The Ruka Wild ↠ Book 3 > A:TLA

18

Ruka (3)

"Hi." I walk into the room Sokka is staying in. It looked like he had just finished getting dressed as he was putting on his shoes.

"Oh, hey." He looks up at me for a second before continuing with his shoes. I take a seat on the bed next to him.

"Let's talk." I said. "We haven't gotten the chance to, like one-on-one."

Sokka sits back straight and nods with a smile. "You're right. What do you want to talk about?"

I shrug, "Anything." I think for a moment before slightly smirking. "I see you and Thalia are pretty close."

Sokka's cheeks flushed and I found myself softly smiling at him. "When did that happen?"

"A couple of months ago. Toph and her are cousins so when Toph joined us, she did too." Sokka said. "She's really something, huh?"

"Oh, sure. I mean, I haven't really gotten to know her, but I see the way you are with her. I can tell she's special."

"Yeah, she is." Sokka nods. "What about Zuko?"

I look down at my hands on my lap. "What about him?"

"Is he special to you?" He asks. I turn my head and face my brother. His hair had grown in and he looked older. Of course, there wasn't any facial hair. It would take a miracle for him to grow some. When he lifted his brows, I zoned back in. "Is he?"

"Yes." I sighed. "Zuko was very special to me."

"Why try to hide it?"

"Because our relationship is in the past now. There's no reason for me to mention it."

"If that's in the past, why are you letting him back in with open arms? That doesn't make any sense to me. Then again, I never had feelings for the guy."

I chuckle before slowly nodding. "I was so set on hating him. So set on just throwing him away. But... seeing him try to so hard to win your guys' trust, it just lit a part in me. A part that I thought blew out for good."

"What is it?"

"It's the part in me that understood him. Like you, I've seen the worst in him. But Sokka, I know him better than any of you, so I've also seen the good. And it's what made me fall in love with him." I found myself getting teary eyed. "I once promised Iroh that I would never give up on him. And I broke that promise the day in the catacombs.

I want to be mad at him. I want to hate him. But I'm so tired-" my voice cracks. "-I'm so tired of having all of this rage and hate in me. I'm so tired of trying to bury him. Letting him in is so much easier for me to do because..."

"Because when you love, Ruka, you love hard." My brother finishes for me. "And that just comes naturally to you and that's okay."

I wipe away the tears that stream down my cheeks. "Gosh, I - I just don't know what to do."

He places his hand on my knee. "Give yourself time to heal. You'll know what to do after."

I sniffle as I nod. I playfully nudge him, "I almost forgot what a good brother you are." I lean my head down onto his shoulder. "I really missed you."