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...

108. Chapter 108: New Day by Day 1

"So, you truly believe this will be a hindrance to our purposes, in the long run?"

"I dread as much, Father. Our forces are already spread too thin, so we can't afford losing soldiers pointlessly in the North. Sending them there with the airships under these circumstances is only likely to result in the loss of said resources, at best, and at worst, they might even be used against us in the future."

Zhao huffed in disapproval as Azula finished her explanations. She ignored him, choosing to focus on her father instead: Ozai frowned, giving her intervention more thought than Zhao had. That was promising, at the very least.

"How do you propose we conquer the North, Princess, if not through airpower or through the advanced weapons your father had sent you to design?" Zhao asked, folding his arms over his chest, scowling derisively at the Princess.

"Since you asked… I propose we reconsider our approach to our siege to the north. Considering how fruitless your campaign was while you were there, I find myself in the difficult position of questioning if taking over the Pole will be worth it in the end," Azula said, returning the man's glare. "How many ships were sunk under your command? How many soldiers killed? How many resources squandered and wasted?"

"The resources, ships and soldiers that were needed so we could develop a more efficient strategy," said Zhao. Azula nearly snorted.

"Really? So, you're implying it wasn't apparent, after the first year of fruitless battling, that your tactics were failing? What tipped you off, then, if I might inquire?"

"Enough, both of you," said Ozai, sighing as he sank in his chair with crimson velvet cushions. "There's no point in bickering over wasted years of siege. We've done all we could to keep those savages in their blasted casket, where they must remain. As for how to defeat them in their element… Azula just might be right, and we should rethink our alternative plans. Perhaps the airships won't do."

"But…" Zhao said, shaking his head lightly. Azula held back a smile. "Please, Ozai. Do you realize what could be accomplished with those airships? Having the high ground is recommended in every battle, it's a basic tactic taught to every new private in the army…"

"Alas, the high ground is one thing. Being airborne is quite different," said Azula, looking at Zhao with raised eyebrows. "You'll have nothing solid to stand on once you're in midair. If any of those waterbenders figured out a way to destabilize our airships, all our men will plummet to the ground from thousands of feet in the air. Do tell, how much good will they do to our cause when they're dead among airship debris?"

"And what if the waterbenders fail to bring down our ships? We could build that second version of the project, the one the monocle fool sent a few weeks ago," said Zhao, looking at Ozai almost with despair now. "The metal should prove sturdy enough to prevent them from destroying the airships. Isn't that right?"

"I guess it might," said Ozai. "But then comes the other problem the Princess presented… these airships aren't weaponized. How are our firebenders supposed to attack significantly from such heights? Should we toss stones at them from above, as if we were earthbenders? It would be unfitting, pathetic…"

"Perhaps burning rocks, I don't know," said Zhao, waving a hand dismissively. "But we cannot discard this possibility, Ozai. Those airships are the key to our victory."

"Why?" Azula asked, looking at him in confusion. "What is your plan, Admiral? What do you expect to achieve by hovering above the Northern Water Tribe?"

Her question silenced Zhao, though Azula had the distinct feeling that it wasn't because he lacked an answer: he was concealing it. He didn't want to disclose whatever method he had in mind to defeat the Water Tribe.

"Do tell, is this the same plan you've had for the last seven years…?" Azula asked, most sarcastically. Zhao scowled.

"It's a plan that is certain to work," he growled. "There's… there's a way to remove the threat of the waterbenders. And with the airships…"

"Do you plan on taking the Northern Water Tribe Princess captive?" Ozai asked, raising an eyebrow. "If she's your hostage you might be able to keep them at bay, but…"

"I question they would leave such an important figure unprotected," said Azula. Ozai chuckled.

"Indeed. Unless she's as daring as you are, which I doubt, she would always be guarded by their better waterbenders," he conceded. "What is this plan you have in mind, then, Zhao?"

"I… I would rather make certain it's feasible before filling your minds with false hopes," Zhao said, with unusual uncertainty. Azula eyed him warily.

"Admiral…"

"I know you don't want me to be the cause of yet another failure like your uncle's in Ba Sing Se," Zhao said, looking back at Azula. "I won't be. I only ask… for a chance. The next time I take my place in the frontlines I will achieve my goal, for certain."

"And if you don't?" Ozai asked. Zhao swallowed hard.

"Then perhaps… perhaps you should send her in my stead. She has had a spotless record so far, doesn't she?" said Zhao, jerking his head towards Azula. She raised an eyebrow.

"Perhaps Azula could indeed bring the Water Tribe to their knees," said Ozai, smirking. "If all fails in your second opportunity, Admiral, she will take your place. Let's hope it won't come to that."

"Let's," said Zhao, quietly. Azula supposed he had coveted the glory of conquering the North for far too long to hand it down to anyone else so easily.

"I will have the airships built," Ozai said, turning to Azula. Her previous relief almost went up in smoke with that. "But after hearing your recommendations, I will reconsider their purposes. Perhaps they can be used to transport our troops more easily through the world, if nothing else."

"They should serve for that, surely," Azula conceded, her relief returning, although more moderately. If the airships would exist regardless, they might be used for nefarious purposes in the end, despite what her father was saying right now. But then again, she had expected the airships to be crafted, no matter what. Ozai hadn't built an airship factory merely for show.

"All the same, I will ponder our possibilities. If nothing else can be done to placate the threat the North represents, the airships will have to do," he said. "Yet I am open to suggestions, if either of you can think of anything better. In the meantime, the airships will be built, and General Bujing shall continue to hold the siege until Admiral Zhao is ready to spearhead the operation once more."

Azula nodded. Zhao was nowhere near as satisfied with the results of this meeting as she was, despite Azula wasn't fully pleased either. His brow was heavily furrowed, as though Azula's case against the airships had thrown a massive wrench in his careful plans. Plans for what? Azula had no idea. But if he hadn't succeeded at enacting said plan for the past years, she doubted it would be that reliable a strategy.

Ozai dismissed them, but despite Zhao left the Fire Lord's office with only a curt farewell nod, Azula lingered in place. Ozai eyed her with curiosity, gauging her apparent unease.

"I'll leave shortly, but I wanted to talk about the Mechanist… War Minister Qin had threatened him into service, from my understanding?"

"Ah. I suppose so, yes," said Ozai, shrugging. "What of it?"

"The man is a bundle of nerves," Azula said. "Threatening him into working is counterproductive for obvious reasons. He can't work well under excessive pressure. While my gladiator assisted him he was at ease, which might be why he was able to finish the airship's designs after years of fruitless efforts. I advise that the War Minister stops pressuring quite so harshly if we hope to keep him as a reliable and effective asset, were we to need him again."

Ozai stroked his long beard with a hand before nodding.

"That seems reasonable enough, I suppose. Not all people do their best work under pressure, it's a sad truth. Speaking of such people, you mentioned you have your first gladiator fight since your return today. Is he prepared for it?"

"Well, I would hope so," said Azula. "I have seen to his training ever since we returned from the Northern Air Temple."

"I do hope he won't disappoint you anew," said Ozai, sighing before gesturing to the door. "Off you go, then. Good luck with your battle."

"Thank you, Father," said Azula, smiling and bowing towards him, with her fist pressed to her palm.

She left the Fire Lord's study with a steady stride, off to her dragon's refuge. Her meeting with her father had been surprisingly fruitful, though she hadn't fulfilled all her expectations. She knew her goals couldn't be achieved that quickly, she had prepared herself for it…. yet Zhao's rejection of her objections to the airships as war vessels seemed to be a cause for concern. She had dreaded her father would choose to side with the Admiral eventually, seeing how he remained adamant about waging the Siege of the North to its bitter end… it wouldn't be easy to sway him, she knew it. She had to play her cards carefully if she hoped to put a stop to that front of the war. Eagerness could be her undoing: circumstances like these called for patience.

She continued to ponder the matter as Xin Long flew her to Sokka's house, and it remained on the forefront of her mind after she climbed off his saddle. The dragon to took rolling on the grass happily, and Azula watched him with a smile before turning to enter the house through the backdoor.

"Ah, Princess," Song said, smiling when she spotted Azula. She held a broom in her hand, for she had been busy sweeping before Azula entered the house. "Good to see you."

"Likewise," said Azula, minding her step cautiously once she registered the girl was doing her chores. Song smiled at her.

"You can proceed upstairs, if you want to," she said. "Sokka must be getting ready. Unless you'd rather wait down here?"

"I'd rather not be a bother to you when you're in the midst of cleaning, so I guess upstairs it is," said Azula. Song smiled and nodded.

"I thought so."

The Princess climbed the stairs quickly and knocked on Sokka's door before pushing it open. She wasn't fazed upon finding he wasn't quite ready yet, his armor sitting on the bed, his weapons on his small dresser. He jumped when he heard the knock, though, but smiled when he saw who it was.

"Morning," said Azula, closing the door behind her. Sokka chuckled before closing the distance between them with an enthusiastic embrace. Azula returned the hug and rubbed his back gently with her hands. "Yes, yes, I missed you too."

"What, you diiiid…?" Sokka asked, teasingly. To no surprise, he received a weak punch in the stomach as a response. He pulled away chuckling, shielding his abdomen from further attacks. Azula smirked at him.

"Quit being foolish and finish getting dressed. We don't want to be late. It's our first fight in forever, you know?"

"Not true, you and I fight on a daily basis, pretty much," said Sokka, winking at her before tightening his belt and reaching for his armor. Azula looked at him skeptically.

"Is there any reason why you're being extra-ridiculous today?" she asked. Sokka snorted as he buckled the armor.

"Perhaps I'm just happy to see you again, Princess. Did you consider that?" he asked, caressing her face before leaning down to kiss her softly.

Azula sighed into the exchange, cupping Sokka's face. She surrounded his neck with her arms, bringing him closer so she could return the kiss most comfortably. He responded by slipping his arms around her waist, lifting her with unexpected ease and surprising her as he laughed and kissed her again. She was grinning against his mouth before long: his enthusiastic behavior proved to be awfully contagious.

They took their seat on the edge of the bed after their spree of morning kisses was put on hold. Azula helped him prepare for his fight, slipping his armguards into place and binding them properly; it was often difficult to do it with one hand, so Sokka welcomed her help gladly.

"I trust you rested well for today's fight?" she asked. Sokka nodded promptly.

"Far too well. This whole thing of not spending the night with you is boring and lonely… but I guess I do get some rest after all," he confessed, with a crooked grin. Azula raised her eyebrows.

"I'm afraid you'll have to put up with the boring loneliness, then. We need you perfectly fit for your fights," she said, before brushing a strand of his hair that had come loose from his wolf's tail. Sokka raised an eyebrow before tending to it.

"How about you? Had a good night?" he asked. Azula shrugged.

"It was boring and lonely and very restful," she said, sarcastically. Sokka chuckled and she grinned. "Still, I had a busy morning…"

"Oh, that meeting with your dad," said Sokka, grimacing. "How did that go?"

"I'm not sure, not in the long run," said Azula, biting her lip as she fixed Sokka's second armguard. "I guess we've achieved a small victory for now, but the future might not be so bright in the end…"

"What small victory?" Sokka asked. Azula smiled a little.

"He's agreed with me on not using the airships to attack the Northern Water Tribe. It doesn't mean he's given up on that fight completely, though, but…"

"But you did it. You… you managed to stop him from using the airships!" Sokka exclaimed, his eyes brightening. Azula smiled.

"I really don't know if they would have been more of a problem for the Fire Nation than for the Water Tribe, you know…"

"Either way, it's better not to risk it, for either nation," said Sokka, smiling. "This is… this is great, Azula. It's a good start, if nothing else…"

"I'm glad you're being so positive about it," said Azula. "I think the threat is still dangling over our heads as we are, though. We need to be cautious about what comes next, if we're to keep the Water Tribe protected."

"Well, you know how to handle your father, that's clear," said Sokka, beaming. "I have full trust in your abilities to deal with him, and with this war. Anything I can do to help you, I'll do it, for sure."

"I figured you would," she said, stroking the stubble on his chin, to his delight. "But for now there's not much either of us can do anymore, for better or for worse, so you'll have to stand by. Patience is important."

"Gotcha," said Sokka, as Azula finished fastening his armguard's bindings.

"I also may have dealt with the Mechanist's problem, but only time will tell how effective that was…" said Azula. "My father acknowledged pressure isn't the best way to handle him. He didn't really promise he'd talk to the War Minister, but…"

"But you've already said your piece… so let's hope that pays off too," said Sokka, laughing softly before hugging her. Azula sighed and caressed the back of his head.

"I guess you're happy," she whispered. He nodded weakly before cupping her face and kissing her.

"Even if nothing is effective just yet, you've set things in motion," he told her, with a gleeful smile. "It's a step forward, and a big one!"

"Of course, but nothing's set in stone yet," said Azula, raising her eyebrows. "I'm glad you're enthusiastic, but you might need to tone it down a little. If things don't go exactly according to plan…"

"You're probably worrying a bit too much, you know?" said Sokka, smiling gently at her. "Maybe this isn't absolute success yet, but wars are comprised of battles and small victories. We'll get there, step by step. So, cheer up! You've already done great."

He patted her shoulders and grinned at her. Azula smiled a little, allowing him to surround her waist with his arms. He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her, conveying his heartfelt glee upon the news she had brought him.

Azula responded at first, but soon she realized his hands weren't only keeping her in place anymore. She knew that kind of touch… she especially knew where it was going to take them, at this rate. For when Sokka's hands were guided with desire and need, they would caress her curves intimately, and his skilled lips would become incredibly mesmerizing…

"Sokka…" she whispered against his mouth. He only groaned as a response, assaulting her lips with more enthusiastic kisses immediately. "We can't do this right now. You have a fight…"

"It can wait a couple of minutes, can't it?" he asked, smirking before deepening their kiss.

Azula moaned softly and cupped his face, responding despite she knew she couldn't get carried away with this. Sokka seemed to have no notion of their priorities just then, though: he was kissing her in the sweetest way, his hands raking her flanks, sending pleasant shivers down her spine.

"S-Sokka, damn it…" Azula gasped, as he moved to kiss what little was exposed of her neck. "I'm not… I'm not about to be late over this. You can't just…"

"We won't be late. We'll be… thorough and quick," he said, before sucking on her skin.

Azula shivered and yanked his wolf's tail, her teeth bared with a hiss. Sokka only groaned weakly over the mild discomfort by having his hair pulled, but he carried on with his endeavor, switching to light kisses to avoid leaving any visible marks on her body. Yet his daring hands were moving under her armor plates, and Azula gritted her teeth hard as he kneaded her breasts, a mischievous smirk on his face.

"This… this is your way to celebrate my success in the meeting? Really?" she asked, breathlessly. He chuckled.

"I guess. Is it that bad?" he asked. Azula groaned in exasperation.

"Bad? Give me a break…" she grunted, glaring at him before kissing him eagerly. Sokka chuckled: at last, it seemed she'd give in and succumb to the same impulses that moved him.

Her kisses were unexpectedly wild, but Sokka had never been one to reject Azula's more aggressive sides, especially in these situations. She tried to touch him under his armor too, but since his upper body was mostly well covered, she lunged for the ultimate goal directly…

"A-Azula, wait, woah…!" Sokka exclaimed, upon feeling her hand cupping his manhood through his clothes.

To no surprise of his, Azula smirked before kissing him again. He returned the kisses, reaching to cup her bottom and pull her closer, hoping to hinder her reckless touch…

But she stood her ground, massaging him in the best way she knew how, and Sokka grimaced as his body responded, the blood flowing unequivocally to his groin at an alarming speed. Her furious kisses didn't stop, and she pushed him down on the bed as she claimed full dominance over him. Sokka could only moan: the situation wasn't quite what he had originally expected it to be… but of course, he liked it as it was, too. Maybe he liked it a little too much, as Azula confirmed once she pulled his belt loose, her hand slipping into his pants so she could touch him with no clothes in the way.

"A-Ah… Azula, let me…" he growled, trying to take over, but Azula kept him pinned to the bed, exerting all her weight on him as she stroked his length. Sokka shivered violently, his excitement building exponentially. "Azula, I'm serious… I won't last that long if you keep… ah! Azula!"

"You won't last much longer?" Azula asked, her forehead pressed to his. Sokka gulped as a response. "Are you sure? Can't take a little more?"

"It's your… your turn…" he groaned. Azula chuckled.

"Right. It's my turn to get what I want…" she whispered. Sokka's racing heart sped up further upon hearing her speak in such seductive tone. His cheeks were visibly tinged red as gasps accompanied his every breath…

And then Azula sat up, without further ado. Her hand was out of his pants, and soon it was tying his belt again. Sokka blinked a few times, unsure of what to expect for a moment until he registered what she was doing.

"Azula…?" he said, looking at her with horror as she stood up, approaching his dresser to confirm her appearance was near spotless. She grunted as she studied her smudged make-up. "Azula, what are you…?"

"I am getting what I want," she said, smirking before turning to face him. "Which means, of course, that we'll be on our way to the fight, as intended, in a few minutes. Finish gathering your weapons, clean the kiss marks off your face and meet me downstairs once you look presentable, alright?"

"W-what do you mean…? Presentable?!" Sokka asked, looking at her in disbelief. Azula smiled innocently.

"Naturally," she answered, as his irritation increased exponentially. To no surprise of hers, he pointed at the noticeable erection between his legs.

"How the blazes am I going to look presentable when I'm like this?!" he asked, an eyebrow twitching. Azula looked at him in fake surprise.

"Why, I wouldn't know. I suppose you could pretend you got it after riding Xin Long, perhaps. I mean, it happened once before, so…"

"What the hell?!" Sokka exclaimed, jumping to his feet, pouting at her in indignation. Azula only smirked as she made her way to the door.

"I'll need to fix my make-up now, if you don't mind. Hurry up. We don't want to be late," she said, slipping past the doorway quickly and laughing softly once she closed the door behind herself. Ah, that had been wicked, but damn if it hadn't been enjoyable…

Sokka sat back on the mattress, his eyes wide in disbelief. She had played him. She had actually played him ridiculously easily, and he had fallen straight into that trap… because he had been the one setting it up in the first place. She had said they would be late, and Sokka knew Azula hated being late… he had done something remarkably idiotic by being so persistent about making the most of what little time they'd had left before the fight.

Even so, he hadn't expected Azula to act like this. She had been far too kind for the past months, though… he should have known he wouldn't be that fortunate forever. He had pushed his luck and now he reaped what he sowed…

A ghostly prickle in his groin, where his blood had pooled, made him cringe and snarl. Yeah, maybe he had asked for it, but that didn't mean he would put up with it without complaint.

Azula was downstairs, touching up her make-up with a hand mirror Song had leant to her. She had already grown used to carrying make-up with her wherever she went, to make amends for the potential evidence of her impromptu exchanges with Sokka. She had finished painting her lips to perfection when the gladiator appeared at the top of the stairs, glaring daggers at her, and he proceeded to walk down the steps with unsurprising clumsiness.

"Ah, finally. I was starting to wonder what had kept you," Azula said, with a malicious smile. Sokka huffed, looking at her with irritation.

"Azula…!" he said, swallowing hard and lifting a finger to speak his mind, but Azula stopped him by showing him her palm.

"There's no time for chit-chat," she said, handing the mirror back to Song, who looked back and forth between them in confusion. "Thank you, Song. We'll be back soon."

"Sure… good luck?" said Song, grimacing as she watched Azula take off to the garden again. She glanced at Sokka, whose rather unusual state of squeamish anger only seemed to worsen by the second. "What's going on?"

"S-she just…! How could she…?! Agh, you don't want to know, Song, believe me…" he growled, storming off towards the garden too, but walking with his legs spread in a very strange way. Song raised an eyebrow as she watched him go.

"Yeah… you know what? I don't want to know," she convened, swallowing before returning to her chores.

Sokka stomped his way towards Xin Long, a comical mix of pout and frown on his face. Azula had already climbed on the dragon's saddle, and she smirked with malice as she met his glare.

"Hurry, now. Time is of the essence," she said, with an innocent smile. Sokka groaned before hoisting himself up on the saddle.

"Yeah, sure it is…" he grumbled under his breath as Xin Long prepared to take off.

The breeze on their faces would usually be enjoyable in mid-flight, and Sokka would never fail to take his chances to hug Azula once they were hidden above the clouds… well, hug her and do more than hugging, too. But this time he remained stiff on his seat, his arms crossed, his face reddening as he felt his arousal dimming into a soft kind of pain. His unresolved erection had been terribly close to its finishing point, and it promised to give him a hard time during the fight if he didn't deal with it soon.

"Someone is unusually quiet this fine morning…" Azula said, glancing over her shoulder with an impish smirk.

"You think?!" Sokka exclaimed, looking at her with utmost indignation. "Azula, this is just…!"

"Cruel? I suppose, but it's also somewhat amusing…" she said, biting her lower lip. Sokka growled.

"It's not amusing, it's starting to hurt, and it's mean! I… I know, you're teaching me a lesson, and I have to stop thinking with my penis, you say that all the time…!"

"But when it's not with the penis you proceed to thinking with your stomach, I'm aware…" Azula said innocently, as Xin Long started to descend near the Royal Dome.

"But this is…! How the heck do you expect me to fight like this, huh?!" Sokka exclaimed. Azula shrugged.

"I don't know. I suppose you can redirect all that barely contained rage for myself towards your rival, right?"

"I… I'm not raging at you," Sokka grumbled. Azula looked at him inquisitively. "I'm just… horny."

To no surprise of his, she laughed at his admission, which only made him blush deeper. She shook her head, smirking broadly.

"Well, please don't redirect that towards your foe, that would be… well, a gruesome spectacle to put out in the Arena, frankly."

"Oh, come on!" Sokka blared, prompting her to laugh again.

"Now, really, where's your sense of humor, my handsome stud?" she asked, teasingly. He gritted his teeth as his erection gave him a new jolt of pain.

"I think you stole it, just as you stole my good mood when you left my room," he growled.

"Stole it? I am no thief, you know. I am merely a sponsor who's rather eager to see her gladiator shine in the battlefield today…"

"How the hell am I supposed to shine when I'm…?!" Sokka started, but he gritted his teeth and silenced himself as he realized his voice might be overheard by now, as the dragon descended slowly towards the city. Azula chuckled.

"You'll have to be make sure to conceal that you have a bit of a problem with your boomerang," Azula said. Xin Long was approaching the grounds now. "I know it can't be easy, but you've dealt with worse ones, haven't you?"

"Actually? No," Sokka growled, as Xin Long landed. "You went a bit further than you should have."

"Oh. I suppose I should do something about it…" she sighed, looking at him hopelessly. "But I think I'll save that for after the fight, if you don't mind."

She jumped off Xin Long's saddle and petted the creature's head. The dragon seemed to chuckle, apparently amused by the same thing his rider was laughing about. Sokka glared at them from his seat.

"Well? Are you going to move, gladiator?" Azula asked, raising her eyebrows.

Sokka hissed as he hoisted himself, using his arms to lift his weight over the saddle. He dropped hard on the ground, falling with his legs separated, his knees bent. Azula raised an eyebrow as he stood up straight, looking at her with piercing and angry blue eyes.

"I'm moving. Happy?" he grunted with a low voice. Azula swallowed hard and started the walk towards the Royal Dome's gates, trying to conceal the sudden flush of her cheeks. Why on earth had his angry glare been so beckoning to her? The horny one was supposed to be him, not her…

People bowed at them as they entered the vestibule, though some of them were perplexed by Sokka's attitude today. The Princess's gladiator's mood wasn't quite so foul often, with his fists clenched, his brow drawn together. The sight of him was enough to chase away the few eager admirers who would have normally tried to approach him when he entered the vestibule with his sponsor.

Azula tried to keep calm, but a smirk kept playing on her lips as she approached Shoji's counter. The young man beamed at her but when he saw Sokka's angry stance he recoiled ever so slightly.

"U-uh…"

"Sign us in, Shoji," Azula declared, her chin held high. Sokka leered at her from the corner of his eyes. Shoji gulped and nodded, perplexed by their unusual behavior.

"R-right away, right away. Your opponent isn't here yet, but the previous fight is already over, so you can proceed to the balcony when you're ready, Princess," he said, writing down the pertinent information about the Princess and her gladiator on a sheet of paper. "What will the weapons be…?"

"Well?" Azula said, crossing her arms and looking at Sokka inquisitively. He scoffed, arching his back a little before straightening his stance once more.

"My sword. My club. My boomerang," he grunted, glaring at Azula. "And two bombs."

Azula had to bite her lower lip not to laugh this time. Shoji didn't notice their shared glance, busy scribbling as he was.

"Very well, then… good luck!" he exclaimed, and Azula led Sokka down to the stand-by room, as usual.

Each step brought forth a new prickle, which caused Sokka's scowl to grow more prominent. He followed Azula diligently, but it was becoming harder to walk. By the time he finally reached the stand-by room he supported his weight against the wall with a hand, taking deep breaths as sweat drops rolled down his forehead.

"How are you faring?" Azula asked, looking at him somewhat guiltily now. Sokka huffed.

"How do you think?" He retorted, his voice cracking slightly. Azula sighed.

"Okay, okay… I probably shouldn't have taken it this far. But you have to admit, if we had gone through with it, we probably would have been very late."

"N-not necessarily… but okay, yeah, it would have been likely," he groaned, resting with his back against the wall now. "Still, damn… maybe if you had been stern about it I would've stopped…"

"You seem to think the only one who was enjoying it was you," said Azula, with a weak grin. "It took me more willpower than you realize to pull that stunt on you. One of us needed to be responsible, you know."

"It's more fun when neither of us is, though," Sokka said, smiling a little as well. Azula sighed.

"You think you can fight like this, though? Your opponent isn't supposed to be that strong, but if this is hindering you too much…"

"If it's hindering too much…?" Sokka asked, raising his eyebrows when Azula fell silent. "You don't plan to do something about it here, or do you?"

"Oh, no. That's not very wise," she said, with a grimace. "Oh, well. I hope you can fight regardless. You've succeeded under worse odds, I think."

"Anything about my opponent worth exploiting?" Sokka asked, raising an eyebrow. Azula shrugged.

"When I accepted the challenge, Shoji mentioned he enjoys using fire daggers. This technique, see?" said Azula, stretching her index and middle fingers to conjure a sharp blade of blue fire. Sokka nodded.

"Doesn't look that nasty…" he said, huffing and sighing as rushes of unquenched arousal kept bothering him. "I'll… try to beat him,"

"You're far stronger than he is, for certain. You can do this," said Azula, and Sokka sighed.

"As long as the boomerang relents…" he whispered. Azula bit her lip and looked at him with uncertainty.

"We'll deal with that after the fight. I promise," she said. Sokka whimpered a little but nodded. Azula took a deep breath. "In fact… you might need some extra motivation in order to pull this off, right?"

"Do I?" Sokka asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Maybe. So… I have a proposition to make," she said. Sokka frowned warily: the Princess was full of surprises today, and not all of them good. "If you deal with this fight quickly and effectively, obtaining victory as you're meant to… I'll make your dream come true."

"My dream?" Sokka repeated, confused. "Which one do you…? Oh. Wait, huh?! Y-you don't mean… that dream?!"

Mischief blinked in Azula's eyes as Sokka returned her stare, in chagrin and disbelief. He seemed unable to utter another word, shocked as he remained, so she laughed softly and shrugged.

"Is that motivation enough? Hopefully it is…"

"A-Azula, you're not serious. You can't be…!" he exclaimed, his cheeks burning with the force of his blush.

"I'd think I owe it to you after making you put up with this, don't I?" she said, shrugging. "Anyways, I'd kiss you good luck, but the make-up is still too fresh, so you'll have to settle for a handshake."

"A-ah… Azula?" Sokka asked, his voice tone bordering on panic as she grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

"Good luck, and see to it that you succeed, will you?" said Azula. "I'll see you in a bit, gladiator."

"I-I… oh, spirits," he said, as she released his hand and made to leave the stand-by room. "You're going to be the death of me!"

Azula couldn't help but chuckle softly as she left him, knowing her bold suggestion might not have been as great an idea as she had initially thought. Surely that new mental image in Sokka's mind would torture him through the fight, and it might make him lose focus, even… Oh, well. If worst came to worst, she'd help Song nurse Sokka back to health if he lost the fight.

She made sure not to smile as she climbed the steps to the sponsors' balcony, but halfway through the staircase that led to the first floor, she found two people standing at the top of it…

"… I'm sorry I made you lose money. I should've been faster with that move, but…"

"Oh, shush, you cutie. I didn't lose that much money, so it's fine. You just need more training! Maybe I can talk to Azula one of these days, so you can train with Sokka again. I think they're already back home, so…"

Haru blinked blankly as Ty Lee clung to his arm, his eyes finding Azula's. He poked Ty Lee with his elbow and pointed to the Princess, who had stopped climbing the stairs upon sighting them.

"Oh my, what are the chances! It's Azula!" Ty Lee exclaimed, beaming. "You really are back!"

"I… yes," said Azula, as her friend released Haru and jumped to hug her. Azula grimaced. "I am back, indeed."

"It's so good to see you!" Ty Lee exclaimed, pulling away from Azula. "How was your trip? You had a fight today? I can't believe this coincidence!"

"Yeah, it is remarkable…" said Azula, with a weak smile. "And yes, Sokka will be fighting shortly, so I have to go upstairs now, if you don't mind…"

"Aw, but it's been months since we last saw each other!" Ty Lee complained. "Oh, well. Maybe we can talk after the fight is over?"

"I… am not sure I'll have much time to chat, actually," said Azula, grimacing. Sokka would kill her if they dawdled just over a conversation with Ty Lee, after the condition she had left him in.

"Oh, really? That's not fair…" said Ty Lee, pouting. "Oh, well. We can still watch your fight, can't we?"

"I guess, there's nothing wrong with that," said Azula, shrugging as she restarted her way up the stairs, accompanied by Ty Lee and Haru now.

But as they reached the top of the stairs, they found a surprise at the arch that led to the stands. Azula raised an eyebrow as she eyed the people standing in line outside the viewing area, patiently waiting to find a place within the Royal Dome's seats.

"What on earth…?" she asked, startling some of the people who were trying to make it inside.

They turned upon the sound of her voice, and they immediately bowed down to her. Azula frowned and ordered them to rise, as Ty Lee and Haru as well bowed, having forgotten to do so earlier.

"I think you guys have a very big crowd," said Ty Lee, chuckling. "A lot of people have wanted to see Sokka fight again. He did great against the Blind Bandit, from what I heard…"

"If so, it won't be easy for you two to fit in there," said Azula, raising an eyebrow. Ty Lee dropped a hand on her shoulder, the spark of an idea in her eyes.

"Maybe… maybe we can go to the sponsors' balcony with you? I mean, there's enough room for us there, right?" she asked. Azula raised an eyebrow.

"I doubt that's allowed. Though my Uncle did sneak into the sponsors' balcony once before, but still…"

"Oh, come on, Azula, we'll be so quiet you won't even know we're there!" Ty Lee insisted, grinning. Azula huffed and shrugged before making her way to the next flight of stairs.

"If you really must…" she said in defeat, and Ty Lee clapped happily as she followed her friend, with Haru tailing them.

"It's so wonderful that you're back, though! I was sure I wouldn't meet up with you just yet, but I guess I got lucky! Well, only in regards of running into you, of course. Haru didn't win today…"

"Losing is a part of this business, I'm afraid," said Azula.

"Ah, I guess, but Haru has lost his last four fights as it is," said Ty Lee, grimacing as they approached the balcony. "So, you know, since our meetings with Mai will happen at my place from now on, how about if you bring Sokka too, so he and Haru can train together again? I think Haru always does better when he trains regularly with Sokka…"

"I suppose I can do it, but don't you ever train with him?" Azula asked, raising an eyebrow. "You're a capable fighter yourself, aren't you?"

"Of course, but…" said Ty Lee, as the three of them entered the empty balcony. "But you know how it is with these gladiators, don't you? I mean… you surely know what I mean by now, right?"

Azula raised an eyebrow as Ty Lee giggled and closed the door behind them. She turned to Haru, an excited grin on her face.

"Keep all your senses focused on that door, Haru!" she ordered him. "I have important things to ask Azula about…"

"Yeah, sure, important," said Azula, as Ty Lee approached her again with a delighted smile.

"Come ooooon, you guys were gone for months! How was your trip? Were you happy? Did things go well? What sort of stuff did you try? Have you kept drinking the tea?!"

"I… for crying out loud, Ty Lee, keep your voice down!" Azula snapped, glaring at her. "And what on earth made you think I'd answer you? When have I ever answered your questions when they're these sorts of questions?!"

"Well, never, but I hoped maybe you would today!" she said, giggling. "Come on, at least answer one! I'm just curious about how things went for you!"

"Answer one? Why yes, I drank the tea as I was told to," Azula growled. "Happy?"

Ty Lee giggled, clapping again and prompting Azula to drop her head on her hand.

"Yes, I am! It means you guys have been busy, ehehe…" she said. Azula looked at her skeptically.

"Did you seriously expect us not to be? We were away from normal civilization for over two months," she said. Ty Lee shrugged.

"I just wanted to make sure things were going well for you, really," she said, giggling again. "You two love to bicker and argue, so I just thought I'd ask, in case things hadn't gone so well."

"Well, they didn't go badly. That's all you need to know," said Azula. Ty Lee giggled again and hugged her, to her friend's irritation. "Can you cut that out already?"

"Of course not! I'm so happy for you, you can't even begin to imagine it! You have to tell me everything, Azula, what sort of things have you guys tried so far? Do you want any advice on anything? Are you doing fine when it comes to…?"

"Someone's coming," Haru said, and Azula promptly glared at Ty Lee to make her shut up. The girl looked disappointed but smiled again as she resumed the conversation through other topics.

"So, you really think our gladiators can train together again from now on? It would be wonderful, you know. I can't wait to see how much stronger Sokka has gotten…" said Ty Lee. Azula sighed.

"I don't think he'll put on much of a show today, I'm afraid…" she was saying, as the door swung open. "He might be slightly out of shape after all this time without fighting properly."

"Aw, that's a pity…" said Ty Lee, as Azula turned to look at the young man at the door. He couldn't have been over three years older than her.

"Ah, I… Good day, Princess! And, uh…" he asked, looking at Ty Lee with uncertainty. "Good day to you too?"

"Hello!" Ty Lee exclaimed, waving at him. The young man swallowed hard before performing a correct bow in Azula's direction.

"Rise," Azula said, and the man smiled eagerly at her.

"It is quite a pleasure to meet you, Princess. I have looked forward to this fight, I brought my gladiator as early as possible today," he said. "Although I didn't know others were allowed into the sponsors' balcony in the Royal Dome…."

"They usually aren't, but my friend is awfully clingy," Azula said, with a curt grin. Ty Lee pouted with childish indignation, and the new arrival chuckled.

"I see, so it's like in the Green Gates after all," he said. "I'm not actually from the Earth Kingdom, but I have been studying in Ba Sing Se University for a few years now. Though, well, maybe it should be Na Sing Se by now, right?"

He laughed at his weak joke and Azula raised a skeptical eyebrow, a derisive smirk on her face.

"I do hope that's not really the new name we'll give the city," she said. "Considering it's currently under Fire Nation control, it had better not be a 'penetrable' city, right?"

"O-oh, of course! Of course…" said the man, only realizing his blunder a little too late. He was quick to stop laughing. Azula smirked.

"Shall we, then?" she asked, gesturing towards the seats.

Ty Lee and Haru took to standing behind them, and they refused to move even though the staff member tasked with consulting the sponsors eyed them with confusion. Ty Lee waved at the man as Azula and her opposing sponsor settled on the fight's time limit. Once the staff member was gone, Azula's talkative opponent carried on chatting at leisure, despite she wasn't paying him much attention. She kept glancing down at the sand pit, worrying over what her reckless actions in Sokka's room might result in now. She wasn't one to fall for trash talk, but the man sitting beside her seemed awfully confident of his gladiator's skills…

"… a top notch firebender, I assure you. He has been trained by many powerful masters," he said, smiling. "I actually took care to choose a good fighter, because you see, I didn't only enter the Gladiator Business for the sake of gaining some money, if that's what you thought."

"Is that so?" Azula mused with a bored tone, raising an eyebrow.

"Indeed, I actually… well, I had hoped you might accept other challenges before mine, but when you accepted mine, I knew my time had come. My gladiator is strong, so… perhaps he can beat yours."

Azula frowned and looked at him from the corner of her eyes. She didn't miss the blush on his features.

"And why would you be so eager to see my gladiator defeated?" she asked. The man swallowed hard.

"Well, you see, Princess… I had hoped, perhaps, that you might allow me to court you if I defeated your gladiator. That's the requirement, isn't it?"

Azula's eyes drifted away from him as she felt her stomach sink and twist. That definitely hadn't been part of her plan.

Behind her, Ty Lee covered her mouth with her hands and shot Haru a panicked glance. He grimaced and shrugged, as the sponsor, oblivious to the discomfort his confession had elicited, smiled shyly at Azula.

"Why didn't you convey this intent of yours earlier, if I may inquire?" she asked, trying to keep her voice calm. The sponsor shrugged.

"I didn't think I had to. Did I?" he asked. Azula huffed.

"I would have liked to know that before accepting your challenge, actually," she said, her body tensing up.

This was not good. It was definitely not good.

This guy wanted to marry her. And Sokka was going to make a mess of the fight because she had turned him on and left his arousal unresolved: she had as good as set up her own funerary pyre.

The other sponsor continued to ramble beside her as Azula tried her best not to react to his words. He was a bit of a pompous fool, not completely disgusting like others she had met, but still far too snobby in his own way for her taste. The problem was that her taste had a name now, and she doubted any other man would seem becoming to her in comparison. She couldn't let herself slip out of Sokka's arms and into someone else's. Sokka had to win today, or else…

"Welcome all, to today's highly anticipated fight!" the megaphone man shouted, and his words were cheered loudly by the crowd. "It is the Blue Wolf's return after a narrow loss against the best of the best, the Blind Bandit. Today, the Princess's gladiator fights anew to prove to us all that he is still one of the toughest non-benders in the League! And in the other corner we have the powerful, up and rising firebender who dares challenge the Princess's champion: Scorching Blades!"

The metal grids of the Arena had been drawn upwards, and the two fighters had stepped out into the sand. Azula grimaced as he took note of Sokka's slow and clumsy pace as he walked: this wasn't going to end well, for sure.

Sokka focused on breathing, on the rise of his chest within his armor, releasing his breath slowly each time. He hadn't reached for his weapons, as he did at times before starting the fight, and he raised his eyes to find a burly, balding firebender holding up his fists and huffing menacingly, releasing a few sparks of fire through his mouth. Sokka could only glare at him with contempt, despite his irritation wasn't really directed to the man in front of him.

"You're gonna get it, you. I'm gonna crack you open like a nut!" Scorching Blades declared, as Sokka swallowed hard.

"And without further ado…!" the megaphone man was exclaiming on the background.

"A nut. Funny," Sokka muttered. His opponent ignored him.

"Get ready, you wuss, 'cuz I'm not backing down just 'cuz the Princess might cry if I break you in half!" he declared. Sokka rolled his eyes.

"Let the fight begin in three…!"

"Good. You'll let her retrieve my two halves, though, right?" Sokka said sarcastically, startling his opponent. "She'll want to send me for repairs after the fight…"

"One…!"

"The fuck are you talking about…?" said the firebender, looking at Sokka in confusion.

"GO!"

Sokka smirked before darting forward without any warning. One second, he was standing at a fair distance from his foe, the next he had shrunk in his frame and slid close enough to Scorching Fire to punch his jaw hard, making the firebender bite his tongue by accident to the point of drawing blood.

Scorching Fire screamed at the burst of pain, lifting his hands as though to fight back. But his attempt was to no avail when Sokka struck the side of his head with a strong, swift blow.

With that, Scorching Fire collapsed on the sand.

The crowd fell unusually silent as Sokka's opponent passed out. All eyes were on him as he breathed out slowly, watching his opponent twitching on the ground.

"Did I overdo it…?" he muttered, though he found he wasn't too sorry about it. His body was in no shape to sustain a prolonged fight today.

Azula's eyes were wide as plates, her nervousness frozen solid within less than five seconds into the fight. Her fellow sponsor, sitting next to her, gaped at Sokka with his mouth open. Even Ty Lee and Haru seemed unable to give their eyes any credit.

"D-did he just…?" the sponsor said with a thin voice, as the seconds of the knock-out countdown slipped away rhythmically.

Azula covered her mouth with a hand when the countdown ended, masking her incredulous smile. This sort of quick conclusion to a fight was unprecedented, as far as Sokka was concerned…

"T-the winner is the Blue Wolf!" the megaphone man declared, and a deafening cheering was heard through the stands.

Sokka waved at his faithful crowd weakly before turning back to his stand-by room, unwilling to spend more time in the Arena than the strictly necessary. Staff members poured into the fighting pit to fetch the unconscious gladiator Sokka had left behind, but he left too soon to notice them.

"Well… it would seem the time limit was unnecessary after all," Azula mused now, turning to the other sponsor. "Thank you for challenging me to this fight, regardless of the result."

"I… y-yes, yes. It was a good decision, of course…" the man stated, swallowing hard as he handed over the due money to the Princess. "Now, uh, if you'll excuse me, I must go see to my gladiator…"

Azula nodded and the other sponsor proceeded to leave the room. She couldn't help but smile at the thought of the dangerous projectile Sokka had just helped her dodge. Yet the realization of what would come now was starting to dawn upon her…

"I've done it now," she muttered, shaking her head. Ty Lee and Haru seemed to be still too surprised by Sokka's performance to process Azula was talking to herself. "I really have."

---

Sokka skipped over the medical check, mandatory as it was, in order to keep any physicians from noticing the erection bulging in his pants. He had scrambled to the vestibule quickly, hoping Azula might already be there… but she wasn't. And she remained nowhere in sight as seconds ticked by. Of course, she probably wasn't taking that long, but Sokka was slightly desperate at this point in time. Every moment seemed an eternity when he was tortured by his stagnant arousal.

"Where are you…?" he grumbled, after having confirmed with Shoji that his sponsor had yet to leave the Royal Dome. Had she run off to the roof and asked Xin Long to fetch her there, all to avoid fulfilling her promise? He cringed and shook his head. She wouldn't do that, would she?

He tapped his foot nervously, his teeth gritted, his arms tight around his chest. People passed him by to congratulate him for his success, and he nodded in acknowledgement. Children pointed at him, women smiled in a daze, men made gestures of triumph: Sokka would have probably felt more awkward about their attention, or he might have thanked some of them for their support… but he was in no place to act polite today. Definitely not today.

He was starting to consider heading upstairs to look for Azula when at last she appeared at the top of the staircase, with Ty Lee and Haru. He gestured at her in disbelief as he looked at her two companions. Was this why she had taken so long?

"Sokka! It's been forever! That was such an amazing thing you did in the fighting pit, just wow!" Ty Lee exclaimed, clapping as she reached him. "You've probably set a new record for the fastest gladiator fight ever, you know?"

"Yeah, well, I didn't want to risk it extending unnecessarily," he said, his piercing blue eyes fixed on Azula. "Good to see you both, Ty Lee, Haru… and I think we have to go now, right, Azula?"

"I suppose, though I figured I'd…" she said, glancing at Shoji's counter through the corner of her eyes only for Sokka to hiss. She couldn't bite back her guilty smirk. "Alright, perhaps not today. I can find out if you've risen in the ranking later."

"Thank you. Thank you," Sokka gasped, breathing out in relief. Azula nodded at Ty Lee and Haru.

"I suppose we shall be seeing each other when we have our next meeting. I might actually bring Sokka as you want me to. But for now, farewell it is," she said, and Ty Lee jumped to hug her.

Haru smiled at Sokka, who tried to be equally courteous, but it was difficult to act normal when his entire body was a complicated, miserable mess.

"It's good to see you again," said Haru, clapping Sokka's back with a hand. Sokka gulped and returned the favor, unusually weakly.

"Same," he whispered softly, before Azula pushed Ty Lee away and finally made way to the vestibule's gates. Sokka kept up with her, suspecting he'd look slightly deranged by now; most the people who sighted the Princess dropped into the traditional bow as she passed them by.

At last they reached Xin Long, who, to Sokka's relief, had been waiting right outside. He climbed on a little too eagerly, earning himself a skeptical look from Azula as she climbed in front of him and ushered Xin Long to take off.

"W-why did you take so long?" Sokka whispered, as the dragon rose through the air. "I beat the guy just as you told me to, y-you should've been waiting…"

"Did I really take that long?" Azula replied, raising an eyebrow. Sokka groaned.

"It felt that way, at least…"

"Well, what matters is that I'm here now, and we're on our way to your place, as intended. No need to panic anymore, right?"

"I guess, but… I think I'm going to pass out at this rate," said Sokka, rubbing his temples with his fingers as he gritted his teeth. Azula smiled weakly.

"For what it's worth, what you did in the sandpit was… well, mind-blowing. I can barely believe you didn't even need to use your weapons."

"I had to be quick and unexpected," Sokka mumbled. "He didn't think I'd be that tough with my bare hands, no doubt, so… I thought it'd be my best shot."

"Sometimes your fighting strategies amaze me, I won't lie," said Azula, smirking. "You're awfully clever and resourceful in the battlefield, especially under pressure as you were today."

"Y-yeah, well… I hope that doesn't mean you'll do this to me again, or will you?" Sokka asked, panicking ever so slightly. Azula chuckled.

"I doubt it. It's too risky," she said, looking at him over her shoulder. "I'm relieved it didn't end as badly as it could have. We'll tend to your issue shortly, I promise."

"Thank you…" he said, with a thread of a voice, as he hung his head and waited for their trip back to end.

Xin Long landed in the garden and Sokka leapt out of the saddle again, though far more clumsily this time. Azula gave Xin Long leave to do as he pleased for a few hours before returning to Sokka, placing a hand on his back to help him walk inside the house.

"Don't worry, we're almost there" she told him, and Sokka gulped as they entered the living room.

Song had been reading on the couch by then, finished with her cleaning chores: she jumped to her feet upon realizing Sokka wasn't walking smoothly.

"Oh, dear, what happened now?" Song asked, but Azula grimaced.

"It's… nothing you can help with. Leave it to me," she whispered. Song blinked blankly. Sokka waved a hand towards her.

"I'm fine, or… I will be, Song," he said, with an awkward smile as he started to walk up the stairs.

"O…kay, then?" said Song, swallowing hard. She had already decided she didn't want to know what these two were up to earlier, but it had been hard to keep her curiosity from stirring. Nonetheless, she had a pretty good idea of what they'd be doing just now, and that certainly wasn't something that stirred it anymore. "I'll just, uh… go watch a puppet theater play. I think there's one in town, yeah… see you two in a few hours."

"Have fun," Sokka called back to her from the top of the stairs, as Azula continued to guide him. Song gulped before scrambling to the door quickly.

The gladiator sighed in relief as they finally reached his bedroom. He stumbled to the bed, but he sat on the mattress without much trouble and kicked off his boots.

"You know, never mind what you told me in the stand-by room," he said, huffing as he tried to take off his left boot, which was inconveniently stuck right now. "Let's just do what we always do, I don't need any…"

"Huh… well, I'm afraid I can't quite do that," said Azula, swallowing hard as she stood in front of him. Sokka finished removing his boot and looked at her in confusion.

"Can't quite do what, exactly?" he asked. Azula bit her lip.

"Go back on my word. Do you take a Princess's honor so lightly, gladiator?"

His jaw dropped. Azula's cheeks flushed.

"B-but… Azula, you really don't have to," he said, swallowing hard as his throat went dry. "You only said that to give me extra motivation, not that I really needed it, but…"

"I was saying it for that reason, no doubt," said Azula, shrugging and smiling. "But that doesn't mean I had no intentions of fulfilling my promise."

"Y-you… oh, spirits. You're serious," he groaned as he looked at her in disbelief. Azula chuckled as she approached him, leaning down to undo his belt.

"Lie back. It should be easier that way," she recommended, as she endeavored to pull down his pants.

Sokka started cursing under his breath, unable to process what was happening. He had been certain she had only been playing with him, that she was mostly messing with him so his erection would get worse, just so he'd be all the quicker with the fight at hand. Despite her promise, he had never really expected her to do this…

"Azula…" he whispered, and with his eyes tightly shut, the sensation of her hands releasing his erection from his underwear was all the more intense and delectable.

He swallowed again, the exhilarant situation driving him mad already despite she had barely touched him with her hand just now. He had already known he wouldn't last long, but he suspected he'd be done for in a matter of seconds if she truly pulled forward as she'd planned to.

Azula breathed out slowly, facing her current task with uncertainty.

"Alright, so… I think it's glaringly obvious that I've never done this before," she whispered, looking at Sokka from between his legs. He opened his eyes, meeting her gaze, just as he had in his dream… oh, that wasn't a good thing to recall right now, it'd only shorten the experience further. "I recall Mai and Ty Lee once said it was a little more difficult than expected, so… if you'd be so kind, can you guide me through it?"

"Guide you?" Sokka asked, with a thread of a voice. "Just, hell… do you really want to do this? Azula, we can really just…"

"I do. Come on," she said, looking at him earnestly. "Trust me. Just… tell me about your dream. What did I do there?"

"W-well… you met my gaze just like this at certain points, yeah," said Sokka, swallowing hard. "But, uh, I started out in darkness. I couldn't see anything, I just felt it…"

"Alright. Close your eyes, then," said Azula. Sokka bit his lip and did as much, trembling in anticipation. "What did you feel?"

"Your tongue, mostly. Mainly," said Sokka, biting harder

Azula took a deep breath and leaned closer, only brushing his tip with her breath… and he jolted. She grimaced and looked at him with confusion, finding he was blushing deeply and gritting his teeth.

"But I haven't even…" she whispered. Sokka gulped.

"I'm sorry. I'm… t-too turned on as it is," he said. She bit her lip and smiled.

"Well, that just might make my job easier," she whispered, finally gathering her courage to touch him with the tip of her tongue.

Sokka groaned and threw his head back, the stings of pain intensifying first before starting to give way to arousal once more. Azula was tentative, uncertain, nervous… nevertheless, she was succeeding at her task and she surely realized that. Hisses, moans and groans poured out of Sokka's throat as he clutched the bedding hard enough for his knuckles to turn white. She smiled as she processed the sight.

"I suppose… I'm not doing it so badly," she whispered, brushing his length with her lips.

"Y-you're doing amazing. Jeez, I can't even… okay, it doesn't hurt anymore. Pain's all gone and now I'm just really… really ready to explode," said Sokka, smiling at all.

"Are you? Is this all your dream featured?" Azula asked, raising her eyebrows. Sokka gulped.

"N-not really, but…"

"Come on, Sokka," said Azula, smirking. "Tell me the rest."

"You really… ah, okay, okay. I just hope you won't feel bad by doing this," he said, gulping again. "Well, by then you'd… get it in your mouth."

"Oh… this way?" she asked, before proceeding to do just what Sokka had described. He genuinely yelped.

"Oh, curses, Azula!" he exclaimed, his eyes wide. She had to hold back the urge to laugh. "A-ah, and then you… k-keep licking while it's in there, and… Oh, damn…"

Azula obeyed promptly, though it wasn't quite so simple. She had never done anything remotely similar to this before. Being guided by Sokka through the process, though, proved to be unexpectedly exciting all on its own.

He glanced down at her now, his teeth gritted, and she met his eyes with hers. Sokka actually smiled as he looked at her. He remembered how shocked he had been during his dream, for it had been the first time he had genuinely imagined Azula in a sexual scenario, but he found reality to be a vast improvement over his dream. Especially since none of his reservations of over a year ago nestled within him anymore. Here she was, and he was hers, fully. His arousal answered only to her.

Only, it seemed to be about to answer quite fast, despite he wanted this moment to last a little longer than that. He bit his lip and hissed, reaching down to caress her hair softly.

"Okay, you really can stop now, I won't last another second if you… Oh, shit! Fuck!"

When she began bobbing her head back and forth, he knew he couldn't possibly stop himself anymore. He was far too excited to control his body. There was no holding back by now. He had tried to warn her to stop, but she had ignored him every time. Well, then… there was nothing he could do anymore, if that was how it would be.

He hissed more as the pinnacle of excitement approached and, despite he feared he might regret this later, he held Azula's head in place. She frowned and glanced up at him, noticing his chest heaving as he panted and gasped. He was close, she realized…

Only, she didn't realize how close he was until his groans intensified and his manhood twitched in a way she was already familiar with.

Sokka's hips started thrusting towards her, but even that was fine until she felt something on the back of her throat…

Her amused calm was twisted into a disgruntled scowl as Sokka finished, his head thrown back as he kept her in place. He only remembered he had kept her engulfing his cock a little later than he should have, and he released her, eyeing her remorsefully, his chest still heaving.

Azula stumbled back to her feet, grimacing as she covered her mouth with a hand. Before Sokka could say anything, she had swallowed most unwillingly, releasing a displeased moan as she did.

"Hell, that was…" she said, looking at Sokka in disbelief. He jumped to his bedside table and collected his glass and a jar of water.

"I'm sorry. I did try to warn you before it was too late, but you wouldn't stop…" he said, as he stood up, his legs wobbly still, but to his delight, his body felt perfectly functional now. "Here. Sorry…"

"How do you do that to me all the time if it tastes so…?" she asked, grimacing even after draining half the glass. Sokka smiled.

"I suppose you taste better than I do," he whispered. Azula raised an eyebrow.

"Or you love me more than you should. Doing that sort of thing willingly, I swear…" she said, rolling her eyes and shaking his head. Sokka chuckled.

"Sorry I held you in place, I know I shouldn't have, I just…"

"You'd been building that orgasm for hours, you couldn't take it anymore," said Azula, sighing. "Which I suppose is good for me. I doubt I did so well, but seeing how overexcited you already were…"

"I actually almost wish I hadn't been that aroused," he said, smiling awkwardly at her. "It felt amazing even if it was just for… I don't know, half a minute?"

"Must be another new record for you today. Oops," said Azula, smiling too and raising her eyebrows. Sokka chuckled and hugged her.

"Don't worry. You won't have to do this again if you don't want to," he said. "But please… please don't ever turn me on again right before a fight just to give me extra motivation, okay? It was hellish while it lasted…"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Azula said, chuckling. "It seemed the best way to make use of that opening you gave me when you said it was my turn… I know it was cruel. But you know, also, that we would have been late otherwise…"

"Yeah, yeah. The next time I'll know better than to put your precious punctuality in danger," he said, sighing and rolling his eyes. Azula jabbed his ribs and made him laugh as he sat on the bed once more. "Alright, so… I guess I ought to make this up to you, shouldn't I? We have all afternoon, don't we…?"

"Huh, eager for more already? That's surprising," said Azula, eyeing Sokka with uncertainty as she began unbuckling her armor. Sokka gawked at her, mesmerized by the sight of Azula stripping her clothes off. "You don't really owe me anything. In fact, I might be more in debt with you than you realize…"

"Why's that?" Sokka asked, raising an eyebrow. Azula snorted.

"Well, surprise surprise…" she said, sitting on Sokka's bare lap before making to remove his armor too. "The sponsor of your rival suddenly revealed to me, just as the fight was about to begin, that he was interested in being eligible to court me."

The words floored Sokka, and his jaw dropped. Azula could feel his surge of anger building, sitting atop him as she was: his skin, underneath the armor she had yet to finish peeling off him, had heated up all over again, and not out of excitement this time.

"What the…?!" he exclaimed, and she laughed.

"The fact that you could defeat his fighter in a matter of a few seconds may have been a clear enough message about his eligibility," she said, pulling the armor off Sokka's shoulders as his eyebrow twitched.

"Damn it, if I'd known beforehand, I would've…!"

"You would have what, thrown a bomb inside his mouth? I think that's a one-time-trick," she said, smirking before kissing his lips. "You did well, Sokka. Brilliantly, even. So, see? You got yet another suitor off my back and you didn't realize it. How would you be the one indebted to me after you unknowingly taught that guy a lesson he won't forget?"

Sokka's concerns were starting to dissipate slowly as Azula talked in a soothing tone, her forehead pressed to his, her lips teasing him as her breath brushed his skin. It was easy to be overwhelmed by the flurry of delightful sensations only she could provide him with. Sokka smiled again now and kissed her softly.

"Alright, seeing how I beat his gladiator that effectively, no harm was done," he said, grinning. "Still… you know I can't go again just yet. So, debt or no debt, you're up now, my Princess"

"Oh, am I?" Azula asked, raising her eyebrows as Sokka smirked, taking her in his arms and rolling in bed with her.

As he had no pressing urgency anymore, Sokka took his chance to explore Azula at leisure, something he rather enjoyed doing. He would caress every new exposed area of her body as he relieved her from her clothes, kissing her slowly and tenderly wherever he went. Azula found herself beaming as he teased her nape, for Sokka knew she liked his touch and lips there. His hands were probing her, basking in every single detail of her body. She rolled her eyes back in sheer bliss, trusting him with full freedom to do as he wished. Her trust went well rewarded, for soon she was shaking under powerful orgasms, gifted to her by his return of her earlier favor.

By the time her wild pleasure had subsided, he was set to go again. So Azula surrounded his waist with her legs as he plunged inside her, his every inch thrusting ever so deeply, ever so slowly… though by the time the arousal had increased enough, the rhythm broke as they thrusted rather erratically at each other, Azula's nails clawing at Sokka's back as they moaned and gasped together.

Their afternoon drifted by slowly, and they spent most of it in bed whether chatting, or kissing, or enjoying the other's company in the best ways they knew how. They had a short break when Sokka fetched food, but that small interruption didn't hinder their time together significantly. As they recovered from their heated afternoon, however, a certain subject from their trip to the Northern Air Temple propped up once again…

"So, wait a minute…" Sokka said, long after they were done eating. "That was your full theory? That's what you think happened?"

"I know it sounds disturbing," Azula conceded, lying across the bed as Sokka rested between her legs, his head level with her abdomen. "You'll probably think I'm out of my mind for thinking of such dark things…"

"It's only disturbing if it's true, actually," said Sokka, gulping. "You're just trying to make sense out of what happened in the Air Temple. But… why do you think all the Air Nomads would go hiding inside the tunnels of the mountain and just drop dead there? If you're right and the volatile gas came from their corpses somehow…"

"I've read that corpses can release unpleasant odors and gases, I'm not making it up," Azula clarified. "I don't know if the sort of gas they release is volatile, though. But if it were…"

"With heaps of people dead, it could result in that much gas contained in a single place," Sokka reasoned, frowning. "It'd explain why there were no skeletons lying around in plain sight when the Mechanist and his people arrived. And why there were no Air Nomads left there, too, even though the Fire Nation had never found the Temple. But even so… why? Why would they all just die down there?"

"That's the part I don't understand," said Azula. "Unless someone just moved them there? I don't know…"

"It really is creepy," said Sokka, the corner of his mouth twitching downwards. "I suppose we could confirm your theory if we ever go back, though."

"Well, hopefully we won't have to go back by my father's command any time soon. Perhaps if we ever fight in Ba Sing Se again…" she said, shrugging.

"We could go down there and see it for ourselves. Well, as long as we use his firefly lanterns instead of fire, of course…"

"Ah, the Mechanist said he has developed some technology of the sort for that purpose," said Azula, smirking. "I suppose you read about it in his endless projects, huh? Oh, well. There's no point in worrying about that right now, when we're powerless to do anything about it. Who do you want to fight next?"

"Some other weakling I can beat in two seconds, please," said Sokka, smirking. Azula chuckled.

"If only. I wonder how many times you'll be able to pull off that trick," she whispered. "If nothing else, this new accomplishment of yours should be spoken of for years to come…"

"Hopefully it serves to keep more delusional suitors at bay," said Sokka, raising his eyebrows. "None shall get to you if I can help it."

"Even if I like any of them?" Azula asked, teasingly. Sokka stiffened.

"D-did you like this one?"

"Well, honestly he wasn't half as bad as…"

"Really?!" Sokka squeaked, pushing himself up, aghast and outraged. She roared with laughter as he pouted at her, accusingly.

"Why is it so easy to tease you, you dork?" she said, smiling and hugging him. Sokka groaned.

"Because I love you, I bet," he grumbled, kissing her skin softly as he moved up to her face "You don't really like any of those guys, do you?"

"How insecure of you," she said, biting her lip. "Frankly, Sokka, you have nothing to worry about. Just imagine how much work it would be for me to get to know another man, to learn to trust him, and for him to trust me too… it's too much hassle. I'll just settle with you, since that's all said and done between us already."

"Azula…" he whined, as Azula smiled and rolled her eyes.

"You really want me to get all serious and intense? Yes, I love you, dummy. And I will have you defeat every single man who attempts to be my suitor. And in the meantime, I will mess with you as often as I can because, like it or not, I enjoy it more than I should."

"I just make it too easy, I guess," said Sokka, smiling again now. "But I like that answer better than the teasing, yes I do."

"Of course you do…" said Azula, shaking her head before kissing him.

Sokka closed his eyes and returned the intense kiss in sheer bliss. His hands caressed her arms, her hips, her flanks, and on would they have gone… if a sudden hard knock on the door hadn't startled them.

"What the…?" said Sokka, raising an eyebrow and glancing back at the closed door.

His confusion dissipated when they heard an all-too familiar voice at the other side of the door:

"I take it you're in there, Princess?"

Both Azula and Sokka huffed in irritation. They had hoped Rui Shi might cut them some slack once they returned home, but clearly, they wouldn't be so lucky.

"It's not even sundown yet," Sokka growled. "You can spare a few more hours here, can't you?"

"Probably," said Azula, huffing. "But maybe something's wrong. Or maybe he has some reason to do this? I don't know…"

"He's such a party pooper," Sokka sighed, kissing Azula's neck. "But if he's here…"

"We'd better avoid his wrath," Azula muttered. "Whether we want to or not."

"Oh, well," groaned Sokka in resignation, as Azula kissed him one more time.

"I'll be outside in a moment, Captain!" she called out, sitting up on the bed, with Sokka still holding her body close. Rui Shi grunted in acknowledgement, and they heard his footsteps walking away from the room as he returned to the house's first floor.

Sokka helped Azula get dressed, quite unwillingly as usual, but he assisted her all the same. They often dawdled over playful kisses and relentless teasing, but regardless, Azula reapplied her make-up as she sat by the edge of the bed and Sokka brushed her hair into its usual half-knot again, placing her hairpiece before the small bun of hair and kissing the side of her head after he was done.

"Why are you so beautiful?" he whispered in her ear. Azula smirked.

"I wish I knew," she replied cockily, looking at him with defiance. Sokka chuckled before kissing her. Azula returned the kiss, though she groaned afterwards. "I think I'll just paint my lips after we separate, this is ridiculously counterproductive."

"Ah, such a wise call," he said, smirking too.

"Pleased, aren't you?" Azula asked, raising an eyebrow. Sokka shrugged, prompting her to laugh. "You're hopeless."

"Hopelessly in love, you mean?" he asked, pulling her up to her feet. Azula kissed him again.

"Hopelessly shameless, rather," she said, before reaching for his clothes as well, so he could join her downstairs.

He kept his shirt open, only taking care to put on his pants properly. His hair was down, since he had felt no need to tie it up again just then. They shared another passionate kiss before heading downstairs, and Azula took care to wipe the remnants of her lipstick from Sokka's face before they reached Rui Shi.

Her guard was sitting on the couch, his arms folded, but even though he seemed tense he also seemed, unexpectedly, happy. When Song appeared, bringing him tea with a bright smile on her face, it became apparent why the Captain wasn't so stressed, as opposed to his behavior in the Northern Air Temple.

"We should totally set up those two one day, you know," Sokka whispered to Azula, who raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "He might not get in our way so much if he's distracted with her."

"Such mischievous ideas you have…" said Azula, smirking now as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Oh. It was about time," said Rui Shi, regarding them more coldly than he had Song.

"Do you plan on drinking that on our way back to the Palace?" Azula asked, raising an eyebrow. "I don't recommend it. Drinking something while riding Xin Long is not advisable…"

"Xin…?" Rui Shi repeated. "You mean you'd bring me to the Palace on your dragon?"

"What, you expected otherwise?" Azula asked. "I do that for Sokka all the time. Even Song has ridden Xin Long before…"

The girl blushed a little and shrugged as Rui Shi glanced at her, the steaming cup at his lips.

"Well, that was an emergency, Princess…" Song mumbled nervously. Azula shrugged.

"It was an emergency, yes, and it was out of the ordinary, but mainly because it was Sokka who sat on the front seat and not me," said Azula, nodding "Therefore, as long as I'm there, I don't see why it would be a problem for Xin Long and I to give anyone a lift. Especially someone who's watching over me…"

"Why, thank you, Princess, but…" Rui Shi started, but Azula interrupted him

"Still… why are you here, and why so early?" Azula asked, raising an eyebrow. "You hadn't done this since we were in the Northern Air Temple."

"And Azula has been coming over through the week, but you hadn't showed up like this before," said Sokka, looking a Rui Shi inquisitively also. Rui Shi cleared his throat.

"As it happens, you're not supposed to be training too long today since he had a fight earlier. If you stay here all afternoon it will seem fishy," he said, sipping his tea. Azula sighed and looked at Sokka in defeat. He was pouting.

"I suppose he has a point," said Azula. "Oh, well. If I must go then I will, but are you coming or not?"

"I… will stay here. To make sure the gladiator doesn't go after you somehow once you leave," said Rui Shi, firmly. "You can take the dragon. I'll see you in the Palace."

Azula shrugged.

"As you wish." she whispered, moving to the garden. When Sokka followed her, Rui Shi glared at him.

"What? I'm just going to say goodbye," Sokka pouted. "It's not like I plan on going anywhere looking like this, you know?"

"You'd better not," said Rui Shi, lifting the cup to his lips again. Sokka rolled his eyes and followed Azula outside.

Xin Long had arrived after enjoying a nap in a sunlit meadow. He greeted Azula happily, and she scrutinized him inquisitively, taking notice of the flower petals on his scales and mane. Xin Long seemed not to be bothered by them at all, so Azula merely smiled and climbed on his saddle.

"I have a flowery dragon now, no less," she said, smirking as Sokka stopped right next to her.

"Have a safe flight," he said, patting the dragon's neck. "And you'll be back tomorrow, right? For training?"

"For actual training, at least at first," Azula said, raising her eyebrows. Sokka smirked mischievously.

"Sure. For the first few minutes, I suppose. Whatever comes later…"

"Here I thought you'd have learned a lesson or two about being too eager to take me to bed…" said Azula, smirking too. Sokka shrugged.

"I'm a fast-learner but I've got a thick skull. When I don't want to learn something, I just don't learn at all," he said. Azula laughed.

"You're a lost case, Sokka," she said, shaking her head. "You're lucky you've ended up with me, of all people."

"Because you're unexpectedly patient with my thick skull?"

"No…. because I have the most fun at the expenses of your thick skull, rather," said Azula, smirking and leaning down to cup his face with a hand. Sokka was pouting slightly at her.

"You're so mean… and then again, for some reason I like it when you are, so feel free to keep being mean," he said, smiling again. Azula caressed his stubble gently and kissed his lips.

"I shall keep that in mind, then. See you tomorrow. Feel free to give Rui Shi a hard time with his attempts to court Song," said Azula, smirking. Sokka laughed.

"Oh, damn, he's got enough trouble doing that without me getting involved, believe me," he said, smiling. Azula chuckled and pressed her forehead to his.

"Fine. Goodbye for now anyways," she whispered. "I love you."

"And I love you, Princess. Hopelessly, shamelessly so," he said, smiling dreamily before kissing her once more.

Azula held the kiss, beaming into the contact between them. The thrill she felt when they kissed was still one of the greatest sensations ever: nothing seemed to beat it. She had never felt as safe, despite knowing they were at great risk. She had never been so overjoyed, despite knowing that happiness could be taken from them in a heartbeat. She had never felt so loved: and that was something she meant to protect with all her might.

Sokka smiled as Xin Long flew off, his eyes set on Azula as her frame shrank in the distance. Even though they had only just parted, he could barely wait to see her once more. As he turned to enter the house, he reasoned he rather enjoyed their new day-by-day routine. He sure hoped they could make it last for many more years to come.

A/N:

So, here we are, on the 26th of March and the Third Anniversary of this crazy story. Yep, three years it is! Hard to believe, isn't it? If you're reading this note, know I'm grateful for your support and for sticking around so far. I've really enjoyed this ride, so I'd hope the rest of you have as well.

There's another milestone we've reached with this new chapter, though. According to the information my friend wampa90 has compiled, this update has turned Gladiator into the longest Avatar: The Last Airbender story on this site (though there seems there are still longer crossover stories XD but at least it's the longest for Avatar on its own). This is, no doubt, easier said than done! I didn't expect to ever come up with such a long story, honestly. Yet here we are, three years later and with 108 chapters behind us. And with lots of them yet to come :)

Of course, the ones who deserve congratulations the most are you guys, my wonderful readers. I can write as many long stories as I can come up with, but what truly impresses me is that there's still so many of you who keep up to date with this story, who follow it dutifully, who always want to see more. I am honored and flattered, really. Sometimes I head into the Stats data this site supplies fic authors with, but rather than looking at the numbers, I look at the places you all come from (since there's a breakdown by Visitor Country there, too). And that way I know I'm being read in all five continents, in all sorts of places I wish I could visit… it's one of the most exhilarant feelings ever. I don't know where life will take me in the distant future, but this fic has already helped me achieve lots of things I could only ever dream of. I'm beyond pleased to have shared this journey with all of who are reading this story.

Thank you, and may you continue to enjoy Gladiator! On with the next adventures!