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...

124. Chapter 124: The chase of Jeong Jeong 6

"They didn't steal any ostrich horses or any other mounts," June said, inspecting the few beasts of burden that belonged to her friends from the tavern. "All of them are here, as they should be. It means they'll be on foot."

"Or they found some other means of transportation not far from here," Sokka theorized. June shook her head.

"Not much of a chance for that," she said. "It's barely dawn, they couldn't have reached a village or a town yet. They won't find any mounts until they do."

Sokka nodded and turned to stare at Nyla now. The shirshu seemed to be well rested, and she was munching on a large slab of meat. Her saddle was strapped across her body by now, and June had already loaded all provisions she might need onto it.

The sun hadn't even risen yet, but June had determined to take off now. She would waste no more time before restarting her pursuit of the two agents of Jeong Jeong's, knowing that their leader could be hiding anywhere nearby… though they all hoped he wouldn't be too close. Nevertheless, she had prepared to take off after a short sleep of only a few hours. She seemed to be as used to getting little sleep as Rui Shi was.

"Alright, I guess I should be going once my girl's finished her breakfast," she said, patting Nyla's head and turning to the three travelers. "Everyone agrees with that?"

Rui Shi nodded, but Sokka was focusing on Azula again now as she yawned and cringed, standing upright with difficulty next to him. His hand was on her back, holding her in place.

"Azula?" he called her. She groaned.

"Too much to drink, Princess?" June asked, smirking. "That's a pity. I like you better when you have enough snark to match mine."

"Hopefully I will when we meet again," said Azula, sighing. June raised an eyebrow.

"Not going to happen if you don't give me the memento you promised me," she said. "You know, the one I'll track you down with?"

"Oh, right," said Azula, rubbing her aching forehead with her fingertips. "Uh… Sokka, there should be something in your bags, maybe? Anything that's mine will work…"

"You sure?" said Sokka, grimacing as Rui Shi rummaged through the bag Sokka had on his back. The first thing he pulled out was Azula's orange belt.

"Are you alright with handing her your belt?" Rui Shi asked.

"Yeah, yeah…" said Azula, waving a hand carelessly. June took it with an amused smirk.

"I wonder how much money people would blow on a belt with the Crown Princess's sigil on it…" she said, detailing the golden buckle with interest. Azula grunted. "Ah. I knew you weren't that hungover."

"You're beyond annoying," said Azula, sighing and shaking her head. "Don't make me regret this. Prove your bounty-hunting talents and catch Jeong Jeong as soon as possible."

"No need to say it twice. Better have the money ready for me, I'll be back before you know it," said June, smirking and climbing atop her shirshu.

Nyla was instantly alert as June stretched over the beast's neck, offering her the black cloth with which she would track down the two escapees. Nyla sniffed it, twitched nervously briefly, seeking out the scent while snarling. Her body tensed up, and she took off instants later with June riding on her back expertly. Rui Shi watched them with a frown, noticing they were running down the road that had led them here in the first place.

"So… Jeong Jeong's behind us?" Sokka asked. Rui Shi shrugged.

"It's better if that's the case. Less chance for us to run into him when we head to Yu Dao," he said, turning to look at Azula. "Well, whenever it is we go, of course. Are you ready to leave, Princess?"

She groaned and clutched Sokka's shoulder to remain upright. Her stomach was as fickle as a spoiled child, it seemed, twisting and churning and making her nauseous. Merely getting up had been torture, and she had been helped by Sokka all along. He kept an arm around her most times to make sure she wouldn't topple over, and she was grateful for his physical support.

"Azula…?" Sokka said, cupping her face with a hand. She only sighed and nodded.

"Let's go. We… we need to go," she said, softly. He frowned.

"You're not going to walk all day in that state," he said. She looked at him through half-lidded eyes.

"What choice do I have? We need to get to Yu Dao, don't we? I… I can't be a burden…"

"Well, I would never call you a burden," said Sokka, smiling. "But I was thinking, if you're feeling so sick, I should carry you."

"You… you would?" Azula asked, looking at him in surprise.

Sokka smiled and shrugged off his pack, only to strap it back up on the front of his body this time. He lowered himself before her, offering her to climb on his back. She blinked blankly.

"Are you sure…?" she asked. "Won't you be carrying too much weight?"

"Pffft, you're light as a feather," said Sokka, smirking. "I'm sure I can handle it."

Rui Shi snorted and shook his head, but Azula stepped towards Sokka anyways, smiling a little at his offer. She placed her arms around his neck, letting him clasp her legs with his arms and lift her up in one smooth movement.

"Let me know if you need me to carry more of the bags," Rui Shi said. Sokka smiled and nodded.

"No problem, Rui Shi. Let's go, then, shall we?" he said, smiling at Azula now. She sighed in grateful relief and dropped her head on his shoulder.

The road carried on for miles again, and on and on they walked through the long trail without finding any signs of human settlements. They would have expected to come across more of them, but it seemed June had been right to say that Jeong Jeong's men couldn't find any means of transportation anywhere nearby: the road was completely deserted.

Azula closed her eyes and focused on Xin Long again, despite her throbbing head complained for it. The dragon was flying, and his movements did nothing to soothe her discomfort, but he seemed to communicate to her that their side was winning: less attacks came from the mountain now, and although the explosives were there, they didn't seem to be so keen on using them anymore. Shinu was considering sending troops to the mountain by now, to root out all the supporters of Jeong Jeong that might still be there. Azula would have reacted better to the news if only she hadn't been as queasy as she was: she was definitely not used to peasants' liquor.

The definitive proof of it came by mid-morning, when she had to shove herself off Sokka's back and rush to a nearby bush to vomit. Both Sokka and Rui Shi had stopped, watching her worriedly until she stood upright again. Despite she looked disgusted, her reaction was already an improvement compared to the emotional unresponsiveness she'd displayed for most of the morning: her color was returning to her face, too.

"Water…" she gasped. Sokka produced one of the waterskins from his bags and handed it to her. Azula accepted it gratefully and rinsed her mouth as efficiently as possible with its contents.

"Feeling better?" Sokka asked. She sighed and nodded.

"Drastically so. I need to avoid drinking sake, clearly," she said, shaking her head. Sokka smiled.

"You won't have to do it again. Don't worry about it," he said. "Need me to keep on carrying you? Because I can do it all day…"

"I figure," said Azula, smiling a little too. "But I think I can walk now."

"Ow, that's boring," he said, pouting. She laughed and smiled warmly at him.

Rui Shi grimaced and sighed at the sight of them. It was only then that they seemed to recall he was there.

"Uh… sorry, Rui Shi," said Sokka, with a weak grin. He shrugged the bags off and placed them on his back again.

"Now, now, he did say he'd turn a blind eye on us, didn't he?" Azula asked, clasping Sokka's hand with hers.

"Really, wife… can't you at least wait until I turn around before cheating on me?" Rui Shi asked, rolling his eyes and resuming the walk.

Azula and Sokka exchanged a mischievous smile before he leaned close to kiss her lips. She smiled into the contact, her fingers intertwining with his while Rui Shi's grimace intensified, knowing full well what those two had to be doing if they weren't talking…

"Are you two coming or what?" he asked loudly, after not hearing their footsteps following his.

"Sorry, sorry. But since you had kindly turned around to give us some privacy…" Azula said sarcastically, smirking before leading Sokka to follow her. Rui Shi rolled his eyes but smiled anyways.

The pair lagged behind Rui Shi slightly, but not only because they were basking in holding the other's hand. Azula glanced at Sokka uneasily, remembering a little more of her drunken rambling this time than the last time she'd been intoxicated. And despite Sokka had been very gentle to her through the night, she still felt awfully insecure about what had transpired between them…

"Sokka, about the things I said last night…" she whispered. He raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah?"

"Just… thanks for listening even if it must have been difficult at times," Azula said. "I'm somewhat sorry that I unleashed all of that on you as I did. I just… wasn't really myself at the time."

"Or you were more yourself than usual," Sokka said. She blushed. "I mean… you did say once that alcohol was a good recipe to make someone as honest as they can be. You know, inhibitions disappear and all that…"

"Dignity disappears too, from what I recall…" Azula said, bitterly. Sokka chuckled.

"Maybe sometimes, but… the things you said last night weren't anything to be ashamed of," he said, squeezing her hand gently. "I know you didn't mean to say those things at all, but… I probably needed to hear them."

"Why? It wasn't that much help for me to talk about that, now, was it?" Azula said, looking at him hopelessly. "Not a lot has changed because of what I said…"

"Maybe not, but I think I may understand you a little better now," said Sokka, truthfully. "And that's always a good thing, isn't it?"

Azula smiled slowly, and Sokka pressed his forehead to hers somewhat clumsily as they continued to walk.

"You don't need to feel ashamed about what you feel, okay?" he said, lifting his face to kiss her forehead. She sighed and nodded, inching closer to him.

"Not when I'm with you, I guess," she whispered. He grinned.

"That's right."

Their progress through the forests and shores of the Earth Kingdom was only slowed by the landscape's complexities. They came across a few people as they walked, and stopped at a riverbank for lunch. A green fish kept jumping out of the water, its head reared to look at them. Sokka's eyebrow twitched as he stared at it, feeling an irrational urge to hunt it, but he held back, as they had enough food for the rest of the journey.

"You know, there's no actual reason to think that fish was taunting us," Azula told him as they resumed their journey. His reaction to the creature had not gone unnoticed, and it had naturally become a conversation topic.

"But it so was! When did you last see a fish smirking at you, huh?!" Sokka asked. Azula snorted.

"Since when can fish smirk, to begin with?" she asked, looking at him in disbelief. "I'm pretty sure that's physically impossible."

"Then how was he doing it, eh? Because he was!" Sokka pouted, crossing his arms over his chest. Azula laughed at his stubbornness.

"He wasn't, and you're just crazy," she declared. Sokka groaned.

"You just love to discredit me, that's what's going on here," he said, shaking his head. "I'd have nabbed that fish so quickly if I just had a spear…"

"Ah, is that how you did it back in your Tribe? Here I thought you'd fish with rods or nets, as civilized people do…" Azula teased him. Sokka scowled at her. "See? Now that's taunting."

"Yeah, well, he did it without talking! It's worse!" he grunted. "And mind you, fishing with a rod takes longer, and doing it with nets was kind of pointless if you don't have an actual fish bank to ensnare. I was better off spearing them, and I was pretty good at it, believe it or not."

"Well, I'll give you a little credit and assume you weren't that bad at it, if that'll make you happy," said Azula, smirking. Sokka huffed and nodded, lifting his head proudly.

"I'll show you one day. I'll fashion myself a spear and you'll see just how good I am!"

"As long as you don't try to prove it by spearing the royal catfishes in my father's pond, that's alright with me," said Azula, shrugging.

Sokka smirked confidently and Azula smiled at the sight of him. Rui Shi, as ever a few steps ahead of them, glanced back briefly. They'd had quite a few silly arguments all through the trip, but they had a tendency to be lined with tenderness somehow. How could two people argue that way, he didn't know, but he certainly liked it better than the earth-shattering arguments they usually had.

Upon turning back to the road, Rui Shi was overcome with relief: at last, a small but beautiful town stood between them and an imposing volcano. Its entrance had an arch, much like the Herbalist's institute, but this one was flanked by Fire Nation soldiers. The buildings in the town were of evident Earth Kingdom architecture, though. It didn't seem the Fire Nation's forces had damaged the town during the war or influenced it afterwards, much as it had happened with Gaoling.

"Well, this would be…" said Azula, pulling the map out of her sash and spreading it open. "The map says it's Makapu Village, going by the volcano behind it. Yu Dao isn't far from here."

"There's a lot of mountains ahead, though," said Rui Shi. "It won't be easy to navigate them."

"I think there should be a few more villages between Makapu and Yu Dao. They're marked here," said Azula, pointing at the map. "We could make stops there if need be…"

"I suggest we get a carriage here, though," said Sokka. "Don't you think it might make the journey a little faster? Maybe we can get one in Makapu."

"Huh. That's actually a good idea," Azula admitted.

"Maybe we could rest here today, too," Rui Shi suggested. "We didn't rest a lot last night…"

"You can say that again," Azula sighed. "If we do get a carriage, we might be able to reach Yu Dao in a single morning, too. Spending the night here should be fine."

They filed towards the town's entrance, and they were scrutinized by the soldiers as they approached. Sokka scowled at one who caressed a spear he was holding.

"Who are you? State your business!" the soldier exclaimed, striking the ground with the spear's bottom as menacingly as he could.

Azula's eyebrow twitched as she stared at the man. Were Fire Nation soldiers always this impolite to travelers? No wonder so many people still despised the Fire Nation as much as they did. She felt like ripping the spear off his hands and striking him over the head with it for disrespecting them.

"We're only travelers, passing by on our way to Yu Dao," Rui Shi explained. "I'm Roshi, this is my wife Jing and our servant Wentai…"

"Where d'you hail from?" said the man, eyeing them with uncertainty.

"We are colonials, we were living in Omashu but we are moving to Yu Dao," said Rui Shi. "We mean no harm."

"Hmmm…" said the soldier, scowling at them. "I guess you wouldn't. You're a firebender?"

"U-uh, yes," said Rui Shi, nodding. The soldier sighed.

"Fine, then. Go ahead," he said, gesturing carelessly. Sokka raised an eyebrow.

"Why's it okay just because he's a firebender?" he asked, unable to hold his tongue. The soldier's eyebrow twitched.

"Because the ones we need to be wary of are earthbenders, slave. Get moving," he said. Rui Shi frowned.

"May I inquire why, though?" he said. The soldier snarled.

"Just move on and stop asking questions, will you? Weren't you going to Yu Dao?"

All three travelers stared at him reproachfully, but they entered the town all the same. The streets weren't too crowded, but the people they glimpsed wore classy clothes. Azula couldn't help but wonder where they might have a chance to buy some apparel of the sort: they'd be a great upgrade for the lousy outfits they were currently sporting.

But before she could convey her thoughts to her companions, a rather strange man in a black version of those classy robes approached them. The three travelers were apprehensive right away.

"What…? Do you need something?" Rui Shi asked him, inching away from him.

The man's hair was white, yet he didn't look old. His cheekbones were prominent, his eyes were sharp, and he sported no facial hair. His voice was deep when he spoke to them.

"Aunt Wu has been expecting you."

Azula tensed up right away, as Sokka cocked a confused eyebrow while Rui Shi blinked blankly.

"Aunt Who?" Sokka said. Azula scowled.

"Well, aren't we suspicious. Someone's expecting us? Why's that?" she asked the man, unable to sit back to allow Rui Shi to handle the situation. The white-haired man blinked at her, surprised by her boldness.

"She's the town's fortuneteller," he explained. "Has been for many years. She could foresee your arrival."

"Really, now? How convenient," Azula said, frowning. "Was she warned of our impending arrival by some spirit, maybe? Or was it someone else dressed in all black, much like yourself…?"

"Well, in all fairness, those guys wore rags rather than fine clothes like his," Sokka said. Azula looked at him skeptically.

"How do you know what they wore underneath them, at any rate?" she said. "Yeah, sure, he's not either of those two assholes, but he could turn out to be one of their group anyhow, and…"

"Could you two… stop it?"

Azula and Sokka froze. They turned to find Rui Shi somewhat flustered, staring at the white-haired man apprehensively.

"Stop it? Stop what, exactly?" Azula asked. Rui Shi blushed harder now.

"Maybe it is a real fortuneteller," he said, simply. Azula's eyes widened.

"Oh, really, now? How do you know she is one?" she asked. Rui Shi shrugged.

"Fortunetellers have the ability to know things that are hidden to normal people," he said, folding his arms over his chest. "It's not so unreasonable that a real fortuneteller would be able to know we're here…"

"Uh… did you get hit on the head, by any chance?" Azula asked. Rui Shi grimaced. "Have you forgotten our circumstances? Forgotten that the people we're dealing with could easily have allies anywhere? What do you think is more likely, that they knew about us because of their connections or because some bird came fluttering by and sang it to them?"

Rui Shi's silence made Azula's jaw drop. The white-haired man eyed at them inquisitively, waiting to know what decision they'd make: Aunt Wu had not warned him about this.

"I don't know what's more likely, I just… I think if they're allied with our pursuers we should find out, right?" said Rui Shi, looking at Sokka for support. Despite he was mostly inclined to side with Azula, Sokka raised an eyebrow and considered that possibility now.

"Well… they might have information worth exploiting if that's the case," said Sokka, shrugging. "Heck, if they caught us here, we could even hold this guy and his aunt as hostages, eh?"

"That's…" Azula said, staring at Sokka with a thoughtful frown now. Sokka shrugged.

"I also won't say no to carrying on if you'd rather we do that, though," he said. Azula sighed and stared at Rui Shi.

"How do you propose we figure out if the fortuneteller is for real or not?" she asked. Rui Shi shrugged.

"The last time I went to a fortuneteller, they knew things about myself that nobody else did. They managed to predict my entire week spot-on, too…"

"Huh…" said Sokka, doubtful. "Don't you have a pretty regular routine, though?"

"That… they also predicted things outside it, and that's not the point," said Rui Shi, averting his gaze. Azula sighed.

"You seriously believe in this nonsense, don't you?" she asked.

"I… I might. And all things considered, Jing, you are my wife s-so… we shall do as I say," Rui Shi declared, his voice trembling: he knew he was stepping into dangerous territory, but the damage was done. If the Princess decided to slay him for it, he'd certainly deserve it.

But Azula was actually so dumbfounded that she could only shake her head in disbelief. Rui Shi followed the white-haired guy through a circular doorway that led inside a tall, white building. Sokka and Azula followed them in turn.

"I don't understand. Since when is Rui Shi… superstitious?" Azula said, as they stepped through the doorway.

"No clue. But I guess to each their own, eh?" said Sokka, smirking a little. "Who knows, this might actually end up being fun. This guy doesn't look dangerous, and his weird Aunt probably isn't either…"

"I don't care what they look like, I care if they're informants…" Azula grumbled as the white-haired man gestured at some cushions lying on the floor.

"Have a seat. Aunt Wu shall be with you shortly," he said, before returning to the door. Azula watched him go, raising an eyebrow.

"You know, maybe we've been scammed," she theorized as the three of them took their seats. "Maybe he just says the same phrase to every single newcomer that shows up, and this is all just a ruse by a fake fortuneteller to make money off unguarded tourists…"

"Uh… Aunt Wu doesn't charge. And she's not a scammer."

The voice came from a girl in her late teens, who stood across the room, before two sliding doors. Her clothes were pink and purple, her eyes large and her hair tied in two frizzy braids.

"And… you are?" Azula asked, looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "Niece Wen?"

Her joke made Sokka lash out in laughter even if he tried to cover his mouth with a hand to muffle his loudness. Despite herself, Azula smirked a little by his reaction, but naturally, the girl before them wasn't as amused as they were.

"My name is Meng, I'm Aunt Wu's assistant!" she exclaimed. "And it's rude to laugh at people you've only just met! And rude to make jokes about them, too!"

"Now, now, no need to be so worked up," said Azula, raising a hand and staring at her pointedly. "That white-haired doorman, he claimed Aunt Wu was expecting us. How is that possible?"

"It's possible because Aunt Wu knows everything," said Meng, smiling proudly. "She has the gift of foresight, and she can always predict when new people will arrive in town."

"And what exactly did she say about us, the newest arrivals?" Azula asked, raising her eyebrows.

"W-well, she told him, not me, so… I don't know what she saw," Meng admitted. Azula scoffed.

"So, it really might just be bait after all, and we fell into it like fools," she said, looking at Rui Shi judgmentally. He grimaced, hunching over a little on his cushion. "Well, we might as well make the most of it while we're here, I guess. There's not much else to do but… oh, damn it, are you still laughing?"

"S-sorry, sorry…" said Sokka, chuckling and wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. "That was a good one, I should've come up with it myself, damn…"

Meng glared at him with irritation, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest. Her irritation was only appeased when a young woman, with a growing belly bump, came out through the sliding doors, beaming brightly.

"Oh, Meng! It will be a boy!" she exclaimed, walking up to the fortuneteller's assistant and clasping her hands with hers. "Just what I wanted, I'm so glad…!"

"That's wonderful news!" Meng said, beaming as her friend hugged her. "Ah, I'm so jealous… you've had such a perfect love story!"

"Ah, there's no need to worry, you'll have yours too! Aunt Wu predicted as much, didn't she?"

"I guess…" said Meng, with a weak smile.

Her eyes shifted towards Rui Shi, who was still stemming in his awkwardness after butting heads directly with Azula's skepticism. Azula stared at Meng, though, and the girl blushed and shook her head before guiding her friend to the door.

"This is a weird place," said Azula, frowning a little as Meng's friend left the building. "I'm still torn between thinking that woman knows everything about us, or that she knows nothing at all…"

Sokka would have answered her, but the words froze before he uttered them when he saw a new person coming into scene. She was an aging woman with graying hair, wearing a long yellow robe. She as well had entered the room through the sliding doors, a gentle smile on her face.

"Well, I may not know everything about you all yet, but I will endeavor to find out as much as you'll allow me to," she said. "It is my pleasure to meet you… though I'm aware that the names you'll give me won't be your real ones. You're being followed?"

Azula's eyebrow twitched. Sokka grimaced and so did Rui Shi.

"Did your doorman guess as much and told you about it, or did the spirits enlighten you into discovering that?" she asked. Aunt Wu smiled.

"I could see it. Dark shapes tailed three travelers as they journeyed to Yu Dao. You seem to have shaken them off for the time being, though," she said. "I'll be glad to offer you hospitality, of course. I always extend a hand to weary travelers such as yourselves."

"That's so very kind of you, but I'm afraid I don't understand such altruism," said Azula, staring at her defiantly. "How do we know you're not allied with those who followed us?"

"Ah, a well-founded fear," said Aunt. Wu "This must be more complicated than I realized. Well, if you worry as much as you do, you can resume your journey whenever you please. I will certainly not get in your way."

"That's awfully kind of you," said Azula, with a sarcastic smirk.

"But I will say as well that I have nothing to hide, no undesirable connections to speak of," said Aunt Wu, with a gentle smile. "If you would like to ascertain my honesty while I offer you readings of your future, I will gladly allow it."

Azula raised an eyebrow slowly and exchanged a look with Sokka. He stroked his stubble with interest.

"Well … it wouldn't hurt to stick around and make sure she really isn't hiding anything, right?" he said. Azula sighed.

"I'm afraid we have no choice. Either she really has no connections with them, or she's so good at hiding them that she's dead certain we won't discover anything," Azula said. Aunt Wu chuckled.

"Ask any questions you wish, search my house if you need to. I will not resist," she promised.

"Well, then, if that's how it'll be…" said Azula, as Sokka made to stand up. Wu frowned.

"I'll take my reading first, then," Sokka said. Azula nodded. "I'm skeptical enough not to buy everything she says, so…"

"Uh, but… I'm afraid that would be an awfully short session," said Aunt Wu, looking at Sokka almost apologetically. He regarded her with confusion.

"What? How come?"

"Well… I won't have much work to do with you," she said. "Your future will be full of struggle and anguish, most of it self-inflicted."

Sokka's eyes widened at first, but he frowned with disapproval and raised his hands defiantly. Behind Aunt Wu, Meng chuckled.

"What the…? But you didn't read my palms or anything!" he exclaimed. "How could you know something like that without any foretelling mumbo-jumbo, huh?"

"I didn't need to do anything to know as much. It's written all over your face," said Aunt Wu, matter-of-factly. Sokka was petrified.

"I… huh?" he said.

To his chagrin, Azula snorted. She was joined in laughter by Rui Shi, who seemed even more amused by the prediction than the Princess. Sokka blushed and glared at them.

"W-what are you two laughing at?! It's not funny! It's not true!" he exclaimed, stubbornly. The more he claimed as much, the harder Azula laughed. "Quit laughing already!"

"Okay, if just for the fun of it, this might be worth it," said Azula, still chuckling. Rui Shi stood up now, smiling at Aunt Wu.

"Do I have the same obvious fate?" he asked. Aunt Wu smiled gently at him.

"You may be trickier to read, young man. Very well, then, you'll come in first," she said.

Rui Shi followed the fortuneteller diligently through the sliding doors, and Meng closed them again before glancing at the remaining travelers. The girl was still laughing while the guy glared at her indignantly.

"Why do you find it that funny, huh?! It's not funny at all! You know my life will be calm, and happy, and joyful!" Sokka growled, grabbing one of the cushions and smacking Azula on the thigh with it. She only laughed and shoved him away.

"Come on! You're stuck with me, your life cannot be any of those things, no matter how many times you tell yourself as much!" Azula said, laughing still. Sokka groaned and lunged forth, tackling her into the cushions. She chuckled and tried to shove him off.

"It will be, and you know it! Yes, precisely because I'm stuck with you it will be!"

"As if! Your life will be calm, seriously?" she asked, looking at him with amusement. "Do tell, when did we last have a lingering period of peace in our lives, huh?"

"It… didn't happen that long ago!" Sokka pouted, rolling off her so he could lie amongst the pillows next to her.

"Now, will you be happy? You are a masochist, so you're happy when you're struggling and in anguish. Ergo, you can be happy while your life is full of anguish and struggle" Azula said, smirking. Sokka's eyebrow twitched and he grunted lowly. "As for the joyful part, it's just a synonym for happiness, so the same applies for that one. And there you go. Basically, the fortuneteller may just be the real deal, huh?"

"She isn't! She absolutely isn't and you…!" Sokka started, shifting on the cushions to glare at Azula from above, but he froze upon remembering they weren't alone.

He turned to look at Meng, who had sat down to watch them inquisitively. Azula blinked as well and looked at her.

"U-uh… sorry. I shouldn't stare, it's just…" said Meng, smiling awkwardly. "Can you answer me a question?"

Azula noticed the girl was directing the question to her. She sat up, frowning.

"Sure?" she said. "Well, depends on the question, really. If it's something too personal I may not answer…"

"It kind of is, but… still, I have to know. I can't tell because of their haircuts, so…" Meng said. Azula blinked blankly.

"What can't you tell because of whose haircuts?" Sokka asked, confused.

"Well…" Meng said, breathing deeply and looking at Sokka. "Who has the bigger ears between you and the guy who just went in there with Aunt Wu?"

The question took both Azula and Sokka by surprise. Azula cocked her head to the side ever so slightly while Sokka looked at Meng dumbfoundedly.

"This place is the weirdest we've ever been to," he concluded, as the girl with the braids beamed at them.

"What do you need to know that for?" Azula asked. Meng blushed.

"It's just… it's nothing, really" she said, shyly, as Sokka huffed.

"Yeah, nothing. I bet Aunt Wu told her she'd marry a guy with some kind of special ears or something," he said, smirking at Azula. She raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Is that so?" she asked Meng, who scowled at Sokka.

"S-she might have! And she's always right, so I believe her!" she exclaimed. "Oh, I hope you have tiny ears…"

Sokka chuckled while Azula eyed him with uncertainty. She reached to lift the hair framing his face, to get a good look at his ears.

"Well, they are pretty big," she said, smirking. Sokka pouted. "But I need a frame of reference. Roshi's may just be around the same size."

"Really?!" Meng asked, beaming. "That handsome guy? Then you think…?"

"Do I think you're going to marry my husband?" Azula asked, looking at her matter-of-factly. Meng froze. "No, I really don't think so."

"O-oh. Sorry," said Meng, blushing and dropping her gaze.

Azula released Sokka's hair, still staring judgmentally at Meng before turning to Sokka. He seemed to be enjoying their current closeness, but as she stared at him Azula smirked.

"You… haven't shaved much lately, huh?"

"O-oh? Yeah, I kinda neglected it," he said, swallowing hard. "Does it look bad?"

"It doesn't look awful, but I'd think your stubble is fine without company," said Azula, shrugging. Sokka smiled and bit his lip.

"Well, alright, if you say so. Is there a bathroom, Meng?"

"Second door to the right, down this hall," said Meng, looking a Sokka with resignation.

He stood up after pocketing his whalebone knife, taking off through the corridor of the sliding doors. The Princess looked at Meng again once Sokka was out of sight.

"You know… that Roshi isn't the man you'll marry doesn't mean you'll be marrying Wentai," Azula declared. Meng sighed in relief.

"Oh, I hope so. Believers and non-believers don't make good pairs," she said. "Which… is weird. Your husband is a believer, isn't he? But you aren't…"

Azula smiled awkwardly and shrugged. She wasn't entirely sure how Meng hadn't seen through their poor cover immediately, but she had little doubts that someone in this house would see the truth about it in due time. If the Fortuneteller was half as sharp as she pretended to be, the ruse about her marriage to Rui Shi would not last much longer.

Sokka made sure to shave adequately in the bathroom, smiling proudly at the mirror as he finished his work. Azula didn't always compliment him on his facial hair or otherwise, but he knew she enjoyed stroking his stubble absentmindedly at times. It was why he made sure to keep it as well-groomed as he could.

As he walked back to the sitting area, he overheard the sound of the fortuneteller's voice in the room to his right. He frowned and slowed down, mischievously attempting to overhear Rui Shi's prediction.

"… As it were, you must take action to prove your love to the object of your affections. Doing nothing might lead you to lose her forever," said Aunt Wu. Sokka grimaced.

"I… I suppose so. I mean to act, though. As soon as we return home," Rui Shi replied.

"Won't that be too late already? You wife… she seems to be quite taken with your other companion as it is."

"U-uh, yes. That… I guess so," Rui Shi answered awkwardly.

Sokka pressed his fist to his mouth and chuckled before returning to the sitting room. Curiously, the Fortuneteller had believed the lies about Azula and Rui Shi being married… but she had noticed that he was involved with Azula, for a change. Maybe it was too immature of Sokka to be excited about that, since they should be covering up their relationship… but he was relieved all the same. At last, someone hadn't assumed right away that Azula could only be involved with a guy like Rui Shi.

"Unless…" Aunt Wu continued, once Sokka couldn't hear her voice anymore. "The woman you're thinking of isn't your wife?"

"Well, that is…" said Rui Shi, his cheeks reddening. Aunt Wu laughed.

"It did seem strange that a man would travel with his wife and her lover that way," she said. "I thought maybe you weren't aware of it, but it would seem you are too smart to be oblivious to it."

"Figuring it out didn't take a lot of brains, though," Rui Shi said. "Walking in on them kissing was enlightening enough"

"She isn't truly your wife, though, is she? You just told me as much, but… I can't understand how that could be the case," she said. "Is your marriage a charade?"

"Our marriage is… a story, I suppose," Rui Shi admitted, shrugging. "People think we are less suspicious that way, I believe."

"Of course," said Aunt Wu. "You three must be involved with some complicated matters, to be sure. I haven't had as fascinating reading subjects as you three for a very long time."

"Even though Wentai is quite obviously only ever going to make himself miserable?" Rui Shi asked, with a weak smile. Aunt Wu laughed.

"Oh, he would have never believed anything I said to him. He resists the idea of anything that logic can't explain, I'm sure. Your other companion seems to be a lot like him, and yet she's quite intriguing…"

"It's ironic, I'll say. Their relationship defies all logic all the time and I don't see them complaining," said Rui Shi. Aunt Wu laughed again.

"You are a smart man, yes. And quite handsome, too. The woman you do love will certainly be very lucky to be with you," she said. "Well, then… are we done now?"

"I guess so," said Rui Shi, smiling and bowing his head towards her.

They returned to the sitting room as soon as Rui Shi's reading was over. Azula, Sokka and Meng were talking, but the fortuneteller's assistant jumped when she noticed her boss was back with the handsome stranger.

"Ah. You're finished now?" Azula asked, looking at Rui Shi inquisitively. "What's your verdict?"

"I believe her," said Rui Shi. Azula huffed and shook her head.

"Of course you do," she said, standing up.

"You'd rather test my skills for yourself, naturally?" said Aunt Wu, smiling warmly. "Well, I can see this will take a while. Meng, offer some food to our guests. Tell Yu there will be no more travelers today, so he can start working on dinner, too."

"Yes, Aunt Wu," said Meng, bowing her head as Rui Shi returned to the cushions.

Azula stared at Aunt Wu defiantly, but she glanced at Sokka one last time before taking off. He only smirked proudly at her, sure that the Princess would be a lot more skeptical about fortunetelling than Rui Shi was.

"Wish me luck…" Azula said, sarcastically. Sokka chuckled as she followed Aunt Wu into the next room.

Aunt Wu pushed open the next sliding door to reveal a chamber with many candles and a small fireplace at the center. There were cushions, a teapot, vases, books, paintings, all assortment of things that would have felt like completely normal decoration if they were anywhere other than in a fortuneteller's house. Azula raised an eyebrow while taking in her surroundings, as she sank in a red cushion of her choice. Aunt Wu smiled.

"So… Roshi, Wentai and Jing," she said. Azula frowned. "They are good fake names, suitable for each of you. If only it weren't clear that you and Roshi are Fire Nation, people would be fooled far more easily."

"We are colonials," said Azula. Wu raised her eyebrows.

"You are noble," she stated, without a hint of a doubt. "The way you carry yourself, your authority, your defiance? You are a noblewoman. Roshi isn't of your same standing, of course. Let alone is Wentai…"

"Did you figure this out through Roshi?" Azula asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'd have expected him to need more than that simple assessment to believe you."

"Oh, he did," said Aunt Wu, laughing softly. "Insight into secrets of his past sufficed long before I shared his future. He had never shared them with anyone, it seems…"

"And yet you knew about them? What sort of secrets were they?" Azula asked, smirking.

"I'm afraid it's up to him to share them, not me. I should likely make a reading of your life rather than his in order to convince you, right?"

"Heh. Do your best," said Azula, staring at Aunt Wu defiantly as the woman smiled at her.

"Well… you certainly come from a very conflictive family," she said. Azula crooked an eyebrow.

"As do most people," she said.

"Not all people fear their parents may have been murderers,"

Azula froze. She had no answer to that. Aunt Wu sighed.

"You believe they might have… killed a relative. Your grandfather, yes?" she said. "Though you don't understand how they would have done it…"

"Well, since the spirits are enlightening you about it already, maybe you can ask them about how they pulled it off," Azula asked, sarcastically. Aunt Wu chuckled.

"Perhaps I ought to. It would seem… that they were doing it with both selfish and selfless motivations in mind. To save you? No… to save your sibling? Your brother?"

Azula's gaze grew colder and colder. Aunt Wu seemed to notice, so she coughed and looked at her apprehensively.

"Perhaps that is too much about your past," she said. "Your future should be less bleak than that, I am sure."

"Hard to say," Azula muttered, truthfully. "Well, then, what do you plan on doing first? Reading my palms? You'll make me shake sticks in a bowl? You'll read my future through my birthday and the help of the stars…?"

"Ah, we can do anything you wish. Palmistry is a good place to start," said Aunt Wu, smiling. "Shall we?"

Azula sighed and offered Aunt Wu her left hand. The woman smiled right away.

"Fire hands," she said. Azula raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

"It's only logical," she muttered.

"You're a bender, aren't you? A firebender. And oh my, what a powerful one you are!" said Aunt Wu, as she read her lines more carefully.

"Astounding, isn't it?" Azula said, with a dry smile. "Though it's hardly something you wouldn't know if you were in touch with the people I mentioned earlier…"

"Ah, is that so?" Aunt Wu asked. "And the matters of your family… are they of public knowledge, too?"

Azula frowned. No, of course they weren't. Even if rumors could have been spread about Ozai or Ursa murdering Azulon, scarcely anyone knew that Zuko's life had been endangered that night. In fact, Azula had thought only a handful of members of the Royal Family knew about that…

"Well, I hope that keeps me safe from your bending's wrath until I can finish convincing you of my innocence," said Aunt Wu, smiling. Her eyes focused on Azula's hand again. "Oh dear. What a sun line you have! You're… you really must be some high-profile noblewoman of the Fire Nation, to have such fame and wealth thanks to your family…"

"Did a line on my hand really tell you as much?" Azula asked. Aunt Wu smiled.

"It certainly did. I have barely just begun and you're already one of my most impressive subjects!" she exclaimed. "Alright, your children line…"

Azula tensed up. Despite herself, she found herself uncertain now. She had mean to be as skeptical as possible with this reading, but it was difficult to be when it came to such a complicated topic…

"Well, that's interesting," said Aunt Wu, smiling. "There are girls in your future, and perhaps one boy, if I'm reading this correctly!"

"I… what?!" Azula asked, her eyes wide. "Y-you can't be serious. That has to be a mistake, I'm not likely to ever…"

"Well, that's what your hand says, dear," said Aunt Wu, smiling still. "In due time you'll know if it was right or not, right?"

"I… guess?" said Azula, grimacing in confusion. Her, becoming a mother? It was about as likely as it was for the Spirit and Human worlds to merge into a single one…

"Your marriage line… well, color me surprised," said Aunt Wu, smirking. Azula's thoughts about her potential children disappeared again, and her heart raced by knowing which line Aunt Wu was analyzing now. "It says one of your marriages will end in separation. Then again, Roshi doesn't love you, so…"

"What? One of my… marriages?" Azula said, her eyes wide.

"Ah, but the other marriage looks rather promising, yes," Aunt Wu replied, beaming. "See how short this first line was? Passionless, unfulfilling. The second, on the other hand, is very passionate and overflowing with joy."

"Heh. Good for me," Azula said, staring at her hand warily.

"Though it is quite contradictory, I'll say," said Aunt Wu. "Your successful marriage… it has many islands at its beginning and the middle. Many twists and turns in this love affair, it seems…"

"But… it's successful?" Azula asked, her eyes wide. "Y-you just said it was. That… that it would be joyful?"

"I suppose all the trouble will be worth it in the end," said Aunt Wu, beaming.

Azula snorted in disbelief, but also in slight amazement. Fortunetelling was still utter nonsense, for she had no intentions to marry twice… but that successful line had to mean Sokka. Well, that is, if fortunetelling had some basis after all. She doubted that it did, but in the odd case that it did…

"Your fate line only confirms what I already said, you will have a very wealthy and successful life," said Aunt Wu. "Your head line is long, so you are a very capable young woman, though you are prone to overthinking matters. But… it's also doubled! Why, that's rare. Your mental ability is strong. Your character is very decisive, although it also denotes flexibility…?"

"So, I have a good mind?" Azula asked, raising an eyebrow. Aunt Wu beamed.

"Seems like it. Your money line, as expected, only suggests you'll do well with your wealth in life. And as you have an M-shaped pattern on your hand, you certainly will have that much wealth before being forty years old."

"Why, yes, I suppose so," said Azula, with a weak grin. Again, Aunt Wu was only stating the obvious.

"Your health line is, uh, mostly good, but…" she said, frowning. Azula raised an eyebrow.

"But what?"

"Just… it hints at some troubles in your mind, I'm afraid," she said, biting her lip.

"Didn't you just say my mind was fine?" Azula asked, confused and skeptical again.

"Your mental capacity, yes. Your mental health, though, it… it may be a little fragile," she said, swallowing hard. Azula huffed.

"Well, that's very promising. Wealthy and mental, no less," Azula said. Aunt Wu smiled.

"Diseases can be treated, Jing, even those of the mind. They won't destroy your life if you don't allow them to," she said. "Now, your life line… why, it says you're strong, full of vitality! What good news, isn't it?"

"I guess it would be so, if only I didn't expect as much, but thanks," said Azula. Aunt Wu smiled.

"You should be grateful indeed. I see very few health hazards ahead. Though… there may be conflicts you'll face in life. I can't tell what kind of conflicts, but there's several of them. Still, since your line is so steady, I'm assuming it means you will be able to sort them out."

"Why, I hope so," said Azula, with a dry grin.

"And lastly, your Heart line…" said Aunt Wu. Again, Azula's heart sped up with this one. Why did she feel so reluctant to believe Aunt Wu in any regards, except for those related to love…? "Well… it seems to agree with the Marriage line. This gap means your first marriage is going to fail, but the second is likely to be successful, yes!"

"Uh-huh…" said Azula, grimacing.

"On top of that, you have small islands here, too," said Aunt Wu. "But… they mostly relate to the first marriage. After that, all seems smooth!"

"Wonderful news," said Azula. Aunt Wu chuckled.

"You are very devoted. You would sacrifice everything for genuine love, it seems!" she said. Azula couldn't hold back a blush. "Your lover is certainly a lucky one."

"I guess he must be," said Azula, sighing and shrugging.

"I… also can see something else," said Aunt Wu. "Not entirely related to your Marriage or Heart lines, but still related to them…"

"Something like what?" Azula asked. "Where do you see it?"

"Why, it's in your future," said Aunt Wu, smiling. "You will have a new line on your palm one day"

"A… new line?" Azula asked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You don't know? Here I thought, since Wentai is a Water Tribe man, you would have heard of it…" said Aunt Wu, surprised. "Have you never heard of the blood ritual of Water Tribes for weddings?"

"The what?" Azula asked, her eyes wide.

"It's not quite as bad as you may think," said Aunt Wu, smiling. "The bride and groom carve cuts on their palms, and they are joined in blood forevermore. Perhaps it sounds gruesome for one raised in Fire Nation customs, but it has been done in the Water Tribes for millennia."

"Heh. And then he says they're not savages," Azula said, grimacing. But the magnitude of Aunt Wu's prediction only hit her then. "Wait… you're saying I'll be part of a Water Tribe wedding ceremony, then? For… for good?"

"I would expect Wentai to be elated by the news," said Aunt Wu, chuckling. Azula smiled but the grin waned quickly.

"Well… neither him nor I believe in these matters fully, but even so, I'm…"

"You're married to Roshi right now, but your heart longs for Wentai," said Aunt Wu. Azula's blush came back at full force. "For clear reasons, a noble Fire Nation girl cannot expect to marry a Water Tribe man… so I'd assume it means you and Roshi will split and, who knows? Maybe one day reservations about such mixed marriages in nobility will disappear. At least, your hand's lines seem to suggest as much."

"It seems quite wishful, though," said Azula, raising her eyebrows in disbelief. "I will say, you know just how to tell someone all they want to hear, but I'm not entirely sure I can believe all of it yet. Or believe that you're indeed seeing my future…"

"Ah, well then, I suppose more techniques are in order!" said Aunt Wu, beaming. Azula snorted.

"Why are you so excited to try other things?" Azula asked.

"Oh, because there is nothing quite as entertaining as reading the future of a non-believer. I wonder if you'll resist to the very end!" Aunt Wu exclaimed, standing up and gathering tools she'd need for the rest of her predictions.

Despite she remained skeptical, Azula discovered she was enjoying herself: Aunt Wu had tried to predict her fortune by using the sticks Azula had mentioned earlier. The Princess had asked a question, shaken a bamboo container with the sticks, and Aunt Wu had interpreted the message. According to the message, Azula would see more warfare in her life. The answer wasn't shocking, but it was likely to be true. The reading of cards had followed, but the results had mostly made Azula laugh: many of them had directly contradicted the previous fortunes.

"Oh, well, card reading was never my strongest suit," Aunt Wu confessed, between laughs.

"What is, then?" Azula inquired.

"Cloud reading, mainly. But the better method I have for personal fortunetelling is the reading of the bones," said Aunt Wu. "If I may, I have never made a mistake with the reading of the bones. It's by far the most spiritually charged of all my practices."

"Huh. So, this one's serious?" Azula asked, smirking. Aunt Wu nodded and gestured at a vase between them. It was full of bones of different shapes and sizes.

"Pick a bone, and I will toss it into the fire. I will read the cracks after the fire has acted on it," she said. Azula shrugged and rummaged through the clean bones, picking out what looked like a small creature's femur.

"Where do you get these things?" she asked. Aunt Wu laughed as she took the bone and casted it into the fire.

"I don't think I should disclose that sort of information to a client," she said. Azula smirked over the elusive answer.

The process took a while, but not too long. Aunt Wu seemed ready to wait patiently for a while longer by the time the bone began to crack. Her eyes widened.

"Ah. That was quick," she said. "I think it should be best if I keep it in the fire for a little longer, though…"

Azula nodded, watching the burning bone with curiosity. Again it cracked, but roundly this time. Aunt Wu stared at it nervously, and she gasped when the next crack made it shatter in half.

"Maybe I… picked a very long one," said Azula, matter-of-factly. Aunt Wu swallowed hard.

"You were free to pick whichever one you pleased, but… this was very violent, very…" she said, biting her lip and staring at the bones in chagrin. "If they don't break again in five minutes, I shall give you your full reading as it is…"

The two of them remained silent for a while, and Aunt Wu was startled once more when one more small crack appeared on the bone, but there was nothing else after that. Azula stared at Aunt Wu in confusion as she withdrew the charred bone from the fire, her eyes wide as she inspected the cracks warily.

"Well… oh, dear," she said, gritting her teeth. Azula frowned.

"What?" Azula asked. "Am I going to die tomorrow or something?"

"N-no, you… you won't, it seems, but… oh, this is dark," said Aunt Wu, sighing and looking at her apologetically. "I'm afraid your life will be headed for worse struggles than most I've seen. You… you won't have an easy future, not at all. Things will be difficult for you."

"Things? Could you be any more ambiguous?" Azula asked, sarcastically. "What things? What are you talking about?"

"Oh, dear. I guess I should just say it," said Aunt Wu, closing her eyes. "The bones say… that you're fated to lose everything."

Azula's eyes widened. Aunt Wu swallowed hard again.

"You will be… you will be submerged, lost, in deep darkness," she said. "Only if you find a light within it, and hold onto it, will you have any hope of resurfacing. Your destiny can be great, it has the potential to… to change the world, even! But… but only if you can find your way through that darkness. Only if you can endure the losses that are fated to find you."

Azula's chest was filled with an unpleasant sense of coldness. She had been amused by most the predictions, especially those that stated what she already knew… but this one wasn't amusing in the slightest. What was worse, though, was that she could see Aunt Wu was not exaggerating what she'd read on the bones. She was being truthful…

Or at least, she believed she was telling the truth. If fortunetelling was merely a big hoax, there was no need to worry about any dark predictions. She didn't have to buy this, not at all. She had been more than reluctant to believe she'd have children, she was even more reluctant to believe she'd lose everything now. There was no reason why she would, was there?

But there were ways, countless ways, for that to happen. Her chest tightened as she thought of it: if she and Sokka were ever discovered, she would lose him and everything she had ever fought for. Were the bones telling her that their relationship was doomed? Was that it…?

The fear that filled her was so strong it nearly made her dizzy. No, the bones couldn't be right. They couldn't be right. They couldn't…

"But… ah, well, ultimately, destiny isn't set in stone," said Aunt Wu, apprehensive over the dark expression on Azula's face. She tried to smile warmly. "Not only is there hope that you may recover from whatever the bones predicted, but… but you don't even believe in fortunetelling, do you?"

The fact that the woman would now encourage Azula not to believe her prediction was only another sign of how disturbing the news were. She was trying to smile kindly at the Princess, but Azula could tell she was shaken up, too.

"Had you never… read any bones that said anything like that?" Azula asked.

"Well, all things considered, people like you are hard to come by. None of my readings for you have resembled any I have done for anyone else," she admitted.

"Heh, well… it's fortunate I don't believe in fortunetelling either way," said Azula, with a weak smile. "Bad omens aren't a concern as long as I keep my life together."

"That's right," said Aunt Wu.

"Not to mention, the readings all seem to contradict each other," said Azula, as they both stood up. "My life will be successful and yet I'll lose everything? The palmistry said I'd have three children, the cards said I'd have none… nothing makes sense."

"It may have been my mistake," Aunt Wu said. "I may need to reanalyze your results, but indeed, your destiny is not decided by what spirits may say through me. Of course not."

Azula nodded as they left the room side by side. Aunt Wu's guilt betrayed how distraught she really was by the prediction she had voiced: Azula didn't want to put much weight on the matter, but the fortuneteller's behavior proved somewhat disturbing.

Her heavy heart was appeased right away when she laid eyes upon Sokka again, though. He had been measuring his ear and comparing it with Rui Shi's, apparently. Meng was missing out on their show, though, busy working on dinner as she was.

"I think my ears are bigger," Sokka said, with a grimace.

"Then go marry the fortuneteller's assistant," Rui Shi replied.

"I'm not going to!"

Azula chuckled at their dialogue, and Sokka turned to look at her immediately. He smiled warmly.

"You were in there for a while. We even finished our bean curd puffs," he said, pointing at a bowl. "Meng brought them for us. Well, she only wanted Roshi to have them, but he agreed to share."

Azula raised an eyebrow upon noticing that the bowl wasn't empty, despite Sokka's words indicated otherwise.

"There's still some left, though. Doesn't look like you finished them," she said, confused.

"Well, we finished our shares of puffs. These are for you, of course," said Sokka, beaming and handing the bowl to her.

Azula's eyes widened, but she couldn't hold back a grateful smile. She dropped on her knees on one of the cushions and took the bowl into her hands.

"Well, this is mind-blowing," said Azula, staring at him with amazement. "To think you actually held back from eating them all…"

"What can I say? I'm that thoughtful," Sokka declared, proudly. Azula rolled her eyes and shoved him gently. Sokka only chuckled. "So? What's your verdict on the fortuneteller? Roshi says she's absolutely right about everything ever, and he believes her every word, but you…?"

Azula glanced at the fortuneteller, who had been on her way to the kitchen. Aunt Wu looked back at Azula and smiled before crossing another sliding door. Azula sighed.

"Well… I don't believe her predictions," she stated. Sokka smirked, Rui Shi scowled. "At least, they were too ambiguous and shaky to be believable. Some fortunes contradicted each other, even…"

"So, it's a hoax. I knew it," Sokka declared.

"But… I also don't think she's working for Jeong Jeong," Azula whispered. "She was beyond excited to prove her gift was real because she genuinely believes it is. I still think she's mostly perceptive, observant… but I don't think she has a very clear understanding of who we are, even if she knows I'm of noble birth."

"Heh. So, she really just had the guy at the door welcoming every single stranger that comes into town?" Sokka asked. Azula nodded.

"I suspect as much," she said. "There's no reason to believe otherwise."

"So, you don't think she's a real fortuneteller?" Rui Shi said, somewhat reproachfully. Azula smirked.

"My disbelief doesn't mean her predictions can't come true," she said. Rui Shi blinked blankly. "So, if she told you that you and Song will have ten babies…"

"S-she only mentioned twin girls…" said Rui Shi, blushing.

"Well, then, who knows? You just might have them after all," said Azula. "But it won't be merely because Aunt Wu claimed as much, of course…"

"She did warn me that… that I had to act if I meant to make that happen," said Rui Shi. "She knew about you two, knew that the woman I had feelings for wasn't you…"

"She did, yes. She predicted our marriage would fail," said Azula, smiling. Rui Shi snorted while Sokka smirked. "Hard for it to work when it's not even happening, isn't it?"

"Yes," said Rui Shi, raising his eyebrows with amusement.

"So, at any rate… she was right about a few things that were obvious for us," said Azula. "What she's said isn't conclusive enough to believe she really has some gift of foresight, nor is it suspicious enough to believe she's linked to Jeong Jeong."

"It's all good news, then," said Sokka, smiling as Azula started to eat the puffs. "So… we'll be staying the night? It's already dark out, so…"

"I believe so," said Azula, nodding. "We can take off tomorrow."

"I was hoping to ask some soldiers about the situation in Yu Dao first, though," said Rui Shi. "To make sure we won't step into an all-out battle or anything…"

"That's wise. You can do that by morning, then," said Azula, nodding. "The sooner we get to Yu Dao, the better. If the city is safe, then Colonel Shinu will get his wish and I'll be out of danger, as he intended."

Rui Shi nodded. The three of them remained where they were, chatting about their next movements, the fortunes they had received and teasing Sokka over his own fortune. He kept denying any interest in it, saying he didn't need Aunt Wu to read his palm, but with each new thing Rui Shi said about his apparent destiny, it became clearer that Sokka wanted a reading of his own, if just out of curiosity.

Meng came to fetch them for dinner, and all six occupants of the house ate together as dusk settled. Aunt Wu had been generous with the meal she offered, and Sokka devoured as much of it as he could, to Azula's disbelief and disapproval. But the unexpected happened just as she had started to scold him for his lack of manners.

"So… I'm eating like a pig?" he asked her, leaning slightly towards her. Azula narrowed her eyes.

"As usual, yes," she said. "Can't you try to behave yourself instead of…?"

"Well, now, you do remember… that we're all peasants here, don't you?" he said, a slow and malicious smirk spreading over his lips. Azula's eyes widened with fear. "That's right. This time you're the one who needs to lose her manners."

"No, I'm…! I can't do that," she said, glaring at him. Sokka chuckled.

"Food tastes better that way, though," he said, winking at her before digging into the next turkey-duck leg on his plate.

Azula grimaced as she watched him, taking note of his sloppiness and his lack of posture. He was hunched over the table, trying not to spill the food in the most graceless possible way… Was she really supposed to do that?

She turned to her own plate and smirked before giving it a try. She clasped her own turkey-duck leg and leaned forward, biting into it brusquely.

Sokka beamed next to her, watching her struggle while tearing the meat off the bone with her teeth. She looked as though she were in an all-out battle… and as Sokka knew very well, she rather enjoyed fights when she was the victor.

When she finally was finished ravaging the food, she glanced at Sokka, and he smiled proudly at her. She couldn't help but snort and laugh, her elbows on the table as she hunched over a little, much like Sokka's own position. Naturally, the gladiator was absolutely elated by what he had just witnessed.

The meal was pleasant all around, and Meng led them to their rooms once it was finished. By Aunt Wu's command, and to her utmost confusion, she'd had to set up three rooms instead of preparing one for the married couple and one for their servant… but this suggested that their marriage wasn't particularly smooth, encouraging Meng to hope that maybe the handsome dark-haired man would be her promised husband after all. So she had worked diligently, and she had waved somewhat flirtatiously at Rui Shi before taking off to her own room for the night.

"Get as much rest as you can," Rui Shi recommended, after ignoring Meng's attempt at romancing him. "We'll be taking off to Yu Dao as soon as we know the city's status."

"Understood," said Sokka, yawning and covering his mouth with a hand. "Sleep tight, Rui Shi…"

Rui Shi nodded at him and Azula before taking off to his room. He was gone through the sliding door soon enough, and Sokka smiled warmly at Azula once they were alone.

"You sleep tight too, alright?" he said, caressing her cheek gently and leaning close to kiss her forehead. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Yeah," said Azula, smiling back at him.

With one more charming grin, he was gone behind his own sliding door, and Azula was left to do the same with hers. She found another futon here, although a much thicker and comfortable one than that of the Herbalist Institute.

She changed into a set of sleeping clothes Meng had left for her, and she sighed in joyful relief upon feeling the soft silk on her skin. She missed these sorts of clothes more than she had realized. That small dress had grown tiresome rather quickly.

She slid into bed comfortably, closing her eyes and waiting to fall asleep, but her mind was restless. Being alone with her thoughts wasn't a good thing, not when she had so much on her mind…

She didn't believe in fortunetelling, of course she didn't, but if Aunt Wu was right about anything in Azula's future, she had a lot to worry about. According to the Fortuneteller, she would marry someone before Sokka, and the knowledge left a sour taste in her mouth. Would Sokka lose against someone's gladiator? She didn't want to believe that could happen. Would her father force her to take a husband, making her relinquish the test she had appointed for her suitors? Why would she ever take a husband that wasn't Sokka…?

She certainly hoped the children wouldn't be of that first husband, though. Aunt Wu had not given any real information about them, but what if they were? What if they weren't Sokka's? The unpleasant sensation inside her grew stronger. She grimaced and turned on her side, berating herself for not falling asleep, but it was hard to get any rest with those concerns in mind. She would marry Sokka, though… she would. Aunt Wu said something about some Water Tribe tradition… she should ask him about it. If it really involved bleeding on each other she should likely brace herself for it.

She smiled at the thought, wondering if they really could get married. What if the children prediction was nonsense, anyways? Another prediction had contradicted it later. Maybe there would be no children at all, and she would just be happy with Sokka…

You will lose everything.

Her eyes flew open again. The coldness spread across her body once more, and she swallowed hard as she clutched her robe over her chest. She shuddered and shook her head. No, fortunetelling was nonsense. There was no way that would happen. There was no way that would happen. No way…

Aunt Wu had taken that prediction far more seriously than the rest, though. She had been genuinely scared of what it meant. Even if Azula didn't believe in fortunetelling, it was hard to take things lightly when Aunt Wu had been so reluctant to share what she had seen.

She sat up and huffed: she was losing her mind. Maybe this was the damn mental health problem she had: she truly couldn't stop overthinking. Even when she knew she was being ridiculous, that she was making a big deal out of nonsense, she couldn't stop. But there was a way to stop it, she knew. There was one fail-proof method that always put her restless mind at ease. He had brought her peace countless times before, she was sure he could do it again.

The house was completely silent when she pushed the sliding door open slowly. It didn't make a sound, and neither did she as she walked to Sokka's room. She bit her lip, feeling foolish… but he wouldn't judge her for this, of course not. Though maybe she needed some judgment after all. If he told her how ridiculous she was being, she might snap out of her foolishness.

She pushed the door open and snuck inside. She laid eyes on him after closing it perfectly again, and smiled fondly as she saw him lying clumsily across his futon, his mouth open, his hair falling gracefully over his face.

She already felt better once she knelt beside him. She reached to caress his cheek gently, and that was enough to alert him, or to make him a bumbling mess, at least.

"Ugh, five more minutes…" he muttered. She smiled.

"You can have more than five. It's not time to get up yet," she replied. Sokka raised his eyebrows absent-mindedly as he forced himself to open his eyes.

"A-Azula…?" he said, looking at her in surprise. She sighed.

"Indeed," she replied, still stroking his cheek gently.

"You okay?" he asked, pushing himself up a little by resting on his forearm. As the covers rolled off him Azula noticed he was shirtless, just the way he liked to sleep. The sight of his bare chest was also rather uplifting, in its own way… "Something the matter?"

"No, I just…" she started lying, but she couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. She needed him to snap her out of her foolishness, after all. "Alright, yes, something's wrong. I'm… I'm being stupid."

"That's impossible," said Sokka, looking at her in disbelief through squinted eyes. "If you're stupid, what does that make the rest of us?"

"Stupider?" she asked, proudly. Sokka smiled. "I'm serious, though, I'm being a fool. I just… couldn't sleep."

"How so?" Sokka asked. "Too excited about going back to Yu Dao tomorrow?"

"No, it's not that," she said. "It's about… about the predictions, damn it. The things Aunt Wu said…"

Sokka frowned. She blinked in surprise, noticing he was taking her far more seriously than she had imagined he would.

"What predictions?" he asked. "Was it something bad?"

"A few bad things, actually," said Azula, gritting her teeth. "But the one that bothers me is… the last one she gave me. She casted a bone into the fire, one I chose, and… and she said that I was going to lose myself in darkness. That only if I found a light within that darkness would I resurface, and… and she said I'd lose everything."

Sokka's frown only grew heavier. It looked as though he was considering storming up to Aunt Wu's room right now to give her a piece of his mind.

"But that's ridiculous, isn't it? I mean… fortunetelling is ridiculous," Azula said, swallowing hard. "Right?"

"Right," said Sokka, nodding. "That's not possible, Azula. None of it."

"Yeah, I… I told myself the same thing. It's impossible," she said, with a weak grin.

"Damn right it is," said Sokka, pushing himself up to a sitting position. "Losing everything, really? You can't possibly lose everything…"

"I thought so too," said Azula, nodding. "I mean, maybe it wasn't meant to be a literal loss, but…"

"Either way, there's a lot you won't lose. You've achieved great things and none of those things will go away no matter what you do now," said Sokka, stubbornly. "Your father has made you his official heir, how could you possibly lose that prestige?"

"I… I don't know," said Azula.

"You are going to be the greatest Fire Lord that's ever lived," said Sokka, proudly. "And she can wave burning bones around all she wants: your destiny isn't written in them. You're the one who's going to build her destiny, and you'll make it into whatever you want it to be because you're amazing, Azula. You have so much potential, you're going to change the world…! And you will make great things happen, I know you will. So… forget that nonsense prediction. You're not losing anything unless you believe you will."

"Well… I hope so, yeah," said Azula, nodding. "I have no reason to believe in it for starters, do I?"

"Of course not," said Sokka, smiling. "Fortunetelling is nonsense. And, you know? Even if it wasn't always nonsense, that prediction's just impossible."

"Oh? How come?" Azula asked. He reached to clasp her hand in his.

"Why… because no matter what happens to us, I'll never stop loving you," he said. "That's something you cannot possibly lose, regardless of whatever the future holds for us. So, see? If you'll always have my love, you can't lose everything! You'd still have one thing, and that thing alone would make the prediction impossible! Which is why I doubt you'll lose anything at all, heh. How about it?"

He smiled brightly at her. Azula stared at him in amazement, her own lips curving slowly as her eyes softened. Yes, there it was. Exactly what she had needed to hear from him.

"I… I think I like the sound of that, yes," she said, feeling tears of joy burning in the corners of her eyes.

Sokka chuckled and pulled her close to embrace her. Azula sighed in bliss, hugging him back tightly. So tightly he even laughed and compelled her to ease up her grip a little.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I just…" she said, laughing and pressing her forehead to his. "Thank you, Sokka."

"Eh? Nothing to thank me for," he said, beaming. "It's my pleasure loving you, after all."

"Spirits, you're crazy," she said, chuckling and leaning in to kiss him once, twice, thrice. Sokka responded each time with tenderness, holding her closely.

His embrace was firm and strong, filling her with the sense of stability she had missed direly. The kisses he gave her were warm, loving, and they reassured her of his words: she couldn't possibly lose everything, not while she had him. She believed him, and she knew he wouldn't leave her: he didn't want to. He loved her so much he would stay with her even after their original deal had been completed…

Her hands raked his skin, and his sought to do the same to her too in no time. Her silk robe and sash were gone quickly, as were his sleeping bottoms. There was a non-stop exchange of kisses, even as she straddled him and guided his erect shaft inside her. Their movements were slow, scarcely focused on their release as they sought something deeper, something permanent, something that would endure long after the orgasm had subsided.

By the time they were lying beside each other, chests heaving and beads of sweat pearling their skin, they couldn't stop smiling at each other. Azula's eyes closed placidly, and in his arms, no nightmares plagued her anymore.

---

The two men had led her into the thick of the forest, through places of difficult access for her shirshu. The chase was long and slow, and for no fault of Nyla's: June was forced to hold back her partner whenever they caught up with the two fugitives, and she only managed to keep Nyla distracted by offering her slabs of meat. She would wait half an hour after that, and she would show Nyla the cloth again to continue chasing the men at a safe distance.

She had crossed these forests and their uneven terrains before, but it was complicated all the same. The deeper they went, the thicker the vegetation got. It was apparent that these areas didn't see humans crossing them often.

But eventually they came across more humans, and June was forced to offer Nyla another slab of meat to distract her as they neared the massive encampment the two fugitives had entered.

June had never seen a fully organized army before, but as she lurked behind the hills that surrounded the campsite, she couldn't help but feel she was in front of one now. There were hundreds of people, if not thousands, in a massive enclosure within the very forest. On the far end there was a river, June could see it from her hill, and between the river and her hill stood countless tents. Men and women wandered the area, some of them wearing what seemed to be tribal clothes, but most of them were in black rags, much like the two she had been chasing down. Blood chilled in her body as she realized this operation would be far more delicate than she had originally envisioned. If this was where Jeong Jeong was, taking him out would be the most complicated feat she had ever accomplished.

She offered Nyla another sniff of the cloth, and the shirshu guided her to the east of the encampment. June had climbed off her saddle, a sign Nyla knew meant that her partner wanted them to be stealthy. So, she controlled her instincts to a fault, guiding June towards the place their two escapees had taken off to.

June smiled: they were in luck. It seemed their destination was a hut, set up far from the tents. It wasn't a sturdy hut, and she figured it hadn't been built long ago. Jeong Jeong was likely somewhere nearby, probably inside it…

She brought a finger to her lips, gesturing at Nyla to be quiet. She crept closer to the hut, and she overhead voices within it.

"… S-said she'd torture us for information. We left as soon as we had a chance!" sounded one nervous voice. No doubt, one of the runaways.

"She's crazy! She's as bad as her father, as her grandfather, as…!" the other one was saying, but a deep, authoritarian voice interrupted them.

"Enough, you two. That's not important."

June guessed right away it would be Jeong Jeong: not only did his voice betray he was used to being in command, but he was obeyed promptly by the anxious pair.

"You believe they are coming after you? Are you certain?" the same stern voice asked.

"T-they must be. They wanted to question us when they caught us, but… we don't know for sure," said the first anxious man.

"Where did you last see them?" a new male voice spoke.

"We left them behind at some tavern, earlier today. The one down the road? In the middle of nowhere?" said the second voice.

"Send a group to scout the terrains from there. We mustn't lose them," said Jeong Jeong.

"Yes, sir," said the newest male voice. The flap of a curtain revealed that he had taken off to do his duty.

"As for you two… are you certain it was them? Did she firebend?"

"Well, not when we were fighting, but she did lightningbend at us. She almost killed him," said the second voice.

"Hm. Indeed, it can only be the Princess…"

"The Water Tribe one had a black sword, sir. I think… I think there's no way around it. They really were trying to give us the slip, somehow."

"And they're about to get away with it, from the looks of it. Unless they're stupid, all those threats about torture must have been empty. They wouldn't risk following you into our encampment unless they truly were fools."

June raised a careful eyebrow, guessing she was being insulted indirectly. She shook her head, though. It meant she had the element of surprise on her side, at the very least. Jeong Jeong wasn't expecting any trouble in his campsite.

"What did you gather about the slave?" Jeong Jeong asked.

"Well… not a lot. He seemed to want to stand up to the Princess when she talked about torturing us, but… he didn't do much."

"Naturally," said Jeong Jeong, with a huff of displeasure. "Just as I anticipated… though I will need to see him for myself to know if he's that useless after all. Let's hope the Princess really is as foolish as her forefathers, and that she may bring our objective to us without further trouble…"

June's brow was furrowed now with confusion and concern. This… this didn't sound good. Not one bit.

Jeong Jeong was after Azula, that was what the Princess had said. His goal was to capture her, so what did he want from Sokka? What could he possibly…?

Reality hit June like a log snapping in two over her head.

They had it all wrong.

But before she could reconsider her course of action, before she could so much as glance at Nyla, the true catastrophe began.

The shirshu suddenly snorted, snarling as it always did. June stiffened and turned to look at the beast.

"Nyla? Nyla, what's…?" she whispered softly, inching closer.

The beast roared. June's heart sank.

She knew the reasons why Nyla would roar: she did it sometimes when she found their target, or whenever she bested someone in battle, be it another creature or humans. She also did it as bravado, quite often… or she did it when she caught the scent of blood. But the shirshu was fighting no battles, June hadn't offered her the scent of the two they had been chasing anymore, so she couldn't be celebrating over finding them… and that only left one option, and it was the worst option of all.

The shirshu had smelled the scent that could override all of her senses: blood.

"No, no, Nyla, come here!" June jumped towards her, but the beast dashed inside the encampment before June could even pull out her whip.

Her eyes widened in horror as her companion raced through the tents, tearing some of them down, mauling some of the people as she went. There was a boat arriving on the riverbank, and as June raced up the hill to get a better view of Nyla, she caught sight of it: injured, bleeding men on the boat. Nyla had caught their scent, and she was out of control because of it. Her instincts had taken over, and she wanted nothing but to murder whatever wasn't dead yet…

Jeong Jeong's renegades were shocked to see that sort of beast tearing through their encampment, and most of them pulled out weapons to attack the shirshu. June snarled and lashed forth, guessing she had no way to get through this but to fight to her best and hope Nyla would snap out of her madness soon. Until the shirshu stopped seeing red figuratively, though, there was nothing she could do but try to defend her from their enemies…

But she didn't expect those enemies to be as quick to find a way to bind down Nyla. They had a net at the ready, somehow, and all of them had worked together with what looked like leather ropes that held down Nyla before she could hurt anyone else permanently…

The damage had been done, though. June was in the middle of an enemy encampment, surrounded by hostiles all around, and her only way out was with Nyla. With her whip and her physical strength, she had overpowered several enemies before Nyla was held down, but by now everyone's attention was on her… including that of the most dangerous of all the outlaws.

"Is this the bounty hunter you mentioned?" a man with shaggy white hair and a thin moustache asked the two men who had escaped from her hold.

June glared at them as they nodded. She cracked her whip.

"So… you're Jeong Jeong? Thought you'd look scarier, grandpa," she said, smirking a little even if she had the bad suspicion that this was not going to end well for her.

Jeong Jeong's glare was glacial: he did not need to respond to June's taunts with anything but his power. He lifted a hand, coated with burning fire, and June lashed out with her whip, ready to fight to the bitter end…

A/N:

I suppose it's a dark note in which to conclude this chapter, but I've been known to cliffhang before...

Anyways, it's Gladiator's Anniversary again. Thanks to every last one of you for reading as far as you have, and I hope you'll continue to enjoy the story in the future :) I know I will. Thanks again!