Chapter 54
After the third and final off day of the tournament, the decisive Round 10 was finally upon them. Azula had decided against watching Katara's game with Zuko from the press box, instead choosing to sit in the stands with the peasantry. When it came to Katara facing off against Zuko, Azula knew that she would be unable to remain impartial. In fact, she would probably end up showing emotions that might reveal too much to all the reporters in the press box, and Azula definitely wanted to avoid that. Here, among the spectators in the stands, she could express her emotions more freely without having to face uncomfortable amounts of scrutiny.
Azula felt quietly reassured by how Katara had been handling the pressure during the off day, and also now, on the morning of the decisive match day. They had kept their Pai Sho practice very light. Azula remembered what Katara had told her in the past about overdoing it, so she had decided that it was crucial that Katara remained fresh for the upcoming game and didn't suffer burnout from practicing too hard. They had spent a very lazy first half of the day at the hotel before going out to a movie theatre in the afternoon and then enjoying a meal at a restaurant that was far too pricey for either of them, but Azula had insisted on treating Katara and it had definitely helped Katara keep her mind off the upcoming faceoff with Zuko.
As the decisive contest finally began, Azula could immediately see that as she had predicted, the two opponents were very closely matched. Azula knew that Katara had never beaten Zuko in a competitive game before and as a result she had hoped that perhaps Zuko would underestimate her Water Tribe friend. But she had to admit that while her brother was many things, he was not a fool. Zuko had clearly watched Katara's play in this tournament and he had prepared accordingly. He wasn't going to be surprised by anything Katara decided to throw at him.
As the opening progressed into the middle game, the match hung in perfect balance. Azula did not particularly like Zuko's active Orchid tile, dominating the center of the board. It threatened to run amok all over Katara's defenses if she wasn't careful. Katara had opted to develop her tiles without trying to immediately seize the initiative. As a result, she found herself on the back foot, now having to play near perfectly to neutralize the threat of Zuko's Orchid. With remarkable forethought and vision, Katara once again began to utilize the entire board, creating threats everywhere and forcing Zuko to refocus his attention to defend his back line. His active Orchid suddenly stopped being much of a threat, because Katara simply did not give him the time to put his best tile to good use.
It didn't take long for Azula to realize Katara's plan, and she had to admit that it was an impressive one if her friend managed to pull it off. Katara's recent moves hadn't been merely a way to counter Zuko's Orchid. They had also served to set up a clever combination. It wasn't that Zuko had somehow blindly stumbled into a sneaky trap, either, most of his recent moves had been forced reactions to answer the threats Katara was posing. However, as a result of these moves, Zuko's Orchid had become even more isolated from the rest of his tiles, and now Katara sprung her trap. The sacrifice of a Rose and two Jasmine tiles led to the capture of Zuko's Orchid, and given the importance of that tile, Katara had clearly won the exchange.
The game was far from over, however, and Azula knew it. Zuko didn't need to win, he could settle for a draw and it would probably prove enough for him to take the title. Katara didn't seem to be in the mood for a draw, though. She wasted little time in bringing her White Lotus tile in play, now making her own Orchid bloom. With Zuko's Orchid gone and the rest of his tiles poorly developed, Zuko now faced an upward climb to stay in the game. Azula had to admit that her brother was putting up a solid effort, doing his best to create an unbreakable defensive shell, and having done the hard work, Katara for some reason seemed to have lost some of her focus, appearing slightly frazzled. For a brief while, Azula felt physically ill, feeling cold sweat pouring down her back as she became terrified that Katara would somehow manage to throw away the win at the last moment.
She needn't have worried. Katara's moment of indecision was merely that, a moment, and it passed before Zuko had managed to completely even the playing field. Azula reckoned that Katara probably hadn't counted on ending up with such a decisive advantage in the middle game, so her friend had needed to come up with a new strategy on the fly, but she did so with aplomb, now bringing the might of her more active tiles upon Zuko's entrenched position. There was little that Zuko could do against this decisive onslaught. Within a dozen moves, it was all over, to the raucous cheers of the partisan crowd of Agna Qel'a.
Azula found herself swept along by the cheering of the crowds, clapping and chanting with them, tears of joy and relief pouring down her cheeks. Down in the hall, Azula watched Zuko shake Katara's hand with a respectful bow of the head. He was certainly taking this defeat much better compared to the time when Azula had tripped him up in the Caldera City tournament three years ago. Azula felt the slightest tinge of appreciation for her brother from this simple gesture of him treating Katara with the respect that she deserved.
Katara was definitely enjoying the attention of the crowd, smiling and waving to the spectators in the stands, overjoyed at the success of the home favorite. Hardly anyone had considered Katara as a serious contender for the gold medal at the start of the tournament, except for Azula. Azula had believed in Katara from the very start. Azula had known that Katara had what it took to come out on top. Her heart throbbed with excitement when she watched Katara walking over to the spectator stands and pointing towards her before waving, motioning for Azula to come down towards her. Azula didn't have to be told twice as she ran down the stairs to meet Katara at the fencing that separated spectators from the stage. Azula was a little taken aback when Katara reached over the fencing to hug her, but she decided to pay no heed to the way the spectators reacted with increased cheering, instead deciding to hug Katara back just as fiercely.
"I knew you could do it," Azula spoke quietly in Katara's ear. "You were pretty damn unbelievable out there, Kat."
"Thanks," Katara whispered back, appearing flushed. "I couldn't have done it without your support, though. Honestly, this victory is yours as much as it is mine."
"Oh no… no, don't say that, please," Azula fiercely shook her head. "This was all you, Kat. You need to stop selling yourself short. Honestly, I'm going to have such a hard time dislodging you next year."
"Haha, stop talking as if I've won the title already, though," Katara laughed. "I could still fail to win tomorrow and Zuko might surge past me, you know."
"Okay, you are not being serious right now. Nobody here believes that you'll fail against Joo Dee, not even the bitch herself. Do you want proof?" Azula said, taking Katara's hand and raising it in the air. The crowd immediately went into raptures, cheering thunderously at their heroine. "Do you hear that? You're not losing to Joo Dee. You're the U21 world champion, Kat. Deal with it."
"Alright, alright… who am I to argue with you, boss Azula," Katara smiled warmly at her as they embraced again. As Azula opened her eyes, looking over Katara's shoulder, she noticed Zuko looking at them from up on the stage. It was with some curiosity that Azula remarked that for the first time since she could remember, she did not see that familiar burning hatred in her brother's stare whenever it was directed at her.
"I know, right? Just promise me not to get too carried away at the after-party, okay?" Katara giggled, speaking on the phone in her hotel room. "Alright, have a good time tonight, you two. Talk to you soon. And yes, I'm definitely not missing out on the summer camp this year, so we'll see each other soon enough. Bye now!" she said cheerfully, disconnecting the long distance call to Omashu.
"So?" Azula looked up at Katara. She had been lounging on the bed, feeling a little sleepy from the champagne sent up to their room with compliments from the hotel staff. "Who ended up inheriting my old title?"
"Make a guess," Katara winked at her friend.
"Ugh, I hate it when you make me do that," Azula sighed. "Okay, I think Toph won."
"Hah, you really think that Toph has the edge over Aang, don't you?" Katara smirked. "Wrong! Aang won ahead of Toph. It's another one-two punch for our little group of friends."
"Huh," Azula frowned. "Oh well, I guess Aang is a worthy winner as well. I do keep underestimating him because I find him an easier opponent than Toph, that's all."
"I don't know, they both tend to give me trouble," Katara chuckled. "Still, I love them both to bits," she said, pouring herself more champagne and walking over to the bed to perch next to Azula.
The day had been quite exhausting so far. Unlike the previous time when she had the opportunity to clinch the title, Katara hadn't experienced crippling nervous breakdown. She had actually felt quite relaxed while easily destroying Joo Dee in twenty embarrassing moves. Zuko had won against Haru to tie her on points, but it hadn't been enough, and Katara had been crowned the world champion. Haru's defeat had paved a way for another surprise which was Teo Guyuk pulling ahead of him and claiming the bronze. Azula had been particularly pleased about that, because before the tournament she had predicted that Teo would win a medal, but the reporters had scowled at this prediction. Azula had absolutely delighted in the journalists eating crow while praising her amazing insight and keen powers of observation.
There had been the usual slew of post tournament interviews, even by the local Agna Qel'a TV station, which had taken Katara by complete surprise. Pai Sho had never been considered popular enough to earn TV airtime, but the times seemed to be changing. Katara had been a little tongue tied during the TV interview before managing to relax and appear a little less wooden towards the end. She had certainly never expected herself to appear on the national TV, but this episode had made her feel like an actual bona fide celebrity. Katara couldn't say that she particularly cared about being a celebrity, but she couldn't deny that she enjoyed the recognition. She had been working very hard for this title, and she had come so painfully close the two previous years. This victory felt very much earned, and it was an amazing feeling.
After getting back to the hotel, Katara had immediately called home to give her father and grandmother the good news. It turned out that Hakoda and Kanna had been glued to the radio during her final round match, and they already knew the outcome, being delighted about her success. It had been one of those wonderfully heartfelt and emotional conversations that had made Katara weep tears of joy. She was a little surprised that Sokka had been absent from the spectator stands, and he also was not picking up the phone when she had tried to call him several times before. Katara found it odd, since Sokka had promised to be there for the decisive matches, but he had missed both her victories over Zuko and Joo Dee, failing to partake in her success. This was quite unlike Sokka, so Katara suspected that he might have been called in for some emergency at work, but she resolved to continue calling him at his apartment.
"So," Azula stated, looking up at her as she lay on the bed. "You haven't reconsidered your stance on the after-party?" she asked.
"No, I don't feel like attending this year," Katara said, shaking her head. "Unless you think we should go," she added quickly.
"I vote for giving it a pass," Azula shrugged. "I doubt we'd have much fun. It wouldn't be safe getting shitfaced like last year."
"Heck no, not with Chan and Ruon-Jian lurking around," Katara shuddered. "I mean, they seem to have changed their ways, but I would rather not risk it. I'm not sure I believe their good intentions, either. It's just… hard, after what they almost did." Azula nodded with an unreadable expression on her face. She had always downplayed the actions of Chan and Ruon, but after she had faced sexual assault attempt by her own father, Azula seemed to have re-contextualized the behavior of Chan and Ruon, appearing far less forgiving for what they had tried. "Also, I don't want to run into Hahn either," Katara added stiffly.
"You think he might bring Yue with him?" Azula asked quickly.
"I don't know. I don't think so. From what Sokka has told me about how he treats her, Hahn probably would just leave her at home and live it up without her," Katara frowned.
"It would probably be really awkward if he brought her to the after-party," Azula stated in a neutral tone of voice.
Katara didn't reply right away, trying to figure out what Azula was actually trying to convey here. Was this something borne out of Azula still feeling a bit insecure and jealous towards Yue? "I'm not going to lie, it would probably hurt to see them together especially because I know that he's abusing her," Katara decided to answer honestly. "I might end up trying to claw out his eyes if I spotted him being a complete asshole towards her."
"I would definitely join in and hold Hahn down for you," Azula said with conviction, but Katara was still left wondering whether her honesty had served to reassure Azula or not.
"Anyway, without Aang, Toph or Sokka, it would be just the two of us at the after-party, surrounded by a lot of people we don't really want to interact with," Katara said. "I assume you're not really fond of the idea of hanging out with Zuko, or with Joo Dee."
Azula winced at the thought, looking pained. "Good grief, don't remind me," she frowned. "Although, I might have enjoyed the opportunity to dunk Joo Dee's head in the toilet bowl. She deserves it for being a tattletale bitch."
"Eh, whatever," Katara shrugged. "It worked out in the end," she said without thinking, only then realizing what she had said. Sure, Azula was now free from the clutches of her father, but Joo Dee's actions had still led to an incredibly traumatic and damaging sexual assault attempt. She suddenly felt like a complete moron for saying something so stupid. "Spirits, that was idiotic of me to say, I apologize-"
"Don't," Azula cut her off. "I mean, you're not wrong. Yeah, I went through a lot of crap. Yeah, I'll be in therapy for… I don't know, maybe the rest of my life. It's still better to be here with you and deal with all this shit, than be stuck with my father while remaining miserable. So, maybe I should stop hating on that bitch and instead thank her. I feel like I've gained a lot more than I've lost in the end."
"I'm… happy to hear that," Katara said, blushing lightly. It meant so much to hear that Azula sincerely thought that being with her was worth enduring such terrible hardships. That alone felt like confession of love, something that Katara was eager to return in full measure. Still, they had awkwardly agreed to cool their burgeoning feelings for now, and Katara wanted to respect their mutual decision. And that was another reason why she wanted to avoid the after-party. They would probably get a little tipsy, and Katara would want to dance with Azula and Azula only, and that would be totally unhelpful towards their resolution to set their feelings aside for the time being. Having Azula near and hearing her say such sweet things, was already almost too much of a temptation for Katara to deal with.
"I'd be happy to go out, though," Azula said a while later. "I'm sure we could find something captivating to do on our last evening in this drab, cold city that's not exactly the paragon of fun and excitement."
"We could go and do some curling," Katara suggested, an idea suddenly coming to her. "Do you even know what curling is, Azula?"
"I have literally no idea," Azula shrugged. "It sounds like it might have something to do with a hair salon?"
Katara burst into laughter. "Haha, oh my gosh, you couldn't be more wrong! Now I really want to take you-" At that moment, she was interrupted by the phone in her room suddenly ringing. "Huh, I wonder if that could be Sokka," Katara said eagerly, jumping up from the bed and rushing to answer the phone. Much to her relief, she did indeed hear the voice of her brother on the other end of the line.
"Hey, Kat, I'm sorry I missed out on partaking in your success, but I've been dealing with a situation here," Sokka spoke up, sounding a little stressed.
"What's going on, Sokka?" Katara asked, immediately becoming concerned.
"I don't want to talk about it on the phone, sis. I could do with your help, though. Both yours and Azula's," Sokka replied mysteriously. "Are you free right now? I can drive over to the hotel to pick you two up."
"We're free, yes, and I'm sure we'd love to help, but you need to give me something here, Sokka," Katara insisted.
"It has to do with Yue," Sokka said simply. "I'll be over in ten minutes," he added, disconnecting the call and leaving Katara standing there, flabbergasted.
"What's going on?" Azula asked. She had risen from the bed, having sensed that something serious was afoot.
"Sokka's coming over," Katara replied. "Something's going on and it involves Yue."
"He didn't say anything beyond that?" Azula asked. Katara shook her head. "Weird," Azula said. She looked a little conflicted, but then nodded decisively. "Well, I guess we better get ourselves ready then," she added.
Roughly half an hour later, Sokka's Lincoln Capri pulled up at the side of the street next to an apartment building. Shortly afterwards, Sokka unlocked the doors to his apartment and let the two girls enter ahead of him. Katara immediately noticed the white arctic fox fur coat on the hanger, as well as two large suitcases propped up against the wall. The coat meant that Yue was here, but what did these two suitcases imply? That Yue was leaving Hahn was the obvious answer, but was she moving in with Sokka? Was that really what was going on here? Katara was waiting for the pangs of jealousy to start forming in her chest, but much to her relief, they seemed to be staying away. At the same time, Katara hoped that Sokka would be smarter than to simply take Yue back like that. Katara didn't want her brother to get hurt yet again, and starting some kind of an affair with Yue while she was still legally married to Hahn, seemed to be a terrible decision that would never end well.
Having kicked off their shoes and removed their coats, Sokka led them into the lone room of his tiny apartment. Yue was sitting on the bed, staring at the hands folded in her lap, her posture radiating anxiety. She was wearing simple dark blue jeans and a tight white turtleneck. As Sokka, Azula and Katara entered the room, Yue rose from the bed, but she was struggling to meet their eyes, Katara's in particular.
"Yue has something she wants to tell you," Sokka spoke up, giving his ex-girlfriend an encouraging stare. "Don't you, Yue?"
"Y-yes," Yue nodded hesitantly. She finally allowed her eyes to meet Katara's, and Katara shuddered as she noticed what Yue had futilely tried to hide under a much heavier layer of makeup than she usually wore. There was a shiner of considerable size surrounding her left eye. "I know I haven't always been a good friend, particularly as of late, and particularly towards you, Kat. So, I would understand if you wanted nothing to do with me anymore. Still, here I am, having the gall to ask for your help."
"No three guesses needed what with," Azula said stiffly. Katara noticed that there was an almost murderous glint in Azula's eyes as the Fire Nation girl turned to look at her. "You know, Kat, we could still make it to the after-party and make that asshole pay," she said, clearly having noticed the signs of Yue's physical abuse. Considering what she had suffered at the hands of her father, Katara was not surprised that Azula was reacting so strongly.
"I think all of us here share that sentiment, Zula, but I don't think that's what Yue is asking us to help her with," Katara spoke softly, turning away from Azula to look at Yue again. "Are you, Yue?"
"I just want out," Yue sobbed. "I want out of this city, out of this marriage, out of this family… out of this life." She gave Katara a tearful stare. "It hurts me to admit it, but I was an idiot to think that I could somehow make this work. I wish I could turn back time and I wish I had listened to you, Kat. I made a real mess of everything, but my biggest regret will always remain hurting you and Sokka."
"I keep trying to tell Yue that I don't hold anything against her, but she just won't listen," Sokka told his sister, looking a little exasperated.
"I think we have all made mistakes," Katara said. "I know that when I missed our rendezvous back in the summer, you were rightfully angry with me. I have always regretted how it all ended, though, so if there's a chance for us to have a fresh start, I would be happy to take it." Yue blushed lightly at her words, while at the same time, Azula seemed to tense up at Katara's side. Katara was suddenly reminded that she was in a delicate situation here, trapped between the girl she had loved for so many years and the girl she wanted to be with now, but who wasn't ready for them to have a relationship just yet. Katara empathized with Yue and wanted to help her, but she wanted to do so in a way that would not make Azula jealous and insecure. That seemed like a fun challenge to deal with.
"It would be more than I deserve," Yue said in a small voice.
"So, what sort of help are you looking for?" Azula asked. She didn't sound annoyed or irritated as such, but she did sound conflicted, as if torn between feeling sorry for Yue and wanting to help, all while clearly struggling with her jealousy.
Yue seemed to be a little taken aback by the sudden and direct question, so she didn't answer immediately. Instead, Sokka stepped in to reply. "Yue and I already discussed this," he said. "Because of the influence the Adjuk family and her father wield in the Water Tribe territories we should get Yue out of the country as quickly as possible. I was thinking that Ba Sing Se would be the perfect melting pot where she could hide, and since you two are already living there, I figured that you would be in the perfect position to help Yue."
"I mean, I would love to help, but I am not sure what I can do," Katara admitted sadly. "I may live in a large mansion, but it's not mine and I'm afraid that I can't offer you shelter, Yue."
"Well, it's not my mansion, either," Azula shrugged. "I'm staying there only because my uncle lets me." To Katara, the solution was simple. She knew that if Uncle Iroh was aware of the situation that Yue was in, he would step in to help. Iroh was very fond of all the kids who were regulars at his summer camp, and he held Yue in high esteem. Still, Katara didn't feel like it was her place to tell Yue that she should turn to Iroh, because Iroh was Azula's family, and Azula was standing right there, at her side. That said, she desperately hoped that Azula would overcome her internal conflict regarding helping Yue, and in order to help Azula make the right decision, Katara gave the Fire Nation girl her best puppy eyed expression. Azula let out a brief sigh and turned towards Yue again. "You should speak with my uncle," Azula said, much to Katara's joy and relief. "He's staying out of our hair at the Serpent's Lake estate. I'm sure he'll think of a way to help you."
"Thank you so much, Azula," Yue looked gratefully at the other girl. "I don't have the words to express how much this means to me. I'm terrified about what I'm considering here, about starting everything from the scratch. And I don't think I can do that without help… help that I don't necessarily deserve."
"Hey, I was in the same situation half a year ago," Azula shrugged. "I didn't know how to survive on my own when I moved to Ba Sing Se. Uncle showed me the ropes, but really, Katara did all the work after she moved in with me. And if I can learn how to live when not surrounded by riches and attentive servants, then you most certainly can learn it as well."
Katara could sense that Azula still wasn't particularly happy even as she was agreeing to help Yue. Katara could understand Azula's feelings on the matter very well. If Yue went to speak with Uncle Iroh, it was very likely that Iroh would agree to put her up at his Ba Sing Se mansion, and that would mean that she, Yue and Azula would be stuck living under the same roof. With Azula's insecurities and trauma, this would be a tricky situation to navigate, and Katara could already see that she would have to be at her diplomatic best, having to constantly reassure Azula and make sure that her jealousy did not get out of hand.
It did help that after spending good ten minutes in Yue's presence still hadn't awakened any lingering romantic feelings in Katara. Their lengthy separation combined with Yue's questionable actions and attitude had eroded Katara's romantic attraction to her old crush. But she still wanted to be friends with Yue, and she wanted to protect Yue from what she was currently dealing with. Katara knew that she would have to be very open with Azula, making it clear that she didn't want anything else aside from friendship with Yue. Katara only hoped that Yue herself wouldn't start to play some games, trying to reawaken their romance or do anything that would upset Azula. Katara resolved to have a private conversation with Yue about this matter, as soon as things had settled down a little.
"I think it's a good plan," Sokka said in agreement, nodding at Yue. "Meeting with Uncle Iroh is a great place to start."
"How do you plan to get to Ba Sing Se?" Katara asked. "Are you coming on the plane with us tomorrow morning?"
"No, I don't think I could even afford a plane ticket right now," Yue sighed.
"I'll take Yue out of the country in my car," Sokka said. "Fortunately, I still remember the way to the Serpent's Lake estate from my journey there that one summer. We'll depart tomorrow morning, after dropping you two off at the airport," he nodded at Katara and Azula. "Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about that promise."
"We could have taken a taxi, I'm sure," Katara argued. "Although, it would be nice to have an opportunity to talk a little more," she added. Yue nodded with a smile on her lips.
"Anyway, I feel like we've been talking too much about dark and depressing shit, so let's flip a page, shall we?" Sokka suddenly exclaimed, looking excited as he pulled a bottle of champagne as if out of nowhere. "I still haven't congratulated my sister on her great success, so time to rectify that," he walked up to Katara and hugged her tightly. "I propose that we toast Katara's new title and have a little party of our own, since these two have decided to skip the official after-party. And let's be honest, at this point we all need a little help easing some of the tensions, right? Well, if there's a better solution for that than alcohol, then I don't want to know about it."
"I will drink a glass or two, but no more than that," Yue said politely.
Katara turned to look at Azula. Her friend had been looking uncertain and a little conflicted a moment ago, but upon Katara's searching stare, Azula shrugged and broke into a smile. It made Katara feel that much more confident that perhaps, just perhaps, she might be able to navigate this tightrope of personal relationships if Yue indeed ended up becoming an exile with them in Ba Sing Se.
The following morning, Azula still felt rather conflicted and nervous about the entire arrangement they had struck with Yue. Azula would have been much happier if they had settled for some other way of helping Yue that didn't involve her coming to Ba Sing Se. Still, the truth was that Azula did want to help the white-haired girl. It was impossible not to want to help. The evening before had been very pleasant, with Sokka breaking out another bottle of champagne, followed by a couple of bottles of wine, so they had all gotten seriously tipsy by the end, but Azula had enjoyed herself. However, every time she had looked at Yue and seen the signs of physical abuse she had suffered, Azula just felt so triggered by it, remembering all the details of her own beatings, as well as the sexual assault attempt. Fortunately, the booze had taken off the edge from the worst of her anxiety, so she had still been able to have a good time.
She appreciated that Katara was trying to make her reassured that any chances of romance between her and Yue were dead and gone. Azula thought it was sweet that Katara wanted to reassure her, but she didn't quite believe that Katara could truly be certain of what she wanted. Katara probably meant what she was saying, but if Yue ended up living under the same roof with them, Azula was certain that Katara would soon remember all the things that had attracted her to Yue in the first place. And that was fine, really, or at least Azula kept telling herself so. She was too damaged for Katara, anyway. And it wasn't fair to make Katara wait until she was ready. Katara deserved better. Katara deserved to be in a relationship where her lover's parent wasn't a threat to her very life. Azula kept trying to tell herself that she would be fine with this outcome. And then, after she had kept telling herself this throughout most of a largely sleepless night, Azula had locked herself in the bathroom and quietly bawled her eyes out for about a quarter of an hour, until Katara had become concerned and had started to knock on the door to ask if she was alright. Yeah, maybe Azula wasn't alright with losing Katara and watching the girl she loved getting back together with her old flame. Maybe that hurt more than she could endure.
Still, the hour of departure came and there was nothing else left to do than to grab their suitcases and head down to the hotel's parking lot where Sokka and Yue were already waiting for them, sitting in Sokka's Lincoln Capri. Sokka and Yue both got out as they approached, exchanging greetings before Sokka went to put their suitcases into the trunk, next to Yue's belongings. As Sokka was doing that, another car suddenly pulled into the parking lot and stopped right in front of the Capri, blocking its exit. A bunch of cocky and arrogant looking young men got out of the car and quickly surrounded them, four of them altogether including their leader, a very familiar young man they had hoped to avoid.
"Can I just ask where do you think you're going with my wife?" Hahn Adjuk asked, seething angrily.
"They're helping me get away from you, asshole!" Yue shot back at him.
"You're not going anywhere, Yue," Hahn said, waving his hand. His thugs sprang into action, one of them darting around the Capri and tackling Sokka, the two going down in a tangled heap. Azula and Katara had both moved to stand protectively in front of Yue, but Hahn's goons had little difficulties in pulling them away, leaving Hahn free to advance on his wife. "You just don't learn do you?" he said menacingly, rolling up his sleeves. "Maybe if I teach you a lesson in front of all your friends-"
Hahn didn't get to finish his sentence because someone else arrived on the scene at that moment and a sucker punch caught the underside of Hahn's jaw in a terrific blow that made his head snap backwards with a sickening, crunching sound. Hahn went down in a heap, lying on the ground and howling in pain, holding his clearly broken jaw.
"Zuko?" Yue exclaimed in disbelief, echoing Azula's feelings perfectly. She would have expected literally anyone else but her brother coming to their aid. Azula felt even more surprised when after taking a moment to survey the situation, Zuko decided to go directly for the thug who was holding her. Hahn's goon released her to face off against Zuko, but after they had traded a few punches, the thug turned around and decided to flee, not keen on squaring off against the enraged Fire Nation youth.
By now, Sokka had overpowered his opponent and was slowly getting up to his feet. The last of Hahn's bodyguards, currently holding Katara, decided for a tactical retreat. He pushed the Water Tribe girl towards her friends before racing over to Hahn and helping him get back to his feet. The pair then quickly made their escape, Hahn still sobbing and wailing as he held on to his decidedly asymmetrical jaw.
"That guy is such a dick!" Sokka snarled, dusting himself off before rejoining the group. His opponent remained sprawled on the ground, completely out of it. Sokka then turned towards Zuko. "Huge thanks for the assist, man," he said, gratefully clapping Zuko on the shoulder. "This could have gone really bad if you hadn't interfered. Seriously, thanks a lot, Zuko."
Zuko looked a little taken aback by Sokka's friendly manner, his face coloring lightly. "Don't mention it," he shrugged. "Yue has been kind to me in the past, so I couldn't just stand by. Besides-" Azula noticed that her brother was looking at her before freezing up and cutting himself short. "Well, never mind."
"No, Sokka is right, what you did was really heroic," Yue joined in, a relieved smile on her lips. "Most people would have just stood back because they were too cowardly to help. And these jerks were threatening your sister as well."
Yue's words startled Azula a little, even if she very much doubted that seeing her in danger was what had motivated Zuko to help. She noticed Katara looking at her with strange intensity in her eyes, as if she expected Azula to say something. They had all praised and thanked Zuko for his assistance, so did they expect her to do so as well? Ugh, Azula hated the very thought of it, but she sensed that Katara might be displeased with her if she acted like an ungrateful brat in this situation.
"I appreciate that you decided to help my friends," Azula forced herself to say as she looked at Zuko. "So, uh… thanks."
"Yeah, whatever," Zuko returned, shuffling his feet awkwardly. "You're welcome. Anyway, I need to run. Don't want to miss my plane," he said, looking in a hurry to get away.
"You have to let me buy you a beer the next time we run into each other, bud," Sokka called after him. "I owe you that much for the assist!"
"Sure, why not," Zuko replied hastily before getting into his rented car and speeding away.
"Zuko makes a good point, by the way," Sokka said then. "We're running a little late. Let's jump into the car and be on our way."
A few minutes later, as they were on their way towards the airport, Katara turned to face Azula as they sat side by side in the back seat. "Wasn't it nice to have your brother standing up for you, Zula?" she asked with a smile on her lips.
"What? I'm pretty sure he came to help Yue, not me," Azula shook her head.
"Maybe at first, but then he went straight for the guy you were struggling with," Katara insisted. "Come on, he obviously felt protective of you."
"I really doubt that. I think you're just being delusional, Katara," Azula replied stubbornly. Katara sighed, shook her head and turned away, leaving Azula to her own thoughts, most of them focused on the not at all unwelcome possibility that her brother had actually meant to protect her from danger.
Next chapter: We'll take a look at how Yue settles in Ba Sing Se, and how Azula and Katara are reacting to her presence.