The pair sat quietly for a good long while after she finished her song. Azula faced the setting sun, and Sokka had his eyes on its reflection in the pond. He wished that he had a pond in his backyard. Azula absently let her legs kick forward and backward, mirroring the gentle arc Sokka's swing made.

"Well it wasn't totally awful was it?" Azula asked.

Sokka tapped his chin. "Well, not completely." He smirked

"I hate chu." Azula grumbled.

"Fer what though? I said it weren't horrible."

"Al'right, Sokka." She reached her hands out, set on giving him the shove of his life. But instead the swing bucked back and she ended up falling onto him instead. With a thud and an 'umph', the pair landed in the ground.

"Well ya did'n have ta tackle me!" Sokka huffed.

"Didn't I?" Azula asked wedging her knee slightly into his stomach.

"Oh so we're doin this again?" Sokka asked. He tried to shove her off, but this time she had him quite firmly pinned. "Kay, okay y'all win this round. I surrender."

"Then take it back."

"Take it back? Kay, yer songs are actually mighty awful." Sokka dared.

Azula squinted at him. "That's it Sokka, now yer in fer it fer sher." She punched him on the arm, giving him just enough of an opening to switch positions, so that she was almost pinned to the floor. His victory was short lived, for Azula squirmed her way out of his grasp and pinned him down again, this time face down.

"A'lright." He huffed. "I take it back, I liked yer song."

"That's what I thought." Azula rolled off of him and onto her back. She set her hands behind her head and peered at Sokka.

He laughed. The pair hadn't done that since they were kids. Not all out roughhousing; rolling around on the ground until they could smell the grass on their cloths and skin. He told his mother that he would be back within the hour. He had every intention of keeping his promise, laying there with Azula meant everything to him. Even if she didn't know it. He could work on the farm any old day but spending time in her backyard only happened once in a while. Especially on a day like that one. The last of the sun's rays fell over Azula, kissing exposed skin from her face and arms to her lower torso and legs. The sun's reflection perfectly highlighted the gold in her eyes. As the sun sank, he swallowed down his hesitance and took her hand. She stared at him for a moment but didn't draw back. She had just told Tylee that there wasn't anything between she and Sokka. Yet when his hand cupped hers, she wanted nothing more than to keep it there.

From somewhere off in the distance came the smell of burning leaves. "Smells good don't it Sokka? It's one of my favorite things, when the neighbors get to burnin' their leaves. If you wanna come on back tamorrow, Mai, Tylee, and I are gonna do the same. After Zuko rakes of course."

"I'll see what ma has planned." He replied.

For a good long while they lay in grass, silently watching fireflies rise form grass. Somewhere down the line Sokka pulled his radio out and put on his favorite station. "Ya really oughtta get an iPod, stead of carryin' that ol' thing around." Azula remarked. "I'll go out 'n get ya one myself."

"I ain't need one. I like my radio jus well."

"Wach ya mean to say is that you done convince yerself that ya like it so ya wouldn't feel bad 'bout not having an iPod like the rest of us." She stated as a firefly drifted lazily by, she reached out and grabbed it, cupping it in her hands. And just like she had when she was a girl, she sat up and held it out for Sokka to see. It set her hand a glow. The tiny bug crawled over her skin, occasionally illuminating her palms before it finally crawled to her topmost finger and flew off to join its companions. She lowered herself back into the grass and watched the bugs swarm about in luminous clouds. Somehow they reminded her of watching fireworks on the 4th. Ozai was off on some kind of business or another—Azula couldn't recall what exactly it was that he had gone off to do. So Zuko took that as his opportunity to speed down all of the backroads with Mai in his new car. He was sixteen at the time, Azula recalled. When they got back the pair carried armfuls of fireworks, the kinds that weren't exactly legal.

Tylee and Katara stuck with the sparklers. She, Zuko, and Toph got their kicks out of lighting the most explosive roman candles that they could find. Of course that was the day Toph lost her eyesight, but as with everything else, the girl handled it like a champion. In fact she'd even finished celebrating with them before even mentioning anything.

The girl's parents took it way worse. That's why she and Toph hadn't talked since—apparently she, Zuko, and Mai are off limits. Whenever they wanted to talk she'd have to pass notes along through Aang.

But the night up until that moment had gone so smooth; Sokka called up Haru from the town he used to live in and Haru called Jet…soon the whole neighborhood and then some were at their house. Haru displayed some wicked barbecuing skills, Sokka made sure everyone knew that. And Aang proved to be a cornhole champion, he'd only beaten Zuko twelve times that night—and in front of Mai too. Azula was the only one who even came close to beating him.

There were parts of that night that were a little fuzzy—mostly the parts that came after Chan brought the 8 packs. Sokka still insisted that she had made a move or two on Jet.

Somehow she and Zuko had managed to clear everyone out before Ozai came home, and only found trouble when Toph finally fessed up about her vision troubles.

Those were such simple days. The siblings still hosted their own 4th of July festivities, but none of them came close to the feeling of that night. Azula watched the cloud of fireflires burst apart and go their separate ways. "I reckon, we should do it again some time." Azula put out briefly.

"Do what?" Sokka asked.

"Get Zuko to go find some more fireworks. Send daddy off somewhere. And throw a big party."

He chuckled. "Yeah, maybe we ken even smuggle Toph in wit the beer."

Azula shrugged. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind none." She plucked a strand of grass. "Maybe if Tylee wins her blue ribbon, 'n yer family wins yers, we can throw a party to celebrate."

"Guess I'm really gonna have ta git ta winnin' now." Sokka squeezed her hand.

"You best do that." Azula stood up and brushed the dirt off of her knees. She picked up her car. "Ya need a ride home or did ya bring yer truck?"

"I walked her but I ken walk back."

"Did ya promise yer mom that y'all would be back home 'for dark?"

She'd caught him again, "well I mighta."

"Well then you best get in my car, I ain't havin' you banned from my house too." Azula grabbed his hand and led him out front.

"Guess I'll git to spend a 'lil more time wit ya then." Sokka gave in. "'Sides, I never did drive wit y'all 'for."

"Well then get ya in the passenger's seat." She opened the door for him. "Idiots first."

"Ha. Ha." He rolled his eyes. "This is purtty nice." He mentioned. He didn't see her as the type to drive a pickup. But it suited her well. Unlike his, hers was in top condition—not a dent nor scratch on its red paint. The only sign of its use was a light film of dirt on and around the tires. The next time he came back they'd probably be nice and clean once again.

Azula positioned herself behind the wheel and started the truck. "Now, y'all better not come back here 'til yer sure that yer mom's gonna win that ribbon this year. Y'all really do need that prize money."

He knew that tone of voice. It was the tone of voice that told him that he could knock on her door all he wanted—he could knock the day and night away—and she still wouldn't answer. Not until his family won. It was that tone of voice that told him that she would be sharpening her own skills to win her own ribbon and helping Tylee with hers. He hated that tone. He hated the tough love. But that's what he knew he was getting himself into right from the start.

"I'll see ya at the fair then." He said as she pulled the truck to a stop.

She rolled her window down. "See ya 'round, Sokka."

And she took off, the dying summer breeze fluttering her hair. She was singing along to the radio as her truck picked up speed, kicking up dust, he knew she was. He watched her until her truck's taillights became two specks off light, blazing down that dirt road.