Chapter 13-
"No, no, no. My brother's an idiot, but even he isn't't that stupid." Katara shook her head in disbelief at the earthbenders proclamation.
In front of them, Toph couldn't stop her prolonged fits of laughter and the tunnel shook more and more as her giggling became more and more pronounced. Aang had to step forward and maintain the integrity of the passageway, lest they all be buried somewhere under Ba Sing Se. What would truly be an ignominious end after everything they had survived.
Azula laughed sharply but her voice betrayed no amusement. "I will say I'm very impressed how easily you managed to insult both of us with just one sentence."
"You're not even denying it, why aren't you denying it!?" Katara's voice was rising with every word.
"Because there is nothing to deny. The blind one's talents are impossible to overcome, she's known since our meeting in the bunker." Azula glanced at the flame jumping back and forth between her hands with a bored expression.
"You knew this whole time Toph?!" Katara whirled again facing the younger girl.
"Wasn't my secret to give away. Err, well I guess I did give it away, but you gotta admit, it was pretty funny." Toph's laughing had subsisted and the girl was focusing again on digging out a tunnel for their travel.
Aang laughed nervously rubbing the back of his head in an awkward manner. Katara pinched the Avatar's neck sharply and Aang gave a yelp of displeasure. "Hey, what are you taking this out on me for?" The airbender whined.
"This isn't funny. Sokka, your friend! Sokka is with her, of all people!" Katara scowled at the master of four elements.
"Well uhhhh, I wouldn't want Sokka to tell me to not be with someone that I liked. So why would I tell him what to do with someone that he likes?" Finding no support from Aang, Katara spun around again for the first time addressing him directly.
"Yeah, you. You absolute, complete and total buffoon. Of all the ridiculous things you've ever done. I'm drawing the line in the snow on this one. I am not going to let you ruin your life because you're attracted to just another pretty face." Sokka scowled at his sister's comments.
"I'm not going to let you dictate my life Katara, you have no business telling me, who I can and can not be with. I'm glad you've noticed how pretty she is though. I don't tell her often enough." Katara gave a strangled yelp of rage.
"She-she-she…" Katara stumbled to find the words she wanted to express her displeasure with the situation. "What about Suki?" Katara finally spit out, a smug grin crossing her face.
"Is this supposed to be a gotcha moment? He's told me how he was with that plain girl before me." Azula rolled her eyes.
"She's in some spirits forsaken prison because of you!" Katara's shrill voice reverberated through the tight confines of the tunnel.
"Hey." Sokka jumped between the two, trying to draw the ire away from Azula, who Sokka was sure was reaching near her breaking point. "Azula has already promised to help free Suki, once we have a modicum of free time, okay? We're kind of busy right now trying to capture the largest city in the entire world, or is my personal drama more important than that?"
For a moment Sokka thought that his appeal to logic and reason might hold sway over his sister. However, unfortunately for him there was no stopping the proverbial runaway Elephant-Bear. "She's going to destroy you Sokka, just like she destroys everything she touches."
Azula growled next to him and the fire in her hands glowed and grew in size. "This is uncalled for Katara. You've never even given her a chance or tried to get to know her. I have. She's smart, brilliant, talented, and you yourself have admitted she's beautiful! Besides, I really don't have to explain my life to you. It's none of your business for the last time!" Sokka raised his voice for the first time in their argument.
Katara seemed cowed for a moment before a glower returned to her face. "You're not thinking about this at all. Or if you are, you're thinking with your dic-" Aang reached a hand out, silencing the waterbender.
"Can we, uhhh not do this? I'm sure Sokka has a great reason to care about Azula. Right?" Katara writhed and escaped Aang's grasp, a dangerous glare being directed at the younger boy.
"This is ridiculous, you know what, fine. We can do this later. It doesn't matter, eventually Azula will release she's with a dunderhead and Sokka will release that she's incapable of succeeding at anything but destruction." Azula's eyes narrowed into slits and the Princess stalked towards his sister with great purpose.
Sokka reached out an arm, grabbing his girlfriend and pulling her close while being cognizant of the flame still in her hand that was illuminating the cavern. "Hey, hey. It's not worth it. She'll see how much more to you there is. Everyone will." He said softly.
Azula looked up at him, and he saw earnestness on her face.. "I don't care if everyone knows, as long as you do." She captured his lips with her own, before turning and sauntering to the front of the tunnel near the last airbender. Sokka was forced to accept that there were positives to the whole, not hiding things.
Ahead of him, Toph made a fake retching sound. "What have I done?" The girl lamented.
After another twenty minutes of laborious travel in which Katara made roughly thirty eight different comments questioning the sanity of her brother, Azula, and the confusing nature of the world in general, they reached their destination. Toph stopped and sat down letting Aang keep up the integrity of the tunnel. The earthbender took short, sharp breaths.
"We're right under a bunch of houses in the lower ring." Toph wheezed. "I don't sense many people around. There's a good bit of people in some houses nearby but nothing crazy." Sokka nodded.
"We should be able to get out of here and find an empty house somewhere to lay low until tomorrow morning." Said Sokka, fiddling with the handle of his sword.
"There's an empty building I'm pretty sure. It'll be just to the right of us when we hop out." Sokka unslung his boomerang from his back and drew his sword, gripping the two weapons loosely.
"Ready?" Toph asked Aang.
The Avatar nodded his confirmation and the earth rumbled upward beneath them while the ground opened above them. They hurtled upwards finding themselves on the dirt roads of the lower ring of Ba Sing Se. A few flickering oil lamps dimly lit the city road. This far in the slums of the city, the roads weren't well kept and the buildings were shabby and flimsy.
"There's tons of movement in those houses." Toph pointed at the houses to their left. "Well uhhh, get ready." Toph barely had time to get the words out before flames burst from the windows of the shanty homes. A slew of Fire Nation soldiers poured from the doors. To his left Azula, leapt into action, deflecting one of the attacks with a wall of her unique blue bending. Aang sent a gust of wind with his new staff, dispersing the assaults. From the windows of the homes, a group of firebenders were keeping up a constant barrage on them as foot soldiers continued to pour out of the structures.
His trusty boomerang hurtled through the air, clipping the first soldier in the shoulder and sending him crashing into another. Alongside him, their argument forgotten in the heat of the conflict, Katara pulled water from the container on her side. Bending it into a whip she knocked three spearmen prone as they tried to rush him. A knife came whizzing past his head and for a moment Sokka thought that he was back in Omashu fighting Azula's friend Mai. Toph launched a chunk of rock over his shoulder, that crashed into the offending knife thrower. The fighter was battered against the wooden wall of one of the homes with a sickening crunch as the wall crumpled against the impact.
From farther down the road more Fire Nation troops came rushing out of the shantys, being drawn to the loud sounds of a battle at the very late hour. In the dim light, Sokka struggled to see just how many new arrivals there were, but he estimated it was at least a full battalion. Perhaps a dozen dozen, maybe less.
"Azula and I'll take the first set, you guys handle the reinforcements." Aang cheerfully shouted an affirmative to his command despite the ridiculous odds they faced.
"Don't get in my way peasant." Azula snarled from his left. "I've got the benders, keep the others off of me."
Wasn't she something else?
There were at least four firebenders launching strikes at his girlfriend. She leaped into the air assisted by her flames, dodging the attacks. Sokka heard exclamations of "It's the Princess!" and "Traitor!" Clearly the Fire Lord had informed his nation of Azula's defection in the interim since the Day of the Black Sun.
In front of him there were the three spearmen, knocked prone by his sister and a half dozen other soldiers wielding a mixture of swords and spears. The first swordsman came at him with an exaggerated flourish and Sokka initially thought that it was a trap. The move was so wasteful and stupid, that surely it could not be intended. Leaping backward from the strike, he realized that these men had not been trained with one of the greatest instructors in the world.
A second soldier rushed him with a lunging spear strike. Pivoting on his right, Sokka spun away from the tip of the spear, casually swiping downward in a short arc with Space Sword. The weaker metal of the spearhead yielded without a fight. The weapon was now merely a stick. The first swordsman renewed his onslaught with a slice aimed at decapitating him. He ducked under the blow with ease and thrust with his jian. The black blade bit through the weak spot of the armor below the armpit. The sword cut through both metal and flesh like a knife through butter. The first soldier gave a scream of pain and Sokka withdrew his weapon, turning to meet another attack from a new swordsman.
His now bloodstained armament came slicing through the air to meet a low arcing cut. The swords met each in a spark filled clash. Sokka wheeled backwards, dodging a spear thrust from yet another adversary. The soldiers had fanned out in a semicircle around him. The first soldier that Sokka had wounded was crawling on the ground trying to staunch the bleeding from the puncture in his side.
Content with how the battle had played out so far, Sokka placed himself directly between the soldiers and Azula. Having the utmost faith in the talented prodigy, Sokka heard the blasts and felt the conflagration behind him. He trusted her to watch his back as she did the same for him.
Eight opponents remained standing, looking much warrier upon seeing the ease with which Sokka had dispatched their comrade. Settling into a defensive stance, he beckoned with his free hand, taunting the men. "Who's next?" He said haughtily, trying to raise the ire of the soldiers and force them into silly mistakes.
In unison, the four remaining swordsmen rushed him, whilst the spearmen remained at a distance attempting to hit him with lucky thrusts from range. Sokka calculated his best options. He couldn't try to fight all eight men at once. He needed to split them off from each other, while still protecting Azula's flank as she dealt with the other firebenders. The sound of a man's screams to his right were a solid indication that the Princess was doing just fine in her own battle.
Leaping to his right, Sokka engaged the furthermost soldier. A spear thrust almost caught him but all it managed was to leave a slight tear in his tunic. Getting into close quarters, he grabbed the spearman with his free hand and the hilt of his blade and pushed the man into two of the oncoming melee fighters. The three collided and hit the dirt. Sokka took the advantage to rush the nearest standing spearman who was now isolated. Deflecting a spear jab aimed at his stomach, he charged forward, jumping in the air, bringing Space Sword downward. The meteoric metal met the armor of the Fire Nation near the spearman's clavicle. Sokka and Piandao's creation would not be denied as the weapon plunged deep through bone and tissue. The man collapsed without a sound. Seven to go, he grimly thought.
The sounds of combat echoed through the night. Aang, Toph and his sister were engaging with who knows how many troops while Azula was forced to deal with four firebenders at once. They couldn't afford to try and fight the Fire Nation's entire garrison in Ba Sing Se with just the five of them, as talented and proficient as they might be, they would eventually be overwhelmed.
Not wasting any time, Sokka, grasped the fallen man's spear and threw it at a charging swordsman. At such a close distance, even a novice with a spear like he was, wasn't able to miss his target. The weapon struck true with a thud, impaling the warrior and knocking him flush against the ground. The man moaned and struggled but did not rise from the dirt. Six to go.
Battering aside a pair of strikes from a fighter with no helm, Sokka made a bold lunge that disarmed another foe. His momentum carried him too far and he stumbled after being caught by a spearpoint across his bicep. The laceration wasn't deep but it still started to bleed freely. Cursing under his breath at his overconfidence, Sokka met an arcing slice aimed near his thigh. His arm shook from the impact and his bicep whinged in protest at the pressure of the strike.
Gritting his teeth, Sokka dove unexpectedly to his left, successfully diving under a wild strike that had threatened to cut open his stomach. Rolling to his feet in a somersault, Sokka hamstrung his opponent, dropping him to one knee with a smooth and precise slash. Two Fire Nation swordsmen started working in tandem slowly driving him back. Every time that Sokka prepared a counter to take advantage of their holes, one of the three remaining spearmen would jab at him and harass him. Twice already they had pricked him, once in the shoulder and the other finding purchase on his thigh. Bouncing on the balls of his feet, lightly testing the damage to his leg, Sokka backpedaled away from his adversaries.
His lack of heavy armor made him quicker and a more deadly swordsman, but it proved to be a great disadvantage when presented with so many foes at once. If he had been able to fight the soldiers one at a time, it would have been a wholly different outcome, but as it stood now, he was being slowly pushed back and hemmed in. He parried a swipe that would have spilled his lungs and heart for the world to see. Diverting the momentum, he pirouetted from a spear strike on his bad leg. Wincing in pain, but left with no other option as the Fire Nation soldiers closed in. Sokka readied himself to do something monumentally stupid.
Taking a deep breath, and gripping Space Sword tightly, Sokka lunged for the nearest swordsman. He ignored the attack which would surely be coming from the right. His sword pierced through the hauberk of the Fire Nation soldier, and he grimaced in preparation for the pain that would manifest any second. Instead he felt only a rush of heat surrounding him. Yanking his blade free and wheeling to face the remaining soldiers, Sokka saw fear etched on the face of the two soldiers who weren't wearing helmets. Explosions of blue flame detonated around them, blasting them backwards.
A spearman still stood on wobbly legs, trying to regain his balance. Sokka dodged his poorly aimed attack and mercifully brought the pommel of his sword down, knocking the soldier unconscious. The rest lay moaning on the ground or completely defeated by Azula's surgical strikes.
"I had it under control!" He yelled with a sense of bravado.
"Please, you were about to end up looking like a filet of Komodo-Rhino meat." Azula responded pompously.
"Yeah, well I was fighting nine at once. Congratulations, Princess you were able to stop a few benders. Sokka shot back indignantly.
"Yes, only stop a few firebenders and still have enough time to save your ass." Azula smirked at him in the dim light, her face illuminated by the flames that still had not withered after the skirmish had concluded. "What? No gratitude for my selfless act. I'm hurt." She pouted.
Rolling his eyes, Sokka drew alongside her. His gait was slightly hobbled but the damage wasn't extensive, and it was nothing that would restrict his ability to continue fighting. She turned her head to stare at him imperiously, expecting a retort. Choosing to zig instead of zag, Sokka closed the distance capturing her lips with his own.
They separated after much too short a time in Sokka's estimation. He grinned at her. Azula gave a mock sigh. "Fine, your display of gratitude is acceptable. For now." She said with a trace of both menace and playfulness at the same time. How can one person manage that, he thought amazed.
"I'm pretty sure you just irreparably maimed almost a half dozen Fire Nation soldiers, and you responded by making out with me." Azula remarked wryly.
Sokka shrugged. "They were trying to kill you." He said simply as he gathered his trusty boomerang. "Besides, what can I say, it's obviously your bad influence on me."
A look of satisfaction permeated across Azula's face. Sadly, the moment passed as they were shaken from their reverie by a loud explosion behind them. Aang had summoned a whirlwind that had lifted two Fire Nation tanks in its grasp, the two had collided with an almighty crash that caused both vehicles to go up in a singular ball of flame. Sokka whistled quietly, he was still amazed sometimes at how his cheerful and crazy best friend could be so absurdly powerful.
"Come on let's go help the fools." Azula remarked snidely.
At least he wasn't included in that insult. Baby steps at the very least.
Katara and Toph were slowly being overwhelmed with attacks from a slew of firebenders. His sister didn't have a steady supply of water to maintain anything other than a defensive position. Toph was doing her best to protect the waterbender while Aang leapt around the battlefield, freelancing as the boy was wont to do.
Beside him, Azula was preparing a strike once she was clear from hitting their comrades. Yet, she never got off the assault. A storm of arrows and earthen projectiles came pouring down from all directions, striking the forces of the Fire Nation. All around them the occupiers' forces fell in an onslaught from unseen foes. Sokka realized that most of the attacks were coming from the roofs lining the thoroughfare, but a few of the troops were in the alleyways that cut off from the main road. Toph and Katara took advantage of the distraction presented by the interlopers and quickly made short work of the enemies in front of them.
Within a half minute the rest of the Fire Nation forces were either subdued or retreated. Aang let the harried forces withdraw, instead choosing to come to the aid of Katara and Toph. Azula and Sokka joined their friends as the figure of a young woman emerged from a nearby alleyway. The woman was maybe around the same age as Azula and Katara. She sported a mane of messy brown hair that was held back by a thin strip of fabric. She wore a set of leather armorings that was haphazardly thrown over commoner clothes.
"Hiya!" She said with a cheery wave, looking for all the world as if a vicious battle hadn't just left this part of the city a ruined and smoldering wreck. "You really shouldn't be out here! We still haven't liberated this part of the lower ring yet." Noticing their vacant and questioning expressions, the girl laughed. "Come on, let's get to safety and I can explain! Fire Nation reinforcements will be here any minute!" The girl had an earnestness to her nature that set Sokka at ease and appeared to greatly annoy Azula.
The young woman had a bounce in her step as she led them away. Aang was chatting animatedly with her, thanking her and the troops for coming to their assistance. Next to him Azula was scowling. Sokka looked at her and chuckled and she narrowed her eyes, daring him to remark about it.
"What?" He asked plainly.
She grunted and didn't respond for a second before answering. "She reminds me of Ty Lee. I can only handle one person like that in my life."
Sokka laughed loud enough that Katara turned to look at them. "Well Ty Lee isn't here so maybe this is the Spirit's way of introducing some cheer into your life." Azula scowled at him in response.
They increased their pace as they were joined by a slew of troops, the ones who had picked off the Fire Nation forces from range. The troops said nothing, but he noticed that more than a few of them were eyeing Azula warily. If the Princess noticed she gave no sign, merely walking with her head held high as they traversed through the narrow passageways of the lower ring of Ba Sing Se.
After a few minutes of walking, they came to a door situated on a particularly run down looking building. The girl knocked seven times in a distinct pattern and the door swung open in answer. The inside of the structure was empty, a single hallway led into a large underground passage where perhaps a hundred men and women gathered. Most were working, completing various different tasks. In the center of the room, a group of men were huddled around a table which showed a detailed map of Ba Sing Se.
It was to them that the girl led them. She approached a man wearing a dirty officer's uniform, the girl gave a sloppy salute and presented them. "Colonel. Uhhh sir, I've brought the Avatar and his friends!" She said with a smile.
The colonel nodded and shook Aang's hand. "Thank you so much for coming, Avatar. We hoped you would hear of our struggle and return to help us."
Aang laughed nervously. "Well geez, we kinda came here to help start a rebellion, we didn't expect one to have already started. But we are here to fight." Aang said determinedly.
The colonel relayed his thanks, and ordered the girl, who they discovered was named Jin to lead the group to sleeping quarters. Jin stepped alongside Sokka and Azula with a heartfelt grin. "I know you're a firebender." She whispered conspiratorially.
"It's okay though." The girl quickly added, noticing the frown on Azula's face. "A few of the leaders of this rebellion are Firebenders, and uhh" Jin's face blushed in the dim lightning of the underground cavern. "My boyfriend is one too." She admitted sheepishly.
Azula looked perplexed but didn't say anything. "Wow, I didn't realize there were other Fire Nation citizens that had also turned against the crown, did you?" Sokka glanced at his girlfriend asking her.
The Princess shook her head. Jin led the fivesome down a long passageway that veered to a branch. Taking the rightmost corridor, they came to a room filled with cots and sleeping rolls. They grabbed five rolls, trying their best not to wake the individuals asleep on the cots. Jin giggled when they had left the room.
"Tomorrow, the colonel ordered me to take you to the leaders of the revolution! Plus you all get to meet my boyfriend. I'm sure he will love to meet another firebender who's helping our side. I think he misses home. He never talks about it…" Jin trailed off. "Anyways, it's so nice to have met you all. I'll come by in the morning to fetch you. Sleep well."
She waved at them once more before departing. They had been given two empty rooms to sleep in for the night. Katara shot him a dirty look as he took a pair of the sleeping rolls under his arm and took Azula by the hand, heading to the second room. Before they reached the door, Toph called out to them.
"Careful Snoozles, the walls here aren't very thick."
Azula growled next to him. "I might be extra noisy tonight with you savage." She said forcefully and more than loud enough for Katara and Aang to hear, to say nothing of Toph's enhanced senses.
A sound of outrage burst from his sister, matched only by the raucous laughter from the earthbender. Sokka's face turned beet red, but a sense of satisfaction resonated in him. He did like it when Azula was possessive.