Walking all the way to Piandao's mansion was nerve-wrecking for Azula this time. She blamed it on Ty Lee, since she was the one who had given birth to the strange ideas that were now nestling uncomfortably in her head. She had delayed the trip to Shu Jing as much as she could to avoid meeting the man who had been at the core of most her thoughts lately, but she couldn't put it off for much longer if she wanted them to arrive to their next fight on time.

Even when she was in front of the gates she recalled the ridiculous way in which he had struck the door on their first visit to the sword master. She sighed as she knocked, not knowing if she would ever get her gladiator out of her thoughts again, but hoping she would regardless.

The sun was setting already behind the magnificent mountains that surrounded the island when Fat welcomed her inside, neither of them talking about anything beyond the polite exchange of pleasantries. Azula allowed him to guide her towards the open garden where Sokka was training, and she did her best to keep calm and steady over their reunion, by reminding herself that her relationship with him was strictly business, nothing other than that. She was to take him back to his home eventually, he was supposed to aid her in changing the ridiculous sexist society in which she lived… he wasn't aware of it, but that was the purpose she kept him around for, and she couldn't forget it. She would have no more nonsense about their completely opposite political views, and she would definitely have no more of Ty Lee's absurd ideas of Sokka's potential as a sexual partner…

Never before had her resolution crumbled with such ease.

She stopped in her tracks when she caught sight of him, standing, shirtless, in the garden, holding a bucket of water in his hands. His hair was mildly disheveled, and, judging by the pearls of sweat dangling on his body, he had only just been hard at training and he was finally taking a break. Azula found herself forgetting even where she was standing as she stared at him in awe, her mouth agape as her heart suddenly began pounding in her chest. Not only was it enough that Ty Lee had filled her mind with weird ideas, now she had to witness him in his entire splendor, his caramel-skinned body looking ridiculously alluring for her as he lifted the bucket over his head and tilted it, showering with its content.

Azula's eyes grew wider at the sight of the water running down his body. The scars all over his skin only enhanced his appeal to her, for reasons she couldn't understand. This was madness… no, it was karma, that's what it was. She no longer could deny it was a real thing. The situation was completely preposterous, why was she even looking at him? Rather, why couldn't she stop staring at him? And why was she blushing too? She was a Princess! She didn't blush, and especially not at the sight of a shirtless savage washing his body so shamelessly…

Fat raised an inquisitive eyebrow when he saw the Princess seemed to be close to having a cardiac arrest for some reason. To Fat, Sokka had simply thrown a bucket of water over his head; he didn't know that something was stirring within Azula at the sight, something she couldn't control… and normally she hated everything she couldn't control, but it was impossible for her to snap out of the trance no matter how hard she tried. His wet hair locks had fallen out of his usual wolf-tail and his lips were parted as he tasted the water he had just thrown over him…

Fat decided to lurk away from the scene, certain the Princess had forgotten he was there altogether; and his assumption was dead-on, clearly. Sokka shook his head, spraying his surroundings with small droplets of water as he placed the bucket in the ground. He was about to fix his hair when he looked at his left and realized he wasn't alone.

"Wah!" he exclaimed at the sight of the Princess. "W-when did you get here?!"

Azula was still unable to register any of what had happened: her body was reacting to it, her mind wasn't. The blush on her face was nearly as intense as the red on her clothing by now. It took her a few seconds to regain her senses, and when she did she shook her head promptly, focusing her gaze on the wooden floor for a moment, trying to get her mind to work again. She blinked repeatedly, struggling with herself as she did.

"Uh… you okay?" asked Sokka again, and she replied with a strange sound that was halfway between a laugh and a cry.

"I… y-you, what the hell were you just…?" she asked, her eyes betraying her will as they twitched towards him, stealing another glance at that magnificent wet body…

"I always do that when I'm done training…" he said, raising an eyebrow. "What's so bothersome about it?"

"H-how can you ask what…?!" she started, then stopped on her tracks. Really, what was so wrong about it…? "I-it's plainly inappropriate. Is this the way savages take baths down at the South Pole? No wonder you're so uncivilized…"

Sokka's hands went to his hips as he wondered what was so absurd about it. Shirtless men weren't a big deal anywhere, from what he knew… but she was the Princess of the Fire Nation. How many times had she seen a man in this light? Sokka found himself smirking as he began pinpointing what bothered her so much.

"Yeah, I'm uncivilized, yet you're the one who's making a ruckus because I've got no shirt on," he said, beaming with malice. "Is it the first time you've see a man's bare chest, Princess?"

His teasing did nothing but enrage her. She glared at him, trying her best to keep her eyes focused on his, but she couldn't block the sight of his body. Flustered, angry and ashamed of her behavior, she stormed off through the hall as Sokka grabbed the towel he had brought with him and wiped the remaining water off his body, chuckling to himself.

Azula kept walking, her breathing uneven and her face still red. She lifted a hand to her forehead as she tried to calm down. What was wrong with her? Why was she acting like this? She had never felt this way before, she had never been unable to control her body. She had trained for ages both physically and mentally to keep control so that she could excel at bending and every single discipline she dared take upon. But now… all those years of molding her mind into a perfect state had gone to waste. Ty Lee's ridiculous idea returned to her for the millionth time: "I'm so sure he must be amazing in bed…" with that body, he damn well should be.

She punched the wall when that thought crossed her mind. What was the matter with her?!

"Fat informed me of your arri-…" said Piandao, who had just been walking down the hallway when he caught sight of the girl striking the wall with a fist. "Princess?"

"Hah?!" she stumbled as she walked away from the wall, moving her hand to her forehead as she tried to get level-headed again. She hadn't realized he was there until he addressed her by her title. "Master Piandao… good to see you," she said, even though she still hadn't even looked at him.

"Are you alright, Princess? Do you need anything?" he asked, confused.

"N-no, I don't. Everything's fine. Here," she said, breathing deeply to bring herself back to reality as she handed him the bag of money she owed him on this occasion. "W-what do you think of his progress this time? Was he any good?"

"He has progressed considerably…" said Piandao, still eyeing Azula with slight uncertainty. "Are you sure there's nothing I can do for you?"

"Don't mind, Piandao," said Azula, rubbing her temples and still avoiding making eye-contact.

"So… is there a new fight for me now?" asked Sokka, walking up to them while still wiping his body with the towel.

Only by hearing his voice Azula winced and stared pointedly at the floor, the flush on her cheeks, which had become fainter for a moment, came back at full strength as she recalled the sight she had just been a witness to. Piandao raised an eyebrow as he began connecting the dots: her behavior was definitely most unlike her, and Sokka was being ridiculously bold to be shirtless while being near such a high-class lady…

"Sokka… you might want to put a shirt on," said Piandao, to Azula's relief. "It's not very courteous to wander around the house in such a getup if there's a lady here."

"Oh… sure," said Sokka, shrugging. He walked into a room not too far away from where they stood, and when he exited it he was cladding his torso with a shirt to Azula's relief. She was also slightly disappointed, but she would never admit to that, of course. "So? Am I up for another fight, then?"

"Yes," said Azula between gritted teeth, still refusing to turn towards him. "You're due to fight in two days' time. So get ready to leave."

"Right…" said Sokka, sighing. "Where's the fight this time?"

"At the Grand Royal Dome, in the Capital," she replied. "Get moving, we don't have that long to get there."

"Fine…" whined Sokka, heading into his room again to gather his weapons.

Piandao followed him with his eyes until Sokka was gone from sight and then he turned his attention back towards the Princess, who was still flustered.

"Princess… is everything alright?"

"I already said so, didn't I? Why do you keep asking me that?" she replied harshly, glaring at him and finally making eye contact with him.

"Because Sokka was rather upset over a certain argument he had with you before you dropped him off here," said Piandao, taking her by surprise.

"He was… upset?" she asked, blinking rapidly.

"He told me about what motivated the argument…" said Piandao, and Azula huffed, returning to her normal state as she glared at him in derision.

"And I'm certain you side with him, don't you?" she grunted, curling up a hand in a fist.

"My side upon this matter is of little importance, Princess," he said, knowing he was walking on a tight rope by addressing the issue. Anything he dared utter might be turned against him one day. "There's one thing you need to understand, though. If you try to feed him ideas about how the Fire Nation's doings are completely justified, you'll never get to his good side. He is a strong-willed man, and his mind is sturdier than any metal I've ever seen. Bothering him with this won't be of any use to you, his contempt for this nation will only grow stronger with each word you say,"

"I am completely aware of that, you don't need to…" started Azula, but he interrupted her.

"Nevertheless… you might succeed in filling his mind up with these ideas," said Piandao. "One day, he might grow to believe them to be true. You might take that to be a great change, but if you break him in this manner, you'll destroy his identity. What makes him strong, what makes him endure this cruel world, despite all the pain and suffering he's been through, is that he's still himself. Once you take that from him, he won't be the gladiator you've come to appreciate. Don't shut him down, Princess. Don't try to turn him into someone he's not."

"And how exactly was I supposed to turn him into anything else, really?" asked Azula, rolling her eyes at Piandao's words. "The man does just as he pleases. He doesn't even behave like a slave, he's completely insane."

"I'm pretty sure we all have different standards on who sets a good example for 'insane,'" said Sokka, returning to the hallway and earning himself a glare from the Princess. She was still uncomfortable around him, but after Piandao's words she had recalled the conflict she was currently having with the gladiator, that other conflict which had nothing to do with his shirtless figure.

"Of course we do," she replied curtly. "Are you ready to leave now?"

"Yeah," said Sokka, turning to Piandao and bowing down to him. "I'll see you soon, master."

"Good luck on your fight, Sokka. Don't forget to be patient," said Piandao, and Sokka nodded.

"I won't," he said, grinning. "Farewell!"

By the time Sokka was done saying goodbye to Piandao, Azula was already on her way outside. Fat didn't lead them this time, since it seemed he had other tasks to handle and the two of them could find the exit with ease already. Azula walked ahead by a few meters, trying to keep her distance from the gladiator, who wasn't particularly bothered by her distant attitude. Nevertheless, she had to wait for him to pull the gates open, since she hardly ever was the one to open or close any door due to her privileged position as a princess.

"So…who am I fighting this time?" asked Sokka, once they were outside the mansion's grounds.

Azula fumed once again before replying to him.

"Your new opponent is called The Red-Striped Hornet, a non-bender who uses knives as a weapon, according to what I know."

"Knives?" Sokka repeated. "Doesn't sound so tough. What position…?"

"382" was Azula's quick reply as they stepped into the town.

"So now you don't mind walking through the main road…?" he asked, surprised. The townsfolk stared at them in both awe and curiosity.

"I only avoided it before to make sure rumors about your training with Piandao wouldn't reach the ears of those who didn't need to hear about it," said Azula. "And that hardly matters now, really."

"It doesn't?" asked Sokka. "I mean… a gladiator getting trained by the finest swordsman in the world… it sounds like I've got quite an advantage over everyone else."

"You do," said Azula. "And you'd be a fool to relinquish that advantage or to feel any guilt about it. Every other fighter would do anything to get a chance to train under a master of Piandao's quality, and every able sponsor would look up the best masters he can afford for his fighter. So what we're doing isn't illegal or anything of the sort."

"Ah, well… if that's how it works then it's all good," said Sokka, shrugging. "Say, are you okay?"

"Why do you ask?" grunted Azula, between gritted teeth.

"You seem awfully… troubled, I think," said Sokka, raising an eyebrow. "Why were you acting so weird back there? Is it really because I was shirtless?"

Azula flushed again and shook her head at his boldness.

"You're just incorrigible…"

"C'mon, that really wasn't the first time you saw a shirtless guy, was it…?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It wasn't…" she grunted, remembering the Agni Kai her father and brother had fought almost ten years earlier. "Oh, just give it a rest. Forget about it and let me forget it too."

"I bet you actually don't want to," he said mockingly, and Azula rolled her eyes, blushing slightly again.

Sokka was actually amazed to see he was comfortable around her again. He had been certain that, after their argument, their relationship had gotten completely strained. It was odd that he felt so relieved to see he had been wrong about that assumption, and it was even stranger how light-hearted he felt now to see they could talk and make fun of each other in the same way they used to. It was as if, during these few weeks, something had been weighing him down without his knowledge of it and, as soon as he saw her again, that weight was gone. He couldn't pinpoint what was happening exactly… he was simply glad everything seemed to have returned to normal now.

Of course, Azula wouldn't agree with him, seeing how shaken she still was after catching sight of his dripping wet figure; but she was also troubled over Piandao's words. As they traveled back to the Capital and she sat on her throne-like chair while watching Sokka training against imaginary knife-throwing opponents, all she could do was wonder if Piandao had been right to believe she might change Sokka's way of thinking one day… he had managed to insert unwanted thoughts into her mind, was there any chance she had done the same to him?

The trip back to the Capital was uneventful, something that both Sokka and Azula were thankful for. When the ship docked after two days of sailing, Sokka headed to his room to pick up his weapons and his armor, and when he returned to the main deck he was most surprised to see a magnificent palanquin in the middle of the ship.

"What's…?" he asked, walking towards it just before Azula climbed on board. "Weren't you against these things or something?"

"Against the palanquins?" asked Azula. "You truly don't understand anything about me, do you?"

"Well, I thought it was weird before when you refused to take it," said Sokka, annoyed. "But you did it so many times that I was sure you just didn't like it!"

"As I've told you plenty of times before, I was trying my best not to get noticed by people," said Azula. "The palanquin would have given away my identity immediately. But I don't care about that anymore, in fact, I'd rather have people move out of my way and let me pass, and the easiest way to do that is with a palanquin."

Sokka frowned at her logic, but he had nothing else to say about it as she climbed aboard, closing the drapes behind her. The palanquin bearers lifted the cabin in a swift motion, attempting to keep it perfectly steady as they walked down the ship. Sokka stared at them with some displeasure, but he was ushered by a Royal Guard into following the palanquin.

He felt rather awkward while walking amongst the Royal Guards, who made the trip anything but comfortable for Sokka, since they were all silent and stern. He kept gazing at the palanquin in front of him and only now could he realize there truly was a gap between him and the Princess, no matter if he usually acted like there was none. He couldn't help but lower his head, feeling the weight of being her slave for the first time in his life.

He was taken by surprise when the palanquin halted in front of the Royal Palace. He had been certain they were to head directly to the Arena…

"Hey, what are we doing?" he asked, walking through the guards with ease until he reached the Princess. Azula climbed off the cabin and stared at him with a raised eyebrow. "How come aren't we going to the Arena?"

"We are," said Azula. "But I have to get the money before we head out there. We have some time before the match begins anyways, so there's no need to fret about not being punctual."

"Oh, right," he mumbled. "Yeah, you'd better not forget the fee this time…"

"It seems you were the one to forget it, though," she replied, making him wince in annoyance as she turned around.

Azula walked into the Palace, feeling comfortable instantly when she was home. The gardens, the inner roads, the magnificent building, the footsteps behind her…

She halted suddenly and turned around when she realized someone had followed her inside the Palace grounds, and it was no surprise to discover who it was.

"What are you doing?" she asked, as he stared at her in confusion.

"Walking," he replied, shrugging.

"I meant, why are you following me?" she barked at him, glaring.

"Is there any reason why I shouldn't?" asked Sokka, puzzled. "I mean… your guards are so boring and annoying… If I follow you at least I'll have someone to talk to."

"You'll mean someone to irritate," she grunted, as she resumed the walk, with him right beside her now.

"You're too cranky lately, woman," he said. "Loosen up! Don't tell me you're still bitter over seeing me shirtless…"

Azula stiffened at the mention of the occasion but she didn't blush, which she might remember afterwards with some pride.

"There are ways to get even on that, you know?" said Sokka, smirking mischievously.

"What are you talking about?" asked Azula, frowning. She had a bad feeling about this…

"Well, you saw me shirtless, now I should see you topless and everything will be fine!"

She gave him the coldest glare she could muster, making him take a few steps back to avoid her wrath.

"I'm sure you'd like that, wouldn't you, savage?" she asked, her hand curling up in a fist enveloped in blue flames.

"Uh, I was just… kidding…" he muttered, sensing the dangerous tone of her voice.

"You'd better be," was her reply as she sped up her pace. Sokka sighed in relief when she decided not to pursue the matter. He could tell he had been quite insolent, but it had been too good an opportunity to annoy her to let it go to waste.

Azula raised a hand to stop him when they entered the Palace's main hall. Sokka stopped on his tracks, looking at the very hand that had just been threatening to kill him. Three different pathways spread out from the main hall: one to the left, another to the right and another one led forward.

"Stay here," Azula commanded. "I don't want you loitering around the palace and getting lost."

"Then just let me go with you and that way you'll make sure I won't get lost," he said.

"You're not coming with me," grunted Azula, glaring at him. "Stay put, I said. You don't want to face the consequences of disobeying my orders."

"I bet I don't…" he said, even though he couldn't help himself but smile at her threat.

Azula walked away towards the left corridor, still furious. Sokka couldn't help but smirk at the sight. Getting to her bad side was truly dangerous, but for some reason he couldn't restrain himself from angering her almost every time they met. He stood in the intersection of the three main halls, not doing much of anything until he decided to check out an interesting painting that was hanging on a wall.

"The Great Ship of Yonghua," he read aloud, raising an eyebrow at the painting. "What's so great about it? It's hardly even a ship! It's definitely not great!"

He was snickering at the painting when he heard the sound of several footsteps nearby. He turned towards the hall at the right and he witnessed what seemed a procession of some kind. Several Royal Guards with an even more eloquent uniform than Azula's walked behind other soldiers, who were escorting somebody through the Palace halls. And Sokka could only think of one person in the world who would have a need for such an opulent parade…

His guess was confirmed when he caught a glimpse of a tall man with golden eyes and black hair, just like his daughter's. Clad in red and elegant garments, he walked through the corridor with such grace it seemed that he was trying to prove that walking was an amazing activity that only a few selected men could perform, him amongst them. Sokka's eyes widened at the sight, the magnitude of the situation only hitting him now. He had always dreamt of having an opportunity like this, to find himself near the man he hated so much so that he could have a chance to slay him and make the world a better place by ridding it from the Fire Lord…

His hand moved automatically and slowly towards the sword on his back. He wanted to do it, he needed to do it, his pride was begging him to take the chance right away… But he couldn't. What purpose would it serve to bring down the Fire Lord in these circumstances? He wouldn't be able to pull it off anyway, there were too many guards around… and even if he did, even if the man's blood were to stain the marble corridors of the Palace, what then? The Fire Lord would be taken to be a martyr, and his equally tyrannical daughter would rule the nation in his stead… and Sokka would only get himself killed, of course. He couldn't kill the Fire Lord and go unpunished for it… his hand stopped in its motion as he realized how pointless killing the man would be…

But, oh, he just wanted to slay him. He deserved it… no man of such evil ways should live in this world, and if Sokka had to sacrifice his life to rid the nations of the Fire Lord, then so be it…

"Sokka?" someone called, startling him and bringing him out of his trance.

Two girls were walking down the corridor in front of him, and one of them was waving quite enthusiastically at him. Sokka was wondering why the girl was greeting him like that until he realized that the hand he had lifted looked just as if he were waving at them. He lowered his hand feeling extremely dumb and he took a last look at the Fire Lord's procession. Neither the ruler nor his subjects had noticed Sokka's presence. The opulent group took a turn around a corner and vanished from sight just when Sokka turned to face the girls.

"How are you doing, handsome?" asked Ty Lee, beaming at him. "It's great to see you again!"

"Uh… same," said Sokka, although he didn't quite feel as pleased as Ty Lee did. "What are you two doing here?"

"We always come spend time with Azula once a week," said Ty Lee, grinning. "We came by today and we can't find her anywhere, but if you're here she can't be too far, right?"

"If he's here…" said Mai, thoughtful. "… It's probably because he has a fight today, right?"

Sokka nodded slowly, and Ty Lee's eyes widened at the revelation.

"Oh! Of course!" she said, and then she turned to Mai. "Hey, how about we go see his match?"

"What?" said Mai, frowning. "Not happening. You only want to go to get a chance to make more bets. Your gambling is becoming an addiction, Ty Lee…"

"Oh, come on!" whined Ty Lee. "Besides, we have nothing better to do! Why not?"

"I already told you why. And the worst part of your betting is that you always use my money. At least have the decency to use yours, would you?"

"I… I guess I should, sorry about that," said Ty Lee, grinning with some guilt. Mai's glare at her didn't lose any of its harshness.

Sokka only stared at the two friends with some confusion until Ty Lee turned to him again.

"Oh, and, by the way… is everything alright between you and Azula now?" she asked, looking very worried.

"Wha… what are you talking about?" asked Sokka, taken by surprise. "What wouldn't be…?"

"Well, I don't know what was wrong, really" said Ty Lee, shrugging. "But the other day, after she returned from your first fight, Azula looked upset about something. She wasn't too specific…"

"She wasn't specific at all," Mai muttered.

"But we could tell it was something about you," finished Ty Lee. "What happened with you two?"

"Well, it wasn't a big deal, just… political differences, I guess," said Sokka. "I made it clear that I think she's crazy and her ways of thinking make no sense… and I bet that you think in the same way she does, so I'm just going to shut up now before you two end up angry at me too."

"Why would I be angry at that?" asked Mai. "You'd be crazy to think the Fire Nation is amazing and marvelous if you're not from the Fire Nation."

"Gee," said Sokka, startled. "T-thanks for the support, I guess."

"Who said I was supporting you?" said Mai, raising an eyebrow. "I'm only stating facts."

"The thing is, Azula can't quite understand that," said Ty Lee, grimacing. "She is the Princess, after all. She can't let her view on the Fire Nation get swayed by anyone at all."

"Clearly," said Sokka. "Even when it's pretty obvious that the Fire Nation's wrongdoings are completely out of control. Anyways, I'm surprised to know she actually cared about that… it didn't seem like it meant that much to her. She was colder to me after it happened, but I didn't think she really cared…"

"It seems she does," said Ty Lee, grinning. "And is it really a wonder…?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Sokka, as the girl chuckled a little viciously.

"I'm disappointed to see you can't figure it out on your own…" she said, her hands on her hips. "I thought you were a lot smarter than that!"

"Yeah, if Ty Lee can notice something before you do, it means it ought to be pretty obvious to anyone," said Mai. "You're slower than I thought, really."

"HEY! That's so mean, Mai!" whined Ty Lee, pouting.

"It's the truth. It hurts sometimes," said Mai, smirking slightly.

"Seems like you're awfully honest with everyone, aren't you?" asked Sokka, raising an eyebrow.

"I do my best to be," she said, still grinning. "So, you really can't figure it out, can you?"

"What am I supposed to figure out?" he grumbled, annoyed. "I have no idea what you two are trying to say, all I know is that she's plain crazy! There's nothing more to it than that!"

"I believe we all have different standards on who sets a good example for 'plain crazy'" he heard someone say behind him. The Princess's mocking voice made him jump in surprise, especially since she was using his own words against him.

"Azula!" squealed Ty Lee, flinging her arms around her friend. Azula looked slightly uncomfortable, but she didn't push her away. Ty Lee caught sight of the bag in her friend's hand and her eyes seemed to grow wide in greed. "Hey! You've got some money there! You can lend me some so I can bet on Sokka today!"

"What?!" said Azula, startled. "What are you…? Are you even going to watch the match, for starters?"

"Of course! Why else would I ask you to lend me money to bet on him?" she asked, grinning as she let go of the Princess.

"Ty Lee… the last time you watched a gladiator fight you were reduced to tears," said Azula, her eyebrow twitching. "You're saying you can sit tight through this one without a problem?"

"Why not?" she said, shrugging. "Last time it was traumatic because it was an Amateur fight and it was very scary, but this is professional! It's just two guys beating each other up in a sand pit in a far nicer way!"

"Yeah, a really nice way," said Sokka, sarcastically.

"I can put up with it, really." said Ty Lee, extending her hand towards Azula's bag of money. The Princess stared at her hand as if the gesture was completely incomprehensible.

"What are you doing, Ty Lee?" she asked.

"I asked you for money… you're going to lend me some, right?" she said, smiling innocently.

"No," said Azula curtly, and Ty Lee's enthusiasm was replaced by disenchantment immediately. "I have the exact money I need for the fight in case this moron loses. I can't spare you any of it, and I wouldn't even if I could"

"That's so mean!" Ty Lee squealed again. "You're even worse than Mai!"

"And here I was thinking you had reached that conclusion ages ago," said Azula, rolling her eyes. "If you're going to bet anything, use your own money."

"Bleh, you both are too stingy," Ty Lee whined, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You can also get your own gladiator," said Mai, shrugging. "That way you could bet on him to fend for your addiction for gambling…"

"That's not very helpful, Mai," said Azula, but Ty Lee's huge smile showed she thought otherwise.

"That sounds like a plan! Yes!" she squealed.

"Well, great for you," said Azula, rolling her eyes. "Go get your gladiator and waste all your money on him if you have any savings at all. Meanwhile, I have an appointment to attend and this savage is supposed to come with me. I'll be seeing you both later."

With this statement, Azula began walking down the main road that led outside the Palace's premises. Sokka followed her, although he wasn't too pleased to hear the Princess refer to him in such a diminishing manner in public…

"Wait! We're coming too!" declared Ty Lee, taking Mai's hand and dragging her behind the other two, trying to keep up with their pace.

Azula didn't say a word as she climbed aboard her palanquin again. Sokka sighed at the thought of having to walk amongst those strange guards again, but just as he was about to start walking, someone called out to him.

"Wait! What are you doing?" asked Ty Lee, at which Sokka stopped and turned around towards where he had heard her voice.

The two girls were boarding a fancy carriage, and Ty Lee signaled at him to come towards them.

"We'll give you a ride! No need to walk all the way there! You'll be tired out and you need to save up energies for the combat!"

Sokka was surprised to hear the girl making such a smart suggestion. He took the offer with a smile and he climbed aboard the carriage right behind them, and to his surprise and relief, Ty Lee sat by Mai rather than clinging onto him.

The conversations during the ride weren't particularly interesting for Sokka, since he was busy wondering what his next opponent would be like. Mai and Ty Lee kept talking about matters he didn't understand or care for, and he was trying to get in the right mindset to face the battle up ahead…

He was still lost in his thoughts when the carriage stopped again. He was the first to climb off when the driver announced they had arrived to the Arena. Sokka was about to head into the building without a second thought, but he stopped in his tracks simply to admire the architecture of the Grand Royal Arena. He stood with his mouth wide open, looking at the magnificent coliseum in front of him, wondering how such a fancy building could be a Gladiator Arena.

Azula was only getting off her palanquin when she caught sight of her dazed gladiator. She sighed at how ridiculous he looked with his mouth agape as she walked up to him.

"Are you going to come inside or are you too busy gawking at the building to recall why you're here in the first place?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sokka shook his head and glared at her, annoyed.

"Let's get this over with," he groaned.

"Just what I was thinking" replied Azula, walking into the wide atrium with him by her side.

She led him towards the main counter behind which Shoji was sitting, checking the ranking as he usually was. Sokka was too busy staring at every detail of the magnificent vestibule to pay attention to where he was walking to as he followed Azula.

"Shoji," said Azula, startling the boy, who beamed when he saw her. "Check us in."

"Right away, Princess!" he said, grinning even though he was surprised to hear Azula speaking of her and her gladiator as 'us'. Most sponsors would only ever refer to themselves and ignore the slave completely "So… is this your fighter?"

Sokka finally turned to him and stared at the boy with curiosity.

"Hey," he said, simply. Shoji smiled at him, immediately admiring the man in front of him.

"Nice to meet you at last, Blue Wolf," he said. "Your sign-up can be finished now, since you're here…"

"What? What are you talking about?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as Shoji took out Sokka's initial register form.

"Here. The Princess didn't know for sure what your ten weapons of choice were when she was signing you in, so you have to fill in that part of the form now, if you don't mind…"

"I see…" he said, taking the brush and ink the boy offered and he began writing down his ten weapons.

"You also have to state what you'll be using on this next fight, by the way," said Shoji, once Sokka was done writing. "What will your weapons be?"

"Uh…" said Sokka, frowning. "My sword, my boomerang, and… three bombs, I guess. I don't think I'll need anything else in this fight."

"Understood," said the boy, smiling as he wrote his selected weapons on another file. "Very well, your fight will begin shortly. Take the stairs to the basement; you're supposed to go to the stand-by room that's on the hallway at the right. Princess, you shall go upstairs to the sponsor's balcony."

"Thanks, Shoji," she said, making him blush at her words as he bowed down to her.

"See you, kid," said Sokka, following Azula towards the huge flights of stairs in the vestibule. Shoji waved good-bye at him.

"Good luck!" they heard Ty Lee squeal from behind them, as she and Mai walked towards the stands reserved for the rest of the audience. Azula watched them both until they were gone from sight and she headed downstairs with Sokka, startling him.

"Uh… why are you coming along again this time?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Why shouldn't I?" she replied curtly, having him blink in confusion.

Sokka would have pressed further on the matter but he was too busy staring at every detail of the Royal Dome. The carpeted stairs were splendid just like the ornaments around him, and they made him feel disgusted with himself when he realized he was admiring the beautiful red color that was everywhere in sight, a color he used to loathe. Rather than a stone tunnel like the one at the Ember Crater, the passageways at the Grand Royal Dome were beautiful and elegant, something that Sokka couldn't quite understand. He was certain that only gladiators treaded along these paths, therefore, why would the staff of the Arena bother making these hallways so beautiful? He wasn't against it at all, but he was certain that most noblemen would consider it a complete waste of material if they ever saw how grand these halls were. Still, they probably never would see them anyways.

The stand-by room was just as magnificent as everything else, even the golden metallic grid was sparkling in such a manner that Sokka actually felt like sitting down to admire it for a moment. Yet Azula brought him back to reality when she cleared her throat.

"What?" asked Sokka, raising an eyebrow.

"Listen up," she said, once she knew she had his attention. "From what Shoji told me, your opponent isn't that easy to defeat. Watch out for the knives, be smart about this combat and everything will go well for us. Remember you don't need to knock your rival out: as long as you dominate the entire fight and stay on your feet all the way until the time is up, you can win."

"It sounds as though you're expecting this gladiator to be tougher than the Spawn," said Sokka, surprised.

"Judging by how ridiculously weak the Spawn was, you should hope this one is better" said Azula. "Don't underestimate any of your rivals, no matter if they're weaklings, because the minute you do, they're likely to prove you were wrong about all your assumptions."

Sokka raised an eyebrow at those words, surprised to hear her sharing wisdom like this.

"Alright, I won't underestimate anyone, if that's what you want from me," he said, shrugging. "See you later, I guess. I'll do my best to win."

"You'd better," said Azula, turning around swiftly and leaving the room.

Sokka was left again with a strange sense of longing once she walked away. Something was still off about them, something that caused his insides to stir uncomfortably. He wanted to fix this somehow, he wanted to make things better, to tell her he was sorry… until he realized he wasn't sorry at all about what he had said back then. All he wanted was for things to return to normal between them… he had been scared to see her smiling in joy not too long ago, but now he would have done anything to avoid getting into that blasted conversation and have her keep that scary smile on her face if only to avoid the displeasure he was feeling right now.

But it was pointless to continue mulling the matter over right now, when he couldn't do anything about it. He stood in front of the metallic grid, his eyes growing colder just as they always did when he faced the sand pit. After a few minutes, the grid began moving upwards and his resolution was as strong as he felt: he was about to face a new enemy, and he would make sure to triumph against him just as he had triumphed all along ever since he had become a Gladiator.

He wouldn't let the Princess down.