A giant, massive, huge, explosive thank you to everyone that reviewed! I really like knowing how well I write and from what I have read, everything seems to be ok! I would also like to say cheers to the people that have this story on their favourites! I am feeling generous today so this is a THANK YOU to just about everyone on this wonderful (yet sometimes worrying) website :c)
The next couple of days were uneventful and only really consisted of repairs and doctor checkups. Luckily for me, Iroh never mentioned the healing to anyone else so I had no need to worry about risking my secrets around the other crew members. Some did, however, question why I was sleeping and resting for the following two days. I had no need to tell them how I used my very essence to heal a good friend, so naturally, I didn't feel great afterward.
According to some of the other officers, we were only a couple hours away from Republic City and our first stop would be on Air Temple Island. I didn't understand why there was an island secluded for one nation right beside a whole area that held a mixture of all bending abilities. And how come it wasn't just another temple like the others I had visited?
In my head, I noticed that Aang had a particularly strong connection to this area and from listening to all of his stories at night I had a feeling that this was where his family resided.
I stood by the side of the boat and happily stared out to the horizon where towers and bridges would soon come into view. I could begin to see the peak of a building was appearing and I rested my arms on the railing, thinking about all of the people I was soon to see.
"You ready to meet her?" Shóu approached, keeping his gaze out to sea. During our weeks together I had grown rather attached to the man, learning that he had children and a loving wife. He himself was leaving to live with them and retire after the year had ended.
"I don't know," I shrugged unsurely. I didn't even know if she would be happy with my help. I may be deemed untrustworthy or even just ignored entirely. Of all the possibilities, I just wished that Korra would understand that my intentions were pure.
"LAND AHEAD!" Ronny yelled from the Captain's cabin, causing most of the men off duty to walk over to the edge and take a look for themselves. "TWENTY MINUTES TILL WE DOCK!"
I manoeuvred through the men to get to the door leading inside and walked down to my room. I sat silently down onto the bed and took a good look around at the golden furnishings that I would soon be leaving behind. I had already packed my things and was changed in my usual outfit, ready to explore the new city.
"You can stay, if you want." Iroh appeared, leaning against the doorway with a sad smile that mirrored my own. He had tried to convince me to stay before; he even went as far as saying how I was one of his best soldiers.
I stood and walked over to where he was stood. "She needs my help." I whispered, wanting to stay without outright saying so, but I knew I couldn't.
"She's doing fine at the minute, she can manage." He pleaded, moving to hold onto my shoulders. A blush crept onto my cheeks from the close contact and I looked away. Shaking my head, I turned back to look into his eyes.
"There are things that even you don't understand going on." I wanted to show him everything, to tell him everything I knew. In my mind, it wasn't the best thing to go through with, but I needed an ally I could trust entirely without fault. Throughout my journey, this man was the closest thing I had to a friend. He deserved to know.
"Tell me what's happening then." He placed his hands onto my cheeks and begged for answers in a hushed tone.
From in between where we stood, I produced a small ball of air that circulated around my palm and held it up to his face with an awkward smile.
"I'm not who you think I am." I shamefully admitted, letting a tear slid down my cheek. Iroh's hands fell limply from my face as he stared at the element in from of him as it dissipated.
As if sudden sense was kicked into him, he pushed me forward and slammed the door shut behind us. I fell back onto the bed and sat up, wondering what on Earth he could be thinking.
"You are exactly who I think you are!" He said, moments away from shouting. His hair was dishevelled and the neat and serious side was almost completely gone from everywhere but his eyes. He quietened his voice and continued. "You couldn't trust me? I thought that was part of our deal!"
I was ashamed, and his words rang true, but there was no way I could come completely clean in a matter of minutes. He continued to stare at me with betrayal as I thought of an answer when truthfully, there wasn't one.
'Tell him Evelyn. He is a friend, he should understand,' Aang encouraged me, showing me visions of Iroh saving Korra and helping poor citizens.
"I was scared." I admitted, keeping my sight on the ground. "I'm not from here." My voice was low and quite, almost a whimper. I thought back to the first time I had met him and how nervous I was around my first human contact.
He nodded, mistakenly taking my meaning as something else. "It's a lot to take in if you aren't from the main islands." I just weakly chuckled at that. If you count the planet as an island, then yea, I guess you would be right.
Ronny showed up at the door and apologised for barging in but let us know that we were five minutes until reaching land. We thanked him and he went on his way. Iroh turned to face me and gave a strained smile.
"How about I walk you to meet Tenzin? I've already informed him of your arrival and he is intrigued to meet you. "He winked, stood and held out a hand. I gladly accepted both the help and offer, thinking that I could use the time to further explain things to him in detail.
I left the room that I had grown so used to and followed my current boss out and off of the boat. We stood at the base of a grand hill that looked out onto the ocean and the coastal edge of the large city ahead. It was just like one of the other Air temples but in miniature, more like a villa than a large tower. There seemed to be loads of winding steps that lead up to the top and luckily I had a friend by my side to take me the whole way.
"So let me get this straight, you can bend Air too?" He looked puzzled and quirked an eyebrow. I just laughed in response and nodded. He was taking the revelation pretty well.
As we walked a little more ahead, I discretely looked around and saw that the path we were now on was secluded by the hill and no onlookers were present. With a quick flick of my wrist I shot a small rock right to the centre of Iroh's forehead and caused the most disgusted look I had ever witnessed on his face. I continued to mask my giggles and whilst he twirled around, looking for the source like the ever vigilant man he was, I shot another stone to hit his backside.
"What the-" I burst out in hysterics at how the usually serious man was now rubbing his bottom with a pout. "You!" He leant down and picked up a pebble and threw it at me as though we were play-fighting. To demonstrate what else I could do, I bent his rock mid air and let it suspend inches away from my face.
My cheeky smile grew and Iroh only became more and more shocked as he began to realise just what was happening. I spun the object in my palm and weaved it through my fingers a couple of times before shooting it straight back at him to diffuse the tension.
"Wait, so..three.."He was counting on his fingers the different elements he had seen me bend. "Let me guess, water too?" It almost looked as though he thought it was all a big joke until I grinned and his face fell.
"Why do you think I told you to close your eyes when I healed you?" I raised an eyebrow and smiled. Recognition hit him like a bolt of lightning as he stood up straighter and he automatically touched where he had been stabbed.
"But Korra's the Avatar…"Iroh began until I held up a hand for him to pause. Come on Aang, how am I supposed to explain this? I thought, trying to figure out what I was going to tell him without it sounding like a fairy tale.
"This staff," I lifted it slightly off of the ground as I explained, "is not a replica."
My companion seemed slightly off put by what I was telling him and looked disbelievingly at the item I held.
"In a sense, I am another Avatar." I chuckled nervously, twirling the staff around. "That's why I wanted to help her."
"You mean..you…how did…never mind… You're still the same Evelyn I have learnt to..care for." He looked down shyly, which was odd compared to his usual stoic self. I blushed and kept quiet, not too sure how to reply.
The rest of the journey was spent with me filling the man in on all of the little details that he had missed out on. I told him about why I was at the Southern Air temple and the reason behind wanting to help Korra. He finally got the reason why I was eager to come with him and why I was desperate to meet the current Avatar. I also, however, kept the spirit side to myself, keeping that part way out of the conversation: it would only make things more difficult.
We made it up to the final steps and I could already see the gazebos and training arenas scattered over the large courtyard. Under one of the smaller huts, a man was sat in a peaceful meditation with three children in similar positions behind him.
The general and I walked quietly towards them and Iroh was the first to call out.
"Master Tenzin, I am sorry to interrupt."
Tilting his neck and loosening his sitting position, the man opened one eye and looked over to where we were standing. Once he saw who it was he stood and walked over to greet us properly, leaving the children behind to peacefully relax.
The moment his full face came into view a wave of emotions flooded through me and images of a small baby being held in my arms appeared. The memories flicked faster in my mind and showed the young boy becoming a man. The scene ended with the older Tenzin sitting at the side of a bed, holding the occupants hand. The images faded to black and knowing that Aang was inside me, I understood the feelings I had towards his son.
I must've been in a complete daze because once I was back to the present the man in question was holding out a hand for me to shake and waiting patiently for me to do so. To cover up my mishap, I greeted him properly and even offered a bow in apology.
"So you must be Evelyn. Come, we must speak," he motioned for us to follow. The three of us continued down a long path that lead round to the entrance of the building. The whole time I was thinking how strange it was that I knew everything about Tenzin from the memories I now held. I couldn't help but realise that Iroh was watching his feet and taking a glance to my hands every so often.
When I had spoken about meeting Korra, Iroh had told me that she had personal connections to Tenzin and that it would be good for me and him to become well acquainted.
"So I hear that you wish to be a guide to the Avatar?" He stopped and questioned by the doorway, clearly curious as to why I was here with a United Nations General.
I nodded and began to speak, knowing that I could trust this Airbender with all my heart and mind. "I have knowledge she could put to good use."
"I see," he paused, "and how do you know it will be useful?"
I thought about what I could do to prove my worth and tried to add something about Aang or the past lives to prove my point. "Information was passed down to me from the previous Avatar." I said, looking over at Iroh who only offered a discrete grin. I turned back to Tenzin and awaited his reply.
"Avatar Aang?" He hushed, thinking back to his father. I nodded and smiled, letting him know that I was aware of their relation.
"Once you are ready, come in, come in. We must discuss this." The master of air rushed into his home and left Iroh and me outside to bid our farewells.
I turned away from the building and stood to face my first true friend here.
"This is it, huh?" He shrugged, stepping closer to me. We had grown so close and I wasn't quite sure what it was I felt for the man. Nights would be spent sitting up and talking about war stories and even the odd pillow fight. I couldn't tell if he liked me as much as I liked him, but I hoped one day we would see each other again.
"Thank you," I said quietly. "I don't know what I would've done if I hadn't met you." I looked up into his dark amber orbs and smiled sweetly. I didn't know what else to say and I had never been good at saying goodbye, so I turned and looked back at where I was to be staying for the next few weeks.
Grabbing my arm, Iroh made me turn back and we ended up even closer now. "I'll miss you, Evelyn." He mumbled with a sad smile. I felt my face blush but I couldn't look away, so I did what only came natural.
"I'll miss you too." I whispered, standing on my tip toes and planting a soft kiss on his cheek. I grinned more once I saw the deep crimson cover his face and he looked back down to me with soft features.
The next thing I knew, I was wrapped up in a tight embrace, with strong arms circled around my waist and shoulders. He was warm and I didn't want to leave so I returned the hug with equal force.
"I'll be back in a few weeks" he breathed in my ear, his breath tickling my neck. We separated but kept close and I looked up into his eyes for what might be the last time in months. We grew closer once more and the arms around my waist moved up to hold my neck and cup my red cheeks. "I'm glad I met you, Evelyn."
Smiling and turning away, I moved over to the door and looked back over my shoulder to see the army officer saluting. I returned the gesture, happy to be seen as a member of his crew.
Until next time, I thought.
I am so glad that I could finally post this chapter and let you guys witness Iroh's reaction! To bending! There was a bit of cute/fluffy stuff at the end there too so I hope you enjoyed ;)
Sadly, I will be updating late next week..but I have a valid excuse! Next Friday is PROM! Wooo!
