Chapter One: The Spirits Are Calling
A few months had passed and the two girls were finally an official couple. They spent as much time as they could together, and even taught each other their own fighting crafts. A few weeks ago, Aki had a tearful conversation with Jin about her past, how the spirit saved her life, and left her without any memories of her family or who she was before she was twelve. Jin sat there and listened, holding her hand and squeezing it comfortingly. When Aki was done with her story, Jin hugged her tightly and whispered that she loved her so much and loved her despite anything she had been through. She told her how happy she was that the spirit saved Aki's life because it meant that the two of them got to meet and how she's so thankful for her. This made Aki cry, but this time they were happy tears. As the weeks went on, the two became inseparable and spent as much time together as possible. Jin had even started to move in with Aki, despite knowing that she was only in temporary housing.
Aki and Jin were sitting outside the Kyoshi warrior building, eating a snack of moon peaches during a break in training. Jin was sitting with her back against a tree, and Aki was laying with her head in Jin's lap.
"I can't believe I caught Kiki trying to steal one of your fans last night-" Aki cut herself off with laughter, and Jin laughed with her.
"Clearly, she wants to be just like her Kyoshi warrior mom! She'll grow up big and strong and take in my footsteps!"
Aki reached up and poked Jin's stomach. "She's taking after you far too much, I've been the one raising her for three years!"
Jin swatted her hand away and gave her a shit-eating grin. "Maybe Kiki just thinks I'm the better-"
Aki stopped her from continuing that sentence by sitting up and kissing her. She pulled back and flicked Jin's forehead. "You're such a little shit sometimes."
"You know you love it-" Jin had been cut off by a few Kyoshi warriors running up to the pair, led by her younger sister Suki. They were all yelling for Jin and both girls immediately stood up and met the warriors halfway. "What's going on? Are you all okay?"
"There are strange people on the beach and we don't recognize them! They might be Fire Nation," Suki told them after catching her breath. "We came running for backup as soon as we spotted them."
Jin's face immediately hardened. "Suki, round up any warriors nearby and bring them to me. Aki, I need to go back to your home and hide."
"No, I can help-"
"Akina, please. If they are Fire Nation, you'll be the first one taken away from us. From me. Please go home and don't come out until I come to get you, okay?"
Aki nodded and kissed her cheek. "Be careful and come back to me."
Jin pulled her in for a quick hug, then ran inside the building to grab her weapons. Aki watched her leave, then she sprinted back to her house as fast as she possibly could locking the door behind her and closing all the shutters. She grabbed Kiki and hid in the corner of her room, terrified of what might happen to her if the Fire Nation does find her. Would they kill her? Keep her prisoner? Force her to work for the Fire Lord? She wasn't sure, but she knew that she did not want to find out.
After what felt like hours, Aki finally heard a knock at her front door. She crawled over to her window and carefully peeked out of it, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw that it was just her girlfriend. She held onto Kiki and went downstairs to let Jin in.
The second the door swung open, she immediately ran into her girlfriend's arms with misty eyes. "I was so scared, is everyone okay?"
Jin held her tightly. "We're all okay. It was actually the Avatar, so the whole town is fawning over a twelve-year-old kid."
Akina immediately perked up. "The Avatar? I should find him and talk to him, he's the bridge between this world and the spirit world, he might have answers as to why I'm like this."
"I can introduce you two later, he and his friends are being escorted around town right now. Why don't we go down to the market and get the two of you a treat?" Jin asked while petting Kiki.
Aki nodded and grabbed her bag, then she put Kiki up on her shoulder and held Jin's hand. "Lead the way, my lady."
Jin laughed and walked her down to the market, where they picked out some lychee for Kiki to snack on and a pastry for Aki. The girls found a bench and sat down. Kiki had curled up and passed out in Aki's lap from eating too many lychee nuts at once and Aki was absent-mindedly petting her while talking to her girlfriend to get more details on what happened earlier and how the Avatar ended up on their little island. She laughed when Jin told her that the kid just came because he wanted to ride the elephant koi, imagining a little kid on the back of those giant fish.
"He really wanted to ride them? Did he even know about the Unagi?"
Jin shook her head and giggled. "He really did, and no, he had no idea!"
Aki rested her head on Jin's shoulder and watched as the townspeople walked past them, all too familiar with the girls being affectionate and think it's sweet they fell in love. Most of them secretly hoped Aki would move to Kyoshi Island permanently, things seemed to have been a lot better since she arrived. And others hoped she would stay just so the pair could get married, as everyone there was a big supporter of their relationship and was happy to see Jin so happy.
A group of three oddly dressed strangers and a flying lemur walked past the two girls with the mayor of the town. Aki tilted her head, sensing something spiritually different about the younger boy. She pointed at him and asked, "Jin, is that kid the Avatar?"
Jin nodded, a little surprised her girlfriend picked up on it so quickly. "Yeah, how did you know?"
"I felt his spirit or at least his connection to the spirit world. It's been a while since I've felt that, probably since you took me to see Avatar Kyoshi's things on display and I touched them before I was told not to…"
Jin laughed at that memory. "Oyaji was so upset, but he was also terrified to upset you since you're technically a little spirit yourself. He had no idea what to do so he pulled me aside and asked me to tell you to stop touching it because he didn't want to tell you no!"
"I was so entranced by that feeling that you literally had to pull me away from her fans- Poor Oyaji, I'm glad he's not that scared of me anymore."
"He is a little bit, but I know you're just a little softie! My sweet pastry girlfriend," Jin said, attacking Aki's cheeks with kisses. Aki giggled and brought attention to the pair from the Avatar and his friends.
The girl in the trio audibly cooed over the couple, while the older boy was making quiet gagging noises from the public display of affection. The Avatar simply stopped in his tracks and stared at Aki, trying to figure out why he felt such a pull towards her. It wasn't the same feeling as his crush on Katara, it was much different than that. It felt almost like when he would go into the Avatar state, although he had only ever done that on accident so he couldn't be sure until it happened again.
He walked up to her and said, "Hi, I'm Aang, the Avatar. Who are you?"
The girl quickly followed him and grabbed his arm, tugging lightly. "Aang, don't disturb them!"
"It's okay, don't worry about it! I'm Akina, but most people call me Aki," she said as she stood up and held her hand out. He shook it and smiled, and she continued. "I'm sure you're wondering about the 'Spirit Sense,' right?"
He nodded. "I feel pulled towards you."
"Sounds about right, I'm feeling the same way. How about I come over to where you're staying after dinner tonight and explain it all to you?"
"That sounds great, thank you, Aki!" He smiled at her and waved as his friends pulled him away.
Jin pulled her back down on the bench and kissed her cheek. "Are you sure you'll want to talk to him? He's just a kid, what if he doesn't understand?"
"I have to at least try, love. He seems naive, but I think he understands more than he's letting on." She put her head on Jin's shoulder and leaned into her.
Jin wrapped an arm around her and rested her chin on Aki's head. "I understand. We should probably eat dinner before you attempt that, though. Noodles?"
"You read my mind! Do we still have the spices from Dao? I want the spiciest noodles tonight."
"We should, I think they're still in the cabinet next to the stove. Ready to head home?"
"I'm ready."
After eating her favorite spicy noodles with Jin, the pair walked over to where Aang and his friends were staying. She knocked on the door and waited patiently, hand in hand with Jin, for one of them to open the door.
The girl from earlier was the one who let them in. "Hi, I'm Katara. You must be Akina from earlier! Come on in, the boys are still eating dinner."
Jin and Aki followed Katara into the dining room where they found the boys still gorging themselves on the various foods they were given for dinner. As soon as the girls walked in, the boys immediately stopped and looked up at them with stuffed cheeks, like sneaky monkeys. Aki giggled, but her attention was soon caught by the pastries on one end of the table.
Aang shot up and waved at the older girls. "Hi again! I'm Aang, and this is Sokka!" He pointed at the other boy sitting at the table. "I'm ready for spirit stories!"
"You can sit down and help yourselves to whatever, otherwise Sokka will eat all of it," Katara said, sitting down at the table.
Jin and Aki sat next to each other on the side with pastries, and Aki kept eyeing them. Jin's faced perked up and she looked at Sokka. "Sokka, Sokka… You're the kid that tried messing with Suki earlier today!"
He looked like he was about to choke. "Suki? Yeah, uh-"
"It's okay kid, my little sister is nice. Just make sure to respect her position, got it?" Sokka nodded at Jin and shoved a roll in his mouth before he could say anything stupid.
Aki snorted. "You messed with Suki earlier? I wish I could've seen that!"
"My brother's just upset because he got beaten by a girl," Katara responded, throwing another roll at him.
"You two are siblings? Where are you from?" Aki asked. She grabbed a pastry and nibbled it while she listened to Katara's answer.
"Mhm, we're from the Southern Water Tribe. We actually found Aang in an iceberg in the South Pole, and now we're traveling with him in hope of finding him masters to teach him the elements."
Aang nodded excitedly. "And now you can teach me about spirits!"
"Well…" Aki trailed off, unsure how to answer.
"Aki is still learning it herself, so maybe you two can learn together?" Jin suggested. "And maybe you should tell them your story, honey."
Aki nodded. "Probably a good idea. Are you three up for a bit of a long story?"
All the kids nodded and she began. "So, about five or six years ago, a kind man found me unconscious at the gate of his property. He took me in and helped me readjust since I had no memories of my previous life. We eventually came to the conclusion that no matter who I was in my old life, I had been severely attacked by a group of firebenders, to the point where I was, well… I was dying.
A nature spirit that protected the forest I was in found me, and in an effort to save my life, she merged her own life force with mine. When I woke up, I took on part of her appearance. The flowers in my hair, vines on my arms," She paused to lift up her sleeves and show them, then continued, "even the green ring around my natural eye color. She had become a part of me to save my life, and I will forever be grateful. After I had woken up and healed, Dao, the man who saved me, decided to take me in and raise me as his own. He helped train me in both fighting skills, as well as connecting with the spirit part of myself in order to basically… plantbend? I guess?"
"Wait, you can what?!" Aang exclaimed.
"I can control plants. Like the vines on my arms? Those are real vines, and I can control them and any other plant life around. Sometimes, if I concentrate hard enough, I can help them grow too."
"That's so cool! Can you teach me how to do that too?" Aang had an expression that was a cross between wonder and excited plastered on his face.
Aki frowned a bit and shook her head. "No, I think it's just a me thing from the spirit that saved my life. Dao thinks that I must've been a bender before the incident and my bending abilities changed to meld with the spirit's own powers. It's really dangerous to use anytime I think the Fire Nation might be around, as in they would either kidnap me or kill me, so I had to learn how to fight in other ways in order to survive."
Her explanation brought the mood down significantly in the room. Katara was the first one to speak.
"If it's so dangerous, why are you here? You must have had to travel around Fire Nation colonies just to get here."
Aki's face immediately brightened. "I've actually been working all over the world with different towns and cities to help restore the nature that's been destroyed by the Fire Nation in the war. Those who know keep my secret, and I hide it as much as possible in the presence of any Fire Nation soldiers. I came to Kyoshi looking for somewhere safe to take a short break, and ended up staying much longer than I anticipated because I met a certain someone and I can't leave her now."
Jin kissed her cheek. "No matter where you go, honey, you'll always be stuck with me."
"Aww, you two are so cute!" Katara squealed, holding her hands up to her chest.
Aki blushed. "Jin and I have been dating since, what? My third week on the island?"
"Yes honey, it's been about four months now."
"Aki, I hate to ask you this, but… Do you think you could travel with us for a bit? So that you can teach me what you know about spirits and we can learn some more together?" Aang asked and he looked a bit worried.
"I- Well, I don't want to leave Jin, but-"
Jin cut her off. "I know you feel like you need to. Do what you can to help him, and help save the world while you're at it, okay?"
Aki nodded tearfully and hugged her girlfriend tightly. She mumbled, "I'll miss you so much."
The pair sat like that for a moment while the other three stayed quiet to give them some space. Aki pulled back and wiped her tears, then turned to face Aang again. "I'll come with you, and I'll try my best to teach you what I know. And what I don't know, we can learn together. I'll need a few days to pack my things and say my goodbyes, is that okay?"
The young boy nodded. "I wanted to stay here for a few days anyway, it's great here!"
Jin laughed. "Kyoshi is a great place to be, whether you're living here or you're just visiting. And the whole island is happy to welcome the Avatar for a few days, kid. I'm sure lots of cool things have been planned for your arrival, so a couple of days here will be just fine."
"That sounds wonderful, Jin. I'm sure we'll have some fun before we leave," Katara responded with a smile.
After another hour or so of talking and sharing stories, Aki started yawning and took that as her cue to leave. She hugged the three kids goodbye, telling them that she'll see them around the village until they leave. She and Jin walked home hand in hand, chatting the whole time about little things Aki will need to do before she leaves. Once they were home, the two of them immediately got ready for bed and fell asleep clinging to each other, not realizing just how soon they would be torn apart.
The next day, Aki began preparing to leave. She packed a few changes of clothes, trying to pack lightly but still having enough options to pass as an Earth Kingdom or Fire Nation citizen, depend on wherever they might travel to. As Aki was rummaging through the pile of clothes in front of her, Kiki had decided to make the bag into her own bed. Aki finally found the dress she was looking for and turned around to find her pet curled up on the bag.
"Kiki, I know you don't want to leave, but we have to. I feel like it's what I'm meant to do, help the Avatar. Will you please get off my bag?"
Kiki looked up at her and blinked a few times, refusing to get off.
"You little shit-" Aki picked the fire ferret up and placed Kiki on her shoulders so she could put the dress in her bag with the rest of her clothes.
While Aki continued to pack with Kiki on her shoulders, Jin wandered into her room in her full Kyoshi warrior uniform. Aki looked up and smiled at her girlfriend, admiring how confident and strong she looked in the traditional uniform.
"Aki, honey, have you already started packing?" Jin asked as she moved closer to her.
She nodded. "I need to make sure I have everything I need, and that my swords are sharpened, and that I have Kiki's things too."
Jin pulled Aki up and rested her hands on her waist. "You worry so much, come take a break and visit the warriors for training please?"
"Okay, just so I can watch you though. I expect lots and lots of kisses too!"
Jin simply giggled and kissed her girlfriend's cheek, leaving a lipstick mark where her lips were. "I'm leaving in a few minutes, I'll wait in the kitchen for you, okay?"
Aki nodded, and Jin kissed her one last time before walking out to the kitchen. She quickly finished packing her clothes and other essentials, making sure her bag wasn't too heavy. Aki suddenly had a weird feeling and decided it would be a good idea to bring her dual swords and sharpener with her to training. She strapped the swords to her back, making sure to be careful around Kiki, then walked out of her room to find her girlfriend.
As she walked around the corner, she saw Jin lounging on the couch and snacking on some nuts. Aki crept in quietly, and Jin was too focused on her snack to see her. She slowly moved closer and closer and then-
"Boo!"
"Shit! Aki-" Aki cut Jin off and fell onto the couch in a fit of giggles. Jin started tickling her as payback and she kept laughing. "Come on, spooky girl, I need to get to training!"
"Okay, okay, stop tickling me and we can go!" Aki laughed and Jin finally pulled her hands back, then helped Aki up off the couch. The pair linked arms and walked to the building where the Kyoshi warriors held their practices and training.
When they reached the building, the two girls split up. Aki sat in her usual spot at the front of the room with Kiki in her lap, and Jin went over to Suki so they could go over the lesson for the day. Once training had started, Jin stood off to the side of the room to observe Suki instructing the other warriors, and Aki had slipped the swords off her body and started sharpening them.
A few minutes into practice, Aki heard someone walk in and was a little shocked when she saw that it was Sokka. He looked a little uncomfortable, but also determined to do something and Aki could not figure out what he was going to do at all. She watched with interest as he approached Suki.
"Uh, hey, Suki…" He sounded like he was trying not to stutter.
Suki paused the class and put her hands on her hips. "Hoping for another dance lesson?"
Aki snickered and Jin gave her a look that said "Shut up and let them talk." She nodded and stayed quiet, setting her swords down so that she could pay attention.
Sokka ignored her and continued, moving his hands awkwardly as he tried to explain. "No, I- Well, let me explain."
"Spit it out. What do you want?" Suki cut him off.
Sokka took a deep breath and kneeled in front of her, which shocked Aki. "I would be honored if you would teach me."
"Even if I'm a girl?" she asked with her arms crossed, almost daring him to say something stupid.
"I'm sorry if I insulted you earlier. I was… wrong." He refused to look up at Suki, but Aki could tell that he was sincere in his apology.
"Hm. We normally don't teach outsiders, Aki is an exception to that rule." The girl with flowers in her hair smiled and waved, and Suki continued. "And we definitely don't teach boys."
He finally looked up at Suki. "Please make an exception for me too. I won't let you down."
She looked to her older sister, Jin, who gave them a nod of approval. Suki looked back at Sokka and said, "Alright, but you have to follow all of our traditions."
Sokka perked up a bit. "Of course."
Suki had on her trademark mischievous face, which meant Aki knew exactly what was about to happen. "And I mean all of them."
Somehow, Suki managed to get Sokka in the same uniform the rest of the Kyoshi warriors were wearing and even got him to put on the face paint as well. Aki helped with it, making sure all the lines looked right while Suki and Jin got the uniform together for him to put on. After they made sure everything was in place, the three girls stood back to admire their work.
"Do I really have to wear this?" he asked as he looked down at his new outfit. "It feels a little… girly."
"It's a warrior's uniform, you should be proud," Suki responded. "The silk thread symbolizes the brave blood that flows through our veins. The gold insignia represents the honor of the warrior's heart."
Sokka smiled confidently and put his hands on his hips. "Bravery and honor."
Aki and Jin nodded happily, until they heard a familiar kid's voice yell, "Hey, Sokka. Nice dress!"
The poor boy immediately sulked when he heard Aang say that, and Aki moved to his side, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Don't listen to him, let the uniform make you feel strong and confident, okay?"
Sokka looked at her and nodded, and Jin and Suki started talking to each other about which of the basics they should teach him. Aki returned to her spot and started to sharpen her swords again while Suki worked with Sokka and Jin supervised. After a few hours, Sokka seemed to be more determined than ever to get the drills right.
"You're not going to master it in one day. Even I'm not that good, and neither is Jin. Aki… Aki's the exception to a lot of rules," Suki said to him as she watched him practice.
He stood on one foot and tried to balance. "I think I'm starting to get it."
The trio watched him go through the motions of the drill he was working on, and also watched as he threw the fan out the door and hit a tree with it, knocking the snow off the lower limbs. Jin and Aki giggled, and Suki turned back to face Sokka.
'It's not about strength. Our technique is about using your opponent's force against them. Loosen up," she said, then pulled a fan out of her belt and started to show him a new move. "Think of the fan as an extension of your arm, wait for an opening, and then-"
Sokka used exactly what she taught him and was able to knock Suki to the ground using her own weight against her. Aki clapped excitedly, happy to see that he was finally learning. The boy crossed his arms and looked at Suki smugly as she stood up.
"I fell on purpose to make you feel better!"
"I got you! Admit I got you!"
Suki bent the finger he pointed at her backward and laughed. "Okay, it was a lucky shot. Let's see if you can do it again."
The two assumed sparring positions and began slowly circling each other. Jin sat down next to Aki and watched them just as intently as her girlfriend was. As soon as they began to spar, Oyaji suddenly burst into the room frantically'
"Firebenders have landed on our shores. Girls, come quickly!"
Jin and Aki shot up, and Aki slung Kiki on her shoulders, then drew her swords. Suki, Aki, and Jin ran toward the door and heard Sokka complain before following them out. The four had split up into pairs, Aki with Jin, and Sokka with Suki. They hid and waited for the Fire Nation soldiers to walk by so they could ambush them.
Jin squeezed Aki's shoulder and kissed her cheek. She whispered, "It'll be okay, I'll protect you if they try to take you away from me."
Aki nodded with slightly misty eyes and turned her attention back to the ambush spot, gripping her swords even tighter than before. The pair listened for footsteps, getting slightly more anxious as they heard the soldiers getting closer and closer.
"Come out, Avatar! You can't hide from me forever," they heard a voice shout. He sounded young, maybe a teenager? Aki couldn't be too sure but she was certainly confused by why a kid would want to kidnap Aang. She heard the boy direct the soldiers to find Aang, and she fell into position, waiting for just the right moment to strike.
As soon as they were in place, the warriors attacked. Some girls jumped down from the roofs of buildings lining the street, and others sprinted out off the alleys between the houses. Aki was one of the sprinters and ran out side by side with Jin, running up to the closest rhino. As the soldier riding it tried to stab at them with a spear, Aki slid under the rhino and cut the straps of its harness, causing the soldier to fall off and into Jin's warpath.
The two girls continued to fight back to back. Aki looked up and noticed Aang flying which seemed to distract some of the men. She used that to her advantage by quickly swooping behind the soldiers and slamming the butt of her swords into the back of their heads to disorient them. Using that, she and Jin ran off to hid behind a building and recoup.
After catching her breath, Aki looked at Jin. "Honey, you know this isn't looking good."
"I'm aware. You're going to have to leave now, aren't you?"
She nodded tearfully. "I don't want to, but it's not safe for me to stay right now. I need to grab my bag and find Aang quickly so the four of us can get out of her."
Jin immediately pulled her girlfriend into a tight hug and kissed the top of her head. "I love you so much, and I am so proud of you for doing the right thing. I'll be here waiting for you to come home, okay?"
"Okay," she replied, pulling back. Jin wiped away the tears that had fallen down Aki's cheeks and kissed her one last time before moving back to the battle.
"Stay safe, my love. Come home to me, please," she said, then ran back into the fight.
Aki's tears kept falling as she ran through the woods to get back to her house, dodging blasts of fire as she was running. She swung her door open and grabbed her bag, making sure she had her jade pendant and white lotus bracelet before running back out to look for Aang and his friends. She found Katara helping the kids stay safe and ran up to her.
"Katara, are the kids okay?"
The water tribe girl nodded. "They're safe, just a little scared."
"Makes sense, thank you for taking care of them." The two looked up and saw Aang fly in on his glider.
He landed and walked up to them solemnly. "Look what I brought to this place."
"It's not your fault," Katara replied. Aki thought that her voice sounded determined like she wanted to convince him that she's right so he wouldn't be upset.
"Yes it is," he fought back. "These people got their town destroyed trying to protect me."
"Aang, kid, you're the Avatar. The people found hope with you, a few damaged buildings won't change that," Aki said calmly.
Katara nodded and moved toward Aang. "Let's get out of here, then. Zuko will leave Kyoshi to follow us. I know it feels wrong to run, but I think it's the only way."
"Katara's right, Aang. If you want to keep these people safe, we need to leave now," the older girl said in agreement.
Aang hung his head dejectedly. "I'll call Appa."
As soon as they got Appa over to them, which was the moment that Aki realized Appa was not only a flying bison but also a hell of a lot bigger than she imagined. The three of them climbed into his saddle and flew off in search of Katara's brother. Once they found him and pulled him into the saddle too, Aang pulled Appa to fly over the bay and away from Kyoshi Island.
While Aki and Sokka watched the town burn, Katara shifted up to the front of the saddle and leaned down to Aang, then said, "I know it's hard, but you did the right thing. Zuko would've destroyed the whole place if we stayed. They're going to be okay, Aang."
Without warning, Aang jumped off Appa and dove into the water below them.
"Aang, what are you doing?!" Katara cried.
Aki rushed to the side of the saddle and looked down at him. "What the hell is he doing? The Unagi will tear him apart if he keeps going in the bay!"
Speechless, Sokka, Katara, and Aki watched as Aang managed to wrangle the Unagi and use its whiskers like the reins he uses on Appa. The kid used the Unagi and the spout of water that shout out of its mouth to douse the town in water and put out any fires left. After, he jumped up and climbed back into the saddle.
"I know, I know, that was stupid and dangerous," he said as he sat down.
"Damn right it was," Aki mumbled, crossing her arms and leaning back against the edge of the saddle. The poor girl was terrified of heights and looking over the edge of the saddle had made her feel sick, so she was much more grumpy than normal.
"Yes, it was," Katara said to Aang, then pulled him into a tight hug which made the kid smile and it made Aki smile as well despite how upset her stomach was with her.
Soon, she settled in on the saddle and laid down, using her bag as a pillow. Kiki curled up against her side and the two of them fell asleep quickly, exhausted from the fight earlier that day.