Gladiator

by Seyary-Minamoto

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

82. Chapter 82: Touring the Fire Nation 2

The firebender was ruthless, but his efforts to overpower the Blue Wolf were falling short. The non-bending gladiator was quick on his feet, and his prowess with his weapons was quite impressive and inventive, too. His club's heavy swings attempted to break the firebender's hands and feet whenever he stopped to take a bending stance, and the black sword had already cut through his armor and clothes several times. Shallow gashes graced the man's exposed skin in some of the places where the blade had torn up his garments.

Renzhi watched the fight with interest, rubbing his chin with a thumb. His sponsor, sitting next to him in the crowded stands, seemed intrigued by the Princess's gladiator. They made a point to watch gladiator fights once in a while, with the purpose of selecting the fighters they would challenge next. Renzhi's sponsor, Aonu, would ask for his opinion regarding whom to choose, for he believed his fighter's performance in the Arena would improve if they worked together in every way they could. Not many sponsors treated their gladiators as he did his, but seeing how successful they had been so far, Aonu saw nothing wrong with treating Renzhi better than most people treated common slaves.

Truthfully, Renzhi wasn't just a common slave: born a powerful firebender in the colonies, Renzhi's abilities had been kept a secret by parents who had supported the Earth Kingdom through the war. Not long after his father's demise in the battlefield, his mother was forced into slavery and so was he. Renzhi almost got himself in trouble once, when he showed his firebending skills to defend himself from an unpleasant man mocking him in Yu Dao's slave market. Aonu had witnessed his display, and decided to buy him. Renzhi's sole condition was that Aonu had to buy his mother as well, and Aonu complied. Renzhi's mother passed away a few years after they entered Aonu's service in his family's household, a short time after her son had started to fight in the Superior Gladiator League.

"Kid's better than I expected. Didn't look so tough back then…" Renzhi muttered. Aonu frowned.

"Then you're certain this is the guy you met?" he asked.

"Yep. Positive. I told you I remembered his name: Blue Wolf."

"And you had no idea you were talking to the Princess's gladiator?"

"He didn't tell me who his sponsor was. The boy had a cut on his face and he looked kinda confused about how anything worked. But he did want a medical check, and mentioned how the Princess had made it so they would be mandatory… I laughed because we didn't have those back then. I just figured he was some newcomer from the Capital, I didn't guess he'd be, well, who he was."

"You might want to pay more attention to the newcomers, then, especially those with important sponsors," said Aonu, as the Water Tribe gladiator evaded another blast of fire and struck his opponent's elbow with his club. The injured man roared in agony, spewing some fire in the Blue Wolf's direction. "Common noblemen are prone to choosing ridiculous gladiators because they look strong, but that's not the case for military figures such as Zhao, for instance."

"Eh, I guess so," said Renzhi, frowning. Throughout his years in the Superior Gladiator League, he had lost in fifty-one opportunities. All of them had been against the league's best fighter, the one Admiral Zhao sponsored: Combustion Man.

"When I heard the Princess was joining the League, I knew she wouldn't choose a common gladiator, despite what the rumors claimed," said Aonu. "She chose a gladiator with awful odds and turned him into a fighter that can even triumph in Pairs Tournaments, as he did in Ba Sing Se."

"Well, for all we know, his partner's the one responsible for that. The Blind Bandit's famous too, you know?" said Renzhi.

"You think this one had nothing to do with it, Renzhi? Haven't you been paying attention?" Aonu asked, gesturing at the fight. Again, the Blue Wolf was getting the upper hand against Lang of the Unyielding Flames. He had put away his club and was now attacking his enemy with his boomerang.

"I'm only saying, it might not have been all on him," he said, shrugging.

"Well, I'd say you're wrong," said Aonu, smirking. "I haven't seen a non-bender like this before. When was the last time you fought one of those, eh?"

"Meh, I don't really remember," said Renzhi, scratching his head.

"One would think the Millenium Dragon would have better memory than this," said Aonu, looking at him with raised eyebrows.

"The Millennium Dragon has fought plenty of times by now. He loses track of when each fight happened. Can't blame him for that, can you?"

"I can, actually," said Aonu. "Your last non-bender was the Mad Alchemist. An interesting fight, but not all that important. You defeated him, after all."

"I beat pretty much anyone. 'Cept for Combustion Dude," said Renzhi, with a sigh.

"Then you probably could beat this boy, too," said Aonu, smiling.

"Heh, I might," said Renzhi. "But the wolf boy lives in the Capital. He's not going to stay here long enough for me to fight him, and last I knew, you didn't like traveling to the Capital…"

Aonu frowned and nodded. He had come to greatly dislike the Capital over time, mainly due to the unpleasant behavior of some noblemen towards a man of mixed heritage such as himself. He hadn't chosen to be born in the colonies… Aonu had always been a perceptive person, even as a child, and he was quick to identify the meaning of the stares highborn people sent his way: he knew what disdain was and he wouldn't put himself through it in the Capital if he could avoid it.

"So, unless you just shoot a challenge to the Princess and hope she'll stay for a couple more days to fight us, I don't see how we're going to fight them," said Renzhi, sighing and stretching.

In the sand pit, the Blue Wolf jumped out of the way of another fire blast that his opponent had cast with his uninjured hand. But the Wolf retaliated by throwing his boomerang expertly through the blazes. The weapon heated up as it soared through the flames, and it caught a startled Lang on the bridge of his nose. The man fell to the ground, unconscious.

The crowd cheered the successful gladiator, and Aonu clapped politely along with them. Renzhi raised his eyebrows and nodded in approval. That final move had been quite unexpected.

"There's another alternative, though," said Aonu, smirking. "You can face off against this boy, and not in the Capital. If his sponsor is as proud as she must be, considering it's the Princess, she's not likely to refuse the challenge I have in mind."

He glanced up towards the sponsors' balcony. Princess Azula was smiling approvingly down at the pit: her gladiator had lost a fight by a small margin in the Ember Crater, but he had triumphed overwhelmingly in the Ring of Ash. His success in Yu Dao's Golden Eye naturally pleased her.

"Wait…" said Renzhi, as Aonu stood up, ready to leave. "You mean, the Slate? We're going to challenge them in the Slate?"

Aonu smirked and looked at his gladiator with malice. His shaggy brown hair fell unceremoniously over his bright green eyes, eyes befitting the earthbender he was.

"Indeed, Millenium Dragon," he said. "The Slate it is."

Renzhi swallowed hard but nodded. He would fight wherever his sponsor decided he should, it wasn't his call. Still, this wasn't bound to end well for that boy: not a single non-bender had survived a fight in the Slate. The Princess's gladiator might be stronger than most non-benders, but that didn't mean he would stand a chance in the Slate… not if he fought against the second-best gladiator of the ranking.

---

"Are you sure about this, then?" Suki asked, biting her lip as she glanced at the scissors on the table. "Last chance to back down."

"Should I want to back down?" Zuko asked, trying to mask his insecurity as he took his seat, a cloth covering his body.

"Well, I already told you I've never cut hair before," Suki said, smiling weakly.

"But I do need a haircut," said Zuko, sighing. "You're good with swords, so why shouldn't you manage to cut my hair?"

His reasoning seemed unreasonable, even to him. Yet he was right about how much he needed a haircut. Suki had been the one to propose to cut his hair for him, seeing how Yuudai kept yanking at his long ponytail whenever he could get his hands on it. For Zuko's sake, it was better to cut it to keep the child from pulling out his hairs from the root.

Both Suki and Zuko had taken to watching over Yuudai together ever since Suki started wandering around the house. She hadn't yet left the place, but she was taking things one step at a time. Yesterday she had stood at the front door and gazed at the familiar city from the threshold. She hadn't known just how much she missed seeing the red roofs of the Capital and the intimidating, looming shape of the Palace in the center of the city. She never thought she would feel any relief upon being at the core of the Fire Nation, but to her surprise, she did.

Mai was with Yuudai right now, while Suki and Zuko were back in the girl's room. Yuudai had pulled out a grand total of seven hairs from Zuko's head quite painfully today, and that had prompted Suki to make her proposal, which the Prince had accepted without a second thought, so Suki had found scissors and a cloth that she had wrapped around Zuko's shoulders once they were upstairs.

Zuko hadn't cut his hair since his banishment. Back in the day he had shaved most of it, save for his ponytail, but he gave in to despair eventually and stopped shaving: his hair had grown messily after that. He didn't believe he would find the Avatar, and he had thought he would roam the seas forevermore, for he didn't wish to return home empty-handed… so he had stopped paying attention to his hair altogether. He had let it grow out without a care, and while it hadn't bothered him before, now it certainly did.

Still, it wasn't because of his hair that he wanted Suki to do this. He knew she hadn't picked up anything that could be used as a weapon in a long time, despite she wished to do so. She missed her days as a fighter, but she couldn't quite return to them, and it was, partially, because she didn't trust herself with blades as she was. She feared she might not be up to her old level of skill anymore, or that she might hurt herself or whoever she was with.

Zuko wanted her to cut his hair to show her that, even if she didn't trust herself, he did. He didn't think he'd care about what the result of this operation would be, so long as it helped Suki to feel comfortable with herself again. Of course, he didn't want her to cut his face or anything, but he was willing to risk it if need be. He doubted there would be much of a risk, to begin with.

Nevertheless, Suki did. Her grip was a bit shaky as she picked up the scissors. What was she supposed to do, really? She didn't know how to cut hair… it shouldn't be harder than gutting koi fish, but she still worried. She sighed deeply and bit her lower lip again, taking Zuko's ponytail in her hand.

"I'll cut off most of it," she told him. "But not all. That way you can still tie it up if you want to."

"Sounds good," Zuko said, smiling a little even though she wouldn't see him.

Her hands still trembled as she touched his hair, her knuckles grazing the nape of his neck and his back. She had dared touch him a few times during the last month, ever since she had first reached out for his scar, but the contact between them was still nerve-wrecking for her.

"Okay, then… here goes nothing," she said, gulping and cutting his ponytail at shoulder-length.

The hair she had cut dropped on the floor in a disorderly fashion, and Suki breathed deeply. The first step was over now… but the next ones were the ones that would prove more difficult.

"Well, that's a start," she said, and Zuko nodded weakly, resisting the urge to reach back to touch his hair. "Okay, now you ought to stay still, or else I might end up cutting too much… or I might even end up cutting something other than hair."

"You won't," said Zuko, smiling a little. "But if you do, try to make it my burned ear. It's already so bad it won't be much of a loss."

"Huh," said Suki, grimacing. "Is it you can't hear properly?"

"No, I can," said Zuko. "The damage to my ear was mostly on the outside. My eye, though…"

"You have trouble seeing?" Suki asked next.

"Yeah, with the burned eye," said Zuko. "It's not that bad, it's not like I can't see through it at all, but it's always a little blurry. There are times where it dries up, too. It can still produce tears, but at times it doesn't happen unless I yawn or cry for real… uh, not that I cry that often."

"No?" said Suki, chuckling a little. "I wouldn't think less of you if you did."

Zuko gulped and figured that was a good thing, but he would rather keep her believing he wasn't much of a crier. He remained still, waiting for Suki to continue with her feat, but she didn't. Zuko turned to look at her, and found she stood in place, biting her lower lip while holding the scissor.

"You alright?" he asked, and she smiled and nodded promptly.

"Yeah, yeah, I just… I'll get back to it now," she said, and Zuko turned around again.

"So, uh…" Zuko muttered, hoping that a conversation might help her relax a little. Still, he had no idea what to say. "Had a good breakfast?"

The randomness of the topic took Suki by surprise, but she smiled all the same. Her free hand moved up to his hair again and undid his shortened ponytail, allowing his dark hair to fall over his shoulders.

"Yeah… no peaches, though," she said, smiling, and Zuko blushed. "I talked a little with Mai. She told me more about you two, you know, back when you were younger."

"You seem quite interested in that," said Zuko, raising an eyebrow, and Suki chuckled.

"Can you blame me? It's not every day that you get to hear the childhood stories of a prince, is it?"

"It's not, I suppose," Zuko said, smiling a little.

"I really didn't know you two were that close, though," said Suki, taking a chunk of hair between two fingers. Talking served as little distraction, for her hands still trembled, but she could pretend she was alright while talking, even when she wasn't.

"Well, we weren't close right away," Zuko said, as he heard the sound of the scissors closing on a strand of his hair. He could only hope she knew what she was doing. "She was Azula's friend from school, and I didn't enjoy spending time with little girls back when I was a little boy myself. Especially not when I knew my sister would turn me into the target of all her games."

"Really?" Suki asked, as she moved over to the next strand of hair, in hopes to keep it on even length with the one she had only just cut.

"Yeah, Azula wasn't exactly the nicest sister growing up… well, I've already told you she's a pretty difficult person, over all," said Zuko, shrugging, and Suki winced.

"D-don't move," she muttered, and he gulped.

"Sorry. Uh… yeah, anyways, she's not exactly easy to get along with, especially when she realizes you're fun to torment," said Zuko, sighing. "But… she's not all bad. Not really. For quite some time I thought so, but she actually isn't."

"I suppose it's harder for a big brother to tell," said Suki, smiling. "I never had any siblings, but plenty of girls back in Kyoshi Island did. Some of them were always arguing and fighting with their brothers and sisters, while others got along with them without a problem."

"Well, Azula and I would be of the first kind," said Zuko. "Just, well… I guess we don't understand each other all that well. And spending ten years without seeing each other didn't help. I thought deep down she was the exact same eleven-year-old I'd left behind ten years earlier, but then… well, she proved otherwise."

"How?" Suki asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, by hiring her gladiator," said Zuko, and Suki froze for an instant, recalling Sokka's visit. She hadn't told Zuko about it… she didn't know if she was supposed to, but maybe it would be a good idea to mention it now. "Something about their relationship is just… weird, at a lack of a better word. I already told you so, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you mentioned Ty Lee and Mai think she's in love with Sokka," said Suki, frowning. "Do you think so too?"

"Well, I don't think they're involved or that they would want to be," Zuko muttered. "It's too inconvenient. But even if it's not love, whatever's going on with them is weird. They took off on another trip not long ago, right after arriving from Ba Sing Se. I have no idea why Azula would keep traveling, but she took him with her again. They're together all the time, pretty much. So, whatever's going on…"

"It's something big, huh?" said Suki, thoughtful, as she continued to cut Zuko's hair. Sokka had been quite defensive of Azula during their last encounter, actually. She remembered what he had said about the White Lotus, and about their attempt to kidnap the Princess… "Well, they say she's the one in love, but what if it's him?"

"Well, that wouldn't surprise me either," Zuko said, as Suki moved to cut the messy hair on the sides of his head. "He even punched me once over her, so…"

"He punched you?" Suki asked, astounded.

"Yep," said Zuko, with a weak smile. "I suppose I sort of needed a blast of reality, but talking with someone helps a lot more than getting punched. Still, he's a 'manly man', so that's just to be expected from him."

"But you said he punched you over your sister?" Suki asked, blinking blankly. "What did you do to her?"

"I was saying some pretty stupid things, I guess," said Zuko. "Things he didn't agree with. So I ended up with a swollen jaw for a couple of days for my troubles. It's why I would believe he's interested in her, it's just… well, at the same time it's hard to believe. But he's quite a strange guy too, so maybe they actually love one another. They're perfectly matched when it comes to tormenting me, so maybe they really are meant to be."

"You're just saying that, aren't you?" said Suki, smiling and moving over to Zuko's other side. He chuckled.

"Yeah, I actually am. I guess I can believe my sister isn't as bad as I always did… but I don't know if she'd love him, or if he'd love her back. It's probably more complicated than that."

"Love is quite complicated, you know," Suki said, smiling a little. "So as far as complicated goes, they might as well be in love."

"You just think it's romantic, don't you?" said Zuko, smirking at her and Suki laughed.

"Romantic? I don't know, I don't even know your sister, so I shouldn't say anything about her," she said. "I still have no idea why she had Ty Lee save me, even after…"

"After what?" Zuko asked, raising an eyebrow as Suki bit her lower lip again and cut another strand of hair.

"Well… I didn't tell you about this, but Sokka came to see me some time ago."

"W-wait… what?" Zuko asked, turning to face her and freezing in place when he found the scissor at level with his good eye. He moved away a little while Suki jerked away instinctively as well.

"I told you not to move for a reason, Zuko," she said, huffing, and he blushed.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "B-but… really? When? I didn't even catch a glimpse of Azula, she was in town for two days or less than that…"

"It was about a month ago, I think," said Suki, shrugging, before placing a hand on the top of Zuko's head and forcing him to turn around again. "There. That's better. Anyways, there's not much to tell, he showed up for a little while, asked a few questions and then left."

"A few questions?" Zuko asked, as Suki cut the last strand of hair on this side and made sure it looked even. "I hope he didn't come to ask you out…"

"You hope?" she asked, smiling as she stood before him now. "Why would you hope that?"

"W-well, he'd just have to be as stupid and insensitive as I think he is to do something like that to you right now…" Zuko muttered, his face flushing once more. "Or is it you wanted him to ask you out?"

"Heh, sure," said Suki, her eyes widening as she looked at his bangs, placing them over his face. "Well… close your eyes and let's hope I don't mess this up"

Zuko obeyed and Suki started cutting, trying to focus on his hair rather than on his face. She swallowed hard, her hands trembling slightly again now… She frowned upon realizing she had hardly shivered at all as they talked. She had almost forgotten about how close she was to him, or that she was doing something that could be dangerous if she messed it up. Even now, when Zuko turned around towards her, she hadn't hurt him, not even by accident…

With a smile on her face, she dared reach down to grab his chin in one hand, lifting his face. Zuko gulped, not used to having his face touched. Suki had reached out for his scar not long ago, but this was quite different. Her hand wasn't as insecure this time as it had been when she touched his scar.

"Okay, now, don't move. For real," she said, and Zuko smiled a little.

"I won't," he said, as Suki stopped holding his face and started working on his hair again.

She bit her lip as she cut the hair, smiling a little as Zuko twitched when the shorter hairs fell on his face and tickled him. Nevertheless, he didn't move until she was done.

"I wouldn't have accepted going out with Sokka, considering that I haven't left the house yet," she said, trying to relax again by talking. "I hadn't even left my room back then, to begin with. So, going out would have been impossible, quite literally. But I guess I wouldn't have wanted to do it anyways. Not when you'd already warned me that there's something weird with him and your sister."

"Then you rejected him?" Zuko whispered, and Suki shook her head, despite he couldn't see her right now.

"No, he never asked, for starters," Suki said. "I don't think he's all that into me anyways. He looked like he was during our fight, but afterwards… I don't know. His head was in the clouds during our date, I guess."

"If that's true, he's as stupid as I thought," said Zuko, and Suki smiled.

"Because his head was in the clouds?"

"Whose head could be in the clouds while dating you?" he asked, and she laughed.

"You're too sweet."

With that, his cheeks reddened for what felt like the millionth time during this conversation. Suki smiled at that and placed the scissors on the nearby nightstand.

"You can shake off the loose hair now," she said, and Zuko was quick to obey, rubbing his face repeatedly to rid himself of the prickling feeling. Once he was done with that, though, Suki moved close to him again and leaned down, looking at him closely.

Zuko's blush had been fading but it returned when he found himself looking directly into her eyes. She didn't seem to be affected by the closeness, and was pulling on the hair on the sides of his face to make sure it was even.

"Well… I guess it's not that bad" she said, with a guilty smile. "But I don't know if that's what you wanted, so you ought to have a look in a mirror. I think there's one here…"

She walked towards a dresser in the room and opened a drawer. After rummaging through the content for a moment, she procured a small mirror and handed it over to Zuko. He gulped before looking at his reflection in the glass and when he saw it he raised his sole eyebrow with interest.

"Huh… not bad," he said, moving his head to the side to see the other angles of his hair. "Better than I expected."

"So you expected me to mess it up?" Suki asked, and Zuko chuckled.

"No, I'm not saying that. I'm saying I actually look decent, for once," he said, smiling and handing her the mirror again. "Thanks, Suki. Really."

"No problem" she replied, their fingers brushing when she clasped the mirror in her hand.

Zuko almost expected her to drop the mirror and jerk away, but to his surprise, she didn't. The light touch of his hand didn't frighten her this time around. Maybe it wouldn't scare her anymore.

Zuko smiled as she put away the mirror, and he removed the cloth around his body. Together they swept clean the floor from all the loose hairs, and soon enough their entire operation was finished. Zuko tied up his hair again, his bangs falling over his eyes, but he parted them, so he could see properly.

"Well, that's done," said Suki, smiling. "And I actually did it."

"Good job," Zuko replied, smiling as well. "So, uh, as payback…"

"I don't need a haircut myself, if you were going to offer," she said, smiling.

"Not what I had in mind," said Zuko, amused. "I just wanted to, uh… well, if you want, or feel like it, we could, uh… wander the city? If you're ready for it now, that is. But just if you want to! If you don't, I get it, it's not always a nice city and really, walking can be a drag, so…"

"I'd like to."

Zuko froze where he was and blinked a couple of times before looking down at Suki with surprise. She chuckled and smiled at him, and he beamed.

"Seems like the one I ended up going out with was you," she teased him, walking towards the room's door. Zuko followed, still in a daze.

"Heh… I guess so," he muttered, pleased. He hadn't expected Suki to accept his proposal, let alone when she had just said she would have rejected another guy.

They left to the city without letting Mai know what they would be doing. She was currently in the dining room, holding Yuudai while talking with Ty Lee, who was in utter denial about what Mai had just told her.

"No. I… no," said Ty Lee, shaking her head. "Come on, after that traumatic experience you think she's going to get it on with Zuko? When he's the most awkward guy in the history of the Fire Nation?"

"Well, I already said we can bet on it," Mai suggested, smiling. "My loss would be your gain, right?"

"You… you wouldn't propose this unless you knew you'll win," said Ty Lee, an eyebrow twitching.

"You know me so well," said Mai, rolling her eyes and smirking.

"Y-you…! Ah, it makes no sense! Granted, they are a cute couple, but they're not going to hook up! At least, not yet!" she exclaimed. "So I'm taking you on! I'll beat you at this one and at the one about Azula as well! You'll see I'm right!"

"Oh, I sure will," said Mai, pleased with herself. This way she wouldn't have to pay Ty Lee anything: Mai knew for sure that she had lost the bet about Azula, but she was certain she would win the one over Zuko.

---

The swords rang loudly every time they clashed together. They attempted to reach their rival, but more often than not they sliced the air rather than cloth or skin. Azula took pride in having caught Sokka's armored shoulder once so far, but he still had the upper hand in their combat. Whenever she thought she was close to defeating him, he would turn the tables faster than she could anticipate. Sokka truly had a way with his sword.

They were currently training on the Barge's deck, after a week of sailing back from Yu Dao. Sokka had enjoyed their bouts more than usual during their last training sessions. Perhaps it was because, despite the single loss he had sustained in the League, his record as of late was positive. He probably had earned close to three thousand points during the last months.

But at times Azula suspected his record wasn't what kept him in high spirits. Still, she wasn't sure if she ought to indulge in the belief that being around her made him happy. Toph may have told her he seemed to have feelings for her, but that wasn't new. The problem was that those feelings could easily turn to something else, if he understood the truth behind their last two trips…

She had been worrying about the matter constantly, never finding a good moment to talk things through with Sokka. The happy smile on his face always made her think it was better to wait… but she had waited through their entire trip now, and seeing how happy he seemed to be as they sparred, she wasn't bound to open up to him any time soon.

"C'mon, you can do better than that!" he exclaimed, as she lost her balance upon trying to stab him.

His taunts were quite annoying, though. His smile pleased her… his teasing did not.

As soon as she recovered her footing she lifted a leg and kicked blue flames at him. Sokka squealed in quite an unmanly fashion and dropped flat on the ship's deck to avoid being scorched by them.

Now it was Azula's turn to smile. In fact, she started laughing as she aimed her sword towards a frowning Sokka.

"Hey! I've told you you're not allowed to bend!" he exclaimed.

"But you also told me I must make use of all my resources," she said, smirking. "So if you want me to do better, I'm free to do that by making you face my fire."

"Well, it's not fair and not right," Sokka grunted, pouting. "If you want to train with me, it's with fire or with sword, not with both!"

"I suppose I'll have to go with the first option, then, seeing how much you've always liked my blue fire…" Azula said, with an innocent smile, and Sokka rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, I just loooove… your blue fire," he said, finishing the sentence quickly. Something on the back of his head had almost made him end that phrase differently…

"And the blue fire loves you back," Azula said, smirking again before blasting flames at Sokka, now through her fists.

"Wait! I'm not ready!" He exclaimed, trying to sweep the fire away with his sword.

"Ah, but a good warrior is always ready!" Azula mocked him, and Sokka ended up breaking into a sprint, fleeing from her and her dangerous flames.

"Quit making fun of me!" he squeaked, and Azula threw another fistful of fire towards him before stopping altogether, too amused by him to bend properly anymore.

Sokka glared at her and stomped towards her, a heavy frown on his face, as Azula laughed.

"Yeah, yeah, how neat is it that you never fail to cheer yourself up at my expenses!" he exclaimed. "It's not fair, you know?!"

"Are you honestly going to complain at this point in time?" she asked. "I've been doing it for ages. You should just get used to it."

"Not happening," he said, folding his arms across his chest. "I will never surrender to wicked princesses who don't play by the rules."

"Well, that's your problem. It only means you're always going to get your butt burned for your stubbornness," Azula said, shrugging with a teasing smile on her face. Sokka rolled his eyes, which made him glance at the horizon, if only accidentally.

"Hey, there's an island there," he said, stepping towards the rim of the ship. "Is this the Fire Nation already?"

"Of course," said Azula, her good mood dampening slightly. "We're bound to arrive at the Capital in two or three days, depending on how long our next stop takes."

"You mean Shu Jing?" Sokka asked, turning towards her with a hopeful look in his eyes.

"Uh, no," Azula said, looking at him sternly. "We're actually going to stop by at Jang Hui first."

"Jang Hui? What's that?" Sokka asked, raising an eyebrow. "Do I have another fight?"

"No, you only ate twice as much as everyone else," said Azula, with one of her trademark cold smiles "Our supplies, and even our back-up reserves, which I hoped we wouldn't have to use during the trip, have almost run out and we still have three days left to travel. I don't mean to go without food for that long, mind you, so we're stopping by at Jang Hui to replenish our supplies again."

"Oh… hehe, oops," said Sokka, with a silly smile, scratching the back of his head.

"Yeah, oops indeed. You should be sorry for this unnecessary delay," Azula said, stubbornly, and Sokka shrugged.

"To be honest, I don't mind. I'm still waiting for something completely crazy to happen during this trip…"

"Waiting for something crazy? Wasn't the Dragon's Pit crazy enough for you?" Azula asked, raising her eyebrows and Sokka laughed.

"Ah, but I thought we might see something even crazier next!" he said. "Come on, you know this has been the most normal trip we've had to date. If it ends just like this, I'll be pretty disappointed."

"So, you're saying we haven't had enough changes of plans, or unexpected obstacles, or despair upon being sidetracked to the point where we think we can't accomplish our goals?" Azula asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "One would think you'd be relieved by that instead."

"Well, I won't deny it's a relief," said Sokka. "I'm just saying it's not normal. We need some ground-breaking things to happen here, you know we do."

"Heh, well… let's wait until we're in actual grounds for that," Azula muttered, frowning. "I'd rather the ground shatters than my Barge."

"So, you do think something ground-breaking is bound to happen?" Sokka asked, smiling at first, but then he grimaced. No, that actually wasn't good news. Ground-breaking things were quite dangerous when they happened to them.

"Hard to say," Azula whispered, before lifting her sword again. "But if they do, they'd better not catch us off-guard, don't you think?"

"True enough," said Sokka, smiling a little and lifting Space Sword as well. "Just stick to using the sword this time, alright?"

"And what are you going to do if the ground-breaking things are well-versed in firebending and sword fighting at the same time?" Azula asked, smirking and attacking Sokka, blue blazes dancing around the edge of her blade. Sokka would have demanded she stopped doing that, but he was actually amused by her reasoning.

"Then I'll tell them to fight fair!" he exclaimed, striking Wolf's Bane with Space Sword and swatting it away.

Every new clash between their swords brought smiles to their faces. Azula's fire wasn't as deadly as Sokka expected it to be, but Azula didn't resort to it too much. She wanted to defeat him fair and square, so he'd have no room for complaints.

As he parried one of her attacks and made a thrust of his own, Azula twirled away, but she wasn't fast enough. Sokka's sword caught her belt and sliced the cloth accidentally. The belt dropped flatly on the deck while Azula stared at it, taken by surprise. But soon enough she was giving Sokka an irritable frown as he started to sweat nervously.

"Eh… I didn't mean for that to happen!"

"Oh, of course not," Azula growled, picking up the belt and staring at it with irritation. "Are you going to fix this, gladiator?"

"Uh, I'd try, but I never learned how to sew," said Sokka, smiling awkwardly as he tried not to process he had stripped the Princess from a clothing item. Nevertheless, it was impossible to fend off the idea once it came to his mind.

"Well, I did, but ages ago," Azula admitted, frowning. "I've lost practice over the years."

"Huh? You can sew?" Sokka asked, surprised.

"So impressed, aren't you?" she said, raising her eyebrows. "I do, but it's not like I learned because I wanted to. The Royal Academy of Girls is to blame for that."

"Oh, that makes sense," said Sokka, before smiling. "Then you can fix it!"

"Well, I can try," Azula muttered, with a grimace. She hadn't attempted to sew for what felt like ages.

They ended up going inside the ship, to look for sewing supplies to fix the belt. Azula found some in her cabin: they looked like they had been placed there decades ago, without any use. Afterwards, they returned to the deck, where Azula did her best to fix the belt… but the results were disappointing. She had spent too many years without using a needle, clearly.

"You know what? Just forget about the belt," said Sokka, as she stared at the poorly sewn belt with a grimace on her face. "You wear too many clothes anyways."

Azula raised her eyebrows and glanced at him to find Sokka wide-eyed, realizing too late that he had said that out loud.

"Huh. Alright, then. I suppose I ought to wear less clothes for your delight?" Azula asked, but she was far too amused to be genuinely indignant by what he had said. She looked at him with a smile on her face, wondering how he'd defend himself from that.

"I-I-I d-didn't mean it like that," Sokka said, hastily, between gritted teeth. "J-just saying it's not that big a deal, right? I mean! It's just a belt! And you said you have spare ones, so… maybe take one of those if you need it. Just saying…"

"Ah, so that's what you're saying?" Azula asked, still smirking.

"Well, what else could I be saying?!" Sokka squeaked, his ears redder than the Fire Nation's emblem by now.

"Beats me. I'm just surprised by how bold that comment was," she said, smiling as she dropped the belt on her lap along with the thread and needle. "But I guess you're right. This is going to get us…"

She wrinkled her nose suddenly, their last conversation forgotten quickly. Something smelled really bad.

She stood up from where they had been sitting on the deck and glanced over the rim of the ship, a heavy frown on her face. Beside her, Sokka was also confused by the stench as he stood up as well.

Azula's eyes widened when she noticed the Barge was navigating through dark, muddy water. It hardly looked like water at all. She frowned and stared ahead, noticing they had entered Jang Hui's area just a moment ago. The island had an internal river, a river they were going to navigate in order to reach the village. But nobody had warned her about how filthy the waters would be.

"What in the name of…?" Sokka said, staring at the river with as much confusion as Azula did.

As they watched the river, Xin Long descended on the ship. He had been flying on his own accord now that they were close to the Fire Nation, looking for prey. He made his way towards Azula and rubbed his face against her shoulder. She turned to him, patting his head and asking him if he knew what was happening to Jang Hui's river. The dragon replied by saying he didn't understand what had caused it, but the entire area was deserted. There were no animals for him to hunt, neither in the filthy river nor on the grounds. He had seen no humans anywhere, either.

"What's the meaning of this?" Azula muttered, looking at Xin Long in confusion.

"Did he see something?" Sokka asked, assuming the dragon and the Princess were communicating as they usually did.

"No. He says the entire island is deserted," Azula muttered, just as the Barge's progress halted altogether.

The pollution was too dense for the Barge to get through without damaging the engines, or so said the ship's captain, who came on deck to inform the Princess of the situation. They couldn't keep to their itinerary in these conditions.

"I understand," Azula said, still frowning. "But what caused this? This isn't a normal phenomenon. Where are the people from the village, and what is the source of all this pollution?"

"I wouldn't know, Princess," the ship's captain said, sighing.

Xin Long took off again, leaving Azula on the ship to wait for him as he had another look around the island. The Barge remained stationary in the meantime, as Azula continued to frown upon the river.

"Princess…" said the ship's captain. "We had best carry on with the voyage. If we cannot stop here for supplies as we planned, then we should continue onto Shu Jing right away for the same purpose."

"Just a moment, Captain," Azula said, sternly. "You can make use of your patience, can't you?"

"I, well…"

"Until I give the command, you're not getting this Barge out of here" Azula stated, and the man sighed and nodded.

"Yes, Princess."

With that, the ship's captain left her again, and soon enough it was her Royal Guards' Captain who stood beside her on the deck, along with Sokka.

"Princess…" he muttered, as she folded her arms over her chest.

"Captain," she replied. "What do you believe might have caused this?"

"Uh, I wouldn't know," Rui Shi said, earnestly. "It's a surprise for me as well. Nevertheless, I believe a large factory was stationed someplace in these islands, if I'm not mistaken. I'm not certain on which one it is, exactly… but it might be the source of the pollution."

"Perhaps," Azula said, closing her eyes and seeing through Xin Long's own.

The dragon glided through the skies and glanced down below. There was an abandoned, modern building at the top of the island's hills, the factory Rui Shi had mentioned. Down in the river were wooden structures that looked old and broken. They were abandoned, all the same as the factory.

"There's nothing left but pollution," Azula muttered, between gritted teeth. "This is… how did this happen? Why?"

"If there's a factory, chances are they were dumping the waste into the river," Sokka muttered, swallowing hard. It had been a while since Azula had been in a bad mood by now. Was this the ground-breaking event they'd have to face on this trip? It looked more like a depressing event instead… "That might be what…"

"It could be, but this amount of waste is simply beyond reason" said Rui Shi.

"That factory has been in place for over fifteen years," Azula muttered. "If they've disposed of all their waste though the river since then, it's really no surprise this is the result. But where are the people? Did they leave, or did they… die?"

Rui Shi clenched his fists at the Princess's question, as she breathed out heavily and shook her head. Sokka looked at her, worried.

"All these factories, and all these advancements… for what?" she grunted. "Let us turn the Fire Nation into the greatest of all nations, no matter if we destroy it in the process."

"I'm certain it wasn't your father's intent for this to happen," said Rui Shi, biting his lower lip.

"No, most likely," muttered Azula, bitterly. "He wouldn't have wanted the factory to stop operating, no matter the circumstances."

Rui Shi froze at that. Was that defiance? It seemed unnatural, coming from Princess Azula, of all people. She was completely loyal to her father, wasn't she…?

"Tell the ship's captain to get us moving towards Shu Jing, then, Captain," Azula ordered, a heavy frown on her face. "This place is revolting."

"Y-yes, Princess," said Rui Shi, uneasy. "Uh, but, Princess…"

"What?" she said, and he gulped.

"You're not wearing your belt."

She had forgotten about the matter completely. She patted her waist and nodded, and with that, Rui Shi left towards the inside of the ship. Azula sighed heavily as she waited for the ship to start moving, and she stood silently next to Sokka, who seemed at a loss for what to say to rekindle her spirits.

"Um… Azula," he whispered. "Maybe you're worrying too much. Did Xin Long see any corpses?"

"No, not human ones, at least," Azula said: carcasses of dead fish floated on the river.

"Then chances are they got away," said Sokka, with a weak smile. "I mean, even those working at the factory must have stopped because it was impossible to work in this environment. It's probably why it's abandoned now. Well, at least, I think it's a logical explanation for that…"

"Doesn't change much, though," said Azula, frowning. "We're sacrificing our people's wellbeing for the sake of progress. We've been doing that for a long time now, it seems. And I'm only just realizing what that really means. Did my father know this factory had been abandoned? Did he know that the people in Jang Hui had to forsake their homes because of the factory? And if he didn't know, which I doubt, would it make any difference if I bring it to his attention?"

Sokka remained silent again, and Azula shook her head. She felt Xin Long fly off on his own accord, headed towards other islands where he might find something worth eating.

"He has been setting up plans to install a new factory near the Capital," said Azula. "And he also refused to shut down a refinery that was polluting another river, and even causing the death of children from farming villages. Why would this one make any difference, if that one didn't matter at all? The answer is… it won't. Because our greatness is the main priority. Never mind that we'll all end up being dead carcasses in rivers like those fish once our 'greatness' catches up with us."

"Azula…" said Sokka, swallowing hard. Hearing her criticize the Fire Nation relieved him, but at the same time it worried him. He never thought the day would come when Azula would be disgusted by anything related to her nation.

"I'll be back on deck in a moment," she said, sighing. "I'll go find another belt."

"Huh, okay," said Sokka, and she walked away with that, after picking up the first belt from the ship's deck.

Sokka watched her walk away, guessing she wanted a moment by herself to think about what she had just seen through Xin Long's eyes. That she would be shaken up by it was understandable… in fact, it was the only way Sokka would have wanted it. The Azula he had met back in the South Pole probably wouldn't have cared for the abandoned village altogether. She might even have complained over why the factory wasn't functional. But she wasn't that girl anymore. And while Sokka didn't want to see her in grief, he was glad she didn't approve of what her father was doing.

Azula remained in her cabin for a while, sitting on her bed after fastening another belt around her waist. She held her face between her hands and tried to breathe calmly. Life had been so much easier when she had accepted her father's beliefs without questioning them, when she had believed in him irrevocably. As she was, she needed to get back to his good side, and she had wanted to accept his request about the ceremony to please him… but how was she supposed to earn his approval when she wasn't sure she wanted it anymore? He surely knew about Jang Hui's condition and had done nothing about it. Was he as great a Fire Lord as she had always wanted to believe he was? Did she really want to be like him when she became Fire Lord?

She returned to deck by the time the Barge docked in Shu Jing, to find Sokka hadn't moved from where she had left him.

"Ready?" he asked Azula, walking towards her as the soldiers lowered the ramp.

"I ought to be the one asking you that," she said, and Sokka grimaced.

"Yeah, probably," he said, but he smiled weakly. "I'll be fine if we don't find Piandao or anything new about him, though. Don't worry about me."

"I'll try not to," said Azula, gesturing at him to climb down the ramp.

She commanded the Royal Guards to head into the town to replenish the Barge's supplies while she and Sokka visited Piandao's mansion. The two of them made the familiar hike through the island, and Azula didn't miss out on the way Sokka was smiling upon returning to Shu Jing for the first time in almost a year. Azula would have never imagined all the things that would come to pass between their previous visit to Shu Jing and their latest one. They were both returning as changed people: she wondered if Piandao might have something to say about that.

The pair of them walked past the town towards the mansion at the top of a hill on the village's outskirts. Sokka was surprised to notice the estate didn't look too shabby, despite how long it had been since Piandao had left. He soon frowned upon noticing some windows were open… but that didn't have to mean anything. Perhaps, while looking through the mansion for clues of Piandao's whereabouts, Azula's guards had left some windows open. It was a reasonable explanation, right?

"Are you coming?" Azula asked, having already reached the doors while Sokka stood in the middle of the road, staring at the mansion with a frown.

"Uh, yeah, yeah," he said, speeding up towards her and grabbing the knockers once he reached the gates.

"Try not to knock as you did the first time we came here," Azula said, with a subtle smile.

"Hey now, that worked, Princess," said Sokka, smirking at her before simply striking the doors twice.

They stood in place for a few minutes, waiting for someone to come, but it seemed nobody would. Azula sighed and patted Sokka's shoulder.

"It was a long shot after all. We probably should get going," she said, but Sokka frowned again.

"No, just… wait a moment," he said, and Azula stared at him in confusion.

"Wait for what?" she said.

"I… I get the feeling there's someone in there," he said, biting his lower lip. "Maybe we ought to go inside and check, just in case stray animals took shelter in the mansion or…"

He fell silent when he heard the large door opening.

Both Sokka and Azula glanced at the gates, and Azula's hand dropped from Sokka's shoulder slowly. They didn't see who was responsible for opening the door until they lowered their gazes, to find a boy standing behind the red door.

He couldn't have been older than ten. His brown hair was disorderly, and he looked like he had been rolling around in dirt. His skin was pale, and he had a few scrapes on his arms and legs. All in all, what a common boy would look like… but a common boy in Piandao's mansion brought forth more questions than the ones Sokka had hoped to find answers for today.

"Uh… huh?" Sokka said, staring at the unknown kid in surprise. "Who are you?"

"Me? Who are YOU?" the brat retorted, with a pout. "This is my house, I get to ask first!"

Azula's eyebrow twitched as she stared at the child with irritation.

"Well, I'm the Princess of the Fire Nation, so your authority in this conversation is below my own, boy. Who are you and what are you doing in this mansion?"

"The Princess?" said the boy, looking at Azula with a raised eyebrow. "Not buying it. Where are your servants and slaves and the whole firebending parade?"

"I… didn't bring any of those things, and what right do you have to question me, brat?" Azula asked, her distaste for the boy increasing immediately. "Don't you know what the hairpiece I'm wearing means?"

"Why would it mean anything?" said the boy, stubbornly.

"Well, it means she's a Princess, so it does mean something," said Sokka. "I'm her gladiator, Sokka. Nice to meet you, kid. Uh… who are you, then?"

Azula glared at Sokka, wondering why he was playing along with the child. He shouldn't have given away who they were, not when this kid, who could only be a trespasser, had no right to question why they were visiting this mansion.

The boy wasn't about to comply with Sokka, though. He simply looked at him with the same judgmental stare he had given Azula.

"You're making that up!" he exclaimed, shaking his head. "Hairpiece, shmearpiece. It means nothing!"

"You little…" Azula started, clenching her fists, but Sokka stretched a hand before her, stopping her from assaulting the child.

"Now, now, no need for violence!" said Sokka, with an uncomfortable grimace. "He's just a kid, okay?"

"Why, yes, and that's exactly why we have a problem," Azula growled. "Make him get an adult, or I just might burn down the doors and frighten him enough for him to wet his pants."

"Okay, calm down!" said Sokka, looking at her with surprise. "Geez, woman…"

"I don't wet my pants!" said the boy, angrily.

"Heh, we'll see about that," Azula replied.

"Bring it on! I'm way braver than your half-bald minion, you'll see!" said the boy, and now Sokka took offense as well.

"What the…? I'm not half-bald! I shave, I'm not bald!" he exclaimed, and Azula smiled, pleased to see she wasn't the only one losing her patience with the child.

"Whatever you are, you look weird!" the boy exclaimed.

"If we're really going to get started with how weird people look, then maybe you ought to look in the mirror so you…" Azula said, but Sokka gave her a pleading look for her to shut up. She did, reluctantly, and he sighed deeply before turning towards the kid.

"Look. We just want to know if someone called Piandao is here right now, okay? No more than that. You can say yes or no, and that's that," said Sokka.

"Well, no. There's no Piandao," said the boy, solemnly.

"And how do you know the snotty brat isn't lying?" Azula asked Sokka, and the kid was indignant again.

"Snotty?! Well, at least I'm not… some weird lady with a funky hairpiece on her head!"

"Ha, weird lady!" Azula said, amused. "For a smart mouth, you're really not that witty, are you?"

"I… I'm witty!" the kid exclaimed, blushing now. Azula smirked. The boy wasn't smart enough to notice he was being played, so she should exploit that weakness to get her way…

But before she could carry on, someone else arrived at the door, swinging it open all the way to reveal it was a slender, middle-aged man. Both Sokka and Azula stared at him in surprise, and he returned their looks in the same fashion.

"Dad!" said the boy, rushing towards him and pulling on the man's rugged vest. His clothes looked as worn-out as the child's, and they shared the same type of messy hair. "I don't know who they are but they're weird! Don't let them in!"

But unlike his son, the father understood what that hairpiece meant as soon as he laid eyes upon it. His jaw dropped, and he looked at Azula with disbelief before pushing his son behind him.

"P-Princess…" he said, with a hoarse voice. "Oh, blazes. Princess Azula."

"Uh, yes," she said, with a dry smile. "That'd be me. Make sure to drill that concept into your kid's brain, it seems he doesn't understand what royalty is."

"Hiro…!" the man exclaimed, looking at his son with harsh eyes. The boy pouted a little again and his father turned towards Sokka and Azula, apologetic. "I hope he didn't say anything too hurtful, I… I'm sorry, I know this whole situation isn't right. Uh, well, but… if anything, maybe you'd like to come in?"

"Indeed, that would be most reasonable," said Azula, stepping forward before noticing Sokka hadn't moved. "Uh, Sokka?"

"C-coming…" he said, biting his lower lip and following his sponsor into the mansion's enclosure.

Some of the gardens had been cared for, Sokka noticed, as they walked towards the main building, but not all of them were as impeccable as they had been when Fat had been here. Weeds grew in many of them, and in others there were large patches of earth in sight, without any grass growing on them. All in all, though, it was the same place… but to Sokka it felt very different: he wasn't sure he liked different.

The child, Hiro, ran off on his own accord once they entered the main building, and his father led Azula and Sokka towards the kitchen.

"We don't have a dining table, so we eat in the kitchen," he explained, with a weak smile. "I hope it's alright with you to sit there, Princess."

"It will do," Azula said, feeling more relaxed now that the boy wasn't around anymore.

"My wife is cooking dinner right now. Smells good, huh? A-anyways, you can wait here," said the man, gesturing at a short stool where Azula took her seat. He pulled out another stool for Sokka, but he didn't take it. He smiled at the man and thanked him for the troubles but told him it wasn't necessary.

Upon that, the man walked towards the stove area – the kitchen was large enough that Azula couldn't see it in its entirety from where she was. The man's wife was out of sight at the moment, but Azula soon heard gasps and exclamations from a female voice. Surely the man had already told his wife about the unexpected visitor they had…

Sokka walked towards a nearby window, from where he had a clear view of the gardens. He stared with interest at the children below, who played a game he was unfamiliar with. There had to be six children, at least, but he couldn't keep track when they were chasing one another as they were. He couldn't help but imagine Fat's dismay if he knew kids were running across the gardens he had always treated with utmost delicacy. The bushes of beautiful flowers didn't have a single bud left on them, but Sokka saw quite a few petals spread across the area…

Why, though, was this family here? He had never seen them in Shu Jing before. Where had they come from, and what had prompted them to stay in Piandao's old home?

"Oh, oh… it really is you, Princess," said a female voice, bringing Sokka out of his musings.

Azula merely nodded as a chubby woman dropped on her knees before Azula, her fist against the palm of her right hand, and she bowed down her head towards the Fire Lord's daughter. Her husband only seemed to remember the proper etiquette to address a member of the royalty when his wife performed the salute for the Princess, and he was quick to imitate her.

"Rise," Azula said, and they both stood up quite hastily, the woman smiling awkwardly.

"It is such an honor… t-the biggest honor, really, for you to be here!" she said

"Well, I'd say second biggest," muttered the man. "The Fire Lord would be the-… uh, never mind! Of course it is! Yes, yes!"

Azula raised an eyebrow, somewhat amused. These two commoners had never expected to meet a member of the Royal Family in person, clearly.

"In any case, welcome. It is our pleasure to host you," the woman said, smiling.

"Well, I'd hope so," said Azula, nodding.

"Hiro was saying some unkind things to you earlier, wasn't he?" the man asked, grimacing. "The boy needs to be taught some manners, we know, but he's a wild thing… never worry, though, we'll make sure he learns to respect royalty."

"Ah, Hiro," said the woman, shaking her head. "He's our oldest, and he's a handful. But he's got a good heart. Whatever he said to you, Princess, don't take it too seriously."

"I didn't, no need to worry," said Azula, shaking her head. "Still… your oldest? How many children do you have?"

"We're a family of ten, actually," said the man, and Azula's eyes widened. "We've had more kids than we should be able to raise, yes…"

"But we weren't always like this, Princess" said the woman, looking at Azula with pleading eyes now. Azula was taking aback by her sudden shift of behavior. She had noticed both the woman and her husband were shaken up by something, but she had assumed they were just nervous to deal with a Princess. Now it became apparent that their turmoil went deeper than that. "My husband had a great income only a year ago, but he was fired from his job, and we were left indebted…"

"Supporting our family became very difficult," said the man, sighing. "Eight children were always a handful, but it got worse. We had to sell our house to have enough money to buy food. We used some of that money to travel to Shu Jing, it's one of the cheapest villages in the Nation… and then we came across this mansion. It was empty, and spacious, perfect for our family, and…!"

"And you're living here illegally," Azula finished, and both the man and woman grimaced. "No wonder you look so troubled."

"We didn't intend to do this, Princess, I swear…" said the woman, pleadingly again.

"No need to worry, though," said the man, grabbing his wife's hand. "I think I'll find a job soon, near the Capital. An aircraft factory is almost finished there, and I was told I could apply for a job there once it was functional. If I do get it, we'll be able to move into a house of our own, legally. B-but for now, Princess… I understand you must have come here to make sure the laws were being followed, but I beg you to make an exception with us, just this once…"

Azula frowned at that. Did this man believe she was a law enforcer? The look on her face made both him and his wife grow paler.

"So, you plan on finding a steady income in the Capital," Azula said, crossing her arms over her chest. "How long have you been living here?"

"A month, Princess," said the man, and the Princess nodded.

"I see. And so far, you've made a living off the money you used to sell your house?"

"I have also worked in a few places in the village, but they're usually temporary jobs, just for one day," said the man, biting his lower lip. "It's not enough to pay off our debts, or to move to the Capital. So, if you'd just be patient… we'll be gone in no time, we just need a chance to get back on our feet."

Azula sighed, staring at him in concern. She couldn't help but think about what she had just seen in Jang Hui, the factory that had destroyed the village… There had been families and homes in Jang Hui, and some people had jobs in that factory as well. Now, though, it was as good as a ghost town, and a ghost factory. The people who had made their living in Jang Hui had fled to who knew where, all the same as the man before her right now. They had lost their homes, their jobs, everything… and they didn't deserve to be treated as obstacles in the way of the Fire Nation's greatness. She couldn't bring herself to look down on them and refuse their request merely out of negligence. A nation, after all, was only what it was because of the people that comprised it.

"Well, if anything, it's a relief you're striving to find a new job," Azula muttered, biting her lower lip. It'd seem factories were necessary as well, despite how disagreeable she had found them after what she had seen in Jang Hui. "And it would be convenient for you to find your own home, yes. Nevertheless, I probably ought to clarify that I didn't come here to evict your family."

The couple's eyes widened and soon both of them had sighed in relief. Azula couldn't help but smile a little.

"Oh, that is… here I thought we would lose this place now," said the man, smiling broadly. "Thank you, Princess, thank you! I… wait, but if you didn't come for that, why were you here?"

"This used to be the home of my gladiator's sword master," Azula said, gesturing at Sokka upon mentioning him. Both the man and woman turned to look at him, surprised.

"Your gladiator? Oh, my. I had no idea you had a gladiator," said the woman.

"I've only been around for a year or so," said Sokka, shrugging a little.

"His sword master disappeared some time ago," Azula explained. "We were dropping by to see if he had returned. That was all there was to this."

"Really?" said the woman, raising her eyebrows. "You say he disappeared?"

"He left, but we don't know where he went," said Sokka.

"So, this place belongs to him, then?" asked the man, grimacing. "Oh, darn. W-well, never fret, gladiator, Princess! We'll be long gone by the time he returns, I hope."

"Well, we don't know if he's going to return anyways," said Azula, and Sokka stepped towards them, finally leaving the windowsill.

"And this place didn't belong to him," he told the married couple, to their surprise. "He found it once, all the same as your family did. S-so, uh… I guess he probably would be happy to know this mansion now hosts a family that needed a place to stay. So… stay as long as you like. Don't worry about it."

Azula frowned and looked at him with confusion. She knew Sokka could be quite selfless, but this was a surprise. On their last visit to Shu Jing he had made them stay through the night in the mansion, desperate to find any signs of Piandao, and he had asked her to come back here today for the same reason… and yet now it seemed he was willing to relinquish the memory of Piandao, and all hopes to meet him here again.

She was surprised again when the man shook his head and smiled at Sokka.

"No, no, this isn't our home. It's a marvelous place, but we know this isn't where we belong."

"Huh, well… if you say so," said Sokka. "Still, don't worry about leaving this place right away. He's not bound to return anytime soon, so no pressure."

"Thank you," said the woman, grinning at him. "The kids like it here, after all. But we'll leave when we're ready, yes."

"In any case, if you need any assistance finding a job, perhaps I could help in some way," Azula suggested, but the man shook his head again.

"No, no, I wouldn't impose upon you like that. It wouldn't be right," he said. "The honorable thing to do would be to find a job through my own efforts."

Azula blinked a few times before nodding, and Sokka smiled a little. Well, Piandao would be happy to know the man staying in his house was an honorable one, at least.

He walked away from the kitchen upon that, as silently as he could, and he headed down the mansion's halls: Azula didn't notice his departure right away.

"Not often do you hear men speaking that way in the Fire Nation nowadays," Azula said. "It's a relief there's still honor in our people."

"Naturally," said the man, proudly, as his wife looked at him with doting eyes. "In any case, uh, we could offer you something to drink. Or perhaps you'd like to stay for dinner!"

"Ah, well…" said Azula, with a weak smile. She would have welcomed hospitality of the sort from noblemen: she would have demanded it, in fact. But not from as humble a family as this one. "It would be my pleasure, and my gladiator's too, his stomach knows no boundaries, but we have a schedule to keep to. We need to be in the Capital in a couple of days."

"Oh, that's too bad," said the woman. "But if you want anything, don't hesitate to ask! My husband and I are obliged, seeing how you're not going to evict us…"

"Don't worry," said Azula, shaking her head. "Just focus on bringing financial stability to your family. That's what your main priority ought to be, not pleasing me."

"But…" said the man, surprised, but Azula stood up.

"Good luck finding a job, and raising all those children. Seems like you'll need it," she said, with a warmer smile now. "We'll see ourselves out, then, so…"

It was then that she noticed Sokka wasn't nearby. She frowned, wondering if he had left on his own.

"He went down that hallway," said the woman, smiling. "The stairs are that way… so he might have gone to the roof, perhaps?"

Azula raised an eyebrow, wondering if Sokka had a tendency of heading up to buildings' roofs whenever he was troubled. It seemed to be a pattern with him.

"Well, I'll go fetch him, then," she said. "Take care of your family, and make sure that boy doesn't get into too much trouble."

"Oh, we will, we will," said the man.

"Thank you so much, Princess," said the woman, smiling gratefully.

"I don't think I did anything," Azula said, raising an eyebrow. "So I'm not certain the gratitude is necessary."

"That's precisely why it is, though," said the woman, still smiling.

Azula nodded, despite being confused, and she gave the woman one last grin before turning towards the hall and to the stairs. It felt wrong for someone to be grateful for nothing, but she understood it, despite herself. Anyone else in a position of power would have evicted these people from the mansion right away. Her father would have never approved of people living without permission in this mansion… surely he had overlooked that Piandao wasn't the legal owner of the mansion merely because of the man's fame and importance, but he wouldn't make the same exception for commoners like these.

Once Azula made her way to the top of the stairs she found Sokka staring into the sunset, his shoulders squared as he supported his weight with his hands, on the gabled roof. As it had been after his fight against the Stingray, Azula approached him cautiously.

"Are you alright?" she asked, startling him. He hadn't noticed he wasn't alone anymore.

"Oh, yeah, I just… wanted to look at the island from here. It's a nice view," he said, with a weak grin. "Might be the last time we come here, so I figured why not enjoy the sunset?"

"Really? That's all?" Azula asked, raising her eyebrows as she stood next to him.

"Well, I guess I wanted some time with my thoughts too…" he said, and Azula nodded.

"It's an odd family. Eight kids, no less…" said Azula, glancing down to watch the children in the garden. Their father was chasing after them now, trying to bring them inside for dinner.

"Yeah. Good thing you didn't have to meet them all, huh?" Sokka said, with a smirk. Azula grimaced.

"Indeed. I hate children, and they hate me," she stated, and he chuckled.

"Come on, maybe you just don't get along with them…" he said.

"Put it however you want to, the fact remains that I'm better off away from them," Azula said. "Simple as that."

"If you say so…" said Sokka, smiling weakly.

"But you really are okay?" Azula asked him, and he nodded.

"Yeah, I… I guess I just didn't know how to let go of Piandao. Even after the problems we had with the White Lotus, on some level I just never stopped thinking of him as my master. I truly hoped that, upon coming here, I might find a clue I didn't see before, but just by seeing this family I've realized that… that I should just leave the matter alone. I came here looking for answers, and I got one. These people need a new start much more desperately than I need to know Piandao's true allegiances. I suppose I just needed to straighten out my priorities…"

"Sounds like you already have," said Azula, and he sighed.

"Yeah… but it's easier said than done. When I think that I'm really leaving Piandao behind, for good… it's for the best, but it's still hard. And I'm an idiot for feeling like I do. That family needs this place more than I do. To me, it's my past. To them, it's their present. It's bound to be someone's future, too. I can't get in the way of that."

"I guess you shouldn't," said Azula. "It's a bit hard not to, though. Emotions just… drive us to make decisions we shouldn't, at times. If anything, it's impressive you're capable of just stepping back and leaving this place to them, despite what it means to you."

"You really think it's impressive?" he said, smiling a little, and Azula nodded before sighing.

"Yeah, well, don't let it go up to your head," she muttered, and he chuckled. "It's merely that… well, I have done things I'm not proud of, because of allowing myself to succumb to emotions. I've made many selfish decisions out of whims recently… and I've only ended up feeling worse afterwards. So, I commend you for not doing the same thing."

"Selfish decisions out of whims?" Sokka repeated, raising an eyebrow, as Azula sighed heavily. "Is this what has been bothering you lately?"

"Maybe," she muttered, her innards twisting up in unpleasant ways. Her heart told her not to talk, but her mind insisted it was time. And she refused to continue listening to her heart… at least, for the time being.

"Huh…" said Sokka, intrigued. "Mind explaining a little better?"

Azula stood silently for a moment, struggling to figure out what to say. Whenever she thought she had a good idea, she failed to find the courage to put it into words. Sokka watched her with curiosity until Azula finally sighed in exasperation and spat out the first thing that came to mind.

"Alright, yes, I've had ulterior motives for pretty much every damn thing I've done as of late. You had every right to suspect I did," she said, gritting her teeth.

"Yeah, I figured as much… what are those motives, though?" Sokka asked, raising his eyebrow. "And why didn't you tell me about this before?"

"I didn't tell you because I was ashamed, partly," she muttered. "But before being ashamed, I guess I was merely angry. I just thought… well, never mind what I thought. It's not of consequence. The point is, I dragged you all the way to Ba Sing Se and through this tour because I… I sent Ty Lee to do something for me."

"Oh," said Sokka, smiling. Azula stared at him warily upon his reaction.

"Oh?" she repeated. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, that I know what you sent her to do," he said. "She told me, when I went to see Suki."

Azula's blood seemed to slow down in her veins. So, he had known all along that Azula had been responsible for bringing the girl back to the Capital… and he really had seen her already. So far, she hadn't quite digested that fact, not entirely. Sokka's confirmation that it indeed had happened felt like a stab to her heart.

"Huh… well, no surprises there. It's Ty Lee, after all. Can't keep a secret for over ten minutes or she'll burst," she muttered, trying not to show how shaken up she was.

"Ty Lee wouldn't have had to keep any secrets in the first place, if only you hadn't sent her to do what she did," said Sokka. "Why, Azula? You… you said you weren't going to do anything about her. Your motives, while I couldn't quite agree with them, I could bear with them until you found a way to save her and all slaves from their circumstances. I chose to trust you on that. But then you… you sent Ty Lee to find her anyways? Why?"

Azula sighed again, unwilling to meet his insistent gaze with her own.

"I just… thought you'd hate me if I did nothing," she muttered. "I thought I understood why it meant so much to you when it came to her. I told myself that she had to be saved just so you wouldn't become as you did during our conflict back when… well, when she first showed up, actually. I wanted to prove to you that I wasn't as heartless as you must have taken me for, after our argument because of her… but then I only proved otherwise, by dragging you halfway through the world just so you wouldn't be near her."

"Huh?" said Sokka, surprised. "So that's why…?"

"So, in the end, I don't know what the hell was I trying to accomplish," Azula said, breathing heavily and closing her eyes. "I just stopped thinking clearly for a very long time. It wasn't until you asked to come to Shu Jing that I snapped out of it, I think."

"Really?"

"I… I just expected your request to be to bring her along," said Azula, shaking her head.

"And that's why you looked ready to bite my head off when I only mentioned I had a request…" Sokka mused. "Well, wow. I didn't think of that."

"I've been a mess lately, and I know it," Azula muttered. "I just… was afraid, I guess. Whatever we were before discovering her fate was, well… more than I ever expected us to be. And I thought she was a threat to that. All my life I've nullified every threat that shows up before me, but I couldn't do that this time or else I'd lose you. But, if I helped her, I… I thought I'd lose you as well. I had no idea what to do, and in the end, I just became erratic and made ridiculous and embarrassing decisions. And all because I… because I didn't want you near another girl. So, are you selfish for feeling uneasy about letting these people stay here? Heh, well, I certainly have no right to judge you for that. Compared to me, you're the epitome of selflessness."

Sokka frowned and looked at Azula intently, while she kept her gaze upon the mountains up ahead.

"Wait just a moment, though," he said, tapping his chin. "You sent Ty Lee to save Suki's life, and then you took me on two trips through the world. One of them was quite a mess, no kidding, but the second one has been pretty nice over all, except for a few hitches. Am I supposed to hold those things against you…?"

"Well… yes!" Azula said, looking at him in disbelief. "Didn't you hear what I just said? Everything I did, I did it for my own convenience. I did it for myself. I didn't save that girl's life because it mattered to me, I did it because I thought that maybe this way you wouldn't hate me for refusing to do it at first. And afterwards, I dragged you away, without regarding your wishes, just because I didn't want you near her. I… for my own sake, for my own contentment, I was willing to sacrifice yours. You wanted to see her, and I was doing every damn thing I could to stop you. So… yeah, you're supposed to hold it against me. Any normal person would."

"Maybe, but I'm not all that normal," said Sokka, smiling.

"Sokka, for crying out loud," said Azula, shaking her head. "I've been acting like a jealous madwoman when it comes to that girl since ages ago. And I keep thinking I've changed a lot since those days, but I'm still doing everything in my power to keep you apart. So how much have I changed since you first fought her, really?"

"Well, you've changed enough to tell me about it this time, rather than to whisper wicked things in my ear," he said, smiling. "Even though you didn't talk right away, you still did. That ought to say something, huh?"

"Heh. You're definitely crazy," she muttered.

"I'm crazy?" he asked, amused. "I'm crazy for thinking your jealousy bouts aren't all that bad…? Well, maybe I am. But it's hard to hold it against you when, on your first time being jealous because of her, you gave me one hell of a kiss…"

"So now we're conveniently forgetting everything that happened after that kiss?" Azula asked, looking at him with irritation.

"And on the next ones you took me on two cool trips through the world," said Sokka, ignoring her comment. "What more could a guy ask for?"

"Maybe you could ask for a sponsor who doesn't act insane whenever she thinks you might have feelings for someone other than her," she grunted, turning towards the horizon again. "You're being ridiculous."

"Well, maybe a little," Sokka admitted. "And maybe I ought to say that you shouldn't feel jealous, or that you shouldn't have saved Suki for the wrong reasons… but the thing is, I'm so relieved you saved her that I really don't care why you did it. I was curious about why, but the point is, you did the right thing. For the wrong reasons, maybe, but the right thing after all. I can't fault you for that."

"You're…" she said, shaking her head and looking down at the garden again. The children were gone now. Surely their father had managed to take them to dinner by now. She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, swell. At the very least one of us is happy with my erratic behavior. Good for you."

"You don't have to be so hard on yourself, Azula," said Sokka, moving closer to her and smiling kindly. "Plenty of people do good things for the wrong reasons. It's better than doing bad things for good reasons, don't you think?"

"Not really," Azula said, and Sokka's eyebrow twitched.

"Heh… okay then. But at least know that I'm not really that great a guy either," he said, his hands on his hips. "I went to see Suki, yeah, and she looked pretty bad. I didn't expect to see her like that, not at all. But then I just started asking her questions I probably shouldn't have, and made her talk about things she mustn't have wanted to talk about…"

"What sort of things?" Azula asked, frowning.

"Well, I asked her about the White Lotus and her sponsor," he said, and Azula's eyes lit up with curiosity with that. "But she pretty much told me she knew nothing about that. I guess she might know a little more than she's letting on, but I thought it was better not to push my luck. She had been through enough crap for me to interrogate her further."

"So… y-you met her again and the first thing you did was ask her about the White Lotus?" Azula asked, raising her eyebrows. "Alright. I guess I'm not the only one here who makes no sense…"

"It wasn't the first thing I did," Sokka said, pouting a little. "I asked her how she was, too. I actually stepped towards her, just because I figured standing at arms' length was better in a conversation… but she moved away from me to keep me at a distance."

"Really?" Azula asked, surprised.

"I guess what she went through in Shu Wo was bad enough for her not to feel comfortable with having people close to her without her consent," said Sokka, and Azula grimaced. "I have no idea what she went through, but if it turned her into what she is now, it must have been awful. Still, you got her out of that place…"

"Ty Lee did, not me."

"Ty Lee only did it because you told her to. And hey, she said you'd asked her to do it as repayment for your help in buying Haru," said Sokka, raising his eyebrows. Azula closed her eyes, breathing heavily and trying to hold back her growing embarrassment. Ty Lee seriously couldn't keep her mouth shut, could she? "So, taking all that into consideration, Azula… you, and Ty Lee as well, saved Suki's life. And I'm pretty sure she'd be quite grateful for it. There are still many slaves that need saving, though… but I won't push you for it anymore. I get it's easier said than done."

"Yeah," said Azula. "Not enough people owe me favors so that I can send them to save every slave you might know…"

"Probably not," he said, smiling. "In any case… I guess you need to know a few things."

"Yeah?" Azula asked, a little ironically.

"I understand why you're so distrustful regarding Suki, but you don't need to be," he said. "Not really. I know why you are, but… I'm really not interested in her."

"You're not? Now you're not?" she muttered, raising an eyebrow.

"I get you thought I really was into her because of our fight," said Sokka, grimacing. "But truth is, I was just doing that, as I told you in the forest, to stop thinking about you. And clearly, it didn't work."

"So, you're saying I shouldn't be jealous or worried in any way?" Azula asked, rolling her eyes upon how stupid her words sounded after they'd come out of her mouth.

"Well, no," said Sokka, smiling again. "Suki is a nice girl and all…"

"What's the problem with her, then?" Azula said, begrudgingly.

"Just… that I'm not interested, not really," said Sokka, sighing. "Not when…"

"Not even when she's oh, so pretty?" Azula said, raising her eyebrows mockingly.

"Seriously?" said Sokka, staring at Azula with disbelief.

"Well, wasn't that what you'd said?" Azula asked, looking at him with challenging eyes.

"Dang, Azula," said Sokka, sighing. "Yeah, maybe I said she's pretty, but you're stunning! So, for that matter…!"

He froze and blushed, having talked without thinking for the second time that day. His eyebrows twitched as Azula looked at him with wide eyes. That was something surprising… pleasantly surprising, sure, but it had been quite unexpected.

"Okay, then," she said, allowing her gaze to drift away from him. His blush didn't decrease its intensity just yet, though. "Good to know you think so."

"Y-yeah, well," he said. "It's true. You should know it."

Azula actually smiled now, surprising herself by how honest that smile was. She hadn't expected Sokka to take this conversation as well as he had, but she didn't think he'd compliment her beauty, on top of it all.

"The point is, though, that… I don't want to get involved with Suki," he said. "I haven't wanted that ever since you kissed me. By then I realized that things weren't going to work out between me and any other woman, and true, I screwed up a few times afterwards anyways because I was angry and frustrated… and somewhat erratic as well. And heck, when you're erratic, you take me on crazy, but still fun, trips. When I'm erratic, I ruin our relationship. See why I don't think there's that much harm in what you did this time?"

"Well… it doesn't mean I should've dragged you away as I did," Azula said. "You're saying you don't want to get involved with her, but what if you had wanted that? I would have gotten in the way of your happiness, which would have made me unhappy anyways. The fact that I was willing to do that… it speaks louder than anything I've said until now. I kissed you that day to keep you from finding any happiness with that girl, all the same as I dragged you away now… so, see? It's just… wrong."

"Well, if you put it that way, you were pretty mean indeed," said Sokka. "But I guess that's the part where we're lucky I didn't want to get involved with her. Sorry to disappoint… but I'm pretty sure I'm not going to find my happiness with Suki."

"Disappoint?" Azula repeated, raising her eyebrows skeptically. Sokka chuckled.

"Just saying, since you seemed so convinced of that," he said, looking at her with a kind smile. "I'm not going to say you shouldn't feel jealous altogether, Azula, I know it's not something you can control… but there's virtually no reason why I'd want to throw myself at a girl I've only met three times in my life."

"No? What about the fact that… that you could have with her what you can't with me?" Azula asked, looking at him sternly. "I mean… it can't happen with us. You know that."

"I know," he said, smiling weakly. "But I once made the mistake of thinking the girl in question didn't matter, when it turned out the girl in question was the one thing that mattered. I'm not going to make that mistake again. I'd much rather stay by your side without becoming anything other than your gladiator than to get involved with someone else just for the sake of it. It's not worth it."

"It's not?" Azula repeated, looking at him in disbelief. "Sokka, you…"

"Yeah, I'm crazy," he said, rolling his eyes but smiling at her regardless. "But turns out that you're a bit crazy yourself, aren't you? You think I'd choose to pursue a relationship with a girl who probably doesn't want me, whom I barely know, over spending time with a certain Princess I've gotten to know all too well during this year? Really?"

"Y-you should," Azula said, shaking her head. "For your sake, you should."

"Well, I don't often do what I should," he said, shrugging. "So, is it any surprise I won't do what I should, yet again?"

"Hardly, but this is… Sokka, you deserve to be happy. With someone who can give you everything you deserve. And I can't be that someone," Azula said.

"No, turns out with you I've gotten way more than I ever thought I'd deserve," he said, chuckling. "So on those regards, yeah, you're too much for me. I admit it."

"That's not what I…"

"I know," he said, approaching her until he was standing right before her. Azula turned to face him. "I know that's not what you meant, but that's the truth. So… really, Azula? No need to worry. Well, you're free to worry, but I'm not going to race to Mai's house just so I can interrogate Suki again once we're back. She's got enough problems to add an annoying gladiator pestering her about secret societies, on top of it all."

"Probably," said Azula, looking up into his eyes.

"Still, there's one thing I really want you to keep in mind" he said, lifting a hand towards her cheek. Azula's breath hitched. "There's no reason why I'd choose another girl, any girl, Azula… when the one I'm in love with is you."

Her eyes widened when he said those words. There was no hint of insincerity in them, not in his voice nor in his clear blue eyes, nor in his gentle smile. She felt set ablaze yet again, with more intensity than usual, it seemed to her. Her body started shivering, and she barely noticed it, because all she knew was that he had said those words. The words she thought nobody would ever say to her for real…

"You're just…" she said, looking at him in disbelief, shaking her head weakly.

Sokka smiled more before leaning down to press his lips against hers. Her enthusiastic response shouldn't have surprised him at all, but it was delightful for her to respond to him eagerly. His arms went around her waist and he held her close, as her shivering hands made their way over his body, reaching up to find his face.

He moved his face down to her shoulder once they parted the kiss, and he embraced her tightly for an instant. He could feel her heart drumming furiously in her chest as her arms surrounded him as well.

Azula hadn't thought he could come to love her, not truly, despite everything. Hearing him say the worlds that night in Ember Island had meant a lot to her, but despite it all, she had believed it was just for one night. She had known he liked her, but she didn't feel deserving of his love, not really… yet if he was giving it to her freely, why shouldn't she accept it?

Sokka pulled away from her shoulder, but only so he could kiss her once more. Azula cupped his face in her hands, returning his every kiss while trying to show him that he wasn't the only one in love… she probably ought to say it, too, but she wasn't sure she could. Maybe one day, though… surely, one day. He loved her, so he would wait, wouldn't he?

His passionate kisses convinced her he would. Of course he would.

Locked in a tight embrace with him, while still exchanging kisses, she knew today, more than ever, that he was the one man she wanted to be with. From here onwards, it would be Sokka. No matter if he was a slave or not… for she loved him. And he loved her, too. Her resolve to be with him was true and firm, at long last.

They had lost themselves in the moment… and thus they hadn't noticed that somebody was watching them from the doorway that led to the roof.

He had come to let the Princess know the supplies had been loaded onto the ship already, and that the Barge would depart as soon as she and the gladiator boarded it. But now, as he watched them in the middle of their impassioned exchange, he started doubting they would board any time soon.

The father of the family, who had been enjoying dinner when the guard had knocked on the door, had told him he might find the pair up on the roof. And indeed, he had found them… but he had also found that, as ever, his job was only going to become even more difficult from here on.

Rui Shi sighed and shook his head, not feeling anger or frustration. He only wished he hadn't found himself facing the truth of the Princess and the gladiator's relationship directly. But now he had seen it, all he could do was whisper a single sentence softly, so the pair wouldn't hear him:

"I knew it."