Ok, I had a burst of inspiration, so here's the next chapter! Thank you to everyone who reviewed! You rock my socks! Oh and I want you to know that the story that Sokka tells Suki about Mr. Bumi and Tai-lee is based off a real-life experience. How do you like that?

I was being dragged off to some unknown place by a guy I had met less than twenty-four hours ago. And while I could easily turn the tables on him, my intense curiosity had gotten the best of me.

So I let myself be dragged off to an unknown destination by a certain pony-tailed Track star.

I managed to keep up with his insane pace. Even though for every stride of his I had to take three, we ran side by side down Main Street and turned off on 2nd.

We paused and as I looked around two hands covered my face. Instinct took over. I crouched and jammed my elbow hard behind me.

"Ouch!" Sokka yelped. I whipped around to find him stumbling backwards.

Ooops.

"Are you ok?!" I ran over and crouched next to him.

Sokka began to laugh. It was high pitched and sorta choked.

"Wow," he gasped. "You really pack a punch."

"Are you ok though? I'm so sorry, I just thought that someone-"

"No, no, I'm fine." Sokka straightened and tugged at his pony tail. "Wow, you are really something."

"I'm so sorry," I continued. Stupid, stupid, stupid, Suki. Wonderful way to start out your alone time with a guy; elbow him in the gut. "Are you sure you're ok?"

"I'm fine, don't worry!" Sokka insisted. "Where did you learn to hit like that?"

"Err; I take karate with Mai and Tai-lee."

"Wow…" Sokka was staring at me like I was some sort of god.

"Um, look, I'm really sorry,"

"I'm fine Suki, seriously. Plus, now I know not to sneak up on you in a dark alley." Was he trying to be funny?

"Err, thanks?" I tried.

"So, where were we?" he asked taking my hand.

"You were dragging me somewhere then decided to stop and cover my eyes?"

"Oh yah, that." Sokka walked behind me. "This time please don't kill me. I am going to cover your eyes ok? I want this to be a surprise."

"Sorry Sokka, I overreact sometimes when people surprise me-"

"Forget it," he covered my eyes and steered me around.

"Careful, there's a curb," he instructed; after I almost fell flat on my face.

"Thanks for the warning," I said dryly.

"Sorry!"

There seemed to be a lot of apologizing going on around here.

As we walked the ground changed underfoot growing more squishy and forgiving. Finally, I was directed sharply to the right.

"Ok, there is a bench behind you. You can sit here." I sat and he lifted his hands off my face. I gasped.

It was a garden with willows and redwoods. The light was coming at an angle that cast the shadows across the gravel. The stones sparkled. The most stunning thing though, had to be the large fountain that accented the middle of the clearing. Candles on little boats and on posts surrounding the fountain made the water twinkled and shiver, almost as though it was alive.

"Wow…" I stared at my surroundings. Sokka stood beside me with a smug grin on his face. "How come I have lived in this town for my entire life and I have never seen this place?"

"It looks rather unremarkable during the day, but during the night…" Sokka shrugged and gestured towards the fountain. I had to agree. There were no words to describe how the water glistened and rippled.

Sokka sat down next to me on the stone bench and for awhile we just sat and watched the flow of the water from bowl to bowl. It was relaxing, the flow. Never ending, a cycle of beauty and harmony.

Sokka was inching closer and closer to me (and trying not to be obvious about it). Finally he stopped, as if afraid to touch me.

I leaned my head on his shoulder and solved that problem.

After awhile I broke the silence.

"Why do you even talk to Tai-lee, after what she did to you?" I asked, curious.

"Jet dumped her. She got what she deserved."

"It's that simple?" I wondered out loud. Sokka nodded. I wished that I could view the world that way.

"Plus that was two years ago, and I don't hold grudges."

"You know your sister is going out with Jet right?"

"Yah."

"Are you ok with it…?"

"Of course not. But when I told her this afternoon she said that I was still mad at him for stealing Tai-lee and to keep my nose out of her business."

"Wow…"

"Katara can be really defensive sometimes."

I nodded in agreement.

"So, what do you do in your free time?"

"Mostly hang out with Zuko and sometimes this boy Aang."

"Aang?"

"His mom is- was- my mom's friend so we have known each other for years. He's an eight grader at Heights Jr. High." I had heard the slip, though he had done his best to cover it up. I put my arm around him and hugged him tight. He hugged back.

A single tear rolled down his cheek.

"If you don't mind me asking, who do you live with if your dad is at war?"

"Gran-Gran. She's my mom's…mother."

He held me tighter, as if I was a lifeline to the real world and he was lost in his own world of pain.

I inhaled. He smelled sharp. Not in a bad way, but in the way ocean air fills your lungs and makes you feel like you can run forever and like the humid breeze off a river makes you want to sink your roots into the riverbank and grow into a tall willow with branches that brush the water.

Finally we broke apart and he settled for just holding my hand. His fingers massaged my palm tracing the lines that marked it. The firelight made his eyes dance and reflect in ways that made me stare. His fingers paused on a long scar on the back of my right hand.

"What's this?"

"Nothing."

"It's clearly something Suki," Sokka insisted infuriatingly.

"Please, not now." He must have seen the desperation in my eyes.

"Ok," he agreed. "Not now." I sighed contentedly and leaned against his shoulder.

He smelled so lovely and adjusted himself so I could be comfortable. Sokka leaned down and brushed my hair out of my eyes. His breath tickled my cheek. I could hear his pulse- his lips gingerly touched mine.

He kissed me.

I kissed back.

And that my friends, is me attempting to write romance. Don't kill me. I seemed to get good responces when I wrote some deeper stuff so here you go people! Review! Review! Review!

I'll get the next chapter up as soon as possible!