He gasped for air, a smile playing in his lips as he enjoyed the situation thoroughly. Jolts of pleasure ran all over his body: a gentle tingle that translated into arousal, spreading from the tip of his fingers and all the way to his toes…
His partner was working him in such a powerful, steady way that he was unable to do anything but sigh, lost in bliss as he was. He had never been through a ride as intense as the one he was enjoying right now. His teeth were gritted and he tried to keep his groans to himself, no matter how difficult it was. His naked body shivered slightly whenever the tongue playing with his manhood slipped towards his most sensitive spots, increasing his excitement effectively. He could say for certain that nobody had ever devoured him in this manner before…
Who might it be, then? For some reason, he didn't know. It made little to no sense to be on the receiving end of a blowjob without knowing who was providing it.
He lowered his eyes curiously, just to catch a glimpse of the anonymous pleasure giver who was working all the way through his shaft…
His eyes snapped wide open when he saw that curtain of black hair. Her head was tilted down as she delivered oral pleasure to his member, so he couldn't see her face clearly, but it wasn't hard to guess her identity. She kept traveling over him slowly, her lips wrapped around him, her tongue teasing his skin cruelly…
And then she lifted her head slightly, her amber eyes darting up to find his. He was in shock, and the way she smirked at him only managed to further his amazement. But was it good amazement, or bad amazement? It was her, after all… it was Azula. The Princess he had loathed for years. He didn't hate her anymore, that much he knew, but for her to do something like this… it was wrong, in every way!
So why was the arousal increasing after he realized it was her?!
It couldn't be happening… it couldn't be true. It couldn't! Still, the way she smirked as she played with his manhood, as if knowing the turmoil he was going through… of course it was happening. Why the hell did he think otherwise? She was playing with him! Torturing him as she brought him into her field, making him lose himself in the insanity of that complicated relationship of theirs…
And why was he letting her get away with it?
Because there was no stopping it, clearly. He could do nothing to keep himself together. A familiar thrill ran through his body as he got closer and closer to his finish. Still, the arousal was rising much higher than its usual peaks, probably because he was dealing with her. The more he thought about it, the less he believed it. She was driving him towards an unknown edge, far beyond the limits he had known in his life, and he couldn't do nothing other than submit to her…
Sokka woke up with a loud gasp, sitting up in his bed as he panted, sweat running down his body. He did nothing but take deep breaths as he tried to grasp terms with reality. That dream had been so vivid he hadn't realized it was merely that. Not often did he realize his dreams weren't real, but this hadn't been like his usual dreams.
Because he had dreamt about Azula in quite an undignified manner.
The thought made him blush and grimace at the same time. How had he dared? Was he insane?! Azula… of all people, Azula! His sponsor! The woman he had loathed for two years straight, whom he had wanted to kill painfully! And he had dreamt about her doing something as degrading as pleasuring him orally.
He smacked his forehead several times as he tried to come to terms with the fact that it had been merely a dream. It meant nothing! No matter how real it had seemed, how appealing it had been, how exciting…
He stopped in the middle of his thoughts before slamming himself down on the mattress again, yanking his hair with despair; the bulge between his legs made him feel more uncomfortable. As if he needed to feel more uncomfortable…
"I need help," he muttered, appalled by his thoughts. If Azula ever found out about this, she'd skin him alive…
By the time morning broke, Sokka was still unable to get his dream out of his mind. He hadn't fallen asleep again no matter how hard he had tried, because he feared she would be waiting for him again in his dreams. And he hated how eager he was to meet her in that darkness so that they could continue with their lecherous endeavors. It was plain wrong! He couldn't think of Azula like this!
Thus he spent the remnants of the night rolling under the covers, beating himself up for what he'd dreamt about. Azula was his sponsor, someone who was using him for her own, mysterious ends. She wouldn't do something like that with him, of all people… fact was, she probably wouldn't do something like that with anyone. But if there was a list of likely people Azula would think sexually of, he would be closing off the list, surely. His advances towards her had only ever been to tease her, and she probably hated it whenever he implied anything of the sort. She was a Princess, after all, the Fire Nation Princess. He was a snow savage. Thinking about it on those terms helped him return to reality: it had only been a dream. It could never become anything else, so he'd do better to stop thinking about it…
It was no use, though. The dream had poisoned his mind, his body and soul. Poisoned or mesmerized? Probably both. The sunlight's dim glow came through the silk curtains hanging over his window and he groaned in displeasure. He had a fight today, and he had scarcely rested at all because of that accursed illusion that had taken over his brain functions. Azula would surely be disappointed by his performance…
He wanted to beat himself up when he placed that last thought on the wrong setting. There was something seriously wrong with him.
A month had passed since he had obtained his house. He had returned to the Arena after a few days of training, when his arms and legs began working properly again. Clad in his new armor – which he had guilt in cobalt, making it more fitting for the Blue Wolf to wear – he had walked out into the sand pit to face a weak enemy from the lowest stretches of the Ranking. The Murderous Serpent had only won a match, yet his sponsor had the guts to challenge Azula. She agreed to the fight because she figured Sokka needed a warm-up before fighting against stronger gladiators.
Sokka had been slightly uneasy about the fight at first, but he had gone with it despite it wouldn't provide him with many points. He beat the man with such ease he was astounded when the Serpent was lying in front of him on the sand, thoroughly defeated.
Three more fights had followed on the next weeks, and Sokka proved he was fit once again by defeating every opponent he had been faced with. Granted they were nowhere near as strong as the Blind Bandit, but at least he had managed to gain back the confidence he had lost after his fight against her.
To Sokka's surprise, the crowd seemed to love him now. Whenever he was introduced as he entered the sand pit, he was welcomed by cheers more enthusiastic than any he had heard before. When he walked through the vestibule he found himself smiling at people merely by reflex as they looked at him with admiration. What was going on? Why were the crowds interested in him? What exactly had he done, other than making a fool of himself during his fight against Toph…?
Even today he asked himself that same question. It had been almost a month since he had returned to fighting, and he hadn't asked Azula yet about what it meant. The Princess seemed to get by just fine with this newfound attitude people had towards them, since she was used to the worshipping, but he wasn't. He figured that he wouldn't get an answer if he asked, though, so he tried to shrug the matter off. But he had failed to forget about it because he had found nothing else to think about. Now, though, he wished the only issue he had to ponder was the strange behavior of his new supporters.
He climbed off his bed when he heard a few sounds on the lower level of the house. Surely Song was already making breakfast. The girl had been very nervous during her first days working with him. She likely had been expecting Sokka to push his luck with her… and she had been quite pleased to see he hadn't tried anything out of bounds towards her. Sokka had told her later that she often reminded him of his younger sister, and the girl had been surprised, but apparently flattered to know that.
The massages she had given his legs had improved his health far more than he had expected them to. Thanks to her assistance, he had been walking without crutches within only five days. He probably owed her most of the last stretch of his recovery. As she worked with him, they often talked about the old days, when their homes were still untainted by the Fire Nation. Song's father had been taken from their home when she was a child, and she had been badly burned during that raid. But she hadn't been caught and forced to become a slave until after Sozin's Comet had showed up again. Sokka had told her about his own story as well, and Song had been astounded by his complex situation with Azula. She didn't find it as unbelievable as it sounded, though. Not after seeing the two of them interact as they had when they had bought her at the market.
Song was quite shy around Azula. The Princess wasn't too fond of her, always raising an eyebrow and looking at her with her trademark arrogance… Sokka was more than used to Azula's attitude by now, but Song clearly had no idea how to handle the Princess's royal behavior. Whenever they met, Song's legs would shake and she'd stutter, trying not to make a fool of herself… and failing quite often at that, to her chagrin.
The Princess didn't stop by Sokka's house too often, though. She came by only when he had to go to the Arena or when she had found a promising master for him. The latter hardly ever occurred, seeing how few men Azula had found who were near Sokka's skill… and, to her disappointment, none was superior to her gladiator. Sokka would spar with them in his house's backyard, and he would always disarm his opponent with such ease that he'd boast about his deed for days. He often said that, instead of trying to get him a master, it seemed as if Azula had been giving him chances to humiliate swordsmen. She would roll her eyes at this statement, but she couldn't prove otherwise. She brought him sword master after sword master, and none of them could hold a candle to Sokka.
Regardless, Azula wouldn't stop looking for a master. Sokka was strong, certainly… but nowhere near strong enough. Toph's skills were unparalleled as far as they were concerned, but there were, likely, stronger fighters than her within the ranking. And if Sokka wasn't able to keep up with them, it was unlikely they would spare his life in the way the Blind Bandit had.
Trying to keep his head in the Gladiator business, Sokka got dressed and picked up his weapons and armor, ready to take off to the Grand Royal Dome once he was done with his breakfast. His opponent for today, The Eastern Wayfarer, was in the 318th slot in the ranking. Sokka himself had progressed smoothly after his latest fights, becoming the 375th gladiator on the lists. Since he was fully functional once again, Azula had decided to raise their game and she had him fight warriors on higher legs of the ranking now. They kept to non-benders, seeing how Sokka was still wary of fighting earthbenders, but so far, he had defeated every non-bender he had been faced against, and Azula wanted him to face even stronger foes. Sokka had convinced her not to go for that just yet, though. If he defeated the Wayfarer by a wide margin, he would let her accept the challenges of non-bending gladiators on the higher levels of the ranking. Thanks to the fame they had gained recently, challenges seemed to rain over them, so they had more than enough challenges to choose from.
Sokka dropped before the dining table, listening to the usual sounds in the kitchen as Song arranged their breakfast. Sokka's hands went to the sides of his head as he tried to fight the urge to fall asleep now. Resting wasn't such a bad idea… but he recalled again what might await him once he closed his eyes. The thought only made sleeping more appealing to him, though, which only led him to feel revolted towards himself. Just how more shameless could he get?
"Good morning," said Song after a few minutes, leaving a tray with his breakfast in front of him. "Did you sleep… well?" she asked, interrupting herself when she caught sight of the exhausted look on his face.
"I hardly slept, to be honest, but I'll be fine," he muttered, forcing a smile as he began eating.
Song blinked and sat beside him, eyeing him with concern.
"Why didn't you sleep? You have a fight today… is it you're nervous about it?"
"N-no, no, it's…" started Sokka, but he thought twice about letting Song know what had kept him awake. If she knew what sort of lewd dreams he'd had, she'd surely think he was a pervert. He probably was one, going by what his subconscious mind had brought up to his attention overnight. "It's nothing, really. Don't mind me."
Song still seemed worried, but she didn't press further. Sokka didn't really feel like a master even when she was his slave. He felt more like a friend to her, but he was still a figure of authority, and if he wished for her to quit pestering him, she would obey him.
Sokka finished his breakfast and took a seat on the living room, his head straying back to his dream even when he kept trying to distract himself by looking at the patterns of the floor's wooden planks. He couldn't get that image out of his mind, it had been so strong, so real… even when there was nothing real about that setting. Azula wouldn't do something of the sort, she never ever would want to satisfy him. If anything, she'd want him to satisfy her. And would he, if she ever asked?
He blushed at the thought. No, no, no… he was letting weird ideas to seep into his mind again, and that was plain wrong.
A loud knock to the door brought him out of his thoughts, but it wasn't a knock he welcomed gladly. Sokka already knew who was outside.
He blushed as he realized he would come face to face with his dream girl in a few seconds. Did he have the guts to face her now?
"Good luck today, Sokka," said Song happily, as Sokka picked up his weapons and armor and got ready to leave.
"Y-yeah, thanks… I'm going to need it," he replied, fitting the black-and-blue armor around him and gulping as he looked at the door again.
He opened it to find the Captain of Azula's Royal Guard before it, looking bored even when a mask covered his face, as always.
"Morning, Cap'!" said Sokka, trying to behave as naturally as ever. The Captain raised an eyebrow, seeing how Sokka's act actually came off as unusual and ridiculous instead of natural.
"What's the matter with you?" asked the man, folding his arms over his chest. "You're not under the influence of any weird substances, are you?"
"Huh? Oh, come on!" said Sokka, shaking a hand carelessly. "Can't I just talk casually to my good friend, the Cap'?"
"No," said the Captain, harshly. "Whoever said you and I were friends…?"
"That's rough to take, man," said Sokka. "Here I was, thinking otherwise…"
"You'd better be on your right mind, gladiator," said the Captain. "The Princess won't tolerate it if you make a fool of yourself in the Arena today."
The mention of the Princess made Sokka blush, against his better judgment. Thankfully, the Captain missed the red on his cheeks because he was already walking down the lawn that led to the main road, where Azula's palanquin awaited amongst more guards. Sokka could see her silhouette through the thin curtains that covered the vehicle. He gulped again, feeling his mouth becoming dry all of sudden.
"Well?" said the Captain, turning to look at Sokka, who had remained frozen, staring at the shape within the palanquin.
"Uh, y-yeah! I'm right behind you!" Sokka called, running down the lawn when the palanquin and guards began moving, their course set on the Grand Royal Dome.
Walking behind the palanquin usually annoyed Sokka slightly, since it used to remind him of the distance that existed between him and the Princess. Today it was more distressing than usual. He couldn't even bring himself up to glaring at the palanquin in disapproval: just looking at it reminded him of the glow in her eyes when she had been between his legs… oh, it had been a dream! She hadn't been there! And she likely never would be!
He kept beating himself up about it all the way until they reached the Arena. His heart rate went bonkers when Azula climbed off the palanquin. Her hair, her eyes, her lips… He couldn't stop staring at her, feeling both attracted towards her and disgusted by himself. He couldn't stop thinking about the way she had looked in that dream, her pale skin bare for him to see…
"Why are you in a daze?" she asked, her tone as harsh as usual. Sokka snapped out of his illusion with difficulty, shaking his head as he blushed intensely again.
"I wasn't… i-it's nothing," he said, still flustered as he walked up towards the Dome's twin doors, with Azula treading behind him as she eyed him with uncertainty.
They reached Shoji's counter and registered with him as they always did, although Sokka's nervous behavior even puzzled the boy, who decided not to ask anything even though he was staring at the fighter with curiosity.
"Sokka," Azula asked, as they walked down towards the stand-by room. He grew nervous again when she called his name. "Is something the matter? What's bothering you?"
"Oh… me?" he said, smiling awkwardly, "N-nothing, I'm okay! I mean, I'm just, uh… focused, yeah! You know, this guy will likely be tough and all…"
"No, not according to the information I've gathered," said Azula. "He's also a swordsman, but he's nowhere near your skill. He likes tossing daggers, so you'd do best to watch out for those."
"Uh… got it," said Sokka, nodding as he looked at her. He hadn't heard any of what Azula had just told him, too busy gawking at her features to actually listen to her.
"In any case, I'm certain you'll find him near your level of skill," said Azula, as they entered the room. "Truth to be told, I don't see why you would struggle against a non-bender. For all we know, you're likely one of the strongest non-benders in the Superior Gladiator League."
"I might be," said Sokka, shrugging as he sat down on a bench within the stand-by room, fixing his armguards as he tried to stop his thoughts from straying towards Azula. "But the ranking has more firebenders and earthbenders in it than non-benders…"
"I know," said Azula, frowning. "And… and I still don't know what to do about it."
"I could try to get to the top while fighting non-benders only," said Sokka, shrugging.
"The best ranked non-bender is on the 50th slot at the moment," replied Azula, shaking her head. "If we're aiming for the top, you must learn to fight benders as well."
"How?" asked Sokka, raising an eyebrow.
"I… I don't know," said Azula, sighing.
"Still haven't found a good master, I take it…" said Sokka, and she shook her head.
"It's no use," she muttered. "You're already past the point of having a sword master, I suppose. But you need, at the very least, a sparring partner of some sorts or else your skills will dull. And you need to develop techniques to defeat benders too…"
"Maybe I just need to study them closely," said Sokka, shrugging. "I mean, after fighting you I managed to handle the Spawn, didn't I? So maybe I need to fight against earthbenders to understand how to beat them…"
"It's a valid point, but how, exactly, would you do that?" asked Azula, raising an eyebrow. "Where do you think you'll find an earthbender to study? I rather doubt the Bandit would want to help you with this…"
"Well, there's not a shortage of earthbenders, is there?" asked Sokka, shrugging. "It's not like I'm saying I've got to find an airbender. There are plenty of earthbenders out there who might help out if you ask nicely enough… and by that I mean you'd have to ask while handing them a bag of gold, of course."
"Haven't I already told you I've spent more than enough money on you?" asked Azula, rolling her eyes.
"Hey, I've won most my fights. You've made back some of the money I've cost you," said Sokka, folding his arms over his chest.
"Not nearly enough yet, though," said Azula, rubbing her forehead. "You haven't even made up for half the money I had to pay Piandao for training you, let alone what I spent for your house or your slave."
"W-well…"
"We can discuss our finances later, though," said Azula, turning to look at him.
When her eyes were set on his, Sokka found himself gaping at her, his mouth slightly open. After spending more time around her he had gotten used to her beauty, or so he had thought. But right now she seemed more beckoning than ever before… that dream had messed up with his mind in more ways than he could point out.
"Be careful out there," she said, her eyebrows furrowed. "The Wayfarer has lost a few times, but that doesn't mean you'll beat him too easily. As I told you, watch out for his daggers."
"Y-yeah…" said Sokka, snapping out of his momentary trance with a nod.
Azula didn't miss the way he had looked at her, but she didn't bother asking him about it. She merely raised a slightly inquisitive eyebrow, which Sokka missed because he had lowered his gaze down to his arm guard again, trying to avoid making a fool of himself by staring at her too insistently.
"Good luck," she muttered, making him blink in surprise. The tone in which she said those words was quite unusual… as if she deeply wished he would come out safely from this fight.
He looked up to find she was already leaving the room, and he sighed, feeling like a fool. Azula might care for the outcome of the match, but mostly because she hated losing. It didn't mean she cared for him… all she had done for him lately she had done because she lacked another choice. She had bought him the house to get him away from her, gotten him a slave so that he would eat well and stay strong… but then, what about the way she had carried him out of the Arena after the fight against Toph? He had expected her to be mad at him. Never would he have imagined she would save him as she had. Did it mean anything? No, of course not. He was flattering himself, as usual.
But the fact that she had gotten him the house to spend less time near him bothered him a little. Azula needed a break from him, apparently, while that was the last thing he wanted to give her. Being around her, arguing with her, laughing at her and also feeling like a fool around her… it was much more fun than it should be. And he wanted more of it.
The golden grid moved upwards, prompting Sokka to enter the Arena amongst hoots and cheers as the announcer introduced him to the crowd. Shortly after, the Wayfarer entered the Arena as well. He was a few years older than himself, wearing a helmet and armor fashioned from iron, and holding a sword tightly in his right hand. He seemed determined to win, judging by the expression on his eyes… and Sokka didn't seem to share his drive at the moment, seeing how he was only thinking about his sponsor. Everything else seemed irrelevant when he was thinking about her.
"Get ready… START!" yelled the announcer, and the Wayfarer took a stance, wary. Word of Sokka's skills and unusual way of fighting had spread quickly, and nobody took him for granted nowadays.
But the Blue Wolf was anywhere but in the game at the moment. He lifted his hand towards Space Sword, getting it out of its scabbard as he sighed.
"You're not going to go for it…?" asked the Wayfarer, his voice a little shriller than Sokka expected it to be.
"Huh…? Oh, hey!" said Sokka, apparently snapping out of his thoughts for a moment. "Didn't see you there! How are you?"
The Wayfarer looked annoyed at Sokka's careless attitude, something the Water Tribe warrior didn't miss out on. He lifted his weapon a little higher, glaring at him with his green eyes.
"How about you open those eyes, then?" he called out, jumping at Sokka with his weapon in tow.
Sokka was slightly curious about the man's fighting style. He was, likely, a sword master of some blade technique Sokka didn't know about… but his style wasn't strong enough to challenge the Blue Wolf. Sokka evaded him swiftly, smacking the Wayfarer's buttocks with the flat of Space Sword, making him trip and stagger as he tried to regain his posture.
The people at the stands roared with laughter after that move. Sokka smiled at the sound, and looked up to the sponsors' balcony, finding even Azula seemed slightly amused at the blow he had just delivered to his rival. Seeing her smirk like that made him smile clumsily, feeling some ridiculous sense of achievement…
The Wayfarer came back at him, tossing the daggers Azula had warned him about. Sokka spun about and avoided them, knocking one of them to the ground with his sword. He snatched his boomerang from his back and tossed it at the Wayfarer, who ducked and avoided it. The man was cautious of the moment when the boomerang would return and strike him on the back, since this form of attack had become the Blue Wolf's trademark movement… but, busy as he was keeping an eye out for the boomerang, he didn't realize he had given Sokka an opening. The Blue Wolf jumped forward, shoulder first, and he tackled his opponent.
The Wayfarer flew a few meters back, struggling to catch his breath after the unexpected body slam. Sokka caught his boomerang once it returned to him and brandished it as his secondary weapon, holding it in his left hand.
The Wayfarer stood up, panting, and he drew out one of his daggers, imitating Sokka's double-weapon fighting style. He ran at Sokka again and clashed both his weapons against his, pushing at him. The Wayfarer snarled until he realized the Blue Wolf's mind seemed to be anywhere but in the fight. His eyes kept shifting to the left, where the sponsors' balcony stood. Sokka bit his lip, wondering if Azula would be proud once he beat this guy…
A kick to his stomach snapped him out of his delusions. He shook his head, realizing he was letting his newfound fascination with Azula to distract him when he should have kept his mind in the fight. His dream kept coming back to him, making him lose his focus easily, but he couldn't keep going like this. He would lose at this rate…
The Wayfarer came in for another attack, but Sokka was ready for it. He ducked at the last second, bringing his boomerang up and slamming it against the Wayfarer's chin painfully, making his helmet fly off his head with the impact. Sokka watched his opponent roll on the ground again after tripping him, and the green-eyed man collided against the Arena's well after dropping his sword when he rebounded on the sand. Sokka wiped the sweat of his brow before jumping once again to attack just as the Wayfarer stood up.
Sokka pushed him back by pressing his boomerang to his rival's chest, his sword on the tip of the Wayfarer's neck. The Wayfarer tried to balance himself to avoid falling into the deep, dark pit behind him. Sokka could see the fear on his eyes… would there be something to soften the fall if he were to drive the Wayfarer over the edge of the well? He wondered if there was. Perhaps down below were the corpses of many gladiators who had been killed by their opponents just like this.
The Wayfarer's hand shot up, taking hold of the boomerang, trying to retain some balance and avoid falling. The panicked look on his face sent Sokka on a guilt trip for a moment. The fellow really hadn't asked for this much, had he?
"P-please…" he said, desperate.
Sokka sighed and put away his sword, pulling the boomerang forth and bringing the man back to steady ground. The Wayfarer looked truly thankful… until Sokka smacked his temple with Space Sword's hilt, rendering him unconscious.
The crowd roared with cheers again, and Sokka smiled, looking towards the balcony once again, in hopes of seeing the Princess beaming down on him proudly… she wasn't looking at him, though. The sponsor next to her was surrendering a bag of money to her as she smirked with that characteristic arrogance of hers. Sokka sighed but smiled, pleased to see his debt to her was being shortened with every fight he won. The announcer declared Sokka's triumph, as expected, and some staff members of the Arena came in to drag the Wayfarer out of the sand pit and into a waiting room above so that they could perform a medical check on him.
After what had happened during Sokka's fight with the Blind Bandit, Azula had put her foot down regarding the fighters' safety in the Superior Gladiator League. She didn't merely submit a suggestion for the League's executive chief to take into consideration: she met directly with him and forced him to hire medical staff to check every fighter's health status after the fight was done, and provide treatment if it were necessary. Seeing how she was the Fire Lord's daughter, and also how her recent joining of the League had increased their winnings greatly –her joining of the League had boosted the Gladiator business both in the audience and bids–, the chief executive agreed with her terms with a panicky smile on his chubby face.
Therefore, Sokka had to undergo a medical check after the fight was done. Azula arrived to the waiting room he was in just as they were on the final stretch of his medical check. Azula couldn't help but blush slightly at the sight of her shirtless gladiator, memories of a certain day at Piandao's house drifting back to her mind… yet she kept a straight face as the two men dealing with her gladiator tested his leg's reflexes, an activity Sokka found pointless, but when he realized Azula had arrived he forgot all about the uselessness of what the physicians were doing.
"So… what did you think?" he asked, smiling. "It was an easier fight than expected, huh?"
"No kidding," said Azula, surprised by how enthusiastic he seemed. It looked like he wanted her to praise him, judging by the eager look on his face. He was behaving weirder than usual today, definitely. "I suppose this means you can aim higher on your next fight, just as I thought."
"O-oh…" said Sokka. He had forgotten momentarily about how she wanted him to fight stronger gladiators. "Yeah, that's true. Well, I guess we can look at those big challenges now, then."
"No need to be so worried," said Azula. "After your display today, I'm sure you can handle most non-benders easily."
"Likely," he said, smiling. She was impressed by how quickly he had finished the fight, but he knew she wouldn't say it out loud.
The physicians told him he was free to go, and Sokka clad himself in his usual garments again. Azula secretly wished he would stay shirtless for a while longer, but she remained silent as they exited the room together.
"Say, about what we were talking about earlier, about me needing a training partner and whatnot…" said Sokka, his weapons dangling on his back. "I think I have an idea."
"You do?" asked Azula, raising a suspicious eyebrow. She didn't question Sokka's intelligence, but for him to find a solution to their problems before she did was somewhat unexpected.
"Well, I did mention that, back during my fight against the Spawn, fighting against you helped me think of how to fight a firebender, right?" he said.
"Yeah… so?"
"And you're likely one of the strongest firebenders around, aren't you?"
"Clearly…" said Azula, smirking slightly.
"Then, by training against you, I can solve my issue of learning how to fight firebenders," he said, smiling. "I only would need to find an earthbender to train with, as I said before…"
"And what about your regular training against non-benders?" asked Azula, raising an eyebrow. "Or do you think you don't need it after what you did just now?"
Sokka allowed himself to smile proudly for a moment, pleased to hear her ask that.
"No, no, as you said, I should keep my abilities well honed," he said, smiling down at her. Azula's eyebrow went even higher. "But you know, that can be solved in a simple way too. I mean, all I really need is another swordsman to train with…"
"Yeah, that's what you need… so?" asked Azula. "What's your point, Sokka?"
"Well, I was thinking… how about you do it?" he asked, smiling innocently.
Azula stopped on her tracks just as they were about to reach the staircase. She looked up at him in confusion, not quite grasping what he was trying to say.
"What?" she asked, thoroughly confused.
"Look, I know it sounds weird," said Sokka, chuckling. "But you told me you wanted to learn how to wield swords when you were younger and you never got a chance to do it. So I was thinking I could give you that chance, and teach you the things Piandao has taught me. I can help you become a sword master and you can help me train! It's a win-win situation, isn't it?"
Azula's eyes began gleaming in a different way now, and Sokka found himself blushing because of that. It was odd that he wasn't even thinking about his dream anymore: he was enticed by Azula just as she was right now.
"Y-you… you'd really do that?" she asked, astounded. "Sokka, that would be…"
"A dream come true?" he finished, smirking slightly.
Azula couldn't help but smile as well as she shook her head, surprised by his sudden proposal.
"You're… what's with you today?" she asked, looking at him in amazement, something Sokka prized more than she could tell.
"Well, I just… woke up with a new take on life, you could say," he muttered, blushing slightly as he walked down the stairs, hoping she wouldn't figure out his new take had something to do with the delusion of her giving him a blowjob.
Azula watched him go, still impressed. There was something odd about Sokka… but even though before it had been slightly annoying, now it was quite interesting. Why suggest teaching her how to handle swords? She could recall that he had mentioned she was deadly enough with her fire and lightning, so why would he offer to teach her swordsmanship now?
She didn't know, of course, that Sokka's deeper intentions were related to the fact that he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible. Having a house of his own had many perks, but he found he missed his time in the Palace, when he would see Azula every day. His dream had served no purpose at first, but eventually he had come to realize he wanted to be near Azula, no matter in which way. And if she became his training partner, he would have a chance to be close to her very often…
Sokka waited for her by the bottom of the stairs and she led the way to Shoji's counter, both unusually content with the other's presence. Shoji eyed them with curiosity, knowing the Blue Wolf had triumphed… but these upbeat attitudes were something he hadn't seen on either of their faces before.
"So, you won!" said Shoji, smiling. "Congratulations, Blue Wolf! You've passed the mark of a thousand points now!"
"I did?" asked Sokka, beaming too. "How many do I have?"
"1008, if I did the math right," said Shoji, smiling. "Your last fights have been so amazing that people hardly remember your first and only loss."
"Speaking of which…" asked Sokka, his eye twitching. "How's the Bandit doing?"
"Oh… she's still above you, even after today," said Shoji, grimacing. "1013, though! You can catch up if you get down to it! A few more fights and you can surpass her!"
"I doubt it," muttered Azula, taking Sokka aback.
"H-huh?"
"I have the feeling Iroh has probably issued out enough challenges against stronger foes to get his earthbender higher and higher. Likely with gladiators around the 200th position or so…"
"Then we just need to fight someone from the 100th and we'll rise higher than her," said Sokka, pouting slightly.
"Oh?" Azula looked at him in surprise. "You want to try your luck against someone on such higher levels?"
"I don't see why not," said Sokka, smirking. "As long as I go against non-benders, of course…"
Azula frowned, deep in thought. Would that be too bold of them…?
Shoji brought their attention back to the counter after clearing his throat. The boy held a couple of challenges on his hands and he held them out for Azula to take.
"I'm not sure if you wanted someone higher than these two…" said Shoji. "But out of the many challenges you've gotten, these two are non-benders and they are highly placed in the ranking. So… maybe one of them would suffice."
"How about both?" said Sokka, cheerfully, as Azula read the challenges.
"Huh…" she muttered, catching the familiar name on the first sheet. "Kyoshi's Heir… I recall having spotted her on the ranking before."
"Yup, when you and the Blue Wolf officially joined the League," said Shoji, nodding. "She's 141 right now, so she'd provide you with many points if you beat her!"
"True…" said Azula, looking at the other challenge as well. "And the Savage Hook. What's his current position?"
"He's… 178 right now," said Shoji, after scanning the ranking quickly. "I suggest you take on Kyoshi's Heir first, though."
"Huh? Why?" asked Sokka, surprised.
"Well… take a good look at the challenge," said Shoji. "Do you see anything unusual about it?"
Azula and Sokka looked down at the paper again, both trying to find what Shoji was talking about… and Azula didn't take too long to spot it.
"The bid is merely one hundred yuans?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Is this even allowed?"
"Well, there are no limits as to what you can bid…" said Shoji, shrugging.
"But this is ridiculous," said Azula, frowning. "Who would want to bid such a low amount of…?"
"That…" interrupted Shoji. "… seems to be the way Kyoshi's Heir's sponsor works, from what I've seen. He always sends low bids, and waits for the opposite side to send him a larger bid. He seems to play the egos of other sponsors, making them feel superior because they see such low bets that they end up raising them to ridiculously high levels, expecting Kyoshi's Heir's sponsor to be unable to pay up if he loses. But that's the thing…"
"What is?" asked Sokka.
"Kyoshi's Heir is a very skilled fighter, and a very popular one too," said Shoji. "Strong, elegant, whatnot… But I took the time to analyze her fights, because I'd noticed the way her sponsor played others on the money game, and guess what I discovered? Whenever the opposite sponsor issues out a challenge with sky-high bids, Kyoshi's Heir doesn't fail to win, no matter what she has to do to triumph. But if the opposite sponsor either keeps the bid low, or only raises it a little higher, she doesn't fight to her best. It's why she has lost so many times: because those fights she lost didn't have high bets."
"So… you're saying her sponsor presses her to fight to her best when the stakes are high?" asked Sokka.
"No," said Azula, with certainty. "He's saying that Kyoshi's Heir's sponsor is in this for the money."
"Exactly," said Shoji, nodding. "Her fighting prowess depends on the winnings…"
"But why does he issue out challenges like that, then?" asked Sokka, confused. "If he wrote down a huge amount of money on the first go…"
"He wouldn't lull the other sponsors into a false sense of security," stated Azula. "He plays with them while doing this, makes them think such a ridiculous bid wouldn't be worth their time… but when they realize Kyoshi's Heir is so high on the ranking, they think it might be worth a shot. A sponsor with a high-ranked gladiator should be able to offer more money… so they think she's probably on a losing streak. They think the explanation behind the man's behavior is that he doesn't want to risk losing much money because he can't trust his gladiator. They're deluded by their own wealth and success to realize they're actually being played by him."
"Huh… that's similar to what you did with Chan, isn't it?" asked Sokka. "You sent a challenge that seemed so favorable to him that he couldn't say no."
"Exactly," said Azula. "You gladiators fight with bending or weapons, us sponsors have to fight through challenges. It sounds weird, but you've seen it first hand by now, haven't you?"
"Yeah, I suppose I have," said Sokka, nodding. "So, what are we going to do about Kyoshi's Heir?"
"It's simple," said Azula, leaning down and writing the response to the challenge. "I'll take this as it comes. One hundred is a pathetic bid, no doubt, but we're in this for the points, not for the money. If Kyoshi's Heir doesn't fight to her best, you'll have a better chance to win."
"Huh, that makes sense," said Sokka, nodding. "But… do you think I can't take her on if she's at her best?"
"No idea, but I'm not taking chances," said Azula. "If this is how this sponsor works, then we're going to play along with his schemes."
"So you're taking it like this," said Shoji, smiling. "I figured it would be the best course of action, really…"
"I appreciate the information you provided, Shoji," said Azula, handing him her acceptance of Kyoshi's Heir's challenge. "Your fight against Kyoshi's Heir is to happen a week from now," she told Sokka, who nodded in approval.
"Gotcha," he replied, enthusiastic.
"As for the Savage Hook…" said Azula, looking at the challenge. "It looks like it has a regular bid, and it's set to happen in two weeks. I think we should be able to pull this one off as well."
"The Savage Hook comes all the way from Ba Sing Se," said Shoji, smiling. "It's the first time someone from such a far away land would come to fight you, right?"
"So it would seem," said Azula, accepting this challenge as well. "With these two fights you should get a large amount of points, Sokka. We had better be past that Bandit by the time we're done with them."
"I'm going to make sure of that," said Sokka, determined. "She won't be ahead of us for much longer!"
"Uh, that's is pretty nice and all," said Shoji, taking the acceptance form of the Savage Hook's challenge. "But there's one thing I think I should tell you about the Savage…"
"Princess!" yelled someone from the Arena's gates, startling the three people at the counter as they turned to look at whoever was calling for Azula.
A royal guard had just opened the main doors so that an old man dressed in elegant but old clothing walked inside, his small eyes wide open as he looked for the Princess. It didn't take long for Azula to realize she had seen this man before.
"Princess! I'm so glad I finally found you," he said, panting. "I looked for you in the Palace, but you weren't there, so…!"
"Cut to the chase," said Azula, frowning as she forgot completely the conversation she had just been involved in. "What's going on?"
The man panted heavily before reincorporating himself to finally state the business that had brought him before Azula.
"It's… it's lady Mai, Princess! She's… she's in labor!"