DISCLAIMER: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, or any of the characters, etc.

Also, this is a slash fic with Zuko and Sokka as the couple. Ooo, kinky. So, if you're sickened by cute boy on boy action, gay rights, if you disagree with this particular pairing, or if your just a plain ol' Bible thumper, this isn't a fic for you.


Chapter One: Awake!

Sokka opened his eyes slowly, wiping a fair amount of drool from his gaping mouth. He turned over in his "bed", which was just a jumble of blankets that had simply been tossed together onto the ground. Not that he minded; it was just as comfortable as a well-made bed.

He sat up and rubbed his eyes, trying to encourage himself to wake up. A small stream babbled close by, and bird songs resonated throughout the forest clearing. Katara was kneeling close to the stream, bending a stream of water into her canteen. Sokka stared at her as she went through the familiar motions of waterbending.

"Good morning, Sokka," Katara said as she turned around, "I hope you had a good sleep. Aang and I have been up since daybreak, collecting food. Oh, by the way, I hope you don't think you're going to eat today."

"I had a dream that I could waterbend," Sokka replied, completely ignoring her sarcasm, "It was…amazing."

Katara scoffed. "That's funny. You always made fun of me for waterbending. Besides, what gives the idea that you could possibly do it?"

Sokka stood up from his bed, his face growing red. His dream had been so realistic, he was beginning to believe that he COULD waterbend, and he wanted to prove it to Katara.

"Well, if YOU can waterbend, Katara, then I can waterbend, too. I'll show you!" He stomped over to the stream and kneeled next to Katara. Mimicking the motions made by Katara, Sokka pulled feebly at the air, trying to get the water to rise from this stream. He continued this motion over and over, Katara watching him closely.

Half an hour had passed, and Katara had moved onto cleaning up their campsite, ignoring Sokka's attempts completely. He was still persistently attempting waterbending, determined to reenact his dream and prove Katara wrong. After a few grunts of frustration, Katara yelled over her shoulder. "Damnit, Sokka, at least do it right! Try to grab the water with your mind, too, not just your hand!"

His mind…Sokka shut his eyes and took a deep breath, closing out all the distractions around him. He positioned his hand over the stream once again, and imagined the water rushing up towards his hand. He pulled back his hand, and…

His ice-blue eyes snapped open. A small stream of water had raised up, and was now following the motion of his hand.

"I didn't know you could waterbend."

Sokka gasped and the water splashed back into the stream. He turned sharply, and caught a quick glimpse of Prince Zuko's face before everything went black.


Commentary: So, this chapter really sucks. I'm just trying to set everything up before I move into the bigger story line. The second chapter should be up tonight (along with much Sokka/Zuko lovin'!). Please review!