Chapter Fourty Four

Words of Choice

Sokka poked at his bowl of oatmeal (which the whole group had become sickened of; but Katara still made it). His brown hair was down from it's usual 'wolf tail', or whatever the Water Tribe boy called it. A solemn and rather disgusted expression flashed across his face as he forced himself to swallow the oats, "Err—not that I don't like your cooking, Katara, but could we maybe go out for break—?"

"I'm going to the market today, so shut up." Katara grumbled, an annoyed look on her face as she interuppted her brother. She crossed her arms, glaring at the boy, who slumped down in his chair, his girlfriend rolling her eyes at him.

I pushed my half-eaten bowl of oatmeal away from me, my stomach not granting me anymore. I gingerly took a sip of water from my glass, and glanced at Aang, who was already looking at me. We had plans to go down to the beach today — to swim and practice airbending. He seemed to be thinking the same as I as he nodded. We both began to rise when Olin's eyes stopped us.

"Where are you two going?" He asked, his voice gruff and his dark hair ruffled from sleeping. On his chin and cheeks were some traces of a beard, and his eyes studied us carefully.

I blinked, waving my hands towards the window, "To the beach." I replied hastily, staring evenly at him.

There was a moment of hesitation. I'm sure Olin hadn't completely forgave Aang for this morning's incident, and I'm sure his trust for the Avatar wasn't as much as it was before. He let out a sigh, closing his eyes temporarily, "Fine." He looked like he was going to say more when Zuko spoke:

"To the beach?" The firebender's nose wrinkled, "Aang, you have firebending training."

"And you need to practice some earthbending." Toph added, her sightless eyes resting steadily on Aang.

"Don't tell me you forgot. Every single morning before or after breakfast. Since you were...busy...before breakfast, we're going to do it now." Zuko reasoned, flipping the raven black hair out of his face as he set his spoon into his bowl.

"Um — of course I didn't forget." Aang sheepishly smiled, his hand rubbing the back of his neck as he lowered his eyes in guilt. I felt bad because it was my idea to go to the beach in the morning; I should've known that he had firebending training. I frowned, staring at the old table.

Zuko rose, and began to walk out into the courtyard, "Well, let's go then." he said impatiently as Aang didn't make the move to follow. Aang blinked, and hurriedly left with the former prince.

"Don't burn anything down!" Sokka called after them, huffing as he muttered something about 'jerkbending' under his breath. He entwined his fingers with Suki's, "Wanna go to the beach?" he winked, nudging her.

The Kyoshi warrior giggled, "Sure." the two lovebirds strutted outside and down onto the shore, Sokka whispering jokes to her the whole way.

Toph sighed, slamming her bowl down. "Well, I'm going to go back to bed. Because somebody woke me up too early..." she glared sightlessy at Olin, who smiled feebly. The earthbender rose to her feet, tiredly fumbling back to her bedroom.

My brother stretched, "I'm going to go write to Siera." he waved slightly as he made his way to his own room.

"Siera?" Katara asked once we were alone. She gave me a questioning look as she started to collect the eating tools.

I helped her, picking up some bowls, "His fiance." I explained with a shrug, pinning my hair behind my hair.

"Oh. I didn't know he was engaged. What's she like?" She pressed lightly for more details, glancing at me with curious cerculean eyes.

"I haven't met her yet. Olin isn't really one with descriptions, so all I really know about her is that she's a nonbender and from the Fire Nation." I set the bowls down on the kitchen counter and moved back to wipe down the table with a damp cloth.

"Hm, I hope to meet her one day. I'm sure she's nice if Olin likes her." Katara picked up the glasses.

"Me too, and I agree." I replied as I finished cleaning. I glanced outside on the courtyard. Zuko and Aang were shirtless, and I'm embarrassed to admit that my eyes lingered longer than they should've. I smiled to myself, looking away.

Katara motioned towards the dirty dishes, "I'll wash, you dry?"

I nodded. Katara and I had a system; she would waterbend the dishes clean and I would airbend them dry. It didn't take long and was simple. The Southern Water Tribe girl began to bend the water through the bowls, glasses, and spoons. Soon, she was done and I took her place, my wrists flicking as I sent waves of air over the dishes, drying them. Once I was finished we both but the objects back into there rightful places.

The waterbender let out a sigh, adjusting her blue dress. "None of them every help us clean up."

"They're busy," I said sarcastically, "And Suki helps." I added in defense for the girl that has quickly become my friend.

"Yeah, but the rest don't." She grumbled, shaking her head. Her eyes glanced outside and she studied the sky. "I better hurry to the market. It looks like it's going to storm."

I looked at the sky as well out the window. It had become a darker gray, and the clouds were spreading. I nodded, "Yeah. I'll join you." And with that, we grabbed some baskets and quickly headed out.

The wind was strong — and as much as I liked being encased in my element, it was growing annoying and colder. My eyes were on the sky as we walked through the market place, which was crowded with people as they, like us, tried to get things before the storm. I lowered my eyes from above and followed my waterbending friend as she collected the things we needed most. By the time that the wind was growing into harsh gales, we were about to leave when I noticed a meat shop.

I pointed towards the shop, "Think we should get some? Sokka'll be angry if we don't." I commented. Sokka would be angry if we left here without some meat to heed his hunger for the food. He was not a force to be reckoned with when he was meat-deprived.

Katara sighed at the thought of her brother, "We better."

"How much money do we have left?"

There was a moment's of silence as she fingered the money pouch. "More than I thought." she replied with a slightly surprised look on her face.

"Okay. Let's just run in and out and get back to the house." we both nodded and we rushed into the store. The clouds were murky and the air was dropping in temperature.

I awkwardly stood in the center of the store as I wrinkled my nose at the variety of meats surrounding me, the vague scent of blood curtly drifting in the shop's air. I rocked back on the balls of my feet, lowering my eyes to the scarlet floor — which was the color of the store. I abruptly looked away, choosing to look outside instead.

Finally, Katara was finished, and she set the bag of meats into her bag. We were about to leave when the shop's owner — a gruff looking, broad woman with a wide figure — stopped us, "You ladies better hurry back to your home. It's gunna be a prett-y bad storm!" she advised us, moving to change the 'open' sign to 'closed'.

I smiled briefly at her, "Thank you. Have a nice evening," I called politely after her as we exited the store and began to head home.

We chatted quietly about different subjects as we made the short trip home. We were about five minutes there until a loud crack of thunder shattered the sky, signaling the start of the storm. I let out a surprised yelp as freezing rain poured down, drenching me in seconds. Katara was smart and brought her parka, so all she had to do was put up her hood and be warm. I immediantly began shivering as the freezing rain poured down in buckets, and I began to run home with Katara chuckling behind me.

Once we reached the house I let out a cough, rubbing my arms which now held goosebumps. My friend glanced worriedly at me, "I hope you don't catch a cold. You better go get a warm bath." she suggested, nudging me gently in the direction as she took the baskets I was carrying and headed towards the kitchen.

I shuffled quickly towards the bath room, the rain water leaving tracks behind me. I finally found the desinated room and once I shut the door behind me I stripped to nothing, hugging a towel around me for warmth as I drew the bath water. It was then I realized that: 1) the water was almost as cold as the rain outside, and 2) my change of spare clothes were in my bedroom.

A sigh escaped my lips as I thought this over. Go get Zuko, he'll heat the water. And on the way you can grap your extra clothes. I nodded at my idea, and tugging the towel tighter around my body, I went and fetched my spare clothing.

After doing so, I went to Zuko's room. The door was cracked open, and I gently knocked against it. There was a sudden rustling and the door opening, revealing a tired looking former prince. He raised an eyebrow at my state of dress, and I felt flustered.

"Uh—hi, Vinca." he greeted awkwardly, removing his eyes from my towel and studying me curiously.

"I need you," I blurted out, and almost groaned aloud at my choice of words. Upon seeing the firebender's very confused and shocked face, I hurriedly backtracked. "To heat my bath water." I explained.

Zuko nodded at my explanation, "O-Of course."

I led him back to the bathing room and sneezed, my throat feeling sore. Along with Katara, I also hoped I wouldn't get sick. A series of shivers coursed through my body as Zuko heated the water, my body now visibly shaking from the cold. After a few seconds, he motioned towards the water, "Is this warm enough?" he questioned.

I dipped my hand into the water. It was very hot — perfect in my opinion. I smiled, "Yes. Thanks a lot, Zuko."

"You're welcome. Uhm, happy bathing...?" he chuckled lamely and backed out of the room, leaving me alone.

I shut the door after him and dropped my towel, more-than-happily entering the hot water, letting out a sigh as my body was encased in the warmth. I instantly felt a lot better. I added some bubbles just for the heck of it, and giggled as the foamy bubbles drifted and rested on my hair. I closed my eyes, letting out a yawn. I eventually drifted off into a slumber.

"I hate you. Don't you understand that I don't like you? After all you've done, you expect me to like you...like that? No way in hell, you freak. Your burn marks make you an even uglier girl than you already are. You aren't even a good airbender, friend, or just a person in general. I never liked you. I don't know why you thought I did — why would I ever love a disgusting beast like you?" Aang's voice was harsh and cruel as he penetrated me with his glares, which held disgust and anger. He shook his head at me, his lips curved into a firm line as he gagged at me.

I stared at him, my body shaking as my knees met the cold floor. Sobs racked through me at his mean words, a hollow feeling falling over me.

"That's right, kiss the floor you lowly peasant. I only saved you that night to shut your weak screams up. I regret that — you're bringing the image of Team Avatar to ugliness. People only attack you because you're disgusting, you're dirty, you're unbelievable." his foot jammed into my side, "You're such a dog, Vinca. You look like the Unagi. Which, isn't a very good thing. But you already know that you are ugly and disgusting, don't you?" his laughter pierced the air as he continued to kick at me.

Fire engulfed my surroundings, the flames dancing around him as he stared at me in disgust. The heat grew in instensity, the fire growing upwards, its tongues lapping at me, growing closer.

He laughed loudly as I flinched away from it, "Poor Vinca — the girl nobody likes, not even her own parents. They died because they didn't want to look at your face anymore, and so did your grandma. I even heard Olin saying that he is considering leaving just for the fact that you're related to him. I know I would. Who would want to be related to a girl that cries at the simplest things?" he kicked me again in the face, his fists controlling the flames as they neared, "Ooh, afraid of fire. I guess I understand, considering you'll never be as beautiful as these flames. Hahahaha! Won't even be close!"

The flames flickered as they reached me, my body going rigid.

"Poor digusting little Vinca...poor ugly little Vinca...poor unwanted little Vinca..."

The world exploded into pain.

I jolted awake, the bath water around me swishing out of the tub as I jumped up, my knee hitting the side of the stone basin. I let out a yelp of pain as I gingerly carassed the sore knee, my breathing heavy as I fumbled around, my mind bleached with the thoughts of the nightmare I had just had.

Surely...surely Aang doesn't think that of me, right?

My eyes closed temperarily in an attempt to calm myself, but it was failed. I was anxious and nervous, my breathing continuing to quicken. I forced my heart steady as my eyes racked the room, looking for an explanation. The small flames on the candles flickered low, the bath water was cold, and I realized that I must've been sleeping for a while. The dream...had been so vivid, it was frightening. I absently wiped at my cheeks to find tearstains.

My heart lurched as a knock was heard on the door. I stumbled out of the bath tub, snatching a towel and struggling to even wrap it around me. I hesitated as I forced my breathing to a normal rate and my heart beat to steady before opening to door.

There stood Aang, his eyes lowered as he stared at his hands. Upon me opening the door, his eyes flickered upwards, a smile on his lips, "Hey, Vinca."

"W-What do you want?" I asked, my voice bitter. My body shook slightly as I looked at him, fear ebbing at me.

He studied me, a look of surprise on his face at my tone. He looked dishearted, "Uhm..." he swallowed, "Just wanting to m-make sure that you were okay. You were in there for a long time."

I exhaled slowly, calming myself. Don't be so mean. It was just a dream. Just. A. Dream. "Oh. Well, I'm fine."

Aang peeked around me, his eyes widening at the sight, "Er—what happened?" he asked, and I followed his gaze. Half of the water that was originally in the bath tub was on the floor.

I was suddenly flustered, and I looked for an explanation. My mind was racing from both the nightmare and Aang, "I...uh, was...washing myself." I replied quickly, my words not making any sense.

The Avatar didn't seem to believe it, but nodded anyways. "O-kay," his gray eyes rested back on me, his smile faint, "Katara also told me to tell you that dinner is ready."

"I'm just going to go to bed." I told him, my voice oddly very breathy, "Are you still sharing my room?"

His cheeks warmed, "If that's alright —" he froze, and appeared to be remembering the Olin situation, "Actually, I'll just see if I can stay with the others," Aang pulled at his collar, "If I can't, I'll stay with you if that's okay."

"It's fine." I glanced down.

Aang rocked back on his heels, "Well...uh, I'll see you later, or, er, whenever." he blinked, his words quiet as he waved slightly. The Avatar then rushed away, down the hall to the kitchen.

I sighed silently, returning to the bathroom as I changed into my clothes. After blowing out all the candles and drying the towels, I went to my room. It was already late into the evening and the sun had already set. It was still raining, but only sprinkling. However, by the looks of the sky, it looked like more storming was on the way. I let out a grunt as I climbed into the bed.

I stared at the ceiling, complentating on whether or not to try and fall asleep again. I decided to at least try, and if I was having nightmares I could just wake up. I settled down under the covers, closing my eyes.

"For Spirit's sake, will you just die already? Nobody likes you! You're just a petty little ugly peasant girl." Aang growled, shaking his head as he crossed his arms, darkness surrounding us.

I swallowed, shakily standing up to him, "Why are you being so...mean? I thought we were friends?"

He exploded into laughter, "Friends? Friends! That's a great joke! Who knew you could be funny!" he threw his head back in laughter, the ground shaking.

"It's wasn't a joke—"

His head snapped down, a menacing look on his face, "But really, you need to die. The world doesn't need to be cursed with something as disgusting as you." he paused, a wicked smile curling on his lips, "Being the Avatar, I should be the one to do it. Rid the world of it"s disgust! No more Vinca. Nobody wants you anyways! I mean, why would they? There isn't one good quality about a dog like you. You remind me of Appa's shit. Smelly, disgusting, and hard to get rid of."

"Aang...—"

"Don't you dare call me 'Aang' as if we were befriended. You will call me Avatar, you filthy girl. Don't you know that I am above you in so many ways? You piece of shit!" his palms clenched into fists as he appeared directly in front of me. His eyes flickered before glowing a deathly blue, his arrows lighting. "Don't worry, Vinca, the world will be overjoyed with your death."

I let out a scream, sitting up straight in the bed, feeling hot and mucky. I shook my head, bringing my knees up to my chest, my mind settling on what dream-Aang had said to me. It was true, wasn't it? It had to be, it felt so real, so true—No, it was just a dream. A nightmare. I cut myself off, closing my eyes. When I closed my eyes all I could see was Aang in the Avatar State hovering over me, so I immediantly opened them, my breathing shaky.

A knock sounded on the door and I moved to open it, but was stopped as the door opened by itself. As it opened it revealed a worried looking Aang.

Great. Just who I wanted to see. I thought miserably, my heart sinking.

"Are you okay? Why did you scream? Are you hurt?" He questioned, drifting over to me, his eyes searching mine.

I brushed him away, "I'm fine." I snapped, moving away from him as he neared.

He dropped his hands to his side, a hurt look on his face. "Why are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong?" his voice was small and sad, a frown on his face.

I instantly felt horrible. I shouldn't be taking myself out on him. I shook my head, "Of course not. I've just been having...nightmares."

Aang studied me, "About me?"

I nodded, sitting back down on the bed. I felt confused. Why was I having nightmares about him? Why were they about...that?

He sat down next to me. "I'm sorry. What are they about?" He asked.

"It's stupid." I mumbled, looking away.

"No, it's not. Tell me." He pressed.

I sighed, sinking down, "It my nightmares you're...horrible. You are really mean to me."

Aang frowned, "How am I mean?"

"You're calling me names and hurting me..." I replied quietly, not going into detail.

"What am I calling you?"

Another sigh escaped my lips as I felt so foolish talking to him about this, "You are calling me ugly, disgusting, and more, while saying that I need to die because nobody wants me." I described part of it, leaving out most.

Aang looked hurt. "Vinca...I would never."

"It's stupid that I would dream about that, I know."

"It isn't stupid. You really can't control your dreams, anyway. I'm just confused on why you would think I would call you that."

My eyes rested on him, "I don't know." I breathed in deeply, shaking my head, not wishing to talk about this subject anymore. So, I asked, "How was dinner?"

He appeared vaguely annoyed that I had changed the subject, but went with it. He shrugged, "Good, I guess." He mumbled.

I slid my foot against the ground absently, "Are you staying in here tonight?" I inquired.

"I was going to stay with Zuko. But since you're having these nightmares, I'm going to stay in here." Aang declared, picking up an extra pillow and blanket and beginning to make a bed on the ground.

I looked at him in surprise, "Aang, you don't have to do that. I'll be fine."

"Then it won't hurt to stay in here, will it?" He was being stubborn.

I exhaled, "What about Olin?"

He blushed, "I don't think he'll think that we were, um—" he cut himself off, rubbing at the back of his neck.

"You're probably right. Well, I'm going to go to bed."

"Wait," his fingers wrapped around my arm as he pulled me over. A soothing look was in his eyes as he stared evenly at me, "I will never do anything to hurt you, Vinca."

"Aang—"

I was silenced as his lips crashed into mine. I let out a tiny noise of surprise, my body tensing, but just as quickly I relaxed, my eyes sliding shut as I pressed back involuntarily. My hands subconsiously wrapped around his neck, my body and mind loosing itself. After a too short moment, we both pulled away, searching for air. I stared at him, his eyes meeting mine. I was very aware of how hot my cheeks were and how tingly my lips were.

He smiled, oblivious to the raving affect he had on me, "Goodnight, Vinca." he moved away to his makeshift bed.

I blinked, my movements forces as I climbed into the bed. "Goodnight, Aang." I replied, a broad smile on my lips.

I didn't have anymore nightmares that night.

AN: Some Aang/Vinca bonding time/fluffy, I think yes! I love writing those scenes tbh, haha. :)

To a more important matter:

It seems that all of you are voting for a sequel, and I've decided that that will be a go! We have a while to go still. But, I've already been thinking of ideas for the sequel's chapters and names. The chapter idea part isn't hard (I can assure you, major Vincaang fluff will be there) but the name part is difficult. Any suggestions for a name? :) And I was thinking that the sequel might be set several years after the war — that way more mature stuff can happen between Aang and Vinca lol. ;)

Well, that's all for now. Thanks for all the reviews and I hope you enjoyed chapter fourty four!