The Southern Air Temple
I don't own Digimon or Avatar: The Last Airbender
Chapter Three: The Southern Air Temple
The sun was rising above the side of a mountain and the sunlight reflected off of the lake bathing the area in a yellow glow. And on the shore of the lake was the group with Appa munching on some grass with Daisuke and Sokka snoozing away in their sleeping bags beside the fire that was just about out. Aang and Katara however where atop Appa with Katara in the saddle and Aang was checking the knots on the reins on Appa's horns.
"Just wait until you see it Katara, the Southern Air Temple is one of the most beautiful places in the world!" Aang said in excitement and Katara looked at him with concern on her face.
"Aang I know that you are excited, but it is just you have been gone one hundred years, a lot can change," She said cautiously to him.
"But that is why I am so excited," He said with a broad smile to Katara before he jumped down to Daisuke and Sokka. "Wake up you two, the Air Temple awaits!" He said energetically and Sokka awoke and mumbled groggily, Daisuke however sat up and yawned.
"Morning," She said stretching. "What's going on?" She asked Aang.
"We're going to the Air Temple, my home today," He answered energetically and Daisuke nodded her head at him.
"Sleep now, temple later," Sokka mumbled to them both and they looked at him.
"Wake up Sokka, or do I need to set your butt on fire again?" Daisuke asked him and Sokka gave her a sleepy glare before he fell back asleep and snored and the others sweatdropped. "Man your brother is a heavy sleeper Katara," Daisuke said to the Waterbender who nodded her head.
"Sokka, wake up! There is a prickle snake in your sleeping bag!" Aang said in a panic and Sokka opened his eye lazily before he shouted in shock.
"AHH! Get it off, get it off!" He shouted hopping around before he fell flat on his face and everyone laughed.
"Oh good you're up," Aang said with a cheeky grin and Sokka grumbled at him in anger. A few minutes later Appa roared as he soared over the clouds and mountains with Aang and Katara atop his head and Daisuke and Sokka were sitting in the saddle behind them when a growl was heard and Daisuke looked at Sokka who was holding his stomach.
"Come on stomach, calm down I'm getting something for you," He said to his stomach and he picked up a sack and he reached inside and he raised an eyebrow, he then turned the sack upside down and only a few crumbs came out. "Hey! Who ate all my Blubbered Seal Jerky!?" He asked the other three members of the gang.
"Oh that was food?" Aang asked him and Sokka nodded his head. "I gave it to Daisuke to start to start the fire last night," The bald headed Airbender smiled sheepishly and Daisuke chuckled nervously.
"What?!" Sokka asked in shock before he groaned. "Oh so that's why the flames smelled so good," He moaned as Appa roared once again.
"The Patola Mountain range! We're almost there!" Aang said in anticipation as Appa continued to soar through the sky with a roar.
"Aang, before we get there I need to tell you about the Airbenders," Katara said to Aang.
"What about them?" He asked her.
"Well I just want you to be prepared for what you might see, the Fire Nation is ruthless, they killed my mother, and they could have down the same to your people," Katara said sadly to him.
"Just because nobody has seen an Airbender, doesn't mean that they were all killed, some probably escaped," Daisuke said to her looking over the side of Appa.
"She is right," Aang smiled at Katara.
"I know that it's hard to accept," She told him placing her hand on Aang's shoulder.
"You don't understand Katara. The only way to reach an Air Temple is by a Sky Bison and I doubt that the Fire Nation have any of them," Aang said to Katara while Appa growled. "That is right buddy," Aang said to his bison who continued to fly towards the Southern Air Temple. "Hey there it is!" Aang said pointing at a very large temple on a mountain.
"Whoa, amazing," Daisuke said.
"You said it," Sokka voiced as Appa landed on the ground and all four people disembarked from the bison. "Now where can I get some food," Sokka groaned as his stomach growled again.
"You're one of the few people to see the Air Temple apart from those who lived here, and all you can think off is your stomach?" Daisuke asked him.
"I am a simple guy, with simple needs," Sokka replied to her, this made Daisuke sweat drop slightly. They both then walked after Katara and Aang who suddenly pointed at a stadium full of tall wooden polls.
"Over there is where my friends and I would play air ball," He said before he then pointed over to another place, "And over there is where the bison would sleep and…" Aang trailed off as he sighed sadly.
"What's up?" Daisuke asked him.
"This whole place used to be filled with monks, lemurs and bison, now there is just weeds," Aang sadly said before sighing again and the others looked at him in concern.
"So this air ball thing, how's it work?" Daisuke asked him and Aang smiled brightly at her while Sokka and Katara smiled at Daisuke who also smiled, but that didn't last as she and Aang were balancing on one of the pillars each in front of a gate, Daisuke growled in frustration while Aang grinned cheekily at her as he held a hollow ball which he then suspended with Airbending and juggled it on his body. "This is gonna suck," Daisuke moaned and sure enough Aang kicked the ball towards a pole and it bounced off towards another and then another, the ball then zoomed towards Daisuke who braced and the ball hit her and sent her flying through the gate and she crashed into the snow.
"Aang seven Daisuke one," Aang said cheerfully as Daisuke sat up.
"Knew it," She grumbled before she saw a helmet in the snow. "Hey Sokka, Katara check this thing out," She called to the siblings who walked over to her and saw the helmet.
"Fire Nation," Katara said. "Hey Aang, come check this out!" She shouted to him.
"Okay!" He exclaimed before he ran towards the others and Katara's face changed from one of determination to one of uncertainty and she lifted her arms up before bringing them down and the snow that was above the helmet came down and covered it and Daisuke who poked her head out. "What is it?" Aang asked Katara.
"A new Waterbending move I learnt," She lied.
"Cool, but enough practice we have a whole temple to explore!" Aang said with enthusiasm before he ran towards the temple.
"What the heck was that for!?" Daisuke hissed to Katara brushing the snow off her shoulders and out of her hair.
"You can't defend him forever," Sokka said to his sister.
"From what, someone want to explain?" Daisuke asked them both and they looked at her.
"You really don't know anything?" Sokka asked her.
"We've gone through this haven't we, I was in the iceberg the same as Aang was," Daisuke explained to them both, Sokka and Katara looked at one another before they sighed.
"Okay, about a hundred years ago, when this whole war started at the very beginning the Fire Nation launched a devastating first blow, they wiped out the Air Nomads," Katara told Daisuke who gasped.
"So, it is true?" She asked and Katara and Sokka nodded their heads grimly. "Poor Aang, but Sokka's right, you can't hide it from him, better to find out now from us then by someone who means him harm," She said before she ran off after Aang.
"Oh she is stubborn," Katara said running after Daisuke.
"Oi vey," Sokka grumbled as he ran after Daisuke and his sister. The three of them ran off to find Aang who they discovered in front of a statue of an old man.
"Hey you guys, I want you to meet someone," He pointed at the statue.
"Who's that?" Sokka asked him.
"Monk Gyatso! The greatest Airbender in the world, he taught me everything that I know," Aang said as he bowed to the statue.
"You must miss him," Daisuke said in understanding as Aang walked off.
"Yeah," He said.
"Hey, where're you going?" Katara asked him as Aang walked up a flight of stairs.
"The Air Temple sanctuary, there is someone I am ready to meet," He replied as the others all followed after him and they walked through a corridor where they then soon arrived at a massive wooden door. That had three spirals on it and several pipes that arrange in the shape of a spiral. The door was also framed by branches from a nearby tree and the sun illuminated the door through small holes in the walls.
"Uh Aang no offence but I don't think anyone survived for one hundred years in there," Daisuke said to him and Sokka and Katara nodded their heads in agreement with her.
"So, you and I survived in the ice for that long Daisuke," Aang said to her.
"He has you there," Sokka said to her and Daisuke slumped.
"Who knows, whoever is in there might be able to help me with this whole Avatar thing," Aang smiled.
"And whoever is in there might have," Sokka said licking his lips as Katara glared at him in frustration. "A melody of delicious cured meats!" He shouted before he ran at the door but the door did not move an inch and Sokka smashed into it and hit the ground.
"I suppose that you don't have a key to this thing?" Katara asked Aang.
"The key is Airbending," He smiled at her. He then stood in front of the door and took a deep breath, he then spread his arms out before he thrust them forward and two gusts of air shot out from his arms and they flew into the two funnels that were on the spirals and the three spirals that were on the door turned around and the wind blew out like a horn on all three and the door creaked slightly, it then opened up. "Hello?" Aang called into the room as Daisuke walked inside the room.
"Got a torch?" She asked holding her hand out and it caught alight and she yelped slightly. "Never mind," She said as Sokka, Aang and Katara walked inside as Daisuke illuminated the room and all four of them gasped as they all saw hundreds upon hundreds of statues.
"Statues? Where's the meat!?" Sokka asked in shock and disappointment.
"Who are all these people?" Katara asked looking at all the statues.
"I'm not sure, but it feels like I know them somehow," He replied looking at a statue that had an arrow on its head. "Look! This one is an Airbender!" He exclaimed pointing at the statue.
"And this one is a Waterbender," Katara said pointing at another. "They're lined up in a pattern, Air, Water, Earth and Fire," She said pointing to four statues.
"That is the Avatar cycle," Aang smiled.
"Of course they're Avatars, these must be your past lives," Katara said in realisation.
"Past lives, don't tell me you believe in that," Sokka said to his sister skeptically.
"It's true, when the Avatar dies they are reincarnated into the next nation in the cycle," Katara said as Daisuke saw Aang staring at a statue of an old man and it looked like Aang was in a trance.
"Aang, hey snap out of it," Daisuke said shaking him slightly and he shook his head.
"Wha?" He asked slightly dazed as he looked at the statue again, Daisuke also looked at the statue.
"Who is this guy?" She asked.
"That is Avatar Roku, the Avatar before me," Aang answered her as Katara and Sokka walked up to the duo.
"You were a Firebender?" Sokka asked. "Now wonder I didn't like you, when we first met, and how do know his name, there is no writing on it?" He then asked Aang.
"I'm not sure, I just know somehow," Aang said as Sokka growled irritably and crossed his arms.
"You just couldn't get any weirder," He grumbled as they heard a noise from behind them and their eyes all widened.
"Company," Daisuke said.
"Hide!" Sokka whispered and the four of them hid behind statues as a figure approached them. "A Firebender, nobody make a sound," Sokka whispered.
"You're making a sound!" Katara whispered back to him.
"Shush!" Daisuke, Aang and Sokka said to her and she frowned before all four of them looked back at the door, the figure continued to approach them before it stopped and everyone saw not a Firebender but a flying lemur who looked at all of them.
"Lemur!" Aang shouted happily.
"Dinner," Sokka said with drool coming out of his mouth.
"So cute!" Daisuke squealed.
"Don't listen to Sokka, you're gonna be my new pet," Aang smiled at him.
"Not if I get to him first!" Sokka shouted as he jumped at the lemur whose tail and ears shot up straight and it shrieked, it ran off and Sokka crashed into the ground.
"Hey come back here," Daisuke said running after the lemur with Aang and Sokka right behind her. "I won't let him eat you," She called to the lemur who continued to run away from her. Daisuke heard a noise and she saw Aang sitting in mid-air with a ball of air beneath him, Aang then looked at her and smiled cheekily at her.
"Keep up!" He called before he zoomed away.
"Hey no fair!" Daisuke called after him as she ran after the Airbender and down a flight of steps and into a tent, but she then tripped over something and she looked behind her and she screamed loudly because what she tripped over was a skeleton wearing orange and yellow robes with a wooden necklace around its neck. "No," She gasped when she also saw several skeletons wearing red and black armour. "Firebenders?" She asked in shock. "I gotta find Aang and fast," She said as she ran out of the tent and saw Aang running towards her.
"Hey Daisuke, so did you find the lemur?" He asked her.
"Nope, sorry," She apologised to him.
"What's in there?" Aang asked pointing at the tent.
"Nothing," Daisuke replied quickly to him.
"Are you sure, is the lemur in there?" Aang asked excitedly as he pushed past Daisuke and walked into the tent.
"Aang! Wait! You don't want to go in…there," She trailed off as she ran after Aang into the tent to find him on his knees in shock. "Aang, I am so sorry," She said to him as she went to place her hand onto his shoulder, suddenly his tattoos glowed bluish white, Aang then lifted his head up and his eyes were glowing the same colour and Daisuke retracted her hand in shock as a sphere of air surrounded him. "Aang! Snap out of it!" Daisuke shouted to him as Aang glared at her and the sphere of air expanded and blew Daisuke away. "Argh!" She shouted as she rolled across the ground.
"Daisuke!" She looked up to see Sokka and Katara running up to her. "What is going on?" Sokka asked her.
"Aang found out that the Fire Nation killed Gyatso!" Daisuke shouted over the raging winds.
"Oh no! It's the Avatar Spirit he must have triggered it! I am going to try and calm him down!" Katara shouted.
"Well do it before he blows us off the mountainside!" Sokka shouted to his sister who ran towards Aang.
"Aang! I know what you're going through!" She shouted at him. "I know it is hard for you to lose someone that you love, I went through the same thing when I lost my mom! Gyatso and all the other Airbenders may be gone but you still have a family!" Katara shouted at Aang who looked at her as Daisuke and Katara ran up to her. "Daisuke, Sokka and I!" She shouted at him. "We're your family now!" She shouted as Aang looked at them all with and emotionless face, he then started to descend and the gale force winds ceased as Aang sat on the ground.
"We won't let anything bad happen to you," Sokka said to him as Aang's arrows and eyes stopped glowing and he slumped in exhaustion.
"I'm sorry," Aang said tired.
"It's alright, it wasn't your fault," Daisuke said to him.
"But Katara was right, if they found this temple then they found the others as well, I truly am the last Airbender," Aang said sadly to her and Daisuke hugged him tightly. Later the gang was back with Appa and Katara and Daisuke were packing everything onto the flying bison.
"Okay everything is packed, let's get going," Daisuke said.
"Hey Aang are you okay?" Katara asked him.
"How is Roku supposed to help me if I cannot talk to him?" Aang asked.
"Don't worry, you will find a way," Katara said to him as they heard a noise and the four of them all looked to see the same lemur from before run towards them all with hands full of fruits. He then dropped the fruits on the floor in front of Sokka who grabbed them all and started to gorge on them.
"Looks like you have a new friend," Daisuke said as the lemur crawled up Appa and onto her shoulder and wrapped its tail around her neck.
"Can't talk, must eat," Sokka said with a mouthful of food.
"What are we gonna name him?" Katara asked as the lemur jumped down and snatched a nut from Sokka's hand and jumped back onto Daisuke's shoulder.
"How about Momo?" She asked as Sokka's jaw was slack in shock.
"That sounds great," Aang said as Momo chattered as he munched on the nut on Daisuke's shoulder.
"Welcome to the team Momo," Daisuke said patting him on the head and he chattered at her.
The end of the chapter
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