Reborn In Water || ATLA

Awake And Alive

The Great Divide

"I'm awake, I'm alive, now I know what I believe inside. Now it's my time I'll do what I want 'cause this is my life. Here, right here, right now, right now. I'll stand my guard and never back down. I know what I believe inside, I'm awake and I'm alive." - Skillet

🌊 🌋 🔥 🌪

The sun had already begun to set when it was decided the refugees had gone far enough for the day and should set up camp for the night. To the right of the path were the Zhangs. Sokka was extremely smug after the leader of the tribe agreed that putting up their tarps above their tents was useless in the dry season, not to mention it could be used as a blanket. To the left was the Gan Jin. Katara couldn't wait to boast that they had of course decided you could never be too careful and did indeed put up their tarps.

Above both tribes perched on a flat top were Aang and Aelita. They had no tents and no wood for an actual fire like the groups below them did. Aang had debated on seeing if either group had any supplies to spare for the evening but he didn't want to risk interrupting the Water Tribe siblings as they tried to find out what the feud was even about in the first place. Instead, the two propped themselves up against a few stray rocks to keep watch for the night.

"It sure would be nice to be around one of those campfires." Aang sighed, arms crossed beneath his chin as he watched the two camps.

"It would be nicer to eat." Aelita casually remarked.

"That too. Thankfully we'll be out of here soon and then we can eat our weight in lychee nuts."

Momo offered the bug he had caught in his tiny paws to the two humans, but they both kindly declined.

"What I really meant was it would be nice to be like them," Aang admitted. "To be able to tell stories and laugh with your people." The loss of the Air Nomads was something that would likely weigh heavy on the teenage boy's shoulders for a long time to come.

"I know," Aelita agreed with a sad sigh of her own. As dysfunctional as they were she missed her people too. "Beautiful nights like this were the best on the ship. The whole crew would congregate on the main deck for music and dancing."

"I can't imagine Zuko singing or dancing," Aang said as he tried to picture the violent man playing the harp. "He seems too angry for that."

"At times, yes but he had his happy moments too."

"Well, I've never seen that for myself," Aang said as he turned to face Aelita, the moon in the sky serving as the only light showing her face. "Every encounter I've had with him has been bad. If you haven't noticed he's definitely more of an attack first and ask questions later kind of guy."

"He wasn't always that way." Aelita defended albeit softly. "Even after we realized you were alive he wasn't always so...harsh. He had his moments sure but he was also incredibly kind when he wanted to be. So much has happened and he'd never admit it but he's hurt now. His father nearly broke Zuko. I think him feeling like I abandoned him might've him finished the job."

Aang couldn't help but notice the broken look on the Akira's face. She had woven herself so tightly into their ragtag team of fighters it was easy for him to forget what all she had left behind to join them. It was hard for the monk to understand her soft spot for the Prince. The two seemed like polar opposites in his eyes, so why did Aelita continue to defend the very person who wanted his head?

"Tell me about him."

"What?" Aelita asked, unsure if she actually heard Aang correctly.

"Tell me what he was like before."