"Oh, you will regret this…"

There were people everywhere. They were shouting and yelling at her. Her eyes were on the man who started that mess. She glared at him with the fireball on her hand, daring him to move closer to her. He smirked, and she saw him picking up something from is pocket and coming towards her. A knife, she noticed. Azula didn't want to kill the man, only to make sure he would be out of her way and the crowd around would be scared enough to run away, so when she threw the fireball at him it wasn't as big as it could be. However, it never hit the man, because when she was aiming it at him, another man, a huge one, grabbed her by the arm, making her miss the target. The fireball hit a pill of trash on the corner of the alley, setting it on fire. Smoke slowly spread around.

The big man squeezed Azula's arm so hard, she thought he would break it. Then, before she could do anything he slammed her at the wall behind her. The Princess shut her eyes tight as she felt a strong pain on her head and back, when she opened her eyes again, the man was closer to her, still holding her arm tight with one of his hands, and pinning her other fist to the wall with the other one.

"You don't look so dangerous now, Princess." He snarled at her.

Hate was something so easy to be spread on. People didn't even need a good reason, just something to trigger it… So Azula wondered if that guy – or any of those people – had a real reason to attack her or he simply followed the crowd. But it was clear that he wanted to hurt her. They all did. And Azula shivered with pure genuine fear when she looked at his eyes and saw he would literally do anything to achieve his goal. At the same time Azula glance at the guy with the knife, who were even closer to her now.

"You won't look so pretty when we are done with you…" The huge man hissed at her.

Azula growled, as she felt her angriness overcoming her fear. She used all her strength to shove him away, blue fire blasted all around her. However, the man with the knife was already so close… Close enough to reach her. He would have stabbed or at least cut her if someone hadn't tackled him down at the very moment.

"Sokka?" Azula mumbled, as she saw a dark skinned boy over the other man on the ground.

Everything was happening so fast. Sokka punched the guy's face and took the knife from his hand, before Azula could even register what had really happened. Suddenly, people started to run away from the alley disorderly. Azula then saw royal guards coming to their direction. Sokka stood up, still glaring at the man. He looked so mad the Princess barely recognized him. When the guards got there, Sokka seemed to finally come back to his normal self and then rushed to Azula's direction.

"Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" He cupped her face, looking down to her, searching for any sign of injure. His voice sounded desperate.

Azula felt nervous with his sudden worrying attitude. She didn't expect him to act that way after all she had said to him earlier.

"I'm fine…" Her voice came as whisper. She swallowed, looking at his eyes.

Sokka nodded, and pulled her away from the alley, gently holding her hand. When they left the alley, they found a worried Zuko coming to their direction.

"What happened? Azula, is everything okay?" His eyes widened as he looked down to his sister.

Azula just nodded tiredly.

"She got mobbed, but nothing serious happened…" Sokka replied.

Zuko nodded, still looking worried to Azula.

"Take her back to the caravan, I will be there soon." He spoke to Sokka and walked towards a group of guards.

When they were walking back, Azula felt the adrenaline coming off her body. And then as her blood started to cool down, she started to feel dizzy, nauseous, her legs wobbly… Azula opened her mouth, feeling difficult to breathe. Was she really feeling that sick just because of a silly excitement like that? Azula scolded herself. But the pain in her arm kept reminding her of those people's shouts. That man's eyes… So full of hate and angriness… She wondered what would have happened to her if she didn't have the strength to shove that guy away at that very moment, and most important, if Sokka didn't get there… She could be dead, the Princess realized, or worse. She swallowed.

The world was spinning around her now. The fact that she hadn't slept the whole night before or eaten anything that morning was certainly making things worse. Her vision was completely blurred, when Sokka finally said something

"What were you even thinking?" He sounded angry now. "Did you want to get yourself killed? Or just drive me completely crazy? Why did you simply walk away without saying anything?"

"I thought you were behind me…" She mumbled.

"Well, but did you-" Sokka finally turned to look at her, his eyes widened. "Hey…" He got closer to her quickly, holding her shoulders shaking her softly. "What's the matter?"

Azula shook her head, and narrowed her eyes trying to focus on him. It was only then she realized he was so close. She couldn't help but feel a flickering feeling in her stomach.

"Azula?" He asked again, sounding extremely worried now.

"Yes?" She replied weakly, her vision blurring again.

When Sokka saw Azula in that alley surrounded by that crowd, he felt desperate. He was so scared someone would hurt her. He didn't even remember the last time he felt so much fear. He didn't even know how he tackled that man so fast and took the knife off this hand. When Sokka finally saw Azula was fine, he felt a huge relief, but at the same time he wanted to scream at her. He was so mad. Was she actually determined to turn his life into hell? Didn't she know she could be killed? After everything she had said to him that morning, couldn't she give him a break?

But all the angriness disappeared when he looked at her now. She was incredibly pale, trembling, her eyes rolling back in their sockets… The concern and fear were back. Sokka felt a horrible urge to hug and comfort her. She looked so fragile right now… Like she could faint at any moment.

"Come on…" He said, putting one of her arms on his shoulders and holding her by her waist. "Let's get you back…"

Azula didn't contest. She only rested her head on his shoulder and walked back with him.

Azula was on the coach's sit, resting her head near the window. A second later Sokka came in, holding a water bottle.

"Here… Drink this." He handed her the bottle.

Azula drank it and then took a deep breath.

"What are you feeling?" Sokka asked, looking concerned at her.

"Nothing, I'm fine." She shrugged, giving the bottle back to him.

Sokka groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Who are you kidding, huh? You look like you will pass out at any moment…"

Azula sighed and faced him again. She tried to look angry, but she just looked more embarrassed than mad.

"You know, your job is to make sure no one kills me… You've done it. Now leave me alone, Sokka." She said harshly.

"Ugh, I should have let you faint on the street…" Sokka mumbled.

"Yeah, probably…" Azula just rolled her eyes, annoyed.

She felt a strong headache coming, and the world started to spin again. Sokka seemed to notice it, because he frowned at her, looking impatient.

"Drink more!" He ordered – yes, it was an order –, handing her the bottle.

Azula glared at him, but since she was feeling too tired and sick to discuss anything, she just drank more water.

"Now," he continued. "What are you feeling?" Sokka spoke each word carefully, almost as if it were a threat.

She rolled her eyes and sighed.

"I just have a bad headache… " Her voice came out weaker than she expected, as she rested her head on sit's back, looking at him. "And I'm a little dizzy… Probably because I haven't eaten anything yet…"

Sokka's eyes widened.

"What?! Why didn't you eat?" He asked, irritated.

"We left in a hurry, we didn't have time, remember?" Azula answered.

"Yeah, but you could have eaten something quickly before we left. That's what I did!" Sokka scolded her.

Azula laughed weakly at him, making him frown confused.

"Not everyone thinks about food all the time like you do, Sokka…" She mocked him.

Sokka looked unamused to her. He couldn't help but feel a little relived that she at least had enough spirit to tease him. It wasn't the first time he saw her in such a fragile state, but it was still so weird for him. He felt an inexplicable urge to protect her, to hold her… He wanted to be mad at her, for everything she had done, but right now it seemed impossible. The Princess blinked sleepily at him. She seemed to be waiting for him to say something. Sokka gave her a half smile as he distractedly raised his hand to tuck a bang of her hair behind her ear.

"The stress and the lack of food probably made you feel like this." He muttered, looking at her eyes. "You should be fine…"

Azula couldn't help but feel her body melting. The way he was looking at her and how he touched her hair… It was simply driving her crazy. She wanted him, she needed him. He had protected and helped her after all. But she had made a pact with herself. She wouldn't let him get closer again, right? She couldn't, not after spending a whole night up, anguished and depressed, thinking he was with that other girl. Azula was determinate not to lose control like this anymore. She swallowed as she stared at his big blue eyes that were studying her face carefully for quite a long time. Damn, this is hard.

"Feeling any better?" He whispered at her.

The flickering feeling in her stomach was back.

"Yes…" She whispered back.

It was so hard to breathe when he was this close, she was afraid she would really swoon.

"Are you sure those bastards didn't really hurt you?" Sokka asked softly, touching her face with one hand.

The Princess only nodded as something loosened inside her a little. Maybe it wouldn't harm to lose control just one more time. Just once… Azula thought as she closed her eyes and raised her head slowly to kiss him.

Sokka knew he shouldn't kiss her, she probably didn't even want it. The Princess was just too scared and vulnerable, needing someone there for her. But he simply couldn't help himself around her, could he? His eyes closed instinctively as his face approached hers. But before her lips reached his, Azula heard her brother's voice.

The Princess came back to reality abruptly, pulling back and sitting up straight, startled.

"Hey, are you two okay?" Zuko asked, entering the caravan.

They nodded, awkwardly. Azula just hoped Zuko wouldn't notice her flushed cheeks. But he was too worried with everything else to notice something like that.

"Your attackers finally got what they want… Things are so chaotic, I'm afraid something worse might happen…" Zuko said, nervously.

Azula sighed.

"The attackers or Jiang?" The Princess thought out loud. Zuko shrugged, frowning at her. "They might be working together, but they have different goals."Azula bit her bottom lip, narrowing her eyes. "And I really think Jiang is the one behind all this…"

"Do you have any idea why would he do anything against you, Zuko?" Sokka asked.

"He supported my father, I think that's enough for him."

"But if he was really that devoted to your father he would simply leave his place as Governor and join the opposition, when you became Fire Lord… Just like some other nobles did, right?" Sokka went on.

Azula observed Sokka carefully.

"Yeah, it makes sense." Zuko replied, nodding.

"So, maybe he has other reasons, personal ones… I don't know. What did he use to do to your father? I mean besides being a Governor… Was there anything else?"

"I'm not sure…"

"We can look for something in the royal files." Azula intervened. "Usually all agreements and connections father used to have are registered there…"

Sokka looked at her and nodded.

"Good. Let's see if it helps us to figure out something…"

Azula was in her bath for a longer time than usual. She would meet Zuko in his office in one hour, so they could search something about the Governor in the royal files. The Princess took a deep breath. She just couldn't stop thinking about what happened in the city. How those people attacked her… Every time she closed her eyes, she could see that man's eyes, she could feel herself getting slammed at the wall again. Azula shivered, she should have burned him to ashes. She should have burn them all to ashes. They should have paid for what they had done. She glanced to her arm and her wrist, they were sore and bruised, and they would be like that for weeks.

Then her thoughts went to that moment in the caravan, before Zuko had arrived. Things were a blur in her mind. Azula would never say it out loud, but she was so glad Sokka was there with her. She felt so safe… But also… So vulnerable and weak. And, for crying out loud, she had almost kissed him again! Azula swallowed. Why was it so hard to keep distance from him? Probably because he was around all the time, annoying her in every possible way! Azula felt her face flushing when she remembered how worried he was when he found her in the alley, she would never admit it, but his concern made her feel warm inside, she felt less scared and less alone… And then when they were together inside the caravan… the way he looked at her and tucked her hair… She couldn't help but wonder how that kiss would have been. Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Azula?" Sokka's voice on the other side of the door almost gave Azula a heart attack. She gasped, blushing deeply.

"Yes?" Her voice sounded hoarse.

"You've been there for a while… Is everything all right?"

"Yes, Sokka." She answered harshly, standing up and leaving the tub.

After a while, Azula left her bathroom in her robe, brushing her long wet hair, just to see Sokka's worried eyes. She tried not to blush again, and just pretended to be impatience.

"I'm fine. Seriously, what could possibly happen while I was bathing?" She asked, with disdain.

"You almost passed out earlier today! What if you felt like that again and blacked out inside your tub? You could be drowning right now!" Sokka answered her, frowning irritated.

Azula simply made a grimace.

"Will you stop? Pretending you care about me won't make me like you…" She hissed, walking past him.

But Sokka stopped her, holding her by the elbow and making her face him. Her eyes widened.

"You really think I'm doing all this so you will like me?" Sokka snapped. That was the last straw. He was so frustrated and mad. She had humiliated him, put her herself in danger, made him risk his life to save her… Then, she almost kissed him again, and now this? What was wrong with this girl? Maybe people were right, she was a nutcase and she was just driving him mad as well. And he was sick of it! He just wanted to stay away from all this mess. "This is my freaking job!" Azula's mouth opened up a little, as she stared at him almost startled, she had never seen him like this before. "I'm doing this as a favor to your brother… my friend. So yes, I will care if you live or die, because I gave him my word I would protect you. But that's all. I don't want anything to do with you! Do you have any idea how messed up you are? Once everything is solved, believe me, I will leave this damned place and your life. For good." He let go of her arm, still glaring at her.

Azula felt as if something had broken inside her. It took her a few seconds so she could move again. She never expected something like this. She should though. After all she had done to him, of course he hated her. It was what she wanted, right? To make sure he wouldn't get close to her again. Whatever they had ever had, it was completely over now. The Princess swallowed hard as she felt her chest tightening.

"Good." She finally answered, giving him a weak smile.

Azula, Sokka and Zuko spent hours looking through old registers in the Fire Lord's office. It was already evening when Azula's tired eyes finally caught something interesting.

"Zuko?"

"Yeah?" Her brother sounded sleepy.

"Come here, take a look at this." She was holding an open scroll. Azula looked unsure at Sokka on the other side of the table. They hadn't said anything to each other since they left her room. She felt terrible every time she looked at him, but she couldn't let her feelings take control over her now. Her life and her country were in danger, and she needed everyone working with her right now. And that meant Sokka too. Azula sighed and finally said, "you too."

Both guys sat next to Azula and looked down to scroll.

"Look at this. Look at all the money Jiang used to receive a few months before the end of the war, and look what he receives now… It's less than half of what he used to make." Azula frowned. "It says here his town was one of the main providers of metal for weapons and armors to the capital…"

"It makes sense." Sokka replied. "Since the war is over I bet this business is not going that well… You guys probably don't need weapons and these kind of stuff anymore, well, at least not as you used to need."

"Yeah, the ones we have come from the Earth Kingdom now." Zuko finally spoke. "It was one of the first deals my economists did with the Earth Kingdom."

Azula looked at her brother.

"Hm, so basically, you ruined the man's business completely, uh?" She asked, still examining the paper.

Zuko looked unamused to his sister.

"I let him keep his place as Governor… I'm pretty sure he has enough money…"

Azula rolled her eyes.

"Zuko, money is like power. For the ones who are addicted to it, you can never have enough."

Zuko sighed, annoyed.

"You really think he would support your assassins and do all this mess, just because of money?" He asked.

"Actually, yes." Azula raised her eyebrows to him. "But this is just speculation. Isn't he coming for the anniversary of the end of the war next week?"

"For the feast? Yes, I'm pretty sure." Zuko replied.

Zuko narrowed his eyes to his sister, noticing she clearly had something in her mind.

"Interesting…" Azula smirked.

"A feast, a traitor, and Azula's crazy plans… What can possibly go wrong?" Sokka asked with sarcasm.

Azula just glared at him.

"It's not a crazy plan. We just need to get information-"

But before she could finish what she was saying, someone opened the door. Azula frowned, both confused and curious, when she saw her brother's annoyed semblance changing to a bright smiling face.

"Suki?" Zuko called.

"Hey, Zuko…" She said softly and smiled. "Hey, guys."

"Hi, Suki…" Sokka smiled at her and then continued looking at the documents.

"We need to talk to you guys…" Suki began, as Ty Lee entered the room and closed the door behind her.

"We may have some information about the attackers…" Ty Lee muttered.

"Really?" Zuko stood up and walk towards them, so did Sokka. "Good!"

Azula were the last one to finally stand up and face the Kyoshi girls.

"Yeah, but if we will need your help, mostly if Sokka will really go uncovered..." Suki began.

Azula felt even more upset and depressed the moment Suki arrived. Her chest tightened even more than it was already tighten and she felt like screaming. It didn't matter how much Azula was trying take Sokka out of her mind, when Suki was around, jealousy would simply take over her, and everything she could think was different ways to turn the Kyoshi Warrior to ashes. Yes, they weren't dating anymore. But nothing was stopping them to get back together. Mostly now that Sokka made it very clear that he was sick of her. He would probably go back to the Kyoshi Warrior any time soon... After all, the girl wasn't crazy and messed up as she was. Azula swallowed and glared at the other girl.

"Did you find out who they are?" The Princess asked dryly, angriness taking control of her now.

"No, not yet, but-" Suki began.

But the Princess just cut the girl off, folding her arms.

"Do you have any clue why are they doing this?" Azula stepped forward, staring at the girl with inquisitive eyes.

"No, but, listen-"

"When can they be found?"

"Azula, listen…" Suki sighed.

"Wow, you really did a great job…" The Princess said sarcastically and rolled her eyes.

"Azula! Stop it!" Zuko glared at his sister, who just let out an irritated sigh. "I'm sorry, Suki, please go on…"

The Kyoshi girl simply smiled at him and went on.

"Thank you, Zuko. Well, no, we don't know exactly where they can be found yet, but we do know they were seen in the north of the capital. And apparently there are people, common people, who are helping them to hide. At least that's the gossip spread in town. However, the source we've got said we could probably find out more if we talked to the owner of this specific tavern. Apparently, she knows everything that happens in that part of the city."

"And did you talk to her?" Sokka finally said something.

"No. You see," Suki began and faced Azula. "The tavern is called The Merciful Fire."

Azula's eyes grew wide immediately.

"Do you know this place, Azula?" Zuko raised his eyebrow, looking at her.

"Kind of…" Azula muttered.

Sokka groaned impatiently.

"So, who is this owner? Why didn't you guys just talk to her?" He almost yelled, annoyed, looking at Suki.

"Well," Ty Lee was the one who started. She sounded unsure. "She is one of Azula's friends…" The bitterness was clear in the girl's voice. "From her days as the Kemurikage."

Azula made a wince face as she looked at everyone else and groaned, "Zirin…"

A/N: Thank you for reading it! I hope you like it! And pleeease review it! :D