Gladiator

by Seyary-Minamoto

In a world where the Avatar wasn't found, the Fire Nation took over two nations and they strive to overcome the last one. Water Tribe warrior Sokka seeks to fight for his people's rights, but he's captured by his enemies. His life is no longer in his hands as he fights as a Gladiator, and his fate will eventually depend on the Fire Nation Princess, who needs him for her own ends...

100. Chapter 100: Giving in 6

Following Zhao into a dining room was almost surreal for Azula. Not because of the company, which was rare enough on its own, but because she was well used to taking her meals in her personal rooms nowadays. She did eat elsewhere on special occasions, but she hadn't visited one of these dining rooms since her childhood.

Her family had always eaten together in a dining room much like the one Zhao had led her to… up until her mother disappeared. After that, Ozai had no time to spare gathering his children so they could have dinner together. And even if he did have time for it, it seemed he had no interest in doing so. Azula frowned as she took her seat: memories, both good and bad, were overflowing her. Had she known that the last meal they had shared would be the very last time her immediate family would be together, she might have treasured the moment a little more.

Zhao sat across her, eyeing the meal the servants brought them eagerly. He dug into the first dish without any semblance of refrain. When he noticed Azula studying him judgmentally, an eyebrow raised, he gave her a somewhat guilty smile.

"Pardon me, Princess. After years of eating tasteless fish, I may seem a little too enthusiastic to have some of our nation's fine courses…"

"It's understandable," said Azula, nodding and smiling slightly as she started her own meal. "I found food in the Earth Kingdom to be rather tasteless as well in comparison. I gather whatever you could eat while on the siege must have been far worse than that."

"Indeed. It makes you wonder how those savages manage to survive in such dreadful conditions," said Zhao, with a disbelieving smirk. "Somehow they do, though. I would assume it's part of their heritage, if they have such a thing."

"They are sturdy people, I believe. Quick to adapt to new circumstances," said Azula, and Zhao scoffed skeptically as he swallowed the mouthful crab he had been eating.

"I suppose you speak of first-hand observation, then?" he asked, and Azula didn't miss on the disapproving frown on his face. Azula clenched her jaw. Indeed, what Zhao wanted to talk about was exactly what she had expected…

"On the most part, yes. History books seem to back up my understanding of the Water Tribes as well, so…" she said, as she tried to focus on her stew.

"Is this ability to adapt what made you choose that man as your gladiator?" asked Zhao, skeptically. "Or is it he has some extraordinary power I fail to comprehend, while both you and your father appreciate it quite clearly?"

"I gather my father's unexpected trust in him sits badly with you, doesn't it?" said Azula, raising an eyebrow. Zhao mirrored her expression.

"I had thought it sat badly with you as well, Princess. Seeing how you opposed letting him undertake such important mission…"

"My opposition is mostly related to the fact that I doubt my gladiator will prove capable of fulfilling my Father's demands," Azula said. "I dread that my father will be direly disappointed, and I had hoped to avoid that while I could. But since he insisted…"

"He can be rather stubborn when he's set on something," said Zhao, sighing. "It's how he has always been."

"It isn't wise to speak of your liege lord that way, Admiral," said Azula, with a smirk. Zhao chuckled.

"It is the way I speak of a friend, no more than that. He would find no harm in it, he says far worse things about me, both at my face and behind my back," he said. "He told you about my fight with your brother, after all…"

"I suppose that is true," said Azula, nodding. "All the same, I guess you ought to respect his so-called stubbornness for what it is. My father makes his decisions for his own reasons. We had best accept that."

"Indeed. But I needed to talk with you because, for the life of me, I cannot understand his reasons, try as I might," said Zhao, looking at Azula with confusion. "What could lead him to believe that some non-bending savage from the Water Tribe will be a reliable asset, to the point where he would entrust such delicate mission to him?"

"So, you really don't know?" Azula asked, frowning. "I was under the impression my Father had already informed you of everything you'd missed out on…"

"He only spoke of your gladiator briefly," said Zhao. "Perhaps he knew I wouldn't take kindly to hearing stories about some slave…"

"Yet you're here, asking to hear them all the same," Azula asked, with a small smirk. "I suppose it's irrelevant whether you would take kindly to it or not, if that's so…"

"I simply wish to understand, if there's anything to be understood at all," Zhao said. "So if you would humor me, Princess… what is so special about him, if there's anything special at all?"

Azula breathed out slowly. She couldn't tell Zhao all about the things she found special about Sokka, it was out of the question. Attempting to highlight his better qualities could come off as gushing praise, and everyone knew Princess Azula wasn't easily impressed by anyone. Zhao would find that suspicious right away. In order to educate Zhao somewhat, she had best simply speak of facts, keeping her personal opinions about Sokka well concealed…

"There isn't anything particularly special right away, in fact. His attitude can be somewhat amusing at times… my father believes so, at the very least, but other than that, there's not much to him that ought to be deemed 'special'."

"If that's so, why did you take him as your slave?" Zhao asked, frowning, and Azula smiled.

"Why, that's precisely the reason why I did, Admiral," she said, and he froze. "He's a Water Tribesman, a non-bender, big-mouthed and unabashed like nobody else you'd know. Everything about him is the exact opposite to what any of us would hold as the standard for a good gladiator. Therefore, he was the logical choice."

"I can't see how that's the case," said Zhao, frowning. "For starters, I fail to understand why you joined the League. It isn't the sort of business a Princess like yourself should be meddling with."

"Why?" Azula asked, and Zhao snorted.

"Because it is foul, and vile, and lowly," said Zhao, and Azula smirked. "There's no reason why you should have joined this business when you're highborn and in no genuine need to get involved with this revolting business."

"If you find it so disgusting, Admiral, why are you involved in it?" she asked, curiously, and Zhao sighed.

"Because your father wanted me to be," he said, and Azula frowned. "It was to be an important establishment for the nobility and common folk, and he wanted someone he could trust at the very top of it. There's nothing more to it than that."

"Is that so?" Azula asked, raising an eyebrow. "So you take no enjoyment in the task?"

"Hardly," said Zhao, shaking his head as he swallowed more food. "Do you, Princess?"

"Well, in all honesty, I can't remember ever having as much fun as I have since I joined the League," Azula said, with a smirk. "Perhaps it is a lowly form of entertainment in your eyes, but I find it a lot more interesting than I originally thought it could be."

"Granted you must, or else you wouldn't take part in it," said Zhao, frowning. "Is it you're entertained because people often assume your gladiator is an underdog, and yet he often proves he isn't one?"

"On some level, yes. It's also rather rewarding to earn recognition through him for that reason," said Azula, after taking a bite from a sweet bun. "See, if I had chosen a firebending gladiator, there would be little worth noting about my participation in the League. I could have had the best fighter indeed, Admiral… but I didn't. And that confuses people more often than not. It confused you as well, clearly…"

"Most definitely," said Zhao, and Azula smirked.

"See, Admiral… there's barely any merit in taking an already powerful gladiator under your wing," she said, and Zhao frowned. "How much effort have you had to put into training Combustion Man, if I might inquire?"

"I've… hardly had to put any. Truth be told, I have nothing to do with his training regime," he said, and Azula nodded.

"I thought so. He was already a powerful combustion bender all on his own, wasn't he?"

"Of course."

"Meanwhile, my gladiator was a far cry from a decent fighter when I first happened upon him," said Azula, and Zhao looked at her with curiosity.

"Your father told me you found him in the South Pole. Is it true?"

"Indeed," said Azula, nodding. "My father had sent me as an emissary to a meeting in the South Pole's settlement. A group of Water Tribe warriors attacked the building, attempting to take us captive. I took action and pursued the leader, who was none other than my gladiator, Sokka. I defeated him easily, despite I was somewhat weakened by the conditions in the Pole, and, following on my father's footsteps, I decided to spare his life only so he could be a slave in the Fire Nation."

"And then you took him as your gladiator?"

"Not immediately. I only did once I was faced with an unwanted betrothal to the former Admiral Chan's son," Azula explained, and Zhao smirked.

"Your father did mention of that. You refuse to take a husband, don't you?"

"I'd rather make the most of my time while I can, Admiral," she said. "Marriage would suit me ill at the moment, and frankly, all candidates so far have been utterly disappointing. Admiral Chan's son included, of course."

"Well, that is a pity. I do hope you find a proper suitor soon enough," said Zhao, smiling. "And that you can rid yourself from all those who aren't worthy of your hand in marriage, too."

"I strive to achieve that, yes," said Azula nodding. "I asked my father for permission to prove Chan did not deserve to take me as his wife, and I meant to do so through a gladiator fight, the only thing Chan was allegedly any good at. A proud man like himself would have never passed the chance to humiliate a non-bender who had only just joined the League, so I made certain to send a challenge he wouldn't resist… and when my gladiator defeated his with a knock-out, there was nothing left for him to do other than forsake his claim for my hand in marriage."

"A knock-out?" Zhao asked, surprised. "Is that so? Was he so strong already on your very first fight?"

"I hired Master Piandao to train him," Azula explained. "His skills in combat were considerably refined with his help. Ever since Piandao left, I took it upon myself to train him first-hand…"

"Piandao left?" Zhao asked, raising an eyebrow before shaking his head and looking at Azula skeptically. "Though, wait, he agreed to train your gladiator? Really?"

"He believed Sokka was one of the best students he'd ever had," Azula said, nodding and Zhao snorted.

"Preposterous. All that talk of worthy students and yet he takes a common slave under his wing?"

"I believe the sword master noticed Sokka's potential from the start," Azula said. "He was Sokka's master for scarcely three months, yet Sokka was already capable of defeating Piandao the last time I watched them spar."

"Then he must have been getting old," said Zhao, and Azula snickered.

"Perhaps he was. Yet Sokka's prowess is still what it is," she said. "He may not be the strongest gladiator there is, but he doesn't have to be. He is absurdly inventive, fighting with the bombs my father thinks so highly of, and he has managed to achieve many deeds that were thought to be impossible for a man like himself. He's the only non-bender to survive and win in the Slate, to name one thing."

"Only because he fought that wimp, the Millennium Dragon…"

"You mean that wimp your gladiator has been unable to kill in battle?" Azula asked, with a raised eyebrow. "From my understanding, the Millennium Dragon's only defeat, outside of the ones Combustion Man has dealt him, was against my gladiator in the Slate. If he were an actual wimp your gladiator should have proven able to murder him. He has done so to countless others, so why not him?"

"Chance, mostly," said Zhao, smirking. "His survival streak shouldn't last much longer, if my gladiator fights against him soon once more."

"That it lasted this long speaks well enough of him, like it or not, Admiral," Azula said, and Zhao frowned. "Hence, my gladiator's feat ought to be regarded for what it was."

"Nonsense," said Zhao, and it was Azula's turn to frown. "Your deeds, Princess, are the ones that deserve proper credit, not his. He is but a slave, and only a tool for you. That you have polished him into a decent fighter is something worth recognizing you for, Princess, not him. He would have been as good as nothing without you."

"I suppose that's one way to see it. Yet… the reasons why my father trusts him aren't related to his performance in the fighting pit," she said, and Zhao's eyebrow rose. "Were you informed of the White Lotus's attempt to release certain prisoners from the Prison Tower? It was quite the scandal…"

"Yes, your father mentioned it. It's absurd that they were so close to succeeding, too…" said Zhao, frowning. "It was bad enough to evacuate the civilians into the tunnels, right?"

"It would seem there's some infiltrate agent of the White Lotus somewhere high up in the Fire Nation's social circles," Azula said. "To my displeasure, we haven't located them yet. Whoever it is, they haven't acted ever since that particular fiasco… a fiasco that would have paid off if it weren't for my gladiator's actions."

"Your… your gladiator's?" asked Zhao, frowning.

"I was indisposed at the time, I had a strong cold and attempting to fight the White Lotus off didn't help my condition in the slightest," said Azula. "He came in to assist me, though, without being asked to, and he almost took care of the threat single-handedly. His feat garnered him my father's trust, since he saved the Fire Nation through his actions."

"So, he saved the city?" Zhao asked, his attempt to smirk mockingly failing him. His eyes betrayed his complete confusion. "A common slave…?"

"I would think the fact that he saved it ought to give away he's not that common after all," said Azula, raising an eyebrow. "Any other slave would have aided the White Lotus instead without giving it a second thought."

"That might be so," said Zhao, frowning. "I suppose he did it for a reason, though, did he not?"

Azula froze at that. Zhao was right. Sokka had done it all for a reason. A reason Azula wasn't entirely certain of right now, as she thought about it… but even back then he had looked at her in the kind way he did nowadays. He had taken care of her when she was sick, trying his best to look after her so she would be safe and sound. He had fought the White Lotus so she would stop fretting, so she would lay down and rest. Of course, she hadn't done as much, but still…

She remembered the way he had pressed his forehead against hers as she was lying in bed, and recalled the things he had been whispering, the way tears had seemed to glisten in the corner of his eyes. He had denied those tears immediately, but despite her ill state, she had been certain she had seen them.

So, there was a reason indeed… but she wasn't going to tell Zhao that Sokka had likely done everything he had because he was in love with her.

"I don't think he was planning that far ahead. He usually doesn't," Azula admitted. "I had been furious at him a few days earlier over some foolishness of his, though, so perhaps he did it to show his loyalty and return to my good side, without expecting that my father would start holding him in high regards as well after that. Not that my father holds him in the highest regards, of course… but he still considers Sokka a reliable asset. A handy tool, as you said earlier."

Zhao nodded and frowned as he took a sip from his drink. Azula busied herself with eating as Zhao pondered the information she had given him.

"So, this would be the reason why your father believes he can be trusted?" he said. "Or are there more stories he didn't convey to me completely?"

"Well… there might be a few. He helped me unveil the Dai Li conspiracy in Ba Sing Se," Azula said, raising her eyebrows. "He also assisted me in capturing the Rough Rhinos, a mission my father had tasked me with…"

"The Rough Rhinos? What did they do?" asked Zhao, surprised.

"They rebelled, so they had to be crushed," said Azula, smirking. "In fact, they were in league with the Dai Li, but it wasn't until later that I noticed both events were connected."

"Curious," said Zhao, surprised. "And… did he aid you with finding your dragon as well? Ozai mentioned something of the sort…"

"Oh… he did help with the dragon as well, though I was the one who tamed him, obviously enough," said Azula, and Zhao nodded.

"I have heard much about the dragon," he said. "It's quite a mischievous creature, isn't it?"

"He both has a temper and a very playful side to him," said Azula, smiling. "I'm most pleased to have found him."

"Of course you are," said Zhao, smiling as well. "Is there a chance there might be other dragons to be found…?"

"Perhaps. Xin Long was alone all his life, though, so I can't say for certain that there were others," Azula said. "We were chasing the Rough Rhinos when we happened upon him. He was hiding inside a mountain in the Northern Earth Kingdom. My guess was that some dragons might have fled in that direction after Azulon's hunt began, and perhaps one of them laid an egg within that cave. Chances are another dragon could have done the same elsewhere."

"It would be ideal if they had," said Zhao. "That way we could return to riding dragons rather than waiting hopelessly for some hot-air balloons to be finished. A pointless charade, Azulon's hunt was. In military regards, it was an unforgivable waste of resources."

"Agreed," said Azula, having already known that both her father and Zhao thought that way about the extinction of the dragons. Their beliefs had greatly influenced her own opinion on the matter.

"Do you expect to find another dragon soon, then?" Zhao asked, and Azula shrugged.

"In all honesty, I'm not certain," she said. "My dragon has already scoured most the Fire Nation's lands and found nothing. He hasn't had as many chances to do it in the Earth Kingdom, but so far, none of his exploration trips have yielded any results."

"A pity," said Zhao, with a sigh. "No doubt we could use some air power in our army."

"We could, but as we are it would be risky to try it, as we said during the meeting," said Azula, tapping the table with a finger. "In any case, is this all you wanted to know? Or is there anything else you're curious about, Admiral?"

"About your gladiator?" Zhao asked. "Why, I suppose there are still unanswered questions, but I will have to live with them. I don't think I'll ever comprehend why some common slave, a savage, to boot, is so highly regarded, but…"

"Savages have apparently kept you at bay up north for a very long time, Admiral," Azula said, raising her eyebrows. "Wouldn't it be wiser to acknowledge their prowess and abilities instead of looking down on them? Calling them savages and being unable to do anything to overcome them… doesn't it sound terrible for us to deem ourselves the superior nation, yet we fall short when challenged by what we claim are mere savages?"

"Why, you don't mean to imply they are above us in any regards, do you?" Zhao asked, a sardonic smirk on his face. Azula shook her head slowly.

"I said no such thing, Admiral… but if you were to feed a tigerdillo with the same amount and type of food you would give a rabbit-squirrel, it would bite your hand off for your troubles, if it didn't go for your neck right away. If you underestimate the Water Tribes and regard their people as foolish and weak, when you've seen for yourself they aren't, the one committing a blunder, knowingly, would be you."

"Princess…"

"Do excuse my boldness, Admiral," said Azula, with a small smile. "But that sort of attitude is precisely what has allowed my gladiator to succeed when all odds were against him. The sponsors of so-called superior fighters trust their gladiators will defeat a non-bender because they see no reason why things shouldn't get their way. The Blue Wolf ought to be a weakling, a lowly slave… and that makes the horrified looks on their faces all the more amusing when their gladiators are beaten by that weak, lowly slave."

"So, I must give the Water Tribe credit where it is due, you believe, in order to succeed?" Zhao asked, sarcastically, and Azula's eyebrow rose.

"What I'm saying, Admiral, is that even I learned the hard way not to underestimate an opponent regardless of what they seem to be in appearance. My uncle's gladiator? She looks like nothing more than a foul-mouthed, skinny girl, doesn't she? Yet when she earthbends, she's a force to be reckoned. She almost killed my gladiator the first time they fought. So, don't assume someone is weak merely because they look the part. They might be hiding skills you cannot begin to imagine."

"Sounds terrifying indeed," said Zhao, smirking. Azula sighed. The Admiral had many flaws, yet his arrogance was by far the worst one. She wouldn't say it to his face, but his sense of entitlement was most likely what had caused him to lose an Agni Kai against Zuko, despite being a quality bender himself.

"It should sound terrifying," Azula said, nodding despite she knew he spoke sarcastically. "Amongst many principles one ought to abide by in the battlefield, one that stands out is that you must show your opponent…"

"The respect you expect him to show you in return," Zhao finished, and Azula looked at him curiously. "Words my former master used to speak to me quite often. If you fight honorably, you win honorably."

"Sounds like your master was wise," Azula said, and Zhao snorted.

"Jeong Jeong wanted to be wise and failed to be, or else he wouldn't have turned his back on our nation when he did," said Zhao, smirking. "A coward, is what he really was. He was too afraid to take what he should have been able to seize by force. Too scared of what sort of judgment others would pass on him when his crimes of war were weighed. A fool, by all accounts. I tried to abide by his honor code for a short time, and found it pointless. If you have the power to burn your enemy to a crisp and he has none to stand against you, then by all means, you have every right to do as you please."

"It makes enough sense," Azula said. "But what do you do when you cannot burn them that easily, Admiral? Do you stop to ponder the situation? Do you acknowledge your miscalculations and seek a new path of action? Or do you merely continue proceeding in the same manner, banging your head against a wall to no avail as you wait for everything to miraculously fall into place?"

Zhao frowned and Azula held his gaze briefly. She knew the answer to that question already, thus why she had asked it. She knew Zhao wasn't the brightest man in her father's council, but she had hoped he might prove he was slightly wiser than she took him for. Finding otherwise and being able to throw his shortcomings to his face was both amusing and disappointing simultaneously. To think she had once admired this man as she had…

"Well, then, if there's nothing further you'd like to discuss, Admiral, I shall take my leave now," she said, pushing her empty plate forward and setting her chopsticks across it. Zhao nodded.

"If there were anything else I'd like to ask you about, I'll contact you once you return from your journey to see the Mechanist," said Zhao, standing up as Azula did. "I will be busy for the next few days, so we might not meet again until then. There's much of my properties I need to inspect now that I've returned…"

"Naturally," said Azula, nodding. "The best of luck with that task, Admiral."

"You as well. For your sake, let us hope that you are underestimating your gladiator as well, and that he might be capable of fulfilling the Fire Lord's expectations," said Zhao, and Azula smiled and nodded.

"Let us hope indeed," she replied.

But she knew better than to hope for the impossible. Her technical reasons to believe Sokka might fail could be proven wrong, perhaps he understood explosives well enough… the real problem was that he would flat-out refuse to cooperate. She couldn't imagine any reason why he might accept the mission her father had forced on him. What she could definitely imagine was the frown on his face, the dead-cold glare in his eyes, and the blunt words regarding where her father could shove up his intent to have Sokka assist in the destruction of the Northern Water Tribe.

The unpleasant thoughts continued to round her mind as she arrived in her room. She changed out of her armor and daily clothes quickly, switching to her sleeping gown. She might have gone to bed looking forward to meeting Sokka again soon, under normal circumstances, but right now it was the last thing she wanted to do. What they'd had so far was wonderful, dangerous and intense, and she certainly had wanted more of it. But there would be nothing more to be had anymore: once she told him about Ozai's ploy, Sokka would become cold and aloof, putting distance between them again… and Azula wouldn't find it in her to hold it against him if he did.

She set down her hairpiece, brushing her hair swiftly and pulling it up in a ponytail, as she often did when she went to bed. She snuck a glance at herself in the mirror as she did, finding her reflection was returning her miserable gaze with its own.

She sighed as she strode towards her bed, climbing up the dais as she rubbed her eyes with her fists. She needed a good night's rest, that was all there was to it. She could deal with all that came next later, but for now, she simply had to sleep.

She turned and dropped on the bed, her back first…

"Ow!"

Azula jumped off the bed, her exhaustion disappearing immediately: there was someone inside the covers. She had dropped on said someone's body only briefly, causing him to yelp a second after she took notice of his presence. Her eyes widened as she looked at the shape in her bed with utter confusion, and the instinct to firebend at the intruder crossed her mind just as the person threw the covers off… to reveal it was a Royal Guard.

"What in the name of…?" Azula said, utter indignation on her face as she stretched her two fingers, but when the guard started squeaking an answer to her question she froze in mid-movement.

"No! Don't attack, Azula, it's just me!" exclaimed the guard, with a terribly familiar voice…

Azula's jaw dropped as the guard pulled the helmet and hood off with quick movements, revealing it was exactly who she thought it was.

"S-Sokka?!" she exclaimed, before covering her mouth with a hand. She had to keep her voice down, especially at this hour.

The gladiator chuckled and smiled guiltily at her, throwing the blanket off his body to reveal he was fully clad in a Royal Guard's uniform indeed. The disbelief in Azula's face only grew more accentuated.

"Yep. Hehe. Surprise," said Sokka, smiling awkwardly as Azula's raised a hand to her forehead.

"What… what the blazes are you doing here? And where did you find a guard's uniform?" she asked, looking at him in confusion. Sokka smiled and shrugged.

"Well, I just came because I wanted to see you again, for starters," he said. "As for the guard's uniform, I have no idea why, but it was in the basement! So, I grabbed it and dressed up in it, and…"

"And you thought it was the greatest idea ever, of course. Slipping inside my room in a Royal Guard's uniform would make it possible for us to sleep together tonight?" Azula asked, folding her arms over her chest as Sokka scratched the back of his head and smiled awkwardly.

"I know, it was stupid and reckless, but I just really couldn't go home yet!" he exclaimed, looking at her pleadingly. Azula ran her hand over her hair and shook her head slowly.

"How long have you been in the Palace, Sokka? You're… you're completely crazy," she said, shaking her head as he chuckled.

"Maybe," he admitted, smiling at her. Azula cursed herself mentally for feeling her heart race over the gentle expression on his face.

"Honestly…" she said, smiling weakly as Sokka climbed off the bed. "You couldn't have enough after what we did in the basement, you just keep pushing your luck in all the ways you can, huh?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he said, looking at her with a sad smile. "I just couldn't fathom going home and not being around you for who knew how long. Selfish of me, I know, but I just…"

Azula looked at him and swallowed hard. That kindness… the kindness she dreaded would disappear once she explained what her father wanted from him. She gritted her teeth. Well, he was here already. She might as well give him the bad news and start mourning over the brand-new backwards step their relationship would be taking because of this…

"Azula?" Sokka called her, as she shook her head promptly.

"Don't worry, I'm just thinking… wait, where did you say you found that uniform?" Azula asked, frowning. Sokka sat on the bed again as he tugged at the red robes.

"In a closet in the basement. I kind of snooped around a little, waiting for the right moment to leave as you told me to, but then I saw this and…" he said, chuckling as he looked at Azula with bright eyes. "I could totally wear this and pretend I'm your guard whenever I want to come see you! That way I could be with you a lot more often, don't you think?"

"I think…" Azula said, frowning. "I think that's how they did it."

"… How who did what?" Sokka repeated, blinking a few times in confusion. "Did you hear any of what I just said…?"

"The White Lotus!" she exclaimed, before remembering she wasn't supposed to be talking at this hour, let alone so loudly. She gritted her teeth before looking at the confused gladiator on her bed. "There are several ways to enter the tunnel that leads to the secret river, Sokka. One of them is through the Throne Room, but there are others… and one of them passes through that basement! The spy… he snuck his friends into the Palace that way, had uniforms waiting for them there and…! And that's how they infiltrated our ranks. I never gave this much thought until now, but it makes enough sense…"

"Yeah, it does, actually…" said Sokka, frowning and rubbing the stubble on his chin.

"And… I can't just tell my father about it because doing as much would mean explaining how I came upon this knowledge," Azula said, looking at Sokka with a dry smile. "Great job, Sokka, and terrible job, both at the same time."

"Typical me, huh?" he said, with a smile. Azula rolled her eyes, smiling a little more earnestly, despite herself. "Still, this knowledge doesn't help that much, or does it?"

"Well… it just confirms what we thought. The spy knows the Palace truly well. A lot of guards would know about these tunnels, some servants as well, and they'd have access to the basement and to uniforms that could be used for this purpose, but…"

"But what?" Sokka asked, as Azula took her seat beside him, a frown on her face.

"But somehow I keep thinking it's my uncle, is all," she said, huffing. "Of course, I have no evidence and accusing him now would look like a child's temper tantrum, which doesn't befit me in the slightest… but all the same, my gut keeps telling me he's the spy. It must be him."

"You're probably right," Sokka agreed, nodding as Azula looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Good to know at least you agree with me," she said, and he smiled. She rolled her eyes and shook her head, a soft laugh escaping her. "I can't believe you actually did this. Did you lose your mind, Sokka?"

"Maybe a little bit, but I promise I'll behave," said Sokka, smiling at her. "If you tell me to leave, I'll leave without making a fuss. I promise."

"You promise?" Azula repeated, in disbelief. Sokka nodded.

"Of course!" he exclaimed, and Azula chuckled.

"Right. Well, you're not leaving through conventional means anyways," she said, glancing towards the carpeted area of her room. "I have a better idea than to have you wandering the Palace dressed in a guard's garb."

"Oh? Well, great! B-but… I don't have to go yet, do I?" he asked, looking at Azula with inquisitive eyes. "I mean, you just got here, and I thought…"

"You thought you'd take your chance to fuck me on my own bed, is it?" she asked, with amusement, and Sokka chuckled.

"Hey, we don't have to go that far…"

"Need I remind you of what happened the last time we said that same line?"

"… Well, this time I mean it," he said, as Azula snorted and laughed. "Come on, but at the very least we can be together and be happy to be together, right?"

With that he surrounded her waist with his arms, leaning close as he smiled at her. Azula looked into his eyes, letting the blue of his gaze sway her briefly… but before he could kiss her she inched away slowly.

"Wait. Wait," she said, lifting a finger as she looked at him warily. Sokka blinked in confusion, his lips still ready to kiss her even though she had just stopped him.

"What's the matter?" he asked, as he released her from her grip and Azula stood up.

"Sokka… we are reckless. We have been too reckless," she said, looking at him with meaningful eyes as she walked towards her cabinets. Sokka followed her with his gaze, confused. "So much we didn't realize what we were actually risking when we did what we did the past two days."

"Uh, I thought we'd talked about that already, hadn't we?" said Sokka, frowning as he looked at what she was rummaging through her cabinets for.

"Not about all the risks we were taking, actually," Azula said, as she prepared to brew the tea Mai had brought her for the first time. She only hoped she wouldn't make a mess of it, she had gone many years without practicing this fickle and, frankly, boring art. "See… from a biological standpoint, what is the purpose of sex?"

"Um… reproduction, I guess. But it's not like we're… oh. Oh… oh, no," Sokka said, his eyes widening as the situation sank in slowly. Azula turned to watch him as the realization dawned upon him. It was relieving, to a degree, to see how taken aback he was by the idea. "Azula, we…!"

"Calm down," Azula said, looking at him sternly as Sokka started trembling, looking at her with helplessness. "It's not a guaranteed thing. While I might be pregnant, I also might not be. So…"

"B-but we did it so many times and we didn't realize…!" Sokka blurted, his hands going to his hair as he shook his head. "I… I'm such an idiot. I really… how could I never think about something so basic? Hell, it's obvious enough! Why didn't I realize sex could lead to babies?!"

"Because you weren't thinking about that?" Azula said, raising her eyebrows. "You weren't thinking, period, and neither was I. And speaking of periods, that seems to be the best way to make sure I'm not pregnant. I think I'm around three weeks away from it, so by logic I'm not at the most fertile point of my cycle… and I figure I shouldn't be talking to a man about this, should I?"

"Uh, considering this is the man who might have knocked you up, I am absolutely willing to hear all this," said Sokka, gulping. "So, you think the odds are that… that you didn't conceive a kid after all?"

"There's no way of knowing for certain, but with luck…" she said, shrugging and returning to her task. Sokka frowned as he watched her, noticing now what she was up to.

"Hey, are you… brewing tea? Seriously?" he asked, confused, and Azula sighed and nodded. "How come? Do you know how to do it, for starters?"

"Amongst my many pointless classes in the Royal Academy, I had to take a whole year to learn each and every stage of tea brewing," Azula said, with a sardonic grin. "So very entertaining, truly. Yet I never killed anyone with my tea, so I probably wasn't doing it that badly, right?"

"If that's the standard tea-brewing is measured by, sure," said Sokka, smiling despite his worries. "Still, I didn't realize you'd drink tea before bed…"

"I don't, of course," said Azula, as she heated the liquid quickly through firebending. "But I will be drinking it from now on, so we stop tempting fate whenever we're together. It's supposed to prevent pregnancy."

"Oh. Oooh…" said Sokka, a sigh of relief leaving his body before he tensed up again. "But wait, if you were already pregnant…"

"If I already were, the tea would be useless indeed," she conceded. "But just in case I'm not, we're better off preventing trouble on all fronts, right?"

"True enough," said Sokka, nodding, as Azula sat beside him on the bed again, the cup of steaming tea in her hands. "So, from now on, you'll be drinking this."

"If we want to keep this up, then yes, I have no choice but to do it. I just hope it doesn't taste terrible," she said, grimacing as she lifted the cup to her mouth…

Sokka wasn't surprised at all to see the grimace on her face as she gulped down the cup's content.

"That bad?" he asked, as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, a displeased scowl on her face.

"Why must tea taste like liquid wood?" she growled, and Sokka smiled.

"Well, infusions come from leaves, so maybe that's why," he said, and Azula sighed.

"The things I have to do so we can be together…" she said, shaking her head. Sokka bit his lip.

"Is there something I can do, maybe? I mean, if it's this lousy, it might be better if I'm the one taking the countermeasure," said Sokka, looking at Azula inquisitively. She raised an eyebrow and Sokka smiled a little.

"It's touching that you'd like to spare me the bother, but if there's something for you to do, I know nothing about it. I suppose I'll ask Mai or Ty Lee, though, they might know."

Sokka blinked a few times as Azula drained what was left of the cup, frowning still at the unpleasant taste. She rolled her eyes and told herself to rejoice, since today's dose was done now… and that was when she noticed the dumbfounded look on her lover's face.

"Y-you'll ask… Mai and Ty Lee? Y-you mean, you'll tell them it's for, uh, a friend? Another friend they know nothing about?" he asked, worriedly.

"What friend is that?" Azula asked, snorting. "Rui Shi, perhaps? It's not very likely that he'd need it, is it…?"

"A-Azula, you can't just talk to them about male contraceptive measures out of the blue," he said, looking at her in utter confusion.

"Yeah, well, as it happens…" Azula said, sighing deeply and looking at Sokka apologetically. "Turns out they coaxed the truth out of me today. I tried to keep it from them, but Ty Lee had the great idea to hug me, her arm rubbed against the makeup I'd put on my neck right over one of the souvenirs you gave me, and… well, I just couldn't make up a believable lie at that point. So… yes. We're just the best at keeping secrets, aren't we?"

"They know? They…? Oh, damn it. They had to notice," he said, striking his forehead with his palm. "They've known you for ages, after all, they should've seen something was different…"

"Ty Lee claimed my aura was so very bright, and from there it snowballed into the unwilling reveal," said Azula, standing up to set aside the teacup. "Mai also noticed that I no longer seemed to be frustrated, so I guess I'll have to work on looking frustrated again, huh?"

"Heh, you might have to. Thought if we keep going at it at this rate, it's not going to be easy," he said, smirking. Azula rolled her eyes, smiling regardless. "Still… is it safe for them to know?"

"I don't think it's ever going to be safe for anyone to know, to be perfectly honest, but it looks like they'll do their best not to cause trouble. They're helping with the contraceptive methods, well, Mai is anyways," said Azula, sitting down on the bed again. "She brought me the tea, told me to have it regularly, and so I shall. No other choice, considering we're quite prone to doing things we shouldn't, whenever and wherever we have a chance…"

"I guess we are too reckless," Sokka whispered, looking at Azula apologetically. "It's just a little hard to resist, I have to say. You're just… heck, you're you, Azula… and I've been dreaming about being with you for such a long time. This situation is just, well, a dream come true, no doubt. I'm allowed to love you, in all the ways I can, and…"

"Well, I wouldn't say you're allowed," said Azula, smiling a little. "We've just disregarded every single rule and done whatever we wished to…"

"True," said Sokka, smiling back. "But as long as you'll have me, I'm all yours. Nah, actually, I'll be yours long after you're bored of me…"

"Bored of you? You expect me to grow bored of you?" Azula asked, startled, and Sokka chuckled and scratched the back of his head.

"Well, I'm a very simple guy after all. I'm not on your level, everyone knows that," he said, smiling at her. "So if you did grow bored…"

"You know, some people think lowly of you, it's true… but I get the feeling the one who thinks the worst about you is none other than yourself," Azula said, with a raised eyebrow. Sokka looked at her blankly.

"Heh. I thought I was just being realistic," he said, and Azula smiled as she stroked his cheek with a hand.

"You're being foolish, is what," she said, leaning closer. "You're not as bad as you think you are, you know. You've just spent such a long time telling yourself that you are that you've ended up believing your own pretense."

Sokka froze for a moment as Azula smiled at him. He chuckled a little as he confirmed, just by looking into her eyes that she was indeed paraphrasing words he had once told her.

"Is that so?" he asked, as she pressed her forehead to his.

"Well, it looks that way, I think. Someone will have to educate you into appreciating yourself a little more," she said, and Sokka grinned.

"Any ideas as to who might be able to do that?" he asked, and Azula shrugged.

"None, actually. I'm afraid we'll have to go looking for someone to help you," she said, and he chuckled more.

"Here I was hoping you might offer to do it yourself," he said, looking into her eyes as he cupped her face with his hand. Azula smiled.

"Me, of all people?" she said, as Sokka's lips finally found hers.

He kissed her softly, his hand moving to the back of her neck now, eyes closing slowly. He sighed into the contact of their lips, feeling as though he could breathe properly again now that he'd kissed her…

"You, of all people," he said, still smiling once they parted. "If I stay around you long enough, you might rub off on me and I might actually succeed one day in becoming a man worthier of being with you… not to say I absolutely will, I might fail anyways, but I'm still willing to give it a shot…"

"You… you're an idiot," Azula said, kissing him again. In her eyes, he hadn't failed at all. But conveying those sorts of feelings through words just was no easy feat for her…

His hands caressed her flanks, the touch of his fingers making her shiver pleasantly. He would be happy, no doubt, since she was wearing less clothes than usual right now… whereas he was likely wearing more than ever. She pulled away briefly, his lips moving to kiss her cheek.

"I hope nobody saw you come in here, or did they?" she asked softly, and Sokka chuckled. "And how come was your best idea to hide in my bed…?"

"I made sure to be stealthy, no worries. And as for that… I wanted to surprise you," he said, smiling. "I had meant to push off the covers when you arrived, and say something ridiculous so you'd laugh… but I dozed off after a while and didn't notice you'd arrived until you dropped atop me, hehe. Your bed's amazing, you know? How do you ever get up in the mornings? It's so comfortable…"

"I have a busy life, I can't just stay in bed all day," said Azula, smirking as Sokka chuckled.

"Well, I'm glad you can be that responsible, because I can't say I would be if I were in your position," he said, kissing her neck now. Azula hummed, her hand going to the shaved sides of his head. "Heck, back in… back in my tribe, the only way my family could get me out of my sleeping bag in cold mornings was to offer me food."

"Seeing how it's you we're talking about, I'm hardly shocked," Azula said, smirking as Sokka laughed more. "Still…"

"Yeah, I know, I can't stay in your bed forever," he said, sighing. "I'd love to, but it can't be helped, huh?"

"That's not what I was going to say, it's… it's something else," she whispered, pulling away from him, to Sokka's surprise. The mention of his life back in his tribe had served to bring her back to reality, despite she would have gladly indulged in Sokka's attentions for a little while longer.

"Something wrong?" Sokka asked, looking at her worriedly. "Do you want me to leave now, or…?"

"No, not just yet," Azula muttered, placing a hand on his thigh as she steeled herself. The sooner he knew, the better. Delaying this would only make things worse. "We just… need to talk about something."

"We… huh? Wait, we need to talk?!" Sokka squeaked, horrified. "It's not the kind of talk that would result in you dumping me, or is it…?"

"Uh… in fact I wonder if it won't be the other way around," Azula said, her eyes widening as she lifted a hand to her forehead, her jaw set as she tried to find the words to convey this. Sokka frowned and snorted in disbelief.

"Me, dump you? Like I could be that stupid," he said, smiling now. "What is it, Azula?"

"Well…" she said, swallowing hard and looking at him. She crossed her legs in a lotus position and placed her elbows on her knees. "You know the Captain told me I had to attend a war meeting, right?"

"Right," said Sokka, nodding slowly.

"I went right after seeing Mai and Ty Lee today," Azula explained. "And everything seemed to be perfectly fine, until a certain topic was breached…"

And with those words alone, she saw the shift in his kind gaze. He frowned, his blue eyes growing colder as his entire demeanor changed. Just what she had dreaded…

"What topic?" he asked, looking at Azula warily. "Is your father going to attack the South Pole, despite he swore he wouldn't?"

"No, no, not about that," said Azula, and Sokka sighed in relief. "In fact, it seems the relocation of the troops from the settlement is almost finished. There will be outposts to keep watch just in case the Water Tribe makes any naval movements, but it seems my father has actually forsaken the little territory we had taken from you. So, your home remains safe, as you bargained for it to be."

Sokka breathed out deeply, the coldness in his gaze disappearing as he smiled at Azula.

"That's… one of the best news you could have given me," he said. "Thanks. For a moment I really thought he was going back on his word or something…"

"So long as he finds no need to go back on it, he won't do it," said Azula. "But that's… that's not what I needed to talk about. You see…"

"Yes?" said Sokka, as Azula remained silent for a moment, a troubled grimace on her face.

"Well, my father seems to believe the Fire Nation's forces need technological assets to succeed in the few fronts of war we're still battling at," she said. "And his brightest idea was… that we should use bombs to fight against the Northern Water Tribe's army."

Sokka's frown returned to his face, though he didn't seem as personally invested upon hearing these news as he had been with his prior wild assumption. Azula swallowed hard.

"So, you were warning me of this because… you want me to know about what your father's forces are up to?" he asked, and Azula shook her head slowly. "If that's not it, then…? Wait, were you… were you chosen to lead this mission or something?"

"Not entirely. And not me," she said, sighing heavily. "See… there's an inventor my father often relies on for new technologies. He had hoped this man might provide the bombs, but apparently, explosives aren't his strongest suit in regards of his inventions…"

"So, he might fail to pull it off altogether because he's no good with bombs?" said Sokka, raising his eyebrows. Azula nodded.

"He would fail if he's left to do this all on his own, likely," she said. "The thing is… that my father wants to avoid said failure. He wants the Mechanist to build these bombs, but he thinks the Mechanist needs… an assistant, so to speak. Someone with knowledge of how to build bombs, someone who might prove capable of helping the Mechanist make these weapons a reality. And that someone… is you."

Sokka's jaw dropped and he looked at Azula with incredulity. She swallowed hard again.

"Me? Your… your father wants to use my knowledge of bombs to help you guys destroy the Northern Water Tribe?" he asked, looking at Azula with a disbelieving and dangerous smirk.

"I spoke against his idea, and so did Zhao, but my father refused to listen," Azula said, sighing. "He's dead-certain that you're the best person for the job, and I naturally couldn't just tell him outright that you were more likely to sprout wings and fly than to help us with something like this. It's… as though he were convinced that your help back with the White Lotus's skirmish meant that you're completely dedicated and devoted to the Fire Nation, even though you're a slave."

"Well, I am dedicated and devoted to the Princess of the Fire Nation. Can't say I'm as dedicated to the Fire Nation in itself, let alone to the Fire Nation's knack for blowing up entire cultures unnecessarily…" he growled, and Azula nodded.

"That's what I thought. Still…"

"Still what?" Sokka asked, and Azula looked at him helplessly.

"Sokka, it doesn't look like he wants to give you a choice on the matter," she said. "It's not as it was when it came to my pursuit of the Rough Rhinos, where he allowed me to decide if I wanted to do it… he's set on this, and since you're a slave, your thoughts on the matter are next to nothing for him. I wish I could have swayed him, at least bought us a chance to just mull it over, but he's not going to take no for an answer, no matter what."

"You've already told him 'no' before, after all," said Sokka, glaring at the floor irritatbly. "He wasn't happy about what you did during your birthday."

"Not in the slightest."

"And considering you're Crown Princess now, refusing a direct command from the Fire Lord wouldn't go well for you, would it?" he said, raising an eyebrow. Azula shook her head.

"I doubt it, but… but we'll find a way to shake this off, Sokka," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I know it looks dreadful right now, but so did things back when I ended up sleeping over at your place, and yes, perhaps we've failed to keep things between us a complete secret, but at the very least we've made it to the second night without either of us dying. I think that's a feat all on its own."

"Yeah, it is," he said, smiling at her. Azula was relieved to see him grin. She had genuinely expected him to grow cold towards her upon her delivery of these news… it was startling, yet delightful, that he hadn't reacted as she had anticipated he would.

"So, if we've managed to achieve this, we can deal with my father's demands somehow," said Azula. "I don't know how yet, perhaps you'd have to be indisposed in some way, unable to travel, I'm still thinking about it…"

Sokka closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his fingertips, deep in thought. Azula fell silent upon seeing him like this, figuring she shouldn't interrupt him right now. If he was to come up with a solution, it might be better to give him some time to ponder it. Though knowing Sokka, if he did come up with something it was bound to be quite ridicu-…

"I'll do it."

Azula's thoughts froze and she looked at Sokka in utter confusion. She saw the steel in his eyes, noticed the coldness to them… yet he was saying he'd do it?

"Come again?" she said, and Sokka looked at her in defeat.

"Come on, Azula," he said. "How am I supposed to say no to your father anyways? You told me he's set on this idea, so if I said I won't do it, he'd likely gather a battalion so they can drag me to wherever that inventor lives. Then he'd keep me under constant surveillance every day because he would want to make certain I'll work as he wanted me to. If I do it willingly, he'll be less of a bother, right?"

"But you're… what the hell, Sokka?" Azula said, utterly confused. "You're… you're going to help my father in his attempt to take down the Northern Water Tribe? Are you… are you out of your mind? What's the matter with you?"

"Well…" said Sokka, gulping.

He bit his lower lip and looked at Azula furtively as she stood up, pacing around the room in utter confusion. He had no trouble suspecting just how angry she would be if he explained the actual reason why he had decided that agreeing with Ozai's demands would be the best course of action… so he figured it might be best if he said nothing at all.

"Sokka, did you listen to what I said?" she said, turning to look at him sternly. "Do you actually understand what's at stake here?"

"I think I do," he said, nodding. "Your father's trust on you, for one thing… your dedication to the Fire Nation, for another. If there's a chance I can build those bombs, and you don't push me to the ultimate extreme so I can succeed at it, you'll be thought of as weak. Your father will be disappointed, and he will believe you're not holding the Fire Nation as your absolute top priority, as he has always wanted you to."

"Sokka, I don't know if there's any chance you might succeed at this. In fact, I question it," she said, looking at him with worried eyes. "Even if you did put your everything into it, do you know how to build explosives?"

"Eh, I have basic knowledge of it, yeah," he said, shrugging, and Azula frowned.

"All the same, even if you do… Sokka, my father will mean to punish you for real if we return empty-handed," she said, looking at him in disbelief. "No, there will be no chance to mislead people this time into believing that I punished you when in fact we were doing the entire opposite of that. He will deal with you himself if you fail him. So, if just for common sense, for your sake, accepting to do this is just not a good idea, alright?"

"It's not, granted, but I think we're in a dangerous enough situation already to cause you even more trouble now," said Sokka, sighing. "I can tune out my conscience if need be, Azula. I became pretty good at that back in the Amateur League."

Azula froze where she stood, her eyes growing kinder as his words cut deeply into her heart. The pain he had suffered back then had damaged him badly, even if he managed to conceal most his scars in the recent times. He clung onto his new life, doing his best to forget the old one. And to think he was willing to do this, despite what it would mean in the long run, because he didn't want to be a bigger problem for her… he was willing to betray himself for her sake, wasn't he?

Yet that didn't sit well with her. It couldn't. She still remembered the words Piandao had told her once, and she had no trouble recalling what Sokka was like when he had been broken. She refused to see him like that again, regardless if he was doing it for her sake.

"Sokka, I might find another way," she said, approaching him again and sitting by his side once more. "I can't promise I will, but… at least I can try."

"Azula," he said, smiling at her and taking her hand in his. "It's fine. Look… it's better if I do it than to leave some Fire Nation creepy genius to come up with some brutal weapon to wipe out the entire world. I'll see what I can do, and heck, if there's nothing I can do I'll just take your father's punishment and be done with it…"

"You don't mean that," she said, looking at him sternly. "You are aware of the fact that he's the one who gave Zuko his scar, aren't you? And that was his son. Just imagine what he would do if he were angry with you."

"Well, if he tries to set me on fire then I'll have to ask you to let me borrow Wolf's Bane for a while," he said, smiling. "Might help avoid the nastier burns, right?"

"Sokka…" she said, studying his eyes intently…

… To notice that, due to her disbelief, she had missed out on something she wouldn't have ignored under any other circumstances.

"Sokka? What are you hiding?" she said, and he froze.

"Hiding? W-what would I be…?"

"You have that same look you had during my birthday," she said, and Sokka gulped. "There's something you're not telling me, isn't there?"

"Like what?" he said, snorting in derision as though her suggestion were utterly ridiculous.

"Like the fact that you have some sort of ulterior motive to make this decision?" she asked, and the look on Sokka's face gave away that she was spot-on. "Well, well. Why am I not surprised?"

"H-hey, it's not something that bad," Sokka pouted, looking at her with unease. "I mean… is it really that bad that I'm thinking this is a great opportunity for us?"

"A great opportunity in regards of what, exa-…? Oh, wait a moment now," said Azula, looking at Sokka with wide eyes. "A great opportunity for us to get laid without fearing my father will be onto us? THAT's what's on your mind?!"

"Well, what do you want me to say?!" Sokka pouted, and Azula struck her forehead with the palm of her hand.

"Sokka, you need to stop thinking with your penis for ten minutes, okay?" she said, and he blushed, still pouting. "Or with your stomach, that one's ruled out too! This is something serious!"

"Well, I'm serious too! I'll have to do it either way, since your wonderful dad won't take no for an answer, so it's better if I go with you so we can have at least a little fun, regardless of the horrible occasion!" Sokka exclaimed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I… I can't believe you're actually saying this," Azula said, shaking her head. "Sokka… we're talking about the very thing you despise about the Fire Nation, the reason you thought we were all rotten and disgusting, and now you're just going to help because… because now you get to have sex with me? That's all that matters to you now?"

"It's not all that matters," said Sokka, dropping his gaze. "But… being with you does matter more than you seem to realize."

"It's no excuse, Sokka, you can't be…" she said, looking at him with disbelieving eyes.

Until she realized that his gaze wasn't that of a defeated man. Until she realized that this revelation, the fact that he wanted to spend proper time with her, was only concealing yet another larger motive for Sokka to help… a motive that likely meant he wasn't going to help at all.

As she studied him she started to wonder if he'd already planned out his every move, despite knowing so little of the situation at hand. It wasn't chance that he'd be so ready to take Ozai's punishment if he were to fail. Because he was expecting to fail, clearly.

Sokka meant to sabotage the development of the bombs from within.

He raised his gaze again, finding she was awfully quiet all of sudden. Her eyes had a strange quality to them now, perhaps realization…

"Azula?" he said, and she shook her head promptly, looking at him with unease.

"You…" she muttered, biting her lower lip as she looked into his eyes. "You really care that much about me? You're willing to set the world on fire if it means we get to be together?"

Sokka gulped. The question was clear enough, but the intent wasn't. He would have gladly shouted an affirmative response just to give her what she wanted to hear, but he wasn't sure that was the right thing to do at the moment.

Because there were many things he was willing to set on fire if need be, for Azula's sake. He could give up on seeing his family again, despite missing them as badly as he did, if it meant he could stay by the Princess's side forever. He was fine with living in the Fire Nation for the rest of his life along with her. He could even become a vegetarian if she demanded that of him…! Though he sure hoped she would never ask him to be a vegetarian, but he would make that sacrifice if need be.

Yet the idea of sending his sister tribe to its ultimate destruction couldn't sit well with him. Despite what he'd just told her, that he could shut down his conscience, which he could do indeed, he couldn't simply join forces with the Fire Nation so they would destroy everything in their path. He valued his relationship with Azula with all his heart, but he couldn't allow this to run its course without putting up a fight on some level. It was merely a matter of doing the right thing, even though he hadn't done that too often as of late.

But in order to cause Azula as little trouble as possible, he had to take the full brunt of Ozai's rage when he failed eventually. And agreeing to do this was the only way to achieve that. Azula needed to keep her credibility, her father's trust… Ozai needed to blame Sokka, and Sokka alone, for failing to create those bombs. And there was no other way to achieve that than this.

Whatever punishment Ozai meant to deliver would mean a world of pain for Sokka, but he would take whatever strife he had to deal with to keep the Northern Water Tribe safe. He believed Azula could make this world a better place, he trusted she would… but until then, he had to resist from the shadows. He had to do the right thing, even if doing as much would require lying to Azula about his true intentions.

So, he sighed and caressed her cheek softly, noticing just how tense she was as she looked back at him.

"For your sake, Azula… I'd go to hell and back again," he whispered. That was the absolute truth. But he refused to drag the Northern Water Tribe down to hell along with him.

Azula could tell she hadn't made a mistake in her assumption. No, she had read him perfectly. She frowned a little upon his answer, wondering just what he meant to do. If she acted ignorant, pretending she was completely unaware of his intent, she might figure out how he meant to sabotage the process, and how exactly did he mean to go to hell for her if need be. He kept concealing the truth, yet the answer he had just given her question had been earnest, even if nothing else was.

What he was doing, though, would amount to treason in Ozai's eyes if it were discovered. If he failed because he had no choice, he would be punished. But if he failed deliberately, then he was but a traitor, and there was only one fate reserved for traitors. Azula gritted her teeth at the thought… and at the realization that, if she kept quiet about Sokka's sabotaging, she was as good as a traitor herself. Remaining loyal to her nation would mean she had to turn him in, to reveal him, but…

But the mere thought was unfathomable. There was no way she could do something like that to him. She trembled a little, holding his gaze insecurely.

"You really mean that?" she asked, and Sokka smiled.

"I love you," he said, taking her hand in his. "I love you in ways I've never loved anyone else in my entire life, Azula. So… if this is the best way I can keep you out of trouble with your war-thirsty dad, well, I have no choice. As I said, I've caused you enough problems as it is. You've had a hard time getting back on your dad's good side, so I'm not going to make it worse. It's time I sacrifice myself a little bit for your sake, don't you think?"

"Don't you constantly do that?" she asked, looking at him apprehensively. "You went without food in the forest, you always protect me from taking bad wounds when we fall off of places… you're constantly sacrificing yourself for me, whether you notice it or not."

"Well, maybe I feel the need to do it again now that we've slept together, because this could be a bigger problem for the two of us than anything we've faced so far…" said Sokka, smiling guiltily. "I won't act like a spoiled brat anymore. So, I won't get in your way with this. I can swallow my pride sometimes, believe it or not…"

"You know, you do act like a spoiled brat when you show up in my room at night for no logical reason," she said, raising her eyebrows and Sokka chuckled. "That sort of fickle behavior isn't proper of a man your age, or is it?"

"Oh, please, I'm not that old," he said, smiling at her. "Well, maybe I act like a spoiled brat in a few regards still, but hey, you can't blame me for wanting to be with you, can you? I mean…"

"You're in love with me, yes, I know," said Azula, rolling her eyes and dropping on the bed. "And the power of love has turned you into a Fire Nation loyalist all of sudden. It sure has some terrifying qualities, love…"

"A Fire Nation loyalist?" Sokka asked, amused. "So that's what I am? Do all Fire Nation loyalists claim to be in love with you?"

"No, they actually swear complete loyalty to me while they cower in fear, but you're on a different league from them, looks like," she said, as he leaned down, hovering above her with a smirk on his face. "You're sure about this, Sokka? Are you really willing to do this?"

She had to play dumb, of course she did. She could call him out on his intent right now, but what would that accomplish? It would only cause a big spat between them, first of all, and if word reached Ozai that Sokka meant to sabotage the mission, he would be killed for it on the spot. Feigning ignorance was the safest course of action she could think of at the moment, both for Sokka and herself.

In a sense, she couldn't blame Sokka for hoping to do what he wanted to. Not entirely. For if the situation were reversed, and it was the Water Tribe that meant to destroy the Fire Nation, through Azula's help, she would proceed as Sokka had decided to. The only difference was that she was a much better liar than him: chances were that nobody would have noticed she had been sabotaging the mission until a long time after it was finished, if anyone ever did.

So, since she was a better liar, she could pretend she hadn't seen through his scheme. She could turn a blind eye to what her father would deem as treason, pretend it wasn't happening whatsoever. Whatever the reasoning behind Sokka's failure, she simply had to act ignorant and he would… well, he would survive, at the very least, but he wouldn't be safe from her father altogether. Not for certain…

She had never felt such drive to protect somebody. It wasn't something entirely new, for she had always hated watching Sokka getting hurt, whether it was to save her or because he couldn't avoid it… but right now she had a chance to keep him from getting hurt. She could keep him safe from her father. She had to, for his sake and her own, even: she could barely fathom the idea of a life without him. Yet how to spare him from the world of pain Ozai would unleash upon him if he failed, as Sokka intended to…?

"As you said… I don't really have a choice," he told her, sighing as he gazed at her tenderly. "Either I comply, or I'll be dragged there and forced to cooperate anyhow, so choosing the easier course of action is just logical… By the way, where exactly is it we're headed? You said I'd have to work with this guy, but is he in the Capital somewhere?"

"Why? Would you stop being so willing to go if he's nearby?" Azula asked, smirking, and Sokka bit his lip.

"Well, you know, the only upside there was to this mission was having a little more freedom to be with you," he said, smiling. "If the guy lives next door then there's no upside at all."

"Idiot," said Azula, caressing his cheek. Sokka laughed softly. "He took office overseas, in the Northern Air Temple. It's where we'd be headed… well, where we'll be headed, I guess…"

"The Northern Air Temple, then?" Sokka said, raising his eyebrows. "Huh. I'd always been curious about the temples, I admit… do you think we'll be allowed to look around the place, or will we have to stay working all day without exploring anything?"

"I probably will be allowed to look around, seeing how I'm the Princess and nobody in their Temple would be able to stop me from doing as I wish…" she said, raising an eyebrow. "As for you, though, you're supposed to work, so I doubt you'll have any fun whatsoever."

"Heh? But hey… at least I'll get to sneak into your room at night, right?" he asked, smiling and Azula rolled her eyes.

"Seriously, is that the one thing on your mind?" she asked, smirking as he dropped atop her, laughing softly.

"You are the one thing on my mind, rather," he said, sighing as he embraced her. "I can't help it. You've got too much power over me and I don't want you to stop having it, at all."

"So, I'll have to deal with a sneaky slave, slipping into my quarters no matter if we're in the mainland, or in the Colonies, or at sea…"

"Oh, I could sneak into your cabin in your Barge too!" Sokka said, grinning. "I don't think I've seen your cabin from the inside, you know?"

Azula rolled her eyes but surrounded Sokka's neck with her arms.

"This is a very dangerous game to play, Sokka," she said, and he smiled guiltily.

"I know, I know. I'll try to hold back and not do it every single night," he said, but Azula smiled too.

"Please do. Though I admit… there's nobody I'd like to play this game with but you."

Sokka blinked as he looked at Azula, a slow smile spreading over his face upon hearing such kind words from her. Azula blushed a little, having given voice to her feelings with more ease than she usually did. When Sokka responded to her confession with a kiss she closed her eyes and sighed in sheer pleasure.

She had thought this would be over, had expected Sokka to react explosively to the bad news… but whenever Sokka wasn't unhinged, he would take a more tactical approach to resolving his problems. Never mind that he had failed to keep the truth from her, that she had unveiled it quite easily without even asking, but he had still done it all so he would be the one to take the brunt for everything. This way he would help the Northern Water Tribe and spare Azula from her father's wrath. He was willing to carry the weight for all that on his shoulders… and Azula wasn't entirely sure she could agree with that.

"Sokka…" she whispered, between kisses. He hummed.

"Do you have another important thing to tell me now, Azula…?" he whispered breathily against her.

Azula considered revealing she had understood what he was up to, while still reassuring him that she couldn't blame him entirely for choosing said course of action… while telling him she didn't want him to end up hurt because of this.

She had to find a way to protect Sokka somehow, if need be. While her father would be furious if Sokka failed, chances were she could appease him, perhaps by distracting him with something else. Perhaps by giving him something he would be pleased by, so pleased he might forget about Sokka's failures…

They would be heading to the north of the Earth Kingdom, after all. The same general area where she had found Xin Long.

Zhao had told her only moments earlier that dragons would be a better solution to their predicaments than airships. The idea made enough sense, Azula reasoned. She could work with this: she might be able to spare Sokka from his punishment just as he wanted to spare her from her father's wrath. This way she would procure something important for her nation, too, so she wouldn't have to fear being considered a traitor over Sokka's guaranteed failure…

She smiled and caressed Sokka's face, determination building inside her to protect him with everything she had.

"Just that… we'd best be really quiet this time," she finally answered. Sokka chuckled and leaned in to kiss her deeply, his hands undoing her robe quickly as she surrounded him with her arms.

Things were coming together far too dangerously, she thought, as they dropped together on her mattress. Her feelings for him clashed with her loyalty to her father and her nation, and she had no doubts he was going through the same thing: his love for her contradicted every belief he'd held throughout his life. What was she supposed to do? How could she choose between the nation that had built her into the woman she was today, and the man who had given her all the love she had never dreamt she would experience…? It was an unkind contest; a dilemma she wasn't sure she could find an answer to. Would she be forced to sacrifice Sokka or the Fire Nation before long? And if she was, how was she supposed to make up her mind to choose either thing? Of all predicaments she had faced in her life, this particular crossroad seemed impossible to sort out…

They both believed there was no time to be wasted anymore, but despite they coupled again and held one another through the night, exhaustion got the better of them before long, despite their muffled laughter and countless kisses. His arms surrounded her from behind as they fell asleep, and it was in this position that Azula woke up with a start hours later, noticing it would be dawn soon.

"Sokka. Sokka…" she said, turning in his arms and shaking him softly. When that didn't pay off she pushed him on his back and kissed him deeply, prompting him to groan in confusion as he woke up, but soon he was smiling as he responded. Once he was awake enough to return the kiss, Azula pulled away. "Time for you to go."

"W-what…? Oh, damn…" he said, grimacing in disappointment. She was right, of course, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

All the same, he managed to get off the bed and put on all his clothes again, with the Royal Guard uniform atop it all. Despite she thought it wasn't a brilliant idea, Azula had concluded it wouldn't be so bad if Sokka kept it. It might come in handy in future occasions.

"I do have to say, red suits you better than you must realize," she told him as he finished fitting the armor. She smirked and crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes raking his figure with interest. Sokka chuckled.

"Blue suited you just fine yesterday as well, Princess," he said, winking at her.

Azula would have gladly replied to that with another kiss, but it was growing increasingly late and Sokka had to go home as quickly as possible. She put on her sleeping gown again, fetching one of her emergency lanterns and lighting it with a quick firebending move before handing it to Sokka. He watched intently as she knelt to lift a section of the room's carpet… to reveal a trapdoor not unlike those he had seen during the White Lotus crisis.

"Hey, is that…?" he asked, as she bent into a small opening. The trapdoor swung inwards, triggered open by the fire.

"It is. The passageway into the catacombs underneath the city," said Azula, nodding as she stood up. "They should be empty right now, or at least they'd better be. The tunnels will be very dark, though, so you would need a light…"

"Well, problem solved," said Sokka, smiling and lifting the lantern. Azula nodded as she searched through her cabinets for something else now… Sokka watched with curiosity as she pulled out a set of maps, drawing small lines over them that should serve to guide Sokka through the catacombs.

"I hope you know how to read maps," she said, with a smirk, as she handed the papers to him. "It should take you home as long as you follow the instructions."

"I will," said Sokka, smiling and nodding. "Thanks… and sorry for the bother."

"Eh, at the very least you made the night worthwhile. I can't complain," she said, as he stepped inside the trapdoor, climbing down the small steps it had until he was up to his waist in the tunnel. Azula knelt down before him, cupping his face with a hand. "Be careful. I'll probably see you in a day or two at the port, we'll be setting out to the Northern Air Temple in no time."

"Got it," he said, closing his eyes and turning his face into her hand, kissing her palm softly. "I don't suppose I'll be allowed to sneak in to see you anytime soon, will I…?"

"No, you're not," said Azula, firmly, and Sokka pouted. "Seriously, Sokka…"

"I get it, I get it, but it's too bad, you know? Life's better when we're together," he said, smiling guiltily. Azula rolled her eyes and leaned in to kiss him.

"Then we should do what we can to spend time together without risking everything in the process. We could ruin all our chances to be together altogether by being too reckless," she said, and Sokka pouted again. "Stop being so silly. I'll be with you again in no time."

"Yeah… I can't wait for it and we're not even apart yet," he said, smiling gently before kissing her lips for the last time. "I love you, Azula."

Azula smiled too and nodded, pressing a kiss to his brow now before pulling away.

"Go, Sokka. Quickly," she said, and he sighed as he climbed into the tunnel, shutting the trapdoor behind him.

Azula rolled the carpet back into place before dropping on her bed heavily once more. She closed her eyes and felt her drowsiness engulfing her again. Sokka was a completely reckless fool, no doubt, but playing along with his recklessness proved to be its own reward. They had to get a grip, but she wasn't sure she was ready to get it yet. Perhaps she was far too sleepy still, but somehow she was starting to think Sokka was right to look forward to this brand new trip as a chance for them to be together… with a small grin, she turned towards the side of the bed where he'd been sleeping, her consciousness slipping away from her slowly, her thoughts filled of images of a certain dark-skinned, blue eyed man…

---

The reencounter between the Princess and her gladiator took place two days later, on the Royal Barge, once preparations for their upcoming long voyage had been finished. Sokka arrived early, and he waited on deck as the sailors finished stocking the ship. As he stood by the rim of the ship, watching the water washing into the bay with slow waves, he heard a familiar roar behind him.

Sokka turned quickly, finding that Xin Long and his rider were in the process of landing on the ship. Sokka tried not to betray how glad he was to see Azula again, but he was afraid he had failed to act apprehensively, as he should have, since he had been allegedly punished heavily by his sponsor on their last encounter. But how could he put on such a performance, when she had smiled at him ever so slightly when their eyes had met…?

As expected, Azula seemed to have no time for him at first, busy ensuring all preparations were in place. Sokka returned to his contemplations, hoping that his silent behavior would mask his eagerness to talk to Azula. It was ridiculous, perhaps, that he would have missed her as much as he had after only two days apart… but sleeping alone had been a trying experience after two blissful nights spent with Azula.

It was Xin Long who approached him instead of his rider, prodding Sokka's elbow with his snout. Sokka smiled as he regarded the creature, mostly because he was wearing the armor Sokka had crafted for him.

"You look quite regal, buddy. Nice armor," he said, and Xin Long chuckled proudly. "You're not going to toss me all over the place today, are you?"

Another chuckle from the dragon made Sokka grimace, but his unease was soon replaced by surprise when he caught sight of a strange sight in the docks: a palanquin.

Sokka was eyeing it with confusion, noticing it looked a little different from what he remembered Azula's palanquin to be like, when Azula caught sight of the contraption as well. Her eyes widened as she finished hearing the ship captain's report on the Barge's conditions, for, unlike Sokka, she knew whose palanquin this was.

Ozai stepped off the vehicle and onto the Barge, once his bearers had placed the palanquin on deck. Xin Long eyed the man with confusion, the ship captain fell silent and dropped on his knees in a reverence right away, just as all the guards on deck did the same. Azula bowed her head respectfully, and even Sokka felt compelled to make a bow… but no. Not to him, he wouldn't. He couldn't. He had always been a disrespectful moron to the Fire Lord because his pride compelled him towards it. Acting properly around Ozai now would most certainly make his behavior suspicious…

"Rise, my daughter," said Ozai, smirking as Azula obeyed him. The Fire Lord's gaze raked over the ship with curiosity.

"Is there anything you forgot to convey to me in our last encounter, Father?" Azula inquired, confused. "There was no need to come down here to see me off if that wasn't the case…"

"Am I not allowed to watch my Crown Princess set sail, then?" Ozai asked, smirking. Azula lowered her eyes and shook her head.

"I didn't mean that… you just didn't have to take your time to come here," she said, smiling a little at him. "I am honored you would do so, though. Thank you, Father."

"No need to thank me. I merely hoped to ascertain the situation will develop as it's supposed to," he said, his eyes shifting towards Sokka, who stood by the edge of the ship still, his elbows on the railing, his brow furrowed as he pouted slightly. "It would seem our great asset isn't fond of the developments, is he?"

"I'm afraid not. He kicked up quite the ruckus when he heard of what you wanted from him," said Azula, glaring at Sokka, who didn't hold her gaze. "Though it was rather amusing to watch him comply after I told him of what awaited him if he were to fail in the Northern Air Temple…"

"I'm pleased you did so. Knowing what to expect should he fail is bound to be a powerful force of motivation," said Ozai, smirking.

"He seems terrified enough of the consequences" said Azula, nodding. "You needn't worry, Father. I'll keep an eye on him and see to the success of this mission, I guarantee it. When my Barge returns, the Fire Nation will have acquired further assets that will make our enemies cower in fear."

"That better be so," said Ozai, smirking. "Very well, then, everything seems to be in order. I do hope you have a pleasant voyage."

"Thank you, Father," said Azula, keeping herself from reacting at Ozai's use of that particular word…

"Don't be afraid of giving that fool of a gladiator what he deserves if he rebels against your authority in any way," said Ozai, nodding towards Azula. "And do return with good news, Princess. I would loathe to see your first mission as Crown Princess turning into your first prominent failure…"

"It won't be so, Father. I will see to it," Azula said, and Ozai smirked.

"That had best be the case," he said, turning to the palanquin once again, closing the drape behind himself after taking his seat.

The palanquin climbed down the ramp again, and the ship was ready to set sail by then. They began moving slowly, and Azula confirmed that everything went according to plan in the engine room before returning to the deck, where Xin Long still stood by Sokka's side, poking at him with his nose.

"Cut it out, you weirdo, why do you like to torment me so…?! Oh, hey, we're moving!" Sokka exclaimed, struggling to keep Xin Long's snout at bay as he noticed the ship was drifting through the water already.

"The sooner we took off, the better," Azula said, firmly, making Sokka jump and turn to face her, that same apprehensive expression on his face… but when he noticed they were alone on the deck he relaxed. "We've been moving for a while now, actually."

"Ehehe, yeah, I just didn't notice. Your dragon's annoying, you know?" Sokka said, pointing his index finger at Xin Long, who spat a ring of smoke to surround Sokka's hand.

"Well, so are you, actually," said Azula, smirking. "Might be you two should use all your energies to annoy one another and that way the rest of us will be spared from the annoyingness, huh?"

"Aren't you clever, Princess…" said Sokka, smiling. He glanced back at the docks, watching as the bay shrunk slowly. He could still make out the palanquin as it transited slowly through the roads that led to the city. "What was your dad doing here, huh? Didn't he get to say goodbye to you in the Palace?"

"I think he wanted to make sure you were on board with this, both literally and figuratively," said Azula, crossing her arms over her chest. "And he wished me a, uh, 'pleasant' voyage."

"Pfft," Sokka chuckled, smirking deviously at Azula, who couldn't help but blush. "Well, that's very nice of him, isn't it?"

"Terribly so," said Azula, as Sokka placed his hands next to his mouth, making to allegedly amplify his voice through them.

"Don't you worry, Fire Lord, our journey will be so very pleasant!" he said, in a hushed voice despite his mummery. "Oh, and just so you know, I've been sleeping with your daughter…!"

His last comment earned him a smack over the head, despite nobody else was within earshot. Sokka chuckled as Azula rolled her eyes and shook her head, looking at him reproachfully.

"You do realize you can't do funny things like those, don't you?" she asked him, and Sokka grinned guiltily. "There's no telling when such fun behavior might give us away, so…"

"I know, I know. I was mostly messing with you," he said, smiling at her. Azula rolled her eyes again, smiling a little as well. "Though it's true that every little thing can be a risk, so… how are we going to operate during this trip? Granted your dad won't be nearby, so that's one less thing to worry about, but…"

"There are still more than enough things to worry about," said Azula, her hands on her hips. "So indeed, anything we dare do represents a risk. Even talking like this right now is a risk."

Sokka pouted, gazing at Azula longingly. Yet he blinked blankly when he noticed the smirk on her lips. She had to stop looking at him that way, with her golden eyes gleaming, her pupils dilated… her entire body language made Sokka shiver in anticipation. Anticipation for what? Going by what she'd said just now, for nothing. But going by that smirk, the Princess had her own ideas regarding what risks she wanted them to take…

"Be as quiet as you can be tonight," she said. "I'll wait for you in my cabin once most my guards go to sleep. The ones on duty, and the sailors, are bound to patrol the deck in pairs, so keep in mind to avoid them. Got it?"

Sokka's breath hitched, and he smiled happily at that. Azula smirked again as she turned on her heels, satisfied by the conversation.

"Try not to act too cheerful, by the way," she told him, over her shoulder. "Remember we're on a rough patch as of late, gladiator."

"Oh, we sure are. We sure are," he said, smiling kindly as he watched her leave.

Her words were somewhat ominous for him, though. One misstep and he might ruin the wonderful relationship that had been born between them… and going by the fact that he was attempting to deceive her father, that he would try to sabotage the mission that had been imposed on him, that he was lying to her, he was quite likely to make more than enough mistakes that could break the good streak between them. He swallowed hard, guessing his expression now did seem to suit the rough patch they were allegedly on.

He didn't want to hurt her, the last thing he wanted was to disappoint her. He had to figure out how to do the right thing, even if it had to be done in the shadows, through lies and deceit. It would be for the best for everyone involved after all. He would take the worst of Ozai's rage, keeping Azula and the Northern Water Tribe safe…

He sighed and turned to face the ocean again, his face a mask of determination. He was playing a terribly dangerous game by tampering with Ozai's plans like this… in fact, he was playing several dangerous games at once. He rather preferred the one he played with Azula under the sheets, though…

That thought made him smile, despite his worries. She would be safe, he told himself, and he would take all the pain as his own. She might not like it, but he was determined to do this. He had a chance to protect what mattered most to him, even if it might mean his undoing. But he would gladly take the fall, if it would mean the Fire Nation wouldn't destroy anything else… if it would mean Azula would have a chance to steer said nation in a better direction one day. He believed in her potential as future Fire Lord. He meant to sacrifice anything and everything for the purpose of helping her reach the throne, in hopes that she would put an end to the war's pointless slaughter for once and for all.

Dancing on the edge of a knife like this one was a dangerous gamble, no doubt, but Sokka had a chance to make a real difference in the world this time: he wouldn't waste it.