Confessions of a Water Tribe Warrior

"Suki—"

"I'm not talking to you."

"Suki, hear me out—"

"I said I'm not talking to you!" The Kyoshi warrior stomped toward the far end of the grand ballroom. The other women tried not to stare, but it was kind of hard, considering a shirtless Sokka, especially since he'd buffed up, turned women's heads like a two-for-one purse sale in Ba Seng Se.

"Will you just listen?" He grabbed Suki's forearms and wheeled her around, capturing her in what Zuko would call his "I'll save you from the pirates" pose.

("It works every time, Sokka," he'd once boasted, a suggestive glint in his eyes. "Every. Time.")

Sokka locked gazes with a sexily surprised Suki. "Whatever you've heard or read, whatever it is you think about me or what I do with other people, none of it is true!"

"I don't want to talk about this here." She averted her gaze, but Sokka saw her eyes flicker to Azula, who had pointedly turned her back on the couple. "This isn't the time."

"She came to me," he exclaimed on a rush of breath. "She was drunk. She was depressed. I was trying to help her. But she was drunk…"

"When is she not drunk?" Suki's accusation was damning. "And since when is that an excuse?"

"She's not drinking now, is she? Look, if you were defeated by your brother and made to live with the shame, under his thumb with his victory hanging over your head, knowing he was always the better man for leaving you alive and rehabilitating you to boot, you'd be drinking a lot, too."

"That doesn't excuse you!" Suki screamed. "You disgusting…man of a man! How could you let her—"

"I didn't have sex with Azula!" Sokka shouted, silencing the already mute crowd.

The crickets chirping their skepticism could be heard all the way in the Western Air Temple.

"It's true," Azula confirmed quietly. Everyone turned to look at her, a figure bowed in sagging defeat. Almost inaudibly, the princess said, "He didn't…want me."

"Thank. You." Sokka's loud moan of relief deflated him entirely.

Suki stared. "But then…what are these?" She indicated the scrapes, bites, burns and claw marks all over Sokka's body.

"Have you ever tried to fight that girl off? Wait, of course you have." Sokka shook his head. "Well, try fighting her off when she's already burned off all your clothes and you're still half-asleep in bed. Try resisting a horny, drunk Firebender who's also your sister-in-law and someone you respect. Someone who understands what it's like to be the other sibling. Someone you can't knock down because you understand her pain, and all you want to do is help."

"What, like you couldn't lock your bedroom door?"

"Locks don't keep those kinds of feeling in…or someone who needs my help out."

"Sokka…" Katara glanced anxiously between her brother and Azula, who was staring at her hands, cheeks aflame. "Keep the dirty laundry in the hamper, okay?"

"I'm sorry, but it has to be said. Look," he ran a hand through his hair, "what happened between her and me…it's between her and me. Period. But I'm telling you I didn't sleep with Princess Azula, no matter how it looks or what Fadmon said. The baby isn't mine. And I would never, ever claim it was and deny the rightful father his son or daughter."

"That is so sweet…" Ty Lee teared up and fanned herself "…and hot." She called to Suki, "If you don't want him, I'll take him off your hands!"

"Melodrama," Mai sighed. "Of course we'd get melodrama for dessert. I forgot where I am." She stuffed another handful of fire flakes into her mouth to burn away the bittersweet tears welling in the back of her throat. She insisted it was her rising gorge.

"He's telling the truth," Toph volunteered somberly. "And so's Azula." If Toph knew where to look, she'd send her friend a reassuring nod.

Suki looked between them. She peered into the warrior's face, scouring his anguished expression for any trace of deceit, but she found none. Her shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry, Sokka." She wrapped her arms around him tightly. "I should have had more faith in you."

"Yeah, you should've," the Water Tribe warrior agreed smilingly.

It wasn't the first time he got punched in the head for his snappy remarks.

The other women teared up a little, as they were wont to do with so much estrogen floating through the air. Aang offered his huggable services, but Lo/Li were the only ones who took him up on the offer, much to his saggy-bosomed regret.

Katara smiled, happy his brother and the Kyoshian had reconciled. Sokka and Suki deserved each other. But when she looked over to check on her sister-in-law, Azula was gone. She'd even left Kisu behind.

The pit of her stomach bottomed out. The Firebender was not in a good emotional place right now, and Katara didn't want her to be alone.

Where had she gone?