Greetings, avid readers!
I'd like to start with thanking all the reads, favs and follows in this story. Even if silent, your support means a lot. As for the ones that took their time to write a review, thank you as well!
It's Wednesday, have a frog. There are no girls on 9gag, so I identify as a dumbass whenever I log on my 9gag account, okay?
Allergies are fucking me over the table sideways, apologies for the graphics. The only good thing I can take from all this is that I sound hot as fuck. I could do smut audiobooks when I'm sick.
Dommie, if you were smoother, you'd be hot butter, okay? I know, but Aang is a monk, what were you expecting? Bondage k!nk right from the get-go? No, that's Zutara's job!
Brain Fart, have the fight scene!
This is my first try at a Avatar fanfiction. Go easy on me. Reviews and flames are always welcomed, for they keep my cat and I warm at night.
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar nor any of the characters. Such credit should go to Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. I do own a... certain amount of characters that will be recognized further into the story.
Thank you, and enjoy the chapter!
Chapter VI: The Airbending Ring
X—X
The school was nothing if not inspiring. Children, from five to fifteen, sat together with their age group while adults taught them the basics of life: agricultural science, logical schematics, and old texts of the poets and the storytellers. The children were taught how to read, write, and the proper societal ways. More than once, Aang had to see a teacher stop mid-lesson to keep students from airbending their way against others.
The school itself was a rather long building. Five, maybe six rooms were used for teaching, another for the teachers to gather, and the large empty field in front of the school served for the students to play and talk in between classes. They were greeted as they walked out of the school and through the field. Tenna ran up to them and hugged Aang, and another girl ran up to Ahria and turned around with no words. The young woman simply laughed and took a knee, quickly braiding her hair into a beautiful braid.
"Do all children come to this school?"
"Most of them do, yes. A very few of them only go to the academy in the tower because their parents choose so." she shrugged as they walked out of the field. "But they are taught their lessons here, and then in the afternoon, the benders go to the common grounds to learn to bend."
Aang nodded and followed Ahria as she continued her explanation. They crossed the road, and Ahria led him through a darker street, that ended in front of a rather large building. A bald man dressed in whites and yellows bowed at them when they went inside, and Aang gasped. He saw a small waiting area with an old woman sitting behind a desk. Ahria bowed her head and pulled Aang along, pushing past the double yellow curtains.
It was a large, large room, divided by half walls. In each separation, there were iron beds. He saw some of them occupied, most with sleeping adults. Ahria gently and quietly explained to him that in the clinic, very few knew anything about healing by bending, and no waterbender could be seen around. Most of the healers wore white, and Aang noticed a few put on brightly colored coats before going inside a specific area.
"That's the children's wing. Luckily, nothing worse than the common cold or a broken bone. Things that heal."
They went to the final wing, where Ahria had asked him to keep calm. This last one was completely closed, and Aang took a moment to ask Ahria why. She said there was where the illest patients rested, to have peace and quiet to aid their recuperation further. Ahria smiled gently when one healer looked up upon their entry and bowed. The healer came to them and took Ahria's hands.
"My dear. It's been a while since your last visit."
"I'm sorry Master. You know how life keeps us busy. I've gotten to Nian Zhen, is there anything the clinic needs?"
"We got our list to him yesterday afternoon. Thank you, my dear." the master smiled. "How was the Earth Kingdom?"
"Dry." she let out, and the healer laughed.
"As one should hope." they heard gasping, and the healer sighed.
"Excuse me."
They watched as the master walked to the man and tried to calm him down, but the man only tried to breathe. He panted, incapable of drawing deep breaths, and Aang frowned when Ahria stepped forward. The healer moved to the other side of the bed when Ahria sat down next to the lying man and smiled sweetly. She placed her opened palm on his forehead, then on his throat, and finally on his chest, where she closed it into a fist.
The man stopped breathing altogether, and Ahria closed her eyes as she raised her fist in the air. Aang was about to speak out when another healer grabbed his arm and shook his head. The Avatar waited and saw as Ahria lowered her hand and opened it wide. The man exhaled deeply, and Ahria followed the trail of his breath up his throat and mouth, lifting one hand. Aang frowned when he saw a pulsing yellowish goo, and the master was quick to give her a bowl, where she dropped the goo unceremoniously.
"T-thank you." the man gasped out. "T-thank you."
"Don't push yourself." Ahria smiled. "Drink lots of fluids, drop the mug of ale, and stay off the mountains for a while, okay? Master will tell you everything else you need to know."
"Thank you, Rea."
"Of course, Master. May I be excused?"
"Certainly."
Ahria saw Aang looking at her and smiled brightly, motioning him to the door. They said goodbye to the healers that they came across but stayed for a bit so that Aang could cheer up the children with his bending and magic tricks. When they finally managed to step out from the clinic's doors, it was high noon, and Ahria invited him to grab some food.
"How did you do that?" he asked while sitting on a bench at the park.
"Do what?"
"That man was choking. He couldn't breathe. And you... bended that fluid from his body."
"Yes. I felt something was obstructing his air ducts. The air wasn't flowing properly inside him. So, I brought the obstruction out." she explained.
"How can you do that?" he frowned. "Only the Avatar can bend all the four elements."
"I can't bend any elements other than air, Aang." Ahria raised an eyebrow.
"I saw you bend elements. That day, at the square. I saw you."
"No. You saw me airbend elements."
"No. I saw you use firebending movements when bending a flame," he argued.
"No. You saw me use firebending movements to airbend a flame," she smirked.
"How?" he gasped.
"Haven't you heard that benders that bend outside their element are the strongest of all?" Ahria licked her lips and ate a spoonful of her meal.
Aang frowned. He thought back to Zuko, who he had watched use some waterbending movements to give more core strength to his flames when sparring with Katara. He thought back to Toph, the greatest earthbender of all time, who bended in a style completely different from the norm, and hence made her all more powerful. And he nodded.
"So... you're an airbender." she nodded. "How did you do it?"
"The same way you measure the power of a gush of wind. For water, it has to be strong enough to withstand the weight of it..." She poured some water onto the floor and showed Aang how she made it still in the air. "But never too strong to mist it. With fire, gentle enough to stoke it, but never too strong to blow it out. And earth... just levitate a few rocks."
"That's... incredible. And a clear demonstration of just how powerful you really are. The control you have is... astonishing."
–X–
The sun had already set when Ahria dragged Aang through the darkened streets and into a building. Ahria greeted the air monk that sat with his legs crossed on the counter and walked to him. The man looked at Aang and back at her, and the curly-haired bender simply took the Avatar's hand in her own. The monk nodded and Ahria smiled, pulling Aang towards a dark door.
Aang was not expecting the sight that greeted him when Ahria pushed the door open. A blast of loud cheers, fast-paced music, and torches all around that glowed with flames of different colors. The room was large, with stairs all around it that seemed to serve as benches for the spectators. Four airbending masters sat in a cross around the round arena, and Aang could see they were stopping the attacks from getting out of the arena.
"Stay here!" she shouted over the crowd. "I'm going to see the entry list!"
"Okay!"
He sat down next to a few young people, who were shouting for different people that were facing off in the arena. One of them asked Aang if he wanted to place bets. He kindly turned it down, but quickly found himself interested in the displays of control – or sometimes lack of – of the people 'fighting'. Another asked if he was participating that night because masters are usually only presented in the finals.
"No, I'm just here to watch!" he exclaimed "A friend of mine is going to participate, I think."
"Who?"
"Ahria!"
"Who?!"
"Rea!"
The young man that he was speaking to froze. "Are you serious?! Rea is going to participate?!"
"...yeah?"
"BAO! I WANT TO CHANGE MY BET!"
Aang smiled inwards and looked up when the person in question stepped up to him with an eyebrow raised. "What did you say to him?"
"...that you were going to participate?" he tried, and she giggled.
"That makes sense, then. Scoot over, my turn is only in a few fights."
Aang did as asked, and Ahria sat next to him. They had to sit really close together because someone asked to sit between Aang and the male that changed his bet. The Avatar watched as Ahria absentmindedly scratched the inside of her wrist, paying careful attention to what happened in front of her.
"Are you okay?" he frowned.
"Hm?" she looked up at him. "Oh, yeah. Just realized I didn't bring anything to tie my hair with."
"Oh, here." Aang removed one of the strings that tightened the end of his sleeve and gave it to her.
Ahria smiled and quickly tied her hair, the fluffy high ponytail falling past her shoulders. A few locks were too short, however, and framed her face in bouncy curls. Aang smiled and pushed one of them behind her ear, making her turn to him. It was too dark to have a proper view of her face, but Aang could have sworn he saw a blush spreading over her cheeks.
"T-thanks." she looked away and gulped.
"Of course." Aang smiled brightly.
They both turned to see the ongoing spar between two airbenders, and Aang relaxed. It was something straight out of his earliest memories, to see two people use the air to fight. He leaned back, watching carefully as the gentle but somewhat jagged movements came to be, without a doubt out of the rush of adrenaline the two felt.
A handful of fights followed, and the Avatar picked up the mood of the crowd as his own, cheering and shouting favorites. And Ahria laughed alongside him, watching the always composed young man next to her become a young boy once more, almost vibrating with excitement. He nudged her a few times, pointing out a couple of moves he found thrilling, and she smiled.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner! Min!"
The crowd erupted in cheers, and Aang paid close attention to the young man that raised his arms in victory. He was shorter than himself, skinny, and looked like a strong gush of wind could lift him up. Why Mako had said he was in need of a good beating, Aang was starting to realize. The young man was as loud and as boisterous as they came, bordering on rude and insulting.
"But I wouldn't celebrate too soon if I were you, Min."
"I'm the champion, Bao! No one can beat me!"
"Last I checked, you did not hold any title of sorts," Bao smirked at Min's face. "But rest assured that you will have the chance to prove yourself tonight. Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome tooooooooooo... Rrreeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
The young woman smirked and winked at Aang. She stood up and everyone turned to her, cheering and calling her name. The Avatar almost laughed at the shocked and slightly frightened look that Min got when he saw Ahria. She walked down the steps and over the barrier and joined Bao. She smiled sweetly at him.
"Thank you for, once again, an amazing introduction, Bao."
"Anything for my champion." he winked. "Can I take you out?"
"Only with a lightning strike." she giggled.
Bao pouted but grinned back to the crowd. "People, you know the rules! No breaking bones on purpose, no tossing further than 10 feet, and no purposeful harming! And the first to hit the ground and stay there loses! That is if Rea doesn't knock you out mid-air."
Bao left the arena, and Aang watched as the two took positions on opposite sides. Min looked aggressive, hunched over and ready to strike, but Ahria stood tall, jaw steeled and fists closed. A murmur went through the crowd, an excitement vibrating through their cores, patiently waiting for any of them to make a move.
Min was the first, propelling himself forward and shooting air out of his hands. Ahria dodged, using his own impulse to throw him across the room against the wall. The male bounced back quickly, throwing out several air blades that Ahria dodged, manipulated, and threw back almost effortlessly. Aang watched the fight carefully.
Min was hurried, full of energy and desire to win. And that was a good thing, given that Aang could see that he packed a punch in his attacks. But Ahria moved almost in a dance, eyes always focused, feet almost dragging across the floor. She cocked her head to the side when Min let out a frustrated yell and smirked.
"Don't tell me you wanted to lose that quickly, Min." She planted her feet on the ground, and Aang gasped.
He recognized the grounding pose; it was one that Toph would often use. Min continued to shoot air blade after air blade, and Ahria dispersed them all, either by shooting some back or throwing them away. The four masters dispersed the attacks themselves in order to protect the crowd, and the latter cheered loudly. Ahria took a moment to apologize to the masters, who simply smiled and shook their heads.
He leaned his elbows on his knees, observing her. She moved her arms in a gentle caress, bringing the air up and around her like a cord, bending her fingers and releasing them slowly, bringing an almost pulsing beat to the breeze she had completely at her mercy. Min attacked again, but Ahria raised a hand and gathered the air blade into a ball, shaping it to become part of the cord she wrapped around herself.
"Why won't you attack?!" he screamed.
"You want me to attack?" she raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"
"Yes!"
Ahria nodded and grabbed one end of the rope, tugging it back forcefully. The air smacked against the ground, and the crowd went silent. Then, Ahria moved the air rope, threw the offending end at Min, who wasn't fast enough to dodge, and the air rope wrapped around his neck. She pulled the rope to herself, and Min flew with it. She kneed him in the stomach, throwing him up in the air, and high-kicked him, using a blast of air to hurl him to the ceiling.
The young man came down crashing on the floor. He twitched and groaned, but otherwise didn't get up.
The crowd erupted in cheers, and Bao was quick to get to Ahria's side, throwing her hand in the air. Aang heard him announce the undefeated champion, but Aang's eyes never left Ahria. She smiled with satisfaction, but rather bashfully when people came to greet her. She tried to help Min off the ground, but he smacked her hand away. The sense of security in her senses, the ability to keep calm when the world was crashing around her, while she was literally under attack, the way she used her enemy's strength against them...
He stood up with the crowd and joined their clapping, and her eyes found his. She blushed and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. Bao eventually let go of her arm and the crowd invaded the arena. Aang saw fitted to see himself out, and it wasn't long before he was breathing in the night air. Someone had tried to get him to stay for the party, but he refused. And when he found himself outside, looking up to the bright full moon, he huffed a laugh.
"Did you like it?"
He turned around and saw Ahria exit the building. She walked to him and got caught under the moonlight. Her eyes shone like the purest of pearls, her lips tugged into a gentle smile, and she gathered her hands behind her back. He waited until she stepped up to him and looked up. Aang settled with a smile and pushed the stubborn lock of hair behind her ear.
"It was amazing. You were amazing." she beamed at him. "That air rope... looked a lot like a-!"
"Water whip? I know. The inspiration came from there." she giggled. "I told you. You can learn a lot about the strength of your own bending when you look somewhere other than your own belly."
"I noticed. Do you ever... pure airbend?"
"Sometimes, yes. But I like to mix things up." she shrugged. "So, hum..."
"Yeah?"
"You're leaving tomorrow. Surely to a long trip. Maybe... we should get some rest."
"Yeah." Aang licked his lips and sighed. "I'm to talk to the Elders in the morning. See if they have come to a decision. Any advice?"
"Apologize first for skipping dinner." she smirked, and Aang laughed. "They most likely won't have an answer for you, they will ask for time. You can... maybe provide them with more proof? That you speak the truth, and that you are right in your motion to disband the Air Dome and return to the Air Temples."
"Good idea." he nodded. "Are... are you sure you can't come with me when I leave?"
"I... there's a lot still left to do here, Aang, before I get to go out again." she licked her lips. "Not that I don't want to, because I do, but... I have to know my place."
"...right."
"Come on... let me show you where you'll be sleeping tonight."
A/N: Hope you liked the fight! Time is running out for the Avatar... I wonder what comes next? Keep in mind, I'll keep this story up or drop it depending on your feedback.
Thank you in advance for taking the time to review if you want, or if you don't, I hope you liked it!
First to review gets a cookie!
Lots of love from this weirdo,
LoneeWolf :)