Fire...Air...Water...Earth... The Avatar has been revealed, and the world is ready to enter into an age of prosperity. But there are many forces unwilling to welcome her, or the new era she will usher in. As the Avatar and her friends struggle to maintain balance in the world, powerful enemies are emerging, set on ruining the new Avatar and everything she holds dear. She has but one advantage over her foes, and hopefully, it will be enough to save her and the world she cherishes. The Avatar's name is Usagi, a warrior of love and justice, and this is her story!
AVATAR
The Celestial Sailors
BOOK TWO: HEART
15: Fire in the Sky
The tranquility of Hikawa Shrine was broken by an explosion of flames and screaming. Flocks of birds screeched in protest as they flew out of the forest; steel clanged against iron and flesh. Kartta pressed her attack against the hideous creature, her gleaming sword against its deadly claws. Sparks flew as she slashed as the monstrosity again; another slash clipped its talons off, and a third removed the head. Without so much as drawing another breath she whirled around, defending herself against two more that had sprang from behind. A precise cleave, a parry, a retort issuing vile blood, a defensive brandish, a strike: it was over. Her eyes darted around fiercely, looking for more. She noticed she had gotten separated from the others and ran off where she had seen them last. Kartta skidded down the path, hearing a grunt, and ran towards it. She jumped out of the way as another creature leaped from the woods, narrowly missing her with its talons. She cut it instinctively, pausing only to observe the tip of a spear thrusting through its body.
"You beat me to it." Oboro stood on the other end, smiling dryly. He nodded towards the overgrowth, just as a tree shuddered and fell. Ku Sheng, Kotono, Salamander, and Suo had knocked it over and were now carrying it like a battering ram, bowling their way through a large cluster. Some creatures were knocked out or flattened, but most leaped away. A circle of fire trapped them and closed in; the flames leaped up into the hands of a boy, who shot them back at another crowd. The monstrosities let out a piercing wail as they were incinerated, but more supplemented their numbers. Kartta and Oboro plowed into their ranks, perforating a dozen, scattering the rest. A huge wall of fire blocked them from retreating; standing before it was a young woman with long black hair and blazing lavender eyes.
"There will be no escape for any of you," she called. "Prepare to be chastised!" As the creatures writhed in fear, trapped between a conflagration and a band of warriors, the birds they had scattered returned and descended upon them in fury, leaving none of them alive. Another young man stood off to the side, gasping for air.
"That was good, right? That was part of the plan? I didn't mess anything up?"
"You did great, Lark!" Asanuma waved. Lark let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness! I wasn't sure if it would work. Is everyone all right?"
"We're fine," Kotono answered. She glanced at Rei and nodded. "We make quite a good team. Hopefully we got them all this time."
"No kidding," Rei said, dusting her hands off as she joined her cousins. "I thought we had seen the last of them when we sent the spirit of decay back. I guess more slipped through than we thought."
"Whoa, there." Asanuma spotted a stray ember and dissolved it. Nobody wanted any forest fires, so he and Rei had been very careful about setting and extinguishing them. Kotono watched with some pride as her little brother meticulously checked the area for any sparks. There had been a time when his mastery of fire-bending might have made her jealous, but she had long since moved past all that and had grown into her own person. Now she actually embraced her inability to bend, and would dare anyone to call her out on it. Suo helped stamp out a small blaze but panicked as a much larger pillar of flame shot out from nowhere.
"Look out!" He tackled Asanuma to the ground and shielded the prince with his body. The column missed them but set a huge swath of the forest on fire. Rei immediately leaped into action and subdued the fire before it could spread; meanwhile Oboro and Kartta drew their weapons. Several more of those nasty monsters had appeared, but nearly all of them were now being consumed by the blaze.
"Careless," Kartta remarked as she covered her face from the smoke. "I haven't seen such an unrefined technique in a long time. What sort of bumbling fool could—"
"And take THAT!" A second line of fire streaked through the forest, killing many monsters but also taking much of the forest with it. The group heard someone laughing, but the joy quickly turned to panic as the unknown fire-bender realized what he had done. The damage was hastily undone, leaving behind only charred plants, plenty of smoke, and a coughing young man stumbling his way through the woods. Kartta advanced towards him but it was Ku Sheng who captured him. He let out a choked grunt as her fingers closed over his collar.
"Ye be still now," she warned him, "lest I crack your skull like an egg."
"Whoa, whoa! Hey, I'm still, I'm still!" He held his hands up in surrender while everyone else got a closer look at him. The young man's most remarkable feature was his bright red hair, a genetic rarity if ever there was one; he also wore a tan vest over a blue shirt, and had a ring on one of his fingers. Kotono glared at him with bridled fury.
"Tell us who you are, and what you're doing here, and what in the world possessed you to burn half the forest down like that."
"I didn't burn down half the forest," he squealed defensively. "The fires just got a little out of hand, is all. I put them out!"
"Oh, really? This boy and I did most of the work there," Rei snapped. The young man grinned, but his smile faded as he saw who she was referring to. Asanuma looked just as surprised.
"Hey...I know you. Ku Sheng, let him go." Ku Sheng stiffened, wanting to obey her prince's order but unwilling to loosen this reckless knave. She grunted and let go of his collar.
"Okay, sire, though I don' feel comfortable doin' it."
"And give him space, everyone. He may not look like it or act like it, but this man's a very skilled bender."
"Hey, thanks, prince!" he grinned. "That's a high compliment coming from you."
"Wait," Kotono said, "you two know each other?"
"You mean you don't remember him?" Asanuma said humbly. "This is the man who defeated me at dad's tournament." Kotono's mouth hung open as the redhead bowed.
"Joe Wheeler, at your service."
…...
Wheeler, as he insisted on being called, was quick to account for himself and his actions. He had been "running around" the Fire Nation on several mercy missions for the last two years, and Hikawa Shrine was his last stop before reuniting with his friends. He had avoided Beryl's forces during the chaos at the tournament and had worked in secret with several resistance members, striking back at small enclaves and rescuing several prisoners. When Jaedite's massive prison break took effect, he had helped rally and organize many hundreds of incarcerated citizens, and had even fought a little in the skirmishes that followed. He apologized for accidentally setting the forest on fire, but claimed that in his defense, "I probably took out twenty or thirty of whatever those ugly things were". After hearing his full story, Kotono decided to show some leniency, but warned him that any further mistakes would not be tolerated.
"Yeah," he exhaled, "I learned my lesson. Thanks for taking it easy on me, princess. I owe you one."
"You can pay me back by being more careful in the future. Anyway, I'd like for all of us to perform another sweep later today. Somehow I doubt we've seen the last of those monsters."
"Just what are those things, anyway?" Wheeler asked. Rei frowned.
"Minor evil spirits that crossed over after a spirit of decay broke into our world. We exorcised the spirit and destroyed most of those creatures, but like Kotono said, there's no telling how many more are out there." Wheeler grinned and flexed his arm.
"Well, if you need some help getting rid of them, then I'm your man!"
"No!" Kotono stated sharply. "I'm not going to risk another incident. I know you meant well, and I'm grateful for everything you've done for this country, but I can't fully trust you."
"Aww, come on," he groaned, "I'm good for it." Before Kotono could object, Oboro held up his hand.
"Might I suggest an alternative? He seems eager enough, and there's more than one way of helping. Let's have him patrol the shrine with Kasei and Yuichiro. I'm sure they'd be glad to have another strong pair of arms around." Kotono smiled.
"Great idea—but how about one more stipend? We should send Rei to keep an eye on him."
"What?!" she blurted, "Why me?!"
"Because I trust you to keep him on a short leash. He'd never behave himself if he went there by himself."
"What?" Wheeler shrieked. "Yes I would! I'm not a child, you know! Err, your highness."
"Be that as it may," she continued placidly, "she should go with you. Think of this as a way of proving yourself." Wheeler frowned, but he (and Rei) ultimately relented, and the party split up. Rei guided him back to the shrine, but she couldn't help but feel that this was some sort of punishment on Kotono's part. For one, Wheeler never stopped talking. Rei politely answered a few of his questions but that only seemed to encourage him. Plus, he was loud, and he made too many bad jokes. He had a few good stories from his time spent fighting Beryl's forces, but it wasn't worth putting up with him the rest of the time. He didn't even shut up when he climbed the long staircase up to the temple; he was still talking as he wheezed for air.
"Man! Who...in their right mind...built a temple...on a hill this...big?"
"To be closer to the heavens," Rei deadpanned. Unfortunately, Wheeler regained his breath.
"Ah. So what's your grandpa like, anyway? I never knew any of my grandparents. My mom and dad told me they had a cattle ranch out somewhere. Oh, wow, the cherry trees are in full bloom! Man, it feels like forever since I've seen one!" Rei let out an exasperated sigh but felt relieved as a figure approached her. For the first time since she could remember, she was honestly happy to see her nosy grandfather.
"Welcome back, Rei. Oh, and who did you stumble across while you were away, hmm? He doesn't look like a monster."
"Yeah, well, looks can be deceiving," she muttered.
"Hey, I heard that! I'll have you know I saved more people than you can count on my travels."
"I wonder how many forests you took out in the meantime," she countered. The two snarled at each other like wolves while Kasei Hikawa peered closer, rubbing his chin.
"Hmm? Oh, I see! You found yourself a boyfriend while you were away! Heheh, you work even faster than I do, Rei!"
"WHAT?! Grandpa, will you knock it off?! He's not my boyfriend! He's just some pyromaniac we found on patrol!"
"Hey, watch who you're calling a pyromaniac, lady!" Wheeler snapped. "Jeez, ya lose control once and you never hear the end of it."
"Maybe you should have paid better attention to your bending instructor!"
"I'm sorry, how many of those monsters did I take out just now?" Kasei chuckled softly.
"Are you certain you two aren't dating?"
"YES!" they both shouted. He backed off.
"Okay, just checking. In all seriousness, though, you should have better discipline, Rei. It doesn't become a shrine maiden of your standing to lose her cool like that."
"I know, but—"
"No!" Kasei exclaimed. "Exercise discipline, restraint, and wisdom at all times, Rei."
"Says the hypocrite," she grumbled through her teeth. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, though. Her grandfather was right: she was not behaving properly to their guest, as uncouth as he was. If she could not show him a higher state of mind, then how was she any better? She turned to Wheeler and bowed humbly. "I'm sorry, I acted rashly. Please forgive me for how I behaved. You are welcome here, Wheeler."
Wheeler was so taken aback by the sudden change in this fiery damsel that he stiffened like a board. Words, for once, failed him.
"Um...yeah, I mean, uh...it's...no problem, I guess. Uhh, I mean, yeah, umm, I'm sorry too, for, uh...being a jerk and all."
"Good," Kasei said. "Now shake hands." They did so. "Good. Now, where shall you go on your first date? I'll need to chaperon, of course..."
"Oh, grandpa, will you let it rest? Wheeler's here to help around the shrine, and I need to get back to my studies." Kasei grumbled and puttered off, beckoning Wheeler to join him. The young man ran his fingers through his bright red hair.
"Is he always like that?"
"I'm afraid so," Rei sighed. They looked at each other and shared a genuine smile. "I guess we could try to get along." Wheeler winked and flexed his arm again.
"Hey, I can get along with anybody, especially a fellow fire-bender! Um, just so we're clear, you're not actually interested in me, are you?"
"Not even remotely," she grumbled. He sighed with relief.
"Whew! Good to know. I got a girl out there somewhere, and she isn't exactly the easygoing type. She'd really lay into me if she thought I was chasing after someone else. You know, you sort of remind me of her." Rei rolled her eyes.
"Ho boy, that old line. What, does she argue with you incessantly?"
"Sometimes," he muttered sheepishly. His face turned soft as he elaborated, "But mostly...you're both very strong people. I don't know you as well as I know her, but I get the feeling you're the kind of girl who doesn't back down without a fight. It's the same with her. She also puts up with all my yammering," he added with a grin. Rei chuckled a little.
"Hey, you lovebirds! If you can tear yourselves away from each other long enough, I've got a lot of chores I need help with!" The two turned pale as Kasei yelled at them. Wheeler shrugged.
"Better not keep the old guy waiting. I'll catch you later, umm... Hey, you never told me y—"
"It's Rei," she answered blithely. He nodded.
"See you around, Rei." Wheeler ran off after her grandfather, leaving Rei to reflect. Wheeler was still a pain, but...maybe not such a bad person. She soon returned to the temple archives and pulled down a manuscript detailing more of Avatar Han's life. If there were any clues to be found, Rei felt that this would be the place to look.
She slept badly that night and didn't even get a chance to wash up the next morning: her grandfather was shouting something about a guest come to see her. She couldn't even guess who it might be: her friends had scattered to the four corners of the earth, while her enemies... A cold feeling punched her gut as she remembered there were five very powerful benders who had tried to kill Usagi earlier, so she dressed in a hurry and ran outside. She spotted her grandfather and Wheeler chatting and laughing with a red-haired girl on a nearby bench. Rei had only met the girl once in her life but would have recognized Nergal from anywhere. Their eyes met and Nergal leaped to her feet.
"It's you!" Rei took a defensive stance while Nergal did the same. "What do you want?"
"That's sort of a loaded question, isn't it?" Nergal countered. "I was hoping to run into your pig-tailed friend, but I guess I'll settle for you instead. Where is she, by the way?"
"As if I'd tell you," Rei growled. "What about you? Where's your false Avatar?"
"I wouldn't know, ours is the real thing."
"Funny, I was just thinking the same about Usagi." Kasei had been following their banter for awhile but now he had heard enough. He clapped his hands loudly and stepped between the two girls.
"All right, that's enough! Rei, what did I tell you about discipline?"
"Grandpa, not now."
"Rei!" he barked. "Exercise discipline, restraint, and wisdom at all times. All times, Rei!" Rei pursed her lips, frowning grimly, her eyes aflame. Nergal matched her expression perfectly. Wheeler grunted.
"Do...you two know each other?"
"In a sense," Rei said. Nergal nodded.
"We've met once." He scratched his head and looked to Kasei.
"Is Rei always like this?"
"I'm afraid so," he sighed, nodding his head. "And I have no idea where she gets it. Her mother was so refined and mild-mannered..."
"Grandpa, not now."
"ALL TIMES, REI!" He cleared his throat meekly. Slowly, Rei relaxed her guard.
"My grandfather considers you a guest to our temple, Nergal, so you'll be treated like one. As a guest, however, you ought to act accordingly. Do you understand?"
There was a tense pause.
"Yes." She relaxed as well. Wheeler glanced between the two girls and grinned.
"Wow! This discipline stuff really works! Heh, maybe I should try it out on Linka sometime!"
"So now that we're all friends," Kasei said, rubbing his chin as he leered at the newcomer, "or at least not trying to hurt each other, what's your business here, young lady? Are you, uh, going to work at the shrine, too? I could definitely use another pretty face around here."
"Grandpa, I swear," Rei grumbled, covering her face in exasperation. Even Nergal cringed.
"Eww, no, I'm here for your granddaughter."
"Oh?" His eyebrows wiggled and a little blood issued from his nose. "Are you two dating? I had a suspicion that Rei was like that." Fire sprang out of Rei's mouth as she berated the old man.
"Grandpa, don't you have chores to get to?! Next time keep your dirty mouth shut!" Kasei ran away shrieking, Wheeler in tow. Nergal's face was a cross between perplexity and disgust.
"Is he always like that?"
"Sad to say, he is. Well, now that we're alone, what did you want to see me about?" Nergal clammed up, clenching and unclenching her fists, kicking the ground shyly. Her eyes darted from the ground to Rei and back again.
"If I'm being completely honest...I have no reason to treat you like an enemy. Suen—that's the blonde girl we all follow—she thinks your pig-tailed friend is a false Avatar. I agreed with her at first, but lately...I'm not so sure. She's been acting...strangely. She's more violent and prone to unprovoked outbursts. Please bear in mind, she's normally a very kindhearted person, and probably the best friend you could ask for. She always knows how to brighten your day, and...she's had a hard life, so she really empathizes with people. I don't even think I'd be alive today without her. Something's made her change, and we all—the other three girls and me, I mean—we think it has to do with whatever took residence inside of her, if that's the correct term. The thing that makes an Avatar the Avatar."
"You mean Raava."
"Yeah, that's what she called it. Raava...if it really is Raava...changed her for the worst. What we're afraid of is...maybe whatever is in your friend now is going to change her, too, and work horrible deeds through her."
"That's absurd," Rei muttered sharply. "Everything I've read or heard about Raava says that she's the good one; she works wonders through everyone she comes to embody. Think about it: have you ever heard of an Avatar going sour?"
"No," Nergal admitted numbly, "but I'm not exactly an expert on the subject." Rei studied her counterpart for a moment, remembering a lesson taught to her by her grandfather many years ago, seeing an opportunity.
Aha, very good. A natural martial artist and a fire-bender, yes. You definitely take after my side of the family! But Rei, there's one more lesson I want to share with you, and I want you to remember it first and foremost. Any old fool can strike someone else, but only a true master can turn an enemy into a friend. It is the highest form of martial arts you can achieve.
"My grandfather is," Rei said, and as she spoke, she slowly extended her hand, palm opened, to someone who had once tried to kill her and the Avatar. "He has an amazing library in the temple, and it's filled to the brim with all sorts of history and lore: about the Avatars, the Spirit World, anything you could imagine. I was actually looking through a few documents myself yesterday. If...you want, I could let you look around, too. We could...try and find some answers to all of this together."
Nergal looked at Rei with a mixture of doubt, bewilderment, humility, and joy. She didn't know what to say, so she was silent. Finally, she took a breath.
"You'd...trust me like that?"
"What do you mean?" Rei said, smiling softly. "You're a fire-bender, I'm a Fire Priestess, and this is a Fire Temple. My grandfather called you a guest, so it's my duty to accommodate you and see to your needs. But it would also be my pleasure, Nergal." Nergal felt her throat constrict as a tear formed in her eye. She rubbed it out and smiled shakily as she approached Rei.
"That...would be wonderful. But I don't know your—"
"Rei." The two girls smiled at each other, and together, they entered the temple archives. "You know, Nergal, there's this scroll about Avatar Han that I've been looking at. I think you may be interested in it..."
…...
"There!"
Minako and Linka swooped in on the galleon, swerving around cannon fire and flaming arrows. As Linka expertly guided Ivanushka through the hailstorm, Minako vaulted off his back, calling a small typhoon to shatter the ship's masts. The sails buckled and burst under the pressure; ropes snapped and flailed; the ship's cargo was blown off into the ocean, along with a few deckhands. Knowing better than to get too close, Minako landed atop the mainmast, kicked the watch before he could draw his sword, and ripped the flag off. She signaled to Linka and hurled herself off, using a gust of wind to propel herself away. A few cannons still shot after her, but Linka caught the iron orbs in a swift breeze and hurled them back, punching holes in the ship and even destroying one of the cannons. The girls made one more pass and united their bending to tip the broken galleon on its side, tossing everything not tied down into the sea. Minako let out a loud cheer as Ivanushka circled around and headed back to the temple.
"That's the last one, baby! Whoo! We are smokin'!"
"That is right!" Linka chimed in. "Do not mess with air-benders! We are the greatest people in the world!" She and Minako exchanged a high five, grinning all the way. Their exuberance was wrested away when they returned home, though, as they saw five air-bisons circling around with a buzz of benders surrounding them. Ivanushka landed just outside of the fray; Linka and Minako hopped off and ran to the center of the commotion to see what the excitement was about. They heard it long before they saw it.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing? Not so rough there, guys, I told you I come in peace! Ow—hey, is this how you treat a lady?! And a fellow air-bender, at that? Don't you have any pride? C...come on, ow!"
"What is this?!" Linka demanded as she shoved her way through. The other benders parted a little, showing four men holding fast to a wriggling young woman. She had long blonde hair and wore the traditional orange robe and blue arrows of an air-bender. Linka glared at their behavior and wasted no time berating them. "Since when did it take four men to subdue one girl? And look, she is an air-bender! How dare you show our kinswoman such discourtesy?!"
"Yeah! You tell em'!" the prisoner exclaimed.
"You do not understand, Linka," one of them replied. "We were all minding our own business when she appeared suddenly from out of nowhere. You must concede that anyone who does that—"
"What do you mean, appeared suddenly from out of nowhere?"
"Exactly that. One moment there was nothing, and the next, there she was! It was as though she had been invisible this whole time."
"What nonsense!" Linka snorted. "You all have been drinking too much rice wine."
"But Linka—" She glared and crossed her arms.
"Even if you expect me to believe this incredible tale, she is still one of us. She should not be treated so roughly. Hand her over to me and I shall take her to see Boris." The other monks grumbled to themselves, but Linka had a lot of influence around the temple, and going against her was seldom a good idea. They released the girl, who instantly returned the favor with a rude gesture. The monks snarled like wild apes but Linka silenced them.
"Enough. I sincerely apologize for their behavior, miss. We are all very agitated around here, and I am afraid these men have taken their battle-fury home with them."
"Bah," she huffed, smoothing out the wrinkles on her clothes. "I guess I can't be too mad at them. I really did pop in from out of nowhere. Anyway, who's this Boris guy? Is he cute?"
"I... What?" Perplexed, Linka stood there as the girl marched onward, humming to herself. She only stopped when she crossed paths with Minako. The two stared at each other incredulously for a moment.
"Hiya!"
"Um, hi. You're, uh..."
"Ishtar! And you?"
"Mi...Minako."
"Ah, how do ya do?" Ishtar grabbed Minako's hand and shook it. "Yeah, sorry about my friends attacking your friends awhile back. A lot of crazy things have happened since then and...hey, do you have anything to eat around here? I'm starving!"
Minako and Linka looked at each other, positively stunned.
Boris had to work very hard to keep himself from laughing. The story behind Ishtar's spontaneous appearance had now spread across half the temple, but having it confirmed by the very subject herself was nothing short of comedic. On top of that, she was a genuinely funny person (as some air-benders had proven themselves to be), and her thoughts seemed to be all over the place (plus, she flirted with him, calling "dibs" the moment she saw him). She was welcomed, in any case, and once most of the mirth had left him, Boris asked the purpose behind her surprise visit.
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot. This is very important, now, so hopefully I don't forget anything or say anything weird."
"Please, take your time and relax," Boris gestured. "It would be a pleasure to endure your charms."
"Oh, why thank you," she tittered, playing with her hair. Ishtar then explained her relationship with Suen, and Suen's relationship with the entity who had come to inhabit her. She related how their second encounter with Usagi had resulted in a total group defeat and (what she assumed) the loss of Suen's connection with the entity. She then told of how the entity had changed their friend over time, of how violent and vitriolic she had become, and quickly glossed over all the various theories her friends had on the nature of this creature. Finally, she spoke of how she had come to cross vast distances in a single moment, just to be here.
"Suen thinks I'm going after Minako there," Ishtar concluded, pointing her thumb at the other girl. "She wants to draw the other Avatar out and thinks going after her friends is the key. But I'm against that." She turned to see Minako's reaction, and found relief gracing her features. "I've been against a lot of the things that Suen did. I almost didn't even join her group. I'm very much a pacifist, you see."
"That is good to hear," Boris said. "So what made you change your mind?" Ishtar blushed shyly and smiled, glancing away.
"My best friend Nabu went along with her. Nabu and I have been close since childhood. I figured...if I didn't go with her, what sort of friend would I be?"
"And that is the only reason?" Ishtar shrugged.
"I didn't need any other reason. I didn't even know Suen or any of the other girls. If they were all right by Nabu, then they were all right by me."
"I see." He sat back, contemplating this humble but heartfelt reasoning, smiling slowly. He leaned forward again and said, "But you came here by yourself. Did you have a falling-out with your friends?"
"No," Ishtar murmured, "I had my reasons for coming here alone. I wanted to try and make peace between Suen and the other Avatar. Um...gosh, I'm sorry, what was her name again?" She looked over fretfully at Minako, who answered. "Right, right, Usagi, gotcha. Anyway, the way I see it, our two sides shouldn't be fighting at all. It shouldn't matter who's the fake Avatar and who's the real one, right? Aren't they both working for the same thing? Don't they both have the same goal?"
The room was silent as each person considered what Ishtar had said. Boris and Linka weren't as familiar with her as Minako was, so they could more readily acquiesce to her way of thinking. For her part, Minako was glad to put all the animosity behind her. She didn't fully trust Ishtar just yet, but she wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt. She seemed sincere, and furthermore, she was an air-bender. If Minako couldn't trust that, then what could she trust?
"Usagi would definitely agree with you there," Minako said. "And for what it's worth, I feel the same way. But what about the rest of your friends? You said you wanted to come here alone; am I to assume they don't all feel the same?"
"I honestly don't know," Ishtar whispered. "But I had to try, right? Suen thinks that...whatever causes people to become the Avatar is dangerous, and I think everyone else agrees. We've all noticed a lot of horrifying changes in her—even me, and I've only known her a few months. What about your friend? Is she behaving strangely?" Minako wanted to say that she wasn't, but then she remembered how Usagi had parted from them: the voices only she could hear, the irresistible urge to answer a summons, the vague color of her eyes, the shifting amble in her walk... And then there was the issue of her being unable to bend outside of the Avatar State. Was Raava really a part of Usagi, or was it some other creature? If so, who? Was this spirit dangerous? Minako wanted to stand by her friend but there were far too many unknown factors. She took a deep breath and decided to answer in the only way she could:
"Yes, she has. But I believe in Usagi, just as you must believe in your friend. Lately, we...we all split up so we could solve this mystery of the two Avatars. My path led me here. I still don't have any answers, but I refuse to believe my decision was wasted. After all, I've done a lot of good here, and I met Linka and Boris—and I met you. Your decision wasn't a waste either, Ishtar. I think we were all meant to find each other. Linka, Boris, how long do you think it'll take Artemis to heal?"
Boris hesitated for a moment. "I...could not say. Maybe another week, perhaps?"
"That's too long to wait. Linka, could Ishtar and I borrow Ivanushka for awhile?"
"Where do you plan on going?" Minako didn't really know, so she looked to Ishtar.
"We were in the Hinterlands southwest of here. We didn't exactly set up a time or a place to rendezvous."
"My group was in Ba Sing Se for the most part," Minako mused. "I think it'd be wise if we went there. At the very least, we can get the support of the king."
"What do you plan on doing?" Boris asked.
"My friends and I split up awhile ago. We all promised each other to meet back up again in a week or so. I don't know if everyone found what they were looking for or not, but something tells me that we should all get together again before long."
"And what do you base that on?" Linka said. Minako didn't have a solid answer. As much as she liked her new friends, and as much as she was needed, she knew she didn't belong here. She couldn't explain it any better than that.
"Serendipity. Nothing more." She looked to Ishtar and smiled. Ishtar mirrored her expression. Boris sighed.
"It would be more beneficial if you could stay here and help us keep the peace. We would even be willing to allow Ishtar to help as well."
"I know," Minako replied emptily, "I'm being selfish. I'll stay if it's your decision." She felt a hand touch her shoulder, and looked to see Linka grinning at her.
"It may be his decision, but it is my bison. We will travel together, yes?" Minako's face lit up with joy.
"Really? Ya mean it?" Linka winked and flashed the Air Nomad greeting, palm extended and finger pointing up.
"Of course I do. Consider it my way of repaying you for all your hard work."
"But air nomads don't carry debts."
"Then consider it an act of friendship." She glanced over at Ishtar and barked, "You! Girl! We are friends, too. This is agreeable, yes?"
"Huh? Um, sure, I'm easy!" Ishtar giggled to herself as she, Linka, and Minako linked hands with each other. "You know, it's funny: I used to think I was the only blonde air-bender in the whole world. I guess they're more common than I thought."
"Linka, please, you must reconsider," Boris pleaded. "There are still countless brigands in the area, and we cannot afford the loss of two nomads and a bison."
"Very well, I will reconsider." She closed her eyes and paused for a moment before opening them again. "No, I am still going to help Minako and Ishtar! That is the end of the discussion!" Minako and Ishtar laughed as Boris sighed and rubbed his face.
"Very well. I suppose I only have myself to blame for how stubborn you are. If this is your decision, then all I ask is that you take care of yourself and our guests, and to return alive and well."
"But of course!" she exclaimed, and the two hugged each other. Minako shook his hand, but Ishtar went in for a hug as well.
"(Send a messenger-hawk my way sometime, cutie!)" she squealed in his ear. Boris blushed heavily as she waved good-bye and sat down, wondering how he would explain this to everyone else.
"Women," he sighed.
The end of "Fire in the Sky"
Next time: "Suen Alone"