ILL-MET BY MOONLIGHT

Kyoshi Island:

A taxi deposited two young women in front of a neatly-kept medium-sized house just a few blocks from the headquarters and training hall of the famous Kyoshi Warriors. Approaching up the cobbled walkway on the front lawn, Korra and Asami were surprised to be challenged by two figures, male and female, apparently on guard by the front door to the dwelling.

The woman was dressed and armed in the traditional manner of the Kyoshis: heavy and elaborate face-makeup, voluminous robes, archaic armor, and a steel fan and curved sword depending from her waist-cords.

The man's appearance was mundane by comparison. His coloration and clothing indicated a Fire Nation background, and his jacket displayed the logo of some private-security firm.

"State your business, please" said the man briskly.

"I'm Avatar Korra, and this is my… this is Asami Sato." Korra stumbled a bit on the introduction. Asami looked at the ground, stone faced. They had been having a... disagreement about how open to be in public about their new romance. "We are here to pay our respects to Mistress Suki, and also meet my friend Katara of the Southern Water Tribe: we were told she's here."

"Wait here, please." said the woman in polite tones, and entered the house to leave them alone with the man. The three waited silently for a minute.

The Kyoshi returned and smiled to the other two women. "I'm sorry for the delay. You are cleared to enter." She held the door for them.

Inside, they were first met by an unexpected but familiar figure: Kya. Tenzin's older sister looked tired, but still embraced both of them warmly. "Korra, Asami. We didn't know to look for you or you'd have been on the guards' list, sorry."

"It's OK." said Korra reassuringly.

"But. why all the security? Are you expecting trouble?" Asami nervously dropped a hand down to touch the electric shock-gauntlet hanging from her belt.

"No dear, nothing like that." The middle-aged waterbender spoke soothingly. "It's just that Zuko is here too, and brought his bodyguards with him. Also, it's traditional for the Kyoshis to post ceremonial guards around one of their leaders – or past leaders - when they are close to passing."

Korra dropped her voice lower, "Is it really that bad?"

"I'm afraid so. She can't last much longer, a few days more at most." Kya glanced over her shoulder, and then continued. "Mom is in with her now, doing what she can to keep her comfortable. I'm worried about her – Mom, I mean – she's trying to stay strong, but I think inside she's a wreck. She and Aunt Suki have been very close for a long time."

The three of them went further into the house to enter a large and elegantly-furnished sitting room. A white-maned old gentleman, Lord Zuko, immediately rose to greet them. A few strangers, presumably other friends or relatives of the dying Kyoshi, also climbed to their feet.

"Girls, it's nice to see you again so soon" Zuko said with subdued warmth. The women had encountered him in the Spirit World only a little more than a week previously. "Although of course; the circumstances could be better."

"Yes, it's sad." said Korra. Meanwhile, everyone was taking or retaking their seats.

"I didn't know that you knew Suki."

"I don't, actually. We—" she said, indicating Asami, who had faded into the background as she often seemed to when the spotlight was on Korra. "— came through the Southern Portal a few days ago to visit my folks. We wanted to see Katara too, so here we are."

A rear door opened as Katara herself entered the room. She checked when she saw the new arrivals, but then came on to exchange hugs with Korra and Asami.

The old woman looked even more worn than her daughter, with dark circles under her fatigue-dulled eyes. She turned to Kya. "Why don't you take a turn for a while, sweetie?" Murmuring assent, the younger waterbender left the room. Korra explained their presence again to Katara as everyone once more settled in, except for Asami who remained standing and began idly examining the rooms various decorations and objects of art.

The group's conversation began to meander through various inconsequential topics as they passed the time, until suddenly hawk-eyed Katara called across the room.

"Careful, Asami! The edge is still razor-sharp."

Asami quickly drew her hand back from where she had been about to touch a naked sword resting on pegs on the wall. It was a jian longsword, and its blade was a glossy black reminiscent of volcanic obsidian.

"Thank you, Master Katara. I'm sorry. But, I've never seen a sword quite like this before. Is the blade some kind of iron?"

"There's some iron in it, I'm told; but also other metals totally unknown on Earth. And there is no other sword quite like that: that is Space-Sword."

"Space-Sword…" the heiress's voice was tinged with awe. She had heard the stories of this legendary weapon, and its heroic wielder.

"That sword was my brother's most prized possession." said Katara. "He forged it himself – with his teacher's help, of course – from a meteorite fallen from the sky. He bore it through the last months of the Hundred-Years War, only to lose it on the last day… while destroying the Fire Nation's airship fleet, of course."

Zuko laughed softly. "When Toph brought it back to him… well, I don't think I ever saw Sokka happier." He glanced at the room's rear door and sobered. "Well, except his wedding-day with Suki of course."

"Korra, I've heard that you met old Toph, right?" Katara asked. At the Avatar's nod, she smiled. "Then you know what she's like, then. A few years after we ended the war, Toph just took off for a month without telling anyone where she was going. A little while later she showed up for Sokka's birthday party with that—" the waterbender pointed to the sword. "—wrapped up in a long box with a ribbon. She acted like it was no big deal, but Sokka about had a heart-attack."

Zuko broke in. "He jumped up-and-down and screamed like a three-year-old… and then he kissed Toph right on the mouth." He laughed again. "For a second I thought that Suki was going to murder them both, right there."

Katara was smiling gently, "We found out later that Toph had spent that whole month alone, camping out in the Wulong Forest. She must have combed every square inch of the place with her special senses. She was sad that she never found the original Boomerang, though."

"That sounds like Toph, all right." said Korra. "She can be a fantastic friend. But it's like she never wants you to know it, or at least say anything about it."

"From that day on, I don't think my brother ever willingly went anywhere without Space Sword on his hip." Katara said. She lowered her eyes. "He even had it with him when he died."

Everyone hushed for a moment out of respect. Then Asami said "I'm sorry, but actually I've never heard how Chief Sokka passed. Was it in battle?"

"Oh yes; it was a mighty battle." Zuko spoke quietly, but his voice carried clearly to the young industrialist. Asami noticed both he and Katara were glancing at Korra, so she did as well.

Korra face had gone pale.

"It was me." said the Avatar, her voice laden with sadness and guilt. "Sokka died because of me."

"Korra, I don't blame you for what happened." Katara's voice was calm, but kind. "No one does. I've told you that."

"I know." Korra wiped at a single tear on her cheek. "I just can't—"

Korra broke off and everyone's attention was diverted as Kya came back into the room. The grey-haired woman checked as she took in the scene.

"Oh, I'm so sorry to interrupt."

The Avatar waved the apology away, collecting herself with an embarrassed expression. "It's OK. I wasn't saying anything important anyway."

"All right. Actually I came to get you, if you'll come. Suki wants to see you."

"Me?" Korra was puzzled. "Why? She doesn't know me."

"She wouldn't say. But when I mentioned that you were here, she said she wanted you. She was quite insistent, and I didn't want to agitate her."

"Oh… OK; I'll go." Korra rose.

'Thank you. It's the last door at the end of the hall. There's a water-basin, if you know any healing-arts and want to take a turn."

"I will." She paused before going to the door. "Lord Zuko, maybe you could tell Asami the story of… that time? You tell it best. Technically I was there too, but I hardly remember anything." Then she left the room.

Everyone was silent for a moment. Then Zuko addressed Asami.

"Well, Miss Sato? Do you want to know what happened?"

"Yes, sir." the heiress answered thoughtfully, looking to where Korra had left. "I think I need to know."

"Very well." The old nobleman straightened his posture further as he began his tale. "It all happened about sixteen years ago, when the Southern Water Tribe was attacked by a band of powerful outlaws…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Southern Water Tribe lands, sixteen years ago:

The snowbuzzard-cat rumbled and swayed as it sped along the icy 'road' that twisted up the mountain, switching back every few hundred feet as it climbed. The vehicle was going at flat-out top speed, which Firelord Zuko, ruler of the Fire Nation, knew in his bones to be too fast. Especially at night, with only moon- and starlight to guide them.

"Sokka! Slow it down or you'll kill us all!" The other occupants of the vehicle's cab; Katara's boy Tenzin (Councilman Tenzin, one of Republic City's most respected leaders, the firebender reminded himself) and Tonraq (Northern Water Tribe expatriate, and father of the new Avatar) grimly clung to door handles and leather straps to steady themselves.

"Who's driving this jalopy, huh? If we don't catch them then this trip is for nothing, and I hate wasting my time!" the snow-haired Chief of the Southern Water Tribe fairly snarled his answer. He leaned into the steering wheel as if attempting to coax by force of will even more speed from the treaded mechanical monster they were all riding. His short, pointed beard fairly bristled with anger.

Zuko understood the warrior's urgency: Korra, the child-Avatar. She had been taken; kidnapped from her very home by ruthless criminals with an unknown agenda. The Avatar, of course, was the world's best hope for balance, harmony, and peace in the future. But she was something more to all of them. To Sokka and himself, she was the reincarnation of perhaps their dearest friend: Avatar Aang. And Aang had been Tenzin's father. And, of course, Korra was also Tonraq's daughter and barely past her fifth birthday: the young father was the most frantic and driven of them all.

"If we keep pushing, we can catch them before they reach the airship. They may have a head start, but since Katara half trashed their engine we're faster!" Korra had been taken in broad daylight while at her beginning waterbending lessons with Katara: Sokka's sister, Tenzin's mother and Aang's widow. Zuko ground his teeth in silent rage. Katara had fought the kidnappers valiantly only to be overcome by numbers, but not before inflicting what damage she could. She was back with the water-healers now, and it was uncertain that she would survive. Zuko swore he would take her suffering out on her attackers' hides.

"We should be on them soon. Here's the plan." rapped out Sokka; master tactician. "This should be a simple four-on-four fight, to start. Tenzin, you take Combustion Girl—"

'That's not her name! It's P'Li!" Zuko broke in, exasperated. "What is wrong with you? I've told you like a dozen times—"

"Whatever: don't care. Tenzin, her attacks are the quickest and hardest to dodge, and you're the most agile and evasive. Take her down, hard." The last airbender, not yet even forty, nodded with determination.

"Zuko, you get Lava Guy. You can neutralize his big advantage." Firelord Zuko nodded shortly, accepting his assignment to engage Ghazan (honestly, what was with Sokka and nicknames?).

"Tonraq, I want you on the waterbender gal. Water vs. water: classic match-up, right?" Tonraq nodded in resolute agreement, and Zuko fought not to roll his eyes. Despite Sokka's lack of bending power, young Tonraq was plainly the weakest and least experienced fighter amongst them, despite his vaguely-described time in the military back North. Sokka obviously wanted to give him the best chance by matching him with the opponent he could best understand and counter: the renegade Ming-Hua.

"And I'll take Sticky Man. He's a non-bending weapon fighter, so I'll have the best odds against him." concluded the Chief, assigning himself to Zaheer: the staff-wielding enemy leader, and the probable author of all this trouble.

Zuko wasn't certain whether to curse or bless the fate that had brought them all to this pass. Curses were appropriate for the abduction attempt itself, and its perpetration by what was obviously an elite band of outlaws. On the other hand, it was a blessed arrangement of circumstances that had seen both himself and Tenzin present in the Southern Water Tribe capitol when the crisis erupted. Zuko had been on a state-visit to finalize some new trade agreements between the nations, and Tenzin had simply been visiting his mother with his new fiancée; a gentle girl named Pema.

"OK, we're throwing down!" shouted Sokka suddenly, as they rounded a bend in the ascending road that hugged the mountain slope. Ahead of them, the quartet could see the enemy vehicle, nearly identical to their own, stalled and motionless with thick black smoke pouring skyward from the engine cowling. "Everybody bail out!"

The doors to the ponderous conveyance flew open as the rescuers exited in haste. Zuko blasted himself clear, bending fire from the soles of his boots to gain extra distance and speed. He saw Tenzin doing much the same, driving himself forward and out on a column of air. Chief Sokka's long, strong legs served him well, and Tonraq simply ran atop the deep snow as if it were packed-earth.

They were none too soon. Their enemies were already out of their own vehicle; no doubt considering repairs. They saw and reacted to the rescuers arrival with little hesitation. True to Sokka's prediction, P'li attacked first; and projected popPopPOP a tiny swift-flying ball of incandescence from the eye-like tattoo on her forehead. It roiled the air behind itself like a miniature comet, and struck Sokka's still-rolling ride with much the same effect: the vehicle exploded in a cloud of debris, noise, and fire; utterly wrecked.

And then, the fight was on.

"Zuko, buff me!'" called Sokka, and Zuko quickly firebended an intense packet of pure heat into the black bladetip of the Water Tribesman's Space-Sword. The weapon promptly glowed cherry-red at its point, dulling from brick-red to black again as the glow spread down towards the jian's ornate bronze hilt. They had practiced this maneuver together many times.

After that, Zuko's first concern was his designated opponent Ghazan, of course. The Firelord sent an intense gout of coherent flame his way to grab the long-mustachioed man's attention, and then dodged as the lavabender counterattacked with a stream of redly-glowing liquid rock from the lava-pit suddenly appearing near the kidnapper's feet.

Zuko began to move forward, "jabbing" fireballs the while. He hopped into the air as Ghazan bended the ground beneath him into a molten death-trap, and then landed lightly on the lava. Beneath his feet the blazing earth suddenly cooled into a blackened disc as the scarred old man sent the excess heat hissing up into the night sky from his extended fingers. Ghazan blanched, and the white-maned firebender grinned savagely as he continued his advance.

"Are we having fun yet?"

The Firelord risked an assessing glance around. Tonraq seemed to be holding his own for the moment, trading water-whip strikes and ice-bullets with Ming-Hua. However, the waterbender criminal had just sprouted more aqueous tentacles than Zuko had ever seen at once before, even from Katara: one from each of the digits of her deceptively delicate hands. Zuko feared for his ally's safety.

Sokka, glowing Space-Sword in one hand and trusty Boomerang (the latest in a series of so-named weapons) in the other, had been fighting defensively as he sized up his opponent. The longhaired, bearded Zaheer leapt and twirled his body and staff in an acrobatic style of combat that Zuko knew only too well. He had seen some of these moves hundreds of times before, performed first by Aang and then later by Tenzin. Tenzin shouted confirmation.

"Uncle Sokka! He's fighting like an Air Nomad!"

"Why, thank you." drawled the old warrior with his trademark 'sokkasm.' "I would never have guessed. Someone must have found an old fight-manual— "He ducked a neck-breaking swing. "- at the library!"

Distracted, Tenzin was the first to go down. Zuko saw it from the corner of his eye. P'li had indeed been unable to connect with the nimble airbender, so instead sent her combustion-bending projection into a rock-face directly behind her foe. The resulting violent spray of stony shrapnel had inescapably engulfed Tenzin, who fell to the ground unconscious from multiple strikes to his head, body, and limbs. The tall woman turned her attention to the Firelord, who suddenly found himself doubled-teamed.

Again and again P'li sent her projections at Zuko, who caught them in his bare hands like a man snatching firefly-wrens out of the air in the summer twilight. They failed to explode as Zuko 'earthed' the power, sending it deep into the rocky soil under his feet. It detonated there, making the ground jump slightly each time. In his 'spare time' the firebender continued to dodge and fend off Ghazan's attacks. Unfortunately, this left him with no ability himself; to attack or even sustain his advance. Oh well, he thought philosophically. At least I can keep them both busy until Sokka can save us all, as usual.

The Southern ruler was coolly engaging Zaheer, countering the younger man's extravagant staff strikes with efficient and minimalist parries from his own two weapons. He mistimed one counter; and took a hard blow up into his left side, eliciting a grunt of pain as several ribs gave in. Then, a swift extension of his arm gripping the razor-edged Boomerang sent that weapon through a gap in Zaheer's defense; neatly bisecting the stocky man's left brow and sending a river of blood streaming down to flood the eye. The outlaw bellowed in pain and rage, clutching at his face with one hand.

Sokka instantly executed two quick pivoting steps; his precise and practiced footwork putting him exactly in Zaheer's new blind-spot. Still-nimble fingers twirled Space-Sword into a reverse-grip as he brought the jian around to crash its bronze pommel into the back of his skull: what Toph the ex-policewoman would have called the 'nap-tap.' Zaheer immediately dropped his staff and collapsed to the frozen ground, unconscious.

Zuko, still beset by his two foes, opened his mouth to call to the chieftain for aid. But then the firebender saw that Tonraq had just gone down as well. Ming-Hua stood by his prone form with hands spread wide to her sides, all her watery tentacles now tipped with scythe-like blades of hard, unforgiving ice. Plainly, the vicious criminal intended to administer a coup de grace to Korra's father.

The Firelord thought to call to Sokka, but the warrior's keen situational awareness had apparently already alerted him to the waterbender's mortal peril. In three long strides he was directly behind Ming-Hua.

Faced with his ally's imminent demise, the Southern leader acted with shocking ruthlessness that nonetheless contained a particle of mercy. With two powerful slices of Space-Sword; the murderous woman's arms came free, neatly sheared off at the shoulders.

There was remarkably little blood. Sokka's jian blade still glowed red near the tip and had partially cauterized the terrible, maiming wounds. Still, Ming-Hua screamed and dropped instantly; overcome by pain and shock. She pitched forward onto her face close by Tonraq, and lay still.

Ghazan, his face demented, howled "YOU FILTHY SAVAGE! I'LL KILL YOU FOR THAT!"

Zuko abruptly found himself once again fighting P'li alone as the lavabender turned his full, enraged attention to the Water Tribesman. A gout of lava spewed toward the old fighter as Ghazan advanced.

Sokka sprinted to a nearby rock-face and ran straight up the wall, his momentum carrying him to nearly twice his own considerable height, and then kicked off with his long, powerful legs to sail upwards and back towards Ghazan.

Zuko, awed, saw his one-time enemy virtually fly through the air. At the apex of his arc he was silhouetted against the full moon with his weapons raised on high. The Firelord's lifelong friend plainly intended to land by – or perhaps on – Ghazan to engage him in melee combat.

Ghazan leapt back, bending as he did so, and opened a large lavapit where he had just been standing.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl. Zuko, still engaged with P'li, watched in helpless horror as Sokka plummeted to certain doom. There was simply no way for the chieftain to alter his trajectory enough. Pitiless physics decreed a death-sentence.

In less than a second Zuko saw his friend's face transform from fierce determination to mortal terror and then to something the firebender could only think of as… grace. He sent Boomerang spinning towards Ghazan with one hand as he fell, and with his other hand he cast Space-Sword aside to safety. With his last moment he flung his head back, neck cords straining, to gaze one last time at the moon.

"Watch over Su—!" The Chief was cut off abruptly.

He was gone.

Zuko saw Sokka plunge feet-first into the molten rock and vanish from sight. The Firelord knew that his death must have been nearly instantaneous, and praised fate bitterly that his friend's ending had been almost painless.

Boomerang's final flight coincided with Ghazan's forehead with a loud crack as the dull outer edge made contact, and the killer fell heavily to the ground. He did not rise again.

Space Sword fell point-first to impale itself upright in the frozen earth. Silver moonlight glinted on the bronze fittings and on the glossy black blade.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kyoshi Island, present time:

"After Sokka and Ghazan were both down, the fight was nearly over." said Zuko. "I was handling P'li, the last foe standing, when Tenzin recovered enough to help put her down."

"And, what about Korra?" Asami asked. Though the events she had just heard of were long in the past, she still sounded anxious.

"Our new Avatar was in the back seat of the enemy vehicle, trussed up in a sack and sound asleep. She'd been drugged. A mercy actually, otherwise she would have been terrified, I'm sure." Zuko shrugged. 'At any rate, we used those same drugged darts to keep the outlaws – the Red Lotus, we now know - out of commission. Tonraq and I managed to repair their engine while Tenzin tended to all the wounded. Then we drove back to the city. You already know the rest: we ended up turning them over to the White Lotus, who separated them and put them in special prisons where they remained for many years; before Zaheer became an airbender and escaped."

Asami was about to ask another question when Korra returned.

"Katara… maybe you and the others should go back there, now. I don't think it'll be much longer."

All rose, leaving the past behind to meet the demands of the present.

END

Author's Notes:

As always: thanks for reading. Review if you would care to: no flames please but constructive criticism is always welcome.

This is a (suitably edited) snippet from my much longer series BOOK FIVE: GROWTH. I am publishing it separately because I thought some folks might like a good (?) "death of Sokka" tale without having to wade through the rest of that monster to get to it. :)

I have departed from canon in one respect: Ming Hua's arms (or lack thereof). Bryan Koneitzko said in an internet Q&A once that Ming-Hua was armless from birth as a congenital defect.. But to me the idea that Sokka had maimed her as one of his final acts was just irresistible, so I went with it.

As always: I own no part of Avatar. Please don't sue me.