Chapter 6: Lying Leads You Nowhere

Sokka rubbed his eyes as he followed Toph onto his ship. It was just before dawn and they were going to take his ship to the Firenation. Somehow, Toph had managed to take the ship over as soon as she found out it was his. Not that Sokka minded, he hoped it would lighten her mood to not have to travel by ferry to the Earth Kingdom and then walk, and then take another ferry. Having his own ship meant they could bypass the whole mess and just go straight to the Boiling Rock prison. Sokka turned on the engine and threw the last of his belongings into the small cabin he used to both navigate and sleep in. At one point, Sokka had taken Zuko up on the offer to give the Water Tribe ship a Fire Nation engine, and it had been smooth sailing since. Sokka laughed inwardly at his joke and flopped onto his bed. He had yet to tell Toph that she didn't have one; he figured she would want to sleep on the deck anyway.

Sokka jumped off of his cot as the door to his cabin swung open. Toph stared at him, nostrils flared; she was wearing the same outfit he had met her in.

"You bastard! There's only one bed in here!" Sokka sighed and dropped his head.

"I thought that you would want to sleep on the deck. I can turn us around and go back for one." Toph rolled her eyes, and stamped her foot in a way that was feminine and childish. Sokka briefly wondered if he was dreaming.

"No, that's okay. I'll sleep in here and you can sleep on the deck. A woman needs her privacy anyway." She sneered, and Sokka picked up his bag.

"That's fine. I'm going to divert control down to the deck then. I'll be out of your way in a moment." He sighed and moved a few levers in the cabin before heading to the deck, his head drooped. He prayed that he was not the reason Toph had become so hostile. There had to be more to it…right?

Toph sat on the bed Sokka had been laying in when she walked in. If she inhaled deeply, she could still smell his watery scent. Not that she wanted to. Toph flopped onto her back and sighed again. Living in the North Pole for the past few months had forced her to adapt to being blind, and lucky her, the boat Sokka had was made of wood, so she was still blind. The whole situation was pissing her off. She didn't deserve to be stuck with the man she had loved and who had rejected her. She had done a lot of good things; releasing innocents and whatnot. That had to get her some brownie points with the universe, right? Toph rolled onto her stomach and sighed. In a million years she never would have guessed that she and Sokka would be traveling alone. Three years ago, of course; she would have even looked forward to it. Two years and two months ago, she still would have looked forward to it. Now…now it seemed like a punishment. Toph had changed, and Sokka was no longer her friend. It was that simple.

Sokka rolled his bedroll into an area that the edge of the cabin roof managed to partially shield, protecting him from the rays of the rising sun. Sokka closed his eyes and laid down, hoping to get a little bit of sleep while there were no obstacles that needed attention. He had just closed his eyes when a shadow engulfed him. He slowly opened one eye, and got a nice view up Toph's kimono. He blushed and scrambled to his feet.

"What can I do for you?" he asked, hoping that he sounded casual. Toph rolled her eyes and held out her arm. Sokka realized that Hawky was perched there, and blushed again. "Oh. Hawky." He held his arm out and the bird moved to him and perched happily, waiting for a fruit. Sokka rooted around his bag and produced a soft plum, fed the bird after removing the scroll, and let him take off, again moving his arm away from the falling droppings. He unrolled the scroll and read, his eyes scanning the page while Toph waited.

"Who sent it?" she finally asked. Sokka looked up and smiled.

"Zuko did. He said that he sent some Fire Nation soldiers to help us with the release of the Boiling Rock prisoners. They'll meet us at the gondola." Toph arched an eyebrow.

"Gondola?" she questioned. Sokka nodded distractedly, already planning his next move.

"Yeah, it's this closed in boxy thing that is on a wire that runs over the boiling lake to the prison." Toph blanched and took a step back, nearly tripping on a loose plank. Sokka impulsively reached out and steadied her, but she yanked her arm away. Sokka stared at her for a moment before putting the scroll in his bag. "It's probably going to take a week or so to get there. If you want, you can rest up or relax or train…whatever you want to do, in the cabin, and I'll worry about getting us there." Toph shrugged and walked away. Sokka sighed and realized that the time had come to steer the small ship.

A Week Later

Sunset was upon them, and Sokka hadn't seen or heard from Toph since Hawky had brought him the scroll. Sokka guided the ship near a string of caves and shut the engine off, hoping to get some rest. He unrolled his bedroll and laid down, his eyes sealing shut with exhaustion. The trip would be a lot easier if he had someone to talk to. As sleep danced around him, a large clap of thunder sounded, and he bolted upright. Lightning lit the sky and illuminated the moon. Sokka stared up at her for a moment, and began to cry. So many times in his short life love had eluded him. Sokka was surprised when a hand rested on his shoulder. He looked up to see Toph wrapped in a hooded cloak.

"Come on, you can stay in the cabin tonight." She muttered. Sokka quickly gathered his things, worried she would change her mind, and followed her back into the cabin. He set his bedroll up in the far corner of the cabin and waited for Toph to lay down the ground rules. When she was silent, he looked up. Toph was sitting on the edge of his bed, clutching her cloak around her, and had her head tilted towards the ceiling.

"Thank you Toph." He whispered, worried he would startle her. Toph tilted her head towards him and nodded, then turned back to the ceiling. "Are you okay?" he asked, far more timidly than he normally would have. Toph sighed and shrugged.

"I was just imagining what the moon looks like." Sokka's eyes widened, and filled with tears. No matter how much time went by, he would always remember the woman that sacrificed herself for the world.

"She was beautiful." He whispered. Toph turned her head back towards him, and kept her gaze level with his shoulder. "The Ember Island Players were partially right. Yue gave her life for the moon. She became the moon. When I look at the moon, I don't see the glowing orb that most people see…I see Yue. I see her bright smile and pale eyes." He laid back and settled into his bedroll. "Just imagine a yellow orb. That should do it." He muttered, feeling foolish. Toph took off her cloak and nestled into the commandeered bed, his words ringing in her ears.

"Thank you." she whispered. For a while she assumed that he hadn't heard her, and then, a small laugh reached her ears.

"You're welcome."

Sokka navigated the ship from the cabin the next day; the storm was too bad to venture to the deck. Unfortunately, he could barely see and had side-swiped a few rocks. Each time the ship would rock, Toph would go flying and curse at him. It was like the previous night had never happened. As he moved through the treacherous waters, he attempted to make small talk with Toph.

"So, what made you start dressing like that?" he asked, avoiding a jagged rock and sending Toph flying into him. She stood up and shoved him, adjusting her green jacket. She had traded the kimono for a green version of the outfit Katara used to travel in, but she kept the green jacket with the moon.

"Why would I tell you that? And could you keep this damn thing straight?" she yelled, yanking her hair into a lopsided ponytail. Sokka rolled his eyes and tried again.

"How long were you in the North Pole before I got there?" Toph grunted and tried lying in the bed, hoping it would give her less of a jostle.

"Too damn long." She muttered, not bothering to give Sokka any cooperation. Finally, as he guided the ship into a cave, hoping to wait until the worst of the storm passed, he spun around and faced her.

"Toph, do me a favor, come here." Toph arched an eyebrow and ignored him. Sokka moved over to her after shutting off the engine. "Get up," he commanded. When Toph made no move, he grabbed her arm and pulled her up. Toph ripped her arm away from him and held a fist under his nose.

"I warned you not to touch me!" she threatened, shaking her fist for emphasis. Sokka wrapped his large hand over hers, engulfing it, and wrapped the other arm around her, embracing her tightly. Sokka held her tightly, despite her blatant attempts to get loose and her explicit threats. After a moment, she stopped struggling. Sokka slowly released her.

"Toph, why are you acting like this? I know that you can't possibly hate me as much as you make it seem like." Toph rolled her eyes and punched him in the stomach.

"That's a lie. You know nothing about me now. I hate you, and if you touch me again, I will hurt you. It's that simple Sokka." He straightened after the pain subsided, and watched her slip off her jacket before laying back down in the bed. He turned, pretending to give up, and smiled.

"Toph, one more question." Toph growled.

"Ugh! If I answer will you leave me alone?" Sokka slowly nodded.

"Fair enough." He replied. Toph sat up and turned her upper half towards him, blowing her long bangs out of her eyes.

"What? What do you need to know so damn bad?" Toph questioned, her anger reaching maximum altitudes.

"If you hate me so much, why do you still wear the bracelet I gave you?" Toph's hand moved to her upper arm, and Sokka thought she would take it off, maybe even throw it at him. But she didn't. Toph kept her hand on the bracelet for several silent minutes, and then lay down in her bed. She rolled over, her back to him, and presumably went to sleep, her hand on her arm. Sokka stared in surprised silence, and wondered if that meant she still cared for him.

The next day Sokka managed to navigate them into the Fire Nation port where they would meet up with the soldiers Zuko had sent. They would travel to the Boiling Rock within the week, once a plan of attack had been formed.

A/N: Okay, that's it for tonight. Hopefully I will get at least two more chapters up tomorrow. Thank you for reading, and please continue to read. Thanks to my faithful reviewers, you guys rock. (Rinnie Tuesday, Alanabanani, and Seatrolltakeover) Again, thanks for the support guys. Please review! ~Kirsten