Hello again! New chapter yey! Thanks to the fav and those of you that keep reading. Thanks!
Zuko looked at Suki, who was in shock at the revelation. "What kind of darkness is he referring to?" She thought with sweat coming down her forehead, her headpiece, for the first time, felt heavy and a burden.
"Sokka, we are here for you" Her sister talked while scooting closer, grabbing his hands. "Relax"
"I can't…can't feel anything" Sokka said with a flat tone, looking at Katara.
Toph could feel how his heart rate was slow and heavy, as if it was physically in pain by something. She walked towards Iroh, who just looked at the situation.
"I think we need to intervene" Toph said unsure, for the first time. Iroh patted her head, trying to calm down the girl, even if he knew that Sokka was in big trouble.
Zuko approached Sokka again and he turned to his direction, one hand ready to unsheathe his boomerang, Zuko stopped and Suki quickly got in front of him with her shield already out.
"Sokka….we need to calm down first" Suki talked to him firm.
"Please Suki, move out" He replied pushing Katara aside again. The later got annoyed and got her water out of the pouch, grabbing the hand close to his weapon.
"Suki said stop Sokka. We need to talk calmly. Sit down"
"You're not my…"
Iroh coughed, the 4 only noticing he was by the side watching everything escalate.
"Sokka, may I talk to you in private?" Iroh said firmly enough to gain his trust
"You can't convince me again your niece is all rainbows and flowers" Sokka pettily replied, a smirk replacing his serious face.
"I won't, I want to talk about that sympthom you said earlier" He said placing a hand on the water tribe boy. He looked surprised but nod in affirmation, making Katara drop her grasp on him. As Iroh signaled the way they would both walk and the doors closed, Katara and Aang turned their focus on Suki and Zuko, yearning another explanation from them.
"Are you sure you don't have any feelings? You're too close to protect him" Katara said to Suki.
Suki put away her shield with an annoyed face towards her sister in law.
"Well, I'm sorry I'm doing my job protecting the fire lord" Suki replied sarcastically, looking at her with suspicion.
Toph kept reading the heartbeats of Suki, Zuko and now she added Katara, waiting for someone to lie.
"Did you omit something in your Storytime?" Katara accused, putting a finger on the warriors shoulder.
This made her piss off even more, feeling exposed and betrayed at the attitude she was taking.
"I didn't. But sure you did. What happened that day the rumor got to you on the road? Why you didn't send me a letter to inform me of that?" She answered also putting a finger on the waterbender, angering her.
"Excuse me I didn't took time from helping fix my brother's heartbreak to tell you that your fascinating stories of sleeping around with the fire lord where in the first page…."
Suki's face dropped at disappointment before frowning, closing her fists.
"Katara your brother is not a saint either, let's just drop this issue…"
"Why? Afraid your love story is going to go out the window if Zuko knows?" She replied with a sarcastic smile, waiting for a reaction.
"Katara…" Aang tried to intervene reaching for her hand, which she denied, looking behind her to face him.
"What? Are we really cutting some slack on her? Yes, relationships don't always work, and even I that tend to talk about hope and dreams knows that. She is free to sleep around being single, what she is not allowed is to keep playing with both boys hearts! Our friends!" She replied angered, her voice raising louder and louder as she spoke.
"As for you, I'm glad you have the whole fire nation experience as your friend" She said pulling both arms to signal Ty Lee "Might have recommended you. The moment this issue became a family issue, just like today, is when I'm stepping in, telling you that if you could have at least have the decency to try to fuck someo…."
A slap echoed the room. The anger on her expression was intensified by her makeup and the colored burning sensation on her cheeks couldn't hid behind the white paint. Katara looked at her shocked but ready to fight, opening her pouch again.
Suki was trembling, opening her shield and fan to fight her. She didn't care at the moment they were friends, this was a personal attack. Before Katara could attack Toph broke the floor immobilizing both of them.
"Both of you will be interrogated by me" Toph said angered. "No lies, I can feel everything"
Suki looked more upset than angered while Katara was fuming.
"Katara, what's your problem with Suki?" Aang asked calmly, patting Toph in the back to thank her for the intervention. Zuko and Ty Lee got close to them too.
"I would have finished explaining if she didn't slap me at the face as if I was a little girl" Katara answered still fuming, shooting a dirty look to Suki, which kept staring at her.
"Your problem is that I was with your friend and your brother, mind you, not at the same time and definitely not with the same intentions?" Suki mockingly asked.
"They're not toys Suki!" Katara screamed at her, wailing but failing to get out of Tophs grip.
"I know! They are my friends too you know!" She shot back with a bit of sadness in her face.
"Everyone will pull away from you if you keep this! How dare…"
"Katara enough!" Aang raised his voice to her, which made her stare at him angry too. "Suki is our friend too"
"And this whole….issue as you might refer to, was an idea to clean everything and stop this one sided crush" Zuko stepped in, looking at both girls.
"So this was your idea?" Katara asked confused
"No. Uncle's. But neither Suki or I knew this… condition Sokka has." Zuko replied concerned
Suki exhaled worried. She felt guilty about it, but it was a line both of them never thought they would cross. She looked at him puzzled, for an instant remembering the kiss they shared at the dinner, and her stomach felt weak.
Toph noticed this and looked at both of them, she was never wrong.
"Suki" Toph calmly talked to her, pulling her out of her imagination for a second.
"Yes?"
"Are you sure that crush was only one sided?"
All eyes were on her again. Sure, days later after their sexual encounter she fantasized about him, but she could not totally replace her feeling for Sokka.
"What do you mean?" Suki replied, squinting her eyes.
"You have never had a crush on Zuko?" Toph rephrased her question. This made Suki's heart beat like crazy. "So she did used to like him" Toph thought, smiling to herself.
"I…yes. I told you. Just when Sokka and I had broke up" Suki replied blushing again, feeling guilty.
"So, if we had not come back here, would you date Zuko?" Toph pressed the issue, interrogating her so she could get to the bottom of the issue.
Suki felt cold for a moment, her heart stopping at the consideration. She thought "I mean… I never thought I would made it that far without Sokka…" and her eyes went from Toph to Zuko, his eyes and mouth slightly open, with a bit of hope in them, perhaps.
"Would that be love?" Suki thought looking at the fire lord. She couldn't help to imagine a bit of it, sure, they spend all day together and even got to form a close bond by it. But… love? Maybe infatuation.
"Suki" Katara asked, her tone still showing disdain and anger.
"Right…I…" Suki stuttered "I'm not entirely sure" She said dropping her head, blushing. Zuko gasped a bit loud to everyone's comfort. He quickly regained his posture, blushing and turning away.
"So, that's the issue. Is not them, they have made up their mind" Toph said getting closer to the group and letting both girls go. "You Suki, need to clear your mind…without a boy in sight" She clarified smiling at Zuko.
"But I love Sokka." Suki said naturally, not an once of doubt in her voice.
"Right" Aang replied, hesitating a bit. "Suki, I know what happened…that night" He said scooting closer to her. Suki raised an eyebrow at him.
"What are you talking about?" She asked
"Sokka told me…" Zuko sighed as Aang spoke, turning away from the group. "I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to try…try it with Zuko. Sokka would understand it too" He finished with a sad smile.
Suki looked at him in disbelief. Then took time to look at everyone: Katara was almost murdering her with her eyes, Ty Lee looked down with sadness, Zuko was completely turned away from them, Aang looked at her with precaution and Toph kept focused in her thoughts.
"I'm going to look for Sokka and general Iroh" Suki said, clutching for her dear life her war fan. As she opened the door, she turned around to look at Katara, who kept the stare. Without thinking, she spoke:
"For good or for worse, I love him and I am with him. Do not reflect your own issues into mine" Suki said as Katara's mouth dropped shocked. Aang looked at her in panic, waiting for an answer. Nothing seemed to come out of her and Suki took that as a cue to leave the room.
The people left in the room where shocked. Aang's panic grew remembering the Ember Island play about them, walking towards Katara and grabbing both of her hands.
"Sweety, why did Suki said that?" Aang tried to clear his mind before addressing Zuko again.
"I…I don't know sweety." Katara said breathless.
"Lie.." The blind blandit whispered to herself. Toph wasn't needed for everyone to notice Katara wasn't being honest with herself.
Aang's sensible ears still, caught Tophs small whisper. This struck him like a lightning bolt, even wanting to grab his chest. He inhaled and exhaled heavily.
"So Zuko…What are you going to do now?" The avatar asked, ignoring his own heart ache at something that both tried to hide.
Iroh guided Sokka towards the turtle duck pond, his mind feeling it fitted the watertribe boy as it used to with his niece in his early days. He sat down by the tree and raised a hand to his side, inviting him to sit down. Sokka obliged without much emotion or consciousness, just emptily staring at the pond.
"Son, I know you are feeling distraught and angered. I hope looking at the turtleducks helps you soothe your soul a little bit." He said while ordering tea for both of them.
Sokka laughed at his words, his eyes still empty and unfocused. "Back at the South Pole those turtleducks would make a good soup" he replied, smiling to himself.
Iroh searched for the specific turtleducks Sokka was referring to. As he trailed them with his eyes, he noticed the ducks were, in fact, a couple. He smiled and grabbed the cup of tea they ahd just brought, heating it.
"Sokka, do you want some tea?" He said offering it. Sokka turned to him and grabbed the cup, chugging it. "Well, it seems you were thirsty" He heartly laughed, while Sokka continued to look at the pond.
"Isn't life an irony? I'm sitting with my ex friend wise uncle who might change my opinion about him" He exclaimed, crouching and putting closer his legs towards his chest.
Iroh looked at him sadly, figuring how to instruct him and not loose him as they have lost Azula. Without doubt, that was the second time in his life he felt he failed, many nights he thought that maybe, he could have saved her life. After all, everybody needs love, one way or another.
"I know the pain you are feeling right now. Not even with the North Pole princess you were this lost in yourself" Iroh replied, serving more tea.
Sokka's eyes came back to life after hearing about Yue. A year has passed since she left the world. With his hand in an uncontrollable tremble, he sipped a bit of tea, feeling again fresh tears in his eyes and face.
"Some wounds might last decades before hurting a little bit less. Letting Suki take her own road after wanting to find yourself might feel like a fatal mistake, as the day you saw the princess give her life to the moon spirit, refusing you." Iroh continued as Sokka continued sipping his tea, looking at the pond.
"Right…." Sokka whispered, still looking at the turtleducks.
"But you see, those turtleducks you are so interested in…have been swimming around each other for years. Love came to them as easily as yours to Suki. For a moment, someone tried to grab that one to adopt it, as if was incredibly sick and Zuko rather let it got to someone who might pamper it, but, incredibly, it came back here. Since that moment, they have never let go. And as you look at that corner…" Iroh said pointing a small cave. "They soon will have a family".
Family…family is what he had missed all this time in the road, but never made him feel homesick as his friend and girlfriend turned into one.
"Why? Why does it hurt so much?" Sokka thought out loud, his tears flowing.
"Because at first you felt unhappy. Sadly, for you to comprehend and understand that, in fact, your time spent by Suki's side was happiness after all, it took something worse to happen. For you, is the feeling of abandonment. It happened at war twice, so, now that everything is in peace it should have not repeat itself. It only took your own actions to guide you at your destiny, that is, apparently, be by her side" Iroh finished, looking at him.
The brown skin on his cheeks and nose was red, his eyes swollen from silently crying. That was the cause of his darkening…the feeling of losing her and being alone. That was why he used and tried to sleep around too. As he regained his consciousness, nausea came to him.
"I…I don't feel good." Sokka managed to say. He opened his bag as to not mess the floor, puking.
Iroh looked at the color of the liquid coming out of him. As he cleaned himself from the inside, with some rough coughs between sessions. Black. After all, his illness was manifesting itself physically. He finished and cried some more, unsure where to put the dirty bag. Iroh took it and gestured the guard to clean it, getting closer to hug him.
As Sokka cried his eyes out, Iroh hugged him, patting and caressing his back. He was now convinced in helping him. As he opened his eyes, he saw Suki staring at the heartfelt scene, unsure to step in the picture.
He signaled her with his finger, stepping shoeless in the grass to not disturb him. Sokka's crying intensified, lost in his own trail of thoughts… all the losses in his life were small holes in his heart he tried to fill. Now that he recognized this, he will try to do better.
The moment Suki was almost close to them, Iroh whispered her presence in his ear. Suki stopped walking the moment he saw him jump a bit, turning around to see her.
She crouched down to her knees and gave him a weak smile, opening and extending both arms as if welcoming him. He looked at her for what seemed and eternity to Suki, and crawled fast towards her. The weight of him almost made her loose balance, but the strong grip he held helped her.
They hugged themselves for minutes in that position, creating a safe space for both of them. Without losing their grip towards each other, they sat on the grass, synchronizing their breath rhythm.
Sokka's heart started to ache. Suki willingly came there to comfort him, probably offer her help to fix his bottled up feelings. Sokka opened his eyes, pulled from their embrace and cupped her cheeks with both hands, staring hard at her eyes. How light headed and safe those eyes made him feel.
But right now, it was time to heal. Both of them, from the pain they inflicted and have felt, from the circles they ran ignoring their core issues. Maybe Suki after all was perfect. But he, was everything but. She deserved someone better, someone cleaner and perhaps, emotionally available. He gained all the courage he had left, pulling his hands away from her face and grabbing her hands instead.
"Suki." He said lovingly, almost as if trying to ease the punch.
"Yes?" She said with a glint of hope in her voice and eyes, an irregular shine in them.
"We need to talk…about us"
What are your teories about the darkness? Am I hinting a bit of Zutara too? What will happen with my main ship? Stick around to find out more about it! Happy holidays btw.