Avatar: the last airbender belongs to Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko and Nickelodeon.
Sokka sighed dejectedly. It was one of these days again, where everything was going wrong since the very second he woke up. After a quite uncomfortable wakening with Momo's hand in his mouth, they had been forced to take off because of ten freaks, half of which were humans and riding the second half, much too bellicose for his own taste. They then had landed in a town inhabited by crazy people whose hatred for the Avatar rivalled the one of the Fire Nation and who locked up Aang for a crime he obviously could not have committed.
But worst of all, he had lost his boomerang. There was time for Katara's scrolls, for Aang's staff and even for Momo, but not for his boomerang. He had complained much about this discrimination but it fell on deaf ears. But he had luck in his misfortune, for he and Katara were travelling to Kyoshi Island to prove Aang's innocence, which meant he would see Suki again. He brightened slightly at the thought and he became even happier when they reached the forsaken island.
Despite flying on Appa, he heard a bell knolling from what looked like a watchtower. They soon landed in front of the statue of Kyoshi, indirect and unwilling instigator of the current Avatar's present trouble. A blue wall almost immediately surrounded the bison; the villagers had crowded around them, looking forward to meeting the Avatar once again. One even foamed to the point of fainting.
"Where's Aangy?" Asked Koko, the most memorable and fervent of Aang's fans. Sokka pondered one instant about nicknaming the place Fan Island. They did have all sorts of fans everywhere, after all.
"He couldn't be here, Koko." Katara answered after hopping down from Appa. Her brother quickly followed.
"I wanted to see Aangy!" Koko was not the only one disappointed by Aang's absence. The crowd murmured in disenchantment before dispersing and going back to their business.
Sokka could not help feeling loved. The village chief, Oyagi, eventually came to burst his bubble of adoration. Shortly thereafter, Katara had explained him the situation and he was leading them a shrine devoted to Kyoshi. Sokka briefly mused about a similar memorial to Aang in the future but soon shook this thought out of his head, for he had something else to ask.
"So... What's Suki's up to?" He asked, trying not to sound overly interested, though he had a feeling both Katara and Oyagi knew better. "Is she around?"
Oyagi slowed his pace before replying. "Our warriors left to fight in the war." He started, carefully choosing his words. "You kids had a big impact on them. They said you inspired them and they wanted to help change the world. They felt cloistered on the island."
A sad look appeared on Sokka's face. "Oh well, that's great..."
"Suki, however, stayed. She couldn't go for... personal reasons." Oyagi commented, guessing the teenager's disappointment. "You'll find her in the training house..."
"Super!" He flustered lightly as they turned their heads to look at him, the chief's face unreadable and his sister bearing a sly smile. "Err, I mean, that's nice to know. But we don't have time. We need to investigate..." He trailed off.
"Give up Sokka." Katara said, teasing evident in her voice. "Go see your girlfriend. I can investigate alone."
He brightened and turned on his heels and running off. The remaining duo resumed walking and had made a few steps when Sokka ran back to them. "And she's not my girlfriend!" He exclaimed before sprinting back to the village. Katara rolled her eyes whereas Oyagi simply sighed.
They eventually reached the temple. Before entering it, the waterbender could not contain her curiosity anymore. "Why did Suki stay?" She asked.
Oyagi stared at her a few seconds. "It does not belong to me to inform you." He answered mysteriously before walking into the temple.
-
Suki was training with acquired discipline when rapid steps from outside distracted her. She looked toward the door in time to see it slide open, revealing a face she did not think she would see in a long while. "Sokka?" She asked incredulously before finding herself hugged in a matter of seconds. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, you know, Avatar stuff." He replied casually as he let go of the hug. "But what about you? I heard you were the last warrior here."
Suki faltered lightly as she knelt down, imitated by him. That was the reason why she secretly wished not to chance on him so soon. She chose to change the subject. "What's with the ridiculous hat and glass?"
"Err, nothing!" He replied as he took them off and shoved them aside. "So... why did you stay?"
She gave a forced smile. "I'm not sure you want to know why I didn't go with the other girls..." She said vaguely.
"Come on! We're friends, right? Didn't we fight that crazy Fire Prince together?"
She bit her lip. He was making it harder, not on purpose of course, but he still was. "Yes, we are friends..." She motioned for him to lean closer. "I'll tell you why..." She started to whisper in his ear.
-
Katara examined the relics of the Avatar doubly previous to Aang. "She had exquisite taste." She stated, reaching to feel the fabric of the huge kimono.
"Please don't tou-" Oyagi was interrupted by a high-pitched scream echoing throughout the village.
"Sokka?" Katara yelled as she drew her hands away from the kimono. She darted to the doorway and glanced outside.
The old man stoked his chin. "He took the news better than I thought." He remarked, much to the girl's surprise.
"News?" She walked back in the temple. "You mean... That's about Suki?"
"Yes." He waved his hand dismissively. "Nothing to worry about. Go back to your inspection." Katara looked at him, then shrugged and walked back to the relics but not without a last glance in the general direction of the village. "And don't touch." He almost hissed.
-
Suki uneasily watched Sokka as his breathing brushed against hyperventilation. Her unease decreased when he began to breathe normally again, but it increased when he started laughing.
"Good joke Suki!" He rubbed the back of his neck. "Now, seriously, why are you still here?"
"It's not a joke Sokka." She replied, finding it very hard to look at him.
He laughed again, but this time much more nervously and with a few twitches. "Ha ha ha... That's true? You're... You're..." He began to stammer madly. "But how? Why? How? When?"
Suki looked down. "It happened after you left... It surprised us all that he actually could be nice at times..." She tapped her index fingers together uncertainly. "Very sweet even and, one thing leading to the other..." She blushed slightly as her voice grew faint.
A few minutes silently flew by, Sokka looking sadly at Suki who herself gazed everywhere but at him. He sighed. "Do you miss him? Even though he is... well, him?" She tilted her head up, met his eyes and nodded. He sighed again. "I see." His grasp over her shoulders became a reassuring squeeze. "I'll try to find him, if that's okay with you."
"Thanks." She kissed Sokka on the cheek. "I shouldn't have worried about your reaction."
"Of course not." He replied, a hint of awkwardness in his voice, and stood up. "I'll go join Katara now. Avatar stuff."
As he walked out, Suki rested her hand on her belly and sighed in relief. She had been worried about his reaction to her situation when she saw him enter. She got up and was about to resume her drill when a scream of frustration was heard outside, followed by what suspiciously sounded like Sokka smacking his head into a tree. She heaved a sigh again but smiled a little. He really had taken the news better than she expected.
----
As he scuttled toward the deserted city and in-between worried thoughts about his friend Aang, Sokka cursed his bad luck. He should have guessed that the newest addition to the team, in the person of a blind girl whose earthbending matched if not outdid the one of Bumi, brought its flock of difficulties as well as her insane skills. Barely a few days after she joined the team, she had left them because of a stupid feud.
Thankfully, the trusty Appa had limited the damage by airbending the two thirds of the terrifying team chasing them out of range and out of threat. But they had to leave the fatigue-ridden bison away from the town, for he was too tired to continue. They had reached Aang just in time to save him from the craziest one of the trio. After a few exchanged blows, it was Toph's turn to come to the rescue. They had shortly cornered the enemy firebender.
And then, he saw him, standing by who he remembered to be his uncle.
To everyone's surprise, he grabbed him by the wrist. "You and I need to talk." He turned his head to the others. "Continue the fight you." He then led a grumpy and shocked Zuko inside one of the buildings.
"What do you want, filthy water peasant!" He hissed as Sokka let go of his wrist.
"Remember Kyoshi Island?" Sokka demanded, ignoring the prince's irritable demeanour as well as the taunts and sounds caused by the intense battle outside. Zuko gave a confused frown before nodding. "Remember Suki?" He nodded again. "Good. I hope you remember how yougot her pregnant too." He said with a harsh glare.
Zuko's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "W-what?" He stuttered as his right eye twitched repeatedly.
"I guess that boomerang blow at the South Pole really did make you stupid...er." Sokka commented under his breath. "You. Slept. With. Her." He clasped his collar with both hands and brought his face closer. "You're the father of her child, and you better assume the consequences." He then released him, though his glare never diminished.
"B-b-but... It can't be..." He clasped his head in his hands and began to shake it furiously. "I'm the Fire Nation heir! She's just some, some... Some nobody!"
His outburst was cut short by a slap from Sokka. "I expected that reaction." He said, clearly ticked off. "But Suki's my friend and I promised her you would be with her." Zuko stared blankly at Sokka, who looked at him with an unreadable face. "Besides, did you really think of her as a nobody? You couldn't possibly have if you liked her enough to... taste fatherhood." Sokka continued, unconvinced.
The firebender looked down. "You're right. I'm lying to myself when I say she's a nobody to me. I... liked her too much for her to be insignificant." Sokka nodded approvingly. "She was the first to look at me like a person, come to think of it. Not a prince, not the enemy, just... me. A little like my un-"
They were interrupted when a little green-clad girl wlaked in. "What were you doing snoozles?" Toph yelled. "You could have helped us a great deal against that mad girl! She managed to shoot that nice old man before taking off like a rabbaroo!"
Zuko's eyes widened. "Uncle?" He whispered incredulously.
Toph frowned. "You're his nephew? Ouch. Anyways, Katara's heal-"
Katara's entrance cut her off. "No, Toph. I couldn't heal him. I don't think anybody would have survived a blue-hot fireball in the head anyways..." She muttered sadly. Iroh was one of the very few Fire Nation people she met who were actually nice.
Zuko stood speechless for a few seconds. All of sudden, he pointed a finger at Sokka. "You!" He hissed, his face distorted in fury. "It was a set-up, wasn't it? You got me away from my uncle so that you could kill him!" He continued, walking toward the yound warrior who himself started to back away. "You even lied to me to mess up with my mind. Like Azula!"
Before Sokka could speak to prove his innocence, the prince engulfed him in fire, under the horrified eyes of the remaining occupants of the room, all paralyzed in shock by the victim's agonizing screams. "I should have known it was one of her plans!" He screamed insanely, towering above Sokka's smoldering body. "Everyone's against m-" He never finished his sentence.
"You killed my brother!" Katara shrieked as she whipped the recent murderer with the water of her flask, sending him stumbling into a wall. He had no time to get up for Toph joined in and summoned a pike of earth from the ground, piercing through his torso in a sickening crack. Zuko's body twitched before becoming motionless, eyes glazed over.
Aang, who had been outside the building when the fight broke out, walked in and gasped at the scene. "W-what... What happened here?" He asked, disbelief and horror burdening his face.
Katara gave one last look to her brother's corpse before squeezing his shoulder and leading him outside. "Nothing. Sokka's death is avenged." She murmured, tears flowing down her cheeks. Toph followed, her face ridden with grief as well, though hers was nowhere as strong as Katara's.
You did not expect that, now did you? A little breath of fresh air in these chapters of horror and tragedy, even though it did not last. Although I am sure some will consider Zuko/Suki alone to be horrific and tragic enough to fit.
Other than that, remember boys and girls, sex is the source of children and abandoning duties of parenthood is baaad. Especially if there is an over-protective and jealous person like Sokka around.