Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction ❯ Challenge of A Journey ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2

 

“Okay first we are going to need some clothing to give you two a disguise so you won't stand out so much.” Aang instructed as he un-blanketed Appa and they took off. Ying nodded but Wei frowned slightly.

 

“What's wrong with what I'm wearing?” She said looking down at her outfit.

 

“Um no offence Wei, but not that many women in the Fire Nation wears clothing like yours.” Ying said.

 

“Yeah, and besides,” Katara agreed. “We need to pass off like a family, and you are the oldest to pass as our aunt or mother.” Wei considered this for a moment and nodded.

 

“You're right.” She agreed with a nod.

 

“Okay,” Sokka began in a tone of annoyance. “Are we going to be a disturbance of a talking cloud?!” He finished.

 

Wei glared. “We were about to be quiet until you had to open your big mouth and make it worse!” She yelled back. Ying and Toph giggled silently.

 

“I wouldn't have had to open my big mouth if no one was talking in the first place!”

 

“Well excuse me for trying my best to know what I can do to stay in disguise!”

 

“You're not acting much like an adult!”

 

“And you're just a stupid boy!”

 

A few snorts erupted between the two earthbenders and Katara rolled her eyes.

 

“Knock it off, both of you!” Aang snapped in frustration.

 

“But, she started it!” Sokka pointed a finger at Wei.

 

“It doesn't matter look - there is a village not too far away. We'll hide out in a nearby cave and we can gather more information on the Fire Nation, okay?”

 

Everyone nodded and stayed silent for the rest of the trip. No sooner had Wei began to fall asleep, the bison landed on a quiet shore, not too far off from the small settlement.

 

“You know the drill buddy.” Aang sighed as he covered Appa with a thick blanket of moss in the mouth of a cave.

 

“Alright, now all we need is to get some cover for both of you so we'll be able to blend in.” Katara explained. “Sokka and I will head to the market -”

 

“Why do I have to go?” Her brother interrupted rather rudely. “Number one, we need two guys to keep watch on our `new friends' here -” He ignored the scathing looks from the two females. “- And number two, I do not have the fashion sense of a girl.” He finished crossing his arms with a huff. Katara pinched the bridge of her nose and suppressed a frustrated sigh.

 

“Alright, alright.” She muttered as a vein nearly appeared on her forehead. “Toph and I will go to the market and be back in a half n' hour. Be good and don't do anything stupid.” She directed those words at her older brother, who in turn shot her a `What?' look.

 

“Don't worry, Katara, I won't let dumbutt over here make any trouble.” Wei yawned as Sokka glared at her.

 

“Hey! Don't call me dumbutt, you fire freak!”

 

“I'm the freak?.! You're the only one out of this entire group that doesn't bend!”

 

“That would make me normal! But I highly doubt you know anything about normal now would you?.!”

 

“I know plenty about normal! Hell, I know more about anything than you could ever know in your whole lifetime!”

 

Katara fought hard not to yell at them, Toph was just laughing from it all, and Ying just gave a nervous laugh.

 

“I'll keep those two under control.” She said pushing the girls off into the general direction of the town. Just as she said those words, Wei and Sokka screamed, “Fine!” and stormed off into opposite directions.

+=+===+=+

Zuko rubbed his temples as he gazed out his bedroom window with a sigh. He had everything he needed right here in the Fire Nation. He was living comfortably back home in the Fire Nation, he has a wonderful girlfriend, and his father, Fire Lord Ozai, now fully accepted him as rightful heir. And yet, the empty hole in his chest continued to grow, becoming a black void in the place where his heart should be. He felt sick, frustrated, sad and most of all, alone.

 

He lowered his hands and continued to gaze out his window, completely unaware of the scenery. His frustration and anger was a fire that he couldn't place proper control over. He didn't know what to do. He gave a sigh and sat on his bed.

 

`What is the matter with me?' He thought miserably. `I'm back home and Dad has accepted me - but why is it that I am not content?' He felt that there was something wrong with the picture. He felt horrible about what he did to his uncle, but he also had a strong sentiment that the Avatar is still alive, and Azula is planning to take his place if all is revealed. He sighed again and decided to pay Mai a visit.

==

 

Mai greeted him with a peck on the cheek and linked her right arm with Zuko's left.

 

“Hey.” She said with a small grin.

 

“Hey, yourself.” Zuko matched her grin.

 

“What do you want to do?”

 

“I don't know what do you want to do?”

 

“I think…” Mai pretended to be deep in thought and her boyfriend chuckled. “I want to go to the Royal Gardens.” Zuko smiled at her, though it did not reach his concave eyes.

 

“To the gardens we go.”

==

“And to think, this was the place where we first met.” Mai said as they stopped before a small pond near a stone gazebo.

 

“Yeah, I even remember my first reaction to you.”

 

“You threw a rock at my leg. I have the scar to prove it.”

 

“Sorry.” Zuko apologized, ashamed at how brash he was as a young boy.

 

“Oh, no need to apologize, Zuko. I like it, actually.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yeah. It took the shape of a dagger.” Her boyfriend laughed.

 

“Well, I'm glad you like it.” Mai raised her head and kissed him on the lips. Before she could pull away, he returned the kiss with as much fervor he could pull out from the depths of himself, which was unfortunately a bare minimum. It wasn't like he found her terrible. He liked her, but he didn't love her. She just didn't have the passion, the drive to keep him going - to ignite the real match to his true inner fire and keep him burning.

+=+===+=+

“So, you know all three elements, but no fire?” Wei asked as she leaned onto Appa, chomping on an apple she found.

 

Aang shook his head, avoiding her gaze.

 

“Judging by you avoiding eye contact, there is something wrong - minus the fact that you didn't have a Firebender with you.”

 

Aang mumbled something she didn't quite catch and she leaned forward.

 

“What was that? You need to speak a little louder.”

 

“I said I couldn't.” The boy still avoided eye contact.

 

“Why?”

 

“Because I've tried it before and I wound up hurting the very person I care the most.” He heard shuffling and her bare feet appearing in his line of vision. He looked up and locked gaze with strong goldenrod orbs.

 

“It was your first try, yeah?”

 

Aang nodded meekly and Wei sighed. She kneeled in front of him on one knee to his level.

 

“You need to understand that Fire bending is not all that bad. Sure it has an aggressive nature, but that's just one of its quirks. Just like the other three elements. Water is serene, Earth is sturdy, and Wind is free-spirited. They each have a special trait that fits the person using it. That is why each and every one of them is different and yet they work in perfect harmony when used in the right state of mind.”

 

Aang smiled and he nodded.

 

“Thanks. I think I understand now.”

 

“Good. Well, if you want, I can be your teacher.” Wei turned around and headed back to Appa.

 

“That would be great! When do we start?”

 

“When you are ready.” She plopped down onto her spot next to the Bison.

 

“What? But I am ready.”

 

Wei shook her head. “No you are not. You may have understood the choice of words that I have told, but you do not understand the real meaning behind them.”

 

“Real meaning?”

 

“Yes, and trust me Aang. You have a long way to go before I can really teach you Firebending.”

==

“So, uh, Ying right?” Sokka asked a little awkwardly as he approached a meditating Ying, sitting near a little grove not to far from the cave.

 

“Yeah? What's it to ya?” The girl said not even bothering to open her eyes. Sokka winced at her harsh tone.

 

“Okay so -”

 

“What do you want?” She interrupted.

 

“I just want to talk -”

 

“About what? How much you think that I am untrustworthy because I travel with a Firebender?” She was eerily calm.

 

“About that -”

 

“What you are trying to do is get on my good side, just so nothing would be jeopardized, right?” Her serenity was beginning to scare Sokka.

 

“Not entirely. Look - I'm trying to be the big man here -”

 

“Big man?” Ying opened her bright green eyes and looked directly into his sparkling blue ones. “Where was the `Big Man' when he accused my sister and I of being spies of the Fire Nation?”

 

“I had to be cautious!”

 

“Don't you think we would have attacked and captured you guys by now, huh?”

 

“Hey, I apologized didn't I?” Sokka growled in frustration. “Why can't you get that through your head?”

 

“Oh I can just because my head isn't as thick as yours!”

 

“Yeah? Well at least my face isn't as annoying as yours!”

 

“Ha! Well my mouth knows when to shut up!”

 

“You shut up!”

 

“No you shut up!”

 

“You know what? I give up! You are impossible!” Sokka screamed before he stormed off. He was barely five feet away when a clot of dirt that mysteriously flew out of nowhere knocked him down.

==

“Alright, here you go.” Katara said, handing the Earthbender and the Firebender a bundle of clothing to try on.

 

“Thanks.” The girls said in unison and went deep into the cave to change. A few moments later, Ying emerged in what looked like a burgundy, cropped kimono blouse with an orange fire emblem etched beautifully on the back with a matching short skirt, with her shorts underneath. A normal, red band around her neck replaced her choker. Her short, wild locks were combed back and held tame by the dark red hair band.

 

“So, what do you think?” She held out her arms, her long sleeves billowed around them as she did a slow spin. Katara clapped her hands in delight, Aang nodded with approval and Sokka blinked.

 

“You look wonderful, Ying!” Katara said happily.

 

“Yeah. I don't mean to offend, but you look tame now.” Aang said smiling, pretending not to hear Katara's “Aang! You take that back!” Ying smiled back at the Avatar as she stopped turning.

 

“Aw, thanks Aang!” She blushed.

 

Sokka didn't say anything. He couldn't. He had to agree with Aang, she did look a lot tamer than when they first met. He admitted she looked good, but he still didn't like her attitude.

 

“I know everything is just nice and peachy for all of you.” Toph muttered sarcastically.

 

“Wait what do you - oh.” Ying suddenly remembered that the younger female was blind. She furrowed her brow in concentration for a brief second before she placed her body into a light, bending pose. She did quick movements jutting her arms quickly and lightly tapping her feet, sending light tremors in the ground. Toph felt them and her face immediately lit up in surprise.

 

“Wow. I can see you clearly and you look great!”

 

“You can see?.!.?.!” Aang, Katara, and Sokka exclaimed in unison.

 

“Well, not exactly. I still can't see color, but I can see every detail of her body as if I can.” Toph explained.

 

“You did that?” Aang asked Ying, impressed.

 

“Yeah, she actually developed the technique on her own a few years back.” Wei answered, as she emerged from the cave in a beautiful silk Ao Dai in red and gold. Her hair was up in a loose but elegant bun, a few strands framing her face.

 

“Beautiful.” Katara said in awe.

 

“You look incredible!” Aang exclaimed. Sokka still didn't believe his eyes. How can two wild, untrustworthy women look like they were just out of a formal social outing? Sokka shook his head. It just didn't make any sense.

 

Ying pulled off the same moves again and it was Toph's turn.

 

“Wow. Lookin' goooooooood.”

 

Wei smirked.

 

“Even if you guys look better than before - I still don't trust you.” A clot of dirt made contact with his face. “Hey! Knock it off!”

 

“Then shut that big mouth of yours!” Ying shot back.

 

“I can't, since your big ass is louder!” Sokka snarled. Katara smacked him on the back of his head, Aang was suddenly alarmed, and Toph was just enjoying the show.

 

“Hohboy.” Wei muttered a little nervously as she took a glance at Ying's livid face.

 

“This is not good.”

 

“My ass is loud?” Ying said, horrifyingly calm. The aura around her was a visible black and it sent shivers down the groups spines. Even Toph lost all form of amusement and became slightly nervous.

 

“Uh, y-yeah!” Sokka said with slight fear in his voice. Ying slowly advanced towards him. He saw Wei motioning for him to run away as fast as he could, but he could not. Not that he was standing to defy her - far from it. He was too terrified to command his legs to move.

 

“Oh really?” Came the cold steel in her voice. She stopped exactly two inches away from him. “And let's see what body part of yours wouldn't mind shutting up for a little while.” Before he knew what happened, a fist flew out of nowhere and he blacked out.

==

“So Sokka,” Katara asked nonchalantly as she put ointment on her brother's bruises all over his face. “What have we learned?” Sokka scowled at his sister. Well, at least tried to without wincing in pain.

 

“I've learned that Earthbenders have tempers.”

 

“Sokka!”

 

“OUCH! All right, all right, sheesh. I've learned to never insult a female's hind quarters.”

 

“And?” His sister finished up her treatment. The boy sighed.

 

“And I learned to not point fingers at those who are trying to help.” He finished lamely.

 

“Good boy!” Katara gave him a happy pat on the head and stood up, stretching.

 

“So, do we have anything to eat? I'm starving.” Toph said, lying on her back.

 

“Um, I don't think so.” Katara answered checking their packs. “We should go back to the market and get some supplies.”

 

“I'm too tired.” Toph rolled on her side, and the older girl gave a huff. Before she could say anything that would spark an argument, Wei spoke up.

 

“Ying and I will go with you.” She volunteered. Ying nodded and stood up from her spot.

 

“Yeah, c'mon Katara! I wanna bug some people at the market!” She grabbed the younger female's hand and dragged her down the road leading to the town, with a laughing Wei in tow.

 

“So, how long have you two been traveling together?” Katara asked.

 

“For quite a while now.” Wei answered. “She was five when I found her over by a small creek on an island during a Fire Nation raid. We managed to make it out alive and stayed with the Kyoshi Warriors for a few years.”

 

“Oh wow, that's a really long time.” Katara raised her eyebrows.

 

“Yeah, but we got on each other's nerves rather quickly, didn't we Wei?” Ying smirked.

 

“Hell yeah. This girl had really sharp and strong teeth for a five-year-old.” Wei laughed.

 

“She bit you?”

 

“Multiple times. She bit me all over the place. I still have the scars, but they are very faint, so they are hardly noticeable.”

 

“I don't want to say anything to offend you but -”

 

“I was a little monster?” Ying finished with a nod. “Yeah I was, but it was kind of mandatory since this woman over here was way too bossy for my liking.” She paused. “She still is.”

 

“Am not.”

 

“Are too.”

 

“Nuh uh.”

 

“Yuh huh.”

 

“I needed to for your benefit.”

 

“No, you wanted to for your pleasure.”

 

“Bah, fine. But it made me feel good about myself!” She finished lamely with a defiant pout. Ying rolled her eyes and Katara laughed.

 

“You two really are like siblings.” She chuckled fondly.

 

“What about dumbutt?” Wei brought up.

 

“Oh, yeah, he's my older brother alright. He can be a little thick headed and he does get ahead of himself a lot, but he's really good to me. We take good care of each other, and we know exactly what each other needs. He's annoying, but I love him.” She shrugged and Wei smiled a little sadly.

 

“It's good to have that kind of bond with your sibling.” She said.

 

“Did you have family before you met Ying?” Katara asked.

 

“No.” Wei answered setting her jaw, showing that she wasn't going to answer any further questions about the past before Ying.

 

“I don't really remember much of my family, or my village.” Ying said a little quietly. “All that I can remember is waking up on a boat with Wei sitting across from me, and we are moving away from the burning land.” She shook her head. “That was a long time ago, and from then Wei has been my sister and always will be.” She gave a big grin and Wei imitated her, pulling the teen close to her in a bear hug. Ying giggled and Katara smiled warmly at the two females.

 

“We're here.” The Waterbender said with a smile. They walked over to a stand and looked over the display.

 

“Good afternoon!” A middle-aged merchant appeared. “How may I help you lovely ladies?” He looked over at Wei, then Ying and Katara. He looked back over the elder woman. “Forgive me for saying this, but you don't seem to be from around here.”

 

“We are just travelers. I am going to see my husband who is a major in the Army. They are my daughters.” Wei instantly replied, then added, “Adopted.”

 

“Mother dearest,” Ying began in a sweet voice. “May sister and I explore this wondrous market ground?”

 

“Yes mother,” Katara joined in. “We promise to be on our best behavior!” Both girls batted their eyelashes with candy sweet grins.

 

“Alright then, my sweet little angels. Go on and have fun!” Wei cooed. The girls bowed and ran off. She turned back to the merchant, who in turn gave her an odd look. She picked up a piece of fabric from the table and pointed to it.

 

“Does this come in silver?”

==

“So let me get this straight,” Ying started holding a glass bottle of a milky looking liquid. “When I drink this, it'll be like drinking ice.”

 

“Yes.” The man said, trying his hardest not to get annoyed.

 

“But it's liquid.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Ice is solid.”

 

“I know that but-”

 

“Then wouldn't it be just really cold?”

 

“But it's like ice.”

 

“Okay, but ice is a solid.” Ying knocked on the wood of the stand. “Like this stand. And this,” She pointed to the drink. “Is liquid. What is it - liquid or ice?”

 

“Both!”

 

“How can it be both?! Something cannot be liquid and solid at the same time! What kind of product are you trying to sell? I think you're trying to cheat me out of my money.”

 

The man twitched.

 

“Ying!” Wei called. Ying turned around and saw Wei and Katara with bundles in their arms. “Time to go!”

 

“Alright! I'll be right there mother!” She whipped back around and pulled out a few coins. “I'll take two of them.” She grabbed two bottles and left the coins on the table. She ran off to meet the other two benders, leaving behind an extremely dumbfounded merchant.