The Grand Royal Dome was truly regal, there was no denying it. Zuko was amazed by every detail of its structure. The spotless marble tiles on the floor, the red carpets covering the stairs and the red-and golden-ornaments gave the building a sense of magnificence he hadn't seen anywhere other than in the Royal Palace itself.
Zuko had snuck out of his home clad in dark robes, wearing a hood over his face to conceal his features. He feared people might notice it was him no matter if he was dressed like this, but he had been right to guess they would leave him alone after spotting him in such a getup. Guards weren't too keen on keeping watch on him nowadays: it was one of the sole things that he liked about being dejected by his father. Even the soldiers that saw him leaving the Palace premises decided to let him be, knowing that, no matter whatever Zuko's business was, he clearly didn't want to be disturbed, and they had no reasons to disturb him anyway.
He didn't know why he had bothered coming all the way to the Grand Royal Dome. Ty Lee had asked him to come, sure… but why had he gone with it? Why hadn't he just forgotten about her invitation? It probably would have been troublesome to ignore Ty Lee blatantly like that, but it would have spared him from spending a day in the girl's company… but he hadn't forgotten about their appointment. He had even been looking forward to it, despite himself. He guessed it was the price he had to pay for not having anything to do in the Palace nowadays.
He detailed the vestibule upon his arrival. People were leaving the stands after the fight between The Light Bearer and The Pyro Tornado, according to what he had seen in the board where the fights of the day had been written down. His eyes kept sliding towards the names of the two gladiators that would star on the upcoming combat: The Blue Wolf vs. Kyoshi's Heir.
His eyes narrowed at the thought of the Water Tribe man who had gotten to his bad side so easily only a week ago. He had fallen into such a troublesome situation because of him… he had spent the last days beating himself up for it, even when Mai and Ruon Jian didn't seem to be upset about what had happened. He sighed and shook his head, trying not to think about that matter anymore.
"Zuko?" asked the perky voice that belonged to his companion of the day, who had only just arrived at the Dome. "Why are you dressed up like that?! This is the Arena, not some covert operation!"
"I wanted to be left alone," he replied, sighing. "Wearing clothes like these made it easier for me to get through the guards without having them force a palanquin on me."
"O-oh…" said Ty Lee, blinking repeatedly. "Well, that's all good, I suppose. But we have to get moving already! We probably will get some lousy seats…"
With that, she grabbed him by the forearm and dragged him through the vestibule. Zuko had noticed two counters in the entrance hall: one behind which sat a young man who seemed to be in charge of the gladiators and their sponsors, and another one, behind which sat an older and chubbier man who dealt with the bids.
"Didn't you want to go get good seats?" asked Zuko, frowning when Ty Lee stopped before the chubby man's counter. "Why aren't we going to the stands right away…?"
"Why, because I have to place my bets!" said Ty Lee, happily. "It won't take long, just give me a minute!"
Zuko sighed and waited for Ty Lee to finish writing in her bet on Sokka. He felt tempted to place a bet on the opposite gladiator merely out of spite, but he decided against it. He wasn't even carrying that much money with him, and what he had he wouldn't waste on something as pointless as a combat between slaves.
Ty Lee proceeded to drag Zuko up the stairs once she was done placing her bet, and she led him towards a wide golden arch that opened the way towards the stands. Zuko couldn't deny the architecture of the Arena had been thought out really well: the seats were properly spaced and placed in different heights, so that everyone would have a clear view of the sand pit below. Zuko gulped as he watched how the Arena's maintenance staff cleaned the ring. Was it a burned hand what that man had just picked up? He had to hold back the urge to puke when he realized it probably was. What sort of madness had he gotten himself into? And… whose hand was it: the Light Bearer's or the Pyro Tornado's?
"Drat! I knew we wouldn't get good seats," Ty Lee whined, looking around with pursed lips. "Sokka's fights are so popular nowadays… and if he's fighting a highly ranked gladiator, it was only going to get worse."
"Highly ranked?" asked Zuko, raising an eyebrow. "Does that mean he might lose?"
"He might," said Ty Lee, shrugging. "But he's only ever lost once before, so I doubt he'll have such a hard time today. Uh, I think I see an opening over there…"
She led the way towards the back of the stands on the eastern wing of the Arena. Zuko frowned when the only seats they could get were behind a large group of strange people wearing green clothes and some unusual white face paint, holding yellow fans on their hands.
"What on earth…?" he asked. "Why are these people dressed like this? Is this a costume competition as well?"
"No, no," said Ty Lee, chuckling. "They're supporters! They're people who root for a particular gladiator. If you look closely you can see that, at the other end of the Arena, there are some strange people wearing wolf masks and waving black sword imitations around… well, they're Sokka's admirers."
"So… these people are his opponent's supporters?" asked Zuko, grimacing as he glared at the crowd around him.
"Yeah, so we can't cheer too loudly for Sokka or else we might end up making some enemies over here…" said Ty Lee, giggling nervously.
"I hope you don't ask me to blend in with them," he grunted, looking at the people below with disdain. "They're ridiculous. This whole thing is ridiculous. Why did I even bother coming here?!"
"I am starting to wonder the same thing," muttered Ty Lee, sighing. She wasn't one to give her decisions much thought, she always went by whatever she felt was right… but asking Zuko to spend time with her was never the right thing. This was probably the last time she'd invite him anywhere. Dealing with him was exhausting.
Zuko didn't stop glaring at Kyoshi's Heir's admirers, feeling completely out of place where he was. He wished the damn fight would be done with quickly enough so he could get out of here already…
"So… did you gather anything else about my opponent?" asked Sokka, stretching in the stand-by room. He glanced at his sponsor from the corner of his eye, trying to look at the Princess without her noticing.
"I don't have much information," she admitted as she looked out towards the sand pit. The gleam of the sun was making the sand shine so brightly that it was slightly blinding. "Apparently she uses fans to fight…"
"Fans?" asked Sokka, raising an eyebrow as he turned to face Azula directly. "Uh… what type of fans are we talking about? Actual fans to move wind around or crazy fans like the ones in the stands…?"
"How exactly would she fight using other people?" asked Azula, staring at Sokka in disbelief.
"I have no idea! Either thing is weird!" declared Sokka, folding his arms across his chest.
"Well, it's the former," said Azula, sighing. "Not humans, objects."
"Huh… say, how is it that someone who fights with fans has made it so high in the ranking?" asked Sokka, raising an eyebrow. "She doesn't sound all that dangerous."
"We didn't think the Blind Bandit would be dangerous and I don't think you need me to remind you what the outcome of that fight was."
"Uh… okay, you got me there," said Sokka, scratching his head. "So… just fans?"
"She also has a sword, but it seems she doesn't use it unless she has no choice," said Azula. "Her blade isn't a jian like yours, it's a katana."
"Katana…?" asked Sokka, frowning. "Piandao told me once that those swords were really sharp, but they only have one edge."
"It sounds like she's a very traditional fighter," said Azula. "So don't…"
"Underestimate her, yeah," finished Sokka, nodding. Azula smiled slightly at that. It struck her as odd that someone else would finish her sentences, but she didn't find it bothersome if it was him.
"Be careful," she muttered. "There's probably no need to remind you that she's really high in the ranking, so keep that in mind. If what Shoji explained to us is true, she probably won't fight to her best… so, please, don't try to be gallant or something. Use this as an advantage, don't let your edge go to waste."
Sokka chuckled and looked at Azula with inquisitive eyes.
"Why, you don't want me to be gallant, Princess? You should know by now that gallantry is like a second nature to me…"
Azula rolled her eyes and shook her head, her lips curling into a half smile as she did.
"A gallant savage… that's what some people would call a contradiction, you know?"
"Yet you thought I'd try to be gallant… why did you think that, if it's such a contradiction?" he asked, smirking back at her.
Azula couldn't help but laugh, the look on his face too amusing for her to come up with any useful retorts right away.
"You see, I don't really think you have it in you to be gallant. Still, you always end up doing stupid things. And that's pretty much the stupidest thing you could do today."
"You really think so?" asked Sokka, eyeing her with suspicion.
"Well, I suppose you could top that if you work hard enough…"
"I wasn't talking about that!" said Sokka, prompting Azula to laugh at him again. "I meant, you really think I can't be gallant?"
Azula looked at him, their eyes clashing together for a moment. The usual physical attraction that had always existed between them suddenly caught them both with more power than ever before as they lost themselves in the other's gaze. Azula was the one to break the strange spell by lowering her head and smiling before walking up to him and patting his shoulder gently.
"Good luck, Sokka," she muttered, leaving the room silently.
Sokka was left staring at the empty spot where she had stood before, his heart beating so fast it felt as if it was about to burst out of his chest. He wasn't imagining things, was he? What had happened just now hadn't been a mere moment between a gladiator and a sponsor…
Well… to be fair, there was hardly anything about them that came off as the typical relationship between a gladiator and a sponsor. But before he'd had his dream, he'd only been teasing her, taking advantage of her shyness on a few topics and making fun of her blushing face. Instead, now… now he felt close to losing his mind whenever he was near her. He had to make use of every ounce of his willpower not to blurt out something he would regret, not to take that beautiful face into his hands and bring his lips to hers…
He slammed a fist into the wall, angry at himself. There was a fine line drawn between the limits of daydreaming and reality, yet he kept blurring it in hopes that, by some marvelous chance, the Princess might be daydreaming about him, too. But why would she think about a slave like this? What was there about him that could catch the eye of a high-class woman like herself?
He wanted to believe there was nothing, truly… but if that was the case, why had she looked at him like that? Her eyes had shown him the same emotion from when she had left him at his house after they had visited Mai, and he was starting to think he wasn't misunderstanding what it meant, not when this had already happened twice. Perhaps he was right and there was no reason why Azula would be attracted to him… but it wasn't impossible for her to be. Hell, she had scarred him physically and mentally several times now in over two years, yet he was constantly holding back the urge to take her into his arms. He shouldn't be attracted to her either, but he was, and there was no use denying it.
Still, for her to be interested in him as well didn't mean he had the right to act upon his feelings. There were more than enough drawbacks, plenty of reasons for Azula to be unwilling to do anything about their mutual feelings. Sokka didn't need to study the Fire Nation's policies in detail to know that there was no chance that the Princess would be allowed to get involved with a mere peasant, let alone with a slave. And Azula wouldn't break such rules knowingly just because she found him appealing. She was fully loyal to her father, and she wouldn't be swayed by fleeting urges that would end up unleashing a world of grief upon her in the long run. A relationship such as the one that could be built between them was forbidden, and it was doomed to fail.
It wasn't easy to accept that he'd never get involved with Azula when his heart ached to be near her, but he had to get over her. It was as simple as that. He couldn't carry on with this fool's errand, kidding himself into believing that something real could be born between them. They were enemies, had always been and always would be. It was impossible for them to be together. So he'd better grow out of his delusions and find a way out of this absurd obsession he had developed towards Azula.
There had to be a simple solution, something he could use to stabilize himself again. Clearly, just thinking about all the wrongs she had done to him was no use. He had been trying that ever since he had that dream, and it had been no use. The solution he resorted to had to be drastic, or at the very least, it had to be a powerful enough distraction to help him to stop thinking about Azula.
He tapped his chin as a sneaky thought crossed into his mind. If he needed a distraction, there was something simple he could do…
Maybe he could find another woman.
He was a slave, true enough, but that didn't mean he was such a bad catch. He was handsome, strong and witty… any girl would love that! Sure, it wouldn't be easy to find a girl who could help him stop thinking about Azula… because the Princess was, truly, the most beautiful girl he had ever met. To find someone who could top that would be impossible… but, truth to be told, he didn't need a girl who could outdo Azula. He just needed her not to be a royal, to be smart, nice and decent looking, at the very least. So long as she had those traits, he guessed she might stop being a mere distraction quickly enough, and, before he knew it, he would probably be back on his feet, hardly even recalling that he'd had a crush on Princess Azula to begin with.
The grid slid upwards, bringing him back to reality as it did. He took a deep breath and placed his helmet on his head, trying to focus on the battle at hand. He'd figure out what to do with his turbulent love life later. For now, he had to keep his every thought centered on the fight he was about to undertake.
The announcer called him in, and Sokka entered the ring, familiar already with the objects that were placed in the Grand Dome's sand pit. He waved at the stands and received a very loud cheer as a response. Was it his imagination, or was the Arena more crowded than usual today? He shrugged the thought off and stopped when he was close to the center of the sand pit, resisting the impulse to look at the sponsor's balcony for once.
The grid on the other side of the Arena was raised as the announcer spoke, and a figure entered the sand as deafening hoots were heard throughout the stadium.
"And, opposing the Blue Wolf, we have the strongest female non-bender in the rankings! A crowd favorite with an impressive winning streak behind her, give a loud cheer for Kyoshi's Heir!"
Zuko and Ty Lee covered their ears as the people on their end of the audience seemed to lose their minds, shrieking wildly for their favorite gladiator. Zuko grimaced with disgust when he caught sight of a strange man that was even releasing foam through his mouth when the gladiator entered the ring.
But Sokka ignored all the noise as his rival walked up to him. Her green garments were thoroughly traditional, as expected, and she wore a black armor on top of it. Her features were concealed behind a very careful work of face paint that gave her appearance a daring edge. She had short light brown hair and her eyes were an unusual shade of violet.
She stopped a few feet away from where he was standing, a stern look on her face. Sokka blinked a couple of times and shook his head promptly, stopping himself from admiring her. This was quite an unexpected turn of events, wasn't it? He would have never thought Kyoshi's Heir would turn to be anything other than dangerous… and he was pleasantly surprised to discover otherwise. Perhaps his plans to get over Azula could be put in motion right away…
The crowd finally settled down when the announcer ushered the fighters to begin sparring, letting them know the combat would last twenty minutes. Zuko frowned and looked at the two gladiators, not getting a good glimpse of the girl who would be Sokka's rival for today. Her hoard of supporters had prompted him to dislike her before seeing her, expecting her to be a wimp… but as he saw how she stood, with her back perfectly straight and her fans at the ready, Zuko felt some respect towards her. Even if she was a gladiator, he could see she was a true warrior as well, and surely an honorable one at that.
Kyoshi's Heir held her two fans steadily in her hands as she eyed her opponent with intelligent eyes. Sokka frowned and realized she wasn't going to relinquish the fight despite the low bid. She wasn't likely to claw her way into victory, but it didn't mean she wouldn't attempt to triumph. The determination on her face made him smile as he unsheathed his sword, his eyes fixated on her figure.
"Why… hello there," he muttered, smirking.
Kyoshi's Heir frowned slightly before replying to him.
"Hello," she said, her voice kinder than Sokka had expected it to be.
"Nice meeting you," he said, his smile widening at her response. "I'm glad you're a reasonable person instead of being as irrational as most people I've fought with."
"It's unusual hearing compliments in the sand pit…" said Kyoshi's Heir, clenching her fans tighter. She had been fighting in the Gladiator business for over seven years. It wasn't the first time she faced an opponent who tried to be a smooth talker. They used fancy words to distract her and they attacked when she least expected it, so she braced herself with that expectation in mind.
"Is it, now?" asked Sokka, amused. "I wouldn't have thought so… the other gladiators must have been either too bloodthirsty or too stupid not to compliment someone like you."
"Those who were stupid or bloodthirsty were defeated quickly," said Kyoshi's Heir. "But I'll have you know that those who couldn't hold their tongues were beaten down as well."
Sokka chuckled and swung his sword forward, finally getting in a proper fighting stance.
"You've got the looks, got the personality… is there anything you're missing out on, Kyoshi's Heir?"
"The pride of having defeated the Blue Wolf, I suppose," she replied, smirking and leering at him, waiting for him to deliver the first blow.
Sokka couldn't help but smirk at her sly remarks. This girl wasn't just any regular girl, was she…?
And, a few feet away, someone caught notice of the broad smile on his face.
Azula's eyes grew wide in horror as she heard the words that were being exchanged down below. Her hands gripped the armrests of her chair firmly as she looked at Sokka with disbelief, unable to give credit to what was happening. What exactly was he doing? Why was he speaking like that? Why was he smiling at her? What was wrong with him?
"A man with quite a quick wit and a quick tongue too…" mused Kyoshi's Heir's sponsor next to Azula, a man who had introduced himself earlier as Oyaji. "You have a hired a very interesting gladiator, Princess."
Azula ignored him, aghast as she was, snakes twisting up inside of her. This was merely a ploy Sokka had come up with to defeat Kyoshi's Heir, wasn't it? He wasn't flirting with that woman… he wasn't. He couldn't be. There was no way he would do something like that with another gladiator…
"Our gladiator names are really cool, no kidding," said Sokka, moving Space Sword about as he spoke. "But I'd really like to know what your real name is."
"Oh, so you want to get to know me better?" asked Kyoshi's Heir, skeptical. "How bold of you…"
"I take pride on that, I'm not going to lie," Sokka snickered.
"Normally people introduce themselves before asking about someone else's identity, but, regardless…" started Kyoshi's Heir, but Sokka interrupted her.
"Yikes, that's right!" he said, chuckling. "The name's Sokka, sorry about that."
Kyoshi's Heir's shoulders shook as she laughed as well, giving him a disbelieving stare.
"You really didn't need to say it," she muttered. "I'll have you know I didn't come here to exchange pleasantries, I'm here to fight. So either you shift that flirty attitude of yours, or we're going to have a problem here…"
"Hey, hey…" said Sokka, chuckling. "Why the rush? We have twenty minutes! What's wrong about getting to know each other better?"
"What's wrong is that you chose the wrong girl to play around with, Sokka," she said, shaking her head before lunging forward, her fans in tow.
"Oh, come on!" said Sokka, jumping back and avoiding the stab Kyoshi's Heir tried to deliver at his chest. "You're quite forceful, you know?"
"Why, I thought you liked girls with character!" said Kyoshi's Heir, opening her fans quickly and pivoting on her right foot, twirling and attempting to strike Sokka's shoulder now.
Sokka noted she had a very interesting fighting style. Her movements were flowing and quick, and they would have been quite efficient if only she had reached her target. But she was faced against an opponent who knew exactly what to do to get out of her reach.
Sokka leaped to the right, rolling on the sand and hopping on his feet again. Kyoshi's Heir turned to face him and she held another stance, holding a fan near her head and the other close to her leg.
By the stands, Zuko's eyes widened when he finally caught sight of the gladiator's face. Yes, her face was painted. Yes, she was wearing a huge golden ornament that didn't let him see her every detail …
But the second his gaze fell upon her, he had felt something stirring within him. The determined look on her face, the position that she was currently holding, the harsh words she had spoken… all of them combined made her the most impressive woman he could recall having seen.
Ty Lee, next to him, seemed a little surprised by Sokka's lady-killer attitude towards Kyoshi's Heir, and she voiced her opinion a few times while the female gladiator hadn't been facing them. Zuko hadn't spoken his mind yet… and he was glad he hadn't. Now he had seen what she really looked like, he couldn't help but think that, if he had been in Sokka's position, he would have behaved in the same manner towards her. Or at least, he would have tried to behave in the same way.
"Okay, okay… I can see you want a fight, so I guess I'll give you one," said Sokka, shrugging. "But on one condition…"
"We're working on conditions now?"
"If I manage to land a blow on you, you'll have to tell me what your name is," he stated, smirking at her.
Zuko suddenly started rooting for Sokka for the first time. He needed to know that girl's real name. It didn't really matter how he found out what it was, for he was insanely curious about her. He needed to know who she was…
"Ah, I'd say that does sound like a fair trade," said Kyoshi's Heir, narrowing her eyes and smirking at him. "Though I wonder if you'll manage to land a single blow…"
"How about you come here so we can find out?" Sokka replied, showing her his teeth as he smiled as well.
Kyoshi's Heir spun around and closed one of her fans, tossing it at Sokka at such speed that he nearly lost his balance in his attempt to avoid the blow. She brought out her sword now and she ran up at him, her eyes fierce as she showed him he wasn't going to overpower her easily…
Yet she didn't expect Sokka's blade to be as steady as it was when her katana collided with it. Sokka smirked as she spun around again, her fan headed straight to his face…
But Sokka shrunk in his frame, moving his sword down and striking his opponent with his shoulder, performing a powerful tackle she hadn't envisioned. Kyoshi's Heir was sent flying a few meters back after the impact, glaring at Sokka after she was steady on her feet again.
Azula gasped at that attack, her chest heaving as she gritted her teeth. Yes, she should be glad that Sokka had managed to land a blow on a fighter who held such a high position on the ranking, but she couldn't be pleased by the developments at all. The way he was smiling at Kyoshi's Heir as she tried to regain her breath… it wasn't the way he usually smiled at his enemies, at the people he had faced in the Arena.
It was the way he smiled at her.
"So, seems like you've got to talk now," said Sokka, chuckling. "How about you give up that name, huh?"
Kyoshi's Heir glared at him, feeling slightly cheated. She hadn't expected him to attack her with a body slam, of all things… but it was a perfectly legal blow, wasn't it? She sighed and softened her gaze a little before muttering:
"Suki. My name… is Suki."
Sokka's mouth curved into a sneaky smile again.
"Suki, huh? It's a nice name."
Zuko sighed in the stands, his eyes never leaving Kyoshi's Heir's figure. So, Suki… that was what she was called. He found himself smiling as well as he repeated the name in his head over and over again, making sure he wouldn't forget it.
"And now we fight for real," said Kyoshi's Heir, leaping forward and attempting to strike Sokka with her sword once more.
Sokka parried her katana's blows with his own blade, and he evaded her attacks whenever she tried to strike him with her fan. He was mostly defensive, studying the patterns of her movements as he tried to determine the openings on her stance. He found a chance to hit her right above her left arm… but to his surprise, she moved her hand quickly and she brought it back up wielding a round shield on her forearm. She caught Sokka's sword on it and lifted her shield, rendering him momentarily defenseless and she rammed her closed fan into his chest. Sokka was forced to fall back, breathless after the hard blow he had taken. There was no denying it, this girl was a force to be reckoned with. She wasn't as deadly as Toph, granted, but he couldn't let down his guard even if he wanted to…
"What's the matter? Ran out of fancy words?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, so you wanted to keep talking?" he retorted. "I thought you just wanted to speak with our weapons now… seems like my inability to hold back my tongue appealed to you, alright."
Suki's eyes widened with surprise as he smirked at her. She huffed in disbelief, but said nothing more as she jumped forth for another attack.
"Now, now… didn't you want to talk?" asked Sokka, bringing out his club and striking down her katana with it as he lunged at her ribs with his sword. Her shield protected her from his blow.
"That's not what I meant!" replied Suki, opening her fan again and avoiding Sokka's sword when he almost caught her face with a stab.
To her dismay, Sokka smirked widely and brought down his club on her open fan, tearing it to shreds and hurting her hand in the process. Kyoshi's Heir jumped back, clenching her teeth together as she looked at her opponent after putting some distance between them. She clearly had underestimated him… both him and that quick wit of his. His smirk was more attractive than it was infuriating, yet she wouldn't let herself get swayed by that. She had come here to fight, after all.
"Look," said Sokka, chuckling as he lowered his blade, letting her regain her breath. "You're a lot more interesting than any other fighter I've met in all my years as a gladiator, and you're really pretty too. So, I don't know if you're taken or what, but what do you say about going on a date with me?"
Suki's eyes widened with shock. Was he seriously asking her out?
Zuko grimaced, irritated. That idiot was asking her out?!
Azula grew paler with every word she heard Sokka utter. There was no way… there was just no way he had just done that… No! He was her gladiator, hers! Only hers! He had no right to ask anyone on a date, let alone a random girl he had just been fighting against! What did he see in her, anyway?! Surely she was concealing some horrible features behind that pathetic face paint. She was nothing! She wasn't even that strong a fighter, to boot! So… why? Why was he looking at that lowly girl, when the only one he should have ever looked at was her…?
"Slow down, Wolf…" said Suki, staring at him with surprise. "Why should I accept going on a date with you?"
"Why…? Why would there have to be a why?" he asked, still smiling. "C'mon, it'll be fun! I'm a really nice guy to hang with!"
Suki couldn't help but let out a bark of laughter. Either this guy was really stupid or he was really silly, and she began thinking it was the latter when he gave her a foolish grin. Still, she couldn't deny that going out with him might hold a certain appeal…
"Well, in that case…" she muttered, taking another fan from her belt, to Sokka's surprise. "Let's strike another bargain, shall we? If I win this fight, you'll stop pestering me and asking me for a date. If you win… I suppose I'll go out with you."
Sokka's eyes lit up in expectation at her words while a large group in the crowd seemed to go rabid. The audience sitting at the eastern wing of the Arena, comprised mostly of rabid Kyoshi's Heir's fanboys, began yelling at the Blue Wolf with rage, telling him to stay away from their goddess. Zuko himself wasn't too happy about the happenings, but he frowned and glared at Sokka, knowing there was no way he would beat Kyoshi's Heir if she fought to her best… a girl like her shouldn't lose, couldn't lose. Not to a flirty Water Tribe moron like Sokka.
Up in the sponsor's balcony, Azula's knuckles were turning white as she clasped the armrest tighter than before. Why did she comply? She didn't even know him! What the hell was the matter with that stupid face-painted woman?! Regardless, for the first time in her life, she found herself hoping deeply that Sokka would lose a fight. He couldn't win… she didn't care about catching up to the Blind Bandit anymore, she didn't care about him reaching the highest spot in the ranking. All she wanted right now was to put a thousand miles of distance between the two gladiators who were fighting down in the sand pit.
"Seems like that's the best I'll get out of you," said Sokka, chuckling. "Fine, then. If you win, I'll leave you alone. If not…"
Suki smiled and lunged towards him, her weapons ready to strike him down. If this was the way this fight would develop, then, no matter how little money there was involved in this combat, she wouldn't let him get ahead of her. She wasn't completely against the idea of going out with him, but she would rather defeat him and prove him and his womanizing ways wrong, seeing how it seemed nobody had ever rejected him before.
Their blades clashed together several times. His club tried to slam down on her fan, but she managed to stop him with her arm's shield. The collision of the club on the metal plate shook her to the bone, the vibrations of the blow a little harsher than she had expected them to be. It seemed the Blue Wolf was quite intent on triumphing, wasn't he? Suki frowned and looked up at him, and she was surprised to find him smiling at her. It wasn't a sneaky smirk, it was just a pleased smile. As if he was enjoying the fight thoroughly. For some reason, he became a lot more interesting in her eyes as she began seeing him in a different light. Maybe he wasn't a mere womanizer. Maybe he really liked her and he liked fighting too…
And before she knew it, Suki began to enjoy the battle as well. She forgot all about the bid, about the fact that the man she was fighting against was a total stranger to her. She continued attempting to strike him down, but now with a smile rather than a stern frown. Sokka couldn't help but beam at the sight.
"You look a lot better with a smile on your face, you know?" he said, ducking to avoid a blow from her fan.
"And you're too smooth for your own good!" said Kyoshi's Heir, spinning in a circle and bringing down her katana towards Sokka's head.
He jumped to the side and ducked, tripping and knocking her to the ground effectively. Suki was shocked, but she pushed herself back to her feet swiftly right before Sokka slammed his club down on the spot where her leg had been.
"If you really want to go out with me, you shouldn't be trying to smash me up like that!" she teased, moving around him and trying to strike him with her blade.
Sokka jumped away from her, an amused smile on his face.
"But if I don't smash you, there's no date!"
"What's more important, leaving me alone but still whole, or going out with me in pieces?" asked Suki, raising her eyebrows inquisitively.
Sokka frowned and looked at the sky above, thoughtful.
"Gee, now there's a predicament…"
Suki knew he was playing her, which was why she wasn't too indignant by those words. She rolled her eyes and jumped forth, trying to hit his feet with her sword. Sokka jumped and avoided the blow, laughing as he retaliated with his club and Space Sword, doing his best to keep the control of the fight.
She managed to hit his ribs with her fan, making him wince before slamming down on her with the club. He ended up hitting her shielded hand again, to which she winced but she attacked with her katana next, moving it straight towards Sokka's arm…
To everyone's surprise, including his own, Sokka swung his sword at such speed that he brought it down on Suki's katana heavily, slicing the sword's blade in two.
Suki jumped back, aghast, holding the hilt with utter disbelief. Sokka himself hadn't been expecting to swing down Space Sword with such power… he had discovered he could cut through metals with the weapon if he used enough force, but he had never used that skill in gladiator combat before.
"Uh… sorry about that!" he called out, grimacing guiltily.
Suki looked up at him and smiled sideways at him. She had underestimated him completely. He wasn't the first man who had tried to sway her in combat, but he was the first one who had proved to be strong enough to overpower her like this.
"You're something, Blue Wolf," she muttered, lifting her fan as she got ready to leap at him again…
But the voice of the announcer thundered through his megaphone, stopping both of them before they could attack each other once more.
"The time is up! The winner shall be declared shortly by the judges!"
Azula grew paler when she heard those words. No… no. The fight couldn't be over. Kyoshi's Heir was supposed to pull off an amazing comeback, right? It couldn't end like this! Because, if it did… she began shivering, barely knowing what was taking over her as she glared at the arena, in complete denial.
"Sorry about the fan… and your sword," said Sokka, smiling weakly as Kyoshi's Heir walked about the sand, picking up the remnants of the weapons he had destroyed.
"No need to apologize, you were doing your job," she said, tucking the fan into the sash wrapped around her waist. "And you did it well enough. You're surprisingly strong, for a newcomer…"
Sokka couldn't help but feel proud of himself when she said that. She was the best female non-bender in the ranking, wasn't she? If her praises were true, it was possible that he could find a way to beat people who were even higher than she was…
"After much deliberation," began one of the judges, taking the megaphone now. "We have decided on a winner. Seeing how both fighters showed an amazing prowess at fighting, both are worthy of a lot of merit… yet there can only be one victorious gladiator. And in this fight, the winner is the Blue Wolf."
Sokka smiled joyfully at those words. Yes! He had earned himself a huge array of points! And not just that… he also had a date!
Zuko didn't seem half as pleased about those happenings. Despite the fact that Sokka had destroyed two of Suki's weapons, he couldn't help but feel that her fighting style and skills were far superior to his…
He was supposed to have come to the Arena to see how strong Sokka was, yet his eyes had been reclaimed by Kyoshi's Heir's figure all along. As he watched her, all his problems, all his anger, all his sadness had faded away. She had taken over his senses with every motion, with every smile he had seen on her face, and he just needed to see more of her.
The gladiator business suddenly wasn't as disagreeable in Zuko's eyes as it had always been.
Suki giggled, shaking her head in disbelief. She had never lost against someone so low in the ranking… yet she had been unable to keep up with the Blue Wolf's prowess. His skills were truly impressive.
"So… you won," she muttered and Sokka grinned broadly at her.
"Yup! So… have we got ourselves a date?" he asked, eagerly.
Suki couldn't help but laugh. Who had ever heard about a slave being able to go out on a date? She didn't know for certain what Sokka's circumstances were, but perhaps being the Princess's gladiator held some perks she hadn't been aware of. It seemed he had no issues with hanging out with someone like her, with walking down the streets amongst the noblemen who would likely look down on them… but if he was such a particular man, she would likely enjoy his company.
"Meet me at twilight, at Dong's Noodle Store," she said, smiling at him before turning around, headed back towards the stand-by room she had entered the Arena from.
Sokka couldn't help but beam joyfully at the prospect. It had been a good day. He'd won a big fight, and now he had a date! His lousy fortune was turning around lately… because now he had managed to take his first step towards getting over Azula. This would be for the best in the long run, he was positive about it.
"Why, that was an interesting fight," said Oyaji, taking out a few coins from his pocket. "I didn't expect your gladiator to be as strong as he was. You have chosen a good man to sponsor, Princess."
He handed her the money, but he stopped on his tracks when he found the Princess to be hunched over, her elbows on her knees as her hands went to yank her hair. Her strange posture made him blink a few times, utterly confused, before deciding to place the coins on her chair's armrest and taking his leave without another word.
Azula didn't take notice of him or of the money he had left beside her. All she could do was shiver and continue telling herself that this was just a bad dream. Sokka… he couldn't have. Why would he have…?
But reality came crushing down on her, with more force each time. Yes, he had asked that girl out, she had heard his words clearly enough. So… what did that mean, then? What was this supposed to translate into? Did it mean that he would behave like this with any girl that caught his eye? Was it that he'd always flirt stupid and charmingly and ask them on a date if he liked them? He'd never asked her out like that. But then… did it mean all the teasing, all the laughing, all the smiles he had shown her… all of them had been lies?
She couldn't believe it. She hated to think about it like this, but there was nothing else she could conclude after what she had just witnessed. He was a man, a dumb, horny, impulsive man. Why had she been stupid enough to think that she was special for him? Well, she probably was. She was his sponsor. She was his ticket back home, if he pulled the job off… and he was being used by her in turn as she made the world acknowledge her. So it shouldn't hurt like this to hear he would have a date. It shouldn't mean anything that he had been swayed by another girl…
But it did. She had never felt such an unbearable emotional pain before. And it was all because she had been naïve enough to think that he belonged to her in his entirety… she had truly thought so, even if only subconsciously. Even when he had hired a female slave, Azula had been certain nothing would happen between them, because he belonged to her. He was hers… and she was unwilling to share him with anyone, especially with face-painted girls who fought with yellow fans.
Sokka belonged to her. He was her slave. He had no right to do as he wished, no right to have dates, to look at other girls… he didn't. But how on earth could she stop him? And why exactly was she so keen on stopping him anyway?
The answer tried to present itself in her mind in the form of a rational thought, but she pushed it away before it could materialize. No… it was nothing regarding feelings, nothing regarding an emotional attachment of some sort towards him. No, it was because she needed him to focus on the gladiator business. If he had a girlfriend, he would lose his center. She couldn't let him do that. He had to fulfill his duty to her first of all. Once he was done with that, he could fool around with whoever he wanted to fool around with, she wouldn't care… because, why should she care? He was just a slave. He was only ever meant to be a slave. Nothing else about him mattered, nothing…
She stood up, still trembling, after those thoughts crossed her mind. She knocked one of the coins to the floor when she moved on her chair, and she only noticed they were there when she heard it hit the floor. She leaned down and picked up the money, cringing when she realized how shaky her hand was. She needed to calm down already, she wasn't helping herself or anyone else by behaving like this.
Azula left the sponsor's balcony, her feet dragging her down the stairs before she knew where she was headed. She should go find Sokka, shouldn't she? He was probably in the middle of his medical check right now. The mere thought of seeing him again felt as though a hand of ice was squeezing her heart tightly. This had to stop: she couldn't continue feeling like this. How was she supposed to face him when she was in such disarray? He would notice there was something off about her, and what was she supposed to say? That she didn't want him to go on a date with that girl? He would keep asking why she didn't want him to… and she wouldn't want to answer. She didn't want him to know why.
Regardless, she had to go to him. If she wanted to pretend she wasn't bothered by this, if she wanted to act as if she didn't care about who he went out with, she had to try to behave as she normally would. Gritting her teeth, she climbed the stairs again and walked through the waiting rooms' hall, finding the one Sokka was in just as the medical team was taking their leave.
She felt a flare of fury within her when she saw him up close and caught sight of how delighted with himself he seemed to be. He was sitting on a long couch, smiling as he closed his shirt and tucked it into his belt, his armor lying on another sofa in the room.
"Oh, Azula…" he said, when he caught sight of the Princess. "I was starting to wonder where you were."
"Just… not here," was Azula's shifty response, her heart beating furiously as she felt an urge to yell at him, to find out if he had simply been playing around with her all along…
"Well, that much is obvious," said Sokka, chuckling. "So, I've gotten a huge amount of points now! You should be glad. I'm sure we must have passed the Blind Bandit after this…"
"Yeah, I… I guess so," replied Azula, closing the door behind her and walking towards Sokka, still wishing she could understand why he had betrayed her trust like he had.
"I really think I outdid myself today," he said, smiling broadly. "That's probably the best fight I've put so far!"
"Huh."
"I mean, considering how strong she was… To think I was up to her level baffles me. I suppose I had a few advantages, but still…"
"Yes, you did," Azula agreed, gazing at the curtains that hung over the room's window. "You already were counting on her not fighting to her best, and then you got yourself another advantage. It was quite creative, what you did out there today. Flirting to get her to lose focus…? I would have never thought you'd do something like that. It seemed unnecessary to me. Still, it worked to our favor, so I don't have much to say about it…"
"Woah, woah, woah…" said Sokka, raising his hands in signal of defense. "I wasn't flirting just to get her to lose focus."
"Y-you weren't…?" asked Azula, feeling again that cruel icy grip around her heart as she continued staring away pointedly. "So… you're saying you meant every word you said?"
"Well, you saw her, didn't you?" asked Sokka, smiling again. "She's really cool. She's strong, she's witty, she's pretty…"
"Pretty?" asked Azula, with a skeptical laugh. "She was wearing such thick face paint it could have been a mask. You couldn't see if she was pretty or not…"
"I'm not just talking about her face," said Sokka, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. "The way she moved, the way her body looked as well… it's not just the face. She was really beautiful, as a person."
"How can you say that for certain?" asked Azula, her teeth gritted. "You don't even know her. You just met her."
"Well, no need to worry about that," said Sokka, grinning. "I'll get to know her better when we go on our date tonight, I'm sure. Then I'll have you know if she's as beautiful as I initially thought."
Azula found herself lacking anything to reply with. She was disappointed, she was furious… and mostly at herself. Why had she let herself believe his treatment of her had meant anything? He was a fool… a womanizer, and a fool. He wouldn't have been able to see true beauty even if it slapped him in the face.
"You know… I'm thinking I got myself the better end of our deal," he said, chuckling as he threw himself back on the couch, his face up towards the ceiling.
"What…? Which deal are you talking about, exactly?" asked Azula, enraged enough to turn around and face him now.
"The first one we struck, remember?" said Sokka, his eyes closed as he smiled innocently. "I was doubtful for a while, thinking you would make me go through a living hell… but it hasn't been half as bad as I expected. Fact is, I'm doing really well. I've got a house of my own, a friend at home who makes my food and heals me when I get beaten up too badly, I was trained by an amazing sword master, you give me a large part of the winnings from each of my fights… and now I've got a date with an amazing girl. Seriously, I never would have imagined my life would be as nice as it is right now," he finished, a dumb and proud smile on his face.
Azula began shivering with fury again. So… he had gotten the best end of the deal, had he? The damned jerk had, clearly. There was no questioning it.
He opened his eyes and looked back at her, his blue eyes colliding with hers. She took a few steps towards him, letting him see the rage that was controlling her at the moment. It annoyed her further when Sokka merely cracked an arrogant smirk… he thought he'd won. He thought she was mad because she had conceded him a dream life and he hadn't needed to give her anything in return. He was actually proud of himself, that imbecile…
"Is that so?" she muttered, her glare growing even more vicious.
"Yeah," he replied, still smirking.
Oh, how she longed to prove him wrong. She wanted to make him realize he didn't have as much freedom as he thought. She needed to make him face the truth: his life was not the fun ride he had deluded himself into thinking it was. Because, yes, he belonged to her. He was her slave! Nobody else's! And she wasn't going to share him with anyone, in any way…
Sokka started to worry a little when he realized the expression in Azula's eyes was concealing genuine hurt far behind the rage that had taken over her at the moment. In truth, he hadn't been trying to hurt her. He was just trying to spare the two of them from an affair that wouldn't end well if they dared give in to their instincts…
She smirked suddenly, and Sokka had to stop beaming stupidly altogether. There was something really dangerous about Azula right now. He couldn't say what it was for certain, but there was something in her smile…
The Gladiator didn't know that the Princess, fueled by anger, disappointment, recklessness and pain, was about to do exactly what he had been trying to stop both of them from doing: letting her feelings take over her body as she surrendered to her innermost urges.
Her hands went to the couch at either side of Sokka as she leaned down, her eyes fluttering shut a second before her lips collided with his.
Sokka did the exact opposite to what she had just done, his eyes growing wide in shock as he began to process what was happening. He gasped in surprise… and Azula took his motion to mean he was welcoming a deeper kiss. The second his lips parted from one another she took the chance to slide her tongue into his mouth, her hands going to his neck now as she held him in place.
Sokka was the one shivering now, not knowing what to make of this. There was no way… there was no way Azula was kissing him. She couldn't be… it couldn't be… it was downright impossible. Why would she do it? And after he had been flirting with another girl, to boot! Was she showing him that she wouldn't let him out of her grasp without a fight? Was she trying to prove him that she was far better than that other girl…?
Well, of course she was. She had always been. He knew she would always be superior to any girl he could ever meet. But she couldn't be his. They couldn't be together. Suki was a gladiator, a slave just like himself! Azula… she was a Princess. And it didn't matter how thoroughly he enjoyed the taste of her lips, how he felt jolts of pleasure at every caress of her tongue… it could never happen.
But it was happening.
Sokka wanted to keep himself lucid, he didn't want to slip into this madness thoughtlessly… but how could he resist? Why should he resist, when she was the one who had flung herself at him? Azula was the one who had succumbed to temptation, not him… so he shouldn't feel so bad for letting himself go with it… right?
Because he had wanted to do this for longer than he dared admit. To feel her lips against his, to inhale her breath, to have their tongues clash together…
His eyes closed slowly and his hands made their way towards her, grasping her arms and pulling her to him. Azula was surprised by that response… she had half expected him to push her away, to ask her why she had done that. She had never thought his tongue would begin moving as well, his lips pressing to hers as he made her climb atop him.
She had to place her hands on the backrest of the couch as her legs went to either side of him, his hands resting on her hips as he brought her closer to him. Azula couldn't quite process what was happening anymore, amazed as she was by his skilled motions. The way he kissed her sent shivers down her spine. She surrounded his neck with her arms as she gave him the reins of their endeavor, her fingers slipping into his hair.
Sokka's mind grew blank as he devoted himself to the moment completely. Because, for all he knew, this might be the one time he would have her in his grasp. His hands moved to her back and then they slipped a little lower… Azula couldn't hold back a small moan when she felt his fingers caress her bottom. The sound she released made him groan back, his hands moving upwards now and stroking the sides of her body. Azula couldn't help but frown, slightly confused, when she noticed Sokka's groin was becoming stiff all of sudden…
But she had no time to think about whatever was happening inside his pants when his hands slipped underneath her armor, cupping her breasts with those rough hands of his. Azula gasped and moaned, withdrawing herself from the kiss shortly as she regained her breath, but he caught her lips just a second after she had pulled away. Nobody had ever touched her like this, nobody had ever devoured her lips like this, either… and she had never desired anyone as badly as the man underneath her, the man who was taking over her senses as his tongue slipped to every unexplored corner of her mouth, claiming her as his own as he continued stroking her chest.
Azula hardly knew what she was doing when her hands went to his neck again, touching the scars she had placed on it a long time ago. She dove into his mouth in an attempt to assess her control over him once more, as she attempted to slide her tongue out of his control and into his mouth. The struggle carried on for longer than they could tell, neither willing to surrender, as ever. His hands slipped down to her buttocks for the second time, hers went to his chest, the chest that had enticed her months ago at Piandao's mansion. To think she had finally gotten her hands on it…
Moans and groans were exchanged as their arousal grew. Azula had no doubts left regarding what the bulge between Sokka's legs was. She had no clue she could produce such an effect on a man. And it wasn't just any man… it was him. It was Sokka… it was Sokka.
His hands cupped her buttocks tightly and she shivered at his touch. Goosebumps ran all over her body, and she tried not to lose control of herself, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep her head clear with every passing second. The unspoken words exchanged by their caresses and kisses were delivering a very clear message, the message she had wanted to convey through her actions: he belonged to her. And his response told her that she belonged to him as well. And nothing could change that truth: not a face painted gladiator, not the prejudices regarding their positions in the world… None of that mattered. Right now, she wasn't a Princess. He wasn't a slave. She was only Azula, he was only Sokka. And they were drawn to each other by forces of attraction that were completely beyond their control…
Sokka's arms pulled her body closer to him, her legs spread wide as their bodies came into full contact, their tongues still involved in a wild dance until their lungs begged for air. Sokka relented to his need for breath despite not wanting to, still desiring more of her. He kissed her lips one last time as she pulled away, his hands now playing with her long dark hair.
They panted, their chests heaving as their foreheads remained linked for a moment. Sokka opened his eyes at last, looking at her in awe. He hadn't had enough of her… he probably never would. Her lips were so delectable that he only wanted to kiss them again…
But Azula moved her head to his shoulder, still breathing with difficulty. Sokka's hands went to her hips as he began processing the way he had touched her, the way he had kissed her… her, of all people! His sponsor, the Fire Lord's daughter… The more he thought about it, the more he wondered what the hell had gotten into him. This was exactly what he had been trying to fight against, but he just hadn't been able to hold his own against her seductive ways.
Azula finally seemed to have regained her breath, seeing how her chest wasn't heaving as before. Sokka looked down at her for a moment, wondering what he should say… what could he do to make this situation less troublesome than it was?
But Azula was the one to make a move. She lifted her head again, her lips going to his ear, as she spoke a sentence coated with poison:
"Have fun on your date."
Sokka's eyes snapped wide open when he heard her words. His date… he had a date. There was still a world beyond the waiting room in which they had been locked.
And Azula had kissed him. She had jumped on him as soon as she had found a chance to do it. And she had finished her deeds of the day by uttering those words viciously at him…
She knew. Somehow, she knew everything. She knew he had been dreaming about her, she knew he desired her with every fiber of his being… and she wanted him to keep feeling that way. She wanted to make him hers completely. She had noticed he had been about to break free from her spell so she had cast it once again, with ten times more power than before. She had done it all just to drive him into a corner, to make sure he would be completely unable to get her out of his mind ever again…
Azula pushed herself off the couch, without sparing one last glance towards the gladiator. She walked to the door, her head held high, and she exited the room. Sokka followed her with his gaze. He had been played… he had been stupid enough to think he had the upper hand in the war they were fighting, and she had proven him wrong once again. She would always be one step ahead of him, those amber eyes of hers teasing him mockingly, reminding him he would never escape from her grip, no matter how hard he tried to undo the curse she had sealed upon him with that wild kiss…
Azula closed the door behind her and took a few steps down the hall before losing her balance for a moment, her legs failing her. She leaned on the wall with her hand first, then she pressed her back against it as her hands went up to cover her mouth. Her eyes opened wide as a prominent blush appeared on her cheeks. Her mind kept sending her signals, trying to force her to acknowledge what had happened in that room, but she couldn't think straight anymore, not after intoxicating herself willingly with his lips, with his hands, with his tongue, with him…
There was only one logical thought in her mind at the moment, a thought that kept repeating itself in her mind time over and time again:
What have I done?