This little piece was actually my first Senraq fic ever, but it's the second one I posted on here. :P Anyways, gotta go soon. Enjoy and review!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own "Avatar: The Last Airbender". The show and its characters belong to Mike and Bryan, the brillant geniuses behind one of the greatest cartoon shows in the history of cartoons. Their work is legendary, and I salute them for it. I also do not own "The Legend of Korra" or any of the characters associated with it. I am merely a fanboy with a passionate love for this series.
Always Coming Back
"On your way to Senna again, Tonraq?" cheekily asked Sakumo, Tonraq's best friend, with a sly grin as he walked beside his now-blushing friend through the village. Sakumo was a black haired, able-bodied Waterbending boy of seventeen with a mischievous face to match that sly grin and glistening cyan eyes. Tonraq, also a seventeen year-old Waterbender, had a strong, firm jaw, deep black hair that draped down his back and azure eyes. The two men were wearing their heavy winter parkas in order to stave off the harsh cold.
"Oh what did you do this time, Tonraq?" tiredly sighed Liuti, Sakumo's younger sister by just one year, as she joined the two teenage boys. Liuti, like her older brother, was a Waterbender, though she always considered herself the better bender out of the two of them. Her dark brown hair was tied up in a braid that fell down her back, and her eyes were a similar shade of cyan to her brother's eyes. She was dressed in a parka of her own, though hers was of a lighter and much more form-fitting variety than the one the boys sported.
Fumbling with his words as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, Tonraq anxiously said, "I just, uh…hurt myself while I was practicing my Waterbending." Moving his hand from his neck to his back, which he rubbed as he added, "I slipped on some ice and landed pretty hard on my back, so I'm going to see if Senna can fix me up."
"Are you sure you didn't slip on purpose?" boisterously laughed Hakuto, another one of Tonraq's friends, as he joined the three Waterbenders in their walk through the village. Hakuto was the oldest out of all of them, being about eighteen years old, and he was also the only nonbender out of the four of them. He wore a rugged black beard on his large chin, and adorned on top of his head was the traditional warrior's wolf-tail. Like his male companions, he too was dressed in the usual heavy winter parka. However, since Hakuto was the most muscular out of the three boys, he mostly wore his parka for comfort rather than to fight off the cold.
His tan cheeks flushing a deep crimson, Tonraq defensively said, "It was just an accident, you guys. People slip on ice all the time."
"But you're a Waterbender, remember?" jestingly prodded Hakuto, poking Tonraq in his broad chest. "Aren't all Waterbenders supposed to be detect ice?"
Swatting away Hakuto's hand, Tonraq irritably muttered, "Sometimes I just mess up, alright? I'm not a full-blown master at Waterbending like Sifu Kya is just yet. I want to be a great Waterbender like her, but it's just hard for me sometimes."
"That's because Sifu Kya is Avatar Aang's daughter," protested Liuti. "And her mom is Master Katara, remember? Avatar Aang and Master Katara are two of the best Waterbenders in the whole world. It's gonna be hard for you to follow in the footsteps of someone who had teachers like that growing up."
"I'm still learning, alright?" huffed Tonraq, glancing down at the ground as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. He pouted slightly and his cheeks tinted red once more when his friends all started laughing, though they only meant it in good-humored fun.
"We know that you want to be a Master Waterbender, Tonraq," assured Sakumo, throwing an arm around his buddy's shoulder, "but ever since you met Senna when she moved here about a month ago, it seems like you're letting your Waterbending skills slip more and more." Throwing up a knowing smirk at Tonraq's face, he added, "It's almost like you're hurting yourself on purpose just so you can see Senna."
"Well," nervously stammered Tonraq, his voice slightly shaky, "Senna's a very nice girl, and I…I-I just want to get to know her better." Flicking his gaze outward, he noticed that he was nearing his destination: the healing hut. "If you'll all excuse me," said Tonraq, removing Sakumo's arm from his shoulder, "I have to go now."
"Good luck in there, lover boy!" teasingly shouted Hakuto as Tonraq walked towards the hut, causing Sakumo to burst out into jolly laughter and Liuti to amusedly roll her eyes. Ignoring his friend's comment, Tonraq slipped through the fur flap that served as the front door, which rustled closed behind him as he entered the hut.
The hut was simple enough, mostly barren except for a few jars aligned along the right wall and a bench in the center of the single room. Situated next to the bench was a small table, which had a tub of water on it. Kneeling next to the small table was Senna, the young healer who had moved to Tonraq's village just a month before to learn about healing and Waterbending from Master Kya.
Senna was an attractive young lady of sixteen, just a year younger than Tonraq. She had rich black hair, which she always had tied in two long braids that hung down the front of her body and came close to her waist. She was dressed in a simple tunic, one that showed off her curvaceous form quite easily but was still modest enough for practical use. She was humming a lovely tune to herself as she played with a delicate stream of water, her voice melodious and beautiful to Tonraq's ears.
Tonraq dreamily smiled as he watched Senna, simply content to watch such an interesting young woman just be herself. While he had known many healers throughout his life, he always thought Senna was the prettiest healer. She had such an air of elegance and gentleness in her actions, as if her very spirit were the very embodiment of tenderness. She always wore a smile on her face, was always pleasant towards her patients. He had never once seen her snap at anyone out of anger or lose her temper even once. It was as if she always adapted to the situation, always finding ways to come to a smooth resolution.
Senna seemed to notice that someone else was in the hut with her, for she looked over to her right and saw Tonraq standing there at the entrance. Tonraq immediately stiffened as soon as Senna's eyes landed on him, a warm smile taking hold of her lips as she said, "Why hello there, Tonraq." Sending her stream of water back into its tub as she stood up, she jokingly added, "Back again, are we?"
"Yeah," stiffly nodded Tonraq, awkwardly glancing away from Senna as he timidly blushed. "I…I hurt myself while Waterbending." He heard his friends snickering outside, but he simply ignored them. "I slipped on some ice, and I kind of hurt my back."
"Tonraq," chuckled Senna as she shook her head, "this is the fifth time this week you've come to me for a healing session. In fact, this is the twentieth time you've come to see me for healing ever since I moved here about a month ago."
"What can I say?" shrugged Tonraq, trying to play it cool, though his attempt at being aloof simply made Senna chuckle again. "Things can get kind of dangerous out here. People get hurt all the time."
"True," agreed Senna with a shrewd smirk as she used her hands to pull up another stream of water from the tub. Coating her hands in the liquid, she politely said, "Go ahead and take off your parka, Tonraq, then have a sit on the bench." She turned around to give Tonraq some privacy as he slipped his parka off, revealing the sleeveless tunic he had on underneath as he dropped his parka off to the side. Rolling his eyes as he heard his friends snicker again, he made his way over to the bench.
Senna took a secretive, admiring glance at Tonraq's muscular arms as he sat down on the bench, blushing as she smiled and placed her hands on his back. Sending a flux of chi into her water gloves, the liquid began to hum and glow. "You know," playfully said Senna in an air of feigned suspicion as she began her healing session, "it seems to me that most of the times you've come to me for a healing session, it's always been because of an accident related to your Waterbending."
Tonraq had to fight to keep his spine from stiffening with fear at Senna's comment, nervously swallowing as he said, "Waterbending can be a bit dangerous sometimes. Water can either be dangerous and destructive like a tsunami, or…" He found himself faltering as Senna's energy entered his body and soothed his muscles, the simple pureness of her chi making his heart race. "…Or it can be gentle and calming, like a light snowfall in the first weeks of winter." Senna thoughtfully hummed from behind him, working her hands up and down his back.
Glancing back towards Senna, Tonraq noticed that Hakuto had pulled back the entrance flap with his hand, allowing for him, Sakumo, and Liuti to look into the hut. Seeing their smirking, snickering faces, Tonraq quickly looked back down at the floor in front him, embarrassedly blushing as Senna admirably said, "That's an interesting observation, Tonraq. I'm sure Master Kya has taught you a lot about Waterbending."
"She has," nodded Tonraq, stealing a hasty glance back at Senna. "She's one of the best Waterbenders in the South Pole. I hope to become as strong as her one day, maybe even surpass her."
"Well I doubt you're going to do that if you're constantly hurting yourself like this," teased Senna as she moved to the small of his back, making him shiver slightly as she relaxed the knotted muscles there. "You're more accident-prone than Councilman Sokka was during the Hundred Year War."
"I'm pretty sure Councilman Sokka has always been accident-prone," shot back Tonraq, smiling when he heard Senna give off a lighthearted laugh. Despite the nervousness and anxiety he experienced whenever he was around Senna, he always managed to find a way to make her smile and laugh. Her laughter was a beautiful sound too, full of vivid energy and life. No matter how many times he heard that laugh, he just couldn't get enough of it.
"He seems to be doing pretty well," Liuti whispered to her brother, amazed at how comfortable Tonraq was getting to be. He had always been a nervous wreck when it came to Senna, but now, it was if someone had instilled him with newfound confidence.
"You can say that again," Sakumo murmured back to his sister. Hakuto silently nodded his agreement, keeping his eye on Tonraq as he continued to talk with Senna.
"Senna?" hesitantly asked Tonraq, glancing behind him so that his eyes locked with hers.
A curious expression plastered itself on Senna's face, her hands still moving up and down his back as she said, "Yes, Tonraq?"
Tonraq gulped down his fretfulness as he slowly said, "Well, we've gotten to know each other quite a bit with all these healing sessions, and I was thinking…" He stopped himself, wondering just how Senna would react to what he was about to ask her. He thought that Senna was the nicest girl in the South Pole, always willing to lend her friendship to those who needed it, always smiling each and every day. He just wanted to get to know this amazing young woman better, and today, he was going to take a chance that he hoped he wouldn't regret.
"What is it?" concernedly asked Senna, cutting off the flow of chi to her hands and killing the glow as she finished up healing Tonraq. She kept her eyes on Tonraq as she sent the water back into its tub, wondering what the young man had on his mind. From the main entrance of the hut, Liuti covered her mouth with her hands to keep from making a sound, Sakumo's jaw was dropped slightly, and Hakuto stood there with wide, shocked eyes.
"Is he going to do what I think he's going to do?" breathlessly asked Liuti, nearly passing out from her growing excitement.
"I was thinking…" began Tonraq, turning around so that he could face Senna better. He took in a fortifying breath as he briefly glanced down at the water tub before he looked back up at Senna. "Would you like to go out on a date with me?"
Senna's eyes widened with astonishment, her delicate jaw dropping slightly in a silent gasp as Liuti squeaked from the doorway. Hakuto quickly let go of the flap, letting it close over the entrance so that Senna wouldn't discover them. Tonraq's heart achingly pounded in his chest as nervous sweat beaded down his brow, fretfully worrying that he had gone too far.
The young healer was taken back a bit by Tonraq's request, though she didn't mind the sudden surprise. Ever since she met Tonraq a month ago when she had treated a broken leg that he had received while fighting with a Polar Bear-Dog, she had acquired a growing fondness of the Waterbender. While he was a bit clumsy and silly at times when he fumbled with his words, he was a charming, genuine, and polite young man with an honest smile. He was an interesting man, to say the least, and she wanted to have an opportunity to get to know him much better.
Finally, she let an affectionate smile grace her lips. "Tonraq, I would love to go out on a date with you," she cordially replied, blushing at the broad smile that overcame Tonraq's face when she gave her response.
"Great!" happily exclaimed Tonraq, energetically jumping off the bench. "So, uh…how about we meet at the Penguin living grounds after dark? What do you say?"
"The Penguin living grounds?" chuckled Senna as she raised an eyebrow. "Why there?"
"For nighttime Penguin sledding, of course!" happily exclaimed Tonraq, throwing his arms out wide in a jovial gesture. "Trust me, Senna," he said as he moved over towards the entrance flap, "you won't regre-" In all of his excitement, he managed to trip on his own feet, falling to the floor in a crumbled head as Senna frightfully gasped.
"Oh my goodness!" worriedly exclaimed Senna as she rushed over to Tonraq's side, helping him up from the floor. "Are you alright, Tonraq?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine," giddily chuckled Tonraq, his lively joy overriding all of his pain. "Just took a little tumble, that's all." Giving her a farewell wave of his hand as he walked towards the entrance flap, he said, "I'll see you later tonight, Senna."
"See you then, Tonraq," smiled Senna as she waved back at Tonraq, watching him as he slipped outside. Once he was gone, she turned around, enthusiastically giggling into her hands.
Just then, Tonraq stuck his head back into the hut, taking a second to appreciate Senna's giggling before he said, "And Senna?" The young healer instantly ceased her giggling with an astonished yelp as she whirled around to face Tonraq, her face breaking out into a violent blush. "Thanks for healing me again," he gratefully said to her, smiling the whole while.
Senna's smile widened, tugging on one her hair braids with both hands as she said, "Anytime, Tonraq." The older boy slipped out of the hut once more, leaving Senna all alone once more as she shyly glanced down at the ground. Her cheeks tinted pink as she thought of all the delightfully romantic things Tonraq had in mind for their first date.
Little did she know that her date with Tonraq that night would forever bind them together as lovers, and that in the years to come, they would both become the proud parents of the new Avatar.