CW: mention of minor character death.

Chapter 50

Following the most eventful year of her life, Katara couldn't quite believe that it was once again time to take part in the annual Pai Sho final tournament for juniors, with her competing in the U21 bracket for the first time. Sitting comfortably by the window of the plane scheduled to land in Agna Qel'a fairly soon, Katara finally had some time to reflect on what had been a very hectic, but an overall happy time in her life.

Her medical studies were progressing well. Katara wasn't a star student or anything like that, she was probably a little above the middle of the pack, but it was still an impressive achievement considering that the BSSU attracted only the brightest and most talented minds of her generation. She excelled at courses such as anatomy, physiology and histology, and often received praise from her professors. She had to put in an effort to keep up with pharmacology and biochemistry, and she probably would have failed genetics without Azula's help. But overall, she was very happy with her chosen path, even if did take away a little too much time from her Pai Sho practice, which was why she had not set the highest goals for this particular tournament.

Katara turned her head, smiling as she looked at the girl sitting next to her. She was so happy that Azula had decided to take time off work to come along and help in a role of a sparring partner, coach and supportive friend. Katara still couldn't quite believe what an important role Azula had in her life by now. Just the thought of them living together in Ba Sing Se would have seemed absurd a year ago, but it had somehow become a reality and they had Uncle Iroh to thank for it. Of course, it all wouldn't have unfolded the way it had unless horrible things hadn't happened to Azula, but she seemed to have turned the corner as of late. Her therapist seemed to be happy with Azula's progress, and she was by now meeting Ursa regularly, at least once a week. Katara had also been introduced to Azula's mother, and while she had wanted to be angry at Ursa for not being there for Azula in the past, she hadn't been able to stay mad after talking with the woman. It was clear that Ursa was struggling mentally, perhaps even worse than Azula by this point. It seemed that spending time together was good for both Azula and her mother, but they hadn't dared to bring Zuko into the equation just yet.

Of course, Zuko was on this very same plane with them, as he was taking part in the same tournament with Katara. Perhaps that was the reason why Azula had decided to sleep throughout the flight, or simply pretended to be asleep, sitting there with her eyes closed. If she was indeed asleep, then she looked stiff and tense even while resting, and it made Katara want to just lean in and hug her, perhaps even plant a reassuring kiss on Azula's cheek. In any case, Katara was hoping that Zuko's presence at the tournament and around the hotel would not irritate Azula enough to trigger some sort of setback. She really didn't want to see the Nakamura siblings coming to blows, and she was willing to throw herself between them as a human shield if that was what it took to keep the peace. With Zuko heavily favored to win the tournament and score a very rare hat-trick of U21 titles, Katara worried that Azula would become frustrated and angry about her brother's accomplishment.

With Azula's mental state improving, Katara was feeling more and more tempted to finally do something about the powerful tender and romantic feelings she was harboring for Azula. She was still not entirely certain what exactly Azula felt towards her, though. There seemed to be hints that Azula was interested in more than just friendship, but considering that Azula was still socially quite awkward and sometimes struggled to properly communicate her wishes, Katara couldn't be completely certain. Sometimes, Katara thought that she should just be brave, take the risk and tell Azula how she felt about her. But it was just so hard to take that step. They were also best friends who lived under the same roof. If Azula turned her advances down, what would it do to their friendship? Wouldn't living together become too awkward? Besides, the longer they remained best friends, the harder the decision to risk it in hopes for more became. They were very comfortable the way they were right now. Wasn't that enough? Katara asked herself this question almost every day, trying to convince herself that it was enough. But one look into Azula's intense amber eyes, one glimpse of those perfect ruby lips moving, and Katara immediately knew that she wanted more, so much more. She wanted to run her hands through Azula's hair, mess up her always perfect top knot while at the same time smearing her lipstick all over Azula's face in a messy, sloppy kiss.

Still, now was the time to focus on her Pai Sho and the upcoming tournament, so Katara tried her best to put all these improper thoughts about Azula away for the time being. She couldn't afford a distraction, but she still hoped that having Azula along would be a net positive. They had done so much to sharpen each other's game over the past year. Iroh occasionally joined in their practice sessions, and the two girls were starting to become a very serious challenge for the old grandmaster and former world champion. Katara and Azula were now beating him on regular basis, and Katara had been buoyed by Iroh's assertion that in his eyes she was the favorite to win the title, even over his own beloved nephew and even in spite of her own muted expectations.

All the Earth Kingdom representatives were on this very same plane with Katara, Azula and Zuko. Haru Tamang was among them, and in Katara's eyes, Haru and Zuko would decide the gold and silver between them. The bronze medal seemed to be up for the grabs, and Katara harbored some quiet hopes about securing it for herself. The other Earth Kingdom participants were the usual suspects, Teo, Kori, Ghashiun and Joo Dee, who had once again needed Long Feng to secure her the wild card. The other wild card had been handed to Hahn Adjuk, as Katara had predicted with some annoyance. Katara was also really not looking forward to meeting two of the Fire Nation representatives, namely Chan and Ruon-Jian. The last time she had seen these two assholes was when she, Sokka and Yue had left them badly beaten in the car park of a nightclub in Ba Sing Se. Katara knew that she would have to be careful around these two because they might be out for revenge. They were also her main competitors for the bronze medal, so from the very outset, there was plenty of tension already. The final spots were taken by two lesser known players, Water Tribes' Siku Ikuma and Fire Nation's Hing Ishikawa, making the most of the absence of Yue and Azula.

As the plane began to decrease its altitude, coming in for a landing, Katara reached out and gently nudged Azula's side. Her friend immediately opened her eyes to look at Katara, revealing that she had been awake all this time. "We're almost there," Katara smiled at her.

"Yes, I know," Azula replied. She looked and sounded rather tense.

"Is everything alright?" Katara asked, leaning closer to the other girl.

"Why wouldn't everything be alright?" Azula asked back. Katara glared a little. Azula sighed. "You're going to laugh, okay?"

"When have I ever laughed at you, Azula?" Katara asked softly.

Azula thought for a while. She then blushed lightly. "Good point," she admitted. "I just don't like flying, you see. Never been a fan. I'm not going to freak out or anything, I just don't enjoy it, alright?"

"Alright," Katara smiled at her. "It's not a big deal, Azula. I was just worried that maybe you're being a bit weird because your brother is here," she nodded towards the front of the plane where Zuko sat, barely visible from their seats.

Azula scoffed. "I don't really care about Zuko being here one way or another," she shrugged in a way that to Katara appeared a little faked and forced. "We've come here to do a job and that is to win you the title, Katara. I'm totally focused on that, and that alone."

"Aww, really?" Katara made puppy eyes. "But I was hoping that we could have some fun, too…"

Azula blushed, rather fiercely. "Well… I thought that went without saying," she said.

"Good," Katara nodded. The plane rocked as it finally touched down, hitting the runway. After a few uncomfortable and stomach-lurching moments, it eventually came to a halt. "Just a few more annoyances to handle and then we can be on our way. Sokka is probably here already, eager to show off his new car," she smiled. Sokka had been working on an old, burned out Lincoln over the past few months, eventually managing to get it back into an acceptable shape. He had been quite insistent about playing chauffeur for Katara and Azula, probably seeing it as an excuse to show off the car.

"Do you think he would let me drive?" Azula asked, sounding eager.

"I don't know, you'll have to ask him yourself," Katara chuckled. "Right now, I'm more interested in just getting to the hotel and settling in." Azula nodded in agreement to that. Katara's room had been paid for by the tournament organizers, but it was a single and she wasn't supposed to have anyone else there but herself. So, they had been forced to rent another room for Azula on a different floor, but Katara was feeling confident about successfully talking Azula into simply making it a permanent sleepover in her room. Even though the room was single, the bed was supposedly a double, so Katara did not expect sharing to present any problems.

"I have decided to ask Sokka to let me drive," Azula said, intent written clear across her face.

"I don't intend to stop you from asking," Katara chuckled as the passengers were finally given the green light to disembark. "Right now, though, let's just be on our way. You said it yourself that I have a tournament to win, right?"

"Whoa, you two are looking absolutely gorgeous," Sokka grinned, coming forth to meet the two girls just outside of the airport's hall of arrivals. "I think I'm going to steal myself some hugs," he decided, first embracing his sister and then repeating the same gesture with Azula, who much to Katara's delight appeared quite comfortable with Sokka hugging her.

"I guess we are quite stunning, aren't we?" Katara chuckled, glancing at Azula. They were both wearing classy long trench coats and berets of matching color, Katara's deep blue and Azula's burgundy red. "Azula picked our outfits, if that wasn't already obvious," she added, still looking at Azula. Her friend, however, was staring right ahead at the car behind Sokka's back. It was a big car, and it looked as good as new to Katara, although the design did seem to be a little retro.

"Is that the car?" Azula asked eagerly, having completely ignored Katara's compliment. Sokka nodded at her. "That's Lincoln Capri, isn't it?" Sokka nodded again. "Can I drive please?" Sokka didn't nod at this question.

"Umm, maybe we can talk about that later?" he said, sounding just a little dubious. Sokka had actually remarked back in winter that Azula was a very good driver, but she could also be a little reckless, so he was probably a bit hesitant to let her drive a car he had just finished refurbishing, pouring quite a bit of his own cash into it. "Why don't we head to the hotel and get you settled in? Afterwards, we can go out for dinner, alright?"

"Sounds good," Katara nodded. Azula tried not to appear too disappointed as Sokka quickly tossed their luggage inside the Lincoln's trunk. "Don't you have to work today, Sokka?" Katara asked.

"No, I pulled a few all-nighters last week so that I have more free time over the next two weeks to hang out with you," Sokka replied. "And with Suki, of course," he added later, almost as an afterthought, which seemed a little odd to Katara.

"I didn't see Suki on the plane," Katara said. She was about to get into the passenger seat, but Azula cut her off and got in ahead of her. Katara shook her head and climbed into the backseat. It seemed that Azula was really interested in exploring the car more closely, and Katara was happy to let her do so. "When is Suki arriving?" she asked.

"She's already been here for a couple of days, laying some ground work," Sokka replied. "She's been awfully busy though, so we've hardly spoken." Katara frowned at her brother's words, making her concerned. Sokka and Suki didn't get together very often, so for them not to use every opportunity to hang out seemed weird.

As Katara and her brother were talking, Azula was already busy testing out the gear shifter. "Sokka, I think regardless of how you feel about it, the thing with Azula driving the car is going to happen sooner or later," Katara remarked, smirking.

"Yes, I'm starting to think so as well," Sokka sighed. Azula looked really pleased with herself all of a sudden. "But you have to promise me to be extra careful. And no showing off, alright?" Sokka stared Azula down.

"I'm offended that you would assume I would be anything but careful," Azula huffed.

"Alright then," Sokka said. "Maybe we can go somewhere on the tournament off-day, and we can let Azula drive us around. Hmm, that means I could enjoy a beer or two… ah, the possibilities. You know what? Sure, I'll let you drive, Azula."

"Thank you," Azula said, smiling.

"So, how are things in Agna Qel'a, Sokka?" Katara asked as the Lincoln Capri finally began to move on its way to their hotel. "You haven't come across Yue lately, by any chance?" she asked, immediately noticing how Azula glanced back at her at the mere mention of Yue's name. That was certainly an interesting reaction.

"Well, it's the same cycle of work and studies for me, but I'm putting aside some decent cash, and that's with this car having eaten a lot of cash," Sokka replied. "So, I should have enough money by the time summer rolls around, in case I decide to uproot myself and move somewhere else," he added. Katara and Azula knew that he was talking about potentially moving to Ba Sing Se. Suki had been nagging him about it relentlessly. "No news about Yue, though," Sokka said a while afterwards. Katara felt quite upset to hear it. After what had happened back in November, she was really becoming worried about her old friend. She desperately hoped that her once closest friend and old flame was doing well, but she feared that it might not be the case.

"Listen, Katara…" Sokka said as the red light stopped them at a crossing. He sounded reluctant, almost conflicted. "There's something that you should know. There's been a recent development that I didn't want to mention because it might upset you at the start of the tournament, but you'll probably read about it in the newspapers anyway, so I figured I should probably be the one to tell you."

"What is it, Sokka?" Katara asked, holding her breath. Azula also looked anxious at Sokka's words.

"Something happened back in Cape Kuruk yesterday, something almost unheard of. The whole community is up in their arms about it," Sokka said.

"Just tell me already! Did something happen at the oil rig? Is dad alright?" Katara almost screamed at his stalling.

"It's not about the oil rig, Kat. Dad is fine, he called me late last night to give me the news," Sokka sighed. "It's about Bato. He'd been missing for a few days, and yesterday, they pulled his body out of the sea near Puffin Creek."

"Oh no!" Katara exclaimed in horror. It wasn't that she was exceptionally close with Bato, but he was a friend of the family and Katara liked the man. Besides, he had been Hakoda's best friend, or at least he had been until the oil rig job had taken over her father's life almost completely. "Bato was always so careful! He's the last person I would expect to get into some accident," Katara sighed, struggling not to cry.

"Uh… I wouldn't call it an accident, Kat," Sokka shook his head. "Bato died from gunshot wounds. First gun related death in the community for thirty-four years. It's no wonder that everyone is freaking out."

"I… do… do they know anything else? Have they caught those responsible?" Katara asked, stammering and starting to feel as if she was about to lose it. She suddenly found herself wondering if this had anything to do with what she had told Bato back in December. Had he started asking some uncomfortable questions and somebody had alerted Ozai Nakamura about it? If that was true, then she was in a way responsible for Bato's death.

"No, nobody in the community believes that it could be one of our people," Sokka shook his head. "It was probably some outsider, but who and why would anyone want to hurt Bato is a complete mystery. Someone from Agna Qel'a will probably come over to investigate."

"That's… that's horrible," Katara bit her lip in order not to burst into tears. She couldn't know for sure if Ozai Nakamura was behind it, but this was something that Azula had tried to warn her about. She had warned Katara against going to the police, but she hadn't listened, and now a man lay dead because she had been so adamant about doing the right thing. From the way Azula shifted in the front seat in order to reach out and grab Katara's hand for a supportive squeeze, Katara could tell that Azula also suspected that her father might be behind this. Katara hadn't been able to hide her visit to the police station from Azula for very long, but Azula had not been angry at her. Now Katara wished that Azula had chewed her out for being such a naïve idiot.

"It is horrible, yes," Sokka nodded. "But maybe you can win this tournament for Bato. The folks back in Cape Kuruk would appreciate the gesture if you were to dedicate your win to Bato. He was really loved by the community."

"I'll do my best, and if I do end up with a medal, I will dedicate it to Bato," Katara promised. But it's not going to bring him back, is it…

Azula was having a hard time adjusting to the fact that for once she was not taking part in the same tournament as Katara, being restricted to the role of an observer. At least she had been saved from the fate of sitting in the spectator stands with the rest of the peasantry, some of whom immediately recognized her and started to beg her for autographs. Azula had indulged the requests with as much patience as she could muster, but she had definitely felt relieved when Suki had spotted her in the crowd and asked Azula to join her in the press box. There were only a few other reporters with Suki, which meant that Azula could watch the matches in relative comfort, even if she had to occasionally answer some Pai Sho related questions when the reporters were eager to pick her brain.

Azula was relieved that Katara had the easiest possible opponent in the first round, Hing Ishikawa. That boy shouldn't even be taking part in the tournament, and he wouldn't have been here if only Azula could have taken part in the qualifiers. He was hopeless, and Katara was certain to defeat him even when not at her best, and it was clear to Azula that mentally Katara wasn't at her best. She was quite annoyed with Sokka for breaking the news of Bato's demise at such an inopportune moment, even if Azula realized that Katara probably would have found out sooner or later and maybe at an even worse time than this. Maybe it was better for Katara to just come to grips with it at the start of the tournament, instead of it becoming an issue in the latter, more crucial stages.

The night before, they had spent some time discussing Bato's death. Azula hadn't even tried to pretend that she was considering some other explanation than her father's involvement. To her the matter was clear, going to the police had been a mistake precisely for this reason, and now Katara was feeling guilty for not having listened, even if Azula tried to convince her that the fault did not lie with her, but with the one who had ordered the hit, and she was almost completely certain that it was her father.

Katara stubbornly believed that Bato had died because he had reopened the investigation and started asking uncomfortable questions. Azula suggested another explanation, which centered around Bato collecting evidence implicating her father, and then perhaps contacting Ozai to ask what he was prepared to pay in order to make all this evidence just… go away. Katara had become really unhappy at hearing this theory and she had started yelling at Azula for besmirching the memory of a good and honest man. Azula had apologized, even if privately she still thought that it was a credible explanation. Ozai's riches had tempted many a good and honest men in the past, steering them from the right path and corrupting them beyond recognition. Still, Azula hoped that the guilt Katara was feeling would ease and would not affect her when it was time to face more serious opposition than Hing Ishikawa.

Katara also seemed upset and worried on behalf of Yue Adjuk, née Taqqiq, which rather annoyed Azula. Hadn't Yue made her own bed when she had chosen to go along with her father's plans? Why couldn't Katara just let her lay in the bed she had made for herself? It was almost like Katara still wanted Yue and that felt so frustrating to Azula. Seriously, Katara should have forgotten all about Yue many months ago. Alright, so maybe Katara had said that she was only worried for Yue as she would worry for any friend of hers, and she had said so after Azula had expressed her annoyance, but it didn't completely ease Azula's frustration. It seemed as if Katara had said that because she had thought that Azula was feeling jealous towards Yue. Which was completely true, of course, but Azula hated that she had been so obvious about it for Katara to notice.

Meanwhile, the matches of the opening round were well underway. Katara was playing Hing, and she quickly gained decisive advantage. Azula couldn't even find any criticisms regarding Katara's move selection. Somehow, Katara's focus seemed very sharp, despite all the emotional turmoil. Katara had said that the new meds Yagoda had prescribed her, Tofranil, were much better than the vision inducing Librium. Azula wondered if the collection of pills she still had to swallow every morning would somehow affect her tournament play. In her sparring with Iroh and Katara she always felt really sharp.

"It seems like your girl is doing really well," Suki spoke as they sat side by side in the press box.

"Oh yes, she's crushing that sad child," Azula snorted. By the time she realized that perhaps she should have somehow reacted to Suki calling Katara 'her girl' it was already too late. Azula had enough self-awareness to realize that an objection half a minute later would just sound seriously awkward.

"Can I trouble you for your thoughts on the other games, Azula?" one of the other reporters, a young Fire Nation man, asked her.

While Azula had been following mostly Katara's game with Hing, she had been keeping her eye on the other boards as well. "Zuko has been sloppy, but he's winning against Hahn. It'll be over in less than ten moves. Haru is struggling with Joo Dee more than I thought he would. He seems rusty."

"Do you agree with the experts and bookmakers that Zuko and Haru are the tournament favorites?" another reporter asked, an older man from a local Agna Qel'a newspaper.

"I obviously disagree," Azula frowned. "I think Katara has as good a chance at winning as those two. And I'm not just saying that as her… uh, coach. Or sparring partner, take your pick," she added hastily.

"Do you see the three medals going to Zuko, Haru and Katara, or could there be an upset?" Suki asked, sounding curious.

"Everything is possible in a long tournament, and I should know that," Azula replied. "If you want a dark horse to bet on then I suggest looking into Teo Guyuk. He had a great U18's last year, he's been progressing with each passing year, and he's playing really well today. He's wiping the floor with Ghashiun." She was pleased to see all the reporters eagerly taking notes, hanging on her every word. Azula couldn't help it, she loved being at the center of attention. Suddenly, she found herself really enjoying her time in the press box.

"What of your own countrymen, Chan Takahashi or Ruon-Jian Ogawa," the Fire Nation reporter asked. "They have always been there or there about."

"They're still playing at the same level as two years ago," Azula shrugged. "There's just very little progress. In fact, Chan is going to lose his opening game, mark my words." Chan was playing Kori Morishita, and while the game still seemed to be in balance, Azula could see that Chan was struggling and Kori was in ascendancy. In a few moves, she gained the upper hand and forced Chan to surrender. In the meantime, Ruon-Jian had won his game against the Water Tribes newcomer, that Siku Ikuma girl, but it had been a struggle. As far as Azula was concerned, Chan and Ruon were going nowhere, and that pleased her.

"There has been much speculation about why you're not participating this year, Azula," the Fire Nation reporter continued. "Would you like to offer your comment? Our readers are very curious to know the truth."

"I'm not playing because I didn't qualify, isn't it obvious?" Azula scowled.

"Yes, but you didn't attend the qualifiers because of-" the Fire Nation guy continued to press.

"Because of personal reasons, and that's all I'm going to say about it," Azula said sharply, her annoyance rising. "Now, do you want me to come here and continue sharing my insights? I'm not going to do it if you won't respect my privacy."

"We definitely want you up here, Azula, and there will be no more privacy invading questions," Suki spoke up quickly. "Will there?" she glared at her Fire Nation colleague.

"No personal questions, I get it. I'm sorry if I upset you," the man quickly apologized, sounding earnest. "One last question if I may, though. Will we see you in a competitive tournament again, Azula?" he asked.

"Oh, you can be sure of that," Azula asked, grinning broadly as she rose to applaud Katara, her best friend shaking hands with Hing Ishikawa, having won their game. "You can also write down that I'll be back next year to win the whole thing," she added confidently.

"Love the confidence," Suki grinned at her. Azula returned the smile. She really hoped that come the next year, she would be playing again. To watch the others enjoying the game she loved so much was pure agony for Azula. She was absolutely determined to return with vengeance next year. The only one capable of stopping her would be Katara… and Azula was sure that their encounter would be as epic and memorable as always when they met each other at the Pai Sho board. Katara truly was her equal in every way and Azula was willing to acknowledge it. Just as she had become willing to acknowledge that she was stupidly and madly in love with Katara.

Next chapter: The tournament continues, and Katara faces increasingly tougher challenges.