PART XI:

Kissing Zuko was like jumping off a mountain. The world seemed to rush past her in confusing, exhilarating waves as her arms locked around his neck, her mouth slamming to his so hard it was almost painful. They stumbled a little as his hands tugged her against his long, lean length. Her shoulders hit the wall at her back as she groaned into the heat of his mouth.

Zuko, for his part, readjusted, putting one hand on the wall and pushing them flush against it. She lifted up on tiptoes, opening her mouth to his. His tongue teased her and then retreated, almost asking her to follow him, not demanding, but offering.

She didn't just follow him. She chased him, the tip of her tongue tracing the outline of his lips with a teasing caress. He opened to her eagerly, one hand sneaking up to gather in the hair at the back her neck. His breath rolled against her open mouth as he withdrew for a split second, and then kissed her again, a moan knocking out of his throat at the same time.

Her heart thundered in her chest, her pulse racing out of control as her head spun. She hadn't imagined it. As woozy and wracked with pain as she'd been on the balcony that night, a knife in her shoulder, she hadn't imagined how he'd made her feel.

Zuko's kisses were sinful, addictive and hungry. As her tongue slid against his, drawing his tongue into her mouth, she felt shivers race through her. Her knees shook, threatening to buckle. He had her though. She knew he'd catch her if she fell.

She hadn't meant for this to happen. She'd only wanted a moment alone to collect her thoughts, and suddenly he had just been there. Alone.

She couldn't remember which one of them had reached for the other first. It hardly mattered. She'd known what she wanted the moment he'd come around the corner, the second their gazes had met. What she'd wanted for a very, very long time…

But time had no meaning here, locking in his embrace. The ball seemed very far away, for all that they were only twenty feet or so from the bright lights and soaring orchestra. Zuko's lips teased hers as he pulled back again. She let out a shaky breath, her fingers threading in the hair that had escaped his topknot at the back of his neck.

"Zuko…" she managed, feeling his nose brush against hers. Then he kissed her again, and she was immediately lost in the sweet rush of him. Little fires of delight ignited along her nerves and she lifted up on tiptoe, trying, in some way, to sink beneath the surface of his blazing hot skin. He kissed her, deep and rough, telling her without words how much he wanted her.

Telling her that he knew about Sokka.

Guilt sparked in her, but she pushed it down, one hand clutching the front of his robes, holding him to her with a desperate feeling. She didn't want him to stop. If he stopped she might explode. The memory of him in the arms of Guo's daughter made her kiss him all the harder.

Do you really think you're good enough for the Fire Lord?

The words echoed in her ears, making her shake in his arms. He tightened his hold on her as she moaned into his mouth, angling her head into his. Her lips were stinging, her head buzzing from adrenaline and arousal. His body practically vibrated against hers, his hips pressing into hers with a rough grind.

A groan left him as their mouths parted. He immediately attached to her neck, teeth scoring her pulse point, sending thrills exploding down her sides, tingling in her nipples and spiraling lower, right into the heart of her.

"So beautiful," he managed, breathing hard as his mouth made little red prints on her neck. She grasped his head and pulled his mouth back to hers, feeling wild, out of control. The kiss she gave him was carnal, her teeth scoring his lower lip and tugging on it. His eyes blazed in the dim lighting as she released him. Then he kissed her again, the back of her head pressing hard against the wall.

Her hips shifted against his, and he gave let out a stuttering exhale against her mouth as his body reacted. His hand slipped down, into the slit in her dress, hand spreading on the outside of her upper thigh and lifting it up around his muscular thigh. Her whole body thrilled at his touch, at the possessive promises that simple gesture was making, at the way the fires beneath her skin turned into a roaring blaze.

She kissed him even harder, their bodies shifting against each other's in a hard, carnal grind against the wall.

"A-hem! I'm so sorry to interrupt, Fire Lord Zuko…" a cultured male voice said in disapproving tones, causing Suki to have a mini-heart attack. She jumped in Zuko's arms, her mouth leaving his with a gasp as she turned her head toward the source. Councilman Guo stood in the corridor looking unfazed by the scene he'd rounded the corner and come upon. She hadn't even heard him coming. So much for her situational awareness.

"Fuck," Zuko growled, turning to his councilor with an angry expression on his face. "What do you want, Guo?"

Instead of looking contrite or embarrassed, which was what Suki had totally expected of him, Zuko reacted to Guo's unwanted intrusion with blazing-hot anger, his lipstick-smudged lips pulling back over his teeth in a snarl. Guo lifted one iron-gray eyebrow and glanced from Suki to Zuko and back again.

"Fen was looking for you. It seems the time has come for you to make a speech to your guests."

"Motherfu—" Zuko bit out, stepping back 'from her just a little bit, though he didn't let go of her. "Tell him I'll be right there."

"Of course, sire," Guo said, with a respectful nod, though he was staring at Suki in open disapproval. "I'll relay your message. You might consider making yourself more…presentable."

"GO," Zuko snarled, breathing hard, looking as if he wanted to set the man on fire. Suki kind of knew how he felt. Guo bowed again, turned smartly on his heel and disappeared around the corner. Zuko exhaled and turned back to face her.

Their gazes met with a spark and she knew that he wanted nothing more than to sink against her again. She wanted that too, but the spell had been broken, and reality was starting to filter back. Their careful plans were waiting, and there they were, groping like horny teenagers.

Zuko's angry gaze softened as he lifted his hand, brushing back her hair. "Suki…"

"We can talk about…everything…later, okay? They're all waiting. It's time," she said, pushing herself off of the wall and dropping her arms from his body. She let out a breath that was none-too-steady, her knees still knocking together a little.

"Of course," he said, and tugged at his clothing, surreptitiously readjusting himself. He wiped a hand down his face, smearing the traces of her lipstick down his chin. She laughed, a little giddy and reached out wiping it from his face gently.

He captured her fingers when she started to lower arm and their hands twisted together in a tight clench. "I don't want to go out there."

"You have to."

Zuko nodded; it was nothing he hadn't already known. He pulled her in close to him and tucked his face against her neck for one brief moment. She felt another bone-deep thrill slide through her as he breathed in her scent and landed a hot, wet kiss in the hollow just below her ear. "When this is all over…"

"Yes," she said thickly as he withdrew. "When it's over…"

Zuko kissed her again, slowly, his thumb tilting her chin up. It was over too quickly though, and he slid away, marching away from her with forced purpose in his steps, as if afraid of what he might do if he didn't walk away immediately.

His sudden abandonment left her reeling, spun about in a sea of confusion, want and aching need. Her hands, sweaty, missing the feel of him, clenched at her sides. She bit her swollen, smudged lips and breathed out, trying to make her heart stop racing.

Her respite was as brief as his kiss though. Her eyes flew open and she checked the fan holstered to her thigh, squared her shoulders and then marched back into the ballroom.

She had a job to do and the whole of the Fire Nation depended on it. Her complicated love life was just going to have to wait.

Azula pushed away from the slightly damp hands of Councilor Osamu, who had spent the better part of their dance asking asinine questions about her travels. She had started to feel overwhelmed, the need to flee from the bright lights in the ballroom and find someplace quiet, some place that hostile eyes wouldn't leer at her, and whispers wouldn't follow her wherever she went.

I have to focus. Sokka told me to focus. I can't fall apart tonight. I can't check out…

But the urge to retreat into that safe place she had created away from the chaos of her life was too tempting, her instincts too close to the surface. She closed her eyes as Osamu, who hadn't noticed her retreat, babbled in her ear about arranging an advantageous marriage to one of his cousins. She hadn't been paying attention to most of what he'd been saying, but she had a feeling he was making the offer to marry her off.

The idea was laughable.

He touched her shoulder with his damp hands and she jerked away from him, fire suddenly in her hand. "Don't touch me," she snarled, whirling on him with a hot swipe that had her brother's councilor stumbling back into another couple dancing beside them. Rage welled in her.

There were too many people. Too many expectations. Too much pain.

"Princess Azula, I didn't mean any offense," Osamu was saying, but she ignored him. People were staring at her, whispering. She heard someone call her crazy. She breathed hard, fighting the urge to throw a handful of blue flame at the whisperer.

Didn't they know who she was? Didn't they remember their princess? They had feared her once. Respected her. And then everything had unraveled. Her father was gone, locked away. Her mother was a woman she didn't recognize, with the family she had wanted more than she had wanted her daughter. Her brother was a stranger. She was nothing now. Insane. Unhinged. Broken.

A baby-killer.

She bit down on her lower lip until blood burst across her tongue with a salty hot tang.

Not my fault. Not my fault. Not my fault…

Panic filled her, chasing the blood with a bitter sting and she felt it surging over her with its sick, familiar swell. The flames in her hands crackled and gushed, promising pain. Memories spilled across her vision.

The fear on their faces was so familiar. How those men who had hurt her had pleaded when they'd seen what she was, what she could do… How everything had burned beneath her hands. There had been nothing but flame and screams and in the midst of the hell storm; a woman wailing in agony that went beyond the burns on her skin…that went to her soul…

Not my fault…not my fault…not my fault…

A hand slipped around her waist, face pressing into her neck.

"What's real?" Sokka whispered against her neck as his familiar scent filled her. She took a deep breath and the memories faded to distant, half-remembered nightmares. "What's real, Azula?"

"You're real," she whispered, dropping her hands as Sokka's arms tightened around her, keeping her grounded and in the present.

"I'm real. Come back to me," he said, his breath warm and reassuring against her ear. She blinked, and the panic attack faded with a mewling whimper. She found herself staring at a small circle of her brother's courtiers, with Osamu chief among them, looking at her with fear and apprehension.

"You'll have to forgive Princess Azula," Sokka said smoothly, his arms still around her. "She's easily excitable."

"And who are you?"

Sokka pulled a sharp smile, so unlike his usual, easy grin. Sunk deep within his Tazeo guise, he carried himself differently, with swagger and deadly intention. Azula had seen men and women alike cower at his approach. He looked like a dangerous man, one who could kill at a moment's notice. Even his eyes were hard.

"I'm her bodyguard," he said and took a menacing step toward Osamu. "And I didn't like how you were putting your hands all over her."

"Tazeo, back off," she said smartly just as the orchestra finished the song with a flourish, leaving the crowd around them to burst into applause. The people around them were still watching Azula with wary disquiet, although they seemed more frightened of Sokka now. Osamu's gaze narrowed on him for a moment and then he turned his face toward the stairs, where Zuko standing beside his dandy of a secretary, the two Kyoshi Warriors who had been guarding him openly all night—both of them looking angry about something—and the servant who had announced everyone's arrival.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the Fire Nation, our honored host, Fire Lord Zuko!" the servant said, and bowed as he stepped back to give Zuko the stage.

Sokka's arms tightened on her again.

"Are you ready?" he whispered against her skin as the crowd in the ballroom applauded Zuko. Her brother looked pale and a little disheveled. Azula nodded and she felt Sokka's hand slip into her large sleeve. He pulled the dagger she had strapped to her forearm and she felt him tensing.

Zuko's gaze searched through the crowd until he met her gaze. He saw Sokka and took a deep breath, glancing down at the card in his hand. Sokka very slowly pulled the knife from her sleeve, palming it out of sight.

"Thank you all for attending tonight. It is my greatest pleasure to host the finest men and women of the Fire Nation and welcome to welcome you all into my home. I have long sought to bring peace and joy to my people, and I hope tonight will spark the fires of celebration throughout the Nation." There was a smattering of applause and Zuko handed the card back to Fen, and then held up his hands for silence. Fen looked surprised as the crowd hushed again. "I just want to take this moment to say that I'm extremely grateful for all of the hard work done by the servants in my employ. Without them, we would have nothing. Their hard work is greatly appreciated."

There was a muttering in the crowd and Azula smirked to herself. Trust Zuko to thank the help. Most of the people in the room probably didn't even know the names of servants who had worked for them their whole lives. Actually thanking them for their service wouldn't even occur to them. It just simply wasn't done.

"I'd also like to thank my family for joining me tonight. My Uncle Iroh has traveled here all the way from Ba Sing Se. It's a pleasure to have him back with us," Zuko said, gesturing to their Uncle, who held up his steaming cup of tea in acknowledgement. He was surrounded by a bevy of older women. Azula rolled her eyes.

"The pleasure is all mine!" Iroh said, to general laughter.

Zuko clapped with everyone else, and then said as he turned to find her in the crowd again, "And of course, my sister, Princess Azula, has come back to the Fire Nation after many years away. I just wanted to say how wonderful it is to have you back with us and to tell you that you are always welcome here. This is your home and always will be," Zuko said seriously, and the polite smile on Azula's face slowly slid off. She stared at Zuko, forgetting for moment where they were, and what was about to happen.

A polite applause flowed around the ballroom and faded quickly. Apparently word of the small altercation she'd had with Osamu and Sokka had gotten around quickly. Or else the people of the Fire Nation hadn't forgotten her myriad of crimes.

Her chin lifted. "Thank you."

Zuko nodded at her and then turned back to face his people. "And with that being said, please…everyone…enjoy yourselves."

That was the signal.

Sokka kissed the back of her neck, sending shivers down her spine. Then he released her and started toward the stairs as Zuko walked down them, his attention seemingly on the crowd, and not on the strange man walking purposefully toward him.

Sokka pulled out the knife. It flashed in the air and someone screamed. At the last second, Zuko's attention snapped to Sokka and an alarmed look came over his face. Sokka swiped at him with the knife, and Zuko stumbled back into the Kyoshi Warriors who had followed him down the stairs. The two women fell back as Sokka advanced on Zuko with a snarl.

"ASSASSIN!" someone shouted in near hysterics.

"DEATH TO THE FIRE LORD!"

"I don't think so!" Suki said, coming out of nowhere, just as Sokka was about to bring the knife down into Zuko's heart. She had her fan out, the gold glinting in the bright lights. The fan caught the edges of the knife and knocked it away, though he still kept it in his hand.

"Bitch!" he snarled, and went for her.

Suki avoided the knife slash, catching his wrist with her forearm and turning the blow. They wrestled for a moment and then her foot came up and she kicked him in the chest. He stumbled down the stairs, straight into Azula.

Sokka's arm immediately went around her and he wrapped his other hand up in her hair and yanked her head back. He put the knife to her throat as she struggled.

"What are you doing? Let me go!"

"AZULA!" Zuko exclaimed in shock as the crowd gave a collective gasp and people stumbled away from them in confusion.

"Someone call the guards!" someone shouted in a commanding voice. Azula didn't see who it was.

Seven red-clad figures came out of the crowd, golden fans opening with a flick. Azula recognized the Kyoshi Warriors instantly. The Kyoshi Warriors were the only people in the crowd with weapons, other than the Firebenders in attendance. The Firebenders looked too shocked by the sudden attack to do much of anything but stare in horror as the scene unfolded.

Idiots.

"Ah-ah, ladies…" Sokka hissed at the women, pushing the knife into Azula's throat. "Try it and I'll open her throat. IF ANYONE TRIES ANYTHING I'LL FUCKING KILL HER!"

"You do that and you're dead where you stand," Zuko snarled from the stairs, flames dancing in his outstretched palms. The two Warriors in full uniform had stepped in front of him to protect him, but he elbowed them aside, standing shoulder to shoulder with Suki.

"Let her go, you bastard!"

Azula's brows lifted at the familiar voice and she spotted Ty Lee out of the corner of her eye, fear turning her face pale. She had a fan open and a short sword in her hand.

"Stay back, Ty Lee! Tazeo, what are you doing?" Azula said, struggling in his grip.

"What I've wanted to do since we met, you little bitch," he growled, tugging painfully on her hair. She was going to make him pay for that later. "You really think I was in love with you? I just wanted to get close to your brother! And you led me right to him!"

"BASTARD!" she screeched, tugging at the hand holding the knife. Sokka's breath was hot against her neck.

"Let her go! Take me instead!" Zuko said, charging down the stairs.

There was a general hue and cry at that, but Zuko ignored them. His face was red with rage, underlit by orange flame, making him look sinister and regal. For the first time, she realized that her brother wasn't the teenaged boy she remembered. He'd grown into a man since she'd been gone. And even though the attack was a fake she had a feeling that if someone really did try and hurt her, Zuko would turn into a dangerous man indeed.

That knowledge was strange and disorienting.

"No, Zuko stop!" Azula said.

"I don't know what you want," Zuko said as the Kyoshi Warriors flanked him. There was activity in the ballroom as the palace guards swooped in.

"Tell them to back off, Fire Lord, or I'll slit her pretty little throat right here, right now."

Zuko glared daggers at Sokka, and then nodded, though it was Suki who said, "Everyone stay back. That's an order."

The Kyoshi Warriors and palace guards stopped, eyes wary.

"Good, good…keep them all back, Fire Lord…"

"What do you want?" Zuko asked in a measured voice, making a staying gesture with his hand that Azula had a feeling wasn't directed at Sokka. "Gold?"

"I want you dead."

"That's not going to happen," Suki spit. "You're outnumbered. What did you think was going to happen? That'd you'd kill the Fire Lord in front of a thousand witnesses and get away with it?"

Sokka's voice rose in volume, so that everyone in attendance could hear him. "I never thought I'd get away it…but I had to try. The Smoke Demons don't allow for failures. I…I believe in the cause… You…you need to be stopped. For the good of the Fire Nation."

Zuko's gaze narrowed. "Are you willing to die for your cause?"

"Please, Tazeo…" Azula said, and he yanked her hair to silence her. Her scalp was starting to hurt. He's going to pay for this later.

"I have no choice! If I fail the Smoke Demons will kill me!" he said.

"Not if I protect you," Zuko said. "I swear on my honor no harm will come to you within these palace walls. My dungeons are secure. I'll protect you from the Smoke Demons in exchange for my sister. And information."

"I won't tell you anything!"

Zuko smirked at him. "You will. Or I'll order Ty Lee to put that sword through your back. She could already have killed you ten times over. Suki could have put her dagger in your forehead from thirty paces and you would be dead before you could harm my sister. That they haven't done it yet is only because I've ordered them not to. I can be merciful. Can you say the same of your masters?"

"There is no mercy in the Smoke Demons. I have failed. My life is forfeit."

"Put down the knife," Suki said. "Put it down and let the princess go. Tell us what we want and your life will be spared."

"This I promise you," Zuko said solemnly.

Sokka hesitated for one moment, and then dropped the knife at his feet. Azula slammed her elbow back into his stomach and turned on him. She punched him across the face and he went down on his knees as Ty Lee and two other Warriors rushed at him. Ty Lee put her sword to his throat as the other two women caught his arms and held him, though he wasn't struggling.

"Asshole," Azula said as her uncle materialized out of the crowd and put his hand on her shoulder.

Zuko stepped up to him, kicking the knife away with a grim smile of satisfaction. Suki picked the knife up, her face a blank mask. Sokka lifted his chin, blood pouring out of his nose from where she had punched him.

"I'll tell you everything I know about the Smoke Demons."

"I'll be happy to hear it. Throw him in the dungeons until I'm ready to speak to him," Zuko commanded as the palace guards pushed the stunned crowd aside. They clamped him in irons, and dragged him to his feet as Ty Lee and the other Kyoshi Warriors backed off. He didn't struggle.

"Thank you for your mercy, Fire Lord," Sokka spat as they dragged him out of the room, but Zuko just glared after him for a moment. Then he turned his attention on Azula, who lifted her chin.

"Are you all right, Azula?"

"I think so."

"Good. Guards, arrest the princess!" Zuko commanded, pointing at her, and Azula's mouth fell open. She looked around, frantically, and then met her brother's gaze again. The only expression on his face was pity. The palace guards were stunned for a moment, and she heard Ty Lee's shout of shocked disbelief from behind her.

Then the guards moved in, clamping irons on her wrists before she could fight back. Iroh backed off, looking as shocked as she felt by the sudden turn of events.

"ZUKO! What are you doing?!" she hissed through her teeth.

"You brought an assassin into the palace and you want me to believe you didn't know what he had planned? You've tried to kill me before, Azula. I won't make the mistake of trusting you again. Put her in the dungeon in a cell beside her boyfriend's. I don't even want to look at her."

"ZUKO! ZUKO! NO! He lied to me! I didn't know!"

"TAKE HER AWAY!" Zuko bellowed, turning his back on her. Azula struggled, trying to get free of the hands dragging her out of the room.

"ZUKO!" she screamed over her shoulder at him, but there was no mercy in him to spare and her cries fell on deaf ears.

Just as planned.