadn't lost any of his weapons, he had gotten away with the victory after twenty minutes of fighting.
But Azula could see he wasn't proud of his performance either. He was disappointed with himself. He had expected to do better in this fight, especially since it had been against a non-bender. Why, then…?
She rubbed the center of her forehead with her slim fingers. She knew why. Of course she did. She had already been told about this before…
"What makes him strong, what makes him endure this cruel world, despite all the pain and suffering he's been through, is that he's still himself. Once you take that from him, he won't be the gladiator you've come to appreciate. Don't shut him down, Princess. Don't try to turn him into someone he's not"
Azula snarled as she remembered Piandao's words. How had the man known it would come to this…?
And what was she supposed to do, then? It seemed she had turned Sokka into a different man without even realizing it. How could she get him back to what he used to be?
She sighed, thinking of how he had been behaving these past few weeks. Submissive, guilty, shameful… that wasn't Sokka. It wasn't the fool she had hired as her gladiator, the man who had annoyed her to no end with his clumsy ways, with his ridiculous pride… the man she had come to trust and accept into her life. The man who had become much more than just a slave to her. The man who kept making witty remarks, who flirted with her just to see how far was she willing to go before rolling her eyes and calling him an idiot. The man she had come to admire for his unwavering strength, the man who had managed to change her views on the world…
The only man who had seen her as an equal.
She cringed as she reflected on what Sokka had meant to her before. On what he still meant to her. That savage had given birth to feelings Azula had thought she would never experience… and not all of them had been good. The words he had uttered that night still stung her, as if she had sustained a third-degree burn to her heart. She had decided, for the sake of healing those injuries, to withdraw herself from the confusing relationship that had been born between them. And she had remained aloof and cold towards him, in fear of what would happen if she let him into her life again.
But it seemed her protective measures weren't helping anymore. She wasn't happier as it was, and her determination to push him away had been, most likely, what had brought forth his current attitude, which had become a problem that she wanted to wipe away.
She wouldn't be trying to get him back to who he was out of any lingering feelings towards him, she had to convince herself of that. Once more, it was a move based on convenience. She needed him to do his best in the Arena, and to achieve that she had to bring him back to the man he used to be. That was all.
Yet… why was he acting like this? Why had he morphed into the submissive slave he was right now? Where had that unwavering obedience come from? Was it his way to atone for his mistakes? She frowned at that thought. He wasn't making up for what he'd done by behaving like this. He was only infuriating her further. But he didn't know better, did he? He was making blind guesses in attempts to please her and get her to forget about what had happened between them. Azula sighed, wondering what he regretted the most. He had apologized for his words and actions, but… did he regret kissing her back, by any chance?
She hated to realize she actually didn't regret having kissed him. The sensations she had felt in that moment were unparalleled. It had been almost as exhilarant as the moment when she bent blue flames for the very first time. Having kissed Sokka was definitely the sole highlight of their entire situation. Yet the act in itself had been what had brought forth their downfall. If she hadn't kissed him, she wouldn't be as angry as she was right now. If she hadn't kissed him he wouldn't be faltering in battle. If she had given up Sokka to that face-painted woman, none of this would be happening now.
At what point in time had her life turned into such a contradiction? Had it been when she had taken him as her gladiator? She suspected as much. Everything had started because of Sokka. He was the one who had caused her downfall… but why was it that he had also made her happier than she had ever been before? There had been good times between them… she had never laughed with anyone in the way she had with Sokka. She had never felt the urge to comfort someone as she had comforted him when Piandao had vanished. The despair that took over her when the Blind Bandit almost killed him had been stronger than any emotion she had ever felt before. All she knew at that point was that she didn't want him to die. She couldn't let him die. And even now she didn't want him dead. Even if she acted as if she despised everything about him… she actually didn't.
It wasn't the first time she had taken feelings of sadness and turned them into anger. She could put up with rage, she could use rage to her advantage. Sadness would only bring her down, it would weigh on her until she couldn't do anything but curl in her bed, weeping uncontrollably. Allowing anger to take over her senses hadn't been the wisest of moves, but it had helped her move past what Sokka had said.
Or had it? She was starting to doubt how efficient a move had it been to turn her sorrow into fury. Nothing had been resolved through this. As a matter of fact, it seemed it had only helped to make everything worse. As he had claimed the day before, Sokka was trying… though what was he trying to achieve, for starters? Was he trying to get over her as well? Or was he trying to entice her into being smitten with him once again? What exactly was is goal by behaving like this?
Azula sighed. He hadn't thought this through at all. And for that matter, neither had she. How could they sort out this mess? How could they mend what had been broken? She had no illusions about regaining the relationship they had enjoyed before, it was impossible for her to trust him so blindly again. But, at the very least, she longed to stop feeling such grief whenever she was around him, and for him to go back to the brash savage he had always been…
Sokka's cheek burned as the blood seeped out of the wound. He had been lucky to only sustain a superficial injury… but then again, he shouldn't have sustained any wounds. The Butterfly Lady hadn't been that strong, beating her should have been far easier. But for some reason, his intuition had failed him constantly through the fight. Why? What was the matter with him today?
He sighed as he treaded through the Golden Eye's hallways, headed towards the waiting rooms for his medical check. Yu Dao's Arena kept true to its name. The sand pit was shaped as an eye, and the sand was of a golden shade Sokka had never seen before. The accommodations were nowhere as amazing as the ones in the Grand Royal Dome, the hallway that led to the stand-by rooms was rudimentary, built of stone just like the ones back in the Ember Crater. The Golden Eye couldn't house as many people as the Grand Royal Dome, but all in all, it was cozy, in a way. The grandeur made the Capital's Arena daunting, and Sokka couldn't quite feel comfortable there, just as he couldn't feel comfortable in the Royal Palace. He wasn't one for excessively luxurious places.
He reached the first room in the hallway on the Arena's second floor, and he entered it without a second thought. But he froze on the threshold as he caught sight of a huge, burly figure sitting in the waiting room.
The man within the room had his massive chest in bare sight, and he bore so many scars Sokka wondered how he had managed to keep his body together. The man's head was covered with uneven chunks of light-brown locks, and his chin was clad with a beard that matched the color of his hair. His skin was about as dark as Sokka's, although it was obvious the man's body had been dyed that color after spending too many days fighting under the merciless sunlight.
He lifted his small and dark eyes towards Sokka when he heard him walk in. They stared at each other for a moment during which the stranger's right eyebrow moved higher and higher on his forehead.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, with a voice much more gentle than Sokka had expected.
"Oh, I… I came for the medical check," said Sokka, gulping. "I didn't notice this room was already occupied. Excuse me…"
"Huh?" said the man, confused, stopping Sokka as he was about to leave. "Medical check? The hell are you talking about, kid?"
Sokka found it odd that the man would call him a kid. He couldn't have been over fifteen years older than him.
"Medical checks… The Princess demanded there should be mandatory medical checks after each gladiator fight," Sokka explained, assuming the man didn't know about this because he had spent some time away from the sand pit.
"Huh, so you're a Capital boy," said the other gladiator, apparently amused. He gave Sokka a smile before shaking his head. "Sorry to say you'll have to fix that wound on your face on your own, kid. The only Arena with the medical attention is the Grand Royal Dome."
"B-but I thought…" said Sokka, confused.
"Yeah, the Princess wanted to have physicians everywhere, but it seems even the Fire Lord's daughter can't get everything in life," said the other man, shrugging.
"Seems like it…" muttered Sokka, eyeing him warily. The man obviously didn't know who his sponsor was.
"So, who are you?" asked the man, beaming. "First time I see you around here. And believe me, I've seen lots of people around here. Been in the business since this whole madness started out, so you're definitely a new face."
"My name is Sokka… the Blue Wolf," said Sokka, eyeing the stranger while wondering if the man would recognize him through his gladiator name, but he didn't have such luck.
"The Blue Wolf?" repeated the man, scratching his head. "Nope, never heard of you."
"Well, I am new," said Sokka, smiling sideways. "I've only fought eleven times in the Superior League…"
"Ah, is that so?" asked the man, eagerly. "How many fights have you won?"
"Ten, as it is" said Sokka.
"Well, well! Sounds like you ought to be promising!" said the man, beaming. "I might be fighting you before either of us know it!"
"And… who are you?" asked Sokka. "Sorry, but I hardly know anyone…"
"Ah, don't mind, you're a gladiator. The ones who should know gladiators are the sponsors, not the gladiators. Gladiators are out there to fight gladiators, not to know them!"
"Right" said Sokka, raising an eyebrow. "In any case…"
"Oh, yes. You'll find me in the ranking as the Millennium Dragon" said the gladiator, smiling at Sokka. "I'm a pretty nice guy all around. Well, so long as we don't go against the other in the sand, that is…"
"How many fights have you won?" asked Sokka, curious.
"Uh… well…" said the Millennium Dragon, frowning and lifting his hands as he began counting with his fingers. "Been against Combustion Dude thirty times… uh… Light Boy about… fifteen, was it? Oh, damn, I don't remember anymore! After you cross the line of twenty fights everything becomes a blur."
"Really?" asked Sokka, frowning. "I… I fought in the Amateur League before coming here, and I fought more than twenty times…"
"How many times did you fight, then?"
"W-well… over twenty," said Sokka, gulping as he realized he didn't know the exact number. "But I haven't forgotten the people I fought"
"Neither have I, kid," said the Millennium Dragon. "I just don't have enough fingers to count them all!"
"Oh… alright, then," said Sokka, smiling uncomfortably. This man was quite odd, wasn't he?
"So, you won out there today?" asked the Millenium Dragon.
"Yeah, though I didn't do as well as I expected," muttered Sokka, downcast.
"Huh… well, to the crowd a win is a win! And there's always going to be another fight later, unless you get yourself killed. And if you do, it won't matter if you won or lost the day before. Once you're dead, the spirits won't be looking at your place in the ranking. And if you don't die, there will always be another day to fight and win again!"
Sokka was surprised by the wisdom in the man's straightforward words. It was the exact kind of wisdom he had needed to think about to get a hold of himself after today's fight.
"So, where are you from, kid?" asked the Dragon, smiling.
"The South Pole… don't you have a fight to attend to?" asked Sokka, raising an eyebrow.
"Ah, my sponsor will get me when it's time, I'm in no hurry. You in a hurry?"
"I might be," said Sokka, frowning. Azula was probably waiting for him, wasn't she?
"Ah, such a busy kid!" said the Dragon, chuckling. "You should stay and watch my show!"
"I don't think that'll be an option… though I've got to say I'd like to watch that," said Sokka, eyeing the Dragon with curiosity. His name gave him away as a firebender, and his complexion told Sokka he would be a tough rival for anyone who went against him.
"Well, you ain't missing out on anything fancy either way," said the Millennium Dragon. "Not like gladiator fights have anything fancy about them, mind you. Tell your sponsor to look me up when you become a tougher cookie!"
"Cookie…?" repeated Sokka staring at the Millennium Dragon with confused eyes. "A-alright, I'll make sure to do that."
"Good luck on your next fights, kid!" said the Dragon, beaming at him "See you around!"
"See you," said Sokka, taking a last glance towards the Dragon before turning on his heels and leaving the room. That had been an odd encounter, but the gladiator back there had stirred his curiosity. He seemed a good man. How high would he be in the ranking…?
Sokka walked through the hallways while wiping away the blood on his cheek with the bandages that were wrapped around his forearm. He had always worn those bandages back in the Southern Water Tribe, and out of all the traditions he had relinquished, that was one he didn't plan on leaving behind.
He found the staircase that led down to the Golden Eye's small vestibule, but he didn't spot Azula anywhere around. Had she left without him? A sinking feeling appeared in his stomach upon that thought. She had claimed this would be an utter waste of time, that she would have better things to do, and he had proved her right. His performance had been so lacking he was embarrassed just to think about it. It came as no surprise that she would have left before him…
"Of course…" he muttered, sighing as his hands balled into fists.
"Talking to yourself now…?" said a very familiar voice behind him, startling Sokka.
He turned around in haste, his eyes open wide as he looked at the Princess, who was staring at him intently, her arms folded over her chest.
Seeing each other again right now only served to deepen the emotional turmoil they were both suffering from. After having acknowledged her fury was nothing but mislead sorrow, Azula's chest was beginning to ache again just by thinking about him. What was she supposed to do? What was she supposed to say? How could she fix him so he could go back to being the goof he had always been…?
"I… uh… just a bit," said Sokka, looking down at the floor intently.
There it was again. Submissiveness. The Sokka she knew would have never admitted to talking to himself, and if he had, he would have claimed everyone else did it too. Azula's nails dug into her arm as she studied him intently.
"You didn't get that treated? Did you think you'd look manlier with blood trickling down your face?" asked Azula, raising an inquisitive eyebrow as she looked at his wound.
"Ah, n-no, I wanted to get it fixed but I couldn't," said Sokka, shaking his head. "Apparently there's no medical attention anywhere but in the Capital…"
"What?" asked Azula, surprised and displeased.
"Hey, that's what that weird dude told me, I don't really know," said Sokka, crossing his arms over his chest as well.
"What weird dude?"
"Uh… the Millennium Dragon," said Sokka, nodding. "Ever heard of him?"
Azula frowned. The name sounded quite familiar… too familiar, to be honest. She narrowed her eyes as she tried to recall what it reminded her of.
"I… I might have seen him fight once," said Azula. "I can't remember correctly, but I think I might have."
"Really?" asked Sokka, surprised. "I thought you had nothing to do with the Gladiator Business before I came along."
"I didn't," Azula admitted. "But I had been to the Grand Royal Dome once before, on the day the Superior Gladiator League was inaugurated. Combustion Man won that fight… and I get the feeling his opponent's name was the Millennium Dragon."
"Combustion Man?" asked Sokka, confused.
"I never told you about him, did I?" muttered Azula, frowning. "He's the top fighter in the Superior Gladiator League. A firebender of outstanding potential, with a sponsor befitting his murderous ways…"
"Who's the sponsor?" asked Sokka, curious.
"Nobody you'd know, there's not much point in telling you," said Azula, shaking her head. "Leave dealing with sponsors to the sponsors."
Sokka couldn't help but chuckle upon realizing her words were somewhat similar to what the Dragon had said earlier. Azula raised an eyebrow and glared at him, annoyed.
"What's so funny?"
"N-nothing…" said Sokka, freezing at her glare. "Don't mind me…"
Azula didn't stop glaring at him as she began heading down the stairs, still irritated. What was that fool laughing at? But… he had been laughing. When was the last time she saw him laughing? Did it mean there had been some progress? Had their conversation been of some use, then? She hadn't pushed him away harshly, hadn't been cruel… maybe it had helped indeed. Maybe they were on the right track again, at last…?
She stopped when she got to the bottom of the staircase, and she turned around to look at Sokka, who was walking behind her with his hands tucked into his pants' pockets. Sokka seemed puzzled at her sudden halt, but he simply followed her lead and stopped a few steps before reaching the main floor of the building.
"You… didn't fight that well today," Azula muttered, making Sokka's heart sink as he grimaced, expecting a reprimand of some sort… "But you won. It was a weird fight, though. We both know that's not the full extent of your abilities."
"Y-yeah, it's not," said Sokka, nodding clumsily as he scratched his neck. "I don't know what got into me…"
"Well, whatever it was, try to get it out of you before we make it to Omashu," said Azula. "Your next opponents… they won't be as easy to beat as this girl was. They're earthbenders."
"W-wait, what?!" said Sokka, surprised. "Earthbenders?"
"All of them," admitted Azula. "I didn't mean it to be that way, but I could only reach the sponsor of one non-bender, and it was the one you just fought against. Your next rivals aren't too high in the ranking, so I hope they won't be that hard to beat. But you'll need to have your every sense in the upcoming battles. Your experience with earthbenders…"
"Is terrible," finished Sokka, gulping.
"So it will be up to you to change that or to let that define you," said Azula, looking straight into his eyes.
Sokka stared back at her, noticing the concern she was showing him. She was worried about him? Was she really…? He had worried her. Instead of reassuring her, of being helpful, he was worrying her! Why couldn't he do anything right these days? He nodded promptly, looking at her with determination.
"I'll do my best. I promise."
Azula's chest ached at those words. Her experience with promises wasn't good. Hearing him promise one thing or another would do anything but reassure her… not that he could know that, of course. Yet Sokka didn't miss that glint in her eyes, a glint that betrayed the fact that she didn't quite believe him.
"You'd better…" she whispered, before turning around again and starting down the vestibule, straight towards the doors.
Sokka followed her, concern written all over his face. Yet there was a side of him rejoicing, breaking into an all-out celebration: she had talked to him willingly, she hadn't threatened him… even though his performance hadn't been his best, she wasn't completely disappointed in him for the first time in ages.
Azula meant to climb on her palanquin right away, but she refrained from doing so when she caught sight of a Royal Guard sprinting down the street in her direction. She frowned and stepped away from the vehicle, leaving the bearers crouched in place.
"Princess! P-Princess!" exclaimed the man, stumbling as he finally reached them.
Sokka raised an eyebrow as he watched him run. It was the first time he saw a Royal Guard acting in an inappropriate way for his rank. The man must have sprinted from the inn all the way to the Arena, and he looked quite sloppy as he flung his arms back and forth with every step he took.
"What's the matter?" asked the Princess, her eyes becoming fierce as her mind began concocting several explanations as to why the guard had showed up as he had.
"T-the… the scouts have returned…" said the guard, gasping for breath as he leaned down, his hands resting on his knees.
"So soon?" asked Azula, astonished. She had expected the Captain to return in two days, at least…
"Yes… they have leads on the Rhinos!" the guard finished. "Promising leads! The Captain will… explain when you get to the inn…"
"Good. Good…" said Azula, smirking slightly as she thought about what this meant for her mission. Obtaining good results so early on was a good sign. She turned to the bearers as she climbed aboard the palanquin. "Get moving! Take me to the inn right away!"
The men lifted the heavy cabin in one go before moving at quick pace towards the inn. The guard was still gasping for breath right in front of the Arena's steps, and Sokka patted him on the back clumsily.
"Oh, damn… I can't breathe…" the man gasped, taking off his mask to reveal his head, drenched in sweat.
"I don't know how anyone could breathe in that thing," said Sokka, staring at him worriedly as the palanquin disappeared after taking a turn in a nearby corner. "Did you run all the way here?"
"Of course I… I did… I had to tell the Princess…" the man panted, his hand seizing Sokka's shoulder as he used the gladiator to support his weight.
"Uh… then how are you going to catch up with them?" asked Sokka, the man's knuckles turning white as he coughed, still struggling to get his lungs to work properly again.
"I… Oh, she's… gone already?" said the man, lifting his head to look for Azula's palanquin.
"She left just a second ago… didn't you hear what she said?" asked Sokka, raising an eyebrow.
"I didn't… I was… glad I'd done my job… and I didn't hear a thing," muttered the man, letting go of Sokka. "G-got to catch up with her, then…"
Sokka was about to tell the man against taking off so soon, but he didn't have to say a word. The guard only took one step forward before his legs gave way and he collapsed on the floor, shaking.
"Man! Are you crazy?! You can't go anywhere like this!" Sokka shouted, leaning down beside him and struggling to pick him up.
"Must… reach… the Princess…" said the man. His bulging eyes scared Sokka a little. There was no way this guard was going anywhere in this condition.
"Just how fast did you run?" asked Sokka, confused. "It's weird that a Royal Guard would be worn out like this… well, never mind. Come here."
The guard didn't seem to notice Sokka had placed one of his arms around his waist, sliding his head under the guard's arm to lift him off the ground. The man wasn't conscious enough to realize he was being carried by the gladiator, he probably didn't even realize he was moving at all. He kept mumbling nonsense as Sokka dragged him away, and the gladiator was still wondering why he had wound up in such a terrible shape only because of running. Was it his uniform's fault? It probably was…
It took Sokka a little longer than he expected to bring the man to the inn. He entered the building to find all of Azula's guards assembled in the vestibule. The men looked quite shaken up, both the ones dressed in uniforms and the ones wearing casual clothes. And one of the men wearing casual clothes stood in the center of the room, staring at the Princess as he spoke about something Sokka didn't understand.
"… the town was ravaged only three days ago. They even killed people this time around. It wasn't the plundering they usually perform, it went far beyond that."
"Did you find out who the casualties were?" asked Azula, her hands balling into fists.
"Townsfolk, people who simply stood in their way and thus they tore them down. There were seven victims: four women, two men and a child. And… one of the women was an actual Fire Nation citizen."
Azula snarled in irritation, her body shaking as she grew angrier upon this knowledge. So the Rhinos wouldn't even distinguish between Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom people anymore, would they?
"You said they headed south after striking in that town," said Azula, nodding. "Where to, exactly?"
"We don't know for certain as it is, Princess," muttered the Captain. "But we have two likely options as to where they might have gone to. The first is the Misty Palms Oasis, the most common gathering spot for criminals and outlaws."
"The patterns of their other attacks would suggest they'd go there… After ravaging a few towns, they'd always head to the Si Won Desert," muttered Azula, frowning.
"Indeed. The other possibility is Ba Sing Se," said the Captain. "According to some information we obtained recently, they fled to the city once before to avoid trouble with a Fire Nation battalion."
"So… if they knew we were chasing them, they would go to Ba Sing Se," Azula muttered, frowning. "But as long as they don't know, they're likely to go to the Oasis."
"Exactly," said the Captain, nodding.
Azula frowned as she began pondering her possibilities. The Captain stared at her for a moment, waiting for her to make the call regarding what would happen from here on. Sokka stared at them curiously, having taken a seat at one of the tables, as intrigued and confused as ever by Azula's secretive behavior.
"These are good news… and bad news as well," muttered Azula, shaking her head as she paced through the room. "Their raids on villages… the Fire Nation will have to make amends for the damage they've caused. And not just this time, but on every town and village the Rough Rhinos have attacked while defying the Fire Lord's commands. We have to put a stop to this immediately. We're breaking formation from here on, Captain."
"W-what?" said the man, his eyes widening in surprise. "But… I thought we'd agreed to divide our forces after arriving in Omashu."
"Well, I've decided differently now," Azula grunted.
"But we would be taking the exact same route, Princess! To reach the Oasis we would have to pass by Omashu and the desert…!"
"I understand you find it more practical to stay with the Royal Procession until we make it there," said Azula, glaring at him. "But in case you've forgotten, time is of essence in this mission. While you're standing here, talking back to me, the Rhinos might be attacking another town already. For the sake of the people of the Fire Nation, I need you to find them and intercept them as soon as you have a chance to do it. And that chance isn't going to come on its own. You are going to take off right away, Captain. And that's an order."
The Captain stared at her, helpless. It was an order, of course, and he couldn't oppose anything Azula said… but he was somewhat reluctant to leave Azula only three days upon their arrival to the Fire Nation Colonies. All along he had felt unwilling to leave her side, only agreeing to do so because opposing Azula was never an option for a man like him. And now he had no choice but to leave to chase down the Rhinos…
The vestibule had fallen silent upon Azula's exchange with the Captain. Everyone was gazing at them, to Azula's mild discomfort.
"And that also goes for all those who'll be joining the Captain," she snapped. "Go get ready!"
The men in casual clothes jumped and scrambled upstairs, heading to their rooms in a hurry. The Captain tilted down his head towards Azula, bowing down towards her.
"It will be done, Princess," he muttered, before turning to follow the others to the higher stories of the building, to gather his belongings.
Azula glared at him as he walked away, knowing he was complying unwillingly. She rolled her eyes at his attitude before turning around to find quite a surprise sitting on a nearby table, patting a nigh unconscious Royal Guard on the back as he gazed at her sideways.
"W-what…? Since when have you been there?" she asked Sokka, utterly confused.
"A couple of minutes," said Sokka, smiling weakly.
"Why didn't you just return to the Morishita's house?" asked Azula, frowning.
"I thought I should…" muttered Sokka. "But this guy collapsed on me after you left, so I figured I'd bring him back."
"How thoughtful of you," Azula spat out sarcastically, forgetting she was trying to fix her situation with Sokka just as much as she was trying to catch the Rough Rhinos.
"Uh… t-thanks…?" said Sokka, gulping as he eyed her warily.
Azula's eyebrow twitched at his submissiveness again. Oh, she wanted to punch him straight in the face so badly… she would do it, if she thought he would try to hit her back. But she knew he was more likely to crawl in the floor instead, claiming he deserved to get hit.
"So… what were you talking about with the Captain?" Sokka asked, trying his luck.
"What…?" Azula muttered, frowning. She hadn't told him about her mission yet, had she…? Was it a good idea to do it now? It might serve to make the fool a little more comfortable… which could make him behave as he usually did, hence helping her feel at ease as well. But there were too many things claiming her attention right now. Telling Sokka wasn't a priority. "I have no time to give out lengthy explanations right now. I have other things to deal with."
"Oh… right," muttered Sokka, nodding. "Important things, I bet! Well, that's okay… I can live with that."
Azula stared at him in distaste, still unable to recognize the man she had known before behind those layers of passivity. She glared at him for a moment before turning to one of the Royal Guards in the room.
"Are the steeds ready for the journey?" she asked.
"They're at the back, in the inn's stables," said the man.
"Are they well rested and fed?" Azula inquired, as she walked with the guard towards the other side of the room. Their conversation was out of earshot for Sokka when they passed through a door at the opposite end of the vestibule.
The gladiator frowned as he stared at the corridor through which the Princess had vanished. She had been nice while they were at the Arena, and now she had been snappy for a moment, but only moments later she wasn't so angry anymore. What was going through that head of Azula's? Would he ever understand it? It didn't seem like he would. She was so secretive, so uptight with her business…
The guards came and went as time passed them by. A pair of men showed up to bring the unconscious guard to his room, leaving Sokka to himself on the vestibule until the Captain reappeared, clad in his best clothes for traveling.
"You brought Taro back?" asked the man, raising an eyebrow as he looked at Sokka with curiosity.
"Taro? You mean the fainted guard?" Sokka asked. "Yeah, I did. He freaked me a little when he fell headfirst on the ground… is he always like that?"
"He has a disease," said the Captain. "He has a hard time breathing in agitated circumstances. Whenever he's anxious he's prone to blacking out like that."
"Why is a guy like that a Royal Guard?" asked Sokka, confused.
"His firebending is impressive whenever he's not fainted," said the Captain matter-of-factly, checking the contents of a large pack he had brought downstairs.
"If you say so… so, from what I heard, you'll be taking off now?"
"You already knew I wasn't staying with the Princess's group through this entire journey," said the Captain, without looking at Sokka.
"Yeah, I did… I just thought you'd leave later," Sokka replied, shrugging.
"Does it really matter to you either way if I leave now or later?" asked the Captain, frowning.
"Well… you were the only person I could talk to over here" said Sokka, smiling sideways. "At least, the only one I could talk to without weighing every single word I utter…"
"Maybe you should weigh them more often, even while dealing with people other than the Princess," said the Captain, raising an eyebrow.
"Maybe…" said Sokka. He sighed and folded his arms, leaning back on his chair. "Are all women like that? Or is that just Azula?"
"Like what?"
"You know… impossible to understand," said Sokka, sighing. "One minute she wants nothing to do with me, and every little thing I do ticks her off… but then she's nice to me? And then she's cold again, but she gives out a hint as if she were about to be nice again… I just don't get it."
"I'm not that knowledgeable about women," said the Captain, staring at Sokka he grimaced in confusion. "I don't know if all of them are impossible to understand… but the Princess is special indeed. Reading through her actions is no easy feat."
"Tell me about it," said Sokka, scratching his head lazily. "And it's not just her actions… it's her emotions. When I try my best to please her, she disdains me. When I'm sure I've disappointed her, she seems to approve of me. How…? Why? I just don't get it. She's beyond me."
"I have always thought she is," said the Captain, sighing before turning around towards Sokka. "But even when I think so, there's something I need to ask of you."
"Uh… of me?" asked Sokka, blinking in utter confusion. "What's that?"
"After I take off with my group, there will be ten Royal Guards left to defend the Princess. There will be eight palanquin bearers… and there will be one gladiator."
Sokka stared at the Captain in surprise as he stood up from his chair, his eyes never leaving the man's fierce golden glare.
"One man can make the difference in a battle," said the Captain. "One man can save the Princess's life if it were to be endangered. If I had a choice, I wouldn't leave her protection up to you in a thousand years… but I don't have one. So I'm going to do what I thought I'd never have to do…"
"Captain…?"
"Promise me, gladiator… that you'll protect her with your life if it comes down to it," said the Captain. "I know the other guards will do so… but I don't know if they'll be enough to keep her safe if our plans have any miscalculations. I need to know you'll stand by her, that you'll act as her personal shield if needed."
"W-what, you… you think I can do that?" asked Sokka, surprised. "You're actually asking me to…?"
"I'm doing it because I have no choice, I already said so," the man declared, grimacing in irritation.
"Right, right… you just took me by surprise with this," said Sokka, smiling awkwardly.
"And when I'm telling you to protect her, I'm not telling you to overwhelm her by trying to take care of her at all times," said the Captain. "The Princess needs her space. Don't forget that."
"I won't… and I'll do it, when I can," said Sokka, nodding and staring at the Captain in the eyes. "Because, well, she knows how to fight for herself too. But if there are any fights I can win for her, in the sand or not, I'll do my best to win them. You can count on that."
"You'll be traveling with her for a very long time," said the Captain. "Make sure no harm befalls her… no harm of any kind. And by that I mean…"
"I know, I know," said Sokka. "By that you mean I'd better not hurt her while you're not around or you'll have my head when you get back."
"If I get back…" muttered the Captain darkly, surprising Sokka.
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" the gladiator said, staring at the man with confusion just as the Princess reappeared through the door and looked at the two men. Since when did Sokka and the Captain get along so well…?
"What are the two of you talking about?" she asked, raising an inquisitive eyebrow as she passed by them.
The Captain looked at Azula with puzzled eyes, his sense of duty urging him to answer her question while his common sense told him otherwise. She wouldn't be pleased to know he was making plans for her safety… And the Captain was pleasantly surprised to discover Sokka had come to the same conclusion.
"Y-you and him were talking about stuff earlier and you didn't explain anything to me! This is just a spoonful of your own medicine!" he said, folding his arms over his chest.
Azula felt an intense urge to burn the gladiator to a crisp for those words… until she realized that was exactly the sort of comebacks he used to send her way. Her anger froze right away as her amber gaze lingered upon him for a moment.
"Huh… really? That's… that's how you're going to play this?" she asked, challenging him with a raised eyebrow.
The usual aggressive hint on her voice was gone, replaced by a strange uncertainty Sokka had never sensed on Azula before. It was as if she were probing him, testing him out in some way…
"Uh… maybe?" he muttered, not sure of how to best answer her question.
Azula seemed somewhat disappointed by his lack of conviction, but she was pleased in a way. That had been him, alright… it was only a shred of his usual self, but it was still there. He wasn't completely gone. He hadn't fully transformed into an incompetent wimp.
"Wrong answer," she said, but she couldn't hold back a small smile before moving towards the inn's main door. "Are you ready to leave, Captain?"
"Yes, Princess," said the man, nodding. Azula turned to look at him again, all trace of her grin gone from her face.
"Gather the rest of your team, then. The dragons are already waiting for you in front of the inn."
"Right away, Princess," said the Captain, heading upstairs to find his men as Azula passed through the threshold of the inn's front door.
Sokka was left alone in the vestibule, although he didn't even notice the others were gone. His eyes had snapped open wide as he gazed at the spot in which Azula had been standing just a moment ago. He hadn't been imagining things, had he? Her lips had curled into a smile if only for a second! How had that miracle happened, if he had just spouted out nonsense at her? Was the Princess fond of the nonsense all of sudden?
Whatever it was, though… it didn't change the fact that she had smiled. She had smiled. Sokka couldn't hold back the urge to laugh, feeling triumphant for the first time in weeks.
"She smiled!" he exclaimed, falling back on his chair as he beamed at the ceiling. "She smiled!"
Sokka didn't notice the door had been left open, though… and Azula stood just a few feet away from him, her eyebrows twitching as she heard his cheerful claims. She felt the color rushing to her face before she could keep her body in check. She had never thought he would take notice if she smiled or not… and what was it to him anyway? Why was he so happy about it?
She wanted to walk right back into the vestibule and strike a fistful of flames into his mouth if only to shut him up, but how was she going to explain the now prominent blush on her face? Why was she blushing anyway? It was still the same fool that had hurt her, the same jerk who had chosen another woman over her…!
It really was him. Even if he had changed so much… it still was him.
For some reason, the realization was beyond relieving even when she didn't want it to be. For Sokka to have remained as the fool he was didn't mean he was going to treat her any differently… although he had been treating her quite differently lately. He had been submissive, he had apologized, he had let her walk all over him when he wouldn't have done it before. Was he trying to prove to her that he would be willing to put down his pride if that would help him earn her forgiveness and atone for his sins…?
The thought angered her and saddened her at the same time. The situation made her feel vulnerable again, like an open wound right across her heart. It was a sensation she didn't want to experience again; yet she had missed the feeling of kinship with her gladiator. The contradictions in her mind made her want to throw up in disgust. Why couldn't she think straight anymore? Why was everything so confusing, so twisted, so absurd…? The only thing she knew for certain was that the one who had brought all those contradictions into her life had been him.
And he was glad she had smiled… he was glad she had smiled. If he prized her smiles so much, why had he made her cry before? More contradictions, more confusing thoughts… she shook her head, trying to hold back the intense emotions that overwhelmed her right now. Why had she had opened the gateway to those feelings once again? Why had she let her shield of hatred break down? She cringed and shook her head. Well, even if she had allowed her emotions burst out of their prison again, she wouldn't act upon them. She would rely on her mind and her instincts, on that alone. She was done with letting her emotions dictate her actions.
The Captain and the rest of his men showed up only a few seconds after she was done coming to her conclusion. Azula's blush vanished as she focused on the situation at hand. Each guard climbed on the saddle of their respective mongoose dragon, and Azula walked up to the Captain, who would be leading the way out of the city.
"Keep in touch," she commanded. "Send a messenger hawk whenever you make any progress. We're set to meet again in Ba Sing Se, Captain… and you'd better have seized the Rhinos when we do."
"I will make sure not to let you down, Princess," said the man, bowing his head down towards her.
"We'll see about that," Azula growled, narrowing her eyes. "Good luck, Captain."
"You too, Princess," said the man, looking at her one last time before shaking his reins and ushering his mount to break out into a sprint.
The other guards followed his lead immediately, steering the reptiles into the streets and vanishing from sight as they took a turn on Yu Dao's main street. Azula stared after them until the last one was gone. Only time would tell if her plan would be of any use… she had no choice but to trust the Captain, even when her mind advised her not to trust anyone ever again.
She sighed before turning around towards two guards who had walked outside to watch the rest of the men leave.
"Stay in the inn," she muttered. "Any messages they send while we're still in Yu Dao should reach the inn instead of the Morishita house to avoid being read by untrustworthy eyes."
"Yes, Princess," said the men, bowing down to her. "We'll keep an eye out for the messenger hawks."
"Good. Make sure to inform me if anything happens in the course of what's left of the week," said Azula. "We'll be setting out to Omashu in four days, so long as everything goes according to plan."
"Yes, Princess," the men repeated, and she turned around to leave to the Morishita home… before remembering someone was supposed to come along with her.
Azula stopped on her tracks and looked back at the inn. Sokka stood at the door, his brow contracted as he thought about hell knew what.
He had watched the way the Royal Guards in disguise had left on the back of mongoose dragons, still worried about the last words the Captain had told him. What was this deadly mission of his that could even cost him his life?
"Gladiator…" Azula grunted, glowering at him.
Sokka's eyes snapped wide open again and he looked up at the Princess. The fierce glare she was gifting him with took him aback. For what felt like the millionth time in the day, Sokka was left wondering what had he done this time around.
"Are you coming or would you rather stay at the inn?" asked Azula, folding her arms across her chest as she hoped he would pick the second choice.
"Uh, yeah! I'll be right behind you!" Sokka exclaimed clumsily, approaching Azula.
She didn't bother waiting for him to catch up with her, she took off to the Morishita's home immediately. Sokka stared at her in utter confusion, still unable to make any sense out of the Princess's mood swings. He treaded after her, keeping some distance between both of them, hoping that the strange happenings from today had meant their relationship had been mended if ever so slightly.
Yet he could see Azula was angry at him again. And he could sense her annoyance quite easily throughout the rest of the afternoon, even during dinner at the Morishita's home.
"So, you have started your tour with a win, Princess," said the mayor, beaming at her. "Congratulations!"
"Thank you, mayor," said Azula half-heartedly, taking a bite out of a dumpling.
"You weren't lying with what you said" muttered Kori, looking at her shyly. "Your fighter really isn't outstanding at all."
Sokka's eyebrow twitched at the remark, but he decided to ignore the girl as he ate as gracefully as he could.
"Why would I have lied about something like that?" said Azula, smirking. "I meant it when I said it. He has only made it so far because I am his sponsor."
"Indeed, his performance today proved it," said Kori, smiling back before continuing with her meal.
Azula frowned when she heard no groans of displeasure or bitter comebacks from the man sitting at her left. She narrowed her eyes and looked at Sokka, wondering why he hadn't tried to stand up for himself this time around. Was he still being a submissive moron? Did he know she had told Kori she was right just because she wanted to instigate him into defending himself…?
She was thoroughly surprised to find he seemed completely impervious to her belittling of him. And not only that… but he was eating carefully, cautiously, as if he were thinking through every single movement he was making. He wasn't chewing loudly, he wasn't dropping crumbs on the tablecloth… he was eating as if he actually had manners. Granted there were a few things about his posture and his movements that made him look extremely awkward, but regardless, he wasn't eating like a pig anymore…
Sokka realized Azula was staring at him just as he was eating a chunk of boiled cabbage. He was startled by her expression, but he made sure to gulp all the food down and to slide his tongue over his teeth before mumbling.
"W-what?"
Azula seemed to come back to her senses upon that. She looked down at her plate again, and she couldn't help but look at him from the corner of her eye as she continued with her dumpling. His behavior was shocking, and she didn't know if she ought to be pleased by it or not. It was as if he was trying his best to do everything she might wish for. Everything she requested, he would do it… and he wanted to see her smile, too. He really was as eager as she was to get their relationship back to the way it used to be.
But she didn't know if she wanted things to return to what they had been. Her own vulnerability terrified her, and the fear of getting hurt by him again was engraved way too deep into her soul. Was there a chance that he wouldn't damage her this time around? How much truth had there been in his apologies? And how was she supposed to trust him again after all he'd said and done? Did he deserve to be trusted? Could he be trusted…?
She wouldn't trust him in personal regards, that much was a given. She had given him too much information, opened up to him more than she ever had opened up to anyone else: she had gone too far. She had done it because she had felt comfortable by doing so, because it had seemed like he actually cared for what she had to say… but, as it was, she couldn't trust him like that anymore. He had claimed to hate her, claimed she was pure evil, and even if he said he was sorry, how did she know he really wasn't thinking such things about her anymore? She didn't… and it terrified her that he might still see her in that way. Even if his latest actions screamed the opposite, the possibility was still there. So, if he really was trustworthy this time around, she had to find out through other means. Not by opening up about her innermost thoughts and secrets to him… but by letting him in on another mystery he wanted to know about.
Azula climbed the stairs towards her room after dinner was finished, followed closely by Sokka. He could sense there was something bothering her, her head wasn't held up high as always and she seemed awfully tense.
Azula stopped in the hallway between both their rooms. Sokka stared at her, worriedly. Should he head into his room and ignore her…? It didn't look like she wanted to be bothered right now. He lurked to the side, stretching his hand towards the door that led to his room…
And for what felt like the millionth time in the day, Azula did the exact opposite from what Sokka expected. Her hand darted out towards his wrist, grasping him firmly and dragging him into her room without a word of explanation.
Sokka's eyes widened and a flush appeared on his face as his mind fell into a state of utter disbelief. Okay… this was beyond weird. What was she doing this time around? Bringing him into her room? What could she possibly want to do in there that required his presence? If she wanted to talk, they could have done it in the hallway! So did she want something else? Her tension could be translated into nervousness, perhaps… her confusing actions were speaking for themselves, and he could hardly believe what they were saying…
She tossed him on a chair near the dresser, and he almost fell over as he stumbled to keep balance on the furniture. He looked up at her in terror, his cheeks reddening while wondering what on earth was going through the Princess's mind right now…
Azula wasn't blushing, though. That was the first sign that gave away that she probably wasn't trying to do anything out of the ordinary to him. His suggestive jokes would make her face turn a shade redder than the Fire Nation emblem, so if she had any impure intent towards him, her face would have given it away already.
The Princess placed her hand on the dresser behind Sokka, striking the furniture with more strength than she had intended to as she glared at him. His eyes reflected some fear, which pleased her… but also curiosity. He wanted to know what she was up to… and he was about to find out.
"You asked earlier about what I was discussing with the Captain, didn't you?" she grunted, her fierce golden eyes never leaving his. "Well, you're about to find out what it was, so long as you keep your mouth shut while I explain this to you. Got it?"
Sokka blinked a few times as he realized what she was about to do. She was really going to reveal the true nature of her mission to him! He nodded and stared at her expectantly, determined to listen to the end.
"The mission my father entrusted me with is catching a group of Fire Nation brigands that are disturbing the peace in the Colonies. They're called the Rough Rhinos. They ride from town to town in komodo rhinos, pillaging every village they can get their hands on and causing as much damage as they can get away with. And they have gotten away with too much of it as it is. My father heard about this situation and decided to put an end to it, and he asked me to capture them and bring them back to the Fire Nation."
"He… he did?" asked Sokka, frowning.
"Well, it was my Uncle's idea originally, as you already know," grunted Azula, taking a few steps away from him, her gaze still fixated upon him.
Sokka's frown deepened as he sat properly on the chair, having been leaning back before to avoid any potentially awkward physical contact between the two of them.
"He… asked you to take care of these men," he repeated. "He sent his only daughter, blood of his blood, to catch a group of criminals and bring them home…"
"What's so hard to understand about this?" snarled Azula.
"Well, I just… don't know if he thought this through," muttered Sokka. "I'm not going to say you're not capable of catching these men… but when I arrived at the inn, the Captain was telling you they have killed people. I understand you're more than capable of getting them for their crimes, but I don't understand why your father would send you to do such a dangerous job."
"Our army is spread too thin," she replied. "Most our forces are needed at other stations. I was available, and so were my Royal Guards. It's not as unreasonable as you think it is."
"I guess not…" Sokka said, still frowning. "There's a lot of odd things about this, though. For your father to agree to send you when your uncle was the one to suggest that… I mean, I know your relationship with that old man is no good. I figure your father would be aware of that as well. Didn't he question his motives at all?"
"My uncle claimed he was recommending me because I was a capable leader and whatnot," grunted Azula, rolling her eyes at the memory of the war meeting. "And my father wasn't that keen on sending me away. He allowed me to choose whether I'd do it or not."
"That's still weird… but it's good to know that he let you choose," said Sokka, shrugging. "It seemed odd that the Fire Lord would force his only daughter to go to a mission as dangerous as this one."
"The Rhinos aren't all that deadly for someone like me," said Azula, rolling her eyes.
"Maybe not," said Sokka, shrugging. "Is it normal, though, that the Fire Lord sends his kids to get these matters sorted out?"
"Most members of the Royal Family get involved in warfare at some point in time," said Azula. "Well… most male members, at least. I don't believe there have been any women commanding an army before…"
"So you're a pioneer at this?" asked Sokka, smiling. "Sounds neat."
Azula heard those words and couldn't hold back a small smirk. She hadn't quite thought about it in this manner…
"It seems like I am."
Sokka's chest seemed to be set ablaze as he saw her smile again. He couldn't help but admire her from his seat, amazed by how beautiful she looked whenever she was pleased…
Azula took notice of the way he was beaming at her, which prompted her to stop smiling altogether. The dumb look on his face made her grimace and blush at the same time.
"W-what are you looking at? And why are you looking at it like that?"
"W-what? Like what?" asked Sokka, clueless.
"Like that! Just… ugh, forget it!" she said, shaking her head. "Alright, you got what you wanted! You can go ahead and leave now!"
"Uh… alright…" said Sokka, his gaze not leaving the Princess as he stood up again, studying her features in utter confusion.
"Get-out-already!" she said between gritted teeth, annoyed at how slowly he was moving.
Azula slammed the door shut as soon as Sokka was out in the hallway again. He stood in place for a moment, still having a hard time assimilating what had happened inside the room. It hadn't been his imagination, had it…?
"Was she… blushing?" he muttered, absent-mindedly.
And why she would be blushing, he couldn't figure it out for the life of him. The Princess really was too much for him to handle.
Azula stood inside her room, feeling more foolish with every second that passed her by. That stupid savage was making a mess of her head even when she had been trying not to feel anything towards him anymore. She walked to the side of the bed and collapsed on it, hoping a good night's sleep would help her clear her mind and forget the stupid, fascinating smile she'd seen on his face just a moment ago.