Chapter Eleven

Suki thought she understood heartbreak. When her parents had died when she was seven in a fire back in California, she remembered the feeling of lost and anguish. It was like her whole world had turned upside down.

But now, seeing her brother-like friend during his panic attack, she felt all of that and much more. After they had met and his parents had discovered that her aunt was her only close family, they had sort of adopted her into the fold of their daughter. She had even considered them her parents during the two years they lived in New York together. But after Aang had been kidnapped, she, her aunt Kyoshi, and the Windstorms had come together, becoming tight-knit, knowing they had each other during their time of grief.

Now, after two long years of not knowing what had become of Aang, Suki wanted to remain at his side, to make certain that this 'mistress' would never lay another hand on him, not if she wanted to live. Having taken martial arts and self defense, she was going to teach Aang everything she knew about protecting himself in case none of them were around.

Leaving the sleeping boy alone in his room, she led the the siblings back into the living room to talk about what they knew so far. It was hard to imagine what kind of torture he had gone under, but it made her stomach tight just thinking about what he had revealed. If that night had caused his attack, it made her wonder what they did to him during his imprisonment. While he had related to them about the kidnapping, it had felt like the rage in her heart had become alive.

How could anyone even think about hurting someone who had been so pure at the time, someone so kind and helpful? Aang didn't deserve what had happened to him. He was one of the most selfless people she knew. Suki believed that he would get better, but judging from the attack, that was one long road.

The three sat on the couch, where it remained quiet for a long while.

Finally, Sokka sighed. "This is bad." He rubbed his head, frowning.

"How can we help him, guys?" Katara whispered, unsure. She fiddled with a choker necklace that had belonged to her mother. The wave design amulet and dark blue silk ribbon glimmered in the light. Katara looked over at Suki. "You've known him longer than we have. What do you think?"

Suki thought for a moment, rubbing her chin. "Well, whenever he was upset, Aang would create something artsy to get the feelings out."

Sokka smiled, as if an idea came to him. "I got it. I bought an art pad and pencils for him earlier while we were at Gran Gran's shop. I'll go get them." He stood up and left the girls alone.

They shared a glance after hearing the door close. "I've never seen Sokka like that before," Suki commented, brow raised.

"Yeah, it is surprising. I'm still not sure why he brought Aang to our home, but I'm glad he had." She leaned back against the couch and studied her. "It's kind of weird, knowing you two were friends."

Suki looked down and played with an emerald ring. Her father had given it to her mother, and when they died, it was passed down to her. "He's like a brother to me, Katara. After he had disappeared, our families came together in grief. For a long time, we thought he was dead."

Katara was silent for a moment. When she spoke, her voice was soft. "Losing my mom was horrible, but at least I knew for a fact that she was gone. To think about someone who may or may not be dead... That must have driven you crazy."

Suki nodded, sadness closing in on her heart. "Yeah."

Katara looked as if she might say something else, but just then Sokka came back in holding a plastic bag. "Here it is," he claimed, putting the items on the coffee table before sitting down. "What did I miss?" he asked them.

"Nothing," they both replied simultaneously.

Sokka crossed his arms and leaned back, raising a skeptical brow. "Uh huh."

Suki laughed a little. "Katara was just saying how strange it was that Aang and I were friends."

"Yep!" her friend said, grinning. "It's like a full circle had come around."

He stuck his tongue out comically. "Ugh, if you start another Lion King reference, I'm going to beat myself into amnesia."

The girls laughed, but the jovial manner didn't last long. Their situation, as well as Aang's, came to the forefront of their minds once more. They knew he needed aid to get better, but they weren't sure how they could help. Suki was positive, though, that he had to face his problems rather than run away from them. If his memories stayed in his mind, who knows what it could do without outside interference?

But this wasn't something that could be solved by merely talking about it. After her own parents passed, it took her months to get used to the idea of living on without them. Which brings to mind another issue...

Sokka interrupted her thoughts. "I think we can at least help him get his strength back. He needs to gain some healthy weight. If can get him on a normal eating schedule, it might help his stomach get accustomed to food again."

She thought about how skeletal Aang was and agreed. She knew he was a vegetarian, so it wouldn't be too hard to find food that would fit his lifestyle. Looking down the hall where he was resting, she had to wonder what this mistress had done to their friend. Torture was evident, the lack of trust potent, and his thin body was weak.

"Okay," she said, turning to her friends, "here's what we do. I'm going to look up protein-enriched foods. Sokka, you are in charge of grains. Katara, you are the fruit and veggie researcher."

Katara chuckled, making Suki realized how silly that sounded as blush came to her cheeks, but she mock saluted. "You got it, captain."

"After we put together all our finds, we can look up recipes."

Sokka rubbed his hands together. "As weird as vegetarianism sounds, I'm actually curious about it."

She laughed, feeling her heart flutter. "Maybe you can be converted, Ponytail."

He glared at her, touching his 'wolf-tail' as if it were offended. "Don't even mock the tail, Fan Girl. And I would never give up meat." He looked haughtily away from her, though there was a blush on his face that almost easy to miss.

'That's one of the reasons I love you.' She had told Katara about her feelings for her brother, sarcasm and all, and she had told her to get on with it and confess. But how could she do that? A part of her wondered if Sokka was still in love with Yue, a girl who had passed away a year after Suki had arrived.

That poor girl...she had been beautiful, even in death, but hearing Sokka cry out in agony that day had broken her heart. She will never forget the pain in his voice, the tears that stained his face. Yue and Sokka had dated until she died.

Now, Suki wanted to be his, but she knew at least a piece of Sokka's heart would still belong to the white-haired angel. She had been kind, thoughtful, and a helper to those in need. As long as she had him as a friend, she could live with that...even if it meant forgoing love.

Taking her mind off of the past, she stood up, saying, "I'm going to gather my laptop and some notebooks." She left the siblings alone to gather what they needed. As she was walking down the hall, however, the sound of whimpering could be heard from Aang's room. Pausing, she opened the door slightly and looked in.

He lay in bed, eyes tightly closed as his hands gripped the comforter. Tears ran the bridge of his nose onto the pillow. Soft sobbing could be heard, and the sound almost destroyed her as Suki walked inside to sit next to him. Aang was her brother, despite not being blood related. His pain was hers, because, different or not, they had both lost something.

Raising a hand, she gently sifted her fingers through his hair, the locks soft against her skin. Though flinching initially, his breathing began to slow, but the tears were still going, as was the whimpering. So she did the only thing she could think of from times when they used to have sleepovers.

She began to sing.

"Leaves from the vine

Falling so slow

Like fragile, tiny shells

Drifting in the foam

Little soldier boy

Come marching home

Brave soldier boy

Comes marching home."

By the time she was done with the song, the tears had stopped, and there was a gentle smile on his sleeping face, as if it reached inside his nightmare and turned it into something beautiful. Smiling, she leaned down, kissed his forehead, and quietly left the room to get what was needed for her friends.

By the time she returned with her notebooks and laptop, Katara and Sokka were on their phones, looking up what they had to. Sokka looked at her, causing her face to flush. Geez, he looked good, lying on the couch like that. One leg was bent, his head on a pillow, reclining against the armrest. He broke her out of her less than innocent thoughts. "What took you?"

Katara looked up from her seat on the recliner, looking concerned. "Is Aang alright? I thought I'd heard him crying."

Suki smiled as she sat next to Sokka as he made room for her. "He's alright, Katara. I think telling us about what had happened triggered his nightmare. But," she added hastily when Katara looked alarmed, "it's okay! I sang him back to sleep. Everything is under control."

She blew out a breath, holding a hand to her chest, and Suki had to hide a grin. It was obvious that she liked the kid, perhaps even started developing a crush. Somehow, she could see them together when Aang was better. If anyone could make him happy, it would be Katara.

Clearing her thoughts except for one, she set up her computer and handed the notebooks and pencils over. "I can tell you guys have started already, so let's keep going."

The group worked for a couple of hours, pausing every now and again to rest their eyes. Aang remained asleep the entire time. It wasn't until they finished getting everything together that he arose. Suki looked over to him as he entered, rubbing his eyes. "Hi, guys," he said with a sleepy smile.

Katara was the first one up, looking at him so gently it pulled Suki's heartstrings. It made her glance at Sokka, who was watching the other two with a pensive look on his face. Did seeing them together make him think of her, or of the girl he had lost to tragedy?

Katara grabbed his hand, and Suki could see a faint flush come to his fair cheeks. "How are you feeling, Aang?" she asked.

He shrugged, then yawned hugely. "I'm better," he mumbled. He looked over at the Suki and Sokka, grinning a little. "What were guys doing, anyway?" he asked curiously.

Suki smiled back, saying, "We were looking for vegetarian meals, you know, to help you get better."

The smiled faded as he looked down at himself with a grimace. "I do look like a living skeleton, don't I?"

"Yep!" Sokka said, leaning his head on his hands. "Walking Dead, coming our way!"

Love him though she might, Suki had to roll her eyes at his antics. "Sokka!" she hissed, elbowing his ribs. One moment he could be so kind and thoughtful, but the next he could be a total dweeb.

He yelped, rubbing his ribs. "Hey, I was just kidding!" he exclaimed.

To her surprise, though, Aang didn't offended. In fact he looked both amused and smug, as if he found their arguing funny. He chuckled, then said, "Don't worry, Suks. I've kind of gotten used to his jokes by now."

Suki was glad for that, but she couldn't ignore the smug part of his expression. Did he know about her feelings for Sokka? Suki blushed at the thought, but decided not to worry about it. She could always push his crush in his face later if he ever brought up her own.

"I'm just saying," she replied, glancing at Sokka, "he should learn to be a little more thoughtful around others."

He threw up his hands. "Okay, alright! Geez, woman, give me a break."

Katara crossed her arms and raised a brow at her brother. "She does have a point," she added with a smirk.

Aang laughed, then his stomach growled. He blushed, embarrassed. "So, um, what kind of food did you guys find?"

He sat on the floor next to Katara as she resumed her seat, and the group put together their findings. While they were looking at recipes, one seemed to catch his eye. "This one looks pretty good. Lemony Artichoke Linguine with Olives. I've always liked artichoke, though I've never been a fan of olives."

Sokka made a face of disgust. "Yeah, me neither."

Katara nodded. "I agree. But linguine does sound pretty good."

Suki felt her stomach rumbling and remembered that it was getting late. The sun was beginning to lower, and all of them were hungry. "Maybe we can find an alternative for the olives."

"But what about meat?" Sokka asked, looking at the picture of the pasta.

Katara smacked her forehead. "Sokka, not everything has to have meat in it."

He pouted, then sighed. "Okay, fine. I'll try the dumb stuff."

Aang, as she knew he would, came up with a compromise. "Well, I've heard that chicken goes pretty well with that, so why not made make it on the side, and the linguine separate?"

Sokka looked as if he wanted to hug the boy, but stopped himself. It made her want to laugh. "Okay, Aang," she said after clearing her throat. "Let's see what we have to make it. I believe we have kale in the fridge."

"I want to help," he claimed.

She looked at his hands, thin but still somehow strong. "Are you sure?" she asked, though she already knew the answer to that.

He sat up straighter. "You guys were looking for food that I can eat. The least I can do is help prepare."

Suki and the others exchanged a look and they nodded. "Alright, Aang. Let's get cooking."

Everybody gathered into the kitchen and looked, finding everything they would need, replacing the olives with kale bits. Watching Aang as he helped with rinsing and slicing the artichoke and kale, she was reminded of who he had been when they lived in New York. Helpful, fun, a little on the goofy side. But there was a much more mature aura about him that should not have been there. It was an age-old look she had seen in her aunt's face after finding out her brother and sister-in-law had perished.

It was a look that spoke of hard times, struggles that are continuing in a person's mind. At least he was beginning to open up about what had happened, but the memories would always be there, some if not most still hidden away for years to come.

It was an hour later, with many laughs and messiness, when the food was ready. Just then, the sound of her aunt's voice came to them. "What's that amazing smell?"

For the first time in a while, Aang looked at her in a panic. "What do I do, Suki?"

She grabbed his hand in comfort. "It's okay, Aang. She'll be glad to see you."

He shook his head, his anxiety revealing itself in waves. "But what if she has questions? I'm not ready to tell more."

She hugged his shaking frame, hoping he wouldn't have another attack. "She loves you, Aang, and even if she asks, you can always tell her that you're not ready." Moving back slightly, she gazed into his scared gray eyes. "It will be okay, I promise."

As he watched her, some of the tension left his body. It was then Kyoshi entered the kitchen, and when she caught sight of the boy, her mouth dropped open in shock. She squinted her eyes at him, as if unsure if he was real. "Could it be?" she murmured. "Aang?"

He smiled bashfully, giving a small wave. "Hi, Kyoshi. It's been a while."

She stared him, her regal face a mask. It was a surprise to Suki when she suddenly stormed over, grabbed his shoulders, and pulled him into a fierce hug. "It is you!" she said, loudly, crushing him to her body.

There was flush to his cheeks, but at least he didn't' freak out about the hug. "Yes," he strained to get out. "Um, I can't breathe."

Kyoshi let him go to examine his body while he caught his breath. "You're so thin, my boy. Where have you been living, the streets?"

He took a deep breath. "Yeah, for a while."

That was news to her, but Katara and Sokka didn't look too surprised by the comment. Aang living on the streets like a hermit? It sounded strange to her.

She decided to jump in, seeing that Aang was becoming uncomfortable, saying, "We made dinner, Auntie. Lemon linguine with chicken on the side for us meat eaters."

Katara smirked, looking at her brother. "Especially since someone can't live without it."

When Sokka growled at her, Kyoshi chuckled. "Somehow that's not so surprising." She sniffed the air, making a pleased sound. "That does smell good, so I say we eat, and then we can catch up."

Suki pulled her to the side, muttering, "Auntie, don't ask too many questions, okay? Aang's been having a hard time lately and earlier he had a panic attack."

She nodded solemnly. "If he doesn't want to talk about what happened, then he doesn't have to. I"ll be careful."

Suki nodded, and the two went over to the stove after gathering plates for everyone. Katara dished out the portions, leaving only Aang's plate chicken-free. Suki led to the dining room, where they all sat. It was quiet for a while, the sound of knifes and forks clattering against the porcelain. Aang still looked nervous, but he did start to eat after a few moments of hesitation.

After a few bites, he looked over her with a smiled. "This tastes great. I have to admit, I like the kale more than the olives." He took another forkful of linguine to prove his point.

She laughed as she nudged Katara beside her. "You can thank Katara, too. This girl sure knows how to make a meal."

Aang looked over at with a dopey little smile. "Yeah, I know. She made some excellent oatmeal the day I arrived."

Katara smiled, looking pleased, then shrugged. "Someone has to make sure Dad and Sokka can eat."

Sokka looked as if he was about to argue, but Suki shot him a look and he slumped in his chair, cutting a piece of chicken. He ladled some noodles on it and took a bite. "I guess so," he mumbled around his food, but he gave Katara an appreciative look that Suki thought looked better than his scowl.

Kyoshi took another bite of her food before turning to Aang. Suki hoped that if she asked questions, they weren't intrusive. Like he had pointed out, there was too much to tell and he wasn't ready to reveal more. But all she asked was, "When did you arrive here, Aang?"

He said, "Yesterday afternoon, actually." He ate some of his food and swallowed before adding, "I was on the streets for a couple of weeks, trying to get here."

"Why is that?"

Suki glared slightly at her aunt, but she ignored her. Aang cleared his throat, putting his fork down. "I-well..." He took a deep breath and looked away from her. "I was looking for my parents, actually."

Panic hit Suki then. He didn't know...

Kyoshi looked confused by his statement. "But-"

Suki jumped in. "Hey, Auntie, can you give us a moment? I need to talk to my friends about something."

Her aunt looked like she was bout to argue, but she must seen the serious look on her face because she stood, taking her plate with her. "Well, I'm heading to my room, then. It's been a long day at the cafe and I use some peace after it." She smiled at Aang, though it was a sad smile. "I'm sorry for seemingly being intrusive, Aang. It really is wonderful to see you again."

Aang, looking thoroughly confused, nodded back to her. "Yeah, you too."

Kyoshi left the four at the table in purposeful strides, though Suki can tell of the burden she carried with the way her shoulders were slumped slightly. She was a woman who preferred to get things done, no matter what, but tonight showed her that she can't be callous all the time, either. Sometimes you had to be gentle but firm.

Suki looked at her friends. "Let's finish eating, then we'll talk."

Silence ensued as they ate, though Aang didn't finish his whole plate. After eating about half of it, he pushed it away and stared at Suki. She braced herself, knowing what was coming.

She was right. "Suki, what's going on? Do you know something about my parents?"

Suki sighed, dropping her fork. "I-I do, Aang," she mumbled, clasping her hands together, "but until I found out that you were the boy who had been taken, I didn't think about the Windstorms. I thought you were a different Aang."

Aang took a deep breath before asking the dreaded question. "So, where are they?"

Suki looked up, feeling her eyes glazing over with tears. She reached out and touched his hand. "Aang, about four months after you had disappeared, your father didn't take it well and..." She swallowed and looked into his pale face. "I'm sorry, Aang, but...he's gone."

A moment of silence ensued, in which Aang's eyes went through a myriad of emotions such as rage, sorrow, grief, and brokenness. When he spoke, his voice was a whisper on a breeze. "You mean he's...dead?"