AtLA Modern: Year 1, Gen. 1

Chapter 19

Dai and Sokka arrived at the arena in the school basement. She unlocked her case, handing him one of the school's swords and grabbing her own. "Stance?" She stood in front of him, calmer now that she was busy.

"Why now?" Sokka muttered, frowning, getting into his stance.

Dai's eyes grew sharp. She smacked one of his shins with the flat of his blade. "Legs closer together. You're swordfighting, not bending."

"Ouch!" He grit his teeth. She smirked.

She circled around him, looking him up and down, and bumped his upper back with the heel of her hand; he slowly straightened his back. On his other side now, she grabbed his wrist, her shoulder against his, very close to him, his eyes darting over to her. "Loosen up. You can't make correct wrist movements if they're tight," she said, shaking his arm. She turned toward him. "And I suggest you focus," she added, circling the other way. She finally settled in front of him, a big grin on her face now. "Better," she said, her voice breathy with adrenaline now. She was totally still for a second, then smacked at his side, hitting his ribs with the flat of her sword. "You're dead, I win, bad guys take over the world," she announced, swinging her sword over her shoulder for a moment. She narrowed her eyes, leaning forward. "Try again. You get first hit."

"Ah! What the fuck!" He took a few steps backward, his hand moving to his ribs and rubbing there. He got back into his stance, frowning and letting out a breath. After a moment, he used the flat of his sword to hit her arm.

Dai glanced at him with a impressed look; fake of course. "Great job!" she said, glancing at his sword on her left arm.

"Don't mock me!"

Half a second later, she pushed his sword to the side with her own, kicking forward into his stomach with her right foot, pointing her toes so it didn't hurt too badly, at least. He took a few steps back, gasping, putting a hand on his stomach. She half-jumped forward, ignoring his wide eyes, pushing his sword to the left harder now, and used her left foot to kick his legs out from under him. Grabbing his collar before he could fall all the way, she grinned down at him. "You left yourself open, Stripes," she said. She pulled him back onto her feet, leaning into her stance again. "Try again."

"This was not in the schedule!" he said loudly, scrambling back to his feet. "I'm in my jeans! My movement is shit! What do you expect?"

Dai snickered, pushing his right bicep so that he stood up straight. "I'm in a skirt, and I'm still kicking your ass." She waited half a moment for him to hit her, then quickly said, "Too slow." She lunged to the right, then back to the left, close to him now. She butted him in the left ribs with her sword handle, then kneed him in the stomach. His eyes widened and his lips pressed together, his breath catching in his throat. She elbowed his chin and swept his legs out from under him again, this time from the right side. She grinned, letting him fall this time. "You're not going easy on me, are you?" she teased, looking down at him. His eyes closed tightly as he groaned in pain, his hand over his chin now and the other on his stomach as he laid there trying to grasp for air. Dai dropped to her knees, trying not to smile and failing miserably. "If you get even close to beating me--like literally, anywhere near close--I'll heal you tonight." She'd refused until now, saying that his bruises were reminders that he sucked. "Oh, and also, you're dead." She poked him in the stomach with her sword, not hard enough to reach his skin. "Come on." She pulled him back up by the arm, jumping back into stance.

Sokka finally took a deep breath, his eyes wide as he looked up at her. He took another breath, grabbing his sword and pushing himself to his feet. His legs faltered and he fell back down again. "We're done. I need a break. I can't," he panted, looking up at her.

Dai sighed, letting her sword down. She slid down by his side. "Not yet," she insisted. "One more round." She grabbed his arm again, this time pulling him up and waiting until his weight was balanced between his feet. "Just one more, okay?" She walked backward a step, her eyes round, more enthusiastic now than anything. "You get first hit, come on," she insisted, letting go of her sword with one hand and gesturing.

"No, Dai," he said calmly, his voice low and quiet with exhaustion. She frowned, spinning her weapon around her hand. He dropped his sword. "I need to rest," he insisted, blue eyes on her. "I know I asked for help with my swordsmanship classes, but it feels as if you're just taking your anger out on me." Her eyes hardened and she stopped moving. "I'm sorry," he added, frowning. "I'm sorry if I ever made you feel uncomfortable with my comments or actions, but I can't take that hits any more. At least for this weekend." He scratched at the back of his neck. "Let's just go home, and we can rest. We can pick up on Monday." She just turned around and placed her sword back in her case, walking out without another word. She waited in her car for him, revving the engine impatiently, and didn't say a word as they drove home.

The two sat in silence on the ar ride home, Sokka frowning. "Look, Dai, I'm sorry if I was too blunt..." He trailed off and rubbed his temples. "...But my body needs a rest." He sighed.

Dai ignored him until they were parked in the garage. She took a slow, shaky breath in. "Let's get one thing straight, Sokka. If I was taking my anger out on you, you'd be in much worse shape." Her voice was rough on the word "much", emphasizing it strongly. "Get the fuck out of my car." She got out herself, slamming the door and walking briskly away.

Sokka facepalmed. "Right..." he muttered. He got out of the car at the same time as her. "You're beating me up," he pointed out. "If this isn't a bad shape, I don't want to know a worse one." He sighed again, following her toward the house. "You can't just get mad at me because I feel how I feel! I feel like you're doing this the way I said. You say that it isn't like that. Completely fine. We just have different opinions on the situation. But I doubt this reaction is needed." He shook his head, pushing through the door and heading for his room.

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A/N okay so like... poor Dai just is trying so hard to keep him moving, but she doesnt realize how bad he's hurting. and Sokka severely underestimates her strength.