Chapter 1
A Quiet Birthday Drink
Sokka shut the door to the apartment with a heavy sigh, undoing his sword belt as he spinned in a slow circle, checking the corners, the lock on the window, searching for hidden foes. He made a quiet loop of the apartment, unconsciously scanning for anything out of place. Once he confirmed the apartment was safe, his shoulders slouched as he walked into the kitchen. He grabbed a bottle of sake and a glass and slumped onto the couch.
"Well," he said to himself. "Happy twenty-first buddy," pouring his glass full. As he raised it to his lips a loud banging at the door stopped him. The door opened and Toph strutted in like she just won the Earth Rumble belt. Again.
"C'mon Meathead, we're going shopping," she announced.
"We are?" Sokka replied. He would have made a comment about her barging in like that, especially considering he hasn't seen her in over a month, but he was more surprised, and concerned, at the fact that she wanted to go shopping.
She grabbed his hand, dragging him to his feet before he could get a sip of that sake, and walked out the door. "Yeah, I need to pick up some stuff. You know how much I LOVE shopping," she said rolling her pale green eyes. "You make it almost tolerable." Without another word she marched them into the markets of Yu Dao.
The city had been expanding in the last few years and was now a major hub, economically and socially. It was still changing, becoming something new. Yu Dao's market had become almost as big as Ba Sing Se's, goods from all over the world were on display in stall after stall, store after store. Sokka walked down one of the streets next to his best friend, his right hand on his boomerang, his eyes never staying in one place for more than a second or two. This was an old habit of his. The war was nearly six years behind them, but some hidden part of his mind was still on high alert, and large areas like this, whether crowded or vastly open, made the habit worse. His training with Piandao and all the practicing he's done since helped Sokka keep a clear image of his surroundings, but that didn't stop him from looking behind his shoulders every few minutes, or from keeping Toph within his peripheral vision. Still, he could think of a thousand worse ways than spending his birthday than shopping with Toph. By the time they returned to the apartment, Katara and Aang would have dinner ready. Having the four of them together again after being months apart would be the best gift he could ask for. Even if Toph won't admit that she dragged him out here because it was his birthday.
"So, done anything fun since I got to beat you up last?" Toph asked with a grin. "It's been a while."
"Ok one, I thought we established that it was a tie," Sokka began to explain. For fun, he wanted to see if he could go toe to toe against the almighty earthbender. Their sparring match had started with Toph playing with him, sliding the ground under his feet, and sinking him in holes. When he knocked her off her feet with his boomerang, it became much more serious. He felt lucky escaping with just two broken toes and a lot of bruising. "And two, no not really. Aang has been really busy lately, some big project of his is coming together, I don't know what. Which means Katara has been really busy too. With Suki still playing bodyguard for Zuko, I honestly haven't really been a part of the action lately. So I've just been training my wolf tail off with all my free time. Our next sparring match won't be so one sided!" he declared waving his boomerang in her face, until he realized what he was doing and put it back, blushing all the while.
"Good! Maybe next time I'll actually break a sweat!" Toph retorted. At that moment, Sokka wished he could show her what her eyes looked like. The way they glimmer when she was smack talking some poor fool had always brought him a smile. She may not see with them, but they certainly weren't expressionless.
"Well I'm free tomorrow. You and me, at noon. I'll even let you metalbend this time!"
Toph was about to answer his challenge when she felt where they were. She felt the vibrations of the smiths hammer directly to her left. "C'mon, I have to pick something up." With that, she led him to the Winged Serpent, the best armourer in Yu Dao.
The Winged Serpent was a large building with a stone floor, its wooden walls covered in a vast array of weapons on one end and armor on the other. Sokka felt his jaw slam into the ground at the sight of it. All those swords… Hey is that a set of Water Tribe armor? He dashed over to the armor set as Toph walked to the counter. The inside of the building was much warmer than the outside. The forge was built right there in the front of the store, to the far left, so discerning customers can watch the process. It made the air inside very heavy and hot.
"Ah, Miss Beifong! Are you here about your order?" asked the man at the counter. He was in his mid-forties, but was strong and lean from all his time swinging a hammer.
"I am. I trust it's ready?" Toph replied.
"Not to worry, Miss Beifong. I'll bring it right out."
"Can you make sure it's boxed up?" she asked. She leaned in close. "I don't want certain people to know what it is just yet," she added in a whisper.
"Absolutely! I'll be right back."
Sokka was walking closer to the forge to get a better look, when he wiped the sweat off his brow. It was much warmer in here than he had thought. He closed his eyes for a moment, and saw a great forest, drowning beneath a sea of fire. The smell of ash and oil, the furious roars of crashing airships, a small hand grasping at his with all its strength. The heat was too much. He had to get out. Now. "Hey Toph, I'm gonna go wait outside," he said once he made his way to her.
"Why? I thought you liked swords and stuff."
"Well obviously I do! It's just a little too warm in here for my tastes. I'll be right outside." Without another word, Sokka hurried into the cool air outside. When that first breeze hit, he leaned against the wall of the shop, breathing slowly, trying to bring his heart rate down. That was way too close, he thought. Being around intense heat would stir up those memories sometimes. Well it was happening more as of late. In truth, he hardly went a nights sleep without seeing what happened on the airship all those years ago, and he hardly went a week without waking up in the middle of the night screaming, feeling the fires touch his face, or seeing his loved ones engulfed in flame.
Moments later, Toph came walking out with a long rectangular box in her arms. "Are you ok?" she asked when she approached him. "By the time you were walking out, your heart rate was through the roof."
"Yeah, I'm fine. No need to worry. What new toy did you get now?" he asked with genuine curiosity.
"You'll see," was all she said, with a small wicked grin on her face.
"I don't like the look of that smile," Sokka said with a quirked eyebrow. That was when the smell hit him. "However, I do like the smell of that!" He dashed off in the direction of that heavenly scent. He ran past a handful of stalls and at the corner of a large intersection was a short, older woman, Fire Nation by her clothing, selling a vast array of meats, freshly grilled. With a ridiculous smile, he bought one of each. Toph grumbled to herself, now carrying all the packages from the days shopping, as he inhaled kabob after kabob. What would have lasted a month on the road was gone in twenty minutes strolling around the market. In all the places that Toph beat out the Meathead next to her, eating was evidently not one of those areas.
Some time later, they returned to the apartment. As Sokka set down some of the packages, he spinned in a slow circle, checking the corners, the lock on the window, and made a loop of the apartment, unconsciously scanning for anything out of place. Once he was done he slumped onto the couch. "I thought Katara and Aang would be back by now," he said in a deflated tone. It wasn't a birthday without Katara's five flavor soup.
"Maybe their big, important meeting is running late," Toph replied as she delicately set the long rectangular box down. Her feet flat on the stone floor, she felt a twitch in Sokka's heartbeat. A sharp pain stabbed at her. His sister wouldn't be here in time to celebrate with him. Of all the people Sokka wanted to celebrate his birthday with, all he has is me. She paused for a second, steeling herself for the conversation that was to come, before she picked up the long box and held it out towards Sokka. "Here."
Sokka accepted the package and gingerly placed it on his lap. It was heavier than he had first anticipated. He undid the hinges and felt his heart stop as he opened it.
"No way," he breathed. His right hand reverently touched the grip of the Jian, wrapped in brown leather criss-crossing over itself halfway from the bronze pentagonal hilt. The sheath, made from stained rosewood, had a bronze cap and end matching the hilt and pommel of the sword. He picked up the sword as if it was a holy relic, taking in every detail possible. His right hand grasped the grip and he separated the blade from the sheath, his heart hammering. The blade, black as a starless night, seemed to soak in the light around them with an unquenchable thirst.
"SPACE SWORD!" he screamed, holding it in both hands. He stood up and tested it in a few stances. This wasn't a copy. The balance, the weight, the small cut in the lotus engraved onto the pommel. It was all right. "Toph, how did you-"
"Remember when Aang and Zuko salvaged all the wrecked airships from the Wulong forest? I was just done compacting a fin when I felt something strange. I followed the vibrations and found it. I had a new sheath made for it and I wanted to wait until the right moment to give it to you," she said, a slight flush creeping up her neck. She paused, then sighed. "Happy birthday, Sokka." She smiled affectionately at him.
He gently put Space Sword back in its case and wiped the tears from his eyes. He flung his arms around Toph, embracing her tightly. He heard her squeak slightly as he picked her up off the floor and spun in a circle. Toph was struggling to breathe and not just because of how tightly he was hugging her. He had always been weird and did hugs, but nothing quite like this. Her heart wanted nothing more than for this to never end, her lungs however, needed air.
"You have three seconds to put me down before I bury you!" She screamed into his shirt. She felt like her threat wasn't very threatening given her current situation.
"Honestly, I'm surprised you remembered it was my birthday," he said as he put her down, his hands resting on her shoulders. "Seriously, no one has done anything like this for me. I… I feel like a lost part of my identity just came back."
"Yeah, well don't get used to it," she said throwing a solid punch at his arm, soliciting a yelp from the Water Tribe warrior. "I just wanted you to stop whining about how you lost the thing." She sat back down on the couch and put her feet up on the table.
"Well if that's the case, maybe I shouldn't have saved your life that day then. Twice! Though losing Space Sword for you did seem like a good idea at the time."
Toph turned her head away, so Meathead wouldn't see the furious blush blooming on her face. That day on the airship so long ago was when her little crush for Captain Boomerang had changed. Without a second thought, he sacrificed not only his fancy sword, but his boomerang, his connection to his father, to keep them alive. He tossed away two pieces of his identity to save her. She remembered no other sensation than the wind all around her, the roaring fires below her, and his hand clutching hers with all his might. Even when hope was lost, he still held her hand. She couldn't think of anyone else who would have fought so hard for her. She felt a fresh coat of heat creeping up her face at the thought.
"You wanna drink?" Sokka asked, relieving the tension in the air.
"Sure," she replied accepting a glass. A small smile crept onto her face after the first sip. Sake was a favorite of hers.
"So how's the school been going?" Sokka asked, slightly embarrassed he did not ask sooner.
"Busy," Toph said with a sigh. "Everybody and their mother wants to learn metalbending. Weeding out those with the talent is getting a little easier," she continued, toying with the space bracelet on her arm. "But those stinking lily-livers keep me so busy, I barely have a moment to practice MY bending!" She crossed her arms with a huff at that part. "I need to work out a different schedule. I love bossing people around, but I love bending even more. I can't teach if I can't discover more about metalbending."
"Wow," Sokka said with a sigh. "I can't believe you're still wearing that," he confessed, looking at the space bracelet. In all these years she still hadn't changed the design.
"Well, yeah. It's useful," she retorted. It was also her most cherished possession, but she wasn't about to tell him that any day soon.
"Hmm. Well about your scheduling, maybe I can help with that. Long before I was a motivation bender I was the plan guy!" Sokka offered, almost spilling the contents of his drink with the over dramatic hand gestures.
"That," Toph started to say before she paused to actually think about it. "That would actually be really helpful," she finished after a moment. "I go back to the school next week. You can come with me then."
"It's a date!"
Toph laughed lightly at that before finishing her cup. "Speaking of dates, how are you and Suki doing?" she asked nonchalantly, ignoring the increase in her heart rate.
Sokka's smile faded and he sighed, shutting his eyes. "I haven't seen her in six months, and I haven't heard from her in the last four. She didn't answer my last letter. Or the one before that, or that, or that. I don't know what's going on. All I know is I miss her."
Toph scooted closer to Sokka and put her hand on his shoulder, ushering a new horde of butterflies in her stomach. "I'm sure it's nothing. She's just busy is all. Guarding the Fire Lord is serious business."
"She's always had time to reply. I've sent her eight letters since I heard from her last!" He sighed again, before taking another sip of his drink. "Maybe she's just forgotten me. Moved on. Or maybe she is that busy. I don't know what to do here, Toph"
"Well, why don't you just go to the Fire Nation and see her?" Helping this idiot with his continually problematic relationship with Suki was starting to become really difficult. Even stone isn't as blind as Sokka. Even Toph could see how little she appreciates him. Though the words came out of her mouth, she quietly prayed Sokka wouldn't act on them.
"But what if Katara needs me? Or Aang? What if you need me?" His eyes narrowed in concentration. "It's not like writing a letter is terribly difficult!"
"Really? Oh gee, thanks Sokka. That makes me feel so much better about my handwriting."
"Well good! Given that-" He narrowed his eyes as he finally got it. "You're a terrible person."
She chuckled maniacally and nudged him in the ribs hard. They sat quietly for a second as Toph thought over the situation. She shrugged her shoulders. "It seems to me like you did nothing wrong for a change, Sokka. If she's gonna act like this, why continue to date her?"
He shook his head, gulping down a shot of the sake. "Nobody gets me like she does. Well, except Katara. And you," he said with a smile. "I can talk to you about anything."
"Yeah, it's just listening to you is the hard part, Meathead," she replied with a smirk.
"Ha ha, shut up. I'm serious Toph," he said, gently covering her hand in his. "You're my best friend. I don't know if I could keep going if I lost you."
"Careful there, Idiot," she warned, crossing her arms in an over dramatic manner. "Keep talking like that and I might start falling for you too. Give Suki a run for her money."
Sokka laughed loudly. "Now there's a fight I'd really… Actually that would be terrifying to watch." They sat there quietly, still holding each others hand, sipping on the sake, the bottle now half empty.
"What if I did leave? For the Fire Nation?" he asked after a time.
"What about it?"
"Well, you must have an opinion on it," he said.
"Must I? Hmm. I don't remember when I signed up to be your dating counselor," Toph retorted. If Sokka could be any more dense, she may have to hit him. For real.
"It was in the contract you signed when we became best friends," he explained. The smirk he wore however slowly slid from his face. "Toph you've always given good advice, and I really value your opinion. More so than I value even Katara's."
Toph's smart-ass response died in her head when she heard that. He values my thoughts more than Katara's? Well, if he wants some truth, he's about to get it. "I think it'd be stupid if you left. You're needed more here. If she hasn't answered a single letter in four months, it's obvious she doesn't appreciate you. I know Aang and Katara have been busy, but that doesn't mean they don't want you around. And who am I supposed to get spicy noodles with at Kwong's? Which other non bender can go toe to toe with me and still walk, well, limp away? I need someone to beat up other than the oogies Twinkle Toes and Sugar Queen give me."
"Aww, Toph. That's practically a declaration of love from you. Well, if you need me around so much, I'll stay," Sokka answered sarcastically. He sat quietly for a few moments. "The more I think about it, the more right you sound. Thanks." He threw his arm around her and squeezed her in a one armed hug.
"Since when was this about me needing you around?" Toph asked incredulously, prompting a laugh from the Water Tribe warrior. She shook her head. "And what was that about love? You wish you'd be so lucky, Captain Boomerang. The greatest earthbender ever born deserves nothing but the best." Despite her lighthearted response, she felt like two dragons were battling inside her stomach.
Sokka smiled. "I couldn't agree more." He paused briefly before leaning his head against hers. Toph sat there stiffly, wondering how high she should earthbend him into the air before she gave into her hearts weak and selfish desires and leaned into him.
They continued like that for another hour, gentle moments and light flirting, until exhaustion and the nearly empty bottle of sake had Sokka and Toph snoring on the couch.
That's when Sokka's eyes darted open. The sky above burned and he felt a tremendous heat all around him. His left leg was broken, the pain sharp and throbbing, sending a fresh wave of agony with every beat of his heart. The air roared around him, the smell of burning wood and oil all around. He was on his back and he felt something, perhaps two somethings, pulling his arms down the sides of the platform he was lying on. He looked over his right shoulder to see a vast forest engulfed in a sea of fire and Toph hanging onto right his hand, tears in her eyes. He looked over his left shoulder to see more of the vast expanse of trees surrounded by flame, and Katara holding onto his left hand, a wild fear on her face. His shoulders cried in protest as he struggled to lift them both up to safety. He just wasn't strong enough. I have to get them up! his mind screamed.
"There! Finish them!" he heard a voice shout. He looked to see fully armored firebenders on the platforms on either side of him, their fists raised, murder in their eyes.
Sokka's strength was wavering when the sickest, most disturbing thought entered his mind. I can only save one of them, he thought in complete shock. I'm not strong enough to save them both. Toph or Katara? My sister or my best friend? Tears stung his eyes as he screamed, trying one last time to pull them both up. He felt both their hands slip in his as he was engulfed in fire.
Sokka woke up screaming, his hands flying to his boomerang. He bolted off the couch, tripped over the table, knocking the box that held Space Sword to the ground, and spun around, his eyes wild and full of tears, looking for the firebenders.
"Sokka! Sokka, what's wrong?!" Toph yelled, her feet sliding into a fighting forward stance. She felt no one else around except him. She felt him spinning in circles, his heart rate higher than anything she had ever felt before. He obviously didn't hear her. She grabbed his shoulders. "Sokka! It's okay. What's going on?"
His wild eyes focused on her and his heart began to slow. He dropped his hands, now bloody from gripping his boomerang so tightly. He felt her take him by his left hand and bring him back to the couch. He dropped his boomerang and held his head in his hands, smearing blood on his temples.
"Where am I?" he asked, his voice unsteady and hoarse.
"You're in the apartment in Yu Dao. There's no one here but us," Toph explained slowly. Her heart was in her throat. She had never felt this kind of fear in Sokka, and it left her terrified. "What the hell was that?" She felt him shake his head, but there was no verbal answer. He seemed like he was trying not throw up. She put her fists on her hips. "I'm gonna need more of an answer than that, Sokka." Silence. She stood there for another minute before she sighed. He needed her more right now. "Your hands are bloody. I'm gonna go get some rags for them. I'll be gone only a minute. Stay here okay?" He nodded his head in compliance, his eyes shut tight. All his energy went into slowing his breathing, trying to wipe away the fires from behind his eyes. Toph returned only a moment later and began to bandage his injured hands. Her lack of sight made it somewhat difficult, but soon she had his hands wrapped tightly, if inefficiently.
The second she let go of him, Sokka wrapped his arms around her and began to weep. "I was so scared," he whispered. "I couldn't do it. I couldn't save you both. I'm so sorry, Toph."
His chin resting on her head, Toph felt his tears soak through her hair. She felt paralyzed. She squeezed him back all the tighter. Hearing those words, that he was so scared, frightened her beyond anything. She put every ounce of her strength into that hug. That was when she started to feel angry. Sokka was her closest and most cherished friend, there is only one thing out there that's allowed to scare him, and that was the earthbender herself. Not Suki, not Katara, not his father, not anything. Especially not some stupid dream. Sokka was only one persons punching bag, hers. "As long as I breathe, no one will ever hurt you again," Toph vowed quietly. She was surprised she said it, the sake must still be in her system for her to say something so intimate out loud. Yet she meant it, and knew she would hold that promise to her grave. Before she could think, she found herself kissing him on the cheek, pouring every bit of her affection into that kiss. She was holding his head with both hands, forcing him to look at her. "I promise." And so she held him in her arms as he explained his dream, his flashback, bringing a fresh wave of tears. Toph's heart ached for him. It was hard fighting her own tears back.
"Why was Katara in your dream?" she asked. "It was just us on the airship."
"I know it doesn't make sense. I don't know why she was there. All I know is that she was." He rubbed away some lingering tears with his wrapped hand and sat there, deathly quiet.
It was some time before Sokka fell back asleep, Tophs arms wrapped around him protectively. It wasn't long before she followed suit, determined to keep her Meathead safe from anything, even his own dreams.
