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.
The morning had slowly dragged on, giving way to afternoon, the sun still higher than the skies they rode. And then the day continued longer still, that high sun fading to dusk as it dropped below them in the sky. And all the while, Xie Xie went on strong, never stalling in its steady flight ahead of them.
What felt like at last, the dragonhawk started to descend, nose diving into a heavily wooded area. Tiki followed the bird, but only by so much—as soon as the dragonhawk disappeared in the trees, she stopped their descent. There was no way Bumi could get through such dense branches without either hurting himself, or causing an unwanted commotion. Frankly, Tiki wanted to avoid both scenarios, so as soon as she found a clearing big enough for Bumi to fit, she landed.
"Let me get down first," she told Kei, stepping over him to hop to the ground, cushioning her fall with airbending. She turned to look up at Kei, perched sideways behind Bumi's head and looking quite nervous. "Okay, jump, Kei!" she encouraged him brightly. Kei's brows furrowed, his head facing her general direction.
"Jump?" he questioned, as if he had heard wrong. Tiki rolled her eyes.
"Come on, just do it. Do you trust me?"
"Yes," Kei replied, spending almost no time thinking about it, which flattered Tiki.
"Then jump!" she insisted again. Still not looking too happy, Kei did as she asked, and Tiki used a strong airflow to cushion his landing as well. "There," she said, dissipating the air current as she approached. "Was that so bad?" What Tiki failed to notice was that Kei had not quite gained his footing, so when he stumbled forward, he ran right into her. Tiki had a take a few hasty steps backward with Kei's weight on her, but eventually she steadied herself, Kei's arms around her.
"Oh, sorry," he apologized, his face aimed down at her. Tiki giggled, pushing on his chest to put a little space in between them.
"It's okay, accidents happen. You are blindfolded."
Shun was already out of the riding basket, reaching up to help the next person down, and he shook his head. He didn't know whether it was Kei's over-friendliness or Tiki's naivety, but something about this situation irritated him. Perhaps it was the fact that Tiki and Kei were more intimate than he and ZanYi were, though Tiki had only known Kei a couple of weeks. But the giant waterbender shook his head to rid himself of such thoughts. No matter what his desires were, he was not allowed to touch ZanYi—especially not when they would be meeting up with her brother soon. Those urges Shun would have to lock away tight, if he still wanted to enjoy ZanYi's company… and the use of his hands.
He had a bit of help with that, seeing as ZanYi ditched Shun's outstretched hands to jump down on her own. Syaoran followed suit, in a completely cranky and irritable mood. For the entire day, he'd been stuck between Tiki and Kei on one side, and Shun and ZanYi on the other. The latter was not as bad as it could have been; the waterbender had seemed very aware of Syaoran the entire time and maintained some distance between himself and the lieutenant. The part of the Avatar that still liked ZanYi didn't think it had been enough space, but some time meditating on the way had helped push that back.
It was the former that had just about driven him mad. Even now, it was disgusting to watch Tiki and Kei. She was so oblivious to the man's behavior—and that was a problem, considering he was laying it on extremely thick.
Before Syaoran could manage to utter a single complaint, there were small rustlings in the woodlands surrounding them. A sinking feeling started to settle in his stomach, and before he could act, several figures leaped out. Men and women in Resistance uniforms surrounded them, all of them poised to strike.
Immediately, Tiki pushed Kei back behind her, taking a defensive pose. Supposedly, these Resistance officers were supposed to be their friends… but one could never be too careful. "Kei, stay very still," Tiki murmured to the blindfolded man, her gray eyes searching the military units for a familiar face, but unfortunately finding none.
Shun was doing the exact same thing, taking a surreptitious step in front of ZanYi and Syaoran. If they were in the wrong place, he didn't want anyone getting a shot at either ZanYi or the Avatar while he was around and able to stop it. "Now what?" he muttered from the corner of his mouth to ZanYi. If these were the people they were looking for, ZanYi's authority should hold some weight with them, right? If not, Shun already had his canteen uncapped, just in case.
ZanYi, however, was completely calm, undeterred. Several of the faces were unfamiliar, though that was to be expected. The soldiers on border patrol were generally the new ones who were stuck with the menial jobs. But from the few she did recognize, it only affirmed her convictions. ZanYi knew whose soldiers these were. "Don't worry," she said, and Syaoran looked at her funny, low in his own stance as well.
"You sure about that? Because they do not look friendly," the Avatar remarked back to her, regarding the deadly looks on the faces around them. Against his hopes, to illustrate her point, ZanYi stepped out to the front of the pack. No one moved at first, though a couple of the faces seemed to lighten at the sight of her. It was those faces that dropped their guard and stood upright. The vast majority did no such thing, even condemning their comrades with a stern look.
A familiar screech broke the tense silence. Pushing through the underbrush, a man emerged, Xie Xie perched cheerfully on his shoulder. The jet-black hair and mirrored golden gaze was enough to put ZanYi at complete ease. "Stand down!" he bellowed. Even his voice was a relief.
"Zar…" she muttered under her breath, the relief flooding her like a wave. But she was in the presence of many, and straightened up. "Sergeant Major," ZanYi greeted, the corner of her lip upturned.
Zaron seemed to have the same reaction, though he could not help both sides of his mouth from coming up. "ZanYi," he said simply, walking towards them. Thankful and reassured they were not about to be ambushed, Syaoran stood upright then and breathed a sigh of relief. The sergeant major had sent for ZanYi. Therefore it had to be safe.
When Zaron reached his sister, his hands fell heavily on her shoulders, looking her over seriously. To his unspoken question, ZanYi replied, "I'm fine, Zaron." Normally she would roll her eyes, but considering the developments of the last few months, the lieutenant didn't have the heart to. Uncaring of everyone around him, Zaron then wrapped his arms around ZanYi, giving her a tight hug. ZanYi could not help but return it. "I'm fine, Zaron," she repeated, feeling like he had to hear it again.
Pulling away, Zaron's gaze grazed over her and he nodded. "At least that I can see," he told her, then looking to her sides and at the bison. "And I see you brought the whole cavalry with you."
If Tiki were still her old self, she would have run up immediately to Zaron, making some sort of embarrassing display with reckless abandon. But Tiki was now more conscious of herself, and she hung back, wanting to draw as little attention to herself as possible… for once. As if he sensed her hesitation, Kei's hand unerringly found hers, and he gave it a squeeze.
"You okay?" he asked, pitching his voice low.
Tiki nodded, forgetting for a moment that Kei could not see her. "I'm fine," she assured him, squeezing his hand back. The parts she could see of Kei's face did not look convinced, but he nodded anyway.
"I'm here for you," he felt he had to remind her. Tiki smiled a bit; perhaps Kei did not realize this, but it was really himself he should be worried about, not her. Tiki was going to do her best to defend him against the rest of the benders, of course, but she hoped it would not be so bad that she would have to keep watch over him 24/7, just to make sure no one tried to slit Kei's throat in his sleep.
"Nice to see you again, Sergeant Major," Shun greeted Zaron, stepping up to shake the man's hand. This gesture, however, was apparently a bit of a no-no in Xie Xie's book, for he cawed and flapped his wings again. Shun stopped just short of Zaron's range, eyeing the bird with distaste. It was bad enough the dragonhawk didn't like Shun near the sister, but the brother too? That was one overprotective bird.
Zaron looked to Shun gave him a nod, accompanied by a smirk. "Likewise, Jiang," he assured the waterbender, though he was reaching up to pet Xie Xie under his beak for his actions. In response, ZanYi frowned.
"So I see you've been enforcing his bad behavior?" she observed.
However, her brother simply shrugged it away. "I find it to be good behavior." Then the sergeant major looked to her other side to find Syaoran, who inclined his head respectfully.
"Hello again, Sergeant Major," he said, standing his ground. The man was ZanYi's brother, and a frightening man to uphold. But after multiple near-death experiences and missions, Syaoran found the man less so—marginally. Only a fool would not find Zaron frightening at all.
The sergeant major kept a scrutinizing eye on Syaoran, but he did lift his eyebrows a bit, surprised at the steady, clear tone the Avatar had used. Then the man turned a surprised expression as he finally recognized Tiki, despite her arrows and very calm exterior. He went to open his mouth as he looked back at his sister, but ZanYi raised a hand to stop him.
"We can talk about it later. A lot has changed in the past few months," she said by way of explanation.
Knowing it to be all too true, Zaron nodded. Landing his eyes on the blindfolded young man in their midst, the sergeant major scowled. "And that is…?"
"Kei," his sister answered briefly. If the lieutenant did a full name drop, she knew her brother would strike there on the spot and kill the man. As much as ZanYi distrusted Kei, he hadn't done anything wrong yet, so she couldn't punish him—yet. "He's a nonbender that's attached to Tiki. He's under her and Syaoran's watch."
Syaoran then looked over at the two, only to find their hands clasped tight. He wanted to groan aloud in disgust. What he did do was shift a bit over towards them, making his presence quite prominent.
ZanYi could tell her brother had so many questions, but she would answer most of them later in private. "Right now, we need to go inside, wherever that is," she insisted. "Otherwise we're standing out here with a giant sky bison like sitting turtle-ducks." That much Zaron could understand. So he nodded and then, right on the spot, gave a rough series of stomps. That was when the earth beneath them began to shift and move and lower them deep into the ground.
"What just happened?" Kei asked, sounding a tad nervous; his other hand reached up and found Tiki's shoulder, pulling her closer to him. Tiki reached up and patted his shoulder with her free hand, for the nonbender had a death grip on her other hand.
"It's okay. We're just heading inside," she stated vaguely, knowing that ZanYi would not appreciate it if Tiki was too specific in her descriptions. Turning to the sky bison, Tiki said, "Bumi, stay here and stay hidden, okay? And don't go too far."
Bumi gave a grunt before trudging over and plopping down in a large pool of shade offered by the surrounding trees. Satisfied, Tiki gave a small tug on the hand she held. "Come on, just follow me," she encouraged Kei before turning to move closer to the hole in the ground, side-stepping Syaoran in the process. The underground bases she didn't really miss, but she would bear with it. It was her choice to join ZanYi in the lieutenant's return to the Resistance, so Tiki really had no right to complain. Besides, she got to bring Kei, so the tiny airbender was reasonably happy at the moment.
Syaoran, however, stuck close to the pair, making sure Tiki was always within an arm's reach of him. He couldn't help that Kei needed her to move at the moment since he was still blindfolded, but the Avatar certainly didn't like the close proximity and intimacy. Sadly, he could not think of any sort of valid way to detach them, so he had to let it remain. For the time being he would, anyway.
Xie Xie didn't seem to like the move underground very much, because the bird swiftly flew to land on ZanYi's shoulder—coincidentally, the one between her and Shun. "Well, doesn't this bring back memories," Shun joked, hastily putting space between him and ZanYi, for the bird on his shoulder was giving him the evil eye. Shun liked his eyes and his fingers, so he did not want to give the dragonhawk any reason to pluck any of them from their rightful place.
As they were moved down underground by the earthbenders, burrowing down dark, stone halls and slopes, ZanYi looked over to Shun, smirking. "Don't tell me they were good memories," she posed, recalling them herself, "because that would be a lie for you." The bulk of the time that Shun had been with them at the base, ZanYi had been infuriated with him and given him a long, cold shoulder. And even underground in Omashu, that had been due to a raid aboveground.
Zaron looked between the two, watching the ease at which his sister spoke to Shun. It was different than he recalled it. But the sergeant major said not a word. When the floor finally stopped moving, the group found themselves in a vacant hallway, doors lining it up and down. "You parked right above the residential quarters," Zaron explained, the hole above them closing up. "We just finished dinner, but I'm sure we can find you all some food."
He started down the hall, continuing to speak as he did so, ZanYi easily falling in step with him. "I can show them to their rooms, and get you set-up down by the remaining AKs—"
"Actually," ZanYi stopped him, "I would prefer to be placed with Team Avatar this time."
Syaoran almost tripped over his own feet. Did the lieutenant really just pick them over the Agni Kais? Was this real life? Surely she had some kind of logic. It probably had a lot to do with Kei, once Syaoran thought about it. Shun, who had been smirking at ZanYi's comment, abruptly sobered at her announcement. He had been counting on her wanting to stay with her beloved AKs, but with Kei along, the giant waterbender supposed he should have known that ZanYi would want to be close by.
The sergeant major nodded and looked ahead of him again. "Very well. I had a room saved for you down by what's left of your men and me, but I can place you in the vacant hall with the rest of Team Avatar," Zaron informed her, still giving her an odd look out of the corner of his eyes.
It seemed quite curious to him that his sister would refuse the chance to be with her soldiers—and himself. Briefly, the sergeant major looked back at Kei, Syaoran, and Tiki, lastly to Shun who seemed as close to her side as Xie Xie would allow. Zaron wondered what—or which one of them—was the reason ZanYi would choose to be with them rather than the people she's known.
Syaoran's stumble, however, had Tiki swerving to avoid him, which caused Kei to trip and stumble as well. "Watch it, Syaoran," Tiki cautioned the Avatar as she helped Kei to steady himself, "You could cause an accident." The tiny airbender then called to the lieutenant, no small amount of exasperation in her tone, "ZanYi, when can I pull this blindfold off of Kei? It's kind of hard for him to walk when he can't see where he's going."
"That's why I have you to guide me, Tiki," Kei said amiably with a smile.
"Oh great, so I'm a seeing-eye polar bear dog now?" Tiki grumbled, but she was smiling too. She just felt bad for Kei—he would probably have to rely on her to get around for the duration they were on base. Not that he seemed to mind, since he had not complained once. Tiki wondered why he wasn't a little more indignant about the whole situation.
ZanYi looked back at Tiki with a sharp look, the airbender's tone unappreciated. But she turned to her brother, who was giving her the most curious of looks. "Is there anything important or confidential on the way to our quarters?" she asked him. Zaron shook his head, so the lieutenant looked back to Tiki. "You can take the blindfold off then."
Syaoran wanted to make a note that he was completely fine leaving Kei to stumble around blindly. However, if the nonbender's blindfold was removed, then Kei could no longer use Tiki as a personal seeing-eye polar bear dog. That was enough to convince the Avatar otherwise. Moving behind Kei, he undid the knot of the blindfold and removed it from the guy's eyes. "There," Syaoran finalized. As he moved away from the two, the Avatar made sure to move between them, effectively separating them.
Satisfied for the moment, ZanYi turned back forward to walk with her brother. To the unspoken question on Zaron's face, she told him, "The blindfold was just a precaution. I didn't know what state the base would be in when we arrived." That seemed acceptable, because Zaron simply nodded and continued to lead.
Reaching another hall, they came along another set of doors and he stopped. "These five rooms are empty. The first one here will be yours, ZanYi," Zaron instructed with a gesture to the first door. "It's a team leader's quarters, so you'll find a desk and everything else you need in there. Though Xie Xie's roosts were already placed down in my room and the one I had put aside for you."
"That's fine," ZanYi assured him, shrugging her shoulder so that the dragonhawk would take flight. Xie Xie went to Zaron's shoulder then, obedient, "You can keep him down by you."
The sergeant major nodded then, smirking as the bird cooed in his ears. "I'll go tell everyone you made it safely and get some dinner set up for your team. And then—"
"Yes," ZanYi interjected, smirking a little, "then we'll talk."
Zaron lifted a hand and without any hesitation, ZanYi grasped it. The familiar flame lighted between them and Zaron drew closer, dipping his head to his sister's ear. "I'm glad you're okay," he confessed, his voice but a quiet sigh. ZanYi's smirk disappeared and she nodded.
"I missed you."
"I missed you too."
With the end to their hushed words, the sergeant major pulled back, eyeballed the group again, and then set off down the hallway. "I'll be back soon," he called back. And soon he was out of sight. Tiki watched the sergeant major disappear, feeling a little conflicted. Her heart definitely still pounded whenever ZanYi's handsome brother was around, but it was now different, somehow. Tiki just couldn't place her finger on why. Now able to see, Kei did not miss the look on Tiki's face as she watched Zaron leave. His brows creasing a little, the nonbender moved around Syaoran to lean over Tiki, blocking her view.
"What?" Tiki yelped, the unexpected intrusion upon her line of sight startling her. Her tone was a tad defensive, something Kei picked up on.
"See something you like?" he teased, raising an eyebrow. Tiki's face flushed, and she hurriedly turned away from Kei.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied stubbornly, hoping her burning cheeks weren't that visible.
"Uh-huh."
Kei smirked, though his eyes were serious. If there was something else going on between Tiki and this… sergeant major, was it? If there was anything going on between Tiki and the guy that looked a lot like ZanYi, Kei wanted to know about it.
Shun shook his head at the pair of them, unsure of what to make of them just yet… though Kei was already acting like a jealous boyfriend. And Syaoran was acting like an overprotective father, the way he kept butting in between the two. As if Team Avatar needed any more drama happening in their lives.
With another slight shake of his head, Shun moved to the empty rooms. He was automatically heading for the room closest to ZanYi's; he hastily corrected himself and moved one more room over. He was going to have to start putting some distance in between him and ZanYi if he wanted to survive. "Does anyone care if I take the middle room?" Shun wanted to check, on the off-chance that someone's heart had been set on that room.
"Knock yourself out, Shun… just not on the low frame," Tiki quipped. Shun made a face at her before carefully entering the room, and Tiki smothered her giggles.
"I guess I'll take the room on the end," she speculated, walking in that direction. She was unsurprised when Kei immediately followed.
"I'll take the room next to yours then."
"That's fine. If anyone tries to give you any trouble around here, you can always come next door."
"I'll take that as an invitation."
Syaoran did not like that invitation. It was far too much of an offer to extend to Kei. And at this point, that would leave him with the room between ZanYi and Shun…
Nope. That wasn't going to work.
Thankfully, it seemed the lieutenant agreed with that.
"Syaoran, go ask Shun to switch rooms with you," ZanYi told him, nodding her head towards the middle door. "You'll keep a better eye on Kei then he will, so I want you in that room," she elaborated, going into her own quarters.
For once, the Avatar was completely fine with the woman sending him farther from her. And considering he was trying to forget about his feelings for her, it helped to put more distance between them. Syaoran nodded, going over to Shun's room and banging on the door as a warning before walking straight in. "Shun, ZanYi wants us to switch rooms," the Avatar said, albeit a bit of edge in his voice. Syaoran realized that and took it off when he added, "Lieutenant's orders." Despite knowing ZanYi's reasoning for the switch, the more emotional part of Syaoran felt like the woman was purposefully putting Shun closer to her than him. That emotional part of him needed to shut-up.
Shun, who was in the process of removing his satchel from his person, paused in the act to give Syaoran a funny look. ZanYi wanted them to switch? Why?
"Uh, okay," Shun said uncertainly, letting the strap of his satchel go. "Where am I switching to, then?" Had everyone else already picked their rooms? Shun had not stuck around to find out who would be rooming where—he had been hoping to get some sleep as soon as possible. It had been a long day of travel, and he was a tad exhausted.
Syaoran couldn't fault the guy for not knowing, but the next words from the Avatar's mouth still left a bit of a bad taste. "The room next hers," he told Shun. The Avatar came in and dropped his bag on the bed, claiming it as his own. He did note that the walls did not seem to be extremely thick—that was good. If Kei left his room at any time, Syaoran would at least hear the door. That also meant that he would hear Shun's door.
The Avatar groaned. He just could not win.
Shun stood there, rooted to the spot, staring at Syaoran as if the Avatar had suggested… well, as if he had suggested that Shun take his room. There was no way Syaoran would be okay with this—why was he going through with it? Sure, ZanYi could be intimidating, but she was not unreasonable… most days.
"…Syaoran, are you okay with this?" Shun had to ask, feeling conflicted. "I won't switch if you aren't."
Why was ZanYi demanding that they switch rooms in the first place? Did she want Shun closer to her? The giant waterbender swallowed, shoving that thought away. There had to be a good explanation for this. He had to stop letting his imagination run away with him like that.
Syaoran looked at Shun with a neutral face, carefully constructed. As conflicted as Shun was, the Avatar also was. The feelings Syaoran had towards the lieutenant were still present, still making him want to pull towards her. But he'd made up his mind: Syaoran's main duty had to be being the Avatar. And it had become quite clear to him that he did a better job of that when he wasn't pining over ZanYi. Shun didn't have to know that though. Syaoran had no intention of telling the man that. Friend or not, Shun's feelings or not, the Avatar wasn't just going to give the waterbender a green light to go.
"Yeah, I'm sure, Shun," Syaoran told the man, his voice level and certain. He had to give up ZanYi for himself. And he wanted to make sure Kei didn't try anything on Tiki, considering how naive the girl was being. This way, he was doing both things in one move.
Shun studied the Avatar's face. Syaoran gave nothing away in his expression, which made it hard to tell whether or not he was actually okay with switching rooms with Shun. But if he was offering no resistance to the idea…
"…All right," Shun replied eventually, still looking awkward. However, he hoisted the strap of his satchel higher onto his shoulder and left the room, not wanting to linger in case Syaoran was tempted to change his mind. Shun had no problem switching rooms, of course. So what if his room was now right next to ZanYi's? It wasn't as if he was going to go sneaking in there in the middle of the night or anything. He was fine using the room next to ZanYi. There would be no problems with such an arrangement.
Shun set his satchel down on the floor next to his bed, flopping down onto said bed the next moment. He was tired, which was probably why he was overthinking things. There was no need for him to convince himself that using the room next to ZanYi's was going to be trouble waiting to happen. They were on a Resistance base, for goodness' sake. There was no time for him to worry about who was in what room next to whom.
It was just as his face hit the pillow that the door to the small, sparse quarters swung open, no notice or knock at all. ZanYi came into the room, closing the door behind her. "Syaoran talked to you. Good," she remarked, striding in comfortably as if it was her own room. One glance at Shun on the bed and she quirked a brow. Sitting on the edge of the bed, ZanYi looked down at him curiously. "How can you be tired? All we did today was ride on the back of a sky bison." Then the golden eyes sparked teasingly. "Or are you still sore you lost this morning?"
Shun sighed. Of course ZanYi wanted to talk now. As tired as Shun was, he could not bring himself to send her away. He craved her company too much. The giant waterbender propped his head up on an elbow, eyeing ZanYi with a quirked brow. "I did not lose today," he was quick to correct, "I just lost my footing and you took advantage of it." She was perfectly within her right to do so, of course—almost anything was allowed in a spar—but still, if Shun had not landed badly, he was certain that their match would have lasted longer than it did… and perhaps had a different outcome.
ZanYi scoffed. "Mistakes happen in fights and sparring. If you couldn't get back up, that was on you. I won fair and square," she told him confidently. There was no way he could take her win just because he couldn't get up fast enough. She leaned back against Shun's outstretched legs, propping up an elbow to hold up her head as well. "What, you want a rematch? It'll end the same way." Her lip tilted in the corner, a confident smirk.
Shun thought about the way it had ended: with ZanYi on top of him. The giant waterbender gulped.
"Rain check," he said, feeling the blood rise in his face. He hated that he was so transparent. Thankfully, however, ZanYi still hadn't picked up on his feelings for her… he hoped. "I wanna ask you something though: why did you have Syaoran and I switch rooms? Did you want me closer to you?" That last question slipped out from Shun's thoughts to his lips by accident; he bit his tongue right after, but he could not take the words back now. He just had to hope that ZanYi would not make much of such a telling question…
Yeah, right. Shun was doomed.
ZanYi's eyebrows rose up, surprised. "Well, I told Syaoran he would keep a better eye on Kei than you would," she answered him honestly, tacking on, "which, really, he would. Syaoran already is keeping good tabs on the other two, whereas you have been elsewhere as of late." The lieutenant gave him a pointed look, but she almost looked amused by that, rather than irked. But then she sobered up, gazing at Shun seriously. "But you being closer is a benefit of it," ZanYi said quite straightforwardly. She had no shame about it. It was just a fact to her. "We've been splitting a room for about a month and then sharing it for the past couple weeks. You've been my shadow, Shun. I don't see why that would have any reason to change."
ZanYi's eyes grazed over him, as if trying to find a reason for it, searching for the signs. "Unless, that is, you've had enough." Her voice said it like it was a challenge, trying to see if he had truly meant his words. If Shun was already tired of being at her side, the lieutenant could walk away without any problems at this point.
Shun managed a chuckle. As if he could have enough—he would spend hours upon hours with ZanYi and still want to be with her when she left his side. If this was what it meant to be in love, Shun was already over the moon.
…Of course, ZanYi didn't have to know that. In fact, it was imperative that she did not find out.
"I meant it when I said I wouldn't leave your side, ZanYi," he reminded the lieutenant, "So I hope you haven't had enough, because this shadow's going to stick with you for a very, very long time."
Then again, if ZanYi told him to leave her alone, would he listen? Only if he felt he needed to—very rarely did he try to make waves with ZanYi, but when it came to her well-being, Shun was always determined to do what he believed to be right… even if ZanYi didn't like it.
Satisfied with his answer, the lieutenant felt her lip lift in the corner again. The waterbender seemed quite determined to follow through on his promise. And ZanYi found herself pleased with that, despite the fact that meant Shun was probably going to irritate her sometimes with it. But for the time being, she would take it. "Good luck to you then," ZanYi wished him, the half-grin becoming a smirk.
There was the sound of a door opening and closing next to the room, and then the door to Shun's room came open, revealing Zaron. As soon as his eyes set on his sister, tension seemed to leave his shoulders. But then they saw how she was half-leaning on the giant waterbender on a bed in a room that was not ZanYi's.
The sergeant major crossed his arms and looked expectantly at ZanYi.
"Is dinner ready?" she asked, the smirk still on her face. It only seemed to rile her brother more.
"Yes," Zaron answered tersely.
He opened his mouth to say more, but ZanYi then sat up, giving a light tap to Shun's leg. "Let's go, Big Guy," she rallied him, standing to her feet. The lieutenant passed her brother, who turned to look at Shun once more before following her out.
Once in the hall, Zaron took ZanYi by the elbow, eyes boring down into her mirrored gaze. "So, you and the waterbender?" he actually asked, voice low and his expression more than curious.
ZanYi looked back to the room and then to her older brother. The tilt to her lips never left. "Remember: none of your business, Zar," she told him in a light tone. The last time she'd told him that, there had been nothing, and Zaron had just been fishing for something. But it was clear on her face that something was happening now, and that she didn't care if Zaron liked it or not.
Shun sighed again, coaxing himself out of bed. It looked like he wasn't going to be getting sleep anytime soon. Passing by the Tsong siblings—because Zaron was giving ZanYi a rather piercing gaze, and Shun did not much fancy diverting that attention onto himself—the giant waterbender knocked on all three of the remaining doors of the hall.
"Dinner's ready," he called through each door before stepping back, choosing to keep his distance from ZanYi and Zaron. Though Shun was not exactly surprised to see Kei exiting Tiki's room, he was not sure if he liked it or not. The nonbender was supposed to be getting settled in his own room—how long did he plan to glom onto Tiki like this?
"Oh good, I'm starving," Tiki commented, passing Kei to hurriedly adjourn to the mess hall, but stopping short when her feet brought her into close proximity with the Tsong siblings. "Oh… hi, Zaron," Tiki greeted, dropping her eyes hastily as her face warmed. "It's been a while."
Kei's eyes darkened at the embarrassment Tiki was exuding. He took a step in her direction, but a long arm that belonged to Shun halted his progress. The nonbender glanced up to see Shun shaking his head at him. "I wouldn't," he cautioned Kei, "if you like your skin the way it is." Kei frowned at this. All he was going to do was introduce himself to the sergeant major he had yet to officially meet… and maybe put a little space between him and Tiki. Was that so much to ask?
Syaoran walked up next to Kei, sandwiching him between the Avatar and the behemoth. "Shun's right," he agreed, thankful to the waterbender for yielding Kei. "Sergeant Major Tsong is ZanYi's older brother, so if you have a healthy fear of her, carry it over."
Grimacing at the memory, the Avatar knew all too well how vicious Zaron could be. The man made Syaoran resemble a piece of burnt toast during training with ZanYi. Besides, the sergeant major wasn't going to try anything on Tiki, so there was no need for any sort of concern, legitimate, jealous, or not.
Zaron wasn't interested in any of that, though. His eyes didn't even leave ZanYi's face when Tiki said his name. But his sister didn't flinch under his scrutinizing eye. Taking back her elbow from the sergeant major's grasp, she nodded over to Tiki, signaling that their conversation was over. Zaron gave ZanYi a look that clearly said it was only over the time being before turning to the small airbender.
In response to her truly demure and shy disposition, Zaron warily greeted her, "Tiki," with a small nod of his head. ZanYi could understand why he was hesitant. The Tiki that he recalled had been rambunctious and audacious, very persistent in her childish pursuit of him. A questioning expression on his face, Zaron's eyes flickered back to his sister, who rolled her eyes.
"She doesn't bite, Zaron," the lieutenant chided.
"At least, not often," Syaoran piped up, coming over to the Tsongs and Tiki. Thankful to Shun for keeping Kei at bay, the Avatar had no qualm about walking over to Tiki, although he was still a bit hesitant to look the sergeant major in the eyes. "But just to be on the safe side, let's just get going."
Syaoran put his hands on Tiki's shoulders to steer her back towards the mess hall. The layout seemed pretty similar to the first base they'd gone to, and the wafting smell of a hot meal was the only compass needle he needed to direct them. With a lingering eye on the Avatar and airbender, Zaron moved back to his sister with what could only be described as his version of a bemused expression directed at Tiki's behavior. "I told you, things have changed," ZanYi answered him, somber. She started down the hall, walking after the other two.
But before her brother followed suit, he looked back to the last two men. Sure, there was a bit of analytical look at Kei, but it was Shun that the firebender's stare rested on. Without a word though, Zaron proceeded to trail after the rest of Team Avatar.
Shun recognized that look. And he didn't like it. The waterbender was sure that, soon, Zaron would seek him out to have one of their little 'talks'. And, considering how the last talk had gone, Shun was not especially looking forward to it.
Shun was up with the sun the next morning… he assumed. There were no windows underground to illuminate the time. The giant waterbender really needed to invest in a watch. After a satisfying stretch, Shun left his room and headed to the bathroom to shower and shave. Half an hour later, he was wandering around base, looking for something to do. They hadn't started serving in the mess hall yet, so the giant waterbender was left to his own devices… something he was not exactly comfortable with, now that there was not an ocean available at his disposal. How was he to entertain himself nowadays?
"Oh! Shun!"
Shun turned at the sound of his name to see a delighted looking waterbending woman headed his way. A surprised but pleased grin alighted his face as well.
"Sikka! How are you? It's been ages!" Shun greeted, sticking out a hand for Sikka to shake, once she had gotten close enough. Sikka appeared surprised at the gesture, but gave Shun's hand a firm shake.
"It really had been a while… You look good," she complimented Shun, blushing a little. Bearing what ZanYi had said on Roku's Island in mind, Shun gave a modest shrug.
"I didn't change much. Still a giant," he joked. "But how are you doing? You look happy."
"Do I?" Sikka asked, blushing more. "Oh, that's probably because… well…" Instead of voicing aloud why she was so pleased, the waterbending woman gestured to her neck. A choker Shun had never seen before adorned Sikka's neck, the symbol of the Southern Water Tribe etched into it. Shun's ice blue eyes widened.
"You got engaged?" He asked, his grin widening. "That's great! Congratulations!"
"Thanks," Sikka said, the flush on her face growing. "Yeah, everyone kept saying it was about time—"
"—That you and Ransik got together?" Shun guessed, his grin growing teasing. Sikka blushed even more.
"Yes, well… um, I just want you to know that I never meant to lead you on," the waterbending woman wanted to assure Shun. "I just thought… well, Ransik didn't seem like he was interested, and you were cute, so…"
"…Wait," Shun interrupted, looking awed, "you mean… Tiki and ZanYi were right? You had a thing for me?"
"Just a little," Sikka said with a tiny smile. By now, Shun's mind was blown. So Sikka really had felt that way about him? How did he miss it? Usually he was very good at reading people… maybe it was just people that did not have feelings for him? As Shun tried to puzzle this out, someone else called out for Sikka, and she gave Shun an awkward smile. "Well, I should be going. I'll see you around, Shun."
"Yeah…" Shun responded a beat too late; Sikka was already gone by the time he had pulled himself out of his thoughts. Silently admonishing himself for being so rude, the giant waterbender resumed his wanderings, subconsciously watching where he was going while the rest of his mind was on auto-pilot.
So Ransik and Sikka had finally committed to each other. That was a lovely engagement choker he had given her, hand-carved no doubt. It was nice to know that some of the old traditions were still going strong, even to this day. Inevitably, Shun's thoughts strayed to ZanYi, and how she would look in an engagement choker made by him…
No, that was stupid. He shouldn't be thinking that way—he wasn't even allowed to touch ZanYi, let alone think about marrying her. Besides, she would probably never wear something like that—the only time Shun had ever seen her wear actual jewelry was the night Shun had almost killed a nonbender for daring to put his hands on her. The only thing ZanYi consistently wore were her dogtags with Zaron's name on them anyway.
The sergeant major in question came around the corner, almost colliding with Shun. He was wet with sweat, probably from working out with his own soldiers that morning. And while adrenaline and endorphins were pumping through his system still, it did nothing to the mixed bag of feelings Zaron held towards the waterbender.
"Shun," he said simply, giving him a nod as he came to a halt. Zaron had yet to see ZanYi that morning—and if he knew her, as soon as she was awake she would be up and about to look for him. Either that, or possibly his sister was working with her remaining AKs.
But despite both options, as soon as she was ready, the sergeant major had a distinct feeling she would be seeking out Team Avatar. Therefore, Zaron's window of opportunity was very small. "Let's talk," the firebender suggested, and his tone was not as friendly as the words he spoke. There was no option really given. Zaron started to walk back towards his office. This matter was personal.
Shun groaned inwardly as he followed Zaron. And here it was—ZanYi's scary big brother wanting to talk to him about something the giant waterbender had possibly done wrong. As Shun entered the sergeant major's office, however, he had to wonder—did Zaron know how Shun felt about ZanYi just by looking at him? Did he sense the subtle change between them, how ZanYi had begun to trust Shun a lot more than the last time they were under Zaron's nose? All Shun could do was stand his ground and try not to panic.
"Was there something you needed, Sergeant Major?" Shun asked politely, shutting the door behind him. He felt a little trapped that way—hopefully his claustrophobia wouldn't start acting up—but if things that Shun wanted to keep private started coming out, the giant waterbender wanted some measure of cover from prying ears and eyes.
Zaron leaned back against his desk, crossing his arms as he surveyed the waterbender. "So from what I hear, you've been making good on your word with me," Zaron started, already knowing the facts. "ZanYi told me it was you and the Avatar that busted her out of imprisonment."
"Yes," Shun affirmed with a nod. "Tiki would have helped, but she was still in the process of getting her tattoos."
Shun sensed that this was going somewhere deeper—Zaron did not bring the giant waterbender into his office to thank him for saving his sister. But since Shun had no idea how far this conversation would go, he decided to wait and see, to allow the sergeant major to get what he needed to say off his chest.
"Good," Zaron agreed. But then he just looked at Shun, knowing that the waterbender knew there was more to this conversation. Perhaps the sergeant major wasn't giving Shun enough credit. Either way, he went straight for the heart of the matter next, and his eyes began to narrow. "What is going on between you and my sister?"
Shun raised his eyebrows. "Nothing is going on between us," the giant waterbender said truthfully. "We've grown closer over the past month or so, but ZanYi only sees me as a trusted friend."
Which was less than Shun could say about his own feelings for the lieutenant… but did he really need to divulge that much to Zaron? It was personal—he would rather ZanYi know before her brother did. Besides, as long as ZanYi remained neutral toward the giant waterbender, Zaron really had nothing to worry about. It wasn't as if Shun was pursuing her to the point of stalking—in fact, he was trying to smother his feelings out of respect for Syaoran's feelings. And yet, the second day back and Shun was already getting the third degree.
"Forgive me, Sergeant Major… but if you wanted to know something like this so badly, why didn't you just ask your sister?" Shun questioned. Why seek him out when Zaron could have just asked ZanYi if there was anything going on? That seemed the more logical route to Shun.
Zaron almost chuckled. Almost. He didn't actually. "If you've really gotten closer to my sister, than you would know there's very little she tells anyone," the sergeant major informed Shun, as if baiting the man with it. He shook his head, irritated at just the thought of ZanYi's behavior the previous night. Even when he'd tried again when it was just the two Tsongs, talking late into the night, she'd shut him down. Verbally, at least.
It didn't take a genius to know what she meant.
At least, that's what the sergeant major had thought. But looking at Shun, he found the waterbender suddenly a bit daft. It was quite clear that Shun believed what he said. And that's what made him daft.
"If she only sees you as a trusted friend, then why was she using you as her personal body pillow yesterday?"
A corner of Shun's mouth turned down. Zaron was using a tone that he did not exactly appreciate—it belittled his intelligence.
"I couldn't tell you," Shun said honestly. "She was making fun of me at the time, so that might have been a part of her teasing."
Besides, that was one of the more innocent positions the two of them had been in… but Shun was not about to tell Zaron that. He liked living too much.
But what Zaron said earlier had the giant waterbender curious: didn't ZanYi share her personal life with her brother? The way he phrased it had Shun thinking that the sergeant major had tried unsuccessfully to get ZanYi to admit what was going on between her and Shun… not that there was anything…
"It isn't any of their business," ZanYi's voice in Shun's head all but snarled; she had been talking about Master Fei and Tiki at the time, back on Roku's Island when she and Shun had discovered that both of them being pestered about the same thing: their apparent feelings for each other. It was funny how much the comments on his supposed love life with ZanYi seemed to grow after Shun finally realized he was in love with the lieutenant. Did they really look like such a couple to the outside world? Shun was tempted to ask the sergeant major, but he felt it would be pushing it a bit.
Zaron couldn't help it. He smacked himself in the forehead. It was almost inconceivable how blind Shun was at that moment. The two—Shun and ZanYi—had very clearly gotten closer over the time that she'd been on the run. Very. Clearly. And yet, as much as she seemed to fill the man in, Shun still didn't even know ZanYi at all.
"Do you even listen to yourself?" the sergeant major couldn't help but ask, bewildered through a scowl. "ZanYi doesn't tease. She's not that kind of person normally. She doesn't even touch people, and yet she was reclining against you like she didn't have a care in the world."
It was almost hard not to be bitter, that it was so apparent all the changes that occurred in his sister were from a man who did not even realize it. Granted, that meant Shun couldn't take advantage of it, but to be so oblivious…
"She's like that with no one."
Shun blinked, nonplussed. No one? Sure, he knew the lieutenant was difficult to get close to, but no one? Was Zaron trying to say… that ZanYi treated him this way because he was different?
Because he was special…?
Red exploded in the giant waterbender's face. He immediately slapped a hand over his mouth and turned his head away, quite embarrassed. Sure, he was pleased that ZanYi gave him special treatment, according to her brother, but he hadn't realized it was so special until Zaron pointed it out! Now Shun was going to be even more self-conscious around the woman! He was doomed!
Shun had to get out of there, out from under Zaron's scrutinizing gaze. He had to think, to stop the budding hope inside his chest that was blooming at the thought of ZanYi ever conceivably thinking of him as more than just a trusted friend…
By sheer force of will, the giant waterbender let his hand fall back to his side, returning his gaze to meet the eyes that twinned ZanYi's. "Zaron," Shun began, daring to call the sergeant major by his first name, "what is it you want me to tell you? You've asked me if there is anything going on between your sister and I, and I've told you the truth… but your fishing questions suggest you don't believe me. So what is it you want to hear from me?"
"I want the actual truth."
Zaron felt his hands clench tighter, his crossed arms as well. Everything about him was growing tense, and it was certainly a struggle not to go off on Shun like he had back in Omashu. That had been an accident. But this—this was a much bigger deal.
"You're blushing like a schoolgirl and ZanYi isn't giving me straight answers. She's treating you in a way that she has treated no one before, and you're going to stand here and lie to me that nothing is going on." Zaron's gaze turned much darker, the irritation starting to rile up. "So I want you to tell me the truth: what is going on between you and ZanYi?"
"I have told you the truth," Shun insisted, his brow beginning to furrow. "There is nothing going on between ZanYi and I."
How many times did Zaron want him to say it before he actually believed it? It kind of sucked having to insist that there was nothing between Shun and the woman he loved, over and over again. But Shun supposed Zaron did have a point: he was behaving a little suspiciously, what with the blushing and all. He had no insight into why ZanYi didn't just deny that there was anything going on, like she had on Roku's Island, but even he had to admit that things had changed since then… very drastically, he could add…
Shun sighed a deep sigh. Zaron wasn't about to let this go. So as much as Shun didn't want to turn himself into idle gossip, he had to tell the sergeant major what was going on with him personally, or he would never hear the end of it. Meeting the sergeant major's gaze fearlessly, Shun spoke, "…Though, if you asked me what was going on with me personally… I'd have to admit that I've fallen in love with your sister."
Oh man, it was even more embarrassing the second time around, and he was again admitting it to the wrong person—the wrong Tsong, to boot. But Shun refused to dip his head or drop his gaze. He was not ashamed of the feelings he harbored for ZanYi, nor could Zaron make him feel ashamed. The only real regret Shun had was that he could never do anything about these feelings without betraying Syaoran. So even though he loved ZanYi, he wasn't allowed to tell her, or show her, just how much he cared. He had become her shadow, and that was all he was allowed to be: in the background.
"And I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell ZanYi what you've just heard," the giant waterbender requested as a precaution. "She doesn't know, nor do I plan on telling her. I'm dealing with these feelings on my own, as best as I know how."
Shun felt a little pathetic: here he was, a man, practically begging another man not to tell his sister that he had a crush on her. It was like they were in grade school. How humiliating.
And Zaron had grown quiet. Still.
There it was. The truth. Or at least, part of the truth. Zaron had half of the story. And he could guess the other half of the story because he knew his sister.
As daft as the waterbender was, as oblivious as he was to ZanYi's change, his feelings were something Shun knew as fact, something Shun would not shy from. It was in his eyes, blue and certain and unyielding. If Zaron didn't know he was a waterbender, he'd think there was a spark of fire in those eyes. And above that boldness, that shamelessness, was the desire that this not get out.
The sergeant major didn't know what to do then. There was the part that as a man, he admired Shun for keeping his feelings at bay—and pitied him. But the part of him that was ZanYi's brother…
"If you love her, fight me."
Zaron rose to his full height, and while that was not the length of Shun, it was still intimidating, powerful. "If you aren't able to fight for her, you have no business being at her side, no matter how you may feel about her or her to you."
Shun's eyes widened. Wait… what? How had it escalated to this? Was this one of those 'Dad-cleaning-his-shotgun-when-his-daughter's-new- boyfriend-comes-to-the-house' stories he had heard about? And Zaron was basically baiting him as well: if he refused, Zaron would do everything in his power to make sure Shun never saw ZanYi again. And Shun wouldn't put it past the sergeant major either.
"Don't you think ZanYi will be a little upset if she sees the two of us fighting?" Shun pointed out with a frown. It wasn't as if he was trying to back out of the fight—although he wasn't too keen on the idea—but what would ZanYi say? And what would they tell her the reason was for their bout? For Shun to earn her brother's permission to stay by her side? Oh yes, that would go over well with ZanYi—about as well as the revelation of Zaron appointing Shun as her personal bodyguard had went. This had trouble written all over it.
"I couldn't care less what ZanYi thinks this time," Zaron answered bluntly. His closed fists remained at his sides, and his eyes gleamed with how serious he was. If Shun thought this was going to get him out of a fight, then he was sadly mistaken. There was no way Zaron was going to allow any sort of coward to be with his sister, either by her side as a friend or more.
"ZanYi has spent most of her life already angry with me. But I will not just stand here and let you claim how serious you are about her without making you back it up. She is my little sister and I will not let her anywhere near a man who can't back his words with actions."
Shun frowned. So his lack of violent tendencies implied that he was not a man of his word? What was it about the Tsongs that made them so downright infuriating sometimes? It must be a family gene.
"I do not wish to fight you, Zaron," Shun replied, his clipped and polite tone underlying his frustration. "To be frank, I think fighting you will simply do more harm than good, since you technically have no say over what your sister does and does not do and who she is in the company of, considering she is a grown woman and that attitude is what causes her to become angry with you half the time. But if you're anything like your sister, I know I won't hear the end of this until I've agreed."
Shun took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He could not do this while he was angry… then he would be fighting with Zaron for the wrong reason. A bit of his patience returning, Shun tried again. "When and where?" he conceded, his tone resigned. Might as well get this over with, if it meant getting Zaron off his back.
Zaron's inner fire flared and it certainly blasted for a brief moment at his hands. For a man of peace, Shun certainly seemed to know exactly what to say to push buttons. But the waterbender was accepting Zaron's terms, and that was what mattered most in that moment.
"During lunch, in the training room. No one will be using it then."
Shun gave a curt nod, making a mental note to refill his canteen before lunch.
"Fine. I'll see you then." The giant waterbender then turned on his heel and left the office before Zaron could make any more outrageous demands of him. Shun had been cutting it close with the things he'd said in anger, and it showed in the flaring of Zaron's nostrils…and the flames in his fists.
This afternoon was going to be an interesting one.
A/N from Eva: Oh dear. Uh...things got interesting rather quickly, didn't they? Ha ha... WELP, the next chapter is going to be a doozy! Look forward to it! XD
vivae: Thank you for the story alert on Fire! Hopefully you've found Air and will read this "thank you" soon! :D
Katroo: Hello, there! According to DJ, you guys are deviantArt friends, so welcome to our fic! We're glad you're enjoying the read so far and hope you continue to when you get to Book Two: Air! Thanks for subscribing and adding us to your Favorite Authors and Favorite Stories List!
Revolution but Civilization: Oh wow, jackpot! Thank you for the subscriptions to our fics and to us, and adding our books to your favorites list! And your reviews were so incredibly amusing! DJ and I enjoyed being called geniuses, and we're so thankful you love the story and our characters just as much as we do! Our story is already fully written (we decided to post in on Fanfiction to amuse others) so you'll just have to keep reading to see what happens next! Enjoy! :)
So much love! Thank you all so much! Encouragement like this makes it easier for DJ and I to keep putting new chapters out every week. Thank you all as always for supporting us, and we hope you continue to read and enjoy! Have an amazing week!