A/N: First and foremost I just want to say thank you to each and every one of you for review and adding this story to your Alerts list. It means a lot to me to know that you all are actually interested and have an opinion in regards to the tale being weaved. That being said, I have for you now the next chapter! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar!
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Ch.12- Reunion
After his plan had had enough holes blown in it to sink a Fire Nation warship, Sokka had resorted to moping around in depression convinced that he'd never be able to hold Suki again, much less see the light of day.
By dinner Zuko had had enough.
"Okay Sokka listen," the firebender growled as he pulled the lamenting teen into the chair next to his and slammed down his meager bowl of "slop"—a questionable concoction of water, onions and rice—before speaking again, "I don't want to hear you wallowing in self-pity anymore, alright? That's my job…or, it was until I fell in love with your sister…"
Sokka groaned, running his hands through his hair in aggravation, "So not helping Zuko."
"Sorry," Zuko apologized hurriedly trying to fight down the blush that ran across his face, "anyway, what I'm trying to say is you're acting like a five year old who got his favorite toy taken away! Snap out of it! So your old plan got shot to shit, big deal! It wasn't because it was bad, it was just because we're not exactly in a position to get a hold of the things we'd need to accomplish it. Granted I did say we should have taken the armor off some of the guards but…never mind."
They were joined by Tor and Azzan, the latter of whom was looking down at his bowl in disgust, "It doesn't matter how long I've been here…I am never going to get used to this crap!" He looked at the three of them as if hoping one of them would share in his pain. Seeing as none of them had anything to say, he sighed and sat down, "Damn Fire Nation bastards."
"Does it bother you at all that you're Fire Nation as well?" Sokka grumbled, his eyes still downcast and appearing, for all intents and purposes, uninterested in the bender's answer.
With a laugh Azzan shook his head, "Absolutely not! Sure I'm Fire Nation, but that's about as far as my devotion to them goes now. I did everything they asked of me for my entire life but at the first sign of a disturbance—like having a wife who's never even seen the North or South poles—they throw me under the boat. Fuck them!"
There was a hearty laugh from the table behind them before the majority of its inhabitants barked, "Hear hear! Fuck the Fire Nation!"
There was a sharp crack and a spike of heat as one of the guards formed a flame whip and snapped it toward the offending table, "Hey, earth nation trash, keep your mouths shut and show some respect for your betters! The next idiot I hear mocking the Fire Nation gets a one-on-one firebending session with me—"
"With you? That's it? I can take you ya little pint sized fuck!" interrupted one of the earth natives—who seemed to be a hulking mass of muscle—getting up from the table and cracking his knuckles threateningly, "Come on, bring it!"
"Oh boy, now you did it Az," Tor sighed, putting his face in his hands.
"Sorry…I guess I got a little worked up, huh?" Azzan apologized halfheartedly, his eyes watching the impending fight carefully and with a significant amount of concern, though for who remained to be seen.
"You think you're a big shot just because you got your pretty little fire whip don't ya? Well I'm not even a bender and I can take you out with one hand tied behind my back!"
The guard didn't even flinch, "Is that so? Well…so be it then."
Another guard came up behind the earth national and roughly grabbed his left wrist with one hand and his elbow with the other and, without so much as a warning, forced the man's elbow forward sharply until an angry cracking sound filled the air.
"AHHH! My arm! What the fuck is your problem? I said tied behind my back not broken! Oh fuck….dammit!" The man had paled considerably and his eyes were wide as he screamed, his arm dangling at an awkward angle by his side. He was hesitant to grab it in fear of the pain so he turned toward his opponent, unaware of the flames that were already speeding his way.
That seemed to do it for Azzan.
Faster than the three at the table could blink, he was in front of the earth prisoner, his eyes hard and angry. Effortlessly he caught the torrid blast and appeared to take it in straight through his chest before his arms shot out, the flames completely dissipated.
The silence in the room was deafening. No one moved, no one spoke—they just stared in shocked silence, not sure what exactly was going to happen.
"Well well well," said a deep voice from above, "firebending Azzan…in the dining hall no less. I would have expected better of a former Captain of the Fire Nation army. Then again you've broken the rules by associating with trash before, haven't you?"
Everyone's attention was drawn to the man at the top of the stairs as he slowly made his way down, his hands clasped behind his back and a condescending look on his face. He was dressed in an ornate version of the prison guard armor and on his head sat a helmet that solidified his status.
The Warden of the Boiling Rock stopped right in front of Azzan and stared straight into his eyes. Defiant unyielding amber met cold, merciless brown. The Warden sneered, "Tell me Azzan have you heard from your wife since you've been in here? Surely that water tribe whore would have tried to keep in touch with you, what with a baby on the way. No? Well I've heard from her…or rather I've heard of her fate; would you like to hear it?"
At the mention of his wife Azzan's stance, once calm and composed, turned tense and eager. His eyes had blazed in fury at the man's insult, but he managed not to lash out because he desperately wanted any news of his wife and his daughter.
"Yes, I can see it in your eyes that you want to know," he chuckled darkly, the sound eerie as it echoed around the silent room, "Very well, I'll tell you. The day that you were shipped off to the colonies, word reached the generals that one of their most trusted captains had breached protocol and married a filthy peasant from one of the water tribes.
"Being off the Boiling Rock at the time, I was able to witness as each of the families of every captain were sought out and brought before the Fire Lord for questioning. When they finally brought in your wife it was completely obvious. Only water tribe peasants have such…distinguishing features: tan skin, brown hair and of course those bright blue eyes."
Azzan clenched his fists tightly trying with all his might to maintain control; it wouldn't do anyone any good if he lost his cool. He swallowed thickly bowing his head to try and stave off his rising temper.
And he wasn't the only one affected.
Zuko was watching with wide panicked eyes, his mind only thinking of Katara. He was in nearly the exact same situation as Azzan and the similarities shook him to his core.
The Warden continued undaunted, "She fell on her knees in front of the Fire Lord and begged him to have mercy, to spare her because she had just given birth to a baby girl! HA! As if the Fire Lord would show mercy to a filthy, lowly, insignificant peasant!" he laughed again, a mocking look in his brown eyes, "Hadn't she seen what the Fire Lord considered mercy when he burned and banished his own son?
"She was still crying when he ordered her execution. She was burned alive in front of hundreds of witnesses—the eradication of water peasants within the Fire Nation was complete with her death. And the baby…well Fire Lord Ozai took great pleasure in disposing of her personally. I think it reminded him of sending his own son off on a fool's errand in the hopes that he would die only with a more…satisfactory end."
There was blood seeping out of Azzan's palms now, his body shaking with rage at the revelation he'd just received.
His wife…burned alive. His daughter—he'd had a daughter—murdered before she could even comprehend the world around her or why her life was being so cruelly snuffed out. Two soft thumps sounded through the room and, as Azzan raised his head, everyone saw the silent tears that were running down his face. His eyes shone with pure, unadulterated hate and his fists came alive with the hellish light of angry flames.
Before he could lash out however, a hand clapped on his shoulder and spun him away from the Warden. He met the golden eyes and understanding face of the banished prince.
"Don't do it Azzan…not now. Assaulting him and getting a death sentence is no way to avenge your wife or daughter. Trust me—seeking solace in killing him won't bring you peace, especially since he wasn't the one who had your family put to death."
Zuko's words seemed to reach the enraged man's ears as his shoulders slumped in defeat and the fire faded from his hands. The prince breathed in relief and gave his shoulder a consoling squeeze, "For what it's worth I'm sorry about what has happened…I wish I could have done something to stop my father."
Though whispered, it seemed Zuko's words had reached the Warden's ears, "Prince Zuko? The Scarred Disgrace of the Fire Nation…in my prison? But," he looked into the golden eyes of the royal, searching his face, "what happened—where's your scar?"
He turned to the closest guard, the one who'd instigated the fight, and shouted at him, "Why wasn't I informed of his arrival? Why am I only finding out about this now?"
Jumping slightly at his superior's ferocity the guard saluted, "Sir Princess Azula brought him and a water tribe boy in earlier this evening sir! We haven't had time to inform you before now sir!"
"What?" the Warden's face paled abruptly and his entire demeanor changed, "Princess Azula is here? Now?"
"Yes Warden, I am. Do you have a problem with my presence?" Azula's voice cut through the room easily, her question obviously rhetorical.
"O-of course not Princess," he replied as he fell to his knees his voice wavering, "I was merely d-disappointed that I could not meet you as you arrived Your Highness."
"Yes well, you should have been informed a week ago via messenger hawk. My father sent word then that I was arriving within the week to do a routine security check to ensure that your flawless record stay intact. Luckily, I caught my dear brother here sneaking around outside and decided to bring him along." She smiled dangerously as her eyes found Zuko's, "Which reminds me Zuzu—it's time for your interrogation. Guards!"
Figuring things were going to just get worse, the ex-prince didn't even bother to fight the two firebender's that grabbed on to his arms and forced his wrists into shackles. They led him out of the room followed closely by Azula who called nonchalantly over her shoulder, "Warden, I'd advise you to clean up the mess in there as soon as possible; I don't like when things are untidy."
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Another wave of nausea hit full force and it was all Katara could do to make it out to the shore and into the water before she lost her breakfast. Hunched over and heaving, she couldn't remember ever feeling like this in her entire life. With a groan of frustration she scooped some water into her mouth, grimacing as the taste of salt canceled out the bile.
"You okay Sweetness?"
Opening her eyes, Katara found Toph kneeling beside her, concern etched on her face. With a small smile, which she imagined probably looked more like a grimace, she nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine Toph just a little morning sickness."
The smaller girl laughed a little before it faded off as she stared sightlessly out over the horizon, something obviously weighing on her mind. "Do you think," she began, her eyes never leaving the slowly rising sun, "do you think Zuko and Sokka are alright? Do you think they got Suki out safely?"
The waterbender frowned as she thought about her boyfriend and brother; it had been three days since they had left so nothing could be amiss yet, at least that was what she told herself.
"Yeah, I think they're fine Toph. They're…they're probably on their way back right now. It is a two day trip after all, remember?"
With a smirk, the earthbender turned toward her and punched her softly on the shoulder, "You're a horrible liar Sweetness you know that right?" Both girls giggled uncontrollably, glad for the temporary distraction that the question had provided them.
Toph leaned against Katara's side and let out a small sigh, "Do you ever feel like this is all a dream? Like at any moment you're gonna wake up and things are going to go back to how they used to be?"
Katara frowned again, "What do you mean?"
The blind girl shivered involuntarily, wrapping her arms around her body in an effort to stave off the non-existent chill, "Sometimes…I walk around camp and I half expect Twinkletoes to pop out from behind Appa or to be playing around with Momo on his glider! That his death and the Fire Nation's new attempt at genocide are just a crazy nightmare that I can't seem to wake up from! And then I keep thinking that everything good that's happened since then is just going to fall apart!"
Her voice was slowly breaking and, looking down, Katara saw the unshed tears shining in her eyes, "Toph…oh Toph why didn't you say something before?" She pulled the trembling girl into her arms, "Zuko and I have talked about the same thing a lot over the last few weeks. How is it fair that we can be happy when Aang isn't here anymore?"
She felt Toph nod into her shoulder and tightened her hold on the bender, "What you have to understand Toph, and believe me when I say it took awhile to sink in, is that you can't stop living because you've lost someone you love. Life doesn't stop just because tragedies befall you and, more than likely, you aren't the only one who's suffering. You have to learn to appreciate the good things and those that are still with you for as long as you can because you never know what's going to happen."
"I just…I-I've never felt more loved, more wanted, in my entire life than I have in the last month and the thought that the Fire Nation wants to destroy everything I've come to love," Toph shuddered and buried her face even deeper into Katara's shoulder as she tried to stop the tears from falling, "it scares me so much more than anything ever has before—even more than going completely blind without my bending sight!
"If anything happened to you or Sokka or Zuko…I don't think you understand exactly how much I need all of you! How much each of you matters to me; I love you guys like you're my family because…because you are my family!"
Katara stroked the frantic girl's hair soothingly and placed a soft kiss on top of her head, "Shh Toph, just relax. Everything is going to be fine, ok?"
"H-how do you know Sweetness? How do you know?" Toph whispered worriedly.
"Because even if something does happen, those we lose never truly leave us. There's an old water tribe lullaby that I remember my mother used to sing to me when it was time to go to bed. I had an irrational fear that if I went to sleep I'd wake up and my family would be gone and I would be alone. But she would just hold me close, like how I have you, and stroke my hair softly and sing…and it would work. I would go to sleep, safe in my mother's arms and wake up to another bright new day."
"How does it go, the song I mean?" Toph asked softly, her tears beginning to dry.
"Come cry no more little child,
"Do not worry on things you cannot change,
"Cry not for what has passed,
"Weep no more on things to come,
"Worry not, for I am always with you."
The melody was soft and slow with easy inflections that immediately set Toph at ease. Katara's low timbre sent a constant, comforting vibration through the earthbender's lax body acting as a soothing massage.
"Though days may come when I am far from home,
"I will be there, a comfort in your heart,
"To steady all you fears and calm your shaking breath,
"Worry not, for I am always with you."
Again the melody flowed simply, in no rush to run into sudden changes. Katara continued to stroke Toph's hair in tandem with the rhythm as the girl's milky eyes fluttered closed.
"And come the day when all hope seems lost,
"When you have no one to stay with you,
"You're not alone, fear not your foes advances,
"For I am here, yes always here,"
A soft build up led to a deceptive end and Katara lingered on it for a moment as her thoughts flashed back to her own mother singing the same song to her. Toph's black hair was replaced with her own brown locks and she was nuzzled into the crook of her mother's neck once more.
Blinking rapidly to quell the coming tears Katara swallowed thickly, praying she wouldn't choke out the final words.
"Worry not, for I am always with you."
She took a deep breath as she finished and glanced down to the small, fragile looking girl in her arms. A soft smile broke out on her face as she saw her eyes closed and felt the deep, even breathing of sleep.
"'Sleep now little child,'" she quoted in a whisper, "'for I am always with you.'"
Toph seemed to snuggle deeper into her embrace at the words and settled, with a content sigh, in the crook of Katara's neck. This time the waterbender couldn't stop the flow of tears at the familiarity of it all and she nearly broke down then and there.
Someone sat down softly beside her and she looked over to see her father looking back at her with a watery smile of his own, his eyes shining with pride and adoration.
"I used to listen to your mother sing that song to you every night when you were little," he told her in a low voice, "You've got her voice you know; she sang just like you do. Her singing was enough to silence even your brother's little tantrums and that's no easy feat." Hakoda stared at her for a moment as he took in the scene in front of him, "You're going to be an incredible mother Katara, whether you believe it or not."
No longer concerned with her tears, Katara gave him a bright smile, "I love you daddy and thank you."
Suddenly the daunting prospect of a child seemed just a little bit more appealing.
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"I'm glad to see that you've resigned yourself to your fate Zuzu," Azula taunted from her position in front of her brother, "now all that's left is for you to tell me what I want to know so that we can end this boring game of cat and mouse."
Zuko's brow creased as he frowned, "You actually think I'm going to tell you anything? Really Azula, I thought you knew me better than that."
"Oh I do brother, I do."
Though he couldn't see her face Zuko could hear the confident, conniving smirk in her voice and it immediately set off warning bells inside his head. Despite the feeling of foreboding, he continued to talk, trying to gauge what exactly Azula had up her sleeve. Unfortunately, Azula beat him to it.
"I know that you and that savage are here to try and save the Kyoshi Warrior Zuzu and I can tell you now that it's not going to work," she mocked turning her head at her sibling's sharp intake of breath, "Surprised dear brother? It was painfully obvious the minute I caught you two sneaking around up top; who else would that idiot want to save from here?"
A soft growl made its way past Zuko's lips and Azula laughed, "Come now brother you didn't really think you could fool me like that, did you? I thought you knew me better than that!"
They stopped in front of a large metal door, plain save for the sliding metal latch that locked it from the outside. The princess lazily flipped the catch and pulled open the cumbersome door easily, entering first before ordering the guards to sit him down in a chair in the center of the room.
Glancing around as they followed his sister's orders, Zuko noticed that the room was plain save for two chairs on either side of a large stone table atop which sat a small wooden box, and sheltered a couple of barrels of water beneath it. The only source of light in the room was a small torch that illuminated the table and chairs in a faint circle, leaving the rest in darkness.
Once he was secured Azula dismissed the guards telling them to wait outside the door and keep it locked.
"When we're done in here I'll knock three times and you can open it, but not until then. Understoond?"
"Yes princess!"
"Good, now get out of here; I've got some things to discuss with my big brother."
With a resounding clang! and the ominous sound of the metal latch being slipped into place, Azula focused her gaze once more on her brother, a dangerous glint in her eyes.
"Well Zuzu it looks like it's just me and you here all alone. Now I'm sure you know how interrogations work, correct?" she didn't bother waiting for a reply, "Of course you do! The more forthcoming you are with information, the sooner you're back you'll be done with the questioning. Is that simple enough for you brother dear?"
Zuko sent her a vicious scowl that caused the girl to laugh maliciously, her amber orbs glinting with unsuppressed excitement.
"First thing's first Zuzu; is the Avatar still alive? Most of the Fire Nation is convinced that I put an end to him in the Catacombs of Ba Sing Se but I'd like to be certain so that we don't have any more surprise visits from little bald flying monks."
He didn't answer or give anything away on his face, but inside his mind was buzzing with questions.
Why would Azula be doubting her kill? Hadn't she seen the bolt of lighting slam into Aang's back? Hadn't she seen the small boy plummet to the ground and not move?
"Come now Zuko, it isn't nice to ignore someone when they ask a question. Is the Avatar still alive?" Though she was asking patiently, there was a subtle shift in the musculature of her face, an almost unnoticeable twitch at her eye.
With a smirk, Zuko laughed, "What's the matter sis? Afraid you didn't do the job you that you told father you did? Are you afraid that you've lied to the almighty Fire Lord? You know the penalty for lying to the Fire Lord and you're scared that you might have sealed your doom."
In the blink of an eye a sharp pain erupted on the left side of Zuko's face. Azula's hand had shot out as she raked her nails along his cheek, a small trickle of blood making its way out of the fresh wounds.
"Shut up!" she growled, a dangerous snarl flying across her features, "Of course I did the job! I know that the Avatar is dead, but father wants me to put any rumors saying the contrary to rest. You know kill any traces of hope the masses might still have."
Azula gathered herself once more, her poise coming back to her just a quickly as it had left, "I'll ask you one more time Zuzu before I have to get serious: is the Avatar dead?" When she didn't get an answer the girl sighed, resigned, "I was really hoping it wouldn't come to this Zuko, but you not answering has left me no choice. Mai! Ty Lee!" she called, looking into the darkened corners of the room.
The two girls in question materialized out of the black, Mai with her usual dispassionate expression and Ty Lee with a slightly strained smile on her face. Both girls gave Zuko a brief glance before looking to Azula.
"Bring out the coffin."
The pair vanished into one of the darkened corners of the room and there was the sound of a heavy object being pushed into the small circle of light. It was a large box made of wood roughly the same size as Zuko if not a little bit bigger and covered in what looked to be black leather. It had a single hole in the door but was otherwise plain.
Azula walked forward and pulled the door to the coffin open, reaching in and extracting several large metal chains, each one made up of thick links that rattled ominously. Holding them out to the acrobat she grinned,
"If you would Ty Lee. Mai, get the other side."
The circus performer nodded walking over to Zuko and jabbed him a few times, cutting off his chi flow and—by extension—his bending before taking the chains and, once her friends had lifted the box, flipped easily to the top where she proceeded to hook the irons through two of the attaching links on both the box and the ceiling.
Jumping back down, the brown haired girl gave her superior a weak smile, "All done Azula!"
"Good," turning back toward her brother she sneered, "put this useless traitor in there until he's ready to talk."
The two girls unshackled the prince and, with one of his hands held by each girl, quickly shoved him into the box. They turned him around so that he was facing the door and he saw, once again, the strained look on Ty Lee's face and—if he dared to believe it—a small frown on Mai's.
"What is this Azula?" Zuko asked, unconcerned with what she seemed to be planning, "Are you going to make me disappear now? Is that your big plan to get me to talk?"
A vicious gleam lit up her eyes as a smug smile tore at the corners of her lips, "On the contrary Zuzu—you won't be going anywhere."
With that she closed the door and Zuko was enveloped in darkness, save for the tiny hole that allowed the weak torchlight to filter in. A sharp clicking sound told him that Azula had locked the door. He tried to move into a more comfortable position but found himself unable to; the box, though it looked relatively large on the outside, was completely restrictive. He could hardly move his fingers and his head had even less room to maneuver.
A small shiver went up his spine as he realized that his sister was exploiting one of his childhood fears: enclosed spaces.
"Do you remember when we were younger Zuzu," Azula began, her voice dripping sweetness, "and you got locked in the linen closet all day? You screamed and screamed but no one heard you because of the festival going on outside. No one seemed to care that little Prince Zuko was nowhere to be found. And that closet was small wasn't it Zuzu?"
Zuko swallowed thickly inside the box, his heart rate climbing and his breathing speeding up; he hated this. And Azula's retelling of one of his more traumatizing events from his childhood was not helping at all.
"It was dark in that closet wasn't it Zuko; dark and hot with absolutely no way to get out unless someone came by to save you? You couldn't even bend your way out because you were so pathetic, not even a little spark," she laughed darkly.
"Come on brother, just tell me what I want to know and I'll let you out of the coffin. Unless you'd rather spend all day in there again…you know, for old time's sake. 'Hello? Is anybody out there? Please help me! PLEASE! I'm so scared! Help!'" she mocked him mercilessly, an evil laugh leaving her throat.
Zuko tried to calm himself down, he just needed to relax that was what the royal healer had told him all those years ago.
"Think wide open spaces Zuko, wide open spaces," he whispered to himself, taking a shaky breath, "You're fine, just breathe…"
"No Zuzu," Azula's voice was soft but still managed to carry into his prison, "you're not."
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The next morning found Sokka sitting with his head resting on crossed arms and his back against the wall of his cell, tired blue eyes sunken and worried.
Zuko hadn't come back at all last night and he hadn't slept a wink.
He didn't want to think of what Azula was putting her brother through but he knew that it couldn't be good especially if she was holding him over night. He did know that Zuko wouldn't break easily though; the guy was tough as nails.
Thankfully the first hour of 'yard time' was coming up and Sokka could talk to Azzan and Ton and ask them whether or not a day's absence was a normal occurrence when dealing with an interrogation.
"And maybe I can actually talk to Suki today," he grumbled to himself still a little put out that his attempt yesterday in the courtyard had been foiled and he hadn't seen her at dinner, "La…maybe I should just find her before Azzan and Ton, I just have to be careful when I talk to her—can't draw too much attention."
By the time the guard came in and opened their cells, Sokka was set on finding the Kyoshi warrior and immediately made his way toward cell block B. His eyes were darting back and forth among all the faces just as they had the day before, only this time he kept his body in check.
"Come on where are you Suki?" he whispered to himself, "Don't make me climb on anybody else to find you again, please!"
All of a sudden there was a pain in his shoulder and he was thrown to the floor landing hard on his rear. "Ow! Hey, come on can't you watch where the heck you're going you jerk?"
The lack of a response caused him to look up curiously; as far as he'd gathered from dinner yesterday, this wasn't exactly the place where you threw around insults lightly.
Stunned blue-grey eyes met disbelieving cerulean.
"S-Sokka?"
Sokka could only stare in shock, "Suki…"
Her russet colored hair fell to her shoulders though some of it was pulled back into a loose ponytail, her small nose gently giving way to lush ruby lips. There was a genuine smile slowly crossing those lips and she immediately jumped on him, hugging the boy close.
And, despite all the warnings and talk of not making a scene, Sokka pulled her tightly against him. He could feel the eyes of several people on the two of them, but he couldn't really bring himself to care.
He'd found Suki, she was safe in his arms, and he suddenly couldn't remember ever feeling happier.
"I knew you'd come," she whispered, her voice slightly muffled from where she had nestled her face into his neck, "though, I had hoped you'd be getting me out instead of getting yourself stuck in." He felt her grin however before she pulled away, eyes shining as the tears spilled down her face "But I can live with this."
And she kissed him.
Their surroundings seemed to melt away; all those watching them became insignificant, the courtyard disappeared and nothing mattered to either of them but the other.
Suddenly Sokka felt himself being roughly wrenched away from Suki, a hand grabbing him forcefully by the collar. He tried to fight off the appendage and get back to Suki, who was staring behind him with an odd look on her face, but he couldn't break the hold.
"Calm down," Azzan's deep voice soothed, "it's just me Sokka, relax."
The boy complied though he could still feel his heart pounding, "Would you mind explaining to me why you separated me from Suki?"
Azzan sighed, "I told you yesterday Sokka, you can't just go around and kiss her in public like that. It's dangerous." He glanced around them where several people were still openly watching and talking in whispers, "You guys put on quite a display and now you've got everyone a little miffed…especially the guards."
Sure enough, as Sokka looked around he noticed that there was a huddle of guards atop one of the many walls overlooking the courtyard, their gazes fixed on the trio.
Suki came to stand beside Sokka, a scowl on her face, "Fuck them. I've been locked up in here for nearly a month, they are not going to dictate the good things in my life." She grabbed Sokka's hand defiantly.
With a frustrated growl Azzan gave in, "Fine, fine; ignore the older and wiser firebender—who has more experience with these kinds of situations than either of you mind—and let your love shine! I'm sure it's going to be just the spark needed to ignite the flame of rebellion within these desolate walls!"
The former captain stomped away, muttering to himself at the naiveté of the couple and how they were going to regret their open display of affection.
"What the heck is wrong with him today?" Suki asked, her eyes alight with concern, "I've never seen Azzan so…volatile before."
"Last night at dinner The Warden…informed him of what had become of his family. His wife was of Water Tribe descent, which is why he's in here in the first place, and the Fire Lord found out." Sokka paused and ran a hand over his face, "She was publicly executed: burned alive. But that's not even the worst of it."
Her eyes already welling with unshed tears, the Kyoshi Warrior could hardly bring herself to ask her next question, "W-what do you mean?"
Biting his lip to try and steady himself Sokka elaborated, "She was pregnant Suki. She had just given birth to a baby girl and they…she was brought before the Fire Lord and he—"
Though his voice broke and he didn't finish his sentence, Suki could see where he was going with it, "No…" Her heart went out to the firebending prisoner as she buried her face in Sokka's chest once again, "How could he…that monster! An innocent child!"
"I know," Sokka whispered hollowly, "I know."
He held her close as he tried to soothe away her tears. Finally the warrior managed to stem the tears, sniffling softly as she pulled away from her boyfriend, "We have to find him Sokka he needs someone right now."
The water tribe warrior nodded, "He's probably with Ton. Besides, I need to ask him if Zuko being gone overnight is normal for an interrogation session."
Suki's head snapped toward the tan skinned fighter, "Zuko? As in the same jackass who burnt my village to the ground?"
Sokka gulped, "Uh yeah…heh funny story about that."
Glaring dangerously the russet haired girl growled, "Explain. NOW!"
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A/N: There you have it folks! My favorite scene in this whole chapter was the Katara/Toph moment in the middle. I literally had to stop myself from having a mini-breakdown when I reread it. For some reason I had an emotional upheaval writing it and it kind of moved me. Anyway I hope you guys enjoyed it! As always reviews, comments, critiques and any other form of feedback are more than welcome! Til next time!
-HakushoRurouni