atla one shots

8-blind/deaf

"Let's start with the backflip. Show me what you can do."

Aang starts to move, but for some reason he exits my vision all of a sudden and I realize I can no longer see the heat. Not on the rocks, or the walls or his body. I force myself not to panic and glance around with the good eye, to see rock walls up covering the sun and ice covering the floor.

"Can you two not  interfere with the training? Giving him hard ground to stand on will discourage him, not encourage him. Now, get rid of the ice and the wall, please."

"No. We want to test something and this is the only way to do it. Now, continue the lesson."

I sigh and subtly change my position so I can see him at all times with my eye, before ending it, at what I assume is the right time, since I can't actually see the sun. I can faintly feel it, but the feeling had always been faint enough I couldn't tell where it was. I sigh and gently rub my head when the pounding gets worse as the wall goes down. In fact, the pain gets so much worse I stumble and nearly fall as spots dance in my vision, except a rock pillar rises under my hand, gently running into the palm of it. I lean a bit heavily against it and wince when the light is blocked, before sighing. 

"Zuko, what's wrong?"

"I.... will explain at lunch, since this is as good a time as any."

He nods hesitantly, but the earth pillar leaves and Toph nods, before we all begin towards the main area, where Katara has a stew going. I greatfully accept a bowl and sit in the circle for once, between Toph and a piece of rock, leaning gently against the rock. Seems like the most stable place to rest my aching, pounding head while explaining the whole, half blind, half deaf thing to the people surrounding me on a daily basis now.

"So,  I guess it's about time I explain something. Toph, Katara, can you redo the thing you did earlier? Cause I think you know exactly where this is going."

Once the wall and ice block all heat and sunlight, I set my bowl aside blindly, and wince at its harsh scrape. I reach a hand out for Toph, who's on my left, and miss her by a foot or so. I can't say it surprises me, but from the expressions on the others face, they were excepting me to actually succeed. Oops. Maybe I hid it a little too well.

"My father burned half my face off, and in doing so burned my eye so badly I lost all sight in it, while that ear no longer works. I can see, though the way I see gives me headaches, that almost always make me worthless. I've had at least 5 while here, but Aang needed training and I couldn't let that get me down. So, do try not to block the sun or the heat from the sun from me, or your own, because right now I may as well be completely and totally blind, for how well I can see you. No one past Sokka can be seen."

That means Sokka, and Aang are the only ones I can see, no Momo, Appa, Toph or Katara.

"Really? No wonder you changed position so much earlier. Now, finish eating and tell us more."

"Well, this isn't a tecnique or advanced form, it's just something my body did to compensate for having half a world. I can see the heat and chi flowing around and through every person and creature. My eye is better than normal and my other ear is pretty good, but I'd still prefer to have my other half back."

"Doesn't that mess with you?"

"Oh, yeah. It gives me days like today, where I have headaches so bad all I want to do is stay in bed and not move, but I've pushed through 5 already, and Aang needs to be taught, so I don't think I'll stop."

"Oh, you were the one in so much pain earlier. Oh, you're going to lie down after this, or I will lock you in place.To be able to move, with the amount of pain your in, is a goddamn miracle, from what I'm getting. So far it's just shockwaves, but it kinda makes me not want to see the way I do for once, since your pain can be shared and it's not pretty. I will be bending you to your bed any time I tenpins you have a headache, so don't be surprised if you wake up stuck one day, in your room."

"I will, I want to rest my aching and hurting head, but first I want to finish eating."

We sit in a nice silence, but I finish pretty quick and head to my room. I collapse on my bed and bury myself under my covers, ignoring everything else. I really wish I could just skip these days, and not have to bother dealing with half my senses, but everything has a payment and this is mine for getting burned but learning a trick to get past the fact in half blind.I slip into a slightly relaxed sleep, but not by much. The pain keeps me in a doze, not even letting me slip into a nice, pain free sleep. 

I wake when sunlight settles over my eyes and spots dance in my vision, but get up and head down the halls towards the main area. I sit down in a rock near the door to give my aching and throbbing head  a break from the movement. I wince when a hand settles on my head, but the pain ebbs away and I realize it's Katara.

"Hi."

"Hi. You ready? Get the walls up, the blanket ready and check that stew! We're going to give you the best dinner we can, and then we're going to lie you down and help you. No protests or anything, just let us do this."

I let them be, eating the food, as the earth wall blocks remaining sunlight and the blanket cools me down. I'm ushered and nudged towards my room and down halls as soon as I finish my food, a bit reluctant, but this is different then how others have treated me and I want to see how this goes.

They make me lie down and I wince as the warm sheets bleed into my head, making it throb, but they soon turn nice and chilly, a cold blanket settling over my frame. The throbbing starts to fade, even as I watch them. I don't know how they managed to get a blanket to be cool, when it's sole purpose is to trap nest, but I can't say I'm hating it right this very moment.

"You go to sleep now, because we're going to be searching for the signs from now on. You'll not be able to slip these days by us anymore, no sir. Now, we will see you in the morning, good night."

"G'night."

I yawn and bury my face in my pillow, bringing one arm under my head and the other in front of it, before becoming aware that they are all watching me. I smile sleepily and start to drift off, before falling and slipping into a pretty nice sleep, if I do say so myself.