Chapter 28

Katara and Yue did manage to create the previously predicted stir when they appeared by the lake wearing identical matching white bikinis that didn't leave all that much to the imagination. Less than a quarter of an hour later, all the boys who had come to spend time at the beach had sought sanctuary in the cold lake water, save for the poor wheelchair-bound Teo. Even Aang had appeared flustered and slightly red in the face, same as Zuko Nakamura, the grouchy nephew of Uncle Iroh.

"Well, congratulations on clearing the beach," Toph grinned at her two friends, lounging on their beach towels nearby. Toph herself was wearing a cute one piece green bikini, which was slightly more modest. She looked over at Teo. "Hey, Teo, I can push your wheelchair into the water if you want me to!" she offered with a giggle.

"Nah, I'm good," Teo replied. He appeared to be reading (or at least was pretending to be reading) the latest issue of The Harmony Ring. "I mean, all you ladies look absolutely stunning, but I have a lot more self-control than those guys," he winked before nodding at the other boys, busy splashing around in the lake.

"Good on you, Teo," Toph chuckled. "That guy is pretty smooth, isn't he?" she whispered to both Yue and Katara.

"I think she likes him," Yue chuckled, leaning close to Katara's ear.

"Aww, that is so cute!" Katara exclaimed with a happy grin on her face. For years she had tried to set Toph up with Aang, but it just wasn't going anywhere and Katara had finally accepted that those two were far more comfortable as friends. Katara wondered if maybe Toph and Teo could be her new pet project of matchmaking. If only she could find someone acceptable for Aang. Meng was still all over him, but Aang did not seem to be at all interested in someone so clingy.

"What are you whispering about, you Water Tribe dorks?" Toph glared at the two older girls. "Anyway, I'm starting to overheat in this sun. Time to go for a swim," she said, getting up from her beach towel and wading into the calm waters of the lake, spectacles on the tip of her nose.

"Let's join her," Yue exclaimed in a voice the brook no arguments as she rose and pulled Katara up with her. Moments later, the two Water Tribe girls dashed past Toph into the water and dove straight in, splashing the smaller girl completely wet and making her break out in expletives.

"Damn you Water Tribe assholes! This isn't funny!" Toph roared at them. "Ugh, this is so cold!" she complained loudly.

"What are you talking about?" Yue laughed, together with Katara already busy swimming around in circles. "This water is ridiculously warm!"

"Well maybe it's warm for you northern savages who spend most of your lives in an ice hole," Toph did not relent. "For me this is uncomfortably cold." She took a few steps back towards the shore, scooping up some of the water and rubbing her arms up to the shoulders and then all over her chest, trying to get used to the cold. Eventually, she took a deep breath and made a daring plunge into the water, screaming aloud as she did so.

"It's not that bad, is it?" Katara asked, once Toph had reemerged from the water.

"Well no, now that I've used to it, it's actually really nice," Toph admitted.

"Good," Katara grinned. She then slammed her palms together, sending a mighty splash of water that hit Toph straight in the face.

"Aah! You jerk! I'm going to get you for this!" Toph shouted, diving for Katara, but the Water Tribe girl was already in motion, smoothly evading the smaller girl and swimming to safety.

"Maybe we should make our escape and wait for her to calm down," Yue laughed, nodding towards the center of the lake.

"Good idea," Katara nodded. "Toph, Yue and I are going to swim ways out, just don't try to follow us, alright? We'll be right back!"

"Yeah, that's right, flee from my wrath!" Toph threatened. "I'll destroy you once you have returned!"

"Alright, we can't wait, Toph," Katara laughed, then following Yue and quickly catching up with her friend as they swam deeper into the lake, much further out than any of the boys ever dared to swim. Both Katara and Yue were excellent swimmers. Swimming was simply a part of the Water Tribe identity, and even the smallest of schools had a swimming pool. Swimming was a regular part of their PE classes and in addition both Yue and Katara were on the swimming team of their respective schools. When Uncle Iroh had first heard of how far they were swimming into the lake, he had become very concerned and had warned them against it, but once they had demonstrated just how accomplished they were as swimmers, it had erased all the concerns Iroh may have had.

"I think this is far enough," Yue eventually stopped after they had been swimming for several minutes straight. Looking back, they could barely see the plank-way stretching into the lake. This was further than they had ever swum out, but neither of them was worried about that. They didn't fear the water. It was their element.

"I have to say, swimming in this bikini is so much more pleasant than in my old swimsuit," Katara admitted as they made lazy circles in the water, relaxing on their backs. "That one used to really weigh me down, but the bikini is not at all obstructive."

"Yes, I noticed that you had a much easier time keeping up with me," Yue chuckled, clearly enjoying herself while pointing out that she was the marginally stronger swimmer out of the pair. "By the way, I want you to keep it. As a gift."

"Really? I couldn't-" Katara just had to offer her token protest, as always.

"Don't be ridiculous," Yue groaned. "Just accept the gifts from your ridiculously rich best friend, alright? Honestly, I'm not spoiling you as much as I should be."

"You're spoiling me way too much, Yue. But alright, I'll take it," Katara acceded. She then broke out in giggles. "Oh dear, I wonder what my dad would say about me wearing a bikini. He was seriously freaking out about the dress I wore to Sokka's prom. You know, the one Azula got for me."

"Seriously? It's not even that bad!" Yue laughed.

"Not according to my dad," Katara rolled her eyes. "I had to listen to a monologue about young people these days, the lack of modesty, and what is this world coming to. Sometimes I feel that even Gran-Gran is a little more open minded than my dad."

"Hah! Well, I have no idea what my father would actually think about me wearing a bikini, I don't tell him these things and he leaves me well alone," Yue replied. There was another side to this statement which remained unsaid, however, and they both knew it. Arnook Taqqiq might be allowing his daughter more freedom now, but it was only because once she came of age, she would have to submit to the choices made by her father or risk losing her inheritance. This wasn't a fun topic for discussion, however, so they never really talked too much about it. "Anyway, I think we should start heading back before someone becomes worried," Yue said then.

"That's probably a good idea," Katara said, and the two of them swiftly made their way back towards the direction of the shore. Most of the other kids were already out of the water, save for Toph who was waiting on them, and Zuko Nakamura, swimming nearby. As Katara and Yue swam ever closer Toph dove under the water, probably looking to ambush one of the Water Tribe girls.

Toph emerged a good few yards away from Katara, looking and sounding distressed. "I can't see a thing!" she exclaimed. "I lost my glasses!"

"Damn it," Yue cursed. "I thought it was a bad idea for you to dive with your glasses on."

"Oh gee, that's really helpful to know after I've lost them!" Toph raged, appearing greatly frustrated. "I need to find my glasses, I can barely see which way the shore is!" she said, about to dive back under the water.

"Wait! Toph, don't!" Katara tried to stop her. This was actually a really bad idea, because they were deep enough in the lake where the water was a good few inches above Toph's head. And Toph wasn't the best of swimmers, so having her blindly search for her glasses on the lake bed was quite dangerous. "Toph, I'm going to take you to the shore. Yue can stay and look for your glasses, and I'll come back to help her. It would be a lot safer for you to get out now that you can barely see."

Katara could see that Toph wanted to protest and stay to search herself. Still, despite feeling angry at herself and probably the whole world, the younger girl decided to listen to voice of reason. "Alright, fine… but you better find them!" Toph exclaimed irately. "Like an idiot, I didn't pack my spare pair, ugh!"

As Katara began to lead Toph back ashore, Zuko swam up to them, alerted by the commotion. "What happened?" he asked, sounding concerned. It was the first time Katara had observed him being concerned on someone else's behalf.

"I lost my glasses, alright?" Toph fumed as she was being guided ashore by Katara. "Ha-ha, very funny, please proceed with the laughter."

Zuko looked slightly taken aback by her words. "I don't think that's funny at all," he said. "In fact, I'm going to help you look for them. Did you lose them somewhere around here?" he pointed at where Yue was swimming around, diving in and emerging soon after, currently without any success.

"Yes, they should be around here," Yue replied. "You're welcome to help, Zuko," she added with a smile.

"Don't worry, Toph, we'll find your glasses," Katara tried to sound comforting as she led Toph back ashore.

"Save it, Sugar Queen, I know it's unlikely. They've probably been carried away already," Toph snapped at her. "Or maybe some stupid fish is already wearing my glasses while having a good laugh about me being a dumbass." Katara tried not to giggle about the absurd mental image of a laughing fish with spectacles, focusing on helping Toph get safely out of the water. Once they were close enough to the shore, Katara allowed Toph to make the rest of the way out on her own, immediately turning around to head back in and help with the search. Much to her surprise, she saw that Yue and Zuko were already on their way towards the shore as well.

"Hey, Toph, look what Zuko has for you!" Yue cheered once they were all back out of the water.

"Here you go, Beifong," Zuko passed Toph's glasses back to her.

"And he found them on his first dive in, too," Yue gave the older boy a grateful smile. "It's pretty impressive how long you can hold your breath under the water, Zuko."

"Yeah, thanks," Toph nodded. She looked a little uncomfortable as she stared up at the older boy. "Sorry about snapping at you. I was angry at myself, not you."

"Oh," Zuko remarked. He then shrugged. "Well, whatever," he said, about to walk away.

"Hey, wait up, Zuko!" Katara called after him, having sat down with Yue on their beach towels to dry themselves in the scorching rays of the sun. "Want to hang out with us?" she asked.

Zuko looked perplexed. "Why? I thought you hated me," he said, trying to sound indifferent.

"Nah, you're cool," Aang said, sunbathing his back nearby. "Everyone at this camp is cool, and that includes you." Aang literally could not hold a grudge against anyone even if he tried, which was why he got along with just about everyone. It was why Katara was so fond of her young friend.

"Yeah, you found my glasses, that makes you cool in my book," Toph echoed Aang's sentiments.

"Uh… alright then, I guess," Zuko managed, still sounding a little indecisive. "I'll go grab my towel," he then said, walking off to where he had lounged previously, all by himself.

"What?" Katara asked, having noticed that Yue was staring at her and smiling. "He's just been looking so lonely and unhappy this year. I think he could use some friends," Katara shrugged. Yue's grin only intensified as she reached out and gave Katara a quick hug.

Katara hadn't gotten off to a good start with Zuko this year either. Their first conversation had ended with him mocking her for the way she had lost the U18 title in the final round, to which she had shot back that it was still less embarrassing than Zuko's own final round collapse a year before that. But aside from that unpleasantness, Katara was feeling pretty bad for Zuko this year. Jin was no longer with him at the camp, so she figured that they must have split up. Overall, Zuko just looked rather depressed and even Uncle Iroh appeared more concerned for his nephew than before. Obviously, Katara knew that she couldn't take up the task of helping both Nakamura siblings at once, especially when they seemed to hate each other so much, but if she could at least include Zuko in some of their activities and cheer him up, well, surely she could manage such a small act of kindness?

"So!" Aang began excitedly once Zuko had returned to join them, laying out his beach towel a respectable distance away. "Nice job winning among the big guys, Zuko! How tough are the U21's?"

"I'm sure you've all heard about how it's so easy," Zuko replied. "Well, it's not easy at all, even if I found U18's to be a lot tougher. But hardly anyone from my age group made the switch to the pro circuit. Well, that Zirin girl tried, but it went about as well as I expected. She wasn't particularly talented, so I don't know what she was thinking. I think it's a good lesson for everyone who tries to make the switch too early."

"What happened with this Zirin person?" Toph wanted to know.

"Well, she just didn't cut the mustard at the pro level," Zuko shrugged in reply. "I heard that she has retired from Pai Sho altogether now."

"Ouch, that's sad," Aang sighed. "But if you're not turning pro-"

"I'm not," Zuko shook his head. "I mean, I was really tempted to, but uncle talked me out of it, and I think he was right to do so. Winning the title helped. So I'll be playing juniors for two more years."

"And you'll probably be an even stronger favorite next year," Aang continued. "Some of the older boys and girls can no longer play junior, and you're getting Chan, Ruon-Jian and Ghashiun from the U18 bracket."

"Three easy wins," Zuko snorted.

"Do you know if anyone else is thinking about turning pro?" Yue asked.

"I talked with Haru after the tournament," Zuko replied. "He was thinking about it. I'm not sure he's actually going to do it. And what about all of you? What are your plans after turning eighteen?" he asked, looking at Yue and Katara in particular. He then seemed to realize that he had been staring for too long, and turned away with a slight blush on his cheeks. Katara thought that it was kind of cute. She wasn't into boys, but still, knowing that a handsome older boy like Zuko thought that she and Yue were hot, was pretty exciting and flattering.

"I'm definitely planning to combine full time studies with remaining a junior," Katara replied.

"What are you going to study?" Zuko asked.

"Medicine," Katara replied with conviction. "I've always wanted to become a surgeon." That wasn't exactly true, not the always part. She had made that decision because of those painful flashbacks of her nine year old self standing over her mother's lifeless form, the paramedics unable to do anything but to cover her broken body to shield it from Katara's eyes. She had hated that feeling of helplessness. If only someone had been at the scene sooner, someone capable of helping her mom, perhaps she could have been saved. She hadn't been able to save her mom, in fact she had a very good reason to blame herself for Kya's death. And Katara knew that she could rid herself of that guilt only by dedicating her life to saving others.

"What about you, Taqqiq?" Zuko turned to Yue.

"It's Yue," she corrected him with a smile. The smile, however, faded quickly. "And I couldn't say what I'm going to do once I turn eighteen. I simply don't have an idea," Yue sighed. Katara understood perfectly what she was talking about, slipping a comforting arm around her friend's shoulder. Yue was dependant on her father's decisions, and they might not involve either Pai Sho, or being able to attend a college or university to pursue higher education. Katara was almost glad not to be rich if it meant being unable to make her own choices. It was times like these when she felt really bad for Yue.

"I know that my parents will want me to get a degree, so I won't be turning pro at eighteen," Toph mused. "And I already know what I want to study. Geology is the coolest thing there is."

"Toph loves rocks! Toph loves rocks!" Aang began to sing, a grin on his face. Toph growled and grabbed the nearby volleyball, throwing it at Aang. It struck the Air Nation boy right across the face, leaving an imprint across his brow. "Ow," Aang said, the song dying on his lips.

"You asked for it, little buddy," Zuko chuckled. Katara decided that a smile suited him well. "Even I know not to cross Beifong."

"Well, you're smarter than I am," Aang chuckled, never one to remain down for long. "Anyway, I'll probably remain with the juniors and study as well, but it's not decided yet. Gyatso doesn't have the money to send me to the best universities like Caldera or Ba Sing Se. However, if I can ace my finals, I might get a decent enough state scholarship to go and study abroad. Fingers crossed!"

"You can do it, Aang, I know you can," Katara gave him an encouraging smile.

"Yeah, I think I should be able to qualify for scholarship," Aang smiled back at her. "I would really like to go to BSSU. They have the best program for electrical engineering. It's the kind of stuff that really interests me and that the people back home could really benefit from. The Air Nation power grid is a steaming mess of yak poop."

"Zuko, you're attending BSSU as well, right?" Katara asked. Zuko nodded at her, again avoiding looking directly at her for too long. "I never asked what you're studying."

"Law," Zuko replied. "Not thrilling, I know. But it comes easy to me. And there's solid money to be had. It could be a good way to supplement myself if the Pai Sho career doesn't work out the way I would like."

"Sounds like a smart decision," Katara said. She wanted to say something about them all having solid plans for the future, but fortunately she remembered Yue's uncertain situation just in time. In fact, it looked as if Yue was suddenly feeling really down, probably from listening about the others talking about their exciting future plans, when she wouldn't even control her own future.

"Things are going to work out, Yue, you'll see," Katara whispered to her friend, leaning closer to hug her. "And remember, whatever happens, I'll stand by you, always and forever."

"Thanks, Kat," Yue whispered back at her, sounding grateful. Seeing the smile reappearing on Yue's lips, Katara felt relieved. It seemed that her mission to keep everyone around her happy and smiling remained on track.

Azula settled in comfortably on top of a square bale of hay in the stables, leaning in against another bale and ignoring the few errant stems pricking the back of her neck. While Azula did like her high society creature comforts, she still enjoyed hanging out at the stables even after she was done with her beloved horses. It was also a place where she loved to come and read the letters that Katara sent her every other day. She had tried to tell her Water Tribe friend that she didn't have to do this, and that she would be perfectly fine during the month of no contact with Katara. But once the letters began to arrive at Sozin's Island, they instantly became the highlight of Azula's quiet and introspective summer, one of the few rare things she was looking forward to.

Overall, things weren't too bad for her. She had recovered completely (at least physically) by the end of May, her bruised ribs the last to heal. The lacerations had healed well and only a couple of very vague marks remained, the doctor promising that they would also fade with time. Ozai was still in this weird and almost a little creepy apologetic and conciliatory mode, which was something Azula had not witnessed before, and did not expect to last. Azula spent days trying to understand why her father was acting this way, and she had come up with a theory. All the beatings prior to this latest one, Ozai had handed out in a very measured and controlled way. Back in spring, however, he had simply gone berserk on her. Perhaps he was freaking out about having lost control and nearly doing permanent damage to his most prized piece of property? That seemed the most likely explanation to Azula.

So, Ozai mostly let her be over these past three months of spring and summer. Azula was definitely grateful for this reduced contact with her father, and when they did meet, he was actually… nice towards her. There were plenty of gifts, generous checks for her to spend as she pleased, and most importantly, her red Alpha Romeo Spider had been repaired and returned to the garage for her use. Since the car had been returned just as she was about to depart for the Sozin's Island residence, Azula hadn't actually been able to go for a drive yet, but she was definitely looking forward to it once she went back to Caldera City. So, things were almost unnaturally good for Azula right now, but she was well aware that it would remain this way only until the next time when she would inevitably disappoint her father.

The one thing Azula was reasonably confident about was that this disappointment would not come from her Pai Sho performance. Her father had relaxed his involvement in her training, and he had also stopped sending Zhao to annoy her. When Azula sparred with her father, he appeared impressed about the progress she had made without his aid. Ozai still hadn't found out about her friendship with Katara, and Azula was determined to keep it that way. Her long distance sparring with Katara had sharpened Azula's skill to a completely new level. Of course, it had done the same to Katara, so Azula knew that come the next spring, she would have only one serious competitor for the title. And with the tournament being held on home soil, in the Fire Fountain City, Azula was determined to prevail.

Eventually, Azula pushed all of these thoughts aside, deciding to finally focus on the letter that had arrived this morning. She had been dying to open it for hours, while at the same time denying herself from doing so, just to shorten the wait before receiving the next letter. But now she could wait no longer, quickly opening the letter and removing the two sheets of paper, covered with Katara's slightly scraggly and at times chaotic handwriting.

In the first part of the letter, Katara wrote about all the things she had done over the previous days, which consisted of plenty of Pai Sho practice combined with other activities either at her uncle's vast Serpent's Lake estate or in nearby Ba Sing Se. Katara always started and finished these passages with an apology about having so much fun when she knew that Azula was suffering from loneliness at her estate. Honestly, Azula did not begrudge Katara for having fun. Her Water Tribe friend deserved it. She didn't even want to think what these past months would have felt without this contact with Katara, which often felt like a lifeline. Katara deserved so much of Azula's gratitude for being there for her. Azula only wished she could find the words to actually express what she felt.

'I wish you could be here with me and my friends, even though I know that you don't want anything to do with your uncle,' Katara wrote in her letter. Yes, Azula longed to spend time with Katara, and her friends as well. She would probably suffer enduring the presence of her uncle for that. And honestly, that Pai Sho camp sounded like a lot of fun. There was freedom to do what they wanted, within reason, certainly more than what Azula could get away with while she remained in the care of her father. Not to mention the company of Katara. Even her friends were not annoying… no, they were actually pretty awesome, each in their own unique way, Toph with her no nonsense attitude and casual swearing, Aang with his chillness and unflappable optimism, and Yue, just an all around classy girl like her, minus the social awkwardness.

'I know that I am probably overstepping by saying this, but Azula, I am firmly convinced that your uncle would do his best to stand up for you and protect you, should you ever make the decision to walk away from your father,' Katara also wrote towards the end of the letter. At first, Azula felt a little ticked off when she read this passage. It wasn't Katara's place to butt into her family matters, damn it!

But Katara's words still got Azula thinking. What was she mad at her uncle about, anyway? She had revised her opinion about her father, so perhaps it was time to do the same towards her uncle? She had never hated Iroh the way she hated Ursa and Zuko. Iroh had testified in the court against her father, but he hadn't been there when Zuko's face had been burnt. Azula reasoned that he was only reciting what Ursa had told him. Ursa and Zuko had lied about her father in front of the Fire Nation court, telling a flagrant untruth that had made Azula so incensed at the time. Ursa had given up on her, but Iroh didn't really have any claim on her, did he? Not when both of her parents were still alive and retained their formal rights over her.

So why was she mad at Iroh again? Because he had sided against her father and had perpetuated a lie. But it was very possible that Iroh didn't know that he had been told a lie. And also, siding against her father had felt like a terrible crime when Azula was ten, but it certainly did not seem like a crime now. Azula supposed that she was also mad at Iroh for abandoning the Fire Nation and going into exile, but was this really a choice he had made? It probably just followed his decision to stand up to his brother. He would have no future in the Fire Nation after that. As many people loved to say, Ozai Nakamura was the Fire Nation, and the Fire Nation was Ozai Nakamura. Again, it became hard to blame her uncle for his supposed lack of patriotism.

With the curtain of long perpetuated hatred starting to clear, Azula began to remember long suppressed memories of her childhood, memories that reflected well on her uncle and memories that she had tried to bury because they hadn't matched with the narrative of the scheming, vile conspirator serving the interests of Ursa and Zuko. Her uncle had always been supportive when he discovered her interest and penchant for Pai Sho. He had spent hours on end playing with her and Zuko, and Azula could not remember feeling like he had been playing favorites at the time, preferring Zuko over her. He had even brought Lu Ten with him every time when visiting, so that when Iroh was facing off against Zuko, Azula would get to play against Lu Ten. And he had given her several beautiful Pai Sho tile sets on her birthdays. How could she just selectively ignore all these memories?

And then there was the tragic death of Lu Ten in an army training accident. The investigation had revealed the rot and general air of malaise that had set into the Fire Nation armed forces, but it had failed to identify any specific individual that could be held accountable and prosecuted for the tragic accident. Iroh had been left outraged and depressed in the wake of these tragic events. It had all happened only two weeks before the divorce proceedings between her parents. Perhaps it was no wonder that Iroh's thoughts had been elsewhere during the court case.

So, perhaps Azula actually didn't have a reason to hate her uncle. That was a weird thought to get used to. She supposed that she needed time to become comfortable with it. Azula also wasn't sure what it really meant for the future. It wasn't like she could flee from her father right now. The courts would simply force Iroh to hand her back to Ozai, and perhaps even slap her uncle with kidnapping charges.

Did Katara mean after she had turned eighteen? Just give up on the Nakamura fortune and flee to her uncle, begging Iroh to take her in? Why would he? She'd have nothing to her name if she did that, so she would be just one more ungrateful mouth to feed. Was Iroh obliged to help just because she was family? She hadn't been much of a family these past seven years of rabid hatred. Besides, perhaps Katara didn't realize this, but Iroh was tight with Ursa and Zuko, particularly with Zuko. And Ursa and Zuko would not stand for Iroh taking her in. No, if Iroh didn't hate her already, Ursa and Zuko would poison Iroh against her, that was a given. She didn't really see how her uncle could provide her with any sort of sanctuary, even after she had come of age. Katara meant well, but she was mistaken. There was no way out, or if there was, Azula didn't think it lay with her uncle.

Still… she had arrived at the realization that maybe she didn't actually hate her uncle after all. She just didn't know whether it counted for anything.

Next chapter: It's the fall again, our girls have turned seventeen, and it's time to qualify for the final stab at the U18 title.