Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction ❯ Precious Illusions ❯ One Week ( Chapter 7 )

Author Notes: `Did you know that there are 256 bones in your body? Could I show you how to get one more?'”

 

Disclaimer: Is not mine, I could never make up something so beautiful and predictable as it, though I do wish I had Zuko (I would lock him in my room and never leave). It belongs to Nickelodeon (I think) and its creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.

Or any of the songs.

 

Warnings: language (the f word is used twice in the fic), a bit of violence, emotional turmoil, insanity, yuri (light and far away), shoujo ai, mentions of shounen ai/yaoi. Original characters, made up avatar creatures (that's all the warning I can think of off the top of my head).

 

One Week by Barnaked Ladies

Chapter Seven

One Week

 

Gato was there when Azula woke up. She could still feel the cold in her bones. She sneezed and felt an ache in her muscles and a grogginess that had nothing to do with a deep sleep. She didn't remember the last time she felt this sick.

 

“You know, you've been so sick the last three days and in that time you've been so pathetic that even Saki's father scolded Saki for speaking so harshly to you,” said Gato, his smile ironic and a little forced.

 

“Don't need his pity,” muttered Azula trying to stop the childish act of swiping her hand across her nose to get rid of the snot. “Three days? I've been asleep three days?”

 

“No, you've been deranged three days, cussing and yelling, it was hard work trying to get your fever down especially with those nails and the moves you picked up from wherever you trained,” said Gato and then laughed at the memory. “Master Tuk had something horrible to say to all of us for not standing up and trying to keep you from leaving the village. He made a lot of sense, but don't think it'll be smooth sailing; there are some who hate the fire nation and especially fire benders. Some are old enough to have a reason or moved here because the fire nation never goes to such obscure places.”

 

“I'm confused, am I welcome here or not?” asked Azula, Gato blinked and looked at her, he laughed.

 

“You know what, in a way I'm glad you're the same,” he smiled at her and somehow Azula knew that at least for the time she was not going to be able to goad him. “Then again, with the gossip that's going on I'm not surprised that something like this would hardly affect you. Or that at least you could put up a mask so quickly.”

 

“I don't wear any masks,” said Azula with confidence.

 

“No, you just keep secrets and sometimes have soft eyes when talking to Saki and listen to everything the girl says,” said Gato and then shook his. “I wouldn't be surprised if you go right back and snap at every person who tries to give you a hard time about being a fire bender. You know the usual, they don't give you a chance and you bite back with something rude and build resentment that way.”

 

“You want me to be sweet?” asked Azula sarcastically.

 

“Hell no, I just think people are in for a shock when they see you haven't changed even when your… gift has been exposed,” Gato shrugged.

 

“Fire bending is not a gift,” grossed Azula, before she could go on Gato jumped on the sentence his eyes wide with excitement.

 

“Is that it? Did your mother really hate fire benders and that's what you turned out like this?” asked Gato with excitement. Azula glared at him and then huffed; she had forgotten that the boy loved gossip as much as a woman did.

 

“No, or she would have hated my brother also and that definitely was not the case,” said Azula with little feeling. “No my mother hated my attitude, that I didn't like things that normal people did. That I was so ambitious, so interested in competitions and defeating anyone I came across as a child.”

 

“Did she ever call you a monster?” asked Gato.

 

“No, but she might have as well have, I saw the way she looked at me, the way she would spend all her time with my brother and only concentrate on me when she was trying to make me more…”

 

“Docile?” offered Gato, Azula glared at him.

 

“It doesn't matter; I haven't seen her since I was little.”

 

“Is she dead?”

 

“No, my father sent her away after… after she killed my grandfather to save my brother,” said Azula hoping that she hadn't given too much away. Though she didn't know what she had said while her fever was raging, what she could have let slip.

 

“You're family sounds extremely messed up,” said Gato bluntly with a small frown and twitch.

 

“That's putting it lightly I think,” said Azula she squirmed a little in the bed and decided that even if she did feel like crap, three days in bed was plenty of time.

 

“Yeah, oh that reminds me, I was supposed to give you the glass of water and tissue when you - what are you doing?” Gato pushed Azula back down into the bed and propped her up and shoved the water and handkerchief in her hands. “As soon as you can sit up even with me trying to push you down then you can get up, alright Azi?”

 

“Hmph,” grumbled Azula and then blinked. “Azi?”

 

“It's your name, isn't it? Saki said that you told it to her in the cave,” said Gato.

 

“Oh, I don't remember that,” in truth she only remembered the general gist of what had happened. Most of it was a confusion of voices, guilt and trying to find her fire.

 

“Well, I'll go get her now, she wanted to talk when you woke up,” Gato smiled. “I'm glad that she decided to get you. Though knowing you, I'll regret saying that in a few days time.”

 

Azula waited, patiently, sort of. She fiddled her thumbs, wondered what she could say, hoped she wouldn't be called a monster again and wished she had something to read or occupy her time with in some way then boredom and anticipation.

 

“Azi, oh, you don't know how great it is to know your real name, though I have to know if your parents were slightly drunk when naming you,” Saki had gathered her into a warm hug.

 

“So, I'm alright again?” asked Azula.

 

“You were never alright Azi, remembered, you being sick in the head is what brought us together in the first place. But if you mean that we're friends again and that I'm going to help you chase away those visions, then yes, I'm sorry that I ever thought about letting you go,” said Saki she gave Azula one last squeeze before sitting back on the wooden chair by her bed.

 

“So how's the rest of the village with me being back being what I am?” asked Azula. Saki shrugged.

 

“Torn, there's quite a few people threatening to leave, a few people who refuse to let their children see you again, a lot of those children asking why they can't see you again and asking perfectly logical questions as to why that's the reason when their parents had told them some other moral that contradicts what they're being told. The usual.”

 

“So, I guess I lost my usefulness to the village,” said Azula uncomfortably.

 

“Not exactly,” said Saki trying to look at ease. “While we can't expect you to watch all the kids it doesn't really matter because we're basically done rebuilding and everyone else is just going to start making the finishing touches and fixing a little of the damage done by the fire. We're going to keep the mess as long as we don't any place to farm and as the meat is not harder to find since the spirits didn't restore the forest after this last attack.”

 

“That didn't answer my question,” said Azula with a raised eyebrow. Saki blinked and then smiled.

 

“Master Tuk is very excited; you see he's decided that you're probably the best bet on starting the children air benders to be taught the basics from you. He says that even though you're a fire bender you're the one with the most experience in actually using your fire bending and because of who you probably trained to be you know a little about air bending theory and the rest you can learn from the scrolls.”

 

“Are you sure that's okay, it's usually best if someone has a demonstration,” said Azula. “Shouldn't I teach them to read or something useful like that?”

 

“Not all villagers see learning to read something important, but yeah, in the afternoon that's the lesson you'll be teaching,” she said happily.

 

“This is impossible,” said Azula with a sigh. “And parents are still going to bitch about me teaching something that my people tried to wipe out?”

 

“Well, yes, but most of the air benders that are coming are going to be sent here by their parents and very few parents are going to follow their kids here. In fact we've started sending out a few scouts to go gather some more air benders.”

 

“So I'll be teaching everyone?” asked Azula.

 

“No, just the brats,” Azula sneezed. Saki looked concerned and placed her hand on her forehead. “You're still a little warm. I'll be going now so you can rest up. Tuk should be back with something for you to read a little later.”

 

“But…”

 

“The more you take it easy and rest the better you'll feel,” said Saki silencing Azula and smiling gently. “You can't teach kids feeling crappy they'll walk all over you.”

 

Saki kissed her forehead and left.

 

------

 

Sokka landed on the top of the mountain. The town and temple looked a little run down and in need of repairs. So far he had found a few places that needed help, a few that needed Zuko to be there calming the citizens nerves others that were past help and acceptance. Still he hadn't found what he and Aang had been looking for, something to make Zuko perk up. Ever since he found out that his mother was missing and the pressures put on him by his new station that stopped him from looking for her, plus Azula's disappearance, the teen had started looking warn and depressed. Aang had decided the prince needed a break, but that he would need a valid excuse for politics to get his rest. So far all he had found was more headaches for the young Fire Lord.

 

He looked up at the temple like thing that stood proud in wood and stone. It had been done very hastily. But he would tell they were trying. So, maybe he would have…

 

“Hey, watch it!” a girl screeched behind a pile of … stuff, mostly scrolls. She skipped in a precarious circle before coming to a stop, the scrolls facing him.

 

“Sorry, it's just the…”

 

“The weird ass forest we have,” said the girl. “Yeah, it just grew back from a forest fire the other day.”

 

“Grew back… from a forest fire?” asked Sokka in shook.

 

“Yeah, second one these people have had, it stops short of where the tree line stops,” the girl sounded irritated.

 

“There's spirit trouble here?” Sokka asked, he couldn't believe his good luck, just as he was about to give up he found something that might give Zuko a much needed vacation.

 

“Don't sound so happy about it,” said the girl dryly.

 

“Azi! What the hell are you doing up already, you only became sane,” the chubby boy seemed to stop and rethink what he said. “Your fever only broke yesterday.”

 

“I'm fine; I stayed in bed all day yesterday, that was enough. Don't worry I'm just going somewhere quiet to read these scrolls so I know what I'm teaching the twerps when Saki and Tuk spring them on me for their lessons,” Sokka shifted, it was odd to suddenly become invisible like this.

 

“Hey, did you fly in on that…”

 

“Flying bison,” the girl replied her voice for the most part uninterested.

 

“What?”

 

“That's what it's called,” said Azi, she shifted her stuff. “I'm guessing that he's friend with the avatar since he's the only one that is left of that species.”

 

“He's the avatar,” the boy's voice cracked in excitement.

 

“I didn't say that,” the girl butted in again. “I said he was a friend. Unless the air benders were a lot darker then you are these days.”

 

“It's possible, the fire benders eradicated every single air bender,” said the boy.

 

“Gato,” the girl sounded a little irritated.

 

“Azi!” a voice boomed. Sokka turned in time for someone to literally come crashing into him. “You won't believe what I saw.”

 

Sokka looked at the frail body still lying on him. It was a stick girl with fire touched hair and big green eyes. More interesting was that she seemed to be holding a slightly abused glider.

 

“A flying bison,” the first girl deadpanned. “You're currently lying on the guy that flew the thing in.”

 

“Really?” she turned so that her nose wasn't even an inch from Sokka's face. She had a lot of freckles littered across her nose.

 

“Master Tuk said that the avatar had the last flying bison, are you the last air bender?” she seemed overly eager.

 

“No, but I am close friends with him. That's why I got to borrow Appa,” said Sokka.

 

“Appa, the flying bison's name,” the new girl almost sounded reverent.

 

“Saki, calm down and get off the poor boy,” Gato said shaking his head. “And did you tell miss eager here that it was okay to get out of bed? Master Tuk could have taken her the scrolls she needed.”

 

“Not even my command would have kept her in bed,” said Saki with a small shrug. “I thought it best to just let her to stretch her legs as long as she didn't go down into the village.”

 

“I'm right here,” Azi said in irritation.

 

“Um, so,” Sokka said, cutting into their conversation. “What is this temple for?”

 

“It's an air bending temple,” said the girl with a shrug.

 

“Really, did you have to rebuild it because of the fire?” asked Sokka looking back at the building.

 

“No, we're hoping to teach air bending to a new generation,” said Saki with a smile. Sokka smile and nodded, until he worked out what she had just said.

 

“Yes, she literally flew into you, she's a new flier, the only one who dares so far,” Gato rolled his shoulders to crack his back. “Personally I just wish she'd stop landing on people to stop.”

 

“You're an air bender,” Sokka asked in shock.

 

“Yup,” said the girl happily. “So is Gato, Azi's not, but she's one of the few learned people here. Ow. So she's going to be teaching theory to the only people who will not only listen to her, but love her… children.”

 

“And on that note, I'm gone, tell the avatar that I'm a fan of his work but to fuck off,” her voice was clipped and irritated. And then she was gone.

 

“Well, she's an interesting character,” Sokka watching the girl go.

 

“You have no idea,” the boy grossed, but he watched Azi with a little fear.

 

“Oh, go on and trail after her Gato I'll make sure the um… friend of the avatar is well taken care of,” said Saki and the boy was off in a flash.

 

“Is she ok?”

 

“Yeah, but she's not entirely mentally stable,” said Saki. “Don't worry, we've found she's more of a liability to herself then the people around her.”

 

“So, you're an air bender?” asked Sokka, not sure how to approach the idea.

 

“Yup, born one like my grandmother was. It's true that there's not that many of us, but some air benders did survive. We've learned all our lives to keep our powers secret, at least until the day that the avatar brought balance back to the world,” said Saki and motioned for him to follow. “I learned from Azi that the Fire Lord had been defeated. We came here and the people were forced to move to the top of this mountain which I had thought would be perfect for a temple for air bending. We took it as a sign.”

 

“So you're planning to start teaching air bending here?” asked Sokka.

 

“Yup, we've already started sending runners to spread the word and try to find people who can learn to control their powers,” said Saki. She turned and looked at him with a wide smile.

 

“This is amazing, you won't believe how excited Aang will be to hear that there are air benders!” said Sokka. “You won't mind me bringing him here to meet all of you would you?”

 

“Bring who here?” the voice was forced and thick.

 

“Elder Fin, um…”

 

“Sokka.”

 

“Sokka wants to bring the avatar here,” said Saki with a polite bow.

 

“The ava—“ the man seemed to shocked to go on. He shook himself a little and coughed. “Of course, we'd be more than happy to have the avatar come. Perhaps he could help for a little while to get us started teaching air bending.”

 

“I'm sure that this is something that he has been waiting for a while,” said Sokka with a smile and awkward bow.

 

“Very goo…” no one here seemed to be able to get everything they wanted out without someone interrupting them. The ground shock violently and tapestries and books could be heard hitting the ground.

 

“An earth quake?” asked Sokka, it died quickly after that.

 

“Yes, well, we've been having some spirit problems recently,” said the man. The girl stood looking a little ashen. Her eyes grew wide.

 

“I have to go!” and she was gone.

 

“I suppose we would have needed the avatar eventually anyway. Even though the village has been moved here and we have started a new air temple the spirit still keeps making its anger known. At least it's no longer fire,” the man sighed a shock his head. “Come, you must be hungry, we'll put you into one of the temple rooms for as long as you need to rest.”

 

“I really need to tell Aang,” said Sokka, he couldn't wait to tell his friend. He hadn't been lying. Aang would be tripping over himself to get to this temple.

 

“One more day will not make a difference; we have already gone over one hundred years hiding our powers, waiting to the avatar to teach us is not going to change much,” said Elder Fin.

 

“Is there anything that you know that could be irritating the spirit?” asked Sokka, he saw the man flinch. “If there's anything then I think you should tell me so Aang can be thinking of how to fix it as he comes here.”

 

“It's not worth saying, there's a small chance… and plus, if that's the problem it will make problems with Saki, and that girl is, at the moment, our best hope for air benders,” Sokka sighed, people always had to make these things so difficult. “Anyway, how about we get some food, it's a little late for lunch but I'm sure we can convince the cooks to give us something from the mess hall.”

 

Sokka wondered idly if the man had seen the Ember Island production if he thought food distracted him so easily. But the water tribe peasant decided to let it go. Nothing he could do. He couldn't force the man to tell him what was wrong.