20

Hoshiko was awoken by the sound of scratching on her door. She sleepily raised her head and went to the door. When she opened it, she found Momo looking up at her. He let out a squeak, cocking his head to the side as if to ask 'Are you awake now?' Hoshiko sighed and picked up the lemur, putting him on her shoulders as she walked out of her bedroom. She walked outside to where the water pump was and put a bucket underneath it. She filled it with the water from the pump, then carefully carried the bucket to the bathroom. She filled the tub with the liquid, and looked at how much she had put in. Deciding it was enough to get herself clean, she opened up the door to the spot beneath the tub and saw a few logs were already there. She struck a match and lit the fire, then she shut the door. While waiting for the water to warm up, she got some soap from underneath the counter top and some shampoo. When she got back, she found the water was warm enough and stepped in, giving herself a quick bath.

Momo stuck his paw into the water while she was bathing, and started scrubbing himself clean. Hoshiko smiled at him, seeing that the only reason he woke her up was so he could bathe himself. While scrubbing her hair with shampoo, she noticed Momo trying to copy her, his paws rubbing back and forth against his head like her hands were on her own head. She laughed at the lemur's antics. When her hair was nice and sudsy, she held her breath and dipped her entire head underneath the water. She didn't hear the bathroom door open, or see Sokka come in, carrying his own bucket of water. He looked at the tub and was surprised to see it already filled with sudsy water. Deciding it was because someone was careless and didn't drain the tub, he went over to start draining it. It was at this moment, Hoshiko stuck her head out of the water. Sokka yelped in surprise and Hoshiko covered her chest on instinct at the sound of his voice.

"Sokka!" She squealed, hiding her body beneath the water, her face flushing red.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Sokka said quickly, scrambling to get out. He slammed the bathroom door behind him and Hoshiko sighed, leaning back against the tub. She dragged her hand down her face, and looked at the lemur, who looked back with his wide, green eyes.

"Do you think he saw anything?" She asked him, Momo replied with the typical squeak, "Yeah, I hope not."

Hoshiko walked out of the bathroom, completely dressed in new clothes. Sokka was waiting outside for her. He instantly jumped up, and opened his mouth to give an explanation, but Hoshiko held up her hand.

"I don't want to hear it." She said, "Just promise me you'll knock next time you try to go in a bathroom." Sokka nodded quickly, "That's all I need to know." She walked away from him, leaving him alone.

Hoshiko looked up when she saw Katara walking down the hall, "Morning Katara."

"Good morning, Hoshiko." Katara said, "Where are you off to?"

"Oh, nowhere." Hoshiko said with a shrug, "Where's Toph?"

"Actually, I was just about to wake her up." Katara said. She turned to Toph's bedroom door and gasped at Toph's disheveled state inside. "Toph, aren't you gonna get ready for the day?" Toph slowly sat up and looked at the two girls at her door. Hoshiko laughed at Toph's hair, which was sticking up all over the place. She hacked up some spit and shot it into a spittoon near her bed, which hit it with a loud clang!

She stood up and wiped a little dirt off her clothes, "I'm ready." She said.

"You're not gonna wash up?" Katara asked, looking at her.

"Yeah, you probably should." Hoshiko said, "You got a little dirt on your…" She looked her up and down, "Everywhere, actually."

"You call it dirt," Toph said with a pleased smile, "I call it a healthy coating of earth."

Katara hummed thoughtfully, "You know what we need?" She asked, "A girl's day out."

"Ooh! Yeah!" Hoshiko said eagerly.

"Do I have to?" Toph moaned.

"Oh, come on, Toph." Hoshiko said, "It'll be fun!" She grimaced, "Hurry and get dressed, I know just the place to go."

Hoshiko and Katara looked up happily at the spa Hoshiko had led them to.

"The fancy Lady Day Spa?" Toph grumbled, her shoulders slumped, "Sounds like my kind of place."

"Are you ready for some serious pampering?" Katara asked her.

"Sure, Katara… Whatever you say." Toph said, "As long as they don't touch my feet." The three girls walked into the spa.

Hoshiko let out a pleasant sigh as the woman massaged her feet, giving her a pedicure. Katara relaxing as well as she got the same treatment. Hoshiko stole a glance over at Toph, and grimaced slightly when she saw two women were holding her down as another woman used a pumice stone on her feet. She winced as she saw Toph get one of her arms free and slam one of the women away from her with earth bending.

Hoshiko, Katara, and Toph lay back contentedly in their mud baths, their faces covered in an organic, mineral face cream. Hoshiko looked over at Toph when she sighed happily.

"Now this is my kind of pampering." She said, Hoshiko giggled.

"I bet." Hoshiko said.

One of the spa's employees came over to them, offering them towels. Toph, deciding to have a little fun, used her earth bending to lift up the cucumbers over her eyes and the face cream around her mouth to make her look like a monster. The woman screamed when she saw this and ran off. Hoshiko and Katara laughed at her reaction. Toph laughed, too, undoing the earth bending trick.

The three girls lay back serenely in the sauna room. Hoshiko looked up when Toph slammed her foot down, causing another one of the hot rocks to jump into the middle of the room. Katara used her water bending and poured a stream of water on them. They sighed as steam filled the room once more.

Hoshiko smiled as she, Katara, and Toph walked back home from the spa, their faces covered in make-up.

"Well, that wasn't so bad." Toph said, "I'm not usually into that stuff, but I actually feel… girly."

"I'm glad." Katara said, "It's about time we did something fun together."

"Best day in Ba-Sing-Se yet." Hoshiko said, the girls nodded in agreement.

As they walked over a bridge, three other girls passed them. Hoshiko guessed from their clothes that they were from the upper ring.

"Wow, great make-up." One girl complimented Toph.

"Thanks." Toph said.

"For a clown!" She added on, making the other girls laugh in squealish tones. Hoshiko and Katara scowled at the three girls.

"Don't listen to them." Katara said, putting her hand on Toph's shoulder, "Let's just keep walking."

"I think she looks cute." One girl said, "Like that time you put a sweater on your pet poodle monkey!" The girls laughed again, and Hoshiko's scowl deepened.

"Good one, Star!" The third girl said.

"Bitches…" Hoshiko muttered.

"Let's go, Toph." Katara said.

"No, no, that was a good one!" Toph said, turning around to the girls, "Like your poodle monkey! Ha, ha! You know what else is a good one?" She pushed her hands out and made the bridge beneath them disappear, making them land in the river below. Hoshiko and Katara came up to the hole with smirks on their faces.

"Now that was funny." Katara said, Hoshiko lifted up her hands, making the shadow from the bridge rise up and form into a little demon with a terrifying hiss, making the girls scream. Katara lifted up her hands and caused a huge wave in the river to send the girls racing downstream.

"Nice!" Hoshiko said, giving Katara a high-five. They looked back over to Toph and were surprised to see her walking away. They ran to catch up with her.

"Those girls don't know what they're talking about." Katara said as she came up next to Toph.

"It's okay." Toph said, "One of the good things about being blind is that I don't have to waste my time worrying about appearances. I don't care what I look like. I'm not looking for anyone's approval. I know who I am." She stopped walking and Hoshiko noticed her eyes welling up in tears.

"That's what I really like about you Toph." Hoshiko said, putting her arm around her shoulders, "You're so strong, and confident, and self-assured. I mean, you never deal with insecurities, I can't tell you how lucky you are to be like that." Toph sniffled and wiped her nose, "And I know it doesn't matter, but, you're really pretty."

"I am?" Toph asked, lifting her head some.

"Yeah, you are." Katara agreed, Toph smiled and started walking again. Hoshiko and Katara came up next to her.

"I'd return the compliments, but I have no idea what either of you look like." Toph said, Hoshiko and Katara laughed at her joke. "Thanks, guys." She reached up and punched both of them in the shoulder.

"Ow." Katara muttered, rubbing the spot she hit. Hoshiko rubbed the spot she had hit as well, but didn't say anything.

"Love taps, huh?" She said, "Probably should have seen that coming." Toph and Katara laughed. Hoshiko looked over as they passed by part of the shopping district, "You guys go on ahead. I'll be back soon."

"Where are you going?" Katara asked, Hoshiko shrugged.

"I think I'm just going to look around here for a bit." She said, "I'll meet you back at the house."

"Okay, then." Katara said, "Have fun." Hoshiko nodded and walked into the shopping district.

Hoshiko reached her arms up high as she stretched them, before lowering them and letting her hands rest behind her head as she walked around the streets of Ba-Sing-Se. She walked by various shops and stands through the streets, gazing at some of the things they had to sell. She walked by a figurine stand, and stopped. She looked down at a small, jade figurine of a human man and Shinjun woman, their hands holding each other's, behind them stood a beautiful rose. She looked at it sadly, remembering Kotaro.

"If this is for a romantic gift," A voice said, "That would be an excellent choice." Hoshiko stood up straight and looked at the man, who was clearly the shop's owner.

"No, I was just admiring it." She said, "Did you make these?"

"Every one that you see here." He said, gesturing to all the figurines in the shop, "That one there's a personal favorite of mine." He pointed to the figurine she had been gazing at, "I was inspired to make it when I heard a man's story about the love of his life."

"Would you mind telling me this story?" Hoshiko asked him politely, the man smiled.

"Certainly, here," He reached behind a desk and pulled out a stool, "Take a seat." Hoshiko smiled and sat down as the man pulled up another chair for himself, "Now let's see… It was about thirty years ago, long before you were born, that this man left his village to see the world. This was the first time he had ever left the village, and he was excited to see every part of the Earth Kingdom. But, it was his first time traveling, and he was unprepared for the world around him. Eventually, he ran out of food, and soon, out of water. He simply lay on the ground, too tired and too hungry to move, he stared up at the sky, thinking 'Is this how I'm going to die?' Just when he was about to pass out, a face came into his line of sight, and in his state, he thought it was the face of an angel, coming to take him to the afterlife. He thought that since the angel was beautiful, he would be happy to go to the afterlife with her. Then, he blacked out. When he awoke, he found himself in a small tent, lying on someone's bed. Someone came in, and the man was surprised to see his angel there, when in truth, she was a young tigress Shinjun with long white hair, and sparkling blue eyes. She introduced herself as Mu Laohu, and told the man that she had found him on the side of the road, underfed and dying of thirst.

She gave him food and drink, and scolded him, telling him he should have been more careful when travelling alone. They spoke of many things together while she carefully nursed him back to health, for, you see, it's not smart to eat as much food as you could get your hands on when you've starved." Hoshiko nodded in agreement, listening intently as the man continued, "They spoke of the man's family, and the woman's family, and their likes and dislikes. The more time they spent together, the more the man came to love Mu Laohu, and the more she came to love him. When the man was fully healed, she sent him away, but he always returned, wanting to speak to her more and more. After ten years of speaking to one another, they confessed their love for each other, and decided to get married. But neither of the families approved of the marriage, for the woman's family hated humans for enslaving their people, and the man's family thought of Shinjuns as horrible creatures. Deciding that they would be better off without their families' approval, they eloped to another city, where they would be free from their families' prejudice."

"And they lived happily ever after, right?" Hoshiko asked, the man shook his head.

"Not quite so." He said, "You see, while they loved each other, they are not compatible as husband and wife. Mu Laohu was weak, and very sickly. When they conceived, it was the happiest day of their lives. But when the child was born, Mu Laohu did not have the strength to give birth, and died. Their child, however, was strong, and lived with her father, but the death of Mu Laohu stayed with the man for the rest of his life. To this day, he believes he will never find another woman like her, and he lives alone with his child."

Hoshiko was silent for a moment, taking in the story, then smiled, "What a beautiful story, if a bit sad." The man nodded.

"Yes, but the best stories are very sad." He said in agreement, "That story was what inspired me to make that beautiful figurine." Hoshiko looked back at it, smiling.

"How much for it?" She asked, the man hummed thoughtfully.

"I don't know…" He said, "I'm very fond of it."

"Well, I'd very much like to have it, hearing that beautiful story." Hoshiko said.

"Father!" A voice said from the back of the shop, Hoshiko's eyes widened when she saw a young woman about her age coming towards them, with long white hair held back in a ponytail and sparkling blue eyes. She came up next to him, "What's going on?"

"Is this… your daughter?" Hoshiko asked, pointing to the girl. She smiled at her and bowed respectfully towards her.

"Yes, miss, my name is Hu Zai." She said, "Nice to meet you." Hoshiko looked back to the man.

"Then, the man in the story…" She said, pointing to the man, who smiled and nodded, "So, this is you and your wife." Hoshiko picked up the figurine of the two.

"Are you buying it?" Hu Zai asked, "Father hasn't been able to sell that figurine since he made it ten years ago." Hoshiko looked back at the man and smiled.

"Actually, I'm not sure what I'd do with this figurine if I did buy it." She said, "Looks like your father's going to hang onto it for a bit longer." Hu Zai pouted.

"Darn." She said, "Well, I suppose there's always next time, right, Dad?" The man said nothing, picking up the figurine and presenting it to Hoshiko.

"Actually, how about you take it for half price?" He offered, "Only two silver pieces."

"Are you sure?" Hoshiko asked, taking the figurine from his hands.

"Yes, I am." He said, "It's about time I… Let go of it. And it's been a very long time since I've had someone to listen to my stories. Consider it a thank you."

"Well, alright." Hoshiko said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out two silver pieces and handing them to him, "Thank you, for the figurine and for the story." She bowed to him, "Have a good day."

"You, too." The man said, waving goodbye as she walked away. Hoshiko smiled down at the figurine as she walked down the street.

Hoshiko adjusted the figurine on the table, and moved away once she deemed it perfect. She turned around when she heard the door open and saw Katara and Toph come in, their faces covered in make-up.

"Hey Hoshiko." Katara greeted, she looked at the figurine, "Oh, what a pretty statue!"

"Isn't it?" Hoshiko said, looking at it, "I just got it. What do you think?"

"I think it's beautiful." Katara said, gazing at it, "By the way, have you seen Sokka? I couldn't find him earlier." Hoshiko shook her head.

"Sorry, I haven't." She said, "But if I see him, I'll let you know." Katara nodded as Hoshiko started to leave again.

Hoshiko looked around the city, seeing that it had become dusk, and walked around some part of the upper ring. She wasn't sure where, exactly. She had stopped caring about where she was going a while ago.

She jumped a foot in the air when the building she was passing by suddenly tossed someone out. She was surprised to see it was Sokka, who glared at the building before sitting down and mumbling "Poetry." Angrily.

"Sokka?" Hoshiko asked, looking down at him, he looked up at her in surprise.

"Hoshiko!" He said, standing up, "What… What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you that!" Hoshiko said, she looked over at the building he was thrown out of, "Or do I not want to know?"

"Eh… You don't want to know." Sokka said. Hoshiko nodded.

"Uh-huh." She said, "Well, as long as we're out here, you wanna go grab some dinner? I'm hungry."

"Sure." Sokka said with a shrug, following her as they headed to the middle ring.

Hoshiko tried to take another sip of her drink without laughing as Sokka continued his story about his father.

"So, my dad put the octopus on his head and snuck up on my Grandmother, okay?" He said, Hoshiko snickered behind her hand, "Then, Bato, my dad's friend, sat down behind a wall and started talking this spooky voice, and they convinced Gran Gran that he was an actual water spirit!" Hoshiko laughed aloud, "And that's not even the best part. They convinced her to jump into the water near the edge of the village, completely naked!" Hoshiko covered her mouth as she laughed, trying not to disturb the people around them. She bent over the table, Sokka laughing with her.

"Oh man…" She murmured, wiping away a tear from her laughter, "That's too funny." Sokka chuckled.

"So? What about you?" Sokka asked, picking up a dumpling from the plate they were sharing, "You got any funny stories?"

"Oh, not really." Hoshiko said, "I mean, there's this one story about this one crazy man who talked to a tree, but…"

"Oh, I wanna hear that!" Sokka said, his mouth full of dumpling.

"No, it's not as interesting as it sounds." She warned, "My friend just listened to him talk to the tree about the meaning of life. He went on about his idea of death and the meaning of life and nonsense like that."

"I still wanna hear it!" Sokka said, Hoshiko smiled.

"Okay, fine." She said, "It was, like, a month ago. My friend Xana was going through this one part of the Earth Kingdom and she stopped to take a break in this field-"

"Excuse me," A waiter said, coming up to them, "Would you like more dumplings?" The two teens looked down at their plate, seeing only two dumplings left.

"I don't know," Hoshiko said, she turned to Sokka, "Think you can eat more?"

"Yes, I can." Sokka said, "More dumplings, please."

"Yes, sir." The waiter said, bowing and walking away.

"So, go back to the crazy guy." Sokka ordered once he had left.

"Okay, so she had gone to this field to take a break, right?" Hoshiko continued, "While she's resting, this old guy comes up to her and offers her a drink. Thankfully, she says no, because there must have been something in his water to make him that crazy. He sits down next to her and starts babbling about how we only die because we accept death as an inevitability. She asks him why he's telling her this, and he says he wasn't talking to her. She asks him who he was talking to, and he said…"

"Here you are." The waiter said, putting a plate of dumplings down in front of them. Hoshiko looked at them in surprise.

"That was quick." Sokka said, looking up at the waiter.

"They just finished making a fresh batch." The waiter said, "Now, can I get you and your girlfriend anything else?" The two teens looked up at the waiter with wide eyes and flushed cheeks.

Did he just say 'girlfriend?'

They quickly tried to explain to the man that they weren't what he thought they were. They spoke at the same time.

"No, s-she's not my girlfriend." Sokka stuttered out quickly, "We're just friends!"

"He's not my boyfriend!" Hoshiko said, pointing to him, "He's just a friend!"

"Oh?" The waiter said, looking between them, "But you two are on a date, aren't you?"

"No! We're not on a date!" Sokka said.

"This is so not a date!" Hoshiko said, "I mean, I couldn't date him!" Sokka looked at her when she said this, "No, never, ever, ever." She shook her head, "It's completely impossible."

"…I see." The waiter said after a moment, "Pardon the mistake, then." He bowed towards them, "Can I get you anything else?"

"I think I'm good for now." Hoshiko said, "What about you?"

"Could you bring us the check?" Sokka asked him, the waiter nodded.

"Certainly, sir." He said, walking away.

"Okay, so where was I?" Hoshiko said, pausing in thought, "Oh, right! So, Xana asks the old man who he was talking to, and he says-"

"Actually, Hoshiko," Sokka said, "I don't really want to hear it anymore." Hoshiko stopped.

"Uh… Okay." She said awkwardly.

Sokka and Hoshiko walked back to the house in silence. Hoshiko looked over at Sokka worriedly.

"Sokka, are you okay?" She asked him, "You've been acting weird since we left the restaurant."

"It's nothing." Sokka said.

"It's not nothing!" Hoshiko said, stepping up in front of him, "Sokka, what's the matter?" Sokka looked away from her and walked around her.

"I said it's nothing." He said. Hoshiko reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Sokka!" She said in a warning tone. Sokka pulled his arm away from her. Hoshiko scowled and ran up in front of him, stopping him by grabbing onto his shoulders. She sighed and calmed herself down before she spoke, "Look, if there's something wrong you can tell me. We're friends, aren't we? You can tell me what's wrong." Sokka looked at her for a second, then stepped back from her, looking away.

"I don't know…" He said, "It's just… what happened back at the restaurant."

"What?" Hoshiko asked, "Do you mean when the waiter confused us for boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"No, it's what you said." Sokka specified, "About me and you never dating, that hurt."

"What do you mean?" Hoshiko asked, "I mean, we don't like each other like that, right?" Sokka didn't meet her eyes, not saying anything, "…Right?"

"I don't know." Sokka said with a shrug, "Maybe."

"Sokka, there's no way…" Hoshiko said, "What about Suki?"

"I don't know!" Sokka said, "I mean, I think you're cute and stuff, so…"

"Sokka…" Hoshiko sighed, "It wouldn't work. We'd be fighting almost all the time. And, for crying out loud, you have Suki! She's a girl that actually likes you like that! Not that you're not a bad guy or anything, but… I don't like you like that."

"I know." Sokka said with a shrug, "I just thought… I don't know, maybe you'd change your mind or something."

"Sokka," Hoshiko said gently, "I couldn't. My heart belongs to someone else." She put her hand on his shoulder, "Look, let's just stay friends and forget this ever happened, okay?"

"Forget what happened?" Sokka asked, giving her a smirk, Hoshiko smiled and patted his shoulder.

"That's the spirit." She said, "Let's go back to the house." Sokka nodded and followed her.

"Can I just say something real quick?" Sokka asked.

"Hmm?" Hoshiko prodded.

"You have… A great butt." Sokka said, Hoshiko smirked.

"Thanks." She said, "You're not so bad yourself."