Chapter 21

Azula was still struggling to calm her nerves by the time they arrived at the hospital where their father was receiving hospice care, being kept alive seven years following his suicide attempt. Azula had visited twice during these seven years, and she'd been even more nervous on her previous visits. Azula wasn't even sure what she expected to happen. It wasn't as if she truly feared that her father would suddenly jump up from his hospital bed, grab her hand and laugh that he had been faking his coma all these years. It was ridiculous to still worry about her father when he was reduced to this helpless state, but Azula also knew that her fear of Ozai was too deeply ingrained to fully fade.

"Can you slow down please?" Zuko hissed at her after Azula had parked the car in the hospital's parking lot and then immediately taken off, unaware that she was leaving her brother behind. Zuko was struggling to keep up even if Azula was wearing her red stiletto heels. "What's wrong with you?" Zuko exclaimed after Azula had stopped to allow him to catch up. "Why are you such a bundle of nerves?"

"I'm not-" Azula began, but she stopped herself immediately. It was ridiculous to try and lie to Zuko about this. After all, she had asked him to accompany her because she thought that his presence would make her less nervous and agitated. The previous two times she'd come on her own, during her many visits to oversee the overhaul of the Fire Nation's Pai Sho federation. Azula had come very close to losing her wits completely during those visits, and she hoped that Zuko's presence would help to steady her nerves. "I don't know," she admitted. "I know he can't hurt us, but I still get so nervous. I imagine walking up to his hospital bed and finding him gone… and by that I don't mean dead."

"You're afraid of him coming back to haunt you," Zuko said. Azula nodded uncomfortably. "It's not going to happen, Zula. You know that."

"Of course, I know that!" Azula exclaimed heatedly. "I know it's stupid to feel that way."

"It's really not stupid at all," Zuko objected.

"Yeah, it is, and you're just patronizing me now," Azula sighed. "Anyway, let's get going. Our father isn't coming out for a meet and greet, as you just reminded me," she said as they began walking again. "Also, I guess I'm a little extra stressed because I learned something that you might also want to know."

"What is it?" Zuko asked.

"I'm having some people keep an eye on Zhao," Azula began.

"What?" Zuko gasped, interrupting her. "Oh, because you think he orchestrated the shooting?"

"Well, I probably would have kept an eye on him even without that incident, but sure, whatever," Azula shrugged. "Stop interrupting me."

"Sorry," Zuko apologized lamely.

"Anyway, the people I asked to keep an eye on Zhao reported seeing him meet with some shady looking people," Azula replied. "Their description matched some of the thugs who were making a racket during Zhao's game with Piandao."

"Seriously?" Zuko asked, sounding incredulous. "Zhao gets a new lease on life, gets his license restored, something he had no right to hope for, and now he's going around hiring thugs to intimidate his opponents?"

"It would appear so, yes," Azula said. "Unfortunately, this isn't something I can go public with, there's not enough actual proof yet. But I just think you should be mindful of what's going on. And feel free to let the others inside your little circle in on this."

"Thank you, sister," Zuko spoke gratefully. "You didn't have to tell me that, considering Yue and I are rivals."

"Well, this isn't really a Pai Sho matter as much as it's a matter of the safety of my friends. And my dumdum of a brother," Azula flashed him a nervous smile. "It's not like I am going to tell you about Yue's tactics for your rendezvous tomorrow."

"I would never ask you about that," Zuko said, sounding a little defensive.

"Good, because I'd never tell," Azula snorted as they entered the hospital proper. Azula made a beeline for the reception, where a friendly looking middle-aged woman greeted her with a warm smile. "Hello, I'm here to see-"

"Of course, Miss Nakamura," the woman didn't even allow her to finish. "Everything has been prepared for your visit. Do you still remember the way?"

"I… think so? Second floor?" Azula asked. She felt a little taken aback for having been instantly recognized, even if she had called in ahead several days ago. Azula wasn't exactly seeking the limelight as of late, and she was already starting to get used to not being recognized by people on the street. Maybe this woman still remembered Azula from her last visit, even if it was three years ago.

"That's correct," the receptionist smiled. "The staff have been informed of your arrival. They will be on hand to address any questions and concerns you may have. I hope you will find everything to your liking."

"Yes, thank you," Azula replied. She couldn't remember being this warmly received during her past visits, and she had certainly been a more visible and popular figure back then. Still, Azula supposed that she remained something of a celebrity. And perhaps her visit had just given the receptionist something to talk about back home around the dinner table.

"They're treating you like a regular," the exchange hadn't escaped Zuko either.

"I must have left a very good impression," Azula shrugged as they walked up the stairs to the second floor and soon arrived at the hospice and palliative care wing. They were immediately flagged down by one of the nurses who remained respectfully silent as she brought them over to where Ozai rested.

Azula almost forgot to breathe as she walked up to her father's bed. Of course, it had been ridiculous to have these irrational fears about Ozai suddenly recovering from his paralysis. Her father was clearly never going to wake up again. He didn't even look like a ghost. He looked worse than a ghost. The only thing that still looked healthy about him was his hair, the oily dark clumps casting a strange and disturbing contrast with his pallid skin.

"Agni, he looks worse than a corpse," Zuko gasped. Considering that he hadn't seen Ozai since a few days after the attempted suicide, Zuko's reaction did not surprise Azula. "Why is he so yellow?" Zuko asked.

"Renal failure, Mr. Nakamura," the nurse explained quickly. "There is nothing that can be done, other than to keep your father comfortable."

"How long-" Azula began. It was quickly starting to sink in that she was most likely seeing her father alive for the last time. Although, calling Ozai alive in this state was… generous.

"It could be anywhere between a few months and a year, but the doctors don't believe it will take much more than that," the nurse explained again. "Do you have any other questions, or would you like me to give you some privacy?" she asked.

"Give us a moment, please," Azula nodded. "We won't take long."

"Well, this is just sad," Zuko said after the nurse had retreated. "I remember last time I wanted to point and laugh, but now… now I don't even feel like doing that. There's just nothing left of him, is there?"

"Not really, no," Azula replied thoughtfully. "I don't know why I expected anything else, but I just needed to see for myself. Now that I know that there really is nothing left of him in this collapsing shell of a body, I feel much more at ease."

"It's not like you to be so-" Zuko began before stopping to search for words.

"Irrational? Emotional?" Azula chuckled sardonically. "I think Zhao's return has put me on edge. He's like a ghost from the past, coming back to haunt me. I guess I just wanted to see for myself that no other ghosts are coming back."

"This one isn't coming back, sister," Zuko smiled encouragingly.

"Yes, I see that now," Azula nodded. "Come on, Zuzu. We're done here, but let me treat you to a coffee and a croissant before we head back."

Sitting down in one of her favorite restaurants of Caldera City together with Suki, Mai allowed herself a breath of relief at the end of a long day. It had been one meeting after another for her, with suitors literally willing to fight for the rights to host her spring collection. The interest was flattering, and financially rewarding, but it was also exhausting and testing her patience. A good meal over a bottle of wine, or perhaps two, in the company of someone who had proved surprisingly easy to get along with seemed like the best possible way to close out her day.

Her relationship with Suki continued to surprise Mai. From what she knew about Suki Arya, Mai hadn't truly expected them to be compatible beyond a hookup. Suki was very outgoing and seemed to value open communication, something that Mai often struggled with. During the first few months, Mai had dreaded the moment when Suki would ask her to sit down for a serious conversation about their relationship, and she was pleasantly surprised when that embarrassing moment never came. They just fell into a sort of routine, which was exactly how Mai preferred things. Mai suspected that Ty Lee had done her part in coaching Suki, but that didn't make Suki's effort any less impressive. Mai knew that her reluctance to discuss her feelings could have caused issues if her partner was someone lacking in confidence, but fortunately, despite the way Suki's relationship with Jet had ended, she hadn't stayed down for too long. Besides, it wasn't as if Mai hadn't actually spoken the right words. Softly spoken confessions always tended to slip out when they were having sex.

"How was the tournament?" Mai decided to ask while they were still waiting for their mains.

"Well, Zhao failed to win his game, so I was hoping that I would actually enjoy writing my article for once," Suki replied. "But then all of our friends were also held to draws, so in the end, nobody gained on Zhao."

"How irritating," Mai sighed. She had no personal beef with Zhao Sakamoto, but she was aware of the not insignificant damage he'd caused over the years. It wasn't enough to trigger powerful feelings of outrage in her, but at the same time, she rather enjoyed seeing her friends humiliating Ozai's former right-hand man. Unfortunately, it was becoming harder and harder to do as of late. "You really think he's going to win?" Mai asked.

"It's starting to look like a very real possibility," Suki frowned. "That's not going to be a popular edition of The Harmony Ring."

"He's not exactly well-liked-" Mai began, but she cut herself short when she spotted the group of three entering the restaurant. "Well, shit," she let out a quiet curse.

"What's wrong?" Suki asked, looking concerned.

"It's my family," Mai groaned quietly. "My parents and my brother Tom-Tom." Now Suki looked a little confused, clearly not understanding Mai's pained reaction. Mai was suddenly assaulted by unexpected feelings of guilt coursing through her. She had only ever mentioned her family to Suki in passing, nothing much beyond the fact that they lived in Caldera City and didn't really move around all that much. She certainly hadn't gone into details about their frosty relationship, but it probably was something that Suki should have been made aware of before their visit to the Fire Nation capital.

"You don't want to see them?" Suki asked. "Or is there some kind of problem because of… well, me?"

"I…" Mai began, then realizing that she had never actually thought about this potential issue. Mai had convinced herself that the opinions of her parents were completely meaningless to her, which had been easy to do when she had essentially estranged herself from the rest of her family. "That might also be a problem. Anyway, don't stare and maybe they won't notice us."

"If you say so," Suki still looked a little taken aback, but she did as she was told. Mai's parents did not pay any attention to the other guests as they were escorted to their table, but Tom-Tom was looking around and inevitably, their eyes met. Mai sighed as she watched her no longer baby brother grinning and gleefully informing their parents about his discovery. Shortly after, her family were on their way to Mai's table.

"Mai," the way her mother spoke her name immediately sounded reproachful. "You would have simply sat there without letting us know that you're here?"

Mai rose to greet her parents with a bow, Suki rising with her. "I didn't even see you. It was Tom-Tom who spotted me," she lied. Uncomfortable silence followed, during which Ukano and Michi appeared to be silently judging both her and Suki, while Tom-Tom was simply relishing the drama, sporting a shit-eating grin. "Mother, father, this is Suki," Mai eventually remembered that she was supposed to make the introductions.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Syun," Suki spoke cheerfully with a completely unwarranted friendly smile.

"Ah yes, Suki Arya, the Pai Sho scribe?" her mother replied, scowling. Her father as always allowed Michi to express all the disapproval that he undoubtedly shared. Ukano simply believed that berating his daughter over her personal choices was below him. "Don't look so surprised," she added, shaking her head. "Just because you never tell us anything, Mai, it doesn't mean that we don't know what's going on."

"How-" Mai began, but she didn't even have to finish her question before she realized the truth. "Aang, of course. I'll rip his stupid blabbering tongue right out."

"Don't blame your ex-husband for being nice and polite, especially when you are always so rude and disrespectful to your parents," Michi chided. "Aang knows that you're never telling us anything, and he was very kind to answer some of my inquiries. Also, you probably would have never even told us about this scandalous divorce, would you?"

"There was nothing scandalous about it, we parted our ways amicably," Mai shrugged. She was starting to feel both angry and guilty because Suki didn't deserve to be subjected to this. "Besides, I thought you disapproved of my marriage, anyway."

"Perhaps we were a little too quick to judge Aang," Mai's mother admitted. "After all, he is both a promising scientist and a world champion in Pai Sho. Your father and I may have had some initial misgivings, but you can't blame us for not being supportive of your relationship."

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint, but it just didn't work out," Mai shrugged.

"Yes, and we know why," Michi shook her head. Anger was starting to really build within Mai. She could tell that her parents blamed her for the divorce. They probably believed that she should have been an obedient wife and popped out as many babies as Aang had wanted them to have. The thought of it made her feel sick.

"I'm sorry," Suki spoke up. Mai could tell that she was feeling extremely uncomfortable. "You should probably have privacy for this. I'm going to leave now."

"That is a very good idea," Mai's father nodded. "And you would do well to stay away from Mai, or else I will be left with no option but to disinherit her. I will not tolerate the shame her life choices are bringing upon this family."

"Excuse me?" Suki snapped as she grabbed her purse and turned to leave. "No wonder you didn't want to tell me the details about your family," she told Mai heatedly. "It's all starting to make a lot of sense."

"Well, I hope you're happy," Mai growled angrily as she watched Suki storm out of the restaurant. She grabbed her own purse and retrieved her wallet, throwing some cash on the table for the food they had ordered. "Why don't you just stay out of my life? And if you want to disinherit me, please, go right ahead, see if I care."

"Mai, all we want is to get along," her father spoke with thunderous reproach.

"Yes, on your terms," Mai snorted. "Whatever, I'm out of here," she said, turning to leave. Her parents looked angry beyond belief, while Tom-Tom was clearly having a ball, loving all this drama. As Mai moved past her pest of a younger sibling, she pushed him out of the way by painfully elbowing him in the ribs. Tom-Tom's smile disappeared instantly, replaced by a grimace of pain and annoyance. Mai didn't care about the reaction. All she wanted to do right now was to chase after Suki, hoping that her girlfriend hadn't gone far.

With the restaurant being fairly close to Hotel Royal, they hadn't taken their rental car, also because they both wanted to enjoy a few glasses of wine. Figuring that Suki had probably taken off back to the hotel, Mai chased after her. Mai had to do some frantic running before she finally spotted Suki ahead of her, walking in a step that radiated annoyance. Mai thanked her lucky stars that she had decided against wearing high heels. At least her knee-high boots with the thick kitten heel allowed her to eventually catch up with Suki.

"Suki!" Mai spoke. She didn't like how pleading she sounded, but the situation warranted it. "Suki, please wait!" Suki eventually came to a halt, turning around to face her. Mai could see that she was really upset. "I'm really sorry that happened," Mai tried. "You didn't deserve to get involved in that."

"No, I really didn't," Suki nodded in agreement. "Nor did you, but at least you knew what to expect. I didn't."

"Yes, I…" Mai let out a heavy sigh. "I love the way we understand each other without having to spell everything out. But… I guess this proves that it's not going to work without better communication. I should have told you what the situation with my parents was before we came to Caldera."

"I know it doesn't come easy for you, but it would have been very helpful to know," Suki agreed, softening slightly. "It would have saved me some serious embarrassment. I would have known not to get excited or hope that they might like me."

"I'm very sorry," Mai said, cringing inwardly. "You're really important to me, Suki. I know I fucked up, but I want to do better going forward. I'm going to try and open up a bit more. Because I just saw what can happen when I don't."

Suki's annoyance faded visibly as she broke into a smile. "You'd try that for me?" she asked.

"As I said, I'm willing to try," Mai sighed, feeling a little embarrassed. "I can't promise great results right away. Hey, what-" Mai suddenly found herself protesting when Suki pulled her into an embrace in the middle of a busy street of downtown Caldera.

"Well, I'm looking forward to your attempts at better communication," Suki grinned, pressing a kiss against Mai's lips, ignoring the stares they were immediately attracting, some of them a little reproachful. "And just for the record, Mai, you're really important to me as well. If that needed clarifying."

"No, I already figured that out," Mai allowed herself a small smile. Suddenly, she felt a little more confident about being able to figure out this open communication.

"Well played," Aang smiled as he reached out to shake Yue's hand after the conclusion of their match of the penultimate round. The winner of their match had been destined to take over the tournament lead, and after a tense exchange of blows, Yue had eventually managed to prevail in a tricky endgame. "I was sure I had you there a couple of times," he said, not looking particularly disappointed.

"I'll admit, I thought so as well," Yue smiled back. Considering Aang's form in this tournament, she'd been rather concerned about their encounter. After losing to Zuko in the fourth round and drawing Piandao in the sixth, Yue had almost felt as if she had fallen too far back in the standings to win the tournament, but she had then bounced back with three straight wins… which had now become four straight wins following this victory. But in some ways, Aang had enjoyed an even more impressive tournament. Before facing Yue, he was yet to lose a game, it was only the prearranged draws with Zuko, Toph and On Ji that had cost him some points. The strategy to play for draws was really starting to boggle Yue's mind the more she thought about it. It simply meant that Zuko, Toph and Aang made it that much harder for themselves to win tournaments, because they gave away free points. Yue ended up benefitting from this strategy, but so did their other competitors, most importantly Zhao Sakamoto.

"Maybe it's more fitting that you won," Aang said as they turned to walk away, since all the other games had already finished by now. "Considering that you have to face Zhao tomorrow. All of us will be rooting for you."

"Thank you," Yue nodded, smiling. "You deserve a lot of credit, though. If you hadn't won against Zhao, tomorrow's game probably wouldn't even matter." After the first half of the tournament was in the books, there had been a real fear that Zhao was going to run away with the overall victory, but since then, Yue's friends had done an excellent job slowing Zhao down. Toph and Zuko had both forced draws, while Aang had inflicted a crushing defeat against Ozai's former lackey.

"But the important thing is that it matters," Aang said. "And while I know a draw will be enough for you tomorrow, I still hope you'll crush Zhao. Get a little revenge for On Ji," he added with a hopeful smile. Zhao had just defeated On Ji a few minutes ago to put himself half a point behind Yue in the standings, meaning that with a win, Zhao could still overtake her.

"I don't think Azula and Katara would ever allow me to play for a draw, especially against Zhao," Yue smirked. "It's usually a recipe for disaster, anyway. Besides, Zuko won against Piandao earlier, right? That places him half a point behind me as well. If I draw against Zhao and Zuko wins tomorrow, then it'll be down to our head-to-head and Zuko won that game. I can't even play for a draw. I have that right, don't I?"

"Well, yeah… in theory," Aang admitted. "But you're forgetting that Zuko is playing Toph tomorrow."

"What do you mean? Toph is already out of contention. Surely, she's going to let Zuko have this one," Yue said, feeling a little surprised. Toph was a couple of points behind her in the standings and could not challenge for the podium. She hadn't played badly, but Yue thought that she had appeared a little upset and on the edge. It seemed as if Toph was not adjusting well to On Ji joining their little Pai Sho alliance.

"I'm not so sure about that," Aang sighed. "We're going to discuss it later, but I have a feeling that Toph might not budge on this. Anyway, I can't say for sure what Zuko and Toph will agree on," he gave her an uncomfortable stare. Yue could tell that Aang had gone a little sour on their agreement, but he was too honorable to go back on it, especially since he had already benefitted from it by claiming the title of a world champion. As for Toph, she clearly felt that bringing On Ji into their little circle was already changing their existing agreement. If Toph was still upset about it, Yue could easily imagine that Zuko wouldn't even dare to ask her to throw a game.

"Well, I'm not going to alter my strategy based on whatever they decide, anyway," Yue shrugged. "I'm just going to play for the win, as I always do."

"That seems like a good plan," Aang agreed. Yue thought he looked a little wistful, almost wishing like he had that kind of unrestricted freedom to play every game for the win. "Anyway, I should go and catch up with On Ji. She'll need both comforting because of Zhao and preparation for Piandao tomorrow."

"Good luck to you both, Aang," Yue smiled, watching Aang walk away before she proceeded to catch up with Azula and Katara.

"Are you clear on everything?" Azula asked as they stood at the top of the stairs at the Hotel Royal together with Katara and Yue. She and Katara were about to head over and take their places among the spectators, while Yue continued on to take her seat on the stage, facing Zhao Sakamoto in a match that would decide the fate of the Caldera City tournament.

"Yes, Azula, for the fourth or fifth time, I'm completely clear on our tactics," Yue replied, sounding a tiny bit exasperated. "I have a feeling I'm a lot calmer and more confident than you are. At this point, you're starting to make me nervous."

"I'm not nervous," Azula lied blatantly. "I have complete confidence in you." That wasn't a lie, though. Azula fully believed that Yue was going to crush Zhao. Still, given all the sketchiness surrounding Zhao, Azula couldn't help but be worried and nervous. "Go and destroy him, as I know you will," she added with a confident nod.

"You can do it, love. You're going to do it," Katara said with equal confidence before pulling Yue into a hug and a quick kiss. Azula was not going to be left out of that, also sneaking in a quick peck against Yue's lips.

"Alright, time to go," Yue said, having checked her wristwatch. "Zhao won't know what hit him. I'll make you two proud."

"We're always proud of you, Yue," Katara called after her as they watched Yue walk down the stairs, looking supremely elegant in her white pantsuit. Azula and Katara then hurried to take their places among the spectators, having to settle for less-than-ideal seats in the back row because they were running a little late. Also, considering that this was the final round of the competition with the winner yet to be decided, obviously there was an increased interest in the tournament and the hall was way more packed compared to the early days of the event.

With the matches of the final round set to begin any moment now, all the competitors were already seated, with the exception of Yue. Zhao Sakamoto was sitting all by himself at the table, appearing completely nonchalant. "Where is she?" Katara asked. "It doesn't take that long to get down to the stage, does it?"

"Not really," Azula shrugged. She didn't want to allow nervousness to get the best of her, though. There had to be a perfectly logical explanation for Yue being late. "She must have run into someone along the way."

"I suppose…" Katara admitted reluctantly, clearly doubting Azula's explanation. Azula wasn't sure if she believed it either. Given the importance of this match against Zhao, it seemed extremely unlikely that Yue would have allowed herself to be distracted by anything.

Azula's nervousness began to grow swiftly as the signal for the games to start was given, and Zhao pressed the button of the timing clock, meaning that the hour allocated for Yue to make her first forty moves was starting to tick away without Yue even being there to make her opening move. Unavoidably, Azula's mind immediately went to all the shadiness that Zhao had been involved in. Could this be some kind of a plot orchestrated by him?

A few days ago, Azula had finally received more intelligence from one of the detectives in her employ, spying on Zhao. The private eye had managed to identify one of the thugs Zhao had met with near the start of the tournament, a man by the name of Mongke. Unsurprisingly, this Mongke had once been in charge of her father's security detail. After the collapse of Ozai's empire, it appeared that Mongke and his fellow security goons had turned to the life of organized crime as part of a group known as the Rough Rhinos.

The fact that Zhao was consorting with thugs like Mongke was definitely a big concern and as minutes passed by and Yue still did not appear on the stage, Azula's mind began to draw connections between Yue's absence and Zhao's meeting with Mongke and his thugs. Still, it seemed impossible that Yue could have been kidnapped in this brief window of time that it took to get to the stage. Azula knew the path Yue would have taken. It would have led her down a few busy flights of stairs and then a short walk down a hallway used by the tournament officials and hotel staff. Yue wouldn't have been alone during this short walk, she would always have eyes on her, meaning that abduction was out of the question.

"Azula, something isn't right," Katara turned towards her after five minutes had expired on Yue's timing clock. Katara was starting to look very concerned, even a little panicky.

"I agree," Azula nodded. "We need to go and investigate," she said, getting up from her seat, with Katara following her.

They rushed all the way back to where they had parted with Yue, then quickly retracing Yue's path to the stage. Azula's heart almost leapt in her mouth when they came across a small crowd of people having formed at the bottom flight of the stairs. In their haste, Azula and Katara both almost tripped on the steps, finally pushing through the crowd to come across Yue, sitting on the floor with a pained expression on her face.

"What happened?" Azula demanded. Both she and Katara were immediately at her side, pushing away some of the people who were also trying to assist. Someone had pushed the left leg of Yue's pants up, revealing an ankle that was quickly swelling and turning dark.

"I must have slipped," Yue replied, wincing as she looked around nervously. "Can you help me get to the stage? These people weren't listening when I told them that I need to be on the stage, playing."

"They weren't listening for a good reason," Katara sighed. "Fractured ankle is a very likely outcome. You must be in too much pain in order to focus on Pai Sho."

"I'm really not!" Yue tried to insist, but Azula could see that she was clearly lying. "Just help me up and I can still play! I can at least hold him to a draw, I promise!"

"Don't listen to her," Katara told Azula sternly, when Azula's conviction had started to waver. "I know it's awful to let Zhao win this way, but Yue's health must come first." Azula quickly nodded, realizing the wisdom of Katara's words.

"This is such bullshit," Yue said in a display of unusual anger and determination. "It doesn't even hurt that much. And even if it's broken, I know people who have been walking around for days with a broken ankle and they've been fine afterwards. So, if you're not going to help me, I'll just-" Yue made an effort to rise, but as soon as she had put any weight on her left hand while trying to push off from the ground, Yue let out a cry pain and fell right back, Azula only barely managing to catch and support her from further injuring herself.

Katara abandoned Yue's ankle to come and quickly examine her left wrist. "Distal radius fracture," Katara announced without a hint of doubt. She looked up at the by now very thin crowd surrounding them, most having departed once it became clear that someone was taking care of Yue. "Can someone please call the ambulance? Please?" Katara demanded. A couple of guys in their early twenties were only too eager to rush off and find the nearest phone booth.

With only a few curious onlookers still surrounding them, Azula leaned in closer to Yue. "You didn't just slip, did you?" Azula asked quietly.

Yue gave her a surprised stare before nodding slowly. "I can't be sure if it was deliberate or not, but someone bumped into me at the top of the stairs," Yue replied quietly. "And before you ask, no, I didn't see who it was."

"I see," Azula said, seething in anger. Yue might not be sure whether it was deliberate or not, but Azula had no such doubts. Zhao clearly did not plan to lose the thirty grand bet with the mayor of Caldera City and he'd called upon his thugs to make sure of his tournament win. Azula would make sure that he paid for it dearly.

"Azula, maybe you should let the organizers know what happened?" Katara suggested. "I'll stay with Yue until the ambulance arrives. I promise we won't leave without you."

"Very well," Azula replied reluctantly. She didn't want to leave Yue's side, but the organizers probably needed to be told that Yue could not play. Also, with Zhao now winning his game by default, surely Zuko and Toph would not stick to their ridiculous arrangement of head-to-head draws and instead do whatever needed to be done to stop Zhao from winning.

Still, the first thing Azula saw when she entered the hall and cast her eyes upon the stage, was the sight of Zuko and Toph shaking hands as they agreed on one of their prearranged quick draws. "You have got to be fucking kidding me," Azula groaned as she locked eyes with Zuko, glaring at her brother. At least Zuko had the decency to look unhappy himself.

Zuko's unhappiness could not compete even closely with the seething anger that Azula was feeling. Through his employ of thugs and the antics of Zuko's ridiculous Pai Sho alliance tripping each other up, Zhao had scored a famous and infuriating tournament victory. Azula knew that it was now time for her to take some serious steps and ensure that in less than a year's time, Zhao didn't score an even more famous victory by claiming the title of the world champion.