Hey, how do you like it? I guess you guys are mad that I killed sokka... oh well, the story's not over...

The young man opened his eyes. Nothing but black stillness surrounded him. He was lying on the ground, face up, facing nothing but pure darkness, and he groaned as he slowly sat rose to a sitting position. His pain was gone, but so was his family, and at that thought, his heart began to race. "Hello?" he cried out into the black wall. "Katara? Dad? Toph? Aang? Anybody?"

"Sokka…" a gentle voice whispered. He gasped and turned around, looking in all directions.

"Sokka…" the voice whispered again, over and over. He looked around warily, ready on his guard to attack if anything decided to jump out at him. But strangely, the voice sounded somewhat familiar, even though as if from a dream, from his long past.

"Who's there?" he asked nervously. "Show yourself!" he yelled into the darkness.

A small light grew in front of him, and as it brightened, he had to shield his eyes from it. "Who are you?" he cried as it grew and came toward him. "What do you want?"

"Sokka…" the gentle female voice whispered, a voice of pure silk. "You haven't forgotten me, have you?"

The warrior immediately fell to his knees, once more recognizing her voice. His mouth dropped as he struggled to say the one word he could.

"Mom…"

The light faded to reveal a beautiful woman, dressed in flowing blue robes, her hair pulled back into a blue ribbon, and Katara's necklace tied around her throat. Her light cerulean eyes flashed happily towards her son, and she smiled warmly at how much he had grown. Sokka couldn't remember her as that beautiful, but she was. He had forgotten her face for so long. But it didn't matter. She opened her arms wide and ran to him, and he ran to her, falling into her arms. For so long Katara had been the one that openly suffered about the loss of her, but no one had ever really asked Sokka, much less knew what he had gone through himself. He had tried to be so strong, but now he let that go. And so as he hugged his mother and she held him, his tears fell.

"Mom, I missed you so much," he whispered into her clothing, taking in the long-missed smell of his mother. "But this is a dream."

Kya sighed and pulled her son away to look him in the eyes. She sighed. "Oh my boy, I'm afraid not."

Confusion covered his face as he backed away. "Wait, what?"

"You know the truth," she whispered, looking down.

Suddenly the screams of Katara and Hakoda echoed through the blackness. As Sokka strained to hear, he heard his name screamed over and over, with many "no's" and "don't leave us's." His eyes widened. "No…I can't be… but Katara, and dad, and, Aang, and…no! I can't be dead," he stumbled backward. Kya bowed her head and closed her eyes.

"There is a chance for you to return," she said, suddenly looking up at her grown son, who had fallen to his knees in shock. He looked up, hope flashing in his eyes.

"Anything. I'll do anything."

Kya smiled. "I know you will." She walked toward him and offered her hand. He gladly took it as she lifted him up and intertwined his fingers in hers like he did when he was little. He smiled at her. She nodded. "I can send you back, but there is a journey you must take. I must explain it to you thoroughly. Come. We need to talk."

Both mother and son disappeared into the blackness of the Spirit World.

Toph shook in the corner of the temple, as far away from the group as she could get. She shivered uncontrollably as every scream from Katara still reached her ears as the waterbender cried over her brother's still body, and Aang tried to console her. Suki had taken to holding Hakoda, who now mourned as a little child, crying out over and over for his son. The rest had backed away, knowing that that special group was tied together by one person, and that they needed their time to mourn.

But the blind earthbender let her tears fall silently, as she struggled to keep in her emotions. First it was shock, but now, as her feelings set in, she fell apart. As soon as Sokka's vibrations, heartbeat, and breathing stopped, she ran. She didn't know where, but she ran. All she knew was that she couldn't let the group know how she felt. But she even kept it from herself. She was to the point of exploding.

Then, she looked up. A set of vibrations moved toward her, and she gasped. But she didn't care anymore. She let her face fall into her hands.

"Toph?" Zuko's voice filled the stillness, and yet it had never sounded better to the young girl. She let the silence pass between them. But he broke it.

"You okay?"

She felt him move toward her, and she looked up, trying the hardest she ever could at keeping her tears at bay. She felt the fire bender fall to his knees in front of her, and she felt his stare. But she felt it of compassion.

Zuko kneeled in front of Toph, tears in his eyes just by seeing her. She was a wreck, and he had never seen her like this before, as she was like him in many ways, especially since they both tried to keep their emotions to themselves.

The prince knew that in any other situation, the girl would probably smash him to a pulp if he touched her, but somehow, he had to, for her sake, to rid her of her pain. He gently reached forward and touched her cheek softly, pulling her blank gaze up from her hands to his face. Her unshed tears struggled to stay put, but as he sat next to her and pulled her into a hug, she lost it. Her tears fell like rivers down her face as she cried for her lost friend. Zuko struggled not to cry as the young girl suddenly latched onto his clothing and moaned mournfully into his shirt, letting all her emotion go. He hugged her tightly back, and rubbed her soothingly, for although he still was getting used to the group, he tried to remember what his mother did to comfort him when he cried. He let go of himself and concentrated all his thoughts on Toph, whose tears were somehow never ending.

Eventually she stopped, but she still whispered Sokka's name a few times, and then she relaxed against Zuko, holding onto his clothing in a death grip.

"I'm sorry," she croaked.

"It's okay," he whispered as he held her tighter.

She looked up at him with her blind eyes. "It's just, well, it's…Sokka…" she blurted. "He can't die. He's the one we all looked to. He's the one that kept us going. He's the one that we all imagined would never leave us," her tears started falling again. "but so suddenly, and with…without warning," she sobbed, holding onto his shirt once more, burying her face in his chest. "I…I just can't believe it."

"I know there was no warning, Toph," he whispered as he leaned his chin on her head. "These things happen. But…but I can't believe it either." He stifled a sob.

Toph felt his emotion as well almost to near bursting inside him. She relaxed against his chest, listening to his heartbeat and the rise and fall of his breathing, and she closed her eyes.

They both held each other in their corner of the temple for a few moments of silence except for the water bender's crying, until Toph broke the silence with a yawn. She looked up to him with tired blind eyes.

"Hey, Zuko?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

Sokka and Kya walked to a small clearing in the darkness that opened up to a small waterfall cascading into a clear pool. A few small bamboo shoots grew up from inside and the sides of the pool. The rocks nearby were shaped as seats, and so Kya led her son over to it, sat down, and he followed. Then she looked him in the eyes.

"Sokka," she started. "there is much you need to know. I don't know how or why you died, but you're true time has not come yet, possibly."

Sokka looked at his mother with an upturned eyebrow. "Possibly?"

"My son, whatever killed you will still try to kill you when you return," Kya said quietly. "You and I have seen in your journeys with your sister, and your friends, that all of them have already gone, or soon enough will go, on a journey to see who they truly are, and what they could have been if they had given in to certain things," she said. "Let me try to explain. There are paths in life that people go on, and many of those are ones of both the mortal and the spirit world. Many are overshadowed of things of the past, and many are of what's to come, and all the person has to do is choose the right path." she looked down, but then stared back into her son's eyes. "This sounds easy, but in fact it is the hardest thing each being must face every day. Now the biggest journeys are for all to tread, and it deals with the spirit, but I know, and all the spirits here know, that your time to join us has not yet come. So we can send you back, but how strong you are in body, mind, and soul depends on your will to keep living. Do you understand?"

The young man nodded. "I do."

"You understand the paths you must take, and the strenuous journey that you have to walk. You will still face pain and suffering in the other world, as well as here."

"Yes."

"You will also encounter your past, many of it memories that are not the most pleasant. You will suffer, and you will learn. And you realize that you might not make it back alive, and that you'll rejoin me here, still to complete your journey."

Sokka closed his eyes, gulped, and opened them. He looked up at his mother and nodded.

She smiled. "My strong boy," she whispered as she kissed his forehead. "My strong warrior." He parted from her and stared.

"I really missed you, mom," he whispered.

She pulled him into a loving embrace, which he gladly returned. "I missed you too. As well as your sister and your father. But I'm always with you, Sokka. I always was, and always will be." she let go of him and backed up. "I love you."

Sokka reached for her. "Wait, mom! How do I get back?"

Kya slowly turned into the mist of the waterfall, but still she smiled. "Walk back into the darkness. It will bring you to them."

She disappeared, as did the waterfall, until he was bathed in just the light of the clearing. He looked down at the bamboo stalks. They had grown to three times their size, reaching toward the light, trying to survive amidst the darkness. He knew his fate was to be shown in the same way. Sokka breathed in deeply, stood up, and then retreated back into the darkness.

Zuko carried the tiny sleeping earthbender back to camp. Even though his heart, mind, and soul begged him to run the opposite way from the ghastly scene and the shrieks of the waterbender, his steps became stronger. He needed to be the strong one now, the almost leader of the group. He needed to help them.

But he decided to wait until the right time came as his eyes adjusted to the campsite in front of him and pulled his thoughts back to the haunting place. He saw Katara still crying over Sokka's body, which hadn't moved since he left, but was now covered up to his face with a sleeping bag. One of his hands stuck out under the blanket, but was lying limply on his chest. Aang was holding Katara as his tears fell, and as he looked up and locked gazes with Zuko, the prince gulped. It had affected the young Avatar as well for him to lose one that he loved. The young airbender's eyes were red and swollen, but he looked back down at his best friend that he tried to console.

Zuko looked over to see that all of the group except Suki and Hakoda had left to another part of the temple, to give them privacy.

Hakoda, for a grown man, had fallen asleep in Suki's lap, the exhaustion from the prison and his loss overcoming him, while Suki just stared into the fire, in shock from what happened.

Zuko gently set Toph down onto a sleeping bag, and the young earthbender whispered Sokka's name once, and then drifted deeper into a fear-wracked sleep as he tucked her in softly and rolled back onto his heels, running his hand through his hair and then putting his face into his hands, from sorrow, fatigue, and shock. And then he looked towards Katara.

The young woman still hadn't stopped her mourning over her loss, and Zuko could only imagine what she was feeling inside. So just as he had done with Toph, he walked over and put a hand on Aang's shoulder. The tired and grief stricken young avatar looked up, tears running down his face, and Zuko motioned for him to go lie down.

Aang shook his head. I can't, he mouthed, as he looked back down to his best friend curled in his arms, crying over her brother. Zuko touched the boy's shoulder again, motioning for him to sleep, and, finally giving in, Aang took Zuko's hand, lifted himself up, and slowly walked away to Appa, his head hanging in sorrow and defeat.

Zuko then turned his gaze to Katara, who still cried out over her brother. He gulped and slowly fell to his knees next to her, and he put a hand on her back, rubbing her.

Katara gasped. She didn't recognize the touch, nor the hand that was on her back, and she as she looked up at the young man kneeling next to her, anger flashed in her eyes. His own eyes widened, but went back to normal as her deep blues lost their heated spark and she turned back to the body once more.

"Katara," he breathed softly, rubbing her back in a way he thought would soothe her pain. She shook uncontrollably under his touch, but still he continued. "I don't think he'd want you to mourn." Still she sobbed, and he looked at the closed eyes of his friend, lying motionlessly under the sleeping bag. He reached forward to pull the blanket over the passed warrior's head, but he stopped in midair as if it were wrong. He looked back at the young girl beneath his touch, and somehow it wasn't right to cover the boy's face, just yet.

Aang struggled to keep his eyes open, but the sorrow that filled him as well as the fatigue overcame his willpower to stay awake. He drifted into a deep sleep.

Suddenly he opened his eyes, which widened at his old friend and mentor standing before him in the darkness.

"Roku," he breathed.

The old Avatar was meditating, his hands folded together, his eyes closed, and his breathing steady. But at Aang whispering his name, his eyes opened. They focused on the young boy, and he smiled warmly.

"Hello, Aang."

Aang frowned. "Roku, I can't worry about avatar matters right now. My best friend is gone, and my mind can't focus on the real world." He fell to his hands and knees in front of the aged Avatar. "Whatever news or lesson you have for me, I'm sorry, but I cannot take it right now. The avatar matters will have to wait." He bowed his head.

"Aang, the news I have to give you is not of avatar matters this time," Roku said, holding up his hand. "but of a young warrior, who is in my world as we speak."

Aang's head shot up, his eyes wide. "Sokka…" he whispered.

"He has a difficult journey ahead of him, but you nor anyone else can help him. This is the test of his heart, mind, soul, and body. But if he fails, he returns to the Spirit world, forever."

"Wait," Aang interrupted, "he'll be sent back to us?"

Roku nodded.

Aang closed his eyes. "Tell me what'll happen."

Zuko stared at the young airbender asleep on the bison, who had tossed and turned for the last few minutes he had watched him, and his arrows had started to glow. The prince just watched, waiting to see what would happen.

Sokka walked still further into the darkness, until he hit a hard solid wall with an "oomph!" and backed up. "I guess this is where I came in," he said to himself, rubbing his face, and he sat down cross-legged on the dark floor. He closed his eyes and began to breathe in and out, and suddenly, the pain hit him once more. He knew it was working.

Aang awoke with a start and gasped. He looked over to Katara and Zuko, and the prince was still comforting her, but his eyes were locked onto Aang's with a confused look. Aang jumped off Appa and began to walk towards the trio on the ground, calling both their names.

Suddenly, out of the corner of Zuko's good eye, he saw the tiniest movement on the sleeping bag. He turned his vision to his friend, who was still gone, but the prince swore he saw something. He began to turn away, until the same movement caught his eye. He stared back at Sokka's motionless hand lying on the sleeping bag, confusion written over his face. He looked up at Aang with the same look, and the boy stopped walking.

Aang stopped when Zuko suddenly looked up to him, confusion in his eyes. He suddenly smiled as he ran to them.

Zuko turned back, and saw it again, as Sokka's finger twitched, but it was movement. He shook Katara.

"Katara," he pleaded. "Katara, look."

Katara looked up as Aang was running towards them, crying out her name. She was just about to answer when she looked down.

Sokka's hand moved in the tiniest way, and she gasped. She stared at his hand.

"Sokka?" she whispered, and as Aang slid to his knees across from them, and Zuko turned his attention to the young man's hand as well, the three became silent.

Suddenly, and without warning, Sokka gasped, breathing in as much air as he could, shocking them all out of their skin. He coughed and groaned, trying to catch the breath that he had lost. With his eyes still shut tight, he moaned loudly in pain, then cried out, the burning fire still rushing through each muscle, every nerve that had suddenly been woken up. He coughed a few times, choking on the fresh air, while he winced greatly at the pain his coughing caused him. He shook still and was deathly pale, and was still in as much pain as he had had before.

"He's alive!" Katara breathed, her tears of sorrow now turned into tears of joy. While she softly touched his forehead, Zuko sat there, dumbfounded, and he slowly arched his head towards Aang, who was surprised as well. The two just stared. Sokka still was in pain, had a high fever, and was still at risk for being lost again, but they were just thankful that he was alive.

Katara held her brother's face in her hands as her forehead touched his, spirits he was burning up, but she put her hand on his chest, where his heart beat weakly, yet now again had a beat all the same. She smiled and looked up to where their father was sleeping against the equally asleep Kyoshi warrior, and she held her brother's hand tightly as she called her father's name.

"Dad! Dad!"

Hakoda instantly woke up to his daughter's voice, with a sleepy look and confused tone.

"What's wrong, Katara?"

"He's alive!!!" she cried out, and at that recognizable tone, the older Water Tribe Warrior jumped to his feet, immediately waking up Suki, and running to his son, slid to his knees. Sokka's breathing raced, and his head moved from side to side, and he cried out, but Hakoda took his son gently in his arms and embraced him.

"My son," he whispered, tears falling once more from his eyes, while Suki just smiled, tears running down her face.

Hakoda gently set the feverish and sick young man down gently once more on the bed, and Katara immediately wrapped him in the sleeping bag. He still groaned and cried out, wincing and his teeth clenched, and still shook and was covered in a cold sweat, but it wasn't as violent as before.

As Katara, Aang and Hakoda set to work getting him comfortable, Zuko walked over and sat next to Toph, who still slept. Or so he thought.

When he sat next to her and put his hand on her arm, she immediately grabbed it with her other one, nearly shocking him out of his skin.

"Toph! What do you think you're doing! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

But as she grabbed his clothing and pulled him closer, he could see she wasn't intending on fooling around; she was serious. He could tell by the tears once more welling up in her eyes.

"Zuko," she whispered, her voice shaking, "please…, please tell me that what I feel is not a dream."

He smiled. "It's not."

"What?" she asked, a stray tear from her eye falling down her pale cheek.

"He's alive," he breathed, grabbing her in a hug. "I don't know how or why, but he's back."

She smiled, and the rest of the tears followed the original down her face, this time on both sides. Zuko helped her up, and together, they went to Sokka's side, where the group began to cry over him. Katara stayed the closest and most watchful to him, and as she stroked his hair, she sighed, content for now, as he fell into a restless and feverish sleep.

"He'll be okay. He'll live," she breathed, closing her eyes.

Aang looked straight at Katara, staring at her with a serious look in his eyes.

"No," he said, his voice firm. She looked up at him with fear. The others did as well, confusion in their eyes, as he looked to all of them, back to Katara, and then towards the moaning young man.

"His journey is far from over."

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