Love Doesn't Come Easy

Chapter 9: They Live

She observed the group from afar. She wouldn't say it but she herself felt alienated. She decided instead of moping she'd explore the air temple.

There was a Giant Pai Sho board in one room. "Seems like the monks loved their Pai Sho... but this was the home to the female monks. So I guess all monks liked Pai Sho. Hmm have to check the other temples out. Wonder if they have a huge Pai Sho board in the Southern Air Temple." She mumbled aloud. She finds a bath house. The plumbing worked, somewhat. She looks around for a bison stable. If there was anything for Appa it should be in the bison stable. It was a good decent bit away from the entire temple but she found the most destruction there. Char marks and pillars broken and crumbled all across the place. Her heart clenched painfully.

"All this destruction just to get rid of the Avatar." She looks through the crumbling stables and finds what looks to be a small camp. It definitely wasn't any of them. There were two bison eating hay. She blinks at the scene before her. "Who are you?" A female voice sounded. She turns to find a girl with arrow tattoos. "You're monks." She whispers. "Yes? Who are you?"

"I'm... I'm Mizuki... ex-Princess of the Fire Nation- I'm not here to hurt you though. I'm here with my friends."

"Friends? You have friends?" The male next to her snorts. "The Avatar, a water bending master, a warrior, a fire bending master who's my husband, an earth bending master and three others." The two look at each other. "She's not lying." A figure with a cloak comes from nowhere. The figure puts down the cloak and a woman in her forties stands observing Mizuki. "Are there more air benders? I bet Aang would love to meet you!"

"Aang?" The woman seems to recognize that name. "You mean as in Gyasto's boy?"

"Yes- er how do you know Gyasto?"

"He helped most of the nomads escape the Southern Air Temple. Soon the other temples were attacked and my family hid. Please lead us to Aang."

"Wanna bring your bison?" Mizuki asks. The woman nods. "Rengi come over here!" A man appears who also had tattoos. "You're all air benders?"

"Yes. There are more smaller colonies of us across the Earth Kingdom. Most of them integrated with Earth Kingdom citizens." The woman answers. Mizuki leads them back to their camp with two big bison following them. "Uh hey guys I found some air benders." Aang perks up and is over in a few seconds a small dust trail following him. "I'm Aang! I hail from the Southern Air Temple!"

"So it is true!" The woman smiles. "I'm Coro. I hail from the Western Air Temple."

"I'm Rengi, hailing from the Eastern Air Temple."

"I'm Esen and this is my friend Tal. The two bison you see behind us are our mentor Coro and Rengi's bison. We sadly don't have our own." Aang is almost on the verge of tears in happiness. "So why is the Fire Prince teaching the Avatar?" Tal asks bluntly. "Redemption." Sokka answers. Tal nods. "Sorry for my friend, he's kind of rude."

"I'm not rude. I'm straight to the point."

"It's rude at times Tal." Tal rolls his eyes at Esen. "Are there more Air benders?"

"Quite a lot of colonies across the Earth Kingdom. Many migrated from Ba Sing Se to the mountains." Aang nods at Coro with a bright smile. "Would you join us for lunch?" The group looks at each other before nodding. Tal looks at Mizuki before humming and saying, "Pretty necklace." Mizuki smiles. "Thank you."

~~~

After lunch Zuko and Aang leave, begrudgingly on Aang's part, to the Sun Warrior Temples. "So Mizuki, how'd you get courted by the Fire Prince?" Tal asks. Esen gives a glare to Tal. Rengi is chuckling softly. "Fire Lord Azulon agreed that since my original consort Lu Ten died during the Siege of Ba Sing Se that Zuko would be my new consort. After that Zuko got banished for speaking out of turn. The scar on his face had represented a loss of honor. It had defined him. He later defined that scar himself.  So for three years he spent searching for Aang to return to his father and have his father restore his honor. A load of hog monkey if you ask me."

"So it wasn't fun." Tal summarizes. "Well if you count the amount of times he blushed simply by my presence I'd say it was fun." Mizuki smiles. "Gosh your smitten." Tal huffs. "Love blinds us but it can also make us see clearer. I've always been like this though."

"I'm assuming the necklace was a gift."

"Correct." Coro smiles. "He must love you dearly."

"He does. It's almost scary how before the Day of Black Sun he was terrified of leaving but when it came to the moment he was fearless and told me he'd protect me with his life. When Ozai shot lightning at Zuko he stood his ground and redirected it." Coro nods. "I bet in due time he'll be able to bend lightning."

"Lightning is known as emotionless fire." Mizuki looks up at Coro who sips her tea methodically. "Correct. I guess you know more than I originally thought." Mizuki hums. "Is there some unspoken language here. That's what it feels like." Tal points out. Coro smirks. "It's a talent."

~~~

Aang and Zuko returned a couple days later smelling of fire. "So I assume you discovered the original way of fire bending." Mizuki says. Zuko nods. He sits down with a thud. "My legs and arms are sore yet I feel so energized."

"It literally was as you said Zuko! Breath of Fire!"

"Uncle taught me that." Zuko smiles fondly before it disappears and his shoulders slump. Tal feeds Appa some hay. "You guys don't know our bisons names. The big one with scruffy fur is Indie and the smaller one with soft fur is Lily."

"Indie and Lily." Aang smiles. "There is a colony of bison with nomads in the Southern Air Temple."

"They went back??"

"Yes. They agreed that it was time to return." Coro smiles at Aang who jumps up in happiness. "I'm not the only air bender anymore!" Aang's smile of happiness lifts their spirits.

~~~