Ryu excitedly strut across the courtyard with a wide smile on his face. Today, Meelo was going to be teaching them a technique known as the Air Scooter. From what he had been told, it involved racing around the ground on a sphere of air. That was training he could certainly get behind.

Mari walked along beside him with a more casual stride. Since she couldn't participate, she was going to stay on the sidelines with Juji and work hard to help in other ways. In this case, she was going to assist the air acolytes with first aid if it was needed.

Once they made it to the track, they split-off to their separate groups.

Ryu watched wide-eyed as Master Meelo started the training with a demonstration of his mastery of the technique. The elder Airbender balanced perfectly on his orb of wind as he zipped past the novice class. He couldn't wait to try.

Once the demonstration was over, he wound up a sphere of air under his feet and tried to balance. His first few attempts landed him in the dirt, but he wasn't about to give-up. A few more tries and he was doing laps around the field. That's when the visions began. They showed him on an air scooter, racing around a track, with two young girls he didn't recognize. Shortly after, he was being scolded by a bald, bearded Airbender. He winced as he tried to block the visions, but it was no use. The sphere beneath him erupted as his concentration broke. Several Airbenders dashed to the side as he tumbled across the ground with his head clutched in his hands.

"Ryu!" Mari had also seen him crash. She shoved her way through the forming crowd, along with the rest of the first-aid team, to help. Juji quickly flapped to Ryu's side when she was finally able to reach him. "Are you okay?" She patiently sat next to him as he worked to clear his head. Meelo was next to them a moment later.

"What happened? You were doing so well, Ryu," the man asked.

"Nothing. I'm fine," he grumbled when he'd finally regained himself. He wasn't interested in discussing it with the elder Airbender. "I'm done for the day."

The crowd that had been hovering, parted as he marched off the field, his pet the only one permitted to join him.

"What was that about?" Meelo asked Mari after Ryu was gone.

Although she knew what had caused him to crash, it wasn't her place to divulge such information. Ryu tended to be sensitive about such things.

"It's something he…needs to work on," was all she chose to say.

Mako quickly threw the book he had been reading aside when a very agitated Ryu burst through the door of the bungalow.

"Kid? What's going on? Is everything okay? Where's Mari?" It wasn't his intention to immediately interrogate the teenager but, when he saw how upset Ryu was, he couldn't help himself.

Juji clung to the teen's shoulder as Ryu plopped himself on the couch across from his chair.

"Ever since we got here, my visions have gotten worse. They won't stop," Ryu grumbled. "How do I get Korra to leave me alone?"

The question was a little odd, but Mako was quick to answer. "Try giving her advice," he replied with a slight chuckle, perhaps a little too quickly. It warranted him a confused glance from Ryu. "Never-mind." It was probably best not to hash-up his past relationship problems with Korra. "Anyway, I did tell you that the Airbenders are probably the best ones to help you control those visions." Even after all the time they had been at the temple, he knew Ryu still hadn't addressed the issue.

"Yeah, but…y'know how I feel about the whole Avatar thing," Ryu said with an exasperated sigh. The only thing the teenager liked about being the Avatar was that he could bend all four elements, and he was determined to be the best at all of them. Ironically, opposite of Korra, he was stronger with the spiritual half of being the Avatar than the bending half. If he focused more on that aspect of his training, he'd probably surpass any Airbender or guru.

"I'd rather have you teach me the meditation stuff," Ryu finished.

"I'd like to help you Kid, but the only reason I have any kind of spiritual abilities is because I'm half-spirit. I can instruct you on how to meditate, and maybe cast your spirit, but that's it. And remember what happened in Zaofu? I can't enter the Spirit World on my own without a gate. If that happens again, I'd have to enlists Meelo's help to find you anyway," he said. Not that he wanted to return to the Spirit World. After learning of Seiji's fate, he would be fine if he never went there again.

A frustrated groan came from the teen. "Where's Koji?" Ryu asked in an abrupt change of topic. The other teenager was no where to be found.

"I think he's getting a little stir-crazy sitting with me every day," Mako answered. "He told me he was going for a walk around the temple."

"I'm gonna go look for him," Ryu said and disappeared from the building almost as quickly as he had appeared.

Koji aimlessly wandered around the temples. Hanging around with Mako was all well-and-good but, if he spent much more time with the man, he was going to start acting like him. He was already getting up at the crack of dawn and automatically went into a morning routine of training. Before he knew it, he'd be addicted to coffee and discussing police procedures. The thought made a shiver go through him. As he was walking, he came across some acolytes tending to a large flowerbed. He knew Mari liked flowers, but he also knew she'd be upset if he mindlessly picked one. During their time together, she had explained how plants are living things and should be regarded in a similar respect as animals. Randomly picking one from the ground was essentially killing it for no reason according to her. Maybe he could bring her here for a walk later to look at them.

"Koji! Wait-up!"

He turned around to see Ryu running toward him. "Hey, man," he casually greeted his friend. "Aren't you and Mari supposed to be training yet?" The pair usually didn't get done until late afternoon. Even then, Ryu had to eat with the Airbenders as part of his training, so he usually didn't get back to the bungalow until after dinner.

"I'm taking the day off," Ryu said as he quickly shoved the comment aside.

"Day off," Juji interrupted before Ryu continued.

"Anyway…You were half-spirit for a while. Did you pick-up anything on how to meditate? Specifically how to get former Avatars to shut-up."

"Uhhhh…" Koji wasn't sure how to respond. He was half-spirit for less then forty-eight hours. The main thing he'd gotten from the experience was a year of his life stolen and a permanent sweet tooth. "Dude, I can't even get you to shut-up. I'm sure I don't know how to get the past Avatars to stop."

"C'mon. You gotta know something. Korra has been driving me nuts. Ever since we came here, she's been sending me visions almost every day," Ryu argued. "I just want her to be quiet."

"Did you stop to think that maybe it isn't Korra?" Koji remarked. "That maybe you're tapping into her memories."

"What? That's crazy. You've seen it. They just happen. I'm not even trying," Ryu countered.

"Yeah, but from the way the Chief talks, you don't need to try. You have more spiritual power than Korra did and now we're at a temple full of spiritual energy and people," Koji explained. "The combination of all that is probably making it easier for you to connect with her. Whether you want to or not."

"Sheesh…You sound like the Chief," Ryu huffed.

Koji rolled his eyes at the comment. "I don't know what else you want me to tell you, man," he said with a shrug. "The last time I suggested you meditate on your own, the Chief had to chase you into the Spirit World. You want my honest advice, get help from the Airbenders. That's what they do."

An annoyed scowl covered Ryu's face. "Sure you only aged one year after being cursed by that spirit?"

"Wisdom comes with age," Koji remarked, not the least bit offended.

In a shocking display of maturity, Ryu actually agreed with his suggestion. "Fine. I will 'go to the Airbenders,'" he said with an exasperated huff. "But I want you to come with. You need to get away from the Chief."

"Sure, man," Koji smiled, fairly certain Ryu was only using "get away from the Chief" as an excuse to hang-out. Whatever the reason, he would be more than happy to join his friend. Just the two of them, like the days before Avatars, Fetchlings, and assassins. "Whatever you want."

Most of the day was gone by the time they tracked down Master Meelo. The elder Airbender had finished teaching for the day and was walking Mari home.

"Hello, Koji," Mari smiled at the other teen before turning her concern to Ryu. "Are you doing all right?"

"We were all concerned when you stormed away from the track," Meelo added. "From what Mako told me, I thought for sure you would like the Air Scooter."

"It wasn't that." Ryu scowled at the ground as he tried to find the words. "Look, ever since I came here I've…I never wanted to be the Avatar but…There's been…"

Meelo stood patiently while he sorted his words.

"He keeps having visions from the previous Avatar," Koji interrupted. "Is there anything you can do to help him?"

The Airbender pondered a moment.

"I was wondering why you kept having such difficulties during training," Meelo finally said. Apparently, Ryu's condition hadn't been lost on him. "I'll be honest, Jinora was always the one with the best spiritual connection, but I'm no slouch. If you need to connect with Korra, I can certainly help you."

An almost relieved expression covered Ryu's face. Finally, he might be able to get some peace.

Although Mari wanted to join them, she knew there was very little she could do to help. Instead, she decided to return to the bungalow so Ryu could focus.

Meelo lead the boys to a quiet plateau at the rear of the main temple. The late afternoon sun illuminated a large mosaic laid in the ground as a gentle breeze shifted the surrounding grass. The mosaic was a simple design of three swirls that represented the Air Nation. The area was empty save for several small spirits that drifted away as they approached.

"Have you ever meditated before?" Meelo asked as he sat himself on one of the large swirls. Meanwhile, Koji kept his distance and sat on the edge of the stonework. Ryu may have wanted him along, but he wasn't sure what he should do while he meditated.

"Sort of," Ryu replied as he sat across from the Airbender. "I mean, I tried…once, and accidentally ended up in the Spirit World."

A shocked expression covered Meelo's face. "You've already entered the Spirit World on your own? That's quite the feat," he said.

"I guess…" Ryu hadn't really given the incident much thought. Connecting with his spiritual side wasn't something he aspired to. He'd only tried that time because he thought it would be fun to surprise the Chief. It hadn't exactly turned out as planned.

"Well, if you can get to the Spirit World, connecting to your past lives should be easy," Meelo confidently stated. "You just need to direct your focus."

"And how do I do that?" Ryu huffed. Even if he had come to the Airbender for help, he was already losing his patience.

"When you mediate, try to concentrate on the visions you've seen. They should lead you to Korra." Meelo responded as he prepared to meditate with him.

"Guess I can try," he muttered. Following the visions shouldn't be too difficult since they happened so frequently. He closed his eyes and thought about what he had seen that morning. It wasn't long before he found himself floating in the purple and blue void with Korra hovering directly in front of him.

"You called?" the woman smiled at him. It instantly annoyed him.

"Nice to see you're happy," he scoffed. How could she be happy causing him so much grief?It made him feel like she was doing it on purpose.

"Should I not be?" she responded.

He didn't know how to answer that. "Forget it. I just came here to tell you to leave me alone. I don't need to see every second of your life."

"I'm not sure what you're saying," she replied.

He practically exploded. How could she not know? "The visions, Korra! I want you to stop sending me visions!"

She seemed surprised by his declaration. "I'm sorry Ryu, but I don't have anymore control over that than you do," she said.

"That's crap!" he shouted. "If you're not sending them, why do I keep having them?!"

Suddenly, a large, white spirit with a blue crest down the length of its body, appeared. He remembered seeing it before when Mira had been released from the Avatar chain.

"Perhaps I can explain," the spirit interceded. "This is the first time in millennia that the Avatar chain has been reduced to so few. It has brought you closer to my power than previous Avatars."

The spirit might-as-well have been speaking a different language for all the sense that made to him.

"I think what Raava is trying to say is, since it's only the three of us here, there's bound to be some overlap in our memories," Korra explained.

"That is one way to look at it," Raava agreed. "As the Avatar, you are meant to bring balance to the world. That requires mastering the four elements and gaining wisdom from the Avatars that came before you."

"In this case…Just me," Korra finished.

"So…The visions I keep seeing are supposed to be wisdom…from you…" he said with some semblance of understanding and disbelief.

"That's right," Korra confirmed. "Sorry if it isn't exactly the 'wisdom' you might be expecting."

A groan escaped him. Wisdom was certainly the wrong description for what he saw. Most of the time the visions felt like nonsense. He shifted his attention to the spirit.

"You're a spirit. Can't I pass you to someone else? Like Mari. She wants to be a bender and she's the Chief's granddaughter. I bet she'd be a great Avatar," he suggested.

"It doesn't work that way," Korra responded. "Raava is permanently attached to the soul that becomes the Avatar. In other words, you. You can't pass her off."

"This is so frustrating," Ryu grumbled. "Why did this have to happen to me?! It's probably why my parents abandoned me as an infant. They probably didn't want to deal with this nonsense either."

"I don't think that's the reason," Korra calmly said. "I mean, think how long it took Mako to find you. Your parents probably didn't have a clue you were the Avatar."

"Whatever," he grumped. "Maybe I can block you out. If Mira was removed from the chain, I should be able to do the same with you."

"That's not a good idea, Ryu. Please, try to understand," Korra said.

"No! You understand. I never wanted to be the Avatar, and don't want to listen to you ANY MORE!" He swung his fists down through the air and Korra blocked her face as a wave of energy pushed her, and Raava, away.

Ryu looked around in disbelief. He was suddenly back on the mosaic with Koji and Meelo. The paired were sitting stunned, as if the energy wave had hit them in the physical realm. On Koji's lap was Juji. The bird must have fled during his outburst and looked as terrified as the others.

"Dude…" Koji gasped from where he and Juji were cowering.

"I've never felt such energy," Meelo added.

It took Ryu a moment for what had happened to sink-in. That's when he noticed it. The silence. Korra's voice was never constant, but he could always feel her, even before the Chief had told him he was the Avatar. He'd just never recognized it. Now, after his little tantrum, he couldn't feel her at all. He punched the air in an attempt to airbend. Nothing happened. Next, he tried to earthbend. Still nothing.

"Ryu?" Koji cautiously asked.

"I think I broke it," he responded, still reeling from his predicament.

"Broke it? Broke what?" Koji repeated. Clearly he was confused, but the ashen look on Meelo's face was the exact opposite.

"What have you done?" the elder Airbender gasped.

A wide grin spread across Ryu's face. "She's gone. I can't hear Korra anymore. I'm no longer the Avatar!" he spouted excitedly.

Mako was shadow sparring behind the bungalow when the teens marched onto the grass. He wasn't sure what to make of their conflicting expressions. Mari looked worried whereas Ryu was absolutely grinning from ear to ear. Then there was Koji who was somewhere between concerned and confused.

"What's going on?" he cautiously asked. The three of them showing up suddenly couldn't be good.

"I've got great news, Chief," Ryu began excitedly. "I'm no longer the Avatar. Watch." The teen stomped the ground in what should have resulted in earthbending and ended in nothing. Mako's eyes went wide in shock.

"What did you do, Kid?" he managed after the initial shock passed.

"I did what you suggested and had Meelo help me reach Korra. I talked to her and now I can't hear her anymore," Ryu explained. He sounded absolutely elated. "No more visions."

"No more visions," Juji repeated, but even the bird sounded worried if that was possible.

"You broke the Avatar chain?" Mako could hardly believe it, especially considering what Korra had done to restore it after the dark spirit Vaatu had broken it. As much as she could anyway. For Ryu to be so casual about deliberately breaking it, was almost offensive. The other teens seemed to be in agreement with his concern as they looked worriedly at Ryu.

"Why is everyone looking so worried? This is perfect," Ryu exclaimed. "You don't need to protect me anymore, Chief. I can have my normal life back. And so can you."

That statement took everyone off-guard. Even Koji and Mari looked surprised.

"I…uhhh…" Mako didn't know what to say. He knew that eventually Ryu would be going off on his own, but this wasn't how he was expecting it to happen. The thought of suddenly returning home and letting the kid go his own way like this, actually bothered him.

"What?" The teen was absolutely clueless.

"I guess if this is what you want, Ryu," Mako said as he tried to hide his disappointment, but his suddenly drooping tail tattled on him. He forced it to behave before it could hit the grass. "I'll let Meelo know we're leaving and we can pack up in the morning," he finished and somberly headed back to the bungalow. There was no reason to stay if Ryu could no longer airbend. They could go back to the city and, hopefully, once word reached Toadman that the real Avatar was no more, the assassin would leave them alone.

"Chief?" Ryu pondered as he walked past.

"It's going to be a long drive tomorrow," was all Mako felt fit to answer.

Mari trotted to catch him before he hit the rear door.

"Is this a good idea, Papa?" she said. "I mean…Can Ryu simply stop being the Avatar?"

"I can't make him be the Avatar," he replied while they walked. "Your grandmother said it herself, he has the right to decide who he wants to be and he never wanted to be the Avatar. I guess he got his wish."

"I guess so." Mari gave Ryu one last glance before they disappeared into the bungalow.

"I don't get it. Is the Chief mad? Even Mari looked upset," Ryu told Koji once the pair of Fetchlings were gone. "They should be happy. They can go home. We can all go home."

"I suppose…" Koji replied with a somber shrug.

"You too? What's your gripe?" Ryu scowled at his supposed best friend which Juji imitated.

"Hey, man. If this is what you want, I'm happy for you but, isn't it kinda, I don't know…selfish?" Koji said.

"Selfish?! Are you serious?!" Ryu snapped. "I just want to have my own life!"

"No, I get that. But what happens with the next generation, or when the world actually needs the Avatar. I just don't think it should be up to you to just end the cycle," Koji elaborated.

"And here I thought the Chief went back into the hut," Ryu sneered at Koji. "This is ridiculous. Why am I the only one happy about this?"

"It's just kind of a…shock, is all…" Koji replied.

"Whatever. I'm going for a walk," Ryu huffed and marched away.

Koji moved to follow, but stopped when Juji gave him a firm hiss. Even if it was just his pet, Koji took it as if Ryu himself had told him off.

Ryu marched onto the mosaic meditation ring and started throwing fire fists at every inanimate object he could find. He couldn't understand it. Even if the others didn't agree with his decision, couldn't they at least be supportive? Instead, it was the same old story. Everyone abandoning him. He continued to throw flames until he set a small hedge on fire. Panic griped him. He couldn't burn the whole temple down. Frantically, he extinguished his misplaced anger with his hands. Once the fire was quelled, he sank to the ground and moped. Juji joined him by curling around his neck.

"Am I being selfish, buddy?"

Juji snuggled into his hand as he pet him, but provided no answer. He let out a long sigh as he gazed at the slowly rising moon. As he sat there, he was half-expecting the Chief, or Mari, or even Koji to come check on him, but no one came. It had been a long time since he'd felt so alone. He'd even take Korra right now. For some reason, his mind shifted to Shizuku.

If you don't want others getting hurt protecting you, then you need to find the strength to protect yourself and I know you can do it. He could still see her sweet smile from that day.

Could he protect himself if he was no longer the Avatar? Of course, since he wasn't the Avatar anymore, he shouldn't have to worry about assassins trying to off him. He absently reached into his pocket and felt Mari's pierced scale that he kept there. Over the years it had become almost as smooth as glass from him repeatedly rubbing it. Didn't he make a promise to the scale that he would get stronger? Why? Was it just to protect himself? That may have been how it started, but now it didn't feel like it was enough. A determined look covered his face.

"I want to do more, Juji." He squirmed as he settled himself in the lotus position and focused.

Soon, he found himself floating in a dark void; the Avatar "waiting room," except this time it was different, devoid of any color.

"Korra? Raava! Are you out there?" he shouted into the void. What answered him was a loud bark. Far in the distance, a large white animal appeared. He squinted to focus on the shape. Was it a dog? A second bark came from the beast.

"Okay, I'm coming," he replied and floated through the void towards the animal. Once he got closer, he realized it was a large polar bear-dog. It wagged it's tail as he approached before running deeper into the darkness.

"What the flameio? Where are you going?" He chased the beast until it came to a stop at a statuesque figure buried amongst the darkness. He could barely distinguish it from the surrounding shadows. That's when the large dog barked again.

"What? What do you want?"

The dog responded by flopping its large paws onto the "ground" in front of the shade.

"All right." He cautiously reached out and a bright light consumed him when he touched the shadow. When the glow finally dissipated, Korra was standing before him. The dog exuberantly licked the woman's face.

"Hey there, Naga." Korra gave the beast several affectionate face-rubs. "Thanks for helping."

Naga let out one more happy bark before fading into the void.

"Korra?"

The previous Avatar faced him. Was she mad? Disappointed? Relieved? He couldn't really tell from the expression on her face.

"I'm sorry, all right. I was frustrated and angry, but I didn't think I would actually break…the Avatar." It seemed like the only appropriate thing to say. Behind Korra, Raava appeared.

"What you did was reckless," the spirit scolded him. Even without eyes, he could feel Raava staring through him. "By severing your connection to Korra, you severed the chain to me. Did you not even consider the consequences?"

"Hey! I came back, didn't I?!" Ryu snapped. He wasn't about to be reprimanded by this spirit. Even if it was essentially a part of him.

"Can I talk to him, Raava?" Korra intervened.

"Very well," the spirit calmly replied before vanishing much like Korra's pet.

Ryu stubbornly looked away as Korra addressed him.

"You can't blame Raava for being upset. She made a promise to help maintain peace in the world," she said. "She can't do that if there's no Avatar."

"I didn't make that promise," he retorted.

"I know…Neither did I. But I still upheld my responsibilities as the Avatar," she added.

"That was your choice," he snapped.

Korra let out a sigh. "I guess I can't relate to why you hate being the Avatar. I was still a child when I found out. I remember being so excited, and I was determined to be the best." A chuckle came from her. "It didn't quite turn out that way, but I like to think I made a difference in the world."

It was his turn to sigh. "I don't hate being the Avatar. Being able to bend all the elements is pretty cool, but it's not who I am." He thought about Mako and how he had seen the Fetchling, time and again, protect not only him, but people he didn't even know. Like when he faced the snake spirit in that fishing village. It was one of the reasons he admired the man.

"I may be stuck as the Avatar, but I am going to help the world in my own way. I'm going to use everything I have to protect those that I care about and, when I'm strong enough, I'm going to continue to protect those that need it. That's the person I want to be."

"Then that's who you should be, Ryu. Every Avatar needs to find their own path," she said. "How's that for wisdom?"

"It's better than those visions that's for sure," he said as he folded his arms squarely over his chest. It caused a silent smile to spread across Korra's face

"What?" he huffed.

"Nothing. You just remind me a little of Mako," she answered.

Although he had mocked Koji for the same thing, he couldn't deny that the man had rubbed off on him too.

"Whatever…" he scoffed. "Can I be done with all this now?"

"That's up to you," Korra answered. "You came here after all."

"Oh…Right."

He opened his eyes and found himself back on the moon-soaked mosaic. Juji gurgled at him as he regained his bearings.

"Hey, buddy." He gave the bird a quick scratch, then experimentally bent a small draft of air in his hand. "Looks like I'm the Avatar again." Although he had made up his mind, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

"So, should I tell Meelo we're leaving, or not?"

To his surprise, the Chief sitting next to him. The man had come to check on him.

"How long have you been there?" he indignantly huffed. Couldn't let on that he was happy to see the man.

"Only a few minutes. I figured I'd give you some space, but I like to know where my kids are," the Chief replied. Several joints popped, causing him to grunt, as he stood.

"I should probably finish my airbending training before we leave. There's still a lot I need to learn," Ryu answered.

"Sounds like a plan," the Chief said. As they headed back to the bungalow, the man spoke again. "I hope y'know Kid, that Shizu and I didn't adopt you just so I didn't have to worry about the logistics of traveling around the world with an orphan. Avatar or not, you have a home waiting for you in Republic City. One I hope you won't feel the need to runaway from."

Juji gave the man an angry hiss.

"Of course, if you didn't bring that pest along, I'd be just fine with that," the Chief grumbled as light-heartedly as he could.

"Uh…sure, Chief," he replied with an anxious smile. It still felt weird to think of the Chief as his adoptive father. He simply assumed that when they returned to the city, he'd go back to his life in the Wilds and the Chief could get back to his wife and home. No more worrying about him. Clearly, that wasn't what the man had in mind. "I guess that didn't occur to me."

The Chief chuckled. "Just make sure when you do decide to get out on your own, you visit us from time to time. Otherwise, it will be Shizu hunting you down."

"Right," he replied with a smirk. He didn't doubt it.

When they returned to the bungalow, Ryu went straight to Mari's room.

"Mari?" he began as he peeked through the door with Juji still on his shoulder. She was already tucked into her bedroll for the night. "I was wondering if you had string or something."

"String?" she echoed.

"It doesn't need to be anything fancy," he spouted nervously. "I just want to tie something around my neck."

"Like a necklace?" she queried.

He felt his face flush. A necklace sounded girly to him which is exactly why he hadn't used the term.

Mari giggled at his discomfort. "I think I have some rope in one of my kits." She had a collection of items that she occasionally used to decorate her hair and tail fur. It took her some digging before she eventually produced a slender, black rope. "Will this work?"

"Yeah, thanks." He reached into his pocket and removed the scale.

Mari immediately recognized it. "You still have that?"

"Ummm…Yeah. I kinda keep it as a reminder for myself," he nervously replied.

"A reminder of what?" she pressed.

"Uhh…" He wasn't sure he wanted to explain it out-loud to her. Mari must have noticed his hesitation.

"It's okay. I'm going to assume that, whatever it is, is the most important thing in the world if you use my scale as a reminder," she said as she took the rope and punctured scale from him. Apparently, she could no longer watch him struggle to thread the hole. It shouldn't have been a problem as the hole was more than large enough for the rope. He was just nervous trying to do it in front of her. She had it strung after a single attempt and, after some more twists, carefully tied it around his neck.

"There. Perfect," she smiled. She had even tied it in a way so the scale would lay flat against his chest.

He immediately rubbed the new bangle. "Thanks, Mari."

"Anytime." She gave him her usual, pleasant smile. It faded with her next statement. "So, are you ready to get back home?"

"Only after I finish mastering the elements," he smirked.

"Really? You're the Avatar again?" Her tail thumped the floor when it wagged behind her.

"Yeah. And I'm going to master all the elements including metal, lava, and lightning. I'm going to use everything I have to protect people, just like your grandpa does," he confidently answered. He flushed again when Mari threw her arms around his neck.

"That's great, Ryu! I know you don't like it, but I'm happy you're the Avatar. If you weren't, we never would have met and we wouldn't be traveling together," she blurted while she hugged him. "And I'll do whatever I can to help you."

He continued to blush as she held him, perhaps a little too long. Eventually, he cleared his throat to which she instantly scooted away from him.

"S-sorry. Guess I got a little carried away," she said as she nervously pushed her hair behind her ear. "Anyway…It's going to be another day of training tomorrow. We should probably get some sleep."

"That's a good idea," he awkwardly managed as he headed to the door. "Good night, Mari."

"Night, Ryu."

He slipped back into the hall and let out a relieved huff. That had been a little weird. Had she meant to hold on to him that long?

"And what were you two doing?" Koji scowled suspiciously at him through his bedroom door.

Ryu returned the scowl with his own. "None of your business," he snarked.

"Non of yur business." Juji repeated.

"You know the Chief will destroy you if he finds out you're messing with Mari," Koji stated.

The insinuation caused him to flush. At this rate, he was going to be permanently red. "What? It wasn't anything like that! Don't be an idiot!" he shouted.

"Surrreee. Whatever you say, man," Koji continued to tease him.

"Boys!" The Chief's muffled voice broke from his bedroom door. "Go to bed!"

"Yes, sir."

"Whatever, Chief."

The pair exchanged one more scowl before disappearing into their separate rooms.