This was punishment.

Azula was ninety-nine percent sure that this had been done on purpose.

The other small percent one may ask?

Her brother was an idiot.

Azula glared daggers at the metal cuff around her wrist, feeling the cold chill of it reach her bones. If it were possible to fire bend her way out of this trap without hurting herself she would. Then again chewing her own hand off at the chance for freedom was far more favorable than the embarrassment she had got caught up in with her sibling.

Getting handcuffed together had not been a part of her daily plans.

"Zuko…I am going to kill you." She growled, turning her deadly gaze to the man about half a foot away from herself. They sat on the ground glaring at one another in the family room of the palace, with furniture upturned around them. The room looked like a war zone with burn marks here and there from their bending. Obviously a fight had broken out. Like that was new.

Zuko's eyes widened in dismay, "Listen Azula, I didn't mean to handcuff ourselves together. It was an accident."

"How is this" She held her left hand up to his face "an accident? Please…do enlighten me." She smiled dangerously wondering what pathetic excuse he could come up with.

"You're the one that threatened to handcuff me! What did you think I was going to do?!" Zuko's voice rose as he got in her face a little too close for her liking, "Let you?" he scoffed, yanking his right hand which pulled the metal into her skin causing her to wince. He had done that just to irritate her "As if. This is your fault!"

"I didn't expect you to be dumb enough to handcuff the other part of it to me! If you had just complied quietly we wouldn't be in this mess." Azula ignored the statement to her crimes, yanking her left arm which pulled Zuko forward to the ground. His upper body fell upon her sprawled legs so that he was lying partly on top of them. She smirked at him loving how easy it was to rile her brother up.

Zuko glared up at her, getting to his knees with his hands on either side of her "If you weren't such a bitch we could actually get along!"

"Oh and we didn't at the beach?" He recoiled a bit, his face heating up. That night still burned fresh in his mind. She knew he couldn't just forget what they had done. The comment was meant to throw him off but she had unwittingly let it affect her.

Azula still could not wrap her mind around as to the reason why she had allowed him to…kiss and touch her in a way that still kept her up in the late hours. There wasn't a second wasted when she happened to be alone with her thoughts that it persistently crossed her mind. The memory of that night on Ember Island ate at her like a parasite living underneath the skin. No matter what she tried she couldn't seem to rid herself of the toxicity that now surrounded them.

Why had she seduced him?

The answer still eluded her.

"What we did…was wrong and will never happen again." Zuko whispered harshly, trying to get his point across while also keeping what they did a secret. If their father knew of their sexual affair he would surely kill Zuko and then disown her. That was something Azula wasn't willing to risk.

Azula was silent, unable to speak for a moment. His words made her heart constrict painfully. Never would she have thought he could hurt her with just a few simple words. They shouldn't but they did. A dark instinct crawled over her, rising up in response to the source of pain "How can you be so sure?" she asked seductively.

Azula leaned forward until her nose brushed his. He flinched but stubbornly refused to move. She could feel her heart hammering loudly against her ribcage, sure that he would be able to hear it. A need came over her, desiring to be fulfilled much like it had that night. Her left hand glided over his, the small chain bounding them together rustling eerily. She swallowed nervously, fascinated by the electrical buzz between them.

Leaning her head to the right side of his face, she kissed him softly as she had that night, except this time she went further, scarring his neck with the heated touch of her lips. She paused in her action noticing the paralysis that overcame her brother. She could practically smell his confusion and fear of what she was doing to him. "Are you sure that you want to resist…?"

Zuko heaved a shuddering breath that caused goose bumps to rise along her skin sending a pleasant sensation in between her legs. His right hand pulled back sharply, the cold metal scrapping and bruising their skin. "You think that you have control over me?" He snarled, his husky voice revealing to her the desire he held back.

Azula pushed forward suddenly, lacing her left hand with his right as she pinned him to the ground beneath her. The handcuff prevented any comfortable position for either sibling but they didn't seem to care. Instead the pain heightened their lust for one another. Azula's hungry amber gaze bore into his "I know I do…and always will. You and I are bonded together in the most twisted way."

Zuko's left hand grasped her waist, pulling her down flush against his chest. She let out and audible gasp unable to prevent it as he flipped her over onto her back. He was now on top and the animal look in his eyes made her blush. "No Azula…the only thing that binds us together is blood and nothing more. That night doesn't mean anything."

"So you say…yet here we are with only a chain holding us together." Her left hand reached up to gentle caress his scarred face, her nails digging in ever so slightly. His right hand having no choice but to follow the action placed itself over hers.

Grasping her hand, he leaned down placing his lips over hers, kissing them softly. Azula savored that moment, until he pulled back, his heavy breathing mixing with her carefully timed ones. His left hand shifted above her head, until he revealed what he had finally retrieved "Found the key." Sitting back on his knees he un-cuffed them, letting the other end hang off Azula's wrist. He dropped the key beside her. Getting to his feet he glanced at her one last time with a mixture of emotions before leaving her there in the chaotic room that had been turned upside down.

Azula leaned forward with one knee drawn up and her left hand resting lazily over it. The metal cuff hit her leg soundlessly. She smirked, narrowing her eyes: The taste of his lips lingering far longer than they should have.

Maybe this punishment had been worth it after all.