𝑺𝑬𝑬𝑫 𝑶𝑭 𝑰𝑪𝑯𝑶𝑹 •𝒃𝒙𝒃•

8 ~ colours

The silence was infuriating.

Ever since they left the Northern Water Tribe, none of them had made any advances in talking to him. He didn't know if it was better this way, or if it would've been better if they aimed questions at him non-stop.

Guren shifted into a better sitting position, and both Sokka and Katara glanced at him.

"You know," he began, drawing their attention, "I won't bite..." He arched a brow. "...unless you want me to?"

As if on cue, Katara averted her eyes while Sokka frowned, crossing his arms across his chest. He was giving Guren a dirty look.

"Um..." Katara spoke up, "We were wondering how you...ended up in the Northern Water Tribe?"

They were...wondering?

Guren tilted his head and leaned his cheek onto his fist. "Oh? You enjoy talking about me behind my back? How pleasant..." He gave them a closed-eye smile. The shift in the mood was obvious, and everyone went silent.

"We just wanted to know more about you." This time, it was Aang who spoke. He was no longer at the front, near Appa's head, but was instead now near Katara.

That was a lousy excuse. "You could ask."

"And you'd answer, just like that?" Sokka asked.

Guren breathed in and leaned back. "Truthfully? Maybe not fully, but, sure, I'd answer."

He told them truthfully. If they didn't like it, well, sucks to be them then. He really had no reason to tell them anything. They invited him to go along with them, and he accepted, but it wasn't for a specific reason. He just...had nothing left.

Noran had left long ago, and Yue had left recently.

That was all there was to it.

"Why not truthfully?" Aang asked, as if confused by Guren's answer.

Guren ignored him. "You two." Pointedly, he looked between Katara and Sokka. "You're from the Southern Water Tribe, yeah?" When he received a synced up nod, he turned to Aang. "And you're from an air temple." Another nod. For a moment, he hesitated, but ended up saying it anyway. "The Fire Nation has taken a lot from you, hasn't it?"

Once again, the mood shifted.

"What does that have to do with...anything?" Katara's voice was quiet, almost shaky.

Now that was a good question.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Not much, but we've got some things in common. A lot has been taken from me, too."

The way their eyes widened made him feel sick to the stomach.

"Your...family?"

"My mother." He replied.

And then, he watched how Katara leaned forward. "We lost our mother, too." The smile she gave him was meant to be encouraging, perhaps, but it brought him no encouragement nor comfort.

"What about your dad?" Aang asked.

His father, huh?

"He's gone."

Gone, gone, gone. Actually...Guren didn't know what happened to him. In fact, he didn't know what happened to his mother either, but he knew both of them were gone. The last time he talked with Noran, the man had told him he was going to look for Nuera, that maybe she was out there somewhere, and that he'd come back with her and how he promised.

It's been eight years and all Guren's hopes had faded away.

"Gone? Did the Fire Nati-"

He clicked his tongue, effectively interrupting Sokka. "I don't like talking about my father."