Aftermath Chpt. 2

"Sokka, please! Don't do this!"

"I have to, there's no choice. Now go!"

"Suki, c'mon! Let's go!"

"NO! I'm not leaving you Sokka!"

"You have to! I'll only slow you down, and this way at least you can have a head start." Sokka reached over and kissed the Earth Kingdom girl, holding on to her for a few seconds.

"Toph, take her as far away from here." The blind girl nodded, grabbing Suki and led her away. Struggling the whole time.

"Please, don't Sokka! Please!"

"I said GO!" Picking up whatever he could use as a weapon, he stumbled his way towards the oncoming Fire Nation soldiers. He looked back at the two girls and waved his hand at them, "GO!!"

Held back by Toph, Suki shrieked as the earthbender put more distant between them and the battlefield.

"SOKKA!!!"

* * *

"NO!"

The girl jumped out of her bed with a start. Breathing heavily, she looked around her surroundings only to see that she was in the same place that she has been for the past few weeks.

Calming down, she got out of bed, rolled up her mat and stored it with the others that laid against the cavern wall. There were fourteen total, no, thirteen; Toph always preferred to sleep on the ground. Looking around the cave, she found the supply bins and looked for something to eat, pulling out a peach and some cheese.

Voices and the sound of children echoed through the cave. Making her way out, she came to a clearing, children everywhere. Some were playing while others were having fighting practice; others still, the earthbenders, were taking lessons from the one they called 'The Blind Bandit'.

Eating her peach, she watched a group of girls practicing the stances that she'd taught them. It wasn't long before the earthbender realized that she was there.

"Hey Suki, you're up late."

Looking back at her students, Toph gave them some instructions and made her way towards Suki.

"Yeah, sorry about that…I didn't sleep well last night."

The blind girl looked down at the ground, "I know what you mean, I can't believe it's already been three months." She mumbled, then she looked up at the girl next to her, "Hey, at least you're not sick anymore! What was it that you think you had?"

Suki coughed, choking on the food that was in her mouth, "Um…I don't know, probably just some sort of bug."

The teenager looked away from the girl. But she knew that behind those pale green eyes, even though she could see nothing, she knew everything. Sensing her friend's avoidance, Toph changed the subject.

"Hey, could you fix my braids? I think they're starting to fall out again."

"Sure, of course."

Sitting next to Toph, Suki remembered the first time that she'd ask her to do this…

* * *

"Um, hey, Suki?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you know how to braid hair?"

Suki looked at her confused, "Yeah, I know how. Why?"

The earthbender kicked her foot across the ground, "I was thinking…we haven't heard anything from Zuko or Katara, and so it's most likely they're…anyway, I wanted to do something to remember her by."

She paused for a second and continued, "Well, I decided that I'll wear a braid in her honor." Pausing again, she smiled, "I was thinking of wearing her hair loopies, but they're so annoying, I wouldn't stand them. No idea how she could."

Suki laughed at this, the first time in a very long time. "Very well, come over here so I can do it."

Sitting down next to her, Toph could feel her hair being let down and parted. After a couple of minutes, Suki gave her the okay and Toph lifted her hand to feel what she had done.

It wasn't as she expected. Toph thought that Suki would put all of her hair in the braid; instead, she put some of it in. She made one on the left side of her face, the rest of her hair hung loose. She loved it.

Smiling, Toph looked in her direction, a hint of tears in her eyes, "Thank you."

* * *

Finished, she tied it off, "Okay, all done."

Toph placed her hands on the braids, inspecting them. Her hair has gotten so long since then, her black hair almost went past her shoulders. And now instead of the one, she wore two braids, one on each side of her face.

Satisfied, Toph sat there without saying anything. Moments passed before either of them spoke.

"So…do you want to talk about it? About Sokka or…anything else?"

Suki just sat there, not saying anything. There was so much going on in her head, she didn't know what to do. The teenager always had a feeling that the girl knew her secret, she had been told many times of the earthbender's ability to sense things.

So she had no doubt in her mind that whenever Toph focused her ability on her, she was able to sense her heartbeat––and that of the little life she carried inside her.

Placing her hand on her stomach, she looked at the girl next to her, "How long have you know?"

Toph leaned back and looked up at the sky, "About a month or so now, I wasn't sure if it was really there or not. But then it started to get stronger." She looked at Suki and asked, "Does he know?"

Tears started to form in her eyes, "No…I didn't even know until two weeks after that…"

She remembered the time they met the way they did. It was the night before Katara went off to find her mother's killer. Sokka had told her to stop by his tent, that he had something for her. As she made her way to his tent at the designated time, she had bumped into Zuko who wanted to speak to Sokka about something.

Embarrassed, Suki let Zuko through and she went back to her tent. She waited about twenty minutes before going back out, this time there was no trouble.

* * *

"Sokka, are you there?" she whispered.

Within a few seconds, Sokka's head popped out and quickly waved her in, "C'mon! Before someone else shows up."

Once inside, she was awed at the candles and petals that where all over the tent. Sitting across from her, he fumbled around looking for something. His hair down, the Water Tribe man pushed his hair out of his face, looked at her and flushed.

"The reason I asked you here was…um…hold on. Where is that darn thing?" he mumbled. After a couple of minutes, he found what he was looking for. Straightening up, he took her hand gently. Blushing even more.

"During my stay in the Northern Water Tribe, I learned about a custom that my tribe had forgotten." Reaching behind him, he pulled something out.

"When couples are in love, the men would carve a necklace for the one that they wished to marry," At this time, Sokka opened his hand, revealing a jade carving attached to a blue-green ribbon. Suki's eyes widened as he presented it to her. "And in turn, the woman would wear it as a sign of their betrothal and marriage."

Blushing even further, he continued, "So, I guess what I'm asking you is, Suki of Kyoshi Island, will you marry me?"

Suki stared at him in disbelief. He watched her, hoping that she'd say something. The silence was killing him.

Finally, she pulled her hands from his and looked at him. "Sokka, I don't know what to say…" Discouraged, Sokka looked down in embarrassment, but looked back up when he felt the necklace being taken from him. The face that looked at him was a smiling one, the necklace already tied around her neck.

Laughing, Suki hugged him, "Yes, yes, a million times yes!"

Kissing him, Sokka kissed back as they fell to the ground. On top, Sokka looked at her lovingly, brushing the hair out of her face, "I love you."

Smiling, she kissed him before saying, "I love you too…"

* * *

That had been their first, and only time. A time that she'll never forget, for that moment was her most precious memory. A tear ran down her face and she quickly wiped it away.

"Do you think you can tell me if it's a boy or a girl?"

Toph thought for a moment and answered, "I think so, I can't right now because it's so small. But I think I can in a couple of months."

Suki smiled, another tear running down her face, this time letting it fall, touching the jade necklace that she wore, "Thanks Toph, that'd be great."