Avatar: The Warring Earth
Book Two—Air
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.
Time seemed to fly by for Team Avatar: a couple days passed, most of them being spent in the hotel room Shun had purchased. Tiki, Syaoran, Shun, and ZanYi holed up in the only safe haven they had in Republic City, the other three taking turns to comfort Tiki when she threatened to sink into depression. They had a lot of idle time on their hands, since a plan could not be formulated without all the information they needed. But tonight was the night when all that changed: ZanYi was about to go out on her 'date'.
"Shun, stop it. I can hear the pipes groaning in the bathroom; you're gonna make them explode and ZanYi is gonna kill you for getting her all wet," Tiki scolded the large waterbender, who sat by the window with his hands moving idly. Shun cringed and balled his hands into fists.
"Sorry," he apologized, though he then mumbled under his breath, "if I made the bathroom flood, ZanYi wouldn't be able to go on her date..."
Tiki heard him, and she turned from the T.V. program she was watching with Syaoran to give him an exasperated look. "Will you stop? It's a recon mission. That's it," the tiny airbender asserted. Shun sighed, a hand rubbing his temple.
"Yeah, I know, I'm sorry," he apologized once again, looking guilty. "I shouldn't be so negative about it: ZanYi is doing this for you, after all."
"And she knows what she's doing, so quit freaking out! Whoever this guy is, ZanYi can handle him," Tiki finished, her voice full of confidence, though on the inside, she was praying with all her might that ZanYi would not be put into any tight spots.
Shun scowled out the window. He knew ZanYi could handle herself, but that did not make him feel any better: the fact that she might have to defend herself from her 'date' put him on edge enough. As the giant waterbender looked down on the street, he saw a familiar face, and it made him frown all the more. "He's here," Shun grumbled. Tiki appeared at the window next to him, pressing her forehead against the glass.
"Wow, he's hot," the tiny airbender remarked, smiling in approval… that is, until she saw the look on Shun's face. "Oh come on, it was a joke… ZanYi! Your date is here!"
Despite not wanting to take his eyes off the bartender, Shun's curiosity over what ZanYi would be wearing was greater than his desire to make sure Bartender Boy wasn't doing anything suspicious. ZanYi had locked herself in the bathroom for a better part of the evening, and the giant waterbender was anxious to see what the fuss was all about.
When he heard the bathroom door finally click open, Syaoran sat up from on top of the bed, eager as well. He knew he shouldn't be so excited—this was going to be a blind, dangerous evening for the lieutenant—but on the other hand, it was a rare occasion that ZanYi actually dressed up. And by rare, he meant never. So when she walked out, Syaoran knew his jaw was going to drop again.
Which, for the record, it did.
Another sneaky trip to Duds had certainly paid off. ZanYi walked out in a short little number, the black dress hugging every curve the lieutenant had. What sleeves the dress did have were a midnight lace, hardly disguising her arms and shoulders. Syaoran looked away from her stunning legs and figure to search her face, finding the odd brown eyes again, but this time with a tasteful eyeliner and mascara there as well. Quite similar to the color on Shun's face the other day, her lips were plump with a deep maroon.
For a woman who normally dressed comfortably as a soldier and didn't care about her appearance, ZanYi was turning out to be quite something. "Wow," Syaoran couldn't help but mutter, earning an eye-roll from the firebender.
Her low-cut boot pumps clacked across the floor as she strode across to grab her jacket. "Not a word, Syaoran," she warned him. The last thing she needed was her own teammates to act like the men at the bar. She turned to Shun, an eyebrow quirked at the waterbender. "Is there a problem, Shun?"
Shun stood frozen by the window, completely unable to move. He didn't even dare to breathe. To him, ZanYi looked like a dream, and the giant waterbender never wanted to wake up. His thoughts spun out of control, down roads that were rather inappropriate, and it took some prodding from Tiki to snap him back to reality. "Shun," she hissed, elbowing him in the side. Shun blinked, feeling dazed. As quick as he could manage, Shun turned away from ZanYi, a hand guarding his burning cheeks once again.
"…Bartender Boy is waiting for you," he finally managed to say, sounding more disgruntled than he meant to. Tiki had to resist rolling her eyes at him. Boys. Syaoran was still staring at ZanYi too, which bothered Tiki a little. Why couldn't she be beautiful as well?
"Good luck, ZanYi," the tiny airbender wished as she approached, dispelling herself of such bitter thoughts. She had no right to think that way, considering ZanYi was risking herself tonight on Tiki's behalf. "Be careful, please."
Thankful that there was someone in the room that didn't seem bothered, ZanYi tilted her lip and nodded to Tiki. "I will, so don't worry about it, Tiki," she assured the airbender. She passed by her to look out the window as well, finding Kai standing outside the hotel. She smirked. "Right on time," she muttered.
Turning to Tiki and Syaoran, ZanYi said, "I don't know how long this tour will take, but both of you can get the recap in the morning. So go to bed at a decent hour."
The orders were enough to jar Syaoran from his trance and he frowned at the woman. "What? No way," he told her, training his eyes on her, "we need to be up to make sure you get back tonight." Besides, he hated when she treated him like a child, like she was his mother. It was obnoxious and really wasn't helping his personal cause.
ZanYi looked at him sternly. "No, I will be perfectly capable of letting myself back in, so you will get some sleep tonight. If I find out what I need to, we'll need to be rested to start planning tomorrow," she admonished. Syaoran opened his mouth again, but the lieutenant gave him a piercing stare. Brown or gold eyes, her looks were deadly.
Fishing through her jacket, she felt the pockets, making sure they were empty. When they were not, ZanYi retrieved the contents: her dogtags and the royal hairpiece Master Fei had wrapped up for her. She sat them on the table, knowing they would be very telling if they were found on her person. ZanYi draped the leather jacket over her arm and checked the mirror once more. She was good to go.
"Shun?" she called out. "Can I have a word outside?" As per her M.O., the lieutenant did not wait for an affirmation, walking to the door and stepping out into the hall.
Shun groaned under his breath. "That woman's going to be the death of me," he mumbled to himself, as he followed her out into the hall. Tiki watched him go, her head tilted curiously to the side.
"Wonder what ZanYi needs to talk to him about that we can't hear," she speculated aloud after the door closed with a click. A thought seemed to come to her, and she turned to Syaoran with a wry look. "How much do you want to bet she's asking him to make sure we get to bed on time?" she jested, though her insides had twisted themselves into a knot.
Personally, Tiki was with Syaoran: there was no way that she could sleep until ZanYi got back. The only thing that kept her from protesting was the fact that Syaoran had already been reprimanded. But really, how did the lieutenant expect her to be able to sleep?
"I hope everything goes all right…" the tiny airbender prayed, clutching her amulet in between her hands. In a way, she felt like the spirits would hear her prayers whenever she held her amulet. It was a comforting feeling.
Syaoran fell back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling grumpily. "You and I both know that's exactly what's she telling Shun," he told Tiki. And he didn't like that one bit. It was constantly like this: mom and dad hiding the problems from the kids. There was barely an age difference with them and the lieutenant, and yet, ZanYi constantly made him feel like this. It just wasn't fair, especially when Shun got a free pass and she seemed run things by him—if she ran them by anyone at all, that is.
But when he looked over at Tiki, he saw her just as worried as he felt underneath the irritation and jealousy. Syaoran sighed. "Everything will be fine, Tiki," he insisted, crossing his arms behind his head and closing his eyes. "ZanYi can pull this off, and then we'll be able to do the rest of this together."
Or at least, Syaoran hoped so. He wanted to be able to hope that ZanYi would include them in rescue plans, but nothing was ever certain with the lieutenant. And her word was basically law in this group.
Tiki grabbed one of the pillows from the bed she and ZanYi shared, hugging it to her as she lay on her side at the foot of the bed.
"I hope you're right," she told the Avatar, closing her eyes, trying to relax. More than anything, she hoped that ZanYi's reconnaissance mission would not be in vain. If the rumors were not true, and her parents were not being held at Air Temple Island, they would have to start from square one, at the very least. Tiki did not want to even consider the worst that could happen.
From the other bed in the room, as he lied back, Syaoran hoped he was right too. Because if he wasn't, the Avatar didn't even want to imagine what kind of fallout they would have to face. Tiki may have had bad feelings back on the island, but everything about this screamed bad news to him. And that wasn't his inner Avatar talking. That was his common sense. And if even that could sense the danger ahead, Syaoran felt every right to be worried.
Out in the hall, Shun leaned against the door and avoiding ZanYi's gaze as he asked, "What's up?" He was wondering what she wanted of him, and hoped that it would not lead to another argument. ZanYi needed to be focused, on her game. Whatever she told or asked of him, Shun hoped it was something he could accept with good grace.
Certain that Syaoran and Tiki wouldn't overhear, ZanYi looked at Shun. "Well, first of all, make sure those two actually get some sleep tonight. Syaoran doesn't need to be crankier than he naturally is, and Tiki doesn't need to be sleep-deprived on top of being anxious," she told him first and foremost, that being the simplest of her business.
"I'll do my best," Shun promised, a corner of his mouth tilting up; he could only imagine the look on Syaoran's face, being told to go to bed by the giant waterbender. Tiki might be a problem as well, considering how erratic she was behaving lately.
Before her next request though, the lieutenant paused for a moment. She crossed her arms, and the toe of her pumps tapped the back of her other shoe. ZanYi hated anything with heels. Made it so much harder to fight in. Which brought her to her next reluctant words.
"You and I both know you won't go to sleep until I get back," she called him out on it, looking at the waterbender pointedly, "so you may as well be of some help."
ZanYi almost bit her tongue, hating these words coming out of her mouth. But if this were any other mission, she'd have an entire crew of firebenders at her disposal. Here? She had Shun. "If I'm not back by midnight, assume the worst and start looking. Keep a watch at the window and…"
This part really ate at her, but her pride had to can it for the sake of this ending as well as it could. "…And at the end of the evening, I am coming back up here alone. He's not going to get out of me what he wants. However, I don't know how persistent he will be…" ZanYi's voice trailed, not liking the thought of that when she was dressed in a way that was conducive to getting men to talk, but not allowing her to fight. The lieutenant wasn't looking at him then, her irritated gaze elsewhere but on him. "So just… keep an eye out, okay, Shun? I might need back-up."
His smirk had turned into a grin when ZanYi assumed he would be staying up until she returned. Was he really that predictable? At least she wasn't fighting for him to go to bed as well. But at her final request, Shun finally turned to look at her. She didn't look happy—was she actually worried herself that something might happen? Shun leaned over, intruding upon her line of vision so he could meet her eyes.
"…Don't worry, ZanYi. I've got your back," he reminded her, smiling softly. "I won't let him do anything to you."
He would like to see Bartender Boy try something… then he would have an excuse for punching him in the face.
ZanYi took a deep breath and looked Shun in the eye, serious and unyielding. She didn't want to accept it, but situations like this were always tricky, and with the stakes this personal, she was not above ensuring she had a back-up plan.
The lieutenant nodded to him, accepting his promise. It seemed to relieve her concerns enough for her to brush them aside again, the task at hand back at the forefront of her mind. Taking one breath, she started down the hall, slipping on her jacket as she went. "I'll see you later, Shun," she called back to him. But for the moment, she had a mission.
They had to get this information about Air Temple Island. Their entire rescue was riding on it.
Dark had long fallen and the stars had long since risen, the hour unsure to ZanYi. Clearly this whole ruse had taken awhile, but the night was a success, as far as she was concerned. She'd made it to the island and she'd made it off the island all the more enriched.
That only left one problem: her date.
"So, still prefer a man in uniform, or will I suffice?" Kai purred, his arm slung around her shoulders. While the touch had felt grimy the entire evening, it was made even worse by the proximity of his voice, close to her ear.
Instead of flinching away, ZanYi shrugged out of his grasp and gave him a sly smirk. "I don't know. That tour may have hurt your cause. All of those soldiers were quite manly," she teased, strutting ahead of the bartender. The hotel was within close sight. She just had to shake him.
But Kai walked up behind her, wrapping hands around her hips, coming close. "I can assure you that I'm more than enough man for you, Yi," he told her, lips stroking her ear. "I hope you're ready for a demonstration."
The lieutenant wanted to gag, disgusted. But she couldn't do that so openly. ZanYi was almost in the clear. She just had to rough past a few more minutes. "Then how about we save that for another night? I'm exhausted," she suggested, taking his hands and removing them from her person. Turning to face him, ZanYi used one hand to give him a playful shove backwards. "I won't be of any good tonight."
"I'm sure I can change that."
"And I'm sure you can't."
The flirtation seemed to dim in Kai's gaze and he frowned a little. ZanYi started to feel a bit more on edge, especially as she watched the bartender try and concoct a new plan. It was no assurance when the sneer snaked back to his mouth. "Well, if you're not going to invite me up…"
The man snatched ZanYi's wrist and roughly tugged her into the alleyway, her heels causing her to stumble along—again, she hated the shoes. ZanYi was pushed up against the brick wall, Kai leaning in real close to her. "How about a small exhibition?" he asked her, "That may change your mind."
Kai went in for her lips and the lieutenant shoved him back angrily. "No. What's so difficult to understand about that?" ZanYi spat. She started to walk back onto the sidewalk, only to be grabbed and thrown back against the wall of the alley.
"Are you sure about that? Because I'm getting mixed signals," the bartender told her in a musky voice. "See, you keep saying no, but…" His dark eyes trailed down her, his hand traveling down her side as his gaze rose back to her glare, "everything else is saying yes. And we already know your game is to play Hard-To-Get."
ZanYi wanted nothing more than to electrocute him and burn him to ashes. But they did not need anyone knowing there were benders in the city, let alone anyone able to even possibly identify her from the posters. Which left her with her back against a wall—literally—and a sleaze with a hand wandering up her leg. The lieutenant tried to shove him back, but like she had initially noted, the bartender was a sizable guy. So when he actually started to legitimately hold her back, it was working.
Without remorse, she lifted leg to knee him in his prized area, followed by a kick in the gut. While he was doubled over, ZanYi took the opportunity to start for the street. However she had only served to make Kai angry. Recovering quicker than she could fly in her heels, the bartender yanked ZanYi back. Pinning her to the brick with his entire body, he growled, "Fiesty. I like that."
ZanYi glowered at the man, wracking her brain for a plan that didn't require blowing her cover. And in the recesses of that brain, the lieutenant hoped that her back-up was going to come through for her. Because she was running out of options. Fast.
Thankfully that was when the cavalry did indeed arrive, in the form of a very angry waterbender.
Without hesitation, Shun grabbed the back of the bartender's shirt, throwing him against the opposite wall in the alley. There Shun held Kai, pinned by the grip Shun had on his neck. His feet could not reach the ground, but that was the least of his problems—Shun Jiang's face was inches from his, and he was livid.
"Keep your filthy hands off her!" Shun growled through his teeth, slamming the bartender's head into the brick wall. Kai opened his mouth to say something, but was not given the chance to speak; Shun punched him across the face and threw him out into the street. The bartender could only stare, wide-eyed, as Shun towered over him, cracking his knuckles menacingly. "Now get out of here before I really mess you up," the giant waterbender hissed with a glare. Not needing to be told twice, Kai scrambled to his feet and took off.
Shun watched him flee, breathing hard. He was shaking, not from anger—although there was a substantial amount of that in his system—but from fear. That had been way too close: Shun had just come back from using the bathroom when he caught a glimpse of black disappearing into the neighboring alleyway. At first, he thought nothing of it, but when he saw it again, it made him worry. So the giant waterbender had made his way down to the lobby and outside when he heard sounds of struggling and the bartender's voice. And then he saw what Kai was doing to ZanYi…
ZanYi.
Shun whipped around, his gaze roaming over ZanYi. She looked ruffled, but uninjured… It had been way too close. Abandoning his 'No Touching' rule for the dozenth time, Shun closed the distance between him and ZanYi in two strides and embraced her, his fear and anger still making him quiver.
"That was too close…" he repeated out loud, resting his head against hers for a fleeting moment. He pulled back and took ZanYi's face in his hands, anxiously searching her face. "Are you okay?" he asked, worry overshadowing his anger. If he had been just a second too late… Shun did not want to think what would have happened.
Despite her surprise over Shun's fit of rage, the lieutenant nodded, panting a little from her own struggle. "I'm fine," she told him steadily, no mistake in her voice. It was like Shun had said: that was too close, even for her comfort. Not being able to firebend out of things certainly had upped the difficulty of the whole affair, as well as being limited in her abilities to fight back. "Though I don't think I've ever been this relieved to see you."
ZanYi looked up at the worried aquamarine eyes that peered down at her, not knowing what to think about the man. Shun certainly was proving to be one heck of a back-up plan, there was no doubt about that. And, again, he'd followed through on his promises to her. But the way he seemed so concerned about her was a bit uncomfortable—maybe? It just wasn't something ZanYi was used to. Then again, it's not like she was normally attacked in alleyways and had a larger than life waterbender as a bodyguard.
Tearing away from his gaze and grasp, the lieutenant leaned back against the brick of her own accord. The realization of what just happened and could have happened was starting to become sharper, and the lieutenant did not appreciate that. As many times as she's had to play bait, that was probably the closest encounter and the one where she was the most defenseless.
And she hated that. ZanYi hated feeling like that, like there was nothing she could do. It was a feeling she was more than unaccustomed to and it ate at her, like a parasite, telling her she was weak. But the lieutenant was not going to give in and she was not going to break down in that moment, no matter how much she just wanted to yell at herself.
ZanYi closed her eyes and her brow scrunched as she just breathed. "I'm okay," she said evenly and determinedly under her breath, "I'm okay…"
The repeated words gave Shun more cause to worry. It sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than reassure him. And ZanYi never lost confidence in herself.
Shun wanted to hold her again, to soothe her and tell her everything was all right. But then, he was not sure she would appreciate such coddling. ZanYi was a very strong woman, after all… and very proud. However, Shun could not help the hand that went to her shoulder, and the other that tilted her chin up so he could look at her face.
"Let's go inside," he suggested, his concern still strong. Maybe if he got ZanYi away from the alleyway, she would calm down a little more. Plus, he wanted her to be in a place that was a little more secure.
And (Shun was loathe to admit this to anyone, for he prized his patience and gentle demeanor above all else) if they stayed out here any longer, Shun would be sorely tempted to go after Bartender Boy and break his fingers. No self-respecting man would ever force himself on a lady, so the angrier side of Shun was attempting to reason with the rest of him that he would be doing a public service by making sure that scummy bartender was without the use of his hands for a few weeks.
ZanYi opened her eyes to look at Shun and, taking a deep breath, she nodded. "Yes," she agreed, keeping her voice steady, her gaze as well. The lieutenant had to get a grip on herself. She could not afford to fall apart, not afford to be affected by this. The mission was a success and this was the same as a casualty. She would have to push past it. Clearly it had just been a while since ZanYi had done any covert work.
Moving away from Shun and the wall, the lieutenant took a few steps forward, only to stumble a little. Those heels. Those blasted high heels. Bending over, she ripped one off and wanted to burn it away to nothing. But, ZanYi knew she couldn't, not while she didn't want to risk exposure. So instead, she took the shoe and chucked it against the far wall with every bit of agitation and feeling she had. ZanYi then proceeded to do that to the other one.
Realizing how she had just lashed out, she had to take a couple moments to cool herself down. Her shoulders rose and fell with every deep breath she took, trying to regain the self-control she disciplined herself into having. "Let's go, Big Guy," she encouraged Shun, not even glancing back to him. Rid of the heels, ZanYi continued forward, uncaring that she was then barefoot. It was better than withstanding another moment in those enslaving shoes.
Although the situation was not funny, Shun felt himself wanting to laugh at the abuse ZanYi had just put her high heels through. In fact, they were probably the reason why ZanYi could not easily get away from Bartender Boy. Once realizing this, the giant waterbender then felt that such treatment of the wretched shoes was appropriate.
Shun followed ZanYi back into the hotel, scanning around them to make sure Bartender Boy was long gone. Once in the lobby, Shun gave a nod to the hotel clerk behind the desk as he and ZanYi passed him, heading towards the elevators. It was only when they were heading up to the fifth floor that Shun allowed himself to speak.
"So, other than just now, was your night… profitable?" Shun phrased carefully. He was not sure whether there were cameras and mics in the elevators or not, but he figured it was best to play it safe. He wanted to help move ZanYi's focus back towards the reason she had ventured out with the smarmy bartender in the first place, and was anxious to know what she found out. It had been difficult persuading Syaoran and Tiki to go to sleep, so Shun wanted to know if both their efforts had paid off.
ZanYi exhaled a little, but was thankful for the distraction. Getting her focus back was a priority to her, considering how she had been to unraveling a few minutes ago. She also appreciated Shun's choice of words, especially since most elevators had cameras, and some with mics.
"I scored tonight," she answered back. The ghost of her confidence appear in her tilted lips. When they reached the fifth floor, ZanYi was eager to exit the small confines, walking down the hall. When she reached the door, she waited for Shun, leaning her side against the frame. "Are the other two asleep?" ZanYi asked. The last thing she wanted to do was either wake them up or have to deal with the eager questioning that would ensue upon her arrival.
Shun nodded, palming his key card as he approached the door. "They were when I left. I tried not to slam the door on my way out, but I was kind of in a hurry." Shun paused before he slid the key card into the electronic lock, and pressed an ear to the door. He didn't hear anything, so he figured it was safe to assume that the two youngest members of Team Avatar were still in Dreamland.
The giant waterbender slipped the key card back into his pocket and mimicked ZanYi's pose, a broad shoulder leaning against the door as he crossed his arms. "Do you want to wait until tomorrow to tell us what you found out?" he offered.
He was curious to know what she found out, but knowing that she had found something was good enough for him right now. Besides, he was not sure how smart it was to carry on a conversation about sensitive topics out in a hotel hallway, and they could not discuss things in the hotel room without waking Syaoran and Tiki. Also, ZanYi had to be tired, after the night she had. So unless they decided to hole up in the bathroom or something, Shun was willing to wait for the information until tomorrow morning.
ZanYi nodded, appreciating again the man's courtesy. Indeed, she really didn't want to deal with Tiki's anxiety and Syaoran's concerned glances. It did not sound like an appealing idea at all. "I'd rather go in, take a shower, and be done with this night," she told Shun in all honesty. "Besides, we should let them sleep. We're going to have a lot to do now." They were going to be doing a lot of planning, working out every single kink and best possible timing so that this mission could go off with less hitches. They could only do so much with what she gathered, but it was enough to get the ball rolling. "But trust me: we might have a shot now."
The lieutenant was about to gesture for him to open the door before another thought struck her. Reluctantly, ZanYi stepped forward, closing the gap between her and Shun. She reached out and patted his shoulder, giving it a little squeeze. "Thanks for earlier, Shun," ZanYi told him earnestly. It wasn't the first time he'd taken her out of risky situations, but it was certainly one of the more important times.
In part with her cover from the evning, and part out of teasing, ZanYi smirked a little. Reaching up, she grabbed the back of Shun's neck to bend him over. Closer, that was when ZanYi placed a soft kiss on his cheek. Pulling back, she looked at him, eyes full of mischief. "You might want to make sure you get that all off this time, Big Guy."
Slipping the key card out of his pocket, ZanYi opened the door and quickly slipped into the bathroom, headed for that hot shower she was craving.
Shun was glad that ZanYi had entered the room ahead of him: this gave him the opportunity he needed to freak out. His face on fire, the giant waterbender braced a hand against the doorframe, partially to keep the door from closing and locking him out, but mostly to keep himself upright. Hesitantly, a raised a hand to brush against the cheek ZanYi had kissed, as if he could not believe that had just happened.
…Well, in a way, he couldn't. Sure, ZanYi had teased him on multiple occasions—mostly about his height—but this… this was a whole other side to ZanYi's teasing. And Shun was not sure whether he liked it or not. But considering such actions could be considered leading him on, Shun was banking on 'not'.
As he entered the room, he swiped a finger across his cheek. Shun groaned when he saw the red splotch that covered his fingertip. Here was another brand mark to cause him embarrassment—he was beginning to think lipstick was invented for the sole purpose of teasing him. Reluctantly removing the rest of the kiss mark from his cheek, Shun paused to give the bathroom door a frown. ZanYi had smooched his cheek, and then walked away like it was nothing. Women were so unfair. Grumbling to himself, Shun collapsed onto the bed he shared with the Avatar, hoping to get some rest now that ZanYi had returned—but now he found himself more restless than ever.
If ZanYi kept this new teasing approach up with Shun, she really was going to be the death of him.
When the sun cracked through the window shades the next morning, Syaoran felt it hit his face, warm and affectionate. He opened his eyes slowly, then grumbled as he was blinded. Knowing there was no way he'd be able to go back to sleep, the Avatar rolled off and sat up, his legs dangling off the side of the bed.
Sharing a bed with Shun was no picnic—the man took up quite the amount of bed space—but he understood that it's not like they could put ZanYi with either of the two guys… or Tiki. He guessed they couldn't put Tiki with one of men either. So that meant he had to bunk with Shun.
Surprisingly, the man was not awake yet, which seemed quite unusual. He wondered if he had a late night. That thought process brought him to what would have made him stay up late. Looking frantically to the other bed, he sought ZanYi, only to find her not there. Syaoran's heartbeat quickened a bit before spotting her over at the table, using the few rays of sunlight to glance over her maps. The lieutenant looked very much like herself. The make-up was gone, so was the dress. ZanYi was just seated in her camos, obsidian hair pulled back away from her face. The Cinderella version of her was gone, and the Lieutenant was back. Syaoran wasn't sure whether to be sad or happy about this; then again, he liked her either way.
Softly toeing out of bed, he crossed the sleeping room to sit across from ZanYi. "You came back all right," he observed quietly, acknowledging the slumber of the others. ZanYi briefly looked up at him and gave him a nod with a quiet smirk before turning back to her series of maps. Syaoran noticed they were all revolving around Air Temple Island. "So, I'm guessing the, uh, date went well?"
ZanYi then shot him a dirty look, but nodded nonetheless. "Our best bet is that Tiki's parents are on the island," she answered softly, pouring over the maps. "I got a much better idea of what we're dealing with now."
Syaoran knew that was a good thing, so he breathed a sigh of relief and nodded in agreement. Having something to show for her previous night's adventure was a good thing. It made it slightly more worth it. He munched on his thoughts for a moment, unsure of whether he wanted to ask his next question. ZanYi must have noticed the hesitation on his face, because, without looking up, she asked, "What is it, Syaoran?"
He gulped, but then continued since he was being called out. "ZanYi… did he try anything on you?"
That made the lieutenant look up with an annoyed stare right at him. "Syaoran," she said lowly, "I'm fine. Now go take your shower."
"But—!"
"Syaoran."
The Avatar met her stare, and it clearly said that the topic of discussion was over. He didn't know what to make of that, but he certainly didn't like it. However, he was going to start heeding her words and let it be. Syaoran stood and looked at the lieutenant one more time before going over and patting her shoulder and soothing it with his hand. "If he did, I'm sorry. You don't deserve that."
Flushed by his own bold words, Syaoran made quick steps to the bathroom, going to take his shower and hope that the blush would disappear from his face. The slam of the bathroom door was enough to rouse Tiki. She sat bolt upright, looking around in sleepy confusion.
"Wha? Whaz goin' on?" the tiny airbender mumbled, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she looked around. Once her gray eyes settled upon ZanYi, however, Tiki found herself abruptly awake. "ZanYi! You're back!" Tiki exclaimed, a relieved smile dawning on her features. She turned to the bed the men shared—Syaoran wasn't there, but she could hear the water running in the bathroom, and therefore assumed that's where he was—to find a very surprising sight: Shun was still asleep.
Concerned now for the giant waterbender, Tiki tip-toed over to Shun's side of the bed, gingerly poking his cheek. "Shun? Are you okay?"
Shun's long, dark brown hair was splayed all over his face and his pillow; a groan sounded near where Tiki assumed his mouth was. "Tiki, know that I am not angry with you in the slightest when I say this: go away."
Tiki blinked down at him, startled. "But ZanYi's back," she pointed out, as if that was enough reason for Shun to get out of bed. Another groan, and the giant waterbender finally consented to sit up.
"I know," he told Tiki, pushing his hair out of his face. Tiki watched, more confused than ever, when Shun shot a tired frown at ZanYi before sliding out of bed. As he stood up and began to pad away, Tiki called after him.
"Shun, where are you going?"
"Coffee," came the grumbled reply.
"Bring me back some too, please! Oh, and try not to hit your—"
Thunk!
"…Nevermind," Tiki mumbled quietly, biting her lip to keep from smiling as a string of mumbled curses trailed out the door behind Shun. ZanYi had only been listening to the exchange, but it was enough to make her smirk and chuckle a little under her breath. Shun was always a bit irritable when he woke up—probably a good thing that he woke up before most of them on a normal basis. But he sounded quite grumpy this time around. It was a bit amusing.
After he left, the lieutenant looked up from her maps and schematics, looking at Tiki. It was rare the two of them were left alone together, and while there was normally good reason for that too, this time around, it was okay. "Yes, I'm back, Tiki," ZanYi said, delayed by Shun's irritable mutterings.
ZanYi leaned back in the chair, pushing away a bit to look at the airbender. The sleep seemed to have done the girl some good; it was possibly the hope of what news the lieutenant would bear that put a little more of her normal cheer back.
"I'm going to assume you're eager to know what I found out last night?" the lieutenant guessed, quirking a brow and the corner of her lip quirking up. "Your parents are being held on the island. And until this point, the conditions have been okay for them."
Tiki let out a breath, her hands going to her amulet. 'Until this point'… what did that mean, exactly?
"What I don't get," Tiki began, her nose crinkling as she frowned, "is why now? They've been holding my parents for years under the threat of having me killed… and then, all of a sudden, the Neo-Equalists decide to execute them? I don't understand. It seems like they were cooperating…"
So what changed? Tiki wracked her brain, trying to find an answer, but none came to her. She was just as lost now as she was the day she found all of this out. What kind of logic were the Neo-Equalists following, anyhow? Why put their greatest weapon in discouraging the Resistance to death?
"Most of the benders are out of the city now, Tiki," ZanYi reminded the airbender, frustrated with this. "The NEs now have control of the city. Your parents aren't needed to discourage anyone to stand down anymore when the city has already been taken." She stood at that moment, rising to her full height. "But we have enough to probably get your parents and us out of there alive now. I got a good look at their security and a fair look at the place. If you and I work together through what I know and what you remember, we can pull this off."
In an uncharacteristic move, ZanYi's golden eyes softened. "I know this isn't easy for you. But if you can help verify these maps for me, then we can put together a plan, and quick. The sooner we get your family out of here, the better for all of us."
Whereas ZanYi's eyes softened, Tiki's eyes grew serious, determined.
"I'll do whatever I can to help," she promised, moving across from ZanYi to give the maps a cursory glance. "I know you all have gone through a lot for this mission already. And I'll never forget that."
Indeed, Tiki would not. No matter what happened, she would still have a debt to repay to these people she called her comrades. And she would repay all of it, even if it took the rest of her life.
A/N from DJ: I'm back again! It's me this week, breaking habit just for a week. Still, this week we found out that Shun can, indeed, get angry. Eva always refers to him like this as a Mama Grizzly. As for things with him and ZanYi from here? Well, who knows! This chapter sets a lot of things in motion, and big things are going to happen from here, in more ways than one. So, now on to the shoutouts!
The-new-avatar: Yay! You reviewed again! And that's awesome that you got your friend to read as well. New readers that are enjoying make us feel like we're doing good! Both of you guys let us know more on your thoughts some time! We love to hear about fave characters among the fans, dislikes, etc. We had a couple of shippers for a while as we wrote Fire xD
The outsider19: Thanks for the Author Alert and favoriting Fire! We really hope you catch up to Air and we get to hear from you soon! Either way, your support is appreciated!
That's all for now, and sit tight for next week. Expect some turbulence because it's going to be a bumpy ride!