Blindsided {sokkaXoc}

7

Ashton sat upon Appa's head while the others slept. Her backpack was still on and her knees were curled up to her chest with her chin rested on them. Her hand held a orange flame that tried to flicker blue and purple every now again. The heat licked her face more often then not and her eyes reflected it's ever changing colors. She tried to keep the flame small, but the wind that flowed through her brown hair only fueled it. 

She sighed, closing her palm, and looking behind her to the sleeping body's within the bison's saddle. Her eyes lingered upon the water tribe boy for a moment before flicking to the Avatar. "He's just a kid" Ashton thought, saddened by the young boys call to action. He didn't even look like he had started puberty, he barely looked as though he had reached adolescence. Momo, the lemur, popped his head up from Sokka's grasp and ran up to the princess. He carelessly hopped on her shoulder trusting her already and she held back a giggle to not wake her new acquaintance's and climbed on the saddle finding a corner away from the rest. 

Setting her bag next to her, the girl laid down with Momo who crawled into her arms loving her natural warmth. The fire nation princess looked to the moon and let a tear escape her eyelids. Worry for her Uncle had resurfaced in her mind and the stress of facing her twin crawled into her chest, pulling it tight and restricting her air ways calling for her to stand down and let the heart retching sobs escape. She swallowed the pain still staring at Yue hopelessly. The fire bender knew the spirit felt her pain and could feel her graceful presence lulling her to sleep. With a beautiful, almost inaudible, voice in the wind Princess Yue thanked the girl watching and feeling her eyes close peacefully. 

The group travelled for a week trying to gain as much distance as possible between them and "Ashton's Evil Twin", as Sokka had dubbed her. Through those days the Princess barely spoke, but assisted the group as much as she could. She even tried to sell her arm band to help with money, but Sokka shut her down sensing the meaning that it held to her. Ashton often wondered about Kai. She knew he had been sent to guard a prison on the outskirts of her nation, but every time the girl tried to find more information about the boy, her father grew furious. She missed the older boy and longed for his brotherly comfort in the palace. Ashton thanked Sokka later that night for encouraging her against selling it. 

Every morning, Ashton would wake just as the sun rose to soak in it's power and freshen up her bending. After spending weeks not using her gift, her bones ached to release fire. She started with her forms running through the elements as she knew them and then she let flames escape from her limbs. Sokka would always wake up soon after sneaking off to watch her. He had never seen fire bending look so beautiful. He only saw destruction, but the princess gave it life. He always felt as though he was watching a dance and resisted to not sing a simple melody. 

One day, the princess noticed and turned to his direction "Must you stare?" she asked smirking. She wore nothing more than her dark red bindings, but he barely paid any mind to her to her feminine assets and instead honing in on her delicate yet sharp features deciding that they were undeniably perfect compared to any he had ever seen.  His face flooded red "I wasn't!! I was just sun bathing?" the boy panicked and silently cursed himself for his pathetic excuse. She just laughed, "It's okay! I was just teasing you!" She smiled loving that he had paid attention to her. The princess sat next to the warrior and let her body be fueled by the stars rays above them. "Can i ask you a question?" Sokka asked admiring at her profile. "Of course." "What's it like in the fire nation?" Ashton took a moment to think, Not knowing quite to say. "Strict, warm, and boring." She said meeting his eyes.  

A bond was created that morning. Ashton's sleeping bag was no longer distantly placed from the group, it now had a place closer to her new friend. This was insisted upon by Sokka who built a distain for her misplacement for the days of travel and, after loads of bickering between the two, dragged her bag next to his. After growing exhausted of their bickering the princess begrudgingly slipped into the bag, but moved it a little farther away from them as she was still sensitive to Katara's glares.