Chapter Ten: Out Of Place

We exited Aunt Wu's residence. Aang and Katara were all smiles, Sokka was sulking, and I couldn't shake my prediction from my mind. It was too personal to be completely fake, but it was also so outrageous that it scared me.

Confronting my past, reconciling a broken bond, and opening my heart to the forbidden? I furrowed my brow. What does any of that mean? No. I'm just gonna pretend that I never talked to Aunt Wu.

Sokka folded his arms and narrowed his eyes at Katara and Aang. "Why is Tashi the only one who understands this is nothing but a hoax? Can't you two see reason?"

I placed a hand on his shoulder. "Sokka, calm down. If Katara and Aang want to humor themselves with this fortune-telling stuff, let them. It's not harming anyone."

"Sure it is. Now they're gonna base everything they do off of what some crazy lady told them," he said.

Katara placed her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow at her brother. "Well, according to Aunt Wu, things are going to turn out very well for me."

Aang smiled. "They sure are."

"What did she say to you?" Katara said.

"Some stuff." He shrugged. "You'll find out."

Katara grinned. "Besides, Sokka, you're just grumpy because you're gonna make yourself unhappy your whole life."

"My life will be calm and happy and joyful." Sokka kicked a random pebble, and it bounced on a sign before hitting him in the back of the head. "That doesn't prove anything."

I saw Aang glance at Katara and blush. After traveling with the group for a while, I started to notice that he had a crush on her. Although, it didn't seem like the feeling was mutual. Either way, it was adorable, and I couldn't help but think back to when I first fell for Jet. It had been such a sweet and innocent time.

I shook the thoughts from my head. "So we've had our fortunes told. Let's say we stock up on supplies and head out?"

"Come on. We can stay a little while longer, can't we?" Katara pointed to the group of villagers that were gathering in the center of the square. "Let's see what they're up to."

Aang and Katara rushed ahead while Sokka grumbled under his breath. I sighed and followed them.

Katara stopped beside some of the villagers and followed their line of site. "What's with the sky?"

The male villager we had bumped into in the forest turned around. "We're waiting for Aunt Wu to come and read the clouds. To predict the fate of the whole village."

Aang pointed up at the sky. "That cloud kinda looks like a fluffy bunny."

"You better hope that's not a bunny. A fluffy bunny cloud predicts doom and destruction," the male villager said.

Sokka scoffed. "Do you even hear yourself?"

"The cloud reading will tell us if Mt. Makapu will remain dormant for another year or if it will erupt," one of the female villagers said.

The male villager nodded. "We used to have a tradition once a year of going up the mountain to check the volcano ourselves, but ever since Aunt Wu moved to the village twenty years ago, we have a tradition of not doing that."

Sokka stared at the villagers. "I can't believe you would trust your lives to that crazy old woman's superstition."

I took Sokka by the hand and guided him away from the crowd. "Just let it go. You're making a scene."

He groaned. "But this is so ridiculous. How can they…?"

I put my finger to his lips, silencing him. "Look, I think these villagers are silly too, but they can do whatever they want. And last I checked, we have bigger problems to worry about, so will you please relax before you get us kicked out?"

Sokka was quiet for a few minutes before slowly nodding.

"Good." I removed my finger. "Now follow me."

"Where are we going?" he said.

"Just somewhere private." I gave him a half-lidded look and brushed my hand against his cheek. "I thought you wanted to talk?"

"I did?" He blinked before recalling our previous conversation. "Oh. Uh, yeah. Sure."

I led Sokka behind some buildings where we could be carefully hidden under the shadows. Crossing my arms, I leaned against the wall and gave him a coquettish smile.

"So you like me, do you?" I said.

"Well… yeah." Sokka pointed at me and then himself. "You and me. We could be a thing, right?"

He really doesn't know what he's doing. I pushed myself off of the wall and stepped closer. "Unfortunately, no."

He gasped. "What? Why not?"

"Listen, Sokka, you're nice and everything, but after what happened with Jet, I'm just not ready for a new relationship." I sighed. "I'm glad to have him out of my life, but our relationship wasn't some immature tryst. We built a whole life together for four years, and the way it all fell apart still hurts."

"But I'm nothing like him. I'd never hurt you like that," Sokka said.

"I know you wouldn't. But you're also not really my type." I shrugged. "If I do pursue a relationship again, it would have to be with someone much more… weathered."

He raised an eyebrow. "Weathered?"

As in damaged. While I'm sure Sokka's had his hardships, I can tell he's not as screwed up as me. Besides, as sweet as he is, would he find me as pretty if he saw how scarred I was? No. It'd never work. I sighed, knowing I couldn't tell him my true reasoning, for I didn't want his pity. "I guess experienced would be a better word. No offense, but you're too wet behind the ears for my tastes. In more ways than one if I'm gonna be really honest."

"Wet behind the ears?" He grabbed his ears self-consciously before turning away from me with a scoff. "I'll have you know that I have plenty of experience in tons of things. Go ahead. Name something, Tashi, and I'll show you how weathered I truly am."

"Oh? Then let's start with the easiest example." I chuckled. "Jet didn't only have moves on the battlefield if you catch my drift?"

Sokka blinked a few times, the gears in his mind spinning. When the realization hit him, his eyes slowly widened, and his face turned red.

"Yeah, well, I… I got moves." He grinned and leaned against the wall with one hand. "I've had the ladies chasing after me since I left home."

"Really?" I batted my eyelashes. "Then you'd be capable of doing me a few favors?"

"Favors?" he said, his voice cracking a little.

Smirking, I stepped closer and cornered Sokka against the wall. I leaned over him, my hands pressed on the wall on either side of his head. I couldn't help but laugh at how his composure weakened at my gesture. It was so obvious that he had no experience, and yet he was so desperate to prove how manly he was.

"War can be so tense, and while I have no interest in a relationship, having someone around to relieve my stress would be nice." I leaned my face closer to his. "Surely, you'd understand if you're as skilled as you say."

At this point, Sokka could only stammer, and shaking my head, I pulled away from him.

"See this is what I mean. You're too much of a darling, Sokka." I pinched his cheek. "But don't worry. I'm sure you'll make a lucky girl very happy someday. In meantime, let's focus less on romance and more on saving the world."

Rubbing his face, he finally snapped back to reality. "Fa… fair enough."

Still flustered, he rushed out of our hiding spot. I chuckled to myself before stepping out after him. I heard Aunt Wu announce that the village wasn't going to be destroyed by the volcano and the cheers that erupted from the villagers.

I made my way over to Appa and sat down. "Hey, boy."

I petted his fur, and he gave a low growl at me in response. We really should be moving on in our journey, but the others were too distracted. Sokka returned to obsessively persuading the villagers why fortune-telling was wrong, Katara returned to Aunt Wu's home for more predictions, and Aang…. Well, he was in his usually chipper mood, and he was now talking to Sokka.

"How long will we have to stay here?" I looked up at the sky.

This village was a waste of time. Last I checked, we were on a deadline, and the Fire Nation was without a doubt still trailing us. Although, now that I thought about it, we hadn't seen Zhao or Zuko since that incident at the fortress, but that didn't mean they're weren't lurking out there somewhere.

One part of me almost wanted to let them find us. It'd be the last thing either of them ever did, or, at the very least, the last thing Zhao ever did. I was still on the fence about the prince. While he was the enemy, he hadn't done enough to justify me killing him outright, and his actions from that night still baffled me.

Why did he help me in the sewer? I furrowed my brow while I loaded the supplies onto Appa's saddle. I was at his mercy. He could've left me there until he returned with Aang.

Then again, Zuko's entire rescue attempt was even more strange. He had claimed that he took us from Zhao just to capture us himself. Well, capture Aang since I was an unexpected bump in the prince's plan.

But Zuko and Zhao are on the same side. And a prince would be ranked above an admiral, right? Zuko could've just ordered for us to be given into his custody. I bit my lip. Something's really off.

Either way, our exchange in the sewers informed me that Zuko had some sense of reason, and I planned to fully exploit that weakness for all it was worth. Hearing the door to Aunt Wu's residence open, I looked up and saw her and Katara step outside.

"And you'll be fine so long as you've got a scarf." Aunt Wu shoved Katara outside.

Katara quickly turned around. "But just one more thing."

Aunt Wu gave her an aggravated look but sighed. "Alright, what is it?"

"Should I have a mango or a papaya for breakfast tomorrow?" Katara said.

"Papaya!" Aunt Wu slammed the door in her face.

"Aw. I hate papaya." Katara kicked the ground.

I stood up and walked over to her. "Uh, Katara. Don't you think you're overdoing it a bit?"

"What?" She looked at me. "I just want to know about my future. Aunt Wu told me so many amazing things."

"Yeah, but you seem like you're becoming addicted to this. And besides, why would you want to know every single detail about your life? Wouldn't that be kind of boring?" I said.

"It's not boring. It's knowledge. By knowing about my future, I can be prepared for everything. The good and the bad." She frowned. "Sokka's rubbing off on you."

Katara wandered over to one of the produce stands.

"No, he isn't." I followed after her. "I'm just trying to be level-headed about this. This prediction stuff is fine in theory, but you shouldn't let it run your life. I mean, look at you, you don't like papaya, but you're buying it only because Aunt Wu told you to."

"Because I was going to anyway. That's what Aunt Wu predicted," she said.

I rolled my eyes. "So if Aunt Wu told you that tomorrow you were gonna jump off a cliff and die, would you just accept your fate and do it?"

"What?" Katara stammered. "That's ridiculous."

I groaned and put a hand to my forehead. "Listen, if you want to do whatever Aunt Wu told you fine, but we're supposed to be going to be North Pole. But all you and Sokka wanna do is obsess over this fortune-telling stuff. Can we please pack up and move on already?"

"We'll leave once we're ready. I still have some things I want to ask Aunt Wu, and why are you in such a hurry anyway?" Katara narrowed her eyes. "Wait…. What did she tell you?"

"Nothing." I folded my arms. "Just some stupid stuff that I'm not going to listen to anyway."

She gave me a knowing look and pointed in my face. "Ah ha. I knew it. Aunt Wu told you something you didn't like. That's why you're being so negative about this."

"I'm not being negative." I threw my arms in the air. "You know what, fine. Let's waste our time at this stupid village because you'd rather focus on what you should eat for breakfast than, you know? Saving the world?"

"What? We're just taking a little break. It's not that big of a deal," Katara said.

I returned to Appa and sat down.

Katara followed me. "Tashi, come on. What did Aunt Wu say to upset you so much?"

I sighed. "Something about confronting my past, reconciling a broken bond, and opening my heart to the forbidden. I don't understand what any of it means."

She furrowed her brow and sat beside me. "Was that all she said?"

I shook my head. "She mentioned that there was one thing that I wanted all of my life, but I would never get so long as I remain caged."

"And what is it that you want?" Katara said.

"I…." I closed my eyes.

It seemed like every time I knew what my destiny was it changed direction like the wind. One minute I thought I was going to be a normal girl. I'd be married off, have a bunch of children, and spend the rest of my life taking care of my family until I die. Then Zhao burned down my village. Then I thought it was to be a warrior. I would fight the Fire Nation alongside Jet and the other Freedom Fighters until our dying breaths. However, Jet turned out to be a horrible boyfriend.

Now I'm traveling with the Avatar on a mission to save the world, but was that my destiny? My place in this group was a strange one. Even though Aang, Katara, and Sokka had been affected by the war, they each still carried an air of innocence that had died in me a long time ago.

To be honest, it was difficult to get used to. Aang was goofy and irresponsible, Katara was idealistic to the point of being naive, and Sokka was too eager to be mature without the experience to back it up. I hated to admit it, but I saw all three of them as children that needed babysitting.

Not to say that they didn't have their positive traits. Aang was a well of wisdom when it came to Air Nomad culture, and he was a skilled fighter. Katara had a lot of heart, and Sokka was very clever. However, I was used to the sternness of my grandfather and strictness of my grandmother to ensure that I would survive without them, and the vindictive aura that overwhelmed the Freedom Fighters. It was a little heartbreaking that this journey would eventually kill the childlike light that Aang, Katara, and Sokka carried.

It happens to the best of us unfortunately. I sighed. "I don't know anymore."

"Then maybe that's what Aunt Wu's prediction is about?" Katara smiled. "You need to do these things in order figure out your destiny."

"But how I can follow what she said if I don't even know what she meant?"

She placed a hand on my shoulder. "Maybe it'll come to you with time. You just need to trust in her words."

"Sorry, Katara, but I'm not basing my life off of what some random woman said to me." I reclined back and closed my eyes. "Let me know when the rest of you are ready to head out."

I heard Katara groan and leave my side.

"You have suffered through much for one so young. Despite your trials, you have persevered, but your strength has become a mask for the pain that has encaged your heart."

I knitted my brow. It's not like I have a choice. So long as the world is at war, I have to be strong. I have to survive.