Prompts: Fire, "This is going to be a great brawl", Kiyoshi Island, Animal-Human

Words: 2045
Team: Ember Island Eelhounds
Position: Fire

On Repeat

Sokka woke up to the ever present and calming feeling of the see moving the ship up and down. He stretched, yawned, and gently shook his son's shoulder to wake him up. They were on the second day of their trip to Kyoshi Island to celebrate the Avatar Kiyoshi's birthday with the rest of the gang; even Fire Lord Zuko was going to be there so Sokka had no choice but to go.

Karrem rolled over and looked at his father.

'What time?' he signed.

'Time to get up.' Sokka signed back. 'I am hungry.'

'You're always hungry.' Karrem signed before getting up and brushing his teeth.

Sokka had never anticipated being a single father, but he loved his son and life he was leading, even if he had to move from the South Pole to republic city to better take care of Karrem (It's rather hard to sign with gloves after all.) Sokka smiled and started to get ready for the day, he was hungry after all.

.o.

Karrem walked around the ship with a book under one arm. He was trying to take everything it but mostly he saw a lot of people running around not paying attention to anyone else. As Karrem walked towards what looked like a more secluded area when a boy about his age slammed into him.

The boy looked shocked and said something but he covered his mouth and moved his head away from Karrem.

Karrem tilted his head and signed. 'I can't hear what you said, can you repeat?'

The boy looked Karrem up and down then as if a light bulb had gone off started to yell at Karrem. The water tribe boy tried to read the other's lips but it was impossible.

"Oh forget it." Karrem said knowing that it probably did not sound like how it should. The other boy stopped yelling and Karrem just walked away to go read his book.

.o.

Sokka sunned himself on the deck barely paying attention to anyone around him. He vaguely registered the sound of a young boy yelling and another woman complaining about the clouds in the sky. Chuckling to himself Sokka yawned and napped for a few hours.

Once evening hit Sokka found Karrem halfway through his book and the two headed to the ship's buffet. They stood in line behind a large man with white hair and big brown eyes that looked tired. The man piled his plate high with vegetables and left for his table but not before looking over at Karrem and giving him a wink.

Sokka frowned. "Well that's creepy." He muttered before piling his plate full and heading to the table to eat.

Most of the dining room was full so Sokka and Karrem had to sit with other people. One was a sweet woman, who after learning Karrem was deaf was trying to learn a few basic signs, while the other was a man about Sokka's age who had a lot of opinions on parenting, none of which Sokka was interested it. At one point in the night the man had said something about Karrem being dumb and Sokka felt like slapping the man and left the table quickly after that too cool down and go to bed.

.o.

The swaying of ship once again waked up Sokka and he woke Karrem up and they started the day. Once again Sokka spent the day relaxing and Karrem read more of his book. He also told Sokka about the same boy yelling at him again.

'It was weird! It was like he didn't know me from yesterday.' Karrem signed before grabbing his plate.

Sokka set his plate down. 'Well people are idiots. I'm sorry he yelled at you.'

Karrem set his plate now full of picken down. 'It's ok, it wasn't like I could hear it.' He smiled and then moved to put move picken on his plate.

Sokka rolled his eyes and smiled. He loved Karrem's attitude it was so relaxed and calm just like his mother but he got his appetite from him. Again they were behind the big man who this time looked at Karrem's plate and handed him his plate full of vegetable. He signed something to Karrem and then went back to get a new plate.

At the table Sokka asked what he had said.

'He said I needed to eat more vegetables.'

'Oh well you probably do.' Sokka admitted before turning to the table and seeing the same couple from the night before.

Again the woman tried to learn a few more signs, and seemed to have forgotten the ones from the night before while the man once again gave the same unsolicited advice from the night before and insulted Karrem. This time Sokka stood up and gave the man a piece of his mind before grabbing Karrem's hand and storming out into the night. He looked up at the stars noticing they weren't as close to Kyoshi island as they should be.

Grumbling under his breath Sokka went back to his cabin and went to bed.

.o.

The next day, Sokka paid close attention to his surroundings. He sat in his deck chair listening and watching as everyone made the same movements as the day before. He even humorously watched as the little yelling boy ran into nothing and then yelled at it. Sokka narrowed his eyes.

"So the pattern repeats even when we don't interact with them. Interesting." He looked over at Karrem and tapped his shoulder. 'How's the book?' He asked.

'Good." Karrem answered before going back to reading.

At the dinner line, everything was the same except the pudgy man was now behind them in line. He signed hello and told them to enjoy the night sky and walked away with a platter of vegetables. Sokka frowned. "I really don't trust him." He muttered before sitting by the same couple and watching the same conversation play out until the man again insulted Karrem. This time Sokka stabbed the man with is dinner knife.

"My son is not an idiot you jackass!" Sokka yelled before several men who looked a lot like the man he had just stabbed. "Heh, apparently you have brothers." Sokka hunched down and smirked. "This is going to be a great brawl."

It had been a long time since Sokka had been in a fight like this but it felt good to punch the ugly off the men's faces. Even Karrem helped out by water bending his drink into ice and knocking a knife out of one of the men's hands. It felt so good even if they did end up all in the ship's brig.

Sokka sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Well, can't say I didn't de sever this."

"Yes, you were being an outright fool! How could you be so irresponsible with Karrem at your side he could have been injured!"

Sokka looked over and the angry moon spirit floating by the window. "That jackass was calling our son an idiot! What was I supposed to do? It was day three of dealing with that guy!"

Yue crossed her arms. "Ignored him, and possibly focus on the fact time is repeating! That would be on the top of my list!"

"Well sorry moon! Maybe I'm still trying to work it all out! And wait you know time is repeating? Why? Why is it repeating?!"

Yue sighed. "Because I keep making it repeat."

Sokka blinked. "Why? Is it because you want to torture me? Do you want to keep me from seeing Suki and possibly patch things up? Are you jealous?!"

"No, I'm bigger than that. I keep repeating the day because there's a spirit on this ship and at midnight every night he blows the ship up!"

"Oh." Sokka looked down. "That would make sense but why not stop it yourself?"

"I cannot be where the moon is not and there are no windows in the boiler room. I sent Appa here to help, even gave him a human form but he is easily distracted by the buffet." She frowned. "Maybe I should have gotten Momo instead."

Sokka shock his head. "No! You should have told me earlier!"

"I didn't want to worry you or put Karrem in danger." Yue sat down on the cot and petted Karrem's white hair. "I love both of you and I didn't want to either of you in danger."

Sokka sighed. "I wish you had told me earlier. I know you care, and I want to protect Karrem just as much as you. So how do I keep this day from repeating?"

"You need to stop the spirit from blowing up the ship's boiler. Do that, and I won't repeat the day."

"Ok so what am I looking for? What is-"

.o.

Sokka woke up in his bed while Karrem slept soundly in his bed. Getting up Sokka kissed his son's cheek and got dressed. He was going to find this spirit and get passed this day. He walked out onto the deck and headed towards the boilers.

.o.

Waking up again in the same room with the swaying Sokka looked over at Karrem who was already awake.

'So that didn't work either.' Karrem signed.

'Yeah, we got try something else.' Sokka sighed. They have been stuck in this hellish cycle for what felt like years. He felt tired and Karrem had gone from the little boy he loved to a surely adolescent who had read every book on the ship and mastered what few waterbending moves Katara had taught him.

So many times Sokka had almost stopped the spirit but as soon as he saw Sokka he blew the boiler and Sokka woke up in his bed.

'Any ideas?' He asked Karrem.

Karrem shrugged and looked at his latest book. It was a horror book based on true events. 'I do but it's a bad idea.'

'What is it?'

'I could try to bloodbend the spirit, like the villain in my horror book.' Karrem held the book then put it down. 'I could ask mom to help me.'

Sokka bit his lip. 'I don't know. You're aunt was pretty clear on that being evil.'

Karrem looked frustrated. 'We are stuck in a loop! We've been here for years! For years dying in a fiery blast! This is evil! This needs to stop!' There were tears in Karrem's eyes.

Sokka hung his head before nodded. 'Ok, I'll try to stop the spirit tonight and you talk to your mom. She can teach you, she's the moon she'll know how."

.o.

Two weeks after that discussion Sokka found himself face to face with the fire spirit who instead of blowing up the boiler again was now trying to scratch off his face. The spirit was an impish creature and had very sharp claws that were determined to take Sokka's eye out.

Sokka watched as the creature raised its claw and cringed waiting for the pain to start and then wake up again in his room but it never came. Opening an eye, Sokka saw the imp frozen in mid pose then the spirit was thrown out the door which Karrem in fast pursuit. Quickly getting to his feet Sokka ran after the two and out into on to the deck. The imp dove and weaved through the crowds and was about to jump into the water when Appa reached out and grabbed the spirit. For a few moments the spirit struggled then it relaxed and the four of them waited for Yue.

.o.

Sokka woke up and stretched. He looked around and saw that Karrem was sound asleep in the other bed. Panicking Sokka rushed out onto the deck and gave a sigh of relief spotting Kyoshi Island in the distance. Taking a deep breath Sokka looked up at the sky.

"Thank you." He smiled and looked back at the island. "I can't wait to get off this fucking boat!"

"Do you mind sir?!" The jackass from last night scolded. "I know you're child is deaf but the rest of us can hear you clearly!"

Sokka smiled. "Yeah, I don't care."