"I'm so bored…" Toph complained loudly.
"Yeah, me too." Sokka agreed. It was turning out to be one of the hottest days of the early summer and one of the dullest. Suki, Toph, Zuko, Sokka and Katara were all lying on their backs on the ground in the fountain room. Rei and Aang had left early that morning to go training and hadn't gotten back yet.
"Sokka, it's usually your job to entertain us." Katara said, "You're boring…" Sokka picked up his head to glare at Katara, who wasn't looking, before letting his head fall back with a grunt.
"Too bad Rei and Aang aren't here…They're normally amusing to watch." Zuko said. Murmurs of agreement rose and then they all went silent.
"What do you think they do while they train?" Katara asked suddenly with her eyes closed.
"…I don't know…" Suki answered truthfully. One of Katara's eyes slid open.
"Well, don't you think it's weird?"
"Yes Katara, you are very weird." Sokka said with another grunt.
"That's not what I meant Sokka," Katara said as she rolled her eyes. "I mean they never train here and they always leave really early. I mean, I haven't even seen Rei since last night. She left before Aang did." Silence allowed the information to settle.
"They probably train deep in the woods…you know, freaky Avatar stuff." Sokka said.
"I bet all they do is meditate…" Suki said. "But Aang does always come back tired."
"Maybe it's super meditation…" Sokka said stupidly, silence was his reply as the others rolled their eyes.
"He is getting stronger. I've noticed it in his fire bending." Zuko added a bit later.
"I've noticed it too. His steps have gotten even lighter. It's like she's making him more confident." Toph told them.
"Confidence is good for actors, but I don't think it will help out against the fire lord. I wish she would teach him some light bending or something."
"She seems to know a lot about the Avatar business. I trust her," Suki said, "Even if she is a little different." It was silent again before Zuko burst in husky laughter.
"What's so funny?" Toph asked in slight irritation. His hearty chuckle was vibrating the floor and made her sight choppy.
"It's nothing… Just remembering something funny." A tiny pink tinted his cheeks as he remembered their shopping trip.
"I kind of feel bad for her," Katara voiced suddenly. "She must feel really out of place here. She doesn't know what a lot of stuff is…"
"Yeah. She must feel really lost." Sokka agreed.
"I don't think Rei ever feels lost…Or out of place." Toph said blankly. They all laughed at the truth of her words. Rei was just a different person.
"She asked me before," Katara rolled onto her side giggling. "She asked me what a girlfriend is." Suki shot up in a surprised gasp and Katara fell into another fit of giggles. Zuko, on the other hand, blushed deep red and attempted to hide his face from the others.
"I had to explain it to her! Like, EVERYTHING!"
"Everything?!" Suki gasped louder and giggled.
"Everything!!" Katara suddenly stopped laughing and became solemn. "But it was weird," The atmosphere turned and became more quiet.
"What was weird?" Sokka asked quietly, as if afraid that someone would shush them.
"When I tried to explain to her about love, she got very… upset. I asked her what was wrong but she wouldn't tell me."
"Maybe she's lost someone." Sokka offered sadly, remembering his mother with a wince.
"No, it wasn't that. It was… as if she had never heard of love before."
"Weird." From Toph. The others remained silent.
"We don't really know a lot about her, do we?" Zuko asked.
"Know a lot about whom?" Rei's crystal clear voice questioned loudly causing the group to jump in fright. All of them sat up and watched as Aang and Rei walked in together.
"No-nothing!!" Katara squealed. Aang looked tired but happy and Rei just looked the same as ever; mysteriously beautiful. Aang had taken off his shirt and yellow wrap because of the heat.
"Guess what guys?! We found an awesome lake during training! We can go swimming!" Aang excitedly told the others.
"Yes! There are waterfalls and cliffs and fish and very nice fruit trees!" Rei added happily as Aang went to grab Appa for their day trip.
"Waterfalls?" Katara asked with glee.
"Fish?!" Sokka yelled as he ran to help Aang with Appa. Much to Sokka's dismay, there had been no fish at the market.
"You all go ahead without me. I'm not really the swimming type." Toph said as she laid back down on the cool ground.
"But Toph, there is also a small mud pit!" Rei said as she pulled Toph up by her hand. With a groan, the small blind girl followed.
"I guess I can wallow in the dirt for a while…"
Soon they were soaring through the hot, sticky air. Aang steered Appa while sitting on his head and everyone else was sitting together in the saddle. Rei pulled her hair out of its usual pony tail to let it blow in the wind.
"Rei, aren't you hot?" Katara, who was wearing a red tube top and skirt, asked with concern.
"Yes, Actually. But I was told that taking off my clothes wasn't allowed, no matter how hot it was." A blush wave hit Aang suddenly, earning him looks from the others.
"What do you mean 'you were told'?"
"There it is!" Aang called out very loudly as they descended towards a small light blue lake. Appa landed underneath a few shady palm trees and the group climbed off of him. Aang quickly took Katara by the hand and raced towards the beach.
"Come on Katara! The water is amazing!" He yelled with glee. Rei was about to follow when Suki grabbed her arm.
"Here Rei. I'll help you get into something a little less hot." She said with a smile which Rei returned happily. Zuko, Toph, and Sokka slowly walked down to the beach. Sokka quickly jumped into the water and swam to where Aang and Katara were splashing.
"Are you going to jump in?" Zuko asked Toph. She shook her head.
"Nope, I can't see very well in there…I'm going to find the mud bath!" She trudged away happily, leaving Zuko alone at the shore. He felt Suki rush passed him with a giggle and Saw her dunk Sokka in the water. He popped back up and, with a devious face, went after Suki.
"Do you not enjoy swimming Zuko?" Rei's voice sounded from behind him and he turned around. A blush threatened to creep up as he got a full look at Rei's 'less hot' outfit. She was wearing a blood red one piece suit that had a heart shaped top and thick straps. Her hair was pulled into a thick side braid that swept over her right shoulder and ended at her waist.
"Umm, I enjoy it, but I didn't bring a suit…" He stupidly replied as he was wearing dark red shorts and his open front red tunic with gold stitching. "Don't you like it?" She smiled at him softly.
"I wouldn't know. I've never gone swimming." His eyes widened in shock and she tilted her head.
"Would you like to walk with me? I want to see the view!" Zuko nodded slowly and walked with Rei towards the grass. There was a light incline which steepened as they ascended.
"Zuko, May I ask you something?" Rei spoke quietly…softly.
"Sure, anything…" Rei's serene face slowly became cautious, as if afraid to speak.
"Who gave you that scar?" Zuko stopped in his tracks which caused Rei to stop also. They were at the top. "I'm sorry! I should not have intruded!" Rei quickly apologized after looking at Zuko's face.
"No, it's ok." He assured her. "I just didn't expect that… It was my father, the Fire lord. He did this right before he banished me from the fire nation."
"Banished?" She asked in shock. Zuko looked over the little paradise. The cliff dropped straight over the lake, which was about 15 feet from the cool water.
"I was banished from home until I captured the Avatar. In fact, about 3 and a half years of my life were wasted trying to get Aang. Funny how things turned out, huh." And strangely enough, Zuko smiled a little. Rei walked to the very edge and watched her friends playing in the water.
"What made you change?" Rei asked as she turned to look at him. Even though she was right at the edge, she was standing very sure.
"It was my uncle. He had always tried to push me into the direction, and it eventually worked. Too bad he wasn't around to see it." Rei's eyes widened when he said this, expecting the worse. Zuko waved his hands in front of his chest and laughed at her sincere agony for him. "No, no! He didn't die or anything! He escaped from the prison my father, his brother, had thrown him into. I don't know where he is now, but I know that he's safe." Rei's face relaxed with a smile which Zuko returned. She then turned to face the lake. It seamed that Suki and Katara were ganging up on Aang and Sokka for the splash fight.
"What was his name?" Rei asked brightly.
"Iroh, or the dragon of the west, but no one calls him that anymore." Rei spun around in an instant.
"I KNOW HI…" Is all she managed to get out before her balance was thrown askew and she fell off of the cliff. She fell through the air and hit the water with a scream. The group had heard her fall and was now waiting for her to resurface. Zuko waited anxiously before he remembered the fact that Rei had never gone swimming before…which meant that she couldn't possibly know how to swim…
"Crap!" Zuko whipped off his tunic and dived into the water with a royal grace. The others must have just thought that Zuko and Rei were just diving into the water because they went back to their splash game. Zuko held his breath as he desperately looked through the blue water for a hint of Rei. When he saw a mop of floating white hair, he dived deeper into the water. He roughly grabbed Rei's slight middle and kicked towards the surface with all of his might. When their heads broke through he heard her gasp. But it wasn't a gasp for air, it was a gasp of excitement. Rei suddenly started laughing.
"Are you ok?!" Zuko asked in fright, turning Rei so she was facing him. Her white hair fell wetly over her face and her mouth was curved into a triumphant smile.
"This is wonderful!" She exclaimed and attempted to dive under the water again. But Zuko's iron strong grip blocked her attempt. "Zuko! Let me go! I wish to swim!"
"You can swim?!" He asked in utter shock. "I thought you said you've never gone swimming before!" He pulled her close enough that her hands touched his chest under the water.
"Of course I can swim, silly. It's like flying!" With that she quickly weaseled out of Zuko's clutches and dove under again. Not convinced, Zuko took a breath and quickly followed her. Rei remained completely still under the water except for her head, which quickly moved back and forth looking at everything under the surface. Little fish swam closer to her than Zuko as he hurried to reach her. Her white hair had fallen out of the braid and was now spread angelically around her face. She smiled when she saw Zuko and went up for air. He followed in suit.
"This place is wonderful!" She told him excitedly. Zuko was speechless as she looked into Rei's pale, wide eyes. A yell shocked him out of the trance he was in. Rei dove under the water and swam gracefully towards the rest of the group, who were preparing to race. Zuko blinked twice before following her again.
A-A-A-A-A-A
"Come Rei! It's time to eat!" Katara called out to Rei as everyone began to exit the lake. They had swum all day and the sun was finally setting. Rei was the most reluctant to leave the water. She had lost every race, easily getting distracted by fish or rocks, and she was bad at chicken, wanting to be in the water too soon. Her childish nature had even gotten Toph in the water for a game of volleyball. Now everyone but Rei was out of the water and walking to the fire Zuko was currently building.
"I could be in the water forever!" Rei exclaimed as she emerged from the waves. She copied Katara by wringing out her white hair while she stood calf deep in the water.
"I've never seen anyone so excited by water! Not even Katara when she learns a new move." Sokka said as he pulled on his shirt. Katara threw him a mock-angry look as she reached the grass.
"I makes me wish I was a waterben-" Silence. Aang turned towards Rei after she stopped talking.
"REI?!" All heads turned to Aang and then whipped around to where Rei was.
She stood frozen still, her right arm slightly forward, hand reaching out. Her feet were shoulder length apart and her knees were slightly bent. But her face is what had shocked Aang. Her mouth was slightly agape and her eyes were very wide, eyebrows arched. But her eyes were not their normal pale color. Instead, they were glowing white, very much like Aang's Avatar state. Her diamond tattoo also glowed brightly. And she remained motionless.
"Rei!" Sokka shouted as they all ran to her. Aang was the first to reach her with a gust of wind to quicken his steps. He grabbed his wrist and immediately went still. The tattoo on his hand began to glow and the glow spread until his eyes went blank. Aang's stance went slack. No one dared to touch them.
"AAHHH!!" Aang shouted in pain as his body jumped. The glowing disappeared from his body and he fell back into Katara's arms. She kneeled down into the sand.
"Aang?? Aang!" She gently shook him. "Aang wake up! Are you ok?! Wake up!!" Sokka crowded over him, a look of shocked worry on his face.
"What's wrong with him?!" Rei's eyes slowly slipped closed and the glowing disappeared. As she began to fall swiftly backwards, Zuko and Toph reached out to grab her arms. They lowered her slowly into the shallow waves and kneeled at her sides.
"Wh-what happened?" Aang asked groggily as he opened his eyes.
"Aang! You're ok!" Suki exclaimed with relief. Aang sat up with Katara's help and looked into the worried faces of his friends.
"You went all glowy and then passed out! So did Rei!" Sokka explained to the very confused air bender. They all looked at Aang in confusion.
"I-I was in the Avatar state…until I remembered…lightening." Zuko's face fell as he remembered that fateful day so many months ago in Ba Sing Se.
"How did that happen?" Sokka questioned aloud. "You haven't been able to go Avatar since that day…" Aang's focus shifted as he struggled to remember what exactly had happened.
"It was….Rei…" They all looked at her limp body. The water was splashing over her legs and soaking her hair.
"She's waking up!" Toph alerted them. Slowly, Rei's body began to twitch and move, her eyes fluttering open. Zuko was leaning over her when her eyes fully opened.
"Rei, are you ok?"
"…Zuko…" Her eyes widened with a gasp and she bolted straight up, hitting heads with the fire prince. He fell onto his butt and rubbed his head while Rei proceeded to stand, one hand on her forehead. "We have to leave!" She ran over to Appa and pulled him forward, into the clearing. When she realized that they here still in the waves she turned in agitation. "NOW!"
"Rei! What's going on?" Katara asked in a serious tone.
"We need to leave, now!"
"No, what just happened with you…and Aang?!" Rei froze for the first time as she looked at Aang, who was sitting in the sand gazing back at her in shock.
"I don't have time to explain right now!" Rei said hastily, "We need to get back to the temple immediately." They didn't move so she groaned loudly. "I'll explain on the way! Please, just trust me!" Aang slowly got to his feet and walked to where Rei was climbing on top of Appa.
"Aang?" Sokka questioned.
"It's ok guys… We need to listen to her." Rei smiled slightly at Aang before offering her hand to help him up on Appa. He took it and the two turned to their friends. Zuko and Toph got up first, followed by Sokka and Suki, and lastly Katara. They quickly shot into the air and headed for the temple.
"Oh no! The fire!" Suki remembered. Katara reached for her water bag but Rei quickly stood up.
"I've got it!" She said as she began to perform perfect water bending moves. The group, except for Aang, stared in wonder as the waves grew bigger beneath them and eventually killed the fire. Rei sat down near Aang and took a few deep breaths with her eyes closed. When they opened again, she found everyone staring at her…again.
"You can….water bend?" Zuko questioned.
"Temporarily, I can do anything." She said, as if it explained everything.
"Ok!" Katara demanded, "Explain everything! Now!" Rei took another deep breath.
"When I…froze… I was getting a vision, sent from the spirit world to warn me."
"What about what happened to Aang?" Sokka asked.
"When he touched me, he was opened up to the spirit world also. It forced him into the Avatar state until his scar forced him out of it."
"Will that happen every time he touches you?" Suki asked in shock, causing Rei to smile a little.
"No, no. It only happens when one of us is open to the spirit world. Otherwise, we'll be normal." Sokka's lips pressed together at the mention of normal. Nothing about Aang or Rei was normal…nothing.
"What was the vision?" From Toph.
"Yeah, why are we rushing to the temple?" Zuko added. Rei pulled her hair up into her usual bun/pony tail and took another deep breath.
"We have to gather everything we have and tell the others to leave."
"What?! Why?" Katara asked.
"In the vision we were being attacked by fire benders riding a giant iron balloon. It was a ruthless girl, a fire nation royal." Rei explained solemnly.
"Azula." Zuko spoke through his teeth.
Aang urged Appa to fly faster.
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