Chapter 15
Katara felt knots of nervous tension forming at the pit of her stomach in the anticipation of the tournament's after-party. She had once again decided to wear the expensive mini dress Azula had bought her, but considering that there might be dancing involved, she had decided to set the kitten heels aside and instead opted for her comfortable Mary Jane's. As much as she would have loved to wear her new shoes, her ankle was still a little sore following her fall, and Katara didn't want to risk aggravating the injury by losing her balance on the dance floor.
With her makeup and hair done, Katara left her hotel room to head down to the lobby where she had agreed to meet with Sokka and Yue. The after-party was being held in a local nightclub almost directly across the street from the hotel. Azula had promised to meet her there, and Katara seriously hoped that the Fire Nation girl would keep her promise. Katara earnestly believed that getting out and having some fun would do Azula a world of good. Besides, there were a lot of boys in attendance that Katara really didn't want to dance with, and if Azula were to attend the party, Katara could at least pretend to be taken.
"What the… where did you get that?" Sokka blinked, wide-eyed as he stared at his sister upon her emergence from the elevator.
"What Sokka means to say is… that's an amazing dress, Katara," Yue giggled, standing with Katara's brother and holding his hand. She was wearing a very short black collar dress that left her legs on prominent and stunning display, taking Katara's breath away. "That must have cost a fortune!" Yue added.
"Really?" Sokka wondered. As a boy, he had absolutely no clue about the cost of designer clothes. "Katara, where did you get a fortune to afford this?"
Katara had really hoped to avoid this line of questioning, but with Yue's perceptiveness, there was no way she could get away without offering an explanation. "Uh, Azula bought it for me," she replied, trying not to blush.
"Azula Nakamura is paying for your clothes?" Sokka appeared stunned. Yue was also giving her a slightly odd look. "Now why would she do that?"
"I think it was her way of thanking me for hanging out with her and doing prep together," Katara shrugged. "Remember, she's loaded. This wasn't a big deal for her," she added, trying to brush off the importance of the gesture. Maybe it wasn't a big deal to Azula, but it was a big deal for Katara.
"Interesting…" Sokka shook his head. He actually looked impressed with her. "First, you actually managed to befriend that which could not be befriended. Then you actually got her to buy expensive gifts for you. My little sister has frightening powers of persuasion!"
"I'm actually not surprised at all," Yue chuckled. She reached out to take Katara's hand, settling in between the Enuaraq siblings. "Are we ready to go?" Yue asked, receiving a couple of nods and then they walked out of the hotel to cross the street and approach the nightclub, the pink neon sign spelling the name 'The Dirty Cabbage'.
"Is Azula Nakamura going to show this year?" Sokka asked curiously as they were about to enter the club.
"She promised that she would, but you can never know with Azula," Katara shrugged, trying to appear indifferent as they entered the club to immediately get blasted with loud music. A few couples were already dancing to 'I Got You Babe', but most of the public were congregating around the tables, busy chatting among themselves.
As was usual for these after-parties, they were relatively small and private affairs, meant only for the participants and their friends and family. Unlike the previous year, this time the boys among the contestants outnumbered the girls, and quite a few of them appeared rather excited by the arrival of Katara and Yue. Katara knew that Yue thrived on attention, but on Katara's part, she didn't particularly care about the hungry stares of some of the boys. She searched the hall, desperately looking for Azula, failing to spot the Fire Nation girl. Katara really hoped that Azula would arrive soon because she definitely was not looking forward to fighting off the amorous boys desperate to dance with her.
Katara and Yue eventually sat down at one of the tables, while Sokka briefly left them to pick up some drinks from the bar. Katara seriously hoped that Sokka had no stupid plans to try and get them drunk tonight. Glancing around the hall and taking in the scenery, Katara became convinced that this seemed like an evening when it would be wise to remain sober.
She was quite surprised to see Zuko Nakamura in attendance. Katara hadn't expected him to show after that dramatic last round collapse. Perhaps Zuko thought that Azula wouldn't show up as usual? Katara hoped that if Azula were to make an appearance, the two siblings wouldn't come to blows.
At one of the tables, Katara spotted Ruon-Jian and Mai, accompanied by Chan and Hahn. The two boys without dates were the ones who were rather obnoxiously ogling both her and Yue. If they didn't cut it out, Katara definitely saw the potential of fisticuffs between those two and Sokka. At some point, Katara's eyes met with Mai's, and the sullen black-haired girl gave her a knowing wink. Katara had no idea what it was supposed to mean, but the gesture did not feel respectful. On the dance floor, Haru seemed to be having a lot of fun dancing with the older Fire Nation girl, Zirin, while Joo Dee had roped Ghashiun into dancing with her.
"How about a dance?" Sokka turned to Yue after they had been sipping their fizzy drinks for a while, lost in casual conversation.
"I'd love to, but I don't think we should leave Kat all by herself with some of those guys around," Yue shook her head, glancing back at the table of Ruon and Chan. Katara felt intensely grateful towards her best friend for her thoughtfulness.
"Good point," Sokka nodded, albeit slightly reluctantly. "Although, Katara could just join us on the dance floor. The three of us can dance together."
"Hmm, maybe… but I bet Chan or Hahn would just wander up to us and try to join in," Katara frowned, then looking on with worry as Chan slowly made his way over to their table. He was walking a little unsteady, as if he had already downed a few shots of something stronger than what the bartender was serving to this gathering of minors. Katara was definitely going to shut down any invitations for a dance if they came from Chan. She would have simply preferred to dissuade him from even asking. The Takahashi family was old money, she had been told, not someone you wanted to offend.
"Hey, babes," Chan grinned like an idiot, placing his arms on the backrests of Yue and Katara's chairs, leaning in between them, much too close for the liking of them both. "I'm guessing you're with that guy, right?" Chan looked at Yue, then nodding towards Sokka. He then turned to Katara. "That means you're flying solo, little Northern birdie. Well, I can keep you company… how about we start with a dance or two?"
"She's not flying solo, you moronic half-wit," came a sharp woman's voice directly from behind Chan. Everyone turned around to regard Azula, shocked by her presence. She was looking absolutely gorgeous in her black go-go boots, fishnet stockings, black PVC mini skirt and Paisley print pattern blouse with an exaggerated collar and long necktie. "Get lost Chan," Azula snapped. "Katara is way out of your league."
"I don't think that's the point…" Chan turned towards Azula with a knowing grin. "Seems like the rumors are true and she's playing in a different league entirely. As are you, Azula. It's nothing that Chan's company can't cure, though."
"Chan, I'm going to give you one last warning," Azula smiled sweetly, but only an idiot could not see the clear threat her expression conveyed. "Leave us alone, or the next thing you will experience will be my knee crushing your balls."
"Acting all proud and unattainable, huh?" Chan pulled away, then pointing at both her and Katara before turning to crawl back towards his table. "Mark my words, I'll have my way with the two of you one of these days."
"What a fucking creep," Yue scowled as Azula came to sit down at their table.
"Ignore him, Chan has always been all talk," Azula stated confidently. "Sokka?" she then glanced at Katara's brother with her best imperious expression. "Fetch me a drink, please. I have heard that they do a really good nonalcoholic raspberry mojito here." Sokka seemed frozen by the commanding request, turning towards Katara as if to ask whether he was supposed to even listen to Azula. Katara gave her brother a brief nod, at which he left the table to walk up to the bar. Katara felt so grateful for Azula's timely appearance that she was definitely fine with Azula bossing her brother around for a bit.
"I'm so glad you decided to come," Katara smiled at Azula.
"Well, I did promise, didn't I?" Azula replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. She looked over at the other table, smiling and waving. Katara quickly looked in the same direction, noticing Mai responding with a similar gesture. Mai seemed very surprised to see Azula, and so were the others. Still, Mai didn't appear angry or disappointed, quite the contrary. Katara wondered if Mai had actually hoped that she and Azula weren't faking it. Maybe Mai still cared about Azula, even if she was angry about the past and what had happened with Ty Lee and her family.
"I love the outfit, Azula," Yue joined the conversation, smiling at Azula. "Well, you always look stunning, but this is definitely one of your best."
"Thank you," Azula bowed her head lightly. "You are also a classy dresser, Yue. I love the collar," she smiled lightly before turning to Katara. "You already know what I think about your dress, Katara." Katara found herself blushing slightly.
"You guys are getting pretty friendly, aren't you?" Yue grinned at the pair.
Azula shrugged in response. "Katara annoys me a lot less than most people," she admitted generously.
"And Azula is always so charming," Katara rolled her eyes.
The conversation was interrupted when Sokka returned to the table, bringing with him not just one raspberry mojito for Azula, but a tray with four glasses, a mojito for each of them. "I figured if it's as good as Azula says, then we all should have one," Sokka grinned, sitting down with the girls. "And after that we are definitely dancing," he looked at Yue, his girlfriend nodding back at him. "I imagine that's fine with you now?" Sokka looked over at his sister. "Are you going to dance with Azula, or… come to think of it, you guys, is this a date or what?"
The look in Azula's eyes strongly suggested that Sokka should just shut up and mind his own business, but Katara knew that she should at least try and offer some kind of explanation to Sokka. She couldn't say that this was a date (which it wasn't!), because that would be as good as admitting her sexual preferences to her brother, and she definitely was not ready for that conversation. She didn't think that Sokka had already guessed. Sokka just wasn't that perceptive. He couldn't have guessed. No, there was no way he knew.
"It's kind of a… pretend date, Sokka. You know, just to get the other boys to leave us alone, because neither Azula nor I fancy any of the boys here. Right, Azula?" she said, turning to her new friend. Azula seemed satisfied with that cover story, nodding swiftly. "We, uh… hadn't discussed dancing, though. I'd like to."
Azula seemed to consider the offer. She then took a swig of the mojito and nodded. "We can dance," she said without looking at Katara.
"Excellent!" Sokka exclaimed, rubbing his hands. "Shall we?" he stood up, extending his arm to Yue. Azula and Katara rose to follow them.
The music played in the club was the usual mix of the hippest tunes of the day that wild teenagers loved dancing to. 'Let's Twist Again' was followed by 'Locomotion', and then by what felt like the entire catalogue of the Ember Island Boys. Katara didn't mind that since it was her favorite music to dance to, especially her old favorites like 'Surfin' Safari' and 'Caldera City Girls'.
Katara knew that she wasn't the world's most accomplished dancer. While she was reasonably fit and agile, she just lacked the experience and her movements felt stiff and lacked the fluidity when compared to the grace with which Yue moved next to Sokka. However, Azula somehow looked even more ill at ease than Katara, which surprised the Water Tribe girl. Azula had a slightly more athletic build than Katara, which was why Katara expected her to be the better dancer, but somehow, she was stiffer even than Katara. Perhaps it was all due to her lack of experience, and just being socially awkward in these situations.
Still, after a while, both Katara and Azula seemed to really get into it, twisting their hips with increased vigor. "C'mon, Azula!" Katara laughed over the sound of the Ember Island Boys blaring on the stereo. "Shake that booty for us!"
"Say something so vulgar to me again, and I'm going home right away," Azula glared at her. She never stopped moving, though.
"Admit it! You love this!" Katara grinned at her, refusing to give up until she had forced Azula to smile.
"You're really good at it, Azula! Just let yourself go!" Yue added, laughing brightly as Sokka spun her around in circles.
"You bunch of Northern savages," Azula snorted. Still, a smile had blossomed on her lips as well. The sight of it warmed Katara's heart.
Eventually, the four of them returned to their table and Sokka rose to fetch them all a new round of drinks. "I really hope Sokka isn't planning to whip out a bottle of vodka tonight," Katara remarked, glancing at Yue.
"He won't," Yue shook her head. "He actually had planned to do it, but I had a talk with him about it. I don't think that it would be smart to get drunk tonight, considering some of the company." Katara nodded at that. "But we're not letting that bottle go to waste. We plan to get a little smashed back at the hotel later," Yue added with a wink.
"Just leave me out of it," Katara sighed, trying not to feel jealous. Yue wasn't even sixteen yet, so Katara really hoped that her brother and her best friend weren't going to do something seriously stupid under the influence of alcohol. Still, Yue was always sensible about these things and Katara wanted to trust her.
"By the way, Kat… I remember how much fun we had on the dance floor last year," Yue leaned closer to speak in a hushed tone. "I'm definitely taking you out for a spin later."
"That's fine with me, as long as Sokka is okay with it," Katara replied. She noticed Azula watching them with an odd, slightly curious look on her face. "Although perhaps we shouldn't leave Azula out here on her own, not with Chan and Hahn lurking about."
"I can take care of myself, thank you very much," Azula frowned, looking a little annoyed.
"What are we arguing about now?" Sokka asked, returning with the drinks and distributing a new round of mojitos for them all.
"I plan on dancing with Katara for a bit, but Azula will need company," Yue explained, ignoring Azula's silent fuming.
"Well, if my sister is going to steal my girlfriend, maybe I should steal hers in retaliation," Sokka grinned at Azula.
"Don't even think about it, I'm not dancing with you," Azula shot back angrily. She then seemed to remember something. "And I'm not Katara's girlfriend!" Azula added sternly. Still, the lengthy pause between the two sentences made it feel very awkward. Azula must have realized that as well, blushing slightly.
"Sokka is just being annoying," Katara gave Azula an apologetic smile. "You don't object to me dancing with Yue, do you? I know we sort of agreed about letting the others assume that we're here together, so if you think that it's a bad idea for me to dance with Yue, then I won't do it."
"Just go. Like I said, I can take care of myself," Azula shrugged.
"Still, I would feel better if Sokka stayed with you," Katara said, giving her brother a pleading stare. "Could you please, Sokka?"
"Fine by me," her brother merely shrugged. If he was annoyed about Katara stealing Yue, he didn't show it. If anything, Sokka seemed to be rather amused and intrigued by Azula's presence. "I'm sure Azula and I will find a lot to talk about, right?" he grinned at the Fire Nation girl as Yue and Katara rose from the table and returned to the dance floor for some more wild hip twisting and booty shaking.
"How does Katara stand living under the same roof with you?" Azula wondered idly when Sokka kept stealing glances at her.
"Because I'm hilarious," Sokka grinned at the sulking Fire Nation girl. "No, seriously, I'm a wellspring of amazing jokes. Want to hear one?" Azula pursed her lips and shook her head, but Sokka ignored her. "How does a Water Tribesman build a house?"
Azula stared. "I don't know. How does a Water Tribesman build a house?"
"Igloos it together," Sokka sniggered. Azula groaned. "Oh, come on, that was a genuine knee-slapper!"
"You are the most ridic-" Azula began, but then froze mid-sentence. "Excuse me, I have to powder my nose," she uttered quickly, getting up from the table and disappearing in the nearby bathroom.
Sokka blinked in confusion, but then he noticed that the other Fire Nation girl, Zirin Sakai, had been on her way towards their table. For some reason, Azula had fled at the sight of her approach. Sokka turned to Zirin with a questioning stare, but she ignored him, following Azula into the bathroom. Sokka shrugged at the confusing scene, returning his attention to Yue dancing with his sister. Sokka continued to nurse his nonalcoholic mojito, unable to take his eyes off from the hypnotic movements of his girlfriend's hips. Sokka was so entranced by the view that he completely missed someone sitting down in the vacant seat next to him.
"Hey," his uninvited companion spoke up in a hoarse, smoky voice. Sokka turned towards his right and nearly jumped from surprise at suddenly finding himself staring in the scarred face of Zuko Nakamura.
"Uh… hey?" Sokka tried uncertainly. "Zuko, right? Can I help you with anything?"
"You can listen to what I have to say and be smart about it," Zuko replied. He seemed to be watching the doors of the girl's bathroom with a wary stare. "I noticed you all getting really cozy with Azula. Especially your sister."
"Yeah, it's kinda weird," Sokka admitted with an awkward laugh.
"It shouldn't just feel weird, you should be seriously worried," Zuko spoke grimly. "You have no idea what kind of person my sister is. She destroys everything she touches. She excels and delights at emotional manipulation. Get too close to her, and she'll suck you dry like a vampire."
"Alright, I can see that you aren't the biggest fan of your sister," Sokka replied warily. He was suspicious of Azula, but her brother was not exactly endearing himself to Sokka either. Sokka could not imagine ever saying things like that about Katara, especially behind her back. He wondered what sort of disaster could make siblings detest each other like this.
"I'm just saying that you should look out for your sister, Sokka," Zuko sighed. "She seems like one of those bleeding hearts who thinks that she can solve every problem in the world. Azula is going to have a ball tearing her apart. Your sister might believe that they're dating, but-"
"Oh, they're not dating for real, they're just hanging out together to discourage jerks like that Chan guy," Sokka said.
Zuko looked a little surprised. "That's weird. Ruon's girlfriend Mai told me that Azula and your sister joined them for a double date a week ago." Sokka spat out his drink, ending up coughing violently. "I'm guessing you didn't know that. This is what I mean about Azula. It's a constant web of scheming and manipulation. Anyway, consider yourself warned. I'm off," Zuko shrugged, getting up to leave.
"Leaving already?" Sokka looked at the older boy. "The evening is still young."
"I only came here because I didn't expect Azula to actually show up," Zuko replied. "Now that she's here, I have no interest in staying." And with that he left the club.
Sokka shook his head, unsure of what to make of it all. While he was still thinking about Zuko's words, Sokka noticed Zirin walking out of the bathroom, looking upset and frustrated. Azula emerged shortly after, a stony and emotionless look on her face as she resumed her seat at the table. Moments later, Yue and Katara returned to join them as well, looking happy and exhausted.
"Hey, so… I just heard that you two were on an actual date like a week ago," Sokka said, looking at both Azula and Katara.
The two girls exchanged uncomfortable stares. "Is that what you and Zuko were talking about earlier?" Katara asked.
"Fucking Zuko," Azula swore angrily. "Guess he's been talking with Ruon-Jian or Mai. Well, I suppose our fake date was successful then, if we managed to fool Mai."
"Another fake date?" Yue wondered, frowning slightly. "I guess it was on that off-day when we had to change our plans." Katara nodded guiltily. "Don't you realize that you could have just told us the truth, Kat?"
"I'm sorry," Katara sighed. "I didn't think Azula would have liked me talking about it, and I wanted to respect her wishes."
Azula looked touched by Katara's words. "Thanks," she nodded. "But I guess it was stupid to try and hide it from your brother and Yue. You're right, though. I did feel embarrassed."
"It's alright, Azula. You just wanted to impress your friend. I understand," Katara patted Azula's hand. "We don't have to talk about it anymore." Azula looked relieved at that. "Do we, guys?" Katara looked at Sokka and Yue.
"Well… no harm done, I guess," Sokka shrugged. He did seem to be eyeing Azula with increased wariness, though.
"Yes, it's not worth thinking about, I say," Yue agreed happily. "In fact, let's have more drinks and more dancing!"
"Right, I get the message. More drinks coming right up," Sokka sighed, getting up to fetch more nonalcoholic cocktails for himself and the girls.
The next few hours passed by in a blur between more drinking and dancing, the four of them having a great time, and even Azula was starting to loosen up, smiling and even laughing at Sokka's terrible puns, much to her own horror. Ruon-Jian and Mai occasionally joined them on the dance floor, and Katara was pleased to see Mai behaving much more pleasantly towards Azula. Mai also seemed completely convinced that Katara and Azula were a genuine couple, and fortunately Sokka and Yue both held their mouths shut to preserve their little deception.
The only drawback of this pleasant evening was Chan and Hahn becoming progressively more drunk and annoying. They became more and more insistent in their attempts to pressure Katara, Yue and Azula into dancing with them, and several times Sokka was forced to threaten them with bodily harm. Katara and Yue had somehow managed to separate the would-be brawlers, while Azula had unhelpfully urged Sokka to throw a punch.
It was half an hour past midnight, when Yue and Katara made the call to leave the nightclub before an actual fight broke out. The four of them soon found themselves out on the street in front of the hotel. Sokka shuffled around uncertainly before speaking up. "So… about that bottle of vodka. Anyone else up for it other than me and Yue?" he asked, clearly out of politeness, hoping that Katara and Azula would reject the offer.
"I'll have to turn down this unappealing offer of underage drinking, thanks," Azula scoffed, looking unimpressed.
"Me too," Katara nodded, then gesturing to Sokka and Yue. "Go ahead, you two. I'll just say goodbye to Azula before heading up to my room."
"If you're sure," Yue said, not looking quite as happy as her boyfriend. "See you in the morning, Kat. And until next year, Azula," she smiled at the Fire Nation girl. Azula responded with a faint smile of her own.
"So…" Katara began uncertainly once they had been left all alone on the street.
"Yes, well… I should probably go," Azula also appeared hesitant.
"Wait! Before you go," Katara suddenly thought of something. She quickly rummaged through her purse, finding a pen and a piece of paper. Katara quickly scribbled down a series of digits before passing the paper strip over to Azula.
"What's this?" Azula looked at the piece of paper.
"My phone number, silly," Katara chuckled. "Azula, it's sometimes really hard to figure out what you think or feel, but you should know that I consider you a friend. And that means you can call me at any time you want, for any reason, big or small. I know that you probably won't call me, but I just want you to know that the offer is there."
"Oh." Azula seemed a little overwhelmed, trying to recompose herself. "Thanks. You probably shouldn't call me, though. One of my father's loyal stooges might answer. I can't say if you're the kind of friend that my father would approve of."
"Well, I wouldn't want to get you into trouble," Katara nodded.
"Anyway. See you next year in Ba Sing Se?" Azula spoke up, awkwardly sticking her hand out for a shake. "I won't mind if you come second after me."
"I guess we'll see about that," Katara replied with a somber, bittersweet smile on her lips. "Until next year… and take care of yourself, Azula."
Azula nodded at her and finally turned to walk away, leaving Katara to watch as she walked up to a taxi parked at the side of the street and got in after a brief exchange of words with the driver. Last year, they had parted with Katara having to watch a badly beaten Azula hobbling and climbing into her father's limo. At least, this year was an improvement over that.
This was the bit after the tournaments that Katara always found painful, saying farewells to her friends, many of whom she wouldn't see for months. She wouldn't see Azula for a whole year, until the next U18 finals. And while Katara hadn't yet become close to Azula in the way she had bonded with Toph and Aang, in some ways, parting with Azula felt more painful. Katara could sense that the other girl desperately needed a friend, just someone to be there for her, even if Azula herself perhaps hadn't realized it yet. Katara only hoped that Azula wouldn't forget about her completely, even if she knew that both time and distance worked against their friendship.
Two days following the end of the tournament, Azula found herself being awoken by one of the estate's servants, informing her that a car was waiting outside to take her to the family manor on the outskirts of Caldera City where her father was waiting for her. Azula quickly got ready and twenty minutes later she was sitting in the back of her father's limo, filled with trepidation throughout the roughly forty minutes long drive traversing the capital.
Azula knew that she had accomplished the goal set out by her father. She shouldn't have felt nervous about meeting Ozai, and yet, she couldn't stop herself from turning into a bundle of nerves. What if her father had found something else to be angry about? Maybe he had somehow learned of how much she had been hanging out with Katara Enuaraq and had jumped to the wrong conclusions? Azula hoped that her father wouldn't find anything wrong with her behavior, but she quietly prepared herself for the worst.
She still hadn't fully processed everything that had happened during the tournament. Azula had expected that her father's insistence to find herself a sparring partner would turn into an absolute disaster. But instead of a disaster, she had found… a friend? Azula still felt hesitant and apprehensive thinking about Katara as her friend. Katara couldn't really be a part of her life in that way, as a proper friend. Azula didn't think that Ozai would look fondly upon her socializing with someone as plain and poor as Katara. Still, Azula could not lie to herself about wanting a friend like Katara. Hanging out with Katara had made her feel all sorts of strange and new sensations, things she hadn't been exposed to before. Katara was genuine in a way that was new and unaccustomed to Azula. Katara even made it possible for Azula to endure a blockhead like her brother Sokka. And Yue Taqqiq was also pleasant and tolerable company. Azula already missed that evening of them all having fun together at that Caldera nightclub.
The limo eventually passed through the manor gates and came to a halt. The driver quickly rushed to open the doors for her and helped Azula climb out. She was about to head straight for the front entrance of the manor, but then she noticed her father. He was standing in front of the large garage, waving for her to join him. With a frantically beating heart, Azula wasted no more time before joining Ozai in front of the garage.
"Azula, my beloved daughter," her father smiled at her, which was a rare sight in itself. "Words cannot express how happy you have made me! That picture of my worthless son's disappointed expression in the papers. It was worth every minute we spent practicing, was it not? Azula, this was one of the proudest moments in my life, and you delivered it to me. I am beyond impressed with you, daughter."
"Th-thank you, father," Azula managed, feeling overwhelmed. She felt like her heart might explode in her chest, it was so full, swelling with pride.
"You have given me the greatest gift I could ask for, Azula. For that, I have a gift of my own," Ozai smiled, pressing a button on the garage doors. They opened, revealing a brand new sports car, a red two-seater roadster. "A brand new Alpha Romeo Spider, just for you, Azula. I could not think of a worthier gift."
"A car? You're giving me… a car? A car of my own?" tears began to well up in Azula's eyes.
"Yes, this car will be yours to use when you turn sixteen in a few months," Ozai nodded at her, smiling. "I've already paid for a driving instructor, so that you can have a student's license ready on your birthday. You're starting tomorrow."
"I… I don't know what to say, father," Azula managed. "Thank you doesn't begin to cover it."
"Anything for my amazing daughter," Ozai said, pulling her into his embrace and she happily accepted it, feeling her father hold her close and kiss the top of her head. At that moment, she didn't care what the rest of the world thought about her father. She didn't even care about the occasional beating or two. In that very moment, Azula felt like she had the best father in the entire world.
"Katara! Katara, girl! Get up here this instant!" Katara cringed at the insistent tone in her grandmother's voice, immediately tearing herself away from her textbooks. Katara had never enjoyed studying in the isolation of her own room. She much preferred to stretch out on the bearskin rug on the living room floor, right in front of the TV set.
"Coming, Gran-Gran!" Katara shouted, running up the stairs. Oddly, Kanna's voice was coming from Katara's own room. Frowning, Katara walked up to her room and entered, gasping when she saw that her grandmother had laid out on her bed all the purchases Azula had made for her, the mini dress, the kitten heels, gloves and purse. "Umm… you've been going through my stuff, Gran-Gran?" she asked.
"I thought it was strange that you hadn't put your suitcase away in the attic," Kanna explained sternly. "I wanted to check it for more laundry before putting it away, and instead I found all of this. These things look very expensive, Katara. Where did you get them?"
Katara was about to start explaining herself when Sokka's head poked out of his room, directly across the hallway from her. "Uh-oh, is Katara in trouble?" he grinned like a complete doofus.
"Shut up, Sokka," Katara hissed at him. "Well, you see, Gran-Gran… I made a new friend in Caldera City and she bought these things for me."
"She just bought these things for you?" Kanna repeated incredulously. "And what did you have to do for her, Katara?"
"Nothing! We were just hanging out together, studying our Pai Sho games. Azula simply felt grateful for my company, that is all," Katara replied defensively.
"And just who is this mysterious Azula?" Kanna demanded.
"Azula Nakamura," Sokka explained unhelpfully. "Katara's sugar mommy is the heir to the Nakamura Industries."
Gran-Gran looked like she was about to have a stroke. "I'm sure I don't want to know what a sugar mommy is, but Katara… you shouldn't be spending your time with people like that, child," she managed weakly. "They are cut from a different cloth than us. They are dangerous and could destroy our family on a whim, with a flick of their wrist."
"Azula seems very arrogant and conceited, sure, but she's still only human," Katara replied resolutely. "I know there's goodness and decency in her."
"I know you always want to assume the best about people, child, but on this occasion, I must insist that you stay away from this girl," Kanna said sternly. "I know that your father would agree with me, Katara. You know that the Nakamura name is not cherished in this household."
"I know, Gran-Gran," Katara sighed. The Nakamura name was cursed in the Enuaraq household because of what the Nakamura Industries oil rig job was doing to their father, slowly grinding Hakoda's spirit into dust. It was a name loathed in the community because of the detrimental effect the oil rig had on the coastal ecology. Still, Katara could not hold any of this against Azula. She was only fifteen. That was why Katara had no intention of following through on her grandmother's request.
Not that it really mattered in the end. Almost a week had passed since the conclusion of the tournament, and Azula still hadn't called her. Katara had a feeling that Azula would not call her. At least Yue called every day to speak with her and Sokka. And Yue was still the girl who held all the strings to Katara's heart, but despite all that, Katara found it impossible to put Azula Nakamura completely out of her thoughts.
Next chapter: Let's check in on how Azula and Katara are spending their respective summers.