Opening my eyes, I blinked a few times while sighing in relief at finally being within my body.
'I felt a little naked.' Mused Aang lightly as he slowly stood up and glanced between Ta Min and Rina, who were both wiping their tears.
"Th-Thank you, y-you don't know how much it m-means." Said Ta Min with a large smile as she tenderly hugged Aang, prompting Rina to do the same.
"You're welcome." Muttered Aang lightly with a faint nod as he glanced between Ta Min and Rina.
Once the two released me, they sat back down, prompting me to do the same as they grabbed the teacup Rina handed to me, though I nearly spat it out from the taste.
"Hehe, you don't like it, do you?" Asked Ta Min with a faint smile as she looked at Aang's disgusted face, causing him to set the cup down while shaking his head.
"I've never been a fan of tea, though Monk Gyatso says it's an acquired taste." Replied Aang softly, his words causing Ta Min to nod while faintly smiling.
"That was Father's favorite tea. Huh, so you and him really are different." Muttered Rina lightly as she stared intently at Aang, who nodded.
"Roku, I, Kyoshi, Kuruk, Yangchen, Szeto; we may all be the Avatar and are reincarnations of our previous selves, but we're not the same, and the same will hold true for the Avatar after me." Stated Aang calmly as he spread his arms while glancing at Rina, who nodded before tilting her head.
"Um, I was about your age when Father perished, so I don't remember much, but I've never heard him mention Kyoshi, Kuruk, Yanghen, or Szeto." Said Rina curiously as she looked at Aang before looking at Ta Min, who was silently sipping tea with a small smile.
"Kyoshi was the Avatar before your father; my father would occasionally mention her; as for Kuruk, Yangchen, and Szeto, I've also never heard their names." Said Ta Min softly as she glanced at Rina, who nodded before promptly shifting her focus to Aang.
"Those three are the previous Avatars before Kyoshi and are in that order; Szeto was a Fire Nation Avatar just like Roku, though his time was so long ago, there is probably not much information about him." Said Aang lightly, his words causing Ta Min and Rina to nod with slightly widened eyes.
"Huh, Szeto? Wonder if he was similar to Father, or, actually, wouldn't it be the other way around?" Muttered Rina softly with a thoughtful expression as she rubbed her chin, causing Ta Min to chuckle.
"I wanted to ask, but do you know if anyone has retrieved Roku and Fang's body?" Asked Aang curiously as he glanced at Ta Min, who furrowed her brows before shaking her head while sighing.
"No. I have gone to look for their bodies, but I'm an old woman; moving all that ash by myself is an impossible dream." Replied Ta Min with a shake of her head with a defeated expression, her words causing Aang to nod as he stood up.
Clasping my hands, I slightly bowed to Ta Min and Rina, prompting them to also stand up.
"I appreciate the hospitality, but I must get going. I've been gone for a while, though if you don't mind, I'll visit in the future." Stated Aang softly as he looked at Ta Min and Rina, both nodding with large smiles.
"Of course, you're more than welcome to come, and next time, bring Gyatso with you; I always loved listening to his stories with Roku." "Gyatso? Isn't he the Air Nomad who visited when I was really young?" Remarked Ta Min and Rina, respectively, the latter rubbing her chin with a thoughtful expression.
"Yes, I'll try." Said Aang with a nod as he began leaving the room, prompting Ta Min and Rina to walk with him.
Once I reached the front door, Rina opened the door for me as I exited the modest house; stepping out onto the porch, I grabbed my bo-staff and turned it into a glider, which seemed to gain Rina's interest.
"Oh, forgive me, but what is your name?" Asked Ta Min with a faint blush as she looked at Aang, who began to draw upon the air.
"Aang of the Southern Air Temple. Farewell, Ta Min and Rina." Replied Aang with a faint smile as he leaped into the air, controlling the air to push against his glider, speedily accelerating him into the air.
As I left the mother & daughter duo, I quickly flew higher into the air, looking for Appa, who happened to be hovering in the same spot, causing me to wince a little since it's been nearly twenty minutes since I left him, nearing Appa, I gently landed on his back and stroked his head.
"Sorry for the long wait, Appa; I didn't think I would be gone that long." Said Aang apologetically as he gazed at Appa from above, causing him to softly growl before he started moving through the air, heading the air they initially came from.
While moving through the air, I helped Appa by creating large gusts of wind he could ride, allowing him to move faster through the sky as we headed southwest, hoping to encounter Monk Gyatso along the way.
'Hmm, speaking of Monk Gyatso, I hope he isn't upset; maybe I should've told him.' Mused Aang lightly as he swiftly moved across Appa's back, continuously creating gusts of wind that Appa rode with masterful skill.
As the minutes passed by, with us going to the southwest, I eventually had Appa go solely west, and after nearly an hour of aimlessly flying, he suddenly snapped his head to the left before he gently roared and flew in the direction he was looking. Although I was confused as to why he suddenly changed direction, I trusted Appa, and so for the next few minutes, I allowed him to lead us, which was smart of me since shortly afterward, we spotted Monk Gyatso in the distance blowing on a bison whistle.
'Oh, he looks a little annoyed.' Mused Aang lightly as he sat down and glanced at Gyatso, who was staring at him with obvious annoyance and concern.
When we arrived near each other, our two companions descended towards the water until they were floating within the ocean, prompting Monk Gyatso and I to silently stare at each other.
"I found something interesting and wished to check it out; I apologize for not informing you beforehand." Said Aang softly as he stood and bowed towards Gyatso, whose face aggressively twitched before he eventually sighed.
"Haa, you're rather mature and smart for your age, Aang, so I wasn't too worried about your safety, but you, of all people, need to be very careful when exploring by yourself." Stated Gyatso solemnly with furrowed brows as he stared deeply at Aang, who nodded.
"I understand, Monk Gyatso; I shall take that into account next time I wander off by myself." Replied Aang with a nod as he once again bowed before Gyatso, who nodded while sighing.
"So, what was so interesting you wandered off by yourself without informing me?" Asked Gyatso curiously as he gazed at Aang, who furrowed his brows for a moment before suddenly smiling.
"There was this moving island heading North, and I wanted to go investigate as I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me; however, after looking around, I noticed it was merely a normal island despite being able to move." Stated Aang softly, his words causing Gyatso to raise an eyebrow as he tapped his chin.
"Moving island? Could it be one of them? No, that's not possible; no one has seen one in nearly a thousand years." Muttered Gyatso in surprise as he gazed northward, seemingly searching for the moving island, only to shake his head.
"Haa, well, a moving island is definitely something I would investigate; just inform me next time you decide to do so. I'd also like to see such a sight." Said Gyatso lightly as he glanced at Aang, who nodded, before he patted his companion's head, prompting him to gently roar while his tail flapped, lifting his ten-ton body out of the water.
Following Monk Gyatso, Appa lifted himself out of the water and followed behind him as we flew through the sky, heading west while I began to meditate.
___
___
"Huh, so that's the Fire Nation Capital?" Muttered Aang softly as he gazed downwards at the hallow mountain while high in the sky, viewing the large city.
The Fire Nation Captain below was quite large, not anywhere comparable to Ba Sing Se, as that was arguably comparable to a country. Still, nonetheless, it was a very large city. Not only that, but similarly to Ba Sing Se, it is famously known for being nearly impenetrable, given how it's in the middle of a slightly hallowed mountain.
However, what I was looking at was merely the second half of the Fire Nation Capital; outside of the mountain and further down below, there is a port city that serves as a defensive measure to protect the Royal Family and the many Nobles; it's also a great spot for merchants.
'However, even from up here, I can tell it's heavily guarded; a war is surely coming.' Mused Aang with a slight frown as he glanced at the cities down below before sighing and shaking his head.
While I had no actual desire to be the Avatar, I would try to prevent a war if I could, especially since I knew where they would first target: the Air Temples.
"More specifically, me." Muttered Aang with a frown as he narrowed his eyes at the Royal Palace in the distance, seemingly staring directly at Sozin.