Part II: Thirty-Three

"I waited for you," Sokka asked as she stood there in the rain. There was blood running down his face and coal dust coated his hands, turning them black as he reached out to her. "I waited for you and you never came back."

Azula took a breath and then stepped forward, only to feel her feet crunch on something hard and brittle. She looked down and saw that it was a small skull. The skull was blackened, the bone cracked from the heat of a great fire. Distantly, she could hear a baby crying, and the sound pierced through her heart like a sword. She clutched at her chest and it came back bloody.

"I wanted to come back," she whispered and looked up to see that Sokka was gone. There was nothing but fire before her now. Fire and blood and ash. The baby's screams changed, became the screams of children, of people dying in flames. She felt fire lick at her flesh and tried to Bend the fire away from herself.

But the fire would not obey her commands. She felt it rush over her in a hot wave, licking at her skin, setting her hair on fire. She could taste ashes and death in her mouth as she breathed in, she saw Sokka in the flames. He looked at her with his blue eyes as hard as stones.

"Don't you love me anymore?" he asked her, and the pain in her chest became agony. She clutched at her bloody skin, ready to rip out her shredded heart.

I love you, she wanted to say, but all she could say was, "I don't know what's real anymore."

"You know what's real, Azula. Say it."

"You're real," she said with a mouthful of ash as the flames climbed up her body. He stepped closer. The flames didn't burn him; they rolled around his skin like the fingers of a lover, caressing him. She reached for him and his hands cupped her blackened face. The fire was agony as it

"My princess," Sokka whispered and then kissed her as the flames devoured her in a hellstorm of white-hot agony.

"SOKKA!" Azula sat bolt upright, gasping, sweat pouring down her face and back. She felt a hand on her shoulder immediately and jerked away, falling out of the bed and onto the floor.

"Azula? AZULA!"

It took her a moment to scramble out of the confusion of the dream, as Shirong shot out of the bed and crouched before her.

"Are you okay?" he asked in the darkness, and the worry in his voice was what really woke her up. She took a shuddering breath and then breathed out, realizing that she'd been having a nightmare. She was no stranger to those, after all, but she hadn't been prepared to feel Shirong's hand on her in the darkness.

No one had been there after one of her nightmares since...

Azula swallowed and forced her mind away from Sokka. She could still see him in the dream, the fire devouring her as he kissed her. Her hand flattened over her heart for a moment. She could feel it pumping hard and fast beneath her palm.

"What's real?" she breathed to herself. "I'm real."

"Azula?"

Her eyes opened. She could barely see Shirong, silhouetted in the darkness of her bedroom, but she already knew what the look on his face would be. She took another breath and then conjured flames above her open palm. Shirong jerked back a little and blinked owlishly in the sudden flare of light.

His hair was tousled and tangled on one side and he wasn't wearing his glasses. His green eyes glittered in the firelight as he got over the sudden shock of her Firebending. He had crouched before her on the floor, one hand outstretched. He'd been afraid to touch her again, afraid of what she might do.

"Shirong..." she started and then looked away. "I had a nightmare."

"I know," he said grimly. "You were tossing and turning. I tried to wake you up and I got...umm... Your skin, it shocked me."

Heat rushed to her face immediately. "Sometimes...sometimes when I have nightmares I can't stop my Firebending."

"That's kind of dangerous. You could set your bed on fire."

"I know," she said heavily, as Shirong slowly reached out and took her hand. He rose and pulled her up onto her feet. Her legs felt shaky and she clutched his arms, sinking forward and putting her cheek against his bare chest. "I'm sorry if I hurt you."

Shirong's arms went around her and she felt his lips against her forehead. "I always feel a little shock when you touch me, so it was nothing new."

Azula smiled against his chest and then tipped her head back. "You do, huh?"

"Tingles from my head to my toes. All day, every day," Shirong said softly and then bent and kissed her. She stiffened a little, but then gave in, lifting into the kiss as she clutched at him with one hand, the other still holding the flames a safe distance from their skin.

Shirong's kiss was hesitant and sweet. It was soothing in the aftershock of her nightmare, but it didn't banish the pain in her chest or the memories that wanted to surface. How many times had she awoken from nightmares in another pair of arms? Arms that held her tightly, and didn't let go, while he whispered soft things to her that gentled all of the rough, broken edges of her mind...

She felt an ache in her stomach, a familiar, hollow feeling that never quite went away, but sometimes overwhelmed her with sadness and longing. It was something like homesickness, but it wasn't for a place.

She kissed Shirong harder, trying to banish the memories, trying desperately to make the hollow ache go away, but she knew nothing would help. Nothing ever did.

Guilt shot through her as she pulled back and stared into Shirong's eyes. Shirong looked dazed for a moment and then smiled at her, gently.

"Can I ask what your nightmare was about?"

"Nothing you want to hear, trust me," she said heavily, stepping back from him. She felt shaky again. She didn't know what time it was, but she guessed that dawn wasn't far off.

"You can talk to me, you know," Shirong said, taking her other hand. "About anything."

"Not about that," she said, pulling her hand out of his. She went over to the oil lamp on the nightstand and lit it with the flames in her hand. As the oil lamp glowed brightly, she dropped her hand, the fire sparking out and leaving her hand warm, her fingers tingling. She could feel Shirong's eyes on her back.

"Who's Sokka?"

Azula flinched and her shoulders stiffened. "What?"

"Sokka. You were screaming his name."

Azula whipped around to face Shirong, shock on her face. Shirong's posture was hesitant, his brows drawn up in the middle, the hurt in his eyes plain for anyone to read.

"Shirong..." she started, feeling a familiar tight feeling in her chest. It was panic, or maybe pain. The hollow ache inside of her seemed to expand within her, threatening to choke her for one long moment. "It was a dream."

"Who was he? Your ex-boyfriend?"

"It doesn't matter."

"You screamed his name like it mattered."

"It's not like that. You don't understand... It was a dream. A nightmare. It..." she pushed past Shirong and started pacing the floor, rubbing at her hollow stomach. "Sokka is a part of my past. That's all you need to know."

"Was he the guy you were undercover with? The other Smoke Demon?" he asked softly. She stopped pacing and sighed.

"Yes. I don't want to talk about it, okay?"

"Sokka's the Avatar's brother-in-law, isn't he?"

Azula turned on him again, brow furrowing. "How did you know that?"

Shirong laughed, but it was a humorless sound. "Your brother and his friends are war heroes. I've read more than one account of the end of the war. His name came up. A lot. You know the Avatar. It wasn't hard to put the pieces together. I'm right, aren't I?"

Azula tucked her hair behind her ear. "Yes. He's that Sokka. He and I... I'm not talking about him. The past is in the past."

But Shirong's face had dropped. He stared at the floor for a long moment. "Do you still have feelings for him?"

"Why would you ask me that?"

"Because...in your sleep... You said..." Shirong pulled in a breath and then looked her in the eyes. There was pain in his gaze. "You said, 'I love you, Sokka.'"

It was like all of the air had gone out of her. The nightmare came back in a hot rush of fire and longing and pain and she felt it in her chest, so hard and bitter that it was like a flaming arrow was lodged there.

"It was just a dream, Shirong," she said. "A nightmare. It doesn't mean anything. Please, just let it go."

Shirong sat down on the bed with a heavy sigh. He put his head in his hands for a long moment and then said softly, "Is it over with him? Just tell me that, please?"

The ache in Azula's chest and the hollow feeling in her stomach seemed to grow and she fought back the pain. She closed her eyes, and all she could see was the blue of Sokka's eyes. She could feel the beat of his heart beneath her hand like he was standing right in front of her. It was like the ghost of him had entered the room, entered her, and there was nothing left but him.

Azula swallowed, and sat down beside Shirong on the bed. "It's over between us. That's all you need to know. It's been over for a year. I'll probably never see him again. And he's probably moved on, so..."

Shirong nodded. "Did he break up with you?"

"No. I broke up with him. I guess. We weren't... It was complicated. And painful," she said and then took Shirong's hand. "I'm where I should be. And he's where he should be. Whatever was between us...it was a long time ago. Okay?"

Shirong's fingers laced with hers and he shifted on the bed, drawing up one leg to face at her. "Did he hurt you? Because if he did, I'll go find him and kick his ass."

Azula laughed at the thought. "I believe you'd try."

"Damn right," Shirong said with a grin, but then sobered. He lifted her hand and kissed the backs of her fingers. "I would do anything to protect you. You know that, right? I won't let anything happen to you."

"I don't need rescuing. I can protect myself," she said firmly, but Shirong kissed her hands again and then leaned forward, cupping her cheek. His green eyes were serious, and something of the sorrow and fear that been hanging on him since his roommate had died came back over him.

That fear and grief had melted her heart instantly. She'd thought Shirong was blowing her off after sleeping with her, but she couldn't imagine what he must be dealing with. She'd forgiven him for disappearing while he'd dealt with it. She'd tried to distract him earlier, and she'd thought it had worked. They'd gone out for dinner after the shop had closed, but Shirong had seemed edgy. She thought maybe some of her paranoia had rubbed off on him.

She hadn't felt eyes on her in days though, and thought maybe she had been imagining it all. Shirong's edginess had infected her though, and when they'd come back she'd tried to work out both of their nerves in her bedroom. She wasn't sure it had worked for either of them.

She couldn't help but feel that there was something else Shirong wasn't telling her, but she couldn't think of what that might be. Even now, she could see it in his eyes, that fearful light that made her throat close. She wanted to ask him what was wrong, but couldn't get the words out.

"You can't protect yourself from everything," he said softly. "That's what I'm here for."

"Oh, really?" she said, arching her brow. "I thought you were here for something else?"

Desire immediately darkened Shirong's gaze and the color in his cheeks was rose red. "I can do that too."

"Can you?" Azula said with a challenge in her voice. Shirong started to draw her toward him, but she pushed him back on the bed and straddled him. He didn't look like he minded, especially when her hand slipped between them and she stroked him through his pants.

"Azula..."

"Shhh...or my uncle will hear you..." she said and then kissed him. Shirong's protests quieted and he tangled his hands in her hair, kissing her with that sweet and earnest way of his. She groaned and deepened the kiss, seeking something else, something darker, more possessive...but she never reached it.

They made love as the sun rose and the oil lamp was eclipsed by the warm yellow light slanting in through her little window. Afterwards, she lay on Shirong's chest, her fingertips feathering across his pale skin. She could hear his heart beat beneath her ear as he breathed raggedly.

His heartbeat sounds different than Sokka's, she thought a moment before she flinched and pushed him out of her mind again. She didn't want to think about him, or the nightmare, or what she'd said. Guilt stirred in her, almost as painful as the longing in her stomach for something she'd never have again.

She'd never wanted to tell Shirong about Sokka. She'd wanted to keep that part of her private, hidden away forever. It was too painful to talk about. She was supposed to be over him. She was supposed to be moving on. Shirong was sweet and bumbling. His kisses were gentle, and they excited her.

Then why do I keep thinking about Sokka?

But she knew the answer to that, and now so did Shirong.

Shirong's fingers stroked through her hair as she lay there listening to his heart beating. "Big day today."

She groaned and squeezed her eyes shut. "Don't remind me."

"Your brother's coming."

Iroh had gotten a messenger hawk last night from Zuko. He was coming by airship from Kyoshi Island, and he'd stopped at an inn last night. It was a short ride to Ba Sing Se from there. Zuko had said that they would leave by dawn, which meant his airship would arrive before nine that morning. Iroh had been excited.

Azula didn't know what to feel. She hadn't seen Zuko since the failed assassination attempt at that ball of his. They'd parted on good terms, but that didn't mean their relationship was on solid footing. How could you wipe out so many years of distance, pain, and several murder attempts, after all? Not even saving his life could balance that wheel, and she knew it.

Where Zuko was concerned, she felt as spun about as a ship in a storm, and she didn't like it. That Zuko had stayed away for the past year and hadn't visited once said more than she thought Zuko realized. She knew how close he and Iroh were. She couldn't help think that it was her presence in Iroh's home that, like the Earth King, had kept Zuko at bay.

"So what's he like?"

"He's the Fire Lord."

"I know," Shirong said, as she tilted her face up to look him in the eyes. He was looking serious again, but she didn't know why. "Is he a good man, Azula?"

Azula sat up on her elbow. "Weird question."

Shirong shrugged. "Just...is he good to his people?"

Azula rubbed her fingers across Shirong's chest. "Yes. He's a better Fire Lord than my father was. Better than my grandfather, his father...and back and back. He's better than I ever would have been. He has the annoying habit of caring. It gets right under my skin."

Shirong's smile was sad. "I know you're not close with him..."

Azula rolled over and stared up at the ceiling, where the sunlight was turning the white plaster a glowing golden color. "Not anymore. He doesn't really know me. I guess I don't know him, either."

"But you saved his life."

"He's my brother. No one kills him but me," she said with a smile.

"When's he arriving?"

"In a couple of hours, I guess. He said in his letter that he's meeting with the Earth King first, but to expect him for dinner. Why?"

"No reason..."

But Azula's eyebrow arched in amusement. "You want to meet him, don't you?"

"I've never met a Fire Lord before," Shirong said, and then ran a hand through his hair. "I'm just curious about what he's like."

"Come to dinner and find out for yourself," she said, throwing off the blankets and getting out of bed. She put on a robe and turned around to see Shirong's brows drawn together in a frown. "Why the face?"

He looked startled, like he'd been deep in thought. "Huh? What face?"

"That one. You don't have to be nervous. My brother's annoyingly informal. He's marrying his bodyguard, after all," Azula said, grabbing the pitcher of water at her beside table ,and pouring herself a glass. "And I bet he dragged her along with him. So you'll get to meet the whole family."

"You don't like her?"

"We have history," Azula shortly, turning her back as she opened a drawer at her desk and pulled out a small glass bottle of pills. She shook two out into her palm and then put them into her mouth.

"What kind of history?" Shirong asked as she chased the pills with a large gulp of water.

She and Sokka used to date, and then he fell in love with me and broke up with her, and sort of cheated on her, so she hates me. Also I put her in prison once and she really hates me for that, Azula thought sourly.

She definitely didn't want to bring Sokka up again, so she said instead, "The complicated kind," as Shirong got out of the bed and pulled his pants up. "Did I mention that my family is dysfunctional?"

"You and your uncle seem fine."

"Uncle is different. And I'm a mess. Clearly," Azula sighed, putting her medication back into the drawer and closing it. She glanced at Shirong, who had a soft look on his face.

"You're not a mess, Azula."

"My nightmares say otherwise," she said, treading too close to thoughts of Sokka again. Clearly, Shirong's mind went straight to him too, because the soft look became closed off. She knew that it was still bothering him, but she didn't know what to say to make it better. Sokka sat between them for a moment, a ghost of a ghost. The air felt heavy suddenly and she breathed in, meeting Shirong's hurt gaze.

"Azula..."

"Uh, unless you want to greet my uncle in his underpants on the way to the bathroom, you should get dressed. He'll be getting up soon and trust me, that's not something you want to see."

Her distraction worked. Shirong scrambled into his clothes faster than she thought possible at the prospect of having to do a walk of shame past her uncle. She found it incredibly amusing that Shirong seemed so intimidated by her uncle, who seemed as ready to welcome Shirong into the family as he was Suki. She was sure that her uncle had been mentally marrying her off since their first date, which might annoy her if she didn't know that her uncle just wanted to see her happy for once.

And I am happy with Shirong. I am, she thought firmly.

She saw Shirong to the kitchen door and kissed him in the light of the warm dawn streaming down on their shoulders. When he pulled back he cupped her face again and said softly, "I'll see you tonight, after work."

"I'll see you then."

Shirong searched her gaze for a long moment and then said, "I promise, I won't let anything hurt you, Azula."

"My brother won't hurt me."

"I know. Just... Just remember that? Okay?"

He kissed her again, and then left her standing there against the door frame, frowning in the hot summer sunlight, wondering what he meant by that. She was still standing there when Iroh came into the room. Surprisingly, he was wearing a robe this time, although he'd wandered unthinkingly into the kitchen in his underpants more than a few times since she'd moved in.

"You're up early," Iroh said, reaching for his favorite teapot.

"Shirong just left."

Iroh's hand froze for a moment and then he turned to face her. "Right. He didn't stay for breakfast?"

"He has class soon," she said, grabbing one of yesterday's honey cakes from the glass covered dome Iroh kept them in. She took a bite and chewed, watching as Iroh filled the teapot with water from the pump. "Zuko's coming today."

"I know! It's been so long! I have missed him," Iroh said happily. "I think I'll make his favorite for dinner..."

"Sounds good," Azula said, taking another bite. Iroh put the kettle on the stove, lit it and then turned to face her again. He studied her in the light streaming in through the windows. She wondered what he was seeing.

"Are you nervous to see him?"

"No, why would I be?" she said. But Iroh gave her one of those annoyingly knowing looks that saw right through her. "Maybe a little."

"He's your brother. He always asks after you in his letters. He worries about you. I do too."

Azula shrugged as she finished her honey cake. "I know...but you don't have to. I'm doing okay, uncle."

"I know," Iroh said, and then hesitated. When he spoke, it was haltingly, with face growing redder and redder with every word, until he resembled a fresh garden tomato. "It is none of my business, but you are being careful? With Shirong?"

Azula walked past him on the way to the bathing room, patting his shoulder as she went. She felt a bitter twist in her guts as she said, "Trust me, that's not a problem you have to worry about."

She went into the bathing room and stared into the mirror over the sink. Her hair was tangled from sleep and still damp with sweat from her nightmare. She was surprised at how pale she looked, but she didn't know why.

Her eyes closed for a moment and she took a deep breath. She thought of Shirong, and the hurt in his eyes as he'd asked about Sokka. Azula sighed. No matter what she did, how she tried to move on, he was still there, still sticking to her like a burr. The hollow ache was still gnawing at her and the longing that went with it spiked in her chest. She lifted her hand to her heart and breathed in slowly as she tried, and failed, to banish Sokka from her thoughts.

She tried to think about Shirong's warm, sweet kisses, but she kept drifting back to the memories of Sokka's mouth against hers, his callused hands in her hair, the blue of his eyes...

Shivers broke out over her skin and she opened her eyes, staring at her reflection accusingly.

"You're over him. You're with Shirong now. So stop thinking about him," she told her reflection in a harsh whisper that echoed in the tiled room.

The words did nothing to stop her thoughts though. They never did.

"I can see the walls!" Kikki called, her face scrunched up as she peered through a golden spyglass. She was standing at the front windows of the airship, with Rin beside her on the tiller. "We'll be there in about a half an hour."

"Thanks, Kikki," Zuko said from his seat along one of the benches near the furnace. He'd been stoking the fire on and off all morning. They'd left the inn just before dawn, and rode straight into a wild pink sunrise that turned yellow and bright as they skimmed through the clouds.

"I'll start the descent," Rin said, catching his eye for a moment.

Zuko's mouth closed and he nodded, and then quickly looked away. He hurriedly busied himself with the stack of papers he'd spread out before him. He'd been going over the treaty for the hundredth time, even though the last draft had been as solid as iron. Even Governor Chuanwei had liked it. Zuko had spent all morning practically memorizing it, however, and it had nothing to do with his nerves about meeting with the Earth King.

He was feeling confident about the treaty signing and hoped they could get it done as quickly as possible. The sooner they got it signed, the faster they'd set off for the Fire Nation. He missed Suki like he'd lost a limb, but it was more than that.

He rubbed at the back of his neck and glanced up at Rin, her face a mask of concentration as she slowly lowered their altitude to take them down into Ba Sing Se safely. He thought about what had happened in his room last night.

Except nothing happened, he told himself quickly.

But he knew that wasn't strictly true. He had missed all of the signs of Rin flirting with him until things had progressed past the point of no return. What Rin had been hoping to accomplish, he could only guess, but he had a feeling he knew.

If Chuanwei hadn't knocked on the door...

I would have turned her down. That's what would have happened if Chuanwei hadn't interrupted, he thought to himself, though a nervous sweat was breaking out over his skin just thinking about it. He wasn't sure why. He hadn't done anything wrong. Had he?

He'd been racking his brains all night, trying to figure out what he could have done to make Rin think he'd be interested in...whatever she'd been about to propose. He didn't think he'd done anything, but he knew full well that he wasn't the world's most observant guy. It had taken him years to figure out that he was in love with Suki, after all. What if he had done something?

Had he been flirting with her? He wasn't sure.

Rin had always been a little flirtatious with him, but he'd thought that was just her personality. Like Tam, she had a way about her that was breezy and flirty, but he'd never thought much about it. He liked Rin as much as he did the other Warriors. They were his friends. Rin was his friend. He hadn't thought she felt anything for him other than friendship.

Not until last night.

He felt blindsided, and didn't like it one bit. He disliked how guilty he felt even more, because he wasn't sure if he'd done anything to feel guilty about.

He'd decided to deal with what had happened last night by not dealing with it at all. While they'd been loading up the airship that morning, Rin had asked him if they could talk, but he'd mumbled something about breakfast and walked away. It was the coward's way out, but he didn't know what to do.

Mostly, he just wanted to believe that Rin hadn't been coming onto him at all, that he'd misread everything, that she'd just been her usual friendly self. Until then, avoiding her was his only option, which wasn't exactly easy on a small airship.

Governor Chuanwei had been speaking to the other Kyoshi Warriors all morning, leaving Zuko to his rote memorization of the treaty. He was grateful for the respite from her, but grateful that she'd knocked on his door last night. He had no doubt that Governor Chuanwei had picked up on what had taken Zuko too long to see. The rebuke in her voice had been pointed.

He looked around at the Governor, who was looking out of the windows with a small smile on her face. She had confessed yesterday that she'd never traveled outside of Kyoshi Island much, and only to a few villages on the mainland adjacent to Kyoshi Island. She'd never been in an airship, or to Ba Sing Se. Her eyes gleamed in the sunlight as she watched the landscape out of the window.

Zuko packed up the last of his papers and cleared his throat. "Are you excited to see Ba Sing Se, Governor?"

"Quite," Chuanwei said pertly, her mouth pinching in at the corners. "Although I've heard tales of the squalor in the lower ring."

"Those tales are true, I'm afraid. And they don't quite capture the smell of the place," Zuko, his mouth twisting. "The middle ring is better and the upper ring is quite nice. That's where my uncle's teashop is. Also the palace, the university..."

"The filthy rich?"

Zuko shrugged. "Not to put too fine a point on it, but yes."

"And your uncle? General Iroh? I've heard tales about him too."

"I shudder think about what you've heard about him. He's had a long and interesting life."

"And now he serves tea in the city he once laid siege to," Chuanwei said with a disapproving note in her voice. "He's lucky he didn't get thrown into prison for war crimes."

"The Earth King and my uncle are good friends."

"How lucky for him."

Zuko's brow lifted a little. "I'll be taking dinner with him this evening, if the treaty discussion with Kuei goes as quickly as I hope it does. You're welcome to join us."

"I wouldn't want to impose."

"It would be my pleasure. Perhaps if you met you'd like him?"

"What makes you think I dislike General Iroh? I don't know him."

"You called him a war criminal and implied he should be imprisoned," Zuko pointed out. Chuanwei colored a little, and then ran a hand through her graying auburn hair.

"I admit I'm curious to meet the Dragon of the West. If you don't think I'm imposing?"

Zuko smiled, thinking about what kind of preconceived notions Chuanwei might have about Iroh. Spirits knew that there were a lot of stories about his uncle floating around in the world. The Dragon of the West hadn't earned his nickname lightly, after all, even if some of it was fiction. It might do Chuanwei some good to have her image of Iroh destroyed the minute she saw him in a flour-covered apron, pouring tea for customers all day.

He had no idea what Iroh would make of the stern woman before him, but he had a feeling getting them into the same room would at least be amusing.

"You're not imposing. I insist."

Chuanwei nodded and Zuko stood, going over to the window and staring out the horizon. The massive walls of Ba Sing Se never failed to impress him, even from this height and distance. As they loomed closer and closer, Kikki handed him the spyglass and went back in the back with the others, leaving him alone with Rin.

"Zuko..." Rin started, the moment Zuko realized they were alone together. He blanched and glanced at her.

"You know where to land? The square outside the palace?"

"Yes, I know it," Rin said. "Um...can we talk?"

"Uh, I should lower the furnace temperature for landing," Zuko said, closing the spyglass with snap and walking away. He could feel Rin's eyes on him, and flinched.

Yeah. Definitely the coward's way out. Trust me to mess up without even realizing it...what's Suki going to think? What am I going to do?

But he didn't know.

One thing was for sure, the sooner they got back home, the better. If nothing went wrong he'd be on the way back to Suki in less than two days. And he'd deal with Rin if he had to...but only if he had to. He'd just avoid her until then.

Here's hoping that's the only thing that goes wrong on this trip.

Misery clung to Shirong as he walked through the hot sunshine toward the university. He couldn't get the taste of Azula from his mouth, but the taste was bitter and sweet at the same time. He couldn't stop thinking about the way she'd said that name—Sokka—or the way she'd breathily whispered, in a desperate voice that sent shards of pain and jealous through Shirong, that she loved him.

Him. Sokka.

Whatever Azula said, Shirong had heard the longing in her voice when she'd spoken of him. She hadn't wanted to; he'd seen that, and the pain in her eyes had spoken more than she had. Whatever had happened between the two of them, Azula still had feelings for him.

He didn't know how to feel about that. Mostly he felt...hurt. Jealous. How could he compete with a man who could make her whisper desperate declarations of love in her dreams?

They'd made love again after that, but he'd known it was to distract him. It hadn't worked. Not because he didn't believe her when she said that she was over Sokka, but because he had other things on him mind as well. Things he didn't want think about.

Every time he closed his eyes he saw Huy lying in his bed, covered in blood. Huy had been his friend. He hadn't deserved to die like that. And the man who had done it...

Sweat broke out on Shirong's skin as he walked, fear curdling in his guts. He'd promised the man that he would do whatever he asked, if he left Azula alone, but he was too smart to take the man at his word. Azula was in danger.

He had to stop him. He just didn't know how. A part of him wanted to turn around and go tell Azula about the man, but he worried that she would try to go after him herself. He didn't want her danger. No matter what she said about being able to protect herself, he didn't want her anywhere near the man who had killed Huy.

He was walking past an alley when he grabbed and hauled back into the shadows, faster than he could blink or even scream. A hand clamped to his mouth and he stared into the amber eyes of Huy's killer.

"Hello, Shirong," the man said softly, as Shirong's eyes widened. He glanced at the mouth of the alley, but they were alone. "Did you think I forgot about you?"

Shirong shook his head, the man's hand still over his mouth.

"And I haven't forgotten about your girlfriend either. Princess Azula looked lovely this morning," the man said and then leaned forward, sniffing Shirong's shirt. "You smell like her."

Shirong's stomach rolled over her and he glared at the man.

"I could have put an arrow in her eye this morning, while she was kissing you in the doorway. I didn't. You should be grateful."

Shirong wrenched his head away, but he was pretty sure the man let him. "Please, don't hurt her."

"I promised, didn't I? She's safe from me if you deliver the Fire Lord to me."

"What do you want with the Fire Lord?"

But the man glared at him.

"I can't do it," Shirong said softly. "I won't."

"It's this or your princess gets a knife to the throat. We both know you don't want that," the man in the mask said softly. "The Fire Lord is too well-protected. I can't get to him unless you do this."

"You said you wouldn't kill him."

"I won't."

Shirong didn't believe him. There was something bloodthirsty in his eyes that told Shirong something else entirely. Whatever this man wanted from Fire Lord Zuko, it would only end in blood and fire and he knew it.

But he also knew that he didn't have much of a choice. To protect Azula, he'd do anything.

"The Fire Lord is coming to dinner tonight, at the tea shop," he said softly, regretfully.

"Good. Enjoy your dinner. And afterwards...you know what to do."

"Yes."

"If you fail me, she's dead. I was hired to kill her by a very powerful man, who wants her dead very badly. The only way I'm not going to kill her is if you deliver the Fire Lord to me. There is no other way. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Shirong mumbled. "I understand."

"Good boy," the man said, and then pressed a satchel of herbs into his hand. "After dinner, make them all this tea. Make sure they all drink it."

"What will happen? Is it poison?"

But the man stepped back, cocking his head at him. His eyes were blazing above the mask obscuring his face. "Do as I say, or face the consequences."

Shirong nodded, tucking the satchel into his pocket. The man grabbed him and shoved him toward the mouth of the alley. Shirong stumbled and caught himself on the brick wall. When he turned around, the man was gone.

Shirong swallowed and tucked his hand around the satchel in his pocket. He could feel eyes on him the entire way back to his dorm room, and they were hot and murderous, searing him to the bone.