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...

96. Chapter 96: Giving in 2

Azula sat in wait in the balcony for a short time, but it felt longer than it was for the Princess. She breathed deeply repeatedly, hoping to soothe her nerves: Sokka could do this, of course he could… she believed in him, for better or for worse. He wouldn't let her down this time.

The door swung open loudly, and she ensured to keep her reactions in check. She couldn't show any weaknesses to her uncle, especially not today. She sat on her couch, her elbows on the armrests, her fingers intertwined. She kept that position even as she regarded the man with a curt nod, who took his seat beside his niece while making the same respectful gesture towards her, even if the hostility between them was reaching newer heights.

"You favored your old armor today?" he commented. "Curious. I was expecting you to be comfortable in your new role."

"It grows dull for everyone to bow at me wherever I go. I expected an attire change might help with that, but regrettably, it didn't," she admitted. Iroh chuckled. "I suppose it was like this in your days as Crown Prince as well?"

"It was. I must say it was almost convenient for your father to take the throne instead. That way people would stop behaving so formally around me. It was quite a nuisance," Iroh said.

"Was it convenient, really?" Azula asked, looking at him skeptically. Iroh shrugged.

"In a few regards," he said, his voice growing darker now. "Though I suppose that isn't a very encouraging perspective for you, is it? I spent my entire life expecting to wear that five-pronged hairpiece, and I never did. Even this title is no guarantee of your eventual ascent to the throne."

"Indeed. And you seem so bothered by that fact…" Azula muttered, leering at him from the corner of her eyes.

"I am but warning you, Princess Azula," he said, leaning against the backrest of his seat. "If this is truly what you covet, you would do best not to drop your guard. You can lose what you desire without even realizing you did."

"I sure appreciate that warning. Thank you for looking out for my well-being, Uncle," she said, sarcastically. "Are you perhaps plotting to make that happen, if I may inquire, or are you merely saying this because you are genuinely, deeply concerned about my fate?"

"Why, are you implying you don't trust me, Princess Azula?" Iroh asked, raising his eyebrows. Azula rolled her eyes.

"I'm implying you were perfectly amicable and at peace with everyone until I became Crown Princess and Zuko left. You're convinced this whole ploy was my idea, aren't you?"

For a moment, Iroh kept his silence, his eyes focusing on the still empty sand pit. Azula glared at him sideways again.

"My father decided this, not me. I told him to wait, he did as he wished. It wasn't my fault."

"Say what you will… you have still done what you could to rob your brother of his birthright. Everything you've done… the ceremony, and even the Dai Li conspiracy we unveiled, you used all of it to your advantage. Did you not?" Iroh asked, frowning heavily.

"It may have all fallen into place for it, but that doesn't mean I did every little thing with this outcome in mind, Uncle," Azula snapped. "You think I planned to find a living dragon to earn people's recognition when you allegedly murdered the last one? You thought I fought back against the White Lotus merely because I wanted my Father to be impressed by my actions?"

The mention of the White Lotus made Iroh tense, as Azula expected it to. More bad signs. Was he really involved in that? It would have been little to no surprise, at this point…

"You are a talented, clever young lady. You may not have planned it all, but you still turned it all to your advantage in the end. So now your brother sails the seas, alone, while I sit here battling you to no end with words and gladiators…"

"You're fighting me in my brother's stead? Well, isn't that moving," Azula said, ironically. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "And he's not alone. He took his Kyoshi Island girl with him in the end."

"He what?" Iroh asked, looking at Azula in confusion. "He…?"

"So, if you're worried that he'll be lonely and sad while he's out facing the world, you're mistaken. He's not that lonely, and surely not that sad," Azula said, crossing her arms over her chest. "And if you really must know, I was in his room when you came to talk to him because I, as well, hoped he might desist on this grand idea of his. It made no sense back then, and still makes none now. But it's his life, for better or for worse. He's an adult, he can make his own choices."

"Are they his choices?" Iroh asked, and Azula frowned. "Truly? Or did someone manipulate him into thinking they were?"

"I'd hope you'd know," Azula said, shrugging. "You're the greatest manipulative mastermind I know. You tell me."

"Me?" Iroh said, with an amused grin as he shook his head. "You truly peg me for many things I am not, Azula."

"I wonder if I do," she said. "Why did you choose to challenge me out of the blue, then? Isn't it to pressure me into a corner, to make me realize I cannot have everything in life? The very reason you joined the Gladiator Business, in the first place, was to make sure I wouldn't succeed in my endeavor to reach the top of the ranking. Thus, you took Toph as your gladiator because you saw how ruthless she was, because she pummeled Sokka and nearly left him for dead. Oh, but I most certainly must be seeing too much into this. You are, surely, but a gentle old man who only wants to waste his days away drinking tea."

"You do give me far too much credit, Azula," said Iroh, with a soft chuckle. "I am a man who found an entertaining new friend, and an interesting new hobby."

"A hobby that aligns so very perfectly with the pacifist philosophies you've preached ever since you returned from Ba Sing Se, of course," Azula said, raising her eyebrows. "No doubt I am giving you more credit than you're due. You're as inoffensive as old men can get."

"Naturally," he replied to her sarcastic remarks. She didn't miss the glint in his eyes. She would have taken it to mean malice, or at least pride… either way, he kept proving she hadn't misread him as badly as she always feared she had.

The man had inner demons, there was no denying that. He had endured pain and sorrow, he had seen and experienced things Azula could barely being to imagine. But while all that was true, he hadn't mellowed out as much as he wanted people to believe he had. There was something eerie about Iroh, always had been. If someone was likely to turn his back on the Fire Nation and aid the White Lotus, it was him. If someone would take it into his own hands to pave the way for his ideal successor to take the throne, it was Iroh. Tragedies or not, he was a man of resources, with the sharp mind of a military strategist. Even if Toph lost today, he would find another way to bring Azula down. He wasn't going to back off, not when he had a very clear goal in mind, and when Azula was one of the main obstacles in his way.

It seemed the one who shouldn't underestimate her foe today was Azula, and not Sokka.

The staff member came by to ask for the fight's length, and Azula and Iroh decided on fifteen minutes. She dreaded briefly that this would be too long, remembering what Sokka's first battle against this earthbender had been like. Fifteen minutes had been too long back then. Could Sokka withstand them this time around?

"Whatever the result is today, Princess…" Iroh said, once the staff member was gone. The metal grids at the stand-by rooms would rise at any given moment now. "I hope you remember that even the best can find themselves outmatched when the circumstances don't favor them."

"Those words might just be a double-edged sword, Uncle," Azula muttered. "It's not my gladiator who boasts of being the absolute best at what he does."

"Yet he represents you, does he not?" Iroh said. "The greatest firebender of her generation. The fearsome Princess who will brave through every challenge and exceed every expectation anyone had for her. What does she do, then, when she finds a challenge that is utterly beyond her?"

The gates before the stand-by rooms slid upwards now, and the two gladiators were heralded into the sand pit by the megaphone man and the deafening cheers of the crowd. How times had changed… no longer were they two beginners, two gladiators merely making their names in this business. Toph's sponsor wasn't the same as when they had first crossed paths, and she as well had changed quite a lot in that period of time. Now she thought of Sokka and Azula as friends. On this opportunity, she stood before Sokka by the stone well and smiled at him.

"Ready for this, Dog?" she asked, and Sokka smirked and nodded.

"Let's see what you've got this time, Bandit," he said, and she laughed a little.

"You're sounding a little too much like your Jewel, you know?" she said. "Is she rubbing off on you that much?"

"Not your problem if she were," Sokka said, whipping out Space Sword and his club. "We've got a score to settle."

"That we do," said Toph, taking up a stance just as the megaphone man informed them of their time limit.

"Whoever is left standing after those fifteen minutes pass shall be the winner of this iconic combat between two royal gladiators!" he exclaimed, and Sokka raised an eyebrow. He hadn't thought about it, but him and Toph were indeed on a different level than every other fighter, if just because of who their sponsors were… it was to be an extraordinary fight, if just on these regards. "So hold tight to your seats, everyone, because this is a match for history! Once again, the Blue Wolf confronts the Blind Bandit in our very Grand Royal Dome!"

"Come on, can't he shut up already?" Toph grunted, tapping her foot impatiently. Sokka smiled.

"So, without further ado, these two forces of nature will clash in three, two, one, and…! START!"

Unlike how it was the first time they faced off, the Blind Bandit wasted no time chatting. Instead she struck her arms out in fists, creating two solid spikes of earth out of the sand and sending them at full speed towards Sokka. He shattered them with his club and readied himself to take the offensive swiftly.

Surprised by his quick response, Toph lifted a barrier between herself and Sokka, but he slammed through it with his club once more, sliding the sword through the opening in an attempt to catch his opponent. Toph was forced to jump back, a frown on her face as she attested to Sokka's progress herself. She had sensed some of his growth before, back in Ba Sing Se, but right now it seemed he was far stronger and faster than she envisioned he would be… could he have improved so much in the time between their partnership and the fight at the Slate?

She wasn't sure she was ready to believe that, though. She wasn't going to let him daunt her easily.

She stomped on the sand, creating a rock pillar right underneath Sokka's feet, a pillar that shot upwards and sent him up a few meters before he knew what was happening. He cringed, twisting in the air so he could roll on the sand, easing his landing as much as he could. He turned quickly and jumped to his feet, aware that Toph would take advantage of this opportunity if he allowed her to. And of course, that was what she had attempted to do, bending streams of sand so they'd strike Sokka's face.

His response was to shrink in his frame, allowing the sand to pelt him as he sheathed Space Sword and released his boomerang now. He hurled it quickly, attempting to measure the strength of his swing so that he could be certain the attack had struck his foe… when the sand stream stopped, he smirked proudly, shaking off the sand as he stood up. His boomerang came hurtling back towards him, and he caught it with confidence. Toph was rubbing her forehead, where a small streak of blood oozed from the wound the projectile had given her.

"Well, how about that," Azula said, allowing herself to smirk. "The first real blow of the fight, isn't it? By my gladiator's hand, and not yours…"

Iroh's eyes were wide, despite his brow was furrowed. Azula frowned as well as she saw his reaction. He hadn't seen this coming, clearly. He didn't realize how much Sokka had trained, how he'd learned from his experiences against so many other fighters. Yet instead of feeling pleasure from seeing her Uncle's expectations grinded into nothingness, Azula actually felt dread. Toph was already in enough trouble with her sponsor regarding the part she'd played in Zuko's departure: if she lost now, just what was he likely to do to her?

It wasn't a thought that should have deterred Azula, for she wasn't one to be concerned for the fate of her opponent's gladiators. But in this case, she couldn't help but wonder what the ramifications of a potential victory for her and Sokka would be.

"You've gotten damn bold, Dog," said Toph, wiping the blood with her wristbands. "I'll give you that."

"Got to be bold to fight boldness, don't I?" said Sokka, smirking and sheathing the boomerang again. He wouldn't lose it this time around.

"No doubt," said Toph, smirking. "But we're just starting out, aren't we, Dog?"

"I hope so," said Sokka, taking a stance and lifting his club again.

He didn't expect the attack to come from behind him, though, a wave of sand that struck him by the ankles and made the ground underneath him unstable. He tripped and stumbled, falling on his back clumsily, to both his and Azula's chagrin. He struggled to get back on his feet only to realize Toph was busy bending the sand around him to turn it into quicksand, as she had during their first fight.

"Damn it, damn it…!" he cried out, pushing himself away from the void to no avail. The earthbender continued to do as she pleased, making it so the entirety of the sand around him would grow as unstable as possible.

Azula had known it was too early to feel victorious, but despite Sokka's circumstances right now, as he raced around the sand pit, struggling to clutch onto anything, she still felt hopeful. He could get out of this somehow, couldn't he? He'd faced worse problems in the fighting pit than this…

His constant movements seemed to be his doom, though, and when his foot was caught within the quicksand he unleashed his boomerang once more. Yet upon sensing what he'd done, Toph created a ball of sand around herself, solidifying it so it would protect her fully from the boomerang's attack. As expected, the projectile rebounded against her shield hopelessly, and while the distraction served to get Sokka out of his predicament, his respite didn't last long.

"You know what's nice about being blind, Dog?" he heard Toph say from within her earth sphere. "That fighting from in here is practically the same as fighting out in the open. How about that?"

"Shit," Sokka said, his eyes widening as more sand streams came flowing at him, now from opposite directions. This wasn't good.

"A master of Pai Sho can easily turn the tides of a match, even if he starts out with the weaker hand," Iroh whispered. Azula held her own, despite wanting to retort by telling him that there was no such thing as the weaker hand in Pai Sho, since both players were free to use all tiles from their set whenever they saw fit.

Toph wasn't to be underestimated, clearly, but only a true threat would have led her to resort to this, Azula reasoned. Never had she been pushed to a corner to the extent where she would shield herself while attacking, simply because she didn't usually need to do that to succeed in battle. If Sokka had driven her to such extreme measures, clearly, he was doing something right. He merely had to push on further, to find a weak spot and make the most of it when he succeeded.

It would be difficult for Sokka to pull that off, though. He defended himself as best as he could from the sand streams, but tossing his boomerang would serve no purpose anymore. His swords weren't likely to help, nor were his bomb and club, at least not when he could barely get any closer to his rival. What now? How could this girl constantly leave him with little to no resources so quickly? He doubted they'd been fighting for longer than five minutes, yet the situation was already overwhelming him. He cursed internally and wondered why they hadn't just challenged Iroh and Toph to the Slate instead. He'd have defeated her no problem that way…

He ran around hopelessly, trying to escape from the sand to no avail. Wherever he went, another stream would strike him, or quicksand followed him. Despite his great start, he hadn't gained the upper hand at all. Sokka cursed himself as he resorted to the only moderately good idea that had come to his head, climbing atop one of the wood-and-rope contraptions in the ring, hoping Toph would care far too much about her points to wreck it. If she did, then it would supply him with a perfect chance to stop and give the battle some more thought…

He leapt up on the closest one, hoping she wouldn't be able to sense what he was doing once he wasn't standing directly on the ground. She should have a hard time to figure out what he was up to now…

"Are you sure that's a good call, Dog?!" Toph exclaimed, smirking to herself as Sokka began to sense he was sinking now… of course she would turn the sand underneath the contraption into quicksand. He cursed again, clutching Space Sword in a desperate whim and hoping the earthbender wasn't standing too close to the walls of her shield…

He threw the sword with all his strength, aiming it towards the top of the sphere. The weapon spun as it soared through the air, and it effectively cut off the top of the sphere once it reached it, taking green fabric with it. Sokka thought that seeing no blood was a good sign, at least, and he threw his boomerang next, as the entire shield collapsed and Toph gritted her teeth, her hand going up to her hair as she wondered what he'd done to her usual hair ornament.

She shielded herself from the boomerang, but Sokka's chance was finally here. He jumped off the sinking contraption, now with Wolf's Bane and his club in hand, trying to avoid tripping on the earth ledges Toph kept lifting… but one of them caught him, along with a smaller, rocky pillar that shot upwards and struck him square in the nose.

Sokka stumbled back, spraying the sand with a splatter of blood as he cried out in pain. He placed the club on the ground briefly as he touched his nose worriedly, grimacing when he sensed it was broken. Of course it was. Damn Toph and her endless resources…

"You okay?" Toph asked, standing up and heading towards where the remnants of her hair's ornament had wound up at.

"You think?! Can't you see I'm…? Uh, I mean, I'm bleeding. Thanks for breaking my nose," Sokka said, cringing. Every facial movement was painful. This felt like a lesser wound than the ones she had delivered during their first fight, but it sure hurt like hell anyways.

"Well, thank you too!" she said, lifting her ripped hair ornament and scowling as she found it was useless now. "I'll have to make Iroh to find me a new one of these."

"And I'll have to get Azula to find me a new nose. Do tell me who's worse off," Sokka growled, and Toph smirked.

"It's clear enough," she said, and he froze.

The small wound he had delivered to her amounted to next to nothing in comparison to a broken nose. Just by this point in the fight, he was already losing. He gritted his teeth, knowing he couldn't go on like this. If he wanted to win, he needed to take her by surprise in a more definitive way this time around. He needed the right opportunity to execute the plan he had come up with for this fight…

"So, still want to fight or would you rather get that nose fixed?" Toph asked, cockily.

"As if I had a choice," Sokka growled, whipping out his boomerang and tossing it at her.

"Aren't you going to get tired of that?" Toph asked, lifting now a tall, circular wall around herself, from which the boomerang rebounded.

"I already am," Sokka said, racing towards Toph before she could begin her sand stream assault once more.

The earthbender's attacks failed to reach him on time, and he made it to the sand cylinder Toph had crafter as her newest shield. It seemed it was thicker this time, and Sokka wouldn't be able to hurt her if he tossed his remaining sword at her, seeing how Wolf's Bane wasn't quite as sharp as Space Sword… but that wasn't his plan anyways.

He swung his club down powerfully against the steady rock, breaking it slightly, to Toph's irritation. She sensed Sokka moving quickly, taking something from his waist and trying to slide it through the opening and into her shield, but she closed the gaping hole before his hand could slip inside completely.

It took her a moment to realize that whatever Sokka had removed from his waist had fallen inside her cylinder, without her awareness. She frowned as she tried to identify the object. It didn't feel like a knife, it was smaller than that… but soon she realized what it was, leading her to take down her cylindrical construction quickly, but not quickly enough.

The bomb unleashed its content, overwhelming her nostrils and nearly making her faint with the unpleasant odor that stemmed from it. What the hell was that?! Had he made his bombs extra stinky now? Toph coughed, crawling on the sand as she remained as close to the ground as she could be, attempting to get away from the stench. He had played his advantages extremely well… being blind meant her other senses were heightened, of course, but that didn't refer only to her hearing. Her nose was far more sensitive than most people's, so overwhelming scents affected her more than they did anyone else.

Sokka smirked. He had placed some hopes in this strategy, knowing that his opponent's weaknesses were few and hard to exploit. Hence, he had taken his time to build this one bomb differently, focusing on creating stench rather than smoke. He had done his best to add a mixture of unpleasant smells to it, hoping the compressed gas would grow really stale by the time he used it against Toph.

"What was…?" Iroh said, his eyes widening.

Azula's eyebrows raised in approval as she watched Sokka with amazement. That was new. She had no idea he had been experimenting with his bombs, but he must have been… not much smoke had poured out of this one, yet Toph was crawling on her knees and elbows, clearly disgusted and indisposed if just for now.

"W-what the hell was that…?!" she shouted, still somewhat breathless. "Did you fart?! Because hell…!"

"… Now that's a smell I could've added there," Sokka reflected briefly, as he picked up Space Sword and smirked, "But I guess I'll do that next time, eh?"

"You're… you're fucking sick…" Toph said, gritting her teeth and slamming her palm on the sand powerfully.

Sokka had no time to realize what was happening when the sand opened below him. He tried to jump out, but he was sinking deeper and deeper with every passing moment. How the hell was she still able to bend this powerfully?!

The sand came crashing together again, all over Sokka's body, trapping him so that only the top of his torso was sticking out of the sand. The pressure of the sand slamming into him had made his head rebound dangerously, his neck creaking as he fell forward, his body limp.

"You've got issues, Dog, I mean it…" Toph said, pushing herself to her feet and walking towards him. The smells were dissipating at last, to her relief, but she was still quite disgusted by what had happened all the same. Would she be forced to repeat what she'd done to him in their first encounter? If he had another of those bombs on him, she really just might do that…

She stopped dead on her tracks when she realized he wasn't moving, though. She frowned and approached, noticing there was some kind of liquid dripping on the sand, but he was petrified where she'd left him. Had she hurt him that badly?

The megaphone man suddenly began to count, and Toph raised an eyebrow. That couldn't be right, could it?

"Wait, are you for real?" she turned to the man, frowning. "He's not done for yet, he's probably just playing dead, so quit…!"

As she finished saying that, something struck her from behind. And that something made her lower limbs go unresponsive, and she collapsed on the ground heavily.

As expected, the man's count ended quickly enough as Sokka dug himself out of the sand with his own hands, shoving the grains out of the way as fast as he could. He needed to make the most out of this. He had succeeded at chi-blocking her! If he was going to beat her, it would have to be now…

But as soon as he was able to heave himself out of the hole, a large rock came flying at him. It came from the well, which Toph had destroyed by bending with her hands alone in order to use its rocks against Sokka. He flinched, knowing these rocks were going to be harder to destroy than the ones Toph could fashion out of sand.

He had to use both Space Sword and his club to tear them apart, struggling to avoid getting struck by them, but Toph, despite her blindness and her current inability to use her lower body, continued to swing her arms almost erratically, making rocks and stones fly past Sokka in a flurry, some of them hitting him and threatening to knock him off balance.

He shouldn't have let this distract him, despite he hardly had a choice upon the matter: her paralysis wouldn't last until the fight ended, though at the moment he was willing to think he really had the upper hand. He had to finish her off before the time limit ended, or risk allowing her to regain mobility in her entire body…

A rock to his lower back made him fall on his face, and soon he was being pelted by smaller stones that left bruises and scratches all over his exposed skin. He struggled to get up, swinging his club to slam the rocks away, but it was as though he were fighting with a cloud of mosquito-wasps. They kept coming back, almost in a vengeful spree, attempting to take him down even if he cut them or smacked them away.

And then suddenly he was enveloped by sand. Everything around him was darkness.

Toph breathed heavily, in a standing position now. Her legs still felt fuzzy, but fortunately the effects of what Sokka had done to her had faded quickly. It would seem he hadn't caught her chi point properly…

"Well, that was unexpected…" Iroh admitted, but he seemed more relaxed now that Sokka was trapped underground. Of course, Azula didn't share his feelings.

"She's… she's not going to keep him down there. She can't just…!" she said, and Iroh laughed under his breath next to her. Not for the first time, Azula wished she could be fighting her opposite sponsor in the ring instead of sitting helplessly here. All the progress in her relationship with her uncle had definitely fallen by the wayside after this.

"I'm afraid the rules say nothing of the sort. It would be a pity for him to die smothered, no doubt… but so much for a non-bender battling against a superior fighter. He has done far too well as it is."

"Stop belittling him," Azula snapped. "He's done way better than Toph has so far and you know it. He has everything in his favor to win this fight, so…!"

"Alright, ready to surface, you jackass?!" Toph shouted, closing her hands into fists before stomping on the sand.

Azula's eyes widened when Sokka rose from the ground… or rather, the stone block in which Sokka was encased. Only his face was visible as he gasped for breath, his eyes wide.

"You know, I really didn't want to go this far because I thought we were good buddies now, but I think I have no choice anymore," she growled, lifting her hands and moving them forward.

Just that served to catapult the rock through the Arena, straight towards the spikes that had damaged Sokka's shoulder so badly the last time they'd fought. He flinched, knowing what Toph was doing, and Azula's nails dug into the armrests of her seat, watching Sokka's trajectory in anguish as the encased gladiator was slammed against the spikes at full speed.

Most of the rock he had been stuck in shattered once it reached the spikes, but Toph made sure that a good amount of it would remain wrapped around Sokka's body. He cried out once he fell on the ground, likely injured by a spike, but Azula couldn't see where it had caught him.

"Got you good, did I?" she growled, bending the sand that remained around Sokka to slam his head against the wall, between the spikes that remained dangerously close to him.

Sokka cried out, unable to do anything despite the sand was crumbling off his body. His head pounded with every blow, for the earthbender repeated the same sequence for longer than it was safe to, no doubt. Not again. She was going to leave him broken down again at this rate…

He gritted his teeth next, glaring at Toph, but he soon cried out again as she began tightening the earth around him. The sand stuck to his legs and torso, most of it sliding into his armor in order to injure him for good.

"You know, I really am sorry…" Toph muttered, inaudibly, but she continued to close her hands…

His arms were free, though, the one mistake Toph hadn't noticed until he released his boomerang once more and tossed it at her. She cringed as she released the earth around him in order to shield herself from his attack, and Sokka took his chance to strike the earth holding him down with his club.

As he ran towards, Toph Azula realized his body hadn't been pierced by any of the spikes. There was no blood dripping from his armor or clothes, which had to mean his armor had actually protected him for good. Would he be fine, despite all the blows he had taken to the head just now? She hoped so… if he'd sustained any internal injuries it would prove all the more troublesome…

But Sokka seemed to be in good shape, even though he was quite battered. His armor had kept him from taking a bad injury, but he seemed to lack stamina and breath regardless. His next attacks would have to decide this fight, and he meant to see it decided in his favor.

A rock struck him on the stomach now, halting his sprint momentarily, but he kept going after regaining his footing, despite it was a bad blow. A ledge of sand solidified at his feet again, but this time he managed to jump over it before it could trip him. He withdrew Space Sword, tossing it at Toph again, who knew he had to be throwing one of his blades by now, so she winced and leapt out of the way, only to find he was again making a tossing movement… the other sword?

This time the blade was caught in a quick rock barrier she managed to muster, a barrier Sokka shattered with his club. He picked up the sword and tossed it again, only for Toph to bat it away with defensive bending, and to her surprise, he threw something else. He was out of weapons now, she realized, as she shot herself upwards with earthbending to avoid the soaring club that could have easily broken her legs had she stayed where she was.

But when she landed again she realized Sokka was far too close by now. She wouldn't have enough time to create a rock barrier before he punched her square in the face…

She resorted to catching his fist in her palm, astounded by how strong his direct attack had been. Sokka snarled, lifting his other hand. Just one more blow, strong enough to knock her unconscious and he'd do it! He'd…!

A pillar of stone came hurtling upwards, striking Sokka's jaw and making him stumble back. Toph gulped as he whimpered in pain, but before she could even show some sort of remorse, the Blue Wolf had lifted his fist again…

"The time is up!"

Toph moved sideways, evading his next punch before it could connect. She breathed with difficulty now as Sokka fell to the ground, panting as well.

He turned to look at her, disbelief in his eyes. Yes, he'd done a really great job, all things considered… but the chi-blocking hadn't lasted long enough. He hadn't managed to deliver a powerful enough blow with lasting damage, whereas she had overwhelmed him with her bending many times during the fight. He had hurt her forehead, almost given her a haircut, overwhelmed her through a stench bomb and chi-blocked her, though… would the judges think all that was enough to award him the victory?

He struggled to stand up, his body aching unpleasantly. All around, he had really done well… but although they had almost been evenly matched, he couldn't claim to have had an upper hand through most the fight. Even though he wasn't as terribly wounded as he had been the last time…

"You okay, Dog?" she asked him, extending her hand towards him. Sokka gritted his teeth and took it, nodding.

"Y-yeah… looks like I can still talk," he said, massaging his jaw. "Sorry I… I made you smell that bomb," he whispered, and Toph snorted.

"You'd better be, you freak," she snapped. "That was damn unpleasant. And heck, what did you do to my legs?"

"That's a new technique I learned recently," said Sokka, with a weak grin. "But I didn't do it right, I think. Else you wouldn't have gotten up so quickly."

"Heh, lucky me, I guess. If not, then…" she said, as the realization dawned upon her.

He had nearly gotten her. He might as well be granted the victory, despite everything she managed to do to him. With his strange techniques and inventive ideas, he had been damn close to defeating her. If the judges wanted to be in Azula's good graces, they would just claim Sokka was the victor. Despite the fact that she had inflicted more damage, over all, they might decide Sokka had been the superior fighter…

"Not such a wimp anymore, are you?" she whispered, as Sokka breathed out a few times, touching his nose and blinking back tears. "I should've gone all out from the get-go."

"You… y-you probably should have, though it wouldn't have been convenient for me at all, but you should have," he said, gritting his teeth. "D-damn you, really… you had to get my nose, did you?"

"Oh, that. Woops," said Toph, with a guilty smile. "Don't worry, the physicians will patch you up good. You'll be fine in…"

"The judges are ready to announce the winner!" said the megaphone man, startling both the gladiators.

Azula's heart was in her throat as she awaited the announcement. She was willing to bet this was one of the most difficult fights Toph had ever dealt with. Even though Sokka was in worse shape than her right now, surely the chi-blocking and Toph's reaction to the bomb were reason enough to make them serious contenders for victory, right?

"It was an extraordinary fight, from both sides," the judge in charge said into the megaphone, and Iroh clutched the armrest of his seat tightly. "The Blue Wolf's creative fighting style was something to behold today. But alas, due to the amount of damage delivered and received, and since she overwhelmed her opponent for most the fight… the victory is for the Blind Bandit."

"No… that's not…!" Azula said, her eyes wide as she stared at the judges in disbelief. "That can't be right!"

"You may think so, Princess," said Iroh, smiling with delight: suddenly he was serene and peaceful again, all his poorly contained anxiety nowhere to be seen anymore. "But true superiority was demonstrated by my fighter, not yours. It is regrettable, for the Blue Wolf put up a spectacular fight, I acknowledge that fully. But… it would seem he has been found deficient."

The cocky grin on his face enraged Azula further. She glared at him, her fists tight, her long nails digging into her palms. It wasn't fair. It wasn't logical! Not for the first time she felt cheated from a victory that should have belonged to Sokka, regardless of how the judges wanted to measure the damage rates… it was absurd that he wouldn't have taken the victory today. Was he only going to be granted the victory if he knocked Toph out? This was ridiculous…

"Are you hoping to protest the result, then?" Iroh asked, with a condescending smirk as he stood up. "I don't think that's appropriate, now, is it? When you join the League you do so by accepting that you will respect the judges' decisions, no matter what. I advise you to do so now. A Princess should know to acknowledge her losses as well as her victories. Just as she should be able to accept there are some challenges that not even she can overcome."

"You're…" Azula growled, glowering at him. Iroh smiled and looked down at her waist, where a small pouch hung.

"I take it that's my winning fee, is it not?" he said, before sighing and shaking his head. "Keep it. It's not appropriate for an uncle to take his niece's money, especially after a display like the one we just had, is it?"

Azula felt compelled to throw the bag at the man's face, held back only by the little self-control she had left. She felt herself shiver in anger as Iroh turned on his heels and left the balcony without another word.

She had failed to defeat him… by no fault of Sokka's, for he had done excellently, but simply because those accursed judges had decided to award the victory to her uncle. Why? She felt compelled to think he had bought them off, but perhaps they merely wanted Toph to be as helpless as Sokka was at several stages of the fight. Even if she was in a worse situation than the ones she usually faced, it still hadn't been something where the only logical solution would be to give her opponent the victory… But the taste of defeat was bitter for Azula, more than ever before. She couldn't accept it, not this time. Not when Sokka had been at his best. If they'd had at least five more minutes, he could have defeated Toph thoroughly…

She glanced down at the fighting pit, where Sokka was currently collecting his weapons. The medical staff had rushed in to get the gladiators, but neither had paid them much mind.

"N-no hard feelings, right?" Toph said, her eyebrows raised as Sokka picked up Space Sword and sheathed it. "I mean, you… you really did great. It must have been a tough call."

"Don't worry, Toph," he said, flatly. "It's fine. If you won, it's because you did better. Nothing wrong with that."

"But…"

"Congratulations. Really," he said, with a weak grin, as he finally obeyed to the physicians that were ushering him into the stand-by room.

Azula sighed as she watched them from afar, his behavior coming as no surprise. He wasn't pleased with the result either, even though he wasn't bound to blame Toph for it. The Princess shook her head and stormed out of the balcony, feeling cheated and slighted in every possible way. It wasn't fair. It wasn't right.

Everyone knew better than to stand in her way when they saw her in such foul mood. She sat in the waiting room, not even speaking while Sokka was tended to, weighing the reality of the situation. Protesting the result of the fight would be as good as giving her uncle every reason to treat her as a sore loser. She truly wanted to throw the damn money in his face, though… she refused to be treated as a child who had to be given a consolation prize of sorts when she didn't get her way. Because that was exactly what Iroh was treating her as. He looked down on her now, pleased by having retained his position as the superior sponsor… a position Azula was sure he didn't deserve. He had done little for Toph, merely providing her with steady living conditions, but how had he improved her fighting style? How had he helped her grow as a fighter? In no ways, whatsoever. Yet despite she had done everything in her power to improve Sokka's fighting skills, having him learn new abilities and techniques from many other sources, lending him her sword and even her hairpiece that one time, somehow Iroh thought of himself as better at his job than she was. It was laughable, truly…

Her frustrations piled up, but there was nothing much she could do about them anymore. She had to live with them, clearly… and to hope that Sokka could grow at least a little more as a fighter, so that the next time he fought Toph he would be granted an unquestionable victory…

A knock on the door startled her, and she jumped when she noticed who stood there. Sokka was being held down as his wounds were tended to, so he might not have noticed there was someone else in the room.

"Impressive performance for a non-bender," Zhao told Azula. She felt her stomach sink.

"I… I had no idea you had come to watch the fight," she said, her voice faint.

"Your uncle mentioned it in passing. I thought I'd drop by," he said. "I must say, few non-benders can reach that fighting level. You must be proud. Only someone like yourself could have built up someone from such origins into a true warrior."

"That… thank you," Azula said, though she didn't think the words had been poised as a compliment to her as much as they were an insult to Sokka, whom she could see was glaring at Zhao's back as the physicians put his nose back into place. He was biting hard on a rag, yet he couldn't help but shout at the burst of pain born from the brusque fixing of his nose.

"In my humble opinion, you could have been granted the victory…" Zhao said, raising his eyebrows as he glanced at Sokka's writhing form, disdain in his dark eyes. "But the Dragon of the West's gladiator has advantages yours could only possibly dream of, regrettably…"

"She has advantages but weaknesses as well," Azula snapped. "The next time we'll be able to do it. She won't be a foil for us for much longer."

"Oh? With this gladiator?" Zhao said, looking at her with interest. "Are you sure of that?"

"Well…"

"You have put quite a lot of work into him, no doubt… but you know that this fight was going to end in his ultimate defeat had it dragged on a little longer. He was disarmed already. Another hit to the head and he probably would have been knocked unconscious…"

"You're saying he's unreliable?" Azula asked, raising her eyebrows.

"I'm saying… if you want to reach the top, you need the best. That's all I meant, Princess," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder and nodding in her direction. "You did a good job molding him nonetheless, but I'm afraid you might need to make bigger changes if you truly hope to defeat your uncle one day."

Azula stood in place, wordless, as Zhao left the room quietly. It wasn't her uncle who she truly wanted to defeat, it was Zhao himself. Yet…

Sokka wasn't enough, Zhao thought. He was sure of it. The irrational side of Azula's mind snapped, making her frown heavily after the door he had left ajar: Zhao was no eminence in the world of the Gladiator League, try as he might to pretend otherwise. He had been away for so long, and yet he had the nerve to act as though he understood the business better than Azula did? And even if he did…

The entire purpose, from the get-go, had been to find someone who had no odds to win. A man who didn't seem capable of reaching the top, no matter what. Nobody would ever expect a non-bender to become the top gladiator of the ranking, of course. And not just any non-bender, but a Water Tribe one… someone that many proud Fire Nation people would never want to respect. But if he proved he could defeat all their champions they would be forced to acknowledge him. Just as she had done everything in her power to force them to acknowledge her as her father's heir.

But even though most the job was done, not all of it was. Not when she had lost here, against her uncle. Not when Sokka surely, even on his highest level yet, wasn't strong enough to defeat Combustion Man…

She dropped Sokka off at his home once his nose had been fixed. Azula had made sure to tell Song about the injuries he had sustained, so she could look after the more urgent ones immediately. She stayed at his place for most the afternoon, despite she did nothing but sit on his couch as he rested in his room, by Song's command. Her mind was full of unpleasant thoughts, many of which offered pessimistic truths she refused to acknowledge. She couldn't just give up this fight now, not when they had come so far…

She had left after a while, realizing that staying here wasn't going to be much use: she wouldn't feel any better by sitting where she was if she couldn't talk to Sokka, if they couldn't puzzle their way out of this predicament together. So she returned to the Palace, her chest heavy with failure, and tight with rage: she had resolved to leave the money she owed her uncle in his room. She was taking no more condescendence from the man. If he wanted to undermine her, he could screw himself. She refused to tolerate his mockery any further.

For the next days she busied herself with matters that didn't involve the Gladiator League, whether by choice or because the circumstances forced her to. Her father requested to speak to her more often than usual, merely to ensure her appointment as Crown Princess had been received properly, that she had suffered no disrespects or threats for it. Ty Lee and Mai had dropped by at the Palace to resume their weekly meetings the very day after the fight, too, and they had been horrified to hear that all of Sokka's training hadn't paid off when it came to fighting Toph.

Azula was dragged to the royal tailor almost every day, for it seemed her father wanted to gift her with as many new clothes befitting her status as he could. She would don her golden armor more often now that she had discovered people would consistently bow down to her wherever she went, regardless of her garb, but she chose the black one from time to time, if just because it served as a reminder of simpler times, in some small way.

She dropped by to see Sokka only once in the space of that week, for her schedule had allowed nothing else, to find that again he was sleeping his wounds off. Song promised to let him know that she had visited, but Azula had the distinct feeling that something was wrong. Something Song wasn't telling her, probably because it wasn't her place to say anything to begin with. She hadn't pressed on, hoping to have her chance to talk with Sokka properly sooner than later.

Said chance came along when, at long last, she had a free day, a full week after the fight against Toph. Azula informed the Captain of where she would be, in case someone might need her for anything, and she took off on Xin Long's back, straight to Sokka's house.

Xin Long landed heavily on the garden, and Azula chanced a glance inside to find that Sokka had been standing in the living room: the open doors that led to the veranda allowed their gazes to meet. He didn't appear so happy to see her, but neither did Azula. Sokka nodded in acknowledgement as she climbed off Xin Long, removing her sword from her dragon's saddle and letting him know she would call for him once she was finished here. With Wolf's Bane on her hip, she finally entered the house.

"Wearing the old armor again?" Sokka asked her, as he settled on the couch.

"I'm alternating them by now," Azula said, staring around her with a frown as she stood in the living room. Sokka's armor and weapons were still lying there, close to the wall, despite his fight had taken place over a week ago. Why? "Doesn't seem like either you or Song are tidying things up lately, are you?"

"Uh, sorry about that. It slipped my mind completely. Told her I'd put them away a few days ago…" said Sokka, catching sight of the weapons and lowering his head bashfully.

"I guess you've been giving a lot of use to that mind of yours, if you can't focus on simpler tasks," she said, raising an eyebrow. "How's the nose?"

"Not so painful anymore. I'm much better now," he said, giving her a weak grin. Azula nodded.

"Good."

"I'm sorry I was indisposed the other day," he said. "Song told me you came by just as I was napping. You could've woken me, though, if you… if you really wanted to talk to me."

"I figured our talk could wait," Azula replied, shrugging. "But I wasn't willing to wait much longer by now. You've had a week to get better, so we should start thinking about what our next move will be. Granted that the fight with the Bandit wounded both our egos, but we can't just… Sokka?"

He had hung his head, only allowing Azula a brief glimpse of his sorrowful eyes before all she could see was the top and back of his head. A deep frown accentuated Azula's features after that. Something was wrong, alright.

"What's the matter?" she asked, point-blank.

"It's… it's nothing, I guess. Don't mind me," he said, lifting his head and shaking it promptly before giving her a weak grin that served as a poor disguise of his true emotions.

"I do mind you, whether you want me to or not," she said, looking at him with irritation. "You've been acting odd ever since the fight happened, and I'm still not sure I can buy the whole 'nap' story. What are you hiding, Sokka? Spit it out or I'll make you say it."

"I… you don't have to be that forceful," he said, frowning a little and looking at her apprehensively. "I just… I'm just not sure about anything anymore, I guess. Things were… they were really great for a while. But then this happened, and now I'm… I'm not sure if I'm cut out for this."

"You're mumbling nonsense and I have absolutely no idea what you're trying to say, Sokka. Be clear, will you?"

"Azula…"

He stopped talking when he noticed movement to his left. Song stood there, with the basket she always took with her to the market. She looked at them both with worried eyes before smiling a little and waving at them.

"I'll go shopping for a while, if that's okay…"

"Go," Azula said, sighing and glaring at Sokka, who smiled weakly at Song and ushered her to leave too with a jerk of his head.

The girl slid through the door quickly, and Sokka released a breath slowly after she was gone. This wasn't going to be easy.

"What has been on your mind, then, gladiator? I don't have all day to play guessing games with you, in case you hoped I did," Azula snapped, coldly.

"The thing is… I heard what he said," Sokka muttered, looking at Azula almost accusingly now. "Back in the waiting room, when they were tending to me? I… I heard the things he told you."

"And that's what you're bothered about?" Azula asked, raising an eyebrow. "That Zhao talked to me irks you this much?"

"It's not that he talked to you, it's… it's what he said about me," Sokka muttered, lowering his gaze again. "I was annoyed at first, but then… then I realized that, whether I wanted to admit it or not, he was right. He's right."

"About what, pray tell?" Azula asked, her voice gaining a dangerous edge that would have deterred anyone else. Sokka wasn't daunted, either because he was desensitized to her harsh tone by now or because he wasn't too scared about what it meant for him either way. Azula's frown only grew more threatening with every passing moment.

"About how you need the best to get to the top," he muttered. "And I am not the best, Azula."

An unpleasant shudder rushed over her body as he spoke the words. No doubt this was what had been on his mind the past few days, the reason he had remained in his room despite in normal circumstances he would rush to see her, to hug her even, in front of people who shouldn't have seen them doing anything that betrayed the slightest intimacy between them. But now he was withdrawn, now he would hide away from her… of course this had to be why he was acting like this.

"You're not the best," she repeated, as she folded her arms over her chest. "We understand one another well enough in that sense, because it's true, you're not. If you were the best, you would've never lost against absolutely anyone. You'd have an unbreakable victorious streak as Toph does. But see? The idea is to make you the best. It always was. So, don't give me some pathetic excuse as to why you're feeling inadequate now, of all times, when you were damn close to beating Toph for the first time only a week ago. It's plain stupid of you, if you must know."

"It's not… it's not because I'm trying to be an idiot…"

"No need to even try, you succeeded already."

"Azula, I'm serious," Sokka said, frowning.

"So am I," she replied, her golden eyes gleaming. "I don't want to listen to this."

"You don't now, but just a minute ago you asked me what was wrong with me," Sokka said, looking at her in disbelief. "Azula, yeah, I've gotten better and I'm not denying that. The thing is… how much better can I get from this point onwards? How can I get any better? I really can't see it, Azula, I… I wish I could, but I can't. I feel like… like I've reached my full potential as it is. This is probably as good as it gets."

"You're not the one who decides that, you know?" Azula retorted. "I'm the one who knows when to stop pushing you, not you. And I'll stop pushing when you really aren't capable of delivering more than you have. You're just being a pessimistic moron because you lost once, but the next time you fight her…!"

"The next time will end the same way this time did, if not more quickly," Sokka said, looking at Azula with despair. "She already got angry because of the tricks I pulled on her this time, she knows better than to underestimate me by now. She'd do her very best from the start, and I wouldn't stand a chance. I practically got lucky this time around."

"You didn't…! What the hell are you talking about?" Azula exclaimed, pacing on the room briefly before turning to look at Sokka accusingly. "Lucky, really? You think what you did out there was luck? That bomb you made, you prepared the damn thing in advance and it was a touch of brilliance of yours, of those that you have once in a blue moon, that could have easily won you the fight if you'd been able to take advantage of the circumstances properly! The next time use two of those bombs, how about that?"

"You don't really expect that to be the answer to this…" Sokka said, rubbing his forehead as Azula's eyes gained a more defiant quality.

"What should be the answer, then, gladiator?" she growled.

"Well… the thing is, I can't do this because I'm just not strong enough," he said, shrugging. "The judges think so too, and unless I can knock Toph out with stench bombs, I don't see how I'm ever going to defeat her. She's a fantastic bender and I'm… I'm just me, Azula. I've always been ordinary, as ordinary as can be. I'm… I'm not strong enough. And I don't know if I ever will be."

"For crying out loud." Azula said, shaking her head and leveling him with an accusatory glare. "So you're not strong enough… big deal. You think the reason I chose you in Hui Yi was because I thought you were the strongest gladiator I'd find? Like hell did I think so! I chose you because you were creative, because you knew how to take advantage of the circumstances, because you're ridiculously ingenious in the battlefield! You had potential to improve in regards of strength, and you've proven as much enough times by now! But not once did I believe you were going to be the strongest gladiator in the League, Sokka, because your true skills have nothing to do with physical strength."

"So, you chose me because I can be clever," said Sokka. "But you really think I can smart my way around beating Toph? You think… you think I'll ever be able to do that with Combustion Man? Because honestly, I can't see it happening. I wish I could tell you I can, but… but after this, I really…"

"Sokka, stop falling prey to hopelessness," Azula said, looking at him almost pleadingly. "It's not going to do good to either one of us. I've never expected perfection from you, and I don't think I ever will. What I did expect, though, was… was for you to trust me. For you to fight for me, for better or for worse! We're in this together, aren't we?"

"We are…"

"Then why are you doubting yourself this much?" Azula asked, looking at him in confusion. "You… didn't you want to go back home? Wasn't that why you agreed to do this? Because this way you'd get what you wanted?"

"I… It's what I wanted," Sokka muttered, the weight of the words slamming down on him more powerfully than the rocks Toph had bent at him. "And I did want to reach the top, Azula. But…"

"Why are you talking in past tense, if I may inquire?" Azula asked, her aggressiveness returning quickly as she took notice of the tone of his voice. Sokka swallowed hard and looked at her, his eyes like those of a wounded child.

"Because I don't know… I don't know if I can do this anymore," he said. Azula froze. "I want to, and I wouldn't wish for anything more than to be the ideal fighter for you! I… I'd give anything to be a waterbender, for instance, and then I'd freeze all my opponents… I'd win then, for sure, against Combustion Man and Toph and anyone you set me up against. But… but I'm not a waterbender. I'm not any kind of bender, I just… I'm weak, Azula. Truth is, I am. I can't expect to ever measure up to the best. There's a pretty obvious reason why there are no non-benders at the top of the ranking."

"Because you haven't risen high enough, that's why, moron," Azula snapped, glaring at him fiercely. "Are you serious right now, Sokka? What the hell are you saying, then? You're… you're telling me to replace you? To find someone else, as Zhao told me? To find the best, because I can't simply make you into the best?"

"I… I don't want you to do that…" Sokka muttered, gritting his teeth and rubbing his forehead with his fingers.

"Then what the hell do you want?" Azula asked, desperate already. "For crying out loud…"

"Azula, I don't want that, but…" he said, swallowing hard. She looked at him and saw, to her utter surprise, that there seemed to be tears blinking in the corners of his eyes. "But maybe, for the sake of your mission, that… t-that would be the only way to proceed so you can reach the top of the ranking."

The blood seemed to slow inside her body as she looked at him in utter disbelief. Her jaw fell open as he looked at her regretfully, the tears still shining where they were.

"Are you… are you serious right now?" she asked him, her heart racing now as the blood began to be pumped more powerfully now. Her inner flame flared dangerously as unbridled anger built inside of her. "You want me to replace you? That's… that's what you're asking me to do?"

"I don't want that, I said," Sokka replied. "Azula, two years ago I couldn't possibly have imagined myself saying these words, but today I say them proudly: I want to be your gladiator! I… All I want is to be by your side, to belong next to you for as long as I can be with you! But… but you explained to me the reason why you were doing this, and I want you to achieve what you've set your mind to. I want you to beat Zhao! I want him to bite the dust, to learn his lesson, to realize how much of an idiot he is for having treated you as he has! I want you to make Iroh eat his words too, spirits, I want that so badly as well… and I wish I could give that to you. I really wish I could make your goals become realities. That's why I'm supposed to be here. But…"

"But you can't do it because you're not strong enough," Azula said, her voice trembling, betraying her rage. Sokka swallowed and eyed her warily. "Figures."

He had known she would be angry, he had expected it all along: it was why he hadn't wanted to say anything at first. But she had forced him to, and now he was regretting this completely. It had been a very long time since Azula had looked at him so coldly. He couldn't blame her for that, not entirely… but she had expectations he couldn't fulfill. He wasn't good enough. He could try his very hardest, but chances were he'd never defeat Toph, let alone Combustion Man. He couldn't be expected to stand on par with them. He couldn't be the proper representative of the Princess in the Arena. He had done his best, he had reached a truly privileged position in the ranking within a little less than two years… but he was afraid that gravity was a natural law that could not be broken, even when it came to the ranking. His quick rise would be followed by a hard fall. It was the way the world worked. And this was the hard fall he had dreaded… the moment where the Princess, enraged, would decide that, indeed, he wasn't worthy of being her gladiator. And he wouldn't have the courage to say otherwise.

"Not strong enough, regardless of Piandao's teachings, your training against earthbenders, all you learned at Ty Lee's place, and even though I've even lent you my sword… but you're just not strong enough." Azula said again, looking at him in indignation. "Fascinating, truly! So, then, I suppose I've wasted my time since I recruited you, haven't I? Here I was, expecting you to deliver the results you had promised to work towards, but all along I'd miscalculated, hadn't I? You're just too worthless for me, aren't you?!"

"Azula, I've given it all I had! You can keep me around if you want, I assure you I'll have no qualms with that! But at a distance, things looked a lot less impossible than they do now. No matter how hard the hawk tries… it can't carry the turtle forever and you know it. At this point I'm but a burden for your plans. I'm not a gladiator that can reach the top of the ranking. I'm…"

"You're just a common guy with a boomerang and a black sword, that's what you are," Azula said, her hands on her hips now. "Isn't that right, turtle?"

The last word she snapped it spitefully, and Sokka looked at her with regret in his eyes. Maybe he shouldn't have brought up that subject.

"You're truly a master strategist, aren't you? I mean, all things considered, I… I fell straight into it, didn't I? The trap you must have set up from the very beginning… to think you kept accusing me of having underlying intentions, but heh, I guess you were just looking in the mirror, weren't you?"

"What… what are you talking about?" Sokka asked, looking at Azula in confusion now.

"What else?" she said, smiling dangerously at him. "You must have… must have planned this from the start. How could it look more impossible now than it did before, really? You gained perspective now? Like hell you did. You know what I'm understanding from this? That from the beginning you knew you couldn't do this, yet you still pressed on because you wanted to take advantage of what I could offer you through my position! Because… because you expected me to reward you for your performance, if you did well enough. And hell, you even coerced me into… into having feelings for you, of all things, so that when push came to shove, you could simply give up and beg me to take you home! Then, of course, since I'm hopelessly weak for you…"

"Azula, what the hell are you talking about?!" Sokka asked, looking at her in disbelief. "None of that is true! Heck, the only reason I took obvious advantage of your position, as you put it, was because you offered me a life of everything I could ask for if I worked with you! You made me an offer I couldn't damn resist, and you knew that from the start as well! And you think I was scheming to make you feel anything for me?! If I'd been trying to make you like me in any sense, I'm sure I would've only ruined all my chances with you in a single try! I couldn't possibly have planned this, Azula, honestly… what sort of evil mastermind do you think I am? I can't plot stuff like this! You know me well enough to be aware of that!"

"I'm not entirely sure I do, savage," she snapped, glaring at him. Sokka looked at her in disbelief. He couldn't remember the last time she had called him that with such coldness. He didn't want to remember it either.

"Azula, I'm not saying this because I want to give up," Sokka said, shaking his head. "I didn't mean to make all this look like a waste, it wasn't what I wanted… but I just feel inadequate. You're too amazing, in too many senses! And you… you should have a gladiator who can match that. But I…"

"Is it you can't match it, or that you don't want to match it, pray tell?" Azula snarled. Sokka flinched at the venom in her voice, forgetting what he had meant to say next.

The glare in her eyes was pure steel, so fierce it would have made him cower for good now… if only he didn't know her as well as he did. If only he didn't realize that the steel was concealing her genuine pain.

"Azula, I want to. I want to with every ounce of my being!" he said, almost pleadingly now. "You have no idea how I wish I could be… how I wish I could be the right one for you. But I…"

"You're not the right one, alright," Azula said, the hurt in her voice a lot more apparent now. "Because you're… you're not strong enough, right?"

"Azula…"

"It's fine, then, if you think you're not strong. You know, I don't mind, not at all," she said, with again that same dangerous tone of voice. Sokka frowned as he saw her step closer to him…

When she kicked the table at him he was forced to jump over the couch, avoiding getting the wood slammed into his legs. He looked at Azula in disbelief as she stretched the index and middle fingers of her left hand, still with that same terrifying look in her eyes.

"But you know what, savage?" she said, her voice still trembling. "It's up to me to decide whether or not you're strong enough!"

"Azula, have you lost your mind?!" Sokka exclaimed. The reply to his question was a plum of blue fire, aimed straight at his face. "AZULA!"

"And if you can't be strong enough to accomplish what you've been ordered to do, then I'll rid myself from you for good!" she growled, startling him. "What good is there in a gladiator that refuses to fight anyways?!"

"I'm not refusing to fight, I'm only saying I'm not likely to win! Azula, I'm only telling you this for your own good!" he exclaimed as she shot more fire at him.

The flames darted towards the walls, but Azula extinguished them quickly enough as Sokka rolled on the floor, looking at her in disbelief from next to the door that led to the veranda. This was completely unnecessary…

"So, then, you're going to kill me now because I'm useless to you?!" he asked, skeptical. "Seriously?!"

"If you're truly not strong enough, then I might as well do it!" she replied, unsheathing Wolf's Bane. Sokka instinctively reached for Space Sword, lying not too far from where he was. "Fight for your life, then, you utter waste of space and time! Let's see just how useless you really are!"

"Azula, stop… STOP!" he exclaimed, as another blast of fire, this time directed through the white sword, almost set Sokka on fire, catching the curtains by the window this time instead.

Doing this inside wasn't an option, Sokka thought, even though he still didn't understand what they were doing to begin with. He was in no fit state to fight, at least on an emotional level. Especially not to fight her.

"Azula, I don't want to do this," he said, unsheathing Space Sword and pushing himself up to his feet and looking at her with despair. "Can't we just…?"

"Talk it out? I thought we already had," Azula snapped, jumping and kicking with both her feet.

The fire blast that erupted from her feet forced Sokka to evade it by leaning back, making him fall into the veranda. It was little to no surprise that Azula would approach, kicking at him with fire as he lay on the floor, forcing him to roll his way into the garden clumsily. Azula only glared at him as he pushed himself up with his hands, taking a wary fighting stance with Space Sword in his hand.

Reasoning with her would be futile, Sokka realized. There was no point to it, not when she was so angry. She didn't want to kill him for real, though, he was certain of that… but she wasn't going to back down, let alone calm down, if he didn't follow her lead. If he didn't clash against her, the full power of their convictions battling together, the consequences would be catastrophic either way. He had to do this, liked it or not… and once he held her off long enough until she had calmed down, somehow, he would try to reason with her. He would make her understand…

But she wasn't fighting him in hopes to understand. She shot yet another blast of fire at Sokka with a hand before jumping out into the garden, her sword swinging down on his. Sokka cringed and parried her attack, allowing her to lunge at him, forcing him to twirl to evade her.

No, Azula didn't want to understand. She believed she understood enough. And it was why she was as hurt as she was. A single loss, and he had fallen apart. A single failure and he thought the world was about to end… or at the very least, their partnership. Despite how many times he claimed otherwise, something on the back of her head pushed her into thinking he wanted this. That he wished to rid himself of their deal… that he had grown tired of her. That despite everything they had been through together, he was done with her. Just like everyone constantly did, Sokka wanted to leave. She had hoped that at least he would want to stay, regardless if Lu Ten, her mother, her advisors had left while barely putting up a fight. She thought the bond between them was that strong. But he wouldn't… he wouldn't. He believed she was better off without him.

How could he possibly think that? How could he ever reach such a ridiculous conclusion? Azula failed to realize why would he possibly believe so, if he truly did. He had said he loved her many times now… was this what he thought love meant, truly? Was he that much of a fool… or had he been lying all along, and she had fallen for it, craving his affection like a hopeless, lost wolf-dog pup who thought she'd found a friendly face at long last?

The thoughts only made her attacks more erratic, the flames threatening to scorch Sokka as the swords rang together when they met with every attack. He kept up with her as she snarled at him with anger, frustration… with fear. What was she afraid of, though? What did she have to fear? He didn't know, because he wasn't going to hurt her. He never had meant to hurt her at all… but he constantly did because, it was true, he was an idiot. There was no denying that.

All along, her safety, her wellbeing, her happiness had been his priority. The only reason he had spoken out about this now was because he didn't want to be a hindrance to her dreams. Because he felt he was an obstacle by now, instead of a resource she could use to succeed where she needed to. Her plans to prove her worth to all those who undermined her would fail… all because she had decided to trust someone like him. Why him, of all people? If she hadn't witnessed his fight against the Dart Slayer, all that time ago, would she have chosen someone else? If that had happened it might have been for the best, in the long run. Then he would have never hurt her as he had, and she would probably sponsor a tougher fighter than he could ever be. He simply wasn't strong enough, but she didn't want to understand that. She refused to. Why was she so stubborn about this? Why couldn't she see that he only said this for her own good? Why couldn't she realize he was only trying to help her?

She didn't want this kind of help, though. She didn't want any help. From her very childhood Azula had taken everything into her own hands, never asking for guidance or support. She accepted it when it came, but ultimately, she resolved everything on her own. Taking a gladiator, allowing her fate rest in the hands of another person, had been a first for her. She'd had no choice at the time, and she had accepted to carry on in this way because it had been effective at first. All the anguish, the struggles they faced in the early days, were eventually compensated with the better times that came afterwards.

She had thought they were a team, and he was backing out. She had thought he believed in her, just as she believed in him. She had thought they would fight to the bitter end if needed. She had never considered that he might want to give up.

The thought of surrender angered her further. A conversation from ages past returned to her mind, one regarding her utter refusal to give up fights. She never backed off a fight, whether she could win it or not. If she was to lose, she had damned herself by picking the fight in the first place, but she would be damned again if she didn't try her very hardest to succeed. And she would be damned thrice if she didn't come back after her failure, seeking to even the score: she wasn't a quitter. She didn't surrender.

And he knew she felt that way, of course he did. The conversation prompted by that boarcupine they had encountered in the forest came back to him as well as her thrusts became stronger still, the flames almost engulfing him as she spun and shot them with all her power at him. The inoffensive animal had made her feel threatened… just as Sokka's words had prompted her to reach the wrong conclusion this time. She was sure he wanted to leave her, but that was the last thing he could have wanted! Even if she had listened to him and taken a new gladiator for herself, he would have likely stuck around regardless, just because he knew damn well that he didn't want to be away from her. He didn't want to leave. He never had.

But she failed to understand that. The powerful attacks proved as much, but they also showed she wasn't on her right mind, Sokka realized. There was no trace of the golden fire… but also no trace of lightning. Was it because she knew he could redirect her attack with his sword, or was it because she wasn't thinking clearly enough to bend pure lightning at him? Sokka flinched as Wolf's Bane swung down heavily on Space Sword, and he cried out before jumping back when her kick nearly set him on fire.

She would win one way or another, never caring for how many fights she had to brave through in order to succeed in her endeavors. She didn't care if she lost the battle so long as she could win the war, ultimately. But was this relationship of theirs a war in its own right? Was that what it always had been, and Sokka had been too oblivious to it to realize it? His love for her had blinded him in many senses, but he hadn't expected this to be one of them. Had they been fighting all along, then? Even though he thought they had finally reached an understanding on so many levels, were they still at the opposite sides of their own personal war? Were they one another's foes, after all this time?

Water and fire clashing together, seeking to cancel one another out. The royal and the commoner, with their opposed views of the world. The bender and the non-bender. The gladiator and the sponsor. They were always opposites. They were always fighting one another, whether consciously or not.

Their struggle to cave in to their feelings was but another aspect of the war they fought, if not the main one. How had they come to this, he'd never know. How had the two most opposite people taken the wild, primal attraction between them and turned it into something he believed beautiful, he'd never know. It was something worth treasuring, something worth protecting… but after today, what would there be left of it? After this last battle, what would the outcome be, if not the utter destruction of them both?

For they were indeed, fire and water, princess and peasant, bender and non-bender, sponsor and gladiator: and none of them could exist without the other. Who would quench the wild flames that could consume the world? Who would dry the seas that could drown it instead? Who did the princess preside over, if not her people, the peasants, the commoners? Would the world still make any sense if everyone were a bender, if there were no non-benders to exert their creativity in bending-less ways of living? Could a gladiator ever fight without his sponsor?

Azula gritted her teeth, trying to stop her mind from traveling down such troublesome thoughts. Latching onto him, depending on him, had caused this in the first place. She should have never lost sight of what she was fighting for… she should have never let herself love him as she did. Because he was right, truly. Maybe she should have chosen someone better in order to succeed, someone stronger indeed…

But she didn't want anyone else. Why didn't he understand that? Why couldn't he see that indeed, there could be better fighters, but none of them could measure up to him? None of them were suitable for Azula as he was. Their destinies were entwined, because they had wanted it to be so. Because they had taken a stand, and dared to dream to change the world they lived in.

But how to change such a world? How to do so… if not together?

Azula attempted to attack Sokka again, sweeping her hand towards him, her index and middle fingers stretched out as she conjured flames, but Sokka swatted the fire away with his sword. Wolf's Bane clashed against Space Sword once, twice, Azula ducked to evade Sokka's stab, and now he was the one backing off as she created an arch of flames with her foot, only to jump out with her sword in tow, ready to cut him.

Sokka parried her attacks, defending himself from them as he continued to study Azula intently. The fight was unveiling everything her cold pretense had meant to hide. She showed her every vulnerability, and instead of striking her down upon seeing them, he accepted them as they came. He knew just how much he mattered to her. He knew she couldn't just give up here… he didn't want her to. He wanted to stay by her side, through thick and thin, for, no matter what she decided, he was her gladiator. He was hers, completely. It wasn't something that was up to question. If she wanted him dead, truly, so be it: her wish was his command. But if that were so, why couldn't she fight to her best? Why was she leaving openings she usually never would, why was she so erratic?

He had never meant for their argument to have such chaotic result. But they had reached this point by now, and there was no turning back anymore… but perhaps there was a way to stop it, Sokka realized. Perhaps…

Her next mistake was with her footing: she took a step too far as she attempted to cut him with her sword. Sokka's glare steeled now as he found the right chance. It was enough. He didn't want to fight her, and he was certain she didn't want to fight him either. It was time to end this.

With a single powerful attack, he struck Azula's sword hard enough to force her to release it due to the powerful vibrations the blow sent through her arm. Snarling, she kicked an array of fire in his direction, but Sokka evaded it and swung his sword towards her.

Standing on a single foot after the kick, Azula failed to keep her footing this time as she avoided being cut by his blade. She fell hard on the ground, her teeth gritted together as she tried to push herself up quickly…

She was unable to move when the tip of a black sword was aimed at her neck.

Sokka had climbed atop her before she could react, his breath interrupted by heavy panting as he threatened her with Space Sword. His frown was menacing, all the same as hers. And as he threatened her with the sword, he realized her left hand was poised as thought to strike him with fire as well, her two fingers stretched out as usual, touching his lower torso.

Their eyes were locked, their anger and fire quenched by the sight of the same emotions in the other's eyes. Their enraged snarls shifted slowly, as the fight that should have ended refused to end indeed. She wasn't giving up, and neither was he… not when the fate of so much seemed to ride upon what happened in this very moment.

They didn't speak, merely looking at one another as reality caught up with them slowly. Even though they had been so fierce, even though Azula's words had been as harsh as ever, there was no way she could pull through with this. There was no way she could bring herself to create the fire blast she needed to genuinely hurt him, or a lightning bolt… she couldn't. Her strength was failing her now, even though she knew she could win if she just tried. And yet it seemed he wasn't going to swing that sword down. How could he? Why would he? It was impossible for Sokka to do so. He would do anything for her… but he wouldn't deliver a finishing blow, no matter if she was threatening him too. He refused to. He'd rather she set him on fire than hurt her for good.

The sword trembled in his hand, and Azula's gaze was distracted by it briefly. It was pointless… this entire fight was pointless. Why were they still fighting anyways? Why… when all Azula wanted was to surrender? Her pride kept getting in the way, amongst other things… but Azula knew they both wanted to back down. It had been enough. Whatever would happen next would simply follow its course. She already knew that, once she gave in, she would be destroyed one way or another. Whatever Sokka's decision was, whether he would surprise her by slicing her throat open once she backed down, or whether he would simply walk away from her life forever… it didn't matter anymore. Not when she had no doubts she would lose him for good, no matter what she did.

So, she moved her fingers away, so slowly Sokka didn't notice at first. Her hand dropped to the side, her eyes still on his, but no longer was she looking at him with determination and defiance. The pain was back in her golden orbs, along with the fear… and now they were accompanied by resignation.

His eyes widened as he realized what she had done.

She had backed down.

Azula had surrendered.

He gritted his teeth, his breathing heavy again but now for an entirely different reason. He didn't want this either. He didn't! He never had! His heart, his soul, his everything belonged to her. Fighting her was never part of it. It wasn't supposed to be. They were to cancel each other out… weren't they?

If that was so, then the solution was simple. His next movement was obvious. He did not want a victory that came from Azula's surrender. He refused to take it. The victory he wanted… was victory with her.

The tip of the sword hovered dangerously over her throat briefly before Sokka swung it away powerfully. It soared through the air, landing vertically in the backyard, the tip of the blade sinking into the earth.

Azula was the one to gaze at Sokka in disbelief now… just as he leaned down to press his lips to hers.

Her entire body shivered violently as one of his hands moved to her cheek, to hold her in place. She couldn't bring herself to respond to the kiss immediately, emotions threatening to demolish her as she felt twin tears slipping out of her eyes. Finally, she found the strength to return the kiss, along with a hand that cupped his face while the other surrounded his neck, pulling him closer still.

If this was his decision, then she would stand by it too. If this was what he truly wanted, so be it. She couldn't have cared less for the goals she had chased relentlessly after anymore. Not while she was in his arms. Not when she refused to hold anything above him, above this, anymore. He belonged with her, and she would make sure he would understand it now, for good.

When she had responded to his kiss he had nearly fainted atop her in relief. But he forced himself to conjure the strength he had denied having throughout the entire day. He forced himself to hold his position, to stay as he was, to keep her with him no matter what. She had refused to let him go, despite of all the reasons he had given her. Despite she had heard what Admiral Zhao had said just as well as he had. She refused to replace him. And the spirits beyond knew just how much joy that brought to the Water Tribe man, regardless of how selfish he thought himself for it. He couldn't stop himself as he kissed her passionately, desperately, finding her matching his eagerness with every movement.

They were to join together, for once and for all. From that moment onwards, and for as long as they lived, they were to belong to one another completely. The war between them was finally over.