Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction ❯ Aether's Gemini ❯ Part III: Promise ( Chapter 3 )

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Part III: Promise

Across the black rocky ledge Ty lee and Momo dashed towards each other. At proximity Ty lee reached her hands out forward and Momo caught her in his arms. She sobbed aloud, tucking the side of her face onto his chest. Momo pressed his face over her head and hugged her tightly. Overcoming the frog in her throat she cried out, “Momo! I’m not upset with you. I’m not mad at you. Please don’t think I’m mad at you. I’m just…I don’t want you to leave me!” Hearing her words, just hearing her voice…feeling her, embracing her; Momo only smiled…the coldness was leaving him, quickly melting away. “Ty lee…” her name slipped off his lips. Ty lee turned her face and looked up to Momo’s gleaming emerald eyes. He gazed right back at her, through her tears, staring into her silvery pupils. Making eye contact, it was if the two were reading each other’s mind. Ty lee’s sporadic breathing came too, but tears still leaked from the side of her eyes, mixed with the sweat on her face.

It was the beginning of the Fire Nation’s re-establishment when Ty lee had seen Momo for the first time (as a human). Ty lee was part of the first groups of the Fire Nation to agree in restoring peace among the other nations. At that point, she had already directed her flirtatious impression away from Sokka, finally taking the hint of his relationship with Suki. But instead she aimed her attention at Sokka’s charmingly good-looking new friend. She enjoyed teasing Momo to no end. What made it especially amusing was that Momo was exceedingly gullible at the time, still adjusting to human interaction…as another human. But Momo quickly caught on to Ty lee’s games, particularly because Momo was the only other person able to match Ty lee’s acrobatic nature. From then on it was Ty lee, and Toph to some degree, who had promoted his prankish behavior.

Ty lee had rejoined the entertainment business. The circus she traveled free lanced at a global scale in effort to improve relations among the nations. Of course at that time Fire Nation vagabonds weren’t very welcomed in the many provinces of the Earth Kingdom, so the circus had traveled side-by-side with the Avatar. As the Avatar and his companions contended with the hard part - advocating peace and tolerance to the populations - the circus helped lighten the mood, bringing joy, relief, and laughter to the war-frightened villagers, mostly for the first time. Any money collected by the circus was donated to help rebuild and restore towns worldwide.

It was during these travels Ty lee became friends with the Avatar and his companions. She even got along with Katara, who was a bit cautious and aloof of her from the start. But Ty lee became particularly fond of Momo. Momo had traveled close with Aang and the others before he start to get to know Ty lee. Eventually it was proposed to Momo by his friends to put his natural talents to good use and join the circus. Ty lee had insisted that he be her partner in her daring tight rope acts. The two together couldn’t have made a better pair of performers. As they traveled around the continent and their show grew in success, their relationship slowly grew more…intimate. Soon it was Momo who initiated the flirting. He then began to invite her to join him in his quiet rides on Appa. One afternoon, it rained. Momo wasn’t one to enjoy such gloomy weather. Taking a break from practicing with Ty lee, Momo mumbled irritably about the rain. Ty lee pouted about wanting to see the sunset. It was then that Momo suggested a ride on Appa; they could fly over the rain clouds and catch a glimpse of the sunset. They did so. On the sky bison, they steeply climbed altitude until they pierced through the thick rain clouds, hovering through the now clear and calm sky.

The scene didn’t get anymore comforting as they realized that they were not only dripping wet but also shivering with cold from the high and frigid breeze. They started bickering about the cold. They then bickered amongst themselves, arguing over who’s fault it was to do this. They both shut up and turned away from each other stubbornly. Just before it was decided to head back, Momo managed to save the moment; glancing at the loaded gear on the back of the saddle, he remembered about the extra blankets that Katara would keep in the bags. Pulling them out he handed one to Ty lee to dry herself. As the two huddled closely for warmth, Ty lee pointed at the falling sun, passing through the western horizon. The white cloudy surroundings faded into a blend of pink and orange. The two gazed at the mystic sunset, and before they knew it, they were staring at each other. Lost in each others eyes, their faces came closer…they kissed.

A brief tremor ran across the volcano’s side, but it wasn’t enough for Ty lee and Momo to flinch from their gaze. “Momo…” she murmured, “I’m sorry.” Ty lee cupped her hands to her bosom and dipped her head down, looking to the side. “I’m being selfish. I…it’s just I would rather have the world end and be with you than the world live on…without you.” Ty lee felt a palm fold over her hands, and a finger raising her chin up. Momo looked onto her with the same dopey grin, as Ty lee would normally put it. Momo pressed his lips onto hers…Ty lee closed her eyes, squeezing out her last tear. Time had frozen momentarily for the two lovers. In their little bubble it was true happiness. Momo slowly reared his head back and down at Ty lee. He finally said, “We’ll be together again. When we see each other again, it’ll be forever. I promise you. Just…promise me you’ll stay strong.” He ran his fingers on the side of her cheek. Ty lee gave a long blink and nodded abruptly. “Okay,” she said under her breath, “I promise.”

He showed his appreciation with another kiss. Momo then backed away, and turned around. He made his way to the upper end of the ledge, catching up with Aang, who waited for him humbly. Looking at each other without a word, they started to scale the treacherous mountain. Ty lee watched from the distance, standing still. A hand gently cupped over her shoulder, “Come on Ty, we need to move outta here.” It was Sokka. She kept her sighted locked on Momo, climbing the sharp cliff. She then saw him turn his face toward her, then back again. One last glimpse of his emerald eyes.

“You’re right,” Ty lee responded to Sokka. With one hard sniff, she looked up to the warrior, noticing his face dripping in sweat, “Let’s go before we all roast,” then led the way, pacing back to Appa. She smiled to herself. “I promise.”

***

During the recent aftermath of Ozai’s defeat, Aang and his friends were left puzzled by the Aether’s Gemini. For starters, they didn’t know how Momo transformed into a human. All that was known by Aang and Zuko was that Momo had grabbed on of the Aether spheres from Ozai as he activated its power. The sphere itself disappeared when Aang found Momo lying as a human. Even Momo was only able to recall a vague memory of what happened after nabbing the item. All he remembered was thinking of two things: he needed to help Aang and he was also mesmerized by something shiny. But what was even more of a concern was the fate of Ozai. Did Ozai die in his spontaneous combustion…or was he still alive?

A year had past and there was no sign of Ozai and there was also no word of whatever happened to Azula. Assuming they were both dead, the four nations lived on reviving the peace in the world. The current world leaders: The Earth King, The Northern Water Tribe chief, and the young Fire lord Zuko made a solemn oath to aid each other in the long recovery of the war. Though the governments of each nation threw away their grudges toward each other, the public wasn’t easily swayed. That’s where the Avatar stepped in, traveling the globe to help extinguish the strong prejudice held within the populations.

Over three years have past since Ozai’s defeat, and Momo had started experiencing terrible nightmares. He had intense visions of a beastly man made entirely of magma and flames. As time past, his nightmares became worse and more frequent. Aang help counseled Momo’s occurrences; one night during Momo’s sleep, Aang went in deep mediation with his hand over Momo’s forehead. Aang caught a powerful glimpse of Momo’s visions. Concerned of the visions as a possible omen, Aang went on a private, spiritual pilgrimage for several months. And it was while Aang was away, Ozai had returned.