Hope and Acceptance

"Why the long face?" Still supported by his crutches, Nik chuckled, "Something is better than nothing, right? Wait, why am I even trying to console you? I'm the one who still has less than a busted knee," he soon frowned and scoffed at the realization that almost crying and pouting women who he had slept with proved destructive in their own sense. As he laughed soon after, Nik even moved his knee slightly. It wasn't much, the swelling and redness had healed completely with not a single scar. However, waterbending proved ineffective against injuries and structural flaws of the bone.

It was a little haunting to think that if he didn't heal himself correctly that his left leg would remain the same. But he also felt fortunate that it was quickly cleared up that waterbending truly didn't have the secrets to heal his injury.

Still, his lighthearted words failed to bring any form of consolation to the girls as they sat dejected under one of the trees in the oasis. Their expressions were stranded between crying and trying to encourage themselves and put on a brave face, if not for them then him, at least.

They couldn't. The sight of a cleaner knee did put them at ease only for a few short seconds until Nik tried to actively move and ended up yelping in pain before planting into the ground.

"This method... also doesn't heal old scars," Katara mumbled while glancing at the small scar by Nik's right eyebrow.

"Still..." Yue spoke up, mustering a smile, "I feel a bit guilty to have... made the water of the oasis so..."

"Don't be," Nik hummed in response, "If what you said is correct then my injury is the peculiar case... strangely, more peculiar than a stillborn."

"We should leave. There is no point in staying here further," Mai spoke up now.

"Yeah..." Suki only uttered a short response before standing up and spreading her arms out to inhale the almost sweet air around her. Exhaling even louder, Suki turned around and spoke with a look of determination, "Healing here was something we never truly placed our bets on. Of course, seeing such improvement is already our fortune. As Aang said, there is hope in firebending and earthbending... but he's the only one who can bend multiple elements.

This gives us the option to still travel and look for masters related to the arts... I believe that one of the earthbending masters, and probably the quirkiest one is none other than King Bumi. Once we leave, we should head back to Omashu."

"Back home..." Mai's mood plummeted, something Nik thought to be impossible already.

Not letting Mai's gloom affect her spirits, Suki bowed to Yue, "Still, I would like to thank you—"

"You're leaving already?" Yue interrupted and frowned before quickly adjusting her expression, "It's quite alright. You don't have to thank me for anything... it was simply my duty to help out the benefactors of the tribe."

With that, Yue also stood up, "Ehm... I need to see to something in my chambers back in the palace. Do excuse me. Oh, and please don't try to fish in the pond." The last part was clearly directed at Nik as Yue left quickly.

"That was odd..." Suki sighed.

"Was it? I can't really tell... I'm just too hungry. Maybe the side-effects of healing?" Nik mused and stood up. He didn't have too much support now but the pain was still present. Heck, he could even walk extremely slowly at the expense of experiencing slight pain but as he continue to stress his knee, the situation would grow worse. So, Nik kept to the crutches.

Seeing him get up, Katara didn't see the reason to stay here either. As much as the surroundings felt exotic and comforting, they may have more tasks awaiting them so there was no need to linger on.

Just as the group of four walked out, a figure dashed and tacked Katara into the ground. Nik would have said or done something if he didn't already know who was out there and if it wasn't karmic justice.

"Miss me?!" Sokka laughed, hugging Katara but there was no sibling affection... just the usual sibling antics though.

"Get off!" Katara groaned, pulling her head out of ice with her hair now disheveled and her hood pulled back. There was a group collected behind the Sokka and the giant Appa was simply unable to hide from Katara's view. For a moment, Pakku's eyes squinted but he kept certain discoveries to himself.

On the other hand, Nik smiled and looked at Aang and Tom-Tom, "You're here early. I could hear Momo's chittering all the way into the oasis..."

"You knew?!" Katara glowered, sending a threatening glance in Nik's direction as he adopted an innocent expression, "Well... of course, I hear good."

"Why didn't you tell us?" She pursued since she was the only one shoved into the snow by her senseless counterpart.

"Well, they intended it to be a surprise. I wouldn't want to mess it up," Nik smiled gently but Katara could only see the delight in his eyes, enjoying her momentary plight.

"I healed you for nothing!" Katara snorted while Nik stretched his hand out, something she grabbed promptly despite her huffy-puffy attitude at the moment, "I wouldn't say for nothing..."

Nik's smile stretched the slightest bit wider but Katara soon looked away.

"So?" Pakku interjected. Though Yue had just left, she now stood next to him awkwardly, unable to face Suki and others, "Did you get your knee healed?"

Even Aang looked towards Nik and Sokka's gaze turned wide with anticipation.

"Not completely," Nik kept it simple and explained how he felt at the moment. His words made Pakku and others frown, not out of displeasure but disappointment.

"Anyway, I sent for Aang to be the first one to arrive since Appa can make things easier. Yoki and Hama are bringing others as we speak. I still have a few things to discuss with my disciples, including Aang and Sokka since they need to understand the situation.

Before I speak with you, do not target any of the ships of the Fire Nation out there. It is one of the terms of the temporary truce."

Pakku looked at Katara for a moment and then glanced at Sokka next to her, gesturing him to follow with the slight tilt of the head.

"Well, I'll see you guys later. Can't have the whole tribe waiting to be saved once and for all, right?" Sokka chuckled, waving at the group.

Others followed soon except for Tom-Tom and Yue. The former looked at his sister with a curious expression as if waiting for her to introduce the tribe to him, yet, Mai merely looked at Yue and spoke up, "This is my brother, Tom-Tom. Do entertain him similarly."

With that, she left without another word. The woman already felt exhausted and she hung around the group only to see if Nik's knee would truly heal. Now that was out of the way, she didn't have any reason to hang out with them until Suki gave a good reason by calling out, "Let's have a match tomorrow, too, if possible!"

Stopping in her tracks, Mai looked back. There was a moment of eager glint in her eyes as she nodded and left.

"So... I'm Tom-Tom. Nice to meet you," the boy bowed properly towards Yue as she sighed a soft smile. She didn't expect to host someone again, much less someone drastically younger. Then again, Yue was feeling strangely depressed and wasn't really in the right mind to jubilantly explain the history of the tribe all over again.

As if seeing through her troubles, which was really quite easy since Yue subconsciously wore her emotions on her expression while around people she had come to trust the slightest bit, Nik offered, "I'm hungry... want to eat with us, Tom?"

"Weeelllll," the boy dragged his words and grew thoughtful, "I was hoping to make some snowballs and have a life-changing battle with Aang."

Negotiations it is then.

"We were going to have a life-changing meal and then sleep. Right, Appa, Momo?" Nik looked at the other two clueless individuals left here.

*Aaanghhh* Appa let out a low rumbling growl while Momo quickly jumped onto Appa's head and looked at Nik with impatient chitters escaping his lips.

---

"I don't feel like moving at all," Suki sighed deeply, patting her stomach. Maybe it was the unappealing turn of events this afternoon or just the fact that she wanted to appease herself by eating more but Suki was fully stuffed. Katara was slightly better but not having anyone else to chat with or having the energy for it in the first place, she lay next to Suki, resting with a rather blank expression.

"Tell me about it," Nik chuckled.

Tom-Tom had soon left after eating a meal, finding a great, lively company with Uti. Appa floated in the stream flowing through the city and Momo was probably having its own venture. Sokka and others were probably still trying to get a better handle on the situation and Yue left soon after eating a bit.

"How can you be so calm about it... your leg may never heal," Katara finally spoke up.

"Hey, let's not lose hope," Suki chastised, lazily slapping Katara's stomach as the waterbender sat up and frowned, "No, I'm serious. Nik, what are you going to do if your leg never heals?"

Suki frowned. She didn't want to fall into negativity. After all, the last thing she wanted for Nik to see was those around him giving up and hindering his hope for getting better.

Still keeping a calm smile, Nik responded with a soft exhale, "Accept and move on? I mean, I would feel sorry that you're stuck with half a cripple. But then again, you guys kind of needed the handicap given my speed of improvement."

"Nik..." Katara whispered, "Are you really alright with it?"

For a moment, Nik grew silent. If he had to be honest, he still hadn't lost his hope for recovery. But in the event that a full recovery wasn't possible...

"I will be," he responded after thinking all the ways he could make Katara feel better but gave up at the thought and decided to be honest at least about his feelings, "If I truly can't fully recover, I will be fine regardless. What makes me feel the slightest bit awkward is that you still haven't told Sokka about us. I mean, do you know how he will react?"

Katara's expression froze. She hadn't considered this. Her worry for Nik's mental health had eclipsed her own...

"Wait... he was pushing me to get married for quite some time. I don't think he will find any problems with us..." Katara narrowed her eyes, "Unless you think that he may have some reason to feel worried... say, are you hiding something from us?"

Suki sat up at this point and looked at Nik curiously.

"Well..." Nik looked thoughtful. Sokka and Aang knew him to be an outsider. So... if he knew anything about Sokka, he may truly be alright if Katara was with someone who had a chance for a solid relationship. But... probably, not with someone who was as much of a flight risk as Nik himself.

"I don't think I've kept anything from the two of you."

"Really?" Suki huffed annoyingly, "We barely know anything about you."

"See? It matters so little that you find me a pleasant to the eye regardless of the knowledge of my past," Nik coughed and then frowned, "Oh... my knee is aching."

"Let it," Katara stated sharply.

"I can't. It's aching."

"Let it be." Suki droned, her stare turning intense.

"Well..." Nik sat up with a sigh, "It's nothing really much. Even Aang and Sokka know a few things but that's not the kind of thing I'd be comfortable sharing with the two of you due to its nature," he gave a comforting look whole conveniently leaving out that even Sokka and Aang found a few things at the fatal risk of spirits.

"Is it something... bad?" Katara gulped, "It can't be worse than being a womanizer, right?"

"I'm not a womanizer," Nik frowned, "A great shoulder to cry on, you bet. A firm hand on the neck, for sure. A good stroke to relieve stress, I'm your man. An engaging tongue to—"

"I get it! I get it!" Katara scoffed.

"But you still didn't answer her question," Suki was feeling a bit fortunate by having Katara on her side. She had quite the sense for such things and may even just make an honest man out of Nik.

"It's not bad." Nik's answer and his genuine expression gave the duo a sense of relief. Thinking for a second, he added, "Though, I've not kept many things. For instance, I didn't lie about my childhood or the death of my mother. I also didn't lie that if given a choice, I wouldn't want to return to that location. That day, in the fog, just as you two faced your nightmares, I was haunted by my nightmares, too. But... certain events had made me stoic to them."

"What kind of events?" Katara felt slightly unease but it was naught as Nik's somberness turned into jubilance in a mere instant, "Meeting you guys for instance. Helping others along the way, too, I guess. You might not want to hear it but Michi had quite the impact on me, too. Not because of what you think but because she could soldier through her own problems with a bit of support. If she could do it, so can I. And that's what I told you guys to do, too."

"You know..." Suki sighed, "I feel that you're just avoiding something for Kyoshi knows why... but I'm still glad."

"Me, too..." Katara's gaze turned the slightest bit gentle. Surprising the duo, Nik coughed and raised his hand. An icy wall instantly covered the entrance of their humble and cold abode while the girls remained stunned for a moment.

"Huh?"

"Don't be so surprised," Nik pouted, "We have to commemorate my partial recovery, right? As long as I don't stress my knee deliberately, I would be fine."

His debauched grin made their ears heat up and cheeks flushed.

"But... Sokka might come in at any time... we can celebrate at night, right?" Katara forced a smile.

"No good time as the present," Nik shook his head with a stern expression, "And when Hama returns alongside the rest of the group... she would want the two of you to help out."

"So it's just that?" Suki narrowed her eyes, "We're just here to relieve you before eventually getting drafted into Hama's and Pakku's assistance."

"Oh, no, of course not. You can do the same after you guys are done with the tasks, too."

"Wait, before we go any further. I just want to make sure of something." Katara wasn't that opposed to the idea of growing intimate but she cast Suki a dubious glance, "If I am with Nik... does this also give Suki the approval of touching me?"

"Yes."

"Why would I do that?!"

Nik's and Suki's replies were distinctively different.

Katara, however, answered Suki, "Because... you did just that back then when you were drunk."

"I'm not drunk now, am I?" Suki frowned, crossing her arms.

"Alright, let me weigh in," Nik cleared his throat, "You guys don't have to do anything that makes you uncomfortable."

The two girls nodded, feeling quite good about Nik's sensible answer only for him to balance out his reputation by adding, "But, as the saying goes, discipline comes from treading outside your comfort zone. So, go crazy on one another."

"Does that include your knee?" Suki threatened.

"Is that how you talk to your master?" Nik replied with his own eyes now revealing a threatening light as his presence shifted from a casual and peaceful man to a strict disciplinarian.

Suki's expression stiffened and her body froze due to his words but as if triggered by something much more primal, she didn't dare meet Nik's or Katara's eyes anymore and lowered her head bashfully while replying in a meek, but passionate tone as she realized that things would only end one way now.

"No... please... discipline me again."

"Good," Nik nodded and then looked at Katara.

"Oh, I'm not doing that," she crossed her arms.

"Good," Nik's smile widened, "We'll start with you." He spoke with a tone that left no space for refusal.

***

A/N: As stated, Michi did have quite the impact on Nik not just on his outlook on life and how to cope positively but also allowed him to be more frequent to his desires.

***

Shout-out to Patryk Sikorski, World Monarch, and Cesar A. Bailon Segura~

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