Woohoo! Thanks once again to everyone who reviewed! I hope this chapter rakes in as many reviews as the last one! I especially hope it's worthy of it! I am so excited for tonight! Me and my youth group are doing a spoof beauty pageant and we all have to wear specific colors. My color is green (even though my favorite color is orange grumble) so for my talent I'm going tofiddle 'Turkey in the Straw' on my green violin wilst blowing on my green harmonica! It's going to be interesting! Wish me luck!
Zula was the first to open her eyes and she was grateful for it. She ducked beneath some foliage just as Sokka began to stir. He got shakily to his feet and rubbed his head before stumbling over to where Katara and Aang lay.
"Hey, wake up. Are you guys okay?" He muttered, shaking their shoulders until their eyes opened.
"Whoa, what happened." Aang grumbled.
"You tell us." Sokka said, pulling Katara to her feet.
"Maki! We need to find a woman named Maki so she can teach me how to earthbend!" Aang said suddenly, he pushed the air below him as he had done so many times before to go from kneeling to standing. But things didn't work out as he planned. Nothing happened and he ended up flat on his face.
"Oh, I forgot about that." Aang grumbled and rubbed dirt from his nose. Katara and Sokka each got grip beneath an elbow and hoisted him up.
"So…where do we go from here?" Sokka asked. Aang scratched the back of his head and looked around. They were in a jungle forest, the only thing to bring any significance to the place was a small stone monument the size of a two-year old. Aang circled this, looking for some kind of writing.
"We need to go that way." He finally said, pointing east.
"Why? What did the stone say?" Katara asked.
"Nothing. There's just smoke coming from that direction." Aang said with a shrug. They glanced upwards and, sure enough, there were small puffs of smoke floating above the trees in the distance. Seven minutes of walking brought them to a clearing where they were shocked to find a battle taking place between an earthbending woman and a firebending man.
He sent three large fireblasts at her but she flipped over them easily. Her technique was much different from customary earthbending. In fact her graceful movements mimicked the firebender. She dodged his advances, every now and then throwing small rocks at him. Sokka began taking a step forward to help her, but Aang stopped him with a hand. The two people were laughing…and Aang had seen this before. The woman flipped backwards as the man shot blast after blast trying to catch her off guard. At one point her hands didn't even touch the ground. She ended her little show with an exaggerated double backflip, gaining air by shoving against the ground with her bending and launching her body. She dove headfirst towards the ground and disappeared into the hard earth as though it were water. The man let out a deep chuckle and spun warily on his heels. She emerged silently, in the shadows where she sat crouched, watching her adversary. She held her hands out straight and touched the ground. The dirt snaked its way up her forearms and hardened into bracers. As she stood up blades formed from the stone bracers and she clanged them together playfully. The man turned around and gave her a charming smile before crouching into a ready position. She came at him and together they whirled and dodged in an eerie dance. It ended when the man caught the woman around the waist and pulled her in to kiss her deeply.
Aang blushed and cleared his throat. The two people both jumped at the sound and turned to face them.
"Um, hi! I'm Aang!" Aang said with a cheerful wave. The man and woman both relaxed upon seeing their youth and walked towards them.
"Are you lost?" The woman asked. She had a sweet face. Her hair was long and dark, her eyes were a deep hazel. Aang knew that face! And not just from a past life! The wind caught her hair, blowing it lazily. It was exactly as it had been when he saw her face on a different body. Aang shook his head and smiled.
"Actually, we were sent to look for someone. Do you know a woman named Maki?" He already knew the answer, but felt it polite to ask.
"Yes, I am Maki." She said, tilting her head. "And this is my husband, the Avatar Lu." She said motioning to the man who nodded lightly to them. His face was almost the exact opposite of hers. It was rough, his forehead cut with deep worry lines. But his pale eyes were good humored. He watched them with interest, stroking a rather impressive goatee.
"Wow, really? What a coincidence! Aang's…"
"A big fan!" Aang said quickly, stepping on Katara's foot in warning. "I've always wanted to meet you! These are my friends, Katara and Sokka."
"It's been a long time since I've seen an airbender. I'm a bit rusty myself, perhaps you could help me brush up on my skills." Lu said and shot a small wind gust at Aang. He grunted as the gust rammed him into a tree.
"Lu! Look what you did!" Maki cried and rushed forward to help Aang.
"No, it's alright. I'm just…not an airbender." Aang said truthfully, climbing to his feet.
"But you carry the tattoos of a master." Lu said suspiciously.
"Uh…yeah…um…it was a…prank. Some acolytes gave it to me in my sleep." Aang said lamely.
"Aang was raised by airbenders, but we think he's actually an earthbender. We were told that Maki would be able to help him understand his abilities." Sokka said. Aang sent him a thankful glance.
"It would be an honor. Please, come with us, you must be hungry." Maki said with a small bow. She beckoned them to follow her and Sokka led the charge.
"Mmm, this is good! What is it?" Katara asked through a mouthful of stew. It was thick and rich with some kind of cubed meat in it. She had been wary at first but the meat turned out to be surprisingly good if a little gamy. Sokka was wolfing his down as though it were his last meal and Aang sat with a plate full of fruit.
"Bison." Lu grunted over his bowl. Katara blanched, Sokka splurted and Aang nearly fell over with shock. "It was the biggest bull I've ever seen! Amazing creature. It almost took me down with it." Lu continued and ended by lifting the hem of his shirt so they could see a jagged scar across a rib.
"YOU JUST KILLED A BISON? HOW COULD YOU DO THAT? THE AVATAR IS SUPPOSED TO PROTECT NATURE, NOT HUNT IT FOR SPORT!" Aang was on his feet screaming at Lu. Lu smiled softly and placed a hand on Aang's shoulder, gently pushing him back down on cushion.
"You misunderstood me, yes I killed a bison, and it killed me inside to do so. But a village of people would have starved through the winter if I hadn't done it. Sometimes it's hard to decide what needs the protection I can offer first. Making those decisions is one of the hardest things about being the Avatar. But a few hundred smiling faces today is payment enough, I think, for the sacrifice of that Bison." Aang looked down at his hands sheepishly.
"I'm sorry I yelled at you. It just surprised me." He muttered.
"Think nothing of it. I've been born as an airbender thousands of times and I know how special the creature is to you." Lu patted Aang's shoulder and went back to eating.
"So…you can remember your past lives?" Aang asked cautiously.
"I get glimpses. I'd have to have a big brain to remember everything. It kind of keeps you on the right course too, the thought that a future reincarnation will peek back every now and then and see the choices you've made." Aang nodded. He'd never thought of it that way. Well, he had apparently, but not as 'Aang'. Thinking about it too much bugged him out. But he did get glimpses at past lives, mostly in his dreams which were forgotten the moment he opened his eyes. He also had horrible déjà vu all the time.
"So when could I start learning earthbending, Maki?" Aang asked.
"Why such the hurry? I would think you'd want to rest before we began working." Maki asked with a laugh. She stood up and began gathering dishes, Katara followed suit and helped her carry them into a small kitchen at the back of the cottage.
"Well, we just don't know how long we'll be able to stay. And it's really important that I learn as soon as possible." Aang said, following behind them at a safe distance so he didn't have to smell the meat from the stew.
"Well, you can get nothing accomplished when you're tired. We should all get some sleep and start early tomorrow." Maki said, "Go tell Lu to find some bedding for you."
Aang sighed and walked back into the main room.
Zula shivered as a breeze hit her off guard. She felt utterly exposed. She hadn't ventured anywhere without her armor since she was a child. She had stripped her armor off at the words of the accursed monkey and now had nothing but her gray underclothing. Sure, it was padded, but she just wanted something to grumble about. Nothing was going as she had planned. She had no way of getting the avatar back if she caught him, and she didn't even know if there was a way back. She was beginning to think jumping through after them had been foolish and impulsive. No, I did what I needed. It's better that I always keep the child in my sight. Zula told herself. He wouldn't have been sent here without a way back, and if I'm here I can stop him from mastering his third element. She sat up a little straighter and peeked through the gaps in the shutters to make sure the avatar hadn't left the small cottage. He was still there, smoothing out a bedroll. Zula leaned against her tree and curled her arms and legs around her center, allowing her body temperature to flare and keep her warm through the chilly night.
"You are a waterbender?" Maki asked nonchalantly as Katara helped to wash the dishes.
"Yes, I was even given the title of master a week ago." Katara said proudly.
"You seem very open about it." Maki said.
"Why wouldn't I be? Bending is something special, I figured you would understand that." Katara said, frowning.
"Bending is special. But as a waterbender I would have expected you to keep such talents hidden." Maki said. Katara stopped what she was doing and frowned.
"I still don't understand. Why is waterbending so bad to you?"
"I don't think it's bad, but, good heavens, don't you know?" Maki asked.
"Don't I know about what?"
"About Aika." Maki said, raising an eyebrow. Katara shook her head. "How could you not know about Aika?"
"We never got much news in my village. Could you tell me what Aika is?" Katara asked.
"Well, the correct question is 'who' Aika is, but 'what' seems more fitting." Maki said with a snort. "He's a warlord, one of the most powerful waterbenders who ever lived. He can do things with his waterbending that nobody imagined possible. He's been gathering his armies for years, an army of nothing but waterbenders…"
"That can't be possible! The water tribe are a peaceful people and we always have been! We would never just attack the world, we're not the fi-" Katara stopped herself and looked down into the washing trough. She had nearly forgotten that the firenation were a peaceful people in this lifetime. Maki cocked an eyebrow at Katara and after a moments silence she continued.
"I know that the water tribe are peaceful, but that doesn't mean that everyone is perfect. The ones who began the war, including Aika, were pirates and mercenaries. They bullied most of the waterbenders to join them, but there were still those that joined willingly for the prestige. This is why your openness surprised me. Even as a young woman, if you are a master then Aika would have rooted you out and made you one of his captains by now." Katara picked up a bowl and scrubbed it methodically.
"But Lu is the avatar, shouldn't he…stop Aika or something?" Katara asked carefully.
"He has tried, but Aika is very powerful and very dangerous. We are waiting now for an opportunity to present itself. That's all we really can do. Wait and stay hidden so that Aika doesn't strike first." Maki said and glanced over her shoulder. Lu was telling Aang and Sokka stories in the next room and they were all laughing. "He tries to hide his fear of the future; his fear of what will happen if he fails. It doesn't help that he worries so much for my safety. Deep down the Avatar's destiny is to be alone." Maki said. At her side, Katara nodded, understanding her words completely.
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