Sokka POV
Okay, I may not have Katara's magic water thingy or Aang's weird air magic thing but I have the greatest weapon of all...my mind.
Okay, so it's not so brilliant- aha I'm working on it!
Anyway, Katara... I feel so deflated. Kinda depressed, I mean- I was supposed to protect her.
Like everything else, I failed.
Dad would be so disappointed in me...
'Sokka?' Aang came around the corner, the usual bounce was missing from his step. It was affecting us both.
'It's getting stranger, Sokka- I can almost hear her telling us to get a grip and focus. I can hear her nagging and you know- it's the sweetest thing in the world.' Aang sighed.
She was annoying and obviously boys are better than girls- but hey I love her.
I had so many ideas flying through my head. Something to end this frustration.
1. Take Appa and fly horizontal into the ocean for a sure attempt at suicide. That would be both stupid and terrifyingly cool. Resist temptation and think of the bigger picture, Sokka.
2. Fly into the hands of Tyrant Zuko and be mercilessly cut down whilst half of our bodies lay a metre away-still writhing. Nice. That would put me off being the 'meat and sarcasm' guy. So I guess I want to continue to eat a good slab of meat without barfing which crosses out this option.
3. Surrender to Jerkface Zuko and be mercilessly tortured until our brains drip from our ears and eyeball pop out of their own accord. Even nicer. I would never be able to look at a slab of meat ever again- which would be terrible.
4. Try and bargain with Slimeball Zuko for Katara back. That would probably end up as another suicide mission and a sure capture of the Avatar- basically a no go.
5. Sit here and make weird faces in the water and wish with all my lousy, no-man, no-warrior heart that I had some stupid bending power to save my sister. That is a) never going to happen and b) beyond pitifully sad- you passed that miles back, Sokka.
6. Craft some giant balloon thingy which has the force of a fireall and with Aang's super air power thingy, blow ourselves to the ship whilst bombarding the enemy with stones, mud and my dirty laundry (which frankly I don't really need). The problem with that is that Aang will be tired after two minutes of being airborne and we need to actually construct a structure for the balloon, never mind actually finding the materials to make it. Oh, that's useless.
7. Sit here and do nothing whilst trying to come up with more plans. Which is obviously sooo useful.
Yup, I'm outta ideas.
Katara, I will find you.
I just need to work out how.
Katara POV
This is bad.
Real bad.
I just...I know this is all meant to be a charade. I know it's meant to be an act.
But I can't help feeling like a part of it, somewhere is real?
Like, a part of me- actually wants to be around Zuko.
A part of me likes him.
Or dare I say it, loves him?
'Katara, how are you feeling?' Zuko popped his head around the door, a big smile on his face.
I smiled back, he seemed to have that effect on me, nowadays.
'I'm 'kay. Thanks.' I sighed happily.
A part of me also wished, that I could stay on this boat forever. That Katara the waterbender could become plain Katara.
Katara who was loved.
But, Aang and Sokka...I could never...would never...I..I.-I don't know anymore.
I honestly don't know.
Without Zuko, I didn't feel complete, without Aang and Sokka- I had no family.
Which hurts less to lose?
'I..I know it's out of character, for me at least...but I I wrote you something.' He stammered a little and handed me a piece of paper.
I peered at the words messily scrawled across the parchment.
Katara,
I've never been good at feeling, particularly writing down feelings- but I'll have a go. For you.
Have you ever wished that you could just freeze a single, precious moment and live in it forever? With you, I've had a thousand of those moments.
Have you ever wondered what life would be like if you put someone else in front of you? With you, I can't put you before me, because without you there is no me.
Have you ever thought that you'd die for someone? With you, I wouldn't- because you're all I live for.
Have you ever thought that forbidden love was only in fairytales? Well so did I, until I stared into your eyes and realized that the more forbidden the fruit, the sweeter the juice.
Katara, Some people think it's holding on that makes one strong ... sometimes it's letting go.
The only trouble is that I can't let you go.
When a boy says he wants to be with a girl forever- I don't. I don't want to be with you forever.
Because I NEED to be with you forever.
I can't let you go, but...Seeing you unhappy is the worst pain in the world.
If you want to go, I understand.
I'm giving you the choice- if you love something...set it free.
I love you,
Forever Zuko x
Zuko...I mean...
'I...I don't know what to say.' I was honestly speechless.
It had to be the nicest thing anyone had ever done for me.
He was...
And Aang and Sokka...
I mean- why couldn't I go?
He was giving me the choice!
But- I love him, don't I?
Why couldn't he have just stayed big, bad Zuko- then I could have killed him and got this stupid thing over with.
Oh, what was I going to do?