Clouds ( Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Chapter Five.

Kumo watched silently as Zuko held the blue necklace up to the light, examining him. She, of course, knew who it belonged to but said nothing. She felt a pang of jealousy but ignored it.

"Are we going or not?" She snapped, losing her temper. She was cold, hungry and pissed off, she wasn't going to stand there for much longer. Zuko turned to her, pocketing the necklace.

"What's your problem, girl?" He scowled, her bad mood had influenced his. Kumo grit her teeth, her fists clenched. Girl... He was always calling her 'girl'! He knew her name!

"I have a name." She scowled, she brought her fist up to send a blast of wind his way but lowered it. Did she really want to hurt him...? Yes, she did. She swung her hand out, a blade of wind hit his ankles causing him to fall. "Ugh..."

Iroh watched as Kumo stormed off, back to the ship, ignoring Zuko's complaints as he got back up. He chuckled. He'd grown quite fond of the benevolent air bender on her time with them, she enjoyed tea and was calm, bringing out the best in Zuko and himself.

"Ugh, I don't understand that air bender." Zuko scowled, standing aside his Uncle as he glared at her retreating form. Iroh sighed.

"Maybe you should show more respect for her, Prince Zuko." Iroh suggested, folding his arms. Zuko shot him a fierce glare and was about to protest but Iroh held up a hand to stop him. "She has saved your life multiple times, yet you have not thanked her and refuse to call her by name."

Iroh sighed, making his way back to the ship. Kumo sat up by the base of the funnel, cross legged and a cold expression which softened when she spotted Iroh. She leapt gracefully from her seat to greet him. 

"Ah, Kumo, be patient with Zuko, he-" Iroh was cut off.

"I know, it's not his fault." She mumbled, folding her arms across her chest. Iroh smiled at her and nodded. "I just wish he was a bit nicer."

-

"You know back in Kyoshi," Aang began, frowning to himself from his seat on the bison's head. Katara and Sokka looked up from whatever they were doing. "There was that girl, the other air bender."

"You mean Kumo?" Katara asked, deep in thought. Sokka gasped.

"That's Kumo?!" Sokka asked in disbelief. Katara gave him a blank look.

"What other white-haired, mysterious air benders that live in the North pole do you know?" She asked sarcastically. Sokka fumed. "But I guess she has changed, I didn't recognise her back in the village."

"Huh? You knew her?" Aang asked, glancing over his shoulder to look at them. Katara couldn't help notice how his eyes had lost their happy spark, he seemed upset by something.

"Yeah, she used to be part of the water tribe until she left four years ago." Katara explained, turning to face Aang. "She was abandoned outside the village a year before I was born as a baby, she had no name or parents, they just found her crying in the snow and took her in."

"It was a surprise when she first air bended but we all thought of it as some kind of trick and she never did it again." Sokka muttered, folding his arms above his head. He'd looked up to her. "Then she just left one day, she ventured into the wilderness and we never saw her again."

"Oh." Aang mumbled, looking down. 

"Whats wrong, Aang?" Katara asked, leaning over the saddle. Aang sighed.

"She was there in Kyoshi, protecting Zuko." Katara gasped and Sokka shot forward. "She protected him but when I looked at her, she was so upset and...ashamed, she didn't want to hurt me."