Disclaimer—I own nothing of Avatar: The Last Airbender

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Chapter 6

She sensed something; Katara was clearly not herself. She watched as the waterbender strolled down the palaces hallway's with the firelord, laughing as if they were suddenly best friends again. However, as subtle as it was, the two of them were different, very different from when they were the past week. The earthbender narrowed her eyes at the merry duo.

"What's wrong with you two? She spoke suddenly. She crossed her arms over her chest and frowned. Katara and Zuko both stopped in their track and turned around surprised to see the blind bandit behind them.

"Toph, I didn't see you behind us," Zuko's tone did not hide the fact that he was disappointed that the girl had interrupted their "stroll" through the palace.

Toph raised one of her eyebrows, glancing back and forth between the firebender and the waterbender. "You seem different," she was speaking to both of them. "The last time I seen you two laughing like this was…well, I can't even remember."

Katara loudly cleared her throat, feeling a sudden awkwardness in the air between the three of them. "Um…is there a problem with me walking with Zuko?"

"Problem?" The corners of Toph's mouth curved upward into a mischievous smirk. There was no doubt there was something going on between Zuko and Katara. "You two seem to be doing pretty well."

"Why wouldn't we be?"

Toph nonchalantly shrugged. "I don't know, I just thought that you guys wouldn't be talking for some reason, seeing how everything has been pretty rough with you two in the past couple weeks we've been at the palace."

The firelord rubbed the back of his neck, and sheepishly cleared his own throat. "Things have changed. We both expressed our apologies and now we've moved on." Zuko looked over at Katara and smiled genuinely.

"So I'm guessing you took up that suggestion I mentioned the other day?" Toph questioned abruptly, with a growing smirk on her lips. "I figured it wouldn't be too long before you broke down." She let out a small chuckle.

Zuko frowned, holding a small, pink blush on his face. "I didn't take up any type of offer, Toph. Katara and I just…we just rekindled our feelings as friends."

"And something else…" the earthbender muttered to herself. "Either way, I'll let you guys go on your way. It seems like I have interrupted your little saunter through the palace grounds," she chuckled. Turning on her heels to leave, she said, "just don't get caught doing anything suspicious."

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Suki sighed. It had been almost a month where Sokka would leave to visit the ex-princess of the firenation. Forking through her food on her plate, she pushed it forward, suddenly not in the mood for the stewed sea prunes and possum chicken.

"Why, Suki, I didn't think I'd see you here for the afternoon dinner," Iroh said in a cheerful tone. He softly patted her on her shoulder and slid into the seat next to her, thanking the servant who gave him a plate of food. "I'm usually here by myself."

Suki shrugged. "I was supposed to meet Sokka here before he went down to see Azula," she cringed at the mention of the firebender. "I guess he chose to be with her instead of his own girlfriend."

"I don't think that may be the case, Kyoshi warrior," The older man chuckled, taking a bite of his own meal, chewing carefully. "I'm sure Sokka probably forgot; don't go to conclusions just yet."

"Ever since he's been with Azula, it seems as if he's been forgetting a lot of things lately, Iroh," She sighed, shaking her head slowly, "It's almost as if this relationship he has with Azula is more important than ours, like, I just don't understand why he agreed to this."

Iroh nodded his head in agreement. "It took me by surprise as well. But Zuko chose him for a reason, Suki. Don't underestimate Sokka's ability."

She scoffed. "Ability? What ability is that?"

"He's helping her change."

Suki shook her head and laughed bitterly. "No, Iroh, the only thing he's doing is putting himself in danger. Your niece does not need to be changed, and she cannot be changed. What she did…is enough for someone not to help her."

Iroh finished the last of his food and started to sip on his hot Ginseng tea. "So what do you suppose Sokka should do, Suki? Do you think that he should stop all the progress he may be having with Azula?"

"All I know it that he should quit seeing Azula." Suki stood up and nonchalantly shrugged. "If he's showing this much more attention towards her now, it's going to be a helluv-a-lot more later on."

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"How did your session go with Zuko the other day?" the watertribeman asked loudly, shutting the cell door behind him. "He told me it went pretty well, but I thought I'd ask you for myself, you know."

The ex-princess rolled her eyes at him, grunting irritably. "It was fine, nothing special. However, the next time you set me and my brother up without telling me, you're going to regret it." She stared at her nails in boredom, not looking up at the young man.

Sitting on the cold, hard floor, he chuckled. "I'm sure you wouldn't do anything to me, Azula. Even if you weren't in jail or had your bending…well, actually you probably would do something if you had your bending…" he trailed off, suddenly thinking about the situation.

Snapping him out of his thoughts, she said, "but again you continue to come back, what adventure are you going to take me on today, Sokka?"

He shrugged, surprised the girl had even asked. "I don't know. Apparently, I was asked to come back here. I was actually going to ask you the same question," he crossed his arms over his chest and smirked. "You missed me, that's cute, that's real cute."

Azula raised her eyebrows, eyeing Sokka with interest. "Cute? The only reason why I asked for your company was because I was tired of my brother criticizing me."

"That's not what I heard."

"No?" said Azula, frowning slightly at the amusing tone he spoke in. "Then what was it that you heard? I precisely told my brother to call you to come to my cell, because he was boring me with his so called 'intellect' he tried to cast on me."

"Right," Sokka said slowly. "But either way I doubt you meant all of what you said anyway. I'm sure the only reason you wanted me to come was just to pester me about letting you out into the garden."

"I wasn't."

Sokka smiled, trying to contain from outright laughing at the girl. "So then what's the reason you told Zuko to call me back over here for?" She shrugged. "C'mon, Azula, I'm pretty sure you've grown to like me a little bit more as a friend."

"Grown to like you?" she asked, thoughtfully, with a small smirk growing on her own lips. "I don't think so, Sokka. You should know well enough that I only put up with you because I am supposed to. It was what the original deal decided on, wasn't it? The deal you and my brother put together about me…"

Sokka grunted, rolling his eyes at her. "Whatever you say, Azula. Just know that I've grown to like you more than when I first met you, since you don't want to admit anything to me."

"I don't have to admit anything I don't want to."

"So you're admitting that you have grown to like me as a friend."

"Perhaps I have."

Sokka gave her a wide, toothy grin. "Aww. So deep down wittle Azula actually does have feelings."

"Don't push it," she said boldly. "I don't even know why it's such a big deal anyway."

"Your 'nonchalantness' makes it even more of a big deal," he said, his smile widening at her response.

She scoffed. "Nonchalantness isn't even a word, stupid, for one, and apparently it must be a big deal to you, too, seeing how you're overreacting as if you have never had a friend before."

"Let's just say that being friends with the princess is something pretty special to me.

She turned her head away from him, feeling a mild blush grow onto her face. She tried to keep her composure regardless of the embarrassment she felt, "It would be special to anyone, peasant. I'm the princess."

"Was," Sokka muttered, clearing his throat at the same time. He shrugged his shoulders once he had caught glimpse of the princesses golden eyes, telling him that she had heard the comment. "I should be leaving; Zuko and I are going to a meeting about politics, unfortunately."

Azula lied back in her bed, clearly annoyed that her new friend was leaving her. "Of course Zuzu doesn't know what politics are or what they do. At times, I wonder why he was chosen to be firelord."

Sokka shrugged. "He was meant to be one. Though that does not necessarily mean you can't run by his side. Once you get out of here, you'll be like his right hand, his advisor, and is sister all wrapped up in one."

"I'm already his sister, dumdum." She shook her head, "But tell Suki I said hello, by the way. I'm sure she'll be excited to know that the princess of the firenation still remembers her name."

Sokka slapped his forehead, and loudly banged on the wall next to him. "Shit! I forgot all about Suki." He gritted his teeth, realizing that he had forgotten all about the dinner his girlfriend had planned for them earlier in the afternoon…yet, he had forgotten.

Azula smirked at the water tribesman reaction. "I'm certain she might have forgotten, too."

He shook his head and quickly pulled out the schedule Suki had given him the other day. It fell on the floor. Surprisingly, so was the pair of keys that unlocked the door to Azula's cell and the door. "No, Suki never forgets. She's gonna fucking kill me." He mindlessly picked up the book, not even realizing the keys he dropped on the floor.

"Then you'd better get back." She said, discreetly keeping her eyes on the two keys on the floor.

"Don't you think I know that?" Sokka gathered up his supplies. "I'll be back tomorrow afternoon, if that's ok with you." With those last words, he left out of the cell.

Azula blankly stared at the keys that lay still on the hard, cold ground. Had it been this easy all the time? For her to finally be able to escape…was this some sort of test? Looking up at the cell door, she hesitated; maybe the peasant had forgotten? She shook her head and sighed, that dumb peasant had no idea what was going through her mind right now. Then again, this was probably some sort of game he was playing with her, to gain her trust or some shit, but there was the key, the way out of this hell hole...sitting right there on the floor waiting for her to pick it up.

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Katara dramatically sighed, she could not sleep. Though, she wasn't particularly surprised…Ever since this whole reunion with her former firebender lover, sleep had been greatly evading her.

Moving around in her bed, she flipped onto her side, trying to find a comfortable position, but to no avail, she groaned and lied back down on her back. She sighed again, this time out of boredom. Boring herself to sleep wasn't working. She was sure she sent a servant to get Suki, what was taking her so long.

A minute later she rolled onto her back and sighed. She could hear someone walking around outside of her room. Three small knocks were heard before Katara gave a soft 'Come in'. It was Suki.

Slowly closing the door quietly behind her, she stepped inside, but following right behind her was the blind bandit with a growing mischievous smile on her lips.

Katara frowned. "I don't think I invited you over here, Toph."

"Cool it, Sugar Queen. I already know about you and Sparky's rekindle." Toph rolled her eyes. "To be honest, I like the fact that you're sneaking behind Mai's back and fucking Zuko. It's kind of romantic sort of."

Katara raised her eyebrow at her earthbending friend. "Okay," she said slowly. She turned and looked over at Suki who shrugged her shoulder. "And I'm not having sex with Zuko, Toph. Where'd you get that idea from?"

The blind bandit shrugged. "I just wanted to see your reaction, that's all."

"What's your reason for calling us in here, Katara?" Suki walked over to one of her sofas and sat down.

She sighed before breaking the news to her two best friends. "I think I want Zuko back." Katara didn't mean for it to sound so bluntly, but the way Suki and Toph were currently gaping at her made her think that she should have approached this more subtle. "Okay, lemme rephrase that…"

"No, no you already 'rephrased' it well enough," Toph said with a small chuckle. "Little Katara wants Zuzu back."

"Are you serious, Katara?" Suki asked, holding a smile of her own on her face. "What made you come to this decision?"

"Well the other day, I kinda…kissed him."

Suki gasped loudly, while Toph, on the other hand, laughed hysterically. "Good going, Sweetness, I'm sure that sparked the fire back in Zuko. Mai's definitely going to get a kick outta this," she continued to laugh loudly.

"Quiet down, Toph! Do you want the whole palace to know?" Katara threw a pillow at the girl and frowned at her. She placed her hand on her forehead and lied back down in her bed. "I'm just so confused. I have Kang, but having another relationship with Zuko just seems so much more—"

"Erotic?" Toph said.

"Sensual?" Suki added.

"Actually, I was going to say passionate." Katara frowned and raised her eyebrow at the two of them.

"Well what are you going to do?" Suki asked. "Mai already is suspicious of the two of you. If she finds out that you guys are going to be secretly getting back together, she'll probably—"

"Zuko and I aren't secretly going to be getting back together!"

"Yet," Toph mumbled. "You're making it seem like you don't want this to happen, Katara. You need to tell Zuko how you truly feel about him, and quit bs-ing over the fact that you may still have feelings for him. You're leading him on if you don't tell him."

"She's right," Suki agreed. "But you have to first admit it yourself."

The waterbender groaned loudly, slightly irritated by what her friends were telling her, but she knew that they were right. "Ok…I'm just going to have to face the fact that I'm…falling back in love with Zuko."

"Great, now all we have to do is get Zuko to say the same thing, and you guys will be set," Toph clapped her hands and stood up. "I bet I can persuade Sparky to say that, and leave Mai, too."

"Don't do anything like that, Toph," Katara said, not surprised that the earthbender has mentioned that. "I want him to say it on his own, and if he leaves Mai, I want him to do it on his own as well." She sighed, "Besides, I'm sure he won't leave her…and I'm not necessarily trying to make him leave his wife.

Toph rolled her eyes. "That's no fun."

"It's not supposed to be, Toph. You're trying to toy with people's marriages," Suki shook her head and grabbed the earthbenders arms, pulling her up from the couch. "We'll get out of your hair, 'Tara. If you need anything, I'll come back, and it'll just be me this time," she muttered with a smile.

"Just don't fuck anything up, Katara," Toph said, placing her hand on the doorknob and opening the door. "You have a habit for doing that."

"Trust me, I won't."

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"I wasn't trying to make it seem like a big deal, General Tao," the firelord said. He crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. "I was wondering about something, that's why I called this meeting."

The elder general grunted, but kept a calm composure as he listened to the firelord. "Then what was your purpose for calling this meeting, Firelord Zuko?"

Zuko sighed, suddenly feeling regretful for calling the meeting in the first place. "I went to visit my sister the other day," He hesitated once he heard the group erupt into loud mumbling over the ex-princess. "I talked to her about getting out of the asylum..."

"What are you asking?"

The firelord grimaced, and rubbed the side of his cheek. "I was thinking about taking Azula out of the asylum. I think that she's been doing well with Sokka, and I want to give her another chance."

General Tao laughed loudly. "Another chance? Are you serious? Firelord Zuko, excuse my interruption, but allowing Princess Azula to be released from the asylum is an absurd thing to do. Many civilians would not like that."

"Well, I didn't think I was trying to appease the pleasures of the civilians," Zuko mumbled. "Nevertheless, I would like to hear your other thoughts on the matter."

A younger general, General Chang said, "Not to be rude, Fire Lord Zuko, but General Tao might be onto something. Your sister is a threat to the firenation. Even without her firebending, she is still a great threat. Do you not remember what she did during the Day of Black Sun?" Many grumbles were heard around the table. "She was unstoppable, even without her bending."

Zuko frowned, disappointed that the younger general did not agree with him. "I understand what my sister did in the past, but I was told to not live in the past but to live in the present." Taking a deep breath, he pointed to General Tao and General Chang. "My sisters crimes could easily have put her to death, but I believe in second chances, and I also believe that I should give her a second chance not only as firelord, but also as her brother."

"You wouldn't say that if that wasn't your sister," another elder general said. "Princess Azula is a threat even in the asylum she is in. Taking her out would just cause more trouble for you and our nation as a whole!"

"General Li is right, Firelord Zuko. If Princess Azula was just a random woman, would you give her a second chance?" General Tao shook his head. "She almost killed you…isn't that enough for you not to help her?"

Zuko gritted his teeth, holding in his temper. If he knew the generals would be this stubborn, he would not have had called the meeting together. Where was Sokka when he needed him? "Until further discussion, my decision stays as is. We will come back for another meeting over this topic once General Sokka has accompanied me with his thoughts on the matter at hand." Standing up, the Firelord swiftly pushed in his chair and left the room without another word.

He shook his head and sighed. The general's opinions were very true, but Azula was his sister, he could not just leave her to rot in an asylum cell or worse…death. No, he would not do that, for he would be acting like the princess herself. There had to be a way to manipulate the generals into allowing him to let his sister free. However, he still did not understand why he could not just let her out himself without consulting the generals. It was almost as if he had no say in the meeting, as if it was all up to the generals to figure out what to do to her, his sister.

"You seem deep in thought?" a familiar voice said behind him. "What's on your mind?"

Before Zuko even turned around, he already knew whom the voice belonged to: The apathetic, cold voice of his wife…Mai. "I just came out of a meeting with a couple of the generals."

"And?"

Zuko shrugged, not really wanting to tell his wife that he was contemplating on releasing her ex-best friend from out of the asylum. Trying not to show any interest, he said, "We were deciding on the fate of a prisoner."

"Oh?" Mai's eyebrows twitched upward as she crossed her arms over her chest. "How did that go?"

"Not too well, actually," Zuko turned around to finally face the woman he called his wife. "I believe in second chances, but the generals have their own opinionated thoughts towards the prisoner."

"And this prisoner…" she hesitated as if deep in thought. "They are in the cell because of a crime?"

"Yes." Zuko turned back around, letting his back face the bored toned woman. "But I don't want to talk about this right now. If you do not mind, I was planning to take a nap. I will see you at dinner." Slowly taking a step forward, he awaited her answer. However, once she did not answer, he continued to walk in a faster pace, reaching his room quicker than he had expected to.

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"Katara, what's wrong?" Kang asked, leaning in to kiss the waterbender on her neck. "I haven't seen you in two days. What's been going on?" The firebender hesitated once he realized that Katara did not want to be kissed.

Katara shrugged, leaning her head back on her headboard. "I'm just not in the mood right now, Kang."

Kang sighed, sat up on the young woman's bed and eventually stood up. "It's like you have been avoiding me…did I do something wrong?" Katara shook her head. "Then what's the problem. You're not on your lady thing are you?"

She rolled her eyes and grunted. "No, Kang, you wouldn't be in here if I was."

"Then what's the problem?"

"Nothing is the problem," she simply stated. "I've just been really busy lately and I haven't had time for you, that's all. There is nothing to be worried about, Kang. You're in here now, and that is all that matters."

"You don't have to be harsh about it."

Katara closed her eyes and bit the inside of her jaw. "I wasn't."

"Well, are we going to do anything?"

She frowned, but keeping her composure she said, "I didn't think we had to do anything. I called you in here so that could talk to about something." What was this boys' problem? "

"So no sex?"

She raised her eyebrow at him and slowly twisted her lips into a deep frown. "Do we always have to have sex every time you come into my room?" She didn't even allow him to speak. "What are we, Kang?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are we in a relationship?"

Kang ran a hand through his hand and sighed deeply. 'Yeah, Katara, I would hope we're in some type of relationship…why do you ask? Do you not feel the same way about something?" She scoffed. "What?"

Sighing, she pulled him back on the bed and leaned in to kiss him. "Never mind, just kiss me."

Kang raised his eyebrow in suspicion, hesitant. "Katara, he pressed his hands on his shoulders, pushing her back. "As much as I want to kiss you, I can tell that there is definitely something wrong with you?" She rolled her eyes at him. "Who is it?"

"Who is who?"

It was now the young firebender's turn to roll his own eyes. "You know who I'm talking about, 'Tara. Who or what is it? Who is ticking you off; you seem in a rush? What's going on?"

"There's nothing going on, Kang. Can you just drop the subject; I didn't call you in here to argue." Katara leaned back into him, but he pressed his hands back onto her shoulder, pushing her back once again. "What the fuck is your problem! I am practically throwing myself on you right now! What happened to the Kang I used to know?!"

Kang frowned, clearly knowing that there was something wrong with this girl. Katara never really "threw" herself onto him before and her doing it now was very suspicious…He shook his head slowly, and rubbed a warm hand down her cheek. "Katara, I'm still the same Kang. I just wanted to know what was wrong. You seem a little bit tense."

"Oh, so now you want to know about how I'm feeling?" Katara questioned bitterly. "And so what if I'm tense, that's why I called you in here!"

"Do you want me to give you a massage?" He asked politely.

The glare the waterbender gave him was so intimidating, that he actually had to turn away from her. "A massage? Are you fucking kidding me? Are you a masseuse now?" Katara fumed. "You've been around Aang too long, he's made you soft, and I can't go around fucking with soft men."

She had done it. Kang's normally calm and pleasant demeanor slowly changed and his face contorted in an all-consuming anger. "Soft? Ok, now you've got it all wrong, Katara." Narrowing his eyes at her, his hands closed into a tight fists, he said, "I was just trying to be a good person to you, I think I'd owe you that, right? But no, you go on about calling me soft and relating me to the fucking avatar! Do I look like a 17-year-old kid to you? I don't think so!"

"Kang…"

He rose up his hands. "So before you start calling anyone soft, please realize that you're the one who came to me first and wanted me to listen to your feelings and shit." He let out a bitter laugh. "And to think I actually started to catch feelings with you…You're so ungrateful."

"I'm not," she stated. "The only thing I wanted was for you to be a friend back then, and now it ended up like this, just full on lame sex!"

"Lame?" he let out another bitter laugh. "The moans you would scream? The sex was definitely not lame, Katara. You enjoyed it, and do not deny it, because I certainly will not." He took a deep breath and calmed himself down. "Geez, Katara, if you wanted to see other people it would have been fine, but you did not have to act like our relationship meant nothing to you. Katara scoffed. "Did it mean something to you, Kang? Tell me!"

"It did," he stood up off her bed and gritted his teeth. "I thought you would have been better than this, 'Tara. I never would have expected this from you." He slowly started to walk towards the door. "If it was my fault, I'm sorry…I'm truly sorry." With those last words, he silently opened the door and left.

Katara placed her head in her hands and sighed. Hitting her head against the headboard of her bed, she felt guilty. Kang was right; she was ungrateful. She had an actual boyfriend that might have had loved her. Yet, she had to screw it up because of that stupid Firelord she was falling back in love with! She groaned loudly. Breaking up with Kang just to get back with Zuko was not a great thing to do. Don't fuck anything up, Katara, she could hear Toph's voice in the back of her head. She shook her head, she would fix this….she had to.

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*Please Read and Review! Sorrrrrrrryyyyyyy for the late update, well early since it's 3:35am. But you know what I mean. Now before you throw rocks and whatever else at me, I told you that this chapter was going to take a while to update and put up on the website, so you can't blame me….well actually you can, but I warned you! Anyway, there you guys go, chapter 6! Please give me any feedback and always review, I got favorites, but please review for everything. I want to know what you think of the story and what I should do. Give me your thoughts please! Chapter 7 will be coming soon, but be patient, it will be updated. Ok, review and thanks again!*