The Avatar's Guardian: The Lost Story (Avatar the Last Airbender fanfic)

Chapter Twenty-Two

Satomi's P.O.V.
I move back to the camp and plop down on Appa's head exhausted. My limbs feel like lead and throb with even the slightest movement. It hurts to breathe too deeply. Slowly, I force myself to accept breathing deeper until its normal. I can't have them suspecting me of anything. The less they know the better.

The sun slowly climbs over the horizon, and I let its warmth seep into my aching limbs. It feels nice. The soft golden light eventually stirs Aang who wakes earlier than the rest excited. He swiftly stirs Katara and Sokka awake much to their distaste. Wonderful, now they're both going to be grumpy for the rest of the day. I pinch the bridge of my nose with sharp intake of breath. He may never learn at this rate. Sokka trudges over to me and plops down on Appa's paw.

"Doesn't he ever sleep in?" he groans his words muffled by Appa's fur. A cough of a laughter escapes me.

"No I can't say he does," I sigh as Toph exits her rock tent. She slams it back into the ground announcing to anyone that didn't see her exit that she is well awake. I can't quite decide if she likes the attention or if it's simply her way of not getting forgotten because she's blind. "He won't want to get up early tomorrow after Toph's through with him," I smirk as she struts about the camp.

"That would be nice," Sokka huffs into Appa's fur already falling back to sleep.

"I'm ready to begin when you are Sifu," Aang tells Toph addressing her in a much more formal way than he had Katara or me even. Suck up. Katara glares at the two of them with resentment. I look on with disinterested eyes as she begins to quietly seethe. She must be jealous of Toph, but is she jealous as a teacher or a friend or even possibly something more? Wouldn't Aang just enjoy that? "What high level technique am I going to learn today?" Aang asks. I nearly scoff at him. He proceeds then to go on about moves he's imagining in his head and moving his arms in a fashion he presumes would produce the equivalent movement of the rock. I cover my mouth to mask my chuckling. Toph quickly shuts him down, however, as she deadpans her answer.

"You're just going to learn how to move a rock today." Aang deflates, and Toph smirks at the young monk. He's still so childish. I don't know how he's going to grow up in the time span he has because he's going to have to grow to fulfill his role as the Avatar. Maybe he doesn't have to, I could fill the role of adult and guide him where he needed, but even if I had severed my life force to his I would be tied to him for at least a few years. It would be hard to get out of the public eye after that not to mention he wouldn't want me to leave. He would put me in as his personal guard or advisory. I sigh resting my chin on my palm. Whatever happens if I don't severe the connection I am going to die and be tied to the Avatar forever because of it. There isn't a way around it. My lips press into a thin line at the thought.

"The key to earth bending is a steady and firm stance," Toph tells Aang drawing me from my thoughts. I tilt my head on my hand ever so slightly just so I can watch the show as Sokka reluctantly peels himself from Appa's paw to set about the day's work. Toph then goes on to explain the basic epitome of earth bending which is to be like a rock essentially. Toph earth bends a rock into a wall rock wall as an example. Aang tries the same move, but he blows himself back into Appa with air bending. Appa groans in reply at being woken.

"Sorry buddy," Aang tells him pulling himself upright and rolling his shoulder. I feel a slight throbbing on my own. Wonderful. If this keeps up he'll begin to drain from my life force before the end of the summer. It's another reason Gyatso had me train away from him. The longer and closer I'm around him the stronger the connection grows.

"Rock beats air bender," Sokka announces his limbs still stiff and heavy with the dregs of sleep clinging to him like sap slowly dripping off him. My scar alerts me gently. I wonder what Psycho is doing at the moment. I hope Iroh is doing alright and that he didn't worry too much about his uncle. Trying to protect everyone is hard and bitter work.