The sun had been down a long while when the gang had all finished eating. They were sitting around a long, circular wooden table in a side wing of the Kyoshi Warrior's training facility. Outside, the sound of waves and a slight breeze gave the night a peaceful air; whereas indoors the hall was filled with excited conversations.
"So what have you been doing here the past couple of years, Suki?" asked Toph, leaning back on her elbows and yawning.
"Ever since the war ended, there's been no real threat. And with no threat, no action," Suki replied. "Everything's been really quiet here. Mostly I've just tried to keep up my warrior skills and help train any of the newer warriors that need it. I've been meaning to make a visit to see all of you, but," she hesitated, looking sideways into Sokka's face. "I've never really felt…courageous enough to." Sokka gently brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face and smiled understandingly.
"No worries," Aang said, bending a small puff of air through the smoke of the fire on the far side of the room. "It's all behind us now. Besides, according to that weird Fire Nation guy, we'll get plenty of action once we reach Zuko." The puff of air popped, sending small tendrils of smoke in all directions.
"Yeah, what's with that guy?" Katara inquired; her brow furrowing. "He's been strangely absent ever since we left the water tribe. Not to mention he seems to know more than he's letting on."
"Earlier when he was talking to me, he was acting really weird. He just rambled off tomorrow's schedule and turned around and left. It's like he doesn't want to be around us more than he has to," Aang added. Sokka nodded and agreed.
"Yeah, when he greeted me, he told me his name was Pyro and he worked for the 'related interests of the Fire Lord,'" Suki said, making fake quotation marks with her hands. "He wouldn't say who they were, though."
"That sure is strange," Katara said while Aang nodded in agreement. Toph just frowned down at the floor, apparently thinking. Suddenly, the messenger called Pyro entered into the dining room.
"Fire Lord Zuko requests that on the day of your arrival, you should be dressed in your finest attire," he cleared his throat, then continued. "Fire Lord Zuko also adds that should any of his guests need formal attire, there are a variety of styles and sizes that may be loaned out per request." His pale yellow eyes glanced stoically around at each of their faces, finally landing on Katara's face. He just stared at her.
"Fire Lord Zuko begs you safe passage, and expresses a strong desire to be seated in your company upon this month's close."Katara blinked, not sure what to say in response. But with that, the messenger left, leaving a roomful of confusion in his wake.
Later that night, the sounds of crickets and the soft, near-silent cooing of a far-away owl was heard. There was only one candle still lit on Kyoshi Island; its dim glow the only thing that could still be seen in the darkness.
Katara's hand flew furiously across the page of her open notebook. After the group went over the strange incidents of Pyro's behavior, she decided to write a letter to Master Pakku and to Grangran detailing the events of their journey so far. She didn't want to leave them in the dark about things; just in case something was to go awry.
"There," she said to herself, rolling up the excess paper and sticking back down inside her pack. She carefully marked the letters with the proper addresses and set them aside to be mailed in the morning before they left for the Fire Nation. She knew that if Grangran and Master Pakku needed to get to them quickly, they could just ride Appa.
Her thoughts drifted to what Pyro had said right before he retired for the night, when he stared at her. Was that last part of the message just meant for her? If so, why was Zuko so eager to see her after all this time? Surely it was meant for everyone, the more rational side of her brain argued. Even so, she couldn't help but feel hopeful. Those feelings she hid for so long about the Fire Lord were gradually resurfacing, the buried fantasies and forgotten dreams slowly regaining their power in her mind. She shivered, pulling her covers close. Whatever the case may be, she thought, closing her eyes, I'll find out when we reach the palace. She drifted to sleep, while thoughts of dancing flames decorating the walls of a great kingdom containing all of her forbidden desires freely flew around her head.
Sokka rose, unable to sleep. He glanced around his empty room and sighed, feeling completely lonely. After two years of being apart, he couldn't bear the six or so hours of sleep it would take to be with her again.
He quietly exited his small chamber, his eyes quickly adjusting to the familiar dark of the training hall. He stealthily made his way to the other end of the hall where all the girls were slumbering. All of his years of being a hunter paid off; not even the cat cleaning himself in the moonlight was aware of his movements. He continued down the long corridor, pausing briefly to catch any sound of a threat. Or in this case, anyone else awake. There was nothing.
He finally crept his way down to the very last door; the door that lead to Suki's room. He glanced around, and when he was satisfied with his empty surroundings he slowly opened the door.
A beam of silver moonlight fell onto the bed, revealing a sliver of the image of a sleeping Suki. Her hair was down and splayed around her body carelessly in slumber. Sokka couldn't help but think to himself that even without her meticulously applied makeup, her face was still the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.
He moved over to the side of her bed, kneeling next to her. He took one of her hands in his, and whispered her name softly. "Suki," he said, smiling. "Wake up."
Suki breathed deeply, the muscles in her arms tensing slightly. Then she simply sighed and remained in a deep sleep. Sokka shrugged, just taking in her beauty.
"Even if you can't hear me," he began, his voice just above a whisper. "I just didn't get the chance this evening to tell you how happy I am to have you back in my life."
Suki rolled over a little, her face now inches away from Sokka's. He gulped, then continued. "I don't even know if you know how much you mean to me. I promise you I will be everything you could ever want in a guy," Sokka said, his voice cracking a little. "I know I'm not the best fighter, or the best boyfriend either," he stroked her dark hair away from her face. "I'm not the Avatar, or the Fire Lord, or even a bender. But I'm really good at keeping my promises. And I promise I will love you forever." With that, he kissed her forehead and stood. He was about to leave when he heard a faint noise come from her lips.
He strained hard to listen, waiting for her to say it again. She still appeared to be asleep, although she frowned slightly.
"So…kka…"she whispered unconsciously. Sokka smiled, returning to her side. He slowly and carefully lifted her blanket and climbed in next to her; the bed was incredibly warm and comfortable. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her face, not wishing that moment would ever end. He had no idea what would happen in the next few days as they neared the Fire Kingdom, but he knew deep down in his very soul that the woman he would cherish forever was in his arms then.
The next morning, Sokka awoke before the sunrise. He glanced down at Suki's placid face, her expression peaceful in sleep. He smiled, rose from the bed and began to gather his belongings in her room. He packed what little he had and placed it neatly by the edge of the door. He sighed, silently scolding himself for waking up too early. He sat by the bed, waiting for Suki to wake up. After a few long moments, he got bored and poked her face. She started awake.
"Oh, you startled me!" she cried, sitting up quickly. Her dark hair fell unrestrained around her shoulders, longer than it used to be.
"I'm sorry," Sokka replied sheepishly, glancing away. "I was bored and lonely and I woke up too early. Besides, we have to leave today so I thought you should wake up earlier to pack…" He trailed off, blushing slightly.
"Oh I've been packed for days," she said, standing up and walking over to a large wooden armoire and selecting the only outfit there that wasn't already packed.
"Oh,"Sokka said, relieved to be able to spend some extra time this morning alone with her. "Glad to see you're prepared as always."
"You know me," she mumbled distractedly, pulling at the sash of her sleeping gown. With a quick tug the entire gown fell to her feet. Sokka stared, his face flushing with color. Underneath her gown she wore nothing, so her bare body lay completely exposed to him. She turned slightly, looking back at Sokka's gawking face.
"Would you mind helping me into this?" She held up her armor, parts of it glinting in the early morning sunlight.
"Uh…sh-sure," he stuttered, clambering over to her. "How, exactly?"
She turned completely around, and Sokka's eyes just widened to the extreme. Her breasts were full and round and perky, and he had an overwhelming desire to touch them. She stepped close to him, the tip of one brushing against his arm. He shuddered.
"Yeah, this part goes around my waist and it's just hard to tie on my own. I've been doing it my whole life but somehow it's always easier to have one of the other girls do it for me. Since you're here, you might as well." She half-smiled at him, her eyes sparkling with a mischievous glint.
Sokka did his best to focus on the task at hand, tying the complicated knot at her waist and following her instructions as much as he could without getting distracted. Finally, her bottom half was fully clothed in armor, but her torso remained naked.
"Will you wrap my breasts?" She asked, a playful smirk on her scarlet lips.
Sokka's heart skipped, and his body felt about a million degrees hotter. He gulped, glancing down at the perfect orbs for a second. "Alright," he breathed.
She handed him the bands that all women of age typically wore around their upper body to provide support, and he unraveled it. He stepped behind her, wrapping it around her front. He wound it several times, doing it as tight as she asked him to. His breathing became ragged and he felt his lower body becoming hot. He finally stopped and tied it behind her, his hands briefly resting on her breasts. She made a soft sound that Sokka had never heard her make before. He dropped his hands, and spun her around.
"Sokka," she breathed, her eyes shining with an expression he could only peg as lust. His right hand slid down to her curvy hips and pulled her in for a kiss while his left hand stroked her breast. She fell into him, her arms wrapping around his neck and caressing his face.
Suddenly there was a sound at the door, almost like someone was clearing their throat.
The pair ripped apart, both blushing an amusing shade of red. The person at the door was Aang, and his face was turning a similar color.
"Um, everyone's gathering outside when they're…erm…ready," he choked out, fiddling with his staff. "Sooo, uhhh…yeah." With that, Aang turned on his heel and practically sprinted from view.
For a couple of moments Sokka stood still; completely embarrassed and not sure of what to say. However, Suki soon broke the silence.
"I guess that was just something we can continue on the ship after everyone's gone to bed," she stepped in front of him, fully dressed. She gazed into his eyes and finally kissed him passionately on the lips. After, she sighed and left the room.
Sokka still stood rigidly in the center of the room, his head spinning dizzily. He felt cold suddenly, and he felt a slight pain below the belt. He shook his head, and thought to himself, why am I terrified and exhilarated at the same time? And why am I so hungry all of a sudden?
He sighed, making his way out to join the others.