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more than you know
ততততত
BY THE TIME Hika's eyes had stopped looking so swollen and red, the sun was up. By the time she had finally understood what had happened-- to others, it may sound like a dream, but the unfortunate reality that is Aang turning into a fish is more than believable for Hika, she just hadn't wanted to accept it-- waterbenders had already been reversing the toll of the invasion.
Hika, still being adamit that she won't let any water go anywhere near her shoulder as long as she has anything to do with it, attempts to wrap her shoulder in the same way that it had been before. Over, under, across. . . no, something was off.
Hika makes a 'tsk' sound with her tongue, teeth gritting together as she lets the bandaging fall down her body once again. However this was dressed, it was done with more than one hand, and after Hika woke up to something so devastating, she couldn't afford to do any more damage to her shoulder.
Her eyes sting just thinking of it. Most of it was a blur, paintings of a time that Hika could only recall in pages torn from a book. What had a grip on her heart would take a while to forget. Though she'll die remembering Yue and how she had felt when she heard of her friend--somehow in the future it won't hurt the same way it does now-- for now, the only thing holding her breath hostage is Sokka.
His voice, how it pitched up and cracked. How his parka provided a warmth that she may not have made it through without. How he had smelt of burnt ice. How the muscles in his arms had been so solid despite all the damage Hika had done to his coat. He was doing his best to keep her from being alone, yet he was the one who should've been screaming.
Hika has yet to see the boy cry. She's only heard silence, nothing more.
She sniffs, blinking back the slight wetness of her eyelashes before attempting the whole bandaging issue again.
Either the gauze-- which would be the most irritating to correct, as she'd have to pack it over the wound and the pain was something she had no strength to address-- would slip to the back or front of her shoulder, or the bandaging would be too loose or too tight.
After somewhere near the ninth try, Hika hisses. The gauze had shifted underneath the bandaging, favoring painfully against one of the sides. "Fuck!" She curses, tearing the bandaging off to once again invite such a tiresome pain onto her body.
There's a knock at the doors post. Hika can see the girl in the mirror so she doesn't bother with asking who it is. After brief eye contact with Katara, Hika goes back to pressing the gauze over her shoulder, a wince slipping past the stiffened expression she had attempted to keep all morning.
"It's kind of hard to do that with one hand," Katara offers a soft smile, hands clasped with arms hanging loose. "Need help?"
Hika knows it's not a question. Rolling her eyes, she unwraps the dressing, rolling it back up before holding it out to katara to take.
