Avatar: The Warring Earth
Book Three—Water
By Twins of the Pen
Disclaimer: Avatar in itself belongs to Nickelodeon and Bryan Konietzko/Michael DiMartino. The only things that belong to Twins of the Pen are the original characters.
"Shun Jiang?"
The call came from one of the guards, the one who had found ZanYi in the storm. Though, at this point, that was days ago. And the guard certainly felt less hesitant talking to the waterbender than the other members of Team Avatar. Every day, it was almost painful to watch the Avatar and the little airbender train. It was cold, and awkward. Syaoran seemed to be making purposeful mistakes; Tiki was forcibly harder on him. And it was almost silent between them.
It was just creepy and loaded.
But that's not why the guard had to talk to Shun. Not at all. "General Chen wants you to come by his office when you can," he said to the waterbender.
Shun, though surprised, nodded in acknowledgement. "Thanks, I'll go see him now."
As the giant waterbender headed to the general's office, he wondered to himself what it could be about… though if he had to guess, it was probably about the way Team Avatar was falling apart. Tiki and Syaoran were no longer speaking to each other, which made Syaoran's airbending training terribly awkward. Shun had to excuse himself from watching every time; he only stayed long enough to make sure the guards were watching, in case the two clashing elements tried to kill each other. And ZanYi still wasn't around and was busy as ever, though sometimes their eyes met when they happened to pass each other in the halls. All in all, it was madness, and Shun had no idea what he should do about it. He was as lost with Tiki and Syaoran as he was with ZanYi.
Reaching General Chen's office, Shun took a deep breath and knocked before entering. "You wanted to see me, General?" he asked, peeking his head in as he slowly opened the door. General Chen looked up from the work on his desk and nodded, gesturing for Shun to come in and close the door behind him. Standing up, the man surveyed Shun, as if trying to take in the waterbender's overall state. Exhausted. Weary. Worn. Duly noted.
"So, rumor mill says that Team Avatar has hit a bit of a rough patch?" the elder man asked, allowing his hands to rest on his sides.
Shun heaved a deep sigh. So they were the talk of the base as well, were they? Fantastic.
"That would be an understatement, sir," Shun replied, raising a hand to rub his temple. "The Avatar and Tiki aren't speaking to each other but forcing themselves to work together, and it's been days since ZanYi's said two words to me. If I'm going to be honest, I'd have to admit that our 'team' isn't even behaving like a team anymore. Things have taken a turn for the worse and… I'm afraid I don't know how to steer things back to normal." Shun sighed again. What he wouldn't give for normal right now. Syaoran and Tiki and whatever they had between them was making them both stubborn; neither wanted to apologize to the other, though Shun had implored both sides to do so. And ZanYi… ZanYi was still very much lost. Shun needed her help more than ever right now. He just didn't know how to ask for it.
The general seemed to take that in stride, as if expecting it. But that didn't seem to satisfy him. Then again, who would that satisfy? Team Avatar was a team based around the world's best hope, and it was crumbling in several different directions.
General Chen moved then around his desk, a file in hand, disgruntled. "Rumor Mill also has it that in recent months, it seems that the person to ask questions concerning the lieutenant is you," he noted. General Chen lifted his eyes from the file and looked to Shun. "So tell me: what's your opinion on Lieutenant's Tsong's well-being? You two were... close friends, from what I hear."
Shun's face turned bright red, distracted by knowing that 'close friends' was an understatement before all this mess. Hopefully that much hadn't leaked, but then again, he was partially to blame for any insinuations at all, since the dogtags he wore so openly bore ZanYi's name. He gripped those tags now in a self-conscious fashion, as if they gave him strength whenever he touched them.
"I… don't know anymore," he admitted, looking crestfallen. "The last time we talked, she had nearly killed herself with a lightning strike the night before. I was upset with her… but I think we managed to work some things out. Maybe. She's just having a really tough time right now." Shun sighed. How was he supposed to answer this question if ZanYi no longer spoke to him? He could only sneak glances at her from afar, because she never stayed in one place for too long. Keeping busy, as always. He still clung to the hope that she would come around, but so far, it was slow-going. What else could he do?
It was almost a dismayed sigh that left the general's throat. "Of course she is," General Chen agreed. He may be free, but that did not mean that it was without a cost. So much had fallen through the cracks in his time incarcerated. And his freedom had cost a very important life—to the Resistance, and to certain individuals.
"What I am about to discuss with you is private, and I expect discretion on this matter," the general started again, leveling Shun a look that clearly said discretion was equivalent to no one. He shut the file and laid it on his desk; ZanYi's military photo was pinned on top of it. "Since the lightning incident, I've had to start an investigation on Lieutenant Tsong. No such events can happen on base and go without. Which means I have had to dig into old files, psych evaluations."
The general looked to Shun, serious in his questioning. "Have there been any signs of PTSD? Or have her night terrors started up again? And I need to know. I've got soldiers on the line here."
But the waterbender was silent. PTSD? Night terrors? And again? How was Shun supposed to know when ZanYi hadn't been around him for days? He was usually too busy fighting off his own inner demons to worry about anyone else's, but he had never known ZanYi to have night terrors… but wait… the last time they talked, didn't she say…?
"…She told me," Shun began, struggling with the words, as if ZanYi was actually there in the room, her hand over his mouth to prevent him from speaking. Sending a silent apology her way, the giant waterbender continued, "the last time we talked, she claimed that she could hear her brother's voice everywhere, and that… she woke up in the middle of the night screaming, because all she could see was Zaron dying in front of her again and again…" Shun stopped and took a breath. He was feeling her agony again, empathizing so much that his chest actually hurt for her. He had to get a hold of himself. "…That's all I know," he finished, looking to General Chen. "If you have any idea how we can help her, I'm all ears, General."
The general said nothing, and when he reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose, he was beginning to look his age. Worn. Tired. Conflicted. Aged. Definitely not the same man that Shun had met back in the spring. "That's not good news," he muttered, a look sent over at the file on his desk. Walking back behind his desk, he touched the file, as if regretting all of this. However, the man stayed firm, sure and rigid. "I was afraid this would happen again," he said bitterly. Looking back to the waterbender, General Chen nodded to him. "Thank-you. That's all I needed to know. The matter with Team Avatar will be addressed soon. You can see yourself out." He sat down at his desk again, but then fixed the giant a warning look. "Remember, Jiang: discretion."
"Of course," Shun said. He dipped his head as a sign of respect and let himself out of the office, heaving yet another sigh.
"If you sigh like that, you'll lose your soul," another voice joked, familiar and light to the ears.
"Hi Sikka," Shun greeted, turning to see the waterbending woman approaching. "How's it going?"
Sikka gave him a cursory glance before she answered. "Better than you, it seems." Shun gave a weak chuckle.
"I'll be all right. We'll be all right," he amended, remembering that he and his team seemed to be causing quite the gossip. "It's just been… rough. For all of us."
Sikka's face puckered in concern. She herself had heard the rumors floating around the base, and had done her part to keep the chatter down when she was around. But looking at Shun's face, Sikka had to wonder just how much of the stories were true. "Do you want to have lunch with me and Ransik?" she offered with a hesitant smile. "Maybe to just get away from the madness for a bit?"
Shun thought of the expression Ransik would wear if his fiancée invited another man to sit with them while they ate lunch—especially one she had been previously interested in. He shook his head. "Thanks, but no thanks. I have to keep an eye on Tiki and Syaoran. They're not above fighting at the lunch table."
"All right," Sikka accepted with a nod. Reaching out, she patted the giant waterbender gently on the arm. "I hope things work out for you soon, Shun."
"Thanks…" Shun replied, but she had already walked away. Trying not to sigh so deeply this time, the giant waterbender made his way back to his room for the time being. If lunchtime was nearing, that meant that Tiki would come to get him soon. She preferred to chat at him and pretend that Syaoran wasn't there while he sat at the same table with his mother and sister. If they ever exchanged words, it was to trade verbal barbs until either Shima or Shun intervened. Meal times weren't very pleasant these days. All Shun could do was hope that General Chen made good on his promise… and soon.
"…I'm done."
The words were spat with no small amount of contempt, which is all Tiki could harbor for the Avatar these days. The frustrating part was that he was behaving just as coldly, and they were getting nowhere with his training. Tiki was beginning to think he was frustrating her out of spite. It took all her willpower to not demand that he spar with her, just because she was afraid she would not stop fighting with Syaoran until she passed out. The whole situation was infuriating, and there was nothing she could do about it without sacrificing her pride.
Turning her back on the Avatar, Tiki left the ground above to head back into the base. She was hardly hungry these days, but Shun had enough to worry about without her not eating, so she forced herself to eat for his sake. Poor guy, to be trapped in the middle of all of this… Tiki pitied him, she really did.
Syaoran nodded stiffly, walking into the base as well. He was completely fine with being done with training for the day. Less time he had to deal with Tiki's snappiness. Syaoran was going to eat lunch and probably end up spending the rest of the day with his ear being talked off by Sora. But even that was preferred to dealing with Tiki these days. And in a way, he hated it. But he was not backing down this time. Every time they fought, he always had to go and talk to her afterwards because she was too childish or proud to admit when she's wrong. No. This time he was standing his ground. Tiki was a part of Team Avatar and this was where she belonged.
But he didn't want to think right now about how there wasn't much of a team left, or even that it was hardly worth it for them all to be together because of that first fact. He brushed past her to go the dining hall. Without having to wait for Tiki's short strides, the Avatar always got there faster these days. Grabbing his food, he took his place next to Shun, who seemed about as miserable as the rest of them.
"Anything new?" he asked the waterbender, at least attempting to engage in conversation. After all, it's not like Shun had done anything wrong. He was just stuck in the middle of everything.
Thinking on General Chen's words, Shun shook his head. "No. Sorry."
"You apologize too much for everything, Shun," Tiki noted, sitting on the other side of the giant waterbender. "Has anyone ever told you that?"
Shun smiled weakly. "I have heard it once or twice before…"
"You should work on that. It's not like any of this is your fault," Tiki continued, shooting Syaoran a look before she stabbed her fork through a slice of cucumber. Shun sighed, a headache starting to form.
"Sometimes inaction is as guilty as action," he mumbled to himself. He noticed that the tiny airbender beside him had about as much appetite as he did, but as long as she ate, he felt that he could find the strength to eat as well. Currently she was contemplating him as he took a bite of his food.
What did Shun mean by that? Did he regret not taking a side in this issue? Tiki felt it was best if he just stayed out of it—no matter which side he took, the giant waterbender was still going to be caught in the middle, unfortunately. Even if he hated standing on the sidelines, that was the best place for him at the moment, until Syaoran admitted he was wrong and gave Tiki a proper apology…
…Yeah, right. And that would happen as soon as ZanYi started talking to them again. In other words: fat chance.
Both parties could agree on that much, because Syaoran was not going to apologize when it was Tiki who was making the mistake, Tiki that was planning on ditching them. And she was too childish to see that. No matter what, the Avatar was not relenting this time.
"Don't worry about it, Shun," Syaoran encouraged the waterbender, though giving Tiki an incredibly dark look. "After all, it's better not to do anything sometimes than make the wrong decision," he quipped snarly. This was what all meals seemed to be these days: just rehashing the issue as Tiki refused to see sense. It was enough to make Syaoran prefer the lieutenant blasting fire at him every day for training. That had hurt, sure. But they were all on proper speaking terms. These days? Not so much.
"Please stop," Shun begged the both of them when Tiki's mouth opened for a retort. He had his hands on either side of his head, massaging his throbbing temples. "Not today, all right? Just stop it."
Tiki shut her mouth, but reluctantly, since Syaoran was asking for it. But he was an afterthought at the moment: Shun looked like he was going to lose his sanity at any moment. She hated making him feel this way, but Syaoran was making her so angry. He was being selfish and he couldn't even see it. Throwing him the nastiest look she could muster over Shun's shoulder, the tiny airbender returned to her food, invoking the age-old saying of remaining silent if she didn't have anything nice to say.
And boy, did she have a whole lot of not-nice things to say.
Syaoran caught the look and wanted nothing more than to blast the airbender down a couple notches—with which element, he had yet to determine. But with a sideways glance at Shun, the Avatar would not even attempt such a thing. Tiki was being obnoxious and inconsiderate to everything they'd all done for her, but Syaoran couldn't take that out on Shun, not even by accident.
So instead he shut his mouth too, shoveling food in when necessary to keep himself from spewing something else at Tiki and her incorrigible behavior. He couldn't wait to finish and go back to shower. All that he knew was that this was going to be a long meal. Just like all of the others these days.
Although Shun was immensely glad that the two had stopped arguing—for the moment—the silence at the table was not much better. In fact, it was oppressive. Shun couldn't stand it. He couldn't stand any of it.
Tiki jumped when the giant waterbender suddenly stood up. "Shun?" she asked, becoming nervous once she saw the look on his face. "Are you—?"
"I'm going back to my room," Shun decided, still rubbing his head. "I can't deal with you two right now. I need…"
He needed order restored. He needed someone to put their foot down, to say that enough was enough. He needed someone to do what he could not, to tell Syaoran and Tiki to stop acting like children and resolve this issue between them.
He needed ZanYi.
The giant waterbender sighed, the sound coming from his core. He couldn't have ZanYi. She was busy with her own problems; she didn't have time for theirs. He was going to have to do without. And he wasn't too sure if he could.
"…I'm gonna go shower," Shun mumbled to the two of them before he left the dining hall, ignoring the stares he got. He didn't care if he was making another spectacle of himself and Team Avatar. Any more of this madness and the giant waterbender was going to snap. Hopefully, a long, hot shower would calm him down enough so he could think about how to resolve the situation at hand. He wasn't going to hold his breath over it, though.
Once Shun was gone, Tiki immediately rounded on Syaoran, her eyes burning. Now that their peacemaker wasn't here, she could lay into Syaoran all she wanted. "See what you did? You're making him crazy!" she accused unfairly, her pent-up anger beginning to unleash. Everything was Syaoran's fault, and the tiny airbender was going to make him realize it, one way or another.
"Me?!" Syaoran spat incredulously, throwing his hands in the air in disbelief. She was going to pin this all on him? She was the one at fault, like she was about this entire issue. How daft was the airbender? The Avatar almost wanted Tiki to go ahead and go, just he wouldn't have to deal with her like this anymore. But that would defeat the purpose of this entire debate. If Tiki could just see what she was doing to all of them, then maybe things could go back to normal. "Things were fine before you sat down with us! Besides, this is all your fault anyway. Thank you so much. You've done an excellent job of tearing apart this team."
"WHAT?!" screeched Tiki, the indignation she felt over Syaoran's statement making her voice loud and high-pitched. Several heads turned to stare at them. But she didn't care: no way was Syaoran pinning the fall of Team Avatar on her. No freakin' way.
"First of all, ZanYi was already slipping away from us long before I decided to leave," Tiki corrected him, leaning in to get in his face. "And this argument never would have happened if you hadn't been going through my stuff! Face it, Syaoran: you can't tell me what I can and can't do! That's only for me to decide! So quit acting like you're my father or a possessive boyfriend, because you don't own me!"
This display was getting rather embarrassing for everyone else. A dark-skinned firebender sitting nearby even yelled "Get a room!" while shooting an irritated look at the pair of them. Tiki ignored them, her stormy eyes on Syaoran and Syaoran alone. She would not let him order her around. This was her life, to live it as she pleased. And if Syaoran was going to behave like this, then she was glad she was leaving.
Syaoran only scoffed in her face though. "Oh, really? Then I suppose the airbenders are the only ones who can tell you what you can and can't do then," he snipped, glaring at Tiki. Normally, being put on stage for everyone to watch bothered him. He hated the spotlight. But right now, he hated how Tiki was acting through this whole thing even more. "If you haven't noticed, that's exactly what they've been doing to you!" And it had made him irritated before, but even more so now. After all, it was their insufficiency that was forcing a twenty-year-old girl to lead when she had other priorities she should have been paying attention to. Like Team Avatar.
"Face it: they've been pushing all of their problems on you and trying to dictate your life! Just because you're an airbender doesn't mean you're not Tiki! And last I checked, Tiki cared about her friends! But no, you're going to let them dictate what you do with your time and who you marry and whether you have children! And you're trying to tell me not to tell you what you can and can't do?!"
The tears were beginning to push at Tiki's eyes, but they were nothing compared to her anger. He didn't understand at all. What, did he think she could just tell the airbenders 'no'? That she was going to leave them to deal with their own problems while she frolicked about with Team Avatar without a care in the world? What would her parents have said if she had even dared to think about such disgraceful behavior?
Syaoran didn't think she could do it. He wanted her to stay because he believed she was going to fail. That was the only explanation that Tiki could think of for why Syaoran was behaving this way. He had been upset when ZanYi left, sure, but he understood that she had a greater purpose to fulfill. Why wouldn't he extend the same courtesy to Tiki? Out of all people, she thought he would understand: just like he couldn't help being the Avatar, she couldn't help that she had been born to lead the airbender nation.
All the anger, all the hurt and the injustice built up in Tiki, the pressure growing more and more unbearable until the tiny airbender snapped. And then she did something she never thought she would actually do: she slapped Syaoran. Repeatedly.
"I hate you!" The words poured from her mouth as did the tears as she struck the Avatar, completely losing her mind in her rage. "You were supposed to be my friend! You were supposed to understand! I didn't ask for this! I DIDN'T ASK FOR ANY OF IT!"
"TIKI!"
Voices called her name, arms pulled at her, dragging her away from Syaoran. But these arms Tiki fought too, until she could break free and flee from the dining hall, the tears so thick that she could barely see where she was going. All she wanted to do was run, run far away from here. She wanted to leave this behind, to know no more pain, no more judgment, no more blame. All she wanted to do was disappear.
Abruptly, Tiki found herself outside. Not bothering to question it, she ran blindly through the forest, searching for her sky bison. That was it, she was done with this, she was done with all of it. No more.
Upon catching sight of Bumi, Tiki made to jump up behind his head and take off, to flee from here. But her airbending had disappeared: she was too upset to focus. So the tiny airbender collapsed against the sky bison instead, burying her face in his fur as she cried.
"I don't want this," she sobbed, the horror of what she had just done quickly catching up to her. "I don't want it to be this way. I want my mom and dad. I want everything to be okay again. I just want the world to make sense again."
But the world would not make sense the way it used to ever again. Her parents were dead. She was the councilwoman of the airbender society now, and they needed her, much more than Team Avatar needed her, despite what Syaoran said. Those facts would not change. And as soon as Tiki was able to pull herself together, she would leave. Like the Avatar, she had a role she needed to fulfill.
When the general's office door swung open and closed without any sort of knock of consideration, General Chen knew exactly who was entering. "Take a seat, Lieutenant," he urged ZanYi, finishing reading the report in front of him before he looked up.
"I'd rather stand, sir," she replied, at rest in front of his desk. The general found himself displeased with what he saw. Dark circles under her eyes, face a bit thinner, and a tautness to her face that was hiding so much. It made his decision all that much easier once he saw her.
"Fine," General Chen said, putting the report down. He rose from his seat to stare across his desk at the lieutenant, serious and grim. "Lieutenant Tsong, you are officially prohibited from combat."
He watched as a flash of emotion finally crossed the woman's face, indignation sparking. She opened her mouth to probably argue the point, but he held up a hand and cut her off. "There's no discussion on this. You are not to enter combat, you are not to train or train with the Agni-Kais, or with any other force. You are not to even touch paperwork. You're on suspension, Lieutenant."
ZanYi could only feel the anger swell in her, the protest in her throat. Her fists clenched tight, every fiber of her being willing her not to lose it. She needed to work, needed to do something. There was no way he could what he was ordering her. "Sir—!"
"Tsong!" General Chen cut her off forcefully, giving her a stern look. "You have two options now that you are suspended: you either go on leave, or you retake Team Avatar."
ZanYi openly scowled then. Neither option was good. Going on leave would be impossible for her. The last thing she needed was all that time to herself, all that time with just her and her mind… But Team Avatar? That was almost as bad. Because they would push her. They wouldn't just let her be. And Shun wouldn't leave her alone if she stayed with them. The lieutenant wanted space from them, but all she wanted was to do her work, to work on her own as she always did, to go back to her normal routine, before this whole catastrophe. But it was clear that it was not one of the options that General Chen was giving her.
"Lieutenant," he started again, in a stern tone, "those are your two options. I cannot vouch for your well-being right now and I will not put more soldiers at risk because of that. But Team Avatar is in shambles and needs leadership. So that is the option I am giving you. Now, which will you choose? Will you be taking leave or Team Avatar?"
He knew just from the look on her face that, despite struggling to keep it all in, the firebender wanted nothing more than to argue with him, defy him. But despite all of that, this was still Lieutenant ZanYi Tsong, and despite her own troubles, her training did not fail her. So she did not speak out to her superior.
Instead, she picked the—slightly—lesser of two evils.
"I'll retake my position at Team Avatar," she answered reluctantly. It was better than staying here with nothing to do, or going back to Roku's Island and having to deal with the memories there, with Master Fei.
General Chen nodded, as if he had expected this outcome. "Very well. Then go now and pack. You are to move back to your original quarters." He saw the uproarious expression that glimpsed on ZanYi's face and continued in a slightly softer tone, "Lieutenant… it's time to go back. You are prohibited from staying in Sergeant Major Tsong's quarters. Now go get moving. That's an order."
ZanYi didn't move at first, as if she were a child that was contemplating rebellion against her parents. But she was not a child. She was a soldier. And the lieutenant knew how to follow orders.
"Yes, sir," she heeded curtly, and then she turned tail to leave the office, the door closing heftily in her stead. General Chen let his shoulders sag, allowing the concern for the lieutenant to now appear. It was hard to see his finest fall, especially after losing another close to both of them recently. But this had to be done. ZanYi needed something—anything. And the general hoped that this was the solution to a lot of his problems.
Shun wandered through the halls in a daze, his spirit drained. How much more of this could he stand before he became certifiable? The giant waterbender really did not want to find out, but what other options were there? He was so disheartened by his thoughts that he almost missed the fact that ZanYi's door was open. It took a double take and some backtracking to realize that the lieutenant was actually in there.
ZanYi let out a long growl as she dropped a box onto the stone floor of her bedroom floor. That was the last one. If she was now prohibited from staying in Zaron's room, then all of his personal effects were going with her. So it took one extra trip to bring his box of clothes and possessions over to Team Avatar's hall, but she thought it worth it.
There was a familiar scrawl and the lieutenant looked up to Xie Xie on his roost, newly moved to these quarters. That was about the extent of the company ZanYi allowed these days. It was like Xie Xie knew that Zaron wasn't coming back, and the dragonhawk had been behaving accordingly, quieter.
Crossing the room, ZanYi went over and reached out to the fowl, scratching the feathers under his chin. Xie Xie let out a sad sound, and it made the insides of the lieutenant ache. "I miss him too…" she whispered under her breath. But Zaron wasn't coming back, so she had to push the notion away. She only wished that the voices and nightmares were as easy to shake.
"ZanYi."
Shun's call was like a breathe, the relief immediate as soon as he saw her. Just catching sight of her was reassurance these days. Shun wanted to cross the room and pull her into his arms, but he restrained himself for two reasons. One: he did not know how ZanYi would take that, now that she knew just how deep his affections for her ran. And two: that evil bird was back. Other than a wary glance, Shun paid it no mind. "Um… how are you?"
Such a casual question, and yet it was vital in this situation: something must have changed for ZanYi to be back in her own room again. The question was what? Shun wasn't sure, but he was willing to bet that some strong-arming had occurred on General Chen's part.
Hearing the familiar voice, ZanYi took a deep breath. She was going to have to deal with him sooner or later. Might as well be now. So she turned to face him with an impassive look. He looked haggard, looked exhausted on so many levels. Perhaps things were getting bad on Team Avatar like everyone had been saying, like the general had said to her earlier. She considered ignoring his question, found herself answering anyway.
"Suspended," ZanYi told him. "I'm on suspension."
And it almost made her want to flare back up again, now that she was away from General Chen. The lieutenant certainly didn't appreciate the strong-arming nature in which he got her to go back to Team Avatar. But ZanYi was going to keep her control. Twice now she made the mistake of losing control and it had messed with Shun both times. She wasn't going to make it three.
Shun frowned in concern. Though ZanYi did her best to keep her emotion under control, he knew that this upset her. He was about to ask her just what suspension meant for her loud footsteps echoed down the hall, and Shun turned to see Ransik and Sikka approaching. The looks on their faces were even more cause for concern. "What happened?" Shun asked as soon as they were near enough… although the giant waterbender was almost certain that he did not want to know.
"Tiki and Syaoran had another fight," Sikka informed him, her expression anxious.
"Another one?" Shun sighed, his hand raising to his temple again. Those two…
"It was worse this time," Ransik spoke up, his expression grave, "It came to blows."
That got Shun's attention.
"They hit each other?"
"Well, Tiki smacked Syaoran around a little," Sikka explained, "I had to drag her off him."
Shun groaned, his hand over his eyes. He never should have left them alone. The minute he was gone, a tussle broke out. "How is Syaoran?" he dared to ask next.
"Fine, I think," Ransik replied, "Shocked… like the rest of us. I didn't think the airbender had it in her to be that violent."
Tiki didn't. Which caused Shun to wonder: what could they have possibly fought about to make Tiki so angry that she actually laid a hand on the Avatar? Shun was anxious to find out, but he didn't know which one to check on first. Turning to ZanYi, the giant waterbender gave her a look, as if to say, 'Welcome to my nightmare. Here's a recap of what you've missed so far.'
"I'll take Tiki if you take Syaoran?" he offered, hoping she would bite. Because Shun could not do this by himself—he knew that now. In order for them to bring Team Avatar back to functionality again, he was going to need ZanYi's help.
ZanYi was exasperated. No wonder this had been the other option to taking leave. General Chen probably just wanted this resolved and off his hands. It was bad enough to put her on suspension, but this? The general was right: they needed a leader. ZanYi could do this much. Work was work, and generally Syaoran was easy to handle.
"Fine," she agreed, irritated as she brushed past him. "Close the door behind you."
She gave a look to Ransik and he nodded, taking off to lead her to where Syaoran was. They found him at that point walking back to the rooms from the dining hall, face red for more reasons than one. When he saw ZanYi with Ransik though, his mood cleared up a little bit.
"ZanYi?" he questioned, as if confused as to why she was with Ransik. The lieutenant nodded to the waterbender, and Ransik kept on walking, most likely to calm down whatever was going in the dining hall. Which left ZanYi standing in the hall with Syaoran. The Avatar couldn't believe this was happening. As of late, she'd been avoiding them at almost all costs. Now she seemed like she was going to talk to him. "What's—?"
"Come. Now," the lieutenant ordered, heading back towards where their quarters were. Despite his already hot temper, Syaoran knew better than to pick a fight with ZanYi, especially right now. Last thing he wanted was to get blasted on top of being a public slapping dummy. ZanYi pushed open his bedroom door, the look on her face telling him to get in and take a seat or else. When he did that, she closed the door behind her and leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Start talking."
"It's all Tiki's fault!" Syaoran immediately answered, as if that was going to get him out of trouble. "Everything's falling apart on this team because she decided without telling any of us that she's going to leave! Things were bad enough with—"
Even if ZanYi hadn't stiffened a bit and her face gone strangely neutral, the Avatar would have cut himself off there on his own. He reigned himself in a bit, not wanting to make things worse when the lieutenant was finally getting involved.
"Why is Tiki leaving?" she asked him calmly.
"Because she thinks she needs to take her spot leading the airbenders."
"And she does."
"It's just ridic—what?" Syaoran interjected unto himself, realizing what she had just said. Looking to ZanYi, he had a look of angry betrayal on his face. "Tiki can't leave!"
"Why?"
"Because she said she'd be there for me and she's leaving me!"
The room grew quiet then. Syaoran didn't realize what he'd just said until afterwards. And ZanYi was sullen, despite knowing that she'd just tricked Syaoran into admitting the problem. If there was one thing she understood right now, it was feeling like she was left on her own. That wasn't a problem in itself, but if there was that person that one needed by their side in order to feel like the world was upright…
"I promise. I'll never leave you alone."
No. Not right now. She couldn't deal with Team Avatar and Zaron right now. ZanYi had to resist the urge to shut her eyes tight and clench her head to force it away. Instead, she leveled with Syaoran. "Did you tell Tiki that?" ZanYi asked him point-blank.
Syaoran looked a little awkward then, turning away from the lieutenant's flat golden eyes. "Well, maybe… sort of…"
"Tiki is your friend. She also has responsibilities. But if she's trying to go, holding on tighter isn't going to work. Tell her calmly. And fix this already."
"But she started this!" Syaoran protested, anger flaring up again. "It's her fault for not seeing reason—!"
"And you're not seeing her reasons. So cool off, buck up, and fix this. Team Avatar is four people, so get a move on it," ZanYi told him blatantly. The lieutenant went to leave the room, to let Syaoran think and cool off when he called out to her again.
"Wait, ZanYi!" he beckoned, rising to his feet. All she did was stop, waiting for him to finish. He didn't want to hope, but the Avatar had to ask, "You said 'four'… Does that mean… you're back? You're staying with Team Avatar?"
ZanYi was quiet. She didn't want to stay. She didn't even want to be dealing the team's drama. But this was better than the solitude and time that she'd have to endure if she went on leave. So the lieutenant answered honestly according to her orders. "Yes." And ZanYi left the room then. Syaoran heard a door slam a couple rooms away, and he knew it was true. The lieutenant was back. So if ZanYi could come back in her state…
Syaoran flopped back down. This meant he had to talk to Tiki. Which would suck, because she was not going to listen to anything. But he didn't want her to go either…
This all sucked. But maybe there was hope…
If Shun knew Tiki, she had run away on instinct… but if she happened to run to her sky bison… Shun had to find her before that happened.
The giant waterbender knew exactly where to go, dashing across the clearing and into the forest. Time was of the essence, and Tiki already had a head start. If Shun did not get to her soon, once she took off on her sky bison, there was a good chance they would never see her again.
Thankfully, to Shun's relief, the tiny airbender was still there, collapsed next to Bumi, her head buried in the fur of the sky bison's head. Carefully, Shun approached the upset airbender.
"Tiki?"
Tiki gave a great sniff. "Go away, Shun."
Shun did not go away. Instead, he moved to sit next to the tiny airbender, stroking her hair as she hid her face in Bumi's fur. A moment of silence passed in between the two, in which Tiki allowed herself to be coddled, just a little.
"…You want to talk about it?"
"No."
"Not even a little?"
"Don't patronize me, Shun," Tiki threatened, raising her head to glare at the giant waterbender. He raised his hands in surrender.
"I'm not. I'm just trying to help you out," he pointed out, remaining calm. Tiki's eyes were rimmed red, her face was soaked, and her skin was blotchy. "Sikka told me you and Syaoran had another fight. Do you want to tell me what happened in your own words?"
Tiki wanted to say no. She wanted to tell Shun to go away and leave her alone so she could get herself together in peace. She wanted to say goodbye and never look back. But she didn't. Instead, she confessed.
"I hit Syaoran," she mumbled, hiding her face again in her shame. Shun resumed stroking her hair.
"I know."
"I didn't mean to."
"I know that too."
Tiki looked up, her stormy eyes clouded with tears once more. "Shun… what am I supposed to do?"
Shun offered a smile and a slight shrug. "Apologize," he said simply. Tiki's brow furrowed at this.
"But if I apologize…" she paused to sniffle, "…then I'll lose the argument."
Shun almost laughed. Almost. "Maybe… but is it worth losing your friend over, Tiki?"
Tiki's expression became impossibly more miserable. "…No," she admitted at last. Rubbing the wetness from her eyes, she confessed, "But I don't think he'll accept my apology. I told him I hated him."
"I'm sure he knows you didn't mean that."
Tiki sniffled again. "…I have feelings for him."
Shun thought so. He just hadn't wanted to say so out loud, in case Tiki wasn't aware of it yet… though, he would have to say, that would be poetic justice. "It's often the people we care about the most that end up frustrating us the most," he admitted, the wisdom of his statement and how he had gotten it making him smile in a wry fashion. "But Tiki, if you run away, this issue will never be resolved. You understand that, right? If you want things to work out with Syaoran, you have to admit your fault, even if he doesn't. It's called 'compromise', and though it can be frustrating, it's worth it if you reach an agreement."
"No wonder you and ZanYi get along even when you're fighting," Tiki acknowledged, managing a watery smile. "I wish I could do that with Syaoran. I hate it when we fight. I hate it."
"Do you think," Shun began to speculate, "that the reason you two fight so much is because you're both misunderstanding the other's intentions?" At Tiki's perplexed look, the giant waterbender continued, "I mean, you both care about each other, and you never mean to hurt each other. But sometimes you both get wrapped up in your own emotions that you fail to see each other's needs. If you both recognize that problem, you can work together towards a goal. Understand?"
Tiki stared at Shun for a full five seconds before she replied. "You should be a psychologist."
Shun grinned. "I actually want to be a doctor," he admitted, "but that's a close second." Turning back to the topic, Shun said, "Talk to Syaoran, Teeks. I'm sure he's just as tired of fighting with you as you are with him. Nothing will get better if you refuse to talk to each other, and it doesn't matter who wins. If this continues, the both are you going to lose each other. And you don't want that, right?"
Tiki sighed heavily. "No, I don't," she admitted. Drying her eyes one last time, the tiny airbender got to her feet. "I guess I have to concede first."
"You're not conceding," Shun corrected her as he stood up, "you're taking the first step towards mending your relationship with someone you care about. That's worth all the pride you have."
A corner of Tiki's mouth turned down. "I guess one of us has to be wise when the other one isn't," she noted. Shun gave a chuckle and patted Tiki's head.
"Wisdom doesn't help anything when it comes to someone you care about. Sometimes emotions just take over."
"Yeah." Tiki took a deep breath and let it out slowly, feeling significantly calmer. Perhaps it was a good thing that Shun had stopped her before she had taken off on a whim—she would have almost certainly regretted it. "Okay… I'll go talk to Syaoran."
"Good luck."
Shun followed Tiki back to the base, but at a significantly slower pace. Personally, the giant waterbender thought the reason Tiki and Syaoran fought so much was because they were subconsciously trying to avoid their feelings for each other. But that was just his opinion. Either way, they did care about one another, and it was a shame to see them fight so hard against each other when this problem could be solved if they just talked. That's all they needed to do.
Once Shun gave Tiki an encouraging push towards Syaoran's door, the giant waterbender headed past her to go to the bathroom. It was time for that long-needed shower. Also, he had been neglecting to shave his face—if Tiki had been in a better mood, she would have noted that he seemed to be harboring a wolfbat on his face once again.
Meanwhile, Tiki stood outside of Syaoran's door, nervous. She tried several times to knock, but felt as if she did, a fight would break out between them all over again. And Tiki didn't want to fight anymore. She just wanted things to be okay.
'Suck it up,' she told herself sternly. And, finally, after a few more seconds of preparation, the tiny airbender managed to knock firmly on Syaoran's door. No going back now.
The door opened far too soon. Syaoran had already been about to open the door when he heard the knock. What he was surprised about was that it was Tiki standing on the other side of the door. He had been about to go look for her… after several passing minutes after the lieutenant had basically demanded that he go fix this.
"Um…" he started and the Avatar cringed. Already off to a bad start. "Do you want to come in…?" he suggested, a bit gruffly. After all, she had slapped him silly and repeatedly in the dining hall in front of a good portion of the base. But Syaoran forced that irritation back. ZanYi was right: he had to fix this. "We should probably, um, talk though."
Looking at the red marks on Syaoran's face caused Tiki to flush with shame; she dipped her head and nodded. Inching past the Avatar, Tiki felt supremely awkward in her own body. She perched herself on the very edge of Syaoran's bed, playing with the ends of her hair to avoid meeting his eyes.
She knew she had to talk, to apologize, to say something, but the words wouldn't come. Where was she supposed to start? Should she wait to for him to say something first? Or was it up to her to clear the air? Did it even matter…? After another deep breath, Tiki looked up, meeting Syaoran's jade eyes.
"I don't hate you," she told him, an anxious note in her voice. "I only said that because I was mad. I'm sorry I hit you too." There. She had started things off. The ball was in his court now.
Syaoran sat down on his bed as well after closing the door, though a good bit over from Tiki. He reflexively reached up to his face to rub it, despite the soreness. Through experience in sparring, he knew that the little airbender was stronger than she looked, but these stung. A lot.
Then again, he probably deserved them in part for the way he'd been acting.
"And I'm sorry I picked on all the things that I knew would tick you off the most," he acknowledged, knowing that was a jerky move on his part. Syaoran knew how sensitive she was about her role, about the airbenders. And he'd used that to make her mad because he was mad. "I don't hate you either, since we're on the topic."
This revelation was surprisingly relieving for the tiny airbender. Feeling tears well up in her eyes once again, she brought her knees up to her chest and buried her face in them. "Thank goodness," she sighed, "I don't know what I would do if you hated me for something I did or said in the heat of the moment. I wouldn't know what to do…" And she was crying again. Fantastic. Stubbornly, Tiki kept her face pressed into her knees, feeling that it was easier to speak if she did this.
"I… I don't want to leave," she admitted quietly, surreptitiously glancing at Syaoran out of the corner of her eye. "I like being on Team Avatar. I like the feeling of having a… a family." Even if that family happened to be extremely dysfunctional from time to time. Gathering her courage again, Tiki raised her head, her hands still clutching her knees as she looked into Syaoran's eyes once again. "But once you're finished with your airbending training, I won't be needed anymore," she pointed out, "and don't tell me it isn't true, because it is. It wouldn't be that much of a blow if I left the team. ZanYi is the leader. Shun is the healer. You're the Avatar… and I'm just your cheerleader."
That's all she ever would be. And she was fine with it… mostly. "The airbenders need a leader, Syaoran," Tiki reminded him, looking down now at her amulet. "And that leader has to be me. It's my birthright. I don't have much of a choice, true, but I'm okay with it. Our government is crumbling underneath us, and Kaze worries every day that there will be a revolt in the absence of a true leader. Even in these desperate times, the daughter of traitors is good enough. The airbenders need me. Kaze needs me…"
Tiki looked up at Syaoran again, her gaze imploring. "And I need to do this, Syaoran. This has nothing to do with me abandoning Team Avatar. It's about me stepping up and taking responsibility for my destiny. You can understand that, can't you? About having to take responsibility for a role you feel unprepared for, but have to take on anyway?" She knew he did. He had talked about it more than once, and she had had to assure him more than once. She had given him her support. Now, Tiki needed the Avatar's support.
Syaoran wanted to point out the destiny he couldn't walk away from involved protecting more than a band of people that probably didn't amass to more than forty or fifty, but that was the bitterness talking again.
"Maybe logistically you wouldn't be a huge blow to the team if you left," Syaoran started, but quickly finished because he knew how that sounded alone, "but your hole would be as big as anyone else's if you left. This group would be doom and gloom without you. This team's got me and ZanYi, and Shun can't deal with both if the sour attitudes rear up. Personally, I think helping the morale of the team is just as important as everything else. I know it means the most to me usually."
The Avatar almost felt a flush come to his cheeks, but he pushed on, knowing that he had to say what he meant, like ZanYi said.
"You're the one on this team that cares about all of me, Avatar and Syaoran. It's been you to get me off my butt and onto my feet when I mess up. I'd like to think that that makes you a pretty important part of Team Avatar. Right now your people have a council; I've got you. If you leave and do the math there, it doesn't paint a pretty picture for the Avatar, or for the world then."
Reluctant, Syaoran turned then to look over at Tiki, to meet her eyes. Jade eyes meeting gray, they conveyed the message in his words, serious. "Just stay until this all over. Help me end this war first. Then go back. If you need it, I'll even help, to make up for it. But don't go."
Tiki gave Syaoran an agonized look. "Syaoran," she began, but then paused. How could she say no to him? He was even offering to help, which was really sweet. She didn't want to leave. And he was only asking for a little more time. Where was the harm in that?
But Tiki knew exactly where the harm was: they had no idea when the war would end. That could be six months away, a year, several years… there was not even a promise that the war would end in their lifetime. How did Syaoran know the war wouldn't rear up once again as soon as he passed? Nothing about this war was a sure thing, and the longer Tiki stayed mixed up in it, the longer she put not only her life in danger, but the futures of airbenders everywhere as well.
She stood up, pacing away from the Avatar, her fingers combing through her hair as she thought. She had rewritten the letter to Kaze, but she had not sent it—it lay hidden under her mattress from prying eyes this time around. She had meant to send it days ago, but somehow, she could not bring herself to do it. What she had been waiting for, she didn't know, but now the tiny airbender was not sure whether or not she was glad she had waited. If Tiki had already sent it, she would be able to make a decisive decision. But again, it was so hard for her to say no, when Syaoran asked her directly not to go. Tiki felt like she was being pulled in two directions, and the worst part was that she was not sure which side was tugging the hardest.
"I… I don't know," she sighed, unable to make a decision. "I can't make this decision now. I need… more time to think."
But would more time help or hinder? Would it lessen her doubts? Or increase them? Tiki didn't know, and that was what was driving her crazy the most: she didn't know what she should do. She knew what she wanted, and she knew what was expected of her. So the question she thought she had the answer to had arisen again: now what?
Syaoran nodded slowly, but a bit relieved. "Take your time then," the Avatar encouraged her. If Tiki wasn't rushing off to hurry this decision, to get back to the airbenders, then he still had time. There was time to fix this. And he supposed for the moment, that was what he could get. And he was going to take it.
"Just… before you send off anything, talk to us first about it. And I mean all of us," Syaoran urged her, rising to his feet as well. Giving Tiki a strong look, he continued, "ZanYi's back. She's staying with Team Avatar and she said it herself that Team Avatar is four people. On some level, even she seems to get that we're stuck with each other now. None of us can just walk away anymore."
Syaoran then stepped over to Tiki, hands shoved in his pockets so he hunched a bit. He didn't want Tiki to go. He'd said what he meant to say, and it seemed like Tiki had said what she wanted to say. And it didn't bring them anywhere closer to a solution. But the Avatar liked to think that they were past the worst of it and could find a starting point now.
"So, um… Does this mean we're not fighting anymore? Because I don't know about you, but I'm tired of being mad and I think everyone else on the base is too." He kind of felt bad for all of the trouble they'd been causing. Heck, it was bad enough to they had to bring the lieutenant back into this, despite everything wrong happening on her end of things. So Syaoran smiled weakly and hesitantly, almost hopeful looking. "Truce?" he asked her.
Tiki turned to fully face the Avatar, shock displayed plainly on her face. Was he for real? After she had hit him, yelled at him, and publicly humiliated him… he was forgiving her?
Strong emotions welled up in the tiny airbender, and she moved to hug Syaoran so forcefully that she nearly toppled the both of them over. "I'm sorry," she apologized, hiding her face in Syaoran's chest and holding him like she would never let go. "I'm so sorry!"
Tiki did not want to leave, but knew she could not stay… not for long, at least. She could not ignore the suffering of her people for very long either. Perhaps she would stay for another month or so… perhaps she would stay until Syaoran learned and mastered waterbending. Perhaps she would stick around long enough to see him take down WeiTai—oh, that was the problem when she was left to decide by herself, she couldn't decide how long she should stay. But then, she had some time to figure that out now. Knowing that ZanYi planned to remain a part of Team Avatar relieved Tiki, because should she decide to leave, she knew that Syaoran would be in good hands.
But Team Avatar was four, not three…
Tiki clutched the back of Syaoran's shirt, willing the tears not to fall. Curse him for making her feel like this all the time, like she was riding a rollercoaster of emotions that she couldn't get off of. There had to be a balance here, too, right? Between him driving her crazy and melting her with his awkward sweetness? Tiki hoped so, because although the time she had left with Team Avatar was a concern, the time she wanted to spend going back and forth on this spectrum with Syaoran was significantly shorter. Just like with all of their fights, there had to be a solution here too.
Syaoran had to root his feet to the ground to make sure they didn't fall back. If the fervor in her apology wasn't enough to convince him, Tiki's actions would have convinced him. She was holding onto him like it would hurt to let go. Despite the airbender's best efforts, Syaoran could already feel part of his shirt dampening where her face was.
He sighed. Here they were again. At least this was more usual for them, and while Syaoran wasn't particularly a fan, he had learned to work with this. As if it were becoming natural for him, the Avatar wrapped his arms around her shoulders to hold her there.
"It's okay, Tiki. Don't worry about it. I was a jerk too," he tried to assure her. "You don't have to cry this time about it…"
Tiki sniffled. "You know I can't help it," she reminded him, though she did bring an arm back to wipe her eyes on her sleeve. Looking up at the Avatar, Tiki contemplated him for a minute, reminiscing on the words of Shun.
"…I want to propose something," she said after a moment, "so we can avoid stuff like this in the future. Whenever we get mad at each other, let's just slow down first and explain to each other why we're angry. Shun thinks we fight so much because we misunderstand each other all the time, and I think he's right. I know you're just as tired as fighting as I am. None of it is worth losing each other's friendship. So can we try this, please?"
If this could be the solution to all their problems, Tiki would never tease Shun about his facial hair ever again.
Syaoran looked at Tiki like she was a circus animal. She wanted them… to talk out their problems? Communicate? This was starting to make it sound like they were a couple… No! Focus, Syaoran!
But he sighed, actually considering it. After all, she had a point—or, he supposed, Shun had a point. Neither of them had said what they actually wanted to, and therefore they acted like angry children for the past several days and made everyone around them miserable. Okay. Clearly the way they were going about things was not an option again.
"If it stops us from ticking each other and everyone else, sure. Last thing I need is ZanYi to keep telling me that I have to go fix things because I didn't say what I was supposed to."
Ah, so ZanYi had talked to him, then? Tiki was both grateful and irritated—Syaoran probably wouldn't have wanted to talk if ZanYi hadn't forced his hand… but then again, Tiki wouldn't have wanted to talk if Shun hadn't come to convince her either.
"And, have you said everything you needed to?" she wanted to check, abruptly anxious for a reason she could not place. "This talk was pointless if you're holding anything back, you know. You can tell me anything."
Tiki vaguely realized that she was hoping for something here. Perhaps for the Avatar to say that he never wanted to fight again because he couldn't live without her…?
Ew. Gross, no. Not only was that incredibly cheesy, but it also wasn't Syaoran's style at all. Tiki would expect that kind of talk from Shun when speaking to ZanYi. Cheesy worked for Shun. For Syaoran, not so much. He was adorable when he was awkward, though. Tiki sighed quietly. She sort of wished that she could tell Syaoran about her newfound feelings for him, but… maybe now wasn't the right time. They had just made up; Tiki didn't want to blow that by confessing she saw him as more than a friend and scare him off, effectively ruining their friendship. What was she supposed to do with these feelings, exactly? Lock them away? Let them bloom?
Goodness. She was starting to understand what Shun went through when trying to repress his feelings for ZanYi.
Syaoran thought about it for a minute, whether there was anything else to say, but quickly responded after seeing the anxiety leap to her features. "Nah, I'm good," the Avatar told her. "Promise."
Tiki wasn't going to leave right now. ZanYi was slowly coming back to them, for one reason or other, which meant Shun wouldn't worry quite as much when he could see her. Team Avatar was coming back together, and that was what mattered to him. He wasn't losing anyone. He wasn't losing his support…
His jade eyes were quiet on Tiki for a second, reflective. ZanYi could kick his butt in gear. Shun and him were just trying to be able to talk normally again, after the debacle over ZanYi. But Tiki… she was always there, to push him, or to pull him; to encourage him. Syaoran couldn't ignore the fact at least that she was probably the most important part of Team Avatar to him.
And that admission to himself almost made him gag.
"So," he said, drawing out the syllable a couple more as he let go of Tiki and shoved his hands back in his pockets, "we're good then?"
Tiki couldn't help but smile, just a little.
"We're good," she assured him. Growing just a little bold, the tiny airbender stretched up to her tiptoes and gave Syaoran a peck on the cheek. She would have to be careful about when she showed affection, but now seemed like a good time to show she had forgiven him. Taking a step back, Tiki continued, "So, we can resume your actual training tomorrow, if you'd like? Normally, I would want us to take advantage of what sunlight we have left, but I'm emotionally exhausted. At the risk of sounding like a child, I need a nap."
Indeed, Tiki's eyes were beginning to droop. Today's events had taken a lot out of her. All she wanted was a couple hours of peace.
Pink colored Syaoran's cheeks at her forwardness, and he frowned at her because of it. It's not like it was her fault that his hormones were acting up for no reason. Then again, maybe it was her fault then…
Shaking his head roughly, he scratched the back of his head, as if scratching away the thoughts from his mind. "Sounds like a plan to me," he agreed with Tiki, moving back to flop on his bed. "I'll never turn down a chance to sleep."
Seriously? Like he was going to turn down a chance to take a nap. So if Tiki didn't want to get back to work today, he was going to be perfectly okay with it. "Can we make this a routine? Train in the morning and sleep all afternoon? Or better yet, why don't we just sleep-in in the mornings like normal people?" he suggested, cracking one eye open to look lazily at Tiki as he crossed his arms behind his head and pillow.
Tiki giggled. A tempting offer… and yet she would be bored in the mornings if she let Syaoran sleep in.
"No can do," she denied him, moving to the door. "If you get lazy now, all the training we've done will go down the drain. And we don't want that, do we?"
"Okay, how about this: a compromise," Syaoran suggested. Tiki had wanted better communication between them. He'll give it to her then. If he goes halfway, she would too, wouldn't she? So Syaoran went on to suggest, "Not all the time. Every other day. We'll do early morning training one day, then late morning training the next, and so on and so forth. Then we both get what we want. Deal?"
Tiki paused in the doorway after pulling the door open to look over at Syaoran. Knowing that things were okay again gave her courage, and she smiled once again. "I think I can live with that," she agreed. The smile turned radiant as she gazed back at Syaoran. "Good compromise. I'm glad to see that you took my words to heart."
Tiki left the room to head to her own. A bed had never looked so good to her before, and she climbed in gratefully. The day had seemed impossibly long, and Tiki found herself able to fall asleep easily. She just hoped she was not too exhausted to get up for dinner… but then, someone would probably come get her before then. And it would probably be Syaoran.
Tiki smiled.
A/N from DJ: Sorry for the delay! I hope the length of this makes up for the delay. Eva's schedule is back to insane, and I was traveling last weekend with no internet access. So, here you go with this week's update, hopefully we'll be able to get them back out each weekend! Now, acknowledgements!
KingTK414: Thanks so much for the Alert! I hope you're still enjoying the series then, if you're still reading!
Ozai37: You've read this TWICE?! That's so much reading! xD Thanks so much, and I'm glad you're starting to see this as canon. Since we're huge fans of the series, that's a huge honor to us! And thank-you so much for the Favorite for Fire and Air!
Same Guest: You shed a tear? Or nearly? Then we're doing something right! xP We obviously throw in lots of drama with our plot, but we never want to just use it; we want readers to understand these tough issues as they come, realize they're not just plot devices, but also bring to light painful issues. Life sucks, but it's all about how you keep on moving, in fiction or reality. And yes - the titles of the chappies were intentional like that xD
Masseffect321: Keep on dodgin'! You can do it! Everyone goes through rough patches, and every issue has reasonable sides. We like to show ALL the gray areas~
iBlondie: Thanks for the Alert on Water! We'd love to hear your thoughts sometime and hope that you continue to enjoy!
ANewButOldGuest: No problem! And with every book, there are more and more issues! Hopefully we'll get to finish the series and it'll still be strong!
HalfaLeader: Friend! You're still with us! Thanks for the Alert and I love how you think our madness is a fantastic start xD Glad you can relish in the craziness of this series with us!
Revolution but Civilization: You made a Mulan reference in a review. That is fabulous xD Everyone has so many problems right now, I don't think any of them could be saving China though! And your feels are evidence that we're writing this story correctly xD As for how the team develops and changes... only time will tell~
Phew! That's all of them! Hopefully we'll see you guys next week! Tootles!