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...

138. Chapter 138: The Slate, one more time 3

Azula hadn't visited Zhao's estate in well over a decade. It stood in a small, enclosed terrain outside the Capital: the building and its walls followed with the traditional Fire Nation architecture of white walls with red brick rooftiles. The trip would take hours on a carriage, but the Fire Nation Princess could arrive there in a mere half-hour thanks to her trusted animal companion.

Xin Long was wary of bringing Azula to Zhao's lair by herself, fully aware of Azula's reservations towards the man. He knew his rider was skilled at putting on a façade when she needed to do so, but he wondered if she would be able to control her disdain for the man properly today, when she needed to do so most direly. Azula rolled her eyes and patted his neck gently.

"I'll be fine, I'm only here for business," she said, stubbornly. "And I think Zhao and I can see eye to eye when it comes to business. So… run along, and don't cause trouble. If there's someone I don't want you to bother, it's Admiral Zhao."

Xin Long groaned, prodding her with his shoulder gently after she had climbed off his saddle. Azula scowled at him.

"What do you mean, why?" she grunted. "I've been at odds with him for long enough as it is, I don't need you to make things worse than they already are."

Xin Long whimpered sadly and hung his head: Azula sighed and shook her own before lifting her hand to caress his horns.

"I'm sorry I'm being so snappy… maybe I'm a little nervous, too," Azula admitted.

Toph's entire future seemed to hinge on Azula's success with Zhao today. If she failed… the consequences would be chaotic, to say the least. Her personal issues with the man had to be set aside, for her friend's sake.

She breathed deeply before approaching the door to the estate. She rang a bell that hung by the door and waited patiently, knowing her impromptu visit would throw Zhao for a loop. It would take some time for him or his servants to open the door.

She was inevitably reminded of a similar situation as she stood by the door in wait. Her lips curled as she fondly remembered the first time she had taken Sokka to Piandao's mansion. She had been so outraged by his foolish knocking, he had defended his choice stubbornly and after all these years, she could only think back on that moment with a smile on her face.

In time, the door opened. The face behind it was unknown for Azula, and what the teenage girl wore could pass as simple clothes for the untrained eye, but the Princess noticed the high quality of the clothing's fabric. She raised an eyebrow as the girl fell into a deep bow before her.

"P-Princess Azula! Admiral Zhao didn't mention you would visit…!" the servant exclaimed. Azula smiled.

"It's because I didn't inform him of my visit beforehand," Azula admitted. "I'm sorry to barge in unannounced, but a certain problem has arisen, and I needed the Admiral's help. Can you please let him know as much?"

"I… of course," said the girl, nodding even as she remained with her back bent forward.

She took to walking backwards in that awkward position, and Azula grimaced before sighing.

"Rise," she said, curtly. The blushing servant stood straight again.

"T-thank you!" she said, gesturing for Azula to enter the estate's premises. "Please follow me. I will fetch Admiral Zhao once you're comfortable in the sitting room…"

"I think I can find my way by myself, you can focus on finding Zhao," Azula said, glancing forward. There was someone at the building's entrance, watching them as they approached the building.

"But Princess, you shouldn't…"

Azula's eyes narrowed as she identified the man at the entrance. Goodness, she had completely forgotten he was a factor at all…

"No need to worry, Rei, I can take the Princess to a sitting room myself," Hahn declared, stepping towards them with a proud smirk. Rei tensed up next to Azula.

"Y-you… you would, master Hahn?" she asked, but Azula could tell she was uttering that title begrudgingly. She didn't want to imagine why the servant would feel so hostile towards Zhao's guest…

"Of course, I've been living here for over a month now, I can guide her anywhere," said Hahn, beaming. "Well, Princess, this is quite a surprise. I hadn't expected us to meet again so soon."

"Neither had I, but something important brought me here," Azula admitted. Rei glanced at her apprehensively. "Go fetch the Admiral, as you intended. I'd rather not dawdle needlessly here."

"Yes, Princess," said Rei, bowing her head and bolting off into the house immediately.

Once Rei was gone, Hahn smiled at Azula in an unpleasant way. She responded with a sarcastic grin of her own.

"It seems life is treating you well here, Hahn," she said, as they started to walk inside the large house. "You're even 'master Hahn' for some, aren't you?"

"Oh, yes, the Admiral has been more generous than I expected. He will still mock me, of course, and tease me relentlessly," Hahn said, shaking his head. "But I'm sure he has finally understood that I can offer him things he cannot possibly dream of achieving without me…"

"Do you underestimate his imagination so much?" Azula asked, smirking. "As far as I've heard, the Admiral has dreamt up quite some remarkable fantasies in the past…"

"What sort of fantasies?" Hahn asked, smirking. Azula had no doubts Hahn was hoping to find information on Zhao that he could use against the Admiral later.

"Fantasies such as a magical library hidden in a desert," Azula said, nonchalantly. "Or even of spirits in our world that have powers to annul someone's bending altogether…"

Hahn's eyes twitched at the last sentence. Azula raised her eyebrows, as innocently as possible.

"Is something the matter?"

"That… is that something the Admiral spoke of?" he asked. Azula shrugged.

"Perhaps. I heard this from someone else, not from him, so I cannot assure you he spoke of it," she said, nonchalantly. "But it's just a foolish tale, I'm sure. A story to scare children at night, perhaps, or a legend he uncovered that has no bearing in reality. Spirits, living among us? It's the most foolish of notions…"

"Do you not believe in spirits?" Hahn asked, looking at her with a mix of uncertainty and curiosity. Azula snorted.

"Am I supposed to?" she asked. "Non-corporeal entities with powers beyond human understanding? I've never seen one, I've never had any experiences with them either. As far as I know, spirits were mere fabrications of the human mind to explain the world for themselves back when they lacked the knowledge and science to understand them."

"Ah, well… that may be so, in some cases," said Hahn, smiling a little as they entered the sitting room. "But how would you explain certain extraordinary phenomena that have been recorded across history with knowledge and science? For instance, there is a spirit, by the name of Koh, the Face-Stealer…"

"How spooky," Azula said, mockingly. Hahn chuckled as the Princess picked a chair by the window. Hahn didn't sit down.

"He stole faces from many people," Hahn said, smirking. "Even Avatar Kuruk's wife fell prey to such an evil spirit…"

"Truly?" Azula asked, skeptical. Hahn shrugged.

"No doubt you put no faith in these stories, but I suppose it's easy to forsake spirits when you live in a place as rich as the Fire Nation," said, Hahn, sighing and pacing in the room. "Everything is ripe, there are all sorts of luxuries, the women are remarkably beautiful…"

"What would any of that have to do with forsaking spirits?" Azula asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, merely that if I had everything I ever wanted, I as well would forget to fear them, or to worry for them," said Hahn, shrugging.

"Truth be told, of all legends I've read, the one that seems to disprove the existence of spirits is the one that promotes spirituality the most," said Azula, with a small smile. "The Avatar, the incarnation of the spirit of our world, was supposed to bring balance when harmony was in jeopardy. It's been a hundred years, and no spirit of the world, no Avatar, have come to help us. Why do you believe that is?"

"Because the cycle is broken," said Hahn, shrugging. Azula smirked.

"The cycle is broken," she repeated. "But why would the Avatar cycle break, when the seasons' cycle did not? Why do spirits exist, yet don't interact with our world? How do we know spirits are real, and not mere folktales?"

"Well, I wouldn't say this, under normal circumstances…" Hahn started, with a small smile. "But the truth is, I've seen spirits myself."

"Oh? Is that so?" Azula asked, raising her eyebrows. Hahn grimaced.

"Now, please, don't start mocking me until I've finished…"

"Ah, do go on, this is quite fascinating," Azula said, with a growing smirk. Hahn sighed.

"I know it will sound ridiculous to you, but there are spirits in the North. They swim together, in the pond of an oasis…"

"And you've been to this oasis?" Azula asked. "What exactly counts as an oasis in the North Pole, anyways?"

"It's the only strip of ripe land we do have," Hahn said, and Azula sensed a hint of bitterness in his voice. "It's spiritually charged, perhaps the most spiritual of all places in the world."

"And you claim you've been there," Azula repeated, closing her eyes briefly. Hahn smiled.

"I have," he confirmed.

"Very well, what sort of remarkable spiritual miracles did you witness?" she asked, folding her arms over her chest. Hahn chuckled.

"None, not myself, anyways. But I assure you, being in that oasis is like nothing you've ever experienced," he said. "The energies in that place…"

"I suppose I ought to introduce you to my friend, Ty Lee," said Azula, with a small grin. "She happens to be quite a fan of energies, auras and karma…"

"Well, I'm… I'm not exactly a fan of all this, no," said Hahn, smiling apprehensively.

"You believe in it all quite faithfully, though. Whether you were raised into believing in all this drivel or whether you chose to believe it freely… it sounds like you're trying your best to convince me that your northern spirits are real, somehow," Azula said, raising her eyebrows. Hahn bit his lip and smiled, shaking his head. "Well? Why so insistent about it, Hahn?"

"It's merely…" he said, pressing his lips tightly together. "I should, perhaps, explain, but… I'm not sure if I should. As you're a non-believer, you might think my reasons are nonsense, and yet…"

"And yet you're sure that isn't the case. Those spirits are real enough for you, it seems," said Azula, sighing. "Well, I suppose you enjoy being enigmatic, or perhaps you're worried you might get mocked again. If you don't wish to speak any further, I won't force you. It ought to give you some time to, I don't know, elaborate more on your story."

"There's nothing to elaborate on," said Hahn, with a small smirk. "I've seen the spirits myself, alright? I've just… not seen them in action, is all. But they swim in the pond together…"

"Sure…" said Azula, looking at him carefully. "What evidence have you brought of the existence of these spirits, then? Or of the oasis, for that matter?"

"Well, I… I couldn't bring any. If I'd stolen anything from the oasis, they would have killed me," said Hahn. Azula raised her eyebrows.

"Well, you abandoned and betrayed them. If that wasn't bad enough on its own, you could have, perhaps, snuck a spirit or two in your pack."

Hahn laughed but shook his head. Azula bit her lower lip and gazed at the door.

Zhao stood there: she had sensed him approach from earlier, his wild inner fire easy to sense through resonance. He had allowed the conversation to flow, knowing Azula was testing the northerner, as her father had asked her to. So far, Hahn hadn't given away any new information, but perhaps this was a good start. On another opportunity, perhaps, Azula might get him to talk… but she would give it more time. Succeeding at this endeavor wasn't likely to be as easy as that.

"Ah, Admiral," she said, smiling with a hint of malice. "I do hope you weren't too busy. I rather needed to speak with you today."

"Why, anything related to you or Ozai supersedes any of my personal business," said Zhao, smiling back at her.

"Well, Hahn, I appreciate your company so far. It was an interesting conversation, regardless of how spiritually inclined you seem to be," she said. Hahn cleared his throat.

"In all fairness, I'm no monk," he said. "I've always been a warrior, it's only…"

"The Water Tribe has always been heavily influenced by spirit lore," said Zhao, stepping inside the room with his usual strong stride. "You can't blame him for his misguided beliefs, Princess"

"Ah, I did not fault him for it, of course not," said Azula, with a condescending smile. "No one chooses where they were born or how they were raised. Still, I find it curious that he would believe in spirits as faithfully as he does. My gladiator was raised in a Water Tribe just the same, and to my utmost surprise, he's even more skeptical of spirits than I am."

"The southerner? Please," said Hahn, with a bark of disbelief. "Their culture was never quite as developed as our own. I have no doubt that well-educated people like yourselves would understand the wide gap between the civilized and the savages…"

"Oh, we certainly do," said Zhao, smirking in an unpleasant way.

Hahn's heart sank upon noticing Zhao's smile. His words, as usual, had been turned against him.

"Do run along now, Hahn," said Zhao. "I have a private discussion to hold with Princess Azula, if you don't mind."

"I…" said Hahn, gritting his teeth but lowering his head in defeat. "Well, very well. If you need anything of me, I'll be right outside."

"Of course," said Azula, softly.

Hahn walked slowly, almost begrudgingly. He left the door open behind him, and Zhao was forced to close it himself. He returned to Azula and rubbed the bridge of his nose in displeasure.

"If that's what a civilized Water Tribe man is supposed to be, can I perhaps trade him for your savage for a week or two?" Zhao asked. "I suspect he doesn't harass the help as Hahn has…"

"Your servant girl, Rei, seemed bothered just by being near him," Azula said, as Zhao sat on a nearby chair.

"She sees through his charms fairly easily," said Zhao. "And wants nothing to do with him, of course, he's about a decade older than her after all. But he's got it in his head that she's only rejecting him for sport…"

"Here I thought he was being too decent just now," said Azula, sighing. "Then again, I was leading the conversation…"

"And he knows better than to harass a Princess," said Zhao. "He was married to one, remember? He knows wooing a royal isn't the same as flirting with a maid."

"So, I suppose he is trying to woo me, then?" Azula said, curtly, merely to probe Zhao for a response. He sighed in defeat.

"I'm afraid so, Princess," he admitted. "It disgusts me that he would even think to do so, don't doubt it… but he seems to want access to power. He's far more ambitious than most Water Tribesmen I've crossed paths with. I can only assume that he left his people because he believes the Fire Nation will suit his personal interests better."

"Must be," Azula conceded. "But if he truly hopes to find his way into our Royal Family…"

"He's delusional, yes," said Zhao, crossing his arms over his chest. "Even overlooking the lowliness of his heritage, the fool abandoned his family without a second thought just for his own purposes. He even had children, you know?"

"Children?" Azula asked, surprised. "Huh. Perhaps fatherhood suited him poorly."

"It certainly did, if he would abandon them so readily," said Zhao.

"It's a shame for the children, but perhaps they'll grow better without such a father," said Azula, shrugging. "They're still royals, after all. And besides, I grew up without a mother for the most part, so…"

"Ah, you did indeed," said Zhao. "And no one could ever doubt that you're one of the most remarkable members of the Royal Family over at least ten dynasties. Though… of course, I can't say those northern princes or princesses will grow up the way you did. If we were to defeat their tribe, they might grow up in captivity instead of luxury…"

"True enough," said Azula, nodding, holding back her begrudging opinions on the subject of the war in the north: she wasn't here today to antagonize Zhao.

"Still…" said Zhao, raising his eyebrows, seemingly detecting Azula's reticence. "I highly doubt you came here to talk about Hahn and his questionable life decisions, or did you?"

Azula smiled and shook her head. Zhao raised his eyebrows.

"Then… I suppose I'll get us some tea," he said, standing up. He frowned, though, looking at her with uncertainty. "Or juice? I do seem to remember you've never been fond of tea."

"I'm not fond of it, but I can still drink it, yes," said Azula. "Don't go too far out of your way for me, though, I won't be staying too long."

"Then I'd better be quick about it," said Zhao, with a small smile.

He was gone for around five minutes and returned with Rei. She was carrying the beverages on an elegant tray, and she offered Azula a steaming cup of tea before Zhao took his own.

"Will that be all?" Rei asked. Zhao nodded.

"You may retire," he said. Rei bowed her head and took off. He sighed as he watched her go. "May she find a nice place to avoid Hahn."

"Indeed," said Azula, sipping the hot tea carefully as Zhao took his seat again.

"Very well, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" he asked. Azula swallowed the mouthful of tea, weighing Zhao with an inscrutable gaze.

"I'm facing a predicament I didn't think I would, and it certainly will sound like it's none of my business once I explain it to you," she said. "But as it turns out, it affects someone I've come to appreciate, and I certainly want to help her in whatever way I can."

"Ah, that's fortunate for your friend, then," said Zhao, smiling. "When a royal says they will do anything to help, you can be sure your problems will be resolved for sure."

"Well, that would be the case, as long as you agree to help me," said Azula. Zhao raised an eyebrow.

"Help you how?" he asked. Azula breathed deeply.

"I suspect I need to explain everything from the beginning," she said. "I suppose you remember the fight you watched between the Blind Bandit and my gladiator?"

"Ah, yes. General Iroh's blind earthbender," said Zhao, nodding.

"While they made quite the remarkable team, it seems my uncle no longer cares to sponsor her, not at this point." Azula explained. Zhao frowned.

"Truly?" he asked. "Well… that's quite disheartening. She showed promise."

"She did," Azula said. "And although she ought to be nothing but an enemy for me to crush, over time she has become a friend to me. And as much as it should be convenient for me that she drops out of the ranking after three months without being able to fight…"

"What? The General hasn't resigned as her sponsor, then?" Zhao asked. Azula shook her head.

"I stopped by the Dome to confirm whether he had or hadn't. Shoji was quite alarmed when I asked if my uncle had resigned recently: he has heard nothing about it, and he hasn't received warnings or letters regarding the Blind Bandit or her sponsor."

"Then he'll leave her hanging?" Zhao asked, folding his arms over his chest. "Force her to drop out, so she has to spend a year and three months waiting impatiently before she can return to the League?"

"It's what I fear," Azula admitted.

"It might be that he hasn't had the opportunity to resign yet," said Zhao. Azula shook her head. "Why are you so sure it's not the case?"

"Because they've been having trouble for a long time, and my uncle may just have chosen to punish Toph for her mistakes this way," said Azula. "He's being selfish and even whimsical, but it's not so difficult to read him. Not really."

"Well… if you're right, that's quite a shame for her," said Zhao. "She was one of the best gladiators I've seen. Hopefully her next sponsor won't be a pacifist: General Iroh truly had no business sponsoring someone so ruthless."

"I agree," Azula said. "But alas, I won't count her out yet. As it happens, I had only just handed over the right to challenge in the Slate to my uncle and his gladiator. She's supposed to fight in the Slate within two months…"

"You're joking," said Zhao, his eyes wide. "Princess, that's a death sentence, especially for the likes of her."

"I know. I was being just as whimsical and cruel as my uncle when I did what I did. As much as I usually hate to admit I have any regrets, this time I actually do," Azula acknowledged. "I will take responsibility for what I've done by helping her prepare for this fight to the best of my ability. I've even arranged things so she can have a supply of earth and a set of weapons in the Slate, but after all my efforts, it turns out Iroh has just given up on her."

"Maybe he's protecting her, in some roundabout way," said Zhao, shrugging. "If he doesn't sponsor her and forces her to forfeit this match, she will be sure to survive."

"Ah, and it has nothing to do with my uncle's habit of giving up on things when they're too difficult for him to handle deftly, right?" Azula asked raising her eyebrows. Zhao chuckled.

"Well, it may be a mix of everything. Are you sure he's not trying to help her in a veiled way?"

"Iroh has known Toph for years now," said Azula. "He knows how much she loves boasting about her perfect record, and he knows she loves to fight. If he wanted to protect her, he could have done it by challenging some nobody, a low-ranked fighter, just as I did for my gladiator's last Slate fight. Instead, Iroh chose a firebender somewhere in the top of the ranking. If he's being protective, why didn't he lower the stakes? Why did he choose to worsen Toph's odds with that sort of challenge?"

"True enough," said Zhao, sighing. "Maybe he's finally going senile."

"Finally? Maybe?" Azula repeated, skeptically. Zhao chuckled. "I've said he's senile for years now, my father keeps saying it, too. If anything, he's finally going public about it."

"Must be," said Zhao, with a chuckle. "At any rate, what is it you want from me, Princess? What do I have to do with this sad tale of a gladiator's promising career being cut short? If you want influence with the League, I'm sure you have plenty of it on your own…"

"I don't need you to influence the heads of the business, if that's what you thought," said Azula. "But I do need you to manipulate someone. My uncle, to be precise."

"Manipulate him? Into doing what?"

"Into giving you the right to sponsor the Blind Bandit, temporarily."

Zhao frowned and looked at Azula with uncertainty. She didn't waver.

"Why?" he asked. "Why… why would you come to me? You could do that yourself…"

"He would never allow me to sponsor Toph," Azula said, simply.

"And you think he would allow me to do it?" Zhao asked, skeptical. "After that infamous fight I had with your brother, your uncle had the gall to say I was less honorable than even Zuko in exile. Do you think he has any respect for me, or any interest in giving me the privilege of sponsoring his fighter?"

"You're not seeing the full picture, Admiral," said Azula, taking another sip of her tea. Zhao raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "My uncle didn't join the League for the fun of it. He didn't even join it for Toph's sake: he first saw her when she gave my gladiator the beating of a lifetime back when they first fought each other. Her sponsor at the time encouraged her to kill my gladiator, as he thought that was the only way to win since he suspected I was being favored by the judges. Toph refused to do it, saying Sokka wasn't worth killing… in the end, her sponsor was so furious that he resigned from his position and forsook her."

"Seems she's had quite a share of bad sponsoring in her past," said Zhao, raising his eyebrows.

"My uncle had only just returned home," Azula continued. "I think he arrived that very same day, yes. He snuck inside the sponsors' balcony and watched the fight from there. Being the Dragon of the West means you can sneak anywhere you want uninvited, I guess…"

"And so, he watched the Blind Bandit's first fight against your gladiator," said Zhao.

"The next thing I knew, he was her sponsor," Azula said. "Anyone else could have picked up that sponsorship, especially since she was an up-and-coming fighter… but Iroh swept in before anyone else could, don't ask me how, and Toph became his gladiator."

"Do you believe he only did it to spite you?" Zhao asked. Azula sighed.

"He did it for the obvious reason…" she whispered. Zhao frowned.

"To keep you from the top of the ranking," he said. Azula nodded. "From… from Combustion Man?"

"You've always known I'm ambitious," said Azula, with a dry grin. "I doubt it means much to you that I would want to defeat you in the Gladiator League. Everyone does."

"I suppose. Not everyone is my best friend's daughter, though," said Zhao, biting his lip. "So, by sponsoring the earthbender, Iroh would hinder your progress."

"And now that he won't sponsor her anymore, he's not about to hand her to me on a silver platter," said Azula, looking at Zhao skeptically. "The only one who might have a chance at obtaining the proper authorization to sponsor Toph temporarily is you. You're the sponsor of the undefeatable Combustion Man already, and this would only make it harder for me to ever defeat you…"

"And I'm just supposed to do this, then?" Zhao asked, raising his eyebrows. "Don't take offense, Princess, but… perhaps I don't want to antagonize you that much."

Azula actually smiled at that. She was surprised by how genuine the smile was.

"Do you think I would have come here and presented this entire case to you if I didn't want you to do this, Admiral?" she asked. Zhao looked at her in disbelief.

"Truly, Azula?" he asked. "Do you want me to embody everything you want to annihilate in the League?"

"I don't want to annihilate Toph," Azula said, raising her eyebrows. "I certainly want to defeat her, but that's not the same as annihilation, is it? At any rate, I'm not going to despise you if you do this. On the contrary, you're the only hope I have right now. In the end, this is more of a battle between me and my uncle than it is between our gladiators. Or, in his case, his former gladiator. I won't ever shirk away from the goal of defeating Toph, and if Sokka and I can have the chance to fight her again one day, Iroh's attempt to sabotage her, and me, by extension, will have backfired."

"You two play the most unnecessarily manipulative games I've heard of," Zhao said, smiling and shaking his head. "Ozai would be so proud of you if he heard of all this."

"He might hear of it, if things go the way they're meant to," said Azula, raising her eyebrows. "But the only way that will happen…"

"Is if I work with you," Zhao said, nodding. "I'm aware, I'm aware…"

"Truly, all you need to do is convince my uncle that you're interested in Toph's potential. That you want to have the monopoly on the strongest fighters in the League, the strongest firebender and the strongest earthbender. It would be enough for him to think that he can count on you to keep me at bay forever in the Gladiator League…"

Zhao frowned, pensive: Azula met his eyes with determination and certainty. After a moment of contemplation, he sighed.

"I can certainly try… I've always been good with words," he said, with a small smirk. "Still… this sounds like I may have to sponsor her for quite some time, won't I? If General Iroh doesn't resign as her sponsor officially by the time I return to the north…"

"Well, I doubt that will happen soon, but if it did, I'm sure I'll figure out another arrangement," said Azula. Zhao shrugged.

"If you can, then by all means," he said, smiling. "Well, then… I suppose having that particular monopoly of fighters has its own appeal, yes. You're sure of this?"

"Completely," said Azula. Zhao nodded.

"Then… I'll speak to General Iroh within these weeks, if that's alright with you," he said. Azula smiled.

"That should be fine," she said. "If he were to resign his position as Toph's sponsor within that time, I'll let you know. Thank you for your cooperation, Admiral."

"There's nothing to thank me for. I can remember the last time you came to speak to me, privately and willingly…" Zhao said. Azula froze, her good mood disappearing quickly. "I'd be a fool if I acted the same way I did then."

"Oh?" she said, raising her eyebrows. "So… you were a fool that night, Admiral? Truly?"

"I was. I was a fool for quite a long time," Zhao said, lowering his gaze, with a smile that spoke of remorse. "I don't bother asking for forgiveness because I don't believe I deserve it, let alone do I believe you'll grant it. I insulted you in many ways."

Her chest ached now, and once more she found herself standing in quicksand when dealing with Zhao: was he saying those words because he felt them, or because they were the right thing to say, to the right person? She remembered their argument and remembered just as well that he had said just the right things to the men from her father's council, the right and demeaning things about her. Brief moments later, he had claimed he had nothing but respect for her, and denied everything he had said earlier, declaring he had no choice but to tell those men what they wanted to hear.

Ever since, Azula hadn't been able to trust the man sitting before her. She couldn't read him, could barely tell when he was being honest or when he wasn't. Either he was cryptic, or Azula was too blind by her emotions when it came to Zhao. Whatever it was, she couldn't stop herself from thinking, constantly, that the Admiral's soothing words were always conveying the exact opposite of what he was saying. With his praises, he insulted. With his affirmations, he was denying. Even his promises would feel broken before he had finished vowing to keep them. Her instincts for reading people had always worked with everyone, but not with Zhao. She made a point to interpreting her initial instincts as wrong when it came to him.

But against her impulses, against that nagging, screaming voice in her head that told her Zhao was anything but trustworthy, she trusted him with Toph. All he had to do was sit in the stands or the sponsors' balcony and watch as the earthbender worked for her victories. It was all Azula needed from him. He could be trusted to do this much, at the very least.

"Shall I assume your cooperation is your way of making amends for that, then?" Azula asked. Zhao shrugged.

"If that's what you think it should be," he said. "Nevertheless, this isn't something I'm unwilling to do, Princess. Even if I didn't feel honor-bound to make amends for past wrongdoings, I'd be open to helping you and your friend. I can only hope it will work."

"As long as you say the right things to my uncle, it should," said Azula. "Remind him many times that this will certainly hinder my progress and even humiliate me in the eyes of the nobility…"

"He might realize I don't really think so, though," said Zhao, with a small smile. "Why would I want to humiliate you?"

"Well… you knew exactly what to say to those men at my father's council that night," Azula said. Zhao's smile waned and she could almost hear his heart sinking. "I think a variation of that could work with my uncle."

"Princess…"

"It's quite alright, Admiral," she said, finishing her cup of tea as he lowered his gaze shamefully.

"It's anything but…"

"It's the way of things, as said by my former advisors," said Azula. "I'm only supposed to get used to it. My mother as well told me long ago that I didn't belong in war meetings or battlefields…"

"With all due respect…" Zhao muttered. "Your mother didn't have the soundest judgment of all."

Azula genuinely smiled at that. She looked at Zhao with amusement.

"I don't know if you're saying that just to please me, but either way, I'm inclined to agree," she said, standing up. Zhao imitated her. "Though of course, I'd suggest you refrain from making such comments in my father's presence, but…"

"I do not have such a death wish, it's true," said Zhao, with a weak grin. Azula glanced at him with uncertainty.

"You and my father knew each other since you were young, or so I hear," she said. Zhao nodded. "Then… did you always suspect my mother wasn't much good for my father, Admiral?"

"Well… it wasn't easy to suspect such a thing," he said. "On paper, even on appearances, they were the perfect match. But she was… well, a dangerous influence on a man of his standing, to be sure. More than once I feared she was destroying his ambitions. I think his realization of that fact is why…"

"Why…?" Azula asked, raising her eyebrows. Zhao swallowed hard.

"Why the marriage deteriorated so much," said Zhao. "Still, it isn't my place to speak of all this…"

"I won't ask my father if any of what you're saying is true, if that makes you feel any better," said Azula, with a smirk. "Truth be told, it's kind of a relief to hear someone talk about my mother without settling for saying she was wonderful and beautiful…"

"Well, no doubt she was the most strikingly beautiful woman, but that only made her all the more dangerous in my eyes," said Zhao. "The allure she held for your father… I doubt he was ever conscious of it. Perhaps she wasn't, either. Still, there was much more to your mother than beauty. Anyone who knew her would surely tell you as much."

"I'm not sure they would, those who did know her refuse to speak of her. Especially in my father's presence," said Azula, shrugging. "Still, I never did get the feeling you and my mother were close…"

"We weren't. By her choice," said Zhao, with a shrug. "She disliked me, quite heavily. Perhaps for, uh, similar reasons why you drifted away from me, too."

"Ah, she caught you saying what you shouldn't have been saying?" Azula inquired, amused. Zhao chuckled.

"In my defense, I was trying to advise your father on how to earn her affections. I never imagined that lady Ursa would be so affronted over my advice, though…"

"Well, as much as I'm undeniably curious, there's a part of me that also doesn't want to know what you said," Azula admitted, with a sarcastic smile. "I am under no illusions regarding how men speak about women when they think no one's listening…"

"You're wise beyond your years. Wiser than I could ever hope to be," Zhao sighed. "At any rate, you will take your leave, then?"

"I have more business to tend to," said Azula. "A blind earthbender direly needs my help in preparing for the Slate. At any rate, I suppose we will run into each other soon, so very coincidentally, after you speak with my uncle?"

"Indeed, we shall," said Zhao, bowing his head in her direction.

"Very well, then," she said. "I hope you succeed, Admiral."

"I will be at my most convincing, Princess," he assured her, with a proud grin. "Good luck training the earthbender."

Azula left not long afterwards: Xin Long fetched her quickly, helping her avoid bumping into Hahn again. But as she flew with her dragon towards the Capital again, the Princess couldn't help but wonder if certain things had changed in Zhao, despite she had believed it impossible. Perhaps Sokka hadn't been quite as wrong about him as she had thought…

---

"So, uh… what's your plan for today?" Song asked, with a small smile.

Toph didn't answer the question, busy as she was stuffing herself with rice. Sokka grimaced as he watched her: he wasn't disgusted by her wild eating habits, but rather, fearful that she might clean out the table before he was halfway through his own plate.

"Well, Azula told me to take her to Ty Lee's," said Sokka. "So, I guess that's what I'm going to do, heh. I hope Ty Lee has a lot of food, though. Toph seems to be determined to prove she can eat more than me."

"Not everything's a competition, Dog," Toph smirked after swallowing the rice. "Because, uh, if it were, I'd win."

Sokka's eyebrow twitched as Song giggled softly. The gladiator rolled his eyes and mumbled begrudging curses about tiny earthbenders, to the healer's amusement.

"I gotta say, though," Toph said, taking some beef now and beaming once she tasted it. "You cook good, girl. Sokka, tell Spicy I don't want to go back to the Palace after all. For food like this I can stay here forever!"

"What the…? No, you won't!" Sokka exclaimed, grimacing. "You're going back to the Palace, Toph, whether you want to or not."

"Why? I like it here!" Toph said, smiling happily. Song laughed again.

"Because…!" Sokka started, but he blushed soon enough. Toph snickered, sensing a sensible topic even though her shoes prevented her from feeling the change of Sokka's body reactions.

"Oh? What, is it that with me around here you won't get as lucky with Spicy as usual? Boohoo, poor you…"

"Shut up," Sokka growled, munching down his own food while pointedly glancing elsewhere.

"Well, you can stay with us for as long as you like, Toph," said Song, smiling gently at her. Toph beamed.

"See? Now that's a good host!" she said, crossing her arms behind her head. Sokka rolled his eyes.

"Whatever," he grumbled, as he kept eating. "Just hurry up with breakfast. We shouldn't take forever to get to Ty Lee's, and it's kind of far from here, so…"

"Fine, fine. Is she a nice host like Song here, or is she a grump like you?" Toph asked, smirking.

"She's crazy," said Sokka, curtly. Toph's smile widened.

"Great! I like crazy!" she exclaimed.

"Not your kind of crazy, mind you," Sokka clarified. Toph raised an eyebrow.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know, she's a more feminine kind of crazy than you…" Sokka said nonchalantly, sipping his breakfast tea innocently as Toph grimaced with distaste.

"Uh… well, I'm crazy in my own way, she can be crazy in hers. It's a free world!" she exclaimed, pointedly. Sokka actually smirked.

"Well, that's very mature on your part," he said, snickering. "Still, just hurry. We should get there before Azula does."

"Why? So she can think you're so very responsible and so very dependable?" Toph teased him. Sokka blushed again and pouted.

"Well, why not?" he said, scowling at Toph. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to keep her happy by doing what she asked. Not a thing."

"Sure, sure. You just want to get laid, that's all, but hey, no judgment…" said Toph, raising her hands and smiling mischievously. Sokka snorted.

"Yeah, no judgment, that's definitely what your voice tone and words are conveying," he grumbled, biting hard on a muffin. "No judgment…"

The two gladiators readied themselves to go out after breakfast, once they gathered all the weapons and equipment they'd need for today's training. Song bid Sokka farewell by the door, smiling encouragingly as Toph picked up the bag in which she would carry her new arsenal.

"She's a handful, but you deal with the Princess on a daily basis as it is," said Song, chuckling. "Just be patient."

"I'm being very patient, mind you," Sokka said, raising his eyebrows. "I assume you'll be meeting with Rui Shi today, again?"

Song's shy blush spoke for itself. Sokka chuckled.

"Well, enjoy your day, Song. I'll see you later," he said, gently messing with her hair. Song was surprised by that, but she smiled at Sokka anyways.

Toph was waiting by the street, her finger up her nose, once Sokka caught up with her. He rolled his eyes as he led the way towards Ty Lee's house.

"Say, who's that Rui Shi you mentioned?" she asked. "The name rings a bell…"

"You probably know him," said Sokka, raising his eyebrows. "You've met him before, haven't you? Captain of Azula's guards?"

"Oh! That guy!" said Toph, jumping in realization and finally putting her hand away from her face. "Huh, so wait a second, she's involved with him?"

"Yup," said Sokka, a small smile on his face.

"Woah, didn't know she had it in her. Good for your cook," said Toph, smirking. "So, wait. She's going to spend the day with him, in your house, alone…?"

Sokka's smile waned as realization dawned upon him. But he soon chuckled and shook his head.

"Nah, I doubt it," he said, waving his hand carelessly. "They're too proper, and they want to take things slow…"

"Maybe that's what they say but in truth, they spend their time banging in the middle of the day like… like you and Spicy, I guess," said Toph, smirking. Sokka grimaced. "I mean, if you two do it, why not them?"

"If they do it, it's really not my business. Or yours," said Sokka. "And for that matter, it's not your business what I do with… Spicy."

"Oh? You're calling her that now too?" Toph asked, amused. Sokka's eyebrow twitched.

"We're walking down the street, damn you. If you're going to make us talk about this sort of stuff I sure as hell won't use her name," he hissed at her. Toph chuckled.

"Fine, grump, I won't bring it up anymore," she said, snickering.

The walk took them some time, as Ty Lee lived a few districts away. Toph's chatter kept Sokka distracted on the most part, even though half her chosen conversation subjects annoyed him. Finally, they reached Ty Lee's house, and Sokka smiled in relief as the two of them approached the door.

"Alright, let me handle the introductions and…"

Toph put a hand on his forearm and stopped him before he could knock on the door. There was an awkward look on her face.

"Um, Dog? Are you hearing what I…?"

"Hearing what?" Sokka said, raising an eyebrow. "I don't hear anything."

"C'mon, you can't be so deaf as to not hear…"

This time he did hear it, though: Sokka's eyes widened, cheeks flushed, as an unequivocal moan reached his ears. His jaw dropped.

"Looks like your friend's got company?" said Toph. Sokka smacked his face with his hand.

"Yeah… probably her gladiator, Haru," he said, shaking his head. "Damn it all…"

"Seriously? What's with all you inappropriate people, going at it in broad daylight?" Toph huffed, shaking her head. "Whatever happened to the sacred secrecy of nighttime?"

"Huh? Sacred secrecy?" Sokka repeated, amused. The next loud moan made his smile disappear quickly. "Uh, well, speaking for myself, I can't be with, uh, my partner at night so that means we have no other choice. These two, though, they live together so they have no excuse."

"Well, we are dropping by unannounced," said Toph, shrugging. "Maybe you should've sent a bird to let them know we were coming, eh?"

"It would have amounted to nothing," said another voice behind them, one Sokka identified quickly.

He turned on his heels to find Mai standing in the street behind them, pressing Yuudai to her chest and noticeably covering one of his ears with a hand while keeping the other pressed against her body. She hoped to protect her son from the utterly inappropriate sounds her childhood friend was unleashing shamelessly, but it didn't seem she was succeeding at it.

"It was supposed to be the day of our weekly reunion," Mai pointed out, looking at Sokka skeptically. "When I got here, well, this is what I heard. I took a walk, came back hoping she would've stopped…"

"Goodness," said Sokka, wide-eyed.

"And here I thought you and Spicy were too crazy," said Toph, snickering at Sokka. "I stand corrected, Dog, you two aren't that bad after all."

"Who's this?" Mai asked, looking at Sokka with raised eyebrows. "Some Azula replacement?"

"Uh, no. It's a long story," said Sokka, with a grimace. "Azula should drop by sooner than later, but she had some errands to run…"

"Sounds serious," said Mai, sighing. "Do you think they'll finally have stopped when she gets here?"

"Well… I don't know. I seriously don't know," said Sokka, an eyebrow twitching.

"This calls for desperate measures," Toph said, stubbornly. "We've got important things to do today and listening to a girl moaning to her heart's content isn't in my list of priorities."

"Wait, what are you going to…?"

Sokka and Mai both flinched, and the latter's grip around Yuudai tightened when Toph struck the door powerfully with a fist. Sokka looked at her in disbelief as she knocked thrice.

"A-are you crazy?! You might as well kick the door down!" he shouted.

"No need. I'm sure they heard me," said Toph, smiling proudly.

"No kidding, I'm pretty sure Azula must have heard it and she's not even in the city right now!" Sokka exclaimed, rubbing his ears as he scowled at Toph.

"Well… the moaning stopped," Mai pointed out. Sokka raised an eyebrow.

"Huh. It did."

"See?" said Toph, smirking.

They only had to wait around one more minute before the door opened. Behind it, a nervous, half-naked Haru stared at them, his face redder than Sokka had ever seen it before. He only had a sheet wrapped around his waist.

"U-uh, I…"

"Nice to meet you!" Toph said, beaming. Sokka sighed.

"Did Ty Lee forget…?" he asked. Haru gulped.

"Just… come in. We'll be ready in a minute," he said, apologetically.

"Please don't resume your business until after my son is far outside the building's premises," Mai warned Haru, who blushed more and nodded as he went up the stairs quickly.

The three guests entered the house and waited briefly while Ty Lee and Haru dressed hurriedly. Sokka frowned, tapping an arm with a finger as he listened to their rushed footsteps on the upper floor.

"So, what's up?" Toph asked. Sokka glanced down to find she was talking to a crawling Yuudai.

"You do know that's a baby, right?" Sokka asked, amused.

"I do, but maybe he can talk already. I'm just checking," said Toph, shrugging.

"He knows how to say 'mom', 'goo', and 'poo'," Mai said. Toph snorted. "He's well on his way to sweeping the floor with intellectuals all over the world."

"Sounds like it," Toph snickered.

Haru and Ty Lee emerged at the stairs now, both fully dressed and rather red in the face. Ty Lee's hair was unusually disheveled, rather than properly composed in her typical braid.

"So sorry, you guys, I really lost track of time and…!" she said, rushing towards them. She froze where she stood when she caught sight of Toph. "And, uh… who's this?"

"Beats me. Some friend of Sokka's," said Mai. Sokka bit his lip.

"Oh? And where's Azula?" Ty Lee asked, glancing about herself and looking for her friend.

"She'll be here in a bit," said Sokka, sighing. "I would prefer it if she were here already, but she had asked me to explain things, so… alright then! Mai, Ty Lee, Haru… meet Toph. Toph Beifong."

"Hey," said Toph, standing upright now and folding her arms over her chest.

"Uh, hi," said Ty Lee, smiling a little at Toph and waving at her. "Who exactly is she…?"

"Um…" said Sokka, scratching the back of his head. "Maybe you'll recognize her as the Blind Bandit, instead?"

He didn't expect all three of them to jump and stare at Toph as though he had announced Toph was the Avatar. Sokka breathed deeply, guessing quickly at the reason behind the unease in their gazes.

"Isn't this… the one who nearly killed you?" Mai asked him. Ty Lee nodded.

"She's definitely the one who nearly killed him," she confirmed. Sokka sighed.

"That was a long time ago, yes…" said Sokka, with a reassuring smile, though it waned quickly. "Uh, well, she hasn't tried to kill me since last year, at the very least…"

"Oh, please, I haven't tried to kill you since we first met," said Toph. "Now, I did try to knock you out in Ba Sing Se, but I wasn't going for outright murder, you know…?"

"That's not likely to help your case, you know?" said Sokka, smiling dryly. "Anyways, guys, she's here because she needs our help."

"And… you want to help her why?" said Mai, looking at him skeptically. "Isn't she something like your worst enemy?"

"That's pushing it way too far, isn't it?" said Toph, smiling at Sokka at first before her face fell quickly at the lack of agreement from him. "Isn't it?"

"Yeah, well, she may have been for some time, but not anymore," said Sokka, smiling awkwardly as Toph snickered proudly. "Thing is, well… Azula may have rashly decided to give Toph the right to challenge at the Slate, which was something Toph wanted, for sure, but…"

"But she's an earthbender," said Haru, frowning. "And, uh…"

"A blind one, yeah. You can say it," said Toph, nodding. Haru was mildly flustered by her response.

"Why did Azula do that?" Ty Lee asked, her eyes wide. "That's… so cruel."

"Cruel?" Toph repeated, raising an eyebrow. "How so?"

"For the obvious reasons, really," said Sokka, sighing. "You already know the Slate is going to be a living hell for you, Toph. Anyways, Azula did it on a whim, truthfully, and she wasn't trying to ruin Toph's life or get her killed, but to prove some point to Iroh. Still… the point wasn't proven, and if anything, Iroh has done the worst thing he could have done."

"Which is?" Mai asked. Toph sighed.

"He's no longer going to sponsor me," she said. Ty Lee gasped in surprise, and Haru glanced at Toph, uneasily. Mai's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. "I'm… somewhat on my own."

"And, as Azula wanted to screw over her uncle, not her uncle's gladiator… she agreed to help her?" Mai finished. Sokka nodded.

"We intended to give her a hand with this, long before Iroh abandoned her in the first place," Sokka explained. "But now that this happened, well… we're even more hard-pressed to get her in shape for the fight, you see?"

"And where's Azula now, if you two are so invested in this mess?" asked Mai, looking at Sokka with confusion.

"She's trying to arrange things so Toph can have a new sponsor," said Sokka. "A substitute one, at least for this fight. We'll see if it works out or not, but anyways, she said she'll be here soon. She asked me to get started with Toph's training as soon as possible, though… that is, if you guys are willing to help her."

Toph grimaced now, nervous. She had assumed that they would work with her, if just because they were Azula and Sokka's friends. Hearing that it could turn out differently was far from reassuring.

Mai studied the younger woman carefully, weighing her options. Ty Lee and Haru gazed at her, as though their decision hinged on hers. Mai's narrow eyes shifted towards Sokka, who held her gaze almost pleadingly. She sighed eventually.

"Fine. I'm not too busy anyways," she said. "I guess it will be a daily thing again?"

"Well, if you guys will agree to that," said Sokka, smiling in relief. Next to him, Toph sighed too as the tension in the scene deflated. "Azula and I were willing to beat her into shape by ourselves for most the week, but if you guys would rather help her out…"

"It will be for the best," said Mai, with a small smile. "That way we can stop Ty Lee and Haru from sabotaging the weekly reunions, after all."

Her words caused the guilty couple to blush profusely, and Ty Lee looked at her friend apologetically, though Mai only smirked in her direction. Sokka chuckled and nodded.

"Well, then! If this is how it is… shall we get started?"

Toph's earthbending training had never been conventional. She had spent her younger years mastering earthbending basics while crawling through tunnels with badgermoles, and her teenage years had been spent in Earth Rumble VI, which had been transformed into Gladiator Rumble once the Gladiator Business had been established. She had learned to bend with the masters, and then she had fought with the most distasteful opponents anyone could conceive.

If there was something she didn't know much about, it was a completely ordinary training sequence. She wasn't used to practicing, even though she didn't take long to get used to it. For her, learning something new had always been about either developing a technique at once or receiving a boulder to the face for being too ineffective a fighter. Getting multiple chances to get something right was a privilege she wasn't too sure what to do with, but she made the most of it all the same.

"Okay, woah, too hard!" Ty Lee complained, as Toph's fist impacted her arm. "Jeez, what sort of self-defense do they teach highborn Earth Kingom girls?"

"None, actually," Toph said, snickering. "I'm one of a kind!"

"Yeah, clearly!" said Ty Lee, huffing. "Come on, you have to do it lighter than that. Look, like this!"

Ty Lee's attempt to hit Toph was met with resistance. The earthbender parried Ty Lee's attacks stubbornly, until the chi-blocker finally decided to take matters seriously. She slid around Toph with astounding agility, and as Toph was still turning around, she struck the girl's pressure points quickly, almost imperceptibly. It was all she had to do for Toph to collapse on the uneven ground, snarling in irritation.

"Hey! Who said you could… c-chi-block me!" Toph snapped.

"You were being stubborn, and I needed to give you the proper demonstration," Ty Lee said, beaming. Toph huffed.

"I've already had demonstrations, Sokka chi-blocked me once!"

"Oh, he did? Oh, my! Well, I guess that was unnecessary after all, wasn't it?"

"No kidding!" Toph snarled, shaking her head.

Ty Lee's explanations for chi-blocking didn't suit Toph well, but she worked hard to achieve the goals Ty Lee had set for her. Ty Lee criticized her heavy footwork, and Toph mocked how light she was on her feet instead. Once the chi-blocking had worn off, the earthbender returned to attempting to chi-block her opponents, though she would often resort to her bending – even though she wasn't supposed to – whenever Ty Lee tried to get an edge on her.

"Okay, now, that's cheating!" she complained, as Toph snickered and defended herself proudly.

Mai watched them with a crooked eyebrow: Toph was a quick learner, but not a dutiful student. While she assimilated information quickly, she didn't seem to have much respect for Ty Lee so far. Curiosity drove her to wonder if she would dare treat her the same way…

"Alright, it's my turn now," she said, after Ty Lee's patience had worn thin when Toph had blocked her attacks with bending again.

"Please," Ty Lee sighed, huffing and shaking her head. "Prodigies, they're always such a pain to teach…"

"How many prodigies have you taught?" Haru asked, blinking blankly as Ty Lee reached him and Sokka by the house's veranda.

"I kind of tried to teach Azula some hand-to-hand combat when we were younger. I regretted it within half an hour because she was already pummeling me and laughing quite loudly about it while she did…" Ty Lee grumbled. Sokka actually chuckled. "It wasn't funny!"

"Well, maybe not at the time," he said, smiling apologetically. "Sorry, it's just… the idea of a younger Azula always makes me smile. Can't help but imagine a tiny version of her, getting into all kinds of trouble…"

"Yeah, that's pretty close to how it was," Ty Lee admitted, but she snorted. "And you're the only person I've ever known who thinks Azula's chaotic streaks are adorable, huh?"

Sokka smiled and blushed, shrugging almost shyly, and Haru and Ty Lee laughed at his reaction. There was no point in trying to hide that he was thoroughly fascinated by everything to do with his secret lover, especially around those who already knew of their relationship.

He couldn't help but think of Azula as the day progressed. He watched Mai and Toph absent-mindedly, barely registering that Mai kept Toph on the tightest leash anyone had for ages. The strictness of her training was only matched by its ruthlessness, as she tried to teach the earthbender how to aim projectiles that weren't made of earth. While Toph could sense her targets, she never seemed to hit them square-center, if she hit the targets at all, and Mai remained hellbent on making her hit every last one of them, tossing her own projectiles at lightning speed at Toph to scold her into working properly whenever she slacked off. Despite the earthbender's best attempts to shield herself from the attacks, Mai was too fast even for Toph's instinctive bending to protect her from her new mentor.

Still, while Ty Lee and Haru cheered for Mai and Toph respectively, Sokka sat watching the fence where he and Azula had a heart-to-heart, so long ago. He smiled at the memory, remembering it was one of the first times she had appeased his aching heart. They had kissed that day, and while it had caused another onslaught of trouble for them afterwards, Sokka still remembered fondly how it had felt to have her in his arms, kissing him as though she had forgotten their surroundings, their circumstances, even the promises they had made to no longer engage each other romantically.

Being with her these days felt a lot like that kiss had. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to indulge in more thoughts of her, eagerly awaiting her arrival…

"Oh, hey, she's finally here!"

Sokka's eyes opened wide at hearing Ty Lee's voice, and he raised his head to look at the sky: true enough, the dark shape of Xin Long was hovering above them, rapidly descending on the house's backyard.

His face broke into a full grin, and he was on his feet before he knew it. Xin Long floated off to land close to the fence Sokka had been watching, to avoid interfering with Toph and Mai's training. Sokka almost ran towards Xin Long, his eyes ever set on the rider on the dragon's saddle.

Azula patted Xin Long's neck gratefully before dismounting, her face the mask it always was whenever she was deep in thought. But she couldn't remain emotionless for long when she saw her gladiator rushing to catch her in a hug.

She smiled and allowed him to sweep her off her feet, not fighting back even though they were in plain sight for everyone to see. Sokka chuckled as he held her close, and Azula stroked the short hairs on the back of his head gently.

"Hello to you too," she said, as he laughed again and kissed her softly.

"I missed you," he said, beaming. Azula prodded his nose with hers.

"I can see that," she whispered. "You're embarrassing us both with your antics, though. We're in plain sight, you realize…?"

Sokka snorted and hugged her tighter. Azula rolled her eyes and hugged him back, putting aside her usual reservations. Everyone in Ty Lee's backyard knew of their relationship already, and the majority of them were likely paying attention to Toph anyways, right?

"Fool of a gladiator," she whispered affectionately, tucking her face into his neck.

"So… how did it go?" he asked, even before they pulled away. Azula smiled at him once they did, though, and he was relieved to see she was in good spirits.

"I've convinced Zhao to give it a try, at the very least," she said. "So Toph might actually have a new sponsor, as long as he plays his cards right."

"Goodness, that's a relief," said Sokka, with a small smile. "She'll be stoked."

"Well, I wouldn't get her hopes up just yet," said Azula as they made their ways back to the rest of the group. "I'd rather wait to celebrate until it's a sure thing…"

"It's wiser, sure," said Sokka, smiling and shrugging. "But we're one step closer, huh?"

"I suppose we are," she replied, as their hands brushed together.

Ty Lee eyed them with a raised eyebrow as they approached, and Azula took quick notice of her uncharacteristic reluctance to jump for a hug. She looked at her friend with uncertainty, meeting Ty Lee's judgment with her own confusion.

"Hello, Princess," said Haru, politely. Azula nodded at him.

"Good day, Haru, Ty Lee. Uh… is something wrong?" she asked her friend. Ty Lee bit her lip.

"You two, uh… should you two have been that warm and fuzzy when, um, Toph is here?" she asked, with a soft voice.

"Oh, pfft!" Toph exclaimed, hearing Ty Lee even though she was supposed to be concentrating on her training with Mai. "I know all I need to know about their dirty laundry, Airhead! Don't let that keep you up at night!"

"Airhead?" Azula asked, with amusement as Ty Lee pouted.

"She's a rude one, really. We've barely just met, and she calls me that!"

"Eh, she's called me Dog since ages ago too, it's nothing personal," said Sokka, waving a hand carelessly at Ty Lee.

"Still, though… I'm surprised you let her know," Ty Lee said, before scowling at Azula. "Or is it you chose to tell her but not me and Mai, your oldest friends…?"

"Chose to tell, seriously…?" Azula repeated, rolling her eyes. "Do you really think I told her willingly? The twat found out by her own means, it wasn't intentional."

"Oh. Good then," said Ty Lee, beaming like her usual self again.

"She also found out long after you and Mai knew, in case you're bothered about that, too,"

said Azula. Ty Lee giggled.

"That's fine, it's fine," she said, though she smirked soon enough. "Though I do wonder what she walked into, if she found out by accident…"

"It wasn't what we walked into today, if that makes you feel any better," said Sokka, with sarcastic grin. Ty Lee's face was drained of color before being flooded with a powerful blush, much like Haru's. Azula raised an eyebrow and looked at Sokka, who smirked.

"Do I want to know?" she asked. Sokka shook his head. "Oh, well. All the same, good job at silencing her."

Sokka snickered as Azula patted his shoulder in congratulations, before turning to watch Toph's training. The girl was tossing projectiles still: her aim was improving slowly but not significantly yet. Mai didn't seem too impressed.

"I guess earthbending did make everything easier for you, huh?" Azula asked, stepping towards Toph. She cringed.

"It kind of did," she admitted, before tossing another of the knives. Instead of hitting the target hanging on the fence, the knife flew past it and lodged itself in the body of a tall tree. Toph groaned. "Does it count as success if it hit, well, something?"

"No," Mai said, curtly. Azula smiled. "You could have killed your own ally in battle. That's far from success, don't you think?"

"Ugh, I guess…" said Toph, sighing.

"Has she made any progress with this?" Azula asked.

"Only a little. It's tricky to teach a blind person how to aim, though," said Mai, frowning. "As is obvious, I rely quite heavily on hand-eye coordination…"

"I'd do better if I wasn't wearing these shoes," Toph groaned. Azula sighed.

"Well, you'll have to wear them for the fight. The sooner you get used to them, the better," she said. She glanced at Mai again, noticing she was deep in thought. "Should I get her off your hair for now?"

"What?" Toph growled. "I've been nicer to Blades over here than I was to Airhead…"

"Indeed, and her nickname isn't all that insulting, so Mai ought to feel grateful," said Azula, smirking. Mai raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Still, there's some other resistances you should train, Bandit…"

"Huh," said Toph, biting her lip. "What do you have in mind?"

"Something a little more tedious for you, no doubt," said Azula, smirking before turning to the rest of the group. "Haru, if you please?"

Toph raised an eyebrow as the other earthbender approached with a steady stride. She folded her arms over her chest.

"Are you going to have me fight him?" she asked. Azula shrugged.

"Not as literally as you might think," she said. Toph huffed.

"Well, I hope not, because I don't need to train to beat any earthbenders," she said. "I'd kick his ass in a heartbeat."

"No doubt," said Azula, looking at Haru with wide, sarcastic eyes. He only chuckled. "If only he were just an earthbender…"

"Huh?" said Toph, confused now. Azula smirked.

"Take a break, Mai. We'll take over now."

Her friend left without another word, making her way to where Ty Lee waited, with Yuudai sitting beside her. Azula jerked her head at Haru, and on cue, the man began bending.

Toph's eyebrows twitched as Haru weaved and crafted a dome of glass around her. The process took some time, especially as he had to build two layers of glass to achieve the desired effect. Toph, inside it, was quite impressed, despite her pride urged her not to acknowledge it.

"We're going to recreate the heat conditions in the Slate as best we can," Azula told her, through the glass. "If you're overwhelmed by the temperature, use your bending to let us know we should stop, alright?"

"I won't be," Toph replied, proudly. Azula smirked and walked towards a small opening in the outer layer of glass.

"Let's hope so," she whispered, breathing deeply.

The Princess launched an inferno of flames inside the dome, and the fire quickly rushed through the double wall that Haru was keeping steady. The fire wouldn't touch Toph, but Haru had to make sure it wouldn't seep through the glass anyways. Azula struck a strong stance, pouring her fire inside the dome with an outstretched hand.

"It doesn't matter how many times we've seen her do it, it's always so scary to remember how powerful she is…" said Ty Lee, grimacing. Mai sighed and nodded, as Yuudai crawled onto her lap.

"She only seems to get stronger and stronger," she admitted. "Let's hope the earthbending midget can take it."

Sokka remained silent, though, and the conversation died with Yuudai's mumbling. Mai raised an eyebrow and glanced at the gladiator, and Ty Lee did the same eventually. The two of them snorted soon enough, the sound startling Sokka out of his momentary trance.

"W-what, what?!" he said, nervously. Ty Lee smirked.

"Nothing," said Mai, shrugging. "Everything's fine."

"Huh," Sokka grunted, blushing a little. Ty Lee bit her lip and giggled.

"Try not to pop a boner while you swoon over her, though," Mai smirked.

"I… hey!" Sokka cried out, blushing harder now. Ty Lee lashed out in full-blown laughter now.

Sokka skulked away from them, still quite red in the face, and still watching Azula with amazement. Her concentration, her power, and her beauty enhanced by the blue glow of her flames had hypnotized him many times before, yet he seldom had the opportunity to simply watch her unleashing her fire the way she did now. Often he would be fighting alongside her, or training against her. The last time he had been on the sidelines he had been awed by her power, but terrified that her fight with Toph could take a turn for the worse, for either of the fighters.

There was no such risk today, though, and thus, Sokka was more than happy to admire the talented Princess as he did. It was easy to put aside all concerns about becoming a laughingstock for Mai and Ty Lee when he was watching Azula's hair dancing in the wind, her gold eyes set on the blue flames she was unleashing.

Toph only spent half an hour inside the glass dome, by Azula's orders. Once that time limit was finished, she stopped bending and Haru brought down the dome. The earthbender was crouching in the dirt, and she rushed out to a less heated patch of earth immediately, enjoying the feel of fresh air around her again. Mai had been ready with a glass of water for her, and Toph downed it quickly.

"Hell, that was… hell," she said, with a sarcastic smile. "Is this really what the Slate is like?"

"No," said Sokka, shaking his head. "It's actually worse. Smells bad, since it's inside a volcano and all…"

"And I suppose it's hotter, too?" Toph asked. Sokka gulped and shrugged.

"I'm not sure. Might be more or less the same temperature," he said. Azula snorted.

"Stop flattering me," she said. "If my fire were as hot as a volcano, I would've produced lava in between the walls."

The ground in question was scorched, but not molten. Azula stared at it for a moment, a small frown on her brow. A little smoke rose in the circular shape of the dome, and thoughts rushed through Azula's mind as she leered at it…

"Well, it's been a hectic morning so far, to say the least," said Ty Lee, jumping to her feet and glancing at everyone. "Shall we have lunch together?"

"Yeah, damn. I sure could use some food," said Toph, beaming. "Bring it on, Air-…!"

"Call me that again and I won't make any for you," Ty Lee snapped, glaring at Toph from the corner of her eye. Toph flinched.

"Geez, okay, uh… how about Stretchy?"

"Stretchy?" Ty Lee said, grimacing but sighing in defeat. "Well, it's better than Airhead, at least."

"Do I still get to eat?" Toph asked, with a hopeful smile. Despite her previous irritation, Ty Lee laughed.

"Of course. Fine, let's get started with the food…"

"Yeah!"

There wouldn't be much work to do, as lunch at Ty Lee's house was usually quite light for everyone, and the more people helped, the sooner it would be done. Mai, Haru and Toph joined her in the kitchen, the latter mostly just curious about the menu rather than wanting to provide much assistance.

Yuudai was left behind, in Sokka's care, but the boy soon grew restless and started calling for his mother. The gladiator had to hand him over to Mai, and he settled for waiting for lunch with the one person he wanted to be with.

Yet Azula remained in deep thought out in the backyard, a frown still heavy across her face. Sokka approached her from behind, placing his hands on her waist. She didn't even flinch, though she did relax into his touch.

"What's on your mind this time?" he asked. She smiled.

"Madness," she said. He raised an eyebrow.

"Which kind?" he asked.

"The inventive one, not the sexual one, sorry to say," she said. Sokka snickered. "Though I suppose you'll be glad it's not the literal kind of madness…"

"Of course," he whispered, kissing her cheek.

"It's just… your sister is a waterbender, yes?" Azula asked. Sokka crooked an eyebrow.

"Indeed…" he answered, doubtfully. "What, you want to recruit her to help train Toph too?"

Azula grimaced in disbelief and glanced at him from over her shoulder, skeptically. Sokka chuckled.

"Figured not. What good would a waterbender be in training for the Slate?" he said.

"What good indeed, not to mention I highly doubt you can just summon her and she'll be right here, bright and early, ready to help Toph," said Azula, raising an eyebrow. "She'd only come here to drag you back home, if anything."

"Likely," Sokka admitted. "Drag me by the ear, if I may add…"

"And probably sneak a few attempts to assassinate me in the process, too," said Azula, but before Sokka could grunt that he would never allow that, she interrupted him. "I wasn't asking because of that, though. I was asking because… she could bend ice too, couldn't she?"

"Oh, sure," said Sokka, nodding. "Water, ice…"

"Maybe steam, too?"

"Well, I never saw her doing that," Sokka said. "But that might be because she wasn't a fully trained waterbender. Maybe the ones from the north can do it."

"Heh. I guess I should ask Hahn," said Azula, with a smirk. Sokka cringed. "What? He might know enough to confirm that…"

"Do you have to ask him at all…?" Sokka pouted. Azula chuckled.

"You have nothing to be jealous of, you hopeless fool," she said, turning in his arms and moving to kiss his neck. Sokka closed his eyes and smiled in bliss. "But alas, I don't really need to know anything about steam, I'll say."

"No?" Sokka asked. "Well, good to know, but what do you need to know? And why?"

"I was just… wondering," said Azula, placing her head on his chest. Her hand traveled over his heart, as it often did. "If waterbenders can, presumably, bend every phase of water… can't earthbenders do the same thing?"

Sokka's eyes widened as Azula's fingers stroked his skin gently. She bit her lower lip.

"It's a long shot, I know, but… even firebenders can produce lightning," she said. "Who knows what sorts of things airbenders could do, too…"

"Depends on the nature of the element, I'd think," said Sokka, frowning. Azula shrugged. "I mean… earth is supposed to be sturdy, steady, right?"

"And yet Haru can bend dirt and sand into glass?" Azula said. Sokka had to nod in acknowledgement. "Toph handles herself well enough in sand, too… as steady as earth may be, earthbenders have worked their way around their element without being limited by its nature before."

"True…" said Sokka, gulping. "But… lavabending?"

"As I said, it's a long shot," Azula said, sighing and pulling away. Sokka reached for her hands and caught them in his.

"It's just… you don't need much effort to melt ice," said Sokka. "If you would set a block of ice over a source of fire you would obtain water within a few minutes. Drop that water on fire and you get steam immediately. But… melting rocks needs a lot more power than that."

"I know," said Azula. "But the thing is, I'm not expecting her to melt the earth. Transforming water from one stage to the next seems relatively easy, and no doubt it would be harder to do it with earth into lava, but in the Slate the lava is already there. And technically, lava is just… melted rock. Why shouldn't Toph be able to bend it?"

Sokka bit his lip and scratched his head. Azula waited, expecting another rebuttal, but Sokka sighed and shrugged.

"Who knows? Maybe she could," he said. Azula raised her eyebrows. "I mean, you're right. If it's already melted, if she doesn't have to push it from one phase to the other…"

"We could give it a shot, maybe," she said, looking at Sokka with uncertainty. "It could be a fiasco, and it very well just might be, but…"

"It wouldn't kill us to try," said Sokka, with a small smile. He cupped her face with a hand. "You think she needs a better edge than all the training we'll give her?"

"I don't know if she needs it," Azula admitted. "But this is different from your fight, Sokka. You didn't have to fight without your best assets…"

"Well, sure I didn't. Can't possibly fight if you remove my brains, can I?" he said, with a proud smirk. Azula smiled with uncertainty. "W-what, were you thinking of something other than my brain?"

"Maybe…" said Azula, widening her eyes innocently as she made to walk past him and towards the house.

But just as she was moving, her hand shot out before Sokka could stop it and caught him square in the buttock, in a light but quick spank that brought her to laughter at his indignant expression.

"Now, what's that supposed to mean? I don't use my ass to fight!" Sokka pouted, blushing. Azula's laughter only intensified. "Come on, now, seriously!"

"You seem to forget you fell square on it at the end of your first fight in the Slate, just before the whole platform collapsed," said Azula, smirking as the two of them entered the house. She glanced down at his rear and snickered. "So yes, it certainly did its job back there."

"I fell more on my back than on my butt, I'll have you know…" Sokka pouted. Azula chuckled and kissed his cheek one more time before grabbing him by the arm and stopping him on his tracks.

Sokka raised an eyebrow as Azula kissed his lips now. He wrapped an arm around her waist through the brief exchange, and he looked at her questioningly afterwards. She smiled a little.

"I just wanted to do that now since, well… not everyone here should know about us," she said. Sokka raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, I'm pretty sure everyone knows already…" he said. Azula shook her head.

"Yuudai doesn't."

"Yuudai doesn't even know his left shoe from his right," Sokka said, skeptical. Azula snorted.

"Of course he doesn't, but that's not the point," she said, shaking her head. "I don't want him to grow up getting used to seeing us together the way his parents are, you see?"

"Huh…" said Sokka, frowning in realization.

"Else, once he's a little older, he might just say, uh, incriminating things when he's not supposed to," said Azula, biting her lip. "He may not remember anything from his earliest years, but I'd rather not take any chances when we know he could be watching."

"For his own good, too," said Sokka, sighing. "Okay, okay. We'll try to be professional until Mai leaves. The toddler must never see the truth!"

Azula rolled her eyes and smiled as the two of them entered the kitchen together. Mai tasked them with setting the table, as the food was nearly done. Naturally, Azula and Sokka weren't welcome in working with the food, the former because of her lack of experience in cooking, the latter because none of his experiences with cooking had ended well.

Nevertheless, with the full teamwork, the whole group was sitting at the dining room soon enough, sharing a meal that Toph devoured eagerly. The group debated the gladiator's schedules, reached agreements regarding how often Toph would be trained here, and eventually about how to further develop Toph's skills. But the earthbender's keen ear had caught some of what her two prime providers had been speaking of earlier: while she was fine with learning more chi-blocking and figuring out how to aim without her bending, she was rather intrigued by whatever Azula and Sokka had in mind.

"So… what were you two talking about before?" she asked Azula, when Ty Lee, Mai and Haru were busy trying to feed Yuudai. "You know, when we were all in here but you were still out there?"

"Ah, asking because you couldn't eavesdrop on us, for once?" Azula asked, with a smirk. Toph pouted.

"It's not my fault, they were talking too much, and I couldn't focus on you two. And my shoes don't help," she said. "C'mon, it sounded important. Besides, you haven't even told me how things went today with, well, whatever you were doing?"

"My plans are well on their way to bearing fruit, and what Sokka and I were discussing is… merely in the realm of the possibilities right now," said Azula, shrugging. "You shouldn't concern yourself with it."

"Bleh, as if," Toph grunted. "I should, though! It's got to do with me, after all! Are you two discussing my future without my say-so?"

"Pfft, are you pretending we're your adoptive parents again, really?" Sokka asked, skeptical.

Azula frowned, though, and looked at Sokka in confusion. He shrugged. "What? She said that yesterday, it wasn't my idea…"

"You know… it's kind of like you are," Ty Lee intervened. Sokka raised an eyebrow, and Toph snorted. "I mean, you're providing training for her, helping her deal with the Slate… and you're doing it together, just like that? And she keeps bickering with you both, it's like you're a happy family!"

"Ah, I always did dream of having an adoptive daughter who was a prodigious bender," Azula said, sarcastically. "Just, I had to be stuck with a Dirt Worm who can't be bothered to take a bath, but I guess even I can't have everything in life…"

"Hey!" Toph pouted, as everyone laughed. "Coatings of dirt are very healthy, I'll have you know!"

"Said no one but you, ever," Sokka pointed out, between laughs.

"Now, c'mon, spill it," Toph groaned, nudging Azula. The Princess shook her head and pushed the earthbender away.

"You'll find out after we're done eating," she said. Toph raised an eyebrow.

"Well, what's going to happen when we're done eating?" she asked. "Will we keep training, or…?"

"You still haven't practiced with your weapons today," Sokka pointed out. "Besides, you could use doing a few training bouts with any of us, just for the sake of it"

"I'll be borrowing Haru while you do that," Azula said, surprising even the earthbender in question. "I need a smaller glass dome this time around, if you'll humor me."

"Well, sure," said Haru, smiling a little. Toph scratched her head.

"You just love being mysterious, huh?" she said. Azula smirked.

"Maybe a little," she conceded, before focusing on her food.

As planned, Sokka took over Toph's training once lunch was over, and Mai and Ty Lee joined in too before long, once they had left Yuudai to nap peacefully in the living room. Meanwhile, Haru had found the most solid rock nearby – quite a feat, seeing as most rocks in the yard were usually shattered during training. He had created another glass dome around it, but this time it was thicker, and of only one layer. Azula's fire was coating the rock, and she pressed it on, burning the rock with as much power as she could.

It was around half an hour later that Azula seemed satisfied. She called Toph over as she stepped back, and Haru brought down his glass dome.

"What do you want me to do?" Toph asked, and Azula pointed at the glowing rock. The top of it was already molten, most of it colored orange by the intense firepower Azula had poured into it.

"Bend that," she said. "If you can, that is."

"If I can?" Toph asked, smirking.

She didn't need to work hard to shift the rock, lifting it with ease. Everyone was watching her with amazement as she dropped it once again.

"Got any other simple tasks for me to do? I'm not a garden arranger, but…"

"Bend only the molten part now," Azula said. Toph frowned.

The earthbender cut the rock in pieces, as to have easier access to the molten one, but she frowned heavily as she tried to move it. Azula watched her intently, taking notice of her focused frown. It wasn't every day that Toph would struggle with anything related to her bending.

"Can you do it?" Azula asked. Toph huffed.

"Of course I can, I…" she said, gritting her teeth as she moved her fingers.

She snapped her tongue and threw a fist forward. Shards of the solid rock broke away from the main body, falling several feet away from where they stood. The molten part had been catapulted into the air, but not on its own: rather, it had moved along with the solid rock beneath it. The molten part crashed on the ground, sizzling out against the dirt. Toph grimaced.

"S-sorry. I thought it'd work," she said, apologetically. Azula frowned. "Spicy…?"

"It's… it's fine. It was just an experiment anyways," she said, waving a hand carelessly.

But as Toph returned to her combat training, this time with Haru, Mai and Ty Lee, Azula was left to stare at the destroyed rock with a heavy frown. Sokka placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Azula…"

"It should have worked," she said. "If she couldn't bend my makeshift lava… there's not a lot of chance that she'll be able to bend the one in the Slate. It's much hotter, far more liquid, and…"

"A lot more unstable," Sokka finished, biting his lip. "We should verify this, though. Maybe… take her to a volcano again? This time not for a fight, but just to see if maybe she can do it there?"

Azula looked at him with uncertainty and Sokka shrugged.

"I think she'll stand a chance on her own, but if you think she needs something else under her sleeve…"

"She's lived all her life with the handicap of blindness," Azula said, gazing at Toph. "And now she's left to bend what, a pile of dirt? She has to learn to fight with weapons in less than two months…"

"That's more or less the span of time I had to learn swordsmanship with Piandao," said Sokka, shrugging.

"And you've been learning how to fight with weapons since you were a child," said Azula, looking at him skeptically. Sokka frowned. "It's second nature for you. You worked hard to achieve your level of skill, but you're a quick learner. Too quick, as Piandao acknowledged. What are the chances that she'll be just as good with that hammer in two months as you are with your sword?"

"I don't know," Sokka whispered, closing his eyes. "But… we can't give up on her."

"I won't," said Azula, sighing. "I just… wish there was an easier way to help her."

"Heh, things usually don't come easily to those who deserve them," said Sokka, shrugging and smiling at her. "Toph will be much stronger after this. Whether she can learn to bend lava or not, she will be. We'll make sure she can survive the Slate."

"We'd better," said Azula, sighing and nodding. "We'd better."

Sokka reached to take her hand and he kissed her brow softly. Azula leaned closer to him, needing him as a source of stability right now. Her determination to help Toph hadn't faltered, but she suspected lava wouldn't be the answer to their plight.

She frowned heavily as she watched Toph's training. Maybe it wouldn't be easy, but if Toph had two months to train, then Azula would make sure every moment was spent polishing her friend's skills and preparing to face her opponent, too.

"I suppose it's bound to be my turn now, huh?" she asked Sokka. He smiled and shrugged.

"Only if you promise you guys won't tear down the house with your bending, okay?" he said. Azula smiled too now.

"I guess we'll try."

Toph smirked once Azula stepped in for a fight, and unsurprisingly, everyone else scrambled away. The others didn't need to have witnessed the bending brawl Sokka had watched months ago to know that Toph and Azula had enough power to shatter half the Capital when sparring together.

Still, Toph was relegated to using her weapon only, so the fight wasn't nearly as destructive as it could be. As she sparred against the earthbender, Azula found that her friend's fighting instincts were just as good with weapons as with her bending: her fears were slightly doused for it. Maybe she hadn't been born to fight with weapons, but maybe Toph Beifong would still prove to be a terrific fighter, even without her bending.