Chapter 6: The Eastern Air Temple
Rinzen couldn't remember having fallen asleep, but she woke early the next morning, grimacing at the crick in her neck when she shifted a little against the wall she had been sitting against. The sky outside was still dark, but a few streaks of dull blue and purple were beginning to color the horizon. She scrubbed a hand over her face to make herself a little more alert as she stretched slightly, wondering what had awoken her.
She got her answer only moments later as Zuko shuffled restlessly beside her, covered in a sheen of sweat again as he tossed and turned in his sleep. She reached for the washcloth to try and bring down his fever again, but even as she stretched her hand over him, he jerked awake and upright suddenly, causing her to yelp in surprise and topple sideways, wincing as her hip made painful contact with the hard wooden floor.
"Ow," she muttered belatedly as she pushed herself up again on her elbow, rubbing her hip to stave off the inevitable bruise.
"Rin?" Zuko sounded dazed and surprised to see her still there as she blinked back at him, bewildered.
"Yeah, who else would I be?" He just stared at her for several moments, as if hardly seeing her, before his hand came up as if of its own accord to touch the edge of his scar gingerly. Slowly, he exhaled - whether with relief or disappointment, she couldn't tell - and scrubbed his hand over his face. "Are you okay?" she offered after a moment, inching a little closer to brush her fingers against his forehead. It was still warm, but thankfully cooler than earlier, and she let herself card her fingers through his hair. He leaned into her touch wordlessly, the tension in his shoulders easing almost instantly.
"Yeah. I'm okay," he spoke after another moment, his voice rough and exhausted as he rubbed his eyes again. "Just a weird dream."
"Yeah, fevers will do that," she reasoned, letting her hand drop to cover his and lacing their fingers together. "Think you wanna try getting some more sleep?" He nodded, shifting to lay down again as he closed his eyes. She brushed her free hand through his hair absently again, smoothing down the messy strands before laying down beside him tentatively and nestling her head against his warm shoulder. She heard his breathing hitch slightly above her and stole a peek up at him to find him staring back down at her, his expression slightly startled. "Is this okay?" she prompted, instinctively shuffling back and mentally kicking herself, but his arm slid around her waist quickly and pulled her back in.
"It's fine." She reluctantly settled back down against his side, placing her head against his shoulder. It didn't take long for drowsiness to kick back in and she found herself fast asleep before she knew it.
When she blinked awake again, the room was much brighter, the sun fully risen and hovering just over the horizon, so she knew she hadn't been asleep for more than a couple of hours. Zuko had clearly fallen back asleep as well, his arms heavy around her and pinning her against his side. She took a few moments to just soak in his warmth; it was the first time she had ever been held like this before, and she almost decided not to get up at all.
Finally, she gave in to the fact that she needed to leave for the Eastern Air Temple, leaning up reluctantly to brush a soft kiss against Zuko's jaw. He stirred slightly, his eyes focusing on her before a soft smile spread across his face, much to her surprise.
"I have to get going," she explained apologetically, feeling a little guilty for waking him, and he nodded, loosening his hold on her almost grudgingly.
"You'll come back, though?" His voice was rough with sleep and she found herself smiling at how peaceful he looked, even though it still seemed surreal.
"Of course I will, as soon as I can. I'll only be gone a week, at most." She leaned back in to steal a tender kiss to his lips and he tightened his hold on her again as he kissed her back, his lips curving into a smile against hers.
"I'll see you when you get back, then," he agreed. She nodded as she pulled back and climbed to her feet, slipping out of the bedroom as silently as she could to avoid waking Iroh, who was fast asleep on the couch. She found a spare piece of parchment and a quill on the desk by the doorway, scribbling a quick note to Iroh explaining where she had gone and that Zuko's fever seemed to be broken before leaving it on the counter and grabbing her glider on the way out of the apartment.
"How's Lee?" Aang asked as Rinzen placed her pack in Appa's new saddle beside the two packs already belonging to Aang and Sokka. Momo fluttered onto her shoulder, chittering happily, and she rubbed his large ears in response.
"He's good," she answered Aang honestly, focusing on tying the pack down so that she wouldn't have to meet his eyes. Whenever she did these days, it always felt like he was seeing right through her. She wasn't used to keeping secrets from him. "His fever broke this morning, so I feel a little better about leaving for a little while." When she couldn't pretend to fiddle with the pack anymore, she looked up to find Aang still smiling, but clearly pensive at the same time, his eyebrows furrowed slightly as he considered her. "What?" she demanded defensively.
"Nothing," he said hurriedly before hesitating and then admitting, "You just seem happy."
The sincerity in his voice made her feel guilty for snapping even as she managed a small smile back at him. "I am happy," she reassured him, but was relieved for the distraction when Katara approached, leaving Aang unable to question Rinzen further even though he clearly wanted to.
"You ready to go, big guy?" Katara asked, rubbing Appa's flank gently as he grumbled a little and shuffled all six feet, clearly eager to start flying. Noticing the sudden anxious look on Aang's face, Rinzen pushed herself up with a small boost of air into Appa's saddle to give him a moment of privacy with Katara and busied herself with securing their packs again, even though the knots were so tight by that point that they couldn't even be undone anymore without taking a knife to them.
"Katara, I need to tell you something," Aang began tentatively and Rinzen did her best not to listen, but couldn't help but overhear the conversation anyway. "I've been wanting to say it for a long time."
"What is it, Aang?" Katara prompted curiously.
"Katara, I-"
"All right!" Sokka interrupted cheerfully as he and Toph arrived, throwing an arm around Aang's neck to pull him into a headlock. "Who's ready to get going on our men-only man trip?" Rinzen cleared her throat pointedly, poking her head out over the edge of the saddle just in time to see Aang's expression fall, the moment between him and Katara ruined. "Oh, yeah, and Rin's coming, too, I guess," Sokka added dismissively.
"Rude," Rinzen muttered, sliding off Appa's back to lean against his front leg comfortably. The bison turned his head to nuzzle her fondly, his large nose snuffling against her shoulder, and she patted his fuzzy cheek in return.
"Aang, Sokka, and Rinzen, I wish you good luck on your journey," King Kuei said as he approached them, Aang and Sokka wheeling around to face him even though Sokka still had Aang in a headlock as Rinzen pushed herself off Appa's leg to face the king properly. "Ba Sing Se owes you its thanks and we look forward to your return." Aang, Sokka, Rinzen, and Katara bowed politely to him as he did the same.
"Your Majesty," a guard prompted as he approached the group. "There are three female warriors here to see you from the island of Kyoshi."
Sokka perked up as he released Aang at last. "That's Suki!"
"You know these warriors?" King Kuei asked politely, puzzled.
"Oh, yeah. The Kyoshi warriors are a skilled group of fighters, and trustworthy. They're good friends of ours," Sokka explained.
King Kuei nodded decisively. "Then we will treat them as honored guests." He began to return to the palace and Aang, Sokka, and Rinzen took that as their cue to begin getting onto Appa.
"Wait, Aang," Katara said hurriedly to stop him before leaning in to kiss his cheek swiftly, causing him to blush so hard that even the tips of his ears turned pink.
"I'm really gonna miss you guys," Toph said quietly at last, speaking for the first time since she and Sokka had arrived.
"Me, too," Katara agreed, sounding a little forlorn even though she was still blushing a little at the kiss she had given Aang.
"So am I," Aang said as he moved in to hug Toph at the same time as Katara. Rinzen closed the space between them as well to wrap one arm around Toph's shoulders and the other around Aang's, glaring pointedly at Sokka until he joined the group hug with a goodnatured grumble and a smile. Soon, though, they all had to let go and Aang, Sokka, and Rinzen clambered into Appa's saddle, setting off towards Chameleon Bay.
"You see, Aang, I told you positive attitude would work," Sokka said confidently as he settled into the saddle, stretching out as they flew over the walls of Ba Sing Se. Momo climbed down from Rinzen's shoulder to settle in her lap, curling up for the long flight. "The king's on our side, we got Long Feng arrested, and when we get back, Suki's waiting for me."
"Yeah," Aang said, sounding dreamy, and Rinzen looked back at him to find him touching the spot on his cheek where Katara had kissed him. "Girls are waiting for us. Thanks, positive attitude."
Rinzen shook her head fondly, but then Sokka added, "Oh, and one specific boy's waiting for Rin, too." She flushed brightly and ducked her head, not protesting for once, and Sokka gaped at her as the implication sank in. "Seriously? You and Lee? I mean, I know I've been saying it for a while now, but I was only kidding!"
"Really, Rin?" Aang asked, suddenly sounding a little less enthusiastic than Sokka, and Rinzen peeked up at him to find him staring at her with an unreadable expression on his face.
"I, um." She dropped her gaze back to her hands, twisted together helplessly in her lap beside Momo's head. "Lee and I are...yeah." She didn't know what to call what she and Zuko were to each other, but they certainly didn't seem to be just friends anymore.
"Good," Aang said decisively after a moment and she glanced up at him again only to find him giving her a small smile. "That's good. You're happy, that's what matters."
"Well, do you two wanna know what I think?" Sokka demanded plaintively.
"Nope," Rinzen and Aang answered immediately in unison and Sokka huffed indignantly before crossing his arms and sinking back against the edge of the saddle sulkily.
"I was only gonna say that I called it."
Rinzen stretched her leg across the saddle to kick his shin.
"I can't believe it's been over two years since you saw your dad," Aang said as he guided Appa down to the opening of the large bay, where they could see four large Water Tribe ships with deep blue sails docked near the rocky beach. "You must be so excited."
"I know I should be," Sokka answered hesitantly, his expression nauseous. "But right now, I just feel sick to my stomach." His stomach gurgled audibly as if to make his point.
Rinzen frowned. "I'm pretty sure you're just hungry. Which, let's be honest, you always are." She knew Sokka was being serious, though, since he didn't even roll his eyes or acknowledge her teasing comment as he stared nervously down at the encampment of blue tents below. "He's gonna be happy to see you," she reassured him a little more sincerely.
"You think so?" He glanced back up at her, the vulnerability on his face surprising her.
"We know so," Aang insisted. "You don't have to be nervous."
Sokka relaxed a little, giving Aang a small smile back. "What about you? You nervous to meet this guru?"
"Not at all," Aang answered firmly. "I'm ready to master the Avatar State. I'll do whatever it takes." He nudged Appa until the bison landed on the rocky shore and Sokka grabbed his pack - after sawing off the knot of rope securing it to the other two packs while muttering complaints under his breath about Rinzen's knotwork - before climbing down. "See you in a week!" Aang said cheerfully and Rinzen waved as they took off, leaving Sokka to start walking towards the encampment.
"Are you actually not nervous or were you just saying that to make him feel better?" she deadpanned as she moved to sit beside Aang on Appa's head, nudging her shoulder fondly against his.
He shrugged. "I mean, I don't know what exactly this guru's gonna have me do, but if it means getting more control of the Avatar State, that's gotta be worth trying, right?" He glanced up at her tentatively. "What do you think?"
She gave him a small smile. "I think you're right. It'd definitely be useful to have control of it, at least a little more than you do now."
He hummed quietly in agreement, turning to face the open air in front of them as he rubbed Appa's forehead with one hand, clutching the reins in the other. "First time it's been just the two of us in a long time now," he said after a moment.
Rinzen nodded, settling back against Appa's neck and watching clouds drift past them. "Yeah, I know." She hesitated before glancing back at him. "Why, did you miss it?"
"A little," he confessed, dropping his gaze away from her. "Don't get me wrong, I love our friends, and you've got Lee, and-"
"-and you've got Katara," she finished for him, grinning slightly, and he flushed with embarrassment, elbowing her side sharply in response.
"That's not what I was gonna say." He chewed his lip, debating over his next words. "I just...I don't wanna lose what we've got just because we've got other people in our lives, y'know?"
She nodded; she had had a feeling that the thought had been worrying him since the moment he had found out about her relationship with Lee. "I know, I get that." She tossed her arm around his shoulders, tugging him into a loose embrace. "Don't worry, you're always gonna be number one in my life. Even if you're just my dorky little brother."
"Hey!" he protested, squirming away to try and elbow her again as she dodged him with a laugh, and they settled in for the long flight to the Eastern Air Temple together, both of them feeling far more at ease than they had before.
As the highest spires of the Eastern Air Temple pierced through the fluffy clouds ahead of them, Rinzen sat up a little to try and see it better, unsure how to feel about returning to one of the temples after so long. Momo hissed when she moved at the disturbance, but settled back down after she stroked his fur a few times.
Aang knocked his shoulder lightly against hers as he frowned, sitting up as well. "What is it?" It only took a moment for him to realize the answer to his own question. "You scared of what you'll see there?"
"You were at the Southern Air Temple," she reminded him. "You saw how it was."
"I've also been to the Northern Air Temple and it was different," he answered with a small shrug. "Not every temple's gonna be how the southern one was. Nobody had set foot in our temple since-" He broke off, but she knew what he had meant to say. "Anyway, this guru's been here for years, and I doubt he'd've been living with skeletons all this time."
She hesitated before admitting after a moment, "I'd like to go back someday and see it. Our home, I mean."
He nodded, managing a small smile back at her. "We'll go together sometime." He placed his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it briefly before tugging on Appa's reins to start their descent towards the temple.
As they approached, Rinzen let herself look over the familiar architecture nestled on the mountaintop and framed by the setting sun, frowning at the lack of gliders in the air surrounding the temple. She knew no one but the guru probably lived there now, but it was surreal to see a structure once so full of life now barren and empty. Appa landed neatly at the base of the temple and Momo took flight until he landed at the edge of the round dais above them at the top of a flight of stairs. A thin, dark-skinned man sat meditating upon the dais, his eyes closed and his legs folded in a lotus position.
"Hello?" Aang called, climbing down from Appa's head and starting for the stairs as Rinzen followed him, trying not to think about how Aang's voice seemed to echo around the empty temple that had once been bustling with life. "You're Guru Pathik, right? You're the one who attached the note to Appa's horn?"
"Indeed," the man answered, his accent heavy as he opened his eyes to smile serenely at them. "I was a spiritual brother to your people, and a personal friend of Monk Gyatso."
"You knew Monk Gyatso?" Rinzen clarified, stopping in her tracks in surprise at the edge of the dais.
"Of course. He always spoke so highly of his favorite pupils." Guru Pathik smiled kindly at both of them, which encouraged Aang to slowly take a seat in front of him in the same lotus position.
"In your note, you said you could teach me to gain control of the Avatar State. How?"
"To bring balance to the world, you must first gain balance within yourself." Guru Pathik held out a small wooden cup filled with a thick yellow liquid. "And the first step to gaining balance begins with this. Drink up!"
Before Rinzen could warn Aang to exercise some caution in taking drinks from strangers, he had already accepted the cup and taken a large swig before promptly spitting it out and gagging. "What is that?!" he cried with disgust as Rinzen stifled a laugh at his expense. "It tastes like onion and banana juice!"
"That's because it is," Guru Pathik answered cheerfully, gulping from his own cup of onion-banana juice and emptying it in seconds. "Yum, yum."
Aang gaped at the old man in horrified disbelief and Rinzen took a little pity on her brother, taking a seat beside him and patting his back soothingly. "Can't gain inner balance without onion-banana juice," she deadpanned and he glowered at her balefully, dabbing at his streaming eyes with his sleeve. She grinned back at him in response before her amusement faded when she noticed Guru Pathik's eyes on her, studying her calmly and curiously. "What?" she asked, feeling self-conscious and uneasy under his clear, steady gaze.
"You could use some inner balance yourself," the guru answered dryly, holding out another cup of onion-banana juice that he had seemingly pulled out of thin air.
"Uh, no, I'm okay, but thanks," Rinzen said quickly, eyeing the cup warily.
"You've neglected your spiritual training long enough, don't you think, little one?" His tone wasn't condescending or harsh in the slightest, and yet it still felt a little like she was being silently judged the longer she avoided drinking the onion-banana juice. She reluctantly accepted the cup, not wanting to be rude, and ignored Aang's snicker aimed at her as she forced herself to swallow a sip of the vile concoction without a single complaint, despite how it burned her nose and throat on the way down and made her shudder.
Satisfied, Guru Pathik clapped his hands together and climbed to his feet far more nimbly than Rinzen had expected for a man so old and feeble-looking.
"Come now. There is much to do and little time." The two airbenders scrambled to their feet to follow him down the stone steps again, sparing a moment to pat Appa's side briefly as they passed the sky bison.
lol guess who was suffering from writer's block for way too long
I also had a lot of stuff going on like graduating with my Master's degree, starting a new job, and actually learning to be an adult. So sorry for the delay, but I'm working on writing up the next chapter already, since I know this one was pretty short!
I hope you enjoy!