Book 1: Freshmen

Chapter 7: A Day Without Aiyoku

"Morning sis." Don said as Yue walked down the stairs.

"Morning." She smiled.

"So we waiting for Aiyoku?" Don asked.

"We always do." Yue said turning toward the stairs.

Five minutes went by and there was no sign of Aiyoku. Yue was concerned, after what happened yesterday.

"I'll make sure she's okay." Yue said. She headed up the stairs.

Once at Aiyoku's door she knocked.

Nothing.

Knock.

Nothing.

"Aiyoku come on you'll be late for breakfast." Yue called.

Nothing.

Yue held up her ID card.

"You alright?" Yue said as she opened the door.

She walked in a saw a lump on the bed under the blankets. Aiyoku was under the blankets. She was curled in a ball. Yue's face saddened. She walked back out and shut the door. She met back up with her brother.

"She's not coming." Was all Yue said before walking out the Common Room door.

At the Dining Hall Yue and Don saw that Jet was missing too.

"Hey, where is Ai?" Shu asked.

"She's not coming." Yue said sitting down.

"Why?" Shu said.

"Shu, I'll tell you later." Mokka said taking a bite of her toast.

After breakfast Mokka and Shu headed for Elemental History.

Once they sat down Mokka started, "Aiyoku -" Zuko sat down.

"What happened to Aiyoku? I didn't see her at breakfast." Zuko asked.

"I was just about to say. Aiyoku found out that you were right, Shu."

Shu's eyes widened.

"Shu was right!" Zuko exclaimed.

"I'll explain everything in the Library at Study Hall. Anyway, she saw it for herself. She's to heartbroken to come to classes today." Mokka finished just as class started.

"Where is Avatar Aiyoku?" Professor Lee Chang asked.

Mokka and Shu exchanged glaces of concern they had no cover for Aiyoku's absents.

"She's not feeling well … It was a joke charm gone wrong." Zuko said.

"Oh well, I hope she will be okay." Professor Lee Chang said before returning to her lesson.

Shu was sitting in Earth Spells 101 just waiting to see Jet.

But Jet didn't show.

The same thing happened in The History of the Earth Kingdom. Both Jet and Aiyoku were a no show.

In Study Hall Mokka told Zuko everything.

"About a year ago, Aiyoku was running errands at a corner store in our neighborhood. When she was met by the leader of a gang called 'The Freedom Fighters'. It was Jet. He asked her out on the spot, but she turned him down. See, Aiyoku is the daughter of the famous police chief Hakoda Huóshuǐ. And like her father she too is famous. Jet's gang was famous too, for crimes all over the city. Aiyoku wasn't about to go against what her father and mother taught her so she told Jet, 'Maybe if you weren't a leader of famous gang'. And she left it at that. For the next month crimes by 'The Freedom Fighters' went down exponentially. When Aiyoku saw Jet again he asked her out again. She still turned him down. But he was persistent. After two weeks they were dating. Shu and I didn't quite trust him but he kept proving himself. Shu was the only one who never trusted him. And he was right."

Zuko listened to the story. After Mokka finished he said, "So that's why she was crying yesterday. She saw what Shu saw a few weeks ago."

Mokka nodded, "She saw Jet and two of his friends mug an old man."

Zuko's eyes widened. "Did her parents really trust that guy with their daughter?"

Mokka shook her head, "Most of the time they hid their relationship from her father."

Zuko looked over, "And her mother?"

"Died when Aiyoku was still a little girl." Mokka said looking at her hands.

I don't believe it. Zuko thought.

Aiyoku and Jet still were not seen. And in Mystic Animals 101 Zuko was still worried that Aiyoku wasn't around and the fact that Jet was gone too didn't make sense. Is he heartbroken too? It was his fault. Zuko thought.

At lunch Mokka brought food to Aiyoku but she couldn't stick around to see if she would eat it.

At Study Hall Shu finally saw his new enemy. He walked over to him.

"Jet!" He exclaimed.

Shu grabbed Jet by his shirt and pulled him out of his seat.

"Let go of me, man." Jet said grabbing Shu's arm.

Shu didn't comply instead he pulled back his fist and smashed it against Jet's face. The force knocked Jet out of Shu's grip and sent him flying into the other chairs. Jet scrambled to his feet and charged Shu.

"You bastard!" Shu said running toward Jet who hit him in the face as well. "You broke my sister's heart!" Shu exclaimed.

"I didn't mean for her to find out!" Jet argued. He was hit by Shu's foot in his stomach.

"You were doing horrible things to innocent people. I'm glad she found out that you were still a monster." Shu said. He got hit by Jet's uppercut.

"You don't understand! I tried to change but it was hard." Jet said watching Shu get back on his feet.

By now the students had called the professor in charge. But the fight was to dangerous for a simple librarian to handle.

"It doesn't matter if you loved her enough you would do anything for her." Shu said in between gasps.

"I do love her but I know I'm not good enough for her." Jet said then Shu's fist met Jet's face again.

Just as they both were about to charge each other again they were stopped. They were unable to move. Professor Kyoshi and Professor Gyatso were standing there. Kyoshi moved her hand and the two boys straightened up.

"I would like an explanation. After we are in my office." She said to the boys she than turned to Gyatso. "Please let the Headmaster know of these developments these are two of the Avatars friends."

The boys were lead out of the Library by both professors.

In Fire Spells 101 Ozai was not happy that Aiyoku was missing.

"So only the second day and the Avatar thinks she's to good to come to my class." He ranted.

He continued the day with that attitude. He was the only professor who didn't show any sign of concern that Aiyoku was absent.

Even Jeong Jeong was concern for the Avatar's heath.

At dinner Yue, Don and Mokka met at the Shuǐ table.

"That's weird Shu is always here before us. Where could he be?" Yue said sitting down.

"He wasn't in our Mystic Animals class." Mokka answered.

"You know I saw Jet in our Mystic Animals class." Yue said.

Mokka and Don looked at her. "But I don't see him now." Yue added.

When the food appeared Mokka grab a plate full of food. "I'm going to give this to Aiyoku. Please keep an eye open for Shu." With that she headed for the door.

When she reached Aiyoku's door she knocked once. "Aiyoku I'm coming in." She called.

Aiyoku's room was dark. Mokka sat down the plate and saw the other plate from lunch was still full.

"Aiyoku you haven't eaten? You need some food." She walked over to the bed. But the lump was gone.

Mokka gasped.

She ran to the bathroom but Aiyoku was not there. "Oh no."

Mokka bolted out of the Shuǐ Common Room and down to the Dining Hall.

She went to Yue and Don, "Aiyoku is gone. She isn't in her room." Mokka said out of breath.

Yue and Don shot up out of their seats.

Zuko saw the panic look on their faces. He wondered what was happening. Shu wasn't with them and Mokka had just returned from somewhere outside the Dining Hall.

Zuko looked over at his sister and her friends then to his father at the table of professors. He looked at his grandfather who was looking at him. Roku nodded.

Zuko shot up out of his seat.

"What are you doing, dumb-dumb? Sit back down." Azula said looking at Zuko funny. The other two looked at him the same way.

Zuko didn't listen to Azula. He walked over to Aiyoku's friends.

When Mokka saw Zuko approach she turned to him and said, "Aiyoku is missing really. Can you help us find her?"

Zuko agreed to help. "Okay cool, we need to spread out and search the whole school." Don said.

They nodded in agreement.

The gang walked out of the Dining Hall and separated.

After looking for what felt like hours Zuko had a gut feeling to check the grounds where the animals were kept.

He walked toward the shelter. He heard many sounds from the creatures. He walked in. He walked down the long stalls till he heard a noise that didn't belong. He looked over to see a flying bison. On the stall said "Appa".

"Appa … I've heard that name before." Zuko thought out loud to himself. "You're Mokka's bison aren't you?"

Appa grunted then sniffed him. After three sniffs he licked him. Zuko groaned then wiped the saliva off.

Just then he heard a whimper. He walked into the stall with Appa and found the source. Aiyoku was sitting in the back of the stall with Appa and a lemur on her shoulder licking her tears as they fell.

"Aiyoku." Zuko said walking to her side. "Why are you here?"

Aiyoku looked at him. "Zuko? Why are you here?"

Zuko sat next to her, "You're friends are looking for you. I'm helping."

The lemur moved from her shoulder.

Aiyoku looked at the floor, "I didn't want to be alone but everyone was in classes so I came here." She said petting the lemur.

Appa had turned in the stall and was lying next to the others.

"Appa and Momo here have been Mokka's since I can remember their like members of the family." Aiyoku smiled slightly then another tear fell.

Zuko looked at her, "Mokka told me about you and Jet. Everything."

Aiyoku looked at him with wide eyes, "Everything."

Zuko nodded.

Aiyoku started crying again. Zuko pulled her toward him. "It's okay, it'll all be okay." He said brushing her hair. He held her for awhile than Mokka came and found them. She was so happy to see Aiyoku was okay.

Mokka and Zuko guided her back to the Shuǐ dorm. When they got there Aiyoku looked at Zuko, "Thank you, Zuko."

"Your welcome, anytime." He said.

Mokka brought Aiyoku to her room.

"I never can understand that Zuko." Aiyoku said.

"It's 'cause he likes you that he helps all the time." Mokka giggled.

Aiyoku's eyes widened but she didn't say anything instead she smiled to herself.

I should have known.