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...

161. Chapter 161: The Fire Lord's Shadow 3

The inn stood in the outskirts of Caldera's crater. It wasn't an impressive building: it clearly served those who couldn't afford any better lodgings than the measly ones it provided. The thought gave Sokka pause as he crossed the threshold, following Rhone and his sponsor into the main room of the inn, which had been adapted into a small tavern. Could Rhone really not afford better than such a low-rate inn? He had never lost a match in the Superior League, from what Sokka knew. Something about his humble living seemed odd, but perhaps Rhone's sense of dissent towards the Fire Nation urged him to never partake in their luxuries.

Rui Shi and his four fellow guards followed them into the inn. Sokka didn't know for sure who else was amongst them, though he had read Azula's reaction well enough to know Renkai was one of them. The identities of the others were mysteries and would likely continue to be unless they spoke and he recognized their voices.

"What now?" Rui Shi asked him: Rhone had taken his seat at a table, while his sponsor spoke to the bartender. "We can keep an eye on these guys, no doubt, but…"

"But you don't want to spend your entire day here," Sokka finished for him. He guessed Rui Shi was grimacing under his helmet upon the very prospect of not seeing his girlfriend at all today. "It's okay. I'll just talk with Rhone, set a few things straight… I don't think I need to work too hard to rule him out as a suspect entirely by now. But, to stay on the safe side… could you and the others chat with his sponsor?"

"And provide you with privacy?" Rui Shi suggested. "We could lead him to another table, I suppose. We'd still keep an eye on you and the other gladiator, but you'd be free to talk at leisure…"

"That'd be a great help, actually. Thanks," said Sokka, smiling at him. "And of course, the sponsor might be easier to crack, so you might settle this sooner than I could. Just find out if they have any sketchy allegiances, like…"

"The White Lotus?" Rui Shi asked, right away. Sokka shrugged.

"It's worth asking. Could be they're on a killer rampage now," Sokka said, rolling his eyes. "Wouldn't be a surprise, considering their track record."

"Admittedly," said Rui Shi. "Then we're to figure out if they have any other associates, and I suppose to confirm their locations on the days of each crime…"

"If you can get that out of the sponsor," said Sokka, with a weak grin. "Thanks for the help."

"Oh, we're under orders here, no less," Rui Shi declared. Sokka smirked. "I'm doing you no favors."

"Sure. That's why you asked me what else you could do, huh?" said Sokka, shaking his head. "It's alright if you like working with me, Rui Shi, no need to act so cold and aloof…"

"I'm not… acting," Rui Shi grunted, folding his arms over his chest. Sokka chuckled and waved a hand in his direction.

"Get something to drink and gather whatever intel you can from him while you're at it. Drunk men tend to have loose lips," Sokka said, walking towards Rhone. He heard Rui Shi sighing in defeat behind him: the guard's attempts to play the unwilling partner to Sokka clearly hadn't paid off as well as he wished they had.

But Sokka was about to face Rhone again, and Rui Shi's stoic pretense went forgotten once he forced himself to focus on the Kinslayer alone. Sokka stopped beside the gladiator's chosen table, and he eyed Rhone warily as the man sat slumped on his chair. He only regarded Sokka with a raised eyebrow.

"You think I coated that chair with poison?" Rhone asked. Sokka glanced at it warily now, frowning. "Your paranoia is concerning. Perhaps you need an intervention."

"Well, I really must be in bad shape, mentally, if I'm genuinely being told to find help by someone like yourself…" said Sokka, pulling out the chair and taking his seat. Nothing felt off so far, so Rhone's comment on the poisoned chairs truly was a simple attempt to bicker with Sokka. Not that Sokka hadn't guessed as much right away… but it couldn't hurt to be careful around the man.

"I told you we're more similar than you want to admit," said Rhone, raising his eyebrows.

"Then maybe we ought to book an appointment together," said Sokka, with a fake smile. "Should be lots of fun."

"We'd send any professionals running away within five minutes," said Rhone. Sokka scoffed.

"You really think they'd endure us for that long?" he asked. To his surprise, Rhone gave him a crooked smile.

"Well, your sense of humor is more refined these days, if nothing else. Less jokes about farts and boogers, I suppose," said Rhone. Sokka smiled too.

"I've learned a thing or two about how to hold the most ridiculous conversations and arguments with people, if you must know," he said. "You, on the other hand… your sense of humor needs more work. Too dry, too dark, probably only amuses you…"

"And who else should I amuse?" Rhone asked. "I'm not here to please anyone, and you shouldn't be either."

"I get the feeling you haven't made anyone happy in so long that you forgot how nice it is to receive a genuine smile from someone…" Sokka said, his words tentative now. Rhone frowned. "And as you forgot, you act as though it was all completely irrelevant to you now. Yup."

"I said we needed an intervention, not that you ought to stage one," said Rhone. Sokka shrugged.

"Could be you just need someone to point out you're nowhere near as mysterious and scary as you like to think you are."

"Says the guy who nearly got cleaved in half by me the last time we came to blows."

"Nearly, indeed. I wouldn't be so careless the next time," said Sokka, waving his hand dismissively. Rhone smirked.

"Next time? You seriously think you'd survive another fight against me?"

"Do you think you would survive against me?" Sokka responded. "I wouldn't be all that sure, if I were you. No doubt, I don't want to kill people, but… I've done it before. I could do it again."

"Just, not the Fire Lord. Not the Princess either, you're far too taken with her to even think about it," said Rhone. Sokka didn't even blink. "What? Not going to deny it?"

"Why bother?" Sokka said, shrugging. Rhone scoffed.

"To think you have such poor taste in…"

"Hey!" Sokka said, leering at Rhone. "If you can't tell she's beautiful, you're the one who's visually impaired."

"It's not about visual impairment," said Rhone, scowling. "She's the daughter of the Fire Lord, you fool! How could you possibly feel anything towards someone like that?"

"Uh… but you admit, then, that she's beautiful," Sokka said. Rhone looked at him in disbelief. "You see, you could say I have poor taste in women all you want, but if you were that blind, man, I'd really worry about you…"

"If the only thing you're seeing about her is her physical attributes, then…" said Rhone, but he stopped midsentence before frowning. "Then, well… I'm not sure if that's better or worse, truthfully. At least it would mean you don't support her, or what she does… but it would mean you think her appearance is more important than the damage she's done to the world."

"Heh," Sokka blurted out, unthinking. "Damage she's done to the world… that's funny."

"Funny?" Rhone asked, baring his teeth.

"Did you know she's, at least, partially responsible for the South Pole's new, prolonged period of peace?" Sokka said. Rhone's eyes twitched open. "Or that she saw to it that a massive operation would be held to return the goods stolen from Earth Kingdom people, after they were robbed by Fire Nation criminals? Oh, how about the fact that she's currently undertaking the massive task of readapting homeless Fire Nation citizens into society? And, ah, can't forget that she recently stood up to her father about the treatment of slaves, and admittedly, he only shut her down, but she intends to keep trying to create laws that will punish anyone guilty of slave mistreatment?"

Rhone was left to blink in disbelief while Sokka stared at him matter-of-factly. Even as Rhone's sponsor placed a tall bottle before Rhone, the man didn't respond. Only when the sponsor handed another drink to Sokka, which Sokka paid him promptly for, did Rhone finally snap out of his paralysis.

"You're making that up," he said. Sokka scoffed: upon detecting a new argument would brew between the two men, the sponsor ducked away quickly, returning to the table with the guards.

"Right. Because someone who has lived alongside Azula for practically three years now happens to not know her as well as the loser who's only seen her twice in his life."

"Doesn't make you any less of a loser," Rhone grunted. Sokka smiled. "I don't buy it. If any of that is true, she's merely doing it to…"

"To trick me, no doubt, to make me think she's good just so I fall head over heels for her," said Sokka, rolling his eyes. "She sure tricked me good, totally stole my dignity and my brains and now I'm just a drooling moron chasing after her and parroting all her great achievements to anyone who asks."

"That… sounds about right, yes. At least you're still self-aware enough about it," said Rhone. Sokka rolled his eyes.

"Just pretend, then, for a minute or two, that what I've just told you is the absolute truth and that you're in the wrong," said Sokka, looking at him skeptically. "How exactly can she be judged for the harm she's done to the world when the worst she's ever done has been… to me, I guess?"

"She enslaved you, kidnapped you, dragged you away from your home," said Rhone, his eyes narrow now. "And, of course, brainwashed…"

"I said you were going to pretend I was right for a short moment, so please, let's stick to that for now," Sokka said. Rhone sighed.

"Fine. Then she still enslaved and kidnapped you. Whatever experiences you suffered, they're her direct fault," said Rhone.

"Therefore, if it's a matter of justice, I ought to be who decides how she should make up for the wrong she did," said Sokka. Rhone raised his eyebrows. "What?"

"I have no idea what that means," he said. "Do you mean… do you punish her by tormenting her with bad jokes all day? By farting and pulling out your boogers like when you were six…?"

"I wouldn't do that!" Sokka exclaimed, the seriousness of the conversation quickly deflated by that latest comment. Rhone still eyed him warily.

"Then how on earth is she atoning for what she did to you?" he asked. Sokka huffed.

"I just told you, didn't I?" he said. "She's helped people, and she's been doing it for years now. Heck, I think she's made it such a habit that she doesn't know how not to help others anymore."

"How charitable of her," said Rhone, rolling his eyes. "So, you think your sacrifice was a necessity, so she would become a better person, then?"

"I-I didn't say…"

"She's charitable, and you're noble. What a match you make," he said, derisively. "Is that the recipe for your apparently legendary partnership? Being in love with her?"

"If it were, it's no skin off my back," said Sokka, shrugging. "Shooting for the stars can kill a man, no doubt, but at least he'll die looking at the most beautiful, if unattainable, sight."

"Goodness, you've grown corny. That was revolting," said Rhone, shuddering as Sokka smirked. "And truly, the most beautiful? You've been away from home too long…"

"So have you," said Sokka, raising an eyebrow. "Water Tribe women are certainly beautiful, but… I can't say anyone compares."

"Someone would have outdone her, for sure," Rhone grunted. Sokka frowned, noticing the man's semblance had darkened suddenly.

"Say what?"

"Truthfully, considering the kind of loss you went through… I can't understand how you can look at your sponsor's pretty face and not see the same eyes of those butchers who broke your family apart," Rhone growled. Sokka frowned. "I think that's what has angered me the most about you, ever since I first heard about your fabled partnership. What sort of man could extend a helping hand to the granddaughter of the beast who commanded all those raids?"

"The sort of man who realizes his pride, dignity and honor hinge on more than just on standing his ground," Sokka responded. "Too many people mistake those things with stubbornness, you see…"

"Don't patronize me," said Rhone, glaring at him. Sokka wasn't deterred.

"Azula had nothing to do with any of what happened in those raids," he said, his voice firm. "She was a child at the time, just as we were. And I won't hold her responsible for the crimes of her forefathers."

"Oh, so that justifies her just fine, then, doesn't it?" said Rhone, rolling his eyes. "Meanwhile, you condemn me for what I…"

"You know something funny?" Sokka said, before taking a swig off his drink. "You killed your parents, right? Well, guess who's a likely kinslayer, such as yourself? Why, none other than Fire Lord Ozai! People believe he may have killed his dad, and anyone with common sense thinks that's just a grand display of how much of a self-serving jackass Ozai really is. Somehow, though, you're sure in your case it indicates something much nicer, something to actually be proud of?"

"Y-you're really…" said Rhone, and Sokka could see he had definitely touched a nerve, one of the few Rhone still couldn't control. "Stop speaking of what you don't understand, and don't you fucking compare me to that demon…"

"Might as well keep doing it, then I might convince you to tell me what it is I apparently don't understand," said Sokka, folding his arms over his chest. "What is it, then? Did your parents actually inform on the Water Tribe to the Fire Nation, after all?"

When Rhone's rage froze, replaced by shock, Sokka's heart sank. How he had wanted Rhone to say otherwise… to assure him that no, that wasn't it.

But that response was enough to speak for itself. Sokka gritted his teeth, despite himself. He hadn't expected confirmation of this hypothesis to hurt as much as it did.

"H-how did you…?" said Rhone, eyes wide now. "Why would you figure that out…?"

"No one else knew about the last waterbender in the south," said Sokka. "At least, no one who had left the Tribe prior to that final raid. Any current member of the tribe would have struggled too much to find a way to contact the Fire Nation to report about it, and to what end? Nothing changed, no one left over the course of the fifteen years after that last raid, and we were still plagued by the soldiers later on: if there had been a traitor among us, they would have gained nothing after that raid."

"But you knew there was a source?" Rhone said. "You… it sounds like you've pondered this."

"I found out about that recently," Sokka confessed. "Admiral Zhao told me… he talked to me about the raids. He mentioned there was a source, offered to investigate it for me, but I… I didn't really want him to."

"Why not?" said Rhone. Sokka sighed.

"Because even if it means your parents probably deserved what you did to them, I didn't want to think of anyone I held fond memories of as the architects of my mother's murder," Sokka said, shaking his head. "I probably shouldn't even have asked y-…"

"Your mother?" Rhone asked, eyes wider yet. Sokka blinked blankly. "What… what do you mean, your mother?"

"I mean… well, that's the part that does remain mysterious, even now," said Sokka, lowering his gaze. "I'm assuming my mother must have lied to those soldiers, told them she was the waterbender, and sacrificed herself for Katara's sake. Because the one who died that day was…"

"Not Katara," said Rhone, and Sokka wasn't sure whether to glare at the sudden brightness in Rhone's face, or to punch him for it immediately.

"Well, that's a nice amount of empathy you're displaying. I guess killing your parents means you think all of us can do without ours, huh?" he chose to say, bitterly. To his surprise, Rhone seemed to shrink upon those words.

"I… I didn't mean to sound like your mother's sacrifice was a relief," he said. "But I… you know how I felt about your sister."

Sokka frowned, confused. He raised his eyebrow slowly before eyeing Rhone warily.

"Wait a minute… you were a kid!" he exclaimed, inching away from the table instinctively. "She was, what, four? Rhone, for crying out loud…!"

"It doesn't mean she wasn't special!" Rhone growled. "I mean, you were my best friend when we were six, too! Are you going to act like that shouldn't mean anything to us anymore either?"

"I'm not saying that, it's just… can you really treat a childhood crush as the romance of your lifetime?" Sokka asked, grimacing. "I guess, if you want to, you can, but…"

"She's the reason I did it," Rhone said, scowling. Sokka froze. "And do enlighten me: if someone was responsible for the murder of your dear Princess, wouldn't you bleed them to death too?"

The question sat ill in Sokka's heart. Perhaps, in some ways, Rhone was right to draw parallels between them both: Sokka actually had a relationship with the woman he loved, though. Rhone had been willing to kill someone for the childhood crush he used to have on Sokka's younger sister… it felt a lot weirder to him.

And yet… and yet Sokka knew he would stop at nothing. Truthfully, he would be lost in grief he could never be consoled from if Azula was killed. And he knew he would be capable of dark things if something like that happened…

"You brought your weapons with you to defend her from me," Rhone said, his voice deep. "You were ready to kill me if I was hostile towards her, I know you were. So don't play dumb now. If I'm rotten, so are you."

Sokka lowered his gaze, watching his bottle with uncertainty before closing his eyes.

"I guess I am," he said, surprising even Rhone. "Truthfully… I've never thought otherwise."

"Oh? Then you really are self-aware?" Rhone said. Sokka shrugged.

"If you think I don't go home because I'm too comfortable, well, that at least would sound obnoxious rather than cowardly," said Sokka, with a soft laugh that reflected no true amusement. "Truth is, I… I always thought I deserved my fate in the Amateur League. I put my men at risk in an operation I was arrogant about. An operation my father told me not to pursue. I wanted to force the Fire Nation out of the South Pole, but… I failed. Azula stopped me. She was too much for me to handle, an undefeatable enemy, and… and I spent two years anguished, not knowing if my Tribe was still standing or not. Not knowing if my stupid, blind mistake had destroyed everyone I loved.

"When I met Azula again, she told me she hadn't sent any soldiers after my men, so they successfully escaped… and that meant my family was, quite likely, still alive. But that meant… that still meant I failed them. If I'd listened to my father, I would've never been caught in the first place. And even now, I can't really imagine him welcoming me with open arms. I endangered everyone by acting as I did, and… I guess he may have thought my fate was no less than I deserved."

Rhone frowned, but not dismissively this time. He seemed to be in deep thought, pondering what Sokka was saying.

"So… you're saying you wouldn't go home even if she let you?" Rhone said. Sokka huffed.

"She's offered to take me," he answered. Rhone's eyes widened. "The one holding back is me, not her. She… she knows she wouldn't be well-received, but…"

"But she knows your tribe matters to you, too?" Rhone said, raising his eyebrows. "Sounds… awfully convenient."

"Again with that?" Sokka groaned, but Rhone shook his head.

"I don't mean it like that, merely… it's ridiculously lucky that you'd find yourself with the one person with the resources and willingness to provide whatever you may wish for," he said. "And yet you can't gather the courage to face your people."

"Are you going to pretend you'd be any better?" Sokka asked. Rhone didn't respond right away.

"I suppose I wouldn't be," he said, after a moment. "I suppose… I only dared seek you out upon hearing you were working for her, because… because I could lead myself to think you were just as bad as I was, if not worse. I still didn't want to believe you would have stooped so low, though, because…"

"Because you'd soiled your hands, but you didn't want those you cared about to do the same thing," said Sokka, raising his eyes to meet Rhone's.

Rhone kept his silence, but Sokka knew it wasn't in a hostile manner anymore. The deadliness, ever clear on Rhone's blue eyes, was somehow absent right now.

"I guess maybe… maybe we do understand each other in more ways than we ever wanted to," Sokka whispered. Rhone sighed.

"Just look at us. After all our dreams of glory, of ending the war for our Tribe's benefit…" said Rhone, shaking his head. "And here we are, exiled and isolated, unwelcome among our own…"

"Truthfully, even after I know why you did it, I…" said Sokka, shaking his head. "I still think you should've gone to the Northern Water Tribe's council. To anyone with the authority to punish them properly…"

"Just so, I think you should rebel against the Princess, no matter what kindnesses she may show you, because you can't trust any ashmakers," said Rhone, curtly.

"Again, a stalemate," said Sokka, sighing. Rhone smiled a little.

"Could it ever be any different?" Rhone said. "We were friends once, but if we cannot forgive each other's crimes… then we can never stop fighting each other either."

"Really?" Sokka asked, raising his eyebrows. "Can't we? I mean… granted, I'm hardly your biggest fan, but… had someone told me I'd have a civilized enough conversation with you tonight, I would have never believed it. Yet here we are."

"Here we are," Rhone agreed, closing his eyes. "I never did intend to tell you the truth about… about why I did what I did. I suppose, despite myself, I wanted you to either never understand it or to figure it out on your own."

"I didn't expect to tell you, of all people, why I didn't fight my hardest to go home, either," Sokka confessed. "Seems like we really are a sorry excuse for the legacy of the Southern Water Tribe."

"At the very least I'm not in love with the enemy," said Rhone, lifting his bottle at last and taking a long drink from it. Sokka snorted.

"No, you're in love with the memory of my four-year-old sister," Sokka huffed. Rhone coughed into his beverage. "I mean, sure, she's not four anymore but… yeah, if she's anything like she still was when I last saw her, you sure wouldn't be all swoony over her, I tell you…"

"Nonsense," said Rhone, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "She's surely far more beautiful than your precious Princess, too."

"Yeah, not a chance," said Sokka, smirking. "No brother you'll ever meet will ever say their sister is the most beautiful woman in the world. Zuko is Azula's brother, and she sure is the most beautiful one, and he would never think so simply because he's her brother. See?"

"So, I could be right, but you'd never agree because you're her brother?" Rhone asked. Sokka snorted.

"Considering you have no idea what she looks like anymore, I can't say you have any right to declare who's more beautiful," Sokka said. "How do you know she doesn't have huge warts all over her face by now? Or maybe she wears the most horrible makeup? Maybe she shaved her head completely! Maybe her clothes are all mismatched and…!"

"Stop talking nonsense," Rhone growled. Sokka chuckled as the Kinslayer shook his head. "It doesn't really matter who she is now, what matters to me is who she was. And she was kind, and good, and I cared about her. That is all."

"Yeah, yeah… You just idealize her because you weren't her brother, she didn't laugh when tiger seals ate your pants…" Sokka grumbled under his breath. Rhone actually smiled.

"I wager anyone would've laughed if they'd witnessed that, not just your sister," Rhone declared. Sokka scoffed.

"Sure, sure," he said, rolling his eyes.

The two drained their bottles slowly. The strange sense of calm, the welcome absence of hostility, was nothing either man had expected tonight. But perhaps some bonds could still be recovered, regardless of how estranged they might be.

Yet Sokka hadn't come here with the intent of figuring out Rhone's past, or his motivations to slay those he never should have killed. He placed his empty bottle on the table, trying to ignore the mild light-headedness he felt right now.

"Why are you here?" he asked Rhone, his voice nowhere near as threatening as it had been in the Grand Royal Dome. "Why now, Rhone?"

Despite the surprising, practically positive turn the conversation had had, Sokka dreaded Rhone would simply shut down now and refuse to give him a straight-forward answer. The progress they'd made during this conversation didn't change their very opposite views on the world, or the bitter rivalry they'd developed after that single fight, so…

"I don't know," Rhone said suddenly, surprising Sokka. The Blue Wolf's eyes widened. "My sponsor insisted we had to come. It's why I'm… why I'm being much crueler to him than usual."

"Oh? So, this isn't how you treat him every day?" Sokka asked, surprised. Rhone shook his head.

"I told him I didn't want to come," Rhone growled. "I didn't want to be anywhere near the Fire Lord, or his daughter, or…"

"Me," Sokka finished. Rhone shrugged.

"You didn't want me here either, so I doubt you'll feel insulted," said Rhone. Sokka shook his head.

"I don't," he said. "Though I'm surprised you complied. Why did you?"

"Why else?" said Rhone, huffing and taking the last swig of his drink, finishing the bottle. "Where better to find ashmakers to slay in the ring than here? I know you're a pacifist, you don't want to hurt anyone… but enough gladiators are as bad as I am. And a lot of those are in the Fire Nation Capital. I've beaten them all so far, but… it hasn't been as easy as I thought it'd be."

"And that's why you haven't killed anyone else," Sokka said. Rhone grunted. "Hey, I prefer it when you don't, believe me. If anything… you should know that firebending gladiators can be slaves. Azula told me the Fire Lord is willing to demote anyone into slavery for any insults against him. She saw it happen before her eyes, once. Heck, there's some firebending gladiators, like the Millennium Dragon, who were born in the Earth Kingdom to a firebending parent and an Earth Kingdom one, so…"

"So, I can't assume I know who they are or why they fight merely because they can bend fire," Rhone droned, his voice monotonous in a mocking way. Sokka rolled his eyes.

"You really just won't listen to anything I say if it's inconvenient for you, huh?" he said. Rhone huffed.

"You hold so much value for their lives, when you know they are worthless. All our lives are worthless, in the end," said Rhone, closing his eyes. "Why not use them as we see fit? We won't have rewards for doing what's supposed to be right. We won't regain what we lose, we won't take back the harm done against us. Why bother worrying about fitting within norms or regulations or…?"

"Life is worthless?" Sokka said, raising his eyebrows. Rhone looked at him skeptically.

"Are you about to get preachy on me again?" Rhone asked. Sokka smiled and shook his head.

"I guess… you learned that early on, didn't you?" he whispered. Rhone frowned.

"What do you…?"

"That cave," said Sokka. Rhone's fingers tightened into a fist. "The one I… the one I led you into, where you nearly died. Being on the edge of death can change someone, and… you experienced it at such young age. I'm only guessing, of course… I'm probably wrong. But whatever happened in that cave, you were a different person afterwards. You seemed… dead inside. Like you'd lost your soul inside those ice walls. Like you'd lost your will to live."

Rhone stayed silent now, though his fists trembled. It wasn't an overtly emotional reaction, but one that clearly was beyond Rhone's control. Sokka eyed him warily.

"If I'd been in your place, I can't say I wouldn't have reacted any differently," he said. "After all those years in the Amateur League, after nearly being murdered by a White Lotus ploy and only being saved when Azula performed what was nothing short of a miracle… I've brushed against death enough times to know how terrifying it is to die, and how painful it is to grow aware of how meaningless life can feel, in the larger scale of things. Who would even miss me, if I'm gone? What would be any different if I died? Would my death help others, or harm them further?

"I've found answers to those questions, myself. But… maybe you haven't."

Sokka stared at Rhone thoughtfully, no judgment in his blue eyes. Rhone stared at him in disbelief, again in a more honest display of emotions than any he had made before. Had Sokka hit the nail on the head, after all?

"Life is fleeting, yes. And it can feel meaningless, no doubt. It's why most people strive to give it meaning, to do something that makes them proud," said Sokka, sighing. "Being aware of how fragile life is can be both a blessing and a curse. You'll never sleep as soundly again. But you'll find a certain freedom, too, I guess… since you know the world doesn't depend on you. You know it will keep on spinning even when you're not there to watch it happen."

"And yet you allow this curse to weigh you down instead of exploiting that freedom…" Rhone whispered.

"I've exploited my freedom plenty, no doubt," said Sokka. "I've taken risks, put my life on the line more times than I can count… but yeah, I've always done it for things I actually find value in. Why risk my life, why risk other people's lives, for something that I know doesn't matter?"

"And that's why you don't kill other gladiators?" said Rhone.

"I have no right to play god," said Sokka. "I don't want to pretend I can determine who should live and who should die. I have killed in order to survive, and I would again, if I had no choice. But killing others isn't a fun hobby, you know?"

"It pays off, in the Gladiator Business," said Rhone, shaking his head. "I get to kill whatever I want to kill, and I get paid for it. It's better than nothing."

"And what about the day when someone kills you?" Sokka asked, raising his eyebrows. "What if another gladiator finally gets you?"

"At that point, I'll just wither away and hope I'm quickly forgotten," said Rhone. Sokka looked at him in disbelief. "Life is, indeed, fleeting. Why should any of us pretend otherwise? Creatures don't mourn for a lifetime; they will move on after a member of the pack is slain. Wanting to be memorable, to leave behind a legacy, is nothing but vanity."

"I guess the notion of leaving behind a better world than the one you were born into is simply outrageous to you, isn't it?"

"It is, in fact," said Rhone, crossing his arms over his chest. "Nothing will matter once we're dead."

"Say there is an afterlife, if just to humor me," said Sokka, smiling a little. "Even that wouldn't make you think differently?"

"Why should it?" said Rhone. "By then I'd act the same way I have so far."

"Heh… I can't believe it's easier to get Azula to rethink her life and decisions than it is to do it with you," Sokka said, shaking his head but slumping on his chair in defeat. "As you'll have it. But… you don't gain anything from killing those you don't have to kill."

"And I don't gain anything by not killing them either," said Rhone.

"You could regain a friend," Sokka said, shrugging. "Is that a weak incentive?"

Rhone frowned with unease. Sokka sighed and glanced back at where the rest of Azula's guards sat, with Rhone's sponsor. The younger man seemed uneasy, something unsurprising, as he was in the most ominous company imaginable.

"Why would you offer to be my friend again, despite all I…?" Rhone asked, looking at Sokka in disbelief. Sokka shrugged.

"Because I've done things you can't forgive, and you've done things I can't forgive. It can mean we're meant to fight forevermore because of those things… but it could also mean we can try to look beyond our differences and make this an opportunity to get along in spite of them."

"It sounds beyond wishful," said Rhone. "Especially when you know I'll never approve of your girlfriend."

"Oh, that's fine, just call her that to her face and she'll give you a beating so bad that you won't have to worry about anything else ever again," said Sokka, with a sarcastic grin. Rhone smirked.

"Sounds like you're unrequited, then," he said. "Or is it she prefers another term? Is that what you meant?"

"You know damn well what I meant," said Sokka, with a sad smile. "C'mon, you know I'm a disaster, and the worst possible match in terms of romance. What noblewoman wants to get entangled with a slave?"

"That's… not an answer," said Rhone, frowning. Sokka looked at him skeptically.

"You really think it's not? Do I have to spell everything out for you?" he said. Rhone shook his head.

"Certainly not. I think I understand," he said. "The Fire Nation and its social hierarchy are disgusting."

"Yeah, it really does make you miss home a lot," Sokka sighed. "Some of us did get some preferential treatment, I won't deny it… but I never really looked down on anyone else. I always felt that we were a pretty big family."

"I guess we were. You only realize how valuable it was once you lose it," said Rhone, closing his eyes. "Especially when you know you'll never have that feeling back."

"I… I think maybe we could," said Sokka. Rhone scoffed. "I know, what are the odds, really? But… I've seen crazier miracles happen. One day I'll go back and… you ought to come along, too. I know you won't want to explain the truth, but… you could see my sister again, though don't expect me to give you guys my blessing or anything like that."

"I wouldn't have," said Rhone, but he raised an eyebrow. "You'd trust me near your sister?"

"Trust is a strong word, but… I admit, if your feelings for her are as strong as mine for… uh, well," said Sokka, rubbing his forehead with his fingertips. "Either way, if you hurt her, I'd kill you, but I'm hoping you won't be as stupid as to do that. And heck, for all we know, she might be the one to kill you first…"

"Was she that advanced with her waterbending?" Rhone asked.

"Not when I last saw her, but… she's been leading our warriors, from what I heard once I was here," said Sokka. "She might have become a much stronger fighter by now."

"Huh…" said Rhone, but he smiled a little. "Sounds good. I always did think it was stupid not to let women fight, too."

"Yeah, it was…" Sokka sighed. "Took me a while to see it, but… it really is."

"Well, then… maybe I'll take you up on that one day," Rhone said. Sokka's eyes widened. "Maybe. Don't get your hopes up."

"Heh, it's okay, I won't get too excited. It's just, you know, if you're there they'll judge you much more harshly than they'll judge me, so it'd make my return home so much smoother…"

"Until I tell them you've been writing love poems for Princess Azula."

"Hey! I don't do it that often!"

"Curses, I bet they're terrible."

It was hard to believe that he would laugh with Rhone – or that Sokka would laugh, while Rhone merely smirked –, but after all these years, Sokka knew better than to take his destiny for granted. He couldn't know if this temporary truce with Rhone would last, but at the very least, it was good enough for now. Whatever came in the future, whatever crimes he had yet to commit, Sokka was as good as certain by now that the current disappearances weren't his doing.

He continued to swap stories and laugh alongside the man who once had been an innocent child, just like himself. A broken man, whose soul was stained with crimes he could never shake off, but also a man who was proving he could still find value in the companionship he had treasured long ago…

---

The same story had repeated itself this time. The onlookers in the location of the new attack had all spoken the same way Firey Nightmare had: this time, the victim had been caught in a whirlwind of smoke. Within seconds the smoke had dissipated to reveal nothing but ashes where the man had stood, scattering into the winds. No sign was left of the man, not enough to determine whether his apparent calcination had been real or a collective hallucination, if that was possible…

Azula paced over the crime scene, a street in the areas of lower income in the Capital. The soldiers were still asking their questions, but she doubted the witnesses would say anything else that might enlighten the Domestic Forces about what kind of foe they were facing. If they had any more information to disclose, they would have offered it by now.

The very air felt thick with something disgusting, Azula realized. Maybe it was just her imagination, but she'd assumed many things were her imagination before, only to find later on that they were very much real. This could be one of them.

Determined not to take this feeling for granted, Azula decided to examine the scene closely. There had to be something others hadn't picked up, ashes caught in small crevices or amidst the piled bags of trash outside a few of the houses. Maybe stuck on the walls, roofs, anything…

Ashes, though. Ashes. The description was so specific on both accounts that it couldn't be a simple coincidence: ashes were at play here. And where there were ashes, a fire had burned before. That was how it worked, naturally.

She frowned at that thought before turning towards one of the witnesses who had been dismissed by now – he had disregarded the command, wanting to stay until the soldiers said anything conclusive, which they likely wouldn't. Azula was fortunate that he had decided to stick around, however.

"You witnessed the incident, didn't you?" Azula asked. The man jumped, eyes wide upon being addressed directly by the Princess.

"I-I did! Yes!" he said, bowing deeply towards her. Azula rolled her eyes and gestured at him to stand upright again.

"I appreciate the honors, but all I need is for you to answer a simple question," Azula said, fiercely. "Did it look like firebending, at any point in time?"

"W-what, the incident?" said the man, blinking blankly. Azula nodded. "W-well, I saw no fire, no… The smoke was too thick to see anything."

"Smoke… and ash," Azula said, with a small laugh of disbelief.

Both products of fire… though most firebenders could produce fire with limited smoke, to avoid hindering their own eyesight during battle, or choking upon losing their breath because of excessive smoke. Who would ever generate such thick smoke that their fire could not be seen?

But that wasn't so hard to guess, actually: a firebender who wanted to hide their crime could, possibly, produce a very literal smokescreen. Only, she had never heard of a smokescreen thick enough that prevented any light within from escaping it. That, specifically, felt odd…

Still, smoke and ashes were more than enough to suspect some sort of firebending was involved in these crimes. Azula walked away from the nervous commoner, who seemed to want to say something else to her, maybe to try to seem memorable in her eyes, but Azula's attention had been diverted and it wouldn't return to him anytime soon.

She breathed deeply, disliking the unpleasant smell she inhaled upon doing that. The only image it evoked in her mind was that of rot, putrefaction… something decaying, turning into a husk of what it used to be. She frowned and closed her eyes, focusing on attuning to her inner fire so she could feel…

She stumbled back when she felt that raw, horrid sensation all over again. The disturbing, rotting feeling…

It was the feeling she'd experienced when Iroh had been displeased by her performance in the ceremony.

The same feeling that had driven her to her father's office not that long ago, where she had found nothing in the corners and shadows in the place where that unpleasant feeling lingered.

It was here. It was permeating the entire area, but it permeated nothing quite as strongly as the very crime scene she was trying to inspect. If anything, it seemed to be its source…

Wary, she lifted her hand and shot a blast of fire in the direction of the crime scene. People were startled, the soldiers looked at her with uncertainty, but the fire simply crossed the air and dissipated normally after a few moments. There really was nothing there…

So maybe this was a residue of some sort, Azula reasoned. During the ceremony, and in the Palace, it had actually felt stronger than this rotting feeling. So, whatever it was, it was leaving a trail of the same disgusting kind of fire that composed it. For it had to be fire of some sort, or else Azula wouldn't be able to sense it at all. But how could fire take such a gruesome form…? The thought was disturbing…

This wasn't the first time such a crime had occurred. Azula frowned, thinking back on all the vanished sponsors: had they all been taken out the same way? It might just be the case, but if so… if so, there was only one way to confirm it.

She closed her eyes and summoned Xin Long immediately. She couldn't leave this theory up in the air. She seemed to have found the key to unraveling this mystery, and she intended to use it, even if she already suspected that the truth would be nothing short of disturbing.

"Princess?" the captain of the Domestic Forces called her. "Are you alright? Is there anything we can…?"

"Keep investigating. I have to go," Azula said. The soldier looked at her in surprise.

"You… what? Where are you going?" he asked.

"I may have a lead, but it's going to take time to unravel it," Azula said. "For now, keep searching as you have so far. I'll let you know if there's anything you can do to help me."

"Then…"

The soldier fell silent immediately as wind buffeted Azula from behind. She turned quickly to find Xin Long landing behind her. The dragon groaned softly at her before she leapt onto his saddle, and without another word, they sped away into the sky. The soldiers had nothing to do but watch her in confusion and awe, as did the witnesses who had remained in the scene.

Azula flew upwards, clutching at Xin's reins as they reached a point from where they could see the entire city. Azula breathed deeply and closed her eyes, concentrating fully on her resonance. Xin Long did the same, enhancing the power of Azula's resonance with his own…

A burst of rot. And another. And another.

Azula flinched, almost feeling as though she was going to fall off the saddle. More of that rotting feeling, so much more of it, spread out in five, ten, fifteen, twenty… thirty-three spots of the city.

It was nauseating, wrong, twisted. Her entire inner fire seemed to reject existing at the same time and place as all those dark, corrupted flames…

"What is…? What is this madness?" she asked, clutching at Xin Long desperately now. She wanted to turn off the resonance, yet her body seemed to disobey her, frozen cold in the face of the horrors she was sensing.

She had never conceived herself as a beacon of purity, or righteousness… but however messed up she believed herself to be, it was nothing compared to the putrefaction she sensed from that foreign fire. And as she knew now that it was fire, then it also meant…

"They're dead," Azula whispered, pressing her head to the back of Xin Long's neck. "All of them, more of them… people have been vanishing in this city for longer than anyone realized, and now… they have to be dead. They crumbled to ashes because of whoever attacked them with that rotting fire, and…"

She had to cover her mouth with her hands, disgust rushing inside her in the form of bile. She had never felt quite as sick. There was something rotten in the Fire Nation indeed, and she had no idea how to fight it off. She had no idea what to do about it, because she still couldn't understand what it was, in the first place.

Xin Long flew up and to the east, pulling Azula away from the unpleasant sensations. It took a while for Azula to finally force herself to stop using her resonance skills: she felt better once she didn't sense all the fire around her, but her mind was still racing with the horrors she had just confirmed. Rhone grew less likely to be the culprit of this spree of crimes, after this: how could a southerner bend the dead, rotting flames responsible for this carnage? It was impossible…

His sponsor and associates were still, perhaps, worth suspecting. But considering the sponsor looked more Earth Kingdom than Fire Nation, what were the odds that he'd be a firebender capable of these murders?

All those factors led her to the one conclusion she didn't want to reach: she would have refused to consider it, outright, if she hadn't sensed this rotting feeling twice before, and in his presence.

Did Ozai have anything to gain from a seemingly random murder spree, though? It seemed unlikely, as he usually only acted in radical ways when he had been provoked… but none of the known victims seemed to have any connection between them other than their manner of death. Why, then…?

The idea of investigating her father's secrets was harrowing. She knew fully well that he didn't disclose all his activities to her… but mass murder to this degree was nothing short of sickening. If it was really his doing… could she find actual evidence? Could she make him stop?

Or was he just another target of the same killer? Had it been chasing him, menacingly, waiting for the right chance to strike at the Fire Lord? Was it, perhaps, merely practicing with the common folk right now before going after the main prize?

She didn't know which of the two possibilities made her feel worse.

Xin Long eventually ferried her back to the city by sundown, but on her request, he took her to Sokka's place instead of the Palace. Azula patted his snout gratefully upon arrival, but she frowned as she strode inside the house to find it was empty.

"Sokka…?" she called out, warily. She received no answer. "Aren't you home yet…?"

How long could this conversation with Rhone take? All he had to do was figure out whether or not Rhone was a viable suspect and, so far, it looked like he wasn't one at all, regardless of Sokka's initial fears. Sokka would reach that conclusion too, no doubt, so why couldn't he just come home already…?

A sense of foreboding grew inside her quickly, one that hadn't festered inside her for a few, blissful weeks, at least. The possibility of losing Sokka had been tangible during the festivals, but at the time she'd had enough control over the situation to put him out of danger. This, though… this reminded her of the Earth Kingdom. Of the worst moment of her life, as she watched Sokka bleed to death in a forest clearing.

That image had been blocked away successfully for some time, but it was easy to evoke it again as soon as she felt unsafe, as soon as fear rose inside her once more. Maybe he wouldn't bleed to death this time, but what if that thing with the rotten fire, whatever it was, targeted him…? She didn't know where Sokka was and tracking down her firebending guards in a city full of firebending soldiers would be as effective as looking for one specific grain of sand in the Si Wong Desert.

She had no choice but to sit on the couch, wrapping her arms around her knees, as she waited. And she planned to wait for as long as she needed to, no matter if she didn't go home to the Palace at all tonight. Anything, so long as she could make sure that he was safe.

---

Talking with Rhone turned out to be a lot less stressful once the more complicated hurdles were out of the way. No doubt, he was still a terrible person in general, and his sense of humor continued to be dreadful, for Sokka's standards, but the worst of the hostility between them dimmed, and it became easier to forget that Sokka had wanted nothing to do with his old friend for the last ten years.

Now, as he returned home with Rui Shi, Sokka wasn't sure what to make of Rhone anymore. No doubt he couldn't trust him yet, and the crime of murdering his parents continued to disturb him, even if his motives were slightly nobler than what Sokka had initially expected. But maybe Rhone could still be salvaged, in some way. Sokka doubted he would ever change his mind about the Fire Nation, at least not completely, but he could perhaps convince Rhone to rebel against it in more effective ways rather than by killing every firebender he could take out in the Gladiator League.

But he certainly didn't think Rhone had anything to do with the crime spree by now. It was unlikely that Rhone would devote his time to killing such diverse targets instead of going for those he had genuine hatred for, such as soldiers, nobles and, most of all, royals.

His wariness of his former friend had blinded him, and he certainly hoped he wasn't being blinded yet again, if in the exact opposite manner, now that he was less hostile towards Rhone. Hopefully Rhone would simply return to Fire Fountain City eventually and whoever was truly responsible for these crimes would be captured soon enough.

"Did you manage to coax anything out of the sponsor?" Sokka asked Rui Shi. The guard shrugged.

"Nothing major," he said. "He keeps to himself. Whatever we asked him, we only got elusive answers. I doubt he trusts soldiers: if you want any of his information, you'll have to obtain it through other means."

"Eh, can't say I'm shocked. If you'd questioned Rhone, he wouldn't have been any use either," said Sokka, as the two of them crossed the fence that led into Sokka's house.

"Did he give you anything useful?" Rui Shi asked. Sokka shrugged.

"Enough that I doubt he's had anything to do with this, by now," he said. "I guess I was too wary, you know? As he's a pretty dangerous guy and he showed up just around the time this started…"

Rui Shi nodded in understanding. Sokka sighed and lifted a hand to the doorknob.

"At any rate, I guess if they had nothing to do with it, we're down to no susp-…"

The door swung open from inside briskly, surprising Sokka. When he saw Azula standing inside the house, he forgot everything he had been telling Rui Shi just now.

"Azula…?" he said, looking at her with uncertainty. "What's wrong? Are you…?"

"You're safe. You're… you're fine," Azula said, nearly stumbling back now as she felt foolish for worrying as much as she had. As soon as she'd heard voices outside, she had rushed to open the door.

"I am, but are you?" Sokka asked, placing his hands on her shoulders and hoping to ground her by doing so. Rui Shi closed the door after the two of them crossed the house's threshold. "Did something happen? You're not usually here this late… I didn't think you'd be waiting for me."

"She's been here for most the afternoon and evening," Song's voice answered. She had been in the kitchen, preparing dinner, but she showed up at the vestibule to welcome Sokka and Rui Shi once she heard Azula speaking. "She got here even before I came home from shopping. You should apologize for making her wait at all."

"W-well, I just had no idea! Had I known you would be here I'd have been on my way much sooner!" Sokka exclaimed, grimacing and looking at Azula with uncertainty.

"Not like you could've known, so… don't worry," she said, but her reassuring words felt empty, somehow. She was relieved he was safe, no doubt… but the usual spark of wit in her words was unexpectedly absent.

"Azula…" Sokka said, cupping her face and frowning. "What's the matter?"

She breathed deeply before walking into his arms, burying her face in his chest. Sokka immediately wrapped her up in his embrace, hoping that would help her feel better. It certainly lifted his spirits to hold her every time, but whatever was plaguing Azula right now felt… unnatural, somehow. Just like everything that had been happening in the Capital these days.

Song and Rui Shi knew better than to stay in the same room as the other two once the mood became as serious as it did. Rui Shi naturally wanted to know why Azula seemed so upset, but years of serving the Princess had taught him how to endure being left in the dark more often than not. So he simply reached out for Song's hand as she offered it, and he joined her in the kitchen.

Sokka's hands held Azula against his body, one on her lower back, the other on the nape of her neck. It was strange how her sorrows seemed less burdensome whenever she found comfort in him: he welcomed her, no matter what was wrong, no matter if she hadn't even explained herself yet. All he knew was that she needed him, and he was always ready to support her when she did. Of all places in the world, Azula only felt truly safe when she was in his arms.

Yet her deepest fears weren't entirely gone yet. She felt herself weakening, over a mix of relief and ever-growing anguish that contradicted itself completely. Her legs trembled, and she knew Sokka had noticed it.

"Okay…" he whispered in her ear, before leaning down slightly to pick her up. "We ought to sit down, don't you think?"

She wanted to answer, but even a simple thank you couldn't be uttered yet. Not just yet. She merely clutched at his shirt, legs wrapping around his waist as he carried her to the crimson couch, the best place in the house for whatever kind of conversation they'd have now.

He sat there, with Azula still nestled in his arms, straddling his hips, but not with the usual erotic intent in mind. Today she merely needed to stay near him, to settle down on some level by feeling his strong heartbeat against her hand.

"Did you find something?" Sokka finally asked, unable to hold back anymore. Azula gritted her teeth.

"I did," she answered, softly. He frowned.

"You did, by yourself?" he asked. "Or…?"

"I haven't told anyone yet," Azula whispered. "I… I don't even know how. I think they're dead, Sokka. All of them… and there's so many of them, too…"

"Wait, what?" said Sokka, looking at her with uncertainty. "So many… what, culprits? Or…?"

"Victims. More than we thought. It's not… it's not just sponsors," she said, gritting her teeth. "People have been vanishing for… I don't know for how long, but no one has noticed until now. And it's all… it's all because of that rotting fire. T-the one I felt, the one I told you about when we were helping Toph…"

"Woah, you felt it again?" Sokka asked, eyes wide. "Is that what's causing this? Then… when the Fiery Nightmare talked about ashes…?"

"He was being literal," said Azula, clutching at him hard. "Whoever's doing this… they're merciless. The bodies vanish, the air and wind will scatter the ashes…"

"How did you realize all this?" Sokka asked, his hand stroking her hair gently, reassuringly. "Your resonance?"

"Yeah," she said. "It's why… it has to be fire, else I couldn't possibly feel it… but it's everywhere in the city, Sokka. Everywhere…"

"How so?" Sokka asked. "Is it a trail, maybe? Or…?"

"I think it leaves strong traces whenever it kills anyone," she said. Sokka frowned heavily. "When I sensed it, it was uneven… scattered, spread out all across the city. The first one I sensed was the latest victim… after that, I asked Xin Long to fly me up high, and we used our resonance to find the traces of these attacks through the city. It's so powerful, and it stands out among all normal traces of fire because… it's corrupt, it's inexplicable, it's like nothing else I've ever seen. But truthfully, I haven't seen… I haven't seen any of it. Since everything crumbles into ashes, there's no trace left of it after it's done. I don't… I don't know what to do."

"Hey…" Sokka said, rubbing her back gently as he felt her trembling against him. Azula had showed him just about every vulnerability she had by now, but it was mortifying to feel her body shivering for the wrong reasons against his own. "Hey, you don't have to figure everything out on your own, Azula…"

"Well, maybe you can help, but who else would?" she scoffed, pulling away slightly, her gaze averting his. "I can't tell anyone about this, Sokka. The only one who doesn't think I'm mental every time something like this comes up is you…"

"Well, I certainly don't think that, but maybe others would take you seriously too," said Sokka, biting his lip. "I mean, Rui Shi is trustworthy, isn't he? Your other guards?"

"I can't," said Azula, shaking her head and pressing her forehead to his shoulder. "I can't drag anyone else into this, Sokka. Not after… not after realizing they're all probably dead. Hell, I'm only telling you because… b-because you're you. But truthfully, just now, I… I couldn't stop thinking it might have gotten you too. Or Rui Shi, or my father, or anyone…"

"Azula…" Sokka whispered, holding her close again and rubbing her back gently.

"Or worse…" she said, clutching at him in uncharacteristic despair, "… that my father might be the one who's sending it out to kill, in the first place."

"What?!" Sokka exclaimed, his hands falling to her waist as he pulled away once more. His eyes were wide, inquisitive, while hers were remorseful. "Your father? Azula…"

"That thing has been near him before," she said, breathing deeply. "Either… either he's a future victim, and it's merely biding its time before killing my father too… or it's working for him. And I honestly don't know… I don't know which of those alternatives is worse. I just know… I just know I can't fight this. I don't even know what I'm up against, s-so how could I fight it? I…"

She frowned suddenly, before casting an uncertain glance at Sokka. He met her gaze, his own eyes charged with confusion.

"I'm rambling about this mess, and I didn't even ask you how things went with Rhone," she said, with a small smile. "I'm unbelievable…"

"Well, all things considered, your news sound a lot darker and more urgent than what I dealt with," said Sokka, biting his lip. "I don't think Rhone has anything to do with this, but… now I know why he killed his parents."

"He told you?" Azula frowned. Sokka shrugged.

"I guessed correctly, rather," he said. Azula gritted her teeth.

"Then… they really were the source for the Southern Raiders?" she whispered, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Sokka…"

"I don't know if I ought to feel better or worse now that I know the truth," he said, with a weak smile. "He's still deeply damaged, though, to an extent that I doubt he'll ever truly heal from it. But… I guess his reason for doing something so terrible doesn't make things any worse than they already were. He was avenging my family… or so he thought. I still think he should have taken his parents to the tribe's elders, so they could choose whatever punishment they deserved, but… it's too late now."

"No doubt. And he made murder his hobby afterwards," Azula growled. "I don't suppose he has any justifications for the gladiators he's killed, does he?"

"Not really. He's not ashamed of being a murderer," Sokka said, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "He also, well… read right through me regarding how I feel about you. I figured it would be better to admit my feelings, but to hide what's happened between us so far…"

"Good. Did he buy it?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"I think he did. I think he dislikes you too much to believe you're capable of anything good," Sokka sighed. "Does that sound familiar at all…?"

"Maybe," Azula muttered. "But, in your favor, you always were much better-looking than he could ever hope to be."

"That doesn't seem to be relevant, but I appreciate it nonetheless…" he smiled, amused.

"I guess it's not," said Azula, breathing deeply and shaking her head. "It's unbelievable that a man responsible for the deaths of his parents isn't the worst menace set loose in the Capital these days. I just… if it was Rhone, we would know what to do. It'd be simple. But whatever this is…"

"It's something out of the ordinary," Sokka said, frowning. "It sounds… like something out of legends, maybe. Hell, maybe you could ask the Head Sage if he's ever heard of fire like that. I know it's not likely, but… what if he has?"

"It wouldn't hurt to ask, I guess," Azula admitted, swallowing hard. "I'm being too paranoid, aren't I? I just… for some reason I feel that the less people know about this, the better…"

"You're afraid that they will take the threat for granted, or assume you're insane, just to end up reduced to ashes before they know it," said Sokka, matter-of-factly. Azula grimaced but nodded in acknowledgement.

"In short, yes," she mumbled.

"Well… that's understandable. But, if we're not sharing this with anyone… what are we going to do? Ask your dad if he's got some freaky dead-fire assassin out there who's killing people willy-nilly?"

"No," Azula said, breathing deeply. "We're… we're investigating the sources of the rot. All the sources I can feel, we're… we'll spend our day searching them tomorrow. That is, if you want to c-…"

"Of course I want to come along," Sokka blurted out before she could finish talking. She smiled a little. "Plus… if this is for real, if now we have the strongest cause to think they're dead, then I absolutely can't leave you alone now."

"You… wait, what?"

"You heard me," Sokka said, frowning. "I can't spend the night in the Palace, I know… but I'll be there first thing in the morning, to make sure no creep with dead fire comes near you when I'm not around."

"Well, that's… good, actually," said Azula, smiling a little. "It's silly of me, I guess, but… it's a good idea to have you around all day, generally speaking."

"Great," he said, smiling proudly. "And after that, we'll take off to investigate! And if we find that thing… uh, well, what will we do if we find the source of the rot? I mean, we have no idea what it is, but if we could fight it…"

"If we can fight it through normal means, we will. If we can't, we'll try to restrain it, at least," Azula whispered. "Whatever it is, it cannot be allowed to continue killing people as it has so far."

"Even if… even if the victims were White Lotus?" Sokka asked, softly. Azula frowned. "If it's your father behind it, isn't that the most likely reason why he'd do this?"

"If they're White Lotus, they're more useful to us alive than dead," she determined. "And if that's why they're being killed, the people won't know it: my father isn't going to release a statement about how he only targeted White Lotus agents just so everyone who's innocent can relax. Hell, if he's really behind this, how would he even figure out who's White Lotus and who isn't? Y-you don't think he…?"

"Tortured the information out of the current prisoners?" Sokka said, his face darkening. "I wish I could say I believe your father would be better than that, but… I don't. I've been hoping he's kept true to his word, I've hoped he's been honorable… but I doubt he'll privilege his promises to me over destroying his enemies. He's Fire Lord Ozai, after all. He's used to getting whatever he wants, however he wants it… and no puny Water Tribesman can stop him, right?"

"Usually, but maybe you can this time," Azula said, surprising Sokka. "I'll… I'll look into this. Into all of this. When we follow the trail of all these disappearances, we'll look for evidence of their membership with the White Lotus. And when I have the chance, I'll ask my father about the other prisoners, as nonchalantly as I can…"

"If he's responsible, he might not take that well," Sokka said, warily. Azula huffed.

"What do you think he'd do to me if it really is his doing?" she asked. "Truthfully, if it's my father… I thought it'd be horrible, I was disturbed when I first considered it, but right now, the idea just makes me angry. He wouldn't touch me, though. I'm his heir, he wouldn't risk losing me when he has no other children to take my place… and that means I could confront him over this. And I gladly will."

Her eyes glowed with determination and rage. Sokka swallowed hard, never having expected to see Azula displaying such an expression when speaking of her father. It was the coldness he had seen in her eyes in their partnership's early days, the same anger he saw in her features when someone disrespected her. Ozai had never earned his daughter's animosity, not even as she grew more aware of his failings as a ruler… her rebellions towards him had usually come from a place of need, and she had seemed apprehensive whenever her decisions earned scorn and displeasure from her father. Was she truly so unafraid of Ozai now, or had she forgotten how imposing her father could be? Was she, perhaps, too accustomed to rebelling successfully against him?

"Azula…" Sokka whispered. She shook her head.

"I've made excuses and believed in things that were unacceptable before," she whispered. "I've learned better by now. And because I have, I won't sit by and watch as my father destroys his nation like a fool, even if he does it to purge our society from any enemies that lurk within it."

"You're being really noble, but… I don't want you to do anything too reckless," Sokka whispered, cupping her face with a hand. "I'm really glad you're thinking this way, but… it's scary."

"What, that I want to confront my father is scary?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. Sokka nodded. "Here I thought this would make you so proud of me…"

"You don't know this, but… the first time I saw your father was just before my second fight, the first time you brought me to the Palace," Sokka said, sternly. "When I laid eyes on him, I… I wanted to kill him, right then and there. You know what I was like, you probably shouldn't have left me unsupervised at a time like that, but then again, you couldn't have known your father would show up just then…"

"Did you do something to him?" Azula asked, looking at him in confusion; said confusion wasn't dispelled at all when he shook his head. "Then why…?"

"I didn't do anything because I realized I'd lose," he said. Azula frowned. "I thought… I thought if I killed him, then what? You'd have me killed, and I'd never go back home. You'd become Fire Lord, and probably eradicate my tribe in retaliation for what I did to your father, or… just about anything, really. I didn't trust you at all back then…"

"I wish I could say you were wrong not to, but… I probably would have done something like that, yes," Azula conceded. Sokka swallowed hard. "You had no reason to trust me."

"I guess not," he said. "And you certainly had no reason to trust me either. Still… I realized that taking down your father like that, in the boldest possible way, would be the act of an utter fool. A fool like Rhone, really, he'd absolutely do it if he had the chance…"

"No doubt," said Azula, grimacing.

"But I knew it wouldn't change anything," Sokka said, looking at her earnestly. "Not for real. So, I put up with it, all my encounters with him, and even found that having a cordial sort of relationship with him is tons more useful than being completely antagonistic towards him. Yeah, maybe he's gone back on his promises to me… it wouldn't surprise me if he had. But if he hasn't, I've helped people more this way than by antagonizing him as soon as I laid eyes on him."

"I guess," Azula said, gritting her teeth. "Still, I'm always cautious when dealing with my father, Sokka. I know how to handle him."

"I know you do, but I've never seen you quite this angry at him," Sokka said, biting his lip. "I love that you want to defy him and that you want to do the right thing, but…"

"But I'm our best bet at changing the world once my father steps down from the throne," she said, closing her eyes. "I'm aware of that, but what sort of nation will he leave behind for me to rule if he's potentially killing his people as he pleases? Of course, it's entirely possible that it's not him, but… but somehow, the more I think of it, the more I fear…"

"You've felt the rot near him before," said Sokka. "But no one's vanished, and no one's been harmed… so it is suspicious that the next time you felt it, it was with dead people."

"Of all the things I thought my father could do…" Azula whispered. "I guess I never expected him to be capable of killing his own people without a care in the world. But, then again… he would've killed Zuko if he thought he could get away with it. Why wouldn't he kill the commoners who owe him fealty if he'd kill his own family?"

Sokka breathed deeply and pressed his forehead to hers. Azula's distraught expression was tearing him apart.

"I guess… it's stupid," she whispered. "But one of the things that most disturbs me is that… he's not just killing his own people, but he's doing it though some foul fire that leaves next to no traces. He's making them vanish, just like that, leaving everyone to wonder what on earth happened to them. Probably… leaving families and friends to mourn with the hopeful belief that the victims will come back one day, when they never will."

"It is disturbing," Sokka said, stroking her hair gently. "And I mean… you managed to unlock the secrets for gold fire, for the multiple-colored one too, and those were… glorious, to say the least. This thing feels like… like the entire opposite of the new fire you discovered."

"It's decay and rot, surely," she said, gritting her teeth. "That's what it feels like. The multiple-colored fire, it felt like life. This feels like… death."

"Then maybe… that's how you'll have to fight it, once you find it," said Sokka. Azula's eyes widened. "Hey, it's just a theory, but… maybe it'd work. Maybe."

"Hopefully," Azula said, frowning. "Then again… we don't know what the real source is. I know it's not my father, his inner fire doesn't feel like that. His ally, if that's what it is… that's the true problem to deal with. But that time, in his office, Sokka… there was nothing inside. I felt it, but I saw nothing. I suggested it could be a spirit, but… if it is a spirit, how on earth can I fight it?"

"That's… something to worry about when we find it, I guess?" he said, raising his eyebrows. "Thinking about it, though… can spirits even bend? It sounds unreal…"

"I can't remember reading anything that said so, though I don't particularly read anything regarding spirits," she said, sighing and rolling her eyes. "It all sounds completely ridiculous. Truthfully, this does, too. It's probably an actual human being, but… what kind of firebender could ever produce fire quite like that?"

"I don't know," said Sokka, caressing her arm gently as she looked at him in despair. "I really don't. But… I'll help you figure it out. We've faced a lot of weird stuff together…"

"Nothing quite as weird as rotting firebending used as a weapon for serial murder," she said, and Sokka grimaced.

"Okay, I concede," he said. "But we've always outdone the odds, and we can try to do that this time too. It sounds like it'll be harder than ever… but we'll have each other's backs through it all. And hey, if it's firebending, Wolf's Bane can keep it at bay, right?"

"Maybe…" said Azula, thoughtful. Sokka grinned.

"I know this is a horrible situation," he said, rubbing her back gently now. "And everyone wishes it wasn't happening at all. But if we're the only ones who can deal with it, we will. That's how we've worked so far."

"It is," she said, pressing her forehead to his again. "I'm just worried. If that thing is working for my father, it won't hurt me, if just because of my usefulness. But if it's not, Sokka… I'm a sponsor too, aren't I? It could target me next, and it has proven it doesn't really care about drawing attention to itself, despite what I used to think…"

"Which is why I'm reluctant to send you off at all," Sokka admitted, grimacing. "Promise me you'll use your resonance in the Palace, make sure that nasty feeling isn't around. I'll get there around sunrise for sure, unless you think it's too suspicious for me to arrive so early…"

"It'd be much more suspicious if you were seen leaving the Palace at sunrise," she said, smiling a little. "No, that should be fine. And yes, I promise. Considering the Palace and the Temple were the first places where I ever felt that presence, I have to be very cautious there."

"Yeah, you do," Sokka nodded promptly.

"It also worries me that it could target you, of course… I know it's been going for sponsors, not gladiators, but after everything I sensed today, I'm starting to think it's going after people outside the Gladiator Business too," Azula mused. "And, well, if it realizes we're after it…"

"You fear it might come after us, too?" Sokka asked. Azula gritted her teeth. "I doubt this is any consolation… but if it's corporeal, and if it dares try to hurt you, I'll behead whatever that thing is before it can get close to you."

"That… is some consolation, I guess," Azula said, with a small smile. Sokka smirked. "I thought you didn't want to kill anything else, though…"

"I don't want to, but…" he said, closing his eyes.

The conversation with Rhone returned to mind. What he'd done, he'd done blinded by his rage, by his love for a girl he hadn't seen in years, yet he still had cared deeply enough about her to seek to avenge her. No, Sokka didn't want to be like Rhone, not in the least…

But in some ways, it was hard to help it. And in this way, he definitely couldn't help it.

"I love you, Azula," he said, cupping her face and kissing her lips softly. She looked at him with uncertainty. "And anyone who lifts a single hand to harm you can be sure I'll cut it clean off if they dare."

"Sokka…" she said, smiling a little. "It's disturbing that promises of human mutilation would sound so romantic, no doubt, but…"

He smiled too as she kissed his cheek and embraced him tightly.

"Thank you," she said, face buried in his neck. "I know… I know you don't want to do anything like that. But knowing you'd do it to protect me, it's… I don't know. It makes me feel…"

"Not uneasy around me, I hope," Sokka smiled weakly. "I guess I sound like a nutjob, talking like this, so…"

"It makes me feel safe in the middle of this madness," she whispered. He fell silent immediately. "Even if it doesn't make much sense for it to be that way. But… I promise I'll protect you, too."

"You always have," he said, kissing the side of her head.

"So, we'll protect each other," she continued, sighing. "Whatever it takes… we'll fight this thing together. And we'll make this city safe again."

"Damn right we will," Sokka said, nodding with determination and embracing her tighter.

Warmth spread inside Azula's chest now, as she allowed him to hold her deep into the night. On occasion she used her resonance, making sure there was no rotten fire nearby. And she kept using it on her way home, too, wishing she wasn't feeling the many sources of the rot down below, in the streets and houses within the large crater.

She had no doubts that they would figure out this disturbing crime spree. They were a team in every sense of the word, and they had fought every problem in their way so far, Sokka was right to say so. Whatever this enemy was, it'd have to try very hard to elude them, or to defeat them. Azula wasn't in the habit of giving up fights easily, and Sokka was just as stubborn as she was. With their minds working together to solve this mystery, they'd find whoever was responsible in no time.

---

"What did you just say?"

Renkai was breathing heavily, expectant, under General Shaofeng's scrutiny. The disbelieving look on Shaofeng's face could easily turn into a proud smile, or a disapproving frown… and Renkai knew he had to make his case quickly if it was to be the first option.

"They spend excessive time together, more than any other gladiator and sponsor ever do," he said. "They vanished at the same time once, in Ba Sing Se's Palace, and I couldn't find them anywhere…"

"Did you check their rooms? Any bedrooms?" Shaofeng asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I-I did, but they weren't there. Some guards said they had headed to the prison cells in the Palace, but I'm certain they were merely covering for them. It's the only expla-…"

"One instance where they vanished together isn't enough for you to make such a bold accusation, Renkai," Shaofeng growled. Renkai froze.

"I-I understand, but she brings him with her whenever she's riding her dragon, and that's suspicious enough, isn't it?" he said. "At one point I saw him put his hands on her shoulders, how isn't it beyond inappropriate for them to touch that way? She's the Crown Princess and yet she allows a southern savage to touch her."

"And yet… I can't see how this means they've had a clandestine relationship for years, Renkai," said Shaofeng, looking at his underling in disbelief. "I tasked you with finding anything to muddle her name and good reputation, and you decided to chase the most unbelievable possibility of them all? I'd sooner believe she's been supporting pirates than this nonsense!"

"But I heard him tonight," Renkai said, uncharacteristically urgently. "This other southern savage was talking with him, accusing him of being in love with the Princess, and he didn't deny it!"

"Did he say anything that genuinely betrayed that he's been intimate with her?" Shaofeng asked. Renkai gritted his teeth. "Anything only a lover could have known? Was he boasting about the foul things he's done to her?"

"N-no, but…"

"It's entirely possible, Renkai, that even if the fool lusts for the Princess, she hasn't given him the time of the day!" Shaofeng roared. "Oh, this is beyond ridiculous, Renkai!"

"But I know what I've seen! It's true, sir, I know I have no evidence but…!"

"Then find evidence!" Shaofeng exclaimed. "Or, better yet, focus on something more useful than ridiculous, wishful assumptions, such as expecting the Princess to be stupid enough to risk her throne just for a tumble with some pathetic southern fool!"

"But she…"

"What, you think she really is that stupid?" Shaofeng said, eyebrows raised, before leaning over his desk. "Then bring me the accursed evidence that it is so. Until then, accusing her of the exact same nonsense Admiral Zhao accused her of, just, with a different man, will only yield the same results. Are you truly such an incompetent moron?! I only gave you this assignment because I thought you had what it took to pull it off!"

"I do, sir, I…"

"Then prove it!" Shaofeng roared, standing up as he scowled at Renkai. "And until then, you won't come barging into my office as you did tonight, you fool. I have better things to do than deal with unfounded accusations."

Renkai gritted his teeth: the General was finished with him today. He stood up and bowed his head curtly, walking out of the room without another word. The General rolled his eyes as he watched the younger soldier leave, incapable of understanding how one of his best soldiers could be such a fool. For, indeed, Shaofeng had a lot of better things to do with his time than to hear wild tales of romantic affairs. He knew for a fact that women did worse things with their time than fall in love with the wrong men. Why couldn't someone bring him a worthwhile story about Princess Azula's terrible secrets? Why was it always the same pointless drivel?

He rubbed his forehead with his fingertips before deciding to focus on what actually mattered. Shaofeng opened his accounting's book, quickly reading across the numbers on it. Fifty new ones would be arriving from the Colonies this week, and he'd received reports that Shu Wo, Wugou Zhen and Lan Wo were short on supply these days…

Distributing this new lot would be fairly simple work, he had been doing this for years as it was, but he didn't like being interrupted either way. No matter how close he might be to some of his men, none of them knew about his side job and, as far as Shaofeng was concerned, they never would. If any of them found out…

Well, new tryouts for Imperial Guards were as good as becoming a routine by now, weren't they?

A/N:

There are recurrent blackouts in my country lately. If all is reeled into control, I'll be able to continue updating regularly. Otherwise, I'm sorry to all of you for the potential delays in Gladiator's updates. Sadly, this electrical mess is completely out of my control. If any of you want to help me somehow, I'm taking commissions again and my P/a/t/r/e/o/n is still available, even the smallest pledge is very helpful for me and my family.