It had been six years since that fateful day.
Sokka, now twenty one, smiled at Suki, also twenty one. His best and only friend. His lover.
She is so mind-strikingly beautiful, he thought, as he gazed upon her. She did likewise, grinning cheekily as she realized just where Sokka was looking. She stood five feet eight inches, her athletic body perfectly toned and in excellent shape. She wasn't just beautiful, she was… smoking hot. He would think of her all the time; she was all that he had, and it was the same for her.
Sokka stopped thinking about her long enough to bury his blade up to the hilt in the chest of the fire nation guard rushing at him.
It had been six years since that fateful day, when Avatar Aang had almost saved the world. When he had fallen to the now Fire Lady Azula just one day after defeating the previous Fire Lord, Ozai. When he had given the world so much hope, but Azula had snatched it all away with a bolt of lightning.
Sokka hadn't been there; with a broken leg, he had remained behind in Ba Sing Se. He had spent a lovely night with Suki very tenderly catering to his every demand. While Aang died, he was living it up with his girlfriend. His love.
He blamed himself.
If I had just been a little swifter… he would start to Suki. She would silence him with a kiss, as she had heard his self blame a thousand times over. If he had been swifter, he wouldn't have broken his leg, and he wouldn't have let Aang die. The fire nation would have been defeated then and there, like it was supposed to have been, and Azula and her troops wouldn't have hunted every single person he'd ever cared about, other than the beautiful young woman fighting beside him.
His father… killed by a shock of lightning, defending the escaping southern water tribe. Pakku, also defending the escaping people, and the ever determined Gran-Gran by his side, died on that day as well, surrounded by firebenders with unquenchable thirsts for blood. Zuko, so recently changed… put down by his sister, no doubt, just when his destiny was about to be realized. Toph… thrown off their airship after being intercepted by an enemy ship while travelling to the Fire Nation, to drown in the endless sea. Never again would Sokka feel her affectionate punch. Master Piandao… killed while providing a distraction for Sokka to escape. He mush have taken down forty soldiers, benders and non benders alike, by the time the sixth arrow got him, when he sat down to die, in a meditative position. Remarkable man. His sister, Katara… killed, just like Zuko had been, at the cold hands of the horrible woman in control of an unstoppable war machine.
All that he had left were his sword, and his girl.
With an impossibly quick horizontal slash he decapitated the next soldier to charge at him, rolling aside to avoid the blood, as crimson as the man's tunic. He came up right next to a surprised firebender, whose bright orange flames were too late. Sokka cut open his stomach, and he fell to the ground, clutching at the wound. Out of the corner of his eye, Sokka saw Suki whip her trademark spiked fan out of one man's chest, only to immediately plunge it into another man's forehead.
They sheathed their weapons and beheld the scene; six men, dead or dying. Their blood formed macabre pools around their bodies. It was certainly not a pretty sight. Sokka looked to Suki. She looked back at him, her eyes sad.
She hates this senseless killing, he thought. He did as well, but it was the only way to contribute anymore, harassing the Fire Nation at any cost.
They quickly made their way back to the camp in the woods. A very familiar, gigantic, white-furred flying bison was there to greet them with a grunt.
"Shushh, Appa," Sokka said quietly. The bison looked him in the eye and resumed sleeping. It was time to call it a night, for everyone.
Suki swiftly unpacked their bed roll, while Sokka stalked around, sword in hand, daring a miserable firebender to show his head, so he could cut it off; his way of keeping watch. It was a futile gesture, for no enemy would show itself that night. They never would. Sokka stopped pacing, sheathed his sword, and closed his eyes, trying to push the hurt and the pain far away.
Suddenly Suki, finished with the bed roll, threw her arms around his chest, kissing his neck from behind. He turned to face her, holding her body close to his. She was crying; tears dripped from her eyes, but she made not a sound. Sokka began to cry silently too. There was no erasing what the Fire Nation had done to them. It could be warded off for periods of time, but it would soon return in full force.
They kissed passionately, hungrily. Sokka lifted her up, breathing heavily, and carried her over to the sleeping pouch. He lay atop her, tearing at her clothes with unrivaled vigor, while she did the same for him. They used their frantic lovemaking as a weapon to keep all of the horrible memories from overwhelming them, momentarily forgetting the dire situation in favor of the last respite they could find anywhere in the world.
Chests heaving, eyes locked, they fell asleep in each other's arms, as they had done for the past three years.
Suki always woke before Sokka. She would prop herself up and stare at his sleeping form and smile, stroking his coarse shoulder-length hair. Every morning, the same thing went through her head.
He's changed so much.
Where a cute, skinny and goofy teenager once was, a handsome and muscular young man now lay. After the fall of his friends, Sokka had run off in anguish, leaving a heartbroken Suki all alone with only her Kyoshi warriors to relate to. Then, three short years ago, he had reappeared in her life. He never spoke much about his lost years, only revealing that he had undergone immense physical and mental trials by his own cause. It was apparent that whatever he had been through had refined his natural warrior instincts and talents to an unparalleled degree. He could best Suki eight out of ten times in a sparring match. While she was quicker, Sokka manipulated the sparring match to his advantage, forcing her to depend on strength and endurance, his fortes, rather than her superior agility. He was a master at perceiving his opponent's weaknesses.
Sokka somewhat resembled his father, with a short beard complimenting his long hair, which he usually wore in typical Fire Nation hairstyle in order to better blend in with the locals. He had grown considerably, now standing six feet two inches, with broad shoulders and a square jaw. His maturity on the outside matched the changes in his personality, unfortunately; the horrible events of the past, and his self imposed exile from civilization, had taken a toll on his cheery nature. His sense of humor had diminished, and his heavy sarcasm had been all but erased by his hardships, leaving only cynicism and pent up anger. Only to Suki did he reveal his true, former nature, and that had taken her many months of counseling and affection to unlock from
the cold recesses of his mind. The humorous, good natured Sokka still lived on, the Sokka she had fallen in love with so long ago. It didn't matter that it was shielded behind walls of fury and tragedy, only that it survived, that Sokka had not fully become that which he was fighting against.
Suki's mind drifted back to that event some three years ago…
Kyoshi Island lay in ruins. Corpses lay in the streets, men, women and children alike, as the buildings burned and the blood in the street boiled from the heat. At one end of the village, a lone figure stood; tall, strong, and too late.
Sokka's eyes misted over in rage as he beheld the carnage. He walked through the village, surveying the scene; it looked as if no inhabitant had survived. At the other end of the village, a tight circle of bodies clad in green dresses with distinctive face paint lay in the middle of a much larger circle of red clothed corpses. The Kyoshi warriors, so recently liberated from prison by Suki herself, had gone down fighting, but it had not been enough. The fire nation bodies must have numbered in the hundreds, but there had clearly been more. Sokka walked over and inspected the green clothed corpses one by one.
Suki was not one of them.
His spirits lifted momentarily. He came to a spot in the circle that was empty, but where a body had lain previously. He could tell by the indent in the bloody dirt. Drag marks extended to a nearby hut, one of the few that were not burning. Sokka walked up slowly to the house and stopped before the entrance. The door was lopsided, barely hanging off the top hinge. Sokka was afraid of what he might find inside. He steeled himself and entered.
"Take a step closer," began a familiar voice, "and I'll…" the voice broke down in a painful fit of coughing. Sokka beheld his former girlfriend, Suki, leaning against the opposite wall, brandishing her red-stained fan in one hand, and clutching at her bloody side with the other. Her face paint was smeared with blood, sweat and tears, and she was trembling with the effort of brandishing her weapon.
"Suki," he said quietly. Tears began to openly flow down his cheeks.
"S-Sokka?" was all that she said. Then she slumped over. He ran to her side clutching at her and crying like he had never cried before.
It was three days before Suki awoke again. Sokka quickly dressed her wounds and kept her warm in his embrace. He did not sleep a wink in those three days; he simply held her close and dribbled water into her mouth every couple of hours. Sometimes, when she tossed and moaned in her sleep, he would whisper things to her, sweet words of affection. It seemed to him that it calmed her down.
At one point she began talking.
"Sokka…" she said in her sleep. "Where did you go, Sokka… I need you now. I need you more than ever… I love you, Sokka, please come back."
These words made Sokka incredibly guilty. I left her, he thought, I abandoned her when she needed me, the idiot that I am. Will she forgive me?
On the third day her eyes opened. She turned her head and her eyes met his. She placed her hand on his head and smiled widely at him.
And punched him in the jaw.
"Don't you EVER leave me like that!"She screamed.
He stumbled backwards, remembering how she had beat him up in their youth. Her eyes were filled with rage and, disregarding her wounds, she threw herself upon him, attacking him mercilessly. Sokka did not defend himself. He let her hit him. It hurt, but he deserved it. After a few seconds, she stood up, staggering slightly from her wounds. She was crying. Sokka stood as well.
"I deserve it, Suki." He began, "why did you stop?"
"I haven't finished yet," she started slowly. "You also deserve… this."
Sokka was extremely confused when she came forward and pressed her lips to his. After a moment he pulled away, quite speechless.
"You came back," she said, smiling. Her face was smeared with paint and tears, but she could not look any more beautiful. "They said you wouldn't; the other Kyoshi warriors, when I freed them. But I know you, Sokka. You always come back. You're like your boomerang."
He hugged her close to him. But then it dawned on her, and she shoved him away, her puffy eyes wide and teary.
"The others… they're…they're…oh no…"
She ran outside the hut to behold the spectacle. Sokka dashed after her. The fires had gone out, and most of the buildings had burned to the ground. He found Suki kneeling in the center of her fallen warriors. She was crying no longer. He walked up to her and clasped her in his arms. She sagged against him, her strength failing her.
"Spirits… why!?" she screamed to the sky. "WHY DID I SURVIVE THIS!?"
She struggled in his grip, but he did not let her go. She cried her curses to the heavens in her arms. Finally, she broke down in tears again, and hugged him close. Sokka almost joined her, but he realized he needed to provide a pillar of strength for her to lean upon in her time of need, so he kept his emotion in check. He picked her up in his strong embrace and carried her back to the hut.
"Sokka," she began upon reaching the enclosed space, "I need you right now, so badly. I need you… to make love to me. Help me keep it all away, just for a short amount of time, please…"
She broke off, for he had kissed her tenderly. They made love for the truly first time that day; they had "experimented" in their youth, of course, but never had either considered it more than release in the past. Never had it felt so right, or so fulfilling, as this.
Some hour later, Suki had calmed, laying naked except for her bandages beside Sokka, also naked.
"Sokka, how are we going to leave this place? The Fire Nation has no doubt burned the boats… how did you get here?"
"On an old friend." He smiled and stood, and beckoned her to follow him outside.
"Appa!"he called to the forest to the north of the village. For a moment nothing happened. Then, out from the forest on the island lumbered an enormous flying bison, with white fur and a characteristic tan arrow on its forehead. He roared as his friends came into sight, a roar that diminished when Appa beheld the carnage of three days previous. Suki ran to the bison and embraced his great fuzzy head. Sokka smiled and embraced him as well.
"Come on, Suki, let's get dressed. As much as I love to see you naked, we need to leave quickly. Who knows, the Fire Nation could be back soon."
"What about all the bodies? We can't just leave them, Sokka! This is my home, my childhood!"
"I am afraid we have to. I know what it's like to lose your home, Suki, but we need to be strong. As far as I know, we're among the few who can still make a difference in the war. I know it hurts. Let's go."
Suki hung her head, but she knew he was right. In fifteen minutes they were ready to go. Sokka, in his dirty Fire Nation garb, and Suki, wearing a midriff exposing red tunic and a skirt which fell to her knees, salvaged from a female fire nation soldier. They felt horrible, taking things from the dead, but they both knew it was necessary.
They climbed on Appa, taking a few days worth of food and water and loading their gear. With a "yip yip" they were off, soaring into the sky. From the saddle of Appa Suki beheld Kyoshi Island for one last time, her one and only home. It was a sight she would never forget, a sight that filled her with such rage against the Fire Nation whenever she thought of it. She swore revenge on Fire Lady Azula then and there, her last gift to her people.
A/N: Well, folks, it's going to be dark, very dark. It's set in an alternate universe inspired by the finale, Sozin's Comet; as the story unfolds you'll learn more about just what happened that day, and the day after. But if you think Team Avatar is down for the count, then you're going to be disappointed. As for flashbacks, the first half is going to be full of them; get used to it! I will probably stop writing them in italics from now on, however. Sorry about that.