Disclaimer: I don't own A:tLA, blah, blah, blahddity blah. :)

Swamp Cypress

"You didn't protect me."

Yue?

She was ethereal, a vision of snowy, moonlight beauty, and Sokka wanted nothing more than to feel her hand in his again.

"You didn't protect me."

Her splendid garb seemed to be spun by the spirits themselves, and they reached for him, feathery rushes of air tickling his chin, soft as the heat of a candle flame, fleeting as the memories of his South Pole. Sashes and a silken sleeve clouded his view, so he looked up, and there were her eyes, so blue, so pretty, like the sea.

So hard, so icy, did her brows make those eyes—unfeeling, not Yue, not Yue. Was he dreaming?

Light poured down upon her through the thick, swampy willow leaves, the Sun

heralding the arrival of its cousin.

"You didn't protect me."

"You didn't protect me."

"You didn't protect me."

It rang clearly in his ears. Echoing, torturing, and Sokka rubbed his eyes.

Her light was blinding.

She was gone.

He turned, panicked—is this real? Where is she? Where is YUE?—and she was there again, her blank stare more painful than any taunt.

"You didn't protect me."

His chest clenched as his pulse skipped wildly and he fell back into the murky waters as he realized—

Only the reeds stared back at him.

Sokka's fists clenched, his teeth ground together, and his eyes darted about suspiciously. His machete was out, and his heart was tattered at the edges as he went on his way again, alone.

"You didn't protect me."

I tried, Yue, I'm sorry, so sorry…

His swings took out cluttered branches, tangles, knots. The swamp groaned around him, and he could only smirk in a bit of triumph as it fell before him in pieces.

What an evil thing, this swamp, to remind him of her.

An evil thing—

Forgive me, Yue…

-finis-

Sorry, guys, I tried to stay as close to the episode events as possible! Don't get all mad if I deviated a bit.Yes, we all know Sokka's a skeptic, but, c'mon, I wanted to write something with more emotion.

Please review and all that. Hoped you enjoyed it (and my rather offbeat style-- ;-;)