Avatar The Last Airbender: Water and Fire [ON HOLD]

Chapter 15 - Reconsiliation

Reconsiliation

An Unlikely Opportunity

The next day, I woke at noon, much to my embarrassment. I knew that I would sleep long, but missing the entire morning was too much. Surprisingly everyone else was trivial about it; they had purposely let me sleep undisturbed, knowing how long I had been awake the night before. I let the issue slide, much to my content. 

What really shocked me that morning was Haru. He had just come downstairs, and saw me sitting at the table having a late breakfast. I was talking to Nina, but as he stood before me, I could only gaze in wonder. I perceived a much younger and carefree Haru; he had shaved his moustache, taking my joke literally. I froze with my mouth hanging slightly open.

He gazed back, and I think I caught a glint of satisfaction in his eyes. Noticing my sudden silence, everyone gazed in Haru’s direction. The room remained silent for a moment, and then everyone returned to the tasks they were doing. Aang and his gang were playing a card game, Nina was cleaning and Tyro was reading the newspaper.

Swiftly, Haru came to sit down next to me, yet he remained silent. I couldn’t help but ask, “Why did you shave? I thought you liked your moustache,” irritation rang in each syllable.  He folded his arms, and lay back into his chair, “Well, if you don’t like it, then I don’t like it,” he stated simply. I continued to eat quickly. When I finished I spoke, “I never said I didn’t like it,” I rebutted emotionlessly. He thought for a moment.  

“You didn’t, but I could tell that it made you uncomfortable,” the words flowed, unhindered. Haru’s parents had been eavesdropping, naturally, and they glanced at us when they heard his last sentence. They must have thought ‘moustache, uncomfortable, what’s going on between these two?’ Though, I had the feeling they already knew. Haru is very open about his feelings.

The situation was uncomfortable, and I decided not to refute Haru’s statement; it’d only make things worse. I took my plate to the sink and decided to find somewhere private; but where? I decided to head for the river close to the village; at least I could practice water-bending there. I made sure no one was following me, as I raced towards the river.

I heard the water flowing gloriously, and reached the banks in no time. I was puffing, but once I started practicing with the water, I became calm and relaxed. I did a few minutes of water-bending, and then I felt like trying something new. I did a series of techniques, combining water and fire bending. It made me feel balanced and peaceful, yet strong and lively.

Flames would explode in one direction, while a blast of water would torpedo in the other. I didn’t mind the fluency of my form so much. Instead, I concentrated on correcting my techniques. I conjured a volley of fire and water attacks, in all directions. Surprisingly, I felt slightly worn out; and I didn’t think it was natural. I ceased my frenzy; I felt liberated, but drained, and I stood panting slightly.

I gazed into the crystal clear water, just as I heard a series of grunts behind me. I turned sharply and found a huge Sabre-toothed Moose-lion foraging in the brush. I gasped at its size. I had heard of these animals before, but I had never seen one with my own eyes. The huge creature noticed me, and its gaze bore into my eyes. It stepped out of the bushes and took an offensive stance. I stood, unsure of whether I should run or hold my ground. Suddenly, it charged towards me!

I yelped in fear, and instinctually headed for the water. But I didn’t realise how far I had moved from the riverbank, and the speed of the beast was incredible. When I got close enough to the water, I created a platform of ice, and leaped off the bank to land on it. Just as I was safely on the platform, I heard a rumble of earth. The creature gave out a bellow of pain as a wave of earth collided with it. It was sent sliding across the ground, and was defeated. I turned my gaze to the source of the attack, and saw Haru standing strongly in his stance.