Chapter 73
"So, what do you think?" Katara asked as she stood next to Aang in the sole remaining empty bedroom in the Ba Sing Se estate.
"I keep telling you that he's already seen the estate, Katara," Azula sighed, leaning in against the nearby wall and appearing a little frustrated.
"But Azula, Aang wasn't looking at the estate with the thought of living there on his mind," Katara shot back at her.
"It's alright, please don't argue on my behalf," Aang spoke up quickly, trying to prevent them from starting a genuine argument. Azula was quite impressed by how much Aang had grown over the past year. Now at the age of eighteen, he had outgrown both her and Katara, looking like an actual adult, even if Azula could sense that he would still be pretty easy to push around should she choose to do so.
"It's certainly a better room than what you'll get at the dorms, so you should take these bitches up on their offer," Toph commented, standing close by Azula. She and Aang had decided to schedule their visits to Ba Sing Se at the same time, both of them coming to sort out some bureaucratic stuff with the BSSU. Toph used the time to also look at her posh Upper Ring apartment and Aang came to check out the estate, what with Katara having managed to talk Azula into giving away the last bedroom to their younger friend.
"I'm sure there's even more room in your posh apartment, Toph," Azula scowled. "Maybe you should put Aang up at your place," she suggested, aware that she was being both rude and petulant. Toph clearly had no intentions of putting Aang up at her apartment. For some reason, Toph had actually refused to show them the place, something that both Azula and Katara found very strange.
"Azula, cut that out," Katara immediately caught on to her brattiness. "You will stop making Aang feel like he's not welcome at the estate."
"I-" Azula opened her mouth to complain, but there wasn't really anything she could say other than to admit that she was being bitchy. "I'm sorry, Aang, I didn't mean to imply that you're not welcome. I would be happy for you to stay with us," she said dutifully, earning herself a bright smile from her happy looking girlfriend.
"Thanks, Azula," Aang also beamed at her.
"Oh, bitch, you are so whipped it's not even funny anymore," Toph rolled her eyes before bursting into laughter.
Azula fumed silently, but chose not to say anything. It wasn't that she had anything against Aang living with them at the estate. The International House of Lesbians had become a very busy and far more crowded place than before, but Azula honestly did not mind it. Yes, sometimes she reminisced about the days when she and Katara had enjoyed the estate all to themselves, and that had been amazing, but they hadn't actually been in a physical relationship back then. Then Yue had joined them, followed by Ty Lee, and the four of them had shared plenty of magical experiences together. Then Sokka had come into the fold, and Azula had to admit that having a guy around the place was actually kind of useful, especially one as practical and hard working as Sokka. And through Sokka, Azula had been able to gradually improve her relationship with Zuko. Things were still a bit tense now and then with her brother, but at least they didn't actively hate each other anymore. And now, Aang would be thrown into the mix with them, so things would become even busier around the estate. Still, Azula had started to see the benefits of having a wider net of supportive friends. After so many years of crushing loneliness, it had been hard to get used to always be surrounded with people, but by now she couldn't imagine going back to the life of solitude that had once been forced upon her.
"So, what do you think, Aang?" Katara asked a while later.
"I love it," the Air Nation boy nodded, looking excited. "If you're serious about letting me have the room, I'll take it, of course."
"Of course, we're serious," Azula rolled her eyes. "We wouldn't be showing it to you if we weren't serious."
"Alright, in that case, you have my most sincere gratitude, Azula," Aang smiled, bowing politely at her. "Also, it'll be fun having Sokka as my neighbor across the hall."
"Yes, just… be careful about barging into Sokka's room unannounced," Katara said, wincing slightly. It made Azula wonder if her girlfriend had suffered the misfortune of walking in on their brothers as they were sucking each other's faces. "Sokka will occasionally have… company with him," she added.
"If Aang is going to live here, you probably should be more specific about what you mean," Azula pointed out.
"I suppose that's true," Katara agreed with a nod. "Please don't spread this around, you two," she said, looking at both Toph and Aang. "But if you're going to hang out with us here, you should probably know that Sokka and Zuko have recently started dating."
Aang's eyes widened almost comically. "Whoa are you for real?" he gasped. Katara nodded. "That's… well, that's cool, I guess! Good for them!" Aang grinned. Azula wasn't at all surprised about the Air Nation boy's reaction. Azula was certain that if she announced that she was engaging in the occasional act of cannibalism, Aang would probably announce that it wasn't his role to judge and that he respected the traditions of different cultures.
"Haha, wow, that's actually like… hot," Toph chuckled, looking intrigued.
"Hey, you're not allowed to say that about my brother!" Katara protested.
"Yes, stop being gross, Toph," Azula joined in on her girlfriend's side.
"Pfft, you can't tell me what to think," Toph shrugged, looking unimpressed with them both. "Two attractive older guys making out, yeah, I know where my mind is wandering off to right now."
"Ugh," Azula shuddered, Katara mirroring her reaction. Azula was still getting used to accepting the relationship between Zuko and Sokka. Of course, since Zuko had never tried to mess with her relationship with Katara, and Sokka had always been actively supportive of them, Azula was never going to do something to sabotage her brother's involvement with Sokka. Still, for years, she had known Zuko as someone perpetually angry and antagonistic. It was very hard for her to imagine Zuko being gentle with anyone, but apparently that was happening. Then again, it was probably hard for Zuko to imagine her being soft with Katara. They were both struggling to shake off these deeply rooted preconceptions of each other, and while it was working, it was also taking a lot of time.
"Fun is fun, Toph, but I'll ask you again to be discreet about this, okay?" Katara said in her more authoritative and stern voice. "You know what the attitudes are, right? Azula and I have to watch ourselves, but Sokka and Zuko have to be even more careful when they're going out together. Lesbians usually just have to deal with the occasional comment or two, which is bad enough, but gay men often have to deal with actual violence. So, I'll have to ask you to treat this very seriously. Sokka and Zuko are facing enough challenges already, they don't need to deal with stupid jokes or inappropriate teasing from people they consider their friends."
"Okay… wow, talk about pushy, but okay, I'll try to cut down on saying stupid shit," Toph replied, frowning. "I'm a bit offended that you think I'm totally insensitive just because I occasionally tease my friends," she added huffily. "You should know that if I catch some idiot talking shit about Zuko or Sokka, I'll make them wear their ass as a hat."
"That's more like it, Toph," Katara smiled at their younger friend. "Anyway, I'm sure we don't need to speak about it any longer. I trust you know not to bring it up with Sokka without good reason."
"Of course, Katara," Aang nodded at her, answering both for himself and Toph. "Anyway, Zuko's game is about to start soon. Shall we join the others?" he asked. The final game of the Caldera City qualifying tournament was getting the very rare and special honor of being broadcast live on a minor Fire Nation TV network. Miraculously, Zuko still had a chance to squeeze into the finals, but he had to win against his father in the decisive game. This was going to be an uphill struggle, what with the entire Fire Nation united in its support for Ozai, doing their best to create a hostile and demoralizing atmosphere for Zuko.
"Yes, let's go," Katara said, letting Toph and Aang leave the room first. When Azula turned to follow, she found her hand seized by Katara. "Is everything alright?" her girlfriend asked in a soft voice, looking a little concerned.
"Yes," Azula replied, more curtly than she had intended. "Why wouldn't everything be alright?"
"You've been somewhat short tempered as of late, love," Katara insisted.
"Have I?" Azula asked. She felt a little surprised that Katara had noticed, although on second thought, given how perceptive Katara was, perhaps it wasn't at all surprising. It was just such a small thing. With life around the estate being quite busy the past few weeks, Azula felt like she wasn't getting as much alone time with Katara as she would have preferred. Azula knew that she probably should have told Katara about how she felt, but she just hated the thought of being perceived as whiny and needy. "No, everything is fine," she went with the white lie.
"Hmm, okay," Katara said in a tone that suggested to Azula that her girlfriend didn't quite believe her from the way she had brushed off the query. Katara then leaned in and kissed her. "I'll be honest, I've been missing you a lot lately, Zula. Those two weeks at Serpent's Lake can't come soon enough."
Azula let out a breath of relief. Katara admitting that she was missing alone time with her instantly removed all the pressure and allowed Azula to be honest as well. "I've been missing you too, Kat, and I suspect that's why I've been slightly more, uh, high-strung," Azula admitted, blushing lightly. She pulled Katara closer to steal a few more kisses. "We won't exactly be alone at uncle's estate, but there will definitely be much more privacy."
"Exactly," Katara smiled in return. "Yue and Ty Lee will want their own alone time, so I think it will work out nicely." They spent some more time kissing, until they both realized that their prolonged absence might cause suspicion among their friends, and so they proceeded towards the living room. The stolen moment with Katara, regardless of how short it had been, had done wonders in making Azula feel more relaxed. When she and Katara both sat down on the sofa with Yue and Ty Lee, having to squeeze in tightly, Azula found herself feeling quite mellow.
"I thought the game was supposed to have started already," Azula spoke up, realizing that the pictures on the TV screen were not of the Caldera City Pai Sho tournament, but rather showing the sights of unrest in the streets of a large city. It looked as if there were some riots going on in Yu Dao.
"Ugh, they're sticking with these Yu Dao riots for now," Sokka replied, sitting on the other sofa with Aang and Toph. He was on his third beer already, even if it was still early in the afternoon. Azula understood the stress he was under, though. Her nerves had been strained to the point of breaking that year in Agna Qel'a when she hadn't been able to play, instead having to watch Katara surge to her epic tournament win. Sokka was probably similarly stressed on Zuko's behalf. Of course, Azula also wanted Zuko to prevail against their father, but if she was perfectly honest with herself, she mostly cared about Ozai losing and less so about Zuko winning.
"I don't understand this Yu Dao crisis very well," Aang sighed. "It's just depressing watching people rioting and destroying such a beautiful city. Also, I hope that Kori is alright over there."
"Haru is also living in Yu Dao now," Toph added. "I hope they're both safe."
"Hear, hear," Katara agreed. She then turned towards Azula. "As for the riots, I think that Azula is probably the most well versed in politics among us. As a budding newspaper reporter, I think she should be the one to educate us."
"Ha-ha, very funny, Katara, way to throw your girlfriend under the bus," Azula grumbled. It was all an act, of course. Katara was both letting her be the center of attention, and show off her erudition, two of the things that boosted Azula's ego a great deal, though not nearly as much as being loved by someone as amazing as Katara.
"Please educate us, Azula," Aang gave her a pleading stare. It wouldn't have had any effect whatsoever on Azula if she hadn't already decided to explain and impress the others with her knowledge.
"Well, first you must understand that to properly explain the situation in Yu Dao would require at least several hours, because a lot of what is happening now can only be understood when taken in wider social and historical context," Azula began, speaking in a slightly smug tone of voice. "But we don't have hours, and you lot would probably grow bored, so I'll give you the simpleton version."
"I think that's what we were looking for, Azula," Sokka laughed, raising his beer bottle at her as if to emphasize his point.
"Right, of course you were," Azula sighed. "Anyway, there are three main factions in Yu Dao. First is the pro Fire Nation faction. They are still arguing that returning the region of Yu Dao to the Earth Kingdom in the wake of the Great War was a mistake, and those making that decision had no legal justification to do it. This faction has been slowly losing power over the past twenty-five years, but it's still an important and vocal minority. The second faction is arguing for the independence of Yu Dao and its surrounding regions. This is a rapidly growing movement of people who want nothing to do with the Fire Nation or the Earth Kingdom."
"Having lived in both of those countries, I can see their point," Ty Lee said, sounding bitter.
"I suppose, but I fear it might be a bit of a pipe dream," Yue mused. "Surviving while being boxed in by two superpowers wouldn't be easy. Oh, and by the way," she snapped her fingers. "I remember when we were in Omashu, during one of our conversations Kori let it slip that she was very supportive of the cause of these Freedom Fighters. I think that's what they called themselves, right?"
"Yes, that's right," Azula smiled approvingly at the white-haired girl. "I had no idea Kori was a sympathizer."
"I hope she's being careful," Katara agreed with a nod. "It seems like a dangerous path to pursue. These Freedom Fighters probably do a lot of things that are considered illegal, right?"
"Oh yes," Azula nodded. "I suppose Kori might be going through her stage of teenage rebellion against her father. Mayor Morishita is the leader of the third faction, the Earth Kingdom loyalists. They have been in charge since the Great War and hold all the power… well, at least in theory."
"Why do you say in theory, Azula?" Aang asked.
"Because the Earth Kingdom is so massive and everything is centered on Ba Sing Se," Azula explained. "The further you go from the capital, the less actual power Kuei's government has, and his authority is barely felt in the faraway provinces. Places like Yu Dao pay a lot in taxes to the federal government, but they don't exactly see much in return from Ba Sing Se. And whatever they do get, probably goes to line the pockets of Mayor Morishita and his faction, it doesn't really trickle down to the average folks in the streets."
"No wonder the Freedom Fighters are becoming so popular then," Toph shrugged. "But I know what you mean. Ba Sing Se doesn't really intervene in the affairs of Gaoling either. If my father and some of his associates didn't have such a stranglehold on the city, maybe we'd also be dealing with some secessionists."
"It's possible, but less likely," Azula shrugged. "Just consider the history of Gaoling. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that it has been a province of the Earth Kingdom for more than four hundred years. Also, the demographics of Gaoling are totally different from Yu Dao, largely Earth Kingdom citizens with deep roots in the region. In comparison, Yu Dao is a melting pot. Remember how many times it changed hands during the Great War? That's why there are so many Fire Nation expats, Air Nation and Water Tribe communities, and people from every corner of the Earth Kingdom, many former soldiers who fought in the war."
"I guess with such a motley crowd, coming to a consensus and reaching compromise is a lot harder than it would be elsewhere," Katara remarked thoughtfully.
"Oh, you couldn't be more on the money, Kat," Azula replied. "Yu Dao is a real powder keg."
"Uh, that sounds a bit ominous, Azula," Yue said, looking worried.
"I wish it didn't, but unfortunately it doesn't look good," Azula sighed. "The Freedom Fighters are becoming bolder and more aggressive, and the pro Fire Nation faction and the Earth Kingdom loyalists are bitterly accusing each other of abetting the secessionists."
"That doesn't make sense to me," Sokka shrugged. "None of these factions are after the same thing, right?"
"Yes, but it's a good way to put political pressure on your opponents. Being accused of supporting terrorists is a bad look, right?" Azula said. "Besides… someone is abetting the Freedom Fighters, I'm quite sure of that."
"How do you know that, Zula?" Katara asked her girlfriend.
"Because I've read some articles about the military wing of the Freedom Fighters suddenly becoming seriously well armed," Azula explained. "Apparently, they are now packing some top of the line stuff. If they had to deal only with the black market suppliers, I don't know how they could get their hands on something like that. I think it means that the Freedom Fighters have powerful connections, either in one of the two governments, or somewhere else."
"Okay, you're right, Azula," Yue nodded at her. "I'm starting to see why the situation is so serious."
"Ugh, Toph and I will have to go to Yu Dao in the fall to qualify for the U21 finals," Aang groaned. "I hope things have calmed down by then."
"Yeah, or else they should do the smart thing and move the tournament elsewhere," Toph nodded.
"At least the three of us won't need to bother with qualification this year," Azula smirked, smiling at Katara and Yue. Because of their joint victory in Omashu, all three of them had already reserved their berths at the next year's final as the defending champions.
"Indeed, and there are a lot of junior players in the Water Tribes who are just a tiny bit upset with Katara and I," Yue laughed. Because the Water Tribes were allocated only two spots in the finals, Katara and Yue had already automatically claimed them. As a result, the qualification tournament in Agna Qel'a had been canceled altogether, because there was literally nothing to play for.
"Lucky bitches," Toph grumbled. "Just ignore their gloating, Aang. We'll just breeze through the qualification as always, anyway."
"Yeah, exactly," Aang nodded happily. "I'm sure that powder keg won't go off while we're in Yu Dao." As soon as he had finished speaking, there was a massive blast coming through the live feed from the streets of Yu Dao. The reporter who had been bringing the latest updates about the riots, suddenly found herself thrown off her feet, the camera man suffering the same fate. The camera rolled around before getting smashed and the live feed cut out.
"What the… fuck just happened?" Sokka gasped, staring at the black screen with incomprehension.
"I feel bad for mentioning a powder keg," Aang gulped, looking terrified.
"Something got blown up, yes. Something big," Azula nodded uncomfortably, noticing that both Katara and Yue were staring at her, as if looking for an explanation.
"Well, that sucks. I doubt they're going to switch over to Zuko's game with his father now," Toph stated. Azula managed a nervous laugh at the younger girl's inappropriate comment. The others remained silent, their faces pale from shock and fear, mirroring Azula's own reaction. As much as she wanted to dismiss the importance of whatever had just happened, she knew better than anyone else in the room that these events could potentially change their very lives down the road.
Despite facing overwhelming odds, Zuko felt reasonably confident ahead of his second encounter with his despised father. The plan that Uncle Iroh had proposed was working. Iroh had gone easy on Zuko in their games, allowing Zuko to obtain the points needed to keep up with Ozai. Zuko had lost his first game to his father, but everyone had agreed that it had been a very close and tight affair. Zuko knew that he could have won that game and it gave him the necessary confidence boost ahead of the decisive match. And just as Iroh had predicted, Ozai had flinched in the penultimate round, drawing his match with a much weaker opponent. This now placed Zuko in a situation where a win would see him reach the world championship finals at an age where such a feat would be considered unusual and remarkable, and he would have put the main contender for the overall title out of the running.
Despite how much Zuko hoped that his dreams would come true, he tried to keep himself grounded in his expectations. Phone conversation with Sokka back in Ba Sing Se had helped Zuko start the day on a positive note. Sokka had actually wanted to accompany him to the Fire Nation, a sweet but probably dangerous and impractical notion. While Zuko would have loved to have his boyfriend close by, it was just too risky. Zuko was already dealing with a strong backlash from the fans, the press, and even the organizers who were not shy in demonstrating their clear bias towards his father. The insults coming from the spectators were the hardest to brush off. The nickname of 'Scarface' had stuck in particular, and Zuko really loathed it. On some evenings, all the abuse he had endured during the day became too much and he ended up breaking down in the solitude of his room, wishing dearly that Sokka would be there with him. But at least with hearing his boyfriend's voice on the phone, and having Uncle Iroh's support always there for him, Zuko was somehow able to plow onwards.
On the eve of the decisive match, Zuko and Iroh had looked at various strategies to throw at Ozai. Iroh was certain that they needed something clever to surprise Ozai with, but Zuko was less sure of this approach. Zuko knew that trying to be too clever against someone of the caliber of his father often resulted in said clever plan blowing up in the face of Ozai's opponent. Zuko simply wanted to do what he had already done against Ozai in their first game. He knew that it would be enough if he would only be able to execute better. Zuko was sure that he had to play to his strengths, and that was to go all out and be aggressive. They had argued about it with Iroh for a while, but in the end, his uncle had agreed with the merits of Zuko's reasoning and had given him his blessing.
Now, with all the preparations done, Zuko found himself sitting at the Pai Sho board and facing his smirking father, waiting for the game to begin amidst the cheers of spectators aimed at Ozai and boos directed at Zuko. There had been none of the pre-game pleasantries between Zuko and his father, no handshake or phrases of politeness exchanged. One of the officials punched the timing clock and the game began, Zuko wasting little time in unleashing his offensive strategy.
As the game progressed, Zuko felt as if he was slowly starting to gain advantage. However, he was also gradually becoming frustrated. First of all, the crowd was much louder than would normally be accepted, and they were particularly loud when it was his time to make a move. The crowd kept silent as mice while Ozai was on the clock and was mulling over his next move. This was clearly violating the rules of fair conduct during a Pai Sho game. However, Zuko quickly realized that he could not count on the officials to enforce the rules here. They had made a couple of half-hearted appeals to the crowd over the PA system, but the rowdy groups of spectators had merely ignored them. Having done the bare minimum expected of them, the officials merely shrugged when Zuko glared at them, as if to say 'well, we tried our best, what else do you want us to do'.
Zuko might have been able to cope with the reaction of the crowd, but Ozai seemed to have found another way to unsettle him. During the match, eye contact that exceeded a brief glance between the opponents was not only considered bad manners, but also a justifiable cause for a warning. However, Ozai was clearly prepared to break this rule. Time and again, Zuko felt his father's piercing gaze boring into his skull, creating this unpleasant and distracting sensation of being watched. Zuko looked around for the tournament officials, hoping that they would interfere, but they were all making a point to avoid looking towards the table where Zuko and Ozai were fighting it out. They were clearly not going to do anything about Ozai's cheap trick to throw Zuko off his game.
Despite all this interference, Zuko was holding his ground. They were coming up to the fortieth move, and Zuko still held a small advantage that could be converted into a win in the endgame. However, Zuko's nerves were starting to fray. Ozai and the crowd were starting to get to him. On forty-second move, Zuko failed to spot the opportunity to force Ozai into a beneficial exchange of the Orchid tiles. On forty-ninth move, Zuko made an oversight, leaving his White Jade tile isolated for Ozai to capture. The crowd was by now roaring with delight and Ozai was smirking knowingly, while Zuko fumed with anger, mostly aimed at himself for being unable to keep his cool. And anger was an emotion that had no place at the Pai Sho board. It forced him to commit one error after another, and by the sixtieth move, Zuko's position was no longer tenable. Struggling against the urge to throw the timing clock into Ozai's face, Zuko was forced to admit defeat.
As his father rose to the thunderous applause of the crowd, offering him a handshake, Zuko was very reluctant to accept it. Still, he didn't want the crowd to turn on him even more, so he forced himself to shake his father's hand. "You don't deserve this, and you know it," he couldn't stop himself from saying bitterly.
"I did not expect anything else from you, son," Ozai replied smugly. "You will never be able to escape your role in this life, Zuko, and that is the role of a failure. But you are more than just a failure. You are also an ungrateful, sour loser."
"Go to hell," Zuko snarled, withdrawing his hand. "You'll never take the world title playing as poorly as this."
"And yet I was able to beat you without much difficulty," Ozai retorted. "What does that say about you?"
Zuko would have probably followed it up with another reply, but Iroh came up to them, intervening and leading Zuko away, accompanied by the jeers from the crowd. "Don't waste your breath, Zuko, this farcical spectacle is not worth your time," Iroh said as they made a swift departure. "I saw everything that my brother did to unsettle you. We're going to submit a formal protest to the federation."
"Are you talking about the same federation in which my father sits on the executive board and of which he is a major financial backer?" Zuko asked, rolling his eyes, even if what he really wanted to do was to break down and have a bit of a cry about the unfairness of it all. He had been robbed, it was plain and obvious to anyone who wasn't a biased Ozai supporter.
"It would add to the pressure mounting on Ozai," Iroh argued.
"I don't know, uncle," Zuko sighed. He wanted to believe that a protest could change something, even if he really didn't believe that it would. "I think that launching a protest would simply make me appear weak and petty in the eyes of many. I would rather just go home and try to forget about it all. Now that I know the lengths to which my father will go in order to win, I can be stronger and more prepared when I meet him next."
"Hmm, you may be right," Iroh admitted reluctantly. "It doesn't feel right letting him get away with what was a flagrant violation of the tournament rules."
"It doesn't feel right, but it was always going to be a struggle, coming to the Fire Nation and trying to defeat my father," Zuko sighed. "We should have expected something like this, honestly."
"I just hope that you won't be too down on yourself about this, Zuko," Iroh said, gently patting him on the shoulder. "You played beautifully. I'm really proud of you."
"Thanks, Uncle," Zuko replied, managing to avoid showing his disappointment. He wanted to take pride in having pushed his father, the best player in the world, so hard that Ozai had felt the need to call upon dishonorable methods to dispatch him.
However, his father's words were not that easy to shake off. For the first twelve years of his life, Zuko had been constantly told and reminded that he was a disappointing failure. And even though he had played well in the tournament, it didn't change the fact that he had failed in the end. His father wasn't wrong to call him a failure, and Zuko already knew that he would find it very hard to dismiss Ozai's words. Even if Zuko no longer cared about disappointing his father… the truth was that he had disappointed himself. And that would not be easy to come back from.
Next chapter: let's check on our girls as they finally turn twenty at the start of the fall. Also, there are plenty of important updates from around the world that we shouldn't ignore.