Raya almost stopped in shock, but Zuko's pressing hand kept her moving forward. Before she knew it they were out in the open air, and an eclipse was high above their heads. She squinted around and took the dim half-light in. She never thought she would be in a position to miss the feel of fresh air whirling around her, or the kiss of sun on her pale flesh – as much as the sun could kiss anything from behind the moon.
Zuko kept them moving, and for good reason. As the Fire Prince and the Demitar made their way through the palace grounds they were enveloped in an eerie silence. The place was practically deserted. She wanted to ask why, but the question was swallowed as the realization dawned on her that it was because of the eclipse. There was no doubt in her mind that the most important people would be hiding; tucked away somewhere hard to reach.
The fact that they were not being chased down during her escape made the Demitar relax ever so slightly. However, that feeling was cut short as a dozen soldiers marched toward them. Zuko cursed under his breath and released his supportive hold on Raya as he drew dual swords from his back.
"Don't be scared," he reassured her as they halted only yards away, "they won't be able to bend."
"Stop!" A tall man in uniform headed the group and commanded a harsh presence. Raya could see a jagged scar over his right eye that interrupted the flow of his eyebrow. Gray hair suggested that this man had seen many a day in combat and he was no one to be trifled with. With set shoulders he held a tri-point spear in his grasp. The men that stood in formation off to either side of the leader seemed slightly intimidated as their eyes fell on the white haired Demitar. She was too weak to be an honest threat at this point, but they didn't have to know that.
The Demitar squared her shoulders in an attempt to bluff. Some of the soldiers readied their spears and she caught a flicker of uncertainty passing across their faces.
"Relax! She can't bend you idiots. Now let's go, nice and easy like. Back to your cell!" He commanded, taking a threatening step towards the pair.
"Maybe I can't firebend," Raya said suddenly, sliding forward and, drawing her arms to her right, "But I can still do this!" She brought them around herself and to the left sending a large wave of air into the chests of the men. They all tumbled backwards as if they'd been struck by invisible hands. No one moved and Zuko took this as a good sign to evacuate as fast as possible.
He took her arm and began pushing them forward again until he heard something whirring through the air. He raised a sword just in time to knock away two arrows. He looked around and suddenly there was an entire volley of arrows raining down on their heads. Raya backed into the Fire Prince and took a bending stance. Her knees slightly bent, she made to fists and pressed them together with force. A spherical blast erupted from her center and Zuko braced himself; hair whipping wildly around his face.
The arrows met the blast and were quickly whipped away in several different directions. Zuko smirked, admiring the quick thinking and strength of the Demitar, when he noticed that she was tottering where she stood. He began supporting her weight again and led them on as quickly as possible. He considered carrying her for a moment, but knew he needed to preserve his strength.
They walked through one final archway and were suddenly standing on the walkway that led through the palace court yard. Raya looked around and admired the beauty that existed there. Several turtle-ducks were quacking angrily in an articulately placed pond. When she realized why they were protesting, her heart burst with happiness and relief all at the same time. Tears rolled uninhibited down her face as only seeing a resurrected friend could induce.
"Rai Jin!" Her body was already overwhelmed, but the burst of sudden emotion propelled her forward. She wrapped grateful arms around the muzzle of her friend. Plumes of smoke emitted from his nostrils and endless hums of contentment roiled out of his chest. "I thought Azula – I thought she-"
"You need to go." Zuko was behind her now, moving her to the dragon's saddle. She felt the satchel he'd been shouldering slip around her torso as he placed it securely on her. Before she had time to protest or question him any further, strong hands had taken hold of her waist and hoisted her up into the saddle. She settled herself into the familiar leather seat and then turned to her savior.
"Listen to me," he said, waiting until she was giving him her full attention. "The Avatar is here, somewhere. He travels with his friends – two members of the Southern Water Tribe, and a young earthbender. Head toward the gates of Azulon. You have to find them, whatever it takes."
"Zuko, come on," she said, confusion coloring her tired face. He was already half way across the court yard when she called out. He didn't turn but paused and turned his head slightly so that she could make out the unharmed side of his face.
"There's something I have to do first." He was off again, moving even more quickly now that he was uninhibited by the weight of the Demitar.
"Thank-" She began, trying to convey how grateful she was to him for his sacrifice.
"Go!" He shouted simply as he disappeared to the other side of the door they had come through.
Before Raya could even react, RaiJin was rapidly ascending; leaving the courtyard and palace grounds far behind them. She held on tightly, summoning her remaining strength to focus on staying on the massive pearlescent dragon. She swore he had grown some in her absence, but wasn't left with much time to worry about it as she saw the ground become dotted with people. She scanned the area quickly, but nothing stood out to her.
The eclipse was more than halfway over now, and she could feel a warmth beginning to return to her core that she hadn't initially realized was absent. Below her small flashes of light – firebending – began to erupt. The masses of people she could see were gradually being pushed back toward the beaches. She felt desperately that she should be descending to help them, but knew it was the least viable option she had at the moment. Survive, heal, grow strong again – these were the things she needed to focus on most now.
As she turned her head to focus on the ocean coming into view, she noticed something she had thought no longer existed. It was far off, and still planted firmly on the ground, but there it was; a sky bison. RaiJin gave a small roar of protest, as she hadn't realized she'd been gradually pulling his reigns to make him slow down. She regained herself quickly and released the dragons head, allowing him to regain his speed.
"I'll find you again. . ." she whispered into the winds as they whipped around her face. RaiJin carried them out into ocean water and didn't slow until they spotted land again.
The light around her began to fade slowly, and Raya felt as though she were being born again. Her consciousness reached out and felt to the tips of each limb. She felt herself regaining control of her body, and the energy coursing through her slowed gradually to its regular pulse. Against her back she felt RaiJin begin to move his bulky dragon form.
Gasps erupted around the Demitar as the light dissipated and she could see clearly again for the first time in over a hundred years. She blinked and moved her arms down to her sides. Her body was horribly stiff, and she felt exhausted. Rai Jin let out at small grumble and she wondered if he were feeling the same.
Suddenly there were five fire sages bowing at her feet, and she looked around quickly to gain a sense of where she might be.
"Demitar Raya," the head sage began, "it is an honor to witness your awakening."
"Awakening?" She asked, still in a muddle of confusion.
"Yes. You've been locked in the Avatar's state for over one hundred years. You were found this way, encased in a sphere of energy. You were carefully relocated to the Fire Nation; to Roku's sanctuary. We have been patiently awaiting your return for over a generation, Demitar."
"A hundred . . . years?" She asked, her mouth falling slightly agape.
"I'm afraid so."
"I can't . . . believe-" a sudden surge of realization seemed to wash over her, and it caused an unintentional sense of panic to rise inside her. She felt tears pouring down her face as she tried to grasp the situation. Still sitting on the ground she put her hands to her face and cried into them, bending over her knees.
"It's alright, Raya. Please, it's going to be alright." One of the sages had moved to comfort the girl. A few of the other sages looked on in uncertainty, as it didn't seem right for them to assume such personal confidence toward their Demitar. In that moment, however, she was simply an incredibly hurt and upset fifteen year old girl. She looked up suddenly, flinching at the touch of the sages reassuring hand.
He looked to be in his late sixties, and his smile was kind. His white hair was tied back traditionally and hidden beneath his ceremonial fire sage cap. His eyes were decorated with years of age lines, his body slightly bent from years of walking the earth.
"How did- Why?" she whispered, her voice rasping slightly from crying.
"No one knows, I'm afraid. No one has seen the Avatar in over one hundred years, either. Your awakening must mean that he has returned, though." There were a few indistinguishable whispers shared amongst the other sages at the mention of the Avatar.
"He was . . . gone?" Her head was spinning with questions that she didn't even know how to ask. There were so many things she was missing, and she didn't understand how to begin to discover what those things were.
Bright sunlight filtered down into the trees, and Raya realized then that they had landed. She wasn't sure how long she had been out, or where they had landed specifically, but she was still seated firmly in the saddle. A small panic began to blossom within her as she looked toward the blue skies. They were devoid of even a single cloud.
"Did we miss them? How long was I out?" she asked the white dragon beneath her. He simply rumbled in a low tone as a response to her. She ran her hands through her hair and tucked some of it behind her ears. It was greasy and in desperate need of washing and combing.
She pulled the satchel Zuko had sent with her around herself and began rifling through it. Her clothes were there, along with some rations, a map, and something she didn't quite recognize at first. As she pulled the trinket out into the light to inspect it further, she knew exactly what it was. The ornament was metal, a flat wide cylinder with two fire symbols on either side. A pin was slid through it that would keep it solidly in the hair of the wearer.
The ornament of the crowned prince was beautiful, and its craftsmanship was to be praised highly. She took it gingerly in her fingers and inspected it further. Her heart ached a little as she thought of Zuko, disappearing into the confines of the palace once more. She hoped more than anything that he made it out safely. She considered changing until a familiar sound came from the sky above. It had been over one hundred years since she'd heard it, but she knew a sky bison growl anywhere.
RaiJin perked up as it flew overhead and her heart jumped with elation and anticipation. Without having to say a word, the dragon was lifting off the ground. As they ascended above the trees the sky bison was already far enough away that she couldn't make out the people that sat on his back. As they began to follow the bison, Raya felt a heaving sigh escape from her lips. She hadn't been out long enough to miss the Avatar.
They flew at a distance for almost two hours before she watched the sky bison sink. She looked in shock as it sank below the earth, and she commanded Rai Jin to land as they approached the place where the bison had disappeared. They landed in a cluster of trees that stopped abruptly. Outside the wood line there was roughly 100 feet of grassy ledge before the ground gave way to a lengthy crevasse.
She pulled out the map Zuko had given her. Map reading was never her strongest attribute, but she guessed they were somewhere near the Western Air Temple. She looked around and saw nothing but forest. She had seen no sign of a temple from the air either. She folded the map and replaced it, no less perplexed than when she had pulled it out. She wracked her brain, trying to remember everything she had learned about the other temples aside from the one at which she had mastered airbending.
Rai Jin rumbled and she heard him lay himself out on the ground. She looked back to find that he was already sleeping. She smiled gently and patted his massive forelock. He was utterly exhausted after carrying them so far, so fast. Scratching gently between his stark white horns, she tried to decide what to do next.
"Well, they don't seem to be going anywhere since they're in that crevasse. We could fly down?" she thought aloud as she began rifling through the bag again. She pulled out one of the rations and unfolded the off white cloth to reveal some bread and a piece of jerked meat. She tossed the meat over to RaiJin who snapped it up from mid-air.
"You'll need more than that soon," she continued to think out loud as she ripped off a large chunk of bread and bunched it into her mouth. Once she had chewed and swallowed that piece, she took the larger piece of bread in her mouth and held it there as she continued to pull things out of the bag; one hand held it open while the other extracted the items within.
She finished the bread in a few more bites, and then set herself to finding water. The clothes he had placed in the bag were ones she had awoken from the avatar state in, and the other set were something she had never seen before. They were crimson and brown, like any fire nation clothing would be, but they had loose flaps of fabric that reminded her of air nomad clothing around the upper thigh area and the chest. A fire nation symbol was embroidered into one leg of the giving black fabric that went from her waist to her knee; on the other the symbol of the air nomads. The sleeves of the garment went down to her elbow and were a fitted fabric like that of her pants. The chest and torso were also fitted, but over top hung the loose fabric, just as it draped around her upper thighs, tapering off to a point down toward her knee.
She wondered how Zuko had managed to have something like this made under the watchful eye of his father and sister. Then again, Sozin had managed to start a hundred year war right under the nose of the previous avatar; their ability to keep secrets was limitless, it seemed.
She washed in water she heated using firebending, and combed her hair out with her fingers as she washed away months of prison dirt – wishing silently that the Fire Prince had also shoved a comb into her get away satchel. At the thought of the prince she paused and wondered where he was at that moment. He said he had something to do first, but what about after that? Did he make it out? Or had he taken her place in that wretched cell? Or worse?
Raya stepped out of the water, unable to continue that though and with a single breath she braced herself as air flew out and away from her body, taking with it all the water that had clung to her from the stream.
It didn't take long for her to assemble herself. She grabbed her old clothes, and ran them through her fingers, certain that those were what she wanted to wear. However, the more she looked over the ones Zuko had had made for her, the more they grew on her. After a few more minutes of contemplation she picked up the newly tailored clothing and stuffed her original ones back into the satchel.
Once she had the clothes from Zuko on, she wondered why she had debated wearing them for so long. They fit like a glove, despite her fat and muscle loss, and she could move incredibly well in them. She did a few bending moves, taking stances and sending out short bursts of fire and air. As she did so, her body reminded her just how tired she really was.
Finally she picked up the crown prince hair piece. She pulled the upper portion of her hair into a small bun and tamed the rest down with her fingers. Her freshly washed white hair had a bit of body back, and took on a natural wave. It was still relatively straight, which she was thankful for now as it was a bit easier to manage without utensils. Two thick strands of hair hung from her temples down to her collar bone, framing her oval face. With that done, she placed the crowned prince ornament over her bun and slide the pin into place, assuring that it would remain firmly in place even through vigorous movements.
"Well?" The demitar turned to her companion and waited for his opinion. The dragon opened one eye half way and blinked slowly at her. He let out a heaving sigh and closed his eye again.
"Pretty sharp," she agreed with her silent consensus, satisfied that she once again looked somewhat like the Demitar should. "A few weeks of training and good food should fill this out," she said, gesturing to her arms and legs. She gathered up the satchel and slug it across herself. "Alright, let's go check out the cliffs," Raya said, adjusting the saddle straps and yanking to test its steadfastness.
The dragon let out a groan of protest and twisted his large white head around to face her. He didn't bother lifting it off the ground, and two little sparks erupted from his nostrils.
"Hey!" Raya snapped at him, jumping back a bit. "I'm tired too, you know. But we have to get down there. We can sleep soon, I promise. A really good, long sleep."
The dragon seemed to almost roll his eyes as he blinked and lifted his head off the ground, followed by his entire body.
"Thank you, friend," she said, bowing slightly to him. He rumbled deeply in his chest, and she could tell that he really was exhausted. They were so close, though, and Raya needed to meet her Avatar. "I think one hundred years is long enough, eh bud?"
She struggled to pull herself up into his saddle, and RaiJin lowered himself to give her less of a climb. She finally managed to seat herself square on the dragons back, and he hoisted himself to his full height once again before taking off into the air. He didn't go nearly as high or fast as he flew them over the precipice of the cliff.
At first Raya saw nothing but empty space extending down further than her eye could reach. She twisted around in her saddle looking for any sign of life when she saw it, and wondered why she hadn't remember earlier what the Western Air Temples looked like. She turned RaiJin around to face the large buildings that hung upside down and embedded into the cliff side. Only people who knew where to look would have been able to find it.
The pair descended down into the crevasse and Raya scanned the cliff side for signs of life. Suddenly, resting on a stone outcrop she spotted the sky bison. She didn't doubt the people with it were nearby.
"That way," she directed the dragon. He flew slowly toward their destination, taking great care to make a gentle landing. Anxiety was beginning to build in the Demitars chest as she felt the dragon make contact with the stone beneath them. The sky bison they landed near roared in protest, fearful of the predator that had just landed in his domain.
She heard a few shouts in response to his alarm and dismounted the dragon quickly. She wasn't sure what she would be met with, or who, but she wouldn't let them hurt Rai Jin regardless. She walked a few paces away from Rai Jin and noticed a flying lemur swoop past her and land on the saddle of the bison that was still shirking away from Rai Jin in discomfort.
The dragon made no threatening gesture and simply lay down upon the stone. He had reached his limit for the day, and she knew that to take off again would be impossible until he was well rested. The pearlescent dragon groaned deeply and smoke wafted from his nostrils. He seemed in no way concerned with the small battalion that appeared on the other side of the stone out crop.
They had been within the interior of the temple, and emerged now ready to face whatever was causing their bison's reaction.
"I knew I saw I dragon!" The voice came from a water tribe girl with thick dark hair. Her eyes were the tell-tale blue of a water tribe member, along with her russet skin.
"Fire Nation!" A boy yelled. He stood beside the water tribe girl and appeared to be from the water tribe as well. Their features were similar enough that she thought they must be siblings. Before she had time to continue her observations, a boomerang was hurtling toward her head. She quickly bent out a gust of air to knock it off course and ducked.
"Airbender?" the water tribe boy said suddenly taken aback. The boomerang clattered to the ground some distance away from them all and an air nomad boy stepped up to speak.
"Not just any airbender," he said, his staff hanging limp at his side, his eyes wide in disbelief. "The Demitar."
Raya drank in his air nomad appearance and her heart ached. She felt so many emotions swirling within her that she didn't know which one to emote. Fear, excitement, hurt, relief – it all poured out of her in the form of tears.
"Avatar Aang?" she had meant for it to be a statement. She knew she had found him, finally, and yet her words hung with a question mark, as only words from someone completely overwhelmed by a moment can. The ground felt like it was shifting beneath her suddenly, and she let herself sink to her knees.
"Woah! Is she alright?" A new voice had chimed in now, and it belonged to a short earth kingdom girl. "Her heart beat is a little erratic."
Before Raya could react, she watched as she water tribe girl walked up to her and without hesitation placed healing hands on her chest and back. She looked as if she were concentrating deeply, moving her hands methodically up and down the Demitars chi paths.
"She's just exhausted, I think." The healer placed the water from her hands back in the pouch tied to her hip and looked toward the monk. He hadn't moved or spoken since he announced the identity of the fire nation girl now in their midst. "Aang?" she asked gently, reaching out to him.
His staff clattered to the ground suddenly and he dropped to his knees in front of Raya. She tried to find any combination of words to voice all of things she needed to say; all of the questions she needed to ask. But nothing came from her lips and she simply stared, willing her facial expressions to communicate for her. The air nomad stared at her intricate blue tattoos, mirror images of his own, and she thought for a moment he was going to begin crying.
'No, don't cry, please,' she thought desperately, and before another moment could pass like that, she reached out to him and wrapped her thin arms around him. She crushed him against herself and held him, trying to stave off any tears.
The group that witnessed this all exchanged dumbfounded looks. None of them were really sure what to do next, for they had never encountered this situation before. They finally had the Demitar with them, but what that meant, none of them could truly define.
"Don't cry," Raya whispered, her words finally returning to her. It was the simplest gesture she could make, but she realized that it was enough. The Avatars arms wrapped around her and she felt him hold tightly to her, as though she would become a wisp of air at any moment.
"I'm just . . . So happy," he finally managed, speaking through white locks of hair. When he finally pulled his face away she could see that he was wearing a large and genuine smile. It held so much relief. "I'm not the last one," he continued. He gingerly touched his fingertips to her forehead arrow, as if assuring himself that it wasn't paint, or just a trick of the light.
A blood red sky pained the horizon behind the scene. The sun was nothing more than a crimson disc hanging low on the horizon. The eclipse was over, and the Avatar had failed to achieve the goals they had set. But the victory still belonged to him, now that he finally had his right hand by his side. It was more than that though. He had an airbender to share in his woes, trials, and triumphs. He had a kindred spirit to commiserate with, and laugh with, and share air nomad traditions with. Her tattoos were the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, not because of the way they looked on her, but because of what they represented.
Without even realizing it, the Avatar had shifted into the avatar state, and into the spirit realm. This triggered the Demitar to shift into the spirit world as well. Raya looked around to find that she was no longer burdened by the feelings of earthly strife, and noted that the world around them had changed.
"The spirit world," she observed briefly before turning her full attention to the Avatar.
"How?" Aang began, as he hadn't been trying to trigger his avatar state at all. Suddenly they were joined by Avatar Roku and Demitar Kuyen.
"Avatar Aang, Demitar Raya," Roku greeted both patiently. "I have been waiting for you for a long time," he speculated.
"As have I," Demitar Kuyen said. The earth nation Demitar had been a ferocious earth bender, and had also had the ability to water bend. He was aged as Roku, and looked toward Raya kindly.
"This is not the way you two should have met, but we cannot rescind the past. You are together now, and you have a great deal to learn," Avatar Roku began.
"You are both of the same spirit. The Avatar is never at his full potential without the Demitar. Alternately, the Demitar is never at their full potential without the Avatar. The two are the epitome of balance. Both of you hold immense power, but ones power is nothing without the support of the other." Demitar Kuyen held out his hand and a watery version of the Yin and Yan symbol floated above it.
"Now that you have met, your spirits have been linked once more, as they have been for a hundred life times before. As your bond grows, so will your connection. You can communicate from anywhere in the world, even if you become separated. The world needs you now, more than ever, but the world has always, and will always need you. What you must never forget," Avatar Ruko was fading now, and so was the past Demitar. Raya began to panic, for she felt less prepared for her role now than she ever had. "Is that you need each other."
With their final wisdom departed, their past lives vanished and they were cast out of the spirit realm and into the mortal world once more.
Raya collapsed onto her side. She felt the exhaustion of the day over take her and, if she were being honest with herself, she welcomed the embrace of nothingness. It was the most eventful day she had participated in since her imprisonment by the Fire Lord and his daughter Azula.
Aang fell back as well, catching himself on his elbows. He always exited the spirit world feeling momentarily drained. When he had his barings, he looking up to find that Katara was at the side of the Demitar, making sure she was alright. He reached out to her and Katara stayed his hand.
"She's just asleep. She really was exhausted. I think this sent her over the edge. She just needs to rest, Aang. Don't worry, I swear she's okay other than that. Sokka! Leave the dragon alone," Katara added the last part quickly as her brother immediately withdrew the hand he had been about to use to prod the pearlescent beast.
"What? Me? I was simply-"
"Seeing how long it takes to get your arm bit off? Because that's what's going to happen."
Toph laughed and Sokka just put his hands behind his back, slinking away from Rai Jin as he opened one of his jade eyes to inspect the water tribe boy.
Raya was moved closer to the fire and placed on a bed roll. Everyone took up their chores as normal, aside from the occasional glance in the Demitar's direction; everyone but the Avatar, that is. Aang sat patiently at her side, his legs folded and arms and hands placed in a meditative position. Food was passed around, eaten, and cleaned up, but the Avatar remained unmoving.
He let out a sigh as he felt Katara's familiar hand on his shoulder. He opened his stormy gray eyes and looked over his shoulder at her. She was wearing a look of motherly concern for the air nomad.
"Aang, I don't think she's going to wake up tonight. We can all talk and sort things out in the morning. Maybe it's best that you get your rest too, so we can be ready."
"I know, I just," Aang paused and looked once again at her tattoos. "There's so much I want to say to her. To ask her. I just want to know her." Katara's face hid the flash of jealousy she suddenly felt at his words. She quickly reminded herself that the Demitar and Avatar were connected by the same powerful spirit, and that it was her own fault for interpreting his words that way.
But she couldn't help but wonder what that meant for her and the Avatar. Katara had encountered mixed feelings about him time and time again. He was so young, and yet was so wise that his age only went skin deep. He was the strongest bender he had ever seen and this always caused her to think about Aunt Wu's prediction. But how could she ignore the fact that the Avatar and Demitar's spiritual bond would bring them closer than two people could be, along with the fact that Raya looked close to Katara's age.
"You're right though," he said finally, interrupting the water bender's thought train as he picked himself up off the ground. "I think I'm going to turn in." His eyes lingered on Raya for a moment longer, and then he moved on to his own bed role.