Chapter Four

Aoi had a soft spot for Aang, everyone knew. The girls at the Eastern Temple enjoyed taunting her for it. It was a little odd though, Aoi had just recently turned fourteen and Aang was twelve. It baffled even her to why she was so attached to him. Though, Aang wasn't unattractive, he was cute. In his own, goofy way. Which is why he got a lot of attention from her friends. Her 'friends', if you could call them that were the leaders. They called the shots when it came to the novices at the temple. Midori was a beautiful girl that wasn't much of an airbender but that didn't seem to matter, she was always attention hungry. She got what she wanted when she wanted it. Midori was nice to Aoi, only because Aoi was one of the better airbenders at the Eastern Temple, thanks to Aang and Monk Gyatso's training, and could probably put her in her place if it was needed. Kameko and Oki were equally vindictive, but were merely followers.

Aang didn't notice that Aoi got angry when he went off to show Midori and the others some 'airbending tricks'. He was naïve enough and didn't think anything of the other girls. Actually, he looked like he enjoyed the attention most of the time.

When Aang and Aoi arrived at the Eastern Temple, the Highest Nun, Hoshi welcomed them.

" Aang. What a pleasure, as always." She smiled warmly at the boy; her gaze fell on Aoi.

Hoshi didn't like Aoi much, even if she didn't outwardly show it, she wasn't fond of her because of her reputation for causing trouble in the Earth Kingdom. Even if it was Aang who usually put her in those situations. Hoshi's light brown eyes flickered with slight anger. Hoshi preferred Air Nomads to be invisible; she wanted to exist silently. Though, everyone didn't feel that way, fortunately.

" Aoi, I'm hoping you haven't come to report any…damage?" The High Airbender suggested. Aoi clenched her fists, because Hoshi was always thinking she was the one to cause such trouble.

" Of course not, ma'am. Aang happened to tear his glider. Were here for repairs." She explained lightly, not letting her anger control the tone of her voice.

Hoshi blinked at her uncertainly. " Really?"

Aang interjected. " Yeah. You see, it's a funny story, actually." He laughed.

" Oh, yeah. Real funny!" Aoi laughed along with Aang.

" Care to elaborate?" The older airbender persisted, her face emotionless.

Aang looked at Aoi, waiting for her to tell the story.

" What? I…I think you should tell her Aang." Aoi said, out of the corner of her mouth. She elbowed him. He jumped.

" Right. Well, it was dark. The moon was shining and me and Aoi--" Aang started to explain, hand motions and all, until Hoshi interrupted.

" Aoi and I." She corrected. Aang raised an eyebrow.

" No…me and Aoi. I'm pretty sure you weren't there, ma'am." Aang chuckled at his joke for a while until he noticed Aoi was fidgeting with her belt band, looking down and Hoshi was blinking a lot. " Anyway," He continued, clearing his throat. " We were stalking through the night, like ninjas!"

" Ninjas!" Hoshi gasped.

" Oh, yes. We had been walking for so long. It seemed like an eternity. So Aoi here suggested that we go find some food. Well, truth be told every single shop we went to was closed! So, I being the brave man I am said we should take the food!" Aang acted very serious as he explained the fictional story. If Hoshi didn't believe it, she gave no signs because she just stared wide-eyed.

" You wouldn't dare steal!" She asked, exasperated.

" Oh, no. Never. We would never think of stealing! Right, Aang?" Aoi motioned for Aang to agree, but he was having too much fun and just denied it. Aoi didn't feel like Hoshi should check off stealing as one of Aoi's troublemaking skills.

" Aoi! You must have forgotten our dire situation. We were going to starve! Surely you would approve of stealing two measly pieces of bread, right ma'am?" Aang asked. Hoshi looked taken aback when the question was directed towards her.

" Why, I suppose if the circumstances were that severe--" She stuttered, but Aang just nodded in agreement.

" Yes they were, so like I was saying, we had crept into an small Earth Kingdom village. They were having a feast. It was a wedding, wasn't it Aoi?" He turned to Aoi, who was rubbing her temples.

She nodded, pathetically.

" There was so much food, it could have fed the whole Fire Nation Army!" He went on, looking like he believed his story himself. " I thought that we should just take a few things, but Aoi, man. She must have been hungry, because she said we should just bend a whole table of food." Aois' jaw dropped as she heard this. Why was he making her seem like the bad one?

Aang walked over and put his arm around Aoi's shoulder, he pulled her close in a friendly, buddy kind of way. " Now, ma'am. This girl, she's my best friend, and I just couldn't say no to her. So, I agreed and we took the whole table of food to us. Let's just say they guests weren't to happy."

Aoi shrugged out of Aangs' grip and glared at him. " He must have a fever." She muttered.

" They must have been angry!" Hoshi ignored Aoi's comment and edged towards Aang. He nodded.

" Oh, they were. In fact, there was a few earthbenders and we got into a little conflict." He finished, satisfied with his brilliant story. " That is how my glider got torn."

Hoshi was speechless. " Well…my…"

" It's so unbelievable, I'm having trouble believing it myself, ma'am." Aoi stated, eyes darting in Aang's direction. He smiled sheepishly at her. She shook her head.

" My, my. What are my darling niece and her boyfriend up to now?" An angelic voice said from behind Hoshi. Aoi felt a surge of anger at hearing that Aang was her 'boyfriend', again. She frantically moved from side to side to see her aunt, Nyoko stand gingerly beside the elderly woman.

" I resent that, Aunt!" Aoi cried, tensing up.

Aoi's Aunt Nyoko was one of the five High Nuns at the Eastern Temple. She was tall and had a soft, oval face. Her extremely long, light brown hair fell to her back where it was tied at the end. Her orange and yellow robes cascaded all down her slender body.

" Oh, you know I only joke, my dear." She said, grinning behind her sun-colored fan she had taken out of her sleeve.

" Nyoko?" Hoshi spoke up, looking up at the new woman.

" Ah, Hoshi. I didn't see you down there." She joked. Hoshi merely narrowed her eyes at the youngest of the High Nuns.

" You should have been here to hear the…er…interesting story these two just told me." Hoshi looked as if she didn't believe Aang's story anymore from the way she was glancing from one to the other.

" Aang told you!" Aoi corrected, jutting her arm over her head in the process. They all looked at her curiously.

"…Of course." Hoshi muttered, turning back to Nyoko. " You must talk to your niece about this behavior." She said, gathering her robes and turning. " Or I will." She snapped in Nyokos' ear before walking the corner into another corridor.

Nyoko waved to her elder and eyed Aoi and Aang, suspiciously. " I would have so liked to hear this wonderful story of yours, Aang." She said slowly as to make him uneasy.

Aoi grabbed Aangs' arm and pulled him into another corridor. " Maybe later, Aunt Nyoko!" She called back before running down the hallway, Aang at her heels. She spun around, abruptly, causing Aang to collide into her.

" What the heck was that?" Aoi demanded, watching Aang pull himself back onto his feet.

" What do you mean?" He asked, rubbing a now visible bump on the back of his head. Aoi kept her cool, surprisingly.

" What was with the story?"

" Oh, that."

" YES, THAT!" Aoi shouted, causing a few young novices passing by to stare. She sighed heavily to calm down. " Hoshi already thinks I'm a bad egg. You telling a crazy story off the top of your head doesn't look good for me." She explained. Aang nodded.

" Sorry."

" Don't apologize. Just…stop being such a dummy!"

Aang grinned. " Sure." He kept grinning at her, like he knew something she didn't.

" W-what? What are you looking at?" She became flustered.

" Oh, nothing. I was just having fun back there. You need to lighten up, Aoi." Aang reminded her, giving her a look. He turned around and walked further down the corridor, humming a tune.

" Where are you going?" Aoi ran to catch up. Aang turned back just in time to be tackled to the ground by Aoi. She held his arms so he wouldn't move. Aang looked distraught and uncomfortable, in more ways then one. He tried to wriggle out, but it was no use, Aoi was determined.'

" How's this?" She whispered. Aang blinked.

" Uh…"

Aoi moved off of him and sat on the hard floor beside him. " How's that for 'lightening up'?" She giggled.

Aang coughed. " That was…um…good."

She turned her head. " Good."

" Well, well. What do we have here girls?" A shrill female voice rang out from somewhere in the hallway. Aang and Aoi turned to see Midori and her grunts.

" Midori…" Aoi muttered, not exactly in a happy tone. Midori smiled at Aoi, which looked as if she could spit venom at any moment. She turned her smile to Aang and it turned rapidly sweet in seconds.

" If it isn't my favorite little monk!" Midori strutted past Aoi and bent down to be eye level with Aang, who was still sitting on the ground.

" Hey Midori." He greeted, with the same tone he greeted Hoshi with.

She pat his head lovingly. " What little game are you two kids playing?" She asked, mock innocent. Aang opened his mouth to answer but Aoi interrupted.

" Were both fourteen, Midori."

Midori glanced lazily at Aoi. " Some of us act our age."

" What does that mean, you witc--"

" Now don't say anything you'll regret." She said icily.

" Don't test me." Aoi replied, equally icy.

" So, girls! How bout a little air ball?" Aang suggested, standing up and clapping his hands. Aoi stood as well and whirled around so she was walking away in the opposite direction that she came. Midori looked satisfied that Aoi has stomped away because she slid her arm over Aangs' shoulders and grinned down at him.

" So…about that air ball." Oki said from behind Midori.

" You want to play?" Aang asked hopefully, but glancing sideways at Aoi who was rounding the corner. " Actually, on second though, maybe I should go--"

" Oh no, hun. She just needs space. Come with us." Midori said softly. Aang shrugged reluctantly and followed Midori, Kameko, and Oki.

Oooh, drama. Sorry about that. I couldn't resist. Ah, now the part where I beg pathetically for reviews. Come on, people. Work with me.