Sokka was on a mission. A secret one. Rounding the corners of the Palace corridors swiftly, he entered the far east, lesser used wing. Unlike the rest of the building, which had been refurbished in a lighter, more modern and elegant style, the Eastern Wing looked like it hadn't been redecorated since before Sozin's day. From dark carved panelled walls, ornamented with elaborate gold fretwork and cherrywood inlays, the occasional ancient portrait regarded Sokka severely, recording his intrusion for posterity. Caught up in this flight of fancy, he imagined encountering some kind of ancient Fire Nation ghost, stepping out of its heavy gold frame or appearing from behind one of the red lacquered screens placed in random corners.

Stop right there, Water Tribe peasant! Kneel this instant before your rightful ruler! As punishment for your intrusion, I will curse you with 100 years of ejaculating boiling semen!

Ouch. Well, at least I'll live to be 120 then.

Chuckling, he rounded yet another excessively carved corner.

Ah!

Examining the walls, he approached a single moderately unobtrusive door, surrounded by gilt fretwork. A pair of dragons, one bright scarlet and the other cobalt blue, crowned the doorway. As far as his eye could see, there were no other doors in sight.

Aha! The suite! Yeah, and the dragon sign's there, just like she said. Now, then! On to step two. Breaking and entering. Well, a dare's a dare!

Kneeling down to examine the gilt door bolt, he discovered the red hair snood sign twisted around it and shook his head. That Kiyi. He turned the bolt experimentally and pushed. The door didn't budge.

Damn!

He rose and knocked on the door, calling out in a hushed voice.

"Kiyi? It's Sokka! I counted to twenty, just like we agreed. Are you in there?"

No answer.

Cursed imp.

Shaking his head, Sokka drew his hunting knife out of its leather scabbard and slid it carefully into the gap separating the door from its frame. Going to work on the lock, he twisted the bolt slowly, reading the door lock mechanisms with his fingers.

Yes... Yes…

Sweat was trickling down his back, adrenaline charging through his system. Yes. No use denying it. Breaking into the Fire Nation Princesses private Palace suite was the most exciting thing he'd done for years. It certainly beat going on a date with Suki by a mile or two.

YES!

Cracking the door open, he stared into the luxuriously furnished sitting room. The hide and seek game with Kiyi vanished from his mind instantaneously. Red-hot curiosity charged him like a bolt. Of course, this was just the kind of situation that Katara used to chide him for getting into.

Scolding himself, he moved around the lavish rooms furtively. There was a vaguely seductive smell in the air, some exotic combination of incense and fire lilies. It drew him inexorably towards a room on the far left.

"Kiyi? Kiyi, are you in there?"

His heart was pounding like a drum. The gilded door beckoned him like a treasure chest, embellished with the same scarlet and blue dragon emblem as the outer portal. The silence jarred badly with his arousal. Forcing his mind to calm, he reminded himself of his search mission.

The little minx is probably hiding in her sister's closet. Or maybe underneath her bed. Okay, I'll just have to search everywhere.

Taking a deep breath, he entered.

The bed was wide, plush and made up in shining red silk sheets. The canopy surrounding it was drawn back, draped in sumptuous gold patterned folds. As Sokka approached, inexorably drawn in by the peculiar magic that was Fire Nation style, the smell of incense and fire lilies increased. The sudden urge to lie down naked on the bed and roll around in the soft sheets struck him like a hammer. All thoughts of playing child's games were forgotten.

The owner must have left the room in a hurry to get to the Council meeting, because various articles of clothing were scattered around the room. A black velvet jacket hung crumpled from a bedpost. A pair of embossed leather ankle boots lay sad, discarded on the floor. A deep red army uniform, edged in gold braid, had been flung into a corner. Wardrobe doors were opened, drawers left unshut with silky contents spilling out. Surprised by the unexpected disorder, Sokka checked the big closet, ensuring that no little girls were hiding in it. Then, he went down on his knees and checked the space underneath the bed. Nothing. A tiny gleam caught his eyes. Hm. A bracelet, consisting of a Fire Nation symbol set with red stones, mounted on a slender chain. He placed it absentmindedly on the bed sideboard.

Oh. She's really sloppy, isn't she? And she always appears so strict and orderly, so neat and always in control. Well, I guess I'm on to your secret, Princess!

He shook his head to clear it.

Shit. I really, really shouldn't be in here. And where in the blazes is Kiyi? She truly set me up with this one!

Sitting down heavily on the bed, Sokka caressed the red satin sheet tentatively, enticed by its sheen. Shit. What was he doing, breaking into a girl's suite and fingering her personal stuff like this? He needed to get out and forget that any of this ever happened. Forfeit the game to Kiyi and hail her as victor of the challenge. After all, it had been her idea. Sokka had no doubts that she'd managed to sneak into the Firelord's rooms to locate his spare crown and pilfer it to prove she was the Practical Joke Champion. While he was… he was…

His hand snagged in something soft and black. Curious, he rose to shake it out.

A nightgown. Sheer, slinky, silky, with spaghetti straps. Slightly crumpled. Unthinkingly, he caressed it, noticing how the bodice had stretched to accommodate a woman's curves. A-

"You really seem to like that. Interesting. I had no idea Water Tribe peasants had good taste in clothes."

Sokka whirled, bright scarlet shame tainting his cheeks.

"A… Azula? This isn't what it seems! I mean, Kiyi and I were playing this game of hide and dare, and she challenged me to enter your suite to find her. I… I guess I…"

He was distracted to find his fingers tangling up in the sheer silky garment.

"Hm. I see. And did you?"

Azula was leaning back casually against a carved antique dresser, arms crossed across her chest. Distractedly, Sokka noted that the tight sleeveless black silk cheongsam dress with red borders had been a good choice. His eyes kept getting drawn to the cleavage cutout.

"I… well no, Azula. She placed a sign to mark that she'd been here on the doorknob, but she doesn't seem to be here now."

"She's in luck. Cursed little brat. Now, you on the other hand…"

She tilted her head and gave him a wry red lipped smirk. Her long pale arm shot up to push the silky fall of black hair back over her shoulder. The bright gold eyes fixed him steadily.

"You seem really fascinated by that nightgown. Well if you like it, it's yours. Undress and put it on."

Sokka's blue eyes widened significantly. "Excuse me? Look Azula, I'm really sorry to have intruded on your personal space and touched your private things. I know I overstepped the boundaries, and I'm so, so sorry. Please?"

He flashed her a boyishly charming grin.

The smirk deepened slightly. "You heard me. Undress and put it on."

"You... You can't be serious!" Sokka was worried to note a sizeable expansion in his trouser area.

"Try me."

Hell. Kiyi had better not be in here somewhere.

Shaking his head, Sokka undid his tunic and pulled it off to expose his lean, muscular torso. As Azula's amber eyes fixed on his pectorals and abdomen, her face remained expressionless. However, her pupils dilated slightly and her stance relaxed.

"Go on. Take it all off."

Well for the love of… Okay, I guess, I've nothing to be ashamed of in the size department. Here goes!

Discarding his boots and trousers, Sokka stared defiantly at her.

"Well, here you go, mylady! Nude as when I exited my mother's womb. What you see is what you get."

Azula raised a slanted black eyebrow a fraction of an inch. Her pale cheeks were slightly flushed.

"Ah. Well done, peasant boy! But oh, what's that big ugly thing? Pray cover yourself. Remember, you are in the presence of Fire Nation royalty! No, no, not the trousers!" She bit her lower lip to stifle a laugh.

Goddamn diva! Ah, the fucking things you do for…

Cursing audibly, cheeks stained a nice deep maroon shade, Sokka placed the slinky black nightgown over his head and pulled. It widened neatly to accommodate his muscular form. Adjusting the spaghetti straps and black lace over his torso, he assumed a wide legged stance and stared at Azula defiantly. The sizeable protrusion in his front area was rudely aimed at her, draped in sheer silk.

"Oh." Azula's eyes ignited. The smirk vanished, transforming into a bright beaming smile of joy. Approaching him, she ran her hands over his chest, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Mmm… You smell so good… That's so very nice... Please stay for a while…"

Did she really say please? Oh, is that her boobs rubbing against my chest? Mmm, this is…

Closing his eyes, Soka groaned, massaging Azula's firm round buttocks softly with big hands. In spite of his hardon, he really didn't need to pull her over to the bed. This was perfect. Just perfect. He remained standing, kissing her sleek black hair and inhaling her scent. Fireworks were imploding in his mind. She was covering his neck in soft little kisses.

I could do this forever and ever.

"SURPRISE! Ha ha, Sokka I knew you wouldn't find me! I outsmarted the two of you! I knew I could do it!"

Sokka and Azula flew apart as if jolted by lightning. Having jumped out from behind the heavy crimson velvet curtain, Azula's half sister stared at them, giggling.

"Oh wow! Are you blushing, Azula? Ew Sokka, what are you wearing!?"

Crimson faced, the Fire Nation Princess approached the girl, blue flames igniting from her fingers. Placing a barring arm in front of her, Sokka moved in on the girl.

"Now Kiyi! You obviously won the game. You were way more clever than me, I admit it. But you did say it was your personal secret that you could open and enter any doors of the Royal Palace. Now, I'm pretty certain you don't want the Firelord to find out about it, right?"

The girl's face fell. Computing the possible consequences, she pushed her dark cow's lick out of her forehead.

"No, Sokka! Please don't tell Zuko! Please, I promise never to break into Azula's suite again. I really, really won't! I'll…"'

"That's fine, Kiyi! Now, run along! Go find Aang. He promised to take the next turn playing with you, didn't he?"

"Oh! Yeah, he promised to take me on a ride with Appa. See you guys later!"

As the girl bounced cheerfully out of the room, Sokka turned to Azula.

"Well, she's gone! Believe me, that was just a silly game. I hope you're okay with it?"

Turning away, she refused to meet his eyes. "Of course. I'm totally okay with it. Just a silly game. Now take that nightgown off and get dressed. Then, get out. I need to do some paperwork for the Council."