Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction ❯ Avatar: The Wind on the Waves ❯ Chapter 14

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Aang stirred awake sometime later, fully rested. Katara, too, shifted to consciousness and dozily peered about the darkness.

“Aang?” she whispered aloud.

“Good morning!” he kissed her forehead.

“Have we been here… all night?”

“I don't know, but it feels like it.” He said with a shiver.

Aang reached to pull the coverlet back over his shoulder and paused suddenly.

“What is it?” Katara touched her hand to his chest, then drew it back. It wasn't just damp; it was wet. And cold.

“You noticed it too?” he asked.

“We… couldn't have sweat that much… could we?”

“I don't think so. I think… I think the room is soaked!”

“Soaked!? Why would it be—“

“Watch.”

He bent a small ball of flame in his hands to illuminate the room. The flame sputtered out, just as it had before, but not quite so quickly. Aang did it again to prove his point, and the same result occurred.

As she watched the flame and looked beyond it, the room appeared to be, literally, in a fog. What little light was to be had for the moment sparkled on the white mist that all but swallowed the room.

“Do you see what I mean?” he said.

“It's like being in the clouds…”

“How did this happen? We both fell asleep after… right?”

“Yeah…”

“That's a lot of water though.” Aang shifted out of bed. “Could you… maybe gather it all up? I'll try to get a light going once you do.”

“Ok.”

The room was cold, not just from the high altitude of the temple, but from the humidity pervading the chamber. As soon as Aang firebent some light, Katara waterbent the airborne droplets together and sent it to the bowl. There was immediately a difference made, as the fire Aang cradled in his palm managed to remain alight.

But the room was still very wet. Every exposed surface was coated in a fine layer of misty dew droplets. Katara bent most of it into the bowl, but there was always a spot or two that she missed. It was not a problem though; the more pressing issue was where it had all come from.

“I don't understand what that was all about.” Aang set about lighting a few candles, and though they lit, they sputtered now and again. “It's like the bowl… exploded… or something…”

Katara picked their clothing up off of the floor and felt them for any remaining dampness. Satisfied that they were dry, she laid them out on the bed, then began dressing herself. Aang seated himself beside her and did the same.

“Aang?”

“Hm?”

“I think it was you.”

“Me… what? What do you think was me?”

“The water all over the room.”

“You think I did that? Katara, we… went right to sleep afterwards… I didn't do anything.”

“Do you… think that it's possible to bend… without meaning to?”

“I don't know. I've never thought of that before… I've never even heard of anything like that before. Is that what you think happened?”

“How should I know? I'm just guessing.”

Aang pulled his shawl over his head and cracked a little smile.

“Are you sure you didn't do it? You are a waterbending master!”

“So are you!”

“No, Katara, I've still got a lot to learn, even if I have mastered the Avatar State. Either way, one of us did something to cause that… or… maybe it was… both of us…”

“You think it was from us… what we did?”

“It sounds crazy, I know, but, well… maybe.”

They finished dressing and checked to be sure that they were wearing their own clothes as opposed to each other's. One such mistake, after all, was more than enough.

Descending the long stairwell, the tall arched windows let in the faintest of dawn light. There was no sound of activity as of yet, so as they approached the lower floors, they kissed one another and retreated to their respective rooms.

Warm sunlight flooded the inner courtyard of great Fire Nation palace. The turtle ducks swam over to the edge of the pond, where Mai found Fire Lord Zuko offering the creatures bread crumbs. That the highest figure in the nation held compassion for the tiniest of animals warmed the young woman's heart.

“You're up early.” She remarked.

Zuko said nothing and only continued to feed the tiny beaks quacking at him. As Mai approached she could see his brows knit, deep in thought. Only when she was right beside him did he turn to her.

“Mai, good morning.” His voice came low and somewhat hoarse.

“You sound like you've been giving speeches all night. What's wrong.”

“It's been several weeks since I had the sages search through the records, and they've barely found a thing about my mother.”

“Ozai probably didn't want any record of what happened that night left for anyone to find. Did you ask your uncle?”

“I did, but he and the other White Lotus members are still searching for information on her whereabouts…Mai… what if she's really gone? What if my father was just baiting me on by telling me she might still be alive?”

“Are you going to just give up then?”

“No! Of course not!”

“Then cut the drama and be patient a little longer. After all, she has been missing for a long time; they're not going to find her immediately.”

“Maybe you're right…”

He tossed the last of the bread crumbs into the water, watching the ducklings snap them up. When he didn't say anything, Mai turned his chin and kissed him. A little of his inner light seemed to return to his eyes.

Breakfast was an unusually disgruntled occasion at the Northern Air Temple. The chill in the wind foreshadowed an early winter for that year, but humidity leftover from the waning summer made the air just that much colder. Complaints spread all around of the cold damp, and the older women, always busy with mending when not attending to other chores, turned to making warmer clothes for the coming months.

The Mechanist had been busy piecing together a furnace large enough to heat the large interior hallways of the temple. If he could power it and provide ample ventilation, he considered creating smaller ones so that individual rooms would be able to partake of the heat. The only real problem once the first two were solved was putting it all together in a manner that would do as little damage as possible to the temple.

The candle clocks popped `one before midday' when Teo wheeled himself to the outer courtyard of the temple. Something flying in the distance caught his eye, and as it approached, he saw that it was a messenger hawk. The bird lit on the arm extended to it and bent its head forward, giving Teo better access to the message it carried. The seal was that of the White Lotus and was addressed to Aang. Seating the bird onto the back pole of his wheelchair, Teo hurried to find the Avatar.

Aang was found meditating before a small altar, upon which two candles and a bowl of sweet grains was placed. Katara was seated beside him, partaking of his ritual, but every now and again, she would crack an eye open to watch him. The arrow tattoos glowed with a soft, azure warmth.

Teo was unsure of how to announce himself without disturbing the peaceful scene. It was the squeak of the chair's left wheel that drew Katara's attention to the newcomer.

“Were you looking for us?” she asked quietly.

“A message just came by messenger hawk.” Said Teo. “It's for the Avatar.”

“I'll take it for now and give it to Aang when he's through.” Katara took the offered scroll, then glanced at the bird. “That's Sokka's bird!”

“Sokka has his own hawk?”

“He bought it on a whim, but I didn't think he'd ever really be able to get a message through!” Teo gave the bird an affectionate scratch.

Katara held out her hand and called to the bird by name. Recognizing her, Hawky lit onto her shoulder in two flaps of his wings. Nodding quietly to her, Teo took his leave.

Wandering into the Spirit World, Aang found Avatar Roku waiting for him, seemingly meditating himself. When the younger one approached, the elder looked up and him and smiled.

“Hello, Aang. It is good to see you again.”

Aang bowed politely to his previous incarnation.

“Avatar Roku, did you need to speak to me?”

“Indeed.” Roku invited the boy to sit down. “The war is over now, but there is still a long road ahead of you before the world is completely in harmony once again.”

“I know. The other nations still want vengeance and reparations for the damage done in the past 100 years, and it's hard keeping everyone calm even though Zuko has ordered most of his troops to return to the Fire Nation.”

“A true victory does not happen overnight. The nations must rebuild themselves from what was damaged during the war. All of the nations.”

Aang gulped as his eyes shifted nervously to the ground before Roku. The elder Avatar simply smiled.

“Do not be ashamed, young Avatar. What you and the young waterbender have together is pure and beautiful. Do not let the words and ideas of others convince you otherwise.”

Aang released the breath he had been holding and chanced a glance up at his previous manifestation. Roku's words were firm, but comforting.

“An old friend would like to speak to you, but you will have to go to the Eastern Air Temple to do so.”

“Guru Pathik?”

“Yes.”

“But I left while he was still helping me to open the chakras. Is he… still mad at me?”

“You chose love over power, and for that, Pathik cannot fault you, even if it did disrupt the process you were attempting. To hold a grudge is not his way.”

“Do you know what it's about?”

“Only that there is a sense of urgency that must be attended to. Do not delay.”

The glowing tattoos faded as Aang came out of his deep meditation. The warmth of Katara's hand on his own was the first thing he became aware of, somehow staving off the chill of the room just by that simple touch. The ruffle of feathers drew his attention to the bird.

“Hawky?” he blinked.

“He just arrived a few minutes ago.” Katara replied, unbinding the message from the bird and handing it to Aang. “Teo brought him in.”

Aang took the scroll from her and opened it. His disgruntled sigh confirmed more or less what Katara had expected: post-war trouble from one corner of the world or the other.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Fire Nation troops refusing to return home.” He rolled the scroll back up. “Because Ozai is still alive, they won't surrender their position without his orders. I really don't want to just go in there and beat them back to the Fire Nation if I don't have to. I just wish they'd understand that this war is all over.”

“This war went on for over 100 years. Aside from you and King Bumi, no one has lived without it or remembers the time before it. It's going to take time.”

Aang grumbled and stretched out his legs, letting the circulation return to them.

“There's something else that I have to do.” He said softly.

“Like what?”

“Avatar Roku told me that Guru Pathik needs to see me again. It's urgent, so I really can't put it off. The rebellion is only a few miles away from Kyoshi Island. I'll send a message back to Sokka asking him if he can talk to Suki about keeping an eye on it. Hopefully what Pathik needs to tell me won't take too long and I can settle the rebellion afterward.”

“I'll go with you.”

“Actually… I don't know if that's such a good idea…”

“Why would it be a bad one?”

Aang proceeded to tell her of his last meeting with the guru and his attempt to open all of the chakras. He had managed to get through six of them, but…

“I couldn't let go of you…”

“Aang…”

“And when I tried to, I saw you in trouble.”

“That's how you found me!”

“Yes, but Pathik said that by not opening the last one, I'd never be able to use the Avatar State again.”

“But you have used the Avatar State since then.”

“Aside from getting thrown into a boulder by Ozai… I don't know how that happened…”

Hawky tucked his beak beneath his wing and commenced preening himself. Katara reached up to him and gently scratched his neck.

“Please, Aang, let me go with you to see Pathik. I promise I won't be a bother!”

“You're never a bother!”

“You know what I mean.” She planted a small kiss on his cheek, causing him to blush. “I just want to be there in case you need me.”

“Alright.” He smiled. “After this and the rebellion is settled down, there's something I want to show you. I think you'll like it.”

The old guru had been anticipating the arrival of the Avatar for some time, but it was still a surprise to be slurped from his meditation by the overly friendly Appa. Aang slid off first, then reached out to catch Katara as she did the same.

“I see now why you were so quick leave when we last met, Avatar.” Pathik said simply.

Aang's stiffened, nervous that the old man would still be upset despite Roku's reassurance.

“But I should have known that as the Avatar, you can never detach yourself from the world. And I sense that you have gained control of the Avatar State despite not being able to open the final chakra.”

“I have.” Aang replied, exhaling the breath he had been holding. “Although… it was kind of by accident I don't really know what happened.”

“All things happen for a reason.” Said Pathik. “There are no accidents. And it is no accident that I have come to an impasse in my meditation.”

“What kind of impasse?”

Pathik gestured for Aang to sit beside him in meditative posture. Katara started to reach out to him, but stayed beside Appa, not wanting to interrupt the two men. Aang slipped into a light trance, his arrow markings not even lighting up yet.

“Feel the world around you.” The guru instructed. “What do you see?”

Reaching out with physical and mental senses, Aang `looked' around him. In the immediate area were Pathik, Appa, and, of course, Katara. Here, his concentration lingered. The guru chuckled warmly, and Aang got the impression that he could sense where his focus was.

“Now, I want you to reach out with your mind a bit further away… as far as you can.”

The azure tattoos began to glow softly as Aang did as instructed. Over hills, past trees, and through valleys he reached out with his mind's eye, missing little despite seeing so much all at once. A hog-monkey chewing on bamboo shoots… a boarqupine rooting for mushrooms in the soft mud… beyond these things lay a great chasm that stretched for several miles.

Suddenly, a bright light blinded him, forcing him back out of his meditation like a boulder rolled downhill at him. The shock was so intense that Aang came out of it and fell over onto his back.

“Aang!” Katara rushed over to his side.

The Avatar sat up with a groan, rubbing his throbbing temple as a nasty headache set in.