Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender
Author's Note: Chapter 11 review responses are at the end. Is it just me, or has the moon been constantly full during the entire second season? Since the voice in Katara's head was such a hit, Sokka and Aang will also be developing snarky inner voices. This chapter's a little long, but I doubt anyone will complain about that. Action scenes are things I struggle with, but they're important to the story, so please bear with me.
Reunions
She's tons of fun, and you're no fun at all. She completes you.
--Sid the Sloth, Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
As it happened, there was a hare caught in one of Sokka's snares. It wasn't much to go around, but enough to add some flavor variety. Katara had found she could do without meat pretty well, anyway, possibly as an unconscious result of her developing feelings for Aang. She'd been thinking a great deal about what she and Iroh had talked about earlier, and she was becoming more convinced that the Avatar was The One for her. His patient and forgiving nature balanced her short temper and sharp tongue; his playfulness drew her out of her seriousness, as Sokka had already noticed; and Aang had literally given her the world and helped her to reach her full potential as a waterbender. How could she ever repay him for all of that?
Sokka paused, killed the hare efficiently, and began to skin and prepare it. He was in the habit of doing this out of sight of camp. Although Aang did not mind others eating cooked meat in front of him, he didn't particularly enjoy watching this part of the process, and Katara appreciated her brother's sensitivity.
"I see you have other skills, as well," Suki said approvingly, and Katara thought there was something decidedly suggestive in her tone.
"Oh, this?" Sokka replied modestly. "I've been doing this kind of thing since I was eight." Although Katara knew this to be true, she couldn't help rolling her eyes at his obvious enjoyment of Suki's attention.
"Well, we don't all need to stand around watching my brother prepare lunch," she told the other girls. They moved into the camp, while Sokka and Suki stayed behind. However, only Momo and Appa were there, dozing in the sun. Katara heard rumblings and saw flashes of light coming from above and reasoned that lessons must be going on somewhere on the hills that rose up behind the river. She decided to wait for the other two to rejoin them. Once they did, Katara suggested that she and Sokka go up and fetch the others.
Iroh and Zuko were closest, with Aang and Toph still in sight, but a safe distance away. Everyone stopped what they were doing when the siblings approached.
"What's up, guys?" Aang asked, approaching with Toph in tow.
"I hope it's worth interrupting my lesson," Toph complained.
"I think so," Sokka said. "We have some visitors back at camp with a story we should probably check out."
"It's Suki and her warriors of Kyoshi," Katara added for Aang's benefit. He needed no further encouragement and jumped down the slope in giant leaps, grinning cheekily up at the others as they came down more slowly. As soon as everyone arrived back at camp in a cluster, Suki came marching up to Zuko.
"I know who you are," she said angrily. "You're the guy who tried to burn down my village!" With no more warning than that, she punched him solidly in his scarred eye, making him fall back two steps. As she lunged forward again, however, Zuko's hands shot out to grasp her wrists. At the same moment, Sokka grabbed Suki around the waist and tried to pull her back.
"I deserved the first one," Zuko grated at the female warrior. "If you want any more, you'll have to earn them." Aang stepped in between.
"Please, everyone, let's not fight," he pleaded, preparing to shoot air blasts if it should prove necessary. Zuko let go of Suki, forcing Sokka to stumble backwards a few steps as her full weight was thrown into him. He managed to plant one foot behind him, catching Suki so that she sort of straddled his other knee.
"Do you feel better?" Sokka asked her with a little sarcasm. Suki turned her head so that their faces were bare inches apart.
"Actually, yes, I do," she informed him, and Katara again thought she caught the suggestion there. Sokka cleared his throat and set her back on her feet.
"So anyway, this is Suki," he declared to no one in particular. Suki turned to Aang.
"And you're the one who saved us!" she exclaimed. "I never got a chance to thank you." With that, she gave him a spontaneous hug, leaving Katara feeling a little jealous.
He did risk his life for them, she told herself firmly. I suppose he's entitled to a hug.
"Um, you're welcome?" Aang replied, looking thoroughly confused at the sudden change of mood. The other six female warriors followed their leader's example, giving a little bow of respect to the Avatar, followed by a hug. By the time this was over, Katara was practically shaking in the effort to control herself, and she could feel her fingernails digging into her palms. When the last girl was done, Katara went to Aang and placed her hand on his shoulder, despite knowing this was a possessive gesture to which she was not strictly entitled. The other girls caught her meaning readily enough, though, and they visibly fell back. Unfortunately, Sokka also noticed and raised a questioning eyebrow at his sister, which she pretended not to see. Aang just looked up at her curiously, but he didn't seem to take issue with her uninvited contact.
"Now that we've got all the formalities out of the way, let's see if we can eat and have a civil conversation," Katara announced, glaring equally at Zuko and Suki. Katara and Sokka prepared the meal while Suki told the others about their mission. The newer members of the Avatar's entourage also shared a little of how they came to join the group. The Kyoshi warriors politely declined the offered food, choosing their trail rations instead. Katara appreciated this, since they hadn't been planning on doubling the mouths they'd have to feed.
"Well, I can certainly understand why you left, Toph," Suki told the younger girl after hearing her story. "I don't know what I'd do if my parents hadn't allowed me to fight. I'm curious, though, about what your folks were going to do when you grew up. I mean, they weren't going to live forever."
"They never talked about it," Toph answered her. "They were probably planning to marry me off to some rich, old man when I was sixteen and assume I'd be well taken care of for the rest of my life."
"That's awful," responded Katara in a rare moment of sympathy with the earthbender. Sokka nodded and murmured his agreement, but Toph merely shrugged.
"That's the way it usually is in wealthy families," she replied casually. Zuko nodded shortly.
"I would have had a marriage arranged for me, if…things had been different," he commented.
"It's still not right," Sokka said emphatically. "Everyone should be free to choose who they marry. Especially girls," he added, glancing surreptitiously at Suki, who seemed to approve. By now, everyone had finished eating and looked ready to do something different.
"We can cover the most ground in the air," Aang said dubiously. "But Appa can't carry everyone."
"He won't have to," Sokka assured him. "Suki, you can come with us to check things out, then come back and tell your warriors the situation. Suki nodded and instructed her women to go back to their temporary base somewhere upriver and wait for her there.
Aang guided Appa in a search pattern over the nearby villages.
"Look!" Katara pointed over the bison's side, and the others (except Toph) followed her finger. There was no machine, but some burned buildings, caved-in walls, and trampled roads indicated that something had passed through recently.
"I guess we're on the right track," Suki commented grimly.
"Should we go down and try to help them?" Aang wondered, but Sokka shook his head.
"It's more important to find whatever did this and stop it first," he declared. Once found, the path of destruction was easy to follow. It didn't take long before they found an odd-shaped metal object lumbering along. To Aang's consternation, it was headed right for another village.
"Sokka, take the reins," he called over his shoulder. "Find someplace to land. I'll get their attention and join you."
"A defensible place to land," Sokka amended quietly as he took over at the head. Aang jumped to the saddle, grabbed his glider-staff, and threw himself off Appa's back. As long as he was going to do this, he might as well try to have a little fun.
When he thought he'd fallen far enough, Aang snapped open his glider and circled in on the machine. It was reminiscent of an insect, with a squat, oval body surrounded by six jointed legs. He did a fly-by right in front of it, causing it to grind to a stop.
"Looking for me?" he called out as he made another pass. Just to add insult to injury, he waved before veering off in the direction he'd left Appa and the others. As he had hoped, the machine turned and began to follow him. The next minute or so was tricky, as Aang had to keep glancing back to make sure he hadn't lost them while also keeping an eye out for his friends. At last, he found them on top of a plateau. It was a good location, with sheer drops on all but one side. The group was already arranging along the top of the scaleable slope in preparation for battle. Aang dropped down behind them and collapsed his staff again.
"What is it?" Toph wondered. Aang came up behind her in a position beside Katara so that he could see over the edge.
"It's kind of like a bug," Katara answered. "A round thing on these six, narrow legs."
"Not very practical in this kind of terrain," Toph observed, frowning and testing the vibrations with her feet. Zuko snorted.
"It must be Azula, then," he determined. "My sister has no respect for the forces of nature. She re-orders the world to suit herself."
"True," Iroh agreed. "It has served her well in the past, but it might also be a weakness."
"Don't let the one in pink touch you," Katara advised as she uncorked her canteen and withdrew her bending water.
"Hello? No colors," Toph reminded her, waving a hand in front of her face.
"She'll be the one that leaves the ground a lot," Sokka clarified for her. He had his machete and boomerang at the ready, and Suki was opening her sharp-edged fans. The two of them stood in front with Toph as defense, while the others took up a loose formation behind using the spaces between as sight lines, ready to take the opportunity for offense as it presented itself. Aang's own specialty was evasion, but he held his staff ready and waited. The machine stopped at the bottom, and a hole opened in the front and began to glow red.
"Not good, not good," muttered Suki anxiously.
"Everybody, DOWN!" Sokka shouted. Everyone ducked just in time, as a large fireball came shooting over them. Aang used an air blast to make certain it wouldn't hit Appa and Momo, who were huddled at the far end of the plateau.
However, when they all turned and peered over the side again, it appeared the fire blast had been designed primarily as a distraction. Ty Lee was already jumping and handspringing her way up as the other two girls emerged from a hatch in the top of the machine. Sokka threw his boomerang at her, but she easily dodged it. Toph amused herself for a while by tossing up rock barriers where she predicted the acrobat was heading. Although she wasn't always right, it created more obstacles for Ty Lee to overcome, and between that, Aang blowing a gale at her, and Katara continuously trying to hit her with a water whip, she was forced to fall back.
While this was going on, Mai and Azula were pulling themselves up to stand on top of their metal bug, and Mai threw a number of knives at once. Suki and Sokka blocked them, exchanging a look of mutual satisfaction at their success. Toph pulled earth around her like a suit of armor. Azula surveyed the situation.
"So, all four elements working together, hm?" she observed in a high, mocking tone. "Unless I eliminate one." She took up a firebending position and ran her right arm along an arc as though trying to decide whom to attack. Getting a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, Aang pulled Katara towards him just as the lightning left Azula's fingers. The attack still grazed Katara's right shoulder, forcing her to drop the water she was bending. The smell of burned flesh combined with her gasp of pain made the too-familiar mixture of rage and agony well up inside Aang. When he realized what was about to happen, though, he forced it back down.
No, stop it, he told himself sternly, struggling to keep the Avatar State at bay. It's just her shoulder; she can heal it. Instead, he leapt in front of her and spun his staff, ready to either deflect or receive any further attacks.
"Okay, we wanted to see who and what it was, and we have," Sokka announced. "Let's go."
"No," Katara's voice came quietly from behind them. "Not until we slow them down." Aang and Sokka both glanced back at her. The pain in her eyes made Aang feel like a piece of his heart was being ripped out of his chest, but he also saw there the stubborn determination he so loved about her. He met Sokka's eyes, and they nodded to each other.
"Toph?" Aang asked.
"Way ahead of you, Twinkle-toes," she replied, letting her earthen armor fall to the ground.
"Everyone else, retreat," Sokka called out as he broke ranks and turned. Toph and Aang sent a controlled avalanche down the slope, nearly burying the front two legs of the metal monster.
"That should do it," Aang said, and he helped Toph over to Appa. Not wanting to waste time, he picked her up and air-lifted them both up. Sokka was already at the reins and took off as soon as they were aboard.
With Suki giving him directions, Sokka took them to her group's base.
"Aang, Katara, and I will go, get our things, and bring everything back here," he said, indicating the others should stay.
"I'm coming with you," Suki insisted.
"Fine, whatever. Toph, you're in charge of making sure no fights break out while we're gone." Toph gave him a mock salute, and they took to the skies again.
"Do you think this is a good idea, almost leading them to our camps?" Katara asked in a worried voice.
"I'm hoping that watching Appa fly back and forth will give them at least two possible targets," Sokka replied. "It might buy us a little more time."
When they landed, everyone dismounted to pursue their various tasks. Sokka went to take care of the tent he and Katara shared. Suki followed him, and when he turned to face her, there was a primal glint in her eye that Sokka found both exciting and frightening.
"I always feel exhilarated after a battle, don't you?" she breathed, advancing on him.
"Yeah, I guess," he answered cautiously. Apparently taking that as an invitation, Suki tackled him into the tent and joined her mouth with his.
What is she doing? Sokka thought.
Kissing you; isn't that obvious?
And a little more, he added as her arms snaked around him and she molded her body against him.
Does it matter? Just enjoy it.
Right you are.
He returned her kiss eagerly enough. When they paused to catch their breath, she backed up to look at him.
"This is the first time I've had anyone to share it with," Suki informed him. "The down-side of having an all-girl squad."
"Uh…" Sokka commented intelligently. His mind refused to function properly. His body, on the other hand, was working perfectly.
You think too much, anyway, the voice in his head accused.
Go away, he replied shortly. I think I can handle this.
Fortunately, Suki did not seem all that interested in conversation. She claimed his lips again, this time probing with her tongue until he opened to admit her. He responded in kind while running one hand down her back and thrusting the other into her hair. Suki left her exploration of his mouth to run a line of kisses down his neck. When she removed his shirt, however, and Sokka felt her hands against his bare chest, alarm bells started going off in his head.
"Um, Suki," he said breathlessly, after he'd managed to put a little space between them. "Not that this isn't great and all, but could you maybe give me a clue where you're planning to stop this?"
"I wasn't really planning," she answered in a husky whisper, eyes dark with passion and an inviting smile hovering over her lips. Sokka made a sound in his throat that was half-growl, half-moan, surprising even himself, and allowed their mouths and hands to get back to business.
Author's Note: Ooh, cliffhanger…sort of. Does anyone know what happened to the necklace Aang made for Katara? As far as I know, she only wore it in that one episode, so does she still have it? I've been thinking of bringing that in somewhere. I've also realized that Zuko has been beaten up quite a bit today, but don't worry; he'll catch a break next time.
Review responses:
Thanks to SilvrImage, xXxEndangeredSpeciesxXx, fallenfox, and loaned for your support.
Gir the Insane…: Thanks for reminding me! It's because of you I came up with Suki's method of "greeting" Zuko.
xenus: Yes, Sokka does seem to like forceful women. Both of the ones we've seen him with have taken the initiative to kiss him first.
SnakeEyes16: I'll get into some more Kataang, but I have to pace myself. Even though I kind of did rush Sokka/Suki. Well, I have my reasons.
frozenheat: Yeah, I felt like I had to pull Zuko back in, since I haven't done much with him in several chapters.
denythefreshmaker: You caught me! I've been feeling like I'm ignoring Toph and Zuko lately, so I try to throw in a few lines here and there. Really, Zuko doesn't talk much in the show, either. I think he said more in Bitter Work than in the prior three episodes combined, if you don't count the flashbacks in Zuko Alone.
MyrmidonGuy: Wow, a Smiley Award! I'd like to thank the Smiley Academy….I just had to slip that Sleeping Beauty bit in; the analogy of sleeping 100 years to be awakened by your true love was just too good to pass up. And I thought it would be kind of funny to have someone that deals with "magic" (in Sokka's words) every day say witches don't exist.
Kairuthefrog: Thanks for your input. You'll have to find out next chapter how far it went!
Gmasangel: Thank you for your praise! As I said at the beginning, I haven't seen every episode. I could remember at least two times Iroh saw the Avatar State, but I was deliberately understating it to fit the mood. Must be my English side.