Zuko ain't so bad [zukaang]

I KNEW HE WAS AN AIR BENDER!!!

Aang's POV

The bed was warm, cozy, and smelled nice. I was awake, and I had been since dawn, but I didn't want to get up. Zuko had left before the sun had even risen. So I was alone in the small room. I heard soft footsteps padding towards me. Before I could sit up, someone jumped on me.

"WAKE UP DAKA!!!" the unmistakable voice of Kwasi screamed in my ear. I flinched, and glared at the tiny boy on top of me. When I showed signs of living, Kwasi crawled off me. "Chet's going to make the announcement today." he whispered, cupping his hands around his mouth. It took me a second to figure out who Chet was.

"Today? Why so soon?" I mumbled.

"You're going to begin your tasks today, the people will want to know why you came off easy." I sat up, rubbing the grogginess out of my eyes. Once I accepted I wasn't going back to bed, I stood up. I was still in the huge clothes from yesterday. I stretched yawning.

"Kwasi leave so I can change." I didn't turn around to see if the boy had left. I pulled off the giant tunic and changed into the earth kingdom disguise. My least favorite part were the hat and fingerless gloves. The entire point of the arrows are to tell people you're an airbender. It was a sign of growing up, and respect. Usually people didn't get them until their eighteenth birthday, but I was an exception. My avartarness earned me my arrows.

I begrudgingly put on the hat and gloves, then walked out of the bedroom. Kwasi was waiting for me. Together we walked to Pop's farm. As we neared the tiny farm the pigs started squealing again. I plugged my ears, wincing as the squealing became louder. Kwasi laughed at my uncomfortableness.

"You'll get used to it eventually. Chet still doesn't like it. Even though he's been here for at least a month now." I nodded, eager to learn more about the exiled prince.

We came to the pig's styes, the pigs followed us as we walked up to the hut. Squealing their tiny heads off. We walked up to the hut, and walked right in. Not bothering to knock. Everyone except Zuko was sitting on cushions, the fire pit not lit. Mere was walking around handing out pieces of strange yellow bread. Me and Kwasi sat down by the others. Kwasi happily accepted his piece biting into it right away.

I took mine more cautiously, not trusting it's yellowness quite yet. Pops sat next to me, eating his slice rapidly. Soon the entire slice was no more. "So Daka, how did you come across the story of the Sky Bisons?" he asked, seemingly careless. I heard the inquisinating under tone though.

"Well my father would tell the story often." Gyatso is technically not my foster father, but it's not a lie.

"Who was your father?" Pops asked, his prying becoming obvious. Just as I opened my mouth to answer, a middle aged man, who I recognized as the gatekeeper, bursted into the room. He doubled over panting, the room grew silent waiting for him to talk. When he had caught his breath, he stood up all important like.

"The Blue Spirit is making an announcement, at main street. We must hurry." everyone stood up automatically. We started the walk back to main street. Katara came up to me, walking by my side.

"Is this the announcement?" she whispered, so only I could hear. I nodded mutely, not even looking at her. She grunted, obviously not pleased. "I still don't like the village finding out about it." I didn't respond, looking in the opposite direction that she was in. Katara didn't go away though. "Isn't it a little weird that he wants to just say you're an... you know. But not the other important fact?"

"I told you if the village found out, we'd all be in trouble." I said through clenched teeth. She nodded not paying attention. Katara was stuck in her head, going through the pros and cons. She's like this a lot, sometimes she's in her head for hours on end.

I walked a little faster, and away from her. I walked behind Sokka and Toph who were arguing whether meteors are earth or not. Toph was pro earth, but Sokka was saying it couldn't be. Even though they were arguing, it was way better than Katara's unfocused mumbling about things she didn't know. The argument grew in scale.

"I'm telling you Toph meteors are fuc-" he didn't get to finish. Toph put her finger to his lips shushing him. She jabbed a thumb back at me.

"Monk," she hissed at Sokka. He looked back at me, eyes widening slightly.

"Oh, I'm sorry Daka." Sokka said, realizing he almost swore in front of a monk. I shrugged and continued walking. I looked over to Pops and Mere who were leading us to main street. Pops was watching me, Toph, and Sokka closely. Zuko had told me last night, he had suspicions I wasn't a water bender. He was wrong. I am a water bender, but I'm also an 115 year old air monk.

Main street came into view, all the townsfolk were gathered in the middle. I saw Zuko standing on top of one of the box-like shacks. Waiting for us. When we came to the crowd, we joined the people. Everyone was muttering their theories of what the Blue Spirit was going to say. Zuko held up a hand, the audience immediately fell silent.

"Air, water, earth, fire." Zuko listed the elements. He pointed to me in the middle of the group. The people parted around me, all eyes shifting from me to the Blue Spirit. "Air," he said. He stepped sideways, gesturing to the spot beside him. I understood. I jumped, right before I fell I air bended myself up to the top of the hut. Joining Zuko, he didn't look at me. His gaze was focused on the crowd. They on the other hand were staring at me, mouths gaping, eyes disbelieving. "Show story." he said to me.

Alright time for an on the spot made up story of my past. "Well you all know me as Daka, the stranger who showed up out of nowhere yesterday." the people nodded. "Well what you didn't know was that I am one of the last airbenders. My ancestors came from the southern air temple. My grand pop was on a trip with his newly wed wife, when the fire nation attacked. When they came back to their home, they only saw bodies of their friends, and ruins of their once proud temple of worship." Toph, Katara, and Sokka all bowed their heads. This didn't go unnoticed by the villagers. They looked back to me, pity in their eyes. 

"They ran away to the southern water tribe. They opened their arms in welcome, for a while my family was disguised as water tribe members. They were happy for a time, they had my mom. Then, when my mom was thirteen, they attacked the southern water tribe. My Grand pops and mum couldn't stay there and do nothing. They hid my mother with the other water tribe kids. She knew of our culture, all the stories. My grandparents died that day. Mum left the south pole, and traveled to the western air temple. There she found my father. Soon after they had me they moved back to the southern water tribe. They welcomed my family again. I grew up with my two great friends Jamie, and Kalhan." I gestured to two of my greatest friends. 

"After we found out Jamie was a water bender it was no longer safe for her. My parents died a few years ago due to sickness. I had no where else to go except with them. We travelled the world, and the earth kingdom. Adopting Shay on the way. Soon we got tired of traveling the world, and looked for a place hidden from the eyes of the fire nation. We found this wonderful town, and now I'm telling this all to you." the audience was silent.

Then a wheezing old laugh came from the back of the group. The audience parted to reveal Pops, doubled over laughing. "I KNEW IT!!! I KNEW HE WAS AN AIR BENDER!!" he shouted, over and over again.

After Pop's laughing and shouting had died down the Blue Spirit stepped forward. "This secret, no one know." he said. The town nodded all at once. The Blue Spirit nodded once, "good," was all he said before jumping off the back of the hut.