The next morning, Aang awoke feeling like Toph had smashed his face into the cave wall again and again about twenty five times overnight. But despite the dizzy feeling he still ate breakfast and headed off to school.
Aang tied his newfound bandana around his forehead. Ignoring Katara's worried calls for him to swallow the rest of his plate, the young 12-year-old Avatar left for school. He giggled to himself while walking through the fire nation village.
Aang grinned when he caught sight of On Ji. The girl was standing near the gates when she glanced over her shoulder with a wave of her hand. "Hey Kuzon! How are you?"
He was answering on autopilot and he knew it. "Huh? Me? Y-yeah, yeah I'm fine! Why're you asking?"
"Well, you look kinda tired. Did you sleep well last night?"
The knot around his lungs tightened. Look He could only recall Appa's soft coat of fur beneath his skin and the warmth radiating from the animal. He slept rather peacefully last night. Even his dreams had been pleasant. He couldn't imagine why he was feeling so tired. "I'm okay. Really," he replied back after a few seconds of thinking his words over in his head.
He would have kept speaking if his vision didn't suddenly start swimming and he felt himself falling. A panicked yelp rang through his muffled ears and the young Avatar felt a pair of familiar arms grab him by the waste.
"Kuzon! Kuzon! Kuzon, are you okay?" On Ji's voice sounded almost frantic as she laid his head on her lap. "What's wrong Kuzon? Are you feeling ok-" She paused and reached her hand out to feel under the headband. "Oh Spirits! Kuzon, you're burning up!" She cried, standing quickly to her feet and clutching her feverish clasmate tightly into her arms and dashing away from the school.
"On Ji? W-where a-are we going?" Aang stuttered over his own words as he tried to squint against the bright light of the sun's blinding raise. "Aren't we sapped to be in class right now?"
On Ji frowned worriedly down at the sick boy in her arms and asked him where he lived. Through the fog clouding his brain, Aang was somehow able to tell her as best as he could where she would find the cave that he and his friends were staying in.
"Are you kidding? You can't go to school with a fever?" On Ji sputtered and gave him a worried look. "And I'm not going either. I'm gonna stay with you until you get better."
The sound of hurried footsteps made the three icy pints of the cave look up with a mix of surprise and confusion. But the confusion soon morphed into horror upon seeing the state of their friend.
"Aa - uh, Kuzon!" Katara was the first to notice the slightly conscious form clutched tightly yet gently in the other girls arms. "What happened? And who the heck are you?"
She was about to reach out to touch Aang, but the look he gave her, even through fever-glazed eyes made the water tribe girl stop in her tracks.
"D-don't touch me!" His voice was horse but Katara felt his harsh words cut through her chest like a dagger. "I'm still mad at you." He muttered bitterly as he fought to kept his eyes open.
"Don't fight it Kuzon. You need rest: so just get some sleep okay?" On Ji's voice was soft and her smile made Aang's face feel even warmer than it already was. "It's okay, we won't get in trouble for missing school if we inform the teacher and headmaster sometime tomorrow." The brown-haired chuckled softly at the look he gave her and she started to gently rub her fingers through the short dark brown hair that laid upon the top of his head.
Aang felt himself being lowered to the ground and he just faintly see the outline of Toph, who was staring down at him with a worried look on her face. She frowned and turned to Katara, who held a wet cloth in her hands.
"His fever is pretty high, Sweetmess. If we don't get it down soon: Twinkle-toes might end up with a fried brain!" The blind earthbender might have been blind, but she wasn't just gonna sit there twiddling her thumbs. Aang was the one to give her the chance to be free. He was also her very first friend that she's ever had in her life. So yeah, there was no way she would be moving anytime soon.