"Hey, you! How'd you get out?"
Sokka froze. He turned slowly to see a guard who he'd obviously missed.
"You're going back in your cage," he said as he formed a fireball.
"Not if I have anything to say about it," Sokka shouted as he threw a blast of his own at the guard. He obviously wasn't expecting it as he fell down, unconscious. Sokka rushed passed him. He snuck through the prison, looking for the door he had come in what seemed like a lifetime ago.
"Prisoner escape!" he heard someone shout. An alarm began to sound as Fire Nation soldiers rushed in. Being so small, he was able to crawl where the soldiers couldn't. Soon, he saw the door. His brief moment of joy turned to despair as he saw that it was starting to close, and what was worse, a soldier was guarding it.
He knew that he had no choice but to press forward. He stood up and ran as fast as he could toward the closing door. The soldier took a fighting stance, but before he could fire, Sokka threw a fireball at him, knocking him clear on his back. His body blocked the door so that it didn't close. Sokka jumped over the man and fled into the night.
He heard footsteps behind him, so he ran in zig zags, trying to evade the guards. He finally took a turn and dove into some bushes. The guards appeared and stopped mere feet from where he was.
"Where did he go? He couldn't have run very far."
"I don't know. You go to the river. He may try and cross it. I'll head for the woods." They ran off.
Sokka considered himself fortunate; he now knew two places where he couldn't go. The problem, however, was where he could go. He waited until they were well out of earshot until he came out again. He looked around and saw some clothes hanging out to dry. He rushed over.
It took him a few moments to pick out a good Fire Nation disguise. He went into an abandoned alley and changed. In the alley was a pitcher of clean water. He used that to try and clean himself up as best he could. He changed into his disguise, which didn't fit very well. After changing, he took a peak out. He saw the lights of a small town just down the mountain. During his trip to the prison he'd been bound and gagged, and he didn't know exactly where he was, only that he was in the Tower, an infamous Fire Nation Prison for southern waterbenders. He shivered in the cold night air as he ran down the hill towards the small town. He didn't know exactly what he was doing, but his prison scarred mind was telling him that the town would be a safe place to hide.
Bushes and brambles caught on his new clothes and he fell a few times, but eventually he made it to the village, hair and clothes a mess. He reached the edge of the forest. Barely anyone was out. Fire Nation soldiers were patrolling the area. He snuck out and tried to act natural. He had just gotten past one group of soldiers when he tripped.
"Hey, you!"
Sokka's eyes widened in fear. He stood up and turned to the voice.
"Shouldn't you be at home?" the grim looking soldier asked.
"S-sorry," Sokka replied. "I got lost, but now I know where I am."
"Well, hurry up and go home."
Sokka nodded and walked off quickly. Soon, however, he was not paying attention where he was going again.
He could hear the screams of his fellow tribesman as they defended their home against the Fire Nation onslaught. He remembered the scared look in Katara's eyes as she started to find their mom. He saw his mother's sweet, caring face as she told him to leave and find his father, he remembered his last glimpse of Katara's frightened face as the man called Yon Rha had carried him off.
"Ooof!" He was so deep in memory that he didn't even see the elegantly dressed couple. He collided head on with the woman. He found himself on his back.
"Oh, my! Are you alright, little one?"
He looked up. He could barely see the woman's face, but something in her voice reminded him of his mother.
"I'm ok," he said as the woman helped him up. As he did so, he caught a glimpse of the woman's face in the light of a torch on the wall. She looked almost exactly like his mother.
Finally, the events of the past year caught up with him and he broke down. He fell to his knees and cried. He felt himself being pulled into a hug by the woman. For the first time in a long time, he felt secure and safe.
"Poor boy. Where's your family?"
"I…" he thought quickly, despite the fact that he was crying. "I don't have any."
"You poor thing. What should we do with him, Ryujin?" She was obviously addressing the man.
"I don't know, Kiyo. Let's take him home and wash him up. He looks like he's had a hard day."
Sokka felt himself being picked up. He was taken to their house, which turned out to be a very large palace.
"Teor! Could you prepare some water for a bath?" the man shouted as soon as they arrived. "We have an unexpected guest."
"Yes sir." The couple rushed upstairs into a large bathroom. Water was being poured into a large basin. Reaching out his hand, Ryujin firebended at the water, and it was instantly steaming.
"Here, let me help you with your clothes," Kiyo began to help him take off his clothes, but Sokka waved her off.
"Thanks, but I'd prefer it if you didn't see me, well, you know…"
She nodded and smiled. "Okay. I'll have someone bring you a towel and some bed clothes."
"Thank you." Sokka said. They left. He undressed and looked at himself in the mirror. He was very gaunt from a year of poor nutrition. His dark skin had become lighter than normal due to the lack of sunlight in his prison. He looked down at his arm and saw the burn scar. When they had first thrown him in prison, they had branded him with the symbol that they branded every southern waterbender with: the symbol of both water tribes.
He climbed into the basin. The hot water felt good on his skin. It had been more than a year since he had a decent bath. He let the hot water soak through his skin. It felt like it was cleaning more than just his body, but his soul as well.
After he had felt he had been sufficiently cleaned, he got out. One of the servants had brought him a towel and some fresh clothing. He dried and got dressed. These clothes actually fit him.
Sokka walked out and down the stairs. Sitting on the couches were the couple who had brought him in.
"You look much better," the woman known as Kiyo commented as she made room for him on the couch. "What's your name?"
"Sokka," he replied.
"Sokka," Ryujin said. "That's an unusual name."
Sokka began to sweat. Ryujin and Kyio looked at each other, and then back at Sokka. Their expression had changed.
"You're not from around here, are you?"
"N–no." Tears began to form in his eyes as he feared that they knew who he was and that they were going to turn him in.
He was only half right. Ryujin leaned forward and asked, "You're from one of the Water Tribes, aren't you?"
"No, I'm not!" Sokka shouted defiantly, but he knew that they didn't believe him.
"Sokka, Sokka, it's okay. We're not going to turn you in or anything like that."
He looked at Kiyo, then back at Ryujin. Something inside him told him that they could be trusted, so he told them the whole story even the story of his escape.
As soon as she was finished, Kiyo slid over and pulled him into a hug. "Poor boy, you've been through so much."
"You're completely welcome to stay with us. We'll hide you from the soldiers." Ryujin assured him, "but I think you'll need a new name."
"What about Lee? There're a million people named Lee out there."
"No," Sokka said. He wasn't going around being called Lee.
"Tatsu," Ryujin said simply.
Sokka rolled it over in his mind. He liked it, so he nodded fervently.
"Tatsu it is, then."
Sokka, or Tatsu as his cover name now was, yawned.
"Oh, my! It's past midnight," Kiyo exclaimed. "We should go to sleep. That meeting went way too long."
Sokka's eyes became heavy. He soon felt enveloped in Kiyo's arms as she carried him upstairs. He didn't even remember hitting the pillow as he fell into a deep, refreshing sleep.
Not exactly my best work. Sorry. Enjoy!
morbiusgreen