Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Avatar: the Last Air-bender.

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34. Life (Set in the Desert AU, after Mother)

Life had a strange way of turning out. In Sokka's twenty-nine years of living, he would never have guessed that he would be dating his former nemesis. It was even harder to believe that said nemesis would be pregnant with his child.

Yet there he was, walking hand-in-hand with his enemy-turned lover-turned girlfriend-turned almost fiancée towards Kyoshi Island. Azula had expressed a desire to catch up with her acrobatic friend, so he reluctantly agreed to take her.

Sokka let out a mental sigh as he contemplated how his reunion with Suki would go. Would she welcome him as a friend? Would she hate him? Would she even be willing to talk with him?

He frowned when he though about how Suki would treat Azula. If Toph was any indication, it wouldn't exactly be a pleasant visit. He was brought out of his musings when he felt Azula squeeze his hand tighter. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

Sokka smiled and shook his head. "No, everything is just fine," he lied. "I hope Ty Lee will be there. It'd be a shame to arrive only to find out that she's somewhere else."

Azula nodded her head in agreement. The two continued their journey to the island in relative silence. After a few more minutes of walking, they arrived at a small port city where they hitched a ride on a local trade ship.

It was sometime after noon when they finally arrived at the shores of Kiyoshi Island. Once there, they thanked the merchants for allowing them passage.

When the two reached the gate to the town, they were greeted by the site of a bustling village populace going about their daily lives. The market area was filled with vendors and traders. Over in a clearing a small group of young girls, stood in a standard training formation, copying the movements of their instructor.

Said instructor immediately halted her training of the new recruits and darted towards the pair when she saw the water-tribesman. "Sokka!" the woman said as she tackled him to the ground.

"How have you been! It's been too long since you last visited! How's Aang and Katara? Is Toph still holding those tournaments? Are Mai and Zuko still sticks in the mud? Did you bring me any gifts?" The Kiyoshi warrior asked quickly.

Azula coughed to get the woman's attention as well as to give Sokka a chance to get up. The woman quickly stood up and began squinty closely at Azula.

"Azula?" she asked questioningly. The former princess raised an eyebrow curiously. "Do I know you from somewhere?" Azula asked.

The woman's eyes sparkled as a broad smile appeared on her face. "OHMIGOSH-IT'S-REALLY-YOU!!!!" she shouted as she hugged Azula without warning.

It was then that recognition struck Azula. She then proceeded to return the hug before pulling away from the woman. "It's good to see you again Ty Lee."

"It's good to see you too," Ty lee replied. "I almost didn't recognize you. Your aura is so different than when we were kids. It use to be such a dark red, but now, it's almost as pink as mine!"

Azula chuckled at her friends banter. It really was nice to see that she hadn't changed much in the personality department. Physically, however, she had changed quite a bit. She was now taller, her body was now more sleek, with the exception of her bust, which had also grown over the years.

"Why don't I have the girls take you to the dining area and we could catch up over some lunch," the former circus performer suggested. Azula nodded in agreement, and Ty Lee called the trainee's over. "Girls, please escort my friend to the dining facility."

"Yes, Sifu Ty Lee!" they replied in unison, they began leading Azula away when Ty Lee called out to her. "I'll be there in a minute, I have something I need to take care of real quick."

Sokka was about to follow the crowd of girls when he was stopped by the Chi blocking expert. "So who's the father," she asked conspicuously.

"W-what?" Sokka managed to sputter in shock.

"You know what I'm talking about," she replied quirking an eyebrow. "Her aura had brief flashes of white, that's a sure sign that she's pregnant. So, is it you?"

Sokka blushed furiously under the woman's questioning. He didn't have to answer, however, when he heard Ty Lee start chuckling hysterically.

"I knew it!," she declared. "Your aura just gave you away, Sokka."

Before he could confirm anything, Ty Lee began heading to the dining area. Sokka let out a sigh as he attempted to catch up. This was not how he had planned the meeting to go, but then again, life did have a funny way of turning out.

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35. Spice (A new AU)

Suki sat at the dinner table idly prodding her food. She looked up to see her dear husband devouring every bit of his meal with vigor. She let out a sigh as she decided to start eating before her dinner became too cold.

"Is something wrong, Suki?" Sokka asked curiously. "You've been kinda out of it recently."

The young woman smiled warmly at her spouses concern. "I'm quite alright," she replied. "It's just that... well..."

The Kiyoshi Warrior took a moment to decide how she wanted to word her concern. "I was just wondering... well... let's-have-a-threesome!" she sputtered out quickly.

The sudden request caused Sokka to abruptly choke on his food, causing him to go into a bout of coughing.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" he asked rhetorically. "I thought I just heard you say something crazy."

Suki averted her gaze, her cheeks tinted a bright red. "Well..." she started. "It's just that; I think our sex-lives could use a little spicing up... that's all."

"So you're saying I don't satisfy you anymore?" Sokka questioned.

"Oh, spirits no!" Suki reaffirmed. "You're amazing, it's just that when you have a good thing for too long, it becomes bland... don't you think?"

Sokka rubbed his chin stubbles in though. Suki did have a point... although he was reluctant to admit that. Maybe the two could use a little spice in their lives.

"Alright, I'll bite," he answered. "But who do you suggest? I think it would be a conflict of interest if we chose any one of the Kiyoshi Warriors, and that included Ty Lee."

"Well, how about Toph?" Suki responded.

"Nobody knows where she is. She's doing her whole 'traveling-the-world-to-rediscover-herself' thing."

Suki huffed in frustration.

"How about Mai?" she offered.

"I'd rather not have an affair with the Fire Lord's wife, thank you very much."

Suki took another moment to think of another person. "Kata-"

"Don't even go there..." Sokka interrupted.

Silence filled the room as the two pondered possible bed-mates. Sokka started thinking of all the possible women he'd met over the years. There was always that one girl who had started working at the Jasmine Dragon, Jin, but they'd only talked in passing. He was about to just give up when Suki suddenly spoke up.

"Azula!" she said suddenly. Sokka looked at Suki as if she'd just sprouted another head.

"Azula? The woman who put you in prison, tried to kill us, and helped almost wipe out the Earth Kingdom?" he asked dumbfoundedly.

"Well... yeah..." Suki responded.

Sokka just stared at his wife for a moment, completely unreadable. There was a long silence between the two.

"Okay," he responded finally. "We'll send Zuko a message to let him know we'll be visiting, and well see about 'recruiting' Azula."

Suki gave a little cheer before quickly moving around the table to give Sokka a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks sweetie, I'll make sure you don't regret this," and like that Suki bounded off into her room to begin packing for their trip to the Fire Nation.

Sokka sighed and resigned himself to his fate. A threesome with Azula wouldn't be so bad... would it? After all, she did change over the years, so she wouldn't be as sadistic as she use to be... and who knows... maybe it would be fun?

A little spice never hurt.. did it?

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36. Filigree (Set in the Russet AU)

Sokka stood in front of the large mirror of his bedroom, staring idly at his own reflection. It was still several hours before Azula's coronation as Fire Lord, so he still had plenty of time to get ready.

As he looked at himself he couldn't help but notice how much he looked like his father. He had the same hair, the same facial structure, the same strong appearance that he remembered his father had. But his eyes, they were totally different.

Where as Hakoda's eyes were strong, protective, and supporting, Sokka's eyes were dull, almost lifeless. He had a calculating gaze, the eyes of a conqueror.

Sokka sighed as he turned away from the mirror to continue getting ready. He removed his bed-robe and began dressing. He put his ceremonial silk underclothes, and proceeded to place his custom made armor. Pulling his hair back, Sokka tied it into a traditional top-knot.

Once he finished he looked back towards the mirror to see if anything was out of place. The general gave himself a good once-over, making sure that everything was perfect. He didn't want to displease Azula on the day of her coronation, after all.

He took a moment to admire all the filigree embedded into the armor. It was truly a work of art. He would have to congratulate the maker for a job well done.

"You look like the perfect Fire Nation General," a deep voice said from behind him. Sokka looked at a the reflection in the mirror to see the form of his father standing several feet behind him.

"Dad, but you-... you're... What are you doing here?" Sokka asked frantically.

"I wouldn't want to miss my oldest son's wedding, now would I." Hakoda replied.

Sokka looked away from his father, his face contorted in anger. "How could you say that?" he asked. "How can you sound so proud of me after all that I've done... I'm a monster."

"You must be mistaken, Sokka," his father responded. "You united all four nations under a single banner, and helped put a stop to a century long war, and all it took was a simple betrayal."

"I had no other choice!" Sokka shouted. "If I didn't, then more people would have died."

Sokka looked at the ground solemnly. "You must think I'm pathetic," he muttered.

"No," Hakoda corrected. "I'm proud of you, son. I always have been, and I always will be."

Sokka's face contorted with rage. His hands clenched tightly until his knuckles went white. The man suddenly turned around, and with a mighty roar, he punched the mirror with all his might, causing it to shatter.

The sharp shards cutting into his hand. The wounds went unnoticed, however, as Sokka fell to the ground and sobbed quietly to himself, hot tears streaming down his cheeks.

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A/N: Here's the lastest update. Sorry it took so long.