AU where Azula is a smol farm girl. Because something about my favorite characters and country livin’ appeals to me. Honestly this is more of an experimental one shot. But I kind of like how it turned out. So if you guys like it, I might make it into a multi-parter. Let me know what you think.
The boy from down the road with his pickup truck and
charming smile was Azula’s childhood friend. As a girl her father would let her
wander, barefoot, down the road for a few miles to go and see him. Of course,
Zuko was always lingering somewhere behind. He wasn’t too thrilled that he had
to watch her instead of playing with Mai or Tylee. But that was okay because
Mai and Tylee were her school yard friends first. The first time Azula met
Sokka was when she’d snuck out of the house and got herself lost. She stumbled
upon their summer barbecue and bonfire party. She was only three, maybe four.
And she spent the whole night chasing fireflies around his backyard and
stuffing them into unused jam jars. By morning Sokka’s mother had contacted
Ozai and she was on her way home supplied with homemade waffles and strawberry
jam. Katara and her mother had made it special. Naturally she and Zuko took a
stern yelling; Zuko for not watching her and Azula for leaving the yard in the
first place.To this day Azula would often make her way down the road,
when chores were in short supply, to watch her childhood friend plow the fields
or unload bales of hay down from trucks. His skin was always a shade or two
darker than normal after hours in the sun. And lordy, lordy the way the sun accented
his muscular arms.With a ‘woo-wee, it’s hot today’, Sokka swiped at his
forehead with his gloved hand.“My bad.” Azula grinned as she hopped over his picket fence.
Her boots hit the grass with a soft thud. Costly cowgirl boots at that, Ozai
would surly kill her if he found out how close she’d just come to landing in
the mud. He’d kill her twice over for making the offer she was about to. “You
look like you got yerself a lot to do today.”Over the country music he had blasting from his pickup, he
couldn’t hear her. Not until she stood right beside him and repeated her
greeting louder than necessary.“Yup, almos’ harvest time.” Sokka replied. He cranked the
car stereo down a notch or two.“Well lucky for you, daddy recruited Zuko to do the field
work this year and Zuko sweet-talked Mai into milkin’ the cows. Unfortunately,
TyLee and her sisters have some preparations of their own to make. I hear that
her family is holdin’ our annual county fair this year. I reckon TyLee is
practicin’ her ridin’, she really wants the blue ribbon this year.”“I heard about that too.” Sokka stabbed his pitchfork into
the ground.“Which means I have nothing else to do.” Azula flounced down
onto the nearest square of hay. “I could give you a hand.”“Well I already good ‘n got mos’ the animals fed. ‘Sept the
chickens.” Sokka replied. “Ma and Katara’s already tended the garden. They’re
werkin on the pastries. Ma’s got a killer pie cookin’ she reckons we’ll win the
baking contest this year. ‘Stead of the BeiFongs and that adopted boy, Aang.”Azula considered for a moment. “Perhaps you will. But ya’ll
going need some help if you wanna do that.” She plucked a piece of hay from her
shorts.Sokka rubbed the back of his head. “Well what I’m sayin’ is
that all that’s left ta do is the combine work and…” He gave the bale of hay a
pat. “Movin’ hay about.”“Remember when you told me that I couldn’t fish none, ‘cause
I’m a girl?”Sokka nodded.
“And then I won the fishin’ contest?” She added with a lazy
flick of her hair.“What that got ta do with this here conversation?” Sokka
questioned.“I think that you think, that I can’t drive a combine
harvester.” Azula half sing-songed. “Well I guess I’m just going to have to get
to provin’ you wrong again.” She shot him one of her snide smiles.“A’right then, go ahead.” Sokka brushed a hand over her
hair. “If ya ken start the combine, you can use it. But only ‘cause we gota
lota work ta git done yet.” He handed her the keys and watched her climb up and
into the large machine. She took her cowgirl hat off and set it to the side.“I’ll have yer crops done in no time Sokka.” She guaranteed.
With a smile, a promise, and a healthy dose of friendly competition she got to
work.Sokka shook his head and chuckled. Ever since that girl
found her way to his family’s farm, she impressed him. She was a girl with her
heart set on making it big in the country music world. He cranked the radio
back up, he hoped that he’d one day get to hear a song of hers while he went
about his daily tasks. But all at one she could work a farm as good as any. And
despite childish banter he had his suspicions that she knew her way around the
farm work and machinery better than he did. He rolled his eyes and brought down
another bale of hay.Between she, the horse-savvy TyLee, and Mai with her
surprisingly green thumb, these ladies were going to run he and Zuko out of
jobs for sure. Whether Azula’s father wanted her to or not.The sun was finally coming into full view, the last traces
of early morning brightening into afternoon. He watched the combine and it’s
dutiful driver, make good time going up and down the field. His stress fell
away; maybe, just maybe he and his family would make enough cash to get by this
year.
Tag: bellatrixobsessed1
Mini Sokka Fic
“Stupid fucking car.” Azula mumbled she jammed the keys into the ignition for a third time. Still the engine refused to turn over. She’d twist the key only for it to make a few mechanical coughs and wheezes before sputtering out altogether.
She fumbled around in her pocket for her phone, spilling out a pair of gloves and a crumpled post it note in the process. Swearing once more she collected her escaped belongings.
She hit the power button and waited for it to turn on. But just like her car, her phone wasn’t working either. Rather, between one busy event after another, she’d forgotten to charge it. She scowled, trying to flag down a car like some sort of desperate hitchhiker was beneath her.
With a sigh she sat herself on the hood of her car, elbows on her knees, and chin cupped in her hands. She’d simply wait there until Zuko noticed she was missing and had the mind to go out looking for her. Heaven knows their father wouldn’t.
She drummed her fingers against her cheeks.The sound of another car; one that was clearly down a muffler, assaulted her ears. Sure enough a lovely beater car had come to a rolling stop next to her own sleek, brand new car. It’s driver rolled his window down.
“Need a hand?” Called the young man, he couldn’t have been much older than she.
“I need a working car, not a hand.” She quipped.
“Ha. Ha.” The boy muttered. He stepped out of the car anyhow. “Lucky for you, I’m used to car problems.”
She looked at his car, “yes I can tell.”
Ignoring her commentary, he continued, “so I taught myself a few tricks. I wouldn’t mind taking a look at it for you.”
Azula stole a peek at the man’s watch. Zuko wouldn’t even be home for another hour. “Alright fine, what have I got to lose?”
The boy smiled. From his car he pulled out a metal box. He dashed straight to her car, seeming almost eager to be inspecting it. “Pop the hood if you will.”
With a shrug, Azula flicked the small lever, allowing for the boy to open the hood. She found herself relieved when a puff of smoke didn’t immediately nail him in the face. She stepped out of the car to stand by his side. She couldn’t see anything wrong.
“Your battery it just dead. Easy fix, I’ll just need to jump it.”
“Jump it?.”
“Yeah. Basically I just have to pull my car up, attach these babies,” he pulled out jumper cables, “to my car’s battery and your car’s.”
Azula yawned, “just do what you need to do.” She waved her hand dismissively. Even so she watched him intensely as he hooked the red clip onto what he so poorly described as the “positive thingy.”
“And what exactly is this positive thingy?”
He rubbed the back of his head, “uh…it’s kind of like…it’s the…uh, positive thingy.”
Azula rolled her eyes. Watching him repeat the action on his own car.
“Now you take the black clip and latch it onto the negative thingy.” He explained. “Now I just start my car and we wait. This could take a bit.”
“Right. Red for positive, black for negative, and start the car.” Azula repeated, deciding that this is probably one of those things she should store for future references. “I suppose I should thank you.” She reached into her other pocket and slipped him a bill. She didn’t bother to look at how much she had just tipped him, it didn’t really matter.
“Wow, this is kind of a lot. Thanks.”
She waved his gratitude off. As far as she was concerned, he did her a service, and services required pay.
“We’re gonna be here for a while so we may as well get to know each other.” He pointed out. “My name is Sokka.”
For a moment she was silent. Deciding that this Sokka seemed harmless, she replied, “Azula.”
“Nice to meet you.” Sokka beamed.
“In due time you’ll find out that that’s not true.” She was being serious, but the man chuckled. She supposed that she’d rather wait with him than anyone else. He seemed more genuine than most people she happened across in that town. And who knew, perhaps she’d have her first real friend, since moving there.
Flecks Of White
A little fic for Sokkla day.
With the snow in hair and the frost on her scarf she walked.
Only a few paces in front of him.
But it was enough distance for him to marvel at her graceful
strides and fluid motions. Her lips parted slightly, allowing for a soft mist
to spill into the air. She turned to look at him, her hair fanning out as the
wind fluttered through it.Flecks of white on silky black.
She closed her eyes briefly the snow hung like diamonds on
her lashes.She practically belonged there, in the sparkling winter,
trending through ankle deep fluff. If he didn’t know her he’d say that she was
born from snow and ice.But when she spoke to him, the illusion fell. “Sokka it’s
freezing out here. Show me the penguins and so we can get back inside.” She
nudged the snow with her boot.“We’re almost there.” Sokka replied. “They live in this
cave, it’s pretty neat. You’ll like it.”“Will I like it as much as the warmth of indoors?”
Sokka climbed over a particularly large rock and extended
his hand to help Azula over it. But the princess had already made her way over
it. After stumbling over a few more small boulders and mounds of snow, the pair
stood in the mouth of a cave.Azula gazed into its gaping expanse. Icy stalactites
cascaded down from the ceiling, glittering silver and shades of pastel blue.
From a hole in the cave ceiling droplets of water drizzled occasionally to the
floor where they formed a glassy pool of pure ice that reflected the stars
above.“So?” Azula raised an eyebrow. “Where are these penguins?
All I see is more snow.”“They’ll be here any minute now.” Sokka insisted.
“Right.” Azula muttered, tapping her fingers on the cave
wall.“No really, they all kind of just waddle through the
entrance and swarm you.” Sokka declared.“I’m so excited.” Azula replied with as little enthusiasm as
she could. She slowly paced around the cave.“Come look at this.” Sokka beckoned Azula over.
The princess silently slinked over.
He pointed at the pool of ice. Beneath it little fish darted
back and forth.“How charming.” Azula yawned.
Signaled by the sound of many tapping feet, Sokka turned
Azula’s attention to the mouth of the cave. The penguins filed one by one
through the cave’s mouth until each one was huddled inside. “Now watch this.”
Sokka grinned. He grabbed Azula by the wrist and tugged her into the center of
the penguin swarm. “You ever get hugged by a penguin before?”“I’m allergic to hugs.”
“Even mine?”
“Especially yours.”
Ignoring any further protests, Sokka held one of the
littlest penguins out to Azula. It flapped its wings in her direction. “Go on,
hold him.”Azula reluctantly took the penguin from Sokka, allowing it
to nestle in her parka. The other penguins too this as permission to close in.
Each snuggling closer to Azula and Sokka, in turn pushing the duo closer to one
another.“You warm yet?” Sokka asked.
“Not warm enough.” Azula replied.
“How about now?” Sokka asked as he placed another penguin in
her arms.She stroked the animal’s head with a lazy sort of interest.
The other penguin weaseled his way in front of the first, eager to take his
turn. She only ran her hand over its head twice before another wormed its way
to her. And after that penguin, came another and one more.“Sokka, there are too many of them.” Azula frowned. “I can’t
hold five penguins.”“You can over throw the Earth Kingdom but you can’t take on
five penguins?” Sokka laughed.“I hate you.” Azula grumbled as another three penguins
waddled up to her.“We both know that, that’s not true.” Sokka replied, taking
a seat next to her. “We both also know that you like these penguins too.”“Yes, well I still hate the cold. Can we go inside yet?”
“If you can get us through the penguin blockade.” Sokka
shrugged.Azula looked up to find a line of penguins blocking the
cave’s entrance. A line of penguins that looked like they had no intention of
leaving.“There are at least twelve penguins over there, Sokka.
That’s more than five penguins.” Azula pointed out.Sokka shrugged. “Looks like we’re going to be here a while
then.”
Because I have a little free time and some concert and Azula feels, have a modern AU Sokkla concert date one shot.
Sokka hoisted Azula up onto his shoulders. He swore he
wouldn’t do it, that she was on her own, but somehow he always ended up doing
what she wanted him to do. He had hoped with all of his soul that Azula would
either be tall enough to see the band or that they would get close enough to
the front that it wouldn’t be a problem. Typically, they found themselves stuck
in the middle of the crowd and Azula proved to be as tiny as he had dreaded. Naturally
she blamed him and this time he couldn’t disagree.Azula had wanted to leave early so they could get a good
spot. And they did, but Sokka’s hunger got the best of him and they ended up
stopping for food. By the time he had finished his meal the evening traffic was
in full swing and they arrived just as the doors opened.“Can you see now?” Sokka shouted over the music.
“Yes, very well.” She declared.
Above the screaming crowd was one of her favorite places to
be. She may not have had a balcony view but seeing a sea of enthusiastic hands
was always a thrill. To know that she could see all of them and truly get a
sense of the room’s energy. Each member of the crowd seemed to spark life into other
concert attendees, the lively vibe seemed to just flow from one person to the
next until no one was left bored or silent.For a few hours—from the time they entered the venue to the
time they left—Azula desired to toss her higher-class life to the side and pursue
the kind of high risk, hardcore, go all night lifestyle that the rockers on
stage had.Wanted to be the kind of person who could walk onto a stage
and immediately bring life and wildness to the room. Of course she could walk up to the pedestal at
town hall and speak to a more political savvy crowd in place of her father. And
those people would clap for her. She could make them feel a sense of togetherness
through flowery political language. But she couldn’t every bring upon that genuine
sense of unity that music always could.Maybe one day. She
mused to herself. Sokka isn’t such a bad
guitarist. She couldn’t imagine that he’d be at all opposed to starting up
a secret band with her. The only question would be that if they’d sing rock or
metal.The crowd gave another round of claps and whistles as the
final song came to an end. Surely an encore was to come. She and Sokka had been
to many shows and there always were encores. The thought always reminded Azula
that their first date was at a rock concert, so was their second. Before that
they had met each other on a few separate occasions at a concert. None of their
meet ups had been planned at the time, they just so happened to have the same
taste in music and the luck to keep running into each other until they finally
decided to take their friendship outside of the metal scene.How lovely it would be to have the power to bring to people together
like that just by getting up on a stage and doing what you love. For sure
forming a band had made it onto Azula’s to do list. But for the time being she
was content to sit on Sokka’s shoulders and sing along to the final encore
songs until her ears rung and she could no longer speak.Between lyrics she found herself already planning out who to
see next.
With A Blanket and A Latte
A pumpkin spice latte, a blanket, a creepy house, and a
movie.The simple essentials the make the night worthwhile.
Those were the things Sokka and Azula had left the party
scene to go enjoy. Sokka’s sugar high was wearing off and spin the bottle and
bobbing for apples just weren’t cutting it anymore. Azula was growing tired of the
same old, same old. Every year one of the twenty or so sexy kitties—and an
occasional sexy nurse or cop—would win the costume party. Azula was convinced
that she and Zuko would win with their steampunk elf costumes. Bu apparently, originality
was no longer in. It would seem there was a certain amount of ass reveal
required to win you even an honorable mention.Zuko had already sulked off to complain to Mai who had some
complaints of her own; namely that TyLee had dragged her into this one and
forced her into one of said sexy costumes. The acrobat in question had almost
won the costume contest for her sexy tabby cat costume. In fact the trophy was
in her hands and then the judges realized that Katara of all people was wearing
the exact same one. So instead he trophy was handed to a sexy black cat—one of
Chan’s ladies.Azula had scoffed to herself, thinking that, if any sexy costume
had to win it should have been June’s sexy jester costume. At least that one
had been somewhat different. Hell, she had even thought that Iroh’s teapot
costume deserved to win over another kitty.It was with that thought Azula headed for the door. Just in
time to run into Sokka who was groaning about his aching stomach with an
already half-empty trick-or-treat bucket in hand. She had rolled her eyes and—feeling
unusually generous and sympathetic—took his hand and led him outside. Outside
and away from a tipsy crowd that would likely make things worse for the poor
man.“This really blows, you know?” Sokka had grumbled. “I could
be in there having a great time but instead I feel sick.”Azula couldn’t quite remember her own response but it had
been something along the lines of, “you should have thought about that before
downing half of your candy in under an hour.” Even so she still felt somewhat
bad that his Halloween was going just as poorly as hers. He hadn’t even
expected his night to go sour, unlike her. So she may have mumbled a thing or
two about an abandoned house in a forest just across the river, over this
rickety bridge.The walk itself had been eerie. And just for the sake of
making Sokka squeamish she took a detour past the local cemetery, pointing out
the most recent deaths and the most ancient and lore-surrounded ones. She
pulled Sokka through the gates and into the heart of the graveyard. A plan that
went smoothly until he became frightened enough to cling onto her. As it would
seem, as scary as she may be, the paranormal was scarier. Or perhaps he thought
her scary enough to ward off demons. No matter what it was, she had hustled out
of the cemetery as quickly as she could so she would no longer have the man clinging
to her arm.At some point during that walk–while standing on the
decaying bridge if Azula recalled right—she had asked him if he still wanted to
go in the creepy house or if he was just going to wimp out and leave her to
watch the rest of Friday the 13th
alone.“Pfft…I’m not afraid of those movies. Not afraid of some
stupid house either.” He had declared boldly.What a liar, Azula
thought to herself as she passed the popcorn to Sokka. Not afraid of a stupid movie, that explains why I had to switch the
movie to Hocus Pocus. She stared from the screen of her phone to Sokka. The
dude had gone through all of the trouble to get her laptop connected to the
wifi so that they could have their movie, she refused to just turn it off.“You cold?” Sokka asked.
“Little bit.” Azula confessed, suddenly aware that the only
warmth she really felt was radiating from her latte to her palms. “Maybe a
little more than a little bit.”Without a word Sokka whipped
out the dorkiest yet warmest looking jack-o-lantern blanket Azula had ever seen
and wrapped it around her. Not long after he began feeling a little chilly
himself and slid under the blanket, tugging it somewhat off of Azula.“I thought we were sharing the
blanket.” She muttered.“We are. See; I have three
fourths of it and you have one fourth.”“How kind of you.” Azula
rolled her eyes.Sokka sighed. “Okay, okay
fine.” He scooched closer to her—close enough for their shoulders to meet and
readjusted the blanket. “Now can we shush and watch the movie?”Azula thought for a moment, “fine.
But no one finds out that we shared a blanket.”“Of course not!” He hollered a
little too quickly. “I don’t want Katara, Aang, and Toph to know that I was
cuddle…hanging out with you.”“Yes, and Mai and TyLee don’t
need to know either.” Azula took a drink of her latte. “It’s not like it’s
going to happen again.”Sokka laughed and rubbed the
back of his head, “yeah, totally not. This has been the worst Halloween ever.”“I do agree.” Azula stated. “We
should have stayed at Chan’s party.”Both of them knew that none of that was true.
Sokka himself was already thinking up a way to try to weasel his way into Zuko
and Azula’s family Thanksgiving dinner./
Overcast
I was having fall feels so have a Sokkla modern AU.
Azula absently stared out the window. Though stare was
probably the wrong term, she was more or less looking through it, lost in
thought. With her arm resting on the table and her chin cupped in her palm, she
waited for either the waiter to set out their food or for Sokka to return from
the restroom. She was willing to bet that the waiter would turn up first.With her free hand she tapped her nails against the
tabletop, only stopping when the waiter set a cup of steaming hot cinnamon
tinged coffee before her. He’d forgotten the whipped cream, but she couldn’t be
bothered to complain. “I’ll be back with your food in a moment.”“Mmm hmm.” The girl mumbled and took the cup in her hands
feeling its warmth in her palms. A very pleasant feeling in comparison to the
brisk outside air. Her eyes fell upon the clusters of fallen leaves scattered
about, decorating the ground and window sill. Some of which had been
unwittingly dragged into the little coffee shop by uncaring feet. It was just
barely mid-autumn and she was already missing those long hot summer nights.As the waiter retreated to fulfill his task, Sokka dropped
himself into the chair across from her. “Your
drink is ready.” Azula slid the steaming beverage to him—a swift, clean gesture
save for the one drop of coffee that dared to drip onto the table. She took a
dainty sip of her own cup and set it back down. “Yu picked a good place this
time.”“Are you saying our last date wasn’t good?” Sokka asked.
With a quick wave of her hand, she replied matter of factly,
“It was a bit lackluster.”The waiter set their food before them. Azula wasn’t particularly
hungry but she picked at it anyhow for no other reason than to keep Sokka from
feeling like he disappointed her again. “I simply prefer other activities.” She
added. And it wasn’t a lie. Sokka had taken her to quite a few surprisingly
high-end food places, but dinner dates just didn’t carry any sort of thrill or amusement
for her. They were nice as far as getting to know someone goes, but she already
knew Sokka. And he knew her, better than she really wanted him to.“Do you want to pick the next place?” Sokka offered.
Azula hummed to herself for a moment as she often did when
she was in thought, a habit Sokka had told her he was quite fond of. “I believe
I have an idea or two.” She finished off what was left in her cup and returned it
to its place on the table. “Whenever you’re ready.”Azula readjusted her brown beanie and tugged her arm-warmers
on before taking Sokka’s hand and stepping outside. There was a grey overcast,
so classically autumn. A slight chill rustled the tree branches and brought
false life to the shriveled leaves on the ground. The unexpected gust had Azula wishing she’d
bought her scarf along too.Sokka swiped the beanie from her head. “Come on, it isn’t
that cold!”“Not cold? Maybe not for someone from Russia, or Alaska, or
wherever you’re from.”“I lived in Minnesota.” Sokka protested.
“Right.” Azula muttered, taking her beanie back.
“So where to?” Sokka questioned.
Azula shrugged, “I was just hoping for a stroll to the park
or something.” She kicked at a pile of leaves. “But it’s a little too chilly
for that so maybe we can…”“Actually I think a nice walk sounds perfect. And if you get
cold we could always cuddle up on one of the park benches.” Sokka cut her off.
The boy was already tugging her across the street. “This park is just the park!
It has the best looking trees.”“Well you aren’t wrong.” Azula shrugged, already feeling
goosebumps prickle up on her skin. She had a good feeling that they would be
snuggling on the park bench very shortly. But Sokka seemed to have other plans.
The boy bunched up a pile of leaves and blew them into her face.Azula sighed, picking a leaf or two from the strands of her
hair left unprotected by the beanie. “Thanks a bunch Sokka.”“Oh come on, lighten up! Aren’t you going to throw them
back? I love fall, fall is the best.” He looked around the park until he found
what he was looking for. He grabbed Azula and tugged her in its direction. “Now
I’m going to jump into these leaves and I want you to take a picture. And then
I can take a picture of you.” Before she could protest he handed her his phone.
“Alright you ready?”“Yes, I’m ready.” Azula held the camera up, waiting for the
right moment to tap the screen. “Got it.” She placed the phone in his palm.“Your turn.” Sokka pointed at what remained of the pile. “Okay
just a second…” he trailed off and began pushing the leaves back into a pile.“Whoever raked these leaves is going to kill us.” Azula
pointed out but fell into the leaves anyhow. Sokka flung himself down beside
her, sending another bundle of leaves raining down upon her.“Really, Sokka?” She tossed the leaves into his face.
“That’s the spirit!” Sokka grinned.
She sniffed haughtily and shoved more of the leaf pile on
top of him. “I hate autumn.” And yet she couldn’t keep from smiling, so she
turned her head the other way.“You’re having a great time and you know it.”
“Only because you’re here.” Azula declared. It was true,
autumn had always been a rather dismal season for her; cold and rainy, and no
longer summer. Yet somehow Sokka’s enthusiasm was contagious. Only last year—before
the boy had moved into the house across the street—Azula would sit inside
loathing the change of the seasons until spring came around. With Sokka there,
beaming warmly at her, she had a feeling that this year would be different.
Yōsei no Denshō
Kind of a Sokkla fic. I don’t quite know what the point of this one is, but it sounds pretty.
It was one of those hot summer nights, the enchanting kind. The
kind where the fireflies skimmed the spring water, lighting up and casting a
dazzling reflection on the steamy water. Azula draped her arms atop the spring’s
rocky wall and watched the steam as it trailed up towards the stars, dissipating
before it even had a chance to float to the roof of the bathhouse.Azula gently massaged her arms and legs with her bar of soap
before turning her attention back to the sky. In the hot springs actually
bathing became something of an afterthought to her. A side project, even though
the whole point was to get cleaned up.In recent weeks she had taken to going to the public
bathhouses as opposed to the one in her own palace. Growing tired of arguing
with Zuko over who got to use it first—a fight that had most recently ended
with Zuko being too stubborn to leave, Azula being too determined to have the
first bath, and both of them awkwardly trying not to look at the other as they
washed—had played a huge role. But aside from that the change of scenery had been
refreshing; night after night she’d visit a different one. Each one brought
with it different kinds of people with different kinds of stories. Azula
herself had become a sort of spectacle at the Hi Tokage bathhouse; people there
seemed to gossip less about themselves and inquiry more about her. And for some
reason she felt obligated to answer, perhaps it was because she felt it wrong
to only listen in and never share. At her most self-honest point she had
admitted inwardly that it was rather nice to have people who wanted to listen
to her talk about life in the palace.Ōkina Hasu was another lovely spring. It was the smallest and
it was family run and it wasn’t very well known. But the little lotus flowers
bobbing on the surface of the water and the candles lining the outside made it
the most relaxing. Most of the customers here were women in their 20’s to 40’s
and their children, with an occasional teenage couple every now and again. A
sharp contrast to the diversity at Hi Tokage and the popular Kazan Kōkyō Haru.
It was at this spring that Azula heard tales about motherhood and some rather
interesting fruit pie recipes.The Ōke Tora spring was like Ōkina Hasu but with a more male
population—mostly young fathers. But as with Ōkina Hasu an occasional woman
would drop in every now and again. Ōke Tora was the hottest of the hot springs
she’d been in and apparently became the most popular in the winter time. This
was the hot spring where Azula could have sworn she’d seen a familiar face or
two.But Yōsei no Denshō
had become her favorite bathhouse. Azula supposed she seemed rather out of
place there. And that the people who saw her leave it probably thought her strange
seeing as Yōsei no Denshō was filled mostly with elderly men and women and one
other girl of Azula’s own age. But the people there had the best tales. The
most enchanting tales. Tales of old lore and magic, of the dragons that used to
dwell across the Fire Nation and dragon charmers and of ancient Fire Lords and
spirits. Tales that Azula couldn’t even find in the royal library…the kind that
were lost aside from word of the mouth.Some part of her, her inner child enjoyed imagining herself
as one of the characters in these tales. For the most part she let herself
blend into the background with the cherry blossom trees but there had been
occasions when she had been enticed enough to step forward and request another
story. SeiKuen’s way of storytelling had that effect on people.The old woman was a servant at her palace when Sozin was
around, who claimed that it was the spirits who had helped her live this long
and this well. Azula had come to find that SeiKuen was the owner of Yōsei no Denshō
and that the girl her age was SeiKuen’s great granddaughter daughter. This
stuck in her mind because SeiKuen was the first person to vocalize the oddity
that was Azula’s presence; “we don’t get many regulars your age around here.”
SeiKuen had shook her head and gave a warm laugh, “just you and that Water
Tribe boy.”And for the first time she noticed Sokka. Sitting in the
corner just as quietly as she had. It was strange to see him so silent and
serious. So deep in thought.“That boy has some wild tales of his own.” SeiKuen had
stated with a warm crooked-toothed smile. “He tells them to me from time to
time. I think I’d like to hear one of yours one day.”Azula recalled nodding her head but then adding with a
foreign humbleness, “mine aren’t nearly as compelling or enchanting as yours
are though.”SeiKuen had given her another chuckle, “nonsense, every tale
is worth sharing.”For a while Azula had been reluctant to offer a story to the
elderly woman. But after a few nights of listening to Sei’s stories, the
princess found herself feeling weirdly guilty and recounted a story or two of
what it had been like far beneath the walls of Ba Sing Se, surrounded by melon
green crystals.Sei cheerfully etched Azula’s story into one of the rocks—the
one she had seen Azula lean on the most—and chattered on about what a lovely
story it was and how she was so glad she had the chance to hear it. The
princess could swear she had captured Sokka’s attention as well. But her focus
was drawn away from him when SeiKuen began spinning a tale about a young farmer
who had found a golden dragon claw. This was, apparently, Sei’s most precious
story—one that she only told on special occasions.It was a tale Azula wouldn’t soon forget. One that she never
wanted to forget. Upon getting home she spent several hours putting it on paper
alongside some of her other favorites, with every intention of asking SeiKuen
to look it over.The night after Azula had stopped by the Yōsei no Denshō to
find it closed. It remained closed for nearly a week, forcing her to spend more
time at Hi Tokage, Kazan Kōkyō Haru and check out the newly established Opāru Suiiki.
None of which had the same charm as Yōsei no Denshō. Finally, just when Azula’s
eagerness was about to explode, Yōsei no Denshō re-opened. Though she couldn’t
seem to find SeiKuen anywhere.Azula allowed a few more days to pass before she swam over
to Sokka and asked him if he had heard anything. He knew just as little as she
did. Finally, on a day during the last month of the summer solstice, news had
come that SeiKuen had been carried carefully away by spirits on the sweet
summer breeze. That night every candle at the spring was lit and every corner
carried the sweet smell of incense. Azula found herself standing next to Sokka
among the same elderly crowd as SeiKuen’s great granddaughter—Azula had come to
know as Miyoko delivered some parting words and shed some tears.“She really liked you two.” The girl had said as the crowd dispersed.
“She was thrilled that she got to hear a story from you before her departure.
She said that it would keep her company on her next journey.”Azula was never one for tears or grief. But then again,
until that summer she had never been one for folktales and public bathhouses
either. Of course she wasn’t crying nearly as freely as Miyoko, who had slipped
away to join her mother. But it was enough to draw the attention of Sokka.“I’m gonna miss her too.” He had confessed, wiping away a
tear or two of his own. “She reminded me of Gran Gran.” By the end of the night
he had his arms around her and they were seeing who could count the most stars
before Yōsei no Denshō locked up for the night. By which time both had long
since lost count and opted to guess which star represented Sei.On other nights the pair would exchange stories and kisses
as the water bubbled around them and the steam twirled about. Naturally they’d
earn a few sneers from the more conservative of the elders. It was definitely one
hell of a summer fling…In the soft glow of the lantern and with the soothing sound
of the churning spring, Azula found herself thinking about all these things as
the most fascinating summer of her life came to a close.
With Frost We Fall
Finally after a long period of writers block and no time, I present to you a brand new shiny Sokkla fic.
On the list of people Sokka couldn’t imagine feeling pity or
sympathy for, Azula was at the top. And yet there he found himself; wrapping
her shivering body into the warmest blanket he had at hand. She wasn’t saying
much and he didn’t have the guts to coax her into talking. She simply sat
there, legs drawn up to her chest as puffs of air slipped between her lips and
rose skybound.Every ounce of Sokka longed to know how she ended up so far
from civilization…so far from the Water Tribe. Every ounce of him wanted to
know why she was even near the water tribe in the first place. All the same, not
one ounce of him had the nerve to ask.So he settled for cradling her close in an attempt to retain
what warmth was left in her.There wasn’t much.
As he gazed down at Azula’s small form he wondered just how
much longer she would last in this condition. Her lips had already been painted
an unnatural bluish purple. Her hands stiff and red, then again he noticed that
everything about her was stiff and tense with cold. He moved to brush away the
frost and flakes of snow clinging to her lashes and pulled her even closer.With her body pressed against his own he could feel just how
violently she was shivering and hear with clarity her morbid struggle to breathe
correctly.Not much longer.
He came to conclude. Sokka knew he should have figured that much out from the get
go. He didn’t know much about firebenders but he knew it was a dreadful sign
when they weren’t bending it to keep themselves warm. And he hadn’t seen a
spark from the otherwise trigger-happy princess.He stroked comfortingly at her hair, but only for a moment
before finding himself disturbed all over again. This time due in part to his
discovery that her hair had become so wet with snowfall that it too was frozen
stiff and stuck together in chunks.She doesn’t even have
a pair of gloves, the thought struck him. He frowned, sarcastically
thanking himself for the new and revolutionary observation. His frown deepened
knowing that he had no idea what to do other than to keep holding her and
hoping that someone would come across the pair.Mid-thought he noticed that Azula’s lips were moving.
“What was that?” He asked.
“You think I deserve
this don’t you?” She spoke only a little louder than the first time and just as
raspy and weak. She sniffed, whether from the cold or sadness he couldn’t quite
be sure.Sokka found himself putting a hand on her stinging red
cheek. “I…well…” he thought for a moment, “no.” Even with his mittens he could
swear the cold radiating from Azula’s skin pierced his skin. “You don’t deserve
this.”Azula was silent for a very long time. Her shivering nearly
halted. She lie there lifelessly. Just before his heart could sink he caught
the faintest slurred whisper. “Why don’t I?”Because you’re just a
kid like the rest of us? Because somehow I know that there’s good in you.
Because no one deserves to die so slow. All of these responses landed on
his tongue.Not one made it further than that.
“Because I love you.” And he couldn’t begin to explain why
he had let that one slip.Her response may have been a laugh, it may have been a
cough. Even at her worst she can still
make me feel so humiliated. But then she spoke again. “I guess that’s good
to know before I die. That someone loved me…even if you’re only saying that
because I’m going to die.”“I’m not.” Sokka squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry that didn’t
hurt did it.”Azula let out another soft wheeze. Now that was a laugh. “I didn’t
even feel it, Sokka. I can’t feel my hand. I can’t feel anything.” He could see
it on her face, she wanted to cry. But she either couldn’t or knew that tears
would only freeze up and make things worse. “Why?”“Why what?” Sokka brushed his thumb over the back of her
hand which now looked as blue as her lips. He didn’t want to see the state of
her fingers.“Why do you love me?”
“If you live through this, maybe you can help me figure that
out.” Sokka shrugged.“You’re an ass.” The princess muttered softly.
“I guess because you’re a fighter. Like me. And because…I
guess I just do. Call it Sokka’s instinct.” Again the princess was painfully
quiet. “Oh come on please don’t let your last words be calling me an ass.”Azula glanced up at him, eyes lacking their usual golden
gleam, “you’re instincts are awful and you’re an ass.” She shut her eyes and
despite her words curled herself up into Sokka’s arms. Not-so-deep inside he
knew that she wouldn’t be saying anymore. That last response had taken too much
energy. She was past fighting what was to come and had transitioned into laying
there and accepting it.But he hadn’t transitioned into accepting it. He clenched
his teeth and tore his parka off, wrapping it around Azula’s winter-beaten
body. He considered offering her his mittens too but figured that her fingers
were past saving at this point. With one goal in mind he heaved her up and
began trudging. The firebender, limp as she’d grown, wasn’t helping him at all.
His only comfort became the slight rising and falling of her chest.He couldn’t possibly be sure how long he had walked for. But
by the time he finally found his way home his legs were screaming for mercy and
his own body longing for warmth. So much so that he almost felt compelled to
dance in fire.With a bit of reluctance, he handed Azula over to the
healers. A miserable pang seated itself in his belly upon wondering if he had
just handed over a corpse.Much more time had gone by before the healers beckoned him
into their tent. He pushed back the flap and stepped into the cozy warmth.
Resting startlingly still on the bed was Azula. No one uttered a word. Sokka
wanted to take her hand but decided against touching the bandages coiled around
it. So he instead he wrapped his hand around wrist, biting back tears.“You’re not just an ass, you’re a stubborn ass. It’s kind of
impressive.” Azula mumbled, still sounding tired and spent…but not quite as
weak as before. She turned her head and fixed her drained eyes on him. “How
many fingers do I have left?”“None.” Sokka replied quietly.
“Thanks a lot, now I’m actually going to have to deal with
that.” Azula grumbled. “Oh well I guess you’ll be doing the housework and what
not.” She snuggled her head against the pillow.Sokka crinkled his nose at the thought. But looking down at
the princess who already seemed to be making an alarmingly fast recovery he
couldn’t have felt any happier.Katara had warned him not to go on that hunting trip so
close to the blizzard.He was glad he didn’t listen.
How The Currents Flow
Sexual themes. Sort of NSFW.
Sokka released a long-held breath, the days were growing
hotter and hotter still, making simple tasks like gathering food and firewood
more difficult than they ought to be. He could swear that this kind of travel was
so much easier when they were all just kids. He ran his left hand through his
hair that had grown sweaty and sticky. He shuddered; Katara, Aang, and Toph
could wait, he needed a good dive into the river. Stripping down to his
underpants he near the water, paused briefly, and decided to remove the last of
his clothing. Wet underwear was always a mildly unpleasant experience. “Who’s
gonna see me anyways? A badgerfrog.”He wadded his way into the water until he was chest deep and
without a hint of grace dropped himself beneath the surface, rapidly scrubbing
at his head. In being perfectly honest with himself he began to wonder if this
little bath was doing any good at all, after all he hadn’t brought any soaps
with him. Grumbling to himself he made his way back to the shore, but stopped
short upon realizing he was no longer—and perhaps was never—alone at all. Blushing to himself and covering his
privets he scooted back in the water, just in case.But Azula didn’t seem to take any notice of him. In fact she
was probably under the same impression he had been under, except with less
thought of the badgerfrogs. He watched her let her hair down, setting the
golden headpiece and the lace that tied it in place on a nearby rock.He should have looked away right then and there. But he
didn’t and so he watched the princess remove her shoes and her armor,
discarding it in the same place she had set down her hairpieces. She flicked
her hair over her shoulder and tilted her head slightly to the side allowing
the sun to glow off of her dark locks in just the right way. The right way? What was he thinking, is there even a right way with Azula?
She sat herself down at the water’s edge and dipped her toe in. Of course she
had to test the water first, making Sokka feel somehow stupid that he didn’t do
so himself.Azula murmured something to herself and slipped the rest of
her foot into the water. It was strange, Sokka pondered, that she was somehow
more attractive when she wasn’t in armor and trying to kill him. When she was
just sitting in a forest at the water’s edge kicking softly at the water. It
was odd to see the woman doing such an ordinary thing.So odd in fact that he allowed his eyes and mind to wander.
He was mostly fixated on her eyes, those sharp and slanted golden eyes. Eyes he
could best compare to the rare golden firelily he had seen in the forest some
time back.Sokka noticed the princess’ gaze fall on something beneath
the slightly bobbing waves, probably a particular looking rock. Maybe a geode,
the princess would be able to spot one of those. She observed whatever it was
from beneath dark and perfectly styled eyelashes. After staring for another
moment, Azula stood. She casually tugged her top off and laid it down a top her
armor and then did so again with her pants. He should have given her a “hey!”
or a “yo!” but he found himself both too shy and embarrassed and too incited.
He gritted his teeth, angered by his own inaction.Unaware, the princess smiled softly as a warm ray of
sunlight that beamed down upon perfectly tanned skin. Perfect. Everything about
her was perfect, Sokka noted. From that tanned skin to her petite frame that curved
in all the right places. Sokka’s cheeks grew redder. How hadn’t he noticed
before? It was the armor, he realized. It hid a lot.Azula turned her back for him and crouched down to pick up
her expensive soaps. Without warning, a bar of soap hit his head. “Next time bring
your own.” The fire princess scolded.“You’re not going to light me on fire for watching you?”
Azula shrugged. “I saw you first.”
Of course she had. He shouldn’t have underestimated her. And the red spread form his cheeks to the rest
of his face.“And I saw that you didn’t even wash properly.” She placed
her hands on her hips, those flawlessly long manicured nails drumming softly
over equally unblemished flesh. She stared him down with a startling intensity.Sokka hesitated, trying to pick his words carefully. “Is
that an invitation to join you.”“Make what you will of it.” Azula answered with a dismissive
wave.“No, I want to make sure it’s okay with you.”
Azula blinked, apparently sudden acts of kindness or decency
was the way to catch the princess off guard. Coming back to herself she
replied, “we’re taking baths, not having sex.”The word rolled off of her tongue in a way that was both
befitting and unsuitable all at once. It was the kind of word he Sokka never associated with upper
class women. But all the same he associated with a fierce woman, capable of
track people around the world.“Speaking of baths.” Azula continued. “I’d appreciate it if
you would help me wash my back.”Sokka edged closer.
“Slow down there.” Azula instructed. “You wash your dirty peasant
hands first.”“Hey!” Sokka snapped, feeling suddenly self-conscious. But
he found himself rubbing the soap between his palms. “Good enough?”Azula nodded and turned around again, moving her hair out of
the way. He swiped the bar of soap over her spine, and then in sizable circles
over her soft skin until he had ran the bar over every area on her back.
Without thinking he slid his hands around her middle, gently massaging her
belly with the soap. She placed a hand over his. He flinched expecting her to
throw his hand off and slap him for overstepping boundaries. But instead she
wordlessly moved his hands and the soap lower. She turned around, her bubble
coated skin pressing lightly against his own. She smelled intoxicatingly
elegant.Tapping her pointer on his chest she leaned in an softly murmured,
“I ought to bring you back to the palace, you’re much better at this than the
servants.” When he didn’t speak she added, “of course I’d never let the
servants go that far.” She pulled herself closer, and he became suddenly aware
of her soft breasts on his chest. He swallowed nervously.It would seem that his action was not lost on her, for she
moved back again. “Am I making you uncomfortable?” There was a slight hint of
offense in her voice and he wondered if she had an uncanny habit of coming on
too strong. One that drove men off. And then he remembered that he chose to
watch her undress.And yet he confessed, “a little bit, yes.”
Azula nodded and put some more space in between them, her
hand slowly falling out of his and back to her side. “I figured as much.” She
was being surprisingly understanding.“Also.” Sokka added quickly, oddly he didn’t want to offend
her. “I didn’t think you liked water peasants. I don’t want you to do something
you’ll regret later.” He rubbed the back of her head.“Regret?” Azula muttered more to herself. “I regret a lot of
things, but I don’t think that would have been one of them.” Her eyes fell upon
his well sculpted abs, “no definitely wouldn’t have.”Sokka took her hand in his again and pulled her into a hug.
She didn’t return the hug but sank deeper into it, mumbling softly and
pleasured as he ran a hand through her wet hair. Again he was over powered by
the oddity of it all. The weirdness of cradling a woman who had tried, on multiple
occasions, to harm him. To see her so venerable and gentle and caring. And he
wondered where it was coming from. Why she was being so unusually kind and
calm. Perhaps she just wanted someone to hold her and care for her as Aang did
with Katara and he did once did with Suki…Suki!
“I forgot about her.” Azula pulled herself away again. That’s
when he realized he had vocalized his striking realization.“Don’t worry about it.” Sokka replied, but he didn’t pull
her back knowing that the moment had been well and killed. So he watched her saunter
over to the rock and dry herself. He should probably put his pants back on too.
“We had a disagreement a while back. Kind of went our separate ways, ya know?”Azula thought briefly of Mai, “I know.”
With her clothing back on, aside from the armor, she sat
down on the rock staring at the sun as it sparkled on the water—calm and hot and
glimmering with light. Sokka came behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. If
he had startled her, she gave no sign. “Ya know, for a firebender you sure
remind me of the water.”“Oh?” She cocked her head awaiting a follow up.
“No matter what happens to it, it just keeps flowing on a
strong as ever.” He didn’t know exactly what had happened to her between the Forgetful
Valley and the Kemurikage and now, but he knew something had.“What about the rivers that dry up in a drought?”
“With help they usually come back again.” Sokka answered. “Sometimes
with a new direction or place to flow in.”“An interesting prospect.” Azula replied, she felt his hand
grip her shoulder more firmly. “Interesting indeed.”I can’t believe I missed this!
How The Currents Flow
Sexual themes. Sort of NSFW.
Sokka released a long-held breath, the days were growing
hotter and hotter still, making simple tasks like gathering food and firewood
more difficult than they ought to be. He could swear that this kind of travel was
so much easier when they were all just kids. He ran his left hand through his
hair that had grown sweaty and sticky. He shuddered; Katara, Aang, and Toph
could wait, he needed a good dive into the river. Stripping down to his
underpants he near the water, paused briefly, and decided to remove the last of
his clothing. Wet underwear was always a mildly unpleasant experience. “Who’s
gonna see me anyways? A badgerfrog.”He wadded his way into the water until he was chest deep and
without a hint of grace dropped himself beneath the surface, rapidly scrubbing
at his head. In being perfectly honest with himself he began to wonder if this
little bath was doing any good at all, after all he hadn’t brought any soaps
with him. Grumbling to himself he made his way back to the shore, but stopped
short upon realizing he was no longer—and perhaps was never—alone at all. Blushing to himself and covering his
privets he scooted back in the water, just in case.But Azula didn’t seem to take any notice of him. In fact she
was probably under the same impression he had been under, except with less
thought of the badgerfrogs. He watched her let her hair down, setting the
golden headpiece and the lace that tied it in place on a nearby rock.He should have looked away right then and there. But he
didn’t and so he watched the princess remove her shoes and her armor,
discarding it in the same place she had set down her hairpieces. She flicked
her hair over her shoulder and tilted her head slightly to the side allowing
the sun to glow off of her dark locks in just the right way. The right way? What was he thinking, is there even a right way with Azula?
She sat herself down at the water’s edge and dipped her toe in. Of course she
had to test the water first, making Sokka feel somehow stupid that he didn’t do
so himself.Azula murmured something to herself and slipped the rest of
her foot into the water. It was strange, Sokka pondered, that she was somehow
more attractive when she wasn’t in armor and trying to kill him. When she was
just sitting in a forest at the water’s edge kicking softly at the water. It
was odd to see the woman doing such an ordinary thing.So odd in fact that he allowed his eyes and mind to wander.
He was mostly fixated on her eyes, those sharp and slanted golden eyes. Eyes he
could best compare to the rare golden firelily he had seen in the forest some
time back.Sokka noticed the princess’ gaze fall on something beneath
the slightly bobbing waves, probably a particular looking rock. Maybe a geode,
the princess would be able to spot one of those. She observed whatever it was
from beneath dark and perfectly styled eyelashes. After staring for another
moment, Azula stood. She casually tugged her top off and laid it down a top her
armor and then did so again with her pants. He should have given her a “hey!”
or a “yo!” but he found himself both too shy and embarrassed and too incited.
He gritted his teeth, angered by his own inaction.Unaware, the princess smiled softly as a warm ray of
sunlight that beamed down upon perfectly tanned skin. Perfect. Everything about
her was perfect, Sokka noted. From that tanned skin to her petite frame that curved
in all the right places. Sokka’s cheeks grew redder. How hadn’t he noticed
before? It was the armor, he realized. It hid a lot.Azula turned her back for him and crouched down to pick up
her expensive soaps. Without warning, a bar of soap hit his head. “Next time bring
your own.” The fire princess scolded.“You’re not going to light me on fire for watching you?”
Azula shrugged. “I saw you first.”
Of course she had. He shouldn’t have underestimated her. And the red spread form his cheeks to the rest
of his face.“And I saw that you didn’t even wash properly.” She placed
her hands on her hips, those flawlessly long manicured nails drumming softly
over equally unblemished flesh. She stared him down with a startling intensity.Sokka hesitated, trying to pick his words carefully. “Is
that an invitation to join you.”“Make what you will of it.” Azula answered with a dismissive
wave.“No, I want to make sure it’s okay with you.”
Azula blinked, apparently sudden acts of kindness or decency
was the way to catch the princess off guard. Coming back to herself she
replied, “we’re taking baths, not having sex.”The word rolled off of her tongue in a way that was both
befitting and unsuitable all at once. It was the kind of word he Sokka never associated with upper
class women. But all the same he associated with a fierce woman, capable of
track people around the world.“Speaking of baths.” Azula continued. “I’d appreciate it if
you would help me wash my back.”Sokka edged closer.
“Slow down there.” Azula instructed. “You wash your dirty peasant
hands first.”“Hey!” Sokka snapped, feeling suddenly self-conscious. But
he found himself rubbing the soap between his palms. “Good enough?”Azula nodded and turned around again, moving her hair out of
the way. He swiped the bar of soap over her spine, and then in sizable circles
over her soft skin until he had ran the bar over every area on her back.
Without thinking he slid his hands around her middle, gently massaging her
belly with the soap. She placed a hand over his. He flinched expecting her to
throw his hand off and slap him for overstepping boundaries. But instead she
wordlessly moved his hands and the soap lower. She turned around, her bubble
coated skin pressing lightly against his own. She smelled intoxicatingly
elegant.Tapping her pointer on his chest she leaned in an softly murmured,
“I ought to bring you back to the palace, you’re much better at this than the
servants.” When he didn’t speak she added, “of course I’d never let the
servants go that far.” She pulled herself closer, and he became suddenly aware
of her soft breasts on his chest. He swallowed nervously.It would seem that his action was not lost on her, for she
moved back again. “Am I making you uncomfortable?” There was a slight hint of
offense in her voice and he wondered if she had an uncanny habit of coming on
too strong. One that drove men off. And then he remembered that he chose to
watch her undress.And yet he confessed, “a little bit, yes.”
Azula nodded and put some more space in between them, her
hand slowly falling out of his and back to her side. “I figured as much.” She
was being surprisingly understanding.“Also.” Sokka added quickly, oddly he didn’t want to offend
her. “I didn’t think you liked water peasants. I don’t want you to do something
you’ll regret later.” He rubbed the back of her head.“Regret?” Azula muttered more to herself. “I regret a lot of
things, but I don’t think that would have been one of them.” Her eyes fell upon
his well sculpted abs, “no definitely wouldn’t have.”Sokka took her hand in his again and pulled her into a hug.
She didn’t return the hug but sank deeper into it, mumbling softly and
pleasured as he ran a hand through her wet hair. Again he was over powered by
the oddity of it all. The weirdness of cradling a woman who had tried, on multiple
occasions, to harm him. To see her so venerable and gentle and caring. And he
wondered where it was coming from. Why she was being so unusually kind and
calm. Perhaps she just wanted someone to hold her and care for her as Aang did
with Katara and he did once did with Suki…Suki!
“I forgot about her.” Azula pulled herself away again. That’s
when he realized he had vocalized his striking realization.“Don’t worry about it.” Sokka replied, but he didn’t pull
her back knowing that the moment had been well and killed. So he watched her saunter
over to the rock and dry herself. He should probably put his pants back on too.
“We had a disagreement a while back. Kind of went our separate ways, ya know?”Azula thought briefly of Mai, “I know.”
With her clothing back on, aside from the armor, she sat
down on the rock staring at the sun as it sparkled on the water—calm and hot and
glimmering with light. Sokka came behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. If
he had startled her, she gave no sign. “Ya know, for a firebender you sure
remind me of the water.”“Oh?” She cocked her head awaiting a follow up.
“No matter what happens to it, it just keeps flowing on a
strong as ever.” He didn’t know exactly what had happened to her between the Forgetful
Valley and the Kemurikage and now, but he knew something had.“What about the rivers that dry up in a drought?”
“With help they usually come back again.” Sokka answered. “Sometimes
with a new direction or place to flow in.”“An interesting prospect.” Azula replied, she felt his hand
grip her shoulder more firmly. “Interesting indeed.”
Fanwright 