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.
They arrived at the Eastern Air Temple just as ZanYi predicted: around midday the following day. As Bumi touched down, Tiki was the first person off the sky bison. She had not slept at all the night before, and was feeling out of it. But as she looked around her abandoned home, she could not fight the sense of nostalgia that overtook her.
The Eastern Air Temple had been restored years ago, to make it a place that was habitable again, after all the damage that had been done to it by the Fire Nation centuries upon centuries ago. It was a rather large temple still, spanning three mountains and connected by bridges. Even now, it stood tall and proud, reminding Tiki of the good childhood years she spent here with her family. As the tiny airbender gazed around, a sense of purpose began to fill her, clearing her head.
On the middle mountain, where the temple's main building was, was the courtyard where her mother and father used to watch over her as she played. And there, in the courtyard, was her parents' favorite tree… the one they used to lounge under when they wanted to relax, to escape their duties of Republic City. It was here that Tiki decided they should be buried.
"Shun, over here," Tiki beckoned, her voice rough from her crying and her silence. Shun followed after the tiny airbender, carrying the bodies of her parents. When they reached the tree, he laid them down to the side, making room for their graves. Tiki knelt down next to them, pulling the blankets away from their faces. The bullet holes in their foreheads hurt Tiki to look at. So she undid the ribbons tying her hair up, letting the thick dark hair fall down her back and, carefully, lovingly, she wound the ribbons around their foreheads, making headbands out of them. With a watery smile, Tiki kissed the cold cheeks of her parents before rearranging the blankets back over their faces.
"Goodbye, Mom. Goodbye, Dad. May the spirits watch over you," Tiki prayed, getting to her feet. "Syaoran, please make a grave big enough for them both. I want to bury them together," she requested, her back to the Avatar. That's what they would have wanted: to be buried together under their favorite tree in the courtyard of their home. Tiki could do this much for them, at least.
Syaoran nodded, despite knowing she wasn't looking at him. He stepped forward before raising his arms before him. With a rough stomp, Syaoran used every muscle in his body to throw apart his arms. The earth instantaneously caved in and separated, revealing a large, rectangular hole in the ground. And it was perfectly placed under the shade of the tree.
He straightened and turned to ZanYi to help him move the bodies, but the lieutenant was off to the side, in her own thoughts and her gaze averted from the sight. Syaoran found it strange, but considering the happenings of the past twenty-four hours, plus she hadn't slept, he chose not to push the matter.
So instead he went forward and gently moved the bodies himself, doing his best to put them down in the deep grave gently. Once he had done the task, he stepped back and surveyed the work for a moment. Just as Tiki had requested, the two were together, and quite close.
Syaoran looked to Tiki's turned back and sighed a little. Turning back to the grave, he lifted his arms and slammed his hands together, allowing the ground to swallow up the two airbenders. "Done," he said, allowing himself to look at his group of companions.
ZanYi took a deep breath and pulled herself out whatever thoughts had held her. She still said nothing, just gave the earthbender a nod of acknowledgement, a silent praise of his contribution.
Tiki was preoccupied herself, but she did manage a nod as well. There weren't any flowers around, which was strange. Some usually grew on the outskirts of the courtyard...
"Tiki," Shun intruded upon her thoughts; he sounded alarmed. "Who is that?"
Tiki spun around, her arms ready to blast whoever it was that was intruding. No one else was supposed to be on the island, and once she caught sight of the Neo-Equalist uniform, Tiki was ready to blast this sucker back to wherever he came from.
"Whoa, whoa, take it easy!" the man pleaded, holding his hands up in surrender; he held a bouquet in one hand, full of flowers Tiki recognized as the native flowers that grew around the courtyard. Just how long had this man been here? "Tiki, it's me!" the soldier continued, removing his hat. "Don't you remember me?"
Tiki's eyes narrowed as she got a good look at the soldier's face. Something about him was familiar, all right...
"...Uncle Kaze," Tiki named him, though she did not drop her fighting stance. The soldier looked relieved to be recognized.
"Yes," he sighed, taking a step forward; Tiki reacted defensively and blasted him back. Kaze stared at her, surprised etched into his features. "Please, I don't want to fight! I'm not your enemy!"
"That's funny, considering you're wearing a Neo-Equalist uniform," Shun noted, stepping in front of Tiki. Kaze frowned at this accusation.
"I know this looks suspicious, but I'm actually a spy," the soldier claimed, "LingShi was my cousin and my best friend. Before he was captured, he ordered me to position myself here, as an enemy guard, just in case Tiki ever came back. I was here when word of their...execution...was passed along. And when I heard their bodies had been taken, I knew you had something to do with it, Tiki."
Tiki peered around Shun, eyeing Kaze with a look that said she did not quite trust him. "You're here by yourself?" she questioned skeptically. Kaze shook his head in the negative.
"No, not exactly—there are two other men guarding the island with me. They are airbender spies as well. We've been protecting this island ever since you left, Chairwoman."
Tiki was about to ask him another question when the use of her mother's title stayed her. "Wait...what did you call me?"
"Chairwoman Tiki," Kaze repeated, looking confused, "the title has now passed on to you, has it not? Look, you're even wearing the amulet that proves it!"
Tiki gripped her amulet, her heartbeat speeding up. In her grief, she had completely forgotten—all the responsibilities and duties of the chairwoman of the airbending nation had been passed on...to her. That realization fell, like deadweight, onto Tiki's shoulders. Kaze's voice sounded very far away as he continued to speak to her.
"My associates and I, we have some contacts," Kaze was offering, "your safety is now our number one priority, so if you wish—"
"No."
The sound was so forceful that it appeared to stun Kaze. He peered worriedly down at his second cousin, unsure how to proceed. "But, Chairwoman Tiki—"
"Stop," Tiki demanded, holding up a hand to halt Kaze's tongue. Her other hand gripped the amulet tighter still, all her old insecurities flooding in, threatening to drown her.
'My parents died traitors. I'm only nineteen. I'm just a kid. No one will take me seriously. No one will follow me. I can't do this. I can't do this.'
"Tiki."
Tiki was startled out of negativity to find that Kaze was kneeling in front of her, resting a hand on her shoulder. Tiki looked around to find Shun to the side, watching Kaze carefully. Her gaze returned to her second cousin as he continued, "You are our only hope now. I knew your parents well, and I know that they were never traitors: they were doing their best to protect you. Not many know the truth, but all who knew your parents do. And we have faith in you...Chairwoman Tiki."
Like a magic spell, all of Tiki's fears and doubts disappeared, to be replaced with a glimmering sliver of hope. It was small, but it was there, shining brightly enough that Tiki took notice. It told her that everything was going to be all right, and that, if she set her mind to it, she could be everything the airbending community needed her to be...with a little time.
"...I understand," Tiki finally answered, and Kaze grinned in relief. She looked up to meet his eyes, which were a darker shade of gray, like her father's. "But...I can't take over just yet."
Kaze's smile dropped. "But why?"
Shun watched as Tiki's eyes grew determined. "I'm not running away," she assured the soldier, "but...I have a prior commitment I need to fulfill. I'll return as soon as that is finished. Please understand, Kaze."
Kaze appeared to think about it, rising to his feet. After a minute, he finally consented with a nod. "I do sense that you're needed for a greater purpose right now. Very well. I shall contact people I can trust to set up a temporary council until you are prepared to take over your role. But please remember: the hope and pride of airbenders everywhere resides within you always, Chairwoman Tiki."
Kaze bowed to Tiki, showing her the respect reserved for the chairman and chairwoman of the Air Nomads. He smiled when Tiki returned the gesture, understanding it to mean that she accepted both the respect and the title.
"Before I forget..." Kaze handed the bouquet of flowers to Tiki, his expression saddening, "these are for your parents. ...I am so sorry for your loss."
Tiki nodded, accepting the bouquet. "Thank you, Kaze," she dismissed him, turning away to lay the flowers on her parents' grave. She heard Kaze's footsteps retreating as she arranged the bouquet, wondering when she would see him again. He was now the closest family she had left...
...But wait...what about...?
"Avatar Syaoran," Tiki addressed the Avatar, getting to her feet. When she turned around to face them, Shun received a shock: all child-like innocence in Tiki's eyes was gone, to be replaced with wisdom and knowledge. They were the eyes of someone who had seen much more than a ninteen-year-old should ever see, and yet, they still made Tiki appear her own age. She looked a lot like her mother with her eyes like that.
"...If you still wish for me to teach you airbending," Tiki continued after considering Syaoran for a moment, "I will do so to the best of my ability until you master my element. However, if your mind has changed, I may still be able to help you: some family on my mother's side resides on the island where the Southern Air Temple once stood, and there may be some masters there that are willing to teach you. Either way, we should make that island our next stop."
A gust of wind blew past Tiki, and she absentmindedly tucked her long brown hair behind her ears. Her gaze never left Syaoran's. "The decision on your airbending teacher is up to you." she finalized.
Syaoran wasn't sure what to think about that. It was no longer about any doubt of Tiki's ability; she had almost thrown him about in a tornado full of her wrath just on accident the day before. And if what she had said back on the island about being a teacher at one point was true, she would have at least some experience in that department.
Still, it wasn't her qualifications that made Syaoran hesitant. What made him hesitate was Tiki's state at the moment. She had just lost her family; Tiki was now an orphan, and apparently going to be the figurehead of the entire airbender community. Granted, that was a small community compared to the others, but it was still a body of people—which was more than Syaoran had ever led… and vastly less than what he was expected to lead eventually.
Trying to brush away that thought, the earthbender winced and ruffled the back of his head awkwardly. "Tiki," he started, "I don't know if I should be taking you away from this—"
"Shut-up, Syaoran and let the girl teach you."
The Avatar whirled to look at ZanYi as she finally spoke. Although a bit grumpier, she seemed to have gained back her usual demeanor in the past several minutes, because she was rolling her eyes at him. "ZanYi—" he started, only to get cut off again.
"If Tiki thinks she can do it, then let her do it," the lieutenant continued, crossing her arms. "She knows you and how your head works. It would be easier for you to have someone who knows you teach you. Unless you'd like to take the risk of getting someone harsher than myself, take what you know."
Syaoran found her logic solid, and the alternative of not knowing what his next teacher would be like was not a pleasant idea. But Tiki? He could work with Tiki, he supposed. And the airbender couldn't be any worse than ZanYi. For one, Tiki probably wasn't going to push him off of a sky bison to teach him how to fly.
Then he paused, considering that option was actually still on the table. But he ridded himself of the notion. Since they were kind of on the accelerated track to getting him Avatar-ed up, Syaoran had to move on to the next element. Tiki believed in him; so he had to at least try. He could blow up a volcano, apparently; now he had to blow up… air or… something.
Turning back to Tiki, he nodded, "I choose you, Tiki."
Shun expected a triumphant smile or something from Tiki when Syaoran said he chose her. But the tiny airbender just nodded in acknowledgement.
"Okay. That simplifies things," Tiki said, moving past them to approach Bumi. With some difficulty, Tiki patted the sky bison's head. "What do you think? Can you make it to the Southern Air Island?" she inquired of the sky bison. Bumi grunted and licked her face. Tiki took that to mean yes.
"The Southern Air Island isn't too far away," Tiki called back to the rest of Team Avatar, bending air so that she could reach the top of Bumi's head. She sat down and took hold of his reins. "If we hurry, we can reach it by nightfall. My aunt will take us in, and we can rest there."
"Maybe we should stay here so you can get some sleep, Teeks," Shun suggested, peering at the dark circles under the poor girl's eyes. Tiki, however, shook her head.
"I can sleep later; we need to get off this island now. Kaze may be on our side, but it'll look too suspicious if we stay here for too long. We have to go," the tiny airbender reasoned. Shun was tempted to argue her down, to have at least someone else drive, but Tiki was determined to do this, he could see it in her eyes. With a sigh, Shun agreed.
"All right. We'll do it your way," he consented, climbing back into the riding basket without too much trouble. He looked down at the other two. "You guys coming?"
Syaoran nodded, proceeding to climb his way up onto the bison to join Tiki and Shun. He thought they were ready to go, but then he noticed that ZanYi had not followed him up. Instead she stood on the ground, as if trying to figure out her next move. "ZanYi? Are you coming?" the Avatar asked, peering down at her in confusion.
She didn't answer for a moment, but then she nodded, slowly taking her climb up into the riding basket. Syaoran watched her warily as she sat down a bit further away. Before he could ask what was going through her head, ZanYi actually said it. "I will accompany you all to the Southern Air Temple, and once I know you all have been taken in, I will leave. We have a base on one of the nearby islands I can go to," she told them. And her words even took a few minutes to sink in for Syaoran.
In the chaos of saving Tiki's parents and losing Tiki's parents, he'd forgotten: ZanYi was going to be leaving them. With Tiki taking Syaoran on as her student now, the lieutenant had served her purpose. She no longer had a connection with them. And even with all of the other pain of the night, this hurt almost as much.
Ignoring the look in Syaoran's gaze, ZanYi called up ahead to Tiki. "We're ready to go back here."
Tiki paused to glance back at Syaoran. Just as she suspected, he was distraught by the news. Indeed, Tiki too had almost forgotten that ZanYi was not a permanent part of their team. Which was strange, considering ZanYi was considered the leader in Tiki's eyes. But things couldn't always stay the same forever, could they?
"Bumi: yip yip," Tiki urged on the bison. Bumi obeyed, rising into the air once more and taking off towards their destination. Tiki spared a glance down at the disappearing island, a tear or two rolling down her cheek, before she faced forward again. No time for tears. She had to be strong now.
The first stars of the night were peeking out just as Tiki spotted the southern island inhabited by airbenders. Like she had said before, the Southern Air Temple had been torn down, the substantial mountain that used to house it reduced to nothing more than a large slab of rock. On top of that rock sat a port town that was mostly inhabited by airbenders, though a few refugee benders from other nations came and went, sometimes staying, and sometimes not. As Tiki brought Bumi down to land, she noticed that every light on the island was being hastily extinguished: she had expected this, but had also kind of been hoping that the giant sky bison they were riding would give the inhabitants of the island pause.
"Stop right there!" called a voice once Bumi touched down on the island, and Tiki sighed. There was a woman standing near the side of Bumi, one of short, plump stature. Her dark brown hair was cut short, and her expression was fierce, though if one got close enough, they would see she possessed the same eyes as her sister...and those eyes were glaring right at Shun, who had been the first to climb out of the riding basket.
"I don't know who you are," the woman continued, brandishing a frying pan, "or how you acquired that sky bison, but you have no business here! No Neo-Equalists are going to bully us out of our homes, I've made that clear already!"
"Auntie, it's okay! They're with me!" Tiki called, hopping down and moving to stand in between Shun and the woman. Her eyes widened upon catching sight of her niece.
"Tiki! Oh my goodness, come here!" Tiki's aunt cried, throwing her arms around Tiki. Back to the town, she called, "False alarm, everyone! It's just my niece!"
All at once, lights flickered on in homes, and people poured out to see the newcomers for themselves. Tiki saw many of the airbending children in the crowd, and her aunt pulled back to get a better look at her.
"You haven't changed in the past four years," Tiki's aunt remarked with a chuckle. Upon peering into her niece's eyes, however, hers saddened in response. "You still look just like your mother, though."
Tiki swallowed. "Aunt Li...Mom and Dad are—"
"I know," her aunt cut her off with a solemn nod, "we heard, it's all over the news. That's why I'm so glad you're safe, sweetheart." The woman hugged Tiki to her again, sniffling a little before pulling back and eyeing the rest of Team Avatar. "Well then, are you going to introduce me to your friends?"
"Oh...yes," Tiki answered, turning and gesturing to each of her companions as she introduced them, "this is Shun Jiang, Lieutenant ZanYi Tsong, and...Syaoran Wong, the Avatar."
Surprised gasps and mutterings went through the crowds at this, but Tiki was not worried: they were all good people, and no one here would betray them. Her aunt, however, looked quite flustered.
"The-the Avatar?" she squawked, gaping at Syaoran, "oh, oh my! Um, welcome to our island, Avatar! I am YinLi, but please call me Li, everyone does—"
"I have agreed to teach the Avatar airbending," Tiki told Li, sparing her aunt from her rambling, "but we need a place to stay while I teach him."
"Say no more," Li said, nodding, "you are always welcome here, sweetheart. And any friends of yours are friends of ours."
Tiki sighed and allowed a tiny smile to cross her lips. At least something was finally going right.
For Syaoran, it almost felt like being back on his first Resistance base. Everyone stared, marveled. But this time around, he steeled himself, unable to let himself get so easily embarrassed again. So instead he did his best to hold his head high—even as he fumble a little trying to get off of Bumi. "Thanks for having us," Syaoran said to Tiki's aunt, coming up on the little airbender's side. Tiki seemed relieved and already a bit more at ease, which he found to be a good thing. Hopefully being somewhere she felt comfortable would help her with the coping. It wasn't going to be easy for her.
ZanYi slid off of the sky-bison last, scoping the surroundings. There was a cluster of people around them, and none of them appearing particularly threatening. That was good and bad, the lieutenant supposed. Safe from the natives, but against enemy forces would be a whole other story.
She stood a ways behind the group, as if slowly trying to detach herself. If the look on Syaoran's face earlier had been any indication, this wasn't going to be easy when she bowed out. But when a mission is complete, ZanYi had to move on. First thing she learned in the military. But, mission done or not, she was going to make sure that they were cared for first. Making sure that Syaoran, Tiki, and Shun were safe was also part of that mission, as far as she was concerned.
"Oh, so polite," Aunt Li cooed, already fawning over Syaoran. "Whatever you need, just say the word. As long as you remain here, you're family."
"SIFU TIKI!"
Tiki turned just in time to be mobbed by a bunch of airbender children. Looking at all the tiny faces, Tiki's smile was almost genuine.
"Hi everyone. Sorry I've been gone for so long," she apologized.
"Does this mean you're going to be the master of the airbending dojo again?" a little girl asked eagerly. The question gave Tiki pause. Right now, her duty was to the Avatar. But who was to say that she could not teach him while mentoring her former pupils as well? ZanYi had done it. And she could always give Syaoran private lessons as well.
"Why do you ask? Is Ping not up to snuff?" she asked to distract herself from considering taking on too much at once.
"That is not nice, Sifu. You yourself said I was your best student," said a masculine voice, and Tiki turned to find a tall airbender boy headed towards her. Dark hair sprouted from his scalp, but there was still a blue arrow adorning his forehead. He was smiling brightly, glad to see Tiki. "Welcome back, Sifu Tiki," Ping greeted, bowing to her. This gesture caused Tiki to frown.
"Ping, will you stop that and hug me for once? We're cousins, remember?" Tiki pointed out, slipping her arms around her cousin to give him a squeeze. Shun watched as Ping's face turned an interesting shade of red for a brief moment.
"Even so, you are my teacher first, Sifu," Ping rebutted once Tiki let go. She sighed with a slight roll of her eyes.
"You may have gotten taller, but your personality hasn't changed much."
"I would say the same, Sifu, but you told me never to lie to you."
"Are you disrespecting your elders, Ping?"
"No, Sifu. Sorry, Sifu."
Syaoran wasn't sure what to say or do. This was a totally new light to see Tiki in. Aside from her change in moods as of late, either way she seemed completely welcomed and respected in this community. Those were two things that hadn't seemed to come to Tiki, or at least easily, since he'd known her.
And she had a lot of cousins. Considering her ancestors were not that far back, these airbenders seemed to be doing their best to repopulate. Syaoran frowned at one of the older looking ones, Ping. Aren't airbenders supposed to be bald? Maybe that was when they got older? Syaoran realized then that despite being the Avatar, he also knew nothing about airbenders.
But, he supposed that he had learned about firebenders under ZanYi and her Agni-Kais, so Syaoran figured it was safe to assume that there would be significant cultural intake here as well.
"Sifu?" he repeated. Despite being the only one who had known she had taught before, it was still just a bizarre concept to him. Then some reasoning kicked in and his grimaced in dismay. "Don't tell me I have to call you Sifu too."
That would just be embarrassing.
Tiki turned back to Syaoran, looking a little surprised. Why would he think that? If Tiki was still the clown he had met, she might have said yes. But that part of Tiki was gone now, maybe not vanished, but locked away. Not a lot seemed funny to her anymore.
"Everyone on the island calls Tiki 'sifu'," Ping spoke up before Tiki could reply. He was surveying Syaoran with a polite, but distant, interest. "If you want to be taught by her—"
"No, that's okay," Tiki cut him off with a slight shake of her head. "Syaoran doesn't have to call me 'sifu'. That would just be weird." Ping looked down at his older cousin in surprise.
"But Sifu—"
"He doesn't have to," Tiki asserted again, walking away from Ping and towards her aunt, "Syaoran is special." This caused her cousin to give Syaoran quite the look and oblivious to Ping's troubles, Tiki approached her aunt. "Auntie, I need some clothes. Did you save the ones I left here four years ago?"
Chagrin twisted YinLi's face. "No, I'm sorry, Tiki. I assumed you would have outgrown the clothes you left behind...but I do think I still have some of your mother's old clothes in her old room. You look about her size..."
Tiki nodded, though she was frowning. Why was everyone comparing her to her mother now? It was unwelcome. "Then I'm going to go change," she announced, heading in the direction of her aunt's house before a thought struck her. Turning around, Tiki went back to her aunt's side and leaned close to her. "Also...do you remember that offer you made me four years ago?"
YinLi's face twisted in concentration before she seemed to catch on to what Tiki was referring to. "You mean—"
"Is it too late to take you up on the offer?"
"Well, no...but Tiki, it will hurt—"
"I can handle it. And Shun can take care of the scarring, he's a healer."
YinLi gave the giant waterbender a dubious glance before her gaze returned to Tiki. "Why now?" it seemed she could not help but ask. Tiki took a deep breath, meeting her aunt's gaze unflinchingly.
"It's time I stopped running from myself," she explained, "and accepted who I really am."
YinLi looked anxious, but she ended up nodding, heeding her niece's request. "Then we'll get started tomorrow."
Tiki nodded in response and resumed her trek to her aunt's home. Right now, she was in desperate need of a bath and clean clothes. She would trust that her aunt would take care of her comrades until she could rejoin their company again.
Although Shun was amused, he was also a tad out of his element: since when was Tiki a sifu? And if he was understanding correctly, she was older than her cousin Ping...Shun never would have guessed that. But at least Tiki seemed marginally happier, even if she was pretending for her family's sake. Shun could tell; the pain was still very clear in Tiki's eyes, though she tried to mask it as she bullied Ping. The giant waterbender turned to relay to ZanYi how strange this situation was when he registered that she was not beside him, but off to the side, observing from afar. Frowning, Shun approached the lieutenant, searching her face.
She appeared distant, and Shun didn't like it. The woman had barely said a word ever since she announced that she would be leaving their company soon, and Shun could not put into words just how lonely this thought made him feel.
"Do you really have to go?" he could not help but ask, his expression saddening. Surely the military could do without her for a little while longer, couldn't they? And what of the wanted posters they saw in Republic City? Was it smart for ZanYi to go traipsing off to a military force that had exposed her to her enemies?
ZanYi looked up at Shun's question, and she could see the wistfulness in his gaze. Her guesses had been correct in thinking they would not take her departure well. She just did not expect Shun to be the first one to try and keep her there. He should've known better than the other two.
"Yes, Shun, I have to go," the lieutenant said calmly. ZanYi frowned a little at him. "I've gone missing for weeks now. I left behind my brother, my post, and a troop of soldiers that may or may not be alive right now. I've done what I was here to do. Now I have to go."
It was not like it was something personal, or anything they had done wrong. It was not even her failure to rescue Tiki's parents. It was just the fact of life, something ZanYi had to do. This was not her life. The military was. She didn't belong there anymore.
"Don't make this harder on yourself or them," ZanYi requested of him, a bit of the curtness taken from her tone.
Shun sighed from the core of his being, the gesture sounding heavy.
"Far be it from me to tell you what you can and can't do," he joked weakly, a ghost of a smile on his lips. He had already learned that lesson, and he had learned it the hard way. But he did not regret it—it had helped him discover a lot of things that made ZanYi who she was. And he was going to miss her spit-fire personality, even if some considered her difficult to get along with.
Hesitantly, Shun raised a hand, touching ZanYi's face. He would not dare to do this under normal circumstances, but Bumi was blocking them from most everyone's view, and this was probably the last time he would see ZanYi, let alone be able to touch her. He was allowed this one last comfort at least, wasn't he?
"...I'm going to miss you," he admitted, attempting a smile. Maybe it was the sad events they had been put through recently, but the giant waterbender felt a little choked up. He swallowed against the lump in his throat and dropped his hand, turning away from ZanYi.
"Make sure you say goodbye to Syaoran and Tiki before you leave, at least," he requested, raising a hand to cover his reddening face once again. He could not be upset over this. It was never meant to be. He and ZanYi were from two different worlds, and now her world was calling her back. The Resistance needed her, and Shun would not be so selfish to ask her to stay, even though he desperately wanted to. She was not his to keep, and therefore, he had to let her go.
ZanYi was quiet for a moment, giving the waterbender a moment. Shun was clearly not well equipped for goodbyes. And it was enough to make her think on it herself, something normally the lieutenant did not allow herself to do.
"I will," she promised him, solemn. "This makes you in charge now, Shun. Don't let anything happen to them." ZanYi was no longer going to be around to protect them, to keep them out of trouble, to map out their every move. Tiki had enough on her plate, and Syaoran was an Avatar-in-training. "You're the best shot those two have now. And if I trust anyone in this group to do it, it would be you, Shun."
The lieutenant started forward, going to move around the bison. Then, despite knowing this would possibly make things worse, ZanYi paused and patted the waterbender's arm, lingering there a little. "I think I'll miss you too," she allowed herself in a soft voice. But then she continued onward, where she found Tiki missing and Syaoran in a staring contest with another airbender.
The favoritism Tiki had showed to a stranger caused Ping to frown. He gave the Avatar another once-over. "I'm assuming she's saying that you're special because you're the Avatar?" Ping wanted to check, as if he were fishing for something that would imply that their relationship was a little more than teacher and student. Though, if that were the case, Ping wasn't exactly sure what he would do about it.
Syaoran looked at Ping like he was on the verge of insanity. "We're also friends," the Avatar said slowly, as if that was an obvious answer. People had friends. It looked like Tiki just had family. And considering the way the airbender was asking the question, Syaoran hoped they had been outsourcing to repopulate. Last thing they needed was the airbenders to die off like mountain people from inbreeding.
Also, why would he be interested in Tiki like that? Syaoran already liked another, more stable woman... He turned then, finding ZanYi finally coming up to join them. Normally he would've been elated and ready to listen to her every word, but the look on her face told him that he was not going to enjoy the words.
"ZanYi, no..." he started, but trailed at the look ZanYi gave him.
"You did well, Syaoran. My job here is done."
Syaoran disliked that fact in the moment. There was no way he was going to convince her that he wasn't ready; she had a volcanic eruption on her side. Still, he wanted to try. "That doesn't mean you can't stay and help me perfect my technique."
But ZanYi just shook her head. "You've learned enough, Syaoran. It's time for me to move on. You all will be safe here," she told him with a steady voice. The lieutenant glanced around, finding one of their party missing. "Where's Tiki?"
"She went to get a change of clothes, I think," Syaoran answered, hoping this would delay the lieutenant's departure. ZanYi frowned a little, but then turned to Tiki's aunt with a blank slate on her face.
"Do you happen to have any sort of boat or jet-ski that I can borrow? I assure you that it will be returned, once I rejoin my company," she asked of the airbender. The sooner she left the island, the better. ZanYi was certain there would be much to catch up on and much to explain.
YinLi peered curiously at the lieutenant. "Leaving already? I thought you all were staying?"
"ZanYi is an important part of the Resistance military. They need her to return as soon as possible," Shun interjected, coming up to ZanYi's side. He had assumed ZanYi would meet resistance (no pun intended) and had decided to back her up for the last time. It was the least he could do.
"Well, all right," YinLi agreed slowly, turning to her son. "Ping, please lend this young lady the keys to one of our boats."
"Yes, Mother," Ping replied obediently, striding away to a dock stationed nearby, where a couple motorboats floated. As he retrieved the key from one of the boats and returned, YinLi turned a sad expression on ZanYi.
"Tiki just went inside to clean up. Can't you stay long enough to say goodbye to her? Or how about until after dinner?" she tried to tempt ZanYi. Shun almost smirked. He wished Tiki's aunt luck in getting ZanYi to stay: usually when ZanYi's mind was made up about something, there was little anyone could do to change it.
Syaoran was ready to jump on that bandwagon, but ZanYi was already shaking her head. "I really should get going," the lieutenant told YinLi, knowing the delays would just make it harder. ZanYi supposed it would seem a bit callous to leave without saying goodbye to Tiki, but the airbender was the one that she'd probably had the least contact with.
Part of her also doubted the girl wanted much to do with her currently. The lieutenant had failed to bring her parents back alive. So ZanYi could only emphasize, "I need to go now."
She took the key from Ping's hands and turned back to the men of their small team. "Don't do anything stupid now. Be smart and be safe," she warned them. Syaoran nodded vigorously, trying not to let the disappointment show on his face. ZanYi sighed a little, adding, "And tell Tiki goodbye for me, and that I'm sorry I couldn't do better for her." For one last time, she put on that characteristic smirk. "Take care, guys."
ZanYi gave a small bow and uttered more thanks to the airbenders before striding off for the docks. Syaoran watched her retreating form, immobile. Just as easily as she had walked into his life, the lieutenant was about to walk right back out. Before he even realized what he was doing, Syaoran took off after her. When he did realize what he was doing, he didn't stop, knowing he had to do this.
Reaching the docks, his thudding footsteps alerted ZanYi and she turned back to him, perplexed. "What is it, Syaoran?" she managed to get out before the Avatar's arms wrapped tight around her, hugging her. ZanYi stiffened, clearly a bit uncomfortable with the sudden embrace from the least touchy-feely member of their party. "Syaoran, what are you—?"
"Sorry, ZanYi," he apologized, already wincing and, the more his actions set in, the more awkward he felt. But he did not let go. Instead, he held her tighter. That was when the lieutenant pushed him back a bit, confusion and agitation on her face.
"Syaoran."
"I'm sorry," he apologized again, almost expecting either a proverbial whipping or a real fire-whipping. "I just... I... we're all going to miss you," Syaoran told her, unable to say what he really wanted. He looked at her golden gaze, jade eyes steady. "And if you ever can, we'd take you back." Syaoran bowed lowly to the woman, clenching his fists to hold it in. "Thank-you for everything, Lieutenant."
ZanYi looked at the emotional response with puzzled eyes. With a disgruntled sigh and a pursed lip, she walked back over and ruffled his hair a little. He looked up at her to see her smirking. "Take care, Syaoran," she said. And without another word, she walked away. The boat motor turned on and, without a glance back, ZanYi took off in the dark waters, going farther and farther until Syaoran could no longer see her.
He took a deep breath, trying to hammer it in. ZanYi had left. And she probably wasn't going to come back.
"Oh my," YinLi sighed after taking in what had just happened. She turned to address the giant waterbender at her side to find that he, too, stared after ZanYi's retreating form in the boat. His expression was easily readable, and YinLi found herself startled. What was going on with the men of Team Avatar? "She must have meant a great deal to you," YinLi suggested delicately, trying to make it seem as if she was not prying, even thought she technically was.
Shun released another heavy sigh, dropping his tightened gaze to his feet. "She was the most amazing woman I have ever met," he readily admitted before turning his back on the horizon that had swallowed her up. "Excuse me," he excused himself, walking away to...where, he did not know. He just needed space.
"...Mother," Ping called to YinLi, watching Shun walk away, "that man...he looks heartbroken."
"Poor thing," YinLi sympathized, shaking her head. Turning to her son, she continued, "go and tell the Avatar that dinner will be ready soon, will you?"
"Yes, Mother."
As Ping went to do what he was told, YinLi started towards her home, thinking hard. Whatever the four of them had been through, it had been enough to forge great ties with all of them. Now only two of Tiki's comrades remained. YinLi hoped her niece would not be too upset by the departure of her only female companion; frankly, YinLi was not sure how much more loss Tiki could take.
After her bath, Tiki found herself in her mother's old room. She had stayed in this room once before, back when she opened her dojo. Back then it had been a comforting reminder of her mother. Now, the reminder had turned haunting. Trying to ignore the rising lump in her throat, Tiki searched through the drawers for clothes. Though no one had been using this room for years, the clothes felt as if they had been freshly laundered; Tiki wondered if her aunt made a habit of keeping this room in good condition in the hopes that Tiki would return.
Tiki finally decided on a pair of dark yoga pants and a white peasant top that looked like it would fit her. As she pulled the clothes on, Tiki got a whiff of the perfume her mother once wore. Tiki's eyes teared up, but she brushed them aside. It was just her imagination. These clothes had been washed; her mother's perfume could not still cling to them.
Walking over to the vanity set, Tiki checked her reflection in the mirror. The clothes fit fine, which was a relief—she did not need her pants slipping off of her unexpectedly. On the table below the mirror, Tiki spied a small box that had not been there the last time she visited. Curious, she pulled the top off the box to reveal a pair of glittering crystal butterflies. Tiki sighed at the beauty, carefully picking one up. They were hair pins, she quickly realized: had Aunt Li placed them here for her?
Tiki carefully arranged them on each side of her hair. She liked how they looked—the clips held her hair back, but did not look as childish as her twin tails did. In fact, as she gazed at herself in the mirror, Tiki began to see what her aunt meant when she said Tiki looked like her mother.
The tiny airbender frowned at this. She did not want to be the living ghost of her mother. That was not who she was. She almost took the pins out, deciding to leave her hair free...but when she thought of the headache that would cause if she constantly had to push her hair back from her face, Tiki decided to leave them in. It would be up to her to show everyone that she was not just the reflection of her mother.
As soon as Tiki made her way into the kitchen, Ping's twin siblings Pai and Sho lit up. "Tiki!" they greeted, abandoning their food and tackling Tiki's legs.
"Pai, Sho, get back over here and finish your food," YinLi scolded before turning a smile onto Tiki. "I'm glad the clothes fit. And the hair pins look lovely, just as I thought they would."
"Thank you, Auntie," Tiki replied, taking a seat at the dinner table next to Syaoran. The food smelled good, and even though she did not feel too hungry, Tiki took enough to be acceptable so she would not hurt her aunt's feelings. Glancing around the table, Tiki frowned as soon as she noticed that they were one firebending lieutenant short. "Where's ZanYi?"
"She left, Tiki," Shun answered, playing with what was left of his food and looking dejected.
"Oh..." Tiki said, staring down at her plate. "I didn't get to say goodbye..."
It was looking like Tiki did not have the chance to do a lot of things lately. She wanted to at least thank ZanYi for trying so hard, but now the lieutenant was gone. Despite the unlikelihood of it all, Tiki fervently hoped that they would cross paths again one day.
"Yeah, well she didn't give us much of a chance to either," the Avatar muttered. Syaoran himself was having a hard time eating the food set before him. It was not because of the taste, no. Once again, the Avatar would eat just about anything as long as it didn't remind him of concentration camp slop. But his heart and stomach just wasn't in it.
After eating an amount that wouldn't make him starve later, he stopped toying with his cutlery and pushed the plate away a little, unable to eat any more. Within twenty-four hours, they'd managed to botch a rescue mission, watch the assassination of Tiki's parents, and now lose what felt like one of their own. Even putting aside Syaoran's particular attachment to ZanYi, it was still a miserable outlook.
"Thank-you for the meal," he expressed to YinLi, bowing his head a bit. Syaoran hoped the woman would not be offended if he did not finish. Looking to the other two, he knew they were feeling the same way as he. "Do you think she'll come back? Or even try to contact us?" Syaoran asked, trying not to let the hope rise in his voice.
Shun could not help but smile sadly at Syaoran. He knew exactly how the Avatar felt, after all.
"I don't think so, Syaoran. You know ZanYi—she's a woman who's always moving forward and never looks back." Shun set his fork down in surrender as well. "It was delicious, Li," he added, feeling guilty; it was rare that Shun never finished a meal, big as he was.
Tiki sighed, pushing her plate away from her. "Sorry, Auntie. I'm not hungry after all," she apologized with a helpless look to her aunt. YinLi seemed to understand, for she smiled good-naturedly at all of them as she cleared away the plates.
"Don't fuss about it—I'm not going to force-feed you. However, if you decide you're hungry later, leftovers will be in the fridge, you know I always make too much." To Shun and Syaoran, she added, "Feel free to help yourselves to anything you need here. There are two guest bedrooms upstairs next to Tiki's room and a bathroom across the hall, so you should be quite comfortable. As they say, mi casa es su casa."
"I'm going to bed," Tiki decided with a sigh, getting to her feet. At once, the twins kicked up a fuss at this announcement.
"No, Tiki, don't go!"
"Play with us, Tiki!"
"Next time," Tiki promised the twins, though they looked far from appeased. She turned to head up the stairs before she paused, remembering something. "Syaoran," she addressed the Avatar, turning to him. "I'm sorry, but we won't be able to start your training right away. I'm going to need...a day?"
The end of her sentence came out like a question as she peered curiously at her aunt, who had just returned from putting their plates in the kitchen. YinLi gave Tiki an appraising gaze before she answered.
"Try three."
"Three?"
"I told you: the sooner the better. Your skin isn't as malleable as it once was."
Tiki sighed, but she nodded. "All right: I'm going to need three days, Syaoran, sorry. In the meantime, I ask Ping to help you begin the basics of meditation."
Ping looked up, appearing startled at being tasked to help with the Avatar's training. "But Sifu—"
"Ping," Tiki began sternly, her arms crossed, "in this house, I am Tiki. Just Tiki, okay?" Ping flushed, dropping his gaze to his plate.
"Uh...yeah. Sorry," he apologized meekly, as if this was not the first time his cousin was forced to correct him.
"And as 'just Tiki'," she continued, her gaze softening, "I'm asking you for this favor, Ping. Will you do it?"
Ping met Tiki's eyes; it only took him a half-second to reply. "Of course."
"Thank you," Tiki said, rewarding Ping with a small smile. His whole face colored and his gaze dropped back down to his plate again. Tiki seemed to pay it no mind; her eyes were on her aunt once again. "When can we start?"
"Whenever you get up," YinLi replied, taking a sip of her tea.
"I rise with the sun, Auntie."
"It's a good thing the twins have me up at 4 a.m. every day, then."
Tiki smiled a little at this. This was exactly where she needed to be: a place where things felt relatively normal. She was a little anxious about her "rite of passage", but the feeling that it was long overdue was triumphant. Bidding her comrades and family a soft goodnight, Tiki padded back up to her mother's room to turn in for the night.
"Mother," Ping addressed YinLi, "is Tiki getting her—"
"Shh, Ping. It's supposed to be a secret," YinLi said, winking conspiratorially at her eldest. She smiled across the table at Syaoran and Shun. "Well now, that leaves you two gentlemen. If you'd like, Ping can show you around our island so you'll know where everything is and what to do when the alarm is raised. Or if you're all tuckered out from your trip—which I'm sure you must be—I can get you set up upstairs. What do you say?"
Shun was torn. On the one hand, sleep sounded really good right about now. But on the other, he was a little curious about the island—he had seen other nationalities in the small crowd of faces that had emerged to greet them, not just airbenders. That intrigued the giant waterbender, permeating through his sadness for ZanYi's departure. He was afraid that if he went to bed, he would not have peace of mind the whole night through.
In the end, the giant waterbender ended up shrugging. "Your call, Avatar," Shun passed the buck, too conflicted to make a decision himself. He would go along with whatever Syaoran decided.
Syaoran turned away from where Tiki had just left, perplexed as to what the girl was up to that she wouldn't be able to teach him for three full days. She didn't seem to be up to mischief, unlike how she used to be. Still, it was curious.
Looking at Shun, the Avatar thought on their options, trying to decide what option to take. Frankly, he did not feeling like doing anything at all, after the series of events they'd gone through in the past few days. And he didn't necessarily enjoy having to decide for him and Shun.
"I think we'll just turn in for the night. It's about time for this day to end," Syaoran decided. It was too dark out for a tour anyway. Better in the day where he could actually see it. Turning to Tiki's aunt, he affirmed his decision. "Please show us where we'll be staying," he requested of the airbender politely.
YinLi beamed at him. "So polite," she cooed again, smiling fondly at Syaoran before turning an appraising eye on her twins. "You two could stand to learn from the Avatar's manners."
Pai was too busy picking his nose to pay attention to his mother, and Sho had just discovered that her food made an awesome splattering noise when thrown onto the floor. YinLi sighed and got to her feet.
"At least I can rely on you, Ping," she praised her eldest with a smile, "watch Pai and Sho for me for a minute, would you? I'll be right back."
"Yes, Mother," Ping replied obediently. As he moved to stop his little sister from throwing her food onto the floor, YinLi beckoned for Syaoran and Shun to follow her upstairs.
"The room on the end is YinXiang's...well, it's Tiki's now, as long as she's here," YinLi corrected herself, her voice and expression tinged with sadness at the memory of her departed sister. "That means you two have the pick of the two rooms here, which were formerly owned by my brother and I. It's a good thing I dusted up here just this morning..."
YinLi opened the doors of the vacant rooms, bustling into the closets of each to fit the mattresses with fresh linens. Shun observed the room that clearly had belonged to YinLi at one point—there were pink flowers plastered all over the walls that suggested so. The house was situated atop a high hill, so the window had a great view of the ocean.
"I'll take this room," Shun decided, believing that he would mind the pink flowers less than Syaoran would. YinLi looked up, surprised.
"Are you sure?" she asked as Shun strolled in and sat down on the bed she had just finished making, "you're a big fellow, and my brother's bed is a little larger than mine—"
"It's fine. I'm used to small beds," Shun assured YinLi, lounging on the bed. His feet and shins stuck out at the end, but he appeared perfectly at ease. This must have assured YinLi, for she gave him a small smile and exited the room. "Night, Syaoran," Shun called just before YinLi shut the door.
"Well then, we'll put you up in my brother's old room," YinLi said as she smiled at Syaoran, leading him to the room in the middle. She had made the bed in here first, so it was all set for the Avatar. "My room is downstairs past the dining room, so if you're ever in need of something, don't hesitate to come down and ask...though I do request that you knock first to avoid awkward situations." YinLi let out a girlish giggle as she began to retreat from the room. "I'll put fresh towels in the bathroom for you to use as well. Good night, Avatar!"
As YinLi excused herself from Syaoran's presence, she paused on the landing to glance at the closed door at the end of the hall. If YinLi knew her niece, she knew that Tiki probably was not asleep at all, but just wanted to escape early so she could cry without an audience. YinLi almost went in, wanting to offer comfort to Tiki, and maybe shed a few tears of her own, but she did not dare in case she was wrong and Tiki actually was asleep. The next three days were going to be even harder for her. She would need all the rest she could get.
A/N from DJ: Back to a long chapter! The length varies so much in this book xD But on a serious note, from here on out, the actions of last chapter will reverberate. Tiki has a lot on her plate now, and this book is definitely a tumultuous one. Every action has a consequence and this book deals a lot with those and aftermath-like Tiki now orphaned and dealing with the loss of her parents, or the fact that ZanYi is leaving the team.
On a lighter note, let's go to the shout-outs:
The-new-avatar: If you almost started crying, that means we did our job right. Tiki losing her parents is big, and the loss of a loved one is difficult. We will not be skating over that. Still glad you managed to enjoy other parts of the chapter, like Syaoran's improvisation! Whatever works sometimes.
Writingbrick: Wow! A new reader and I hope we can assume you really like us! Thanks for the Story Fave, Story Alert, Author Fave, and Author Alert! I think that's a pretty good indicator you like us and you like War. Still, we'd love to hear feedback from you next time! If you love this story, we definitely want to hear what you think of the characters and story. And if you don't, then we'd still love to hear from you! Every voice counts! Still, thanks for your love so far!
And that's a wrap for this week! See you guys again next week!