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...

91. Chapter 91: The Slate-Festivals 9

The bay was more crowded upon their return to the Capital than it had been when they had taken off. Most the group, with the exception of the two royals, had finished packing their belongings and they had gathered on deck as the ship drifted by the bay, all of them ready to enter the city as soon as possible.

"I can't wait for all this fuss to die down," said Mai, with a sigh. "If there's a time of the year I hate, it's this one. The festivals are nothing but a bother."

"Not true, they're real fun!" Ty Lee exclaimed, clinging onto Haru's arm as the ship slowed on its way to one of the few available slots within the port. "It's too bad we missed out on most of them because of the Slate…"

"Say, what are these festivals like?" Sokka asked, raising an eyebrow. "I was still training in Shu Jing when they happened last year, so I've never seen them for myself…"

"Oh, they're a blast!" said Ty Lee, smiling brightly at him. "There are plays, parades, firebending displays, and there's the Ball… it's amazing!"

"Though there is Memorial Day, too. That one isn't as upbeat as everything else Ty Lee is talking about," said Mai, raising her eyebrows.

"A Memorial Day? Really?" Haru asked, surprised.

"Well, yes. You've been around a while, Haru. Didn't you ever attend the festivals with your old sponsor?" Ty Lee asked, and Haru grimaced.

"Uh, no. He wasn't the festive type, as you might remember. He wouldn't come to the capital unless it was for business, so…"

"Oh, my poor dear, you had such a hard time back then…" said Ty Lee, sighing and dropping her head on his shoulder. The earthbender blushed, despite being used to Ty Lee's random displays of affection by now.

Sokka smiled a little at them, though Mai seemed somewhat uncomfortable by Ty Lee's spontaneous emotional reactions. The other person on deck with them didn't seem to be paying much attention to what was going on, though. She had remained silent and unresponsive for the last stretch of the trip, sadness dampening her features.

"How about you, Suki? Did you ever see these festivals before?" Sokka asked Suki, startling her out of her daze.

"Uh, yeah, but I never cared much for them," she said, with an apologetic grin. "I was busy training for fights and such…"

"Makes sense. We gladiators have no time for petty festival nonsense!" Sokka stated, folding his arms over his chest and earning himself a reproachful pout from Ty Lee.

"Petty festival nonsense?! As if! You'll be eating your words at the Ball, I'm sure of it"

"Eating my words? Heck, they'd better serve actual food there, I'd rather have something real to eat…" Sokka said, chuckling, and Ty Lee's pout intensified.

"Oh, you funny smart mouth, you. No wonder you get along so well with Azula!" she said, rolling her eyes and folding her arms over her chest as Sokka chuckled.

Suki looked at the Blue Wolf, a weak sigh escaping her lips. Yes, Sokka got along incredibly well with the Princess, especially considering that barely anyone else did. The group had met for dinner during the two days of the return trip to the capital, except for Zuko, who had remained locked in his room. The camaraderie between Azula and her gladiator was out of the ordinary, Suki found, even though she had known they were close since long ago. But it seemed as though Sokka's triumph in the Slate had warmed up the Princess to him even more. Nobody else could make her laugh like he could, and she didn't spend half as much time with anyone as she did with him, be it in public or in private. Suki couldn't help but think something was genuinely brewing between them… at least, it looked that way. She didn't miss out on the way Sokka's eyes glowed whenever he saw the Princess, nor how Azula's smirks were somehow softer towards the gladiator. They always held a hint of complicity in her eyes, as though the two of them were keepers of a secret that nobody else could know about. If that wasn't love, Suki certainly didn't know what else it could be.

Still she wasn't entirely sure she understood love either way. Not after Zuko's confession, anyhow. She had given up on her efforts to reach him, knowing he would keep his door closed to her for as long as the trip lasted. He was shutting himself out in more ways than just physically, though, and Suki knew it. Suki dreaded it. She wanted to stop that from happening, but she had no idea how to go about it. Why couldn't they have what Sokka and Azula had? That complicity, that bond that seemed to surpass that of friends, perhaps even that of lovers…

She knew why they couldn't, though. It was, on great measure, her fault. She had left him hanging, and he had mistakenly assumed her silence meant rejection. It wasn't that she didn't want him, but she wasn't entirely sure how to have a relationship with anyone at the moment, especially not with a prince, of all things. She wasn't sure of what she felt, regardless of how comfortable she was with him. But he had to understand they belonged in different worlds. She couldn't simply agree to becoming his slave over his blooming love for her… he was bound to marry a highborn woman, wasn't he? Liked it or not, he was the Prince. And Suki was nothing but a common slave, no matter how he might want to romanticize her. It was but the truth of it.

"… uh, you okay? Suki? Heeeey, Suki?"

She was startled again out of her contemplations by Sokka. Haru was now asking Ty Lee about her favorite celebrations in the festivals, which had cheered her up again, while Mai merely sighed, whispering that Ty Lee was exaggerating most of what she was talking about. But Sokka wasn't listening to them, but rather, looking at Suki with confusion.

"You alright? You look worried about something. You have for the past few days," said Sokka, raising his eyebrows. "Everything okay?"

"Oh, yeah, everything's… everything's fine," she lied, knowing Sokka could see through her dishonesty, but hoping he'd understand that her lie meant she didn't want to discuss the matter. " I should be asking that to you, though. How are the wounds? The burns?"

"Getting better," said Sokka, smiling a bit. "My hands still hurt a lot, but I'm pretty sure the wounds will be well healed sooner than later. Or at least I hope so."

"Good. That's what's important," said Suki, smiling.

"Still, I'm somewhat worried about my hair…" Sokka said suddenly, and Suki looked at him skeptically.

"You have horrible burns on your hands, a nasty bruise on your face and who knows what else on the rest of your body, and you're worried about your hair?"

"Well, it's just not nice for it to have been burned, you know?!" Sokka squeaked. "I'll probably need a haircut. Granted it was getting kind of long, but still, I'd rather I didn't have to do it because it got burned…"

"Of course," said Suki, smiling sympathetically now. "Well, if you need any help… maybe I could cut it for you. I've done it before…"

"Uh…" said Sokka, blinking a few times as his gaze left Suki and instead focused on someone who had just entered the deck, his bags slung on his shoulders.

Zuko looked at them with bitterness, Sokka thought, but there was mostly sadness in his eyes. And Sokka was quick to suspect that his sadness stemmed from overhearing what Suki had just told him. Sokka gulped and looked away from Zuko as the sailors fussed on deck around the Prince, rushing onto the docks to tie down the ferry.

"Well, I'd take you up on that but I don't think I'll have to," said Sokka, with a weak grin. "Song could do it for me, you know. She's my cook and healer…"

"Oh, that's great then," said Suki, smiling. She had yet to notice Zuko was on deck right now.

"It's just going to be much easier to ask her to help out with this than crossing the city to Ty Lee's just for a haircut," said Sokka, with a weak grin, as the last person of their group entered the deck as well. Sokka's eyes instantly darted towards her, to find her looking at him skeptically.

"Don't tell me. Are you complaining about your burned hair again for the umpteenth time?" Azula asked, surprising Suki by her sudden intervention in their conversation.

"I… well, I'm just saying I'll get it cut, that's all!" Sokka exclaimed, blushing a little as he lifted his bandaged hand towards his hair. Azula smirked derisively at him and Suki smiled. "It's not nice, getting my hair burned…"

"I didn't say it was, but I have to say it's the first time you've kicked such a ruckus about anything of yours getting burned," Azula said, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I happen to take pride on my hair, woman," Sokka said, pouting. "If you'd ever burned it, I probably would have freaked out just as I have this time around."

"Now that's a thought," said Azula, a hand on her chin. "How come have I never burned your hair despite all we've trained together? That's just not right…"

"W-what, are you planning on setting my hair on fire the next time we spar?!" Sokka squeaked, his hands going to his head in panic.

"It sounds like it would be fun… but I'd rather not put up with your whining about it afterwards, so I guess I'm not going to do it after all," Azula said, and Sokka breathed out in relief before glaring childishly at her.

"He should stop complaining once he gets his haircut, though, don't worry about it" said Suki, smiling at Azula reassuringly. The Princess raised her eyebrows.

"Oh, I doubt it, but I have no choice but to hope he'll grow out of it…" Azula said, with a weak grin. Sokka pouted again and folded his arms over his chest, flinching when his hands came into contact with his skin. It was surprisingly easy for him to forget about his wounds whenever Azula was around…

Azula stepped away after that, though, leaving Sokka to stare after her longingly before he could stop himself. The curtain of black hair swaying as she walked had mesmerized him, as it often did.

She had walked off to give orders to several Palace servants, Sokka noticed, who had been waiting eagerly for the ship to arrive to port. Guessing they would be parting ways for now, Sokka sighed and unfolded his arms. He was being greedy, and he knew it, but he couldn't help it. Despite they had spent lots of time together on the trip back from the Slate, it wasn't enough. It couldn't be enough. It especially wasn't enough when Azula was in such a good mood. Her happiness made him happy in turn, regardless of his wounds…

To his delight, Azula turned back towards them as the servants climbed aboard after her, but they headed inside the ship instead of staying on deck.

"They'll be taking my luggage back to the Palace," Azula said, simply, as a short explanation. "And I'll be off as well now. I probably have a lot to deal with after disappearing for five days right after the ceremony…"

"Surely lots of people still want to congratulate you for it," said Ty Lee, giggling. "Well, we can give you a lift to the Palace, I think. We were all going to take a carriage, so…"

"No need, I already have my ride," Azula said, with a smile.

A light shadow above the ship grew darker and smaller as Xin Long descended rather dramatically on deck, to Azula's amusement. The dragon seemed to smirk proudly, just like his rider, as Azula stepped towards him.

"No surprises there," said Sokka, chuckling. "Well, I hope you guys have a nice flight."

"We shall," said Azula, with a grin. "I hope you have a nice… carriage-ride, I guess. Anyways, thanks for everything you did to train Sokka, all of you. I'll try to figure out some way to repay you somehow…"

"No need for that, Azula!" said Ty Lee, smiling. "We're friends! We didn't do it so you'd owe us anything!"

"Heh. Well, if that's how it is…" Azula mused approvingly, as she climbed on the saddle.

Ty Lee frowned now, though, possibly thinking that she shouldn't have refused Azula's offer to pay back for their help so quickly. Having Azula owe her one, for a change, could have been a nice thing… but alas, it was far too late for regrets once the dark dragon took flight.

Sokka watched them go wistfully, regretting parting ways with Azula. If only he had asked her to give him a lift… but he had to bring his stuff with him, and he didn't want to burden Xin Long with his luggage. He'd have to bunk in the carriage with everyone else.

Or at least, with most everyone else. As Sokka gazed at the deck he only found the servants who were already bringing back Azula's luggage and the ship's sailors: Zuko was nowhere around. He frowned and searched through the crowded port, wondering if he'd climbed off the ship without them noticing…

Xin Long groaned at Azula, startling her as she clutched at his reins, and he pointed down at the busy port with one of his paws. Azula raised an eyebrow as she noticed what had caught her dragon's eye.

"Well, well. We're more dramatic than ever as of late, aren't we?" she said, ushering Xin Long to descend again.

People scrambled out of the way when they noticed a large, dark dragon was about to drop atop them. Zuko noticed their nervousness before he saw the dragon's shadow hovering not far above him. He stumbled back, nearly dropping his only bag as he looked at Azula with confusion.

"What are you doing?" Azula asked, and Zuko blinked a few times.

"I think I should be the one asking that" he said, staring at her warily. "Why… why did you stop to talk to me all of sudden?"

"Maybe because it seems you've decided, all of sudden, to return to the Palace on foot?" Azula asked, raising her eyebrows. "The exercise won't be bad for you, of course, but you're bound to get home by sundown at this rate…"

"You want me to go back and take the carriage with them?" Zuko asked, frowning. "Thanks for your concern, but… I'd rather not."

"Well, then fine, don't go with them," said Azula, sighing and shrugging as she sent a thought in Xin Long's way.

Zuko was staring at the ground with sad eyes when he noticed the dragon was leaning towards him, the saddle hovering right in front of Zuko. The Prince was startled, and he looked at Azula with confusion as she raised her eyebrows.

"Get on before I come back to my senses, dum-dum," she said, with a teasing grin.

Zuko blinked blankly a few times but he gulped and stepped forward. Azula extended a hand towards him, and Zuko hesitated slightly before taking it. His sister pulled him up and Zuko settled on the secondary seat of the saddle, unsure of what to make of his sister's display of generosity.

"It's a bit like riding a mongoose dragon, huh?" he said, and Azula smirked as Xin Long took flight.

Zuko clutched at the metal railing of the saddle and gazed at his surroundings with wide eyes as the dragon started to put distance between them and the ground. His eyes darted around as he panicked ever so slightly, having never been airborne in his life until this moment.

"As you can see now… it is in fact nothing like riding a mongoose dragon," Azula said, turning to smirk at him as Zuko blushed a little.

"Q-quit that. I've never flown before!" he exclaimed, before the realization sunk in. "I… I've never flown before. I'm… I'm flying?!"

"Why, you are indeed," said Azula, smiling. "It's quite liberating, feeling the breeze in your face like this…"

Zuko would have agreed, but Xin Long sped up as he flew upwards, and Azula's long hair was flapping against Zuko's face – he had to inch back to avoid it.

"It sure is…" he said, with a thread of a voice.

At last, Xin Long stopped speeding his way through the sky and merely hovered below the clouds. Zuko swallowed hard: he had never been up this high in his life. He had never expected to be, either. He had approached Xin Long a few times, but he had always kept in mind it was his sister's dragon, always sure he would never have a chance to so much as touch him, let alone ride him. That Azula would show him this sort of kindness was somehow strange… but was it really?

"Uh… thanks," he said, awkwardly.

"Why, you're welcome," Azula said. "It's better than wearing yourself out walking, isn't it?"

"Y-yeah, though… why did you do it?" Zuko asked, frowning a little. "I mean…"

"Does there have to be a reason?" Azula asked.

"Well, with you there usually is. N-not saying you can't possibly do something nice out of wanting to, I mean, you could, I just…" Zuko mumbled, the words spilling out of him clumsily.

"If you must believe there was a reason for it, take it to be payback for your little gift on my birthday," Azula said, and Zuko blinked a few times. "You did it for no reason back then, apparently, so you should be able to believe I did this for no reason as well."

"Huh… well, if that's how it is, then thanks again," said Zuko, smiling a little.

He gazed down at the city from above, amazed by how small everything looked from a distance. The large crater that hosted the Capital was remarkable, the city was boisterous and beautiful from up here. The Palace rose at the very center of it, and behind it was the Temple, where beacons of multicolored fire were still lit today.

"Though I suppose there might have been a reason, after all…" Azula muttered, startling Zuko.

"There was, then?" Zuko asked, frowning. She wasn't going to prank him, by having the dragon twirl in midair to drop him from this height, now, was she?

"Well, you were only going to make a fool of yourself in the long run" Azula said, and Zuko frowned. "See, there's only one way into the city. And naturally, a man on his two feet wouldn't possibly outrun a carriage even if he has a head-start, no matter how crowded the port was. So, trying to avoid them wasn't going to work out for you if you walked. Giving you a ride was the only way in which you might succeed to avoid them, and since we're both headed towards the same destination…"

"You were trying to help me avoid them?" Zuko asked, astounded. Out of any reasons he had expected Azula to explain her actions, that would have been the very last of them.

"In a sense, I suppose… though I can't say I understand what your problem is," Azula whispered, despite she had her suspicions. "But seeing how you're isolating yourself, and how you were set on not taking that carriage with them, I figure you're having trouble of some sort with one of them."

"W-well… it's something like that, I guess," said Zuko, his mood dampening again. Even the thrill of flying for the first time wouldn't make him forget his grief completely.

"Oh, well," said Azula, shrugging. "This way you don't need to worry about it. Bask in being far above them all and realize just how tiny and petty your problems used to be…"

"They don't look that petty even from up here," said Zuko, with a sigh. Azula rolled her eyes.

"Always sucking the fun out of everything. You need to lighten up, Zuzu."

"It's just…" he started, gritting his teeth. "Do you know what it's like to feel that the one thing you thought made you happy is completely beyond your reach? When you… when you put your best out there, and it turns out you just messed up completely without realizing it until it's too late…?"

"Heh. I… suppose I do," Azula muttered, her mood also growing somewhat darker now. Zuko's words brought back unpleasant memories of times she wished she could forget, but that she knew she couldn't leave behind, not even now. Despite how much her relationship with Sokka had progressed, it wasn't so easy to ignore its troubled beginnings

"Wait… you do?" Zuko asked, and Azula cringed. "Really?"

"Weren't we talking about you, Zuko?" she asked, cuttingly, and Zuko gulped.

"Right. Right…" he muttered, before sighing again. "I just feel like nothing I can do will fix this. I just… have to let it go. Don't I?"

"Maybe you do," Azula said. "Though if you really care about it so much, I wouldn't recommend that you just give up. You're usually stubborn to no end when it comes to the things you want, aren't you?"

"W-well, maybe…"

"Then perhaps you should just think about how to fix it, if that's what you want to do," said Azula, simply. "If you don't want to fix it, of course, then you can just leave it as it is. It's your decision in the end."

"I guess it is," said Zuko. "It's just… it really feels like there's no solution."

"Maybe it feels that way," Azula said. "But if something as ridiculous as Sokka defeating the Millennium Dragon in the Slate could happen, maybe your problems can have a solution too. I don't know for certain, it's true… I barely know the girl as it is, so I can't quite read her as well as I'd wish, but…"

"W-wha-…? I didn't say it was because of…!" Zuko started spouting, blushing.

"You didn't say it, but it's obvious enough. Sorry to burst your bubble," she said, looking at him over her shoulder with a sly grin. "In any case, though… even if you're having any sort of issues with her, Zuko, you shouldn't isolate yourself from absolutely everyone because something went wrong with her."

"I know," said Zuko, gulping. "It's just… when stuff like this happens I don't know what else to do. I'm not good company for anyone when I'm like this… a-and don't you say I'm never good company!"

"Well, now, I wasn't the one who said it…" Azula said, with a malicious grin.

"Oh, but you thought it, didn't you?" Zuko asked, scowling, and Azula laughed.

"In any case, Zuzu, I'm never good company for you yet here I am. Listening to your girl problems regardless of whether you're good or bad company. And as it happens, some other people would be willing to do the same for you, not just me. Mai wouldn't mind talking to you about these matters, I believe."

"She hasn't so far, it's true…" said Zuko, sighing.

"Still, my point is that you shouldn't pull away from everyone and everything just because of whatever's wrong between you and her," Azula said. "And you shouldn't try to carry all burdens on your own like that. You will have to learn how to delegate if you hope to become Fire Lord one day. If you isolated yourself whenever something went wrong, you'd send the Fire Nation spiraling into ruin without meaning to."

"W-well, I… I wouldn't do that if I were Fire Lord…" Zuko said, frowning.

"No doubt you shouldn't," said Azula, smiling a little at him. "But you should start breaking that habit of isolating yourself as early as possible, don't you think?"

"Still… it's not like I can ask someone else to deal with this for me. It's my problem, and mine alone," said Zuko, looking at Azula in confusion.

"True, but you could still ask others for help. It's not going to kill you," said Azula, raising her eyebrows. "It didn't kill me to have you guys helping Sokka prepare for the Slate, and things worked out quite well, didn't they?"

"Could have been better," said Zuko, smiling a little. "But I guess… I guess you're right."

"Of course I am," Azula said, simply, before smiling back at him as Xin Long started his descent on the Fire Nation Palace.

"Thanks, Azula. For the ride, and… for the talk," Zuko whispered softly.

Azula grinned, not with the same malice as before, but said nothing. Zuko smiled as well, his heart lighter than before. She was right: he had needed to talk, even if he hadn't explained everything to her at leisure. Regardless of how much better their relationship felt by now, he wasn't sure if he wanted to tell his sister about how he had blurted out a love confession at the worst possible moment… there was someone else better suited to hear that story, after all.

Xin Long entered the refuge and descended slowly on the ground without a hitch. Azula and Zuko leapt off Xin Long's back, and afterwards the Princess asked her brother to assist her in relieving the dragon from the saddle. Xin Long groaned once they were setting it down, and Azula recognized the sound as a greeting. She turned quickly to the door to find the Captain walking through the refuge's entrance with quick strides.

"Captain, good to see you again," Azula said, sounding confident despite being slightly nervous upon meeting him once more.

"Likewise, Princess, Prince Zuko," said Rui Shi, making a reverence towards them.

"Hey," Zuko said, awkwardly, nodding at Rui Shi.

"I trust your voyage and your flight were fine," the Captain asked Azula, who nodded.

Their interactions were often stiff, but somehow she felt far more uneasy about them today than ever. Surely it was because of her last serious conversation with the man… and because, after claiming that that she wouldn't make mistakes she couldn't take back, she had gone and made them anyhow. She hated feeling guilty about it all, but the Captain had been right about assessing she wouldn't resist her attraction to Sokka for long, no matter how hard it might be to acknowledge it.

"Everything was perfectly fine, yes. The fight went well, surprisingly my gladiator even won," Azula said, with a dry grin. Rui Shi nodded again.

"Word of the fight's result reached the Capital yesterday. Remarkable that he would defeat the second-best gladiator of the League…" Rui Shi said, and Azula smiled.

"Remarkable indeed. I'm quite pleased, truth be told," she said, as someone else entered the refuge.

"Ah, Azula, you're back!" Iroh exclaimed. "Welcome, welcome home!"

"Uh, thanks, Uncle," said Azula, raising her eyebrows as he approached.

"Good for you to be back. Say, when do you think Zuko will return? I have a new batch of tea that…"

The old man's sentence was left unfinished when he noticed Zuko standing a little further behind Azula. Iroh blinked a few times, not used to seeing the two siblings together, let alone like this. Had Azula given Zuko a ride back to the Palace, on her dragon? His eyes widened as it hit him that she really had. That wasn't normal…

"I'm here already, Uncle," said Zuko, with a smile as he made his way towards him. "Good to see you too."

"Why, yes, it's good to see you, yes," said Iroh, beaming and clasping Zuko's shoulders with his hands. "I, uh, I've just brewed a new kind of tea, I think! I found these plants in the garden and I'd like for you to try it out with me…"

"Are you sure that's a good idea? My father won't like it if you're ripping plants out of his garden, you know…"

"Oh, never mind Ozai! Come on, you need to try it!" Iroh exclaimed, beaming and leading Zuko out of the refuge.

"Fine, fine… I have something I want to talk about anyways," Zuko said, smiling as they both disappeared from sight.

"As ever, Uncle and his tea…" said Azula, as she patted Xin Long's snout.

"Indeed," said Rui Shi, before turning to face Azula. "In any case, Princess, the Fire Lord requests your presence. He asked for you to see him as soon as you arrived."

"No surprises there either," Azula said, simply, before whispering a small goodbye to her dark dragon.

The two of them left the refuge through the same door Zuko and Iroh had used. They entered the Palace together, taking the long hallways towards the Fire Lord's study.

"The voyage was pleasant, then?" Rui Shi asked, with a little hint of accusation in his voice, subtle enough that it wouldn't have meant anything to anyone else. But just the wording of his question seemed intended to make Azula uneasy.

"Pleasant enough," she said, curtly, and Rui Shi hummed with interest. "If you must know, the situation hasn't changed. You're not bound to suffer consequences for letting me out of your sight for so long."

"Good to know," said Rui Shi, with actual relief in his voice. Azula gritted her teeth. He had definitely expected her to sleep with Sokka on the trip: she would have taken offense to that if only it hadn't almost happened…

"I do want you to understand, though, Captain, that I… I don't mean to cause you any more trouble than I already have. You've been a loyal guard, more than most could possibly claim to be. And I understand your concerns, truly…"

"You understand them, yet you will not heed my counsel when it comes to this, will you?" he asked, and Azula sighed.

"It's not that simple. I want to, despite you might think otherwise, Captain," she said, looking at him apologetically. "But it's not quite as simple as wanting…"

"It isn't?" Rui Shi asked. "I was under the impression it actually was."

"You're not fully aware of what's happening then, if that's what you believe" said Azula, matter-of-factly.

"I mean no disrespect, Princess…" Rui Shi whispered, afraid he might have stepped over a line with that.

"I know you don't. I understand you're trying to do what you think is best, and I'm the reckless one here, no doubt," said Azula, shaking her head. "If it's any consolation… I'll try to be more careful from here on out. I can't promise it will pay off, but…"

"You will make an effort?" Rui Shi asked, surprised. "After being so determined… now you mean to resist this? Truly?"

"Here I thought that would make you happy," said Azula, looking at him skeptically. "Is there no pleasing you, Captain?"

"It's merely that… why?" he asked, as they reached the hall that led to Ozai's study. "Did anything…?"

"Perhaps I had taken a leave of my senses when we last spoke and I'm finally rational once again, Captain. Is that such a farfetched idea for you?" she asked, looking at him sternly.

"Not at all," he said, gulping and nodding. "Well, I… I'm pleased now, if nothing else. It's good to know you will try, regardless of what the outcome might be."

"The outcome should be obvious enough, Captain. It's me we're talking about," she said, lifting her head and stepping forward.

The two Imperial Guards at the door bowed before her and allowed her inside Ozai's private study without a word. The Princess stopped before the door, though, sensing something strange as she readied herself to enter the room where her father waited. She had felt this eerie feeling before, though, but she couldn't quite place the sensation right away…

Azula gave Rui Shi one last look, hoping that would continue to reassure him. His body language seemed to say he was relaxed now, and it remained that way as Azula closed the door behind her.

She had been rather convincing, it seemed, enough to soothe the man. His loyalty was truly unquestionable. And it was true that the outcome was obvious already… but it wouldn't be what Rui Shi wanted it to be, regrettably. Azula gritted her teeth, wishing that for once her willpower wouldn't give out on her, but she knew she was only going to succumb to her attraction to Sokka sooner than later. She had always known it, but every day that went by made it clearer still.

That one taste of the forbidden fruit, as it had been with their first kiss, wasn't enough. It couldn't be. The memory of how his hands had explored her burned into Azula's very soul. It had been shocking, thrilling and frightening at once. And while on the next day she had been uncertain, by now she could recall the way her body had reacted lustfully upon his touch… and this, in turn, filled her with the urge to feel him once again. It was a raw, potent desire of a different nature than what she was used to. And it was frankly terrifying. Fire burned in her veins as she longed for Sokka desperately, in ways she wasn't sure she was ready to take him just yet… but would she ever be?

"Ah, Azula. At last you return, my daughter."

Ozai's voice startled Azula. She had kept her hand on the doorknob, her eyes fixed on it as her mind drifted into thoughts she should have kept at bay. She couldn't think about her longing for Sokka, not right now, at least. She knew that she needed to be the very picture of perfection before her father, and she would fail to accomplish it with Sokka at the forefront of her thoughts.

"I have indeed, Father," said Azula, turning to face him and smiling confidently.

Ozai grinned back at her, his features brightened by pride. He was clad in a lighter outfit than his usual Fire Lord tunic, sitting at his desk as he regarded his daughter with evident pride.

"Word is you also triumphed in your battle, as expected of you" he said, as Azula took her seat across his desk. "Not only did you successfully perform the most memorable Ceremony of the Sun in Fire Nation history, but you've won in the most iconic gladiator fight of the league, or so I was told."

"Indeed, somehow we won," Azula said, with a weak smile. "To be perfectly honest it was mostly on a technicality. I genuinely didn't expect my gladiator to win, his opponent was far superior in battle prowess, but fortune was on our side, it seems."

"All the more reason for you to be pleased with the outcome. Brute strength isn't the only way to win a fight," said Ozai. "But it's rather clear you already know so. Else you wouldn't have chosen the gladiator you did."

"Naturally," said Azula, nodding. She had chosen Sokka for his cleverness in the fighting pit, it was true: she couldn't recall having ever met such an inventive fighter. Granted not all his improvisations worked out, but it seems they did when it mattered the most.

"But your accomplishment in the Slate, while remarkable, seems to pale next to your ceremony," said Ozai, with a malicious grin. "Even the Head Sage, that pompous, witless fool, is in awe over your prowess."

"Yes, even him," said Azula, with a small grin as Ozai chuckled. "He was quite amazed when I first showed him what I could do with the gold flames."

"Naturally. He should be. Truth be told, I'm quite amazed myself still," said Ozai, frowning a little. "It is a brand-new skill, rather different from your blue flames. Granted that their combination allows an extraordinary fire to be born, but it does make me wonder, how did you accomplish the gold flames?"

"Why, it was… through a lot of studying, truth be told," said Azula, hoping to imprint as much sincerity as she could to her words. "I read old writings, and I found that I ought to unleash my inner fire for this ceremony. We have always firebent without quite unfolding our full potential in this way, Father, so I merely sought a way to release my inner flames. And such was the result."

"Remarkable," said Ozai, nodding. "And to hear this from a child who hasn't spent her entire life studying on these ancient writings… it's the perfect slap across the Head Sage's face. Well done."

"Is that what you hoped I'd accomplish?" Azula asked, raising her eyebrows. "You believed that having me performing the ceremony would be a blow to the Head Sage's ego?"

"Not quite. At first, I only wanted to spite him," said Ozai, smirking. "But your absolute success has left even him silenced in utter amazement. Even Zhao was astounded when he gazed upon the torches in the Temple…"

"So… he's back now?" Azula asked, raising an eyebrow. "For good?"

"At least for some time, yes," said Ozai. "He needed a break direly after spending such a long time at the North Pole. He's not at the Palace today, he's currently handling certain matters regarding his household, but he's certain to be here for the Ball. He rather looks forward to seeing you again, especially after witnessing the flames at the Temple. Needless to say, he was quite impressed."

"As everyone was," Azula said, simply, and Ozai chuckled.

"Indeed. Somehow you always manage to prove yourself above everyone's expectations, my daughter. It's remarkable. No longer will anyone speak against your qualifications as future Fire Lord, I'm certain of it."

"Well, I'd hope so," said Azula, her eyes widening a little. "With everything I've achieved so far…"

"Indeed, your track record is spotless," said Ozai. "Well, nearly. You still refuse to take a husband, but everything else seems to compensate for it at this point. Your capture of the Rough Rhinos and eventual dismantling of a brewing rebellion in Ba Sing Se, the endangering of your life in order to capture those White Lotus criminals, and now with these two new firebending techniques… and that's without speaking of all the recognition you've earned through the Gladiator Business. You're certainly a rising star in the Fire Nation, to say the least."

"I suppose I am," Azula said, without being able to hold back a small smile. Regardless if Zhao was here or not, which would usually serve to ruin her mood easily, her father's words were uplifting.

"And if even the Head Sage acknowledges you now, then the most irritating obstacle in your path has been cleared," said Ozai, at which Azula frowned a little.

"Well, he acknowledges my firebending, certainly, but there might still be certain noblemen who would believe I'm not suited for the task of ruling" Such as the Millennium Dragon's sponsor and Kuan, to begin with…

"Their opinion matters little," said Ozai, smirking. "Especially when you have the support of most military leaders, the sages and the people. And, mainly, the Fire Lord's favor."

"So noblemen are of no consequence?" Azula asked, and Ozai shook his head.

"The ones who oppose you aren't worth your concern. They are merely old-fashioned, narrow-minded fools," said Ozai. "Their priority isn't the progress of our nation, but that of their own families and their wealth. But they're not strong enough to oppose my will."

"That's quite fortunate," said Azula. "But still, even if you do want me to succeed you, Zuko is still around, Father. Are you just going to ignore him?"

"Well, haven't I been doing that splendidly so far?" asked Ozai, smirking and signing a paper on the desk, something he had been working on before Azula's arrival.

"So, you're just going to…?" Azula asked, looking at him with unease.

"I am just going to declare you the Fire Nation's official Crown Princess, Azula," Ozai said, his voice somewhat teasing at first, but as he spoke it shifted into nothing but utter pride.

Azula's eyes opened wide as she heard those words, her lips parting.

She had been waiting to hear them ever since she was a child, when Ozai had first told her she would succeed him as Fire Lord one day. Back then she hadn't even understood how her father would become Fire Lord to begin with, but she had chosen to believe in Ozai's ploys fully. And now he finally meant to make this element of them a reality.

"I… d-do you mean that?" she said, her voice trembling. "I will be… Crown Princess? For good this time?"

"For good this time," said Ozai, smirking. "No longer will your status as my heir hinge on Zuko's banishment. You have already proven yourself more times than any other prince or princess before you ever had to. Everyone in the Fire Nation will celebrate by now upon knowing you are next in line for the throne."

"Is that what you're… what you're signing there?" Azula asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Indeed. A document I will have my council sign during our next session, once the festivals end," said Ozai, nodding. "Though I mean to have you proclaimed as our new Crown Princess before making it fully official. I'm certain the Ball will prove to be the best occasion to make such an important announcement"

"What… so quickly?" Azula asked, her eyes widening more. "B-but… that seems rather hasty, Father. Don't you think that maybe it would be convenient to wait at least another week? You should have the signed document first, right…?"

"Not necessarily. Do you think I'm a commoner trying to get a permit to have a farm?" Ozai mocked her, smirking. "I'm the Fire Lord. I have every right to do this, or anything else I might want to. It's that simple, Azula."

"Still…" said Azula, frowning a little.

Why was it that she wasn't rejoicing to see her biggest wish fulfilled? She should be. She would be the best Fire Lord in history, or at least she meant to be. She had been so disgruntled and tense when Zuko returned, worried about what his presence in the Fire Nation would mean for her in the long run. She had treated him as the threat he was, not to her personally, but to her claim to the throne.

She had taken his gesture on her birthday to be misleading, a cover for an attempt to win one over her. It hadn't been that, though, not at all. Her subsequent conversations with her brother had led her to see that. The man was too righteous to try to deceive her in any way, after all. But he was quick to anger and frustration… especially when things didn't go his way. And even more so when things didn't go his way because of his sister.

"Is something the matter?" Ozai asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I just… I'm not certain if announcing this during the Ball is a good idea, Father," said Azula, breathing deeply. "It's too soon, and the news might not be well-received…"

"Are you worried about your brother, by any chance?" Ozai asked, skeptical. "Or about your Uncle, perhaps? That would be most unlike you…"

"I'm sorry, Father," said Azula, with a weak grin. "But I do find them to be reasons for concern, and not because of some sort of sentimentality, if that's what you thought…"

"Why, though?" asked Ozai, resting against the backseat of his chair. "You're renowned throughout the Fire Nation for heroic deeds, your brother for being banished. Even if he wanted to kick up a ruckus over this matter, I'm certain most everyone would side with your claim rather than his."

"Quite possibly, but wouldn't you prefer it if he didn't kick up a ruckus at all?" Azula said, raising her eyebrows. "I'm aware you enjoy humiliating him in public, but I'd think you'd rather he doesn't cause a scene in the middle of the Ball. Wouldn't it be better for the Festivals to end without a hitch?"

"And when would you want me to announce you as the Crown Princess then?" Ozai asked, frowning. "Regardless of when I do it, your brother will likely react explosively. It's what he does best, after all…"

"Then perhaps you should let him know before announcing it publicly," said Azula. "I could do it myself, if you're unwilling. Yes, he's still likely to protest this way, but less likely to set the Palace on fire in a blind rage…"

"I suppose you have a point," said Ozai, rolling his eyes, ending the gesture with a disappointed sigh. "Clever of you to think so. Still, he's going to make a fuss regardless of when it happens, and perhaps my brother will join him in the tantrum as well… though he just might sit back and chortle happily while drowning in tea instead. Seeing how he didn't so much as protest when I took the position of Fire Lord for myself…"

"You had Azulon's last testament to support your claim," said Azula. "And he was lost to the world for an entire year. By the time he arrived it would have been plain inconvenient to even try to stand up against you."

"Not quite. He could have challenged me to an Agni Kai upon his arrival to the Capital," said Ozai. "He would have had the Head Sage's full support, for one thing. But he must have known he had no chance to win. Why fight me when I am and always have been the superior bender between us both?"

"Naturally," said Azula, with a crooked smile. Ozai returned the grin.

"Which is the case as well with you and Zuko, in case you have forgotten," he said. "Your brother is incompetent compared to you. He stands little to no chance against you. So, if he did throw a temper tantrum…"

"Another Agni Kai for him," said Azula, her eyes on the table. "That might not appeal to him much, but it just might be the best thing to do in order to settle this matter without further complications."

"Well, that is, if he has the courage to accept fighting you while aware that he cannot possibly defeat you," said Ozai, his eyes darkening a little as he spoke. Azula gulped at the expression on his face. "Though it seems he might have found some courage while at sea, surprisingly. Zhao regaled me with the most amusing tale…"

"Did he?" Azula asked, frowning in confusion. "I wasn't aware they had encountered one another while Zuko was banished."

"It seems it happened once. Zhao didn't want to disclose the full details, though," said Ozai, a hint of amusement on his face. "After a few taunts by our Admiral, Zuko reacted as he often does. He challenged Zhao to an Agni Kai…"

"Did he really?" Azula asked, astonished.

"And the most amusing part of that tale is that Zuko actually triumphed," said Ozai, chuckling. Azula's jaw dropped.

"How did he…? Against Zhao?" Azula said, aghast. "Wasn't Zhao supposed to be some extraordinary firebender?"

"I fear his skills might have dulled a little under the weight of all his promotions," said Ozai, laughing with malice. Azula wasn't surprised at all to hear Ozai taunt his life-long friend in this way, and as she held few sympathies for the man, she actually laughed softly as well. "He must have dropped his guard foolishly. Clearly he takes no pride in what happened, but I didn't allow him to keep the truth from me. Naturally, I mean to tease him for it until he begins training more seriously. In our younger days he used to be the most dangerous firebender there was. I suppose I'll have to drag him to the training grounds again, get him in shape once more…"

"It would be convenient. We can't have one of our most prominent military figures slacking off in his firebending," said Azula, smirking.

"I'll see to that," said Ozai, smiling. "Well, then, I shall hold out on announcing you as Crown Princess until your brother poses little to no threat to your claim. Once he's no longer a complicating factor, the entire Fire Nation will know you are my one and true heir, and the future Fire Lord of our rising nation."

"Very well," said Azula, nodding. "I shall prepare for the occasion."

"Indeed you should," said Ozai, grinning, as Azula stood up and bowed before her father. "This is what we've been working for, my daughter. Rejoice"

"I shall, once everything is finally in place," Azula said, with a satisfied grin. "Until then, I need to keep weighing every single step we take, Father."

"At times it feels like you're far wiser than I can ever hope to be," said Ozai, and Azula's smile became more genuine now.

"Why, that certainly flatters me, Father," she said, bowing again. "I shall see you soon, then. At the Ball, if not sooner."

"For certain," said Ozai, nodding, as Azula turned to leave.

She crossed the Palace at a hasty pace, led by necessity towards her room. Only when she closed the door behind her did she allow her mask to crumble. A hand went to her forehead as she shook her head in disbelief. Why now? Why, when she wasn't ready for this title, even though she had been for all her life? It was too much, too fast. She wasn't the kind of person who ever felt like she was in over her head, but right now she was overwhelmed by the new predicament her father had forced upon her.

Yes, she wanted to be Crown Princess, there was no questioning that. But it was incredibly unfortunate that her father would finally do this when she was starting to get along better with both her brother and uncle. The two alliances she had forged with them would shatter instantly once they knew of this. And there would be no going back, not anymore. Zuko would surely be outraged… after finally trusting her, opening up to her, he would assume she had been plotting just how to get to his good side in order to strike at him when he least expected it. And clearly, her uncle would think the same thing.

She had no doubts she could beat Zuko in an Agni Kai, but at what cost? Just how likely was it for him to fight toe and nail for the throne he had always regarded as his? Quite likely, as a matter of fact. If this conflict escalated into a civil war it would hardly come as a surprise. She believed that she was well known and supported throughout the Fire Nation, but she had no doubts that there were many who would only see Zuko as Ozai's true heir, regardless of what he did wrong or what Azula did right, her uncle amongst them.

Azula sighed and continued to shake her head, settling on the chair before her own desk. To make matter worse, becoming the undisputable Crown Princess had been beyond appealing long ago, when she'd had less to lose… but the already horrible consequences of being entangled with a slave would only worsen if she became Crown Princess.

Her father believed he was doing her a great favor, and it should have been that way… but Azula had played more games than she should have for the past year. She had formed new bonds with many people, bonds her father would never approve of. Bonds that were likely to destroy her one way or another if Ozai's plans came to fruition.

Because, if word of her relationship with Sokka was spread through the city, Zuko wouldn't need to do anything for Azula's credibility to disappear. Who would approve of a Fire Lord who trampled around with slaves? And with a Water Tribe slave, to boot…

"Of all the people I had to fall in love with, I just had to pick you, damn it…" she whispered, slumping over the table and striking her head against the wood softly.

She shouldn't have expected for this strangely balanced status quo to persist. She should have known something would shatter that balance eventually, whether she liked it or not. The only question left to ask was what was she going to do about it? Would she let her father do as he pleased, or would she find a way to stop his ambitions, as she had during her birthday? It was far too risky to try that move once again, though. The consequences had already been unpleasant enough the first time. Losing her father's good will simply wasn't an option now.

She shook her head, rubbing her forehead with her fingers as a headache started to pound within her skull. It seemed her body was reprimanding her for being far too pessimistic: with some luck, or rather, a lot of luck, this would turn out to be a good thing. Perhaps she could still find a way to get everything she wanted, without losing everything she cared about in the process…

---

He combed his hair back, the wetness of the strands making it even more manageable than usual. Sokka was quite fortunate to have such easy hair to brush, and he was aware of it. Katara had expressed jealousy over his hair often while they were growing up, for hers would get tangled easily if she didn't brush it often. Sokka knew he ought to appreciate his hair quite a lot… which was why the burned tips of his wolf's tail had bothered him as they did.

Song had helped him cut the ends of his hair once he had arrived home, and Sokka had stressed slightly over if his hair might end up too short to tie up in his proper wolf's tail by now. Fortunately, his concerns had been unnecessary, and he found he still could pull his hair up as he liked to.

But despite the good news, he made the decision to keep it loose for tonight's great event. And thus, he was combing his hair back with the aid of some water and a comb, hoping to make himself look presentable enough to attend the Ball everyone was so excited about.

He had mostly rested ever since they set out from the Slate, hoping to be in his best shape in time for the Ball. But it was impossible to achieve a full recovery in a matter of three days: the bruise on his cheek, which had been dark purple during the trip, was now dark brown instead, so he chose to keep it covered with a bandage anyways, even if it didn't match his attire.

His outfit was styled as a changshan, like the ones he had worn during his time as Piandao's apprentice. It was comprised by an indigo top and a pair of black pants. It wasn't an extraordinary outfit, but that was no surprise: he was a slave after all. He wasn't about to wear anything scandalous to earn himself unwanted attention.

"Okay… I suppose that's that," he said, studying his reflection in the mirror. His hair was perfectly in place, even though there was some risk of it becoming messier as the evening progressed. He took a deep breath and released it as a nervous sigh before standing up from his dresser and getting ready to leave.

"Well, you look pretty handsome," said Song, smiling kindly at Sokka as he reached the first floor. He grinned and laughed a little shyly, scratching the back of his head carelessly, but he stopped doing it upon realizing he was bound to mess up his hairdo if he touched it too much.

"I tried, I tried," he said, blushing a little. "Seems it paid off, then, eh?"

"It did, but… are you sure you should go to this Ball?" asked Song, raising her eyebrows. "You won't be able to eat that easily with your hands like that…"

"Do you think I'm just going for the food, Song, really?" Sokka asked, looking at her with disbelief and she smiled.

"Well, it's you we're talking about, Sokka," she said, chuckling. "Your first priority in life has always been food… or well, by now it must be the second one, surely. Say hi to the Princess for me, will you?"

Sokka's blush returned at full strength at Song's insinuation. She giggled as he harrumphed and turned to the door, clasping the knob and grimacing painfully as he touched it with his still healing hand. He was wearing his bandages, and Song had been helping him heal, but the pain was still bothersome.

"I'll see you in a few hours, Song," he said, before taking off. "I'll bring some food for you!"

"You'd better!" Song exclaimed, as Sokka closed the door behind him.

He started to walk to the Palace, but he chose to call for a carriage once he was in a more transited area, not wanting to spoil his dress clothes with a long stroll. He waited eagerly on his seat as the wheels spun too slowly for his liking. He wasn't sure what to expect from tonight, at all: he doubted he would be the center of attention, but word might have spread about his success in the Slate. Hopefully Azula would be pleased by the recognition they would gain by now…

He was surprised when the carriage stopped altogether, not yet at their destination, and the driver told him this was as far as he could take him. The Palace was still a few blocks away, but the streets were so boisterous and crowded that it would prove impossible for the carriage to make it through the masses. Sokka paid the man and climbed off the vehicle, and he started on his way towards the front gates.

Never had he seen the city alight with so many colors, the streets packed with people chatting and laughing into the evening. There were bright lamps everywhere, firebending displays as Ty Lee had described, stands that sold masks and many other fun gadgets, though the stands that caught Sokka's eye, naturally, were those that sold food. All in all, he had never seen the Fire Nation Capital as cheerful as it was today.

"I thought Fire Nation people sucked the fun out of everything…" he said, with a grin. He was glad to have been mistaken about that.

The entrance to the Palace was packed, but mostly by on-lookers who hoped to spot some of the prominent noblemen who were entering the Palace at the moment. Sokka managed to slip through the crowd and reached the small line before the gates, noticing that the guests were handing in their invitations for the Ball… he didn't have one, however. So he had no choice but to smile awkwardly at the guards who had been tasked with checking the new arrivals.

"Invita-… oh, it's the gladiator," said the one who had meant to check Sokka. He jerked his head towards the Palace and Sokka grinned. Well, that had been simple, fortunately.

The Palace grounds weren't anywhere near as crowded as the rest of the city was, but many noble families were speaking quite amicably there instead of heading inside the main building, as Sokka was about to. He wondered if they really got along as well as they seemed to, or if it was just a front… things were far less fun and natural within these walls than they had been outside.

Still, he had to admit the Palace was more upbeat today than ever. He smiled at the decorations, finding most of the colorful lanterns to quite pleasant to the eyes. They afforded the Palace a slightly less grim appearance, Sokka thought.

People didn't seem to notice him, but at times he felt followed by their gazes. He had no idea if they were friendly stares or not, but he wasn't planning on staying in the gardens much longer to find out. He really wanted to see Azula and he hoped to spend some time with her this evening, even if at a certain distance. He didn't mean to put her in awkward situations, not tonight.

He made his way through the halls, guided by a guard's directions towards the main hall of the Palace, where the actual Ball would take place. It looked bigger yet than the one where Azula's birthday feast was held, or at least the massive double-doors that led to it suggested as much. Said doors were wide open as people came and went inside the great chamber… but Sokka didn't walk inside immediately. His footsteps slowed to a halt when his eyes fell upon a figure standing right before the doors.

Once again, her dress was a hanfu, as the one she had worn on her birthday. The outer robe was long and sleeveless, of a gentle golden shade. The inner robe was wrapped closely around her body, her cleavage showing the very top of her breasts. This cloth was white, with red and gold flowers that resembled water lilies embroidered into it, and the sash wrapped around her waist had been made from the very same fabric, it seemed. The large sleeves were of a pale red, the cuffs gold. Her hair was up, as it had been during her birthday, but this time it was decorated with many small adornments that looked like bright red dragons to Sokka. Her usual golden hairpiece was perfectly in place before her top-knot, her trademark bangs framing her face elegantly, as ever.

Sokka froze where he was, unaware that his jaw had dropped as he admired Azula with absolute amazement. She was currently talking to a man Sokka recalled from Azula's feast, Zhen, who was accompanied by his family this time. His wife was a pretty woman, slender but short, her hair dark and held in a top-knot as well. The two of them were flanking a young boy who couldn't have been older than ten. The child was gazing at Azula with curious and bright eyes as the Princess addressed his parents as politely as was expected of her.

"… Sadly, it was time for me to take the back seat for now. I've been dealing with that deadly silent behemoth long enough as it is," Zhen was saying, chuckling. "Let the Admiral take him back already! I'd rather stop worrying about whatever the hell's going on behind that creepy stare of his…"

"I told you many times that agreeing to sponsor the man was not a good idea, but you never listen to me, now, do you?" the wife was saying. Azula's eyebrow twitched ever slightly at their bickering, and Sokka didn't fail to notice it, even at a distance.

"Well, woman, you couldn't expect me to just refuse Admiral Zhao, could you?" Zhen retorted.

"They fight like this all the time," the child told Azula, who laughed a little at his declaration. The parents were startled out of their pointless argument by their son's voice. "It's soooo annoying…"

"It must be quite trying if that's so. I fear you'll have to bear with your parents, though," said Azula, chuckling as Zhen smiled and apologized.

"Now, now, Huiwen, no need to embarrass us in front of the Princess herself…" said Zhen, patting his son's head. "You know what? Let's fetch something to eat, yes! Come now, Huiwen, Lan!"

"Excuse us, Princess," said the wife, Lan, smiling kindly at Azula.

"Do enjoy the festivities," Azula said, as the three of them finally moved into the large hall behind the Princess.

She sighed, not allowing the mask of perfection to crumble altogether, but still letting some of her frustration seep through. Greeting people was not her strong suit, and she would much rather not have to deal with it at all. As much as she could have a way with people, she was nothing short of exhausted after the hundredth guest she'd had to greet…

But her weariness was swept away quickly when she turned her gaze towards the hallway, finding that someone she knew all too well had been staring at her with his lips parted, his eyes wide and a subtle blush on his face.

"S-Sokka?" she said, blinking a few times and willing herself not to blush under his intense gaze.

"Huh… y-yeah, it's me," he said, with an awkward grin as he stepped forward and tucked his hands into his pants' pockets. "Hey there."

"I didn't think you'd arrive so early," Azula said, wishing she wasn't feeling as pointlessly nervous as she was right now. Why would she be nervous at all? It was Sokka, the same goof she had grown used to for the past year. It didn't matter if he had combed his hair back, or that his clothes were fancier than usual… deep down it was still him. So why did she feel like a schoolgirl with a crush? How ridiculous, embarrassing, unbefitting of her status… but it was an unavoidable reaction. Her heart was racing, making her fear that her chest's palpitations might even be visible under this revealing cleavage, and that Sokka would notice just how anxious he was making her…

"I didn't have much else to do," said Sokka, with a grin. "So, I figured, why not come down here already and… a-and start devouring all the food, eh?"

"I suppose it's the main reason you're here, huh?" said Azula, with a small smile. Sokka swallowed. No, it most certainly wasn't. He might not even care if he returned home with an empty stomach… not after seeing her like this. All thoughts of food were easily forgotten next to her beauty. "You fixed your hair, I see?"

"Oh, yeah. Finally, heh?" he said, with a goofy smile. "It's a bit shorter than usual…"

"Well, it looks fine to me," Azula said. It was ridiculous how difficult this conversation had been so far… it was as though they had absolutely no clue what to tell one another, despite conversations usually flowed easily between them.

"Y-you… you look more than fine, though," he said, blushing deeper now. "You're… you're really beautiful tonight, Azula. Really. And I mean, reeeeeally…"

"No need to emphasize it so much," Azula said, as Sokka smiled clumsily again. "But thanks. I'd better look beautiful, considering how long it took me to get ready…"

"Well, mission accomplished," said Sokka, grinning broadly. "I'm sure you'll be the prettiest girl in the entire Palace tonight!"

"Oh? Just tonight? Well, thanks for your sincerity…" Azula said, feigning hurt at his words. Sokka grimaced and shook his head as he took back his previous assertion.

"N-no, no, no! Of course not just tonight! I mean, all these girls probably took ages to get ready too, but they can't even hold a torch to your beauty! That's what I was saying!" he said, flustered, as Azula chuckled.

"So that's what you meant," she said, smirking. "I guess I can accept that… anyways, you should probably head inside by now. I'll have to stand here and play the nice hostess for a little while longer."

"We're not bound to spend a lot of time picking on one another today, are we?" Sokka asked, and Azula sighed as she shook her head.

"It's unlikely. But at least treat yourself to the food, if nothing else. Make the night count one way or another," she suggested, smirking. Sokka gulped again. Her devious grin seemed more alluring underneath the make-up she wore tonight.

"I'll try to do that, yep…" he said, smiling foolishly as he stepped next to her.

He deliberately brushed his knuckles against her hand, lightly enough so that it would seem a mistake to anyone who might have seen it. But Azula knew better than that. She fought back the urge to smile and she focused on the guests again, trying to put aside all thoughts of her gladiator.

Sokka entered the hall, a delighted grin on his face as he gazed around himself. Lots of people were gathered in here, and the loud chatter made the elegant occasion appear slightly more casual than it was. Sokka suspected it was merely because the Fire Lord was nowhere to be seen just yet – he wouldn't be likely to show up until the revelry was in full swing.

After scouring the area carefully to find where the food might be, he happened upon familiar faces, namely, Mai's family. Mai was dressed in a long-sleeved black dress with no cleavage to speak of, unlike Azula's. She was holding Yuudai, who was dressed in a bright red tunic, whereas his father wore a similar one but of darker color. The child was laughing happily as his hands reached for another person who had his back to Sokka, but even so, the gladiator recognized him easily. Zuko was wearing a changshan like Sokka's own, but instead of blue it was of dark red and black, with golden highlights. His hair was carefully brushed into a top-knot, a golden hairpiece like Azula's own placed before the hair bun.

"It seems like he's having a good time so far," Zuko was telling Ruon Jian and Mai by the time Sokka approached.

"Let's only hope he remains in good spirits for the rest of the night," said Mai, as Yuudai smiled brightly, basking in being at the center of attention.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Sokka said, once he reached the group. He grinned broadly and patted Zuko's back and he was surprised when the Prince smiled back at him. "Been such a long time since I last saw you guys, huh?"

"You're so very hilarious…" said Mai, raising her eyebrows as Ruon Jian grinned at Sokka. "And so very upbeat, looks like."

"Yeah, well, I'm going to have a fancy meal at the Palace. That's a good reason to be upbeat," said Sokka, smirking.

"Thinking with your stomach, that's new," Zuko said sarcastically, and Sokka poked his ribs with a finger, making Zuko squirm out of his reach. "Hey!"

"Stop being a spoilsport, let me enjoy my thing and you can enjoy yours… whatever that is," said Sokka, looking at Zuko inquisitively. "Now I think of it, what is your thing?"

Zuko was about to snap at Sokka, to tell him he should stop prying into what didn't concern him. Why did he need to have a 'thing' anyways? But the words got stuck in his throat when he heard a familiar high-pitched voice not far from where they were. He ventured a glance towards the doors to find that, as he had suspected, Ty Lee had arrived.

It would have been impossible to miss the chi-blocker, both because of her loud voice and the extravagant attire she wore: a sleeveless, strapless dress with pink, yellow and white patterns that wrapped around her body so tightly that a lot of nearby noblemen were ogling her quite shamelessly. The girl was in the middle of greeting Azula, and she was flanked by both her slaves. Haru was wearing a hanfu of his own, though it was of a rather simple design, fashioned out of both light and dark green cloth. As for Suki, she wore a qipao dress. The top of it was red, with green outlines. The sash was green, and the skirt was red again. A gold, red and green hairpiece crowned her auburn hair.

Zuko felt his heart sink upon the sight of her, and he felt compelled to shrink away before they could approach them. He didn't have a chance to do it, though, for as soon as Ty Lee left Azula alone again, she bolted straight towards their group.

"Oh, great! You're all here already!" she exclaimed, as she hugged Mai as a greeting.

"Didn't expect us to stay at home when we can have Palace food for free, now, did you?" Sokka said, grinning goofily as Haru chuckled.

"Of course not, especially not you," said Ty Lee, giggling. "Though I'm surprised you're not gobbling down everything you can already…"

"Well, I just got here myself…" said Sokka, glancing at the sides as he tried to find the buffet table. "So I hadn't had a chance to fetch a plate yet. But… aha, there's the food! I'll see you guys in a bit!"

He hurried off cheerfully towards the tables without further ado, leaving the group to stare after him in amusement.

"To think Azula chose that moron for her gladiator…" said Mai, smiling a little.

"Well, he has a point," said Haru, smiling a little. "I could use some food myself…"

The conversation, so very casual, did little to deflate the tension between Zuko and Suki. He had averted his eyes from her, despite feeling compelled to admire how pretty she looked, but he could feel her gaze insistently fixed upon him. Azula had been right to tell him not to isolate himself… but even so, he wasn't sure he wanted to talk to Suki just yet.

"I'll just go get some food as well…" Zuko whispered to no one in particular, suspecting none of them had heard him anyways… but someone did.

"Zuko…" Suki called out, but he turned on his heels and walked off without another word.

She watched him leave, her chest aching as he kept putting distance between them. Should she just leave him be, then? Was he going to avoid her forever? It pained her to see him acting like this, and it made her wonder if perhaps it would be best, for both of them, if she actually left him alone…

"But the food's the other way…" said Ruon Jian, innocently, frowning as Zuko disappeared through another door in the large hall.

"Suki…" Ty Lee said, looking at her worriedly and taking her hand in hers. "Don't feel bad, he'll… he'll get over it."

"I doubt it," said Mai, cuttingly, making Suki flinch. "Not on his own, he won't."

"You mean…" said Suki, blinking a few times.

"What I mean is, go after him. Set things right," Mai said, looking at Suki with a small smile.

"Yeah… whatever's broken, you two can fix it together," said Haru, smiling gently at Suki. "I'm sure of it."

Suki looked at her friends with amazement before smiling and nodding. She didn't wait for more encouragement: she set out after Zuko, her determination to settle matters growing stronger with each step she took.

"Let's hope things work out now," said Mai.

"Yeah, let's hope so…" Ty Lee nodded and sighed dreamily… until she frowned and looked at Mai with accusing eyes. "Wait a minute… you just want to win our bet, don't you?!"

Mai actually laughed at that, surprising everyone nearby, and as she dealt with Ty Lee's accusations, Suki sped through the Palace's halls, searching for Zuko frantically. At long last she found him, strolling down a solitary passageway, his head hung.

"Zuko!" she called out again, startling him. He turned to look at her, his eyes somewhat wide with panic.

"S-Suki…" he whispered.

She breathed heavily as she reached him, staring at him insistently. Zuko withdrew slightly, his demeanor that of a frightened child. Why was he acting like this? It was nearly as though their roles had reversed from when they had found one another once again, Suki thought, which made no damn sense…

"Stop turning away from me already," she said, gritting her teeth. "Do you want to have me chasing after you forever?"

"I didn't… I don't," he said, frowning. "I'm not turning away from you. I'm just… sparing you the trouble of bearing with me, is all."

"Could you not be so hard on yourself?" Suki asked, looking at him earnestly. "I just want to talk about this. I understand that you thought that I was rejecting you back in the Slate, but I…"

"You heard what I said and just fled when you had a chance," said Zuko, dropping his gaze. "If you weren't trying to reject me, you did a poor job at showing it…"

"I was worried about Sokka," she said, frowning. "Zuko, you just… did you have to pick that moment to say what you said? It was just not the right time…"

"And when is the right time?" Zuko asked, looking at her sternly. "You want me to say it again now? Do you really think that's going to change your response in any way?"

"Zuko…"

"Look, I get it, alright?" he said, sighing and shaking his head. "It's fine. It wouldn't be the first time I misunderstand something and it sure won't be the last. So just… forget it. I know it was inconvenient and it was wrong, I shouldn't have said it and I'm sorry."

"You're sorry for saying it?" Suki asked, gulping. "Or for feeling the way you feel?"

"Well… if I hadn't said it I'd be able to still think we'd have a chance, even if we won't," said Zuko, his eyes flickering towards her quickly before dropping again. "As for how I feel, I don't think I could have avoided it. I… I started loving you from afar, if just for reasons that seem rather shallow now. Even if I'd known back then that nothing would happen between us, which is what I believed anyways, I still would have felt how I did. I can't change that."

Suki sighed, her heart beating faster than ever.

"You just… you have to understand, Zuko," she said, looking at him imploringly. "You're a prince. I'm just a common slave, and it doesn't matter if you could help it or not, I'm not someone you should have fallen in love with. You're supposed to marry someone of high birth, right? You're… you're meant to rule a nation one day! I'm nobody next to you, even if your feelings have blinded you to the truth…"

"You're being ridiculous," said Zuko, gritting his teeth and approaching her. "You're not nobody. You're… Suki, you've touched thousands of lives through something that should have only been gruesome and horrid, by bringing out the beauty in it! You're amazing! Don't belittle yourself…!"

"Well, then, don't belittle yourself either, you idiot!" Suki snapped, startling Zuko. "Stop acting like you're a burden or a bother for me, because you're neither! I…"

She was the one gritting her teeth now, her hands pressed into fists as she lowered her gaze. Zuko looked at her worriedly.

"You…?"

"I don't… I don't know what I feel," she admitted, closing her eyes. "Everything I've ever held dear has been ripped away from me before I knew what was happening. Even little things I didn't know I held dear, like… like the apartment I used to share with Oyaji, like the smell that always came before rain started to pour over Kyoshi Island. So, I don't… I don't know if I'm ready to feel this now, Zuko. It's… it's too terrifying to think I might lose you…"

"Suki…"

"But if I do nothing, I'm going to lose you either way," she said, looking at Zuko with sincerity. "I… I'm really honored to know you love me, Zuko, and… I think I would be lying if I said I don't feel the same way. But it's…"

Her words got lost as his sad eyes shifted quickly, growing clearer and brighter all of sudden. The tension in his jaw disappeared as it dropped, as he stared at her in disbelief but also relief.

"It's impossible," Suki finished at last, and she feared he would be upset again, but to her surprise, he looked at her with determination.

"No… no, it isn't," he said, firmly. Suki held her silence, listening to his words with uncertainty. "I don't… spirits, Suki, I don't care that you're a slave. You could have been a palace servant, a sailor on my ship, I don't care! Because I know I would love you no matter what, as I already told you. Damn the circumstances, the consequences, none of that matters!"

"You can say that now, Zuko, but that's not true and you know it," said Suki, shaking her head. "Your father…"

"My father hasn't even looked at me ever since I came home," Zuko snapped. "My sister doesn't mind either, she even told me to go for it so long as I didn't do anything stupid! I just want to be with you, Suki. Screw what everyone else says, I'm pretty damn sure I'm never going to please them no matter what I do. So just… forget it. Forget I'm a prince, forget you're a slave. Just think about you and me, nothing else, and tell me… do you want to be with me too?"

Suki only looked at him for a moment, her mind telling her not to answer that question, her heart begging her to do so. She felt tears burning in her eyes, a knot in her throat as she finally decided to give him the answer he had asked for…

"Of course I want to be with you," she said, the tears rolling down her cheeks. "It's the only thing I could want, Zuko, I…!"

He leaned down, his face going to her shoulder as he embraced her tightly. Suki closed her eyes and gripped him tightly, her tears dropping on his tunic now. She thought she felt him laugh against her, and she inched away slightly, hoping to look at him now. Zuko held her face in his hands, tears gleaming in the corner of his eyes as well. Despite herself, Suki smiled. Even now, the consequences were to be feared… but seeing his pure happiness erased her doubts. The odds were against them, but now she wanted to take the risk. She wanted to be with him, and he wanted her, too. She hadn't been convinced before, but by now she knew that was all that mattered.

She was the one who leaned in to kiss him deeply, her arms going around his neck as Zuko's surrounded her waist. The sounds of the Ball drifted towards them, but they barely heard them, locked in one another's arms as they were, determined not to let anything tear them apart ever again.

---

The evening progressed slowly as more guests arrived. The hall soon became boisterous and loud, though the noise died down slightly once the musicians were ready to perform. Sokka was quite interested in hearing their performance, and he even slid away from the buffet table for a little while just to judge the musicians' prowess once they started playing their instruments.

To his disappointment, the music wasn't at all upbeat. He frowned and tilted his head to the side, thinking that wasn't dancing material whatsoever. What sort of ball could take place with such slow, sad and dissonant music?

Apparently, a Fire Nation Ball could. Sokka grimaced as he watched how only one pair would take each dance, and how they never stood anywhere near one another despite being dancing together. The dancers kept their distance, their movements as slow as the music, their gestures as dispassionate as possible. It disappointed Sokka so much that he turned away from the dancing area and returned to the food, to find a certain acquaintance of his in the middle of picking the dishes she wanted to eat, or rather, picking through all the food as she sampled everything on the table.

"What the… are you tasting every single dish, Toph?!" Sokka asked, aghast.

"I've got to find out which one I want to eat, right?" she said, simply, with a grin. Unlike everyone else, Toph's clothes were completely casual. She wasn't even wearing a dress, surely because she didn't want to. "Nice hearing you again, Dog. Been quite some time, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, actually. Since Ba Sing Se," said Sokka. "Everything went well with your parents?"

"Well, they're still trying to make me behave as a lady, and I'm still rebelling against them with everything I've got," said Toph, grinning widely before chuckling. "So yeah, everything went well. I argued with them lots while I was back in Gaoling, but we needed that. It was nice going back, surprisingly."

"Good to know," said Sokka, grinning "Now, stop poking every dish. I want to have some of this stuff too and knowing you, you didn't wash your hands before touching the food…"

"When do I ever?" Toph asked, grinning, as Sokka's stomach sank.

"I… I actually was kidding with that. Gross, Toph," he said, shaking his head as she laughed.

"Learn to live life, will you?" she said, as Sokka reached for a dish that didn't seem to have been touched by Toph just yet.

He was gulping down chunks of spicy hippo cow meat when he found, at long last, that something interesting was finally happening. Azula was done greeting guests, for it seemed Iroh had stepped in to relieve her from that particular duty, and now she had entered the hall… only to be busy again, engaged in more conversations with the people already within the room. Sokka's spirits dropped again as he glared at the crowd gathered around the Princess.

"Aren't they ever going to give her some time to herself…?" he grumbled, and Toph chuckled.

"Jealous much? You've got to learn to share your girl with the world, you know. She's really famous by now, you can't expect her to spend every waking moment with you."

"I'm not expecting her to do that, though I can't say I'd mind if she did…" Sokka whispered, before frowning. "And she's not 'my girl', Toph. Don't say stuff like that."

"She's not? Really?" she asked, sucking off her fingers after finishing the muffin she had been eating. "Here I thought you two were finally getting it going… she seemed a little happier than usual, so I guessed that might be why. Maybe not, then…"

"I'm just saying, she's her own person. I don't own her," said Sokka, pouting.

"But she does own you. In all possible senses," said Toph, smiling. "She owns your heart, body, soul, everything about you. It's the sad truth."

"Heh, I guess… in a sense," he said, sighing as he watched Azula speaking to an elderly woman. A waiter passed by her with a tray of small komodo rhino sausages and Azula declined most politely, though she couldn't help but grimace slightly at the sight of komodo rhino products, even now.

"There, there," said Toph, patting Sokka's shoulder. "She obviously likes you too, if that's any comfort. I don't even know why she does, but it seems she does. At least that should make you happy, right?"

"It does, but in moments like these I remember that she's completely and utterly out of my reach," said Sokka, sighing again. "We're worlds apart…"

"Well, if Prince Quick-Feet can do what he's doing with his slave girl over there, maybe the distance between you and Spicy isn't that wide after all."

"Huh?" Sokka said, frowning before scanning the rest of the room, tearing his gaze away from Azula for the first time since she reappeared in his eyesight.

There was a couple dancing to the musician's slow beat now, and to Sokka's surprise, it was Zuko and Suki. He gawked at them, confused beyond belief, as many others whispered about who might be the woman dancing with Prince Zuko. Sokka's eyebrow twitched as he overheard some people whispering that she surely was a noble girl from the colonies…

"They've got no clue what's brewing with old Zuko over there…" said Toph, smirking.

"Can't say I'd get that lucky," said Sokka, huffing. "Unlike how it is with Suki, everyone knows who I am."

"Fair point," said Toph. "Oh well. At least what happens behind closed doors is nobody's business, eh?"

"Normally," said Sokka. "But at times a sneaky earthbender likes to ignore the closed doors and she pokes into what's definitely not her business…"

"Hey now, I did that because we had to get up early or else we wouldn't make it to our fight, Snarky-Pants," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Not my fault you two decided to build your little nest of love despite Iroh was snoring in the next room."

"It was no nest of… ah, forget it," said Sokka, rolling his eyes and grabbing a drink from the table, downing it quickly. The fruity taste made him raise an eyebrow with interest. Maybe this was the lychee wine Azula had mentioned…

"You don't have to be such a sourpuss, you know," said Toph, smiling. "Huh, looks like Zuko's round is over, eh?"

Zuko was now smiling at Suki, and she grinned back at him as they stepped away from the center of the Ball. Suki chose to head off towards where Ty Lee was, giggling happily after watching their dance along with an excited Haru. Zuko, on the other hand, walked to the table Sokka and Toph had been watching him from. The smile on his face was like none Sokka had ever seen on it before.

"Someone's happy," said Sokka, when Zuko finally reached them. The Prince's grin became shyer at that.

"He feels happy too," Toph said, nodding as she wiggled her toes. Only then did Sokka realize she was wearing shoes without soles.

"Uh, yeah, well…" said Zuko, awkwardly, as he reached for a glass of water. "I guess I am."

"It was about time. You're always in such a bad mood, it's a nice change to see you cheerful for once," said Toph, grinning. Zuko's eyebrow twitched.

"Heh. Thanks for your, uh, concern," he said, looking at her with slight irritation. "I'm surprised you're here this time, though. I thought you'd be disgusted by a fancy celebration like this one…"

"A fancy celebration where I can eat whatever the hell I want? Not at all," said Toph, grabbing another bowl of food. "It's not like I'm expected to act like a flawless little doll here because I'm a Beifong, so it's not as lousy a party as the ones back home…"

"Makes sense," said Sokka, as Zuko frowned in confusion.

"You're expected to what, now?" he said. "Who expects that from you?"

"My parents, obviously," said Toph, sighing. "One would think they'd already understand that I hate that crap, but nope, of course not…"

"Wait, wait, wait… who the hell would expect you to be a flawless little doll?" said Zuko, frowning. "You're not even wearing a dress tonight… why would anyone think you'd act any differently if you're always like this?"

"Iroh never told you the truth about me, did he?" said Toph, raising an eyebrow. "Here I thought you and the old man were real close. Oh well, as it turns out, Prince Zuko, I'm actually the daughter of a noble family from Gaoling. I don't have a last name by chance, you know?"

"You're… what the hell?" said Zuko, staring at Toph in disbelief. "You're not a slave?"

"Uh, nope. Never was one," said Toph, simply, throwing more food into her mouth.

"Are you insane?!"

Toph's relaxed demeanor disappeared in thin air now, and her brow drew into a frown. Had she been able to glare directly at Zuko, she would have.

"What?" she said, simply. The dryness of her tone made Sokka flinch. He'd heard such a tone coming from another dangerous woman before and he knew it meant nothing good…

"Uh, guys, maybe you should taste this! I think it's lychee wine, or something…" he said, picking up a glass and smiling awkwardly. He was ignored.

"Did you just ask if I'm insane?" Toph said, setting aside the bowl she had been devouring and crossing her arms over her chest. "Really?"

"Yeah, I did," Zuko said, without backing down. Sokka gulped. Maybe he should just leave these two to work their differences by arguing and just try to chat with Azula, even if she was so busy still… "What the hell's wrong with you? You're not a slave, and yet you're a gladiator…? You… you do it for the fun of it. You actually enjoy it. You… you're mad. You're fighting in a system that tortures people because you think it's fun!"

"Oh, wait a second, are you about to give me a lecture on how dishonorable it is of me to enjoy fighting?" Toph asked, raising her eyebrows.

"I'm not giving you a lecture, but… why the hell would you enjoy it?" said Zuko, looking at Toph with disbelief. "You're a noble girl, for crying out loud, and you go breaking people's bones just because you find amusement in it! I mean, if you were a slave and you had no choice I'd get it, but this is just ridiculous!"

"Oh, yeah, how bad am I?" said Toph, rolling her eyes. "Maybe I enjoy it because I simply do, Brainless. I've always liked fighting, it's what I'm good at! My bending is like nobody else's, and I'm damn proud of it! And if big burly guys can join the Gladiator League just to beat up people without having to put up with a prince's hypocritical speech for it, then so can I!"

"Hypocritical?" Zuko repeated, raising an eyebrow. "The hell? Where am I being a hypocrite, Toph? I don't beat people up for fun!"

"It's not because of the fighting," said Toph, gritting her teeth. "But because you're acting so high-and-mighty, as though I should be ashamed of myself, as though you were above me because you'd never do something as dishonorable as what I do! And hell, you're the last person with any right to say anything about honor. You don't even know what the word stands for, you pompous moron."

"You… take that back," Zuko said, snarling at her. "You have no damn clue of what I've been through! So don't you dare act like…!"

"I have every damn clue of what you've been through, Iroh regaled me with all the marvelous tales of your travels together," said Toph, sarcastically. "And he also told me about why you ended up at sea for ten years. And you know what I just noticed? That to this day you don't even realize why you got banished. Heck, Iroh probably doesn't understand it either…"

"The hell are you talking about?" Zuko said, with a low voice. Sokka started to fear he just might attack Toph. From being the happiest he had ever seen him, now Zuko looked the angriest instead.

"What else? Your Agni Kai with your father, that's what," said Toph, her brow furrowed.

"You don't know a thing about that," said Zuko, his fists clenched. "You have no right to say anything about…!"

"Oh, no, my friend" said Toph, condescendingly "If you have a right to call me insane for enjoying fighting, I have every right to tell you whatever the fuck I want to, especially if you don't want to hear it. So, guess what? Your dear daddy? He didn't banish you because you spoke out of turn in some petty meeting. The banishment had nothing to do with that."

"Oh, really? And you know this how?" said Zuko, his heart beating fast in his chest as his anger increased.

"You spoke out of turn against some old General's ideas," said Toph. "Or so Iroh said. And you were so eager to deal with the consequences of your actions… it's probably why your dad chose to fight you himself. To find out if you really were as willing to deal with them as you pretended to be. But as soon as you knew he would be your opponent you cowered and shrank, begging him for mercy and refusing to fight him no matter what he said."

Zuko shivered with anger at her words. Clearly Iroh had explained things to her, she couldn't have known the details of the situation if he hadn't… but hearing her say these things made him relive the single worst moment of his life.

"You thought you'd get special treatment because you were his son," said Toph. "That he'd be permissive just because of that, that you'd get away with being disrespectful because of your position. Him fighting you regardless of all your begging was supposed to be a wake-up call for you, but you didn't understand that."

"It was my father, you idiot," Zuko snapped, angrily. Sparks seemed to ignite from his nose. "I wasn't about to fight him! He knew I wouldn't go against him! It was even more disrespectful than fighting him!"

"Yeah? Well, there you go. That's why you have no honor," Toph said, simply. Zuko's eyes widened.

"Y-you… you said what?"

"You went on a trip for ten years and you never got it, did you?" said Toph. "The fact that you were only willing to fight a fight you knew you could win is what made your father think you were dishonorable, Zuko. When you knew you stood no chance, you dropped all intentions to fight and let him do whatever he wanted just because you were frightened like a cub! But the whole point of that damn Agni Kai was for you to stand your ground and fight for your honor, to prove that, despite your mistake during the war meeting, you still had honor in you! That you still respected your father's military leaders and your father himself, even though you'd thought your ideas were more important than theirs! But when faced with a fight you couldn't win, you cowered. You dropped to your knees. And that's why he banished you. That's why he sent you to accomplish the unthinkable, so you'd go on a long enough trip to realize where you'd gone wrong. But of course, you just thought he really wanted the Avatar and that once you came back with him, he'd restore your honor. Like honor is something someone can give you… I've got news for you: honor is something you either have or you don't. It's that simple."

"You don't understand anything…" said Zuko, shaking his head and stumbling back "You're…"

"Yeah? Might be I don't understand. But maybe I do. Maybe you should go ask dear daddy what he has to say about what I just told you," said Toph, her raised eyebrows depicting insolence. "If I'm so wrong, do come back and correct me. But if I'm not, then shut your trap and stop treating me like I'm some sort of inferior thing for being 'dishonorable', most unlike you. Based on all our evidence? Looks like you're as shitty as I am, Prince Zuko. Deal with it."

For a moment Sokka feared Zuko would set the girl on fire. He lifted a fist towards her, and a speck of fire danced on it before he turned away, storming through the hall quickly as he headed towards the exit.

"Toph… what the hell, seriously?!" said Sokka, looking at her in disbelief. Toph huffed, one of the chunks of her disorderly bangs swaying with her breath.

"Screw him. He's not going to act like he's above me. If he's going to treat me like I'm shit, two can play this game."

"But you didn't have to say all that stuff! Heck, you don't know if any of what you said is true!" said Sokka.

"Yeah, well, he deserved it even if it's not true. I'm not letting him drag me through the mud like that, and I like mud," she said, settling against the table, her legs crossed just as her arms. Sokka grimaced. She looked as mad as she had been when she'd had her arguments with Azula back in Ba Sing Se… "Moron thinks he can get away with that, well, fuck him. He had no right."

"Well, neither did you," said Sokka, sighing. "That's not a topic you should breach with Zuko"

"Then he'd better learn to shut his mouth about the things he doesn't understand either!" Toph snapped, and Sokka cringed and shook his head.

"Hell, fine, then. You guys are impossible," he said, burying his face on a hand.

He raised his gaze to find that a few of the nearby people had noticed the argument, but not the ones further away. Suki was still chatting amicably with Ty Lee, Mai and Haru. She hadn't noticed a thing, and she looked as lively as ever. Sokka grimaced. Why couldn't Zuko have stayed in the same wonderful mood? It wasn't like Zuko's happiness was Sokka's top priority, but he had really come to appreciate how much nicer things were when the man was in high spirits…

His gaze switched towards Azula again, finding she was alone at last. He felt tempted to approach her, hoping to find a way to stop thinking about what he had just witnessed… but he noticed she was staring at someone who had only just entered the hall, walking purposefully towards her.

The first thing that caught Sokka's eye about the man was the fact that he was wearing a black-and-red armor instead of dress clothes. The second thing was the ridiculously massive sideburns on either side of his face. The third thing was his confidence, which poured out of his stance, his powerful strides, his smirk and his brown eyes.

Azula took a deep breath as the new arrival stopped before her, the complacent smile on his face sending shivers of the bad kind down her spine.

"My, my. It has been quite a while, hasn't it, Princess Azula?"

"It has indeed…" she replied, with a cold smile of her own. "Admiral Zhao."

---

The servants indicated him where to find the Fire Lord, though they seemed to have second thoughts about doing so. Whether it was because Ozai wouldn't want to see him, even now, or because the rage in Zuko's features frightened them, it made no matter. Not so long as he could find him and settle this for once and for all. All be it, so he could find out if he had really misunderstood everything for all these years…

He stopped before the doors that led to the Fire Lord's private chambers, a heavy frown on his face. His fists were shaking as he steeled himself to do what he knew he should have done ever since he arrived in the Capital after ten years away from home.

"I'm going to face you," he muttered to himself, regarding the wooden doors angrily enough that he could have set them on fire with just his glare.

He stepped forward and, without even knocking, he pushed the doors open…