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.
ZanYi could feel the warmth of the sun as it hit her bare arms and midriff. Each of her movements was precise and swift, falling into the rhythm of her forms. It was difficult to just go through the motions, to not let the fire break free from her core, but she was controlling it. In the sun's rays, she still felt strong, felt powerful.
She heard the heavy footsteps ascend the stairs and knew exactly who it was joining her atop the penthouse. Her bare feet landing softly on the rooftop, ZanYi turned and padded over a couple steps to Shun as he came into view. "What's up? Do we need to plan some more?" she asked him, thinking that would be the only reason he'd be up here.
"No," he replied easily, sounding amused. "I just… wanted to spend time with you." Shun's face reddened at this and he glanced away, suddenly feeling awkward. "Er… I mean, if you're busy, I won't bother you. I'll just hang out in the pool. I just wanted to be near you, I guess…"
Was he getting clingy? Shun hoped not. If there was anything ZanYi wouldn't be able to stand, it would be him getting clingy.
ZanYi just kind of looked at him. They spent plenty of time together, though not so much like this since they'd left Southern Air Island, admittedly. Things had changed quite a bit since then, for each of them and the two as a unit. She'd lost the last piece of her family. Shun had finally found part of his. And the two of them were certainly more than friends now.
Oh, and Shun was in love with her. That too.
"I have no problem with you being up here with me," the lieutenant said, tilting her head a little, her brow furrowed. "I just assumed unless it was important, you'd want to spend your time with your siblings when you're not training Syaoran ."
Shun's brow furrowed at this. "That's true," he admitted, rubbing his stubbly chin. It had been so long… yet even as he stood there, debating it, Shun wanted to stay up on the roof with ZanYi. He had spent the morning with Jin, and had shared a few words with Nyla, so it was mission accomplished in his book so far. He did not want to be overbearing in his presence—true, he had not seen his brother in sister in fourteen years, but as he watched them interact with each other, Shun came to realize something: their lives did not stop just because he wasn't around, and they would keep going even if he was. Nyla and Jin were their own people, and Shun was fine knowing that they were at least safe.
"I'll have time later," he decided, making his way over to the pool. Taking off his shirt and jeans, he wasted no time in hopping right in, the cool water immediately soothing. With a content sigh, Shun allowed himself to float there, the mix of warm sun and cool water pleasant. Knowing ZanYi was nearby and safe pleased him as well—he worried about her most when it was nighttime, when her memories came back to haunt her. He empathized completely, of course.
Knowing it was just her and Shun up there, ZanYi slipped out of her jeans so she was down to her shorts and tank. The lieutenant took a deep breath and resumed where she had left off, allowing the sunlight to soak in, heat her up where her skin was bare. It was pretty warm on this late summer day, and it was near reminiscent of Roku's Island. It almost made her miss the black sand under her feet, the sea breeze sprinkled with salt.
"So, I'm assuming Jin got the message this morning?" she asked between slow breaths, multitasking as she followed through with her movements.
Shun smirked. "He thought I was kidding at first. And then he saw your neck…"
The giant waterbender flushed at this. He really did need to calm down when he and ZanYi were alone. The lieutenant had no qualms about showing off her hickeys when he neglected to heal them—they only served to embarrass him. He ducked under water for a moment, sinking to the bottom to cool off his head. His hair swirled around him, as long as ever, looking like dark seaweed in the water. Hmm, perhaps it was time to part with his ponytail…
Shun moved over to the edge of the pool nearest ZanYi, resting his arms there as he watched her move through her bending forms. She was very languid, even though firebending required rigid movements. There was sweat on her brow as she concentrated, determined for every move to be perfect. He had seen her run through these motions countless times before, but her practices still fascinated him, even if there was no fire coming out this time. Shun was a little envious of Syaoran; he got to learn and master all four elements, whereas everyone else was only restricted to one. Shun loved his waterbending, but he would be fibbing if he said he was not curious about what it would feel like to be able to bend other elements.
When eventually ZanYi realized Shun had grown oddly quiet, she glanced over at the pool. Instead of finding Shun underwater like she had expected, he was leaning on the edge of the pool right by her. The look on his face told her that he was fascinated—and watching her very closely. Refusing to stop, she decided to converse between breaths. "What?" she asked him, turning an eye on him when she could without messing up her movements. "You're acting like you've never seen my forms before."
"I'm just thinking," Shun replied, his eyes never leaving ZanYi, "about what kind of bender I would be if I wasn't born a waterbender? Or if I would be a bender at all? Deep, philosophical things like that."
Shun glanced down at his hands, flexing them. The question the scientists in the institution sought to answer was now the question on his mind: what made him a waterbender? What was it about his genes that allowed him to have bending powers, but did not allow his brother, Kohaku, to have them? Considering the fact that his siblings' waterbending was significantly less powerful than his, did that mean that their waterbending genes were just weak?
To his dismay, the giant waterbender was beginning to realize the appeal in answering such questions—he just did not appreciate the way the nonbenders went about it… not at all.
This made ZanYi finally stop her forms and look at Shun. The lieutenant walked over to the edge of the pool and sat down, one leg danging in the cool waters. It was refreshing, she supposed, on such a warm day. Why would he be thinking about something like that? Especially with how in tune he was with the water, waterbending was more than a part of him.
"You'd still be Shun either way, but you're a waterbender and there's nothing else about it. It's like asking why is your skin darker than mine, or why someone has brown eyes or green eyes. It's something we're born with. You work with what you're given and make it part of yourself. Own it."
He was a waterbender. She was a firebender. That's just how it was. Only the Avatar could be anything different than what he was born with. And ZanYi was fine with that. She wouldn't want to be anything other than who she was. Her fire was her entire being, her core. But if Shun was so curious…
Carefully, ZanYi slipped further into the pool, the cool water chilling her a bit. "Come here," she ordered, pulling him away from the wall without waiting for an answer. Turning around, the lieutenant pressed the back of her body against Shun's front and brought his hands out in front of them, right near her own grasp. ZanYi allowed her cupped hands to ignite a small flame, hoping it wouldn't get them spotted by anything above. She allowed her heat and her chi to flow through her entire body, warming Shun's large body behind her. "Put your hands as close to the fire as you can without burning yourself and close your eyes," were her next instructions.
Strange—even though Shun was a waterbender and preferred the cold most of the time, he could not help but feel drawn to ZanYi's warmth and flame. He did as ZanYi asked, his hands shadowing hers as his eyes drifted closed, basking in the heat. Even she did it, holding the fire and shutting her golden eyes. "Fire is a part of everything. It's heat, it's passion. It takes control; one small slip and everything can be set aflame. But it's drawn from your heart, from who you are. So take in the warmth, think about what drives you, what empowers you. Hold onto that feeling and draw close to the flame—that's firebending."
"I'm confused," he teased, smiling to himself as he lowered his head to mutter in ZanYi's ear, "are we talking about firebending, or you?"
Truthfully, Shun could not see ZanYi as anything but a firebender. It suited her too much—just like she had said, it was a part of her. He was just amused that the words she used to describe firebending could just as easily be applied to her personality: heated, passionate, controlling, empowered… drawn from the heart. If those words did not describe ZanYi to the letter, Shun did not know the lieutenant like he thought he did.
Shun's words made the corner of her mouth twitch up, but she kept her eyes closed. "Stop flirting and focus, Shun," ZanYi told him with a very small shake of her head. But she couldn't be harsh with him. In a way, it was probably one of the better compliments she had received. The fire within her was everything. It was what drove her, pushed her, harder, faster. It was what made her get up each day, even when she didn't think she could. It was the warmth when everything else felt cold, like it was going to overtake her. It was her willpower, the reason to keep fighting. "Everyone has something their passionate about, something that would force them to keep on fighting, to never give up. A firebender draws on that, pulls their strength from it. If you want to think like a firebender, think about what that is. Think about it and let the heat flow through you."
Shun felt the fire flare in ZanYi's hands, and he looked down at her, unable to help himself. Though she was surrounded by water, she looked completely in her element, conjuring her power from within. It was almost enough to make Shun regret that his bending was reliant solely upon whether there was water near him or not.
He closed his eyes again and thought: what was he the most passionate about? The answer came to Shun without any effort: the people he loved. His parents. Kohaku, Jin and Nyla. Tiki and Syaoran. ZanYi…
The giant waterbender hissed—in his desire to feel the warmth that ZanYi felt, he had let his fingers stray too close to her open flame… now they were burnt. Shaking his head, Shun dipped his hands into the water, allowing the cool water to soothe the burns before he actually worked to heal his hands, the water glowing with an unearthly blue around his fingers. "It's really interesting how waterbending differs," he commented, talking mostly to himself. "When we have to fight, what drives waterbenders is actually the push and pull concept I was telling Syaoran about last night: depending on the push, we pull accordingly, and vice versa. It's all about balance…" Shun smirked, "and it often seems like a never-ending battle between two forces equally as great."
Gee, now why did that sound familiar? Perhaps because one of the great forces in Shun's life—whom he constantly felt he was either pushing or pulling against—was standing in the pool with him.
ZanYi caught that hint and let her flame dissipate, turning to give Shun a look. Their relationship was very much a push and pull, neither relenting—for good and bad. But it mostly was good, she had to admit.
"The only balance in firebending is between power and control," she put in, allowing fire to spark in her palm again. "Too much control and the fire is constricted, caged. Unable to be everything it is made to be. But too much power…" the flame rose with an angry flash and sputtered before ZanYi put it out, "and it's completely undisciplined, dangerous." Taking great care to keep her hand away from the water, ZanYi allowed a spark of electrical current to zip through her grasp. "And the cold-blooded fire is particularly unforgiving unless it's given direction, given guidance." It was also practically impossible to control completely, to master. But the lieutenant was determined to find a way. One day.
Her golden eyes went up to Shun's blues. "Does any of that give you a better idea of firebending?" she asked. ZanYi had never tried to explain such a phenomena to anyone not a firebender, and certainly with such a physically intimate demonstration.
Shun thought about it, rubbing his stubbly chin. A lot of what ZanYi said made sense, but Shun felt he could never truly understand unless he was able to bend fire. And since that was impossible, he would have to accept the fact that he would not be able to fully understand firebending. Trying not to think about what that implied between him and ZanYi, the giant waterbender commented, "I think I'm able to understand firebenders more, to be sure." So it was a personality thing, their bending. Shun would never claim to not have hotheaded waterbenders… they were just in less abundance than in the firebenders.
"Mostly I was wondering why some people born of bender families cannot bend. Jin says Kohaku can't waterbend, and he and Nyla can barely achieve it. I'm curious about whether or not the gene that allows us to bend is strong in some families and weak in others…" A dark look passed over Shun's features. "Basically, I was trying to figure out why I was made the way I am."
If those 'scientists' had never messed with Shun's DNA, would he barely be able to bend, just like his siblings? Sure, his healing would not be as effective, which would upset him, but the fact that even with his hands idle he could create waves that could rock a freighter worried him. What had those people in the institution done to him, exactly?
"Shun, look at me," ZanYi commanded, stepping close to him again and staring up at him with a furrowed brow. "Even if you find the answers, sometimes it's not enough. Don't tear yourself apart trying to find out why you are the way you are now. You just are. But it makes you Shun. All of it." The patience and compassion, but also the strength and power—that was all Shun. He felt like an anomaly, like he was too much. "With great power comes great responsibility, Shun," ZanYi said, knowing the truth of that from personal experience. She was a prodigy, unlike any other. Why was she a prodigy? Why was it all so easy to her? Why was her flame so much hotter, so much more lethal? Answers would not solve anything. "At the end of the day, you can't change what you are, who you are. It all depends on what you do with it. You've got that power, so use it and bend it to that good heart of yours. You are greater than the strength you possess. As long as you don't let it consume you, then you will always be you."
Shun let out a quiet sigh, glancing away from ZanYi. That was exactly what he was worried about: this strange power of his that he desperately tried to keep in chains taking over him. Not even he knew the extent of his strength, and that frightened him more than words could say. ZanYi's words would have been easier to accept if he was naturally born this way, but he was not. He was a test subject gone awry, something that should not be. He was unnatural, an abomination… a freak among freaks. When he did not dream of past events, he dreamed of what might happen should his power escape his control... and those dreams scared him even more than the dreams of the past.
ZanYi just did not understand though; Shun had to know what he was, what he had been made into. He was not sure how he would be able to get such answers, but he needed them. It was unsettling to know that he potentially had the power to create tsunamis if he was not careful with his arm movements, a power that should only be afforded to the Avatar. It made him sick to his stomach to think what could happen if he, when wanting to strike a fatal blow against the enemy, lost focus at a crucial moment and ended up drowning the people he loved instead…
Shun let out a huff, squeezing his eyes shut and rubbing his temple. He hated that he had to fear his own bending, his own body. But if that fear was not there, he would get careless… and that notion was more frightening than anything else.
ZanYi's frown deepened. Clearly this was more than just an insecurity to Shun. It was enough to irk her, to make her feel the anger towards the people who had done this to him. He didn't deserve this, didn't deserve to have to worry about such questions.
She could feel herself heating the water around her, a bit of the steam starting to rise up. ZanYi quickly dialed it back down, needing her control right now.
"Shun."
At first all she said was his name. The lieutenant made that last move to erase any gap between them and peered up at him, wishing they could be on eye level so she could force him to look at her. She settled for tugging him down by her dogtags, the only thing he wore aside from his shorts at the moment. "Listen to me, and listen closely," she advised him sternly, a fire going in her gaze. "Stop worrying about this, and I want you to leave it to me. I'll find out the answers if you really need them. So stop killing yourself over this and just be Shun: strong, compassionate, steady Shun. I trust you, so you better trust yourself. Don't let my trust go to waste. We've come this far, Shun, and I'm not about to let things get you now."
Shun blinked down at ZanYi, surprised. Was his dark mood really bothering her that much? It was probably because she was not used to seeing it—Shun only had these brooding thoughts when he was alone, which was one of the reasons why he took such long showers. But her conviction only served to make him more unhappy. He did not want to push his problems off on ZanYi; she was dealing with enough as it was. And, he did not mean to underestimate her, but what possible answers could she find? Shun had been living with this fear for over a decade, and he still was not any closer to any answers he wanted. Sure, ZanYi's network of intelligence was good, but was it that good?
Shun heaved a sigh, wrapping his arms around ZanYi. "I love you," he told her, feeling as if it had been a while since he said it. "I'm sorry to be so moody. Don't worry about it, all right? It's nothing."
If Shun dropped it, maybe ZanYi would drop it too. If his problems were going to start stressing her out as well, then he would keep them to himself from now on.
"You know, Shun," the lieutenant started as she trained her eyes on his above, "if you're going to lie to me, you're going to have to do better than that."
There was no way this was just nothing to him. ZanYi could tell this was something that ate at him, upset him. She wasn't going to worry about—but she was going to do something about it. With rebellion in her gaze, she informed him, "I'm going to find out what I can. I don't know how much it'll be, but I am going to find out for you. You never let me slide with excuses like that, and I won't let you either. That was the deal: this would go both ways."
ZanYi allowed a confident smirk on her lips, and it felt good. "Don't you trust me?"
Shun groaned inwardly. It irked him every time ZanYi asked him that question, because every time, he felt insulted that she asked when she already knew the answer by now. Leaning down, Shun pressed his lips against hers, wanting to rid her of that smirk for a brief second.
"Yes," he mumbled simply against her lips a moment later. ZanYi knew he trusted her—more than anyone in the world, perhaps even more than his own family—and he was touched by the fact that she wanted to help him. But he would not get his hopes up. The only way he could get answers would be if he revisited the source of his own personal torment for five long years, and the years to follow after his escape. And he was not going back to that place—not if he could help it.
Albeit she got the answer she expected, ZanYi could hear a bit of malcontent in it. She knew exactly why too: that question got him every time. Despite everything that had changed between them, some things were exactly the same. The lieutenant appreciated that this was one of those things. It meant that he always trusted her, and would always fight to make sure she believed him, trusted him in return.
ZanYi wouldn't have him any other way.
"Good," she affirmed, finding his lips to return the kiss. Pulling away, ZanYi's eyes found his again. "Then I'll get on that. When Xie Xie returns, I can send a message back to base to get some people on it, and if they have a computer here I can work from here for now."
It had been a while since she'd had to do any major covert work on the internet, but the lieutenant was still fairly confident that she had retained some of her hacking skills. It wasn't something she practiced often, but it wasn't something she forgot after Zaron had taken the time to teach her…
The memory of her brother became sharp and even a bit painful. And she knew exactly why it was even more so than normal, but ZanYi was determined to ignore it; she wouldn't let it bother her. Not when she was finally starting to heal, to move forward. Right now, she would focus on Shun's pain, focus on helping him.
He deserved that much from her, at the very least.
"Is lunch here yet?" Syaoran yawned, rolling over on the couch. After showering, the Avatar had succumbed to a nice, quiet nap on the couch. Except when his stomach started to rumble. Then he needed food.
That was this precise moment.
"No, Syaoran, it's not," ZanYi answered absentmindedly, sitting at the table nearby pouring over Jin's laptop. In the time it had taken thus far, she'd managed to disguise the IP address behind several proxies and finally be able to start making her way through her work. "Go back to sleep."
Clear that the lieutenant was on a mission of sorts, Syaoran rolled onto his back on the couch, staring at the ceiling. "I would if my stomach wasn't growling," he grumbled, but he kept his voice low. This was obviously not a day or time to be testing the waters with ZanYi. He just hoped the Jiang brothers returned with some food soon. They'd taken quite a bit of time already.
Tiki, who was sitting on the floor in front of the couch Syaoran had been asleep on, was still zoned out, her eyes on the news streaming on the flat-screen mounted on the skyscraper across the street.
It appeared that Kei was causing quite the uproar—the latest press conference he held, people booed and threw things at him. He persevered, however, until the end of the speech, and calmly left like nothing had happened. Where did he draw that patience from? If it had been Tiki, she would have opened up a can of airbender fury on each and every one of those disrespectful nonbenders.
It was a wonder the audience did not run him off the stage—perhaps they, too, were in awe of Kei's moxy? Or was it the 'Ryuunosuke' name that gave them pause? (Though according to the newscasters, Kei had cut all ties from his father.) Tiki did not know, but it excited her to see that at least one influential nonbender out there was daring to speak out against the anti-bender agenda. "He's kind of amazing…" she murmured to herself, entranced by Kei's composure as he continued with his impassioned speech of why benders and nonbenders needed to get along.
Hearing Tiki's mumbling, Syaoran turned to see what she was looking at. It surprised him to find Kei on the megatron across the street. "Yeah, I guess a bit," he conceded with a shrug, reclining on his back. While it was great to see a nonbender finally stepping up against all of this war and nonsense, it was still irksome for Syaoran because, well, it was Kei. And every time it was Kei, Tiki got that misty, star-struck look on her face.
Leaning over the side of the couch a bit, sure enough, he found the expression on the airbender. It made him grumpy. "Hey, you: snap out of it," Syaoran told her, snapping his fingers and waving his hand in front of her face. The action also made him fall off the couch with a heavy thud.
ZanYi looked up briefly to see the cause. Once she saw Syaoran splayed out on the floor rubbing his sore parts, the lieutenant turned back to the computer, deeming this a non issue.
Tiki looked over briefly, surprised to find that Syaoran was on the floor. However, she only spared him a glance before her eyes were drawn back to the megatron. "You okay, Syaoran?" she asked as she faced away from him, wanting at least some verbal confirmation that he would live. It was sort of a goofy thing for him to do, falling off the couch like that. Was he clumsy after he first woke up too? If so, Tiki had never seen any confirmation of it before. That was usually Shun's forte.
What was Kei doing now? Where was he? Tiki could not help but wonder these things, even as the broadcast switched to something else. Even though they had only known each other for a short time, Tiki still considered him a close friend—not as close as Syaoran, but even still, they were close. She wished she could write to him, but since she wasn't sure where he was or how to reach him, that plan of action was a no-go. Tiki sighed quietly to herself. Team Avatar was her family, but it would also be nice to be able to communicate with people she didn't spend all of her time with.
Rubbing his head, Syaoran sat up with a frown. "Yeah, I'm fine," he answered, even though Tiki wasn't even looking at him. That's what he got for reaching too far over and trying to get Tiki's attention diverted.
Looking back to the screen, Kei's face was gone, replaced by the weather—it was supposed to be warm tonight too apparently. But even still, Tiki seemed to stare at the screen, as if maybe the nonbender would come back on. Syaoran hoped not. Leaning over her shoulder, he eventually turned his gaze to the corner of his eyes to look at Tiki's face. "What are we looking at?" he asked her with a questioning brow.
Tiki turned to look at him—and regretted it. His face was way too close! The tiny airbender leaned into the couch, startled by the sudden proximity.
"Um," she began, scrambling to regain her train of thought as her face turned pink, "I—I was just wondering what Kei was up to these days…"
After all, the nonbender was lucky: Tiki might have to stay inside for her own good, but it did not make her feel any less caged, locked away, as if she was being punished for a crime she did not commit. The airbender in her wanted to go out and frolic, but any attempt to pull a stunt like that was asking for trouble. At least when they had been stuck at the base together, Kei was always down for whatever Tiki wanted to do. He never complained, even if he truly wasn't interested, but that was probably because he liked Tiki…
The tiny airbender glanced away from Syaoran, even more embarrassed. Why did she have to remember that part? It no longer mattered, after all. Tiki liked Syaoran, so she could never return Kei's feelings. Still, knowing that someone out there harbored those feelings towards her wasn't unpleasant. It just flustered her a little. Maybe it was a good thing Kei was no longer around—after a while, Tiki would be unsure of how to act around him.
Syaoran only frowned more. What did it matter what Kei was up to these days? Clearly he was being useful for once, so that probably meant the other half of the time was spent trying to avoid getting himself assassinated. Tiki had enough to think about and deal with without Kei in there as well.
So, to take his mind off of Kei, the Avatar laid down on the floor, using her leg as his new pillow. "Well, it seems like Kei is pretty busy," he remarked, making himself comfortable for the time being. His gaze went up to the airbender's, thankfully their natural gray color. "Unlike us right now. How much longer do you think it's going to take Shun and Jin to bring back some food?"
He wanted food. He was out of things to do since they were confined to the penthouse. And he had to distract Tiki, otherwise she would find a way to get herself into trouble or think about things she didn't need to worry about.
Tiki stared down at Syaoran as if he had gone crazy. What…what was this?! He was using her as a pillow now? This was so weird! She was not used to this at all!
Somehow, Tiki managed to keep her composure on the outside. After all, it wasn't like she exactly minded that Syaoran was resting on her leg…it was just an unusual move for the Avatar. And perhaps she was just hypersensitive to it, her feelings for Syaoran considered.
But did friends do this? Use each other as pillows? It seemed more like a couple-ish thing to do, and if Syaoran was initiating it, the tiny airbender couldn't help getting her hopes up. Was this Syaoran's non-verbal way of telling her he felt for her as more than a friend? Should she say something about it first? Was that what he was waiting for before he chose to make a move? To see if his feelings were reciprocated?
Tiki let out a sigh, fidgeting as she thought. Any way she weighed it, actually speaking her mind sounded more like a fantasy than an opportunity. Telling Syaoran she liked him? Overrated. The possibility of him liking her back? Nonexistent. Her spending the rest of her life wondering 'what if' she never opened her mouth about this issue? Plausible.
Another sigh. This was going nowhere; her mind was just working in circles. It was unpleasant, because she was doing twice the work and not getting any of the answers she wanted. Tiki glanced down at Syaoran, torn between biting down her burning questions or loosing them.
"Syaoran," Tiki addressed him, averting her eyes to the coffee table as she spoke. She swallowed her fear, breathing deeply. Here went nothing… "If… if I told you that there was a possibility that I… might have feelings for someone… what would you say?"
Vague enough so Syaoran wouldn't know that she was talking about him, but direct enough that she needed an answer. It was kind of cowardly for Tiki to go about it this way, but in her mind, it was the only way to try and figure things out without revealing her whole hand.
And it was enough to get Syaoran's attention.
Opening his gaze, he looked up, finding the airbender seemed quite determined not to look at him as she asked him that. He didn't want to know what that meant. Her question was trouble enough.
What if Tiki had feelings for someone? Syaoran didn't like that idea at all. Because no guy that ever liked her or came onto her had the best of intentions. They didn't know Tiki. They weren't good enough. Well, except maybe himself…
Woah. Backing up now…
"I'd ask who," he asserted, sitting up with a frown. To illustrate his thoughts, Syaoran started to go through the list of possibilities. "Shun is in love with ZanYi, the sergeant major is gone, Kei is doing his own thing—and even if it was him, heck no—and Jin is more than trouble, so absolutely not to that one too. And then there's me—"
The Avatar cut himself off there. He wasn't going to touch that one. Nope. He was not going to suggest himself to her. That was a good way to tip the scales, and against him.
"Well, I'm… me. Enough said. Point being, if the guy wasn't good enough for you, I wouldn't let it happen. You deserve somebody who's going to be there for you and accept all of you. Nothing less."
Slowly, Tiki allowed herself to glance over at Syaoran, her eyes stormy. Why? Why did he care so much? Why did whoever she chose have to meet his standards? Was that the duty of a best friend, even to this extent?
A small, sad smile crept onto Tiki's face—she was unaware of it, but such an expression made her look heartbroken. "…I see," she replied softly, getting to her feet. With her back to Syaoran, she said, "Well, you don't have to worry, then: there isn't anyone like that for me. Anyway, I'm gonna go borrow Nyla's bathroom before she gets back from wherever—I need to shower. See you in a bit."
'Please…' The tiny airbender prayed in her mind an she walked quickly away from Syaoran and into Nyla's room, 'please don't see through me. Please don't ask me what's wrong. Please don't come to comfort me. I can't take it when you're this nice to me…'
Closing the bathroom door behind her, Tiki leaned against it, sliding down until she sat on the tiled floor. There was a searing pain in her chest, like she couldn't breathe, although her chest was heaving. Tiki leaned her head back against the door, feeling something wet trail down her cheeks. Of course she was crying. She could only do this much, after all. A hand knotting in her bangs, Tiki let herself cry, her tiny frame trembling with the effort to keep silent. This pain… she did not want anyone else to witness it, so she would keep silent. She could not go running to Syaoran, after all, when he was the cause of such torment.
'Being just your friend… is too painful after all…'
When ZanYi heard the elevator stop on their floor, she'd expected Shun and Jin to finally come back with lunch. Turning expectantly towards the door, she found it odd to find Nyla instead. She still had her motorcycle helmet on, but ZanYi thought she could see the ice blue eyes glaring at her from under the visor.
"Oh, you're still here?" she grumbled from under the helmet. ZanYi narrowed a look back at her, but refused to respond. It wouldn't do well to complicate Shun and Nyla's relationship further.
As soon as the singer removed her helmet, though, the lieutenant got a good look at her face—or, more specifically, the shiny black eye she now sported. Nyla scowled at ZanYi's observing gaze. "Mind your own business," she ordered her, placing her helmet on the mini-bar and moving to the freezer. She took out an ice pack from the freezer, resting against the bar and pressing the ice pack to her injury. ZanYi still continued to look on quietly, even though Nyla eyed her with irritation. "I got into a fight, all right?"
Syaoran sat up at Nyla's arrival, jarred from his pseudo-nap; Tiki's sudden change of mood confused him and hurt him in ways he couldn't explain, and she had yet to return to the living room. A distraction was thankful.
He hadn't seen Nyla since early that morning, but now she came back with a black eye. That wasn't good. The Avatar had thought she was a bit abrasive, but apparently others must have felt the same. It was either that, or she was picking fights. That also seemed to be an option.
"That bruise doesn't look pretty…" he mumbled, wincing a little at it. Sure, he'd seen much worse since joining the team, but on a normal, outside-of-war bruising? Yes, it wasn't pretty. Shun was not going to be happy to see that. Personal experience told him that.
"Shun and Jin will be back soon," ZanYi informed Nyla, looking back to the computer, "and when they do, Shun will want to take a look at that."
Nyla was now glaring at both of them—ZanYi, especially. This firebending woman who acted like she knew everything there was to know about Shun… it really angered Nyla.
"Shut up, already!" she barked at ZanYi, causing Syaoran to pale. Nyla clearly did not know who she was talking to… if she did, she would not dare to speak to ZanYi that way…
Thankfully, however, the elevator dinged for the second time, and Jin and Shun strode in a second time that day with their hands full of bags of food.
"Maybe you should consider getting a place with a kitchen," Shun was saying to Jin as they entered the penthouse. "Isn't it a pain to constantly go out to eat?"
"Not really, no," Jin replied, "I prefer to think of it as an adventure: you'll never know what kind of people you'll meet when you go…"
Jin trailed off, his eyes widening perceptively as they landed on Nyla—she had turned toward them automatically, lowering they ice pack unconsciously, so her injury was quite obvious. Syaoran watched as Jin visibly paled. "Nyla! What happened to your face?!"
Nyla sucked her teeth, replacing the ice pack over her eye even as Shun's head swiveled to look at her. "It's nothing."
"Is not!" Setting the bags he carried down on the bar, Jin moved over to his sister, wrenching her hand away from her eye. "Holy crap! Who hit you in the face?!"
Shun froze where he was, as if he had suddenly become rooted to the spot. His wide eyes were on the black eye Nyla had reluctantly revealed, his mind reeling from shock. Someone… had hit Nyla in the face?!
Jin was still fussing at Nyla even as Shun stood there, stunned. "Nyla, you're an entertainer! I don't care if you go out and rough-house during the day, but you have to at least take care of your face!"
"Tsk! It doesn't matter, all right? I wear a mask anyway—no one will see it!"
"That's not the point, Nyla! Having an injury on your face shows that you lack professionalism! That black eye isn't something that can just be covered up with make-up!"
"Oh, so you're only concerned about the fact that I got hit in the face? Thanks for the concern, bro."
Through their bickering, Shun found himself able to move. Dropping his bags to the floor, he cut in between his brother and sister, wanting to inspect Nyla's eye up close. It was bad—whoever had done this had deliberately punched his sister in the face. That fact was enough to cause Shun's blood to simmer under the surface.
"Sit down, Nyla," he requested, his voice quiet and polite—a warning sign to Syaoran. Nyla, however, did not seem impressed.
"Don't tell me what to do," she shot back at her brother. "I said it's nothing, so it's noth—!"
"I said sit down."
Nyla took a step back. Her facial expression remained defiant, but it was her eyes that told all—the eyes that were suddenly intimidated by her older brother's, his serious and menacing tone catching her off-guard. The room had turned chilly all of a sudden, and Syaoran found himself concerned that another family feud would occur. A minute later, however, Nyla did the unthinkable: exactly what she was told. Brushing past her brothers, the singer took a seat on one of the bar stools. And though her expression was mutinous, she did not dare to move as Shun hovered over her, taking her face in his hands. Gingerly, he pressed the tip of his pinky finger into the flesh surrounding Nyla's black eye. She winced—that meant this injury had occurred not too long ago. Shun's anger rose to a boil.
"Jin. Get me a water bottle."
Jin seemed to find this instruction odd. "But she already has an ice pack," he pointed out, "why do you need a water—?" Shun turned to look at him, and whatever the disk jockey saw in his younger brother's expression seemed to be enough to convince. "Oh, right! Water bottle! On it!"
Once Shun had what he needed, he proceeded to bend water out of the bottle, surrounding his fingertips with the liquid. "Stay still," he warned Nyla, and she obediently stiffened, shutting her eyes as Shun's fingers came into contact with her skin. It was a strange feeling, having water slide around her injured eye, but not running down her face. And as Shun worked, she could feel the pain starting to lessen and lesson until, a couple minutes later, it was completely gone.
"There," Shun uttered, his tone still angry, but satisfied as he returned the water to its bottle. Nyla opened her eyes, blinking a couple of times before she prodded at the skin around her eye with a finger. Nothing. Jin handed her a mirror, and she gazed at her flawless reflection, her shock muted. So this was the power of water healing…
The mirror disappeared, and Nyla was confronted with Shun's stern gaze once again. "Nyla. Who hit you?"
Nyla became stubborn again. "Why does it matter? He's probably long-gone by now, so—"
"Nyla," Shun interrupted, grasping his sister's shoulders and leveling a dark gaze at her. "Who hit you?"
"Why? What are you going to do about it?"
Shun did not answer, but the way his gaze grew perceptively darker had goosebumps popping up into existence across her flesh. Whatever Shun planned to do, the singer could already tell that it was not going to be pleasant.
Syaoran visibly gulped. Shun didn't usually get mad like this, and when it was anything remotely like it, it was concerning the lieutenant. There was no doubt in his mind that fourteen years apart had not dampened the love Shun had for his sister.
And he almost felt concerned when he saw ZanYi rise up and start to walk over. Her involvement, the Avatar thought, would probably just make this worse. Clearly Nyla had a particular issue with ZanYi, and Shun was already mad right now. Then again, perhaps this made the lieutenant the best person to get involved: she always seemed to do well with crisis management.
"Shun, let go," ZanYi said neutrally, moving the waterbender's hands back from his sister. "At this point, whoever hit her probably is gone into the masses of the city. There's nothing that can be done now concerning him."
She wasn't taking Nyla's side, though ZanYi definitely understood keeping quiet. It's what she would have done with Zaron. But her main goal was to cool off Shun. "Don't do something you might regret when you've calmed down," she added lowly, looking him straight in the eye. The lieutenant positioned herself between the two, but sideways so that she was not ignoring or defending either. "We both know what matters to you is that she's okay, which she was, and now she's even better because of you. So breathe."
"Yeah, ease up, little brother," Jin echoed ZanYi, relieved that he did not have to be the first one to say it. "There's nothing that can be done about it now…"
Jin gulped when Shun's glare shot towards him. "You. What was with that whole 'You're a performer, your face can't be damaged' bit? Didn't you care at all that she was hurt?"
"Of course I cared!" Jin asserted, insulted. "Nyla just gets into fights all the time, so she comes home with injuries a lot! I got used to it is all!"
But this, clearly, was the wrong thing to say. As Shun stiffened, Nyla huffed in irritation. "You really do talk too much, Jin…"
"You… got used to it?" Shun repeated in disbelief, his whole body trembling in an effort to remain calm when all he wanted to do was blow up. How could Jin get used to such a thing? What kind of older brother was he?!
"Uh oh," Syaoran muttered, wincing as a groaning came from within Jin and Nyla's rooms—if he hadn't heard the sound of pipes being put under pressure because the water within them was threatening to burst free before, he would have been even more concerned. But just when it appeared that Shun was about to throttle Jin… he didn't. Instead, he whirled around and stomped his way up the stairs to the roof—Syaoran was surprised the stairs did not give way under his force. A second later, a loud splashing noise was heard, in which the Avatar could only assume that Shun had submerged himself in water to calm down. The tension in the room relaxed, but only just.
"…I thought he was going to murder me…" Jin mumbled, staring up at the ceiling. That anger… it seemed like such a foreign thing on his younger brother, such a strange display of emotion.
"I think he would have," Nyla replied mercilessly, but her eyes were on ZanYi. "That is, he would have… if his girlfriend wasn't here." Nyla did not like it, but she realized the effect ZanYi had on her brother—he sort of… glowed when she was around. It made Nyla sick to watch. Shun might think he knew what he was doing with this woman, but he had no idea what ZanYi was capable of. Nyla was going to have to make him realize how problematic this situation was at a later date, but for now…
"Well, why are you standing around being useless?" Nyla spat at the lieutenant with a condescending look. "Go talk to him."
ZanYi's eyes narrowed and flashed over to Nyla, unappreciative and irked herself. Shun's sister was playing with fire, and if she didn't realize how dangerous that was, someone needed to tell her. However, it was not the time. The lieutenant had other priorities other than shutting Nyla's snarky mouth.
Since she was using all of her self-control to keep her mouth shut, fire sparked and flittered between her fingers. ZanYi wrapped her hand in to a fist, effectively extinguishing the angry flames. Giving Nyla one last dark look, she started for the stairs. "Syaoran," she called out along the way, not even looking to him as she started to ascend the stairs. "Go ahead and make sure you get something to eat. Don't wait, but save some for Tiki."
Syaoran nodded, even though he knew ZanYi wasn't looking at him. She never even glanced back as she disappeared to the roof and closed the steps back behind her. But that was ZanYi: she expected to be obeyed, and with good reason. When there was a tense situation like this, it was always best to listen. The Avatar looked to the two Jiangs, a bit of a frown on his face now that Shun and ZanYi had left.
Jin, was still very pale, his eyes on the ceiling. "He was never an angry kid, even when he got upset," Jin recalled—he and Kohaku had teased Shun on multiple occasions for being 'girly', all Shun would do was cry, when the teasing went too far. He never reacted… like that. Which caused Jin to wonder: was this anger of his borne from the time he spent in that institution…? Jin could not say for sure. But the hidden darkness in his brother's heart worried Jin, in more ways than one.
The Avatar moved off the couch to the bags on the bar and started to pull out the food, his stomach rumbling at the smell. He looked to Jin then. "Shun's never been this angry, as far as I've seen since we met up. It's just safe to say that we probably shouldn't go up there until we know ZanYi's finished with damage control."
He grabbed a carton that looked delectable and gave the quiet Jiangs another look, narrowed. "I don't know what he was like as a kid, but I doubt the fact that he cares about everyone too much has changed. You guys really should have expected Shun to be upset about this," he told them. Because a protective nature like that doesn't just come out of nowhere; it had to have always been a part of Shun, especially knowing how he gave up everything to save Nyla even as a child.
Leaving the Jiangs to sit on that one, Syaoran took his food to go out and eat on the balcony. Staying in here was not an option, and it didn't look like Tiki was going to be joining him today. So until the crisis was averted, it was going to be just him, his food, and his thoughts of Tiki and why she was upset with him this time.
Oh joy.
Once on the rooftop, ZanYi took a deep breath. Her irritation with Nyla had to be put aside right now. Shun was clearly more upset and this was not a time she was going to leave him alone with it. Despite the tumultuous waters of the pool, the lieutenant stripped of her jeans again and climbed in. The cold of the water didn't even register to her this time: she had bigger things on her mind.
Or, rather, one big man.
"Shun," she called out to him.
Other than the tightening of his shoulders, Shun did not react to ZanYi's voice. He crouched there, fully clothed, in the deep end of the pool, only his shoulders, neck and head visible—he appeared to be sulking.
Of course ZanYi would come up to check on him, even when he did not want to be bothered. Even now, he was struggling to calm down, the water of the pool churning around him, though he was consciously trying to still his hands. Everything had nearly gone wrong: he had almost blown up at Jin for being okay with Nyla being injured, and he had nearly shaken a name out of Nyla herself when she clearly did not have one to give… What was wrong with him? Did he care too much? Was that it? And more importantly, why were things between Jin and Nyla like this? Was their relationship not as good as Shun had originally believed?
The giant waterbender did not know what to think. And so he sat there, in silence, trying to work out the mass confusion in his head. So far, he had not gotten anywhere.
When the silence answered her instead of Shun, she frowned further and ZanYi swam over to him. The ripples and waves were no problem for her to tread—she'd spent most of her childhood on an island. Waves didn't bother her. When she reached his side, the lieutenant moved in front of him. "Shun, look at me," she ordered quietly, lacking its usual demand and command. But her voice was steady, just as Shun normally was. ZanYi was determined to get through to him, to help him cool down. Being this angry and upset didn't suit him, and she knew that he didn't like to be like this.
"Talk to me."
"No."
The response was automatic, and it made Shun feel even worse that he had actually said it. He did not want to push ZanYi away—after knowing what that was like, he would not wish it on anyone. The giant waterbender just couldn't cope right now. He needed time to think… or something. Sighing, Shun raised a hand to rub his temple, a headache starting to form.
"Please, ZanYi… just go. I… I don't want you to see me like this," he told her honestly, avoiding her gaze. This person—this guy who blew up at the people he loved and made chaotic waves appear with just his trembling fingers… Shun did not like him. He did not like him at all. This dark side of him only reminded the giant waterbender what he was like in those days in the institution, where he had behaved as a wild animal that was caged—angry, desperate, and afraid.
Shun did not want these feelings. He did not want to carry around this darkness with him for the rest of his life and let it taint the people he loved. That was why he could not let ZanYi comfort him now: this struggle was all Shun's, and no matter what, he had to persevere.
ZanYi was taken a bit aback, but she recovered quickly. Never did Shun really ever shut her out. She decided she didn't like it. Not one bit. Therefore, the lieutenant was not going to let it slide by. Treading closer to Shun, she reached out and gripped his chin and lifted his head to look her in the eye. He was going to face her; there was no avoiding ZanYi Tsong.
"Too late, I already am seeing you like this," she told him without regret, her gaze never leaving his face. He had to understand that she wasn't leaving. If ZanYi wasn't allowed to push him away, then he wasn't allowed to do it to her. "I see you and I'm not going anywhere."
At the moment. That day. That week. Month. Year. ZanYi wasn't going to leave his side. They were a team now—a team within the team—and she firmly believed in leaving no man behind. So it was with defiance she looked at him and said, "You can tell me 'no' or to go all you want, but it's not going to change anything. I'm here."
Shun groaned to himself. The one time he wanted to sit by himself and brood, ZanYi wouldn't let him. It so figured.
Well, okay. He wouldn't mind if she stayed… but that didn't mean he wanted to talk to her. He wasn't even sure of what to say. He felt like he should apologize for that ungentlemanly display she was forced to witness, but that seemed stupid to him. For one, it wasn't like ZanYi hadn't seen him that angry before. And secondly, Shun was not sorry that he was angry—he was only sorry that he seemed to go overboard. He always felt bad after losing his temper… this was so much worse.
Shun ducked his head, still unable to look ZanYi in the eye. These feelings were so difficult to deal with.
ZanYi continued to scowl, her lips pursed. He wasn't trying to push her away, but he still wasn't answering her, which was basically the same thing in the end. Clearly, talking to him was not going to work right now, even if he was a man of words.
Thankfully, the lieutenant was a woman of action.
Her usual approach to solving an issue wasn't working. So ZanYi decided to take a leaf out of his book; if it's something he does, then he must respond to it, after all. So, begrudgingly, the lieutenant closed what little gap there was between them and wrapped her arms around his neck. She was not trying to seduce, not trying to bring him to her lips. ZanYi was hugging him, her chin resting on his shoulder.
If Shun didn't want to talk for now, that was fine. She wouldn't talk. Much. All she had to say was, "I'm here, Big Guy." And ZanYi just left it at that in the silence of the falling sun and shifting waves in the pool. Being gentle was not something in her repertoire, not something she generally was. But for Shun? She could try.
Shun had not ever appreciated ZanYi as much as he did in this moment… or he felt he didn't, anyway. He immediately reciprocated her embrace, welcoming the unexpected comfort. This… was exactly what he needed. Did ZanYi know how good she made him feel, when he was able to hold her like this? Probably not—the lieutenant wasn't a very huggy person, so she wouldn't know. Still, the few times he was able to hug her were precious, and he always had to remind himself to loosen his grip a bit, for fear of holding her too tight. ZanYi was tough, but she still needed to breathe.
"Ah…" Shun exhaled, sighing in content. This really was all he needed after all.
ZanYi was surprised with how fast his arms wrapped around her. Clearly, this method worked on Shun. Good to know for future reference. It was a little uncomfortable, but it was still the same arms that were built strong and kind; the ones that wrapped around her every time she had to be woken up in the night; the ones that usually braced her against him.
This time, those arms needed to hold on to her, like they had in the hotel lobby the other morning. So the lieutenant would allow it. Because it was Shun. No one else would she be caught dead like this with. But Shun was hers, and they were in this together. Whether she in love with him or not did not make a difference; all ZanYi wanted to be the support he needed.
She wrapped her arms around his neck tighter, emboldened by her thoughts. "I'm right here, Shun. And I'm not going anywhere."
"I know…" Shun replied, his arms tightening around ZanYi again, unable to help himself. He allowed himself to straighten up, adjusting his body so that he was bent over, ZanYi's arms still around his neck. It amazed him how small she was compared to him—when they weren't like this, ZanYi always felt larger than life. It was hard to think of her as small… especially with a girl like Tiki running around. Still, even this 'small' woman in his arms was enough to make the giant waterbender calm down, the waters around them becoming still, as they should be. Shun let his head rest against ZanYi's, cheek to cheek with her as he smiled.
"…Thank you."
The lieutenant could feel Shun's cheeks lift as he smiled, and she became satisfied. This was definitely an effective way of calming him down, ZanYi knew now. She could tell it worked in his voice, his smile, and the way the waters seemed to calm, just like him. Firebenders were emotionally connected to their bending; it extended to Shun and his waterbending.
"You're welcome," she responded. There was a small tilt to her lips, and ZanYi wasn't sure if it was a smile or not. Guess she would never know, because Shun couldn't see her face. Feeling comfortable that Shun seemed past the worst of it, the lieutenant let her arms drop, still in Shun's grasp. "Why do I have the feeling that I'm going to be spending a lot of time in the pool while we're here?" the lieutenant asked, lifting her brow to look accusative at him.
Shun let a slow chuckle escape him.
"I have no idea," he replied innocently, his lips brushing her forehead. "After all, it's not like I'm teaching you waterbending."
Nope, that honor was all Syaoran's… speaking of him, the sun was going to leave the sky soon, to be replaced by the moon. And Shun and ZanYi still had not eaten anything. Pulling back from the lieutenant, Shun offered her a smile. "Shall we return downstairs? I don't want you going hungry just because I'm having issues." Ever thoughtful, Shun was: even if he was having problems of his own, he still worried about the well-being of others most of all. That was what made him Shun.
ZanYi shrugged, ambivalent. "I don't care," she answered him, not really in a rush for food. She'd been eating more, but it's not like she was hungry for every meal yet. Her body was still adjusting to eating more regularly again. And then there was that coming up soon…
No. She wasn't going to let it bother her. Not one bit.
"You're not teaching me waterbending, so stop making me come in here after you," ZanYi told him moving away to climb out of the pool. Now that the sun was starting to hang low in the sky, it made the temperature drop a bit, and it was enough that—with her soaked body—the lieutenant felt chilled. She hated being cold.
Shun pulled himself out of the pool as well, smiling to himself, even though his clothes were soaked. ZanYi acted as if he had pulled her into the pool with him, the way she talked. Chuckling a little, the giant waterbender lobbed off his soaked shirt, grabbing a towel to dry off his torso. Noticing that it was the last towel in the storage box, Shun turned to ask ZanYi if she wanted to share his towel, when he noticed the lieutenant shiver. Ah… the sun was beginning to go down, so the drop in temperature probably made her cold.
Feeling as if this was his fault, Shun strode over, wrapping ZanYi in both the towel and his arms. "Sorry," he murmured in her ear. "I didn't mean to make you follow me into the pool. Now you're dripping wet." Shun held her tighter, willing his body heat to warm her up. If there was anything the giant waterbender knew about ZanYi, it was that she hated being cold more than she hated her orders being disobeyed… well, okay, maybe it wasn't to that extent. But it was close.
It was nice and warm, even if Shun was just as wet as she was. The towel around her was like a jacket, but the waterbender was a blanket, all encompassing. ZanYi liked the warmth. It made her furrow deeper into him, craving that heat. The warm embrace reminded her of the night of her rescue, when Shun had gone back into the coolers to get her out of there. Syaoran had been there too—and Lee paid the price for it all, though General Chen was supposed to be working on his release too. But it had been Shun that had gotten her out, that had fought to give them time to get away from Zhao.
Something had changed that night between them. The giant had always been there when he needed to be, but that's when she realized he was probably the best back-up plan she had, that she could trust him. Since then, he hadn't faltered. Since then, she had let him in, slowly. And never did he complain.
"Why do you do this?" the lieutenant found herself asking, looking up to him. ZanYi realized then that she'd never asked this before. Probably because she'd had bigger problems to deal with when she found out. But now Zaron's voice was sparse, her night terrors becoming more like nightmares. So now she could at least ask. "Why do you love me?"
Shun bit back a chuckle, although he shouldn't be all that amused. The last time someone had asked him that question, it had been Zaron…
"…You want to know?" Shun asked, his smile gentle as he gazed down at ZanYi. "Just knowing that I do isn't enough for you?" His smile evolved into a smirk. "Don't you trust me, ZanYi?" He didn't know why, but her honestly asking him made him want to tease her, but only because he knew she would tease him about his reaction later on. He was just getting his jabs in before the lieutenant could retaliate. It seemed to be the only way he could get them, nowadays.
ZanYi gave him a scowl. Whether he loved her or not was not being questioned. The question was why. And he didn't answer it.
"Yes, I trust you," she answered him, knowing that was exactly what he wanted to hear—she'd been on the that side so many times. But unlike him, she was going to just let him skate by with that. "I also trust that you know that when I ask a question, I expect it to be answered." As if he needed that reminder. Shun knew that all too well. He also knew that she didn't enjoy being patronized. And how irritable she was as of late. The waterbender knew very well, trust or not, he needed to answer the question."Why?"
Despite her irritable expression, Shun still found her adorable—although he knew ZanYi would not appreciate being described in such a manner. Shun pretended to think about it, while he was actually wondering how, specifically, to answer. He did not want to give the same reasons he gave to Zaron—ZanYi already knew she possessed all of those qualities. So how could he articulate it in a way she would understand…?
"…Do you remember what you did, when I first saw you in that cooler?" It was a rhetorical question; without waiting for an answer, Shun continued, "You attacked me, thinking I was one of the people coming to torture you again. You were determined to go down fighting, even at the cost of your life, just to protect Syaoran, Tiki… and me."
Shun touched ZanYi's face, remembering that night with perfect clarity: her blow that was nothing to him, her weakened state, but the fire in her eyes never extinguished burning fiercely no matter what…
Shun smiled. "I realized I was attracted to you, the night before the battle on Roku's Island," Shun confessed, "but it took that moment in the cooler to make me realize I was in love with you. I never minded sacrificing for others; I was happy to do it if it meant I could help someone. But to have you so ready to sacrifice everything for us… for me…" Shun's heart beat harder in testimony, remembering that moment. "…It was something I had never felt before. And, despite the situation, it made me very, very happy. And from that point on… though I tried to keep my feelings for you under wraps… I just couldn't let you go. No matter how hard I tried, it was impossible. Imagining a world without you… was painful."
The giant waterbender stroked ZanYi's cheek, still smiling down at her. "Does that answer your question…?"
ZanYi was quiet, utterly whelmed. That night in the coolers had been a turning point for both them, hadn't it? She wasn't the only one who had walked away with a different perspective. From that point on, it was like they'd like been going toward each other, yet backing up each time. Push and pull… waterbending. This whole time this had been Shun's game to lose, ZanYi had just never realized it.
For so long, he'd held back, just like she'd abstained all together from such feelings. The lieutenant had had her reasons before. But after being thrown aside by the Resistance, all of that time with nothing to do but think and be with Shun on Southern Air Island…
Shun was fighting for her long before she'd even realized it, always at her side. It made her more confident that this was the right decision, that this wasn't just a result of Zaron's death. She'd made the right decision before everything happened; it was the right one.
And it made her want to love Shun.
If ZanYi could bring herself to, she wanted to. She wanted it to be Shun.
Gently pulling on her dogtags to lower Shun's face, she kissed his lips. But the aggression wasn't there, the passionate blaze gone. But it was a slow burn, quiet and soft. Pulling away, golden eyes met blue. "That answers my question."
And though Shun's face burned with a new blush, he found himself smiling brightly, pleased. ZanYi seemed to understand the depths of his feelings at last, and for that, he was grateful. He was also grateful that she had not asked him why he tried to keep his feelings from reaching her for so long—Shun could not answer that question because it was not his secret to tell. The point was, his feelings had finally reached ZanYi. And, as the giant waterbender kissed her back, he realized that that was really all that mattered.
A/N from DJ: Ah ha! Look! Plot! And fluff! All in one! xD On another note, so sorry for this being so late. I told you guys we're doing an overhaul of the entire book, so it was hard for Eva and I to find time last week to even chop stuff up to make this chappie. And then it was a lot to edit, which I... have gotten lazy with TT^TT Warning now: likely to be another two weeks before another chappie, just because Eva has some very special stuff going on next weekend, and I will be out of town and away from WiFi. But don't fret! The next chappie... is huge, with length and development xD Now, to the usual suspects...
VsfMark: Seriously, thanks so much for all of your praise! It means so much that you think so highly of this series, it really does. We're just happy to have the readers that we do have, like you!
No. XIII: Hey, no problem! We enjoy getting thoughtful questions like that. Hope I answered your question!
Masseffect321: What can I say? We love to keep you guys guessing. That means you keep coming back for more [which generally is at your own risk xD].
ANewButOldGuest: We're sorry! We didn't mean to make you feel lonely! xP But I'm glad you're amused by the TiRan progression, and I hope the next couple chappies keep you intrigued! Also, Nyla is... an interesting character. There's a lot to her, and any question is a loaded question. Just sit tight with those feels: eventually you may get an answer~ Also, considering the lack of participation, I don't think I'll be holding the raffle. However, that is a very cute idea that I may end up drawing once my art load lightens up anyway!
RevolutionButCivilization: Bahahaha. Your fangirling always makes me laugh. Seriously, I laugh when I get your reviews. I love that you adore Shun so much [and are still so accepting of ZanYi]. I'm sure you probably loved this chappie, if you ever make it here, slowpoke! xD
Ozai37: Danger... this team really can't stay out of it long, can they? xD You can always rest assured in that, so no matter how long they try to stay under the radar... well, we all know it can't last long~
D. C. Abnegation from District 4: WOW, that's a long username xD But thanks for the alert on Fire, and I hope you get to finish that and Air soon! We'd love for you to be current with Water!
Jumping-At-Shadows: Thank-you SO MUCH for the Author Favorite. That seriously means a lot, and I hope you continue to enjoy the series! There's so much left, and hopefully we'll be able to get back to regular with the updating!
And that's all for now, guys! Talk to y'all again as soon as we can. Just brace yourself: the next chappie is REALLY long, so it'll be worth a wait xD