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...

131. Chapter 131: Appeasing Azula 3

He released a trembling breath and contemplated the smooth, round blue stone in his hand. The carvings had left white marks across its surface, marks that swirled in small spirals that composed the shape of fire. He gazed at the pendant, wishing it could somehow irradiate light, as her fire did…

"Wouldn't that be neat," he said aloud, with a lop-sided smile.

He held out the stone, studying it at a distance before chuckling and working to attach it to the necklace. The task didn't take long, and he had secured the stone in its ideal spot after just a bit of tinkering. He bit his lower lip and chuckled again, excitement rushing through him: he had the feeling Azula would like this much better than his bone necklace.

"So… I guess it's done!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air in celebration before rushing downstairs.

Song and Rui Shi were chatting over tea in the living room when Sokka sped his way there. By Azula's command, Rui Shi had been supervising Sokka's recovery over the course of the last two weeks, and it was clear he enjoyed this task much more than any other he had been asked to perform so far: Song's company seemed to be the sure-proof way to put a smile on the Royal Guard's face. Sokka had never seen him this happy, although that relaxed grin faded away once Rui Shi heard his footsteps rushing down the stairs.

"Is something wrong?" Rui Shi asked. Sokka beamed and shook his head.

"No, the entire opposite! I'm finished!" Sokka exclaimed, showing them the necklace.

Sokka's grand reveal surprised his friends. What he held was surely a gift for the Princess, and only upon taking it in did they understand why Sokka had asked them to buy some very specific goods not long ago.

"Ah, a necklace?" Song asked. Rui Shi raised an eyebrow.

"I assume you plan on gifting it to the Princess?" he inquired. "Is this the birthday present you said you wouldn't strain yourself over?"

"Yeah, something like that," said Sokka, with a weak smile before sighing. "How did her feast go, though? You weren't here yesterday because you were there, right?"

"Indeed," said Rui Shi. "She seemed perfectly fine, truth be told. She may not be feeling so well, but she knows how to put up the adequate pretense to trick the nobility. If any suitors approached her, none must have caused genuine trouble, or I would have heard of it."

"Well, good," said Sokka, pouting a little at the mention of suitors. "So, everything went smoothly. I'm glad, but I do wish I'd been there. Oh well! No point dwelling on it. I'll just celebrate with her one or two days late, she shouldn't mind…"

"Do you think she'll be coming today?" Song asked Rui Shi. "I could set the table for four if she did…"

"It's hard to say," Rui Shi said. Sokka bit his lip.

"Is her father still keeping watch over her? Or has he relaxed yet?"

"I don't know, I spend most my time here after all," said Rui Shi. "But I imagine the Princess will come by sometime soon. Knowing her, she misses you just as much as you miss her."

Sokka smiled sadly. He had advised Azula not to visit his house too frequently: while he knew it was the right thing to do, his fickle heart resented him for it. He knew distance was necessary for Azula to keep any suspicions at bay, but it meant he had to endure a desperate, uncontrollable urge to see her again this time. Chances were she would be enduring the same urges he was…

"Anyways…" said Rui Shi, clearing his throat. "Did you come rushing down here to ask our opinion on the necklace? Or maybe you wanted Song to try it on to check if it's good enough, or something?"

"What? No, I think Azula should be the first to wear it," said Sokka, with an awkward smile as Rui Shi brought his teacup to his lips. "If Song ever tries on a betrothal necklace, it should be the one you make for her."

Song gasped and jumped, blushing; Rui Shi spewed out all his tea, his eyes wide, and his cheeks reddened too before he looked at Sokka both accusingly and with slight horror. Sokka blinked blankly and smiled.

"What?"

"Y-you… did you just say that's a betrothal necklace?!" Rui Shi exclaimed, looking at him in disbelief. "How can you expect the Princess to wear something with that sort of meaning if…?!"

"I honestly doubt she'll wear it often," Sokka cut him off, with a sad smile. "Maybe in a few eons, if our lives go as planned… but if not, then I guess she's going to keep it safely tucked away somewhere."

"If you say so," said Rui Shi, looking at Sokka with uncertainty.

"But how exactly do you plan on giving her a betrothal necklace when you two…?" Song asked, frowning. "It's not like you can be married legally."

"Well, it's a way of showing we're completely committed to each other," said Sokka, smiling. "Serious commitment doesn't need to be legally acknowledged to be real, at least I think so. I know this sounds insane to you guys, but… in a way, I'm also sharing my culture with her."

"You are?" Rui Shi asked, blinking blankly. "So, Water Tribe people exchange betrothal necklaces…?"

"Well, not necessarily. Seems like it's mostly a northern tradition," said Sokka, with a shrug. "But I saw it in this book Song bought, and my sister had a betrothal necklace herself, so…"

"Wait, your sister was married?" Song asked. "You never said that…"

"I didn't because she wasn't," Sokka said, with a lop-sided grin. "She simply inherited my mom's necklace, which she got from our dad, who got it from his mom, who was from the north!"

"That's convoluted," said Rui Shi, frowning. "So… your northern grandparents went to the south and started their family there?"

"Uh, no," said Sokka, scratching the back of his head. "It's more like my grandmother ran away from her betrothed from the north and ended up marrying my grandfather, who was from the South…?"

Rui Shi's jaw dropped. Song chuckled, amused by his reactions to Sokka's explanations.

"Are all love stories in your family this complicated, or is it just you and your grandmother?" Rui Shi asked. Sokka raised an eyebrow, thinking hard, apparently.

"Well…" he said, rubbing his stubble with his thumb. "My dad was born to a north-and-south mixed couple, and fell in love with the chief's daughter. He was supposed to never be good enough for her, but…!"

"Huh. So, you decided your father's story was worth replicating. I understand now," said Rui Shi, with a smirk. Sokka blushed.

"Heh, maybe it does run in the family but… what can I say?" Sokka shrugged. "Not my fault Azula is as amazing as she is. I'm an idiot, no doubt, but I'd be stupider still if I hadn't fallen in love with her."

"And I'm sure his father must have said the exact same thing about his mother," Song told Rui Shi. Both Rui Shi and Sokka smiled as Song stood up and inspected the gladiator with her gaze. "So, how are you feeling? You've been standing properly without support for a while now…"

"I'm managing," said Sokka, smiling weakly. "I think it probably won't be much longer before I can spar again, right?"

"I'm starting to suspect you just want to be better so you can beg the Princess to visit you again," said Song, smiling. "But well, at least you're motivated to recover. I'm sure the Princess will think the necklace is lovely, too. You did a fine job, busying yourself with that rather than moping as you usually do in your recoveries."

"Moping, yeah, well… I don't mope", Sokka pouted, as Song chuckled and headed to the kitchen. "At least not that often, or do I?"

"You have an inaccurate perception of yourself if you think you don't, Sokka," said Song, smirking and giggling as she started setting the table in the kitchen.

Sokka huffed and shook his head but smiled as he held the necklace in his hands. The stone was more angular than Katara's necklace, allowing this one to suit the shape of fire much better. He bit his lip and smiled excitedly, wondering if Azula would like it as much as he did.

"What do you plan on doing with that, though?" Rui Shi asked. "Will you propose to her in some sort of romantic getaway?"

"Oh? Well, yes and no. I do want to take her someplace, but truth is, she already said she'd marry me, if the universe complied. So, I'm thinking she'll likely say yes again when I give it to her," said Sokka, beaming. Rui Shi couldn't hide his initial surprise over how casually Sokka had revealed that information, but after a moment he smiled awkwardly and nodded.

"Good. Though that means neither of you are expecting it to happen while her father has a say upon the matter…"

"Eh, we're not," said Sokka, sighing and shrugging. "Though it would be nice if he decided he likes me enough to let me marry her, don't you think?"

"Nice for you, no doubt," said Rui Shi, smiling weakly. "But I'm afraid the Fire Lord isn't likely to let his daughter marry an outsider, even one as renowned as you."

"And I'm a slave, to boot," said Sokka, sighing. "I know all that, and I know that makes the whole idea of proposing look pretty pointless, but still…"

His ears weren't perked for the sound of Xin Long's talons descending on the house's backyard, yet he heard it anyways. He gasped, turning his head, eyes wide.

Yes, it was the dark dragon. Yes, his rider had an outfit of red, black and gold, the most beautiful raven hair, and a golden hairpiece on her head.

And here he was, holding his surprise for her, standing in plain sight.

He grimaced and looked at Rui Shi with panicked eyes before racing upstairs in a rush. Rui Shi winced, watching his every step warily. When Sokka didn't double over and faint in the middle of the stairs, Rui Shi guessed his adrenaline had really kicked in: no doubt Sokka didn't want the Princess to see the necklace yet, but had it been necessary for him to run that way?

Rui Shi sighed and turned to look at the backyard once Sokka was safely in his room again, though, with a small smile on his face. The Princess walked across the grass and climbed the steps that led into the house, looking slightly anxious, with her gaze lost in the horizon.

"Good day, Princess," Rui Shi said. His words seemed to startle her out of her daze.

"Oh, Rui Shi," she said, smiling back. "Good to see you here. Clearly you've been doing your job the way I asked."

"Yeah, well…" he said, smiling a little. "Your gladiator is a handful, but I've done what I could. And, uh, I haven't been too distracted, if you were concerned about that."

"Huh. Thanks for clarifying as much," said Azula, with a slow smirk. Rui Shi blushed.

"I-I… it isn't like that!" he said. She actually laughed.

"Yes, yes, I know you're holding back the urge to say that not everyone is as irresponsible and impulsive as me and Sokka," she said, smirking still.

"W-well… I didn't mean to say it, but it's still true," he said, averting his gaze from her. Azula shook her head in disapproval.

"How dare you, insulting your protégée in such a manner…" she teased, as Song glanced out of the kitchen, surprised to hear the Princess's voice. "Ah, good to see you too, Song."

"Princess!" she exclaimed, smiling. "Sokka was… well, he was here just now, so u-uh, he should be upstairs?"

"Oh, now, is he hiding from me?" Azula asked, glancing at Sokka's room.

"He's likely just pretending he's not feeling well," Rui Shi said, hoping to cover up for Sokka's real reason to flee. "Just so you will go pamper him while he plays the helpless, convalescing victim…"

"Fat chance for that, if he's really just messing around…" said Azula, smirking just as Sokka stepped out of the room anew.

"You know, I heard all that," he said, glaring at Rui Shi despite he was smiling a little. "If making me look bad was a sport, you'd have won a medal for it by now."

"Wow, and with such harsh competition from so many sources, too," said Rui Shi, beaming proudly. "I feel accomplished."

The conversation was derailed quickly, though, for Sokka's eyes had found Azula's. His lips curled into a genuine smile as his eyebrows relaxed, and the Princess's smirk softened as well. He was alright, standing by his own power…

"You returned at last, huh?" Sokka said, chuckling. "Last time you came by, you were a year younger!"

"Oh, please," she said, smirking as he laughed as well and moved to the stairs. "Wait, I could just…"

"Wait for what? I can climb downstairs no problem now," Sokka said, smiling even though he balanced his weight by keeping a hand on the stairs' railing.

Azula sighed and shook her head before moving to the foot of the stairs. Rui Shi looked away pointedly, but Song decided to spare him the awkwardness of playing third wheel by clasping his hand and pulling him to the kitchen with her.

When Sokka finally reached the bottom of the stairs, his arms engulfed Azula in a stronger hug than any he had given her as of late. She buried her face in his neck, surrounding his waist with her arms as well and sighing in relief. She took in his scent, listening to his every breath, her body reacting immediately upon being touched by him.

"I missed you," she whispered. He chuckled.

"I missed you more! Especially yesterday, I couldn't stop thinking I was missing out on your big day…" he said, with a disappointed sigh. "I was feeling so much better, too, but Song said it'd be for the best…"

"It was," said Azula. He felt her lips forming a smile against his skin. "Seeing how things are between us by now, you probably would have caused a disaster as soon as you noticed any suitors were talking to me…"

"A disaster? What, intimidating them away from you, or getting into a fistfight with them would be a disaster? I'm afraid I don't follow this logic of yours, Princess," he asked, smirking. She laughed and looked at him in disbelief, pulling away ever so slightly to do it.

"Recovered all your ridiculousness, I see," she said, cupping his face with a hand. Sokka chuckled and gave in to the temptation of kissing her, beaming brightly as he did. She returned the gesture gladly, holding his face with both hands now.

He didn't break the contact for a while, only doing so when he felt himself growing a bit dizzy again once he was breathless. He pulled away and kissed her forehead, smiling sweetly while holding her in his arms.

"How are you doing, then?" he asked. "Had a nice enough day yesterday?"

"It was bearable," said Azula, with a weak smile. "Being stuck in a dress for the day has never been too enjoyable for me…"

"Yet you look so pretty in them," Sokka said, beaming as they moved to the couch. "Still… you look your prettiest out of them, hehe."

"I am not about to test your ability to bear with me in bed yet, so stop trying to tempt me with perverted one-liners," said Azula, smirking as they sat together. Sokka laughed and pressed his forehead to hers.

"Oh, come on, not even for the fun of it?" he teased her. Azula looked at him judgmentally and he chuckled again. "Fine, fine, but we can't go forever without trying, you know…?"

"We're not about to put your recovery at risk over that," Azula said. Sokka smiled and shrugged.

"I seriously think I'm better though. I only got dizzy now because I forgot to breathe while kissing you, but that always happens when we do that, so…" he said, shrugging. Azula grimaced.

"Why would you forget to…? Ah, never mind, you're just hopeless," she said, shaking her head and scooting closer to him, her head on his shoulder.

"I had wanted to see you for too long, it's why I'm as hopeless as I am," Sokka explained, with a weak grin. "Say… do you think you'll be busy in the next few days?"

"Not particularly," said Azula. "There are no pressing matters for me to deal with right now. Why are you asking, though?"

"Well, I have half a mind to give you a whole different birthday experience," he said, smirking with pride. Azula looked at him in confusion.

"Huh. So different that it's going to happen outside my birthday?" she asked, with amusement. Sokka huffed.

"Hey, I would have done it on your actual birthday if your dad had allowed it," he said. "But since you're very important and you need to keep the Fire Nation pleased, I am settling for celebrating your aging on a different day. What do you say?"

"I… don't know. What do you have in mind?" Azula asked. Sokka smirked.

"Just a small trip to a special spot in the Fire Nation. You'll be sure to love it," he declared, with a wide smile. Azula frowned.

"You're thinking you're in a good enough shape to travel, really?" she asked. Sokka nodded.

"As long as we go with Xin Long, we'll be fine. Besides, my plans are actually going to favor my health lots! You would approve completely if you knew what I have in store for us…"

He wiggled his eyebrows and looked at her with a devilish smirk. Azula had nothing to do but sigh and roll her eyes.

"Something tells me you're lying, or at least, partly lying. But I suppose I'm too bored these days not to indulge you," she said, smiling and dropping her head on his shoulder again. "What exactly do you want me to do, and when?"

"Hmm… Be here with Xin Long, in two days," said Sokka, biting his lip in anticipation and stroking her hair. "He'll be taking us to a very fun place. I think he'll enjoy it, too."

"What sort of fun place?" Azula asked. "Another city? Or a town?"

"Not telling! You'll have to wait and see!" Sokka said, grinning proudly. Azula scoffed and eyed him skeptically.

"I'll figure out what you mean eventually, Sokka, it's only a matter of time," she said, smirking. He nodded.

"Yes, you'll figure it out in two days, of course. Meanwhile, go on and make all your guesses. I won't answer any of them," he said, smirking at her defiantly.

"Ugh, fine," she said, rolling her eyes as he kissed her brow.

"Meanwhile, you should tell me all about your birthday," he said, taking her hand in his and intertwining their fingers. "Were there lots of people there, like… Sideburns?"

"No, he's not around right now," said Azula. "He's up to something, in the Earth Kingdom to be precise. But truth be told, it looks like everyone is up to something other than me these days. I hadn't been this bored in years…"

"But… have you slept better?" Sokka asked. Azula blinked. "I mean, did the necklace help somehow?"

"Well, it has taken a while for it to pay off, but yes," Azula admitted, and to Sokka's surprise, she drew it out of a pocket in her pants. "It's handy to keep it around in case any… any nightmarish images strike me again. It's still happening, but less often, at least."

"I'm glad, then," said Sokka, smiling and nuzzling her neck. Azula smiled. "I've been dreaming of many things, myself…"

"Ah, of more blowjobs? Still hung up on that?" Azula teased. Sokka snorted and shook his head. She smirked.

"No, damn. You really do think my mind's always in the gutter, don't you?" he asked, kissing her lips softly. She laughed.

"Give me a reason not to think so, and I might stop assuming as much," she whispered. He smirked.

"Well, I can't give you a reason not to think what you think… but I can give you a reason not to voice out your judgments," he said, wiggling his eyebrows. Azula looked at him with interest.

"Ah, is that so?" she said.

He chuckled before lunging forth for a longer, deeper kiss. Azula was quickly swept by his lips, enough that she was lying on the couch before long, but she broke the kiss as she registered that Sokka was looming over her dangerously.

"Are you sure you should be doing that?" she asked. "Aren't you in pain, or…?"

"I'm handling it fine," he said, his arms at either side of her head. "Truth be told, maybe I could start training lightly again. I know it may sound rushed, but doing small things would work, I reckon. Warm-up exercises, mainly?"

"Hmm. It's a thought," she mused, stroking his face gently with a hand. "It would give me an excuse to drop by again, at least…"

"True enough. Is your dad still keeping tabs on you, though?" Sokka asked. Azula shrugged.

"I honestly doubt it. He's being… secretive about something. I don't know what he's plotting for the White Lotus, but I think he's so immersed in it that he's too busy to pay me much mind. I haven't been reckless regarding visiting you, but I really doubt he's worried about me anymore."

"Heh. Strange," said Sokka. "So, he merely wanted to make sure you wouldn't meddle with his plans for the White Lotus?"

"I guess so," said Azula, frowning. "But I can't understand why he'd keep it a secret from me, or from Zhao, even…"

"From Zhao too?" Sokka asked, as Azula made to sit up, so he wouldn't hover above her anymore.

"I don't know what he's after. I really don't. I'd love not to worry about it, but it's easier said than done," she said. "I don't understand why he doesn't want me involved. Is it he thinks it's too dangerous?"

"Maybe," said Sokka. "Or maybe he's doing something nasty he doesn't want you to know about. Not trying to be a jerk here, but sometimes rulers have to do some pretty awful stuff to achieve their goals… politics, really."

"I guess, but I'd rather know the truth instead of guessing blindly," she said, sighing and looking at him skeptically. "But for now, I'll settle for figuring out what you've planned for a few days from today. Should be more fun to unravel that mystery…"

"Heh! My lips are sealed!" Sokka exclaimed. Azula smirked.

"I wonder what I'll have to do to loosen them up," she said, leaning closer as though to kiss him, but she stopped inches away from his lips. "I suppose teasing you might suffice?"

"You suppose wrong," he said, smirking too and closing the distance between them briskly. Azula smiled and embraced his neck, accepting this defeat gracefully. Her strategy to coax him into telling the truth hadn't been the finest, but it was delightful to kiss him like this again.

She let his enthusiastic, powerful kisses overwhelm her, to the point where she nearly forgot completely about his wound, or how he needed to take it easy, until after around two minutes of heavy kissing, lying across the couch as they were. She looked at him with disbelieving, but amazed eyes, and his smirk grew more confident.

"See? I am feeling better," he said, giving her a happy grin. She laughed, embracing him tightly as he dropped beside her, his back against the couch's backrest. "Not completely, sure, but I can steal kisses from you all over again."

"And what should be a suitable punishment for such an unforgivable crime?" she asked, stroking his chin. Sokka bit his lip and smirked.

"Well, sometimes revenge is the fairest kind of justice…" he said. Azula laughed and pressed her forehead to his.

"How smooth and sneaky. Always getting your way, somehow… I think I've been a really bad influence on you, haven't I?"

"Heh, I'm the one who's been a bad influence on you," he said, chuckling. Azula shook her head and kissed him deeply.

"I love you," she whispered, softly. His proud smirk softened, and his kiss was gentler this time.

"I love you more," he replied, before flashing her a mischievous smile. Azula shook her head and hugged him.

"You can't possibly do that," she declared. He laughed.

"But it's true!"

This time, the day seemed to go by too fast. After weeks comprised by days that had seemed never-ending, they had been taken by surprise today when the sun's glow, filtering through the windows, started to turn orange. Azula hadn't been planning on staying the whole day, but it was hard to resist the temptation to do that when she was certain that her father wouldn't be keeping too tight a leash on her anymore.

"So, I can expect you here again in two days?" Sokka said once she was about to leave, smiling mischievously. Azula sighed and looked at him skeptically.

"If this is just some sort of silly stunt to prove you're all better…"

"Then you'll agree to it just so I can prove it indeed, right?" he said, smirking. "You're very eager to see me recovered, after all…"

"Stop trying to manipulate me. That's supposed to be my forte, not yours," Azula said, smirking too and walking towards Xin Long in the house's backyard.

Xin Long greeted Sokka happily, poking his chest with his nose as his whiskers danced in the air circularly. Sokka chuckled, patting his snout.

"Been a while, big guy. I missed you too," he said. Xin Long answered with a soft groan.

Azula lifted herself onto Xin Long's saddle, and she smiled at Sokka before her dragon rose to his full height. By then, she was hoisted a few feet above Sokka.

"Behave yourself for these two days, and you'll get what you want. But honestly, if this is just a trick…"

"It's a trick you'll enjoy, I promise," Sokka said, beaming. Azula chuckled and shook her head.

"You're ever incorrigible, aren't you?" she said, leaning down and kissing him softly. "I'll see you in two days."

"I'll be counting every second until then," he whispered, with a gentle smile of his own.

Xin Long took off, and Azula kept glancing back at Sokka as they sped through the sky. The gladiator smiled and waved until she was too far to discern anymore, and by then he sighed happily, his entire body rejoicing upon knowing they wouldn't be apart for long this time.

He entered the house once more, filing towards the kitchen. Rui Shi and Song were inside, chatting, as ever, hands intertwined until they noticed Sokka. He didn't mind their gestures of affection, but they still separated their hands immediately, impulsively shy as they were.

"So… everything's settled. I have an entire day to set up the happiest trip with Azula yet," he said. "But I need your help, again."

"I'm not surprised to hear that," said Song, with a curt grin. "What do you need now?"

"I want… to cook."

The pair froze where they stood, completely confused by what he'd just said.

"You… want to cook?" Song repeated. "You mean… you want to make a romantic meal for her?"

"Cooking? You?" Rui Shi repeated. "An armor for the dragon and a betrothal necklace were less surreal than that."

"I've cooked before!" Sokka pouted, blushing. "Just… I wasn't very good at it, but that's why I need help! If Song guides me through it, I'll be able to make edible stuff. And I want to make it myself so that it's special, so… will you help me? Please?"

Song grimaced but shrugged, and Rui Shi snorted as Sokka squealed in joy.

"The things a man does when he's in love," Rui Shi said. Song looked at him pointedly. "I'm just saying, I never thought the day would come when he'd want to cook anything himself."

"Neither did I… but who knows? Maybe he's got more talent for this than we thought," said Song, looking at Sokka with interest. "So, what's your plan for the meal?"

Sokka's eyes brightened over Song's approving reaction, and his smile gained further determination. Once this was out of the way, he would have fully prepared to give Azula the perfect day she deserved to enjoy…

---

The anticipation over whatever Sokka was plotting certainly lifted Azula's spirits. Looking forward to something served to decrease the frequent rush of nightmarish images in her mind. The bone necklace still helped soothe her whenever they came up, so she was, in some way, feeling less uncertain about the demons hiding in her mind these days.

It helped that Ozai was genuinely not interested in whatever his daughter was up to. Azula stopped by on the day before her trip to speak with him, and found him cooped up in his study, a heavy frown on his face. It softened a little when his eyes fell upon her.

"Is everything alright?" Azula asked. Ozai sighed and shrugged.

"If it were or weren't, I refuse to burden you with it. Did you want something?"

"I only came to let you know my gladiator's condition is improving by now," she said. "He'll be fit for training again soon, if he isn't already. I'll keep supervising his recovery for the next few days, testing to see if he's ready to fight yet…"

"Good. Once he's fully healthy, I'll need to have a word with him," Ozai said. Azula blinked blankly, holding down the nervousness that pooled in her stomach.

"You will? About what happened in the Earth Kingdom, I take it?" Azula said.

"Any details he forgot to rely to you, every little thing, will be essential for the sake of destroying them," said Ozai. "I will question him myself once the opportunity arises. When do you expect he'll be fit to answer?"

"I suppose he should be ready within a week or two," Azula said, her voice firm despite how uneasy she felt. Ozai nodded.

"If he's in good shape before that, bring him to me at haste. I need answers."

"I know you don't want me prying, Father, but what exactly are you…?"

"You're better off not knowing, child. I mean it," Ozai declared. Azula frowned.

"As you wish," she said, obedient as ever. Her chest burned, though, and not with a pleasant feeling this time.

Maybe he did it to protect her. Maybe it was that simple. But while her father had kept secrets from her before, he was usually less obvious about them than he was now. Being left out, sidelined, for whatever his reasons, felt like punishment to her. Was it because she had failed to defeat them in the Earth Kingdom? Was it her father was disappointed in her? Wouldn't he trust her anymore?

As much as she used to claim trusting people was pointless, following fit with her father's beliefs, she hadn't expected him to stop trusting her. For a very long time, she had been sure it was the two of them against the world: her and her father, defying countless expectations, proving they were born to rule, regardless of their shared condition as second-born children. Even though she had grown to question some of her father's decisions over the years, as Sokka's influence had led her to do as much, she still had expected to preserve her privileged position as his trustworthy right hand for good.

Things had changed, and it stung her, even if Ozai seemed far past the point of caring about whatever his daughter was up to. Yes, his distrust and aloofness were convenient for her immediate purposes, but it wasn't going to be as useful in the long run. She didn't want to be left behind. Not by him, even after all this time.

"Let me know when your gladiator is ready for questioning, then," Ozai said. Azula nodded.

"I shall," she said, bowing down her head respectfully in his direction.

She would warn Sokka to tread carefully with whatever he revealed: she still didn't think Ozai had noticed any changes in their relationship, but if Sokka's tongue were to slip at all, Ozai wouldn't hesitate to slay him instantly. Chances were Sokka would know to hold back information properly, but Azula wouldn't risk him heading into such an interview with Ozai without preparation.

Ozai's distance, and coldness, continued to plague her thoughts for the rest of the day. The thought of seeing Sokka again on the next morning helped her at night, and she held the necklace he had given her to soothe her worst thoughts. Still, her mind drifted to her father again eventually, inevitably.

"Maybe I deserve it, being cut off from him," she mused. Alone as she was, under the bed's sheets in her room, she still received a response in her mind, a disapproving groan from Xin Long.

Yet, regardless of the dragon's disagreement, why wouldn't she deserve it? How could Azula expect her father to trust her, when she was hiding such a dangerous secret from him, too? It wasn't fair to expect to be his confidante when, as Ozai would see it if he ever learned the truth, she was betraying him through her relationship with Sokka.

"It's not like I'm all that innocent myself," she sighed, rolling in the bed she had shared several times with her lover. Their treasonous trysts had even happened under her father's roof, no less. "It is what it is. I doubt he'd be sorry for cutting me off, if he knew what I've become…"

She sighed again but shrugged. It would bother her for a long time, likely, but losing her father's confidence might be for the best. If she didn't pry into his business, maybe he wouldn't pry into hers. And the longer Ozai went without trying to reveal his daughter's secrets, the better for everyone.

She woke with unease, after spending the night clasping the necklace tighter every time a nightmare came up. She was growing used to them by now, scarcely startled when the same scenes played in her mind. She would wake herself up with each one, sigh and shake her head while holding the necklace close to her chest.

But nighttime was gone now, and daylight filtered through the windows. She climbed off her bed, trying to contain the enthusiasm she felt upon knowing she would see Sokka again, and upon knowing he had a surprise in store for her, too.

She performed her usual morning routine, even spending an hour warming up and training with her bending in the Palace's courtyards. It was midmorning by the time she was finished, and thus, an appropriate time to visit Sokka. Hopefully he'd be awake by then.

Xin Long was happy to give her a ride this time, especially since he knew he was going to be part of today's trip. He took off immediately once Azula hopped onto his saddle, and he raced through the skies quickly.

Sokka waited by the steps that led to the house, where he sat with a large bag beside him. He raised his eyes as soon as he felt the wind buffeting him, caused by Xin Long's rapid descent on the ground. His face brightened immediately, blue eyes meeting gold.

"It was about time!" he said, chuckling and jumping to his feet.

Xin Long groaned in agreement as Sokka walked to the dragon's flank. Azula's smile was gentle and warm, delighted to see him outside of the house, for a change.

"I missed you," Sokka said, beaming as he stopped beside her. Azula laughed and leaned down as always, kissing his lips softly.

"I did too, but we can correct that now, can't we?" she said, pushing herself to an upright position again. "What's that? You're carrying my surprise in that bag?"

"Maybe," said Sokka, chuckling as he returned to the steps to pick it up. "It's part of your surprise, if anything."

"Huh? As long as it's not another set of armor for this mischievous dragon…" said Azula, stroking Xin Long's hair. The dragon huffed, letting her know he should have several suits of armor, just like her.

"It's not," said Sokka, carrying the bag without much difficulty. "It's less durable than armor, I'm afraid, but I made most of it myself, too!"

"You didn't overwhelm yourself again, or did you?" Azula asked, as Sokka climbed on Xin Long's saddle, behind her, with his bag settled between them. "Because the last time you worked too hard for my birthday gift, you had some dangerous cramps in the middle of a dangerous situation…"

"Ah, in the middle of a sparring session with you, yes. Nothing is quite as dangerous," he said, smirking and kissing her cheek. "Though I guess the most dangerous part was when you massaged my leg as you did."

"Heh. Even though I was doing it to the wrong one," said Azula, with a dry grin. Sokka laughed.

"Hey, I didn't mind. Besides, we both know you can't get your hands off me," he said, resting his chin on her shoulder as Azula rolled her eyes at his cocky assertion. "Alrighty, so, are we going to take off or are we just going to spend the day in the backyard?"

"I'd gladly leave, if I knew where we're going," Azula answered, looking at him skeptically. "Where to, Sokka?"

"Ah, I guess I do need to tell you where we're headed, huh?" Sokka said, smiling and sighing. "Alright, alright. I traced a map for it, so here you go. I found those indications in one of Song's books… will this help steer Xin Long in the right direction?"

"It should work, if you made a decent map," Azula said, smirking as Sokka rummaged his bag, searching for the paper.

The map he offered her had a few random scribbles on the borders, and it took her a moment to realize they were drawings, though not very good ones. She smirked at them before focusing on the important part of the map instead. Her eyebrows rose soon enough, as Sokka fidgeted behind her.

"We just need to go south, I guess…?" he said. Azula smirked and looked back at him, disbelief in her eyes.

"This is the Jiare Hu mountain," she said. "As much as your rudimentary art skills aren't all that good, that's what you've marked as the destination, isn't it?"

"Yes?" said Sokka, swallowing hard. "I read that it's a wonderful place, very removed from the towns and cities… they said the trip there wasn't worth it because of all the obstacles in climbing the mountain. But I thought, if we have Xin Long, then we could get there without much trouble and…"

"And I suppose you also hoped that the miraculous hot springs in this mountain will be as healing as the legends claim they are?" Azula asked, raising an eyebrow. Sokka smiled.

"Honestly, I just want to try them," he said. "I don't know about any healing, but who knows? Might be fun to pretend they're real, if just for a little while."

"Well, if fire saved you before somehow, who's to say water can't be miraculous?" Azula said, still skeptical, but amused. "Alright, then. Hot springs it is."

"Yeah!" Sokka exclaimed, beaming over her approval of his grand idea.

Azula patted Xin Long's neck, and the dragon took off upon her command. His body snaked through the skies, drifting in the direction Azula had indicated. As they sped through the clouds, Sokka let one of his hands slide over Azula's thigh, reaching for hers. She caught his fingers between her own, sighing in bliss.

"It's been a while since you last flew anywhere, huh?" she asked. Sokka sighed.

"And the last time I did, it wasn't even with you. For shame," he said. Azula smiled.

"Let's make it so you won't have to fly without me ever again, then," she said. Sokka chuckled and nodded.

"I'd love that."

The flight was longer than their usual, but it wasn't hard on Xin Long. He was enjoying himself through it all, soaring with delight as he felt his rider's fingers occasionally stroking his hair. The scenery below them was remarkable, with bursts and contrasts of color between the houses of small towns and the vegetation surrounding them. Sokka was left gawking in amazement, smiling and asking Azula about every village they spotted, just to smirk proudly when she proved she could identify each one.

"You're going to be such a great Fire Lord," he said, happily sighing as they approached uneven, black grounds that led up to a mountain. "You know these islands back and forth."

"Well, most of them I know only in theory," said Azula. "I could use visiting these villages more often. I would use you as an excuse for that, but most these places are too small to host Superior League Arenas, so…"

"Hmm. So, I'm a convenient excuse for you to do some quality tourism, then?" Sokka asked. Azula smiled.

"Sometimes you are. Yet most times we leave too soon, or we spend too long in some places…" she mused. Sokka chuckled.

"We'll have to organize a proper vacation schedule one day, then. So that we can actually do quality tourism, how's that?"

"Sounds good. Maybe we could do that on your birthday, for a change," said Azula, raising her eyebrows. Sokka blinked blankly.

"My birthday…?"

"You know, it's pretty ridiculous you haven't told me yet when it is," she said. Sokka chuckled. "Am I supposed to guess it?"

"I just don't want you going out of your way for it, I know you're going to think you're honor-bound to…" he said. Azula snorted.

"If you don't want me going out of my way for yours, you should probably stop doing the same with mine," she said. "Silly gladiator."

"But I love you!" he exclaimed. She laughed and looked back at him with skepticism.

"And I love you too, so for that matter, I should get to do whatever I want for your birthday."

The mountains loomed closer as they argued, and they fell silent once they noticed Xin Long had begun descending towards them. They could see two mounds, and it became apparent that the climb through the first one, a tall and deadly hill, would have been considerably dangerous, since it was almost fully vertical at some points. Behind it stood a smaller one, connected to the first through a natural, rocky bridge that was full of obstacles, hindering all access to it. Their destination was in the small mountain, where a film of steam rose from crystalline pools of water…

"What do you know, there it is," Azula said. Sokka whistled in approval.

"You think it really will be an alright temperature for us?" he asked. "I don't want to get scalded in there… though I bet you won't be, of course. Lucky firebender you are…"

"Ah, so being a firebender is a lucky thing now? Here I thought you'd never believe as much, proud southern non-bender that you are," said Azula, smirking while Xin Long touched down on the ground. Sokka bit his lip.

"Well, let's just say being a firebender's got its perks, regardless of all the bad stuff that comes with being one. Such as the accidental burning of your clothes, or giving yourself a fever if you get so mad that your body temperature starts rising, or…"

"What on earth are you talking about?" Azula asked, staring at him in confusion. Sokka smiled.

"Just listing off some stuff I never understood about you firebenders," he said, chuckling and climbing off Xin Long's saddle, carrying his bag with him. "How do you avoid those things, huh?"

"It comes naturally. A firebender's own fire shouldn't hurt them," said Azula, climbing off as well and patting Xin Long's snout before undoing the clasps on his saddle. Sokka watched her with confusion.

"Wait, what are you doing? Is Xin Long going to…?"

"Well, of course. You didn't bring him all this way so he wouldn't bathe in these waters, did you?" Azula asked, with a skeptical smirk as the last clasp was undone, and the saddle fell over sideways.

Without further ado, Xin Long leapt into the water, spraying the surroundings with small droplets as he dove in fully. Azula smiled and watched him go, pleased by her dragon's happy reaction to the water.

"Well, that's certainly a first. This filthy dragon never likes to clean up," she said. "Either way, Sokka, firebenders learn control quickly enough, as long as they have the discipline to do so. Once they do, they won't cause themselves any struggles like those you just mentioned."

"Hmm, point taken. And there are also many perks of being a firebender, huh?" Sokka asked. Azula raised an eyebrow and looked at him with curiosity.

"Such as?"

"Well, from my experience, there's this one firebender I know awfully well…" he said, leaning close. "And as a firebender, she can't help but be smoking hot in every way. Hotter than these hot springs, for sure."

"Ah, is she now?" Azula asked, trying not to blush. "Then I guess these waters will be rather dull for her, won't they?"

"It's likely, since she can heat up her surroundings real nicely if she feels like it," said Sokka, his arms enveloping her waist. "She's so hot she literally evaporated rainwater from her body and clothes once, you wouldn't believe it unless you saw it…"

Azula chuckled as he smiled at her. She looked at him in disbelief soon enough.

"How long have you been wanting to comment on how my control of my body temperature means I'm 'smoking hot'?"

"Too long, Princess. Too long," he said, chuckling and kissing the side of her head. "Now come on, come on, we don't have all day! We must try out the healing powers of the springs, right?"

"Well, that is what you intended…" Azula conceded, but she looked around herself warily. "Still, it's just… somewhat uncomfortable."

"What is?" Sokka asked. Azula looked at him in disbelief.

"If you had told me what your plan was beforehand, I could have brought a swimsuit, maybe," she said, grimacing. "But knowing you, you just want us to be naked in there…"

"I… figured that's how it works," said Sokka, blinking blankly and scratching his neck. "I've never been to any hot springs before, so I might be wrong… but honestly, this place is so secluded and of difficult access, Azula, that I don't think we're in much danger."

"I know, I know," she said, sighing. "I'm still wary, though. You never know if some random person has been living within this mountain range and is spying on us now…"

"Hm. I guess it's not impossible," said Sokka, grimacing.

Upon understanding their conversation, Xin Long groaned and flew out of the water. Azula frowned as the dragon communicated his intentions to her: she swallowed hard, eyeing him gratefully, as her dragon took off to make his new promise a reality. Sokka watched him fly upwards, confused.

"What just happened?"

"He's… going to keep watch," said Azula, with a small smile. "Such a helpful dragon, huh? Enabling our most reckless escapades…"

"A silent, noble guardian," said Sokka, beaming at him. "I salute you, great dragon Xin Long! I thank you, deeply, for your kind service and…!"

"Stop being so pompous," said Azula, shaking her head but still smiling. "Weren't you eager and ready to try out the water?"

Sokka smiled at her now before starting to shed his clothes. Azula swallowed hard as she watched him do so, her gaze fixed on the bandages on his abdomen. Even after he was standing only in his smallclothes, he was still wearing them. He swallowed hard as he started undoing them.

"Won't be much good to hope for healing if I keep the wounds covered, huh?" he said, smiling at Azula.

It stung to see his body like this, even though his spirit was mostly back to normal. His collarbone still stood out, and while his muscles hadn't decreased much in volume, they weren't as toned as before. He had lost much strength, and the road to regaining all of it still continued. Azula sighed but smiled back at him, her arms folded as he finished undoing the bandages.

Her eyes widened, though, upon seeing that the burns on his body were no longer as intense as they once had been. The skin's uneven patterns betrayed that he had undergone serious damage, but on the most part, he looked fine: as expected, the first burn she had ever given him was completely gone.

"Well? Am I still appealing to you, or do I need to get into proper shape before you start feeling attracted to me again?" Sokka asked, smirking. Azula snorted.

"If I would stop being attracted to you because of that, I probably would have told you to lose your fitness when we first became partners. I really didn't want to like you as much as I did back then, you know…"

"Heh, I'm glad you never thought of doing that, then," said Sokka, winking at her before shrugging off his underwear.

Azula sighed again as he was finished and watched him as he leaned over the border warily, touching the water with his hand first before daring slide a leg inside the natural pool. Once he found the water was quite agreeable, he smiled and hoisted himself inside of it.

"You'll probably like this, you know. Slightly warmer than your usual bathing temperature, but knowing you, you'll be fine with that," he said, smirking. Azula looked around herself warily.

"Well… I have never shirked away from a challenge. Even if it means stripping naked out in the open, huh?" she said, still clearly nervous. Sokka smiled as he watched her, an arm swung over the border of the pond, his hand supporting his cheek.

"You can keep your clothes on and dry them again later, too," he said, chuckling. "We both know you can do that. But if you'd rather be reckless like me…"

"Ah, damn you. Damn you and your funny ideas," said Azula, blushing and removing her armor. Sokka bit his lip.

"Hey, I'm giving you a more comfortable possibility here, you know?" he said, with a weak grin. "I realize why you'd rather not do this, so… wait, you really will take everything off?!"

"Well, truly, I've been too long without doing anything reckless. Two weeks, is it? I needed my fill of adrenaline," she said, biting her lip as she relinquished her belt and outerwear. "Now, stop being so nervous too, it's only making me even more self-aware…"

"Self-aware, why?" Sokka asked, smirking. "Nervous about letting me see you naked, after all this time, Princess?"

"About letting the world see me naked, instead," she said, with a curt grin. "This is hardly Princess-appropriate behavior, you know…"

"Heh, a lot of things you've been doing over the last two years have been inappropriate for a fine lady of your standing," he said, with a teasing voice. "You're about the most inappropriate Princess there is."

"And you're certainly the most inappropriate gladiator," Azula said, as she finally reached her underwear. Sokka watched her remove them with interest, beaming as the bandages on her chest dropped to her ankles. "See? You're ogling me more eagerly than you would ogle a steak…"

"Now, now, I can think of a way or two to devour you just the same…" he said, winking at her. Her mild blush only intensified as she looked at him questioningly.

"Seriously?" she asked, and he smirked proudly. "You're just… goodness, your shamelessness runs deeper than the ocean."

"And I'm not supposed to be proud of that, according to you?" he said sarcastically, biting his lip as Azula approached the water and dipped a finger in it: the temperature was perfectly agreeable, just as Sokka told her it would be.

"No, you're not," she said, looking at him defiantly. Sokka's smirk proved her accusations to be spot-on. "Reckless, rebellious, stubborn gladiator…"

"Do excuse me for being such a terrible person, Princess," he said, as her hand moved to his hair, sliding slowly to the tie that kept his wolf's tail in place. "And to think such a terrible person has brought you to behave in such an inconceivable manner…"

"You really should be ashamed. I used to be the picture of royal perfection until you came along," she said, shaking her head and letting his hair fall gracefully around his face. Sokka chuckled.

"And how have I influenced you into damaging your royal perfection, if I may inquire?"

"You know just what you did to me, gladiator. You're not allowed to play dumb," she said, cupping his chin in a hand so his face would be tilted upwards.

"Hmm? And when it's such a fun game to play, Princess…" he whispered. She laughed and pressed her forehead to his.

"Yes, you are a terrible influence," she whispered. "I used to burn down houses of people who offended me back in the day. Perfectly normal behavior, right? And now I'm about to swim naked with you, out in the open, just because you felt like it, and because I have no common sense when I'm around you anymore."

"Well, if you'd like to make a display of your common sense, I suggest you get into the water already, Princess, instead of sitting outside it," he said, gesturing at the space beside him. "All this teasing is going to drive me crazy."

"Of course it will. Says the one who's always teasing me," she said, smirking before leaning close and kissing his lips softly.

Sokka's hand darted up to the nape of her neck, making sure the kiss would linger for a little longer than she originally planned. His lips moved softly against hers, and it seemed to be enough to dispel her uncertainties and nervousness, if just for a short time. When they parted, she finally dared enter the water, and Sokka beamed joyfully as he welcomed her into his open arms.

"Well, hello there," he said, smiling somewhat goofily. "How are you liking the water so far?"

"It's perfect, actually," Azula said, smirking. "But you mustn't be taking it that well…"

"Eh, it's really just like a bath with you," he said, prodding her nose with his. "Even if you never heat up the water this much, your own body's hotness more than makes up for the difference."

He said those words while bringing her closer to him, smirking as her arms locked behind his neck. Her lips found his once more, and they fell silent now, as they focused only on the deep, eager kiss they were exchanging.

The steam rose as mist around them, and it served as a cover from the outside, while also blinding them to everything around them. The heat between them kept rising, and their exchanges grew more restless than they had been as of late. His fingers trailed her curves, while hers traveled under his locks of hair, humid now thanks to the steam. He kept groaning pleasantly, and he even seemed to giggle in delight when he settled on a sitting position, resting on a ledge on the wall, and he brought Azula to sit on his lap too. She beamed, pulling away breathlessly, her cheeks flushed with the intense heat.

"You're so beautiful…" he whispered, his eyes gleaming as he looked at her. She smiled.

"You're not half-bad yourself, with your hair down like that," she said, stroking his locks. Sokka smirked.

"You always have had a thing for it when it's down, huh?" he said, teasingly. Azula chuckled. "Still, I'll say this is a little too hot for having my hair down…"

"Heh, fair enough," said Azula, smiling and climbing off his lap so she could pick up his hair tie by the pool's border. After handing it to him, she took to undoing her own half-knot to make it a topknot instead. Sokka whistled at the sight.

"You want your hair up too, then?" he asked. She shrugged.

"I used to wear it like this more often before, you know" she said, as her bangs slid down, out of her top knot, just as she was tying it. "I suppose having most my hair down felt more elegant, somehow, but back in my early teenage years I always kept it in a top knot…"

"It looks cute," he said, smiling as he tied his hair as well. Some stray hairs slid out of his wolf's tail, giving his appearance a rugged aspect that Azula smiled approvingly at.

"And you're rather cute too, if you must know," she said, knowing he would flinch and glare at her with that reply. She wasn't disappointed.

"Seriously, now? You just can't handle hearing you're cute, huh?" he asked, inching closer in a playfully threatening way. Azula wasn't deterred in the slightest, smirking at him.

"I don't know where you get that notion. The one who's upset about being cute is you, not me," she said, smiling proudly. Sokka snorted and shook his head.

"You're so sneaky," he said, pecking her lips. "Always have an answer for everything, don't you?"

"Is that supposed to be a bad thing?" she asked, prodding his nose with hers. "I'm afraid I can't see the drawbacks…"

"Well, sure you can't, it means you don't lose any arguments," said Sokka, with a lop-sided smile. Azula beamed brightly.

"See? No drawbacks."

He laughed and dropped his head on her shoulder. Azula smiled as her hands traveled over his back slowly. She sighed in bliss, touching his skin as willfully as possible while his arms embraced her too. Her lips pressed to his shoulder as well, and to the side of his neck.

"How are you feeling?" she whispered. "How's your burn?"

"Oh, that…" said Sokka, frowning and letting one of his hands move to his abdomen. The skin that usually burned upon any pressure gave him a mild, hazy discomfort instead. He wasn't fully better, no doubt, but there was, somehow, no real pain… "Heh, what do you know. Maybe this place does have healing properties."

"Is it that much better?" she asked, pulling away and glancing down at his abdomen over the water. Sokka smiled.

"Well, either it is or I'm just too happy to be with you to register any pain," he said, chuckling and kissing her again. Azula sighed.

"Flattering, but that's not how it should be," she said, placing a hand on his chest. "I hope it really is healing you and that being naked with me isn't all there is to your happy mood."

"Hey, nothing is better in this entire world than being naked with you," he said, smiling. "And I'm including food in that list, alright? Of course it makes me happy to be with you like this."

"Good," she said, relaxing against him. "But I want you to heal either way."

"Eh, don't we all. Especially since being naked with you certainly brings some fun ideas to mind…"

"Why am I not surprised?" Azula asked, with a growing smirk.

"Hey, I'm only human," he said, kissing her cheek. "You couldn't expect me not to want further intimacy, not after making me fall in love with you like you have…"

"Oh, I made you fall for me? How is it any fault of mine that you would be so easily swayed?" she asked, smiling and pressing her forehead to his. Sokka chuckled.

"It's your fault, whether you like it or not," he said, hugging her tightly. "You're the most amazing person I've ever known. I'm a lucky idiot, really, since I get to be with you like this…"

"I'd say I'm the lucky one instead," Azula whispered, surrounding his neck with her arms and dropping her head on his shoulder.

She was relaxing in that comfortable embrace when she felt his arms tighten around her waist. What she had expected to be simply a close hug shifted in nature suddenly as he lifted her, so she would be brought to sit on the border of the hot springs. Her eyes were wide as she eyed him with suspicion and disbelief, his face level with her chest. He smiled, eyes locked with hers.

"What are you doing…?" Azula asked. Sokka chuckled.

"What do you think?" he asked, leaning closer and pressing his face to her neck. Azula swallowed hard, his lips soft on her humid skin.

"Sokka… we can't. You can't. You're in no shape to-…" she started, but he silenced her with a kiss.

"I'm in perfect shape to give you one more gift," he said, beaming. "And as it is a gift, I expect nothing in return. So, relax and enjoy…"

"Relax?" Azula repeated, her eyes wide as Sokka snickered guiltily. "Sokka, you… this wouldn't be right, you can't simple please me and not…"

"Hey now, stop overthinking it," said Sokka, with a gentle smile, cupping her face. "This isn't about what's fair or anything of the sort. I want to do it, and I want to do it this way. If you don't want me to, just say the word and I'll stop."

"Say the word…? Heh. Like… like you seriously expect me to make you stop," she said, reproachfully. His smile widened. "I can't do that, but… goodness, Sokka, I just… it won't feel right like this."

"Don't think about it that way," he said, kissing her collarbone now. Azula shivered pleasantly. "Stop thinking so hard about it, actually. There's nothing to worry about, I'm not doing anything I've never done before…"

"But…" she muttered before gasping, her entire body melting, seemingly, when his hands found her breasts. "Sokka…"

"I don't need to be taken care of," he said, smiling gently. "This is about your birthday, after all…"

"Goodness, Sokka…" she groaned, between gritted teeth. Her lover leaned closer, identifying the arousal in her voice tone.

"You'll let me please you?" he asked, shifting to kiss the side of her neck. "Azula…"

"Does it look like… like I'm trying to stop you anymore?" she asked, fingers sliding through his hair. Sokka smiled.

"I'll make it worthwhile. I promise," he whispered, sucking her neck softly and moving lower. A moan escaped her lips.

He cupped her breasts, kissing them devotedly after having spent so long without doing as much. He couldn't stop smiling as he basked in the feeling of those mounds against his face, of her heart racing underneath her hot, wet skin.

His breath brushed against her, cooling her only momentarily, as his hands kneaded her breasts slowly, his thumbs pressing against her perked nipples. His mouth sought the left one, and naturally, she moaned and sighed in pleasure while he gratified her through his lips and tongue's every motion.

She gasped his name, and he groaned softly in response, shifting between breasts and breathing out slowly through his mouth. His warm breath enveloped her, and he didn't stop taking her nipples into his mouth until her chest was heaving against him. He smiled at her and pushed himself up just enough to kiss her lips again.

"Sokka…" she whispered, her hands mildly shaking as she held his face between them.

"I love you," he spoke, his lips kissing yet another trail down her face and to her collarbone, and lower to her sternum next…

Her pelvis jolted when his lips reached it. Her hands wouldn't stop holding him close, in an impulsive gesture that she couldn't quite explain. The weak voice of her rational mind told her to put an end to this, for Sokka would get excited regardless of what happened, and his recovery could easily be damaged by this…. But how to listen, when all she could do was spread her legs as his hands massaged them, compelling her to reveal her core to him?

Sokka kissed her inner thighs, and Azula breathed heavily as she dropped back, letting her weight rest on her forearm. Her still free hand remained on his hair, and she moved his head lower, closer to the opening that craved his attention direly.

His slow kisses were both torture and gratification. She hadn't noticed how badly she had needed this until now, having shut off all wishes or even thoughts of engaging in sexual activities with Sokka for the time being. Even when he joked about it, she didn't think of it as a possibility at all. Her body seemed to be waking from a long, unaware slumber, and it came alive as with bursts of explosive flames, stimulated by his lips and fingers.

"S-Sokka…!" she gasped, gritting her teeth and looking at him through narrow eyes.

Her wild gold met pure, calm blue. He stared at her lovingly, his lips already working on her warm center. Her body shivered violently, and her heart was racing inside her chest. The increasing excitement was slow but steady, guided by his soft kisses. At times he broke off the eye contact to close his eyes, in clear delight of what he was doing, and Azula felt herself melting around him.

It felt like waking up from a bad dream that had lasted weeks. The clouds in her mind were cleared away, the storm swatted and undone by his every touch. He was here, he was with her, and he was finally filling her mind with new thoughts, thoughts that had nothing to do with the worries that had plagued her for days.

Her body arched as the pleasure increased, her head thrown back as moans poured from her throat. It would have been too hard to hold it in, so she didn't bother trying. She allowed every sound to leave her, and with them, a lot of her anxiety seemed to disappear too. And as those lips and tongue worked on her steadily, fingers slipping inside her opening slowly, she felt real, awake, alive.

Her legs were fully spread, but that wasn't enough for her just yet. She chose to surround his neck with them, locking him in a tight embrace as she dropped on her back once more, the rushes of arousal increasing in waves. He slowed down at times, in a strategic switch between constant, powerful ministrations and soft, slow ones instead – Azula couldn't decide which of the two rhythms was more exciting.

His right hand was helping his mouth, but his left traveled over her body and caressed her softly. His hands, usually calloused by the constant use of his sword, were softer than usual, for he hadn't wielded weapons as of late. It cupped her breasts again, teasing her nipples, until one of her own hands found his, and intertwined their fingers. By then, her hips would thrusted slowly against his face.

Her other hand still clutched at his hair, and her legs kept his face buried in her center. He was wilder by the minute, shooting glances at his lover to ensure she was responding as he hoped she would. As she moaned and hissed, her body trembling and bucking against him, he guessed she wasn't far from her climax.

"S-Sokka…!" she gasped, her voice soft and high. Sokka groaned at the sound, and he gave it his everything now, his fingers and mouth faster and more intense than before.

Her walls squeezed his fingers, her body trashed against him wildly, and he remained latched to her core as he was, his eyes closed. He was dedicated and thorough, sucking on her small nub persistently while the moans leaving her throat became more urgent and savage. His scalp hurt a bit when she pulled his hair slightly harder than she should have.

The rushes of fulfilled arousal came and went, leaving her lying on the ground, breathing heavily through her mouth. She slumped, allowing her arms and legs relax, the latter still resting on his shoulders, but no longer wrapped around his head. Sokka pulled away from her core and smiled as he watched her, unabashedly pleased with himself.

"I guess my job here is done," he said, snickering. Azula scoffed.

"You're just… you're so… goodness, I hate you…" she said, her voice sultry despite her best efforts to sound angry. Sokka chuckled, and to her surprise, he climbed out of the pool too.

"I love you too," he said, beaming and leaning close to press a kiss to her belly. Azula sighed.

"You're supposed to be… in the water," she said. Sokka flinched and looked at her in surprise.

"I guess so," he said, frowning. "But… heck, I don't really feel the pain anymore."

"Heh. That's just because you're distracted," said Azula, with a lazy smile. "If you weren't… you wouldn't have forgotten it."

Sokka chuckled and sat up, touching his abdomen gently. Yes, there was some echo of pain again, but it was so faint he barely felt it. He looked at her in amazement.

"We should definitely come here more often," he said. "I don't know what's up with this water, but I feel really good about my recovery right now."

"Sure. It's the water and not the fact that you reduced me to a puddle of aroused helplessness," she replied, smirking as Sokka smiled proudly.

"Hey, now, Princess, if making you this happy is what really healed me, I could stand to do it more often," he said, as Azula laughed, pushing herself up so she could kiss him gratefully.

"You're the worst," she said, shaking her head as he beamed at her. "You do feel alright, then? Or are you…?"

"What, aroused?" Sokka asked, smirking. "Yeah, I am, but I'll survive. It's better that we hold back a little, isn't it?"

"Yeah, definitely," said Azula, sighing and throwing her arms around his neck. "What a foolish gladiator you are…"

"Yet you seem to like that about me," he said, beaming as they slipped into the water again, sighing and relaxing together in the hot springs. "Or am I reading all the signs wrong, Princess?"

"Oh, of course you are," said Azula, wrapping her legs around his, still comfortably embracing his neck while pressing kisses to his face. "Because clearly, I'd behave this way around someone I don't like at all, wouldn't I?"

"You wouldn't behave this way around anyone, whether you like them or not, generally speaking," said Sokka, chuckling and pressing his forehead to hers. "I'm a lucky bastard, it's simple as that…"

"And as I said before, the lucky one is actually me," she whispered, smiling. Sokka snorted.

"Yeah, sure…" he said, as she laughed too.

"Fine, fine. Let's just say we're both rather lucky that life has turned out the way it did," she said, before freezing upon rethinking her own words.

"What?" said Sokka, as Azula's confusion was replaced by a soft smile.

"Nothing. Just… I guess, in a way, all our decisions up until now have brought us here," she said. "Even though there's been many things I wish hadn't happened… who knows? Maybe we wouldn't be where we are now without them. Right?"

"Life is complicated that way, yes," said Sokka, caressing her hair gently. "And there's nothing wrong with treasuring what we have now, as you must already know."

"I suppose not," said Azula, smiling and kissing his lips once more.

As the day passed them by, Sokka finally revealed what he had brought in the bag he'd carried with him. Azula watched warily from the water as Sokka sat on the border of the pool, pulling out packages of food and smiling enthusiastically at her.

"So… you cooked this," she said, with an awkward grin as he revealed what looked like an accumulation of dust within one of the packages. "Or tried to, at any rate. What on earth is this?"

"These are… overcooked fire flakes," Sokka admitted. Azula laughed louder than usual. "Hey! They're still good, I tried them!"

"Sure. Next time you want to cook fire flakes, just let me know and I'll set them on fire for you, they'll be just as good as these," she said, winking at him teasingly. Sokka pouted.

"Come on, look here! This looks good, right?"

Azula raised an eyebrow, surprised by a group of sweet buns Sokka had just revealed. He smirked proudly as Azula readied herself to ask one question…

"How much involvement did you have in the making of those?"

"I… that's not important, what matters is that I was part of it and…!"

"Song did most the work, didn't she?" Azula said, smirking. "You just assisted her."

"Well, maybe, but…! Oh, come now, I am no good at cooking and you know it," he pouted. Azula laughed and floated towards him, setting a hand on his thigh.

"It's not that I don't appreciate the effort, but it's still too amusing to tease you over the results," she said, taking a handful of fire flakes and smirking at the smoky taste of them. "Well, it's an interesting new flavor for them, I won't lie."

"Ha! So, you do like them!" Sokka exclaimed, proudly. Azula laughed and splashed him, bringing him to laugh as well.

They continued to share Sokka's food, or at least, the most edible dishes in it. The ones that were mainly made by him weren't too enjoyable, such as a strange salad with next to no dressing, which amounted to a crime in Azula's eyes. There were also riceballs, which fell apart so easily in Azula's hands that it was up to Xin Long to devour them off the ground instead. Yet the two of them laughed about it all, and to his relief, Azula was quite grateful for the meal by the end of it.

As the dragon had done such a fine job at keeping watch over them, Sokka and Azula climbed out of the hot spring eventually and gave him a chance to splash around in the water while they rested together against a rock. Azula had picked up Sokka's shirt and covered up her upper body with it, so Sokka followed her example and did the same with hers, though he didn't think her long, sleeveless tunic looked too good on him.

"Nonsense. It suits you just fine, especially since you're wearing nothing else beneath it," said Azula, smirking and kissing his cheek. Sokka smiled.

They were watching Xin Long together, enjoying the sight of the reptile's joyful swimming. He splashed, floated and even used his fire to produce more steam for the fun of it.

"Such a hopelessly silly dragon," Azula whispered, relaxing against Sokka's side, a hand on his no longer sore stomach.

He kissed her brow, and Azula sighed, letting her fingers intertwine with his. Sokka beamed down at her, lifting his free hand to caress her still damp hair.

"How have you enjoyed your day, then, Princess?" he asked. She smiled.

"It has been memorable, to say the least. It's a true pity we couldn't do it on my actual birthday. It beats a feast by miles," she said, kissing his shoulder. Sokka smirked.

"To be fair, I did feast quite a bit," he said, biting his lip mischievously. Azula raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, you certainly did. With overcooked food, burnt fire flakes and whatnot…" she said, smirking as well. Sokka snorted.

"You know that's not what I meant," he said, prodding her face with his nose. "Speaking of how I feasted at your expenses, though…"

"At my expenses? You make it sound like you were the only one who enjoyed it," said Azula, with a disbelieving smile.

"Well, now, I could tell that wasn't the case," said Sokka, smiling as well and rubbing her hand circularly with his thumb. "Thing is, I… there's something I've wanted to ask for a long time now, but I guess it's somewhat awkward to bring up…"

"Oh, goodness. I'm worried now," she said. Sokka laughed.

"It's not that bad, I promise… well, I think anyways," he said, looking at her nervously. "It's just… your bond with Xin Long, it enables you two to be connected at all times, right?"

"Sure," said Azula, nodding.

"It's a weird… mind connection, isn't it? I remember you saw his memories?" Sokka said. Azula shrugged.

"I can see them, but I haven't bothered gazing through all of them, if that's what you're wondering," she said. Sokka hummed.

"Huh. So, if that's the case, you two can choose to block the connection or to just not pay much attention to what the other one's doing?" he said. Azula nodded. "That's… good, yep. Really good."

"Why?" Azula asked, raising an eyebrow. "What exactly were you worried about, Sokka?"

"J-just… uh, see, for a long time now I've worried that he can actually, um… see how you feel when we're together, you know?" said Sokka, with an awkward smile. Azula raised both eyebrows. "I mean, you can understand why I've worried about it, right…? It can't be comfortable for him to see what we get up to. But hey, if he can close down the connection between you two whenever he feels like it, problem solved! No need to worry!"

"Heh. You give him too much credit," Azula said, bluntly. Sokka froze, and his eyes turned towards her slowly and warily.

"Say what?"

"You really think a dragon who's known for being such a troublemaker would pass on the chance of teasing me over how utterly embarrassing I can be when I'm with you?" Azula said. Sokka grimaced. "Yes, you're right, he could close down the connection and I try, quite often, to keep him alienated from what we do, but it's easier said than done with a nosey dragon like mine."

"Oh, goodness. Well, that's neat," said Sokka, with a dry grin. But the smile became more genuine in time, as it shifted into a smirk. "But, well… this means he knows how good a lover I've been for you? Because hey, you've never left my side without being satisfied…"

"So full of yourself, aren't you?" said Azula, giving Sokka a judgmental stare. "Well, yes. He does know how skilled you can be in those regards."

Sokka smiled proudly, briefly. The idea of Xin Long peeking into their business wasn't all that comfortable still, but at least he hadn't made a fool of himself…

"And of course, the downside for you is that he also knows when I'm faking it and when I'm not," Azula added, with no warning.

Sokka stiffened, eyes wide, and he whipped his head to the side quickly as he looked at the Princess with indignation. His reaction didn't take long to make her laugh the loudest he had heard her today, and before long he was pinning her to the ground, in a ferocious tickle fight as punishment for what she'd said.

"Take that back! You've never faked anything! You're not that good a liar!" Sokka pouted, his fingers dancing over her body in a teasing fashion. Azula continued to laugh, tears on the corners of her eyes.

"That's what… what being a good liar is about! Stop it!" she laughed, making to kick him off, but he held down her legs with his own and growled at her.

"You're lying about lying! Yes, yes you are!" he declared, as he pinned her arms down with his hands, finally giving her body a little respite.

"How can you tell which are lies and which aren't?" she asked, smirking.

"Because I know you better than I should," Sokka stated, still pouting. "So… tell the truth now, Princess, or you'll have to face another tickle attack!"

"Frankly, I'm impressed by your stamina today. I guess you really are fit for training as it is…"

"Don't change the subject!" he hissed, releasing her hands to tickle her again. Azula tried to shake him off but it was quite difficult, and truly, she didn't want him off her that badly. She certainly was enjoying the closeness between them.

"Fine, fine!" she said when the tickling was too intense. Sokka halted briefly, eyeing her warily. "I don't fake my orgasms… not too often, at least."

"Oh, come on!" he exclaimed, as she laughed loudly once again.

He guessed he would have to settle for that answer, but he didn't pull away before sneaking a few kisses from her. It was enough for Azula to lower her guard, though, and as she cupped his face she whispered.

"You really are too much fun to tease."

"Hmm? So, it was just teasing, then?" Sokka asked, hopeful. Azula chuckled and nodded, kissing him again.

"Do you really think I'd be so meek and accepting of mediocrity that I'd let you leave my bed without having pleased me properly first?" she smirked. "Still, if I ever did decide I'll fake it…"

"Yes, yes, your dragon would know," said Sokka, sighing in defeat, but smirking. "Do not despair, though. I've got my mind set on never letting you go unquenched."

"What a fortunate woman I am for that," she replied, smiling and locking him in another deep kiss.

The hue of the sky changed little by little, and the bright glow of the sun gained a reddish tinge. Sokka and Azula sat up again to watch as the sun sank behind the far-off volcanoes, but as the lights grew weaker, Sokka bit his lip and made up his mind. The time had come.

"Say… do you want to watch the sunset from a better point of view?" he asked, throwing an arm over her shoulders and kissing her cheek. "It could be fun."

"Hmm… what do you have in mind?" Azula asked. Sokka smirked.

Xin Long didn't take long to dry up, and he was suited up with his saddle quickly, right after Sokka and Azula were properly dressed too. They took off into the skies on the dragon's back, and with Sokka still holding Azula tightly, they rushed towards the tallest, nearest volcano, so they could witness the sunset from a most privileged location.

The volcano they chose felt restless to Azula even at a distance, for her inner fire resounded against its underground flames. She gazed at it with curiosity once they were hovering above it, sensing the fire was weak still, even if there was a lot of it. It wasn't too close to erupting, not yet.

"Hey, hey. Are we here to inspect mountains?" Sokka asked in her ear, with a smirk. "Or did you want to watch the marvelous sight before us?"

Azula, busy as she had been glancing down at the volcano, had to raise her head to stare at the extending ocean before them. The sight of it was breathtaking, with gleaming lights shining brightly in the water, in a dance of orange and gold, not unlike fire.

Xin Long touched down near the top of the volcano, and as soon as Sokka and Azula climbed off his back and onto a ledge of the volcano, he took off to fly around the mountain, far more delighted by the feeling of the burning fire within the tall peaks than he was by the sunset. The Princess, on the other hand, was stunned by the bright orb that traveled slowly down the horizon. The feeling of gold fire was taking hold of her again, she realized, in that warm way that she hadn't felt for quite some time now. At least, not with the same purity, not with the sense of peace that was nestling in her chest right now.

"It's beautiful," she whispered, smiling. "The ocean… it almost looks like fire."

"Just as your blue fire was cold and all that, eh?" said Sokka, surrounding her waist from behind her. Azula relaxed in his embrace. "I do love these reminders of how our elements aren't all that different from each other."

"I could deny it just to tease you again… but for once, I won't," she said, smiling. "I like the sense of balance it brings, too."

"I know you do," said Sokka, chuckling and kissing her cheek. "You're more beautiful than any sunset, though."

"And you are the biggest flatterer I've ever met," Azula replied. He snorted and released her from his embrace, to her surprise.

She turned her head briefly, almost questioningly, but she turned to look at the sky again before long. Sokka smiled warmly at her the whole time, and his heart started racing as he rummaged the content of his near empty bag now. He set it down once he found what he was looking for.

"So, uh… you really do like the mix between our elements and nations?" Sokka asked, with a weak smile. "Just… how much do you like it?"

"Clearly, enough to spend every moment I can with you," she said, with a smirk. "We make a good combination in just about every way, I believe."

"Is that so?" Sokka said, smiling. "Then… maybe you'll want to wear this, after all."

Azula blinked and turned to look at him, a confused look on her face. Sokka looked at her with an unusually shy smile, his right hand holding something tightly.

"I guess it could have used some more work, heh, but I did want to give it to you as quickly as possible… but hey, if you don't like it, I can make a better one that you'll approve of, and…"

"What are you…? What are you holding there, Sokka?" Azula asked, her curiosity stoked by his secretive behavior. Sokka blushed, his smile still bright and earnest.

"Well… you'll get to see it if you answer my question again," he said, with a mischievous chuckle.

"Again?" Azula asked. Sokka bit his lip, as the deviousness in his eyes faded.

"If the universe ever decides to give us a break, if the stars align and give us the opportunity to not be so star-crossed for a while… would you, Princess Azula, take me as your husband?"

The realization of what he was about to do dawned on her quickly, as the sun continued to disappear behind her. His tightly closed hand, the sweet insecurities she could read across his face…

"Oh, you didn't," she said, with a smile. "You… oh, goodness, Sokka…"

"Hey, now, it's not polite to leave a guy waiting on an answer for that sort of question," he said, chuckling and moving closer to her. Azula smiled skeptically at him.

"Here I thought I'd said yes enough times to get the message across," she said. "I guess I haven't. Yes, Sokka. Yes, I'd… I'd marry you, without a second thought."

Sokka's smile broadened and he laughed. He breathed out and let the euphoria cool off before focusing on showing her his final surprise.

"Well, then… if this is how it is, I can give you the gift I really wanted to give you today," he said. "Everything else was… I guess, some sort of prelude to this. And I know, it's small, it's probably inconvenient for many reasons, but… hey, at least I didn't overexert myself with it, huh? This way you won't be mad because of that, as you were last year…"

"Sokka…" Azula said, with a growing smile. His nervousness was utterly endearing to her. He chuckled and breathed deeply.

"Well… here you go. It's yours… if you'll take it."

The fabric of the choker necklace was smooth, black velvet. Azula's eyes widened, gazing upon the polished and bright blue stone. It was shaped as an oval, and the ridges in it were white: he had taken care to smooth over those ridges as much as he could.

Naturally, the shape drawn at the center of the stone was fire. Blue fire, across a tradition of the Water Tribe. A necklace of one culture, spreading its reach to another one. It was the symbol of her agreement, of their shared, undying love.

The burst of gold fire within her chest burned brighter yet as she reached out her hands to the necklace. She hadn't really processed what this meant: the commitment they had for each other had felt so natural, so right, that she had easily forgotten what her life had been like before he had been a part of it.

Back in the day, the idea of love was not only fleeting, but something she had ruled out as impossible for her. It bothered her to see her friends finding love, whether in stable partners or casual ones, while she was left with nothing. She didn't want to let it sting, but she had indeed spent years on end thinking she was unworthy of love. Thinking that, as her mother had put it so eloquently, she had been well on her way to becoming a monster. And only a monster could be quite as unlovable as she was…

And yet he had come along. He had entered her life in the least flattering of ways, tossing smoke bombs at her, trying to capture her, fighting her and losing bitterly against her in a territory that was the absolute opposite to this one. The man who should have hated her the most, who had cause to despise her and to never agree to the deal she offered him years later, had been the one to subvert everything she had believed of herself.

Here he was now, so long after that fateful day, offering her what she had never expected anyone to offer her out of love. The gesture he had made through that necklace was more than just a proposal to her: it was a promise made by the one man who genuinely wanted to be with her. The only man who had ever come to love her for who she was…

She gazed up at him, her smile shaking a little as tears started to stream down her face. Sokka looked at her with a soft grin of his own, his eyebrows raised.

"Azula…" he whispered, and she nodded once, twice, thrice as she laughed without being able to help herself.

"Of course I… of course I take it. Of course I take you," she said, her eyesight blurry by now as she tried to wipe her tears with the heels of her hands.

Sokka chuckled and leaned close, and before she knew it, his hands were behind her neck, maneuvering to fasten the necklace safely around her neck. Azula sniffed, smiling brightly still as he finished fitting the necklace.

"Too tight?" he asked. She shook her head. "Great! Well… heh, I know nothing else you're wearing is blue, so I guess it doesn't match your clothes, but if you ask me, it suits you!"

Azula laughed and lunged in for a tight hug. Sokka returned the embrace just as gladly, kissing the top of her head as he rocked her gently in his arms. Her fingers clutched at his clothes, and he let her relax in his arms, as the sky above darkened to a pinker shade by now.

"I love you," he whispered. Her smile only widened.

"I love you more," she declared. "And I'm dead sure of it."

"Oh, you sure underestimate me, Princess," Sokka said, smirking mischievously and lifting her up in his arms.

Azula laughed as Sokka twirled her on the volcano's ledge. She kissed him willfully, though, at which he stopped spinning and held her close instead, returning her affections just as gladly. And as such, they remained locked, sharing countless kisses and teasing each other wordlessly, as the necklace that hung smoothly over her collarbone filled Azula with joy unparalleled.

It wasn't until Xin Long flew up to them again that they registered the sky had darkened into violet by then. Their day together had gone by in a blur, and it was far too late by now to keep dawdling. Sokka beamed brightly and pressed his forehead to Azula's just before she climbed on Xin Long's saddle. He followed suit, wasting no time to embrace her and kiss her again when she turned her head around to catch his lips with her.

"See… sometimes poor Xin Long can't block our shamelessness even if he tries," said Azula, smiling and relaxing against Sokka's chest as they took off through the Fire Nation again. Sokka smiled and patted the dragon's scales.

"Thanks for putting up with us, buddy," he said. Xin Long groaned as a response, shaking his head with feigned exasperation. Azula rolled her eyes while Sokka smiled apologetically.

"Don't pay him any mind. He loves using all this to tease me," said Azula, reaching back to even kiss Sokka's neck.

"Well, teasing you is just so much fun," said Sokka, chuckling and kissing her brow. "Goodness, but it does look great on you. Maybe blue really is your color."

"And maybe red is yours," said Azula smirking. "It's beautiful, by the way. I don't want you to change anything about it."

"Oh, so no requests for improved versions? I'm surprised," said Sokka, chuckling.

"Though… being realistic, I don't think I'll be able to wear it often," said Azula. "In fact…"

"Yeah, I know, it's even risky for you to have it in the Palace," said Sokka. "Especially if there's people like Sideburns around. He spent a long time attacking the Northern Water Tribe, maybe he knows a thing or two about their customs…"

"So, while I would gladly wear it forever… can you keep it safe for the time being?" Azula asked. Sokka sighed. "I can wear it whenever we're alone at your house, if you'd like."

"Heh. Now that sounds promising," he said, smirking mischievously. Azula eyed him with playful reproach.

"Yes, yes, I can indulge you by wearing nothing other than the necklace too. Pervert," she said. Sokka laughed and hugged her tighter.

"You're too kind, Princess, too kind," he said, kissing her cheek again.

It was dusk by the time Xin Long landed at Sokka's house. Azula begrudgingly removed the necklace, giving it one more look filled with joy, before handing it to Sokka. He smiled and kissed her lips softly.

"That promise about wearing nothing else still stands, I hope?" he said. She rolled her eyes.

"You're such a troublemaker," she said, as he laughed while climbing off the saddle. "Is that really all you can think of?"

"You can't blame me, I spent the day naked with you and I can't wait to do it again, and again, and again…"

"Well, then… maybe I'll drop by tomorrow too, perhaps two days of having me to yourself will be enough to please you," said Azula, smirking. Sokka's eyes lit up.

"Oh, two days never would be enough, but sure, let's give it a shot!" he said, chuckling. "I would gladly test that, and if two days in a row aren't enough, then maybe three, or a whole week! Even a month…!"

Azula laughed and shook her head, leaning down and taking his face in her hand. She kissed him willfully, and Sokka answered with overwhelming enthusiasm.

"I'll be back tomorrow, for sure. Whether we'll train or not is debatable, but I'll be here," said Azula. Sokka beamed.

"And I'll wait patiently," he said. "Or as patiently as I can, anyways. You know how it is, I'm pretty damn hopeless when it comes to you. I always miss you as soon as you're gone."

"Odd, the same thing happens to me with you," she said, prodding his nose with hers. "I love you."

"I love you more!" Sokka said, beaming. Azula kissed him again, and the smile that lingered on her lips as they shared the slow and tender exchange only seemed to stir his heart's delight even further.

Xin Long groaned and stood up, and Azula sighed as she looked at Sokka. He waved at her as the dragon took off, and he was happy to see that she kept looking at him from over her shoulder again. He sighed in bliss, still holding her necklace in one hand, hoping their chance to be together for good would arrive sooner than expected.

Song smiled from the house's threshold, watching Sokka fondly. As he turned towards her, he beamed brightly too.

"I take it you had a good day?" she asked. He chuckled.

"She liked it. She… she accepted it!" he exclaimed, overflown by joy all over again.

Song laughed, still watching as Sokka's face bore the happiest smile she had seen on it in a long time. He gazed up at the sky again, breathing deeply and feeling whole now that his revamped sense of purpose strengthened inside his chest. That day would come, he knew it… that day would come. It was only a matter of waiting for it, and making the most of it, once it did.

---

Azula dropped in bed, with the bone necklace in hand. She smiled to herself, wishing she could be holding her proper necklace instead, but thinking it was interesting, in a way, that they would have each other's necklaces. One day he'd wear this one again, and she'd wear her betrothal necklace too…

She sighed and let her eyes close, just before realizing that most of her fatalist thoughts had been nowhere around today. She frowned just a little at that sudden revelation, but smiled, and held the necklace tighter as she allowed her consciousness to fade away.

Tress, grass, dirt. She rolled down, and it hurt, and there he was, in that clearing…

She frowned, instantly feeling the urge to open her eyes and snap out of the nightmare… but for once, she resisted it. For once, she let herself witness the rest of the dream, as she felt herself floating out of her body, somehow. The nightmare's Azula dragged herself to the bleeding Sokka's side, all while the semi-conscious princess hovered above them.

Everything looked the same: watching his writhing form on the ground proved as painful as ever. But after the desperate minutes of words, of blood leaking out, of watching the color fade from his face, she had done it. The gold fire had sealed and cleansed his wound. And while he had been in deep pain, he was breathing still. He was alive.

Her surroundings cleared, and the dream seemed to dissolve. He stood before her now, his hair loose, his eyes blue and gentle. He spoke no words, but the smile on his lips spoke for itself. He was grateful. He was glad he could still be by her side.

Tears burned in the corners of her eyes. The future was full of uncertainties, and she would be a fool if she pretended everything would turn out for the best, by the universe's design… but she would fight to her utmost to make that happen. She would give her everything to protect him, knowing that he'd do the same for her. Knowing that their souls were bonded forevermore, as they had reaffirmed through their promise…

Enveloped by the night's darkness, Azula smiled. The nightmares probably would not disappear completely, even after today, but she wouldn't run from them any longer. The past was as it was, and denying or fearing it was an exercise in futility: as she was, she planned on setting her sights on the future, instead.