The sun was setting as Sokka climbed up to the roof adjacent from his apartment. Once he had made it over the lip of the roof and ensured there wasn't anyone just sitting around having a smoke, he set down his duffel bag in a corner and started to don his armor. It wasn't the first time he'd prepared to go to war, but it was the first time he'd done so in this armor. The straps fit snugly when they were fastened against his clothing, and the chest piece was just tight enough against his body that it wouldn't restrict movement too much. Securing his sword against his back, Sokka did a few practice draws to make sure he would be able to draw it without issue in a hurry. He'd seen foolish men and women with sheaths on their back smack their heads with the pommel when they drew their weapons, and he needed the Triad's answers, not their laughter. After having secured his sword, Sokka made sure to fasten his black boomerang, a gift from his father when he'd talked about being too noticeable with his old boomerang, and throwing knives to the belt at his waist.
Finally, he was almost ready for a night of combat. Turning to the duffel bag on the floor, Sokka removed the helmet and looked at it for a moment. There would be no turning back after this, but he knew that he couldn't afford to let the Triad to get away with killing Akane. He was going to kill again, after years and years of avoiding it. He just hoped his nightmares wouldn't get worse with the killing. Shaking his head, Sokka cleared his thoughts of any worries. He couldn't afford to be unsure when he was in combat, and his life might be ending many more in the days to come. He was going to find Akane's killer, no matter how long it took. Donning his helmet, Sokka checked the edges of his vision, taking the helmet off and putting it back on to make sure just how much of his view was restricted, and how he could compensate for it during his fighting. After checking and rechecking his armor to ensure it was secured, Sokka finally deemed himself combat ready. Grabbing his grappling hook and securing it to his waist, Sokka made his way into the night.
It didn't take long for Sokka to find a group of thugs wandering the streets, but he needed to send a message, so instead of jumping immediately into the fray he opted for following them across the rooftops. This turned out to be a bit more taxing than expected, but for once Sokka's insistence to exercise like he'd be back on the battlefield paid off. Pulling himself over the ledge of an apartment building, Sokka watched most of the thugs go into a restaurant with their weapons ready, leaving a single man to keep watch for cops. No doubt their plan was to intimidate the shopkeeper into paying for protection. With a grunt, Sokka dropped off of the two story building and landed relatively softly on his target, knocking the watchman's head into the floor as he broke Sokka's fall. Standing and drawing his sword, Sokka walked into the shop.
His assumptions had been correct, but the thing he hadn't accounted for was the shopkeeper's daughter being thrown his way as soon as he cleared the threshold. Grabbing her with his free hand and moving her out of his way, Sokka walked calmly towards the thugs, who were just now noticing that they weren't alone.
The main thug appeared to be a nonbender like him, judging from the club in his hands, and apparently he'd had enough experience to not be intimidated by Sokka's appearance alone. "Who the hell are you?" The thug turned to the shopkeep who was cowering with his daughter.
"You getting protection from someone else, Yang? Well let us show you what happens to people who cross the Triad." The thug twisted the club in his grip and pointed it at Sokka before advancing towards him.
Without a word, Sokka moved, slicing off the lead man's arm at the elbow, leaving the club to clatter to the floor along with the severed flesh. Ignoring the man's screams of pain, Sokka turned and parried a knife thrust from the thug on his left, following through with a thrust of his own that left the poor soul missing a piece of his heart.
Ripping his blade from the thug's chest, Sokka grabbed the knife out of the dying man's hands and threw it at another gangster who had decided to charge him. The fight was lopsided from the very beginning, but only now was it starting to dawn on the two living Triad members. The only one left standing took his chances and tried to run past Sokka towards the door. This attempt ended with Sokka removing the thug's left leg.
As a second voice joined the chorus of pain, Sokka drew a throwing knife from his belt and slammed it down in front of the man's face, whispering a soft "Don't move." as he turned his gaze towards the lead thug. Yang and his daughter had long since run for the door, and no doubt the cops, so Sokka didn't restrain himself as he viciously kicked the lead Triad member in his ribs, before pushing him down onto the floor with his right foot on the man's back.
Sokka sighed as the gangster whimpered at the treatment. Honestly, he was lucky that the Triad didn't train it's soldiers to resist interrogation. If he had to keep this up much longer, the cops would find them all. Leaning in close, Sokka kept his voice level and low. "Tell me where your boss is. I want the next line in the chain. If you do, i'll leave you to the police. But if you don't…" Sokka stabbed his sword into the man's left leg, being sure to leave only a flesh wound. Still, the intimidation was enough.
The thug was borderline sobbing as he answered. "Okay! Okay! I'll tell you what you need to know. I don't know where my boss is, but I know where he's going to be. There's a meeting, low level initiates like me don't get entry. It's happening at warehouse 14 near the docks! Please, just let me live!"
Sokka quickly withdrew his sword, staring down at the crying gangster for a moment. He knew that if the Triad found out about him this quickly, he might never get to Akane's killer. "I said i'd leave you to the police. I never said i'd let you live." Without a second thought Sokka thrust his sword into the man's neck, ending his miserable life. As he turned to walk away, Sokka made sure to retrieve his throwing knife, but not before jamming it into the throat of the last Triad member. Taking a second to collect himself, Sokka breathed in and tried to calm the guilt that was rising from taking so many lives. "They were gangsters." He reminded himself, "They were scum." Not to mention that his target had revealed itself. All he had to do was make it to the docks in time.
By the time Sokka made it to warehouse 14, the meeting had already started. There were four men guarding the entrance, but he'd fought tougher odds before and come out on top. Hell, he'd fought more people tonight than this. That didn't matter, though. What mattered was the contents of the warehouse, more specifically the thugs inside. Sokka slowly lowered himself from his perch, making sure he was out of the line of sight of the guards. Moving softly, he approached around the corner of a stack of crates. Drawing his sword, Sokka rushed in, closing the distance between him and the guards in a flash. Knowing that he might be compromised if they called for help, Sokka didn't give them the chance. The first man went down with a slit throat, while Sokka continued the arc of his blade so that it went deep into the second thugs collarbone. The third and fourth guards had realized what was happening as the two men dropped to the floor, but Sokka leapt upon them with a calculated fury, stabbing one man in the chest and slamming his gauntleted fist into the other's face. Both men crumpled without a sound, and Sokka withdrew his sword before silently approaching the door. With no other choice, Sokka knocked on the door and pressed himself against the wall to the left of the door, waiting for the guard that was no doubt inside to open it.
When the door opened, Sokka rammed his blade through the man's chest, pushing his body backwards to make sure he was covered. It proved to be a wise move, as a fireball impacted on the corpse seconds after he pushed his way into the room. Taking in his surroundings while the flaming body fell away from his blade, Sokka saw that there was a long table in the center of the room, not five feet away. He also saw the ten thugs sitting there, stunned, while the eleventh member prepared another fireball to throw his way from the head of the table. Diving into a roll, Sokka felt the wave of heat sail over his head, and when he came up to his feet he wasted no time in drawing and throwing his boomerang at the firebender. Not even waiting to see if it connected, Sokka went through the grim and bloody process of taking down the other members of the table. With an almost mechanical fluidity, Sokka swept through the room, slicing one after another and making sure that none could get up and fight back. By the time he was done, the chairs were empty and the floor was full of bodies. Making his way over to the unconscious firebender, he saw that she was bleeding from where the boomerang had connected. Feeling a twinge of remorse, he grabbed the woman and threw her into a chair, wrapping the steel cable of his grappling hook around her tightly to make sure she couldn't escape.
By the time the woman came to, Sokka had mentally prepared himself for what he was about to do. It would be the first time he ever interrogated someone, at least in the traditional sense. As she strained against the bonds, Sokka gripped her face with his gauntleted hand. "Where is the thug that ordered the hit on Akane."
At the mention of a name, the firebender's face scrunched up in confusion. "Akane? Who the fuck is that, your girlfriend?"
Sokka took his hand away only to slam his other fist into the woman's nose. He had no qualms about hitting a woman nowadays, most of them were more dangerous than he was. Especially not one who was gangster scum. "Akane! Your damned thugs stabbed her in the heart outside of her apartment! Don't lie to me, you piece of filth. Now where is the person who ordered the hit?!"
At his explanation, the firebender began to laugh. "Akane? I think you mean Fuyuko. That bitch got what she deserved. Nobody leaves the Triad." Sokka stepped back for a moment, stunned. That was all the time she needed apparently, because the firebender broke free of her bonds seconds later. The moment she was free, however, Sokka recovered, diverting her hand and the fireball it conjured while planting a foot on her chest. With a heave, Sokka kicked her back into the chair and drew his blade. She tried to throw another wave of fire at him, but this time Sokka was ready, slicing her right arm off and slamming the pommel into her head.
As the woman slumped forward, Sokka was at a loss for words. Who was Fuyuko? Had Akane lied to him about her name? Was she a member of the Triad as well? Sokka had a million questions to answer, and he didn't know who to ask. What he did know was that he couldn't stay here any longer. The fighting might have drawn some attention, and the police might be on their way. "The police. Of course." He knew who he had to talk to now. Picking up and securing his boomerang and grappling hook to his belt, Sokka glanced at the carnage he'd caused. He'd killed so many people, and for what? So he could avenge a Triad member? What was the point of all of this, if she had been just as bad as the people he'd fought? Sokka shook his head and ran towards the door, throwing his grappling hook onto the roof of a neighboring warehouse. No sooner had Sokka gotten on top of the warehouse did see the police rushing towards the scene of the crime. His crime. He needed answers, but they would have to wait until tomorrow. For now, he just needed to get home.
As Sokka walked into his home, duffel bag filled with his armor, he couldn't help but feel that he'd been lied to. His entire encounter with Akane- no, with Fuyuko, could have been fabricated. She had seemed so nice, but how could she have been nice and also done horrible things for the Triad? Sokka shook his head to clear his thoughts, setting his bag down in front of the mannequin. He was getting ahead of himself, what needed to happen now was sleep, then he could get some answers in the morning. Seeing that it was close to three in the morning from the clock sitting on his bedside table, Sokka groaned. He would be living off of little sleep tonight, it seemed.
Sokka woke with the sun, as usual, but his mood hadn't improved much since he had gone to sleep. Thoughts of Fuyuko still plagued his mind, and the figurative blood on his hands didn't help his situation. Despite knowing that they were gangsters and thugs, it didn't make the aftermath any easier. Even if they were scum, they were still people. Shaking his head, Sokka forced himself to go through his new routine of dressing and eating. While he was looking for his one dressy outfit, Sokka discovered a closet filled with various shirts and pants. Apparently Katara had decided that his own clothing wasn't enough, and had opted to fill his house with a new wardrobe. Making a mental note to have Aang thank his sister for him, Sokka grabbed a red outfit and started putting it on. Wearing red reminded him of their time in the Fire Nation, back when they were pretending to be undercover. With a chuckle, Sokka remembered the times he had become the great Wang Fire. What a pathetic alias it had been, but some of the Fire Nation nationals had believed him, surprisingly enough. Lost in thought, Sokka absent-mindedly practiced his old Wang Fire impression in front of the mirror. It lacked the great beard, but he still had it down to a science. After a few more antics, Sokka was finally dressed and fed, making his way out of the apartment and into the streets. He had a clear goal in mind, today. He had to ask Toph if she knew anything about Fuyuko.
By the time he made it to the station, the sun had risen and was beating down on his neck. It was sure to be a hot one, today. Entering the station, Sokka walked up to the receptionist with his friendliest smile. He remembered this woman from the other day, so he was sure she wouldn't mind him seeing Toph again. His hopes were confirmed when she smiled back, not even hesitating to let him through. As he made his way through the main area, he saw a new board being put up, with several pictures already tacked on. Slowing down, Sokka took some time to investigate the new case. He recognized the scene from the photographs immediately, though. How could he not, when he'd been there just last night? Apparently, he'd drawn the attention of the police with his stunt last night. Forcing himself to look away from the carnage, Sokka walked up to Toph's office and knocked once. After Toph waved him in, Sokka took the same seat he'd taken during his first visit. "Hey there, Toph. How's the baddy catching business?"
Toph grinned her usual grin as she set some papers aside. "It's been booming, as usual. No offense, Sokka, but what are you doing here? I don't think it's late enough to be going for drinks, after all."
Sokka smiled back and let out a light chuckle before getting back to business. He needed to come up with a lie that wasn't really a lie. "I'm not gonna lie to you, Toph. I came for information. I was out beating up some Triad members last night- I know, I know, it's not legal, but I had to do something to keep from losing my mind. As I beat up one of them, they mentioned the name 'Fuyuko', and I was wondering if you could tell me just who that person is?"
Toph's smile faded at the mention of the name, and she leaned forward with a grim look on her face. "Sokka, were you at the docks last night? Were you anywhere near warehouse 14 or Yang's noodle shop?"
Sokka frowned as Toph talked, knowing that she'd be looking for any hint of a lie. Well, he'd been preparing for this moment ever since he saw Azula do it, so there was no time like the present. "No, Toph, I was over in the market district. I was prowling for some thugs that might know why what happened had to Akane happened. All I got out of it was the name Fuyuko, though. I figure that this Fuyuko has something to do with the Triad, so I wanted to talk to you about it." Deciding that this wouldn't be enough, Sokka went for the oblivious angle. "Why? Did something happen at the docks? It has something to do with that new case board that they're creating out in the moose-bullpen, doesn't it."
After a second of silence, where Sokka was sure that his lies had been found out, Toph leaned back in her chair and sighed. "Yeah, something did happen at the docks, and at Yang's noodle shop. Some vigilante, and sorry Sokka but you don't qualify for that title, chopped up a bunch of Triad thugs before assaulting an alleged Triad meeting that we had been trying to find for months. The only survivor wouldn't say a word, and was out on the streets before we had a chance to scrounge up some real evidence against her. But that's enough about that. You want to know about Fuyuko." Toph scratched the back of her head as she collected her thoughts. "Fuyuko was… an interesting case. Started with the Triad during their formation, and came to be known as a high end enforcer for their nonbender branch. Oddly enough, her last known appearance was when she defended a council member's child from the Triad. Apparently she couldn't handle the idea of a child being hurt, so she killed the other members of her team and vanished without a trace." Toph leaned forward in her seat and stared at Sokka. "Are you thinking that Akane was Fuyuko?"
Sokka was so stunned by the revelation that Fuyuko had tried to be a better person that he barely even registered Toph's question. Obviously she had still been a bad person, but she had tried her best to change. Sokka was so distracted by this revelation that he jumped when Toph slammed on the desk.
"Meathead, have you heard a word that I said?! Of course you didn't…" Toph sighed and leaned back into her chair once more. "So if what you're thinking was right, then that explains why the Triad would kill a random woman outside of her home. Not to mention that it explains why she was being attacked when you found her. Apparently your presence escalated the Triad's actions, and they did something drastic."
It was his fault that she had been killed? Sokka went pale at the notion, and Toph was quick to see, or feel, the way his face had drained of color. While she went through the motions of trying to dissuade him, all that Sokka could think of is how he could have saved Fuyuko simply by not being there. The Triad obviously had thought he was her bodyguard, and struck harder as a result. It made just enough sense to make him sick to his stomach.
Standing up, Sokka put his hand on the chair to steady himself. "Toph, I gotta get to work, but thanks for all your help. Seriously, I would have been running around like a chicken with it's head cut off if it weren't for you, buddy. We really should go get some drinks sometime. I know I could use one."
Toph nodded, understanding that Sokka needed his space. As Sokka left her office, he heard her say that they should get drinks next Friday. Grunting an affirmative, Sokka closed the door and began his walk to the council building. As he passed the receptionist, he flashed his usual smile, but even she seemed to know that it was fake, and the look of concern she wore had him moving all the faster. He had just enough room for a pity party made for one, thank you very much. Weaving his way through the morning crowds, Sokka's mind drifted back to Fuyuko. She had been getting out of the life of crime, so what did that say about the thugs he had killed last night? Any one of them could have had a family that they needed to support, or a hidden desire to stop what they were doing and live a normal life. They were people too, and he had cut them down just like Jet would have cut down a Fire Nation patrol when they were younger. He had treated them as less than human, and that wasn't acceptable. But he still needed to find the man or woman who had ordered Fuyuko's death, and he needed to do it soon. Sokka wasn't sure what exactly he would do when he found the person behind her murder, but he knew that he couldn't go around treating every member of the Triad like the scum that ran it.
Once Sokka got to the council building and made his way into his work area, his brain hadn't settled down in the slightest. He worked his way through several contracts detailing what would go into the new trade agreements and the minutiae that entailed, all the while thinking about what he could do in the fight against the Triad. His attention so was utterly divided between thinking and working that he didn't even notice Aang until the airbender cleared his throat directly behind Sokka. Jumping for the second time in as many hours, Sokka spun around and grinned at the airbending master. "Aang, buddy, how's it going? Sorry I didn't notice you earlier, but i've been focusing on all of the details for the new trading agreements. Nobody told me there was going to be so much paperwork!"
Aang chuckled softly at Sokka, before becoming more serious. With a grim look on his face, he motioned for Sokka to follow him. Not seeing any reason why he shouldn't spend a moment talking in private with his favorite little buddy, Sokka extracted himself from his desk and walked with Aang into the gardens. The moment that they were alone, Aang turned to Sokka and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Sokka, be honest with me. Were you out fighting criminals last night?"
Sokka tensed for a second, but then he realized that Toph must have told Aang about his time out last night. Sighing in an attempt to look contrite, Sokka nodded his head. "Yeah, Aang. I was out trying to find Akane's killer."
"Sokka, you can't just take justice into your own hands anymore! You could have been hurt, or worse, killed!" Aang said, voice just below a shout as the anger and worry showed plain on his face. "I know she was important to you, but you have to let the authorities deal with this, alright? You can't just go fighting the Triad like they're some simple group of bandits. They're highly organized, and they're dangerous. Not to mention there are more dangerous criminals running around at night. Did you see the damage that was done at Yang's noodle shop? People died, Sokka, and that could have been you." Aang turned around and threw his hands up while Sokka tried to figure out how both Toph and Aang knew that noodle shop so well. "Did you even think about how Katara would feel if you ended up dead in the streets because you went chasing after the name of a Triad member? Did you think about how I would feel? I bet you didn't. I bet you were so focused on vengeance that you didn't think about how devastated the rest of us would be if you got hurt or killed."
At that, Sokka snapped. He grabbed Aang by the shoulders and spun him around so that Sokka's eyes were bearing down on his. "Of course I thought about what would happen if I got hurt! But I couldn't just let a dead woman lay on the floor without finding out why they had killed her. And I got my answer, Aang. She was ex-triad. She was someone who tried to change for the better, and they killed her because I got involved." At that, Aang's eyes widened in shock. "Do you even know what that guilt feels like? How it feels to know that if you had just not been an idiot that you'd have saved a life? Because this isn't the first time I've felt this pain. So you know what? I wasn't focused on vengeance, I was focused on justice. But now that I know I've fucked things up again, i'm just gonna focus on trying my hardest not to get anyone else killed. I'm done playing hero, Aang. I'm done."
As Sokka's outburst faded, he realized what he had said was true. He had been playing the hero in an attempt to cover up his guilt. Slicing his way through people who, while not innocent, were certainly not deserving of death. He was no better than Jet in that respect, but unlike their long dead friend, Sokka knew he could be better. He would get his answers without killing those in his way. Without realizing it, he had turned away from Aang, and when he turned back, his old buddy was looking like someone had zapped him with a bolt of lightning. Sighing and putting an arm around Aang's shoulder, he guided the airbender back into the nicer areas of the garden.
"Look, Aang, i'm not gonna go rushing out into the night just to make myself feel better. I had a plan to find some answers, and I found them. I don't have any reason to go out and kick bad guy butt anymore, okay?" Sokka said as he guided Aang to the koi pond. He wanted to make sure Aang wouldn't suspect him when things started picking up.
"Okay, Sokka. I'm sorry I got so angry… I was just really worried about you. You can't run off without backup again. I may not agree with you, but i'd help you fight these guys in any way we can. Just make sure you don't get hurt, alright?"
Sokka chuckled at how young Aang sounded. It was like dealing with that bright eyed young kid from the iceberg. But Sokka knew that he wouldn't be able to promise that. So what he did instead was the only thing he could think of. "Hey, I told you. I'm not gonna go running off fighting bad guys just to feel better."
He would fight them to make things better for everyone.
