Author Note: SOO SOO SORRY THIS HAS TAKEN SO LONG TO GET OUT! First I just had writers block (still not certain I like this chapter, but it's out there…and moving the story) then I got a new place and have been busy setting that place up. Now this chapter is out and over, I'm thinking the story will be moving a lot more smoothly Which means faster updates once more. May not be daily, but will hopefully be what I once promised…weekly. Thanks for continuing to read…even though this chapter has taken so long to get out.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any rights to Avatar the Last Air Bender. I did not create it and I will not profit from it in any way, shape or form.

Chapter 22: Freedom Rebels

Azula hadn't said anything to him since they had packed up the tent and started walking the ostrich horses with the fighters. He knew she was pissed; he would have been pretty pissed to if someone had grabbed him mid fight. What Sokka was grateful for was that Azula hadn't burned him in the process.

Pros: I'm not burned. Cons: Azula is pissed at me…I can get on her good side…just gotta…

"Here we are, home sweet home," Smellerbee stated, breaking Sokka's thoughts.

Standing before them was a cluster of trees. They were almost as wide as they were tall, and full of leaves. The trees were clustered so close together, no one could walk through them. They blended in with the environment which was exactly why the Rebels had picked it.

Perfect.

"Great, we moved from one patch of trees to another patch of trees. I feel so much more protected," Sokka cringed at Azula's sarcastic comment. He had had to do a lot of talking to get Smellerbee to take him and Azula to their hideout. While he didn't think they knew she was the fire princess, they did know that she was a fire bender. The last thing he needed was Azula's attitude getting them kicked out.

"It's not just a patch of trees. Look up," he moved behind her and gently tilted her head upwards, not missing the way she tensed up from his touch. "Do you see anything?"

"I see trees. Should I be seeing anything else?"

"That's the point Fire Nation, you're not supposed to see anything," Smellerbee stated, than she jumped and grasped a lower hanging branch and swung herself on top of it. Standing there she looked down at Azula, Sokka prayed neither of them attacked.

"You can hobble the ostrich horses in the ditch by that brush, we'll be able to see them above, but no one can see them from down there."

Sokka gave Azula a play nice look while they unloaded the ostrich horses.

As he moved away he heard Azula saying, "So you live in trees…why doesn't that surprise me."

He moved quickly to hobble the ostrich horses, worried that the two woman would go into a full on battle if he wasn't there to keep them apart. When he came back, he found Azula glaring up at Smellerbee with Smellerbee responding by glaring at Azula. The remaining members of the group stood around watching them both.

"Maybe you should stay on the ground, that way you won't burn my home down!"

"Maybe you should build your home out of stone so it can't be burned down!"

"Maybe you should go back to your ugly treeless country and leave the earth kingdom alone!"

"Maybe you should…"

"Stop arguing and actually climb the tree," Sokka snapped. He was tired, his stomach hurt thank you Azula and he was starving. His patience for their bickering was wearing thin.

When both women turned towards him and glared, he crossed his arms. He was irritated enough not to care about their unspoken threat.

"Can she even climb a tree?" Smellerbee snapped. Azula glared at her then took a few steps backwards.

She ran straight at the tree then up, with a delicate flip, she landing next to Smellerbee on the lower branch.

"Does that answer your question?" Azula remarked. Sokka saw Smellerbee give a small smirk.

"Not bad Fire Bender. But how are you going to get to the next branch, can't run upward from here."

Azula looked around analyzing the trees. Then she was jumping, branch to branch, moving upwards into the trees. After a few minutes, he couldn't see her any longer. Smellerbee nodded, impressed, than followed Azula up the tree.

"You guys coming up here? Or just going to stand there all night?" Azula's voice called out.

Sokka checked his surroundings then, grabbing his bags and the fish he had caught earlier, made his own path upward.

He landed on a large wooden platform, built from tree to tree until it circled around the open area below. Bridges crisscrossed the center of the upper level. Looking below, a stone fire pit was set up in the center of the open area on the ground. Four small tree houses could be seen scattered around the built platform.

"How long have you been here?" Sokka asked looking towards Smellerbee.

"A couple of years, it's not much, but it works for us. You two can take my bunker," she pointed to the hut behind her, "there's only one bed…but I'm sure you'll make due." She finished with a smirk.

"We have a sleeping bag, someone can just sleep on the floor," Azula claimed as she picked up her bags and moved towards the hut. Sokka frowned.

Maybe I pissed her off a little more than I thought…

"I see your way with women hasn't changed any. Just can't help but piss them off can you?" Sokka turned toward the young man who had the dueling swords strapped to his back. There was something familiar about him but Sokka couldn't place a name to the face. He was shorter than Sokka, but where Sokka had a lanky muscular build, this man was stocky. Sokka looked closer at the helmet the young man was wearing.

"The Duke? Is that you?" When The Duke smirked and nodded, Sokka grabbed him by the arms and held him at length. "Look at you all grown up and everything! What have you been up to?"

The Duke shook his head at Sokka, smiling, and clasped Sokka's forearms.

"Traveled some, assisted some villages, pissed off the fire nation. The same old same ol'. How'd you end up in the Earth Kingdom traveling with the fire princess?"

Sokka couldn't quite hide the surprise on his face.

How did The Duke know Azula is the…

"I remember her from the western air temples. You know, when she tried to kill us all," The Duke interrupted Sokka's thoughts.

Oh right…forgot about that.

"The fire nation princess?" Pipsqueak deep voice spoke up. "I thought she was locked up?"

"Well…" Think Sokka think…don't mention the mission...The less people who knew about the mission, the better it was. The last thing they needed was their quest being discovered by the wrong party. "She was let out due to good behavior," Sokka declared. He smiled smugly.

"I thought she was locked away for being crazy," Smellerbee responded, all four of the rebels were closing in on Sokka, their faces ranging from curiosity, suspicion and amusement.

"She was, but now she's not and she is better…behaved. And we came to the Earth Kingdom to get…some fresh air…It helps her stay…calm," Sokka told them all weakly. He never had been the greatest liar. Where was Azula when he needed her?

"I'm sure having her roam through the lands her family destroyed would make her feel…calmer," Smellerbee responded sarcastically.

"It's not the destroyed lands that calm me, it's the idea of rebuilding that does," Azula's voice said from behind the group. Everyone turned towards her.

Thank the spirits.

"Rebuilding? You are interested in rebuilding?" Smellerbee said incredulously.

"Yes rebuilding. My family…well besides my Uncle, brother and…mother…destroyed parts of the Earth Kingdom, and it's my duty to make it right. I haven't been able to do much before, but now I want to help," Azula finished with firm calmness.

The Rebels gave her a look that Sokka interpreted as yeah right but they didn't say anything more.

"So are you going to introduce me to your friends?" Azula broke the silence.

"Yeah umm…"Sokka pointed to each person as he said their name, "Long Shot, Pipsqueak, The Duke and Smellerbee. Smellerbee is the leader."

"Those are…interesting names, to say the least." She looked around at everyone. "It's a…pleasure to meet you all."

"I'm sure it is Princess Azula. Now, how bout we clean out the fish Sokka caught and eat up? It's been a long journey for you both I'm sure."

"Sounds like a great plan," Sokka bent down and grabbed the fish.

Well that worked out well enough…for now.

"Why do you have blue fire?"

The Duke questioned as the group sat around the fire eating. Sokka looked up from his fish, he'd often wondered that himself.

"I honestly do not know why it is blue. All the fire benders in my family have red/orange fire. If I had to guess, I'd say it's blue because I am very…intense." Azula answered calmly.

"Many fire benders are…intense. Yet you are the only one that I've seen that has blue flame," Smellerbee responded.

Sokka saw a flicker of annoyance enter Azula's eyes. Having to explain herself, he knew, was not something she tolerated well. Being compared to others also was a big no-no.

"Some would say I have a…colder intensity, than most fire benders."

"So your flames are blue because it comes from cold emotion…I could see that. You do seem pretty…icy," Smellerbee replied.

This is getting dangerous…time to change the subject.

"Speaking of icy, Azula and I are planning a trip to the southern water tribe after we leave the Earth Kingdom. Azula's looking forward to it, aren't you?" He lied, praying Azula caught on. Her eyebrow raised at his statement but he relaxed when she played along.

"Yes I simply cannot wait until I visit the place where you grew up," Azula responded. Sokka was pretty certain he was the only one to catch the underlying sarcasm in her voice. It wasn't the best lie, but at least it diverted everyone's attention.

"Why are you going to the Southern Water Tribe?" The Duke asked.

"It's a part of my…therapy," Azula responded. "After we help sort out the issues in the Earth Kingdom colonies, we're traveling to the southern water tribes to help continue the reconstruction down there."

She HAD to bring up the colonies…oh crap. Sokka frantically thought of a way to stop the argument he knew was about to happen.

"So you're helping the Avatar with his harmony plan then? Good luck with that. The war may be over, but that doesn't mean either side is backing down, even if it's the Avatar that's calling for peace."

Harmony plan? What the heck…

Sokka was about to ask what the harmony plan was but Azula spoke before he could.

"Why do you believe this plan will be so unsuccessful? And where would it be so unsuccessful?"

"Yu Dao, it's where the fire benders have been living the longest. That city has more violence going on than any other colonial city. There was peace in the city for a few years, but lately, that peace has changed into a city of battles once more. We went there about a year ago, that place is in controlled caous. If you know the rules, you're safe, if you don't, you're done for."

Yu Dao…should have known…

"I guess we'll be starting there then. If we can bring peace to that city, we can bring it to all of them." Azula smirked.

"You're taking on a bigger task than you two may understand. Yu Dao is not full of mindless citizens. There are soldiers, fighters and rebels working on both sides. You cannot trust anyone. Make friends with the wrong people, you're dead. Say hi to the wrong person, you're dead. You have to be on your constant guard, anyone can be bought for a price." Everyone turned towards Long Shot. It wasn't often that the man talked, but when he did, you knew to take his words seriously.

"I've dealt with the battles of Yu Dao before," and lost someone there too. "I'm not afraid to go into it again."

"A friend of mine has an apartment on the east end of the city; it's near an abandoned warehouse full of old circus gear. It's a little run down, but it'll provide you a place to stay while you do whatever it is you have to do. And you can trust him, not many you can in the city, but him, you can," The Duke stated.

"Thank you The Duke," Sokka stated, "Would you happen to have his name?"

"You can discover that on your own, names have power. If you know someone's name, and you're caught by the wrong party, you can risk that person's life as well as your own. Better to keep names out of it."

"Guess it's time for code names. You can be Lady Flames and I'll be Master Sword." Sokka turned towards Azula, who had been sitting to his left the entire meal.

She rolled her eyes at him. "I'm going to bed. It's been a very busy few days."

Sokka watched as she stood up and stretched, he had to force down a moan. He'd watched her morning stretches more than once by now…they had quite the pleasurable effect on him.

Damn she's flexible.

"Thank you for your…hospitality," Azula directed toward Smellerbee. Sokka smiled at her, and then frowned slightly as Azula gave him a smirk. "Master Sword, you get the floor." With that, Sokka watched her take the stairs up to the hut they were sharing.

"Someone's not getting any tonight," Smellerbee said chuckling softly.

Sokka glared at her. "It's not like that. We're…friends."

"Yeah yeah. That's why you're eyes sparked when she did her little stretching move? And why you frowned when she said you were on the floor."

"What I don't like sleeping on the floor," Sokka lied.

"Sokka, you're a gentleman through and through. You wouldn't have taken the bed and made Azula sleep on the floor."

"We're friends, sometimes friends make other friends sleep on the floor," Sokka grumbled.

"Right, well my friend Long Shot and I are going to bed. The SAME bed because like you and Azula, we're just friends. Goodnight."

Sokka watched as Smellerbee and Long Shot climbed up the stairs to their own hut, shocked.

Where in the hell did that come from?!

Sokka shook his head; he didn't have time to figure that relationship out.

"Do you need me to take first watch?" he asked looking at The Duke and Pipsqueak.

"We'll take first watch," The Duke responded.

Sokka nodded and started climbing up to the hut him and Azula would be sharing.

"You know, if you talk real sweetly, I'm sure she'll change her mind and let you share the bed," Pipsqueak's deep voice called up to him. "Seems to me she feels something for you, as much as you do for her. I don't think she would have fought as hard to get to you if she didn't."

Sokka nodded his head; maybe he had a chance for the bed after all.

When he entered the hut, he found Azula facing the wall, sleeping on the twin size bed. The sleeping bag was rolled up on the floor. Calculating, Sokka slowly sat down on the bed next to her.

When she didn't respond, he slowly lowered himself until he was lying down next to her. Faster than he expected, she rolled over, her fingers digging into his throat.

Damn she's dangerous…

"It's just me!" he said harshly.

"You're supposed to be on the floor, not on the bed," came her harsh reply.

"But the floor is cold, and I'll start shivering and my teeth will start chattering. You know how you hate when my teeth chatter," he replied as charmingly as he could with Azula's fingers still pressing into his throat.

"IF I allow you to sleep in the bed tonight, that doesn't mean you are forgiven for stopping my fight today. Do you understand?"

"Yes I realize I have a lot to make up for…and I will…I promise," Sokka agreed.

"Good, now go to sleep. I'm sure we'll be leaving early tomorrow," she turned away from Sokka facing the wall once more.

Sokka debated the risk and rewards of cuddling up towards that back. Just as he was prepared to look the other way, Azula's voice spoke up.

"If you're so worried about getting cold, you better wrap your arms around me for warmth."

Best idea you've had yes.

"Well since it gets so cold around here, I guess I will." Sokka moved in and pulled Azula closer.

He smiled when she snuggled in closer to him. Moments later, her breathing evened out and she fell asleep in his arms.

Perfect simply perfect.

Author Note: So this may not have been the 'best chapter' but I needed to move the story along And now that it's out there, we have a little more information, I feel that the story will be written a lot more smoothly

Thanks for the reviews, the favoriting and the followers! And for the patience! I swear I'm working on updating this sooner!