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...

120. Chapter 120: The chase of Jeong Jeong 2

Their last visit to Yu Dao had been quick, merely so Sokka would fight Lang of the Unyielding Flames. There had been no opportunity for them to stop to greet the Morishita family, albeit in all honesty, the idea hadn't even crossed Azula's mind when she first planned that trip. She hadn't been in her best shape at the time, and her thoughts had been too jumbled to consider paying the Mayor's family a visit.

That didn't stop the Mayor and his wife from greeting her most polite and graciously once Azula's Procession stopped at the house, once they arrived in Yu Dao. The Morishitas were beaming, as ever, their plump faces bright with kindness.

"Welcome back to Yu Dao, Princess!" they said, bowing to Azula. The Princess nodded and waved her hand.

"Rise," she commanded them. Mayor Morishita offered her the most delighted of grins as he straightened his stance.

"We are so pleased you had another chance to visit our city! We heard you were here several months ago, but there was no opportunity for us to meet…"

"No, I'm afraid that visit was meant to be a quick stop at the Arena and nothing more," said Azula, nodding. "Still, I shall likely impose on the two of you for some time, as long as you're agreeable with that. Though you did say you were on your letter, but still…"

"Oh, Princess, make yourself at home for as long as you wish," said Mrs. Morishita, smiling kindly. "Kori isn't here just yet, but she'll be delighted to find you've already arrived once she comes back from the Golden Eye."

"Did she have a fight today?" Azula inquired. Mrs. Morishita nodded enthusiastically.

"Indeed. Hopefully it will be another victory for our daughter," she said. "You may come in, of course! It would be more comfortable to hold this conversation inside, right?"

"Certainly," said Azula, with a small smile before turning to her guards, but before she could say anything, Mayor Morishita stepped in.

"Ah, and regarding where your guards will be hosted, the building next door won't be occupied for the next months!" he said. "The family that lived there moved to Garsai for business, so they left us in charge of the place. Your men can stay there and that way they won't have to spend money staying at a nearby inn."

"Why, that's certainly far more convenient than our last stay here," said Azula, impressed. "Thank you, Mayor."

"Thank you for coming to our home, Princess," said Morishita, smiling politely. "We hope to make your stay worthwhile."

The guards helped bring Azula's luggage to the same room she had stayed in the first time, and Mayor Morishita led her to the living room, where she was free to relax as Mrs. Morishita prepared some tea. Drinking more tea than necessary didn't please Azula in the slightest, but it was better if her hosts didn't know of her distaste for tea, let alone of her habits for drinking a cup of a special brew of it on a daily basis. Even though she would be forced to halt her private encounters with Sokka for some time, she was certain she still had to drink the blasted thing…

Sokka had followed some of the guards upstairs too, heading to the room he had stayed in before. There were two beds in it now, and he guessed his would be the perfectly neat and orderly one, contrasting with the messy sheets, closet and nightstand on the other one. He smiled, guessing Bear-Axe had made himself at home in the room they would have to share.

Sounds downstairs prompted him to leave his pack beside the orderly bed before making his way to Azula's side again. Oddly enough, the house didn't feel like a bitter reminder of their spat from the last time they'd been here: Sokka smiled a little, thinking of how much had changed ever since. Back when they had first stayed in the Morishita household, he had been certain Azula would force him out of her life as soon as she had a chance… yet it was over a year since that had happened and they were still together. They were far closer than they'd ever been, much closer than he expected them to be at all…

It was surely wrong for him to be pleased with the outcome of it all, considering how dangerous the game they were playing was. But he hadn't been strong enough to resist the pull of attraction between them, especially when it had solidified as something much stronger than mere attraction. Once they gave in fully to loving each other, the bond between them had become as good as unbreakable. And if just by the vast difference in Azula's behavior compared to that of her first visit to Yu Dao, he was grateful for the changes they'd been through. He treasured them, just as he treasured her.

He had meant to go to Azula immediately, but he paused at the living room's threshold when he realized what was the source of the sounds he'd heard earlier: Kori Morishita was back, and with her, her gladiator.

The young woman was just as Sokka remembered her, but the fighter standing behind her wasn't what Sokka had imagined he'd be like: he was plump, much like Kori's parents, and only a few inches shorter than Sokka. His straight brown hair reached his shoulders, and only a portion of it was held up in a small knot. A sturdy armor covered his body, topped by a wine-colored cape that only draped the upper portion of his body. Two large axes hung on his back, along with a few other weapons on his belt. Yet what struck Sokka the most from his appearance were his sharp, cutting, hostile eyes, which he turned on him as soon as he heard Sokka approaching.

"I was so happy to hear you'd be visiting us again, Princess!" Kori was saying inside the room, while Sokka held Bear-Axe's gaze. "So many things have happened since you last came, and…!"

"Indeed, I can see they have," said Azula, smiling as she glanced at the earthbender's armored gladiator. "I heard you have succeeded at finding a fighter of your own."

Bear-Axe's attention was diverted from Sokka as he turned to Azula now. Sokka carried on staring at Bear-Axe, though: that fierce glare was familiar, even though the man himself wasn't. It wouldn't be long before Sokka figured out why he was sure he had seen such eyes before…

"Yeah! I did just as you told me, gathered my courage and went to an Amateur Arena not far from Yu Dao," said Kori, smiling. "I found him there, and something just told me he was the right fighter to sponsor! Was it… was it like that for you too?"

It was clear Azula was uncertain as to how to answer Kori's question, but Sokka paid little attention to their exchange after that. He swallowed hard, finding his suspicions had been spot-on: the rage, the bitterness, the coldness in Bear-Axe's glare was no different than his own had been before Azula had found him. No different from those of the other gladiators in the Amateur Arena…

Bear-Axe's eye twitched as he found Sokka was staring at him again. Sokka grimaced before clearing his throat clumsily.

"Uh, hey, I…" he started, but Bear-Axe closed his eyes and walked away without letting Sokka speak. The Blue Wolf could only watch him leave, still grimacing, while Bear-Axe climbed the stairs to his room, presumably.

"Oh, no. Was he rude?" Kori asked, surprising Sokka.

"Nah, maybe I was. You know, stared too much?" he said, smiling awkwardly and scratching the back of his neck. Kori was puzzled.

"I'd be surprised if your gladiator could be any ruder than mine. Don't fret about it," said Azula, smiling at Kori. "He doesn't have the look of a ruthless fighter, but from what I've been told, he still holds a perfect record, doesn't he?"

"Oh, yeah, but I think it might be because we haven't fought anyone too strong," said Kori. "I thought it would be for the best if we avoided anyone from the upper half of the ranking, though a few of them have already challenged us…"

"Have they, now? Interesting," said Azula. "Are they local fighters?"

"Yeah, from Yu Dao too," Kori nodded. "They've heard I joined the Gladiator Business, I guess they want to see how good we are…"

Sokka smiled and lowered his gaze. It seemed the two girls were rather focused on their conversation, so he headed upstairs again. Maybe he could talk properly with Bear-Axe if the sponsors were out of earshot.

The gladiator had been removing his armor when Sokka reached the room. His narrow eyes shot a glare over his shoulder at Sokka, his brow furrowed as Sokka stepped inside, cautiously.

"We'll be sharing rooms, from what I guessed… right?" he said. Bear-Axe shrugged.

"As long as you don't bother me much, I don't care," he said, setting his armor down.

"Heh. Well, I'll try not to bother you," said Sokka, scratching the back of his head. "Say, your sponsor… she said you're from an Amateur Arena too, didn't she?"

"What of it?" Bear-Axe asked.

"Well, I mean, I was in one too…"

"Big shocker," said Bear-Axe. Sokka's eyebrow twitched.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked. Bear-Axe sighed and looked at him skeptically.

"Do you really think it's chance? That she spends all day talking about your sponsor, rambling about how great she is, how she admires her, how she dreams she'll be as good a sponsor as her one day? Do you think it's chance that I'm a nobody, a common non-bending gladiator sponsored by the highest ranked noblewoman in the city?"

"I… I guess it's not," said Sokka, frowning. "You're saying she's imitating the Princess, then?"

"Obviously," said Bear-Axe, sinking into the bed and glaring at the ceiling now. "I'm just a tool for her. A toy through which she can accomplish her stupid noble girl's fantasies."

"And so, you hate her," Sokka muttered. Bear-Axe's eyes moved towards him.

"You're going to tell me I shouldn't?" he asked. "You can't understand my position because you'd never hate your perfect sponsor?"

"Heh, you'd be surprised," said Sokka, with a crooked smile as he took his seat on his bed. "I spent two years hating her with everything I had."

"Two years, exactly?" said Bear-Axe, raising an eyebrow. "Why not longer?"

"Because that's when I became her gladiator, and hating the hand that pulled you out of the Amateur Arena was a little harder for me than it seems to be for you," said Sokka, resting with his back against the wall. "Unless… it is hard, but you're forcing yourself to do it anyways."

"What? Why would it be hard?" Bear-Axe snapped, sitting up and looking at Sokka in surprise. Sokka shrugged.

"Well, if you're right, and your sponsor is trying to imitate mine, then, much like mine, she should have offered you the reward you've always dreamt of if you joined her in her quest to take the Gladiator League by storm…"

"Heh, well, clearly I didn't have the same luck you did," Bear-Axe grunted. "She didn't promise me anything. Didn't offer anything either. It's like she thought getting me out of one hell to push me into another one was enough of a reward…"

"So, she just bought you and that was that?" Sokka asked. Bear-Axe sighed. "Gee. Maybe she didn't know how A… the Princess did it."

"Maybe she did and just didn't care," said Bear-Axe, dropping on the mattress again. "She's Fire Nation and proud, after all. They're not exactly sensitive or nice people, are they?"

"Some might surprise you," said Sokka, softly. "But you're not wrong, some of them are… pretty awful."

"Some? I'd say the rarities are the nice ones," said Bear-Axe, scowling at Sokka. "Did spending too much time with the Princess brainwash you or something?"

"If anything, it opened my mind to many things I hadn't known before," said Sokka, looking at Bear-Axe sternly. "It didn't blind me to the Fire Nation's wrongdoings, nor did it stop me from trying to resist them, but… but I'm sorry. I can't stop the war just by telling my sponsor to do so."

"I'm not blaming it on you," said Bear-Axe, huffing and shaking his head. "I… I just hate the Fire Nation. They killed my family, killed my friends, forced me into slavery…"

"You were another casualty of the Fire Nation raids in the Earth Kingdom?" Sokka asked. "I've met a few people who've been victims of that…"

"It wasn't just the raids," said Bear-Axe, clenching his fists. "It was… I had a group of friends, refugees from the war, like myself. We made our own home in Gaipan's forest, and we… we tried to resist the Fire Nation there. But after we destroyed a colonized village, they… they came after us."

Sokka frowned, eyeing Bear-Axe with confusion.

"The soldiers?" he asked. Bear-Axe nodded. "Say… what's your name?"

"My name?" he asked. "What does it even matter? I'm Bear-Axe now, don't you know?"

"Come on, man. Just tell me," said Sokka, an eyebrow twitching. Bear-Axe sighed.

"I've taken many names. But before being Bear-Axe, I was… I was Sneers."

Sokka grimaced. If Azula thought his sense for naming was bad, she had to hear this one. But his eyes narrowed, for he had heard this story once before: and he had heard them from people with weird names, too.

"You say you lost your friends," Sokka muttered. "Some of them died, some of them were captured?"

"Yeah. Most were captured, but The Duke and Pipsqueak…"

Sokka gulped as Bear-Axe snarled in pain. But maybe, just maybe, he'd be appeased if Sokka was right in his suspicions. He probably was, all things considered…

"And the captured ones were Jet and Longshot?"

Sneers' small eyes widened when Sokka uttered those words.

"Did you just…?" Sneers asked, sitting up and looking at Sokka in disbelief. "Y-you… you know them?!"

"I met them, yeah, I…" Sokka started, but Sneers' frantic reaction made him flinch as the large man almost threw himself at Sokka.

"When?! How?! Where are they now?! How did you… How did you know they were my friends?!"

"I-I only guessed, I heard their story, it was similar to yours…!" Sokka explained, pulling away from Sneers with difficulty as the man clung to him.

"They told you this…?!" Sneers exclaimed. "How?! When?! Where did it happen…?!"

"Dude, you've asked like fifty questions in three seconds, how am I supposed to answer any of them?!" Sokka squealed, but Sneers didn't seem to be about to stop, not even as Sokka inched away from him and towards the door.

"Tell me everything you know about them! If Jet's still out there, if Longshot is…!" he was crying out while Sokka stumbled out into the corridor.

"Y-yes, they're out there, but damn it, if you just let me talk…!"

"What's… what's going on here?"

Sneers' interrogation spree ended abruptly as his eyes widened again. He pulled away from Sokka glanced down the corridor, finding the Princess and his own sponsor stood merely a few steps away, regarding their respective gladiators with confusion.

"Sneers?" Kori asked, stepping towards him. "What were you…?"

"I-it's nothing," he said, his previous excitement shifting immediately into chagrin and apprehension. "I…"

Kori didn't look appeased by his reply, though. Her brow drew together slightly, and she breathed deeply before staring at him sternly.

"Come downstairs with me, Sneers. Please," she commanded Sneers, and he gritted his teeth. Clearly, he didn't want to obey, but he followed the command regardless. "Sorry about this, Princess. I suppose you still remember your room just fine, after all…"

"It's not a problem. I'll see you later," said Azula, nodding. Kori gave her a weak grin before following her gladiator through the flight of stairs, her shoulders square with previously absent tension.

Azula watched as Kori disappeared down the stairs before turning to Sokka with a crooked eyebrow. He sighed and shrugged.

"I was just trying to get to know the guy, I didn't expect to figure out that he was one of Jet's old gang…"

"He was what?!" Azula said, not expecting her unuttered question would be answered so fast, let alone that the answer would be so surprising. "Are you serious?"

Sokka nodded solemnly as Azula's jaw dropped.

"I didn't see it coming, but he told me the exact same story those two did. I thought it'd be weird if it had happened to two different kid gangs, so I asked if maybe his friend was called Jet, and…"

"And he reacted explosively upon hearing news of his friend for the first time in who knows how long," said Azula, raising her eyebrows. "It must be over eight years since they destroyed Gaipan's village, if I recall right…"

"If they haven't seen each other since, well, it'd be too long without hearing from his friends," said Sokka. "It only makes sense that he'd react the way he did, but he did catch me unawares…"

"I guess Jet hasn't been in Yu Dao yet, then," said Azula, biting her lip. "Else he would have found his friend by now. Still, what are the chances? For Kori Morishita, of all people, to start sponsoring one of Jet's gang members…"

"It's pretty crazy," said Sokka, his hands on his hips. "I wonder how many others are out there. Seems like two of them died, from what Sneers said, but…"

"Sneers?" Azula asked, raising her eyebrow. "Is that really his name? Here I thought Kori was mocking him…"

"He said it was," said Sokka, shrugging. "I doubt it's his real one, though. Doesn't sound like his parents would come up with such a weird name, huh?"

"Surely not," Azula agreed. "Unless, of course, his parents had your ability for naming things…"

"W-wha…?!" Sokka gasped, blushing in indignation while Azula smirked. "Hey, I've never suggested any names as weird as that one! And for the record…!"

His rampage was interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps again. They turned towards it instinctively, wary of being caught alone together despite they weren't doing anything compromising, but it proved to be unnecessary when they found it was Rui Shi, who had come to check on them.

"Is everything alright?" he asked, moving towards Azula. "The Morishitas' daughter seems to be giving her gladiator quite a lecture. What did he do?"

"Nothing much," said Azula, shaking her head. "Though perhaps she thought I'd find it offensive: I suppose I'll clear everything up later. Thanks for your concern, Captain, but everything is quite alright. Have you all settled in yet?"

"We're in the middle of doing so, yes," said Rui Shi, nodding. "In truth, I just wanted to make sure that the two of you…"

"Wouldn't do anything stupid, yes," said Azula, nodding too. "Who do you take us for, truly…?"

Her sarcastic question was met by a stern scowl. She only smirked in his direction.

"I know, I know" she said. "We haven't done anything you should worry about. Sokka is just making enemies wherever he goes, as per usual…"

"What? He wasn't my enemy, he was just…! Frantic, I guess. It's hard to blame him, too," said Sokka, pouting. "I was a lot like that too until you told me you hadn't wiped out my tribe after our first encounter, you know?"

"Huh… I guess that is true," said Azula, eyeing Sokka with interest. "You think he'll, uh, sneer a little less because of what you told him, then?"

"Who knows?" said Sokka, shrugging. "I'm just hoping your new best friend doesn't scold him too much, though. I'm pretty sure he just needs answers…"

"He probably does, and not because we get along does it automatically make Kori my best friend," said Azula, looking at Sokka sardonically. He smirked.

"Sure, sure," he said. Rui Shi sighed.

"Well, so long as everything is going well, I suppose I'll stop worrying so much…" he muttered. Azula eyed him with curiosity as he turned around.

"Say, Captain…" she called him. He glanced at her over his shoulder. "We'll be in this city for quite some time. Feel free to unwind a little if you'd like. I don't think I'll need very strict protection measures, so…"

"Why, thank you, Princess," said Rui Shi, nodding. "I guess you are right: truthfully, the biggest hazard to your safety is standing right beside you."

Azula froze as Sokka pouted. They were sure they heard Rui Shi chuckle before heading downstairs again, meaning to return to the guards' current headquarters. Azula rolled her eyes and looked at Sokka in defeat.

"He's not entirely wrong, actually, but still…" she said. Sokka chuckled softly.

"Never mind, Azula. He's just grouchy as usual."

"He's not, though," said Azula. "He was mostly teasing us right now, even if it's hard to tell with him…"

"You think?" said Sokka, raising an eyebrow.

"I also think he's not exactly himself these days… I wonder if a trip through the Earth Kingdom will help him the way it helped us ages ago," said Azula, shrugging. Sokka stroked his chin.

"You don't think it's still whatever happened with him and Song, do you?"

"Had she acted any differently yet?" Azula asked. Sokka shook his head and crossed his arms. "Well, then, it just might be, after all."

"Huh. If it is… I wouldn't suggest this normally, but it feels like it's dragging on too much. We might need to offer some help," said Sokka, tapping his forearm with a finger. "Even if we have no useful advice, it might still help him if we show we're worried about him, right?"

"Maybe," Azula conceded, shrugging. "Though I don't expect he'll take kindly to any advice from us, of all people… he surely would claim it'll only make everything worse."

"I guess that's not impossible," Sokka agreed, with a crooked smirk. "So… how should we handle our current situation, Princess? Should we give it a couple of days of testing the waters, and then act on any opportunities we might find…?"

"You just never stop looking for them, do you? Opportunities," Azula said, with a weak grin. "You didn't sneak into my cabin enough for your tastes, clearly."

"Do you really think it could ever be enough, Princess?" he asked, chuckling. Her smile widened.

"We're not going to be reckless," she said. "Or at least, we'll try not to be, on the most part. We'll surely be out of here before you know it, dummy, so stop thinking about sneaking around, alright?"

"I'll try…" Sokka said, sighing as she inched closer and pressed her head against his chest gently.

"You know they can't catch us doing anything compromising either, so unless we really happen to have a perfect chance, let's just take it easy," she said, clasping his hand. "Now, shall we go back downstairs? Dinner should be ready sometime soon…"

"Eh, I could use some food," Sokka said, smiling in approval. Azula chuckled.

"I figured as much," she said, leading him to the stairs.

She released his hand soon enough and filed towards the same living room where she'd had her tea earlier, but she found Kori wasn't back there, and neither were her parents. She frowned and turned, spotting Sokka had frozen near a door, his eyebrows raised. Azula looked at him questioningly as Sokka swallowed hard.

"… I already told you, I got it, I shouldn't have acted like that!" he heard Sneers say, interrupting Kori as she spoke. "I won't ask him anything again, okay? That's going to make you happy?"

"I… Sneers, that's not the point! I just… I want to make sure they're comfortable and happy here. The Princess is such an important guest, and her gladiator is, too, so…!"

"So, I can't mess it up for you. Got it."

"Sneers…"

"What? Do you want anything else?"

Kori sighed. Sokka grimaced and tiptoed towards Azula, unsure if the arguing pair would come out of the room soon.

"Not sure if it's Rui Shi and Song who'll be needing relationship advice from us, if you know what I mean…" he muttered to Azula through the corner of his mouth.

Her eyebrow twitched as she watched Sneers push the door open, a stern scowl on his face as he made his way upstairs again. Kori watched him go, sighing softly and shaking her head before putting on her brightest smile again, and readying herself to lead both Azula and Sokka to the dining room.

Sneers was absent through the meal: Kori explained he wasn't hungry, though Azula took note of how troubled she looked when her parents asked about him. It surely meant Sneers would usually eat at the same table as his sponsor, much like how Sokka had when they had first visited this household… The Princess gave Sokka a meaningful look as the Morishitas chatted amicably, and he nodded as he gobbled down some roast duck: even though they hadn't spoken directly, they both had the same thoughts in regards of the gladiator missing from the dinner table. If the less experienced pair of gladiator and sponsor needed guidance on how to have a successful partnership, it might help if Sokka took the initiative regarding Sneers, first of all.

He returned to the bedroom after dinner to find Sneers curled up in a ball on his bed, his back towards the door. The Blue Wolf breathed deeply before sitting on his own mattress, looking at Sneers carefully.

"You should probably get something to eat," he said. "You must be hungry."

Sneers only shifted a little, a weak shrug that was hard to understand when he was but a dark shape in a moonlit room.

"Sorry she scolded you," said Sokka. "I know how that is. Heck, my sponsor lectured me quite a lot when we stayed here the first time. Odd coincidence, huh?"

Sneers didn't respond at all this time. Sokka bit his lip: Sneers had promised Kori he wouldn't ask Sokka about anything else… but that didn't mean Sokka couldn't answer the questions Sneer had already asked earlier.

"Jet was one of my first opponents in the Superior League," he said. Again, Sneers shifted, but this time it was more of a nervous reaction than anything else. "The… tenth, I believe, actually. I wasn't in my right mind, so I was all over the place as I fought, but I forced myself to focus or I'd lose badly against him. He left a nasty set of scars all over me, some have healed better than others. But in the end, I beat him."

"You did?" Sneers asked softly. "D-did you…?"

"Kill him? No," said Sokka. "I haven't killed anyone since I was in the Amateur League. I refuse to do it again if I can avoid it, and I refused that day, too. We were both in awful shape, and I hadn't even recovered yet from my fight with him when I first came to Yu Dao. He's one deadly fighter, one of the strongest non-benders I've ever fought."

"He always was," Sneers whispered. "He was our leader, after all…"

"I didn't see him again until my second visit to Ba Sing Se," Sokka continued. "It's a pretty long story, so I won't bore you with all the details, but in any case, we uncovered a conspiracy between the Rough Rhinos and the Dai Li, and most of them were taken into custody for it. And the Dai Li, well… they were the ones who took you guys after the Fire Nation caught you, from what Jet told us. They probably sold you off somewhere, and whatever other companions you guys had, and they kept Jet and Longshot for their own purposes. Their leader, Long Feng, sponsored Jet in the Superior League. Some other member of the Dai Li sponsored Longshot. I came across them both in a Pairs Tournament, and me and my partner defeated them.

"I'd always found their behavior weird, though. Jet was… well, nothing but savage killer instinct. His friend seemed to have a little more restraint than him, yet there was something off about them both. It wasn't until after that fight that we discovered what the problem really was: the Dai Li had hypnotized them."

"What? Hypnotized?" Sneers asked, turning on the bed and looking at Sokka in surprise. "How…?"

"I have no idea how they did it, but they were brainwashed on a regular basis into fighting mindlessly and fiercely in the ring," said Sokka, sighing. "Still, after we knocked them out, the effects of the hypnosis were gone. We took them both to the Imperial Palace, where we'd been staying, and Jet and Longshot told us their story. We were able to find the Dai Li's hideout with their help, where they kept everything the Rough Rhinos had stolen as they pillaged cities and villages through the continent. The Princess tasked Ba Sing Se's governor with returning all stolen goods, and everything was right in the world once again, so to speak."

"That's good to hear, but… what about them?" said Sneers. "Did they get sent to Amateur Arenas, or locked up with the Dai Li…?"

"Actually, neither thing," said Sokka, with a weak grin. "They said they'd take off to find their friends, and the Princess didn't stop them. She only told them not to cause any trouble in the colonies, or else they would be chased down again. But I haven't heard her mention anything about them, so I imagine they've kept a low profile and aren't public enemies anymore…"

"They mustn't have come to Yu Dao yet," said Sneers, sighing. "But… but they're okay. They're alive."

"Yeah," said Sokka, smiling.

"I'm surprised they're not trying to tear down the Fire Nation anymore, though. Especially Jet," said Sneers, eyeing Sokka with confusion. "Jet was determined to destroy it before, but…"

"From what he told us, after the cruelty he faced by Long Feng's hand, he came to understand that there was evil everywhere in the world," said Sokka. "So even though it didn't mean he had forgiven the Fire Nation for anything, it also meant his view of the world had changed. I think he was at the point where all he could worry about was finding his friends. Maybe he wants to go back to resisting against the Fire Nation afterwards, but for the time being he would likely keep a low profile while searching for you."

Sneers sighed and dropped on the bed again, his eyes on the ceiling.

"As far as I know, there were only four of us left," he whispered. "I should just be grateful that Jet and Longshot are still alive, and still together. Maybe… maybe they'll find me one day."

"Maybe," said Sokka, nodding. "Would you go out looking for them? I mean…"

"You ask because I hate being here?" Sneers whispered. "Well… if you have no idea where they're at, I'd be stumbling in the dark. It would be easier if I stayed here so they could find me. I just wish I could put out a message to them, but… but they should come eventually. They should. And once they do…"

"You'll leave?" Sokka asked. Sneers gritted his teeth.

"Not like it matters much if I do or don't. She'll just replace me with the next lowlife she can find," he muttered.

"Sometimes things aren't as simple as they seem, you know," said Sokka. "Sometimes gladiators aren't as expendable for sponsors as it looks."

"Maybe you aren't. But me…"

"You have a perfect record so far, from what we were told," said Sokka. "You must be stronger than you admit. Of course, I'm not saying you should stay here with your sponsor forever if you don't want to. Still… try to make your decisions by thinking clearly. I know better than anyone that letting your rage and frustrations guide you can result in mistakes you may not be able to take back later…"

"What do you mean?" said Sneers. Sokka swallowed hard.

"Well… I wouldn't have become a slave in the first place if I'd stopped to think properly about what I was doing. And later I made mistakes I couldn't take back in my partnership with the Princess, too. So…"

"What sort of mistakes?" Sneers asked. "How could they be mistakes, really? I mean… she's your master, and she uses you. That's how it works. If you had the chance to leave and get back everything you'd lost…"

"I'd lose something in turn, too," said Sokka. Sneers frowned. "You can't begin to imagine everything I've achieved while being her gladiator. You don't know how many lives we've changed: well, for starters, Jet and Longshot probably wouldn't be roaming free if someone other than Azula had found them. And if it weren't because of our partnership, maybe they would still be hypnotized by the Dai Li. Without what we did, so many people through the Earth Kingdom would have never regained everything that was stolen from them. And I've also managed to keep my Tribe safe…"

"Did you, really?" said Sneers, frowning. "And you think all of that was worth your freedom?"

"Well… all things considered, I don't think I lost as much of it as many others did," said Sokka. "I know it may seem weird, but…"

"No, I know how it is," said Sneers, sighing. "Kori keeps raving and rambling about how amazing a combination you two are. It's weird, yeah, but I think I get it… and, well, maybe Kori wants to do the same with me. She keeps trying to imitate the Princess, after all… so surely she wants us to have the same partnership as you two do. But I…"

"You refuse to be a part of it," said Sokka. "For which I can hardly blame you, of course. Still… maybe Kori isn't quite as cruel or selfish as you might think she is. I discovered Azula wasn't, so maybe Kori has a few surprises for you, too."

"I… I know she's not," Sneers muttered. Sokka raised his eyebrows. "But she lives in a world very different from mine. She's a Fire Nation woman, she's happy with her family, she gets to be a bender and to be friends with the Princess if she wants to be. Me? I'm just a slave. And that's all I'll ever amount to in her eyes."

"Maybe," said Sokka, sighing and dropping on his mattress too.

"Still… thank you," Sneers said. Sokka raised his eyebrows. "I… I'm glad they're okay, or that they were, at least, when you last saw them."

"It was around eight or nine months ago, I think," said Sokka. "Hopefully they'll have stayed safe since then."

"Hopefully," said Sneers, curling up on his side again, his back to Sokka once more. Sokka breathed deeply.

"Good night," he whispered.

"Night," Sneers replied. Sokka released a breath slowly.

Not every gladiator and sponsor could be like him and Azula, that was obvious, but Sokka found this conversation to be a bitter reminder of some of the worst harm caused by slavery. Even if the Superior League was by no means as hideous as the Amateur one, Sneers had every reason to despise it and to despise being forced to fight as he had been.

Sokka had taken some time to put behind his reservations about Azula, and it stood to reason that Sneers wouldn't be able to do the same so easily, especially when his sponsor hadn't offered him any sort of reward for joining her in the Gladiator League…

He rolled in the bed, closing his eyes and cherishing the way his relationship with Azula had developed more than ever before. He could have been like Sneers indeed if only he had held onto his anger, but he had allowed himself to see Azula through unclouded eyes in the end. And he had no regrets about having learned to do so.

---

Sokka was successful during his fights in Yu Dao. His first bout against an earthbender was the most difficult one, but despite the Twilight-Drilled Bamboo Bear was surprisingly powerful, Sokka dodged everything the fighter could throw at him. Azula had allowed him to use Wolf's Bane in this fight too, and with the combined power of two swords he had slashed his way into victory while tearing apart boulders, rocks and earth streams.

His next fights against two firebenders were even easier than the first, since Wolf's Bane had provided him with the greatest advantage of all against such opponents. DragonClaw had faltered easily under the power of a non-bender who overcame his barrages of flames. The Torch set all of the Arena's furniture on fire in a poor attempt to suffocate Sokka with smoke, but he had been able to douse most the flames with Wolf's Bane while stabbing the Torch in the wrist with Space Sword, rendering him unable to keep bending with it. With a quick punch to knock him out, the Torch succumbed to Sokka's superior prowess, just as every other fighter Sokka had faced in this new visit to Yu Dao.

"He's unbelievable…" Kori whispered in amazement, watching as Sokka, surprisingly, worked to put out the flames in all the burning furniture while the staff members collected The Torch and carried him inside for his medical check.

Azula smiled and shook her head as she watched Sokka's clumsy attempts to salvage the furniture. A few of the staff members watched at him in confusion, and some of them even told him to stop worrying about the fire, since they could take care of it. Sokka only smiled and waved them off, saying he could help either way while smacking the flames with Wolf's Bane.

"That he is, I must say. Unpredictable even when the fight ends," Azula agreed, with a slow nod. The Mayor's daughter had been allowed to join the Princess in the sponsors' balcony, an opportunity she had been happy to make the most out of.

"I remember what he was like when he first fought here… you've really done a wonderful job training him," said Kori; they stood up while Azula pocketed the money from the fight.

"It hasn't been easy, but fortunately it has paid off," she said. "And I can't lie, fortune certainly has been on our side on many accounts. But as long as he keeps up with this winning streak, I'll have no cause for complaints whatsoever."

"That white sword, though… it's amazing! I'd never seen anything like it!" said Kori. Azula chuckled as the two of them left the sponsors' balcony.

"No, of course not. It's quite a rarity, I believe," she said. "Forging a blade with dragon fire proved to have unexpected consequences on the metal, and now it's become the perfect weapon for him to fight against firebenders."

"Wow!" said Kori, her eyes bright with amazement. "That's incredible! His black sword forged from a meteorite, and a white one with dragon fire?"

"The white one is actually mine," Azula clarified. "But after lending it to him for his fight against the Millennium Dragon we discovered its strange qualities, so I've leant it to him in battle whenever we've deemed it necessary."

"Oh, well… that's even more surprising," said Kori, her eyes wide. "To think you'd share your possessions with him like that…"

Azula felt her stomach sink, but she didn't allow it to show on her face. Her closeness with Sokka had been out of the ordinary long before their relationship had stabilized: she had leant Wolf's Bane to him sometime before he had taken her virginity. There was no need to assume this revelation might lead Kori to suspect just how close they really were.

"Sokka is my gladiator, and that means I take responsibility for his actions both inside and outside the ring. In a sense, it means I must be ready to do anything to help him achieve victory," said Azula. "I understand that sharing this weapon with him may seem strange, but then again, he's the one who taught me how to use swords…"

"Did he?" Kori asked, surprised. Azula nodded.

"He was trained by Piandao, and afterwards he taught me what he knew about swordsmanship, so that I would be able to spar with him. He needed a sparring partner to keep him in shape, and he had been less than impressed with all the sword masters he'd met after his master, so…"

"So, you learned how to use swords and took upon training with him yourself," said Kori, smiling approvingly. "And of course, you already must have been the best kind of partner for training against firebenders, too."

"We also found an earthbender for him to spar with, a gladiator sponsored by a friend of mine," Azula added. "The more fronts we can cover so he's in his best shape against all sorts of fighters, the better."

"I probably should do the same," said Kori, thoughtful. "I've tried to train with Sneers too, but… well, it's a little tricky, I guess. He's not very fond of me, so that makes things complicated…"

"I've noticed you don't have the smoothest of partnerships," Azula mentioned. Kori sighed. "I happen to have quite some experience with unruly gladiators myself, so… perhaps I could help you find your way with yours."

"That would be wonderful, really, but… I don't know if it would work," said Kori. "Sneers isn't a lot like Sokka. He…"

"Oh, going by what I know, he's more like Sokka than you might think," Azula interrupted her. Kori froze.

"What do you mean?" she asked. Azula raised her eyebrows.

"The Fire Nation took everything he loved and cared for, as it happened with most slaves," she said. "It's true for Sokka, too. His mother died because of a Fire Nation raid to his tribe, a very long time ago. His father spent years away, fighting in the war effort but failing to change the outcome of the conflict in any way. Many of his tribesmen died during the years of the war, and Sokka was most desperate to drive out the Fire Nation invaders from the South Pole…"

"So, he… he hated the Fire Nation a lot, too?" Kori asked. Azula smiled.

"He positively loathed me. I turned him into a slave in the first place," she said. Kori's jaw dropped. "And indeed, I failed to realize how badly that had damaged him until a short time ago. That I forced the nightmare of a life in an Amateur League onto him didn't faze me until I realized I needed him for my own purposes. And by then, well… you'd think he had every reason to despise me. Still, I gave him a reason to need me. And eventually I did everything in my power to build his strength on all fronts, seeing to his recoveries each time he was wounded, and provided whatever he might have wished for. Now, if you'd think I bought my way out of his hatred… perhaps I did. But I'd like to say that, even if I tried to tell myself he was a savage, a peasant or a slave, I could hardly look down on him. He was indeed so unruly that… that I had no choice but to treat him like an equal instead."

"Well, that's crazy," said Kori, her eyes wide. "I mean, you're the Princess…"

"And he's crazy, yes," said Azula, smiling. "But as it is, we've improved our partnership as much as we could, accepting the mistakes we've made towards the other and building our strength in every regard. I can't lie and claim it's been easy, of course it wasn't, and of course, I could have never envisioned that almost two years after finding him, he'd be strong enough to fight me almost evenly. I never expected that he would help me in my role as my father's heir, either."

"I've always heard that you have the greatest partnership," said Kori, smiling weakly. "I really wanted to have a gladiator so I could have a similar partner, but… well, it's not easy, as you said. Sneers really seems to hate me."

"Maybe you should think of what he might want to achieve, what his goals might be," Azula suggested. "If perhaps you can offer him certain things he has dreamt of, but believed impossible, if perhaps you can make his life less miserable than it always was, he might surprise you by becoming loyal to you by his own free will. Of course, that might also not happen… he might still choose to run off if he thought he'd find his old friends again. But maybe if he realizes he can count on you, he'll stop being so aloof and angry all the time."

"Maybe," said Kori, smiling and nodding. "Thank you, Princess. I'll try to make those things happen, if possible, but… well, it's hard to say where to start, huh? I guess I might come up with an idea after his fight tomorrow…"

"Hopefully you will," said Azula. "If I recall right, Sokka and I started getting along a little better after our first sparring session…"

"Well, that hasn't helped me with Sneers so far," said Kori, crossing her arms over her chest. "But… wait. Maybe it's because it's been too simple. Maybe he needs… something more than just me. You think he's similar to your gladiator, don't you?"

"Well, in some regards, yes…"

"Then maybe…" said Kori, her eyes alight with an idea. Azula raised her eyebrows, and a curious glint appeared in her gaze too as Kori conveyed her thoughts to her.

---

"Uh, wait just a second. We're all sparring together? The four of us?" Sokka asked, looking at Azula in confusion as they stood in the Morishitas' house's backyard.

"Why, I guess so. I have no idea if it will be an all-out brawl, but Kori seems to think it could be interesting," said Azula, smirking. "I do look forward to humiliating you in front of them."

"What? Humiliating me?!" Sokka exclaimed, affronted as Azula beamed in his direction. "As if! I'm too tough for that! By the end of the day you'll be eating your words, you know as much!"

Kori smiled as she watched them bicker, amused by their easy banter. Not far from her, Sneers was fitting his gear while eyeing both his sponsor and the other pair quite warily. The Blue Wolf had only just returned from his fight, yet both Kori and the Princess had decided that this training session between the four of them had to happen right now: the Southern Water Tribesman had been as surprised by this turn of events as Sneers had been.

"I hope it's okay for us to do this," said Kori, smiling at Sneers now. "I know it's sudden, but I hoped this could make our training sessions a little more interesting, if anything."

"Huh," said Sneers, raising an eyebrow. "And they agreed to it, just like that?"

"Well, they always spar with each other for training. It's just that now we're all going to be sparring together," said Kori, shrugging. Sneers nodded.

"Though I imagine it won't be an all-out battle, will it?" he said. "We'd have to take them on simultaneously, take them by surprise, if we want to get a blow in. At least, if they're as strong as you say they are."

"W-wait, you think we should fight as a team?" Kori asked, her eyes wide.

"What? Team fights?" Sokka repeated. His banter with Azula had ceased momentarily, and they had overheard Kori's words. Azula smirked.

"What, you two against us?" she asked. "Why not sponsors against gladiators? That should be more fun…"

"Well, don't sweat it, Princess," said Sokka, smirking too. "Even if we're on the same team, I'll make sure to fight against you right after we're through with the opposition."

"What? Why would you…?" she asked, looking at him in surprise. Sokka smiled mischievously.

"Let's say some habits die hard, you know? It's always us fighting each other, that can't stop even if we're on the same team, right?" he said. Azula snorted and shook her head.

"Whenever I think you can't get more ridiculous you just make it your life's purpose to prove me wrong, don't you?"

"I've found few things are quite as fun as proving you wrong, yes, that would be correct…" said Sokka, smirking. Azula couldn't help but smile too, outraged as she was by his bold claims.

"Uh… anyways, you go for the gladiator," Sneers muttered. Kori frowned.

"What? Why?" she asked. "The Princess is the more dangerous one…"

"They'll expect me to fight Sokka," said Sneers. "And for you to fight the Princess, since you're both benders. So, the best way to catch them off-base…"

"Huh… I see," said Kori, biting her lip. "Alright, then. We'll trust you on this one."

Sneers swallowed hard and took his position. Oddly enough, the Princess and the gladiator only kept chatting, but it seemed the tides of the conversation had eventually been swayed to Azula's favor.

"Please, I've been right before! Stop acting like…! Oh. Uh, Azula? I think they're ready," said Sokka. Azula chuckled and nodded, stretching her arms and eyeing their opponents with curiosity.

"It's weird that I've found myself fighting so many earthbenders lately, huh?" she said, as Sokka raised his hands to his swords, imitating Sneers who was already clutching his axes.

"Eh, I find myself fighting lots of them because of you, so I'm as good as used to it," he said. Azula snorted.

"Enough nonsense. Focus," she commanded. He snickered.

"Right, right…"

Before Sokka could do much more than agree with Azula, a stream of earth rose from the ground and rushed towards them. Both Azula and Sokka jumped out of the way, and were surprised when they were attacked by the opposite rival they had expected to come after them.

Sneers swung his axe towards Azula, but she swept him away with a powerful blast of blue fire. Sneers was forced to recoil, realizing that the Princess truly wasn't to be trifled with, but it was too late to back down now. He had to fight and try to win, or else…

Sokka wasn't having much trouble with Kori either, cutting through each boulder she sent his way and jumping out of the way when he sensed earth rumbling underneath his feet. He was quick, he was efficient, and he was patient. He knew to wait for the right moment to strike her.

Yet Kori gave him said moment a little easier than expected when she saw Sneers bending over backwards, losing his footing when the Princess attacked him with a jab directed to his face. Kori grimaced before launching a rock attack at Azula, who leapt and kicked it out of the way with some difficulty.

Kori tried to keep both Sokka and Azula busy, but it was clear she wouldn't succeed at it for long. Sneers jumped upright again, though, and he tossed one of his axes at the Princess…

Only for it to be slashed in half after the blur of black that was Sokka's sword. Azula smirked.

"Thanks," she said, while defending him from Kori's next attack.

"Switch again?" Sokka asked. Azula nodded.

Sokka leapt around Azula while Sneers reached for his next axe, and the Princess's face was a mask of determination as she bolted towards the non-bender, aided by her fire. Sneers' eyes widened as she spun in the air, building up a kick that could easily end him right then and there, but he got out of the way right before it could reach him. Still, he couldn't stop the next fire blast that struck him in the stomach and sent him rolling on the ground.

"Sneers!" Kori shouted, making to bend at Azula to keep her away from her gladiator, but suddenly her right arm was unresponsive, and so was most her torso.

Her eyes widened as she glanced at her side, finding the Blue Wolf shrugging almost apologetically as she collapsed on the ground, unable to move properly after her chi had been blocked. And just a few feet away, Sneers lay on the grass too, grimacing as Azula aimed her index and middle fingers at his face.

"Well, I guess that's that," she said, smiling. "See, teaming up as gladiators and sponsors might have made the fight more… HEY!"

Azula's brief victory speech was interrupted when she heard footsteps approaching her. A glance at her left revealed Sokka was coming her way, his sword at the ready.

"What the hell are you doing?!" she exclaimed, after bending a powerful array of blue fire to keep him at bay.

Sokka laughed as he pulled Wolf's Bane from its sheath, waving it to shield himself from the attack of fire. He lashed out against Azula once more, taking in the indignant yet slightly amused expression on her face.

"You know, last one standing is the real winner and all!" he said, beaming as Azula cast more fire at him. Sokka was able to deflect it without much trouble. "You know it's more fun this way!"

"You're the biggest idiot in the entire planet, I'll have you know!" Azula bellowed, launching an attack through her feet. Sokka dodged it and carried on laughing and trying to reach her with the swords, failing in each opportunity.

Sneers swallowed hard as he watched them before pushing himself up and walking towards Kori. She had managed to sit up, although her arm and upper body still felt numb, too numb to notice the hand on her back that helped support her weight.

"Are you okay? What did he do to you?" he asked, surprising Kori. She swallowed.

"I think that was chi-blocking," she said. "Took me by surprise. I guess our strategy didn't work out so well, huh?"

"Well, maybe they'll wear each other out so badly that we'll beat them in round two, huh?" Sneers said. Kori smiled and giggled in agreement.

Sokka kept saying foolish things, and the Princess snapped back at him most the time, yet in some unexpected moments both Kori and Sneers had the distinct feeling that her blue fire would shift into gold as they sparred. It wasn't until she actually bent a large, condensed barrier of gold that the two of them were able to take it in properly.

"T-that's gold fire?" Sneers asked. Kori nodded.

"I'd heard she could do that but… wow," she said, as Sokka struggled to brush away the sturdier fire barrier.

Azula didn't waste time, though. She jumped over the barrier with a spinning kick of fire that forced Sokka to fall back. A blast of fire to his chest, shot through her foot, knocked him to the ground, his arms outstretched. Before he knew it, he was groaning in pain while he felt two heavy pressures on both his wrists. He gritted his teeth before raising his gaze, finding Azula's shape was blocking the sunlight, as she stood with one foot on either of his wrists.

"Let go of the swords and give up or you're really going to get it," she said, with a pleased smile. Sokka sighed and opened his hands, the hilts sliding out of his palms easily.

"No fair. I wanted to beat you," he pouted. Azula scoffed and clasped Wolf's Bane, jerking its scabbard off Sokka's back as soon as he'd sat up again.

"You're not going to get that lucky while I can help it, snow savage," she declared proudly, but with a playful smirk. Sokka chuckled.

"Sure I won't. We'll see who's going to be luckier the next time, Princess," he said, pushing himself to his feet. "Round two, then?"

The group's training session lasted well into dusk. It was growing colder by then, and everyone was tired enough to want a break from so much action. They took their turns cleaning up, and then had dinner together. Afterwards, they sat by a fireplace in a comfortable living room, furnished with soft couches, while still chatting. Kori was surprised by how Sneers was behaving right now, speaking politely both with the Princess and her gladiator, and even being kind to her despite he usually was as dry and grouchy as he could be. Something about today's training session, which had seen them fighting against the Princess and her gladiator countless times, had changed something in Sneers. Kori guessed it had something to do with feeling like a genuine part of something again, for the first time in years, presumably.

On the other hand, the Princess and Sokka seemed determined to bicker endlessly today, but their banter only amused both Kori and Sneers. There was something so easy about it, so comfortable, that gave them a good sense of how stable and strong their partnership had become.

"I would have done better against you if I hadn't been tired from my fight earlier," Sokka said, sitting on the floor while resting with his back against the couch Azula sat on.

"You wouldn't have, not to mention you shouldn't have tried to fight me at all," Azula retorted while sipping her special tea. Sokka chuckled.

"How am I supposed to help it if we've been fighting each other forever? I'm a man of habit, you know."

"Have you guys really bickered this much from the start? Just like this?" Kori asked. Azula raised an eyebrow.

"Well, no. Sometimes it's more serious, when he's being more of an idiot than he usually is." she said, smirking at him. Sokka stuck his tongue out at her. "Yes, I know it's hard to believe he can get worse, but he really can…"

Kori chuckled and shook her head. Sneers, sitting next to her on a couch for two, couldn't help but wonder if his own relationship with Kori could ever grow as smooth as theirs seemed to be.

"I'm afraid of asking what you mean," Kori said. Azula smirked.

"Well, for example… he almost cost us his second fight ever because he decided not to fight when he realized, halfway through the battle, that his opponent was a girl," she said. Kori's eyes widened and Sneers eyed Sokka with confusion while the Blue Wolf grimaced and blushed. "That's just one of many ridiculous stories. There's a ton more, like the time he stabbed someone with my hairpiece…"

"Your hairpiece?" said Kori, aghast. "That's insane!"

Sneers bit his lip: the first story had caught his attention a lot more than the second.

"How come did he only realize it was a girl halfway through the fight?" he asked, as Kori covered her mouth in sheer horror over the hairpiece anecdote.

"It wasn't my fault. My sponsor didn't think to tell me, in the first place," said Sokka, lifting a finger as he spoke. Azula rolled her eyes. "But she didn't really look like a girl at all, okay? Bushy brown hair, big eyes, rude and rowdy…"

"What…?"

The three of them glanced at Sneers in surprise when he spoke. He had been the least talkative of the group through the day, but his voice tone had changed completely just now, as his voice trembled with just one word.

"Did you just say…?" Sneers said, leaning forward. "D-did she have… some stripes over her cheeks?"

"Uh, yeah…" said Sokka, his eyes wide too. "Her gladiator name was the Red-Striped Hornet, I figured it was because of those marks…"

"Hornet?" Sneers repeated, his eyes gleaming. "D-did you… did you ask her real name, by any chance?"

"I did, it was… it was a weird name, too," said Sokka, scratching his head. "I think she said it was something like Stinkbee?"

"Smellerbee?!" Sneers asked, jumping to his feet.

"That, that! Smellerbee!" Sokka said, smiling before freezing. "Woah, wait a minute…"

"Don't tell me. She was another of your friends, wasn't she?" Azula asked, looking at Sneers with curiosity. Sneers had his hands on his face, a wild smile breaking across it while tears glinted in the corner of his eyes.

"She's… she's alive. They're all alive, and they're…"

"Sneers…" Kori said, reaching to touch his shoulder. He froze and looked at her, his smile waning. "Are you alright? Is that… another of your friends, really?"

"She… she was. Yes," Sneers said, nodding and sniffing, clenching his jaws to avoid crying for real. "She's a gladiator, then? Just like the rest of us…"

"Her sponsor didn't seem to be a bad man," Azula commented, hoping that would give Sneers peace of mind. "A jolly, large fellow. I think he was a merchant of some sort, living in the Capital. He was graceful even in his loss, despite he had every right and reason to protest the judges' decision."

"So, you think she must be okay with him?" Sokka asked. Azula shrugged.

"She might be," she said. "I've met a lot of unpleasant sponsors, and hers didn't strike me as one of them."

"That's good news, isn't it…?" Kori asked, looking at Sneers with a soft smile. Sneers stared back at her before nodding weakly.

"It's… it's not bad news, at least," he whispered.

The ones who hadn't been killed upon capture were still alive: all those who hadn't died violently the day they were captured had survived until today, and Sneers knew it now. His hands shook as the emotions tightened in his chest, his mind full of memories, of thoughts and ideas that he wasn't sure what to make of. All he knew, though, was that he couldn't unleash his relief and joy over the news here. Not only did he feel uncomfortable by it, but he was sure Kori would be horrified if he embarrassed himself, and her, by extension, in front of the Princess.

"Thank you. I… I should go to bed now," he said. His words took the others by surprise.

"Oh, well, cool," said Sokka, smiling a little. "You alright, though?"

"I'm fine. I… I have a fight tomorrow, right?" he said, looking at Kori and swallowing hard. "I should be ready for it."

"Oh, that's right," said Kori, biting her lip. Sneers bowed his head curtly towards her, Azula and Sokka.

"Good night. Thanks again for… for everything," he said, directly to the other two. Azula nodded.

"Anytime!" Sokka called out, as Sneers turned and left the room.

Kori watched him go, compelled to follow and ask him if he really was alright, but she wasn't sure Sneers would take that well. She sighed, staring at the fire while Sokka and Azula eyed her instead.

"It might be good for you to go to bed, too. Sponsors should be at the top of their game as well, even if they're not the ones fighting in the ring," said Azula. Kori blinked.

"I…" she said, looking at Azula in surprise: the Princess's intelligent eyes betrayed that she understood exactly what Kori had wanted to do right now. The girl smiled gratefully. "Thanks. I… I'll do that then. Good night, Princess, Sokka."

"Rest well!" Sokka said, smiling too.

Kori left almost in a rush, and Azula couldn't help but grin as she watched her go: she hoped Kori would reach Sneers before he reached his room.

"Do you really think the crazy training from today helped?" Sokka asked. Azula's eyes shifted towards him. "He didn't seem as angry as he always does, but…"

"Only time will tell. Nothing was ever definitive when it came to us," she said, her hand sliding over the armrest of the couch, just so she could slip her fingers through his hair. He smiled.

"So, uh… we're alone for the first time in ages, feels like," he said, wiggling his eyebrows. "Everyone's asleep…"

"Heh, unless Kori fell unconscious while climbing the stairs and Sneers blacked out similarly, I doubt that," said Azula. Sokka chuckled.

"Okay, well, we're still alone and maybe everyone else will be asleep soon," he said, stretching his head back to look at her. "Dare we tempt fate, or will we settle with just talking innocently by the fireplace after having spent all day arguing like idiots?"

"Well, in your case, you really are one," said Azula, smirking and massaging his head gently. Sokka snorted. "I did have to pretend, of course, but…"

"You're really not going to stop picking fights with me even when they're not around to see it, are you?" he asked. Azula laughed softly.

"It's hard to help it. You've given me room for it every time, haven't you?" she said, her hand slipping down amongst the short hairs on the back of his head and to his neck. Sokka shivered. "I don't think we should risk it… but you did say cuddling was just fine, didn't you?"

"Cuddling might not help alleviate all this building tension, though," said Sokka, with a soft chuckle. "It's the cost of bickering all day. I'm just a little bit desperate for you right now…"

Azula sighed and leaned forward, her hands moving over his shoulders so her fingertips would press his muscles gently. Sokka's eyes widened, but he smiled.

"Well, I didn't mean tension in such a literal sense, but that's nice…"

"I figured you didn't," Azula admitted, caressing him gently. "But I thought I might as well make the most of this opportunity, for as long as we might have it…"

Sokka chuckled and lifted his head towards her. Azula smirked proudly before leaning close to kiss his lips. They had scarcely had a chance to kiss at all ever since their arrival in Yu Dao, only stealing such opportunities when they were alone in the stand-by rooms right before Sokka's fights. Kori was somehow always near Azula, so she made it next to impossible for the pair to enjoy any sort of intimacy: this was the very first opportunity they'd had for it in the Morishita home.

"Hell, I missed you," Sokka whispered, caressing her cheek with his fingertips. "How could I miss you this much when I'm always around you? It makes no sense, but…"

"I guess there's no logic to it, but I missed you too," Azula confessed, smiling. "Come here."

Sokka didn't need to be told twice. He turned and made to stand up, not expecting Azula would clasp his forearms with her hands and bring him closer with a quick pull that made him lose his footing and fall atop her. He chuckled as she embraced him, kissing his lips more comfortably while caressing his strong body.

"Wouldn't you rather we flip over so I don't crush you?" he asked, kissing her cheek and jawline, breathing her fragrant scent deeply.

"If we did, I wouldn't be able to do this…" she whispered, biting her lip with a mischievous smile before sliding her hands lower over his body to clasp his bottom. Sokka snorted and pressed his face to her shoulder, trying not to laugh too loudly.

"Here I thought I was a pervert for liking your blue fire too much…" he said. Azula smiled proudly.

"That you are, of course. But I, a Princess, am entitled to grope you as I please without being deemed a pervert," she declared.

"I'd complain about your double standards, but I'm a little too happy that you want to grope me," Sokka whispered, beaming and relaxing as she chuckled underneath him. "It is my duty as your gladiator to ensure you get everything you want, isn't it?"

"I thought your duty was fighting for me in the ring, actually," Azula reasoned. Sokka waved a hand carelessly.

"That's the least of it, Princess. This is more important," he declared. She laughed again, hugging him closely.

"We'll have to go to bed eventually, but… can we stay like this for a little longer?" Azula asked, caressing his cheek. Sokka nodded.

"We can stay as you wish, for as long as you like," he said, smiling warmly and leaning close to kiss her lips again. Azula sighed in bliss, her legs surrounding his waist to keep him in place.

She dozed off after relaxing peacefully with him in her arms, and Sokka took to carrying her to her room, walking as silent and carefully as he could. He laid her on the mattress, caressing her bangs before pressing a kiss to her brow.

"I love you," he muttered softly. Azula hummed, inching closer to where she heard his voice.

"Love you too…" she replied, and he smiled warmly: it had been too long since he'd had a chance to say it, but he hadn't thought she'd speak the words right back to him when she was half-asleep.

With another kiss to her lips, he covered her with the blanket and headed to his room. Sneers was already curled up as he always was, but his breathing wasn't easy and regular, as it would be for anyone who was unconscious.

Sokka frowned, sitting on the bed and watching Sneers before swallowing hard and stretching across the mattress. He thought that Sneers would find peace of mind, maybe, by knowing his friends were fine, just as Sokka had upon hearing his Tribe hadn't been vanquished after Azula took him away from them… but it might be he wasn't quite as similar to the gladiator across the room as he had initially believed.

---

"General unrest. Sparks flying together. Two months since the nest emptied. No course of action yet?"

Sokka read the letter aloud with a raised eyebrow and he looked at Azula in confusion. She smirked.

"It seems the Bandit believed it was necessary to send her message in a code," she said. "From what I can gather, Iroh remains restless… and if sparks are flying 'together', she most likely is implying that Zuko took Suki with him after all."

"And Iroh hasn't done anything noteworthy about it yet," said Sokka, biting his lip. "That's got to be the weirdest code I've seen."

"It's news at last, so the code is the least important thing about it," said Azula, as Sokka smiled while ruffling Hawky's feathers. The messenger hawk was perched on his forearm, staring around himself with curiosity. "I guess it means we might need to stay in the city for a little longer than this, though. If Iroh hasn't taken a course of action yet, it's hard to say if it's convenient for us to be near him yet."

"Well, that's just fine, isn't it, Hawky?" said Sokka, smiling and talking to his hawk with a sing-song voice. "Who's a pretty hawkyyyy…?"

"He should chomp your finger off for talking to him like that," said Azula, with a smirk. "I'll reply to the Bandit when we return from the Arena. Unless you'd rather stay to pet your hawk and miss out on Sneers' fight?"

"Oh, come on," said Sokka, smiling at her. "You can lighten up, I'm just happy to see him again!"

Azula smiled as well as Sokka placed Hawky on a perch. They were in the guards' building right now, where Hawky had arrived around half an hour earlier. Fortunately, the building had a room perfectly accommodated for the hosting of messenger hawks. Sokka made sure to get food and water for his bird before following Azula out to the street: a carriage already awaited them, to lead them to the Golden Eye.

Azula didn't join Kori in the sponsors' balcony as the girl had for Sokka's fights: since Sokka was here too, she chose to head to the stands with him instead. All people nearby gaped her with little restraint, and her eyebrow twitched at the usual, irritating bowing. Sokka merely chuckled at her reactions as they waited for the fight to begin.

But while the two of them were doing quite well, the same couldn't be said for Kori in the sponsors' balcony and Sneers waiting in the stand-by room. Kori had spoken with Sneers only briefly the previous night in his room, and she had been surprised to find that Sneers' usual hostility had been nowhere to be found as he bade her good night, but she could tell he was anxious, nervous, not himself. And as the grid rose to let him into the fighting pit, Sneers had only swallowed hard and stepped forward slowly, his eyes unfocused.

He couldn't stop thinking about them. His friends were always on his mind, but never like this. A sense of urgency nestled inside him, eating away at him, tormenting him: what if Jet and Longshot were closer than he thought? What if Smellerbee was waiting for a sign, just as he had been, that the others were still alive and hoping to find her? What if any of them were in danger, in trouble, and the only one with a chance to bail them out of it was him…?

His eyes snapped wide open when he heard the megaphone man signal the start of the fight. And the large, fearsome Beacon of Ruin lunged at him, a mace in each of his hands, a war cry leaving his throat as he attacked Sneers fiercely.

Sneers was forced to dodge, failing to find any weak spots yet. It was one of his talents, finding just the opening needed through which he would slip unnoticed and defeat his opponent easily… but right now he couldn't see any. The world was unsteady, his hands were trembling, his mind was lost in thought. His legs were moving by instinct, but even that wasn't enough to avoid getting his arm slammed by one of the maces after falling for the opponent's feint.

"He's not fighting at his best…" Sokka muttered, frowning. He was no expert in Sneers' fighting style, but what he had shown them the previous day wasn't at all like what they were seeing right now.

Azula frowned, her eyes flickering towards Sokka. Somehow, this fight was eerily resembling Sokka's first in the Golden Eye…

Sneers flinched away from the next blows, rushing through the Arena to avoid the heavy maces. His left arm might have been broken after that, going by the hideous pain he was experiencing. He couldn't let that mace hit him again, or else…

… Or else he'd be the one who wouldn't see his friends again.

After all those years of hoping, he finally had cause to come back to life. His endless anguish was finally over, and he could dream of finding the Freedom Fighters once more. He was weak with longing, with memories of what had been and illusions of what could be if he ran off in the dark of the night to find them. If he just turned his back on this blasted nightmare of being a gladiator, of being a slave…

His thoughts were his undoing again as the mace slammed into his stomach now, sending him rolling over the sand as he lost his breath. A general gasp could be heard through the Arena: his public was used to seeing him win easily. This turn of events was a surprise, and not a pleasant one, especially for one person…

Sneers breathed heavily, coughing a little blood and dreading to know the magnitude of the injury he had sustained to his torso. Well, that was about enough of that. He couldn't go on like this, or he would really die. One more blow and…

He didn't let his mind finish the thought as his eyes traveled a little higher than his opponent, who was already gearing up for one more attack.

Kori's eyes were wide, and she clutched the railing of the balcony as she stared down at him. Her face wasn't contorted with rage, though, because he was embarrassing her in the Arena. The expression on it wasn't disappointment, either. She was anxious: she was worried about him.

The realization hit him harder than the maces could have. For the first time, the walls he had built to protect himself from his sponsor shattered, and he let himself consider that maybe, just maybe, the Mayor's daughter had seen him as something more than just another slave: as a partner, perhaps. As a friend, maybe.

Sneers snarled and lowered his head before dashing forward with unexpected speed. Beacon of Ruin had already lifted his maces, but the shift of position of his enemy had made it impossible for him to handle the heavy weapons properly. He couldn't redirect them to strike Sneers once the gladiator was barely a breath away from him, and by then he failed to protect himself from a potent headbutt to the throat.

The loss of balance left Beacon of Ruin vulnerable. His maces were powerful, but not versatile, and they couldn't help him when Sneers lifted his uninjured hand to slam a powerful fist into his face.

Beacon of Ruin wasn't knocked out right away, so Sneers had no choice but to sit atop him and keep punching him, while enduring Beacon of Ruin's attempts to resist him. When the man hardly made efforts to push him off anymore, Sneers stood upright and stumbled away from him, his armor coated with his opponent's blood. Beacon of Ruin didn't shift much anymore, his face red from the blood that had spilled from his broken nose.

It had been a quick fight, but surprisingly violent. Sneers clutched his injured hand and breathed heavily before gazing up at Kori. The worry in her eyes was still there: it wasn't just because of his performance, he understood. She really wanted him to be okay.

He gritted his teeth and lowered his head, ashamed and distraught. Everything he had taken for granted had been challenged during the last weeks, but especially through this fight. One way or another, nothing would be the same after today.

---

Kori watched with concern as Sneers was wrapped in bandages. He could walk, but the physicians recommended that he rested briefly before heading home for a proper recovery. The bone in his arm had broken, and they had set it back into place quite painfully. His arm would be in a splint for some time.

"How are you feeling?" Kori asked, once the physicians filed out of the room. Sneers sighed.

"Bad," he whispered, earnestly. "Everything hurts. I should've… I should've focused more."

"It's nothing to worry about. We all have bad days," she said, biting her lip and taking her seat next to him on the couch. Sneers avoided her gaze.

"I didn't mean to give you one in front of your hero, though. I know you… you wanted to impress her."

"Sure, I did, but that doesn't matter anymore," said Kori, looking at him worriedly. "Your safety matters more than my ego, alright? If the Princess thinks I'm not up to her level, well, it's true that I'm not. So, it's fine, Sneers. I just… it's the first time you're ever wounded like this. I'm glad you won, but…"

"But I might not have it easy on my next fights," Sneers mumbled. Kori sighed.

"I hadn't even thought of that," she admitted. "Well, if anything, the one who shouldn't worry about your next fights is you. We won't fight again until you're feeling well."

"That's… I'm sorry to inconvenience you," said Sneers, gritting his teeth. "I…"

"It's okay," said Kori, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We can't expect you to always win without any complications, so…"

"No, I… I could've done better. I could have," said Sneers, shaking his head. "But I was thinking about… I was thinking about them."

Kori didn't have to ask who Sneers was referring to: she froze, the contact between them almost painful as a heavy silence hung between them.

"Your friends…" she muttered. Sneers nodded and she swallowed hard. "I guess it's hard to focus after finding out they're all alive."

"I wasn't just thinking about them, I…" Sneers whispered, lowering his head. "I'm sorry, Kori. I… I haven't been able to help it but I… I've thought of running away. I've thought of going to find them, but…"

Kori withdrew her hand, and Sneers shut his eyes tightly.

"I know I shouldn't have. I'm… I'm your gladiator, and I should fight for you, as expected of me, but…"

"You want to know where they are, and how they've been," Kori muttered. Sneers glanced at her.

She didn't look disappointed, or enraged, even now. Her gaze was compassionate instead: understanding. His mouth fell agape as she sighed.

"I'm sorry, Sneers," she whispered. "I should have asked you since a long time ago about your life, about your friends, about… about what you might have wanted to achieve by becoming my gladiator. Even the Princess did that for Sokka, and I…"

"You weren't supposed to… no slave master does that," said Sneers, frowning. "At least, none I've heard of…"

"It doesn't mean I shouldn't have done it," said Kori. "I'm sorry, Sneers. I was… I was so busy trying to be just like her that I failed to follow her example where it mattered most. And you know what? Maybe… maybe I shouldn't try to be like her anymore. All things considered, I can't be just like her no matter how hard I try, so… so I should stop following on her footsteps so blindly. If I hadn't tried to do that, maybe I would have been a better sponsor…"

"No," said Sneers, swallowing hard. "I… I was hostile, I was angry all the time, I resented you just because you're Fire Nation, because you could buy me like you'd buy a loaf of bread. But that doesn't mean you were bad. If anything, you were… you were always kind. I was just too bitter to see it."

"Or maybe I had to try a little harder," said Kori, with a sincere but sad smile. "And… and I will now. You don't have to run away, Sneers. I… I won't get in your way if you decide to go find them."

Sneers' eyes widened. Kori dropped her gaze.

"I'll give you food for the journey, if you'd like. I can get you an ostrich horse too, so you can cover more ground. I could maybe secure passage for you to the Fire Nation, one of them is there, right?"

"I guess, but…"

"Of course, I'm not saying you have to go," she said, biting her lip. "I mean… I would like it if you stayed. You're a great gladiator, and… well, I felt like we were finally getting somewhere with our partnership. But you're free to go, if you want…"

"Are you sure about that?" Sneers asked, apprehensively. Kori sighed.

"Yeah. I mean, I could throw a tantrum, say you can't do it, but… what good would it be?" she said, smiling. "I'd rather help you if it's in my hands to do so. You've already been through so much, and I wasn't the best sponsor I could be. So…"

"So, can't you just… take me to the Capital?" Sneers asked. Kori blinked blankly before looking at him in confusion.

"What? Take you?" she asked. Sneers swallowed, blushing a little.

"I mean… if you sent a challenge to Smellerbee's sponsor, I'd be able to see her. We could meet in the ring, and you could see what her sponsor is like, so you could tell me if it really is a good person…"

Kori's eyes widened as she looked at him, her lips parted. Sneers looked at her insecurely.

"I… I hadn't had a home for a very long time," he whispered. "An actual house. A family to live with. I hadn't known stability like this since… since my family was murdered back in the war's heyday. And I didn't appreciate it until lately because… because, like I said, I was bitter and angry and frustrated. But… I think you were right. We were making progress."

"We… we were," Kori agreed, looking at him in disbelief. "And you really don't have to stay just to spare my feelings, Sneers, you could…"

"I could go and do what?" Sneers asked. "I have no idea where Jet and Longshot are. Finding Smellerbee won't do me much good if I have nowhere to go with her later. Maybe I should find my friends and make sure they're okay… but maybe the best way I can do that is with your help. If… if you're willing, of course."

Kori remained speechless for a moment before smiling warmly. Sneers smiled a little too.

"Are you serious?" she asked. "You really want to… to stay?"

"I just… feel like it's the right thing to do, for some reason," he said. "Maybe it's their fault, after all. The Princess and her gladiator…"

"W-well, I won't try to make us be like them anymore, I promise," said Kori. "We'll find our own rhythm, our own pace, and…"

"We will," Sneers agreed. "And maybe the next time we meet them, we'll be able to stand our ground in battle against them."

Kori chuckled and nodded. Sneers' smile widened.

"So… you're sure?" she asked. Sneers nodded.

"As long as you'll have me," he said. Kori beamed.

"Thank you, Sneers," she said. "We'll do our best to find your friends."

"The grateful one should be me," he whispered, looking at her earnestly. "Thanks for everything. Without you… I'd never have a shot at finding them. I'd never know they're even alive. And I wouldn't have remembered what a stable life feels like, either. So… thanks, Kori."

Tears blinked in her eyes as she laughed again. Sneers smiled shyly still, his repressed rage nothing but a memory by now. It seemed the Blue Wolf had been right: he had been trying very hard to hate Kori, by turning her into a proxy of everything he'd ever hated about the Fire Nation. But she wasn't responsible for any of the horrors he had witnessed, and even if she was involved in the Gladiator Business, she did so honorably, and cared for his life as she would for a friend. He had been unfair to her, but he meant to make amends for that from now on, for as long as he might continue to serve as her gladiator.

---

"So, it looks like things are a little better by now for those two, huh?" Sokka asked Azula, after the four of them had returned to the Morishita house.

Kori had helped Sneers inside, taking care not to brush against any of his wounds. The gladiator would need to be checked by another physician, just in case the ones from the Golden Eye hadn't treated all his wounds properly. Mayor Morishita had already rushed to find one, while Kori and her mom helped Sneers lie down on a comfortable couch.

"Oddly enough," Azula said, eyeing them with interest from the living room's threshold. "It looks like he's found some sort of peace of mind now, actually: he's even smiling at her. That's a far cry from what he was like when we first saw him."

"Well, I'm glad," said Sokka, smiling too. "I have no idea why it's happening, but it's nice to see that they might have worked out their differences. It's especially nice that they might have done it without any catastrophic fights, much unlike the two of us…"

"Catastrophic fights indeed," said Azula, raising her eyebrows as Sokka smiled guiltily. "It's been a while since our last one, actually. I kind of miss it. Can you think of something stupid to say so I can get really mad at you and…?"

"Oh, come on!" said Sokka, as she chuckled. "You should be ecstatic that we've been on a good roll for so long. Don't jinx it by saying stuff like that because the next thing we know…"

"Princess…?! Princess!"

The voice of one of her guards startled Azula out of her amusement and made her turn to the house's front door immediately. Fei Li stood there, looking at her anxiously.

"What is it?" she asked, stepping towards him. Sokka raised an eyebrow and followed her, keeping a short distance from the Princess as Fei Li swallowed hard.

"I… I don't really understand the full gist of it," he admitted. "But a messenger arrived just about five seconds ago, bearing this message."

He extended the scroll towards Azula, who clasped it with a frown on her face. Sokka stared at Fei Li questioningly while Azula read the writing on the parchment.

"What…?" she said, her frown growing heavier.

"What's going on?" Sokka asked, holding back from reading over her shoulder, knowing from experience that she didn't approve of that.

"All available troops are being summoned to Pohuai Stronghold at haste," she recited, eyeing Fei Li with uncertainty before looking at Sokka. "The Deserter has been sighted."

A/N:

Got to post this one before the year ended, fortunately. Happy holidays to all of you, dear readers! I'm a very fortunate fic writer, that much I've always known, and I'm very grateful to all of you for reading my works so faithfully. Knowing you guys enjoy what I do has often given me strength to get through many ordeals during this messy year, so I owe you lots! Hope you enjoyed the chapter, the real plot of this arc is about to begin, so hang on tight and enjoy the ride!