silver soul | avatar, the last air bender

chapter thirty seven

Naia opened her eyes, though she didn't remember ever going to sleep. It took her eyes a while to adjust to the sudden burst of white light, so she shut them again, hoping whoever was there would turn the lights off. When they didn't flicker off is when Naia attempted to open her eyes again. She sat up slowly and took in her surroundings.

An uneasy feeling befell Naia as she looked around and saw...nothing. For miles it seemed, there was only a shade of glowy white. She could have sworn she saw the sun setting in the horizon, but she wasn't sure. It painted the far edge a light orange color which scattered across that Naia assumed was the sky. It was like the sky was blanketed with a white sheet. She tried to recount what she was last doing before she woke up in this strange place, but her trains of though fell utterly flat.

"Good. You're finally awake," She heard a familiar voice say.

Naia got to her feet and slowly turned around. This has to be a dream. There was no way this was happening in real time. Behind her was someone she never thought she would see again. Someone who's beautiful voice she's missed and yearned to hear for so long.

Yue.

Naia immediately burst into tears. She ran as fast as she could into Yue's arms and embraced her. Naia cried harder than she ever has before. What was even more strange was that she could feel her sister's arms wrapped around her. "This isn't real," Naia said in disbelief. "This can't be—you—I—what—" She started to stutter.

"Shh. Naia, don't cry," Yue consoled her. "Please, don't cry."

Naia pulled away. Yue looked the same as she did on the day she died. Her skin was radiant, she was wearing a white billowing dress and her hair swayed with the breeze. Her skin was glowing in a luminescent way. She looked ethereal, like a true spirit. "I miss you so much," Naia could barely speak, her throat felt so tight. "It's been so hard without you."

"I know," Yue said soothingly.

A sudden realization hit Naia again. "Why am I here?" She asked softly. Naia looked into Yue's eyes and searched desperately for an answer. She could see the sadness in Yue's eyes. It was as if Yue did not want to tell Naia her answer. Naia decided to fill the silence which hung between them. "I was fighting Azula," She began to think back.

Yue looked at her wistfully. "Yes," She said.

"And I remember a bright flash of light," Naia wracked her brain trying to remember. "And then, everything went dark," Naia said. Yue nodded. Yue reached out her hand and wiped away Naia's tears. Naia felt her throat tighten. Did she die? Naia decided to push those horrible thoughts to the back of her head.

"Right," Yue said. Naia's stomach dropped. It all started to come back to her. She must have died when she was fighting Azula. It all happened so fast. A bright flash of light and then darkness.

"Were you there?" Naia asked, trying to change the subject. She didn't want to accept the possibility that she might have died.

"I've always been here," Yue said, grabbing Naia's hands and holding them. It as just as she used to do. "I've watched over you this whole time."

"There's so much I want to say to you," Naia said, looking into her sister's deep blue eyes. That was the one trait they shared, despite looking entirely different. "A lot has changed. I wish you were there. When I'm alone I stare up at the moon and think of you," Naia said. "I think of all the memories we have together. It absolutely kills me inside that you can experience the new memories with me. At first I didn't miss home at all because everywhere reminded me of you but now I'm starting to."

"Mother and father miss you so much," Yue said.

"They probably hate me now," Naia sniffled.

"They don't hate you. They could never hate you," Yue reassured her. "They love you so much. They want to know if you're okay."

Naia's stomach churned. She didn't know if she was still alive or not. "I wish you could see all of the beautiful places I've travelled to all over the world. You deserve to so much more than I do."

"I'm so proud of you, Naia," Yue smiled. "I've watched you overcome so much in your life with such grace and resilience. I saw you and Sokka's relationship blossom. You two are made for one another. I see how patient you are with Aang and Toph. Katara views you as the big sister she's never had. I'm proud of you for forgiving Zuko. You've touched the lives of many."

"But...I'm not going back. I won't get to see anybody again," Naia said sadly. She started to tear up again. "I didn't get to say goodbye. I always thought that if something happened to me, I would make peace with it. Because I knew in death, I would join you in the afterlife. So we could finally be reunited again. Forever."

"It's your choice," Yue said, her voice almost sounding like an echo.

"My choice?" Naia said so quietly it sounded like a whisper.

"If you stay here or continue to live," Yue said.

Naia started to cry again. She covered her face with her hands like a small child who was afraid of the dark. "I don't know," She started to feel pressure build up in her chest. Naia always thought the obvious choice would be to reunite with Yue as soon as she could. That if something were to happen to her, or would be fine. Her mother, father, and her friend Koa would move on and everybody else in the world would be fine since she didn't have anybody else. She imagined herself existing in the spirit world with Yue. Two halves reunited once more. The great ocean and moon spirits.

Now...she wasn't so sure. She wouldn't be able to see Toph grow up, Zuko become Firelord, Aang restoring peace in the world, or Katara be the first female water bending master. And Sokka. Sokka. She would miss him endlessly. The boy who liked her exactly for who she was. The boy who was so patient with her and has shown her nothing but patience and kindness. If she joined Yue in the spirit world, she would never be able to tell him how she was in love with him. She didn't know if she could forgive herself if she left Sokka behind.

"We don't have much time," Yue said softly. "As your twin sister, I am telling you I want you to go back. You have a bright future ahead of you. A future full of love, friendship, and change. You deserve to experience it. Please don't cut your life short for my sake. I want nothing more that for you to experience every beautiful thing life has to offer. Just know that I will always be here, closer to you than your next breath."

Naia felt more tears spill out of her eyes. She noticed that even in her spirit form, Yue somehow was still wearing the matching wave necklace to Naia's crescent moon necklace. That broke Naia's heart even more. Naia took a deep breath. "Am I doing the wrong thing?" Naia asked, her voice cracking.

"Absolutely not," Yue reassured her.

"If I need to leave soon, can I spend the remainder of my time sitting here with you?" Naia asked.

Yue smiled. "Of course."

The two sat next to one another and stared out towards the horizon. Instead this time, it was an ocean. A beautiful full moon reflecting over the deep blue sea. Naia remembered it looked very similar to the painting that she painted Yue for her sixteenth birthday. This image, that came to her in a dream, she was staring at with her beloved twin sister. It felt nice to feel her sister's presence again. She missed Yue more than words could ever describe. There was not any amount of words, phrases, or adjectives that could begin to describe how much she missed her twin sister.

Naia felt Yue softly kiss her cheek. Naia turned her head and felt a tugging sensation on the right side of her head. But for now, all she wanted to do was take one last look at her sister's face. "We will meet again in the future, together as the ocean and moon spirits. I love you forever, Naia," She heard Yue's voice fade out before darkness took over once again.

a/n: i am CRAZYYYY with these updates lol it's ok though. enjoy <3 this is a short chapter but really sappy