Chapter 7

"Ziri, I really think we have to be strategic about this. We need a plan," a woman in her early twenties spoke, glancing across the table at her younger companion. They were sitting in the corner of a dingy roadside Waffle House, some fifteen miles outside Caldera City.

"I can just… you know, win enough games to qualify," the younger woman replied with a shrug, her thick twin braids bouncing lightly.

"I don't doubt you're good enough to do that, sister, but why not stack the odds further into your favor?" the older of the pair suggested. The tomboyish pixie cut of her pitch-black hair and the copious amount of dark eyeliner gave her a bit of a dangerous rebel appearance. "It really doesn't help that Zuko Nakamura has already claimed a spot. That just leaves three more spots up for grabs, and I'm sad to say, but Zirin, you're not among the favorites to finish on the podium."

"Pfft, what do those bookies know," the younger girl scoffed, pushing aside the plate with her half-eaten food. These roadside dives were a constant source of disappointment. It was hard to imagine how a waffle could even be this soggy. It defied the laws of waffle physics. "I can do it, June."

"You think you're better than Chan Takahashi, Ruon-Jian Ogawa or Azula Nakamura?" June Sakai asked, shaking her head at her younger sister. "You're going to have to finish ahead of one of them to qualify, and I can tell you right away, it's not going to be easy unless we somehow boost your chances. Fortunately for you, I may have a plan."

"Really? Well, this ought to be good," Zirin grinned at her older sister. It was not a sarcastic smile at all. June was an amazing schemer and Zirin admired her for it. Over the past few years, Zirin had watched her sister pull off so many cons, it was making Zirin's head spin when she tried to take it all in.

"I think the way to do this is to throw one of the favorites off their game," June began to lay out her plan. "What's better than some good old teen drama and raging hormones?"

"You want me to… what, seduce one of them?" Zirin laughed. She made an exaggerated kissy face at her sister, accompanied by the waggling of eyebrows. "Sure, I can try that. I'm not sure that Chan or Ruon would fall for it, though. We've already met in qualifiers before. They might become suspicious if I tried to get really friendly all of a sudden. As for Azula Nakamura… well, she's a girl, right?"

"Ah, but you see, this is where being well connected really pays off, Ziri," June winked at her younger sister. "I heard from this one girl who used to know a girl that Azula attended school with. Long story short, there's this rumor that Azula used to have a girlfriend a couple of years back."

"Really?" Zirin seemed surprised, her dark brown eyes widening slightly in surprise.

"Would that be a problem for you?" June asked.

"Wait, you want me to try and seduce Azula Nakamura?" Zirin laughed. "That's… so crazy it just might work. She's a couple of years younger than me, which means she might be more impressionable."

"So, just to make sure, you're alright with this?" June wanted to be certain.

"I've seen her pictures in the papers. She's very pretty," Zirin nodded. "Sure, I can give it a try. Mess with her mind a bit and see if it throws the poor girl off her game. Also, Azula's age might work against her. It's a good plan, June."

"As are most of my plans," June grinned smugly. "Of course, I have another angle when selecting Azula Nakamura as your target."

"I would almost lose respect for you if you didn't have another angle, sis," Zirin smiled at June. "What is it?"

"The plan kind of depends on how well you can ingratiate yourself with Azula," June said. "If she were to… I don't know, invite you to her house, you might want to do a little scoping of the layout and security. It might be worth paying the place a nightly visit during the tournament. The Nakamuras are filthy rich, right? They probably don't even know how to spend all their money. That's where we come in, Ziri. We'll help them spend all those riches."

"Hmm, tempting," Zirin smiled. At the same time, she couldn't help but feel a little alarmed. This was the kind of a big target that June usually stayed away from. "I don't know, though… June, stealing from someone like Ozai Nakamura might attract too much attention."

"Ziri, I don't want to do this my entire life, alright? We've been on the road ever since you were thirteen," June sighed. "You deserve better, sis. We both do. This is a choice between continuing as we have until one day we slip up, or pulling off one big job and then retiring to enjoy our wealth. I mean… do you think you're going to earn enough to feed us both through Pai Sho anytime soon?"

"I don't think so, I still need to improve a lot," Zirin admitted. She couldn't help but feel a little surprised. She had been firmly convinced that June actually took pleasure in being this sort of outlaw, conning people out of their hard-earned money and committing the occasional theft. "Sorry, I had no idea you felt this way, June. Maybe we made a mistake running away."

June's face twisted to an angry snarl, the fierce reaction taking Zirin aback. "Are you kidding?" she snapped at her younger sister. "You must have a shorter memory than I do if you have forgotten the living hell that was co-existence with our dear step-moron."

Zirin winced as memories came back to her in a flood. The frequent fights and arguments between the two sisters and their stepfather had been escalating for some time, until one day they both had had enough. "No, you're right… I remember it all only too well," she admitted with a sigh. "We did the right thing, June. We're going to end up on top, and we'll do it by sticking together through thick and thin."

"That's exactly right," June smiled at her sister. "And don't you ever forget it."

Azula stood in the large foyer of the family's Caldera City estate, filled with anxious anticipation as she regarded her reflection in the mirror. She rather enjoyed the view of her bright red kitten-heeled pumps, tiny red skirt and a matching chiffon blouse with black geometric patterns. The curtain bangs and the perfectly formed top knot completed the picture of style and elegance.

It was the first day of the Fire Nation qualifying tournament for the next year's U18 finals that would also be held in Caldera City, and Azula couldn't wait to get back into the swing of actual tournament play, eager to put her summer's training to good use and decimate her hapless opponents. But most of all, Azula was desperate to prove to her father that her last year's loss to Katara Enuaraq had been a mere anomaly.

And speaking of her father, Ozai Nakamura was uncharacteristically running late. He was supposed to take her to the Hotel Royal where the tournament was taking place, but listening in at her father's office doors, Azula had overheard him speaking loudly on the phone. When Ozai emerged from his rooms a couple of minutes later, wearing his burgundy suit and carrying a brown suitcase, Azula immediately realized that there had been a change of plans. Her father wore this particular suit only while traveling abroad.

"Let's go, we don't want you to be late for your first game," Ozai began, only then looking up at her and pausing as he took in her appearance. Azula froze with uncertainty. The expression in her father's eyes spoke of mild disapproval and it made Azula wonder whether the miniskirt might have been a tad too much. Still, it was the latest fashion trend and Azula was nothing but fashionable. In the end, Ozai said nothing as he walked through the front doors with an unreadable expression on his face and beckoned for her to follow.

Her father didn't speak again until their Imperial Crown limo was already on its way towards Hotel Royal. "As you might have already guessed, something came up. I need to leave immediately for Ba Sing Se," Ozai resumed speaking. "I won't be back until the final day of the tournament." Azula felt both disappointed and relieved at the same time. On one hand, she was eager to impress her father and have him witness her victories from the VIP seat in his private suite. On the other hand, Ozai's physical presence tended to create a stressful and suffocating atmosphere, putting Azula under additional pressure to perform well.

"This doesn't change anything about what is expected of you, and you know it," Ozai continued. "Your worthless brother has already claimed one of the Fire Nation qualifying slots as the defending champion. It means there are only three places up for grabs. I fully expect you to finish on the podium, Azula."

"I won't let you down, father," Azula nodded confidently.

"I certainly hope you won't," Ozai replied. "If you were to fail me, I would be deeply disappointed. Naturally, I would secure a wild card for the finals for you regardless of where you place in the standings. But if you were to bring shame on this family, then you should expect a severe punishment. And I mean very severe, Azula. You have met young Teo Guyuk, correct?"

"I've beaten him both times we've played," Azula replied.

"That's not why I brought him up, daughter," Ozai looked at her, a cold, threatening stare as he placed his hand on her knee, gripping it firmly. "If you know Teo Guyuk, then you would know that you don't need to be able to walk to be an excellent Pai Sho player."

Azula shuddered at the clear threat, finding it hard to hold her father's stare. Ozai then smiled at her, a brief and insincere smile as he patted her knee. If it had been meant as a supportive gesture, it failed. "Well, I'm sure I will have no reason to punish you when I return home, yes?" he asked, smiling at her again, but it was a smile that never quite reached his eyes.

"Like I said… I will not let you down, father," Azula managed. Still, her father's threats had rocked her confidence and instilled her with fear. She couldn't understand why he had to do that if he truly wanted her to succeed.

"I have also decided to entrust you with a degree of autonomy while I am gone, just to see whether you are deserving of such a level of trust or not," Ozai said as the limo came to a stop in front of the hotel. At this point, Azula desperately wanted to get out and just proceed with the tournament play, but there was no way she could leave the car before Ozai had allowed her to do so. "The servants of the estate are at your full disposal, but be aware that they will report any inappropriate behavior to me. You are free to use the old Chrysler. The driver has his instructions. So, enjoy your freedom, but don't forget to stick to the routine, don't neglect prep work and analysis. And I don't want to hear any stories about you going out late. 9pm is the absolute limit."

"Yes, father," Azula nodded obediently. This freedom was essentially the same gilded cage as before. The only difference was that now it was Ozai's servants watching her every move instead of Ozai and his servants.

"And Azula?" her father spoke one final warning as she was already about to get out of the car. "I'm sure that I don't need to remind you, but… absolutely no boys. However, I am not heartless and I understand that for a girl of your age it must be hard not having any company. There are at least a few girls attending this year's tournament. Should you befriend one of them, I would not object to you inviting them to the estate. As long as there are no repeats of that incident…"

Azula flinched at the reminder of that whole debacle with Ty Lee, remembering both the beating she had received, and the severe consequences for Ty Lee and her family. She wasn't exactly eager to repeat that experience. It was clear that her father wouldn't stand for her entertaining such deviant leanings. "Of course, you don't need to worry about that," she moved to quickly reassure her father. "I will make you proud, both of my performance, and of my conduct."

"See that you do, Azula," Ozai smiled at his daughter, leaning over her to open the doors of the limo and let her out. Azula did not hesitate for a moment, getting out of the car and briskly walking up the stairs to the hotel's entrance, trying her best to put this conversation with her father right out of her mind.

The forty-five mile long drive to Agna Qel'a was not an enjoyable experience for Katara. Half a year ago, she and Sokka had somehow just about managed to squeeze into the sole passenger seat, but with them both doing a bit of growing up over the past six months, there was no chance of side-by-side squeezing. And since neither of them wanted to sit in the wet and muddy cargo space at the back, Katara had ended up spending the entire journey sitting in her brother's lap, which was an extremely embarrassing and uncomfortable experience for them both. She had to demand that their father take frequent breaks just so that she could get out and stretch her legs. The autumn rains had also left the roads to the capital in a sorry state, making for a bumpy ride and further compounding her misery. In the end, upon their arrival in Agna Qel'a, Katara could barely feel her legs anymore and she had felt so dizzy from vertigo that she had nearly puked all over herself and Sokka.

Katara could not wait for the day when she and Sokka could get their own driver's licenses. At least for Sokka that day was looming very close. It was just so annoying to have a car that nobody could drive for four or five days straight while Hakoda was out on the oil rig. Their grandmother, Kanna, had failed to renew her driver's license on the account of failing eyesight. At least on their way back to Cape Kuruk, Katara and Sokka would be taking the bus. Katara would have preferred to take the bus while traveling to Agna Qel'a as well, but Hakoda had wanted to combine taking his kids to the capital with a shopping trip for some fishing supplies and building materials that were not readily available in Cape Kuruk. And Katara did not want to go on the bus alone, leaving Sokka and Hakoda taking the car all by themselves. She wanted to be with her family, even at the cost of considerable discomfort.

Things began to look up once they had arrived in the capital. Sure, the autumn weather remained miserable, but the cheap hotel on the outskirts of Agna Qel'a was actually a lot nicer and comfier than Katara had feared it would be. And this time the choice of hotel wasn't just to cut costs. Curiously, this year's Water Tribe qualifying tournament was being held in the observatory of Agna Qel'a, an impressive looking structure built on the slopes of a gradually rising snow-covered incline some four miles outside the city border.

Katara and Sokka had arrived on the day before the official opening of the tournament, Katara taking the afternoon to settle in the hotel and then doing some light mental exercises in preparation for tomorrow's game. Meanwhile, Sokka had gone out to shop with their father. When they returned a few hours later, they were accompanied by someone Katara had been desperate to meet all the way to Agna Qel'a, none other than her best friend and hopeless crush, Yue Taqqiq. Hakoda then bid his children goodbye and began his long trek back to Cape Kuruk, leaving Sokka, Katara and Yue to catch up in the hotel room shared by the two Enuaraq siblings.

"This isn't so bad, actually," were Yue's first words when she entered the hotel room. Obviously, it must have felt quite miserable to Yue. Katara hadn't seen the Taqqiq family estate, but she had heard the stories of its opulence. Not from Yue, though, she wasn't the type to brag or rub it in.

"Having to share with my sister wasn't exactly what I had in mind when we made our plans about me coming along to the tournament," Sokka grumbled, pulling Yue down onto his bed to sit next to him.

"Trust me, Sokka, I'm not thrilled about it either," Katara sighed at her brother. It didn't help that her period was due in a few days. Katara knew that even if she managed to remain perfectly discreet, she would still end up tearing into Sokka at some point. Things would get even worse if Sokka noticed something and started making stupid comments, as he was prone to do. That would most likely result in Katara going ballistic on him.

"Just be nice to each other and try to make the best out of a bad situation, alright?" Yue chuckled, trying to ease the tension between the siblings. Both Sokka and Katara immediately lost any desire for continued arguing. Yue was really good at this.

"You just don't get this whole friendly sibling rivalry, do you?" Sokka chuckled, pulling Yue closer for a kiss. Yue was the only child. Her mother had died in childbirth and her father had rather surprisingly never remarried, even though the tragedy had struck when Arnook was still a very young man. "It might seem like Katara and I argue a lot, but trust me, we're tight."

"I know, Sokka," Yue smiled at him. "But I would still rather see you two being nice to each other."

"The things I do for you, babe," Sokka chuckled, starting to kiss her again, but Yue wriggled out of his embrace soon enough, much to Sokka's disappointment. Katara had started to feel frustrated and jealous lying on the belly in her bed, but seeing Yue evading Sokka's attentions filled Katara with some petty satisfaction. With her and Sokka sharing the room, Sokka wouldn't be able to take things further than kissing. And he couldn't sneak into the Taqqiq estate to visit Yue there. The servants were instructed to chase any unauthorized suitor of Yue away with sticks, or worse, and Sokka was as unauthorized as they came.

"Kat, how are you feeling about tomorrow?" Yue looked over at Katara. "Calm or a bit stressed?"

"Just a bit stressed," Katara confessed. Not bad enough to reach for Librium. At least not yet.

"Why would you be stressed?" Sokka shrugged. "You two are going to breeze through and qualify, like you always do."

"Err, Sokka? This year is going to be a lot different," Katara sighed at her brother. "We'll have to play sixteen and seventeen year olds. Granted, most of them don't hold a candle to me or Yue, but… Hahn Adjuk will be there. He just missed out on the bronze at last year's U18 finals, so he's really dangerous."

"First time I hear of this Hahn Adjuk," Sokka frowned. "Who's he?"

"A real asshole, Sokka," Yue snapped. Katara and Sokka exchanged glances, surprised at the other girl's vehemence. It wasn't like Yue to speak so badly about someone. "He comes from a rich family that owns gold mines way up in the north. The guy is really full of himself. For some reason, my father thinks the world of him. Or maybe he thinks the world of those gold mines…" Yue added bitterly.

"I can't stand him already," Sokka said, looking upset. He was perceptive enough to understand the meaning behind Yue's words. Arnook Taqqiq thought that Hahn Adjuk was a suitable match for Yue. He most certainly would not think that about Sokka. "I hope you two can destroy him."

"That is the plan," Yue nodded, hopeful, but perhaps not completely confident. "I want us all to go to Caldera City together next spring, while Hahn Adjuk stays behind to sulk."

"That would be great, but considering there are only two spots up for grabs, we both will probably have to beat him," Katara said. "I guess we'll know more tomorrow once the draw is made."

The qualifying tournaments usually followed a different system of play than the championship finals where every participant played against the others in a round-robin. Because of the amount of participants in the qualifiers, almost forty kids trying to qualify for the U18 finals, it would have been impractical to use a round robin system. It would take a couple of months for the tournament to conclude and the kids couldn't be taken out of school for so long. This meant that a different system had to be introduced. The competition would last for nine rounds. For the first three rounds, names of all the players would be tossed into a pool and drawn randomly against each other. After the first three rounds, the field would be split into two based on their current standings and those from the upper ladder of the standings would then be drawn against each other. This meant that as the tournament progressed, the stronger players began to get matched up against each other. Unless Yue, Katara and Hahn were randomly drawn up against one another in the first three rounds, they would most likely end up facing each other in the latter rounds.

"I'd actually prefer to catch Hahn in an earlier round," Yue mused. "Get him before he settles into his groove."

"That would be my preference as well," Katara nodded. "I really hope we can both qualify, Yue." She was so looking forward to traveling to Caldera City together with Yue. The travel would be more expensive than going to Yu Dao, so Katara hoped that Sokka's arguments of having to go along to look out for Katara would be left ignored. Besides, she was now fifteen. She could take care of herself perfectly well, big city or not.

Still, all of these dreams would be for nothing unless they both managed to get past the competition posed by Hahn Adjuk… and that would be a daunting challenge for the two girls.

Azula was on her way to leave the large banquet hall of Hotel Royal, converted to host the Fire Nation U18 qualifiers. The victory she had just scored in the first round had felt very underwhelming. The draw had put her against ridiculously weak opposition in the first three rounds. Winning a game in sixteen moves at this level? The organizers clearly had no standards for entry, nothing to separate the chaff from the wheat, and they were letting just about anyone to take part. To Azula, it simply felt shameful not to be challenged at this level.

She was about to reach the elevator doors to take her down to the ground level of the hotel, when Azula was startled by a soft feminine voice speaking up nearby to address her. "Hey, there," the owner of the voice said as Azula frantically looked around, then spotting a girl leaning against a pillar just behind her. It almost seemed as if she had been waiting for her? That alone made Azula feel instantly alarmed.

"Yes?" Azula looked at the slightly odd looking girl. She was a good few inches taller than Azula, probably at least a year her senior. Her style of clothing was unconventional to say the least, but Azula thought that she was pulling it off, the sleeveless tunic in crazy psychedelic colors over her ripped jeans. She had large, intense brown eyes and a scattering of freckles across her cheeks. Her thick twin braids, however, were like pulled from another decade. Azula felt like she should feel outraged about this crime against current fashion trends, but somehow, the overall appearance of this girl was… rather fascinating. "Uh… can I help you?" she managed a little awkwardly, suddenly becoming aware that she had spent a few seconds simply staring at the other girl.

"I just watched you crush that guy in… sixteen moves? Impressive," the older girl smiled at her. Azula immediately remarked that she had a pretty smile. Still, Azula remained guarded towards this sudden and unexpected approach. "I'm a bit of a fan of your achievements at the U15 level."

"Thanks, I guess?" Azula frowned. "You have me at a disadvantage, though."

The girl gave her a questioning stare, then blushing slightly and breaking into a wider grin. "Oh, right! I should have started with introductions," she uttered quickly. "I'm Zirin. Zirin Sakai."

"Ah. I've heard about you," Azula remarked. She had, of course, studied all of her potential threats in this tournament. Ruon-Jian Ogawa and Chan Takahashi were the obvious dangers, and Azula had studied their games very closely. Zirin Sakai was the other potential rival. All three of them, Chan, Ruon-Jian and Zirin already had experience at the U18 finals, which made them very dangerous. And still, Zirin was something of an enigma to Azula. She hadn't done particularly well at the finals, but she had won her game against Ruon-Jian. Azula hadn't been able to find as many of Zirin's past games as she had wanted in order to get a good grip on her style of play. She hadn't even been able to find a photo, and if Azula had been asked to imagine how Zirin Sakai might look, she certainly would not have imagined the girl currently leaning casually against the pillar.

"Hopefully only good things," Zirin winked at her slyly.

"I know that you can play," Azula admitted. It was as much of a compliment as she was willing to give.

"I wanted to ask you something," Zirin said, peeling off from the pillar and walking up to her. The way she moved, the smooth confidence of the older girl, it all made Azula instantly intrigued. "We both killed our sad opposition in less than twenty moves. Not much to study and analyze about that kind of victory, right?"

"Right," Azula frowned, uncertain what Zirin was getting at. "What's your point?"

"My point is that we both probably have a lot of free time on our hands," Zirin grinned. "So I thought to ask if you want to hang out and maybe grab a cup of coffee."

Azula felt very tempted to accept the invitation. Here was a rather gorgeous older girl, showing an interest in her. That sort of thing didn't happen to her every day. In fact, it had never happened to her before. And it just happened to coincide with her father's absence. Maybe this is a test? Azula frowned, shaking her head at that thought. No, that was her being paranoid. Zirin was a legit competitor and rival, not some plant of her father's.

"Come on, it will be fun," Zirin insisted, probably having interpreted Azula's shake of the head as a refusal.

"I don't want to fraternize with a rival, not before I've demolished you at the Pai Sho board," Azula eventually replied. "We can go get some coffee to soothe your defeat."

"I love your confidence, Azula," Zirin spoke, the tone of her voice sultry. It made Azula's knees feel just a tad weak. "Come on, what do you think is going to happen if we were to hang out a bit? We've already studied each other's games. It's not like I'm going to learn something I don't already know just from us hanging out a bit. Or maybe you're afraid that I'll get under your skin?"

Azula bristled at the notion that there was something she was afraid of. And Zirin's words did make a lot of sense. Besides, she was becoming seriously intrigued by the older girl. "Fine," Azula finally said. "Let's go get ourselves some coffee."

Next chapter: The qualifiers continue and Azula finds herself entangled further with Zirin, while Katara and Yue's plan to eliminate Hahn falters.