Chapter Five
While Katara was calming the distraught boy down, Sokka and his father wandered back into the living room, where they sat in silence. They could still hear the boy crying for a long while, the murmuring of voices, though the words were hard to understand. Sokka felt like a rock had sucker punched his gut. The pure sorrow and panic he had seen on Aang's face made him feel as if he couldn't breathe.
Already he was considering the boy like a younger brother, someone who needed looking after. There was no way to know the amount of damage that had been done to him. The fact they he was in a nightmare so soon, it made Sokka realize that if they were going to help him, they had to know why they were occurring. But to do that, they had to earn Aang's trust in order to help him and, judging by how Aang had responded to Katara, she was the key to earning it.
After everything had quieted down, he turned to his father, who still looked shell-shocked at the display they had been witness too. Now was the time to confirm. Sokka knew where his father had been when he was trying to protect them, but the boy knew he was right too. There was nothing dangerous about the kid. He had been through much and he wasn't going to get better unless he had people that were willing to help him get there.
Taking a deep breath, he asked, "Now do you see what I mean?"
Hakoda was silent, his thoughtful eyes, overshadowed by the sadness, on the floor. Finally, he sighed, and looked at his son. "Yes," he said softly. "Seeing Aang like that...it reminded me of how you two were after your mother was killed." The older man looked away, running a weary hand over his face. "I have not seen so much pain in a long while."
Sokka placed his hand on his father's shoulder. "Aang needs us, Dad, and now you know that. We can't abandon him." He looked away, clasping his hands together. "I know I'm usually wary of strangers, but Aang doesn't seem like that. When he came earlier, I didn't know what to think at first. It was obvious he didn't have a clue about what to do.
"I mean, he's new here. But that wasn't the problem. After asking about his parents, he got defensive to the point that people were looking." Sokka swallowed at this next bit, realizing how dumb he'd been at the time. "When he stormed out, I ran after him, grabbing his wrist. It was then I made a mistake when he yanked away. He doesn't like to be touched." God, had that been just the afternoon? It felt like a week had passed since, He resisted the urge to look on his phone to make sure to date was the same as it was. The idea of being hated for that made his lungs constrict, to be looked at by such anger and fear.
He paused here, waiting for his father to come to the same conclusion he and Katara had. Shock widened the man's eyes. "You think he was sexually abused," he said.
He nodded. "It makes sense. You didn't see his face, Dad; it was like he expected me to take something from him. Aang had the look of frustration, fear, disgust...and resignation."
Hakoda sighed heavily, seeming to process his words for a long while. After a while, he spoke. "Maybe I was wrong, but I'm still concerned, Sokka."
"About what, Dad?" he asked, a little frustration entering his tone.
Hakoda looked at him. "If he was abused, by whom? It couldn't have been his parents, not if he's looking for them."
Sokka sighed. "Yeah, that's what I figured too. The only thing me and Katara came up with is that Aang had been a missing person at some point and just got out of wherever he was. Maybe a clue led him here, something that told him where his parents could be."
His father blew out a breath. "I can understand that, I suppose. But, Sokka, if you believe he was stolen, the people who took him might be looking."
"Like you would if someone was trouble?" Sokka asked.
"It's not the same thing, son." He placed his hand upon his shoulder. "If they find him here, you and Katara could be in danger."
Annoyed that his dad was being stubborn, despite what he had witnessed, Sokka shrugged out of his touch to stand. "Dad, these people did horrible stuff to Aang! This has nothing to do from when Mom was killed. We're not those kids anymore. We have to help those who can be helped. What do you want me to do? Throw him back out? He's scared enough as it is." Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to calm down, knowing that Aang and probably Katara were asleep by now. "We're not leaving him to die out there."
Hakoda looked surprised at his son's outburst. They stared at each other for long moments, Sokka defiantly and his father worried but with some respect. Finally, when the tension was high in the air between them, the older man smiled. "I didn't think you were interested in boys, Sokka."
Sokka rolled his eyes, though he did chuckle a little. "Nah, girls are my forte." He sat down again, the tension leaving his shoulders as the bantering started. "Just because I'm the meat and sarcasm guy, it doesn't make me downright heartless."
Hakoda laughed. "But you do tend to be a little more sarcastic when you care."
His son looked mock-offended. "That is not even remotely true."
They shared a laugh together before quieting down, the situation becoming serious again. Hakoda sighed. "I guess you're right though. We can't abandon someone who needs help, and Aang does need it." He placed his on Sokka's shoulder. "I'll do what I can to help."
Sokka smiled gratefully at his father, feeling a little lighter about the whole thing. "Thanks, Dad."
Squeezing his shoulder, Hakoda stood up. "I'm heading to my room. Let me know when they wake up, then we'll all talk about the next step."
Sokka nodded and his father left him alone with his thoughts. He knew had done the right thing, but some what his dad said stuck with him. What if the people who had taken Aang in the first place were coming for him, even now? Was Katara in danger since she had more impact on Aang than he did?
'Well', he thought, 'if it comes down to a fight, we will protect our own.'
It had always been that way and it wasn't going to change. The promise the siblings had made were concrete. Aang wasn't going anywhere or be harmed as long as the family was around. He had told Suki about this, and she was more than willing to lend a helping hand in case of trouble. She and Katara were like sisters; they relied on one another as well. She could help with keeping Aang safe since she knew how to fight and was passionate about getting lost families back together.
Just thinking about the girl he loved, the one he really wanted to be with since Yue died, made his heart race. He knew there would be no one else, but he was afraid of telling her how he felt. They had been best friends since she came here about a year and a half ago, and his love had bloomed from friendship to something deeper, especially after Yue passed a year later. Though he was always going on about oogies, in truth, he was a sensitive kind of guy. He just didn't show it much.
Maybe one day he could pluck up the courage and say to Suki that he loved her and wanted to be with her, hoping she would want that too. But for now, Aang was what mattered, not his mushy love life.
Standing, he walked down the hall and into the room, where he found Aang and Katara snuggled on the bed. Although some of his brotherly protectiveness surged, he remained where he was, looking at them. Aang looked relaxed for the first time that day. With the sun starting to go down, shadows lengthened, the San Fran skyline turning from blue to orange.
Katara had a small smile on her face as she held the boy close to her chest, which rose and fell in rhythm. Aang's head rested there, as if subconsciously looking for another heart beating. Poor kid. Sokka still couldn't believe that he was here, someone so sickly looking and scared. There had to be a way to help him. Finding his parents was going to take time, but maybe that as a good. Aang didn't look ready to see anyone, especially with the way he looked.
Skeletal was the word for it. He had lost so much weight, it was kind of a miracle that he didn't float away on the breeze. Sokka remembered that Aang was a vegetarian, so it wasn't like he lived off of fruits and veggies alone, but he was going to need more if he was going to get healthy again. The last thing Aang needed was to show up at his parents place, looking like something from the Walking Dead. Sokka didn't think that would sit well with them.
There was also the problem of people touching Aang. It was clear that he didn't like it, but it seemed like Katara was the one he didn't mind. At least it was a start, though he knew it as going take more than a day to get him comfortable. They had to at least alleviate the fear from his mind. There will be instances where he would need his space, but hopefully the main problem would be lessened. Being touched was something special as well as scary, but Sokka and Katara will do what they can to raise that dark shroud from him.
When they woke up, they would discuss ways of meals, exercise, and therapy. Aang would would likely object, perhaps with nonsense about how they had done enough by helping his find his parents, or something, but they had to be firm. He wasn't going to get any better unless they had a plan to get him there. If they did find his family, it would be best that he was as healthy as can be.
With that plan in mind, he closed the door and went to his own room, wanting to play GTA V on his PS3. Eh, he was guy; he didn't mind a little video game shoot out every now and then.
Alright, normally I dislike doing this thing, Author Notes, but a big shout-out to Ashley Barbosa, who seems to be a fan of this story. Thanks so much for following, faving, and commenting as these come along. I'm pleased that I have fans who are following this story. It means a great deal to me.
