"…–cess… Princess. Princess!"
Azula jumped when she realized she had been asleep. She struggled to open her eyes, and she squinted as she tried to figure out where was that worried voice coming from.
"Princess? Are you awake now?" asked a familiar voice… the Captain?
"What…?" she muttered, frowning as her eyes grew accustomed to the light of overcast skies. How come could she see the gray skies so clearly from her room? Unless this wasn't her room… "Where…?"
"It seems you fell asleep outside, along with your dragon," replied the Captain, staring at her. Concern rang in his voice as he gazed at the waking dragon and rider through his mask. "Are you alright, Princess?"
"I…" said Azula, rubbing the nape of her neck as she sat upright on the saddle. Her legs hurt after spending the night atop Xin Long… they had flown together for hours, and perhaps they had even flown through the night, but given that she had no recollections of the way the flight had ended, she could only conclude she had fallen asleep as they soared through the sky.
Xin Long seemed to be just as drowsy as she was. He looked at the Captain and sent a greeting his way, with his usual reptilian noises. The Captain looked at the dragon with unease, but he nodded in his direction as acknowledgement.
"We were flying," muttered Azula. "I must have fallen asleep on his back without realizing it… is it morning already?"
"Yes, Princess," said the Captain while she climbed off the saddle with unusual difficulty. "The servants went to find you in your room, since you hadn't showed up for breakfast. They thought you might have had dinner someplace else, but it was unexpected that you wouldn't be at the dining room for your meal. They've been running around the Palace, searching for you… and you were sleeping in the gardens all along."
"It seems I was," said Azula, rubbing her forehead. Was that a headache…?
Curse it, this was all because of Sokka again, wasn't it? She gritted her teeth, determined to make him pay for this. If she hadn't been as troubled as she was because of what he had done, she would have been able to continue with her daily routine just fine, without feeling compelled to run to her dragon for solace.
"You should have your breakfast now, Princess. And… will you go to the gladiator's house today? You failed to do so yesterday…"
"I know I did," muttered Azula, frowning. Well, if she really wanted to make him pay for making a mess out of her she had to go see him, didn't she? "I'll go after eating, Captain. Narrow down the servants you talked about, the ones that are looking for me… tell them you found me so that they quit running amok in the Palace."
"Princess…?" asked the Captain. There was something strange about Azula today. She was rubbing her forehead repeatedly, and her face seemed contorted with pain or irritation. "Are you well, Princess?"
"It seems rather difficult to feel well after sleeping the night off on the back of a dragon," grunted Azula. "It's not the most comfortable position for resting. If you tried it one day, you'd understand."
"I wouldn't even dream of sleeping atop your dragon, Princess," said the Captain, gulping. "He's… he's yours."
"Right, that he is," said Azula, stumbling towards the Palace. "Get some food for him too, will you?"
"Should I get the servants first, or the food…?" asked the Captain, but Azula was already climbing the steps into the Palace, and she failed to hear him.
The more she walked, the more her legs hurt. And the throbbing inside her head was only getting worse, a pulsating pain that only seemed to worsen her mood. And Sokka would suffer the consequences of that mood, yes he would…
A soldier was speeding through the hall as she headed towards the dining room, but thankfully he caught sight of her in time to keep from crashing against her. He stood firmly and bowed down to her as she walked by him, still rubbing her forehead.
"Good day, Princess Azula!"
"Huh…" she replied, and the man frowned at her lacking response.
Azula wasn't known for being kind to her subjects, or to anyone for that matter, but she would usually respond to these greetings more appropriately, especially when they came from a Captain of the Army. Captain Kuo was well accustomed to hearing her address him respectfully… but given the way she hadn't even looked at him, he could only guess that the Princess wasn't much of a morning person.
Azula walked away without another word, and Kuo watched her until she vanished around a corner. By then he recalled what the purpose of his visit to the Palace had been, and he headed towards the Throne Room, determination sparking in his eyes. Kuo wasn't too ambitious a man, but he was betting his performance on the previous night would earn him a medal or a promotion. It wasn't every day that soldiers would capture members of the rebel association that posed the greatest threat to the Fire Nation. He was certain Fire Lord Ozai would be quite pleased once Kuo informed him of the new set of prisoners he had acquired for him.
But he found the Throne Room empty upon entering it. He frowned and decided to seek out a servant, in order to discover what the Fire Lord's whereabouts were. When at last he found one, he was told the Fire Lord was currently meditating in the Capital's Temple. Kuo sighed and walked off towards the Temple, not knowing if the Fire Lord would accept to see him now, but this was an urgent matter. He was certain to listen to what he had to say even though he was in the middle of meditation, wasn't he?
It seemed he wasn't.
"The Fire Lord is meditating, and he has declared he will tolerate no interruptions," declared the Head Sage, as Kuo tried to plead with him.
"But I need to see him now! I must convey urgent news to him!" Kuo insisted, trying to make it past the sage to reach the room where the Fire Lord was, but the sage still blocked his way. "This is of vital importance to the Fire Nation, let me speak with him!"
"No matter how important it is, you must wait!" declared the Sage, losing his patience. "You can either sit out here and wait for him to come out, or you can go back to the Palace and wait there! But you will not interrupt his meditation, and that is final!"
"Ugh, fool of a sage…" grunted Kuo, shaking his head as he surrendered. "Fine, I shall wait here! Just make sure he's out soon, curse it."
"The Fire Lord will take as much time as he needs to," stated the High Sage, frowning as Kuo stood with his back against the wall, glaring at the door behind which stood the Fire Lord. Ozai had best get out of there soon...
"Damn, damn, damn, damn," Sokka muttered as he walked back and forth in the living room. "I've really done it now..."
The fact that she hadn't showed up the day before for their usual training convinced him that he had brought forth his own doom. He hadn't dared to go see her in the Palace, certain she would want some space right now, but shouldn't she show up at some point now, to beat him to a pulp for what he had done?
He couldn't help himself, though. The way she had been smiling, and the helpless look on her face when he had touched her… why did she have to be so adorable without even meaning to? And this was Azula he was thinking about, for crying out loud! He should take her to be deadly or terrifying, perhaps dangerously beautiful… but instead he would think she was adorable. What was wrong with him?
After that wonderful moment, which had lasted longer than he expected it to, they had separated and stared at each other in confusion. No words were spoken as they stood so closely, their gazes locked. It had been the moment to speak, of course, to say this had been wrongly done… or to kiss her again to show her he wouldn't hold back anymore.
But Sokka's ill fortune had struck again. Haru happened to walk outside the house right then and there, to let them know the food was done. Azula had jumped out of Sokka's arms as soon as she heard him approach, and Sokka had no idea if Haru had seen them. Given the fact that he had acted completely naturally afterwards, Sokka guessed he hadn't…
… Though Ty Lee had been smiling mischievously throughout the meal, even giggling on occasion. Whenever Haru would ask her what the matter was, she would wave him off. Her behavior only served to make Sokka even more uneasy… but the most troublesome matter definitely hadn't been Ty Lee: Azula had become dangerously stern and silent. Her golden eyes were colder than he had seen them in a long while, and her movements were completely precise. She wasn't looking at anyone, and she said absolutely nothing during the meal.
By the time she had finished her food, Azula said her farewells and walked outside to find her dragon waiting for her. Sokka thought perhaps he should follow… but he decided not to. He rather doubted she would want to give him a ride home after what had happened between them in the backyard.
And so he had told Ty Lee and Haru that he would just walk home. Ty Lee seemed discouraged to hear that, for some reason, but she let him go, without explaining why that disappointed her.
Sokka had been certain Azula would show up on the next day, and they would settle matters after her visit... But she didn't. And he was left with nothing to do but worry about how to solve this problem. Yes, he had stepped over a line and he knew he shouldn't have... He would tell her as much, and hope she could leave his slip up behind. Still, there was one thing he was certain of: he wasn't going to apologize for kissing her. He felt remorse for ruining the balance they had tried so hard to achieve, but that kiss really had been worth it. He had spent the whole day reminiscing the way it had felt to hold her, to press his lips against hers…
He groaned in frustration and dropped on the couch. Why did everything have to be so complicated when it came to the two of them? Why couldn't they just give in to what they wanted to do and damn the consequences?
"And what did you do to her now?" asked Song, raising an eyebrow as she saw him lying across the couch.
"I just... I messed everything up again," sighed Sokka. "She's not going to come anywhere near me in a hundred years after that. I promised I wouldn't break our new deal but... Ugh! How was I supposed to help it?!"
"Uh... How, indeed," muttered Song, gulping. She didn't quite understand what Sokka was talking about, but she would do her best to help him regardless. "Can you make amends?"
"I doubt it," said Sokka, dropping his head on a cushion. "Next time she shows up, it'll be to kill me."
"What on earth did you do this time?" asked Song, surprised. "Should I be worried her wrath will reach me when she comes to get you?"
"I don't think so, she knows how to control her powers well enough to concentrate all of them on me," said Sokka, grimacing.
"But… wouldn't talking about it help this time? Shouldn't you go find her so you can settle this peacefully?"
"Yeah… no," said Sokka. "I don't think she wants to see me, else she would have come here yesterday and she didn't. So going to see her in the Palace would just be asking for trouble. So…"
"But you thought so as well before, and when you talked to her you got a chance to fix things," said Song, blinking.
"It's not exactly the same situation," said Sokka, frowning as he placed his chin on his hand. "It was something more troublesome back then, I guess… but that just makes it all worse now!"
"How can it be worse if…? I'm really confused, Sokka," asked Song, her eyes widening.
"It's just a mess, Song," he muttered, shaking his head. "I have no idea how to deal with it this time. I don't think anything I do will make it any better."
"If there's nothing to do about it, how about you stop worrying?" asked Song, sighing. "If you're utterly helpless and you already know how this disaster is going to turn out, then just let things follow their course and…"
"Oh, you just don't get it!" whined Sokka, shaking his head. "I can't just stop worrying! It's her we're talking about! She's… she's… Azula!"
"And because it's her then it's impossible for you to stop worrying?" asked Song, raising an eyebrow.
"Pretty much," retorted Sokka.
Song couldn't help but smile as she stared at him with amusement.
"You're just a little in love with her, aren't you?"
Sokka jumped off the couch at the sentence, staring at Song in utter shock.
"W-what?! Do not say something like that so leisurely, woman!" he exclaimed, blushing.
"But…"
"Don't!" said Sokka, shaking his head. "It's… nothing to do with that! At all!"
"Really?" asked Song, smiling.
"Really! So stop jumping to conclusions," said Sokka. He sat on the couch again, as though assimilating Song's words, and he dropped across it once more, looking even more disheartened than before. Song watched him, her teasing smile turning into concern again.
"Sokka…?" asked Song, raising an eyebrow.
A thud on the garden startled them both, and all color drained from Sokka's face. Song couldn't help but smile weakly as she turned on her heels and headed to the kitchen again.
"Well, if your assumptions were correct, it would seem your doom has arrived. It was nice meeting you, Sokka."
"Gah?!" squeaked Sokka as Song walked away, smiling to herself.
Sokka's hands were almost shivering as he looked towards the backyard. Well, it would be best to confront her immediately, wouldn't it? Maybe even pretend nothing had happened? It might make the situation less uncomfortable… He gulped and picked up his weapons, walking outside while trying not to seem too terrified of what he would face right now.
The stern look on her face promised he wasn't going to make it out of this one unscathed. She was placing the reins on the saddle, completely devoted to what she was doing. She hadn't even lifted her head to acknowledge him yet. And, driven by his nervousness, he walked down to where she was, with such an uneasy smile on his face that made it seem as though he had cavities.
"Hey, there!" he said, waving and getting no answer from the Princess. "Good to see you today, Azula. Uh, so… are we going to Haru's today, or…?"
As soon as he said that he regretted doing so. How stupid could he be? He couldn't talk about that place so carelessly, not when it was where their new set of problems had begun!
But her demeanor didn't change in the slightest when he mentioned Ty Lee's house. She kept fumbling with the reins, and Sokka took it to mean that she had let his foolish question slide…
"So, how's my favorite lizard today?" he asked, slinking towards Xin Long and patting his neck cautiously. "Your scales are as black as ever, my friend! What do you do to take care of them, huh? Do you bathe in charcoal, or is it some special dragon secret you can't share with us common humans?"
Xin Long's response was to breathe smoke through his nostrils, engulfing Sokka in the dark cloud and making him panic as he felt threatened. Xin Long's devious laugh followed Sokka's fright, and the dragon seemed to look at his rider as if hoping for her approval after what he had done to Sokka… but there was still nothing.
Sokka frowned as he stared at her. Either what had happened had shaken her up in even worse ways than he had envisioned, or there was something else wrong with her on top of what he had done to her. Her eyes seemed clouded… those eyes that were always clear and gleaming with determination. Was she alright?
"Azula…?" he asked, just as she slipped her feet off the stirrups and leapt down to the ground.
She stumbled before walking towards Xin Long again, letting him know through their mental bond that she would meet up with him later. Xin Long groaned in agreement before trotting off and jumping into the air, flying away into the cloudy skies. Sokka watched him leave in mild relief. At least if Azula planned on killing him it seemed she would do it singlehandedly…
"We're…" she said, with an unexpectedly faint voice as she lifted her hand towards her back. "We're not going to Ty Lee's today."
Sokka's eyes widened when she released Wolf's Bane in an instant. She leapt so quickly towards him that Sokka had to jump back before pulling Space Sword out of its scabbard. Azula attacked him viciously, and her seemingly calm face had contorted into a snarl. Yet her eyes were still as clouded as they had been before…
Sokka parried her blows while studying her carefully. She was too wild for her usual standards… her fighting style had always been deadly and precise, never as reckless as it was now. If only he hadn't been so busy trying to figure out what it was that troubled her, he could have disarmed her in a heartbeat. The fact that he could have done so revealed that Azula was afflicted by something big…
Azula tried to cut at his chest, glaring at him angrily, and he blocked the attack with more ease than she expected him to. He was staring at her worriedly… what was with the look he was giving her? This was what he deserved! This was what he had earned after breaking their deal as he had! But if he was terrified of her anger, he should have been looking at her in fear. Instead, concern was what flashed in his eyes. Why? Did he know just how badly her head was pounding? No, there was no chance he could know that, nobody but herself and Xin Long knew about it…
She continued attacking him, growing frustrated at her failure. She knew she wasn't a better swordsman than him yet, but this was embarrassing. She had to harm him somehow, she had come to make him pay for what he had done to her, right? Then maybe she would have to play outside the rules this time around in order to achieve her goal…
Sokka winced when a blast of blue fire burst from her free hand, and a fistful of flames flew his way.
"Hey! T-that's not fair! We said no fire while training…!"
"This is no training, you fool!" shouted Azula, stumbling after using her fire. What was wrong with her today? Why couldn't she keep her footing?
"Azula, please… w-we can talk this through! We've done that before, haven't we?!" asked Sokka, growing slightly desperate now that she had admitted she was genuinely trying to harm him.
"So you can claim you didn't mean to?!" shouted Azula, as lightning crackled in the clouds above them. "So you can lie and say you'll never do it again even though we both know you will?!"
"Azula, I…!" said Sokka, flinching as cold water pellets began to drop upon them. "I know I shouldn't have, but you just…!"
"Was I asking for it?!" shouted Azula, throwing another fire blast towards him, using her blade to direct it. "Is that it?!"
"N-no, that's not…! It just felt right, you know?!" he said, jumping out of the fire's way, while also trying to disperse it off with his sword.
It seemed fire wouldn't do the trick either. Azula leapt and sent a tower of flames his way, but she didn't make the landing properly. Again she stumbled, and this time she bent over in a fit of coughs as Sokka fought to avoid the blazes.
"Azula?!" he called out, after realizing she was coughing. "Are you okay?"
If her head hadn't been aching so badly she would have allowed herself to feel even more insulted by his question than she already did. She was giving her everything in her attempt to hurt him, to damage him badly, and he was asking her if she was fine?! It was the last straw, truly…
Sokka grimaced when Azula began moving her arms slowly, her face returning to calm for a moment as her limbs grew charged with electric power.
"Oh… oh, no. Azula, please… Y-you're going too far…" he said, growing paler as he lifted his sword before him defensively… but just how much defense could his sword provide him with when she was trying to electrocute him?
But pleading would serve him no purpose. She was too angry to listen to anything he dared say.
"Let's see if you can get out of this one…" she grunted, stretching her sword towards him and directing the lightning straight at Sokka.
Sokka winced and gripped his sword's hilt tightly as the lightning struck him. He couldn't have jumped out of the way, there had been no time…
But although he was certain he would be electrocuted to death by the attack, it didn't happen. A jolt shook his hand powerfully as the lightning hit his blade, charging it with electricity. Sokka stared at the strange phenomenon with wide eyes before the vibrations of the sword became too violent for him to withstand holding the weapon any longer. He shouted and dropped Space Sword several feet away from him, and the electric charge in the blade seemed to disseminate as the metal touched the ground.
Sokka stared at the sword in utter shock, unable to understand what had just happened. His sword had caught the lightning blast… and yet he hadn't been electrocuted? What exactly…?
He looked towards the Princess, expecting to find Azula to be as confused as he was at the moment, but she wasn't in a fit state to think about what the result of her lightning blast had been. A hand rose to her forehead as she grimaced, and she fell over to the side, her eyes closing as she did.
"AZULA!" he yelled, jumping towards her and catching her before she hit the ground. "Azula, what's the matter? Azula! Azula, answer me! What…?"
The Princess cringed at the sound of his voice. It took her a moment to process he was holding her in his arms.
"What…? Sokka? G-get off me, you… get off me," she grunted, failing to pull away.
"What's wrong with you, Azula, what…?" he said, as he finally realized that her face was flushed… and it didn't seem to be over embarrassment.
He touched her forehead with a hand to find she was burning up in ways that no firebender should be. He grimaced and gripped her shoulders tightly with one arm as the other went down to her legs.
"Blast it… Azula, you have a fever," he said, gritting his teeth as he picked her up in his arms.
"I what…?" she said, breathing heavily. "I… I have no fevers, I… I'm not… don't touch me…"
"Azula, I need to get you inside," grunted Sokka, as the rain grew more intense. "You're not well. No wonder you couldn't scorch me…"
"Hah! You… you just got lucky this time," she grunted. "You'll be a pile of ashes in a moment, just… just put me down and I'll get it done…"
"The Princess I know wouldn't need me to put her down to burn me to cinders," said Sokka, entering the house. "Azula, you're sick. You must have caught a cold of some sort, and it's only going to get worse if you don't treat it and if you stay under the rain like…"
"I'm not going to get worse, I… if it's fever, I can work out the temperature through my fire," she grunted.
"Like you did while we were fighting?" asked Sokka, raising an eyebrow. "Not a chance."
"You… you jerk…" Azula gasped, as he placed her on the couch he had been lying on previously. "I'm going to get you for this… and you're going… you're going to be so sorry…"
"Yeah, I already am," muttered Sokka, looking at her worriedly. "You need care, immediately. I bet you'd rather I take you home so your highly qualified royal medics can take care of you, but…"
"I need no care… yours or nobody else's, you… I'm not sick," grunted Azula, shaking her head. "I'm not sick. Stop saying I… I…"
And she sneezed so hard Sokka had to pull away from her, staring at her in worry.
"Yeah. You're sick," he stated, and she groaned in irritation. "I'll get Song, just wait a moment…"
"I don't need you to get anything!" Azula insisted. "I… I can take care of myself, I don't need… I don't need you, or anyone, or anybody…"
But Sokka was already at the kitchen, where he found Song frowning at the sounds that were coming from the living room.
"Song, I need your help!" said Sokka, and she raised an eyebrow.
"What did you do to her now?" she asked, completely confused.
"I didn't do anything else! It seems she's sick, she's coughing and sneezing and her forehead is ridiculously hot, and…!"
"Wha-…?" said Song, shocked. "Oh, my…"
The healer ran outside the kitchen quickly, with Sokka tailing her, but when they reached the living room they found Azula sitting up on the couch, a determined look on her face as she tried to stand up.
"Princess! You mustn't force yourself to do anything if you're…!"
"I'm-NOT-SICK!" yelled Azula, glaring at her. Song jumped back, terrified.
"Hey, no need to get like that with Song! She's just trying to help!" said Sokka, but Azula seemed to ignore him.
"I'm fine… I'm fine…" she insisted, lifting a fist into the air and bringing forth fire. "See, I… I can still bend… and I can… w-work the… the fever out with…"
"Azula…?" said Sokka, as her body began shivering uncontrollably. "AZULA!"
The fire faded away as she fell to the side once more, shutting her eyes as she lost balance anew. Sokka caught her again and sat on the couch beside her, with Azula's burning forehead pressed against his chest.
"What is… what is going on with her?" he asked Song, worriedly. "Is this normal?"
"I don't know, Sokka, I've never treated a firebender's fever before," muttered Song, as Sokka held Azula closely. "I only hope it's not too different from a regular fever…"
"You've got to know what to do, though… don't you?" asked Sokka, desperate. "She'll get better, right?"
"If she keeps bending like that, she won't," said Song, frowning. "I'm sure the efforts just made it worse for her…"
"Seems like she gets really reckless when she's sick," said Sokka, frowning as Song touched Azula's forehead.
"Wow, that's some fever," she said, gulping.
"She threw lightning at me too… you think bending makes it worse?" asked Sokka
"It seems like it, she can't even say she's not sick anymore, can she?" muttered Song, biting her lower lip.
"I… I'm… not" grunted Azula.
"Do you even know I'm holding you?" asked Sokka, raising an eyebrow.
"You… let go… just… jerk…" Azula mumbled, but she didn't seem to be about to pull away anyways. Her face was pressed against Sokka's chest, as if he were the only solid thing in the world. Sokka surrounded her shoulders with an arm before turning towards Song again.
"What do we do?" he asked.
"Well, I… I'm not too sure of being able to deal with this myself," admitted Song. "I know how to deal with regular colds, but I don't know if this might be different. It could be better to take her back to the Palace. They must have qualified physicians there who know all about her condition…"
"But how would we get there?" asked Sokka, looking out the window at the storm that was raging outside. "Taking her outside the house while it rains would only make things worse, wouldn't it?"
Song looked outside as well, grimacing at the dreadful weather. It seemed this really wasn't the Princess's lucky day…
Captain Kuo groaned in exasperation. It had already been over two hours since he had been sitting here, waiting for the Fire Lord to put an end to his meditating session. He had even asked the Sage for how long did he expect Ozai's to stay inside the room, and the man had refused to answer. Kuo's patience threatened to disappear completely with every passing moment. Even if this was the Fire Lord he had sworn eternal fealty to, this delay was completely absurd… he had important matters to inform him of, and he was being stalled for no reason.
"Ugh, this is pointless," grunted Kuo, shaking his head and standing up.
He felt an urge to punch the Head Sage as he walked past him towards the Temple gates, because the man seemed rather pleased to watch him leave. There had definitely been a smirk there…
"Stupid sages and their stupid meditation rules," he grunted, walking under the rain towards the Capital City's Prison Tower.
The Tower was located northwest to the city, secluding the dangerous criminals from the noblemen that resided in the Capital. The Tower was where he had locked down the three White Lotus members he had caught on the previous day. There was still the matter of the escapee to think about: his men had failed to find him. It would seem he had hidden somewhere… but they would smoke him out easily, of that Kuo was sure. He would expose the situation to the Fire Lord, bringing the prisoners before him, so that he would decide how to deal with the threat the White Lotus Society posed. And he was certain the Fire Lord would authorize him to perform a thorough search of the Capital to find that missing scoundrel. Soon enough, all four rebels would be subjected to the Fire Lord's justice.
But if the Fire Lord was to judge these men at some point, he needed to be briefed about the situation first. And if he wouldn't see him yet, he certainly would do so as soon as he brought that gladiator's sponsor before him. Once he did, Ozai was certain to realize the dangers these men posed to his nation. The Fire Lord was the most powerful man in the world: he would do anything to protect his people. And that meant destroying anything that might threaten the peace he had fought so hard to acquire for the Fire Nation.
The rain was already weakening by the time Kuo reached the crater where the Prison Tower stood. He walked towards it with his head held high, despite how unbecoming he looked with his soaked clothes and his dripping mustache.
"Where's Warden Poon?" he called out, upon entering the building. "I need to discuss a matter about the prisoners I brought here."
"Ah, Captain Kuo?" asked to the hall to his left. It was none other than Poon himself. "I'm sorry, I dozed off for a moment there… why have you come?"
"I'm here to get the criminals I brought you yesterday," grunted Kuo. "It seems I need to throw them at the Fire Lord's feet for him to realize we're facing a real problem here."
"Huh… but…" said Poon, frowning as he stared at Kuo in confusion, as though the man before him were crazy. "Your men already came for them. They took them a few hours ago, Captain…"
"W-what? My men didn't…! How could they come get them? I made up my mind to come here less than an hour ago! Nobody knew I'd do it! How could my men come here and…!" exclaimed Kuo before freezing right where he was.
Poon looked at Kuo in concern, still wondering what he was rambling about, until he finally understood what had truly happened. His own eyes widened as he realized what a huge mistake he had made…
"They've escaped," said Kuo, gritting his teeth and shivering as his hands balled into fists. "The bastards escaped!"
Azula's head throbbed terribly. When was the last time she had suffered from such a dreadful headache…? She lifted a hand towards her forehead, moaning weakly at the pain.
Her hand was caught, unexpectedly, by another one, by a hand that was pleasantly cool to the touch.
"You blacked out there for a while, Azula," said a familiar voice, though it took her a moment to place it. "How are you feeling?"
"Not… good," admitted Azula, finally. "S-Sokka…?"
"Yeah, it's me," said Sokka, smiling and caressing her hair gently.
"You… you…" she muttered, moving her head to the side. Where was she resting? It didn't make any sense… she was lying down, that's what it seemed. But where, exactly? "Where am I?"
"Lying on the couch at my place… my legs are your pillow right now," said Sokka, scratching the nape of his neck nervously. "I suppose it's not too comfortable, but Song thought it might help to lift up your head a little."
"Huh… Song…" said Azula. "You… Sokka? You idiot…"
"I take it you're feeling better now, huh?" said Sokka, grimacing.
"Why did you have to…? Why did you… kiss me, moron?" she asked, cringing as she spoke.
"Well… I don't think there was much of a reason behind it," he said, sighing. "I couldn't help it."
"If I… if I just went around doing things… I couldn't help… I… I would have… I would have killed you by now…" she grunted.
"You forgot you already tried?" asked Sokka, raising an eyebrow.
Azula was silent for a moment before muttering:
"Oh. Right."
"I know I shouldn't have done it," said Sokka, sighing. "We've had enough problems for me to cause even more of them now… but I guess there are some things you really can't avoid no matter how hard you try. I know we've made promises and vows and whatnot, but keeping them is so much harder than I thought it would be…"
"You're… you're a fool," grunted Azula. "I was doing just fine… you had to go off and make a mess of things… make a mess out of me…"
"I know… I know," said Sokka, caressing her forehead. "I'm sorry I got to your bad side when you were sick, I really…"
"I'm… not sick," she insisted, and Sokka sighed in frustration.
"How many times will you say you're not, girl? It's a bit ridiculous that you'd say you're not sick when you're as feverish as you are…"
"Did she come to her senses?" asked Song, approaching with a cup of water. "Would you help me with getting her to drink this? It might help cool her down. Once she's done… well…"
"Well what?" asked Sokka, raising an eyebrow. "What happens later?"
"I think… she should take a bath," said Song, blushing weakly.
"W-what… here?" asked Sokka, his eyes widening as his cheeks reddened as well.
"Where else, in the rain?" asked Song, sarcastically.
"B-but… our bathroom isn't…"
"Worthy of a Princess? I know," said Song, sighing. "But what can you do in this situation?"
"W-well… what will she wear?" asked Sokka, gulping. "And she can't bathe on her own, look at her!"
"I'll help her with the bath… or at least, I'll try to," said Song, gulping. "Make sure to stay clear off the bathroom while I do."
"What's with that warning?! Who do you take me for?!" squealed Sokka, his voice cracking.
"I'll get the bath ready for her, then. Have her drink the water, okay?" said Song, placing the cup on Sokka's hands.
Sokka glared at her as she walked away, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Hell knows where that judgmental attitude came from, she used to be the nicest girl in the world…" he muttered, irritated. "Come on, Azula… drink this, alright?"
"Hmm?" was the sole sound Azula uttered, as he placed the cup on her lips.
"It's just water. It should help you," he said, tilting the cup a little so that she could take a sip.
Azula took a mouthful of water and swallowed. Sokka stared at her worriedly, taking the glass away for a moment. His other hand caressed her hair gently, and Azula seemed to relax upon his touch. Sokka had never seen her as defenseless as she was now… or in this much physical pain either. Even during their time in the forest she had been able to tolerate the agony from the wound she had taken to the hand. But this time the pain came from within her, and he truly didn't have a clue of how to subdue it.
"Hang in there, Azula. You'll be better in a bit," he said, smiling reassuringly at her even though her eyes were closed and she'd be unable to see his grin.
"I'm…"
"Fine?" Sokka finished, sighing. "Why can't you accept you're sick, Azula? Why is it so hard to admit you've caught a cold? Is it because you can't stand to be weak even when you're not to blame for it?"
"She… she would always…" muttered Azula, her chest heaving with every breath she took. "She would always be at his bedside, whenever he… whenever he had a fever. She'd sing songs to him and… soothe him. But she never… she never did that for me. At least… not that I know of. It was… it always was Lo and Li taking care of me, even when I wasn't feeling well. Father wouldn't watch over me either, it was just Lo and Li… S-so I thought… I thought maybe… maybe I just couldn't get sick like… like Zuko could. Maybe I just… don't really get sick. So I… can't be sick. Because… if I were… she'd be here, wouldn't… wouldn't she?"
Sokka's eyes widened as he heard those words. What was she talking about? Was it her childhood? Her mother would look after her brother, but not over her? That couldn't be right… it had to be a mistake of some sort, without a doubt. No mother would do such a thing… his mother would always watch over him or Katara when either of them were sick. But he really knew nothing about Azula's mom… and trying to convince her that her mother cared about her when he had no idea if she did seemed a rather foolish thing to do. It would likely just irritate Azula further.
"Well… maybe she's not around right now," said Sokka. "But I am. I… I guess it's not much of a relief, but…"
Azula's eyes opened and she finally looked at him.
"You are here… really," she muttered, her gaze lingering on his.
"Yeah. And I'll look after you now," he said, smiling. "Until you feel better. Is that good?"
"It's… okay," said Azula lowering her gaze now. "Then… am I really sick?"
"Sorry to say you're not as advanced a human as to avoid sicknesses, Azula," said Sokka, cupping her cheek with a hand. "You are sick. But you'll get better. You just have to rest a lot and do whatever Song tells you to, because she's the one who knows what to do around here."
"So… you say you'll look after me… but you don't know how?" asked Azula.
"I'll do what Song says I should," said Sokka, putting the water to her lips again. "I'll help however I can to get you back on your feet as quickly as possible."
"So that I can… so that I can kick your butt for… for what you did?" asked Azula, after swallowing.
Sokka chuckled and nodded.
"Exactly. Keep your mind set on giving me the punishment I deserve and you'll surely get better even faster."
"Good… I'll do that," said Azula, moaning again as the headache intensified.
"You alright?" asked Sokka.
"How could I be…? I'm sick," muttered Azula bitterly, and yet Sokka couldn't help but smile.
She was such a fascinating girl, in so many ways… How could she be so powerful and daunting while having such a troubled heart? There was so much about her that he didn't know… he caressed her hair again, wondering also how she managed to stay beautiful when she was sick. He was pretty sure he looked dreadful whenever he caught a cold… yet Azula even made it look dignified. But she seemed so fragile, so broken… it really was hard to believe this was the same person who had captured him in the South Pole so long ago. The same girl who had reappeared to give him a better life than he could have envisioned… the same girl whose heart he had broken.
How had he been so foolish, truly? How had he dared hurt her as he had? He had thought he had moved past it, but as he looked at her, lying on his lap with her cheeks flushed and her eyes closed, he realized he really couldn't forgive himself for it. He probably never would. Azula deserved so much more than he would ever be able to give her… he wasn't worthy of her, and he had proved that enough times by now. But he couldn't walk away from her. He couldn't stay away from her. And rather than couldn't, he wouldn't. She had given him joy, in quite a strange form, but joy nonetheless, she had given him strength he never knew he had in him, and she had given him hope as well… hope to return home, hope that this world might change for the better eventually. Was it really that unreasonable for him to wish to be near her for as long as she would consent it…?
"The bath is ready now…" said Song, approaching the couch and pulling Sokka out of his thoughts. "Could you help her get there? I'm going to pick out a set of my clothes for her… I guess it's better than for her to wear yours, huh?"
"Likely," said Sokka, smiling weakly. "I'll get on with that, then. Come on, Azula. We're moving again."
"We are…?" she asked, wincing.
"Well, it's either walking or I'll just carry you there. What's your pick?"
"Neither," she replied, at which Sokka rolled his eyes.
"Since you're in no fit state to complain…" he muttered, sliding an arm under her legs and lifting her again.
"What are you…?" asked Azula, frowning at the movements.
Sokka walked towards the bathroom without giving Azula any explanations, and she didn't ask for more of them anyways. Her head dropped on his shoulder as he carried her, and her breathing was still heavy as he walked towards the end of the house.
A covered passageway led the way through the yard towards the bathroom, and the rain was still pouring beside them as Sokka carried her inside the room. A wooden bathtub sat within the room, amongst a few wooden shelves with hygiene items. Sokka failed to recognize a set of herbs Song had brought into the room, but he figured she might be planning to use them for medicinal purposes, which was something he knew virtually nothing about.
He set Azula down on her feet carefully, trying to help her retain her balance as he did. Azula had a hard time keeping her footing, but Sokka supported her until it seemed she could stand up properly.
"There you are," said Sokka, grasping her arms gently. "Song will be here any moment now, alright? Just relax and do your best to get better, alright?"
"Huh… I'll try…" said Azula, looking down at the way he was holding her. "Your… your hands are… cold…"
"You're hot, rather," said Sokka, smiling.
"For once… c-cold actually feels good…" muttered Azula, tilting her head. "Just… don't let that go to your head… alright?"
Sokka couldn't help but smile gently, a hand reaching up to her cheek. Her temperature was really high, but it really seemed his touch could soothe her. Azula closed her eyes again, her hands grasping his.
"You'll be better in a bit," he whispered to her. "This time I mean it. I may be quite the oathbreaker… but not today. I'll do my best so that you can recover as fast as possible."
"Then I'll… try to believe you this time," muttered Azula, gripping his hand a little more tightly before letting it go.
She stood there for a moment, and Sokka worried she might fall over again, but she seemed to be able to stand her ground now.
And so, driven once more by an urge he couldn't control, Sokka leaned forward and pressed his lips to her forehead. He was well aware of what he was doing, but again, it had simply been unavoidable. He couldn't keep himself from it, there really was no resisting her…
"See you later," he muttered when he pulled away, caressing her cheek one last time before walking out of the room once more, knowing he'd have to leave now before he felt the urge to do something worse.
Azula stood in the same spot for a moment, without showing any visible reaction to his gesture or to his words. But after a while she lifted a hand to her forehead, her eyebrows contracting gently…
"Did you just… kiss me?" she muttered.
"Uh… nope, I didn't," replied Song who had just entered the bathroom, her eyes widening upon the unexpected question.
If it was possible, Azula's cheeks reddened further upon that response.
Sokka sighed as he washed the cup Azula had drunk her water from. Seeing the Princess in such state was a truly fearsome sight to behold. She had terrified him before in many ways, but he didn't think he had felt as scared for her fate as he did now. She had always been so strong, no matter the circumstances… he barely knew what to make of the situation when she was as frail as she was at the moment. It hardly mattered if she would beat him to a pulp once she felt better, much like it hadn't mattered if she had decided to kill him once they were out of the forest. Her wellbeing was his absolute priority at the moment. Whatever she decided to do to him afterwards was irrelevant for now.
The rain was starting to dwindle at last. Sokka looked out the window, relieved to see that the dark clouds were finally starting to dissipate, allowing blue skies to loom above the Fire Nation Capital once again.
"We'll take you home now," he muttered to himself, his mind still hung up on Azula. "The physicians there should have better resources than we do…"
But just as he made up his mind to stick around the Palace to keep an eye on Azula's recovery, a strange sound boomed throughout the city. Sokka frowned upon listening to it: it was akin to a sound coming from a war horn or so, but it was so far away Sokka couldn't hear it well enough to identify it. Was the city under attack, by some ill chance? He shook his head in disbelief… how could the Fire Nation Capital be under attack out of nowhere? There had to be another explanation for that strange noise.
But people started to run outside their houses, all of them looking anxious and troubled. Sokka frowned and watched them race down to the center of the city, and he couldn't help but worry over the unusual racket. What exactly was happening here…?
"Please let it be simply that the marketplace is holding a big sale…" he muttered, gulping.
Yet he knew his wishful thinking could be nothing more than that. Without a doubt, trouble was stirring within the Fire Nation Capital.