Avatar: The Warring Earth

Book Two—Air

By Twins of the Pen

Disclaimer: Avatar in itself belongs to Nickelodeon and Bryan Konietzko/Michael DiMartino. The only things that belong to Twins of the Pen are the original characters.

The ride back didn't seem so bad this time to Syaoran, his nerves for the most part gone—aside from the nervousness Tiki now gave him, and the anxiety of having his mother around again. When everyone got back to the base, safe underground, the trucks started to unload into the cavernous bay and all of the escapees were being directed to various locations therein for physicals and healing. Syaoran was ushering his family along, making sure they got taken a look at when, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a familiar shadow. Jade eyes looked just in time to see the lieutenant slip on out—or rather, limp on out. It looked like she could barely stand. The pain she must be feeling right now, both physical and emotional…

"I'll be right back," Syaoran promised his mother and sister, reluctantly being let go from them. There was something he had to do…

Finding Shun easily in the large crowd, Syaoran called out to him, getting his attention. "Shun," he beckoned, coming up to stand in front of him. He took a deep breath, ridding the knot in his throat. He had to say this. It was past time. "If you're looking for ZanYi, I think I saw her heading back to the rooms." Here was the hard part. Or at least, it was supposed to be the hard part. In the end, Syaoran found it easier to say than he'd imagined. "She needs you, Shun."

Shun was grateful for Syaoran's information. He was about to head after the elusive lieutenant when Syaoran's tone finally registered to him. Slowly, the giant waterbender turned to fully face the Avatar, sizing him up. Despite everything that had happened today, Syaoran didn't look nearly as bad as everyone else. The only visible injury he had was the angry red welts on his neck—which could be easily taken care of. The more noticeable change about Syaoran was his eyes—no longer resigned when he regarded Shun, but more of… acceptance.

"…What are you saying, Syaoran?" Shun asked, feeling as if he needed clarification before he assumed anything. Personally, he felt ZanYi would disagree with Syaoran right now—she didn't need Shun. She needed her brother. And Zaron was never coming back.

But if Syaoran was saying what Shun thought he was saying…

"Something I should have said before all of this," Syaoran told him with a small nod, a little sheepish. What if he had already told Shun that he was giving up on ZanYi? Would it have changed things, for Shun to have been honest with the lieutenant? Would she have let Shun stay with her and not with Ransik's group? Would Shun have been by her side to save her brother?

A lot of questions, but no answers. But Syaoran was going to stop the questions here. He'd been working on dropping his affections for the lieutenant for a while, but now it was time to prove it. Besides… if—and only hypothetically—Syaoran was starting to feel more for Tiki, the Avatar felt he had no right to hold Shun back any longer. The spite wasn't worth it.

"I'm bowing out, so go after her," the Avatar clarified, looking to Shun, a bit wistful, a bit resigned, a bit guilty. "It was never me, Shun. I never had a chance. It's always been you. And if someone's going to be there for her now, that's who it's got to be."

Shun was speechless at first. This was unexpected… but very mature. Shun still felt incredibly guilty for going behind the Avatar's back the past couple of weeks, but that was a conversation they could have another time. Right now, ZanYi needed him, whether she wanted to admit it or not.

The giant waterbender reached out, clasping Syaoran firmly on the shoulder, serious sincerity written on his face as he said softly, "Syaoran… thank you." Leaving the Avatar with that, the giant waterbender rushed off. He did not want to leave ZanYi alone for long—she was in a delicate state, both mentally and physically.

As Shun disappeared into the deeper reaches of the base, Tiki made her way up to Syaoran's side, watching the giant waterbender go as well. The tiny airbender had been surreptitiously listening to their conversation, and something had stirred within her as soon as Syaoran had given Shun his blessing. Tiki had already known that the Avatar was considering giving ZanYi up, but to hear him verbalize it filled her with a happiness she never knew she could feel before. It confused as well as embarrassed her. "You sure you won't regret this down the road?" she asked him, keeping her eyes away from Syaoran's. Tiki knew him well enough to know that when Syaoran made a decision, he would stick to it. She was only asking for her own peace of mind, which was a little selfish. But these feelings were all new to her… she was trying to wade through them as best as she could.

"Shun will make sure I won't," the Avatar answered Tiki, knowing it was true. Shun loved the lieutenant, a feeling stronger than Syaoran had ever felt for her. And with a bit of effort, he'd been able to walk away from ZanYi. Shun had tried and tried… and failed. ZanYi was in good hands, and she was not Syaoran's problem anymore.

"Besides," he continued, looking sideways down at the airbender, "I've got enough on my plate. The important people in my life are already here…"

His family was included in that, but Syaoran knew he meant Tiki too. As a friend. More than a friend? No. Friend. Good friend. More than a friend…?

Scratching at his head, Syaoran was embarrassed of himself, hating the debate going on in his mind at present. "C'mon, let's go see how my family's doing," he ended up grumbling, knocking Tiki's head a bit as he walked away from her.

Tiki rubbed her head as she followed Syaoran, the touch suddenly meaning more to her than it did originally. This was all so weird—when had Syaoran become so important to her, exactly? She felt as if these feelings had snuck up on her in the night, only to spring and attack her when she least expected it. But what the tiny airbender most feared was Syaoran realizing the change in her. Did he see it already? That she had trouble meeting his gaze? That she flushed when their hands accidentally brushed each other as they walked side-by-side?

Tiki hoped not. She was having enough trouble coming to terms with the startling feelings herself—she did not want to have to explain them to Syaoran before she was ready to.

Shun paused outside ZanYi's door. He was not sure what awaited him behind it—but he did know that it might not be pleasant. Shun did not like unpleasantness… but he loved ZanYi. He was willing to bear it, if it would make her feel better. His mind made up, Shun entered the room, knocking only once. He was being rude, he supposed, but ZanYi's well-being was more important than common courtesy at the moment.

"ZanYi," Shun addressed her softly, shutting the door behind him as his eyes fell on her, "you need to have those wounds healed. Let me help."

His concerned blue eyes found ZanYi down on the cold floor, collapsed against the side of her bed. With careful movements, she'd managed to strip of her flak jacket and uniform, down to her compression shorts and tank-top. But after she'd managed to get that much off, she'd fallen… and right now it hurt too much to try and move.

There was a voice in her head, telling her that Shun was right, that those wounds needed professional care. She couldn't leave them alone—this bomb had been especially explosive, her proximity even closer than normal. But she'd been just as close as Zaron…

The lieutenant forced the name back from her mind, determined not to fall apart now. "Get out," she ordered through grit teeth, trying then to stand back up. It only made her start to stumble down again, even her arms hurting enough not to be able to support her weight as she tried to pull herself up.

Shun frowned. So they were back to this, with her refusing his help again, even in her state. No way was he going to leave her alone now.

"ZanYi, I know you're hurting," he tried to reassure her, moving to kneel in front of the fallen lieutenant, "but that doesn't mean you should neglect yourself. Please, I'm only trying to help you." Shun leaned down, trying desperately to meet the lieutenant's eyes, which were angry, pained, and lost. It was like he no longer recognized her.

"ZanYi, please don't push me away."

"ZanYi, let me look at it!"

"Stay away from me! You hurt me! And you're going to leave me too, just like Mom and Dad! So just go away!"

"ZanYi-!"

Zaron's voice from the past echoed in her ears, as if he was there, yelling them right now. Her amber eyes clenched shut, trying to block it all out. Even in their worst of fights, ZanYi always remembered that fight with Zaron, that night. But not for the fiery pain, but because of the promise that had come in the morning.

Yet there was nothing now. Nothing but a broken promise. She'd been right. Seven years old and ZanYi had been right all along: Zaron was going to leave her, just like their parents. She'd just had to wait fourteen more years for it to happen.

It made her insides want to rip in half.

"Go away," she demanded again, her voice terse and stern. The lieutenant had to push down the screams that were swelling in her throat, the frustration and the hurt. Zaron was gone. And if he, of all people, could break a promise with her, nothing was stopping anyone else. She didn't need anyone else.

"No," Shun replied, matching her tone. He hated upsetting her, but this was important. "I'm not going anywhere until you're healed. If you don't want me to do it, fine: I'll get Sikka to come and look at you. But I'm not going to leave you alone, ZanYi. You just lost your brother. No one should have to go through that alone."

Was Shun pushing buttons? Yes, many. Did he think this was helping? Probably not. But it was the truth, all of it. How did she expect him to leave her alone in this state? It was like she didn't know him at all. One way or another, she was going to get the attention she needed, and if Shun had to endure her bad temper throughout, he would.

But again, it was Zaron she heard, Zaron's words that kept hitting her. "I promise. I'll never leave you alone," his voice reminded ZanYi. Something inside just felt like it was cracking, cracking, cracking. He broke his promise. He never lied to her before. He'd never fallen back on his word. But now he had: she was alone. He'd left her alone.

"Stop lying to me!" she yelled with clenched eyes. To whom she was yelling, she didn't know. But ZanYi didn't care. She just wanted the lies to stop. "Go away!"

ZanYi's yelling was beginning to perturb the giant waterbender—it was good that she was showing some emotion instead of just being numb, but she wasn't making any sense. Was she even aware of her surroundings anymore? The lieutenant's hands, clenched and unclenched, fire coming to them. The heat made her injuries sting even more, and she could barely hold back the grimace and growl of pain.

Seeing the fire spring to life in her palms, Shun began to panic. "ZanYi, please calm down!" he requested, taking her by the upper arms, "You're hurting yourself!"

Maybe now was a good time to get Sikka. Still, Shun did not want to leave ZanYi by herself, not even for a few seconds. Her fragile state was cracking right before his very eyes, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. For the second time today, he felt helpless, unable to help ZanYi. It was a hateful feeling.

But it was his touch set her off. "Just go away, Zaron!" her voice bellowed and cracked. Emotions rising high, instincts running the show, ZanYi's hands went up to burn and grab the arms that reached out to her. Blue flames erupted from her hands as she gripped the arms and tossed them away from her roughly.

Flames hotter than ever, ZanYi could not stop the growl of pain as it agitated the wounds that littered her hands and arms. It made her eyes pop open, the fire ceasing. And then she finally saw, saw what she had done.

Shun.

She'd just burnt Shun.

ZanYi then stilled, shell-shocked. Looking down to her hands, her golden eyes searched them like they were not her own. What was happening? She never lost control like that. Never. It was Zaron who lost control…

Zaron.

'He's gone,' the lieutenant told herself, repeating it over and over to make sure she got it. She couldn't lose control like that, had to keep herself together, had to keep his voice from seeping into her every thought. Because the line had just blurred—the line between reality and memory.

If this kept up, she was going to lose that self-control. She could hurt people. Like Shun. ZanYi didn't want to hurt Shun; she'd never wanted to hurt Shun. He was on her side, there for her, right? He'd promised…

But Zaron had promised too. So where did that leave her?

What scared ZanYi was that she didn't know.

Shun was frozen in agony. But not only his own—his wounds were an afterthought. ZanYi was in so much pain right now that Shun couldn't stand it. And she had called him Zaron…

Was he behaving like Zaron? Forcing her to do things because he felt he had her best interests at heart, when he apparently did not? Was that why she felt she needed to injure him? To get the message through his thick skull? Shun dropped his gaze down to the blistering skin on his arms. ZanYi had never burnt him before… although she had threatened to multiple times. And she meant to cause him as much pain as possible—the screaming flesh on his arms was proof. ZanYi didn't want him anywhere near her right now.

"…"

Shun pushed himself to his feet, looking away from the lieutenant, afraid to show her how much he was hurting from her rejection. "…I'll go get Sikka so she can help you. Just wait here."

Shun didn't want to leave her there—he was afraid of what might happen. But ZanYi had made it perfectly clear that she did not want to see him at the moment. Shun was not going to be able to heal her in this state… he was just going to have to get someone who might have better luck. Avoiding ZanYi's gaze at all costs, the giant waterbender finally exited her room, striding quickly away. He needed to find Sikka as soon as possible—ZanYi's wounds were severe, and if she wasn't treated soon, the consequences…

"How do they look?"

It was a relief to Syaoran to find his mother and sister with Sikka. If he couldn't have Shun healing them, then Sikka was the close second best. The Avatar had no doubt that his mother and Sora were in good hands now.

Sikka was finishing up a cut on his sister's leg, but then she stood and faced him, a tired smile on her face. "They're fine, Syaoran," she answered kindly, "Aside from minor stuff, they're a-okay."

"What's wrong with his neck?" Shima asked sharply, looking at Syaoran with a stern concern. Syaoran could only look at his mother oddly.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, looking over at Tiki next. "What's on my neck?"

"That's right!" Tiki cried. She had almost forgotten—who had attacked Syaoran while everyone else was occupied? She had been so relieved that he lived that the fact that he had been attacked had been pushed to the fringes of her mind. Tiki reached up, tracing delicate fingers over the welts on Syaoran's neck. They were painful to look at; Tiki was surprised the Avatar had not yet complained about his neck hurting. The tiny airbender looked up to meet Syaoran's jade eyes. "Syaoran, who did this to you? Do you remember?"

"Ouch!" he did utter once Tiki touched his neck. Okay, apparently something was there. Syaoran took her hands to move them away from his neck to drop them back at her sides. Why would there be something on his neck..?

Oh yeah. Strangled. That's what General Chen had said happened. He'd been strangled. And he had been alone, on the ground, when Tiki had found him, his assailant long since fled. Who had the gall to sneak up on Syaoran and strangle him? Tiki had her suspicions, but she could not confirm them without hearing what Syaoran had to say first.

"Syaoran, what happened to you?" his mother asked, pushing her voice through the noise of the busy bay. Syaoran could already feel her narrowed eyes on him, and when he looked up to meet those brown eyes, it was even more frightening.

"Apparently I got strangled."

"Strangled?" he heard Sora repeat softly from their mother's side, a bit of fear creeping back up into it.

"I'm alive. I'm fine, you two," Syaoran brushed it off, trying to think. What did he remember? They found Tiki and his family. They went down the stairs. Tiki and he started to fight off some of the enemy soldiers…

"I was grabbed from behind…" he started to think, doing his best to recall it. Sikka stilled her healing hands and listened, trying to catch every bit of information. "I couldn't really see… it was a guy—big guy." He looked at Tiki though. "Not Shun-big. Just a regular big guy."

What else? It had been dark. His neck had hurt. The air wasn't coming in. His lungs were in pain…

"Black hair… dark eyes… and he was wearing a suit, not a uniform."

Tiki frowned, her small brow furrowing.

"I saw no one like that when we were fighting," she mumbled to herself, a finger tapping her chin as she thought. "But I guess it makes sense: you get dragged off by some unknown person—never seen before and wearing a suit, of all thigns—and right after, the Neo-Equalists retreat." Tiki looked up to meet Syaoran's eyes. "You know what this means, don't you?"

"That WeiTai was there," Sikka interjected, her expression grim, "and he was likely the one who tried to kill Syaoran."

Tiki affirmed Sikka's conjectures with a nod. "Exactly. Interesting how he managed to avoid all the chaos of the battle and locate Syaoran. I never even heard him drag Syaoran off…" the tiny airbender trailed off and shuddered, hugging herself. If she had been even one second too late… she didn't want to think what would have happened then.

"With everything going on, I didn't even hear him either," Syaoran said, frowning himself. He'd been focused on making sure the Neo-Equalists didn't get past them, distracted by the incoming news about the sergeant major. "But… this means we have something to go off of, right? I got a glimpse of the guy, so at least that's a start now. Next time I'll be able to recognize him."

"Absolutely not."

The Avatar turned to find his mother standing now, on his eye-level. She had that rigid look on her face that he knew all too well. It was the look he got when he was in deep trouble for doing something she didn't appreciate. "Mom—!" he started, but of course, she immediately cut him off.

"You are not going back out there," Shima told her son. "I don't care what you saw."

Syaoran groaned and rubbed his hands over his face in frustration. How is it that he never seemed to be able to catch a break with women? Maybe he needed to start traveling in different circles. "Mom," he tried again, putting his hands on her shoulders, "it's okay. I'll be fine. I'm the Avatar."

"But you were my son first," she insisted, frowning at Syaoran, "and I'm not going to lose you again."

"Trust me, Mom. A lot has changed and a lot has happened since I got out of the camp. I'll be okay. Besides, I've got tough friends and in high places," Syaoran added, looking over at the airbender next to him, "Right, Tiki?"

His face was imploring her, almost begging for her help. Syaoran loved his mother, he really did. But she was as stubborn as an ostrich-horse and he wouldn't put it past her to try and beat him in front of the entire bay of soldiers.

Tiki blinked at him. He didn't mean her, did he? Probably not—never before had Syaoran ever called her tough. But she supposed she was in a high place, sort of.

"Mrs. Wong," Tiki addressed Syaoran's worried mother, "I can understand how you're feeling. But trust me when I say that I—we—have been doing everything we can to protect your son. He's very… important to us, both as the Avatar… and as Syaoran." Tiki felt her face burning, but at the moment, she did not care. She kept Shima's gaze as she asserted, "Syaoran has the might of the Resistance on his side. We're not going to let anything happen to him. You can hold me to that."

Syaoran breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that Tiki had said something. He was going to need all the help he could get to face down his mother. There was no way he was above using his friends to rally to his support against his mother; the woman may not be an earthbender, but she was like a rock when she's decided something.

However, the moment was disrupted by a call of a familiar voice. "Sikka!" Shun called; luckily the waterbending woman was still with everyone else. She looked up from the family feud before her to him in alarm as he approached.

"Shun, what's wrong?" she asked, concern marring her pretty features, "aren't you supposed to be—oh my goodness! What happened to your arms?!"

Shun looked down. His forearms did look like they were in horrible shape, didn't they? Funny… he hardly felt it anymore. "Nevermind me," he waved Sikka away with a note of impatience, for she approached him with her hands already submerged in water. "ZanYi needs your help right now. Go to her, please."

Sikka's brow furrowed. "But I thought you were—?"

"Sikka," Shun interrupted, his eyes filling with desperation as he gazed down at the waterbending woman, "please." Sikka seemed to grasp the gravity of the situation at last, for she gave the giant waterbender a curt nod and hurried away towards the lieutenant's room. Sighing in relief, Shun took a seat near the rest of Team Avatar and set to work on his own wounds. It was slow-going, however, considering his mind was everywhere but on his task.

He still couldn't believe ZanYi had burned him—she always had more control than that. Perhaps he had underestimated just how upset she was. Either way, Shun wouldn't be able to bring himself to see her until she had calmed down. When she was ready, she would come to him… he hoped.

Syaoran saw Sikka rush off and Shun appear, and the Avatar was about to bring him into it too when he saw the nasty, blistering burns on his arms. There was only one way he could have gotten those, considering where he had just gone. "Shun!" Syaoran called as he moved over the giant waterbender. Jade eyes grazing over the injuries, Syaoran felt guilt start to creep up on him. Just how bad was ZanYi? Had he just sent Shun into a war zone?

"What happened? Did ZanYi burn you…?"

Shun took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He was trying not to let what just happened upset him. "Yeah," he stated in what he hoped was a matter-of-fact tone, keeping his eyes on his work. "She… I pushed her too hard, I think. Sikka will help her, though. She'll be fine. She'll be fine…"

Tiki appeared at Syaoran's side, her gray eyes becoming stormy with concern. Was Shun aware of the fact that his hands were shaking? The waterbender continued to try and heal his arm to no avail, so she wagered not. Moving silently, the tiny airbender sat down next to Shun, her delicate hand reaching up to pat his shoulder. "You sound like you're trying to convince yourself rather than reassure us," she pointed out gently. At this, Shun's thin concentration finally broke. Water splashed to the floor as he leaned forward, his head in his hands.

"…I failed her, Tiki," Shun mumbled, his voice cracking. "I couldn't help her. She's in so much pain, and there was nothing I could do!"

"Shhh," Tiki soothed, standing back up and turning towards Shun so she could rub soothing circles in the giant waterbender's back, the other hand patting his head. The scene was strange, to be sure—like a tiny mother trying to comfort her giant, sensitive child. "It's okay, Shun. You have to understand… ZanYi just lost the only family she had left. She won't be all right for a while. This isn't something you can fix right away… or ever, really." Tiki still felt raw from time to time over the loss of her parents. She tried not to show it, but it was still there, a constant ache in her heart. Something like that just couldn't be made better automatically, no matter how strong Shun's healing powers were. ZanYi was going to be raw for a while, and they had to prepare for that.

"Just be as patient as you usually are," Tiki encouraged Shun, a serene smile crossing her features. "Things will get better if she has you to rely on. Maybe not now, and maybe not anytime soon…but they will get better. I promise."

Shun nodded, his hands still covering his face. It was embarrassing, him being so upset that Tiki had to offer him comfort and wisdom. But he appreciated it more than words could express… although he did try. "Thanks, Teeks."

Tiki smiled, giving Shun a side hug. "You'll be okay, Shun. Have faith."

Syaoran could only watch as Shun had started to crack. This was not good at all. ZanYi was already like an impenetrable fortress. She was private by nature. But she had started to let Shun in over the past couple months… If Shun couldn't get through her to now, with Zaron gone, who did that leave? What hope did she have?

"You can't give up on her, Shun," the Avatar found himself saying, stepping forward to be closer to Shun. His words were fervent, emboldened. "If you give up on her, who else is going to try?"

He looked from Shun to Tiki and back. "We've all been with her day in and day out for the past few months, but you are the one that she talks to, the one that she accepts." Despite giving up the lieutenant, the words still felt prickly in his throat. But that didn't matter. No matter who he had feelings for, ZanYi was still a part of this team, whether she liked it or not. That made her their problem.

"You know her better than any of us. You can't give up on her…"

Even Syaoran could only hope that what Tiki said was true. This had happened just today; ZanYi was going to need time. A lot of it, if how she was before all of this was any indication. And Shun was patient. Right now, that was ZanYi's best hope for getting through this.

Shun took a shuddering breath and, finally, raised his head. His eyes were red, but they were also determined. "I'm not giving up," he proclaimed in a quiet voice, "I've never been able to give her up when things were fine—I'm not going to start now that things are bad. She deserves better from me." Shun glanced down at his wounded arms, the skin charred and ugly-looking. With a wince, Shun summoned more water from his canteen and weaved it around his arms once again. "I'm just… going to give her space for now. I don't want to leave her alone… but if I push her any more, I'm afraid she'll snap."

"That's fine," Tiki encouraged him, "The last thing we want ZanYi to do is snap. Just make sure she knows that you're going to be there for her, no matter what. She'll need that support. I did." Shun watched as Tiki glanced at Syaoran and then away, a bit of pink to her cheeks. Shun was momentarily distracted by this—what was going on with Tiki and Syaoran now? Did Shun miss something?

Before he could ask, however, the purple elephant in the base made his presence known—in other words, Kei approached. "Sorry to interrupt," Kei said, quirking a brow at Shun's injuries before turning to Tiki, "but can I talk to you for a minute, Tiki? It's kind of urgent."

Urgent? That didn't sound good. Frowning, Tiki nodded in affirmation. "I'll be right back," she told the other two men before following Kei across the room. "So what's up? You're not hurt anywhere else are you?"

"Nah. Aside from the cap I took to the shoulder, I'm set," Kei replied with a smirk. Tiki gave him a funny look.

"Did you just speak Gangster-ese at me?"

"A little." Kei grinned briefly before his expression sobered. "But seriously, there's something I need to tell you, Tiki: I'm leaving. I'm going back to my father."

Tiki waited for the punchline. When it didn't come, she gaped at the nonbender. He was leaving to go back to his father? He hated his father! And he knew too much! Would he even be allowed to leave the base now? As Tiki opened her mouth to voice all of these concerns, Kei anticipated it, and he raised a hand to halt her speech.

"Let me explain," he requested, looking amused. Tiki shut her mouth and looked expectantly at him. So Kei continued, "being here the past couple of weeks… and being around you for the past month or so, I was able to realize that benders aren't what I thought they were. Like you said, there are some bad benders… but there are also some bad nonbenders. A lot of them, actually… and, I want to do something about it. I want to change it."

Tiki stared blankly up at Kei. "…How are you going to do that?" she ventured to ask. Kei smirked.

"It's not going to be easy, but as soon as I sever ties with the Ryuunosuke family—yeah, that's what I'm planning on doing," he confirmed, taking notice of Tiki's gawking, "but once I do that, I'm going to start fresh. I have an uncle who's been decent to me, and who's sympathetic towards benders: he's been smuggling them out of Republic City for years, which is why he was ex-communicated from the family. With his help, I might be able to bring attention to my cause."

"And… what is your cause?"

"The Avatar Front: harmony between benders and nonbenders alike."

"Yeah, I know, it's cheesy."

"No, I wasn't going to say that… actually, I was thinking it," Tiki admitted with a brief, sheepish grin, "but Kei, do you know what kind of danger you're putting yourself in by openly backing the Avatar? It's noble of you, yes, but—"

"It's okay," Kei assured the tiny airbender, "I know what I'm doing. Even if I'm silenced, there will be others who will take my place. I just need to be the gateway for other nonbenders to step up. After all, some of these nonbenders have family who are benders." Kei's hazel gaze slid over to where Syaoran's mother and sister were seated. "…I'm willing to bet not all of them are happy with the way things are right now. And I want to help."

Tiki stared up at Kei, incredibly moved. Was he for real? If so, he was becoming an amazing man right before her eyes. If she hadn't just realized that she had feelings for Syaoran… "How are you getting off the base, then?"

Kei's eyes returned to Tiki's, the smile returning. "Remember my guard friends from earlier? They were caught by the general that was liberated from the POW camps. When I explained to him what I was up to, he volunteered to take me off the base personally—but not before threatening me that the Resistance would be keeping a very close watch on me, and if I so much as breathed any of their secrets, that he would, uh, do something with my insides that I'd rather not repeat."

Tiki fought back a smile. That sounded like the good general all right. "Are you leaving now, then?" she inquired.

"Yeah. I came to say goodbye." Kei stuck out his hand, offering Tiki a handshake. "Goodbye, Tiki. We may never meet again, but I'll never forget you. I promise."

Tiki eyed the nonbender's hand, and then looked up at Kei like he was crazy. Ignoring his hand completely, the tiny airbender stretched up on her toes, planting a soft kiss on Kei's cheek. The nonbender's cheeks heated, and he stared at Tiki as if he could not believe what just happened. Tiki merely giggled at him.

"Goodbye, Kei. It was great getting to know you… even if things didn't work out the way you wanted them to," she said with an apologetic note in her voice. Kei sighed, but he nodded.

"It's all right. I know when I'm beaten. I'd better head out now." Kei turned and began to walk away before he paused. Turning back to Tiki with a smirk, he commented, "But if the Avatar ends up breaking your heart, just come find me, and I'll take care of him for you."

Tiki's face reddened and she opened her mouth to claim that she had no idea what he was talking about, but the nonbender merely laughed and walked away. Tiki watched him go, shutting her mouth and feeling foolish. Had her feelings been that obvious? If Kei could tell, did that mean Syaoran could too? Tiki hoped not; she herself had just discovered these feelings, and she had no idea what to do with them as of yet. She was just trying to deal with things as best as she could, one step at a time.

"What was that about?"

Syaoran's voice came from behind her, the Avatar starting to walk over. Shun was trying to get himself together, and his family could wait a couple minutes. With the massive influx of soldiers, priority went to others for rooms, so he was going to having them in his room for the time being until things settled down.

Which meant he'd see plenty of them. It was almost like being back in the camps; at least this time they were free. And there was an actual bed in the room.

Syaoran crossed his arms, coming up next to Tiki with curiosity on his face. "Where's Kei off to?"

Tiki kept her eyes away from Syaoran, still quite flushed from Kei's comment. How much had Syaoran seen, anyway? "He's leaving," she informed the Avatar, an unexpected ache resonating through her chest at the admission. She found that she would actually miss the nonbender a lot—he had been a good friend to her… most of the time. "General Chen has agreed to escort him off the base. He's going to sever ties with his father and stay with his uncle, promoting a new cause: harmony between benders and nonbenders alike. He calls it the Avatar Front."

Tiki hoped that Kei would not be discouraged in his endeavors, because there was going to be a lot of angry nonbenders who would not like that he was backing the 'wrong side', once he made his stance known. No one took kindly to traitors—Tiki knew that better than anyone. So she would pray that Kei's efforts would pay off, both for his sake, and for the future of all people, benders and non.

Tiki turned a smile onto Syaoran. "It seems he's become a fan of yours, despite your attitude towards him. I think he'll make a great politician, though, don't you?"

A fan? Of him?

Syaoran wrinkled his nose, as if finding that to be completely asinine. "I don't need another cheerleader. I've already got one. That's enough," he remarked, ruffling Tiki's hair. But Syaoran, unable to linger without a blush, looked to where Kei had disappeared. The guy certainly grated his nerves, and had a lot of kinks to work out in himself. But then again, who didn't? And, Syaoran supposed, when it counted most, Kei had done the right things by them. He'd saved them on the island. He'd protected the Avatar's family…

Syaoran couldn't fault him entirely after that.

"All the luck to him," he wished, meaning it. It was going to be rough for Kei—might even get him killed. But then again, wasn't overall peace a cause worth dying for? All of these soldiers were putting their lives on the line, just for the sake of hopefully one day there will be no war. Some of these soldiers lost their lives… and others had to live with the aftermath.

Tiki's parents. His family. The sergeant major. ZanYi. This war was getting more and more personal. And Syaoran wasn't going to let anything stop him from changing that.

"Come on, Tiki," he ushered, starting back towards where Shun, his mother, and his sister were. "It's been a long morning. We should probably get back so we can all rest. After all," Syaoran then turned to face Tiki, a determined set in his eyes, "we've got to get back to training tomorrow, right?"

The little airbender huffed. And again he was messing up her hair. Tiki was beginning to realize that this was the way Syaoran showed affection, what with his awkwardness and all. Smiling a little to herself, Tiki worked on freeing her hair from its binding plait. She was pleased that Syaoran seemed to be eager to return to his airbending training, when he usually greeted the task with less enthusiasm. Perhaps the return of his mother and sister had inspired him to do better?

Training… now that Kei was gone, that would mean that she and Syaoran would be alone together for training again. Tiki tried not to think too much about that part. She had to remind herself firmly that she was Syaoran's airbending teacher, and that was all he needed her to be at the moment. She would have none of these complicated feelings messing up what they had worked so hard at.

"Yeah," Tiki replied, both to Syaoran's query and her own thoughts. Her hair now free, Tiki finger-combed it a few times before pulling her butterfly hair clips from her pockets and placing them carefully in her hair. She was beginning to feel more like herself again now. Fixing Syaoran with her stern teacher stare, Tiki reminded him, "Same time, same place tomorrow morning." The firm expression melted away into a smile as she led the way back to his family and Shun. "But for right now, enjoy the time you have with your family. I'm sure you all have a lot to talk about."

Syaoran looked back to his family, even more aware that his mother had neglected to tell him what happened to his father. Was he alive? Did he escape? Did Shima even know?

So many questions, and no answers, not until he actually asked. But right now—right now, despite it being just a little while past daybreak, this day had already gone on too long. Those questions wouldn't be asked, not today.

They'd all suffered enough today.

Why was Tiki already awake? It was nowhere near the time for her to meet with Syaoran. And the tiny airbender had been up half the night analyzing the abrupt affection she seemed to harbor for the Avatar after the raid. She had expected the sensation to go away after Syaoran's neck was healed and the reminder of his almost-death had disappeared… but they did not. What was going on? Since when had she felt this way about the Avatar? Had Sikka been right all along?

Tiki shook her head, her long hair whipping the air. Too much confusion, not enough answers. This mess could be sorted out later. Right now, she needed to occupy her time until it was time to train the Avatar.

Digging into her pocket, Tiki fished out a gift Kei had inexplicably left on her pillow before he left—a MP3 player. Tiki had no idea how he had gotten his hands on it… but then again, maybe she didn't want to know. They had spent a lot of their time talking about music when they were together, and Tiki was touched to find that the nonbender had already loaded all of her favorite songs onto the player, fully charged and ready to use. Smiling fondly, Tiki inserted the earbuds, pressed play, turned the volume up as high as it would go, and began to dance in the early morning, her steps glittering with the dew of the earth. She knew that the guards had been changed ever since Kei left, and they were probably watching her frolic about, but she did not care at the moment: if she couldn't see them, she could not be for sure that they were watching or not. And she was just fine with that.

But the guards were not the only ones she had to worry about, because Syaoran was, while stifling a yawn, coming up out of the base, thankful for the change in guards himself. These guys seemed to be stricter, but at least that meant they were safe. He didn't mind that, especially with his mother and sister here now.

It may be even earlier in the morning than normal—the sun had only begun to peek over the horizon yet—but Syaoran blamed the erratic sleep on the combat of yesterday. They'd gotten up about this early the day before, and he'd been so tired, he'd fallen asleep early in the evening. He could also blame it on the fact that he was currently sleeping on the floor, since his mother and Sora were canoodled up in his bed until the Resistance could get them their own room.

Either way, he was awake, and while walking out of his room, the guards had informed him Tiki was already up. Might as well get a jump on things; Syaoran could use all of the help he could get.

Entering the clearing, his jade gaze fell on the dancing airbender. He couldn't hear a thing of what she was listening to, but her movements were good enough that he didn't have to know. It was nice just to watch her dance…

…And then he felt awkward again. Remember: this was Tiki. TIKI!

Giving his head a violent shake, he made his presence more clear, coming up behind her and taking out one of her headphones. "Ready to get started?" he asked, peering around at Tiki.

"WHOA!" Tiki yelped, reacting quickly with an air blast to Syaoran's chest, knocking him on his backside. Realizing it was the Avatar, Tiki breathed a sigh of relief, sinking to her knees in front of him. "Don't do that, you scared me," she scolded him, her brow puckering. What possessed him to think it was a good idea to sneak up on her like that? She had not been expecting anyone either—Syaoran was actually lucky that she hadn't airbended him into a tree. Yanking out her other earbud, the tiny airbender surveyed him, her expression becoming curious.

"What are you doing up here, anyway? The sun's barely up." She wasn't supposed to have to deal with him until the sun was up higher! Why was he already here? Not that Tiki wasn't happy to see him… no, focus! Airbending teacher, airbending teacher… "Were you just really eager to get started?" Tiki suggested mildly, though there was a hint of a smirk playing across her lips. Yeah right—Tiki knew all-too-well how much Syaoran was struggling with airbending. It was more likely that he just couldn't sleep rather than he wanted to see her sooner…

…And Tiki should not feel disappointed by that.

Syaoran rubbed the back of his head, sour-faced at being blasted so early in the morning. Seriously, why does everybody have to attack him? It's not like he did anything wrong.

"I just… woke up," Syaoran answered her grumpily, "and then the guards told me you were already up, so here I am. Might as well practice more, right?"

It actually sounded kind of dreadful, but he knew he needed the practice. Airbending was not going to happen unless he kept trying. If Kei can manage to gather up the courage to go home to break ties with his gangster-father, then Syaoran could put up with training if that's what it meant to do his part in saving the world.

No pressure.

"Well, we going to get started or what?" he asked her, fixing her with a deadpanned look.

The gruff tone Syaoran used made Tiki smile—it was a reminder of the normalcy they used to have, when the world made sense… and when she wasn't harboring these inexplicable feelings towards him.

"Okay, okay, keep your pants on," she told him, stuffing her MP3 player into her pocket. She was strangely in a good mood, considering she had hardly gotten any sleep. How weird. "Okay, let's begin. I trust you don't need me to tell you what to do."

Folding her legs on the summer dirt, Tiki closed her eyes and breathed deeply, the morning air crisp and invigorating. She had barely gotten to work up a sweat with her dancing before the Avatar showed up, but meditating still managed to cool her down. It was a pleasant feeling. As she exhaled, Syaoran's aura sprang to life in front of her, powerful and beautiful. The tiny airbender smiled.

Syaoran grunted, mimicking her pose. Then he mumbled, "Too chipper so early…"

But nonetheless, he did the best he could to expel his morning grogginess, just as he always did. Syaoran took a deep breath in, then exhaled it, beginning to relax and be calm. In fact, it was a bit easier than normal. He supposed he had a lot to be relieved about.

Team Avatar, at the very least, had come out of the battle alive. His mother and sister were now safe from the Neo-Equalists, though the location of his father was to be determined. And apparently he'd survived a near brush with death. The Avatar was alive, and that counted.

Relief seemed to be the biggest relaxation tool for Syaoran; he knew that much. So he tried to focus on those thoughts. How it made him feel to know the Neo-Equalists would never touch his family again. How it felt to finally let go of ZanYi, into hands much more capable for her than he. How it felt to be brought back to life…

When Syaoran exhaled his next breath, he exhaled everything, let everything go out with it. And the breath turned into a gust that threw his hair back from his face, pushing him off the ground for a second.

"It worked…?" he muttered, disbelieving. Was this another fluke?

Tiki had been thrown back from the gust as well, sprawled out on the ground. She propped herself up on her elbows, nudging her haphazard bangs out of her face to stare at Syaoran. "That… was more powerful than last time," she breathed, pushing herself to sit back up. Staring intently at Syaoran, she encouraged him. "Try it again. Let's see if you can evoke air deliberately this time."

What had inspired that gust? Perhaps it was the dispelling of worry about his family? After all, his mother and sister were within, probably sound asleep. Whatever it was, Tiki hoped the Avatar could harness that inspiration and use it to further his airbending powers. He had all the basics down; all he needed was the drive.

Syaoran nodded. 'Please let this not be another fluke, please let this not be another fluke...' was the mantra that he kept repeating over and over in his head. If he could actually start airbending sometime soon, that would be fantastic.

So Syaoran took a couple deep breaths, pushing the mantra away. He thought about everything again—how the worry seemed to run away. He thought about how it had felt as the air had rushed into his lungs yesterday, giving him life. How freeing and purposeful indeed it was.

The Avatar opened his eyes, took a deep breath, and this time purposefully exhaled harshly.

And it worked.

Tiki went tumbling back and the trees began to rustle with the sudden gust. "It works… It works!" Syaoran exclaimed. He jumped to his feet, hoping to keep hold of this while he could. Moving to the stances he knew too well by then, he closed his eyes to center himself and then snapped them open.

For the first time, when Syaoran went through the movements, the air seemed to follow him, swirling and billowing. "I did it! I'm airbending! For real this time!"

"Congratulations, Syaoran!" Tiki cheered, jumping to her feet and rushing over hug Syaoran. Finally—he had achieved airbending! Whatever mental block the Avatar seemed to be suffering from was gone, and he had full control of his airbending powers!

Tiki was a tad too enthusiastic in her hug, however. Syaoran had been in his final position, which was not a balanced position, considering he had to stand on one leg. So the tiny airbender pretty much tackled the Avatar to the ground in her haste to congratulate him.

"Oof… uh, sorry," Tiki apologized, pushing herself up on her elbows to give Syaoran a sheepish look, her cheeks turning rosy. But she was delighted, and it showed in the smile she gave the Avatar. "But you see? I knew you could do it. Good job."

Why did Syaoran spend half of training on the ground, no matter who was his instructor? Yes, he was an earthbender. Doesn't mean that the ground wasn't hard!

But even as he rose up on an elbow to scowl over at Tiki, he knew he couldn't hold his discontent. She seemed to be about as happy as he was about this development. Not to mention Tiki was kind of cute when she got all excited like that…

…Moving on.

"Well, whoever it was that brought me back from the dead yesterday deserves the credit," he shrugged, though he had a sideways smile on his mouth. "Kind of helps to know the difference between having air and not having air."

"Oh… then… you're welcome," Tiki told him, though she glanced away, suddenly uncomfortable. That was right—Syaoran had no idea how he had come back to life, because Tiki hadn't bothered telling him. She was glad that he seemed to finally grasp the importance of air—everyone took it for granted; no one appreciated it like airbenders did—but now was embarrassed over the way she had to revive him. Their lips had even touched…

Tiki's face turned pink. Why did she have to come to this realization now?! This was not helping anything! The tiny airbender pushed herself away from Syaoran to sit beside him, her knees drawn up to her chest. She remembered with perfectly painful clarity how it felt to force air into Syaoran's lungs, to keep his heart beating, to return to him the will to live…

"I had to give you CPR," she confessed to Syaoran, her face now glowing red. This confession was much more embarrassing than it should have been. Tiki was proud that she had saved the Avatar's life. It was just her stupid girly hormones that made her feel shy about it now.

Probably didn't help that Syaoran was now staring at her. CPR? As in it was Tiki that had made him breath, giving him air? That meant it was Tiki who'd given him mouth to mouth…

Syaoran wasn't sure whether to blush or want to wash his mouth. What scared him was that he was leaning towards the former. What was wrong with him? He couldn't like Tiki like this. He just… couldn't! Right…?

He had to push that away—he was becoming very adept at such an action—and sit up. Either way he cut it, Tiki had still saved his life. "Thanks then, Tiki," he told her gratefully. Reaching an arm over, Syaoran gave her a one-armed squeeze. And then his arm lingered.

Okay, enough of that.

The sun finally rising above the trees, Syaoran stood up and reached a hand down to Tiki. "So, ready to see what else I can do?" he asked her, starting to get more confident.

Tiki readily took the hand Syaoran offered her, intrigued by his offer.

"Are you asking me to spar with you?" she asked him, a smirk beginning to curl her lip. "Because if you are, it's best not to get cocky, newbie—I've been doing this way longer than you have."

It was much easier to tease Syaoran, to pal around with him like this, to just consider him a friend… and yet Tiki had inexplicably begun to think of him as more. When had that happened? And just what was she supposed to do about it? The tiny airbender had no idea, and that was what was probably bothering her the most.

Tiki preferred this new awkwardness she felt over them fighting all the time… but not by much.

Syaoran frowned at her sass, but found it justified. She had basically handed his backside to him last time they'd tried to spar with airbending. Then again, he couldn't airbend last time. Now he could. Big difference.

He knew the moves, and he knew Tiki's airbending. His advantage would be that she wouldn't know his airbending—even he didn't know his airbending yet! But there was airbending of some sort, and that was the main point here.

So yeah, Syaoran let a bit of confidence come up, and he smirked right back at Tiki. "You're on, Pipsqueak," he taunted, pulling her up to her feet.

"That's Sifu Tiki to you," Tiki chided, reminding him that, despite her lack of height, she was still his airbending teacher. Still, she was smirking right back at him, the ghost of her impish kitty grin present. After giving his hand a brief squeeze, she pulled away and jumped back, sinking into a defensive position.

"You know the rules: airbending only," she reminded him just in case. Her gray eyes sparkled, more eager to see what Syaoran could do than to win… though she wasn't about to let him know that. "And, Syaoran? Last time, I was going easy on you. You won't have that courtesy this time, so I hope you're as ready as you think you are."

And Tiki rushed in without warning, deciding for a more direct approach this time around. However this spar turned out, she couldn't care less. All she knew was that Syaoran had finally achieved airbending… and that she cared for him a great deal more than she had originally believed, something that was surprising, but not altogether unpleasant.

But Syaoran didn't know that. Which meant she was in no way obligated to go easy on him at all. This was going to be fun.

A/N from DJ: Congratulations, folks: you just survived the whirlwind Book Two! xD Bumpy ride, eh? Get used to it~ Yes, Eva and I are very cruel. We know. I hope you all enjoyed, and we thank you all again for being with us on this ride! It's so awesome to see you guys coming out to read this :3 Now, to the acknowledgements!

Masseffect321: We're so glad you love this so much that you're compulsively checking xD As for the TiRan, their own story is developing, just as they are. They not Shun and ZanYi, so their road will be a totally different one. Progression is good! ...Normally xD

Japaneserockergirl: Everything from your last review I think was answered in this final chappie of Air xD But yeah, TiRan was the intent from the start, but they just had to work their way towards each other, whereas ShunYi was like opposites attract~ As for the last two books after Water, all I will say is that they are titled "Book Four: Spirit" and "Book Five: Avatar".

Now! Guess y'all want some Book Three: Water now, right? Well, you may have to wait xD It is likely that we will make you guys wait until the new year for the start of Water! We are in the process of editing, overhauling, and re-writing portions due to length issues and dealing with new information supplied by Korra's second season. So, no more than in two weeks, but just keep an eye out! Peace out, yo!