Gladiator

by Seyary-Minamoto

In a world where the Avatar wasn't found, the Fire Nation took over two nations and they strive to overcome the last one. Water Tribe warrior Sokka seeks to fight for his people's rights, but he's captured by his enemies. His life is no longer in his hands as he fights as a Gladiator, and his fate will eventually depend on the Fire Nation Princess, who needs him for her own ends...

80. Chapter 80: Pairs Tournament 9

Sokka spent the rest of the day grumbling under his breath. He shot pouty glares at Azula once in a while, and she only responded with smirks and raised eyebrows. He averted his gaze every single time, still muttering bitter words about how dislikeable Jet was, and how he didn't understand why Azula couldn't see that. Azula's amusement only increased when she figured out some of what he was saying, and even when he skulked to his room in the Palace after dinner, his hands in his pockets after one last irritable glance, the Princess couldn't stop smirking.

"Seems like you hit him where it hurts, huh?" said Toph, raising her eyebrows as she followed Azula down the hall, when dinner was over.

"Indeed," said Azula, smiling. "He's too proud for his own good."

"The same could be said about you, though," said Toph, smirking.

"And you," Azula replied, giving her a meaningful look. Toph beamed.

"Yeah, true enough," said Toph. "It's weird that the three of us have managed to get along so well the past few days despite our pride, eh?"

"I'd blame it on the stressful situation and on that alone," said Azula. "Circumstances of the sort can bring people together in unexpected ways."

"Sounds like you know a lot about that, huh?" said Toph, smirking.

Azula frowned and glared at the girl as they neared Azula's bedroom in this Palace. Whatever Toph was implying, it sure didn't sound good.

"And what do you mean by that, Bandit?" Azula muttered under her breath, and Toph chuckled.

"C'mon, why so grouchy, Spicy?" said Toph, smiling. "You know I know all about how you two…"

With a swift movement, Azula covered Toph's mouth before tossing her into the bedroom. The earthbender was stunned by the Princess's bold actions, and she was even more bewildered when Azula shut the door behind them brusquely.

"Woah, what the hell are you trying to pull on me, Jewel? I was just teasing you, no need to react like this!" Toph said, grimacing.

"I wouldn't have, if only you had enough common sense not to talk at leisure about things you shouldn't," Azula snapped, glaring at Toph. "This is Ba Sing Se's Palace, in case you didn't realize it."

"Well, I do realize it but it's not like there are ears on the walls, are there?" said Toph, smirking. "If you were worried someone might have heard us, you can relax. I can sense if people are nearby, Jewel, and they're not. So I'm free to tease you all I want about how you and Sokka totally have the hots for one another!"

"You're just…" said Azula, huffing in irritation as Toph smiled.

"Honestly, I don't get why either of you bother denying it. It's so obvious…"

"Oh really? And what gives us away so blatantly, pray tell?" Azula asked, rolling her eyes.

"Well, not everyone would be able to tell, true enough," Toph acknowledged. "But I have my ways to pick up on it. People's bodies react differently depending on how they're feeling, Spicy. And I can sense your vibrations no problem, so I can tell there's the smallest change in your body and behavior whenever he's around. Granted, it's not as clear with you as it is with him, but there's a difference all the-…"

"Wait," said Azula, staring at Toph with wide eyes. Toph raised an eyebrow at the interruption and Azula gulped. "What do you mean, that it's clearer with him?"

"Well, you've got a great deal of control over your body," Toph said, shrugging. "I don't know how you do it, but I only started sensing the differences in your behavior after you and Sokka crashed through the roof the other day. Before that, it was really subtle."

"But it's not as subtle with him…?" Azula asked. Toph chuckled.

"Yeah, well, he's not exactly a subtle guy overall, is he? His heart races whenever you show up. Pretty much all he ever talks about is you, too. Doesn't hurt either that I found the pair of you in bed together…"

"Oh, for crying out loud…" said Azula, sighing and looking away. She had forgotten about that by now. "Don't say it like that."

"Ha, why not?" said Toph, chuckling. "Don't like to hear it how it is, Jewel? Because I did find you two in bed, in case you forgot!"

"Just don't say it in that tone," Azula growled, glaring at Toph. "It's almost as though you were implying that we were…"

"What, fucking? Oh, nah," said Toph, smiling while Azula grimaced. "I know better. If you'd fucked, I probably would've heard some pretty disturbing sounds during the night, and I'd like to think that you two aren't as reckless as to do that while your uncle sleeps in the next room… or are you?"

"Why, no, we're, not," Azula snapped. "Because as it turns out, there has been no intercourse between us whatsoever. So do me a favor and stop making it sound as though there had been."

"What? None at all? Jeez, Spicy, that's lame," said Toph, chuckling. "No wonder the tension between you is as thick as it is, eh?"

"When I want your opinion on the subject, Dirt Worm, I'll ask for it," Azula growled.

"Dang, no need to be so stingy," said Toph, pouting, but Azula stepped forward, glaring down at her fiercely.

"In fact, it seems I have every need to be stingy," she muttered. "I already told you to keep your mouth shut about this, but here you are, bringing it up again…"

"Hey, you don't have to threaten me into silence if that's what you planned to do," said Toph, lifting her hands in gesture of surrender. "Teasing you sure is lots of fun, and the same goes for teasing your Dog, but that doesn't mean I'll tell anyone about this. That'd be really shitty of me to do, considering everything you two have done for me."

Azula frowned, still unconvinced despite the warm smile on Toph's features. Azula couldn't remember having seen her smile like that before.

"So, there's a shred of dignity in you, then?" she asked Toph, raising an eyebrow. "Impressive."

"Saying insulting stuff like that might just make me change my mind, though," said Toph, an eyebrow twitching. Azula's eyes narrowed.

"That would be your undoing and yours alone, Bandit."

"I doubt it, but anyways, I really don't want to ruin your life," said Toph, smiling. "Nor his. You two are more fun than I ever expected you to be."

"Is that so?" Azula asked.

"Yeah, I'm not proud to admit I misjudged you two, but yeah," said Toph. "Back when we first met, I really didn't get a good impression of either one of you. I thought he was useless and pathetic, and I figured you were a pampered Princess who had no idea what she'd gotten herself into with the Gladiator League. But hearing stuff about your partnership with him kind of started to change my mind about you. When I returned for my next fight after beating Sokka to a pulp, I heard people talking about how you'd carried him out of the Arena… and that was the weirdest thing I'd ever heard, coming from a sponsor. After that, I got a bit more curious about you two… and while, sure, the Dog has gotten stronger and he's finally starting to seem like an interesting fighter, the one who always intrigued me more was you."

Azula's unease faded gradually as Toph spoke. She stared at the girl with a small frown on her face, bewildered by those confessions.

"You know, Jewel, we're both cut from the same cloth, if you get what I mean," said Toph, chuckling. "Both highborn, both tougher than everyone else around us… and people always underestimate us and take us to be less than what we are. Which I guess is a given, because this world had never seen two girls as awesome as the two of us before, huh?"

Azula raised an eyebrow at that, but she was slightly amused by Toph's cockiness.

"I suppose not," she said, and Toph beamed.

"Iroh didn't say much about you, he was always talking about Zuko instead," said Toph. "But I didn't let his opinion about Zuko become my own. I reached my own conclusions about him when I met him in person, and I decided to do the same with you. Still… I guess I hardly knew you before these few days, huh? I'd always had the feeling you were seriously something… and I was right."

"Well, of course you were," said Azula, matter-of-factly, and Toph chuckled. "Though I will say it surprises me that you'd rather reach your own conclusions than stick to what Iroh says."

"It's part of being friends, I think," said Toph, smiling. "Even if we don't agree on everything, we respect each other's decisions and opinions. It's a weird thing for me, I'll admit, because Iroh is probably the first friend I ever made… but he really has been a great friend so far."

"And… you two manage to accept one another, just like that?" Azula asked. "You don't want to change the other, nor do you fight…?"

"Eh… not really, no," said Toph, shrugging and shaking her head. "I guess it's got to be confusing for you, you and Sokka always have something to argue about, it seems. But you guys are friends too anyways… though probably more than friends, if you ask me."

"Would you stop?" Azula grunted, as Toph smiled widely.

"Fine, fine," she said, chuckling. "Still, you and Sokka might be my newest friends now, huh? It sounds weird… but I'd like to think so."

"Are you asking me if we're friends?" Azula muttered, grimacing: she sure wasn't good for this sort of conversations.

"Not really, I'm pretty much establishing we are, regardless of your opinion!" said Toph, smirking and patting Azula's shoulder. The Princess's eyebrow twitched but she smiled.

"So, this means you'll be accepting both me and Sokka as we are? Hard to believe," said Azula.

"Why would it be hard?" Toph asked. "It's real fun bickering with you two! And I really enjoy teasing you, as you already know… but I'll have to come up with new ways to mess with you both. I already switched your figurines, so I should think of something else now."

"Ugh… that," said Azula, glaring at Toph. "You do know you shouldn't have done that, don't you?"

"Why so against it?" Toph asked, smiling. "It was just a fun thing to do, don't take it to heart, Spicy!"

"Why, fun it was," Azula said, sarcastically, as she put her hand in her pocket. "But it's not so much fun anymore, is it?"

Toph raised an eyebrow as Azula opened her palm in front of Toph to reveal a fistful of dirt.

"What would I be looking at if I could see, Jewel…?" Toph asked, confused.

"What's left of the wolf statue, that's what," Azula replied, frowning. "If you hadn't switched them, I wouldn't have pocketed this one as we raced out of the inn, and I wouldn't have crushed it at some point during our fun flights from the Dai Li."

"Oh… woops," said Toph, smiling. "Well, turns out I'm just the girl to fix this, Jewel."

Toph lifted her hands and started bending the earth on Azula's hand. Some of the clay had stayed in Azula's pocket, and Toph also pulled it out as she started molding the figure again. Azula's eyes widened as she watched how the blind earthbender rebuilt the wolf statue.

"I'm not sure if this is exactly what it looked like, but it's what it felt like when I touched it," said Toph, handing it over to Azula. "Is it good like this?"

"A-actually…" said Azula, surprised. "That's pretty close to the original, yes. Thank you, I guess."

"No need to thank me for that," said Toph, smiling. "You've done more for me than I could repay. Repairing that thing is just a start."

"Oh, really?" said Azula, amused. "Well, you're indebted to me, that much is true…"

"Though don't get ahead of yourself, Jewel," said Toph, proudly. "I'm not about to repay you by purposefully losing against your Dog or something stupid of the sort, if that's what you expected me to do."

"I wasn't going to ask for that, a victory under those conditions would be meaningless. But I do enjoy knowing I might have the chance to cash out an important favor from you one day."

"Yeah, well, don't get too excited," Toph said, folding her arms in front of her chest as Azula smiled at the wolf in her hands.

But the smile soon waned as she started thinking about what she'd done recently with the favors other people had owed her. She had Zuko pay her by taking Sokka to a fight, and afterwards she had sent Ty Lee on a mission Azula couldn't be more uneasy about. Would the favor she had earned from Toph be something she could truly enjoy for once? She dreaded thinking it probably wouldn't be…

"Very well, then, I'll hold you to that," said Azula, shrugging and pocketing the wolf again. "Perhaps I'll find something awful for you to do for me by the time we're back in the Capital."

"Yeah, about that…" said Toph, biting her lower lip. "Iroh and I won't be going back with you two."

"Huh?" Azula said, raising an eyebrow.

"Y-you see…" said Toph, smiling. "I'm going to Gaoling. With my parents."

Azula's eyes widened again and she looked at the earthbender with confusion and curiosity. Toph was blushing weakly, but smiling still.

"Are you, now?" Azula asked.

"Yeah. Not forever, though," said Toph. "I'll be back in the Capital eventually, but I talked about this to Iroh before dinner, and he thinks it might be nice to visit Gaoling after all. And while I didn't think I'd ever want to return there, I feel differently now…"

"Well, that's…. good, actually," said Azula, smiling as well. "Learned to think of your parents differently after all, Bandit?"

"Yeah. You were right about a lot of things, Jewel," said Toph. "I was being a coward by not facing them. I'm sorry I dragged you and Sokka into this… I never meant for that to happen. But I guess I'm a bit glad about it, after all. Without it, we wouldn't be friends now, would we?"

"Are we?" Azula asked again, raising her eyebrows but smiling teasingly.

"Well, sure! You're my first female friend ever, you know?" Toph declared, trying to punch Azula's shoulder, but the Princess caught the fist in midair. To her surprise, Toph seemed delighted by that. "Ha! See, this is exactly why I like you, Jewel!"

Azula laughed at that, and so did Toph, who didn't seem to be about to stop smiling.

"When will you two leave, though?" Azula asked, after letting go of the earthbender's fist.

"In a couple of days, I guess," said Toph. "And this way we'll give you and your lover boy a lot of time to yourselves, eh?"

Azula rolled her eyes at that and Toph laughed again. Nevertheless, Azula still smiled as well. It really was hard to believe that things had ended so well between her and the young Beifong. Azula had always been rather hostile to her after what she had done to Sokka on their first encounter, but right now she actually felt comfortable around the blind earthbender, and it seemed to be a mutual feeling.

Toph and Iroh's departure happened a week after Toph's conversation with Azula: the Beifongs were ready to take their daughter back home once Iroh's ankle was close to healing fully.

"Make sure you keep using those crutches," Azula told her uncle, as she and Sokka bid farewell to both Iroh and Toph at the Palace's entrance. "All your recovery will go to waste if you don't, and you'll have no one to blame for it but yourself."

"I know, Azula, I know," said Iroh, smiling. "No need to worry, I will be perfectly fine."

"I'm only saying it for your sake," Azula said, shrugging. "It's your foot, not mine."

Iroh laughed at that and patted his niece's shoulder. Azula raised an eyebrow but nodded in his direction. Iroh beamed at her before bowing down, his right fist pressed against his left palm.

"It was my pleasure and honor to have you for a partner this tournament, my niece," he said, before rising again.

"I'm sure it was…" Azula muttered, though she was having a hard time concealing her surprise. Those were probably the nicest words she'd ever heard from her uncle, because, for once, she knew he meant them.

"As for you, make sure to get better soon," said Iroh, patting Sokka's shoulder next. Sokka smiled and dropped a hand on his back as well.

"And you make sure to lose some weight. I might not be able to hold onto you next time we're escaping from an army of earthbenders on the back of a dragon, huh?" said Sokka, and Iroh laughed loudly.

"Well, I hope we won't need to escape from anything else anytime soon, huh, Iroh?" Toph said, approaching them with a smile. She had been with her parents, thanking General Tiang for his troubles.

"So long as you don't have anyone else chasing you, I don't think we'll have to," said Iroh, smiling before limping towards the Governor, leaving Toph to speak with Azula and Sokka.

"It was one hell of a crazy trip, no kidding… but I have to say I liked it," Toph said, smiling. "Despite the messed-up things, you two were real fun to hang out with."

"Even with all the arguments?" Sokka asked, raising an eyebrow, and Toph chuckled.

"Precisely because of all the arguments!" she exclaimed, punching his shoulder again. Sokka's eyes widened as her fist came into contact with his arm, and he rubbed the soon-to-be bruised area while glaring at Toph.

"You're never going to stop doing that, are you?" he asked, and she laughed.

"It was fun fighting alongside you, Sokka," she said. "The next time we meet in an Arena, we'll probably be enemies… but it's nice to know we were friends for a while, huh?"

"I guess," said Sokka, smiling a little too. "Take care of yourself, Toph."

"You too, Dog," she said, before turning to Azula.

Azula stared at her with a raised eyebrow, ready to counter anything the girl might say to tease her about her relationship with Sokka, for she guessed that was what Toph would talk about… but she was greatly surprised when the blind girl smiled warmly and embraced her.

Sokka raised an eyebrow and stared at them with amusement while Azula's face flushed. Her arms were held out awkwardly as Toph hugged her, and she glanced at Sokka with panic-ridden eyes. He couldn't help but laugh at that before Azula patted Toph's back uncomfortably, swallowing hard while trying to make sense out of the earthbender's gesture.

"Thanks for everything," Toph said, as Azula grimaced.

"I… don't think there's anything to thank me for. I didn't want to do half of what I did for you," Azula muttered, and Toph chuckled before pulling away.

"Well, doesn't matter if you wanted to do it or not, because you did it anyways," said Toph, smiling. "So thanks again, you two. I'll see you both again in the Fire Nation, eh?"

"Sure thing," said Sokka, smiling.

"Have a nice trip," Azula muttered, almost insecurely. "And try not to drive your parents crazy."

"What, me? It'll be the other way around, Jewel, you'll see!" said Toph, chuckling as she waved goodbye at them and turned towards where Iroh was currently bidding farewell to Tiang.

The Beifongs and Iroh climbed onto a carriage once all goodbyes had been said and done. Tiang and the few people who had come to escort him reentered the Palace, but Sokka and Azula stayed outside, watching the carriage until it was gone from sight. Sokka sighed heavily by then, and Azula looked at him with a crooked eyebrow.

"And there they go, huh?" he said, smiling.

"Finally," Azula said. "It's somewhat relieving to watch them take their leave. I can't believe this mess is finally over."

"Yeah, without a doubt this one's got to be one of the weirdest adventures we've had up to date," said Sokka. "Can't say it was all bad… but I could use having uneventful trips once in a while."

"I don't think they'll ever be uneventful when they involve you, for better or for worse," Azula said, raising her eyebrows and crossing her arms. Sokka chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess so," he said, but when he turned to look at her his smile froze, and he soon pouted again. Azula smirked at that before rolling her eyes.

"Still hung up on that stupid matter, aren't you? Here I was thinking you seemed to have forgotten it at last…"

"I-it's… I'm not hung up on anything," Sokka mumbled, looking away from her, still pouting. "I just don't get it, but whatever. Your problem if you like that guy, even though you barely know him…"

"Ah, it is a problem indeed," Azula said, sighing dramatically. "I've only seen him twice in my life, but I'm convinced he's the one, you see. It will take time for my father to accept our union, but I'm certain he'll come around eventually. Our children will be firebenders, but they'll inherit his destructive instincts, so they'll burn the entire world down while the two of us watch them, beaming with pride…"

Sokka's eyebrow twitched as Azula stared dreamily into the horizon.

"What a neat little family…" he said, gritting his teeth. Azula looked at him through narrow eyes.

"Please tell me you didn't take that seriously."

"Heh, for all I know, you might have said it seriously!" Sokka squeaked, and Azula laughed.

But to Sokka's surprise, she leaned towards him and appeased his bad mood by pressing her lips to his cheek. Sokka froze in place, and it was his turn to blush now as Azula pulled away.

"You're such an idiot."

She walked away with that, and he was sure he glimpsed a smile on her face. He bit his lower lip and smiled too, despite himself. Maybe he ought to forget that little part of their trip… for all he knew, Azula had only praised Jet to spite him, her amusement implied as much. But it didn't bother Sokka to be a source of amusement for her at all: she had been so angry at him back when this journey had started that it relieved him to no end to see she was happy again. He only hoped she would stay in good spirits by the time they returned to the Fire Nation Capital…

---

"… So, that officer refused to let us through the river unless we gave him the proper clearance form," said Zuko, sighing. "And it turns out we could only get a clearance form through him, but he refused to help us."

"Uh-oh," said Suki, smiling a little. "And you needed to get through the river, right?"

"If I wanted to check out the nearby fishing village for the Avatar, then yes, I did," said Zuko, nodding. "But without that form, I wasn't going anywhere."

"What did you do?" Suki asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Well, it's… a bit of a secret," he said, smiling. "You're not going to rat me out, are you?"

"Not likely," she said, chuckling. "Who could I possibly rat you out to?"

"Right," said Zuko, laughing too. "Well… turns out that I had this blue theater mask, and I figured I could use it to conceal my features. So, I dressed up all in black, put on the mask, took my dao swords and snuck into that watch tower at night. I did my best to be careful, and I headed straight to his office. I took a clearance form, brought it back with me to the ship… and the next morning he had no other choice but to let us through."

"Well, damn," said Suki, chuckling. "Aren't you a troublemaker."

"Not really," said Zuko, smiling. "Yeah, I trespassed and stole a sheet of paper, but that's nothing impressive. It was fun to see the look on that guy's face, though."

"I bet," said Suki.

"My uncle was a bit confused on how I'd gotten the clearance form, and so was that guy," said Zuko. "I told them I'd sent a message to a nearby town and gotten another regiment to send me one. It was a pretty stupid story and it really made no sense, but the officer had no way to prove I'd stolen it."

"Sounds like he was really annoying, huh?" said Suki, smiling sympathetically. "Well, I'm glad you managed to get the better of him. But, say… you mentioned dao swords?"

"Yeah," said Zuko, nodding. "I learned how to use them when I was young"

"That's nice," said Suki. "I never learned how to use those. I was only taught how to use katanas."

"And you sure knew how to use them," said Zuko, grinning. "When did you start learning swordsmanship?"

"When I was eight years-old," said Suki. "All Kyoshi Warriors started their training at that age."

"Kyoshi Warrior, huh?" said Zuko, raising his single eyebrow. "Could you tell me more about that? I-if you want, that is."

Suki smiled and dropped her gaze. There were things she wasn't ready to disclose yet, but her life in Kyoshi Island wasn't one of them.

Almost two months had passed since Ty Lee had found Suki. She had been improving greatly, though some wounds had yet to heal. She actually doubted her broken rib would get any better, but it seemed there was nothing to be done about it. She ate bigger meals now, and she was finally regaining some weight. Being washed on a daily basis also helped Suki feel better, and her mood had improved considerably over time. But other than when she had to take baths, Suki hardly ever climbed off the bed where she currently was lying on. She barely left the room since being brought into it: she didn't want to step out of her personal haven. She guessed she might one day… but not yet. Not right now. Not when she was talking to Zuko.

He had come to see her every day without fail. He left after a few hours, though it seemed he didn't quite want to go anywhere, but he believed she needed her space. Suki was thankful for his thoughtfulness, but she actually enjoyed her conversations with him far more than she had ever thought she might. She found the stories of what he'd done during his banishment quite fascinating: she didn't care if he had found the Avatar or not, for she enjoyed hearing about every place he had been to. She had spent most her life in Kyoshi Island, and she had come to the Capital to fight as a gladiator some years ago, but she had always dreamt of seeing the world. Zuko's tales spurred her interest in what lay beyond the four walls she was hiding behind… though that wasn't enough to bring her out of her room yet. But knowing there were still so many wonders for her to see in this world made Suki feel much better.

She looked at Zuko again, to find he was fidgeting, playing with his thumbs. She smiled at the sight of him before answering his question, to his surprise and delight.

"The Kyoshi Warriors were a group of girls who followed on the teachings and footsteps of Avatar Kyoshi," Suki started. "They were amazing. They protected my hometown, and everyone felt safe thanks to them. Ever since I was a kid I wanted to join, and when I was old enough, I did. My gladiator outfit was a tribute to my old Kyoshi Warrior uniform. I learned so much back when I was a Warrior…"

"Including how to use a katana, huh?"

"Yeah. Eventually I was helping teach new girls, too," said Suki, smiling. "It was nice to have new recruits… though it all got a bit scary when I was chosen as their leader."

"Woah. You were their leader?" Zuko asked, his eyes widening.

"Yeah. It was a great honor," said Suki. "But… didn't do much good for me to be the leader by the time the Fire Nation's forces arrived."

Zuko swallowed hard and dropped his gaze, biting his lower lip.

"I'm sorry. D-did they…?"

"They only burned some of the town, not all of it," Suki said, with a sigh. "Still, it was pretty bad. But there's nothing to be done about it anymore."

"Yeah, I guess not," said Zuko, looking at her guiltily.

"I always did like the training sessions, though," she said, smiling again. "I miss my gear, to tell you the truth. I had a set of katanas I'd brought with me from Kyoshi Island… I'm glad I had more than one, seeing how one of them was cut in half. But well, I… don't have them anymore."

"Yeah, you… you don't," muttered Zuko, thoughtful.

"It's alright, though," said Suki, smiling. "I don't feel up to the task of beating people up nowadays. It's better if I just…"

"Don't you think you might need them?" said Zuko. "I mean… you're going back to the Gladiator League one day, aren't you?"

"Well, not until next year, I'm not," said Suki. "By then I can find new weapons, if I must."

"Right," said Zuko, dropping his gaze.

"Don't worry about me, Zuko," said Suki, stretching towards her nightstand to pick up a glass of water. "There's still plenty of time to think about the future."

"There is, I guess, but…" said Zuko, yet he stopped talking when she winced, pained by her ribs. He jumped to his feet as Suki recoiled, a hand on her flank as she grimaced. "Are you okay?"

"It's… the usual thing," she said, smiling weakly. "Don't worry…"

Zuko sighed heavily and reached for the glass of water she had been trying to take. He handed it to her after refilling it with water from a jug on the night stand. Suki reached out for it, but she flinched again when her fingers brushed against his.

Zuko had been holding the glass with a steady grip, but he almost tilted it over the bed accidentally when she pulled away so brusquely. He blinked a few times before realizing what had happened.

Suki dropped her gaze, her eyes wide as she breathed heavily. She didn't want to recoil from him. She hadn't meant to do that. But her body had moved on its own accord, regardless if she knew Zuko was only handing her a glass of water. It seemed she wasn't feeling as well as she had thought…

Zuko said nothing, though. He only placed the glass at the edge of the nightstand, at arm's length from Suki, so she would be able to reach it without help now.

"I'm sorry…"

"No," he said, shaking his head before sitting down again. "Don't be. It's on me."

"N-no, it's…" Suki said, looking at him with dread in her eyes, but Zuko only gave her a sad smile.

"It's fine," he told her. "Don't worry. It's not like we broke the glass or anything. If we had then we'd be in trouble, but that didn't happen."

She gulped and nodded, but his words weren't enough to make her feel better. How was she supposed to stop worrying when she couldn't even graze his fingers accidentally without controlling her body's response? And despite what he was saying, she could see the pain in his eyes; as much as nothing bad had happened, her reaction still had hurt him. And she didn't want to hurt him: he was the first real friend she had made in ages. Sure, Mai and Ty Lee also came into her room to talk to her, but they didn't stay with her as long as Zuko did. They didn't make her smile as often, either.

Zuko was making great efforts to cheer her up, constantly. And Suki felt like an idiot for not showing him just how much she appreciated that. Without him, she surely wouldn't have progressed as much as she had, so the last thing she ought to do was pull away when they touched accidentally.

As he left her room a short while later, Suki frowned with determination. She would show Zuko how much his influence had helped her. She'd stop recoiling from him, even though she wasn't completely sure she could do that, but she would do her very best anyhow. It was time to leave the past where it belonged, and to start looking for a future beyond the room she had hidden in for far too long.

---

Sokka sighed with bliss when he saw the Capital's port looming ahead. They had spent two weeks traveling back to the Fire Nation, after spending a whole month in Ba Sing Se while he healed from his injuries. He almost felt fine now, though his back still bothered him at times, but he figured he would be back in the ring again in no time.

The ship docked: sailors and guards rushed both above and below deck as they made sure everything was in order. Sokka merely watched them without much interest, standing beside Xin Long as the dragon amused himself by casting blazes into the air.

Azula appeared on deck before long, walking through the ship with steady footing as she headed towards both Sokka and Xin Long. Sokka lifted a hand in greeting, though it probably was a farewell instead.

"I take it you'll be going to your house now?" Azula asked him, as Xin Long moved towards her, pressing his head to her hand as she stroked his hair.

"Yeah, I think Song ought to have a look at my wounds," said Sokka. "I've spent two weeks now without medical attention, so I ought to go to her right away."

"Well, make sure not to overexert yourself on your way home," Azula said, looking at him earnestly. "Else you might end up ruining all your progress… in fact, maybe we ought to give you a lift, to avoid any possible mishaps. Xin Long and I will be setting out to the Palace soon, so…"

"No need, no need," said Sokka, smiling. "You've got to meet your dad and talk about important stuff, don't you?"

"Well…" said Azula, sighing, and Sokka chuckled.

"Everything will be fine," he said. "I'm sure he'll be thrilled about what you discovered. He'll probably have forgotten everything about your birthday feast by now."

"Hopefully," said Azula. Though she, for one, wasn't about to forget that particular day any time soon…

"I suppose I'll see you again tomorrow, huh?" said Sokka, smiling. "Sword practice and all…"

"Only if Song gives you her approval for that," said Azula, sternly. "As I said, I don't want your wounds getting any worse out of recklessness."

"Come on, Azula, I'll be fine," Sokka said, smiling. "Besides, you sure need the training. You must be getting rusty, after all this time without using your sword. You didn't even bring it along for the trip!"

"No, I didn't," Azula acknowledged. "I probably should have. Cutting up the Dai Li might have been fun…"

"And that's exactly why teaching you how to use swords might have been a bad idea, but it's too late to regret it now," Sokka muttered, before chuckling again. "Anyhow, you'll be waiting for me with Wolf's Bane by tomorrow, I take it?"

"If you insist," said Azula, though she smiled as well. It was relieving that he'd want to meet her again only on the day after their return home.

"Well, then…" he said, bowing his head towards her. "See-…"

"Gladiator!"

Both Azula and Sokka were startled when his farewell was interrupted by the least expected person. Azula raised an eyebrow as Rui Shi trotted towards them, his attention on Sokka.

"Yes?" said Sokka, looking at the guard with confusion.

"I, uh…" started Rui Shi, clearing his throat. "If it's alright with you, Princess, I mean to escort the gladiator home."

Azula gaped at Rui Shi in utter disbelief, and Sokka's reaction was quite similar to hers. Only, he also exclaimed:

"What the hell?!"

Rui Shi flushed, but his mask kept both the Princess and Sokka from seeing his red cheeks.

"I only meant to… to ensure he'll arrive safely," he muttered, nervously.

Azula frowned, noticing he was lying right away. Why would Rui Shi lie, though? What could be his actual intent? Surely it wouldn't be anything bad, though… the man was loyal and good-mannered, if anything. He wasn't about to murder Sokka in cold blood as they made their way to his house, was he?

"Why, that's… awfully considerate of you," Azula said, blinking blankly. "I suppose you're free to do that, then, if you're really that worried about him. Odd, though, that you don't mean to tail me as usual… but I'd rather you don't, actually. Very well, go with Sokka."

"W-wait, but this is creepy, I don't think I want to go with…" Sokka said, grimacing, as Rui Shi grabbed his shoulder and directed him to the ship's ramp.

"Move, gladiator," Rui Shi commanded, and Sokka stared at Azula with a horror-struck grimace on his face.

"Azula! He's acting weird! Don't send me with him!" he exclaimed, and the Princess merely shrugged innocently, to Sokka's chagrin.

Azula smiled as she watched them leave, and only when she couldn't follow them with her gaze anymore did she turn towards Xin Long again. After patting his snout a couple of times and letting him know she meant to make for the Palace, Azula turned to the staff of the Barge and commanded them to unload the ship and to bring her belongings back home right away. Once she had made sure her orders would be followed, she climbed onto Xin Long's saddle and together they soared all the way to the Fire Nation's Royal Palace.

Fire Lord Ozai waited by the steps that led into the Palace, with Imperial Guards standing beside him as he watched the dragon in the sky with a proud smirk. Xin Long descended on the walkway that led into the Palace, and Azula climbed off the saddle, telling Xin Long to get some rest while she spoke with her father. Xin Long groaned happily and pressed against her one last time before prancing away, his sights set on his refuge, which had been empty for far too long.

Azula turned towards her father now, and relief washed over her when she saw the smile on his face. It wasn't a warm smile – was there ever any warmth in them? – but it was a proud one. And that was a good sign, if anything.

"Welcome home, Princess Azula," he said, eloquently, as Azula climbed the steps to the entrance to meet him.

"It's my pleasure to be back, Father," Azula replied, as Ozai chuckled.

"I'd hope so. I am quite eager to hear about your tale this time around, Azula," he said. "It would seem every new trip you take to the Earth Kingdom is more fruitful than the previous one. I received Governor Tiang's message, and I cannot quite convey how pleased I am by your accomplishments, my daughter."

"I'm glad to hear that," Azula said, smiling at him as he ushered her inside. "Though I have to admit, most of it happened by strokes of luck this time around."

"Why, I would most enjoy hearing the story all the same," Ozai insisted, and Azula nodded as they headed towards his study.

Azula explained what had happened in Ba Sing Se to her father, while naturally omitting certain parts of the story that she knew her father wouldn't appreciate. Nonetheless, she did her best to explain the entire situation thoroughly to Ozai, who smiled widely by the time she was finished.

"It would seem that, for once, my brother proved to be useful somehow," Ozai concluded.

"I'd say it was more because of his gladiator that we managed to discover what we did, and not so much because of Iroh," Azula said. "Nevertheless, hadn't he hired her in the first place, we wouldn't have discovered anything to begin with."

"And what you discovered was truly remarkable," said Ozai, smirking. "Not only did you find out who the Rough Rhinos' mysterious benefactors were, but in doing so, you thwarted a potential rebellion the Dai Li could have stirred against General Tiang once they were in a comfortable enough position to overthrow him."

"Indeed, I hope it has been thwarted beyond repair" she said, smiling. "In any case, Tiang said he would return the stolen goods to their rightful owners as soon as possible. It'll take a while, but it can be done."

"Most likely," said Ozai, surprised to find his daughter cared for something he'd consider a trivial matter, but his smile didn't falter despite Azula's last comment. "Ah, Azula…"

"Yes, Father?" she asked, after he fell silent for a moment.

Ozai chuckled and stood up, pacing over the room with a smile on his face. He turned towards her, still beaming proudly.

"Our last encounter didn't end on the best of terms," he said. "And it is no secret to you that I was displeased by that. Yet with these news, Azula, you proved yourself yet again…"

"I have always been your loyal daughter," Azula said, bowing her head towards him. "I know I disappointed you recently, but…"

"Ah, no need to excuse yourself, Azula," he said, smiling. "If anything, you've showed me just what you're capable of. You truly are the daughter I raised."

"Indeed, I am," she said, with a weak smile. It was good news that her father would be so pleased by what she'd accomplished, but something about his proud smile made her uneasy…

"Alas, with this, I have made my decision," he said suddenly, and Azula frowned before looking at him, confused.

"You've made a decision?" she asked. "What exactly are you talking about, if I may inquire?"

"You remember the audiences you witnessed with me, don't you, Azula?" Ozai asked, smiling.

"I do," she said, frowning. The memory of what had happened that day still bothered her. She did her best not to think about it, but whenever her mind strayed towards those thoughts her mood would soon grow sour. "What of it?"

"You recall the Head Sage requested me to select one of his candidates for the Ceremony of the Sun?"

"Yes…?" Azula said, becoming more confused now. What did that have to do with what they were talking about?

"While you were in Ba Sing Se I met each candidate and they were all disappointing," Ozai said, before turning towards her. "But it would seem the best option for the performer of the ceremony had been right before me this whole time, without my awareness…"

Azula was startled when she realized what he meant. She looked at her father in disbelief, and he smiled when he noticed she understood what he was implying.

"Wait… me?" she asked. "Father, how…?"

"Now, now, you are the finest firebender this nation has seen in more centuries than we could count," said Ozai. "If anyone would be capable of performing the Ceremony adequately, it would be you, my daughter."

"Why, that… might be true," Azula said, accepting his compliment. "But would the Head Sage accept this? I've never been taught to perform ceremonial firebending, to begin with."

"Will he accept it, you ask?" Ozai repeated, amused. "Azula, do you forget who you're speaking to? I am the Fire Lord. No Head Sage would defy his Fire Lord."

"I suppose so," said Azula, frowning.

"Don't fret, Azula. I'm certain you'll do it remarkably well," said Ozai, smirking proudly while Azula tried to smile back with the same confidence he was showing her.

"I will do my best to fulfill your expectations, Father," she said, but deep down, she wasn't so sure if she would be able to keep her promise. Most the firebending styles she knew were only used for combat. She was a fighter, not a sage. How was she supposed to perform ceremonial bending?

---

Arguing voices drifted into the house while Song was dozing off on the living room's couch. She jumped to her feet when she recognized them, and she smiled as she headed towards the door.

"… I mean, if you were coming, at the very least you could've helped me carry my luggage!"

"You kept complaining about how uncomfortable my company made you. If I had carried your bags, you would've been even more uncomfortable."

"Well, isn't that considerate of you, Rui Shi…"

Song opened the door, holding back a chuckle at the silly argument taking place beyond it. Sokka had been about to open the door himself, and he was surprised when it swung inwards. He smiled as well when he caught sight of Song, and he dropped his bags before hugging her as a greeting.

"I'm home now, Song!" he exclaimed.

"I can tell," she said, patting him on the back. Sokka flinched at that, and Song pulled away, frowning. "And in what ridiculously dangerous situations did you get yourself into this time?"

"Eh… it wasn't that ridiculous, if you must know," he said, smiling guiltily as he entered the house and sighed in relief. "Ah, it sure is good to be back."

"If it wasn't too awful, what happened to your back?" Song asked, raising her eyebrows, and Sokka turned to look at her with an awkward smile again.

"Ah, well, no point in hiding it. I just took a pretty bad fall on the roof of a building, but I'm feeling better now. You ought to give it a look just in case, but still, I don't think it's…"

"You fell on a building's roof?!" Song exclaimed, her eyes widening "How on earth…?"

"Yeah… it's a long story," Sokka said, smiling innocently and rubbing the back of his neck.

"It always is," said Song, grimacing. "It looks like you can't take a trip and come back in one piece, can you?"

"That's going too far, I came back just fine after the Scavenger Hunt, didn't I?" said Sokka, chuckling. "Anyhow, I'm going to drop my stuff off in my room. Meanwhile, Song, watch out for Rui Shi. He won't say what he followed me for, so keep your guard up around him!"

Song raised an eyebrow and looked at the Captain, who merely sighed and shook his head while Sokka climbed up the stairs, finally returning to his room after what felt like ages.

"I trust you came to make sure he'd arrive safely, right?" said Song, smiling as she closed the door behind Rui Shi. The man removed his mask and hood as he walked towards the living room, with Song following him.

"Not quite," said Rui Shi, turning towards her again. "He ought to be capable of looking out for himself, don't you believe?"

"Ah, well," said Song, smiling and sighing. "If that were the case, he wouldn't have broken his back after dropping from who knows what heights into a building's roof, right?"

"True enough," said Rui Shi, smiling. "But even so, I didn't come here for him."

"T-then…" said Song, blinking blankly. "Why are you here?"

Rui Shi turned towards her, trying not to show he was somewhat nervous upon conveying this to her. Yet he smiled, knowing Song would be delighted to hear what he had to say, just as her mother had been.

"I met someone in Ba Sing Se," he started, and Song froze. He frowned upon the look on her face. "Song?"

"Uh… well, that's nice," she said, dropping her gaze as she felt somewhat disappointed… "W-why did you feel the need to come all this way to tell me that, though? I mean…"

"Wait," said Rui Shi, grimacing. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm not talking about a potential romantic partner, if that's what you thought."

"Oh, uh, w-why would I have thought that was what you meant?" Song said, trying to save face but failing to do so when her face flushed. It was quite obvious that she had misunderstood what he was trying to say.

To her surprise, Rui Shi laughed. He smiled at her, but his grin only made her blush harder.

"In any case, back to what I was saying… I was talking about a servant, in Ba Sing Se's Palace," Rui Shi continued. "A servant who just so happened to make the most amazing roast duck."

Song had been stemming in her embarrassment, but she froze again upon hearing those words. The color faded from her cheeks as she frowned, and she looked at Rui Shi questioningly.

"W-what…?"

Rui Shi smiled kindly again and nodded, and Song's eyes widened.

"It took me some time to figure out who she was, but thanks to what you had told me about yourself and your family, I pieced the puzzle together eventually," Rui Shi said. "It also helped when she spoke about you, of course. Eventually, that brought me to the conclusion that she had to be…"

"Mom…" said Song, tears on the corner of her eyes as she covered her mouth with her hands. "Y-you found… s-she was… in the Palace? She's a servant in the Palace?!"

"She said she has been treated quite well, if that worries you," Rui Shi reassured her. "And she was thrilled as well when I told her I knew you. She even…"

Rui Shi didn't get to finish the sentence before Song threw her arms around him. It was his turn to blush as she clung to him, sobbing softly as the relief and joy washed over her. Her mother wasn't gone. She was still alive and well, according to Rui Shi! She had spent so long holding onto feeble hopes, while trying to ignore the looming sense of dread she felt whenever she thought about her mother… but she was alive. She was safe…

Rui Shi smiled and patted Song's back as her tears of joy dropped on his red tunic. Song was clinging onto his clothes tightly, halfway between smiling and crying. She was choked up, to the point that trying to utter a sound was almost useless, but she managed to whisper two words to him, if nothing more:

"T-thank you."

The impact of her gratefulness hit Rui Shi fully. He dropped his head atop hers and surrounded her shoulders with his arms, swallowing hard as he held Song close. Doing this much for her still didn't seem enough to him, for he was certain the pain she held in her heart couldn't be wiped away only by hearing such good news. Even if her mother was alive, she had been separated from her, and there was no telling when they would see one another again. Yet only those few words had brought about such a quick reaction from the slave girl. And while Rui Shi would much rather she didn't cry at all, at least the source of her tears was genuine joy this time.

"No need to thank me," he replied, trying not to get choked up as well, his arms still around her.

Sokka smiled as he watched them from the top of the stairs. He had been meaning to show Song his injuries, but he had stopped on his tracks when he overheard their conversation. Now he knew why that roast chicken had felt so familiar.

He returned to his room, still smiling. He hadn't thought the Captain had followed him to talk to Song, but he was glad he had conveyed his discovery to her. Sokka knew just how badly the loss of her parents had affected Song. Even when she wasn't likely to see her mother any time soon, knowing what had happened to her was much better than being left in the dark.

He dropped on his mattress for the first time in months, and he sighed in bliss upon resting on his own bed again. It felt like it was ages since he was last here. Surely Song would need some more money, she probably was running out of it by now… but she wasn't bound to bring up the subject anytime soon, not when the Captain surely had much to tell her about her mother still.

Sokka sighed and closed his eyes, thinking he might have to ask Azula for money by tomorrow. She owed him his share for the Tournament, after all… he smiled upon thinking he now had an even better excuse to find her bright and early in the Palace. Somehow, the idea of returning to their usual, daily routine, was refreshing for him. No more worrying about being chased by earthbenders, no more dodging Toph's verbal jabs, no more of Iroh's snoring… finally he'd be able to relax at home.

Song checked his wounds late at night, once the Captain had left, and thanks to some of her massages to help his chi flow, Sokka's back had stopped hurting so much. Song advised him not to train too hard, but she found him fit to fight again. Pleased by her assertion, he had fallen asleep, exhausted after such a long day, but he woke again when morning broke. He hoped his eagerness to meet Azula again for their sword training wasn't too obvious… but he guessed it would be when he took off to the Palace only a couple of hours after dawn.

It didn't matter how obvious it was, he reasoned, as he made his way through the city. Surely Azula wouldn't be surprised by seeing him so early today, she should know just how much he enjoyed spending time with her. If he was lucky, she might want to see him, too.

With those cheerful thoughts in mind, Sokka walked to the Palace's gates, but his pace slowed when he noticed someone else was arriving in the Palace as well. It would seem he wasn't the only one here to visit Azula, or so he assumed when he caught sight of Mai climbing off a carriage right before the doors. It had been quite some time since he had last seen her, but he recognized her regardless.

"Hey!" he called out to her, and Mai turned towards him. She raised an eyebrow upon recognizing him as well.

"Oh. It's you," she said, nodding. "You're here early."

"So are you," said Sokka, smiling a little. "I didn't think noble women woke up so early. Why are you here?"

"I could ask you the same question," Mai replied, yawning. "Though I probably won't be all that interested in your answer."

"I'm just here because Azula and I were supposed to trai-…" he caught himself upon registering what Mai had just said. "Huh. Alright, then, never mind. But what about you?"

"I just needed to ask Azula a few questions, is all," said Mai, stepping towards the gates. Sokka followed her. "I've wanted to do it for a while, but you two were off on some trip…"

"We were in Ba Sing Se's Pairs Tournament," Sokka said, and Mai's eyebrow twitched. "Eh… sorry again. Doesn't matter to you, right?"

"Not really. All I care about is that she's here now and she'll give me the answers I want," Mai stated. "For one thing, I'd much like to know what to do with the slave living in my house now, and for another…"

"You came to see Azula for slave advice?" Sokka asked, confused. "What did you get a slave for if you don't know what to do with him?"

"With her, actually," said Mai. "And I didn't get her, Ty Lee did. She fetched the girl at Shu Wo, then brought her to my house and left me to look after her while she just goes off to play with Haru and only comes visit whenever I…"

"Woah… woah," said Sokka, stopping on his tracks and interrupting Mai half-sentence. "Wait just a second. She fetched someone at Shu Wo? Who…?"

"I think Ty Lee said you'd fought her," said Mai, having stopped as well. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "I don't remember what her gladiator name was, but her actual name is…"

"Suki," Sokka said, still staring at Mai in disbelief. "W-why…? Wait. She's at your house, you said?"

"Yeah," said Mai, shrugging.

"Is she alright?!" Sokka asked, stepping forward. Mai stepped back, looking at him warily. "I mean… she's okay, right? Nothing bad happened to her…"

"Uh… many bad things happened, from the looks of it," said Mai, still confused by Sokka's reaction. "But she hasn't talked about it much. She's been healing from her wounds, and she has been eating properly for the past two months or so. Still, I figured I'd ask what I'm supposed to do about her…"

Sokka gritted his teeth upon the mention of wounds. Of course she had been hurt…

"But she's better now, you're saying?" he asked. "She's…"

"She's getting better," Mai confirmed, sighing. "But if you don't believe me you could just go find out for yourself, you know?"

Sokka froze at that. Seeing Suki might be a good idea: he wanted to make sure she was actually okay, or on her way to being okay eventually. Yet he had meant to come see Azula, and he probably ought to do that in the first place. What mattered most about Suki was that she'd be safe, and far from harm… and it seemed she would be, if she was at Mai's house.

But there were questions he wouldn't mind having answered, and he suspected Suki would have those answers. Questions related to the White Lotus… he frowned at that. Would Suki be willing to talk about it? It probably would be quite harsh for him to show up to see her just because he wanted answers, but she might have more information about the society than anyone else they'd asked up to date. Still…

"Uh… I think I can take your word for it," he said, smiling a little. "I'm supposed to meet with Azula, so…"

"You're not getting any training done while I'm here, if you thought so," Mai stated. "You'll have to wait until I'm done talking to her, so why not go over to see her for yourself in the meantime?"

"It's just…" said Sokka, frowning. "I don't think it's a great idea. Azula's probably expecting me, so…"

"If she is, she'll only see you once I'm through with what I have to say," Mai declared, and with that, she restarted her walk towards the Palace's vestibule.

Sokka frowned and watched her go, pondering his options. He could stay put and afterwards tell Azula to come with him and ask Suki about the White Lotus… but that was a very bad idea, most likely. The Princess was hostile towards Suki, and Sokka was well aware of it… still, he was confused beyond reason about why Suki was here now. Why had Ty Lee found her and brought her to the Capital? Those questions could be answered by Suki, or Ty Lee, if anything. And if he wouldn't have a chance to see Azula right away, he might as well make some use of his spare time… Azula probably wasn't expecting him yet, for starters. She probably was sleeping in, resting after their long journey home. He'd come back later, and if he found out anything important about the White Lotus, he'd tell Azula about it by then.

He still felt uneasy as he turned on his heels, leaving the Palace's premises again. He swallowed hard, hoping to be back soon enough…

Azula was already awake. She was eating breakfast when someone knocked on her bedroom's door. Displeased by this early intrusion, Azula had walked away from her meal and opened the door to find Mai outside. Her friend made her way into her room without so much as a word, and Azula could only raise her eyebrows, watching her with utter surprise.

"And why exactly are you here so early, Mai?" Azula asked, wasting no time with greetings. "I'm not even dressed yet."

"I can tell," Mai said, raising an eyebrow. "But I'm not here for a slumber party, if that's what you hoped for."

"A slumber party in the morning? Has it been that long, Mai, that you don't even remember how slumber parties work?" Azula asked, teasingly, before turning towards the table where her food waited.

"If Yuudai's tantrums at midnight count for something, then maybe it hasn't been that long," Mai said, sighing while Azula smiled a little.

"You should have considered that little detail before having a kid, I guess," she said, and Mai rolled her eyes.

"I did consider it, believe it or not. Anyways, I'm not here to talk about Yuudai," said Mai, frowning. "As it turns out, there's a former gladiator living in my house, Azula, and according to Ty Lee, she only found her because you told her to. Care to explain why you sent her to get that girl, and what should I do with her now that you're here?"

Azula froze as she took a bite from a crab cake, but she set it down on the plate again as she wondered how to reply to Mai. Her friend stared at her, an eyebrow raised.

"Well?"

"It's not easy to explain," Azula muttered, before looking at Mai inquisitively. "But I don't recall asking you to host her, Mai."

"Ty Lee wasn't ready to take care of her, let alone tend to her wounds," said Mai. "So she decided to ask for my help. I provided it, because I was intrigued, and I'm here because I want to find out what you're trying to accomplish through this. Do you want another gladiator?"

"I… no, that's not it," said Azula, frowning. "Truth to be told, all I wanted was to get her out of Shu Wo. Whatever happens to her now hardly matters to me. Keep her in your house if you want, as a maid or so. It's really not my business."

"How is this not your business?" Mai asked, her eyes widening. Azula couldn't remember the last time she had seen Mai impassioned about anything. "Azula, that girl is there because of you. What did you want Ty Lee to save her from Shu Wo for?"

"What for? Honestly, Mai, do you think every single thing I do is part of some scheme?" she asked, before she could catch herself. She even felt stupid after uttering those words. Most of what she did was part of a scheme indeed… except for most of what related to Sokka. He was the only one who kept driving her to make ridiculous decisions she'd regret later on…

"Not every single thing, but saving a slave from Shu Wo out of the goodness of your heart isn't what I'd expect from you," said Mai, frowning. "Do you really want nothing to do with her, then? You just want her to be kept in the Capital?"

"She doesn't even have to be kept anywhere," said Azula, sighing. "I don't even know what I want for her at this point. You and Ty Lee are free to decide her fate, and if you don't want to do it, then you can just ask her what she wants instead."

"Why, though?" Mai asked again, and Azula sighed heavily.

"I don't need to explain myself any further," she grunted. "Just… do as you wish."

"Huh," said Mai, frowning still. "Well, whatever, then. If you really don't want anything to do with her, she can stay in my house until Ty Lee makes the arrangements to have her in her place. She's supposed to be her slave after all, right?"

"Indeed, she is Ty Lee's slave," said Azula, folding her arms over her chest. "So see? It never really was my business to begin with. You and Ty Lee are the ones who ought to decide what to do."

"Fine, then," said Mai, shrugging. "I'd guessed you might want a second gladiator. It was the only reasonable explanation I could think of."

"Well, I don't, not really," said Azula, smiling uncomfortably. If she'd wanted a second gladiator, Kyoshi's Heir would have been the last one she'd choose for the job. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to finish my meal without being interrogated…"

"You'd best be quick about it, though. You'll get interrupted anyways if you're not done with it soon," said Mai, and Azula frowned.

"Interrupted by whom now?" she asked, warily. Something about what Mai was saying was unsettling…

"I ran into your gladiator at the Palace entrance," said Mai, and Azula froze. "He wanted to train with you or so, he looked rather excited about it."

Azula did her best to keep the color from rushing to her cheeks. Undeniably, it was nice to know he had come to see her so soon, but if Mai had run into him, where was he now?

"And…?" said Azula.

"And what?"

"Where is he? If you saw him at the entrance…" Azula asked, frowning.

"You wanted him to come see you when you're still in your sleeping gown?" Mai asked, and now Azula couldn't hold back the blush. Mai smirked. "Well, aren't you quite shameless, Princess Azula…"

"I didn't say that!" Azula snapped. "I'm only asking since, knowing him, he would've barged into my room thoughtlessly along with you. So I'm confused as to why he didn't do that. See?"

"I suppose you know him all too well," said Mai, sighing, and Azula rolled her eyes. "So much for my bet indeed. Should I pay Ty Lee already?"

"Where. Is. Sokka?" Azula asked again, desperate to get Mai off the topic. Ty Lee's enthusiasm regarding her closeness with Sokka annoyed her, but Mai's teasing remarks were even worse.

"I don't know, actually," said Mai. "I thought he might follow me, even after I told him about the girl at my house. He looked shaken up to hear about it at first, but then he seemed to think he should've…"

"What?" Azula said suddenly, and Mai frowned. Azula's expression had darkened suddenly. "Mai, you… you told him what?"

"He asked me what I was doing here so I told him I had come to ask about what you wanted to do with her…" said Mai, confused by Azula's reaction.

All thoughts of finishing her meal disappeared from Azula's mind as she stared at the floor in utter disbelief. So now Sokka knew… and he surely had taken off to reunite with his dear Suki, of course he had…

But part of her mind told her that wasn't really the case. Even if he'd gone to see her, it didn't have to mean anything. It wasn't as though he wanted to pursue a relationship with the girl, did he? Not when the two of them were… well, whatever they were. Right?

"Azula?" Mai asked, as the Princess started pacing through her room. "What's the matter with you?"

"I… never mind, Mai," she said, breathing heavily.

"Was I not supposed to say anything to him?" Mai asked, raising an eyebrow. "Because I wasn't told this was a matter of utmost secrecy or anything…"

"Well, it's… it's not, of course it's not. Why would it matter anyways? It doesn't!" Azula exclaimed, with a nervous laugh. Mai was even more unsettled by that.

"Azula, are you alright?"

"I'm perfectly fine, Mai" Azula declared, and Mai frowned. "Now, if you don't mind, I… I need to change. There's something I need to do."

"And what might that be, if I can inquire?" Mai asked.

Azula turned towards her, giving her a rather cold smile. Mai almost froze at the sight of it, as Azula attempted to speak calmly to mask her rage.

"That, Mai, is none of your business."

---

Finding Mai's house was more difficult than Sokka expected. He hadn't been there in so long that he hardly remembered where it was or what it looked like. He knocked on the door when he reached it, and when nobody answered he decided to go inside. Mai had told him he could come, so it wasn't as though he was breaking in…

The door was unlocked, so he walked inside and frowned as he wondered where to go. There was hardly a sound to be heard in the house… but then he caught female voices upstairs. He frowned and guessed at least one of them would belong to Suki. He gulped as he climbed the stairs, unsure if he wanted to meet her even now.

"Are you sure about this? Do you need any help?" Sokka overheard, as he reached the top of the stairs

"I'd like to think I can stand on my own two feet without help, Ty Lee…"

"Still, you had never tried to walk like this before… are you sure you're okay?"

Sokka stepped towards an open door at the end of the hallway, the room from where the voices were coming from, and he looked inside of it warily.

He froze when he caught sight of Suki for the first time in almost a year. She hardly looked like herself as she stood with difficulty next to Ty Lee. The first word that came to his mind as he stared at her insecure stance was 'fragile', but soon he realized that wasn't the right one: 'broken' was probably a more accurate description of Suki's state.

Suki soon realized she was being watched from the door. Her gaze flickered towards it and her eyes widened when she saw that familiar face. What was he doing here?

"Sokka?" she said, startling him. Ty Lee, who had been standing cautiously beside Suki, as though she expected the girl to fall over herself, turned towards the door to find Azula's gladiator standing on the room's threshold.

"Sokka!" she exclaimed, as he forced a smile.

"Hey," he said to Ty Lee, but his attention soon turned towards Suki. "Suki, you… are you alright?"

Suki had wanted to ask him what he was doing here first, but when he stepped towards her she forgot the words she had been about to say to him. Sokka stared at her, concern in his eyes.

"I ran into Mai just a moment ago and she told me you were…" Sokka started, but he soon stopped on his tracks when he realized Suki was stepping back, away from him.

For a moment he wasn't certain why she meant to keep the distance between them like that, but he soon made sense out of it. He had seen far too many female slaves recoiling from human contact back in Hui Yi. From what he knew, Suki's circumstances might have been similar to theirs… he clenched a fist but stepped back again, nodding in her direction.

"Sorry. I'll stay put," he said, giving her an apologetic smile.

"N-no, I probably ought to be the one…" Suki said, gritting her teeth. She had to do something about this. She couldn't keep pulling away from men she knew wouldn't hurt her…

"Still, are you… well, feeling better, at least?" he asked.

"Much better, actually," said Suki, smiling weakly. "You should have seen me when I first got here… though I guess it's probably better you didn't. It wasn't exactly a sight to behold."

"She's been feeling better over the past few weeks," Ty Lee said, smiling at Suki. "I drop by to see her often to make sure she's doing alright. We're good friends now, aren't we, Suki?"

Suki smiled uncomfortably but nodded. It had been a long time since she'd had friends.

"The servants ought to bring up her meal in a while," said Ty Lee, smiling. "And Ruon Jian is watching Yuudai, or probably dozing off with him, because they have a knack for falling asleep at the same time…"

Ty Lee's nervous talk made Sokka frown a little. It almost felt like she was trying to protect Suki from a conversation with him… it was probably what she was doing, truth to be told. He couldn't quite blame her for it

"Mai was over at… the Palace?" Suki asked, looking at Sokka inquisitively.

"Yeah, I met her by chance at the entrance," he said. "She told me about you, and that's why I came. I'd heard about what had happened to you, and… how did you get out of there?"

"Ty Lee found me and brought me here," said Suki. "It happened a few months ago."

Sokka looked at Ty Lee with confused eyes, and Ty Lee blinked blankly. He turned towards Suki once more, noticing how she seemed to be having trouble balancing her weight, almost as though her body wasn't her own.

"Do you have any bad wounds, though?" he asked. "Mai mentioned something about medical care…"

"Ah, yeah, I've been treated quite well by her servants," said Suki, nodding. "Except for this one wound in my ribs, most my injuries are healed. It's just taking a while for me to get accustomed to walking again, I was in bed for ages, so…"

"What… happened to your ribs, if I can ask?" Sokka asked, warily. Suki looked down.

"It was a soldier, actually," she said, and Sokka's eyes widened. "One of the ones who restrained me and dragged me out of… of my old apartment in the city."

"A soldier," Sokka repeated, bitterly. "C-can I ask why they captured you, Suki? I mean… I've heard things, but I'd rather hear the truth of what happened from you. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but…"

"I think I can talk about this, though," said Suki, nodding. "At least about that. I guess it's about time to start talking, after all."

Ty Lee stared at Suki with concern as the girl took a deep breath.

"The soldiers barged into the apartment when I was about to go to bed for the night," said Suki. "I didn't know what they wanted, and I'd set my weapons aside, so I could only defend myself with my own body. They overpowered me fast, though, and dragged me off once they had seized me. One of them kicked my ribs, and it seems he broke them. It healed wrong, so…"

"Damn," he muttered, sighing. "Still, why did they attack you in your home? I mean, I heard… I really hope it's not true, but I heard that your sponsor was involved with the White Lotus."

Suki's eyes widened at that, and she looked at Sokka with dread. He froze at that.

"W-why did you hear…?" Suki asked, grimacing. "Wait, what happened to Oyaji? Where is he? Did the soldiers kill him?"

"If he really was a White Lotus agent, then he was probably captured and imprisoned, along with the rest of them," said Sokka.

"The rest of…?" Suki repeated, swallowing hard. "What do you mean by that?"

"Maybe she had been sold already when that happened," said Ty Lee, looking at Sokka. "It might be that she was too far away to know about what was happening in the Capital that day."

"I don't think so," said Sokka, looking at Ty Lee briefly. "Suki, were you taken underground a few days after being captured by those soldiers?"

"I… yeah, I was being held with other slaves at the slave market," Suki said, frowning. "They dragged us underground, but I wasn't fully conscious at the moment. What was that about?"

"Some White Lotus people infiltrated the Fire Nation Palace," Sokka explained. "Since the situation was considered an emergency, the entire city was evacuated into the catacombs. The White Lotus members were captured soon afterwards, though."

"So you're saying… that Oyaji was captured? Are you certain?" Suki asked, looking at him with despair.

"If he was one of them, he must have been. But you haven't told me yet if he was or wasn't," Sokka said, sternly. "Please, Suki…"

She gritted her teeth before sighing in defeat and nodding. Ty Lee gasped and Sokka frowned deeply.

"He was one of them," Suki said. "I… I didn't know why I had been dragged away, but I hoped… I really hoped it had nothing to do with him, or with the White Lotus. But I guess there was little chance for that…"

"What about you, then?" Sokka asked, uneasy. "Are you one of them too?"

"What, of the White Lotus?" she replied. "No, actually, I'm not. My sponsor was, but I wasn't. I hardly knew anything about the White Lotus, if you want me to be totally honest…"

"Really?" Sokka asked. "Why were you working for him if you weren't one of them?"

"Well…" said Suki, growing a little uneasy upon Sokka's interrogation. "Oyaji was an old man from my village. I had no idea he had allegiances with the White Lotus back in the day, but after Kyoshi Island was conquered he disappeared for some time. He came back one day to offer me the job as his gladiator, and since I'd known him for so long, I said I'd do it…"

"Huh? You agreed to be a gladiator just because he asked?" Sokka asked, surprised.

"Well… not exactly," Suki admitted, grimacing. "Truth to be told, through me, Oyaji was trying to… well, to rebel against the Fire Nation in a simple way, sort of."

"Rebel against the Fire Nation…?" Ty Lee repeated, her eyes wide. "How?"

"Through the money" Sokka muttered, and Suki looked at him somewhat apologetically. "You guys sent weird bids, Shoji told me and Azula about it. Azula said you guys were in the business for the money. So… you were rebelling by using Fire Nation money to fund the White Lotus?"

Suki swallowed hard and Ty Lee stared at her in horror.

"Well, you can see where that landed both me and Oyaji, so lesson learned, I guess," said Suki, sighing, and Sokka's coldness faded away quickly.

"Uh, sorry if that was too harsh," he said, grimacing. "In any case, your sponsor ought to be safe. In jail, yeah, but he's not going to get executed or anything…"

"You seem so sure of that," said Suki, looking at Sokka warily. "Why?"

"Uh… b-because I kind of made the Fire Lord promise he wouldn't kill them," said Sokka, with a weak grin. Both Ty Lee and Suki were startled.

"You did WHAT?!" Ty Lee squeaked.

"Are you… are you serious?" Suki said. "Why?"

"Well, it just didn't sit right with me to let that happen," said Sokka, sighing. "I know prison isn't a great relief either, but then again, they had it coming…"

"They had it coming?" Suki repeated, somewhat indignant. "Really, now?"

"Uh, yeah," said Sokka.

"You're actually saying the Fire Nation had every right to lock them up?" Suki asked.

"As a matter of fact, I believe they did. I guess you may be a supporter of any anti-Fire Nation groups, but when someone wants to kidnap and enslave people, they're not exactly a good person, no matter whose side they're on," Sokka grunted, growing colder again.

"What are you talking about?" said Suki, raising an eyebrow.

"A pair of White Lotus guys had every intention to kidnap Azula," Sokka muttered, and Ty Lee's hands flew to her mouth. "If I hadn't gotten there when I did, they could've gotten away with it. They thought I'd be amused by the idea of treating her as a slave, once she was in their power…"

"R-really?" Suki said, her eyes widening.

"Yep," said Sokka, crossing his arms. "So I have a hard time feeling sympathetic towards the White Lotus guys after that. I still told Ozai not to kill them, if that's any relief for you, but that's about it."

"Well, I… I didn't think they'd try to do something like that," said Suki, biting her lip. "Which I guess stands as proof that I don't know anything about their group. Kidnapping the Princess…?"

The idea might not have displeased Suki some time ago, but it actually bothered her now. For reasons she still couldn't fathom, the Princess had saved her. She couldn't wish anything bad upon her after that.

"Anyhow, though, if you don't know much more about the White Lotus, I won't push you for more information," said Sokka, with a weak smile. "Well, uh… I hope you feel better soon. Sorry for the barrage of questions, you might not have been ready for them…"

"No, it's fine," said Suki, smiling a little. "Still, there was something I wanted to…"

"Excuse me," said a servant behind Sokka. He jumped out of the way as the old woman carrying a tray with food approached Suki. "Oh, my, it's good to see you standing on your two feet! I've brought your breakfast, though, so you might want to sit down again…"

"Oh, thanks," said Suki, smiling and obeying the servant. She walked back to the bed and sat on it as Ty Lee approached her to pat her shoulder.

"We'll leave you to eat and relax now," she said. "Enjoy your food."

"Uh…" said Suki, wanting to ask one last thing to Sokka, but deciding against it soon enough. She smiled at Ty Lee and nodded. "Alright then. I'll see you later."

"It's good to see you again, Suki," Sokka said, smiling as well. "Sorry for the questions, again, and I hope you're fully recovered soon. Thanks for bearing with me."

"Not at all," said Suki. "I guess I'll see you around as well, Sokka?"

"Yeah, maybe," he said, as Ty Lee ushered him outside. "Bye now!"

The servants stayed in the room, tending to Suki, and Ty Lee closed the door behind her before turning towards Sokka, who had a heavy frown on his face.

"She really doesn't look that good," he muttered. "Last time I saw her was ages ago, but she's been through hell, from the looks of it."

"Yeah," said Ty Lee, sighing. "She's in a very delicate state. I think she'll pull through, but I don't know if she'll ever be the same girl she used to be. Still, I'm sure she's glad you came to see her… were you two close, though? I never gathered you'd kept going out with her or anything…"

"I didn't," said Sokka. "But I heard about her circumstances, and I told Azula we had to do something about it. Still, she flat-out refused to do as I asked… so how come is Suki here? Why did you save her?"

"You mean…" said Ty Lee, her eyes widening before she smiled at Sokka. "Oh, well, this is unexpected. You told Azula to…? Oh, now everything makes sense!"

"What are you…?" said Sokka, frowning.

"Of course you don't get it," said Ty Lee, giggling. "Ah, you two, seriously…"

"How about you explain yourself, Ty Lee?" Sokka asked, an eyebrow twitching as he glared at the girl.

"Well, you see, I only went to find Suki because Azula told me to," said Ty Lee, smiling.

Sokka froze in place, staring at Ty Lee with disbelief.

"W-wha-…? Azula did?"

"I just said so, dummy, yeah!" Ty Lee exclaimed. "She said this was what I had to do as payback for helping me get Haru. Remember she said I'd owe her one?"

"Wait, wait… she… this was how you repaid her?" Sokka asked, so shocked Ty Lee's smile waned.

"Uh, Sokka, are you okay?" she asked, gulping.

"Just… are you serious?" he said. "She… she actually did this. But why did she…? She said she wouldn't do it, but…"

"Well, I'm pretty sure she did it because you asked her to," Ty Lee said, shrugging. "But if you don't think that's why she did it, I guess you'd better ask her yourself. Mai went to ask her about it too, after all…"

"I… I'll do that, yeah," said Sokka, nodding, a smile on his face now. "Still, what's going to happen to Suki now? Will you and Mai keep taking care of her?"

"Well, unless Azula says otherwise, I guess so," said Ty Lee, shrugging. "She needs all the help she can get so she can be nursed back to health."

"Of course," said Sokka, nodding. "Well, take good care of her, Ty Lee."

"We sure will," said Ty Lee, smiling. "Good luck with Azula!"

Sokka waved as a farewell before starting towards the door, his heart racing. He couldn't believe, let alone understand, what Azula had done. Of course it was a good surprise, but he was beyond baffled by it. Why had she done it, even though she had listed plenty of reasons not to? In fact, she must have had even more reasons not to save Suki than the ones she stated openly. So why…?

He entered the Palace, this time for certain, in hopes to have his question answered, but after asking some servants, he heard Azula had jumped on the back of her dragon and flown away only a while ago. Disappointed by his bad timing, Sokka decided to wait in Xin Long's refuge until Azula returned… and he feared he'd have to wait for longer than he originally expected when rain started pouring down. Surely Azula wouldn't fly back here in the middle of a storm…

But it seemed Sokka had misread his sponsor yet again. Xin Long roared as he arrived in the refuge, water dripping down his scales and saddle. Sokka had been dozing off, lulled by the sound of the rain, when he realized the dragon was about to crush him. He jumped out of the way as Xin Long landed heavily on the spot he had been sitting on just an instant ago.

Azula jumped off the saddle, soaking wet and with a heavy frown on her face. Sokka grimaced as he looked at her.

"Okay, so why were you flying in the rain, exactly?" he said, and Azula jumped. She hadn't noticed he was there.

"Sokka?" she said, surprised. She hadn't expected to see him again, let alone so soon. Not when he was supposed to be basking in his happy reunion with Kyoshi's Heir…

"Yeah, who else?" he said, smiling a little. "What were you up to, though? And why did you return when it was still raining? You should've waited until it stopped, you'll get sick again…"

"You can't simply sit back and wait for the rain to stop pouring in the Fire Nation, Sokka," Azula snapped at him. "It might stop in ten minutes, it might stop in ten hours. It doesn't matter, though, I'll just go soak in a warm tub now or so…"

"Heh…" said Sokka, gulping while trying not to blush. It sure wasn't easy to keep his brain from providing images of what she might look like in a tub… "Yeah, you do that. Still, uh…"

"I will," said Azula, turning to look at him, and Sokka noticed a hint of deviousness in her eyes. The deviousness that appeared in them whenever she was plotting something. "But before I do, I have to ask… did you unpack your bags?"

"Uh… from the trip to Ba Sing Se? Well, yeah," said Sokka, nodding. "Why?"

"Ah, it's too bad," Azula said, with a dramatic sigh. "It's only because you would have spared yourself the need to pack again if you hadn't, but I suppose you can do it without a hitch, can't you?"

"I could, yeah," said Sokka, frowning and looking at Azula with caution. "Why should I pack up again, though?"

"Why? Because I was just in the Grand Royal Dome and you've had challenges coming for you from gladiators in Arenas all over the Fire Nation," Azula stated, beaming at him. "So, we'll be traveling again, if you don't mind."

"Eh… heh?" said Sokka, his eyes widening. "We will?"

"Why, yes. You don't have a problem with that, though, do you?" Azula asked, and Sokka didn't miss the dangerous edge to her voice as she whispered those words. Was she challenging him? What for? He blinked a few times before smiling at her, taking Azula by surprise.

"No, not really. I mean, it's a bit sudden, but why not?" he said, and her eyebrow twitched.

"Indeed, why not…" she grumbled, before storming off from the refuge without another word.

Sokka and Xin Long watched her leave, and the gladiator was the more puzzled one of the two. He looked at the dragon and asked, after crossing his arms:

"What's going on with her now, huh, Xin? Care to share?"

To Sokka's surprise, Xin Long bared his fangs to him before head-butting him on the chest and flying upwards into the higher levels of his refuge, leaving Sokka staring after him down below, even more confused now.

"Okay… what the hell is going on here?" he muttered, grimacing.

Obviously, he wasn't about to get a response to that question from the dragon. And he suspected he wouldn't get one from Azula either, at least, not until she felt like explaining herself. Sokka sighed heavily and scratched his head, guessing the training session he had been looking forward to would be unofficially postponed for now…