ATER Book 2: Air

Chapter 5: Finding Khanu Part 1

Pacing. That's what I've been doing for the past 3 days, wondering how in the world Khanu and I were ever going to be the same. And then wondering right after that why I was so worried. Khanu and I were just friends. Just friends. Nothing more. Right?

For the past 3 days, I've been restraining myself from running into the pavilion, scouring the woods for Khanu, and apologizing to him.

"You've just got to give him space," Salwa told me. Every single time she would see me pacing, she would try to distract me. Training was the #1 thing. That separation thing? I've managed to separate water and air a total of 26 times. It's come so naturally to me that I now do it without thinking, especially when I start pacing.

It wasn't until the fourth day that I got extremely nervous. "He should've come back by now," I say to Morada.

She smiled. "He just needs some time." That spiked my anger.

"Time for what?!" I yelled. "Time to accept that I know?" Morada just sighed.

"Tell you what," she replied. "I'll go look for him." Before I can say anything else, she adds, "And no, you can't come with me. You still have training to do. Besides, he'll feel more comfortable talking to me."

I nodded, not bothering to protest, knowing that she's right. So Morada left later that day, promising she would bring Khanu home. But I couldn't wait. So I devised a plan.

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The moment I hear the creak of the floorboard beneath me, I stop. Didn't move an inch. No one could know I was sneaking out. Not even Salwa. When I was sure no one was awake, I slipped quietly out of the sleeping building.

I took off running to where Zenith was sleeping near the entrance to the stairwell. I gently shook him.

"Zenith," I hiss. "Zenith, wake up!" Zenith cracked his eye open, his yellow eyes gleamed in the moonlight. When he saw me, he sat up and licked my face.

"Ack! Ok, ok! Listen, we need to leave. You hear me? We need to descend down these stairs and swim out towards the Earth Kingdom." I swear I saw Zenith nod in understanding.

I swung open the door, Zenith on my heels, to find Salwa sitting cross-legged, her eyes closed. When she heard my gasp, a smile crossed her face.

"I knew you'd come," Salwa whispered. She still had her eyes closed when she added, "But don't worry, I'm coming with you." I shake my head.

"Look, Salwa, it was my fault Khanu decided to run away. Not your's. I don't know why he's so sensitive all of a sudden, but I have to make things right." Salwa opened her eyes and nodded.

"I expected as much," she replied. "But Luna? How are you going to find him? he could be anywhere in the Earth Kingdom right now!" I frowned. The North Pole was closer, but there was no way he'd go back there.

When I didn't say anything, she smirked. "You're going to need my help, you know it." I sighed. She was right.

"Oh fine! We'll both ride on Zenith. Besides, Khanu couldn't have gone very far."

*******************

"Are we there yet?" Salwa whines from behind me. I sigh.

"For the millionth time, no, we are not there yet."

"Are we almost there yet?"

"If it'll shut you up, yes." Satisfied, Salwa leans back on Zenith's new saddle we stole from the supply house back on the island, and runs her fingers through the water.

"Luna," she says quietly, "how do we know where to look for Khanu in a place as big as the Earth Kingdom?" I sigh. I'd been wondering the same thing.

"Well, he might be heading towards Republic City. That's a place where waterbending is welcome. Plus, it's a notable destination."

I hear Salwa sigh behind me, then ask, "What if we never find him?" All my thoughts came to a reaching halt. Even Zenith stopped swimming. As much as I'd been thinking about this situation, not finding Khanu has literally been unthinkable.

Even though I hadn't known him for even a year, I couldn't imagine my life without him. We'd spent nights aboard Katara's ship, during the one night that we'd stated in the North, the first few nights before my training with Salwa got serious. My thoughts drifted off to a distant memory.

*************

I grit my teeth to control the nausea. It felt like my intestines had merged with my stomach and were swirling around. A clear 3 beat knock echoes off the cedar door.

"Come in!" I yell, bringing my knees to my chest, getting ready for the next wave. The door opens to reveal Khanu. He smiles.

"Your face is greener than your eyes," he teases. I shake my head.

"I wasn't this sick the last time I rode Katara's boat."

"Maybe it's because you're just not used to the rocking. Besides, we're going through rockier waters heading to the North Pole." I shrug, pushing down the bile that has presented itself in my esophagus.

"If you want, I can ask Katara to take a detour to the Earth Kingdom, and have your mother take care of you." His tone told me he was joking, but it hit a soft spot.

"My mother died when I was 10, so there's really no need," I say, bitterness leaking into my voice. Khanu sighs and sits down onto the bed next to me.

"Yeah, well, my mom left us when I was 8," Khanu said, his voice full of bitterness. Not the same as mine, though. Mine was the wanting of someone to talk to, someone to help me through life; mine was something I never got.

Khanu's was the bitterness of her leaving them, her not being there for them by choice. "I'm sorry," I say quietly. Khanu waves away my sympathy. We sit there for a while before Khanu asks, "Who made you feel better when you were sick, then?"

"My brother, Chen. He sort of became my mom. We've become a whole lot closer since her death." Khanu gets up and brings the jug of water to wash my face with over to us.

"I'm going to make a wild guess that your brother didn't know about this." Khanu waterbends the water out of the jug, motions for me to lay down, and places the water on my abdomen.

The water begins to glow a bright blue. The coolness helps make the queasiness go away. "How do you feel?" he asks. I nod. "Good." He pulls some water away from my abdomen and sets it against my forehead.

"This will help calm your mind," he says in a soothing voice when I tense up.

"But won't multitasking wear you out faster?" I ask. He shakes his head.

"Nope. Miner healing uses so little energy, I could do this for hours." My mind begins to slip into a haze.

Before I slip away, I murmur, "Thank you, Khanu." I don't catch what he says back before I drift off.

******************

I come back to the present and realize I still haven't answered Salwa's question.

"I don't care if it takes years," I reply. "We're going to find him. I'm not giving up just yet."

We swim the rest of the way to shore in silence. As we make sure our things aren't ruined by seawater, I hear Salwa give a muffled scream. I turn to see a figure cloaked in darkness with a hand over her mouth. A hand covers mine and something hard knocks me unconscious.

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I am extremely sorry for the no-updating-for-4-weeks thing. School has been giving boatloads of homework. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Feel free to comment and don't forget to vote!

Ciao!-Lauren