"Care to explain what all that commotion was about, dearest Hua?"
A woman spoke from a busy salon, placing down a brush on a countertop and looking at a woman behind her with the help of a mirror.
Chattering clouded the atmosphere of the place, women entering and exiting; coming in with accompanying disheveled messes of hair and leaving out ready to marry the nearest emperor.
"I'm sorry?"
The woman politely questioned.
The lady who had asked turned around from her mirror's gaze to face her accomplice before speaking once more.
"There's tell that you have been spotted with a child last night. Word says you left him a sobbing, howling mess. Care to explain?"
The woman seemingly being interrogated had her face stripped away of any color, leaving her almost as pale as a spirit.
She hitches her breath in horror, a pit growing within her belly.
A sickly nauseating feeling ready to open the floodgates of the stomach to unleash rancid puke all around.
"That... that can't be..." She quivers, her legs feeling numb, feeling like their molecular structure was substituted for a plot of jelly.
The lady raises a brow at her visually distraught companion.
"Are you going to say anything about that? We've built this place from the ground; we can't have rumors going around tearing the reputation of our store."
Spoken in truth, and in severity.
The woman in question, "Hua," caught herself on an empty chair behind her and placed a hand on her face, biting her lip as a tear ruins the hours of carefully worked make-up.
"So it's true?" The lady still standing asks.
Hua stands from her chair.
Well, less of, "standing" and more of , "recovering".
"I... I have to go..." Hua speaks in fear.
Her voice trembling as much as her hands sweat and shake.
"I've made a mistake."
The upper ring, closest to the king of the magnificent wall, seemingly has always bustled around with joyful folks and those with bright futures.
At least it's what it seems. Such emotion was probably a ploy by strings of the shadows. Evil hiding within the dark to manipulate the outside; To grant them their wish, only to rip apart what they have left when they feel most secure.
At least, that's what was going on in the mind of a young adventurer; one of which resides in the same residence as the avatar himself.
An aura of dark in its purest of forms feasting off of the dismay and torture of a young child.
Accomplices, friends old and new surrounded him, all worried.
They've heard what had happened. Yet no tongue was there to speak of it.
It had appeared to them in the shape of a dream. Or rather a message brought by dead stars. A message brought by a black sun.
Echoes whispered from the dark, all laughing with joyous and prideful vigor.
"The boy's mother lives...!"
"Yet she does not remember him...!"
"Cast aside garbage!"
"Oh, heartbreak. How could you be so cruel?!"
All of which were preceded by cherry laughter that rung the ears of those around, yet no word was truly spoken.
Sokka was the most worried and the first to hear the news.
He and Y/n had built a remarkable bond from when they have first met.
A child from the land of fire coexisting with warriors of water with merry splendor and building something closer than a brotherhood.
No words need to be spoken, for their actions proclaim louder. At the drop of a pin, one would surely die for the other without looking back.
And that is why it hurt to see his dearest friend in such a state.
Though he wasn't there to experience the happenings of what had occurred, the gaze of the aftermath singlehanded told him everything there was to no.
It was the middle of the night when Y/n returned from his walk with Tene.
The lad had carefully opened the door to avoid waking up his comrades but there was a creaking that simple could not be avoided.
Sokka was awoken by said creaks.
He lifted himself up from the mattress of cloth and tracked his best friend through the dark of night.
"You left? Everything cool?" He asked.
There was no reply.
His further questioning would be brought to a halt as blistering cold tore through him to stop.
The air got cold that their breaths could be seen and those asleep would shake to warm themselves up.
Yet not another one rose.
Sokka took note of his companion's movement.
Stiff as steel and shaking with the frozen winds.
Except he believes his shaking was brought before the cold.
Y/n huddled in a corner and curled himself into a ball.
Sokka lifted himself up from the ground and walked to his friend.
"Everything all right, bud?"
No reply.
As Sokka got closer, he began to feel a connection with Aang. Or rather, a connection with the avatar.
He'd always believed in the stuff of spirits, but he also believed that it was out of his pay-grade and reasoning. It was Avatar Aang with the ability to behold such thing. Avatar Aang and those that came before, and those that come after.
Yet at that moment, he felt a connection to the spirits that he had never felt before.
Sokka held out his hand in an attempt to relieve his friend of whatever troubled him most, but after crossing a certain line, the spirits of dark snarled out at him and hissed.
It was a powerless feeling he knew down to his core.
It was similar, in some twisted way
To the same thing he felt when he failed to save his mother
A miasma of malice, hatred, and outrage.
A storm of distaste, anger, and loathing.
A fire of smoldering desire to curse the world for its cruelty and unjust.
Y/n was not fine, and that hurt more than enough to have Sokka try and try again to crack open this husk left behind by the empty, hollowed feeling of his friend.
There was a point; where Katara was woken up to the sound of sad pleading and words of reassurance.
When she brought herself up, or tried to, her brother was there to calm her down and assure her that it was just him having a bad dream, nothing else.
Putting her trust in her brother, she fell back asleep. Sweet and sound.
But after that night.
After the door closed behind Y/n's slow, cold breath, he was never to speak again.
At least that's what it had seemed to everyone else now.
The sun was almost at its peak of the sky and no progress has been made.
Y/n had not spoken a single word. He had barely blinked and breathed.
At one point, even Toph, the laid back, sure, and stalwart earthbender, had feared for the lad's life as from time to time, the beating of his heart had slowed down to a snail's pace. At times it even stopped beating for minutes before continuing its function, albeit at an unhealthily slower pace.
They had all surrounded him, all tried to get close; but the invisible line was far too harsh and noticeable to get across.
If anyone got close enough, they were met with a feeling of deep guilt, sorrow, and anger from deep within.
So they had relied on methods of farther distance.
Their words had no effect on trying to open up this carapace of a human form.
"Guys, we're getting nowhere..." Avatar Aang shamefully spoke.
Now he too curled up into a ball.
This once holding feelings of regret in not being able to help, and feelings of the sadness he felt for his companion.
"His heart's stopping again! Katara, do something...!" Toph yelled out in panic.
Since she woke up, she noticed Y/n heartbeat has been irregular so she kept her ears and feet peeled for any further abnormalities.
"On it..." Katara lamented.
From a bowl of water near the kitchen, the lass lassoed her friend with the water around his chest to the best of her abilities.
And with that water, she will try to create a compression of sorts to get a hopeful reaction from Y/n's heart.
It worked often. But when it didn't, harsher methods that weren't able to be performed were the only thing on the table.
"Aang, can't you connect with your avatar buddies and help us out here?" Toph asked, focusing her mind on her partner's heartbeat while slowly speaking out the sentence.
Aang places his palms at the side of his head and presses on in an attempt to massage the migraine creeping in.
"Ugh, I could try... I'll go to the restroom to meditate."
Aang gets up from the floor and jogs to the bathroom. He sits on the mat on the floor with his knees acting as support to keep his body up.
Hands on thighs, back straight and shoulders relaxed, he gives out a breath of air and takes in a new one.
Deep breath after deep breath with hopes of meditating his way into the avatar state to dispel his friends of the evil spirits burdening him.
The bathroom begins to shake slightly before it turned into intense rumbling.
Any second now the last avatars will appear to him in vision and consult his problems.
The blinds that kept the lights from the outside shut tight, decreasing the light heavily.
The shaking continues even further to the point where pieces of the roof threaten to collapse and crush his meditating body.
Small candles around the room flicker from the shaking until they lose their life, plunging the room into total darkness.
The blue arrows of the nomads explode with light from the avatar's body, bringing light back into the room momentarily.
But they cease.
The candles sizzle and flicker back to life.
Unintentional firebending, perhaps.
No.
This was different.
Aang stood up from the floor after noticing that no avatar was present to guide him.
He dusts himself off and stares at the mirror in front of him.
Immediately he is met with the sight of the candles moving around the room and presenting themselves in a fixed manner.
Aang's eyes widen in shock and utter fear as the decapitated head of Y/n lay on the counter.
Blood leaked from the stump where his head was cut and began to paint where it made contact.
Aang tried to exit the bathroom but to no avail.
The doors were locked and no light from the outside could be seen.
He is stuck here.
With whatever else keeping him prisoner.
His body was forcefully brought back to face the severed head of his comrade, yet its muscles twisted to form a corrupted grimace of a smile.
Aang felt his stomach turn upside down.
There was a buzzing at the back of his neck that begged him to find a way out, lest he too end up like the example on the counter-top.
To no available, though.
His body did not dare to move in fear of what lurked just behind him.
The head began to levitate and the rest of Y/n's body began to mesh out from the counter and to the ceiling, where Aang's eyes followed.
Y/n's body was lifted up to similar candle placement on the roof except where he is headed was of ancient engravings in an unknown tongue.
Chanting began to surround the room; cult-like.
Coffins with crosses came from the ground and from the ceiling.
Going up was Y/n's.
And coming down, with the coffin upside down was none other than the father of chaos itself.
"The pleasure is all mine, Avatar...!"
Echoes yelled loud, ignoring Aang's hands trying their very best to cup the sounds away.
Images flash in front of Aang's eyes, all too fast to make anything of note.
Too much information in such a short amount of time had Aang feeling like his eyes were going to roll to the back of his head and foam from the mouth.
Y/n's body was now present in front of Aang, nude and bare to his skin like a newborn.
This visage of the team's unluckiest began to snap his bones out of place; like someone with an infinite amount of joints stretching and ripping their muscles and bones apart as they remove the bipedal standing of the human form to that of a cow's quadruped.
Y/n's jaw fell to the ground while still being attached to his cheeks.
His throat opened up like some sort of doorway where Tene walked out from in stride.
Y/n's twisted body presses itself onto the back of this Tenebral abomination and wrapped their arms around its physique.
"Do not give up now. No, no, no...! There is much, much more to see."
Tene grabs Aang by the sides of his face, ignoring the kid's panting fear.
"There is no help for you. You are lost with no one to help you just as they felt when you disappeared."
Tene's face seemingly jumped into Aang's eyes with an ear-piercing scream.
Aang's body slammed against the wall behind him and the environment turned back to how it was prior.
He held his chest, gasping for air, wiping the tears from his eyes, and halting the ringing of his ears to his bestest of efforts.
When he came out the bathroom, he was met with desperate glances of his friends.
"Anything?" Katara asked.
Aang looked at the ground and closes his eyes.
"No..." he shook.
Sokka grit his teeth and balled his fist.
""Grah...! There's something I need to be doing right now—
Sokka exclaims.
"I-I-I need to go to the library, or whip up some stupid remedy!!! I can't just- I can't leave my friend like this! I feel useless...!" Sokka frustratedly exclaims.
A knocking was heard from the door.
Katara turned to her brother.
"I know... I know... but your calm mind is needed right now. Do you think you can check who's at the door...?"
Katara asks.
Sokka huffed and gave out a sad sigh.
With a nod he goes to the front door, twists the nob, and swings it open.
The Water Tribe warrior is met with a beautiful young woman, looking no older than her early twenties, huffing and puffing as she leans into the wall.
Sweat is dripping down her face and the silky, beautiful dress adorned by her person has uncomfortable splotches of sweat all around.
"For...forgive me... I... I'm sorry..."
The woman prostrates herself in an attempt to look more formal.
She rushes to the inside of her silky crimson robe to whip out a tattered, crumpled ball of paper.
"Can I help you—
She hastily opens it up and plants it in front of Sokka's face.
"O-oh, please... I'm sorry. Uhm! This! This is my son!"
Sokka's eyes narrow to focus on image in front of him.
The crumpling of the paper has dealt serious damage in the quality.
"I have been going around the entire inner circle looking for my son! Please, if- if you have seen him please, please let me know!"
"Dead or Alive"
Is what read at the bottom of the paper.
And then it clicked.
The image cleared and the paper has become familiar.
It is an exact print of Y/n's old wanted poster.
"The portrait is very outdated. He- Uhm... he is- should be around...
The woman looks at Sokka's height and lowers her hand slightly.
"This tall...!"
Sokka's wide eyes and open mouth surprise the woman.
"Have... have you seen him, by chance...?" The woman's voice quivers.
Sokka could barely give out a nod before her grabs her hands and slowly leads her into the house.
"He... he's right—
Before he could finish Y/n's mother gasped.
Sprinted to where he baby was, tumbling and almost falling along the way but keeping herself afoot.
But once she was no farther than half a yard's distance, her body gave out and forced her to drag herself with her hands to her babe.
The invisible line around Y/n had no effect on this weeping individual.
Her cries and her sorrow pouring out was releasing tenfold of what came out when interacting with the dark aura around Y/n.
The touch of his mother's embrace lit some sort of candle to his heart, bringing about a silent group of heartbeats only one Toph Beifong was able to notice.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, by baby! I love you, I love you! I didn't mean what I said last night, I swear!"
She gasped for air between gasps in her cries.
"I had thought it all a bad dream. I thought I was going sick! Please...! Forgive me, I'm sorry!"
She cried and cried.
Her shoulders bounced rapidly with her withering breath.
She ruined any form of self-imposed elegance and hugged her lost child.
She held with a threat to never leave again, begging for mercy and forgiveness.
Claiming that she'll never, as long as she lives, leave her beloved child ever again.
And yet her cries, and even the silent sobbing and tears of those around her, experiencing this love from a parent that they've never felt or have long since hoped to experience again, have fallen on ears that shut themselves off from the world.
"I'm so... so tired of you... leave me alone..."
Y/n's dry voice spoke with a festering hatred.
This struck everyone in the worst ways.
From tears that came from witnessing a heartbreaking reunion to tears that came from a violent stabbing of love.
"You take and take. What do you want to have? What do you want from me that I have left to lose..."
"Just kill me already and take whatever you want. I don't want to deal with this anymore..."
Hua's beautiful face wrinkled and her nose released snot from the excessive crying.
"No, please don't say those things...! I'm here! I'm here, trust me!"
She pleaded.
Nothing.
Toph puts a hand on her shoulder.
"He fell asleep..."
The woman moves her boy to rest comfortable on her person, lifting him with whatever weak might she had left.
So that she may hold him again.
So that she may soothe his night terrors again.
So that his sadness, his anger, his contempt can all wash away, even if momentarily.
She kissed his forehead over and over again, brushing the strands that fell through.
She held him tight against her with her hand on the rear of his head cushioning him against her shoulder, and her other hand passing against his back.
Katara and Sokka looked at each other, the latter of which hoped that not a single tear came out.
But upon seeing his kid sister covering her mouth as tears flowed out, he too broke.
Aang looked at the mother holding the greatest treasure in her whole world disregarding everything else and started to contemplate on what his parents were like.
Before they sent him to live in the temple.
And Toph; she stood there drying to stay as stiff as a rock. Tryin not to break.
But deep down inside, an emptiness ate from within her.
She wishes her parents, that do love her deeply, stripped themselves of their pride and shared a moment of intimacy just like this one.
From that point, much time has passed.
The team is still shocked from the sudden appearance of Y/n's mother, but they are trying to accommodate.
Y/n has taken the toll of the sleeplessness from last night, so he was out like a candle.
As for his mother, she tenderly held him, waiting patiently for him to continue his rest until he wakes up so that then, and only then, could they make up for lost time.
The rest stood around or tried to do something but they just couldn't ignore the elephant in the room.
But then again, what can they do? What could they do? Ruin their dear friend's moment of true respite?
Y/n had woken up to warmth holding his body.
It was such a relaxing feeling. He snuggled up as close as he could to feel more, but any further and he'd be burrowing into the person like some sort of mole.
A person?
Just who could be holding him?
It can't be Sokka 'cause the person feels bigger.
Sokka's the biggest person there so it rules everyone else out.
Cosmo?
Nope, can't be. Y/n feels arms around him, so the giant bag can't be it.
There was a moment where Y/n's brain and heart stopped at the mere idea of it being Tene.
But what made it sure that it wasn't Tene, was that there was always this nauseating, sick feeling Y/n had when Tene was always around.
Y/n's eyes slowly open but he doesn't really see much.
Just a lot of burgundy.
He groans and gets himself up, the arms previously coiling around softening their embrace and letting go.
Y/n rubbed his eyes for a solid minute, accidentally keeping himself in a trance because the massaging of his eyes and eyelids just always felt so mesmerizing.
The lad's eyelids lifted themselves and the black at the center of his fire-like amber colored eyes grew and shrunk to adjust to the light.
The lightning was very warm; it must've been setting or maybe the sun in Ba Sing Se was just something to behold.
He could see the light shine through the windows, illuminating the particles of dust.
Y/n got up from the floor and stretched himself up, releasing a prolonged groan as his bones popped and his legs shook, giving out an orgasmic sensation.
"Morning..." He yawned.
He looked around to his friends and noted that their faces shared the same expressions.
Anticipation.
They looked on-edge; eyes wide and focused, swallowing lumps on their throats.
This form of seemingly environmental story telling caused Y/n's nerves to explode with warning signals.
He slumped himself over slowly, his arms by his side slowly extending.
Quickly, Y/n reached into the small sheath of the knife he himself made years ago and yet bought only days ago, it seems.
He turns around and points the knife into the thin air behind him, expecting Tene or a figure of equally large bodily stature or danger.
And yet he saw nothing.
Except at the bottom of his vision, there was a bit of brown.
He looked down and saw his mother.
A trick!
He leaps back great distances, still holding his knife pointed at this individual as his back hit the wall.
Everyone else jumped up at the sudden move.
"Woah, woah, woah! Relax, relax!" Sokka yelled.
"Y/n, calm down...!" Katara yelled.
Toph and Aang got into bending stances in case if they needed to cover Y/n's waist with rocks to prevent movement.
The lad points his knife at his friends, still freaked out, but their words reached him a little.
He begins to calm down as his friends tell him to breathe and to relax.
Once again, his eyes catch this woman who rested with him.
His heart felt like it was going to pop out of his chest in surprise.
"Mom...!" Y/n yelled out.
He tossed his knife on the floor, and ran at his mom.
He tripped and almost fell but as he picked himself up while running, he tackled his mother to the ground.
Embraced now in a tight, constricting huh, Y/n's mother, Fu Hua, could do nothing more than hug back.
There was nothing she could do. And there was nothing else she'd want to do.
"I- I don't care if this is another trick! Tene, please, let me stay like this for just a bit!"
Y/n pleaded.
"I don't care what you do to me next, just let me have this moment, please!"
Fu Hua looked around confused.
Just what was her beloved child begging for? To whom was he begging for?
But the face of his friends showed her that, through those 6 years of separation, the world was not one but kind to her baby.
The gaang looked down and anxiously rubbed their necks and winced or looked at the ground with shame or pity.
Fu Hua hugged her child back tightly, disregarding any of her other thoughts, and moved side to side.
"I'm not going anywhere, anymore. I promise."
She spoke through pauses and choking.
Y/n lifted his head up to gaze at his mother.
"Is... it really you...?"
Even if it was Tene, Y/n would still hold himself with the slightest bit of faith that the spirits would present him such a gift.
Maybe it was willful ignorance. That he could trick himself into believing this was his actual mother. Even if for a moment.
But that moment seemed to have lasted for eons and it felt like it would, too.
Good.
He wants this. Both of them do.
"I will bleed red and tell you everything you want me to tell you to show you I'm real..."
Fu Hua's hand and lip quiver as she spoke to her son.
"Just where... have you been...?" Y/n softly questioned.
"Here, baby. I've been here." The boy's mother responded.
"After we separated, I went back to look for you but I couldn't find you. I got so scared and worried that that evil man got his hands on you..." She continued.
"I just couldn't go back there..."
Y/n looks up at his mother through her embrace and nods.
"I... I understand..."
Fu Hua enjoyed the embrace of her son, but unfortunately there was something she had to be doing now.
The woman, still holding her son, pulled herself slightly before placing her hands on his cheeks.
"My darling little boy... I must be going off to work now. But now that I know where you live, I can find you again." Fu Hua spoke while gently caressing Y/n's hair and cheek.
"Is it ok for me to leave?" She asked.
With a small smile and a lump in his throat, Y/n nodded and gave off a weak, "yeah sure" before they separated.
"Oh, I love you, my dear, sweet boy."
One kiss on the forehead led to one on the cheek, and then on the nose, and then to the other cheek and another, and another, and another.
Each coming and going faster than the other.
And then finally she embraced her son tightly once more.
After they separated once more, they both stood up and smiled at each other.
"I'm going off to work, now. Can I come visit you after?" Fu Hua asked.
Y/n nodded.
"Of course."
And with that, Fu Hua walked out of the door and waved at the group of adventurers who, still inside the house, gathered around to see her off.
"Thank you for letting me see my son!"
This was followed up with a bow.
"I'll be sure to repay you when I come back...! Please keep him safe for me until then!"
Sokka raised his hand and waved.
"No worries, we got him!"
She turned around with her face still trying to hold her son in her gaze.
With a gentle twist of the torso, Y/n's mom stopped in her tracks and faced her son.
Her hands moved to form the shape of a heart with her index finger and thumb.
"Y/n! I love you." She smiled.
Y/n smiles back and wiped a stray tear from his cheeks as he saw his mom start to jog away back to her job.
With his arms now resting in his sides, and the recent memories replaying in his head again and again, Y/n sighed with a hefty air.
"Please come back."
The sky began to darken just slightly and not too far from the Avatar and his gang's current "base of operations", another squad was devising a plan to get closer to the king, just like our own beloved team was doing. Except theirs was a little...
"Alright, girls; tomorrow we'll spread out and infiltrate the inner walls."
A dark room was presented a blue glow as wax candles were set ablaze by a certain fire nation princess.
"So no time for sightseeing, just yet."
Azula said calmly.
"And when we're done? Ooh! Do you think we could celebrate with food? I heard the deserts here are amazing!"
Ty Lee happily asked from the other side of the room whilst in a one-handed handstand .
Azula puckers her lips as she contemplated her answer in thought.
Her lips changed or a small smile.
"Ah, well. I guess there's nothing better to then afterwards. Sure." The princes spoke with a sigh.
Ty Lee's face scrunched up to form a humongous, joyous smile.
"Yaaaay!"
From her handstand she impulses herself up into the bed right next to her.
"Now, remember, ladies. They might not know who we are. But if, by chance, we get discovered by anyone... even... a certain old friend... this entire plan could go to waste."
Azula speaks seriously while gazing at the flickering blue flame in front of her.
From the other side of the room, Mai, arms crossed, stares at Azula.
"It's a big place. Chances are we'll not get discovered."
Azula hums, her gaze changing to the mirror in front of the table she was occupying.
"Regardless. This is a reconnaissance mission, ladies. We have the disguises, but we can't use them just yet."
"So we'll have to improvise."
Azula pushes her chair away from the table and stands up.
"Ty Lee, I trust you with the center area of the inner-most wall; Mai, you'll stay here with me to go around the middle ring. Once we get all the stuff we need, we'll rendezvous back with Ty Lee on the center ring."
"Understand?"
Azula stares at each of her allies, awaiting a response.
A nod from Mai and a thumbs up from Ty Lee was all she needed.
"Wonderful. Now get some beauty sleep, girls. We have work to do."
"Goodnight!" Ty Lee says.
" 'night"
At the Avatar's current home, the team was setting up for dark.
What an absolutely packed day.
They didn't do much, but so much went down they were surprised and awestruck for so long their bodies just got tired.
"Can you believe it? After so long, I have my mom again!" Y/n happily proclaimed.
The lad moved around the kitchen area with the groceries his team recently got so he could feed them for the day.
Sokka, from the small table in the middle of the room smiled.
"I'm happy for you, man. It feels great seeing you like this."
Y/n gives out a hearty laugh.
"Well, looks like you want some extra stuffs on the plate!"
Sokka smirks before smiling and smiles before laughing.
Aang, Toph, and Katara ready to skip dinner and go straight to sleep, but a knock on the door got their attention.
"Oh, I wonder who that could be." Katara questioned.
Toph placed a hand on the ground and hummed.
"Y/n's mom." She said.
Y/n's head snapped towards the door and sprinted to open it.
With a vice like grip on the handle that could rip the door off its hinges and a speed that rivals the lightning before thunder, he swung the door open with wide, hopefully eyes and a large smile.
"You're back!" Y/n exclaims.
Fu Hua, Y/n's dearest mom, gasps in surprise and smiles.
"My handsome wittle boy!"
And in an instant, Y/n's face was filled with smooches upon smooches.
"I wuv you so much!!!"
Y/n was instantly pulled into a tight embrace by his mother to which he melted into immediately.
"Welcome back, mom!"
They separated from the hug and y/n's mother was properly greeted by the avatar squad.
"Good evening, ma'am." Sokka said.
"Welcome back Mrs. Y/n's mom." Aang said.
"It's good to have your company, ma'am." Katara said.
Toph was going to greet Y/n's mother herself but the bags under her eyes and how sleepy her eyelids were just made it too darn difficult.
"I know I showed up unprepared earlier today. But I've brought some food to eat, if that's fine by you all."
As she spoke, Y/n welcomed her in and closed the door behind.
"Oh, I was actually cooking something right now."
Y/n's mother looked at him perplexed.
"Goodness... children have no need to work in the kitchen. Take a rest, I'll handle it, honey."
She said calmly while resting her hand on Y/n's neck.
Y/n holds her hand with his own.
"Actually... I... I was wondering if we could.. cook together?"
Face now flushed pink with her heart fluttering, oh, how much did she miss her baby boy.
He's grown to be such a responsible, handsome young man.
She's so proud she could just chomp down on his cheeks and stretch them for miles.
"I'd take his offer, Mrs. Y/n. He might be small but he's a giant in the kitchen." Sokka jokingly said.
Y/n's mom looks at Sokka.
"Oh, there's no need to call me that. Please, call me Hua." She bows.
"Thank you for taking care of my baby."
Y/n's lips pucker as he looks away in embarrassment.
"Anytime." Sokka said smiling.
"Is there anything we can help you with, Ms. Hua...?" Katara asks.
"Oh, goodness no, dear. You children can just stay there and wait for the food to finish. Act as if I'm not even here!"
Y/n mother carries herself like he does. Not surprising as she is his mom.
But she's not even that old.
She doesn't look it nor acts like it.
Genuinely, she could pass as his older sister, were it not for some slight features.
But the gaang, nonetheless were happy to see Y/n happy. Truly happy.
A smile so strong and sweet it could force anyone to shock from the sugar in their bloodstream.
The atmosphere was wonderful.
So warm. So calm. So relaxing.
Y/n retold stories of his travels to his mother.
He spoke about June and the time he spent with her.
Traveling to the southern glaciers and meeting the water tribe.
Meeting Aang and discovering he's the avatar.
And meeting other old friends. Yet he didn't specify who, his tone simply dictated that he was saddened by them or they brought him great shame.
In turn, Y/n's mother was also saddened.
She nearly wept so many times after hearing how her sweet boy was kept in many life threatening situations where he barely survived.
"And what of the giant bat...? Where is he now, sweetheart?" Y/n's mom asked as she seasoned the meat in front of her.
"Cosmo is... actually... where is Cosmo...?" Y/n asked.
He looked at his friends and they didn't find him so they shrugged.
"Oh, he leaves from time to time and come back. Maybe he's just outside or something..."
Y/n bends over to open up a cabinet.
When he swings it open, Cosmo himself, full size of a grown man, speeds out from the cabinet and tackles Y/n to the ground.
Hua's reaction was right, she screamed her lungs out in fear and looked for the nearest thing.
Her eyes landed on a wooden spoon that she used to wack Cosmo away.
"Get away! Fiend! Get away from my baby!"
Wack, wack, and wack!
Cosmo screeched and flew across the kitchen before perching on a curtain.
Fu Hua grabs Y/n from the ground and hugs him close.
"Are you ok?! Baby, are you hurt?!" She said, rummaging through Y/n's body in search of any scratches or bites.
"No, no, no, no! I'm good, mom! I'm good! That's Cosmo." He reassured her.
Fu Hua calmed down slightly and looked at Cosmo.
"That's him...?" She asked.
"Yup. Mom, meet Cosmo, our flying companion. Cosmo, meet mom. She's my mom."
There was a nervous wave from Y/n's mom to Cosmo.
The bad slowly climbed down from the curtain and waddled with his wings towards Y/n's mom.
Her heart was pounding outside her chest and her body tightened in fear.
"Mom, it's ok. He doesn't hurt."
With a calm, reassuring hand on the lad's mom by the son himself, Fu Hua's nerves we eased.
Cosmo slowly, with as much reluctance and care as he could possible have, moved towards Y/n's mother.
The lad's mother stood on her nerves once more, but seeing her son bravely welcoming in this terrifying, potential man-eating creature, she too hardened her heart with courage, and braved the unknown.
Eventually Cosmo climbed up Y/n's hand who was outstretched and from him climbed up Fu Hua's robes up to her head.
She stood as stern and unmoving as one of Toph's rocks possibly could while this man-sized creature, "clawed", in a dramatic sense at her skin (he was gently scaling the human physique).
"I think he likes you." Y/n said calmly with a smile.
"Get—-get-g-get him off me— please!" Fu Hua proclaimed.
With a hearty chuckle, Y/n grabbed the purple bat into his arms and turns to his friends.
"Who wants to Cosmo-sit?"
His friends looked around each other to see who would take the gamble.
After seeing reluctance in the squad, Sokka laughed and raised his hand.
"I'll take him off your hands."
Sokka opened his arms and Y/n tucked Cosmo like a child.
He swung his arms side to side while counting to 3. After 3 was reached, he launched Cosmo at Sokka, who stood in position to receive the full brunt of this mongrel of a creature.
"Oof!" Sokka yelled out as Cosmo's weight slammed him to the ground.
Everyone now worriedly staring at the water tribe warrior had their troubles relieved when he gave a thumbs up from the ground and said
"I'm good!"
Not much happened then, Y/n and his mom continued to cook and chat; once the food was done they set it all up for a decently sized feast.
It surely beats the scraps they had to take at times to survive.
At the end, nothing but full bellies and tired folks remained.
The sun has set and the darkness of night covered the world like a blanket.
Small candles were lit around to provide good sight in the dark environment.
"Would you.... Like to come home with me...?" Fu Hua asked her son.
Y/n gasped in surprise! He can't believe this is happening, after so long! Now he gets the opportunity to go back to his mother.
Yet... something felt wrong... it didn't feel right just leaving his travel companions alone.
In truth, he'll miss them while he tries to sleep.
Deep in his mind, he believed that him leaving wouldn't bother them, but a piece of him will always be with them, and when he leaves, it'll feel like a part of himself is gone.
They really have stuck to each other like glue.
They had to, to survive and all. But it felt right. Everyone felt right at home with each other, small arguments and bad days excluded.
Is it really fine for Y/n to leave, even if it feels wrong?
He deserves it after all. His goal and mission of finding his mom are accomplished, what better way to celebrate than to return back to her home?
"... actually... I'd like to stay with them..." Y/n quietly says.
Fu Hua now looks worried, her expression showing bits of sorrow.
"Oh, was it something I did? I know we've been apart for so long that this must make you uncomfortable, I'm sorry—
"No... it's not that... I just. I don't want to leave them so suddenly. I can go with you tomorrow, though. If it's alright with you, I'd like to get one last night with them."
Fu Hua pauses before she nods.
"Of course, honey. Whatever you want."
"But it's getting late and I have work tomorrow. I promise I'll come back." Fu Hua holds Y/n by the cheeks gently.
"I'll come back for you as many times as you want."
Y/n grows a warm smile.
"I love you." He says. "I miss you..." he continued.
"Losing you and your brother had me lose myself. I love you so much. I love you so, so, so, much."
A final kiss on the cheek and forehead, and Fu Hua stood up to get the door.
"Goodnight, sweetie. I love you."
"I love you too, mom."
The following moment was just the best. The air was so clean and the atmosphere calm.
As far as the eye could see and the body feel, there were no issues, nobody hunting them down, no further betrayal and heartbreak from certain child-hood individuals.
With a solid stretch, Y/n's back snapped, crackled, and popped, forcing a satisfied moan from him.
He turned to his side to face his comrades and started to shake Sokka awake to get their day started.
"Hey, the sun's up. Good morning."
A few shakes but nothing happened. Sokka remained schlumped, snoring like a fool.
"Maybe later."
However, a horrific stench hit Y/n's nose.
As a reflex, the lad covered it and his eyes watered.
It was as foul as dung, as strong as piss, and as stingy as onions.
"By the spirits, who'd nature call?!" He quietly cursed.
Sniffing around the room, the stench was unfortunately closer than he had hoped for.
He knew exactly who it was coming from, and Cosmo, the usual culprit, was across the entire house on the kitchen counter.
Y/n held his breath and gripped Sokka's drawls.
The plan played quickly over his mind.
Take the pants off, wrap them around to avoid poo falling, as the stench was simply too great, rather, too amicably ******* disgusting, to be a simple fart.
"Wait... I can't do this..." Y/n thought to himself.
By all accounts, there's Aang, Toph, and Katara. Were it just the two bros, there would be no issue. Simply doing your mate a solid.
However, your mate's sister, the mighty avatar, and a young girl are all present in the room. Should any of them wake up, dying of embarrassment would be the next best thing.
"I'll just open up a..."
Before Y/n continued, he noticed a feint glow from Sokka.
The glow came from a purple essence that surrounded the sleeping warrior's body.
Out of his curious mind, Y/n gently placed his hand on Sokka.
"What is this...?" He asked.
A cold wind passed by the nape of Y/n's neck. As a strange response, his blood ran cold.
Yet this feeling was familiar.
Y/n let go of Sokka and turned around in fear.
"A good morning to you, child."
Tene.
Tene was floating in the air; gently sitting on it.
He extended a foot to the floor and gracefully stepped down.
Like an animal found by its predator, Y/n stopped moving in anticipation of whatever was going to happen next.
"Fear not."
Tene's body switched from the dark haze that showing within his transparent body to a human disguise that resembled a taller, muscular, and fully matured version of Y/n.
His skin changed from transparency to just beneath pale, his hair became black from the glowing white he previously had, and his eyes copied Y/n's amber hue.
"I wish to congratulate you." Tene calmly says.
Y/n slowly adjusted his position to be more prostrated.
"For what...?" Y/n questions.
From the ground beneath Tene's feet, a large pillow materialized.
Tene gently lowered himself and sat down on the pillow before reaching into the air and taking out a full cup of coffee.
"For reuniting with your mother." He takes a sip.
With Tene coming after the reunion, many thoughts erupted from Y/n's mind.
What could this be about? A bad omen? Something bad is going to happen, surely.
"Do not be so skittish, child. I'm only here to say that you have done well to reach this point in your life. You have fought for this." Tene says as he looks at the ground.
There was a moment of silence that was broken by the sounds of cloth being moved.
Tene motions his hands up above his head with his cup and gently bows.
"A toast..."
His words were followed by taking down the remainder of the cup's content before ending it with a sigh.
But within Y/n's heart, a questioned just had to be asked.
"Why are you here...?"
"I have come to warn you, actually." Tene states.
Now Y/n's curiosity was peaked. What could Tene, out of anyone else, be warning him about?
"There have been complications with the king and his staff that have made the meeting difficult."
"What happened?"
"All is well, just a slight hiccup. Let the rest know that the meeting is pushed to tomorrow, got it?"
Y/n hummed and nodded slowly.
"Yes... yes."
Tene gave a small nod.
"Good."
Tene claps.
"Well, enjoy the vacation."
With a poof of dark clouds, Tene and his presence was now gone.
Behind Y/n, Sokka and the rest began to wake up.
"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhh." Sokka groaned while stretching.
Then he started shaking really hard whilst continuing his stretching.
The following screech served as proper alarm to wake the team up in a jiffy.
"For crying out loud—" Y/n said while covering his ears.
"I pulled a hammy! Argh!!!" Sokka continued.
He hunched over on the floor while holding his leg.
"It's over for me, guys! I don't think I can continue. Tell Suki I— I—
He stops moving.
"Oh, it doesn't hurt anymore."
Sokka turns to his teammates with a big smile.
A knock on their door takes their attention.
"I got it." Y/n says.
The lad places his hand on the knob and opens the door.
While he opens the door, he apologizes to his potential neighbor about the guttural, ear-piercing, inhuman screech.
"Yeah, I'd like to apologize for the noise, I-it's just that my friend pulled a—
The door open and his first sight was that of his mother.
"Oh, hi, mom...!"
The lad leaps into his mothers arms.
The young boy was greeted with kisses and smooches by the dozen in mere seconds.
"Muah, muah, muah, muah, muah! Bubby! My wittle baby!!!" Her kisses continued.
By now Y/n was getting embarrassed for being smooched and coddled by his mum, but the embarrassment wiped when he remembered that he fought 6 long years for this.
His friends were smiling at seeing a joyous moment.
Katara beckoned Y/n's mother into the house to join for breakfast consisting of last night's leftovers or unused materials.
However Fu Hua says she'll be sitting out in the breakfast as she's already had.
Katara and Y/n worked in the kitchen to fix something up while Fu Hua was asked by the rest of Y/n's childhood days.
With clanking of fine china, running water, and bubble-filled scrubbing, Y/n and Katara chatted.
"So then, that led to this whole fiasco with my brother walking up to mom and being like, "yeah, and-and the spirit was strong and very fast! He was like lightning and had muscles bigger than 100 men!" Y/n said
Katara chuckled.
"He was always going on and on about spirits back then. I thought he had a special connection that let him do that. But it might just have been him talking for the sake of it." The lad continued.
"You don't talk much of your brother." Katara softly stated.
Y/n stops what he was doing.
"Yeah... I... I dunno why I don't. I love him. I miss him so much."
"Did something bad happen to him? You can tell me if you want. It's fine if you don't."
Y/n sighs.
"Actually there's much I don't talk about. Fear about losing you guys, y'know...?" The lad says.
Katara stops.
"Really? Like what...?" She asked curiously.
Y/n's face twists to sadness.
"You promise not to get mad...?"
This pauses Katara. There's now a creeping worry in her heart that suspects Y/n of doing something terrible. Is he actually in lead with the fire nation? Was there a chance they were all wrong about him?
"My name... it isn't just Y/n. Like Toph being a Bei Fong, or Ty Lee being part of the Ty family, my name in its entirety is actually, "Y/n Ral"."
Katara raises a brow.
"Ral...?" She asks in a whisper.
The lads voice quivers with a sigh.
"Yes. Heir to Ral Merchant Company. Top supplier of global goods, resources... and... largest support to the Fire Nation's army..."
"What?" Katara asks confused.
"It is my father who has built the company around most of the world, built relations with many, and steadily climbing the ranks of wealth in the whole world."
"He now comfortably sits at 2nd place... behind the Fire Lord himself... he's no military official. No man of true quality or importance. He's just a merchant with hands all around."
"Y/n, you don't—
"The drill on the outer wall— when we checked the blueprint— I saw the lotus symbol— my-my brand... I saw my brand in those papers..."
The lad hunches his head and supports it with the counter-top...
"To think that I would—
"Y/n..." Katara calls to him.
She places her call hand on his shoulder.
"I can tell this is stressing you out. You can go back with the others, I'll stay with this." Katara warmly states.
Y/n lifts himself up to face her.
"No-no I can't just leave you to do it by yourself. It's not nice." Y/n says.
Katara gives the lad a small embrace.
"But—
"If you want to get something out from back then, I'll be ready when you are. But for now, go and enjoy time with your mom, I insist."
"You're not mad?" Y/n softly questioned.
"No. No, I'm not mad." Katara said with a smile.
The young lad tightens his embrace on the Waterbender and quietly thanks her.
"You're the best..." the lad softly said.
Katara pat him on the back and gave him a reassuring, "thank you."
They broke off their embrace and prepare to tend to their different works.
"Can I tell you later today?" Y/n asked.
"Of course...!"
With that the lad goes to the rest of the gang to see what they were talking about.
It was nothing much, in truth. Simple tales of his youth, his silliness as a child, his dirty potty moments, the usual.
Y/n sat next to his mom and leaned on her shoulders for support to which she welcomed him with a good ol' smooch on the head.
"And his name was actually supposed to be Fa'e because there was this one character from a book I really like and his name was Fa'e but I named his older brother so his dad got the turn and chose Y/n." Fu Hua spoke to the rest.
"Huh? I never knew that? You never told me?" Y/n asked.
Fu Hua looks at him and chuckled.
"Well I guess I never thought about telling you. Sorry, baby."
"Anyway—" Fu Hua continued.
"Actually— hold that thought...!" She interrupts herself.
" 'scuse me, honey."
The boy's mother nudged him off of her gently and stood up.
"There is someone I need to meet today—" she bows.
"Thanks for having me...!
Avatar Aang smiles and waves.
"It's no biggie...! You're welcome here anytime...!"
Fu Hua holds her hand on Y/n's shoulder.
"Honey, come with me! I want you to meet my friend."
The boy's eyes glow with excitement.
"Of course!"
He hops up from the floor and dusts himself off.
"We shouldn't be gone too long. Please take care, we'll be back with snacks and food!" Fu Hua exclaims.
Sokka, Aang, and Y/n pump their fists to the sky.
"Yeah, snacks!"
Y/n's mother exchanged pleasantries a last time with Toph, Katara, Aang, and Sokka before taking her baby boy out of the house.
The two held hands while they walked but Y/n noticed that his mom was swaying her free hand with much gusto and pride, even her steps could be deemed as enthusiastic.
Her chin was held high, her back straight, and her nostrils steaming like a kettle, all with a large, happy smile.
"Ok! Give me a sec! It shouldn't take too long." Fu Hua says
Currently, they are in front of some sort of establishment. A hair parlor, it seems, and the lads mother hand just went in.
From the window he could see his mom speaking with clients or staff members before she went behind a room.
They have been walking for a while, though it might've not seemed like it, the effect was made evident with the body begging to sit somewhere for the feet to rest.
After his mom was gone from view, Y/n stepped away from the window and calmly remained outside with a happy grin.
He giggles while punching the air.
"I got to see my mom, I got to see my mom...! Ha, ha, ha!"
At the corner of the boy's eye, he spots a shiny little object.
It was next to an alleyway, perhaps someone had dropped it?
He walks to the object, crouches, and picks it up to inspect it.
"It's some sort of... hair tie?" He quizzically asked himself.
It might be. It could be a hair tie, but it is very ornate. Perhaps someone of high importance dropped it.
"I'll just hand it over to mom and she can figure it out." The lad says to himself.
Thankfully no one else is around. Otherwise they'd think he's sickly for speaking to himself in public.
However he wasn't truly alone. At the other end of the alleyway there were quick steps being given.
He directs his attention and before he could assess what was happening, he was crashed into by another person.
The two groaned in pain and held there heads.
"Oh... so-sorry about that!" The person spoke. Their voice being that of a young girl.
She picks herself up.
"No-no-no, it's fine, it's fine. I should've moved out of the way."
The lad goes to get up but he's stopped by the offered hand in front of him.
He gently takes it and is helped up.
With his free hand, the lad cleans up his hair or at least tries to by parting it to get a better view of the individual.
They make eye contact and the young girl releases a gasp.
Unfortunately, he isn't able to see her face as it is covered by a pink cloth. Only her grey eyes being noticeable.
When the girl gasped, the boy noticed that her grip slightly tightened and was now slightly moist.
"Is something wrong...?" Y/n asked.
"Oh, y-yeah! I-I'm fine...!" The girl says, taking her hand away.
The lad hold out the ornate object he was previously inspecting and held it out.
"Would this be yours...? I found it here but there doesn't seem to be anyone around."
The girl nods to the sides.
"Uhm, no it's—it's not mine."
The winds suddenly picked up.
"Oh, dang it!" The girl said, trying to keep the cloth around her face secured.
She stops however and reels back greatly before releasing a strong sneeze.
"Achoo!!!"
Y/n is surprise but gives out a, "bless you" quickly after.
The strength of the sneeze, or, rather, the strength of her jolt to give out the sneeze, was so great that the pink cloth shot out from her head and slapped Y/n in the face.
"Oh, goodness!" Y/n says in surprise.
He takes off the cloth from his face and holds it over.
"Here you go—
The lad stopped himself from finishing the sentence with a shocked gasp.
"Hey... it's been a while... hah..." the unmasked girl said awkwardly with a chuckle.
The boy's eyes widen and the lass' reflection paints itself in his gaze.
"Ty Lee...? Is that you?"
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