(A/N: I'll be skipping several episodes in the third season, to better pace the story or if I have nothing of interest to add. For instance; The Painted Lady still happened but it has no bearing on this story, so it wouldn't make sense to write it out. Enjoy.)
You lay with your group hand in hand with Toph as you watch the meteor shower. She lays on your chest as you hum softly, your arm draped across her chest and rubbing her shoulder. She snuggles into you, finding comfort in the silence of the night.
"This is amazing to watch." Katara whispers.
"Kind of makes you realize how insignificant we are." Sokka says.
"Eh, you've seen nothing once, you've seen it a thousand times." Her hand clutches yours.
"Uh Toph, you might wanna get up." You say watching a meteor heading right for Earth, "Like now." She sits up and you do too as the meteor streaks right over your heads, "Shit. That was lucky." It lands with an explosion into the nearby mountain range. You all fly towards the wreckage on Appa.
"The fire's gonna destroy that town!" Katara shouts.
"Not if we can help it!" Aang replies with confidence.
You all stop at the fire and slide off- except for Katara. "There's a creek over here, I'll bend the water onto the fire!"
"Toph," Aang says, "Let's make a trench to keep the fire from getting any closer. Y/n, wait by the town, just in case this gets out of hand."
You nod before grabbing Toph and kissing her. "Let's kick some ass, Darling." You whisper she smirks and nods in agreement before you both start running. Before you're out of range, you hear one final exchange.
"What should I do?" Sokka asks.
"Watch Momo." Aang replies, making haste towards the fire. You don't even have time to make it halfway before the three ridiculously powerful benders are finished with the fire and you make your way back. "How was your run?" Aang asks.
"Oh fantastic." You reply sarcastically, "Good work, though." You feel something hit your head and smile, "Shit dude, you made it snow!" You watch Sokka pop unenthusiastically out of a pile of it. "Pretty cool, huh?"
"Your horrible puns won't make me laugh, Y/N."
"Would you say he's on thin ice?" Toph jokes. You laugh together.
"Seriously guys, this isn't funny, I'm freezing!"
"Oh come on Sokka, don't give them the cold shoulder." Katara jokes, now all three of you are laughing. Sokka groans.
"Sokka's right guys, this is SNOW laughing matter." Aang tries, bursting out in laughter. Everyone else is silent. "Oh come on, that was funny. Oh forget you guys." he blows the snow off of Sokka while you start a quick fire from gathered sticks put onto Appa. You draw your katona and use it as a poking stick.
Toph and Sokka sit on either side of you, the former leans her head on your shoulder, the latter is thawing out, sitting the closest to the fire. "You guys work well together." You say.
"Thanks."
"Alright guys, it's time we hit the hay. Sokka, put out the fire before you pass out." You say. Sokka nods and everyone else moves for their sleeping supplies.
"Welcome back, child."
"Father."
"I've been waiting for you."
"Have you? Why don't you ever give me advice?"
"If you would've listened to me when I was alive, I wouldn't have to."
That hurt
"I used to think my purpose was to make you happy, Father. I realize now that that's impossible. I used to want to make you proud, Father, but you never were."
You're getting choked up.
"I'll never fucking understand why you always looked down on me, Dad! You only respected me because I could win in a fight! I have to hear from everybody else that you care, why didn't I hear it from you?! And why the fuck can't I hate you?! I want to with every fiber of my fucking being!"
You turn your back to him, tears streaming down your face.
"I used to think that there was something wrong with me, Dad. You never hugged me. You were distant, when I left, you barely said goodbye. I'm done, Dad. I tried everything. You never loved me, you never cared."
"I'm sorry."
"Even if you were my real Dad, it's too late for that."
You leave him alone.
"Y/N?" You open your eyes to see Toph worriedly hunched over you. You feel streaks on your face. "Another bad dream?"
"Yeah?"
"What was it this time?"
"Dad. I told him everything that I've kept inside for a long time."
"Good. You're okay?"
"I think so."
She drops her head into your chest. "You had me so fucking worried, you know that? It's not proper relationship etiquette to worry me this much."
"I'm sorry. I love you, thank you for putting up with my shit."
"Are you kidding? I'd rather put up with your shit for an hour a day then not be with you at all. I love you too much to do that." She kisses you, "I will never leave you. You're stuck with me."
"I wouldn't have it any other way."
"These people have no idea how close they were to getting toasted last night." Aang realizes.
"Yeah. The worst thing about being in disguise is we don't get the Hero Worship anymore. I miss the love." Toph says. You kiss her on the side of her head. "I appreciate the thought, Graceless, but I meant a different kind of love."
"Boo hoo, poor heroes." Sokka says. He's sitting alone.
"What's the problem?" Katara asks, "You haven't even touched your smoked sea slug."
"It's just that you guys can do this cool bending stuff and have an epic legacy or fantastic instincts, you guys can do literally anything! I can't do that kind of stuff. I'm the only one here that's useless."
"Don't say that." You abruptly command, standing up and sitting next to him, "Let me tell you a story. Everyone in my family wanted to fight. They had grandiose personalities, bending powers, muscle mass that'd make The Boulder shit himself, and look at me. I'm seperate, I'm different, I'm unique. I made people take me seriously. Believe it or not, Sokka, your circumstances don't command your life. You do. You are funnier than I'll ever be, you're kind and compassionate, you have the makings of a warrior already, you need to bring that power out of yourself. None of us see you as worthless or stupid, I joke around too much. You are the son of General Hakoda, the best leader in the Southern Water Tribe's long history,a man whose efforts have helped shift the fate of the war. Your sister is the greatest waterbender I've ever seen and you Sokka, you have all the potential to be the greatest non-bender I've ever met." This speech cheers him up, "Atta boy, now how about we go shopping, huh?"
As Sokka excitedly rushes through the street, you stay at the back of the pack. "How did you become such a good talker?" Toph asks.
"Talking to you during my breakdowns helped." She laces her fingers and yours as you all walk towards a weapon shop.
"Shopping!" Sokka cheers once he's inside, you follow him towards a wall of weapons, as he tries using a nunchaku until he thwaps himself in the head.
"Maybe try a weapon a little less complicated. Besides, this is how you do it: (Link in comments)
"Jeez, dude! You're like a ninja." You put everything away.
"I was trained to fight with more than just a sword." You reply as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Sokka proceeds to try several more weapons, failing with each one. You don't even bother demonstrating proper use, because he fails at literally everything. Then he spots a sword. Toph shows up again and everyone listens to the store clerk who appeared out of seemingly nowhere.
"You have a good eye, that's an original from Piandao, the greatest sword master and sword maker in all of Fire Nation history. He lives in the big castle up the road from here." The sword looks familiar. Very familiar.
"That's the same sword that Zei used!" You exclaim.
"No, this is a new piece. However it is possible that you are referring to one of his older designs, he loves that mold." The store clerk bows before leaving.
"That's it! That's what you've needed all along, Sokka!" Aang cheers.
"A sword?"
"Not the sword, Sokka. A master." Aang explains as Sokka grabs the sword. "We've all had masters to help us get better. You should see if you can study with Piandao."
"That's a great idea!" Katara agrees, "I could've never gotten to where I am without Master Pakku, everyone needs a teacher."
"I learned from badgermoles. They don't talk but they're still good teachers." Toph adds.
"I'll bet, look at you now." you whisper into her ear. She blushes.
"It would be nice to be a master sword fighter." Sokka mutters, "Alright, I'll talk to him."
"I'll join you." You decide. "I need to discuss something with him. You might want to keep secret, I'll butt in a little after you do."
When you arrive, Sokka is being shown different stances. "What now, Fat?"
"This boy wants to meet you. He knew Zei."
"Sokka, take five." Piandao says quickly. "You're Y/N. Zei told me everything about you." You hand him the White Lotus piece from Zei's basement. "You know?"
"No. But I want to know everything."
"About Pai Sho?"
"About the White Lotus."
"So you do know?"
"I've only cracked the name." You admit.
"Well Mr. L/N, rest assured that you'll learn soon enough. As a friend of my star pupil, I must ask you to stay. Where is he, by the way?"
"He died finding his life's ambition."
"He found the library?! All this time I thought it was fake."
"He's now buried with it hundreds of feet underground."
"I'm terribly sorry for your loss. He was a good man. I'll miss him." He smiles weakly, "Stay. I just got a new pupil, he reminds me a lot of Zei when I first met him."
"Alright."
"Sokka! Break's over." They go through practice and different arts such as calligraphy, sword practice with Fat, landscape painting, more sword practice, rock gardening and finally sword practice, which Fat loses. This surprises you. "He's getting good. Really good." Piandao notes, sipping from his drink. "You pick a good crowd."
"How do you know?"
"Do you think you're the only person who has heightened observation?" he laughs, "Don't tell him I've found out his facade, though. I have a test in mind for him." You nod and he stands, leading everyone onto a flat platform. He gives Sokka a warm smile, "You've had a good first day of training."
Sokka is confused, "I have? But I thought I messed up on every single thing we worked on."
"You messed things up in a very special way, in ways only a person destined to a life by his sword would. You are ready for your own."
Sokka gasps, "Are you giving me one of yours?"
"No."
"Aw."
"Your sword must be an extension of yourself. So tomorrow, you will make your own sword." Piandao says. "Fat, show Sokka to his room." Fat does as he's told and Piandao leads you to a secret room. "This was where the White Lotus would meet on several occasions, before the blockades. When under my wing, Zei followed me in here once as Iroh showed us all how to make his tea. I showed off my signature sword mold. This is the first sword he'd ever made, he made me help him trek to a volcano to melt diamonds onto its edge. It worked, but he never used the damn thing. The sword he used later is basically this with a more heavily diamond-coated edge." He hands you the dust-covered weapon. "Now we use this as a wine cellar. But this is where Zei showed his first true curiosity. He became my star pupil. Eventually, he left for the Earth Kingdom, his father was dying, so I let him go. He never came back. You're the person who can carry on his legacy, and from what he's said through his messages, you're the only person he trusted." He gives you back the White Lotus tile. "To know for sure, I'm gonna need to challenge you to a game of Pai Sho."
You both sit at the old table, several lanterns feeding you light. "I haven't played in a long time." you warn.
"That shouldn't matter." You realize that your stack is missing a piece, the one in your hand. The White Lotus. You place that piece first just as Zei taught you, he follows. You both go back and forwards until you're out of pieces.
"It's a draw." You say moving to grab your piece, but stopping to realize what's happened, "The tiles-- they're--"
"A lotus." Piandao finishes, "That Traveling Circus Act taught you well, Y/N. You are a member of the Order of the White Lotus."
"Choosing the correct material is the most important step in crafting a sword, you must trust your steel with your life." Sokka looks long and hard at the different options. "Choose carefully."
Sokka seems displeased with his options, "Master, would it be possible if I could leave and bring back a special material for my sword?"
"I wouldn't have it any other way. Take Master L/N with you, no diamonds."
"What-"
"Don't ask." You reply, following Fat out of the castle. When you and Sokka reach camp, you are ambushed. Toph, Aang and Katara all engulf you and Sokka in hugs, as if you'd both come home from war. Toph pulls you into a rough, needing kiss. When you pull away to catch your breath, you chuckle nervously, "Hey Darling, good to see you."
"Sokka, say something funny!" Aang cries.
"Funny how?" Sokka asks. Everyone laughs.
"So when I make a clever joke, nobody laughs, but when he doesn't do anything-"
"Less talking, more kissing."
"Yes ma'am." Toph pulls you in for a much gentler, yet still needing kiss. "I'm going to wager a bet and say that you guys missed us."
"Well you keep me warm at night. I had to huddle up with Appa all night."
"I didn't even sleep." You reply, "I'm running off of Jasmine Tea right now."
"But otherwise, I barely noticed you were gone." She says smugly. You can tell that she's lying and you smile and shake your head.
"Anyways, I need you guys' help with something." Sokka says. With everyone's help, you all manage to roll the meteorite to the front gate of the castle. Sokka knocks and Piandao answers.
"Who's this?" he asks.
"These are some friends. Other good Fire Nation folk."
"And my girlfriend." You state proudly, your hand on Toph's shoulder. Piandao bows.
"Do you think we can make a sword out of meteorite?" Sokka asks.
Piandao touches the rock and bows his head. "We'll make a sword unlike any other in the world." He looks at you. "Take these fine people inside."
"Will do, Master Piandao." you bow before leading the group into the house and into the living section. You plop yourself onto the sofa and Toph joins you. "You're awfully clingy for someone who 'barely noticed I was gone.'" She doesn't respond so you pull her closer and rest your head on hers. "Well I'll admit that I missed you." She blushes.
"Well of course you missed me."
You sigh and smile, "Because I love you."
"I love you too." She whispers back.
The group and Sokka kneel in front of you, Fat and Piandao. Piandao smiles in pride before speaking, "Sokka, when you first arrived, you were so unsure. You even seemed down on yourself. But I saw something in you right away, something I hadn't seen in twenty years. I saw a heart as strong as a lion-turtle and twice as big. As we trained, it wasn't your skills that impressed me." He takes the sword from Fat, "No, it certainly wasn't your skills." Sokka grimaces. He looks off. You sense that Piandao's plan is coming along. "You showed something beyond that. Creativity, versatility, intelligence. These are the traits that define a great swordsman." Piandao looks at Sokka with the most respectful smile ever sent Sokka's way, "These are the traits that define you." He kneels and offers Sokka the sword. "You told me you didn't know if you were worthy. But I believe you just might be more worthy than any man I've ever trained."
"I'm sorry, master." Sokka says, "You're wrong. I'm not worthy." Piandao looks to you and nods. "I'm not who you think I am. I'm not from the Fire Nation, I'm from the Southern Water Tribe." Your group seems to have simultaneous aneurysms at this, they are shocked. "I lied so that I could learn swordsmanship from you. I'm sorry." He offers the sword back.
You look at Piandao as he summons fake anger, "I'm sorry too." He swings the sword and Sokka barely dodges and swings again. Sokka parries this and the fight becomes a standstill as the team runs towards Sokka to help.
"Stop!" Sokka growls, "I have to do this alone." They move to the battlefield, both holding stances as you watch from an overlook.Piandao lunges forward and Sokka retreats quickly, getting space to block a hard blow from his master. Several more follow, each high strike is easily blocked by the younger swordsman. It quickly shifts as Sokka and Piandao jab at each other but their speed makes it easy to see that neither will get the upper hand as they trade dodges. Sokka gets cocky and attempts a lunge, Piandao easily dodges this and shoves the less experienced fighter to the ground before taking a stance. Sokka leaps onto the ledge of the bridge to get the high ground, but Piandao doesn't falter, slashing at Sokka's feet, Sokka retreats to the other side, jumps further in on the ledge, falls off and scrambles to his feet, blocks another slash and boosts off of the ledge to make room between himself and his assailant.
"He's doing great." You say.
"What do you mean? He's losing!" Aang exclaims.
"If Master Piandao wanted to kill him, Sokka would be dead." You reply.
Sokka parries three more strikes from his opponent, fails to counter one and almost loses his sword as he gets pinned against a wall. He dodges a flurry of slashes that each leave imprints of the blade on the brick. Then he lunges off of the wall like a bullet, Piandao dodges and Sokka climbs the opposite wall, once again trying the high ground. He blocks a strike, sends one of his own which is countered, the knockback almost making him miss the next parry and nearly lose his legs as a result. Piandao jabs and Sokka catches the sword, using his own body weight to hold it down, until Piandao forces him back with brute strength as Sokka staggers into a bamboo forest.
Piandao sends a furious blow that Sokka dodges before scrambling to his feet as the tree falls behind him. Sokka runs deeper into the bamboo, you pull out your binocs and watch Sokka cut a line of trees down to block Piandao's path, none of them have any effect on slowing the old master down as he easily cuts through them. You narrate to your friends. Sokka pulls back a piece of bamboo and hits his mentor with it. This does little in the means of damage as the two lock swords twice more before Sokka leaps away and tries the same trick again. Piandao sees it coming and cuts the trees before they hit him. Sokka runs back through the bamboo and you stash away your binocs once more.
Sokka ducks beneath an attack from Piandao. The younger fighter shoves his sword into the ground and rakes up dirt into his older opponent's face. Piandao resorts to sound, not being able to see and Sokka tries to sneak away, he almost succeeded too, if he hadn't stepped on a tree branch he'd left out from rock gardening. Soon, Piandao is on the offensive, he sends a jab which is blocked, whirls Sokka's blade around three times and the younger opponent has over-extended his arm, making it easy for his teacher to disarm him, sending the sword several feet away. Sokka lunges away from a vicious slash, landing on the ground, bested. The experienced swordfighter points his sword in his opponent's face.
Aang, Toph and Katara leap over the edge, ready to fight. You stay with Fat. "Excellent work, Sokka!" Piandao cheers, pulling the sword away from his student. He sheathes his sword before turning his focus to Aang's fighting squad. "I think I'm a little old to be fighting the Avatar."
"How did you- Y/N!" Aang accuses.
"It wasn't him, I figured it out on my own. I only know that my last student was his surrogate father. Which kinda makes me his surrogate grandfather. We know each other well, but he didn't rat any of you out. I didn't even know he had a girlfriend. You two fit, I can tell it from the look in your eyes."
"Well if Y/N didn't tell you, how did you know?"
"I've been around for a long time, you learn to pick up things as you grow older. Of course, I knew Sokka was Water Tribe from the beginning." Sokka averts his eye as Fat attends to his master, "You might wanna think of a better fire nation cover name. Try 'Lee.' There are a million Lees." You are with your group now.
"But why would you agree to train someone from the Water Tribe?" Katara asks. You and Piandao lock eyes and he shakes his head.
"The way of the sword doesn't belong to any one nation. Knowledge of the arts belongs to us all." He hands Fat his sword and pulls Sokka's from the ground. "Sokka, you must continue training on your own. Master L/N will help guide you, but this is a journey that you must pave for yourself." He hands the sword to his pupil, "If you stay on this path, I know that one day, you'll become an even greater master than I am." They bow to each other. While Fat guides the rest to the gate you stay behind a little longer. "Y/N, you were trained by both Zei and D/N, you're fully capable."
"I know, it's not about that."
"Do you want advice?"
"Yes, Master-"
"Please, call me Dao."
"Well Dao, when I have a battle and I have to choose, which sword should I save?"
"That's a matter for you to figure out alone, I'm afraid." He puts a hand on your shoulder, "But I'll tell you this, Zei put his work first because he was scared. Scared to connect. Don't ruin what you have, okay?"
"Yessir."
"Promise me." You can see the despair in his eyes that he's been holding back all this time.
"I promise I won't make the same mistakes as Zei." You say after a moment.
"Good. Let me show you out." He guides you to the gate where your friends wait. He bows once more to you all before you leave and walks in the opposite direction, and Fat hands Sokka a pouch.
"The master wanted you to have this as something to remember him by." He bows and returns to the castle.
Sokka opens the pouch and finds a Pai So piece. It's Piandao's Pai Sho piece, it's a darker shade than Zei's which you left with the master. "It's a Pai Sho tile." Sokka says.
"The White Lotus." Aang nods.
"What does it mean?" Katara asks.
"I have no idea." Sokka says, "Y/N?"
"I have a theory or two. It's the master tile in the old way of playing, maybe he's trying to push that message."
"Ooh, that reminds me!" Sokka remembers, grabbing something from his bag, "Toph, I thought you might like this, since you've probably never had the chance to bend space-earth before." He hands her a piece of the meteorite.
"Sweet." Toph says, taking it, "Check this out!" She makes different shapes out of the rock.
"You tryna steal my girl?" you ask with mock-toughness. You and Sokka jokingly shove each other around a bit before laughing it off as Katara tries to discuss the logistics of space-earth, falling onto deaf ears. You all proceed to walk back towards camp, more prepared for the inevitable fight than ever.