Playing Waterbending (Avatar: Last Aibender SI)-Chapter 86

"Are you leaving?" Katara asked, looking at me, already dressed. She smiled gently at me, as if she hadn't been angry or scolding me earlier. I guess a little intimacy can fix any relationship's issues. Without financial or sexual problems, any relationship was bound to last and stay healthy.

I smiled at her.

"Your brother got himself into some trouble?"

"What kind of trouble?"

"He was caught red-handed," I said.

Katara tilted her head, clearly not understanding the joke. And, honestly, who would joke in such a serious situation?

"Remember our first time?" I asked her with a small smirk.

She covered her mouth with her hand. "He and Yue did it! Oh my god. And they were caught... she's already engaged!"

"You knew about them?" I cocked my head at her.

"You would know if you weren't always busy," she replied, standing up and dressing quickly. "I talked to the princess, and she told me about the sparks, if you know what I mean."

"I know," I sighed.

"We've got to save him."

"Of course, no one can bully my brother-in-law, except me," I said, all while eavesdropping. Sokka had already been captured. But no harm had been done to him.

They better not mess with my brother-in-law.

No.

They better take care of him for the rest of their lives.

"Should I leave this to you?" Katara said. "Because if I don't, I think I'm going to twist everyone's balls."

"Oh..." I tightened my eyelids as if I were feeling the pain already. "I like it. But no. We should use this as a political advantage."

"What do you mean?" Katara asked.

"Sokka is the prince of the South Pole, and she's the North Pole's princess," I explained.

"But... how does that make sense? What kind of prince needs his sister to wash clothes for him?" Katara shook her head.

"A prince that no one knows about," I replied. Remember Vegeta, the prince of all Saiyans? His wife did all his chores.

Besides, Sokka had a higher status as my brother-in-law.

My brother-in-law... that clicked something in me... Young Master vibes... Do you know who my brother-in-law is?

I scratched my chin.

'Should I say, Courting Death?'

"Ryuk. Are you thinking of something sarcastic in this serious situation?" Katara asked, examining my face.

I shook my head.

"Whatever. I'll leave the talking to you."

"Alright."

"And where is Toph?"

"She's sleeping, hugging the blanket," I replied, as I could already see her. "Let's go now."

After we left our private domicile, we found the soldiers of the North Tribe waiting for us.

Apparently, Sokka was going to be held for trial.

I never knew you could get into trouble for sleeping with the chief's daughter.

I guess I was lucky Katara's father wasn't around. Well, even if he were, I could convince him otherwise. I mean, I'm not the asshole who left his daughter for someone else to take care of.

-x-X-x-

"Brother-in-law," Sokka called with sparkling eyes as he looked at me face to face.

He was being held at a plaza, publicly, in front of a judge—who, as it happened, was Arnook, Yue's father.

"Tsk." I clicked my tongue and closed my eyes.

Sokka had been caught in the worst position a man could find himself in.

"Silence," Arnook commanded, slamming a hammer on the table. He then looked at me. "Do you know what your brother-in-law did?"

"What did he do, commit treason?" I asked. "If not, what's so bad?"

"Adultery," Arnook clenched his teeth.

"Adultery, or making love?" I asked back.

"So, you already have an idea of what happened?" he said.

I turned my head.

There were two lines, made up of the higher-ups from the North Pole Tribe: warriors, politicians, and all.

In their midst stood Princess Yue, with red, swollen eyes. She looked like she'd been crying a lot.

I winked at her before turning to Sokka.

"Isn't that the same?" Arnook said through clenched teeth. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

"Why is he the only one held responsible?" I crossed my arms. If both were held accountable for what happened, I might let this slide and try to make things right peacefully. But if he was the only one held responsible, I'd let them know that no one can bully my brother-in-law, except me.

"Because obviously, he seduced my daughter," Arnook replied, disillusioned.

"I mean, she's the one who let him in," I shrugged. "Maybe you're into something else?"

"Before I'm a chief, I'm a very angry father," he shot back. "My reputation has been tarnished."

The princess in the corner cried even more.

Sokka had wide eyes before looking at the ground, guilt written all over his face.

"If that's the case, why not arrange a marriage between them?" I suggested. "Sokka is the future chief of the South Tribe. And most importantly, he's my brother-in-law. You know, you can win me over if you just try a little."

The two lines at the sides, which had been silent, finally broke their silence.

"It seems to make sense. Both of them are heirs. It would benefit us politically."

"Since Ryuk is willing to extend a helping hand, we should take it."

"Yes, I agree. That sounds nice."

Come on, guys. After the performance I pulled off yesterday, having me related to you was more important than being a prince or a chief or anything. If anything else, I could save their lives when they needed it.

On the other hand, if I got angry at them...

And a word reached the Fire Nation?

Then, the North Pole would be doomed.

Forget about punishing Sokka. If they dared, they wouldn't have to fear the Fire Nation.

I crossed my arms and looked at the chief.

"I'm a man who's very easy to please and very easy to piss off," I said. Well, that statement had half truth and half a lie.

"So, your brother-in-law is willing to take responsibility, is that right?" Arnook asked, looking at Sokka.

Sokka's desperate expression changed to a very pleased one.

"I'm willing to take care of her for the rest of my life," he said.

"I agree, father," Yue said.

Her red, swollen eyes suddenly lit up.

It was a sight that warmed my heart, to see two people meant to be together, finally get together.

Of course, there would be a third wheel.

"What about me?" yelled a young man. "I'm her fiancé! Not only was my honor tarnished, but now I'm going to lose my fiancée!"

"Hans, it's not your time," one of the men in the line said.

"Father! I've been waiting for the wedding for so long. How am I supposed to let her go?" he said. "Am I supposed to accept this as a cuckold?"

"But you're not married yet!"

That man was, canonically, after her for political reasons. I guess that was why Yue fell easily for Sokka, who wanted her for her.

But geez, he couldn't get the hint, could he? The marriage between Yue and Sokka was more beneficial to his people than his marriage to her. Even his father got it.

"That man isn't half the man I am," Hans pointed at Sokka. "Yet, I'm supposed to sit in the corner as if nothing happened. As if I hadn't planned my life already."

I raised my hands.

Both Hans and Sokka floated toward me. They landed next to me.

I placed a hand on each of their arms.

"Why don't you settle this like men?" I said. "In nature, our ancestors fought for women to pass their genes. Such tradition should be respected."

"Wait!" Yue was about to say something, but I stopped her mouth with bloodbending.

Hans, based on his attire, was a high-ranked warrior.

"Both of you are non-benders. Why don't you settle this with your fists?" I said.

Hans smiled widely. "I agree very much." He then looked Sokka up and down, full of confidence that he could defeat him.

After all, he was someone who had experienced the battlefield and trained his whole life.

As for Sokka, he was just a boomerang user.

But Sokka was also my student in Chi-bending and martial arts.

Sokka tightened his gaze and clenched his fists.

"I've been waiting for this," he said.

"It's settled then, a fight man-to-man."

"Ryuk, wait..." Arnook was about to object.

"Hush..." I hushed, my finger on my mouth. "The two of them will fight, and the winner will get the girl."

-x-X-x-

Sokka was quite lucky to have Ryuk as his brother-in-law. He'd never admit it, but after being caught red-handed, he thought he was going to face severe punishment for sleeping with the princess. They'd been celebrating their victory against the Fire Nation, and then there was a kiss. Since no one was around, they got caught in the moment, until they were caught.

But it didn't matter now. Thanks to Ryuk, they had a chance to get married.

'This is my chance. No more sneaking around and jerking. No more heartbreaks. A pretty princess and a nice home are all I want,' Sokka thought as he looked at his foe.

Currently, they were in the middle of a training ground, an icy yard covered in snow.

Hans was cracking his fists, smirking at Sokka.

"Give up, skinny man. You're no warrior," Hans said arrogantly. "You know what? Don't give up. I want to punish you so bad."

Sokka scowled. "No political gains, but only pain is what you'll get."

Hans just wanted Yue for political reasons, which is why Yue had been into him in the first place. To be fair, Sokka had been waiting to kick his ass for some time after hearing about it.

Ryuk, standing to the side, raised his hand and waved it down.

"Start," he said.

Hans walked toward Sokka, jumping into the air and aiming a punch at him.

Sokka raised both hands to block. He had to admit, the fist was heavy. But thanks to his Chi-bending technique, Sokka tightened his defenses, staying sturdy and feeling no pain.

'I'm still new to this. But I've been training hard in martial arts. There's no way I'll lose.'

Loud cheers erupted from the sides.

Ryuk, stepping to the side, cheered as well.

"That's it, Sokka! Go for it! If you don't, Hans will do to the woman you love what you did tonight."

Sokka could only respond with a frown to Ryuk's usual teasing.

But this time, Ryuk had a point. Just imagining it made Sokka's blood boil.

"He's goddamn right," Hans smirked.

"I'm going to kill you," Sokka clenched his teeth. He wasn't going to literally kill him, just put him at death's doorstep.

Sokka channeled all his Chi into his body.

"Hey, that's quite dangerous," Ryuk commented from the side as he saw what was happening.

Sokka didn't care and dashed forward.

Hans dodged a punch aimed at his face, grabbing Sokka's arm and attempting to twist it.

But Sokka's arm didn't budge.

Instead, Sokka's hand reached for Hans' neck, lifted him off the ground, and slammed him into the ice.

Blood splattered from Hans's mouth at the moment of impact.

Sokka got on top of him, clenched his teeth, and started punching him in the face.

If using all his Chi drained him quickly, the best way to use it was to go all out from the start.

The cocky Hans, who thought of himself as a warrior and Sokka as inferior, was caught off guard, and got his ass handed to him.

A few teeth flew out of his mouth, broken.

"Take this... and this..." Sokka was caught in the moment and was about to kill him.

But then, he stopped. His body stiffened and started floating.

Had it been someone else trying to stop him, he would have gotten angrier and attacked them—or ignored them and kept fighting.

But if it was Ryuk, he had no choice but to calm down.

Well, he had fought Ryuk before, and he knew there was no way to stop him or fight him, even in martial arts.

He was his mentor after all.

"Okay, calm down. You've won already," Ryuk said, grabbing Sokka with bloodbending and pulling him toward him. He let him land there. He pointed at Hans, who was struggling to breathe, his face battered beyond recognition.

Sokka turned his head to see Katara and Yue running to him.

His heart warmed, and he opened his arms for a hug.

Katara opened her arms and hugged Ryuk.

Sokka suddenly felt cold.

Yue stopped, looking at his extended arms.

She giggled.

"Sorry. I didn't expect your sister to do that..." Yue smiled.

"She's a grown woman. She doesn't need her older brother's protection anymore," Sokka shrugged, his arms still stiff and extended.

"Well, matter of fact, you need protection from her," Ryuk commented.

"Well, no hugs?" Sokka asked.

"I don't know. Everyone is watching," Yue blushed and looked at the ground.

"You're already engaged," Ryuk commented from the side.

'Thanks, asshole,' thought Sokka, but didn't dare to say his thoughts out loud.

Yue smiled and hugged him.

And with that, Sokka was officially engaged.

But too bad I wouldn't be there for the wedding, I thought, since I'd have to leave.

Because, you know, I had attained power.

And it was time to use it on the right person.