Yoru's lilac eyes widened at the news. She couldn't say anything against it, as her gaze turned to the ceiling, where Aang was hiding, listening as well. Like a shadow, she fluidly moved from the room, unnoticed, and joined him. "Aang?" she asked, setting a hand on the young monk's shoulder.
He turned to her with a glare. "What?"
Yoru met his glare with a tired smile. "It's gonna be okay. Gyatso will get them to reconsider their decision, I promise."
His gaze softened as he looked away. She could see a deep sadness in his gray eyes as he murmured. "I don't think so, Yoru."
She followed him as he left the roof to go to his room. "What're you gonna do?"
Yoru didn't want him to do anything rash, and knowing him, she knew he would at least try. She wasn't about to let him do whatever he planned to do alone, that was for sure. She'd at least try to stop him…maybe. If she felt what he was doing was too dangerous…definitely.
He looked back to her for a moment before turning back to the door of his room. Yoru sighed as she turned around. Aang was definitely about to do something and she had a feeling that it would involve Appa somehow. With a nod to herself, she went back to her small hut to pack.
The hut on the cliffside of the Air Temple was small but suited her. Yoru didn't have much in the way of accessories that she truly cared about, and her knives and swords stayed on her most of the time, which made the monks of the temple a bit nervous—something Gyatso had once told her.
After changing into something more comfortable, Yoru reached under her bed and pulled out a crate. She grabbed a bag out from under there as well, putting a few knives and a bit of rope inside the pouches. She thought for a moment before putting at least one outfit from every nation in her bag, adding her old dancing attire and hair comb with it—her only physical reminders of her old career.
She tied the bag shut before messing with her hair. She combed it back before managing to braid a section and wrap it around the rest of her loose hair until it fell only to her waist. She quickly combed through her bangs before slinging her bag over her back and leaving the room.
Yoru ran to the bison stables, where she was sure Aang was, readying Appa for their trip—if he hadn't left already, that is. He was quick enough with his bending to be out the Air Temple by now, if he wanted to be. She found herself praying to the Spirits that he'd still be there by the time she found him.
She thanked the Spirits as she turned the corner, finding Aang about to take off. "I'm coming with you, Aang." She put her hands on her hips, avoiding her swords, which were strapped to her waist.
Aang looked up to her in surprise, as if he didn't expect her to find him. "No, Yoru, I—"
"Aang," she insisted in a warning tone, "I'm giving you two choices here. One, let me come with you or, two, I'm forcing you to take me. You pick."
"That second one isn't really a—"
"Oh, good, I just knew you'd allow me to accompany you," she tossed her bag onto Appa's saddle before climbing onto the Sky Bison as Aang took off into the sky, grumbling in annoyance under his breath.
Somewhere in the South Pole,
One Hundred Years later…
Katara stared at the girl in front of them. Her hair almost matched the snow around them. She looked about sixteen, although that might've had something to do with her hair color—Katara wasn't sure which it was; she could've been in her teens, but she may also have been younger.
The young waterbender turned to Aang, the young airbender she and Sokka found in the iceberg along with the girl. "Who did you say she was?"
Aang glanced back to Katara from his place on his bison's head. "That's Yoru. She's a warrior."
Katara nodded, silently wondering why an Air Nomad would travel with a warrior. From what she remembered from the stories her grandmother had told her, the Air Nomads believed in the sanctity of life, so she was having trouble processing why Aang would travel with a warrior—someone who fought and, on occasion, took lives.
Katara sighed and shook her head, chasing away her stereotypical thoughts as she watched Yoru sleep. Her hairstyle didn't look comfortable to sleep in, and Yoru herself didn't seem to be very comfortable. Katara slowly lifted Yoru's head, taking her hair and undoing it, allowing the silvery strands to flow like water down her back. The waterbender found her hair to be something of an illusion. With how she styled it, it appeared to be waist-length, but when down, Katara noticed it was much longer—falling at least to her knees.
She glanced to Aang again. His tattoos symbolize him as an Air Nomad, which made Katara wonder if he was the Avatar. The Avatar, according to legend, was an Air Nomad, after all. Maybe he'd managed to survive the Air Nomad genocide? She was hopeful that that was the case.
Katara nodded to herself, crawling over Yoru's sleeping form to get to him. "Hey," she said casually.
Aang looked to her. "Hey. What'cha thinkin' about?"
"I guess…I was wondering―you're being an airbender and all―if you had any idea what happened to the Avatar."
Aang unfolded his hands from behind his head. "Uh, no. I didn't know him―I mean, I knew people that knew him, but I didn't. Sorry," he gave her an apologetic smile.
Katara felt her hope die at his answer. The Avatar was gone. Maybe those who said the cycle was broken were right when they said the Avatar would never return. It was a depressing thought, but if what Aang said was true, then they were right… right? If the Avatar cycle really was broken, it meant that there was no one who could end this war. She tried to hide her sadness at the thought of the Fire Nation's continued onslaught as she said good night to Aang.
Katara crawled back to Yoru, attempting to ignore Sokka's loud snoring. Katara slowly laid down next to the girl, noticing the swords at her waist. With another sigh escaping her, Katara takes them off the poor girl. She examines Yoru again, remembering another story Gran Gran told her.
One about a dancer who used to go around the world performing for each nation. Her voice, according to Gran Gran, brought peace. Gran Gran had once told Katara she'd always wanted to hear this dancer's voice, but she, like the Avatar, had disappeared. Maybe there was another performer like her out there—one who could bring an era of peace. Maybe that dancer was actually the Avatar, traveling around to learn how to bend the four elements, and performing with each new element they mastered.
The young waterbender smiled at the thought. If that were true, then someone was out there who actually could stop the Fire Nation—which meant that those who said the cycle was broken were wrong. Yes, they had to be. There had to be at least one person out there who could defeat the Fire Nation and Katara was sure that they would…eventually.
With her hope renewed, Katara closed her eyes, listening to the water as she fell asleep.
Yoru awoke to find a girl standing over her, blue eyes full of worry. "Yoru? Are you okay?" she asked.
Yoru reached for a sword, frowning when she found both of them missing. She quickly scanned the room, seeing them in the corner, too far for her to reach from her place on the bed. She checked her robes for a knife, not finding anything there either. Where did they go? She just had them—there was no way anyone could've found them.
She glared at the dark-haired girl. "Who are you? Where's Aang?"
"I'm Katara. Aang is in a different tent," the girl said calmly. "My brother, Sokka, and I found you two in an iceberg yesterday. We tried waking you up, but you rolled over and stayed asleep."
Yoru sighed, relieved to know he wasn't dead as she swept her hair over a shoulder. She looked to the girl again, seeing Water Tribe clothing, and no visible weapons. Maybe this girl was unarmed? "Are we in the Water Tribe, Katara?"
Katara nodded, turning away from Yoru for a second to pick up a bowl. "I made you some sea prune stew if you're hungry."
Yoru's eyes widened slightly. Why would she be helping them while not knowing who they were? Then again, she supposed that there were still some people who did that sort of thing—those who believed the war wouldn't reach them. Yoru donned what she hoped was a pleasant smile, taking the bowl. "Thank you."
She ate slowly in silence, savoring the taste. It brought back many good memories of her times in the Water Tribes. The Southern Water Tribe had been a bit more accepting of her than the Northern Tribe, but she refused to let it get to her. It had been years since she'd set foot in either tribe, and Yoru wasn't about to let unpleasant memories of all things stop her from enjoying a meal.
She cleared her throat, setting the wooden bowl aside. "Which Water Tribe are we in, Katara?"
"The Southern Water Tribe." Katara answered. Yoru noticed she looked very uncomfortable, especially as she hastily glanced to her swords.
Concerned, Yoru asked, "Is something wrong?"
"I... I was just wondering what a..." she paused, searching for a word, "person like you is doing with an Air Nomad like Aang. I mean—"
Yoru interrupted her with a chuckle, crossing her arms under her chest. "It's fine. I'm protecting him. There are rumors of the Fire Nation starting a war, y'know."
Katara fiddled with her hands for a moment before saying, "I'm going to wake Aang."
"Mind if I join you?" Yoru swung her legs to the side of the bed, getting up. She fixed her hair back to the way it was before and pulled a parka and gloves from her bag, which she found in front of her swords. When she finished her preparations, she turned to Katara with a nod as they stepped out of the tent.
Yoru shivered as the frigid air attacked her body. Her parka and gloves would do nothing to keep her face warm, sadly. Slowly, she waddled after Katara, who stepped into a different sealskin tent—presumably where Aang was.
Yoru stepped inside the tent, seeing Aang asleep in a sealskin sleeping bag. Katara called his name, attempting to wake him up. He sat up with a gasp, gray eyes wide.
"It's okay," Katara reassured with a hand on his shoulder, "We're in the village now, and Yoru's awake. C'mon, get ready. Everyone's waiting to meet you."
Yoru frowned at that. She didn't see anyone waiting for them outside. Katara exited the tent as Aang got ready and Yoru stepped outside, Aang following her a few moments later.
A small crowd had gathered in front of the tent, waiting to see Aang. Yoru couldn't help but notice the lack of men in the audience as they stared at the young airbender. There were around ten women of varying ages and many small children.
Her frown deepened. They wouldn't have used all of the men for hunting. They must've all be gone because of the…Her eyes widen in realization. The rumors were true. The Fire Nation actually started a war…
She swallowed thickly, moving to Aang and Katara as the women moved their children closer to them in a protective manner. "Why are they looking at him like that?" she asked, adjusting her sword to fit more comfortably on her waist.
An elderly woman, looking like an elderly Katara in Yoru's opinion, stepped forward, "Well, no one has seen an airbender in a hundred years. We thought they were extinct until my granddaughter and grandson found him," she pointed to Aang.
"Extinct?" a bewildered Aang shot a glance to Yoru who'd froze in her place next to him. Why would they think the Air Nomads were extinct? That didn't make any sense.
Katara looked to them before looking back at the elderly woman. "Aang, Yoru, this is my grandmother."
"Call me Gran Gran."
Yoru blinked, snapping out of her thoughts as a young man with the top part of his hair in a ponytail, the sides shaved, stepped toward Aang, snatching his staff, "What is this―a weapon? You can't stab anything with this!" he twirled it to his other hand, studying it.
Aang took it back using his airbending, "It's not for stabbing," he ran his hand along the wood. "it's for airbending." He unleashed the fans underneath the staff, causing the teen to flinch. Yoru chuckled at his reaction as one of the small girls in the tribe begged Aang to do his "magic trick" again, bouncing on the balls of her boot-covered feet.
"Not magic," Aang corrected, "airbending. It lets me control the air currents around my glider and fly."
"Y'know, last time I checked, humans can't fly!" the teen with the ponytail crossed his arms, giving Aang a pointed look.
Yoru shook her head. "Well, you're sorta right. There's only been one person who could fly, though he lived thousands of years ago. He was an airbender―Guru Laghima. He relinquished himself of his earthly attachments, and lived the last forty years of his life without touching the ground."
The villagers watched as Aang took off on his glider, hovering above them. He flew over them, showing off, and ended up with his head in a watchtower made of snow. Aang got his head out of it, burying him and Yoru in snow, earning a shriek from her.
Katara ran over to them, a large grin on her face, "That was amazing!" she helped them to their feet as Yoru wiped snow off her clothes.
She turned, watching as the "humans can't fly" guy got buried in a large pile of snow from his watchtower. "Great," he grumbled sarcastically, "you're an airbender, Katara's a waterbender―together, you can just waste time all day long."
Yoru frowned as he stomps away before deciding to leave Aang to entertain the Water Tribe children so she could practice.
A burdened heart sinks into the ground,
A veil falls away without a sound.
Not day nor night, wrong nor right,
For truth and peace, you fight,
Sing with me a song of silence and blood;
The rain falls, but can't wash away the mud.
Within my ancient heart dwells madness and pride,
Can no one hear my cry?
Yoru turned to look behind her as she heard someone approach. It was the ponytail guy from earlier. He was standing still, seemingly in awe. Yoru cleared her throat. "Excuse me. Do you need something?"
The teen, with his face flushed, managed to speak. "Th-that was... beautiful."
Yoru felt a blush forming on her face against her will. "Thank you. It's been a while since I sang that song," she twiddled with her swords, swinging them from side to side for a moment, "Oh, um, I never got your name."
The Water Tribe boy smiled slightly, "I'm Sokka―Katara's older brother. Nice to meet you."
Yoru nodded slowly, "Well, I'm Yoru―Aang's unofficial protector. You never answered my question; did you need something?"
Sokka blinked, as if just remembering what he came to talk to her about. "Well, I was wondering if you wanted to train with me. Y'know, get the Water Tribe warriors ready for combat."
Another nod. "Sure. You're at war against the Fire Nation, right?"
Sokka gave a nod of his own in reply while giving her a curious look. "Yeah. How do you not know that—the war's been going on for a hundred years, ever since the disappearance of the Avatar."
Yoru nearly choked on her breath, hoping she'd heard him wrong. After a moment of thought, she concluded that she hadn't and swallowed her fear. When they went under, the Fire Nation hadn't made a move for war but, from what she'd heard around the Fire Nation during her last performance, they were planning on making a move to start one, but it was only a rumor.
She could hardly believe that they'd done it. They must've attacked the Air Nomads, too. That would explain why the villagers were so shocked to see Aang… But did the Fire Nation really kill them? Sure, they could be ruthless, but would they really stoop to genocide?
With a shake of her head to hopefully clear it, Yoru allowed Sokka to take her to the warriors.
"Now, men, it's important that you show no fear when you face a firebender," Sokka brought out his club, pointing it skyward, "In the Water Tribe, we fight to the last man standing. For, without courage, how can we call ourselves men?" he clenched a gloved hand into a fist.
Yoru, who was digesting the thought of the Fire Nation committing genocide, looked to the "men" Sokka was preaching to. "When you said warriors, I didn't think you meant the boys of the village."
He shot her a glare as one of the boys raised his hand. "I gotta pee!"
Sokka turned back to the group of boys, his tone stern. "Listen! Until your fathers return from the war, they're counting on you to be the men of this tribe! And, that means no potty breaks!"
"But I really gotta go!"
Sokka sighed in defeat. "Okay, who else has to go?"
Yoru managed a chuckle under her breath as the rest of the boys raised their hands. Sokka facepalmed, attempting to hide his irritated face.
Katara stepped over to them. "Have either of you seen Aang? Gran Gran said he disappeared over an hour ago."
Yoru pointed a heavily gloved thumb to a nearby igloo as Aang crawled out of it. "He's fine, Katara."
Sokka let out a sound of exasperation, pointing to Aang as he angrily turned to his younger sister. "Katara, get him out of here! This lesson is for warriors only!"
Yoru cracked a smile, watching as Sokka's "warriors" played on Appa's tail, having fun, just as she thought they should. They were only children after all—certainly not ready to be warriors. She got up to join Katara's side as the waterbender gave a hearty laugh as Sokka marched toward his "men."
"Stop! Stop it right now!" he stomped to Aang, looking up at him sitting on Appa's saddle, "What's wrong with you?! We don't have time for fun and games with a war going on!"
Yoru and Katara joined them as Sokka takes a spear, stabbing it into the ground beside him. She had to agree with him. Times of war were not also times of fun or games—they were times of preparation. When going to war, she believed those most prepared to face an enemy would succeed. Without preparation, there would be chaos and chaos ensued loss—which meant death and failure—two things that Yoru wasn't very fond of.
Aang slid off Appa's back, "What war? What are you talking about?"
Sokka's eyes widen as he threw a glance to Yoru, his eyes wide. "You're kidding, right?"
Aang looked like he wanted to say something for a second before something else distracted him. "Penguin!" he yelled, rushing to it with his airbending.
Sokka turned to Yoru, looking at her incredulously. "He's kidding, right?"
"Nope. Aang never heard the rumors about the war. The only reason I did was because I was at the Fire Nation at the time, but at that time, they were only rumors—the Fire Nation hadn't started a war."
"You're Fire Nation?" Sokka's bemused expression changed to a look of fear and betrayal as he glared at her.
"I didn't say that, I only said I was there at the time. I gave my last performance there before I began my training," she absently fiddled with the leather strap that held one of her swords to her waist.
Katara set her with a look of curiosity, "Performance?"
Yoru's eyes widened slightly. "Er, it wasn't really a performance…It was more of a…ceremony…for the late Avatar Roku."
Before anyone could say anything else, Aang called Katara over to go penguin sledding with him. The Water Tribe girl grinned and ran over to him, leaving Sokka and Yoru alone.
Sokka looked at her, taking his spear from the ground. He slowly returned to "training" the boys of the Water Tribe, asking Yoru to help him with examples of different combat techniques.
They trained with each other, sword versus spear, until a loud screeching sound caught their attention. Yoru looked up to the sky, seeing a flare shooting into the air, turning the blue sky orange for a moment.
"Sokka, what's…?" Sokka ran into the village, wasting no time in gathering the villagers at its edge, ignoring her question.
"Sokka!" Yoru called, catching up with him. "What's going on? Where did that flare come from?"
Sokka glared at her. "Someone's signaling the Fire Navy!"
[A/N] I would like to say that I—sadly—do not own Fire Emblem Fates or Avatar the Last Airbender.
I hope you guys enjoyed the "reboot" of the first chapter. I'll try to have chapter two out soon, although given my update schedule, I don't know if that's gonna happen, but I'll try.
Anyways, I love you guys! May you lead fantastic lives. :)