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...

197. Chapter 197: Iroh's suspicions 1

Something certainly had changed over the last week, Azula reasoned, for even under her father's harshest scrutiny she hardly found herself fretting. She had taken her time to cover up the bags under her eyes and the fading love bites on her neck before stopping by her father's study. She arrived moments before he took off for his daily workout, and she was sure she didn't look half as tired as she felt, or as weighed down by the absence of a hand to hold as she was.

"Well… you do appear less stressed than you were when you took off. I suppose your vacation was successful" Ozai said, raising his eyebrows. Azula nodded in agreement.

"If I appear tired, it's merely because we flew through the night just so I could arrive on the appointed day of my return" Azula explained "As you would have expected me to"

"Good. Truthfully, you look far more rested than you have since… since you became Crown Princess, I'd dare say" Ozai smirked. Azula raised her eyebrows.

"And here I thought I'd managed to preserve the image of impeccable perfection for all this time…" she said, though her tone was more playful than disappointed. Ozai actually chuckled.

"You have, but your father knows you better than you might realize. The weight of responsibility isn't meant to be taken lightly, and I know no one takes her duties as seriously as you do, child" he said, breathing deeply "Which is why I'm reluctant to offer you this report…"

Azula frowned, eyeing the pages sitting on Ozai's desk. He seemed to test her now, as though waving a temptation he doubted she'd be able to resist with a report about the Enforcers, judging by the symbol Azula could see crowning the paper… and yet she merely raised her eyebrows and shrugged, tempted to drop against the backrest of her chair nonchalantly. She probably ought to tear through that report at haste, but she couldn't quite bring herself to do so. Nevertheless, she shouldn't be entirely indifferent either…

"You can keep it to yourself, if you so wish… I assume you've handled everything that needed to be handled" Azula said. Ozai smirked.

"If this is an act, you're quite convincing" he said, and she smiled.

"I won't deny I'm curious about how things have been since I left, but I think the distance did help me regain the composure I'd lost as of late" Azula stated "Even if you handed me the report right now, I'd probably only read it after I've gotten some rest after my trip"

"Well, that seems convincing too" Ozai said, and finally offered her the report. Just as she had claimed, she merely took it with her left hand and placed it over her lap "The Enforcers have handled themselves well for the past week. According to the information Captain Mei Xun offered me, they're already preparing their next raid, and the majority of the slaves have been relocated to the markets that fulfill all requirements by law"

"That's good to know" Azula smiled "Is everything well with the Rehabilitation Center?"

"Seeing as I've received no word from them, I'd assume as much" Ozai said, with a nonchalant shrug "And I've received no news from your gladiator either. I'd suggest you check on him soon, in case he ran away while you were gone"

"He'd better not have" Azula said, frowning a little "Finding a new gladiator and starting from scratch would hardly be worth my while at this point"

"It truly wouldn't be" Ozai said, smirking "Sadly, your new laws wouldn't allow you to punish him too harshly for escaping, but I'm sure you could come up with your own methods to make certain he never tries it again"

"That is, if he tried at all. His life here is far too comfortable, he probably spent the week stuffing his face and sleeping all day" Azula rolled her eyes. It was harder than ever to pretend she disapproved of Sokka, or that she wasn't all that attached to him… but her father's reactions said enough about how believable her lies were for him.

"Such ambitious goals…" Ozai said, with distaste "Anyways, regarding gladiators… there is something I should bring to your attention already, before you find out by your own means"

"Oh?" Azula said, raising her eyebrows. Surely Mei Xun hadn't told Ozai about Sokka's alleged indiscretion, had she? There was no reason to report to the Fire Lord about such a personal matter… so perhaps that wasn't it. Were there problems in the League again, perhaps, or…?

"Your uncle is back"

For the first time in the whole meeting, Azula didn't have to fake a reaction, or contain it. Her eyes widened, and her eyebrows drew together with a displeased twitch. Ozai only offered her an unusual, sympathetic grimace.

"I had hoped we had seen the last of him, but it seems he's determined to return again and again, like a plague that cannot be eradicated" Ozai sighed "He arrived merely three or four days ago, I hardly remember when anymore, and he offered no explanations for it aside from being tired and too old to travel the world so freely anymore"

"Iroh's typical brand of blather, I assume" Azula said, curtly. Ozai smirked.

"I thought the same thing. But we both know he's not going to admit the true reason he came back, not to me anyways"

"And you think he'll reveal it to me?" Azula asked, skeptical "Not to brag, Father, but I suspect his animosity towards me has surpassed the one he holds for you by now. I'm not sure I can help you figure out what he's hiding this time…"

"Oh, no doubt, he wouldn't reveal anything to you" Ozai said, nodding "But he didn't return alone, Azula. And if my memory doesn't fail me, you have an amicable relationship with his gladiator, don't you?"

"I… yes, I do" Azula said, only realizing now that Iroh's return likely meant he'd brought Toph along. That was the only possible upside to his reappearance.

"You did help her with the Dai Li, and then you did again with the gladiator event when Iroh nearly abandoned her, if I recall correctly?" Ozai said "Therefore, if it's possible, try to find the truth of why he's here again. I've suffered enough fools for a lifetime, and Iroh is the worst of them all"

"I understand" said Azula, nodding "Do you suspect he may be up to anything dangerous, though? Perhaps something related to the… the White Lotus?"

"Indeed" Ozai said, his semblance darker now "He may have nothing to do with them after all, I suppose… but if they begin striking at our nation again after he conveniently returned, I will have him clapped in irons before he can take his usual afternoon nap"

"I find that agreeable" Azula said, with a weak smile "Either way, I can approach Toph for an explanation. She may not know what Iroh is truly up to, he's secretive even with her, but I have a better chance at obtaining the truth from her than him anyhow"

"And a better chance than I would, altogether. I can't remember exchanging more than three sentences with that earthbending midget" said Ozai, with a sigh "At any rate, you aren't required for any urgent matters for today, so feel free to use your time as you may, but there will be a council meeting tomorrow"

"Oh? Can I ask what brings this about?" Azula inquired, and Ozai nodded.

"Naturally, your latest ventures did" Ozai said. The Princess frowned slightly, though not with disapproval but with confused curiosity instead "The new slavery laws don't apply to the mainland alone, after all"

"Well, I agree, but… I thought it would be too early to begin the Enforcers' recruitment in the Colonies" said Azula, raising her eyebrows "There would be many problems to address if we are to take the enforcement of the new laws further…"

"And I want to summon that council meeting to resolve them" Ozai answered, with a dry grin. Azula smiled, despite herself "Do ponder possible solutions already, if you wish, but I won't make any decisions until tomorrow, when the council is fully assembled"

"Very well, I'll try to prepare a few proposals, though I can't promise much" said Azula, raising her eyebrows in surprise "I truly hadn't expected to move forward so soon with this… it is necessary, of course, but I assumed we didn't have the resources to expand operations to this degree"

"Well, we don't just yet, it's true" Ozai said "I would have to assign them, and that as well is a matter to be decided with the council. At any rate, I've received missives from the Colonies, from Governor Tiang, for one, about the new slavery laws and the Enforcers. He has offered to handle the enforcing of the laws in Ba Sing Se with his own soldiers, but the protocols of the Enforcers are as detailed as they are for good reason. While I could have put this off, I don't think you'll be as successful at enforcing the laws if you don't act swiftly to impose the new slavery system"

"You're right, of course" said Azula, nodding "Well… it's good to know this will be discussed. Thank you, Father. I will seek out Toph now, and afterwards I'll ponder how to expand the Enforcers' operations to the Colonies…"

"Please, take it easy" Ozai interrupted her, and Azula smiled.

"I'll try. I may sneak in a visit to the Grand Royal Dome, too" she said "I need to schedule more fights for my gladiator before we reach the drop-out limit"

"Naturally" said Ozai, grinning too as Azula stood up "Off you go, then. And, Azula…"

"Yes?"

"Welcome home"

The words hit her in a strange, sore spot in her chest, even if it wasn't the first time she had heard them from him. Her father was not given to sentimentality, and after all her trips over the years, she couldn't remember him uttering those words with that particular tone before. She found hesitance in his eyes, surely no different from the one that now glistened in her own. Yet she smiled and bowed her head, covering up quickly for her temporary confusion.

"Thank you" she answered, with a voice as earnest as the one he'd used before her.

And with that, she left, pacing the halls of the Palace while feeling as though she had been struck over the head with a frying pan. Somedays her father was, without a doubt, the worst human being still drawing breath on their planet. And yet sometimes… sometimes he looked at her with an unusual tenderness that was most unlike him. They clashed, they disagreed, she had disappointed him more in recent years than ever before… but back in the day, before having a gladiator, she had never seen anything but his most stoic façade. Something had begun to crumble inside her father… and it fell apart more easily after each time they quarreled and made amends. She believed in him less and less as time went by, unwilling to trust him even if she was sworn to obey him for good… but somehow, the more she grew disillusioned with him, the more human he showed himself in front of her. She couldn't quite hate him for that.

She would do best to put her father off her mind for now, though, especially any notions of having 'returned home'. As far as she knew, she had dropped off her home at his house earlier that day, and, while she looked forward to meeting Toph, she was all the more eager to return to Sokka's side. They did need to send new challenges at the Dome, there was no doubt to be had about that, and it was a perfect excuse to seek him out today, without stirring anyone's suspicions… as for the Enforcers, she'd give them another day before visiting their barracks. It would be better to hold off her return to those duties until after the council meeting had decided how to proceed with spreading the slavery laws in the Colonies, after all.

After dropping off the unread report on her bedroom's desk, Azula made her way to Toph's door, hoping she'd be inside her room. By now she had spent almost a year without seeing the wild earthbender, but she doubted she had changed much…

She confirmed her suspicions when the door swung open just before she could knock on it, revealing a young woman, slightly shorter than herself, whose wild black bangs couldn't possibly conceal the delighted grin on her face.

"Spicy!" she exclaimed, and without a moment's hesitation, Toph jumped in for a hug that Azula returned, laughing and rolling her eyes at the young girl's enthusiasm.

"Yes, yes, I missed you too…" she said, as Toph chuckled against her.

"It's been forever! Or, well, feels like it! Since Gladiator Brawl, right?"

"And that certainly feels like it happened forever ago" said Azula, raising her eyebrows as Toph finally released her from her embrace "It's been around a year since then, actually"

"Yeah, I was hoping to bump into you when Iroh said we'd come back to the Fire Nation" said Toph, grinning "But for some reason you were off doing hell knows what when we arrived? I think people said you were on a… vacation?"

"Well, yes. You might think it's weird, but I was" Azula said, entering Toph's room before offering further explanations: if Toph meant to talk about where she'd been, and with whom, she wouldn't risk having eavesdroppers in the corridors listening in on her words.

"So, a vacation…? You just took off to play around on the beach or something?" said Toph, scratching her head as she closed the door "That doesn't sound like you, Spicy. You're always up to something, big or small…"

"I can't say I didn't do anything worthwhile, but I probably shouldn't be discussing my activities so freely…" Azula said, vaguely. Toph crooked an eyebrow before smirking.

"Oh. I see. How did the Dog survive a week without you, I wonder?" she said. Azula crossed her arms over her chest.

"I have been wondering that myself" she said, her voice tone sarcastic enough that Toph actually laughed out loud upon hearing it "I wanted to pay him a visit now, to ensure he hasn't misbehaved more than I expected while I was out… but when my father mentioned you and Iroh were back I thought I'd check on you first"

"Heh, I'm a bigger priority than the Dog? You flatter me, Spicy" Toph snickered.

"May I ask why you came back so suddenly, though?" Azula said, raising her eyebrows "Seems odd for you two to spend such a long time on the road only to return for no reason… I assume you didn't find Zuko, else you would've either brought him back with you, or stayed with him?"

"Uh, yeah, we didn't find him" said Toph, but by now she frowned "You know, Spicy, I like you a lot and everything, but, uh, well…"

"Ah. Iroh asked you not to tell me why you returned" Azula smiled knowingly, and Toph grimaced.

"You know, I miss the times when you and Iroh got along. Those… three months, or two. However long it was" she groaned "Why can't you guys just try to get along again and make my life less miserable?"

"Did you ever go to school, Toph?" Azula asked, casually. The earthbender placed her hands on her hips.

"I didn't. Why?"

"You never had to live through these kinds of petty conflicts when you were younger, then" Azula smirked "Makes sense to me that you'd have to endure them now…"

"Oh, yeah? Well…! I shouldn't have to endure them at all! You two should just grow up!" Toph exclaimed, pouting.

"Okay, okay, calm down" Azula laughed "Say, if I manage to guess why you came home, Iroh doesn't have any reason to get mad at you for telling me, because you wouldn't have told me at all… right?"

"Uh… sure?" said Toph, raising her eyebrows "But I honestly doubt you could, I mean, not that you're not smart but that's a little…"

"Zuko wrote him a letter that encouraged him to give up his search and live his life?"

Toph froze mid-sentence, her mouth still open. Azula merely smiled innocently, waiting for her friend to snap out of her state of shock.

"Y-you… wait a minute, how could you know that?!" Toph exclaimed, horrified, and Azula laughed, almost carelessly.

"Alright, now the tables have turned" she smiled "You can't tell Iroh what I'm about to tell you"

"Crap, why would you do this to me?!" Toph complained, yanking her hair "Why are you two such a pain?! Just…! Agh, okay, whatever, I'll shut up about it, but honestly, Azula, you two are the worst…"

"Noted" Azula smiled "I, uh… I happened upon Zuko a few months ago"

"What? You… you ran into him?" Toph asked "How? Where?! We went everywhere and there was no sign of him! Iroh was starting to think he'd been spirited away! How could you find him when we didn't?"

"By not looking for him, as a matter of fact" Azula smiled "Truthfully, it was all chance. We were in the same place at the same time, but he's not bound to be there anymore. I shouldn't tell you too much, Zuko didn't even want me to know where he's been hiding, so I'll probably be better off not telling you either…"

"Heh, you just think I'll blab about it to Iroh" Toph pouted, and Azula shrugged.

"I'm willing to bet you're tempted to do so, aren't you?"

"… Maybe. But only a little" Toph sighed "So, you told him to write this letter? Or…?"

"Yeah, I asked him to. I wasn't sure he'd actually get around to writing it, but it relieves me that he did" Azula continued "He's happy, if that's any concern for you and Iroh, that much I can say"

"Well, cool. Though I don't know why I can't tell Iroh about this" Toph grumbled "If I did, he'd likely realize you're not that bad, since you told Zuko to write to him…"

"Wrong on all accounts, he'd think I'm manipulating Zuko even now" Azula smiled dryly "He'd assume I have kidnapped him and locked him up somewhere, that I made him write that letter, sent it to him myself…"

"That's ridiculous! Why would he think that?!" Toph squeaked "I get that you don't like or trust him, Spicy, but don't you think that's too much?"

"He's been hostile towards me ever since Zuko left, remember?" Azula said "My brother took off on his own volition, for no fault of yours or mine… and yet Iroh didn't snap out of his stupidity with you until he realized he'd sent you to your death in the Slate. At least, I assume that's what did it…"

"W-well…"

"And you were his closest friend, no less. If it was that hard for him to forgive you or realize he was treating you wrong, how much harder would it be with the family member he likes least?" Azula asked "There's no way he'll ever change his mind about me, Toph. Even if I made efforts to get along with him, which I have no intentions to, he'd never reciprocate, and I'd just be wasting my time"

"I guess, but… I still don't like it" Toph sighed "It's a bother that my two best friends hate each other"

"I'm sorry we make your life that much harder" said Azula, though her smile was earnest "Either way, though, we haven't seen each other for a year. I'd assume you two had a lot of fun traveling the world, haven't you?"

"Well, yeah, something like that" said Toph, grinning, relieved to change the subject "We did go to a lot of crazy places, like some oasis in the Desert, and we even visited this weird Abbey? Iroh liked the perfumes they made there. And then there was some Fire Nation Resort too, and…"

"Well, if nothing else, at least you got to visit a lot of places" Azula smiled, though Toph's sudden reluctance to speak surprised her "And? You were going to say something?"

"I… don't think I should" Toph mumbled now, blushing. Azula raised her eyebrows, reading her easily.

"Oh? Well, well, what's going on? Made a new friend… or found an old one?" she smirked, and Toph snarled, bashful and defensive, as expected.

"Y-y-you know, that's just rich coming from you! Y-you just went and took some sort of vacation with…!"

"Okay, hold that thought right there" Azula cut her off, though Toph had held back anyways, prominently scowling… yet it was hard to take her expression seriously with her cheeks so flushed "You don't have to be so up in arms about it, you know? What harm is there in liking someone…? Well, for someone like you, I mean"

"I'm still somewhat noble myself, Spicy. Not as much as you, sure, but still…"

"And since when are nobility's restrictions of any concern for you?" Azula smiled "Were you hoping to bring Jet home to your parents?"

"Hell, no!"

"Then why is that even relevant?" Azula laughed "Truly, you're worse about romance than I ever was…"

"Yeah, well, that's because I'm not as crazy as you" Toph grumbled "Not to mention, you were a mess about your own business, back when I first caught you in Ba Sing Se…"

"Yet you were still fumbling with it much more than I was, even back then" Azula smirked "At least my problem wasn't some guy I'd only just met…"

"Ugh, just stop…" Toph groaned, burying her face in her hands as Azula chuckled.

"Truthfully, I'm confused, Toph" she said, smiling "You always have the perfect comebacks and you tease everyone right back when it comes to any subject other than this…"

"Because… I don't really have a lot of experience with this, whatever it is. I mean… love? I don't love him. I just… like him? If I do? I guess I do…" Toph mumbled, before sighing "If I had more experience maybe I wouldn't be so awkward about the whole thing…"

"Well, as you say you have no experience in these regards, I take it you bumped into him but nothing really happened?" Azula asked. The blush on Toph's features spoke for itself though "Oh? Do I care to know?"

"You don't. If you keep poking me about this, I'll just start asking about you and your week-long escapade!" Toph exclaimed "Or, even better, I'll just ask you about this whole year! Maybe I was on the road, but you're not going to tell me your life hasn't been hectic for all this time, are you?"

"Changing the subject, I see… oh well, it's probably for the best" Azula smiled "Well, truthfully my life has been somewhat hectic, especially over the past few months… I did run into Zuko, before that I became the commanding officers for the Enforcers: they're a new branch of the armed forces, and they will ensure the new slavery laws approved by my father's council are followed properly. Laws I proposed, in the first place…"

"Woah. That sounds big" said Toph, raising her eyebrows "I didn't hear about any of that"

"And before that…" Azula said, deciding promptly to gloss over the slaves who had started it all. Toph probably didn't want to hear about that, did she? "Before that, actually, we finished our end of Iroh's challenge. A challenge I assume you know about?"

"I… fuck. You did? Already?!" Toph squeaked, the very picture of chagrin. Azula chuckled "Ugh, well, that's fine! I still have about twenty losers to go through before I can finish my own end of the bargain, but I'll get to them! Especially now that we're back in the Fire Nation, I'll get through the rest of the list in no time…"

"I wish you luck, then" said Azula, smiling "It is strange to think of Sokka as the top non-bender of the League, to some degree… and yet it's perfectly fitting, too"

"The others really must have been wimps if he took them out so fast" Toph smirked. Azula rolled her eyes "And what about everyone else? You told me Ty Lee was getting married when we last met? Did she do it already?"

"Oh, actually no. It should happen sometime soon… though I don't know what the exact date will be just yet" Azula admitted "I should talk with the Head Sage about it, now that I'm back… and if you're wondering if you'll be invited, I probably can ask Ty Lee about it the next time I see her"

"You can? Sweet! Please tell me there's going to be an awesome banquet…!" Toph said, grinning wildly. Azula smiled and shrugged.

"There better be two or three of them, rather" she said "You and Sokka will probably stuff your faces so fast the rest of us won't even get a single bite"

"Only if I don't get to everything before he does" Toph declared, proudly. Azula laughed and shook her head.

"Well, being away for a year didn't change you too much, I can say that for certain" she said "Either way, I suppose we'll meet around the Palace for the next days, unless Iroh takes you anywhere else…"

"Oh, what? You've got somewhere to be now?" Toph asked, as Azula filed towards the door.

"I did mean to check on Sokka, and we have to schedule new fights" Azula said, shrugging. To her surprise, Toph actually looked disappointed "What?"

"Just… we haven't hung out together in so long! It's not right to cut short our reunion! So… I'll go with you!" she announced, with a proud grin. Azula raised her eyebrows.

"I'm taking my dragon" she said, and Toph flinched.

"Uh… yeah. Okay. I can deal with riding it, I've had to before…" she mumbled, and Azula laughed.

"You really must have missed us if you'd ride Xin Long willingly…" she smiled, opening the door and guiding Toph down the hallway.

"I miss pissing off the Dog, why lie?" said Toph, grinning "I can't wait to hear his surprised squeak when I show up with you!"

"Yeah, he won't see it coming" Azula said, smiling. Toph raised an eyebrow, sensing a strange, unusual quality in Azula's tone right now.

"Is everything okay, though? With you two?" Toph asked, as they neared the refuge.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Azula responded, walking through one of the open gateways… to find her dragon sleeping at leisure, his chest rising with each breath, his tongue slipping out of his open jaws.

"Sounds like your pal here's taking a nap" Toph smirked, and Azula sighed.

"Should've guessed. Oh, well, it's best to leave him be, I did overwork him yesterday. We'll go on foot"

"YEAH!"

Azula rolled her eyes but smiled, walking side by side with her friend on their way to the Palace gates. She was far from well-rested herself, and Xin Long's nap had reminded her of how much she would welcome sleeping too… but she wasn't sure she'd rest properly if she knew she wouldn't wake up to find Sokka beside her. How easy it was to fall into habits that couldn't last for good…

Toph talked some more about her own trip with Iroh as they walked to Sokka's house. Despite her initial reservations, she did share more details on how they'd bumped into Jet and Longshot, close to Gaoling after a visit to her parents. Azula listened intently, at first curious about whatever ammunition she could find to tease Toph later… but the conclusion of that particular story left her frowning in confusion.

"I don't really know what he told them…" said Toph, shrugging "But after Iroh chatted with them, they took off like ten minutes later. Jet did say goodbye, but…"

"Huh. Did he want to scare him off over some sort of fatherly protective instinct…?" Azula asked, though she wasn't making fun of Toph this time, and the girl noticed the nuance of her tone.

"I doubt it" Toph said, her hands behind her head "It felt more like he gave them advice on where to go? Jet had been all mopey because they couldn't find any trace of their friends, after all, so maybe Iroh had an idea on what to do about that…"

"That… ugh. I could've helped you with that" Azula grimaced "Sokka and I ran into one of Jet's old gang members once, he's a gladiator too…"

"You did?!"

"And worse yet, through him we discovered Sokka's second opponent ever in the League was part of their gang too" Azula said, eyes wide "It didn't occur to me to tell you about this, though… I guess, if you ever run into Jet again, tell him to visit Yu Dao. Sneers is there. The other one… Smellerbee, was it? It was a weird name. Anyways, she's somewhere in the mainland"

"Damn. If I'd told him that he probably would've been ecstatic… though he would've left even faster than he did" Toph chuckled "Well, hopefully what Iroh said helped them out anyways"

"Hopefully" said Azula, swallowing hard.

Somehow, she felt apprehensive about whatever Iroh could have been up to, whatever advice he could have given two outlaws escaping through the cracks of the formerly disorganized slavery system… could he have recruited them into the White Lotus, by any chance? The idea was disturbing, even though Jet had changed after his experiences with Long Feng… she didn't even know for sure if Iroh was part of the group, for starters. But if a man with Jet's track record came across the largest anti-Fire Nation organization ever, his growth was bound to take several steps back, possibly prompting him to regress into the same teenage terrorist who had destroyed a town of innocents for what he'd perceived were the right reasons.

"We're almost there now, huh?" Toph smiled, once they turned into the street that led to Sokka's house "Has Song been okay?"

"She's had the chance to meet her mother in Ba Sing Se a few times, so yes" Azula said, nodding "Most everyone's fine, I believe. There isn't much to tell other than what I've already told you…"

"Yeah, sure, after you ran off for a whole week with the Dog you're seriously going to tell me all your stories are about laws and whatever?" Toph smirked "Come on, I just talked a lot about Jet, you shouldn't be all that uptight now…"

"You didn't give away anything pertaining why you'd blush so much" Azula smirked. Toph pouted again, and of course, her cheeks reddened once more "Therefore, if you don't mind, we'll both keep the bulk of our private lives private, alright?"

"Fine, fine, whatever, here I thought you'd have a fun story or two… but I bet the Dog won't be all that tough to crack, compared to you!" Toph smirked.

"And why are you so keen on finding out anyhow?" Azula asked "Trying to get advice on how to move forward with Jet if you ever meet him again? For that matter you might as well ask Ty Lee instead of me, she kept offering advice I never took her up on…"

"Uh, no, I'm actually asking because… you feel a bit weird, Spicy" said Toph, almost nervously. Azula frowned.

"Weird? Weird how?"

"I dunno! Something's changed in you, and I guess it has to do with the Dog because your voice sounds different when you talk about him, and…"

Azula grimaced. Of course something had changed, many things had… but that her voice tone would be a giveaway was worse than knowing it was about her heartbeat. Maybe Toph would have been the only one who'd pick up on the change, if it had been the latter, but if that wasn't it…

"Well, thank you for letting me know. I'll have to work on that…" Azula mumbled, and Toph snorted.

"Oh, come on, I didn't tell you so you'd cover it up!" she laughed, as Azula stepped forward through the small fence that enclosed Sokka's house "What happened?"

On one hand, Azula was worried now, almost to the point of paranoid, wondering if her father, if Zhao, if anyone else might notice what Toph had. Was she acting so differently towards Sokka, or about Sokka, that she couldn't possibly hide something important had happened between them? Would her foolish, lovestruck demeanor give them away at this rate…?

And yet, on the other hand, once she knocked on the door and it swung inwards, all those concerns seemed to fade into oblivion.

For he was confused that he'd received guests through the front door, always expecting her in the backyard, with her dragon… but those blue eyes greeted her with the warmth he ever held for her once they met her own. The face she'd grown used to seeing every morning, even the scent of him… all of it hit her so suddenly, so powerfully, that she couldn't hold back her reactions. Her heart raced, her face broke into a genuine smile, and Sokka's did the same, in turn.

"Azula? Why are you…?" he said, stepping towards her despite they were in the open. Only the sight of Toph over Azula's shoulder brought him to stop short, mere moments before taking Azula in his arms.

"Hey, Dog! Been a while!" Toph exclaimed, startling the two dazed lovers with her words.

Sokka's easy happiness now froze on his face, regarding Toph as though she were a mirage or a bad luck omen. His eyes shifted between the two women before him, unable to put together why they were here now, let alone why they hadn't arrived on a dragon's back instead.

"Huh?" he said, blinking blankly "Toph?!"

"Damn, right! You still remember me, that's good to know" Toph smirked, walking past them and into the house "Here I thought, with how you two were about to pounce on each other, you'd have forgotten the rest of us exist…"

Sokka rolled his eyes but he had no answer to that claim: he would have gladly forgotten about everyone else if it meant he could be alone with Azula again. The Princess smiled still, crossing the threshold into the house, but as soon as Sokka closed the door behind her, she tossed away all caution and restraint, locking her arms around his neck as she kissed him in joyful greeting.

"Uh… okay, then" said Toph, astonished by their boldness. It was hardly the first time they'd kissed in her presence, but never before had they been so unapologetic about it "I guess they did forget about the rest of us now, huh?"

"Takes a while to get used to that, huh?" said a familiar voice behind Toph.

Happy to have something to distract her from the two eager kissers by the door, Toph turned on her feet and smiled at Ty Lee, who seemed just as pleased by their reunion as the earthbender was.

"Stretchy! It really has been forever since I last trained with you, and ate all your food!" Toph exclaimed, tossing a quick punch at Ty Lee. Despite being used to Toph's greetings, Ty Lee instinctively evaded the blow and struck one of Toph's chi points, and with that, the girl's arm dropped limply at her side "Hey!"

"I'm sorry!" Ty Lee laughed, before moving in for a hug instead. Toph was pouting in the taller girl's arms, but she patted Ty Lee's back nonetheless, with her only functional hand.

"What're you doing here, though, Stretchy?" Toph asked, once Ty Lee released her from her tight hug.

"Oh, Haru and I were doing these two a favor… though we may have caused them trouble rather than helping them" Ty Lee admitted, with an awkward smile. Toph raised her eyebrow in confusion.

"Really, now?"

As lost in each other as they seemed to be, Sokka and Azula finally stopped kissing only to smile at each other dreamily. Sokka sighed, his knuckles caressing her face gently.

"How I missed you…" he whispered, and Azula leaned forward, pressing her brow to his.

"Missed her?" Toph snorted, turning towards them an arm folded over her chest, the other still dangling awkwardly by her side "I'm gone for a whole year and you're only a little surprised, but you don't see her for like twelve hours…"

"It was five, actually. I counted them" Sokka answered promptly, and Azula laughed at his earnest reply, pressing her forehead to his shoulder now. Toph shook her head but smiled too.

"You two are grosser than ever today, just so you know" she said, despite her amusement "Anyways, I sure wasn't expecting you, Stretchy, but it's good that you're around! Can I come to your wedding?"

"Why… sure! I had no idea you knew I'd be getting married, but yeah!" Ty Lee said, beaming "It's great you came back just in time to be part of it!"

"Perfect! Then make sure to get me as much food as possible" Toph declared, beaming. Ty Lee laughed and nodded.

"I was already planning on having a lot of extra food, I guess now I'll have to plan for even more than that" she smiled.

Footsteps on the staircase drew Ty Lee's attention: Haru didn't have as many bags with him as Azula and Sokka had needed during their trip, but he still had large ones strapped to his shoulders as he climbed downstairs to greet them. Azula hadn't taken notice of his new haircut so far, which left him with slightly longer hair than Sokka's own, let alone had she paid much attention to his now clean-shaven face, but the lack of hysterics meant Ty Lee had grown used to the man's new appearance.

"There you are!" Ty Lee said, beaming.

"Hey, Haru!" Toph said, waving in his direction and Haru smiled back, despite Toph wouldn't see it.

"Wow, it's been a while, Toph. It's great to see you"

"I'd say the same, but I've never-…!"

"Always with that joke, you're just so funny" Ty Lee interrupted the snickering earthbender, smirking and rolling her eyes before turning Haru "We're ready to go home?"

"Yeah, I miss my mom" Haru chuckled, reaching the bottom of the stairs and turning his smile on Azula and Sokka "Good to see you again, Princess. I'm surprised you could drop by so soon…"

"Yeah, I'm trying to ease my return into my duties… it's not proving all that easy" Azula admitted "I already have a report to read, a council meeting to attend tomorrow morning…"

"Eh? Tomorrow?" Ty Lee said, grimacing "Oh, but I was going to ask you to join me and Mai at my dress fitting tomorrow, too…"

"Well, this meeting probably won't take all day" Azula shrugged, but Ty Lee shook her head.

"Nah, better not risk it. I'll reschedule for the next day" she shrugged, smiling "You will come, right? You have to get a new dress of your own, too!"

"I know" Azula conceded, with a lop-sided grin "Though, for all your excitement… you haven't arranged things at the Temple yet, have you?"

"I… didn't. You said you'd help me with that, after all…?" said Ty Lee, toying with her own fingers nervously. Azula chuckled and shrugged.

"Yeah, I just figured I'd ask in case you'd dealt with it yourself. Well, then, I'll stop by the Temple as soon as possible. You ought to have a set date for your wedding by the time I do"

"Yes!"

"Woah, just like that?" said Toph, surprised "Is it that easy to just schedule a wedding in these parts? Weddings were such a drab, boring business in the Earth Kingdom…"

"It's not that hard to schedule them over here if you're Princess Azula" said Ty Lee, nonchalantly. Toph snorted.

"Ah, taking advantage of your Princess privileges, are you?" she asked Azula accusingly, and the Princess rolled her eyes but smiled.

"Might as well abuse those privileges to give my friends a hand, same way I did it to help you at the Slate" Azula said, and Toph snickered.

"Fair enough, fair enough…"

"Then we'll see each other in two days" Ty Lee smiled, as Haru tightened his bags and made his way to the door "I'm glad you guys got here just before we left, it was truly the perfect timing!"

"I should be able to meet with the Sage before your dress fitting" said Azula, and Sokka stepped away from her only so he could open the door for Haru "Thanks for… well, substituting for Sokka?"

"You haven't heard from that Enforcers' captain yet, have you…?" Haru asked, wary. Azula smiled and shook her head.

"No, but I'll handle it, no need for you to worry" she said "Have a good day, both of you"

"Bye!" Ty Lee exclaimed, glancing back and waving as she and Haru walked past the fence and entered the street.

Sokka closed the door moments afterwards, offering Azula a sympathetic grin despite she didn't seem all that affected by Ty Lee's requests.

"Sounds like you're about as busy now as you were when we first took off, huh?" he asked, slipping a hand into hers.

"At least my mind's in a better place now" Azula admitted, squeezing his fingers "If anything, I probably ought to be on edge again. I have so much to do, yet I'd rather grab you and run off right back to Shu Jing instead…"

"I'd be in for that" Sokka smiled, kissing her brow.

"Only until your conscience caught up with you, and it would" Azula smiled "Either way, I want to schedule a fight today, perhaps within this very week if we can get away with it. That'll allow us at least a few chances to see each other… and you ought to visit the Enforcers again, right?"

"I… don't know. Should I?" Sokka asked, dubiously "Mei Xun scares me, after what Ty Lee and Haru did…"

"If she gives you any grief I'll talk it out with her" Azula smiled "There's no need to be so nervous, if your reputation's been damaged we'll repair it…"

"Damaged why?" Toph asked, taking her seat on the living room table, as ever. As much as the pair by the door had been talking mostly quietly, the fine-tuned hearing of the earthbender could pick up their entire conversation flawlessly, only interrupting it now out of genuine curiosity, along with the deliberate intent to make them remember she was still there "What did those two do that could be any trouble for you, Dog? I mean, Spicy said Haru substituted for you, but…"

"They were going at it, in broad daylight, when he was supposed to be pretending to be me, sulking over Azula being gone" Sokka growled, making his way to the living room with Azula beside him "So now it looks like I just took advantage of her being gone to sleep around with anyone I could find…"

"Isn't that good, though?" Toph smirked "That way no one will think you're sleeping around with her, eh?"

"Well… come to think of it, no, that's not necessarily what people will conclude" Sokka grimaced. Azula raised an eyebrow "I mean, I've never been known for this kind of thing, right? But that I allegedly found someone else as soon as you left … wouldn't some people guess maybe you and I do have something going on and I'm just a disloyal idiot who thinks with his penis?"

"Uh… possibly. But not everyone would think that, I'd hope" said Azula, with a crooked grin "Either way, I'll try to smooth everything over with anyone who may accuse you of misbehavior of that sort. If only I hadn't established the new laws I could fall back on fake-torturing you as punishment for being so indiscreet, but…"

"Ah, but you love me too much to do that, regardless of the laws, don't you…?" Sokka asked, with an innocent smile. And where Azula would have naturally dismissed his claim with a scathing comment, she merely smiled as well, silently admitting defeat to a fight she could have won easily if only she had cared to.

"Ugh, I meant it when I said you were grosser than ever, but you just keep on topping it…" Toph groaned. Azula huffed.

"You ought to take note, instead. Jet will likely be grateful for it…" Azula said, nonchalantly, and Toph snarled, wishing she had half as good control over her body as the Princess did. But the blood rushed up to her cheeks regardless, in plain sight for Sokka… oh, if only everyone were blind like she was, they would never know how she felt about anything…

"Uh, what? Jet…?" Sokka asked. Azula smirked.

"She bumped into him again. Something must have happened, but she's too shy to admit it…"

"I'd rather not hear about it, myself" Sokka smiled, wrapping an arm around Azula's shoulders "But good on you, Toph. You deserve to be as happy as we are!"

"You two… seriously, are you on some sort of unspoken contest with Ty Lee and Haru over which one's the most obnoxious couple of all time?" Toph growled.

"Pretty sure we're winning at that contest by now" Sokka said, and Azula nodded solemnly, prompting him to laugh and kiss the side of her head.

"Here I was, hoping to catch up with my friends and they're just determined to make me sick…" Toph shook her head, though some noise upstairs startled her "Hey! Song's here to save me!"

The aforementioned girl stepped out of her room and glanced down at them from the corridor at the second floor. It was clear by her hooded eyes and stifled yawn that she had been sleeping, and that she had been woken by the noise downstairs, but she smiled groggily at the three downstairs.

"Hey… you're back, Azula?" she said, and the Princess nodded.

"Just got here, brought Toph along as well" she said, and Song grinned at the earthbender.

"It's been so long…" she said "Will you be staying with us again?"

"Nah, I'm going to freeload off the Palace again, it's less trouble for you" Toph said, as Song climbed the stairs to join the rest of them "But it's good to be back, even if those two are being unbearable today… I pity you for having to put up with this, Song"

"I don't mind that much, as long as they're not so loud…" she smiled "Though I must say, they're acting differently after their trip. They weren't quite like this before they left"

"Makes no sense to me. It's hardly the first time you two go anywhere together" Toph said, her hands behind her head again.

"It felt like the first time, to a fault. We didn't have to deal with gladiator fights or insane conspiracies while on the road, after all" Sokka said, shrugging.

"Still, that's no reason for you to act like you're married or whatever…" Toph said, shuddering "What the heck did you two even do out there that you don't usually get to do over here?"

"Uh… lots of things. Such as, well…" said Sokka, and for once, Azula shot him a meaningful stare.

"Sokka…"

"I know we said we'd shut up about it, but it's kind of difficult…" he smiled, though he suddenly reached for Azula's right hand, to study her palm "You took off the bandage?"

"I thought it would be better to take it off when I was reporting to my father" Azula explained "All I had to do was ensure he wouldn't see the cut, and he didn't, so he didn't notice it, didn't ask any questions… and he would have, surely, if I'd been wearing a visible bandage"

"At least it's on its way to healing" Sokka smiled, caressing her hand gently.

"You got hurt on the trip, Spicy?" asked Toph, raising her eyebrows "If you got sprained while doing something creepy in bed, please don't explain what it was"

"It wasn't that" Azula shook her head, though it was Song who put the pieces of the puzzle together, upon noticing Sokka's right hand sported bandages of its own.

"You both got hurt on your right hands? Exactly in the same place?" Song asked, and Sokka smiled awkwardly at her "Oh, goodness, you didn't…"

"What, you know about this?" Azula asked, surprised.

"I read about it in that book about old customs of other nations, before I lent it to Sokka!" Song said, smiling in disbelief "I asked him if that was really what the Water Tribe did for weddings, and when he said it was, I…! B-but for real? You guys went and…?"

"Twice!" Sokka announced, proudly, and Azula sighed and pressed her head to his shoulder, hiding her face in embarrassment. Song blinked blankly.

"W-why would anyone need to get married twice…?"

"Wait a second, you actually got married?! I was just kidding!" Toph exclaimed, eyes wide "Though… huh. That explains it. Guess women really do mellow out when they tie the knot, huh?"

"As mellow as I may appear, I can still give you the fight of your life if you ask for it" Azula smiled dryly at Toph, who snickered.

"That's the Spicy I know and love! Finally!" she declared proudly.

"Still, what you did can't be official, can it?" Song asked, her eyes traveling from Sokka to Azula in confusion "At least not by Fire Nation laws, right?"

"Well… not really. Neither ceremony, anyhow" Sokka admitted, though he hardly seemed discouraged by it "We were using our false identities in the first one, a Sage in the first town we visited agreed to hold the ceremony for us despite we didn't have any papers to prove who we were… and then the second one was just us and Xin Long"

"And I assume that one was done by the Water Tribe rite instead, huh?" said Song, smiling a little "Well, even if it's not legal… it's really romantic that you did that. It's no surprise you're so inseparable now"

"Yeah, a whole week of not having to worry about anything else can change a lot of things" said Sokka, grinning at Azula, who had slid an arm around his waist, resting against him comfortably.

"Try to keep this quiet around Ty Lee, though" Azula said "She'll probably accuse me of stealing her spotlight by getting married in secret before she did…"

"That's alright, she won't hear it from me, though she suspects it already…" laughed Song.

"She does?" Azula said, eyes wide "Huh… well, wouldn't be the first time I convince her she's hallucinating things. If anything, at least she didn't see it with her own eyes this time…"

"Oh, you ask me to keep way too many secrets, Spicy" Toph snorted, shaking her head "Keep this up and I'll have enough dirt on you to write a book about the story of your life…"

"I'd worry about that threat if you knew how to write" Azula smiled dryly, prompting Sokka to laugh.

"That's okay, I'll just get Song to write it for me. Right, Song?" Toph asked, smirking at the healer. Song rolled her eyes and shook her head, smiling reassuringly at the Princess.

"I wouldn't do that" she whispered, and Toph huffed in disappointment.

"You should! A lot of people would pay good money for this book! We'd be swimming in riches like she is, and then you could pay someone else to cook and clean for you!"

"Such ambitious goals coming from a girl who sacrificed a life of luxury to beat up people in an Arena…" Azula said, smirking skeptically. Toph snorted and shrugged.

"Okay, okay, I was trying to tempt her with the riches, I don't really care about them, myself…"

"I think we're simply not going to write your sordid book, simple as that" Song laughed, shaking her head.

"Wasted opportunity, I tell you!"

They spent most of the remaining morning talking about Sokka and Azula's trip, even if the pair glossed over most the intimate details the others didn't need to know. Toph had been sitting on the table as ever, while Song took an available chair whenever she wasn't offering them tea and refreshments. Sokka and Azula sat at the crimson couch together, hands linked, her body resting comfortably against his. They would have gladly stayed that way for the rest of the day, laughing with their friends and enjoying their companionship… but Azula's time was precious once again, and there was at least one more thing she meant to do today. So she asked Xin Long to stop by at Sokka's house after she sensed he had woken up, so her next trip of the day could be a lot quicker than the previous one had been.

"We're off to the Dome, then?" Sokka asked, once Xin Long landed in the backyard.

"We do need to issue out or accept a challenge" Azula sighed, standing up almost begrudgingly "Probably an earthbender in the higher levels of the ranking, someone to help us prepare for dealing with a certain Dirt Worm…"

"Ha! You'll never find anyone half as good as me!" Toph said proudly, and Azula smiled.

"No earthbenders, for sure. But I do know of a non-bender who probably would wipe the floor with you by now, the best in the League…"

"Keep on dreaming, Jewel! Not happening!"

Azula laughed and shook her head, patting Toph's shoulder as the girl sat proudly on the table.

"I'll see you at the Palace later, I suppose, unless you plan on staying here until sundown" Azula said. Toph grinned.

"Yeah, I don't know what I'll do, but I'm sure I'll hear you sometime soon" she declared "As obnoxious as you two may be, it's still fun hanging out with you"

"Are you guys sure you'll be okay in the Dome?" Song asked, as the pair stood by the threshold that led out to the backyard "I mean, well, you'll have to try to act like nothing's going on between you again, and for once I'm not sure you'll manage…"

"A valid fear…" Azula acknowledged, before shrugging "As long as we hold back all our urges to jump into each other's arms until we come back here, we should be fine"

"Yeah, we'll just save our energies for later" Sokka smirked, and as Azula laughed knowingly with him, Song sighed in defeat.

"Okay, then, I guess I'll just go out for most the afternoon…" she said, with a small voice.

Toph was the only one left to offer her a sympathetic smile and pat on the back, for the other two had already made their way to the dragon, climbing on the saddle while constantly exchanging smiles and glances that spoke more loudly than words could.

"If you really want to go out somewhere, I can go with you" Toph grinned "Been a while since I last spent time in this city"

Pleased by that suggestion, Song was glad to take up Toph on her offer of a walk through the Capital: by the time the two girls were ready to set out, Xin Long was already landing at the Dome's steps.

"Okay, we just have to act normal. I have to bring back my intimidating Princess act and you'll be back to your typical annoying behavior…" Azula said, as they climbed off the saddle, painfully holding back from touching each other.

Sokka snorted at that claim, though, looking at her with derisive skepticism.

"Say what you will now, Princess, you know you love the way I annoy you" he said, proudly.

"Or perhaps you needn't even make the efforts to be annoying again, it suddenly feels like you never stopped…" she said, though where she'd usually speak such words with malicious intent, the glint of playful amusement in her eyes told Sokka that she definitely hadn't meant her latest words in the least. He chuckled as he climbed the stairs up to the Dome, eager to open the doors for his secret wife.

They kept what they hoped was a fair distance from each other, though Azula had to make genuine efforts to avoid leaning closer to him as they walked together through the vestibule. Being near him with no opportunities for physical contact was utterly unfair…

Sokka would have felt uneasy about that as well, if only he hadn't been busy studying the visitors of the Dome. A lot of people were bowing at Azula, as ever, but some were staring at him instead. He couldn't know for sure if their eyes were accusatory or just curious, but he dreaded it was the former… he grimaced as he lagged a few paces behind Azula, hunching over as though to hide his shame. Maybe Captain Mei Xun had gossiped about his alleged indiscretion after all… Azula stopped cold suddenly, though, and Sokka nearly walked into her.

"Hey, why did you…?" Sokka said, purposefully avoiding physical contact even if his entire body yearned for it.

But where he had hoped Azula might have merely wanted to walk side by side with him, or perhaps that she might have been worried about whatever was bothering him, he found that she was frowning… and it was the frown with the crease between her eyebrows that he knew all too well: something wasn't right.

He raised his eyes towards Shoji's counter, only a few meters away, to find a familiar stocky man with silver hair was standing before it.

"Ugh. Toph's back, so that means Iroh is, too…" he reasoned, and Azula nodded, breathing deeply.

"Here I had hoped I'd avoid seeing him for a while longer" she said "At any rate, try to ignore him as best as you can. The less we acknowledge his presence, the likelier we are to wrap up our business quickly and return to your house"

"And I definitely wanted to do that already, even before we saw him" Sokka said, with a dry grin "Now I want it even more"

Azula smiled a little but restarted her walk towards Shoji purposefully. The young man had been engaged in conversation with Iroh, but he raised his head right away upon noticing a new arrival at his counter.

"Princess! It's so good to see you!" he exclaimed, grinning. Azula offered him a small smile of her own.

"Likewise, Shoji" she said, hoping to ignore her uncle, but the man glanced at her from over his shoulder regardless.

"Ah, what are the odds" Iroh said, his calm, easy-going voice unsettling for his niece "Here I thought I'd bump into you in the Palace, rather than in the Dome…"

"Whereas I thought I wouldn't bump into you for yet another few months, but the universe has its ways of surprising us" Azula said, cuttingly "Are you done with your business yet, or…?"

"No, no, but by all means, go ahead" said Iroh, smiling as he gathered the many challenges he was studying into a small pile, allowing Azula room to speak with Shoji freely.

"He's still deciding who to challenge" Shoji explained, grinning and jumping to his feet "I'll go get your cart right away!"

"I take it more challenges have piled up…?" Azula asked, and Shoji smiled awkwardly.

"Yeah, being the unofficial top non-bender makes you quite popular, as you know" he said, before opening the door to his storage room.

"Unofficial top non-bender indeed…" said Iroh, smiling at Azula "I'd heard some of the rumors, but I hadn't known for sure until I asked Shoji just now. Congratulations to the both of you. You must be immensely proud, Azula"

"Quite so" Azula said, with a dry grin. Sokka couldn't quite hold back a scowl, wondering why any compliment spoken by Iroh felt like a sly insult instead.

"As you're not all that surprised to see me, I take it you knew Toph and I are back in the Capital?" Iroh continued with his conversational tone. Azula nodded.

"My father told me this morning, yes"

"I had heard you were away, too. Was it for a gladiator fight?"

"No, my father suggested I should take some time off, so I did" Azula shrugged.

"Ah, well, he certainly has imposed much upon you" Iroh said, and Azula's lingering pleasant mood from over the past week seemed to begin crumbling upon sensing his blatant condescendence "I hear you're working with some group of female soldiers these days, too? That you wrote new slavery laws, even?"

"Indeed" Azula said, curtly.

"That's quite a lot of responsibility to give a Crown Princess" said Iroh "I guess not everyone can handle it so well"

"Most people wouldn't, but Azula's one of a kind"

Sokka's first intervention in the conversation brought forth a mix of reactions within Azula: impulsive, reckless giddiness at hearing him defend her, as always… along with horror, for it was far from safe for him to speak so well of her in front of Iroh, of all people.

"Oh, so I hear" Iroh laughed: even if he seemed to not give much thought to Sokka's words, Azula wouldn't drop her guard around him "You're fortunate her duties haven't pulled her away from the Gladiator Business altogether, Blue Wolf"

"I know I am, not like I'd find a better sponsor anywhere, after all" Sokka said, proudly.

It was only then that Sokka noticed the meaningful glares Azula was shooting at him. It gave him pause, if just for a moment, but he understood what she wanted regardless. It was difficult to hold back, though: defending her was second nature for him by now, and he'd gladly speak his mind to Iroh about how extraordinary the Princess was, if the man carried on dismissing her that way…

"Here we are!" Shoji announced, bringing in the same cart he'd shown them on their last visit: the three baskets were overflowing by now, though "Which kind of challenge would you like to see this time?"

"Uh… I suppose earthbenders" Azula said, blinking blankly at the mounds of challenges in front of her.

"I did pick out some of the expired ones, but it's no good, new ones come in every day…" Shoji sighed, lifting the earthbenders' basket and offering it to them.

"Mind letting us see the ranking, too?" Azula asked "I think we'll need it to decide which challenge to accept"

"Oh, sure!" said Shoji, grinning as he picked up the large scroll and handed it over to Sokka.

Iroh should have continued to study his own challenges, but he took to watching quietly as Azula sorted through hers, asking Sokka to search through the Ranking for the opponents that caught her eye. Shoji bit his lip, eyeing between both royals with uncertainty as he waited to find out which one would issue out their challenge first.

"General Iroh…?" he called him, and Iroh smiled gently.

"Yes, yes, I'm still thinking…" he said.

"So, Paragon of Pain wants to fight in four days…?" asked Azula, raising her eyebrows "Do you think you'll be ready for a fight so soon?"

"Oh, probably. Why not?" Sokka shrugged, smiling innocently.

"Perfect, then. I honestly don't dare schedule anything within more than just a few days" Azula sighed, shaking her head "The way things are going lately, I might get myself shipped off to the other end of the planet without a week's notice. Do you have ink and a brush, Shoji?"

"Of course!" said the young man, offering the implements to Azula so she could finish filling the challenge's form.

Iroh continued to watch them even now, and the gladiator and sponsor pair grew more uncomfortable under his scrutiny. Azula was relieved to finish filling the challenge's form, eager to leave the Dome and put proper distance between herself and her uncle…

"Odd that you haven't asked me why I'm back yet"

The words gave Azula pause, and she scowled at Iroh as he continued to regard her with calculating and mysterious eyes. He was determined to see through her, it was apparent… and Azula was most unwilling to give him that satisfaction.

"Odd that you'd want me to" she said, as she handed the filled challenge to Shoji "Why would I bother asking a question I know you won't care to answer?"

"As futile as it might seem to ask, neither of you show the slightest curiosity about it" said Iroh, raising his eyebrows "Not even when it means your friend is back, too"

"If you must know, Uncle, I've already spoken with Toph" Azula said, with a cutting grin "And indeed, I asked, and she told me she couldn't say because you asked her not to reveal your motives to me. If she won't tell me, I have less of a chance of convincing you to explain, don't I? Not to mention… why should I care that much, either way? You didn't find Zuko, else you would've either stayed with him or dragged him back here with you…"

"Dragged him back?" Iroh asked, scowling "You're so certain he wouldn't want to be here out of his own volition?"

"Wouldn't he be, if that were the case?" Azula said, dryly "Truthfully, Uncle, the only reason I'd rather you were in the Capital instead of jumping around the world is for Toph's safety and stability. Other than that, you're free to do as you will with your time and your resources. I couldn't care less what you use them for. As long as you do right by Toph, your business is none of my concern"

Iroh's new frown was far more honest than the rest of his behavior so far. If anything, Sokka was relieved the man had stopped hiding behind his constant masquerades at last, if just briefly.

"Have a nice day" Azula finished, her smile as sarcastic as possible before she raised a hand in farewell at Shoji: the young man was speechless behind his counter, despite this wasn't the first time he'd witnessed a tense encounter between these two sponsors "We'll see you soon, Shoji"

"R-right. Bye!" said the young man, nodding as both Azula and Sokka started on their way to the doors.

Iroh held his silence briefly as he felt his heart racing a little more wildly than it should for any man his age. Eventually, though, his impulsiveness got the better of him, regardless of the years he'd spent tempering his wilder side:

"So, if I'd found your brother… any traces of him, whatsoever, it wouldn't be any concern of yours?"

Azula slowed to a halt, and her uncle didn't miss the worried expression on the gladiator's face. The Princess glanced at Iroh over her shoulder, the steel in her eyes exactly as harsh as he anticipated it would be.

"Did you?" she asked, simply.

"I might have" said Iroh, frowning "Is that no concern of yours, then?"

Azula breathed deeply, holding Iroh's gaze for a moment before restarting her walk without another word. Sokka hesitated to follow her for moments: the accusatory glare in his blue eyes told Iroh the man was wary of him, who knew to what extent. It was no surprise that he would be: he'd spent years under the Princess's influence, surely believing all her poisonous words. That he was wrapped around her finger was a given, something Iroh had known even before seeing their partnership up close in Ba Sing Se… but only now, under that fierce glower, did Iroh start considering his niece's stalwart defender might be an accomplice, rather than just a victim, of the Princess's manipulations.

Xin Long was ready to take off, having sensed his rider's sudden distress. He only waited until Sokka was safely on the saddle before shooting off into the sky, flying them away from all onlookers as fast as possible.

"Are you okay?" Sokka asked, the seriousness of his voice took Azula aback as he reached for her hand, and she laced their fingers before offering him a reassuring smile.

"It's just Iroh, Sokka. I'm used to this by now" she said "Are you, though? You look rather angry…"

"I am" Sokka pouted, his arms now sliding into position around her waist as he leaned closer to her, allowing Azula to rest against his body intimately "That bastard just keeps trying to get to you, and I know you can handle yourself just fine against him, but… it makes my blood boil whenever he talks to you that way"

"So… your blood has boiled every time he's talked to me in the past two years?" Azula concluded, before leaning back to kiss his cheek "What a lovely and silly husband I have. But you have to stop worrying so much, Sokka… you'll develop an ulcer if you get so angry every time someone tries to mess with me"

"Maybe I just need to kick their butts to avoid that" Sokka smiled a little, burying his face in her neck "I guess… things have been so good lately, and you were so happy, too. That he'd get in the way of that is frustrating"

"Feels to me like you're the angrier one this time, though" said Azula, stroking the hairs on the back of his hair "And I may have to do a thing or two to cheer you up…"

That brought him to grin fully, raising his eyes playfully to find hers. That they were in the Capital again was no reason to hold back from enjoying each other's company whenever the opportunity arose… and with Azula's duties frequently getting in the way as they always did, they'd do best not to waste their precious time when it was there for the taking.

The house was empty when they arrived, and they would be free to indulge in their intimacy for a few hours. Toph and Song were still walking together through the Capital, chatting at leisure: the young earthbender wouldn't meet up with her sponsor until a few hours later, when she returned to the Palace and sensed him in his room. She knocked on the door before pushing it open, a courtesy she seldom displayed for anyone, but she had grown to do so with Iroh.

"Ah, you're back just in time for tea" Iroh smiled, as Toph entered the room, stretching "Had a busy day?"

"Something like that" she said, dropping by his small table "I, uh… well, I met with Azula today"

"Curious. So did I" said Iroh, startling Toph.

"Y-you did too? In the Palace, or…?"

"No, I figured I'd go to the Dome to check on your progress so far and send new challenges" said Iroh "She happened to do the same thing just while I was there. It seems they've already finished their part of my challenge…"

"Yeah, they were pretty smug about that" Toph grumbled, shaking her head "Not like it matters, though. I'll wipe the Arena floor with Sokka the next time we fight, as I always have!"

"Even when you're close friends now?" Iroh asked, amused. Toph grimaced.

"Well… I didn't say I'd enjoy it too much, but I'm not letting them beat me" she declared.

"I'm glad you're so determined to win, regardless of how you may feel about them" said Iroh "If you say 'they' were smug, though, you saw him too?"

"Yeah, Azula wanted to check on him, you know, she'd been away for a week and all that…" said Toph, stretching on her side across the floor, her head resting on a hand as she propped herself up with one elbow.

"So I heard" said Iroh "And I also heard Azula asked you about why we came home, but you refused to tell her…"

"U-uh, you did ask me not to…" Toph mumbled, guilt marring her face. Iroh studied the expression for a moment until he breathed out in defeat.

"But she knew why anyways, didn't she?"

"W-wait, what?"

"Either she guessed I received news from her brother… or she had something to do with it herself" said Iroh. Toph's sightless eyes widened.

"H-how would you know that?" she asked.

"Her indifference" Iroh said, simply "As ever, she acted like she was one step ahead, like she knew for certain that we couldn't have found Zuko or any valuable news about him. There could have been revealing information in his letter, but she displayed no interest in it whatsoever…"

"Maybe she just really… doesn't care?" Toph ventured a guess. How it sucked playing double-agent between Iroh and Azula, constantly having to hide secrets from them both when all she wanted was for them to be friends again…

"That hardly makes me feel any better about my niece" sighed Iroh, shaking his head "If she truly cares so little for whatever troubles Zuko might be facing… then she is no better than my brother, for certain"

"Why would you say that?"

Iroh closed his eyes, stern as he waited for the water in his teapot to reach the boiling point. Memories he never wanted to return to, that he had wished to cast away from his mind, lest they drive him to insanity, often bubbled to the surface, and before he knew it, he would be standing there, in that tent, facing a corpse covered with white linen…

"He's not there. That's not him, that's not my son…"

"General Iroh, please!"

"That's not Lu Ten!"

The commanding officers from the legions besieging Ba Sing Se handled him as carefully as they might a wild animal, with a mix of pity and caution. He knew what he looked like right now: like a commoner, any man with no military training or understanding of war's cost, being told his only child was gone. A man who had spent years organizing battles and training soldiers had no business crying so desperately, his face contorted into a gruesome snarl as he refused to face the truth of his son's demise.

"That's not Lu Ten…" he insisted, he repeated, desperate to change the past. To find his son on the battlefield, yank him out of danger before it was too late. He had seen young Captain Tiang crying as well earlier, his son's best friend, and he had understood the reason behind his tears immediately, even before being briefed of the truth….

He was Crown Prince Iroh. He was the Dragon of the West. He had discovered the greatest firebending masters, and they had deemed him worthy. Would they have done as much, if Iroh hadn't been on the right path? Wouldn't they have killed him themselves, if Iroh was fated to bring about the death of the undoubtable worthiest member of the Royal Family…?

Iroh wasn't worthy. He couldn't be, not anymore. Not if Lu Ten was there, lying still underneath the linen cloth…

One of the soldiers forced a drink into his hand, begging him to swallow it. He could see the fear in their faces: they thought he would explode in a violent outburst, that he would lash out and attack them, that he would set even himself on fire to relieve the grief that clouded his heart. And for a brief moment… for a brief moment, he was tempted to do so. Just for a moment…

He swallowed the drink in one shot, letting it burn across his throat as he closed his eyes. He could see his son's smile, hear the encouraging words he'd spoken after the wall had been breached: "We're going to make it, Dad. Grandfather will be so proud of us, of you! You'll bring down the greatest of Earth Kingdom bastions!"

Oh, how he had dreamt of that moment, even literally. Ba Sing Se crumbling before him, as he stood triumphant with his armies… and now the dream turned to dust. For what dream could be worth fighting for, once you had lost that which mattered most?

The soldier poured him more liquor, encouraged by Iroh's silence to continue soothing him with drinks. He didn't expect the General to brusquely yank the bottle off his hands and stalk away, turning his back on the crushed body he refused to identify, making his way to his personal campsite with feet that moved of their own accord.

He had finished the bottle by the time he arrived, but even the cloud of alcohol over his head wasn't enough to dismiss his pain, his doubts, his wavering faith. Even in dreams, he found his son's face… but in them, he was no longer smiling. Instead, he was desperate, in excruciating pain…

"Dad… I need you. I'm lost…"

"Lu Ten? Lu Ten?! I… I will find you! I will find you!" he bellowed back, whether in dreams or in reality, he didn't know.

"Dad, please…" Lu Ten cried out, and his shape turned blurry, foggy… a blue glow surrounded him, as though he were fading out of existence. As though his spirit was reaching out to him one last time before being taken away into a world he hadn't belonged in…

"LU TEN!"

"Iroh?"

He snapped out of his daze to find himself two whole decades older, in his bedroom, the teapot already whistling, as Toph regarded him with unabashed confusion. He breathed deeply, returning to himself after reliving his worst moment, the lowest point of his life. And why had he been thinking about that…? Once he remembered, his brow furrowed.

"As soon as I… as soon as I dropped my guard, to look for my son, my brother took advantage of my weakness and took the throne for himself" Iroh explained, breathing deeply as he snuffed out the fire and prepared the tea "It is no different from what she did. Ozai wanted her to have the throne, even if it belongs to her brother, by right… if she sees nothing wrong with taking it this way, she's no better than Ozai"

"But… she hasn't been so terrible, right? As Crown Princess, I mean…" said Toph, biting her lip "Aren't those slavery laws a good thing?"

Her words silenced Iroh for a moment: the translucid water had been tinged a darker color under the effect of the tea leaves before he spoke anew.

"I have asked myself the same thing" he admitted "But… I can't say for sure that they are. It all depends on why she's taken up such an ordeal, doesn't it?"

"I can't imagine her dad liked it when she suggested it" Toph said, grimacing "He's never struck me as someone who gives two shits about slaves, so he probably didn't care to give them a chance to live better lives, did he?"

"No, he definitely didn't" Iroh admitted "Which begs the question, again, of why she would be doing this. But she has an army at her disposal now, even if a small one, if those Enforcers truly answer to her…"

"Could be she's trying to overthrow the Fire Lord…?" Toph suggested, hoping the idea of a rebellious Azula would appeal to Iroh, despite not knowing if Azula had any such intentions or not…

And yet Iroh only scowled at that idea.

"Then she'd be even worse than him" Iroh said. Toph froze.

"How? Isn't Ozai the worst Fire Lord ever, according to you…?"

"He's been her staunchest supporter, he has raised her into who she's become. I would have never dreamt of turning against my father, even when I had some doubts on the path he was steering the Fire Nation towards" Iroh whispered "If Ozai gave her everything, and she still wants more… then she is far more selfish and power-hungry than my brother could ever be"

"Okay, okay, you know what? I think I've had it with you two" Toph growled, rolling on the floor until she was lying face down entirely, her hair dropping carelessly around her head "You think she's up to no good all the time, she knows you think so and that's why she wants nothing to do with you. Can't we just go back to the… uh, three months when you two actually got along? This is driving me crazy…"

"I'm sorry, Toph" Iroh sighed "I know you think of her as a friend, and I doubt you're pleased to hear me speak of her this way, but…"

"She's your niece, and you're her uncle" Toph grumbled "And you act like the other's the biggest baddest monster to ever walk the land. It's stupid. If you guys thought I should talk things out with my parents to fix our misunderstandings, why can't you do the same?"

"Have you asked that of her?" Iroh said, surprised by Toph's outburst. She huffed.

"I kind of did today. But she's sure you're up to no good, too. Hell, sometimes I love you both, and sometimes I just can't stand either of you. You're the smartest people in the world but dumber than a brick when you want to be"

Iroh couldn't hold back a smile at that assessment. Strange, he thought, that Toph would find more in common between him and Azula than either himself or his niece would like to acknowledge… even if that common ground happened to be their contradictions and apparently selective intelligence.

"Do you truly believe Azula is more innocent than I give her credit for?" Iroh asked "That her intentions are not as self-serving as I suspect?"

"I'd like to think so, but I know you won't believe me" Toph sighed.

"Is there any reason in particular why you think that?" Iroh asked, probing the young earthbender.

"Well, gee, because she's helped me out a lot of times without needing to?" Toph said, shrugging and raising her head at last "I've hardly ever had anything to do in return for her, just… just that one time in Gladiator Brawl, right? But she's helped me out since Ba Sing Se and she helped me learn new fighting styles for the Slate even if that might bite her and the Dog in the ass one day… what did she have to gain from doing all those things?"

"I suppose… I suppose you're right" Iroh whispered, though doubt gnawed at him regardless. What did Azula have to gain? Why, no less than a friend who could spy on Iroh whenever she needed her to… but perhaps that was unfair towards Toph. She had been a faithful, loyal friend for all these years, hadn't she? It was him who had failed her, not the other way around…

But that left him in an awkward predicament regardless: was Toph right? Could Toph have a point? Was it, perhaps, time for him to mend fences rather than antagonize his niece?

The thought was distressing, for more reasons than the obvious. Azula had seldom treated him with respect, perhaps only during those three months Toph had talked about earlier. Her father had raised her to be his perfect heir, and never had she given away any signs of not being exactly that: all her life she had been shaped into becoming Ozai's legacy, as far as Iroh could tell. Was there truly more to the young woman than he had understood all along? Had he not given her the credit she was due? Was she, perhaps, capable of defying Ozai, of rebelling against him for the right reasons rather than in pursuit of power?

He poured the tea carefully, trying to keep his hands from trembling. For all these years… ever since Lu Ten died, Iroh had been guided by his destiny, by doing what had to be done to ensure the Fire Nation's reign of terror ended. But more often than not, he had failed: Zuko was supposed to be the one to end Ozai's rule. Zuko should have been the one to grow out from under Ozai's shadow to prove the fire inside him was true, as true as that of Ran and Shaw: he was meant to be the one to guide the nation back to the right course, so harmony and peace could be restored. Iroh knew this, believed in this, he had clung to said belief for over fifteen years now. Iroh had a purpose, and it was to guide this child, the product of the joining of two powerful bloodlines, Fire Lord Sozin's and Avatar Roku's, into becoming the true leader their nation needed.

But that was the only criteria, wasn't it? A child of the two merged lineages would be the one to bring back balance to the world. And as things stood, Zuko wasn't the only one who could boast of such heritage.

Had Iroh understood wrong? Was it not meant to be Zuko… but Azula?

He nearly tasted bile at such a thought, even if his logical mind was unkindly, stubbornly reminding him that either sibling fulfilled the requirements of the prophecy just fine. But oh, it made no sense. Zuko's heart was pure, far purer than Azula's could ever be: he was a good man, stubborn and hot-headed at times, but deep down he instinctively chose the right thing over the wrong, constantly. Azula, on the other hand, only chose whatever served her interests best. Whatever decisions she had made over the past years might have aided others, but they had still benefited her every time. She was her father's favorite child, she was at his beck and call…

Much like Iroh himself had been his father's favorite, back when Azulon had still been alive.

Again, his conscience seemed to reprimand him. He had changed, years down the line, hadn't he? Even if Azula had been cruel, harsh, unyielding… there was no reason to think she couldn't change, was there? And, even if she hadn't yet, perhaps she could, in the future… Ultimately, Iroh would have preferred it if Zuko were the one to save the Fire Nation. But if it had to be Azula, wouldn't that still mean the ultimate goal would be achieved? Zuko had written, on his letter, that he was happy with Suki… could it be that the young man should cling to that happiness, to be free to live his life as he wished, while Iroh took to guiding his sister into being a better Fire Lord than any of the last four had been? In a sense, it would free Zuko from burdens that Iroh knew were heavy on anyone's shoulders… he had regretted forcing Lu Ten into a warpath that had brought about his untimely death, hadn't he? He had regretted not giving him a choice. If Zuko could have one, though… would it truly be Iroh's place to force him to take up a mantle he no longer wanted, to sacrifice his happiness just to fulfill a prophecy only Iroh had ever heard?

Was it time to consider, genuinely, that his conjectures across all these years could have been misplaced? That perhaps it was Azula who stood in the best position to take over her father's role and correct their nation's path?

"I'm only saying… she's not as heartless as she always pretends to be" said Toph, shrugging awkwardly as she lay on the ground as she did "I guess it's not easy to get through to her, but if you could reason with someone as unreasonable as Zuko, why not with Azula?"

"Perhaps that is why" said Iroh, smiling weakly "Princess Azula is quite set in her ways, and believes she needs no guidance, let alone from me"

"Then maybe don't try to guide her anywhere" said Toph, shrugging "Just… be her friend? I guess it's weird for relatives to be friends, but still…"

"It isn't a common occurrence in this family, no" Iroh conceded, shaking his head before depositing Toph's teacup before her. She pushed herself up only then, eager to drink it.

"Well, maybe you two ought to put your family's dumb history in the trash heap it belongs in and learn to get along" she said, grinning as she picked up the tea "You know, if you fix your feud I'm sure you could come to Ty Lee's wedding!"

"To… what? Wait, that's Azula's friend, isn't it?" Iroh asked, surprised "Is she getting married?"

"Yup! To her gladiator" said Toph, with an awkward smile "I met her today when I went to visit the Dog, and she invited me, so I'm sure if you and Azula were getting along better you could come too"

"I suppose… and Ty Lee was quite friendly to me when we first met" Iroh remembered, grinning "I suppose she must have been around ten or eleven. Before I knew it, she was hugging me while talking excitedly about something… I no longer remember what thrilled her so, but I thought it was endearing"

"Then I'm sure she'll love it if you're there" said Toph, beaming.

Iroh smiled back as Toph sipped her tea before carrying on talking about her friends. They were Azula's friends, first, and Iroh knew as much… but Toph's innocent excitement upon retelling how she'd walked and talked with Song all afternoon was even more endearing than Ty Lee's hug from ages past. Toph hadn't enjoyed the wonders of a normal childhood, an unsheltered upbringing. Having friends, so many of them, was a thrill for her…

So, even if the prophecy had been about Zuko, even if there was no chance Azula would be the right choice for correcting the Fire Nation's destructive path, Iroh found an unexpected urge, deep down in his heart, to mend fences with his niece. The girl who had become like a daughter for him might have further reasons to smile as contently as she did right now, if only Iroh gave his niece a chance… if only he made an effort to salvage a relationship he had thought was doomed for good, if just for Toph's sake.