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...

151. Chapter 151: Anniversary 2

Silence between them had never been uncomfortable, it hadn't posed an issue before. They often had many things to talk about, so it was rare for them to be together silently… but even so, they could be comfortable without speaking, in ordinary circumstances.

They had never felt quite as awkward while quiet as they did now, staring at each other in confusion, standing amid scattered flower petals and lit candles. The tension between them was practically palpable, but it certainly wasn't the kind of tension they were so fond of…

"W-what…?" Sokka finally mustered, his voice raspy. "What do you mean, do we have an anniversary? Doesn't… doesn't everyone?"

"I… don't know. Are we like everyone else?" she asked, blinking blankly. "As much as I'd like to experience the life of an ordinary couple with no pressures or impending death threats for either of us, I… I never thought it was possible. Therefore, I never thought we had certain things most couples have, because… just, why is today our anniversary, according to you?"

"You're not going to tell me you don't remember, are you?" Sokka asked, looking at her skeptically, hands on his hips. "It's exactly one year since we first, well…"

"Oh. And that's when we really became a couple, or whatever we are?" Azula asked, raising her eyebrows.

"We both know we're not exactly a conventional couple, Azula," he said, rubbing his forehead with his fingertips. "As much as we'd love to be, it's impossible for us. We're not… boyfriend and girlfriend, are we?"

"The mere notion is…" Azula huffed, with a shudder. Sokka extended a hand towards her.

"See? Most people's anniversaries are when they became a stable, steady couple, as in, boyfriend and girlfriend!" he exclaimed. "And we… we're not that, even though we're together, right? You've said so yourself!"

"Right, but that doesn't mean our entire relationship started when we first had sex!" Azula exclaimed, looking at him in disbelief. "There's no point in denying how great it is, yes, and I was certainly looking forward to more of it when I was on my way here, but are you seriously telling me that you think our relationship's foundations are basically… carnal and nothing more?"

"I never said that!" Sokka exclaimed, his voice cracking. "You're misunderstanding! I'm only saying…! This day, a year ago, was when things really changed between us, isn't it? When we crossed the last boundary and when we stopped struggling against the impulses that had been driving us crazy…!"

"So, we started having a relationship the minute we went from resisting the impulses to concealing our relationship?" Azula asked, with raised eyebrows. "Because, as far as I can tell, we've been sneaking around and hiding our relationship since well before we first had sex. Remember that time I threatened Toph because she caught us in the same bed? Or that time you snuck out of my room in Ember Island early in the morning, so nobody would know you'd been sleeping where you weren't supposed to?"

"Okay, fine," said Sokka, raising his hands in defeat. "When, then, is our anniversary? And why? As far as I can tell, though, we would be well past our first anniversary if I was wrong to think it was today…"

"I… suppose we would be, but it's not like we could help it, is it?" Azula said, shrugging. Sokka's eyebrow rose judgmentally.

"When is it, then?" he said. "Maybe I won't botch up the second one, if we settle what the real anniversary is…"

"Well then, if I had to choose," Azula said, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest. "I'd say that day in Shu Jing."

"What? You mean when Rui Shi caught us?" Sokka asked, looking at her skeptically. "How so? Considering everything that had happened before then… Oh, no, maybe you mean way before that! You mean that time you drooled over my shirtless body!"

"I was not drooling, and of course I meant the time when Rui Shi caught us, not that nonsense!" Azula retorted, blushing. "You told me you loved me that day, and you said you wouldn't want any other girl, so I figured…!"

"Uh, I told you I loved you in Ember Island just the same," said Sokka, raising his eyebrows.

"You said you'd do it for only one night," Azula reminded him, and he scoffed. "How wrong was it of me to have believed you?"

"I said that for the obvious reasons!" Sokka exclaimed. "Even if you didn't know for sure at the time, now you know fully well that I had loved you well before that, and that I loved you every moment afterwards, too! As for me telling you that no other girl would work, well, I'm pretty sure I'd done that before too, in less favorable circumstances but still…"

"So, you're saying that day didn't change anything?" Azula asked, eyebrows raised. "That our relationship was just the same as ever after that? It's not like we resolved many problems that were holding us back, or that we came to accept each other's feelings…"

"We resolved problems, I am not denying that, but that doesn't mean that's where our actual relationship began," said Sokka, lifting a finger matter-of-factly. "We were resolving problems between us long before that, weren't we? And if you want to consider passionate kissing the grounds for our relationship's beginning, the day before your birthday…"

"Oh, goodness, for that matter the trip to the Slate was the first actual sexual exchange we had!" Azula huffed. "Maybe that should be our anniversary, according to your standards?"

"Well, now, you said the day in Shu Jing was the right day because I told you I loved you, didn't you? That night on that ship was the first time you said you loved me! So, really, sounds like the right compromise!"

"You're unbelievable," Azula huffed. Sokka looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Just so you know, it's rather difficult to take you seriously when you're arguing while wearing nothing but your underwear…"

"Hey! My clothing choices, or lack thereof, have nothing to do with this conversation!"

"… But sure, let's settle for what you want. Our anniversary is clearly the day you deflowered me, because that's how relationships work!"

"Oh, come on, Azula…" Sokka sighed, hanging his head in defeat. "What do you want from me? It's the first time we've seen each other this week and the first thing you do is dismiss everything I've tried to do to commemorate a pretty important day in our lives?"

"I'm not dismissing it, but truthfully, Sokka?" she asked, looking around herself with distaste. "Spelling things out with flower petals? That… that reeks of Ty Lee in every possible way. Is this why you ended up telling her all about our sex life? Because you were asking for advice for today?"

"I… admit I expected better from them," Sokka groaned, rubbing his closed eyes with the heels of his hands. "Both her and Mai said you never talked about any romantic fantasies you might have had, so I had no idea what to do to surprise you, and then Ty Lee suggested this, and I…!"

"You thought this was the best way to woo me," she finished, with a dry grin. "Seriously, you could have just broken the news of our apparent anniversary after we'd already blown off the steam, and I certainly wouldn't have responded to it as I have now."

"You sure you wouldn't have?" Sokka asked, skeptical, but further reflection brought him to realize she was telling the truth. "Uh, yeah, okay, I admit you're right, but I wanted today to be special!"

"Well, you succeeded," said Azula, still with a sarcastic smirk as she gestured at the petals that spelled out the celebratory words. "Because I highly doubt I'll ever forget something as cheesy as what I'm looking at right now."

Sokka blushed and scowled, pointedly turning his face away from her. Azula's skeptical stare turned towards him again now.

"And I still don't think it's our anniversary, if you must know," she said. Sokka rolled his eyes and glared at her.

"Really, then? Because as far as I can tell, it feels just about right!" he pouted. "Instead of doing what people should do in anniversaries, we're arguing and ruining the mood and making each other mad, and that sounds exactly like the kind of thing we always do!"

"Oh, are you saying it's the perfect homage to what happened last year?" Azula asked, turning with a sarcastic smirk, thumbing the sword in her belt. "I suppose you're right, huh? I came here to see you, found you in a mood I couldn't possibly explain, and every excuse and explanation you've come up with only made me lose my patience! So, yes, I guess we're actually celebrating our so-called anniversary the only way we know how!"

Sokka huffed and shook his head, storming upstairs, his back lightly hunched over. Azula glared at him until he was out of sight. Today definitely wasn't going the way she had hoped it would, she admitted to herself, as she walked out into the backyard again.

There was a part of her that was happy for the argument, even, for it was bliss to spend time with Sokka no matter what they were doing. She enjoyed the bickering a lot more than she should have, no doubt… but she also enjoyed everything else.

Still, she couldn't back down and concede that this was their anniversary. As much as she agreed on the importance of that day, and she certainly believed they had crossed an important boundary, she couldn't conceive it as the official start of their relationship. Yet, as Sokka had pointed out, why should she choose Shu Jing instead? Was it because her worst behavior was finally put behind them after that day? She wasn't sure, but until then, all her kisses and escapades with Sokka had felt like spurs of the moment, sudden passionate outbursts that were seldom followed up by anything other than awkwardness.

After that day, though… they had kissed, still passionately, but far more consciously than before. They had taken chances they wouldn't have taken before and found comfort in each other's arms in an entirely different way. No longer had she felt burdened by her foolish mistakes and misreading of the circumstances: he had said he loved her, even after everything they'd been through, and that had eased her anxious heart. It had led her to hope and believe that their relationship would truly endure any trials if only they worked towards protecting it.

She had no doubts that they had a relationship at that point. His change in behavior, as well as her own, had led her to that assumption. Yes, they had never wanted anyone other than each other, but they acknowledged that commitment to each other on that day. It only seemed fair, then, that their anniversary would be…

Her eyebrows twitched, though, upon realizing that she hadn't paid any attention to the date of their visit to Shu Jing. As much as she was defending it as the genuine start of their relationship, and would continue to do so, she had no idea when it had been, exactly. It was well over two months before the Slate, which had happened around a month before their first time… but she couldn't narrow down a date blindly this way. She grimaced and shook her head, withdrawing her sword from her sheath and beginning to practice some forms and techniques, engaging in light training. As ever, working out would be a good way to get rid of her frustrations, and if Sokka was going to throw a tantrum, so be it. She might as well make some use of the daylight, even if she had hoped to spend her free time rather differently.

She had been practicing a mix of bending forms with her sword, allowing flames to surge across the blade as she shot them at invisible opponents, when Sokka reappeared. She noticed him from the corner of her eye, when she was in the middle of summoning a fire pinwheel, but a better glance told her he hadn't come to continue their argument.

It was odd that she had given up all hopes for sex, yet she still was disappointed to see him wearing his armor, with his hair properly tied again. He was fully dressed and furnished with his weapons too. He looked quite grumpy, also, but even though he was leering at her, it wasn't his cold, heart-stopping glare. It was, simply, Sokka's sillier, moody demeanor.

"Oh, you want to join me?" Azula asked, turning towards him. "I suppose we really will rehash the events from last year this way, won't we?"

"Minus the stained sheets and towels, I guess," Sokka answered between gritted teeth, with a curt grin. Azula raised her eyebrows.

"So, indeed, since I rejected your notions of celebration, I will be punished with no sex today?"

"Let's see if a self-imposed drought will make you appreciate how I go to any lengths for you, no matter if I lose my dignity in the process," Sokka declared, still blushing but drawing out his sword. "C'mon, then! Let's have a go at it!"

"How much effort did you put into this madness?" Azula asked, raising a questioning eyebrow. Sokka's blush only grew stronger as he pointed his sword towards her.

"That's neither here nor there! Get ready, or else…!"

"Or else what?" Azula asked, amused. "Are you seriously going to run me through just because your petals and candles didn't impress me?"

That seemed to be the last nail on the coffin of Sokka's self-control. He closed his eyes tightly but failed to control his loud outburst. He roared in a foolish way, lifting his sword clumsily and giving Azula so many openings she could only laugh at his ridiculous behavior. He swung Space Sword from side to side, back and forth, until Azula was finally parrying his blows with her own.

"Well, now, let it all out, Sokka!" Azula smirked, the ringing sounds of swords clashing reverberated through the backyard. "I realize you must be mortified, very embarrassed, so…!"

"Oh, be quiet!" Sokka squeaked, his demand sounding awfully childish as his voice cracked again. "I was trying to be…!"

"Yes, you wanted to be nice, oh, so thoughtful…!"

"I was definitely nicer and more thoughtful than you! You had no idea what today was!"

"That's because it's not our anniversary!"

"It's the anniversary of the first time we had sex, at the very least, and it's apparently so important to you that you didn't even remember it!"

The words were a harsh blow, and she scowled before attacking more aggressively. Sokka huffed, barring her sword and tossing his boomerang at her, but she knocked it off course quickly with a single blow of her fist. Sokka snarled and attacked again, but she responded with a barrage of fire he was forced to flee from, knowing he couldn't possibly hold his own against it.

"I suppose you'd think that, yet the one who seems to think the only important thing is sex is you!" she exclaimed. "I suppose all those other moments, when I kept losing myself in you, were simply appetizers for the main course? Must have been so boring to you, enduring a celibate courtship until you could finally seal the deal!"

"I didn't…! I never said none of it mattered!" Sokka growled, as Azula dashed towards him, slamming her sword against his. "We both know it did, it always did! How many times did we stop each other from going too far because of how much we cared about each other? Because of how badly we wanted to keep the other safe?!"

"Oh, no doubt, and we were keeping each other safe because we were colleagues, I suppose!" Azula retorted, seeking to trip him with a fire kick, but Sokka jumped over it while attacking her again. "We worked together, that was all it was, until one day, out of nowhere…!"

"Can you quit twisting things to your convenience?! I never said that!" he squeaked again, his sword clashing with hers, but instead of pulling away, Sokka pushed back against her. Azula pushed him too, their faces inches away over their swords. "We were always more than gladiator and sponsor, and we knew that every step of the way!"

"If that's so, why would our anniversary be on the date of our first time?" she asked. Sokka huffed.

"Because I don't know the exact date of all the other highlights in our relationship!"

Azula's eyes widened, and her control on the fight waned. Sokka took the chance to push her away, and her loss of rhythm enabled him to dodge one arch by her sword. His free hand dashed forth, and he was quick to strike a chi point in her right flank, causing both her leg and arm to fail her.

Azula yelped as she dropped on the ground, losing grip on her sword as Sokka stood over her, looking defeated even if he had just knocked her down.

"I'm sorry, alright?!" he exclaimed, looking at her in despair. "I should've… I should've done better. And I could have, but I just…!"

Her left leg shot towards him, a blast of blue packed in her leg. The flames struck his breastplate and knocked him down too, leaving him lying on the ground as she was. Azula released a breath rather loudly.

"And now we're equally defeated. As we should be," she declared. Sokka groaned and dropped his head on the hard ground too, his eyes on the gray clouds above.

They remained where they were, well until the first droplets of rain dropped softly on them. Even so, they didn't dare move yet. It was awfully grounding to merely lie down where they were, waiting until they found the right words to speak. In the end, it was Azula who did.

"I don't remember the exact dates of anything else either," she whispered. Sokka sighed in relief. "I suppose I could have found out somehow, looked into my ship's travel logs, or searched for the dates of our challenges in the Arena, if by chance I kept the papers… but I didn't think we really had an anniversary."

"Our relationship has been about far too many moments, rather than just a single, game-changing one," Sokka agreed.

"It has. I don't really know for sure when it started," she said. "I doubt you do, either. How can we set a specific day for anything, when we've had so many highlights, so many setbacks? When we never really established our relationship's status at any point in time?"

"Even now, we're engaged…" Sokka snorted. "And yet we're not really together, not as far as everyone else is concerned. We never really dated…"

"Now, that's not true," said Azula, with a weak grin. "We've had a few dates. They've just been… absolutely horrid."

"Oh, really now?" Sokka asked. "What are our dates, then? Gladiator fights?"

"No, but they've happened after some fights," Azula admitted. "Such as that time we went out to eat, in Ember Island?"

"Eh… really, now? That's our first date?" Sokka asked, flabbergasted. Azula laughed out loudly, rolling onto her numb side as it began prickling, her senses reawakening gradually. "That was a terrible first date, then."

"Not nearly as bad as our first kiss," Azula declared. "Done in a fit of jealousy, and topped off with my nice wishes for your date with Suki? Truly, we never do anything right at first, do we?"

"I beg to differ," Sokka snorted. "I guess you don't really want to talk about it, but our first time…"

"Oh, please," said Azula, rolling her eyes. "Our first time happened after I attacked you in a fit of blind rage. Don't even think about bringing that up as an exception to the rule, because it only reinforces it."

Sokka laughed, bringing his hands to his face as the rain fell harder now. They were both soaking wet, but surprisingly, regardless everything that had happened, they were smiling.

"So, it stands to reason that our first attempt to celebrate an anniversary would end up like this," said Sokka. "Complete and utter failure."

"I wouldn't say it's a complete failure," Azula shrugged. "Maybe it can still be salvaged."

"Why?" Sokka asked, skeptical. "We don't have an anniversary, not for real. Didn't we just agree on that?"

"And yet we could try to have one," Azula mused, pushing herself to a sitting position with difficulty, what with half her body still sending her unpleasant sensations. "Even if we can't really date, and even though what we've experienced along the lines of traditional dating was never particularly good. The first time we had some sort of date was when we had our first big fight, the second time we had some sort of similar date it was right after surviving the forest, and we agreed to never be with each other. Sounds like… like great dates, huh?"

"The only good thing about them was the food," Sokka muttered, with a growing smile. Azula laughed as she crawled towards him with difficulty. Sokka glanced at her as she pulled up right next to him, looking at him from above.

"I'm sorry I ruined your surprise," she whispered. Sokka snorted and shook his head.

"If you are, you shouldn't be," he said. "I should've known much better than that. I just really… I didn't know how to surprise you this time around. I think I already used up my best ideas when proposing to you…"

"I suppose you had," Azula said, smiling and stroking his face with her left hand. "Truth be told, you don't need to go overboard for things, Sokka. I appreciate that you do, or, in today's case, that you try… but I love you, and I love being with you. It's not about what you do for me, but that it's you who's willing to do anything for me. I know you want to make sure I know how much you care, but… I think I already do."

"You don't," Sokka pouted, with a small voice. "I love you more than I could possibly say or even show. I just can't help myself. I never thought I'd be in love this way, but I… I just want you to be the happiest you've ever been."

"And like I said, you already achieve that just by being beside me," she said, smiling brightly. "You hopeless fool… you've made me so happy I even discovered a new kind of bending because of it. And you still think you have to try harder?"

"I never will have tried hard enough," Sokka said, lifting a hand to take hers. "You don't really think I can stop, or do you? I can't get enough of you, of anything about you. And being ridiculous by giving you gifts and trying to surprise you is just one way of showing it."

"I realize that, and it flatters me," Azula whispered. "But I'd sooner spend all day bickering under the rain than pretend to swoon over an arrangement of flower petals. Doesn't the first thing sound more like us?"

"Yeah, painfully so," Sokka admitted, as they both laughed.

She stroked his face gently, leaning down on him to kiss his lips softly. The rain clung to their skin and hair, to the grass and earth underneath them, to the clothes they wore underneath their breastplates. His gloved hands reached up to cup her face, as hers held her body where it was, hovering over him. The unpleasant awakening of her limbs was almost through, enabling her to use her arm and leg even if at the cost of some bursts of pain.

She flinched a few times, though, and that prompted Sokka to pull away, only so he could sit up on the ground. His arms wrapped around her waist and he brought her closer to him, hoisting her so she could sit on his lap. Her lips sought his quickly again, and he responded to her kisses affectionately. The drizzle around them picked up in strength, but they remained impervious to it for the time being, her arms wrapped around his neck as he held her close, fingers tracing the outline of her body between slow, deep kisses.

His lips traced down to her neck, prompting her to lift her head and sigh in bliss, wordlessly begging for him to carry on. The pearls of water hit her face, and as cold as they could be, she hardly felt any discomfort by them. His lips were the only thing she was focusing on, the only thing worth focusing on…

"We're… going to catch a cold if we stay out here," Sokka whispered against her skin. Azula moaned and tightened her grip around him.

"Then… do your thing, won't you?" she smiled, burying her face in his shoulder. Sokka smiled and embraced her tightly too. "Carry me, like you did that day…"

"As you please, my Princess," he said, kissing the side of her head before making to stand up again, bringing her with him.

Sokka strode back inside the house, leaving a trail of water and dirt in his wake. He walked over the petals indiscriminately, as though he'd forgotten they were there entirely, so he could set Azula down on the couch. She stole a kiss from him just before he pulled away, and he smiled reassuringly at her.

"I'll get us some towels," he said, making his way to the storage closets at the back of the room. "Can't have you getting sick after today, can we?"

"You're so worried…" Azula teased, with a small smirk. "Afraid I might go crazy again if I catch another cold?"

"See, even the first time you got sick we made a mess of everything," Sokka snickered. Azula laughed too. "Our first meeting, altogether… it all goes without saying, eh? We don't deal well with firsts."

"I really didn't think I'd been that bad when I was sick, though," she said. Sokka snorted as he rummaged the cabinets until he found the fresh towels he was looking for.

"No? You tried to fry me with your lightning…"

"Because you kissed me when you weren't supposed to," Azula pointed out. Sokka's laughter seemed to envelop her as he moved through the room. "And that I enjoyed it is beside the point, so don't even bring it up."

"So you did enjoy it," he teased, once he was standing in front of her, towels in hand. She rolled her eyes.

"When don't I?" she asked, as he left his own towel on the couch and took to drying Azula himself, to her amusement. "If I didn't like the way you kiss me, I would have rejected you from the very start."

"Of course you would have," Sokka chuckled, carefully drying her hair. "Yet liking my kisses was only further reason to electrocute me, wasn't it?"

"You deserved it," Azula pouted. Sokka laughed and kissed her quickly, moving the towel down over her body after sitting beside her. "Or at least, I thought you did at the time. You had ruined my resolve, without even trying."

"If that's how it was, is that kiss another good possible anniversary?" Sokka asked, smiling. Azula sighed and shrugged.

"It could be," she said. "But we weren't properly together after that…"

"Still, back to the subject at hand…" Sokka said, pointing at her with his index finger. "Not only did you lose your temper when you were sick, you also behaved erratically while we were trying to help you, and then, on top of it all, you went on a suicide mission to stop the White Lotus on your own. And you left me panicking over your wellbeing, terrified that you had done serious damage to yourself with all that lightning…"

"I wasn't in the right state of mind to produce it, I knew that," she acknowledged. "But what choice did I have? If I hadn't helped you when I did, those White Lotus people would've killed you."

"True… but killing yourself to save me would kill me just the same," he said, smiling after having brushed the towel against as much of Azula's body as he could.

"Well, I didn't die," she said, pointedly. "So I suppose that means you were scared for nothing. Is that it, then? I scare you for a myriad of reasons when I'm sick?"

"I suppose you do," Sokka conceded, smiling weakly and setting aside the humid towel to use his own. Imitating him, Azula wrestled the towel off his fingers and dried him herself. "You're the strongest person I know. Seeing you in that kind of vulnerable state just triggers every single protective instinct I have, but I don't really know how to protect you from your own body…"

"Hmm, I ought to ask the same thing," Azula said, rubbing the towel over his face and taking the chance to pinch his nose. Sokka gasped. "You're the one who keeps getting himself beaten up and in bad shape, and I'm a mess afterwards because of it…"

"Oh, now, it's different," Sokka pointed out, with an amused smirk. "Usually, I end up that way because I'm fighting someone else. You could take revenge on whoever beat me up, see? But when you catch a cold…"

"Fine, fine," said Azula, rolling her eyes. "It happens because of my own recklessness, or because of bad luck, but it's my own body causing me strife and you're left helpless in the wake of such problem. Right?"

"Right," he said, reaching to touch her cheek.

She leaned in to kiss him softly, and he responded with the warmth he always did. But Azula cut the new kiss short again, pulling back and rubbing the towel roughly over Sokka's hair. He flinched as she endeavored to dry it thoroughly, but when she was finished his hair was, surprisingly, a puffy mess. She couldn't hold back her laughter, as Sokka scowled at her.

"Well, that must be real funny, huh?" he asked, as her laughing fit grew stronger.

He took his revenge quickly, taking off her hair piece and rubbing the towel over her head too. She laughed and tried to shove him off, but he didn't relent, and once he was finished, they both were sporting the messiest kind of hair they'd ever had in front of each other.

"Now we're even," Sokka laughed, as she leaned back on the couch's armrest. She rolled her eyes and shrugged in defeat, still amused by his messy hair.

"You look funny, but…" she said, stroking his chin with her fingertips. "It really doesn't make you any less handsome."

"Why, you look ridiculously beautiful yourself, Princess," Sokka said, smiling again before leaning in, his body pressing against hers.

Her arms wrapped around his neck, as they always did. It was the best way to keep him close, to ensure he couldn't slip out of her grasp until she decided to release him… but he didn't want to go anywhere else. Their armors hindered their intimacy, but given the circumstances, it stood to reason that they'd loosen them up in time.

"We've made a mess of the living room," Azula whispered, glancing over at the dirt and trampled petals. "I have a feeling Song won't appreciate that."

"You won't have to worry about that," said Sokka, smiling. "I told her about my plans, she made me swear I'd clean up all our mess myself. She's spending the day with Rui Shi today, to give us proper privacy."

"That's quite considerate on her part," said Azula, slipping her fingers through Sokka's hair. Every stroke helped tame it, returning it to its usual state. "Then those two knew about our so-called anniversary, huh?"

"Everyone did but you, at this point," Sokka admitted, with a chuckle. Azula rolled her eyes and sighed, embracing Sokka tightly.

"It's been a rather strange day," she whispered. "I mean… it hasn't been awful, but it wasn't what I was expecting, at all."

"But you didn't outright hate it, did you?" Sokka asked, uneasily. Azula smiled and shook her head. "Good. Though that just goes to show that you should've been nicer…"

"I absolutely shouldn't have been," Azula replied stubbornly, as Sokka laughed, his forehead against her breastplate. "Seriously, I could be allergic to all these petals, for all you know. No, thank you."

"So, you had to sabotage the petals and candles just for the principle of the matter?" he asked, smirking. Azula smiled brightly. "You devious mastermind, you…"

"Come on, you can't say you actually liked preparing all this," Azula chuckled, reaching out to the petals on the floorboards. "Where did you even find these, anyways? Did you raid a flower shop, or did you take up a part-time job trimming the flowers in every nobleman's home?"

"The raiding is more like it," Sokka chuckled. "I dragged Song with me to a shop yesterday, pretended I was trying to get flowers for her. Using her as a stand-in for you is surprisingly useful, only… well, in due time it will be known that she's involved with Rui Shi and not me, huh?"

"Some people already know," Azula said, shrugging. "My father does, for instance. So yes, you may have to stop using her as your smokescreen once that's cleared up."

"Well, at least I got to piss you off with the flowers before her time as your stand-in was over," said Sokka, with a cheeky grin. Azula snorted.

"Seriously, of all the things you could've thought of…" she said. Sokka huffed.

"All things considered, you've never complained about flowers until now. I figured you wouldn't mind," Sokka said. Azula shook her head.

"Next time try to think about decorating with something I'd actually like to see, you know?" she said. Sokka raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, so should I set the house on fire?" he asked. "I really have no idea what sort of decorations you'd like, but I have the feeling you'd enjoy flames, so…"

"Ridiculous," Azula scoffed, leering meaningfully at him as Sokka winked at her.

"Hey, if I burned down the house you could have an excuse to request a room for me at the Palace, if only temporarily," he smirked. "And that way we could sneak around without as much risk, right?"

"No, not right," Azula said, shaking her head even though she was smiling. "After all we've done to avoid getting caught, the last thing we need right now is to put things at risk by spending every waking moment together. Our training habits haven't fazed my father yet, but if we get bold about this, he may start thinking that you do want my hand in marriage after all…"

"Say what?" Sokka blinked, looking at Azula with confusion. "After all? What… what's that supposed to mean?"

"Did I never tell you…?" Azula laughed, biting her lip. "Back when you saved your tribe, making my father withdraw his troops? He spoke to me about you, voicing his genuine surprise at what kind of man you had turned out to be. He told me he had expected you to use the favors he owed you for your own advancement, namely to find freedom from slavery and perhaps a nobility title or two, and… he also thought you might ask for my hand in marriage."

Sokka's eyes widened slowly, his mouth opening even though his mind seemed to have grown too blank to speak. Azula smiled and used her finger to push his jaw up again.

"Don't get your hopes up. He said he'd never allow it," Azula sighed, and with that, Sokka's enthusiasm waned. "It was just as disappointing for me too, you know…"

"It was? Even back then?" Sokka asked, surprised. Azula huffed.

"Are you kidding me?" she said. "By then you had brought me flowers, called me irreplaceable, endured hunger and sleeplessness in a forest for me, taken care of me when I was sick, listened to the woes I had deemed worth sharing with you… did you really think I wasn't ridiculously smitten at that point?"

"I just… I mean, we'd tried to hold back around then," he said. "And we were doing our best to be professional, and hey, we kind of succeeded around those days. Things just got messy after Ember Island, but even so… I thought that maybe you wouldn't want me in that way at that point."

"I've wanted you in every way, at every point in time," Azula declared, stubbornly. Sokka laughed under his breath. "I denied it, of course, for the longest time, but that's the truth of it. And even now…"

"Even now? After the anniversary fiasco?" Sokka mused, smiling and kissing her softly.

"I suppose it's been endearing, in its own way," she confessed, toying with his hair between her fingers. "Say, I can try to figure out the right date for our proper anniversary, but I'm thinking… we could just celebrate the many highlights in our relationship, right?"

"Oh?" Sokka said, raising his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"If we agree on Shu Jing's conversation as the beginning of our relationship… then yes, if I check the Barge's logs, I might figure out the right date," Azula said. "It shouldn't be too suspicious if I did that. Still… I won't downplay today's importance. Truthfully, a lot changed a year ago, and… and I think it was for the better, really. But today is still not the real anniversary."

"Fine…" said Sokka, dropping his head in defeat, even if he was smiling.

"If anything, today is our… sexiversary."

He snorted before lashing out in the loudest laughter fit she had heard from him in a long time. It was impossible not to be infected by it, and she laughed along with him as he embraced her tightly, his entire body shaking with the force of his laughter.

"Oh, hell, our…! You seriously called it our… our sexiversary!" he laughed, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes. "You're… you're glorious, I swear. I can't believe this, you just… you really have to marry me, Azula. You just have to…"

"Believe me, I intend to," she said, beaming as he pushed himself higher and kissed her joyfully.

They continued to laugh as they kissed, hands reaching for everything they could touch. It wasn't long before their armor had been shed, along with the boots, clothes and undergarments. With no one to judge them, no one to stop them, and no interferences, there was nothing in the way of them commemorating their so-called sexiversary as they wished to.

They were reckless, and they didn't hold back at all. What had started in the couch had led them across the scattered petals in the room, all the way to the foot of the stairs. They lay together there, with their legs flexed over the steps, Sokka's arm wrapped around Azula's waist as he devoured her bare neck, leaving red marks in his wake.

"We really should clean up these damn petals," Azula moaned, a hand holding Sokka close to her neck. "They're clinging all over us, you know…"

"Yeah, I noticed," Sokka chuckled, pulling away. "There's a few in your hair, actually,"

"Damn it," she sighed, though she looked at him with mild amusement. "Well, now you see why petals are not convenient."

"I really don't, though," he chuckled, picking up a small pile and scattering them over Azula's body. She scowled at him as he chuckled. "See, you look extra erotic now."

"Oh, sure I do," she said, rolling her eyes but kissing him anyways. Sokka hummed approvingly.

"Are you hungry, by any chance…?" he asked, his hand slipping over her pelvis and settling right above her navel. While her abdomen wasn't as defined as his, her muscles were still visible and tangible, so he basked in caressing them and feeling every smooth curve of her strong abdomen.

"Why, perhaps I am," Azula said, evasively. "Does that make you sad, since you'll have to share your food with me?"

"As if," he snickered, kissing the side of her head and pushing himself up.

She knew he'd snatch her up, carrying her bridal-style into the kitchen, even before he did it. She looked at him reproachfully for it, though, even as he deposited her on one of the stools in the kitchen, in front of the table.

"You need to work on your attention to detail," she declared, smugly. Sokka frowned, looking at her in surprise. "I mean, it is our sexiversary, you should've carried me the way you did that day."

He chuckled, both at her claim and her usage of the word.

"Seems like you forgot, but I carried you this way a year ago, too," he said, wiggling his eyebrows. "On our way to and from the bathroom?"

"Well, fine, I suppose you did…" Azula conceded, waving a hand carelessly.

Sokka smiled at her as he snatched a bowl from the counter and placed it on the table. Azula glanced at it curiously, but before she could identify its contents, Sokka summoned her by the furnace.

"Can you light it up?" he asked, and she made her way to his side. He was standing in front of the furnace, a large pot in his arms. "It will take a while for it to be finished, but the brew is mostly ready. I just have to add the noodles now, and the spice afterwards…"

"Noodles?" Azula asked, eyes wide as she stared at the pot. "Wait a moment, you're actually going to cook right now, in front of me?"

"You say it like it's absolutely unthinkable," he said, smirking. "I've cooked stuff before, even if it wasn't very good."

"I know you have, but that's exactly why I never thought you'd do it again…" she said, eyebrows raised. He laughed again.

"I'll have to live with how much you underestimate me, I guess," he said, picking up the noodles and pouring them inside a broth with vegetables. "Now, just light it up when you're ready. I figure you'll want your spicy noodles at the proper temperature, after all…"

"Alright, sure, but… you didn't prepare all this, did you? It was Song's doing, wasn't it?"

"Well, mostly, but I helped!" Sokka pouted. Azula laughed and shook her head. "Well, really, everyone knows you have a crazy predilection for spices. It'll be a while before they're properly cooked, but I figured spicy noodles would make your day."

"You figured right," Azula admitted, smiling. "Though my day has already been made, for a myriad of reasons, all of them related to you."

She kissed his cheek, and he smiled proudly, albeit somewhat foolishly. She lit the fire as he had requested, and he busied himself with warming up the food as Azula stared at the bowl on the table again. From this angle she could see its contents better, and her stomach churned all of sudden, her mouth watering instinctively. Her hand reached out to touch his arm, and Sokka hummed before glancing at her.

"Something wrong?" he asked. She blushed, gesturing at the bowl.

"Did you actually get mochi…?" she asked. "I-I mean, you… you shouldn't have. You really shouldn't have."

"Heh? Why's that?" Sokka said, amused. "Did Mai set me up? She said you liked it…"

"That's the problem, I… I don't know how to stop when I start eating them," Azula admitted, covering her face with a hand as she blushed. Sokka's eyes widened. "What, did she forget to warn you about that part?"

"I… suppose?" he laughed. "Seriously now, Azula? What's the story with you and mochi, then?"

"I just… like them. A lot more than I like any other sweets," Azula admitted, glancing out the window pointedly. "I got Mai in trouble a few times, I snuck mochi at her house and… well, I got myself into more trouble in the Palace when I ate all the mochi they were preparing in the kitchen, and then I wasn't hungry for dinner. My mother, well… she kind of banned mochi in the Palace because of me…"

"Seriously?!" Sokka asked, aghast. Azula bit her lower lip.

"I can't really say she was wrong for it, it isn't very healthy to eat so much of it," Azula admitted. "I'd have stomachaches for days but… they're just that good."

"So… so you're saying you've spent years now without so much as tasting mochi?" he asked. "Your favorite dessert, from the sounds of it?"

"I-it's just a hazard!" Azula exclaimed, blushing furiously now. "I can't exert any self-control with it, I just…"

"You eat mochi like a glutton," Sokka finished, with a proud grin. Azula glared fiercely at him as he laughed and wrapped his arm around her waist, kissing her brow. "I know you aren't happy to hear this, but it's lovely to know we have yet another thing in common."

"What? You mean… you'd eat mochi this way too?" she asked. Sokka laughed and shook his head.

"No, I mean, the gluttonous eating in general!" he declared. Azula huffed.

"Absurd. I only do this over spicy food, and over mochi!" she declared, to his amusement. "You'll eat absolutely anything in your path, no matter what it is, and…! And that's clearly something far worse than what I'm capable of! At least I'm selective!"

"Now, now, Princess…" he said, smirking and leaning close to her, a knowing smirk on his face. "I'm quite selective when it comes to certain things I like to eat. Need a reminder of that?"

"If you mean what I think you mean…" Azula said, and Sokka smirked. She blushed but didn't push him away. "The food, though…"

"Oh, it will be a while before the noodles are hot enough for your taste," he snickered, leaning down slightly only to lift her and place her on the kitchen counter. Azula's blush only grew stronger.

"This is… very wrong," she said. "Song cooks here all the time, we really shouldn't…"

"I'll clean everything up before she gets here. I promise…" he snickered, kissing Azula's brow and descending slowly all over her body.

The Princess had to keep too many impulses in check at the same time. The hunger for the noodles, the wild craving for the mochi, and the riveting lust for her lover seemed to collide inside her, and she was left with no option but to hold Sokka close as he leaned between her legs, doing as he pleased with his mouth on her core once more.

The shamelessness in their actions was overwhelming to her well after their newest tryst was finished and their food was ready. After splitting and sharing the noodles, they took to sitting together by the table, kissing and eating, wrapped tightly around each other. They were balancing their weight on the one kitchen stool they'd chosen, Azula comfortably nestled on Sokka's lap.

"What on earth have we been doing today, Sokka…?" Azula asked, with a disbelieving smile. Sokka chuckled as he gazed into her eyes.

"I think we're breaking every unspoken boundary there ever was in this house," he declared. "All things considered, it was about time we damaged the kitchen's purity, don't you think?"

His shameless declaration found her laughing against his shoulder, her face buried in his neck. Sokka's smile couldn't have been brighter.

"To think it's barely past noon by now, but we've already gone at it twice… and hey, the rain stopped," he said, gesturing at the open window.

"It did indeed," Azula said, smiling. "A shame, really. It should have rained all afternoon, and then all night, so that I could have a valid excuse to stay here until tomorrow…"

"We do owe it to ourselves, you know… the morning escapade we talked about," Sokka whispered, tracing her curves carefully as he raked her with his gaze. Azula sighed and looked at him hopelessly.

"I'm afraid it's not bound to happen anytime soon," she said, kissing him lightly. "But indeed, we'd better do it once we have a chance…"

"When do you think we'll have one, though?" Sokka asked, biting his lip. "I mean, I'm sure you mean we need to find the right circumstances to sneak away and do it safely, but… do you have an idea on how to do that?"

Azula reached for the last mochi, splitting it in half and feeding a portion to Sokka. He welcomed her gesture gladly and kissed her fingers after he had finished his part. Azula smiled and ate her own, pressing against him as she did. Sokka watched her with interest, knowing she was concocting something and thriving in the suspense she was keeping him in.

"Ah, I already miss them, and they've only been over for a couple of seconds. Accursed mochi," Azula sighed. Sokka chuckled and caressed her hair.

"A shame indeed. I'll make sure there's more next time," he said. Azula smiled approvingly.

"You do love pampering me, you wicked gladiator," she hummed. He chuckled but bit his lip.

"So, about us sneaking away together…?" he finally ventured. Azula breathed deeply and looked into his eyes.

"I do have a plan. Or, well, a basic plan, if anything," she said. "Of course, I can't guarantee that it would pay off, but… as far as I can tell, it's only a matter of choosing a specific date. After that's done, I'll simply inform my father that I'm in desperate need for a break, since I'm not used to working so hard…"

She flopped dramatically into his arms, and Sokka laughed at her antics. Her satisfied smirk said enough about how confident she was about her plan.

"That doesn't sound so complicated," Sokka relented, grinning at her. "Would he accept that? And, moreover, would he let you take me, without any guards keeping watch? I mean, if we can take Rui Shi alone it will be fine, but…"

"I'd take Xin Long," Azula said. "He would think I'll be safe with my dragon, I wager. But either way, I believe he'd agree to it if he thinks I'll do it alone. So, all we need to do is meet up outside the city somewhere, so we can pick you up and bring you along without arousing suspicions…"

"Seems like you've been pondering this for a while," Sokka said, raising an eyebrow. Azula shrugged enigmatically. "For how long would we leave?"

"About a week, I guess," she said. His eyes widened with amazement. "It would seem reasonable enough to be gone for just a week, after all. And it would give us a chance to be together, probably incognito, out in small villages where no one will recognize us…"

"And we'd be together. I mean, people would see us and know that… that a loser like me gets to be with the most amazing woman in the world!" he exclaimed, beaming. Azula rolled her eyes and climbed off his lap, flicking his ear lightly. "Ow!"

"If you were that much of a loser, I wouldn't have fallen so hard for you. I am, after all, an overachiever," she declared, wrapping her arms around his neck from behind him. "Now, how about you tell me the right date for us to put this crazy plan into action…?"

"What, me?" he said, smiling. "If it were up to me, we could do it tomorrow. Really, though, you're the busy girl. You're the one who gets to decide on the date, I'll go with whatever you think is best."

"I suppose I really have to say everything bluntly, don't I?" she mumbled, burying her face in his neck and biting it lightly. Sokka chuckled. "I mean, you're the one who loves special dates, apparently, so… will you be so kind as to stop being enigmatic already and tell me, for once and for all, when's your birthday?"

Sokka blinked blankly as Azula worked on his neck, her lips and teeth branding him little by little. He chuckled soon enough, a hand reaching up to her hair.

"Heh. I seem to remember we talked about coming up with plans for my birthday before… then this is what you wanted us to do?" he asked, smiling warmly at her. "Azula…"

"You know well enough that mine is usually busy, so just put me out of my misery here and tell me when it is already," she growled, adding more pressure to the latest of her nibbles on his neck. Sokka laughed again. "You're awfully guarded about a single date, you know…"

"I just lost the habit of celebrating it, I guess," he explained. "It was a big deal over at the Water Tribe whenever anyone's birthday arrived, mine was no exception. One day, while at Hui Yi, I realized my birthday had to have come and gone and I hadn't even noticed it. So, I guess from then on, it didn't seem to be that important anymore…"

Azula's teasing biting eased up, her hands caressing his chest gently now. She groaned and embraced him tightly once he stopped talking. Sokka laughed and climbed off his stool, looking at her warmly.

"Well, then… does it make any sense for me to try and celebrate it?" She grunted, as he stroked her hair and wrapped his arms around her. "I mean… will you be able to enjoy it at all if your family's not celebrating it with you, too?"

"Heh… if you'll be there, then it's a different kind of family who'll be there, right?" said Sokka, beaming and kissing her lightly. "My future wife should count as family too, don't you think?"

"But still…" she blushed, wrapping her arms around him again. Sokka took the chance to lift her up, carrying her out of the kitchen with his hands firmly holding her up by her thighs. "Is it going to be any good at all if the rest of your family isn't there? I mean, we can do this at any other point in time if it's too disrespectful, but I just…"

"You just?" Sokka asked, walking steadily across the house and to the small corridor that led to the outside bathroom. Azula frowned upon noticing where he was taking her.

"Are we going to clean up already?" she asked, doubtful. Sokka smiled and shrugged.

"If we get dirty again over the day, we can have more fun in the tub later, I figure," he snickered. "Still… what were you saying before, Azula?"

She averted her gaze at first, her red cheeks burning as she tightened her embrace around him. Sokka smiled and opened the bathroom door with one hand, the other firmly holding Azula up where she was.

"What I had been about to say was that… that I've wanted to celebrate your birthday because I'm quite grateful that you were born," she whispered. Sokka's eyes widened. "It's what birthdays are about, isn't it? So I just… I just wanted a chance to celebrate that, if you'd let me. But if that's how it is, I guess…"

"The fifth day of the twelfth month," he cut her off. Her eyes widened at his answer.

"Huh…" said Azula, lifting her head and looking at him in surprise. He smiled and blushed too, releasing her from his hold and setting her on the floor delicately.

"You asked, didn't you?" he said, smiling warmly at her. She mirrored his expression, a hand on his chest. "I know what you're thinking, I know… just a couple months earlier and I might have been born in winter in the south, and then I might be a waterbender like my sister, and that just might have made me an even better gladiator…!"

"I… wasn't thinking about that," she said, with a skeptical smile. "The thought didn't even cross my mind at all."

"It didn't?" Sokka asked, surprised. Azula shrugged.

"I guess you may have had a hard time growing up with a waterbending sibling while being a non-bender, I can't lie and say I can relate to that," she said, biting her lip. "But I can say, truthfully… that I love that you're a non-bender. I guess it might seem strange to you, but… I wouldn't change anything about you."

For a moment she thought she'd said something wrong. That she had just been too cheesy, which was, as per their unspoken norm, Sokka's job. That she had actually angered him, and that was the reason why he stared at her with wide eyes, as if he'd never looked at her before.

And then the moment of fear and uncertainty vanished when his arms were around her body, and his lips were pressing the most excited kisses ever against hers.

She couldn't help but laugh, fingers slipping into his hair, as he kissed her relentlessly. His enthusiasm was so overwhelming she couldn't stop grinning against his lips, kissing him back at every opportunity.

She didn't know if he'd have it in him to speak again for a while, going by how his mouth was only devoted to kissing her endlessly, but she would go along with his whim, for now at least. Perhaps later, after they had blown off even more steam, he would finally talk about why her words had meant the world to him. Until then, she would make the most of his loving gestures, and reciprocate them with her own.

---

"I really hope he upholds his end of the bargain," Song said, as she crushed a loaf of bread in her hand and scattered the crumbs on the pond's water. "I really don't want to go home to, uh… clean up after them."

"If you do get home and he hasn't taken care of things, boss him around and make him do all the cleaning himself," Rui Shi suggested, smirking. "The Princess bosses him around plenty as it is, so he's used to it. You needn't clean if you don't want to."

"You pamper me too much," she laughed, beaming at him. "It is supposed to be part of my job to take care of the house, too."

"Perhaps, but he should help you more often," Rui Shi said, with a shrug. "Especially if the one soiling everything is him."

The weather was everchanging, switching between brightness and darkness with every cover of clouds that passed across the sun. The turtle ducks in the pond swam happily towards the bread Song offered them, and she smiled at the sight of the smaller ones kicking hard to reach the food before it ran out.

Sokka had been rather nervous about the anniversary ordeal, even after Song had agreed to help him prepare for it. He had been more helpful than usual in the kitchen, and surprisingly, he hadn't destroyed either the noodles or mochi as he usually did whenever he tried to cook. Song hoped that meant he wouldn't be all that hopeless if he ever had to cook while she wasn't around… but the food was the least of her concerns: the flowers were a little more worrisome, and worse than that was whatever they might do with the whole house for themselves for the entire day. Their close call was clearly ever-present in Sokka's mind, and she figured he planned on spending the entire day getting over it in the only way those two knew how.

The thought made her blush. She would do better to stop thinking about whatever they did in their private time together, no doubt…

Rui Shi sat beside her, glancing up at the sky with wistful eyes. Song bit her lip, brushing the rest of the breadcrumbs off her hands before turning towards him.

"Are you worried?" she asked, a hand reaching to clasp his own. Rui Shi glanced at her with warm eyes, his usual stern façade nowhere near as serious as it usually was.

He wore a light soldier outfit today, and he hadn't even furnished his hands with his usual gloves. There was much more intimacy in holding hands this way, after all, and he wasn't about to get scolded for breaking protocol, not when his status as a Royal Guard was either about to be upgraded or downgraded…

"Strangely, I'm not," he said. "Whatever happens next, I'll still be with you. And I won't lose my friendship with the Princess either way. Granted, moving up in life would be preferable, but with the General involved… I rather doubt I'll be promoted if he's going to advise the Fire Lord on whom to choose."

"Why does he dislike you so much?" Song asked, looking at him worriedly. "Did anything bad ever happen between you two?"

"No, but it's possible it happened between him and undercover Sokka…" said Rui Shi, raising his eyebrows. "Or, well, the Princess theorized he's paranoid over what her intentions were upon dissolving her Royal Guards. She doesn't know if he expects her to rebel against her father, using the guards' loyalty and closeness to the Fire Lord as means to take him out…"

"She wouldn't… would she?" Song said, and Rui Shi chuckled before shaking his head.

"Of course not. But he doesn't know that," he said. "Either way, whatever happens next, the two of us will have the opportunity to carry out a slightly more normal relationship from now on, since everyone knows we're together. Granted, we may not be able to be all that normal, but…"

Song gasped, her eyes moving past where Rui Shi sat. He raised an eyebrow before glancing over her shoulder, and he grimaced when he noticed the large group of guards, wearing casual uniforms and no helmets, moving towards them.

"Aren't those your friends?" Song asked, blushing. "Maybe they need you for something?"

"They shouldn't. I shouldn't have any duties anymore, unless… they've already announced whether we passed or failed?" Rui Shi said, frowning. "Maybe…"

"Oi! Captain!" Fei Li exclaimed, sprinting towards them while the others continued walking. "Oh, damn, you weren't alone! Are we intruding here?"

Rui Shi scowled as he stood up, almost defensively, between Song and the others. The healer's blush intensified, but she stood up too and swatted lingering breadcrumbs off the front of her dress while the other guards stopped before their Captain. The guards had already met her before, but their untimely interruption proved most unwelcome.

"Maybe you are. Why are you here?" Rui Shi growled. Fei Li smiled and shrugged, and Rui Shi glanced at the others behind him.

"We were told the results of the tests will be handed out tomorrow," said Tai Wei. "And, well, Fei Li got it in his head that we ought to spend our last day as a team together. But if you're busy…"

"Oh, but this is the best chance to hear all they haven't told us yet about their relationship!" Fei Li exclaimed, beaming at Rui Shi. "Captain, give us your advice! How did you find a cute girlfriend?"

"He did it by being better-looking than you, Fei Li," Haoren stated, and Fei Li's jaw dropped. "Not something you can fix just by wanting it, I'm afraid."

"Ah…! How dare you?!"

Rui Shi grimaced, glaring at the rest of the guards in disbelief, but the familiar sound of Song's soft laughter quickly changed his sour mood. He turned towards her again, somewhat nervously.

"I can send them away," he said, biting his lip. "We were sitting with the turtle ducks, after all…"

"It does sound like you may not be a team for much longer," she said, with a weak smile. "It won't hurt to spend time with them, will it?"

"Uh, well… maybe not," said Rui Shi. "Only if that's what you truly want, though."

"It will be fine," she said, smiling warmly and taking his hand in hers. "We'll be together anyways, after all."

Rui Shi finally smiled back, and he nodded somewhat shyly. While Song had guessed he had been uneasy over the interruption, now she was wondering if he was simply nervous about sharing more of their relationship with the others. But she smiled and stepped forward, still holding Rui Shi's hand as the group of guards welcomed her amongst them, inviting them both to a good restaurant in the city. It seemed fitting to celebrate their final day of being Royal Guards by going all out, as the friends and comrades they had become over the years of serving Princess Azula.

---

It was slightly counterproductive to take a bath only to tumble into bed for another round of passionate sex, but no one had ever praised Sokka and Azula for having sound judgment whenever they were alone together. The heavy panting accompanied by sloppy kisses, were the main sounds to be heard in his room once they were finished, their bodies burning as though feverish, their hearts racing together.

Sokka dropped to the side, his eyes shut as he remained as close to Azula as he could be, legs intertwined with hers while he breathed heavily. She shifted on the mattress to face him, overwhelmed by the heat, but unwilling to interrupt their body contact for as long as she could indulge in it. He had finally stopped kissing her wild and recklessly, so maybe it meant he was ready to talk now.

"So…" she said, smiling as Sokka kissed her nose and brow soft and quickly. "Are you going to get back to kissing me without saying anything else about what's driving you this crazy, or…?"

"Hmm, do I have to explain…?" he snickered, a hand reaching up to her neck, so he could bring her close for a deeper kiss. Azula groaned with disapproval when he moved away. "I'd think it's obvious."

"That you get extra horny if I say I like you?" she asked, teasingly. Sokka laughed. "I mean, yes, I've known that for well over a year now, but that's not what I meant…"

"Not what I meant either," he smiled, opening his eyes now and gazing at her. A happy sigh left his lips. "You're so beautiful it's blinding, I swear…"

"Such a shame if that's the case," she said, leaning close and pressing soft kisses to his eyelids. He chuckled as she did, her hand cupping his face. "I do love your eyes. I'm quite sorry if I'm damaging them this badly…"

"Oh, you're unbelievable. Damaging them, as if… if anything you'd purify them," he huffed, burying his face in her chest. She laughed, stroking his back with her hands.

They were stretched across the bed, but they lay upside down after all the action from moments ago. Their bodies were perfectly pressed together, as Sokka kissed her collarbone and the top of her breasts repeatedly. Azula merely held him close, relaxing under his tender caresses.

"You probably can't imagine how annoying it was to grow up as the older brother of the last waterbender in the South," Sokka mused at last, his lips pressing one last kiss right above Azula's heart. Her relaxed smile waned, fingers trailing over his damp hair. "I did care about my sister, always did, but… how could I not feel inferior when she was naturally loved by everyone just because of something she was born with? I guess that was what bothered me the most. I could've just… been like her, if the universe had seen to making it so. But it hadn't. So, I was the ordinary, simple older brother to an extraordinary little sister."

"And you resented her for it, for a while, at least," Azula continued. Sokka nodded.

"We clashed a lot because of many reasons, but especially whenever I was dismissive of her. Truth was I was just… envious," he said. "I wanted to be as extraordinary as she was. I tried to bend water so many times, focusing so hard, and yet nothing ever happened. Meanwhile, with a simple flick of her wrist, she could tear the igloo down by accident. It was frustrating that I could never measure up to that, so… I decided I'd become extraordinary in my own way. I became a warrior, and I worked hard to be the best warrior I could be. I took my job very seriously all along, even if I didn't fully understand what it entailed. But I thought this was something I could do. I could protect everyone, even if I wasn't a bender: if my father could do it, why not me?

"Still, I failed. You caught me, just when I was out in my most ambitious attempt to prove myself," Sokka said, shaking his head. "I tried my best, and yet I failed entirely. I couldn't pull off my self-imposed mission, let alone could I think of myself as the best warrior of the tribe. So, I just… figured I was better off accepting I wasn't all that extraordinary. That, try as though I might, I'll never be as good as benders like you or my sister. And life has certainly been a little less irksome without that kind of pointless resentment stemming inside me…"

"Huh," said Azula, kissing the top of his head lightly. "Well, you did tell me before that you had meant to prove yourself that day…"

"And failed," he repeated, with resignation.

"Did I ever tell you, though, that I was doing the exact same thing?" she asked. He glanced up at her in surprise. "It was the first real mission I had ever been sent on, and nothing was supposed to happen in it. My father could have sent War Minister Qin instead of me, but for the first time he listened to me when I asked for an opportunity to be involved in military affairs. I longed to prove myself, of course… and I returned home to discover someone had stolen all the credit for what I'd achieved. I did well to bide my time to take revenge when the right opportunity came along, but at the moment I was so frustrated… frankly, when I think about it, it's a wonder you could ever fall in love with someone like me."

"Is it, really?" he asked, smiling. "If anything… two overachievers, dying for the chance to prove themselves? Sounds like we're the perfect match."

"Ah, well, everything about us sounds like that to you," she said, smirking. "What's more, you're right to think so. But either way… even when I was a bender, I've always felt the need to prove my worth. To show everyone why my father chose me over my brother. To prove to him that I was the right choice indeed. It's not the same as what you went through, of course, but…"

"But it's close enough," Sokka said, kissing her neck softly. She sighed. "Still… I've felt special, ever since our partnership began. Whether I liked that at first or not is irrelevant, but that you'd choose me… it meant something to me. Yet, for you to say that… that you'd rather I stay as I am than for me to be a waterbender?"

"Frankly, Sokka?" she said, smiling and tilting his head upwards. "You're the most extraordinary non-bender I've ever known. And that's no exaggeration. Being a waterbender probably would've made you a whole different person, and… I happen to love you quite a bit just as you are, you know?"

He chuckled, and Azula smiled, pressing her forehead to his. He grinned brightly, lifting her hands to his lips so he could kiss her fingers.

"So, I guess we've both spent our lives trying to prove ourselves to everyone else, huh?" he whispered. "For our own reasons, but still…"

"Might have something to do with why our chi is attuned," Azula mused, smiling and kissing him softly. "Though I suppose it has a lot more to do with what we've spent the whole day doing, too?"

Sokka chuckled and pulled her close, kissing her joyfully as they relaxed together on the mattress. Azula smiled brightly, eyes closed as she basked in everything he did, but that smile waned in time, as she realized most the day had already slipped past them after glancing at the open balcony.

"It's… not that late yet," she said, sighing in relief. "But time really should stop going faster when we're together. It's plain rude."

"It really is, huh?" said Sokka, biting his lip and stroking her hair. "Do you think we'll see each other again sometime soon?"

"We might," she said. "Though I'm not sure if it will be that soon. The verdict on the test will be out tomorrow at some point, and I suppose I also ought to talk to my father about all I've discovered. All homeless people were telling the truth, they are indeed who they say they are. So I'll need his approval to proceed with whatever I'll do, from here on…"

"Then it might take another week for us to see each other," Sokka pouted. Azula smiled and shrugged.

"Well… we could force things, if you really are that desperate to be with me," she said. "Ty Lee may be a pain, but… she did give us a good idea with the Pairs Tournament. If we attend that with her, we'll be together, even if not alone…"

"True," Sokka said, smiling approvingly. "Still, about the homeless people…"

"I'll talk to my father about them, and I'll bring up the Tournament too. If he thinks I can attend it, we'll go. If not, we'll figure out another way to spend more time together," Azula mused, stroking his hair. "Still, if we join the Tournament, we won't have to worry about setting up another challenge for you…"

"Right. These days have been so hectic I forgot about the League," he chuckled. Azula smiled warmly at him. "Getting back to it through a Pairs Tournament would be nice, admittedly. We'll get loads of points if we win, too."

"And if we don't win, we'll lose them," Azula reminded him, with a dry smile. Sokka sighed and grinned guiltily. "Still… it's a way to spend time together, even if it won't be like this unless we get really lucky."

Her fingers trailed over his face, touching his cheekbone and moving towards his lips. He kissed her fingertips softly.

"I, for one, sure hope we do get lucky," he snickered. Azula rolled her eyes but smiled fondly at him. "And once we're back home you can get back to working with the homeless people, right?"

"I guess so," Azula nodded. "I might come up with a few ideas during our trip, too. Getting them out of prison is the main priority, even if they might not think so. Still, there's one more thing about going to Ba Sing Se…"

"Yeah?" Sokka said, intertwining their fingers.

"Song's mother is there, isn't she?" Azula asked. "You've mentioned that's why Hawky often isn't around for you to send your own messages, so…"

"Right," said Sokka, nodding as his eyes lit up with the idea Azula had already had. "Are you thinking…?"

"That we could bring her with us?" she said, with a small smile. "Why, yes I am. I can't see why not. She's endured plenty of nonsense from us as it is, it's simply a way to thank her for all she's done for us."

"She's going to be thrilled," said Sokka, with a happy sigh. Azula nodded.

"I figure as much. Refrain from telling her until we know for sure that we'll join the Tournament, though," she said. "I do think we should bring her with us whenever we do go to Ba Sing Se, but I'd rather not give her false hopes before it's set in stone, you know?"

"Of course," said Sokka, nodding. "I'll keep my mouth shut."

"You've gotten better at keeping secrets lately. And at lying," Azula teased him, smirking. "It should be fairly easy for you by now."

"It's not that easy, mind you…" he pouted. Azula laughed.

"Well, it should be," she declared, prodding his nose with hers. "Regardless of how nervous you were with Zhao, you still didn't say anything incriminating enough for him to realize that the one who endangered my virtue was you rather than Rui Shi, so… you couldn't have done that poor a job of it, could you?"

"That… is debatable," Sokka said, grimacing. Azula raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, he was sure you and Rui Shi were in some sort of relationship, but… he did say that I would never have a shot at marrying you, just like Hahn wouldn't. I forgot to mention that earlier, everything in our conversation kind of blurred together after it happened, but I remembered later that he said that, and… yeah."

"He seriously said that?" Azula asked, her relaxation fading suddenly as she eyed Sokka warily. "But he thought I was with Rui Shi, why would he…? Unless… was he trying to help us in an even more roundabout way than I thought?"

"You mean… that he wanted you to marry Rui Shi so you could carry on having a relationship with me on the side?" Sokka asked, with a confused grimace. "It didn't sound like it. He really didn't seem to think you and I would have a future after what he'd do. He told me I had to move on, pretty much…"

"He said you should move on? Really?" Azula asked, skeptically. "Well, I suppose that was a clue that he wasn't trying to reveal you as my secret lover, he would have arrested you right away instead. But then, he thought you would have to get over your feelings for me? He said you couldn't marry me too, so…"

"So… I guess he knows I love you," Sokka muttered, biting his lip. "And, uh, I suppose he didn't tell your father about it?"

"That is odd," Azula said, frowning. "Granted, if he assumes I'd never act on it, he'd think there's no danger but… he could have warned my father about you, too. I mean, I spend far more time with you than with any other man, and our relationship always surprises people, surprised them even before we were together. Even if he's assuming I'd have such firm control over myself that I'd never get involved with you, I'd think he would have told my father."

"And your father would've done something about it?" Sokka asked. Azula shrugged.

"At the very least he would have warned me of your wicked intentions," she smirked. "At worst, though… who knows, he might have even forced me to relinquish you and find a less dangerous gladiator."

"Huh?" said Sokka. Azula smiled dryly.

"That's why I'm sure Zhao didn't tell him about how you felt," she said. "The consequences would have made themselves known by now. I've been around my father too many times as of late for him to refrain from talking about your feelings for me, even if just to tease me… though I'm sure he wouldn't find your apparent crush on me as harmless as Zhao seems to think it is."

"My crush on you…?" he smirked, and Azula laughed. "Well, that's one way to put it. I have a serious crush on you, and it only get worse every day, Princess…"

He leaned close, nibbling on her neck as she laughed again and provided him full freedom to touch her as he liked. Her face was a mask of bliss as his lips worked on her.

"But… if Zhao knows you have a thing for me, even if he has no idea what kind of thing it is, we do have to get you up to snuff in the lying department," said Azula, smirking. "Provided, of course, that you promise not to use your improved lying skills against me…"

"I wouldn't dream of it!" he declared, though he raised his head to look at her with curiosity. "But… I can learn how to lie convincingly?"

"Of course," Azula said, smirking. "It's not so hard. First off, you learn to distance yourself from the topic at hand. The best way to lie is to not care about the lie, to treat it as a casual thing to say, akin to a regular conversation topic. That's how I can lie convincingly enough that it sounds like I'm absolutely sure of what I'm saying."

"That's fair," said Sokka, nodding. "Do you have an example?"

"Well…" she said, smiling a little. "I suppose it was time I revealed that I'm a four-hundred-foot tall purple platypus bear with pink horns and silver wings."

"You… okay. That's a ridiculous thing to say," he sneered. "Anyone can see that's not true!"

"Ah, but if I say it with enough conviction, it sounds like I truly believe in those words," Azula said, smirking. "So, my conviction in nonsensical lies transitions into genuinely important things, like how unappealing you truly are to me. Frankly, I have no idea what Admiral Zhao has heard, but I would never think of you as anything other than some crude, ordinary gladiator."

Sokka blinked blankly and she gave him a dry grin. He rolled away from her, staring at the ceiling in disbelief.

"So, you never loved me…" he whimpered, as Azula laughed and climbed atop him. "Oh, woe is me…"

"Well, you're certainly putting on a great performance right now, but it's still not good enough," Azula said, smirking. Sokka chuckled and shook his head.

"Alright, well, I know you were lying, but it would still feel bad to hear you say stuff like that so bluntly," he said, cupping her cheek. Azula took his hand in hers.

"I'm afraid we won't have a choice but to lie like this, if anyone else gets too close to discovering us," she said. "So, for the sake of saving ourselves and our relationship, you shall learn how to deny our relationship believably. Understood?"

"Fine," he said, pouting. "But I'll add… that I'm a tiger seal, and I like eating people's pants."

Azula snorted and Sokka laughed too at his ridiculous lie. Azula smiled and propped herself on his chest, her chin atop her hands.

"As you were," she said. "Now, begin lying about things that come closer to your reality."

"Well, I… I really want to be friends with Hahn," he said, biting his lip. "I don't know why it's so hard, but I think we could be kindred spirits, you know?"

"Could you now?" Azula smirked. "Why's that? Is it you share tastes in matters of women, by any chance?"

"Ha, as if," Sokka retorted, with a smirk. "I can't say I care for… ugh. Okay. How do I even say this? I really can't do it…"

"Hey," she said briskly, kissing his lips softly. "Just distance yourself from reality, don't put any stock in what you're saying. Pretend you're another Sokka, one with, uh…"

"Awful taste in women?" Sokka asked, raising an eyebrow. Azula smiled.

"Sure. Why not?" she said. "Come. It's part of a performance, nothing more. Try it."

"You won't take it seriously?" Sokka pouted. "I really don't mean any of it…"

"I know that," Azula laughed, kissing him again. "Stop being silly and do it."

"Okay, fine…" he said. "Well, no, I don't like the girls he likes, especially not Princess Azula. How could I want to see more of her? I mean, I see too much of her, if anything…"

"That could cause so many misunderstandings that I can only advise you not to repeat those words ever again," Azula said. Sokka snorted and nodded.

"Alright, new attempt," he said. "Truly, Hahn has no idea what he's getting into. The Princess is just… no fun, you know? All we ever do is train, and practice, and train. She makes fun of me, she embarrasses me in front of other people… why would I like her at all?"

"Good enough for now, I suppose," said Azula, smiling. "But if Zhao already knows what he apparently knows… then you have to lie, not about how you feel, but about what's happened between us."

"Oh. Huh," said Sokka. "Well, I certainly don't have sex with her on a regular basis. We don't do oral either. We certainly don't bathe together…"

"Ah, sure, being so specific won't make it obvious you're lying," Azula smirked, shaking her head. "Try again?"

"Fine," Sokka smiled. "Alright then, I… I have been by her side for a long time now, and I can't deny I find the Princess fascinating, but she'd never allow it. Ever. And I'm grateful for it because what kind of relationship would we even have? Sneaking around, trying to avoid her father all the time? Living in eternal fear of everything bad that would happen if we were caught? We're better off like this, not just because she doesn't feel the same towards me but because it's more practical anyways."

"Fine, then," Azula shrugged, suddenly playing the role of Zhao in their debate. "Then how about you tell me why you were so nervous during the Ball?"

"Because I… I really hated the idea of her with anyone else, you know?" Sokka laughed, sadly. "I guess I'm selfish like that. Reminds me that I'm just not good enough for her, that I never will be, and that only frustrates me. Even when the festivals happened, I couldn't gather the courage to give her one of those flowers to tell her my feelings. Heck, when we traveled to the Earth Kingdom, I heard of a legend in Makapu Village, and I could climb Mount Makapu to find another similar flower, but I didn't because I knew it would be useless. Whenever she's upset about anything I always fail to lift her spirits. I mean, how would I ever manage to do that? I could make a fool of myself, maybe, but then I might just annoy her…"

"Then perhaps you ought to cheer her up differently," said Azula, shrugging.

"By doing what, writing poetry for her? Ha!" Sokka said, shaking his head. "Should I dance with her too, while I'm at it? Hold her while she shares all her sorrows with me, comfort her and defend her from anyone who tries to do her harm? Well, I have done the last thing, but all her guards do that too. Hardly makes me stand out, does it?"

"But you don't want to stand out," Azula reminded him. "Or is it you secretly long for her to acknowledge you as someone more important than the rest?"

"Nah, that's just vanity," Sokka sighed. "It wouldn't happen, nor would I want it to. My life's complicated enough, and I always wanted it to be simple. So, no, I don't want that sort of acknowledgement. If she thinks I'm ordinary and easily replaceable, all the better for me. I can't fool myself about my true worth, and neither should she. Anyone else could do, anyone other than me."

"Then why you?" Azula asked. "Why does she keep you around, even with all this in mind? There's no way she hasn't noticed your feelings…"

"She takes advantage of those feelings, of course," said Sokka, shrugging. "She knows I'll do anything for her, and I do. Why trade that for a gladiator who doesn't care? I'm but a hopeless puppet here to abide by her wishes, and that's what I've always been. It's what I was during our trips to the Earth Kingdom, what I was when it came to the Gladiator Business. It's what I am when it comes to anything about her."

"That's not what it looks like, though. Not on any common day," Azula said, stroking his hair gently to push it away from his face. Sokka smiled.

"It's because I've done a fairly good job at pretending otherwise. But in truth, I… I'm not essential. She's probably just too lazy to find a better gladiator."

"Fair enough," said Azula, raising her eyebrows. "Then, you do know your place, and your feelings for her are truly no threat? Not even a little?"

"No, not even a little," said Sokka, smiling. "From the moment I met her, I knew…"

He fell silent then, and Azula frowned a little. She prodded his nose with hers, compelling him to keep talking.

"You knew what?" she asked, her mouth bare inches away from his.

"I knew she was extraordinary," he whispered, his hand cupping her cheek. "And that the man worthy of such a remarkable woman would have to be just as extraordinary, too."

Azula smiled, her chest aching by now over the gold fire burning inside her. She leaned close to kiss him softly, and he answered gently too, his own chest aching under the weight of all he'd just said. He could have been convincing, he guessed, but these kinds of lies took a bad toll on him anyways.

"I'm quite lucky I did find such a man, then," Azula whispered, stroking his cheek with her knuckles. His eyes widened. "What? You thought I was settling for less than what I'm worth?"

She spoke smugly, but teasingly. Sokka chuckled and shook his head, smiling brightly at her. Tears blinked on the corners of his eyes as he pulled her in for a deeper kiss, as the overwhelming love he felt for her appeared to burst from him. It was easy to acknowledge that they'd never experienced joy the way they had started to ever since the better leg of their relationship had begun, ever since that blissful afternoon in Shu Jing, and since that fateful day when they had given themselves to the other fully.

"I really…" he laughed, still feeling the tears in his eyes. "I don't know what's wrong with me, I just…"

"Sokka…" Azula smiled, cupping his face and kissing his eyelids. He laughed, an arm wrapped around her waist. His joyful tears seemed to elicit some from her, too.

"I love you," he said, burying his face in her neck and breathing her in deeply. "I love you so much I feel like I'm going to explode because I can't take it. And every day you make me fall deeper for you, you know? It's not fair…"

"I'm the one who ought to say that," she laughed, kissing his temples. "My life was so much easier when you weren't here making me feel things and helping me experience every fantasy I'd ever longed for, you know?"

"No doubt," he laughed too. She smiled brightly and cupped his face in her hands, so he would stare into her eyes now.

"I'm glad my life isn't any easier," she whispered. "I'm proud of us. We've come really far, even if, at our core, we're still a pair of fools who'll argue over the stupidest things, and who'll tease each other like there's no tomorrow. But everything that's happened…"

"It's made us what we are now," he said, smiling too as he sought her hands with his own. "And I wouldn't change that at all. Not a chance."

"Nor would I," she said, beaming. "And it's only been a year… and a few months, that is."

Sokka chuckled but nodded, kissing her softly and gazing up at her afterwards, his tender blue eyes so warm and gentle that Azula felt herself coming undone under that gaze. And yet, coming undone with him was just right. She wasn't afraid of showing him any sides of herself anymore. He had known her at her worst, discovered her best, and grown to love her more than she had ever thought she'd be loved in her entire life. He was the man she'd gladly marry, the man who had changed her world for the better: she only hoped she'd done the same for him.

"It's just the beginning," she said, with a small laugh, tears burning in her eyes too. "One year… when we intend to spend a lifetime together. It's barely the start, and look at us…"

"I'm looking," he said, beaming. "And I like what I see, always have. The two of us… we're unstoppable, aren't we?"

"I'd like to think so," she said, laughing and dropping atop him, her smile so wide she was sure her cheeks would hurt for hours afterwards.

"And you're quite right…" he sighed in bliss. "It's only our first year together, and… and I've never been happier. I've never felt like life's worth living as much as I do when I'm with you."

"Even though you still have those occasional suicidal tendencies I keep scolding you for…" Azula pouted slightly. Sokka laughed, burying his face in her hair.

"Rest assured… you've done an amazing job at convincing me that I shouldn't welcome death as readily as I used to. I want to live on, with you, for as long as this body can endure it. And it better endure a lot of it!"

"It better, indeed," Azula laughed, pressing her face to his neck and kissing him gently. "You've made me the happiest I've been, too. I can't thank you enough for it, really…"

"You don't have to thank me at all," he said, chuckling. "I'm pretty sure we're even. And we do always go about things evenly, don't we?"

"We sure try, at least," Azula smiled, stroking his jawline with her fingertips. "Thank you for today, and, uh… sorry I almost ruined it."

"You didn't," Sokka smiled back. "I'm the one who went overboard even though I should have known better. But I still did it, and… hell, at least we can laugh about it, can't we?"

"We can," Azula whispered, relaxing in his arms. "And I still can thank you for it all anyways. To think you even brought mochi back into my life…"

"And you didn't lose your mind over it, see?" Sokka teased, squeezing her waist gently. "I'll make mochi now whenever I want to see you. The very promise of mochi should have you running here at haste…"

Azula snorted and smacked his chest lightly. Sokka laughed and kissed her brow, his loving gaze making her sigh in bliss again. A year ago, they had lain in this position as well – only, in the right direction across the bed –, and she had struggled to get used to this kind of intimacy. Now it came easy, it felt safe, it felt right. There was, truly, nowhere she'd rather be.

"I love you," she whispered. He answered with a light kiss.

"And I love you," he said, with a goofier grin. Azula laughed but pushed herself up, gaining proper access to his lips from a better angle now.

It was her turn to guide their lovemaking this time, as they smiled and laughed together through it all, whispering tender words as if sharing secrets the rest of the world could never hear. Their hearts blazed together, as pleasure and love rushed through their bodies in a delightful mix. Their chi surely was as attuned as could be right now, when they couldn't help but cherish each other as they sat together on the bed, embracing tightly, her legs wrapped around his waist as he filled her with his shaft.

Their relationship had been rather reckless, even before it took its romantic turn. By now, there was never a moment they didn't live to the fullest, never an instant in which they weren't amazed by everything the other had brought to their lives. Their resolve to spend their lives together only strengthened further, in the heat of that bright afternoon where they pledged themselves to one another all over again, wordlessly vowing to continue giving the other unparalleled joy, and to build a future together where they would only hide their relationship from the rest of the world by choice, and not because they had no other choice. A future where they could just be Sokka and Azula, with no obstacles in the way of the bond that would bring them together forevermore.

---

"You've been entrusted with an important mission, Renkai. You'd best not to disappoint me."

Renkai tried to hold down his genuine reaction, to control himself and restrain his feelings on the matter. But it was harder than ever to do so right now, when the General had assigned him to the newly instated third squad of the Imperial Guards.

Renkai was the only one of the old Imperial Guards to be reassigned. He was to join the new squad of Imperial Guards, despite having served dutifully under General Shaofeng for five years now. But Shaofeng seemed to think this was a great opportunity for his underling, or at least, he intended to make him believe as much.

"If I may inquire… why me, General?" Renkai asked, uneasy. "Did I do anything I shouldn't have…?"

"I need someone reliable in this position," Shaofeng declared, frowning. "You would do best to understand the honor you've been granted rather than questioning my decisions. Do not make the mistakes Captain… well, the former Captain Rui Shi made."

"Do you want me to report on the Princess's actions, then?" Renkai asked. "Or on those of her men, instead?"

"Both," said Shaofeng. "You are to serve as an inside source. My eyes amid their lot, especially whenever they travel and are well removed from the Fire Lord's reach. If they so much as hint at any manner of treason, of operations to destabilize Fire Lord Ozai's rule, you will report it to me at haste."

"I shall," said Renkai. "But if I'm expected to gain their trust, I fear… I fear I may not be able to do so as easily as that. Using me as the only agent infiltrating their ranks is bound to make me the outsider among them. They won't deem me worthy of sharing whatever plans you suspect they could be hatching."

"You will make them deem you worthy. You won't fail me," Shaofeng declared. Renkai tensed up.

"I don't intend to," he said. "But I can't help but think that, perhaps, dividing their group amid our squads could serve to keep them from conspiring to damage the Fire Lord's rule. If we dissolved their team…"

"If we did as much, they may prove themselves capable of corrupting our fellow guards. It isn't a risk I intend to take," Shaofeng stated. "If you were to catch them in the middle of their conspiracy, we could rid ourselves of the entire squad and you'd return to the rest of us afterwards. Once that's done, everything can go back to the way it used to be."

"I understand," said Renkai, nodding. Shaofeng's eyes narrowed.

"You do, then? You won't fail me?" he said. "You will destroy this revolution long before it grows roots, yes?"

"I…" Renkai said, eyes wide, but he nodded submissively. "As soon as I have irrefutable evidence, I will report it immediately, sir."

"Good. You may retire," Shaofeng said, curtly.

Renkai obeyed, his feet heavy, as though lined with lead. His work as an Imperial Guard had never led him directly into political conflicts, and yet he felt he was involved in one right now. It was no secret that the General had it in his head that the Princess's request had been motivated by dishonest, self-serving reasons: he was determined to prove his interpretation as the absolute truth, especially after Rui Shi's displays of boldness and absolute loyalty to Princess Azula during the tests. The former Captain's insolence had cut deep in Shaofeng's pride, and he meant to stop at nothing to punish him for it…