A.N. Since this is already AU you shouldn't be surprised that something will be different that in canon. After her defeat Azula was sent to asylum, but she managed to escape before being locked in that dark place and no one heard of her anymore. Also the Search or Rift never happened.

Also all words and errors are mine, while character belong to their respective owners. See first chapter.

~~~O~~~

Grey sat in her apartment and was shaken.

"Wang we have a problem! I just met my brother." She said to her partner in crime using his fake name when they were alone in their room and doors were locked. If someone else would have heard their conversation it could end pretty badly. They spend some much time using fake names that they grow used to it.

"Angry jerk is here?" asked Wang surprised – they thought that they were stuck in this place without way out – and Grey chuckled at how he called her brother.

"I thought that was how your sister called him in those old days, but not you?" she said giggling, somehow Wang always managed to make her smile genuine and forget troubles. "Yes! Luckily he is as stupid as ever and I made him believe that I am not his sister, just very look like her."

"But, if your brother is here, then do you know what that means? There must be way in or out of this place. We could return to our world."

"Yes, but did you consider that I don't want leave? Here people love me, but in our world people hate me. They think that I am monster, a psycho that must be put in asylum and forgot. They don't understand that everything I did I did for my country, for Fire nation. I don't lie I did some nasty and horrible thing that I am not proud of, I even tried to kill you and I almost succeed. They don't understand that I was only 14 years girl who had evil controlling father and no mother, and while other my age girls cared about boys, feasts or pregnancy, I was only executing my father's wishes, conquering other nation and overthrowing regimes. I hardly knew anything about how to behave as a normal teenage! I never had chance to be one! My brother was lucky that he had uncle who supported him. I had none! Yes there was Ty lee and Mai, but they were with me mostly because of fear, and it was rarely."

"Yeah. But what's the problem then? If you managed to convince him that you are not his sister …" said Wang with concern in his voice. The relation between her and her brother were pretty bad.

"He is with the military. I can smell them even if they don't wear their uniforms. I spend my childhood surrounded by military, I know how they think. And that could be very big problem. What would happen if they recognize you? You aren't liar like me, or worse if your sister with her husband comes here? I don't think they will be very welcoming after all those things I did to them. I know… I know you would like to see your dear sister and friends, but …"

"They would be very confused to see us together. And you …"

"If they discover who we are Wang, we will be on run from local government, our comfortable life will end, and if they catch us they would send us back, or worse put us in some dark gloomy place and make experiments with us… ok with me, I am the one that could bend blue fire. Now that I think about it, it wouldn't be so bad."

"I think you saw too much of those things they call movies and your paranoia is acting up. There is nothing in this place that could stop two geniuses." Stated Wang half jokingly, half serious.

"Although we made comfortable life here, I still miss my country, my Fire nation, my world, even if they hate me and want me dead, that is MY home. And I think you too. Well, not Fire nation, but …"

~~~O~~~

Two years ago.

Sokka found himself washed ashore on small uninhabited isle. His head was hurting him like after good party and speaking of party he recently was in one. It was his sister's wedding. He couldn't believe that his younger sister would be the first to marry and not him or Zuko. His relations with Suki wasn't going so well as he wanted mostly because big distance between them, also there were some rumors that love triangles existed between him, Suki and Toph or Suki, Mai and Zuko. While he couldn't check the second he clearly knew that the first one was only rumor, because he and Toph were just good friends … no – best friends. But for Suki it didn't looked same way, mostly because Toph became stunning looking young woman. Envy boiled inside Suki that Toph would spend so much time with Sokka. If it wasn't that Toph was greatest earthbender and metalbender Suki would have made her disappear from surface of earth, but since Toph was who she was Suki was little afraid to anger her and be buried alive and forgotten. She knew that if Toph wanted she could easily get rid of her and none would find her body. Luckily the blind earthbender didn't consider her threat. But that doesn't mean Suki wasn't giving up on him, no she would make sure to learn everything Sokka had done while she was in Fire nation doing her duty protecting (pleasing) Firelord and secretly and subtle irritating Mai. But those rumors were irritating both Sokka and Suki (mostly Suki) and hurting their relations. So she was very glad when Katara asked her to be her maid of honor. Whole gang could return to one place to celebrate. Of course wedding didn't get as good as planned mostly because that Toph insisted that if their try to pair her with someone that should be Sokka or Zuko, anything else will be thrown out or buried alive using her bending including the one that proposed that stupid idea. It was big pain in ass for Suki and Mai to convince Katara and Toph (mostly Toph) that Sokka and Zuko were already taken and so Toph appeared there as free spirit like she always was. Of course that irritated both boys to no end (and even more girls).

So now Sokka found himself walking on beach shouting names and looking for his missing companions in hope someone was somewhere nearby. Sokka was well accustomed to strange things that would happen in presence of Avatar. Last strange thing was that huge tornado that sucked them all on his sisters and avatars weddings. He was hoping to find someone but the future will show that he would found someone that he wasn't looking for.

Suddenly he noticed body lying in distance, a female, and rushed to her.

"Suki! Suki!" shouted Sokka thinking that was his friend Suki, she was the only one that Sokka could think would fit girl's body build, but there was something odd about the girl like her hair were black and not chestnut including odd looking cloth she wore and some other small details that don't fit. "If she was not Suki, then who she could be?" Thought flashed in Sokka's head, suddenly died when she noted something else. He didn't receive any reply, but Sokka didn't care about that mostly because the girl was lying in pool of blood. "Blood don't come from nowhere so there must be wound. How did she get injured?" When he reached her, he gently turned her over to see that girl's face was covered by her long loose hair mixed with sand. Sokka gently brushed it aside… and was momentary stunned by what he saw. It wasn't what he expected to see and... or that his action would wake up the girl.

"Azula!?" said Sokka with clear sign of horror and shock in his voice when the girl opened her amber eyes and starred at him coldly. He never expected to find a run away princess, not in the state that ex-princess currently was. She was all covered in mud and dirt and her hair was in big mess half covering her face. There also was nasty wound in her leg that was bleeding.

"Sorry to disappoint you but I am not your fan girl." coldly stated ex Fire nation princess. She too was surprised that she would meet someone and the last one that she could think of was that watertribe peasant, avatar's friend. Although pain in her leg was unbearable she used all her control of body to look as strong, cold and intimidating as possible. Her dignity, what small piece of it was left, demanded to look strong and refuse any help from enemy, even if she would die here, on this god forsaken beach, without it.

"Let me help you. I hate you, you hate me. The feeling is mutual. So go on your merry ways looking for your friends and leave me alone. I am currently enjoying sea, beach and sun and you are disturbing it. Shoo!" Azula waved her hand, but the condition in which she currently was, was more grievous that it looked at first for her. She could barely raise her hand or even bend if there was need. Azula currently was weak, defenseless and at mercy of her enemy; those feeling where making her even more sick.

"Azula!" repeated Sokka and ripped off one of his long sleeve form his splendid costume he was currently wearing, "no matter how you dress peasant he would still be peasant in her mind", and then started to lean forward with that same sleeve in his hands.

"He is going to kill me! He will either strangle or suffocate me with this strap." Thought firebender but was powerless to do anything more that track that piece of cloth in man's arms slowly approaching her. "I will not scream, I don't make him pleasure to see me such weak and vulnerable and broken. I won't beg for my life… If I am to die this day I'll die with honor."

"Finish me off quickly I wouldn't resist and then you could go look for your friends." Said Azula and closed her eyes preparing to leave this place. She never thought that this day would come, but looks like it was the end of her; the end of fire nation princess. "Did her luck finally run out?" It looked that time has stopped for prodigious firebender when she waited for her demise, but to her big surprise it never came. Only sharp pain shoot through her leg and traveled through her all body forcing her to scream, but she used all her control of body to stop it. After the pain has ceased Azula opened her burning eyes and watched in awe how Sokka's strong arms gently lifted her leg and started to fix the wound in it. The pain shot again through her entire body, but she continued to look as calm and cold as possible but with every passing minute it become harder and harder.

Sokka couldn't believe himself of what he was currently doing. It all looked like big mistake that he may regret it one day, but looks like the teachings of his father and master Piandao were rubbing on him. He couldn't let Azula die on this beach even if she refused his help. She was a warrior and deserved to die as the one on battlefield, not as lowly hobo, she currently looked like, on this unknown place. He couldn't live if he left her here. How would he have to look to her brother and say that he found his crazy sister, but left her to die in some unknown place? Knowing how paranoid Zuko become after her disappearance, he most likely would be relived to hear that Sokka found her no matter dead or alive. But he couldn't.

"Azula, your leg is in pretty bad shape, but I fixed it as best as I could, it should be fine for now" said Sokka, then he saw her big surprised eyes and there was something more in those burning amber eyes that he never saw. Confusion, gratitude and something else he couldn't recognize. That scared him. Sokka was well accustomed that princess didn't show emotions, that she was adobe them. But now she looked like regular girl and that scared him most. He never thought that she was girl; she always was his and his friends' enemy, or at least until she disappeared several years ago and no one knew where she went. Now that he fixed her leg and it didn't look so bad he could leave her here, what he was kidding, it still looked horrible and from the look of her face, through she tried to hide it, it caused her enormous pain. She couldn't move in her current state and that mean that she couldn't find food so basically she would still die and that was unacceptable, so Sokka picked Azula bridal style and started to move in opposite direction he come.

Lots of thought swam in firebenders mind: "why would he help me?" was the main one. Last time she saw him they were mortal enemies and she would have killed him without second thought but now… now he was treating her wound even if she refused his aid and said all those bad words. "Why?" And then next thought appeared "He is taking me somewhere. He is going to use my weakness and rape me or turn me to my stupid brother, or both. At least I will have some fun too if it's first option but if it's second…"

"Hey put me down you peasant or I will …" demanded Azula.

"Yeah, yeah, I know you will incinerate me on spot if I don't obey you, oh mighty princess. I think if you wanted to, you would have already done it already. I saw cave nearby when I was walking here. You could be safe there and don't worry I am not going to use you if you are afraid of it. We watertribe are taught to respect women unlike Earth kingdom folks where rape is common thing." said Sokka with warm smile and Azula could see for first time how peaceful and beautiful his blue eyes were. It was as if she could sank in them and be happy; or was it the pain that was playing thing with her mind.

"No Azula; snap out of it; he is your enemy; you can't trust anything he says or do; you can't …but his eyes they look so beautiful …" Azula fell asleep on Sokka's shoulder.

A.N. P.S. I am currently looking for beta.