The Honor of Love (ATLA fanfic)

14: The Split

Even though we and the entire village had a near death experience by a false prediction of Aunt Wu, we left the village satisfied and quite relaxed.

I couldn't help but thinking about what Aunt Wu told me. Of course, I had to take it with a grain of salt... But could I face Zuko? Could I fight my own friend? I don't know if I should still consider him my friend, but he is also not my enemy.

I sighed loudly kicked a small rock across the path. I inhaled deeply and smiled. The smell of the sea always makes me happy. Sokka was walking behind me, vividly swinging his boomerang around, lost in his own little world.

I saw Aang in the distance, running towards me. "Look!" He yelled when he was swinging an object around. "A sword made out of a whale's tooth." Aang said when he caught up with me and swung the sword in my face to show me. I grabbed it out of his hand and examined it.

I almost got a heart attack when Sokka jumped behind me and yanked it out of my hand. "This is a water tribe weapon!" He said with extreme exhilaration. "Let's see if we can find anything else."

The three of us searched but could not find anything. I continued to kick more rocks and did a sorrow attempt to juggle. "Istari!" Sokka yelled just as I threw the rocks up. One landed on the top of my head. I cursed and grunted and walked up to him. "What?" I asked irritated while rubbing the bump on my head.

"Come." He said and he grabbed my hand. We walked away from the path and pointed to an arrow next to the nettle bush. I bend over next to it and carefully picked it up to examine it. "Fire Nation." I said when I gave it to Sokka. I stood up and looked at it. "It hasn't been there for long." I said when Aang walked up to us.

"Did someone lose something?" Katara asked curiously. "No, we found something." Aang replied. "The trail of the battle, leads down this hill." Sokka said and he ran away. The rest of us followed him. "What's next?" Aang asked when they arrived at the beach. "Nothing. The trail ends here." Sokka said quietly. "Wait! Look!" Katara yelled and she pointed to a ship that laid against a rock, by the shore. I could not see if it was shipwrecked or simply just parked there so to speak.

"It's one of our boats!" Sokka yelled breathlessly.

Katara and Sokka ran up to it, while Aang and I awkwardly exchanged looks.

When Aang and I caught up with them, we only heard Sokka saying: "Dad was here."

~

That night we set up the camp in front of the ship. Aang and Katara were in a deep sleep while I could not close an eye. I sighed and sat up straight. I stretched and yawned deeply. When I looked to my side I saw Sokka sitting up straight. His arms wrapped around his knees as he stared sea, the waves washing up on the shore.

"Can't sleep either?" I whispered. Shocked Sokka woke up out of his thoughts and looked at me. He nodded. I sighed and stood up to sit down next to him. "Do you miss your parents?" He asked me.

I smiled. "Sometimes." I said quietly. "You always speak so easily about it..." Sokka replied, shaking his head from misunderstanding. "Why?"

"I do think about them a lot. But when I do, I just get angry. Filled with rage about what had happened. I did not only lost them, you know." I said when I looked up, slowly shaking my head, "I lost my home and my friends. My family didn't help me. Then I came tot he Northern Watertribe and my mother's own blood, my blood, turned me away like I was some dog."

I sighed and smiled. "It is not self pity, it is just how it is. So I would rather not have anything to do with family or think about it. I try to forget."