Sokka of the Fellsteel Blades grumbled and tossed restlessly. He analyzed the angle of the moonlight coming through the slightly-cracked window and groaned audibly. Already five hours into the night!? He turned to his side, hugging the rough blanket tighter, but froze when the other occupant of the room stirred.
He let out a silent breath and tried to relax, knowing that no matter how much he wanted his sleep, he knew better how much his apprentice needed it. He would not wake her.
Sokka sighed and gently pushed back the blanket. It was no use. He stood, tiptoeing his way stealthily past the sleeping girl to the window. He slowly opened it, the newly oiled hinges swinging silently, letting the silver moonlight stream into the inn's small room. But before he raised himself through it, he glanced back at his apprentice.
Toph was curled into a ball, snoring softly, her dark hair loose and fanning around her head like a spikey sea urchin. He couldn't help the smile that spread on his face. He had known her for almost two years now, and she had grown much from the little gutter girl from Ba-Singzte.
He reached out and gently brushed a strand of hair behind her strange ears, chipped and bladed like a shaped rock. He had always wondered about those, but she'd only said they were something she'd had since she had been born.
The small sword that he had given her lay beside her sleeping form, one of her callused hands reaching out to rest on its grip. The bruise on his ribs twinged, and the smile grew pained. Though she still favored her enchanted hammer, -which made her ridiculously strong, how else could the girl lift so much?!- she had become quite proficient with his gift. He wasn't better than him, no sir. But she was passable. For a girl.
For a blind girl, he corrected himself abashedly.
He lifted his hand away carefully. Sokka's smile faded as a wave of emotion swept through him, overwhelming in its confusion, with both joy and pain prominent.
He had a little sister again.
Lifting himself up onto the sill, Sokka clambering as quietly as he could to the timbers of the wall. He adjusted his grip, made sure his foothold was secure, then easily lifted himself to the rooftop. He settled himself on the peak of the slanted roof, the chill spring wind rustling past him, and exhaled deeply.
He thought about why he couldn't sleep.
It wasn't Toph's snoring. He knew that, he had become used to it months ago. It wasn't the soreness in his arms or in his back from the never-ending training. It wasn't that he missed Suki, the Earth Kingdom warrior he had become acquainted with some months before, though it would be nice to see her again.
No, it wasn't any of those.
It was the nightmares. Memories of flames, and screams, of roaring winds and surging ice under his feet. Of his desperate cries to his ever-more distant sister, the still form of his grandmother on the smooth ice, the exploding metal-bound ships.
Sokka drew his knees to his chest, and closed his eyes. That was why he could not sleep. Such dreams had not plagued him in years, why did they choose now of all times to keep him from rest? He sighed and leaned back against the roof, trying to relax once again. The matted straw of the roof was itchy, but also somehow comforting. He looked up at the bright moon, of the wispy clouds attempting and failing to block its unearthly light. He yawned. Maybe this might actually…
The light increased. He squinted in annoyance, holding his hand up to block the sudden light. What the… Seriously, even the moon was trying to keep him from- Then he saw who stood in front of him.
His heart dropped just as quickly as his jaw.
A beautiful woman floated above the straw thatch of the roof. She wore robes of white, that fluttered and drifted in an invisible wind, her long pale hair reaching down beyond her back. The spirit- she had to be a spirit- looked like… who did she look like?
"Sokka son Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe," The spirit's voice reverberated through him, and Sokka quickly rose and knelt before her.
"Yes, that's me, uh, my lady. What… what can I do for you?" he started nervously, eyes lowered. By the Gods, this spirit lady better not wake Toph up… Then the spirit started to laugh, the sound light and vibrant and… familiar. Sokka looked up in surprise.
She smiled down at him, eyes thin with humor. "I was not yet finished… but like all those times before, I do not mind somehow..."
"Ma'am?" he replied in confusion, but there was something tickling at his mind…
She waved a hand lightly, and her smile left her face. "Forgive me, I am here for another purpose entirely. You know better than most of the curse affecting this land. You hunt the more chaotic of the demons, is that correct?" Sokka's eyes widened at the change of topic, but narrowed as he nodded.
The screaming of common people. Fire raging around and within him. Blood of a demon on his blade and silence after.
Yes, he knew about demons. He knew how to kill them.
"There is a monk, tasked by the Avatar with the reversal of this curse. He is in need of companions, especially those with such experience as you have. Would you do this?"
Sokka looked down and took a deep breath. That was… a bit of information. "I… You honor me, spirit... but…" He looked back up at her and tried to string the words together. The fact that she was so gorgeous wasn't helping anything at all.
The Spirit looked to him, and tilted her head gracefully. "There is… another duty that you have, is there not?" Sokka looked down at the roof beneath his feet, to where Toph slept. He nodded silently. "Ah, the one you think of as a daughter." Sokka almost objected, but shut his mouth just in time. Don't correct the all-powerful spirit, Sokka. Remember the last time you tried that? The Spirit continued. "She may accompany you, of course. You do not have to leave one duty behind to take up another. She can learn much from this Journey as well."
"Yes, my lady, but…" he thought desperately for a moment, weighing his options. If what she was saying was true, about the end of the demons… Fire and death flashed through his mind, of rowing frantically to escape the doom that had taken everything, everyone, he had loved.
Sokka gave a raw chuckle. "I guess I really wouldn't mind if my line of work suddenly disappeared. It's better for everyone that way." He met the spirit's blue eyes once again. It was the same shade of blue as Katara's. "I won't speak for Toph, but I will ask her." He took a breath to steady his nerves. "I accept the call."
The spirit smiled down at him, joy visible in her expression. "You will be blessed by your loyalty and ingenuity, and will serve the traveler well." She lifted a hand, and suddenly his sword- the one he had made upon graduation from the Fellsteel Archive- was in her grasp, the straight black blade shining in her ethereal moonlight. "I bless this blade made of the heavens, and give you a new name." She fixed him with a glance. "Do not forget your own, but merely use this one during your journeys. It will protect you from the powers of corruption." Sokka nodded, confused, but put it out of his mind. He could remember his own name.
She held out the sword and lightly touched his head with its point. "I name you Arisoka Bajie, and give you this power to defend and protect." She held the black blade in hand and Sokka took its' hilt, feeling the familiar weight and… something else. An energy, a source of strength flowing into him. "Travel to the crossroads at Zhu Dakai, and wait for the traveler there. He will not be long." She paused, but then looked at him with firmness in her gaze. "A warning, before I depart." Sokka nodded, suddenly wary. "Temper your hatred," the Spirit proclaimed. "Your thirst for vengeance is strong. Do not let it blind you, and overcome it, if you can." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "For I know you can. Goodness can rest in every heart, no matter the curse upon them."
"...Yes, my lady." Sokka narrowed his eyes, but bowed his head. She was right.
The spirit nodded to him, that small, wonderful smile lighting her face, and she began to rise, turning towards the moon. "May harmony follow in your footsteps, Arisoka of the Heaven's Blade."
Sokka stood hurriedly, surprised at the suddenness. "Um, thank you, my lady!" Then his brain prodded at him, and he almost stumbled forward. "Hey, wait, I have a question!"
She turned back, expression regal, yet somehow curious.
"What is your name?"
The smile returned. "I am the Goddess of Mercy, and the Guardian Spirit of the Moon."
Sokka rubbed a hand through his hair, abashed. "Oh, ok. Sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"I am also known as Yue." Sokka blinked. Even as he watched, the Spirit began to fade from his view, dissolving into bars of gleaming moonlight, sifting through the clouds. "I may see you again…" Her voice was a fading whisper, somehow carrying hope on fragile motes of light, but also taking whatever stirring remnants of memory he had with it. He grasped at them, but it was like weaving smoke.
Sokka took a deep breath, tightening his grip on his sword, shoving away the distraction. He lifted it, touching his forehead to the cold steel. He had a new duty now.
A smile lifted the corners of his mouth, and he set about trying to stealth back into his room. Arisoka of the Heaven's Blade… He liked the sound of that. What about… Arisoka of the Heavenly Demon Hunter Blade? Of Heavenly Power! Wait, he had already used Heaven once… Sokka was still pondering titles when a deep- and dreamless- sleep finally took him.