Rein admired Sokka as he tended the fire that kept the group warm. His eyes melted into the flames of orange, she could tell his mind was reeling by the way his jaw clenched and unclenched. Aang and Katara were fast asleep, small snores escaping their parted mouths.
The four teens had ventured from Makapu Village after saving the town from their impending volcanic doom. They now sat along the shore in the Earth Kingdom, led here by Sokka in his search for Hakoda.
"Hey Sok," Rein whispered, wary not to wake her brother and Katara, "You should get some rest. You look exhausted."
"I believe you meant to say I look ravishing." He sarcastically replied, smirking at her.
"If I meant to say that- I would have."
"Gosh, Rein, you're so mean to me sometimes." He muttered. Sokka reached over to Rein, yanking her small frame into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist, placing his chin on her shoulder and gazing at the fire once again. Rein blushed and sighed in content, leaning the full weight of her body against his chest and basking in the glow of the warm fire.
The past few days were filled with absolute bliss. To journey throughout the kingdom with her brother was all she ever wanted in life. She couldn't remember the last time she smiled so much and meant it. But there was one thing that constantly weighed on her and that was Zuko. Rein couldn't help but wonder what he was up to. Every day she had to stop herself from running back to him.
"You know you're allowed to feel sad sometimes, right Sokka? I get you're trying to be strong for Katara and even Aang, but you can't keep hiding your emotions to protect them." Rein ran her fingers up and down his skin in a comforting manner.
"How did you-"
"Mother's instinct." Rein cut him off.
Sokka's brows furrowed, completely thrown off by Rein's answer. "M-mother? You have a child?"
She stared at Sokka with an expressionless look on her face before breaking into a toothy smile, giggles pouring out of her mouth. "No, it just felt like the proper response."
"You could have said your Ekkona instinct and that would have been cooler and way more effective." Sokka chuckled.
"I'm the same way, though- with pushing my needs and feelings aside for the sake of others." Rein spoke, veering back to the serious conversation. "For three years, Aang would come visit me every day and I'd lie, say I was fine and act like nothing was wrong. But, truthfully, I was miserable and lonely. I couldn't let him worry about me. Hell, even now I do it! I'm too busy helping others that I haven't even taken the chance to help myself, you know, with all this Ekkona stuff."
Sokka squeezed his arms tighter around Rein, pulling her as close to him as humanly possible. "You don't have to worry about that, I've got it covered. I've been asking around, trying to gather information and it's just constant dead ends. But there's this library in the desert where I think I can find the answer!"
She spun around to face him, shock written all over her features. "You've really been investigating? For me? Sokka, you don't have to-"
"I obviously do if you admittedly can't!" He interrupted, flinging his arms up dramatically before weaving them back around Rein's torso.
Rein shook her head, "I just think we have more important things to focus on. Like getting Aang to the North Pole so he can master waterbending. We're on a tight schedule here, there's no time to worry about me!"
"Kireina, you can bend three elements with so much as a flick of the wrist. You can take out armies solo! You've practically mastered waterbending and airbending, your fire is so hot that you can vaporize humans! What's next? Earthbending? Do I need to bury you for you to tap into that chakra?! Be one with the rocks, Kai, merge with the pebbles." Sokka began to throw small pebbles at Rein's body.
Although she was too distracted at the new nickname she received from Sokka. Much like when Zuko deemed her Reina, it was a name she had never been called before. It was always Rein, never Kai or Reina but she adored both the names she was given.
As she recalled her few bynames, her mind floated back to Zuko like it had been every day. She wondered if he was after her or if he even missed her like she missed him. Sokka slept in every morning, refusing to get up to watch the sunrise unlike Zuko who, more often than not, was already awake and waiting for her on the deck.
Her eyes moved from the fire to the ocean, searching the waters as if she would suddenly see Zuko's ship. Rein knew he wouldn't be there but her heart wished it to be true. She hated the fact that she missed that pompous asshole and his abusive tendencies. But she felt the need to fix him or at least guide him away from the self destructive path he was on. Zuko was the most impulsive, hard-headed, selfish prick she had ever had the displeasure of meeting yet she wanted nothing more than to be with him in his embrace, not Sokka's.
Rein scolded herself for having such derogating thoughts. She loved Sokka, there was no doubt in her mind that she did. But she knew she felt for him to only an extent and there was something barricading her heart, not allowing her to reciprocate those intense emotions that Sokka undoubtedly felt towards her.
"I think I can speak for all of us by saying we need you around. Every time you travel with us, I can feel the happiness radiating off of Aang. And Katara? She looks at you like she looked at our mother. With these wide doe eyes and a smile that could sink a dozen ships, she hangs onto every single word you say." Sokka broke the silence that veiled the campsite, pulling Rein from her internal war.
Rein grinned and chuckled, gazing over at the two sleeping soundly a few feet away. "I would do anything to protect them."
"And they would do anything to protect you." Sokka replied and placed a small peck to Rein's jaw.
"You know, Sok, you may not be a bender but I think you're more powerful than any of us here. What you did back at the village- you saved hundreds of people like it was no sweat. My dumbass would have died trying to stop the lava from even leaving the volcano, but you, gosh Sokka, you just had this genius idea to build perimeter moats to guide the lava away. It amazes me that someone with the goofiest personality can jump into action without a second to lose."
Sokka blushed and hid his face in Kireina's neck. He took a few deep breaths to try and calm his erratic heart beats. Sokka loved the effect the Air Nomad had on him. She was able to wash his worries away just by being in his embrace.
"Your father will be so proud when he hears that you saved that village."
Sokka's head snapped to where the unknown voice came from, squinting his eyes trying to identify the stranger hidden in the shadows. "Bato?"
Katara shifted awake, laying her eyes on Sokka and Kireina's close proximity then following their stare. "Bato!"
Aang suddenly awoke as well, meeting his sister's confused look. "Bato?" The two repeated in unison.
Katara stood up and ran to hug the stranger known as Bato but not before leaning into Rein's ear on the way, "You are so telling me about this later."
Sokka gently scooted out from under Rein and sprinted towards Bato as well, adamantly waving his arms around in excitement. Aang approached his sister, holding his hand out to assist her in standing so they could introduce themselves to the Water Tribe warrior. "So... you and Sokka, huh?" Aang winked, nudging his sister's side. Kireina blushed and shoved him away playfully.
Rein's eyes sparkled under the starlit sky, adoring the two teens as they spoke with their father's friend. Bato finally looked away from the siblings and set his sights on Aang and Kireina, smiling warmly at them. Sokka fell into place next to Rein, throwing his arm over her shoulder and wiggling his eyebrows at Bato.
"This is Kireina, my lover, and her brother Aang. She's the Ekkona!" Sokka spoke for the two. Rein bit her lip and elbowed Sokka's side, causing him to yelp and jump away while gripping his torso. "Ow!"
"You can't just go around saying that! You didn't introduce Aang as the Avatar so why do you just throw my title out all willy nilly?! And lover? Really?" Rein barked, glaring at Sokka.
"I'm sorry. The Ekkona?" Bato questioned incredulously. "You're the Ekkona? How do you know?"
"Does the Avatar mean nothing to anyone anymore?" Aang pouted from behind.
"She can bend three of the elements!" Katara cheered excitedly, ignoring Aang's comment. "Show him, Kireina!"
Rein gulped but nonetheless agreed to Katara's order. She began by using her birth element- air. She lifted her arms up, placing her hands parallel to each other and forming a mini tornado between her palms. Bato's jaw fell open at her airbending, having never seen that art before.
Kireina smirked, enjoying the attention she was receiving from the group. Even Aang was fully immersed in the scene unfolding. She adjusted her gaze to the ocean to her right, wiggling her fingers slightly to manipulate the waves into a small stream of water and guided it over to the older man where she froze it and let it fall to his feet.
Bato was amazed at how easily she was bending. There were no ancient moves needed, she just twitched her fingers and the water did as told. In his forty years of life, he had never seen anything like it.
"I haven't really gotten the hang of firebending yet but I'll try." Rein sighed and turned to face the campfire a few feet away. Her mind wandered back to Zuko and his lessons. She closed her eyes and began to steady her breathing.
"Uncle always scolds me for this but it's the only way I can bend powerful flames, so don't tell him I taught you this."
"Close your eyes and picture something that makes you shake with rage, feelings you've locked deep inside to protect your brother."
Rein shook her head. There was no need to think negative thoughts, there wasn't a necessity to trigger rage and anger to firebend. Iroh was an army general and he never seemed angry a day in his life yet he could firebend masterfully. She just had to focus on her breathing and be one with the fire that burned within her.
Even with her eyes closed, she could see the flash of red and could feel the fire's heat from ten feet away.
"Kireina! Turn it off!" Sokka shouted, shaking her profusely. Rein opened her eyes to see the campfire now on full blast. It shot fifty feet in the air, crackling so loudly it woke the birds hidden in the trees. Appa groaned in fear, backing away with Momo cowering on the saddle.
Rein gasped and waved her arms around, trying to put the roaring fire out. Instead, the waving of her arms initiated a fire tornado, causing the flames to spin in circles around the beach. "Oh wow! This is intense!" She yelped, wincing as the whirlwind of fire danced around the sand.
"You think?!" Sokka screamed back, practically pulling the hair out of his head. Rein giggled at his animated expression before motioning the water to form a large wave and douse the fire-nado.
"What should we call that? A fire-nado? Oh, how about flamado?! That one rolls off your tongue nicely, try it Sok!" Rein chirped, spinning around to face the group of shocked faces.
"Flamado." Sokka deadpanned in a monotonous tone.
"Add that one to the books!"
The four stared at Rein, completely flabbergasted by what they just witnessed. Katara clung onto Aang and poor, unsuspecting Bato stood motionless.
"I see you haven't figured out how to earthbend yet?" Bato cleared his throat.
Rein's eyes widened at his question. "You mean, the Ekkona can bend all the elements?"
"Why would you be able to bend three of the elements and not all four? Granted, the Ekkona's powers are still unknown but the Avatar spirits touched you for a reason, there's no way in my mind that you wouldn't be able to bend them all." Bato spoke, gaining the attention of everyone. "I need to tell Hakoda about this, he's been looking for you, my dear."
"Dad's been looking for Kireina? I thought you were all fighting in the war?" Katara asked, her brows knitting together in confusion.
Bato nodded his head, "While that is true, yes, we've been following the Ekkona's trail for years. We've searched high and low for you, Kireina, who would've thought you would find Sokka and Katara instead."
"But why hunt me down? What am I going to help you accomplish?" Kireina questioned. Her heart began to pound in her chest so hard she could feel the blood pumping in her veins.
"Oh you don't know?" Bato smiled, gently grabbing her by the chin to look deep in her big grey eyes. "You're the key to stopping the Fire Nation and putting an end to this war. You're the Chosen One, Kireina. You're going to save us all."
☼☼☼☼☼
To the commenters who understood the pebble reference- I love you guys. You crack me up every day in the comments and I just had to throw that into the story lmao
If you don't know what I'm talking about- read the comments on chapter "Born Again".
But anyway!!! Kireina is slowly starting to figure out what she is and what her purpose is but still doesn't know of the prophecy and her ties to Zuko! ;-)