Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction ❯ Aether's Gemini ❯ Part II: Good-byes ( Chapter 2 )
[ A - All Readers ]
II: Good-bye
The massive mountain was burning with life. The volcano constantly trembled. Geysers of lava hiccupped in explosions from the summit’s glowing crater. Chambers at the volcano’s side spewed out currents of hot molten rock, feeding the red rivers that violently gushed down the mountainside. The lava torrents emptied down into the seaside bottom, the source of the blinding steam rising up from around the base. Hovering through the hot gases, the sky bison located a secure spot to land, halfway up the mountain. The bison growled in discomfort of the searing hot aura of the mountain, making daylight in the vast dunelands of the Si Wong seem like cool relief. But the gentle giant bared it just as much as everyone else.
Already most of the group aboard the sky bison began sweating profusing. “ Phew!” The blind girl stood up while wiping her forehead. “This sure beats any steam room I’ve been in.” To her disappointment her comment didn’t break the long awkward silence. But she still insisted on taking the initiative to break the ice. She walked up to her white-haired companion, who was still sitting, and offered him a hand. “Well, monkey-boy. We’re here.” He moved his head back from her hand as she didn’t realize how close she put her hand out. He grabbed her hand and got himself up. Looking down her he said, “…Thanks, Toph.”
Unexpectedly, Toph replied with a quick punch to his shoulder. “Ow! Hey, what was that f-” He was cut off as Toph gave a forceful hug. Her eyes shut, she pressed the side of her face to his chest, “That’s for trying to be tougher than me.” He smiled as he returned the hug, not noticing a quick tear dropping own from her cheek. He knew she was just trying to keep her resilient composure. Toph usually considered him a pushover, always taunting and teasing him about how he was more of a wuss than ‘Twinkle-toes.’ Many fo those times he would retort back and denounce her statements but usually failed to prove her wrong. Of course he and Toph had a strong bond. It was him and Toph who would be the first in the group to try something out-going and rebellious. They were partners in crime. And most of the times that he would be himself into trouble, she was always there as his bodyguard.
The hug was brief, as Toph wasn’t the type for long good-byes. As she backed away from him, the woman in blue had stepped forward and tightly wrapped her arms around his neck. Resting her head over his shoulder, she said, “You are truly, the bravest and most-” He rolled his eyes and whined embarrassingly, “Uh, Katara…” She smiled, “Okay, okay, I won’t tickle your modesty.” She paused in her hug, then, “I’m going to miss you.” He replied calmly, “I’ll miss you too, Katara.” Not knowing what else to say. Really words couldn’t express the gratitude he had for her. Katara was pretty much his older sister, if not a motherly figure. It was Katara who took the liberty in teaching him proper people-manners, especially at the table. And it was Katara who always scolded him (sometimes along with Toph) whenever she caught him getting into mischief. There were even times when he even made her feel “infuriated,” though that didn’t stop her from always taking care of him. Katara had to also play nurse for him countless times. He had been through many physical accidents before he could fully understand the limitations in his “new-self,” breaking bones in every limb. The others always mentioned how lucky he was to know such an experienced healer. Katara was incredibly caring, always looked after him whenever he was ill, always there when he needed her.
Katara loosened her grasp and backed up to give him one last look into his gleaming emerald eyes. He smiled down at her, their faces dripping with sweat. He shifted his gaze from Katara to Ty lee who was still curled up, facing away from everyone else. He bit his lip. The sight of her like that gave him a chill so deep, not even the volcano’s sweltering heat managed to prevent him from feeling so cold. Katara followed his gaze onto Ty lee. Her jaws clenched, but she used all the power she had not to explode on Ty lee for her absurdity. Katara came at ease when she felt his hand on her shoulder. Turning to him, her face quickly swapped her irritation with a supportive look. He looked back at Ty lee. He didn’t blame her for how she felt, but he didn’t blame himself for the decision he had made. He figured best to just give Ty lee her space. He had already said good-bye to her before finding out she was coming along for the ride.
He slouched his head as he turned to the young arrow-headed monk, who was still sitting in meditation, barely breaking a sweat. Wiping his forehead, he stuttered, “Um…uh, Aang, we better go.” The monk wasted no time in getting himself up and jumping off the bison’s saddle. Following Aang, he flipped off and landed smoothly. Turning to the side he saw the sturdy blue warrior standing next to the creature’s face with his arms crossed. He smiled to him as he walked up to the warrior offering his hand. The warrior grabbed his hand and pulled him closely to him a quick one-arm hug and a strong pat on the back. The warrior said, “You really do have the heart of a warrior, my friend.” He chuckled in reply, “Heheh, thanks Sokka.” In a way, that kind of looked meant a lot to him. Sokka had commonly criticized him for his ‘leniency.’ Usually in the moment of danger, he would prefer to try to find a way to escape the danger, always fleeing instead of fighting. Though he couldn’t help it at most times, considering it was part of his original instincts. But in return it was usually Sokka who was the victim of his pranks. Nonetheless he became Sokka’s little brother, especially ever since Aang started to take a more mature attitude as the Avatar. Between him and Sokka, it was always a tough call of who was the corniest with jokes. Sokka was also his main sparring buddy. He learned a few skills on handling weapons while Sokka learned from him his some of his acrobatic styles for fighting. Sokka could always rely on him whenever Sokka came up with a plan. But the most similar trait they shared among each other was their large, broad appetites. Him and Sokka where the equivalent of feeding four to five men.
“Tell Suki I said ‘hey’ and all.” Sokka tipped his head. Suki couldn’t come for she was so busy restoring to local villages in the Earth Kingdom. He looked to the left, straight into the eye of the bison. He then walked forward and stood right in front of it. Hugging the beast’s face he said, “Well Appa, you take good care of everyone. Okay buddy.” Appa growled in reply and open his mouth unleashing his massive tongue, licking him off his feet. He laughed with his arms spread out, saliva dripping off his elbow and finger tips. The bison’s slobber actually felt cool in the midst of the volcanic atmosphere. Shaking off his arms he gave Appa a last pat on his forehead, “I’m going to miss you buddy.” He had spent many times alone with Appa, (sometimes with Aang) soaring high in the air on his back. He loved spending time in the sky. If there was ever a time when he wanted to lounge around, flying with Appa was always his preference. Maybe it was because it filled in a hole - he did miss his own ability of flight once in a while.
He paced away from Appa, away from the group where Aang stood patiently for him. The monk’s gray eyes looked at him with a smile. Under one breath Aang asked him, “Are you ready?” He simply nodded as he then looked up at mountain that they were about to climb. Aang called out to Sokka, “Keep a safe distance from the volcano. I’ll give a signal for you come get me.” The warrior nodded before climbing up Appa’s back. On the saddle, he saw Katara and Toph looking out to him (Toph heard the direction of Aang’s voice). He sighed to himself; he couldn’t see Ty lee from his distance.
He waved at the girls but called out so Toph could hear, “Good bye!” Not letting the moment drag, he promptly turned to Aang, “Let’s go.” The Avatar and him were about to scale the steep mountainside when there was a sudden and loud cry, “MOMO!” He stopped at his tracks with gasp and turned around. He saw Ty lee, standing up on the saddle. She jumped down from Appa’s back and ran toward him. Momo ran towards Ty lee.
***
Defeated and shamed, Fire Lord Ozai was on the ground and barely managed to hold himself up with one arm…at least it seemed that way. Young Avatar Aang stood over him. In Ozai’s mind all he registered from the boy’s speech was that he was actually given a chance to live. The Avatar was actually showing him mercy. The ruthless leader predicted that he still had a chance. Quickly, he called out to his loyal daughter, Azula who was in the vicinity battling her exiled brother, Zuko. Escaping her intense clash with the banished prince, she raced to her father’s aid, attacking the Avatar. This gave enough time for the Fire Lord to escape the battleground and head into the heart of his domain. In her current state, Azula quickly felled and Avatar Aang, along with Zuko, wasted no time to pursuit Ozai.
In the large complex, the Avatar and the fire prince had found the fire lord, but to their surprise, Ozai was in possession of a peculiar artifact. He held in each hand a glowing spherical gems, the Aether’s Gemini. Ozai briefly explained to Aang of its properties and before the young Avatar could stop him, Ozai had called forth the awakening of the sphere’s power. Out of nowhere, a flying lemur fell down on the fire lords face and attacked. In the process the small creature nabbed one of the stones and flew off. Suddenly the fire lord began to yell in pain as the stone in his hand glowed brighter and brighter. His whole body began to burst into flames. Then the floor and the room around him, caught on fire. The Avatar and Zuko quickly retreated out of the complex but then stopped when they noticed a boy lying unconscious the middle of the hallway. He seemed to be a bit older then Aang, and didn’t seem he was from the Fire Nation. Tremors started to shake the ground as explosions boomed in the background. Aang, spared no time to think and grabbed the boy over his shoulders and escaped. The Fire Nation capital soon became a hell on earth as faults opened and lava spewed forth. Soon the whole capital was nothing but a magma filled crater. The Avatar and his company all made it out alive. Ozai and Azula were no where to be found. It was believed that Ozai was killed in the fiery phenomenon, until he showed himself three years later. But to add to the company’s astonishment: it was quickly realized that the boy Aang had saved from the capital was there once furry friend, Momo.
The massive mountain was burning with life. The volcano constantly trembled. Geysers of lava hiccupped in explosions from the summit’s glowing crater. Chambers at the volcano’s side spewed out currents of hot molten rock, feeding the red rivers that violently gushed down the mountainside. The lava torrents emptied down into the seaside bottom, the source of the blinding steam rising up from around the base. Hovering through the hot gases, the sky bison located a secure spot to land, halfway up the mountain. The bison growled in discomfort of the searing hot aura of the mountain, making daylight in the vast dunelands of the Si Wong seem like cool relief. But the gentle giant bared it just as much as everyone else.
Already most of the group aboard the sky bison began sweating profusing. “ Phew!” The blind girl stood up while wiping her forehead. “This sure beats any steam room I’ve been in.” To her disappointment her comment didn’t break the long awkward silence. But she still insisted on taking the initiative to break the ice. She walked up to her white-haired companion, who was still sitting, and offered him a hand. “Well, monkey-boy. We’re here.” He moved his head back from her hand as she didn’t realize how close she put her hand out. He grabbed her hand and got himself up. Looking down her he said, “…Thanks, Toph.”
Unexpectedly, Toph replied with a quick punch to his shoulder. “Ow! Hey, what was that f-” He was cut off as Toph gave a forceful hug. Her eyes shut, she pressed the side of her face to his chest, “That’s for trying to be tougher than me.” He smiled as he returned the hug, not noticing a quick tear dropping own from her cheek. He knew she was just trying to keep her resilient composure. Toph usually considered him a pushover, always taunting and teasing him about how he was more of a wuss than ‘Twinkle-toes.’ Many fo those times he would retort back and denounce her statements but usually failed to prove her wrong. Of course he and Toph had a strong bond. It was him and Toph who would be the first in the group to try something out-going and rebellious. They were partners in crime. And most of the times that he would be himself into trouble, she was always there as his bodyguard.
The hug was brief, as Toph wasn’t the type for long good-byes. As she backed away from him, the woman in blue had stepped forward and tightly wrapped her arms around his neck. Resting her head over his shoulder, she said, “You are truly, the bravest and most-” He rolled his eyes and whined embarrassingly, “Uh, Katara…” She smiled, “Okay, okay, I won’t tickle your modesty.” She paused in her hug, then, “I’m going to miss you.” He replied calmly, “I’ll miss you too, Katara.” Not knowing what else to say. Really words couldn’t express the gratitude he had for her. Katara was pretty much his older sister, if not a motherly figure. It was Katara who took the liberty in teaching him proper people-manners, especially at the table. And it was Katara who always scolded him (sometimes along with Toph) whenever she caught him getting into mischief. There were even times when he even made her feel “infuriated,” though that didn’t stop her from always taking care of him. Katara had to also play nurse for him countless times. He had been through many physical accidents before he could fully understand the limitations in his “new-self,” breaking bones in every limb. The others always mentioned how lucky he was to know such an experienced healer. Katara was incredibly caring, always looked after him whenever he was ill, always there when he needed her.
Katara loosened her grasp and backed up to give him one last look into his gleaming emerald eyes. He smiled down at her, their faces dripping with sweat. He shifted his gaze from Katara to Ty lee who was still curled up, facing away from everyone else. He bit his lip. The sight of her like that gave him a chill so deep, not even the volcano’s sweltering heat managed to prevent him from feeling so cold. Katara followed his gaze onto Ty lee. Her jaws clenched, but she used all the power she had not to explode on Ty lee for her absurdity. Katara came at ease when she felt his hand on her shoulder. Turning to him, her face quickly swapped her irritation with a supportive look. He looked back at Ty lee. He didn’t blame her for how she felt, but he didn’t blame himself for the decision he had made. He figured best to just give Ty lee her space. He had already said good-bye to her before finding out she was coming along for the ride.
He slouched his head as he turned to the young arrow-headed monk, who was still sitting in meditation, barely breaking a sweat. Wiping his forehead, he stuttered, “Um…uh, Aang, we better go.” The monk wasted no time in getting himself up and jumping off the bison’s saddle. Following Aang, he flipped off and landed smoothly. Turning to the side he saw the sturdy blue warrior standing next to the creature’s face with his arms crossed. He smiled to him as he walked up to the warrior offering his hand. The warrior grabbed his hand and pulled him closely to him a quick one-arm hug and a strong pat on the back. The warrior said, “You really do have the heart of a warrior, my friend.” He chuckled in reply, “Heheh, thanks Sokka.” In a way, that kind of looked meant a lot to him. Sokka had commonly criticized him for his ‘leniency.’ Usually in the moment of danger, he would prefer to try to find a way to escape the danger, always fleeing instead of fighting. Though he couldn’t help it at most times, considering it was part of his original instincts. But in return it was usually Sokka who was the victim of his pranks. Nonetheless he became Sokka’s little brother, especially ever since Aang started to take a more mature attitude as the Avatar. Between him and Sokka, it was always a tough call of who was the corniest with jokes. Sokka was also his main sparring buddy. He learned a few skills on handling weapons while Sokka learned from him his some of his acrobatic styles for fighting. Sokka could always rely on him whenever Sokka came up with a plan. But the most similar trait they shared among each other was their large, broad appetites. Him and Sokka where the equivalent of feeding four to five men.
“Tell Suki I said ‘hey’ and all.” Sokka tipped his head. Suki couldn’t come for she was so busy restoring to local villages in the Earth Kingdom. He looked to the left, straight into the eye of the bison. He then walked forward and stood right in front of it. Hugging the beast’s face he said, “Well Appa, you take good care of everyone. Okay buddy.” Appa growled in reply and open his mouth unleashing his massive tongue, licking him off his feet. He laughed with his arms spread out, saliva dripping off his elbow and finger tips. The bison’s slobber actually felt cool in the midst of the volcanic atmosphere. Shaking off his arms he gave Appa a last pat on his forehead, “I’m going to miss you buddy.” He had spent many times alone with Appa, (sometimes with Aang) soaring high in the air on his back. He loved spending time in the sky. If there was ever a time when he wanted to lounge around, flying with Appa was always his preference. Maybe it was because it filled in a hole - he did miss his own ability of flight once in a while.
He paced away from Appa, away from the group where Aang stood patiently for him. The monk’s gray eyes looked at him with a smile. Under one breath Aang asked him, “Are you ready?” He simply nodded as he then looked up at mountain that they were about to climb. Aang called out to Sokka, “Keep a safe distance from the volcano. I’ll give a signal for you come get me.” The warrior nodded before climbing up Appa’s back. On the saddle, he saw Katara and Toph looking out to him (Toph heard the direction of Aang’s voice). He sighed to himself; he couldn’t see Ty lee from his distance.
He waved at the girls but called out so Toph could hear, “Good bye!” Not letting the moment drag, he promptly turned to Aang, “Let’s go.” The Avatar and him were about to scale the steep mountainside when there was a sudden and loud cry, “MOMO!” He stopped at his tracks with gasp and turned around. He saw Ty lee, standing up on the saddle. She jumped down from Appa’s back and ran toward him. Momo ran towards Ty lee.
***
Defeated and shamed, Fire Lord Ozai was on the ground and barely managed to hold himself up with one arm…at least it seemed that way. Young Avatar Aang stood over him. In Ozai’s mind all he registered from the boy’s speech was that he was actually given a chance to live. The Avatar was actually showing him mercy. The ruthless leader predicted that he still had a chance. Quickly, he called out to his loyal daughter, Azula who was in the vicinity battling her exiled brother, Zuko. Escaping her intense clash with the banished prince, she raced to her father’s aid, attacking the Avatar. This gave enough time for the Fire Lord to escape the battleground and head into the heart of his domain. In her current state, Azula quickly felled and Avatar Aang, along with Zuko, wasted no time to pursuit Ozai.
In the large complex, the Avatar and the fire prince had found the fire lord, but to their surprise, Ozai was in possession of a peculiar artifact. He held in each hand a glowing spherical gems, the Aether’s Gemini. Ozai briefly explained to Aang of its properties and before the young Avatar could stop him, Ozai had called forth the awakening of the sphere’s power. Out of nowhere, a flying lemur fell down on the fire lords face and attacked. In the process the small creature nabbed one of the stones and flew off. Suddenly the fire lord began to yell in pain as the stone in his hand glowed brighter and brighter. His whole body began to burst into flames. Then the floor and the room around him, caught on fire. The Avatar and Zuko quickly retreated out of the complex but then stopped when they noticed a boy lying unconscious the middle of the hallway. He seemed to be a bit older then Aang, and didn’t seem he was from the Fire Nation. Tremors started to shake the ground as explosions boomed in the background. Aang, spared no time to think and grabbed the boy over his shoulders and escaped. The Fire Nation capital soon became a hell on earth as faults opened and lava spewed forth. Soon the whole capital was nothing but a magma filled crater. The Avatar and his company all made it out alive. Ozai and Azula were no where to be found. It was believed that Ozai was killed in the fiery phenomenon, until he showed himself three years later. But to add to the company’s astonishment: it was quickly realized that the boy Aang had saved from the capital was there once furry friend, Momo.