This is going to be a sad story, so heads up. I hope you enjoy and R&R ASAP! :)

Disclaimer: No, I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender or any of its characters or anything like that...I do own the rainbow lollipop in my sock drawer however! ;)

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Katara sighed as she held her mother's necklace in her hand. It had been quite a few years since she had joined Aang, and even more since her mother had left. Although Aang provided her with more love than she could ever dream of from a boyfriend, it couldn't replace the empty space in her heart where her mother had once been. Returning to her home after the war ended had helped relieve some of the pain, but not enough. Katara sighed again as a lone tear fell.

Sokka noticed his sister and was about to walk over to her when he thought differently. Maybe she just needs to be alone right now… He knew how close his sister was to their mother and how unstable her emotions could be. He recalled the first anniversary of his mother's death with a grimace.

I may be a child, but that doesn't mean I can't be a warrior, I thought as I ran down a snow-covered hill, wielding my trusty boomerang. I swung left and right at imaginary Fire Nation soldiers, cutting them down by the thousands. I was unstoppable! …until I tripped over someone and rolled down the hill, screaming. I lifted my face from the frosty ground to see who was responsible for the fall of the Great Sokka when I saw the last person I'd expect to see sitting out in the middle of the frozen glacier.

"Katara?" I asked cautiously. She lifted her head, revealing frozen tear drops on her cheeks.

"Katara, why are you crying? Are you hurt?" She sniffed and nodded her head slowly. I ran over to my little sister.

"Where? What happened?" I was worried frantic now. Katara hugged herself tightly and put a hand upon her heart.

"Here. I've been hurt here. The Fire Nation happened," she whispered. I cocked my head to the side in confusion. My sister glared at me.

"You don't know what day today is, do you, you stupid jerk?!" I backed away a step and shook my head slowly. Next thing I knew I was pushed down to the ground. I looked up into my little sister's face. There were so many emotions clouding her oceanic blue eyes: grief, pity, regret, shame, fear, and pain. But as soon as I had seen them, they disappeared only to be replaced by pure rage. She started to throw snowballs at me as she yelled.

"How can you not know what today is?! Don't you remember last year, this day last year? What happened? What happened to the Tribe, to us, to Mom?" That last word struck a chord into my brain as realization sunk in. Old wounds of the heart reopened. The day the Fire Nation attacked us…The day Mom- I swallowed back tears and attempted to choke out a word, a sound, anything, but nothing came out. Katara was oblivious to my pain. She only yelled louder.

"How could you not remember?! Exactly one year ago, we lost our own mother! But it's not like you care!" I lowered my hands protecting my face from the attacks. I stared at my sister in disbelief. "Huh?"

She glared. "Don't act stupid! I know you like Dad best, you always had. You never spent any real time with Mom, never cared. When the Fire Nation came, you didn't come with me to try to protect her, make sure she was okay, no, you ran off to play hero with your silly toy boomerang! You didn't care about Mom like I did. That part was obvious. When she died, you never cried, never talked about her, never did anything. I was the one grieving for the both of us. I still grieve. Do you? No! Do you care? No! Do you even remember her? No! Miss her? No! But you wanna' know the worst part of it all? You don't even love Mom! At least not like I do!"

In her fury, Katara threw a sharp chunk of ice at my face. It struck home. I fell back to the ground. I tasted blood. When I raised my head, she was gone. I stumbled up, but fell back again, numb. I picked up the piece of ice and looked into it. My right eye was bruised, my lip was split, and there was a small but deep cut on the right side of my forehead. Not that it mattered. I felt none of it. What hurt the most were Katara's words. The truth behind half of it. I did run off, I did spend more time with Dad, and I never grieved openly. But I did care about Mom's death and missed her more than anyone would ever guess. I remembered her, sure it was getting harder each day, but I still remembered her warm smile, shining eyes, and strong face. And I did love Mom. Katara's final words stung more than the rest. They stabbed deep into my heart and burned strongly into my brain. My chest throbbed in agony at the painful memories of one year ago and at the cruel words of my sister.

Of course I loved my mother! More than anything else in the world! Of course I cared and missed her! Every day! Of course I remembered her! I pictured Mom's face in my head. Suddenly, it changed. It changed into Katara's. Shocked, I cleared my mind and thought of my mother. This time, nothing.

I'd forgotten Mom. I felt a tear trek down my face. For the first time in my life, I didn't wipe it away and suck in my sorrow or hide my tears. For the first time in my life, I cried.

Sokka subconsciously put one hand to his chest and the other to his forehead. He still had a small scar from the ice. It was hardly noticeable, only if you looked for it closely, but Sokka knew it was there. He felt tears coming on, but held them back. He was almost a grown man now, he didn't cry. Still, that didn't stop the sadness.

If only there were such things as second chances for someone like him. If only I could go back and save her or at least say good-bye. If only there was a way- Sokka's head snapped up with an idea. He jumped up in excitement. Maybe there is a way! Maybe I can see her, talk to her, bring her back! Sokka ran in search of his friend. If his idea was possible, there was one person he needed to see about it. One person who could help him, who had a way with the Spirit World…