Title: Scream Through The Night
Summery: And during the nights, all he could think about was her pleading him to save her.
Genre: Angst/Hurt/Comfort
Words: 868

--

Sokka was bad at maintaining relationships. That much was clear. Don't get him wrong, Sokka has the ability to any girl he wants, it just the 'keeping her' part he struggled with.

But then he met Suki.

The way her eyes gleamed with a fierce devotion that Sokka had seen in only the most courageous of Water Tribe warriors made his heart melt. The way she refused to humor his chauvinistic attitude, snipping it in the bud. The way she never hid behind her warrior make-up.

For a brief moment, Sokka truly thought he could be happy. Until the Fire Nation came. Go figure. When Toph told him the Kyoshi warriors in front of him were imposters, his heart sunk.

So… where's Suki?

Awful images sprouted into his head. Suki's lifeless body abandoned somewhere in a forest ditch. Suki wandering through unknown terrain cold and frightened. Suki forced to betray her beloved Kyoshi Island and join the Fire Nation.

Yet nothing prepared him for the words that carefully rolled out of Azula's tongue.

"So, Sokka's your name right? My favorite prisoner used to mention you all the time. She was convinced that you were going to come rescue her. Of course, you never came and she gave up on you."

Sokka blamed himself on both occasions. Failing the mission. Failing Suki. If he wasn't able to sleep before, now he had turned almost nocturnal. Dark bags grew underneath his eyelids. His body would constantly cry for its deprived sleep. It's not that Sokka believed he didn't deserve to sleep, that's ridiculous, even for Sokka. No, it was that whenever he closed his eyes for more than about thirteen seconds, Suki plagued his mind.

He usually pictured would first picture Suki tied up in a chair with colorful welts decorating her skin. A red or black room, it'd change from time to time. Azula would stand before her with the heated whip in her hand. She would ask questions pertaining to Kyoshi militia etc. and the answer would always be the same.

I fell asleep. Sokka dreadfully noted.

Suki slowly looks up; blood trickling from her lip, and taking shallow breaths. A smirk would make its way through and she'd spat out, "Fire Nation scum won't get answers from me." Sokka would cringe soon after; the three of them knowing what would follow.

I need to wake up.

Azula's nostrils flare and her eyes widen with outrage. The whip becomes engulfed in flames and is cracked with each of her words against Suki's body. "You. Shall. Not. Address. Royalty. As. Such. Filthy. Earth. Peasant!" The last word would be shouted and have and extra flare to it. At this point both pant heavily – one out of pain, the other of anger – and Suki is ridden with burns, cuts and bruises. Azula calls guards to return the 'disgusting trash back to its garbage bin' without moving a single fiber. Right before Suki leaves she shouts triumphantly.

"You'll never break a Kyoshi's spirit!"

Yet as soon as she is thrown into her cell, she is no longer the girl Sokka loves. Her eyes diminish into lacklustered nothingness. Her fellow warriors ask of her condition. To which she replies in a cocky tone which doesn't reach her eyes. "You think that hot tempered brat can get to me? Pssh, yeah right." Suki's eyebrows furrow in sadness as she slinks herself to the far right corner of the cell. Tears form in her eyes as she wraps her arms around her legs and brings them closer to her chest. Her head sinks down and her shoulders shake rigidly. She begins to cry. She's no longer the Suki Sokka knew…

She's a prisoner of war.

Ihave to wake up! I can't see this again, I…

"Sokka…" Suki hoarsely cries out.

NO!

"Where are you?"

This isn't real! It can't be real! I can't…

"I don't think I can hold out much longer, Sokka."

Stop it!

"Sokka…" She moans out.

Shut up!

"Save me…"

I CAN'T!

Suki mutter Sokka's name. Slowly it becomes louder and brutal till she's screaming at the top of her lungs.

"SOKKA!"

Sokka thrashes upward. He's glad the dream is over, yet feels the horrible lingering feeling of the dream. Aang and Zuko are sleeping soundly beside him and Sokka sighs. "Not again." He whispered dejectedly. Sokka slides out with his sword in his hand and runs off to a deep forest. Once Sokka's breathing is labored he takes out his sword and slashes the nearest tree. A deep gash is left and Sokka clenches his jaw. He begins to release an onslaught of blows upon the tree. "I'm too weak! I slow the group down! I'm…" Sokka notices his last slash hits nothing but air and watches the tree begin it's descend. "I… I'm pathetic." He realizes that this exercise is the only one he finds relief in after the dream.

It dawns on him that he just can't handle her scream through the night.