Chapter 66

3 1 0
                                    

They met on the beach a little under an hour later. Dai, of course, went straight for the water, diving in and using a stream of water to shoot her away from the shore. Katara, in a light blue sports bra-like bikini top with straps the crossed and went around her neck and bikini bottoms that reached above her navel, drawstrings in x-shapes on the sides, joined her happily and the two began shooting water at one another. Zuko lay his towel out on the beach wearing red shorts, away, where the water wouldn't reach him. He stuck an umbrella in the sand to keep the sun off of them, laying on the towel with Athlea. Athlea smiled softly, taking a seat on her own towel, turning to watch the waterbenders. She herself was wearing a red bikini, the bottoms reaching above her navel.

Sokka and Toph were on the edge of the shore, having a sand-sculpting competition. "You aren't winning this time, Toph!" She wore dark green shorts with a sports bra-like top, Sokka, simple blue shorts.

Aang was sitting a ways behind them. "You know she can do this in a split second, right?" He crossed his arms, smiling. His shorts were white with blue palm trees four horizontal stripes; blue, yellow, orange, and red, top to bottom. The lower three stripes stuck out, contrasting against the blue with the sand.

"Shut it!" Sokka responded, annoyed. Aang chuckled.

Zuko flopped on his back. Even with the umbrella it was still hot, even though it was spring; typical Fire Nation weather. He sighed happily, moving a hand to Athlea's thigh. Commoners were glancing at them and whispering, but they stayed a respectful distance away.

Katara and Dai disappeared under water, then shot up on the beach next to Toph and Sokka moments later, spraying water all over. Dai landed neatly on her feet, plopping into the sand next to Sokka, smiling. "Come play a game with us?" she asked, her blue eyes shining. Katara was asking Aang the same.

"Listen, I'll be on Aang's shoulder and Dai will be on Sokka's, and Dai and myself have to try to knock each other off," Katara was explaining. "Sokka and Aang will have to keep us upright. Come on! Comeoncomeoncomeon!" She grabbed Aang's hand, dragging him over to the water.

Sokka's left eye twitched, his eyes on his now-destroyed sand castle. "Are you... kidding me?" he mumbled, standing, jaw dropping.

Dai giggled, biting her lip. "Sorry," she told Sokka, her eyes gleaming.

Toph laughed. "Ha! That's what you get." She pressed her foot down on the sand, lifting a hand. A Fire Palace rose from the shore.

Dai put her chin on Sokka's shoulder, watching Toph create the Fire Palace. "She can't even see and she managed to make the Fire Palace perfectly," she teased Sokka.

Aang's eyes widened. "Wha--It even has little people!" Toph grinned.

"Yo, fuck you!" Sokka said, annoyed. He turned to Dai, grabbing her wrist. She squealed, stumbling after him. "I'd better win this! Come on! I ain't losing this time," he added to Dai. Aang chuckled, grabbing Katara's hand. Sokka and Aang dragged the other two in the water. "It's on!" Sokka announced.

Aang smirked. "Oh, it is on!" The two boys went under water to suddenly pull the girls on their respective shoulders.

Sokka held Dai's thighs. "We better win, Dai!"

"Ha! You wish Sokka," Aang said, equally determined, as the two approached one another.

Up on shore, a beach ball had bumped into Zuko. He had thrown it back to the kids playing with it, saying a few words to them. "Look at you, being nice," the others could hear them saying.

"I'm always nice!" he protested.

Dai called from the water, "No you're not!" and he glared at her.

"This isn't even your conversation! Go play your game!"

Dai cackled. She put her hands on Sokka's to keep her balance and watched Katara, going still for a moment. Katara had a silly, competitive look on her face. Dai smirked and pushed her hands forward. A huge blast of water plowed into Katara and Aang, knocking them underwater. Dai giggled and put her hands on either side of Sokka's head, looking down at him. "I think we won." He was struggling to keep his own balance from the force of the water.

"Hey!" Katara was standing, spluttering. "That's cheating!"

"How?" Dai tilted her head mischievously. "You're a bender, too!"

Sokka glanced up at Dai, chuckling. "Finally!"

Aang stood up and shook his head, laughing. "A bending game," he pointed out as he looked at them, then Katara.

Katara frowned, her face somewhere between frustrated and playful. "Bend this," she responded, sending up a sheet of ice toward Dai and Sokka.

Dai shrieked, indeed bending the ice and forcing it down before it could reach her and Sokka. She slid off of his shoulders, frowning and forcing the ice back at Katara. Katara disappeared underwater, popping up a moment later awkwardly close to Dai. Dai blinked for a moment before they both burst out laughing.

Sokka, however, did not find it so funny. He had taken a step back and fallen, his balance lost. "Katara, what the fuck? Are you trying to kill us?!" he shouted. The beach quieted, and people turned to look at him. Athlea glanced over and raised an eyebrow, muttering to her husband.

Dai giggled, covering Sokka's mouth with her hand. He blinked. "Hush, Sokka!" she said quietly. After a moment, the people on the beach returned to their activities. Katara frowned, spraying water at Sokka, which Dai blocked.

"You got a death wish, sis!" Sokka said, raising a fist in front of his face.

Dai giggled again. "What are you gonna do?" she teased Sokka.

Sokka glanced at her, then turned and pointed at Katara. "You're lucky I'm not a bender, otherwise... Otherwise I'd challenge you to a waterbending competition!" He splashed at her.

"Looks like it isn't so bad, as long as we don't get wet," she said jokingly, a soft laugh.

Aang chuckled. "I think Sokka would make a messy bender," he joked.

Katara laughed, leaning back against Aang. "Zuko and Thea would've been soaked by now."

Dai blinked, then slowly turned toward the firebenders. A moment later, they were soaked with water.

Zuko slowly turned toward her.Athlea turned to Zuko, blinking.

Sokka and Aang started to laugh, and Sokka leaned against Aang. "Oh boy," he said.

"It never gets old," Aang continued.

***

A/N be real, we were all just waiting for Dai to soak Zuko

AtLA Rewritten: Edition 1Where stories live. Discover now