Chapter 3

"You okay, man? You don't look so good."

Takaro felt an elbow nudge his shoulder, snapping him out of his distracted state. He looked at Dahru sitting next to him and realised that he had drifted off at the lunch table. Several people were staring at him.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." He said meekly, raising his bowl to scarf down the last of his rice and hide his flushed face. Dahru rolled his eyes.

"Dude, you've got bags under your eyes big enough to take the trash out in - and the trash is the rest of your face." Takaro glared at his friend.

"I said I'm fine, I just-" He paused and sighed. "I didn't sleep very well last night. Weird nightmare or something."

Dahru leaned forward to get a better look at the hunched boy. Everyone else at the table had gone back to their own conversations. "You sure you're good to come down to the workshop today?"

"Yeah, I'm not supposed to be doing anything major today. Just passing stuff to whoever's under the car." Takaro waved a hand, trying to dispel Dahru's doubts. He could see that he hadn't and quickly tried to change the subject.

"So anyway, how your bending practice going? You gotten the hang of ice yet?" Dahru's expression shifted to a cocky smirk immediately.

"Oh, please. You don't need ice for Pro Bending, it's against the rules. I've already got the basics of it down, so would I need to waste more time on it? I'm working on my quick jabs at the moment. Real one-two stuff." The waterbender's enthusiasm for the sport overtook his concern and the last few minutes of their lunch break were taken up by discussions about it.

For years now, Dahru had been convinced that if he could get out of Yugan and make it to Republic City, he could become a Pro Bending champion. He just needed to find some competent fire and earthbenders. Takaro had never been able to understand his passion but he hadn't ever actually seen a match and listening to the broadcasts wasn't his thing; something about the announcer irritated him.

The conversation and a fist full of Fire Flakes were enough to invigorate him into finishing the school day and making it to work later. As he'd told Dahru, the tasks he would be given were all menial and didn't require him to be too alert. Having something to focus on was good, and kept his mind from wondering back to last night.

'Nightmare. It was just a nightmare.' He told himself again and again.

As his being there was technically an apprenticeship, he'd had to pay attention to what was happening and learn about the mechanics of the off road vehicle they'd been working on (specifically the suspension and steering). Soon enough, his work was finished and he was off the clock.

At the end of the shift, Nakkos presented him with his payment and the pleasant revelation that he had taken care of the rest of the work needed on his sword (new grip, polished metal and a finished sheath). Several times throughout the afternoon, Nakkos had expressed the same concerns as his son, but gave up on them just as quickly as work got under way.

Takaro left completely exhausted with two thousand yuans for his work that last two week and a newly restored sword, sheathed and slung over his shoulder. He didn't have the energy to be excited about the prospect of sword training tomorrow.

He practically fell through the front door of his house, knocking the swords' hilt on the door frame and jolting his shoulder. Shuna was sitting on the brown sofa in the front room, listening to a jazz song on the radio. She turned her head to him as he closed the door and her brow immediately furrowed.

"You look exhausted." She stated. Takaro almost rolled his eyes.

"Hello to you, too." He replied dryly, slipping the sword off of his back and storing it in the umbrella rack by the door. The room before him was simple; a matching sofa and armchair around a low table, with a fireplace in front and a bookshelf behind with a radio on it. There weren't any pictures on the beige walls and any trinkets or whatnot were stored neatly in the cabinet next the the kitchen door.

He wandered over to the armchair and promptly collapsed into it with a groan. Looking over to Shuna, he saw that she had taken her brace off and that there was a stack of metal strips and two box sitting on the table before her; one containing metal shavings and little bits of scrap, and the other nearly full with finely crafted and engraved cutlery.

"Who's that for." Takaro asked as he sank deeper into the cushions.

"Oh, some rich guy named Mong Kwa wants personalised silverware for his wife's birthday. I fixed up a wall for him a while ago and I guess he remembered that I'm also a metalbender." Takaro's nose wrinkled slightly.

"That's a bit of a weird birthday gift. Seems like more of an anniversary thing."

"Well don't tell him that. I'm getting a thousand yuans a set." The two chuckled, Takaro's turning into a yawn halfway through. He blinked a few times to try and wake up. Eventually, he heaved himself out of the comfy chair.

"You know what, could you just leave something in the fridge for me? I'm going to bed." Shuna's frown returned. She reached out a hand, twisting two fingers to bend the metal nob on the radio, turning it off.

"It's six thirty." She sat up straight to look him in the eyes. "Takaro, is something wrong? You don't normally come home this tired."

He had been considering telling Shuna about his dream all day but ultimately decided that his horrifyingly intense nightmare wasn't something she needed to worry about.

"It's nothing. Just didn't sleep great last night." He mumbled before trudging down the hallway. Living with a talented earthbender had taught him something very valuable; lies get found out but half truths can only be completed.

He entered his bedroom and stared at his unmade bed. He wasn't at all confident that if he went to sleep he wouldn't end up back in the dream again, but his fatigue got the better of him. He didn't bother changing, merely stripping down to his boxers and vest before crawling into bed. After a few minutes of tense and unsteady breathing, his mind and body relaxed enough for him to fall asleep.

He could feel the warmth of a blanket wrapped around his body and the softness of a pillow beneath his head. His eyes fluttered open as he looked down and confirmed that he was still in his own bed. He let out a relieved sigh and sat up straight, pulling off the covers.

A sliver of dull sunlight peaked in though the edges of the curtains. The clock on his bedside table said it was five to six in the morning. As soon as he saw the time, hunger kicked him in the stomach.

Despite being slightly starved and in desperate need of a wash, he felt better than he had throughout all of yesterday. Not only had he gotten a full nights sleep, he hadn't had the swamp dream again. Knowing now that it was likely a one night thing was a huge weight off his chest.

He quickly got on with his morning routine; shower, eat the food Shuna had left for him in the fridge, brush teeth and such, moving around the house as quietly as possible. His guardian herself was somewhat of an early riser but that was only when she got up on her own terms. If she was woken up by someone else, she was grouchy enough to make a sabre-tooth moose lion cower.

By the time he was finished and ready for the day, it was only seven - much earlier than either of them usually got up on an off day - which was why it surprised him that he found Shuna waiting for him in the front room with a cup of coffee when he exited the bathroom.

She was wearing her earthbending clothes and leg brace. Her face was softer than it usually was in the morning as she looked up at him from the sofa.

"So, you've decide to rejoin the living?" She mused, sipping from her mug. Takaro snorted and smiled.

"Yeah, I knocked over some ancient spirit vase or something, so they kicked me out of the afterlife." That got a chuckle out of her, but only a small one.

"Takaro, you were asleep for almost twelve hours. That not normal, even for you." She stated, her tone serious. "And I know that you were up very early yesterday morning. I didn't bring it up when you got home because we both had work and you were so tired. There was clearly something wrong and I want you to tell me what it was now."

Takaro tensed, shame coiling in his stomach. Shuna wasn't angry or upset with him in any way, but he almost would have preferred that. He hated it whenever he worried her. If there was ever a problem, she would always tried to find a way of fixing it. If she couldn't solve it, that was when she started to feel unsure.

The bullying from bending students was something she could help with. Strange swamp nightmares that made him scared to fall asleep were not. He had to keep that in mind as he sat down in the armchair.

"I…" He trailed off before he even began, trying to collect his thoughts. After a long pause he shook his head.

"I was lying yesterday, when I said I was fine and just didn't sleep well," he finally admitted. It wasn't just some weird dream brought upon by stress. "The night before, when I went to sleep… I think I ended up somewhere else." Shuna's brow furrowed, clearly confused. "I opened my eyes and I was somewhere I'd never been, or even seen before. It didn't really seem like anywhere that actually existed."

Takaro told her about swamp and what had happened to his body when he was there. His voice came close to trembling as he described the distant yet terrifying presence that had been lashing out at its own imprisonment.

Shuna didn't speak throughout his explanation. She just sat and listened to him with a soft, yet endlessly concerned expression. When he finished, she came to the same conclusion he had.

"...That wasn't just some dream, was it?" Takaro didn't look up as he shook his head. He heard her sigh and the creak of her leg brace moving. She spoke softly, with a voice like she was reminiscing about something.

"When I was a little girl, one thing that fascinated me to no end was the Avatar." Takaro looked up, wondering where that had come form. "I poured over books about the lives and actions of many of the incarnations of the Avatar, and I remember reading about the spiritual experiences many of them had, including strange visions and their experiences in the spirit world."

Takaro's eyes widened suddenly. This wasn't the a piece of the puzzle, this was the half of the puzzle flouting up and solving itself.

"You think that it was some kind of… spirit vision?" He asked, sitting up straight.

"The place you described does sound a lot like where Avatar Aang ended up while he was looking for the moon and ocean spirits." She picked her words cautiously, trying not to give him too much to process at once.

Normal people could only enter the Spirit World if they were brought there, but the only thing that Takaro could identify as sentient was the trapped being off in the distance. If he was taken there by a somehow caged spirit, then it was plausible that it wouldn't be able to bring him across completely, which explained why he didn't have any kind of physical body while there.

But why would a spirit want him there in the first place? Takaro sat further back in his chair, mulling over the situation, asking himself half-formed questions and trying to remember all the details of the vision. Soon his brain was in knots, and he sighed in defeat.

"I'm not getting anywhere just sitting here thinking. I don't know anything about the spirit world. Do you know anyone who might be able to help with this? Ever meet a guru or something?" He asked half-heartedly. Shuna hummed and stared out the window in contemplation.

"No gurus, unfortunately. The only person I can think of, that I know, would be Suyin Beifong. Her mother was good friends with Avatar Aang, and her sister still lives in Republic City, but I don't think that she really talks to either of them any more, so you probably won't have any luck there." She paused for a moment before looking back at Takaro.

"I think, for now, it's best to wait and see if the spirit tries to reach you again. Maybe it contacted you by accident, maybe it actually was just a strange dream. We don't know, and there's no way for us to find out on our own," she said, leaving little room for argument.

Takaro wasn't satisfied with that answer but understood that she couldn't give him a better one. He huffed and stood up from his chair.

"Alright, if you really think so. I'll just try not to think about it for now."

Shuna nodded and stood up as well, moving slowly to avoid straining her leg.

"Good. Then we'll move on to the next thing we need to address today." She smirked as the boys bewildered expression. "Let's head outside. It's time you learned to how swing a sword."

Takaro's face instantly lit up. He rushed over to the front door to grab the sword out of the umbrella rack. But when he attempted to pull the weapon out, it wouldn't budge even a little. It felt like something was pining it in place as it caught his arm.

"First thing's first." Shuna called out from behind him. "Take this to your room and find somewhere safe to keep it. I don't want it just sitting where anyone could knock it over."

The sword was released from its immobile state and Takaro yanked it up suddenly. He turned to see a still smirking Shuna with her hand raised in a metalbending form.

"And leave it there. You won't be using a real blade for quite some time. Also, get changed. I left some more appropriate clothes in your room." He groaned and trudged off to his room, passing Shuna as she left through the front door.

On his bed, he found what looked like a set of pro bending clothes; a padded jacket and trousers, gloves, shin guards, even a helmet. As he changed, he couldn't help but wonder how pro benders were able to play such a fast paced game in something so bulky.

He wrapped the sheathed weapon in an old towel and stashed it under his bed before leaving the house. Outside, he found Shuna waiting for him on the back lawn, standing next to stack of earth disks and holding a sword of her own.

When she saw him, she flipped the hilt in her grip and tossed it to him. Takaro fumbled to catch it, scared of cutting himself, and quickly realised why Shuna was being so blasé with a seemingly deadly weapon. The edges of the blade were rounded off. He sighed.

"Really?"

Shuna snickered at his grouchy face.

"Yes, really. If you can't use that thing properly without hurting yourself, you've got no chance with something that's actually sharp." She gestured with her head. "Go stand at the end of the yard."

Now understanding what her plan was, he did as he was told with a slight frown on his face.

"Will your leg be okay?" He asked as he reached the end of the lawn. "You haven't done any fighting for a long time."

"And I'm not doing any fighting now." She retorted. Shuna did not appreciate it when people brought up her injury. "Besides, it only aches when I keep it still for too long. I barely even need the cane."

Yet she still took it with her everywhere, though Takaro didn't voice that thought.

Her feet glided effortlessly across the ground as she took up a basic earthbending stance. Takaro took a deep breath and gripped the handle of the sparring sword in both hands.

"Already wrong." Shuna barked from across the yard. "Right hand high on the grip, left as low as possible. And bend your elbows a little."

Takaro looked down at his arms and adjusted them accordingly.

"Good. Now plant your right foot forward and turn your left out slightly."

Again, he did as instructed. Once he was ready, one of the earth disks floated up from the stack and hovered next to Shuna's reared fist. They stared at each other for a beat before the disk was sent flying towards him.

On instinct, he pulled the sword closer to his body with the intention of deflecting the projectile. As the soft earth connected with the metal, he tried to turn his body to guide it past himself, only to be struck in the torso by both the flat of the blade and the shattered disk. He hit the dirt with a pained gasp.

"Don't just try to defend. You need to strike as you move to avoid being hit." He heard his new teacher call out. Pushing himself into a sitting position, he steadied his breath and tried to massaged the pain in his sternum. It didn't really work through the padding

"Where the hell did you learn about sword fighting?" He wheezed, hoping to buy himself a few more seconds to get his bearings.

"Mostly from pirates. You travel as mush as I did, you pick up a few things. Now back on your feet. This time strike in the same direction as the disks trajectory, but move in the opposite."

Takaro grumbled a curse as he rose back up and braced for the next attack.