Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

A.N: Come on, people! I didn't get any reviews! Maybe this chapter will make u review. Yay! I'm not sure if I'm gonna make the necklace have some big meaning, but if it does….it does xD

Chapter Two

Aeko and Rayea ran quickly through the dense forest, trying to got away from the chaos. If they were caught, their lives would be hell. That's what made them run. Aeko glanced at Rayea as she ran. He knew she loved to run. She had a smile on her face, even with the circumstances. Though, he knew she wouldn't be able to run for long. She had bad knees and a bad ankle. She had almost broken her ankle when they were younger, and bad knees ran in her family.

Aeko glanced at her again. She was still smiling, though the smile was a bit smaller than it had been seconds before. She was enjoying the run, but he could tell her knees were hurting her. He could see it in her eyes. But she would be okay, for at least a little longer. She was strong and a little pain wasn't going to stop her.

They could still hear screaming and yelling, the villagers pleading, behind them, but it was growing softer. They were past where the fire benders had camped. Aeko could tell by some of the path markers he had set up. As she ran, Rayea gently grasped her necklace in her hands, smiling. Aeko had given it to her two years ago on her twelfth birthday. It was a silver chain with a dragon-shaped charm. The dragon was holding a small gray orbs, the exact color of Rayea's eyes.

Rayea ran a few feet ahead of Aeko. She was running way too fast for his liking. "Slow down! You'll hurt yourself!" Rayea had run herself out many times before, which only added to her knee problems. She would run through the forest until she collapsed from not getting enough oxygen. Her running was always faster than her breathing, which wasn't good.

"I'll be fine!" She was always stubborn like this. She didn't like it when someone told her to slow down, or be careful. She was being careful and she knew when she needed to rest. She wouldn't run herself out. Not this time.

"Please, Rayea!" Aeko started to slow down. He was having trouble breathing. He knew Rayea was. He stopped and Rayea did too. Aeko leaned against a tree and watched as Rayea sat and leaned against the trunk. She wasn't doing well. He could tell. She was getting paler than usual. He kneeled beside her. "Rayea, I told you…" She leaned against him, her breathing no where near normal. Aeko smiled as her eyes closed. "You've run yourself out again." He whispered to her, even though she couldn't hear him.

He carefully slipped one arm under her back and the other under her knees. He picked her up and kept walking, though at a much slower pace that their running had been. They were pretty far from the village, but it wouldn't hurt to go a little further.

---xx---

"Rayea!" Mahri ran into her daughter's bedroom. "Rayea, fire nation! Aeko's gone-," She stopped, realizing her oldest daughter wasn't there. "No." She whispered. "No. Rayea!"

A solder crashed into the house, cornering Mahri. "We want all the earthbenders. NOW."

"There aren't any here." Mahri said bravely, though she was scared for her daughter and Aeko and everyone that was an earthbender, she wouldn't show it.

The solder, apparently, did not like that answer.

---xx---

A flying bison wasn't noticed as it flew over the burning village. Though, the three teens in the bison's saddle didn't fail to notice the fire and smoke.

"Aang, that village!"

"We have to help them."

"But there are firebenders! Do you want to get caught?"

"Sokka! They need help!" The young avatar took this as a que and turned the flying bison around, going back to the village.

---xx---

Aeko carefully laid Rayea in the grass in the small clearing he had found that actually had water near it. He wasn't sure how long Rayea would sleep, and he didn't know how long he would be able to go, either. He pulled a blanket from the bag he had packed and lay it over Rayea. She usually slept for a while after she ran herself out. What bothered him more than her running herself out was why she would.

She knew she could run herself out very easily, so usually she was careful. But, she would run herself out on purpose if she had a reason to. And today, she did just that. She knew she would run herself out, and she did. Usually she only did this when something big was on her mind. The first time she did it was when she found out her father had left them, not died. She had gotten so mad that he would do that…

She didn't even know him.

She didn't know his name, even. But she got so worked up over it, that she ran until she couldn't run anymore. Aeko had been there that time, and he was there now. And even if she didn't like it, he would be there all the other times it happened.

He watched her as she slept, her breathing normal. It had been for a few hours. The sun was starting to show over the horizon, but Aeko didn't care. They would stay right where they were until Rayea was ready to start moving again.

However long that would be.

But, knowing Rayea, that would be as soon as she was awake.

Aeko laid next to Rayea and pulled part of the blanket over him, glad he had decided to bring the larger blanket rather than the smaller one. Of course, if he had brought the smaller one he would get to be closer to Rayea than he was now…but this was Rayea. His best friend.

He had to stop having these thoughts. Even if he didn't know she was having the exact same thoughts he was.