"And after your last two fights, you're officially at the 199th spot in the ranking!" Shoji exclaimed, beaming as he looked at the Blue Wolf and his sponsor. "With a grand total of 5734 points!"

Sokka's jaw dropped, but Azula smirked in approval. She had been expecting Sokka's results to be positive after his latest fights, and even though his new privileged position in the ranking was a surprise, she was satisfied rather than disbelieving upon the news.

The people who passed them by in the Grand Royal Dome's vestibule looked at them with reverence. Some greeted her with a nod, others smiled, some bowed respectfully… but almost all the people who passed them by acknowledged Azula and her gladiator's presence one way or another. And earning the masses' respect, commoners and noblemen alike, also stirred satisfaction within Azula. Her history with Sokka within the gladiator business had been anything but smooth, yet this new respect they had obtained was proof that their reputation had recovered from the blows it had received in the past. The pair of them were currently more successful than they had ever been. But time would tell whether their streak of good fortune would continue or not…

"That's real crazy," said Sokka, gulping. "I'm way too high!"

"What, afraid of heights, are you?" Azula teased, smirking. "If anything, we're where we should be. And we can still aim much higher than this."

"Heh, well… if you say so," said Sokka, gulping. Long ago, when Azula had found him, he had never even dreamt he could rise at all within the Superior Gladiator League's ranking… surviving while being within the lower half had been a surprise already. Being amongst the top two hundred fighters was a lot to digest, and rising from here on promised to prove far more difficult than everything they had faced up to date…

"What challenges do we have, Shoji?" Azula asked.

"Oh, I'll get them for you right away!" he said, moving towards the cabinets where the pending challenges were stored.

Azula glanced towards Sokka, finding he was fidgeting. She couldn't help but smile at the sight of him.

"And what are you so nervous about?" she asked. "You're usually so pleased with yourself, why do you seem bothered by being the 199th?"

"W-well, it's a lot of progress, you know," said Sokka, scratching the back of his head. "I didn't see it coming so fast, if it came at all."

With that, he gave her a nervous chuckle. Azula raised an eyebrow, but she couldn't continue to question Sokka, for Shoji approached them again, giving Azula the sheets of paper where her challenges had been written.

"There they are," said Shoji, smiling. "They're not too many, but maybe one of them could interest you…"

Azula frowned and took the six challenges Shoji had given her. None of the names of the challenging gladiators were remotely familiar.

"Where in the ranking are these fighters?" she asked, waving the challenges towards Shoji.

"Uh… well, they're all below the Blue Wolf, actually," said Shoji, smiling weakly. "It's to be expected, since you're already at the top half of the ranking. You're bound to get more challenges from lower-ranked gladiators from now on…"

"Which isn't very helpful," said Azula, disapprovingly, placing the challenges on the counter. "The last time Sokka fought someone below him, it was a crazed waterbender who wanted to kill him. I'm not taking that sort of risk anymore."

"You think I'll be safer by fighting people who are above me in the ranking?" asked Sokka, looking at her in disbelief.

"I think the fighters above you might be the type to fight you for the sake of points, perhaps for money… the ones below might have crazy intentions or delusions of grandeur, and I'd rather avoid people like that," said Azula.

"Well, you can always issue out your own challenges, of course," said Shoji, smiling. "Or better yet, now I think about it... you could join the Pairs Tournament in Ba Sing Se!"

"Pairs Tournament?" asked Azula, raising an eyebrow.

"I didn't say anything about it before, but the Blue Wolf is in the proper level of the ranking to participate in the event now," said Shoji, smiling. "In fact, he's in the exact position he had to be at to join the Tournament. It's open from the spots between 100 to 200, after all"

"Huh, right in the nick of it," said Sokka, surprised. "Well, that doesn't sound so bad…"

"Of course not, but who would you have as your partner?" asked Azula, raising an eyebrow. "I figure 'pairs' implies you'll have to fight alongside another gladiator…"

"Could be better if it meant that both the gladiator and the sponsor would fight together, don't you think?" said Sokka, smiling.

"Oh, well, we would win the tournament without a doubt if that were the case," said Azula, smiling proudly. "But I don't think that's the way it works."

"It's not, actually," said Shoji, smiling weakly. "As you said, it's two gladiators fighting against two gladiators. It's a pretty interesting tournament, though. I wish they would hold them here from time to time, but it's a location event, just like the Scavenger Hunt is always held at the Ring of Ash. All Pairs Tournaments take place in Ba Sing Se. Still, even if traveling there takes a while, this is the sort of tournament that you two would surely join if you could…"

"Surely?" asked Azula, raising an eyebrow. "You're all that confident you'd know what decisions we'd make, Shoji…?"

"Well… I just think you'd like to take part in this event," said Shoji, blushing weakly. "See, for every fight you win, you take the points from both fighters you defeat. So, if what you want is a boost in the ranking, you're sure to find it with this event."

Azula raised an eyebrow, now actually intrigued by the Tournament.

"That does sound appealing, I will admit…" said the Princess.

"Still, there's also a big risk," said Shoji, smiling weakly. "If you lose, you get your opponents' gladiator value deducted from your total points score as well…"

"Huh?!" Sokka said, jumping. "Losing points? Oh, no. No, no, no, no! Not a chance we're going to risk something like that! Not when we got this high!"

"Indeed," said Azula, frowning. "The idea of taking points for two fighters in a single fight is quite appealing… but losing points takes away that appeal instantly. And even if we didn't care about the points, we can't join this event. We don't have anyone to join with, after all."

"Well… you could try to ask other sponsors with fighters in this level," said Shoji, shrugging. "I'm sure there are plenty of them who would comply…"

"Surely, but we don't know how efficient their fighters are, let alone if they could work well with Sokka," said Azula, shaking her head. "I don't think I can genuinely trust in joining forces with anyone else."

"Yeah, we've done well by ourselves so far," said Sokka, smiling proudly. "So let's just send off another challenge and forget this Tournament thing."

"Indeed, let's do that," said Azula, nodding. "Can I see the ranking, Shoji?"

"Sure thing," said Shoji, handing the large sheet to them.

Azula inspected it closely, with Sokka looking at it from over her shoulder. The Princess frowned as she looked at all the available fighters, hardly any of them spiking her interest.

"Who is Miracle Stone?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Is it someone interesting?"

"He's a pretty strong earthbender, truth be told," said Shoji, grimacing. "I would stay clear off that one for the time being. The Blue Wolf has improved, and he's had a great streak lately…"

"And you think this guy could break it?" asked Azula, sighing. "Well, not this one, then. How about the Dancing Staff?"

"Eh, that's a good one, but his sponsor has a weird policy, only sends challenges and never accepts them," said Shoji, shrugging. "But maybe he'll send you one someday?"

"I'm not about to keep waiting until he does," grunted Azula, sighing in defeat. "I'm looking for a fight we could win, simple as that."

"Well, maybe we could try to fight against someone who's higher than them," said Sokka, taking the paper himself. "I do think we've gotten too high too fast, but if you think about it, I fought against some pretty strong people back when I was just starting out, didn't I?"

"Indeed," said Azula, thoughtful.

"And I've gotten much stronger since then" said Sokka "Also more resourceful…"

"Which has worked to our favor, despite how extreme your latest resources have been," said Azula, raising her eyebrows before turning towards Shoji again. "How is the smoked gladiator doing? Have you had any word on it?"

"He survived, if that's what you're wondering," said Shoji, smiling a little. "Mayor Kuan had him moved to a hospital over at Fire Fountain City, where he's being cared for. His battling days are over, though."

"Huh…" said Sokka, sighing. "Well, I'm glad he didn't die, at least…"

"What were you saying before, though?" Azula asked Sokka, raising an eyebrow.

"Just that, if I'd already fought against people ranked higher than this dancer gladiator, we should be able to go up against tougher ones yet," he said, looking at the ranking. "See, the Savage Hook is up here and he's currently the 148th. I beat him back then, and I'm much tougher than I was when I fought him. We've definitely got to be stronger than him by now, I think. And we should also be stronger than…"

"Than?" asked Azula, raising her eyebrows when Sokka didn't finish his sentence.

Sokka seemed to grow nervous when she looked at him questioningly. He really didn't think mentioning Kyoshi's Heir would be a good idea, not when their relationship was doing better than ever…

But even though he wanted to simply point at her name to show Azula what he'd meant, to avoid any problems, he quickly realized he couldn't find it. He frowned as he continued to browse through the paper, a confused frown on his face.

"Where is she?" he asked, looking at the top hundred fighters. "She can't be that high by now, or can she?"

"Who, exactly?" asked Azula, though she already knew what the answer to her question was.

Sokka gulped and looked at her with mild guilt, and Azula raised an eyebrow slowly, giving him a dangerous look.

"Y-you know, Kyoshi's Heir was the highest ranked gladiator we've fought against, so I figured we'd be better than her by now… but I don't know if I missed out on her or something," said Sokka, frowning and looking at the ranking carefully. "I mean, she should be around 120 by now, maybe more, maybe less… I figure, at least."

"And she's not?" asked Azula, raising an eyebrow and looking at the ranking herself. "Maybe she dropped instead of rising, if you can't find her up there."

"I suppose it's a possibility, but I still don't see…"

"Uh, you're asking about… Kyoshi's Heir?" said Shoji, biting his lip.

"Yeah," said Sokka, looking at Shoji and dropping the ranking in front of him. "I beat her, so I thought I'd be able to fight against some gladiators around her level just fine, but…"

"She's not there anymore," Shoji finished, earning himself a confused frown from both sponsor and gladiator.

"What do you mean, she's not there anymore?" said Sokka. "What is it, did she change names or…?"

"She's off the ranking," replied Shoji, sighing. "She's not there anymore because she dropped out a few months ago…"

"She dropped out? Why?" asked Azula. "Was it because of wounds? Or did she go three months without fighting...?"

"Maybe a twenty-loss streak?" asked Sokka.

"None of those," said Shoji, shaking his head. "On her last fight she even killed her opponent. He was a tough one, but she managed to defeat him and got out of it unscathed…"

"Maybe she didn't mean to kill him…" said Sokka, frowning.

"Of course she didn't," said Shoji, shaking his head. "But that's… that wasn't it, not really. See, I also thought it was odd to get a sudden message one day telling me to write her off the ranking… so I decided to dig a little deeper into it."

"And what did you find?" asked Sokka, a hand on his waist as he looked at Shoji expectantly.

"Not nearly enough," said Shoji, shaking his head. "I tried to find out why I had gotten an official army message to tell me she wasn't going to fight anymore…"

"Official army message?" Azula repeated. "What would the army have to do with this?"

"That's what I was wondering when I received it," said Shoji. "It didn't make much sense to me either. When gladiators drop out, either the sponsor himself comes by to inform it, or he sends the message himself… but that's not what we got with Kyoshi's Heir. So I wasn't sure what had happened… it was quite a hectic week, to top it all off, so…"

"A hectic week?" Sokka said. "But if you said that was months ago, then…"

"It was back during that incident when we were all sent underground," said Shoji, nodding. "I received the message once the Arena resumed working. We had a few things to reschedule, some fights had overlapped because we had lost almost two whole days of activity… and getting messages about gladiators dropping out in that situation would have been understandable, maybe. People were scared, and they feared the terrorists would come back to the Capital, so they might have wanted to flee from the mainland…"

"But it's one thing to get a drop-out message from a sponsor and another one to get it from the army," said Azula, frowning. "Especially when the army was as busy as it was at the time…"

"I thought so too," said Shoji, nodding. "So after a few weeks, I went over to the army's barracks to ask about it, and I got very vague answers at first… but from what one soldier told me, well… it seemed her sponsor was one of the terrorists."

"What?" Azula exclaimed, her eyes widening. "Her sponsor…? That old man was a member of the White Lotus?"

"That... That makes no sense!" said Sokka, shaking his head. "Why would they be members of the White Lotus? And if this is true, then that means I… I got Kyoshi's Heir locked up in jail?!"

"I don't know if she was a member of this Lotus thing like her sponsor was," said Shoji, shaking his head. "But even if she were, she wasn't sent to jail. I asked them about her exclusively… and they told me what happened with her. She wasn't directly involved in the situation that you two dealt with."

"She probably wasn't on that ship, then," said Sokka, frowning. "And she wasn't one of the people they were breaking out, right?"

"No. I think her sponsor was, but not her," said Shoji. "According to the Lieutenant I talked to, a large group of soldiers went into Oyaji's house to search it, trying to find anything else that might link him with the Lotus people. I don't know if they found what they were looking for, they wouldn't tell me… and I didn't really care about that too much. But they found her there, and apparently she tried to send them off when they barged into the house without permission. Still, even though she was so strong, there was little she could do in such a small space, fighting against at least ten firebending soldiers…"

Sokka's eyes widened, his fists clenched as he heard Shoji's words.

"What… what happened to her?" he asked. "They didn't kill her, did they?"

"No, they… they didn't," said Shoji, shaking his head. "They had no idea who she was. None of the soldiers were the type who frequented the Arena, so they had no clue she was a gladiator. They were impressed by her strength, but they didn't understand they were dealing with an accomplished fighter… so after subduing her, leaving her unconscious, they sent her to the slave market."

"The slave market?" asked Sokka again, aghast. "They sold her?"

"They didn't, they just threw her in the market," said Shoji. "They made no money out of it. They figured she was just Oyaji's servant or so. Oyaji wasn't going to need her services anytime soon, so they sent her to the same place where they figured Oyaji had gotten her, so that she could be sold to someone who could keep her in line. That's what they told me, at least."

"And then what?" asked Sokka, worriedly. "Did she get sold, or is she still there? Did she rejoin the ranking under another name, with a new sponsor…?"

"No, she didn't," said Shoji, shaking his head. "I went to the market after that, and I asked at every servant stand, hoping to find whoever had taken her after the soldiers had dropped her here. The lieutenant described the salesman who had taken her for me, but he didn't know his name, so it took me some time to find him. When I finally did, I asked him about her fate… and he told me she had been one seriously feisty slave, and he'd had to use shackles and chains to keep her in line. And that, just a few days before I asked, two men had showed up at the stand, and they'd decided to buy her…"

"What sort of men?" asked Sokka, looking more worried with every new bit of Shoji's explanation. "Did the salesman tell you anything about them?"

"He said the guys told him they'd come from Shu Wo, an old town located southeast from here. It takes a long trip to get there," said Shoji. "And, well… I have no idea what sort of men they were, but the salesman wanted to get rid of Kyoshi's Heir as quickly as he could. She really was too much to handle for him. He took them up on their first offer… and that's the last I've discovered about her."

"S-so she's… she's working as some guys' slave?" Sokka repeated. "Maybe in… in the Amateur League now?"

"I doubt it," said Azula, frowning. "I don't think there was an Amateur League Arena there… I've never heard of such, at least. Gladiator fights, even the amateur ones, are too organized a practice for a town like Shu Wo. They don't even have their own slave market, which is why, when I first brought you to the Fire Nation, we took you to Hui Yi instead. In all honesty… it would have been far worse to leave you in Shu Wo."

"Worse? How could it be any worse?" asked Sokka, looking at her worriedly.

"Shu Wo means Rat's Den," said Azula. "It's one of the worst locations in the Fire Nation… it's similar to that nest of scumbags we found when we were looking for the Rough Rhinos. Sick practices of any sort take place there; whatever nightmares you can imagine, it's certain to happen there. The army raids the town occasionally, to keep the town's crime in check, but as soon as they army is gone, it goes back to its usual state."

"How can such a place exist here?" said Sokka, looking at Azula in disbelief. "This is the Fire Nation! Aren't you guys boasting constantly about being advanced and civilized? That town sounds like the entire opposite of that!"

"Well, precisely," said Azula, lowering her gaze. "Order and civilization don't work unanimously everywhere. There will always be rebels, just as the Rough Rhinos. The only thing the Fire Lords could do to keep from slaughtering their own people and bringing about a civil war was to seclude those sorts of rebels in specific places, such as towns like Shu Wo…"

"That's stupid," said Sokka, shaking his head. "It's preposterous! And she's… she's there, in a rat's den, being subjected to hell knows what treatment?! This is… this is awful, Azula…"

"I know it is, but there's nothing we can do about it as we are," said Azula, shaking her head. "She might have gotten out of there already, for all we…"

"If the salesman kept her chained, he must have told the ones that bought her to do the same thing," exclaimed Sokka. "Chained, Azula! She's being treated like some wild beast or something, has been treated like one for months now, and we're just…!"

"We're what, Sokka?" she asked, looking at him with raised eyebrows. "How were we supposed to know her sponsor had anything to do with the White Lotus, or that her fate is as awful as it is? It's not like we got her there, we had absolutely nothing to do with it!"

"But we can have something to do with it now," he said, frowning. "I get that you're not her biggest fan or anything close to that, but we have to do something. She doesn't deserve a fate like that, Azula! Nobody does!"

"I know as much," said Azula, staring right back at him. "I did just say it would have been beyond cruel to leave you there, didn't I? And what do you even want me to do, Sokka? You think I'm some sort of advocate for slave's rights? You think I can just walk into that hell hole and pull her out of there because I feel like it?"

"Of course! You're the Princess!" said Sokka, looking at her in disbelief. "If anyone can get her out of there, it's you!"

"The girl is a slave, and those guys bought and paid for her," said Azula, folding her arms over her chest. "By law, she's just a possession, so by taking her from them I'd be committing a crime, no less…"

"That's… yeah, sure, a crime," said Sokka, gritting his teeth. "And what they're doing to her isn't a crime as well? If as you said, that place is the sorts where nightmares come true, she's got to be in a living hell right now! And even if you don't know what that's like, Azula, I do! Do I have to remind you that you were the last person I would have ever wanted to join forces with back when you found me in Hui Yi? I agreed to your deal because I'd rather become my worst enemy's gladiator than to continue living like that! Hell, I didn't even have a clue if I'd continue living or not! For all I knew, my next day could have been my last! And I almost…!"

"You almost what?" asked Azula, frowning, when he shook his head.

"Never mind. What I'm saying is, if you got me out of there, we can get her out of this place too. Azula, please…"

"I…" she said, shaking her head. "Do you expect me to save every single slave we meet, Sokka? Do you think I have magical powers and I can just give every one of them a new, better life just because you ask me to? As much as you may not think so, my resources really aren't unlimited, so…"

"So, you're not doing this, then" said Sokka, his gaze hardening and making Azula freeze in her spot. "You're just… going to let her rot there, that's it?"

"Sokka, that's not what I'm saying, I…"

"I get it, don't bother explaining," he said, shaking his head and staring off towards the Arena's doors.

"Sokka!" she called after him, frowning. She would have pursued him immediately, but people were staring towards them now. She didn't need negative attention, not now…

"Uh… so, um… are you going to challenge anyone at all?" asked Shoji, biting his lip.

"I… I'll get back to you on that later" said Azula, shaking her head before following Sokka outside, a heavy frown on her face.

"Okay, then…" said Shoji, sinking in his seat and watching them leave, worriedly. It was a relief that someone had finally asked about Kyoshi's Heir, now that he knew more about her whereabouts, but he definitely hadn't expected it to end this way...

Azula blasted through the Arena's doors, her eyes looking for Sokka frantically until she spotted him already walking down the street, his head hunched and his arms at either side of his body, hands balled into fists. She gritted her teeth before following him, knowing this new conflict they'd landed themselves in couldn't possibly end well… just when things were starting to move along smoothly for them, to boot. She could hardly believe her bad luck.

"Sokka, stop. Sokka!" she called him before reaching him, grabbing him by the shoulder.

"What?" said Sokka, frowning and turning towards her. "Changed your mind?"

"No, I… I didn't change my mind, but you can't just storm off like that!" she exclaimed. "Why are you acting like this? It's not like you… you said things with you two hadn't gone well, so why are you taking this so personally? It's not like you're responsible for what happened to her!"

"I already told you, I may not be responsible, but I can make a difference!" said Sokka. "We can, the two of us! You saved me from my own hell, why can't we do the same for her?!"

"Because as I said, I can't go around saving the lives of every single slave you happen to have dated once or twice," she growled. "You alone have caused me more trouble than I could handle on most accounts! So why don't you try to step into my shoes for a moment and realize I'm in no position to steal other people's slaves just because you're asking me to do so?!"

"I didn't tell you to steal her, you could just buy her off, couldn't you?" said Sokka. "Hell, you're the Princess! Whatever you say should be a command, Azula! The moment they see you they'll crawl to your feet and tell you to do as you wish, that's how it works!"

"And then what?" asked Azula, frowning. "What do you want me to do with her, huh? Set you two up so you can live happily together in your house? When we found Song, I bought her for you because you clearly needed someone like her in order to survive! I didn't do it out of the good will of my heart, out of some irrational urge to save the lives of everyone in pain that I might come across!"

"So you're saying… you're saying it doesn't matter, then?" he said, looking at her in disbelief. "You're saying that the pain a slave is subjected to… it doesn't matter? Unless that slave can be of some use to you, you're not going to bother? Is that how it works, then, even after all this time?"

Azula froze at that. No, it wasn't the way it worked… not really, not anymore. But she couldn't save this girl… she couldn't even consider it. Her entire body was against the notion, simply because she knew she had caught Sokka's eye once. But the more she thought about it, the more ridiculous that excuse seemed to be…

"It's not because it's her, Azula…" said Sokka, shaking his head. "It's not like I'm asking you to do this because I want her for myself. You can get her and, I don't know, free her, maybe! Let her return to the Earth Kingdom, something like that! My real problem is that she's living in those conditions. I can't fathom that someone like her is in that situation. It's wrong, by all accounts, it's just…"

"She's not the only slave in a dire situation, Sokka," said Azula, shaking her head. "If your problem is that slaves are mistreated, well… I'm sorry, but I can't do anything about it right now! My father established the slavery system as it is, telling him to abolish it would be to ask for a death sentence, especially when I'm not even on his good side after refusing his wishes as openly as I did during my birthday."

"You still could try, damn it… you could do something," said Sokka, his head dropping.

"I don't think slaves… I don't think slaves deserve to be treated like this, Sokka," said Azula, stepping towards him. "And I… I will do something about it, when I have a chance. But as we are, it's not going to work. I know it's not reassuring at all, Sokka, but I will do something about it… one day, I will."

"One day?" said Sokka, looking at her reproachfully. "One day, when all the gladiators in the Amateur League have killed each other and there's none left? When all abused slaves have died at the hand of their masters? Is that when you'll be able to do something, then?"

"Sokka, you can't just… I'll do everything in my power to change that, but I can't do it at the moment!" she said. "I can't save everyone just because you ask me to! No matter how hard I tried right now, it would never work…"

"Yeah… I guess not," said Sokka, shaking his head.

"I've done my best when it comes to you and Song," said Azula, looking at him with a frown. "But that doesn't mean I'm some sort of slave savior or anything of the sort, Sokka, I…"

"The problem is, Azula…" said Sokka, with a bark of skeptical laughter. "That you saved me. And I…"

"You what, Sokka?" asked Azula.

"I'm a mess, Azula" he said, shaking his head. "I… I'm an idiot, and I keep making mistakes. I'm not… I'm not that great a person, you know? So, while I am what I am, I'm your gladiator… while someone like Suki, who probably had never done anything bad in her life, is stuck in that town, enslaved by a pair of scumbags. That's what I just…"

"That's it, then. You think you're not worthy of this," said Azula, looking at him, but he refused to meet her gaze. "For some reason you… you think you shouldn't have an easy life. That there are others who should have this life, but not you. Why?"

"Azula… you wouldn't understand," he said, shaking his head before turning around. "Forget it. I just… forget it."

"Where are you going?" Azula asked, frowning when he started walking away.

"Nowhere. Never mind," he muttered so softly she hardly heard him.

Azula gritted her teeth and turned around, huffing in frustration. She could hardly believe he was behaving so unreasonably… and yet he was acting as though the unreasonable one was her. She couldn't deliver justice to every soul out there, not when she was simply a Princess. Once she became the Fire Lord she would be free to change laws and make different decrees that would treat slaves more fairly, perhaps… but right now she was virtually powerless. And she couldn't save every single slave individually, that was simply preposterous!

Still… she couldn't help but feel guilty as she thought about the things Sokka had said. Indeed, if she didn't act soon, most slaves would die. Heaps of them already had. But she felt helpless… she couldn't do what he was asking from her, even if she had hopes to do so one day.

And she frowned while wondering what Sokka's problem was. It wasn't the first time he confessed to feeling unworthy of the benefits he had obtained by being her gladiator, but this time it seemed worse than before. This time he was more upset than usual, and he had even walked off on his own accord… and it was all because of this girl, of course. Even when she was gone, when they hadn't even seen her in months, the mere mention of Kyoshi's Heir could estrange their relationship in a matter of seconds. Azula shook her head and sighed. She shouldn't care about that… she really shouldn't. Her heart shouldn't ache upon the thought of Sokka worrying over someone other than her… for why should he only care about Azula? He was his own person, and he had every right to worry about whoever he wanted to worry about… right?

But she feared being replaced again. She feared he might have underlying intentions when it came to this girl… back when he had first met her, he had tried to use her to forget about Azula, he had confessed as much. Who could say he wasn't hoping to accomplish the same feat now? Maybe he was worried, maybe he really wanted to save her just for the girl's sake… but what would come next, right after saving her?

Azula was rubbing her forehead with a hand when she heard a familiar groaning sound coming closer. She raised her head to find Xin Long landing right before her, making people scatter in fear and admiration of the dark creature.

"Ah, nice timing," said Azula, sighing and approaching the dragon, caressing his helmet gently. "Finally, someone whose real thoughts I can see without an issue…"

Xin Long had perceived how troubled she was, and he had flown towards her quickly. He sniffed her clothes and prompted her to jump on his back, and Azula sighed before complying with his wishes.

"I don't know what he expects of me," she sighed, lying back on the saddle as they flew through the clouds. "I guess I'm the only person who can change things for the better… but that's easier said than done. I can't possibly tell my father to abolish slavery… and I can't just go save that girl because he asks me to. By that logic, I should save every single slave, right?"

Xin Long groaned and nodded, though he made a point to say she shouldn't be so opposed to the notion. What was so wrong about saving this girl?

"You don't understand, Xin," she whispered. "She's not just any girl… I mean, I guess at least she's not that slut of a bounty hunter. If Sokka had asked me to do anything for her, I'd burn the moron to a crisp before informing him that I'd rather relinquish my position as Princess than to have anything to do with her. But still…"

Xin Long snickered before asking if this former gladiator girl was competition. Azula retaliated by kicking his flank lightly.

"Competition… well, for all I know she might be," growled Azula. "No matter how far he tries to go with me, he'll never get what he wants through me. She could do that for him, whereas I can't. And if he really thinks she's oh, so wonderful, that she mustn't have done anything bad in her life, who's to say that's not what he wants? But I… I'm not going to gift him with a wife just because he asked nicely. Which he didn't, by the way."

Xin Long's next response made Azula glare at him. For the dragon believed that, if she didn't want Sokka to mate with anyone else, she should simply mate with him herself, screw the consequences. If mating with anyone was all Sokka wanted, then he wouldn't ask her to save this girl for that purpose anymore. This way she could save her without fearing he would abandon her. It was all really simple, it seemed to Xin Long…

"You deserve another kick for that," she grunted. "I already said I can't do anything of the sort. And it's anything but simple. I just… I don't want him to get involved with her, or anyone. And well, he actually said he wouldn't involve himself with anyone, now I think of it. That he would focus only on fighting for me because I wouldn't let him have a life…"

Xin Long turned his head to look at her worriedly when he felt Azula grow more miserable still, as she remembered the worst argument she had ever had with Sokka.

"I guess he was right," said Azula, sighing. "I won't let him have a life. He was willing to let me marry someone else… and I won't give him the same luxury. Maybe I'm really not as wonderful a sponsor as I thought I was… maybe I'm just…"

Azula sighed and shook her head. Only one word came to her head that described what she really thought of herself right now. And it was depressing… because it was true. There was one main reason why she refused to comply with his wishes, and as much as she tried to deny it, it was undeniable.

"I'm really a bad person, aren't I?" she muttered, sitting up and rubbing her forehead with a hand. "Because of an old grudge that's actually no fault of hers, I'm willing to let that girl suffer until the end of her days…"

Xin Long asked her if she really would do that. Azula sighed and clenched her jaw.

"I would… but I guess I won't," she muttered. "I owe him as much, after all. I might just be paranoid about her because of what happened back then… maybe nothing would happen between them if I brought her back here somehow."

But even if she wanted to believe that, she couldn't quite do so. The fear of being forsaken by Sokka could only linger inside her, growing stronger if she tried to fight against it. It really wasn't that odd for Azula to brace herself for the worst-case scenario, was it? It was what any capable strategist would do… but this wasn't about strategy. It was about saving someone's life, even though she wasn't really sure she wanted to do that.

She sighed and realized she really had no choice. If she didn't do something about this, Sokka would fall into the same mindset he had been in when he fought against Jet. She knew his fighting was at its best when his mind was at peace, so she had to bring him peace somehow. Even if she didn't think it would end well for her, she had to do it for his sake. He had fought for hers just a few weeks ago… it was only right for her to return the favor, wasn't it?

But she couldn't just fly there herself and fetch the girl. Maybe it was her pride that told her she shouldn't follow that course of action… maybe it was her common sense, for a Princess snatching a slave randomly would be perceived as nothing more than abuse of power. So she couldn't do it directly… but maybe someone else could. Someone who could take care of the girl once she had been brought to safety. Someone who could watch over her and employ her somehow… someone who owed Azula a favor, and who could keep this girl away from Sokka, at least, for the time being…

She was already regretting her decision as soon as she had made it, but it was better than nothing. And it was definitely better than saving the former gladiator herself. And if what Sokka really cared about was ensuring that Kyoshi's Heir was no longer a slave in Shu Wo, he would have no right to object to this course of action… right?

It still wouldn't keep him from getting involved with Kyoshi's Heir if that was what he wanted, of course. But this way Azula wouldn't have to deal with her directly. She wouldn't hand the slave over to Sokka as some plaything, telling him to do with her as he saw fit…

Xin Long touched down at the location she requested him to fly towards, and she still didn't feel comfortable at all about what she was doing. Nonetheless, she approached the house and knocked on the door swiftly, but loudly. The quicker she was done with this, the better it would be for her. Once her demands had been conveyed, she would have nothing to do with this matter anymore.

She heard sounds coming from the upper floor, and she frowned as she raised her gaze, wondering what was going on. Voices spoke agitatedly, then hurried footsteps…

And after a moment, Ty Lee opened the door hastily, looking outside nervously.

"A-Azula?! What are you doing here, out of the blue?" she asked, once she had realized who her visitor was.

Azula's face contorted into a disapproving grimace as soon as she detailed Ty Lee's appearance. She only wore what seemed to be a bathrobe, and her hair was in total disarray, not assembled into the braid she was always so careful about. If that hadn't given away what she had been up to, her flushed cheeks and odd stance sure did.

"Well, I was just hoping you'd be available… for some reason I was under the impression that you kept your 'fun activities' with Haru to a minimum while we're still in broad daylight, but, apparently, I was wrong," she said, looking at Ty Lee with a raised eyebrow, and the girl blushed and slinked into the house, a weak smile on her face.

"C-c'mon, Azula, it's not like you really blame me, do you?" she said, ushering Azula inside. "I don't know how you hold back around Sokka, but I sure can't do the same thing with Haru!"

"Which is why I figure you'd appreciate it if this visit is done quickly," said Azula, sighing. "Well, my business won't take long anyways…"

"No? Ah, well, good to know," she said, smiling with relief. "I kind of left Haru in a bit of a troublesome situation and…"

"You need to get back to him, I get it, I don't want nor need any details," said Azula, lifting a hand to stop Ty Lee from rambling. "I'm only here because you owe me a favor, in case you've forgotten. A great one, apparently, for you're still enjoying your gladiator in more ways than any sponsor should…"

"Oh, come on, if you could get away with it you'd do the same with…"

"Nevertheless," Azula interrupted her, hoping to change the subject before Ty Lee began pestering her actively about Sokka. "I finally have something to ask of you. And the sooner I'm done telling you what it is, the sooner you'll be back with your dear boy toy."

"Okay, then," said Ty Lee, a little nervous. "Shoot."

Azula took a deep breath, resisting the urge to turn on her heels and leaving right away. She had gotten this far, there was no point in delaying this anymore. It was for the best, she just had to focus on that…

"I need you to travel to Shu Wo," she said, trying to ignore the look of utter horror in Ty Lee's face when she heard the town's name. "And find a slave who was a gladiator of the Superior League once. You might have seen her fight, maybe Haru has heard of her…"

"W-why would you need someone who wound up in Shu Wo?" she asked, grimacing. "That's a very nasty place, Azula. I don't think I want to go there…"

"You owe me a massive debt, Ty Lee," Azula growled, glaring at her friend. "So either you do this and I consider that debt settled, or you don't do it and I'll find an even worse way to make you pay for it. How do you feel about that?"

"Can't say I'm thrilled by the idea," said Ty Lee, gulping. "W-well, alright then. It can be done, I think. Who do you want me to find, though?"

"Her gladiator name was Kyoshi's Heir," said Azula, her stomach burning when she pronounced the name.

"Heh? Kyoshi's Heir? That's the one who fought Sokka ages ago, right?" said Ty Lee, tapping her chin. "The one he was being all…"

"Yes, I know who she is, Ty Lee, no need to ramble about that," said Azula, gritting her teeth. "You watched that fight?"

"Ah, yeah, I even dragged Zuko to see it," said Ty Lee, smiling. "But… what is she doing in Shu Wo, Azula? Why did she…?"

"What matters is for you to get her out of there, not why she's there or how she got there," grunted Azula. "Buy her off from whoever owns her at the moment and bring her back to the Capital. That's all you need to do."

"B-but… I don't think I need another slave," said Ty Lee, frowning.

"Clearly, considering how the one you've got is already catering to your every need," said Azula, disdainfully, and Ty Lee smiled guiltily. "But you're going to do this, Ty Lee, because I'm telling you to. I don't care if you don't have any use for a slave like her, taking care of her will be part of the debt you have to settle. Eventually we shall figure out what to do with her… but right now, you're doing as you're told. Am I clear?"

"Ah, well… on my mission's contents, you are, but not on what's the point in doing this…" said Ty Lee, scratching her head.

"You don't need to understand that, you just need to find her and bring her here. That's it," Azula stated, moving towards the door. "And try to do it soon, if you'll be so kind…"

"W-well, I was kind of in the middle of something right now, so I can't say I'll be going right away, but… I'll make sure to do it, don't worry," said Ty Lee, smiling nervously.

"Good," Azula replied, stepping outside into the street again, where Xin Long awaited her. "Make sure to inform me once you've accomplished your goal."

"Sure thing!" said Ty Lee, smiling. "This is cool, though! It almost feels like I'm some secret agent on a royal quest of sorts…"

"Uh… right," said Azula, looking at her in disbelief. "Think whatever you will of it, no matter if your idea of what you'll do is somewhat delusional…"

"Hey!"

"Please, do me a favor and don't resume your tryst with Haru until you've made sure I'm out of earshot," said Azula, sighing before climbing atop Xin Long. "I definitely don't want to hear you two going at it."

"Now, now, it's not like we're that loud…" said Ty Lee, giggling.

"In conclusion, just make sure to fulfill what I've asked from you, and let me know once you have," Azula repeated, looking at Ty Lee sternly.

"I will," her friend replied, smiling.

"Very well, then," said Azula, sighing and ushering the dragon to take off again.

Xin Long tried to encourage her with enthusiastic thoughts as they flew towards the Palace, but his intent served for little. Azula's mind was lost in thought, in speculation and in picturing all the worst-case scenarios she could fathom as a resolution for this mess. And the more thought she gave the matter, the more she regretted having done as she had. She could have coaxed a better favor out of Ty Lee, one she might have actually felt good about... For this one was a good thing, or so her conscience said, but she couldn't keep her surging jealousy at bay no matter how hard she tried. Why was it so complicated to do a good deed? Her life had been so much easier when she hadn't known Sokka...

And for all she knew, her life would soon return to what it had been before Sokka had appeared.

That depressing thought did nothing for her bad mood, and she climbed off Xin Long at the Palace by saying she surely was not good company for him at the moment. The dragon tried to tell her otherwise, but Azula had walked out of the refuge, her fingertips rubbing her brow.

She kept trying to appease herself, but it was serving to no avail. Should she find Sokka and tell him what she'd done? No, that would make him think she was trying to get to his good side and nothing more... Though in truth, that was the main reason why she had sent Ty Lee to find Kyoshi's Heir. But Sokka needn't know that...

Her thoughts were brusquely interrupted when she collided with someone in the hallway. Azula frowned and glared at the person she had run into, and upon realizing who it was, she felt even more compelled to lash out at him.

"Physically incapable of walking with your head raised, are you, Uncle?" she asked, her teeth bared towards the man.

"Ah, I am very sorry, Azula!" exclaimed Iroh, giggling happily and showing her a flier he was holding. "I was just reading this, see…"

"Well, do your surroundings a favor and don't walk while reading," said Azula. "An old man shouldn't do something so risky, the next thing you know you might just stumble down a flight of stairs…"

"Ahaha, that would be unfortunate," said Iroh, scratching his head and smiling at her. "And you are right, I am growing old… it is actually quite lucky that my eyesight still works well enough for me to read these tiny words!"

"Indeed, that's quite an accomplishment, Uncle…" said Azula, rolling her eyes.

"Let's hope it runs in the family," said Iroh, smiling. "That way, once you're an old woman, you will be able to read as well as I can!"

"And I'll make sure not to bump into my niece because of being as careless as you are," said Azula, with a skeptical smirk.

"Now, now, perhaps fate intended for us to bump into each other, Azula…" Iroh stated, smiling.

"Into each other? Didn't we establish YOU bumped into me?" Azula muttered, irritated.

"I just went to the Grand Royal Dome today…" said Iroh, ignoring her deliberately. "And I was given this flier for a Pairs Tournament!"

Azula frowned as Iroh showed her the paper: it was the same tournament Shoji had told her and Sokka about.

"Why, I suppose free fliers might be something exciting and shocking for one like you, Uncle, but it really isn't all that interesting to me," said Azula, frowning. "And I already know about that Tournament, Shoji told me about it."

"Oh, then did you know it's open for my gladiator's level?" asked Iroh, excitedly. "Toph is currently 179th in the ranking! How about the Blue Wolf?"

"W-why would you ask where my fighter currently is?" Azula asked, uneasy. "It's none of your concern…"

"Because we should enter this Tournament together, Azula!" exclaimed Iroh, happily. "A trip to Ba Sing Se should be fun…"

"Y-you… you're kidding, aren't you?" she asked, glaring at him. "You aren't really asking this, you can't possibly think…"

"It will definitely be fun! There are great teahouses in Ba Sing Se!" said Iroh, beaming, and Azula's eyebrow twitched.

"Why am I not surprised to hear that…?" she grunted, rolling her eyes. "Your logic baffles me, Uncle. Thinking a trip to Ba Sing Se is fun is one of the most ridiculous things I have heard from you, and that's saying quite a lot. Do I need to remind you of how much fun both our trips to Ba Sing Se have been up to date?"

"Oh, no need, no need" said Iroh, shaking his head. "But I thought giving the city another chance wouldn't be so…"

"Not in this life, Uncle," Azula interrupted him. And definitely not with him as company she thought, looking at Iroh with disdain.

"Now, Azula, there's no need to be so stubborn," said Iroh. "The event will take place in a few weeks, so I don't have much time to find a partner…"

"If all you want is a partner, you can fetch one in the Grand Royal Dome just as easily. You have to be out of your mind to think our gladiators could ever join forces," said Azula, shaking her head before resuming her walk through the hallways.

"Ah, well. Your loss, Azula!" Iroh called out, but he still smiled at the paper in his hand. "Who should I ask, then…?"

Azula rolled her eyes upon what her uncle had said, wondering just how foolish that old man could be. It wouldn't be her loss in the slightest, joining that pointless tournament would likely mean a bigger loss than refusing to enter it…

But now she thought about it, joining the tournament with a ruthless fighter such as the Blind Bandit as their fellow fighter wouldn't be so bad… Toph had yet to lose a combat, and she probably could take two gladiators on at once without much issue. If they were to have a partner in a tournament such as this one, it should be someone with a track record like hers…

Still, it was stupid. It was preposterous, really. Azula had no idea why she was even allowing herself to think of the possibility of joining this pointless event when she didn't care for it at all. She would have to take off tomorrow at most to reach Ba Sing Se on time, if she wanted to join. So it was a hassle, one she couldn't bother taking upon when…

Azula slowed down suddenly, a frown on her face. She didn't really have any responsibilities to tend to right now… and the one thing she needed to keep an eye out for would be Ty Lee's rescuing of the slave girl. But that wasn't in her hands anymore, and she wanted nothing to do with it after all. She had asked Ty Lee to report to her once she had finished her task… but Azula didn't really need that report so desperately. What she really cared about… what really bugged her was Sokka, and how he would respond upon seeing this girl again.

If she took him to Ba Sing Se, his reunion with her would be delayed. Maybe Azula could tell him she had tended to the matter, just to appease him, and then he would be back to his normal self… well, if it was necessary at all, of course. Maybe it wouldn't be… maybe Sokka wasn't as upset as he had been in previous occasions. The things he had said hadn't been as insulting as those he had uttered that night, which was still highly ranked as one of the worst in Azula's life. So maybe he really wasn't in such a bad place as back then…

And maybe she could drag him away from the Capital, to distract him while Ty Lee finished her errand. The Tournament would surely require all of Sokka's focus, especially if they were to fight alongside someone who usually was his enemy… so this could be an answer. Maybe not a definitive one, but it could be. Ty Lee would still save the girl, and Azula would have a chance to keep Sokka away from her for a while longer…

"Maybe I should ask Nightmare Trigger's sponsor…?" Iroh was saying behind her, and Azula turned towards him.

"Uncle…" she called him, startling Iroh.

The man looked at her, frowning. That tone of voice gave away that his niece was plotting something… which instantly made him feel wary. He looked at her with confusion, raising a bushy eyebrow.

"Yes?" he said, looking at her worriedly. "Is there anything you want, Princess Azula?"

"I… I have reconsidered your offer," said Azula, a slow smirk spreading over her face. "You and your dear gladiator must want to participate in this Tournament, after all…"

"W-wha…?" Iroh said, his eyes widening. "B-but you just said… Azula, you said you didn't want to do it. I wouldn't want you to do something you don't want to…"

"Enough of that gibberish," said Azula, walking towards him with determination. "You need a partner, and I'm saying I'll do it. You were so insistent about it just a moment ago, so why back down now? A trip like this one should provide us with some quality uncle and niece bonding time, don't you believe?"

Iroh definitely didn't appreciate the sarcasm with which Azula spoke, let alone the mischievous smirk she was presenting him with. In truth, he had only suggested for them to join the Tournament together as a joke. He hadn't imagined his niece would accept, not now, not ever. Not if she didn't have an ulterior motive to do so… and the smile on her face said that she had found said ulterior motive.

"I… I'm not really sure…" said Iroh, panicking slightly.

"Please, what could possibly go wrong?" said Azula, smiling. "You said it would be fun, after all…"

Iroh's unease only increased at that. This was exactly why he would always move carefully when it came to Azula. The girl was sly, conniving, witty… and certain to get away with what she put her mind to, whatever that was. What on earth had he gotten himself into by playing with her as he had…? He sure didn't feel ready to find out just yet…

He reached the building, frowning upon realizing he didn't know in which apartment the former gladiator had lived in. The area was one of the cheapest in the city – as cheap as living in the Fire Nation Capital could possibly be. Sokka wouldn't have thought about coming here hadn't he walked Suki back to her place after their fiasco of a date.

He sighed and moved towards the closest apartment, knocking on the door and hoping to get a few answers from any of the neighbors. They might be more cooperative about the situation than the soldiers Shoji had asked questions to.

"Y-yes…? Oh. Oh?!" said the girl who opened the door for him, jumping in surprise when she saw him. She seemed to recognize him, although Sokka could swear for the life of him that he had no idea who she was.

"Hello," he said, trying not to seem uneasy by her behavior. "Uh… sorry to intrude, but…"

"Y-y-you're the Blue Wolf!" squeaked the girl, pointing at him and dropping her jaw. Sokka smiled awkwardly and nodded.

"Uh… yeah. I…"

"Oh, please, this is…! W-w-why would you come here?!" she asked, nervously. "T-the Blue Wolf, I can't believe…! Oh, oh, oh, is the Princess nearby too?!"

"Eh, nope," said Sokka, gulping. "She's not with me today. Rather, I'm not with her… w-well, anyhow, uh, yeah, I'm the Blue Wolf, but…"

"I'm such a fan of yours!" she exclaimed, happily. "I watched you in the Arena a few times! Or well, I did, back before things, well…"

"Before what?" asked Sokka, frowning.

"Well, it's… it's not a pretty story, really," said the girl, biting her lip. "And I'm not going to bore you with that, unless… unless that's what you're here for? I mean, there's no chance you're knocking on my door by accident, or because you came to see me, I mean, you don't even know me, so…"

"Yeah, I'm sorry, but I really didn't," he said, smiling awkwardly again. "I, uh… knew someone who lived here, and apparently she doesn't anymore. She was a gladiator all the same as I was, her name was…"

"Suki… Kyoshi's Heir," said the girl, dropping her gaze. "You… someone came here to ask about her after all this time? What for? Did you know her?"

"Hardly, but… I just heard a story about her, something that may or may not be true," said Sokka, frowning. "You could help me figure that out, I think, if you were here when it happened…"

"We all were," said the girl, sighing. "It was dark already, and a raid of soldiers suddenly came into our building, asking where Oyaji's room was. Someone told them, they barged in there and… it was awful. The screams, the fire… it was terrible. They dragged her away, and… well, we've never really known why that happened. It just… did. I used to watch a few fights in the Arena, but once she disappeared I just stopped going altogether…"

Sokka's frown deepened and he breathed deeply, trying to keep himself calm.

"Then you don't know anything else? You didn't try to ask the soldiers why they'd done it?"

"No, and, well, it was hard to think about it when it happened, too, because not long afterwards that crazy thing happened where… where you saved the city, right? You and the Princess… that's seriously amazing, you know?" said the girl, smiling again. "That you two would work together like that to save us from those dangerous rebel people…"

"Huh, yeah," said Sokka, smiling a little. "Well, thanks for your help, then. Though… could you tell me where she lived?"

"Ah, yeah, of course," said the girl, pointing towards the left. "Two doors down. It's, uh… a mess. Don't hope to find much stuff in there, it's all scorched and whatnot. Nobody has dared buy or rent it after what happened there."

"Yeah, can't say I'm surprised to hear that," said Sokka, sighing but making towards the apartment.

"W-wait! Could you…?" the girl said, biting her lip. "Could you sign something for me? Pleeeeease?!"

"Uh… I guess," said Sokka, smiling and shrugging. Upon his positive response, the girl scrambled into the house, and soon scrambled outside again with a piece of paper and a brush wet with ink.

"My name is Han Lun, if you… if you want to dedicate it, or so," she said, smiling eagerly.

"Alright, then," said Sokka, nodding and signing the paper as the girl wished before returning it to her. "Thank you for the information."

"Thank you for the autograph!" she squealed, hugging the paper. "This is a treasure! A real treasure!"

Sokka couldn't help but chuckle. That was a story he should tell Azula… she would never believe someone would think his lousy handwriting was worth so much, surely.

Thinking about that brought a nasty feeling to his chest, though. As he walked towards the apartment Han Lun had pointed to him, he couldn't help but sigh. He had been somewhat unreasonable with Azula earlier… and just when things were better than they'd ever been. Trust it for him to ruin everything without even trying…

He stepped into the apartment after pushing the unhinged door with a hand. It was still broad daylight, but the room seemed rather dark. Sokka frowned and looked around himself, hardly knowing what he was looking for. Maybe he wanted a sign, something that confirmed that Suki's sponsor had been a member of the White Lotus… something that confirmed the girl herself was a member of the group, maybe.

Yet there was nothing to be found inside the apartment other than torn-up furniture and charred walls. It looked as though someone had turned the whole apartment upside down, and it probably had been the very soldiers who had taken Suki, searching for clues that gave away Oyaji's belonging to the White Lotus. Sokka sighed and dropped his head, knowing it had been pointless to come here… but having needed to see things for himself to make sure it was all real. It still seemed unbelievable, as though it was nothing but a nightmare…

And it was someone else's nightmare, not his own. Suki was living in who knew what conditions right now, and there was nothing he could do about it, it seemed. He could only let himself be overcome by helplessness, apparently…

"What good is there in being strong when you can't save anyone?" he grunted, his fists balling again.

For it wasn't just Suki. She was an acquaintance of his, he had known her… and he knew she didn't deserve something remotely similar to this. But countless others were in the same situation, whether he knew them or not. And he could do nothing for any of them, all the same as he could do nothing for Suki.

"I'm useless…" he muttered, shaking his head and turning on his heels, incapable of staying in this place for another second.

As soon as he was outside the building he began walking down the streets, not really knowing what to do now. His mind wouldn't stop reminding him of how weak he actually was, and he could only grimace at his own failure to save those who direly needed it. If he had allowed that ship to get away, would Suki be safe today? Or would the White Lotus have forgotten about her, and taken off without their gladiator? Since they would have gladly kidnapped a Princess, Sokka wouldn't put it past them to be so unconcerned with Suki's fate…

Azula had talked to Shoji back when they had first accepted that challenge from Kyoshi's Heir, though, and Sokka frowned as he recalled the conclusion Azula had reached back then: "Kyoshi's Heir's sponsor is into this for the money". So, if that was the case, and he was a White Lotus member…

Sokka grimaced and shook his head. Suki had been a money generator for the grand ancient society… of course she had been. So maybe she really had nothing to do with the group, but her sponsor clearly did. All along he had used her to help fund the White Lotus…

Well, at least that was one less mystery to worry about, Sokka figured. But it still didn't appease him in the slightest. First being used by the White Lotus, now by the Fire Nation's worst scum… Suki didn't seem to catch a break at all. And he couldn't provide it to her even if he wished he could. There was nothing he could do…

But someone else could do something. Maybe Azula didn't think she could help right away… but she could in the long run. She could change things, Sokka believed as much. And she had the intentions to do that, Sokka thought… but she really was in no position to make demands to her father right now. Still, the day would come, surely, when Azula could turn the Fire Nation into a better place… and some time ago, he had told her he would stick around until she managed to improve it. Azula hadn't seemed too happy about that, but she hadn't said she wouldn't do it… right?

Sokka sighed and raised his head, finding his feet had been leading him towards the Royal Palace without realizing it. He probably should apologize to Azula for being as forceful as he had been… he hadn't intended to come off as a jerk, but then again, he almost never did. It seemed it was his nature to make a mess of things…

He entered the Palace without any inconveniences, as usual, and headed towards the dragon refuge. When he found Xin Long was placidly sleeping, Sokka assumed Azula would be somewhere in the Palace… and the only place he thought she could be at was her room. He decided to head there, feeling somewhat uneasy, but determined about what he would do. He believed in her, and he would make sure to tell her as much. He wasn't too patient, never had been… but he understood that, in order to get better results, he had to wait for the right moment. It was a basic fighting rule, after all… no matter how unpleasant being patient was, he would have to endure it.

He knocked on the metal door to her room a few times, but there was no answer. Sokka sighed, assuming she wouldn't want to talk to him after his behavior earlier. But he'd better fix this before making another mess out of a seemingly small problem…

"Azula… it's me, yeah. I don't know how you knew, but… yeah," he said, guessing it would be wiser to start the conversation from the other side of the door. She surely wouldn't want him intruding in her room right now. "Look, I… I didn't mean to be so harsh on you today. I know you're not responsible for this, not really. You're not the one who got her stuck in that town, you're not the one who captured her… and really, we didn't bring this about, so… so neither of us should feel responsible for what happened, you're right about that. Still, I… I can't help but think we're the only ones who could make a difference if we just tried. As much as you're not sure of it, you are the Princess and… and even if your dad isn't too happy with you right now, he probably will be again, someday. So… you could make a difference one day. Maybe not today, I get that, but… eventually, right?"

Still no answer. Sokka sighed. What else was he supposed to say?

"I'm sorry you're mad," he said, placing his head on the door. "I was too harsh, I know that. I just… get stupidly emotional about a lot of things, even when I shouldn't. Don't take this the wrong way, though. It's not like I'm doing this because I'm interested romantically in her, if that's what you thought… I know we went on a date once, but it was just a one-time thing and it was terrible in the end. I want to help her, yeah, but I'm not doing it in hopes to be some sort of savior for her or something. I don't want to be anyone's savior. That's… that's a stupid notion for stupid people to bask in. That's not the way the world works. But I still want to make a difference, and if I can make it by asking you to help her, I'll do that. See, I… I believe in you, Azula. I have, for the longest time, and… and I know you can change her life, and that of countless other slaves as well. If you just put your mind to it, you could do wonders!"

And yet there wasn't a single sound from within the room. Sokka closed his eyes and shook his head.

"I'm sorry," he muttered. "I… I never meant to make you feel bad about anything. I just want for this world to be better, you know? One way or another, and I end up getting carried away by my feelings more often than not. And I guess… I guess you know that firsthand, don't you? Because that's why… that's why I keep doing things I shouldn't when it comes to you. That's why I can't stay away from you, even though all logic says I'm just going to end up being both our ruins if I keep up being so reckless around you. And see, here I am now, trying to… to get through to you somehow, hoping to get you to stop being mad at me, because I'd much rather see you smile. I don't think I've ever told you just how beautiful you look when you smile for real… well, you look beautiful all the time, really, but it's… I don't even know what it is. All I know is that I don't want to let that smile disappear from your face. I just… I don't want to make you miserable ever again, and I don't want anything else to make you miserable. I… damn, I don't even know what I'm saying anymore. The thing is, I…"

"You seem to be having quite the passionate conversation with my door, that would be the thing."

Sokka jumped back and turned on his heels, horrified to find Azula had been standing behind him, arms crossed over her chest while she stared at him with a raised eyebrow.

"A-Azula?!" he squeaked, his voice cracking as he realized he had been talking to an empty room. "I-I-I-I…."

"I understand quite well that you wouldn't want to make a door miserable, of course…" said Azula, nodding. "Especially a metal one. If it closed violently on your head it could easily chop it off for you, did you know that?"

"I… didn't quite know, but I'll keep it in mind," said Sokka, trying to keep from blushing. Well, that was seriously embarrassing… would he ever stop making a fool of himself? And just how much had Azula heard him say…?

"Please do. You never know when one might slam on your face, after all," she said, with an unpleasant smile. Sokka grimaced. Yeah, that wasn't the smile he had been talking about earlier… yes, she looked beautiful, but terrifying as well. And that was a bit worrisome, he couldn't deny it… "Still, I won't say I care if you seek to pursue a relationship with it. Only, try to keep the mushiness to a minimum, or else you might not let me sleep…"

"I wasn't trying to pursue a relationship with your door, I wasn't… I thought…" Sokka started, but even though he had been courageous enough to talk so much earlier, all his bravery seemed to have disappeared after being caught in such embarrassing fashion by the Princess.

"Well, good to know. That way the distance between you two won't bother you during the upcoming weeks, if that's truly the case," said Azula, at which Sokka frowned.

"Uh… what? Distance? Next weeks?" he said, blinking blankly.

"Lost your ability to conjure a proper sentence, did you?" asked Azula. "You heard what I said. We're going on a trip starting tomorrow."

"A trip?" said Sokka, astonished. "W-what sort of trip? Where? Why? Huh?"

Azula rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Trust the wittiest gladiator alive to fail to understand the mere concept of 'traveling'…" said Azula, looking at him coldly. Sokka would have taken her first words as a compliment if only he hadn't been as confused as he was. "You recall you stormed off and left before we could actually decide what to do about your next fights, don't you?"

"Uh, yeah, and I'm so-…"

"I don't want to hear it," Azula said sternly, making Sokka freeze. So he wouldn't even be able to apologize? Well, that probably meant she hadn't heard everything he had said to the door, at the very least… "It doesn't matter anymore. Because I've already made up my mind on what we'll do next, whether you like it or not"

Sokka frowned in confusion, and looked at Azula warily.

"W-why wouldn't I like it…?" he said, uneasily.

"Because you have a history of opposing my every wish and decision whenever you put your mind to the task," said Azula, smiling sarcastically. "But it doesn't matter now. It's been settled, and our entry to the Tournament has been sent through messenger hawk already. So gather everything you might feel like taking with you for about a month or so, because we're going to Ba Sing Se."

Sokka's eyes widened, and he looked at Azula in utter confusion for an instant.

"W-wha-…? Wait, wait, wait… WHAT?!" he said, his jaw dropping. "You can't be serious! To the Pairs Tournament? How? With whom? And why?!"

"Yes, the Tournament. And simply because I've decided it'll be for the best," said Azula. Sokka frowned.

"Alright… alright. You want to do this so suddenly, that's fine… even though it really isn't," he said, frowning. "But who are we supposed to join forces with? Why didn't you answer that question, Azula…?"

Azula replied with a sigh, and Sokka grimaced. The fact that she looked bothered by who his partner was could mean a lot of things… and not a single one of them could be good.

There was a sinking feeling in Sokka's stomach right now, one he was afraid would only grow stronger once he found out who was supposed to fight beside him in Ba Sing Se…