Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar.
Title: Wish You Were Here
By: Shuramai
Summary: AU. After War Fic. The Fire Lord was The Bad Guy, and Aang was The Hero, who had to triumph over him.
A/N: Isn't it funny? Sometimes, my Muse decides to be sadistic, and I have no ideas whatsoever. The next, I immediately get an idea--hmm. I should buy new CDs more often.
It was just another day. Another normal, busy kind of day that Aang was still trying to get used to, even though he deep down he knew that he should've been expecting it.
He was not a child any longer, after all.
But even so, every day always had one thing in common with another.
And that was his daily meditation routine.
Like always, even when he was a child, he would wake up early so he could meditate. Then, when the sky rose slightly higher he would come out of his meditative state, and would start his training. Even though he no longer needed to train much, as he had learned all four elements pretty well now, thanks to his journeys during the turbulent time of the Hundred Year War.
Despite this, Aang still trained--war or no war, he was still the Avatar, and keeping the peace was what he did. It never hurt to keep his skills sharp and honed, after all.
That was, of course, if he wasn't in some town or city that needed his help as the Avatar, in which the "Schedule" would change, and Aang would usually be forced to skip his meditations, if it was a drastically urgent matter.
Today was labeled in his books as "Drastically Urgent Matter" Day, as he had arrived in Kyoshi Island for old times sake, and almost immediately was given a task before he was able to greet the Village Leader properly.
"Aang!" He was hugged affectionately by Suki, the once Leader of the Kyoshi Warriors a few years back. Now, she was the Village Leader, as the old man who had once been Leader had passed away during the war, and there had been a general consensus that Suki would be best for the job. She was already a well respected member of the community, not only as a Kyoshi Warrior, but even as someone who helped rebuilt several villages and cities around the world.
"Hey Suki," Aang replied awkwardly. It felt a bit strange to hug her--it had not been that long ago since he had been shorter than her, and now he towered over her. He had to be taller than Sokka now--well, close enough anyways. Growth spurts were funny like that, he guessed.
"I'm so glad to see you!" She glanced upwards at Momo, who had scampered up Aang's head almost immediately. Aang did not bat him away, used to the flying lemurs antics after so many years. Momo settled on Aang's head like a furry turban, and Suki laughed.
"How have you been?" Aang glanced slightly around the village with approval. Kyoshi Island had grown prosperous since the War had stopped. He noticed several new buildings and statues (no doubt heroes slain in the War) and more people, more children, and a foamy guy.
Well, sometimes things never changed.
"Great--but there is something that I need help with. Urgently."
Aang almost sighed--it was like this everywhere he went. Although he was not resentful that every tiny village and enormous city asked for his help, whether it be from the villages itself or individual people, he sometimes wondered if there was a large sign on his forehead that said "Problem Solver".
Well, he did have an arrow on his forehead, but that was besides the point.
"I'll do what I can, Suki. What's the problem?"
She bit her lip, and as the crowds that came to greet him and Appa slowly dispersed, save for a few people, who were still looking at the Avatar as though they had never seen him before. Which could be likely--there had been refugees all over the place several years back. Some had made permanent homes in new places--Kyoshi was a good place to call home if one was a refugee. It was well protected by the Warriors after all.
"We have a big problem--the Unagi...well, we have told people to stay away from it for many years. Unfortunately, you know that sometimes, well, there are accidents," Suki glanced towards a few of the people standing behind them, and a woman let a particularly loud sob.
"Not long ago, a few of the village kids were fooling around, near the Unagi. They didn't know it was there, and one of the children got killed," Suki's voice dropped an octave, and Aang could tell by looking at her that she was more upset than she let on. "Since then, the beach is being haunted by her spirit. We have tried to put Hitomi to rest, but so far..."
"She's lost." The sobbing woman had taken a brave step forward, looking Aang directly in the eyes. "She can't find her way to the Spirit World. Please, Avatar, help my daughter find peace."
"We'll pay," A man near the woman stated, his own eyes lost and confused,"Anything. Just help us."
Aang couldn't help but nod, his heart clenching slightly for the couple standing before him.
"I'll do what I can. Rest assured, Hitomi will be put to rest." Aang turned to Suki, who was looking at him with undisguised gratitude. "I'll head over there right now. I haven't exactly heard of spirits roaming in the day, but it couldn't hurt to wait for her. Maybe I'll get lucky."
Suki nodded in agreement, and before Aang could have a chance to react, the sobbing woman had pulled him in a bone crushing hug, stammering her thanks. Momo scampered away, slightly startled by the action.
"You're welcome." Aang disentangled himself from the mother, gently so as not to upset her worse. "I'm really sorry about your daughter. I'll do my best to make sure she finds peace."
"How much?" The man Aang assumed had to be the father of the girl was already reaching into his trouser pockets, but Aang shook his head politely.
"It's all right. You don't have to pay me or anything. Just point me out the exact direction of where her spirit was last seen, and I would be much obliged."
They did, and Suki thanked him, not only with words, but also offering a few warriors to accompany him for protection, and not to mention food--breakfast to be precise.
Aang accepted the food, but declined the warriors.
"They might get trapped in the Spirit World," was his explanation, before being loaded a few minutes later with more food than he could eat and setting off towards the beach. He told himself that any of the extra food he was given could be split between Appa and Momo, and when he had his lunch (it was a little late to call it breakfast) he began his usual training.
Time seemed to pass much quicker when he trained.
There was the usual routine--first, he Waterbended, starting out with simple techniques. He pushed and pulled the water, and eventually moved his way to more complex moves. Waterwhips, ice daggers, and the like, even though it was a warm day, and the sand that he stepped in was almost hot underfoot.
The Unagi had not disturbed the surface of the ocean, and the sun glittered on the water. There was no clouds in the sky, to block the slight heat that was showing how close to summer it was.
How many summers had it been since he was twelve years old?
It felt a bit strange to be alone--it wasn't like all his friends/family could come with him, like old times.
He kept in touch with them, learned a few interesting facts about their lives.
Ty Lee, for example, had become head of security at the Fire Nation Palace, after Zuko became Fire Lord. She was there, head of her own branch of Kyoshi Warriors, and ex-Dai Lee agents who had decided that while Azula had degenerated into insanity and destruction, that maybe, just maybe, her brother was not so bad. Either that, or they simply couldn't find a job that they were suited to anymore, in this era of peace.
Just because Fire Lord Zuko had ended the War, it did not mean that there weren't assassins after his head--many people in the other Nations distrusted the Fire Nation, and neither Aang nor Zuko blamed them.
Aang let himself get calm, getting into an Airbending stance, and then moving to begin a simple move.
Zuko's girlfriend, Mai, on the other hand, was trying to remedy that situation, usually busy with her job trying to settle diplomatic relations between her home country and the other Nations.
He took another breath, exhaling and inhaling, and began another move, that flowed into the first.
Toph was starting an Earthbending Academy, and was starting to be dubbed as "The Greatest Earthbender Since Avatar Kyoshi Herself". He had even heard that she even was trying to teach select students how to Metalbend, which gave Aang the urge to pay her a visit soon, even though he had once attempted to Metalbend, and was unsuccessful at it.
More relaxed, he moved again, going through his stances slowly. He felt a smile settle on his face, but didn't pay much attention to it...
Sokka was training with his Master, as he was wanting to improve his own sword skills. So far, he still had a way to go before become truly skilled at the blade, and more if he wanted to be even greater than his teacher.
Teo was helping his father, alongside with The Duke, who had really no place to go after the Freedom Fighters disbanded. Aang had heard that some of their wacky, new creations were being sold as far away as the South Pole--some really useful, some not as much.
More moves became more complex, but this only fueled the calm contentment he felt.
Haru was helping restore the mess that Ba Sing Se had become during the war. Six, seven years later the city was still a mess, trying to come up with a new king at first and later with an entire new government. The Dai Lee had been a problem in the city, as had Long Feng, who was a stubborn man and had not wanted to relinquish the power that Azula had given him after she had left the city.
Then there were the people of the city itself, who were also starting to rebel. Aang did not envy Haru as his new position in the new government, and had offered his help, but Haru had brushed him off politely.
"Even if you are the Avatar, I don't think that even if you helped, it would do much good. Thanks anyway. Don't worry, we're starting to get a hang of this."
Aang slowly continued his Airbending exercises, the air he was creating becoming comforting and familiar around him, as it had many times since he had first mastered that element.
Then there was Katara...he had not seen her in many years, but for some reason, he missed her most. Even though he had a crush on her since he was a child, he was surprised that he still felt...something. She was, to him, more than a mother or sister.
He had not really gotten in touch with her, although he had heard something about her helping her family reconnect with their sister Tribe. Not mentioning rebuilding Southern, and trying to establish more concrete trading routes between both Tribes, and the rest of the world in general.
Aang continued his training, moving slowly through the other elements like he had for Air. He took a few breaks, ate a bit more, and when the sun set finally stopped his training, letting himself fall backwards into the soft sand, idly watching Momo and Appa, who had dozed off once twilight had arrived. They were not as young as they had once been either.
He could remember a few years ago, when Sokka, Katara, Toph, and he would start setting up camp for the night. Sometimes they wouldn't bother with tents, even though Katara had often felt uneasy about sleeping so openly under the sky. But, nevertheless, they sometimes would, and they lay under the stars, pointing out constellations, telling stories under the campfire, talking until deep into the night as though the War was not going on, as though they were a band of gypsies that roamed the land for fun.
"The sky...it looks like a dark blue canopy," Katara had once murmured, staring at it in contemplation, "An old one, with lots of holes."
"So the sky looks ragged?" Toph had sounded confused, but before anyone could clarify Toph's confusion, Aang had suddenly sat up.
"Look! A shooting star! Make a wish!"
"That's pretty stupid," Sokka had commented," It's not like it'll actually come tru--ow!" His head collided with Katara's pillow, which had mysteriously ended up flying through the air.
Katara settled back into her position, looking particularly smug.
"I wish we got to a decent town. With decent food. Like meat," Toph's sightless eyes stared upwards, as though she could see the sky stretched up above them for miles. "I think I would kill Momo for food right about now."
Sokka snickered, agreeing, even as Katara and Aang both glared at him.
"I wish this war was over," Katara had said, staring upwards like Toph. She smiled and let her eyes lock with Aang's, and then he repeated her words, because he knew that this war had claimed so many lives already.
"I wish you were here," Aang slowly whispered, realizing that this was the present, and not the past. His pleasant daydream was an old memory, reminding him of a past when times had been simple, despite the War that had been happening at the time. Back then, it was simple. The Fire Lord was the Bad Guy, and Aang was The Hero, who had to triumph over him.
Now...there was no Bad Guy--nothing was as simple as it had been. Now, there was uncertainty--would Zuko ever be able to restore the people's faith in his country entirely? Even after all these years of mistrust passed and more to possibly come? Even with Aang's help?
And the others? What of them? When would the scars that the War had inflicted on civilians and soldiers...when would they heal completely, without leaving ugly reminders, scars, of the past?
So deep in his thoughts, Aang had not quite realized that he was feeling something strange happening. And when he did finally take note, he realized that whatever it was had come near.
He turned, catching a glimpse of a girl near his age, with lost, cold eyes. Definitely a spirit, as even the world seemed to now echo the aura she possessed.
"Who are you?" Aang slowly approached her, hoping not to scare her away. "Are you Hitomi?"
She nodded, looking around the now slightly dimmer beach. "I...need help." Her voice was raspy, weak, and she looked as though she wanted to get a bit closer towards him, but had not moved.
"Okay. Just relax..." Aang slowly instructed, but she had moved a step back, unsure of him.
"I can't let go," the girl murmured, her head turning towards the village. "I can't let go of this place. I don't want to go."
"You have to." He moved closer, noticing how young she was. Not much older than fifteen he guessed, and felt a pang of sadness for her, to have died so young. "It'll hurt you if you hold on. And everyone around you."
"It's not fair--why can't I stay? I won't do anything to anyone!"
"Your parents are worried--they want you to be able to move on."
Hitomi laughed harshly. "Right. And then what? They'll forget about me, I know it."
Aang shook his head, still keeping both eyes locked on her. "They won't. They can't--"
"Don't you get it?" She looked like she was about to strike him, even though she was several feet away from him. "Everything changes after this! I can't let go, I don't want to, and--"
"Everything will change if you let go or not," Aang said, still talking as calmly as he could, to put her at ease. "I've heard of spirits...who kept clinging to the world, even after their deaths, even after all their people died. Do you think your parents, your friends, would like to see you tormenting yourself for the rest of their lives?"
"No, but..."
"Things change." Aang swallowed, a few memories rushing unbidden into his mind. "They'll change, just like you did. I know you didn't want to leave them. They know that too. But you can't keep yourself here for them, tormenting yourself on what could've been. Just let yourself go, Hitomi."
"I can't--"
"You can. Do it for them, and yourself."
The girl hesitated, and then, the archway that led to the Spirit World suddenly loomed over the ocean. Hitomi looked at it as if it were dangerous, and glanced back at the Avatar.
"Can--can you tell my parents, that I'm sorry?" She sounded horribly sad, and Aang nodded, promising he would pass on the message.
The ghost couldn't help but look back towards the village one last time, but then she turned towards the arches, and slowly walked through it. In no time, she had disappeared, the arches along with her, and then the night had become normal again, the breeze returning as though nothing had happened that was out of the ordinary.
..........
He arrived the next morning at the village, Momo once again curled around his shoulders, like a living fur scarf.
Hitomi's parents were sad, but somehow, satisfied that their daughter had finally chosen to go beyond their world, and into the land of the spirits. They seemed to not be able to thank Aang enough, as Aang recounted the story for the third time.
"Thanks Aang," Suki had said, once they both left the house of the couple, and the other children they had. "So, now that the ghost has been taken care of, were you planning on staying on Kyoshi for awhile?"
Aang hesitated, then smiled. "I did, at first. But I think I'm going to go pay Katara a visit, to see how she's doing."
"Haven't talked to her in awhile," Suki mused, but grinned. "Okay, then. If you should need supplies, just come to me, and I'll help you restock some. Thanks again so much for your help with that little girl."
Aang mentioned it was no problem, and began to check his supplies, although there were a few thought running across his mind.
He knew that things had changed between them. Between all of them--but now, he knew, realizing he had known all along, that the past could consume a person, whether they were ghost or not.
I'm living now, not back then. Aang unconsciously straightened, as he took his usual seat on Appa's head. Things change--its a part of life.
I'm satisfied with the way things are--my friends haven't left me, not really. And for that, I'm happy.
................
A/N: For the record, I had no idea how this would turn out...this was inspired by Incubus's song, Wish You Were Here. Part of their Morning View CD. I do not own any lyrics of the song, that belongs to them.