*So, here it is, Superbowl Sunday in the U.S. and I'm posting another chapter. But I'm guessing the sorts of people who like to read my story aren't really the football type. LOL Myself, included. Why watch that when Harry Potter is on? Anyway, enjoy!
TamiLove- I do believe in Zukka fans, I do believe in Zukka fans!
Ultimashadow- wow, thanks for the Brokeback Mountain comparison :) and Suki didn't hear ALL of their conversation. She doesn't know they cheated with each other.
Thanks to cassy1994, Guest (please join!), Tenshi Yami-Angel of Darkness, Moonshine15, Mantinas, Cera em and aly, and CharlieRoz for taking the time to read and review!
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"But Dad-"
"No. I need you here. You've been gone long enough as it is," Hakoda said. "You need to start learning the responsibilities of being a leader, Sokka. If something were to happen to me-"
"Something already did," Sokka interrupted. "You left. You all left, when I was too young to be the oldest male in charge. But I took responsibility, because I had to. You were the one who shirked his responsibility. You weren't here to take me ice dodging."
"I know," Hakoda hung his head. "Believe me, I didn't want to leave you and your sister. But I had to fight for you. I had to fight for your mother."
Both men reflected on the conversation. Each could see the other's point of view. However, they still each believed they were right.
"Dad, joining the Fire Nation Council would give us the opportunity to be heard, to give us a say in the future. I can negotiate better trade and peace treaties. I can stand up for the Southern Water Tribe. Here, I'll just be another hunter and fisherman, waiting to take over for you. That's not going to happen for a very long time."
Nodding, Hakoda said, "I agree that having a seat on the Council is very important."
Sokka smiled hopefully.
"So, I'll send Soto. he can be our representative."
"What? Bato's son? You can't be serious."
"Why not? He's intelligent and level-headed. I think he'd be a great advisor to Fire Lord Zuko."
"But he doesn't even know Zuko. He asked me to be on the Council, not Soto."
"Sokka, what difference does it make who our advocate is?" Hakoda regarded Sokka carefully. "Is there a specific reason for you wanting to do this?"
Shrinking slightly from Hakoda's scrutiny, Sokka replied, "No. I just think I could do a good job."
"I think you could, Sokka," Hakoda smiled. "But I think Soto also could. And I need you here. You are the tribe's future leader, like it or not."
"But-"
Putting his hand up, Hakoda said firmly, "No more, Sokka. The answer is no."
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"I'm sorry to do this to you, buddy," Sokka whispered. "But this is the only way."
Sokka could barely see what he was doing in the dark. It was bitterly cold, especially with the wind blowing fiercely. That was definitely something Sokka wouldn't miss.
He tossed his bags into Appa's saddle and climbed on.
"Come on, Appa. Stay awake. I'm afraid if we don't leave now, we'll never get out of here." He pulled on the reigns. "Yip, yip!"
It was about an hour into the trip that Sokka began to realize that he had probably completely ruined his relationship with his father. And maybe Katara, too. He left a note, but hadn't said good bye to either of them, or Gran Gran. He was openly defying not only his father, but his Tribe leader.
As anxious as he was to reach the Fire Nation, he was sad to leave his family and his home. He pulled his blanket closer around him. Though the air was warming the farther they got from the pole, a chill went through Sokka he couldn't shake.
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"I can see it!" Sokka pulled Appa's reigns to the right to direct him towards the palace. Both he and Appa were exhausted from the long trip, even with stopping for sleep. Now that his destination was in sight, Sokka was reinvigorated.
The sun was beginning to rise in the Fire Nation, lighting the cities up with an apropos orange glow. It took Sokka's breath away. He hadn't been there in so long, he forgot what a truly beautiful place it was.
As they flew lower, approaching the palace, people began to notice, pointing and shouting at the sight of a flying bison. Soon, word had spread, and by the time Appa landed on the spacious palace grounds, twenty guards, four attendants and the Fire Lord himself were there to greet them.
"Lower your weapons! He is an invited guest, you fools!" Zuko bellowed. He was the picture of royalty in his red and gold Fire Lord robe, standing tall and proud. His hair was pulled up into a small topknot and secured with his head piece. He looked quite different from the way he looked in the woods, camping with Sokka. Sokka's mouth fell slightly open at the sight.
"Sokka, of the Southern Water Tribe, I welcome you to our great nation and my home." Zuko bowed respectfully, and rather formally, Sokka noted. He figured it was for show.
Jumping down from Appa's saddle, Sokka returned the bow.
"Thank you Fire Lord. I am honored to be a part of your Council of Advisors."
He noticed the subtle smile that graced the Fire Lord's normally stoic face.
"My attendants will take your bags to your quarters."
Sokka motioned to the two bags he had brought with him. "This is all I have."
Frowning slightly, Zuko said, "I thought you said you were joining the Council. Did I misunderstand?"
"No."
"Then, this is all you brought with you?"
Sokka laughed. "I didn't think I was going to need all of my furs and pelts here. And I like to live pretty simply," he shrugged.
"We could all learn a lesson from you, Councilman Sokka," Zuko said, loudly enough so everyone could hear, particularly Mai and her Ladies in Waiting. They had gathered near, like others, to see the sky bison. Though, some had come to see the new Councilman. Two of them giggled behind fans to each other and batted their eyelashes at Sokka. He blushed and looked away.
"Would you like to rest after your long journey, or would you prefer a meal?" Zuko asked. It was a toss up, knowing how Sokka loved both naps and food.
"You wouldn't happen to have any komodo sausage, would you?"
"My chefs will prepare anything you wish," Zuko told him. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have an important matter to attend. Kudan, my personal assistant, will show you to the dining room, then to your quarters so you may rest. I will see you later in the dining hall for a meal in your honor." Zuko turned to Kudan. "See to it that he has everything he needs. And place him in the blue room."
"The blue room? But that's . . ." Kudan trailed off after seeing the stern look on the Fire Lord's face.
"A member of the Water Tribe will feel at home in the blue room. Don't you agree, Kudan?"
He bowed. "Yes, Fire Lord."
Zuko bowed to Sokka once more and left on his important business. Kudan led Sokka to the dining room while another attendant took his bags down another hallway.
As Sokka dined on komodo sausage, he was distracted thinking about Zuko's formal manner when he came to greet him. Sokka didn't expect the Fire Lord to hug him or anything, but he was expecting him to act more like a friend than a political ally. He began to worry that during their time apart, as short as it was, Zuko's feelings for him had cooled. He didn't know what he would do if he practically ran away from home to move halfway around the world for nothing.
Kudan brought Sokka to his room after his light meal. It wasn't until he saw the large, inviting bed that he realized how tired he was.
"Is there anything else I can do for you, Councilman?" Kudan asked.
"I think I'll just take a little nap," Sokka yawned. "Oh, but what about Appa? Where is he?"
"Your sky bison is being taken care of in the stables. He will be fed and given a place to rest."
"Okay, thank you," said Sokka. He felt guilty for taking Aang's bison, but he needed to get away quickly. He hoped Appa would be able to find his way back to Aang easily.
Kudan bowed to Sokka, backing out of the door and closing it. Left alone in the room, Sokka began to explore before taking his nap. Typical of a room in the Royal Palace, it was large and opulent. Dressed in several shades of blue, Sokka agreed that the color scheme was water tribe friendly. He felt welcome and comfortable, despite the fancy furnishings and light fixtures. Sokka preferred things simple. However, he had to admit the heavy tapestry-like curtains, embroidered bed spread and ornate wall sconces were pleasing to look at. In the spacious walk in closet were rows of robes and slippers and other items of clothing Sokka thought may have been left behind by a previous occupant.
Opting to unpack later, Sokka lay down on the round bed. Almost the moment his head sank into the satin covered pillow, his eyes closed and he was soon asleep.
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Sokka found himself dancing for a crowd of people. He wore a flowing Fire Nation kimono as he leapt across a stage waving fans in front of his face. His head was covered by an ornate headdress layered in veils. One by one the veils began to fall off as he spun around. A portly man reached out and pulled at the robe causing it ti fall away, revealing the nude water tribe boy underneath. Suddenly the music stopped, except for the drums, which banged loudly. When the last veil fell, a man in the audience shouted, "Councilman!"
Sokka woke with a start, sitting up and feeling disoriented.
"Councilman," a voice called from the other side of the door.
Slowly, it registered in Sokka's mind where he was.
The knocking persisted. "Councilman, are you all right?"
He recognized Kudan's voice. "I'm fine," he called back. "I just forgot where I was for a minute there."
"Dinner will be served in half an hour. Is there anything you require before then?"
"No, thank you."
"I will return for you shortly and escort you to the Dining Hall."
Stretching and yawning, Sokka got up off the bed and walked to the bathroom. It was larger than his whole bedroom at home. He freshened up, then changed into clean clothes. By the time he had put away his clothing into drawers, and his toiletries in the bath, Kudan had returned.
Sokka opened the door at the knock and followed Zuko's personal attendant to the Dining Hall. His mouth fell open at the sight of a room filled with what appeared to be nearly a hundred people.
"I thought you were taking me to the dining room. This isn't where I ate before."
"No, that was the gold dining room, an informal eating area reserved for the Fire Lord and his guests of the palace. This is the formal Dining Hall. This is where meals for dignitaries are held as well as celebrations, such as weddings," Kudan told him.
Glancing around, Sokka didn't see Zuko, but he did see Mai and her Ladies in Waiting.
Kudan led him to a table, half full, of men and one woman, who looked to be other than Fire Nation.
"You are to sit here, with other members of the Council of Advisors." Kudan then addressed the table. "May I present Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, son of Chief Hakoda."
Sokka waved his hand slightly and gave a half smile to the grumpy looking bunch.
"You are an advisor?" The woman asked in disbelief. "How old are you, boy?"
"Sev-" his voice cracked loudly. He cleared his throat. "Seventeen, Madam. Almost eighteen."
"You're just a pup. How are you going to advise the Fire Lord?" a skinny, older man questioned.
"Are you sure? You don't even look that old," said another Councilman.
Sokka sat up straight. "Of course, I'm sure how old I am. And in the Southern Water Tribe, I'm old enough to become Chief in three months."
Kudan stepped forward. "Perhaps you are all unaware of Councilman Sokka's accomplishments," he offered. "He is a close personal friend of the Avatar, as well as the Fire lord. He and his friends were instrumental in bringing peace to the world."
He bowed to Sokka, deeper than he had before, conveying the respect owed Sokka.
"Oh," the woman suddenly seemed to change her tone. "You're a friend of the Avatar?"
"Yes. My sister helped teach him how to waterbend." He pointed to himself. "Of course, I was chief strategist. I mapped out routes and planned the attack on the airships."
The skinny man leaned forward. "I wouldn't say that too loud in here," he chuckled. The others at the table also laughed.
Sokka relaxed as the other council members began to treat him with a little more respect.
Tsungi horns blared suddenly and the crowd stood on its feet. Sokka, not knowing quite what was going on, joined in.
"His Majesty, Fire Lord Zuko!" a guard called out.
Zuko appeared in the large double doorway, and the crowd applauded. As he made his way to the head table, he nodded to onlookers.
The lone Southern Water Tribe member noticed how graceful and regal he appeared. Doubt once again crept into his mind that he was unworthy of Zuko's attention.
Before he sat down, Zuko quieted the audience with a small hand gesture and addressed it.
"I would like to welcome two more members to my Council of Advisors tonight. First, may I present Earthbending Master Tondra of Ba Sing Se." He motioned for her to stand.
She stood and solemnly acknowledged the guests.
"I also present Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, son of Chief Hakoda."
Feeling himself blush at the attention directed toward him, Sokka slowly rose. He felt more than a little inadequate not being a bender.
"Councilman Sokka is also a Master Swordsman, having studied with Master Piandao himself," Zuko added. A few oohs and aahs could be heard, causing Sokka to blush further and quickly take his seat.
Zuko sat down and was immediately served a hot noodle soup. Servers throughout the Hall placed bowls in front of the guests.
The meal was delicious and the company pleasant enough. Though Sokka wondered if he was ever going to be able to see Zuko alone.
After dinner, a dance troupe performed for the guests. Sokka half expected to see Ty Lee among them when he saw their acrobatics. It was entertaining, but Sokka found his gaze traveling to the Fire Lord often.
Toward the end of the performance, Zuko finally chanced a look Sokka's way. And he felt an excitement in the pit of his stomach. He even thought he saw a hint of a smile on the firebender's ordinarily expressionless countenance.
As dessert was served, Zuko excused himself and left his guests to their fruit tart.
Kudan appeared by Sokka's side offering to show him the garden.
"That's okay. I think I'd rather go to my room," he told the attendant.
"But I think you would find the garden most interesting," Kudan smiled.
"I'll see it tomorrow."
Kudan stepped closer. "But I must insist that you see it in the moonlight."
"Okay," Sokka agreed warily. "It's not like I've never seen a garden before," he muttered under his breath.
He followed Kudan, nonetheless, as he led Sokka to a large willow tree in front of a pond. The tree limbs hung low, some of the thin flexible branches touching the ground. Sokka could smell fragrant flowers near by, but he couldn't see them as he glanced around. It was too dark to see much of anything. And Sokka realized why.
"Hey, the moon's not even out," he said, turning to Kudan. But the attendant was gone. He gasped aloud as someone grabbed him from behind and pulled him under the cover of the willow.
"What the-"
Sokka's mouth was immediately covered by another. Recognizing the heat of the Fire Lord's kiss, he leaned into it, wrapping his arms around the firebender.
Pulling away, Sokka grinned. "I was getting a little worried that maybe you'd changed your mind," he laughed nervously.
"Why would you think that?"
The water tribe boy shrugged. "You were so formal when I got here. And then I thought you would come to my room earlier." He bit his lip. "I guess you're pretty busy, huh?"
"Yes. But not too busy to spend some time with you. Although, we have to be careful. In public, we have to appear very professional."
"All right," Sokka agreed. "But . . ."
Zuko leaned back further. "What?"
"Why was Mai still at your table, sitting next to you?"
Looking away, Zuko sighed. "I haven't broken up with her yet."
Suddenly, Sokka's palms became sweaty and his heart pounded. "Why not?"
"I . . . I was waiting to hear from you first."
Sokka pursed his lips. "So you were hedging your bets. If I decided not to come after all, you would have stayed with Mai."
"Yes," Zuko admitted.
"And now that I'm here?"
Zuko remained silent.
"Are you still leaving her?"
"I don't want to hurt her." Zuko paused. "I don't want to hurt you either. If I stay with her and have you on the side . . . no matter what I do, one of you suffers."
"I understand," Sokka said, putting a reassuring hand on Zuko's shoulder. He rubbed affectionately. "Once I broke up with Suki -well, technically she broke up with me- but anyway, I felt free. And guilt free, too. It's so much better knowing I'm not cheating on her."
"I know you're right." Zuko closed his eyes, unable to look Sokka in the eyes. Those honest, deep blue eyes. Zuko missed Sokka's company more than he wanted to admit.
With unfathomable tenderness, Sokka leaned up and kissed Zuko. His tongue slipped inside, caressing the other. They kissed for long minutes before Sokka broke away and gave a small smile.
"So you remember what it is you'll be getting when you break up with Mai." Sokka's play on Zuko's attempt to sway him in Ba Sing Se was not lost on the Fire Lord.
"I have to go or someone will come looking for me. I will break up with her. I promise." He whispered in Sokka's ear, "Come to me tonight, through the secret passage. Kudan will show you."
"Does he know about us?"
"He is my most trusted and loyal servant." Zuko grinned, "See you tonight."
He quickly left, and before Sokka knew it, Kudan was once again by his side.
"I will escort you back to your room." The attendant bowed. "I hope you enjoyed the garden."
They walked in silence until reaching the room. Kudan opened the door and walked in, holding it open for Sokka.
"Take care in exploring your room."
Raising his eyebrows at such a strange suggestion, Sokka replied, "All right."
"Your closet has a particularly loose wall panel that may accidentally give way should you push on it."
It suddenly occurred to Sokka that the attendant was clandestinely giving him instructions.
"If you are not careful, you could find yourself lost in the passageways beneath the palace. But don't worry. There is always a light to guide."
Sokka looked blankly at Kudan.
"I'll be careful then," he said, not coming up with anything more clever to say, for a change.
As Kudan turned to leave, Sokka asked him about his exchange earlier with the Fire Lord.
"Why were you reluctant to give me this room?"
"Councilman?" Kudan cocked his head.
"When Zuko, I mean, the Fire Lord, told you to put me in here, you hesitated. Why? Is there something wrong with this room?" Sokka questioned suspiciously.
"Of course not," Kudan replied. "In fact, it is our finest guest room in most people's opinion."
"Then what?"
"Historically, it has been the room reserved for the Fire Lord's mistress." He paused. "But all sorts of guests have stayed here."
After Kudan left, Sokka went straight into the closet to see for himself if there really was a secret passage. He pressed his hands against the wall in several places without any luck. Shoving aside some clothing hanging on a rack, Sokka pushed on the side wall. It gave a little. He pushed harder and gasped when, beyond the wall, he could see a passage lined with stones. He pulled the hidden door closed by a small hook at the bottom.
Sokka smiled to himself as he thought about going through the door and wondering exactly where it led. Somewhere Zuko would be, perhaps his bedroom, he supposed. But first he decided he wanted to look and feel, and smell, his best. He had been thinking about the bath tub since he first saw it.
An assortment of scented oils and soaps lined the shelf above the tub. One by one, Sokka sniffed each bottle until he found ones he thought smelled clean and manly all at once. He turned on the faucet and poured a little of fragranced oil in, then soap. Bubbles soon filled the tub and Sokka eagerly stepped inside.
The bath was big enough to fit four or five other people, Sokka estimated. He wondered why that many people would want to bathe together. Two people, he could understand. But five?
That's just weird, Sokka thought. Then again, a few weeks ago I would have thought bathing with just Zuko would have been weird.
"Aaah," he sighed contentedly. "This is the life."
He leaned back on the padding at the edge of the tub and rested his head. He could have easily fallen asleep.
Instead, he stayed that way for only a short time, then took a cloth and scrubbed his body clean. He couldn't help blushing, even though he was alone, when he took particular care with his nether regions. If he was guessing correctly, Zuko was planning to take their physical relationship further that night.
Though Sokka was nervous at the prospect, he wanted to be prepared.
Once he was sufficiently cleaned and dried, he looked in the closet at the clothes that were hanging there. He chose a blue tunic, which he was surprised to find, and put it on.
Deciding blue was too cliché, he removed the tunic and put on something a little more flowing that was a deep red color. He carefully put his wolf tail back up and checked his look in the mirror. Satisfied, he went back into the closet and opened the hidden door.
At first, the passageway was dark. But as Sokka's eyes adjusted to the shadows, he realized there was a dim light coming from one direction. He began to walk toward it. He came upon a small lantern, and he could see more lay up ahead. Continuing to walk through twists and turns, Sokka followed the lantern until he came to a dead end.
Great. Now what? he thought. There must be another hidden entryway somewhere around here.
He pressed his hands on the wall in various places until finally, the stone gave a little. Cautiously pushing his way through, he found himself in what appeared to be another closet. But this one was much larger and full of clothing and accessories. The meager light from the passageway was enough for Sokka to see the silky robes and shiny gold jewelry. He figured he must be in the Fire Lord's chambers.
Sokka looked down the long passage he had just come from. He took a deep breath. There was no turning back now.
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*I promise juicy, juicy lemons in the next chapter!
