Chapter 87

The first days of June brought some nervous trepidation and light anxiety to the International House of Lesbians in Ba Sing Se. The final rankings among the professional Pai Sho players had been published a couple of days ago, and as Azula and her girlfriends had expected, all three of them had easily made the top thirty. In fact, their achievement had been made even more astonishing by how convincing their play had been. Despite only playing the absolute minimum of required tournaments, participating only in six events, they had still placed very high in the rankings. Katara was the highest ranked among them, coming in thirteenth. Yue was ranked seventeenth and Azula just behind her in nineteenth. Azula wasn't particularly upset about being ranked behind the two Water Tribe girls since she knew that without the troubled tournament in the Fire Fountain City she would have been above Yue and right up there with Katara.

As far as their friends were concerned, Aang had just about squeaked into the qualifiers by ranking twenty-eight. Toph and Teo were a little further down in the rankings, in the mid-forties, failing to make it through, but they weren't too disappointed about their performance, especially considering Toph's age. Hardly anyone aside the most vaunted prodigies dared to go pro at the tender age of nineteen.

The draw for the qualifying tournaments had taken place the day before, but because Pai Sho rarely made the sports news on TV or radio, they had been forced to wait an entire day until the morning paper would arrive at a nearby kiosk. Shortly after the breakfast, Azula had encouraged Aang to run down to the kiosk and return with either the newspaper or not at all, and they were still waiting anxiously for the Air Nation boy to get back. Sokka and Zuko were on their way to join them as they received the important news of discovering who their opponents would be, and Sokka had also told Katara on the phone that he had some important news of his own to share with them.

There was much understandable anxiety in the air as they waited for Aang's return. The nervousness stemmed from how different these qualifying tournaments would be compared to all the events they had participated in so far. With thirty best players in the world, save for the reigning champion Ozai Nakamura, broken into five groups of six to contest only a single ticket to the finals per group, the competition would be fiercer than anything they had experienced until now. Before now, the three girls had attended their tournaments taking part together and supporting each other. But now, they actually did not want to be drawn into the same group, because then they would have to come into direct competition against each other for the winning ticket. And they were still trying to hold on to the unlikely fantasy of all three of them making it through to the grand final and taking Ozai down together.

Of course, if they were to be drawn each in their own group, it would also come with the drawback that they would have to potentially travel somewhere half way around the world to compete all by themselves, without any support from their girlfriends, and that definitely felt a little scary and intimidating. Being so isolated and then having to go up against one of the greats like Bumi, Pakku or Gyatso was a daunting prospect. Then again, it did help that during their first year on the pro tour, they had already faced all of the best grandmasters and they had taken points from all of them… with the exception of Ozai Nakamura. Despite the Fire Fountain City stumble, Azula's confidence was still high, and her girlfriends appeared in a similarly buoyant mood. They all felt as if they could take on just about anyone and prevail… again, with the possible exception of her father. Azula still didn't have any idea how to keep it together when facing off against Ozai. The best idea she'd come up with so far was to just keep facing him as much as possible, until she began to normalize all the taunting and terrorizing to the point where it no longer affected her. Katara and Yue had screamed at her for even suggesting something like that, so Azula had a feeling that her girlfriends weren't exactly high on this idea.

Azula certainly didn't mind to be drawn in the same group with Aang. The Air Nation boy, while talented, was still a little behind the three of them. Azula neither feared Aang, nor was particularly close with him and so the idea of eviscerating him at the Pai Sho board did not feel emotionally taxing. Facing Yue and Katara in such a winner takes all scenario would definitely be more difficult. Of course, they've had plenty of nail-biting games between them over the years, many encounters that had decided tournament wins, but regardless of the outcome they had always parted amicably, and most of the time with increased respect for each other. But this occasion would be very different, at least for Azula. She would be playing for the opportunity to contest her father's title and possibly rip the mantle of the world champion from his shoulders. She wanted it so desperately, far more than Yue or Katara, to the point where she occasionally thought that if they ended up playing one another, Katara or Yue should recognize how much defeating Ozai meant to Azula, and that they should let her win and advance to the finals. But at the same time, Azula realized that these were highly unfair expectations. Katara and Yue had been playing exquisitely and also deserved the opportunity to compete for the world title. Azula could never begrudge them wanting it just as much as she wanted it, and she was determined to make sure that even if they ended up facing each other, it would have no impact on their emotional bonds and romantic attachments.

Azula almost jumped at the sound of a knock on the doors, anxiety starting to get the best of her. Katara and Yue looked similarly affected as they all sat around the kitchen table, nibbling on the leftover crumbs of a pecan pie. Azula immediately chided herself for how silly she had been thinking that it was Aang returning to the estate, because the Air Nation boy would have had no need to knock on the doors since he lived at the estate. Indeed, moments later, Sokka and Zuko crossed the threshold and entered the estate, looking annoyingly chipper as they chatted among themselves.

"And how is the terrifying threesome doing this morning?" Sokka chuckled as together with Zuko they proceeded into the kitchen.

"Probably anxious as hell if the morning paper hasn't arrived yet," Zuko remarked. Azula figured that the tension must have been palpable if even her emotionally colorblind brother could pick up on it.

"Aang is on his way back with the newspaper," Yue replied nervously. "At least I hope he is. Ugh, I shouldn't have had any coffee this morning, now I'm all shaking," she said, smiling gratefully when Katara reached out to take her hand.

"I remember the wait for the draw two years ago, that was so agonizing," Zuko nodded in sympathy. "And then there was all that scandal with our father meddling with the outcome of the draw so blatantly. That was a nice additional bit of stress."

"Do you think he has meddled with the draw this year as well?" Katara asked anxiously. Azula had to fight really hard to refrain from rolling her eyes at the naivete of her girlfriend.

"Do ducks float?" Zuko asked her in response.

"What? Oh… you mean that he has, I see," Katara said. "Ugh, I wonder in what way he would have cheated this year."

Azula had been thinking about this earlier, and she already had several theories. "Well, he's obviously going to pit some of his main rivals against each other," she said. "And he'll probably try to make sure that at least one of his cronies, Long Feng or Zhao Sakamoto, makes it through. Also, he'll probably use the opportunity to arrange a really nasty draw for me."

"I know I've said it before, but I really hate your asshole of a father," Yue said unhappily. "Damn it, I really hope Aang gets back with that paper soon. I can't take any more of this waiting!"

"Sokka, didn't you have some news for us?" Katara spoke up suddenly. "Maybe you can tell us what's that all about as we wait for Aang?"

"Nah, I think I'll pass on that until you find out about the draw, it's clearly all you three are capable of thinking about right now," Sokka said perceptively. Azula had to admit that the draw was all she felt capable of thinking about, and she hardly cared about what Sokka had to tell them, which normally wouldn't be the case.

Katara grunted in frustration as she rose from her seat and began to pace back and forth. "I wish it was a bit later in the day so that I wouldn't feel bad about opening a bottle of wine," she groused. There was a sound coming from outside the estate, that of the outer gate opening and closing again. "Aang!" Katara exclaimed, bolting towards the foyer. She nearly bowled Aang over as he came back inside, a hilarious sight considering that he was a good couple of inches taller than Katara by now. "Did you read it already?" Katara shouted, prying the newspaper out of Aang's hands.

"Uh, no… they were late opening the kiosk today, so I had to wait until I got it and then I ran straight back here without taking a peek," Aang replied, looking a little taken aback by the fierce reception. Having grabbed the paper, Katara all but dragged Aang into the kitchen and seated him down next to Sokka. "Oh… hey Sokka and Zuko," Aang spoke cheerfully, the only one among them who didn't appear to be at all tense.

Azula felt like she was about to dart forward and tear the paper away from Katara should her girlfriend waste any more time before opening the sports section and giving them the news. Fortunately, Katara was way too curious and anxious to delay any longer, so she flipped the pages over to the sports section and began to read. Almost as soon as she had taken a brief glance, Katara lowered the newspaper and gave Azula a devastated stare, her lower lip starting to tremble lightly.

"What?" Azula ground out, terrified by Katara's reaction.

"Yeah, what's wrong sis?" Sokka asked worriedly.

"Azula… and I," Katara managed, starting to cry. "We're in the… same group," she sobbed.

"Ah, damn it," Zuko cursed. "That's probably Ozai's doing."

Azula wanted to both scream and cry at Katara's words. This was what she had wanted the least, having to compete against her girlfriend for the opportunity she was coveting more than anything else. The dream that both she and Katara – and hopefully Yue too – would face Ozai together in the finals come August was dead. Still, Azula somehow managed to keep it together without immediately dissolving into tears. She rose from her seat and walked up to Katara, wordlessly wrapping her arms around her girlfriend to hold her tightly as they comforted each other in the wake of these most unwelcome news.

As Azula and Katara were still locked in a tight embrace, Yue picked up the discarded newspaper to find her own fate as determined by the draw. "Aww, damn it," she sighed, giving Aang an apologetic look. "We're in the same group, Aang. Pack your bags for Agna Qel'a, I guess."

"Oh," Aang didn't look too disappointed, although Azula suspected that he would have preferred to play at a Fire Nation locale. That said, the expectation was for Mai to spend most of the summer with Aang anyway, and that now likely included a trip to the Water Tribes capital. "That's too bad, but I hope it will at least be one of us who makes it through," he tried encouragingly.

"Well, Pakku is in our group, so that's going to be tough," Yue said. "We'll do our best, of course."

"Did you check who else is in our group?" Azula whispered in Katara's ear. "Or where we're going to play?"

"No, I just… lost it when I saw your name next to mine," Katara confessed quietly. "I'm okay now, though. Come on, let's take a closer look." They parted, both girls then peering across Yue's shoulder for a more thorough examination of the draw.

"For crying out loud," Azula exclaimed angrily as she saw the lineup of hers and Katara's group. "We have both Piandao and Jeong-Jeong."

"Not to mention that we have to go to Caldera City," Katara groaned. "I bet your father will be lurking around just to further unsettle both of us."

"Hopefully not," Azula sighed. She didn't feel entirely certain about Ozai's plans. She didn't put it past her father to try and sabotage them, but she suspected that he would probably be in the Fire Fountain City, making sure that Zhao made it through to the finals. Zhao and Long Feng had both drawn very easy groups, Ozai making absolutely certain that both of his cronies made it through to the finals. With Zhao Sakamoto and Long Feng playing alongside Ozai in the finals, Azula's father was guaranteed a lot of free points, because Zhao and Long Feng would simply roll over and let Ozai decimate them like the honorless dogs that they were.

"He really has it in for you, doesn't he?" Zuko asked, looking at Azula with rare sympathy in his eyes. "That's just cruel, putting you in with two of the best grandmasters in the world, and also with one of your girlfriends, not to mention the location as well. I'm almost shocked that he hasn't thrown Yue into the mix as well."

"He might actually not know that Yue's a part of our relationship," Azula replied thoughtfully. "I'm pretty sure he knows that Katara and I are together, but maybe we have been subtle enough with Yue."

"I would say that I have dodged a bullet, but it doesn't feel like it," Yue sighed bitterly. "I mean, I'm going to try my best, but beating Pakku at home in Agna Qel'a, that's a tall order. And I'm going to miss your support." Yue looked saddened as she spoke.

"Maybe if you and Aang work together, you can stop Pakku," Katara suggested.

"We're going to do our best, I'm sure," Aang nodded. "I think Yue has a much better chance to stop Pakku than I do, so maybe we should put everything on her."

"Oh no, don't even think about going easy on me, young man," Yue chided him. "I won't stand for that sort of thing. I don't think Azula and Katara are going to make things easy for each other."

Azula exchanged uncertain stares with Katara. "I mean," Katara began. "I don't think so, but if in the latter stages of the tournament one of us has already lost the chance to make it through, it would be silly to prevent the other from winning. I'm guessing we'll play it by the ear. But no pre-tournament arrangements," she shook her head with determination.

"I agree," Azula spoke earnestly. She definitely did not want to go through to the finals feeling like she didn't deserve it. "Ugh, I expected that Ozai would make this really tough for me, but somehow the reality of it was even worse than what I feared," she said, feeling irritated.

"We're still going to make sure that your father's plans fail, Azula," Katara gave her a stare full of promise and determination. "One of us will make it through to the finals, despite him throwing the best masters of the Fire Nation at us."

"You're right, we're not afraid of Piandao or Jeong-Jeong, nor should we be," Azula nodded. "And now that we know who we're going to face, it's time to really knuckle down and intensify our prep. Although, I suppose you still have your final exams to take care of."

Truth be told, Katara didn't have actual final exams during the clinical part of her courses. She had spent most of the month of April attached to one of the GP's at the Lower Ring hospital that she was so fond of, and which terrified both Azula and Yue because of the less than desirable clientele that frequented it. Katara had thoroughly enjoyed the experience working with the GP, but since the start of May, she had been attached to the pathologist working at the same hospital. Katara was definitely not enjoying this experience quite as much, and she was not at all amused when Azula jokingly pointed out that at least their horror movie marathons were starting to pay off. Katara was somehow keeping it together, however, and she still had a week of this attachment left to cover. She was determined to persevere in the hopes of yet another glowing evaluation.

Yue had several exams awaiting her in the first two weeks of June, but she was confident of passing them without having to spend an inordinate amount of time on studying. Yue had spent most of the month of May doing teacher's practice at the rather exclusive girl's academy in the Upper Ring that appeared desperate to headhunt her and she had enjoyed every moment of her time there. Azula and Katara had been forced to listen to a lot of excited stories about Yue bonding with her students and basically having a whale of a time. Even though the stories had been largely similar, both Azula and Katara could never get enough of Yue's genuine excitement. Azula was not at all surprised that the girls at the academy loved their trainee teacher. Azula was certain that even her bratty twelve-year-old self who had made the lives of every teacher at Li and Lo's miserable, would have behaved in the class of someone as charming as Yue Taqqiq.

As for Azula herself, her school year was as good as over. Her work placement with the Ba Sing Se Herald had ended a couple of days ago and she had submitted her glowing evaluations to the BSSU for their approval. During her exit talks, the editor of the Herald had seemed very eager to have her back in September, but obviously, with the political situation being what it was, and with the anti Fire Nation sentiment growing, no promises had been made. The situation was starting to become so bad that Azula now had to worry about securing any work placement at all, because she wasn't sure what sort of publication would even want to have her at this point. If push came to shove, Azula was prepared to ask Suki to find her a spot with The Harmony Ring, but she considered it her last resort. She wasn't too keen on both playing and writing about Pai Sho because it posed the distinct danger of oversaturating her life with the game she loved.

"If you need any help preparing, just ask," Zuko offered. "I'm done with my studies. All that's left is the graduation, but that's at the end of June, so I won't be able to help you then."

"That means we won't be able to attend your graduation ceremony," Azula realized. "We'll already be in Caldera by then."

"It's not a big deal," Zuko shrugged. He appeared touched that Azula would even mention that. Despite them getting along reasonably well as of late, little gestures of thoughtfulness still seemed to come as a surprise to them both. "Anyway, I'll be happy to stop by next week, just give me a call and I'll pop over. I'm actually starting to feel hungry for Pai Sho again."

"Zuko, I tried to tell you so many times that you needed this break," Azula sighed at him.

"Fair enough, you definitely did tell me that," Zuko raised his hands apologetically. "I can't believe what I'm saying, but maybe I should listen to you more often."

"As long as you still listen to me first and foremost," Sokka pointed out, giving Zuko a teasing stare.

"Ugh, bossy," Zuko sighed at his boyfriend. Azula made a face at their tender exchange. "Shouldn't it be time for you to give them your big news, anyway?" Zuko then gave Sokka a meaningful stare.

"Yes!" Katara exclaimed impatiently. "Now that we know all about the horrible draw, I can try and not think about it for a while. Sokka, I need to know what's going on with you, so come on and give us some good news. Is this about the community college?"

"Well, yes and no," Sokka replied with a grin on his face. "A couple of months ago, I noticed a poster on the wall at the college about a robotics competition. I thought I could come up with something, so I hastily put together what I thought was a pretty basic robotic arm. It was a bit of a rush job, so I didn't expect myself to win… and I didn't."

"Well, that was an amazingly anticlimactic story, Sokka, thank you for sharing this riveting bit of news," Azula rolled her eyes, about to walk away from the table.

"Wait, I wasn't done!" Sokka exclaimed, trying to stop her. Azula sighed, deciding to humor Katara's ridiculous sibling. "You see, one of the sponsors of that contest was a local branch of the General Motors. One of their guys apparently really liked my robotic arm and thought that it could work really well when integrated into one of their automated lines. So, they reached out to me and a few meetings later… I have a R&D job at the Cadillac Motor Car Division offices."

"Oh, wow!" Katara exclaimed, bull-rushing her brother to give him a hug. "That is so amazing, Sokka! You really deserve this more than anyone. Have you told dad and Gran-Gran yet?"

"Yes, I called them late last night," Sokka grinned broadly. Azula couldn't disagree with Katara's statement. Sokka really was an upstanding guy, and he was making Zuko much more tolerable for her. Azula was totally onboard with good things happening to Sokka.

"I knew you'd make it big one day, Sokka, and Katara is right, you deserve this and so much more," Yue also seemed in agreement as she embraced Sokka. For the briefest of moments, it took Azula way back to the early days of Yue and Sokka dating, and she had to remind herself that she no longer had any cause whatsoever for jealousy.

"I think such good news are deserving of a celebration," Azula said decisively. "I'm going to get in touch with the best restaurant in Ba Sing Se and reserve a table for six this evening, my treat."

"Wait a moment, this should be my treat and not yours, Azula," Zuko protested. "Sokka is my boyfriend, not yours."

"Eww, Zuko, we don't use the b-word in this house, it is filthy," Azula grimaced at her brother. "You want to cover the bill? Sure, I won't stop you. But I'm still making the reservation, or do you want to fight about that, too?"

Zuko did look ready to fight about that, too, but Sokka quickly cut in to defuse any potential disagreements. "No, that's fine, Azula, make the reservation. You're awesome and we all appreciate you, okay?" he said, giving his boyfriend a pleading stare. Zuko softened immediately. Ugh, they really were so gross. Azula was so glad she was never like that with Katara or Yue.

A few minutes later, Azula was done giving instructions to her favorite Upper Ring seafood restaurant. As she put down the phone handset, Katara walked up to her, a thoughtful and slightly worried expression on her face. "Is something the matter, love?" Azula asked quietly, trying to ignore the loud voices coming from the kitchen.

"I'm just… probably worried over nothing," Katara sighed. "That draw has really unsettled me, to tell you the truth."

"Yes, it's the opposite of what I was hoping for," Azula nodded glumly.

"Azula, I know how much getting into the finals and facing your father means to you," Katara said in a serious tone of voice. "I'm just worried how you would react if that didn't pan out for you."

"I won't lie, I would be very disappointed," Azula confessed. "But I think I'm capable of looking at the situation rationally. I know that there's probably about a 25% chance of me making it through. So, if I make it through, I think I'll be more pleasantly surprised than anything else."

"Okay," Katara looked a little relieved, but it didn't last long. "But what I'm most worried about is… what if you don't make it through because of me?"

"Well, if you were to beat me fair and square, then you would deserve to go through, Kat," Azula smiled at her girlfriend. "It's really that simple."

"Is it?" Katara still seemed uncertain. "Well, I guess it should be, yes. I'm just worried about this somehow coming between us, you know?"

"I really don't know, Kat," Azula shook her head. "I suspect you're overthinking it now. What we have transcends a mere game like Pai Sho, wouldn't you agree?" Katara nodded at her with the softest look in her eyes. "I'll never feel differently about us just because you might kick my ass at the Pai Sho board now and then."

"I feel the same way, of course," Katara spoke quietly. "I guess I just needed to hear you say it. Given how intense you can become when it comes to beating your father, I was just… becoming a little worried."

"Well don't," Azula said, giving Katara a quick kiss. "I'm not going to get carried away by my thirst for revenge, I promise. My girlfriends will always come first for me," she added before stealing a few more kisses.

"A reminder is always useful," Katara smiled in-between kisses. "We've been so busy with our education lately, always being so exhausted…"

"So, what you're saying is that you and Yue both need a proper reminder of how I feel about you two?" Azula replied with a wicked grin of her own. "Well, better get yourselves ready, because you're definitely getting a reminder later tonight."

The situation in Yu Dao had somehow deteriorated even further by the middle of May. Despite blowing up the ammunitions warehouse of the Earth Kingdom army and executing several other successful sabotage missions behind enemy lines, the Freedom Fighters could not stop the overwhelming tide of sheer manpower that the Dai Li ran military kept throwing at the problem. The safe houses of the Freedom Fighters kept being taken one after another, pushing them to the very outskirts of Yu Dao, together with the remnants of Fire Army. The Fire Nation military had started gradual withdrawal of troops a few weeks ago, and the evacuation was scheduled to be completed by the start of June.

To every rationally thinking person, this seemed to imply that the military conflict in Yu Dao had come to an end and the Earth Kingdom had retained its province, even if it had been achieved through an extraordinary high cost of casualties. Jet had by now come to realize that the leadership of the Freedom Fighters were not rationally thinking people, because despite how doomed their situation was, they all but one swore to keep fighting a guerilla war until their last breaths, or until they had won independence. To Jet last breath seemed like the far more likely scenario, but since he didn't exactly have many options left to him, he had also vowed to stay and keep the fight going, with the full approval of his rebel cell.

However, an unexpected turn of events had occurred a few days ago, which had left Jet with a massive problem on his hands, a problem in the shape of Ty Lee Watanabe. Ty Lee had been supposed to evacuate a week ago, and they had shared a bottle of expensive wine from the personal supplies of Mayor Morishita, stolen during one of their raids. They had also enjoyed plenty of parting sex followed by tearful goodbyes. And then, Ty Lee had just showed up at their safe house a few days ago, dragging a suitcase behind her and insisting that she wasn't going to evacuate and that she was joining the Freedom Fighters full time.

Jet had been so tempted to go along with this idea. And he had pretended that he had accepted it, after his first few attempts to talk Ty Lee out of this idea had been met with very vehement resistance. And they certainly could use a combat medic on their squad. Ty Lee had saved their asses before on several missions, so it would have made sense from a practical standpoint. But the reality of the situation was that unlike the Freedom Fighters, Ty Lee had options. She could start a new life back in the Fire Nation. The battle for Yu Dao was not Ty Lee's fight, even if she seemed to think otherwise.

Sighing heavily, Jet climbed out of the little cot he had been sharing with Ty Lee, leaving the young Fire Nation woman fast asleep atop of the sheets, fully dressed in her camo suit. Jet had delayed going through with his plan until the very last day of the Fire Army evacuation. He had grown so fond of Ty Lee that parting with her felt like a real kick in the gut. Perhaps he even loved her, but they had never used that word with each other, fearing that it would only invite trouble while living under the constant shadow of death in a warzone. All Jet knew was that letting go was hard, even if had to do it.

Jet stepped out of the bunker, into the light of a new day. "Is it done then?" he was immediately assaulted by a question from Smellerbee. Jet nodded slowly. "Be honest, is she the first girl you've ever roofied?" Bee grinned at him.

"Shut up, Bee," Jet glared at her. "There are plenty of losers who might use such methods, but I've never had to resort to that."

"If you say so, lover boy," Bee laughed. "Well, hopefully she's not going to take it too hard. I don't want to see her coming back and trying to kick our asses."

"Pfft, by the time she wakes up, she'll be well on her way back to the Fire Nation," Jet shrugged.

"I guess so," Smellerbee nodded. She turned towards Pipsqueak, standing nearby. "Alright, let's move it, Pip," she gestured to the gentle giant. He disappeared inside the bunker to emerge again moments later with Ty Lee scooped up into his powerful arms.

"Alright, to the Fire Army camp we go," Jet said without much enthusiasm. The Duke and Longshot looked about as downcast as Jet felt, following the somber procession, and even Bee was cracking fewer jokes than usual. Pipsqueak looked ready to cry.

"Do you think we'll ever see her again?" the Duke asked hopefully.

"I wouldn't count on that, buddy," Jet sighed. He didn't want to break the boy's heart, but it was best to be real with him. The truth was that everyone on the team had come to appreciate Ty Lee, even Bee, despite her early misgivings. Ty Lee was just so impossibly hard not to like. "Then again," Jet said, having thought for a while. "I certainly didn't expect to run into Ty here, so I guess everything's possible."

"Guess I'll hold on to that thought," the Duke said. Everyone else nodded in agreement with him.

"You do that, buddy," Jet chuckled somberly as the barbed wire covered gates of the Fire Army evacuation camp slowly came into their view.

Next chapter: It's time for our girls to fight for tickets to the finals and the right to face off against Ozai. Both Katara and Azula can't make it through, but which one of them will, or perhaps they will both fail. How will their direct competition affect their relationship? And will Yue make it through? Cast your bets please!