Chapter 47: Siege of the North, Part 7

Feeling the sun's rays slowly bake her skin, Azula reluctantly shook herself from slumber, her half-lidded eyes drinking in the scene in front of her. Somehow, she and Sokka had wrapped themselves around each other once again in the middle of the night, though strangely she found his embrace comforting and familiar, where before the very idea of sleeping next to a man disgusted her, to say nothing of her current state of undress.

Shifting her legs, she moaned slightly as the friction between her panties and Sokka's stiff member rubbed her clit in just the right way. Realising what happened, she immediately covered her mouth as she blushed, hoping that no one heard her. Mercifully, Sokka merely grunted, still fast asleep. Surveying her fiance's body, she ran a finger from his neck to his chest, where it drew lazy circles around as she continued to stare at him.

Being so close, she ran her finger back up to his face, stopping at whatever points of interests that caught her attention. Somehow, her touch wasn't light enough and he turned to face away from her. Frowning, she deftly rolled him back, before climbing up on his chest and resting her face on her folded arms, listening to the steady beat of his heart. A sideways glance out of the corner of her eye told her that the sun was clearly up and about now, its rays illuminating the empty spot where her body used to occupy.

Deciding that now was as good a time as any to wake him up, she pressed fluttering kisses from his forehead down to his lips. When their lips locked, she felt two hands run down the length of her body, before resting on either side of her face. Wrapping her arms around his neck and head, Azula deepened the kiss, swirling her tongue against his and wished that the moment never ended.

Alas, their oxygen deprived bodies screamed at them to breathe and they parted reluctantly feeling like it was over all too quickly. Staring at Azula, who was currently resting her head on his chest with half lidded eyes, Sokka murmured "Am I dreaming, or is there really a beautiful naked princess resting on top of me right now?"

"I don't know, perhaps?" she purred

Feeling her body once more, Sokka whispered to himself "Gods and spirits you really are naked."

"Have I ever lied to you?"

"Well there was that one time when we first met…"

"Well in my defense, I needed the cash."

"That's not a no…"

"Someone's being awfully stubborn."

"Well, I can't help but learn a few tricks from the best."

"I don't know whether to be pleased or insulted." she pouted.

"I still love you regardless, little firefly." he replied, kissing her nose. Placing his hands on her waist, he flipped them back over, where they were now laying on their side facing each other. Now, it was Sokka's turn to run his fingers over every inch of her, from her taut stomach, to her full breasts and finally, her rosy cheeks, coloured pink by the touch of his hands on her naked body.

Unable to help himself, Sokka kissed her deeply, before turning his attention to her nipples, which to Sokka looked absolutely delicious in their erect form. Following his gaze, Azula looked down, before looking back up and commenting "You look distracted."

"Clearly." he replied, flicking her nipples back and forth, before teasing the slit and making her whimper.

"S-S-Sokka, I-I can't think when you do it." she huffed, trying desperately to hold back some of the more vocal cries as she clung on to his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist. Moving his head, he caressed her collarbone with his tongue, before slinking beneath the sheets and slowly teased, nibbled and sucked her breasts and nipples. In response, she ground herself against Sokka and anchored his head to her chest, intent on not letting him go until he finished her.

Huffing and panting, she felt her release gradually build up in intensity as Sokka expertly milked her breasts, the gentle pacing replaced by a carnal hunger. Soon, he could feel her buck her hips against his while she sipped and stuttered in his ear. As hands kept up the pacing, Sokka breathed in her ear "Are you close?"

"Mm hmm."

"Then let's do it. Together." he replied, slamming his lips into hers while also bucking and rubbing himself against her now soaked nether region, the friction building up to what was sure to be an explosive release. With one last thrust, both of them exploded at the same time, screaming each other's names into each other's mouths, the intensity making them see stars and cling to each other as if to assure themselves it was all real and not a dream.

As the post coital high gradually lifted, Sokka rolled her on top of himself and tucked loose strands behind her ear, before placing an arm under his head while another twirled and fiddled with her hair. Kissing her forehead, she smiled at him in return, making his heart flutter.

Resting her chin on her hands, which she folded across his chest, Azula asked "Sokka?"

"Hmm?"

"I need a shower, I feel sweaty and sticky all over, thanks to a certain someone."

"You're welcome, firefly."

"Shameless as ever, aren't you?" she replied, poking his nose.

"What can I say except you're welcome. Now, about that shower little firefly…"

After a quick shower, the duo exited the room, only to find two kitted out plate carriers sitting outside. Naturally, Azula made Sokka lug both of them to the living room. When Sokka protested, she merely raised an eyebrow, to which he gulped and did as he was told with no delay. Though one set wasn't the heaviest object in the world to carry, two of them did leave him huffing and puffing when they entered the living room, where a mess of gun parts, gloves and accessories were strewn across the floor and table in haphazard fashion.

"Glad you could grace us with your presence." Katara sarcastically commented when she saw them.

"The pleasure is all mine. Now, what in Agni's name is going on here?"

Without even looking up, he briefed her on what happened "Last night, Cueball here picked up some chatter regarding an ambush setup to hit us either on route to Arnook's residence or coming back from it."

"I don't see the relation between an ambush point and this.", waving her hand nebulously at the pile.

"As it stands, we've agreed to pull security for Hahn and Bulan when they pick us up. Also, it wouldn't hurt to be fully prepared if and when they hit us."

"Last I checked, we were the ones needing an escort, not them. Besides, don't we have any marines or grunts to spare?"

"The ambassador decided no. Something to do with image problems, hearts and minds and all that nonsense."

"Ah yes, let's use the disposable royals. Who gives a shit about spares amirite? Still, don't the Internal Directorate have enough manpower for this?"

"If they did, we wouldn't be in this mess. Now sit your bitchass down and help Kiki. She's coming along, as with Katara."

"Ah yes, a nice little family outing. What the fuck Zuzu, do you want me bring Mom and Dad along as well? This just feels like a shit job all around."

"What makes you think I'm happy about this? The sooner we get over this the better."

"See Zuzu, if they wanted to hit us they would have done so a long time ago." Azula smirked as they sped down the specially cleared lanes that led them out of the city, before looping back in from a different angle to Arnook's residence. On either side, they were flanked by police and Interior Directorate close protection personnel, who kept pace with them along with a detachment from the White Lotus. All in all, it was a formidable convoy to try and hit. Standing behind a firing port, Zuko replied "I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you. Until our feet are firmly inside Arnook's residence, all of you are keeping your plates on, so get comfortable. I am not taking any chances."

Rolling her eyes, she was about to protest when she noticed the way his hands were gripping the railing, his face tensing and a distant look in his eyes. One that she knew all too when they first reunited. Sometimes, he would fly into an uncontrollable rage while other times, he would curl up in the corner and stare at his hands for hours on end. While she wasn't a psychiatrist, she could recognize that their father was closer than he ever knew to breaking her brother's mind, body and soul via service on the frontlines where the fighting was fiercest for years on end, all because of some perceived slight against a wizened old general who wasted the lives of his men.

One time, she stole a report that was laying on her father's desk out of curiosity when he was away on Ember Island with his plethora of concubines. Noticing that it was from a general in her brother's division, her eyes perked up and began to devour the report. Not three paragraphs later, she had to rush to the bathroom and empty her guts at the casual mentions of graphic violence committed against the surrounding countryside and towns in retaliation for their forward operating base being blown up with tunnels packed to the brim with blasting jelly. For the cost of thirty men killed, the immediate area of four kilometers around the base was put to the torch. Knowing just how much of a bleeding heart her brother was, she could only imagine the mental toll it took on him.

While the both of them were not spared the corrupting touch of violence, hers was short, sharp, and calculated in its methods and dispensation, whilst her brother's was casual, unpredictable and callous. By the grace of Agni it was a miracle he wasn't a broken husk of a person when they finally reunited. Bringing her mind back to the present, she noticed that her brother didn't loosen her grip on the railing and decided

to swallow her pride. Hugging him from behind, she mumbled "I'm sorry, Zuzu."

Feeling the tension leave his body, he relaxed and turned to ruffle her hair. "I could get used to this Azula. Remind me to bump up Sokka's pay for making you soft and sappy." he teased.

Folding her arms, Azula huffed "I could and should make your scars symmetrical if you keep this up.", her face turning slightly red as she wasn't yet comfortable in displaying sibling affection.

"I'd like to see you try. In any case, I'll go check on cueball here, see what type of signals intel he scooped up. Why don't you check on Kiki?"

"Kiki?"

"Kiyi."

"Do you really have to give everyone a pet name?"

"Whatever you say, Azzie." he smirked, intentionally riling her up. Throwing her hands up in frustration, she yelled back "Fuck you Zuzu, you little piece of shit!" before turning to find her sister.

Inside, he asked Aang "What's the latest update? Any suspicious chatter so far?"

Raising a headphone, he swiveled and answered back "Nothing just yet, though my guess is that they're keeping radio silence." Looking out of the windows, he noticed that they were now in the outskirts of Agna Q'ela, which to his mind was the most dangerous part of the journey. Raising Hahn's and Bulan's attention, he asked " Who did you guys brief on the route today?"

"Why?"

"I don't know, but something tells me our current location is the best place to hit us. Think about it, we're outside of Agna Q'ela, there's less risk of collateral, less witnesses and more importantly help is going to take too long to come."

"Well, there was only the police chief and the close protection detail head. No, I can't think of anyone else. Then again…" Hahn mused. Unfortunately, his musings were cut short when some of the vessels up ahead turned their bow to face the convoy and froze the path in front of them, making them slam the reverse gear. Soon, the sounds of what seemed like hailstones pelting the skin of the vessel.

"Contact front!" came the command, belaying to then what was already obvious.

Down below, Azula was busy fixing her sister's carrier and rearranging her gear to make it as comfortable as possible when the sudden lurch of the boat sent them both tumbling over each other. "Spirits Azzie, you've heavier than I thought." Kiyi muttered, trying to squirm out from under her.

"No shit I'm heavy, blame Zuzu for making us wear this." Just then, Zuko's face appeared in the doorway, concern etched all over his face. Giving the room a quick glance over, he asked "Is everyone okay?"

Shouts of affirmative and okays were heard, making him breathe a sigh of relief. "Azula, Kiyi, both of you are needed topside with me. Sokka, Katara, check on the rest of the crew and stay with Aang."

Outside, the firefight raged on between the convoy and the blocking vessels, which had suddenly swelled from two to six vessels, each more armed than the last. Pointing Kiyi to an open firing turret, Zuko yelled "Kiki, cover us while me and Azzie burn this ice off!"

"Wai-what?! Zuzu, how do I operate this thing!"

"I don't know, figure it out?!"

"Zuzu!"

Panic gripped her and she began to hyperventilate, her mind dragging her kicking and screaming back into that basement, making her curl up in a ball and sob. Meanwhile, the siblings conjured a wall of fire that melted the sheet thin enough to cut through safely without too much damage to the hull under the waterline. As it happened, they unintentionally crafted a smokescreen, the steam helping to slow down the amount of incoming fire as the blocking detachment did not wish to waste resources on the escorts, instead devoting the majority of their firepower to eviscerating the main ship that they were on.

Letting Zuko continue to melt the ice while the rest of the escorts formed up in a line abreast formation, the waterbenders on the escorts helped to use the ice sheet in front of them as a shield. Finding her sister curled up in a ball sobbing, Azula clasped her hands in hers and whispered "It's okay Kiyi, I'm here. I'll stay with you."

"S-s-sorry." she sobbed, rubbing the tears away from her face, even as the streaks started to freeze in the arctic conditions. Pulling her up to her feet, Azula patiently walked her through the controls, trying to restrain herself from being overly harsh on her. After all, being thrust into combat after enduring what she went through clearly did not make for a level headed fighter, which was what they needed the most as they picked up speed, intending to batter their way through the blockade with speed in lieu of firepower.

Confident she could hold her own for the time being, Azula told her "I'm going to help Zuzu now, do you think you can manage?"

With a slight nod, Kiyi replied "Mhmm.", before taking in deep breaths as she wiped away her tears, which were fogging her vision. Joining her brother, the duo continued to carve out a path, the speed bringing them ever closer in a deadly game of chicken. As the fog lifted, the firefight resumed, now with the convoy slowly but surely winning the exchange.

Up in the turret, Kiyi steeled her nerves, took aim and pressed the trigger as the fog dissipated. Taken aback by the recoil and noise, the barrel swung upwards, the first couple of bursts arcing wildly high into the air. Fighting her shaking hands, she muscled down the barrel and kept a constant stream of fire that raked the vessels, bullets smashing into steel and flesh. As the waterbenders fell, cut to ribbons, the ice turned back into water, making Azula and Zuko's job easier.

The blocking detachment, seeing their prey about to escape, immediately dropped anchor and stood their ground, determined to fight to the last man. Sinking them wasn't an option, as the wreck would only hold up traffic and clog up the road. Pulling up as close to them as possible, Hahn ordered all vessels to increase their fires to allow them to get close so they could dismount and board them.

With a raucous din, the noise, smell and flash mangled the gunwales and bridges of the vessels, before the order to cease fire was passed down the line. Telling Aang to send a message to Arnook that they would be late, Hahn slipped his fatigues and gear to join the rest of the crew. Amazingly, none of them suffered any major injuries despite the amount of hazardous objects crisscrossing through the air.

Adrenaline wearing off, Kiyi released her white knuckle grip on the gun, before slumping back, not quite believing that in her desire to protect her elder siblings, someone on the end of the barrel had to lose their life in exchange. Curling up into a ball, she whimpered as she finally realised what her brother and sister were out doing on a daily basis while she sat comfortably in her mother's office back in Pirate's Pier. Not that she wasn't aware, but observing and hearing about it was so very different from actually partaking in it.

"I-I killed someone. I actually killed someone." she whispered in disbelief, staring at her hands that not too long ago wielded death and destruction in the name of keeping others safe. Feeling weak, she staggered out of the turret, before collapsing in her siblings' arms. Hurriedly, they brought her in and laid her down on a bench. Staring at her siblings, she uttered weakly "I'm..sorry..for-for...being weak...I-I feel like a bad person...like I done something wrong."

"I understand exactly how you feel." Sokka interjected.

"You do?"

"Yeah, I do."

"But how? You're not like Azzie or-or Zuzu?"

"They were trying to hurt your sister. I couldn't let that happen, so I shot him. Saw him bleed out in the snow, his body turning from hot white to cold gray. Sometimes, we are forced to do terrible things so the ones we love stay safe. I can't promise it'll make this burden easier to carry, but if you ever need to talk, I'm here."

"Sokka?"

"Thank you." she whispered, drying her tears on his clothes.

"Don't mention it."

"Sorry to break up the counseling sesh, but we have a job to do." Bulan interrupted.

"Right."

Glancing at the bodies, Hahn noticed that they were all wearing a certain type of uniform under their smocks. Asking one of his subordinates, the answer he received came like a blow. "These are border police uniforms."

"What? Why the hell would there be border police units stationed in Agna Q'ela? More importantly, who tipped them off that we would be travelling this route? The only people who would know are the close protection detail and…"

"The chief of police." Bulan answered

"Impossible, we planned this route out only an hour before we reached your embassy. Mobilizing that amount of people on short notice is unheard of."

"Well clearly it isn't impossible, else we would have been at Arnook's joint about now. If he's the chief of police, he can have his loyal units be stationed at various potential spots waiting for the signal. As soon as he knows which route it is, one hour is plenty of time to get a message across. Besides, who is going to stop a police convoy short of the military?"

"I see. Well, all the more reason to get to Arnook's residence. We've wasted enough time as it is."