So this chapter is going to be a little different…it focuses mainly on Sokka and Aang and how they deal with their losses. It doesn't really add anything to the story at this exact moment but it will for sure, I'm positive, add in later chapters. Also it kind of rewinds back to the last chapter for a few paragraphs…but I think it was needed. Anyways enjoy

Chapter Nine: Falling Down

Sokka:

As soon as the news hit his ears his mind shut down. He felt like someone just threw him off a mountain. His stomach dropped out of his body and his heart was beating so fast he thought it was going to explode.

No, this can't be happening. Not to Katara, not to Suki. They are the two most important women in my life. I can't lose them. First mom and now them. This isn't fair. What have I done to deserve this?

His mind raced with a million thoughts, but he couldn't voice but the simplest of sentences. Tears poured over his face and onto his hands and the floor. Sobs wrenched through his throat. Finally he calmed down enough to speak and said "We are going to find those bastards and kill them, all of them…agreed?" Every one of the faces looking at him nodded. He didn't know if they agreed with him for real or if they agreed with him because of the murderous and scary look in his eyes. He didn't care either, as long as he got Suki and Katara back.

I will find you, and I will kill the sons of bitches that dared mess with you. He silently promised to the two women.

When he was alone he collapsed in sobs again. He cursed every insult that he could think of…and then some. Sokka let his emotions have free rein over his body.

How could he do that to me? I thought we were friends. I guess he was just using all of us to get to Aang. How dare he do that to us! That freaking backstabber! I swear when I find him I will personally rip him limb from limb. It's my fault that they are gone. I should have seen that Kisho was no good and protected them, protected all of us. But no, I was in my own little world of puppies and rainbows, too shallow to see anything under the surface.

Anger was the prime emotion he felt. He didn't know anger until that day. Nothing he had ever felt came close to what he was feeling then. It was like he had become a completely different person. From that day forward he was a changed man. Every emotion he felt couldn't compare to the anger and hatred he felt that day. Every emotion…except the love he had for his friends and family. The second thing he felt was guilt. He thought that if he paid more attention to Kisho, then he would have seen that his sister's ex-boyfriend was no good. But since he didn't he blamed himself for the kidnapping of both Suki and Katara.

For an entire week he didn't eat or come out of his room. All he did was let his anger out. People up and down the hallways could hear his cries of frustration and anger. No one dared come into the room; if they did they would be horrified at what they saw. Bloodied bandages littered the practically invisible floor. Broken chair bits were scattered in-between the bandages and blood spatters. Sokka's emotions were so strong he didn't know how to deal with them. He wasn't thinking straight. So instead of talking to someone about what he was feeling, he cut himself. It started out as an accident; he smashed his mirror and bits of sharp glass stuck in his knuckles. The pain felt good, it helped ease his emotional pain. So whenever his emotional pain became too much he took a very sharp shard of the broken mirror and ran it across his forearm. The cuts were shallow and thin, but just enough for him to breath in sharply when the blade tore open the skin. After the cut bled for a few seconds he washed it out, and then wrapped it in bandages cut from his bedding. He always cleaned the blade afterwards, not wanting to get infected. After eight days had passed he came out of his room, ready to face the Gang again.

XxXxXxX

Aang:

When he told Sokka the news about Katara and Suki he felt like his heart was breaking over and over again.

How come this happened to us? We just got all back together and now we are violently ripped apart again. This is so unfair…but hey life is unfair, I should know that. Well…I guess there is only one option right now, get Katara and Suki back before Kisho kills them.

Unlike his best friend Aang controlled his emotions enough to keep a level head. It was still obvious to his friends that he was mourning for the loss of Katara, even if his mouth was laughing or in a smile his eyes were sad. Every night before he fell asleep he would try to find her with his Avatar powers. When he couldn't find her, the tears that he had been holding back all day poured over his face. Silent sobs racked his body for hours before he could fall asleep. He blamed himself for not seeing signs that Kisho wasn't who everyone thought he was.

Maybe if I paid more attention to him, maybe I could have stopped this from happening. I should have noticed that Suki was missing, why didn't I notice? I know why. Because I was too wrapped up in myself to notice anything else. Now Katara is gone. But I swear I will die trying to get her back.

From that day on, every waking moment was dedicated to getting the Gang prepared for the long journey they had ahead of them. When he wasn't working on plans for the search party, he was training for his confrontation with the rebellion. He knew that they were a strong anti-bender society and that they were well equipped to fight and kill benders. Considering that they had almost succeeded in killing him in the Avatar State, causing the entire Avatar cycle to be ended, he was taking no chances. That meant many hours of training, finding ways to use his bending to quicken his reflexes and make him more aware of his surroundings.

Faster! I need to be faster! Another 500 rocks.

Aang scolded himself.

"Aang, do you need a break? Cause I kind of want one…" Toph commented. Aang was having her throw rocks at him at an amazingly fast speed. He would then use all four elements to prevent them from hitting him. They had been working for over two hours, almost 500,000 rocks and he had only missed 3. But to Aang it wasn't the other 499,997 rocks that mattered, it was the three rocks that he focused on.

What if those rocks were arrows and I missed them, I could be dead. This isn't acceptable. I need to do better if im going to save Katara and Suki.

"Just 500 more rocks and then we're done for today. Is that alright?" Aang asked, he knew his friend was tired, but he hoped that she wouldn't quit on him just then.

"Yeah its fine. Okay, you ready?" She responded, Aang grunted in response and she started chucking rocks at him with all her might.

When he was done working with Toph, Aang went and got ready to meet with the Gang in the council chambers. It would be the first time anyone had seen Sokka in eight days. They knew that he had lost the two most important women in his life, so they gave him space. However what surprised them was that instead of Sokka taking charge and being the leader of the search and rescue mission, it was Aang. He met every challenge they threw at him, he was so dedicated to finding his friends.

When I find them I swear I'm never going to let Katara out of my sight. No matter what I will not leave her ever again. Kisho is going to pay dearly for what he did. Him and everyone else who is involved in this rebellion, I going to kill Kisho first and then each and every one of the people who took Katara. If anyone gets in my way I might accidently hurt them, hopefully no one does.

When everyone, except Sokka, was gathered in the room the meeting began. Towards the very end, Sokka entered the room and it fell completely silent. He looked the same, but completely different. The loss of Suki and Katara changed him that was clear.

"Well are we going to do this or what?" He asked. His voice was hoarse, like he had been yelling.

"Yeah we are. You ready?" Aang asked.

"Hell yeah, more than ready actually."

"Good, we leave sunrise day after next." And with that the meeting was dismissed.

Everyone had left the room besides Sokka and Aang, for a moment they just stared at each other, saying nothing. Finally Aang broke the silence, "Um…why are you wearing long sleeves? It is summer in the Fire Nation, in case you didn't notice."

Sokka shifted nervously in his spot.

Should I tell him the truth? What would he think of me? He might think I'm too emotionally unstable to go save Suki and Katara, I can't let that happen! I need to go save them. It's my fault they are gone, and if I can I'm going to fix it.

"I uh-it's just that-" He couldn't put a sentence together, or at least one that didn't give away that he cut himself. "Aang I-"

"It's fine. You don't have to explain to me if you don't want to." Aang said smoothly, he didn't want to make his best friend uncomfortable.

"Yeah, soo…"

"Um…I'm really sorry, about your sister and Suki. We are going to get them back though, and kill everyone who was responsible for your grief." The Avatars voice was heavy with sorrow.

"Thanks. I'm sorry too, I know that you and Katara were just starting to be friends again and now she's-" His voice cracked as fresh tears started forming in his eyes. The younger of the two men went over and comforted his friend. They walked out of the room and parted ways.

Yeah I know, the last part after the meeting was kind of lame, and a filler, but this whole chapter kind of was. It leads up to something really awesome, but not for a few chapters. :)

I want to give you a quick little explanation thingy before you comment about how OOC Sokka is acting:

I made Sokka be "emo" because he has always been the one who bottles up most of his emotions. But in "Day of Black Sun" (er w.e that chapter was called) part two I think, when Azula was taunting him about Suki he cried a little bit and that really got to me. So I thought that maybe instead of bottling up his emotions like he always does that he should kind of let them all out. But he wouldn't know how to deal with it so he cut himself, even though it started out as an accident( when he cut his knuckles on the broken glass) he thought it was the only solution to his emotional overload. Also because he his blaming himself and full of self-loathing sometimes he just would want to die, that's another reason why he cuts himself.

Well, I hoped you liked this chapter! As I always say thanks so much for reading! And thanks to the people who take time out of their lives to review. :)

I'm going to shut up now….so adios n gracias for reading all the way!