The sound of metal hitting the ground preceded the clanging of a shut door and a hooded figure entered the darkness. The figure clung to a wall, arms flailing and slapping around in a frenzy, searching for some sort of illumination. The figure grinned as slender fingers came into contact with a metal cylinder. At the very tip of the cylinder rested a nestle of flammable cinders and twigs that crissed and crossed in random directions. The torch sparked across the rough, chalky wall and burst into flames, revealing the figure and dispelling the shadows that hung in the gloomy corridor.

The robes that clothed the figure were blatantly Fire Nation, evident by the red cloth and brown stripes that ran across its surface, but it was apparently tailored for a woman's figure. The bottom of the robe was wedged and rose just above her feet, allowing for maximum mobility with minimal resistance. The sleeves were wider than a normal human's, let alone a female's, would be able to fill it, so it was perfect for any thing that needed to be concealed for further use.

The girl, whose face was shadowed by the dim rays of the fire and the hood over her head, retrieved the metallic tray from the cold floor, being careful not to spill the contents, and made her way through the corridor. She soon came to another metal door, but this time instead of opening it with her hands; she lifted her left leg onto the vision hole in the upper center of the door and pulled it open. Unlike the corridor, the room that she came across was given a luminescent glow because of the moonlight that made its way into the cell through a barred window on the westernmost side of the wall.

In the center of the back of the room, a metal cage sat motionlessly in the near darkness. Using her feet to reclose the door, the girl placed the torch onto a holster near the door and removed her hood, revealing silk-grade brown hair that curved over her right eye and trailed in a high ponytail on her head.

Ty Lee skulked over to the cage, eyes still struggling to adjust to the limited light. In the back of the cage, a young girl in ragged clothing sat, her red haired dulled in the poor conditions that she lived in. From where she sat, Ty Lee inferred that she was asleep.

Setting the tray on the ground in front of the cage, she kneeled and placed her hands on the side of her face and whispered into girl. "Psst, hey Suki…? Are you up?" The girl known as Suki burst to life, rushing to the front of the cage and shaking the bars, a feat that would have scared the daylights out of a normal person. Fortunately, Ty Lee wasn't normal.

"What do you want…woman?" Suki hissed, holding her tongue despite her currently overwhelming emotions. Just looking at this girl made her skin crawl and her blood boil. But she wasn't a fool. In her current state, she wouldn't even be able to touch her, let alone take her down.

"Now now, don't be like that. Look , I brought you food!" Suki snorted, obviously not impressed.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better, giving me the same slop that those lapdogs give me every other d-" She couldn't even finish as a horrible coughing fit took over, causing Ty Lee to groan at the sickening mucus-y sound her throat made. Without any further delay, she pushed the tray into the cage. After her throat was finally released from its torment, Suki finally acknowledged the food that had been presented to her. A variety of meats and soups, rice and vegetables, and other fine dishes that caused her mouth to water. Without delay she ripped into the dishes in a way that would have disgusted a normal person immensely.

Ty Lee turned around and sat with her back to the cage, humming a quick little song and giving the prisoner time to eat her food. After hearing the chewing stop and frantic arms moving about, Ty Lee reached to the side and slid a container into the cage. Suki popped off the cap and guzzled it down, streaks of water rolling down her chin.

"We got attacked the other day, you know." She could hear as the ex-Kyoshi warrior choke on her drink.

"W-what?"

"Yeah, we had to hide in an underground bunker during the eclipse…"

'So that's what that was…' Suki thought.

"…and I don't see why I had to go there. And I didn't even get to see that cute guy again. Now what was his name again? Suko? Sukka? Sombu?"

"Sokka?" Suki suggested, forgetting all about her hunger and thirst and putting all of her focus into what this questionable enemy was saying. Ty Lee snapped her fingers.

"Yeah, that's it! How did you know?" She turned to the redhead, expecting to see some sort of recognition or really just any kind of emotion, but what she saw was less than happy. "Why's your aura so grey?" Suki snapped up, her once empty eyes refilling with a look of confusion.

"My…aura…? Are you crazy?"

"Your aura. It's…well its like the way you feel, and your aura was so grey just then. So cold and lifeless. It was even worse than the way Mai used to be."

"Mai?"

"The girl that kept throwing knives at you when we, um, you know…" Suki remembered but didn't care to give any sign that she had. "Now stop dodging the question. How do you know 'Sokka'?"

"Sokka…is my boyfriend…" Maybe it was a trick of the light or maybe she was hallucinating from the shock, but Ty Lee could've sworn she had seen a ghost of a smile rip across Suki's face. But just as soon as it appeared, it was replaced by depressing frown. "…or at least…I think he is. The last time I saw or heard from him was at the Serpent's Pass.

'So…she's the one that held him back…' Ty Lee sighed in exasperation and turned back around.

"I just…I just don't know anymore. He's probably forgotten about me by now, so there's no point in me even-"

"Now don't say that." She had to think quickly. She could tell that the girl was going through something serious, so she switched tactics. "F-from what I heard, the moment Azula mentioned you, he burst out in tears." Ty Lee lied. It gave her a feeling that she didn't like and she knew she would probably have a breakdown later, no matter how right she didn't know she was.

"R-really?" Suki sniffed, wiping her nose clean of the soon-to-fall snot. Ty Lee couldn't help but feel even more pity for the girl who was incarcerated, partially due to her, and couldn't control the words that flooded from her mouth.

"Yep, exactly what she said." Another pang. She hoped that Suki wouldn't mind that she hadn't turned to face her. And through the silence it could be told that she didn't. Ty Lee brought her hands up to her face and stared at them for a few seconds before trailing them over the rest of her figure which, despite the baggy robes she wore, she could still manage to identify.

"You know, you're lucky." Ty Lee started, running her hands through her hair and sighing. "You're lucky that you have such a nice boy to be with. Guys these days are only after one thing. But I guess it is kind of my fault with the way I act." But Ty Lee grinned despite herself, and hopped to her feet, hands on her hips. "Doesn't matter though. Any punk wanna try and step up, they're gonna get knocked down; Every. Single. TIME!" Ty Lee promised, emphasizing her words by throwing punches and kicks with each word. Satisfied, she wiped the sweat from her brow and looked back into the cage.

"There, you got that? Now don't die until you get to see Sokka again, alright?" The two girls grinned to each other, solidifying the bond that had just been created in the short time that they had spent together. Suki caught a glimpse of silvery blue out of the corner of her eye and smiled even wider.

"It's a beautiful moon tonight, don't you think."

"Yeah…" The contortionist replied dreamily, also staring out of the barred window. The moon was perfectly round and sat at just the right angle to fill the entire room. A calming gust blew trough the room and a strange, but relaxing chill ran through her spine. A pale, translucent hand hovered just above her shoulder, and snow white locks fell on both sides of its face. The apparition had a ghost of a smile framed across its face.

"Ty Lee, are you done yet?" A newcomer asked. The apparition faded away as Ty Lee and Suki turned to the door. At the door, Mai leaned against the wall, arms folded across her chest, eyes glazed boredly. Sighing, she pushed herself off the walk and walked over. "Sorry to interrupt on your little love trip but we have to go." Smiling, Ty Lee gave her new friend/old enemy one last glance.

"Now don't forget what I told you. When you see your boyfriend again, your aura better be pink!" She passed Mai, who was bending down near the cage, as she skipped to the door.

"Don't worry, I've known her for years and I still don't understand a word she says." She whispered, which got her a nod from the brunette prisoner.

"Come on, we don't wanna be late for our own ship, now do we…" Ty Lee opened the door and only her upper half could be seen. "Pookikins!" Mai visibly tensed as Ty Lee ran down the hall laughing hysterically. Suki sighed quietly and pushed the food and water into the corner as Mai dashed out of the room. Only after the door clanged shut did she notice the blanket that had somehow found its way into the room. She couldn't explain why it was, but at that moment the wave of tears that had been threatening to fall even before they had shown up.

Wrapping the warm blanket around her pale and ashy body, she didn't even bother to stop the torrent of tears as she stared at the moon and drifted off to sleep.

"I wonder…what Sokka is doing…right now…"

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"Suki…" Sokka whispered as he stared at the moon, his long brown hair blowing in the wind after being released from its hold. Even after everything that had happened since his screw-up during the invasion, he still couldn't stop thinking about her. If only he had been there he could have-

'No, I have to stop thinking like that. Even if I had been there I would have been more of a nuisance than any help. My place is here, with Aang and the others.' He stepped down from the rock he had found on the ledge that had given him the most view and noticed Zuko further down shooting fire blasts into the deep gorge. Although it seemed his mind was elsewhere as the blasts were misguided and flimsy. Yawning, Sokka decided to call it a day, but not before making one last promise.

'I will save you, Suki. I promise!'