MD: Third adventure. It's Sokka Time! 8D
disclaimer: Have Zuko and Iroh joined the Gaang yet? No? Then, do you honestly think I own Avatar?

Escapade Three: Deception

At this point in his life, Sokka knew to expect and accept the fact that weird things would constantly centrifuge around him. Of course, this didn't stop his grumbling, as he tore though shrubbery, swinging his machete in frustration at the vile leaves. The only explanation for losing track of everyone was that Zuko had sprung a trap on Toph and Aang, and then kidnapped Katara for his devious self.

Sighing inwardly, he pushed the idea out of his head. It sounded stupid even there. But in situations like these, where annoyance was high, Sokka couldn't help when stupid ideas snuck up on him. It was like they were magnetic to his blood or skin or something.

"This is ridiculous," he complained, slashing through a rather thick bunch of leaves. Pieces fluttered off, twirling in the air around him. All he wanted was to curl up in his sleeping back and go off to dreamland, letting his stomach digest all the wonderful food he'd given it. It really was a great idea to go to that restaurant tavern place. They even had seal-jerky, and it was good.

Lost in thought, he tripped and landed face down in a pile of dead leaves. Groaning and swearing in frustration, he leapt to his feet, kicking the leaves over. Satisfied, he smirked victoriously and began walking again.

It was particularly quiet, and Sokka almost wished Momo would run out to greet him, so he could talk and not to just himself. He couldn't be that far from their camp; he'd been walking for a while now, and it felt as if he were going in unending circles.

"Caaaamp! Come to me!" He knew it was pointless to ask for it, but it seemed like the sort of thing to do at the moment. In boredom, he hit the blunt end of his machete against tree trunks, slightly amusing himself at the thunking sounds that echoed from them. He started turning the hits into a rhythm, falling into the beat of an old Water Tribe lullaby. Now he was glad to be away from everyone else; he didn't want to show sentimentalities as deep as this one to the others. Especially Zuko.

Thinking of the Prince brought him out of his memories, and he slammed the hilt against a rather thick tree. "Forget it all. I just want sleep. Now."

The foliage decreased in volume, and he picked up pace. He must have been approaching the clearing where they had set up camp. He stepped into a rather spacious area, and just knew his sleeping bag was only moments away –

He was staring at dirt. A small twig poked his shoulder, and he rolled over and up, sitting in confusion. The ground surrounding him was pretty much clear of anything and everything.

"There is nothing in this area. How did I trip?" He annunciated the words slowly, gazing around the scene with narrowed, surveying eyes. Standing, he dusted off his tunic and adjusted his belt. No worries. No one had been around to see him trip over nothing.

Sighing, he started walking again, only to stumble. This time, he managed to catch himself and only hopped a foot before regaining balance. He stared at the ground angrily. He wasn't that clumsy!

Grumbling, he started walking again at a tentative speed, watching his feet intently. He jumped when something brushed against his shoulder twice, and he whirled his head around, eyes darting.

And his gaze fell on nothing but air. He angrily ran a hand though his hair, pulling some strands out of the wolf tail. Inhaling a good dose of oxygen, he pushed everything that just happened from his mind and started on his trek once more.

"Life just hates you, Sokka, that's all." He almost regretted going through the bushes last; he'd probably just lost track of everyone along the way.

The skies were dark overhead, and the only light was that of the full moon. Sokka stopped, allowing his ocean-toned eyes to lock onto the orb. He forgot all about his previous annoyance and soaked up the image, not wanting to move along again. He missed her, no matter how much it appeared otherwise.

There was a prodding at his side. Yelping, he whirled around, broken out of his trance. The tranquility in his eyes turned into irritation as he absorbed the sight before him.

"Open. Air. What. The. Hell?" Perhaps there was something in his dinner. He was the only one to have eaten that delicious looking fried platypus-bear egg, topped in a greenish sort of sauce, but it went down easily enough without worries. Only now did a precautious nerve tingle in his brain, but it wasn't helping much.

Twirling his machete, he walked over to a tree and stabbed the blade into the wood. Cupping the hilt, he pressed his ear to the end, magnifying any sounds in the area. His mind registered dead silence, and he tore his weapon from the tree forcefully, resisting the urge to shout rather offensive obscenities. How could no one be in the area? No one – except Aang – was that fast!

His hair moved.

He froze in place, allowing his cranium to contemplate what just happened. The slivers of chocolate brown bound in leather swished against the back of his head. They bounced upward, before crashing against the back of his head.

Normally, this wouldn't have bothered him in the slightest. It was a ponytail, and ponytails moved at times. It was pretty much a fact of life. What turned the mechanisms in his mind, however, was the fact that wind was scarce. Hair did not move on it's own. Yet, as he stood still in a slightly empty area, there was no breeze. Not even the hint of one. Just unmoving, relaxed air.

"Well then!" he bellowed cheerfully, slipping into denial. "Aang's gotta be around here somewhere. Aang!"

He circled his hands around his mouth to elate his shouts to a louder volume, willing his legs to move forward. Dying leaves crunched under his feet, withering into fragments of soon forgotten plant life. He shouted each of his traveling companions names, albeit one a bit more lowly and reluctantly than the others. No one replied, but he wasn't entirely sure he expected them to.

From his left, a tree branch creaked and leaves rustled. With stealth, speed and aim, he tossed his boomerang at the noise, watching the weapon soar towards its target. He waited for the thunk of a collision, but it didn't come. Sokka relaxed a bit and waited for it to return.

And waited. His brows furrowed, as he stared at the spot he had thrown it. Had it hit something after all and just not made a noise? He strolled towards the tree, gazing around it.

Only to see his boomerang in mid air. Floating in mid air.

"Okay. I'm a little alarmed now. Boomerangs don't do that." He stared in shock at his precious weapon, trying to understand how in the world it was doing as such. He snatched at it with his hand, and as he pulled back, the boomerang did not move. His mouth opened and shut, and he tugged at it again, grabbing onto it with both hands. "Get. Out. Of. The. Air!" he shouted, his eyes shutting tightly, as he desperately tried to move it.

All of a sudden, whatever was keeping it in place was gone, and Sokka fell backwards, landing on his lower back. He groaned, but clutched his boomerang to his chest tightly. Ignoring the pain in his spine, he looked around violently, but nothing caught his eye.

"That's it. All I want is to get back to my stupid camp, take a good, long nap, and forget this ever happened. Whatever this is that's happening."

There was a giggle. Sokka leapt to his feet, tucking away his boomerang and grabbing his machete. He darted around the tree back into the clearing, ready to chastise whoever was bothering him. For some reason, he had this uncanny feeling that it was Toph with the unwilling cooperation of Aang.

But the clearing was empty. He facepalmed, the grip on his machete turning his knuckles a deathly white. "Okay, Toph! Aang! You win! I'm admitting that you have me confused and a little freaked out!"

Neither child answered him, and Sokka was almost willing to give in to those idiotic stories and believe a spirit was toying him. Almost willing, for his pride wouldn't allow it.

Quite suddenly, his tunic felt rather loose, and the next thing he knew, he was staring at blue fabric covering his head. The crisp air danced across his bare back and a shiver cascaded down his spine. Shouting angrily, he pulled his shirt down harshly, securing it in place. He spotted his belt on the ground, ignoring the twitching of his left eyebrow. He reached down, grabbing the belt and retying it around his waist.

There was another giggle from behind him, but the sound of the laughter was elegant and far from the mischievous tone of earlier. And it was familiar. Slowly, nervously, he turned his body. When his eyes met the owner of the laugh, his machete fell forgotten to the ground, and his mouth dropped.

She smiled at him in all her wondrous glory, pale robes fluttering around her in beautiful waves, surrounded by an ethereal haze. "Hello, Sokka."

Her voice was exactly as he remembered, and he found himself incapable of speech. She laughed again, hiding her mouth behind a small, slender hand.

"I see you're just as articulate as ever."

"Yue…"

"It's nice to see you, Sokka."

"But… what…?"

"Weren't you listening to the stories?"

"Yeah, but… you mean…?"

"You always were one of those I'll Believe It When I See It people."

"I…"

"I've also come to retrieve someone. Surely you've noticed a pattern of misfortunes following you?" He knew what she was talking about, but couldn't bring it to words. She smiled, tilting her head to the side. A small shadow was hidden behind her, and he knew that was what had been bothering him all night. "He just wanted to meet you for himself, but he has a habit of… pulling little tricks on people."

"Who… is he?"

"An underling of the Ocean Spirit. He's taken a liking to the Human World, and likes to visit every year when he can. I'm sorry if he caused you trouble…"

At that point, Sokka could care less about what the spirit had done. Because right now, he was gazing at one of the people he missed most. "Yue…"

"Sokka. You know the times ahead are only going to get harder… Rest while you can. And allow your sister a little more freedom. She'll thank you for it later."

"You… have to go now, don't you?"

She nodded, eyes appearing downtrodden. "If I stay too long… well, you know." She smiled. "Don't worry. Now that this little guy is gone, you'll find your friends in no time." She floated gracefully towards him, pressing her transparent lips to his cheek. "Be brave, Sokka."

He was left holding his face, staring at the empty space where she had just been. If the tingle of her touch was not still lingering there, he would have deemed everything a dream, or an illusion as the swamp had been. He didn't doubt the stories now. As a matter of fact, he looked forward to the next year, hoping he'd get to see her again. And it didn't matter if endless teasing or "I told you so's" erupted from his friends, because seeing her again was totally worth it.

The ground beneath him rocked with an explosion, breaking him from his reverie. The sound was close, and he listened for the after effects. It was not far from him, and with a vile of worry growing in his stomach, he rushed off, snatching his machete from the ground as he ran.

XD XD XD

MD: Mwahaha? Well, you'll finally find out what that explosion is next time. XD
You get a free cabbage from the Cabbage Man if you leave a review. Because, you know, I'll be spazzing about like the CFG, and he'll want his cabbages safe rather than destroyed.