"Wow," Mai said, her voice flat. "You look...pretty much the same."

Suki scowled at her through the mirror. "I do not. And I don't think red is my colour."

Mai snorted, walking over to her side. "It is now," she replied.

Suki smiled at her reflection this time. "I suppose it is."

Mai was right; she didn't look much different, it was true. The facepaint was slightly different, but still had variations of bright white and red. The clothing was more close-fitting, lacking the flowing robes and including more armour. She looked like herself...but a different version.

"I think it's great, what you're doing," Mai said suddenly, surprising Suki. "I know that Zuko is an idiot and thinks he can handle everything himself, and I know he thinks that there really isn't anything to worry about, but it's crap and you and I both know it."

"So does Iroh," Suki agreed. "He was the one that recommended this to me."

Mai smiled. "Hm. I'll remember that. Especially if you end up horrible."

Suki made a face. "Thanks, Mai," she answered flatly. Mai smirked, and in the end she had to laugh, just a bit.

Suki walked through the curtains, holding her head tall and making sure her gait was even. She was nervous and not quite sure why - after all, it was just Zuko - but she also could feel dozens of pairs of eyes on her as she walked towards the raised dais. Upon it sat Mai and Zuko, surrounded by low and cool red flames, awaiting her arrival. Flanking the narrow pathway she walked were Zuko's most trusted advisors, the ones that would have to answer to her.

That is, answer to her if she got this right.

She had heard the gist of what she was going to be from both Mai and Iroh, about how there used to be a very small sect of women that were hired and trained to be the Palace's personal guard. During the days of Sozin, the practise had gradually faded into nothing, no longer needed or thought about. There had been murmurs of bringing it back once the war began in earnest, but nothing ever came of it.

It had been Iroh's idea. Suki had been serious about that. He had ordinarily just suggested that she stay in the capitol for a while, maybe help out and use the cover as being on vacation. It was Mai who mentioned that perhaps it was time to revive the old practise, an idea that both Iroh and Suki thought was great.

Zuko, at first, was angry, which was predictable. He thought it was an insult to him, to how he ruled, and he protested it. But then Mai and Suki teamed up on him and beat him down with logic: he needed help, and Suki was the best for the job. She knew how to make it look like she wasn't helping at all.

In the end, the logic one, and here she was, looking every bit like she had been born and raised in the Fire Nation - all but for her bright blue eyes, emphasised by the paint and the glow of the flames. There was also a problem - she wasn't a firebender, which was also a breech of tradition. (But then, Zuko didn't really follow tradition as much.)

There were whispers, but she ignored those, too. Wordlessly, she stopped in front of the dais and prostrated before Mai and Zuko, her eyes closed. The floor was cold beneath her hands, but it kept her rooted.

The ceremony was short, and went by in a blur. She said everything by memory, the words swooping through her like a chain, leaving no mark but keeping her heavy with emotion. All she knew that, by the end, as she rose to her feet and held her hands before her in the Fire Nation style, no word of protest rose from anyone's lips. When she looked up and saw Zuko and Mai gazing at her with respect, a stirring calm filled her from head to toe. She smiled faintly, then lowered her head once more.

They did meet again, a few months later. The problem with their group was that everyone in it was world-famous now, and rumours spread faster than wildfires in a drought-suffering land. By the time Suki's appointment as Royal Guard reached the shores of the Southern Water Tribe, the reports were greatly exaggerated, and both Sokka and Toph were regaled with the news that Suki had taken over the Fire Nation and Zuko was her slave.

However, when they walked into Zuko's receiving room, they found him without collar and chain, although standing at his left side was a very different Suki indeed. It was a little weird to see her that way, but not as weird as it was to see Sokka and Toph again after so long.

As Mai, Zuko and Toph spoke amicably, Suki and Sokka stood together, about a foot apart. Sokka looked embarrassed, a hand at the back of his neck and his ears red. Suki smiled a little; that was pretty much what she had been expecting from him, to be honest.

"You look so...different," Sokka said finally.

Suki smiled wider, wryly this time. "I do not, and you know it. I just look red."

Sokka laughed a little, looking at her shyly. "Yeah, you really do. Like someone hit you with a Fire Nation stick."

Suki's laugh was smaller, but real. "This is weird, isn't it?"

"Yes!" Sokka agreed, relaxing instantly. "It's so weird! I mean...you never told me you were coming here. I would have come sooner or something."

"I didn't really know either, Sokka," she answered softly. "It just sort of all...fell into place."

A silence passed between them, broken by the sound of Toph's loud bellylaugh and a groan from Zuko.

"Are you happy?" Suki wondered suddenly, surprising both Sokka and herself. He blinked at her, eyes wide. "I mean...no, that's what I mean. Are you happy? Is...is it everything you ever wanted?"

Sokka's face lit up. It was bittersweet, really; she had only ever seen that kind of look when he used to look at her, but now, it was for Toph. At the same time, however, she felt a sort of affection for him, glad that he was happy in the first place.

"Yeah, I mean..." Sokka tugged at his wolf's tail shyly, smiling like a guy in love...which was what he is. "It's so great. Toph..." he hesitated, but when she merely smiled, he went on. "She really seems to enjoy life in the south. I thought she would be miserable without access to the earth, but somehow she makes it work. And she's so...well...things are never dull, anyway." And he laughed, a sound that hurt her, deeply, because it was a laugh she had never heard before.

Sokka stopped, looking wary. "Are...are you okay?" he wondered.

It still hurt. She had a feeling that it would always hurt when she saw him. But now...now she felt strong enough to face it all.

"Yeah," she said softly, giving him another smile. "I'm okay."