~I was looking back on the last chapter and I did notice some spelling mistakes which almost made me laugh myself to death. (Yes because any person like me would laugh at this.) I edited it and now I have an updated chapter two up with the spelling mistakes fixed as well as new dividers added for the paragraph placing.~
~I do not own Avatar The Last Airbender. However I do own Gaia and her family.~
Gaia was shaking, her hands obviously dropping to her sides as she let out a startled breath. That was when she remembered what he mother had told her when she had handed her the blanket. 'If you ever see him again Gaia thank him until he gets fed up with it.'
She could tell that he wasn't going to start this conversation so she nervously started forward. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank-" She was interrupted by the boy's harsh glare as he bunched his hands up into small fists.
"Can you shut up already? I didn't come here to be bombarded with a bunch of meaningless words." Well this boy obviously wasn't the most cheery child on the planet.
"Then why are you here?" Gaia asked, starting to finally have worry register in her mind. What if he had heard her? This would all be over and her family would be killed. It would all be her fault. She bit down on her tongue, refusing to cry again. She wouldn't let this get to her.
The boy snorted lightly, resting his back against the closest tree. Though she was able to catch many fringes of doubt and confusion in his eyes. "That blanket I gave you...where is it right now?"
Gaia had to cover her mouth to keep herself from laughing out loud. It felt so odd to switch moods so quickly yet you would react the same way to if a boy your age came back to see the blanket he gave you. Honestly...wasn't that a bit odd? "So let me get this straight. You are worried about your precious little blanket?" The young boy got up from his perch on the tree and started to walk towards her. To be honest though she wasn't really sure whether this was meant to be a joke or to actually pertain some type of serious meaning.
"I just want you to answer my question. Where is it? Did you sell it or did you actually have enough sense to keep it?" The boy pointed his index finger in her direction each time he spoke a word and Gaia took a step back as if she were actually concerned about her welfare.
In time she was coming to notice that he probably wouldn't leave until she just told him. Though when she replayed his words in her head it really sounded like he was expecting her to have taken it to the market to sell. That was why he was all worked up.
"I still have it with me at home. And no I never planned to or am going to plan to sell it. My father was sick. That's what we used it for and if it's ever needed again it'll be used." As soon as she finished speaking she noticed that his face had gone blank. "That wasn't what you expected to hear huh?"
The boy however seemed like he wasn't ready to give up. "I request to see it too to know that you definitely aren't lying." Gaia bit down on her lower jaw to keep herself from spitting out insults. He wasn't going to give up at all! Did it even matter? It was just a blanket.
"Since I'm going to have to show you, a random stranger, that I still have the dang blanket, I want to at least know your name." As Gaia spoke she pointed her finger towards him and continued her odd looking glare.
However the boy seemed nervous now, clearing his throat and looking around the spacious river area. "My name is...well...Lee." As soon as he finished speaking he had a much more cheery look on his face, almost like he was forcing himself to smile.
"Well then Lee," Gaia added irritably. "Let's go see the blanket. Maybe that will make you feel better. Oh why don't I just bring it around with me all the time so that when you show up I know to get down on both knees and bring it into your presence?"
Gaia huffed silently, letting her anger get the best of her as she started to walk towards her house. She didn't know what was coming to her. One moment she was shy and then the next minute she was blowing up at Lee, who at the moment seemed to be running up to try and keep his pace even with her's.
To be honest...he didn't exactly look like he wanted to be there either. However he start talking anyways. "You know...you have a very big temper for a girl of your age." Lee had this look on his face. It...was almost like he was amused!
"You say one more stupid thing and I'll take the blanket and have it torn up!" Impatience was tearing at the seams of her mind. She had thought Lee was kind. Yet so far all he was being was a pain.
He seemed to get quiet though. Every few moments looking over at her with a glare. Gaia didn't seem to care though as she stomped towards her family's home.
"Get this straight right now. You've already made yourself look stupid enough. Just stay here and let me get it. Okay?" Her voice seemed much calmer, almost like she was trying her best to tone it down. This day had brought on too much. To have this happening was destroying her mental state. Lee himself only seemed more insulted and it was obvious she hadn't helped her problem with how he acted. At the moment it honestly didn't matter to her anymore though.
She gave him one last look before disappearing into her home. Her dark brown eyes wandered across the room as she tried to find her mother's delicate face. She couldn't help but hope that neither Huo nor Murki were home at the moment. She was too busy to want to have to deal with that.
"Mother!" she called out loudly as she walked further into the house. It took all she had not to start running around screaming. If it hadn't already been guessed you could tell that Gaia could become very over-dramatic when she was stressed. This was one of those times.
"Calm down. Calm down Gaia. I'm right here. Now what is it?" As she spoke she noticed that her mother seemed to be frustrated. Gaia could only wonder who would have caused such a thing. She just kept her mouth shut though and tried to gather her thoughts.
"Where did you put that blanket we were given?" Her eyes beamed as she spoke. Trying to seem like she wasn't up to something wasn't something that Gaia had usually practiced. In fact she usually faltered when trying to keep something bottled up.
"And why do you need it so badly?" her mother questioned as she looked down at her daughter. "Is there something you aren't telling me? You seem hesitant."
Gaia started to look around the room, fumbling around with her thumbs awkwardly. "I-I... There is this boy outside and it's the same one who gave me the blanket. He's named Lee and he wants to make sure it's well taken care of!" Gaia's words seemed to flow out of her mouth in an endless barrage of worry and panic. She knew she had been caught trying to keep it hidden.
"It's okay Gaia. No need to get upset. I have it right here. Just let me get it." Her mother's words were soothing but in the pit of her stomach she felt as if her mother was a bit confused by this all. She didn't question it though as she walked towards the corner of the small and tightly-packed room and pulled out a dark red blanket from the pile of clothes.
As soon as her mother walked back to her Gaia was jumping up and down as she tried to reach the blanket for herself. "Thanks mom. But...this does no good if I don't have it," she added quietly, a glint of frustration seeming to hold her down from leaping up again.
"Why are you in such a hurry? I want to meet this young man anyways. He helped you out and it would be nice to thank him myself." As soon as her mother finished speaking she could already tell there would be no more questions. It was just the way that her mother held herself now,.
Gaia simply sighed, walking away and towards the door while muttering to herself on why thanking him no probably wouldn't be the best idea. He just didn't seem like the type to sit there for too long.
As Gaia poked her head out of the door she noticed he was still standing there, looking around as if he were lost. It was enough to make her question what was so amazing about the sky itself and look up. Plain blue. She certainly didn't see what was so great about it at the moment.
Her mother tapped her shoulder and slightly pushed her to the side, bringing her out of her daze. Gaia stayed quiet and watched her with interest as she walked towards Lee and bent down. Gaia was so curious as to what was going on that it looked like her head was bent side-ways, her dark black hair falling from her shoulders and just laying limp in the air while her ponytail in the back swayed.
"Mom?" she asked quietly as she walked towards them. What was taking her so long? It usually wasn't that hard to thank someone and then leave.
"Gaia- Oh...Gaia. Yes?" As Gaia looked over at her mother's face she noticed that her mother kept looking back a Lee as if she suspected something. Lee looked nervous too and after glancing at the blanket for a few moments he started to back up and run slowly in the opposite direction.
"What did you do to him mother? Stare him to death?" Gaia asked as she looked over at her mother. Her voice came out in a silent whisper and she seemed to be waiting for an answer but her mother simply stayed quiet and got up to her feet before walking away, the same nervous look on her face.
Gaia couldn't help but feel as if her mother knew something she didn't. Most mother's avoided telling their children important things and by now she knew that quite well herself as she was always excluded from personal talk. Now though it just sent her mind spinning into a deep haze.
Of course, with the record Gaia had that day, it was no surprise another loud noise had woken her up from her wandering thoughts.
"Watch where you are going! This is the second time today I've had to clean up my produce from the ground," the merchant on the right side of her yelled.
Gaia watched as Lee stumbled and looked at the merchant before continuing on running until he reached the outskirts of the village and escaped into the dark haze.
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Gaia fumbled with her fingers as she looked around, sheepishly offering a small smile to the invisible being that wasn't there. She wasn't exactly sure why she was doing what she was doing. In fact she felt rather odd for doing it. She could only guess that maybe it had to do with everything that had gone one today.
As if to stand testimony to her findings she rubbed the spot on her cheek that had been whipped with water and flinched. All that remained of the incident now was a small red mark that would go away soon. The moment would never leave her mind. She was sure of it. Gaia could practically see the flames dance through the air before her eyes and the water slowly wind it's way from the river. She could feel the sting on her cheek and hear her father's rushed words.
Most of all she could feel the yearning to be different. She wanted to bend water. However she had tried so far and nothing had shown itself. Gaia was starting to consider the possibility that she was not going to be able to bend both. For now she could just try to continue on trying to improve her weak excuse for Firebending.
It was another point that she thought of every once and awhile. She didn't have an actual Firebending master to teach her like some of the luckier children. She didn't mind that either. In fact Gaia was grateful to have her father passing down such an art to her. But he wasn't a master himself either and she knew that there was a good chance she never would be either.
As she continued to think while looking down at her thumbs she could hear footsteps approaching closer to her and looked up to see Huo running just behind Murki in a desperate attempt to see who could reach the house first.
Just as it had seemed that Murki was going to win Huo pushed his younger brother with two hands, laughing as he took a moment to look down at Murki before he ran into the house.
"Oh great," Gaia mumbled. Huo by far was her favorite brother. He stood up for her and would sometimes even bend with her, pretending to win so that he felt better about what she had done. Though sometimes he just liked to push Murki around in a way that meant no harm. However, she would never hear the end of it from her mother or father later tonight.
Gaia managed to look down at her second oldest brother and sighed as if she didn't really want to be doing what she was going to do. "Are you alright?"
Murki looked up at his sister and quickly drew his hand over his eyes to try to vanquish the tears from showing. "I'm fine! Why do you think I wouldn't be okay?"
Gaia got up from the bench and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well any other normal little boy would start crying if he had been pushed onto the ground like that. Are you saying you are not normal?" she taunted, clearing just trying to put him in any other mood but that one he had just been in mere seconds ago.
"I am too better! Just because I am not a bender it doesn't make me any less important." Murki seemed to be a bit angered not, pulling himself off of the ground and shooting Gaia a glare.
Gaia unfolded her arms and used her right hand to point at him. "Okay. I've had enough drama. You win," she muttered as she threw her hands up into the air in defeat.
Murki seemed pleased with what he had done and he quickly shuffled off into the house to no doubt get back at Huo. Gaia looked around until she was sure the coast was clear and then started to sneak her way towards the training spot.
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The warm air made Gaia sigh in content as she walked towards the flowing water and dipped one hand in to draw the water over her head. In some way it was to keep herself from moving onto her next task. She honestly was nervous to even try it.
After cooling herself down the young girl got up to her feet and started to slowly wave her arms around in the same way that her father had. Nothing. She again tried the same movement but changed her stance slightly. Still nothing.
Gaia could only come to the conclusion that she was no Waterbender. However, she was still waving her arms around in a circular motion like she had gone into shock and her hands had been the only thing to keep moving.
In frustration Gaia sat down and looked at her reflection in the water. The dark brown eyes of her own self seemed to peer right back at her and for a few moments they were all she could focus on. Then without another word she got up and started to head back home.
She had something she needed to ask them and it needed to be questioned now.
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Zuko was still a bit nervous as he quickly fled for his room and closed the door. He swore he had been so close that it had scared him to death. It had been stupid to risk his parents' trust and his free time scouting for the state of a blanket.
Not only had he been forced to have to deal with being ran into a countless number of times but he could have sworn that girl's mother somehow knew who he was. Well...he had tried to disguise himself. Of course he probably hadn't tried well enough.
But even though he had basically gone there for nothing he did find out something rather strange. He had heard the term, 'Doublebender' come from the girl and she had looked like she was rather enthused yet angered.
As Zuko let out a quiet sigh he closed his eyes and tried to make out why this had come about and why such a thing could be said.
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I'm sorry this chapter is somewhat bland in a way. I've had some bad writer's block lately and I haven't been feeling well but I still wanted to get this chapter out soon. I promise I'll get out a longer and more interesting chapter soon~
