Chapter Twenty-Two

– Present Day (age 118) : Sokka's Point of View

    "Ren, we can help!" I called out, pausing in my path to doge Zuko's blasts, still I met her eyes. There were tears on her cheeks, and I could tell her mind was spinning. She was kneeling beside Iroh, leaning overtop of him a bit, while in front of her Zuko shot out gusts of flames to keep us away. She began to nod, her eyes pleading for me to do something. She couldn't lose anyone else, I knew that feeling well. But, just as she opened her mouth to respond, a blast from Zuko sent me reeling backwards to keep from becoming a crisp.

    "Go away!" Zuko screamed at us and I frowned, he was scared. I understood why, his uncle was injured and his enemy was trying to help him- he had every right to be distrustful.

    "Zuko, we can help!" Katara yelled back at him, and I looked back at Ren. Maybe she could stop Zuko, but her eyes were on my sister. "I can heal him!" Katara told them and Ren's eyes widened. I recognized her initial expression from the North Pole, the fear that clouded her eyes, the panic in her expression, it was just like when I'd suggested Katara heal her burn, and then, I saw something different. As Katara bent some water from her pouch to heal Iroh, Ren's fear turned to a look of desperation and she stood, her arms moving quickly in a large circular motion. Suddenly, a cyclone of fire exploded in front of us.

    "Leave!" I heard Ren yell, but I could no longer see her through the flames she had surrounded herself and her family in. We all backed away in shock and self preservation. Aang sent a blast of air at the wall but it did nothing. The giant cylinder of rainbow fire raised high into the sky all the way from the ground, it was probably the strongest display of fire bending I'd ever seen.

    Katara grabbed Aang and I by our wrists and began pulling us towards Appa, Toph followed closely. "She obviously doesn't want our help." Katara huffed.

–

    "Hey, Aang." I greeted, climbing up to Appa's head to sit beside the monk.

    "Hey, Sokka." He answered sadly, he'd been pretty down since we'd left Ren, Zuko and Iroh a few hours ago. We were silent for a few minutes, and I watched the kid who was supposed to save the world fly us across the Earth Kingdom. I knew Ren doubted him, but I didn't. He could do it, he needed more time... but he'd win... he had to.

    "I was wondering if you could tell me about Ren." I said, he looked at me with wide eyes. His shock was clear... and I was ready to backtrack when he grinned.

    "She was like a big sister to me." He said, looking back out towards the horizon with a nostalgic expression. "She's awesome. She grew up at the Northern Temple but she used to visit me pretty frequently, looking back it was probably because she was training to be my spiritual guide and firebending teacher. She's an incredible bender, really. What you saw today- that's just the edge."

    "It was incredible, and it didn't look like any firebending I've ever seen." I noted, nodding along to his clear awe at the girl who had been in my head since Kyoshi.

    "Yeah, that was actually an airbending move. She used to watch the airbenders train and then later she would try the moves herself- I tried it once. I watched her train and then tried to copy her moves. I ended up sending myself through a window and Gyotso had to catch me from falling off the Temple." He chuckled and looked back at me. "When I was named publicly as the Avatar, a lot of my friends left. They said games were unfair, they attributed my wins to my identity as the Avatar, so they stopped hanging out with me." I frowned at him, that would have been hard as a young kid. "But, Ren always stood up for me. She would play hide and seek and air ball with me –even though she wasn't an air bender she taught herself to bend air through heat– and she'd let me vent to her, and-" He'd begun to tear up, I put a hand on his shoulder and he too a deep breath and continued. "I- I should have just gone to her when I was scared. I should never have run away. She knew something was wrong– she'd been asking me about it for a few days. But, I was so worried that I was going to disappoint her-" He pressed his face into his hands. "And now she hates me!"

    I shook my head and gave him a little pat on the shoulder. "She doesn't-" When he cut me off I was glad because I didn't really want to lie to him– and, I was also pretty sure she hated him.

    "She does! I ruined her life, Sokka!" I sighed, and shook my head.

    "I think she's conflicted, Aang." I told him, and he looked up at me. "She's been through a lot. But, I also believe that she wants this war to end just as much as we do. She's just having a hard time trusting that you'll do it this time." I told him honestly– maybe a little too honestly. But he nodded and looked straight ahead.

    "Then I'll just need to prove to her that I can do this." He stated, and for the millionth time I was awed by his self-assurance. Maybe he could do this. And, maybe, if he did, Ren and I could be together.

It wasn't really possible for us to be together now. She was a fire bender. She was hunted in every nation but her own, while I would be thrown in jail if I stepped foot in the Fire Nation. Plus, she didn't want to be near Aang... and I was kind of traveling with him at the moment. I'd made a promise to the Avatar that I would help him end the war and I couldn't break it for a girl. Even if I was pretty sure I was falling in love with the aforementioned girl.

Still, I let myself hope. I pictured Ren and I kissing under a sunset, holding hands while we walked through my village, her laughing as I told a joke– "Hey, Sokka! Can you-" I turned to Katara, "Why does your face look like that?" She interrupted herself. I shook my head, shaking myself out of my daydream and scowling at my little sister.

"Hah, I want to see!" Toph laughed, and Katara smirked at me.

"He looks dumb."

"Oh, I thought that was how it always looked."

"I'm surrounded by children." I sighed dejectedly, and Aang laughed beside me.

– Ren's Point of View

    "Is he..." Zuko trailed off, he didn't finish the thought but I knew what he meant.

    "He'll be okay." I answered, but I didn't look up at him. I was trying to talk myself down from my irritation. Zuko had ignored my instruction, he'd attacked his sister in order to distract her and go after the Avatar. He'd caused Azula to retaliate and Iroh had been hurt protecting him. I was stressed and worried about my son, but I knew I couldn't take it out on Zuko. Iroh wouldn't want that.

    I switched the cold cloth I'd placed on Iroh's head and tossed the other in the bucket a little too violently. And Zuko shuffled his feet. "I'm sorry, I know it's my fault-" I cut him off.

    "Don't." I heard him swallow hard.

–

    Zuko was out getting more water when Iroh began to stir. I watched my child's face, a face so much older than my own, twist in pain as he woke up. When his eyes opened I had to take a deep breath to stop myself from sobbing.

"Hey, Sweetheart." I said, softly rubbing his arm. I gave him a minute to get his bearings, his eyes moved around the room and he let out a pained groan when he tried to shift in his makeshift bed. "How are you feeling?" I asked, keeping my voice quiet. I felt like I would burst into tears at any moment.

"Like I got hit by a moose-lion." He said, trying for a laugh, instead I burst into tears. "Mom, come on, I'm fine. It's nothing I can't handle." He said, but he was wincing in pain.

I tried to hold in my tears, but I only managed to quiet them. "I'm sorry." I cried and he took one of my hands in his.

"It wasn't your fault."

"But, I thought-" I took a deep breath. "I thought you were dead, Iroh. I thought-" He cut me off.

"But, I'm not. I'm okay." He squeezed my hand and I tried to calm down.

When Zuko came in a few minutes later I wiped my eyes and none of us said anything about it.

:)