"A bit more to the left Sokka," Lien shouted up at him as she watched him put the finishing touches on the restored statue of Avatar Kyoshi.

"Thanks!" he shouted down as he moved the brush to the left. "Here?"

"That

"That's perfect!"

It had been a few months since they'd arrived on the island. He'd revealed who he really was after they'd been taken to the village by the Kyoshi Warriors. He'd learned more about Lien, that she was also a firebender and that she had been part of a rich Fire Nation family. She even had a bit of non firebending self-defense training. She'd understood why Sokka had kept his secret and didn't hate him for it. She was also one of the few in the Fire Nation who were against the war.

He and she had been taking self-defense lessons from Suki, the leader of the Warriors, and they had helped teach the Warriors how to defend themselves better against flame attacks. Suki had noted that while Sokka was strong and capable of defending himself, Lien seemed to have been affected negatively by the death of her family. She would regularly lose during training sessions and that would cause her to shut down for an hour or two before returning to her original self.

"Aaaand…done!" he finished the last stroke and moved back a bit to admire his work.

"Those painting sessions with Master Piandao sure do come in handy," he said as he climbed down. Lien giggled and held the ladder until he was down. He looked at her and smiled back but he could see the depression in her eyes. Ever since their first day here she hadn't cried or mentioned her parents, and Sokka wasn't gonna bring up a painful memory, but he realized that if she didn't get past it she wouldn't be able to hold her own if the island was attacked by the Fire Nation, and she'd been the one to insist on training sessions.

"Help me carry this ladder away and then let's go for a walk, just the two of us."

She looked surprised at that but blushed and nodded. After carrying them away he pointed to the small trail through the island's small forest. As they passed Suki she glanced meaningfully at Sokka and slightly nodded. He gave a small nod back. Soon the two were deep in the forest surrounded by trees. They'd taken a few walks here together during their months here, but he'd walked alone for a jog every morning and had found a good spot to be alone, a small enclosing of trees.

When they reached it she looked up and gasped at the natural beauty of the enclosure.

"Wow Sokka…this is beautiful."

"It is isn't it? Why don't we sit here for a bit and enjoy the beauty."

They sat and looked at the sunlight coming through the trees. Sokka took a bit to let the silence calm her and then cleared his throat.

"Lien, how's training going?"

She was startled by the sudden question but recovered.

"Same as ever. Suki is a strict teacher and I'm constantly being beat by her in every practice match."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, very sure."

He sighed.

"Suki's been giving me progress reports on your training Lien. Every time you get defeated you shut down. You hide away for an hour."

She stopped at that and looked down.

"It's just me sulking," she murmured.

"Not from what she tells me. Suki's a great warrior and experienced despite her age. I can kind of see it too. I promised myself I wouldn't say anything about it, but I think you were more affected by the shipwreck than you think."

She stiffened. Sokka saw a glint of anger and depression in her eyes.

"I've told you all, I'm fine."

Sokka moved closer.

"No, I don't think you are. You didn't grieve. You haven't accepted what happened."

She turned and looked at him. Her eyes were aflame with rage and sadness. Sokka just looked back calmly.

"You have no idea what it's like," she said in a dangerous tone. "Having your family ripped away from you."

Sokka looked at her with a frown.

"I was taken from my family by the Fire Nation. I know what it's like to have everything taken from you in a single moment. I do not know, however, what it's like to have family die on me."

She lowered her head ashamed.

"Sokka…I don't want…to believe it…"

He nodded inwardly. "I see…well I'm afraid that if you want to get stronger, this is a hurdle you need to cross."

"How?! HOW CAN I?!"

She was screaming at him now in a rage, tears freely streaming down her face. She shouted, "All of you are so amazingly strong and I'm…below average! I could barely keep up with my studies as well as my training!"

Sokka's eyes widened. He hadn't seen that part of her.

"Lien…"

"No! You have all these great abilities like defending yourself with great ease and you have the Gift to boot! I'm just…average…"

He breathed out slightly and approached her. Her back was to him and she was trembling with rage and self-hatred mixed with sadness and depression. She was curled in a ball, hugging her knees. Sokka wrapped his arms around her. She looked at him startled.

"You're not average," he said softly as he hugged her. "You have traits that make you special. No matter how many times you lose you always try again, hoping that you'll win again. The only thing holding you back in being victorious is your grief. You refuse to grieve for them."

She grabbed his arm and shuddered.

"I…I don't know how…"

"I think you're allowed to cry. Also, go ahead and talk to Suki. She too lost her parents."

She looked up shocked.

"I didn't know that."

He nodded.

"She won't tell me how and that's okay. Have her help you grieve properly."

He ran his hand through her hair gently and smiled at her. She shed tears but smiled back.

"Thank you Sokka."

"You're welcome Lien. Let's go back."

As they reached the clearing Sokka immediately noticed that something was wrong. The Kyoshi Warriors were running about, equipping themselves as he had seen them train. He looked at Lien and both of them ran to the nearest Warrior.

"What's happening?" he asked her as she put her fans on her belt.

"There have been two people sighted at the beach along with a two animals. A male and female."

"Do you need any help?" he asked.

"Ask the leader. She's in the training hall."

He and Lien ran to the hall where they found Suki suiting up.

"Suki, we just heard. Need any help?"

"We have this you two, but come along to watch anyway," she said as she finished equipping herself. She glanced at Lien with a look of understanding. Lien looked back and nodded in appreciation.

"Let's go the Lien," Sokka said. The women nodded and they headed out. While the Warriors flew through the trees the two firebenders ran through the pathway to the beach. They heard splashing and what sounded like a child's laughter. He heard a female voice shouting at him to be careful. He stopped at a lookout point and looked down. He saw a woman wearing blue furs shouting at the water. He saw a young boy with no hair swimming in the ocean.

"Uh oh…I think I just saw the Unagi," Lien whispered. "That kid's in trouble."

Sure enough the large serpentine head of the Unagi rose from the waves and loomed over the boy. He turned back and screamed. He seemed to shoot out of the water.

"That boy…he's running on the water!" Lien whispered shocked. Sokka just stared. He watched as the young man slammed into a tree. The Unagi, deprived of its meal, sunk into the water. Recovering quickly the boy began clothing himself in bright orange and yellow clothing.

"Can you see their faces from here?" Sokka asked. Lien shook her head. The two were talking to each other.

"Look, they're making their move!" Sokka said silently. From the trees the Warriors fell and quickly subdued them. They were blindfolded and the woman's hood was forced down on her head. The bald boy had a black back put on his head.

"Aw man, I can't see their faces now," Sokka said as he ran out to the beach. He saw that there was a small animal in a burlap bag as well, struggling to get out.

"Was anyone hurt?" Sokka asked.

"None of us were hurt," Suki said. The woman, lying face down, was struggling to get out while the young boy just sat there. The Warriors blindfolded them quickly and while doing so, Sokka caught a glimpse of the woman for the first time. He inwardly gasped and took a small step back.

"It's her…" he whispered. Lien looked at him concerned. Suki looked at him curiously as well. Sokka quickly recovered his wits. After the two newcomers were tied up to a pole, Oyaji and Suki approached them.

"You two have a lot of explaining to do," Oyaji said.

"And if you don't answer all our questions, we're throwing you back in the water with Unagi," Suki added.

"Wait, let us explain," the woman said. Suki walked over and removed their blindfolds. The young teen woman and young bald boy looked at the crowd in confusion.

"What were you doing on our shores?" Oyaji asked.

"It's my fault," the bald boy said. "I'm sorry we came here. I wanted to ride the elephant koi."

"How do we know you're not Fire Nation spies? Kyoshi stayed out of the war so far. And we intend to keep it that way!" Oyaji said angrily.

The bald boy's eyes brightened. "This island is named for Kyoshi? I know Kyoshi!"

The old man scoffed. "Ha! How could you possibly know her?" He looked up at the recently refurbished statue and continued. "Avatar Kyoshi was born here four hundred years ago. She's been dead for centuries."

"I know her because I'm the Avatar."

Sokka nodded inwardly. He'd suspected as such. Everyone else gasped.

"That's impossible! The last Avatar was an airbender who disappeared a hundred years ago," Oyaji replied incredulously.

"That's me!" The boy said.

"Throw the impostor to Unagi!" Oyaji ordered as he pointed at the two.

"Wait a minute!" Sokka interjected. He stepped forward.

"Tatzu?" Suki asked. He'd asked them to speak his faked name when strangers arrived as well as their regular supply ships. Sokka walked up to the two.

"Do you think the Fire Nation is capable of making this?" he asked as he pulled at a bit of the boy's clothes. "I remember reading somewhere in the archives that Air Nomad temples could only be reached by air. Plus this woman is very clearly from the Southern Water Tribe. Look at the tint of her skin. No one else in the world has that but those of the Northern and Southern Water Tribes. Also, look at the tattoos on this young man. They are typical of the Air Nomads. I believe them."

"Are you sure Tatzu?" Lien asked.

"Very. Of course, there's only one way to be absolutely sure. Young man, if you truly are the Avatar, prove it. Airbend for us."

The man smiled up at him and nodded. He leaped up and broke the bonds. He then floated down slowly. The surrounding people muttered "It's him!" "Did you see that?" "Airbender!"

"It's true…you are the Avatar!" Oyaji said stunned.

"Now…check this out!" he said as he pulled out some marbles from his clothes and made them spin in a circle. The crowd erupted in applause. Sokka grinned as the perpetually overexcited member of the community frothed at the mouth and fainted.

"Prepare a meal for the Avatar and his friends!" Oyaji said and the crowd dispersed. Sokka walked up and began untying the woman.

"Apologies for that," he said with a sheepish grin as the bonds were released. "What's your name young lady?"

She turned to him and smiled gratefully "I'm Katara of the Southern Water tribe."

Sokka and Katara finally reunited! What's going on though, why doesn't Sokka reveal who he is? Possible reveal next time!

morbiusgreen