AUTHORS NOTE: This story, while being able to stand by its self, is the beginning of a series of stories that I am writing and therefore will have the plot of the series weaved into it. So… Please enjoy! Reviews are highly appreciated.
"Come on, it's right here! Just keep your eyes closed and trust me." Sokka sounded a little annoyed at my hesitation, but he was still trying. That was a good sign, at least. I held as tightly as I possibly could to his hands, forcing my eyes closed with all of my mental capacity. As a warrior, it was hard to trust someone to keep you from getting hurt when deprived of one of the senses you rely on the most. But I wanted to trust Sokka so that he would be able to do the same with me. I wanted him to know that I could depend on him. After what felt like a millennium, we stopped.
"Okay, you can open your eyes!" He sounded really excited. I opened them, and looked at his face, eager to see my reaction. Then he turned me to face another direction, and I saw what was so special.
A waterfall!
Sokka knew I hadn't really ever done much of the stuff that people though of as an adrenaline rush- but then again, I'd done a lot that people hadn't that probably had the same sort of effect. I guess this would be like a less dangerous version of jumping on and off of giant Fire Nation air ships. Now I was excited!
"Sokka, its amazing!" I said. He looked pleased.
"Yeah! Its pretty fun too… that is, if you want to do it." He smirked at me, and I knew I had just been challenged. Sokka never really got that I wasn't afraid to do much of anything. Sooner or later, he would figure it out. I knew it.
"Of course I do!" In moments, I had pulled off my water tribe dress (A gift from Gran-Gran, from when I last visited.) and then my leggings that I had borrowed from my Kyoshi outfit. I wasn't matching too well today, but Sokka couldn't care less. I was left in my bindings. Sokka was slowly pulling off his tunic, but definitely taking his time.
"Hurry up, slow poke!" I told him, a laugh filling my voice. I was so happy just to be in a beautiful place, with an amazing guy. Nothing was really getting on my nerves, as of late. I was so relaxed, especially since the war was over. In about two months, the one year anniversary of Ozai's defeat would be celebrated all through the world. Our group was going to reassemble at Zuko's palace, and Aang, Sokka, me, and Katara were already on the way. We would pick up Toph from one of the smaller islands where she had been mastering sand bending( she still had an agenda against the sand benders who had stolen and sold Appa), then we would make our way there. Zuko would meet us with new clothes and a great feast, and then we would all leave the palace to head for Ba Sing Se for their festivities.
Sokka finally finished undressing, leaving his new boomerang and the sword he had forged with his master, tossed off of a fire navy air ship, and then taken a very long time finding (with the help of Toph and a few of her newly appointed charges, the Dai Li) on top of the pile of clothes. He walked up to me and took my hand as we stood at the edge of the cliff, looking down the wall of water and to the glittering pool at the bottom.
"On three," He said. We shuffled a little bit closer and he began counting.
"One… THREE!"I was surprised, but still prepared to jump. We took off, shouting and laughing as the adrenaline flooded our systems. Finally we hit the pool, and went under. Sokka let go of my hand and swam in the other direction, while I just floated. After a minute beneath the turbulent jets of water, I kicked off of the bottom and surfaced. Sokka was sitting on the beach, watching.
"Wow. You are so lazy!" I said, smiling. The pool was huge and I was sure there was a thing or two that we could explore. I swam to the area that the water was impacting, fighting the currents as I tried to figure out if the impact of the water over my head could be harmful. After a moment, I ducked under.
Behind the fall, there was a little hollow, filled with a warm humidity. After clambering into it, I looked out, and saw that the water created a billion tiny rainbows. It was magnificent. After a moment, Sokka's head popped out of the water, and I sat on my knees, looking at him. He was beginning to resemble a drowned rat, and he didn't look too happy about it. I couldn't help but giggle… And it was at this moment that I knew I'd been hanging around Ty Lee too much.
"What's so funny?" He asked me. I reached my hand down and he took it.
"Nothing." He climbed up, and we sat in silence for a moment, watching the little rainbows.
Maybe a half hour later, Aang came and found us. It was nearly dusk, and we were late for dinner.
"Wow you guys! This is really cool!" He commented as we were walking out. He didn't seem to like walking too much, especially since the top of the cliff was super close to where we were camped.
"Here… grab on." He spread his glider's wings, and Sokka and I looked at each other.
"Aang, is this safe?" Sokka asked.
"Of course! Don't you trust me?" He was always so happy and bubbly that he didn't take any offense.
"Ha ha alright." I said, grabbing on. Sokka looked at me skeptically, but then joined. Aang told us to run, and so we did. Moments later ,we were airborne and very much terrified. Aang was used to this, and he could probably stop himself from dying if something went wrong. Sokka and I? Not so much.
When we reached the camp, Katara was bending some sort of hot liquid into four bowls. Appa roared a little, and she smiled.
"Here you go," She said, bending most of the rest of the pot into his mouth. He swallowed and then roared appreciatively before rolling into a ball and tucking his tail between his six legs. Momo landing on his head and curled around, falling asleep. It was dark now, and I was cold. I slipped into my tent and pulled on fresh clothes. I didn't really feel like wearing shoes, so I went without. One of my fans was tucked into my sleeves, out of habit. Most of us still carried weapons- Sokka had his boomerang and his sword, Katara had her water skin, I had my fans, and Aang… Aang had never been too much of a weapons person, but I guess he didn't really need any, since he could bend all four elements. But he had his staff everywhere he went, so I guess that was his form of security.
As we sat to dine, a familiar sort of peace engulfed us. We hadn't done this in almost a year! Aang had been taking rebuilding crews up to the Southern Air Temple, because he was on a mission to restore them. He had heard a rumor that the air benders weren't extinct, but had left and blended into society in the earth kingdom. He wanted the temples to be nice again so that if this were true, they would come back. If they didn't, he was going to have children, and he was planning on living there.
Katara and Sokka had gone back to the South Pole to help rebuild their tribe and village. They were working on reuniting all of the tribes so that they would be a stronger people, more ready to defend themselves. Everyone was still on edge, and they were still making precautions. Aang had picked them up first, since he and Katara were still sweet on each other.
I had been on Kyoshi, training the girls so that they could train younger generations. Our village was rebuilt, and even the unagi seemed at peace. Life was back to normal, and we were now a popular tour on some commercially made "Avatar Tour" so we were making a fair deal of revenue we had never been able to create before. Aang had helped us merely by visiting, and had helped me personally by introducing me to an arrogant, head strong pig like Sokka. We all wished he would live even longer than Kyoshi, and continue to make the world prosper.
Being together again was a remarkable thing, and all of us had missed it.
"So where did you two run off to?" Katara asked. Sokka had his face full of food, so I answered.
"Sokka was showing me this waterfall that we cliff jumped at. Then there's this little cave behind the waterfall and all you see is rainbows inside it. Its beautiful." I took another spoonful of the soup- Katara had become an excellent cook since I had last seen with the gang.
"Sounds like it! So Sokka's romantic bone finally grew in?" She asked, more him than me. He finished the last sip of his soup and looked at his sister.
"I have always had a romantic bone in my body!" He replied, indignant.
"Ha ha sure you have, Sokka." Katara said, probably hoping he wouldn't pick up the sarcasm in her voice. He heard it, because the next thing I knew, Sokka had somehow managed to take the soup out of my hands, literally swoop me off my feet, and kiss me so intensely that I'm sure that Aang and Katara were blushing. I sure was!
"Um… wow." I whispered when we stopped.
"Okay, okay! Jeeze, get a room, you two!" Aang joked, and Sokka began walking off with me. After we made it past Katara's and my tent, he let me down.
"Was that okay?" He asked, somewhat abashedly. I nodded.
"That is always okay.. Except in battle." I replied, wrapping my arms around his waist. He returned the favor, wrapping me tightly in his arms. I felt safest here. My parents had sent me to the Kyoshi school young, and I had lived there ever since. Sokka, Katara and the other Kyoshi girls were my only family. We stood like that for a long time, listening to each other breathing, the cricket's music that surrounded us, and then he pulled back. He looked at me with so much love and affection. As a smile crossed my face, he kissed me again- soft and slow and sweet. The sun was setting, and it felt almost like in stories that people had told me, it was so perfect.
And as all perfect things begin, they must end. And usually, they end a lot less than perfect. Sokka pulled himself back, and pulled with such force that I was afraid something was wrong.
"What's wrong Sokka?" I asked him. He looked at me with great sorrow.
"It's not you… it's…" He couldn't bring himself to say her name in front of me, so he pointed. The moon had risen. I understood now, but I was really, really sad. Sokka still felt guilty about Yue, and I guess he thought it was insulting to her spirit to kiss me when she was watching. It hurt, but what could I do?
Absolutely nothing. All I could do was wait, and understand. And forgive.