CHAPTER 11: Letting go
"If you want to fly, you have to give up what weighs you down."
"What the hell's going on in there?!" Toph's voice sounded as Katara suddenly turned around the corner of the archway that led into the temple and quickly made her way over to the three friends that sat near their fireplace.
Both Zuko and Sokka looked up from the outline over the Air Temple that Sokka had drawn on the ground near the bonfire to plan out how to approach the restoration process of the temple.
"Is she done?" Sokka wondered out loud, in surprise, but he was soon startled by the look on his sister's face.
She looked shocked, disgusted and embarrassed at the same time.
"No," Katara croaked out in a strange voice as she shook her head in small rapid movements.
"What's she doing to him?!" Toph asked again before she leaned forward, resting her hand on the ground.
Sokka looked at Toph, then back at Katara, then back at Toph.
"I don't know," Katara whispered as she sat down next to Zuko, who quickly swooped an arm around her and hugged her tight in a comforting embrace.
She seemed distressed.
Sokka stared at Toph, who was still trying to sense what was going on in the room with Aang and the new girl.
His thoughts raced, and he hoped that she was not doing some sort of voodoo thing with him.
"Is he safe?!" Sokka pressed, quickly rising to his feet, his fingers already clenched tight around his trusted Water Tribe club.
"I don't know," Katara repeated, and she closed her eyes and dug her face into Zuko's chest as if hiding from whatever horror she had experienced back in there.
Sokka felt his hands grow clammy, while a growing unease and a sense of vulnerability washed over him.
With a deep breath, he squared his shoulders and steadied himself, ready to go in there.
"Wait!" Toph said, raising the hand that was not on the ground into the air. "I've got no idea what that lady's doing to him, but it seems…"
Toph furrowed her brows and leaned one of her ears closer to the ground as if to see better.
"It seems like his heartbeat's steadying a bit. His breathing is getting better. They're both slowing down."
Sokka raised an eyebrow at her, and he unclenched his jaw that he apparently had tensed and shifted his weight on his feet.
Did that mean that Aang was back?
What did 'them slowing down' mean?
He still felt adrenaline surging through his veins, heightening his senses to a fever pitch, and inside he was coiled like a spring ready to snap and run in there to save Aang.
His thoughts raced.
"Whatever, I'm going in there," Sokka exclaimed in determination, but only did he take a couple of steps, before he saw as Nii stepped around the archway.
He narrowed his eyes at her as she came closer.
"Is he alright?" he asked in rushed words. "Is he back? Are you done?"
"Yeah, what the hell was that?!" Toph chimed in, causing Nii to stop in her tracks.
The new girl seemed to look at them all as she stood there before them, and she frowned when she seemed to realize that they did not trust whatever she was doing to help Aang.
She drew a slow, steadying breath and clasped her hands together in front of her chest.
"Please," she said. "He's responding well to my healing, but… I've never really seen anything like this before. It's like he's stuck in some part of the Spirit World that I've never been to. I can't seem to find him, it's like there's this veil… If you'll allow it, I'll work on him all night."
She closed her eyes and let her hands fall down, drooping her shoulders a bit as if ready to take the final blow.
Sokka widened his eyes as he took her words in.
"You're able to go into the Spirit World?! But it's only the Avatar who can do that!"
Nii folded her arms around herself and slowly started moving her head from side to side, her hair flowing in waves with each movement. Her amulets and talismans made a whispering sound as they brushed against each other over her chest.
"No," she simply stated in a dry voice. "But I'll need to go back to him and keep working now. If you'll allow it?"
Nii opened her eyes and looked at Katara, who was still seeking comfort in Zuko's embrace.
"I promise to keep him safe."
A moment that seemed to last forever went by, as the two women locked eyes, a silent exchange unfolding between them, laden with unspoken emotions and intentions.
In Nii's dark eyes there was a softness and a vulnerability, yet beneath the surface, there was also a strength and an unwavering resolve that hinted at the importance of Katara's answer.
Katara's expression was thoughtful and contemplative.
Though no words were spoken, her eyes soon softened in a silent acknowledgement of Nii's request.
Finally, a subtle nod of her head conveyed acceptance and support, and the two of them seemed to share a moment of connection that transcended words.
Nii returned the gesture before she turned around and made her way back to Aang.
Sokka stood with his mouth open.
"What just happened?" he asked, his voice thick with confusion.
Zuko kissed Katara's hair and gave her another hug. She was suddenly smiling and had a weird light in her eyes, as if she had let go of something deep inside of her.
Sokka felt a shift in the atmosphere, and he shifted the weight on his legs as he looked back at the archway behind which Nii had disappeared.
"Uh, hello?" he raised.
"Sokka, just sit down."