AT FIRST, SOKKA THOUGHT THAT ZUKO OFFERING TO JOIN THE GROUP WAS SOME SORT OF TWISTED JOKE. The team had just settled in at the Western Air Temple, only a day or two after the disaster that was the invasion, and here comes the prince of the Fire Nation. The guy who betrayed Kida in Ba Sing Se, and whose sister just taunted Sokka with the possibility that his childhood friend and crush is alive before capturing Kida and separating her from the team possibly forever. Or, until the war ends, which might not be anytime soon. Unless Azula already killed her, which Sokka fears is the most likely scenario. The venom in Azula's voice, the relentless fire in her eyes, and the cruel words that spilled from her mouth were enough to make Sokka believe that was the last time he would ever see Kida, that Azula kept her just to torture and end the life of her own cousin.
Needless to say, Sokka wasn't a big fan of Zuko at first, but Aang needed a new Firebending teacher and it wasn't like they were so easy to come by.
Sokka is determined to do something to redeem himself for the fuck up that was the invasion plan. It was his idea, his decision to stay when things were going wrong. It was his mistake, so it's his job to fix it, to redeem his honor. And, if that requires teaming up with Zuko, so be it. Sokka could have done without the awkward war balloon ride, though.
As Zuko blasts fire into the tank to keep the war balloon moving, Sokka tries to think of something to say to help break the uncomfortable silence.
"Pretty clouds," Sokka offers, staring at the sky.
"Yeah," Zuko replies, though he sounds vaguely uninterested. "Fluffy."
Sokka clears his throat. "You know, a friend of mine actually designed these war balloons."
This seems to somewhat pique Zuko's interest. "No kidding."
Unfortunately, Sokka doesn't really have anything else to add. "Yep, a balloon.....but for war."
"If there's one thing my dad is good at, it's war." Zuko aggressively blasts more fire into the tank.
"Yeah, it seems to run in the family," Sokka grumbles, thinking back to Azula and her cold, yet calculating demeanor.
"Hey," Zuko snaps. "Not everyone in my family is like that."
"I guess Kida wasn't like that," Sokka states, though even as he says it, Sokka doubts his own words. Kida was - is - a warrior, a skilled fighter, good at war even if she might hate it.
"I meant my uncle," Zuko admits. He shifts uncomfortably. "But, Kida....I think she and I are similar in a lot of ways."
Sokka deliberately chooses to ignore part of what Zuko just said. "I think your uncle would be proud of you. Leaving home to come help us? That's hard."
"It wasn't that hard."
"Really? You didn't leave behind anyone you cared about?"
"I guess I did have to leave my best friend. Mai."
"That gloomy girl who sighs a lot?" Sokka wonders, amusement tainting his voice.
Zuko sighs, a smile on his face. "Yeah."
"So, did you and Mai ever —"
"It wasn't like that," Zuko interrupts. The sky around them is getting darker as day transitions into night, but Sokka still notices the slight blush on Zuko's cheeks. "We've been friends since we were kids. We understand each other; we don't have to hide anything or be something we're not. But now....I'm worried I ruined what we had."
Sokka pauses for a second, and looks down. "Yeah," he finally replies. "I get that."
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AFTER THEIR CRASH LANDING, SOKKA IS HIT WITH THE HARSH REALITY THAT THEY DIDN'T REALLY HAVE A PLAN . Sure, Sokka figured this would probably be a one way ticket but it wasn't until now that Sokka truly understands how serious this situation could get; but, he came for a reason. Sokka needs to see his father, from there, the two can sort out the details of their escape.
Sokka loses hope the more the day goes by. He and Zuko dress and act like prison guards, in hopes of finding his dad, but nothing comes up. Standing on the balcony while Zuko explains that he checked and there are no war prisoners at the Boiling Rock, Sokka feels utterly dejected. He came all the way here, and ended up dragging Zuko, the Avatar's firebending teacher, into an inescapable situation with no silver lining.
That is, until Sokka looks across the courtyard and notices a familiar figure, one he thought he'd never see again, next to someone he was sure was dead.
»»---------------------►
ZUKO STANDS GUARD OUTSIDE WHILE SOKKA SLIPS INTO HER CELL.
Kida is lying on her bed, and barely looks up when Sokka closes the door behind him, still wearing the guard uniform and helmet.
"Whatever it was, I didn't do it," Kida snaps. "I didn't hide your keys, or steal you food, or start a prison riot."
"Knowing you, there's probably a 50/50 chance you actually did all those things."
At the sound of his voice, Kida finally sits up, facing Sokka. "Oh, yeah?" Kida smirks, probably already having figured out who the guard standing before her really is. "You think you know me well, huh."
"I know the really personal stuff, like your favorite color," Sokka teases.
Suddenly, Kida gets up and walks towards Sokka. Once she's in front of him, she pauses as if waiting for confirmation. Sokka nods slightly. Kida takes off his helmet, and a grin immediately spreads across her lips.
"Sokka?" Kida whispers, as if he might be a figment of her imagination. Sokka places a gentle hand on her cheek to assure her that this is real. Before, Kida didn't look much different than when he last saw her, but this close to her, Sokka notices new cuts and bruises starting to form. All of her jewelry - her ring, the bracelets - is gone, along with the blue thread she normally braids into her white section of hair. But, it's still Kida, with her amber eyes, and scar across her nose and smile that make his heart race.
There's so much that Sokka wants to say, that he's sorry, that he should have listened to her. Instead, he just brings her in for an unexpected hug that results in them falling to the ground in a tangle of limbs. Once they recover and pull away, Sokka feels tears forming in his eyes, and notices Kida wipe away her own.
"You okay?" she asks.
"No, I'm fine. I mean, I'm the one who should be asking you -- you're the one who's been here..." Sokka stops, feeling himself threatened by more tears. "I thought you were dead," Sokka finally says. He shifts to sit against the wall, Kida mirroring his position next to him.
Kida reaches down and intertwines her fingers with Sokka's, grasping his hand firmly. "Sorry, Wolftail, but I'm still here. Can't get rid of me that easy."
Sokka turns to her and smiles. He lets go of her hand and gently traces a bruise underneath her eye. "What happened?"
Kida laughs, waving his hand away. "You should have seen the other guy."
Sokka can't help but roll his eyes, but chuckles as well. "I can only imagine."
"So, how'd you get here?"
"We came to save my dad," Sokka explains. "Have you seen him?"
Kida shakes her head. "No, but, actually, Suki's here. And, um, Koa, too. I guess Azula doesn't always lie."
It's then that Sokka realizes something. "Wait, that means your brother --"
"You said we," Kida interrupts, obviously wanting to avoid the subject. "Is the whole team here?"
"About that...." Sokka pauses. "Well, the good news is that we found Aang a firebending teacher."
At this, Kida perks up. "Really? That's great. Where did you find them?"
"That's the thing, they kinda came to us. Which brings me to the bad news, which, now I'm thinking isn't really bad new but you might think that it is given --"
"Sokka." Kida places a hand on his shoulder. "What is it?"
"I came here with Zuko!" Kida drops her hand, but Sokka decides to continue. "And, before you say anything, just know he's good now."
"He's fooled me before," Kida grumbles. "I don't trust him."
"Well, he's standing outside, guarding the door right now." As if on cue, there seems to be an argument forming outside, meaning that it's time for Sokka to go. He gets up and says a quick goodbye to Kida.
"Wait." Kida reaches out and kisses him. It's rushed, but when they pull away, their cheeks are flushed. "I'll see you soon, yeah?"
Sokka nods happily before putting his helmet back on and walking out the door.
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author's note!
thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed this chapter <3 we're almost at the end, i can't believe it!
please check my bio for links to resources and action items related to important issues.
again, thank you for reading!