The Burning Truth-Harmony

Part 11~Comet

The group sat huddled around, watching the sky as the meteors shot across it, casting the darkness in blue-like streams.

"Wow, this is amazing to watch," Katara gasped as Sokka nodded.

"Kind of makes you realise how insignificant we are."

Toph shrugged. "Eh, you've seen nothing once. You've seen it a thousand times."

"I don't need stars to think I'm insignificant. I have a dad," Hachi mumbled as Isu laughed and Zuko sent him a worried look. Hachi leaned into Zuko's side, reassuring him he was okay. It did not work.

"Oh man, you've never not seen anything like this." Sokka jumped to his feet, calling everyone's attention back to the meteor shower as one shot in front of them, crashing nearby.

"Come on." Isu charged off before anyone could stop her.

~~~

The meteor was buried in the ground, the fire burning bright and catching on the grass. Isu, Katara and Sokka stood on one side of the rock while Hachi, Zuko, Iroh and Toph collected on the other.

"The fire is gonna destroy that town," Katara shouted as Isu grinned.

"Not if we stop it."

Katara nodded, turning. "There's a creek over here. I'll bend the water onto the fire." She took off as Zuko shouted to Toph.

"Toph, let's make a trench to stop the fire from coming any closer." The two began digging holes in the ground.

"Hachi, use your bending to contain the smoke and embers. If an ember escapes, the fire will start somewhere else. Iroh, do you think you could push the fire back?" The siblings contained the black smoke together as Iroh stopped the fire from moving until Zuko and Toph could contain it.

"What should I do?" Sokka's question was ignored as he sighed and sat down with a pout. He watched as the fire was kept contained, unable to spread until Katara returned with the water. She bends the water, pouring it on the fire.

The second, Zuko and Toph were free, and they began putting out the fire. Toph with Earth and Zuko aided Katara's water. He and Hachi combined their attack, finally removing the last flames. The group cheered as Iroh walked over. "Good work, everybody."

Sokka grumbled, his annoyance going unheard.

~~~

The group sat at an outdoor restaurant, slowly eating as Zuko looked around. "These people have no idea how close they were to burning down last night."

"Yeah, the worst thing about being in disguise is that we no longer get the hero worship. I miss the love," Toph complained as Sokka huffed.

"Boo-hoo. Poor heroes." He turned away from the rest of the group as Katara gave him a weird look.

"What's your problem? You haven't even touched your smoked sea slug."

"It's just, all you guys can do this awesome bending stuff like putting out forest fires and flying around and making other stuff fly around. I can't fly around, okay? I can't do anything." Sokka crossed his arms, holding himself self-consciously.

"That's not true. No one can read a map like you."

"I can't read at all," Toph added.

"Yeah, and you're the only one who can schedule," Isu added as Katara stood up, walking to Sokka's side.

"I'm sorry you're feeling so down, but I hope you know none of us see you that way. I know something that's going to make you feel better."

"You do?"

~~~

Sokka gasped as he looked around the shop full of weapons and armour. "Shopping!" Sokka grinned as he rushed inside.

Isu grinned, too, when Katara grabbed her. "We're here for Sokka. You don't get a new weapon."

She sighed before joining Sokka as he approached the first lot. "Maybe a little something to reinvigorate my battling. Hey, how about these." Sokka picked up some nunchaku. He tries it out but only manages to hit himself in the head.

Sokka tries a variety of weapons. Next was a guan doo which he swung from one side to the other before spinning it in a circle when it took off and flew toward the ceiling.

He then moved onto an enormous metal club he couldn't even lift above his foot. He then tried a chain, spinning it over his head, but he just wrapped himself up and fell over. He tried a spear before picking up two swords. He chopped them downwards as Zuko gave him a look.

"That is not how you use that weapon."

Sokka shot a look right back, putting the swords down and continuing on his mission.

"You know how to use duel blades?" Hachi looked at Zuko as he nodded.

"There is only so much time you can spend training fire bending before you lose your mind. I used to have a teacher and would spend time practising. It's been a while since I've been able to see a pair, though; my last lot was left on the ship."

"Wanna try this pair?"

Zuko picked them up. He moved them around, slicing along the air and swinging it around himself naturally. When he came back to rest, he shook his head. "Nope. These two are way too light. If I used them in a battle, they would break." He put the swords back before returning to the group.

Sokka had finally found something that he actually liked the look of. "That's what Sokka's talking about." He stared at the sword, covered in detail above all the others.

"You have a good eye," the weapons storekeeper announced as he walked to Sokka. "That's an original from Piandao, the greatest swordmaster maker in Fire Nation history. He lives in the big castle up the road from here."

Isu grinned, bouncing up to Sokka. "That's it. That's what you needed all along, Sokka."

"A sword?"

"No. A master. We've all had masters to help us get better. You should see if you can study with Piandao."

Katara beamed. "That's a great idea. I could've never gotten to where I am without Master Pakku. Everyone needs a teacher."

"I learned from badgermoles. They don't talk, but they're still good teachers," Toph added as Hachi nodded.

"I had the bison. She got an actual human being."

"It would be nice to be a master sword fighter. All right, I'll talk to him," Sokka decided.