Chapter 48

Following the discoveries made at the abandoned Nakamura estate at Puffin Creek, the hardest part for Katara was to act normal around her family. She wasn't entirely successful at it, and Gran-Gran had actually interpreted her sullen mood as a sign that she had fallen out with Azula. Katara had done her best to reassure her grandmother that she and Azula were getting along just fine, but she could not bring herself to tell Gran-Gran about what they had discovered. There was always the possibility that the car had been damaged after hitting a deer or an elk, and even if the worst case scenario was true, Katara wasn't sure how to bring it up with her family, and if they even deserved to be put through this turmoil once again.

Still, as days passed, Katara began to feel more and more ill at ease with the decision not to bring the matter to the authorities. She wanted to trust Azula, and she did trust Azula, but she also doubted whether Azula could outplay her father in this game of blackmail she seemed intent on playing. Maybe it would just provoke Ozai to respond by doing something incomprehensibly awful. By now, Katara would not put anything past Azula's father, especially if he had his back against the wall. Besides, Azula was still a teenager, just like she was. It simply wasn't right that they had to handle things like these by themselves. How Azula could honestly expect herself to stand up to Ozai, to face her father who had attempted to… spirits, Katara couldn't even think about that, it was all simply too disgusting. As time passed by, Katara became convinced that she had to think of something that would remove the necessity for Azula to face Ozai herself.

By now, Sokka had arrived in Cape Kuruk, and the family was finally reunited in full. It was great to have her brother back. Katara had missed him more than anyone else while living in Ba Sing Se. It also delighted Katara to see that Sokka was getting along just fine with Azula. Sokka was aware of some of the things that Azula had gone through. Obviously, he didn't speak to Azula about it, but this knowledge seemed to have made Sokka act rather protective towards Azula. Katara had poked a little fun at Azula about that, asking her how she felt about it, to which Azula had rolled her eyes and stated that Sokka was being as obnoxious as ever. She had said it with a smile on her lips, however, which was how Katara knew that it was a lie and Azula actually enjoyed the supportiveness.

It was towards the end of their first of two weeks at Cape Kuruk when the need to share her and Azula's discovery finally became unbearable. Even though Katara felt that Azula had been earnest upon telling her that she wasn't going to try and stop her from going to the police, Katara still felt as if she would be going behind Azula's back. Still, Katara had become convinced that seeking someone else's advice on this matter was a good idea. Both her and Azula were too emotionally invested in the matter and perhaps were not looking at the situation objectively. Bato was a friend of the family and Katara trusted him. Perhaps it was a good idea to simply consult him about their options without launching a formal investigation or doing something that would drag her family in the spotlight and put them through more emotional hardship.

One afternoon, having noticed that Azula and Sokka had become engrossed playing Jenga, the brand new board game that Sokka had brought with him from Agna Qel'a, Katara decided to use the opportunity to sneak out of the house. She didn't like Jenga because she was rather terrible at it, so she figured that the others would not become suspicious when she excused herself by stating that she was going for a walk around the village. She wasn't even lying. She just hadn't added that the walk would include stopping by the Cape Kuruk police station.

Nothing displayed the capacity of local law enforcement more succinctly than the fact that Cape Kuruk police station did not even have a building of its own, instead occupying half of the ground floor of the postal office building. As Katara walked into the dingy little office, she immediately noticed the sole lonely police officer sitting at the table, busy reading the local newspaper while enjoying a slice of damn good cherry pie and a cup of the blackest coffee. Katara coughed lightly, trying to get the officer's attention when he hadn't spotted her upon entering.

"Well, look who's here!" the officer spoke, smiling up at her. The name tag on his uniform read . "I'm always so glad to see you, Katara. I've seen you around the village with that friend of yours. She's not from around here, right? I'm going to guess… the Fire Nation?"

"Spot on, Bato," Katara smiled at her dad's best friend. "Good policing!"

"Haha, I've kept my skills sharp, Katara… mostly by doing crossword puzzles," Bato grinned.

"That's good," Katara nodded. "Uh… I was wondering if we could talk. I… let's just say that I could use some advice."

"Of course," Bato replied, nodding at her to take a seat at his desk. "As you can see, I'm not exactly swamped in urgent cases." Indeed, Bato's desk was suspiciously free of any kind of paperwork. The only things on the desk were crumbs from the pie and plenty of coffee stain rings. Katara made a mental note to introduce Bato to the concept of a coaster. "Now, what can I do for you, Katara?"

Katara had been so convinced that coming to the police station was a good idea, but now that she was here, she suddenly felt uncertain, despite Bato being a good friend of the family. She spent a while fidgeting nervously, wondering where to begin. "Remind me, Bato, were you already in Cape Kuruk by the time my mom was killed?" she asked.

Bato blinked, looking mildly shocked. "No, I hadn't transferred yet. I was still way down south during that time," he replied eventually. "I think it was a year or so after the incident when they sent me up here because the old guy holding the fort decided to retire. Ugh, I can't even remember his name anymore…"

"Ah yes, that's right," Katara nodded, starting to recall the officer who used to stop by their house now and then to apologetically inform them how there were no new developments in the case. He was an older man with impressive walrus moustache, but Katara had quickly grown to hate him. She had wanted fiery retribution against those responsible for her mother's death, and this incompetent, doddering old fool clearly wasn't going to get her the results she wanted.

"I studied the case after coming here, of course," Bato said. "Given how rare crime is in our neck of the woods, it really shook the community. I felt like I had to learn as much as I could about it, even if the trail had gone cold already."

Katara once again began to fidget nervously. "I… may have new information about my mother's death," she spoke, somehow managing to keep her voice from cracking. "I understand that the investigation has been closed for many years now, and I really don't want to upset my own family by reopening old wounds, but this might be important. Perhaps it might be important enough to reopen the investigation. I was just thinking… perhaps what I am about to tell you could remain between us, at least to begin with."

"I wouldn't want to worry your family either, Katara," Bato said. He was no longer glancing at the newspaper he had set aside earlier, fully focused on what she had to say. "But it sounds to me as if you have discovered something important and you should probably tell me what it is."

"I… may have found the car that hit my mother," Katara managed.

Bato looked shocked. "This could be big. Are you absolutely certain of this?" he asked.

"The entire front of the car has dents and seems to be covered with old blood," Katara half-spoke, half-sobbed. "And the car hasn't been used for almost a decade, so the timeline fits."

"Alright, I need to take a look at this car myself," Bato said. "Where is it?"

"Umm… how well do you know Puffin Creek?" Katara asked nervously. She knew that they had committed a misdemeanor by breaking and entering the estate. She just hoped that Bato would not actually decide to throw a book at them.

"It's under my jurisdiction, so I know it well enough," Bato replied. "Is it in Puffin Creek?"

"You could say that," Katara replied. "There's an estate in Puffin Creek that has stood abandoned for almost ten years."

Bato suddenly looked really nervous. "Wait, the one that belongs to those Fire Nation magnates, the Nakamura family?" he asked. Katara nodded. "Are you telling me that you broke into the Nakamura family estate?" Bato asked again. Katara replied with another, very nervous nod. "How did you come up with that idea, Katara? You're someone I would not expect doing something unlawful."

"I just happened to come across the estate while exploring…" Katara suggested lamely.

"That is quite the coincidence," Bato remarked. "Hmm… I doubt you were exploring alone, though. You have this new Fire Nation friend and now you're breaking into an estate owned by a Fire Nation multimillionaire. I feel like there might be a link. Perhaps I should have a chat with your mysterious friend, Katara."

"No, please… Azula hasn't done anything wrong," Katara pleaded. "She was just curious about the estate owned by her grandfather."

"Ah, so she's a Nakamura as well," Bato's eyes widened. "This is becoming more and more interesting, and confusing."

"She is a Nakamura, but she has distanced herself from her father," Katara replied. "So, I guess technically she doesn't have a claim to the estate, and yes, we shouldn't have been there, but… listen, Bato, what we found could be really important. It's possible that Ozai Nakamura himself might be involved in the accident that took my mother from me."

For some reason, Bato looked distinctively nervous about this possibility. "Alright, I'm going to let you and your friend off the hook for breaking and entering. Just promise me to never do something like that again." Katara gave Bato an earnest nod. "That said I'm not sure what I can really do with this information, Katara."

"What? You don't think it's important that there's an old car with dented radiator and broken headlight in the garage of the Nakamura log cabin?" Katara exclaimed, starting to become upset. "Doesn't that warrant an investigation?"

"It obviously does, but hear me out, Katara," Bato sighed. "Can you imagine what the lawyers of Ozai Nakamura are going to do right away? They will ask how I came by this information about the car being there. And what would I tell them? There is no way I could have legally obtained this information."

"I didn't think about that," Katara sighed. Perhaps this was what Azula had meant about the official channels being useless. Ozai's army of lawyers would probably stonewall every attempt to get to their client. "Can't you get a search warrant?" she asked.

"I can ask for it, but the district judge will demand to know on what grounds I am requesting this warrant," Bato shrugged. "If I were to tell the old man that it's because of a hunch regarding a long closed investigation, it just wouldn't look good, right? Ugh, besides it's a property owned by a foreign national. I'd have to get in touch with the Fire Nation embassy… it would become a complete bureaucratic nightmare."

"So… there's nothing that we can do?" Katara was starting to tear up. "This isn't right, Bato."

"I didn't say there's nothing I can do," Bato sighed. "I didn't know your mother, Katara, but by all accounts, she was an amazing woman and a great mom. I'll need to have a think about this. Maybe I can call some of my old friends and ask for advice, without disclosing any details, obviously."

"Thanks, Bato," Katara managed a smile. This didn't sound very promising, but she wanted to hope that something might still come of it. She trusted Bato and she knew that he was a good man and a reliable friend.

"Meanwhile, let's keep it on a down low, as you suggested, okay?" Bato smiled at her. "I'm going to try and do what I can, but I also don't want to promise you that something will come of this, Katara. That's why I think it would be cruel to get Hakoda and the rest of the family all up in arms about this. They don't need to have these old wounds reopened, right? You don't need it either, but I always felt as if you haven't let go of what happened to your mom."

"I thought I had recently managed to let it go," Katara sighed. "We didn't go to the estate with the intent of uncovering something about my mom's death. This was all a complete accident…"

"Well, regardless of how it happened, Katara, you did the right thing by bringing this all to my attention," Bato smiled at her. "We might still be able to call the monster responsible for Kya's death to justice."

Azula had never been quite as engrossed in her Jenga competition with Sokka as Katara had assumed. She was having fun, yes, far more so than she had ever thought possible while interacting with Sokka, but Azula had always kept an eye on what was happening around her. When Katara snuck out of the house with a slightly guilty look on her face, Azula immediately realized that her best friend had decided to go to the police after all. Azula couldn't truly begrudge Katara making this decision. Katara still believed that despite how ugly the world was, doing the right and proper thing would ultimately lead to a good outcome. And Azula actually liked that about Katara. She found Katara's attitude admirable and worth aspiring to. But Azula also knew the ugly truth. While at Ozai's side, she had seen how the cake was really made. And she knew that Katara's idealism would come crashing down sooner or later.

Still, with Katara busy for the next couple of hours, this gave Azula the opportunity to carry out her own plan, which involved doing something that she didn't necessary wish to share with Katara. A few minutes after Katara had left the house, Azula let out an exaggerated yawn and gave Sokka a fake apologetic look. "Sorry, Sokka, no rematch this time… I fear I'm all Jenga'ed out for today," she said. "I think I'm going to go out for a drive," Azula added casually.

Sokka rolled his eyes. "What is this circus? Are you both sneaking off completely unsubtly to suck on each other's faces somewhere out of sight?" he laughed.

Azula sputtered with indignation. "What are you talking about? Ugh, Katara and I aren't…" Azula began to rant, her cheeks flushing, but then she caught herself. "You're just winding me up, aren't you? And I was just starting to li-… well, tolerate you."

"Aww, you like me?" Sokka grinned. "Well, I like you too, Azula."

"Oh, shut up, dumbass," Azula shoved him lightly, feeling more flustered than actually annoyed. "Anyway, I'm going out for a while. If Katara gets back before I do, tell her not to worry."

"Uh-huh, real convincing, Azula," Sokka smirked. Azula ignored him and stepped out into the entryway to grab her parka and ushanka hat, leaving Sokka muttering something about useless lesbians and having to call upon the power of mistletoe. Azula had no idea what he was going on about.

Having climbed into the rented Chevy Camaro, Azula's first step was to unfold the map she had studied without Katara's knowledge, plotting the route to the Elk Mountain ski lodge fifteen miles southwest of Cape Kuruk. While doing her research, Azula had already discovered something interesting. It seemed that the most optimal route from her grandfather's estate in Puffin Creek to the Elk Mountain led through Cape Kuruk. That was something to keep in mind as she turned on the ignition and carefully pulled out of the driveway, starting what she estimated to be a twenty minute drive to the ski lodge.

The condition of the roads was far from perfect, and Azula's journey lasted a little longer than she had expected it to. She wasn't going to do any speeding on the icy deathtraps that were the roads surrounding Cape Kuruk. Driving slowly and carefully also served to give Azula time for some introspection that wasn't possible to do in Katara's pleasantly distracting presence.

Azula hadn't been at all certain whether she would enjoy her time up here in the far north. So much of her decision to accompany Katara stemmed from her unwillingness to confront Ursa and Zuko yet again. And yet, now that she had stayed with Katara's family for about a week, Azula realized that she was actually enjoying her stay in Cape Kuruk. She had listened to Katara's heartwarming stories about her loving family, but she hadn't been able to truly understand what it would feel like just from Katara's words alone. And yet, now that she was here, Azula could see that Katara had not lied or exaggerated a single detail. The Enuaraq family shared the kind of bond that Azula could not remember from her childhood, not even before the divorce of her parents.

Certainly, there had been time when she had gotten along with Zuko, but her father hadn't approved of that. He had pitted them against each other from an early age, to foster competitiveness and to develop a killer instinct. If you could be ruthless towards your sibling, then you won't hesitate to destroy anyone, Ozai had said. And Azula had bought into her father's teachings a lot more than Zuko had. Zuko hadn't wanted to fight her at first, stating that she was younger and also a girl, but his reluctance had earned him only disgust from their father. Azula had watched Ozai's reaction and she had realized that the way to earn her father's approval was to simply go after Zuko, to turn his life into a living nightmare. A few years of being at each other's throats, and their family had fallen apart shortly afterwards.

Azula couldn't relate to any of the warmth and support that Katara and her family had for each other. But simply being exposed to it left Azula feeling starved for something similar in her life. She was getting along reasonably well with Iroh, she supposed. But she couldn't imagine being physically affectionate with her uncle, not the way Katara was with her family. What occupied Azula's thoughts the most was the relationship Katara had with Hakoda, her father. Azula tried to imagine having such tender feelings in her relationship with Ozai, and all it did was to trigger her gag reflex when she remembered what he had tried to do to her. And while Azula was happy for Katara, watching her interact with Hakoda also filled her with bitter envy, and another emotion that she had come to identify as sorrow. Sorrow about having been denied something so wonderful in her life, something she could never have, all on the account of her father being an absolute monster.

Eventually, Azula arrived at her destination. Katara had been right by saying that the Elk Mountain really was a joke name, especially to someone who had been living in the caldera of a massive dormant volcano. The skiing tracks along the gentle slopes of the hill looked very picturesque, but they were nowhere near steep enough for proper downhill racing, not that Azula was interested in that sort of thing. Katara had eventually managed to convince her to put on cross-country skis, but Azula hadn't been too thrilled about the experience. As far as she was concerned, the whole outdoors hype was definitely overrated.

Azula parked her Chevy Camaro by the side of the mountain road, getting out and walking up to the ski lodge. A bunch of rowdy young men in their twenties were standing out on the porch, chugging their beers. Azula suddenly felt a little alarmed, hoping that they wouldn't decide to creep on her, but as she approached, Azula was pleasantly surprised not to be met with any whistling or catcalls.

"Excuse me," Azula called out to the group. The men stopped chatting among themselves and turned to face her. They seemed to be Water Tribe, though a little too well off to be locals. "Excuse me, but could you tell me where to find the owner of this lodge?" she asked.

One of the men pointed at a barely noticeable footpath circling around the lodge and leading away from it. "That's where you want to go, little lady," he said with a smile and a wink. Azula rolled her eyes inwardly, but decided against responding with a sharp retort. Based on her experiences, this didn't even qualify as particularly obnoxious.

"Thank you," Azula replied, instead smiling back at the young man. She then turned and walked down the footpath. It led her through a small patch of evergreens before she arrived at a smaller, but very comfortable looking log cabin. Azula took a deep breath to steady herself before stepping up to the doors and knocking.

After a little wait, the doors were opened by a kind-faced woman roughly in her fifties, giving Azula a slightly surprised stare. "Yes? What can I do for you, young lady? Are you lost?" the woman asked, not unkindly.

"I don't think so," Azula shook her head. "I wanted to speak with the owner of the ski lodge."

"Well, you're speaking with her," the woman opened the doors for Azula, letting her inside. It was starting to get dark outside, and the temperatures were plummeting, so Azula was grateful for the invitation. "Do you wish to reserve the lodge? You could have just called me, you know."

"No, I… have another reason for my visit," Azula said. "I'm looking for information. Were you also here nine years ago, ma'am?"

"I was, yes," the woman nodded, looking a little surprised about Azula's question. Then her expression clouded. "Back then, I was running the place with my husband. I've been all by myself for the past two years, though. Well… I suppose that's not entirely true. My sons come to help me whenever they can, but they have their own lives in Agna Qel'a, and I can't hold that against them."

Azula sighed inwardly. This woman was quite the chatterbox. Still, maybe that could be beneficial to her. "I'm sorry that you have to manage all this on your own," Azula decided to humor the woman. It was always a good idea to ingratiate herself a little, and clearly, this woman was starved for conversation. "What happened to your husband, if I might ask?"

"Oh, it's a sad tale and still hurts to think about," the woman sniffled a little. "Always did tell him not to work such long hours, but did he listen? Of course not! That dear fool caught himself pneumonia and a bad one too. With his bad heart, the complications got him in the end. He left me with all this to manage on my own, he did."

"I'm sorry to hear about your loss," Azula said. It wasn't that she particularly cared about this woman or her dead husband, but this was giving her a great idea for a yarn to spin. "I've also recently suffered a loss. That's actually the reason why I'm here," she said.

"Oh, you poor dear," the woman's eyes were full of sympathy. "What happened?"

"I lost my father," Azula said, thinking how her statement wasn't even a complete lie. She had lost her father, but then again… lately she was starting to feel as if she had never even had a father. Ozai had been a brutal taskmaster, not a father. "I find myself on a spiritual journey to visit all the places he stayed at during his lifetime. I believe that he was a guest at this lodge some nine years ago."

"Oh really?" the woman suddenly appeared very intrigued and curious. "That is a fascinating story! Of course, I'm sorry for your tragic loss. Please, accept my condolences," she then remembered to offer Azula some token sympathy. "Hmm, I wonder if I might remember him… I do have a very good memory, you know? Perhaps you have a picture?"

Azula shuddered at the idea of carrying Ozai's picture with her. If she had owned one, it would have been slashed and burned a long time ago. "I'm afraid that I don't have a picture with me," Azula said. "But my father was from the Fire Nation."

"Ah yes, of course! I should have realized immediately! Only Fire Nation girls have such regal looking high cheekbones as you do," the woman exclaimed. Azula blinked. Nobody had ever made any specific and weird remarks about her cheekbones before. "But that's not very helpful, I'm afraid. I have plenty of guests from the Fire Nation every winter. The word of mouth about the Elk Mountain ski lodge has spread far and wide."

"For a good reason, I'm sure," Azula forced herself to smile. She had been working up to a certain request, and now felt like the right time to make it. "What about guest books? Perhaps you have kept some of the old books from nine years ago?"

"Oh, of course!" the woman nodded eagerly. "The guest books are an important part of preserving the history of the lodge. Wait here and I'll go find the one that was in use nine years ago."

Azula waited patiently for the woman to return, carrying large leather bound tome with her, which she then carefully placed on the living room table. "This should have the information you seek," the woman told her.

Azula sat down by the table and opened the guest book, starting to browse through it. Her hands were shaking slightly, she was so nervous and full of hope of finding the information she badly sought after. Dare she be so lucky and finally discover that one rare mistake her father had made? She knew the date when the fatal hit and run that had erased the life of Katara's mother had taken place. Now she needed to find the same date in the guest book.

It didn't take Azula long to reach the relevant page, and once she had done so, she couldn't believe her eyes. Her father's handwriting was unmistakably unique. It had the kind of calligraphic arrogance that literally screamed 'I am better than thee' at anyone reading it. The entry made by Ozai was completely typical of him as well. Instead of thanking his hosts for a pleasant stay at the lodge, he had offered only lukewarm praise, while not holding back from making a plethora of suggestions about how to improve the experience for the lodge's guests. Even more importantly, there was a signature, right next to the date. Ozai Nakamura had checked out of the ski lodge on the same day that Kya Enuaraq had lost her life in that cowardly hit and run.

Azula struggled to hold back a smile as she retrieved her Minolta camera and snapped several pictures of the incriminating page in the guest book, finally closing it and pushing the book back towards the kindly owner of the lodge. "I hope you found what you were looking for, young lady," the older woman told her with a smile on her lips. "I hope that this journey gives you the closure you seek."

"I'm sure it will," Azula returned the smile, rising from her seat in order to depart. "Thank you so much for your help. I will not forget this," she told the owner of the lodge as she took her leave. Indeed, this woman had done her a tremendous favor without even realizing it. She had been sitting on the evidence proving beyond shadow of a doubt that Ozai Nakamura could be placed at the scene of crime. Together with the damaged car at the Nakamura estate, this was all highly incriminating, and could easily ruin Ozai's reputation.

I have you now, Azula could not stop grinning to herself as she patted the pocket of her parka holding her Minolta camera, before getting into the Chevy Camaro and making her way back towards Cape Kuruk.

Next chapter: How about we throw Azula and Ursa together one more time and see what kind of disaster we end up with? Also, how about some Yue drama? :)