ATER Book 2: Air

Chapter 11: The Mysteries of Color

I gently closed the door behind me, and turned to see an exhausted Katara healing a sleeping Khanu. When she saw me, she gave me a weak smile.

"How is he?" I asked. She shrugged.

"He's doing ok. I just wish I had more help to keep up with his pain."

"Perhaps I can help. I don't know how to heal, but maybe you can teach me."

She motioned for me to come closer. "Then come on down." She lifted water from a bucket into the air and passed it to me. "The goal is to think about the water being pure and full of light. That's what the healing does: it takes out all the impurities, healing them with pure light."

I nodded in understanding. Holding the water in front of me, I closed my eyes and concentrated on pure light. The water was no longer impure. A moment later, I got the same feeling I'd felt when Avatar Korra visited me in the South Pole. There was something spiritual about this water.

Next to me, I heard Katara take in a sharp breath. I peeked through my eyelids and saw that the water was glowing purple.

"How did I do that?" I whispered in awestruck wonder. Katara shook her head. For a moment, we didn't speak. Then: "Luna, I want you to put the water right here." She pointed to a small scar on his lower back.

I set my hand down. After about a minute, I took it off, afraid I would freeze him to death. Now it was my turn to gasp. The very spot the scar had been was now a pinkish tissue fading back to his tan color.

"How did I do that?" I asked again. Katara just looked as confused as I felt.

"I have no idea. I wonder.....put the water right here." She pointed to a horrible place on his back. It was a whip scar filled with dry blood and pus. The skin was a shaggy mess. Gulping, I placed both of my hands on his back and gently pressed the water into his skin.

After about five minutes, I took off my hands and found that his skin was now the pinkish color the other scar used to be before the skin reverted back to a dark tan.

Katara leaned back in her chair in amazement. "Katara?" I asked timidly. "Is there something wrong with the way I heal?" She laughed.

"Oh, spirits, no! Luna, most healers have to roll the water around the wound just to get a decent healing flow going. And even then, the wound doesn't fully heal for another 2 or 3 days. And can I mention the fact that your healing water turns purple!?!"

"So why is mine different? Is it because I'm the Avatar?" Katara shook her head.

"No, I don't think so. My mom was a healer, yet hers didn't turn purple. It's just very strange."

An idea popped into my head. "Katara, what would happen if I spread the water all over his back?"

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I stumbled into Salwa's room 3 hours after I had first entered the healing center, completely wiped out from healing Khanu head-to-toe with my miracle water.

"You look drunk." Salwa said, looking up from her book. She was on her back, holding the book above her head. I rolled my eyes, but just gave myself invertigo.

"That's good, considering I'm not old enough to drink." She shrugged and went back to her book.

"So how is Khanu?" she asked. I laid down on the floor, head up to the ceiling, staring up at her purple ceiling. The shade was nothing like the color my healing water turned.

"Katara said he should be able to walk without a scratch tomorrow morning." I heard Salwa's book fall onto her face.

"Whadya mean he's going to 'walk tomorrow'?" She sat up and faced me. "He could barely limp to the healing center! With help! What did you do to him?"

"Used a special purple colored water all over his body," I replied innocently.

"You're joking, aren't you? Because you can't make water purple unless you add coloring, but you don't know what that is, and oh my gosh, you're not joking, are you?" I pressed my lips together. Salwa moaned and put her face in her hands.

"Salwa, why is that bad?" She sighed deeply and took a moment before answering.

"It's not bad, it's just that purple has....it has a strange meaning." I frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, most people know that it's the color of royalty, but.....it has many spiritual meanings."

"Such as...?" I prompted.

"It often shows up in the life of a person seeking spiritual fulfillment. And if you're seeking peace at mind."

"O-kay then. So, purple is spiritual. I still don't see what the big deal is." Salwa looked like she was trying to swollow rocks.

"It's nothing. You'll learn more when the time is right."

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I woke up because I felt like I was being watched. My eyes snapped open, and I saw in the hazy sunlight washing in from the window a pair of clear blue eyes.

"Good morning," Khanu said. I screamed and rolled sideways to get away from him. He winced and covered his ears. Salwa leapt out of her bed and put up a defensive position.

"Who's there? Why are you screaming, Luna?"

"It's nothing. Luna just likes to scream at people she knows." Khanu winked at me. I rolled my eyes.

For someone who had just been beat to a pulp, then left to stew in pain, he sure was back to his old self again really soon.

"You just surprised me," I said defensively.

"But look at you!" Salwa exclaimed. "There's not a single mark left!" It was true. His skin looked tanner than ever, he didn't wince in pain after every movement, and he looked like he'd never been beat up in the first place.

"Yeah, well, whatever Katara and Luna did to me worked almost overnight."

"You knew it was us?"

"I wasn't as unconscious as you thought." Salwa put her hand on Khanu's shoulder, which for some reason made me want to slap it away.

"What matters is that you're here and better than ever! Hopefully we all can get along better in the future." She flashed a big smile at Khanu.

He scratched the back of his neck and said, "Yeah, guys, I'm really sorry about that. Can we just forget about it?" We both nodded.

"Oh, and where's Morada? I passed her room on the way here, but saw she wasn't in it. I thought she was with you guys." I wanted to hit myself. I'd been so focused on finding Khanu that I'd forgotten about Morada.

"Well, she went out looking for you," Salwa said. "I assume she's still out there." Before I could add anything, Seito rushed into Salwa's room, waving a piece of paper around.

"You'll never believe what I found out about Morada!"

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I'M SO FREAKING EXCITED ABOUT TONIGHT IT'S SO HARD TO KEEP IN BUT LEGEND OF KORRA BOOK 3: PREMIERS TONIGHT AT 7 PM EASTERN STANDARD TIME!!!!!!!!! Are you guys going to watch it? If you miss it, they're playing the first episode (I think) again next Friday!! Also, they're clumping episodes 1 and 2 together for an hour special, with episode 3 following at 8!! Hoped you guys liked this chapter!! Sorry if it has typos and errors, I'm in a rush!

Ciao!-Lauren