To Greater Heights
"This is gonna be so awesome!" Sokka threw his arms up in the air in absolute glee, wildly looking around him at the new sights.
Suki shook her head, slightly concerned, but laughed anyway. "Alright, big guy, calm down," she said, dragging Sokka through the gates of the newly built amusement park. An Earth Kingdom businessman had come up with the idea, and with the kingdoms finally coming together in peace, he had been able to capitalize on it. Of course, being friends of the Avatar and his fellow warriors in the Final Battle against the Fire Nation didn't hurt; they'd gotten free tickets to go to the new attraction.
It took all of Suki's strength to keep Sokka from running off each time he saw something intriguing-and everything was intriguing. She herself was marveling at the new rides, games, shows, and food that the man had invented. Noises and smells flooded her consciousness-everything from little kids laughing as they ran around her feet to kabobs sizzling over grills and a sweet new food, cotton candy, being spun.
They travelled through the amusement park on the main path, passing through several wondrous attractions, until they reached the heart of the place that she had heard so much about. Suki immediately smiled. The inventor had wanted the unity of the kingdoms to be self-evident even in his amusement park, and he had met several times with a panel of representatives from each kingdom to discuss what could be done. They had decided unanimously to include a sort of cultural fair within the park grounds, where several stands would bring to light important elements of each kingdom's culture. Aang had headed up the Air Nomads side of this himself, so Team Avatar had heard plenty about the historical event.
She breathed in deeply, smelling Fire Nation food cracking and sizzling over flames. Earth Kingdom stands sold beautiful clothing and bags along with polished rock figurines, and Water Tribe healers were showcasing their skills to a group of wide-eyed children. Air Nomad stands, left in the charge of historians and friends Aang trusted well, displayed antique pendants from the monks along with new-made gliders, ready to fly. For once, everyone was at peace. Suki positively grinned.
Her thoughts were interrupted by another of her boyfriend's exclamations, this one louder than usual. She turned towards him to see a giant structure towering in the sky. Her mouth gaped.
"Suki! Come check it out!"
Walking over in slight shock, and seeing the structure get taller with each step she took, Suki hesitated, but Sokka's exclamations kept her coming.
"What is that thing?" she asked, worried he'd notice the quick waver of fear in her voice.
"The sign says it's called a 'roller-coaster'," he replied excitedly, "It's a ride that goes up really high and drops you down in loops and spirals. It looks so cool! Let's go on it!"
Suki shrank back. "Are you sure?" she questioned, trying to gain some time. "It doesn't look very safe. What if it falls on top of us?"
"It's made out of hardened earth; how can it fall on us? We'll be fine. Let's go!"
Sokka made for the waiting line, which wasn't too long yet, but stopped when Suki didn't follow. "What's wrong?" he asked, his eyes glittering with concern. "Suki, are you okay?"
She blinked and broke his gaze. "I-I don't really want to go, Sokka," she admitted bluntly. "I don't trust that thing."
Sokka took a few steps back to her, and she tried not to get lost in his compassionate, teasing eyes. "Don't tell me my brave girlfriend who fought in the Final Battle against the Fire Nation is afraid of heights."
She tried to look away but couldn't. "I'm not really," she replied quietly. "I mean, I'm not usually, and I didn't use to be before the Invasion. But ever since then...it's just that we've all gone through so much and risked our lives so many times, and I don't want the next time to be the last time. I don't want any of us getting hurt." She looked up into understanding eyes and felt Sokka's arms wrap around her waist.
"Listen, Suki, no matter what, we're going to make it through anything we encounter. And we're going to be together when we do."
She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder. "I know," she whispered.
"Now, are you ready to take on an awesome 'coaster?" he asked, eyes glinting mischievously in the sunlight.
She laughed and swallowed her fear. "Okay," she replied, "As long as you're with me."
As it turned out, they went on the roller-coaster not once, but twice. At the highest points, Suki would give a whoop before they charged down, and Sokka threw his hands in the air as they looped every loop, but most of the time his arm was around her. When they finally got off and went to check out the rest of the park, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. His pleasantly surprised eyes glinted in the light of the slowly setting sun.
"Thank you for always being with me," she said.
"No, thank you."
Fine!
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