Chapter 27

Sokka was sitting behind the wheel of the family's old Powell truck, watching the bus from Agna Qel'a slowly pulling into what passed for the Cape Kuruk bus station. It basically consisted of a small kiosk selling tickets next to a square of hole-ridden asphalt. The reason for the sad state of the infrastructure became obvious when only a few people emerged from the bus at its final destination, one of them a pretty and athletic auburn haired girl, wearing denim shorts and a bright red crop top.

Sokka immediately got out of the car and waved at the girl, trying to get her attention. "Suki! Over here!" he called out to her.

Suki grinned broadly as she walked up to him and they exchanged a brief hug. Sokka decided that he loved her perfume, the subtle aroma of apricots. "Wow, you were not lying about the car," Suki laughed, looking at the old truck. Despite being lovingly maintained by both Sokka and Hakoda, it was definitely showing its age. "I suppose it has… character?" she grinned at Sokka's scowl.

"It will get us where we need to go, that's the most important thing," Sokka chuckled. "Shall we get in and be on our way?" he asked. Suki nodded, circling around the car to open the passenger side door and climb in, placing her duffel bag on her lap. "I thought you'll have more luggage with you," Sokka remarked, starting the engine. It responded with a hoarse and reluctant cough.

"I left most of my stuff back at my hotel in Agna Qel'a," Suki shrugged. "After all, this is only for a couple of days, right? I know most girls can't survive a day's travel without suitcases full of crap, but I'm not one of those girls."

"I've noticed," Sokka smirked at her. "Anyway, how was Agna Qel'a?"

"Not as warm as this!" Suki replied. "Seriously, is this normal for northern coastline summer? This is almost Kyoshi Island weather!"

"Hah, well… yeah, it's hitting low eighties, so it's a bit unusual," Sokka admitted. "But we always get at least one week in summer that's this hot, sometimes even two weeks if we're lucky. Most of the time it's hanging around below seventy, and raining."

"Yeah, that's more what I expected," Suki chuckled. "Anyway, Agna Qel'a was… a little frustrating. Pakku Karetak wasn't so bad, a little grouchy, but after I buttered him up with some compliments, the interview went really smooth. His protégé, though… ugh, that was an entirely different story."

"That Hahn guy?" Sokka frowned. "Yeah, Katara and Yue both can't stand him, and it seems for a good reason."

"I should say so," Suki nodded. "He's a major sleazeball. It's so hard to conduct an interview when every other sentence is a seriously ridiculous pickup line. How the hell am I supposed to edit that, there's barely anything left when I cut out all the crap."

Suki had been sent to Agna Qel'a by The Harmony Ring magazine to conduct interviews with Grandmaster Pakku Karetak and his most talented pupil Hahn Adjuk. After Suki had told Sokka about her assignment, they had decided that after finishing up in the capital, Suki would travel to Cape Kuruk for a few days so that they could hang out together… merely as friends, obviously, or at least that was the intention. Still, Sokka was aware that spending time with a pretty girl like Suki would inevitably send the tongues of the local rumormongers waggling. They were going to try and head off these rumors at the pass by not having Suki stay at the Enuaraq household. Instead, Sokka had rented her a room at the local hostel, even though they both suspected that people would still talk.

He hadn't meant to keep Suki's visit a secret from Yue, however, by the time that Suki had called to tell him about her assignment in Agna Qel'a, Yue had already departed to the Serpent's Lake for the annual summer Pai Sho camp, and Sokka had no means of reaching her there. And he had been open with Yue about keeping in touch with Suki after the U18 finals in Ba Sing Se. It still felt a little weird to Sokka how chill Yue had been about it all, like she didn't view Suki as a threat at all.

But was Suki a threat to his relationship with Yue? Sokka couldn't decide. Things with Yue were kind of confusing as of late. He had selfishly hoped that Yue would react with more jealously towards Suki. Was Yue's lack of reaction a sign that she was starting to tire of him? What Sokka really needed was some clarity with Yue. On a few occasions, Yue had let it slip that she wouldn't walk away from her inheritance just to be with him, which meant that their relationship had an in-built expiry date. Unless he somehow managed to convince Yue to choose him over her father and the family fortune… but was that something he actually dared to do? What could he really offer Yue? The salary of a sawmill worker and a small single room apartment for rent? Didn't Yue deserve better than that?

As he and Suki got ever closer and spent more and more time talking, Sokka had occasionally caught himself wondering if it wouldn't be fairer to simply end things with Yue, considering that they might not have a future together anyway. The plan had one snag, though. While he was coming to like Suki more and more, Sokka still loved Yue. She was not the kind of girl one could easily walk away from. Perhaps it was foolish to hope, but Sokka knew that as stupid as it sounded, if Yue asked him to drop everything and run away with her, he would do so in a heartbeat. He just couldn't be the one to break things off. He needed Yue to do it for him.

"I honestly thought this place would be a lot more barren," Suki said excitedly, busy taking in the sights as they made their way up to the center of the small town and the cheap hostel located next to the postal office. "But I really love what I'm seeing so far. There's something about these forests that look both majestic, but also a little scary."

"It's just some larger than usual firs, nothing scary about that," Sokka laughed. Honestly, he couldn't understand why so many people felt like that about the forests surrounding Cape Kuruk, but while spending time at the local cafeteria he had overheard quite a few tourists gushing about how the local woodlands were 'creepy' and 'haunted'. As a result, some enterprising locals had really leaned into this idea and now there were at least three 'haunted forest walks' that Sokka knew about, meant for gullible tourists.

"Do you think we could go and explore?" Suki turned to him with an excited look on her face.

"Oh, absolutely. That was my plan for tomorrow," Sokka grinned at her. Suki was an extremely outdoorsy kind of person, and Sokka really liked that about her. Yue was a lot more indoorsy in comparison and really enjoyed her creature comforts. Besides, going hiking with Suki was preferable to hanging around the town and giving the local rumormongers reasons to start waggling their tongues. "I hope you have very comfortable walking shoes, by the way," he added.

"These should do the trick," Suki said, lifting her leg and pointing at her sneakers. "So, forest walk on Sunday, but we still have most of the Saturday left. Any plans for that, oh knowledgeable local guide?" she chuckled.

"Well, first we're getting you settled in at the hostel," Sokka replied. "And then, I have another walk in mind. It's a bit challenging, though, about seven miles across uneven terrain either way, so if you're tired…"

"Ha, you wish!" Suki gave him a resolute stare. "I am so accepting your challenge, even without knowing what it is," she added with a laugh.

"I was hoping you would say that," Sokka grinned. "We're going to take a walk along the coast, all the way up to the lighthouse. I've been told that the views are to die for."

"That sounds absolutely amazing," Suki looked really excited. "Wow… I can't thank you enough for agreeing to hang out with me. I still feel a little bit guilty about imposing. I can only imagine how much effort it is for you to both take those courses and work at the sawmill. You probably could have done with a chill and relaxed weekend, instead of going hiking with me."

"Nonsense, I will actually relax more while hiking than being lazy at home and annoying Gran-Gran," Sokka replied. "Besides, your company is worth a lot." Suki blushed lightly at that.

"Well… I just want you to know that I really appreciate it," she said demurely. "Honestly, I have been getting a little worried about how hard you're pushing yourself, Sokka. Working at the sawmill just seems like such a tough job. I wish you could find something easier."

"Don't fret, it's only temporary," Sokka smiled. "I don't plan to do it for the rest of my life, you know. It brings in decent money which I can start setting aside once we get Katara sorted at whatever college or university she ends up enrolling. The family has made its joint decision that we get Katara up on her own feet first, because she honestly has better future prospects than I do. Once she starts bringing home the bacon, I'll have my own turn at a better future."

"And you're perfectly fine with this arrangement?" Suki asked. The Powell truck had come to a halt in front of the hostel, but neither of them had made a move to get out, continuing the conversation. "I mean, if I was in your place, I would probably feel a little bitter towards my sister."

Sokka shrugged. "I'm fine with it. It really is the smart thing to do. Katara is scarily bright, you know? And I just love my little sister," he added with a chuckle. "Even if sometimes she can be a pain in the ass."

"You're a pretty amazing guy, Sokka, and I hope your sister appreciates you," Suki said earnestly, smiling. "I've clearly missed out by being the only child."

"Haha, I don't know about that," Sokka laughed. "It's pretty rare for siblings to get along as well as Katara and I do. It's more likely that you've dodged a massive bullet there. Anyway," he paused, grinning at his friend. "Shall we get you settled in at the five star hostel of Cape Kuruk? Bedbug and roach free for almost a year! No promises about the rats…"

"Sounds… wonderful?" Suki managed with a horrified look on her face. Sokka once again burst into laughter. This had all the makings of being one of the best weekends in a while.

Tho we gotta say goodbye for the summer
Darling I promise you this
I'll send you all my love every day in a letter
Sealed with a kiss

Yes it's gonna be a cold lonely summer
But I'll fill the emptiness
I'll send you all my dreams every day in a letter
Sealed with a kiss

Katara inadvertently blushed at the lyrics of the song blasting on the radio, as it just happened to come up while she was working on her letter to Azula. It was a little too romantic and didn't quite match her current sentiment towards the Fire Nation girl. Though in a way, it wasn't inaccurate either. After all, weren't all letters kind of sealed with a kiss? She wasn't sending her love to Azula, though. Even though she was not blind to how stunningly attractive Azula was, Katara's love was still reserved for Yue. It didn't mean that Katara didn't harbor all sorts of tender feelings for Azula, of course, but they were more of the protective sort. When it came to her Fire Nation friend, the thing Katara wanted the most was to just take care of Azula and keep her safe.

The months of spring and early summer had flown right by Katara. School was as easy as before, and most of her efforts had gone into helping Sokka prepare for acing his finals, which he had done fairly impressively. Katara's time outside of the school activities was dominated by the sometimes up to an hour long phone conversations with both Yue and Azula. They often got so carried away that Katara ended up annoying her own loved ones by completely monopolizing the phone.

Things with Yue stood exactly where they had been before. Katara was still hung up on her low-key pining for the white-haired heiress of the Taqqiq fortunes. Nothing had changed, even though Katara had actually expected things to change due to this new girl, Suki, who had entered the life of her brother. She wasn't sure what was going on with Yue's non-reaction about Sokka clearly starting to get pretty close with this other girl. Now that Katara and Yue were once again sharing a room at Uncle Iroh's Serpent's Lake estate during the summer Pai Sho camp, Katara was determined to interrogate Yue about the matter as soon as possible.

As far as Azula was concerned, it seemed like she was doing better as of late, even if she still remained very evasive about everything that had to do with her father. Being denied the opportunity to help more was very frustrating for Katara, but she consoled herself with the thought that their casual interactions and the long distance Pai Sho sparring was still helping Azula in a way. The only drawback to attending the Pai Sho camp this year was that she had lost her connection to Azula for the entire month of July. She couldn't call Azula, and her Fire Nation friend did not want to call Iroh's estate.

Trying to maintain some way of helping Azula, Katara had asked for permission to send Azula letters, and her friend had agreed that it would be acceptable. Katara was determined to send a letter at least every second day, hoping that it would in a way substitute their phone conversations for Azula. Katara actually found the process of writing letters rather exciting, not to mention that she liked the idea of Azula having something tangible of hers. She still had the clothes that Azula had bought for her to use during their fake date. Katara hadn't done that much growing up, so the clothes still fit her perfectly, even if the mini dress was now revealing even more of her thighs than before. Katara didn't have many opportunities to wear her expensive dress and kitten heels in Cape Kuruk, but she had worn them to Sokka's graduation ball and it had caused mayhem. Most of the local girls did not speak with her for two weeks afterwards. There had been at least three brawls that Katara was aware of between the boys lining up to dance with her. Sokka had been forced to fend off her would be suitors with a stick while escorting her to the car before the ball was even over. Yes, the previous few months had been quite fun.

Katara was nearly done with the letter when the doors to the room she was sharing with Yue opened and her fellow Water Tribe girl stepped inside, smiling at Katara. "Still not done?" she asked. "Are you by any chance composing poetry for Azula?" Yue added with an amused giggle.

"No… I just like to be thorough," Katara briefly withdrew her attention from the letter and turned around to smile at Yue. "I'm almost done, though. Sorry if I'm making you all wait on me."

"Don't worry about that," Yue replied. "Azula might be particularly close with you, but we all consider her a friend. We all approve of you looking out for her, Kat. I think that what you're doing is really sweet. It's so very you," she added, stepping closer and putting her hand on Katara's shoulder, in a quite distracting way.

"Thanks," Katara sighed, feeling relieved. "I was afraid that I might be starting to annoy you by spending so much time on these letters."

"Never fear that," Yue said softly, briefly squeezing Katara's shoulder before removing her hand. "I'm having fun hanging out with Aang and Toph while we're waiting on you to join us. The three of us can decide on what we're going to do in our free time and then you'll have no choice but to go along with it."

"That sounds fair," Katara laughed. "So, what did you decide on for today?"

"It's shaping up to be a really hot day," Yue replied. "We decided to have a beach day at the lakeshore. I could really do with a swim right now."

"Oh, I'm all up for that," Katara nodded excitedly. "Let me just put the finishing touches on this letter. Then I'll dig out my swimsuit and join you at the lake."

"Excellent," Yue grinned. "Well, just keep working on that letter while I slip into my own swimsuit. Now, where did I put it…" she muttered, kneeling by her suitcase and starting to dig through her stuff, some of it still unpacked a week after arrival.

Katara quickly tried to refocus her attention on finishing the letter, describing some of the fun stuff they had been getting up to in the past few days at the camp before signing the letter and drawing a couple of hearts surrounding her name at the bottom of the page. Meanwhile, Yue had managed to track down her swimsuit and was in the process of changing. Even though Yue had turned her back on her friend, she seemed unaware that the mirror on the wall provided Katara with an excellent view of her undressing and slipping into her daring white bikini.

Katara was desperately fighting the desire to steal a glance. And she nearly succeeded, too, allowing herself just one tiny glimpse, but it was enough to make her feel as if she was on fire. Blushing fiercely, Katara then desperately and unsuccessfully tried to put the image of Yue's body out of her mind. Of course, Yue's body would be pure perfection, how could it be anything else? Katara desperately forced herself to get a grip on her distracted state of mind, sealing the letter and finally writing down the address of Azula's Sozin's Island estate where she was staying throughout the summer. "Finally done," Katara exclaimed in relief.

"Good, just in time to tell me how I look," Yue spoke teasingly. Katara turned around to regard the other girl, the wave of intense heat hitting her anew and reflecting in her burning cheeks. Yue was only slightly more dressed than when she had been fully naked. She was wearing one of those quite scandalous two piece swimsuits, a tiny white bikini which contrasted spectacularly with her chocolate creamy skin.

"That's… very nice," Katara somehow managed to say, despite her mouth having become dry like sandpaper.

"Thanks," Yue winked at her. "You know that I like to show off and create a bit of a stir, don't you? You should try it too, sometime."

"Hah, as if I could create a stir with my swimsuit," Katara rolled her eyes. It was painfully old-fashioned in comparison with Yue's modern Lycra bikini. Katara's one-piece swimsuit looked more like a mini dress, not to mention that it was made from a far inferior material and remained uncomfortably wet for a very long time after swimming. She suddenly felt embarrassed about being seen next to Yue while wearing that ancient swimwear of hers.

"Well, actually…" Yue's eyes lit up mischievously. "I had thought of something along those lines, which is why I brought a spare bikini." She held it out for Katara. "Go on. Try it on," she urged.

Katara felt almost as if gripped by a near panic attack. She would be walking around almost like naked. She couldn't do that! Could she? "I… I don't think I can wear that, Yue," she refused to take it.

"What, it's too scandalous for you?" Yue shook her head. "I'm wearing one, as you may have noticed, and I'm not ashamed of it. Come on, don't be such a stick in the mud. You have the perfect bikini body and you know it."

"I… do?" Katara blinked in surprise.

"Hell yes, you do," Yue nodded with conviction, then letting out a sigh. "Seriously, how can you not know how stunning you look, Kat? It's like… I'm always perplexed by that. How can my incredibly hot friend be so oblivious about her good looks?"

Katara's face was burning with dangerous intensity at Yue's words. But they were also giving her the necessary encouragement to try on the bikini. "Well, I guess-" she began before thinking of something. Yue wanted her to try on the bikini. Maybe she could get something in exchange from Yue for it. "Alright, I'll try it on, but on one condition," she said. Yue gave her a curious stare. "You're going to answer a question for me, and you'll do so truthfully."

Yue looked a little uncertain and almost worried for a moment, but then the confidence returned to her smile. "Alright, it's a deal," she nodded.

Katara finally took the bikini, but she was definitely not going to change right there in front of Yue. Instead, she walked over to the bathroom and slipped out of her clothes, remaining naked before putting on the white bikini. Katara was aware that she could be a little prudish at times, but she still couldn't shake off the feeling of being almost completely naked while wearing the bikini. Still… as she admired the result in the wall mirror, Katara had to admit that perhaps Yue hadn't been wrong. Maybe she was underestimating herself. Maybe she just needed a little more confidence. And Yue's compliments were always great for Katara's confidence. If Yue said that she had the body for wearing a bikini, then Katara was willing to believe her best friend.

"Katara, I swear I'm going to drag you out of there myself if you won't come out soon!" she jumped at Yue's voice calling for her from the room.

"Coming!" Katara set her modesty aside and stepped out of the bathroom, blushing as she presented herself to Yue.

"Wow," was all that Yue could manage. Her cheeks had also gone beet red as she stared at Katara, lost for words. "Alright, this is going to be so much fun!" she giggled excitedly. "We are going to absolutely destroy all the guys at the beach."

"I still can't believe I'm signing up for something like this," Katara sighed, shaking her head. Still, she couldn't deny being excited as well. However, when Yue reached out to grab her hand and pull her towards the door, Katara resisted. "Wait a moment," she told her surprised friend. "I wanted to ask you something."

"Oh? Well, shoot," Yue urged her.

"Ever since the start of the camp, you haven't mentioned Sokka once," Katara remarked.

"Well, we had a long chat over the phone right before I left. I thought that he was doing alright. Was I wrong?" Yue shrugged. "Also, was that the question?"

"No," Katara shook her head. "It was leading up to my actual question. You know that Sokka has been getting pretty close with this other girl, Suki. What I want to know is how can you be so chill about that? I don't get it!"

The look on Yue's face at Katara's words could only be described as deeply conflicted. She seemed to be struggling with herself for a long while before finally replying, turning away from facing Katara. "Suki is from Kyoshi Island," Yue began. "Remember how I went to Kyoshi Island a year and a half ago?"

"Yes, it was during the winter holidays," Katara nodded. "Wait, did you meet Suki on Kyoshi Island?"

"I… more than just met her, Katara," Yue said as she sat down on the bed and stared at the floor. "I went out with her, Kat. More than once."

"What?!" Katara exclaimed. She hadn't expected this at all.

"I know… it was a mistake," Yue sighed.

"Why would you do that? I can't believe you cheated on my brother!" Katara couldn't stop herself from becoming upset.

"You haven't seen what Kyoshi Island is like at the peak of the tourist season, Kat. It's full of attractive young people, hooking up all the time. And I was there alone for a couple of weeks, starting to feel like a complete loser, always having to hang out all by myself. And then this cute girl showed up and started to take interest in me, so… yes, I probably shouldn't have done it, but nothing really happened between us, Kat. Nothing serious, at least. It didn't go beyond some kissing. Is that really cheating?" Yue asked, sounding a little defensive, but mostly resigned.

"I think most people would say that yes, that is cheating," Katara did not relent.

"Doesn't it mean that I also cheated on your brother with you?" Yue asked. Katara blushed heatedly. They had agreed to never again bring up that incident, and yet here Yue was doing just that. "I'm going to tell you something, Katara. When we made out in that firewood shed, there was a lot more intensity and passion than I ever had with Suki."

"Don't say that, please," Katara moaned, feeling mortified. "Alright, fine… I guess technically that was also cheating, but at least there was no intent to cheat. You chose to go out with Suki, and you did it several times."

"Alright, fine! I'm a terrible cheat, call me whatever you wish," Yue exclaimed, looking frustrated. "What do you want me to do? Do you think I should tell Sokka now? Imagine how weird that would be for him to find out now that he's hanging out with Suki."

"Hmm, yes, you make a good point," Katara agreed after a moment of thought. "You really should have told him right after coming back from Kyoshi Island."

"Well, I can't undo that mistake now, can I?" Yue sighed. "I was an idiot, alright? I didn't think that this would come back to haunt me, but these things always come full circle, don't they?" Having spoken those words, Yue began to cry. Even though Katara clearly disapproved of what Yue had done, she couldn't stay angry in the face of her best friend's tears. Nor could she condemn Yue too strongly. Not after what they had done the previous summer in the firewood shed.

So, Katara sat down on the bed next to Yue and put a comforting arm around her shoulder, which did feel a little awkward when they were both wearing nothing but their white bikinis. "Are you keeping silent about this to Sokka because Suki has threatened to tell him about your affair?" she asked quietly.

"No, I haven't spoken with Suki since Kyoshi Island," Yue shook her head. "But it's enough to know that she would tell Sokka about us if I started to object to Sokka spending time with her. It's like an unspoken threat that's always there and I can't do anything about it."

"That's terrible," Katara was suddenly overcome with sympathy for her best friend and long time crush, despite all of this being of her own making. "But you know what worries me the most, Yue?"

"You're worried about your brother, obviously," Yue replied, as perceptive as ever.

"Exactly. We're best friends, you and I. But if you do something that really hurts Sokka, I will not forgive you for that, Yue," Katara warned the other girl.

"I would not forgive myself, Kat," Yue sighed, nodding in agreement. "I'll think of something, I swear. Right now, my plan is to simply give Sokka space and allow him to decide who he wants to be with, me or Suki. Do you think that's unfair, Kat?"

"Not necessarily, but I'm not sure Sokka knows that he's been offered this choice," Katara replied. "I think he is still trying to be a loyal boyfriend to you. So even if he might want to be with Suki, he might not make that choice out of loyalty to you. I think you need to make it very clear to him that you're giving him this choice to decide."

"Ugh, you're right… you're absolutely right," Yue sighed. "I promise, I'll sneak into Iroh's office and give Sokka a call later. I've been absolutely awful at handling this. You must have lost all respect for me, Kat, and deservedly so."

"Nonsense, we all make mistakes, Yue," Katara smiled encouragingly, squeezing the other girl's shoulder. "But yes, give Sokka this option to decide, unless you have already made up your mind about breaking up with him."

Yue tensed up next to Katara. "I don't want to break up with Sokka," she managed in a strained voice. "I genuinely care about your brother, Kat."

"Good, that's all I wanted to know, Yue," Katara smiled, feeling more reassured. "Now, shall we put all of this behind us and hit that beach as we had intended?" she asked, Yue giving her a grateful nod as they proceeded to leave their room together, hand in hand.

It was only some time later that it occurred to Katara how Yue had for some reason avoided saying that she loved Sokka, despite her having used the l-word on many occasions before.

Next chapter: More summer shenanigans from Iroh's Pai Sho camp and we also check in with Azula.