Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction ❯ Ainoko ❯ Chapter Two ( Chapter 2 )

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Chapter Warning: Talk of an exiled prince, flying bison, and a clean Avatar.

Fire Water

Chapter Two

“What happened to your arm?” Kyoui asked.

Aang glanced self-consciously at his arm. It was burned, still sore after all these years. “It happened a long time ago.”

“What happened?”

He didn't answer. She'd been trying to have a conversation with him for days now, but he remained silent. He still wanted to ask her how she moved the water, but decided it might be better if he ignored it. She never did it again.

“You never told me who Katara was,” she said.

“You look like her. She's an old friend.”

“I don't know a Katara. Was she Fire Nation?”

“No. I met her in a south Water Tribe. She was a water-bender.”

Just like you.

“That's cool. So you're really the last air-bender? What about the next time the Avatar needs to be reincarnated as an air-bender?”

He shrugged.

“My friend Tempri told me a lot of tribes are going into hiding rather than be apart of the Fire Nation. Maybe there's a tribe of Air Nomads out there.”

“That's like saying Fire Nation soldiers can't get into air temples.”

“Tempri isn't known for checking her facts.” She looked at him. “How do you get into an air temple?”

“Why does it matter?”

“Well, no one but an air-bender can reach the Air Temple. But fire-benders slaughtered the monks.”

“You need a flying bison.”

Her eyes lit up. “A flying bison? A real one? I thought that was another of Tempri's stories. You had a real flying bison?”

He nodded.

“That is so awesome! Did you fly it? Of course you did. Where did you go? What happened to it?”

He smiled. “We mostly just flew around trying to find masters to train me.”

“ `We?' As in more than one, plural of `I,' multiple people? Who else flew with you?”

“Katara and her brother?”

“Was Katara your girlfriend or something? You talk about her a lot?”

He tried to hide his blush. “No.”

“So you were on the run from the Fire Nation, trying to master the four elements while balancing a love life.” She'd obviously ignored his answer; she'd made him out to be a romantic hero.

“Katara and Sokka got us out of most situations.”

“But you could fight. And fly. Everyone would've loved you. You're the Avatar.”

“It's not like I was the most selfless person in the world.”

“You're modest.”

“No, I'm not.”

She frowned. “Are the stories about you true? Could you really run so fast? You fought so many soldiers with no problem. …Are you really a hundred years old?”

“Older,” he stated proudly, “And there were problems. I got captured a lot. By Zuko mostly.”

“Who's-”

The door opened and a heave “Time's up” was grunted. Kyoui reluctantly got up and headed out. Before she left, she paused and turned to him. “I'll bring you food later.” She turned and left.

◦◦◦

Tempri was hungry for gossip.

“What's he like?” she asked while they ran about the kitchen, pretending to help. Really Kyoui was there to steal food. No one would miss a loaf of bread and a few fruits.

“Who?” she asked absentmindedly as she dug through the pantry.

“The Avatar,” Tempri sighed as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“Interesting. But he doesn't talk much. When he does it's about this Katara person.” A pear would be good. Maybe he'd like an apple.

“Who's that?”

“Some water-bender he hung out with. I think he might be in love with her, but he denies it.”

“Well that's boring. Did you hear the news?”

“No, probably not.”

“A single earth-bender took out an entire army.”

“He was probably fighting a few soldiers. Where'd you hear that?”

“A few soldiers were talking about it.”

“Even the Fire Nation wants a hero. I heard a few soldiers considering to kill the Avatar just to get some excitement.”

“Since the original plans went down the drain, there's nothing for them to do except raid.”

Kyoui looked up from the loaf of bread she was slipping into her pouch. “What original plans?”

“The Fire Lord's plans,” Tempri said, “You never knew? Oh. The previous Fire Lord had an idea to harness the power of this comet. He had all the plans and he was sure it would work, and so did everyone else. But a few days after they captured the Avatar, he just died. His daughter, the new Fire Lord was going to continue his plan, but he left no instruction behind. Only he knew how to bring the comet down. His daughter tried to figure it out, but that's the one thing she could never do. The comet passed, and so did the Fire Nations's chance at complete victory.”

“What about her brother?”

“Brother? She never had a brother.”

A cook came by and yelled at them to get out. They scampered away before more could be said.

◦◦◦

Kyoui shifted through the texts she had found. In all the most recent history books, there'd been no mention of Fire Lord Ouzi having a son. He had a daughter, the child prodigy.

What had been so bad that the prince had gotten his name erased from history?

She confessed her worry to the Fire Lord.

Azula frowned in her meditative stance.

“You've been snooping,” she said.

“I've been… researching,” Kyoui answered.

“He contradicted the ways of the Fire nation. He refused his punishment. After exile, he was given a task to return. However, he constantly went against the Fire Nation to complete the task.”

“And you killed him?”

“It was my father's wish. If I went against him, I would have suffered the same fate as my brother.”

“Oh.”

Kyoui avoided the subject after that. But there was still something. Azula told her to forget it; what good could come from a dead prince?

After another session, Kyoui remembered her promise to return. The bread few pieces of fruit were still in her pouch; perhaps it wasn't too late to see Aang.

She headed down the corridor towards his prison and told the guards she was just going to bring him a bit of extra water (luckily she'd come prepared with a bucket of water and a glass.)

“It'll only take a bit,” she said.

The guards opened the door for her. With an appreciative nod, she closed the door behind her and set the water down.

“Your back!” Aang sounded surprised.

“Must've taken a wrong turn,” she grinned and set the water at his feet. “I figured you'd be bored without me.”

He chuckled: the first happy sound she'd heard from him.

“Thanks,” he said.

She nodded and picked up the bucket of water.

Show me something.

All she saw was Aang's reflection.

“You're a water-bender,” he said.

“What?!” she looked up quickly, “No! I'm not, I just…” She gave him a sheepish look. “Did I do it in front of you?”

He nodded.

“Sometimes I forget.”

“You should be careful. How'd you learn water-bending anyway?”

She shrugged. “I just know it.”

“You're Fire Nation though.”

“I know. It's weird. I just naturally picked it up, and fire-bending comes as easily to me, though I've never practiced it before now.”

“You… What about your parents?”

She shrugged again. “My mother died during childbirth-” (technically true)- “And I never knew who my father was.”

“It's strange.”

She glanced down into the bucket

(Show me something.)

and looked back at him. “You fought Fire Nation soldiers.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Yeah.”

“Did you ever hear of an exiled prince? I don't know his name, but it's been bugging me for a long while now.”

Aang blinked. “Prince Zuko. I didn't know he was exiled.”

“No one seems to know he existed. He's been erased. I don't know why.”

“I couldn't be the one to tell you. All I knew was he was out to get me.”

There was a loud bang from outside.

“I should leave. Until next time then.” She pecked his cheek and turned to leave.

Aang watched her go. She was obviously the child of a fire-bender but she was too much like Katara. Not just in appearance, though that was the big one, not to mention that she was a water-bender. She had her spirit and her attitude; if she wasn't Katara, she was her daughter.

But there was her questioning Zuko. He had not thought of the prince in so long; they were no longer enemies.

He pushed the thoughts out of his head. He wouldn't worry about that now. There were more important things on his mind. Namely escape.

He had been planning to try again. It was torture to be kept in here, but now that he had met Kyoui, he wondered if he could postpone his escape for a while longer.

◦◦◦

“Look at this,” Kyoui said as she dipped the cloth in the water. “You're filthy.”

Aang tried to squirm away as she wrung the cloth and put it to his cheek. They'd let their conversations rest for a day as she had asked to clean him up.

(He'd die of disease. Then what would you do?)

“I don't need you to clean me,” he pulled against his restraints. Damn them.

“I'm just going to wash your face,” she giggled, “I suppose you think you're twelve.”

He grimaced as she scrubbed his cheek.

“Does soap poison you? Perhaps it's better if I just use water. Or will you melt?”

He gave her a sarcastic smile.

“If I could scrub the arrow, would it come off?” she asked jokingly.

“How goes fire-bending?” he changed the subject disdainfully.

She frowned. “I don't like it much. There's a big bit on emotional control, but I'm promised I'll learn to breathe fire. You know fire-bending, don't you?”

“I learned.”

“There's a lot of control involved.”

“There would be in any element. Imagine if you were trying to make a wave and it became too fierce. Fire's just harder because you see it as destructive.”

“I guess. It still takes a lot out of me.”

“Fire's the only element I learned where it takes a lot of emotional balance.”

She shrugged and dipped the cloth back in the water. “Do you know all the four elements?”

“I don't think I ever mastered earth-bending.”

“Pity. They're the ones causing the most trouble.”

He muttered something that sounded suspiciously like “Give them hell.”

She rubbed his neck with the cloth. “I'm not going any lower than this, so I expect you to clean yourself.”

He stuck his tongue out at her.

“Or I could just dump the bucket on you.”

He grimaced again. “I prefer you not to.”

“So you've spent the last… how long?”

“Fifteen. Maybe sixteen.”

“So you've spent the last fifteen-maybe sixteen years here, all alone, with barely enough food.”

“Yep.”

“You look awfully good for someone in that situation.”

“I was raised by monks. Most monks fast for months.”

“But unending loneliness?”

“I spent a lot of time jeering the guards.”

“Fun.”

He smiled. “It's definitely a break to have you taking care of me.”

“Glad I could make your life one iota better.”

He lowered his head, and his eyes drifted downward.

“There something wrong?” she asked as she let the cloth settle in the water.

“I was just thinking.”

“A dangerous thing! You should stop before something happens.”

He did not laugh. Silently she stood up and pulled the bucket back a bit.

“I did this yesterday. I thought I might like to show you.”

He looked up as she began to move her hands in a silent dance. He had seen Katara do this once, when she'd been frustrated or upset. The dance was graceful and entrancing, and she looked like a snake tamer with no music. The water bobbed up lazily and she led it with her hands. The water twisted its way through the air, weaving around itself until it curled around Aang's leg. It climbed up until it brushed against his cheek. It continued to climb on top of his head, making a nice wet blob.

Kyoui let her hands drop, and water splashed all over him.

“Hey!” he shouted but smiled.

She laughed and picked up the dry rag and wiped his face.

“There we go,” she chuckled, “That's what you get for thinking too hard.”

Aang gazed at her for a moment then looked away as he felt the strong urge to kiss her. She dropped the rag back in the bucket and waved goodbye and left.

He felt more alone than ever.

Author(ess) Notes:

Any Aang/Kyoui romance will be to compensate for the fact that I've missed any chance for Katara/Aang in this story. I don't mind, but I like both Zuko/Katara and Aang/Katara. It's all good as long as its not Sokka/Katara.

What I gots for Christmas:

A LAPTOP!!!

Harry and the Potters Christmas CD

A hat that makes me look like a cute little communist

Some less important stuff

Hope ya'll had a Merry Christmas or whatever holiday celebrate.

Butterbeer for all!