Chapter 3: The Sun

The sun was setting.

Sokka watched it begin to sink as he sat by the campfire with his friends. Katara and Aang were laughing at something Teo had said, and Toph was picking mud out from between her toes. Haru, The Duke and Pipsqueak were just finishing up the last crumbs of their meager meal. The fire made a warm, pale red light dance across all their faces.

Sokka couldn't see how they could be so cheerful. Even though they had found sanctuary in the Western Air Temple, they had still lost the battle. And now all the adults, including his father, were shut up in prison.

He knew it was stupid, but Sokka couldn't help but blame himself. He was the one who had retaliated to Azula's jibes about Suki, which had slowed them down. Maybe if he had been more stoic and focused, everyone would be safe.

Katara frowned and put down her plate. "Sokka, are you okay? You're never this quiet."

Everyone turned to stare at him appraisingly, as if noticing he was there for the first time. Sokka picked at his food, and mumbled, "I'm fine. Just tired."

He seemed to fool most of them, but Katara had grown up with him, and Sokka knew that she knew that when he wasn't eating or joking, it was a bad sign.

Katara shuffled closer to him and whispered in his ear, "Are you really sure you're okay? Is this about losing the battle?"

Sokka kicked moodily at the ashes of the fire. "No."

"I'm not an idiot, Sokka. And don't worry, we still have -"

"No! We don't have hope!" barked Sokka suddenly, startling everybody into silence. "We've lost, okay, Katara? Can't you get that into your head?!"

With a grunt of frustration, Sokka stood up and stormed off, silently fuming. He could hear them talking quietly behind him.

"I'll go after him."

"No, he needs some time alone."

"I don't think you should go, Katara."

A new voice cut in. "Well, then I'll go."

Sokka clenched his fists. Couldn't they just leave him alone to stew in self-pity for just a few minutes? They left Aang alone when he got all angsty (heh heh - Aangsty) and ran off.

Grumpily, Sokka kicked a pillar, but his foot encountered something. He peered closer, and saw that there were holes and bits sticking out of the pillar that could be used as a potential ladder.

Sokka began to climb.

When he reached the roof, he was dazzled by the sunset. Shielding his eyes, Sokka clambered over and sat down on the edge, legs dangling off into the abyss. Sokka would've thought that he was going to be cold, but he was warmly lit by the sun trying to prize the last of its amber limbs over the cliff above. The entire sky was dyed pomegranate pink, the color that farmers look for during harvest. Near the sun, it blazed vermillion and marigold, like the Fire Nation's burnished armor.

Sokka felt sick.

Footsteps sounded behind him, and he turned around, ready to unwelcome the person who'd been sent to calm him down.

It was Toph, standing on the rooftop, her face lit up in the sun's brilliant colors.

But try as he might, Sokka couldn't summon the energy to be mad at Toph. She hadn't done anything. So he let her sit beside him, both silent.

Finally, Toph spoke. "What was that back there?" she queried, curiously, quietly.

Sokka heaved a sigh. "It's just . . . my dad, and everyone else we left behind."

"Oh."

He clenched his fists. "We need to rescue them! We gotta break them out of prison, somehow. How many Fire Nation prisons can there be?"

"Why would you do that?" Toph's voice was hard.

"Huh?"

Strangely, Toph sounded a bit angry. "They gave up their freedom for us so we could be safe. And you just want to break into a guarded Fire Nation prison?"

When she put it like that, Sokka felt guilty. "Oh, um, I wasn't really thinking straight."

"Look at me, Snoozles."

Sokka met her eyes, his cobalt and her milky jade.

"It's not your fault." Toph accentuated the last three words by jabbing him in the chest thrice. "It's nobody's fault. I won't let you wallow in self-pity for the next couple of weeks."

Sokka flushed, though he didn't know why. "Um, thanks, Toph."

"You're welcome," she replied. "And now I've down you a favor, I need one in return."

Sokka raised a dark eyebrow. "Shoot."

Toph looked a little bashful, but she nevertheless questioned, "The sun's setting now, isn't it? What does it look like? 'Cause everyone's always going on about how beautiful it is and . . ."

"Say no more. I got this."

Sokka rubbed his hands together, trying to think of a way to describe it. "Er, it's a giant ball of fire dropping beneath the horizon." He imitated an explosion with elaborate hand gestures. "Pew!"

"Spirits, that was terrible!" laughed Toph. "When I asked Katara to describe it, she said, it's like to be with your favorite person when you are quiet and calm, and you feel content and peaceful inside." Toph imitated Katara's voice, making it higher and more ear-splitting than it actually was.

Sokka forced out a laugh, but his face felt like it was searing with heat. He put his head in between his knees, trying to get rid of what he was sure was a bright red face.

"Don't you dare tell Katara," Toph added warningly, "But what she said was actually pretty helpful." She nudged Sokka playfully. "Seems like all the poetical talent went to her."

"Ha, ha," said Sokka sarcastically. Opposite them, the sun had faded to a chalky, pale yellow smudge in an obsidian sky.

"Sun's fallen," he informed her. They could hear Katara screeching for them below.

Toph smiled and punched him on the arm, but he could tell it had affection behind it. "That's my cue, Meathead. See ya."

She started to amble off, but Sokka stopped her. He felt alien saying this, but he mumbled, "You're not meant to punch someone you like when you leave!"

"Oh, yeah?" Toph looked bored. "What're you meant to do instead?"

Sokka grinned evilly. "This."

He swooped in and gave her a peck on the cheek. Then Sokka dashed off, leaving Toph scarlet as a tomato behind him.

Well, there you have it. There's a bit of Sokka angst in this chapter, mainly cause I thought that after they lost the battle, Sokka would be pretty cut up about his dad and all. Hope you enjoyed it! Reviews are my lifeblood, so please comment! (: