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.

It was dark. And cramped. Shun was shivering in his cold, dark prison. He knew by now that they came around at the same time every day. They would stick more objects into his skin. They would run more tests on him. They would poke and prod and probe until he felt he could take no more, wanting to give them what they wanted and knowing that he could not give it.

The cold metal door swung open, revealing the existence of light. Shun squinted, still shivering in his cold, dark space. The white coats were back, ready to watch him squirm and sweat, all in the name of 'science'. In reality, they were punishing him for what he was, smiting him for daring to be special, killing him for not being normal...

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Shun knew he was dreaming—no, he was reliving a memory. But he could not wake himself up: his fear was too great. They were coming for him now, in that cold dark room, wanting to poke and prod and probe and torture and maim and…

Shun shivered, clutching his pillow—the only thing between him and the floor, since he had insisted ZanYi take the bed. It had been a couple weeks since he had last had a nightmare, so the part of his brain that was lucid enough figured he was overdue. Still, it did not make the experience any easier.

"No," he moaned, his whole body beginning to tremble. The needles were in his skin now as he lay under the bright lights, eyes all around him, watching him coldly, clinically, not caring whether or not he screamed. "No, please, no. Stop, please. Leave me alone… leave me alone!"

His voice had risen to a shout in his panic. They would not listen, he knew, but he could not help but scream. He was terrified, and they did not care. He was only a test subject, a bender… less than human to the white coats. They would 'test' him until the day he died… and then they would just get a new 'test subject'. It was a simple—and cold—fact.

And though he remained trapped, ZanYi jolted awake at the shouts, completely ready to strike. She whirled out of the sheets, blazing hands at the ready. Wide, alert eyes scoured the room, searching for the voice, for the offenders. Neither was found. The room was still, the door was closed, and the window was shut. Nothing visibly stirred.

"What the—?" the lieutenant start to grumble in her stupor, but then the voice cried out again, distinct. And, now awake, she was surprised to realize she knew the voice. "Shun?" ZanYi called out in the darkness.

She walked around to the other side of the bed, the side of the room with the window. Flickers of moonlight streamed in, and rested on a sleeping, terrified Shun. Sweat dripped from his brow, his face scrunched in horror. It was enough to disturb ZanYi because never had she seen him act like this.

"Shun," ZanYi called out again, this time kneeling next to the man. She reached out and jostled his shoulder gently but heartily. "Shun, wake up," she ordered him, peering down in confusion and concern. Just what was suddenly wrong with the waterbender? What could make him act this way?

"It's just a dream, Shun. Wake up!"

Shun's eyes snapped open. No, not this time. He was bigger and stronger. He could fight them off—he had to, or he would die.

"NO!" he shouted, shoving ZanYi back against the bed frame, keeping her pinned there. His chest was heaving with the effort of breathing, and sweat poured down his body. They would not torture him this time. He was not nine years old, or fourteen—they could not do this to him again.

There was hatred in Shun's gaze, but there was also fear; he was terrified, but he knew that if he did not fight back, it would be all over. Slowly, the features in front of him began to make sense: there was a nose, plump lips—his attacker was a woman—and then there were the eyes…

…Those piercing golden eyes…

Shun jerked away from ZanYi as if she had electrocuted him… and he wasn't so sure that she hadn't. He stared at her, as if he could not believe she was here, as if she was not real. He pushed his damp hair out of his face, and was horrified to realize that tears were gathering in his eyes. Another reason why he should not have had to share a room with ZanYi: the nightmares. Now she was probably freaked out, and he felt even worse.

Shun let his head fall into his hands, his body still shaking as he struggled for air. "I'm… sorry," he gasped, fighting back the choking fear. He was so embarrassed, but his fear was still the strongest, and he had to tell himself over and over that everything was going to be all right, that he was safe, that they couldn't hurt him anymore…

To the giant waterbender's further humiliation, tears began to leak from his eyes. This was probably the worst night of his life, ever since he escaped from that institution. No matter where he was or how long it had been, his past always came back to haunt him.

ZanYi breathed heavily as well, completely taken aback. She was slumped against the side of the bed, doing her best to breath evenly. "Now I know how people feel when they wake me up…" she mumbled, almost attempting to joke, but her gaze rested heavily on Shun. Something about this wasn't right. This wasn't Shun. Shun hardly ever got angry. Shun didn't have eyes full of hatred. He didn't show his fear either. With all of that, it had kicked in her gut-reaction: fight over flight. ZanYi hadn't intended to shock him. But as she watched the large man crumble, his form bent and broken over in the night, the lieutenant knew that wasn't what was hurting him.

"Shun?" ZanYi beckoned, slowly moving towards, so as to not incur his wrath again. She was frowning, her gaze focused on the man's buried face. The lieutenant managed to inch right in front of him, very close. "Shun, are you okay?" she asked him, completely bewildered as she looked up at him.

Something wet dripped from his hands and onto ZanYi's cheek. Tears? The firebender could only look at him incredulously. Something was seriously wrong with Shun. "Hey, Big Guy," ZanYi tried again, cautiously taking his hands away from his face so she could peer up to him. Sure enough, he was crying. And ZanYi was at a loss for words.

Shun swallowed. He could not believe it; his luck was horrible. Of course he would end up having a nightmare the same night he was supposed to be sharing a room with ZanYi. That was just the big old bowl of fail sundae he seemed to be served constantly. And, for the cherry on top, he was crying right in front of the woman he loved. Perfect.

"Don't," he pleaded, wrapping his arms around his head and bringing his knees up to his chest, just trying to hold himself together. "Please, don't look at me. Go back to sleep. I'll be fine."

This statement was both true and false: he would be fine… eventually… but it usually took him until dawn to calm down. As of this point, he could pretty much forget about sleep. It just wasn't going to happen.

ZanYi only stared at him, frowning in thought. Generally, the average man never wanted to be caught crying—even she, woman or not, abhorred the thought. But when a man did cry, something was seriously wrong. And the lieutenant could only think that Shun was going through something in his head.

Upon hearing his blatant lie, she withdrew her hands and moved back to the bed frame, only to lean against it on the floor. ZanYi pulled up a knee and rested her arm against it, looking at Shun in defiance.

"No," she told him, certain, "I'm going to stay right here until you're fine." ZanYi was not going anywhere, and certainly not to bed. Perhaps if it had been one of her soldiers, she would have left them to their own sorrows. But even that possibility was slim. And this was Shun. He was definitely more of a friend than the men and women that depended on her. "You don't leave me, Shun. I won't leave you. That's how this works."

A reluctant chuckle left Shun's lips. Of course she would be stubborn at a time like this. Shun was not sure whether she irked him more for this, or if he was falling deeper in love with her.

"That's the kicker, though: even when I calm down, I'm never 'fine'. Tonight proves that," he admitted, raising his head to rub the moisture away from his eyes. When his hand moved over his mouth, the giant waterbender took a minute to observe ZanYi. She was fixing him with quite a rebellious look, but behind the fierceness of her gaze, Shun noticed an emotion that was usually more downplayed when it came to ZanYi: concern. She was worried about him. And he hated giving her a reason to.

"…I don't even want to know what you probably think of me now," he said, somber, "Tonight was just a bad night, though. It's not usually like this…" Shun moved his gaze to the window, staring fixedly out at the distant ocean waves as he spoke. "It's usually only flashes of things: needles, bright medical lights, people in lab coats. Tonight… I was just forced to sit through my own personal hell. If you hadn't woken me up…"

Shun was shaking again. He clenched his hands over his folded arms, as if that would be enough to stop the tremors. He took a shaky breath and continued in a mutter, "I hate being like this. I keep expecting to get over it… but I can't. Why am I so weak?"

Despair was beginning to settle in where the fear had been. Shun would have to live with these memories—these nightmares—for the rest of his life. There was nothing he could do to stop them. He had his freedom now, sure, but what was freedom when deep down, he constantly lived in fear of being taken back to a place where they did horrible things to him, and no one cared how loud he screamed? He clutched his arms tighter, trying to make himself feel safe, but it wasn't working. He wasn't too sure that he would ever feel safe again. His body was free now, but his mind was still locked up in that horrible, dark, cramped room.

ZanYi took in his mutterings and reluctant mumblings. She took them in silence, only watching him with observant eyes. Needles? Lights? Lab coats? This all fit together with his slip when they'd been talking weeks ago, but the lieutenant still didn't know what this all meant. All she could piece together was that, at some point, Shun sounded like he'd been a lab rat for someone.

And she didn't like that at all.

"You're not weak, Shun," ZanYi said, staring somberly at the waterbender. "You wanna know what I see?"

Not giving him an option, the woman moved closer to him, sitting right in front of him. She peered up at his distressed and discouraged face, serious. "I see a man that has gone through hell, but is still pushing to live, to be free. I see a healer that doesn't want others to be hurt because he knows what it's like. I see Shun, who always keeps strong for everyone else, letting himself be human for one night out of so many others."

ZanYi almost smirked then, shaking her head. "Nobody likes to feel weak. But everyone breaks sometimes. And sometimes they just need someone to help them get back on their feet, even if for just one night." And for this night, while they were stuck together, sharing that room, ZanYi could be there. Maybe it would finally start evening the score for all the times he's been there for her.

Shun stared at ZanYi, almost wondering. How did she do that? He felt like he was losing his sanity, drowning in his deepest fears—and with just a few simple words, she saved him, brought him back to the surface. For all the things that irked him about ZanYi, there were so many more things about her that he loved. Who knew that he could feel this way about someone? He sure didn't see it coming.

Knowing that he shouldn't—but giving in anyway because his self-control was at an all-time low at the moment—Shun reached out a hand to rest on ZanYi's cheek. He leaned in close to her other cheek and very lightly brushed his lips against it, barely grazing the corner of her mouth.

"Thank you, ZanYi," he moved to whisper in her ear before pulling back and giving her a wide smile, "Not many people can handle me when I'm in such a state, but you always seem to take everything in stride. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Oops. Maybe the last few words were a little too intense—Shun's face reddened, as if he had just given a full-blown confession. But he meant every word, even if ZanYi didn't quite know to what extent.

ZanYi did the closest thing in her repertoire of expressions to gape at Shun: she stared quite blankly at him, as if that had not just happened. Shun was always a touchy-feely guy. That was no problem. But had he just—even ever so slightly—kissed her?

In the back of her mind, the lieutenant knew she'd given him a peck once of thanks—and jest. But that's not what this had been. The jest part, at least. It had been soft and fluttering, like a ghostly touch on her cheek. It was not her first kiss, but at the same time, even ZanYi had to admit the sentiment was new to her. And then the woman felt a bit of flush rise to her face. Embarrassed, ZanYi looked away from Shun for a moment, twisting her lip as she thought. Taking a deep breath, she glanced back at the large man. "You're welcome, I guess," the firebender said, not able to completely shake the embarrassment from her voice, "Don't act like I did something profound. I just spoke the truth."

"And it was exactly what I needed. I'll never understand why you downplay just how amazing you are," Shun asserted, a corner of his lip quirking upwards. Was ZanYi actually blushing? Shun had to admit, he had never seen such a thing before—the fact that it was an action of his that caused it made him feel strangely giddy.

But then he remembered the fact that he should not have kissed her at all, and he sighed. Attributing such an action to his weak state of mind was no excuse to him, and he felt the stab of guilt to his conscience was warranted. Syaoran was sleeping in the next room over, after all…

His gaze returned to ZanYi, her face still rosy from the unusual flush there. The giant waterbender found that, the more he looked at her each day—and he looked at her much more than he should—the prettier she became. They had become accustomed to spending a lot of time together ever since Syaoran started his airbending training, whether on the beach, in the house, or elsewhere around the island. People were beginning to give them looks that Shun learned to associate with the looks YinLi sometimes snuck the pair of them whenever she thought they were too busy entertaining each other to notice. It was beginning to make him uncomfortable, and though he tried several times to distance himself from the lieutenant, Shun always found himself being drawn back to her, as if she did it effortlessly. If she had this kind of effect on him, Shun had to wonder: just what kind of effect—if any—did he have on her?

"You asked me a couple weeks back what my type of girl was," Shun began, choosing his words carefully, for he was terrified of giving himself away, "This question may seem out of the blue, but I'm in need of a distraction, so humor me, please: do you have a type of man you're interested in? Besides the ones in uniform, I mean." Though Shun was honestly curious, at the same time, he was almost afraid to know the answer. What if he didn't measure up? Not that he should be trying to, he rebuked himself silently. ZanYi was not his to win. He should not have asked her such a question; it was only going to torture him later.

ZanYi snapped out of her embarrassment then, looking at Shun strangely. It certainly was odd timing for such a question, the comment made long ago. But she supposed the kiss would have reminded him of that—she had to do her best to shake away the flush to her face.

"I don't really have a type," she answered honestly, stifling a small yawn. The lieutenant leaned back on her hands, pausing to think about her answer. After all, such a question was not one she minded answering. The two often went through various topics and depths when they talked; this was no different, despite it's timing. "There are certain qualities I suppose I would prefer," ZanYi mused, thoughtful, "but generally I'm not actually looking."

So she had no one in mind at the moment. This relieved Shun as much as it disappointed him.

"Qualities?" he prompted, sliding over to sit next to ZanYi. "Such as?"

The giant waterbender was being rather nosy, he was aware. But it would not bother him if ZanYi shut him down and told him it was none of his business: it wasn't, first and foremost, but secondly, he was only pushing because he needed something else to talk about. The fear brought on by his dreaming memories was still very strong, though he had managed to stop shaking. He felt bad about keeping ZanYi awake and poking his nose where it did not belong, but he desperately needed someone to talk to, or he would be driven mad by his own mind.

ZanYi gave him a funny look, but then turned away as a crack of thunder sounded. She looked to the window then, the moon gone and rain starting to pellet against the glass. "Guess it's time for round two," she remarked. The calm of the storm had happened just as the turmoil began in their room. But the lieutenant supposed she could take this as a good sign then, that the storm was picking up as Shun was starting to calm down.

"Qualities, huh?" ZanYi thought again, watching the rain fall outside. "Strength, stability… loyalty. I have to be able to trust him with my life." Then she glowered, as if recalling something horribly unpleasant. "But I hate liars. I can't stay with someone who would lie to me," she finished.

Shun took a moment to mull over these words, trying desperately not to compare himself to them… only to fail miserably. He could be considered strong, he supposed, when it really mattered. He was also stable… most of the time. Tonight had certainly wiped that record clean. And he was nothing if not loyal and honest… although his recent track record with his intimacy towards ZanYi was a considerable stain. Huh. Maybe he wasn't good enough after all…

"You sound like you dated a guy who didn't treat you fairly," he guessed to distract himself, eyeing the displeased look ZanYi wore, "I bet that caused a few arguments."

Was that why she was always quick to jump on the defensive whenever Shun insisted he protect her? It wasn't really an issue of her not being able to protect herself, as Shun had told her time and again. He just cared too much to ever want to see her willingly put herself in danger. Of course, he could not just come out and tell her that, although he had shouted as much back on Roku's Island. But he had to wonder: for someone like ZanYi, who normally did not give the opposite sex much thought, she sounded like she clearly already knew what she wanted in a guy. Was this from some sort of personal experience? When exactly did the lieutenant find time to date, anyway?

"I never 'dated' anyone," ZanYi immediately shot him down, shaking her head. She was a soldier, first and foremost. Aside from her brother, the lieutenant could not give any more commitment to a man. This war was her priority, and by dating, that would completely disrupt that chain of importance. However… "There was a guy that came close, and several that have tried." ZanYi shook her head a bit, snorting without mirth. The sound was muted by the roaring winds and thunderous clouds. "Zaron made quite sure that anyone who tried was 'put through their paces', as he would put it." The lieutenant turned to look at Shun, deadpanned. "It was his way of scaring off anyone and everyone," she scoffed.

But then ZanYi looked ahead again, staring off into the stormy night. "For the first several years in the military, the guys rarely took me seriously. I had to earn the respect I have now. Far too many of them would push me aside, despite knowing what I was capable of, because I was just a little girl to them." She shook her head, frowning. "That's why I need someone who is going to treat me like their equal, for someone to be my equal. I won't settle for less than that."

Shun had almost forgotten: even if he found ZanYi to be the most amazing woman he had ever met, there were still people out there—mostly men—who did not think she was worth mention… Zhao, for example. These people were absolutely daft in Shun's eyes. Not only was ZanYi a child prodigy, but she also did her job so well that he was confident that she would be able to do it blindfolded and with both hands tied behind her back. She was just that good.

"I think everyone wants someone like that," he said fairly, leaning his head back to stare at the ceiling, watching the occasional flash of lightning that accompanied a rumble of thunder. "No one wants to be with someone who will belittle them… no one deserves that." Shun turned his head, smiling slightly at ZanYi. "You're right not to settle for less."

A yawn escaped the giant waterbender, and he turned to stare up at the ceiling again with a frown. His body was tired, but his mind was still too wired to settle down. On nights like this, he would just go work off some steam by doing laps and practicing his waterbending… but with the storm raging outside, that line of action was out of the question. Still, just because he couldn't sleep didn't mean ZanYi should have to stay awake with him.

"I'm sorry for waking you up, ZanYi," he apologized, closing his eyes as he raised a hand to rub the sides of his temples with his thumb and forefinger, "You should go back to sleep. There's no reason for you to be sleep-deprived just because I have issues."

ZanYi scoffed at Shun, smirking. "Whatever. Everyone's got issues," she countered. She moved to sit upright, leaning her arms across her knees. "Don't worry about it, Shun. I'll stay up until you're good to go." Her golden eyes watched the rain and wind outside the window, expectant. And what she wanted happened—lightning flashed across the sky, vibrant and dangerous. Rising to her feet, she walked over to the window, perching herself on the small ledge as she crossed her arms and gazed outside. The waves were crashing violently, but even in their white wrath, it was nothing compared to the sparkling brilliance as lightning streaked across it. Her lips tilted up. "I don't mind staying up. I like storms," ZanYi said honestly. She could feel the hum and thrum under her skin, the electricity coursing through her, the potential itching to be released.

"Ha," Shun laughed, lifting his head from the bed as he glanced over at ZanYi. "Why am I not surprised?" Of course ZanYi liked storms. In essence, she was one: powerful, unpredictable… a force to be reckoned with, as well as force of nature that wreaked havoc in his life. Hurricane ZanYi—it had a certain ring to it.

Shun pushed himself to his feet and joined the firebender at the window. So much rain was falling, the waves thrown into turmoil, as if La and Tui were having a fight, throwing everything out of balance. The giant waterbender placed a hand against the glass of the window; the water streaming down on the other side began to fall into simple shapes. He formed the symbol of waterbending, followed by the symbol of earthbending, then firebending, and lastly airbending. His thoughts traveled down the stairs to Tiki, hoping that the tiny airbender was all right, keeping watch over the stranger in their midst. Knowing Tiki, she had probably already fallen asleep… but then again, Shun could not really claim to know Tiki anymore.

What possessed her to take in a nonbender in the first place? Shun was certainly glad that she was willing to go to such lengths for a stranger, but he had to admit that it had thrown him for a loop: the nonbenders were responsible for the death of Tiki's parents. Not all of them, of course, but Shun had to admit that he was not sure whether or not Tiki could make that distinction. Apparently she could.

"You think she's okay?" he found himself asking out loud, turning to look down at ZanYi, "Tiki, I mean."

"Downstairs? Probably," ZanYi answered, never looking away from the night storm, "Tiki can handle one nonbender, the way she's been these days. And we would've heard something by now."

Curious, her gaze looked over to where Shun's hand rested on the pane, the water forming the bending symbols. He never could stray from water, not that ZanYi could blame him. Her fire and her lightning were a part of her as well.

"But overall?" she verified, looking then to Shun, her head tilted to the window and eyes sober, "Nobody's okay after something like that, Shun."

There was no way that Tiki was fine after her parents' deaths. Watching them be slaughtered was no picnic. It was a torture in its own right, and she would have to live with that memory for the rest of her life, every time she tried to think about them. It had already made her do a one hundred eighty degree turn, completely different from who she used to be. And it wasn't right, what forced her to change.

"Nobody."

Shun remembered all-too-clearly the look on Tiki's face as she sat there in his arms, her eyes wide and empty as she stared at her parents' corpses. That look still haunted him to this day.

"What's even worse is that there's nothing we can do but support her, whatever that may mean," he added, "I'm at a loss for words around her nowadays, and I can't stand it. I can't help but feel that if she didn't have responsibilities to Syaoran and to her nation of airbenders, Tiki would feel like she no longer had a reason to live…" His simple shapes halted, only for the rain pounding the glass to reconstruct a more complicated picture of Tiki's expression from the night her parents died. Shun stared at the image, dejected. "…I'm so worried," he admitted, his voice a whisper, "The way it happened…how she was forced to watch…"

Shun balled his hand into a fist; the water he was manipulating fell back into its natural stream pattern, falling to the ledge on the other side of the window. Shun pressed his forehead to the glass and closed his eyes with a sigh. "I should have held onto her that night. She got away from me, and it was my fault she had to watch like that. No one should be forced to grow up like that." Shun would have given anything—absolutely anything—to have the old Tiki back if it meant she could be happy again. But such wishes were impossible now, of course. Shun was a waterbender, not a timebender, so no matter how hard he wished for it to be, he could not change the past.

ZanYi looked at Shun, her brow furrowed. "Shun, it wasn't your fault," she was quick to say, serious, "Tiki was desperate to go back, and when people get desperate, nothing can stop them." She looked away and back to the angry skies, the deaths heavy on her heart as well. "We all feel the weight of what happened, all try to find ways we could've stopped it, could've changed it, could've helped…" ZanYi's voice trailed. How many times had she looked at Tiki and thought about how the lieutenant had failed, how she could've gotten her parents out of there safely?

Watching the spark leave Tiki was a curse, not a blessing, as one may have thought. It dredged up so much of the firebender's memories, watching the little girl go through something so horrific. And ZanYi had failed to stop it when she had a chance. She had the power to stop another person go through what she—no, worse, what Zaron—had gone through. And ZanYi failed.

"Don't blame yourself, Shun. You didn't do anything wrong," she told him. And then her voice grew quiet, uncharacteristically dampened as she reached up and toyed with the metal around her neck. "But you are right… No one should grow up like that…"

The clink of metal distracted Shun from his own self-abuse; he glanced over to find ZanYi fiddling with her dogtags once again. Belatedly, he realized he may have been insensitive: ZanYi and Zaron had most likely gone through the same thing Tiki was experiencing.

He reached over to ZanYi's hand, gently disengaging her fingers from the tags to interlock his fingers with hers. "Then you can't blame yourself either," he insisted. "We did everything that was in our power, and we gave everything we could give. I know it sucks to think that our best wasn't good enough, but that's the way it is." Shun frowned for a moment, his thoughts returning to YinXiang, Tiki's mother. She had said that her and her husband's deaths were inevitable, that she had sensed their demise approaching… could airbenders really do that?

"There was nothing we could do…" he repeated, the heartbreaking fact sinking in. The mission was a failure, just as he had suspected it would, though of course he would not dream of saying "I told you so"—he was nowhere near that heartless. They had all been impacted by the tragedy. It no longer mattered who was wrong or right.

But ZanYi looked as if she could not accept that fact. She pulled her hand away from Shun's interlocked grasp, slowly reaching up to grab her tags, tighter and tighter. "You're wrong, Shun," she told him, tearing her eyes away to face the raging storm. "I could've done something—should've done something… I wasn't going to let this happen again…" Her voice failed her then, seeing only the wind and the waves, crashing. It was enough to remind her of her island, to all the nights that she'd spent there. All the nights she'd lay awake at night, listening to Zaron yell and thrash in his room across the hall. All of the nights she'd waited for people to come get her that wouldn't. "I should've been the one to do something… I know better…"

Though Shun suspected he knew where this was coming from, it still took him aback. ZanYi was usually in constant control of her emotions, never letting weakness show, not even for a moment. Tonight, however, seemed to be the night that both he and ZanYi revealed the darkest parts of their hearts to each other.

Shun placed his hands on either side of ZanYi's face, forcing her to look at him. Indeed, her eyes were dark with anger and despair. The pain her expression displayed felt like a physical blow to Shun; he wanted to make it go away, but he wasn't sure how.

After deliberating for a moment, the giant waterbender led ZanYi over to the bed. He sat down, pulling ZanYi down to sit beside him, his eyes locked onto hers the whole time.

"Tell me."

It was not a demand, nor a request: it was an invitation. Shun only had a vague idea of ZanYi's feelings regarding her parents, and even then ZanYi had expressed that she did not miss what she did not remember. Shun remembered wondering if that was really true. With any luck, he was about to find out from ZanYi herself. Just what had happened to the people she had once called Mom and Dad?

ZanYi couldn't look at him at first, frustrated, irritable. She shifted away from him and leaned forward onto her knees, looking only at the floor. Every once in a while, it would light up, flashes of lightning. And the electricity did nothing to calm her. It felt like it was forcing forth everything, surging through her and her emotions. She hated that.

The lieutenant was going to tell Shun to shut his mouth, to leave it alone this time. She was a private person, not generally a liar. If he asked questions, she could answer them. But a part of her still didn't want to talk about this. ZanYi was just about to tell him that, facing him, when she halted. There were Shun's eyes, intent on her, hanging on her every word. Shun, who had been pulled out of his own hell earlier. Shun, who never gave her a reason to distrust his word, the man who seemed to be keeping more and more of her secrets after each day.

ZanYi looked back to the floor, clasping her hands together tightly.

"They were killed in the Great Revolt," she finally answered softly. The Great Revolt. Also known as the Republic City Massacre. Depended who was telling the story, the tale of when the benders finally rallied together to fight for their rights in the city, an attempt to usurp the powers that be. "My parents were leading the front lines. Gunned down. Desecrated. Maimed. The NEs did a good job of making sure we had nothing left of them."

ZanYi let her head hang a bit, biting back the despair and anger welling up inside her. "The whole rebellion was televised. Zaron watched it all happen. He was ten… I was four."

Shun could only stare at the woman next to him, dumbstruck. He had heard about the Republic City Massacre, though he himself was only six at the time, and did not understand what was going on. But that had been one of the major factors involved with his family going into hiding: everyone one was going into hiding after what happened in Republic City. No bender was safe.

He took a deep breath, the sound rattling in his throat. He couldn't believe such a thing had been televised, forcing other benders to watch their relatives get slaughtered like cattle like it was nothing. ZanYi and Zaron had only been children.

The giant waterbender wanted to hug her. He wanted to tell her that he loved her and that everything was going to be all right. He wanted all of her pain to go away… but Shun was not a miracle worker. He could not magically make people stop hurting, no matter what he did or said. The most he could do for ZanYi in this moment was to be there for her the way she had been for him just a few minutes ago. Deciding that a little physical contact was better than a lot, Shun rested a hand on the shoulder closest to him, giving it a squeeze, like he had done so many times before.

"...I'm so sorry," he apologized, his heart hurting for ZanYi. Shun may not know exactly what ZanYi was going through, but he did know what it felt like to believe that one would never see their family ever again. He still felt that way, in his weakest of moments, like tonight. The storm that blew in over the island seemed to dredge up all the darkness and despair that they were suffering on the inside, and he did not like it. So though he was thankful that ZanYi seemed comfortable enough to share her past with him, he wished she never had to deal with anything so painful, even if those experiences made her into the woman she was today.

At least she would not have to suffer through such emotions alone, even if it was only for tonight.

ZanYi stiffened at the touch. To be frank, she had almost expected more from the waterbender, but she didn't need it. She didn't need any of it.

"Sifu was the one to get us out of there. He had come into the city that day because our parents had talked to him about starting to teach Zaron firebending. He had taught both of them," ZanYi continued, the words starting to spill out for the first time, "I don't remember home. I don't remember that day. I don't remember my parents."

The woman kept her hands clasped tightly, starting to shake with how hard she held them together.

"I remember Sifu accidentally calling me by my mother's name. I remember Zaron burning everything he could. I remember hearing his yells in the middle of the night. I remember thinking that when he left for the Resistance, that I'd never see him again. But I don't remember my parents. I didn't even know them."

Shun's grasp on ZanYi's shoulder tightened. "And that's what's bothering you the most?" he guessed softly, "That you can't remember your parents?"

What would that feel like, the giant waterbender wondered: to not remember the people who gave birth to you? Shun had only seen one picture of ZanYi's mother, and her daughter looked very much like her… did ZanYi feel like she was looking at a ghost when she glanced in the mirror and saw her mother's reflection? Did she and Zaron never really discuss their parents the few times they were together?

Shun couldn't fully fathom ZanYi's feelings, but if it were him, he was certain he would feel very lost and very lonely, never knowing the people who gave him life.

But to his furthered surprise, ZanYi shook her head. "No… that isn't what bothers me the most," she answered softly, "I suppose it would be lie to say that it doesn't bother me at all. But what bothers me most…" The lieutenant couldn't find her voice for a moment, and she could feel the heat gathering in her tight hands. She looked down to see the flames and reined it back in, holding it at bay. "What bothers me most," ZanYi continued, her voice more even, but still heavy with emotion, "is that while I don't remember, Zaron and Sifu do." The thunder rumbled and lightning cracked outside. She looked to Shun, finally meeting his eyes for a brief second. But ZanYi couldn't maintain that gaze, knowing how close to the edge she was.

She rose to her feet, pacing a couple steps. Her frustration great, her emotions greater, ZanYi lashed out at the wall, slamming her fist. "I had to watch them grieve every day, over something I didn't understand. I could only watch as they went through the hardest time of their lives."

And late at night, when she was alone and awake, every time she thought about Tiki's tear-streaked face, all the lieutenant could think of was her teacher, her brother. She slumped against the wall, refusing to look at Shun as she played with the dogtags around her neck. Faintly, in the light of the storm outside, she could make out Zaron's name across the metal. "I don't remember anything but they have to live with those memories the rest of their lives."

"But that isn't your fault."

Those were probably the last words ZanYi wanted to hear, but Shun said them anyway. He could understand her logic, definitely—he would hate for his loved ones to suffer from a past event that affected them all, but one to which he remained blissfully ignorant. But at the same time, ZanYi could not help the fact that she had been a little girl, and did not understand what was going on. She couldn't take such responsibility onto herself-it wasn't fair to her.

"It's true that you couldn't be there for them when they were hurting," Shun persisted, standing up and approaching ZanYi, "but you were only a child. You couldn't help that you didn't remember something like that. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if your brain just blocked it out to protect yourself from such a traumatic experience. You shouldn't blame yourself for not being able to remember…"

Shun took ZanYi's face in his hands once again, forcing her to look up at him. His eyes were tender as he continued, "What counts is that you're here for them now. Zaron and Master Fei adore you, ZanYi, and they would do anything for you, just as you would do anything for them. So please: don't live in regret over something in your past. Keep living for them."

It was terrible that the lieutenant felt such guilt over something she had no control over. Surely she did not believe Zaron or Master Fei resented her for not remembering the day her parents died? If anything, Shun was willing to bet that both men had probably worked their hardest to keep such horrors away from ZanYi. Master Fei had been forced to become a guardian, and Zaron had been forced to grow up too quickly, but even so, Shun knew that neither of them regretted their lives when it came to ZanYi: all the love in their gazes when they looked at the lieutenant spoke volumes.

ZanYi, forced to look up, could only stare at Shun, eyes tight. And yet he only stared back at her with those gentle eyes, willing her to listen to him, willing her to stop. It didn't work. But it was enough to push the guilt back a bit.

"I do… and I will continue to," ZanYi replied, the dark feelings beginning to push back, resolution starting to set in. As estranged as the two men were, the lieutenant knew Shun was right. They were the family she had left—the family she knew. And she wouldn't replace them for anything. Which is why it hurt to watch their pain, to watch and not understand, especially when the two never understood each other.

But that's what ZanYi had been doing her best to fix. If she was going to be the only thing they could look out for, then she had to bridge them as best they could. The two of them—Zaron, even more so, were what were permanent in her life.

She hadn't told any of this to anyone before Shun; not even Zaron or her teacher knew the extent of the grief she felt for being a helpless child. And she knew that, in their eyes, she would always be the one they had to watch out for. But aside from them, no one else had managed to get this close, be this gentle, be this determined to have her back and stay by her side.

No one but Shun.

"They are the two most important men in my life," she told Shun, before growing quiet for a moment. Her eyes regarded him strongly. "Though, I'm starting to realize that, if I let myself, there might be a third…"

Shun blinked at ZanYi, nonplussed. A third man? Surely, she wasn't talking about…

Shun felt the blush creep into his face, but he forced himself to keep his excitement at bay. ZanYi probably didn't mean it the way he hoped—if she was even talking about him. For all the giant waterbender knew, there was another man she had in mind, and she was just messing with him again. Besides, he couldn't hope for the impossible in the first place. Indulging in any relationship with ZanYi other than friendship would violate the already waning trust Syaoran had for Shun. However, as Shun stared down at ZanYi, he was beginning to think that maybe it was already too late. He was already in love with the woman… just how long could he expect his self-restraint to hold out?

A particularly loud boom of thunder sounded directly over their heads, forcing Shun to look towards the window, a bit startled. Rain was lashing at the glass, and the waves of the ocean were moving in chaotic patterns. The storm was getting worse.

"…I think we should go to bed," Shun announced, releasing his hold on ZanYi to move back to the floor. He grabbed the pillow he was using and placed it in between his head and the bed frame, propping himself up. "If the storm persists this way, I want to be awake in the morning to help fix some of the damage."

A slight tremor went through Shun as thunder sounded once again, accompanied by a flash of lightning. Rain he didn't mind, but storms were not exactly his cup of tea—especially when they were as bad as tonight's. Still, he was going to have to force himself to get some sleep, or he would be a zombie tomorrow morning. Not only would he have to assist with the island's damage control, but there was also something urgent he needed to bring up with Syaoran. It had already waited long enough: the giant waterbender was going to have to tell the Avatar that he was in love with the woman Syaoran was crushing on. Things had already progressed too far, and it would be an insult to Syaoran not to let him know now.

ZanYi lingered for a moment, lifting a brow at the large man. She couldn't, off the top of her head, think of any guy that would just leave that statement be, let alone change the topics so suddenly. In a way, the lieutenant supposed, it was a good thing Shun had. Sure, the two had gotten even closer with all the time they'd had, idling away. And, certainly, it had given ZanYi time to think about things she normally would push aside.

But just how important was Shun to her? That, she knew, she didn't have an answer for yet. But ZanYi was going to enjoy figuring that out.

"Sounds like a plan," she agreed easily, looking back to the window. In truth, part of her wanted to be out in that storm. But there was no way that was going to fly with Shun, and after everything else they had managed to talk about, ZanYi didn't want to fight with him. Not tonight.

The lieutenant walked over by Shun to crawl back in the bed. She had just managed to pull the covers up halfway when she looked over at the back of the large waterbender's large head leaning against the bed frame. With a casual smirk, ZanYi leaned towards him and gave him a peck on the cheek, knowing the kind of reaction she'd get from him. "That's for earlier," she whispered in his ear, before pulling back. ZanYi had to suppress the chuckles in her throat, but she turned to face the other way.

"Wake me up if you can't sleep," she told him.

Shun's face exploded with red, and he fell sideways, frozen.

'Well, I'm certainly not going to sleep NOW!' Shun growled to himself, his slight irritation overwhelmed by the embarrassment he felt. A hand was over his mouth once again, and he could not even bring himself to respond to ZanYi. Why did she always do this to him? Maybe tonight it was his fault… he had kissed her on the cheek first…

Shun groaned and covered his face. This was too embarrassing. He was so glad that this sleeping arrangement was only for one night: any more and he would not survive.

A/N by DJ: *whistles* Well, that escalated quickly. Lots to digest from this chapter, eh? Shun and ZanYi certainly have a lot to digest... On another note, I'm so sorry for no chapter last week! So it was kind of my birthday last week, which meant I started editing... and then didn't feel like doing the rest of it. xP But here is this week's chapter and I hope it makes up for the week's delay! Now, onto our acknowledgements!

Writingbrick: You're back! Hooray! We're so glad you're hooked again! Maybe we'll be able to keep you around longer this time... xD After all, it seems that your phone is even rooting for you to keep reading! You can't ignore the phone! Still, it's great to have you reading again and loving it just as much!

The-new-avatar: So, I hope this chapter was as... interesting as you'd thought it would be! You'll be finding out more about the boy in the coming chapters. But for this one... well. We see how that went. xP

TheInkBender: Hey! So you're joining us in Air now! That's awesome and thanks for the alert! I'm hoping that means you enjoyed Fire and are continuing to enjoy Air. Let us know what you think sometime! We'd love to hear a new voice and their commentary!

Guest: Okay, so I have no way of knowing if this is the same 'Guest' that replied a while back. If it is, welcome back! If not, then welcome! Tiki really does have a caring heart and it shows in her compassion. Don't let your curiosity get the best of you! We'll be unraveling more of the boy's tale in the coming chapters!

And that's all for now, folks! Hopefully we'll see you ON TIME next week, provided I get my act together and keep up the weekly editing. Either way, hope you enjoyed this week and talk to you soon!