CHAPTER 17: Hopeful

"Fear never builds the future, but hope does."

As most of the group had finished breakfast around the fire, Nii had retreated back into her room to get a couple of hours of sleep.

Or, it was not really her room but Aang liked to think of it as such.

He found himself imagining a future in which she helped him pump new life into the temple, as if that room could be the new heart of this place that would infuse the ancient stones and old buildings with renewed air, magic, vitality and purpose, channeling blessings and benedictions to all who sought solace within the hallowed confines of the Eastern Air Temple.

In his vision, this place would serve as a center of healing, learning and enlightenment for anyone who wished to study the ancient arts and philosophy of the Air Nomads.

But not only did he imagine the temple as honoring the legacy and memory of the Air Nomad culture, he also hoped the temple would become a beacon of peace and harmony, a sanctuary where people of all nations could come together in fellowship, transcending the boundaries of politics and prejudice.

He thought about Nii's Air symbol tattoo.

She had inspired him.

He was not just on a mission to revive the old culture of his people. It was also a mission of renewal and awakening, a transcension between the realms of the old and the new.

Aang smiled.

He felt hopeful again.

Hopeful, awake, rejuvenated, alive.

He looked up and let his gaze rest on the peaceful face on one of the grand statues of the female Air Nomads that once lived here. For just a moment, it seemed like she was smiling down on him.

Like a mother who is proud of her son.

It made his heart dance happily in his chest.

"Aang? Dude, are you even listening?"

Startled out of his reverie, Aang shook his head and blinked his eyes a couple of times, mentally scrambling to catch up with the conversation about supplies that he was currently having with Zuko.

"Sorry," he exhaled in an apologetic smile at Zuko, who had raised an eyebrow at him. "What were you saying?"

Zuko narrowed his eyes at him for a short second but then he shrugged his shoulders, letting it go.

"Nevermind," he said as he looked up at the statue in front of them. "What are you thinking about?"

Aang reached his hand up to his chin, his fingers slightly grazing his lips as he contemplated how to describe his vision for the future of the temples, but before he had time to answer, Zuko followed up with another question.

"Are you thinking about Nii?"

Aang's eyes widened in momentary astonishment, as the question caught him off guard. He shifted his weight on his feet.

"Uh, no," he breathed, regretting how awkward he suddenly sounded, and he tilted his head slightly. "Well, at least not… Wait, why do you ask?"

A smirk curled Zuko's lips before he pulled his shoulders.

"I dunno," he shrugged, "Just seemed like something was going on between you two this morning."

Aang felt a rush of something that felt like nervousness, anxiety, hope and excitement go through his body like a jittering jolt of lightning.

He breathed out and quickly let his eyes dart around the room, fidgeting a little as they stood there.

He did not know why he felt all of this restless energy all of a sudden.

He tried to come up with an answer, but the words seemed to escape him.

Zuko chuckled.

"Well, I guess I was right then," he smiled before turning around to walk out on a small balcony outside the room of statues, leaving Aang behind with an open mouth and a raised finger.

Aang felt himself blushing as he closed his mouth.

Nothing was going on between them.

Right?

She was just a skilled healer, who had come to his aid when he needed it the most, and for that he felt super grateful. She had cared for his physical, emotional and spiritual body when he subconsciously had tried to detach himself from it, and she had awakened feelings and sensations inside of him that he had not experienced in a long time. Or maybe ever.

She was very wise for her age, spiritually and emotionally, and she seemed to have a deep understanding of how energies travel in the body.

Aang bit his lip when he thought about what had happened when she had massaged him.

He had never felt his body responding to someone else's hands like that before. It was as if it suddenly had a life and will of its own, so full of life, vitality and relaxation at the same time.

No control, no resistance, no inhibitions, no tension.

Just an embrace of all the feelings and subtle nuances of rich sensations that coursed through his body. Completely attuned to the ebb and flow of energy, in surrender and profound acceptance of himself and his body.

It was like a deep meditation, however, just in complete alignment with his physical body.

He had felt entirely surrendered to it, so fully in tune with himself and her hands. Her every movement, the energy flowing from her, flowing between them. Her breath, his breath. Their heartbeats. Flowing, moving, breathing together in a rhythmic dance.

And when she had moved her hands over his hips and lower abdomen…

Aang closed his eyes as he thought about how his body had reacted, and he felt embarrassment color his cheeks once more as he recalled how he had needed to turn around to lie on his stomach to hide it from her.

Aang cleared his throat and opened his eyes.

He felt his body trembling slightly, and he shrugged his shoulders as to shake it off and focus on his presence.

He dared not look at the statue again, afraid of how dissapointed Avatar Yangchen would be to see him like this.

So he followed Zuko out on the balcony.

Zuko still had a certain curve over his lips as he stood leaned against the stone railing of the balcony with his arms crossed, smirking at Aang as he awkwardly joined him.

"Stop looking at me like that. Nothing's going on between us," Aang tried, attempting the hardest he could to master a confident yet casual smile to convince the Firebender that he was speaking the truth.

"I just feel really grateful for her help."

Aang leaned over the railing, his arms resting upon it for support, his elbows gently propped against the sturdy pale stone. He gazed out over the open landscape that allowed them to see the Bison grazing field below.

Appa and Momo seemed so peaceful down there. So at home.

"Right," he heard Zuko say next to him, who had also turned around now to gaze upon the peaceful view. "And that's why you're blushing when I mention her name? Because you're grateful?"

Aang closed his eyes.

"I'm not blushing," he said, immediately regretting the heat that washed over his face yet again.

Urgh, he hated that he was so see-through. Why could he not be more secretive and mysterious, like Zuko?

"Come on, man!" Zuko chuckled. "Aang, I see the way she looks at you."

"Really?" Aang sighed with innocent eyes. "How's she looking at me?"

He felt another wave of excited energy bubbling through his body, as if his heart was dancing in his chest again, and it seemed like his breath was stuck in his throat for a moment.

He could not help but to let a smile grow on his lips.

"I don't know," Zuko said. "It's just like her eyes are smiling every time she looks at you. And I just got this vibe this morning that yours were smiling at her too. Like there's some sort of electricity between you two."

Aang did not look at his friend as they stood there.

He sensed the breeze twirling around him, caressing his skin.

A warmth had started to grow in the pits of his stomach. He felt the electricity too, and he could not help but to feel a spark of hope that she was actually looking at him like that.

"I get it, though," Zuko continued. "She's pretty."

Aang saw her image flash before his eyes.

Her black hair flowing, cascading down over her chest. Her intricate tattoos, her soft honey skin, the gold shimmer in her eyes. The curve of her lips as she touched him. The way her clothes danced on her body, letting his eyes discover just a bit more every time she moved. Her confidence. The wise light in her eyes. Her feet. Her hands. The sound of her voice. Her dancing energy, mingling with his.

Aang felt the strange tingle in his belly again, and he quickly shook his head.

It was inappropriate for him to feel all of this when talking to Zuko.

It felt too private.

Too much.

"Yeah?" he finally said. "You think so too?"

Zuko chuckled.

"Aang, I'm a guy, and I'm not blind. To be honest, when I first met her, Toph had to remind me to pull myself together. There's some kinda old magic around her. It reminded me of an old Fire Nation temple I went to with my mom when I was a child. I get why you're fascinated with her."

Aang exhaled in a sigh and finally looked at Zuko again, who was watching him with a twinkle in the corner of his eye.

He felt like telling him everything.

How she made him feel, what had happened between them when she had given him a massage, how his body reacted when she was around, how his heart danced and how his mind silenced in such a strange way.

Instead he just shrugged his shoulders and said: "Yeah, I guess I'm not a blind guy either."