Warrior (2)
"As you said, the last avatar was an Airbender. This boy, Aang, is from their line, looking for the waterbending Avatar," Sokka talked fast. His shamelessness bordered virtue as the man would spend his free time calling the elemental benders freak, but now? The sincere tone of the man caused the assailants to look at each other in uncertainty! But proving himself different from the world’s inherently deceptive ways despite knowing it could mean his last stand, Aang lowered his head, muttering, “I can’t lie about what I am, Sokka. Sorry, I can’t anymore.” The scars of the Southern Temple and Monk Gyatso’s sculpture reigned fresh in the boy’s mind.
Though Aang still held some resentment against the burdens placed on him, Monk Gyatso's letter eased him. It was a farewell—a closure to an uncertain issue of his life—if his caretakers truly cared for him or his status. Aang felt lucky to get one. It also made him realize things are beyond change for him. His best friend died after he ran away, and Aang felt he couldn’t make the same mistakes anymore.
Picking his staff from the ground, greatly startling the group around him, Aang bowed politely, "I'm Aang, the last Airbender—and the Avatar."
Sokka smacked his forehead, letting out a frustrated groan. His body tensed, ready to throw hands if need be—similar to Nik and Katara.
"But... you're young!" one of the women inquired with a doubtful gaze as Aang looked at her, "I don't know what else to say. I'm the Avatar. I woke up after 100 years. We are on our way to find a waterbending master for me to learn waterbending."
'Sure... spill it all out,' Sokka felt a little weak in his knees. He couldn’t begin to comprehend such foolhardy honesty! Nik was the same, but the youth held more than an annoyance. The otherworldly travel had to respect the boy’s courage to admit the truth in the toughest of times—of course, Nik would still try to smack his bald head after they survived this situation!
"You're... the avatar?" The woman inquired again as Aang rolled his eyes, "Yes!" he scoffed, a little impatient.
The unknown assailants looked at each other, and the woman standing near Nik nodded, "Team, form an orderly line. Help our visitors regather themselves and free the mouse."
"It's a lemur..." Nik mumbled.
"And you, give me my stuff back," the woman pointed at Nik, ignoring his earlier words as he shrugged, "They're gone for you."
"What?"
The woman frowned. Nik was lying, there was still one gauntlet left, but he was planning on absorbing it, too, for points. No need to be sweet towards those trying to slap you with sharp fans, right?
"Nik is speaking the truth," Aang hurriedly spoke, "I saw Nik making an entire vessel disappear."
"Stop spilling the beans already," Sokka scowled, tossing his boomerang towards Aang as it knocked him on his forehead.
"Ow," Aang rubbed his forehead while Nik felt a wave of relief wash over him. The group fell in behind the woman. In the next instant, all twelve of them set their arms to their sides and bent their waists, politely returning the bow Aang had given.
"The Kyoshi Warriors welcome Avatar Aang to Kyoshi Island."
"Kyoshi?" Aang inquired, a little doubtful.
"Yes," the woman nodded, "This Island was Avatar Kyoshi's settlement. We, the Kyoshi Warriors, are also a band of warriors trained under the honor of Avatar Kyoshi to protect our village, just like other bands of Kyoshi Warriors."
"Wait... so there are more of you?" Sokka instantly found himself in a terrible mood. But then again, after meeting Aang, he had hardly felt pleasant.
The group of women looked at Sokka but ignored him completely.
"Please don't be so quick to leave, Avatar Aang. At least, let us properly introduce Avatar Kyoshi's settlement to you."
---
The villagers of Kyoshi Island also wore furlined blue tunics with thicker material. Brown shawls adorned their shoulders, and some wore deeper blue-colored capes. The children had their foreheads covered by headbands knotted in the back. The nameless leader of the Kyoshi Warriors asked the group to wait at the entrance, and soon, the Kyoshi Warriors returned with a grey-haired man well past his primes who scrutinized Aang. But a few minutes before that—
*Pah*
“Ow!” Aang rubbed his head again, glaring at Nik accusingly.
“You didn’t expect a kiss, did you?” Nik frowned back. “After putting our lives at risk, that is.”
Nik’s words got Aang to stop grumbling under his breath as he nodded with a guilty look. “I’m really sorry about that. But I can’t promise it won’t happen again.”
“It’s—” Before Katara could console Aang, Sokka stopped observing his surroundings and shook his head. “No, it’s not fine. As much as I want to laugh at Nik’s rookie attempt at stab-and-run, he is right. What good is your honesty if it hurts even more people—physically.”
Aang thinned his lips, unable to reply. He may have had spiritual guidance deceptive to his age, but some moral dilemmas take years to solve—and this might be it.
“I’m sorry to break your trust, guys,” Aang muttered. “It… won’t happen again. Not in a way that put you in harm’s way.”
The corner of Sokka’s eyes twitch as he grumbles, “Or you could just stop doing stupid things entirely. God, the simplest of things is hard to get through these days!”
“It’s fine,” Nik spoke after a second. “I found your stand slightly admirable.”
“But you just smacked me.” Aang blinked.
“A man can feel two things at once,” Nik shrugged, patting the spot he smacked. “I know I don’t hold a candle against you.”
Aang’s eyes widened before he averted his gaze with slight embarrassment as he stammered childishly, “T-thanks!”
“Don’t encourage him,” Sokka rolled his eyes as Nik looked at Katara staring at him.
“What?”
“Nothing,” she shrugged with a smile.
---
"Are you the last Airbender?"
Aang smiled. Not out of happiness but frustration. Looking at the surrounding villagers, Aang coughed and turned to his most renowned tool—
"Everyone, I'm the Avatar! Look!" Taking out two small stones from out of his tunic, Aang had them float and spin furiously between his palms. He looked at the group of villagers collected while wagging his brows.
—comedy.
"Woooh!"
"Wow! That's airbending!"
"Ooooh! Oooh! Aaaghhhhhh!" A man shouted and hooted in excitement, clutching his head like a maniac before collapsing on the ground, foam collecting over his mouth.
Aang stopped and looked at the man, "Uh... is he alright?"
"He'll be fine," the old village chief grunted and frowned, "Suki... please make sure the information doesn't leave the village."
The Village Chief instantly relayed before taking the group uphill. Appa stayed near the entrance while the group left the residential region of the village. Cottages and sheds were lined neatly in two distinct rows that left a wide path in the center leading to the slope of a hill. Those who had businesses would set stalls in front of their homes or had a large portion of the cottage fashioned into a store itself. Just by sight, Nik saw many furs and hides on display. They walked uphill from the central berth, nearing a slightly bigger structure—the Chieftain’s House. The path didn’t end here as there seemed to be something higher beyond this cottage, but they had to stop. Once they settled, the Village Chief shook his head.
"Oh, Avatar Aang, you have committed a grave mistake in this journey of yours. You should not have revealed your identity even to the Kyoshi Warriors."
The Village Chief's tone was mournful as Katara frowned, "Sir, didn't you ask Aang to prove his identity, too?"
"No, it was a chance to contain this mistake. I asked— Are you the last Airbender. But Little Avatar, your reply was—I'm the Avatar."
Katara's and Aang's expressions froze while Sokka sighed, "Finally, someone with sense."
"I... don't understand. I thought Avatar Kyoshi built this place."
"Avatar Aang, the war has ended. The dust has settled. Your title, at least, to me, did not bring hope but the foresight of another collision. Think. The younger generation hasn't suffered the same losses. They don't care about the outcome. The previous generation has lost—they cannot change anything because they are a spent force. And those left stranded..."
The Village Chief's gaze turned slightly murky, "They can only collect whatever pieces of themselves they were left with."
Sokka continued to nod along with every word, but despite the chief's not-so-cryptic sense of conversation, Aang felt terrible.
"I... I just want to help, Sir. I don't want any battles."
"And you think the Phoenix King Ozai will care?" The Chief inquired as Aang fell silent. The warm reception at the village entrance, the cheers, and the 'brightness' had dazzled Aang momentarily, but the Chief didn't take a second to smack him with reality.
"These are dire times, Young Avatar. Your intentions may be well, but they might not necessarily be received in the same manner everywhere. Kyoshi Island indeed welcomes you. The Kyoshi Warriors will also try their best to keep the information contained. But by exposing yourself, you will attract unwanted attention in this journey. These words are my sincere warning… However, it is also true that Kyoshi Island requires your assistance."
Aang blinked. He kept the Chief's words in mind and then heard the request. But the entire group's expression fell once the chief had placed his ‘request.’
---
"What do you think?" Nik muttered. Cross-legged, around a large floor table sat Katara, Sokka, Aang, and Nik, with a large spread of delicacies presented in Aang's honor. However, aside from Momo, nobody had the stomach to eat anything.
Sokka, Katara, and Aang looked toward Nik.
"I think... it's not my decision," Nik continued to reason calmly. His words stunned the group that stared at him.
"Let's recount things for a moment," Nik rubbed his head, "The war has ended, but your appearance may lead to another conflict. The Chief and Sokka are right about this. I may not be clear on many details, but one thing I know about royalty is that they do not tolerate threats to their seat. It is also clear that further exposing your identity would be a mistake. Even the three of us could let it slip by unintentionally... and now, this request of the chief.”
“How are you supposed to do anything about the Unagi if Kyoshi is the one who tamed its predecessor centuries ago? You're not Kyoshi.”
Unagi was none other than the giant sea eel that found Aang a delicacy.
"Still, it's not my responsibility now, is it?" Nik concluded truthfully, "It's neither Katara's nor Sokka's task either. The Chief asked you... you should be the one to decide."
Nik shrugged, pointing things out since the group had been gloomy for a long time.
"Oh, please," Katara rolled her eyes, "You cannot ask Aang to subdue that monster! He is a child."
"All I know is that the ability to make decisions is a luxury that we don't appreciate enough," Nik replied, "In his words, Aang may have decided to leave everything... but he didn't decide to stay in the ice for a hundred years."
"Right. It was the consequence of Aang’s decision," Sokka interrupted, "So what will happen if Aang decides to help Kyoshi Island out with their trading problems? Let me paint you a pretty picture—Aang gets eaten. And he would turn into an ice sculpture inside the Unagi until he is pooped out!"
The siblings were clearly against Nik's intentions of letting Aang make his choice.
"Look, all I said is that it should be upto Aang to choose, even if he ends up declining the task and moving on."
Nik picked up a piece of bread and ate it as the siblings frowned this time.
"Um... Sokka, how old were you when your dad left for war?"
Aang looked at the adult chieftain, and the man replied with a gloomy expression, "12..."
"Then Katara... you were?"
"10," she pursed her lips.
Aang leaned back before standing up. Seeing the three of them look at him, the boy shook his head, "I just need some time to think."
He left quickly.
"What's wrong with you, no, seriously?" Katara finally glared at Nik, "Aang is just a boy. And here I thought you were more understanding!"
"I just thought... that Aang needed to hear this," Nik muttered. He wished someone told him to make a choice that struck true to his heart—he could have avoided so many torturous situations! He looked at the large spread of food, "After all, I wanted to hear the same thing some time ago. Anyway, it's not like it's the truth. I said he has a choice, but does he have one?" Nik's shoulders slumped as he smiled bitterly, "It's just sometimes sad to think this because... clearly, one’s thoughts are affected by their experiences. My past affects my actions and motivations, and Aang's dilemma, too, would be connected to his experiences."
Katara grew quiet as Sokka snorted.
"Whatever. You broke my spear—you better buy me a new one."
Nik nodded with a smile and continued eating. But as the group ate, Sokka and Katara snuck glances at the mild-mannered youth. His earlier desperate ferocity and his bitter smile struck close to them since they were people of ‘experience,’ too.
---
While the group ate, Aang walked around the town. He browsed through the items displayed on trade, accepting greetings from others along the way.
The request of the village chief concerned the well-being of the village. The Kyoshi Island has always been the nest of Unagi as it would prey on the Elephant Koi. However, with the entire world entering the command of one ruler and the rallies and rebellions slowly calming down, the trade had started to bolster. Aside from being the Unagi's staple diet, Elephant Koi also happened to be Kyoshi Island's main export. Its oils and meat were proving to hold a large market in the more advanced Fire Nation.
The Chief wanted Aang to subdue the Unagi since his predecessor, Avatar Kyoshi, had done once, stabilizing an export channel for the village to thrive on.
"Hey!" a whisper broke Aang out of his thoughts. Looking sideways, Aang found one of the girls his age waving at him from the corner of the store.
Curious, Aang followed, and as he entered the alley, he found a group of girls looking at him with bright expressions.
"Avatar! Will you show us airbending once again?" Their bright smiles struck the gloom out of Aang.
Aang felt dazzled once again. The same emotion the chief had struck earlier entered his veins once again.
"Uh... look at this!"
He grinned, pulling out the stones once again.
---
With their stomachs full, the group dispersed. Katara took the villagers on the discount offers regarding a few fruits and pelts since the siblings had amassed a good bit of currency over the years. Sokka walked over to the port acting as an independent settlement not far from the village, with a Kyoshi Warrior acting as his guide, happy to observe the boats and ships while keeping an eye out for information that might be useful to them.
Meanwhile... Nik stood by the corner of the chief's house with a ponderous look.
'I just gave a long speech about decisions and whatnot, but I'm as stumped as the kid... should I leave or not?'
While Aang may have grown out of his fears again, mainly due to his age, the chief had low-key scared Nik straight.
One part of him felt that, at this point, he wouldn't be leaving out of caution but cowardice, especially, after his earlier display. And the other part of him felt like sticking around. This selfish part wanted to get strong since he COULD become strong! So, overall, his mind was made up to try and not give in to his fears and stand up to his advice. After all, he didn't fear being stuck somewhere. His fears about imprisonment were greatly relieved once he stood his ground against the Kyoshi Warriors.
What Nik truly feared was somehow getting seriously injured based on Aang's or someone else's decision.
"Hey, Vanish Guy," a snicker broke Nik out of his thoughts as he looked up to find an auburn-haired woman standing in front of him while holding a straw basket filled with vegetables and what looked like pods of peas.
Frowning at the name, Nik found the woman slightly familiar as she set the basket down and took a pose all too familiar, "It's me, the one who kicked your butt."
"If you're looking for your fans—for the last time—" Nik sighed.
"It's not that," the woman laughed and bent to pick the basket again, "We have many spare war fans. Don't worry about it. I was just annoyed by your tricks this morning. Anyway, I'm Suki."
"Nik," he smiled back.
"What are you doing? Your teammates are all exploring the village. Especially Aang. He already has a group chasing after him. I guess that's part of the charm about being the Avatar," Suki spoke up as she entered the chief's house while gesturing for Nik to tag along with the beckon of her head.
"My team? You mean Sokka and Katara?"
"Yeah, you guys are friends, right? Trust me. You don't want to fight with Kyoshi Warriors for strangers."
"I guess," Nik pursed his lips. He never had any good 'friend' experience, so he never thought of the trio remotely close to it... until now.
"By the way, that's a nice trick. You can disarm any opponent with that strange bending skill. Where are you from? An island nearby?" Suki continued as she deposited the basket in a storage room.
"Earth Kingdom," Nik replied.
"Oh? What are you doing in this part of the world?" she looked back, her blue eyes brimming with curiosity.
"You have a lot of questions," Nik looked at her strangely.
"Sorry... none of us have ever left the village. I guess… it was the right decision since those who left never did return. I hope it is because they settled somewhere safely."
"A relative?" Nik inquired.
"Childhood friend," Suki emptied the basket onto a large container before grunting as she closed the lid of the container.
Nik nodded before realizing something, "You're not on duty... so who is looking out to keep Aang's whereabouts contained?"
"Kyoshi Initiates," Suki replied. "We accept girls above the age of twelve who volunteer to train."
"Only girls?" Nik grew a little curious.
"It's... a sad story," Suki sighed and shook her head, "Anyway, you should breathe in the Kyoshi culture since you won't be staying for long, right?"
"Depends on Aang," Nik shrugged.
"The chief... asked you guys to deal with the Unagi, huh," Suki mumbled as Nik looked at her strangely.
"And you find it difficult to bear because?"
"Since Avatar Kyoshi subdued the Unagi back then... the Kyoshi warriors felt that as her students, we should be the ones to take care of that creature. But we failed." She huffed under her breath before she cut to the chase.
"So? Are you going to tell me why you decided to lean against the chief's hut while your teammates are exploring the village?" Suki turned around, the empty basket now between her waist and arms. Like other villagers, she, too, wore a thick blue robe with a thick sky-blue belt wrapped around her hips.
"And while you're on it, add in the story of how you ended up wearing a woman's outfit," she pointed at the edges of Nik's coat reaching past his knees and halfway across his calves.
"These? These are Katara's," Nik looked down, not minding the attire, "And I just didn't have the mind to... get chased by a mob, or buy some fruits... or look at some beautiful ships."
He recalled the sibling's words as they left.
“Then how about learning why you were so easy to toss and defeat?” Suki blinked and then smirked, “If you're going to be around with the Avatar, the least you can do is learn how to wield a spear... adequately.”
Narrowing his eyes, Nik retorted, “I'll have you know that my teacher is quite impressed by my growth.” A black-faced lie.
"Oh? Who's your teacher?"
"Sokka."
"Pfft," Suki giggled, "If only you fight as well as you could humor others. Anyway, that boomerang-throwing buffoon isn't too great of a fighter, and seeing that you're half a girl, I might consider teaching you a little something."
Suki took a long stare at Nik's clothing as he tilted his head, unable to understand her intentions.
'Just let a man brood,' Nik rolled his eyes.
"However, I cannot teach you alone. Well, the decision isn't mine alone. Take a chance on my entire band if you’d like to learn something before you leave. Things might turn out well for you if they agree. We practice in the second hut from the top of the hill every evening."
Sukki waved her hands and quite genuinely swaggered away.
'Learning stabbing and running from Sokka... or how to fight like dangerous girls who can subdue the said technique...'
Nik began pondering again—but wasn’t the answer as clear as running away from prison or staying and accepting torture?
***
Alternate Title: Sokka Gaslighting the Kyoshi Warriors!; Aang—Oh, You Honest and Lovely Buffoon!; I’m the Avatar!; Admiration and Annoyance; Nik: Your Stuff’s Mine!; Mr. Steal Yo Stuff; The Kyoshi Island; Kyoshi Village; The Hype Guy Falls Unconscious; The Gloomy Chief; Tremendous Request; Nik Entering An Elder Brotherly Role By Smacking and Admiring at Once; Katara *As Naked Nik Falls on Her*: You Have My Curiosity. Also Katara *Seeing Nik* Encouraging Aang*: Now You Have My Erec—Attention!; The Unagi; The Choice is Yours; Words Nik Would Want to Hear; Freedom Is Misunderstood; Suki; Suki is a Girl With Questions!; Damn, Girl. Let the Man Brood!