Azula climbed down the wooden staircase, stifling a yawn as she filed towards the inn's dining area. She hadn't slept as well as she wished, for she had found it rather difficult to relax with the Blind Bandit constantly tossing and turning on the next bed, asking her if she was awake every five minutes. Azula spent almost two hours telling the girl to shut up in as many different ways she could think of, hoping to get the message across eventually, until Toph finally fell asleep, still tossing and turning every now and then. Her movements were rather brusque, and they startled Azula more often than wished they would.
The Princess had woken up inexplicably by dawn, and she had been unable to fall asleep once the morning lights began drifting into her room. She tried to sleep regardless, attempting to ignore a grumbling noise outside the room, but she soon gave up hopes of getting more rest and she climbed off her bed, dressed up and left the room. She'd had enough of rolling around hopelessly in bed as it was.
The idea of having breakfast in this shack didn't appeal to the Princess, but she rather doubted there would be somewhere better for her to eat nearby. Upon reaching the main floor of the inn, she informed the establishment's owner of what meal she expected for her breakfast before entering the dining area to look for an available table. Yet she found a familiar figure amongst the few ones that were occupied…
Azula frowned as she approached the table where Sokka was sitting, or rather, sleeping. His arms were crossed over the surface, his head resting atop them. His loose hair covered his face, and he was breathing so unevenly that Azula realized he wasn't sleeping at all.
"Are you alright?" she asked, raising an eyebrow and sitting across him.
A weak giggle came from Sokka, and he lifted his head to regard her properly. Azula grimaced when she saw the dark bags under his eyes. To her chagrin, Sokka with his hair down was still a rather alluring sight for her, despite the awful look on his face.
"I wish I were, hehe… I really… I really do," he said, his awkward smile turning into a grimace as well.
"What happened? Did Iroh do something to you?" Azula asked, frowning and looking at Sokka with worry.
"Heh, other than not letting me sleep at all through the night…" said Sokka, sighing. "His snoring is unbearable, Azula. Every now and then I got used to it, but then he'd suddenly shift and snort so loudly that I'd end up coming back to full consciousness again. And he did that… he did that all night, you know? I managed to sleep a few minutes at most before he arrived after his shopping trip…"
"So you're saying you're completely exhausted?" Azula asked, gritting her teeth. "Sokka…"
"I know, I know," he said, with a grimace. "I'm probably going to be useless today at the Arena. But it's hardly my fault, now, is it? I came down here after a while, precisely because I wanted to get some sleep while I could, but it really wasn't that helpful…"
Azula shook her head and looked at him with concern as he regarded her apologetically.
"Don't worry. You're right, it's not your fault," said Azula, sighing. "I should have remembered his snoring. I heard odd sounds outside my room all night long, but I didn't venture any guesses as to what they might be."
"Yeah, well, it was probably him," said Sokka, dropping his head on the table again. "What the hell am I going to do if I'm like this, Azula…?"
"You're going to do what you have to do, simple as that," said Azula. "Saying 'don't overexert yourself' this time seems impossible, because no matter what, you'll end up overexerted anyhow… still, you managed to beat the Twin Hammer after an entire week without sleep, didn't you?"
"Eh, at least I had some sleep before fighting him," said Sokka, his voice muffled. "Both at the old lady's house, and then while Xin Long was flying us to Garsai I dozed off a bit…"
"Well, that is true," Azula conceded. "Still, you're not alone this time. If you can't fight to your best, the Bandit can compensate for your shortcomings. Her sponsor is the reason why you're like this, after all, so she had better make up for it."
"For some reason I doubt things will work as well as that," said Sokka, sighing and lifting his head to look at Azula through half-closed eyes. "You think we can trust Toph to do that? I'm not questioning her strength or anything, but you did say yesterday that you didn't trust those guys… right?"
"I don't," said Azula, rubbing her forehead with the tips of her fingers. "But you did say their goal had to be the same as ours. They want to win, don't they?"
"I hope so," said Sokka, sighing before looking at her with some concern as well. "How about you? Could you sleep well despite having a wacky earthbender on the next bed?"
"I wouldn't say I slept 'well', but I definitely slept much better than you did, even though she spent the night fidgeting," said Azula. "I'm never comfortable sleeping in beds that I'm not used to, though, so I wouldn't have been fully rested anyways."
"Really?" asked Sokka, raising an eyebrow quizzically.
"Really," said Azula, frowning. "Why are you giving me that look?"
"W-well, just… y-you seemed to sleep alright in Ember Island, is all…" muttered Sokka, not meeting her gaze anymore as they both blushed at the memory.
"Huh… right," said Azula, swallowing hard. Well, that was odd indeed. She had woken to quite an unpleasant headache, but other than that, it had been quite a restful night, much better than those that had preceded it, for they had been haunted by unwanted dreams. Yet Sokka had chased them away singlehandedly…
Sokka sighed again and dropped his head on a sleeping position once more, knowing he had said something he probably shouldn't have.
"I'm going to try and sleep again… if you don't mind," he muttered, and Azula nodded.
"Suit yourself. I'll try not to make much noise while I have my breakfast, then…"
"Heh?" said Sokka, his head rising again upon the mention of food. Azula wasn't surprised by that in the slightest. "Breakfast sounds kinda nice…"
"Mind you, I only ordered mine because I didn't know you'd be here already," said Azula, her hands linked and placed under her chin. "And you're definitely not going to nick food from my plate."
"That's mean…" he pouted, sighing and dropping his head once more. "Fine, then. I'll go sleepless and starved into the Arena. It's really going to feel just like our last trip if I do…"
"How dramatic," said Azula, rolling her eyes. "As if you couldn't go a little while without food."
Sokka made a harrumph sound, but he didn't say another word. Azula smiled and shook her head before standing up and heading towards the kitchens, where she informed the establishment's owner, who just happened to be the cook as well, that he was to double her order. The man seemed to panic slightly at that, for he was already struggling with a single royal meal to add a second one to his to-do list, but he assured the Princess it would be done.
Sokka had noticed Azula had walked away shortly, but he remained slumped over the table even after she returned. It wasn't until he caught the smell of a freshly cooked meal that he raised his head, his stomach growling.
"A-Azula…" he whined, looking at her desperately as the waiter placed the meal in front of the Princess… but the expression on his face froze when he noticed she had pushed the tray towards him. "Wait… Azula?"
"This way you won't have to steal anything from my meal, see?" she said, simply. "Don't fret, I ordered more food for myself just a moment ago. Eat now before it gets cold."
Tears of despair had seemingly gleamed in the corner of Sokka's eyes, but now they had turned into tears of gratefulness. He gave her a warm smile as he sat up straight, gazing at her as though she had saved his life.
"Thank you… You're the best," he said, before starting on his food.
A compliment of the sort would have been welcome in any other circumstances, but Azula most certainly didn't feel like 'the best' today, even when Sokka seemed to genuinely mean what he had said. She tried not to show how his words had affected her, and it was easy to succeed at that when she could only grimace at his lack of table manners, as ever.
"Morning, Jewel, Dog!" Toph declared, taking her seat next to Azula this time. The Princess' eyebrows twitched, for she definitely didn't welcome the earthbender's presence. "Ready for the big fight?"
"Maybe," said Azula, looking at her sideways. "Are you?"
"Sure am, I slept like a baby," she exclaimed happily. "Just gotta get some food in my stomach and we can take off to the Arena!"
"It's good to see you're that enthusiastic about it," said Sokka, as a waiter appeared to bring Azula her own food.
"It's weird to see you're not, especially for someone who can't see," said Toph, tapping her chin with a finger. "One would think you'd be happier about joining forces with someone who is undefeatable, and yet it feels like you're all gloomy. What's the matter with you, Sokka?"
"The matter is that your sponsor snored all night long," he said, sighing, "The food's good, though, so I guess that can compensate for my lack of sleep to some degree, but…"
"Ah, well…" said Toph, smiling innocently and shrugging. The gesture made Sokka frown.
"Are you trying to say something?" he grunted, looking at her with a harsh glare.
"Well, I'm trying not to say it, actually…" Toph confessed.
"And what is it you're trying not to say, Bandit?" Azula said, frowning before she started eating. "Spill it already."
"Simply that I didn't choose to share rooms with the Jewel because she's a fun gal, if you know what I mean…" said Toph, with a smirk.
"You knew you wouldn't have gotten any sleep with all the snoring," said Azula, frowning.
"Nope, especially because my ears are waaaay more sensitive than his," said Toph, pointing at Sokka. "So see? You had to take this one for the team, Dog. You know I'm our best bet at winning today, so I had to be properly rested and…"
"You're our best bet?" Sokka repeated, still glowering at her. "Don't get me wrong, because everyone knows you're as tough as you want to be, but this is a Pairs Tournament after all. How much sense would it make for you to do all the work?"
"Heh, so that's how you're playing it all of sudden…" Toph muttered to herself as the last member of their group arrived, dropping next to Sokka, who scowled as soon as he saw the man.
"Ah, good morning everyone!" said Iroh, beaming. "Did you three enjoy the night?"
"Not half as much as you did, I believe" said Azula, looking at her uncle with a raised eyebrow. "We had already tucked in by the time you returned from your 'shopping trip'. Had a lot of fun, did you?"
"Ahaha, well, it took longer than I expected," said Iroh, smiling. "But don't fret, I brought souvenirs for all of you."
"Oh, yeah, just what I wanted to hear!" exclaimed Toph, beaming. "Did you order our food already?"
"Ah, yes, with two cups of tea for each of us!"
"Two? One isn't enough?" asked Azula, skeptically.
"You can never have enough tea, Azula," Iroh declared, nodding. "One day you will understand, I'm sure."
"Sure I will," she muttered sarcastically, before looking at him with a frown. "You simply went shopping yesterday, then. You didn't…"
"No, I… not yet" said Iroh, knowing what Azula wanted to ask him. "I hope to head out after breakfast is done, if that's alright with you."
Azula sighed and nodded, thinking it would be for the best. At the very least, it seemed Iroh still remembered the only reason why they had bothered coming to the Lower Ring in the first place.
Yet, to the Princess' chagrin, breakfast took much longer than she expected, for Iroh and Toph had ordered massive meals, and they took their sweet time to eat and drink their tea, talking and laughing while Azula tapped her fingers on the table impatiently and Sokka dozed off on his chair.
"Ah, well, that was a nice meal," Iroh declared, happily, as he stood up at last. "I would very much enjoy a bath now, but…"
"But you have something else to do, don't you, Uncle?" Azula asked, frowning, and Iroh nodded.
"I do, I do, I must…"
"Go to the Arena?" Sokka said, interrupting them. Despite the still prominent bags under his eyes, he looked much better once he'd had a good share of food in his stomach. "Have you guys forgotten we're in the Lower Ring? It's going to take a while to get to the Green Gates from here. We have to take off now if we're going to make it at all."
"B-but…" said Azula, freezing. "Iroh hasn't done what he has to do yet, Sokka. If we go to the Arena now, we'll have to return to this inn again later instead of heading to the Palace, as we planned."
"And what's the big deal? This is a nice place," said Toph, smiling. "Besides, what Iroh has to do can wait a little longer. We'll end up being late if we don't go now, just like the Dog said."
"Well, this is unfortunate," said Iroh, sighing and caressing his beard. "But you two must be right. We will have to come back later, there's nothing else to it."
Azula looked at Iroh in utter disbelief before huffing and throwing her hands up in the air and turning towards the inn's door. Sokka gulped, knowing she wouldn't be in a good mood at all after this. She had been counting on arriving in the Palace once their fight at the Green Gates was over with.
"This is ridiculous," she muttered next to Sokka, once they were waiting for the train at the station. "My uncle is merely behaving as an irresponsible idiot… which should hardly surprise me, honestly, considering his track record. We should head to the Palace afterwards and leave Iroh to visit Lu Ten whenever he finally realizes that he ought to honor his fallen son."
"Huh, maybe," said Sokka, frowning. "So why didn't we do that in the first place?"
Azula froze upon that and sighed, shaking her head. Sokka raised an eyebrow before she replied.
"I guess I just wanted to make sure he'd visit Lu Ten's hill," she said. "Lu Ten deserves that much, after all. But I never imagined Iroh would be so thoughtless about this matter. I thought it would be a priority for him, but apparently shopping is far more important than his son…"
"Now, now, don't let this get to your head," said Sokka, patting her shoulder. "Iroh is a weird guy, we don't really know what he was up to. And getting angry about him being thoughtless won't help you in any way."
"I suppose, but… it's not so easy to control how I feel when it comes to something that actually matters to me," Azula growled.
"Well, that's not something to feel bad about," said Sokka, smiling weakly at her. "That's true to all of us."
"I suppose it must be…" Azula replied, as the train finally appeared.
The trip to the Upper Ring took quite a long time, which only displeased Azula further. The train grew crowded rather quickly, and several people took their seats in spots they didn't quite fit in, squeezing all those who were sitting on the bench at the moment. Sokka tried his hardest to keep a reasonable distance from Azula, but when a particularly fat lady almost sat atop him, he ended up forced to scoot way closer to the Princess than it should have been appropriate. Still, Azula was too bothered by the crowd itself to be embarrassed by Sokka's closeness. If anything, it was somewhat comforting to have him beside her right now. Despite her thoughts the night before, he really was the only person she could trust in this chaotic situation.
Meanwhile, Toph and Iroh seemed to have no problems at all on the seats across theirs, a fact that only contributed to Azula and her gladiator's irritation.
The Green Gates was a massive cylindrical building located in the Upper Ring. It was quite an unusual Gladiator Arena, for it bore colors traditional to the Earth Kingdom. The structure was comprised by pearl-white bricks and topped by a green, gabled roof. Iroh stared at it in wonder for a while, and Toph analyzed the area with her feet, sensing everything she could about the building preemptively. Sokka and Azula weren't as amazed by the structure, for they had already fought here once before, and they led the way inside the building through the tall emerald doors that had provided the Arena with its name.
The vestibule wasn't as wide as the one in the Grand Royal Dome, but it was still spacious enough to host the masses of people who were waiting to take to the stands, hoping to witness the next fights. Azula spotted a pair of counters towards their left, and she walked steadily to them, followed by the rest of the group. A teenage girl sat before one of the counters while a boy identical to her sat on the one beside her. Azula guessed the girl was the one in charge of the bets, given that plenty of people were standing in line before her. Meanwhile, the boy didn't seem half as busy as his twin – for she could only be his twin – was.
"I take it you're in charge of the gladiators?" she asked once she had reached the boy's counter.
The boy jumped and sat straight, looking at Azula with slight panic. He had been rather eager about meeting the Princess as soon as her entry for the Tournament had arrived, but seeing her in person now left him even more awe-struck than he expected to be.
"A-ah… y-yeah, I am, it's me," he said, nodding awkwardly. "You're the Princess, aren't you? And that's the Blue Wolf… and the Dragon of the West with the Blind Bandit!"
"He's new," said Sokka, glancing at Azula sideways. "Not the same guy who dealt with us back in our last visit here."
"No, clearly not," said Azula, as the boy swallowed hard.
"You're here for the Pairs Tournament, of course! I'll inform that you're here, then, I… let me write it down first, yes… uh, what weapons will you be using? Though, wait, I should probably tell you the rules first? I, uh…"
Sokka chuckled before telling the boy which weapons he'd bring into the ring with him, and the boy wrote down them down quickly. He smiled at Sokka awkwardly before swallowing hard and dropping his gaze, somewhat embarrassed by his behavior. Next to him, his sister elbowed him in the ribs and whispered at him to calm down, which only prompted the boy to blush harder.
"Well, well, now that's out of the way, how about you tell us what those rules are?" Toph said, stepping forward, her arms folded over her chest. The boy found himself staring in disbelief at her sightless eyes before he shook his head and began answering.
"Uh, uh… welcome to the Pairs Tournament!" he exclaimed, still nervous. "As you know, it will take place here, in Ba Sing Se's own Arena, the Green Gates, during the next four days. There are sixteen pairs of fighters, and you guys are amongst them, of course… your fight is scheduled to happen after the two next ones. You can stay in a waiting room meanwhile, if you want."
"And… that's all?" asked Toph, raising an eyebrow.
"N-no, no, of course not," said the boy, gulping. "Each sponsor must pay an entrance fee of ten thousand yuans. The sponsors of the gladiators who win the Tournament will take all the collected money home, and a trophy as well."
Azula gulped, and Iroh smiled approvingly as he pulled out the money for his fee. Iroh finished paying the boy, yet Azula hadn't even made a move to pay her own fee.
"What's the matter?" Sokka asked her, raising an eyebrow.
"The matter would be that I have no money on me, as you already know," she said, simply, and Toph scowled.
"You're royalty and you're broke? That's absurd."
"I'm not broke, I had brought enough money with me on my Barge. I just didn't bring all of it with me after our sudden change of plans yesterday," she said, and Toph still looked at her judgmentally. Iroh merely chuckled.
"Ah, well, fortunately I can afford Azula's fee as well. It's the least I can do for her, she did bring us all the way here on her Barge," Iroh told Toph, as he paid the boy another ten thousand. Once the boy had placed the money in a safe, Iroh smiled kindly at him. "Anything else we should know?"
"Uh, yeah. Your first opponents will be Your Doom and Earth Bane…"
"Huh? Whose Doom?" asked Toph, with a skeptical smirk on her face. "And Earth Bane? Who the hell named these pricks?"
"W-well, I guess it was their sponsors, I mean… that's not important, is it?" said the boy, swallowing hard. "If you two were to defeat your opponents, you would earn the total points worth for both fighters. If you lost, you'd lose that same amount of points from your total score. The Tournament's fights will be registered in your record, too…"
"Seriously?" Toph muttered, her smile fading upon that. Sokka gulped at the sudden stern look on her face.
"The fights have set time limits of twenty minutes each," said the boy. "So whoever is in better shape by then will be awarded the win. Of course, knock-outs are allowed, but there are some conditions to it this time."
"Such as?" asked Azula, raising an eyebrow.
"Both rivals must be unconscious for the fight to be over," said the boy. "Just defeating one opponent won't do, because the remaining fighter just might be able to make a great comeback and win in the end."
"Sounds about right," said Toph, smiling again.
"Still, there is another rule about knock-outs," the boy stated. "It's somewhat unnecessary if you ask me, but it's a rule regardless: if a fighter were to knock out their own partner, the pair will be instantly disqualified from the tournament, and their opponents shall win the match."
"Well, that's a reli..." Sokka was saying, but Toph's indignant exclamation cut him off.
"WHAT?! Hey! That's ridiculous!"
"W-well, I think so too, nobody would take out their own ally..."
"That's not it! If I'd get instantly disqualified by knocking the Dog out...!"
"If so, what?" Azula growled, glaring at Toph angrily. The Blind Bandit fell silent upon the Princess's menacing tone.
"Oh, no... This won't be pretty," Iroh whispered to himself, gulping.
A few minutes later, Azula's question was answered once both gladiators and sponsors were in a waiting room. And the answer she got only served to enrage both her and Sokka.
"So, all along you were planning to do this?" Azula asked, glaring at Toph. "From the very start, you meant to knock Sokka out and fight by yourself?!"
"What's the big deal?" asked Toph, huffing. "Do you actually think he could do anything to help me win this fight? He's going to be totally useless!"
"Help YOU win this fight?" Sokka repeated, his fists clenched. "What part of 'Pairs Tournament' do you fail to understand, Toph?! A 'pair' is comprised by two people, you know?! The point is for us to cooperate in order to win this thing!"
"Oho, sure thing, cooperate," said Toph, sarcastically. "That sounds about right."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sokka grunted.
"You two agreed to join us in this event in hopes to win through Toph's prowess," Iroh muttered, sitting on a green armchair at the opposite end of the room from where the other three argued. "Or were we wrong to think so?"
"Wha...?! That's not it!" said Sokka, though he froze on his spot. That was it, though, wasn't it? Azula herself had said it. If the Blind Bandit was their ally, they were most likely to win.
"Mind you, if you believed Sokka and I were simply taking advantage of you two, why exactly did you ask me to join this Tournament, Uncle?" Azula snapped.
"Whatever he was thinking doesn't matter," said Toph, scowling. "Though I doubt he was thinking much anyways..."
"I didn't think it through indeed," said Iroh, sighing. "But I never believed you'd accept my proposal. When you did, it became apparent that you meant to use Toph's prowess as a steppingstone to climb your way through the ranking..."
"You're making it sound as if we'd gotten this far by chance..." grunted Sokka. "Mind you, I may not be some destructive, crazed and overpowered earthbender, but that doesn't mean you have the right to dispose of me just because you two think I'm weak! Especially considering we're supposed to work together here!"
"Yeah, 'work together' my ass," Toph snapped. "You're free to kid yourself by thinking we'd 'work together' but it's damn obvious who's going to win this Tournament for us. You, Dog, would've only gotten in my way whether you want to admit it or not."
"Well, that's too bad, then," said Azula, shrugging. "Because now you know you can't knock him out, whether he gets in your way or not. Ruining your victory streak mustn't be an appealing prospect for you, or is it?"
Toph shook her head and stepped away from them, unwilling to keep arguing, yet still stubborn enough to add:
"Doesn't mean I can't keep him out of my way somehow..."
Azula rolled her eyes while Sokka snarled at the girl. Toph walked up to Iroh, refusing to answer to anything the Princess and her gladiator said to her anymore.
"Well, seems like you were right, after all," Azula muttered, begrudgingly. "You'll be fighting three opponents instead of two, from the looks of it."
"This is preposterous," said Sokka, shaking his head. "I already had a bad feeling about this whole thing, but this is just ridiculous…"
"Indeed," said Azula, sighing. "I should have seen it coming. It's my Uncle, after all…"
"Well, truth to be told, I get the feeling Toph came up with this grand idea all by herself," said Sokka, frowning.
"Whoever came up with it isn't important, really," said Azula, sighing. "You'll be fighting in that sand pit regardless of who the mastermind was. Just make sure to keep your five senses in the fight, and don't take anything for granted. Try your best to stay conscious, and to knock out the other two if possible…"
"The other two? I'm sorry, but if she tries to take me out I sure as hell won't accept it without fighting back," said Sokka, frowning.
"And by doing so you'll only cause us pointless trouble" said Azula, looking at him sternly. "Defend yourself from her all you want, but actively fighting against her will only be counterproductive in the long run. Don't focus on fighting her. Get her off your case, try to defeat your actual rivals and make sure she doesn't grind your bones with rocks or something."
"Easier said than done," said Sokka, with a grimace. "Honestly, Azula… we really shouldn't have accepted this at all. I know you like the idea of earning a lot of points, but this is getting out of hand. It would have been safer if we'd just fought a random gladiator back home."
"Maybe," said Azula, dropping her gaze. She hadn't decided to do this solely because of the points, of course, but Sokka didn't know that. And she wasn't about to reveal that to him any time soon. "But it's too late now. We're here and we're already stuck in this mess, so we'll just have to make the most of it… whatever that means."
Sokka sighed in resignation, nodding weakly. Azula looked at him worriedly before placing a hand on his shoulder, at which he raised his eyes towards her, looking desperate.
"Just do what you do best," she muttered. "That's what matters most. Give this your best efforts, and show her just how wrong she was to underestimate you."
The helplessness in Sokka's eyes faded away as she spoke, as he found comfort and support in her words. Maybe this wouldn't go so badly. He had survived Toph in several occasions before, after all…
He nodded and gave Azula a determined smile, clasping her hand with his, his mind set in making her proud of him through the fight up ahead. He wouldn't lose, even against three rivals. Not when he knew she believed in him…
Sokka seemed reluctant to leave Azula when the staff member arrived to tell them their fight would begin shortly. Nevertheless, he bowed his head towards the Princess before taking off to the stand-by room, Toph treading after him. Azula breathed deeply before starting towards the sponsors' balcony and Iroh followed her, keeping what he hoped would be a safe distance from her.
"I only want you to know, Azula, that I never intended for matters to escalate this much…" said Iroh, once they entered the balcony, another area that sported the traditional green, yellow and white of Ba Sing Se. "Still, you cannot quite blame Toph for believing you only accepted my proposal because it was convenient…"
"And why else should I have accepted it, Uncle?" Azula asked, raising her eyebrows as she sank in one of the chairs that were designated for the sponsors. Their rival sponsors had yet to arrive. "Did you ask me to choose to join forces with you because you think we're family and we should get along? Why, it's such a remarkable effort coming from you, considering that, from the minute you joined the Gladiator Business, you did it in hopes to thwart me. Or will you deny that now, Uncle? You don't actually think I'd believe you if you did, do you?"
"Surely not," said Iroh, sitting next to her, his shoulders squared. "I didn't quite… I didn't quite think things through, Azula."
"No, clearly not," she said, frowning. "You're supposed to be a grand strategist, aren't you? The fact that you chose the Bandit for your gladiator says as much. So why did you make the blunder of asking me to join you? Did you think my pride would prevent me from doing so?"
"Your pride almost prevented you from doing so," said Iroh, dropping his gaze. "Azula… I wasn't truly interested in the Tournament. What I wanted was…"
"To visit Lu Ten's grave, surely," she muttered. "Yet for some reason I cannot fathom, you decided shopping was more important than that. For some reason, you decided your gladiator should knock out mine even though the Tournament hardly interests you. Don't you think you're being rather contradictory, Uncle?"
"I know everything looks murky to you," said Iroh, sighing. "But facing Lu Ten's grave isn't as easy as it may seem… I will do it, of course, but I need more time than I thought I would. Of course, you must think that makes no sense. I've had thirteen years already, how much longer would I possibly need? But I…"
Azula frowned and looked at Iroh. Her immediate thought was that he would be doing this to earn her sympathy… but she wasn't sure if his intentions mattered anymore. Iroh had to visit Lu Ten, regardless of whether he was trying to appeal to her softer side or not.
"You just have to do it," Azula said, shaking her head. "It will always be hard, Uncle, whether you do it today or tomorrow or in six years or in ten. It won't become easier… in fact, it'll only be harder. Delaying it will only make it worse."
"Most likely," said Iroh, sinking in the couch and sighing. "But doing this feels like… like acknowledging that I will never get him back."
Azula frowned and looked at Iroh in confusion.
"You expected to get him back? At this point in time, Uncle?" she asked.
Iroh sighed heavily again, closing his eyes before smiling weakly.
"After losing my wife, I told myself I would never lose another person I loved again," he said. "When Lu Ten died, I did everything I could to bring him back, to reach him. Still, no matter how hard I tried, it was impossible…"
"Tried what?" Azula asked, genuinely intrigued. "There's no way to bring someone back to life… is there?"
"Apparently not," said Iroh. "I… I sought Lu Ten's spirit, I searched for his soul for an entire year, but my search yielded no results."
Azula frowned. So all the rumors about her uncle taking a trip into the Spirit World seemed to be true, after all…
"Even so, I always thought that there might be something I had overlooked. Something I don't know about. Some secret method for me to speak with my son once more…" he said, before sighing in resignation. "But that would be ridiculous, wouldn't it?"
"Is this why you willingly traveled with Zuko for ten years?" asked Azula, frowning. "Either to have him fill the void left by Lu Ten's death… or to search through the world for means to bring back the dead? Perhaps both?"
The door to the balcony swung open then, and with that, Azula's questions went unanswered. A young, dark-haired teenager, around the age of the twins from the counters, entered the balcony, with a tall, burly man following him. Azula forced herself to stop thinking about her conversation with Iroh as she regarded the two arrivals.
"Greetings! You must be the Princess, aren't you? And you'd be the Princess's uncle!" said the teen, beaming and slumping in his seat. "Are you guys ready to witness Your Doom?"
Azula raised an eyebrow and looked at him skeptically, and he began laughing at her reaction.
"I assume you named him that way simply in hopes to make that joke?" she asked, and the teenager smiled and nodded.
"It cracks me up every time!"
"Do excuse my son, he is rather reckless and he often fails to think before speaking," said the older man, gulping before bowing at both Azula and Iroh. "It is an honor that our gladiators will be fighting against yours."
"Oh, it is our pleasure," said Iroh, smiling at the man.
"Dad, we should have bought something to eat on our way here, I'm starving," said the teen, and his father sighed, shaking his head before replying softly to him. Azula raised an eyebrow at the boy's request while Iroh smiled.
"It would not be such a bad idea, having a meal while watching the fight," Iroh told Azula.
"It would be rather unfair, if you ask me," said Azula. "Our gladiators would be beating each other up in the sand, struggling under a merciless sun while we sit in perfect comfort, eating sizzle crisps while the carnage unfolds below. Hardly seems adequate, don't you think?"
"W-well, it doesn't have to go as far as carnage," said Iroh, gulping.
"When it comes to your fighter, it's bound to," said Azula, frowning. Iroh sighed.
"I should have told her not to plan on knocking out the Blue Wolf," said Iroh. "I'm sorry for that, Azula."
"It makes no matter anymore," said Azula. "Nothing you do or say will change the outcome anymore, but your gladiator had best understand she cannot simply take out Sokka…"
"She won't do that. I believe not, at least," said Iroh, swallowing hard.
"If she cares about that record of hers, she shouldn't," replied Azula, frowning. "Though she shouldn't do it just because of that,"
Iroh looked at Azula guiltily, despite himself. Usually he could play his cards right when it came to Azula, but this time around, for the first time in his life, he felt as though he were on the wrong side of an argument with the Princess…
"Oh, it's starting!" the teen exclaimed, gazing down with excitement as the green doors from the stand-by room swung open.
Sokka breathed deeply, casting uncertain glances at the blind girl next to him. Toph seemed to be in a foul mood after discovering she couldn't simply knock Sokka unconscious, and she stepped forward with a frown on her face once the way was clear for them to enter the sand pit.
"Don't get in my way," she growled at Sokka.
Sokka rolled his eyes and kept up with her pace, his brow furrowed as well.
"Don't get in mine either," he snapped back.
The crowd cheered when they walked into the sand, but neither Azula nor Iroh found the tense gait of their gladiators reassuring. They both knew their fighters well enough to tell by body language alone that they were beyond reluctant to cooperate with each other.
"Now welcoming the gladiators who will take part in our fifth fight of the day!" exclaimed the megaphone man from Ba Sing Se. "Our first team is comprised by a pair that came all the way from Gaoling for this fight: Earth Bane and Your Doom!"
"G-Gao…?" Toph muttered, stiffening. Sokka frowned and looked at her warily for a moment before deciding not to inquire about whatever bothered her. It wasn't his problem, was it?
"And from the Grand Royal Dome, a pair sponsored by actual royals: the Blind Bandit and the Blue Wolf!"
"Hmmm… now I think of it, the Blind Bandit sounds familiar," muttered the teenager's father on the sponsors' balcony. "Not sure why, but it does. Have I ever fought against you before?"
"Aah… not that I know of, no," said Iroh, gulping. "Though I haven't always sponsored Toph myself, of course."
"Toph, you said?" repeated the teenager, surprised. "That name sort of sounds familiar too…"
"Surely you must be mistaking her for someone else," Iroh said quickly, smiling and turning towards the fight. "Oh, they're about to begin!"
The megaphone man counted down for the start of the battle, and Sokka readied himself, studying his opponents intently. One of them looked incredibly brutish, his head was bald and he looked filthy in those worn-out red rags he wore. By his choice of clothing, Sokka assumed he was a firebender. The other fighter had long black hair, sunken eyes and was remarkably tall.
"START!"
Sokka jumped away immediately when the black haired one, Your Doom, lifted his arms brusquely, procuring an array of sand that shot towards where Sokka and Toph stood.
Yet even though Sokka had been so wary, Toph scarcely reacted other than by turning on her heels and avoiding the attack almost effortlessly. Her feet sank into sand, and she solidified the grains into rocks in order to steady herself. She lifted her arms swiftly, and, before they knew it, her opponents had sank to their waists in the sand.
"That's not very nice, you know?" she said, sighing. "Shooting sand at me like that… you weren't actually trying to hit me, were you? Because either your aim is terrible, or you think I can't take you… and I'm not sure which option annoys me more. Here I thought you'd be a decent earthbender."
Your Doom scowled, struggling to release himself from the sand trap, but Earth Bane laughed sadistically next to him. Toph frowned.
"Your petty dirt ain't gonna stop me!" he exclaimed, and to both Sokka and Toph's utter disbelief, the man arched himself down… and dug his teeth into the sand.
"W-what the hell are you trying to…?" said Toph, disgusted.
Earth Bane took a mouthful of sand into his mouth before roaring fire towards Toph. The flames were accompanied by scorched rocks and sand, which posed an actual peril for the earthbender this time. Toph was left with no choice but creating a sand wall to protect herself from the attack. She lost her control over the sand she had been using to keep Earth Bane and Your Doom in place, and Your Doom soon bent himself and his partner out of the holes they had been in.
Sokka darted forward then, his sword at the ready, racing past Toph's wall so quickly that the Blind Bandit was surprised when she sensed his movements. Sokka targeted the earthbender first, his thoughts set on defeating his opponents one at a time…
Yet he didn't quite register he would be attacked by both gladiators at once. He felt quite stupid when he realized that was the logical way of fighting in a Pairs Tournament. Why would these two fight individually when they could do it together?
Your Doom flung another array of sand at Sokka, which effectively stopped him on his tracks. Sokka could only berate himself for not jumping out of the way on time when the sand slammed against his armor. On top of it all, he had instinctively closed his eyes to avoid getting sand in them, which left him open for another attack from Earth Bane, who kicked a flurry of fire towards Sokka.
Fortunately, the Blue Wolf happened to jump out of the sand stream's way just then… yet the blazes still caught his clothes, forcing him to roll on the ground to stifle them. It was no easy task, not when Earth Bane did everything he could to spike the flames, intending to burn Sokka.
Yet Earth Bane soon had to leave Sokka alone when a boulder flew straight to his stomach, rendering him breathless and diminishing his control over his fire. Toph had brought down her wall and attacked the firebender with a nearby rock, forcing him to recoil and gasp for breath.
"Thanks for being a distraction, Dog!" Toph snickered, before launching herself into an all-out earthbending combat with Your Doom.
The flames that had danced on Sokka's clothes finally faltered, and he stood up with a start, wary of any potential attacks. He was relieved when he found Earth Bane was lying on the ground, coughing, and his relief increased when he watched Your Doom struggling to match Toph's bending skills. All the people who could kill him seemed to be busy or out of the way… momentarily, of course. He had to do something before they remembered he was there.
He placed Space Sword in its scabbard again, for it probably wouldn't be much help right now, and he withdrew his boomerang instead, throwing it at Earth Bane. Earth Bane roared and cursed when the weapon tore through his clothes and lodged on his shoulder, and albeit the wound it left upon it was rather shallow, it still was strong enough to spill the fighter's blood on the white sand.
Sokka grimaced when Earth Bane took the boomerang with one hand and tossed it randomly into the air, accompanied with a blast of fire. And the weapon just so happened to wind up in the middle of Toph's wild earthbending exchange with Your Doom…
Toph flinched when she sensed there was something unbendable within the rocks and sand they had been bending. Yet she couldn't see what it was… while Your Doom could. And he took his chance to throw a rock at the boomerang in a very specific angle. Upon Your Doom's strike, the weapon flew towards Toph and, since she couldn't bend it, let alone sense it, the boomerang struck her by its edge on the top of her head.
"OW!" Toph exclaimed, and Sokka couldn't help but feel somewhat proud to see his boomerang had damaged the girl yet again… but his pride damped quickly when he remembered she was supposed to be his teammate this time.
Her momentary distraction almost allowed Your Doom to get the better of her, but the earthbender failed to anticipate what an angry Blind Bandit would resort to.
Sokka had never given much thought to what sort of tantrums a girl like this one could throw… until now. He swallowed hard as she suddenly began stomping on the ground, her arms stretching out and flexing, her fingers moving as though they were dancing…
And it would have been quite a sight to behold if only she hadn't been bending everything within the sand pit with her movements. The ring roared with the sound of the earth rumbling underneath it, and the people in the public squealed, panicking as they feared the Blind Bandit would bring an earthquake upon them. Yet the only ones who had true reasons for concern were the three men within the fighting area.
Arrays of condensed sand shot upwards where each of them stood, tossing them all into the air at once. Rocks and more sand shot back and forth, smacking and hurting every one of them. Your Doom attempted to bend the earth somehow, but doing so while in midair proved impossible. Earth Bane recurred at taking another mouthful of sand and shooting burning earth back at Toph, but the Blind Bandit wouldn't fall for the same trick twice; with a flick of her hand she conjured a solidified stream of sand that defended her from the attack. And in the mean time, she continued to use sandbending to toss the three men into the air as though she were juggling them.
"None of you, NONE OF YOU, is going to mess with me, got it?!" she shouted, angrily. A trickle of blood was spilling down her face, its source the wound Sokka's boomerang had inflicted upon her.
"Stop it, Toph!" Sokka shouted, and she decided to shut him up by striking him on the head with a rock.
"I told you to stay out of my way, idiot!" she shouted before focusing on her actual opponents.
Sokka spun in midair before falling flatly on his back. The world seemed to go round and round after what Toph had done. His gaze was lost in the Arena's open ceiling, and he wondered if he was seeing double or if all the clouds had exact copies floating right next to them…
Azula gasped upon the attack Sokka had sustained, a hand flying to her mouth and the other clawing at her armchair, while Iroh grimaced next to her. Had Toph knocked her partner out? Because if she had, they were done for…
Sokka raised a hand, attempting to push himself up even though he was having a hard time telling which way that was. The megaphone man had been about to declare Your Doom and Earth Bane as winners after seeing Sokka take the rock to the head, but he decided to hold his judgment, wondering if the Blue Wolf would find his bearings after all.
"D-damn it…" Sokka muttered, forcing himself to his feet and stumbling in the process. Everything felt hazy, but he could still fight, somehow… right?
Toph carried on with her intense earthbending trap until she decided she had dragged this out too much. With a quick movement, she bent the sand around both Your Doom and Earth Bane, causing them to fly straight towards where the other was. The two fighters collided headfirst against the other and fell with a loud thump on the finally still ground, groaning and whining. Toph proceeded to touch the top of her head, irritated when she felt the liquid sticking to her palm.
"That stupid thing… it's the last time I'll let it get me, fuck it," she growled, irritated. "You two, still alive?!"
The gladiators didn't respond, but Your Doom suddenly stuck his hand in the sand, solidifying it around Toph's feet and pushing it backwards in order to trip her. The man bolted to his feet again after that, and his companion shot an array of fire at Toph… but they didn't expect her to take advantage of being tripped. She extended her arms and used them to propel herself upwards thanks to her bending. The flames cast by Earth Bane tore apart the sand Toph had used to fling herself into the air, yet it made no difference. She kicked the solid earth around her feet straight towards Earth Bane, striking him in the stomach again, and she landed on her two feet without an issue.
Your Doom tried to shoot one of the Arena's large rocks at Toph now, but she spread her legs, taking a strong stance before overpowering her opponent. She took control of the rock and cast it towards Your Doom, who jumped back. And it would have been the perfect opportunity for Toph to finish him off while he was struggling to keep his balance…
But when she tried to move next, an unpleasant thrill coursed through her body, starting right below her navel. Her eyes widened, despite not being capable of seeing anything, and her lips curled into a grimace as a hand flew towards where the irritating feeling had been born at.
"Uh-oh," said Iroh, the grimace on his face a perfect mirror of the one on his gladiator's.
"What is it? What's the matter with her, Uncle?" Azula asked.
"I fear… it's what you said yesterday," he said, gulping. "I think…"
"I've got to pee," Toph muttered, horrified by facing the consequences of drinking too much tea in the least appropriate moment.
Your Doom and Earth Bane seemed startled upon the girl's confession, but they both took the revelation much better than Toph had, launching attacks on her now that she seemingly was in no fit condition to fight. The girl grimaced and avoided the attacks, hoping to use mostly her arms to avoid twisting her body in ways that would cause her trouble… but it was hopeless. It didn't help either that the sensation was messing with her senses, for she could hardly focus on her surroundings when all she could think about was running to a bathroom right away.
Sokka was finally feeling steadier, probably because Toph wasn't shaking the Arena around anymore… which he couldn't quite understand. Why had she stopped dominating the Arena so ruthlessly?
He decided he'd find out after recovering his boomerang, which had been halfway through sinking in the loose sand Toph had bent. Sokka was busy cleansing it from the blood, his mind only capable of fitting a single idea at a time, when his fighting partner suddenly flew past him, to his utter surprise.
Toph had thrown herself back to evade the fire blasts and flaming chucks of rocks Earth Bane was tossing at her. Against her better judgment, she stomped hard on the ground – she gritted her teeth when her bladder sent a shot of pain through her body – and she moved her hands forward, sending two rocks towards her opponents, but the earthbender tore the rock in two, and the firebender simply evaded the attack.
They both lunged at Toph at once, knowing they could succeed in attacking her now. If they took her out, the battle would be as good as won for them…
Or it would have been, if they had only noticed the boomerang that was coursing straight towards them.
The weapon struck Earth Bane on the temple at full power, and his eyes rolled back as he collapsed. The boomerang rebounded on Your Doom's neck, leaving a dangerous cut across it. The earthbender shouted in pain and lifted his eyes, glaring at the Blue Wolf, who was running towards him, Space Sword in hand again.
Your Doom attempted to throw a rock at Sokka, but the wound on his neck made it hard for him to react properly. Sokka himself wasn't in his finest state either, but he could still make it past the rocks that Your Doom hoped to finish him off with.
In normal circumstances, Sokka might have leapt into the air and finished his opponent off with a grand strike. This time he simply tore through the rocks Your Doom sent towards him and slashed at his opponent with his sword. Your Doom bent backwards to avoid being struck, which prompted him to topple and fall over… and Sokka kneed him on the nose now. The earthbender writhed on the ground briefly, but he soon blacked out upon the pain produced by the last attack.
Sokka didn't quite process he had delivered the finishing blow against both fighters. He blinked blankly for an instant, falling sideways right in front of his boomerang as he rubbed the huge bump that Toph's rock had left on his head.
"This wasn't a good idea. Nope. Nope, it wasn't," he said, picking up his weapon and sighing while his ears failed to register the fact that the crowd was cheering over their grand triumph.
"The winners are the Blind Bandit and the Blue Wolf!" shouted the megaphone man, and Sokka frowned before realizing the fight really had been won after all.
"It's… over?" he muttered, turning towards where he had last seen his partner… who was already racing past the green doors of the nearest stand-by room, in hopes to find a restroom as quickly as possible. "It's over. It really is"
Sokka continued to rub his bump and he stood up as the medical staff filed into the Arena, picking up the unconscious gladiators and dragging them away. Up on the sponsors' balcony, Azula sighed in relief, sinking in her chair and feeling her tension receding for the first time ever since their trip had begun. Iroh, next to her, stared at Sokka in disbelief.
"Your fighter has improved greatly…" he muttered, smiling at Azula. "Although it doesn't seem our gladiators know how to work together just yet, I'll say."
"What could you expect other than that?" replied Azula. "They've never worked together before… it's a wonder that they managed to win."
"Drat, out in the first round!" the teenager complained. "That's disappointing."
"Ah, what can you do," said his father, patting him on the shoulder. "Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. That's life."
"Yeah, I guess," said the boy, jumping off his chair and turning towards Azula and Iroh with a smile on his face. "It was a cool fight! Weird and crazy, but cool! I'll be rooting for you two for the rest of the Tournament!"
"Why, thank you," said Iroh, smiling. "That is very kind of you."
"It was a pleasure to be your opponents," said the father, bowing down before Iroh and Azula. He placed a hand on his son's shoulder and prompted him to head outside. "Let's get the food you wanted now, shall we?"
"After we check on My Doom, sure thing!"
With that, the two were gone, leaving behind the two royals. Iroh watched them leave, a smile on his face, before glancing at Azula sideways. It seemed the Princess was still trying to process what had happened, to the point where she couldn't even boast about her gladiator's great deed… the look on her face suggested she was too worried about his wellbeing to brag about how he'd saved their run in the tournament.
"Well, the fight had the right outcome for us, somehow," said Iroh, standing up and smiling at Azula. "We should check on our gladiators now, Azula."
"Right," she said, nodding and standing up.
They headed towards the waiting rooms again, finding the one Sokka was in after trying a couple of doors. Azula couldn't hold back a smile, despite knowing he wasn't in good shape at the moment. The gladiator raised his head when he heard her enter the room, recognizing her footsteps instantly.
"Do not move, please!" exclaimed the physician tending to him, pressing a bag of ice to the bump on Sokka's head.
"Well, you look dreadful," said Azula, smiling at him weakly as she approached, Iroh lingering behind her, looking for his fighter with his gaze, yet failing to locate Toph in the room. "But you did it in the end, huh?"
"I don't think I know what I did," said Sokka, but he responded with a smile too. "Good to see you again."
"You make it sound as if I'd been gone for ages," she said, raising an inquisitive eyebrow. Sokka's smile just became goofier as he laughed weakly.
"Okay, okay, I'm here now… Sorry, but I really had to hit the bathroom," Toph said, entering the room after Iroh, who turned around, startled.
"Toph! Here you were," he said, looking at her worriedly.
"And here's the one who gave me one too many cups of tea, eh?" said Toph, raising an eyebrow, at which Iroh smiled guiltily.
"I never expected tea to produce such a crisis on the battlefield," Iroh admitted, swallowing hard. "We were very lucky the Blue Wolf managed to secure the triumph despite what happened to you. How is your head?"
"Heck, I haven't got a clue, but I suppose it's not that bad," she said, shrugging as the other physician in the room rushed towards her. "Else I would have blacked out or died, huh?"
"Sorry about that," said Sokka, sighing. "I wasn't trying to hit you with my boomerang."
"Yeah, I guess not," Toph replied, taking a seat while the physician began to examine her. "Sorry I tried to knock you out with that rock, too. I acknowledge it, I really shouldn't have done that. I'm glad you didn't end up unconscious, though. You pretty much saved the day with what you did, Dog."
"I suppose I did," said Sokka, blinking blankly. "I'm not so useless anymore, am I?"
"I guess not," Toph admitted. "If I'd knocked you out, we would have flat-out lost the fight. So, see, it's a good thing you're such a blockhead after all, huh?"
"Very funny," he said, rolling his eyes as the girl chuckled.
"I'll need help here, she's going to need a few stitches" said the physician dealing with Toph, gesturing at his companion to help him.
"U-uh, but…" said the one who was pressing the ice to Sokka's bump.
"Go on, I can take care of this," Azula said, gesturing at the physician to help his partner. She took the ice pack, and the medic gaped at her, surprised, before moving towards the Blind Bandit.
"Well, this ought to make you smarter. It looks like you're popping out a second head," Azula said, looking at the large bump on Sokka's head and smiling before placing the ice on it again. Sokka flinched when the ice touched his skin.
"Yeah, but I'll only get smarter if the new head is equipped with an extra brain," he said, with a weak laugh of his own. It felt incredibly comforting for Azula to help him heal like this…
"So you're going to stay as stupid as you are? And here I was hoping it'd be an improvement," Azula sighed, and Sokka chuckled.
"If anything, I think the impact from the rock must have damaged my brain all over again. I don't even know how I'm still functional right now…"
"Well, we should be glad you are," said Azula. "Seems like the Bandit is right, being a blockhead finally worked in your favor."
Sokka smiled and sighed happily, and Azula actually felt content as well, for the first time since the day she had decided on joining this Tournament.
And Iroh watched the two of them curiously for a moment, surprised by how they were behaving now. During their trip he had believed they didn't get along at all, for more often than not he would find Azula in a foul mood while around her gladiator… but now he wondered if perhaps he had misjudged their relationship.
Watching Azula get along with someone else was a bigger surprise for her uncle than he expected it to be. He couldn't quite recall having witnessed her showing any kindness to anyone before. Ultimately, he wasn't sure which question he ought to be asking himself: had he misjudged their relationship… or had he misjudged her?
Toph and Sokka were kept under observation for several hours, since their wounds had been more severe than usual. The physicians allowed them to leave eventually, and once they were free to go, the four of them took off to the train station yet again.
Soon enough, the team had boarded the train, back towards the Lower Ring, yet this time around they chose to sit together at the same bench. Toph had talked with Iroh for a little while, complaining about her bandaged head, before drifting to sleep on her sponsor's shoulder. Iroh had followed her lead, his head tilting back as his mouth fell open and he began snoring. It wasn't a very busy hour by the time they boarded the train, and the wagon they were in, the very last one of the train, was empty save for them through most the trip.
"So, this is what you put up with through the night," said Azula, as Iroh's snores filled the cabin. "No wonder you couldn't sleep at all."
"You and I should have shared rooms instead," said Sokka, flinching when Iroh gave one of his loud snorts. "See? Toph has no problem sleeping despite his noise."
"And I'm sure you would have had no problem sleeping with me either," Azula said, deliberately wording her sentence suggestively. When Sokka blushed, she smiled. "Well, seems like the wound doesn't keep the blood from rushing to your head. That should be a good sign."
"I suppose it is," he replied, smiling as well before sighing. "Sorry if I worried you down there. I guess after all the experience I've got I shouldn't make you worry about me anymore…"
"Whoever said I was worried about you?" Azula retorted harshly, and Sokka winced.
"W-well, I… I just thought…" he mumbled before she smiled at him again.
"No need to mumble randomly," she said, her voice unusually gentle. "I'm quite surprised to find you're fine. That rock to the head would have broken anyone else's skull."
"Probably," said Sokka, smiling as well. "Still… it went well in the end, somehow. I don't know how I managed to knock those two out, really…"
"You'll have to be more careful tomorrow, though," said Azula, frowning. "You won't have a couple of weeks to recover from the wounds you sustained. Both you and the Bandit need to reach the end of this Tournament in your best possible shape… or, well, in the best possible shape you can muster after this mess of a fight"
"Which might be impossible if we keep fighting against each other through the Tournament," said Sokka, sighing. "Still, she apologized back there. Maybe… maybe she doesn't mean to keep fighting against me from here on. I mean, I did save us from getting disqualified. Those guys were definitely going to take advantage of how badly she needed a potty break…"
Azula couldn't help but chuckle at his words. Sokka blushed again and scowled at her.
"What? You think potty breaks are funny?"
"You do realize how ridiculous it sounds for a fully-grown man such as yourself to talk about 'potty breaks', don't you?" she asked, looking at him inquisitively, and Sokka rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, well, at least I'm not being crude about it. You should be grateful for that!" he exclaimed, but his excuses only served to make her laugh again.
Sokka couldn't help but smile as well, though, by watching her laugh. It almost felt as though their latest row hadn't even happened. Seeing a cheerful smile on her face instead of tension and displeasure was the best reward he could have asked for after winning that fight.
"Oh, what matters is that we survived the first round," said Azula, once she stopped laughing. "Let's hope the next fights end in the best possible way as well."
"Yeah… though I'm seriously exhausted," said Sokka, sighing and leaning back on the seat, his eyes closed.
Azula gazed up at him before allowing her eyes to travel down his body, finding his right hand was placed on his lap. Yesterday she had rejected his touch blatantly, but now she felt rather differently about the idea of joining their hands together. She still worried over what would happen once they returned to the Fire Nation… but being unkind to him wasn't bound to help her case. If anything, her abrasiveness might just compel him to leave her as soon as he discovered Kyoshi's Heir was safe. Perhaps by not pushing him away so harshly he might not feel the urge to run off with another woman…
Sokka had known he wouldn't get any sleep, for Iroh's snores were still as annoying as they had been during the night. Yet he didn't expect something else to keep him awake.
His eyes opened immediately when he felt Azula's hand atop his. He glanced down momentarily, finding she was attempting to link her fingers with his, as she had several times before. He was more than happy to help her achieve her goal, naturally, and he smiled weakly at her as he felt his chest aching again, yet not in the way it had when she had rejected him. Now it ached for the exact opposite reason of why it had back then…
He ran his thumb over hers, and Azula released a trembling breath when she felt Sokka's hand close around her own…
Yet their contact disengaged quickly when a ridiculously loud snort came from Iroh's direction, startling both of them. They had almost forgotten they weren't entirely alone in the wagon. Azula took a deep breath and crossed her arms over her chest, berating herself internally for her thoughtlessness, but Sokka simply smiled and closed his eyes again. Maybe that hadn't lasted long, but it had been a start, at the very least.
Neither Iroh nor Toph gave any sign of having noticed the subtle exchange between Azula and Sokka once they woke up, something that helped ease Azula's mind as they disembarked the train and headed to the inn. The last thing she needed, now that she finally felt better about this Tournament, would have been for her uncle or his gladiator to pry into her relationship with Sokka.
As soon as they arrived in the establishment again, Iroh requested to rent the rooms for a second night and they also ordered their meals. Sokka and Toph devoured their food quite ravenously; Azula figured their raging appetites were as good a sign as Sokka's blush earlier.
"Woah, I sure as hell needed that," said Toph, sighing and dropping back on her wooden chair, a hand on her stomach.
"Make sure not to drink so much tea this time, though," said Azula, raising her eyebrows. Toph chuckled a bit.
"Don't fret, Jewel. Next time I'll go to the bathroom before jumping into the ring, to avoid these sort of mishaps," she said, smiling.
"I hope so," Azula replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "And I also hope we've all learned our respective lessons today."
"Other than going to the bathroom before starting a fight?" asked Sokka, sarcastically, and Toph punched his shoulder.
"Yeah, yeah, that's going to get old soon enough, you know?" she barked at him, as he kept laughing. "And yeah, Princess, I got it. Even if your Dog feels kinda useless, he actually wasn't. Joining forces with him may not have been as bad an idea as I thought it would be."
"So… this means we will be cooperating properly from here on out?" Sokka asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Yeah, but only when you're not being annoying," Toph said, and Azula let out a sarcastic laugh.
"Then I'm sure she won't be cooperating with you at all," she told Sokka, which prompted him to glare at her while Toph laughed.
"Hey!" he exclaimed, and Azula responded by smirking maliciously.
Iroh smiled as he watched the exchange, somehow feeling he had a better grasp of the relationship between his niece and her slave. It definitely wasn't half as awful as he had originally thought it was.
"I believe we all had our faults when it came to all our hasty decision-making about this Tournament," said Iroh, breathing deeply. "But we can move past them. I'm sure the two of you will make a wonderful team once we all set aside our reservations towards one another."
"Yeah, I think so too," said Sokka, nodding. "I mean, if we actually won today and we were such a disaster, we'll wipe the floor with the next guys if we work together properly tomorrow."
"And you'd better work properly tomorrow," said Azula. "We can't afford losing fights in an event like this one, and I'd very much like it if we could dine in the Palace tomorrow instead of here…"
"Why are we still here, anyways?" Sokka asked, raising an eyebrow. "We could have just…"
He fell quiet when he remembered why they had wound up in the Lower Ring in the first place. It was quite curious that all four of them knew what Iroh had to do, yet they weren't willing to talk about it openly.
"I will be back in a moment," Iroh said then, smiling gently and standing up.
Azula and Sokka watched him leave, somewhat worried, yet Toph put their concerns at ease quite easily.
"He didn't leave the inn, he just went upstairs," she told them, shrugging the matter off as though it weren't too important.
They remained quiet for the time being, and soon enough Iroh returned, carrying a basket with him. Azula frowned when the man pulled out a bag of clay and placed it in front of Toph, who leapt excitedly upon finally having her promised gift.
"Yeah! Thanks, Iroh!" she exclaimed happily, while Iroh beamed.
"I also have these," said Iroh, handing a couple of hardened clay figurines to Sokka and Azula, one shaped as a dragon, the other shaped as a wolf. "They made them upon my request. I figure it'll make a better present than the doll from all those years ago, won't it, Azula?"
Azula raised an eyebrow while Sokka stared at his wolf with interest, quite intrigued by the careful carving.
"Why, indeed, it is better," said the Princess, analyzing the dragon carefully. "Though this dragon has wings…"
"Say… Azula," Iroh said, interrupting her admiration of the figure. "I would like to ask something from you."
"And what is that?" she replied, looking at him with curiosity.
"Would you come with me?"
He didn't need to say where, for she already knew… but that he would request her company baffled her regardless. Azula stared at Iroh in disbelief for a moment before dropping her gaze and, without knowing if she was following her better judgment or not, she simply nodded. Iroh smiled gladly, almost having expected his niece to blatantly refuse to accompany him.
Sokka watched them, surprised, while Toph played with the clay in her hand, bending it into different shapes at will. She continued to do that while Azula and Iroh readied themselves for their short trip, and she even carried on doing it once the other two were gone.
"I wonder when they'll be back," Sokka muttered, thoughtfully, still seating at the table next to Toph.
"When they're done with what they're up to, obviously," said Toph, shrugging. "I wouldn't worry much about them… though well, I'm not head over heels over my sponsor, so what I'd do really isn't what you'll do, is it?"
Sokka froze upon Toph's accusation, not just because of what she had said but because of how simply she had said it, as though she were merely commenting on the quality of their meal. He stared at her, aghast, while she continued to play with the clay.
"I-I-I… what did you just say?!"
"That I wouldn't do the same things you do because I'm not in love with my sponsor, is what," said Toph, now smirking cruelly. "Come on, Sokka. You really think you can fool me? Just by being near her your heart starts beating faster, and when she talks to you it beats even faster, and if you keep going at that rate, I'm pretty sure you'd end up having a seizure if she so much as touched you…"
"That's ridiculous," said Sokka, angrily, while Toph chuckled. "I… I haven't wound up with seizures because of her touch! That much should be obvious!"
"Well, true, she did put the ice to your head and you're still fine, but you did get ridiculously excited about that," said Toph, raising an eyebrow. "If you're trying to convince me you're not totally in love with her, hell, the evidence really is against you."
"I'm not… it's really none of your business whatever I might feel for her, you know?!" Sokka exclaimed, embarrassed, and Toph laughed again. "It's not funny!"
"It kind of is, though," she said, smiling now. "You're acting like a ten-year-old with his first crush, really. Not that I'd know much about how a ten-year-old with a first crush acts like, but you hear things anyways."
"Why wouldn't you know? You didn't have many friends while growing up?" asked Sokka, surprised.
"Eh… actually, I didn't," said Toph, shrugging the matter off. "Still, I'm pretty sure they'd act like you're acting now. Come on, you don't have to be so dumb as to cover up for that. It's pretty obvious you're crushing real hard on her. I can see it, and I can't even see!"
That last argument was the final stretch Toph needed to go to before Sokka finally surrendered. He dropped back on his chair and sighed loudly.
"Well… it really doesn't matter whether I'm crushing on her or not," he muttered, somewhat bitterly. "It makes no difference in the long run, because no matter what I feel for her, she can't be with me. I've already pushed my luck too far as it is,"
"Oh? Have you, now? Gotten a bit too friendly with the Princess, Dog?" Toph asked, raising an eyebrow. "I sure hope not. From what I've heard, the Fire Nation has some pretty high purity standards…"
"It does, which is exactly why I haven't gotten 'too friendly' with her," he muttered, sighing.
"Heh, so if that weren't stopping you, you would've gone for it," said Toph, at which Sokka blushed, hardly even realizing what he had just said. "You're one daring guy, I'll give you that. Yet you've got some guts to restrain yourself as you have so far. Not any guy would hold back if the Princess offered to spread her legs for him."
"W-wha-…?! S-she hasn't offered to do that!" Sokka exclaimed, blushing even harder.
"Hell, now that's a shocker! I was just kidding with that, but you're lying! I can tell you're lying!" Toph laughed, dropping the clay on the table while Sokka still sought to deny her accusations.
"Hell, no! She hasn't…! Not at all, you've got it all wrong!" he continued denying, but neither his mind nor his body would stop betraying him. The blood rushed through him hastily as he became more nervous, his head overflowing with memories of that one night in Ember Island…
And as Toph continued to tease Sokka over his close relationship with Azula, the Princess climbed the way up to Lu Ten's hill along with her uncle. It was a steep hill, yet reaching the top of it posed no issue for either firebender.
Azula didn't speak as Iroh prepared a small shrine at the foot of the tree. She watched him pull a piece of cloth out of his basket, and afterwards different fruits as well. Was this what he had been buying at the market yesterday, then? So maybe he had been thinking about Lu Ten, after all…
Azula's breath caught in her throat when Iroh also brought forth a painting of his son. He placed it on the cloth, right atop the stones that marked Lu Ten's grave. He lit two sticks of incense and placed them before the painting as well. And after taking a deep breath, Iroh finally addressed his son.
"I'm sorry I took so long," he muttered, smiling weakly. "I know I should have been here sooner, my son. I wish I had been, too. And there are many things I wish for indeed… but most of them cannot come true anymore."
After that, Iroh took another deep breath. Azula watched him intently, eager to hear whatever he might say next.
"There are one too many things I should apologize for, Lu Ten," he said, dropping his head "If only I could have helped you, I would have. But I was too late, and for that I'm sorry. I was too busy, and for that I'm sorry, too. I was blind to many truths, and for that I'm sorry yet again. And I didn't know how to atone for my mistakes after losing you… so I sought your spirit, I tried to find you, even though I knew you were gone. And… and even to this day, I cannot believe you truly are gone, Lu Ten. Still… it is time to let your memory go, isn't it? It is why I'm here, after all…"
When Azula saw his shoulders shake softly, she turned around, her back towards the tree. She hadn't wanted anyone to see her cry at Lu Ten's grave when she first came here, after all. Surely Iroh needed privacy, even when he had asked her to come with him…
"I love you, Lu Ten," he said, smiling despite the tears dropping from his eyes. "And I do hope I will meet you again in my next life. You will always be my son, even if I wasn't worthy of as wonderful a son as you."
Azula's eyes widened when she heard Iroh sing. Her hands balled into fists as she tried to keep from being affected by her uncle's song. She had heard it as a young girl, she was sure of it… who had sung it? She couldn't quite remember. Yet she couldn't keep from reciting the lyrics in her mind as Iroh sung aloud.
"Little soldier boy, come marching home.
Brave soldier boy, come marching home"
Azula took a deep breath once Iroh had finished his song. This had been much more difficult than she had expected it to be. Iroh hadn't quite apologized for what she had expected him to… yet it was clear he felt no shortage of remorse for the death of his son. And despite how much she disliked Iroh, and how disappointed she had been upon his abandonment of the Siege when Lu Ten died, Azula actually felt this was enough for now. The man carried enough sadness within himself as it was.
It wasn't until then that she finally found something she could do. Up until then, she had been wondering if her company had made any difference at all… but if she wanted to make a difference at all, there was no better time for it than now.
Azula stepped towards him and knelt by her uncle's side, a hand on his back. Iroh sniffed, wiping the tears from his face with the back of his hand.
"I'm sure he… he'd be happy you came here even after all this time," Azula muttered, not knowing if her words would be any use or not. She had no experience comforting people. "You can come by again before we leave the city, if you want to. But for now, I think… it would be best if we returned to the inn."
Iroh actually smiled at her and nodded, and for once, Azula didn't feel as though his gesture had any ulterior meanings, any secret intentions she had to unravel. For the first time in her life, she truly felt as though he were her uncle, as though he saw her as his niece. For once, she felt as though they were family…
"Just…" said Iroh, placing a hand on Azula's shoulder. "Just a little longer, can we…?"
Despite herself, Azula sighed and nodded, and Iroh smiled again.
"You two always got along, didn't you?" he said, chuckling. "Even though you and I have never been on good terms, Azula… you were with Lu Ten."
"Lu Ten was always different from the rest of us," Azula muttered. "You, me, my father, Zuko… we're always judging, always thinking too much, looking too deeply into what is actually just shallow. Lu Ten wasn't like that… he was kind, and he accepted others as they were. He truly was one of the best men I've ever known."
"Indeed, he was," said Iroh, nodding as more tears slipped through his eyelids. "Indeed, he was."
The incense continued to burn as dusk passed them by. And despite knowing they had to go back to the inn soon, being with Lu Ten right now seemed to matter much more than anything else. And thus they remained on their spots, their eyes still gazing at Lu Ten's painting, bonding as uncle and niece for the first time ever by mourning a family member they both had loved dearly.