Heimat | Aang

TWENTY-ONE

They were moving the next morning. The weather was vicious, the wind howling, the rain falling on Appa and his two riders as cold as ice, hitting them at an alarming speed that could bruise. Just in one night, the scenery had turned lethal, and long gone was the sun they had seen less than twelve hours ago. The night had completely transformed the scenery.

The more they flew, closer to the mountains, the more the rain fell, thicker and quicker. Aang, however, didn't stop once, unable to find a shelter under the weather. He could hardly see ahead, much less risk diving down to the treetops in an attempt to find shelter. Tapeesa had moved from her seat in the back close to him and a glance behind him had him noticing she had stood up, arms moving, appearing to be separating the air in two. The droplets of water that fell on their heads grew softer the more time passed as she perfected her technique. Aang, facing ahead, didn't bother hiding his smile.

Their journey lasted a lot more than they would like, and the route through the mountain that would have usually taken them a couple of hours, ended up occupying them for most of the day. Aang was relieved when they finally got off the mountains and he led Appa towards the shore nearby.

It was a bay, the flora getting less and less as they left the mountains behind and got closer to the sea. In the middle of the bay, a short distance in the sea, was an island. Aang instantly headed over and soon enough, they were landing. The moment they were on steady ground, Tapeesa jumped off of the sky bison.

"This was the longest journey I've ever been to, and I've spent months at sea without a break," she told him as she drew the last droplets of water off of her clothes and turned to face her companion. Aang couldn't help but chuckle as he looked over at her, and Tapeesa's throat seemed dry as she registered the fondness in his gaze. She dragged her eyes away, unable to meet his gaze head on, aware she was only setting herself up for disappointment if she even entertained the idea of noticing his gaze. She couldn't. Not when their mission was over soon and there was a chance she would never see him again.

"I didn't think the weather would be that awful."

Aang's voice was enough to shake her off of her thoughts and she looked up just in time to see him jump off from Appa, moments before the sky bison stood up. Her eyes widened as Appa started moving and too late, she realised he planned on shaking the water off of him. She just managed to stop the droplets of water from reaching them, her hand rising on its own accord to prevent the barrage of water. Aang let out a chuckle, completely unbothered as she let the water fall and moved towards her until he came to a stop beside her.

"This place is nice. All clouds move towards the mountains. The sea is near, the Fire Nation isn't too far away. I'm surprised no one ever came to live here."

Tapeesa turned to face him but he was looking ahead in the horizon, where the sun was soon going to be meeting the sea. With Aang distracted, she took a moment to let her eyes roam his face. She trailed her gave over his sharp jaw, all the way from his chin to his cheekbones, her gaze briefly following his arrow to his forehead. And then she looked him in the eyes, found it impossible to not smile as the pale grey was lit up by the sunset. He was unique, handsome. A great friend. The reminder she wouldn't be able to just be with him like this had her swallowing and quickly licking her dry lips before she forced herself to say something that would bring her out of her trance.

"You could make this place your home since you like it."

His lips stretched into a smile, but as he turned to face her, she realised it was sad. For a moment, she thought somebody had reached her heart through her body and had squeezed with all their might.

"It can't be a home if I am to be alone, Tapeesa." She failed to answer as he turned to face her completely, his sad smile not faltering. "I know you can't stay with me. I understand that. I wouldn't want you to stay and keep yourself back just because I asked you. But I'm going to miss you."