Time to Choose

By justicar347

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. Aang would have had a better costume during the first two seasons if I did.

"Sokka, tell them that you like ME the best!" the four girls told the young Water Tribesman at once.

Said Water Tribesman was nervously looking back and fourth between the four girls. Yue, Toph, Suki, and Ty Lee had all managed to corner the hapless young man. He knew that answering that question was going to lead to hurt feelings, and possibly broken bones. Possibly his bones.

"Well," he started as he glanced around the room. He tugged apprehensively at the collar of his tunic, "It's kinda' like this you see, and…" as he stalled for time his eyes finally landed on an open window. It was his only way out and he was going to take it. "I have to go," he blurted before making his mad dash for the window. He dove through it and hit the ground hard. He wasted no time getting to his feet and dashing down the street.

Behind him he heard a shout of, "After him!" and knew that this just was not his day. Of course, it rarely was his anyway.

At every turn there was a girl waiting for him. Toph tried to trap him in a block of earth. Ty Lee would jump out unexpectedly and try to paralyze him with pressure points. Suki waited in ambush to try and flip him onto his back. He had to dodge and weave as he looked for some kind of refuge.

Sokka's legs sped him down the streets. He weaved and dodged between the crowds as he tried to put distance between himself and what promised to be a menagerie of awkward moments and uncomfortable conversations. He thought that he had lost his pursuers and dashed down an ally. This proved to be a poor choice.

Floating before him was Yue. Her ethereal form drifted closer towards him. "Surely you haven't forgotten about me? I came long before those other girls, didn't I?" she asked in her soft voice.

Sokka was frozen in place. He wanted to run, but his legs would not budge. Sokka was quickly discovering that it is not easy to run away when confronted by the ghost of a dead girlfriend. It did occur to him that she might be using her "moon powers" to keep him in his place. As he stammered out a string of nonsense to buy time he tried to figure out how he would get out of this. Fortunately, perhaps, the problem was taken out of his hands.

An earth barrier raised out of the ground cutting Yue off. This was quickly followed by Toph bursting through a wall. "Well, now that we are alone you can tell me that you like me the best," she said as she walked forward. She batted her eyelashes at him in what would have been an incredibly cute way, except for the fact that he had it in the context that the wrong word at this moment would lead to him being crushed between a rock and… well, a rock.

He backed up until his back was against the wall, literally and metaphorically. He stammered out a variety of excuses. Standing on her tip toes, Toph leaned her face up near his as her finger drew on his chest, "Sokka, why don't you stop delaying," she told him in what passed for her sweetest voice, though Sokka could not help but notice the hint of danger in it.

In a blur of pink, Sokka, for the second time that day, went from the frying pan to the fire. Ty Lee leapt down from the building above and with two quick jabs turned the "World's Greatest Earthbender" into lump on the ground at their feet. However, she quickly replaced Toph in front of Sokka, or more precisely on him. She had her arms, and legs, around him so quick that he was not even sure if she had landed on the ground first. Toph yelled epithets at her from the ground as Ty Lee leaned her lips near his ear and whispered, "Now I've got you to myself Cutie."

Sokka's eyes were as wide as dinner plates. He could feel his body quickly turning to jell-o and his mind was slowing to a halt. Had he not believed that this compromising situation would lead to a shortening of his life span, he likely would have given in. He moved his hands to try and pry her loose, except he found them hesitating to find an appropriate place to put them. He tried talking his way out of this fine mess, "I have this place to be, and I have to do this thing, so why don't we reschedule this for some other time…."

She only giggled, "Aw, don't be sh—"

Ty Lee was interrupted as Suki pulled her off of Sokka, "Get off of him you circus freak!"

Sokka watched as the two girls fought over him the way two dogs might fight over a piece of meat. He was worried that it might well end with the meat being torn in two during the tug-o-war. Seeing as they were rather wrapped up in their fight, Sokka started to tiptoe off. Once he was around the corner he broke into a full out run and did not stop for five minutes. He ducked down an ally and started to catch his breath, hoping he was safe for the time being.

After only a minute he heard the sound of someone's fast approach. He thought he had already been rediscovered and prepared to bolt. However, rather than one of the girls, it was Zuko that appeared around the corner, panting and out of breath.

"What are you doing here?" Sokka asked as he relaxed a bit.

"Hiding," the exhausted prince panted out as he leaned against the wall, "You?"

"Same," Sokka replied. "Suki, Toph, Ty Lee, and Yue are all after me to tell them who I like best. They've been chasing me all over the city."

"I know what you mean. Song and Jin were not to hard to get away from, but Mai and your sister almost killed me to get a hold of me!" Zuko said as he tried to catch his breath. Upon hearing his sister mentioned, Sokka promptly punched Zuko in the arm. "Ouch! What was that for? It wasn't my idea for her to chase me. Heck, usually she doesn't even like me."

"Maybe, but she is still my sister," Sokka replied, his pride as an older brother overruling logic. Think for a moment, Sokka then asked, "Have you seen Aang?"

"Yea, he was trying to get loose from some girl with two bad pigtails. I would have helped him, but I had my own problems," Zuko replied having finally caught his breath.

The two of them just rested against the wall. The sound of light footsteps sent them both into the shadows. They watched and waited until the figure appeared. Iroh stepped into the light. With sighs of relief they stepped out of the shadows.

"Wonderful day isn't it boys," he said in his jovial voice.

"No," they replied with a joint monotone.

Iroh looked at them in surprise. "We've been chased around this city by crazed girls all morning," Sokka explained.

"Ah," was Iroh's reply. "Oh, that reminds me, Azula is looking for you two."

Sokka turned completely pale. Zuko grabbed his uncle by his collar and pulled him face to face. Zuko's eyes were wide and panic was written plainly on his face. "Please tell me she wants to kill me, that there was murder in her eyes," Zuko practically shrieked.

Iroh could only shrug, "I have no idea what this insane author has planned."

"One way or another, this is bad," Sokka said as he glanced around nervously as though the sociopathic she-devil might show up at any moment to kill him, or worse.

Sokka and Zuko turned to each other and after a moment nodded in unison. Zuko voiced their mutual agreement, "It's time to het the hell out of Ba Sing Sai!"

With that the two boys turned and ran, hoping they might be able to find some place that the author could not find them, the whole time thanking the heavens he did not write yaoi fics.

End Note: I hope you all enjoyed this little spoof of shipping. Sorry about the long delay in getting anything out. Fortunately my time is finally being freed up.

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