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Hunting and Running: Chapter 4

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Chapter 4: Fighting a loosing battle

Sokka's eyes snapped open. The first thought that flew into his mind was about Azula. Where was she? Where were the flames? He remembered flames, and glass, and a cackle of laughter. He remembered seeing Azula, her golden eyes flashing, her raven hair tinged blue by the glow of her lightning. But, then, something had saved him, and after that, Sokka's memory went dark. The blue of Azula's lightning seemed to blaze before Sokka's open eyes. He shook his head, but then gripped it firmly as it throbbed painfully. He could feel a large lump on the back of his pounding head.

Lifting his head cautiously, Sokka looked around at where he was. He was home. He was sitting up in his canopy bed, his bedroom door was slightly ajar, and a sliver of moonlight was pouring through the gap between the curtains. It was silent. It was an eerie silence. The curtains fluttered feebly as if being blown by wind, but Sokka could not hear it wisp by. Something was wrong.

Sokka slid off his bed, and crept cautiously over to his open door. He could feel a cool breeze sliding in through the gap, gentle as a breath of air, but chilling like ice. Sokka instinctively brought back his hand to touch his boomerang. His ears strained to find a sound. There was nothing. Taking in a slow steady breath, Sokka slid the door open, and slipped through the gap. The hallway was dark, and quiet. Sokka felt his way along the hallway, squinting in the darkness that was only broken by a feeble ray of moonlight. He was nearing the end of the hallway, and the further he went, the more he thought that he should just go back to bed and pretend it had all been a nightmare, but the undeniable feeling that an unknown presence lurked somewhere in the house drove him forward.

Suddenly he heard a swish of robes.

The sound shattered the unnatural silence. Sokka flattened himself against the wall, trying his best to control his breathing. He had reached the end of the hallway, and someone was waiting for him in the sitting room. Silently, Sokka slipped his boomerang from its sheath. He craned his neck to peer around the corner. A shadowy figure met his gaze. It stood at the far end of the room, silent, and ominous.

Sokka clutched his boomerang tightly, feeling that the handle was already slippery with sweat. The leather creaked a bit as his grip slid a fraction of an inch. The figure jerked, and shifted a bit so that it fell in front of the strip of white light yielded by the moon.

It was turned away from Sokka, so he could not see its face but from the dim light he could see that a green kimono clothed the figure and two golden fans rested in its hands. On its head sat a golden, crescent shaped headpiece that glinted in the feeble light. Sokka's heart leapt.

Sokka inched forward. "Suki?" he said hopefully, lowering his boomerang. The figure did nothing. He walked over to her slowly, his heart pounding rapidly in his chest. It was impossible. She couldn't be alive. He had seen her dead body. He had held it in his arms. He had buried it himself. But as he gazed at the Kioshi Warrior before him, a small flame of hope flared in his cold chest.

"Suki?" he asked again, "Is that you?" The figure remained motionless. Sokka suddenly found himself within arms length of the figure. He had to restrain himself from turning it around and embracing it. Taking a breath he put his hand gingerly on its shoulder and gently turned it around to face him.

Golden, cruel eyes met his hopeful gaze.

The eyes captured him, seemingly sucking away all hope as they gazed at him. He was trapped in their burning stare. A searing pain spread through Sokka's chest. The golden fans clanked on the floor.

It was Azula. She grinned devilishly as she lowered her smoking fingertips. Sokka's flash of hatred was instantly replaced by blind fear as he looked down to see a small but fatal hole burnt through his chest. He gaped soundlessly at her, numbly brushing his fingers across the wound as if not really believing it was there. He knees buckled. As he felt his life begin to leave him he grabbed Azula's kimono and sank to his knees. At the sight of him, on his knees and dying, Azula began to laugh. The laugh echoed through the room, coming more painfully to Sokka than the bolt of lightning.

She had won. Azula had taken Suki's life, then his. Her laughter grew as Sokka cursed her, his hatred coursing through him, singing his every nerve. He stared into her golden, merciless eyes and began to shake with rage. But his strength was leaving him and his grip on her kimono began to slip; he met the floor with a thump. With his last ounce of strength, he reached for his fallen boomerang, but Azula kicked it away, laughing harder.

"Sokka," she said through her laughter. "Sokka," she repeated.

Sokka began to shake.

"Sokka," she repeated again her laughter dying along with him. "Sokka, Sokka, SOKKA!"

Sokka's let out a cry of rage as he sat, bolt up right in his bed. Someone was shaking him and saying his name repeatedly. Quickly, he snatched the person's wrists and wrenched them off of him, pinning them to the end of his bed. He glared into the stranger's face, his breath heavy, and his eyes wide.

Misty eyes stared back at him.

"Toph!" he gasped, letting go of her at once.

She reacted immediately by punching him in the jaw.

Sokka cried out in shock and pain as his hands clutched his stinging mouth. "W-what was that for?" he asked rubbing his jaw tenderly.

"What do you think it was for? You attacked me!" Toph cried. She was rubbing her wrists where Sokka had grabbed her. She pouted before him, sitting crossed-legged before him in his own bed. He felt a blush creep across his face. He was inwardly grateful Toph could not see.

"Well, you didn't have to punch me." He complained, pointlessly trying to avoid her gaze. He wiped a dribble of blood from the corner of his mouth which was swelling quickly. His whole head was pounding, and it took him a moment to realize that it was not all because of Toph's retribution.

He remembered fire.

"What happened?" Sokka looked around and found that he was back at his home. "How did I get here? Where's Azula?" He glanced back at Toph, and his brow furrowed. "And what in the name of the Water Tribe are you doing here?" It had been nothing but a dream. The terror Sokka had felt was slowly leaving him, but a driving determination was still there.

Toph snorted. "So that's the thanks I get for saving your butt? An interrogation?" She folded her arms, her eyebrows traveling so far up her forehead, that they were lost in her fly-away bangs.

Sokka said nothing. He only glowered at her, frustrated that she was being so stubborn at a time like this.

Toph let out an exasperated breath and rolled her eyes. "Fine. I followed you yesterday, alright?"

Sokka was taken aback. "You followed me?"

Toph sneered. "Yeah, and it was a lot easier than you would think." She smirked at him. "For a hunter I thought you would be more on your toes."

Sokka opened his mouth to retaliate, but Toph held out a finger to silence him.

"No need to get all steamy about it Snoozles, you forget that I can recognize your vibrations from a mile away."

Sokka felt irritated and stupid. He balled his hands into fists, trying to keep his temper under control. "Okay, so you followed me. That still doesn't explain how-" Sokka trailed off, realization hitting him like a flying boulder. Sokka jabbed a finger at Toph. "It was you! You sent that boulder at Azula!"

Toph blinked. "Well of course I did. Who did you think it was, Avatar Kyoshi?" Toph unraveled her arms and jabbed a finger painfully into Sokka's chest. "And you should be more grateful for that. Next time I'll leave you to get zapped and I'll go down the Jasmine Dragon for a cup of tea instead."

Sokka cringed away from her smoldering glare. "Toph, I-"

"And I'll leave you unconscious in the street next time too." With a final jab, she forced him backward and promptly leaped off the bed.

Toph stood before him, her hands on her hips, and her expression indignant. Sokka's annoyance at her behavior returned. His brow furrowed as he glared at her.

"You should have left me there." He snarled, getting out of bed as well. "I could have been able to catch Azula's trail." He sneered to himself at the look on Toph's face.

"Is that all that matters to you?" Toph voice was low, and cold. All humor was gone from her. For once, she was serious.

Sokka glared down at her. "Yes." Without another word, he began moving around the room, leaving Toph to glower down at the floor as he found his boots, his pack, his boomerang, and his money bag. As he pulled on his boots, his thoughts were whirling furiously. Now that he had confronted Azula, she was no longer safe in Ba Sing Se. Her cover had been blown. She would leave as soon as possible. Sokka glanced out the window. It was still dark. She was probably miles ahead of him.

Sokka picked himself up, swinging his pack over his shoulder a stuffing his money back into his shirt. He stole a glance at Toph. She was still standing at the foot of his bed, her expression somewhat softened.

Her misty eyes swiveled in his direction.

"So, you're going now?" Her voice was dull, and stony.

Sokka stared down at Toph's form. He recalled the carefree afternoon they had shared, and an unfamiliar longing swelled in his chest. She had reminded him of what happiness was like. He had a small taste of it with her after years of tasting nothing but anger, regret, and misery. He felt frozen to the spot. Could he really leave her behind? Could he leave his one reminder of happiness? But then the memory of his dream interrupted his thoughts, and he closed his eyes as burning hatred rose in his chest.

He had to go.

"Yes, I'm leaving, Toph." He turned from her, unable to look at her reaction. He placed a hand on the door.

"Let me come with you."

The words shocked Sokka more than anything he had experienced that evening.

He gripped the doorframe to support himself. He took a steadying breath. "No, Toph." His response came without hesitation, but the moment he said it, he regretted it.

Toph snorted from behind him. Unable to comprehend any humor in their present situation, Sokka turned to look at her.

"Don't get all dramatic on me, Snoozles. You know you can't bear to leave me behind."

Sokka closed his eyes in exasperation. "Toph, I'm being serious. What I'm doing is something I have to do alone. It's too dangerous for you. I don't want anyone else to be tangled up in it."

Toph laughed. "That's funny, I remember a certain bald monk telling us the exact same thing a few years back."

Toph grinned at him. Sokka could not grin back.

"Toph-"

Toph rolled her eyes and stomped towards him. She grabbed him roughly by the arm and dragged him through the doorway. She ignored his shouts of protest as she forced him through the hallway, into the entry room and finally straight out the front door. There she released him roughly and planted her hands firmly on her curvy hips.

"Toph, what the-?" Sokka's words were lost as his gaze landed at the pair of ostrich horses tethered to a post in front of the house. Toph strode over to one and pulled from one of its many packs a dark, hooded traveling cloak. She swung it around herself and tied it at the neck before taking hold of the ostrich horse's reigns.

"You're fighting a loosing battle, Snoozles." She said, flipping the hood over her head, "Now get on the horse and stop whining."

Sokka didn't know what to do or say, so he grinned sheepishly at her.
Here's chapter four. I guess I'm a big fan of using the "waking up from a bad dream thing". I've actually started a lot of fanfictions that way XD
Anyway, please enjoy!
Don't forget to leave a comment :love:
© 2010 - 2024 Lizzy-Sakura
Comments8
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BijutsuHime's avatar
I rather enjoy this xD
are you going to continue?