---xXx---

037. Roots (A new AU)

"AZULA!!!!!" Sokka shouted as he quickly ran through the large hallway. He maneuvered his way around the servants and visitors who were currently traveling down the long corridor.

Once he reached his destination, he quickly kicked Azula's door down and barged into the room, causing the princess to give a surprised squeal as she quickly covered herself.

"DAMMIT SOKKA!" She yelled angrily. "Haven't you ever heard of knocking!?!"

"Azula, look at what I found!" The water tribesman said, completely disregarding Azula's fury.

The young man made a beeline for the table located in the middle of Azula's room. He quickly placed a rather large scroll on the piece of furniture and opened it.

"Take a look at this!" Sokka demanded excitedly. Azula approached the oak table with a huff.

"So tell me what it is that I'm looking at?" the princess asked irritably. As she looked over the scroll she could see a vast assortment of names, including her own.

"This scroll contains your family heritage all the way back to the founding family!" Sokka explained excitedly.

Azula simply responded with silence and a pointed stare. "You barged into my room while I was dressing, just to show me this?"

"It's not just that!" Sokka said defensively. "If we trace your roots back on your mother's side, we see that you're a direct descendent of Avatar Roku!"

"Really?" the girl asked curiously. Looking at her mother's side of the scroll, she could see that she was indeed, the great-granddaughter of the Avatar.

"Do you know what this means?" the water-tribesman asked animatedly. When Azula looked at him curiously, he continued. "This means that you and Aang are practically cousins!"

The fire princess looked at Sokka exasperatedly. "Sweetie... I don't think genetics work that way..."

---xXx---

038. Insanity (A present day drabble)

Azula sighed wistfully as she flipped through the pages of her photo album. Her old hands ran across the faded pictures of days long passed. Back when she was younger, when THEY were younger. She smiled fondly as she gazed at the picture.

It was a photo of herself and Sokka with their two children. The two young children were quickly dragging Sokka through the entrance of the amusement park as Azula followed closely behind. Zuko managed to get the photo before their small group had separated with his.

When Azula turned to the next page she was greeted with the sight of her daughter's high school graduation photo. She was wearing her graduation gown with her diploma in one hand and her other arm around her brother affectionately. On her other side was Sokka with his arm around shoulder. He looked so proud in that picture.

On the next page was a similar picture, but instead it was her son's graduation. He was in between his sister and his father, with his arms around their necks. He was smiling broadly along with his family. The next year he went off to college on a sports scholarship. He was every bit his father's son.

Azula continued to flip through the pages. Her children's wedding photos, her own wedding photos, college graduations, baseball games, gymnastic competitions, every major event that had happened to her family. Her smile never left her face as she finally closed her photo album.

She was brought out of her musings when she heard the sound of children running happily down the hallway.

"GRANDMA SAVE US!" the children chorused as they were chased into the room by Sokka, who had one of the children slung over his shoulder.

Azula smiled fondly at the display of joyous insanity. Even in his old age Sokka was still a child at heart. And she would never change that.

"Who would like to hear a story?" Azula asked the children. They all responded with happy cheers and excitement.

"This is a story of when your Grandpa Sokka got in a fight with your Grandpa Zuzu..."

The room was filled with the sounds of giggling children.

---xXx---

039. Prism (Takes place in the December AU)

It was a typical afternoon in the Southern Water Tribe. Azula sat in the living area of their igloo, Xifeng and Kouen were no doubt having their own little adventure somewhere nearby, and Sokka was fulfilling his duties as the chief of the tribe (i.e., putting the younger hunters to shame).

The young woman let out a bored sigh as she idly stroked her faithful polar-bear dog's fur. "I really need a hobby," she thought off-handedly. Her attention, however, was brought to a loud crash as both of her children suddenly barged through the front door.

"Momma! Momma!" they both yelled excitedly. They quickly made a b-line to their mother who looked on is amusement. "Look at what we found!"

The two children quickly shoved a decent sized prism shaped object into Azula's hands. The mother inspected the object for a moment before handing it back to her children with a smile.

"It's a very lovely crystal," she said causing the two to beam. "You should show it to your father when he gets back."

"Did someone mention me," Sokka said as he entered the living room.

"Daddy!" the children yelled in excitement. "Look! Look! Look!" They ordered holding the crystal up.

"Okay, okay," Sokka replied as he knelt down to be level. He took the object and looked at it carefully, smiling the entire time.

"Well, congratulations," he said. "You to have made quite a find."

The children looked at him curiously. They knew it was pretty, but to be congratulated for finding something pretty was new.

"Do you two know what this is," Sokka quizzed the children. When Xifeng and Kouen nodded a 'no' he continued. "This is what people of the tribe call an Aurora Stone, and their very special."

"Why's that dad?" Kouen asked.

Sokka smirked and closed the door and shut the windows. He went around the room closing off practically ever light source in the room. Eventually every light was put out and the room was filled with almost complete darkness.

"Azula, sweetie, " he started. "Could you make a small fire in your hand please."

Curious at her husbands antics, the former princess did as requested. The room was suddenly filled with a faint blue light.

"Alright kids now look at the ceiling," Sokka told his children. When both Kouen and Xifeng looked up at the ceiling, Sokka held the prism near Azula's fire. When the light shone through the object, a myriad of colors was displayed across the ceiling.

"Whoa!" the children said in awe. The two were completely mesmerized by the dancing colors. Azula seemed to be completely absorbed in the display of colors as well.

"Beautiful," she said to herself.

"Yeah," Sokka responded looking at her. The colors would dance across her face, adding to her already stunning appearance. "It really is."

Azula gave Sokka a chaste kiss on the lips. Sokka took a seat on the couch and she snuggled into his chest as the children remained entranced by the colors.

Yes, it was just a regular day at the Southern Water Tribe.