Alone and Broken
/the moon watches everyone. perhaps it is her curse.
Word Count: 477
Rating: K+
Disclaimer: Kanthia owns neither Avatar nor the moon, which is owned by the moon pirates.
Pairing: Implied Sokka x Yue
Kanthia notes: This took a little out of me. You know. The good stuff.
x x x
It was often after that night that she would find her brother alone and broken.
It never happened during the day. It was always at night, when she would wake up with the warm glare of the moon singing on her eyelids. She would find him sitting alone and so quiet by the edge of the water throwing rocks with strained finality just to hear the sound of the water being torn apart. It was heartbreaking to see him that way.
It was on the next full moon, twenty and more days later, that she decided to talk with him about it.
They were camped by a river that lead out to sea- dangerous for bandits, pirates and Firebenders- and she found him sulking by the edge. It was one of those nights so clear it could kill you in your sleep, with too many stars and a moon that cried into the violet sky. Beautiful and deadly. She could think of many people like that.
She was shivering with pent-up anticipation and stepped with authority like the night told her to do. It was as though she had water for blood, shivering but warm and excited for nothing in particular. She could never sleep well on nights like this.
"Sokka-" Her voice was too loud in the crisp stillness of the air- "Are you- are you all right?"
He responded by tossing another pebble into the water. The sound carried too far. "Didn't want her to go. 'S not fair."
"She needed to, Sokka."
"Don't need a moon."
"Stop saying things like that-"
"You always say things like that. Katara, you fall in love with every guy you see. Give me some time to-"
She silenced him by pulling him into a hug from behind, tears leaving cold spots on his shoulders. If anyone understood his loss, it was the moon- and she was the moon's disciple. "-Oh, Sokka. Please, don't cry alone."
Silent minutes passed between the two of them, locked in an embrace exclusive to family. Katara could faintly hear the sound of Appa snoring and Aang dreaming in the distance- it had been too long since she had found a good chance to rekindle her closeness with her older brother.
He silently agreed. He had always been the type to throw himself completely into anything he did- as though doing things halfway didn't exist in his world. It had been the same with the solemn moon princess, only now he was tangled in a world where he could watch her crying for him but never touch her.
She wondered if there would ever be a way for her to shoulder some of his pain.
"…Kissed the moon." He held a hand up as if to block it out and catch it at the same time. "I kissed the moon, and now she's dead."
x x x
/end