Chapter 11: Into the Unknown
This time around, it was different. He knew it. She knew it. His eyes said it all.
She stood from the mattress, her amber eyes flickering with anticipation.
He briskly walked over to her and threw his arms around her slender waist, pulling her tightly against him. He couldn't help himself. He needed to hold her. To touch her.
She laced her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her, deepening their embrace.
"I told her," Sokka whispered into her ear.
"How'd it go?"
Keeping his arms around her waist, he leaned back so he could gaze into her eyes when he delivered the news. "She's not coming. We… broke up."
Azula smirked.
"You're not even going to pretend to feel sorry for me?" he laughed.
"No," she chirped, her smirk widening. "You could do better."
"Is that so?" He grinned. "Anyone in particular in mind?"
"Perhaps." She shrugged coyly. "Get me off this island and you just may find out."
"Now, now. No need to bribe me. I was going to help you anyway."
"So what you're saying is, you would not like me to reward you for your heroism?" She smirked again, this time much more mischievously.
"Well…" He gulped, getting red in the face. "I-I didn't say that."
"Well then… shall we get going?" She removed her arms from around his neck, eager to get far away from this place as soon as possible.
"Just… one quick thing." He sighed. "Why didn't you tell me about Suki? That she was the one who… you know."
"Would you have believed me?"
He paused briefly to think. "I suppose you have a point," he muttered. "Azula… can we make a deal?"
She raised an eyebrow.
"To never keep secrets from each other? To always trust each other no matter what?"
"Sokka," she whispered, breathlessly. "I don't know what to say." She smiled. "Yes."
"Then we have a deal." He extended his hand.
She rolled her eyes at the unnecessary gesture, but shook his hand anyway. "Now are we ready to go?" she asked snidely.
"Yes, Princess." He transferred her hand into his left. "Let's get the hell out of here."
They crept out under the black night's sky, walking synchronously side-by-side with their fingers interlaced.
Zuko and Hakoda were already waiting down by the shore of the boiling lake with the cooler.
"What took you so – " the prince hissed irritably before he could make out the features of the girl holding Sokka's hand. His eyes widened, glowing like fireflies in the moonlight. "Azula!" He ran the rest of the way over to her and hugged her uncomfortably hard.
Sokka thought it unusual for Zuko to demonstrate such affection, to anyone let alone his sister, but he figured nearly losing a loved one would be enough to shake anybody's character. What was even more surprising was that Azula hugged him back.
"I… I thought you were pissed at me," he whispered into her hair.
"I was," she muttered. "I still am, but… I figured you must have encouraged Sokka in some way to take care of me – I don't think he would have done that on his own."
"I can hear you, you know," the warrior butted in.
"So, if it weren't for you," she continued, "I… probably wouldn't be here right now."
Fully understanding her double meaning, Sokka's stomach churned. "Hey, uh, I hate to cut this little reunion short, but we really need to get going."
They nodded, letting go of each other and walking closer to the shoreline.
"Where's your girlfriend?" Hakoda asked with concern and disappointment.
Azula scowled.
"She's… not coming," Sokka awkwardly explained. "We broke up."
Zuko looked at the warrior with shock. And then at Azula. And then back at Sokka. Everything clicked. "Oh for the love of the Spirits," he groaned, smacking himself in the forehead.
"I sure hope you know what you're doing, son," Hakoda said sternly.
"Hello, Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe," Azula smiled disingenuously. "It's lovely to finally make your acquaintance."
"And you as well, Princess Azula." He could immediately tell why his son was so fond of her. Beauty aside, she had gumption. Fire.
"Hey, can we get going?" Zuko asked impatiently, stepping a foot into the cooler.
Azula's face was suddenly stricken with horror. "W-We're escaping in that?!"
"Oh yeah," Sokka murmured. "I probably should have warned you about – "
"No. No, no, no." She shook her head, stepping farther from the shoreline. "I can't go back in there. I can't. I can't." She began to hyperventilate.
Sokka and Zuko flashed each other worried glances, looking at each other for guidance.
The wolf-tailed warrior took her hands and gazed into her panicked eyes. "Yes. You can. I'll be there the whole time."
Zuko stepped out of the cooler and walked behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "We won't let anything bad happen to you. You can do this."
Shaking with fear, she slowly nodded. "Okay," she trembled. "Let's go."
Hakoda stepped in first, followed by Zuko, who reached for Azula's hand to help her in.
She looked back at Sokka for support.
He nodded with assurance.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then she took Zuko's hand and stepped into the makeshift canoe.
Sokka pushed the cooler out into the water and quickly hopped in, immediately wrapping his arms around the princess and pulling her close to him, such that she was sitting between his legs. He could feel her racing heartbeat and her heavy breaths. "Don't worry. I've got you," he mollified.
"Azula," Zuko whispered, thinking it wise to try and distract her from her anxiety. "What are you going to do when we're out of here?"
"I'm…" She looked back at Sokka and smiled warmly. "I'm going to help the Avatar learn how to defeat a lightningbender."
He stared at his sister with astonishment.
Sokka hugged her even tighter. "I knew you'd make the right choice."
Zuko took her hand. "I'm proud of you, sis."
Author's Note: I have one chapter left for you! If you've enjoyed what you've read so far, please consider giving me a favorite. It would be far better than any holiday present I could receive and would really mean so much to me! And to those of you who have already favorited, thank you, thank you, thank you. Your support encourages me to keep on writing.
Author's Note: A few of you have asked about Mai and Ty Lee. They are not main characters in this story, which is completely Sokka-centric. There would have been no reason for Mai and Ty Lee to stay at the prison. They probably would have left immediately after gaining freedom from Azula.
