Story Write Compilations Volume I Stories 51

 Sokka Dilemma

 

Author's Note:

The story calls for Avatar and I gave them Sokka. This was taken from the Avatar; the Last Air Bender tale.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

"Sokka! Are you here?" By the elements, why can't she leave me alone? I need to clear the mess or she will come at me with her wrath of being messy. The mat goes there, the clubs go there and the food... It goes in me.

 

"Ah, there you are. I have been looking for you. Did you see the pail of mine? I need it for washing." Katara is always assuming that I am the culprit in anything that goes missing. But the last time, she lost Aang and she was frantic to find him. She put me in the firing line for the disappearance. How was I know he would walk off to the spring without telling me. It's not like I am his guardian or lover to be keeping a tab on him.

 

"It's here and so it's the other missing one. Sokka, did you bring them here? And without telling me?" I looked at her.

 

"Well, if I had told you I brought them here; it would not be missing right?" I held up my hands to protect my face. The water sprout came at me as I expected. I know her well. More than Zuko anyway.

 

"My, my. You are a fierce sister of mine alright. More so now when you with a child. Temper, temper, my dear sister. Surely you do want to scare off your fire husband of yours before your child is born." Wrong move; this time it's not a sprout but a geyser of water that comes from all directions. Sokka, your mouth is your curse in this lifetime.

 

But she is off with the pails and I am all alone in my large cavern in the cave.

 

Yup, all alone is the best way to describe my life. No power like them. Even the silly Aang has more than power; he has love. Toph loves him and he does not know it. But who loves me?

 

Suki? I doubt it. She is beautiful and I am plain. She is skilled and I am only good with my boomerang. But I heard last, she has concentrated on the revival of her clan. So much for time to love a man like me. Me, I can't even revive my life as a superhero let one a gifted one.

 

Princess Yue? She is gone to the skies to be with heaven. I would if I can be an immortal but they rejected my application. The reason is given; lack of ambition.

 

Azula? Oh, oh. She's gone overboard. I heard she is undergoing treatment since she went mad. Sad for her but she deserved the punishment for the pain she caused to so many.

 

"Sokka, you are a mess yourself. They all have powers, skills, or gifts but not you. You only have is your mouth and that gets you in trouble more times than Appa has ever flown." That's me with my self has spoken words loud enough for all in the cavern to hear and laughed. I feel miserable as I have been practicing since we returned and I cannot even raise a drop of water from the pail, unlike the others. They just have to move their hand and the whole pail of water is lifted, Here I raised my arm so many times, but not a drop has joined me in chorus.

 

I might as well be a loser. No gift, no love, and no life.

 

"Oh, Sokka......."

 

Talk about curses and bad luck, mine just went to the pits of Hell. It's Princess Yen; cousin of Zuko who thinks I am her servant and plaything in her service. Ever since the wedding of my sister to the new Fire Lord, and because of Aang's good intentions, he got me to dance with the Princess. It's mismatched of people; a gazelle with a hippo trapezing to the tune of the waltz. Please....give me the warriors of Fire Nation any day but sadly we are at peace now.

 

"I brought you food and drinks." There she is the lady of my nightmare. It's not as bad as I described. Okay, I admit, I exaggerated her looks. It's just me who is mismatched to her. If you consider Katara as plain, then she is what you termed as voluptuous. So you placed me next to her is like matching a polecat to a Persian breed cat. But for some reason, she seemed to like me.

 

"Your place, huh? Kind of cozy but lacks a woman's touch to it." Her eyes are searching for clues in my life. That's it; I have to stop her before she wrecks my sanctuary. I walked up to her to confront her.

 

"Princess Yen, this...." I was ignored by her as she walked by me with the tray.

 

"I know it's your place where you want to learn how to master the water bending technique, but you are not able to do so. I have been watching you from near and I have seen everything." She is giggling and she just set the tray down on the table. "Well, not everything".

 

I shuddered at the thought of her watching me here all these times. Oh my goodness, it can't be. This is utterly unacceptable. There are times, I need my privacy.

 

"But I can teach you the techniques."

 

She can? Did I hear her right?

 

"You would? But why and how much? And are you sure you can teach? " She can't be that kind. She is after all a Princess and unlikely to do it for free like in charity. No, not for Princess Yen to yield when she can demand the yield from me.

 

"I will do it willingly if you offer to learn willingly. It's a fair compromise. Fire or water may matters not as long as you know the basic techniques. Once you master that, the gift will surface within yourself. Follow me." She drags me to the table and made me sit down. There is the tray of food and drinks on it but she moved only the jug of water she brought towards me.

 

"Look at the jug. Look at the shape and appreciate its curves. Imagine your hand around it as you raised it. Looked into the content; it's the essence of the jug. The water it holds is what you desire. Look at it. Imagine you can hold it in your hands. Put your hands around it. Press lightly on it. Feel it wobble in your hands. Make it rise above your palm. Visualize it moving forth and back. Now slowly move it back to your palm. Then move it back to the jug. And slowly move your hands away. Now keep your hands down. Relax and take a deep breath." I don't know what I felt then but its sure was very comforting her fingers rubbed the side of my forehead. I would have fallen asleep if not for her stopping the session in time.

 

"Pardon me...ahem! I shall try with your method but I doubt it would work." I am getting up but she pulled me down to seatback. She sat on the stool next to me. She took my hands onto hers and looked at me. For the first time, I see her eyes. They are blue and they looked nice. So are her lips and it looked ....nice too. She is not bad looking when considering most times I only get to see Katara and Aang. Of recent more of Zuko.

 

"Sokka, look at me. Focus on the sound of my voice." I did and all I hear are the drones of her voice and we are both dancing again just like the other night at the wedding. I mean it was better this time as her steps are in sync with mine and we are waltzing in the dance hall. I can feel all the eyes on us as we sure looked like a charming couple in love.

 

Love? Oh no! It can't be.

 

Down, boy. Down! I got up and turned to walk away.

 

"I am sorry, Princess yen. I just remembered I need to do something. Could you excuse me?" I can see that she is walking away with her head down. But I did not attempt to stop her from going away. I walked back to the table and took up the jug of water and poured it down my pants. Now I feel better for worse. Or is worse for better.

 

But that whole day, I sat by myself as I listened to her voice in my mind. I can see her as she speaks to me. I can see her reaching for my hands. I can see her... This is utterly unacceptable. I had myself to blame for being careless then. I mean it's not that I don't like her; it's just that I am not sure of what I would do to her. Or with her. Or her to me.

 

Gee, I am confused.

 

I looked at the small puddle of water on the floor. I wished I could just push it off like how Katara does it. I must be able to do it. I am of the Water Nation and everyone could do it. Even Grandma Kie can do it. I should be able to also. I looked at the puddle.

 

"Move, you imbecile for a puddle of water."

 

It did not. It won't listen to me. Okay, let me try it this way.

 

"Please move, my lovely love of the water. Oh, I do love you."

 

It did and it moved a little bit. By golly, I think I can do it. All I need to feel is love.

 

"I love you."

 

The puddle burped and then sway for a while.

 

"Okay, I do love you. Please do it for me."

 

It came up ever slightly and then it moved higher as I focus on it. It's above my height now and it staying there as I will it. I will it to the right and it went to the right. I will it to the left and it went to the left. I mold it to look like Princess Yen and it did. Her image is shown to be within the crystal clear water; the specks of dirt in it formed the outlines and the smooth hair of hers as its sweep down from her head to her shoulder.

 

"Hi, Sokka." The water fell to become a puddle again. It's Aang and he just had to come in when I needed him least. He walked in and sat down at my table, eating the food given to me by Princess Yen and telling me his adventures for over an hour. "You very quiet today, Sokka. But I got to go. I promised Toph I will go shopping with her, Bye." He left and I am alone again. Such feels nice to be quiet once again.

 

In the next three days, I worked on the gift as taught to me by Princess Yen. I am not as good as Katara but I am managing. After three days of learning and practicing, I am tired and in need of a bath. So I scot off to the spring and looked around.

 

No one is around. Good. Now I remember they are all at the Festival of the Water Dance. I am all alone in the village. Bliss is my thoughts, dirt on my body needs to be cleansed. I removed my clothes and jumped into the spring. It's refreshing as I feel the water rejuvenate my body. As I lay there, I decided to put my gift to work. I raised the water from the spring to be a fountain and then a waterfall. Then I create the image of Zuko and I punched a hole in his watery face. That was fun. Now for whatever reason, I could not think of; I created an image of Princess Yen. I imagined her in her natural beauty and not clad in those layers of silk and cotton.

 

She's beautiful and I am in love.

 

"There is no need to imagine when you can ask me." My watery image fell apart and I see Princess Yen standing at the side of the spring.

 

"I am so sorry., I mean I did not know...." But she is disrobing at the edge of the spring. I covered my eyes to avoid further shame. I am surely in trouble now. I am naked and my clothes are unknown to me now their location.

 

Aargh! She heated the stones at the bottom of the spring. My hands went down to rubbed the sore spots but what my eyes were to see makes me sore for days.

 

She is beautiful. I mean she is really beautiful. She took me in her arms and our lips meet. It's like when water meets with the flame; it sizzles. And I am in a dazzle. The water in the spring rises in a wall of steam like in a sauna.

 

If you would excuse me, I prefer to keep the continuation of this tale only in my memories, but I can assure you the water bending technique helped a lot in the washing of diapers. And another thing, you let a lady into your life, she would change more than your life; your lifestyle would also evolve to her mode.