I do not own A:TLA.
Rainy Days
Aang liked the rain. He loved to watch the rain every time it made its presence. And he had his reasons.
For starters, it was soothing. Perhaps it was just a natural characteristic for him to love the sound and smell of the downpour. Watching the water droplets grace everything and cast it all in a pearly glow… what a sight it was. Even when he was with Monk Gyatso- during the days that will never come back- he would be smitten by everything the rain had to offer. The other monks had always taken to their heels whenever the first sprinkles hit the earth, but it was just him who didn't mind getting wet under millions of drops.
"Remember well, young airbender. If you want clear skies, you better let it rain first."
So the first day it rained at the Western Air Temple, he remembered this quote from Gyatso and let the rain sink into his system. It wasn't like his friends had anything to do since Sozin's Comet was three weeks away. He sat alone in the midst of the downpour. But strange to say… he didn't enjoy the rain as much as he expected.
The second day it rained, Zuko (not much entertained since the rain blocked off his ability to openly firebend) had offered to give him company. The two traced their eyes over each raindrop that caught their attention, somehow stirring their own pasts awake. But Aang had noticed the rain wasn't as beautiful as he thought it was. It wasn't special enough. It was just… rain…
The third day it rained, Aang wasn't much happier. As much as Toph and Sokka openly griped about the weather, they didn't mind it too much inwardly. So Aang was out there again, this time underneath the shelter of the arching temple doorway and, to his surprise, with the company of his earthbending teacher. Somehow the rain still didn't strike him as much as it would have, and the only thing that stirred his attention was Toph's occasional complaints of quitting the vow of silence.
The fourth day it rained, Aang wasn't convinced. There was nothing special about this rain, either. Sokka had been made to give him company, but it wasn't long until the warrior fell asleep. Honestly Aang had started to give up. He realized he wasn't into rain as much as he thought. There was nothing that stirred him, other than the fact that every thunder rumble shook Sokka awake and sent the water tribe warrior rambling in frustration.
The fifth day it rained, Appa was by his side. Appa generally didn't like rain, considering the fact that they were caught in a storm the day they ran away from the Southern Air Temple. It wasn't a pleasant sight for his fur to get drenched, either. So the bison had insisted on staying inside the huge earth tent Toph had made for him. Nothing special with this rain.
The sixth day it rained, Momo decided to have a turn. Though the lemur's presence made Aang happy for once, the rain still wasn't special. It felt prickly, in fact. A lemur's hunger was as wide and vast as a lion turtle, and it wasn't a surprise when he kept sneaking away from Aang to munch on a few berries every now and then. He sighed. How long had it been since he last trained? Aang had no choice but to join the not-so-happy-campers-club with Toph, Zuko, and Sokka.
But the seventh day brought miracles. Aang finally had a smile to his lips. His dark, stormy eyes sparkled along with every drop of rain that, for once, the rain felt like rain. The world was bathed in damp goodness, and the skies were so beautifully arranged that even though it felt like it would storm, it didn't. The rain today was so beautiful that he didn't care if the place was flooded. A few high puddles of water had no match for a vast temple anyway. This was what he needed. This was special.
Because Katara was with him.
