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.
Day Two came way too early for Tiki. She had wanted to stay up until Shun and Syaoran had returned with ZanYi, but her aunt had come outside to remind Tiki—whom was sitting on the porch—one too many times that she had an early morning the next morning. So it was with resignation that Tiki retired to bed. The next morning, YinLi woke her up, and they went straight to the basement. A large shape in the form of Shun was slumbering on the couch, which both surprised and pleased Tiki. If Shun was sleeping on the couch, the tiny airbender was willing to bet that he had brought ZanYi home and let her crash in his bed. With a tiny smile, Tiki proceeded after her aunt down to the basement.
A few minutes later, Tiki was no longer smiling. How could she remain grinning, when a needle was piercing the flesh of her thighs, one of the tenderest parts of her body? It hurt so much that Tiki felt her teeth grinding together, tears stinging her eyes. It took all she had not to cry out, which was quite a feat. She must have been stronger than she thought.
Tiki lost track of time for a while; she had passed out from the pain again. When she woke up, YinLi was rubbing her back, wiping a cloth across her face. "You okay, sweetheart?" YinLi asked, peering down worriedly at her niece. The overall answer was no—Tiki felt as if her backside was on fire—but she nodded anyway.
"Get me Shun, please."
"All right."
YinLi came back up the stairs, but found that the giant waterbender was no longer slumbering on the couch. She stared around, confused. Where had he disappeared to?
Shun broke the surface of the waves, relishing the coolness of the water on his skin. Most of his burns had been healed as soon as they had returned to the island, but there were a few on his back that, try as he might, he could not reach. They didn't hurt right now, though, so he was not fussed about them. He was just content to float on his back, allowing the ocean to soothe the scorched skin. He knew that ZanYi was safe, so he did not mind that he had gotten hurt rescuing her. He almost considered them badges of honor.
The only regret the giant waterbender had was that Lee had been caught and detained before they could all escape together. If only they had been fast enough… maybe Lee could be there on the island with them.
Soft, but steadier steps walked across the beach of the early morning. ZanYi found it no surprise that Shun was out there in the waters. It was just like any other day had been out on Roku's Island. The lieutenant walked out to the tip of the water and found it cold. Stepping back, ZanYi found herself content to sit on the sand instead. She was finally warm; last thing she wanted was to be cold again.
ZanYi's gaze followed Shun as he swam about, her thoughts on him and everywhere else. Now that the numbness had left her body, it felt like everything was hurt, bruised and torn. It was going to take time for all of it to heal up. So much damage in so little time. And considering the officers that had done it didn't know her, they spared no expense in their techniques.
It was hard to believe still, as if she were still in a state of denial. It was baffling to her how so much had changed in her absence. Her soldiers were mostly gone. Her reputation was tarnished. And now ZanYi was a wanted fugitive by the very cause she had dedicated her life to supporting.
Her grip tightened on her crossed arms and she had to stop, the pain shooting through her. And yet, despite all of that, ZanYi realized this time as she began to toy with her dogtags, looking at them as if she had seen them for the first time.
Eventually, out in the water, Shun remembered that around this time, Tiki would be needing him to heal the scarring from her tattoos. That meant that he had better cut his swim short. It took him until he was shin-deep in water that he looked up and realized that ZanYi was there. Shun paused, nonplussed. How long had she been there? And why hadn't she said anything?
"Hey," he greeted, moving to sit beside ZanYi. Her surveyed her, watching her fiddle with her dogtags. That never meant anything good. "You okay?" he asked mildly, turning so that his eyes were on the ocean. He could only imagine how ZanYi was feeling, betrayed by the very cause she had given nearly everything to. Tiki could wait—Shun felt that ZanYi needed his support a little more right now.
ZanYi nodded absentmindedly, continuing to stare out at the ocean waves. Across those waves was the Resistance base, and a cooler that had had her name on it. It was a building of people fighting for the same cause, and she was targeted as against that cause. There was nothing she could do. She'd tried to tell them what happened, told them the truth. Nobody was listening any more.
What would happen to Lee? What had happened to her soldiers taken hostage? What about her brother? There was no way she would know any of those answers because she could not even go back long enough to find out without cross-hairs on her.
"It wasn't supposed to be like this…" she eventually whispered, shaking her head a little. ZanYi held a hand to her forehead, almost reeling still. Her throat was still dry, cracked. Feeling the cool metal under her fingertips, ZanYi looked down to her dogtags, reading them over and over. Was she even a lieutenant any more? Did she even have a title? ZanYi looked at Shun, the uncertainty and betrayal clear. Nothing was right any more. And it was difficult to comprehend. The life she'd known was gone. If Neo-Equalists found her, she was dead. If the Resistance found her, she was as good as dead. "What do I do now?" ZanYi hadn't mean to ask, hadn't meant for the words to leave her mind.
The question surprised Shun. He turned to meet ZanYi's eyes, to see the hurt and fear and betrayal there. He had never seen ZanYi look so vulnerable—other than that night at Roku's Island, where she had spoke of her wishes for the war to end. Just like that time, Shun felt something stirring within him, only this time it was stronger. The giant waterbender reached over, taking ZanYi's face in his hands.
"You keep fighting." The answer felt and sounded so simple that it came naturally to Shun's lips, without him having to search for words. "It doesn't matter whose side you're on as long as you're fighting for the right cause, does it?"
Shun removed his hands, but could not help but brush a stray strand of ZanYi's dark hair from her face. "Besides, if you need back-up, you know you've always got me." Shun chuckled a little. "I know it's not much, but it's something at least, right?"
ZanYi nodded, resting on that for a minute. And then she shook her head, making a sound that was almost a chuckle. The woman looked to Shun, holding her tilted head in her hand as she peered over at him. "Definitely not much," ZanYi agreed with him, sobering a little. Then her voice grew quiet again, serious as she added, "But the best back-up I've ever had." And that was when the small smile colored the corner of her mouth. "Thank-you, Shun."
Shun, predictably, flushed at this thanks. ZanYi was really pretty when she smiled…
"Uh, um, no problem," he spluttered, getting to his feet with a hand over his mouth. "Uh, I just remembered, I have to go help Tiki with, um, something. But I'll see you later so I can heal some of those bruises."
Shun walked quickly away, cursing himself the whole time. Why couldn't he have a normal conversation with ZanYi anymore? Nowadays, they couldn't even exchange a few sentences without him always getting embarrassed and running away. It was becoming highly annoying.
But, on the bright side, he had gotten ZanYi to smile. That was good, at least. Shun smiled as well as he headed back into YinLi's house. It was good to have the lieutenant back.
"Syaoran! Get up!"
There was a rough voice outside his door, knocking insistently. Syaoran sat up in bed, groggy. Glancing to the window, he saw that it was still early morning—though, he could say it was still too early for him to be up, after the night they'd had. But when the knocking wouldn't cease, the Avatar got up, walking slowly to the door. When he opened it, Syaoran was surprised to find ZanYi there, gazing back at him with accusation. "ZanYi," he breathed, suddenly waking. "What are you doing up? You should be resting."
"I can rest when I'm dead," she quickly quipped, crossing her arms. "I heard from YinLi downstairs that your airbender training has been delayed because of something Tiki has going on. That does not give you a free pass to sleep in. If you can't learn airbending, then we'll work on your firebending." ZanYi started to walk away, tossing back, "Be ready in five minutes."
Syaoran looked at her in disbelief before going after her. "Uh, ZanYi, you really shouldn't push yourself. I mean, I can work on my forms on my own," he told her, reaching to take her arm and stop her. He didn't miss the wince when his grip encircled her arm and it made him let go quickly, even before she looked back to narrow her golden eyes at him.
"Keep babying me like this, and I will see to it that you're in even worse shape than I am," she vowed. ZanYi had been beaten and tortured, sure. She had been betrayed by the movement that she believed in. But by no means was that any excuse, and she did not appreciate the concern. "Until this mess is sorted out, I will still be here to protect you and teach you. My job is no longer over."
The lieutenant pulled away from him, telling him to be down to eat breakfast quickly so that they could get started. Syaoran could only watch after her in frustration. He helped save her life, and she was back to insisting that the Avatar had to be watched out for, that he was her job again. His fist went out to hit the wall, and when he turned, he saw no trace of it even happening. It didn't splinter and crack the way Shun's fist had when they found out ZanYi had been taken…
With an exasperated growl, Syaoran threw his hands up in the air before retreating to his room to get ready for the day. And yet, despite his infuriation, he still knew that dealing with the lieutenant like this was better than not having her there at all.
Ping was setting the table when ZanYi and Syaoran made their way downstairs. Aside from a stiff nod, he did not acknowledge them, hyper-aware that his mother was in the next room, putting the finishing touches on breakfast.
"Ping, go get Pai and Sho from Kairi's, please," YinLi requested, setting steaming plates of pancakes and tofu sausages down on the table. As Ping left the house, Shun entered the room, carrying Tiki into the room, who was wearing modest clothes to hide her bandages again. He was carrying a couch cushion, and he placed the cushion down on a chair before carefully setting Tiki down. Nonetheless, the tiny airbender still winced.
"Thanks, Shun," she said softly, looking up to see Syaoran and ZanYi there. "Morning, Syaoran. Welcome back, ZanYi."
"Good morning, everyone," YinLi trilled with a bright smile. "Sit down and help yourselves, breakfast is ready."
"You're in a good mood, Auntie," Tiki noted, surveying her aunt with mild interest as Shun loaded her plate with food for her.
"It's just good to see you all together again," YinLi replied, sitting at the head of the table and smiling. "It just felt like something was missing when your lieutenant friend wasn't here, not to mention you all were so down in the dumps, though it was only for a day."
Tiki closed her eyes for a moment, breathing deeply. Sure, ZanYi's sudden departure had left the tiny airbender a little lonelier, but she had watched her parents get murdered just a few days ago. That was definitely more depressing than ZanYi's absence. But Tiki did not say this aloud—Shun and Syaoran actually did look marginally happy, and she did not want to shove her problems onto everyone else.
ZanYi looked at the three of them curiously at the proclamation of the mood in her absence, and Syaoran distinctly avoided looking at her. Feeling the way he had was one thing; having ZanYi know about it from a third-party was another entirely. "Well, apparently things will be close to normal now," he remarked, busying himself as he made his breakfast plate. He looked to Tiki, knowing that things would never be normal for her again. "ZanYi is going to work with me on my firebending until you're done with… whatever it is you're doing."
Looking up from her breakfast, ZanYi frowned at the sight of Tiki, sore and bandaged. "Do I even want to know what you're up to this time?" she asked, her brow quirked gently.
"Tiki won't say," Syaoran answered, glancing at the same bandages. Tiki seemed even worse off this morning, if Shun's gentle care of her was any indication. Her winces of pain were also another sign. "But until you're better, Tiki, it might be better for me to just keep polishing my firebending," he added, keeping his words civil. After all, the mother of the offensive airbender he had already grown to dislike was sitting right next to him.
"We'll start after breakfast," ZanYi agreed, taking a sip of something to drink. It helped her parched throat, though it didn't take the bedrock out of it. Her golden eyes rested on Tiki. "Unless you had other plans for him right now."
Tiki frowned a bit. She was beginning to regret starting her 'rite of passage' so soon, when Syaoran needed her to teach him airbending. She had sincerely thought that Ping would be able to get Syaoran started on meditation, at least, but the unforeseen tension between the two men still left her confused. Ping had avoided her after she had overheard the heated argument her cousin was having with the Avatar, so she still had not had a chance to ask him directly what had went wrong.
"No," she replied to ZanYi. "I'll need just one more day before I can start teaching Syaoran the basics, but…" her gaze moved to Syaoran, "if you've learned the fundamentals of meditation, you can try some independent practice, if you're up to it. I'm sorry we couldn't get started right away."
"I apologize as well," YinLi spoke up, looking regretful. "I spoke to my son, but he wouldn't tell me why he had been so disagreeable. I am sorry on his behalf."
Shun had a funny feeling that he knew why Ping did not like Syaoran too much—but that, of course, was none of his business. Just because Tiki had stuck her nose into his personal life once upon a time did not mean the same right was extended to him—even if he was pretty sure he was right, just like Tiki had been so sure.
"Don't worry about it, ma'am," Syaoran told YinLi. Despite the difficult young man she had raised, the Avatar had no problem with his mother, Tiki's aunt. In fact, it was almost reassuring to have someone so motherly around, after being with the military for so long. "I can just work on my firebending until Tiki's freed up."
But ZanYi then was shaking her head. "We can get to that later today. Right now you should work on that independent practice," she refuted, eating her food calmly. Syaoran whirled to look at her, confused and dreadful.
"What? But you said—!"
"You need to work on your airbending, Syaoran," ZanYi firmly said, looking to meet his gaze with a challenge burning in them. "You're the Avatar and it's time to move on to the next element if we're going to get you anywhere near useful in this war soon. So do your meditation practice, and we will work on your firebending later."
Her voice clearly said this was not a request, but an order. And while Shun seemed to stand up to her, Syaoran was not about to risk it. He was going to start putting his foot down more, but this was not a good time for it. The Avatar was smart enough to know that. It did not mean he would look forward to meditation.
"All right," he relented, disgruntled as he turned back to his food. ZanYi went back to hers as well, smirking a little.
"Remember: clear your mind and breathe deep," Tiki said, assuming that, hopefully, Ping had taught the Avatar this much. "If you practice these two points, you should be able to get the hang of it."
Ping returned then, with one hand each clasped by his younger siblings. Pai and Sho's little faces lit up as soon as they saw Tiki at the breakfast table.
"Tiki!" they cheered, rushing over and climbing up into their elder cousin's lap. Tiki's teeth bit into her already scarred lip, but she gave no other sign that the weight of the twins on her lap bothered her.
"You guys are energetic," Tiki noted, smiling a little at their happy faces.
"Are you teaching the class at the dojo today, Tiki?" Pai wanted to know, leaning in close to unleash the force of his puppy eyes on her. "Pleeeaase?"
"Everybody missthes you, Shifu Tiki," Sho lisped, grinning to display the two front teeth she was missing. Tiki patted their heads, her smile growing by a centimeter.
"Maybe I'll teach a class or two while I'm here," she consented, "but you two—and everyone else—has to understand: Syaoran is my priority right now, okay? His training comes first, above all else."
"Do you like him more than us, Tiki?" Pai asked, his little face twisting into a Tiki-like pout. Tiki was about to reply that of course she liked Syaoran, but it was not less or more than she liked her cousins, when a clatter from Ping's direction distracted her. Tiki looked up just in time to see her younger cousin stand from the table, excusing himself to leave the house once again. Tiki stared after him for a moment, small dots beginning to connect themselves in her mind.
"Have some breakfast, okay Tile Game?" Tiki encouraged, using her own personal nickname for the twins. They giggled and vacated her lap, allowing the tiny airbender to struggle to her feet. "I'm fine," she said softly to Shun, who moved to help her stand. "If you'll all excuse me for a second…"
Ping was heading in the direction of the dojo when Tiki finally made it out of the house. She walked stiffly after him, trying to ignore the soreness in her legs.
"Ping! Hold on a moment," she called after him. Her cousin stiffened, and she watched as his shoulders moved with his inhalation. He was trying to calm down, which concerned Tiki. Was he really that worked up over this?
"Yes, Sifu?" he asked, turning to give Tiki his poker face. He was determined to give nothing away. Too bad Tiki already knew everything. She waited until she was right next to him, meeting his dark gray eyes with her own lighter ones.
"Syaoran and I are friends," she told him steadily, watching as her cousin's eyes tightened, "There's no need to be jealous."
Ping blanched at this. "What… what makes you think I'm jealous?" he asked, sending a jerky glance around to make sure no one was nearby. Tiki gave him a deadpan stare.
"Ping, come on. I'm not as clueless as you think I am. I know how you feel about me."
Ping's eyes widened and his face turned a dark shade of red. "I don't know what you're—"
"Ping."
Ping looked away, but Tiki could tell from his profile that he was cracking. She had hit the nail on the head, and he was trying desperately not to show it. She moved a little closer to him, pitching her voice low to spare his feelings as best as she could.
"Ping, you know I'm flattered," she began softly, "but the thing is—"
"I know," Ping cut her off, his mouth tightening, "we're cousins, and you're disgusted by the thought of me being in love with you because of that, when you of all people should understand, because your parents—"
"Don't bring my parents into this," Tiki interrupted, giving Ping a severe look. Remembering himself, Ping took another deep breath.
"I just don't understand why you won't give me a chance," he said in a calmer voice, looking Tiki in the eye. "I'm sixteen now—I'm not the child you refused to marry four years ago. And I could make you happy, Tiki, if you would just let me."
Tiki sighed and shook her head. He just did not understand.
"Ping… I love you. But I'm not in love with you. And you're not in love with me. I know you think you are," she talked over him, for Ping showed every sign of interrupting her, "but you're not. You grew up listening to our parents talk about us being married one day and continuing to repopulate the airbender society, and I'm sure the romance of the situation had a great influence on you. But Ping, think about it: would you really have been pleased with our parents deciding our futures for us? Would you have been okay with being forced to marry me when, one day, you found your real true love?"
Ping frowned, uncomprehending. Why didn't Tiki believe that he was really in love with her? Why wouldn't she take him seriously? But the confidence in her voice… Ping was beginning to doubt his own feelings because of her. Her parents often said that she was wise beyond her years—when she stopped monkeying around long enough to show it—was this what they meant?
"I want to marry for love," Tiki continued, a small, sad smile gracing her features, "and I want you to have that choice too, Ping. So please, don't waste any more time on me. There's a girl out there for you, but it isn't me. But I promise, someday, you'll find her."
Ping stared down at Tiki, feeling more and more glum the longer he stayed with her. Some part of him had been hoping that, one day, Tiki would come around… but she had just made it all too clear that was not going to happen. His heart felt like it was splintering in two, but it was kind of a good kind of pain: if he thought about it seriously, Ping would rather Tiki set him straight once and for all than him pining uselessly after her forever. It was… cleansing.
"…I understand," he finally sighed, giving Tiki a tremulous smile. "Looks like I have a lot of thinking to do."
"I hope you find your answer," Tiki wished, returning the smile. Ping paused a moment, almost hesitating. And then he raised his arms, reaching toward her. Knowing that this was probably the last time he would willingly offer her a hug, Tiki obliged. His tight hold hurt her sore back, but he let go soon enough, turning away and continuing towards the dojo.
"Tell Mother I'll do the dishes for the rest of the week to make up for my rude behavior," Ping called over his shoulder.
"Sure," Tiki agreed, though she stayed where she was, watching Ping walk away. She did not like hurting her cousin, but convinced herself that this was the last time, and it was necessary—she did not want to have a hold over Ping forever. She did not like it, and it was not fair to him. In order for him to seriously let him go, she had to break his heart first. That's when the healing truly began.
Sitting in the gazebo, Syaoran sighed with discontent. He was not looking forward to trying this meditation thing again. It still sounded like a horrible idea. Emptying out his mind sounded like the last thing he should be doing. Breathe? Sure. He could do that. But drop everything in his mind for the sake of it? As the Avatar, he knew he had to give it a shot. Airbending was next in the cycle. That meant he had to do it. And Syaoran was all the more reluctant. But he considered that, now that ZanYi was back, it might not be quite so difficult.
With a disgruntled huff, Syaoran took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to at least push thoughts of her away. It was easier, knowing she was safe, there on the island. Probably getting patched up by Shun.
Syaoran grumbled, the envy rising within him again. Shun. He trusted the man. The waterbender was a friend, a comrade. A part of him didn't want to believe that Shun could possibly be going after ZanYi, but after watching him the whole day prior, the way he treated ZanYi during and after their rescue plan—Syaoran would have to be daft not to believe that at least something was brewing.
And he hated that he didn't know.
Syaoran growled and threw up his hands, falling onto his back to sprawl across the gazebo. "Why is it that this meditation stuff only makes me think more?" he muttered, irritated.
"You're the Avatar: you kind of have a lot to think about."
Tiki strode into the gazebo to lean over Syaoran, a little smile on her face. "Having a hard time?" she guessed, sinking down next to him and carefully folding her legs. They still ached, but at least her arms were feeling better. That was encouraging—Tiki would only be sore for another day after her 'rite of passage' was finally finished.
But since she had some free time and did not want to spend the rest of it in bed—though she could use a little meditation of her own—she decided she could assist Syaoran a little with his airbending training. Nothing too strenuous, of course, but meditation she could handle.
Syaoran snorted. "No kidding," he mumbled, sitting up. He supposed that was true. Again, Syaoran only had the fate of a war, all of bender-kind, and the hopes of them all resting on him. He'd already let down Tiki. It was because of him that ZanYi was now being hunted down by the military. His family was somewhere rotting and wasting away. And yet the problems he couldn't seem to shake were the most trivial.
It was enough to fall back down to the floor, purposefully knocking his head gently against the wood. This was all just another reason to be disappointed in himself. This was going to get him nowhere. "Tiki," he started, looking over to the airbender seated by him. "Do you think answers will help clear up questions?"
Tiki tilted her head to the side curiously. She was sure that Syaoran had many questions, but as to their nature, she could not guess. So she decided to go with a broad answer.
"Maybe," she replied fairly, "but sometimes answers can beget more questions. It all depends." Tiki reached over, grabbing Syaoran's hand and tugging on it. "Here, sit up," she encouraged, "I think I might be able to find a way to help you relax."
Syaoran grumbled, but nonetheless heeded Tiki's wishes. With a heavy discontent, the Avatar pulled himself back up to sit on his rear. He angled his body, turning to face the airbender. "I doubt you can help me relax," he told her with a roll of his eyes, "unless you can take away any and all reasons for me to worry."
And what he worried about was ZanYi and Shun. It sucked. Syaoran didn't want to worry about them, but he was. Training his jade eyes on Tiki, he sighed, "What have you got in mind?"
Again, Tiki gave him a curious look. It looked like something in particular was bothering the Avatar, but she was not sure what—it could be a number of things. Now that ZanYi was back, Tiki thought Syaoran would be in a better mood, but apparently her reappearance was not enough. "I don't know about your mental woes," she began, moving around Syaoran to sit behind him, "but I did notice something: whenever you get stressed, your shoulders tense up. I'm betting that makes you really sore." Placing her bandaged hands on Syaoran's shoulders, Tiki began rubbing soothing circles into them with her thumbs. "Just breathe deep and relax," she instructed him, gently rubbing the tension out of his shoulders. "Maybe having you physically relaxed will help with your mental and spiritual unease."
Syaoran did most of his learning hands-on, Tiki had learned. But airbending was not so much about the physical side as it was about the spiritual side. Syaoran was having trouble connecting to that side, so Tiki had to start from the bottom up. Hopefully this would help Syaoran better connect with airbending.
Syaoran wasn't sure what this had to do with airbending or relaxing, but after a moment of the soft pressure Tiki was applying to his shoulders, he decided not to question it. The movements felt surprisingly good, hitting nerves that were as tight as his attitude. "That… feels kind of nice," he admitted lowly, closing his eyes and letting his friend go at it.
As the small hands made work out of his shoulders, Syaoran could almost feel the muscles slowly loosen up. His breathing became slower, more even. In and out. He could almost feel the agitation start seeping away, ebbing. His shoulders started to sag in the silence as a result.
"That's it," Tiki encouraged softly, "just let it all blow away with the breeze. Let go of your worldly problems and breathe deep. The only thing I want you to focus on is the tranquility of the moment. That's all that matters right now."
The pressure in Syaoran's shoulders lessened, and Tiki smiled a little, relaxing in response. It seemed to be working a little, at least. She moved her hands to knead his back with her knuckles, knowing there must be tension here as well. The Avatar sure had a lot of kinks and knots.
Syaoran let out a low sound when Tiki moved down to his back. He hunched over a little, his back broadening, like a canvas to her art. The hands that worked their way through his muscles were gentle and firm. He'd never really liked massages before; his mother would pound his muscles into a state even worse than they were already in. But under Tiki's graceful craft, his muscles were loosening, unfurling. The tension in his brow even started to ease away. Syaoran's breaths were growing deep, as if the air was filling him up, only to deflate softly. It was like the world was melting away a little bit.
"Okay… this is really nice…" he whispered, allowing his head to hang a little.
Tiki let out a small giggle. She had never seen Syaoran so languid before. It was like he had turned into putty.
"We can do this every time you need to meditate until you naturally learn to relax," Tiki decided, her hands making their way down to Syaoran's lower back. "You'll never be this stiff again, though—not after I'm done with you today." Once she was satisfied that she had worked out every possible knot in the Avatar's back, she leaned forward, her palms resting on his shoulders once again. "Feel better?" she asked softly, her lips at Syaoran's ear. She did not want to ruin the peace of the moment.
Syaoran sighed and nodded. He did feel better, at least for the moment. And considering how stressed he had been prior, Syaoran was in no hurry to start worrying again. So he held onto that feeling, of ease and calm. Tiki's voice was only but a flutter at his ear, soft. It didn't bother him. It was comforting almost. Or maybe he was letting the moment get to him.
That was more likely. Much more likely. "And here I thought you were teaching me how to airbend, not magic," he muttered, keeping his breathing still.
Tiki did something she had not done for a while: she outright laughed. It didn't last long, but such a simple gesture felt as if it did her body good. It had been a while since she could actually laugh… a while that felt like an eternity…
Tiki forced the depressing thoughts away, getting herself back on track. "It's not magic," she contradicted the Avatar as she moved to sit in front of him again, "I like to think of it as 'creative problem-solving'. Now that you're physically relaxed, it'll be a lot easier for you to mentally relax too."
Syaoran looked like he might fall asleep. Tiki bit her lip to keep from smiling outright. She was glad to be making progress. "Okay, Syaoran: now that your muscles are loose, I want you to sit up straight and just breathe. In and out, that's all I want you to do."
Tiki took Syaoran's hands, holding them loosely in between the two of them. "Just watch me, and repeat," the tiny airbender instructed before closing her eyes. She fixed her posture, inhaled slowly, and exhaled equally as slow. She kept at it, holding Syaoran's hands: if there was anything he began to struggle with, she would feel it as soon as his hands tensed up. If that happened, she would stop and help him from there. Learning airbending required a degree of patience, something Tiki knew Syaoran would need a lot of. She was not exactly certain that she could teach him patience, but she could certainly try.
A bit reluctant, Syaoran decided to try again, hoping it would go better this time around. Either way, he had to try anyway. Tiki was his teacher now, and if he wasn't going to get along with the other airbenders, he had to listen to the one he chose.
So Syaoran straightened up his posture, his chest broad as he took deep breaths in and out. Each breath went through him deep, released slowly. And he continued to do it. And it was quiet.
Peeking one eye open, Syaoran glanced at Tiki. "What am I supposed to be doing?" he whispered, uncertain.
Tiki's lips twitched. "Achieving inner peace," she replied, her eyes still closed. Another slow inhale and exhale later, Tiki opened her eyes to meet Syaoran's uncertain gaze. "Don't worry. It takes a little time, but you'll know when you get it," she told him before shutting her eyes again. "In the meantime: practice." Tiki knew that this would probably be the most frustrating part for Syaoran—he was very much a hands-on type of guy. But if he did not master meditation first, he would struggle even more when it was time for him to move on to actually mastering airbending. Baby steps first.
Syaoran's gaze went from confused to a skeptic deadpan. "Inner peace? Right…" he said, chewing on each word. It still made no sense to him, even when Tiki was trying to tell him. And he didn't really like not knowing what that was. Knowing when he got to it was not a sufficient answer. It wasn't an answer at all.
He felt himself starting to tense up again, so Syaoran stopped, taking a deep breath to let it all go. If this is what it took to understand airbending, he was just going to have to go with it. Practice breathing all over again.
Each breath came out deep. It was a different sort of breathing than ZanYi had taught him. It was less controlled, more thorough, like it was flowing through him.
"How long do you practice this?" he couldn't help but whisper again.
Tiki opened her eyes again, contemplating Syaoran for a moment.
"…As long as it takes," she eventually replied, knowing that this answer might frustrate Syaoran. But there was nothing she could do about it—the time varied with every airbender when the time came for them to learn how to meditate. There was no solid answer… there was an average, however. "Most airbending children take at least a couple years to fully master meditation," Tiki admitted, "but since we're kind of on a deadline with you, I'll be doing everything I can to make the process a little easier for you." Tiki leaned forward, her face inches from Syaoran's. "And a little hint: mastering meditation usually requires silence." Meaning that if the Avatar kept asking questions, he was not going to get very far. With a pointed look, Tiki leaned back to her original position and closed her eyes once more, breathing deep. Her thumbs rubbed circles in the skin on the back of his hands, reminding Syaoran to relax.
Syaoran let out a grieved sigh, eyes narrowed at Tiki. He was asking questions because she wasn't giving him answers that he could work with. Unable to understand even the basics of airbending, Syaoran was feeling less hopeful, considering it took even the ones who were prone to airbending years to master it. But Tiki was right on that one: they didn't have years for him to master it.
In those years, more lives would be lost. So if the process was to be expedited, Syaoran was going to have to kick it into gear and… breathe. That sounded extremely anti-climatic.
Shaking away the tragic notion, he closed his eyes again and only breathed. Tiki's soothing circles on his hands were like reminders, and Syaoran allowed himself to at least sag his shoulders again. A small smile tugged at Tiki's lips again when she felt the tension leave Syaoran. He was frustrated, she knew, but he was still going to give it the best effort he could. She could not ask for anything more than that.
It took Tiki a little longer to find her rhythm this time. She had not really meditated successfully in a while—not since they had arrived in Republic City to attempt the fated failure of a rescue mission of her parents. Achieving inner peace wasn't something that was coming very easy to her nowadays; that was part of the reason she finally decided to go through the airbender tradition and get her tattoos. But by being here in this place, mentoring Syaoran as he attempted to conquer airbending, Tiki felt a little more relaxed than she had felt in a while. Maybe she would be able to reach her happy place today…
"Hey, isn't that her? The daughter of the traitors?"
Tiki stiffened. She did not dare open her eyes and look around at who was talking about her—and there was no doubt that they were talking about her—but she strained her ears in an attempt to recognize the voices. Sadly, she could not: they sounded young, but not too young, so it could not be any of her airbending protégés… were they refugees? Tiki could not be sure without looking, but she was too intimidated to open her eyes.
"Yeah, that's her," a voice agreed, sounding as if the guy was sneering. "She has some nerve, showing her face around here."
"The airbenders are a peaceful, forgiving people…" the second man paused, and then added with a laugh, "or you could call them fools."
"I bet the only reason they accepted her is because she's supposed to take her traitor mother's place as chairwoman of the airbender society."
"They're gonna let a kid take over? Hah! Then they're as good as finished!"
"Seriously! Maybe we should leave this island before we get dragged down with them."
The men's voices were fading as they walked away, laughing loudly. Tiki kept her breathing steady, but it was far too late to fight back the tears, which dripped from her eyelids onto the floor. She knew that people were probably saying such things behind her back, but she did not expect to have to hear such criticisms so early. It hurt a lot worse than she had been anticipating. She squeezed her eyes shut tighter, trying to block the tears, but that didn't stop it from hurting. How dare they judge her—they didn't even know her.
The only thing that had stopped Syaoran from rising up at the ignorant men was the fact that Tiki's hands were shaking a little in his grasp. He opened his eyes and watched as the men left, glaring at them as they did so. Committing their faces to memory so he could steer Tiki clear of them while they were there, Syaoran then turned to her.
Jade eyes found tears trickling down the airbender's face, try as she seemed to hold them back. She seemed to be doing a lot of that after her first explosion of rage and grief. And for it to be Tiki, it kind of hurt Syaoran to watch. As much older she seemed to have become, it was like watching a child do her best not to cry over a scrape.
Syaoran let go of her hands and begrudgingly pulled her forward, hiding her face into his shirt. "No one's watching, Tiki. So just get it all out. Don't fight it," he advised her, holding her head there, staying her. If she didn't get it out, Syaoran almost felt like her little body would explode from everything she was keeping in.
Tiki was both startled and pained by the sudden tender gesture on Syaoran's part. While the more childish side of her wanted to give in to his warmth and cry her eyes out, another, stronger part of her balked at the idea. Giving in to being babied would be backsliding, and she could not afford to show weakness anymore. "No," she protested, fighting against Syaoran's grasp. "Please, Syaoran, let me go. I can't be a baby anymore! I have to grow up and start acting my own age! I can't let this affect me, because it's only going to get worse, and if I cry, they'll tear me apart!"
Tiki was successful in pushing away from Syaoran, but her hands gripped his shoulders, her small frame trembling. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her head bowed, fighting a losing battle. Sorrow had already overwhelmed her.
"…I can't…" she sobbed, balling her hands into fists as she clutched Syaoran's shirt. "They died… to protect me… it's my fault… I have no right to cry…" Tiki drew a shuddering breath, absolutely humiliated. She had been doing so well, and now the words of scornful strangers had broken her down to nothing. Her eyes shut even tighter, her body shaking even harder with the effort to hold herself together. "I can't… cry anymore… I can't…"
Syaoran had a moment of panic rise up in his throat. Tiki was completely crumbling, breaking down. And Avatar or not, he had no idea of what to do. After all, his original plan seemed to have made it worse. But all he saw was a friend falling to pieces.
So all Syaoran could think to do was pick up the pieces. He wrapped both arms around her tight, as if trying to hold her together. "Normally I would beg for you not to cry," he said awkwardly, trying to hold her close, "but I think that wouldn't work for you right now…" His groan came out deep and throaty. "You've got to cry this time, Tiki. Or you're going to explode. Doesn't matter if you think you should or not. You have to. For you."
Syaoran's warmth and strength circled Tiki, inescapable, impossible to resist. The only thing that made Tiki finally let go and give in was the fact that Syaoran was sitting here, seeing her at her absolute worst… and he chose to stay and comfort her, refusing to let her deal with this on her own. He really was a great friend.
Tiki wrapped an arm around his neck, her other hand clutching his sleeve as she buried her face in his shoulder, letting all the pent up pain and anger filter through her tears. She felt incredibly guilty for having him deal with her crying once again, hating herself for being a baby. But Tiki could not deny that it felt good to be able to weep, to finally let it all go. Her body shook with her sobs, and she clung to Syaoran as if she was drowning and he was her only lifeline.
Slowly, as time passed, her tears subsided, and it became a little easier to breathe. When Tiki finally calmed down enough to come back to herself, she realized with horror that she had completely soaked Syaoran's shirt through with her tears. She pushed away from him a little, her hands resting on his chest.
"…I'm sorry," she apologized, her head bowed and turned away from him—she was too ashamed to look at him. "I ruined your shirt."
What happened? Just a few minutes ago, she had been the one mentoring Syaoran. And now he was forced to comfort her again. It was like nothing had changed. Tiki hated it.
Syaoran scoffed, disbelieving. She completely weeps on him, breaks down finally since her initial blow-up, and Tiki's worried about his shirt? It was outrageous enough to make him almost snort. But that sort of commentary certainly wouldn't be appreciated at the moment. Tiki wouldn't even look at him.
"Don't worry about it, Tiki. It's just water," Syaoran huffed, thinking nothing of the trivial comment. He tried to reach her eyes but she was adamantly looking away from him. The Avatar then lifted a hand and dropped it onto the top of Tiki's head, turning her head to face him again. "Hey, when you need to cry, do it. Trying to hold it all in is only going to make it worse when you finally do. You just lost your parents, Tiki. Grieve. You're allowed to."
A tremulous smile formed on Tiki's lips, but there was nothing happy about it. If only she could have remained that naive.
"The sad thing is… I don't have time to grieve," Tiki pointed out, "Between the kids on this island asking me if I'll resume my position of master at my dojo, your airbending training, the stuff my aunt is helping me with, and preparing to step into my mother's shoes as chairwoman, that doesn't give me a lot of free time. I did just lose my parents… but time stands still for no one… and certainly not for me."
As if she remembered something from stating this brutal fact, Tiki pulled free of Syaoran and stood up. "Actually, do you mind if we pick up where we left off on your meditation tomorrow? There's something I want to discuss with my aunt," the tiny airbender said, her back to Syaoran. Without waiting for an answer, she left the gazebo, striding determinedly towards her aunt's house. If time would not stand still for her, she was just going to have to chase after it until there was nothing left in her to give chase. Tiki had too many things to do to commit half-heartedly to a thousand things at once, so if she was going to start getting serious, it meant it was time for her to start pushing herself to her absolute limits. No more kiddie gloves—she was a big girl now.
Big girl or not, though, Syaoran watched after her, foreshadowing bad news. Tiki was taking on too much too soon. And she was going to break from it all.
The Avatar fell back onto this back and smacked his forehead. "Great. Another worry to add to the list…"
"Tiki, I already explained to you why we can't do that."
"Auntie, come on. It's the last part! Let's just finish it today!"
"Absolutely not."
"Why?"
"Because your pain tolerance is extremely low. You've already passed out twice—!"
"But those tattoos took longer to do! You just have to do the one part on my back, the back of my neck and my forehead, and then we're done!"
"Decided not to shave your head, then?"
"Please don't change the subject, Aunt Li. Just finish my tattoos today, and we never have to worry about them again. Please?"
"…Why are you in such a hurry all of a sudden?"
"I'm not in a hurry. I'm just sick of sitting around like I'm useless. I need to teach the Avatar airbending, and I can't do that being all bandaged up for another full day. Besides, if I walk around tomorrow with bandages around my neck and forehead, that's only going to make them more suspicious. I want this finished already."
"Please, Aunt Li."
"…Tsk. Oh, all right. Pai, Sho: find your brother at the dojo and stay there with him, understand?"
"Okaaaay!"
"Thank you, Aunt Li."
"Don't thank me yet—let's just hope your body holds out."
A/N from Eva: Whew! This chapter was an emotionally heavy one. :P Poor Tiki. Let's hope she gets better! Syaoran's airbending training is slow-going so far, but maybe things will be pick up as soon as Tiki's tattoos are done. We'll have to wait and see! Until then, standby for acknowledgements!
the-new-avatar: We're glad you enjoyed the chapter as always! We're also thrilled every time you manage to review, so thank you! Please continue to root for Team Avatar!
RainEpelt: Well hello there! Thanks so much for commenting, because now we know you're here with us. We'd love to keep hearing from you! As for the ship… Keep reading to find out whether you're right or not! :3
Also, a side note from DJ: I forgot—I threw out a question last week, knowing we've got shy readers! Now that's just silly. So here's the deal: we're going to throw the question up as a poll on our author page! We want to know where people stand and give everyone a chance to participate and input, even if they don't want to review to comment!
Have a great weekend, everybody! See you next week!