Well, I'm glad everyone liked The Song of Sokka! It's one of my favorites too. Right now, I'm working on another humorous oneshot featuring Sokka, so if you like humor...there you go.

Wow. It has been a long month. But season three has begun and we all have reason to celebrate! This story can be stuck in anywhere in Book 2 after Toph joins the group and before they reach Ba Sing Se. It's pretty much just Aang musing. There will be a little oneshot after this that is barely connected with this one. It's what happens after the end of this one, but it has nothing to do with what Aang is thinking about. So anyway, on with the story!


It was a clear night in the Earth Kingdom forest. The stars could be seen twinkling softly in the cloudless sky, if one took the time to peer through the treetops. A soft breeze stirred the leaves, rustling them softly in the otherwise silent night. It seemed to be a perfect place to set up camp, and the gang had done just that only hours earlier when the sun had been setting. Now, in a darkness softened by moonlight, Aang was restless. Unable to fall asleep, he'd found a small hillock located in a clearing not far from were Sokka, Katara, and Toph slept.

As Aang stared up at the heavens from his horizontal position on the grassy ground, he thought about how ironic life was. How ironic he was. Having found solitude, he contemplated that lonely feeling he often felt and realized something. Even in the company of other human beings, he was alone. He didn't need to search for isolation; he was the embodiment of it. And he supposed that it all stemmed from one thing.

Time – the root of all his problems.

It seemed so strange to think about how he wasn't from this century. Aang belonged to another time, an era in the past, two entire generations before the one he was in now. He was simply a visitor in this modern age.

I'm like an unwelcome houseguest who's stuck around too long, he thought. And, in truth, he felt exactly like that. He was the sole human survivor of time, the infallible mercy killer. Except, he mused, it had failed him. Aang was certain – as certain as he could be – that destiny had brought him forward through time for a reason, but he wished with all his heart and soul that fate had left well enough alone.

In quiet moments – no matter the company – he could almost feel time grabbing him, clutching at his arms and trying to pull him back to where he should've been. He felt the loneliness tug at his heart and eat away at his sanity. Sometimes it was too much to bear in silence. Much like it had been this night. So he'd sought refuge in the hushed darkness.

The airbender hated Time. The very idea of it marching on, dragging everything with it in the never-ending circle of life discouraged him. There was no hope of escaping its firm grasp on the heart of humanity. For 100 years he had somehow managed to avoid its snatching fingers. Typical airbender technique, he supposed. He'd survived in the iceberg, beyond the reach of Time.

Although, Aang thought wryly, it didn't do me any good at all. Sure, I existed. But I wasn't aware that a century had passed. I didn't gain any knowledge or special abilities to help me with this impossible task. I might as well have lived my own life in my own time for all the good that it did me.

Honestly, what had the iceberg trick done for him? Most everyone he had known was dead now. A war had begun, and – despite all rationality and logic – Aang still felt guilty about the past. So, really, all it had done was bring misery and pain.

Maybe he needed to change his metaphor. Houseguest implied that he wanted to be there, which was completely untrue. I'm more like a hostage in this century.

How strange it was, though, to be pulled along with this generation. Had Aang lived to this day –without that meddlesome iceberg – these people he met now would have been young enough to be his grandchildren! Katara, Sokka, Toph – all of them would've been 100 years younger than he.

But of course, life hadn't worked that way. He'd been encased in ice for a century against his will. Despite the fact that he could legitimately claim to be 112, he hadn't aged one single day in that frozen time capsule. His body and mind remained those of a boy moving into puberty.

Wouldn't have minded skipping a few of these years, he thought.

Then there was also the fact that his culture didn't exist anymore. The customs and traditions of his youth had been forgotten by the world. Sure, Toph was the sole representative of the Earth Kingdom in their little gang, but she had the comfort of knowing that she was not alone on this planet. Aang had no one of his element to speak with, no one who could sympathize with him. No one at all.

Tonight he didn't even bother to consider the isolation of being the Avatar. Countless numbers of his past lives had gone through the same thing – minus the whole master the elements in a few months thing – and he took solace in that fact. It was enough to know that someone had experienced the same feeling.

So, all in all, his existence was a lonely one. It seemed that every aspect of his life served to separate him from the world. Maybe he was meant to live alone, though. Maybe that was his destiny.

Then again, it could be that this feeling was all in his mind. Perhaps Aang was supposed to fight it. That gnawing sensation deep in his bowels might just be some sort of mental barrier he needed to overcome. But how could he do that?

No, that seemed too complicated. He was overanalyzing. It was probably just-

A branch rustled somewhere behind him, breaking his concentration. Aang lifted himself onto his elbows and turned his head around to gaze at the dark forms of the trees. After studying the slowly shifting shadows for a moment, however, he dropped onto his back again. It had probably been a gopher-squirrel doing…gopher-squirrel things. Nothing to worry about there. Stretching his arms up and out, he placed his hands beneath his head and tried to remember what he had been thinking about.

Time. No…wait. That was earlier. He'd moved on to his analyzing skill. Which seemed to be a little over-developed. Oh, for spirit's sake, he was overanalyzing his analytical abilities! He sighed. Perhaps it was all in his head.

Okay, that was definitely not a gopher-squirrel. For one, it was way too loud; small woodland animals did not snap twigs so violently. Second, his night-adjusted eyes could sort of pick out a human figure lurking behind him. Or it might have just been his imagination.

Spirits above, he was not starting that again!

"Hello?" Aang called softly. Then again, "Hello?" a little more forcibly this time. A few seconds later, his guess that it was a person was confirmed. A dark shadow detached itself from the trees, and Katara stepped out. At least, he assumed it was Katara. A sliver of moonlight only illuminated a blue pair of pants from the knee down.

"Katara?"

The pants moved closer, and the rest of the waterbender was revealed in the moon's dim light. She lay down next to the monk without a word. When Aang was certain that the girl wasn't going to speak, he returned his gaze to the stars above.

Now where was he? Oh yes. As I was saying – or thinking, I guess. Although I could use saying, since I'm talking to myself. Anyway, I was thinking about this lonely feeling in the pit of my stomach and wondering if I was imagining it.

What was he to do? He wasn't even sure if the sensation was good or not, imagined or real. What was he supposed to do with it? Ignore it? Overcome it? What?

It was around that time Aang realized something was different. Not a change exactly, but a shift. The night felt more welcoming for some reason. He couldn't feel time clutching at his bowels anymore. It was like the sun had suddenly dawned and everything was shining in a different light. It all felt right.

Why? What had changed between then and now?

Tilting his head to the side, Aang gazed at the change. Katara hadn't seemed to feel the world shift. She lay quietly next to him, seemingly oblivious to his stare. Her eyes shone in the darkness, and he could see them wandering aimlessly over the stars and leaves above them.

"What?" Katara asked in a whisper. "What's wrong?" Ignoring the urge to blush at being caught watching her, Aang straightened his head and smiled.

"Nothing," he whispered back. "Everything's perfect."


Sorry about the pointless fluffy ending. I alsways have so much trouble making the endings work out. Erg!

Don't forget to review! I don't seem to be getting as many as I used too. Either I'm getting worse (most likely) or...I really don't have another explanation.