Avatar Dakota

Chapter 10

"Are you feeling any better?" Blaze asked as Dakota sat in the window. She was watching the Sun set quietly. She turned over her shoulder and looked at him, a sad and exhausted expression on her face. Blaze handed her a nice bowl of ramen before climbing up into the window next to her.

"You should eat. You need the energy, especially after what happened today."

"That was my Avatar state, wasn't it? It felt...weird. Like I didn't have control over my body anymore."

"Well, it is a lot of energy and power all at once. That's probably why you passed out." Blaze said before eating some of the meat in his bowl. Dakota looked back out the window.

"...Maybe if I didn't leave, father would still be alive right now."

"Dakota, don't blame yourself. You heard the news, the Dai Li poisoned him with arsenic."

"Yeah...something just doesn't seem right."

"No kidding. How did they get into the water supply? Especially the Fire Nation Palace's personal one."

Dakota sighed and stared into her bowl, her tail swinging gently behind her. She hesitantly took some bites, taking her time to eat.

"If, uh...you need to talk about it or something, I'll listen. I don't know, I'm not very good with these kinds of things." Blaze rubbed the back of his neck.

"Thanks Blaze, I appreciate it." Dakota smiled at him. He nodded at her as he finished his meal.

"It's crazy how fast things can change," she continued. "Just over half a year ago, I was still in the Fire Nation, learning how to Airbend. My father was alive and well, and I had no idea what the Dai Li was doing. Now it feels like everything has changed."

"You were forced to grow up too quickly." Blaze said, putting his elbows on his knees and leaning forward. Dakota looked over at him and tilted her head.

"I know because I was too. When my family died 10 years ago, I had no choice but to grow up in a snap. It's unfair, especially when people like us never asked for that." Blaze continued. He looked over at her, seeing her forlorn expression in the dying sunlight.

"Why did this have to happen? I'm the Avatar, I could've stopped this from happening. I was supposed to stop this from happening..." Dakota sniffled and started rubbing the tears away in her eyes, only to start crying harder. Sobs heaved from her vocal chords as she held her face. Blaze scooted closer to her, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her close. Dakota curled into his shoulder, arms finding themselves around his waist. He gently rubbed her back as she harshly cried.

"I should have done something! A-And now he's gone!!" She yelped. Blaze shook his head.

"No, this isn't your fault. Things like this happen, and you can't expect to be everywhere at once. It'll all be okay, I promise." He said in a calm voice. Her sobs calmed down after a while. She felt something in her lap and looked down. Chichou had climbed the wall and was laying his head in her lap. He cooed at her and stuck his tongue out, making her smile a bit. She pet his large ears gently. Blaze let go of her and looked off in the distance. A smile crept on his face as an idea popped into his head.

"Hey, I know what'll make you feel better. Go get dressed, I'm taking you somewhere." Blaze said as he hopped back into the hotel room. Dakota raised an eyebrow and shook her head as she looked down at her animal guide.

"He's gonna get us into trouble, isn't he?" She said to the Lemurfox. He chattered and nodded his head. Dakota climbed back into the room and dressed in a nice, thick Fire Nation striped sweater with jeans and canvas shoes. She entered the bathroom and washed the tears off of her face. She fixed her hair and walked back out, picking up her over-the-shoulder bag. Blaze was standing by the door in sweatpants and a hoodie. He nodded his head to signify her to come with him. She followed him out of the hotel. He led the way down the lit up sidewalk, keeping his hands in his front pocket. Even though this part of the Earth Kingdom stays warmer than most, it was still cold. The two walked down the street for a good while before Dakota spoke up.