A/N: The early chapters of this story will include the occasional flash-forward scenes. They are a sort of teaser to show the endgame which this story is working towards. Be advised that these scenes are very much NSFW. :)
Chapter 1
5 Years after the Hundred Year War
Republic City
Azula's entire body felt like she was on fire. She tried desperately not to cry out, her teeth pressing into her lower lip as she bit back a strangled moan. The unrelenting assault on her senses she was enduring, robbed Azula of control over her own body, something that felt incredibly frightening to her on the surface level, but something she had quickly become addicted to.
Panting, the former Crown Princess reared her head slightly, gazing down her naked body, shining with perspiration, until her half-lidded eyes met those wide cerulean orbs, gazing up at her. Agni, she hated that smug look on Katara's face... or did she? Everything about them still felt so strange and confusing, but Azula knew one thing... she didn't hate what Katara was doing to her. Even if she could be such an infuriating tease about it.
Katara smirked to herself as she looked up into Azula's face, already slightly contorted by pleasure. It wouldn't be long before the ex-princess started to beg Katara to grant her release, something that Katara had by now learned to provide almost effortlessly... but it did not mean that she would listen to Azula's threats or pleas. Oh no... getting Azula off quickly, where was the fun in that? All the fun was in dragging it out for as long as Azula could take it, to hear the desperation in her voice, to watch her ferocious wildcat unraveling into a tame, mewling kitten.
Her tongue never left Azula's clit even as she maintained eye contact with the princess. She knew perfectly well the way Azula liked to be touched there, and she knew how to make her come in a near instant, slow upwards strokes with firm pressure by the tip of her tongue. But since Katara was not interested in making Azula come yet, she kept teasing her with circular motions of her tongue, time and again replacing her tongue with her eager lips, suckling on Azula's swollen, sensitive clit. Ever so slowly, the pleasure began to build for the ex-princess, Katara could tell that by the way she began to squirm beneath her.
Katara wondered for how long she could torture Azula this time before granting her the desperately sought release. Azula was probably the most impatient person Katara had ever encountered, and occasionally, when she took things a little too far, Azula would break out in spontaneous firebending as she came, setting things around them aflame, even the soaked sheets. It was fortunate that as a waterbender, she could take immediate care of that problem... but it all just underlined that making love to Azula was wrought with its own dangers. However, Katara was quickly becoming aware of just how much she loved playing with fire...
Unable to decide whether to put her fingers to the task or just get Azula off with her lips and tongue, Katara pulled her mouth away from Azula's clit, releasing it with a soft popping sound. "I can't decide whether you deserve my fingers tonight or not," she gave the ex-princess a sultry smile.
"Katara, I swear I'm going to set you on fire one of these days," Azula panted at her, trying to get her breath back. Her pitch black hair were mussed, loose strands sticking to her wet brow.
"Was that a yes? Or a no?" Katara mused, returning to trace Azula's clit with the tip of her tongue, frustratingly short from exerting the amount of pressure her lover craved.
"Yes... yes, fuck! I want your fingers, okay?" Azula ground out, struggling to contain her moans.
"But you always want my fingers, Zula," Katara smirked, breaking the contact again, eliciting a growl from the ex-princess. "I am deliberating whether you deserve them."
"I hate you, Kat," Azula moaned helplessly, unashamedly lifting her hips off the bed to seek contact with Katara's mouth.
"That's not the magic word, Zula," Katara smirked, leaning more firmly onto Azula's lower body to pin her down against the bed, then slowly and teasingly dragging her tongue across Azula's slickened folds, lapping up the wetness gathered there. "Well... evidence suggests that you really want my fingers," she remarked, licking her lips. There was something about the way Azula tasted, sweet with unidentifiable spiciness, that had made Katara so addicted to her. "All you need to do is to ask for them," she added, aware that the sight of her enjoying Azula's taste always drove her lover completely wild.
"Fuck... Katara, please, I need your fingers. Please, I need them so bad," Azula finally overcame her pride as a pleading note entered her imperious voice. She spread her legs even wider as a sign of both complete surrender and invitation, and now Katara found herself unable to resist.
"Well, since you asked so nicely," Katara grinned, truly setting to her task. With her lips and tongue returning to Azula's clit, she brought her right hand up to her lover's opening and encountering barely any resistance, two of her fingers slipped past Azula's soaked folds, entering her tight and pliant warmth. In an instant, Azula's thus far controlled moans became a litany of curse words and Katara felt Azula's hips slamming against her face as she instinctively raised them upwards.
Still, even with Azula now receiving far more stimulation, Katara made sure that she didn't push her lover over the edge just yet. She kept the strokes of her fingers a little shallow, avoiding the spot that she knew made Azula succumb near instantly. She still kept the pressure of her tongue against Azula's clit feathery light. All this meant that while the flames in Azula's core grew hotter and hotter, Katara was keeping the process agonizingly and torturously slow.
"Kat, damn you... more, I need more," Azula panted, desperation starting to creep into her voice. Her toes began to curl delicately. Her thighs started to tremble. Azula's right hand seized the sheets in an iron grip as the fingers of her left hand rolled her rock-hard nipple.
Katara pulled away from her clit, grinning as her fingers continued to thrust into Azula's wetness. "You know what you have to say to get what you want, babe," she winked at her lover.
"Damn it..." Azula moaned. "Katara, please, make me come. Please..."
"That's not all I want to hear, Zula," Katara spoke, her voice ever so soft and velvety. All the while, she kept working her wrist, keeping up the thrusts.
Azula did not hesitate too long before the words that Katara longed to hear tumbled past her lips. "Kat, I... I love you. Make me yours... please!"
Katara's heart soared from the extracted confession. She redoubled her efforts, now rewarding Azula with the touch she craved. The tip of her tongue hit Azula's clit in slow, firm strokes, just how she wanted it. Her fingers inside Azula curled slightly and she began to push a little deeper, hitting the exact spot that always got Azula to surrender in an instant.
The reaction was immediate. Azula's moans became high-pitched cries, her breath cut short as tremors rocked her body. Having pushed Azula right over the edge, Katara decided that she had earned her own little reward, abandoning Azula's clit and replacing her fingers with her mouth, lapping up the fresh surge of wetness that escaped past Azula's folds as she shook in the throes of a powerful orgasm.
Pulling away with a smug and satisfied grin, her chin coated with Azula's juices, Katara crawled up in the bed to lay by Azula's side, leaning in against her recovering lover, Azula struggling to regain her breath, her breasts rising and falling powerfully. Katara ran her fingers through Azula's soaked folds one more time, then bringing them up to her lover's lips and slipping them into Azula's mouth. With the muffled sigh of a half hearted protest, Azula accepted the offering, eagerly starting to suckle on Katara's digits before she removed them with a soft pop.
"Are we having fun, princess?" Katara asked in a teasing voice, unable to take her eyes away from Azula.
"Fuck, that was..." Azula let out a deep sigh. "Shit, I still don't understand all of this, but what I know is... I fucking love what you're doing to me."
"What is it that you don't understand, Zula?" Katara asked patiently.
"How this could have even happened," Azula replied a little dreamily. "How we happened. It doesn't seem to make sense, right? I'm not complaining, mind you."
"I know what you mean, Zula," Katara smiled, leaning in to kiss her sweat soaked brow. "Come to think of it... the way we happened is a bit of a crazy story, isn't it?"
4 Years after the Hundred Year War
Royal Caldera City
"Which escape attempt was this during the past four years, Zuko?" Avatar Aang asked, pacing around the private study of Fire Lord Zuko. "I'm counting twelve."
"Uh, actually..." Zuko coughed uncomfortably, browsing through his notes as he sat at his desk. "It was Azula's fourteenth attempt to escape."
"Let's be honest, this was more than just an attempt," Sokka said, sitting on the opposite side to Zuko, his sister Katara leaning in against the desk. "This was an international disaster. It's no wonder you called us in for help."
"It was a terrible coincidence, really," Zuko sighed. "I mean... she couldn't have known that a large delegation from the Earth Kingdom would be arriving on that exact day. Honestly... I kind of goofed there. I pulled some extra security from keeping an eye on Azula, that's probably how she was able to escape."
"To go on an absolute rampage," Aang shook his head. "People died, Zuko! What's worse, they were Earth Kingdom citizens!"
"Dai Li agents," Katara added. "Not that it makes any of this better."
"It makes things a lot worse, honestly," Zuko sighed at the waterbender. "Although, let's be honest... many witnesses say that the Dai Li attacked first."
"Well, even if that's true, what did you expect?" Aang shrugged. "They saw Azula running towards them like crazy, looking ready to bend. We can't seriously blame the Dai Li for this one."
"I suppose not," Zuko admitted reluctantly. He found himself glaring at a large official looking envelope in front of him, bearing the seal of Earth King Kuei. "And now I have to deal with this crap," he nodded at the letter.
"We have to deal with it, Zuko," Katara reminded him gently. "That's why you asked us to come to the Fire Nation, remember?" Zuko nodded at her.
"Well, there don't seem to be many solutions before us, Zuko," Aang shrugged again. "You know that as the Avatar, I must do everything within my power to maintain the balance. And that means avoiding another conflict between the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom. I won't allow you to go to war over your sister."
"Especially when she hasn't shown any signs of improvement," Sokka added. "It's been four years, Zuko. If she was going to get better, she would have made some progress, right?"
"I don't know... I'm not a healer," Zuko sighed. "So, in order to preserve peace, I have to hand my sister over to the Dai Li. You know what that means, don't you?"
Aang and Sokka both looked deeply uncomfortable, while Katara visibly shuddered, going pale in the face. "Maybe if I had a word with King Kuei, I could make sure that the Dai Li treat her well," Aang wondered, then giving Katara a quick glance. "You've been very quiet so far, sweetie. What do you think?"
Katara frowned at Aang's use of the word 'sweetie'. Prior to coming to the Fire Nation, they had spent an entire year apart, after Katara had told Aang that she did not see future for their relationship. She was feeling discontent with following Aang everywhere he went, helping him realize his dreams, watching him getting surrounded by crowds of adoring fans, while her own dreams and achievements were all swept under the dubious designation of being the Avatar's girlfriend. In the aftermath of their breakup, Katara had returned to the South Pole in order to help her people rebuild and continue growing her skills as both a waterbender and a healer. She had been doing perfectly fine by herself, not dating anyone and simply focusing on her own goals, but it seemed that Aang was not coping all that well with their breakup, judging by how he repeatedly kept calling her 'sweetie' despite her asking him to avoid using the word.
"I would not trust the Dai Li to treat Azula with any dignity. Their mind control techniques are... repugnant," Katara spoke, sounding disgusted. "And they want to get back at Azula for all the humiliation she has put them through over the years. Handing Azula over to them is... a death warrant, or worse."
"What other options do we have, really?" Sokka asked.
"I don't know," Katara shrugged helplessly. "What if we could prove to the Dai Li that Azula is not a danger to them?"
"Well, she kinda is a menace to society at large," Sokka frowned. "Sorry, Zuko," he added hastily, watching the young Fire Lord wince.
"How do you figure we could prove that, sweetie?" Aang asked Katara.
"Please, Aang, I told you not to call me that, we are no longer together. Respect that," Katara spoke sternly, making the Avatar blush red with embarrassment. Honestly, Katara was starting to get rather annoyed. Aang had become particularly overbearing ever since they had arrived in the Fire Nation. She wondered whether it had anything to do with some rumors that there was more between her and Zuko than just friendship. Said rumors had picked up when Zuko's engagement with Mai fell through around the same time that Katara decided to leave Aang, but it had been purely a coincidence. Katara liked Zuko a great deal, and they corresponded with each other regularly, but aside from that, there was absolutely nothing to the rumors.
"Sorry, Katara," Aang quickly apologized. Katara couldn't help but notice that Zuko looked very curious about their exchange. "Anyway, how would you prove that Azula is no longer a threat?"
"I don't know," Katara sighed. "I don't know what sort of healing she has received here in the capital. Maybe it would have been a good idea to send her to the North Pole. Their healers are renowned for dealing with all sorts of ailments of the mind."
"I had some healers from the North brought here, to no avail," Zuko said, looking downcast. "Maybe I should have sent her away from the Fire Nation and to the North. But I don't think the Dai Li will agree to this plan now."
"Probably not," Sokka sighed. "I'm sorry, Zuko, but I just don't see a way other than handing Azula over to them."
"How can you give up so quickly? Would you let the Dai Li get their hands on me just as easily if they asked?" Katara blurted out angrily, glaring at her brother. "Azula has hurt us all terribly, but she's still Zuko's sister! Can you imagine what losing her would do to him? We can't let that happen!"
Aang seemed to be a little taken aback by Katara's passionate defense of Azula. By showing how much she cared about Zuko's wellbeing, Katara had undoubtedly fueled his unfounded jealousy even further. "What if I told you that there was a way to make sure that Azula can no longer threaten anyone else ever again?" Aang asked, looking pleased with his solution.
"I'm all ears, Aang," Zuko remarked cautiously.
"What makes Azula so dangerous?" Aang asked.
"She's a firebending prodigy, duh," Sokka rolled his eyes.
"Exactly," Aang nodded. "She's not a threat without her bending, and there's your answer," the Avatar drew himself up proudly. "In order to preserve the balance in this world, I have to take away Azula's bending."