Alright Benders and Non-Benders! It has been a good minute, not gonna lie, since I last updated. Like daaaaaamn, I woke up this morning with someone calling me out on what I said in my last chapter, which I found hilarious and well deserved, so points to Stephanie for that, you're awesome. Anyway, for those of you asking: Lightning! wtf bud? Lol, basically I got lazy and lost motivation with only taking a few moments each day to make this chapter. So for making you all wait, I apologize for that and decided to bring some compensation. You see I've been asked to make the chapters longer and I'll be honest, there have been times where I wanted to make longer chapters, so that's what we'll do. I hope you all enjoy and I'm not saying anything about when the next update will be seeing that I am more or less gonna be a liar on that, so I update when I update, enjoy! LMAO
Aang was in the library, catching up on the work he had missed. Since his last class of the day was canceled, he thought he could make use of the extra time before returning to the castle. However, it wasn't working out, despite his attempts to focus, Aang's mind wondered back to the vampire. He was at a crossroads, where he has to help Katara, but also handle his own issue's. His apartment, studies, finding a job and now he had to help Katara get into society, without revealing what she is. He knew what could happen if people found out, he wanted to tell someone, but he couldn't. He didn't want Katara to be in danger because he couldn't keep a secret, but it was hard not to say something. I mean, she's a vampire, a being from legends and folk tales. How was Aang supposed to keep her identity a secret? It was stressful, since simply reintroducing her to the town is risky. What if someone tried to mess with her? What if she was hungry? What if she decided to go out in the night to satisfy that hunger? The more questions that came to mind, the more stressful he became. If anything happened, word could spread and he didn't want that, he wanted to keep this secret. At the very least he wanted to tell Zuko, who was one of the only people who was kind to him, or Jin, but she's still gone on her trip, plus they were just co-workers at the time, so maybe it wasn't a good idea. Aang shook his head, trying to get back to his work, he had to focus or have his grades go down.
Zuko decided to spend his free time at the gym, but was only sitting on a bench. Zuko was caught up in his own mind, he wanted to help Aang, he was able to get Aang a job, so all he had to do was tell him, however there was more to it than that. Zuko knows that Aang is locked up in his shell and he wanted to help him get out of it. Aang's a good guy, who takes a lot of crap each day and is able to shrug it off and smile. Though Zuko knew it was a front, in order to hide his pain. No matter what, Zuko would have to wait until later, when he tells Aang about his new job. Hopefully he'll accept, even though there's not much of a reason why he wouldn't.
"What's with you?" Someone questioned, Zuko didn't realize there was a person standing a few feet away from him.
Looking up towards the sound of where the voice came from. He saw a young girl, about 5'7", auburn hair that went down to her shoulders, light skin, blue eyes. She stood their, arms crossed, with a raised brow.
"Hey Suki, I was just thinking." He replied, folding his hands together as he leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees.
"What were you thinking about?" She asked, moving to sit next to him.
"This classmate of mine. I was just thinking of ways to help him out." He explained, his gaze to the floor.
"You, helping someone? Since when did you do that?" She asked, a little surprised. She knew Zuko was a nice guy and all, but he usually just kept to himself. Never bothered to talk, let alone help people. He was usually the kind of person who did things alone, never wanting others to get involved. So why was he getting involved with some classmate?
Zuko thought about Suki's question. In truth, he didn't know why he wanted to get involved with Aang. He was just some guy, dealing with his own problems. It's not like he was the only one with responsibilities. Though Zuko knew the answer, it's because he and Aang were alike. Both with no parents, doing things alone, never asking for help, keeping to themselves, staying in their shells. In time, Zuko got out of his, thanks to his uncle. Later on he met Suki, who became a good friend to him.
"I guess, it's because he's like how I used to be, before my uncle helped me." He stated, turning his gaze to Suki.
"You mean he's alone, like no friends?" She questioned a bit surprised.
"He doesn't have friends or family, he just lives alone in some apartment. Yesterday, when I went to the library where he works, he ended up losing his job thanks to Jet." Zuko explained, clenching his hands together.
Suki didn't need any more info, she knew Jet, he's part of some gang. They keep a low profile, but there have been times when they would cause trouble.
"So I decided to try and help him out, my uncle offered him a job and I'm gonna pass the news to him. He seems like a cool guy, so I don't want him to have to go down the same road I did alone." He stated, remembering his lonely past.
She smiled, happy that Zuko was putting himself out for others. She remembered how they met, he once got in a fight with some of those gang members. They were under a bridge, where Suki was walking by, she saw the gang members had Zuko outnumbered. Seeing him in a jam, she raced to help him out, the two made short work of them and became friends from than on.
"Well, I'm sure this classmate would be happy for the news and to have a friend like you." She said, bumping into his shoulder.
Lightly chuckling, he smiled. "Thanks Suki, if you want, I could introduce you both. I'm meeting him in-" Zuko checked his phone. "Ten minutes." He offered, as he grabbed his bag and stood up.
"Maybe another time, I have some stuff to take care of at the club." She explained, grabbing her things and about to leave.
"What kind of things?" Zuko questioned with a raised brow, since usually Suki would only be working on weekends rather than weekdays.
"I got asked to help with the Halloween decorations, since they're hosting a Halloween party this Friday." She explained, as she and Zuko headed out. "Maybe you can bring your class buddy over. Unless you already have a date." She teased, seeing him scoff, which only made her smile more.
"Jeez, like I'm going to go through the trouble of finding a date." Zuko said, turning away from her.
Suki couldn't help but laugh, Zuko was never one for romance. He did go out with a childhood friend of his, however due to her fathers work, she moved far away. Suki hoped that one day, Zuko will find someone. "Well anyway, I need to get going, I hope things work out for your classmate, I'll see ya later." She said with a cheery voice, heading out for work.
"Yeah, see ya." Zuko called out, waving goodbye. He walked out of the building and waited for Aang, instead of standing around, he went to sit on a nearby bench.
Checking the time, Aang went out to meet up with Zuko. He didn't know what Zuko wanted, all he got was 'meet after school' and that was it. He hoped that this wouldn't take long, since Katara wanted him back at the castle and he did promise that he'd return. So he grabbed his bag, full of homework, and headed out of the library. On his way, Aang had a bit of a hard time walking, he felt fatigued, so he decided to head to the bathroom. He headed to the sink, splashing cold water on his face in an attempt to wake himself up. He knew this fatigue came from the blood lose and lack of sleep from last night. Aang hoped he could stay up until he returned to the castle. Drying himself, he looked in the mirror, but noticed something. Looking on the right side of his neck where there should be a bite mark, but Aang didn't see anything. Katara had bitten him before he went to sleep, so there should be a mark or something, but there wasn't, it was like nothing had happened. He glanced at his left arm, curious. He rolled his sleeve up to his shoulder, only to find that the cut he got from Jet was no longer there. It was weird, cuts don't heal that fast, plus even if they did, he should have a scar, but it was completely gone.
'How did I not realize that?' Aang thought to himself, though he guessed that since he's been tired, with lack of blood and sleep, he simply didn't realize, plus he had other things on his mind. Shrugging, Aang dried off his hands and headed out to meet with Zuko.
Once outside, Aang saw Zuko on a bench. He walked over to him, seeing that Zuko seemed a little distracted. That didn't last though, as he turned his head to see Aang coming.
"Hey Aang, what's up?" Zuko greeted, getting up off the bench.
"Hey Zuko, nothing much. I'm just wondering what you needed to see me about." Aang replied, stopping a few feet away. He didn't want to take too long, since it was currently 1:35pm and Aang promised to be back in 25min.
Zuko was a bit surprised, he didn't expect Aang to get to the point right away. Nonetheless, he simply smiled. "You know the Jasmine Dragon Tea shop, right?" Zuko asked.
"The one on the other side of town? Yeah, why do you ask?" Aang replied, now confused.
"Well, if you're interested, my uncle wanted to hire you." Zuko told him, wondering about his reaction.
Aang was silent as the information sunk in, his eyes widened, surprised by the news. "Y-Your uncle wants to hire me?" He asked, stuttering, wondering if he heard wrong.
Zuko's smile turned into a grin, crossing his arms. "Yeah, I talked with him yesterday and he wanted you to come by the shop. That is, if you want to." Zuko explained, remembering the conversation with his uncle.
Aang couldn't believe it, someone had gone out of their way to help him. Despite not knowing each other well, Zuko still took the time to try and get him a job. Aang's eyes began to blur slightly, due to the small bit of tears forming. "I don't know what to say, thanks Zuko." Aang said with a smile forming on his face, feeling a weight being lifted off his shoulders.
"Hey, what are friends for?" Zuko asked, glad to see Aang was happy about the news.
'Friends' Aang thought for the second time, surprised by what Zuko had said. "Y-You consider me a friend?" Aang asked, eyes wide, as though he couldn't believe it.
He lowered his arms, his smile never wavering, Zuko replied. "Of course, friends watch each others back, so know that I'll always watch yours." Raising his right hand, Zuko extended it in Aang's direction, forming a fist.
Aang couldn't speak, he was stunned. He couldn't help but to smile, extending his own arm out, forming a fist and bumping it with Zuko's. "Thanks Zuko, I'd be glad to have you as a friend." He stated, glad to have finally made a friend, well a human friend.
"Great, now let's head over to the tea shop and get you started." Zuko said, letting down his hand and gesturing to leave.
"Alright, let's go!" Aang called out in excitement, the two walking out of the school property and heading through town. As the two made there way, Aang only hoped that Katara wouldn't be upset with him for being late, since getting to the shop will take about an hour or so.
The fire continued to light the room with its glow, bringing warmth as she continued to pace in front of it. She walked back and forth in anticipation of his return. Arms crossed over her chest, an unpleasant look on her face, she was getting impatient. Looking at the clock pendulum for the tenth time, she saw it to still be 1:56pm. Only four minutes left, though it seemed like it took forever for one to pass. Turning her attention to the floor, she continued pacing. She wanted him here, wanted to know if he was alright, wanted to make sure he was safe. She knew he was tired, in a weakened state, which is why she was worried. He was attacked by a human. So what if that wasn't the only human who would hurt him? What if there were others? Aang wasn't like the humans from three hundred years ago, so maybe there were other good people like him. However, she doubted that, since Aang was a special case for her. No, she imagined humans to be like the person who attacked Aang. If so, than she was even more worried and wanted to go out and find him. Though she would not, Aang had promised to return at 2:00pm, so until than she will wait for him.
She turned her attention back to the clock, it was now 1:57pm. She huffed in agitation, why couldn't it be 2:00pm already? With every second that passed, she became more agitated. Taking a breath, she tried to get her mind off of him, knowing it wasn't doing any good. She thought of what she could do or rather, what she will do. She was looking forward to seeing the village again and how much it had changed. Wanting to explore and learn as much as she could about it. Though she was also hesitant, because of how humans are. They were violent, taking and hurting others as they pleased. Humans had no loyalties, they would swear themselves to be faithful and go back on their word without hesitation. Vampires may hunt them and take their blood, but out of need, not want. Thinking about that, her thoughts returned to Aang and the possibilities of him being in danger. She sighed at her failed attempt to not think about the young man. Turning back to the clock, she saw it was now 1:58pm. She decided to sit down on the couch, looking into the fire, every second or so turning her head to check the time.
Since Aang continued to plague her thoughts, she wondered about how their relationship will develop. She wanted him, that much was true. The connection between them was clear as crystal. She thought of ways to have Aang be with her, wanting him to belong to no one but her. She thought about having him stay with her at the castle, instead of being alone at his home. She wondered if he thought the same, knowing that he feels the connection as well, though he probably didn't understand it. In truth, there were many things he didn't seem to understand. Oh well, she had all the time now to teach him and all the time for him to teach her, she was most definitely looking forward to that.
Her thoughts continued on as she glanced once more at the clock, seeing as it had just turned to 2:00pm. At last it was time for his return, however, there was yet to be any sign of his arrival. Now standing, she went straight out of the room to the entrance. However, just before leaving, she turned back to the clock, seeing it to be 2:01pm.
'He's late." Was all Katara thought, as she made her way to the entrance… and out of the castle.
Aang knew it was past 2:00pm and hoped that Katara wasn't upset with him. After all, Zuko was offering him a job, he couldn't turn him down. He needed a job to continue to support himself. Even so, he felt bad, he meant to keep his promise, but now he faces the fact that he lied to her. He lied about coming back at 2:00pm, even though he didn't mean to. With that thought in mind, Aang promised himself to talk with Katara and tell her the story. He just hoped that she will listen.
They arrived at the Jasmine Dragon, the two boys walked inside, their weren't many people around. Though since many people would be working at this time of day, that's understandable. Zuko took Aang behind the counter and into the back room, where he knew his uncle will be. Toph wasn't in yet, so Zuko thought to introduce her and Aang later. Once they got to the back room, they saw Iroh on one of the couches taking a sip of his tea. Aang was getting nervous, after all he was going to be introduced to his future boss.
As they approached him, Zuko was the first to speak. "Hey Uncle, this is Aang. The one I told you about." He said, gesturing to the young man.
Turning his attention to the boys, a gentle smile formed on the mans face. "It's nice to meet you Aang, my nephew has told me much about you." Iroh greeted, standing up and raising his hand towards Aang.
Aang smiled and took the mans hand, shaking it. "It's nice to meet you sir." He said, respectfully, his nerves subsiding due to the mans gentle voice.
At this Uncle Iroh laughed, causing Aang to be surprised. "Please young man, you can just call me Iroh, no need for formalities. Now take a seat and have a cup of calming Jasmine Tea." He invited, as he went to grab two more cups.
Once they were all seated on the couches, Uncle Iroh was the first to speak. "Aang, I've been told by my nephew that you no longer have a place to work." Iroh stated, looking in the young mans direction.
"Yes, Zuko said that you wanted to offer me a job here?" Aang questioned, hoping that Iroh won't turn him down. Unlikely, but he wanted to make sure.
"That's right, if you'd like to take it." Iroh said, with a gentle smile, taking a sip of his tea.
Aang wanted to take the job, but he'd like to know what his responsibilities will be. "What will my duties be?" He asked, holding his cup in his lap.
"I thought of having you be a waiter for the guests. You'll be taking orders and bring the customers their food and tea. Help clean the shop and at times, you may be asked to do other things. Such as handling our inventory, but don't worry, you'll have Zuko here to help, since he has the same duties." Iroh explained with a cheerful smile. After taking another sip and allowing Aang to think, Iroh spoke. "So young man, what do you think?" He asked, his smile never wavering.
Aang looked to the older man and smiled. "I think I'll be happy working here." He answered, taking his hand to shake Iroh's.
Laughing wholeheartedly, Iroh took Aang's hand and shook it. "Well than, how about we show you around and you can get started tomorrow?" Iroh asked, glad the young man took his offer and that Zuko seemed to have made a good friend.
Aang agreed and got the full tour of the tea shop, being shown around the back room and where they kept their stock of tea and food. During the tour Aang was introduced to Toph who had shown up a little later. At first Toph seemed to be suspicious, almost like she was wary of Aang, which confused Zuko. Though this only lasted a moment as the two quickly came to be on good terms, with Toph giving him the nickname of Twinkle Toes. Which she stated was due to Aang seeming to be light on his feet, of which Zuko had trouble stifling a laugh and Aang sporting a red tint on his face.
As the tour and introductions came to an end, Aang saw the time, it was currently 4:12pm, which surprised him. He should have been back at the castle by now. So he decided to bid farewell to his new co-workers and headed out, hoping Katara will be able to forgive him.
It was currently 3:05pm, she was wondering around, trying to find him. She has been venturing around the village for an hour and yet there was no sign of him. As she continued, she was quite surprised to see the village, even though she lived here, much has changed since than. The houses and farms were replaced by buildings. The dirt paths were now made of some kind of rock substance. No one seemed to use horses for transport, rather they would use some kind of metal box with four wheels. She kept walking around, noticing how people would look at her strangely, most likely due to her clothing, seeing as it is different to their own. She paid them no mind as she continued her task.
She would try to use her senses, however she found this to be difficult. Her senses were not as strong as a werewolf's, also it was daylight, which was an annoyance for her. Even so, she was able to catch the scent of his blood, it was faint, but she caught it, causing her to turn to see a massive building. It seemed that people around Aang's age we're coming and going into the building. She guessed that this was the school he spoke about, even so, now wasn't the time for her to become curious. She concentrated on his scent, seeing that he frequented here often. She could tell he was no longer here and went somewhere else. However, she was on edge, for anothers sent was laced in with his. It was faint, but still noticeable, which caused her to clench her fist. She didn't want anyone near Aang and if anything happened to him, there will be hell to pay. With that thought in mind, Katara walked in the direction of Aang's scent, allowing it to guide her.
Aang was making his way back to the castle, he was in a good mood. Despite feeling like he lied to Katara, he was able to secure a job. Now he didn't have to worry about losing his apartment, he can continue school and he made more friends today. He couldn't help the toothy smile on his face. As his thoughts returned to the vampire, he decided to focus on her. He had to get back and would like to get there soon, so with that said; he quickened his pace, even though he was still fatigued.
Since it was near the end of October, it was getting dark out. Aang couldn't help but remember his encounter with Jet, upon seeing the sun about to set. Aang had been taking short cuts, going down alley ways, in order to get back to the castle. However, upon going down one, Aang found himself in an open area between the buildings. Though that wasn't a problem, except for the eight gang members who were hanging out in said open alley. Two were behind Aang, preventing him from going back the way he came, while the other six stood silent, smirking at him.
'Just great, way to go Aang. You could have just taken the side walks, but nope, you wanted to hurry and take short cuts.' Aang thought to himself, as these gang members surrounded him.
"Hey bud, what're you doing here?" one of them asked, as though they were friends or something.
Taking a breath, Aang responded, albeit a little nervous. "Just uh, passing by."He stated, trying to keep track of everyone around him, he was on high alert.
"Oh yeah? Well, since you're here, we'd like to ask for your help." The guy stated, as he walked closer to Aang, but stopping a few feet away. "You see, we can't seem to find a… buddy of ours. So let me ask you: have you seen anyone named Jet?" He asked, which caused Aang to freeze for a moment.
"Hey drake, wasn't this the guy that Jet would always fight with?" Some other guy asked, as he looked at Aang.
"Hmm, short black hair, gray eyes, about six feet, I think you're right." The guy called drake responded, smirking even more.
'Oh this just got worse.' Aang thought to himself, trying to think of a way out.
"You know what? You don't have to answer us about where Jet is. Truth be told, he was an asshole and I'm sure you can agree, right?" Drake asked, though Aang stayed silent. These guys were trouble and if they didn't want answers, than the questions is: What did they want?
"We could just chock it up to Jet left town. So here's what we'll do; you see Jet owed some money to us and seeing as he's gone and you being here in his place, how about you give us everything you got right now along with your life." Drake said, his care free tone turning dead serious. Aang watched as everyone around him was ready to attack.
'Even when Jet's gone, I'm still haunted by him.' Aang thought, seeing no way out of this. Aang took a defensive stance, prepared to fight for his own life. Though he imagined he'll die, since he's outnumbered eight to one.
Drake's smile turned sadistic. "Alright, now let's fucking go!" He called out, causing one of the two behind Aang to charge.
Aang heard movement behind him, turning around quickly, he saw one of the members aim his fist to Aang's face. However, Aang reacted quickly, catching the mans fist and using his momentum to throw him over his shoulder, much like how Aang did with Jet. Though instead of causing him to slam into the ground, Aang threw him into his fellow members, causing them to crash into the ground.
"You're dead!" Another member called, getting Aang's attention.
This guy was faster than the last, but just like the last guy, he went for Aang's face. Aang lifted his right hand to block and redirect the guys fist away, allowing Aang to side step him and gain some distance. Aang's body felt heavy, he didn't do much, but already felt more fatigued than before. His heart racing, breathing heavily, he tried to calm himself, relaxing as much as he could under these circumstances.
The members recovered, Aang saw they were surrounding him again, his back was a few meters away from the wall. He had to be careful, lack of blood, meant lack of strength and stamina. Which Aang didn't have much strength to begin with. With this being eight on one, he knew being on offense was suicide. So he had to stay on the defense, hoping to use their own strength against them. The plus side, he was light on his feet, remembering Toph's nickname for him. Allowing himself a moment to smile inwardly, as he faced his aggressor's.
Three charged at him, the first tried to hit Aang's stomach. Seeing this Aang redirected the guys fist down to the ground, causing the guy to lean forward, using his momentum, Aang rolled over on his back to get over the guy and see the other two coming. However that's when the second went for a high kick to Aang's head, but he managed to block it by raising both his arms to meet his foot, but the impact caused Aang to be sent a few feet away. Landing on the ground, he tucked his arms in, allowing to roll and recover with little damage. Though he was on his knees, he lifted his head just in time to receive a punch to the face from the third. It was a heavy strike across his face, but Aang managed to get back on his feet quickly.
Breathing heavily, he felt his body become lead. Blood escaping from his mouth, a few scrapes along his arms and legs, even though they were hidden by his clothing. Aang took a moment to check his surroundings, the members were now all around him. Four in the front and four in the back, he was trapped.
Two came at him from the front, while one came behind to grab him and lock him in a choke hold. Due to Aang being taller then the guy holding him, his feet still touched the ground. Allowing him to jump and bring his legs up and collide his feet with one of the two members chest, knocking him to the ground. The unexpected impact, caused the choke holder to lose his balance and fall, hitting his back on the ground with Aang landing on him. This allowed Aang to get out of the mans grip and on his knees, however another member came in and tried for a low kick. Catching it in his arms, though the impact was like someone hit him with a piece of wood, the guy was unbalanced, allowing Aang to turn with his leg, causing him to hit the ground.
Aang managed to get on his feet, but another man came in, about to punch Aang in the face again. Ducking just in time to avoid the attack, Aang clenched his fist and put everything he had to hit the man with an uppercut. The man wasn't down, but he did back off. However, in that instant, with his fist raised, Aang felt something solid collide with his lower right side. Causing Aang to fall to his knees in agony.
"You're not bad bud, quite the pain in the ass." Drake said, causing Aang to look behind him.
Aang saw Drake holding a steel pipe in his right hand over his shoulder, with a smirk on his face. He tried to get up, but Drake kicked him in the gut, causing Aang to roll back in pain. He couldn't stand, his body was to heavy, the pain in his stomach and side were overwhelming. With no strength left, Aang's eyes became heavy. Drake grabbed him, lifting him up by his shirt and throwing him into the wall. Aang fell, faced down in the ground, unmoving.
'It looks like this is the end for me. Just when things were looking good for me.' Aang thought sadly, he couldn't hear anything, feel nothing, his mind wandered.
Aang's life flashed through his eyes: his parents deaths, Jin and Zuko being so kind to him, meeting Iroh and Toph and finally the vampire Katara. If he were to wish for one thing, it would be to see her once more.
'Mom… Dad… It looks like… I'll be seeing you soon…' He thought, as his world became dark.