~~~Hi everyone, I'm sure you must have been wondering if I took a nosedive off the cliff of "too bored to finish my fan fic", uh, if that makes any sense. In any case, I do apologize for the wait, and I will try to do better. It always helps if you harass me a little...I mean seriously people. Everyone who has read this far officially has my undying graditude. Check my profile page today or tomorrow to see pictures of Den and the viinsone, if you are interested.
Til next time, I'll see ya soon! ~~~
"My family never approved of my decisions, which was the main reason that I left them. I had plenty of dreams for myself, and it was obvious that I could only accomplish them alone. Not that I ever had a plan. I never needed one of those."
-Korr
Chapter Twelve
The Last Simple Day
"Ona."
Haurran was kneeling beside her, shaking her arm to stir her awake. Ona grumbled lazily and tried to cast him away by slapping blindly at the air.
"Wake up, you're friend is here for you."
"What friend?"
Haurran frowned, trying to recall the name. "Den? I think? It's kind of strange."
Ona pushed herself up, wincing. She'd fallen asleep on the hard wooden bed of the cart, wrapped in a blanket, but without support for her neck. Blinking to clear her eyes, she peeked around the wall as if she expected Den to be standing there, watching. Even knowing him as little as she did, Ona would not have put spying past the forward young boy.
"Spirits. I thought we'd leave him behind," she mumbled.
"He says he wants to ride with us."
Ona scowled. "Tell him no."
Haurran's frown turned sarcastic, and he rolled his eyes. "Oh dear, why didn't I think of that? Guess I woke you up for nothing."
She began to form a hotheaded response, but something in his tone and expression stopped her. Ona found herself laughing a little at Haurran's silliness.
"Alright, where is he?"
Ona stretched and made a dramatic show of rolling her neck and wrists. Haurran commented that she seemed like she was stalling, and then left to bring Den over to her. Ona sighed, feeling more than anxious as she waited.
"Morning," Den said through a grin.
"You actually showed up," she said. "I heard you were talking to Haurran?"
"I talked, he didn't." He narrowed his bright eyes and leaned closer to her. "I think he may have some serious problems socializing. Just so you know."
Ona snorted and looked insulted. "He's mute, not stupid. I'll have to . . . um . . . translate for you."
Den made a face. "Oh. Here's my offer then; you let me ride with you to Ba Sing Se, and I'll. . ." he hesitated, "well I don't have any money, but I can work just fine. I'd do anything you ask, anytime, I swear."
"You want to work? I don't really think we can put you to much use, what with those puny arms you have." Ona tilted her head and examined Den's bony wrist. "You've spent most of your life sewing dresses. You have no idea what real work is."
"And you do?" Haurran laughed silently. Ona glanced once at him, but then ignored the jab.
"Well, what kind of work is it?" Den asked. "With this cart, it looks like you two are headed for the circus."
Ona looked back briefly at the elaborate collaboration of drawers and shelves lining the inside of the cart walls. She couldn't begin to imagine all the things hidden in them. "We're supposed to be traveling performers, but we haven't come up with a full act yet."
"Do you have costumes?"
Haurran shrugged with a guilty look. "They're really old. I'm not sure if any of them would fit either of us."
"No, we don't have any," Ona interpreted. She cringed to think about costumes of any kind, especially old ones.
"Then I'll make them for you," Den exclaimed. "I've sewn more dresses than I can count for Jemmine! I would make you two the greatest costumes in the kingdom."
"Is he any good, Ona?" Haurran asked. He appeared to like the idea, even when Ona tried to dissuade him with an exasperated look. "Nice costumes are expensive. It'd save us a lot of trouble to get them for free," he argued.
"Den, it's a nice offer," she said, "but honestly we don't have room for-"
"There's room for three, you just don't want to share."
Ona blushed and glared at him. "I-"
Wanting to end the conversation, or perhaps simply spite her, Haurran stepped up and offered his hand to Den. "Tell him he can come."
"No!"
"Does that mean yes?" Den asked, grasping Haurran's hand.
"No!"
Haurran nodded.
"Alright!" Leaping into the air and clapping, Den celebrated excitedly while Ona flopped over and groaned.
"Let's start moving now ,please. We still have a lot of road to travel before we reach Ba Sing Se."
Den laughed happily and sat down next to Ona on the edge of the cart. She sat up huffily and stuck out her lip.
"No dresses, no frills, and no pink," she commanded. He only laughed.
By dusk they had stopped travel for the day, and pulled aside to make a fire and prepare something to eat. Haurran usually insisted on practicing the acts for their performance then, while it was still light.
Ona felt very uncomfortable with Den watching. He said that he would base the costume designs on what he saw them doing, but she still didn't like having him there.
"How will you perform for a crowd, if you can't do it for him?" Haurran asked.
"A crowd is different," she said. "They're more of a faceless mass. That doesn't bother me as much as one person staring at me."
He shrugged. "Maybe you'll get used to it. Listen, I'm going to practice my Viinsone tonight. We're going to have to decide what songs to dance to on stage."
"What's a Viinsone?"
"It's an incredibly old instrument," Den answered. "Do you really have one? No one seems to know how to make them anymore."
Pleased that someone knew about his obscure instrument, Haurran smiled as he produced a large, oddly shaped object from one of the drawers. He brought it into the firelight and held it up for them to examine.
Ona had never seen anything like it. The Viinsone was fundamentally triangle-shaped, with a long extension on the far end. It was fairly thick, but she could see through a large hole that it was hollow inside, with half a dozen taught strings stretched horizontally across it. The auburn wood seemed to shine in the yellow light.
"How do you play it?" She wondered, plucking one of the strings.
"Pound and slide," Den answered. "The strings are made from a special substance that makes a sound when you tap it, like this." He demonstrated by bouncing the side of his thumb off one of the cords, creating a melodic humming sound. "But then, you can adjust the sound by sliding, like this." This time Den set the pad of his for finger on the string and slipped it down the length of the Viinsone. The single note drifted from a higher sound, to a lower thrum as the string continued to vibrate.
"That seems. . .nice," Ona said.
"It sounds better if you have the gloves," Den added. "And if you're any good. I've only practiced with the old Viinsone my father had, and he never bothered to have it tuned correctly."
Ona glanced at Haurran and saw him pushing his hands into a pair of odd brown gloves. Only the thumb, forefinger and middle finger were covered, leaving the last two revealed. He gently took the Viinsone back from Den, sat down by the fire and placed it on his lap.
Ona and Den watched while he tuned the strings, neither of them sure what to expect.
"Do you really know how to play that thing?" Ona asked.
Haurran nodded, twisting one of the knobs to tighten a string. "When I was still on the road I would play to pass the time. I've always loved music, since I couldn't sing like my father and mother did."
Tuning finished, Haurran tested each of the strings to be sure the sound was correct. He looked at his small audience with a rare abashed expression. "It's been four years, so I don't know how good I'll be."
"Just play the stupid thing already," Ona snapped.
Haurran hesitated with his hands hovering over the strings. He seemed to be waiting, just as Ona and Den were, but then his fingers fell down onto the strings and his song began.
The song was instantly sweet in Ona's ears, and she was stunned at first to hear such a broad sound from the simple box on Haurran's lap. When his thumbs pounded a cord, a full, swelling sound would ring out in the air. He would sometimes allow the note to peal solidly for a moment, but then he would slide his fingers along the string and blur it up and down like rippling waves. His hands moved quickly, overlapping melodies and weaving the song into life. The tune was light, bouncing like a leaf tumbling in the wind, but also warm as sunshine streaming down through a cloudless sky. If she closed her eyes, Ona could see those very images in her mind, and was touched by a longing for the shining, clean day she imagined.
The song ended after some time, and Haurran sighed. Ona opened her eyes and saw the night somberly waiting for her, scorched only by the flickering flashes of the fire.
"You are really good," Den complimented. "As good as those high nosed concert performers. You hardly messed up at all."
Haurran accepted the praise with a faint smile. He seemed to be aching now that the air was quiet, and his fingers toyed with the strings, as if they had returned to something they hadn't known they'd missed.
"Play something else," Ona told him. He was relieved to oblige, and without word or glance he began another song. The second tune was more complicated, tethering two different songs into one. One melody was high and sweet, while the other was deeper and rich. Ona was reminded of a man and a woman singing together, and she wondered if Haurran's parents had once sung along with him when he played this ballad.
This time when the song ended, Haurran paused only a moment before he began the next one. Ona and Den listened respectfully, hardly distracting themselves long enough to stir the fire. Haurran was still pounding out songs when they both fell asleep.
The weather hardly changed in the Earth Kingdom, and it could be expected that one hot sunny day would follow another for weeks. It was early in the morning, and as Ona brushed ShinShi's spotted grey coat, she could feel the weight of rain in the air for the first time since she had left home.
Haurran's spirit animal had once made Ona nervous, but over the weeks she had come to like the majestic beast's company. ShinShi was actually fairly playful, which was a characteristic Ona never would have guessed from the fox's demure appearance.
"It going to rain," she said aloud.
Haurran was standing near her, rolling up the sleeping mats to store on the sides of the cart. Den was inside, sewing strips of fabric into what would be their costumes. He said that both outfits were nearly done, but neither Ona nor Haurran had been allowed to see so much as a sleeve in the three weeks he'd been constructing them.
"I'll need to patch the roof then," Haurran sighed. "I've been meaning to take care of those holes, but if its going to rain, I'll have to do it now."
Apparently some of the cornucopia of items stored in the brightly painted cart were patching tile and glue, which Haurran found easily. Ona could never find things in the dozens of overflowing drawers, be he always seemed to know exactly what provisions they had, and where they were kept.
There were several holes in the roof of the cart, and while Haurran patched them, Ona busied herself by practicing her water-earth bending. She had become proficient with the style, and had mastered most of the basic dances and a few of the intermediate steps. Her confidence was stronger, and she was no longer so uncomfortable when Den chose to watch, but the thought of dancing on stage still made her anxious.
Ona was midway through one of the more difficult dances, struggling to make the earth resemble rolling waves, when she felt a rush of panic overwhelm her. She heard the sound of tiles shattering as they slid off the roof and then a heavy thump as something fell on the ground.
"Ona!" Den cried.
She rushed around to the opposite side of the cart. Haurran was lying on his side with Den crouching by him, both of them surrounded by broken tiles scattered on the grass.
"What happened?" she said.
"He fell off the roof," Den said hastily.
"Why would he fall off? The roof is almost completely flat!"
"I don't know!" Den shouted back at her. " Maybe he passed out or something!"
Ona sought out a word or thought from Haurran, and found him slowly coming back awake. She sensed a muddled pain in him that wasn't related to his fall, a sting that was almost threatening.
Carefully she and Den rolled Haurran onto his back and then helped him sit up against the cart. ShinShi had wandered over and was poking her wet nose at his neck and face. He huffed deeply over and over as if he were breathless, and then opened his eyes.
"What happened?"Ona demanded again.
Haurran stared back at her dizzily. He didn't answer for a long time, but when he did, all he said was, "The Kingdom. . ."
"What kingdom?" Ona pressed. She didn't like how pale he was, or the sore hum she could feel coming from his mind.
"Dai Ten's Kingdom. I saw it."
Den was demanding a translation, so Ona made up something about the heat making Haurran nauseous, completely omitting what had really been said. Den wasn't buying it, but he didn't ask again.
Haurran recovered quickly, sipping water and resting in the shade. While Den was busy Ona went over to him and sat down.
"Did you really see Dai Ten's Kingdom?" she asked.
"I think so, or that's what it looked like."
"What about the spirit Elosi? Did you see her too?"
Haurran shook his head. "That's probably the best thing. I really don't want to know what she looks like, considering what the other spirits say about her."
Ona frowned, curious. "What do you mean? Have you been talking to the spirits?"
"Well, I have to when they call. It's like when we were exploring that purple cloud in the field. They'll pull me into the Spirit World, and I really have no control over it."
"How long has that been going on?"
Haurran shrugged. "Only once in a while, maybe a few times a week."
Ona's jaw fell open slightly, and she sighed in disbelief. "Why didn't you say anything? You could be hurt like you were today if these spirits keep yanking you out of your body whenever they feel like having a tea party!"
"They don't do it for idle chatting," he protested. "There is something seriously bothering them, but I can hardly ever hear what they say. All I see in the spirit world are clouds anymore."
"Well, what do we do now?"Ona shook her head. "This Kingdom thing is real, isn't it?"
"We can't really do anything until I can speak with the spirits," Haurran said, closing his eyes again. "I think it would help if I went to a temple or a shrine. A holy place might help me communicate better."
Nodding, Ona stood up again, though her knees felt a little weak. "We'll have to detour to the next town then. If we're lucky we can reach it before the rain."
She waited for Haurran to confirm the decision, but he didn't act like he'd heard her. He stared at the sky as if he were looking for something, so Ona left him alone and went to put the harness on ShinShi.
"So we'll actually be stopping in a real town?" Den said. "We can buy some real food at a real store. We could even sit down for dinner!"
"Haurran has to go to the temple," Ona told him. "That's the only reason we're not skipping over this town completely."
Den made a sour face and nudged Ona's side. "Well, we can go to the restaurant while he's having a good ol' time praying. Come on, come on. I'll treat you to a good time."
"Shut up Den, I'm not going to have dinner with you."
From across the cart Haurran was grinning as he guided Shinshi down the road. "I think you should go, Ona. It'll be nice with just the two of you."
Ona held her tongue, remembering that Den couldn't hear what Haurran said anyway.
"I'm just kidding, really," said Den carefully. "You two were nice enough to let me ride with you, so I don't want to . . .you know, cause trouble."
"Why would you be causing trouble?" Ona looked at him dubiously.
"Well because of your relationship. I'm obviously a third wheel."
Flushing red, Ona's eyes widened. "You don't think Haurran and I-"
Den frowned. "You're. . .together aren't you?"
"No!" she shouted. "Why on earth would you think that?"
"I can see where he got the idea from," Haurran offered. "You do tease me a lot."
"No way! Only because you tease me!"
Den laughed and pointed at Ona's bright red cheeks. "Why are you getting so worked up, if it's not true?"
"Because. . ." she stuttered, lost for words. "Becauseā¦"
"I get it, I get it." Den showed her his palms in a conceding gesture. "It's not like you two are traveling alone, spending every night together in the middle of nowhere. Don't know what I was thinking."
"It is pretty suspicious," Haurran added unhelpfully.
"This whole thing was YOUR idea," she retorted. "What does that say about you?"
"Nothing, if you don't want it to."
She could feel him smiling, and sense his pleasure at mocking her even though he didn't turn around. Typical boy, avatar or not.
"Well I'm still not going to dinner." Ona said.
"Aw, now you can't just sit in the cart all night," Den pleaded. "We don't even have to go to eat. Just walk around town with me for a little bit. It won't be a huge thing at all."
"No, I-"
"Unless," Den cut her off, grinning, "you would rather be with Haurran in the temple all night. Alone. In the dark."
Ona thought she would scream, but she funneled her frustration into a fist and punched Den hard in his arm. "Fine! I'll go, but only to prove to you that there is no relationship. Haurran and I are just traveling together."
Laughing, but apparently satisfied, Den sat back and said nothing more. Ona couldn't help noticing that he was smiling continually to himself, so for the remaining hours of the journey she stuffed her face in a blanket and tried to sleep.
By dinner time they had finally reached the small town marked on their map, an industrious place called Ruzuma. Though not as massive and dynamic as Topul had been, Ona was surprised by the activity around her as the cart pulled through the gate onto the main thoroughfare. The houses and shops were decorated with colorful banners or flags in green, red and shades of blue. Children and merry makers danced under shining golden lanterns that illuminated the entire street. It seemed the people did not fear a rainstorm interrupting their festivities, because all the attractions appeared to be outdoors.
"Looks like they're having a festival," Ona said.
"Don't know what for," added Den. "When I worked for Jemmine, we would often be asked to make or sell dresses and robes for celebrations in the nearby villages and cities. But I don't remember making anything for Ruzuma this time of year."
Ona shrugged, admiring the colorful decorations. They reminded her of the opening celebration at the World Cup Tournament, when the viewing stands were full of people from every nation, all wearing red, green, blue or white to represent their respective elements. The first time she'd seen the crowd it had seemed like a giant wall splattered with paint. A massive, vivid muddling of the four colors.
"You know," Haurran said, turning to glance at Ona, "performances during festivals always earn the most money. I think we should give it a try."
"I don't think so," she replied.
"What? Don't you think you're ready? You don't have to do anything spectacular."
Ona sighed, heavier thoughts on her mind. "Let's just remember the reason we came here in the first place."
Haurran parked the cart in a stable yard next to an inn, and negotiated what time to meet with Den and Ona later that night. Once the time was agreed on, he left the yard and wandered away up the road to the center of town.
Alone with Den, Ona prepared herself for a painful evening. "Well, where do you want to go?"
"Look," he said, "you don't have to act like this is going to be torture. Why don't you like me?"
She sighed, leading the way down the road. Despite the later hour, there were still a good many people on the street with them. "I'm sorry. If it makes you feel any better, I treated Haurran the same way for a long time."
"But it's different now."
"Must be," Ona said lightly. "You thought we were together."
Den smiled, then turned the subject. "So, you're pretty awesome with earth bending. Did you ever think about competition?"
"Funny you should say that," she said. "I've been competing for years, ever since I was eight. This year I'll hopefully be going to the World Cup in the Fire Nation. That is, if Haurran can get me there by winter."
"The World Cup, huh?" Den didn't seem as impressed as most people were. "That's a pretty big deal, I hear."
Ona was upset slightly by his tone, as if it were a trivial matter to him. "The World Cup is a huge deal. It's the most important bending competition of the year! Winners become famous, they have their name written in history books as the greatest benders of all time, and some of them even end up teaching the Avatar."
The last statement made her pause for a moment, though Den didn't seem to notice. To finish, she added, "The championship title is an award of incredible honor."
"It's just another label," said Den impassively.
"An important label," Ona retorted. "It's been my. . ." she hesitated, " . . .my dream for years to win that cup. My ranking this year is higher, and I think I have a real chance."
"Well good for you." Den smiled and patted her back. "I see it's important to you."
Perturbed, Ona narrowed her eyes and asked, "Then tell me what's important to you."
Ded paused a while before he answered. "I would have to say that respect of other people is important to me too," he said at last. "But, I just like being around friends and family."
Ona snorted. "You were quick to abandon Jemmine."
"I worked for her a long time, and I will go back." He smiled once more at her. "I just thought you were more interesting, but that doesn't mean that I don't love Jemmine."
"So you say."
"Let me ask you," he said as they wandered under the branches of a decorated tree. "When the World Cup is over, will you continue to travel with Haurran?"
"It's doubtful. I don't think he really cares that much."
Den nodded to himself, only speaking his mind when Ona harassed the words out of him. Reluctantly, he said, "It's just that you say he doesn't care, when you've probably never asked him."
"I don't see how it matters that much."
Once again there was a pause as Den thought carefully over his words.
"Just ask yourself sometime," he said, "if the title really matters as much as you think it does. Or if it's just a word that means nothing at all."
For the remainder of their walk conversation strayed to more worldly concerns. By the time they returned to the cart, Ona had nearly forgotten what Den had warned her about. To her surprise, she realized that they had been gone far longer than they had planned, and had completely missed the meeting time with Haurran.
Guiltily hurrying to the stable yard, Ona prepared an excuse for their tardiness, but she found that Haurran was not there. ShinShi too was undisturbed, sleeping in the grass.
"He's late too," Den noted. "Guess he's having a whole lot of fun at the temple."
They decided to wait a while before going to the inn. Den announced that he wasn't tired, so he spent his time idly pulling open cabinets and drawers to study their contents. He found the golden bracelet that he'd brought for Ona weeks ago, and showed it to her, annoyed that she hadn't worn it. She waved him away, and he dropped the bracelet into his pocket.
An hour later Haurran was still missing, and Ona was admittedly becoming worried. Den agreed to follow her to the temple, only because he wanted to know what could possibly entertain someone for so long in a holy place. It wasn't difficult to find the temple, because it was in the center of town. When they ask one of the priests if he'd seen a Haurran, he directed them to a particular shrine outside the walls. They would have to scale the staircase in the rear of the building, up past trees and bushes to the secluded area atop a hill.
They began the climb unhurriedly, with much complaining and indignation. Ona swore that she would repremeand Haurran for the excessive expense of energy once they found him.
"Gosh," Ona panted, breaking for breath halfway up the stairs. The hill was far taller than it looked. "It's so steep. How many steps are there?"
Den shook his head, wrinkling his nose. "Do you smell something?"
Ona sniffed. "Gross, smells like something is rotting."
Continuing on, Ona noticed that the stench grew stronger the higher they climbed. Only a few minutes later did she look up and realize that she could no longer see the shrine ahead. It was completely lost in a coat of thick, bubbling mist.
Her stomach clenched. Even in the dark she could tell that the fog was tinted purple, of the same sickly color as the mist in the field where Haurran had found Fonta.
What had he said? He'd seen a corrupted spirit there? Ona wavered as a flush of fear ran through her, and she purposely sought out Haurran's presence. Not finding him, she began to climb the stairs with greater urgency, until her feet were leaping up the hill. Den was too out of breath to protest, so he followed as best he could as Ona ran up the staircase, charging directly into the mist.
The consistency of the fog was so thick that Ona could barely see three feet in front of her, and her nostrils were overwhelmed by the stench she remembered from the field. Masking her mouth and nose with her hand, she noticed another scent adding to the repulsive smell around her. It was the musty reek of smoke, mingling with the mist. Somewhere, something in the shrine was on fire.
"Haurran!" Ona coughed. "Haurran, where are you?"
Stumbling forward with her eyes watering, Ona nearly tripped as her shins bumped into Haurran's back. He was sitting on the stone floor, legs tucked under him and his head bowed. He seemed unable to hear her.
Ona knelt down and roughly shook his shoulder, trying to wake him from his meditation. Through the mist she could see a light coming from his face, and saw that he had entered the Avatar state. She shook him again, harder now as the smell of smoke became stronger. It was difficult to tell exactly where the fire was, but Ona could feel heat on her back and see muddy orange light flickering somewhere behind her.
"Haurran! Wake up, the shrine is on fire!" she shouted. "Wake up!"
He didn't stir, and suddenly Ona looked up and was blinded by a surge of fire only a few feet from her side. She yelped, and inhaled too deeply, sucking in smoke and smog that sent her coughing uncontrollably. The fire was spreading through the forest surrounding the shrine, and would quickly block the way down the stairs.
Wheezing, Ona forced herself to stand, gripping Haurran's wrists. She tried to pull him toward the steps, but he was heavy as a boulder, as if something were holding him to the floor.
"Den!" Ona coughed. "Den help me! We have to get out of here!"
To her dismay, there was no answer. Grudgingly she dropped her hold on Haurran's arms, and searched through the smog for Den, thinking that he hadn't heard her. Back at the stairs she found him, collapsed like a corpse on the top step, his eyes open but empty of life.
Ona would have screamed if there had been enough breath in her lungs. Instead she could only push a horse grunt from her burning throat. Den's blank face stared at her, oddly illuminated by the bouncing flames.
Ona stumbled backwards, coughing and gasping through her hands. She had no idea what to do. The fire was spreading, the smoke was growing thicker. Haurran and Den were both lying flat on the floor, and her body was too weak to move either one of them.
"Help!" she called weakly, trying once again to tug Haurran toward the staircase. He moved only an inch before she fell into another fit of coughing. "Help! Help me!"
