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seyaryminamoto · 5 months

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The Shadows in her Reflection: Sokkla Saturdays 2023

Day 8: Winter

Rated: M

On FF.net//On AO3

"Woah, that was a restful night," Aang smiled carelessly by morning, taking his seat in the dining hall of the Eastern Air Temple where the group would eat their breakfast.

"You sure you're feeling alright?" Katara asked him, raising a hand to his forehead. "No fever, you're not overextended…?"

"I'm way better than I was the last time I was conscious. If that helps," Aang smiled before turning to the other two occupants of the dining room, who looked about as exhausted as he felt. "How about you two? Feeling okay?"

Sokka and Azula sat side by side, groggy and yawning. Azula nodded in response to Aang's question, but her half-lidded eyes spoke for themselves.

"Spiritual adventures can be… draining," Sokka answered, with a weak grin. "But we're alright. Just… need to recharge all over again."

"I can't believe it's over," Azula admitted, surprising Sokka.

"You mean… seeing Yue?" Sokka asked. Azula nodded.

"Drank my water this morning and… she wasn't there," she said, with a sad smile. "Nor in the mirror, when I looked. It doesn't feel real… even though it should, considering she was a vision all along…"

"Well, she's back where she needs to be," Katara said. "I know it's little comfort, just as it wasn't when she first turned into the Moon Spirit… but I don't think I'd seen a brighter moon before last night. My bending felt stronger for it, too."

"Just my luck, strengthening the waterbenders with my rare good deeds," Azula smirked. "Should've just continued my track record as a terrible person and kept Yue leashed to me, then…"

"Well, believe it or not, I have no intentions of picking a fight with you these days, so unless you're the one who picks it, I think you don't have to worry about how strong or weak I might be," Katara said, with a sardonic smirk. Azula laughed and shrugged.

"So be it. I'll pick a fight with Toph, if I want someone to spar with," she said.

"You could always spar with me," Sokka said. Azula groaned, dropping her head on his shoulder. He raised an eyebrow.

"Only after we've rested some more. You'll beat me if I fight you like this and I would never forgive myself for that," she said. Sokka chuckled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

Katara eyed their closeness with a slight sneer – evidently, it would take time for her to grow used to their relationship, but that she wasn't demanding that they stopped being affectionate with each other in her presence was probably the best start they could have asked for. Instead, she decided to shift her attention to other matters…

"You did bring up Toph… not surprising that she's being lazy, of course," she said, pushing herself up. "But it's kind of strange for both her and Zuko to be lazy in the morning. He did say once that he rises with the sun… I figured that meant he doesn't sleep in."

"He probably just said that to sound more impressive than he actually is," Azula said. Katara couldn't hold back a smile at that remark.

"I'll go check on them anyway," she said. "Breakfast's going to get cold otherwise."

"I can come with you if you want," Aang said, but Katara shook her head.

"Stay here, eat. I'll be back soon," she said, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. Aang grinned giddily at the gesture as his wife walked away.

He watched her go, still as smitten as ever. Sokka rolled his eyes, smirking slightly while Azula picked one of the sweet buns on the table, ripping it in half and offering one of the pieces to Sokka.

"You two really don't change at all, huh?" he said. Aang turned towards him again, with a careless smile. "Still ogling my sister like you'd never seen her before…"

"Well, how is it my fault that she gets more beautiful every day?" Aang said, still grinning. "You know what? I think… I think we should go for number two."

"Number two? Uh, y-you mean, for the, uh… the loo?" Sokka asked. Azula snorted, choking on the bun and Sokka panicked, patting her back. "Azula?! You okay?"

"That's not what I meant!" Aang blushed: he startled Azula, though, by unclogging her throat far more effective and quickly than ever before by using his airbending.

"T-thank you," Azula smiled awkwardly, and Aang pouted at Sokka, who still held his lover carefully.

"I meant a second kid!" Aang exclaimed.

Sokka froze for a moment, and Azula met his gaze, amused.

"You really didn't think that was what he meant? Even in that context?" she asked.

"I…! I don't know, it didn't cross my mind! I…!" Sokka winced, turning towards the blushing Aang. "You guys sure? Is this about, uh, trying to make more airbenders?"

"It's about me being hopelessly in love with my wife," Aang said, proudly. "We've talked about wanting a big family. I guess, if it gets too big, we'll stop eventually, but… I've never really experienced a family like this before, you know? It's a whole new thing for me. My parents didn't exactly raise me the way yours, uh… w-well, yours would have raised you, but I know it wasn't quite like that for either of you."

"Huh," Sokka raised an eyebrow, taking a bite off his own sweet bun by now. "Well… you could go for it, I guess. Just, don't regale me with any explanations on how you'll make a new baby because that'd kill my appetite."

"I won't, I won't," Aang smiled awkwardly.

"Here I thought you liked the process of making babies all too well…" Azula commented carelessly: both men in the room blushed profusely, and Sokka elbowed her ribs slightly.

"C'mon, now…"

"Don't you?" She smirked.

"Well… sure! But we're not trying to make babies, are we?"

The question burst out of him before he knew it, and it caught both of them by surprise. Azula blinked blankly as a strange awareness bloomed in Sokka's eyes, too.

"Are we?" he asked again.

Azula shivered and shook her head rapidly.

"I mean… not intentionally. Not right now, no. Maybe in time. If we're ever… well, ready," she said. Sokka nodded slowly.

"Then… you guys are that committed, huh?" Aang grinned. "That's great! Guess you'll stay together, going forward?"

"We… might," Sokka said, glancing down at Azula, who frowned slightly. "Provided that's what she wants. I know it's what I want, but…"

"Might be a better conversation to have without the Avatar in the middle of it," Azula said. Sokka chuckled, but Aang pouted.

"Not that I want to pry or disturb your privacy, but… I'm supportive!" he said. "That's all I wanted you to know. If you two found love together, I think that's amazing. It's a little crazy to think Sokka's not with Suki anymore sometimes, but…"

"Crazier for you than it is for me," Sokka smiled sadly. "That relationship had run its course for far too many years before it finally ended."

"Probably. But most of us thought everything was, uh, mostly okay?" Aang shrugged. "It's a big change. But… you do look happier now than you've been in forever."

"Because I am," Sokka grinned, hand falling on Azula's waist as he reeled her closer. "I think I found what I didn't know I was looking for."

"I'm a big box of surprises that way, apparently," Azula smiled at him before shaking her head. "In any case, I don't really have any plans. I guess in a sense I feel like I didn't quite finish what Yue wanted us to do… but after what she said, it seems that she didn't actually want that journey for herself: she wanted it for me."

"You mean, seeing the world, the sights, the seasons…?" Aang asked. Azula nodded.

"It's strange. She was looking out for me, pretending to be selfish while instead she was granting me everything she would have wanted to have in life, if her circumstances had been more forgiving," Azula said, earnestly. "If she'd told me that it was for my benefit, at first, I would have refused to go along with it, but…"

"Good thing you didn't," Sokka said, pressing his lips to the top of her head. Azula smiled.

"Yeah. Good thing I didn't," she agreed, taking his hand in hers.

"I'll have to go back to Republic City eventually, though," he pointed out. Azula hummed in acknowledgement. "Maybe… we can get you a spot on the council too?"

"Sounds very much like nepotism to me," Azula smirked. Aang laughed.

"Well, the Fire Nation representative did say he was getting too old for diplomatic matters," he pointed out. "You might be a good candidate to take over. You know, as long as Zuko agrees."

"He seems to trust you more than usual, lately," Sokka pointed out. Azula shrugged.

"We'll see. It's hard to believe Zuko would give me that kind of responsibility regardless of…"

A piercing scream in the upper floors of the temple caused all three of them to fall silent abruptly.

"Katara?!" Aang gasped.

He was out of the hall as fast as lightning. Sokka followed suit, and while Azula didn't feel the urge to run too, she still decided to go after Sokka in case her aid came in handy. What, exactly, could have caused the waterbender to have that kind of outburst? Had she found a strange Air Nomad trap, triggered it, perhaps? That might have happened if this were a Fire Nation location instead… did Air Nomads do anything of the sort? Azula certainly didn't know enough about their culture to make a proper guess about that…

But by the time she reached the scene that had elicited Katara's scream, she realized no bending could possibly fix what had shocked Katara enough to let out a sound quite so alarming…

"If I wanted to be woken up early, I would've brought a pigster with me! Quit your screaming and your yapping, Katara, damn it!" Toph groaned, covering her ears with a pillow: even though so many people taller than her stood in the way, Azula still caught sight of Toph within the room…

She lay on her stomach in bed, and the covers had rolled down her back, exposing that it was naked.

Well. Perhaps the reckless earthbender preferred sleeping naked, as Sokka had pretended to in Ember Island. Azula was growing fonder of the concept nowadays thanks to Sokka's company, it was quite easy to drift into sleep after a round or two of…

Wait.

Couldn't that be the explanation, too?

"You… y-you… what the hell is going on here?!" Katara finally managed to snap out of her shock to properly ask a question… and it wasn't Toph who answered it.

"L-look, I know this seems crazy and out of place and…! B-but it's not what you think! Okay, well, maybe it is what you think, but…!"

Sokka winced, glancing back at Azula to find a frozen smile across her face at the sound of her brother's voice.

"Whaaaaat…?" she said, her own voice small and nervous.

"Uh… I don't know. I guess those two, uh…" Sokka grimaced: Toph, inside the room, huffed while Zuko scrambled into view, dressed awkwardly, in what would have been the attire to his silent walk of shame if only Katara hadn't caught him well before he started it.

"You… and Toph?!" Katara asked, glaring at Zuko in disbelief.

"W-well…!" Zuko blushed, heart racing under the sharp scrutiny of the rest of the group.

"It was a one-time thing!" Toph huffed. Zuko froze, eyes wide.

"It… was?" he said, turning towards her. "Wait, we never said…!"

"I never said I wanted to go again, Sparky. Guess I was just that good for you, was I?" she smirked. "But that's not my style, pal. Now, get out of here, all of you. I barely slept last night as it is…"

"B-but wait, that IS my style!" Zuko exclaimed, flustered. "I don't… do one-night stands!"

"Well, you do now. Congratulations!"

His jaw dropped, and as much as nobody truly understood what was going on between Zuko and Toph, most of them couldn't help but feel some compassion for the shocked firebender.

"Uuuh… maybe you should just, you know, go to your own room, change, wash up…?" Aang suggested. Zuko grimaced and lowered his head.

"None of you were supposed to… ugh. I'll be on my way," he grumbled, walking past everyone without meeting their gazes.

"And you?" Aang asked Toph, raising an eyebrow. She groaned.

"Fuck off. I'll have breakfast for dinner."

"Sounds about right," Aang smiled awkwardly, turning around and wrapping his arms around Katara. "You okay?"

"Slightly… stunned," Katara admitted, eyes wide still. "I thought Zuko would be out practicing his forms or something when I saw his room was empty. Didn't ever imagine I'd find him here with… spirits, I can't believe it. Zuko and Toph?"

"She's been hitting on him relentlessly lately. Guess she got what she wanted in the end," Sokka smiled a little, leading the rest of the group back to the lower floors, leaving Toph to her rest.

Zuko, naturally, wasn't as calm or careless about the situation as Toph was. He apologized profusely to Katara over what she saw – leaving everyone to wonder just how exposed they had been to her unprepared eyes – and he ate breakfast while scowling.

"Wasn't like we were trying to make a fuss or anything, it was just…! W-well…" Zuko said, running a hand over his hair. "She keeps flirting with me lately and I couldn't help but wonder if something could come of it, most of all after we almost died yesterday! I didn't really think we'd face that kind of danger again after the war ended, but when we did, I…"

"You figured you'd make your survival count for something and fucked one of your best friends," Azula smirked. Zuko blushed, covering his face with his hands. "How wonderful. Now you can't blame me for doing the same thing with another of them, can you?"

"At least it sounds like you two are trying to, well, make something real out of this. Toph just tried to get into my pants, succeeded, and now the novelty wore off or something?" Zuko scoffed.

"Maybe she wants you to be the one to show you want her this time?" Katara said, with an awkward smile. "But I don't know. Maybe don't show her anything. I still have no idea about how to feel over this whole situation…"

"In a sense, I suppose they were the only ones among our group who weren't a couple, so… might be they felt like they might as well go for it?" Sokka said, with a shrug. Zuko huffed.

"So, it's just meaningless for us to have had anything, you mean?" he said.

"Sounds like Toph feels that way," Sokka shrugged. Zuko groaned.

"I don't… do meaningless sex! Ugh, why do I get myself into these sorts of messes?" he said, dropping his head heavily on the table. "Unreal. I need to talk to her."

"Leave it for dinner, apparently that's when she'll wake up," Azula said.

"We, uh, had something important to talk about with you that has nothing to do with that, though," Sokka said. Zuko grunted, raising his head slightly to glare at him.

"You sure? No more humiliation over my questionable life choices?" Zuko asked.

"We'll get back to that after, if you don't mind," Sokka grinned cruelly. Zuko groaned and lowered his head again. "Thing is, we were thinking about the future. Aang says the Fire Nation representative in the council has been thinking about retiring… and maybe it's okay if he does! So, uh… what would you think of Azula as his replacement?"

Zuko flinched and raised his head again, this time a streak of curiosity in his face as he met his sister's eyes.

"You… uh, in Republic City's council? Do you want that?" he asked. Azula shrugged.

"Can't pretend it'd be my most exciting venture in life, but I think I can handle it," she said. Zuko raised an eyebrow.

"Sokka is the chairman. You'd have to answer to him," he said. Azula scoffed, glaring at her lover, who grinned carelessly at her.

"Well, he'll think he's in charge. The hidden truth is a whole other matter," Azula smirked, and Sokka yelped at her declaration.

"Hey, now… if you want something done, you can just tell me!" he said. "No need to pull strings while I'm not paying attention, or so…"

"The point is I'd always have my way. You won't say no to me because that'd mean saying no to, uh, the pleasures my brother grew all too acquainted with last night, I guess…"

"Ugh! We weren't talking about that anymore, Azula!" Zuko exclaimed, cheeks flushing again as everyone else laughed.

"Come on, now, you have enough sense not to ask for anything I shouldn't grant you," Sokka smiled, nudging her with his elbow.

"But what if my uncle shows up in town and I have to pour spice in every single one of his kettles? You wouldn't possibly approve of that, now, would you?"

"I'll tell Uncle Iroh to never visit Republic City," Zuko said, with a deadpan voice. Azula scoffed, throwing a fist in the air with frustration. Sokka chuckled and shook his head.

"You really should, because I might just let her do it otherwise," Sokka smiled. Azula couldn't help but laugh at his admission.

"I've corrupted you so, Sokka, I really have…" she smiled proudly at him: his affectionate smile warmed her heart, just as well.

"Well…! We'll see about that," Zuko said, shaking his head. "I don't know if the representative is all that ready to resign, it's the first I've heard of it. Plus, you two in the council? It sounds like you're going to fix all the worst problems in the world and start all the stupidest ones you can instead, and I don't know if I want to be responsible for that."

"Come on, why would we do that?" Sokka smiled. "We'll get plenty of work done to solve big and important problems, and then we'll just fuck in some storage closet during our free time and…"

"Sokka!" Katara and Zuko exclaimed: Azula burst out laughing at their reaction.

"What? What's so wrong with that?"

"You know what?" Zuko said, raising a hand towards them, his index finger extended. At first he pointed at Sokka… then, he turned it towards Azula. "There's another job you might be able to do. If the representative doesn't retire."

"Oh? Chairman of the Public Morals Committee or something?" Azula smirked.

"Not a damn chance," Zuko scoffed, as Azula and Sokka chuckled. "I mean… you could join the United Republic's Armed Forces."

All laughter ceased then.

"Wait… what?" Azula blinked blankly. Zuko folded his arms over his chest.

"Will be up to you, I guess, if you want to be in politics or in military matters," he said. "Also depends on whatever the representative wants, of course. But that's an option too. The army's barely being built up right now, the United Republic absolutely needs defenses, and even if you're not exactly beloved in the Earth Kingdom, I think joining the army might work well for you. Think about that possibility too, if you want."

"Heh. And here I figured you might just tell her to stay in the Fire Nation with you and your mom," Katara said. Zuko blinked blankly.

"Well… that option exists too," he said. Azula raised an eyebrow. "I assumed you'd want to stay with Sokka, though. But, if you decided otherwise… you could always come home."

Come home.

Words she had never thought she'd hear from someone else, least of all her brother, words she had never believed she'd be worthy of.

It wasn't a bad offer… only, she wasn't quite sure what said offer meant just yet.

Home… the Fire Nation had been her home all along. It was where she had belonged, up until she no longer belonged anywhere. Perhaps, in the end, all she had wanted was to come home indeed, back when she had terrorized her own nation, seeking always to return to something that was irremediably lost… and, upon knowing it lost, she had simply retaliated against the changes by sabotaging, discouraging, destroying whatever new, positive changes Zuko was trying to bring to their world.

She never imagined the day would come when Zuko would make an offer like this one. That he would want her to be part of his life… it was most likely a choice he would come to regret, of course, should she take him up on it. But it was a choice he had made, nonetheless…

Her heart pounded at the thought of agreeing and learning what, exactly, it entailed to live in freedom under Zuko's rule.

It pounded even harder upon realizing that taking him up on that offer wouldn't truly mean she'd go home, though.

She glanced at Sokka: he appeared to be at a loss over what Zuko had said, but he smiled at her reassuringly, squeezing her hand.

"If that's what you want…" he said. Azula's heart trembled.

"Maybe… I need to think about it," she said, turning towards Zuko. He shrugged.

"Take as long as you need. I need time to think about things too. Like what to do about that little…" Zuko grumbled, fists tightening at the thought of Toph again – it appeared that their romance, if it could even be considered that, would be a rather odd love-hate situation, at best, if it survived its chaotic start at all.

After finishing breakfast, Sokka and Azula went for a walk in the Eastern Air Temple. He held her hand constantly, a change she guessed she might grow used to one day, but for now, she found it to be a surprisingly exciting one still. She intertwined her fingers with his as they finally stopped at a spot where they could see the sky and the sea, in the distance. A white, pale but vivid moon hovered above them, in the daytime. Azula smiled at the sight of it, and Sokka even waved in its direction.

"Hope you're holding up okay, Yue," he said. "Guess you wanted to talk out here so she'd get her say too?"

"Not sure we'd hear her if she tried, but… maybe," Azula said, biting her lip. "Zuko's offer to go back to the Fire Nation…"

"Yeah, uh… I get it," Sokka smiled sadly. "It's the return home you must have always looked forward to. Probably what you imagined might happen if he ever gave you a chance, so…"

"Maybe it is, but…" Azula said, biting her lip before looking up at him. "That doesn't mean I'm ready to make that choice."

"Oh. But… do you want to?" Sokka asked, facing her fully and taking both her hands in his. Azula gritted her teeth.

"I think… I think I need some more time before going back to the Fire Nation," she concluded. Sokka raised his eyebrows. "Some things feel… unfinished, somehow. Like I said, I don't think we really fulfilled all of Yue's journey, even if it was meant for me more than her. Like… like going to your hometown?"

"Huh. You expected that to come next, huh?" Sokka smiled a little. Azula shrugged. "I guess I figured she'd find little novelty there, so I never thought much about taking you and Yue to the Southern Water Tribe. It's winter too, it's not as fancy as the north…"

"It's still the place where you were born and raised. I think it's safe to say that the two of us would have loved to see it," Azula smiled. "I still would, if you would ever want to take me. But, well… it's also possible that you don't, I guess."

"No, it's not," Sokka snorted, smirking. "Azula, I'd take you anywhere. I'd go with you wherever you wish to go. There's no question about it."

"Even if that means staying away from the council for a while longer?" Azula asked, amused. Sokka nodded promptly. "So irresponsible of you…"

"I'm incorrigible and I know it," Sokka grinned proudly. Azula laughed and shook her head.

"Still…" she said, folding her arms over her chest. "I'm just thinking that maybe we should fulfill the very last part of our journey eventually. Maybe not right now, it's bound to be the light period in the South Pole still…"

"Yeah, it'll be a few months before it switches back to darkness," Sokka said.

"So, to do things right, I have to go on winter. Proper winter," Azula declared, stubbornly. Sokka chuckled and nodded. "Hence… we have a few months of figuring things out. And, well… I think I'd like to try living with you. Whether as a council member or in the armed forces, I… I want to know if we're actually any good together when Yue's not as present as she was before."

"She may have brought us together… doesn't mean she's the sole reason why we are," Sokka said, cupping her face between his hands. "I love you. I owe Yue plenty for bringing you to me… but whether she's here or not, I love you, Azula. That's not negotiable."

"Heh. No incentive would make you stop?" she asked, with a warm smile, tears prickling in her eyes. "How about an all-you-can-eat meat feast?"

"Not a chance," Sokka smirked. Azula laughed, hands falling on his chest.

"Stop being so easy to love, Sokka. I can't handle it," she said, pressing her face to his neck. Sokka kissed the side of her head gently.

"I'm an absolute pain to love for anyone but you, you know?" Sokka smiled, rocking her in his arms. "Katara's always at her wits' end with me, even if she loves me. Suki would tell you you're setting yourself up for a life of misery…"

"Maybe Suki's the source of the misery, ever thought about that?" Azula asked, cuttingly. Sokka laughed and shook his head.

"I mean, she did become one over time, but…"

"She'll find someone else eventually who makes sense for her. But that she couldn't live with you, that she couldn't love you other than on her terms, is her problem. Doesn't reflect on you, Sokka," Azula reassured him, caressing his chest kindly. Sokka leaned down, pressing his lips to her brow.

"You might think too highly of me…"

"I wouldn't do that. Thinking lowly of you means I can make fun of you far more easily, so clearly, I'd choose that rather than thinking highly…"

Sokka rolled his eyes before silencing her with a kiss. Azula laughed against his lips, knowing she had won that particular non-argument, wrapping her arms around his neck as she returned the kiss heartily. By the time he pulled back, she had a rather surprising revelation to make:

"I have no idea how to live a normal life."

Sokka smiled warmly, pressing his brow to hers.

"I didn't either. Maybe I still don't," he laughed. "I'm not sure the two of us would ever have… well, a mundane, boring life. Feels like even if we're sitting home together, working on puzzle games of some sort, we'd be having way more fun than what regular people do."

"Heh. Even our mundanity would be exciting?" Azula smiled. "That's… promising, actually. I like the sound of that."

"Then…" Sokka grinned. Azula breathed deeply, losing herself in his beautiful eyes.

"I'll go with you. We'll see about whatever my work will be, I don't know, but… I want to try this. You haven't pissed me off irremediably so far, so…" she laughed. Sokka smiled warmly. "Nor have I done that to you, shockingly, even if I certainly tried back in Ba Sing Se…"

"I was just worried about you, and you know it," Sokka said, kissing the tip of her nose. Azula smiled and nodded.

"I do. You make no sense that way," she laughed. "Anyway, I… I just wanted to be sure you'd know where I stand in all of this. It would be okay to go back to the Fire Nation, I suppose, but… I don't really think I want to, just yet."

"Well, I, for one, think that's great news," Sokka smiled, kissing her fully once more.

The difference between his last relationship and this new one couldn't have been more patent: he had damn near begged Suki to leave the Fire Nation, to share a life with him in Republic City, only for that life to wind up going downhill at an alarming rate. Years of pleas had taken a terrible outcome – perhaps Suki had constantly refused because she had known that they might end up as they did, sooner than later. Azula, though… she was choosing to be with him, well above everything else. In all the years of seeking a purpose, of stemming in grudges, of wandering the world feeling that she belonged nowhere, she finally had chosen a place for herself, and it was right at Sokka's side. His heart soared enough to hoist her in his arms, laughing with her as they exchanged more earnest kisses.

"Say…" Azula whispered, still nestled warmly in his arms. Sokka prodded the tip of her nose with his.

"Yeah?"

"I meant it before: I still want to finish the journey," she smiled. "Later, of course, but I'm just saying…"

"I'll take you to the Southern Water Tribe in winter. I promise," Sokka smiled. Azula laughed and nodded.

"Just what I wanted to hear…"

They returned to the others a few hours later, to find that Toph had finally climbed out of bed and appeared perfectly unconcerned by Zuko's distress over their peculiar situation. She refused any responsibility, or any talk about being a royal consort now, something that both Sokka and Aang brought up to tease her. The Fire Lord appeared not to know left from right anymore, hardly sure of whether he wanted to pursue anything real with Toph – a possibility that seemed rather unlikely, considering how unwilling she was to explore a potential long-term relationship with him –, or attempt another reconciliation with Mai somehow, should she ever be willing to be with him again. Clearly, he wouldn't sort that out anytime soon, so by the time the whole group returned to Republic City, in another trip with multiple stops, Zuko still hadn't worked out a solution for his dilemmas.

Their return to the city was far more triumphant than some expected it to be: both Azula and Sokka were caught by surprise upon learning, from Ursa and Bumi, how wide the reach of Aang's bending had been.

"The water around the island… it seemed to want to obliterate this place, maybe," Ursa said, once they were with her inside Air Temple Island's sitting room. "I took Bumi to the highest point and we just prayed for it to stop. The air suddenly grew heavy, and we could barely breathe for almost twenty minutes, but that stopped the storm… and from what I've heard in my ventures into the city, everyone else experienced that too."

"You really bent the entire atmosphere, you crazy guy, you," Sokka said, smiling at his brother-in-law. Aang smiled nervously, shrugging in response to Sokka's apparent pride in him.

"Someone had to do something, I guess," he said.

"And you very much saved our lives with it. Everyone's lives," Ursa smiled kindly at him. "Thank you, Aang."

"Oh. You're welcome!" Aang grinned shyly, scratching the back of his neck. "Doing my Avatar duties!"

"And quite successfully too," Ursa said, nodding sagely.

Toph returned to her city quickly, and it wouldn't be long before Zuko went back to the Fire Nation too… but Ursa wasn't as ready to leave as he was, let alone upon learning of Azula's intent.

"Then… you'll stay? With Sokka?" she asked, a fragile grin on her face.

"I know we meant to travel together, and we still might, one day," Azula said, reassuringly. "But, well… the last stretch of the journey would've been to the South Pole, we thought. In winter, you know? To finish the cycle properly. Won't be winter there for a while, so… I figured I'd stay here, to see if Zuko gives me a decent job to do in Republic City."

"We have two possibilities. Guess we'll see which one pans out," Zuko added. Ursa's eyes widened.

"My… well, that's wonderful to know, even if heartbreaking too," Ursa smiled, turning towards her daughter. Azula eyed her guiltily. "Don't feel bad for me, no, I just… you're growing fast, always have been. I hoped to make up for lost time, but… you have a life to live. I'll come visit, if you'd like! Or you could come visit the Fire Nation too, surely your brother would allow it?"

"Oh? Yeah, well, it's her home too, if she wants it to be," Zuko said, with a shrug. "I know it wasn't for a while, but… I think we're finally past all that."

"Strange for my own brother to trust me this much. I might not get used to it at all, come to think of it," Azula smirked at Zuko, who scoffed mockingly at her.

"I know you like it better when you can piss me off. I have the feeling you'll just leave to recharge energies and then visit when you've gone too long without messing with me," he said. Azula laughed.

"A sound concept. I might just make that happen indeed," she beamed. Despite himself, Zuko chuckled.

"Well… for what it's worth, good luck living in Republic City. Don't let Sokka slack off too much, whether at work or at home…"

"Hey!" Sokka pouted.

"And… have fun, I guess?" he said. "I'll arrange whatever paperwork's needed for this. Your pardon's guaranteed, I'll make sure to settle it as soon as I return. And, uh, if you need anything…"

"I'll make sure to reach out, but hopefully it will be fine," Azula said. Zuko nodded.

"Then… good luck, and see you soon, I guess," he said, with a small smile.

Ursa cleared her throat meaningfully. Zuko grimaced as he looked at her, recognizing her intent. Azula did, too. She stifled her laughter, waiting to see just how effective the motherly pressure would turn out to be…

And naturally, Ursa won. Zuko groaned, blushing as he stepped forward to hug his laughing sister. Ursa beamed proudly at the result, and Sokka couldn't hold back his own laughter either as he watched them.

Within two more days, most of which Sokka and Azula spent resting in Air Temple Island, much like Aang did, the pair sailed across the stretch of the sea between the island and the booming, growing Republic City. It hardly impressed Azula at first, it wasn't much of a city just yet, but she followed Sokka as he showed her the general layout of the place before taking her shopping, a notion that caught her by surprise, most of all due to how giddy her lover was over that prospect.

Loaded with new clothes and food supplies, they finally reached Sokka's apartment by evening.

"Well? What do you think?" Sokka smiled awkwardly, setting down the heavy bags he had been carrying.

Azula's eyes traveled over the kitchen, adjacent to the dining room. The walls were mostly bare, there were piles of clothes scattered in a few places – and Sokka promptly rushed to pick them up, explaining that his carelessness wasn't a constant thing, absolutely not! – and there wasn't enough furniture in the place just yet. Not enough bookshelves, not enough chairs, only cushions to sit at a small table…

And a balcony. Sokka smiled as he showed it to her, and Azula stepped outside with wide eyes to watch the grand horizon that spread ahead. The sea looked rather beautiful… and it reflected the moon vividly as twilight settled upon the world. She smiled at the reflection of the moon upon the waves, and she raised a hand as a greeting at Yue.

"That's a good view," Azula said. "And that place might deserve the name of Full-Moon Bay far more than the one that actually took it…"

"Pretty sure they called the original Full-Moon Bay that way because it was round like the full moon…" Sokka said. Azula scoffed.

"Well, the moon looks better from here. I'm sure it does," she said, leaning against his flank and sighing in relief. "I've never lived like this, you know?"

"Well, it's not as crazy as being on the road, traveling around on a hot-air balloon, dangling off a rope underneath a bridge…"

"Ah, good times."

"But it'll be a home anyway," Sokka smiled, nudging her gently. Azula smiled back, gazing up at him. "Then? Do you like it, or…? I swear I'll be tidy, way more than you imagine! You can scold me for it when I mess up too, I promise I won't whine too much about it…"

"But that's the point of scolding you. It's funny when you whine," Azula smirked. Sokka laughed, pressing his brow to hers. "This place… it suits you perfectly."

"It does?" Sokka asked, happily surprised.

"It's, uh… how do I put it?" Azula said, biting her lip, failing to contain a smirk. Sokka's excitement dwindled and he offered her a deadpan glare instead. "A work-in-progress, perhaps?"

"Isn't that one of the names I suggested for our group…? Hey! W-well…! Sure it's one! But we're all works-in-progress in life, like it or not!" he exclaimed, tickling her vindictively. Azula tried to squirm out of his grasp, but she failed.

Before she knew it, his wicked attack had resulted in them returning inside, and she had landed atop the cushions and pillows on the floor, laughing as his hands mischievously danced over her flanks. There seemed to be no escape from Sokka right now, tickles were such a weakness of hers…

But perhaps she could redirect that energy of his to more favorable pursuits.

Instead of yanking his hands off her body, she dragged them up until his fingers stopped nudging upon falling over her breasts. Sokka's intent fizzled out quickly by then, more so as Azula slid her legs between his.

"U-uh… what are we doing?" Sokka smiled awkwardly. Azula bit her lip, closing her eyes as she compelled him to grope her some more. "I did not expect this kind of generosity over a tickle battle… I have the feeling you're about to kick me in the nuts when I lower my guard."

"Then don't lower it… but I'll lower mine," Azula smiled. "We can do it right here, right now. No one's going to stop us. Nothing can get in the way. It's your place, after all… the only thing you need to do is close the drapes. So…?"

She glanced back at him, that devious smirk across her tempting lips. Sokka's throat dried as he jumped out of the cushions, racing towards all the windows to ensure he had covered them all. Azula, still lying where she did, used her bending to light up the candles and house lamps Sokka kept within his home. By the time he returned, she lay with one leg flexed up, her hands over her hair, and a wicked, meaningful smirk on her face. While the effect she had on his body was usually quite quick to present itself, Sokka was even lightheaded this time at the sight of his lover's mischievous attempt to seduce him.

"If this is what your revenge after tickle fights looks like… I could stand to tickle you some more," Sokka smiled a little. Azula laughed.

"Let's just say… this is how I feel about this place," she whispered. "I see nothing but potential and chances to make this life… ours. So, I may just be generous now because I want you to make me yours as well and… you'd best make the most of that generosity while it lasts, don't you think?"

Sokka laughed, shaking his head before diving in, dropping atop the Princess and kissing her relentlessly. She moaned, wrapping her arms and legs around his body, encouraging him to go further, to make her very first day in their new home as memorable as could be.

It seemed that clothing piles would wind up being a common matter for the pair, for their clothes flew all over the apartment as they stripped each other bare. Their lustful embrace never failed to bring smiles to their faces, thrilled to share a passionate evening where their lips ever found purchase on each other, where their hearts raced as the excitement increased, where they peaked together or apart by mere moments, where it seemed as though no spot in the apartment was off-limits for the wild trysts they wanted to have.

Again, they wound up in the warm tub after far more rounds of sex than they would keep track of, lips locked frequently with deep kisses, hands touching each other freely, everywhere they cared to reach.

"Just… for the sake of boosting my ego?" Azula smiled, prodding Sokka's nose with hers. "Was your first day with Suki in this place anything like this?"

Sokka snorted before laughing off the concept completely. Azula smiled wickedly as he pressed his forehead to hers.

"Very clearly… no," he laughed. "I had more warning, I was tidier than I was this time… but hey, we just made a mess and threw our clothes around all over the place, so you're messy too!"

"Who said I couldn't be?" Azula smiled, floating in the tub so she could sit fully on his lap. "I had servants to pick up after me long ago, remember? And after that, I lived as a wanted criminal. This is very new to me, altogether. Maybe I'll become a fiend of order and cleanliness in due time, but for now… I might just enjoy being a mess with you."

"If this is the mess we're going to be, we're definitely winning in life," he smiled, pressing his lips over her collarbone and shoulders. "You're so beautiful…"

She smiled upon hearing that word: Yue had claimed as much too, and Azula had dismissed the notion, ridiculing the Moon Spirit for praising her at all. Strange to find herself far more willing to hear praises now than she had been in years… most of all, by knowing that none of what Sokka would dare say to her would be a lie. His longing for her, the way he couldn't keep his hands off her, his lips trailing across her face over and over, as though there were nothing about her, not a single thing, that didn't please him…

Her arms locked around his neck and she caught his lips in hers, her chest pressed fully against him. The cold evening breeze encouraged her to heat up the tub further with her bending, and Sokka smiled with delight at the sensation as he covered her body with more eager kisses.

It was a grand start to their life together, one that resulted in them resting sloppily and carelessly in Sokka's futon after they'd spent their energy and unleashed even more of the tension they hadn't been able to work out so far. Starting a relationship in the middle of chaotic circumstances might not have been the wisest of choices, but they certainly made up for it now, blissfully indulging in their privacy and every opportunity to make their time together count.

After a couple of days, Sokka finally built up enough resolve to attend the council for the first time in many months. He was welcomed eagerly, and the Fire Nation representative couldn't seem to stop bowing reverently at Azula, who was quite perplexed by his reaction – strange for Zuko to have hired someone who appeared to be an Ozai loyalist for a role like this one… but perhaps he was simply of the sorts who were extremely loyal to monarchy, regardless of whichever member he was facing.

The man indeed was ready to retire: while Azula didn't know if it would be the right choice in the long run, she chose the job as his replacement rather than in the armed forces. It should have been odd to feel a stronger pull towards civil service, towards politics, than the warfare she had been trained for all her life… but that, perhaps, was the reason to do it. Yue had never been a militaristic person, quite clearly… perhaps it was time for Azula to experience firsthand the value of that kind of leadership, bereft of aggression and forcefulness, steeped in thoughtfulness and service instead.

With that, their first shared winter, in this case, in the northern hemisphere, began smoothly. The snowfall was beautiful once it started, a few weeks into the season, and while Azula didn't particularly enjoy the cold, Sokka's ways to keep her warm sufficed to convince her that there were advantages to that kind of weather too. They worked together to build up their apartment, filling it with more furniture they usually chose together, and Sokka made a point of buying quite a few mirrors too, no longer to see to it that Azula could communicate with Yue, but with the hopes that one day she'd be as ready to see herself as beautiful as she was. It was a work-in-progress for the Princess indeed, but watching her reflection grew less distressing as time went by, as she learned to inhabit her new role in the world she had chosen to privilege above any other kind of life.

Republic City also grew and developed further, and they were at the head of settling the challenges that saw to that development: new people drifted towards the grand location that promised change and social progress, better lives for so many who had suffered no end of grievances after the war. The small Cranefish Town hardly seemed to be remembered anymore as it grew quickly, promising to become something so much greater than anyone had imagined possible, let alone in such a short timespan. While Azula didn't handle dealings with other nations, particularly with the Earth Kingdom, she took care of local matters instead, proposing numerous solutions to quicken the pace in which new constructions were being erected, allowing way for more people to move to Republic City if they wished to do so. Sokka was particularly stoked about approving permits for new inventors, for great advancements to finally become the norm… Azula had teased him about it, asking if he wanted to be among the inventors rather than the people enabling them, but Sokka appeared to be far too thrilled to work with her to want a change of jobs anytime soon.

Just as he had predicted, their mundanity was blissful. As the seasons changed, they continued to bask in a life they had made their own, a home they had shaped into a place that belonged to the two of them, and their love only appeared to strengthen as each day passed. Their occasional visits to Air Temple Island resulted in further closeness with Aang and Katara that Azula had never anticipated she'd experience, much like Toph's invitations for late-night drinking in town easily confirmed her place as Azula's second favorite person in Team Avatar, second only to Sokka himself.

By the time summer was coming around, they had been living together for as good as six months. A visit to the Fire Nation, where they checked on Zuko and Ursa, and Azula actually got to meet Ursa's new family properly – Kiyi appeared to admire her, as she was growing a rebellious streak, in which she constantly butted heads with her mother –, preceded the last stage of a journey they had long needed to complete…

Hakoda stood at the new Southern Water Tribe port, arms folded over his chest as his son and his girlfriend disembarked from the ship that had brought them to the South Pole. Azula was clad in a thick crimson parka, but even that didn't suffice to keep her warm when the cold was starting to rise well beyond the levels she was comfortable with…

"I think it's colder down here than in the North Pole," Azula said. Sokka smiled, an arm around her waist.

"You just think so because you were in the Fire Nation only a few days ago and it's crazy hot over there. Nothing more to it…"

"Yeah, sure, nothing more to it…" Azula mumbled, her breath white before her eyes.

She raised her eyes towards the man standing at the end of that pier, nervousness rising inside her gut as Sokka guided her towards him. While he appeared quite stern at first, the man who offered her a most intriguing mirror to who Sokka might become, given thirty more years, smiled at his son before long.

"It's been way too long, Sokka," he said. Sokka chuckled, pressing a quick kiss to the side of Azula's head before releasing her from his grip and stepping forward to hug his father tightly.

Azula watched them, nervous and uneasy as Hakoda clapped Sokka's back firmly. He pulled back then, turning a curious and even mischievous smirk upon her.

"And this… is the big surprise you'll have to explain quite thoroughly, my boy," he said. "I know things between you and Suki didn't look very promising anymore, but… that's a change."

"It is. For the better, too," Sokka grinned, taking Azula's hand. "Azula, this is my dad. As, uh, you might recall…"

"I do," Azula said, with a nervous smile. "I, uh… I'm grateful that you received us like this. Thank you."

"Why, it's no matter," Hakoda said. "Though I admit, of all people, I didn't think you'd be the type to get involved with Sokka…"

"Are you saying she's out of my league?!" Sokka squeaked. Azula laughed, and Hakoda scoffed at him.

"I'm pretty sure he's saying you're out of mine," Azula said: Sokka yelped, looking at her in horror.

"That's…! Not possible! You're not saying that, are you?!" Sokka exclaimed. Hakoda blinked blankly.

"Well. She's certainly brought your goofier side back to the fore. Can't say that's a bad thing," Hakoda grinned, glancing at her again.

"I know there's things that… well, you might need to hear from me," Azula said, her stomach twisting, her heart clenching. "We all know I wasn't exactly the best version of myself I could be for a long time. But…"

"But you're trying to live a different life now," Hakoda said. "You've been doing that for the better part of half a year, isn't that right, Sokka?"

"Longer than that," Sokka smiled, still holding Azula's hand firmly. "We went on a very strange journey, as you already know, I told you on my letters…"

"And I understood very little of what you meant by any of it, so you'll have to explain again now," Hakoda smiled, jerking his head towards the town. "Shall we?"

Azula sighed in relief: it wasn't as though he had welcomed her into his life with a bear hug, but she didn't quite need that anyway. Knowing she wasn't unwelcome, or that she might ruin Sokka's connection with his family solely for being involved with him, relieved her greatly.

"See? Nothing to worry about," Sokka smiled, wrapping an arm fully around her shoulders before leading her to follow his father.

After a whole day spent explaining their journey to Hakoda, who seemed to be utterly enthralled by their story, to the point of even wiping a tear at the retelling of how they parted ways with Yue, the next few were a matter of sightseeing around the Tribe for Azula. Hakoda's initial distance faded quickly, most of all as he laughed at her jabs and puns, every wicked joke that crossed her mind appeared to sit quite well with him and his son. She truly had a place in this world, and she thrived in having found it with the man who held her hand everywhere they might go in the South Pole.

Sokka showed her the places of his childhood memories, where he had first tried to build an igloo only for it to collapse atop him, where he had built a watch tower that Zuko had unceremoniously destroyed with his ship, introducing her to the now-grown children he had been supposed to train long ago, and who did whatever they cared to, instead… he had a wonderful, beautiful life, but his smiles were at their brightest when he shined them upon her. Azula's heart couldn't seem to stop pounding in joy with every new activity she joined in the Tribe, including a late cookout at the central fireplace, where the growing population of the Southern Water Tribe gathered to make all sorts of meals that, while initially unappealing to the Princess, she grew to enjoy in due time.

She didn't quite know for how long they would stay, crashing in Hakoda's place, in Sokka's room. His childhood room certainly was small and cozy, and the few toys that had survived his youth sat in a corner, some worn and with faded colors, some in better shape. There was an awkward factor to their intimacy while they resided there, of all places, for Hakoda was in the next room… but as unreasonable and reckless as they might be, they dared indulge in lovemaking a few times nonetheless, kissing constantly in the hopes of being as quiet as could be, so Hakoda might not be disturbed by whatever noises they made… not that it served much purpose, for his knowing smirks the next morning had Azula hiding her blushing face behind her hand while Sokka smiled guiltily, trying to fend off his father's teasing to imply he had enough knowledge of what had happened between them at night.

Still, there was one more thing they had left to do. One thing Sokka had planned for extensively, and that he executed once he was sure they were ready, when they were already deeper into winter…

"Okay, okay, that was… that was enough weird excitement for me," Azula laughed: the otter-penguin they had been riding together, the largest of the bunch, skittered away from them after their wild sledding reached a halt in the depths of the South Pole. "You sure you know your way back to the Tribe from here?"

"Totally," Sokka chuckled, holding her close as he watched the penguin slide away. "So? Promise to Yue fulfilled?"

"She did say we had to go penguin sledding… and now we have. It was fun, but strange. I've ridden quite a few beasts in my life, but I never imagined otter-penguins would join that list," Azula admitted, raising her eyebrows. Sokka smirked.

"You've had plenty of practice riding in recent times, if not in that way…"

"Could you stop being such a perv for ten minutes?" Azula hissed, no matter how amused she was by his words. Sokka cackled.

"I did stop! That ride was like ten minutes, or something!" he said. Azula rolled her eyes, shaking her head and wrapping her arms around him…

Just so, she noticed she could see Sokka more clearly than usual now, even though she didn't have a lantern at hand, nor was she bending. Sokka smirked and nudged her, turning her in his arms so she would have her back to him… allowing her eyes to feast upon a glorious sight.

"That's…" Azula gasped, watching the lights dancing in the sky with amazement.

"I had the feeling that you'd like to see it," Sokka grinned, nudging her gently. "We just had to go a bit deeper into the Pole for that."

The aurora before them glowed brightly, shifting slowly so that it never retained the same shape for too long. Streaks of color spread out all around. It was mostly green, but specks of other hues could surge from the cosmic occurrence all the same…

"And hey… we're not the only ones watching."

Sokka wrapped his arms around Azula before pointing out a white, bright light, towards the north. Azula smiled warmly at the sight of it, as she ever did these days.

"See? We brought you to see the Southern Lights. We're not such jerks even when you're not around to tell us exactly what you want to see, are we?" Azula said. "Hope you're enjoying the show, Yue."

"I'm sure she is," Sokka smiled, his face buried in her neck. "Most of all… because she wanted all of this for you. She must have hoped you could experience our kinds of winter this way… though, you didn't get to see the lights in the north, did you?"

"No, I was far too busy avoiding capture to pay much attention, to be honest. But I like the southern ones," Azula said, glancing at him over her shoulder. Sokka grinned warmly at her. "Maybe because we're seeing them together. I kind of wonder if she could just… take shape in the lights of the aurora, somehow. Would be nice, seeing her again…"

"It would be," Sokka agreed. "But at least we know she's shining as brightly as ever up there…"

"She'd better not stop. I have too much pending paperwork in Republic City to worry about having to go beat up some other douchebag spirit hellbent on consuming her or kidnapping her," she said.

"Eh, she knows you'd leave the paperwork to help her, you're not fooling anyone with that claim…"

"Well, if she does know that, she'd better also know that I'd spend the whole time complaining about the things she makes me do while we help her, anyhow," Azula stated, haughtily. Sokka laughed, kissing her cheek.

"You're always adorable," he said, proudly. Azula bit her lip and smiled.

"You're asking for it now. Adorable, me? Always? Screw that," she said. Sokka chuckled, fingers tickling her heavily covered flanks lightly. "Sokka…"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm not asking for anything crazy, I just wanted to mess with you," he said: too often he had taken advantage of her ticklishness across their time together, and more often than not, it resulted in sex. It definitely wasn't the right place or time for that… though it might be the place and time for something else instead.

Sokka swallowed hard as he felt the weight in his pocket. He had to go for it. This was what he'd wanted to do all along, after all. He raised his gaze towards the moon, smiling kindly at her, wordlessly offering Yue his gratitude for everything she had done for them… for helping him find peace with her circumstances as he also learned how to live his life freely, with someone he loved…

Someone he hoped he'd be able to love forever.

After six months of the most successful, stable living circumstances they had ever experienced, the next step forward was as good as a given. He just had to take it.

He released Azula briefly, a hand slipping in his pocket…

"Marry me."

Sokka froze.

Azula's voice had trembled slightly when she spoke the words, but she rested against his chest without fear. Her arms were folded over her torso, as though protecting herself if she wound up hurt after this… but she held herself in place without cowering. Without taking back her words.

"Azula…" Sokka said. Azula glanced at him with uncertainty.

"I guess… I've been thinking about it a lot. I was waiting to see how this turned out, the last bit of our trip?" she said, biting her lip. "I've been delighted through it, too. So… maybe I'm rushing. If I am, that's fine. I just… guess now you know where I'm standing, at least."

Sokka snorted, shaking his head as he released her from his grip. Azula turned towards him, unsure of what he found so funny of her words…

Until he pulled out his gloved hand from his pocket, revealing a pristine necklace of black velvet, and a blue pendant with an engraved symbol on it: she thought she recognized it as the moon and the sun.

"Oh, well, maybe I should show you the other side instead…"

He flipped the pendant to reveal water and fire, too.

Her eyes widened. Sokka snickered, running a hand over his hair.

"I kind of maybe had planned on doing this just now, and you beat me to it by like… I don't know. Three seconds? Why're you always competing with me even when it comes to proposing marriage to each other, huh?"

Azula snorted, covering her mouth with her own gloved hands as she laughed at Sokka's amused smirk. He held the necklace in plain sight for her to admire still, and the surreal situation couldn't seem to stop Azula's laughter. Sokka chuckled too, shaking his head as he stepped forward, wrapping the choker gently around Azula's neck. By the time she stopped laughing quite so hard, there were tears of sincere emotion blinking in her eyes.

"I figured I'd have to wait for your answer, but… guess the ball's in my court instead, since you talked first," he smiled kindly, cupping her face. "And my answer is… hell yes, I'll marry you."

Azula laughed again at his sincere, blunt answer. Sokka grinned wildly before wrapping her tightly in his arms, kissing her fully underneath the glow of the aurora, underneath the moonlight too. Azula's heart pounded fast, the blood rushing through her system as she indulged in the bliss of knowing her love, her needs, her hopes and aspirations, entirely fulfilled by the man she loved.

The future ahead was brimming with potential, most of all when their love would continue to grow and thrive as it had so far. Perhaps there would be children in their future, perhaps there would be none – perhaps pets, instead, or nothing at all. Perhaps they would remain in Republic City forever, or they might even move to the Fire Nation or the Southern Water Tribe, in due time… but the horizon brought countless possibilities, and it would be up to them to seize them at their leisure, to continue thriving in the life they had built together, in the triumphs and victories that had brought them to a day as beautiful as the one they had just shared, and the many more that lay in store in the years to come…

But there was one thing Azula wanted to do. One last wish, one final way to fully silence Oblivion, to ensure the worst of his cruelties towards Yue would never be realized…

To the people of Republic City, it was but another ceremony, like many others, held to commemorate events and heroes of the war that people had heard no end of stories about. To the people of the rest of the world, it was a rather confusing situation, most of all because Councilwoman Azula was the one to push the initiative forward.

But as the day arrived, she stood with her husband proudly, three years after their marriage had been official and made known to the world. Sokka's public speaking skills had improved far more than he wanted to accept they had, ever nervous upon addressing a large crowd, but it was easier for him that day as he finished explaining the event taking place by Republic City's port.

"As has been requested and approved by Republic City's council, Councilwoman Azula's proposal to honor the heroic sacrifice of Princess Yue of the Northern Water Tribe, is hereby approved!"

A loud cheer rushed through the audience. Azula smiled, standing with the other members of the council behind Sokka by a tall statue covered by a cloth, in the middle of the bay. Sokka turned towards her, smiling kindly and nodding in her direction. Azula stepped forward to the microphone Sokka had been speaking into, trying to ignore the nerves and anxiety… there was no hostility from the crowd today. There had been less and less of it the longer she served as the council's Fire Nation representative. She clasped Sokka's hand gently, and he grinned and encouraged her to finish the ceremony herself.

The other council members held the ropes that kept the statue covered. The Northern Water Tribe's representative appeared most eager to pull at his own, eyes aglow with pride. Azula's eyes trailed over the audience, finding the delegation of the Northern Water Tribe, including the proud Chief Arnook, whose eyes glistened with tears, looked forward to this grand moment just as well.

"From this day onwards… Republic City's Bay shall be officially known as Yue Bay!" Azula declared: the cheers rushed through the audience even more loudly than before. "May our city, and our world, ensure to always remember the brave Princess who saved us all!"

Azula's words were accompanied by the unveiling of the white statue, to match the color of the moon: Azula herself had commissioned and seen to the accurate depiction of the young princess, as faithful to her features as possible. That was the face of the girl she owed so much to, even if Yue believed she had long repaid her debts. Seeing her once more, even if in the shape of a statue, brought a tender smile to Azula's face. Yue had truly changed Azula's world… the shadows in her reflection had long receded, chased away by a proud Sokka, who hoisted her fully into his arms, lifting her in the air in a celebratory gesture, and those shadows had relinquished their grip on Yue just as much as they had let go of Azula, too.

The crowd continued to rejoice in the unveiling of the pristine, marble statue, of the beautiful girl who had taken the Moon Spirit's place so long ago. Her story had hardly been known before… but it would be, from now on. Sokka's pain and grief for her sake had finally been channeled into growth, into new strength, into the confidence he had long failed to truly experience… much as Azula's strife, and her aimless life, no longer controlled her, no more than Oblivion could ever control Yue anew.

From a distance, a world away as she might be, Yue didn't feel as far away from them as she most likely was… for merely gazing up at the moon offered a mirage of a beautiful girl in a flowing dress, her white hair dancing in the wind, smiling kindly and gratefully as her greatest act of love for the world was commemorated in the thoughtful gesture that served as an antidote to oblivion indeed.

Mischievously, Sokka teased Azula about making a statue for her next, a notion she laughed off at once, even as she rested comfortably against him. She had meant to see this project completed for years, for the seed of it had been planted when she had arrived in Republic City, once she had seen that moon reflected upon the waves so beautifully: her bond with Yue would never go forgotten, no matter if the Moon Spirit never manifested herself physically before them again. For perhaps she wouldn't… but that would be fine, too. Even if that was the case, she continued to shine with the grand strength she ever displayed after they had parted ways in that spiritual dimension…

Their bonds would never break, and today's celebration was but a testament to the truth they had learned long ago, in the midst of their great journey: three lonely souls had broken their solitude's spell for good, for upon finding each other, they had also found the truest freedom.

A/N:

Hope you guys enjoyed it! It was a lot of fun working on this story, it's my first genuine Azula redemption based on where canon left her off, instead of AUs or just a wholly different story that diverges so much from canon that her development doesn't really fit into the kinds of redemption people look for in stories about Azula. Anyway! Point is it was an ambitious story in some regards, but I'd think I managed to convey several things properly across these 8 chapters, and whatever I failed at, I hope to improve it in any future stories I may write along these lines. Thanks for reading! Happy Sokkla Saturdays, everyone!

#sokkla #sokkla saturdays 2023 #sokklasaturdays #sokka #azula #so I kinda fucked up posting this and nearly crashed the whole post into oblivion #he must have been stoked #but I saved it #so oblivion definitely is not stoked anymore #anyway I was just trying to say that there's one scene here very much inspired by an Elemental scene that was cut #but the idea in it is so cute #that I needed to Sokklarize it ASAP #so here it is!#as for the very final scene #it's actually my answer to all the people so very concerned #by how Sokka can't seem to get over Yue #and that's why that specific Yue homage in LOK is apparently unacceptable #if you ship him with someone else #... well here you have a way to look at it that isn't as toxic as all that :')#justice for Yue 2023 #girl is so much more than Sokka's ex #let alone than the dark shadow that haunts his every posterior relationship #let the poor girl rest #let her be valued the way she deserves to be #as much as this is very much an Azula redemption it's also always been a homage to Yue #and she deserves more love <3 #anyway! hope you enjoy the finale!

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seyaryminamoto · 5 months

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The Shadows in her Reflection: Sokkla Saturdays 2023

Day 7: Air

Rated: M

On FF.net/On AO3

That there would be tension by the next morning, after the way things had turned out on the previous day, caught everyone by surprise besides Sokka and Azula. The anguish apparent across the Princess's features caused more than a few of the others to fear that she was regressing, that she hadn't been ready for what happened, for as good as being part of their group… until Sokka finally spoke, by the dining table, as Azula held her head in place with her hands, elbows upon the furniture.

"Last night… Azula had a vision of Yue in her dreams," Sokka said, gritting his teeth. "It wasn't like the others. After it ended… she couldn't see her anymore."

"What?" Zuko frowned. Toph whistled beside him.

"Doesn't that mean you guys got her to see everything she needed to see? Isn't that how this works?" she asked.

"It's not," Azula said, her voice strained. No one, not even Sokka, had expected her to speak just yet. "I would've thought it was as simple as that, if I hadn't seen her anymore with no further explanation, but… what she said in that dream paints a different picture."

"What kind of picture?" Katara asked, eyeing her warily.

"I… I've had dreams that never seemed real. Dreams about her," Azula explained. "She was in a dark space, something was pulling her down, usually, but she seemed to be moments away from fading off in a cloud of smoke, somehow. I mostly couldn't reach her, I couldn't talk to her, I just… saw whatever was happening. I only talked with her once, I think, in those kinds of dreams. When I woke up and looked at any of my reflections, she'd be there, smiling, waving at me, acting like nothing was wrong. I asked her about it a long time ago, long before I came across Sokka, and she… she always acted like she had no idea what I was talking about. The little shit just… lied to me about what she's been going through, constantly, whenever I wasn't paying attention to her."

"But that means… she's not okay. What happened last night, when you stopped seeing her… it's definitely not because you fulfilled her wishes," Aang frowned.

Zuko paced towards a nearby window: it was morning, but sometimes the moon was visible in daylight, nonetheless. He saw nothing at the moment.

"Maybe there'd be no moon anyway, right now, but… I don't see it," Zuko said. Azula snarled, fingers slipping through her scalp and gripping it tightly.

"The moon hasn't been restored, then?" Ursa said. "So… if you can't see Yue anymore, Azula, does that mean…?"

"I don't know," Azula said, glancing at Sokka with undisguised guilt. "I… I don't know if I can do anything for her anymore. If she had just told me…!"

"Take it easy, okay?" Sokka said, a hand on her shoulder as Azula snarled in distress. "If she didn't say anything… it's probably because she thought the situation was hopeless. She tends to be self-sacrificial that way."

"And we're just… what, going to sit by and do nothing?" Azula asked. "We can't just…"

"Let her go just like that? We can't, that's true," Sokka said. "But that's why I wanted to talk to Aang: if someone could help us figure this out, it's bound to be him."

"Wait, me?" Aang grimaced: Azula's expectant glare suggested she was moments away from threatening him into providing a solution. "Okay, I… I don't know that I can. I know I'm the bridge between humans and spirits, but…"

"Find out where she is. Go to the Spirit World!" Azula exclaimed, folding her arms over her chest. Aang sighed.

"Easier said than done," he admitted. "But… maybe it can be done."

His sudden statement caught everyone off guard, sudden as it was for hope to bloom, even if uncertain hope. Azula raised her eyebrows, and Sokka bit his lip.

"What do you have in mind?" Sokka asked.

"I could… look for help. Find the Ocean Spirit, maybe, find out if La knows something of what's going on," Aang suggested. "We worked together to save the Water Tribe once. Maybe he will still trust me now? I… I hope he will, at least."

"How would you go about doing this?" Azula asked. Aang frowned, rubbing his chin with a hand.

"I mean… a spiritual place, close to the ocean, maybe?" he said. "Because along with that, I… I have the feeling I can't be the one to sort this out, Azula. You're the one who had that connection to Yue, so you, uh… you might need to come to the Spirit World too, or wherever she might be."

"What?" Azula gasped. Sokka flinched.

"Are you sure about that?" he said. "The Spirit World is a mess of a place, Aang. There's no bending there, remember? Are you going to join her there, or…?"

"I don't know that I can. I'll have to try to reach out to La," Aang sighed, rubbing his brow with his fingertips. "But even if I succeed, I think Azula will need to be ready to face this herself. I don't think her connection to Yue has been severed completely, I don't think it's that easy… but if she's some other spirit's prisoner, we'll have to get there fast before it does get severed."

"What would we do? How do we go about it?" Zuko asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm thinking… a spiritually charged location. Air Temple Island isn't really that just yet," Aang said, glancing about himself with a frown. "But maybe… maybe another Air Temple could do. Like the Eastern one!"

"Why would we have to go halfway across the world for a spiritual place?" Toph grimaced. "Can't we just go somewhere closer than that? Like the oasis where the fish were swimming, or whatever?"

"That sounds more logical, but… Azula went there already and nothing happened," Sokka said, eyeing her remorsefully. "Back then, she wanted to get rid of Yue and I helped her get inside. There was nothing from Tui or La on that day."

"Not even the slightest recognition?" asked Aang, grimacing. "Then… yeah, I think we should go to an Air Temple instead. Short of finding a grand spiritual location sooner, the Eastern Air Temple is the place where I cleansed my chakras and accessed, well… another plane of existence, I guess. I couldn't do enough with that back then, but I did later, when the situation was dire. I can try to train you so that you can reach that stage once we're in the temple, and while Azula is in there, I…"

"Wait," Sokka said, frowning. "I'll go with her."

"You… what?" Aang smiled awkwardly.

"Isn't spirit mumbo-jumbo just mumbo-jumbo to you too?" Toph asked.

"If the logic is that there's a connection between Azula and Yue that will allow Azula to go into the Spirit World, then it stands to reason that I should be able to follow Azula too because I'm connected to her as well," Sokka stated, stubbornly. Azula raised an eyebrow.

"I… don't know that it works that way," she said. Sokka scoffed.

"Maybe it doesn't, but I'll try anyhow," he said. "Stupid spirits can't screw me over this time around… I won't let you go into a weird spirit adventure without doing my damnedest to join you there."

"Yue might have a better chance at… at fighting back against whatever that thing is if it's the two of us together," Azula reasoned, frowning. "Even if we won't know what we're doing, of course. I can't bend there, you said?"

"The Spirit World is difficult to navigate if you head into it with, uh… logic?" Aang said. Both Sokka and Azula grimaced. "Which I suspect you two won't appreciate much…"

"True… they're mostly logical thinkers. And I say mostly because it's not very logical for them to be together, but…" Katara said, lowering her voice as she spoke further. Azula rolled her eyes but offered no response to her words.

"Thing is, you have to feel things rather than think them through," Aang said. "You have to experience everything as it comes, and if it's not the way it should be, you just… roll with it?"

"So, if they found Yue turned into a badgertoad, they'd have to… save the badgertoad?" Toph asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Basically, yes," Aang shrugged.

"And how would we know it's her?" Azula grimaced.

"You would. Or maybe both of you would, because you're both connected to her," Aang said, with a shrug and a smile. Azula huffed.

"This is more twisted by the minute…" she reasoned, shaking her head. Sokka squeezed her shoulder.

"I know it's hard and it's not the way this should've gone down… but we can do this, Azula," he said, firmly. Azula raised an eyebrow.

"You've had forays into the Spirit World before, have you?"

"Uh… once. Can't remember a thing, but I did," Sokka said, blinking blankly. "Though I do know that there's no bathrooms."

"Charming," Azula said. "Guess our bladder will be exploding the whole time, then."

"Yeeeah, I felt it a little too much, especially when I came back," Sokka sighed.

"Either way… I think we have to go elsewhere to help you both connect to her. Guru Pathik helped me connect with my cosmic energy in the Eastern Air Temple," Aang said. "I managed to access it again in Ba Sing Se, uh… just before you nearly killed me."

Azula blinked blankly: she remembered that moment all too well. The thrill of victory, the opening that nobody else seemed to recognize as such… the knowledge that she had destroyed the enemy's trump card and secured a perfect conquest for her father and his cause.

The very same person she had nearly killed that day sat before her, willing to offer his knowledge and aid to save Yue. If she had succeeded on that day, the world would be a much more unforgiving place… she might not have any of the bonds she had developed over the past months. Sokka would have never wanted her, that was for sure… Yue might have never connected to her.

It was strange to find that, after so many years of resentment against her brother and his friends, suddenly the Fire Nation's victory looked so shallow and empty in comparison to everything she had gained, a decade afterwards, with everyone she had met and bonded with. She tightened her fists over her lap and nodded.

"Well… I doubt you'll feel compelled to do the same thing to me, should I access that plane of existence at all, but I wouldn't blame you much if you did," she said. Aang smiled and shook his head.

"I wouldn't."

"And that's quite fortunate for me," Azula said, her jaw squared. "I… I wasn't sorry for it, when I did it. But now, I…"

She couldn't seem to finish the sentence. Too many people were listening, maybe, too many witnesses, too much riding on what they needed to do next…

"It's okay," Aang smiled kindly again. Azula frowned slightly. "We can talk about that whenever you want, later. For now… let's focus on what we'll do next. We can set up Appa and go… though I don't think we should bring Bumi this time around."

"Don't ask me to watch him again. I'm not going to do it this time either," Toph said, bluntly. Aang rolled his eyes.

"Can't wait for you to have your own kids so I can refuse to watch them for you when you need me to…"

"I'm not going to have any, so that's fine by me," Toph smirked. "Besides… I'm going with you lot."

"You… what?" Zuko frowned. "Shouldn't you go back to Republic City?"

"My students can keep the peace while I'm out," Toph said, waving a hand dismissively at him. "What? Planned on giving me a lift to the city and now you're sad that we won't get to spend time together, Zuko?"

"I… wasn't going to do that. I'm going with them too," Zuko said: Azula raised her eyebrows.

"You are?"

"Wait, we're all going?" Sokka asked, blinking blankly.

"You didn't expect me to stay behind when something this troublesome is going on, or did you?" Katara stared at her brother matter-of-factly. "We couldn't do anything to help you when you lost Yue the first time around. I don't know if we can do anything this time, but… we'd better try."

Sokka swallowed hard, meeting his sister's gaze with heartfelt gratitude. Katara smirked slightly at him, stepping closer to lightly punch his shoulder.

"What's with that look? You'd think I've never done anything to help you…"

"Well… this just means a lot, Katara. Thank you," he said, wrapping her in a quick embrace. Katara pat his shoulder, still nervous, still uneasy…

But Sokka was more himself now than he had been in years. The way he spoke, the easygoing behavior, the silly reactions, the thoughtful ones… if this truly was the effect Azula had on him, Katara certainly had underestimated the Fire Nation Princess far more than she ever imagined possible.

Preparations began, then, for the long journey to the Eastern Air Temple: Bumi would wind up in Ursa's care, for she wouldn't join them on this particular trip. It seemed to be quite heartbreaking for her to stay behind, but she hugged her children affectionately before seeing them off on Appa, already loaded with all the luggage they'd brought for what hopefully wouldn't be a very long trip.

"Be careful, my dears," Ursa said, an arm around each of them. Azula buried her face in her mother's neck, while Zuko pressed his brow to the top of her head. "Look after each other, okay?"

"We will," Zuko said. "Azula has a big trip to make, so… I might as well make sure she gets there safely."

"We'll be back soon," Azula said, pulling back even though she would have wished to hold her mother for a little longer. Ursa smiled kindly, cupping her face before kissing her brow. "Mom…"

"I should have done that far more often. From the moment you were born as a little solstice child," Ursa laughed, meeting Azula's tearful eyes with hers. "You were so headstrong and powerful even then… and you're only stronger now that you stand with people who can lift you even higher than you've gone so far. So… whatever you need to do, if you must fly into the sky to find Yue or whatever the spirits require of you, go for it. Don't look back. Every last one of us believes in you… I believe in you. You can do this, dear."

Azula swallowed hard and nodded, hugging Ursa one more time. Zuko smiled fondly as he stepped aside, unsure of how he had ever felt threatened by the possibility of his mother bonding with his sister… right now, he could only feel relief, instead, to see them tighter than they ever had been.

He ferried Azula to Appa, where the others waited: she wound up sinking into Sokka's embrace once she climbed up, burying her face in his neck this time around. The Water Tribesman caressed her hair, letting her nestle on his lap, knowing she was looking for more than just the physical closeness, more than just attempting to annoy their respective siblings, who appeared to be somewhere between disgusted and uncomfortable right now…

"You okay?" he whispered. Azula shook her head.

"I… I don't want to fail this time. I don't want to fail," she whispered. Sokka nodded, rubbing her shoulder kindly as he reeled her close to him.

"We'll do whatever it takes. We'll bring her back."

Sokka glanced up into the sky: the preparations had taken a long time, and the moon wasn't visible in the sunset, but he still tried to find it in the sky. Wherever Yue was, whatever she was going through… they'd save her, at all costs.

The journey was sluggish: Appa, as strong as he might be, couldn't carry six fully-grown adults, without any stops along the way, halfway across the world. As slow as their trip appeared to the eager, desperate Azula, Sokka reassured her that Aang wasn't taking as many detours as he often did in the past. The Avatar guided the bison without losing sight of their goal, his concern increasing as days passed and only slivers, weak silhouettes of the moon could be seen in the night sky. There were times when she was virtually impossible to glimpse at all…

"Maybe behind that mountain," Sokka suggested one night, in the camp where they would rest for the night. Azula gritted her teeth, hugging her legs to her chest as she stared in the direction Sokka had mentioned.

"What's there?" Toph asked, offhandedly, resting with her back against Katara's flank, by the fire.

"Well, we don't really know if something is, but we figured the moon might be…" Sokka said. Toph frowned.

"The… moon," she repeated.

"Toph?" Sokka called her. The earthbender shook her head.

"Sorry, sorry, I… what're we looking for, again?"

"Yue? The moon? We're trying to save her?" Sokka said. Toph hummed.

"Right. Right. Uh… right."

"You don't remember?" Azula asked. Toph scoffed.

"I remember! I just… blanked out for a second. No biggie," she said, waving a hand dismissively in their direction. Even Katara appeared perplexed by Toph's sudden bout of forgetfulness.

"Are you okay?" Katara asked, placing a hand over Toph's brow. The earthbender huffed.

"Don't be so twitchy over me, Katara. I'm fine, just a dumb mistake. I'm probably just… tired," she concluded, and she nodded with certainty she most likely didn't feel at all.

Azula stared at her with a furrowed brow, arms folded over her chest: it wasn't like her to forget what was happening. The earthbender was insidious, even, nosey and always ready to butt into matters that didn't concern her. Why would she struggle to remember the reason behind a trip they were currently on? It didn't make sense…

A day later, it was Zuko, instead.

"It's been fun going on the road with all of you again, but… when are we going back, exactly?" he blurted out, suddenly, halfway through their flight. Azula eyed him in confusion and disbelief.

"You could've stayed and gone back home when we were still in Air Temple Island," she told him. "We're not going back until after we've saved Yue."

"Who?"

Sokka scowled, turning towards Zuko in utter confusion. The Fire Lord's nonchalant attitude didn't suggest he was merely trying to annoy him…

"Yue? The Moon Spirit?" Sokka said.

"The… what?" Zuko grimaced.

"Are you two taking cactus juice or something?" Katara asked, glancing between Zuko and Toph. "You don't remember why we set out, Zuko?"

"I…! Wait, I do. Right! The… Azula was seeing someone in… in reflections. That's what… oh. Uh. Sorry. It just slipped my mind."

It was bad enough for it to happen once: twice was no coincidence.

"Appa… buddy, I know I'm pressuring you, but please hurry," Aang said, sitting by the bison's neck.

Azula tensed up, shrinking into Sokka's embrace: he held her tightly, hoping to reassure her, but knowing he might just fail at it. Azula raised her mirror again, desperate to see even a sign of her friend… but there was nothing but her own face in the depths of the polished surface. No one else was there.

"Whatever that thing is, the one that caught her… it's like it's trying to take her away from this world," Sokka concluded, scowling. "Maybe… maybe even trying to erase all memories of her? Whatever it is, though… it's vile."

"It is," Azula agreed, shivering: she held the mirror still, elevating a silent prayer for Yue, begging her to hold on… to stay strong until she and Sokka could reach her.

After a week of fast-paced travel, the sky bison finally descended on the deserted towers of the Eastern Air Temple. Aang would work with Sokka and Azula, seeking to direct them into their cosmic plane or into the Spirit World, but that was as far as he could take them. While he would have liked to join them too, his own connection to Yue would not suffice to lead him to her, not as it would with Azula and Sokka.

"This is going to be fast and sudden, and you're not going to enjoy it much, but I need you guys to work with me," Aang said, having led them to a tall tower at the height of the temple. They stood on the tower's surface, and Aang turned towards them with a stern, concerned expression. "Even I… am having trouble keeping myself centered on what we're doing. So is Katara, by now."

"You're all… forgetting," Azula said. Aang nodded.

"I don't know for how long this can be sustained. Whatever is trapping Yue might be seeking to erase her, and the moon, completely," he said. "Reach her before it succeeds, and you'll have a chance to save her. Otherwise… none of us will even remember there's someone to save, to begin with."

"A life without… without the moon? That can't work," Sokka frowned. "When Zhao did what he did, didn't the Ocean Spirit go berserk because there was no moon in the sky, if just briefly?"

"Yeah… yeah," Aang gritted his teeth. "That's just more reason why I shouldn't come with you."

"You'll try to control the Ocean Spirit again?" Sokka asked, raising his eyebrows. Aang shrugged.

"It's worth a shot," he said. "Though I don't know if it will work out as easily as that, but… I'll try. As for you two… you need to meditate. I'd show you how to open your chakras the way I was taught, but I don't think we'll have enough time for it: let your connection with each other and Yue guide you into the Spirit World. Seek it out… and once you grab hold of it, don't let go."

"That's easier said than done," Azula scowled. "I don't know what that even means, Avatar, I…"

"You do know. You've lost her, right?" Aang said. "Take that residue, the knowledge that something that was there is no longer present. Take it hard, and don't let go of it. Remember her, tell yourself her name over and over until… until your spirit finds hers. I'll stand with you until it happens."

Azula gritted her teeth, but she nodded in acceptance before long. The sooner they got started, the faster she'd be able to save Yue.

As advised by Aang, the two of them sat together, face to face, meditating. The Avatar and his other allies waited nearby, each of them struggling in different ways to recall why, exactly, they were standing by as Sokka and Azula meditated at all.

"Aang said… something's messing with our heads. Our memories," Katara said.

"Well, whatever it is, it's stupid. I hate feeling like I don't know what I'm doing," Toph snarled, rubbing her brow. "I think it's giving me a headache."

"Yue…" Zuko repeated, as good as clinging to the name to ensure he wouldn't forget this time. "This is all about Yue. This is all for…"

Similar thoughts coursed through his sister's mind: she shivered against the breeze, unwilling to forget the person responsible for every single good change that had come her way over the past months. Fear reared its head inside her heart: what if she was next? What if she forgot her? What if she wound up forsaking Yue when she needed her the most?

Yue had given up. She had long surrendered to the misery of her situation. Azula had been her only hope, her only chance at salvation… in a twisted way, as far as the dream had conveyed to Azula. For only because Azula was rotten, careless, unwilling to change, had the wretched entity tormenting Yue allowed them to meet at all…

But was that it? Could it be that her connection to Sokka, even if it hadn't been forged yet, had brought her and Yue together too? Or could it be that the wretched entity in question couldn't break their bond with her?

That strange flow of thought brought her back to reality, rather than helping her drift further into a spiritual state of elevation of some sort. She shuddered and raised her gaze towards Sokka, who grimaced while failing to find the state of mind he needed to access.

"I just… thought of something," Azula said. Sokka hummed, opening one eye. "Maybe that thing, the one capturing her, didn't let me talk to her for amusement alone. Maybe… maybe it couldn't stop me from reaching her, instead. Maybe it only figured out how to stop me now, but my connection to Yue might just be stronger than whatever that thing is trying to achieve. Does… does that make sense?"

"Don't know if it does, but I love the sound of it," Sokka smiled. "Moreover… Aang says it's all feelings and instinct rather than thought and logic. If you're feeling that way… maybe it's already true, or maybe you can make it a reality once we reach the Spirit World, if just by your sheer willpower?"

"Maybe," Azula said. Sokka smiled.

He reached out to take her hands in his, and Azula felt reassured instantly by his warmth and presence. He breathed deeply, closing his eyes anew.

"We will find our way to her… and we'll stop this, whatever it is. We will save Yue."

Azula's heart jolted upon hearing those words: she felt that same determination… knowing that she wouldn't fight alone, that he stood beside her as equals, settled her aching, troubled heart. If Sokka believed this was possible, so did she.

And as difficult as it might be for two people so given to logic and facts to give in to spirituality instead, Sokka and Azula now clung to nothing but faith, blind faith in the girl who had brought them together… in the Moon Spirit, whose absence in the sky hurt them more deeply than it did anyone else.

"Are they…?" Katara blinked blankly: a strange atmosphere now hung between her brother and his lover, as though their bodies were only functioning by inertia now…

Their souls were gone.

"They made it," Aang smiled. "Now we wait and hope that they'll sort this one out. I think they can, I really do, but…"

A thunderous sound, north from the mountains, brought all four of them to frown and turn their attention in that direction.

"A storm?" Toph asked.

"The sky is clear," Katara told her.

"So… was that a dragon or something?" Toph asked.

"No, that's…" Aang said, frowning as he stared into the horizon: something dark stirred in the distance. Something he couldn't quite pinpoint just yet… but it sent shivers down his back. Familiar shivers… he had experienced them before. "It's La."

"It's… who, now?" Toph grimaced.

"The Ocean Spirit," Aang said: this time, all his friends fell silent. "It's… it's acting up. It's doing something! I have to go!"

"Aang?!" Katara called for him: he spread his glider open, fear plain across his face. "What are you going to do? I can help…!"

"I don't know if you can!" Aang said, remorsefully. "But… but maybe it's better if you do come anyway. You, Zuko and Toph can ride on Appa! I'll go ahead! Follow me there!"

"Right. Right!" Katara's relief to hear she would be free to join him was palpable: she gripped Aang's robe, pulling him close for a good luck kiss, her brow pressed to his. "Whatever's going on… you can do this. You're the Avatar."

"That had better count for something," Aang smiled a little.

"It always has," Katara responded, earnestly.

The Avatar took off, the heavy mantle of responsibility already weighing heavily on his shoulders. Appa groaned as he followed, while Aang took advantage of his bending to rush faster and faster towards whatever was taking place by the shores of the Eastern Air Temple's islands…

It was dark. Everything was dark. She thought she was asleep, but if she was, she couldn't seem to open her eyes. Azula gasped, raising her hands, touching her own body to ensure it was still there, for she could barely feel a thing but coldness, utter coldness, and…

Specks of light, in the distance. All around her.

A beam, of golden light, suddenly formed underneath her feet. She had been falling before, perhaps… or maybe simply floating. She settled on the beam carefully, uncomfortable, confused, glancing about herself as surging fears gripped her heart.

"Sokka?!" she called her lover, to no avail. "Yue!"

That, too, yielded no answers.

The gold spilled, though, spreading further and further towards something… Azula turned on her heels, hugging herself still: there was a coldness where her firebending usually was. She realized soon that the discomfort she felt came from that acute lacking, the sensation of being cut off from the power that had been a vital part of her life since her childhood…

"What is this? Where…?" Azula gritted her teeth: during their journey, Aang had talked about a huge, cosmic version of himself holding some magical ball of whatever… she didn't understand any of that, and according to him, she wasn't supposed to understand it either.

The long road spread forward, further, into the distance… all the way to a place where she didn't find any gigantic versions of herself: a blazing ball of flames stood in that place instead.

The warmth became overwhelming suddenly. Azula flinched, stepping away by sheer instinct: the sun? Was that what it was? She certainly was a strong firebender, but strong enough to challenge the sun and win? She sincerely doubted it. Besides, she wasn't here to meet the damn sun…!

"Yue!" she screamed, towards the rest of the dark space around her. "Yue, where are you, damn it?! Answer me!"

The sun's intensity increased: not knowing what to do, Azula broke into a sprint, running away from it, instead of towards it. At the rate at which it expanded, at which it moved, it might just be attempting to consume her…

The light from the sun seemed to brighten the darkness… up until a certain point. There was one area, Azula realized, where the sun's strength waned. Running as fast as she could go, Azula hardly noticed that the light road underneath her feet was changing, turning in that direction… as though aware that this was where she wanted to go. Her heart pulsated with need, with awareness, with suspicion…

Yue was inside that cluster of darkness.

"YUE!"

She screamed, running faster as the bridge spread underneath her feet. She snarled as she pushed herself harder still…

The cluster of darkness was immense, far larger than she had realized at first. She slowed only once she was near it… and a sense of vacancy, of humidity, of cold struck her once she was near it.

An oozing, leaking liquid pooled at the bottom of what appeared to be a sphere of darkness: one force was airy, gas-like, while the other was the dark, unpleasant liquid that seemed moments away from drying out completely… but then it climbed back up, as though unwilling to let go just yet.

Two forces? Was Yue's one of them, or…?

She snarled, focusing on Yue only. She strained her gaze, trying to see into the sphere…

A shade of pale white within the darkness.

"YUE!" she screamed… only for another deep voice to also call that name.

"Yuueee…"

The girl didn't respond to either one. Azula snarled, unsure of what to do: the bridge underneath her appeared to have stopped generating itself. When she tried to take a step forward, it didn't extend underneath her feet anymore. What could she do? What would she…?

"Oho… but if it isn't the Sun Princess! Are you here to trade places with your personal torment? Fine by me! I would much rather have you!"

Azula shuddered, stepping back instead of forward: that wasn't the same voice that had called for Yue before. It was wicked, ringing with an evil presence she had never sensed before. The entity laughed wickedly, and Azula snarled as she glared at the cluster of darkness…

Whoever this entity might be, the sphere within which Yue nestled was his doing.

"Let her go! Set her free!" Azula shouted.

"I will, I will! If you give yourself up to me, that is," the entity said. Azula shuddered. "Muffling the moon has been nice training to get the sun next, yes! Far more entertaining! The whole world shall tremble, oh, it shall! Perhaps it will freeze over, and isn't snow pretty? As pretty as your dear friend, the Moon Princess…!"

"I'm not… giving you a damn thing. I'm here to rescue Yue from you," Azula snarled.

"What? That's not how this works, Sun Princess!" the entity said, before bursting out in laughter. "Give me your heart and I shall return hers! Do it!"

"I have the bad feeling that she gave you nothing, to begin with," Azula hissed. The entity, unsurprisingly, laughed.

"Oh, she didn't, but I took it anyhow!" he exclaimed. "I crashed into the moon, you see… and the moon was alive! I was so strong, so much stronger than her, and I could reach into her depths… oh, she is marvelous. Beautiful! Broken and miserable. But oh…! Imagine a whole world as broken and miserable as she is. That's what you could give me! Why would you deprive me from it? Why would you? You hate them! You despise them! They made you suffer, didn't they? They put you through so many ordeals…!"

"You… what?" Azula scowled… as some of the swirling gas spilled away from the sphere and took humanoid shape suddenly, right before her eyes: the shape of her father: "W-wha…?!"

"You were but a tool to me," Ozai said, with a wicked smile, so cruel it cut through Azula as unreal, even for her father's standards. "A weapon for me to hone and use to my liking! I made you, and so, I own you! You will never be free from everything I did to you, from all the damage I inflicted! Your only salvation is… destruction! Oblivion!"

"Oblivion?!" Azula repeated, eyes wide. "You… is that what you are? Is that what your true nature is, you… you twisted spirit, or whatever it is you are?!"

"I am your father…" Ozai said, a hand upon his chest… though the smoke comprising him shifted suddenly, turning into someone else instead: Ursa. "Or your mother. The one who hurt you and abandoned you. The one who would forsake you for your brother's sake! The one who replaced you with another girl, the one who gets to live happily ever after without paying the price of all her mistakes against you…!"

"T-that's…!" Azula gasped, her chest burning with wrongness. "No… t-that's not… stop this. This isn't…!"

"Didn't I do all those things? I most certainly did!" Ursa exclaimed, proudly… to then switch into Zuko, instead. "I placed a bounty on your head: dead or alive! You're but an inconvenience until I'm free to get rid of you, once I have an heir of my own! I will forsake you, as everyone always has! I envied you once… but now, you're the one who envies me! You fear me! Your entire life revolves around making me suffer, but the only one suffering is you! And that's by my design! I've never wanted anything more in life than to destroy you!"

"Stop this!" Azula exclaimed, tears blooming in her eyes. "Stop! Stop already!"

"A-… Azula…!"

Yue's voice caused Azula to break the spell the entity held upon her briefly: it was but a moment's notice, but Yue's eyes met hers… for once, she was far more corporeal than ever before. For once, she was far more real than she ever had been…

For once, Azula wasn't visiting her as a dream, but as her full, conscious spirit, and she needed to reach her.

"YUE!"

"Go! Leave! Azula, forget me…! Forget!"

Azula's heart shook: she couldn't do that. Forget her? Forget the person who had changed her life for the better as Yue had?

Everything that wretch had tormented her with was true, and it already seemed to split its smoke into two new entities, Mai and Ty Lee this time around… it would rub her greatest grudges, her darkest resentments, in her face until she snapped. That was its goal, it couldn't be more apparent… it wanted to convince her to resign herself to its control. It wouldn't forsake Yue even if Azula surrendered… it wouldn't hold back from laying waste upon the entire world if she let it.

"We betrayed you…!" Mai and Ty Lee spoke at unison. "You were a terrible friend… but so were we! We haven't tried to reach for you again because we hate you! We fear you! We never cared for you, and you always knew that to be the truth…!"

"I'm a little busy at the moment, you damnable annoyance!" Azula roared, focusing on Yue again: the smoke that had poured down seemed to regenerate gradually, covering her up again. "Break out of there! Yue, just break free!"

"I…! I can't! I don't know how, Azula, just…!"

"Yue…" Azula snarled: she needed to figure out how to fight this smoke, but how? Without her bending, with nothing to offer… what could she do? She raised a fist, throwing it towards the smoke Ty Lee, only for her hand to catch nothing: the smoke reformed then… this time, as the Avatar.

"I destroyed all your hopes and dreams for a future, just as you once killed me. I will never forgive you for what you did to me," the false Aang said. "Your crimes cannot be forgotten. I only sent you here… because I knew that you would wind up killing yourself by trying to save Yue."

Azula snarled: none of those words made the slightest bit of sense… not even her father would be quite so foolish as to admit such things out loud to her, no matter how true they might be. This was… this was the wretched creature's attempt to take over her heart, to convince her of all the things she already had believed and known in the past. She had thought the Avatar would want her dead, after all… that he would despise her. But that wasn't the man who had brought her halfway across the world to save Yue.

None of it was real. None of…

The smoke swirled.

The next person whose shape it stole was Sokka.

Her heart pounded in a foolish, needy way. Just seeing him relieved her, even though it shouldn't have. It was another trick by the wretched spirit, but the affection she felt for him was so vivid she couldn't even use her better sense to be wary of him. What would he say? What would he use against her…?

"Fuck, that took a while."

Azula's eyes widened: the smoke shifted, but this time, the man it had formed into didn't fade away. Frustration gnawed at the strange entity… as the man became more corporeal than any who had preceded him. A furious roar sent bad shivers down Azula's spine… but it didn't stop her from reaching to clasp Sokka's hand.

He gripped hers back, smiling wildly.

"It's… it's you. It's really you?!" Azula exclaimed. Sokka laughed.

"Seems like longing for you hard enough gave me the chance to come here, somehow! Beats me how I did it, but…!"

"BEGONE!" the entity exclaimed: Azula snarled, yanking Sokka towards herself as the smoke oozed out, as good as spilling out of the sphere: Yue remained inside the sphere, and this time, the two of them could see her easily in that smoky storm.

"Yue…!" Sokka gasped: her terrified face, the shaking of her head, the tears down her cheeks… it was Princess Yue.

"Sokka, no! B-both of you…! Leave! Please, leave! Protect the world! It can go on without me…! You don't need me!" she cried, frantically.

Sokka and Azula stood in place for a moment, horror crossing their features upon hearing those words from the Moon Spirit… the entity, of course, laughed as it spread its tendrils of smoke towards them.

"She rejects you! What a dashing rescue, wasn't it?" the entity mocked Sokka, who scowled at the smoke with confusion. "But your Princess won't return with you, young fool! Shame that a warrior of your caliber would be so weak, so helpless in the face of a true challenge…!"

"Oh, you think?" Sokka gritted his teeth, releasing Azula's hand and closing his eyes.

Azula watched him for a moment, unsure of what he was doing… then, his hair began to sway, as though a powerful wind were blowing, even though it wasn't. His clothes shifted that way, too: what was he…?

He roared, stepping forward and swinging an arm in an arch towards the smoke.

A burst of air bloomed from his hand, cutting the smoke in half.

"W-what…? What?!" Azula exclaimed. Sokka laughed, backing down towards her as the entity struggled to compose itself.

"This is a place of feeling! Of spirit! Logic doesn't apply here, Azula!" Sokka told her, startling her.

"How does that result in you… airbending?!" Azula exclaimed.

"Oh, that wasn't airbending: I wanted to be a spirit of air."

"You… wanted to be? What? How does that work? Did you just ask something to turn you into…?!"

"That's exactly what doesn't matter!" Sokka laughed: a breeze burst around him, brushing against her. "Come on! We're way smarter than that dirtbag! Let's give him a piece of our minds!"

Azula gaped in shock as Sokka closed his eyes again: he jumped about ten feet into the air, only to become a beacon of light this time. He wasn't as powerful as the sun she had left behind earlier… but powerful enough to show what was happening in the swirling darkness within which Yue remained trapped. She gazed out in confusion, finding Azula again: she raised a hand towards her, and Azula tried to reach for it… but failed. They were still too far apart.

"I want… stairs! A sled! Something! Damn it, you thing, just work with me!" Azula roared, striking the beam upon which she stood with a foot.

Nothing shifted, nothing changed: meanwhile, the smoke was charging against Sokka… turning into a train-tank, it seemed. Azula gazed at it in utter confusion… and then her jaw dropped as Sokka roared while becoming… a giant axe.

"SOKKA!" she shouted, though her concern was misplaced: Sokka appeared to have learned to embrace the illogical nature of the Spirit World so much more effectively than she had, and with a single swing, he cut across the smoke train-tank cleanly.

"Azula…!" Yue cried out, and Azula turned her attention towards her again. "T-the Ocean Spirit…! La…!"

"What? What is it?! Is it responsible for this too?!" Azula exclaimed. Yue shook her head frantically. "Yue…!"

"He's losing his grip on me! H-he's… forgetting me!" she told her. Azula's eyes widened. "If he does…!"

"The world will…" Azula said.

Everything would fall into chaos.

This creature, this spirit, whatever it might be… it lived off chaos. It sought to create it at all costs. If Azula had been the one in its power, it would have cut off the light of the sun, annihilating life on their world. And as Yue was the prisoner… then the means for that destruction would be La, instead. The black koi fish. The Ocean Spirit.

The dark tendrils.

The liquid that kept spilling down, down, attempting to climb over the smoke again only to fall once more.

"Yuuu… eeee…" the deep, dark voice called her. The Princess cried, hands reaching down to grip the liquid that had been ensnaring her body so far…

What Azula had seen in her dreams hadn't been quite as what she had expected: the dark tendrils wrapped around her were the Ocean Spirit… keeping Yue in place. Keeping her where she belonged while Oblivion sought to delete her from existence, to keep her to himself and then destroy everything else.

The Ocean Spirit had been fighting to save her, even more desperately than she or Sokka had.

Azula snarled, wanting nothing but to become one with the Ocean Spirit herself, to give it her determination and fierceness to find a way to save Yue. A tug in her heart urged her to do it… but how? She didn't really understand, her affinity wasn't with the ocean…

Would she even lend it enough strength? Could she?

Did she want Oblivion to win?

That last intrusive thought was as good as a slap to the face.

She hesitated for too long.

"No… NO!"

The surging waves of dark liquid couldn't climb as high anymore. They slowly started to lose strength… the thread of it, linking Yue to the outside of her sphere was slowly fading.

"Yu…" was the last thing the Ocean Spirit could manifest…

Before a thunderous roar washed through the entire area. Azula shivered, hugging herself again: Sokka dove towards her, shifting into something else now – an eagle of a sort, and he wrapped his wings around her, protecting her from a sudden swirl, a torrent of water that burst in no conceivable direction.

"Yes… yes! We've done it, Yue! We've succeeded!" Oblivion chanted with delight, and Yue screamed. Her voice pierced their hearts as despair took hold of her, of each of them…

The bond between the Ocean and the Moon had been broken.

A restless ocean was one thing.

An entirely untethered one was a whole other matter.

"What the hell just happened?!" Toph asked, shrinking against Zuko as Appa landed awkwardly by a cliff: Aang was out in the open, in the storm that was rising, attempting, perhaps, to waterbend…

But to Katara's utter shock, her attempt to waterbend didn't work at all once she tried to summon the contents of her waterskins.

"What? W-what? No… no bending?" she asked. "Why?!"

"Why are you asking me? I don't know!" Toph scoffed.

"There's something… missing," Zuko growled, gritting his teeth. "When I lost my bending, I went back to the source, remember? Go back to the source of waterbending…!"

"The ocean?!" Katara yelled at him, gesturing at the swirling, rising tides they could see, through which Aang kept gliding awkwardly.

But Zuko was right… something was off. There was one more element that made waterbending what it was, wasn't there? Katara thought there was, but… what would it be?

"Whatever it is, we'd better find it fast and tell Aang! He can't do anything if he can't waterbend to calm down the Ocean Spirit, can he?!" Zuko asked.

"Maybe? I don't know! I…!"

Deeper in the water, Aang hovered above the swirling waves: Yue. She was slipping out of his mind, and only by sheer willpower could he keep her present at all. The moon… whatever had happened just now had broken the moon's link to the ocean, just as it had when Zhao had destroyed Tui, long ago. How had it happened this time? How could they fix it?

"It's me!" Aang shouted, at no one in particular. "La! It's me! Come to me! I can help you!"

The ocean didn't respond: instead, it attacked more fiercely: stronger, larger waves were rushing in…

And it didn't take Aang too long to realize that this wasn't happening solely in the vicinity of the Eastern Air Temple.

If there was no moon, and there were no tides… and the Ocean Spirit was as furious over that loss as ever?

The extent of its fury would spread to the entire world.

Once, Aang had channeled La's anger into attacking solely the Fire Nation army responsible for the catastrophe in the North Pole. This time… could he do anything equivalent to that? How could he stop the Ocean Spirit from rampaging without restraint, all across the world…?

"I don't know what to do… I don't know what to do," Aang whispered, eyes flickering in panic from side to side. He had to find a way to keep La contained… but how?

The ocean was growing more restless, more chaotic… and one attempt to grip it in his control resulted in nothing. Aang snarled, lowering his hand: the other elements? Could the other three work to contain water? Could he create a strong and sturdy prison of earth all across the world to restrain the water? Unlikely. A fire storm that evaporated everything? That would be as detrimental to the world as letting the ocean rampage freely…

Air.

If he could work with the pressure, right above the ocean… if he could create a solid barrier that contained the water until La stopped its rampage, he might just succeed at saving the world from the wrath of the immensely powerful entity.

"Okay. Okay… Guys?!" Aang cried out: he wasn't talking to his friends, however… but to the voices, the entities, within his soul. "I'm going to need every last one of you to help me out here! Are you with me?!"

"We are always with you," the voices of the Avatars echoed in his heart. Aang nodded.

"Then… let's go!"

He released his glider, shooting it back towards his friends before turning around in midair.

His arrows began glowing once he entered the Avatar State.

Arms and legs spread out wide, Aang gathered all his power, extending his reach further, further, further… the power of his thousands of past lives, linked one after the other, allowed him to spread a protective, invisible mantle that pressed against the ocean, holding it in place with a burst of powerful, potent air that squashed and contained the ocean in its rightful place.

Unbeknownst to Aang, impromptu tsunamis halfway across the world were interrupted by his powerful move. The incoherent tidal motions that had spread all across the planet, threatening to overtake the land and destroy all life, were stemmed by the sudden front of potent, unyielding airbending…

"What is he…? H-how is he…?!" Katara gasped, gazing at her husband from the cliff: Aang hovered above the ocean, without touching it, spreading that power all across the numerous wild waters of the world.

"I don't know, but… I'm feeling short of air," Toph said, gritting her teeth: Zuko wrapped an arm around her to keep her close.

"Me too," he admitted. Katara didn't want to acknowledge she was no better than them.

"He's… b-bending all the air. All of it," Katara said: that her husband was an unthinkably powerful bender came as no surprise, she'd always known that… but even he had his limits. He couldn't find a way to ensure that every person in the world would not be affected by the massive bending feat he was performing. A little discomfort would have to be preferable to being completely destroyed by the force of the tidal waves…

And so, Aang lingered there, suspended between air and water, as good as holding his breath, just as he upheld his role as the keeper of balance between ocean and sky, between spirits and humans… between all elements.

Even so, the fate of their world, their very survival, hinged on two people who, unlike the Avatar, hadn't been chosen by destiny to enter the Spirit World and save anyone: Aang snarled, repeating Yue's name to himself over and over again as he hoped, desperately, that Sokka and Azula would succeed at their quest somehow… that they would find Yue, and that they would bring her back to the Ocean Spirit right away.

Sokka wasn't exactly running out of ideas… but the possibilities of fighting against Oblivion grew slimmer as despair spread among them, it seemed. Yue reached down towards the fading remnants of La, tears spilling down her face, to no avail. Azula stood paralyzed, unsure of what to do…

"Hey! Azula!" Sokka called her, returning to his usual self, gripping her shoulders and turning her towards him. The Princess met his eyes, her own were filled with panic. "Stop… stop thinking and overthinking. Start just… feeling! Let your heart take the wheel! I don't even know how we could save Yue… but that's what we're here to do, so we're doing it! Oblivion won't have its way! Even if the Ocean Spirit forgets her, even if everyone does…!"

"We won't," Azula finished. Sokka nodded.

"And for now, that will be enough to make sure Oblivion fails," Sokka said, fiercely. Azula swallowed hard and nodded.

"What do I do?"

"For starters… we need to break her out of that damn prison," Sokka growled, glaring at the swirling sphere of smoke and darkness that hugged Yue again… she was barely visible through what appeared to be debris, floating around her. Azula gritted her teeth.

"Can you keep him busy?" she asked. Sokka raised an eyebrow. "I might… have an idea. A weird one. You said I should feel, and that's what I'll try to do. To just… go by impulse and try to channel the one thing I know I can!"

"Okay!" Sokka nodded. "I'll find a way to piss him off!"

"Don't take it too far. I don't know what he'd dare do to you," Azula said, cupping his face. Sokka smiled.

"We're going to win. I know we will."

Azula didn't know where his certainty came from, but she let him infect her with it: she pressed a fierce, passionate kiss to his lips…

Before turning around and running down the beam she had followed all the way to Yue.

Sokka watched her go, knowing that she'd return. Remembering all too well his certainty that he'd never trust her, back when everything had started… a slow smile spread over his face as he thought of how far they'd come before he turned towards Oblivion.

"You… what drives you, wretch?!" Oblivion growled. "You are not wanted. You are not needed! The women you love belong to me!"

"You're one hell of a moron if you think they'd ever belong to anyone," Sokka said. "No wonder you have to kidnap them to keep them around you, bet no girl would stay near you for longer than a minute if they could help it, otherwise…"

"I don't need them to want me! It's more fun to take them this way!" Oblivion said. Sokka winced.

"That's disgusting, you creep," he said. "What the hell are you? And why are you so damn obsessed with Yue?!"

"Yue? Oh, no. I wanted her! The one that ran like a coward, ahahaha, she will return to me soon, she will!" Oblivion exclaimed. Sokka frowned.

"What? You mean… you trapped Yue to get to Azula?!"

"I wanted them both, I did! For, you see, Yue was fun! But when she broke free, just enough to connect with someone from the human world, it was someone delightfully wicked! Someone twisted and broken! Someone who would want to see the world burn every bit as much as I did!"

"So… you let Yue connect with her, and only her, because you wanted Azula to stir her despair further," Sokka concluded, frowning slowly.

"But you… you had to get in the way of my plans!" Oblivion exclaimed. "You were not meant to be a part of it! You wretch! You filthy wretch!"

"You… you want me to feel sorry for you, do you? To feel guilt because I sabotaged your great experiment, is it?" Sokka asked, trembling with rage. "You took the girl I loved once, filled her heart with misery and pain, all be it so you could use the woman I love now to torture and torment her?! And because things aren't going your way, you despise me?"

"You gave her happiness, and love, and joy! What kind of fool would do such a thing for a monster?!"

Sokka snarled: Yue, too, snapped out of her tearful self for a moment upon hearing those words.

A monster.

"You…" Yue said, gritting her teeth and turning her gaze into the sphere that held her captive. "You dared? You…! How could you speak of her that way?! How dare you…!"

"It's but the truth, and it is no concern of…!"

He fell silent when a bolt of lightning shot through the smoke.

Yue gasped, glancing towards Sokka. Sparks fizzled out of him as he readied himself to become something else still… this time, a manner of maelstrom that leapt from his spot on Azula's bridge and then landed against the smoke.

"What…?! You dare challenge me head on, you fool?!" Oblivion laughed: Yue gasped as everything around her seemed to begin spinning, the sphere's smoke changing in shape…

A tornado clashed against a maelstrom, colliding as blades might, blow after blow. None of it could erase the harm inflicted by Oblivion. None of it could change the words it had chosen to bestow upon someone Sokka treasured. He roared in his maelstrom form, and thunder appeared to strike, fizzling out after causing further damage upon his enemy…

Yue remained trapped in the throes of Oblivion's grip… but she crawled as best she could through the fog, through the smoke, towards the end of Oblivion's twister. If she could just get out, if this was the one chance she'd get to do that…

But the tornado closed in over and over again as she progressed. Every step forward was another step back. Again, despair gripped Yue… and she cried to herself as she hoped for Azula to be safe. As she hoped for something she had never dared say before, something she hadn't known how to ask… for her situation had appeared entirely hopeless. And maybe it still was… but she wasn't alone anymore.

"Help… help," she whispered, before her voice strengthened further: "HELP! AZULA! AZULA!"

The Fire Nation Princess felt the heat swirling and rising as she rushed towards that large orb in the sky. She didn't know what she needed to do for this to work, she didn't know what Sokka was doing right now…

But she needed to go as far as she possibly could. There could be no half measures, no hesitation.

Once she reached the sphere of flames, she jumped forward.

She let the fire's heat burn her clothes, singing her skin, her hair, as she allowed herself to be consumed by that fire…

When she opened her eyes again, she found that she had been the one who had consumed the flames instead.

A power unlike anything she had experienced burned and thrummed inside her. She turned around, and the golden road she had followed glowed brighter still. She glared into the distance… and then she felt a hand upon her shoulder.

"I had been expecting you."

Azula shuddered, but she held off her immediate caution, her instinctive wariness, and turned her head towards the golden, burning woman standing behind her.

"The Moon Spirit has needed our help. I could do nothing for Tui in her first demise: you may yet save Yue."

"Who are you?" Azula asked. The spirit touched her chest.

"I am the flames that dwell inside you, inside each living, breathing being in the land you belong to. In the world you inhabit," the spirit said. "Should I have failed at my task… it would have fallen to you to take my place, just as it fell to Yue when Tui failed at hers."

Azula's eyes widened.

"I… was fated for this?" she asked. The spirit smiled.

"Your fate is in your hands. The world dealt cruelty upon Tui and Yue… but if we stop Oblivion now, you won't need to make any such sacrifice. So go, Azula: take my power… and prove yourself worthy of being the Champion of the Sun."

Azula's heart burned with a righteous fury she had never felt before.

Oblivion had sought to tempt her with taunts over a world that had forsaken her, forgotten her, treated her as a disposable, ignorable element. She had failed to take a proper stand then, affected by its words… but not so much that she would lose sight of reality.

Sokka's reappearance, his genuine return, had relieved her so greatly that none of the creature's mockery had mattered anymore.

She had grown to love him. She had grown to love Yue. She had a place in her family again. She had people in her life who might just become her friends in due time. She might have a future, too, beyond this catastrophe, should they solve it successfully. A year ago, Oblivion would have ensnared her so easily it would have been embarrassing…

Yue had saved her in so many more ways than the apparent.

The quest to see the world and find thousands of new experiences hadn't been for her own sake: Yue had done it for Azula.

Tears welled in her eyes as emotion surged so powerfully inside Azula that she could barely endure it. She snarled, gripping her chest tightly with a hand as her heart raced faster, and faster, and…

She shot off, leaving a trail of golden, potent fire in her wake.

Yue would be restored.

She'd stake her very life on seeing that it would be so.

The battle between the tornado and the maelstrom continued when the glow of a potent star suddenly blinded Yue. She gasped as a golden shine came rushing fast, vertiginously so, towards them…

"Azula…?!" she exclaimed: the maelstrom broke off the tornado, and Sokka took his natural form again for a moment, too impressed by the sight to carry on focusing on the battlefield, or his willpower-based transformation.

"Azula!" he cried out.

"COME TO ME!" roared Oblivion: he rose higher, and Sokka snarled as he scrambled for something else to do, anything he could resort to… "Join us! Yue and I can use the company! Come to us!"

Azula shot fast towards the smoke entity, her heavy scowl giving away the certainty, the seriousness, of the task at hand. Her flaming fists tightened as she shot herself faster onwards, as she neared Yue's position…

"AZULA!" Yue screamed.

Azula plunged into the darkness, and Oblivion's smoke swirled around her shape, capturing her inside its grasp.

"NO!" Sokka exclaimed, panic taking hold of him. "AZULA!"

"MINE! MINE, MINE, MINE! THEY'RE MINE! THEY'RE MINE…!" Oblivion exclaimed, cackling and rejoicing...

Unaware that the burning Princess had wrapped her arms around the Moon Spirit.

Yue gasped, as Azula gripped her tightly. The girl, sixteen-years-old after all, only reached Azula's shoulder. It was the first time they had stood together, in the same physical space, even if in a spiritual plane.

"A… Azula…!" Yue wept, raising her gaze desperately towards her… to find a smiling Champion of the Sun gazing upon her.

"You held on. Thank you," Azula said. "Would've been very irksome if you'd given up to that brute while we couldn't get to you."

"I… I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen, I…" Yue said, desperately.

"You really need to be more honest. Could've tried to help you sooner, if you had been," Azula smirked, cupping Yue's face. "I… I might be able to do a few things to fight him, Yue. But I don't think I can do it alone."

"What…?"

"My power. My fire. You can reflect it, can't you? That's your nature. You're the moon… and the moon glows because the sun shines upon it. Right?"

"T-then…" Yue said, eyes wide. Azula smiled.

"I will shine… and you will glow. And we'll tear this piece of shit to shambles if it's the last thing we do," Azula hissed. Yue smiled warmly, nodding in agreement.

Azula took Yue's hands in hers, closing her eyes. The heat started rising, but Yue welcomed that warmth… just as Sokka, terrified and desperate, did the same when glimpses of that light started to burn past the dark smoke sphere.

"Azula…" he gasped, as Oblivion swirled awkwardly, attempting to smother the light.

"Enough, I said. Nobody asked you to shine like that!" Oblivion growled.

"Let them go. Let them go!" Sokka roared.

"No! They're mine, I said! Mine!" Oblivion roared.

"LET THEM GO!"

Sokka's voice served as a beacon. Azula smiled at the sound of it, knowing exactly where not to aim the next attack she'd do… an attack for which Yue would serve as her support.

"I'll never forget you, Yue. No matter what it takes… you'll always be a part of me."

Yue shivered before nodding: Azula raised one of her hands, and Yue pressed her palm to hers.

The light that hardly escaped the cluster of darkness strengthened further, bolstered fiercely by the power of the Champion of the Sun. Oblivion's discomfort increased further, as it twitched and stirred, unable to retain the shape of its sphere of darkness as he had before.

"Now! Yue!"

Believing in others had always been easy for her. She had no true power of her own while she lived, so she had learned long ago how to trust others to do things, to fight, to succeed at their quests, no matter what they might be. This time, though… this time, Yue was the one who needed to succeed. She breathed in, she focused… and she released her energy in a wild burst.

The cage of darkness was overcome by the blinding light that burst out of that sphere. Sokka shielded his eyes… but he smiled, hearing the agonic screams of Oblivion seeking to reform again.

"NO! NO! YOU'RE MINE! YOU'RE MINE! THE WORLD WILL BE TORN APART! YOUR WORLD WILL BE BETTER IF IT PAYS FOR ALL THE HARM IT DID TO YOU! YOU WISH FOR IT TO BE DESTROYED! YOU'RE NO CHAMPION OF THE SUN! YOU'RE A MONSTER! YOU'RE…!"

Standing in the space where the vanished sphere had been before, Azula raised a hand towards the remaining smoke, and she tightened it into a fist.

A burst of fire, golden as the sun, eliminated the unwanted, reviled, cruel entity that, a year ago, had ensnared the moon.

Sokka laughed, sensing the wicked spirit's presence had been dispelled. It most likely hadn't been destroyed, not for good… but for now, it had lost its grip on Azula and Yue, and that was more than enough as things stood.

Yue continued to glow powerfully, still with her palm pressed to Azula's. She breathed heavily after a moment, as good as coming back to herself…

To find the darkness had dispelled at last.

To gaze down, to the depths of the universe, to find their world stood right below their feet.

"It's… it's our world. I can see it again. I can…" Yue said, with a helpless smile. Azula held her closely still.

"Is this how you see everything?" she asked. Yue shook her head.

"It's… how I did sometimes. When I wasn't walking through the Spirit World… or among humans, if I had the chance to," Yue said, with a sad but earnest smile. Azula nodded in understanding. "And now I can do that again because…"

"Because you let us help you, you stubborn little weirdo," Azula grumbled, prompting Yue to laugh as Azula squeezed her nose between her index and middle fingers. Blazes flickered at the contact, and Azula pulled her hand back quickly. "Damn. I shouldn't do that right now. I'm all… fired up, I suppose."

"For what it's worth? I'd dare say that's your real form, Azula!" Sokka exclaimed, startling Azula. She turned towards him with a questioning stare, as he floated by willpower alone towards them. "You know… you're on fire? You're smoking hot? You're hot as hell?"

"You're in front of a teenager, you idiot. Don't talk that way." Azula grunted at him. Yue laughed, and Sokka smiled as he turned his attention towards Yue.

"Yue…" he said, with a sincere, kind smile. She grinned right back at him, eyes tearful and grateful.

"You never gave up on me. Neither of you did," she said. "You're… you're really so grown, Sokka. Azula… Azula lied, you know? You did grow to be even more handsome than you were…"

"Heh. I knew that already. She was just trying to hide that I'm her type and she didn't know how to sound convincing," Sokka smirked. Azula rolled her eyes but smiled.

"I'm glad I can speak to you again… though it was fun to do it through you, Azula," Yue laughed, and Azula smiled and shook her head.

"Shouldn't have been as much fun, but it was. Guess I can't be your translator anymore, huh?"

"I can always cover my ears whenever she speaks so you tell me what she's saying, if you want," Sokka grinned. Azula laughed, and Yue smiled fondly at the two of them.

"I never… never imagined I could be set free," she said. "This is… it really isn't the Spirit World itself."

"I realized. It's… strange. Cosmic, in a wild way," Sokka said, gazing about himself. "It works even more weirdly than I thought the Spirit World would."

"I've always been able to drift between this place, the Spirit World, and occasionally the human world. That stopped when the comet collided," Yue said, closing her eyes. "I don't know if… if Oblivion was inside that comet, or if the sight of me in danger caused Oblivion to rise from wherever it hid, but… after it happened, I was trapped here. I couldn't… do anything. And as I was trapped, the moon's glow waned and I could only speak with you because, well…"

"Because Oblivion wanted me," Azula said. Sokka gritted his teeth. "Don't get jealous now, will you?"

"Not jealous. Just… protective," Sokka said, with a heavy sigh. "Bad enough that Oblivion had been causing Yue so much grief… it wanted to do it to you too. I couldn't just stay calm through that, now, could I?"

"You should have, but it's of no matter. We won anyway," Azula smiled proudly. Yue giggled.

"The three of us… we do make a good team," she said. Azula raised a hand, clasping her shoulder gently.

"We… uh, we do," she said, pulling her flaming had back before burning Yue, though Yue laughed at the feeling, nonetheless.

"But… there's one thing left for me to do," Yue said, glancing down at the Earth from where they stood. "For all this time… the Ocean Spirit, La, kept me safe and grounded. Oblivion's interest in you, Azula… it allowed La to grip me, to hold onto me. But once Oblivion gave up on you, because you were no longer the kind of person who would choose to inflict oblivion upon the human world? All my connections started to fade. I only asked you to forget, even though I knew it wasn't in your control, or mine, if you did… because I thought it'd be less painful. But in the end, Oblivion was the one who sought to make everyone forget me…"

"The piece of shit," Sokka grumbled.

"It was working. My brother, Sokka's sister, Toph… even the Avatar," Azula mentioned. "They were struggling to remember you, or why we were traveling at all."

"But you swore you'd ensure that I wouldn't be forgotten," Yue said, with a warm smile. "I suppose, now that the moon shall return, it will be much harder for people to forget me, huh?"

"They might take you for granted again, in the sky… but we won't," Azula said, her throat thickening with tears. "Though… you'll still lurk around, won't you? I know you're not trapped anymore, and maybe you're behind on your, I don't know, cosmic paperwork, but…"

"I have no paperwork in the Spirit World," Yue laughed. Sokka hummed.

"Sounds like the first aspect of the Spirit World that I absolutely prefer over the human one. We should move there, Azula," Sokka suggested, nudging her with his elbow. Azula smiled and shook her head.

"I'm just saying, I… I guess your days of lurking in my mirrors are over?"

The words sank heavily in Sokka and Yue. The two of them exchanged worried looks before turning their attention towards Azula.

"I… Yeah. I don't think I'll be doing that anymore," Yue mumbled. Azula smiled and shrugged.

"Well, what can you do, huh? Was… was something, while it lasted," she said. Yue gritted her teeth.

"You're… you're going to miss me, aren't you?" Yue asked, with a gentle smile. Azula scoffed.

"As if. Don't be so conceited," she said, folding her arms over her chest. Yue smiled warmly.

"You noticed when I was lying… I can tell when you are, too," she said. Azula scoffed, and if she hadn't been on fire, still, she might just have blushed darkly.

"It'll be strange, adapting to life without you, but… we fixed things for you. You'll be okay this time. And you'll have a proper conversation with Sokka before it happens this time, too. So… a wish fulfilled indeed," Azula said, somewhat nervously. "I should, uh… return these powers. I might wind up naked after I do. Yue, cover your eyes by then."

"I've seen you naked before whenever the water of your tubs reflected your body, though…"

"Ugh. That's disturbing," Azula groaned. Yue giggled, shrugging in her direction.

"I am a spirit, you know. We… see a lot of things. Some bad, some good," she grinned.

"And some hot as hell, like her," Sokka grinned proudly. Yue giggled and Azula punched his shoulder. "Come on! It's really a cool look. You're going to miss it when it's gone."

"Sounds more like you will. Pervert," Azula huffed. Yue laughed.

"I… I'm going to miss your arguments, that's for sure," she said. "And just… being part of what you're doing. Seeing so many beautiful sights, I… I really enjoyed it. This journey… it was beautiful. I never imagined I'd get to live through something like that. And that I'd do it, and actually become friends with you in the process, Azula, I… I'll always be grateful for that."

"Well… I'm grateful for you too, believe it or not," Azula said, earnestly. "If it weren't for your pesky meddling, your chattiness, your ridiculous praises, I… I wouldn't be here now. And for once in my life, it feels like I'm exactly who I want to be, and where I want to be, too."

"That's good to hear," Yue smiled warmly. Azula sighed.

"You'll be okay on your own?" she asked. Yue shook her head.

"I won't be alone," she said, smiling down at the world beneath their feet once more.

A tendril of dark liquid reached up slowly, tentatively, until Yue touched it with a fingertip. The water rose, strengthening and swirling around her, and Yue laughed as the very end of the water tendril shifted slightly, becoming akin to a fish, perhaps even a water snake…

"I'm back, La," she whispered.

"Tui… Yue," La said, calm and content.

Azula smiled, gazing down at the world: it was hard to see it from this distance, but it seemed as though the renewed contact between the spirits had put a stop to whatever was happening down below…

Aang blacked out, falling into the water, once the Avatar Spirit no longer sustained him after he ceased the suspended, extended bending feat he had pulled, all across the world. He sank into the depths of the ocean, exhausted… until his wife's bending reeled him up, back aboard Appa.

"They did it… the crazy bastards did it," Zuko exclaimed, still somewhat breathless, eyes glued to the dark sky above them: he couldn't remember the moon glowing more brightly ever before.

"Moon's back? Yue's all good now?" Toph said, before humming. "Must be. I… remember her now. I forgot about her for a while there. Did you?"

"We all did," Katara said, holding Aang affectionately as he coughed, smiling awkwardly at her. "You okay?"

"I'm… alive. I think. Thank you, Katara," he said, pressing his brow to hers. Katara smiled.

"Always ready to bail you out when you're in trouble, silly," she said, kissing his cheek.

Aang sighed, weakened and helpless now… but proud of what he had achieved. Bending the entire atmosphere might have been a tall order… but he succeeded at doing so for long enough to keep La contained, preventing massive disasters and hopefully minimizing the potential death toll of the initial reaction by the uncontrollable ocean. He sighed in relief, closing his eyes… deeply hoping that Sokka and Azula would be ready to return to the human world once he and the others returned, too.

Azula frowned as she felt her power shifting in an odd manner. She turned around… finding the Sun Spirit standing not too far from where she was. The Princess breathed deeply and stepped towards her.

"I never doubted you could do it," the Sun Spirit smiled kindly upon Azula, who bowed her head respectfully towards her. "Well done, Champion."

"That might be too great a title. I was quite selfishly trying to save my friend just because she mattered to me," Azula admitted. The Sun Spirit laughed.

"Selfishness? Trying to save another is selfishness? Curious," she said. Azula smirked and shrugged. "You are a rare one, Princess Azula of the Fire Nation. A most extraordinary woman… much as Princess Yue would have grown to be one, too."

"But I didn't get that chance," Yue said, with a sad smile.

"Thus… do not waste yours, Princess Azula," the Sun Spirit said. Azula nodded. "I can take a new champion after many generations pass, too. Just as the Moon Spirit would have chosen her favorites, centuries before or after Yue was born. It isn't your fate to be my vessel or my replacement, just as it wouldn't be for any of my protegees. Young Yue made a great sacrifice for the greater good… and the human world shall forever owe her its survival and endurance because of it. You, child, need not be another sacrifice."

"There's not much reason why I would need to sacrifice myself anymore, now, is there?" Azula said.

"None of you should have to sacrifice anything at all to begin with," Sokka told her, and Azula gazed at him gratefully upon hearing those words.

"Never forget… the bond between the two of you is strong," the Sun Spirit said. Azula gazed at Yue next, who smiled kindly at her. "The moon receives and reflects the sun's light… Yue has learned to be your mirror, your reflection. To show you your faults just as she shows your virtues. She is the moon to the sun you can shine, Azula. And when you burn your brightest, you inspire others to do the same. As you did with her."

Azula nodded, swallowing back the tears she nearly spilled. The Sun Spirit moved closer, pressing a soft kiss upon her brow.

"You did well, child. And now… it's time for you to go home."

The flames covering her body withdrew into the Sun Spirit: the fire she had leant to Azula drifted inside her… and with a final smile and a kind nod of approval, the Sun Spirit drifted back to where she belonged. Azula watched her go, grateful… relieved.

"We've restored balance… somewhat," Sokka said, with a gentle smile. "And hey… still on fire even when you're not literally on fire, Azula, really."

"Shut up," Azula huffed, smiling regardless of her bashfulness: to her surprise, a robe suddenly appeared around her body, and Sokka grinned cheekily at her when she eyed him questioningly.

"I'll ogle you whenever you let me. But as I appear to have figured out the code of how to invoke nonsensical things in this plane, I figured I'd dress you up," he said. Azula laughed.

"Thoughtful of you," she said, turning towards Yue again.

She seemed so small, so young… but when she raised her head again, Yue seemed as strong as ever. She smiled kindly at them, taking their hands in hers.

"I didn't really think it was possible that I'd ever stop envying whoever might marry you one day, Sokka," she admitted, with a weak smile. "Even if I wanted to be kind and supportive of your relationship with Suki, I truthfully couldn't stop wishing I were in her place instead. But when it comes to you two, I… I can't help but be so happy that the two people I love the most would find love in each other, too."

"Kind of blindsided all of us, didn't it?" Sokka said, with a chuckle. Azula smiled too. Yue bit her lip.

"I just… I want to say that I'm really grateful for everything you did. I would have been lost without you. I know you didn't care for me or want to help me for the longest time, Azula… but that really didn't matter to me. I just… I just wanted what was best for you. And I think you found it."

She brought their hands together, smiling kindly as their fingers linked. Azula smiled at Sokka, who smiled back at her.

"So… go back," Yue said, earnestly. "Go… and be happy together. Live the lives you deserve. Never forget how many kind things you've done for others, such as me. Never forget… that you changed my world in the best of ways."

"You did the same for me," Azula whispered, raising her free hand to stroke Yue's hair gently. "I didn't want to see it, to accept it… but I did, in the end. I owe you so much more than I'll ever be able to repay, Yue."

"I don't think that's true. You saved me," Yue smiled. "That's already so much more than I can repay, too. I wasn't going to survive without you. I'm so glad… so glad that you could come to help me. And now… I get to see you from afar. I might be able to manifest myself around you two sometimes, or just one of you, I don't know… won't happen too often, but I'll try!"

"You'd better. Though if you give us any frights intentionally by showing up at inopportune moments, you won't ever hear the end of it," Azula threatened her. Yue laughed and Sokka smirked.

"You can come see us whenever you want," he told Yue. "You're always going to be welcome. I don't think I did nearly as much as Azula did for you…"

"You did plenty, silly," Azula said. Sokka smiled and shrugged.

"Even if I did… point is, I always wanted to do right by you. To make amends for your death being as violent and abrupt as it was. I wish we'd had enough time to… to talk, to say goodbye, to process what was happening, but we didn't. I was in pain for so long, and then that swamp vision I had of you…"

"That was the swamp's doing. It wasn't really me," Yue said, apologetically. Sokka chuckled.

"Yeah. It wasn't as kind as you are," he said. "But the swamp said… I had failed you. I hadn't saved you. I had to protect you, it was my duty, and I couldn't do it. So… I've felt this weight, this responsibility on my shoulders for a long time, because I couldn't protect you once before…"

"And you succeeded this time," Yue whispered, kindly. Sokka smiled warmly. "I know you've struggled to know your worth… but you're extraordinary, Sokka. You have everything it takes to prove it, too. So… don't be afraid to show the world who you really are. Don't worry about protecting me anymore… I'm safe again."

"And if you ever aren't, you'll let us know?" Sokka asked. Yue laughed and nodded.

"As long as I can, sure… but I hope it won't happen, nonetheless," she said. Azula swallowed hard.

"Then… this is it?"

She met Yue's gaze for a long moment, and the young girl's eyes flooded with tears anew. She nodded, and Azula sighed before stepping forward, wrapping her arms firmly around Princess Yue… the Moon Spirit.

She had wanted to hug Yue so many times, most of all as of late. The feeling of doing it spiritually certainly came off as strange, but it was all they'd get. It might even be the one time she'd get to do it at all. Tears spilled down Azula's cheeks as she held Yue tightly.

"Thank you… for everything," she managed to say, her voice strained. Yue shook her head.

"I'm the one… the one who's grateful to you," Yue said. "For everything you saw, and everything you showed and taught me… everything I lived and loved with you. S-so… go on and do it some more. Live… love. Experience everything for… for the both of us. I know I may not always be visible, in the sky? But… I'll always be with you."

Sokka smiled warmly: hearing Yue speak those words to Azula struck a chord in his heart, for they were the very last ones she had spoken to him before taking her place in the night sky.

"And we'll always be with you too. And thinking of you," Azula nodded. Yue giggled. "You brought us together… and we'll always treasure you. We won't ever let you be forgotten."

"Thank you for finding me in the darkness," Yue said, pressing her face to her shoulder. "For letting me be your reflection within my shadows. For understanding me… in ways I never knew I wanted to be understood. Thank you for bearing with me, even when I made it hard… thank you for caring as much as you did. You were my light in the darkness… and now, it's time that you go light up so many other things in the world, too."

"Wait… you're not condoning arson, are you?"

"W-well, no…"

"Such a shame," Azula smiled. Yue laughed as Azula pulled back, and tears spilled down both their faces. "I meant it when I said it, but… I ought to do it again: I love you, Yue."

"I love you too," Yue grinned giddily, leaning in for another hug. "I'm so glad it was you. I'm so glad that you were the one person I could always see."

Azula nodded, hugging the girl back as tightly as could be.

"I'm glad you were here. That you were part of my life, for as long as you were," she said.

Azula raised her tearful eyes towards Sokka, who continued to watch them fondly… she reached for his wrist, yanking him towards herself, and Sokka laughed as he hugged the two of them, too.

"I'll miss you too, even if I'm sure Azula will miss you more," Sokka smiled. "Go shine brightly in the sky, okay? We'll be fine… so make sure you are, too. Let us know if you get into any trouble… and maybe I'll come back and turn into a giant axe again, what do you know?"

The girls laughed at Sokka's mirth, and Azula rested her head on his shoulder briefly, while Yue nestled against his chest.

"Thank you, Sokka. Thank you, Azula. Thank you. I'll always love you. Always."

A white flash blinded them briefly, and they closed their eyes to brace themselves against it…

"Hey… they're back! Look!"

"Oh, finally."

Sokka and Azula grimaced, coming back to their senses while still sitting in the position Aang had left them at. Which meant, of course, that they were as sore as could be…

"Sokka? Azula? You guys okay?" Aang called them, kneeling by them as they opened their eyes.

"We're… back," Azula realized. Sokka scoffed slightly, with a lop-sided smirk.

"Sad. Can't turn into a giant axe anymore," he said. Azula laughed, and the others gaped at them in confusion.

"It's… a long story," Azula said.

She cast a glance to the sky, though, where twinkling stars no longer could be as easily visible… for they were in the moon's vicinity.

It glowed so brightly, so beautifully, that Azula couldn't help the tears that welled in her eyes at the sight of it. At the knowledge that her friend had succeeded at reclaiming her place as the Moon Spirit… at the awareness that she'd helped her against the worst challenges she had been dealt by the wretched Oblivion.

Sokka tugged at her hand gently, and they exchanged a relieved, warm smile before he leaned in for a kiss – naturally, half of the group complained, but Azula held Sokka closely nonetheless, brows pressed together as mutual pride and relief took hold of their hearts. They would explain everything to the others soon… but for now, her heart did not ache over loneliness now that Yue was gone. Instead, it remained strong and full of emotions over the awareness and certainty that she had finally saved Yue… and that Yue, conversely, had saved her just as well.

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