History of Secrets Part 1

After they left the stadium the two families were deep in conversation.

"I didn't know that Delta was a waterbender," commented Wu.

"Neither did I," said his wife Chu.

Both of them looked at Shen and Chun, "I knew there was something different about him and not just because of his eye color," Chun said.

"That and the fact that we found him in a basket on the shoreline may have something to do with us never knowing of this ability," added Shen.

"But didn't you guys have any mishaps with him when he was growing up, or did something ever catch your attention that seemed irregular for Delta?" asked Chu.

Shen and Chun looked at each other.

"Not especially, although I have noticed that he's gone out of the house at night when the full moon is out more recently than before. I was wondering what he could have been doing," Shen said.

"I'm just grateful for what he did for Chan today," replied Chu.

"You and me both," Wu said, he looked at Shen, "I've never seen anyone move that quickly. You've done an excellent job training him Shen."

"He's a natural when it comes to memorizing skills and different fighting techniques," Shen agreed, "One time I was training him on a very complicated set of sword moves. That took me almost three to six months to master. He caught on within two to three weeks of just looking at me and repeating all my movements."

"But how did he manage to turn the water into ice?" Chun wondered, "I mean don't benders have to have some level of skill in order to be that advanced?"

"True, honey, but you forget this is Delta we're talking about. If he found out that he was a waterbender I'll bet he tried to do everything he could think of to manipulate the water. He may have even used some of the forms of fighting that I taught him as a basis for them. Either way we'll soon know," as Shen was talking the kids were walking in front of the adults.

They were talking about the trials and wondering why Delta never told them he was a waterbender.

"I mean I know he was always different from us, but I never knew he was that different from us," Zhong said.

"How does being a bender make him different from us?" Lian asked.

"Think about it. Can any of us manipulate any of the elements?" asked Zhong.

"Well Kang can," replied Lian, "He's the only one in the village who can, well the only one besides Delta now."

"But that's not the point. The point is that Mom and Dad should have known something was unusual about him when they found him on the shore," said Zhong.

"Are you jealous Zhong?" Ilia asked.

"Now why would I want a stupid ability that can change water? I'd rather be able to fly."

Ilia looked at Lian and rolled her eyes "Boys…"

She nodded in agreement, "What about you Ilia? Did you ever know that Delta could bend water?"

Lian's question caught Ilia off guard and she started to mumble something but they just arrived at the front of the house of Shen and Chun.

The house was a typical Earth Kingdom house with a few different modifications to it. It was rectangular in shape with white walls all around and yellow trim. The roof had green tiles and a wood beam on top that ran the length of the house, rounded and curved upwards at the end. The unique feature of the house was that it had a basement as well as an attic for storing certain items.

As they neared the door, they heard voices coming through the open window.

"I still can't believe that those guys were given real swords!"

"That's Shang," Lian whispered to Ilia.

"For the last time I don't even know how two real swords got into the arena. We all know that unless you've passed the trials you aren't supposed to use real swords, no matter how many times you've tried to pass the trials," Chan replied.

"Maybe that's why they were given swords and you weren't even though you passed your trial today," Shang suggested.

"It's possible. But why wouldn't I be given a real sword if that were the case? Maybe your dad can shed some light on that issue."

Shang nodded, "I still don't get it though? How he was able to beat all three of you, even when they had real swords with them?"

Shang anticipated Chan's response, "You know as well as I that Delta wasn't going to settle for second best. Not that I'm bitter or anything but the fact is he's probably the best fighter in the village. Granted, he hasn't been out in the real world and neither have I, but considering what I went through today and the fact that he can bend water, he is on a whole different level from all of us."

"Hey you did pretty well yourself so don't be so down about it, but you're probably right."

"Thanks," Chan replied.

"Was that a little bitterness I detect?" Shang quipped.

Chan sighed, "Maybe a little."

They both laughed at this. Right then, both Shang and Chan's family entered the house. Shang and Chan were sitting at the table sipping water. They had already cleaned themselves from the trials. Chan got up from his chair as did Shang. Their families rushed in on them giving them hugs and kisses making it kind of awkward for them.

"We're so glad you're okay," both couples said to their sons.

"We are as well," Shang and Chan replied.

"Where's Delta?" Lian asked and they all looked around the house.

"He said he had to go check on something after he finished washing up," Chan said.

"I'll check outside," Ilia volunteered.

Everyone looked at her causing her to blush as she headed for the door.

"Well I'll check upstairs then," Zhong said.

"I'll ask the neighbors if they've seen him," Lian called, following after Ilia.

Shen looked at the rest of them, "I guess we'll stay here until they return."

Ilia had an idea of where Delta might be. Outside the village there was a river that ran in from the ocean. It branched off in a few places and she knew one of the areas where Delta practiced waterbending. She made her way through the trees along the river to the place where it diverged. When she got there she witnessed a peculiar scene.

Delta was kneeling in a glade right next to the pool of water where she had first seen him waterbending. As she watched him she saw that he was looking down at the contents within an opened chest. Then she heard him talking to himself? She didn't think anyone else was in the area.

"No more hiding who and what I am," he muttered.

She saw him pull out some weird looking instrument. She had heard the name of it before and had even seen a similar copy of one, but this one was different. It was blue and had twelve holes in it; a funnel protruded from near the center of the instrument.

Delta also pulled out a strange looking robe with a hood that could probably cover his face. The color scheme was different from other Earth Kingdom clothes that Ilia had seen. It was dark blue with white lining different parts of the robe. The hood of the robe was blue but the inside of it was white. On the outside there were patterns of white that gave the robe a very different look.

The last item Ilia saw Delta retrieve from the chest was a pair of leather gauntlets. On one was the symbol of the crescent moon and the ocean. On the other pair was the symbol of the Water Tribe. She gasped when she saw these. So that's where he's from, she thought to herself.

As she gasped Delta stopped what he was doing and stood up. Ilia walked out into the glade where he was standing.

"Am I really that predictable?" he asked.

"Maybe you are. Maybe you're just wondering about how much your life is going to change after today," she said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

Delta turned and faced her, "Are you sorry that I saved Chan today as well as revealing my secret earlier than I planned, or is there something else on your mind?"

"I'm very grateful for what you've done today," Ilia said surprised by his insight, "I just wish you could be…"

"What?" Delta asked, guessing her thoughts.

"I wish you could have been regular like the rest of us. But I know that you aren't normal. I knew that since I first learned of your history and how Shen and Chun found you. Now I know that you have questions that you want answers to. Either you'll find them or you won't, but I do know you'll never forgive yourself if you just stay here and pretend that you don't care about your past," she said, with a touch of relief at being able to finally say without sounding too childish.

"You know you're one of the smartest women I've ever known," Delta said.

This made her blush so badly that Delta laughed, "Ilia it's time we stopped pretending about how we feel about each other and start realizing that things will never be as we want them."

She gulped and smiled at him, "You always seem to know what to say."

"Guess it's something I picked up from my father," he mused, "Well the day's not getting any younger."

They looked towards the sky and saw that the sun was setting down.

"I guess we should get back to the house," Ilia commented.

Delta nodded and went back to the chest. He knelt by it and whispered, "Rest easy knowing that your inheritance is with me."

He then walked to the pond and turned a part of it into ice. He walked on it towards the end and dropped the chest into the water.

Then he walked back to the land and unfroze the stream. Ilia watched as he did this then fell into step next to him.

"What was all that about with your inheritance?" she asked.

"You know the stuff that I pulled out?" Delta asked.

Ilia nodded.

"When I was fifteen Shen told me about how he and Chun had found me. Needless to say I was shocked when I found out I wasn't their real son. Then he pulled a chest out and gave it to me. 'These are the things we found in your basket.' He said. That's when I saw the robe, gauntlets, and the ocarina," Delta kept walking as he was talking.

Ilia knew the story well because it was so unusual for something like this to happen. As they walked a piece of paper fell out of his robe and Delta snatched it before it hit the ground. On it was the picture of a woman.

"Who's that?" Ilia inquired.

"One of the many questions that I have," replied Delta.

Ilia looked at Delta's face. He had a strange and haunted look after he saw the picture on it and she decided against asking him for more details.

As they got out of the woods they noticed the sun was nearly to the horizon. Delta stopped and looked at it.

"What's wrong?" Ilia asked.

"Just thinking about how this might be my last night here," Delta said.

He turned back to her and they continued walking toward the village. They entered through the western gate of the village and on to Delta's childhood home. They stepped into the front door and saw everyone that everyone was waiting in the kitchen.

While the door closed they heard Shang saying "It's against tradition for people to use real swords during the trials."

"You seem to forget that the ones who had swords had already passed their trials," Shen answered Shang.

"I know that they had already passed as had Chan but he didn't get one," Shang seemed pretty upset by this.

"You know your brother could handle anything that he faced today. I did what I did because when you're out in the real world, there aren't a whole lot of people who live by rules and traditions," Shen said.

Chan nodded in agreement, "I agree. Although it would have been nice for if you had warned us about it before hand."

"Like I said before, there are very few scenarios where you'll have more than moment's notice to act. That's one of the great gifts that Delta seems to possess."

As Shen finished speaking he looked over at the doorway and saw Delta and Ilia standing there. Everyone else looked at them. Chun and Lian both walked over to Delta and hugged him.

"I'm glad you're alright," Chun said.

"As am I," replied Delta.

Then Chan's parents got up and walked over to Delta and hugged him, "Thank you for what you did for our family today," Chu said.

"Yes we will never forget what you did for Chan, Delta. If there's ever anything you need, let me know," Wu offered.

Delta bowed his head slightly at this. After this exchange Delta and Ilia walked into the room and sat down on the chairs that were available. Delta was next to Zhong and Ilia sat next to her brother.

Once again everyone's eyes turned to Delta. He had a similar feeling after he bent the water in the arena, only this one was a bit more intimate.

"Well it would seem as if you have some story-telling to do," Shen said, breaking the silence.

Delta looked around the room at everyone who was there, "Make sure you get comfortable it's a bit of a long story."

Lian walked over and gave him a cup of water. He took it and thanked her. She sat back down next to Shang.

"It was a few months or so after I turned eighteen. Chan, Dad and I were out hunting to provide food for the summer solstice,"

As he talked both Chan and Shen nodded, remembering this hunt.

"Dad had flushed out the elkalope that we had been tracking for days and Chan and I were running through the forest to cut off its escape route. Chan had my bow and I had his spear while we were running. When we got to the area where the elkalope was going to run towards we stopped. Chan gave my bow back and I fired an arrow, hitting the elkalope right in the eye. We divvied the carcass evenly among us and started the long trek home.

"I don't know if Father planned it this way, but we ended up spending one of the nights on the shoreline where I was found me. I didn't realize it at the time, but when I went to sleep that night something odd happened to me. I woke up and I was blue all over. It was weird, like I was real and yet I wasn't. Anyways when I was in this form I saw how I wound up on this shore and I saw Shen and Chun retrieve me from the water."

Everyone was quiet at this point not knowing what he was going to say next.

When she heard Delta describe how he saw them find him Chun started crying.

Shen put his arm around her, "Hush no need for tears over what we did."

Delta looked at Chun and gave her a slight smile, "I don't know what I was thinking at the time I mean what child remembers something like that? But after I saw that my spirit returned to my body."

After this Delta took a sip of water before he continued, "I couldn't sleep for some time. I just kept staring out at the ocean wondering; if these aren't my real parents who are? Why did I wash up on shore? Did my real parents even care for me if they decided not to raise me themselves? Are they even alive? "All this and more went through my mind. It was at this point that I felt something pull me towards the ocean. It was a full moon that night and I felt something stir within me. I raised my arms and moved my wrists in a slow circular motion. As I did this water rose up from the ocean. I stared at it and let go thinking alright that was weird can I please wake up now forgetting that I was still awake. Wanting to be sure I wasn't dreaming I tried the motion again and the water moved again. It was then that I knew I was a waterbender."

Delta paused and Shen cut in, "So that's why you've been going out at the full moon since the hunting trip?"

Delta nodded, "I knew you guys might question why I was going out at night but there you have it."

"Do you know if either of your parents were waterbenders?" Chu asked.

Delta shot her a dark look and she blushed, "I'm sorry I forgot."

Delta reached into his leather jerkin where he put the picture after it had fallen out while he was walking back from the glade. He passed it around to Zhong who looked at it and he passed it to the others.

"This was one of the things that were found with me. I don't know who she is, but if it's any indication I'd guess that she is my birth mother," he looked at Shang who was holding the picture, "Now you know why I said those things before the beginning of the trials."

Shang nodded but still looked confused.

Lian looked from the picture to Delta. She saw similar features between Delta and the woman. Both of them had blue eyes shaped in the same way. And Delta had a similar shaped face as the woman.

"You don't have any ideas as to where or who she is?" Lian asked knowing it was a little redundant.

"No I don't. Which is why I should be getting over to the King and see what he knows about my past," Delta said this with a voice which concluded the discussion of his past, for now at least.