To Err

by ebonynightwriter

be-the-peaf; Prompt #41 - AU (sort of) – During their journey to the Southern Portal, Wan runs into some old friends, and gets a very interesting surprise from Raava. / Wan. Spirit!Raava. Human!Raava. Jaya & Settlers. Waava.

Title: To Err
Word Count: 9,612
Summary: [AU (sort of) – During their journey to the Southern Portal, Wan runs into some old friends, and gets a very interesting surprise from Raava. | Wan. Spirit!Raava. Human!Raava. Jaya & Settlers. Waava.]

-.-

A/N: This was originally going to be a simple drabble, then it turned into something of a monster (okay – a really really BIG monster) and right now I'm not even sure it fits with the prompt. But I suppose in some aspects it does… in some ways ^^ At 9.6k words this one of my longest fics yet (trumping "Taboo" (see profile) that held that title for many months)

This is a long one - enjoy! :)

-.-

be-the-peaf · Prompt 041 – headlights

-.-

The way she slept amused him.

Raava wouldn't lay down when she slept, instead she would fold her long arm-like tendrils in front of her body as she sat up and it would always remind him of the old men he saw on the streets of his old home, the ones resting against walls or posts, arms folded before their chests as their heads bobbed up and down in sleep.

In his childhood, he and Jaya would throw bits of wood or pebbles at them for a bit of fun and the old men would always wake with a jump or the shake of their head, trying to look at alert as possible, as if they didn't actually think that had fallen asleep. Moments later their head would be bobbing up and down again, a soft snore buzzing from their open mouth, and Jaya would hand Wan another pebble, the fun starting all over again.

Raava was different in that aspect, she didn't really have a head to shake or bob up and down, but sometimes when she was asleep for a long while her body would do a sort of flop, folding inwards as she drifted into deeper sleep. On some mornings he would mention it, mentioning that there had to be a better was for her to sleep, but she would always deny it taking place. In her words – "I have slept this way for ten-thousand years and I will continue to do it for ten-thousand more."

Eventually he learned to drop the subject altogether, but it still amused him on peaceful nights like this when she fell asleep before him. Of course, it had only been a few minutes since she had fallen asleep, he would have to wait a little longer before seeing if this was the night she finally tumbled over all the way.

Wan throws small burst of flame into their campfire and smiles, putting his hands behind his head as he leans back on the tree. It was a good night – not a cloud in the sky (or, at least, from what he saw through the leaves above them). Mula crouches at his side and Wan scratches the bridge of her nose, earning a soft purr from the animal as she nudges her head on his shoulder.

"We should get some rest." He says, removing his hand from Mula's face. "We have another long day of travelling tomorrow."

Mula seems to understand his words, and lowers her head into his lap. Her body is warm against the cold air, and Wan places his hand on the creature's back, stroking the soft fur as he watches the sparks of the campfire fly into the air. He's about to tuck his head in to get some sleep when he hears a loud snap of a tree branch nearby. Mula grunts as he stands and Raava stirs beside the fire, following his gaze across the trees and bushes that surround them.

He sees something in the darkness, and his hand shoots out, pointing to the trees.

"Did you see that?" he asks.

"I see nothing." Raava replies, turning back to him.

Wan continues to scan the area. He was sure he saw it – a flicker of orange light through the branches and leaves. But now there was nothing but darkness and shadow, the only source of light was the one from his own fire, burning in a small pile at his feet.

Wan steps away from the flames and turns his ear to the forest. Between the croaks and chirps of the nearby animals and spirits, he thinks he can hear another sound – the collected voices of men. If they were anything like the other settlers and hunters they'd encountered in these parts, they wouldn't be so kind to finding an unknown man and spirit wandering about. They would have to act fast if they wanted to avoid any trouble.

"Raava!" he whispers. "There are men in the forest! Go hide!"

Raava is up in an instant, twirling through the air as she disappears into the trees. Wan takes hold of Mula's reigns as he grabs the blanket he'd been sitting on, leading the cat-deer away when a man breaks through the brush, whacking away at the branches and tall grass as he steps onto their campsite. He takes one look at Wan and freezes, holding a fire steady in his hand. He must have come from one of the Fire Lion Turtles; maybe even the one Wan was from.

"Who are you?" the man asks, pointing a shaking finger at Wan. "What are you doing in our forest?"

Wan drops the blanket at his feet. "Well, I… uhhh…"

While he tries miserably to think up some reason for his presence more men come through the trees, each with fire crackling at their fingertips and Wan struggles to hold onto Mula, who hisses and fights to run from the strange newcomers. Looking at their faces, shadowed and skewed by the glow of the flames, Wan can't help but want to runaway himself – they don't look like the kindest people.

"I'll ask you one more time; who are you?!" The first man yells and the group of men converges on Wan. He lets go of Mula and holds his hands in front of him, hoping that the situation wouldn't get any worse than it was.

"I'm not your enemy." he says. "I don't want any trouble."

"Wan? Is that you?" a voice calls from the back and the men quickly lower their flames to their sides as someone steps through the ranks and Wan smiles, recognizing the man as soon as he steps into the light. He definitely grew in the last three years since Wan last saw him, but he looked the same as ever, even with the thin line of hair growing on his upper lip.

"Jaya!" Wan says, running up to give his old friend a hug. "What are you doing out here?"

"You inspired us!" he says happily, slapping his hand onto Wan's shoulder. "Once we learned you'd survived in the wilds, we thought we'd come out here and try it ourselves!"

"That's incredible! Did Yao come with you?" Wan asks, and looks back to the others for the wooden-skinned man and notices a change overtake the once fear-inducing men. Some of them avert their gaze from him while he looks, while others simply cross their arms and stare straight ahead, their expression blank and cold. Jaya lets go of him and Wan's stomach feels ill as his friend's shoulders sag to the ground – like a rock had been dropped in it.

"Yes..." Jaya says. "But unfortunately… he didn't make it. It's been… tough living out here. We've lost a lot of good men along the way."

Wan frowns and tries to keep his gaze from the group.

"I'm sorry." He whispers and Jaya sighs, lowering his head in remorse but when he looks back at Wan, his face is strong and unwavering – freed of any kind of sadness. Or, at least, that's the way Wan wants to see it.

"So, what are you doing out here?" he asks in a tired voice. "I thought you left the wilds a while ago."

"Well, I was just…" Wan looks around the area, stalling for time. He wasn't sure how to explain his current situation to everyone (I accidentally unleashed the spirit of darkness? I've been mastering all four elements with the help of spirit thousands of years old? The world is about to end unless I do something about it?) None of them seemed like very wise choices to tell these men.

"You see, I've been doing some… travelling." He begins. "It's sort of complicated…"

A sudden flash of light interrupts him, shining through the darkness behind him and Wan twirls around just as the light fades into the trees. It was fast but there was no mistaking in his mind that the light must have come from Raava.

What do you think you're doing? he thinks, gritting his teeth together and looks at the trees, hoping the men wouldn't go to investigate.

"What was that?" Jaya asks, stepping toward the woods and Wan quickly puts his hand in front of his friend's chest to stop him.

"What was what?" he asks. "I didn't see anything!"

Jaya narrows his eyes at him, and removes his hand.

"It must have been a spirit!" one man calls.

"Let's get it!" another shouts.

Jaya pushes past Wan as his men head for the woods but just as they're about to reach the edge Wan slides in front of their path, raising his arms out to the side.

"It's probably nothing!" he says. "It's not a–"

The bushes shake behind him.

"–spirit…?" one of the men finishes, pointing behind Wan and he turns around, confused.

Then his mouth slacks open when he sees her.

"Wha–"

Standing there, her body half-hidden by the grass, is a woman dressed in white. She's cautious, her eyes fixed on the men behind Wan as she steps into the light, long flowing robes trailing in the grass behind her. They're so white and pure that they almost seem to glow against the darkness and as Wan looks her over he can't shake the feeling that he knows her somehow. It isn't until she stands closer to him that he sees the blue markings on her forehead.

Then, he knows who she is.

"Raava?" he asks in a whisper, leaning toward her. The woman nods.

"I thought I heard voices, so I came to see what happened." she says, her blue eyes catching on his. "Is there a problem?"

Wan straightens up as she walks past him and he can't seem to think let alone form a sentence with everything going on.

"N-no." he stammers, finally taking control of his mouth again and his fingers running along the ends of his goatee, trying to look normal. "No problem at all."

Raava smiles. "Good."

"Who is this?" Jaya asks. Raava turns to the men.

"My name is Raava." She says. "Wan is escorting me back to my home. We've been travelling for many months now."

"That must be pretty far away…" Jaya ponders, crossing his arms. "Where is it?"

"On a Lion Turtle far to the south." She says. "We were just settling down for the night when Wan woke me, telling me to hide. We feared you were dark spirits."

Jaya grins at the last sentence.

"We've pushed back any spirits in this part of the forest." he says, pounding once on his chest. "You don't have to worry about a thing."

"That is good." Raava says, giving a small nod at the men.

"Hey, why don't you two come back with us?" he asks. Wan shakes his head, looking at him with surprise.

"What was that?"

"We've got a village a little ways through the forest." Jaya explains. "Why not come back with us for the night? It would sure beat sleeping on the hard ground."

"I don't know…" Wan rubs his neck. "We'd hate to be a burden."

"Nonsense! There's plenty of room!" he says.

"Very well." Raava steps forward. "If you insist."

"Excellent!" Jaya grins and turns around to his men. "Come on, everyone! We're headed home!"

-.-

Taking Mula by her reigns, Wan follows Jaya and his men as they head back to their home, making sure to stay close to Raava, near the back of the group.

"Do you really think this is a good idea?" he asks, whispering so the other men won't hear. "I mean, I know they're my friends and all, but from the looks of things, they don't seem to take too kindly too spirits. And why didn't you tell me you could change your form in the first place?"

"You never asked." She replies, looking ahead as Mula sniffs at her, pressing her warm tongue to the spirit's white hair as they walk along. "Besides, it seemed like the prime moment, given the circumstances. We can rest safely here for tonight before going on our way to the Southern Portal."

"Yeah, I guess…" he says, scratching his head. "But what if–"

"Wan!" Jaya shouts, running to them from the front. "Come with me, we're almost there!"

He loops his arm around Wan's back, pushing him forward and Wan just manages to hand Mula off to Raava as he stumbles forward. Jaya pushes him ahead of the group, and from atop the hill, he can already see the edge of the village, hidden away in the base of the valley, nestled by the surrounding mountains and trees.

Jaya leads him down the hill, and there's a smell clinging to the air as they descend to the settlement; the scent of burning wood and ash that were usually sweet and comforting with the promise of a hard day's labor done well were now mixed with foul air and rotting life. As Wan steps through the entrance, guarded by men and sharp sticks for a border, he can't help but feel an uneasy presence over him, as if something was waiting to jump out and grab him. But as the men disperse, heading to their homes for the night, he feels it subside.

It's probably nothing to worry about.

Jaya stays with them, escorting him and Raava through the dirt laid streets, lighting the way with a flame in his hand as he explains how next year they hope to gather some stones from the mountains to make a paved road, just like the ones at the Chu's – or even better. Walking behind Jaya's back, Wan looks around at the settlement. It's a small enough place, but the homes and buildings that fill it are plenty and strong, much better than the dingy cramped treehouse he had lived in on the Lion Turtle.

Jaya takes them to a small house tucked by the edge of the village's stick-lined border. It wasn't much compared to some of the other homes, but it had a sturdy roof over its walls and a pit for fire with some wood and a few thin mattresses filled with straw stacked in the corner – it would do them just fine for the night.

Once Jaya shows them where they can set up their beds, he wishes them a goodnight, leaving Wan and Raava alone to prepare for the night ahead. After dragging two of the mattresses against a clearing in the room, Wan takes two blankets from Mula's pack, spreading them on the thin padding that was to be their beds for the night. It wasn't much by looking at it, but it was certainly softer than the ground he'd been sleeping on and Wan places his hands on his hips, smiling on their stroke of luck. Mula curls up in a corner of the room and Wan walks over to bend over the purring cat-deer, stripping her of the luggage she was carrying.

"So, why haven't you used your human form before?" he asks, placing the baggage against the wall. Raava takes some of the wood from the pile and puts it by the fire pit.

"It was never necessary for me to use this disguise." She says, arranging the wood into a suitable stack. "The last time I used this form was over two-thousand years ago, when Vaatu had escaped from my grasp and hid upon the back of a Lion Turtle. He chose a similar human disguise to pass by undetected, he was hoping to wait out my search for him and be able to roam free to fill the land with darkness and ill."

Wan crouches beside her.

"Vaatu did?" he asks, looking at her from the corner of his eye as he lights the fire and the flames spark and pop on the dried wood. "That doesn't seem like him."

"Well, he would have done anything to escape, even transform into a creature he deemed 'lower than himself'. It took me nearly two months to find and subdue him back into our regular bodies; I haven't used this form since."

"You should use it more often." Wan says. "You look nice."

Raava smiles and walks toward the bed, shaking her head at him like a mother would a child who didn't understand.

"At my current strength, I would only be able to keep this form for a few more days before changing back." She says. "You should get to sleep; we still have a lot of ground to cover before we reach the Southern Portal."

Wan nods and lays down on the bed. He rolls over and shuts his eyes, feeling the warmth of the fire at his feet. After a few moments, he opens them and is surprised to see Raava sitting by the wall next to her mattress, her arms and legs are crossed and her head lowered, facing the floor. Wan can't help but crack a smile, recognizing the pose to the one she used while sleeping in her spirit form.

I guess old habits die hard, he thinks, even for the spirits.

He fakes a cough and Raava lifts her head.

"You know, as long as you're in that form, you should try sleeping like humans do." He says, motioning to the bed next to him. Raava takes a moment to look at the bed, then, without a word, slides over to the bed. After fumbling around to get the blanket in suitable placement, she lies on her side, facing Wan, and shuts her eyes. Wan props himself up by his elbow, watching her. The fire cracks at their feet.

After a rather loud pop, Raava opens her eyes and they go right into Wan's.

"Is something wrong?" she asks, not moving from her place on the bed and his brown eyes dart wildly across the room, his hand feeling around for the edge of his blanket, now bundled around his hips.

"I-it's nothing…" he stammers. She continues to look at him and finally, after catching her gaze again, he leans in and puts his hand on her face, rubbing the soft skin of her cheek. "You just have something on your face."

"There." He pulls back to his side of the room. "All better."

Raava smiles as he settles himself again, her hand brushing against the spot he had touched.

"Thank you." She says, closing her eyes as she lowers her hand back into the fold of her robes. "Goodnight, Wan."

He rolls over in a hurry, covering his shoulder with the blanket as he adjusts on the bed.

"Sleep well." he replies.

He stares at the closed door, and hopes he'll be able to sleep.

-.-

When he wakes the next morning, Raava's bed is empty.

He throws off the covers in an instant, panic and fear pulsing through him as he runs to the door. He should have known it was a bad idea for her to be here, with all these angry settlers around, he should have said no, they shouldn't have stayed –

– and all his fears are cast aside when he pushes the door open and sees her standing next to Mula, still in her human form, safe and sound. Raava raises her hand at him as Mula nuzzles her arm. Wan takes a deep breath out and steadies himself on the hut's frame. After a moment, he puts on a cheery face, and walks to them.

"Morning." He says. "How did you sleep?"

"Fine… I think." She says, as if to question herself, and she runs her hand against Mula's neck. "I guess human sleep is still new to me."

"Well, I'm glad."

"It's a strange feeling – waking up." She ponders. "I shut my eyes and suddenly it was morning – but instead of being alert like I normally am, I still felt tired – as if I could have lied there all day."

"You could have slept a little longer, you know."

"Yes, but we should get going soon." She says. "The sooner we get to the Southern Portal, the better."

"Fair enough." Wan says, rubbing his hand on Mula's flank. "You finish getting Mula ready; I'll see if Jaya can spare us some supplies."

-.-

Jaya sees him coming from a mile away.

"Wan!" he says happily, jogging up to meet him. "How was your night?"

"It was fine." Wan says. "Raava and I are getting ready to head out. We were wondering if you could spare us some supplies for the road. We don't have much to ourselves."

"You're leaving so soon?" Jaya asks, then crosses his arms crudely, his face sour as he adds-in. "I was hoping we could get your help."

"My help?" Wan asks. "With what?"

"Well, after we got back last night, the lot of us did some thinking with everything going so smoothly for us lately, and you showing up, well…. we'd like to throw you a celebration."

"A celebration? For me?" Wan asks and Jaya nods his head feverishly. "Why?"

"We'd like to thank you for being such an inspiration to us! Without you, we never would have made it this far!"

Wan rubs his neck. "I don't know, Jaya. Raava and I have to get going. It's very important that I take her to her home as soon as possible."

"So what's one more day?" he asks, looping his arm over Wan's shoulders. "Besides, I'd need your help gathering supplies for tonight, we can set aside some for your trip, too. The forest spirits have been leaving us alone for the past few days; with everything so peaceful, it'll be the perfect time for everyone to have a chance to relax and have some fun, just like we did back at the Chu's."

Wan's hand goes to his chin as he thinks.

"Well… maybe it would be a good idea for us to unwind before moving on…"

Jaya takes that as a 'yes'.

"Great!" he says, slapping Wan on the back as he runs off to the village's entrance. "Meet us here in an hour!"

-.-

Raava is loading away the blankets when he arrives back at their hut and he sighs, unsure how he'll tell her their plans have changed. She catches him coming as she reaches the hut and his feet almost drag against the dirt as she waits for him, her hand pressed into the door as she holds it open.

"Did your friend give you some supplies?" she asks.

"Well…" Wan holds his hand in the air, looking to the bright sky above him. "Not exactly."

Raava takes a step back from the door. "What do you mean?"

Wan slouches and sighs – there was no use dragging this out.

"Look, I know it might sound stupid, but Jaya kind of wants to throw a party tonight." He explains. "He asked me to help gather some food in the forest for it; he said we could put aside some supplies for our trip as well."

"And you've already agreed, without discussing it with me?" she asks, not missing a beat. "Wan, our mission is more important than a human festival. You know that as well as I."

"I know we have to go to the portal as soon as possible, but what's one more day?" he asks. "Besides, a day's rest will do all of us some good."

Raava sighs and crosses her arms. It's not a long while before she speaks, but it's enough to make Wan feel the sweat running down his back and he feels like a kid again – scared and nervous – like the first time he had stolen from the Chu's food storage. He had managed to sneak into over the walls with a bundle of apples only to be yelled out by Yao when he returned – berating him for not thinking things through. (What if you had been caught?! What then?) But this wasn't a simple thing like stealing – this was the end of the world on their shoulders and Wan braces himself for the worst, knowing fully that he messed up this time, as Raava finally draws breath and opens her mouth to him.

"Perhaps you are right." She says. "Very well, we will stay another day."

The air leaves his lungs in a thin stream. He stares at her as she walks back to the hut, not blinking.

"Y-you're not mad?"

She rolls her head over her shoulder. "Harmonic Convergence is still weeks away, at the current pace we were traveling, we would have arrived with days to spare. At least by staying here one more day, we have a chance to rest up, and prepare fully for the task ahead. So, no, I am not angry with you."

"Thank you for understanding. I'll be back soon."

-.-

The forest is just the same as it was the previous day, but as Wan walks through the shade of the trees with the other men; he can't help but feel uneasy. It was too quiet – there wasn't the chirp of a bird in the trees or the hiss of a snake-rat slithering through the grass. Everything was still except for the sound of their feet shuffling on the dirt, the flow of his breath passing through his parted mouth. Wan's eyes bounce around the forest, looking for any signs of life – or trouble.

"What's wrong?" Jaya asks, coming up from behind. Wan continues to look around the trees, noting even glancing at Jaya.

"How long as the forest been this quiet?" he asks.

"What do you mean?"

"It used to be so lively and full of sound the last time I went through here." He shrugs. "Now it's so quiet. Like nothing's alive anymore."

"That's probably because you had to deal with all those spirits!" a man next to them says. "Now that we're here – the forest of at peace, and we can go wherever we please!"

The men surrounding them all agree, nodding their heads and giving Wan a thumb up for support. Jaya puts his hand on Wan's shoulder.

"Yeah, just give it a few hours, Wan." he says. "You'll get used to it. Relax."

Wan lowers his eyes to the path ahead. "Alright."

"Jaya!" a man calls from the front. "We found something!"

Wan runs ahead with Jaya to see what the man has found and as soon as Wan recognizes it straight away. It looks like a fruit tree – filled with plump, red fruit hanging off its branches. But after all this years in the Spirit Wilds, he knows better. It was the same fruit he had found after his first night in the forest – bugs disguised as juicy fruit. He knows that as soon as they start grabbing for them the bugs would start to swarm the men and Wan quickly gets between them and the tree as they start going at it.

"Wait!" Wan says, holding his arms out. "That's not fruit. It isn't safe."

"Of course it is – we eat them all the time!" Jaya scoffs, pulling Wan aside so he can get face the tree head on. He makes a fire in his hand, and throws a grin at Wan. "Watch this."

He tosses the small fireball at the tree and hits a bug-fruit right on target, the fire spreading as it swings on the branch. It burns, the bugs making shrill cries as they melt together and Wan winces as it drops to the ground, burnt to a near crisp. Jaya smiles and picks it up by the smoking stem and holds it out to Wan with triumph for a moment before taking a bite of it.

"See?" he says, bugs crunching between his teeth. "It's fine."

The other men toss fire at the trees and the forest is filled briefly with the high-pitched buzzing as the bugs swarm against the heat and fall to the ground one after the other. Wan helps to gather the charred remains into small woven baskets, staring at the tiny melted bugs with sadness as the collected silence around him melds with the happy faces of the men, and he realizes exactly why the forest is so quiet now. Once the tree is stripped, Jaya begins to speak.

"A few more of these and we'll have plenty for tonight." He says. "Let's spread out, there might be a tree or two nearby that we missed."

Wan slings his basket over his shoulder and walks with Jaya, staring at the ground as they go through the forest.

"Hey, what's with you?" Jaya asks, noticing his sluggish demeanor. Wan waves his hand.

"It's nothing." He says. Jaya is about to speak when a cry rings out from the trees. Both men turn at the sound, but Jaya is the one to act first, dropping his basket and runs ahead. Wan follows behind, and soon they break through the trees to see one of the men on the ground, a dark spirit growling at him, its eyes narrow slits as it circles the man.

"A spirit!" Jaya shouts, fire bursting in his hand. "Come on, Wan. Let's get it!"

"Wait, Jaya!"

But he's too late for his words to reach Jaya. His friend charges, throwing his fire between the man and the spirit. The dark creature growls and jumps back from the flames. Jaya helps the fallen man from the ground, supporting him with his arm as the spirit moves in for another attack.

Wan runs forward, sending a jet of flames between the two foes and the spirit hisses, crouching low to the ground for a second before leaping at Wan. He rolls under the spirit's body and turns to face it again, but the spirit is too fast, even for him, and it twists its dark body around to knock him aside with its tail. The bark of the tree is hard on his back and Wan gasps for air as the wind is knocked from his lungs, slumping against the base of the tree. He lifts his head, and the spirit is right in front of him, pacing back and forth, waiting for him to make a move.

"Wan!" Jaya shouts, throwing a fireball at the spirit. It draws its attention, and the angry beast starts going for the two men and Wan, slowly standing from its last blow, fights through the pain and wheezing sound of his breath, stumbling forward as he sends a powerful burst of fire right at the spirit. Even with the state of his body it's a direct hit, and the spirit tumbles hard into the trees.

Wan doesn't give in, and he marches toward the spirit, summoning his strength as the fire licks at the ground in long, winding whips. He swings them around the spirit, the flames searing the bark on the trees and it cries, running off through the trees as smoke trails on its body. Wan watches until it disappears from his sight, and when he turns to face Jaya and the other man he knocked in the chest with a painful force as Jaya runs into him and puts his hands on Wan's shoulders.

"That was incredible!" he says. "I've never seen anything like it!"

Wan brushes the ash from his clothes. "It was nothing."

"You've got to show us how you did that!" Jaya says.

Wan shrugs. "Well, I guess I could give you a few tips."

-.-

After finding a wide enough clearing, Wan has the men stand before him, each one of them holding a large branch in their hand.

"The trick is to think of it like an extension of yourself; don't limit yourself to just small fires, feel the energy being lit around you, the heat in your hands, feet and then the branch." Wan holds his own branch in front of him, taking a few deep breathes through his nose as he focuses his energy. "Breathe deeply, and draw the fire from your stomach."

He waves the stick down and the flames spark, running down the entire length of the branch with the exception of a small distance from his hand, where the fire stops. The men's eyes almost bulge out of their eyes and the look at Wan as if he'd performed some kind of miracle. He smiles, and moves his other hand above the branch. The fire flows along with the direction of his hand, shifting off the burning wood like water and once he collects it all he tosses the stick to the ground and with a single move of his arm sends the flames out in another fire-whip. He holds the whip for a moment, giving the men a chance to see before he loosens his hand and sends the flames into the air. As they fade into the wind, the men begin to clap, some even bowing to him in respect while others try to copy his move. Some of them get it right off the bat, but there are some who are a little too hasty to get it right, and end up burning themselves, the wood falling from their hands.

"It'll take some time, but we'll get it right eventually." Jaya says, nodding in the direction of the men. "Thanks, Wan. I don't know what we'd do without you."

"It's nothing, really." Wan replies. "After what happened today, you guys need to know some better moves than throwing wildly at anything that moves. Just remember to be careful with this kind of stuff – I'd hate for you to burn down the whole forest."

Jaya grins. "Yeah, will do."

-.-

It's dusk by the time they finish training, and the entire company smells of ash and smoke. It had been a long day, but the results were well worth it. Much to Wan's surprise, most of the men were able to mimic the fire-whip, if only for a few fleeting seconds. But now that they knew how to control their flames, they would be in better shape for defending themselves and he hopes with the new control that the animals in the forest will become less afraid, and life will return to the forest.

"Just wait until you see it!" Jaya says as they walk along the rugged path to the village. "I hear they really outdid themselves this time – it'll be just like the festivals back on the Lion Turtle."

Wan shrugs. "If you say so."

-.-

Wan is amazed when they reach the village.

There's light everywhere – flat lanterns on the ground while others are strung, lining the streets with light from above. There are tables with food and drink and women and men dancing around a huge bonfire in the center of the village. The heat wraps its way around everyone and Wan hears the music made from hand-carved instruments and laughter filling the air and thinks everything is just incredible. Jaya runs off to a group by the tables, the men going as they please and Wan walks aimlessly down the strip of homes and dust, too awe-struck to know what to do.

He finds Raava standing under a string of light and runs up to her.

"It's this amazing?" he says, waving his arms out wide at his sides. Raava folds her hands into her robes, and smiles faintly.

"You humans certainly know how to light up a place."

Wan looks to the villagers dancing around the fire and holds his hand to Raava.

"Hey, come dance with me."

Raava blinks, taken aback for a second, and leans to look past Wan at the people dancing in the circle.

"I don't know how to dance, Wan." She says, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear and Wan throws his arms to his sides again, a huge grin spread on his face.

"Neither do I!" he says, and holds both of his hands out. "Come on, we can learn together, it'll be fun."

Raava looks at him for a moment, and then places her hands in his.

"Alright."

-.-

He's seen dancing before – the kind that requires two people and slow, smooth music. But the dance at the village is completely different from that. It's big, wild and free and as more people join the circle around the fire, grasping hands and jumping up and down to the rhythm of the music, Wan thinks that this is the kind of dance that brings people together as a group, and he loves it.

He leads Raava to the circle, breaking apart the group for a moment so they can slide in. He joins hands with a short woman on his left while Raava holds the strong hand of a hunter on her right. Her hands squeezes onto his as they are pulled along, swept up in the beat of the music and the warmth of the fire.

It isn't long after they join when the circle breaks apart, Wan is pulled in by the woman to his left and Raava is drawn in to the man to her right. Wan looks at his new partner, uncertain, but she leads him along, showing him where to put his hands and feet as the music bounces up and down. She places the back of her hand on his and they circle each other slowly, the rest of the group doing the same. As he turns he can see Raava's partner doing the same, and it looks like she's getting comfortable with the new actions. For her first time being human in two-thousand years, she's doing pretty well at adjusting to everything.

His partner lifts her hand to the sky, arcing her arm out and towards her body and when she reaches her center she starts to sway from side to side in a strut, weaving her arms in small circles at her sides as she takes Wan's arm and pulls him to dance beside her. The group circles the fire, everyone dancing on the same beat and after a few hops they spread back into their joined circle to do it all over again.

Wan follows the beat of the music, waiting for the moment where the dancing would shift and this time when the group breaks apart he takes Raava's hand and pulls her to him. She's silent, but she knows the order now and as they go through the first step Wan feels like the music is growing farther away as he looks at her. She's beautiful – all white and blue glowing in the embers of the fire, loose trails of hair and fabric flowing in the hot air as they dance with the dust building at their feet. He feels like the world has slowed, or maybe it was just him, and she must have noticed it too, and as they turn to place their hand against the other for another round, she dips her head, staring back at him.

"What's wrong?" she asks. "Is there something on my face again?"

"No." he says, holding his the back of his hand steady. "It's nothing."

The dancing changes again, and Wan smiles as he lifts his arm to the sky. But before they go into the strut, he holds onto the tips of her fingers, twirling her around. She wasn't expecting that, and she stumbles into him. The villagers dance around them as he holds her for a moment, waiting for her to regain her balance. Raava smiles softly, a pink hue growing on her face and the music fades slowly and the dancing comes to a halt as Jaya stands before everyone, the fire's light flickering across his face as he speaks.

"Everyone! Tonight, we celebrate the man who made all of the work we've done in the past year possible. A man whom without, we would be starving or begging on the back of the Chu's Lion Turtle – Wan!"

The crowd cheers, whistling and hollering into the night.

"So, in honor of his arrival, the men of our village would like to perform a dance with the fire he's shown us how to control." Jaya takes a step away from the fire and a group of the men sweep the flames from the pile, swirling it into the sky in an inspiring display of light. Wan gaps, astounded by their new skill as the weave the giant stream of flame between their bodies.

"They've improved so much!" he says with a grin. "This is really something, isn't it, Raava?"

Wan looks to his side just as Raava collapses and he catches her, the fire-show forgotten as he holds her steady, looking at her with concern.

"Hey, are you alright?"

Raava places her hand to her temple, her eyes shut tight.

"I am fine…" she says. "I just need to rest…"

Wan puts his arm around her and leads her away from the party. He tries to get them back to their hut, but Raava collapses before they reach it. He sits her beside one of the buildings, his hands on her shoulders as a light sweat begins to form on her brow.

"You're not okay." He says. "What's wrong?"

Beyond the two of them he can still hear the cheer of the crowd. Jaya would be wondering where he was, but he couldn't seem to care about that now. Raava puts her hand to her chest and it takes her a moment to speak.

"I think I've been in this form longer than I should." She says, and she shuts her eyes tight as her body begins to glow. Panic sweeps over Wan, and he presses his hands into her shoulders.

"Wait! You can't change back here, someone might see." He says, looking at the party. "Just hold out for a little while longer, we'll get Mula and get into the forest where it's safe."

He holds his hand to her. "Can you stand?"

Raava takes hold of his hand, forcing herself to rise.

"Yes."

They don't even get to turn before the first cry reaches them and their heads swerve to the direction of the party. Wan can hear the sound of fire whizzing in the air, the sound of growls and painful cries as people run away and somehow he already knew what was happening.

The spirits were attacking.

Wan moves forward but freeze at the first step, looking back at Raava, who nods firmly at him.

"Let's go." She says. "I'll be fine."

-.-

It's easy to see the spirits with all the lanterns and torches lining the main street. Wan blasts his fire through the gut of a four-legged spirit and Wan doesn't look back as it raises, its cry buzzing in his ears and his hand holds onto Raava's tightly, pulling her along as they go past the bonfire.

"Jaya said the spirits hadn't been around here for a few days, so why are they coming back now?!" he asks, halting suddenly to throw a fireball at a spirit that tries to attack Raava from the side. "Do you think it has something to do with us?"

"I'm not sure, but Vaatu is nearby. I can feel it." She says, ducking as he throws another flame. "He must be looking to wipe out the men – he's gathered the spirits of this forest and turned them to his side!"

"We have to stop this – before it gets any worse!"

She takes hold of Wan's arm before he can run off.

"Wan, I won't be able to give you access to the other elements in this form. I'll have to transform back into my original state if we are to win this fight."

"If you change back now, the men will attack you!" he says. "We'll have to figure this out as we are; I know we'll find a way!"

Wan goes a few feet forward when he is knocked away by a large dark spirit. Its glowing yellow eyes are narrow slits, jagged teeth the home of white light as it roars at him, pinning him to the ground. Wan struggles to fight against it, but can't break free. He manages to get his leg free and under the spirit's belly to kick him back. Raava is at his side immediately, helping him up, and as the spirit groans as rolls to stand, his form shrinking.

Wan is shocked as the spirit shifts into a spirit of light – and is even more shocked when the spirit is someone he recognizes.

"Aye-Aye?" he asks, bending down look at his old friend. Aye-Aye, breathes hard, his body shaking slightly as he looks at Wan.

"Stinky?" he breathes, holding a hand to his head. "What happened? What are you doing here?"

Wan puts a hand on the spirit's back. "It's alright, you're safe now."

Raava crouches beside the two, placing her hand on Aye-Aye's knee.

"The light within me is keeping you from changing, but it will not last long." she says. "You should leave before Vaatu can take control of you again."

Aye-Aye looks around at the chaos around him and pounds his fist into the ground.

"But what about my friends?" he asks, anger building in his voice. "Can you change them back too?"

Raava shakes. "I'm sorry. I do not have the strength."

"But they'll be destroyed!" Aye-Aye shouts. "There must be something we can do!"

"I promise you, I'll find a way to end this peacefully." Wan says and he stands, turning to Raava. "Help him get to someplace safe. I'll find you once the fighting is over."

Raava nods, and helps Aye-Aye up. Wan runs back to the fight, and he hasn't got a clue as to how he'll end this. But he has to try.

-.-

The first thing he sees after returning to the fight is Jaya and his men being forced back by the spirits.

"Jaya!" he shouts, letting out a burst of flame between them and the spirits. The men run to him as the flames clear and the circle up, defending each other from all sides.

"There's too many of them this time!" Jaya shouts, tossing fire at the spirits. "We'll have to group everyone together if we want a chance at wiping them out!"

"No! If you destroy them, then more spirits will take their place!" Wan says. "We have to end this peacefully, or the fighting will never stop!"

"What are you talking about?" a man beside him yells. "We don't have a chance at living with these things – we should just kill 'em all!"

Wan turns toward the men. "Please, if you'll just listen–"

A sinister laugh fills the air.

It's a laughter that Wan recognizes instantly, and he feels his heart drop into his stomach as a black shadow comes from the trees. Vaatu has gotten bigger – much, much bigger from the last time he saw him and Wan clenches his teeth together as the spirit of darkness lands in front of the men, the long tendrils that make do for arms and legs spreading out across nearby homes.

"Hello again, human! What a surprise to see you here." Vaatu says, bending towards Wan. Jaya looks at him with confusion.

"You know this thing?"

Wan bares his teeth at Vaatu and steps between the men and spirit.

"Vaatu, leave this place!" he shouts. "These humans have done nothing to you!"

"Ah, but you see, I want to have a little fun before Raava and I have our battle." Vaatu laughs and the spirits start to surround them. "Where is Raava, human? Did she leave you?"

Wan's hand tightens into a fist and he steps backwards to the men, holding back the urge to fight Vaatu. There was no way he could win this without fire alone – and with so many dark spirits around them, he wasn't even sure if any of them could make it out of this one alive.

This isn't good, he thinks, What should I do?

"Wan!"

His head snaps in the direction of her voice and he can only watch as she attempts to reunite with him, swerving around the spirits as they charge, ducking under their swipes that could take off a person's head. But just as she's about to reach him Vaatu swings at her with his tendrils and Raava flies right into a building, landing hard on the ground.

"Raava!" Wan runs to her by is immediately blocked by the dark spirits. He throws fire – sending everything he has at the menacing creatures. But as soon as one is out of the way, another takes its place. He watches helplessly as the other spirits edge toward her, Vaatu's laugh echoing around them as her back is forces to the wall.

There was nowhere to run.

"So, you have chosen this form once again, Raava?" Vaatu asks. "Your growing concern for these pathetic humans has weakened your judgment. You should have known better than to use this when your strength is so low. You're only lowering your chances of victory, however slim they may be."

"Hey–" Jaya shakes Wan's shoulder. "What's it talking about?"

But Wan doesn't answer him – his eyes are fixed on the spirits. He tries to see through their clear bodies for Raava, and manages to catch an opening in the group where she is visible. She's breathing hard, holding herself up with the wall. He doesn't know if spirits bleed or get injured the way humans do – but he knows that she's hurt from the blow. Then, as if she'd seen him staring, looks right at him and holds her fist against her chest. Her body begins to shine with a white glow – he knows what she's about to do.

"Raava, don't!"

"Enough." She says.

And the night is filled with blinding light.

Wan can't see for a few long moments, the light blinding his eyes like the sun, but as he lowers his arm from his face he can see Raava in her spirit form as she slams her body into Vaatu, pushing him and the other spirits away from the village. She pushes the dark spirits away from him and the others, and Wan runs from the men, throwing a fire between Vaatu and Raava before the dark spirits can recover for an attack. But it isn't long before they do and they snarl and scream as they run toward him. With the men a ways behind him and so many spirits coming at him alone – he's defenseless. There's no way he can fight this many.

"Raava!" he calls, sending a wave of fire to knock the spirits away. "We need to combine our energy – then maybe we'll have enough power to stop this!"

Raava weaves around Vaatu's attack and flies to him, passing into his body with a burst of light. It's a different experience from her giving him a single element and his chest feels like it's on fire, heavy and weighted down by the force of all the power of the elements pulsing through his body. Then, all at once, he shoots up on a large column of air – the four elements; fire, earth, water and air circle around him.

The men and spirits stop and stare up in awe and Wan looks at Vaatu floating in the distance, and with a strangled, rage-filled scream, throws all four elements at him. They go at him in a swirling stream of power, hitting the dark spirit right in the center of his body and he flies back, crashing into the trees. Wan approaches slowly on the wind-funnel, staring Vaatu down as he rises and beings to edge away, making for an escape. Wan leans forward to go after him when a sudden pain breaks within his body and the elements around him drop slightly as he struggles against it. His jaw tightens up and hears Raava's voice within him – the pain increasing with each passing second.

"Wan, I have to leave your body or I'll destroy you."

"No!" he shouts, struggling against the force. "If you leave now, the fighting will start again. We have to change the spirits back, before it's too–"

He can't finish the sentence. His body is too weakened by the strain of Raava co-existing inside him and he collapses, the wind-funnel dissipating as he falls.

"Wan!"

He feels a loss of power as Raava leaves and takes hold of him, wrapping her tendril around his shoulders before he can fall any further. His body is limp, exhausted and weak as she lowers him to the ground safely. And Wan can't even find the strength to lift his head as the dark spirits left by Vaatu start to converge on him. Raava swipes them away with her body as Wan struggles to lift himself from the ground.

He's almost to his feet when a stream of fire flies past his head and he feels the heat searing past his skin as he dodges, catching himself on the ground. He lifts his head, and the men gaze on him with angry faces, full of malice and rage. They run past him, throwing their fire at Raava, who dodges and weaves between their attacks. Wan gets on foot on the ground, pushing forward but someone tackles him to the ground. He fight against them, but can't break free in his weakened state, he can only watch and struggle as the men throw fire at Raava, driving her back before she can reach him.

Jaya runs past.

"Jaya, stop this, please!" he shouts at his friend and Jaya turns around with fire pulsing in his hand, his whole body shaking with rage as he looks down at Wan.

"You're with them, aren't you?" he says, jabbing his finger at him. "You lead them here!"

"No! Jaya, please listen to me!" Wan shouts, pulling against the men. "Raava and I wouldn't do anything to hurt you, I promise! Just let us go!"

Jaya closes his hand and the fire grows in intensity.

"I can't let that happen." He says. "I have to defend my home."

He turns around as the men close in on Raava and the other spirits. Raava flies fast, but there's too many of them and they form the fire into long whips, snapping at her as she tries to get closer. Jaya and some of the others manage to wrap their flames around her body and pull, knocking her back against a building. Wan continues to fight against the men holding him, but as the men encircle her, Raava looks at him from the ground and he knows it's looking hopeless.

"Stop… please..." He says, his voice a soft whisper as he hands his head.

It's over.

Suddenly, he feel the men being pulled from him and Wan spins around just as Aye-Aye throws the last one down the street.

"Aye-Aye!" he says. "What are you–"

"There's no time for talk, Stinky." Aye-Aye replies. Hoisting Wan up from the ground, the spirit sets his gaze on Raava and the men. "Hold on."

Wan's body thrusts forward as Aye-Aye teleports them beside Raava. Jaya and his men are bewildered, confused by what happened and by the time they throw their fire at them Wan is already up, blocking the attack with his own flames. Aye-Aye scoops Raava into his arms as Wan pushes back the flames.

"Aye-Aye! Take us to Mula!" he shouts. The spirit nods and takes hold of his clothes, teleporting them away. Wan rolls on the ground as Aye-Aye releases him, and when he lifts his head Mula is staring right at him. Not missing a step, Wan throws himself over the cat-deer's back.

"Come on!" he shouts, edging Mula forward. "Let's get out of here!"

He rides to the entrance, Aye-Aye running at his side as he sweeps fire all around them as they run past the men. It's a close call, and he has to swerve Mula out of the way as they throw fire at them, but they make it out. As they run into the woods, he can hear the cries of the men and spirits under Vaatu's control as they do battle once again. Through the chaos, he can just make out Jaya's screams as they run farther and farther from the village. He lost a friend today, but he's glad a few of them made it out safely. He can only hope the others – spirits and men alike – do the same.

They run for a while longer, until the war cries and screams are distance memories to his ears and he stops, jumping off Mula as Aye-Aye holds Raava out to him. She's small, almost pathetically so, and he takes her, cradling her limp body in his arms as she looks up at him weakly.

"I'm sorry, Wan."

"It's not your fault." He says.

I'm the one who should be sorry, he thinks, I messed everything up.

He looks back to Aye-Aye.

"I have to go." He says. "I have to take Raava to the Southern Portal to stop Vaatu from causing more pain to the world."

Aye-Aye nods stiffly, not saying a word as Wan goes back to Mula, slipping Raava into a teapot before traveling again. As they ride to the Southern Portal – still days or weeks away – Wan can't help but feel dread crawling over him. With everything that had just happened, the state he and Raava were in right now – both emotional and physically – he wasn't sure they'd be able to win.

His hand tightens around the teapot.

No. he shakes his head. I'm not giving up.

They would find a way – he was sure of it.

:Fin:

Looking back at this, there are definitely a few things I'd like to add-in or expand on or change about this fic. But, unfortunately, I've been writing this thing for days and am in the middle of preparing for finals, so I'll leave this as it is. First time writing most of these characters – hopefully I did a good job.

Leave a review! I'd love to know what you thought of this huge thing. ;)