February Air
Aang opened his eyes bright and early in the morning, a bit too early for him, and he blinked several times. These late nights were going to take a toll on him, he thought, so why not just get to bed earlier than usual? Was it insomnia? He didn't know. All he could say was that there was nothing for him to do, and he had chosen to stay up all night. It was like his adrenaline was pumping through him, keeping him awake. And strangely, he realized he didn't have a problem with that.
He ventured outside of his room, and down the dark hallways of the temple. Nobody else was awake yet, so he decided to take advantage of this and spend some time for himself. Silently, making absolutely no noise, he tiptoed down the hallways and reached the door. Just as he was about to open it, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He shuddered and turned, only to see his friend Jing, with a huge grin all over his face.
"Jing, what are you doing here?" Aang asked. Jing's grin widened and he shrugged.
"Seeing what you were doing," Jing replied. "I heard you walking around."
Aang sighed. He'd forgotten about Jing's phenomenal hearing. That was something he'd have to remember the next time he snuck out after hours or before. Aang opened the door and stepped outside into the cool air. He felt the breeze on his face, and he breathed it in.
"It's so nice to get out of there once in a while, you know?" Aang said to Jing. "Early in the morning, I mean. It's perfect outside, even in winter. Sure, it's colder, but that's all right with me."
Jing smiled. "I know what you mean."
The two Airbenders raced around, pushing each other and laughing, having their own fun. Suddenly, in a sudden quick movement, their heads crashed together. Aang laughed once, rubbing his head. Jing smiled once again. After finishing up with their mindless romping, the two proceeded to the door, snuck back inside and walked back to their rooms, neither of them making a sound.
Jing poked his head out of the door.
"Hey, Aang?" he whispered.
"Yeah, Jing?"
"Your feet are really loud. You have no idea."
Aang suppressed a laugh and walked back to his room.
Aang opened the door to the room and closed it as quietly as he could possibly manage. Although the cold air had cheered him up, he knew he was going to have to leave his home temporarily to go and visit the Eastern Air Temple. This displeased him; he didn't want to have to travel. He knew he would have Gyatso with him, though, and that made him feel safe. He took a deep breath, picked up his bag and put a few items in it. When Gyatso woke, the group would immediately leave for the Eastern Air Temple.
Aang slept soundly for several more hours, and was awoken by a small knock on his door.
"Aang, it's time to leave," Gyatso said, sticking his head in the door. Aang rubbed his eyes once and obediently jumped out of bed and followed Gyatso to the main gates of the temple. Aang found Jing in the midst of the younger children waving goodbye, and the two hopped onto the bison with the rest of the group, ready to take off and go to the Eastern Air Temple.
It was a long journey, longer than Aang had even expected. He and Jing rested against the saddle of the flying bison, and Jing sighed.
"How long have we been flying for, Aang?" he asked.
"I'd say about a day so far," Aang replied. "This is taking a while." He slid over to Gyatso.
"Monk Gyatso?" he asked. "How much longer would you say we have until we reach the Eastern Air Temple?"
"About another day or so, Aang," Gyatso replied. "Two or three days at most."
Aang and Jing groaned. This was going to be a long trip, and they both knew it.
Sometime into their second day flying, Jing peered over the side of the saddle and gasped. Aang scooted over to his friend, looking down.
They had reached the Eastern Air Temple.
"It's huge," Jing commented. Aang nodded in agreement, but he wondered why they were visiting. Wasn't the Eastern Air Temple home to the female Airbenders? Why would they be training with a group of girls?
The bison landed and a tall woman with dark brown hair stepped over to meet them. After hopping out, the boys all lined up and stood with their backs straight, acting as presentable and proper as they'd been taught to do.
"Welcome to the Eastern Air Temple," the woman said in a sweet, friendly voice. "My name is Cho, and I am one of the leaders in charge of the girls here. How old are you all?"
"The age range is eight to twelve," Gyatso replied. Cho nodded.
"Very well then. That was what I'd thought. Let me go and get the girls for you."
Cho walked away, and immediately one of the boys, Feng, began to laugh.
"This is so silly!" he exclaimed. "A bunch of girls! Why are we training with them? Surely we're better fighters. We could beat them any day."
"I don't know, Feng," Aang chimed in. "I've heard from the monks that the women are pretty strong fighters. We don't know how good they'll be. They could be great for all we know, or they could be absolutely no good at all."
Jing looked once at Feng and snorted. "Stupid sexist," he muttered, and Aang laughed.
About five minutes later a group of girls proceeded to form another straight line opposite the boys. Cho walked out in front of them.
"These are my girls," she said. "Now, I want you to practice your forms. Gyatso and I are going to discuss future practice plans."
Aang looked straight ahead at the girl across from him. She was smaller than he was; she had light brown hair, but oddly dark brown eyes, almost chocolate-colored. Aang wondered; why was she so small?
Instead of saying anything, the girl immediately sent a gust of wind flying at him. He fell backwards, and looked up at her, confused. She laughed, walked over and held her hand out.
"Sorry about that," she said with a polite smile. "I couldn't resist; I do it to everyone. My name is Kunitachi. What's yours?"
"Aang," he replied. He smiled. Maybe he'd found a true friend.
He was eight years old.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Aang, although sad to leave his new friend at the Eastern Air Temple, knew that they could still keep in contact. The two hugged once.
"You have to promise to write," she told him, with a playful punch in the arm. He promised.
On their way home, Aang continued to stare down at the ground. He sighed.
"Hey, don't worry," Jing said to him. "You can still write to her, you know."
"It won't be the same," Aang protested.
"So you won't get to see her every day. We spent three months with them. I know you'll miss her, little buddy. She's your friend."
"I think I'll manage," Aang muttered. "We can still write to each other."
Within several days of arriving home, Aang woke one morning to find that there was a letter waiting for him. He eagerly ran and retrieved it from Gyatso. When he opened it, he smiled at the kind words.
Dear Aang,
Hi! How are you doing back at the Southern Air Temple? I hope you're doing well, as we all miss you here. Shouko and Rina both say hi, and want you to know that they miss you. They say that they miss you more than I do, but I doubt that that's the case. Cho has been praising me lately for my vocabulary and writing; I don't think it's that great, do you? I think I'm a little too modest to believe that. But trust me, you are a great writer, much better than I will ever be. You're only nine years old (I believe your birthday was yesterday), as am I. That doesn't matter, though. What matters is that we get along and that we are both still able to write to each other and keep contact. I think it's great that we can do that.
We miss you here, and we hope that you can visit soon.
Kunitachi
Aang laughed. Shouko and Rina were two of Kunitachi's best friends. Putting them together as dangerous; the two girls were totally and completely insane. And yet, they were two of the friendliest girls Aang had ever met. With a small smile, Aang folded the letter back up and walked back to his room. He was grateful that she'd mentioned his birthday; she'd even sent him a small carving of the Air Nomads' symbol. He took out something to write with and immediately began printing his response.
Dear Kunitachi,
It's great to hear from you! I can't believe it's only been a few days since I left the Eastern Air Temple. It feels like so long ago that we were playing and running around. I miss spending time with you, and I even miss Shouko and Rina. Tell them that I miss them. Everything is fine here. We've been practicing everything we learned while we were at your temple. I think we were there for about two months at least. Either way, it was a long time spent and I regret having to leave. It's painful not being able to see your true
friends every single day. I don't know how I've managed. I also, for one, think you have a great vocabulary and are a great writer. Cho is right to praise you. And thank you for mentioning my birthday. I'm grateful for that.
I will try to speak with Monk Gyatso. Maybe I can visit you and the others. Jing would probably like to come along too, as he got along very well with Rina.
Aang
It felt great to him, being able to write back and forth. The two exchanged letters over and over and over, writing both silly little notes and long, ridiculous letters. Some were serious; some were pure fun and games for the two. But they never ceased to write, and that's what made their bond so strong. At least, that's what Aang believed. And he was probably correct.
The young Airbender would rejoice and jump around with happiness every time he received a letter from his now-best friend. After gathering up enough courage, he went to discuss a visit with Gyatso.
"Gyatso?" he asked. "Well, as you know, I've been talking to Kunitachi, from the Eastern Air Temple, lately, and, well, I was wondering…"
"Yes, Aang, you may visit. In fact, Cho and I spoke recently. We've got it all worked out. You'll spend a week at the temple with Cho, Kunitachi and the others."
"Yes!" he cried happily. "Thank you, Gyatso!"
Later that afternoon, he found a scrap of paper lying on his bed. It read:
See? I told you, Aangie.
You're in.
Aang waited for another day for Cho to arrive. She would pick him up, and then take him back to the temple.
"Trust me, Aang, this bison's faster than any of the other bisons you'll ever meet," Cho told him as they were flying. "At this rate, we'll be there in a few hours. Oh, and I've never seen my little Kunitachi so excited. She's like a daughter to me, that one. She can't wait for you to arrive. If you get tackled when we get there, it's not my fault, and don't say I didn't warn you."
Aang smiled.
Once the bison landed, Aang searched desperately for Kunitachi. Where could she be? He wondered to himself. He had to find her; he had to. He was startled by a slight tap on his back.
"Hello, Aangie," Kunitachi said, her light brown hair blowing slightly in the breeze.
"Kunitachi!" Aang cried, and the two friends high-fived each other. Aang smiled. It was good to be back with his friends. And at this rate, he never wanted to leave.
Kunitachi dragged him over to the room he would be staying in. She put his bag down for him and smiled.
"Well, I'm going to let you unpack your things," she said. "Then you can come join us for dinner. We're having a picnic outside, in the fresh air. Cho thinks it will be nice for us, and it will be almost like a welcome dinner for you, you know? I agree with her on that one."
Aang nodded. He knew exactly what Cho meant; when some of the girls had visited the Southern Air Temple in previous years, the boys had a picnic outside to welcome them. He felt at home at the Eastern Air Temple. He never wanted to let anything about it go; he refused.
The dinner consisted of the usual Airbender foods, and there was one thing that Aang noticed never changed about the temple. The girls were chatty, but they'd gotten chattier since he'd seen them last. Rina and Shouko and gotten taller; they were growing already. Girls just never stopped talking, though.
"Ignore them," Kunitachi muttered. "They're ridiculous. But can you believe Rina and Shouko? They're shooting up like weeds!"
Aang laughed; indeed they were. Personality-wise, however, they hadn't changed a bit. They were still the same loud and talkative Rina and Shouko. They were exactly the same as they'd been. And Aang was happy to see things that way. He hadn't hoped for any change. He was satisfied.
The girls had a strange way of welcoming honored guests and visitors. If it was an adult, it would usually be a kind greeting. If it was a child, it would usually result in some food in your face. That's exactly what Aang got, to his dismay. After cleaning himself off, he realized how much fun this one little week of his life could really be. He headed outside and saw Kunitachi looking out over one of the balconies.
"Hey," he said with a smile. "How's it going?"
She shrugged. "I'm fine, just thinking."
"About…?" he questioned. She seemed upset.
"Just my family," she said. "It's nothing important."
"I want to know."
"I'm not telling you."
"Yes, you are."
"No, I'm-"
"Yes."
She sighed.
"My parents are dead," she mumbled. "I never knew them, never met them. I don't even know what they looked like. Nobody's ever told me a thing about them, but I've heard the monks talk about them. They said that they gave me up and just went off. The next thing anyone heard, they were both dead. How am I supposed to live with that, Aang?" she was rambling now, and tears were running down her face. Aang, not sure of what to do, put an arm around her shoulder.
"You know," he said, "I didn't know my parents either. I never met them, and I always wanted to know what they were like. I mean, I did have the monks, but…"
Great, he wasn't helping. He could tell. Instead he let out a sigh.
"Why don't you take a look up at the sky?" he suggested. "They'll be there, looking down at you from the stars. If you believe that they're there, they'll always be with you."
Kunitachi lifted her head and took a look at the sky, and a small smile crossed her face.
"I suppose you're right," she said. "Cho's always told me about how my parents loved me."
Aang smiled at the fact that Kunitachi was brightening up. It was then Kunitachi turned to him.
"Aang?"
"Yeah?"
"You're horrible at comforting people."
"Yeah, I know."
The two stood at the balcony, laughing. Together they headed back to join the rest of the group. His trip was starting out perfectly.
He was nine years old.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
As Aang and Kunitachi wrote, Aang noticed the monks talking about him more often. It didn't seem like gossip; to him it seemed as though they were discussing something important. It was odd for him. Aang was the type to understand most things. He understood Kunitachi the last time they'd seen each other, when she'd cried for her parents. When Jing's bison died, Aang understood every little bit of what his friend had felt, although he himself had never experienced anything like that.
With a sigh, Aang headed back to his room and took out a scroll and some ink and began writing a letter to Kunitachi.
Dear Kunitachi,
Hi, how are you? I hope you're doing well over at your little temple that is eastwards. I haven't heard from you in a while so I decided to get some scrolls and start writing. I may as well tell you what's been going on here at our boring little temple, because I think you'd like to know.
Jing's bison died recently, so he's been a little down. Because, as you know, I'm not good at comforting, I've had a hard time helping him out. It's rather sad, considering that he's only eleven and his bison is already dead. The monks have been helping him and doing the best they can for him. It seems to be working, but it could take a while.
Lately I've noticed the monks talking about me. I know they are because they do look at me when they speak. It seems silly of me to worry, but do you think I've done something wrong? I know you don't live here, but you know me better than most everyone here, except for Gyatso. I was wondering what your thoughts were on that.
Tell Shouko and Rina that I said hello, and I really hope you're doing alright. If anything's going wrong and you want to talk about it, feel free to tell me. I'm here for you, Kunitachi. You know that, right?
I miss you. I hope you know that too.
Aang
As Aang rolled the scroll up, he sent it out and, with a sigh, went back to his room. Sooner or later he'd hear something from her. At least, he hoped he would.
About a day or two after sending out the letter, he received one from Kunitachi.
Dear Aang,
It's so nice to hear from you! I'm doing well, and yourself? Things have been a little hard here, though. One of Cho's friends - her name was Yumi - has gone missing. There's been no sign of her since she disappeared two weeks ago. Although she helped us through a lot, we're learning to manage without her, and we're hoping for her safe return.
On another note, Shouko has been flipped upside down recently. Rina and I can't figure it out. She's always upset and she basically says that everything is wrong. It started happening before Yumi disappeared, so it couldn't possibly be that. Either way, it's making the rest of us upset as well, especially Rina, who's heartbroken. Shouko is her best friend, Aang. You would understand this, I'm sure. I know I'd be upset if you were in that state. It's making the girls fall apart. Shouko is like a leader - she holds us together in hard times. Now that we don't know what's going on with her, the girls are falling apart. We're learning to deal with the pain though.
Either way, Aang, I miss you too. I can't wait until we get to see each other again, it'll be really fun! You're definitely my best friend. Again, I'll repeat: I miss you!
Kunitachi
Aang sighed and rolled up the scroll and sighed. Wishing there was something he could do, he walked outside and leaned over one of the balconies. With a pained groan he sat on the groan. There was nothing he could do.
He was ten years old.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
By the time Aang turned eleven, he'd gotten the slightest bit taller and had visited Kunitachi once. Yumi had been recovered - she had only been on a trip to the Western Air Temple and had not mentioned it to anyone - and Shouko had grown out of her depression. Only Rina knew what had caused it, and she had been sworn to secrecy. But the girls were relieved, and Aang was happy that they were feeling much better about everything that had happened to them over the course of a year.
One day, while Aang was practicing his bending with Jing, Gyatso approached him.
"Aang," he said, "Kunitachi will be visiting shortly. Her friends Shouko and Rina will be traveling here with her. They should be arriving tomorrow afternoon."
With a smile, Aang thanked Gyatso. He and Jing proceeded to prepare for their arrival; they cleaned up, set things up, prepared their rooms and made the temple as comfortable as possible.
"Aang," Jing said, "How long have we been working?"
Aang, taking a deep breath, turned to face Jing. "About seven hours, I'd say. But we can't stop now."
Jing nodded in agreement and proceeded to kick some of his things in a corner. Aang laughed.
"I'm just doing what I can," Jing said.
When Kunitachi, Rina and Shouko arrived, they stepped onto the courtyard of the temple and bowed politely to Gyatso and the other monks. Immediately after they ran to Jing and Aang, hugging them. The two boys laughed at the rather enthusiastic greeting and showed them to their rooms. When the girls had settled down, they spent their time telling the boys everything that had happened to them during the time they hadn't seen them. Aang listened and was careful not to saying anything that might trigger something. But the girls seemed perfectly fine.
As the week passed, Aang and Kunitachi spent time practicing bending, playing games with the other boys at the temple, and helping Gyatso with his cooking. Kunitachi was especially grateful, since she had previously stated that she desperately needed cooking lessons. Aang, finding this funny, teased her about this whenever he got the chance.
The night before Kunitachi was to leave, she and Aang were taking a walk around the temple, talking about all the fun things they'd done.
"You know, Aang," she said, "it's been great to know you and be friends with you."
"Yeah, it really is," Aang agreed. He was going to miss her.
They discussed the disappearance of one of the other boys; it seemed like people just disappeared and then came back out of nowhere. And when they did come back, people acted as thought it had never happened. Now, Aang and his friends had a chance to go and search for him. Aang was reluctant.
"I don't really think I should do it," he told Kunitachi. "In fact, I won't do it. What if I fail everyone?"
"You need to do this," Kunitachi said, her light brown hair unmoving. "And even if you do let your other friends down, they won't think of you any differently. Why would they have a reason to?"
"Because they always find a reason," Aang muttered simply. "They always do."
"You have to do it."
"I'm not doing it."
"Yes you are."
"No, I'm not."
"Yes, you are."
"No, I'm…"
"I won't let you give up on a miracle, Aang!" Kunitachi cried. "Not when it might save you! Not when it might save everyone else!" She took a deep breath. "I care about you. And because I care, I can't let you not do this."
A tear slipped down his face. Unexpectedly he pressed a kiss on Kunitachi's cheek. The girl's eyes widened and she shook her head.
"Something's changed in you," she whispered. "I just can't figure it out. If you won't go, then that's fine. It doesn't change anything, not when it's changed so much already."
She turned and walked back to find Shouko and Rina, leaving Aang standing at the balcony by himself.
"What did I do?" he yelled. "I can't figure things out anymore."
He remembered the day he and Kunitachi had watched the animals outside of the Eastern Air Temple. They'd pointed out different birds and occasionally laughed at the bisons' antics, when a bright red bird had flown by.
"See, Aang?" Kunitachi had said, pointing at the bird. "Cho says my mother used to call me Little Red, because the first animal I saw was that kind of bird right there. I fell in love with the animal immediately. Beautiful, isn't it?"
Aang had nodded, staring at the bird. It really was beautiful.
He snapped out of his daydream and looked up at the sky in time to see a bright red bird fly by. A smile hit his lips.
"I'll do it," he whispered.
He was eleven years old.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
After the missing Airbender was found, Aang still hadn't heard from Kunitachi. She probably hadn't known that he'd gone ahead with the trip and searched for the boy. But he'd been safely returned to the temple, and everyone was proud of the group that had gone on the mission.
Upon hearing that he was the Avatar, Aang fled to his room and grabbed Appa, then left the temple. As he flew he thought angrily of the monks' secrets, of Jing, and of Kunitachi. He hadn't heard from her. But when he looked to the side of Appa's saddle, he saw a tiny scroll. He picked it up and opened it, only to find a note from Kunitachi.
Dear Aang,
You must truly hate me by now. I should have apologized before I left the temple, and I regret not doing so. But we're older now, I realize. I'm truly sorry for what I've done, and I know I can't get out of it either. So I'm sorry.
I'll never forget all the awesome times we had together: playing in the rain, cooking with Gyatso - that day made my day! I felt so much more confident in my non-existent cooking skills. And the bird that day - I can hardly tell you how amazing it was to show you that bird. The fact that you loved it as much as I did shows that you truly are my friend. I did all I could to make you feel welcome at the Eastern Air Temple, and the day you helped me feel better about my parents is a day I'll never forget. To this day I still remember. I remember and I care. No matter how little I show it, I really do.
You see, you and I both have changed. But we have changed in a good way. We're more grown up now. We know right from wrong. We know who our real friends are. And you, Aang, are my friend. I don't know if we'll ever see each other after this. But I can tell you one thing: If you promise to be my friend forever, I think I can live with that.
This might be goodbye, but I can't know for sure. Cho says we probably won't be seeing you anytime soon. So, goodbye, Aang. Thank you for our friendship, for the good times, for everything.
Kunitachi
Aang took the paper and held it tightly. Goodbye? What did she mean by that? As the storm he was flying through got stronger, he felt Appa plunge into the water. For protection, he froze himself in a block of ice, not to come out for one hundred years.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
One hundred years after being in the ice, Aang found himself on another journey: saving the world from the Fire Lord. Having found some great new friends, he was sure he could do it. But a few days before Sozin's comet was to arrive, he found himself lying awake at night, nervous. What if he couldn't stop the comet? The Fire Lord would surely win and conquer the rest of the world. As he looked at the stars, he felt a cool breeze go through him. What could it be? There wasn't any wind outside. It was hot and dry, like summer should be. But when he looked up, he gasped.
"Kunitachi?" he whispered, not believing what he was seeing. He touched her. His hand passed through.
"Aang," she said, "The comet arrives in just three days. I know that you can fight the Fire Lord off. I've seen you practice. You can do it. I'm proud of you."
She touched his forehead and disappeared into the night.
When Aang awoke the next morning, Sokka was calling to him.
"Aang, come on, Zuko wants you to practice with him! Get up!"
Aang turned to the sky, looking at the rising sun.
"Thank you," he whispered, and went to find Zuko. He could do it.
He was twelve years old.
-Fin-
Guh…longest. Fanfiction. Ever. Written. For me, at least. I'm so happy that I finished it. I love you, Lay! Happy birthday! I hope you liked this.