Playing Waterbending (Avatar: Last Aibender SI)

"For sure, you were fucking with me," Sokka complained, looking down at the cloud. "How are you going to find me a wife in the sky?"

"Language, Sokka!" Katara scolded him.

I sighed deeply. Sokka might think I was lying, but I was being honest. If there was a way to get him off my back and not let his sister drag him along, it would be to make him go away by sticking him to another brother-in-law. In this timeline, I hoped the Northern Tribe would keep him forever.

But before going to the North Pole, I'd cooked up a little scheme.

I was going to do things I wished I didn't have to do. But they were necessary for my plan to work, to fulfill my deal with Wang, and to make the ritual with the spirits of the Moon and Ocean easier.

I laid down and looked up at the sky.

"We're making a stop before finding you a girl," I clarified.

"Hope you're not talking about me," Toph teased. She was slowly reaching toward her foot, touching it repeatedly—trying to grasp the concept of depth.

"Absolutely," I replied. "I wouldn't hand you over to him no matter what. You're staying with us."

Katara didn't say anything, but she narrowed her gaze at me. It wasn't a gaze of anger—it was suspicion. She seemed to think I'd overheard their earlier conversation.

"Yeah, sure, we all agree on that…" Katara said in a cautious tone. She looked like she wanted to bring it up, but held back, probably because her brother was there.

Toph, who had to rely on her sight now that she was sitting on a cloud, smiled. She couldn't feel our pulses or emotions.

"Glad we're on the same page," said Toph.

'Okay. On the ground, Katara's the clueless one. In the clouds, Toph is.'

'I guess Toph really likes to read people through their vibrations,' I thought, analyzing her. My heart pounded a little, but hey—when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

'I wonder how this will develop later…But since I'm about to invade a base and piss off someone, I'll focus on that first.'

And so, we flew for a few more days. I put more energy into it, and we didn't take breaks until we reached the northwest of the continent.

On the last day, we finally took a real break. Real rest, real sleep.

Katara and I trained under the full moon as usual, and Toph joined us for a chat.

"Okay, Ryuk… I've been meaning to ask you," Katara said. "Did you hear anything from the library?"

"Yeah…" Toph smirked and crossed her arms.

"Not really," I replied, dodging the question.

"He's lying," Toph said.

I gave her a glare.

"Ryuk, I won't be mad," Katara said.

"I was just asleep when you said you'd bloodbend Toph to nothing," I replied. That was one of the scariest things I've ever heard in my life.

"He's honest," Toph confirmed.

Katara chuckled.

I crossed my arms and sighed. "What? You girls forming a team against me?"

"What if we are?" Toph placed her hands on her hips, standing in front of me.

Katara stood beside her. "What are you going to do about it?"

Pretending I didn't know anything wasn't going to work.

So, strike the iron while it's hot.

I might mess things up forever. Or maybe… I'd live in glory.

"What can I say? I'll just have to deal with both of you." I held Katara's and Toph's chins and smirked.

Both of them blushed but didn't move my hand or complain.

Katara gave me a hug and looked up at my face. "So, you think you've got enough power?"

Toph hugged me too. She was short enough that I had to lower my head. She looked up. Seeing her like that… I had a biological reaction.

She smirked. "I think he's got enough balls."

Yeah, that reaction throbbed.

"I'm happy to see you two becoming good friends," I said.

I wasn't some clueless Shonen protagonist, but I still couldn't bring myself to say the words out loud—just like they weren't saying them either. We hinted, danced around it.

"Well, I think she deserves to be with us," Katara said. "Toph's a bit clueless… so it's best to have her around."

Clueless? Katara, if only you knew what Toph had seen her parents do—things no kid should witness. You wouldn't call her clueless.

"Yes, and you're such a sweet, polite girl," I said. Even now, I still couldn't believe Katara had threatened to bloodbend Toph into pieces if she ever messed with our relationship.

"So…" Toph asked, looking up, "what do we do? It's not exactly proper to do it in front of each other. And Sokka could show up at any second."

Yeah… Sokka had gone to find food. That's why I never bring enough food. Gotta get him out of the way sometimes.

"You'll get used to it," I waved her off casually.

Toph and I both noticed Sokka off in the distance. He was punching the air—imagining he was fighting someone. Probably me. Secretly pissed at me for teasing him few days ago, I guess. But he'll get over it soon.

"Okay… I'll let you guys have your private chat. I'll go help my brother," Katara said, sighing. She stretched and added, "Ryuk, keep your energy. I didn't get any action at the library, and I need you at full strength."

"Okay…" I replied casually.

Then it was just me and Toph.

She was the first to break the silence.

"So… you heard everything, right?" she said. "Can't believe it slipped past me."

"I know. But to be fair, it's your fault for thinking I was asleep," I replied. It's not like I've ever kept my long-distance hearing a secret.

"So, you're okay with dating me too?" Toph asked. Then she shook her head. "Well, obviously you are. There was definitely some tension between us." Her face was slightly blushing, eyes trembling.

I matched her tone. "Obviously. I'm going to kiss you now."

She smirked. "That's what I like."

She rose slightly on her knees to match my height and placed her lips on mine.

And we kissed for a while. I had to admit—it felt amazing. Like a wave of stress washed away. I was literally fighting myself not to grind against her, seeing how cute and vulnerable she looked.

She pulled back and tucked a hair strand behind her ear.

"That was fluffy," she said.

"Yeah. It was," I replied.

Katara returned with her brother, and we sat in silence. I kept a stoic face, but Toph's face was tomato red.

Sokka sat next to me and started chatting.

I asked what took him so long. He said it just took longer than usual. I glanced at him sideways and rolled my eyes.

After the conversation, I walked to the shore.

Far out at sea, lights lit up the night.

In the distance, a bright point shimmered—it was a Fire Nation naval base. I knelt at the shore and touched the water. With the full moon and the ocean beneath me, my Chi surged, and my power grew. My water sense sharpened.

[The Moon Spirit is lending you its power]

[Bending power boosted]

[Chi energy increased]

"Okay, Sokka. Get some rest. We're about to execute our plan," I said.

"What plan?" he asked. "Weren't you supposed to find me a wife?"

"Forgot to tell you—I'm cooking a scheme. Just trust me," I said.

"Alright, I'll trust you this once," he replied, sighing.

A cloud rose from the sea and landed in front of me. Katara and Toph were already on it. I hopped on, turned around, and waved at Sokka before flying off into the night.