Part One: Winter
Chapter Four: Journeys
Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. Now put me up on the list of people who wished they did.
She cried.
The wind howled through the night, and the tears streamed down her face.
She looked at his bed, looking upon his face, and sobbed.
She tried to imagine an empty bed.
An empty space.
An empty part of herself.
She tried to imagine his sweet smile, and failed.
She could only see
His grey eyes closed forever, never to see again.
"Sokka, I've been doing some thinking."
The Water Tribe boy looked up at his sister, and she sighed and sat down besides him.
The morning sun was hidden behind a veil of fog, and the wind, although subsided, still raged bitterly across the camp. The weakest of fires had been set in the middle, providing barely enough heat to warm the day's food. The warrior faced his sister, then looked towards the trees. Hawky circled majestically above, and Sokka was bitterly reminded of the previous day's events.
"Is it about Aang?" he asked quietly. "Or Toph?"
"Both."
A silence swept through the camp.
"Look, I'm sorry for what I did yesterday. I shouldn't have yelled at you, even though... even though I didn't think you were right about anything," she said softly.
She looked at him expectantly, and Sokka mumbled an apology back. The siblings sat there, toes pointed towards the fire, the fog shrouding the trees in a veil of clouds.
"I've thought about what you've said. About caring about Aang more than anything..."
Sokka nodded mutely. Katara stared into the small fire, trying to avoid his gaze.
"And I do, Sokka... I do care about him. And I've realized that if he does... go..."
She paused to regain her composure.
"If Aang does... go... I don't know what to do. That's why I think we should leave the Fire Nation."
Sokka didn't say anything, so she went on.
"All of us could go back to the Northern Water Tribe, and you and Toph can take Appa and go to the Bei Fong estate. The healing oasis there could help Aang. And there's lots of healers there, too... we can help him, Sokka. Really, really help him."
Katara looked at her brother, who was looking down at the hard, cold ground before him. He seemed to be thinking hard about it, although he had always been one to make quick decisions.
"The Northern Water Tribe is so far away." He finally stated, his ice-blue eyes piercing hers.
"I know, Sokka, but it's our only chance. It's Aang's only chance."
"But it's so far away... Katara, Aang might not survive the journey."
Katara hadn't thought about this, and she bowed her head, her eyes shrouded in confusion.
"You're right, Sokka, but..."
There was really nothing more to say, and both knew that. They couldn't risk Aang's life.
Although, Katara thought, they were risking his life to save his life.
They had to try... but she kept that thought to herself.
Toph had slept well that night. She was ready to leave.
The fog had subsided by the time she woke up, and apparently, Katara and Sokka had just finished breakfast. Katara was walking back to Aang's room, and Sokka...
Well, she didn't care where he was.
She had filled a small bag with her belongings and tried to make herself look presentable. Not that she really cared, but after all, her parents were rich and prissy people. She smirked at the thought of showing up with her hair askew, but shrugged the idea off.
Now, she looked for Appa. Not too hard. His vibrations were the easiest to sense.
She had walked halfway over there when suddenly, her good mood immediately vanished. She had no idea where she was, and no idea how to get back to her parents. Much less on a flying bison.
Nice going, Bandit, an inner voice taunted her. You forgot that you're blind.
The sea was bleeding.
It had turned an ugly, blood-red crimson, and she let go of him instantly, malice flooding her eyes.
"The sea is red." She whispered, her hair billowing out in the breeze.
Aang nodded, confused. He looked out into the horizon, which had turned dark. A ghastly, deadly dark.
Turning back towards her, he gasped at what he saw. Her eyes, once shining and beautiful, were as black and lifeless as the sky.
"The sea is red." She stated again, a sort of hollowness to her voice. Aang realized that she was watching something; she was turned to whatever it was, and a smile was on her face. He spun around as well, and with a sick feeling in his stomach, he realized that it was Zuko.
The world started to spin, and the ground shook, sending the blood-red waves crashing into the cliff. She turned and moved to Aang, and grabbed his shoulders, a sick grin on her face. He made no effort to escape, his heart was pounding, but he never thought, he never thought...
She pushed him into the waves.
He was drowning. He was thrashing and kicking and dying in the crimson water, and she watched on, unmoving. He reached out for her, longing to see that beauty in her face again, if it was the last thing he saw...
Something inside him was struggling to get out. The Avatar State could save him, he thought. He could live, if he let go of love.
His head was thrown under the water by the violent, crashing waves and resurfaced after a moment's time. He gasped for air and scanned the cliff for her, and saw Katara, in her former beauty, holding someone. Kissing someone.
He saw a flash of crimson, and black hair and golden eyes, and he gave a piercing wail.
His heart refused to accept what he had just seen.
He let go of his love, but the Avatar State was locked, unresponsive. It was locked away in his heart, and his heart was dying.
As his head disappeared under the waves, as his hand disappeared under the waves, the torrent of red vanished.
In its stay was nothing.
"You ready for an adventure?" He asked her, his eyes scanning the sight before him.
Toph ignored Sokka and leaned against Appa, her head turned defiantly away from him. As much as she desperately needed transportation, she wasn't about to go and apologize at his feet.
The warrior shrugged. "Look, I'm sorry about yesterday. It's just that a lot of things are going on all at once, and..."
Toph glared at him, and he paused for a second.
"Well, I'm sorry, alright? And I'll go with you to see your parents."
Toph folded her arms and turned away. "A little too late for that, don'tcha think?"
She waited for his answer, expecting another apology, but he shrugged and turned around.
"Well, if you want to get to Gaoling all by yourself, it's fine with me. Just send Appa back, alright?"
Toph scowled and turned back to him, her eyebrows raised.
"Great. So you'll leave me to die there?"
"Sure, pretty much."
Sokka was speaking in that matter-of-fact tone that Toph hated, and she sighed.
"Yeah, wasn't expecting much anyways. By the way, what made you change your mind about leaving?" She paused for a minute in mock contemplation, and continued. "Oh yeah, your little 'Aang's going to die' fiasco. I'm sure that Katara had some really great reasons why you should leave the camp."
Sokka huffed and turned back around. "Well, I wasn't the one screaming to the heavens yesterday. At least during my fight with Katara I was actually talking to someone!"
"Well, I'm sure your little conversation was delightful."
"We made up afterwards, okay?"
"Aww, you felt guilty?"
"Stop doing that, will you?"
"Hmm, there's no peace even after the war. Typical Sokka to shake things up."
"Shut up!"
"Aw, poor wittle Sokka has problems!"
"SHUT UP!"
"Ooh, Katara, Sokka said a bad word!"
"No I didn't! 'Shut up' isn't a bad word- I mean, words!"
"Grammatical errors. Tut tut."
"I'm serious. Are we going or not?"
"Pleased to meet you, Serious, I'm Princess Azula."
"Princess- what?"
By now, Toph was cracking up. Why not have a little fun at Sokka's expense? After all, it was very unlikely that she would be allowed to even laugh at the Bei Fong Estate.
Sokka huffed and looked at the hysterical Toph. What was so funny? He didn't get the point at all.
"Come on, Princess Azula, then," he sighed. "Let's go meet the parents."
No, the Zutara is not over. Mwahahaha! Kataang heads will explode, but considering that I'M a Kataang shipper... (ducks and hides head).
Well, Happy Holidays, everyone!