I do not own any of the original Avatar characters.
Tensions
Sado grit his teeth, as he saw Sozin walking back to camp with the water jug. Aang had forbidden him from watching Sozin twenty four seven as a way to force Sado to rest, which he had, but that didn't mean Sado had to trust Sozin. Sado walked over, stepping into Sozin's way.
"Really?" Sozin asked. "I'm just trying to help."
"We don't need, or want, your help," Sado growled. "And besides that, you probably poisoned the water."
Sozin lifted the ladle in the jug, drinking some of the water and making a big show of swallowing it before walking past Sado and setting the water down. Sado curled his hands into fists.
"You really do hate me, don't you?" Sozin asked.
"Have you ever once given me reason not to?" Sado asked.
"How about when I saved your life?" Sozin asked, sitting down and beginning to sharpen the knives he had had with him when he arrived.
"You didn't save my life," Sado snarled. "I could have beaten the assassin without you. All you did was interrupt. And even if you had saved my life, that doesn't erase our past!"
"If you feel so strongly about it, why don't you just challenge me to an Agni Kai already?" Sozin asked, staring at him.
"Because Aang forbade me from hurting you," Sado said.
"What's an Agni Kai?" Katara asked. "It that some kind of duel?"
"Exactly," Sozin smiled warmly. "It's a duel between firebenders. Normally, the first person to burn the other is the victor, but the combatants can choose to continue if they so desire. As far as going to the death, if they want."
"We're going to take a solid pass on any firebender duels," Sokka said.
Just then, Toph walked over, carrying the wild boar Sado had killed for everyone but Aang to eat on her shoulder. Sozin turned quickly, raising his free hand only to find the sharpened inside edge of Sado's hook sword around his throat.
"I was just going to offer to help," Sozin said.
"Sado, that's enough!" Aang said. "Go hang out on your own until you've calmed down and you're ready to spend more than three minutes around Sozin without trying to kill him!"
Sado stared at him in silence.
"Aang's right, Sado," Sokka said. "You need to calm down. Sozin's not doing anything to anyone right now."
"Right now, the only one causing a problem is you," Katara said. "Sozin's been really helpful since met met him. More so than you have been recently."
Sado clenched his hook swords tightly, Sozin turning his head a fraction of an inch, looking back at Sado. "Fine. But keep an eye out for his tell. He always does it right before he lies."
"What is it?" Sokka asked.
"He opens his mouth," Sado growled, turning and walking away, putting his hook swords away as he walked.
Once he was far enough away, he shouted in anger, kicking a rock and sending it flying, his foot complaining instantly. Finally, he reached a small clearing and sat down, beginning to meditate, entering his mind and kneeling before the dragon bird.
"I need your advice," Sado said. "I...I'm so...angry."
"I can feel that," the dragon bird said. "You do not trust your brother."
"No," Sado said. "After everything, I can't trust him. He cost me years of my life the last time I trusted him."
"If you do not calm yourself and recenter your will, he will cost you even more soon," the dragon bird said. "You do not have to trust him. But you must tolerate him in order to center yourself."
"Am I wrong to mistrust him?" Sado asked.
"I do not know," the dragon bird said. "The only mortal whose heart I am able to see into is you."
"I understand," Sado said. "Why can't I read his mind?"
"I do not know," the dragon bird said. "Truthfully, I do not even understand how you gained the ability in the first place."
Sado nodded, sighing and returning to the world. He stood, walking back toward the camp, then climbed up to the branches. He swung from one to the next with his hook swords, stopping when he was close enough to the others to watch and listen.
"One winter, when Mom was a little girl, a snowstorm buried the whole village for weeks," Katara said. "A month later, Mom realized she hadn't seen her friend Nini since the storm, so Mom and some others went to check on Nini's family. When they got there, no one was home, just a fire flickering in the fire place. While the men went out to search, Mom stayed in the house. When she was alone, she heard a voice." Katara shifted to a high-pitched child's voice. "'It's so cold, and I can't get warm.' Mom turned and saw Nini standing by the fire. She was blue, like she was frozen. Mom ran outside for help, but when Mom came back, Nini was gone."
"Where'd she go," Sokka asked, now hiding behind a root.
"No one knows," Katara said. "No one knows. Nini's house stands empty to this day. But sometimes, people see smoke coming up from the chimney, like little Nini is still trying to get warm."
Sado looked to Sozin just as Sozin, who was seated beside Toph, reached up, yawning and stretching, one arm falling toward Toph's shoulder as he did. Sado gripped his hook swords but hesitated.
"If your arm touches me, I'm going to break it off, then let Sado have the rest of you," Toph said calmly.
Sozin instantly pulled his arm back just before Toph gasped.
"Wait, guys, did you hear that?" Toph asked, standing. "I hear people under the mountain! And they're screaming!"
Sado dropped to the ground, walking back into the clearing, ignoring Sozin.
"Maybe we should go check it out," Sado suggested.
"It just stopped," Toph said.
"Alright, now I'm getting scared," Aang said.
"Hello children," an elderly female voice said from off to the side, Sado spinning and preparing himself to fight, only to stop, seeing an old lady with long, wiry, whit hair staring just outside the firelight. "Sorry to frighten you. My name is Hama. You children shouldn't be out in the forest by yourselves at night. I have an inn nearby. Why don't you come back there for some spice tea and warm beds."
"Yes please," Sokka said, only for Sado to hold a sword out to the side.
"What are you doing out here at this time of night?" Sado asked.
"I saw the light of your fire and decided to come and see if anyone needed a place to stay," Hama said.
"Sado, it's alright," Sokka said. "It's just a sweet old lady."
Sado stared at her, unable to shake the feeling that she was dangerous. However, after several seconds, he sheathed his swords, all of them following Hama, Katara dumping water on the fire to put it out as they passed. They walked through the trees for close to a mile before finding a village on the side of the mountain, then following the road up the mountain to the inn. Sado paused, looking out at the forest, but could instantly see that there was no possible way she could have seen their fire from the inn. They all walked inside and she began to pour them tea, Sado turning down her offer.
"Thank you for your hospitality," Katara said. "You have a lovely inn."
"Thank you," Hama smiled. "You know you should be careful. People have been disappearing in those woods you were camping in."
"What do you mean disappearing?" Sokka asked.
"When the moon turns full, people walk in, and they don't come out," Hama said, then switched from creepy to cheery. "Who wants more tea?" She looked around the table, seeing everyone staring at her, except Toph, who was staring straight ahead, as always. "Don't worry, you'll be completely safe here. Why don't I show you to your rooms and you can get a good nights' rest."
A few minutes later they were all in their separate rooms, Sado choosing to give Sozin a free pass for the night. However, try as he might, he couldn't sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw memories of being stuck with his family. Of the things Sozin had done to him in the past. Finally, the door creaked open. Sado had his empty hilt in his hand instantly, only to stop as he realized it was only Toph. He sighed, tucking the hilt back under his pillow as she closed the door, walking over.
"I can't sleep," Toph said. "Can I stay with you tonight?"
"Sure," Sado nodded, scooting over to make room for her.
She lay down beside him, slipping under the blankets and curled into him, Sado wrapping his arms around her. "You're not the only one who doesn't trust him, you know. None of us do. But we can't attack him for no reason."
"I have plenty of reasons," Sado said. "But, if you all don't trust him, why are all of you acting like you do? Why is Aang telling me to leave the camp?"
"You were ready to take his head off for trying to help me carry a dead animal," Toph said. "You were getting a little out of control. But, also because if you're constantly around where he can see you watching him, he won't have the chance to prove whether or not he's actually loyal."
"We shouldn't be traveling with him at all," Sado said. "The longer he's with us, the more chance he has to tell my family, or the Fire Lord, or the assassin."
"Combustion Man we can handle," Toph said.
"Not if he's fighting alongside my brother," Sado said.
"We'll be fine," Toph said. "Get some sleep. We're probably going to have to stop these disappearances soon."
"Fair enough," Sado sighed, closing his eyes.
After a few more minutes, he and Toph both drifted off to sleep.
Leave a review.