Once again, another shoutout to my buddy Powershade117 for helping with the chapter.
'"Other streams will merge with yours: a wanderer…"' The fortune teller's words rang in Rai's head as she sat leaning against a tree trunk. 'A wanderer is just another word for a nomad,' she thought, her gaze drifting over to Sati, the newest addition to her "group" of companions, though she was reluctant to call it that. But she brushed it aside. This was only a coincidence; it didn't mean the rest of that woman's predictions would come true. "A hero in blue and enemies new and old, familiar..." She wasn't sure who rest would be, but there was no doubting who the "old, familiar" enemy she sought was. Before she could think on it any longer, she was pulled from her thoughts by Sati, who hovered over her with her big blue eyes. "What?" she asked.
"Good morning! You know, if you keep scowling like that, your face will get stuck!" she giggled.
"That's just something parents tell their children so they don't make stupid faces," Rai replied. "What do you want?"
"Well, I think right now is a great time to start your training! Now get up off your feet you lazy bum!" Rai sighed and stood up, following the prancing and skipping Sati into the open field. "Ok, show me what you know." Rai said nothing as she demonstrated a few techniques she knew, simple air blasts, a vertical and horizontal swipe and even an air shield. "Not bad!" Sati exclaimed, clapping. "Are you sure you haven't had any formal training! You're a natural!"
"Just get on with the lesson. Unlike some other students of yours, I don't respond well to such positive reinforcement."
"Before we do that, let me first explain the roots of airbending. Air is the element of freedom. It is not direct like earth or fire. The focus is mobility, eluding and evading danger and enemies rather than confronting them directly. It is the element of peace and pacifism, not rage and aggression. Your earthbending and firebending are superb; they compliment your direct approach and your intensity. But with airbending, you need to learn to be light on your feet, learn to be as free as the wind. So, our first exercise will be… skipping!"
"Skipping?" Rai asked in disbelief.
"Skipping!"
"You cannot be serious."
"I'm completely serious! I've always found that skipping is a fun and easy way to get that light and free feeling! When you're skipping, preferably in a big field of grass and flowers, all your troubles just disappear and you feel so serene," Sati explained with a wide smile. "Now come on, follow my lead!" Rai grumbled under her breath as she followed after the prancing Sati. Rai however, did not mimic her movements, instead walking stiffly behind her with her arms crossed defiantly. "Rai…" Sati started in a disappointed tone.
"I don't frolic. Next lesson," she called.
"Ok, well, usually one of the first things we do with beginners is the air gates. It's the first thing Avatar Korra learned. They're these spinning wood panels that students have to pass through perfectly without touching a single panel. But those are only at the Air Temples and my hunch tells me you're not willing to go to one, are you?" Rai shook her head. "Well, we'll improvise! Follow my lead!" Sati raised her arms in a ready position and stepped forward, taking quick and light steps, twisting and turning as if to avoid an invisible strike "Do exactly what I did!" she declared, standing on the opposite end of the clearing.
Rai said nothing as she took a similar position that Sati had and copied her movements.
"No, no, no," Sati said.
"What? I did what you did," Rai remarked.
"You think you did. Yes, you performed the same routine down the line as I did, but it wasn't correct. Your steps are far too heavy and your body is too stiff and rigid. You need to loosen up and take quicker and lighter steps, like you're not even leaving a footprint on the ground. Again!" Rai growled under her breath, but complied with her teacher, repeating the sequence a second time.
"Well?"
"No, still wrong," Sati said.
"I took lighter steps," Rai argued.
"Yes, you did, but you sped through the whole thing. That's not the same as taking lighter steps. Again!" This continued for nearly two hours and each time, Rai failed to complete the sequence of moves to Sati's standards. "Ok, stop, this isn't working. You're not light, you need to feel light!"
"Well, I don't feel light, all right?" Rai snapped.
"Ok, I have another idea. How about a game of tag, Takumi?" Sati called over to Takumi, who had been practicing his archery.
"Uh, what?" he asked.
"You're not serious, right?" Rai asked next.
"Oh, I totally am. So what do you say?" Sati asked with a smile.
"Sure?" he shrugged, uncertain. "Who's it?"
"You are, and will be until you tag us," Sati explained.
"Us?!" Rai exclaimed.
"But what if I hit you?" Takumi asked in worry.
"No problem." Sati took out a small pouch and filled it with dirt before securing it over the arrowhead. "There," she patted it to ensure a soft impact, "now it won't hurt even if you do manage to hit one of us! And just so it's fair, we'll only dodge and use airbending to deflect your shots."
"Just to clarify, you want me to shoot you?" he asked.
"Not just me, silly," she giggled before turning to Rai and smirking.
"You're not-"
"Yes I am!" Sati interjected. "One, two, three go!" she shouted, jumping into the trees with a gust of wind. "Don't forget, Rai, airbending only!" Rai muttered something inaudible under her breath before following Sati into the trees to avoid Takumi's arrows. "Remember! Light on your feet!" Rai pushed Sati's voice out of her head as she leapt from tree to tree, the branches creaking at the weight of her steps while Sati's steps we so light that they barely made a sound. Despite her attempts to evade Takumi's arrows, one of them struck her on her leg, causing her to lose balance mid-air and fall to the ground. Luckily, she was able to cushion her fall with her airbending.
"Now you're it, Rai!" Sati called.
"What's the point of this exercise? It's just a stupid children's game!" Rai shouted, angrily kicking the dirt.
"And you'd better run fast to catch us!" Sati laughed playfully.
"This is stupid. I'm not going to entertain this!" she declared, crossing her arms defiantly.
"Really? Because I'm actually surprised that Takumi was able to tag you," Sati pointed out.
"Obviously he was a better shot than I gave him credit for."
"Or he's getting better," the Nomad added.
Rai just gave her a deadbeat stare, showing her stubborn resolve, causing Sati to lose a bit of her smile. "Look, I know this isn't what you're used to. But training doesn't always have to be serious. So just relax and have some fun. Because everything in life is a lesson. You just have to have an eye for it."
"I don't do fun," Rai said with a serious glare.
"Why not?"
"You wouldn't understand," she said, simply turning away and leaving the area.
"Your friend needs to learn how to smile. You've known her longer than me. Why is she so… that?" Sati asked.
"Honestly, I don't know," Takumi replied. "She won't tell me either. Let me talk to her." Takumi set down his bow and followed after Rai, who had taken a seat on a large rock by a small stream of water. "Rai? Everything okay?"
"I'm fine," she answered gruffly, staring out at the water and not making eye contact with Takumi..
Takumi sighed and sat down beside her. "It's obviously not. What's bothering you? Is it Sati?"
"I don't like her."
"Really? What's not to like? She's friendly, understanding, funny, pretty...uh, good at teaching," he said, quickly catching himself as a red blush creeped onto his face.
"More like annoying and doesn't know when to butt out and be quiet."
"But she's so willing to help you. Why do you keep pushing her away? Call me crazy, but I think she just wants to be your friend."
"That's funny because I don't recall saying that I wanted her to be my friend."
Takumi looked at her bewildered. "You didn't say that about me either."
"I'm just taking you to your family. That's it. If you start to look at this as anything more than that, then that's your deal," she replied.
Takumi sat in silence for a moment, but Rai looked at him just in time to catch the glare that had suddenly formed across his face. She raised her eyebrow in confusion, having never seen such an expression more akin to hers on his face. "Is that all I am? An inconvenience? Because I don't buy that for one second, Rai. If I were, then why bother following me to Meilin's?" he asked, standing up over her as his voice grew louder with each question.
Rai finally turned and faced Takumi. "I promised you that I'd take you to your family in the Fire Nation capital and I can't do that if you keep getting yourself into situations where you might get killed!" she argued firmly.
"Really? Because it seems like if I were out of the way, you wouldn't have that obligation anymore. But if you insist on keeping us at arm's length…"
"What were you hoping for exactly?" she asked, standing up as well and looking down to him. "Because if you were hoping to learn everything about me and that some meaningful bond would be forged between us, then you're in for disappointment. Don't get me wrong, I will protect you from any danger until we reach our destination. But this is a temporary situation; soon enough, we'll both be out of each other's lives."
"Well, fine. I," he sighed, unable to deal further with Rai's attitude. "I'm gonna turn in for the night. Maybe a good rest will do us all a favor." He uttered those last few words with a bitter undertone and left Rai with the isolation she seemed to prefer over his company.
Rai looked down at the stream in front of her, eyes locked with her own reflection. Whenever she closed her eyes, it felt like she was back there, in that place, and it was only when she opened her eyes when she knew that she wasn't back there anymore. She traced the scar over her eye and sadly whispered to herself, "They could never understand. It's better that way."
The next morning, the trio remained silent in each other's presence, creating an awkward atmosphere. Sati and Takumi exchanged looks while glancing at Rai, who did not acknowledge either of them with so much as a single look and instead moved away to practice some of her bending in private.
"Still upset?" Sati asked, noticing the uncharacteristic dark cloud over Takumi.
"She made how she feels about us very clear," he muttered.
"Well, I think we should give her her space. I did test her patience a fair deal yesterday."
"But she doesn't have to lash out at us like that!"
"...I didn't want to say anything at first, since I am the newcomer here, but I think you're too hard on her."
"I'm too hard on her? She keeps herself so bottled up and doesn't tell me anything! Aside from being the you-know-what, I know next to nothing about her!"
"And perhaps there's a reason for that. The Air Nomads teach us peace and harmony, they teach us to be understanding to all people and their plights. As an Air Nomad it is my duty to help those in need, but we cannot help those who do not wish to be helped," she explained, glancing over at Rai, who had been mixing airbending in with her fast and aggressive fighting style. "Our pasts are our own and it is our choice how much and when to share those details with others. But Rai obviously cares about you. All those times that you told me about where she rescued you from danger? She wouldn't have done that if she didn't care about you."
Takumi counted all the instances Rai had saved him and he suddenly felt sheepish for having gotten mad at her. "I guess…"
"You can't control how other people will act, Takumi; you can only control how you act."
With Sati's words in mind, Takumi sat up and made his way over to Rai as she finished another practice sequence. "Umm, Rai?"
"What," she muttered rather than asked.
"About yesterday," he started, hesitating to speak while also waiting to see if she would say something. When she remained silent, he nervously scratched the back of his head and continued, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said. I was just...angry."
"What changed your mind?" she asked, turning around to face him.
"Time, I guess. I know that I can't possibly begin to even imagine what it is that made you… this way," gesturing to her with his hands as he spoke, "but I hope that you come to trust me enough to tell me one day."
"Time doesn't heal everything, Takumi."
"I'm truly sorry that you feel that way. One thing my mom made me promise was to not dwell on the past. If you do, it'll destroy you from the inside. After what happened yesterday, I understand what she meant."
"Well, the sad truth is we all don't get to live in a happy sunshine and rainbows world where the only bad things to dwell on are arguments. This is how my life ended up and I can't change that. You were lucky to have someone like her as a mother for as long as you did... Cherish that."
"I still do," he replied with a smile, "but now I'd like to think I have something else to cherish; someone who I consider a friend."
He just stared off into space, but still earned an inquisitive look from Rai. "You still consider me that?" she asked, curious.
Takumi looked at her and smiled, then proceeded to chuckle briefly before turning his attention to Haku, who came up towards them. "No, I'm talking about Haku here. At least when he insults me, I can't understand the big guy," he chuckled, patting Haku on his lowered head. "He could absolutely adore me for all I know."
Rai couldn't help but let out a chuckle and crack a smile, which didn't go unnoticed by Takumi. "Hey, look! A smile AND a laugh," he exclaimed, before quickly lowering his voice into a whisper, "Don't tell Sati, or you'll never hear the end of it."
"Hear the end of what?" The pair looked up to see Sati hanging up in a tree by her legs, looking down at the duo.
"Ah! Don't do that!" Rai exclaimed, clutching her chest.
"How long have you been up there?" Takumi asked meekly.
"Oh, you know. Long enough," she responded with a smile. "Like I said: 'hear the end of what?'" Rai firebent at the branch Sati was hanging off, splitting it from the tree. However, Sati just flipped in mid air and landed softly on her feet, squatting down in a pose. She then looked up at the tree with a look of genuine amazement on her face. "Wow, that was so cool. A precise hit without setting the tree ablaze. You might have been able to show the ancient Fire Lords a trick or two."
"Was there a reason you were eavesdropping on us?" Rai asked, returning to her serious demeanor.
"I actually wanted to talk to you next, but I didn't want to interrupt your conversation, so I was going to politely wait until you were both finished. That is, until you mentioned me, so I decided to join in."
"I'll have to put a bell on you," Rai muttered.
"Oh, that'd just make my airbending all the more extravagant!" Sati exclaimed with a smile.
"Ugh," Rai rolled her eyes. "What did you want to talk about?"
"Well, I was just watching your practice just now and it reminded me of something"
"And that is?"
"When Tenzin began teaching the new Air Nomads, the traditional style in which he taught his own children wasn't working. So, he learned that he couldn't just use one teaching style for all his students. A good teacher knows that each student is different and that they must modify their program and style to best suit the student's needs and how the student can best learn. So…" With that, Sati suddenly stepped forward, blasting Rai with a powerful gust of air, which she just managed to deflect by disrupting the air with a blast of her own though the force of Sati's attack was strong enough to push her back a few feet.
"What are you doing?" Rai shouted, taking a battle stance.
"Teaching you airbending, the best way you can learn," Sati smiled confidently, taking her own battle stance in response. Rai smirked in response as the student and teacher began their lesson.
Next chapter: The lines between right and wrong become blurred when Rai deals with a slaver from her past in a grim manner, prompting a visit from a former self.