Love Enlightened

Chapter 6:

Maren only caught snatches of the conversations around her, and the people making conversations were woefully uninformed. Shaking her young head, her curls bouncing, she went to find out what was going on herself. She spent thirty minutes looking for the Blind Bandit and decided finally that Toph wasn't at the party anymore. As she left, she saw Sokka pull Suki aside into a private room. She also saw Katara bustling around like a worried mother hen as the Avatar trailed her trying to talk some sense into her.

Finally the eleven-year-old made it out into the clear night away from all those people. The party was slowly breaking up. The music had stopped and the residents of Kyoshi island were making their way home. Maren hustled past them all, headed towards the guest house.

"Sokka... Sokka, what is it?"

Sitting on the small couch, he rubbed his face with his hands, thoughts and questions and doubts hurtling around in her head. In response to her query, he just shook his head. She sat next to him and took his hand.

"Sokka... you can tell me what's on your mind." Wild hope and devastating disappointment fought for a place in her mind. She bit her lip, not sure what to feel, and not sure if she even knew what he was thinking about.

He still wasn't volunteering anything. "Okay, let's start out with an easier question. Who were you fighting with out on the beach?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment, a headache brewing, before he put his face in his hand again and answered.

"Toph." He sounded sad, and confused, and... something else she didn't recognize. She massaged the hand she held, waiting patiently. It was up to him at this point, but she was pretty sure what he was going to say.

"I... I can't imagine that she'd lie to me, Suki. I just... I don't know what to think anymore." He lifted his head and looked her in the eyes, turning towards her. He took her hands. "I need you to promise that you'll be honest with me."

She nodded. Here it comes...

"She said... she said that I'm not Noni's father."

Suki kept her face blank for a moment. His emotions were clear. He was confused, sad, a little disbelieving. She asked herself how she felt. This isn't what her father wanted, but... it's what she wanted. She knew when she stood on that earth that Toph would know. Did she do it on purpose, or...

She closed her eyes and brought his fingers to her lips, kissing them before she quietly said, "It's true."

He slowly pulled his hand from hers, and she let it go. "Why did you lie to me?"

She took a deep breath. "I might as well tell you the whole story. Would you like that?"

"You don't have t... I..." he looked at her "...yes," he finished weakly. She smiled, softly, sadly. Without his hand to hold, she drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, looking out the window to the starless night.

"A couple of months after you left last year, I was feeling really lonely. I had no idea when you were coming back." She clenched her arms. "It doesn't excuse what I did."

"A band of nomads came through, and we welcomed them. They had a cheerfulness about them that made everyone happy. The leader and his wife played songs for everyone, and they asked for nothing in return.

"With them was a boy, maybe sixteen or seventeen, travelling with them. He was charming, and we danced a couple of times during the songs. After about two weeks of living here, he really started to court me. I was flattered." She paused. "Alot of the things he said reminded me of how good you treated me. He was so kind, and always humble. He was forever complimenting me."

Sokka took a deep breath. She glanced at him and looked away again before continuing.

"The night before they left, they had a big party. There were drinks. I had a few and so did he. He fed me words of love and promises I thought he would keep." Suki clenched her eyes closed and a tear slipped down her cheek, and took a deep breath.

"When I woke up, he was gone, still travelling with the nomads. Clear-headed, I realized what I'd done. A month later, the village healers told me I was pregnant." She loosened her arms and wiped her cheek on her hand. When she stayed silent, Sokka took her hand and rubbed it with his thumbs.

"But why did you lie to me?" He asked softly, a tear that matched hers unseen in the dark.

"It wasn't my idea. My father knew I'd probably never see the nomad boy again, but he knew you'd be coming back for me, since you didn't know. He said to tell you she was yours so that you'd marry me and restore my honor."

Sokka chuckled a little, thinking of Zuko. "So you didn't want to, then." She jerked, sitting up on her legs.

"Lie to you? Spirits no! I argued against it for hours! But my father had this whole year to convince me. Especially after Noni was born, I saw how hard it would be to do this alone, and I finally said I'd do it."

Sokka smiled, if a bit sadly. "It means alot, that you didn't want to."

She wiped her face, sniffing. "Thank you." A cloud was blown away from the half-moon, and the light poured in through the open window. She glanced away and swallowed. "But you don't want to marry me anymore, do you?"

He said nothing, also looking out the window. Finally he looked up at the moon, and then back at Suki. He took a deep breath. "I love you, Suki. Even though you didn't lie to me..."

She looked down. "I did cheat on you."

He squeezed her hand. "Yeah. And... well, when Toph showed me that necklace..." He rubbed his eyes, trying to banish the mounting headache. "It feel so weird to say it to you, but..."

"A necklace? Like a betrothal necklace." Suki smiled a bit. "You were jealous?"

He nodded. "Yeah, a little bit."

"Toph!" Maren ran through the halls of the guest house towards the earthbender's small stone room. No one answered.

"Toph!" She called as she got to the stone door, and the seventeen-year-old opened it abruptly.

"What?" She asked angrily. Maren cowered a little bit. She'd never seen the earthbender so mad.

"Toph... it's me." She said quietly. Toph's face fell.

"Maren... I'm sorry," she said, slumping against the doorframe. Maren rushed forward and hugged the earthbender. She could feel the grit of sand conflicting with the silkiness of the pale green dress. Toph surprised herself by hugging the girl back. After a few moments, Toph pulled away. "I have to go."

Maren cried out. "Why? What happened?" Toph just shook her head and went back to stuffing her stuff in her bag. "Suki trusts me! You can too!"

Tears stung Toph's eyes at the mention of her. She stuffed the last thing in her bag and closed it up. She tossed it over her shoulder and made for the door, still not answering the kind little girl.

"You love him!" Maren cried as Toph walked away, which froze the Blind Bandit in her tracks. "You love Sokka and won't tell anyone!"

The silence stretched on, motionless. "It doesn't matter anymore," Toph muttered. She walked through the door and felt her way up the wooden hallway, leaving Maren by herself in the bedroom.

Dodging returning villagers, Toph made her way to the docks and bribed one half-asleep boatman to take her across to the mainland. He nearly refused until she pulled out that finger-sized bar of gold.

Maren ran after her, but only reached the end of the dock when the boat was too far away. She blinked back the tears and frowned. "Mama always told me earthbenders were stubborn."

Suki chuckled. "She loves you, too, you know," she said nonchalantly. Sokka looked up at her, shocked.

"What?"

She laughed. "You really never noticed? Well, I guess Aang had to kiss your sister to get her to see, so he says. Toph's too shy to do that, I think." Suki's humor was genuine, but sad. "I think I'm the only what who knows. Remember the Serpent's Pass?"

Sokka nodded, Suki's declaration having turned him dumb.

"When she fell through the ice and was going to drown, you called out to her, but I jumped in first." She looked at him. "She's blind, Sokka. She thought I was you. When I pulled her out of the water, she kissed me on the cheek." She laughed. "It's the most un-Toph-like thing I can remember her doing, and when she realized it was me, she was so embarrassed!"

"She's liked me since way back then?" He stated, still completely dumbfounded. A rush of memories bombarded him - scams and practical jokes and heart-to-heart talks. He realized all in a rush that he'd missed her as much as he'd missed Suki... maybe more. He looked in Suki's eyes and saw alot of things - regret, honesty, love... but no jealousy. He must have looked shocked. She looked out the window with a sad smile on her face.

"I decided a long time ago that the two of you might end up loving each other. You and I were good together, Sokka, but the past few years have taught me that things change when you least expect them to." She took his hands. "If you love her, don't let me stand in the way. I have my father and the Kyoshi warriors and Maren. I'll get by."

His face fell, the wonder at his realizations left him, and he turned away. "Toph left. I made her so angry... Suki, I called her a liar! It's too late. She's gone back to Gaoling to marry Ohev."

It was Suki's turn to look shocked. She jumped up and pulled Sokka with her. "Sokka, you have to get to her before she gives him her answer!"

"What? Why?"

"Sokka, the boy, the traveller, the nomad, whatever you want to call him. I knew him long enough to know his name!" She saw realization dawn in Sokka's eyes. "Toph doesn't know that Ohev is Noni's father!"

Together Suki and Sokka fled the house in which they had just recently been celebrating the engagement, and outside ran into Katara and Aang.

"Sokka, what's going on?" Katara asked worriedly.

Sokka opened his mouth to speak, but Suki beat him to it. "The wedding is off!" She exclaimed. Katara's jaw dropped. "Aang, Sokka needs to borrow Appa!"

Utterly confused, Aang asked, "Why? What's going on?"

"I've got to stop Toph from marrying Ohev," Sokka answered.

"Wait, back up!" Katara exclaimed.

"No time!" Suki said breathlessly. "We have to catch her before she accepts his proposal! If she got on a boat right after her fight with Sokka, she's probably landing on the mainland right now!"

"And she can move alot faster over land," Aang added. "Let's go."

Sokka, Suki, and Aang ran off towards the barn that held Appa. Katara stood still, stunned, and then turned and ran to catch up with them. "Wait! I don't understand!" Sokka scrambled up Appa's side into the saddle.

"I'll tell you on the way, Katara. Get in!" He reached a hand down to her and pulled her up into the saddle. He repeated the motion, reaching for Suki, but she stepped away.

"Suki, aren't you coming?" He asked. She shook her head.

"I need to stay. Noni, remember? I can't go off adventuring at the drop of a hat anymore."

"I... I guess this is goodbye again, then." Appa got ready to take off. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you, too, Sokka." He waved to her and saw her wave in return. As she faded out of sight he righted himself in the saddle, only to find Katara staring him down irrately, making him jump slightly.

"You have alot of explaining to do." She said.