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“This is a terrible idea.”
“Don’t be silly, it would work wonders don’t you think? A bit of love to end a war.”
“You cannot seriously believe this would end the war.”
“Well, we will never know if we don’t at least try. Come on! We can’t force them but a gentle push could work wonders.”
“... the things I do for love.”
Azula knew she was in a dream. It was quite a logical conclusion to reach after all. She went to bed in the grandiose guest room of the Omashu governor's palace and woke up... here. Here being some cave, smelling of freshly dug earth and dampness. Unless the stealthiest of kidnappers managed to get their hands on her, she doubted this was anything more than a simple projection of her mind. And what an unfortunate thing to project. Azula had no recollection of ever being in a cave. Couldn’t she dream of eating frozen watermelon mochis on the beach in Ember Island instead? Of course not. But something was certainly off. Azula rarely dreamt and when she did, it was not like this. Was her mind simply projecting a random scenario or was there a purpose to this?
Azula crossed her arms, humming thoughtfully. She felt in control somehow, not like she ever felt before in her sporadic dreams. She flexed her hands, before stretching. Her body was responding to all her commands perfectly well. Absently, she reached forward, pushing her bands behind her ears. Hm... loose hair? She did sleep with her hair down for the most part, but she always tied up parts of it. One never knew when an assassin might break in and it was so impractical to fight with her hair in her face. With a huff, Azula looked around, squinting her eyes trying to make out anything in the darkness. It was pitch black of course.
Azula raised a hand and a ball of blue fire came alive in her palm. Ah, much better. She looked around, as her immediate surroundings were lit by the blue of her flames. There was nothing even worth looking at. Azula turned around, stopping abruptly as she felt the hem of her gown spinning around her heels.
This was not her night robe.
She glanced down and around her body, analyzing the gown critically. It was old-fashioned. As in, the kind of garment one might see in paintings from many centuries before. It was not unflattering, she supposed, and comfortable enough to move it but the material and design was far simpler than what Azula was used to. An outfit, really? Was this her mind’s idea to suggest she needed a wardrobe renewal? Ridiculous.
For how long was she going to stay trapped in this silly dream anyway?
With a huff of discontent, Azula began taking in her surroundings again. She stepped forward finding that what she assumed to be the back of the cave was, instead, a tunnel. Very well then. She walked with small but confident steps through it, using her fire to light the way. This had to be the strangest of dreams. There was nothing here, not...
Azula froze where she stood as she heard steps, echoing through the cave, somewhere ahead of her. She closed her fist, making her fire disappear and instinctively pushed herself against the tunnel wall. Was this the part where the dream spiralled out of control? She narrowed her eyes… there was no darkness. Azula glanced up. The ceiling of the tunnel was littered with crystals, glowing bright enough to not allow for any corner to be shadowed enough to take cover in. Gritting her teeth, she pushed herself away from the wall and took a defensive stance, waiting as the steps came closer.
The figure who emerged around the bend of the tunnel, startled at the sight of her, taking a few steps back.
“Uh, hi. I guess.”
Azula narrowed her eyes, analysing him for any impending threat. It was a boy around her age, clad in similar robes to hers, albeit his were blue. He gave her a once over, as he ran a hand through his loose brown hair.
“So...” he began his mouth curving into a grin. “Come here often?”
Azula glared but dropped her attack stance. He did not look like a threat. Now the real question was who in the world was this? She certainly had no recollection of ever meeting him, not that it made sense for her to. Why in the blazes was she dreaming of some unknown Water Tribe boy?
“Alright, guess not.” he muttered.
“Who are you?” she questioned, her voice resounding with authority.
The boy opened his mouth and closed it almost as fast, a gleam of something sparkling in his blue eyes.
“I am… Uh… Shu?” he finally offered.
Oh, he was a terrible liar. It was almost amusing.
She smirked at him. “Oh truly? How very nice to meet you Shu. I am Oma.”
There was that flicker of something in his eyes again and then he gave her a half smile. “Nice to meet you Oma.
Ah, horrible liar he might be but he certainly was not stupid. “Likewise Shu.”
There was something that passed between them then, dissipating some of the tension in the air.
“So, not that I mind or anything, but what are you doing in my dream?” he questioned with a tilt of his head.
Azula scoffed. “Your dream? Please. This is obviously mine.”
“Obviously.” he repeated, voice dripping with sarcasm. “Ever been around these parts?”
“Of course not.” she said with an eye roll, dusting off the nonexistent dirt of her bright red robe. “Have you?”
“Yes, actually.”
At that, Azula’s eyes snapped to him, regarding him with interest under the slightest of frowns. “Oh?”
He sighed and scrunched up his nose.
“Yeah, one of the exists caved in and then we were stuck here with a limited number of torches and no layout. Then there was a wolf-bat attack.” with each instance he recalled he put a finger up. “Because of that attack, there was another cave in and our group got separated. I got stuck with a band of singing nomads. Then we got attacked by earthbending badger moles and almost died but realized we could keep them from attacking by singing and playing music so we did that. And then we rode them and they took us to the exit.
Azula blinked once. Then twice. Then thrice.
… did someone poison her dinner? Spiked her drink? Dropped hallucinogenic mushrooms in the incense in her bed chambers?
“So yeah.” he said with a handwave. “This is most definitely my dream.”
That got Azula’s attention. Negatively. With a thoughtful hum, she stepped forward, until she was in his space. He froze up, unsure of what her course of action was with that. Azula traced a line with the tip of her finger from his chin, down the side of his neck, stopping at his sternum and letting her whole hand slip under his robe. She could feel the warmth of his skin and his increased heartbeat.
“Wha–youch!”
He jumped back, glaring at her, as he rubbed his chest where she pinched him.
Azula simply grinned. “Your dream, hm? I don’t see you awoken.”
He narrowed his eyes at her. She did not miss the way his fingers flexed by his side. “Try touching me and I guarantee you’ll lose a hand.”
Her threat awarded her with a scoff and an eye roll. Well, he had guts, she’d give him that much. Or no common sense. But now onto more important matters.
How in the blazes was she going to get out of here?
… him too, she supposed, even though she still had a hard time thinking he was anything more than the most unsettling figment of her mindscape.
“If I start unthreading the sleeve of these robes.” she began, fingers tapping on her hip thoughtfully. “We could use the string as a way to mark our path, ensuring we won’t get lost.”
“That would be a great idea.” he nodded stepping near her again. “But I learned the hard way that mapping this cave out won’t work. Remember the earthbending badger moles? They change the tunnels.”
“Fantastic.” she growled out.
“It’s fine. We just have to follow the crystals, it leads out.”
Turns out that they didn’t in fact. Azula glared eyes shifting between the dead end and him. They’ve walked for long enough for this to be a significant waste of time. At least he had the decency to look dissatisfied with himself.
“This is weird.” he said, frowning at what was meant to be the cave opening, where the crystals on the cave ceiling ended abruptly. Was it badger moles again? No, that didn’t make sense. “Let’s try the other end.”
Azula exhaled through her nose, turning on her heels and following the crystals’ path backwards.
Neither of them commented on the incredible realism of the dream. Logical as they were, there was no logic to be found here. Better just to roll with it.
They walked a decent amount of time before her attention got grabbed by a circular door Into the wall. “Let’s try this way.”
Sokka frowned. Aang and Katara have not exactly gone into detail about what’s been happening on their side of the cave quest. Had they been in there? In his humble opinion, the ominous dark hole in the wall was a bad place to be.
“We don’t have any torches and it is dark in there.” he argued, trying to appeal to logic. If there was anything he learned in this weird dream sequence was that Oma whatever her real name might be, was a logic enjoyer.
She smirked as he came to a halt, next to her in the round entrance. She extended her left palm forward and then a blue ball of fire burst from it, making him jump ever slightly.
Of course. Go figure. Sokka gritted his teeth in annoyance. Mostly at himself and at whatever this dream was pulling with him. It irked him a lot, how much he forgot to breathe every time he looked at her. She was stunningly beautiful. For a firebender.
His eyes shifted to the ball of fire in her hand. “Uh, does everyone have a different color or?”
It was a good moment to play dumb. He knew the answer to that but milking some information could be useful. Even though this was a dream. Cause it could not be anything else. Where else but in his dreams would a gorgeous girl bend blue fire?
“Of course not. I am a prodigy.”
Sokka inhaled sharply. Go figure she had her fire but he had no weapons. Stupid dream. He watched as she raised her hand making the flame envelope it, from wrist up, burning bright enough to shine a light further.
“This is not an exit.” Sokka said, without even realizing he was speaking out loud.
For once, she too seemed rattled at the prospect. “It’s a tomb.”
This meant that, if they had any semblance of common sense, instead of a morbid desire to gain knowledge, they’d turn around and leave. Exchanging a look, they nodded and began descending the steps.
“These carvings tell the story.” she announced once they found themselves on the ground floor, near the coffins.
“They met on top of the mountain that divided their two villages.” she began, her gold eyes following the sequence of the carvings. “The villages were enemies, so they could not be together but their love was strong and they found a way.”
Azula almost scoffed at the notion. Disloyalty for a mandate of the heart? Ridiculous.
“The two lovers learned earthbending from the badgermoles, they became the first earthbenders.” Sokka continued, as he frowned at the tale. At least that explained something. “They built elaborate tunnels, so they could meet secretly. Anyone who tried to follow them would be forever in the labyrinth. But, one day, the man didn't come.”
Azula took a few steps aside, offering light to the rest of the carvings. “He'd died in the war between the two villages. Devastated, the woman unleashed a terrible display of her earthbending power - she could have destroyed them all but, instead, she declared the war over.”
Sokka rolled his eyes. If only it was that easy. His brows drew together as he continued reading. “Both villages helped her build a new city where they would live together in peace. The woman's name was Oma and the man's name was Shu. The great city was named Omashu as a monument to their love.”
A heavy silence set over the two of them, the implications of the story weighing heavily on their minds. Azula almost wanted to shake her head as if to get rid of the stray thoughts. This meant nothing. Not a single thing. And the name situation was simply a coincidence. His stupid little fake name made her think of the city so she replied in kind. She never even knew of this story until now.
This. Meant. Nothing.
With a glare, she lifted her gaze to the wall mural of two people kissing. “Love is brightest in the dark.” she read absently.
A short while ago, she would have laughed at all of this. Love. As she’s been taught, it never got anyone anywhere. And yet… Omashu was built by love. A city that stood for centuries as a gem of engineering and uniqueness. Build by love. A love that stopped a war. It was hard to dismiss romantic tales when the proof stood so clearly to this day.
“Let’s get out of here.” her companion suggested, snapping her out of her thoughts, his blue eyes gloomy under his frown. “This place gives me the creeps.”
Azula saw no better solution and yet her thoughts were tormenting her as they climbed out of the tomb and back into the main tunnel system. He didn’t stop walking, as her eyes trailed him, a heavy weight in her chest.
This was ill-advised. A preposterous terrible idea. Treacherous. Almost. Technically speaking there was no fire nation law that forbade kissing the enemy. But the very notion should make her gag. Yet it didn’t. No, in fact, it sent tingles down her spine and made heat pull in the pit of her stomach. She wanted to slap herself, she truly did. Really, all it took for her to get this pathetically weak in the knees was some tall boy with nice arms and sparkling blue eyes that reminded her of her fire?
Pathetic. Weak. Traitorous. And beyond anything else, so incredibly stupid that she…
…actually, you know what?
Fuck it.
This was a dream. Halucinogen-induced as it might be, that’s all that it was. None of this was real. Even this boy, despite feeling like a real person, was probably an odd manifestation of her psyche. Some imaginary boyfriend for some imaginary over-dramatic love story. And he was easy on the eyes. Truly what did she have to lose? When she’ll wake she’ll be back to being the dutiful Princess, putting her tasks and nation above anything else, especially above herself. But in this dream, she was free. Free to do as she pleased with no consequences.
And she knew exactly what she would be extremely pleased by doing.
With a wave of confidence washing over her, Azula marched decisively after her so-called Shu. She grabbed onto his shoulder, whirling him around. His blue eyes widened as she fisted her hands onto his robes and pushed him against the cave wall. Whatever he might have said to her, he didn’t get the chance, as Azula crashed his lips against his. He was frozen in place at first and after a few seconds she considered she might have done a terrible mistake. Imagine being rejected by some imaginary boy. How embarrassing would that…?
She didn’t get the chance to finish that thought, not when he tilted his head and responded to her kiss. Azula smiled, doing her best not to disturb their rhythm. One of his hands went into her hair, fingers pulling ever so slightly a her dark tresses, while his other one went around her waist pulling her as close as possible. Oh, this was so enjoyable, she just knew she made the right call. And while she might not know much in the way of kissing, she had enough enthusiasm to make up for it in droves. And she was a fast learner. The moment his tongue slipped out, tracing her bottom lip contently, Azula gasped, before eagerly joining him in taking the kiss further. This had to be some sort of paradise. Their kiss grew fierce, almost like a battle, making her go through so many sensations she did not believe she had experienced her whole life. Their bodies pressed together, and one of her hands sneaked into his robe again, fingernails scrapping at the skin of his chest, his heartbeat going wild under his fingertips.
And then he took her by surprise, letting go of her hair, and wrapping both his arms around her waist before twisting them around. Her back hit the wall, not hard enough to cause anything more than a tingle of pain that was surprisingly pleasant, especially when her senses were flooded with him. His hands slipped down from her waist to her hips, and then down and under her thighs. He gave a gentle push and Azula understood. Letting go rather reluctantly of sucking on his tongue, she propped her hands on his shoulders and jumped up. He immediately caught her and pushed her further into the rock wall, spreading her legs to step between them. She resumed their feverish kissing, as she wrapped her legs tightly around his waist, ignoring the way her robes rid up. His hands dug into her thighs as he bit onto her lower lip, making her moan.
It was only when they needed air, that they let up. His head dropped onto her shoulder as they both gasped for breath.
“Am I still in danger of losing my hands?” he questioned, as she felt his mouth curl into a smirk against the sensitive skin of her neck.
“Yes.” she gasped out, fingers digging into his brown locks, pulling him closer. “If you dare take them off me.”
He hummed, sucking on her pulse point, making her whimper pathetically. Oh, she felt as if her whole body was molten lava. The sensation was overwhelmingly pleasant, her body shivering in delight at his actions despite feeling overheated. But it’s been too long since his lips pressed against hers and she wanted to taste him again. She leaned, capturing his mouth again. Every new kiss felt more electrifying than the previous one, each one seemingly driving their hunger further rather than satiating it. She was basking in the sensation, in the way her body reacted so positively to him. She wanted to be in control again. And this wall was growing lacking. No, she wanted her whole body to press against him, to pin him down. She dragged her fingers up his back before her hands clasped tightly around his shoulders. She pushed her body from the wall, using the momentum to counterbalance his weight, pushing their tangled bodies to the floor, the impact of hitting the ground, making both of them gasp in each other’s mouths.
Azula’s eyes snapped open, only to be met with the silk overhang curtains of the bed. She gritted her teeth, letting a hiss of anger slip through as her fists balled onto the bedsheets.
Blazes and curses, why did she wake up now?
Sokka knew he was excessively grumpy today. Mostly because he had to wake up far too early from what was probably the best dream ever. He could still feel the taste of cherries in his mouth and the sound of his mysterious dream girl’s gasps and sighs ringing in the back of his mind. And here he was now, most likely walking into a trap, with a wiggling baby in his arms and irritated beyond belief that he could not bask in that wonderful dream longer.
As they were making their way across the platform, where that horrendous statue of Loser Lord was being erected, Sokka had a feeling this would be a bad day. Any day where they were on the verge of kidnapping or fighting was a bad day. So... most days for the past few months.
He sighed dejectedly, earning an elbow in the ribs from Katara and a baby gurgling happily at his pain.
Whatever. Time to get this over with.
They stopped at a reasonable distance from the opposite exchange squad or however they were called as a coffin with King Bumi was being lowered to the ground. Talk about overkill. Sokka was still surprised that that old madman was still alive given his conditions. Oh, well, as long as it made Aang happy.
Instead of focusing on that, Sokka moved his gaze to the three girls who were conducting this trade. And proceeded to almost unceremoniously choke on his own breath.
They were at a decent distance but he could still make out their faces. Her hair was up in a top knot and her clothes much fancier but Sokka recognized her all the same. His breathing wheezed at the sight and he was sure his eyes were about to fall out of their sockets. This couldn’t be happening. No, not real, she was just a very hot figment of his way too strong imagination she was certainly not real and across enemy lines. If he repeated that enough it will surely become reality right?
No. She had to go on and ruin that.
She did not look in his direction at first but when she finally did, her golden eyes went wide. Sokka attempted to give her a grin that came out a lot more like a grimace given the circumstances. She blinked at him before, rapidly shaking her head, as if to swat water out of her hair. Her two companions didn’t seem to pay her any mind, not until she leaned over and said something to the taller girl at the front, who nodded before focusing on them again.
“The deal is off!” she announced with a cutting hand wave.
Sokka sighed in exasperation, balancing the baby against his chest as he took out his boomerang.
There we go again, he thought bitterly. I should have stayed asleep.
Sokka was doing his best to not behave like an asshole. He really did. Toph was already constantly fighting with Katara. She didn’t need him to jump on that bandwagon. And for all intents and purposes, he was not going to. Until now.
“I can fight!” he shrieked, feeling steam almost pouring out of his ears and nostrils.
Toph shifted towards him ever so slightly. “Sure you can.”
In other circumstances, he would have argued back. Fuck being civil, he was exhausted, grumpy and was getting hungrier by the moment. But it was probably not the moment right now, not when the girl from his dreams and her two companions were rushing at them. After she threw a bolt of lightning at the rock wall Toph erected, proceeding to shatter it. Absolutely terrifying. Entirely. It did not make his blood go down south and his heart accelerate with the promise of excitement. Not a chance.
Now Sokka realized he shouldn’t have bit back at Toph. It provided the perfect distraction for the pink one to jump her and do her mumbo jumbo paralysis stuff, making Toph crumble to the ground. Sokka gritted his teeth ready to hit her on the back when she jumped away at the same time his path got cut.
“Well, well.” she said as she landed in front of him, her voice carrying that sarcastic sweetness. “You’re quite loud about being capable of fighting, aren’t you?”
Sokka didn’t get the opportunity to answer, not as her fists ignited in blue flames. “Show me.”
He tried his damnest. Using his boomerang and club in parallel and dodging or parrying her attacks. Despite the first move being two sets of fire punches, she didn’t firebend anymore after that. It made Sokka grit his teeth.
“You wanted me to show you I can fight?” he growled, and he knew he was doing something very stupid right now. “Then don’t hold back with me.”
He didn’t know what he expected to come out of that, besides imminent death. But then her golden eyes brightened and she smiled. It was a terrible time for Sokka to feel all the bones in his body turn to water and his chest ignite with warmth at that sight. He did anyway.
“That’s what I like to hear.” she all but purred, looking as if she got exactly what she wanted.
He did too, as he was at the receiving end of multiple potent fire attacks. Most of them he dodged, even swatting away some of the smaller fireballs with his club. But he couldn’t keep up with her, not properly. Sokka threw his boomerang. She dodged it masterfully, before waving her hand into a fire whip that she snapped in his direction. Sokka dropped to the ground, barely managing to escape it, when his opportunity appeared. She hissed in pain as the returning boomerang got her in the shoulder. Jumping up with rejuvenated vigour, Sokka caught his weapon, before pouncing on her. She hissed again, as he wrapped an arm around her, locking her arms in place as he pulled her against him, boomerang blade at her neck.
She giggled.
His brain might have as well melted and leaked through his ears at that sound.
“You are good, I have to admit.” she said, voice low as if there wasn’t a whole battle raging behind them.
Sokka narrowed his eyes, despite the fact that she couldn’t see him. “You’re letting me have this.” he stated matter of factly. “You could break this grip I have on you. Why are you doing this?”
She hummed, the sound painfully familiar, burned in the back of his mind since that night in Omashu. Then she rolled her backside against his pelvis and his grip almost went slack. He tightened his hold on the boomerang and bit the inside of his cheek to keep some semblance of control.
“Very good.” she nodded and Sokka didn’t need to see her face to know she was smirking. “You’re sharp. I find that… interesting. I find you interesting.”
He was still processing the words in the following seconds when they left her way to familiar lips. And then she proceeded to prove exactly what he said earlier. She stepped on his foot, forcing him to lower the boomerang in surprise. At that, she bent at the waist and elbowed him in the stomach.
Sokka let go of her, as the pain cut off his breathing for a moment. When he regained his composure, she was already gone, joining the others in the fray.
In all honesty, Aang getting grumpy because of the lack of sleep and creating a small tornado was the one thing that gave them the opportunity to jump on Appa and get the fuck out. Sokka was tired. His mouth was incredibly dry too, which he only rectified when he was sure there was enough distance between themselves and the enemy. Sokka simply emptied the contents of his waterskin in his mouth, promptly ignoring whatever argument Toph and Katara got into now.
“Well, maybe we wouldn’t have to run again if Snoozles over here bothered to slit Sparky Girl’s throat instead of feeling her up.”
Sokka spit out his drink.
“I was not feeling her up.”
“I thought we were going on a date tonight.”
“Yes, we are. But a bit later. There is progress.”
“They are trying to kill each other.”
“So? Do you have something against true love? Didn’t we start the same way?”
“Well, yes but those were different times. My love, really…”
“I am invested darling. Come on, live a little bit.”
“We are dead.”
“Hm, that we are. Therefore, we have all eternity to go on a date. After this!”
“You silver-tongued demoness. Sometimes I wonder why I argue with you.”
This whole confrontation with the Avatar was going perfectly fine in her opinion. For one, Azula was grateful she had to split teams. She wasn't entirely sure how she'd deal with the situation if he was here. The first time he threw her off enough with him turning out to be real and not some deranged figment of her imagination. The second time she let him get an advantage.Tested some waters. Simply examined the enemy in a given opportunity. His arms locked around her body feeling like the best place in the world to be had nothing to do with it. But now she meant business and she could not afford distractions. And she was doing a perfectly fine job of it too.
And then stupid Zuzu had to show up and throw one of his temper tantrums and create unnecessary obstacles for her mission. Good grief, he was annoying. And then they were locked in a three-combatant match, destroying a good chunk of town. But Azula knew she had the advantage. The Avatar was tired and Zuzu was an under par firebender despite years under Uncle’s tutelage. She only proved that when she got the Avatar caught in a fall of debris.
And then a water whip stopped her from knocking him out.
Azula gritted her teeth, exiting the building. Close-quarters combat was not good for this. And if the waterbender was here then it meant…
She bent backwards just then avoiding what would have been a significant injury.
“Hey, Oma.” her dream boy said with a casual tone as if he didn’t just try to cut her head clean off her shoulders.
It so painted her to admit but he looked handsome despite the dark circles under his eyes. There was something almost primal in it, some underlining anger hidden under all that nonchalance and sarcasm. It made warmth pool in the pit of her stomach.
“Shu.” she nodded.
They moved off the destroyed veranda of that crumbling house. Hit. Parry. Dodge. Blast.
“Say, I was thinking.” he began, batting away a fireball with his club. “How about we introduce ourselves with our actual names?”
She grinned, as she somersaulted backwards. “Gentlemen first.”
“Name’s Sokka.” he threw his boomerang in her direction. “And you?”
She dodged expertly before smirking. “Princess Azula.” she gave a mocking bow, again avoiding being hit by the boomerang as it returned to his hand. “Of the Fire Nation.”
… Princess? Of the Fire Nation?
Sokka’s brain almost shut down entirely at the information. Which of course was far from useful in the middle of combat. It was good her next move was a simple kick instead of a firebending attack, as he barely dodged it, stumbling before quickly regaining his balance. He should say something. Probably. Something smart. Something strategic.
“So no making out against walls anymore?”
That seemed to stall her if only for a moment, before her lips curled into a devious smirk that sent shivers down his spine. “Of course not. These shabby walls could never hold us.”
He dodged as she swiped a whip of fire at his head. He rolled quickly, slipping under the flames and jumping back to his feet so close, he could feel her breath against his face. Technically, Sokka knew he was playing very dangerous games with what he was about to say but he didn’t let common sense stop him before, why start now?
“Wanna find some walls that do?”
“See, I told you it’s worth it.”
“You were right. That’s what you wanted to hear?”
“Maybe just a little bit. It took them a while to reach this point but the result is worth it, don’t you think?”
“I do have to admit, it is.”
Oma sighed dreamily, leaning her head on Shu’s shoulder. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, as they intertwined their fingers. Their eyes followed the scene in front of them fondly.
“I love a wedding.”