The Master of Wind

-The Void-

Aia's P.O.V:

Jay and Cole managed to climb in just in time before the rocket took off in a cloud of fire and smoke. The six of us were shoved into the back of the compartment by the force of the takeoff. I was hit by a wave of nausea and it felt as if the skin was being pulled off my bones. Then, almost like crashing through a wall, the pulling force stopped and we were all freely floating in midair.

Inky blackness dotted with pinpricks of light floated by the small circular window in the middle of the rocket. Jay looked out of said window with wide eyes, his mouth slightly agape. I couldn't manage to keep my feet on the floor, so I kept myself steady by leaning against one of the walls.

I heard someone call my name and saw Lloyd tumble over to me, stopping upside down. He tried to turn the other way around but eventually gave up. He struggled staying balanced, so I offered him a hand with a chuckle. "Need help, greenie?"

I asked, reversing our roles from the day before. Seeing where I was going, he stuck his tongue out but took my hand with a smile and managed to stabilize himself against the wall as well.

I flinched as he let go of my right hand. The wound stung and it didn't seem to have stopped bleeding.

Lloyd inched closer upon my reaction, looking at my hand with worry. "Is it bad? I wonder if there's a first aid kit lying around here somewhere..."

"Thanks Lloyd, but I'll be fine. We need to get this situation under control before anything else-"

"Shush, Aia." Cole butted in from the other side of the compartment. "Getting your hand treated is our first priority right now. You need to take better care of yourself."

Kai nodded as he also struggled to stay still in midair. "Cole's right. While Lloyd patches you up, we'll attempt to get in contact with earth. Come join us when you're ready."

Lloyd let out a sigh of relief and mouthed the words 'thank you' to the others as they floated towards the far end of the compartment, leaving the two of us in silence.

"Uh, I guess we'll start with removing your glove." Lloyd stuttered as he carefully slipped the leather glove off my hand. I couldn't help but wince as he pulled the glove halfway over the wound, causing him to halt.

"Do you want to do it yourself? I don't want to hurt you-"

"No, its okay." I tried to cheer him up. "The cut's just in a sensitive spot, so it kinda tickles."

Lloyd nodded but the worried expression didn't leave his face as he finished removing the rest of the glove. "We don't have access to water, so we'll have to get by with applying pressure to the wound for now."

"Alright." I complied but hesitated once he removed the top layer of his gi, revealing nothing but the tight, black shirt underneath. It was hard not to stare as he tied his belt around my wrist to stop the bleeding.

He seemed to notice for his face was just as red as mine. The two of us had gotten a lot closer lately but I still a sudden urge to hide away under a rock. I knew it would be plain disrespectful to leave when he was working so hard to take care of my wound, so I decided to stay put. And even if I decided to leave, I didn't have anywhere go, being in the middle of the galaxy and all that.

Once he'd finished tightening the green belt around my wrist, he went on to inspect the wound which had finally stopped bleeding. Lloyd's cheeks were still a bright pink when he looked me in the eye. "Do you feel any loss of sensation in your hand? It's important that you're honest."

I was very impressed with his knowledge of first-aid and medicine. Sensei Wu had taught us the basics a while ago but Lloyd was a natural! His calming presence was really effective as well. In an attempt to ignore my thoughts, I slowly began wriggling my fingers as instructed. "No, I can feel everything just fine."