ATLA/LOK Fem Imagines

Sister, Sister 2

Trigger Warning: Death and Dark Topics

Katara poses near the edge of a short cliff, her chin resting on her knees, tucked to her chest. A few feet below lies a beautiful meadow. Unruly grass and all-white flowers decorate the plain. With warm tears streaking down her cheeks, flowing uncontrollably, she lifts her head to the dark blue sky.

"Did I overreact?" she questions to herself. Quickly shaking her head, Katara recollects her point of view. Her fingers thread into her loose curls, and her nails dig into her scalp.

"Izumi lied to us. She knew her siblings were after us, and she still did nothing. How could she stand by and let us, her girlfriends, get attacked?" She narrows her gaze at the shining stars.

The nauseating weight of betrayal overwhelms Katara. She loved Izumi. The mere thought of the curvy girl evokes all the corny, airheaded symptoms: a racing heartbeat, the overflowing thoughts of her attractiveness, the anxiety churning in her stomach, and more. She gave Izumi every part of her. How could she allow herself to become so vulnerable?

"Yeah, she did, but we know her. She's incapable of tricking us into giving up our secrets to Azula. She's a goof," Toph's airy voice replies.

Katara whips around to meet the shorter girl. She waits as Toph takes a seat beside her. The earthbender settles onto the wet grass. Her calloused hands run over the slick blades as she sits.

"Toph, she took advantage of us," Katara sighs and glances back at the dark sky.

"No, she didn't. She never used anything we told her against us. Izumi told us things I don't think she's told anyone else," Toph insists.

"She told us her parents are traveling for refuge, that they are extremely overprotective," the oldest of the two points Izumi's lies.

"But they are overprotective. You noticed how terrified Izumi was of us ever meeting or finding out about her family," Toph explains, sliding a hand upon her girlfriend's knee.

"What are you saying?" Katara asks, turning to face the blank-faced earthbender.

"She wasn't lying about her family's abilities. I could feel that. I always knew there was something deeper than the fact that she was a refugee. I just never wanted to push her," Toph sighs, taking her hand from Katara. "We just sent our girlfriend, who I know we would both kill for even though she lied to us, to her abusive and manipulative sister."

Katara slams her eyes shut, clenching her fingers into a fist against the grass. Her girlfriend's uncontrollable cries rattle through her skull. The memory becomes so vivid she almost believes Izumi's tucked in her arms again: safe and protected. A tear slips as she remembers how Izumi shuddered beneath her. Katara hasn't felt so scared for another person since Aang almost died.

"So, what," Katara forces with a shakey breath, intensely focused on remaining true to her original beliefs of the betrayal.

"So, what?" Toph repeats, her voice raising slightly, "They could beat and torture her, or fucking worse. We were as much a secret to her family as Izumi's identity was to us. She came to them vulnerable, and that leaves room for confession."

A soft cry falls from Katara's lips before she clasps a hand over her mouth.

"Katara, this is serious. If you don't care, then I don't think I can continue this with you," Toph stands beside Katara, waiting for the older woman to say anything. Instead, she merely stares at the sky, eyes distant and detached.

"Fine. I'm going to save my girlfriend. Have fun in whatever pity party you're in," Toph huffs, storming from the cliff and into the dense forest.