Hey, guys. Sorry for another insanely late chapter. I'll just use the writer's block excuse again, okay? Oh, by the way, how many of you went to see Twilight? From what I've heard, you either love it or hate, and I, personally, loved it. Oh, and, yes, I did scream...kinda loud, too. :) Anyways, I bought the soundtrack after I saw the movie, and I had a "Holy crap!" moment whenever I heard "Supermassive Black Hole" (by Muse). It's AWESOME!
Uh, also, I've updated my profile for those of you that didn't know. I've changed the bio, and I created a poll, too. Voting ends on the tenth, so please get your votes in by then. Thanks!
R&R! -KTBG
P.S. My bad, guys. I have dedications for this chapter: Western NC man & Moons-san
- - -
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar. (Stupid Mike and Bryan. They won't let fans do anything...)
Panda Lily (Furious)
Aang's nails were digging into his palms as he clenched his fists tighter and tighter. Pacing back and forth, sweat raced down his forehead and cheeks, falling to their doom as they slid down to his chin. Tap, tap, tap...
"Aang, calm down," Katara crooned, resting her hands on his shoulders. "You're going to make yourself sick." Breaking from her grasp, Aang ignored her warning. His forehead crinkled in worry as the sun began to drop behind the mountains far away. Appa still wasn't back yet, and the day was almost over.
Furrowing her brow, Katara reached over and grabbed Aang's shoulder once more, stepping in front of him to block his path. "Aang?" Reluctantly, the young Avatar peered upwards to look her in the eyes. Despite his worry, Katara's glistening abyss of blue brought up a sigh from his lungs.
"Katara...I need to find Appa, and I have know idea where he might be..." His voice trailed off.
"I know, Aang. I know," Katara replied in a nurturing tone. Letting go of Aang's shoulder's she promised, "We'll find him. We will."
"But he's been gone for hours! What if we never find him?" the airbender gasped. As a companion to the crinkles on his head, patches of purple began to appear under his eyes. "What if-"
Sokka suddenly appeared on the balcony, mouth practically foaming. "Guys! Haru hit it big time! He caught a whole load of trout in a pond nearby! Come eat!" Running back out, he quickly skidded to a halt, pacing back to assure, "Oh, and there's some fruit for Aang, too."
After Sokka was gone, Katara sighed, "Aang, let's go eat. Maybe it will take your mind off of things." She flashed him a heart-pounding smile that made the boy's lips curl back into a love-sick grin.
"Katara, I really think I should stay here and wait to see if Appa comes back."
Realizing there was no way to break Aang away from his duty, Katara nodded in defeat, walking back to the fire pit.
Out of the corner of his eye, Aang saw his glider leaning against the marble wall. "I'll go wait on the cliffs, just in case," he told himself. Grabbing the stick, he slammed the butt on the ground, and two blue wings stretched out with a whoosh. Grasping the padded handles, he jumped off the balcony with grace.
- - -
"Haru, this trout is amazing!" Sokka gushed with bits of fish falling from his gaping mouth. The mustached earthbender said a quiet thank-you, glancing nervously at the warrior. He'd never seen him this enthusiastic about food. Had he been on the nut diet again, or something?
"Yeah, Rocky," Toph agreed, wiggling her filthy toes. "This is really good!" Haru smiled in response. Soon, the talk of the to-die-for-fish was over, and Liz was wiping her mouth.
"Oh, I'm full," she sighed, falling over to lie on her back.
"Me, too..." Teo groaned, rubbing his stomach.
"Me three," The Duke added with a impish grin that took up most of his face. Only a few chuckles were heard as a reply to the joke.
Crickets began to chirp in the warm summer air, and Liz looked forward, staring at the glittering stars that dotted the black space above them. With a sigh, she closed her eyes. All of a sudden, her eyes flew open in realization. "Wait," she said, sitting back up. "Has anyone seen Zuko?" Looking over at Katara, the waterbender shook her head. "Anyone?"
"No" was everyone's answer. "Hm...That's weird," Liz wondered out loud. "Oh well, I'm sure he's fine..." Lying back down, she threw all of her thoughts into the fire crackling in her ears. Her lids were heavy, and she didn't know how much longer she could go. Surrendering, Liz shut her eyes, drifting off into a wonderful and dreamless sleep.
- - -
"Ugh..." Aang huffed. "Where are you, buddy?" Crinkling his nose in worry, the boy stared at the endless sky that was peppered with twinkling balls of white and sometimes gold. Sighing, Aang realized he needed to get back. Grabbing his staff, Aang flew back to the temple, where he knew the others were waiting for him.
Taking a step on the hard floor, Aang arrived back with mostly everyone in their sleeping bags or asleep on the floor. The only one not slumbering was Katara. Hearing Aang's return, she looked up to see his drained face. "Oh, Aang..." she whispered. Getting up from her sleeping bag, she raced towards him, arms open.
Surprisingly, Aang did not return the favor. Eyes glued to the ground, he walked past the waterbender, completely ignoring her offered hug. "He's gone," Aang whispered to himself. "He's gone..." He repeated the claim again and again as he paced once more. Katara, feeling for the Avatar, bit her lip as she went back to her sleeping bag.
"Aang, I'm sure you'll find him," she comforted.
"He's gone..."
"We'll look again in the morning. Go to sleep for now."
"He's gone..."
"Aang, you have dark circles under your eyes. Go to sleep," Katara sweetened the tone of her voice, trying to get Aang's attention. Maybe more comfort? "Aang, he'll be fine."
"He's gone..."
"Aang, please-"
"WILL YOU TWO JUST GO TO SLEEP?!" Sokka shouted from his sleeping bag. He shot up, eyes blazing with fury and sleeplessness.
Aang ignored him, but, because he was so tired, he decided it was a good idea to go to sleep. Lying down felt good, and, soon, he fell asleep, but he tossed and turned all through the night.
- - -
"Ahh..." Liz yawned as she stretched, back and neck cracking. Tasting her morning breath, the girl smacked, trying to swallow it. "Ew," she mumbled. Looking around, she saw no one asleep, and, rolling her head once more, she got up. Suddenly, a flash of white caught her eye.
Glancing down, she saw something lying on the ground next to her. Bending down to pick it up, she felt it was creased and smelled unbelievably sweet. "What in the world?" Picking the thing up by it's stem, she held it in her palms, being as careful as possible with the fragile flower. It was white, but had black streaks running along the pedals, which were limp. The stem was a pale green, and the stamen were black poles with bright yellow pollen sitting on top. There was one leaf branching out from the stem, but it was small and rough. Sweeping her fingers across it, Liz could feel the wrinkles and creases etched into it, just like the shriveled pedals. It was strikingly beautiful, and holding it to her nose, it smelled sweet. Like cherry blossoms, but stronger.
Lightly holding the flower by her fingertips, Liz took it with her as she walked to the fire pit, where everyone was gathered for breakfast. Looking to the far side of the ring, Liz saw Aang with an enormous smile smeared across his bright face. "Liz!" he called, excited beyond belief. "Appa came back!" In response, Liz smiled in relief, glad the fuzzy monster had returned to its welcoming family.
Sitting crossed-legged next to her friend, Katara, Liz showed the flower she'd found lying next to her. "Katara, look at this!" she exclaimed. "Isn't it gorgeous?"
The waterbender's eyes lit up at seeing the flower in Liz's hand. "Liz, oh my gosh! That...That's a panda lily!"
"A what?" Liz asked, furrowing her brow.
"It's a panda lily. Very rare. It only grows on the slopes of active volcanoes."
"Really? It's beautiful, isn't it?" Katara nodded in agreement, taking it from Liz and examining it in her soft hands.
"Where did you find it?" she asked, marveling at the rare treasure.
"That's the weird part," Liz began. "I found it lying next to me this morning when I woke up."
"That is weird," Katara agreed. "Oh, Liz, want any left over fish?"
- - -
Belly full, Liz decided to take a walk around the temple, avoiding Aang at all costs. She didn't want a repeat of the day before. She didn't want to leave this world just yet.
Humming some song unconsciously, Liz tapped her thigh with her hand to keep the rhythm. She even tried to match beats with the steps she took. "Do, do, dum, dee, dum..." she sang joyfully, walking forward without knowing where the paths would take her.
After about thirty minutes of walking aimlessly, Liz came upon a brightly lit terrace with protection from the blazing sun. Sighing, she awkwardly skipped out into the daylight. Standing still, she stared out at the breath-taking view. Snow-capped mountains scrapped the blue sky, distorting the rarely scene horizon. Sniffing the fresh, haze-free air, Liz gripped the flower in her hand tighter. Overwhelmed by nature's beauty, she tilted her head back and closed her eyes.
"Hello," a raspy voice said from behind her.
Liz jumped, alarmed by the sound of another human being. Turning her head, she saw a patch of unkept black. "Zuko?" The firebender nodded, his hands clasped behind his back. "Where have you been?"
He didn't answer. "Uh...did you like my gift?"
Bringing her hand out in front of her, Liz stared at the heavenly token. "You gave me this?" Liz asked, sounding a little more surprised than she wanted to. Although she was thankful for the present, to Liz, Zuko was still sort of a stranger. He didn't talk much. He mostly sat or stood around with his arms crossed, as if pouting or angry. Thinking about it for the first time, Liz remembered how many times she'd seen him grind his teeth, too.
Zuko nodded once more, but he didn't smile.
Suddenly, a smile was smacked on to Liz's face. "Zuko! It's...It's beautiful! Thank you! Oh my gosh...Thank you!" Liz rambled. "But-But why? How? Oh my gosh...Zuko, h-how did you get it? Katara told me that they only grow on the-" She stopped, eyes wide. "...on the sides of active volcanoes." She began to shake her head. "Zuko, you didn't." Tightening her jaw, Liz walked toward Zuko, fists clenched. The boy's reaction was surprising. He backed away slightly, knowing Liz understood what had happened. "Zuko, please tell me you didn't take Appa."
There was no response.
"Zuko!" Liz shouted. "What were you thinking? You had Aang worried sick! We searched all day for him! How could you just take him without telling Aang?!"
"I did it to get that flower for you!" Zuko yelled back, his neck stretched out in anger. "To get you something!"
"I don't care why you left! You took Appa without telling anyone, and, even worse, you went back to that island! You went back to that stupid island! Zuko, you could've gotten yourself killed! What if you had gotten captured? We would've never known!"
Steam crawled out of Zuko's flaring nostrils. "Forget it! I never should've gone!" He swerved on his heels, turning his back to Liz and marching away, furious.
"I'm sure it would've saved Aang some worry!" Liz shouted at his back. She watched him stalk out of sight, and, once he was gone, she crossed her arms, repeating, "Ugh! I should've known! Stupid!"
All of a sudden, Toph appeared from the hallway. "Hey, Liz!" she yelled. Liz's eyes quickly found Toph who's arms were crossed as well.
"Toph, how did you find me?" Liz asked, annoyed. "I've been wandering around for a while."
"I heard the screaming," Toph answered with a laughed. "We all did. Now, c'mon. Aang wants to talk to you."
Liz gulped. "Toph, not now-" The ground beneath Liz's feet shifted and moved towards the blind earthbender. "I hate it when you do that," Liz complained.
"Too bad," Toph replied, grabbing Liz's arm.