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...

185. Chapter 185: Whaletail Island 5

A/N:

I honestly wasn't expecting I'd gain so many Patrons in the wake of this new chapter! Thank you to everyone who pledged, it seriously blew me away! I really hope you guys enjoy this new chapter because, frankly, it's one I could barely wait to share. It's the longest chapter of the story so far; may the extra length feel like a worthwhile reward to those of you who were desperate for an update!

Thanks again for the support!

"It's weird for him to be so desperate to go, huh?" Kino mused, as he and Aang made their way down from the stands they'd been sitting at.

"I guess" said Aang, eyeing the necklace he'd weaved with a small smile before tucking it into his pocket "Zuko was never…"

"Uh, it's Lee" Kino corrected him, with an awkward grin "We don't know any Zukos, do we, Kuzon…?"

"Oh, right. Lee was never that bad at holding his water" said Aang, scratching the back of his head "I wonder if he just wanted to cash out the bet right away…"

"Gee, it's not like the money's going anywhere" Kino mused, with a smirk "Though, you have to hear this, Kuzon, you really do! I have a great idea!"

"Another one?" Aang said, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah, yeah, look here! We should start betting on all the fights we can, with the money we earned from Sokka's! We'll make so much more money this way than with a job, right?" Kino declared, as they reached the ground level.

Enraptured by their conversation as they were, neither man noticed a small group of staff members were carrying the Mist on a stretcher through the Gladiator's Entrance, and she was still unconscious. Sokka followed them at a distance, though he stopped right before leaving the Coliseum's building. Upon noticing he wasn't following anymore, one of the staff members glanced back at him, confused.

"U-uh, Blue Wolf, sir? You should come along, the Sanatorium is right…"

"Yeah. I'll go in a bit" Sokka said, nodding in the man's direction "I'd rather wait for my sponsor here"

"Oh. You're certain?" asked the staff member.

"I'm barely wounded anyhow" Sokka shrugged. The staff member blinked a few times before nodding.

"Well, as you wish. Congratulations on your victory" said the man, bowing his head towards Sokka.

Victory had tasted poorly countless times before: Sokka had lived through more than his share of unpleasant fights so far… but this one seemed to cut away at him, piercing his gut as he rested against one of the columns in the building, overwhelmed by despair. He had no idea if he'd done the right thing, he had no idea how to feel about himself at all… and he supposed only Azula would help him reach a conclusion about it all, if someone could.

He released a deep sigh and glanced over his shoulder, wondering if she was on her way…

Two men, one tall, one short, the first one sporting a headband, the second one with curly messy black hair, stared at him with the largest eyes he'd seen today. As conflicted as he was about the fight, it was hard to continue focusing on his sorrows when he was the object of other people's scrutiny in such an unpleasant manner.

"W-what? Is there something on my face?" he asked, nervous. The two men flinched, one of them even whimpered.

"K-Kino…?" said the tall one. The short one nodded.

"I-it's… it's him. It's…"

"It's Sokka!" the tall one exclaimed, his hands going up to his black hair.

Sokka eyed the two men warily, wondering why on earth these two, as lanky and seemingly inoffensive as they were, would trigger all his defensive instincts. He had to hold back from reaching for a weapon, any of them, even if he didn't quite know why…

Though there was a pretty straightforward reason to be so uneasy about them: how on earth had two complete strangers from Whaletail Island learned his real name?

---

Why she had been so determined to make sure no one could recognize her brother, Azula frankly didn't know, but she had instinctively guided him to the least crowded corridors in the Southern Coliseum all the same. Zuko had followed silently, agreeing non-verbally with her determination to keep his presence concealed.

"Alright… this looks empty enough" the Princess said, upon reaching an inner corridor of the building without as many torches lining its walls. Even if someone caught sight of them they wouldn't likely recognize either member of the royal family: with that, she turned to look at her brother, or whatever she could see of him in the darkness, anyhow "So… mind explaining how on earth you've turned up here when your men seemingly searched this island thoroughly, searching for you to no avail? At least, that's what I heard…"

"And here I thought we could start with pleasantries instead" Zuko sighed, though he smiled a little regardless "It's nice to see you too"

"I'd be more inclined to exchange pleasantries if you weren't supposed to be missing, if our uncle hadn't been traveling the world for around a year trying to figure out where you are…" Azula said, staring at him skeptically. As she expected, Zuko was crestfallen upon hearing that "And of course, being an utter pain in the ass towards me because of it. To this day he's still absolutely certain I'm the reason you left, so…"

"But I told him… ugh. I said it wasn't because of you!" Zuko groaned, shaking his head.

"I suppose this is why our family's brand of stubbornness really grinds people's gears, huh?" Azula said, though she couldn't help but smile at Zuko's irritation.

"I guess so" he mumbled "Either way, though, I… I haven't always been in Whaletail Island, if you really want to know. That I'm here right now, just when you are, is nothing but a coincidence"

"Really?" Azula asked, frowning "But… this is the first time I even come here. That's a lot of rotten luck you have, then, if you were hoping to avoid anyone who knew you…"

"Tell me about it" Zuko smiled "Truthfully, when I found out you were here I wanted nothing but to run in the opposite direction, but…"

"Gee. And here I thought we were becoming friends" Azula said, with an even more sarcastic smile than before. That brought a laugh out of Zuko, surprisingly so.

"Admittedly, we're closer to that than we ever have been, feels like to me" he said "Still, I mean… I don't know if Father wants me locked down or something. I didn't want anyone to see me, even if there's apparently no wanted posters for me anywhere…"

"Well, I don't believe there's an actual manhunt for you in process" Azula said, folding her arms over her chest "I don't think our father expected it would be necessary. From my understanding, you intended not to return to the Fire Nation until he's, well… gone?"

"Or deposed. Or abdicates to you, I guess" Zuko said, shrugging. Azula's amusement was absent upon breaching this conversation subject, but Zuko hadn't noticed the difference "Yeah, I can't say I intended to show myself in any Fire Nation-held lands for the time being, but… I had no choice right now"

"No choice?" Azula repeated, raising an eyebrow "What's that supposed to mean? Did someone threaten you into coming to a colony…?"

"N-no, well, not exactly" said Zuko, grimacing "You see, well… I've found a place to live, and it's a good place, but it's difficult to make do sometimes. It's been rough lately, so I… I thought maybe I could come to Whaletail Island to find food and bring it back home"

"Oh?" Azula said, blinking blankly "Well… I'm afraid you came to the wrong venue, then. No food in the Southern Coliseum so far, though I suspect the owner might be receptive to that idea if you bring it up to him…"

"Uh, yeah, I didn't expect to find food here" Zuko said, with a weak grin "I wanted to get a job. I came with some, uh, friends from where I've been staying at. We only found one opening in a restaurant, so one of them is there. I went with the others to the northern port, thinking we'd find jobs there but apparently we have to arrive at dawn if we really hope to get one…"

"Punctuality has never been your strong suit" Azula smiled. Zuko scowled.

"Well, if the guy had warned me all along that he was that uptight about it, I would've made more efforts to arrive early. But he didn't, so we… well, we didn't know what to do, I guess. While we were there, I saw you and Sokka were on your way to the Arena so… we ended up coming here to watch the fight"

"Huh. Well, I hope you bet on him, if you had any money to do so" Azula said, though she wasn't smiling "Might at least give you some profit…"

"Yeah, we did that" Zuko admitted, nodding weakly "I'll probably go collect the money in a bit"

"You should" Azula said, biting her lip "So, uh… not that I wish to pry or anything, but you're being quite mysterious about these friends of yours, and your new home…"

"You don't want to know more about them. Trust me" Zuko said. Azula's eyes narrowed dangerously, though, and he was taken aback by it.

"Don't I?" she said "Zuko… you're not bunking up with the White Lotus, or are you?"

"What? No! Of course not! How does one even do that?" Zuko said, frowning "Wasn't that just a group of terrorists Father locked away…?"

"Uh… not really. But if you thought it was that small, I guess you really aren't with them" Azula said, easing up immediately at Zuko's honest reaction.

"So there's more of them? Have they caused more trouble lately?" Zuko asked, frowning. Azula bit her lip.

"Something like that" she whispered "Though Father has… dealt with them in his own way, I suppose"

"You don't sound so pleased about that" said Zuko, uneasy. Azula sighed.

"It's nothing. You have enough to worry about, it appears to me" she said, frowning "Either way, if it's not the White Lotus then I'll assume your friends can't be anyone too alarming. Which means, though, that you could probably just tell me…"

"I… I'm sorry. It's not that I don't trust you…"

"Oh, you don't trust me, Zuko" Azula said, smiling "Why so unwilling to admit it now?"

"W-well, I'm saying, it's not…!" Zuko said, grimacing before shaking his head "It's just not that simple, is all. I doubt you'd run back to tell Father where I am, but…"

"But you'd rather not risk it" Azula finished "That's fine, that's fine… frankly, if I were in your position, whatever that is, I might even feel the same way. Still… before you go back to wherever your secret hideout might be, please do me a favor and send a bird to Iroh, tell him you're fine, safe, whatever you are, so he can put a stop to his nonsense?"

"Huh… it's odd that you'd rather he stops traveling around" Zuko said, with a small smile "I thought you two were getting along a little better, but going by how you spoke about him just now, I'm assuming you don't exactly miss him…?"

"It's not about him. As far as I'm concerned, he can spend the rest of his life tasting tea brews as far away from me as possible" Azula huffed, though the harshness of her words faded with her next sentence: "It's about Toph, actually"

"Toph?" Zuko said, raising an eyebrow "What about her?"

"Iroh damn near abandoned her to go on his wild goose chase after you" Azula said, with a dry grin. Zuko's eyes widened "She had no one else to turn to but me, until Iroh decided to come back to his senses and take her with him. I know it's bound to sound insane for me to be worried about her, but as much as she may enjoy traveling around, I don't know that I can trust Iroh won't have another crazy fit of frustration over how hard it is to find you, a fit that might result in him abandoning Toph somewhere beyond my help this time"

"W-wow. I mean… I'd like to think he wouldn't do that, but… you really are worried about her" Zuko said. Azula tensed up.

"Well… yes. Sometimes people worry about others, it's not exactly unheard of" she said, rolling her eyes, hoping she wouldn't be blushing. The torchlight wasn't strong enough to let Zuko see it, if that was the case.

"Alright, then" Zuko said, biting his lip "Though, if you really want me to send that bird, you'll have to pay for it yourself at the post office. I don't think I can afford it"

"Right" Azula said, nodding "Thanks for agreeing to it, though. It'll be one less concern for me, if nothing else. Though, just in case, don't mention you found me or met me or… anything about me, really. The last thing I'd need is for him to think I abducted you somewhere and forced you to write a letter to dissuade him from finding you…"

"You have a very active imagination" Zuko said, raising an eyebrow skeptically. Azula snorted.

"Considering Iroh is dead-set on holding me responsible for your disappearance, it's not that farfetched that he might reach worse conclusions yet if he hears you met with me rather than him" she said "And yeah, I realize you've said this was pure chance, but how hasn't Iroh found you yet, when it appears we bumped into each other by mere coincidence? Is he just that bad at looking for people? Because maybe it's his fault that you never found the Avatar, you know…"

Zuko had been about to laugh off the notion until he froze. He had, casually, run into Aang in the South Pole just when Iroh hadn't been around… granted, Zuko had been the one to choose most their destinations through his initial banishment, but there was something to be said about ironies when it came to Iroh's history at failing to track down anyone he set out to look for.

"Well… either way, it's fine. I didn't really know what I'd write him, but if you don't want me to mention you, I won't" Zuko said, with a reassuring hand gesture. Azula nodded.

"Good. And, well… as you haven't mentioned her so far, should I assume the worst, or are you going to surprise me and say you and Suki are still going strong?" Azula asked, raising her eyebrows dubiously.

To her surprise, and simultaneous relief, Zuko actually smiled upon that question. He nodded promptly, pride gleaming in his eyes even in the shadowy corridor.

"We're doing well, yeah. She's the main reason I'm doing this, actually" Zuko confessed.

"She came up with the idea?" Azula theorized "Did you leave her waiting somewhere rather than bringing her along to talk to me? I admit I wasn't all that nice to her back in the day, but…"

"Yeah, you weren't, but I never expected you to be. I mean, it's you" said Zuko, with a shrug. Azula's raised eyebrow didn't daunt him "But no, Suki didn't come with me. She had to stay home, she shouldn't travel in her condition…"

"Condition?" Azula repeated, her momentary indignation at Zuko's jab fading quickly "What do you mean? Is she sick?"

"Uh… that's one way to put it" said Zuko, though he smiled again. Even then, Azula didn't seem to be anywhere close to guessing whatever it was that ailed Suki "She's pregnant"

Zuko wasn't sure what to gather from his sister's reaction now: she seemed speechless, jaw dropped, eyes wide. Whatever her reason to be so shocked by the notion of her brother as a father, it couldn't possibly be something flattering.

"So, yeah, she's better off staying home" Zuko continued, rubbing the back of his neck "Her first pregnancy was difficult enough as it…"

"First? D-did you just say…?" Azula's voice was unexpectedly high-pitched, and at this point Zuko couldn't help but laugh at her shock.

"Yeah, it'll be our second kid" Zuko said, smiling happily "I know you'll think it's ridiculous, but I really love being a father"

"You… hell, you're a father. My brother is a…" Azula said, now with a disbelieving smile that froze on her face "So that makes me… an aunt?"

"That's right" Zuko said, smiling proudly "I'm only hoping you'll get along better with my kids, if you ever do get to know them, than Uncle does with you"

"Well, that's a very low bar to set" Azula smirked "As long as you don't tell them what a nightmare of a sister I was, they shouldn't dislike me as much as I dislike Iroh"

"I'll try not to" Zuko chuckled "I guess I shouldn't have to bring up our history of bad blood if they get along. If they were fighting all the time like we did, though, I'd have to resort to it, to try to teach them by example, somehow"

"It's not like they'll really see just how well we get along now, though" Azula said, skeptical "Not unless you came home, or I went to your secret hideout, wherever that is"

"It's not a hideout" Zuko smiled "But it's all the better, that way I can warp our story to whatever I see fit at the moment, and you won't be there to correct me"

"Oh, I see" Azula said, raising her eyebrows "I can already imagine just what tales you'll spread about us: 'Oh, my sister was so hopeless, she couldn't even take up the measliest firebending forms! It was up to me, her ever generous and talented brother, to help that loser…!'"

"Come on" he said, unable to keep from laughing at his sister's impersonation of him.

"It's spot-on and you know it" Azula smiled.

"Speaking of firebending, actually… the first one is a bender" Zuko said, smiling "Her name is Mari"

"A firebending girl?" Azula said, smiling approvingly "Seems just right to me, I'll say"

"I think you two would get along quite well" Zuko grinned "She's feisty, seldom does as she's told…"

"By you? No doubt" Azula smirked "If you have that much trouble roping her in, she's definitely my kind of people"

"See? I knew it" Zuko chuckled "She can be nicer than you though, just so you know"

"Only because I haven't gotten to her yet" Azula declared, proudly "Give me a week with her and she'll never respect you again"

Zuko laughed louder now, despite himself. Regardless of his initial impressions, his sister had changed a lot since he'd last seen her: he could tell she was only joking, for the amusement on her face was different than it used to be. And yet that was that same wit he had ever dreaded and wished not to have to deal with back in the day…

Perhaps she wasn't the only one who had changed, seeing as this time around, that cutting wit was nowhere near as harmful as it once had been for him.

"It's good to know you two are still going strong, though" Azula said, breathing deeply "For a moment I really thought you'd ditched her and ran off with your new buddies, or she'd ditched you and that was why you ended up with them…"

"No, we're on the same boat, figuratively" Zuko said, nodding "Things have been difficult, what with adapting to a new lifestyle and everything, but I've learned a lot. I'd like to think I've grown, too, but I don't know that for sure…"

"Well, at least it appears you did" Azula said "If nothing else, at least projecting growth and maturity ought to help you in life, somewhat"

"I'd hope so" Zuko said, smiling "I've… worked, directly, without anyone doing things for me. Ever since Suki and I took off on our own, I've done my best to build a home for us, quite literally too. It took a while, but I succeeded, surprising everyone… especially myself"

"That's good to hear" Azula said, nodding.

"So… yeah. Things are good, in general" Zuko said, proudly "Just the food problem, really. It's something no one should ever have to experience…"

"I can imagine" Azula whispered, her voice gaining a darker quality now.

"Well, I hope you only ever have to imagine it, and never live through it" said Zuko "So, uh… back when I returned to the Fire Nation, all those ages ago, it barely even crossed my mind to ask how you and everyone else had been, so… what's going on with you? I hear Sokka is supposed to be the top non-bender now, or something?"

"Yeah, he… he defeated the actual top non-bender, a couple of months back" Azula answered, averting her gaze from Zuko. He frowned, wondering why she wasn't owning up to that achievement with more pride, as he would have expected from her "We're doing well, all in all. Though, truly, things have been… hectic, to say one thing, since you left"

"I figured. You've never been the type to stay put when you could be living all sorts of adventures, Dragon Emperor" Zuko teased her. Azula smiled weakly "I'm guessing you've gotten used to this whole Crown Princess deal, huh? The new armor suits you well enough"

"Oh, right. It is new to you" Azula said, glancing down at it quickly "I got it merely a few weeks after you left, it hardly feels new to me anymore"

"Well, it works well for you" Zuko said, smiling, though his grin faded before he asked his next question "Is it more difficult dealing with Father like this, or just more of the same as before?"

"Surprisingly, it's… well, more complicated in many ways" Azula whispered "You'd think I'd be used to it, I've been at his right-hand since I was a child, but… maybe being Crown Princess gives everything a different perspective"

"Does it?" Zuko said, frowning a little "How so?"

"Uh… well, I guess I can try to metaphorize it" Azula said, a hand on her chin "Imagine you step on a turd in the street…"

"Ugh, is that the best you can do?" Zuko asked, grimacing in disgust.

"But instead of acknowledging it's a turd, and that you need to clean up, you only step harder, yelling there's no turd whatsoever, and that everyone who claims otherwise is a fool" Azula continued, with a dry grin "That, more or less, is our Father's ruling philosophy. And that's what I've been dealing with, up close, for the past years"

"U-uh. Oh. That's… still gross, but now I feel bad for you" Zuko said, grimacing. Azula smiled, shaking her head.

"Having more power has its benefits and disadvantages all the same" she said "I've started new projects, and I'm making my mark in the Fire Nation… but I often can't seem to make him see sense even when he's as good as setting himself on fire"

"If you can't, no one can" Zuko said, folding his arms over his chest "Which means things aren't very promising for the Fire Nation's immediate future, I guess"

"Some things have improved, surprising as it may seem" Azula said "Or they will, at least. I've taken it upon myself to make it so"

"Well, that's good" Zuko said, nodding "I'd sooner trust you'll set things right than expect Father to see sense, really"

"As long as he allows me to act, I can generally try to do that" Azula whispered, before shaking her head "Anyways, as far as everyone else is concerned, everything's alright, in general. Mai and Ruon Jian are doing well, Yuudai is a slow learner when it comes to talking but I think he's finally making some progress on that front… as for Ty Lee, she's getting married, actually"

"She… wait, what? To whom?" Zuko asked, eyes wide. Azula smiled.

"She took a page out of your book, you could say. After a more complicated and convoluted trip than I care to retell, we managed to help Haru find his mother and reconnect with her… Ty Lee assumed Haru would want to stay with his mother, and offered him his full freedom so he could do that. He took her up on the offer for freedom, and immediately asked her to marry him, so…"

"Woah. I wouldn't have expected Haru, of all people, to be so forward" Zuko said, amused. Azula smiled.

"No one did. Ty Lee was over the moon about it, as you may imagine" Azula said "Outside of that… I already told you about Iroh's endless trip, so I guess that's that"

"And you? Sokka? Have you two just been hard at work at making him a better gladiator, or…?"

Azula's stomach lurched. Some foolish, gullible side of her felt compelled to tell Zuko that, just as he had found someone to spend his life with, so had she… but indeed, it was foolish and gullible. She couldn't reveal that kind of information to anyone, not even if it was her own brother. She didn't think he'd bring her any harm for it… but the less people knew, the better.

"Well… mostly, yes" Azula lied, shrugging "What else would you expect us to do?"

"I don't know. You were performing ceremonies, last I knew" Zuko said, smiling a little "And you'd tamed a dragon, too. You did mention things have been complicated, so…"

"Well, Zuko, to put things bluntly…" Azula said, with wide eyes "If you seriously wish to hear all about it, we'll probably be here for far more hours than I can spare. A lot has happened, in many regards, and I don't think we can catch up at leisure right now"

"O-oh, right. You do have to… he didn't seem okay" Zuko mused. Azula tensed up and nodded.

"No, he certainly wasn't" Azula said. Zuko bit his lip.

"They said… the narrator guy said she was the last waterbender of the south?" Zuko whispered, hoping Azula wouldn't be able to see through him that he knew, of course he knew, that it had been a hoax "Is that why you were here?"

"As a matter of fact, yes" Azula admitted "He hoped it might be his sister, and, going by how the fight unfolded, it wasn't her. So… I doubt he'll be happy in ages after this. But that's for me to worry about, not you, so…"

Zuko nodded, though Azula suddenly stretched a hand towards him. Until then, she'd been holding a bag of money with her, and Zuko was confused by why she'd hand it to him suddenly.

"Uh… what?"

"Hold this for a moment, please"

He did as he was told, watching with confusion as Azula released yet another bag with money, if smaller, that had been hanging on her belt. She placed it atop the other bag nonchalantly, and Zuko grimaced as he stared at all the money he was holding. Oh, whatever joke she had planned, this was downright cruel. He could buy so much for his family with this…

"Alright then. I guess… the best of luck to you, and your own" Azula said, walking around him as she made her way to the corridor's opening "I have to go see to a miserable gladiator now, and we do have to make haste to the Fire Nation anyhow. One of my biggest projects up to date should come to fruition soon, so…"

"W-wait, what exactly…?" Zuko said, looking at her in confusion. She hadn't explained why she was making him hold the two bags, almost pretending she hadn't done it at all…

"What?" Azula said, raising her eyebrows.

"Why did you give these to me and just… walked away?" Zuko asked. Azula shrugged.

"Because I hoped that way you'd just shut up and take it without making a fuss?" she said, with a dry grin. Zuko's eyes widened.

"Woah! N-no! Azula, I get that I look like hell, but…!"

"Like a walking corpse, if I may" Azula added, nonchalantly. Zuko cringed. He genuinely doubted he looked that bad… or did he?

"But that's still no reason to give me this! You and Sokka earned this!" Zuko said, pushing the bags back to Azula, who held up her hands defensively and shook her head.

"Sokka… will understand. Not to mention we have more than enough money, so neither of us needs it" Azula said, shrugging. Zuko's jaw dropped "Seriously, Zuko, I'm not trying to be condescending or anything, just take the money and…"

"Azula, I get it, you want to help, and I can't say I'm in the best position to refuse anyone's generosity right now" Zuko said, shaking his head "But… I've learned to work for what I earn. I don't wait for people to take pity on me, nor do I expect things from others that I wouldn't do for them first. I can't pay you back for this, so…"

"I'm not doing it so you'll… shit" Azula said, smiling and shaking her head too "Well, it's good Sokka isn't here now. He'd have the laugh of his lifetime to hear me say this to you of all people, so I trust you'll keep it secret from him?"

"What are you saying…?"

"I'm trying to say that I'm not doing this so you'll owe me anything, Dum-Dum" Azula said, for once saying her worst nickname for him without any spite. Zuko could barely give his eyes and ears any credit "If it makes you feel any better, then… take it as my share of gifts I owe you for the, what, thirteen birthdays through which I gave you nothing. You did give me your dagger, so…"

"But that's… that's still too much" Zuko said, staring at the money in disbelief "Azula…"

"Ugh, what do I have to say so you'll take it?" Azula growled "It's not for you, then! Use that to buy food for Suki, Mari, your unborn child, all your new family and friends, to pay for the messenger hawk that will take your letter to Iroh, all those things… and you can still get a job, if you're that hellbent on it, and use the money you earn yourself for your own needs! See, the perfect compromise!"

Zuko actually laughed now at Azula's exasperation. She rolled her eyes, but before she could come up with a new idea to convince Zuko to accept her gift, she found herself in the receiving end of the most unexpected hug.

Her eyes widened: Zuko smiled, his arms tight around his sister, each hand clutching at a bag of money. She could only guess he wasn't expecting her to respond anyways, for she had been left standing even more awkwardly than she had been back when Toph had first hugged her.

"I… I haven't done this in a while, have I?" Zuko said, amusement in his voice.

"Nope. And I'm pretty sure you never did it out of your own volition either" Azula said, with a disbelieving smile now.

"Mother would be pleased, then" Zuko chuckled, still not letting go of Azula.

The words sat strangely with Azula. Something inside her told her that her mother would still find fault with what she'd done, somehow, for she always did… but she couldn't really convince herself of it. Not if Zuko, Ursa's predilect child, had said himself that she would be happy about this.

Despite herself, despite not planning to get choked up by her own gesture, Azula swallowed hard and patted her brother's back gently, if awkwardly. She was on the receiving end of plenty of hugs lately, but she had never expected Zuko to embrace her again, let alone willingly, for the remainder of their lifetimes.

"Okay. Okay, that's enough torture for you, I guess" Zuko chuckled, tears gleaming in the corners of his eyes. Azula stared at him in astonishment "You… you just don't know how much this means to me. I… I have been terrified of losing them, Azula, but if I can get enough food, blankets, heck, I could even buy Mari toys…!"

"Well, try not to go too crazy" Azula said, with a small smile "Though… blankets? Please tell me you're not living in the streets somewhere…"

"No, no, that's not… no" Zuko smiled, shaking his head promptly and rubbing his eyes with his forearm. Azula sighed in relief.

"Good. Because if you were, I'd have to incorporate you to the Rehabilitation Center's system and that'd be a really strange experience" Azula said. Zuko raised an eyebrow.

"Rehabilitation Center's system?" Zuko repeated. Azula shook her head.

"Just one of my countless projects. Don't mind me" she said, smiling and nodding towards him now "At any rate… be well, Zuko. Take care of your family, and your mysterious friends"

"I… I will" Zuko smiled back, clutching the money to his chest as Azula started down the corridor, making her way out of the maze of archways within the Coliseum "Thank you, Azula! Seriously, I…!"

"Oh, do go on, praise me into infinity, that's everything I ever wanted to hear from you!" Azula smirked over her shoulder, hoping her taunts would convince Zuko to settle down and do the entire opposite thing.

Yet he proved he'd changed, and grown, when he laughed and shook his head, not caring one bit if he was playing right into her hand.

"I'll return the favor someday!" he said. Azula snorted dismissively and shook her head "I don't even know how, but I…! I promise! Thank you!"

Azula smiled, unable to hold back from doing so even when she had turned her back on her brother. She knew she had done the right thing, of course she had. She didn't need that money in the first place, and neither did Sokka. If anything, now she had to thank the Mist's sponsor for wanting them to make a significant bid, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to help Zuko in a significant manner…

And yet her momentary happiness receded when she remembered the fight through which she had acquired all that money. Sokka might even be angry now, for she had taken far too long to show up when he needed her most… Her stomach sank as she glanced up at the exits, finding they were numbered: from what she'd been told earlier, she needed to go to the fifty-sixth door. And she was standing before the twelfth.

"Perfect" she growled, rushing down the rows of doors as fast as she could. He might already have gone to the Sanatorium, so she could meet him there… or he might be waiting for her before going for his medical check. Either way, she had to make haste to find him.

Zuko could barely give his eyes credit. He opened the two bags, eyeing the countless coins within. He laughed, shook his head, even dropped on the floor in utter disbelief. Oh, no doubt his sister had changed, in too many ways to count. Once he told everyone what she'd done…

The irony that his sister would wind up saving the Southern Water Tribe, without even knowing she was saving it, wasn't lost on him. He snorted and shook his head still, guessing Suki would be delighted to hear about this. She had ever believed Azula was better than Zuko thought she was: today she had proven Suki right, by miles.

He picked himself up, though, determined to find Aang and Kino as quickly as possible. Even Katara couldn't possibly resent Azula after this, there was no way anyone could hold the Princess's worst deeds against her when she was making up for them in such a grand manner…

Though the thoughts gave him pause just as he was climbing the stairs again. Maybe Katara would ease up on Azula some… but she wouldn't ease up on Zuko himself, not at all. He grimaced: he had no reason to stop Katara from meeting with Sokka anymore… well, aside from protecting Azula from Katara's poorly-contained wrath, of course. And wanting to protect his sister was quite a new concept for Zuko, too… yet it seemed right to want to watch Azula's back, to some degree. She'd helped him many times before, whether he'd deserved it or not… keeping her safe from her gladiator's sister seemed a good idea to him.

Even so, perhaps if he explained everything to Katara she wouldn't be so resentful towards Azula. All he had to do was have a serious, down-to-earth conversation with Katara before Azula and Sokka were gone, and…

And they'd be leaving soon, wouldn't they? Azula said they had to make haste to the Fire Nation: would it be possible to reunite Katara and Sokka? Would they manage to bring Katara to Azula's Barge on time?

He thought, momentarily, that they might have a good chance at succeeding at that… until he glanced at the rows of stands where he'd been sitting with Kino and Aang only to find they were empty.

Zuko froze on the spot, the loud crowd deafening as another fight was waged down in the sand pit. Where were they? Hadn't he told them to wait for him? Why would those two vanish just now?

He gritted his teeth: so now it wasn't just Katara he had to find… but the other two, as well, in a huge building with countless different exit doors, so figuring out wherever they might have run off to would be near impossible. If only he hadn't been holding more money in his hands than he'd had in a lifetime, he would have lost himself to frustration rather quickly over their untimely disappearance…

---

It took Aang every ounce of his willpower not to lose his composure more than he already had. The blue eyes he was staring into, not too different from Katara's own, had sent a loud enough message about how unwelcome their intrusion of his privacy was, after all.

"O-oh, I mean, sorry!" Aang tried to recover quickly, smiling awkwardly "I'm… K-Kuzon! And this is Kino! And we've been huge fans of yours, well, for a long time!"

"Huh" said Sokka, frowning "Well… great. Nice meeting you, I guess?"

"U-uh, come on, Kuzon, he's not in the mood for us to bother him right now" said Kino, grinning awkwardly and reaching for Aang's forearm. But Aang shot him a meaningful glare before stepping closer – even though Sokka seemed tempted to step away.

"We don't mean you any harm. We really would just like… to talk! For a little while? At least, while you're waiting for, well, whatever you're waiting for?"

"I… I'm waiting for my sponsor" Sokka answered, simply. And curses, how he wished she'd get here quickly. He wasn't sure he'd be in the mood to put up with these two for very long. His words surprised the bolder, tall man, though.

"Your sponsor. The… the Princess, huh?" he said. Sokka nodded.

"That's her, alright. Princess Azula" he said, simply. The man grimaced.

"Say, we don't know… a lot about her?" Aang said, biting his lip "Sometimes you hear things? But… sometimes they don't sound entirely real, you know what I mean?"

"You think any stories you've heard of her are fabricated?" Sokka said, frowning "Such as?"

"Well, not necessarily fabricated, but, you know…" said Aang, toying with his thumbs, but Kino jumped forward suddenly.

"I-is it true she took you away from your home and then trained you for years so you'd be an unbeatable gladiator?" he blurted out suddenly, surprising Aang. Sokka blinked blankly.

"Uh, not exactly. Not right away, anyhow" he said, folding his arms over his chest "She did take me from home, but I ended up in an Amateur Arena. By chance she found me there again and… why is that so fascinating to hear about?"

"Because we're your fans?" Aang said, dubiously "We'd like to know you better, you see…"

"Heh…" Sokka said, looking at them skeptically.

"We heard she tamed a dragon!" Kino said now. Sokka huffed lightly.

"Well, that is true. Though he's lazy and stubborn, so he decided to stay in the Fire Nation instead of coming here with us" Sokka said. Kino's eyes widened.

"I-is it true you've ridden it?" he asked, near trembling now. Sokka grimaced at the man's reaction.

"Yeah, but…! What's with you, dude? Calm down!" Sokka said, as Kino inched away, covering his mouth with his hands. Aang chuckled.

"He's ridden a…! He's ridden a…! Oh, curses, Aa… a, a, a dragon!" Kino covered up, not quickly enough, yet just on time before blurting out Aang's actual name.

"I guess I forget just how foreign this kind of thing is for most people these days" Sokka said, though he smiled a little "He ought to come with us on these trips after all, his ego would get scratched just the way he wants it to be"

"It sounds amazing that you've had a chance to ride a dragon, even if not your own" Aang said, eyes gleaming "From what I remember… r-remember reading, that is, firebenders are the only ones who could bond with dragons, but if he respects you enough to let you ride him then…!"

"Respect is a word I'd use loosely with that troublemaker" said Sokka, still smiling "But… yeah. I hear it's a pretty rare thing, but Azula has always allowed it"

"Must be so cool" Kino said, eyes gleaming "Living with the Princess…! Though, actually, we hear you don't live with her! Is that right?"

"How do you hear something like that down in… Whaletail Island, of all places?" Sokka asked, glancing at the Southern Coliseum with confusion "Is there some sort of weird gladiator trivia club here or something?"

"U-uh, yeah, and that's where we hear weird facts about gladiators!" said Aang, with wide eyes and an accompanying smile.

"Sometimes they give you extra points if you talk to a gladiator, you know, to confirm those facts?" Kino said, nodding. Aang nodded too.

"I'm well due my Grand Master status by now!" he declared, proudly. Kino pouted.

"And I'm just an Apprentice, but that will change if I can gather some information about you!"

Their quick cover story seemed to work, at least momentarily. Sokka's confusion receded, although it was clear he wasn't comfortable yet.

"Well… fine, then" Sokka mumbled "I guess I can deal with it if it's that important to you guys, as long as you don't ask anything too invasive…"

"Oh. Oh, cool. Then forget all about his eating habits…" Kino said. Sokka snorted.

"Well, that kind of invasive is fine" Sokka said "I can eat anything, in general, but I prefer meat"

"Meat?" Aang repeated, crestfallen, but Kino laughed and spread his arms out.

"That's amazing! I would've thought a Water Tribesman would prefer, uh… fish!" Kino said, awkwardly "But you know just what's right for your tummy, eh?"

"My tummy?" Sokka repeated, slightly amused "Well, yeah. Living in the Fire Nation has a few perks, the food has always been one of them. It feels like there's no end to the countless kinds of meat-based dishes…"

"And how I miss them…" Kino sighed dramatically. Aang eyed him warily while Sokka raised his eyebrows.

"You do? Why's that?"

"O-oh, well, we uh… don't get the same variety of foods down here at Whaletail as in the mainland, you know" said Kino, shrugging and smiling nonchalantly. Sokka nodded "As for why Kuzon is glaring at us, he's just a weirdo vegetarian, so he doesn't like talking about meat"

"Woah. Vegetarian?" Sokka said, looking at Aang as though he'd sprouted a second head "What do you do that to yourself for?"

"I know, right? I always ask him that!" Kino pouted. Aang's eyebrow twitched.

"I don't exactly like it? Nothing wrong with not wanting to eat meat…"

"Well, you're one of the weirdest people I've met lately, if just for this" Sokka said, shaking his head and smiling a little "What are you, some sort of Air Nomad?"

Aang's hysterical laugh made Sokka flinch. Kino gritted his teeth as the Avatar composed himself, shaking his head promptly.

"That…! No, no, no way! I… I could never! I am a… a firebender! From the Fire Nation, hotman!"

"Hot… what?" Sokka repeated, blinking blankly. Kino flinched, looking at Aang pleadingly now.

"You know, that's how we all call our people, don't play dumb now. You've lived with Fire Nation people long enough to know!" Aang said, grinning. Sokka's awkward grin spoke for itself. Aang's confidence decreased immediately "U-uh, well, that's just a joke"

"And that you're a firebender is also a joke, I wonder?" Sokka asked, with a dry grin "I've tried to make that joke myself, a few times. Curiously, I've managed to be more convincing at it than you were just now…"

"Oh, you don't believe me?" Aang pouted, raising a hand in front of himself "Well, check this out!"

Within moments, a small plum of fire danced on Aang's palm. Sokka glanced at Kino, asserting that there was no physical contact between the two to know for sure that the taller man wasn't faking his fire through his friend, as Sokka himself had done with Azula before.

"Alright, seems believable" he admitted "And you? Not a firebender?"

"Oh, no. I'm a non-bender, like you! Which is why I admire you so much, of course!" Kino declared, proudly "Oh, how I wish I could be as effective a warrior as you… though we didn't see enough of your swordsmanship today! We always hear you're really impressive, like… like in that fight in the, uh, what was it called again?"

"The Plate?" Aang mused.

"The Crate?" Kino said.

"The Slate…?" Sokka ventured, and the two jumped and nodded.

"That's the one!" Kino declared "Oh, oh, is it true the Princess leant you her sword for that one? Is it?"

"Yeah, and it's also true that I'm the one who taught her what to do with a sword in the first place. Surely that's not something your funny little group knows about" Sokka smirked. Kino's jaw dropped, with an amazed gasp.

"Y-you teach her stuff? Like swordsmanship?" Aang said, eyes wide as he smiled "So, wait… would you describe you two as, well… friends?"

Sokka's pause worried Aang, for the Blue Wolf glanced away, as though trying to figure out what to say. Perhaps their relationship was complicated, just as Zuko and Suki had described it…

"I suppose that's one way to put it" Sokka mumbled "But generally we, uh… we refer to each other as partners. We try to go about things evenly, though sometimes it's hard to be on equal grounds with a Princess, but we try, at least"

"Woah. That's… incredible" Kino said, smiling "It must be so amazing to have a good bond with someone so important!"

"Yeah, and speaking of her importance… did either of you see her on your way here?" Sokka asked, glancing over Kino's head "Seems a bit weird she would take so long…"

"Well, I didn't" Aang answered, truthfully "Maybe Kino did?"

"Nope, I didn't either" Kino said, shrugging. Sokka sighed.

"I hope the other sponsor isn't being a pain or something. It's weird that she hasn't arrived yet… uh, anyways, do you have any other questions?"

"Why, heaps, sir!" Kino exclaimed. Sokka grimaced.

"No need to call me sir, pal" he said "I'm just an ordinary guy like yourself, no fancy title to my name…"

"You're the Blue Wolf, though. And the Crown Princess's gladiator!" Kino said, proudly "Doesn't get fancier than that for a lot of people!"

"Heh… I guess not" Sokka admitted, raising an eyebrow before shaking his head "Either way, you don't have to call me that. It's not necessary"

"Okay, then, uh… Sokka?" Kino repeated. Sokka frowned.

"Say, how exactly do you two know my name? Is that part of what you learned with your weird group of gladiator fanboys?"

"Y-yeah?" said Aang, biting his lip "I mean, we don't know where the information comes from, so… might be someone in the Capital is leaking information you don't want them to?"

"Sounds like it" Sokka said, eyebrow twitching "Ugh, well, whatever your source, I guess it is better if you do call me Sokka"

"So, uh, Sokka… how long will you be here?" Aang asked "N-not that I want to pry or anything! But, well… will you be staying for a few more days?"

"Not likely" Sokka said, sucking in a deep breath "This whole trip and challenge was… well, I won't call it a complete waste of time, but Azula was as good as humoring my whim by agreeing to this fight. She had enough reasons not to do it and yet she did, so… it's only fair that I don't make her stay here longer than necessary"

"Is there something going on at the Capital? Something that needs her presence?" Aang asked, curious. Sokka shrugged nonchalantly.

"Something like that. Not just in the Capital, anyhow" Sokka said "She's got a pretty big mission going on right now, reforming slavery laws and such. Or, well, as she puts it, writing them for the first time. It's a big deal, and it ought to help out a lot of guys like me, if you really want to know…"

"We do" Aang said, eyes wide, though now with more impressed determination than innocent curiosity "Y-you're saying the Princess is… working to the betterment of the Fire Nation's humblest people?"

"Yep. She's going to hold slave holders accountable for their mistreatment of their slaves, she'll keep tabs on all markets, on all numbers of slaves bought and sold… it's a huge undertaking, and one I shouldn't have distracted her from just for this nonsense" Sokka sighed, shaking his head.

"Nonsense because… the Mist wasn't, well, the last waterbender of the south?" Aang asked, biting his lip. Sokka nodded.

"Got that one right. That's the entire reason we came here, I wrongfully assumed she was the last waterbender, and then they actually tried to make me believe it…" Sokka said, with a bark of disbelieving laughter "Utter nonsense. I shouldn't have fallen for it in the first place, but that'll teach me…"

"U-uh, well…" said Kino, eyeing Aang nervously. The Avatar's face was the picture of chagrin, and suddenly it seemed Zuko's insistence that they kept Sokka's presence a secret from Katara would go to waste entirely…

"Either way, I… I don't know where my sponsor is and it's starting to worry me" Sokka said, frowning and glancing around again "I probably should go look for her"

"W-wait!" Aang exclaimed. Sokka sighed.

"Haven't I answered enough questions yet? Really?" he asked, hands on his hips "Look, I get that this is a big deal to you, I'm your hero and whatnot, but I really shouldn't be wasting any more time here…"

"I'm sorry that this feels like a waste, but…!" Aang said, desperate. He had to make Sokka stay, somehow. He had to figure out something, anything, to convince him to go home… even though he couldn't exactly tell him that, or could he? "C-can I ask a couple more questions? Just two more!"

"Two?" Sokka said, leering at him skeptically "Fine. If it's just two… maybe. But be quick about it"

"Right!" Aang said, swallowing hard and nodding "S-so… okay. I guess one of the main things I want to know is… are you, well, happy? Not right now, I mean, I can see that you're not and I get it, but… in general? Have you been treated well since, uh, at least since the Princess took you as her gladiator?"

Sokka frowned at the question, though he knew what the answer was immediately. That he would hesitate instead of giving it bluntly was strange, though.

He had been happy, happier than ever in his life: maybe it hadn't been a smooth ride all along, the low points through their journey together had been really low, after all… but the better moments, the bliss he'd felt by Azula's side, that leisurely, silly party right before the slave riot… he'd been content, satisfied with his lot in life, feeling as though he'd found true belonging somewhere. All his life, even if inadvertently, he had wanted approval, to be someone, to be loved and appreciated, to be considered an extraordinary warrior… and he'd achieved all that by her side.

So why would he hold back from admitting it? Was it because the disappointment with the Mist was still so fresh in his mind, and he felt unworthy of any happiness because of it? Or was it because these two, as goofy and innocent as they appeared, still gave him a bad feeling, to a fault?

Be it as it may, there could be little harm in answering with the truth. Not the full truth, naturally… but he didn't mean to elaborate on just how happy Azula made him anyhow.

"I am" he said, despite his voice hardly reflected it "Like you said, right now I'm… I'm not in a good place, really. But I was very lucky that she found me again and wanted me to be her gladiator"

"Sounds like you're… grateful" Kino said. Sokka smiled a little and nodded.

"Makes little sense, I suppose" he whispered, biting his lip "But if you'd lived in an Amateur Arena you'd understand. She saved me"

Aang's eyes widened. Suddenly he wasn't all that sure Katara would be happy to hear any of what Sokka had to say… especially if he genuinely thought of the Princess as a savior of some sort.

"Huh. Saved you from the Amateur League, or…?" Kino asked, hoping to make him elaborate. Sokka shrugged.

"She's saved me from more than enough things, not just the Amateur League" Sokka said "Most of all, she has saved me from myself more times than I can count. And more times than I should count, considering that kind of stuff is indeed quite personal and I probably shouldn't be talking about it with total strangers! So, that being said…"

"Wait" Aang said. Sokka huffed.

"Wait why? You said two questions: you asked one, he asked another…"

"W-well, that's Kino's question! My second question is, is… it's another one" he said, gritting his teeth.

Kino pouted, not knowing what Aang might want to ask Sokka that they hadn't asked yet. If he had to go then he had to go, and they'd do best to leave him alone or else they might risk the Princess's wrath.

And speaking of which…

Kino's eyes widened when a young woman appeared down the corridor. The golden hairpiece she wore matched her armor… and that, paired with the certainty of her stride, would have given away her identity quite quickly, even if Kino hadn't already seen her earlier that day. He glanced at Aang urgently, who blinked a few times before catching sight of the Princess too, right over Sokka's shoulder…

"U-uh, that is, I…!" Aang mumbled nervously. Sokka stared at him skeptically "Okay, okay, the last question I want to ask is, uh… okay, this will probably come off invasive too, but if you can answer me…"

"Kuzon…!" Kino growled, urging him to hurry. The Princess was moving faster now, and he suspected they were already within her earshot…

"Okay! If you could send a message to your family, what would you like to say to them?"

The question was posed with no ill-intent, but the only ones who could know that for sure were Aang and Kino. Sokka, though, was taken aback by the words immediately. His lips parted and he seemed utterly stunned, as though Aang's words had dealt him a worse wound than any the Mist could have given him earlier today…

But no one was quite as outraged by the question as the newest arrival.

"Did you just ask my gladiator if…?" Azula asked, leveling them with an angry glare. Kino and Aang immediately flinched, backing down nervously as Azula stepped between them and Sokka "Who the hell are you two, asking those sorts of questions to people you don't even know?"

"Azula…" Sokka said, his voice weak, though he was visibly relieved "Hell, where were you?"

"I… I'll explain later" Azula said, grimacing apologetically "Sorry I didn't come by fast enough to… well, stop whatever this nonsense is, truly. You should be ashamed of yourselves…"

"W-we are! Totally! Kuzon here, he's a dumbass!" Kino exclaimed, bowing down to Azula "Please forgive us!"

"Ugh…" Azula scowled, eyeing the man with distaste. At the lack of an acceptance of his apology, Kino dropped to his knees, even, prostrating himself before Azula completely.

"We are sorry! Very sorry!"

"For crying out loud, get up already!" Azula snapped, prompting Kino to jump to his feet "I don't need you crawling and apologizing, I need you to stop pestering my gladiator this instant! So, if you're so hellbent on manifesting your remorse, the best way to prove you're sorry is by leaving him alone"

"Right! So we shall!" Kino declared, grabbing Aang's shoulder "C-come on, Kuzon…?"

"I…" he said, looking at Sokka remorsefully "Okay. I'm sorry, that… that was out of place. I'm sorry, truly. I hope things only get better for you from now on, though! Good luck with your future as a gladiator, and everything else you might be up to. It was… it was an honor to meet you"

He was the one to bow to Sokka now, far more respectful now than all through their conversation. Sokka had remained silent while Azula lashed out at the shorter man, but suddenly his unease about the tall one receded, to some degree. He seemed more honest, if just briefly…

Some part of Sokka wanted to answer the question, despite Azula's best efforts to make them leave him alone. Perhaps he didn't want to answer it for this Kuzon guy, even if he suddenly seemed more respectable than before… but maybe he wanted to answer it for himself. Maybe he needed to… for he had never been as close to returning to his family as he had been today.

"Wait…" he whispered, just before Aang turned around. Azula frowned, glancing at Sokka in confusion.

"Sokka?" she said, and to both Kino and Aang's surprise, the gladiator placed a reassuring hand on his sponsor's shoulder. That Azula wouldn't flinch, let alone shrug off his hand as though it were utterly unacceptable for him to touch her, even if just her armor, was even more inexplicable for the Avatar and his companion.

"I… I think I want to answer him, actually" Sokka said. Azula's eyes widened.

"You… really?" she said "But… Sokka, you don't have to do this"

"I know. But… somehow, I want to" he sighed, glancing at Aang again "Well, Kuzon… I doubt this will be much use for your weird trivia group or whatever it is, but here goes"

"O-oh. Okay" said Aang, swallowing hard and nodding.

"If… if I could speak with them again, if I could see them…" Sokka said, his voice trembling as the idea took form in his mind: his sister, his father, his grandmother… if there was a chance, any chance he might be able to pass on a message to them, what would be the best thing to say? "I'd… I'd say I'm sorry"

Azula stared at him, his hand still on her shoulder. He really had no reason to answer those two fools, whoever they might be… let alone to bare himself, his deepest vulnerabilities, to people he'd likely never see again. And yet he was doing exactly that.

"I'm sorry because I… I messed up, all those years ago" Sokka said, closing his eyes "I was a boy, playing at being a man, and I… I disappointed them. I made the wrong decisions, for… for glory, for stupid reasons that had no bearing on reality. I was a fool, and I didn't realize it until it was too late. I'd like to think I learned my lesson, but… but I don't think I'm the man they hoped I could be just yet"

"Sokka…" Azula whispered, his name a breathless sigh in her lips. Sokka's fingers tightened on her armor.

"So… I miss them. I love them. And I hope… I hope one day I will become someone they can be proud of. Until then… I have a lot more to learn, and grow, before we meet again" he said, finally opening his eyes again "So yeah. That's the message I'd send them, if I had the chance. Good enough for you?"

"I… y-yeah, I mean, of course it would be" Aang said, eyes wide "I'm… I'm so sorry. I…"

"You got your answer. You'd best be on your way now" Azula said, glaring at him, though not as harshly as before. It seemed Sokka's answer had affected her, too. Aang nodded and bowed his head towards them again.

"I… yeah. I'll… I'll go now. I…" he said, at first grief-stricken, both by Sokka's words and the Princess's insistence that he ought to leave…

And yet his eyes glowed with determination within moments.

He couldn't let this end this way. Screw Zuko and his caution, screw every reason why he wasn't allowed to help Katara find her brother again right now: Sokka was in agony. He had thought he'd see his sister today, only to find the Mist wasn't who she had been pretending to be…

But his sister was in this island anyhow. And even if the consequences might be dire, even if their priorities ought to be different, Aang couldn't hold back his impulses to follow fit with Zuko's wishes anymore.

He gritted his teeth and ran out through the nearest archway exit, dashing faster than anyone Sokka or Azula had seen so far. A light gust of wind brushed against them in his wake.

"U-uh, well, that's…! I, um, nice meeting you both! I wish you the best! Heh! I… okay, bye!" Kino said, awkwardly moving towards the door before bolting after Aang.

Azula and Sokka were left to watch the two men with uncertainty until they faded from view. By the time they were gone, Azula sighed and turned to Sokka, reaching up to clasp his hand in hers.

"I know there's no point in asking if you're okay, but…" she said, before shaking her head "Why did you answer him? You owed him nothing…"

"I… I know. I guess I kind of wanted to answer for myself, if nothing else" said Sokka, sighing.

"Who were they, anyhow?" Azula asked, frowning. Sokka smiled a little.

"They said their names were, uh, Kuzon and Kino?" he said "They might give Yang a run for his money in the 'weirdest Blue Wolf fan' contest, if you want to know…"

"And that's saying something" Azula huffed, grimacing "Well, at least I found you before they could do anything worse… though I should've found you sooner anyhow. Might have spared you… well, that"

"Yeah, and why didn't you?" Sokka asked, frowning "Was the other sponsor giving you trouble? I wanted to go look for you, but those two kept me distracted…"

"N-no, I… I left the box quickly enough" Azula said. Sokka raised his eyebrows "Can't have a gladiator making fun of me for spending too long in one, now, can I?"

"You shouldn't, definitely" Sokka smiled a little "Then… where's the money? You were bothered about having to carry that much on you, so…"

"Heh. That" Azula said, grimacing. He wasn't always that perceptive when it came to their winnings, often ignoring them unless he was running out of cash… but she had made enough of a fuss about them back when they had been on the Barge, before making their way to the Southern Coliseum "Well, you see, I… I ran into someone. It's… oh, curses, I'm so sorry…"

"Sorry?" Sokka repeated, with an awkward grin "Woah, Azula. Talk about being ominous…"

"It's just not fair" Azula said, rubbing her brow with her index finger and thumb "You came here hoping to find your sister and… well, The Mist wasn't her, so…"

"Yeah, but it's all over now, I guess" Sokka sighed "No need to worry about that anymore. Moreover, what does that have to do with why you were late?"

"Sokka…" Azula said, breathing deeply as she readied herself to drop this figurative bomb on her gladiator…

Footsteps. Rushing footsteps, resounding loudly through the corridors. Heavy breaths accompanied them, too.

Both Azula and Sokka pushed aside their conversation momentarily at the sound of someone making their way towards them in such a hurry…

Sokka's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets with how wide they were, his jaw dropping when a frazzled Zuko stopped next to them, breathing heavily, carrying a pair of bags under one of his arms.

"Azula! You… sorry to barge in, I… heh, good work today, Sokka" Zuko said, with an awkward grin "Nice seeing you"

"W-w-woah, woah, WHAT?!" Sokka blurted out, staring at Zuko as though he had come back from the dead. Azula grimaced, though she answered Zuko's words with raised eyebrows.

"Did you need something…?" she said, softly. Sokka yelped, staring at her in disbelief.

"Azula, it's…! It's Zuko!" he squeaked, to no avail. She only nodded.

"Yep. I can see that" she said, breathing deeply "And I assume he wants something, so…?"

"Okay, okay, just… did you two happen to see two men, uh…" Zuko said, glancing about himself with uncertainty "One's taller than the other? He's wearing a headband, they're both in uh, kind of old clothes, I guess?"

"Ah, and they like asking inane, insidious questions that they have no right to ask?" Azula blurted out, the venom in her voice characteristic to whenever she was in a bad mood. Zuko's eyes widened.

"Oh, shit. Y-you guys… they bothered you? Oh, I'm going to kill them!" Zuko said, slapping his forehead with the palm of his free hand "Where did they go?"

"That way" both Azula and Sokka answered, pointing at the street. Zuko gritted his teeth and nodded.

"Great. Thanks!" he said, shaking his head before waving at them "See you guys… someday, I guess!"

"Wait, what…?!" Sokka exclaimed, but by then Zuko had dashed away, surprising them by even boosting his jogging with his bending, leaving small plums of fire in his wake as he sped up as much as he could.

This time around, Azula and Sokka were left staring after Zuko, confusion plain across their faces.

"So… those two were Zuko's friends, it seems" Azula said, finally, shaking her head "No wonder he didn't want me to know about them…"

"Zuko?" Sokka said, blinking blankly and looking at Azula meaningfully "Y-you… you ran into Zuko? That's why you were feeling so bad about…?"

"Well… you're the one who came here hoping to find your sister, it's not fair that I'm the one who found my brother…!" Azula said, before sighing "Though I guess he needed it, somewhat. Things don't seem to be going so well for him, and I mean, considering the kind of inconsiderate friends he has, I'm hardly shocked…"

"Azula…" Sokka said, and he clasped both her shoulders with his hands. Azula grimaced warily under his stare "Please… start from scratch, will you?"

"Okay, okay…" she said, sighing and taking his hands in hers "On our way to the Sanatorium, then, if you would…"

Sokka nodded, and together they walked to the small building, though his face remained a mask of confusion. The Princess was nervous, uneasy, surely feeling like a hypocrite of sorts, for she had been able to find a brother she hadn't even been looking for, when Sokka hadn't had remotely the same luck… but Sokka was far too confused and curious about Zuko's sudden, unexpected appearance, to think about the world's unfairness right now. Perhaps later, once he had fully processed the story, he'd go right back to sulking… but for now, he genuinely wanted to know what on earth had brought the exiled prince to the Southern Coliseum just on the day of Sokka's scheduled fight against the Mist.

---

Aang ran desperately, knowing he was reckless for propelling himself to go faster by using his airbending. If Zuko had seen him do it, Aang knew he'd never hear the end of it. But how to help himself? How, when Sokka had spoken as he had, confessing to wanting to reunite with his sister – he had even tried to do as much, the Princess had agreed on this trip so he could meet her in the fighting pit! If that was the case… how could this be a bad idea? How could it be terrible for Aang to run to Katara's restaurant so he could help her meet her brother for the first time in half a decade?

He lost his way several times, however: the rows of houses were too similar, the roads confusing. He could have made better time if only he were more familiar with Whaletail Island's new layout, but as it was, he backtracked at least thrice until he finally identified the restaurant he had been looking for. He whimpered in relief, slowing down clumsily by the front of the store. Oh, if only he could've just used his air scooter instead, he would've arrived sooner…

"K-Kat…" he started, hoping to call for her as he crossed the threshold in the restaurant, but common sense held him back, for a moment. Was it right to use Katara's name? Shouldn't they have a pseudonym for her as well?

"You want a table?" asked one of the waiters, a man who looked utterly uninterested in serving Aang despite his offer. Aang swallowed hard.

"I… I came earlier today, with the girl who's doing the dishes?" he asked "Is she free, or…?"

"She went home like half an hour ago, dude" said the man, eyeing him up and down "Her shift's been over for a while. Not looking to replace her, are you? We already have a…"

"Oh, crap. Thanks!"

The man couldn't finish his sentence before Aang returned to the street through the doorway's curtain, grimacing as he tried to recall the right path to the southern port…

"Aang! Aang!"

The Avatar turned warily to find Kino had caught up with him at last. If Aang hadn't gotten lost so many times on his way to find Katara's workplace, chances were he could've avoided being caught by Kino altogether.

The non-bender breathed heavily when he reached his friend. They were underfed, and had very little energies on any given day, so Kino's stamina was worse than it ever had been. Even so, the urgency of the situation had brought him to catch up to Aang, all be damned…

"Y-you can't do this" he gasped, once he had caught his breath enough. Aang gritted his teeth "Katara's going to kill her! She's going to lose her mind and she's going to…!"

"Katara isn't like that!"

"Remember what she did to me when I found out about you?!" Kino exclaimed. Aang froze "Oh, yeah, I forgave her, but do you really think I forgot about it? I didn't! And she had way less reason to hate me then than she does with the Princess! Seriously, Aang…!"

"It's not right, Kino" Aang said, shaking his head "Sokka… he wants to see her, every bit as much as Katara wants to see him. And I know it's dangerous, but I can't just sit by and let this go without helping them however I can!"

"Aang…" Kino said, and the airbender shook his head before placing a hand on his shoulder.

"It's Kuzon" he said, bitterly, before taking off again, another gust of wind in his wake.

"AANG!" Kino yelled, turning to look at his friend in disbelief "Oh… oh, screw you, you stupidly talented bender… I can't keep up, I… too tired, too hungry, too… I'm just gonna… gonna drop dead, right on this sidewalk and…"

"Kino!"

Kino had been about to let himself fall on the ground, but hearing Zuko's voice behind him gave him pause. He grimaced, feeling quite a powerful urge to cry of desperation.

"Y-you know… this isn't fair. This really isn't fair!" he said, turning to look at Zuko, whose eyes gleamed as he stared at him "I just wanted to go fishing, damn it!"

"What…?" Zuko asked, breathlessly as he finally caught up to Kino.

"I wanted to go fishing, and I wanted to be someone! And then I'm suddenly caught up in this ridiculous mess and everyone's going to stop being friends because this sucks! Aang's gonna break his word and do whatever he wants, and then Katara's gonna kill us both because we didn't want her meeting Sokka, and then Sokka's gonna be pissed if Katara and your sister kill each other, and…!"

"Woah! Kino!" Zuko exclaimed, placing his free hand on of Kino's shoulder. Kino sobbed now, shaking his head.

"We were just here for food…" he whined "Food… and now this? I… I can't take it, Zuko, I'm not strong enough, I…"

"We can have food. Now we can" Zuko said, lifting the bags he'd been holding since the Southern Coliseum. Kino frowned.

"Y-you said what now…?"

"I… I know I'll come off as the worst scumbag because I went to talk to my sister when I didn't want Katara seeing Sokka" Zuko sighed "But she… she gave me their winnings. All of them, and then some! We… we have money, Kino. We won't have to work, we can use this to buy everything we need and…!"

"Y-you… didn't need to go to the bathroom?" Kino asked, with a sad smile. Zuko grimaced.

"N-no. I didn't" he said "I lied because I knew… I knew Aang would be angry. But see, now I think…! If Katara knew how Azula helped us, she wouldn't be all that ready to attack her, or steal Sokka away, or…!"

"Uh… y-you're kind of underestimating Katara a bit, if you ask me…" Kino said, eyes wide. Zuko breathed out.

"If we catch up with her before Aang tells her…"

"Not gonna happen unless he gets lost again, but sure…"

"We can explain things better" Zuko finished "And avoid the worst possible outcome. I mean, Aang's already going to talk, right? Might as well try to minimize whatever damage Katara's going to try to do to my sister"

"Very noble but I don't know if that's going to be possible…" Kino said, grimacing. Zuko huffed.

"At least we'd better try" he growled, grabbing Kino by the back of the neck and pushing him towards the street they'd taken earlier that morning to reach the restaurant "Come on"

"Ugh, I'm going to need a week of rest after all this running around…" Kino moaned, as Zuko started sprinting, leaving him behind quickly. He whimpered and shook his head, picking up the pace in hopes to keep up with the exiled Prince.

---

The southern port was just as active in the afternoon hours as it had been earlier in the morning, therefore, not very active at all. Katara had returned to their small ship to find it safe and sound, nothing out of place… unsurprisingly, of course. They hadn't brought anything remotely valuable enough to warrant being stolen in the first place. She had climbed aboard again, tucked away the few coins she had been paid with at the restaurant and she sighed, remembering her foolish conversation with Aang the previous day. His nervousness had been endearing, there was no denying that… she smiled at the memory, wondering if it'd be a good idea to pretend nothing had happened. If she went right back to acting as she normally did, Aang would likely feel better about himself in no time… and he wouldn't know she had overheard him telling Kino and Zuko that he actually wanted to be with her.

She had never been quite as giddy while washing dishes as she had been today. The restaurant's staff was hardly polite, but where she would've been irritated about it in different circumstances, Aang's words kept playing over and over inside her head: "Of course I'd want kids with her! I'd want everything with her!"

She had never been in a relationship before, let alone had she fancied anyone until she met Aang. Some men in the Tribe were good-looking, she supposed… but none of them had appealed to her the way Aang did. That he would feel the same way about her, though… it was terrifying in some ways, for she'd never done this before, and she doubted Aang had any more experience than she did. Would they do it right? Could they have a relationship successfully?

For starters, could they ever even consider acting on their feelings? She had never really thought about confessing to him… but perhaps she needed to start from the beginning, right? They were friends as it was… so if they were both interested in each other this way, why not take the next step?

"We just need to talk about it. Talk about it properly. Like… like grown-ups. We're both adults, no need to tip-toe around these subjects as if we were silly kids" Katara said, breathing deeply and nodding "Right. That's what I'm going to do. I'll just… get him alone, next chance I have and…"

"…-ara… Katara!"

"And I guess that's now?" she said, raising her eyebrows and turning towards where she heard Aang's voice. Her heart sped up already, in anticipation…

And yet the giddy feeling inside her turned to dread when she saw the expression on Aang's face… along with the fact that he was speeding himself up with airbending.

Something was wrong.

"Aang?!" she called him, as he rushed down the port on his way to their pier "What's…? What are you doing here, did someone get hurt?"

"No one's…! N-not seriously, at least, I suppose?! Oh, monkey feathers, what am I even saying?!" Aang exclaimed, upon reaching her. His face seemed drenched in sweat, even with the headband he was wearing.

"Okay, if this is about our situation yesterday…" Katara started, uneasy, but Aang shook his head.

"N-no, Katara, that's not…" he said, swallowing hard "We can talk about that later. But right now I need to tell you something, and I should've run back to tell you as soon as I found out. I'm sorry, but I… I hope this is enough. I…"

"What's going on, Aang?" Katara said, her voice deeper now, her unease increasing with every word he spoke.

Aang breathed deeply again, closing his eyes before staring at her meaningfully.

"Sokka is in this island"

For a moment, Katara said nothing. Aang could see the questions in her eyes, but Katara's shock had silenced her as she stared at him, indignant, confused and desperate.

And then she snapped:

"What? What did you just…? Sokka is…?!" she repeated. Aang nodded "You're… you're serious?! Aang…!"

"We went to watch his fight" he said. Katara's outrage only increased at that.

"You did WHAT?! What the hell, Aang?! You should've…!"

"Broken him out or something? Look, I don't know… I-I don't know anything, okay?" Aang said, gritting his teeth "We surely didn't do the right thing all along, and we should've told you, we should have, but…!"

"Did you just find out about this today?" Katara asked, her eyes bulging dangerously now "You guys were just wandering around and heard people saying he was here or…?!"

"I don't know how Kino and Zuko found out, really, I… I only found out when we got to the port, they wouldn't give us a job and then they mentioned the Princess was here and…!"

"The… oh, no bloody wonder that bastard wouldn't want me to know! So much for 'I don't get along with my sister', he was trying to protect her from me?! By keeping me from my brother?!" Katara exclaimed, her rage increasing steadily.

"He wanted us to stay focused on our task here, because he said we had to get the food…" Aang said, gritting his teeth "B-but I… I had to tell you. I talked with Sokka after the fight, directly, Katara, and…!"

"You… you saw him? You talked to…?" Katara said, her fury diminishing at that confession "Aang! W-what did he look like? Is he alright, or…?!"

"He's… he wants to see you again" Aang said, swallowing hard. His words stunned Katara, outright "I asked if he was happy and he said, well, he generally was but… his fight here? It was against some girl who was pretending to be the last waterbender of the south! He thought it was you, he wanted to see you again and…!"

"Oh, hell. Oh, Aang…" Katara said, a hand reaching up to cover her mouth "I… I have to find him. Y-you have to take me to him!"

"Yes" Aang said, promptly. Katara would've smiled, if her shock hadn't been so strong still "That's why I'm here! B-because… they'll probably leave today, I don't know, he said the Princess has stuff to do in the Capital so I thought it was now or never and…!"

"And it's now. It's absolutely now!" Katara determined, pushing past him and climbing off the ship and onto the dock again.

Aang sighed in relief, having feared Katara would sooner fixate on their mistakes rather than on doing what she had to do: Sokka wouldn't be in Whaletail Island for much longer, and there was no time to waste. At this point he was likely returning to the Royal Barge, if he wasn't there already…

They were almost out of the bay when they came across another running pair… a pair they knew all too well.

"Katara!" Zuko exclaimed: had the waterbender been any less emotionally compromised, perhaps she would have noticed Zuko didn't sound half as hostile as expected…

"You bastard!" Katara roared, though, disregarding all nuances in Zuko's expression…

Before he knew it, Katara had unleashed the contents of her waterskin, splashed him with them only to freeze him where he stood. He yelled in pain, and Kino gasped as he saw the one-sided struggle at a distance: he was still too far away, and too exhausted, to help Zuko in any way that mattered.

"Katara!" Kino yelled breathlessly, but to his chagrin, the waterbender only kept running, bumping hard into him as she made her way through the streets and into the island's street network.

Aang grimaced as he watched Katara running off, and he thawed Zuko as best as he could. Even so, some ice crystals remained on the firebender's body, and the temperature shock was keeping him in place, eyes wide in horror as he breathed with difficulty.

"Sorry! But I…!" Aang said, apologetic "I'm sorry, but I have to go!"

"Y-you two are just… ah, shit" Zuko groaned, dropping on the ground as his body failed him.

Zuko's expletive hadn't likely been intentional, though Aang guessed it seemed to round up his sentence fairly well anyhow. This new conflict between Katara and Zuko promised to be much worse than all their previous problems… but it'd be worse yet if Katara couldn't reach her brother on time. He had to do his best to help her find Sokka, whatever the cost…

"Aang! Help him…! Aang!" Kino yelled, as Aang took off again, running past him – though at least without crashing against him the way Katara had.

"I'm sorry!" he said again "You can help him, I have to catch up to her before… you know!"

Kino's eyebrow twitched and he shook his head before running to pick up Zuko. The exiled prince was trembling and breathing heavily, eyes closed.

"Well, if our friendships survive this debacle, it'll be a damn miracle, huh?!" Kino said, helping prop up Zuko onto his lap "I think I've never been this mad at so many people for so many different reasons!"

"Y-yeah? Get in line…" Zuko growled. Kino pouted.

"I didn't do anything wrong to you, though… I obeyed you! Or at least I mostly did…!"

"You… went off to talk nonsense… with Sokka… pissed off Azula… dumbass…" Zuko huffed. Kino gasped.

"You went off to talk with your pissed off sister before she was pissed off anyways! S-so we're even!" he declared, as Zuko struggled to push himself up to a sitting position.

"W-we've got to… got to catch up to them" Zuko said. Kino huffed.

"I'm exhausted, you're hurt, one of them has airbending to enhance his running and the other one's the better rested of us all since she hasn't run across an entire city the way we did… I'm sorry, Zuko, but we're never catching up to them even if we take off now. All we can hope for is… that no one will be dead by the time we reach them"

Zuko eyed Kino in disbelief. Azula wouldn't possibly want to go that far… but if Katara was violent, if she tried to attack them, her guards would try to take her down and…

"Okay. Let's try and get a move on before that happens, then" Zuko groaned, pushing himself up to his feet "Let's go"

Kino groaned and shook his head. So much for a simple, easy quest for food… and now it seemed the tiny world he'd been so comfortable in, the South Pole haven he had grown so fond of, had been thrown into chaos entirely merely over a visit to Whaletail Island…

---

Sokka sighed, resting against the Barge's railing as he stared at Whaletail Island wistfully. Of all outcomes he could have expected, Zuko showing up instead of Katara seemed the least likely one… and yet that was exactly what had happened. He hadn't begrudged Azula for it, despite she seemed to be kicking herself over it all the same. She had begun explaining the conversation she'd held with Zuko while in the Sanatorium, but as his only wounds were those inflicted by the Mist's ice nails, he had been free to go rather quickly. Azula had finished the story on their way to the ship, and by now he was alone on deck while the Princess made sure they were ready to take off.

Azula had given orders since the previous day for the Barge to be fully stocked for their return trip once they came back from the Southern Coliseum: the ship would soon sail away from the south, taking Sokka far from his family once again… though truthfully, after the encounter with the Mist, he couldn't quite say he felt close to them at all, even if he knew he was, geographically, closer than ever. The emptiness in his chest was all too familiar: it was the same blend of despair that he had grown acquainted with through all his lowest points over the past five years. He guessed it had begun earlier yet, when his father told him of Rhone's fate, when he had refused to let Sokka come to war with him, or even earlier than that… when his mother had been killed, perhaps.

He sighed, trying not to let his thoughts traverse such dark territories in his mind anymore. He had to brighten up, else Azula would beat herself up over this mess of a trip forever, and he did want Azula to be as happy and calm as possible. That wouldn't happen if he kept moping around, would it?

He heard her footsteps behind him suddenly, and he tried to school his expression into an easy grin… though what came out was an awkward grimace. He sighed again and shook his head, guessing it was better to be forthright with her for now, rather than putting up pretenses. She'd see through him in a heartbeat anyhow.

"We're about to start moving" Azula said, her voice gentler than usual "I… figured I'd check on you one more time. Do you really want to go back to the Fire Nation, or would you rather we set course for the South Pole? Because honestly, we're already here, and I can just say the word and…"

He chuckled and turned, smiling more earnestly than he had moments ago. Azula searched his face with her eyes, uneasy, even if the warmth in his grin seemed to promise he was already healing from what had happened today.

"Say the word, huh?" he whispered, stepping towards her and raising a hand as to touch her hair… but perhaps not right now. There were many sailors on nearby ships, not to mention a few guards on deck. Whatever intimate gestures he wanted to make he'd have to save for later, even if it was evident Azula would welcome them gladly "Well, then… I say we should go back home, Azula"

"Back…?" she whispered. Sokka nodded.

"To the Fire Nation" he finished.

She gritted her teeth first, but sighed before long. His hand fell on her shoulder again, and once more she squeezed it gently with her own.

"Alright, then" she said "I'll let them know to stick to the established course. As you wish"

"I'll be fine, Azula" Sokka shrugged. She gazed up at him, compassion gleaming in her eyes. He sighed "Though it is hard to be fine if you go around looking at me like that. Stop making me want to…"

"I… get it. Fine. I'll stop" Azula interrupted him, prompting him to smile as her cheeks flushed "Though, well… you can do whatever you want later, as usual"

"As usual? Are you acknowledging I get my way when we're in, uh, private?" he said, his grin widening. Azula laughed and shrugged.

"Might as well let you have that tiny victory over me, just for now" she said, smiling too "I… I guess I'll see you tonight, then"

"Yeah. I won't keep you waiting" Sokka said, winking even if she knew he spoke half-heartedly.

Azula smiled and nodded, turning around just as the ship began moving slowly. Sokka watched Azula walk, ever mesmerized by her figure even if he was still miserable enough about today's outcome… but he'd put it all out of his mind, yes he would. Maybe he hadn't found his sister again, but he still had Azula, and that counted for everything. One day, for sure, he'd come back and…

"… Sokka…!"

He frowned, leering at Azula with confusion.

"Azula?" he said, stopping her on her tracks right as she was about to enter the Barge's tower "Did you just call me?"

"Me?" Azula said, glancing over her shoulder at him "I didn't, but…"

"Sokka!"

The voice was coming from the port. Sokka frowned in further confusion: that wasn't an unknown voice, not really…

He turned, glancing over the railing of the Barge. The stern wasn't as decorated as the prow, yet it was difficult to see what was going on in the bay because of all those fancy gold ornaments attached to the back of the ship…

The voice calling for Sokka was urgent, female, and if Azula was to be asked, it sounded somewhat angry. Had today been a normal day, she would have assumed it was yet another wild fan, someone like Hina, perhaps… but after bumping into her brother by sheer coincidence, Azula wasn't ready to dismiss this as some irrelevant happenstance.

And neither was Sokka, who kept an eye on the docks, waiting to glimpse whoever seemed to be calling his name, hoping to do so before the Barge was too far away for him to identify whoever it might be…

By the time the ship was past the end of the pier, she finally came into view.

Sokka's eyes widened, his mouth falling open instantly as he saw and heard the lean, dark-skinned woman screaming:

"SOKKA!"

"Shit… shit, Azula!" Sokka exclaimed, his entire body tingling, hair rising over his skin "Azula!"

"What the…?" the Princess said, Sokka's reaction utterly confusing and worrisome…

He turned to look at her, the despair in his eyes matching the female voice calling for him.

"It's Katara!" he said, glancing at Azula in horror.

He didn't need to say it twice. The Princess gritted her teeth, her hands tightening into fists before running inside the ship, at haste.

Sokka let her go, not knowing what she'd run off that way for, but he couldn't be rational right now: he could see Katara running over the dock, near stumbling over the wooden planks as she carried on calling for him.

"SOKKA! COME BACK, SOKKA!" she exclaimed, though the ship continued to sail into the open waters, slowly and surely…

"KATARA!" he roared back, and it seemed to him that only then had his sister realized he was, indeed, on deck and staring right back at her.

Eye contact at such a distance would be expected to be inconsequential, meaningless, for they couldn't quite see each other in detail… and yet it was the first time they had seen each other in five years. The first contact they'd had, directly, in longer than they had ever been apart before. Years of fearing the worst for each other, of hoping desperately that one day they might meet again…

"Katara…!" Sokka said, unable to keep from smiling even if the Barge was flowing further away. For she was alive… she was alright. She was… why was she even here? What on earth was his sister doing in Whaletail Island?

"SOKKA! SOKKA, PLEASE…!" Katara yelled with all her might… Sokka could just jump into the water from where he was, couldn't he? And then the ship would go away, and the Princess wouldn't notice he was gone until it was too late…!

But it seemed the idea wasn't crossing his mind at all. He ran to the back of the ship, clenching the railing desperately as he watched his sister shrink in the distance…

"No, no, please, no!" Katara cried out, watching as the Barge carried on forward…

Well, then, she'd bend her way up there. She'd freeze the water, she'd run over the ice, she'd make her way to him somehow, no matter how hard it might be, but…!

She was about to take action when the ship suddenly, unexpectedly, halted.

Sokka should have guessed it would do that, but his logical thinking had gone amiss entirely for now. He glanced about himself in confusion, not knowing why the Barge would slow down when it should be speeding up instead… and then it began moving in the opposite direction.

Back into the port.

Back to Katara.

A wild grin spread over his face, the widest he'd sported on it since the party Song had thrown for him… Azula had commanded this. Oh, he knew she had. Of course she had…

"They stopped…" Katara said, unable to give her eyes any credit when her brother's smile became apparent "They…"

"K-Katara…?" Aang asked, finally catching up to her, exhausted as he was "What's…?"

"They stopped, Aang. They…!" she exclaimed, reaching out to grab his hand nervously, her entire body trembling.

She nearly shrieked in disbelief when she noticed the ship was moving back into the port. It was, it was, and she had no idea why it'd do that, but it was! She wouldn't have to bend her way to Sokka, it seemed, for he was coming back… he was coming back, somehow, for whatever reason, and she wasn't about to let this chance go to waste…!

Sokka gritted his teeth, wondering briefly if he ought to just jump off the tall barge and onto the dock… his knees would suffer for it, possibly, but he'd taken worse jumps before. And spirits, he was desperate enough to do just that, right this moment…!

He had been about to climb over the railing when a troupe of sailors showed up in a hurry… carrying the Barge's ramp, so he could climb off the ship safely. The sight of them only brought him to laugh in disbelief, his hands going up to his hair as he stared at them in grateful wonder.

And of course, the one who had orchestrated everything stood by the tower's threshold now, offering him a gentle smile, even if she didn't seem as confident and proud as she often was. He laughed, tears gleaming in his eyes, and he couldn't help but thank his Princess soundlessly, his voice failing as he looked at her from a distance.

"Aang…" Katara whimpered, her hand clutching his clothes desperately, as though she might lose her footing if she didn't hold onto something. Tears were streaming down her face as the Barge came to a halt anew, right in front of them.

The sailors had barely settled the ramp in place when Sokka ran past them, damn near stumbling his way down. His feet were too big, his entire body too clumsy, and all he could do with his surge of happiness was laugh, laugh in disbelief, for there she was, staring at him with tearful eyes on that pier…

"Sokka, oh spirits, Sokka!" Katara exclaimed, making her way towards him just as clumsily as he did, her strength failing her when Sokka finally reached the bottom of the ramp.

His boots didn't offer him proper traction just then and there, so he almost fell over when he stepped onto the dock, and yet he didn't care. He didn't care if he had to crawl or stumble to reach his sister in a heap of wild, outpouring emotions, because there she was: for the first time in so long, in far longer than it should have been, his sister stood before him, and there was one thing he absolutely had to do right now…

She sobbed when his arms went around her body, squeezing her so tight that she was more breathless for it than she had been after running so desperately. Her own arms went around his shoulders, the tears now rushing out as a waterfall, it seemed… her legs were unresponsive, her heart drumming wildly, not knowing how else to react to the otherworldly joy she felt upon the reunion that had nearly not happened…

"It's you… i-it's really you, Katara!" Sokka laughed into her ear, and the familiar sound of his voice was all the sweeter still. She sobbed, clutching at his clothes desperately, as though to never let go of her brother again.

"Sokka… I can't believe… Sokka!" she managed to blurt out amidst the tears she was dropping on his shirt.

Aang stood at a distance, smiling gently. Perhaps it had been a messed-up day in many regards… perhaps he had said the wrong thing to Katara yesterday and making up for it would require far more efforts than just this. But he had never seen her as happy as she was right now, and that alone was worth every hardship they'd endured today, as far as Aang could tell.

Azula stepped forward, near the ramp, watching the reunited siblings with apprehension at first… but before long she grinned as well. Sokka's large frame towered over his sister considerably, and that only made the scene more moving. Azula had told him for so long that she could bring him home, that he could meet his family again… he had refused, surely out of fear of their rejection, paired with consideration towards Azula herself: she had so much to do, so many projects to deal with, and she shouldn't have devoted her time to a side venture…

But reuniting the love of her life with his family only brought Azula relief, and an unexpected sense of satisfaction… a sense of satisfaction she was quite familiar with. She ever associated it with gold fire, of course… making Sokka happy, the happiest she could make him, always promised to give birth to that unique sensation within her chest.

Still, unlike Sokka, who was too caught up in his reunion, Azula noticed Katara hadn't reached the dock alone. A man stood nearby, staring at the embracing siblings… a tall man with a headband over his forehead.

Her confusion increased, despite his presence seemed to explain a few things, too: the invasive questions, the eagerness to know what Sokka might want to tell his family if he had a chance… it wasn't gratuitous, as she had thought at first. He was with Katara, in whatever capacity… he had brought her to Sokka, just in time before the two siblings were separated by miles and miles of ocean once again.

If just for that, she wouldn't begrudge him much, despite having disliked him so strongly right away. The man with the headband glanced up at her just then, coincidentally, and tensed up to find Azula's gaze on him… but when she nodded in his direction he smiled brightly, waving shyly at her.

The tall man with the headband… where was his friend, though? Azula frowned, glancing down the dock in curiosity… had he come alone? Or was he somewhere…?

Just then, she remembered who had been asking about those two. Her eyes widened upon the realization… and that was when the last two members that comprised the strange group came into view: the shorter man with the curly hair, and none other than her brother, both looking exhausted as their chests heaved… but they seemed relieved, at least, upon seeing Katara was only hugging Sokka.

Azula smiled in disbelief, damn near glaring at her brother now: no wonder he hadn't wanted her to know who he was with. She had no idea how Zuko had ended up in such strange company, but he certainly owed her a lot more explanations than he'd been prepared to give her earlier.

Eventually Zuko raised his eyes to the Barge, and he grimaced but waved sadly at his sister. Azula shook her head, in a gesture that she hoped he'd understand from afar: Zuko sighed and hung his head, in defeat, but Azula smiled anyhow. If nothing else, her brother ought to take pride in having surprised her in just about every way she could be surprised today.

It didn't seem likely that Sokka and Katara would let each other go for hours, and no one was prepared for that to change… yet Sokka pulled away slightly, taking his sister's face in his hands to look at her properly. Soft laughter couldn't seem to stop pouring out of him, and the sight of his blissful grin finally brought Katara to smile as well.

"I can't… I can't believe it's really you" Sokka blurted out, not bothering to mask the happy tears scrolling down his cheeks. Katara nodded.

"I can't either, I… I wanted to find you. I wanted to save you, I…" she said, her voice choked up even now. Sokka's warm smile didn't make it hurt any less when he shook his head and hugged her anew.

"You didn't have to save me… not anymore" he whispered.

Her eyes widened. So he had needed it, at some point…? Had he wanted someone to help him escape the Princess, or was it whatever had happened before that…? But he no longer wanted to be saved, or so he had said.

Had Zuko and Suki been right to say he had found a place at the Princess's side?

Her fingers dug into his clothes, not knowing what to make of this. Despite all her hatred, despite having prepared for this for ages, Katara wasn't sure she'd have the courage to fight the Princess for Sokka's freedom, something she had assumed she would have to do one day. At least, she couldn't bring herself to do it right now, when her emotions were getting the better of her as they were.

"Anymore? W-what's that supposed to mean…?" she whispered anyhow, despite herself. She dreaded she wouldn't want to hear the answer to her question, but she spoke it all the same.

Sokka chuckled and pulled away again, holding her at arm's length. Katara's teary eyes were profoundly confused, and he couldn't blame her in the least. Of all he had prepared himself for, he had always known that, whenever he met Katara again, he'd owe her thousands of explanations…

"You know, it's… it's a long story. A lot of long stories" he said, smiling nervously "But if you want to hear them…"

"Of course I…! S-Sokka, I haven't seen you for five years, all I've heard sounds so surreal that I…! I need to know if any of the nonsense I've been told is true, or… or I don't know, I'll lose my mind, at this rate…!"

Sokka chuckled and caressed the top of her head, though her words gave him pause.

"All you were told? By the people here in Whaletail Island, or…?"

Only then did he glance over his sister's head… to see the tall man with the headband. Kuzon. And not far behind him, Kino… and Zuko.

"Oh. Oh, hell, you… you were friends with those two?" Sokka said, with a disbelieving laugh "And Zuko?!"

"Well, I'm mad at most of them right now, so I wouldn't say we're friends at the moment…" Katara said, struggling to wipe her eyes dry.

Sokka eyed Zuko with a disbelieving smirk. The exiled prince, weary and defeated, merely raised his arms to show he surrendered entirely, now in Sokka's direction. Sokka laughed louder now and shook his head, squeezing his sister against his chest one more time.

"Okay. Okay, I think we owe each other a lot of explanations. And that's A LOT" Sokka said, chuckling "So… give me a second, okay?"

"A second? W-what for?" Katara asked, nervous. Her voice was still fragile and choked up, tearful as she was.

"I'll check if I can settle things so we can spend… well, at least one more night here. She won't mind, I think" Sokka said, glancing over at Azula.

Katara froze where she stood. It was the first time she'd seen the Princes: the urge to lash out at her, to take her down for everything wrong she'd done against her Pole and family, ought to have taken over her immediately… if it weren't for the fact that Sokka had let go of Katara, and rushed up the ramp all over again, to speak with the raven-haired woman clad in that gleaming golden armor.

"W-what is…?" Katara said, staring after Sokka uneasily. Aang cut the distance between them with three quick strides.

"He's just… going to ask for more time" said Aang, placing a hand on Katara's shoulder "They were in a hurry but… the Princess had brought him here so he could meet you. So… maybe everything will be alright"

Katara's lips were parted, as though she wanted to say something, but she glanced at Aang in despair, unable to utter another word just yet. The Avatar offered her a supportive grin, hoping she'd be reassured once Sokka was done smoothing matters over with his Princess…

"A-Azula…" Sokka said, his mood the utter opposite of what it had been merely five minutes ago. Azula breathed deeply, looking at him with an uneasy smile "It's her, f-for real this time, it's her and…!"

"I figured. I doubt you just run around hugging people willy-nilly, or calling them your sister's name, unless they're really your sister…" Azula teased him lightly, and Sokka couldn't help but laugh, covering his face with his hands.

"It's her!" he exclaimed, loud enough for the others to hear him down at the dock "I… oh, Azula, please… tell me we can stay one more night. At least one more. I know you have so much to do, and I absolutely want you to get to it as soon as possible, but I…"

"You… have been waiting for this for a long time" Azula finished, nodding "And I'm not going to deprive you from it. Just… make sure to come back here when you're ready, if you ever are, of course…"

"Wha-…?" he said, before shaking his head promptly "Hey now, y-you have to come too!"

"I have to do what, now?" Azula said, fear plain in her eyes and voice "Woah. No, I'm sorry, but… no. You're crazy if you think you can have me and your sister in the same place without anyone growing overly hostile, or…"

"Oh, come on, you've put up with me for ages" Sokka laughed in disbelief "You've endured all my rants about the Fire Nation, you've changed your mind about so many things…! There's no way you wouldn't be able to at least be cordial with her!"

"You give me too much credit" Azula said, with a sarcastic grin "Look, I… I'd gladly go, Sokka, but I don't think it's a good idea. You have so much to explain and it'll be so much better if I'm not there to…"

"None of that" Sokka said, smiling and stepping closer, patting her shoulder again "Besides, your brother's bound to be there too, and… heh, I'm thinking we ought to go to a nearby tavern, we saw lots of them yesterday. You still have one bag of money, right? I'm all out, sooo…"

"So… you basically need me there to pay for your drinking?" Azula asked, equal parts indignant and amused. Sokka smiled shamelessly.

"You've put up with worse coming from me, haven't you?"

Azula rolled her eyes but smiled, rubbing her forehead and shaking her head slightly. Sokka's puppy eyes didn't help matters much: there was a part of her that was ecstatic that he'd want her there, the part that was very lacking in self-preservation, much like Sokka's own flaw…

"I suppose I have" she admitted, before sighing in defeat "If… if I do this, do you promise you'll do everything in your power to make sure your sister doesn't try to attack me when my guard's down…?"

"In all fairness, Azula, even if she did…"

"Oh, then you won't?"

"Come on! You're the best firebender ever!" Sokka laughed in disbelief "Why would an untrained waterbender be a hazard to you?"

Azula's eyes shifted towards Katara, finding the young woman below seemed mostly nervous and anguished. Truthfully, at this distance she didn't look nor sound half as daunting as Azula had always guessed she might be. Perhaps she had little to worry about… and yet confirming directly that Sokka's family would likely never want her anywhere near their beloved warrior only made her uneasy.

Still, she sighed in defeat again and shrugged. Sokka bit his lip in anticipation.

"So…?"

"When do you not get your way, really?" Azula huffed, turning around as Sokka squealed, throwing a fist in the air.

"Haha! You won't regret…! Wait, where are you going?"

"I need to inform the crew, or send a message or… something, really" Azula sighed, shaking her head "I'll be there in a bit"

"W-well, if you take too long I'm going to rush back up here and find you!" Sokka said, beaming as Azula looked at him skeptically over her shoulder.

"You're impossible" she said, though she smiled.

Sokka chuckled and returned to Katara, who seemed to stop holding her breath upon seeing her brother was still in such high spirits.

"It's all good! We'll head to one of the taverns at the port, I saw there's a lot of them yesterday and, well, they do look kind of filthy, but Azula's dealt with worse" Sokka chuckled as he reached Katara. He draped an arm around her shoulders again, though this time his sister wasn't remotely as eager to hug him back as before.

"A-A… what?" Katara said, nervous "Y-you're not trying to say she's… she's going to be there too?"

"Well, yeah. I asked her to" Sokka said, smiling and patting her head gently. Katara's eyes widened "She didn't want to come along, so it took some convincing… you see, she thinks you'll try to kill her, so, uh… please don't?"

"I… huh?" Katara's eyes couldn't have been wider. Sokka chuckled, hugging her tighter and pressing a kiss to the side of her head.

"Shit, I missed you. So much more than I even processed… ah, my little sister" he sighed happily. Katara patted his chest slightly, though she soon withdrew her hand, near scared.

"Wait, why are you so…? Y-you're so big and muscular now!" Katara exclaimed, looking at Sokka in disbelief. He chuckled and shrugged.

"That's what proper training does to a man like me, eh?" Sokka smirked "And a really good diet, too. You have no idea just how different things are over there… but I'll tell you all about it, I promise. I think we'll only have one night, so I guess I won't be able to tell you absolutely everything, but… I'll try to summarize things to the best of my ability!"

"Heh. Okay, I guess…" Katara said, though her unease was apparent still.

By then, Sokka had glanced up at Aang, who had remained close by. The Avatar grinned awkwardly, but to his relief, Sokka actually seemed happy to see him now.

"Gladiator trivia fanclub, huh?" he asked. Aang snorted and shrugged.

"Hey, you're the one who came up with it, Kino and I just rolled with that idea…" Aang chuckled.

"What are you two talking about…?" Katara said, and Sokka laughed as he explained how he'd already met Aang and Kino earlier.

Azula didn't have to go too far to find someone to inform about what her next movements would be: both Song and Rui had rushed to the deck upon realizing something had interrupted their voyage home, and they were waiting for an explanation from the Princess by the tower's threshold.

"What happened?" Song asked. Azula breathed deeply.

"I… am not entirely sure" she admitted, with an awkward smile "But, well, we were trying to find his sister, and then it wasn't her in the Southern Coliseum, so we assumed she simply wasn't in this island, but… she was?"

Azula glanced over her shoulder at the dock upon finishing her sentence: Song seemed speechless upon Azula's last claim, and Rui Shi frowned with confusion.

"She was? So, you mean, when he was shouting like a madman earlier…?" he asked.

"He was shouting her name, and she was shouting his right back, and so on and so forth" Azula said, with a dry grin "At any rate, he wants to spend the night catching up with her, from the looks of it, so… please relay to the crew and guards that we won't be setting sail until tomorrow morning, at best"

"Huh. Fair enough" said Rui Shi, smiling a little "You're sure it's fine, though? Some people might think…"

"I don't think I can avoid arousing suspicions anymore, let alone now" Azula said, with a resigned sigh "I can't just drag him back home without… without giving him a chance to be with his sister. I ought to be far more selfish, yes, but…"

"He'll be a much better gladiator in future fights if you let him have this moment of leisure" Song said, promptly, with a pompous voice. Azula snorted but nodded.

"That's a good excuse, at least" she said. Song smiled "At any rate, he wants me to… go with them. So, well…"

"Should I come along too?" Rui Shi asked "Or any of the guards?"

"No, I don't think that will help in the least" Azula said, smiling awkwardly "Best leave things as they are now, I suppose. I'll check with you again by tomorrow"

"You're certain of this?" Rui Shi said. Azula nodded.

"Sokka will come back up here to fetch me if I take too long, too, or so he threatened, so…" Azula said, eyes wide. Song giggled.

"Well, be careful, then" Song said, with an encouraging grin. Azula nodded "Watch over him, and… good luck with Katara"

"I fear I'm going to need it. All of the good luck in the entire planet, I suspect" Azula said, eyes wide. Song laughed and shook her head.

"You've done right by Sokka. I only hope she'll realize that" Song said. Azula shrugged but smiled.

"Let's hope so indeed. I'll see you two in… well, several hours, at best" Azula nodded towards them, and both Rui Shi and Song offered her encouraging smiles.

She felt like a fool, making her way back to the ramp, this time to climb it down just as Sokka had… but Sokka would have returned to drag her off the Barge's deck anyhow, and she'd rather not look more undignified than strictly necessary, as things stood.

Zuko and Kino had approached the other three by then, even if uneasily. Aang smiled apologetically at them, though also matter-of-factly.

"See? It's not the worst-case scenario, now, is it?" Aang asked Zuko, who rolled his eyes and sighed.

"I supposed at least you thawed me, I can't hold that against you…" he mumbled. Katara scowled.

"You didn't deserve to be thawed at all" she growled. Zuko glared at her. Sokka glanced between them both, surprised.

"Woah, woah… you two don't get along?" he asked, amused "For real?"

"Sometimes we can tolerate each other's existence. Sometimes" Zuko said, curtly. Sokka laughed and patted his sister's back.

"Well, damn, that's my sister alright" he chuckled. To everyone's surprise, that brought out a smile from Katara.

"And… that's mine?" Zuko said, raising his eyebrow upon seeing Azula was climbing down the ramp "Why is…?"

"I told her to come with us. We're all going to go to a tavern because… well, there's too much to talk about!" Sokka laughed "And, well… I may have convinced her that we need her to pay for it all, we can't make Zuko use the money she gave him earlier, so…"

"She gave you what?" Katara said, looking at Zuko in disbelief. His skeptical scowl spoke for itself.

"Oh, so now you want to hear about it? That's convenient" Zuko hissed, prompting Katara to roll her eyes just as Azula reached the bottom of the ramp.

Sokka relinquished his hold on Katara to grin at the Princess. Azula had no idea why she felt as ridiculously nervous as she did… though perhaps she did. Being frozen alive by an angry waterbender with an understandable grudge on her didn't sound exactly appealing, and yet that was the only outcome she could imagine for this situation.

"Heh, so I didn't have to go drag you down here after all, Azula" Sokka smiled cheekily. She glared at him skeptically.

"Why, no, you did not. I'm here now, at your beck and call to pay for all your expenses, as I ever have to be" Azula sighed "I swear, you take such advantage of my status…"

Katara eyed her warily, though the hostility so far was silent, cautious. Azula tried not to look at her, hoping not to give the woman any reason to take offense by her very presence…

"Well, from what I gather, we've all gotten to know each other so far, in very strange circumstances but we have nonetheless" Sokka smiled, glancing at Kino, Aang and Zuko with raised eyebrows "With the exception of you two, that is"

Azula froze, as did Katara. Everyone eyed the two women and the man between them with no end of uncertainty, but Sokka remained resolute and impassive before wrapping an arm around his sister's shoulders again.

"Katara… meet my sponsor and partner, Princess Azula" he said.

Katara was hardly experienced in terms of relationships, she had admitted that to herself just today… but the affection she had sensed in Sokka's description of the Princess didn't escape her notice. She gritted her teeth, remembering all too well what her father had warned her of: if she hoped to find Sokka again, she had to be ready for any scenario… including the one she least wanted to accept.

"Heh" Katara said, breathing deeply before meeting Azula's eyes with her own "I suppose that's her indeed"

There was more hostility in her tone and behavior now than before, though Azula didn't reciprocate it. Instead, she was visibly uncomfortable, damn near ashamed of herself… which she found ridiculous, to some degree, but she had learned to do away with her pride in many regards so far. This seemed the wrong moment to cling to it.

"That's so friendly of you, really…" Sokka smirked, rolling his eyes but letting the matter go as he glanced at Azula "And well, Azula… finally, you can meet the sister I've talked more than enough about! This is Katara!"

"I gathered as much by how you yelled her name earlier, but… thanks for the introductions" Azula said, with a dry grin. Sokka chuckled and squeezed Katara again.

"And as that wasn't awkward in the least, time to get going and hit the tavern!" he said, beaming and tossing a fist in the air "I have so much to tell you Katara, you can't even imagine the crazy stuff that's happened in the last three years…!"

"No, I suppose not…" Katara said, her voice uneasy, though she allowed Sokka to ferry her away without complaint.

Azula watched them go, with no shortage of remorse and unease. It was foolish of her to be so self-aware around Sokka's sister, but it was truly impossible to help it. There was no way she would ever make a good impression on Sokka's family, she had known that all along… but it was one thing to know it, in theory, and other to live it, in her own skin and bones.

"Well, you didn't kill each other. That's a better start than I pictured" Zuko said, smiling awkwardly as he approached Azula. His sister only shrugged.

"I didn't particularly intend to kill her, though I suppose it could've happened, in self-defense…" Azula sighed, glancing up at him "You owe me about a thousand explanations, you realize…?"

"Heh. I guess I do" he said, scratching his head.

"Though I will say… if you ended up taking refuge in the South Pole, of all places, it's no wonder Iroh never found you" Azula smiled, shaking her head. Zuko laughed too.

"It's the last place anyone would look, but… I didn't exactly do it on purpose, you know" he explained, biting his lip. Azula raised an eyebrow.

"You… hid in the South Pole by accident?"

"Yeah, you know what, maybe we ought to get going, they'll leave us behind at this rate" Zuko smiled, pointing at the other four, who were already halfway down the pier.

"And you'll explain everything later?" Azula asked, as they began their walk to the tavern. Zuko chuckled and nodded.

"Yeah. And you'll laugh at me all you want, because I suppose that's all I deserve for it" he said, prompting Azula to start laughing indeed "Hell, you're already doing it and I haven't even started explaining…"

It had been a strange outcome for an even stranger day… but somehow, nobody was in deadly danger, everyone had been cordial enough, even in the worst cases, and all siblings had been reunited, miraculously so. There were countless explanations to be made, as well as forthcoming revelations… but for the time being, Azula had to admit this was the best result anyone could have hoped for from this wild trip to Whaletail Island.