CHAPTER 5
"Place him on the bed." Katara commanded in a hurry. Her nerves were at peak.
Sokka groaned as Zuko helped him onto the bed.
The Fire Lord had rushed to him and his sister as soon as they had crossed the door and had replaced Azula in supporting Sokka's weight. Katara and Aang had followed them until the first empty room they could find.
"Aang, I need water. A lot," said Katara to her boyfriend. "Zuko, find me bandages or clean towels." she ordered him as she looked through the drawers.
"Got it." both boys replied as they rushed to look for what the waterbender needed to attend to her sibling injuries.
"Scissors." Katara muttered repeatedly, opening and closing in some drawers with a little shaky-hands. There were no scissors around.
Sokka groaned in pain again. The arm where his shoulder was injured was increasingly becoming numb. He could barely feel his fingers. The burn in his leg was stinging more and more by each passing second and even the brush of air was causing him pain.
The Princess rolled her eyes, before reaching towards Sokka and tearing his shirt off with her bare hands. "There. You're welcome."
Katara raised her eyebrows. "That works too." she said before proceeding to scrutinize his brother's wounds.
"Hey!" he complained, not due to his sudden nudity but for the fact that it was one of his favorite shirts.
"It's stained in blood. It's not like you are going to still be able to use it," Azula replied, "Plus, it was ugly." she threw the shirt, now in threads, to the trash can.
Then, she turned to leave, assuming she had done everything she could, but before she could walk away Katara stopped her by holding her by the wrist. The Princess quirked an eyebrow.
"Tell me what happened." said Katara in a hard voice with a somber tone. She wasn't asking, she was commanding her to tell her.
Azula raised her chin and narrowed her eyes before grabbing her by the wrist and freeing her wrist from her grip. "Later." she muttered. She could the hate in her eyes, she blamed her.
Sokka groaned in pain again.
"Here are some clean towels and bandages." said Zuko, returning to the room and holding a few of them.
"Here is the water." said Aang as well, behind him.
"Put them over there," Katara pointed to the nightstand next to her. "I'm going to need some space. Can you guys wait with the others?" she glanced quickly at the Princess, frowning.
Aang and Zuko nodded.
"Azula." Sokka called her before they reached the door.
Everyone turned. All eyes on him.
"Thank you." he breathed.
Katara's expression softened and looked back to the Princess with confusion.
Azula neither reacted nor said a thing, she only left the room.
"I still can't understand how Zuko let her come back." Katara said, sulking while bending some water to treat the burn on his leg.
She had looked at it. It wasn't as bad or as deep as she had initially thought. But his skin was bright red, and eventually, if it wasn't treated, it would grow painful blisters all over it, and his skin might peel off painfully and would leave a mark.
Katara knew that Azula was equal to troubles, yet she didn't hope to get troubles so soon.
Her heart had flinched when she had seen him walking in all bloody and battered with Azula. And even though his injuries weren't a life or death matter -at least not anymore- she had been worried sick about him being around the Princess.
Zuko had insisted that she was no longer a treat to any of them, yet, the memory of the lighting she had once shot at Aang and Zuko, it was still very present in her mind.
Also, Zuko would say anything about her, -as she would do for Sokka- they were siblings after all, but until she witnessed first-hand that Azula wasn't a threat for them, she would remain wary around her. She had been willing to be open-minded about everything, but this little turn of event was making her rethink that.
"You are being unfair, you know." Sokka replied before making a grin of relief when the stinging and the pain stopped after feeling the cooling sensation of the water against his burned skin.
The water had glowed a little bit, and then disappeared when it was absorbed by his body.
Blessed healing powers he sighed relived, pain disappearing.
"How can you say that? She got you all injured," she retorted, "Let me see." she commanded him, before taking a look at the gash in his ribs.
Thankfully, it wasn't too deep or too serious either.
"It was not her fault," said Sokka, "We were attacked." he explained.
He knew -just by the look his sibling had given to the Princess- that Katara was pissed and pissed at her exactly.
"What?" Katara glanced at him.
"The Rough Rhinos and some former Dai Li." he explained rather calmly, trying not to alarm her.
"Wait, are you serious?" she frowned, healing his ribs.
He winced a little before saying. "No. I stabbed myself with the arrow just to know how it feels," he said sarcastically, "YES! I'm being serious."
Katara stood there looking at her sibling fixedly, trying to find even the smallest sign that he was lying to her. She didn't find one. He had no reason to lie to her.
Still, she was going to need more explication. The full story.
She gulped. "Talking about the arrow… hold still. It's going to hurt," she warned him, "I'm going to pull it on three, okay?" she wrapped her hand firmly around the arrow shaft.
"Okay," Sokka made a grin of pain, imagining the pain that was to come. He knew that pulling out an arrow was much more painful than when it had gone in. "Wait on three or three pull?"
"On three" she replied.
"Yeah, but... Argh." he cried in pain when Katara pulled the arrow out. It was, indeed, ten times more painful to pull it out.
"There." she placed the bloody arrow in the nightstand before quickly start working to stop the bleeding and clean the injury. Just like she had done it previously, she bended some water over it. Still, the injury was going to need a few more healing sessions as she noticed this one was deeper than the other two. "It still going to hurt for a few days." she explained to him after wrapping some bandages around his shoulder and securing them in place.
"Thanks," said Sokka, trying to move his shoulder. It stung a little but nowhere near as it had hurt minutes ago. "Can I ask you a favor?"
Katara nodded, picking up the bloody bandages and towels. "Tell me."
"Actually, it's two favors and I need to tell you something," said Sokka, assuming that it was time for his sibling to find out about what had happened in Lian Yu. "You should probably take a seat." he said in a serious tone.
Katara knew that he had been hurt in Lian Yu and that he had been healed by someone, yet he had never told her by who. Until now.
She looked at him a little bit warily. "What is it?"
"There is something you need to know."
"Know about what?" she asked him, intrigued, raising an eyebrow.
"About what happened one year ago in Lian Yu."
...
As soon as the door closed behind her, Zuko and Aang turned towards her.
"What happen?" Zuko inquired, a little perturbed.
Azula crossed her arms over her chest and leaned on the wall before explaining. "We were ambushed," she said, "By the Rough Rhinos and some Dai Li agents." she rubbed her temple, sensing a migraine coming.
"WHAT?!" Aang and Zuko squealed at the same time.
Yep… Definitely a migraine, she thought, annoyed.
After the Dai Li had joined the Princess during her conquest of Ba Sing Se and their tenure under Azula's service in the Fire Nation, she had them banished. Then a while after, they had heard that the Earth King had completely dismantled them, due to their betrayal years ago. And after that they had disappeared from the map.
Until now.
"I will explain everything tomorrow, okay?" she said, feeling both mentally and physically exhausted. "I'm exhausted. Still, can either of you tell Mayor Morishita to send some soldiers to retrieve them? We left them knocked out in the middle of the road. With a little luck, they're still there, and we could question them." she said, hoping that they would still be knocked out on the road.
"I will," said the Avatar giving her a brief smile which she didn't return. "And Azula," he uttered, rubbing the back of his neck. The Princess glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. "I never thought I would be saying this, but... Thanks. Thanks for helping Sokka."
Both of her eyebrows rose before she huffed and looked away. The bald monk, the Avatar, was thanking her. "Yeah, yeah... Whatever." she replied walking away.
Zuko looked towards Aang with a little smile before shrugging. "She is not used to… you know."
"Being around us?" Aang inquired.
"Being good." said Zuko.
"Well, this is a good start." said Aang with a sympathetic smile, patting him on the shoulder supportably, before rushing towards the door to head to the Mayor's house to inform him about the situation.
It was a good start, Zuko agreed.
He had big hopes for this trip. Not only for the meeting happening in Ba Sing Se but also because deep down, he hoped that somehow his sibling and his friends would get along better. Aang and the rest were part of his life just as much as Azula was now, and he believed that they all could learn to coexist with each other.
He also was fully aware that it would not be easy, not only because both sides had too much bad-blood from the past, but also because his sibling was just as messed up as he had been in his teenage years. The difference being that back then, he had had the guidance of his uncle, while his sister had to manage by herself.
However, today's event was a complete proof that she was heading in the right direction. She could have left Sokka alone on the road to die, but she didn't. She helped his friend. And he was proud of her.
…
"Is he alright?" Kiyi asked her older sister as soon as she walked into the hallway. "Is he dead? Am I going to be a widow?" she rushed to ask.
Kiyi had been standing in the hallway waiting for some news of the state of her 'husband'.
They had rushed into her when she was coming out of the Mayor's house, and she had guided them towards there, following the Mayor's instructions. She had made sure of moving people out of their way in the street and Kiyi had been the one opening the doors for them. And when they had taken Sokka to another room, she had remained in the hallway with her mother, trying to comfort her as she was worried sick.
Ursa had her hands on her youngest's shoulders. She had been horrified when she had seen them arrived covered in blood, but she had felt a little relieved to find out that it wasn't from her daughters, that neither had been injured.
"He is going to be okay." assured Azula, ignoring her mother's presence as she had been doing it for the last year whenever she was around.
"So, that means I'm still going to be able to marry him?" Kiyi questioned her, hopeful.
They heard steps behind them.
"Don't you think you should be asking him that yourself?" said Zuko with a smile, appearing behind Azula. He gave her a little warm squeeze on the shoulder, something the Princess found a little odd. She couldn't help but quirk an eyebrow towards him. "Sokka will be fine," he said, "You must be hungry. We were about to have dinner." he nodded towards the diner and headed first.
Ursa glanced at her oldest daughter, trying to check if she was indeed fine. "And you? Are you okay…?" muttered Ursa, before noticing something. "Is that…" she tried to ask but before she could say anything, Azula ignored her and walked away.
As soon as she walked into the diner all eyes went on her and all conversation ceased. She was the focus of attention. She sighed, ignoring them all.
And there is the migraine, she thought.
The Princes noticed that there were not only the Kyoshi Warriors but also the blind earthbender and Ty Lee.
As she had been doing most of the trip -until now-, she ignored everyone's eyes on her and she pretended that none of them were there, ignoring their presence. She loved to be the main focus, but not like this. She only wanted to eat something and retire to rest so she would not have to tolerate distrustful, unpleasant looks on her.
Azula thanked Kiyi mentally when she walked in behind her, turning everyone's attention from the Princess to her. The warriors -including Ty Lee- greeted her with a smile and she did the same, making Kiyi the new focus of attention.
She reached to one of the empty places at one end of the table. Far from Zuko, Ursa, and Ty Lee.
The Princess raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms when she noticed that the earthbender had her dirty feet on the chair she was attempting to sit.
She was very aware that she was blind and couldn't see the expression she was making her, yet, she also knew she could feel people's presence with her bending. Still, she didn't lower her feet.
Toph smirked in her direction, yet she didn't move an inch.
Azula rolled her eyes. She was doing it on purpose. She was trying to piss her off. So, she decided to act like a grownup.
She abruptly moved away the chair where Toph had her feet on, making them hit the ground rudely.
Still, the earthbender said nothing while Azula sat on the chair, sadly next to her.
"I thought I was crazy when I sensed you, but it seems I'm not," said Toph crossing her arms whilst smirking. "What brought you around, fire lily?" she teased the Princess.
Fire lily? she quirked an eyebrow.
"What did you...?" she grunted.
"Azula." Katara voice called her from behind.
All eyes turned towards the waterbender. She was carrying a bunch of towels and bandages covered in blood.
"How is he?" Zuko was the first one to ask, evidently still worried.
"He is fine," replied the waterbender with a little smile. "Alive. Thanks to you," she turned towards the Princess. "Thank you, Azula... For saving him." she said, meaning not only for this time but also in regards to what happened in Lian Yu.
After hearing Sokka's story, she couldn't help but feel a little bad about her initial attitude towards Azula.
Katara acknowledged that a big part it of the reaction she had had, it was because she still had that little dark memory in the back of her mind of that time when Azula had shot the lightning that nearly ended Aang.
Still, after hearing Sokka's explanation of what happened, she wanted to give her a chance. A chance to prove that she wasn't the same girl she was back in the day. After all, if she had once given a chance to Zuko, she could do it again.
Azula shrugged like if it wasn't a big deal. "I guess... It's always good to have someone owing you one." she said, trying to sound as cold-hearted as she could.
She didn't want any misunderstandings. She didn't want them believing she wanted to be their friend or anything like it. She didn't want friends. She didn't need them. Because in the end, your 'friends' end up betraying you. She was fine on her own.
"He wants to see you." Katara uttered, ignoring her words.
She quirked an eyebrow, making a grin. "He… does?"
...
Azula could notice that everyone was wondering the same thing as her as she headed out of the room. What could he possibly need from her?
The Princess knocked at the door with her knuckles.
A soft 'Come in' emerged from inside.
Sokka was sitting on the bed with his- previously injured- leg on the edge of the bed. The burn on his leg was all gone now. He was shirtless and with a bandage on his right shoulder. There was no sign of the injury on his right side, except for a little tiny mark that was barely noticeable. There were a few stains of blood on his body, but overall he looked fine.
"You wanted to see me?" she inquires, noticing his partial nudity.
However, he didn't seem affected or disturbed by being shirtless in front of her.
She can't help it but take a quick sneak peek at his bare chest. He was even brawnier than the last time she had seen him in Lian Yu. She bit the inside of her cheek.
"Yeah... How are you?" he asked her. He points at the chair near the bed, inviting her to sit.
She accepted.
"Better than you." she responds, a little surprised by his question, after all, he had gotten the brunt of the damage.
"I guess, counting this one, this is the second time you save my life." Sokka said with a side smile. He was thankful to her, truly thankful.
Back in Lian Yu, she had had no reason to help him, not after he had acted like a jerk, yet she had done it. And today, she had done it again.
"Yeah… Stop getting hurt, will you? It's getting bothersome to always save you." she replied, leaning back in the chair carelessly.
Sokka snickered a little. Now, it doesn't hurt to laugh anymore. Azula side smiled.
"Azula," he mutters.
"Huh?" she raised her eyebrows.
"Thank you. For saving my life again." Sokka gives her a warm, honest smile.
She can't help but feel a little odd. No one had ever smiled at her like that. It was an honest, pure smile that he truly meant. He was truly thanking her for something she had done. It was a very fervid feeling. A feeling that made her chest feel warm. It was a heartwarming sensation.
"Azula," he called her again after a moment when he noticed that she had zoomed out, that her mind was absent for a brief moment.
"What?" she blinked back into reality.
He was staring at her. "Can I ask you something?" he inquired.
"Why?" she frowned.
Sokka shook his head at her answer before saying, "Because I have spent all day trying to ask you about… about the last night in Lian Yu," he said. She pressed her lips in a thin line. "Why did you leave? And why did you say last night that I betrayed your trust? I didn't! And I deserve an explanation, don't you think?" he asked.
"No…" she retorted stoically, looking away.
You told Zuko where I was. Everyone always betrays me. And you are no different, she thought.
Sokka grimaced. "C'mon." he insisted. He was not going to give up.
"Shouldn't you rest?" she inquired, annoyed.
He denied with his head. "Katara is an amazing healer. I'm almost as good as new," he smiled. "Except for the shoulder, of course. It's going to take a little longer to heal. Maybe a couple of days to do so." he explained.
"I hope you don't ask me to feed you again." she teased him.
"That was different!" he retorted, "But, hey! Don't change the subject." he frowned, realizing of her trick.
"What subject?" replied Azula, feigning obliviousness.
"Just answer the question, woman!" he persisted.
"What question?"
Sokka's eyebrows twitched as he pouted.
Azula rolled her eyes and throwing her head back. "Fine," she grunted, defeated. She knew how insisting he could get. "I'm seriously wondering why I saved you," she muttered between gritted teeth, "You are the most annoying person on the Earth, jeez..."
"What?" Sokka inquired after hearing her mumble something he couldn't hear.
"I said: Shut up, or I'm not going to tell you, idiot," she said, crossing her arms and legs. She gulped. "Even before running into you in Lian Yu, I knew Zuko was looking for me," she admitted. Sokka raised his eyebrows at the revelation. "I thought it was because he wanted to lock me again in the Institution or maybe this time in prison and I couldn't let that happen," she made a pause, "Then, I ran into you. At first, I thought he had sent you to help him track me down. Later, the all 'sword thing' happened. And you kept insisting that you weren't there for me, and that Zuko wanted me back as his sister and not a prisoner. Still, I couldn't help but think it was a trick from you, yet, I …"
"You helped me." he muttered when she looked away.
She nodded. "I did. Still, don't know why, but I did." her eyes traveled directly to where she remembered his injury was.
The scar of where she had burned his skin was faint at best. Someone who didn't know that it was there couldn't possibly notice it at all.
"Katara used her healing abilities on it. It helped a lot to diminish the scar," he explained after he realized where the attention of her eyes was. "She also said that whoever patched me was very skilled with her hands." he sided smiled, glancing at her.
She cleared her throat when she noticed his gaze before returning to the topic. "Anyway, the following days you insisted repeatedly that I should go back to the Palace, and I kept saying no. Until that night. I never meant to leave like that," she admitted. She had been willing to fulfill her promise to him. "I couldn't sleep so I went for a walk. When I returned, I tripped on your bag and a letter fell out. It had Zuko's seal on it. And there was something in the back of my mind that kept saying, I shouldn't look at it, but…"
"I see," he muttered, "I spent the last year trying to think of a reason of why you would disappear in the middle of the night. But last night, when you mentioned the letter, I understood. I thought you didn't read it. I guess I was wrong," he said, "When I finally understood, I wanted to explain myself; it was not what you thought."
"What do you mean?" Azula quirked a brow.
"Azula, the letter Zuko sent me arrived days after the 'sword thing happened' in Lian Yu," he uttered. She looked at him, trying to figure it out if he was being truly honest. "And even if it hadn't, I would have never tried to trick you," he admitted, "You are way too smart for me to do that." he complimented her with a side smile.
"Then why did you hide it?" she inquired. If he wasn't going to trick her then, why not just tell her the truth?
Sokka shrugged. He didn't know exactly why he had never mentioned the letter. "I guess, I just… got used to your company," he acknowledged with a small smile. "And I didn't want you to be alone," he adds, "Or to leave me. All the excuses I kept giving you were because… I guess," he rubbed the back of his neck. "I was really enjoying your company."
"So, that means that you weren't trying to win time?" she muttered.
He never tried to trick me?
"No… It was all a misunderstanding. I never tried to trick you," he rushed to say, "If Zuko came to Lian Yu, it was because he was already looking for you. Not because I tattled on you," said Sokka, "It was a total coincidence."
"Wait, you didn't tell him?" she asked again. She studied him. His posture, the tone of his voice, everything, trying to find just a brief glimpse that told her he was lying to her. Yet, she found nothing.
"No. I made you a promise, and I don't break my promises." Sokka reaffirmed.
He was being totally honest. "So, it was all a misunderstanding," she whispered.
"Yeah..." Sokka pressed his lips in a thin line.
"Then, how was he able to find me so quickly? The same day he found me was the same day I left you. Even if he heard rumors that I was there, It's Zuko. I mean, he is not the brightest guy out here."
"It was because of June," he said, "Her creature, the shirshu, has this 'ability'. It can smell anything or anyone a continent away," he explained before adding, "He hired her once to chase us too."
Azula smirked, amused. "I wonder how many people he managed to convince to go after you back then?"
Sokka placed a hand under his chin. "Mmmm… Let's see. It was June. Then, the pirates, Combustion Man…" he said while counting with his fingers. "The guy with..."
"I know." she retorted.
"And I believe that was it. For the most part it was just him. Then you and your friends came. Oh, and for a while, it was also this old dude with sideburns, General Zhao."
"Admiral," she corrected him, "It was actually Admiral Zhao. At least the last time I heard of him. My father made him an Admiral and he led the invasion of the North."
"Him," said Sokka, "Still, after what happened in the North, we never saw him again." he recalled.
"What happened in the North?" she asked, truly curious.
The reports she had read back then -that arrived before her father sent her to retrieve Zuko and her Uncle- were really vague. Not much detailed, and they were mostly unclear.
Other than that, she only remembered that one night the sky turned red for a couple of minutes, and then everything returned to normal.
"It's a really long story." he replied, not wanting to get into detail about what had happened that night. He looked at his hands.
"Oh," she muttered, realizing that by the way he had reacted, it meant something that had affected or involved him had occurred that night. She could insist for an explanation, like he had done it with her, but she was wiser and chose to not do it.
"Anyway, are we cool now?" he asked a little nervously, after a while of silence.
Azula remained quiet for a few moments before replying. "We are cool."
There was no point in remaining angry at him anymore. He had been honest. She could tell just by the tone of his voice. And also, if she was in 'good terms' with him, -not as a friend but more like an acquaintance- her chances of not spending hating every second of this trip were higher. At least that way, she would have someone to talk to -other than Zuko and Kiyi-.
Sokka gave her a little smile after hearing her words.
The Princess replied with a barely noticeable smile, before gulping a little, uncomfortable at the silence that grew between them. She stood up before saying. "I guess that if you need something…" she began.
"I know. I know," Sokka cut her off, waving his uninjured arm carelessly. "I won't call you." he recalled the words she had told him in Lian Yu with a side smile.
Azula smirked. "Good. There is at least another dozen people here to annoy other than me." she said, "Ty Lee being one of them. And I'm sure she would love to attend to you." she mocked.
Sokka raised an eyebrow teasingly. "But what if I only want to annoy you?"
"Don't. Or I would come back, pluck out your eyelashes, and incinerate your eyebrows." she warned him. Half joking and half in full seriousness.
The door opened and made them both turn towards the entrance.
"Sorry," Katara apologized, "I thought you two would be done by now," she said walking forward to his sibling and delivering a change of clean clothes. "Here's what you asked."
"Thanks." Sokka replied.
Azula looked at the waterbender, a little baffled at her change of attitude towards her. She still looked protective but not as harsh as before, and certainly, she didn't look at her -at least not anymore- like she was blaming her for what had happened to her older sibling.
She wondered for a moment if Sokka had told her about Lian Yu.
"We are done." said Azula, "I was about to leave, Kayla," she mocked.
Sokka tried to repress a chuckling.
Katara eyebrows twitched. The Princess had a facility to get under her skin. "It's Katara." the waterbender corrected her, but she had already vacated the room.
…
Azula returned to the diner and took her place in the same spot as before. A few curious and wary eyes were on her. She couldn't help to smirk cockily before ignoring them.
"So, what is up with you and Snoozles?" Toph asked her with a hand behind her head while picking her nose with her other hand.
Toph was curious about why Sokka had wanted to talk to her alone. She was fully aware that years ago, Sokka wouldn't have wished to be alone with the Princess, not even to thank her for saving his ass, like ever. Yet, he must have had a pretty good reason.
The Princess grimaced in disgust, ignoring her question. "Do you have to do that on the table?" she grunted at the earthbender.
"Do what?" Toph said pretending to be totally oblivious.
"Ugh… You are disgusting," Azula grunted as the girl kept working with her finger up in her nose. For a moment the Princess wondered if the earthbender was trying to touch her brain if she had one.
Everyone's attention had turned to the two girls discussing at the end of the table. Their eyes went back and forward from the Princess to the earthbender. The only one that seemed more focused on eating her dinner was Kiyi.
"Get used to it Fire lily," the earthbender retorted, teasingly mentioning her nickname, "Because, now that I know it bothers you, I'm going to keep doing this all the trip." she warned her, cleaning her finger on one sleeve of her shirt.
Azula pointed at the earthbender threateningly with her metal chopsticks. Even if she knew she couldn't see her. "You touch me with that nasty finger of yours and we are going to have a huge problem," snarled at her before adding, "And if I find one of your snots smeared around, you are going to wish you would have swallowed them, you hear me?"
"Yeah, yeah" Toph rolled her eyes and waved a hand carelessly, "Sure, Fire lily." she repeated the nickname.
Azula raised her eyebrows at the nickname. "Stop calling me that." she grunted.
Toph smirked. "Fire…"
"Sokka!" Ty Lee jumped out of her chair. Suki and the warriors did the same.
Sokka and Katara walked into the dining room. Sokka had changed his clothes and cleaned the blood off his skin. His ripped pants were replaced for some new ones and now, he was wearing a blue sleeveless shirt which left in plain sight the bandages on his shoulder as well as his enormous arms.
"Hey girls." he greeted them all with a smile.
"I'm so happy you are fine," said Ty Lee, hugging him with teary eyes, which made Azula roll her eyes when she noticed her. "We were so scared when we saw you walking in, covered in blood."
"It looked worse than what it was." said Sokka with a smile, rubbing the back of his neck as he was trying to sound tough as he dismissed his injuries.
Azula huffed without turning to glance at the scene. "Judging by the way you complained on the way here, it didn't seem like it," she muttered mockingly as she took a bite of her meal. "Weepy."
Toph snickered at her comment, "He is quite a weeping baby." she mocked too.
Sokka gave them both a deadly glare, his eyebrows twitching in annoyance. Both ignore him. He pouted before greeting the leader of the warriors with a warm hug. "Hey, Suki."
"Sokka." she smiled at him, returning the hug.
Even though they had broken up, they were on good terms and were still good friends. They would always be there for each other.
The girls were impressed by his change. He had grown taller and buffer, and Ty Lee couldn't help to notice that he was also more handsome than she remembered him. He was definitely a sight to behold, at least to Ty Lee.
"So?" said Sokka, "What did I miss?".
"We were just catching up over dinner," said Aang, who had returned a while ago from Mayor Morishita's home. "Come on."
Everyone took their seats once more.
"Hey, Toph." Sokka said with a smile, happy to see the earthbender after almost a year apart.
She was taller and slimmer than he remembered her. Her hair was longer too. Her bangs still covering her eyes.
"Snoozles," she replied as he sat on the only remaining chair available. Next to Azula and opposite to Toph. "I would hug you, but that would imply for me to stand up and nah… I don't feel like doing it right now." said the earthbender before taking a small knife and starting to pick her teeth to get the food stuck in them out.
"You are doing it on propose, right?" Azula glared at her, getting more and more annoyed and disgusted by the girl next to her.
Toph laughed. "Pissing you off is almost as amusing as it is to piss off Snoozles." she pointed towards Sokka with her head.
"And I'm delighted to hear that I provide such amusement to you," said the Princess sarcastically, "Now stop it." she grunted again, kicking one of the earthbender's legs off her chair.
"Why? Does it bother you?" Toph mocked, waving the knife in her hand sloppily.
"Yes," Azula leaned back in her chair. "Am I the only one here rational enough to be worried that the blind one is holding a very sharp knife?" she pointed out.
"Scared princess?" Toph raised an eyebrow and smirked.
"Of you hurting yourself?" she teased, "We are not that close for me to worry about it. But you get closer to me and that knife is going to end up somewhere you will not like." she warned her.
Toph laughed. "This trip just got ten times better," she said, "I was afraid I was going to get bored. After the war things had been meh…" she made a grin. "But I don't think I will get bored with you, Fire lily."
Sokka snickered next to her. "Fire lily." he said under his breath.
Azula turned towards him, quirking a brow. "You found that amusing, Snoozles?" she said, a little irked.
"Hey, that…" Sokka stopped when he remembered something important, "Aang, Zuko!" he called his friends at the other end of the table, all eyes turned on him. "We should send someone to go get the Rough Rhinos, they must…"
"Way ahead of you, pal." said Zuko.
"I already went to inform Mayor Morishita about it and he sent a bunch of soldiers to retrieve them a while ago. Azula had the same idea," said Aang, nodding towards the Princess.
Sokka looked over towards her who gave him a haughty smirk as she kept eating.
"We should be hearing from them any moment now." Zuko added.
"Oh, good." said Sokka, glancing towards Azula.
"We should interrogate them about who sent them and why." Katara commented.
"I agree," the Fire Lord nodded in agreement. He wanted to know if this attack was linked to what had been happening back in the Capital for a while now. "We can do that before departing tomorrow," Then he looked over at the end of the table, "Azula, can you help me tomorrow to arrange the details for their repatriation?" he asked to his sibling.
"I don't want to," said Azula, "But do I have another choice?"
"Thank you, Azula." replied Zuko after rolling his eyes.
Dinner continued with no other issue until almost the end, when Kori Morishita and Sneers walked in. They greeted everyone and then headed towards the Fire Lord and the Avatar.
"I still cannot believe that guy is dating her." Sokka uttered in a low voice, glancing towards the mayor's daughter and his boyfriend. How did a guy like him get a girl like that? Kori was a really pretty girl and Sneers, well Sneers wasn't the most good-looking guy out there.
"Why not Snozzles? Jealous?" Toph teased him.
"What? No," he denied, "You know what I mean. You have seen that guy, right?"
"Are you dumb?" Azula said between gritted teeth almost instantly.
"In fact, I haven't…" she replied now, picking her ear with her pinky.
The Princess made a grin of disgust when the earthbender smelled her finger.
"Sorry," Sokka apologized by his mistake. Old habits die hard and forgetting from time to time that Toph was blind was one of those. "I mean…. She is way out of his league, right?" he muttered, glancing at the Princess for her agreement on his statement.
Azula huffed sarcastically. "And you are the one to tell, savage," she said while distractedly shrugging, "I'm sure everyone thought the same of you and the Kyoshi warrior," his mouth opened wide when she pointed towards Suki with her chopsticks. "No offense, but even I could tell she was way... out of your league." Azula mocked, crossing her arms over her chest.
Toph laughed loudly.
Sokka pouted towards her. "Just because you say 'No offense' before insulting me, it doesn't mean I will feel less insulted." he said, making air quotes.
"I will have to agree with her Sokka," Toph intervened, "Even though you dated Suki for some years, I'm still wondering what she saw in you." she leaned back in her chair in a relaxed manner.
"Hey!" he squealed, affronted. He was a great catch! "I'm a great guy! An outstanding catch! I'm fun, smart, full of great ideas, and let's not forget that physically I'm tall, handsome, muscular…" he said haughtily.
Azula rolled her eyes. "Generally modest, aren't you?" she retorted ironically, looking at her nails.
Sokka huffed before pointing a finger towards her accusingly. "You aren't the one to talk about modesty Princess," he said frowning, "Oh, and as a matter of fact, you say she was out of my league, but still, I don't see a line of suitors for you, right?" he said quizzically leaning back on his chair.
She leaned in his direction, supporting her elbows on the table. "That's because they have more common sense than you. And they realize I'm out of their league," she said before adding, "Also, the title of Princess tends to scare them off..." she grimaced.
"Are you sure it's not because you are so fearsome?" Sokka inquired quirking a brow defiantly, leaning towards her in the same way.
The Princess shrugged. "Could be. But I still don't want any scaredy-cat around me. That would be undeniably annoying."
They were looking at each other fixedly. It was almost like a competition of who would blink first.
"Are you sure guys that…" Toph interfered, smirking. "Well…. Never mind... You both would come to notice it, eventually." she moved a hand carelessly. It was better if they didn't know, so she could use it to annoy them.
"What?" Sokka asked, quirking his brow even more.
"Say it." said Azula in a commanding tone, also intrigued.
"Nah…" she rejected them, making a grin and shaking her head. "You two go ahead with your low-key flirting. Don't let me stop you." she taunted them.
"Our what?" Azula's eyes widened, leaning forward in direction of the blind girl.
"What?" Sokka frowned, also leaning forward.
"Low-key flirting." Toph repeated slowly.
"We are not… I'm not..." both denied at the same time, glancing at each other.
"She is not…" Sokka felt a little blush on his cheeks.
He was not low-key flirting. He was not! He rejected the thought. Or maybe he was? No! He was NOT flirting! Toph is just messing with us. He took a quick glare at the Princess' profile. Spirits! She is gorgeous. BUT, NO! It's Azula! Damn it, Toph!
"He is not…" Azula denied.
He couldn't be. One: Why would he flirt why her? He would have to be crazy to do it. Two: She was NOT flirting. She was just annoying him. And three: No one had ever flirted with her. She was way too intimidating. So why would he? she thought. She is just messing with us.
Toph laughed, throwing her head back and leaning on her chair on its hind legs. "You two are so easy to tease. I'm gonna have fun on this trip." she declared.
"Good for you." grunted the Princess sarcastically before pushing the earthbender's chair with her feet so she would lose her balance and erase that stupid smirk off her face.
But her earthbending worked faster than gravity, and she regained balance. "Oi, Princess, don't get mad!" said the earthbender, "In any case, you should be thankful I actually believe you are out of his league." she mocked once more, nodding with her head towards Sokka.
"What?" the water boy raised his eyebrows, feeling insulted, again. "Toph, whose friend are you?" he whined.
"Wait," Toph raised her eyebrows with amusement. "So, you really want to be in her league?" she smirked, placing a hand under her chin. "Interesting." she said, smiling mischievously.
Azula rolled her eyes. The little snotty was having a blast at their expenses.
"T-That's not…" he grumbled, "Why am I the one out of her league and not the other way around?"
The Princess huffed, crossing her arms and leaning back on the chair. "You seriously need to ask?" she questioned, narrowing her eyes.
"Yes, Princess. I really need to ask." he grunted.
She sighed. "You just answered yourself dumb-ass. One: I'm a Princess. Two: I'm the best firebender out there. Three: I'm the smartest person in the room," she said like if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "And four: Oh no, that's it. Need any more proof?" she returned her attention to her nails.
"You are not the smartest person in the room." Sokka frowned. He was just as smart as her!
Azula smirked in his direction and leaned forwards supporting her weight on her elbows at the table, again. "Read my lips… Day of the Black Sun Invasion." she loved to mock at him and she knew that that matter was still a soft spot for him. She was going to bring up that day every time he claimed to be smarter than her.
But in fact, she had always acknowledged that he was someone she should look out for closely. He might be a non-bender, but that didn't mean he was not a warrior. A few times, he had been skilled enough to avoid Ty Lee's attacks. Then, when they had fought back in the Boiling Rock's gondola, he had forced her to the edge a few times. He also had been the only one to figure out her plan of distraction on the day of the invasion. And let's not forget that she was sure he was the one in charge of the plans of his little group of misfits.
"I'm sure that's not the only thing he wants to do with them." Toph razzed in a low voice.
"Toph!" Sokka squealed, aghast. His heart rate increasing and the red returning to his face embarrassed that he had looked at the Princess lips longer than he had intended too.
"What?" the earthbender raised her hands defensively. "If you don't want me to tattle-tale, you should control your heart rate!" she pointed out defensibly.
"My heart rate is fine!" he complained, pouting. A few eyes turned towards him. "And by the way, I have, in fact, dated a Princess, before." he declared in a low voice trying to not attract more attention to their conversation. A few prying eyes were already looking in their direction.
"Oh, spirits. Was she blind?" Azula teased.
"No… She..."
"Was she deaf?" Toph asked mockingly. It was the first time she heard this.
"No..."
"Mental Problem?" the Princess asked.
"No… Tsk!" he grunted, annoyed.
"Then? Something must have been wrong with her." Azula uttered. Toph snickered at her comment.
"No," his expression changed and relaxed. "She was… She was perfect…" he muttered, remembering Yue and her fate with a little melancholy.
"Huh," Azula smirked, "Still you are here. Single… Interesting," she pondered teasingly, "Why did she dump your ass?" she said, pretending to be interested.
Sokka side smiled and shook his head. "It's not like that. It's not what you think. She didn't break up with me."
"So, you broke up with her?" she tilted her head slightly.
"No…"
"Then?" she pretended, astonishment widening her eyes and mouth. "Did you cheat on her with the Kyoshi warrior?"
"What?!" he squealed in horror.
"Who would have thought of you as the playboy type…." she taunted him.
"That's not what happened!" Sokka retorted.
"Then…?" Azula quirked a brow.
"It's... complicated." he muttered, not wanting to explain what had happened back then with Zhao and the moon spirit.
Azula rolled her eyes. "In that case, I will stick to the cheating story." she said. If he was going to remain all mysterious, then she would come up with her own assumptions.
Sokka's eyes went white. "Fine. But see, I dated a Princess before," he pointed out, "The Northern Water Tribe Princess, actually."
She flicked her tongue. "Now, that's something I don't believe," she noted, "For what I know the Northern Water Tribe were quite close during the war, -one of the reasons they managed to survive for so long-," she said, "Also, the last thing I heard is their Chief doesn't have a daughter. And they didn't accept foreigners into their walls."
"They didn't use to," he said, "But we were traveling with the Avatar and after all, we are kind of royalty, you know?"
The Princess huffed sarcastically. "Ha… On what earth? Peasant?" she mocked.
"It's true!" he claimed, "Our father is the Chief of the Tribe. Which technically makes me a Prince…" he asserted.
"Not even in your wildest dreams," she objected, "That's not at all how royalty works. If anything, it might mean that you are the less savage of your savage people."
Kori Morishita and Sneers walked out of the room. And a second later, Zuko was standing next to them.
"We need to talk." he told them in a serious tone. The three at that end of the table, nodded.
The dinner ended a moment later with no other interruptions.
Kiyi and her parents said their farewells to everyone before heading to retire in their beds. A few of them switched places, including Ty Lee, who sat next to Sokka with her eyes sparkling.
"Hey," she muttered, glancing at everyone with a little smile, even towards Azula.
"Hey," Toph and Sokka replied.
The Princess ignored her. She was going to pretend that she wasn't there, that she didn't exist if need be. Just by looking at Ty Lee, all her memories of their betrayal returned. It was like reliving everything again. Also, she was a constant reminder of the worst years of her life, of her most vulnerable moments.
Her betrayal and Mai's had caused her more damage than she would ever acknowledge.
Ty Lee gulped, "A-Azu…" she tried to say, but before she could the Princess gave her the coldest look she had ever seen. Charged with rage, hate, and a dozen other emotions. Ty Lee sank in her seat.
When Zuko had explained to her and the warriors what was happening with his sibling, all of them had been a little reluctant. After all, it was Azula who he was talking about. But after he told them about how well she had been doing -not only with her role as an advisor but also with everything else-, it wasn't that hard to be open-minded about her really trying to change.
Helping a bloody Sokka had been proof of that. Also, the fact that he had called for her as soon as he had been better, and she couldn't help but notice the way Toph, Sokka and Azula were having a conversation during dinner, joking, laughing and teasing at each other.
She had made mistakes, but she was trying to fix them, just as she had tried once.
She didn't think that seeing the Princess again would affect her, but it did. And seeing her mock Sokka and Toph made her realize that even though the Kyoshi warriors were great, and like a family to her, she still had memories that could never be erased.
Their friendship may have not ended well for obvious reason, but the memories of her younger years were still there. Mai and Azula had been her first friends, and for so long, she wanted to spend time with them, rather than with her sisters. Maybe it was because, being friends with the Princess and the daughter of one of the most important politicians of the Nation, it was a big deal, or maybe just because when she was with them, she was special, unique.
Even though Azula had been a bossy and manipulative friend, she had also been an unconditional friend. When Ty Woo had cut her hair one night just because she was pissed at her, Azula had been the one to defend her, confronting Ty Woo during recess back in the Royal Academy. And also, she had to admit, if Azula hadn't gone for her back then to join her on her quest, she would have never met the Kyoshi Warriors and she would have never become one of them.
It had been an odd friendship, with good and bad things. They both had made their mistakes in the past, things they regretted. Yet, a little part of her hoped that maybe one day, things between them would go back to be like they used to or maybe just a little similar to it. But another part of her knew that it was impossible to return to that. Azula was too proud, and they were so damaged. She would not be surprised if the Princess blamed her for her breakdown. She knew their betrayal had injured her more than she acknowledged.
Still, she was willing to try to give her a chance, and she hoped that one day Azula would too.
"The guards Mayor Morishita sent are back," announced Zuko, "They were supposed to retrieve the Rough Rhinos."
"What do you mean 'supposed'?" Azula inquired, assuming the worst scenario.
Zuko took a deep breath. "That's why Kori and Sneers came. The guards reported that by the time they arrived, there were sights of the fighting but the place was empty," he said, "The Rough Rhinos were gone."
"Well done, Fire lily," said Toph with irony, "Didn't you think about, I don't know, trapping them? or something so they couldn't escape?" she said quirking an eyebrow.
"Oh no, I did," Azula replied calmly, "But I was way too busy making sure your friend did not bleed out to death." she grunted, fumed. She cursed. She should have known better. She should have tied them up or something.
"I could have done both." Toph retorted, sounding haughty.
"Toph." Sokka scolded the earthbender, feeling a little guilty too.
He knew it wasn't Azula's fault. She would have tied them up if he wasn't battered, bruised and bleeding. In big part, it was his fault. And he also knew that if Toph kept pushing the Princess' buttons, all hell would break loose.
"Good for you, snotty," said Azula with evident sarcasm, "But one: I don't care. And two: shut up, your voice is giving me a migraine." she complained, rubbing her temples.
"Okay. You two, enough," Sokka rebuked them, stern while at it, "Toph stop it. Azula, be nice."
Both girls looked at him, a little startled at him. Even Ty Lee did.
Azula leaned back on her chair, rubbing her temples again, and Toph returned to support her weight on the two hind legs of her chair with her arms behind her head.
"I guess I don't have to say that we ought to remain alert during this trip. If they already tried something like this, they might try to do it again," said Zuko, "Also, let's not forget that they seem to be working for some former Dai Li agents," he added glancing towards his sibling and Sokka who confirmed the information by nodding with their heads. "Which kind of complicates things as we are heading to Ba Sing Se."
"Let's not forget that the Dai Li used to be the King's right hand," said Aang, "Nobody knows the city better than them. Not even the King or his Generals."
"Zuko, why don't me and the girls have a few rounds through the city while we're there?" Suki suggested, "Just in case we can gather any kind of information, maybe even find their hideout."
The Fire Lord gazed towards his sibling at the end of the table, just in case she had other plans. Azula nodded in agreement. It was a good idea to have the warriors look around the city and try to attain information. Some questions needed to be answered; What they were after? Or why? Why now?
"It's a good idea," Zuko agreed, "While we are in the meetings, the Kyoshi Warriors will scrutinize the city. At the end of the day, you will report back. We will have to keep a low profile. We don't know if there are going to be spies in Ba Sing Se."
"Back in the day, when they used to control the city, they had spies everywhere. We don't know if some still work for them." said the Avatar.
"And lastly, but most important for you girls. And especially your safety," said the Fire Lord, glancing at the warriors. "If you find their hideout, do not engage them." he warned them before adding, "Return immediately with all the information you have and we will figure out a plan to trap them."
"You mean, we would have to figure out a plan." said Sokka, pointing at himself and Azula. Something that surprised them all.
The Princess raised an eyebrow.
Sokka wasn't stupid, he knew that Azula had a natural talent for plans and schemes. And like him, she was a natural master in tactics. Yet, she couldn't lose an opportunity to piss him off.
"Sorry?" Azula inquired, "We? You mean me, right? Your plans suck." she stated.
Sokka's mouth was left gaping. "What? My plans don't suck." he retorted.
"Failed Invasion." she said haughtily, leaning forward.
"Again with that?" he complained. "For how long was she going to remind him of that? "How long are you going to use that? And it doesn't count! You cheated!"
"For as long as I wish too, and..." she blinked aghast, "Pardon? I cheated?"
"You knew all about the Invasion. And that day you used pirouettes and evasion to keep us distracted," pointed out Sokka, leaning closer. "You actually accomplished nothing."
The Princess huffed at his statement. "On the contrary, when Kuei started talking about it I saw an opportunity and took it. And a little heads up, I accomplished what I intended too, which was for you to lose your time." she made a grin of auto sufficiency.
"Well, that…" Sokka pouted when he realized he had no actual reply for her. He crossed his arms and leaned back.
She leaned back, smirking, cocky, and victorious. "What?" she inquired when she noticed that everyone's attention was on them.
They all blinked, astonished for their bickering back and forth.
"Can you all feel the sexual tension or it's just me?" Toph broke the silence, mocking them.
Nobody replied, and even though she was blind, she could totally sense the ugly looks from Sokka and Azula.
Ty Lee wanted to reply that she had felt it too, but she had assumed that it was wiser to not to. Also, she wasn't fully sure if that's what she had felt between them or just tension.
"Nobody?" she muttered, "I guess it's just me." she shrugged and picked her nose one more time.
"Anyway," Zuko broke the silence. "Let's just hope that everything comes out easy and we can solve this mess with no one getting injured."
"Hopefully." agreed the Avatar, as everyone returned to their respective chats.
"Well, if someone keeps picking their nose and smearing her snots, I seriously doubt that." Azula muttered, grunting, glancing towards Toph again with disgust.
"Huh?" the earthbender pretended to be oblivious about her threats.
"You heard me. If I…" Azula jolted up, a little dismayed when she felt a hand on her cheek.
She glanced towards Sokka, who had frozen under her wary gaze.
It was until he had gotten a glimpse of her golden eyes on him that he had noticed what he had been trying to do.
"I-I was trying to…" he stuttered nervously, "It's j-just… Y-You, you have some dry blood on your cheek," he explained, before doing something that amazed not only the Princess and Ty Lee. He rubbed his thumb gently against her cheek, removing the blot of blood carefully. "There." he smiled, pleased showing her his thumb stained with the blood he had removed.
Azula didn't respond but wiped her cheek with the back of her hand in case there was any left, feeling a little uneasy about his gentle gesture and trying to ignore the warmth his touch had. She studied him warily for a moment.
Ty Lee blinked, looking back and forward between the water boy and the Princess. It was well known to everyone in the Palace and everyone around her that Azula hated when people touched her face. Yet, Sokka was still alive.
"Ty Lee," one of the warriors called her, "We are heading to bed. Coming?" she asked her.
Ty Lee nodded, still dumbstruck. "I'm coming. Good night, guys." she said, before following her friends out.
"Night." they replied, with the exception of the Princess.
"How are you feeling, pal?" Aang asked Sokka when he stood next to them joined by his girlfriend and Zuko.
"Fine," he replied, "It's just the shoulder that hurts now." he tried to move his shoulder but grimaced when he feel a little stinging pain.
"It's going to take a while to heal. It was a deep wound," said Katara, "We are lucky it didn't pierce you anywhere else, or it would have been a problem."
Sokka made a grimace of pain just by imagining that the arrow could have pierced them somewhere else.
"And that would have been a problem we don't need right now," Azula muttered, reaching for her glass of water, when she felt a little stinging pain on her right arm. "Ah…" she complained, before noticing her sleeve being somewhat stained with blood.
Sokka raised an eyebrow. "Huh? You're hurt." he noticed, looking at the cut on her arm. It was small, a tad deeper than a scratch.
It was probably because of Vachir shooting that arrow at her. She must have had been way too distracted on other things to even notice the pain or the blood.
"You should let Katara take a look at it." he said, eyeing her arm.
"It's a scratch. It's nothing." Azula replied, not giving it importance.
"Let me help you." offered Katara, standing next to her.
"It's okay, it doesn't even hurt." she waves a hand carelessly, trying to get up and head to bed.
"Shush." Katara forces her to her seat before bending some water on her hand. She placed the water gently on her skin, and after it glowed, it disappeared as well as her cut.
Azula raised her eyebrows, surprised. She had never seen waterbending healing at first hand.
"Thanks," she muttered softly, before adding, "Well, if we are done here, I'm heading to rest, your company is bad for my health." she stood up and walked out of the room.
They all shared glances, wondering who she was referring to precisely or if she was talking about all of them in general.
"We should all go to bed." Katara says before wishing them good night and heading to rest as well as Zuko and Aang.
And just when Sokka was about to leave too, Toph said. "I guess you are managing pretty well your break up aren't you?" she teased, "I mean, you are already flirting with other girls, so I'm guessing you moved on, right?"
"For the last time, I'm not flirting with Azula!" he explained, a little irked, trying to convince the earthbender.
Toph snickered. "Oh, gods," she shook her head, amused, "I never said you were flirting with her. I could have been talking in general, you moron. I was just teasing you. You just assumed. Which means that I'm right."
Sokka quirked a brow. "I'm not flirting with her," he reassured, "And by all means, if someone is flirting it must be her."
"And wouldn't you like that, huh?"
"Yes. I mean no!" he rushed to correct himself, "No. I-I meant no. That's what I was trying to say!" his heartbeat raced.
"You just make it too easy, Snoozles. Your heartbeat gives you away instantly," replied Toph, standing up to leave. "Just make sure that Zuko doesn't find out, okay? Or worst Katara, who knows how Sugar Queen might react."
"Find out about what?" he asked, "They are not going to find out because there is nothing to find out."
Toph patted him on the shoulder, friendly. "Keep telling yourself that, you might end up believing it."
"How many times am I going to have to repeat it to you until you believe it?" he retorted, feeling a little defeated. Toph was going to keep going with the topic for days.
She rolled her eyes. For her to believe it, he would have to at least learn to control his heart rate. "Sure, Snozzles," she said before heading towards the door. "I missed you…"
"You missed annoying me." Sokka clarified.
Toph shrugged. "Same thing. This trip is going to be fun. I'm going to have both of you to tease."