They didn't know what they were searching for. The guards checked every single room, canvassing the mansion in its entirety. They even searched through the wide terrains that extended beyond the building. Still, there was no evidence to show that a man and his butler had lived here recently, no evidence other than the word of an injured Water Tribe man who sat at the mansion's vestibule, his head between his hands as he tried to come to terms with reality.

Sokka couldn't believe Piandao had left without a word of farewell, without giving him a message to let him know when he would return, or what sort of exercises he should do while he was gone. The mansion looked as if nobody had lived in it for months, judging by the amount of dust on every corner of the house and also by the neglected gardens, where even weed grew at this point. But the emptiness within the very house made it seem as if nobody had lived in it ever before. There was nothing left in either Piandao or Fat's bedrooms to show they had once belonged to them. No clothes, no paintings, no calligraphy, no Pai Sho boards, no swords… nothing. The forge was still stocked up, to Sokka's surprise, but there was nothing left to betray Piandao's presence in there either. It had been as if somebody had erased his existence and everything he had ever been in contact with…

"We just went to the town as you requested, Princess," said a guard, catching his attention as well as Azula's. She was standing in the vestibule as well, and she had commanded most her guards to take part in the thorough search for Piandao. Her men came every now and then to give her the reports of their findings… or, in every case so far, the lack thereof.

"And?" asked Azula, sensing Sokka was stirring from the couch he had been resting on, his ears perked as he hoped for good news.

"Nothing, Princess," said the man, lowering his head. "The townsfolk say they haven't seen Piandao or his butler in around two months. We went to every house and asked every family head if they had noticed anything unusual around the time of their disappearance, but we have nothing. Nobody knows when he left, or how, or why."

Azula frowned and nodded, dismissing the man without words. Sokka struggled to get back on his feet using his crutches, and Azula sensed him limping towards her.

"Have you checked everything yet?" he asked. "Every possibility… everything?"

"Not just yet," she replied, sighing. "But if there's nothing so far, Sokka…"

"This makes no sense," he grunted, gritting his teeth. "Did he really… leave? It so absurd I can't get my head around it…"

"He must have left," said Azula, frowning. "I find it unlikely that he was dragged off if there's no sign of a struggle anywhere…"

"But where could he have gone to?" asked Sokka. "From what I know, he didn't have a ship or anything of the sort… this makes no sense, Azula. Don't you think he might still be on the island?"

"I rather doubt it, Sokka…" she said, unsure of what to do about the desperate look on his eyes. He should know better than to keep his hopes so high when every sign was unfavorable to his cause.

"Can't you send your guards to search the entire island, though? It's not so big," he said. "I'd go myself, since I know the territory really well by now, but…"

"Don't even think about it," said Azula, rubbing her forehead. "I don't think there will be any point in doing that, Sokka. If Piandao is gone, then…"

"He can't be gone… he can't be," grunted Sokka, shaking his head. "Maybe I was wrong and he did have a ship, and he went off on some fishing trip… you should send someone to port to ask if he was seen there."

"Sokka…"

"He can't be gone, Azula" he said, his eyes fixed on the floor. "He can't be…"

Azula sighed, knowing there was nothing she could do to change Sokka's disbelief just yet. Each time she tried to have him face the facts, he'd seclude himself in his bubble of denial, still believing that Piandao would have never left him without a note, without a goodbye…

It wasn't so hard for Azula to believe he had vanished as he had. She had never grown to trust Piandao completely; he was mysterious and unpredictable, honorable yet deceitful at the same time. But explaining this to Sokka at the moment would serve no purpose; he would only shut down and refuse to believe her words, disregarding whatever she said no matter if it was true or not. Still, he couldn't continue refusing to accept that his master had left. And from what all the clues from this riddle spoke, Azula gathered Piandao wasn't going to return anytime soon, if he was to return at all. But, regardless…

"Captain," she called out, turning her back to Sokka. "Search the port and the shores of the island. If Piandao left with all his belongings, he could have only done it over water. There might be some traces of a ship anchoring someplace. Take one of the emergency boats of the barge and use it to inspect the perimeter of the island."

"That will take a long time, Princess," said the Captain, frowning. "This search isn't getting us anywhere. We should make for the Capital again already…"

"Do as I say, Captain," Azula ordered, her eyes glowing with that dangerous glint that promised dire consequences if she wasn't obeyed at once.

The Captain stiffened, holding back the urge to tell her to quit playing her gladiator's game… what was so special about that brat anyway? He was but a slave, whereas he was the Captain of her Royal Guard! Why did she treat the gladiator much better than she treated him? It was absurd… But, given how dangerous it was to contradict her, he stormed off without another word.

"Thanks," muttered Sokka behind Azula. She turned to look at him, knowing he truly appreciated that she had complied with his wishes, but also noticing his despair was turning into hopelessness. He wasn't truly expecting them to find Piandao anymore.

But what bothered Azula wasn't the fact that Piandao was gone. She had come to terms with that ever since she realized he had left… the true problem was what to do now that Sokka's master was missing. What should be their next move?

Helping Toph move out of her old, shabby department and into the Royal Palace had been quite a predicament, partly because Iroh didn't feel at home in the Royal Palace himself in the first place. He had stayed over with Toph for a while until there had been no more tea left in the house, and Toph scarcely had any money left to buy more. After a few conversations, they had decided she was better off moving into the Palace, since she wouldn't have to worry about money if she became the Fire Lord's guest. Iroh had asked Ozai, on a chance encounter, if he had any qualms about him keeping his gladiator around. Ozai had frowned, wondering if having a gladiator was the trend these days… but regardless, it was of little importance to him if his older brother had a gladiator or not, so long as she behaved properly. And seeing how Toph had been brought up by noblemen, she could pull off a decent conduct if she put her mind to it.

But with all his latest endeavors, Iroh had let someone slip from his mind for a while… and he was surprised to enter his Palace room to find his nephew leaning on the window, looking even more upset than usual.

"Prince Zuko… what are you doing on my window?" he asked. "I hope you're not thinking of jumping off…"

"I probably should," he moaned, crossing his arms on the windowsill and laying his head down on them, covering his face.

"Please, don't," said Iroh. "If you jump off my window, everyone will think I was the one to push you! It would put me in a very awkward position…"

Iroh's statement was enough to make Zuko jump and glare at him, prompting Iroh to release a cackle of laughter.

"Uncle, I'm serious here!"

"You aren't serious, my nephew," said Iroh, smiling as he walked to him. "You can't truly be thinking of jumping off a window, or else you would have done it by now, and in your own room. You're here because you wanted to talk to me, not to commit suicide."

Zuko hated it when his actions were so easy to read, but his uncle was too witty for him to outsmart. He sighed and shook his head, his hand going up to his forehead.

"Where had you been?" he asked. "I…"

"I was spending some time with my new friend, whom I'd like to introduce to you," said Iroh, beaming before stopping to look at Zuko. He truly seemed devastated. "Were you about to say something else, Prince Zuko…?"

"Maybe you should stop calling me that," he muttered, as his fingers slipped along his dark locks of hair.

"What…? Is there something you wish to tell me, Prince Zuko?" asked Iroh, frowning. Ozai couldn't have possibly stripped away Zuko's birthright for good, could he…?

"Everything's a mess, Uncle!" he complained, snarling. "Father… he won't see me, he's even avoiding me! As if… as if I had shamed him…"

"Is he, now?" asked Iroh, thoughtful. So Ozai didn't want to see him… well, that wasn't the worst case scenario. Zuko's situation wasn't hopeless just yet. "He hasn't seen you, then? Maybe I'll have a word with my brother. I'm sure I can convince him…"

"Don't bother," said Zuko. "He won't care no matter who asks him to meet me… my father hates me, I know it."

"No, he doesn't, Zuko," said Iroh, walking to him. "You know Ozai. He has always been quite harsh. It will take time for him to warm up to you again, but once he sees you have learned your lesson after all those years at sea, he will welcome you as his son once more."

"But what lesson was I supposed to learn?!" asked Zuko, pushing Iroh away when he felt his hand on his shoulder. "I didn't learn anything, Uncle! Anything!"

Iroh looked at him with concern. Perhaps Zuko really had learned nothing at all… no, he refused to believe that. Zuko was merely frustrated right now because his return hadn't been what he had expected it to be. Yet Iroh believed their time traveling and seeing the world's current state had changed him and turned him into a better man, a just man, a man worthy of the crown…

"You know that's not true, Zuko," he said, patting him on the shoulder again. Zuko didn't brush him away this time. "You have learned a lot. You were banished as a boy, now you have returned as a man. A brave, strong man who always does the right thing…"

"Huh, yeah…" said Zuko, shaking his head. "I'm a great man, aren't I?"

Iroh didn't appreciate the sarcasm, and now he could sense Zuko was troubled by something else, something that had nothing to do with his father…

"If I'm so great, then why did she…? Why did Mai…? Why did she marry that guy? Why did she forget about me?" he asked, his fingers digging into his scalp now.

"Oh" said Iroh, grimacing. "She married another man, is it…?"

"She's pregnant with his child!" Zuko yelled. "She should be carrying my son, not his!"

"Oh, Zuko…" said Iroh, shaking his head.

"It's not fair, Uncle! Why did my life have to be like this?!" he yelled again, covering his eyes with his hands now.

"Now, now…" said Iroh, patting him gently. "There's no need for you to feel so bad about yourself, Zuko. You're going through a hard time right now because many things have changed, and not for the better… but if you wallow in your disgraces, you won't be ready to take good things when they come find you."

"Good things, come find me?" asked Zuko, with a skeptical laugh. "Uncle, if anything I'm a magnet for bad things, and good things seem to hate me. Every single time I get something good, it gets ripped off my hands before I can enjoy it. Nothing good is ever going to happen to me…"

"Not with that attitude, for sure," said Iroh, shaking his head. "Come on, my nephew. Stop thinking about those troublesome matters. There's somebody I want you to meet."

Zuko frowned as Iroh dragged him outside the room, guiding him to the Palace's gardens. Zuko was unwilling to meet anyone at first, thinking this mysterious person would be some boring nobleman his Uncle wanted to play Pai Sho with… and he was thoroughly surprised to discover otherwise.

Lying a top of a rock, chewing on a piece of wheat that only she knew where she had gotten it from, was a slender, small girl with black, long hair. Zuko frowned at the sight. Her green fine garments showed she was a former Earth Kingdom citizen, likely from high society… so why was she lying around in such a sloppy fashion?

"Who's that?" asked Zuko, looking down at his Uncle briefly.

"That's exactly what I should be asking…" said the girl, climbing off the rock and landing hard on the ground with her bare feet. "… But I'm afraid Iroh only ever talks about you, so I probably could write down your biography if only I could write."

"Huh?" asked Zuko, staring at her with confusion. "What's…?"

"Can't tell I'm blind? I thought you were brighter than that, Prince Zuko," said Toph, mockingly.

Zuko glared at her for a moment, not even caring if she was blind or not. Who was she to say if he was bright or not?

"Who is this, Uncle?" he asked, still scowling at her.

"She's Toph Beifong," said Iroh, proudly. "And she's my brand new gladiator."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Your Highness" said Toph, still in a derisive tone as she bowed down dramatically.

Zuko's eyes narrowed. This made no sense.

"Gladiator? N-no way… why do you have a gladiator? Why would you want a gladiator, Uncle?" he asked, jumping back as he looked at Iroh with disbelief. "You're… you've got to be kidding me! Why would you need something like this? Have you lost your mind, Uncle?"

Toph's smirk vanished at Zuko's response. The stories Iroh had told her about Zuko hadn't quite made her warm up to him, but she had thought that, by meeting him, she would discover why Iroh held him in such high regards. Now she was in front of him she feared she would never understand why Iroh cared so much for this brat…

"Why would you do this?" Zuko continued. "Gladiator fights are stupid, pointless violence! Don't you always say that violence isn't the answer? Well, what sort of answer are you looking for that you ended up doing this?!"

"How about you stop thinking of the answer and you look at the question first?" said Toph, making Zuko turn towards her. "The question would be, of course 'why would a guy like you have a say upon this matter?'"

"W-what?" said Zuko, frowning.

"Just saying… you're not the type to understand what a gladiator fight entails," said Toph, shrugging. "As I said before, you're not very bright."

"Well, neither are you!" yelled Zuko. "You're just a slave getting used for entertainment!"

"Gee, it sounds really bad when you describe gladiators like that," said Toph, grimacing. "Good thing I'm not really a slave, then."

"What…? You're not a slave?" asked Zuko, shocked.

"Woah, you even have to repeat things to understand them? Damn, you really are dumb!" said Toph, laughing.

"Quit making fun of me!" yelled Zuko, losing his temper as he often did.

"Stop, both of you," said Iroh, standing between them to prevent Zuko from attacking Toph. The stern look on his face was enough to convince both Zuko and Toph to grow quiet briefly. "If you behave like this you'll never reach an understanding…"

"I don't want to understand her!" said Zuko, glaring at him. "I'm trying to understand YOU! What's this supposed to mean, Uncle?! Why are you doing this?! You didn't like gladiator fights, as far as I knew!"

"That was before he saw me fighting in the Arena," said Toph, smirking. "Am I right?"

"Zuko…" said Iroh, sighing. "You'll understand in time."

"What am I supposed to understand in time? That now you're promoting useless violence rather than condoning it?! What's the matter with you?! You make no sense, damn it!" said Zuko, storming off through the garden, leaving both of them behind.

"What a wuss," said Toph, climbing on her rock again as Iroh stared after Zuko's figure. "That's quite a feeble-minded nephew you've got there, Iroh."

"He'll understand in time…" said Iroh, sighing. He had expected a better response from Zuko than this. He wished he would move past his previous life already and quit moping, but he couldn't force Zuko to accept his current life. He was the only one who could embrace these changes, but he refused to do so. If only Zuko gave himself a chance to look for happiness, he just might actually find it…

Night had fallen and there still were no reports from the scouts Azula had sent out to search through the shores of Shu Jing. She had no idea if there would be any traces of Piandao anywhere, but she rather doubted there would be. If they had been as careful as they had by removing most objects from the house, surely they wouldn't be sloppy enough to leave any clues if they had sailed away somehow.

And she knew Sokka was thinking the same thing when she spotted him, sitting in the steps that led up to the main building, his gaze on the gates as he waited for the guards to return with any news… expecting the news to be bad, of course. There had been no good news so far, and by this point in time, he doubted there would be.

"You should get some sleep," suggested Azula, walking up to him. Sokka shook his head.

"I'm not drowsy yet…" he muttered, his gaze in the ground.

Azula knew his spirits were down at last. He had relinquished every hope already, even though he didn't want to do it. She approached and sat by him quietly, studying his features carefully.

"Do you want something…?" he said, looking up at her for a moment.

"Why would I have something to ask of you?" was Azula's reply.

"Well… I don't know why else would you come sit by me when I'm such lousy company," he said, smiling weakly.

"Just so you know, you're lousy company at all times, yet I still put up with you," said Azula, smirking at him. Sokka rolled his eyes, but he couldn't deny that dealing with her cold words was somehow a relief. It was nice to see a few things would remain the same, no matter what.

He sighed again, leaning back against a column as he stared at the night sky.

"Why do you think he did it?" he asked, frowning. "Why would he take off without leaving anything behind… well, anything but me, that is."

"How should I know, Sokka?" said Azula, shrugging. "I hardly knew the man…"

"Right. I should be the one to have an answer to that, since I got to know him better," sighed Sokka, but Azula frowned.

"I don't think you knew Piandao half as well as you think you did, Sokka," she muttered, warily. Sokka lowered his gaze towards her, confused.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, frowning.

"He's not… well, he hasn't always been the man who trained you, Sokka," said Azula. "He hides many secrets, secrets you could hardly fathom."

"And how do you know about those secrets, exactly?" asked Sokka, skeptical. "He never trained you, so how would you know more about him than I do?"

"I already said I don't know nearly enough about him," said Azula. "But there are a few things regarding his life as a soldier… that you might be better off not knowing, truly."

"Such as…?" asked Sokka, raising an eyebrow. "Come on, you don't expect me to sit back and ignore what you just said, do you?"

Azula sighed. He would never stop pestering her now, would he? Saying that he would be best off oblivious to this had served no purpose.

"I guess that was too much to ask of you, indeed," said Azula, folding her arms over her chest as she rested herself on the column opposite to Sokka's. "Piandao used to fight in the army, I believe I mentioned that before… he held quite a high position, Colonel or Captain, I can't remember the exact one at the moment. His troops were serving under my uncle, General Iroh, during a siege to an Earth Kingdom city about two decades ago. The siege ended successfully, but it almost fell apart at the last expected moment due to an uprising within the Fire Nation army in itself."

Sokka gulped at those words. Somehow, he could imagine how this story would develop…

"A group of soldiers made an attempt on my uncle's life," said Azula. "He was the heir to the throne by the time, so it would have been a catastrophe if the assault had succeeded. The group of conspirators was caught in the act, and they were executed for high treason against the Fire Nation."

"Uh… what does this have to do with…?"

"The soldiers involved in the attempt were the ones under Piandao's direct command. They were his men," said Azula. "Piandao's actual involvement was never proved, there was no evidence he took part in the conspiracy, but most people believed he was the mastermind, or at the very least, that he was aware of his subordinates' plan and yet he didn't stop them. It didn't take him a week to hand in his resignation after this event took place."

"Well, he probably did that out of shame, if anything," said Sokka, frowning. "It's not as if he had been involved for real. I mean, if there was no proof…"

"Indeed, that's what it would seem," muttered Azula. "He was rumored to have come to live in Shu Jing to get away from the pressures of life in the army, that he was atoning for his disgraces… but there were also other rumors that said he had grown to despise Fire Nation because of the ruthless punishment his men had received by order of the Fire Lord himself. Makes sense, doesn't it?"

"I suppose…"

"Yet if it does, why did he bother training my brother?" asked Azula, looking up at the sky. "People say he found Zuko to be worthy… I wouldn't be so sure of it. I always had the feeling he had agreed to train him because of ulterior motives. Zuko wasn't really that good with weapons, he spent most his time whining and blaming everyone else for his failures. What's so worthy about a brat like him?"

"Maybe he's not as bad as you think," said Sokka, gulping. "But I guess I have little to say about it, seeing how I don't even know him…"

"The weirdest part is that Zuko learned how to fight with dual dao broadswords… whereas Piandao usually wields jian swords like yours," said Azula. Sokka looked at Space Sword, dangling on his shoulder. "I'm not entirely certain of this, but it seems to me as that he taught Zuko an easier type of sword fighting. According to some books I looked at, those weapons aren't supposed to be wielded in the way you use your sword… the dao swords are not half as complex as jian swords, but they're several times as deadly. And most men who consider themselves sword masters use jian swords, not dao swords."

"What are you getting at?" asked Sokka, frowning.

"I'm saying… that it's likely Piandao was trying to teach a few things to Zuko that he shouldn't have been taught at all," said Azula, stern. "He might have been involved in the first attempt against the crown… why not on a second one?"

"You're trying to say that he was grooming your brother into killing a Fire Lord?" asked Sokka, aghast. "N-not possible. That's absurd. He wouldn't do something like that, not an honorable man like him!"

"Then why did Zuko only learn to handle broadswords?" asked Azula, her gaze in the ground now. "Why was he only ever taught to use weapons that hardly have any beauty, any art to them, weapons favored by many warriors because of their potential for murder? They aren't the weapons of a true sword master… also, Zuko attended lessons with Piandao since he was five. He came by in irregular intervals, yet he still kept learning from Piandao until he was about ten. Dual dao swords… it's said that they're easily mastered within a week. Why, then, is that the only thing he can use despite such a long time training under Piandao?"

"But… maybe you're right on another regard, then," said Sokka. "Maybe your brother wasn't worthy of being taught by Piandao, and he only bothered teaching him so that your father wouldn't kill him for refusing."

"My father would have likely laughed if he had heard Zuko was proclaimed unworthy," said Azula. "Well, perhaps not. But he wouldn't have blamed Piandao for it. He never had a good image of Zuko, he always thought of him as a failure. Still does, apparently. I guess he's still one."

"Well… maybe Piandao didn't know that," said Sokka, stubbornly. "He thought he could be in danger if he refused the Fire Lord."

"Do you believe Piandao to be a man who would be intimidated by my father?" asked Azula. "He wasn't intimidated by me, and my father was just a Prince back then, just as I am a Princess now. I don't see why he should have accepted an unworthy student if he didn't want to."

"Well, damn, he accepted me," said Sokka, shrugging. "Your brother was a Prince, I'm just a slave…"

"Yet Piandao thought you to be one of the most talented men he had ever trained," said Azula, making Sokka bite his lip lightly. "You, a slave. And he's a prince. Does that show you what I'm getting at? Piandao didn't care for where you came from, or where you were going: he trained you because you deserved it. Zuko, on the other hand…"

"But this is absurd," said Sokka, shaking his head. "I mean… he was always talking to me about honor, teaching me so many lessons… I thought he was the best man I'd ever met! Now it turns out he was a conspirator against his own people?"

Azula could see the hurt clear across Sokka's face. He didn't want to believe her words, and she didn't blame him for it.

"Sokka…" she muttered, looking at him as she sought out the right way to convey her current thoughts. "Piandao was a man of many secrets, a mystery in himself… and can you blame him, truly? The man made mistakes like the ones you've just heard about, and he didn't disclose them to people like you because he regretted them. Secluding himself in this mansion, living in an environment like this one… he probably did it because he was repenting. Perhaps you didn't know him too well, perhaps there are many things you'll never know about him, but what you know of him, you should treasure. Because that man truly made you the strong warrior you are today. If it weren't for Piandao, you probably wouldn't be sitting here right now. So… don't forget that man. Stop thinking about the Piandao you didn't know, the one behind the curtains, the one who fled… just remember the one who thought you were the most talented man he had ever trained."

Sokka's eyes widened at Azula's words. The way her eyes gleamed as she spoke… he could tell she spoke the truth, that she was actually worried about him. Was it just his imagination, or was she suddenly more beautiful than ever right now, under the moonlight…?

He managed to smile at her, a smile that longed to be more honest, but it was enough for Azula for now.

"That was unusually kind of you," he said, chuckling. "Is the Princess growing soft all of sudden?"

"Wouldn't you love it if I were…" said Azula, rolling her eyes. Sokka smiled at her before looking at the gates again.

"Still… why do you think he left? I mean… if he was repenting here, you think he took off because he's done with that? You think his repentance time is over?"

"I have no idea, Sokka," said Azula, shrugging. "I don't know, and I doubt I ever will. Maybe he found a new path in life. Let him go already… he has taught you everything he could teach you. Maybe the rest of the road to become a sword master is one you should find on your own."

"Maybe," said Sokka, shrugging. "He did say I was mostly lacking experience… but a message of some sort couldn't have hurt, right? At least a sign, something to tell me what I should do now that he's gone…"

"He might have told you something," said Azula. "But you failed to notice it was a farewell. He could have laid down all the signs and you were too dense to understand them."

"Oh, come on, there's no way…!" he started, before freezing in the middle of his skeptical retort. Piandao had behaved oddly before their last departure… "Oh, damn it, this can't be."

"Sokka?" said Azula, narrowing her eyes and frowning. "Did you remember something, by any chance…?"

"Not… not quite," said Sokka, sighing as he rubbed his forehead and shook his head, ashamed of himself. "Damn it… before we left to the Capital, he said something to me. You walked off because you were mad at me and you didn't care, I think… and I was too puzzled by his attitude to pay much attention to what he was saying. He complimented me, I believe, and I thought it was really strange that he'd say things like that, because it wasn't as if we were departing forever… damn it, it was his goodbye and I didn't even notice! And I can't remember what he told me… I'm the worst."

"You're a moron indeed," said Azula, nodding.

"For once, I won't even try to deny that," said Sokka, sighing heavily. "I'm a fool… I can't believe this. So he didn't leave a message… he actually said goodbye. He said it. And I just didn't realize…"

Sokka was startled to feel a hand on his shoulder. He lifted his head, surprised to find Azula was trying to comfort him somehow… though she pulled her hand away immediately, bashful and insecure.

"Just… there's no need to feel that way," she muttered, blushing slightly. "Now you know it, though. He really left, and seeing how he took most his possessions with him, he's not likely to return, so there's no point in dragging out this search for him anymore."

"I guess…" he replied, giving up at last. She was right, this goose chase had to end eventually.

"I'll call in the guards so we can take off in the morning, then…" said Azula, getting ready to move out, but Sokka stopped her.

"Huh? Take off? What do you mean?" he asked. The Princess raised an eyebrow at his question.

"What else could I mean? Did you think we'd stay here to no avail, Sokka?" she replied.

"Well… I always stayed here," said Sokka, shrugging. "It's pretty much my home by now, even if Piandao is gone."

Azula frowned and shook her head in disapproval.

"I beg to differ. There would be no purpose in letting you stay here if Piandao is gone. It may look like I have endless resources to you, but traveling back and forth all the time wasn't half as easy as it seemed. Stocking up, taking so many guards out of their usual routines… it's far costlier than you imagine. I only accepted this mad endeavor, as I told you some time ago, because Piandao would have refused to move out of the mansion if I requested him to come to the Capital to train you there. If he's no longer here, then you have no reason to stay."

"B-but…"

"Sokka, use that supposedly brilliant brain of yours for once, will you?" she grunted. "If he took everything with him, if he's been gone for over two months, if nobody has seen him in such a long time… do you truly believe he'll return? Really?"

Sokka sighed and shook his head, feeling defeated.

"I just… I thought that this place belonged to him, and leaving it vacant, just like that… it would be a pity, truly."

"It would be," Azula admitted. "But this mansion wasn't always owned by Piandao. It used to be the house of some nobleman who was stripped off his titles, I believe. The mansion was empty and Piandao took it for himself when he found it. He leaves it vacant now, in the same way it was before he came across it all those years ago. Someone else is likely to come live in it eventually, I suppose…"

"Can't I be that someone…?" he asked, annoying Azula slightly.

"Sokka, it's plainly inconvenient. Staying in the Capital will work better for the both of us. I'll find you another master somehow, if there's anyone out there who could perchance teach you something Piandao hasn't taught you yet. And you can have a new house too, since I doubt you'd want to stay in the Palace…"

"You'd really do so much for me?" asked Sokka, raising an eyebrow.

"You're my gladiator, damn it," said Azula, rolling her eyes as she stood up. "What do you think is the job of your sponsor, exactly? I believe we struck a deal when we started out with this… and I said anything you needed, I could grant it to you with ease. So there you have it."

"And… that's all there is to it?" said Sokka, raising an eyebrow. "It's your job…?"

"What else were you expecting?" asked Azula, looking at him from above.

Sokka was taken by surprise by that question. Indeed, what had he been expecting? What had he grown to expect from her after all this time…? It was her job, and his was to fight in the Arena. Everything else was a bonus. Still, it had been quite the bonus, hadn't it? They were supposed to be using each other to their own ends, nothing other than that… yet, why did a strange feeling stir his gut just by thinking about her? Talking to her was surprisingly fun, and even though she was cruel and brutally honest most the time, he had discovered there was so much more to her than he had when they had first met. To think she was the same woman who had cut him down in the South Pole… he didn't even think of her like that anymore. She was, truly, his sponsor… and he was quite proud to be her gladiator. Everything else was a bonus.

He smiled at her, taking her by surprise.

"I get it… I get it. I'll go back to the Capital with you… and you can buy me a huge house where I can train with whoever you find to become my master," he said, still smiling. "Though I fear that, if this is the way things are going to be, we'll be seeing each other a lot more often from now on, huh?"

Azula hadn't realized this, but the thought wasn't displeasing for her. The long waits of months to meet him again had been somewhat annoying before, although she feared that now she would find herself trying to spend time away from him instead… but for some reason, she suspected it would be worth it.

"Probably," she replied, pretending this realization irritated her. "It will be a drag not to be able to get away from you that easily…"

"Yeah, right…" said Sokka, smirking playfully. Azula merely rolled her eyes before taking a few steps inside the house.

"You should get some rest now. We'll take off in the morning, once the scouts return."

"W-wait," said Sokka and Azula halted, sighing heavily before turning to face him again.

"What now?"

"There's… one last thing I want to do here, before we take off," he said, struggling to stand up with his crutches. Azula rolled her eyes and helped scoop him up, letting him support himself on her shoulder.

"What would that be?" she asked, raising an eyebrow once he was finally on his feet… and crutches.

"I think I recall my armor got smashed badly on that last fight," he said. "What happened to it?"

"I sent it to the Royal Blacksmith. He must have fixed it by now, but I forgot completely about it…"

"It shattered pretty easily, didn't it?" Sokka mused.

"I suppose… Why are you asking that?"

"I have an idea," he said, smiling at her. "Come with me."

Azula didn't feel too lenient to follow him around by his command, since it should be the other way around… but she felt responsible for him at the moment due to those injuries he still suffered from. She feared he might hurt himself if she didn't keep close watch on him.

So she followed him, helping him walk at several times, as he guided her to the mansion's forge. As the guards had reported, Piandao's makeshift weapons were gone. Still, the assortment of metals and instruments were still available, to Sokka's relief. He limped to a corner of the room and struggled to pull out a bag from there. Azula had to help him to achieve his goal, seeing how the bag was very heavy.

"What is this?" she asked, before opening the bag to find a pile of pitch-black stones.

"Remember the weird rock that we saw when we first came to Shu Jing?" asked Sokka, smiling. "It's what I used to make Space Sword… and you've seen how amazing my sword is. There were a few times when I even managed to cut Piandao's weapons with Space Sword, and while his blade was rendered useless, mine was intact. It's a very resistant material… and I was thinking I could make use of it…"

"To forge a new armor," finished Azula, thoughtful.

"I thought it would be a good idea," said Sokka, smiling after she finished his sentence. "As I told you, this is a very sturdy material… so I think it should work well to avoid sustaining as many injuries as I had to stand during that damned fight. This way, if a psycho earthbending girl flings me towards a spike, it's possible the armor will protect me and I won't end up getting my shoulder pierced completely…"

"It sounds like a good idea," Azula acknowledged. "But are you really strong enough to do this, Sokka? Making a suit of armor when you can hardly walk on your own is easier said than done."

Sokka tilted his head, slightly disappointed. Perhaps she was right… How was he supposed to work in this state?

Azula saw the troubled look on his face and sighed. What was it about those blue eyes of his…? Every time he faced hard truths, they became tinged with sadness, and she hated to see him so upset for reasons she couldn't fathom.

"Well… there are other options," she said, gulping.

"Such as?"

"I could help you, somehow…" she muttered, looking away. Sokka jumped at the suggestion, his eyes darting up at her face immediately, as if expecting to find she was merely mocking him, but seeing how bashful she was, it seemed she was honest…

"Y-you'd do that? I mean… it's a lot of work," Sokka said, grimacing. "I won't deny your firebending skills would be a lot of use, but there would be a lot of hammering and folding metal, all that stuff that I doubt you'd enjoy…"

"I wouldn't enjoy it, truly," said Azula, sighing. "But it would be best if I did most of it. I've told you time after time that I don't want you pushing yourself beyond your limits… so you leave me with no other choice but to do most of this myself."

"B-but… are you sure of this?" he asked, wincing. "I could return in a few months, once I'm better, and make the armor myself by then…"

"For all you know, someone else might claim this mansion by that time," said Azula. "So it would be most convenient for us to make it right now. The tools are here, you have the knowledge we require… I don't see a problem, actually."

"But…" said Sokka. "Do you really want to do this?"

"That's what worries you?" asked Azula, surprised.

"Well, yeah… I feel like I'm imposing on you," he muttered, shyly. Azula was taken by surprise by his unusual behavior.

"Well, you're not," she muttered, eyeing him with uncertainty. "Shall we, then?"

Sokka still seemed insecure, but he smiled at her, grateful. They began working soon enough by melting what was left of the meteorite. This was, naturally, the stage in which Azula was most helpful. Sokka was impressed by her firebending techniques to keep the heat within the forge, which helped them to melt the metal much quicker. After this, the difficult part began, seeing how molding the metal into the different sections of armor was no easy feat for either of them. Regardless, they worked hard throughout the night to make an armor that would fit Sokka properly.

It was already dawn by the time they were finished. Azula was exhausted, seeing how she had been the one to make most the efforts. As an evidence of her weariness, there were dark bags under her eyes, just as the ones under Sokka's.

"Well, it seems it works," he said, with the breastplate in place.

"Yeah, though now you're the Black Wolf rather than the Blue one…" said Azula, eyeing him sideways.

"I can make some arrangements…" said Sokka, taking off the armor with difficulty, but, to his pride, he managed to accomplish it without Azula's help. "… And get some blue stuff on it so I can remain the Blue Wolf. What do you think?"

"Do as you wish, I'm too tired to think," said Azula, shaking her head.

"I warned you this was going to be a hassle," said Sokka, chuckling. "Come on… let's get going. It's dawn already."

"I can tell," muttered Azula, grimacing at the light filtering into the forge from the east.

They needed the assistance of some of Azula's Royal Guards to move the armor, seeing as Azula was too worn out to carry it, and Sokka still had to walk with crutches, so he couldn't take it himself. They stood in the vestibule of the mansion's main building, both tired and hoping to get some sleep when they were on the ship once again.

"Ready to go, then?" asked Azula, restraining a yawn.

"I suppose," said Sokka, sighing as he looked around the room for the last time. "I'll go get my stuff, then…"

"You can't carry your luggage yourself, though," said Azula, sighing. "Captain, go with him."

The Captain of the Royal Guard was still displeased over the treatment he was getting lately, but he complied regardless, following Sokka into the gladiator's room.

There wasn't much in Sokka's room, only a few garments of clothing and some bombs he had developed whenever his master gave him spare time. The Captain flung everything he could find over his shoulder while Sokka pocketed the bombs, picking them out of the drawer in his nightstand…

Something caught Sokka's eye as he put the last bomb in the safety of his pocket. He frowned as he picked up the Pai Sho tile, not recalling having brought anything related to Pai Sho to his room.

"Are you coming, Gladiator?" asked the Captain, at the threshold.

"Uh… yeah," said Sokka, struggling with his crutches as he turned around to leave.

The Captain continued on towards the carriage that awaited Azula and Sokka outside the mansion, but Sokka didn't follow him just yet. He limped towards Azula, still staring at the tile in his hand.

"Hey… I just found this on my nightstand," he said, prompting her to turn to him.

"Huh?" Azula frowned as she took the tile from his hand. "Isn't this…?"

"The White Lotus?" Sokka finished this time. "Piandao had me play Pai Sho a few times… but I don't remember him mentioning anything in particular about this tile…"

"He didn't mention anything about it," said Azula, frowning. "But…"

The Princess walked to a window and looked down at the training grounds where she had seen Piandao and Sokka fight several times. She pointed down at it, and Sokka limped to reach her, peeking down at the yard as well. The center of the yard was decorated with the same shape of the White Lotus tile.

"W-wait, what?" said Sokka, surprised. "It's the same symbol… it's the same symbol! And actually, now I think of it, he had plenty of things decorated with white lotuses. The gates, for instance, they have a huge white lotus painted on them too!"

"Indeed…" replied Azula, thoughtful.

"And…" Sokka withdrew Space Sword from the scabbard that hung over his left shoulder. The sword's pommel also had the shape of the White Lotus carved into it. "It's on Space Sword too. Why didn't I notice this before? The symbol of the White Lotus was everywhere!"

"Why, though?" asked Azula, as she furrowed her brow, deep in thought.

"That's a very good question," said Sokka, frowning as well. "What do you think it means?"

"Do you think it means something, in the first place?" asked Azula.

"Princess…" said the Captain, approaching them. "We should take off as soon as possible. The tides are… is something the matter, Princess?"

"Nothing in particular," said Azula, still holding the Pai Sho piece in her hand. "Although… you don't happen to know if there are any hidden meanings to the White Lotus symbol, do you?"

"The White Lotus?" asked the Captain, looking at the tile. "No, I'm afraid not, Princess… but if you're curious about something regarding Pai Sho, I believe you should ask General Iroh. He's quite fond of this game, and if somebody knows about secret messages hidden within Pai Sho tiles, I believe it would be him."

Azula frowned at the suggestion.

"Indeed… my uncle," she grunted, between gritted teeth. "I'd rather relinquish my right to ascend to the throne than ask anything of him."

"Oh… of course, Princess," said the Captain, gulping.

"I doubt there's much to this, Sokka," said Azula, handing the tile back to him. "Maybe Piandao had taken it to be his personal seal or something of the sort, and he wanted you to keep that tile as something to remember him by. In any case, there's nothing else for us to do here. Let's get going already, shall we? You can ponder the meaning of the White Lotus later."

"I guess…" said Sokka, nodding as the three of them exited the mansion.

The gladiator stopped on his footsteps right after the Captain closed the doors behind him. Sokka turned around, holding his crutches tightly, and he took one last glance at the first place that had felt like home to him in two years. He sighed, wondering if he would ever return to the mansion, and wondering if he would ever see Piandao again.

Still, clasping the White Lotus tile tightly in his hand, he boarded the carriage with a strange sense of excitement. The latest developments led him to wonder what kind of life awaited him from now on…