Yangchen was enjoying a very rare moment of peace and quiet. She had been traveling nonstop in the last year since she bonded with a new Bison named Thaven. In her time with him they had gone from Ba Sing Se to the Southern Air Temple to the Fire Nation. After solving crises after crises, she and Kavik were finally getting some time off.
When they both were due to leave Bin-Er they were surprised to receive a letter from his parents. They were living peacefully in Agna Qel'a and after some time apart greatly desired to see their son for the first time in a couple of years.
"Kavik you should go see your parents. Thaven and I can even drop you off right at their house and you'll be in and out in no time."
"Not unless you come with me. We are staying together and you deserve time away from your duties and this is an opportunity to relax."
"I don't want to intrude on your time with your family. Plus, if I come then awkward questions are bound to be asked and I wouldn't want to come up with a cover story and lie to them. We did that enough when I originally met them"
She felt it would be inappropriate given their closeness for her to potentially stain her relationship with his parents and wasn't planning on hearing different from him.
"Well, I was actually thinking it was time to be completely open with them. I want them to know all we've done together but most of all I want them to know about us."
This had really thrown her for a loop. Normally they went to great lengths to make sure their relationship seemed as professional as possible when other eyes were on them but she supposed it couldn't go to poorly as his parents had seemed so nice and supportive when she had met them. Even if they were only being nice because she's the Avatar.
"If that's what you think is best than alright. We can only stay for one night though. You should send your return letter to them as soon as possible to let them know we are coming. Our schedule really only allows us to be there in the next couple of days."
With that Kavik ran from the hideout in Bin-Er to get a messenger hawk to send his reply to Agna Qel'a. Yangchen remained behind both excited and nervous about being potentially so vulnerable with people she did not know well.
The trip from Bin-Er to the north had gone smoothly and they only had a short time left before they arrived. She felt nervous about being in an informal setting with people that she wanted to know her as Yangchen and not just the Avatar. It was never easy to leave her professional life at the door and enjoy some of her limited time for a personal life.
Luckily, she had a plan in order to make the time in Agna Qel'a go as smoothly as possible. She had long since set up a place for her to land in secret with the northern chief in a secluded area so she wouldn't have to badgered every time she visited the north. The chief's personal congregation of workers would look after Thaven once they arrived.
She also planned to be in disguise at least until they arrived at his parent's house. She already had her bangs on and was wearing a traditional outfit for water tribe women that Kavik had told her made her look just like any other civilian in the city. He also made sure to add she looked far more breathtaking than just any other women though which he said while giving her a dazzling smile. He always made her feel warm from head to toe and it had nothing to do with the heavy coat she was wearing.
She sat up in the saddle "Kavik what sort of questions do you think your parents will want to ask me about."
"Knowing my mom, she will make it a point to embarrasses us as much as possible once she realizes we are dating. So probably stuff like how did you fall in love? When did you know she was the one and vice versa?"
"My dad will try to be calm but he will also embarrass us even if he tries not to. He loves to study world history and will no doubt have all sorts of questions about air nomad culture for you."
"Being embarrassed by them both, relationship questions, and cultural stuff. I can handle that."
"You say that now but you just wait."
She smiled to herself. What Kavik didn't know was she had a desire other than having a formal sit-down dinner with his parents for coming. What he forgets is that her family is also here. Or more specifically the spirit oasis is here. She had long wanted to travel to the spirit world with Kavik but out in the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation she had had no success in leading him into the world of her family to meet Jetsun.
She badly wanted the approval of Kavik's family but for her sake she wanted Jetsun's approval as well and there was only one way to get that. They would have to hopefully meditate into the spirit world. She hoped that if his parents were willing, they would watch over their bodies while they visited her sister. That however was not her primary concern as they had arrived.
Yangchen clicked her tongue and Thaven shot around to the outskirts of the city to where their landing zone was setup. She spotted the chiefs waterbenders waiving them in and began to descend. Once they landed the amount of people attempting to help unload was far too much and Yangchen had to insist, she and Kavik could handle it. Once they had dismounted Thaven an older man clearly higher ranking than the others present walked forward.
"Mistress Yangchen we are so happy your journey to us was successful and you are well. Will you need anything specifically from us while you are in town?"
"Kavik and I are here on personal business. He and I are not to be interrupted. My only requests is could you please provide Thaven with a good meal while we are here?"
"Of course, Mistress. Only the finest for such a great companion of the Avatar."
With that business out of the way they were off. In the letter Kavik had received, his parents had told him that they would meet them in the middle of town near the central bridge. So, they set out walking for once not having to be worried about being stopped to solve other people's issues or give a blessing.
Kavik looked over at her and took her gloved hand while they walked. "You know it feels really strange not being ambushed by civilians around every corner. I've got so used to it over our time together that I almost forgot what it was like to live a simple life."
"I couldn't agree more. Ever since I left the Western Air Temple for the first time to begin my formal travels as the Avatar I've been in a constant rush. We really needed this."
They walked for a while longer swerving in and out of crowds in the busy merchant section of town. As the approached the middle part of the town the bridge came into view. They let go of each other's hands as they approached his parents from a far. Her hand immediately felt less warm and incomplete without his.
His Mother threw her arms around her son and pulled him into a bone crushing hug. His dad stood behind them both and patted Kavik on the back. "It's good to see you son."
Yangchen really felt like she was intruding on a purely family moment. It was at that exact moment that his mom moved over to her and hugged Yangchen with the same energy. "Oh, dear it's so good to see you again."
Once the greetings were over Kavik decided it would only be appropriate if he formally introduced his parents. This was something that he had told her he would do but she still had to play it off as some spur of the moment decision by him.
"Yangchen this is my mother Katusha and my father Linka. Mom and dad this is Yangchen."
Yangchen bowed to each of them in the traditional airbender manner and then grasped each of their forearms in the water tribe way of greeting.
His father was definitely amused by the formal greetings. "You know son we have met her before. The introduction wasn't entirely necessary."
"I know but last time was so out of nowhere and it has been a few years so I thought it would be appropriate."
"I'm honored that the two of you are allowing me into your home once again. I hope having me here won't be any burden."
His mom looked shocked that she would even insinuate that the Avatar wouldn't be welcome in their home. "Avatar you are always welcome in our home. Everything you've done for our family and the world at large would make it feel ridiculous to turn you away."
"Oh, please just Yangchen. Calling me Avatar is for formal matters and it is my greatest desire that my time here be anything but that.
"Of course. Now Yangchen, Kavik we should really get moving we've already done a lot of the prep for tonight's dinner and we need to get back to check on all the food."
With that they were off once again. His Parents led the way and they followed. Kavik gave her a smile as he seemed to think the initial greeting went rather well. They walked for about half a kilometer and stopped before a rather nice house. It screamed upper middle class to her which wasn't surprising given what their house had been like in Bin-er. His parents went and opened the front door and the two of them went with them inside.
Yangchen was greeted with a sight of a large sitting room with plenty of space for extra people. The kitchen smelled of food on the other side of the building. A flight of stairs sat at the back of the rooms leading to what she assumed were the bedrooms.
After finally being able to take their packs off Linka gathered up their bags and lugged them upstairs to the guest rooms. Kavik and Yangchen followed him. At last, the two of them would be able to get the rest they so desperately needed. Even if there was some good-natured teasing involved once his parents found out they are dating.
"Alright Yangchen we are giving you the bedroom on the right and Kavik you will be next door. Once you've settled in go ahead and come downstairs. Katusha and I could use some help preparing dinner when you're ready."
Yangchen knew she wouldn't like being separated from Kavik tonight while she was sleeping but she knew there was no way his parents would want them staying in the same bedroom. Things were already going to be embarrassing enough. She didn't need them to think they would be sleeping together.
"Tonight, if you need me, I'll be right in the next room. Just knock on my door and I'll be right over. They don't need to know a thing."
"Thank you, Kavik. However, I will respect you parents wishes and sleep alone tonight. Even though I trust them the last thing I want to do is explain my issues with slipping into my past lives."
"Well, if, you're sure. Anyway, we should get changed so we can go help and prepare dinner."
"I am. One night alone I can handle."
With that Kavik walked into the hallway to go into his bedroom. Yangchen closed her bedroom door. As much as she liked her water tribe wear, she was looking forward to getting back into her air nomad clothes that she had missed wearing while traveling here.
She started by taking her bangs off and inspected how her arrow looked in the mirror. Her hairline had moved forward and she would need to shave it soon but it was still straight and looked good enough. Moving on to taking the heavy furs off she instantly felt much lighter and cooler. She fished her robes out of her bag and changed in no time. Looking at her appearance in the mirror one more time she deemed that she looked presentable and left her bedroom.
Kavik was already waiting for her out in the hallway. Not surprising since he only needed to change out of his furs and was ready for dinner. "You look beautiful." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek they went downstairs to help with dinner.
They went into the kitchen. Katusha was busy adding spices to a big pot that smelled and looked an awful lot like stew and she was busy cracking eggs.
"Kavik come and help me with stirring the stew while I get the rest of our food ready. Yangchen could you please help Linka set our table. The silver ware cabinet is right by the front door."
"Of course. I'll start now."
She walked to the front room and she was pretty sure she knew what was coming. Kavik had warned her his dad would be curious about air nomad culture and would have questions prepared for her.
"Yangchen would it be alright if I asked you a few questions about your people. I've never had the honor of meeting another air bender before in my life?"
"I don't mind at all. I love talking about the temples and my brothers and sisters."
He had picked up the silver ware and she grabbed some as well so he wouldn't be to overloaded. "Is it true that male and female air nomads live separate lifestyles?"
"It is. All air nomads are born at either the western or eastern temples. When a baby is born, they are given to either the monks or nuns. If it is a boy they will live at the northern or southern temple."
"So, air nomad children grow up without their parents? It would have to be difficult to grow up without a proper family."
"It really isn't much of a problem. My sisters are my family. I'm closer with some of them than the others but the older ones can take on a mentor or parental figure role. Abbess Dagmola is the western temple elder and she is I guess in a way like a grandmother to me. The girls closer to my age are like siblings to me. I'm not as close with the monks but I would assume I would feel the same way if I grew up with them."
He was silent for a while as the laid out all the plates and various silver ware. She knew that he had to have more to ask and she was happy to answer.
"It is said that air nomads travel the world and are allies to all. Is their any nation that the air nomads are closer with than the others?"
"Well, we don't favor one nation over another but we definitely interact with some more than others. In order to travel from one temple to another we have to travel through the earth kingdom. Just because of that we are very familiar with the people there. Many of my bothers and sisters even ended up having families with someone they originally met on their travels."
"My sisters of the western temple interact with the fire nation on a regular basis as the island the temple is located on is also a shipping port for them. The alliance of the western temple and the fire nation goes back hundreds of years. Other than the western temple the others do not often interact with the fire nation as they are so far away from the home islands. It's said that an air bender nun who lives in the eastern temple could go a lifetime without ever meeting a fire bender."
"The people of the north and south temple interact with the people of the water tribes all the time. In times of great sickness, the waterbenders have come to our temples in order to heal those that are ill. The water tribes are the greatest spiritual allies of my people and that alliance will only continue into the future."
They had finished setting the table when Kavik and Katusha entered the room with the food. "Linka you aren't asking for her whole life story, are you?"
"No dear. Just some basic air nation questions. You know me always trying to better my knowledge of the world.
Katusha turned to her. "Yangchen, I made sure to have a vegetarian meal planned this time after you were forced to eat around what we had for dinner that night we first met. I made a traditional vegetable stew with mushrooms, carrots, and peppers. There is also a side of rice to go along with it."
She thought it smelled lovely. Kavik looked less excited behind his mother. He was not a vegetarian and she didn't expect him to be one just for her. Knowing him though he packed some seal jerky and would have that in his bedroom later.
"It looks delicious Katusha. It's been so long since we've had a proper sit-down meal."
His father looked a little concerned about her comment. She guessed it sounded like they camped out without food on most nights. Far from that actually but there was no point in explaining that now.
They sat down and ate the filling meal. It wasn't anything like her sisters at the western temple would cook but she loved it none the less. His parents were not vegetarians either but ate their fill same as her. Kavik was poking around at his stew clearly not the biggest fan of the mushrooms but ate two servings of the rice.
Once they were done eating, they moved to the sitting room. Yangchen and Kavik had planned to tell his parents everything prior to his mother bringing out dessert. They had rehearsed what they were going to say on the flight here with Thaven but that didn't mean it was going to be easy.
Kavik and Yangchen sat next to each other on the couch. The urge to take his hand was strong but it wasn't time just yet. For now, she would let him tell his parents about them.
Katusha looked at her son. "Sweetheart please tell us what it like to work with Yangchen? There's so much we want to hear about."
"Well, we've always worked together well from the moment we first met. In a lot of ways, we are two sides of the same coin. I guess we work so well with each other because our partnership starts with the basis of friendship."
"Kavik that's so lovely to hear. When you first left with her, we just thought she was going to be your employer but the fact you have built a great friendship is lovely. We could tell from you letters that you think very highly of her. Yangchen you clearly think highly of Kavik too."
"Yes, I am incredibly fortunate to have him in my life."
There was a brief silence. She knew what was next and Kavik clearly looked uncomfortable. Not that he was ashamed of her but that his folks were likely to freak out momentarily.
"Well mom, dad there is more you should hear. What started off as just a job quickly morphed into a friendship. You could even say she is my best friend. As time went on, we spent more and more time with each other I came to the most important realization of my life. I am in love with her."
His parents didn't move. She couldn't tell if it was shock or disbelief.
His dad broke the silence. "Kavik I'm sorry but did we just hear you say you are in love with Yangchen?"
"You heard correctly dad."
His mom chimed in. She was equally as stunned and turned to her. "Was this a confession dear or did you already know?"
"Oh no I've known for ages. I've been in love with Kavik since not that long after I originally met him. He is my rock."
With that said they grasped each other's hand and interlaced their fingers. Katusha and Linka were still processing things and staring at their joined hands. The fact their son is dating the Avatar just didn't compute.
His mother seemed to finally collect herself. "How long have you two been dating?" She was much more serious now. Yangchen had not expected that.
"Kavik and I have been in a relationship for about a year now."
His mom rounded on Kavik. Clearly something was remaining unsaid and she wasn't catching what could be upsetting his mother. She had thought his parents would be delighted that their son was dating the Avatar. They had come across as some of her biggest supporters when they had originally met.
"Young man you know our customs! When a water tribe couple have been dating for a year, it is customary for them to get engaged. WHERE IS HER BETROTHAL NECKOLACE?"
She didn't expect this a clearly Kavik had forgotten this custom of his people. Up until now both of them had managed to not get very flustered but it was impossible now. Their faces were as red as rose buds.
"Mom please stop yelling. I've been around the world solving crises after crises. I don't have time to think about water tribe dating customs. Yangchen isn't even a citizen of either water tribe. Her and I want to wait until we are ready there shouldn't be a problem."
His mom looked a little satisfied but clearly not enough to keep his dad from adding onto an already embarrassing situation. "Son how are we supposed to know you are serious about her or not and Yangchen you serious about him. In our culture courtship is simply for marriage and not just a reason to mess around with someone."
"Please Linka, Katusha understand that Kavik and I are devoted to one another. In time I'm sure we will discuss a life and family together but my duties would never allow for that until I'm more established as the Avatar in this world."
His parents seemed to calm down after hearing her answer and turned to him. "What say you son. In time would you want to be with her?"
"Of course I do. What a question to ask someone. Neither of us are ready for that but in time you two will be the first to know if things move forward."
His father now had the same gleam in his eye that he had when he was asking her questions earlier in the evening. "Yangchen do your sisters in the western temple know about you and Kavik?"
"Yes, they do and have been very supportive when they found out. Even Abbess Dagmola gave her blessing which surprised even me. She is usually very uptight about that sort of thing."
"Well, if the elder of the air temple has given you two her blessing than I don't see why we can't. I wish you both nothing but happiness now and into the future. Dear what say you."
"I never would have guessed that this would be what happened tonight but now that I've had time to think about it, I couldn't be happier that you're a part of our family Yangchen."
With that his mom got to her feet embraced Yangchen in tight hug. She returned it glad that the women deemed her worthy of being in a relationship with her son. Or was it him being worthy of her. It was hard to tell. With that his mom went into the kitchen to bring in dessert.
"Well Yangchen, I hope you like it. I made a traditional airbender apple fruit pie. Linka researched the recipe and the two of us have been gathering all the ingredients over the last week. We even had to order the apples from Bin-Er because obviously you can't grow fruit in the artic."
Oh, it looked perfect. Just like her brothers and sisters made them. They started eating immediately after Katusha cut the dessert. It had been too long since she had last had any pie and his parents had nailed the recipe. Kavik, she noticed went in for seconds which made sense as he didn't have much of his vegetarian stew earlier.
"Well, you both did an incredible job with the pie. It was just like the ones my sisters and brothers would serve at festivals. I really feel like I am at home."
"We are both delighted that you love it dear. It is getting late. You kids can head off to bed and we will handle the dishes as you are our guests."
It was time for the surprise Yangchen had planned. Kavik was already walking toward the stairs when she grabbed his hand. His parents stopped also and sat back down seeing the serious look on her face.
"I've been delighted getting to know your family, Kavik. However, I still feel like there is something else we need to do while we are here. I need you to meet my family."
"What are you talking about? I've already met the airbender nuns at the western temple."
"Well since we are here, I thought maybe we could visit the oasis in the morning and try to meditate together into the spirit world. I want more than anything for you to meet Jetsun."
He looked confused at first but then his handsome features softened. "Do you really think I would be able to do it there? It's never worked before."
"It's either now or never. If I can't lead you into the spirit world here, I won't be able to do it anywhere."
His parents looked puzzled and Linka as was his nature asked "Yangchen, we didn't know you had a sister. I'm assuming you are talking about a specific nun and just your sisters as a whole?"
"Yes, a specific girl named Jetsun. She was like my big sister. We weren't actually related except by maybe being at most third cousins but nevertheless she was my best friend. She guided me into the spirit world for the first time when I was eleven but due to an accident her spirit was never able to come back to the physical world."
Kavik seemed to have decided one way or another "Okay We can try but there is a problem. Even if we are able to get into the spirit world, we would need someone to watch over our bodies. It's too dangerous given what happened the last two times you were in there to do it alone."
"My thoughts exactly." She turned to his parents. "Katusha, Linka I would be honored if you could watch over our bodies while we make our brief stay in the spirit world."
She had to try to not laugh at how excited his dad was and for that matter his mom as well.
"We would be honored to help the Avatar on a very important spiritual journey. Besides you being the Avatar we want to help because how important this is to you and Kavik."
Kavik seemed to think things were decided and got up to leave. "If we are going to the oasis in the morning, we should try to get a good night sleep."
This time Yangchen moved with Kavik toward the stairs but they were stopped one final time by his parents. Katusha looked stern once again.
"Both of you listen to me. You are to stay in separate bedrooms. I will not have you sleeping in the same bed under my roof."
They both turned bright red at her insinuation. Not just because it was embarrassing but also because they probably would have ended up in the same bed if she had said nothing.
"MOM!"
"I'm serious Kavik. I don't care if you are dating the Avatar. If I hear any funny business the both of you are going to be in huge trouble."
Kavik mumbled under his breath and walked toward the stairs holding her hand. Clearly his mothers' words had affected them both because they went directly into their respective rooms without even saying good night. Yangchen simply changed into her night things excited about the possibilities of the morning.
Even as dawn rolled around Yangchen had not been able to sleep much. Thankfully not because of her past lives but because she was worried about what the day would bring. Would she be able to lead Kavik into the spirit world? She had her technique that had never failed her at the oasis but who knows if it would work with Kavik.
Kavik knocked on the bedroom door and entered after she answered. "Are you ready for our trip to the spirit oasis?"
"Not quite. I'm going to need to change into my water tribe clothes again so I'll meet you downstairs in a few minutes."
"Alright. My mom has prepared a small breakfast for us. She wasn't sure if we should eat a big meal before going to the oasis so she picked out some fruit for us to have before leaving."
"Okay I'll be down soon."
He left the room and she started getting dressed. She had considered not going in disguise. It was early enough that there was unlikely to be a lot of foot traffic in town but she thought it was best to be prepared. Once she had her furs and bangs on it was time to go down for breakfast.
Katusha was waiting for her in the kitchen. "Yangchen, dear I thought it would be best not to have a heavy meal prior to going to the oasis so I've got some fruit for breakfast."
"Thank you that will be great. We should try to get out into town quickly before the town is filled with people."
"Of course. Hopefully the boys stop sulking about having no meat for breakfast and we can get ready to go."
With that the two of them went to join the boys in the sitting room. Together they finished their quick meal and were ready to go within minutes.
The trip to the oasis was thankfully uneventful. Most normal people wouldn't be up at the hour she had planned on leaving. She made sure to grab Kavik's hand happy she didn't have to hide her affection from his parents.
Kavik and Yangchen had gone the entire morning without getting embarrassed by his parents when his dad said. "Wow we really look like a family. Hopefully we get to spend more time together like this in the future." He shot a very knowing look at Kavik.
"Dad not right now. This is a very serious thing we are doing this morning."
"Sorry but I just had to speak my mind."
After a walk of a few more minutes, they arrived at the oasis. Kavik being the gentleman that he was went to hold the door open for Yangchen and his parents. Yangchen was immediately hit with the familiar warm air from the oasis. Kavik's parents had never been here before so she had warned them ahead of time to dress appropriately. All of them pulled off their furs and she took off her bangs.
Linka came over to her. "Yangchen how will this process work? You mentioned we would watch over you but what will you need us to do."
"It's pretty simple. I will lead Kavik in meditation and after enough time we will hopefully cross over. The two of you will know if we are successful when my eyes and Tattoos glow."
"Kavik are you ready? We really should start as quickly as possible."
"Yes, I'm ready. Were do you want me."
She started walking toward the koi fish. "We will meditate over here with the two fish."
They sat facing each other and Yangchen grasped his hands. "When meditating here it is extremely important to focus on nothing except the eternal koi fish and my voice. Other than that, let you mind go blank."
She had forgotten one very important factor in all of this the fog. "Linka, I need to know are you a waterbender?"
"Well kind of. I'm far from a master but I'm proficient enough."
"That's all I needed to know. Kavik and I are visiting a place called the fog of lost souls. My sister Jetsun resides there comforting the poor individuals that are trapped in the fog. When visiting her in the past the fog has materialized in the physical world and tried to take me. If that happens, I need you to bend water from the oasis onto the both of us to subdue it."
Katusha looked a little scared. "I didn't know this would be dangerous Yangchen. How concerned should we be?"
"There is nothing to be afraid of. The fog will dissolve instantly from contact with the water. I also don't know for sure if it will be necessary. I won't let anything happen to Kavik."
"Not just Kavik. You are just as important to us and we don't want anything bad to happen to you either."
Kavik looked touched by his mother's words. "Mom, I trust Yangchen with my life. As long as I am with her, I have nothing to fear. Let's get started." Kavik had given a sense of finality with his words.
"Take my hands and close your eyes. Let your mind be completely blank. Now picture the koi fish in their eternal dance. Focus on the destination and with your determination let it materialize."
If she was being honest, she had thought this would take a while if it even worked at all. To her surprise she suddenly felt the environment change. They no longer were sitting on grass but were on a solid dirt and the temperature noticeable dropped. She opened her eyes.
The valley wasn't anything really to look but at Kavik was in shock understandably.
"It worked. I can't believe it. All I did was focus on the fish and your voice."
"I just wish we could have done this sooner but we are here now so that's what matter."
"So, this is the fog of lost souls. Didn't know what to expect. Will we have to walk far to reach Jetsun?"
"No. Now that I know exactly where she is we will get there relatively quickly. Back when I was searching for her, I would wander for hours to find her. Without my bending it was extremely slow going."
"Without my waterbending I don't feel whole. I can only imagine how it feels for you."
"You get used to it after enough time. Let's get going"
They started walking. She started reaching out for Jetsun's spirit but she didn't sense it yet. As they went Yangchen was reminded how much she needed to actually record her findings about the fog in each of the air temples. Hopefully, then anyone who has problems with the spirits will be aware of the fog's existence.
Kavik brought her out of her own head. "One day do you think we could visit the beautiful parts of the spirit world? The fog doesn't exactly seem like a place anyone would come to casually visit."
"Of course I would love that, Kavik. The spirit world can be so peaceful and I want to be able to share that with you."
They kept on going for a few more minutes. It was then that Yangchen felt the familiar pull of her nightmares about losing Jetsun. That meant her spirit was close.
"Yangchen, I think I can see her over there. There's a girl in airbender clothes."
"Kavik you're right that Is her."
As they approached Jetsun she was laying on a very large rock with her arms over her face clearly trying to get some sleep. Nevertheless, she stirred as they approached. No doubt she sensed the spirit of her sister approaching.
"Yangchen, I didn't expect to see you today. I can't believe you're here with company."
Kavik walked to Jetsun and bowed in the traditional airbender manner and greeted her in the airbender language. All of that practicing they did the last year has come in handy.
"Yangchen is he the friend that I sensed the last time we talked. I haven't met too many people who know our customs outside of the nuns and monks."
"Well, Jetsun this is Kavik. He is that friend that you sensed the last we talked. He's been a great companion to me and has helped me out on all of my journeys as the Avatar."
"That's so lovely. Kavik it is and honor to meet you." She bowed deeply to him in turn and after straightening her waist she stepped forward to grasp his forearm.
"It's great to meet you Jetsun. I've heard so many great things about you."
"So little Yangchen what brings you here. It must be important if you brought Kavik here with you."
"Jetsun, do you have to always call me little. I'm not that little girl anymore."
"I'm afraid not. You're might not be a little girl anymore but I will always be your big sister. Even when you are an old woman and visit me many years from now."
"Well, I'm glad I'll have someone to complain to when I'm senile. There is something else that you need to know."
She was suddenly nervous. Nerves hadn't been a problem with Katusha and Linka at all. She guessed that Jetsun being her sister made things more difficult to reveal. She properly understood the difficulties Kavik must have felt telling his parents.
"Jetsun, you see the reason I'm here is about Kavik. He and I are not only friends. He is my boyfriend and I intend to spend as much of my life with him as possible."
Jetsun looked stunned. If they had been in another situation she would have laughed at the shocked look on her face.
"My little Yangchen has met her special someone. I can't believe it but I guess I'll just have to. You really have grown up."
Yangchen moved to take Kavik's hand in hers. She wanted Jetsun to truly understand how much she cared about him.
Kavik took his turn to express himself to Jetsun. "Jetsun, I care about Yangchen more than I can ever express with words. I love her deeply."
"Wait did you two come here to get my approval? Did you really think I wouldn't be happy for you?
Yangchen felt her face warm. "I didn't think you'd be upset but I really wanted you to know about us. His family knows and I wanted mine too as well."
"Of course I approve. I want nothing more than for you to be happy."
Jetsun moved forward and embraced Yangchen in a strong hug. Clearly trying to put all of her affection into it. After they separated, she moved onto Kavik. He was a little taken aback by the contact but her embraced her none the less.
"Kavik, know that now and forever you will be my brother. I wish you both happiness. In the physical world and what comes next."
Jetsun closed het eyes. Lost in thought.
"My years in the spirit world have given me perception about what goes on both here and in the physical world. There are two people back with your bodies that are very worried. Close your eyes and wake up."
Yangchen felt the environment change again. It was noticeably warmer but wet also. Wait had the fog attacked their physical bodies once again.
"Kids are you alright? Linka I really don't think the water was necessary."
"I just wanted to be sure. You can't take spirits for granted."
She got up and helped Kavik to his feet. With a simple flick of her wrist, she dried herself and Kavik did the same. "Don't worry we are fine. Actually, more than fine we talked to Jetsun and she knows about us."
"That's great kids. What do you say we get out of here and go get a proper meal."
Yangchen couldn't be happier. She took Kavik's hand and along with his folks walked out of the oasis. No matter what she faced from now she knew that Kavik would always be beside her.