My butt…is asleep…LOL

Mouuuuuuuuuu…Dun own Avatar…

BUT I OWN MISHTER TREE! –nodnod- MISHTER TREE LUUUUUUUUUUUUUUVS SOKKA!

Chapter Two

Sake is Bad for You

"WHAT?"
"You heard me, water boy. I'm Zuko's sister."

"She is! She is! Zuko is her older brother; she was stationed here at the Exchange Center she was born. Zuko came back to visit a year ago; he said he was in search of the Avatar."

"He is in search of the Avatar, you big dope."

Naoko shrugged and stroked Momo's nose. Sokka scrambled up to a standing position and glowered at Chikako. "What do you mean?"

"Are you that dense, you big idiot? I said I'm Zuko's sister!" Chikako snapped, also standing up. Naoko blinked and then shivered, scooting behind the log and cuddling Momo. Aang reached out and touched Chikako on the arm.

"Look…Chikako…I'm sure…Sokka has a problem, okay?"

"HEY!"

Katara shoved Sokka out of the way and sighed exasperatedly. "He has this…thing with firebenders. But we're sure that you're…good, right?"

"The Avatar needs to be captured. It'll end the war," Chikako muttered, crossing her arms. Aang and Katara glanced at each other, and Sokka hissed under his breath, "Well, we're in trouble."

Naoko stood up. "Hey, Chikako…I think I know a way back to the village." The older girl glanced at her. "C'mon."

When the group emerged from the foliage, they found the village bustling as always. People of all different nations scurried about; little children ran around shooting at each other with toys; around the well some girls were gathered, gossiping; at the Kohako Forums, the parents were discussing topics that had been posted on the large message board. Merchants called out from buildings, stands, or small alleys. Naoko skipped down the dirt road, humming, Momo clinging to her shoulder. Chikako disappeared into an alley, and Sokka huffed as he trudged after Aang and Katara, who marveled at the busy of the small village.

"Naoko…do you know where you going?" asked Aang after about ten minutes. The girl nodded, grinning over her shoulder.

"Yeah…it's right up here." Sliding up to a large building with a veranda, Naoko plopped down on the road. Momo immediately scuttled up the supporting beam of the veranda. Chikako was slumped against the wall. Looking up and flashing a grin at her friend, she asked, "What took ya?"

Naoko laughed. "I wanted to take the long way so that they could see Kohako."

Katara looked around and then gasped. "Oh my—look! Look at the river…oh, you think I could practice here?" Before she'd received an answer, she had darted off to the riverbank to start playing with the water.

Aang dropped his staff to the dust and tilted his head. "So…is the Kohako Dojo still here?"

Chikako grinned, her narrowed eyes dancing. "Hell, yeah. Why?"

Sokka crossed his arms and sat down in the shade of the veranda. He didn't like Kohako and these two girls…he just didn't.

Inside the Exchange Center, men and women and girls and boys of all nations stayed in rooms of their own, like little dorms. There was a big front room, a large kitchen, and a training room for the benders of the Center.

Aang's left foot hadn't touched the floor before people were crowded around him, questions filling the air.

"Okay, okay!" Naoko said, shoving them out of the way. "Leave 'im alone! It's not like anyone else here doesn't have any tattoos…"

A boy around Sokka's age snickered. "Yeah, Naoko. You should know…"

Naoko flushed deeply. "I was drunk when that happened!"

OMG FLASHBACK OF THAT ONE DRUNKEN TIME!
Naoko wavered and stood up on a low table, raising her right hand slowly. "People! People! People!"

The room quickly quieted and all attention was focused on Naoko. She grinned groggily and lifted her shirt so that her ribs were showing; there was a tattoo of the Ying and Yang on her tan skin. She showed them the tattoo of the last waterbending Avatar on her neck; the tattoo of a biker on her shoulder, and high up on her thigh the tattoo of water rushing around the goddess of the river. The room cheered and clapped, most of them drunken boys Naoko's age, and she slid off the table as Chikako jumped up threateningly.

"NAOKOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

OMG FLASHBACK OF THAT ONE DRUNKEN TIME! END!

Chikako twitched. "That was disturbing…"

Naoko grinned. "I still have those tattoos."

Abruptly the room hushed and the children gathered around Aang scattered. His grin faded at this and immediately all of the Exchange Center occupants fell to the ground in a low bow. Looking around, Aang finally found someone standing in a doorway.

"…Hi?"

The figure was draped in a white cloth, with long, stringy hair. His face was stern and his hands folded.

"Chikako; Naoko—I see you have brought a visitor?"

Aang stepped all the way through the doorway into the room as the two girls rose. Nodding in unison, they replied in chorus, their voices soft and obedient, "Yes, Master Ken'ichi."

Looking down his nose at Aang, the man blinked. "I see he is an airbender?"

The room was filled with stifled gasps. Even Naoko gasped loudly; Chikako elbowed her sharply.

"OW! What the fuck was that for?"

"Shut up!"

"Oh…crap…" Naoko looked to Master Ken'ichi. "Sorry…"

He shook his head, obviously overwhelmed with these two. They were the troublemakers; sneaking out, getting busy with the boys their age; snapping back; using foul language; they were the outcasts.

FLASHBACK OF THE OUTCASTS!
Chikako slid the hall closet door open, grinning deviously, her eyes sleepy. Stepping out of the small space, she slipped down the hallway and into the bathroom. Shichiro, a boy her age, stepped out after her and looked around, also grinning. He retied the sash on his pants and whistled innocently as he moved down the hall to his room.

FLASHBACK OF THE OUTCASTS! END!

Chikako crossed her arms. "Look, Ken'ichi. This is Aang. We found him and Sokka and Katara, his comrades, in the forest. Just brought 'em home because they need help getting to the North Pole."

Aang was busying himself by counting the dots on the ceiling. Master Ken'ichi stepped over to him, arms behind his back. "Aang, is it?"

Aang jumped. "Hunh?"

"I said, your name is Aang, is it?"

"Yeah…"

"You're an airbender?"

"Uh-hunh."

"The airbenders disappeared a hundred years ago."

"I know; I'm the—!" Remembering what Chikako had said, he paused and then added, softer, "…I'm the last one."

The master nodded, stroking his beard. "Ah. Could it be that you are also the Avatar?"

"No! No way…" Aang laughed nervously. The people in the front room started to whisper. One loud whisper carried over to Naoko.

"…can't be! The cycle was broken when Roku disappeared."

Suddenly it hit her; like that one time when she fell off the roof.

FLASHBACK OF WHEN SHE FELL OFF THE ROOF…

Chikako was nestled up in her blankets on the pallet in her room. Naoko, who shared the same room with her best friend, wasn't in her own pallet.

Suddenly there was a loud thonk and a yelp as something fell outside of Chikako's window. Sitting up abruptly, Chikako glanced around, horrified. Peering out the three-story window, she heard Naoko's voice drift up to her.

"Woah…"

FLASHBACK OF WHEN SHE FELL OFF THE ROOF…END!

Tilting her head, she whispered, "He is the Avatar…isn't he?"

"Hn?" Chikako asked, leaning to her friend. "What?"

"Nothing…nothing…" Naoko shook her head, her blue eyes wide. Master Ken'ichi left the room, shaking his head. When the door slid shut, a guy around Katara's age whipped out a jar of sake, grinning. Chikako laughed, moving over to Aang.

"Sit down. We'll all have some fun to celebrate your arrival."

Uneasily, Aang sat down, wondering if Katara's practicing was helping and if he could slip out of the room when everyone got drunk. Eventually Sokka slid in beside him.

"They're an odd bunch, aren't they…?" he whispered.

"Hunh?" Aang snapped forward and then looked to Sokka. "What?"

Sokka laughed. "I was just thinking how odd those two are."

The younger boy grinned evilly. "You've got the hots for the firebender."

"I DO NOT."
Aang nodded, cocking an eyebrow at Sokka. "You do, too. You won't stop staring at her."

Sokka blushed furiously. "Shut up."

Aang shrugged, laughing. Sokka, infuriated at the innocence of the boy's true words, accepted the sake as it was passed to him. Aang blinked.

"You drink?"

"Shut up and go get Katara…she may wanna be here and watch this…"

Aang, glad to have an excuse to get away from the strangely acting people, hurried off to the riverbank to get Katara.

Well, it turned out that everyone drank that night, even Aang and Katara. Sokka had fallen asleep on the floor, Aang was up on a table acting stupid with Naoko, and Katara was giggling as a guy hit on her. Chikako was sitting beside Sokka, poking him with a slight snicker. The sun was setting, and the only occupants of the room were teens of about thirteen to seventeen, as all the adults were having their own fun in the training room, drinking coffee and talking and sorts like that.

"Well, the band took a break, and the DJ played P-Diddy. She said, 'I shaved my legs and I paid my money. I ain't come here to hear somethin' funkin' from the city. Howoohoo; now play somethin' country," Naoko sang as she and Aang danced on the table.

Katara moved over to Chikako with a hiccup. "Is Naoko…usually like that?"

Chikako nodded. "She's reeeeeeeeeal popular with the guys here…"

Sokka sat up abruptly and looked around. "Woah…" Chikako giggled.

"Sake too strong for ya?"

"No…no…no…nuuuuuuuuuu…" Sokka stood up and swaggered outside. Standing on the veranda, he gasped. "Mishter Treeeeeeee…?" Hurrying over to the big oak in the yard, he wrapped his arms around the trunk and started to nuzzle the bark. "Mishter Treeeeee! It'sh youuuuuuuuu!" Katara blinked and then fell over laughing. Chikako crossed her arms. If only he had drunkenly come to her…

Naoko toppled off the table and lay there hiccupping. Aang double over laughing and then fell off, himself.

"CHIKAKO?"

Chikako perked up and looked around.

"Dammit, sister; you've gotten drunk again?"

The red-head straightened up and then blinked. "Zuko? What are you doing here?"

Zuko slipped off the saddle of his komodo rhino, his amber eyes glinting with fiery anger. "I have a better question. What the hell is that water boy doing here?"

In my own little world, Sokka and Mishter Tree get together and little acorns dominate the world. And arigatou Zukolover1 of for the idea. –grins-