I watched them for a second longer. I guess Zuko had seen the lack of focus in my eyes towards his words, and he looked in that direction as well. He yelled the words that I hadn't been able to.

"We're under attack!" And a knife came hurtling towards his head. I jumped out and deflected it with the fan that was already in my hand, quickly grabbing the second. Zuko watched, somewhat astounded. I was about to ask for Sokka's help, and I remembered the baby. Oh, spirits.

Katara threw some ice daggers at the person who had tossed the knife, effectively knocking them down and pinning them.

"Sokka! The baby!" Sokka realized he had Hope then, and he began to run. Toph went with him, tossing boulders at the people and pulling up walls to deflect the arrows.

It was suddenly like the times before- when we had had to fight and protect ourselves and others. We worked as a team, each of us knowing the other's strengths and maneuvers. Katara whipped people, Zuko made the arrows disintegrate into ash, Mai tossed some of her own weaponry, and Aang blocked attacks and knocked them out. All of us made it onto the roof within moments, mounting our own attack. It did not take long for them to fall back. Instead of just getting away like the others, I grabbed one of the people who had been pinned by Mai. It was a young girl with angry green eyes.

"What do you want?" I asked her. She smirked at me evilly.

"Blood." She whispered.

"Whose blood?" I shook her a little.

" The blood of those who have power." So they were after Zuko. He had an inordinate amount of power… But so did the Earth King, Kuei, Sokka's father, Hakoda, whoever was the leader of the Northern Water Tribe, and Aang. We had two of those people with us.

"Don't even try it. The war is over. We are at peace!"

"We will never be at peace until the great Phoenix King Ozai is on the throne!" I let go of her and stepped back, disgusted. She watched me, smiling a smile so similar to the one of the young Princess Azula that I was unnerved. She kept watching me until I left her lying there, unable to move.

Rebellion was already in action.

%%%%%%%%%%

At the palace, we held an emergency meeting. Sokka hugged me fiercely, happy that I hadn't done something stupid and gotten hurt. He held my hand as we sat.

"Where's Hope?" I whispered. "Asleep and on her way home. Toph and the Dai Li offered to take her." I nodded. She would be as safe with them as she would be with us, probably even more so. We turned our heads back to the people speaking. Zuko had ordered Iroh to come here, for his safety. He had played a huge role in the war as well, and the rebellion could easily decide to target him. Aang Katara, Zuko, Mai, Iroh, Kuei, Sokka and I were all here, and Toph would be joining us soon.

"What was that?" Aang asked.

"Obviously an attack on us." Zuko replied, his hand curling and uncurling into a fist. He was trying to control his rage.

"Well duh! But by who?" Katara retorted. She didn't miss being in danger constantly.

"A resistance. Ozai's resistance." Everyone looked at me, surprised.

"Suki, how do you know?" Sokka inquired, shocked at my knowledge.

" I cornered a girl. She said that 'they wanted blood' and that 'there would be no peace until the great Phoenix King Ozai was on the throne.'" Zuko pounded his fist on the table.

"Why can nobody just take a good thing? We have no war, and the destroyed villages are being rebuilt. What else can I do?" He sounded anguished.

"Nephew, it isn't something you did. It's the old followers who grew hungry for the power that Ozai could have offered them." Iroh spoke calmly, as if he had foreseen this.

"But it was a young girl! Around Aang's age! What could Ozai have offered her?" I asked curiously.

"She could be a child of one of the old generals. They could all have been the scorned semi royalty of the past." Mai interjected. "I would know. A lot of the kids I knew then were out raged when the Avatar here defeated Ozai. They lost their fancy palaces and servants, and they became normal citizens who had to work for what they had. I remember how angry I had been when I found out that Zuko here hadn't let my father keep his position, but then I realized what had happened. I could see what was going on, and I could tell that it was for the better. Sure, I don't have all my silken robes and jewels, but those aren't important." The entire table stared at her, shocked. This was maybe the most hopeful, progressive speech any of us had heard from her. It was also the longest, which was what doubled the shock factor.

"What? I can speak, you know." We snapped out of it, then focused on her words. She had a grand point. It was naïve of us to assume that those who had been stripped of their power and wealth would be okay with it.

"What do they call themselves?" Kuei asked me, speaking for the first time.

"I have no idea. Why?"

"Because then we could put out notices for their arrest." Zuko snorted.

"They managed to come together right beneath your nose without being discovered. I don't think that they are broadcasting their identities." He replied, the corners of his mouth dropping further than usual.

"Well, if we can find that girl again, we can probably get some information out of her. I think I got a pretty decent look at her." They all looked at me.

"Suki, I think you have a date with a painter." Katara told me, a smile on her lips. She could ride a little bit of hope a long way. Toph walked in the door right then, though I had guessed she had been listening at the door.

"And I'm sure they have a very Dai Li type hiding place. It probably couldn't hurt to go and look for it." She said, then added, " The baby made it home safely, no worries." I nodded.

"You kids should probably get some sleep. We'll look for them tomorrow." Iroh told us, effectively putting an end to the meeting.

%%%%%%%%%%

Sokka walked me back to my room, gave me a hug ,and then turned the corner without saying anything. It was very un- Sokka like.

I slept lightly, like I had during the war. It didn't make for a restful night, especially since I felt on edge each and every time I woke up after hearing some noise or getting the feeling that something foreign was touching me. I got up at dawn, feeling like sleeping

any longer would seem torturous. Today I forwent the fancy apparel and decided to make an appearance as a Warrior-boots, armor, face paint- the whole shebang.

When I arrived in the dining hall, I found that I was not alone. Katara, Toph, and Zuko all sat around, waiting for food to arrive. I also noticed that I was not alone in my desire to feel more protected- Katara wore the clothes she usually went to battle in, Zuko wore military armor, and Toph was bare foot, as opposed to the sole-less slippers she had worn yesterday.

"Rough night?" I asked. Everyone except the blind thirteen year-old had bags under their eyes. Toph could feel anyone approaching from a mile away, and kick their butt from that distance as well.

"Of course. It felt like old times again. I didn't miss that." Katara told me, bitterness in her voice. She had believed that peace would finally find us, and that her entire life being lived in turmoil and fear of attack would change. Either that, or she had become accustomed to being able to sleep all night and was bitter over it.

I sat down beside Katara, removing my fans from my belt and placing them in my lap. Food was served, and we dug in. Sokka joined us after we had finished and were sitting around, lazily. Once he had served himself and was shoving food down his throat, my warriors entered, begging me to provide them with some tea to cure some massive hangovers. I sighed and ordered a pot of boiling water, then went to my room to get the tin filled with the roots and leaves that the Kyoshi apothecary had blended for this purpose. By the time I was back in the room, the water had arrived and cups had been passed out to each of the girls. I counted seven girls, alarm hitting me as I realized that there should actually be eight. Ty Lee was missing.

"Tomi, where's Ty Lee?" The girl removed her face from her arms, looking around.

"I… I don't know!" Ty lee was normally very punctual and she didn't often partake in spirits, so this was very strange.

"Mai isn't here either." Zuko remarked. "Maybe they're together. I'll go look for them." I finished putting the loose tea in the cups, then poured water over them. I knew from experience that the resulting brew was foul and that it usually made my warriors rethink drinking- back home, there wasn't much of an opportunity to do so, and this was probably their first encounter, for the most part.

I sat down and watched a few of them grab their cups and drink a couple gulps before gagging. The two or three who had encountered it watched the steam rise from the cups wearily before grabbing them and downing their contents in one go. It was easier to handle, that way. I trained the girls in the ways of combat and some of the rites of life, but other than that, they fended for themselves. I would answer questions and help when I could. Everyone had to live for themselves, however, and I could not always be there to guide my subordinates. Zuko reentered the room with Mai and Ty Lee. Ty Lee had not drunk the night before and was as bright and cheery as ever. She even was walking on her hands, for Kyoshi's sake!

"Where were you?" I asked her as she came back to her feet and sat in a chair across from me.

"Mai and I were just-" She began excitedly, before Mai cut her off.

"We took a walk." She finished, bored. I noticed Toph twitch out of the corner of my eye. Mai was lying, and Toph knew it. I would ask her about it later, since she hadn't yet ousted her. I would also have to talk to Ty Lee, always a thrilling prospect… not.

I asked the girls to meet with me in two hours in my room, and they nodded. I could already tell that the ones who wore no face paint would probably spend the better part of those two hours in their beds, allowing the tea to do its job. I stood up and kissed Sokka, whispering in his ear "Good morning." I looked at Toph, deciding that I would wait for her in the throne room. Here, among fighters and ex- enemies, strategy was the best path.

I left the room and went to go and look at the city from the terrace-below, I could see vendors trading with people dressed in their best clothing, and children playing games. In one of the sports fields, they were playing a game that I had never seen, but it seemed to have a huge fan following since the surrounding area was loaded with spectators who were cheering on the teams. I looked at the walls, seeing the tiny green hooded monorail cars pass around. This city was not my ideal place to live- wherever you went, you lived in a giant box. Nothing could change that.

"HIIII SUKI!" Came a voice from above. I looked up and Aang flew over my head, accompanied by Momo. The nearly fourteen year old boy laughed, carefree.

"Hi Aang!" I shouted back. I watched him do some loops before he flew out and over the city wall. I knew he was probably headed to visit the zoo he had built last time he was here. That kid and his animals…

Turning around and leaning back on the railing, I saw Toph walking past, and I ran to chase her.

"What is it, Warrior Girl?" She asked me. She slowed her pace, but didn't stop.

"In there, when Mai interrupted Ty Lee- was she lying?" I asked.

"A great whopper of a lie." She told me.

"Is there a way you can tell what she was lying about?" She shook her head.

"Nope. But the really happy one was about to tell it. I'd ask her." She seemed to be thinking about it for a second. "But Sunshine kept looking at Sparky, so I guess it has something to do with him."

"Okay. Oh, and by the way, do you think you could help me out with something tonight? I have a plan to get back at the people who attacked us. And I need your Dai Li's help." She smiled.

"Course I can help you! Anyone who attacks us deserves a little butt kicking."

"So in about an hour do you think that you could meet me in my quarters? And don't tell anybody- we're doing this all stealthy." She nodded again, telling me she could bring the Dai Li with her.

"Okay, sounds good. Thank you!" I said, before heading to my room. I immediately thought about how Zuko and Katara had kissed a couple nights ago. Had Mai found out? I surely hoped not. But… watching Katara and Mai go at it for real would have been a really great fight, to be sure.

I had bigger things to attend to- I needed to talk to Katara and Sokka, and make sure that Aang and Zuko and Kuei didn't find out about our plans. It was for them, and I knew that they would have some sort of thing against the idea- Zuko would welcome some challenge to his authority, Kuei would insist that his team of security would be far more adept at capturing them, and then Aang would say that we were needlessly endangering ourselves. Besides this, it would be better not to involve them, since they would draw more attention. Obviously, the public knew nothing about the rebellion, and it would be better to keep it that way. People had just gotten over the war, and they didn't need anything to fear. We didn't need anyone or anything to fear. It was to early.

When I arrived in my room, Sokka was in there waiting for me, but he had gotten bored. He had red paint all over his fingers, and when he realized I was in the room, he tried to rub whatever he had drawn on his face on his sleeve, before he realized that he didn't have sleeves. Oh no.

"Sokka? What did you do to yourself?" I asked, tentatively walking towards him. I grabbed his arm and turned him around reluctantly.

Sokka had painted an arrow on his forehead, like Aang. He had also drawn huge circular glasses around his eyes, as well as a mustache and a goatee. He had bright red lips and white water symbols on his cheeks, though one half of his face was smeary.

"Please don't break up with me." He pleaded. I could feel my eyes going as wide as Iroh's sticky bun platters. Then I laughed. I laughed so, so hard.

"Oh Sokka." I said, calming down. "Let's clean you up before everyone gets here." He breathed out in relief.

"Okay." He walked with me to my basin, where a white cloth sat. I realized that my water pitcher had been emptied, and I hesitated to ring the tiny bell to bring the little girl named Xu here. I finally reached out and did it, then turned back to Sokka. I smiled at his ridiculousness again, then went to close the jars and gather the brushes he had used. Xu arrived, a pitcher and fresh cloths in tow.

"Thank you!" I squealed. She looked around me and saw Sokka's back, and blushed again. Before she could make anymore judgments, I slammed the door, feeling bad. I had begun to blush myself, just from what she thought we could be doing.

After filling the basin, I wet one of the cloths.

"Don't move." I made him sit on my bed and hovered over him, gently wiping the paint off of his face. My fingers, covered in cloth, lingered on his lips, and he caught me doing it. He proceeded to pull me down to him and kissed me, renewing his red lips. His hands slid to my sides, untying the black layer of thick fabric, and he slipped it over my head. My thoughts were mixed up and nonsensical until my brain activity choose to cease completely. Sokka grabbed my hang that was still gloved and pulled it off, my arm braces following. Our kiss was broken, and I watched him as he leaned me back and lifted my hem a little bit, unlacing my boots, one by one and removing my stockings. He looked at my face and frowned a little, then reached over and untied my head piece.

"Lie back." Sokka commanded. I obeyed, my breath caught in my throat. He got up and walked away, and I exhaled, slowly. What was he planning? He came back, and the rock formed in my throat again as he crawled over to my face.

Sokka had removed his shirt and his shoes as well, and he held another wet cloth in his hand. I was asked to close my eyes, and he tenderly began to wash my face make up off. Gently, he passed it over my eye lids over and over, removing the paint in layers. He, too lingered in my lips, and I blushed. He got up again and put the cloth in the basin, then flopped on the bed besides me, pulling a pillow under his head.

"So who else is supposed to come here?" I rolled over until my head was comfortably situated on his stomach, and his fingers immediately yanked my hair tie out, then buried themselves in there.

"Toph and the Dai Li and the other Warriors. Spirits! I forgot to get Katara. Wait here." I told him, flying across the room and out the door. I ran down the cold stone hall to her room, and knocked on the screen.

"oh, monkey feathers!" I heard the young avatar say. I blushed again, for what seemed like the millionth time in the last twenty minutes.

"Who is it?" Katara's voice rang out.

"Suki! I really need to talk to you, Katara!" I heard shuffling and some other sounds I didn't want to place, then she came out.

"Okay. What do you want to talk about?" She said, emerging. Her face was the color of leeche-nuts.

"Can you come with me?" She looked at the door, then nodded. She looked at me, devoid of most of my fixtures. I didn't even have my fans on me.

"what happened to you?" I blushed, and she got the picture. "Oh. Did he…?"

"Oh, no! No, nothing like that. Actually, it's a lot more serious than that." She nodded, and I saw her smiling. "Don't you smile like that. I know more than you could imagine about your activities."

We arrived in my room, and Sokka hadn't moved. I sat down next to him, and Katara joined us, still looking at me suspiciously.

"What do you know, Suki?" She asked.

'Katara, please. I am doing you a favor by not mentioning your hallway antics in front of your brother." Her face blanched, and I was sure she knew. She dropped it, and we sat in silence. Sokka looked at me, then shrugged. He knew that if I didn't want to tell him one of his sister's secrets, I wouldn't.

"So.. What are we here for?" Katara asked. I laid back down on Sokka's chest, and he resumed playing with my hair.

"Well… I have a plan. A bunch of other people are supposed to be arriving-" Toph opened the door that moment, coming in and creating a stone chair for herself beside the bed. The Dai Li all entered and sat on the floor, cross legged, looking at us.

"Hey guys. So what's up?" Toph reclined back in her throne made of stone. My warriors all entered a moment later, and came over and sat on the other side of the bed.

"Okay, so everyone is here." I took a deep breath. "So… I was thinking that we should go after the rebels." Katara looked at me.

"Why don't we have Zuko and Aang here, then?" Katara asked me. I sat up.

"Well, the rebels are hunting them. I would prefer them not get involved and endanger themselves. They want blood, and I know that they are really strong guys, but we also don't know how many rebels there are. I figure that if all of us go ahead and launch a well planned attack, we have a higher success rate. We have nine benders with us, two of which are the greatest benders on the planet, and the other seven are trained in stealth and attack." Katara and Toph nodded, and the Dai Li watched me. " There are nine members of the most elite non bending warriors in the world here as well, one of whom is a pro chi blocker." I looked at Sokka. " And last but not least, we have one of the best Water Tribe warriors and the most resourceful inventor I know. I feel like we have really good odds, especially if we plan it well." Everyone seemed like they liked those odds a lot.

"Okay… So what are we going to do, Suki?" Ty lee asked me. I smiled . All morning I had been playing this plan over in my head.

'Okay. So first we're going to need to decide which one of you guys looks most like Zuko, and which one looks most like Aang." I nodded to the Dai Li. " Then we're going to need Katara here to…"

The lay out of the scheme went on for maybe two hours, and each of us then set into action preparing. While everyone left to set out, Sokka stayed.

"Suki…"He said, coming over and pulling me into his chest. I wrapped my arms around him tightly, mimicking him. "Don't you dare get hurt." I sighed.

"Sokka, I'm not Yue. I can protect myself, don't worry." He pet my hair.

"I know. I still just want to keep you safe. I can't imagine how I would go on without you… I don't really think I could live, quite frankly… I love you." Sokka whispered this all in my ear, choking on the last words.

'Sokka, we fought a war together! You weren't this worried then. Well, when I visited you in that tent you said a lot, but I figured… I don't know." That was the one time he had spent a night with me, but I figured it was because he guessed ( correctly) that we wouldn't have a lot of alone time wherever we went next, and then we would be fighting a war and I guess he just though that he had to say it all. On the actual day of the war, after we had taken one of the ships, he had told me just to survive, a call back to that night. Only now did I realize that they were connected. "Oh."

"Yeah…but you and I still have things to do together. Very important things." I nodded.

"Okay Sokka. But you have to stay safe, too. Promise?" He nodded into my shoulder. "Good. I love you too, you know. You're just as important as I am." He kissed me, slowly, passionately, and then he left, his clothes in his hand.

I sighed, touching my lips. If this stupid plan I had worked out, then I wouldn't have to worry. If anything went wrong, even the smallest error, we would be in serious trouble.

It was time to prepare, and I set to it, wiping these thoughts from my mind.

Author's note! Haha, so this is the last chapter until next week. I feel like I'm gonna have another four or five chapters in this, and then the SmellerShot fic will pick up from there. I'm really hoping you guys go and read it, because it's just a sort of fluffy story and then there's another pairing story after that, one focuses on a pairing which almost everyone loves.

So… remarks. I finally used monkey feathers to this chapter! That is seriously one of my absolute favorite lines. Ohh, and there's something going on with Mai! And the Zutara drama comes here to play again, but it's definitely not the last time. But there is also some Kataang here too… Who will win? Hehe. And of course ,one of my favorite scenes I've written so far.. Sokka drawing on his face. I suck at comedy, and that is my attempt. Plus I always kinda felt like he would do that at some point…

Would somebody draw that? If you actually do, please send me a link! That would be so awesome ,don't you agree?

PLEASE REVIEW!