Art drawn by me!

When Ayaan woke the next morning, for the first time, flashes of his nightmares weren't invading his mind. He saw a clear blue sky instead of stormy gray one; black snow wasn't falling all around him. He didn't hear his mother screaming or evil laughter. There was only the blue, inviting sky and the morning songs of the birds. He'd gotten more rest than he ever remembered having in the last five years; he had a feeling that it would not happen again, though.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" He heard a familiar voice say. Turning his head slightly, he saw Katara who had been making her way toward him. He looked down slightly, seeing a small mass of white and brown curled into a ball on his chest. Gently, he removed the sleeping creature and placed him on his blanket. He wrapped him loosely, careful not to wake him as he stood, putting the rest of his things away.

"No, you did not wake me." He answered her. There was a bit of awe that could be heard in his voice if you listened close enough. "Who else is up?" He asked her.

"Just you and me. You know how Sokka is in the morning; though Aang may wake soon. He's usually up around this time."

"Hm." He thought for a moment. The place he found last night to train was a good, open space. Maybe, it was time to make good on his promise. "I will wake him up. If Aang is up by then, he is free to join us." Ayaan stated, moving to grab his spear as he headed in Sokka's direction.

"Hm? Join us for what?" Katara asked curiously.

"For training." He said simply. Katara's eyes widened slightly as she remembered their conversation from before clearly.

'This trip will be dangerous. So, after we rescue Aang, you will be joining me in training. Both of you.'

They had settled into a routine of sorts when traveling, and they had free time to settle before they left their camp. This was plenty of time to train, and Ayaan had been using it to do just that. Now that the trio had gotten a bit more used to travel, it was time for them to join him in his training.

"Sokka. Wake up." Ayaan nudged his brother a bit, only getting a groan in response.

"NoOoooOo... 5 more hours....Haven't finished the buffet... fish skewers... seal jerky... sea prunes... meat... Zzz..."

"I will be training you and Katar-"

"...Training?" Within the next minute he was already dressed, his boomerang at the ready, Sokka was standing before Ayaan even finished the sentence. His gaze held a passion never before seen from him during that time of day. His eyes were practically sparkling with anticipation. "Did you say training?"

"Yes."

"Training to become a man among men?" His passion intensified. An aura of happiness was surrounding him.

"I will also be training your sister so I do not know how that saying will apply to her."

He ignored his comment. "I will finally get Ayaan-level manliness. Talent will finally rub off on me!" He was practically blinding with the amount of passion he was letting out. "I SHALL BE A MAN AMONG MEN!"

"You don't need my talent. You already have many." Ayaan said, but he was not heard.

"Come on, Katara! Greatness awaits, lets go!" Sokka was dragging his sister off before Ayaan could say anything more. He could only shake his head at how eager Sokka was to finally be training.

Sokka eventually had to come back since he did not know where he was going. "Uh. Where are we training again?"

Ayaan told them where to go. The place actually wasn't that far from the camp, just 10 minutes walking distance. When they left to go there, Aang was up and wondering what was going on. Ayaan calmly explained it to him.

"Training?" Aang asked.

"Yes." Ayaan answered.

"Is it waterbending training for Katara?"

"No, it is self-defense, for both Katara and Sokka."

"How come? I mean, Sokka's pretty great with his boomerang, and Katara's been practicing that 'streaming the water' move you guys figured out the other day. And you and your spear fighting skills are amazing!"

Ayaan smiled just a bit at his complements. "It is true that Sokka is brilliant with his boomerang and Katara's waterbending has improved. But, what if all of Sokka's weapons are gone or if there is no water around for Katara to bend?"

"They have me and you!" Aang answered immediately, a cheerful tone in his voice.

"Right now that is true, but," Ayaan continued, his smile fading, "it won't always be like that."

"What do you mean?" Aang asked. The mood had changed to a serious one. They continued walking, and Ayaan explained.

"I was taught by my dad from a very young age. It was much younger than normal kids usually started training because I was abnormally strong and extremely eager to learn. It was quality time I got to spend with Dad, and I branched off into my own style of fighting after I found the spear. Katara and Sokka did not have that same opportunity to learn like I did."

"What was different? I mean, I know you got your blessing and are super strong, but why couldn't they get trained? Weren't they supposed to?"

"Yes, they were. Just like the other children in our village would have been beginning to learn a little about it, they were supposed to be taught to fight and defend themselves." He clutched his spear as a dull ache on his right began to flare slightly before going away. Closing his eyes and letting out a breath-like sigh, he continued, "But the year they were suppose to officially start was the same year our mother was killed and I was burned."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked." Aang felt bad for making him remember that.

"No, it's okay." He put a gentle hand on Aang's shoulder. "Come, they've been waiting long enough. You are free to watch if you want."

"Yay!" Aang jumped high into the air. "I'd love to!"

So off they went, meeting Sokka and Katara who were waiting in the clearing. Aang did not need training, but he wanted to watch and be their support.

...

..

.

Ayaan stood a few feet in front of them, a stern look on his face that made them stand up straight. "I will be teaching you now. I won't always be there to protect you as I want to."

"But we'll always be together. Nothing could possibly tear us apart." Katara said, her hope and belief obvious.

"Yeah, I agree with Katara." Sokka nodded.

Ayaan did not share their hopeful demeanor. He needed them to understand where he was coming from. "When the firebenders raided our home, I was not strong enough. I will forever be marked by that failure." One could clearly see the pain in their eyes before they looked away, trying to shake the horrible memory away. "There will be times when you are alone and must fight. Times when everything is against you and you are at a disadvantage, or times when you must protect someone and must be careful."

All playfulness in this situation died. When Ayaan said he was going to be training them, he meant it with absolute seriousness.

"We are not home. This is War. There will be many situations where you will be alone in battle. There will be unfavorable situations where the odds are stacked against you. With no water, and no weapons, just your mind and your body against the enemy. So I will train you as best I can, so that if, no, when you face those situations, you are more prepared than right now."

'More than I was back then.' He didn't say.

"Right..." Sokka started.

"...Now?" Katara finished.

"Brace yourselves. For the next ten minutes, I will be the enemy."

"Wha-" But Sokka did not finish his question, he found himself flying a few yards back because of a solid blow to his abdomen. The contents of his stomach emptied partially, and Katara looked wide eyed at the scene.

"The enemy will not wait for you to finish speaking. I will not be teaching you the same way our father taught me." He turned to Katara, who paled. Sokka was able to get up with a bit of difficultly, but noticed something. Before he could properly access what he noticed about his aching stomach, Ayaan continued. "Defend yourself!"

The attacks continued viciously. Ayaan did not form fists like one would expect, but had his fingers curled and his palm exposed, which protected his knuckles from being injured from the impact with the body while also delivering the full force of the punch. He was fast, dodging all of their counters and returning with his own. They really could do nothing but defend themselves. Trying to hit him was near, if not, impossible for them.

Sokka managed to get behind him when he began to focus on Katara. She did not have a solid form, but it was solid enough for her to try to throw a hit at him. Ayaan, however, easily spun away from her and countered in one fluid motion.

Bam!

Pow!

Thwak!

In the span of a second he landed three solid hits on her and sent her spiraling backward similar to Sokka at the beginning of the match. The wind was knocked out of her and he showed her no mercy. To him, gender did not matter in battle. If you can hit, be ready to get hit in return.

"Get up. Try again." He commanded. There was a cold tone in his voice that sent shivers down their spines. Even Aang, who was watching with a conflicted gaze, was scared.

"Sneak Attack!" Sokka yelled as he swung at him from behind with his boomerang. Ayaan, barely moving from his spot, turned, grabbed the weapon and removed it from Sokka, and flipped him over using his own momentum.

"Oof!" Sokka ended up slammed on his back, not sure what had happened in that moment. The next second the sharp end of the boomerang was at his neck. All of it was done in complete silence.

"A sneak attack should not be heard." Ayaan's grayish blue eyes narrowed as he leaned in, emphasizing the dire position Sokka's blunder landed him in.

"R-right..." Sokka said, cold sweat dripping down his brow as the cold, sharp tip of his most prized possession pressed against his exposed neck.

Ayaan released him, and made space between them once again. He let them get up before he said anything. "Again."

And so they continued. Every few seconds they would end up on their behinds, other times eating the dirt. As the minutes went by, Sokka began to see that Ayaan was leaving openings in his form for them to take advantage of. He would try to go for them, only to end up on his face again.

Katara didn't get close at all. She had a small water pouch with her and tried to use the water inside it whenever she got an opening. But every time the water would either go the wrong way or be too weak to have any affect. This left her open to be attacked which Ayaan took full advantage of.

She ended up eating dirt too. Both her and Sokka found that they had become fast friends with the ground. Each time, Ayaan would let them get up and they would go again. They tried everything they could think of, trying to at least touch him, but got no where. All of their attempts failed miserably.

Ten minutes seemed to go by very slowly until finally it was over. "That is enough. I have an idea at what level you both are on and where to start."

"Ugh..." Katara and Sokka were laid out on the ground, probably not hearing a word he said over their heavy breathing and possible bruises. While they were exhausted, Ayaan hadn't broken a sweat.

Aang was flabbergasted and worried. What had he just witnessed? A massacre? "Are you guys okay?!"

"Yeah, we're good. In pain, but good." Katara answered, Sokka giving a shaky thumbs up.

Aang wasn't sure he believed them, they looked dead on the ground. "So what was all of that?" He asked Ayaan, as this was his first time seeing him teach. It was different from when he taught Katara that waterbending trick. This was a bit, no, a lot vicious.

"This was an assessment. I needed to see what level they were on before I started working with them. It would do no good to go over what they already know, and it will not help me if I don't know what they need to work on."

"Yeah, it's okay, Aang. He warned us before we rescued you that his training would be difficult."

"Okay..." Aang was still worried that this was to much, but they all seemed so sure, determined even. If they were all sure about this, then he was going to trust them.

"Ayaan..." Sokka started.

"Yes?"

After catching his breath a bit more and sitting up he continued, "You were going easy on us, weren't you? That wasn't even a percent of how hard you can hit or how fast you can go." He stated.

"Yes. I was." Ayaan confirmed. "I did not want to hurt you. Just test you."

"That was 'going easy'?!" Aang was once again flabbergasted. "Did the meaning of 'going easy' change in the last hundred years?"

"Yeah, he was definitely going easy on us." Katara said from the ground, who she knew was probably going to be her new best friend. "If Ayaan had been serious we would be like broken twigs. He was holding back a whole lot."

"BROKEN TWIGS?!" Flabbergast times three!

"That is an exaggeration, but yes." He reaffirmed for the young airbender. "I do not want my siblings to be 'broken twigs'."

"So, were you holding back against those firebenders too?" Aang asked after accessing the new info he learned. Ayaan nodded once again.

"Yes, though not nearly as much. Their armor protected them well against me. They may be the enemy, but I don't want to kill them." He answered honestly. "Breaking their bones is fine though. The only mercy I will allow is their lives." He said seriously.

'There is only one firebender I want to end.'

Ridding himself of his dark, vicious thoughts, he turned to Sokka.

"Sokka, you have good reflexes and think fast. There were many counters that were close to working and you were able to spot the openings I left and tried to go for them. Though, the way you went for them was obvious and would never work, and your form was sloppy and weak. We will be building your strength and fixing your form. We'll work up from there."

"Yes, sir!" Sokka was practically radiating. Finally, finally, he was going to train with his brother, his idol. It was a dream come true for him. Yelling 'sneak attack' before launching his sneak attack may mot have been the best of ideas, but from now on he was going to learn.

Sokka began dancing for joy.

"Katara, you surprised me." Ayaan said, his focus now on the girl who finally sat up to listen. "You are very strong, but your lack of experience using that strength shows. I expected as much. While strength is not your issue, your form is even worse than Sokka's since you have no type of training whatsoever. I know that waterbending is a fighting form and when we get to the North you will learn it, but as of right now? Trying to incorporate water in your every move will get you hit, as you experienced."

Katara looked down, embarrassed. She, indeed, tried to use her waterbending to fight with Ayaan. Every time she tried it would not work, and Ayaan would take advantage of her mishap and she'd end up eating dirt. He didn't even use his own waterbending against her. He didn't need to.

"Overall, you both did well for your first try. Let's try to fix your mistakes in the next few hours before we leave here. At our next stop, we will try this again. I hope that you do even better at that time." Ayaan said.

The siblings felt the determination well up within them. Next time, they would be able to land a hit on him. They would work hard to be able to reach that seemingly unattainable goal.

"Yes, sir!" They both said, being filled with energy again.

"Should I join this training too...?" Aang asked after a beat.

"Well, you can if you want. Though I know that your style is very different from ours. Hm..." Ayaan began thinking. What way could he help Aang improve, he was a prodigy in his airbending. After thinking for a moment, he spoke. "Have you ever truly used your bending offensively? What about fighting without your staff or bending at all?"

"Uhh..." Aang never thought about that. He never thought about combat, period. He was a pacifist. And while he knew how to airbend extremely well, he looked at all of the positive and fun aspects of his element. Flying, Airball, the sphere that he jumps on to go fast; he never thought about using his bending for violence. Even when he was captured, he only used his bending to defend himself and escape, he didn't actually try to hurt anyone with it.

So after a beat, he answered. "No, I haven't. I don't want to hurt anyone."

Ayaan was silent for a moment before speaking again. "While that is a noble mindset to have, in this war you will come across situations where you may have to hurt another to keep someone safe. The enemy will not hesitate to hurt you, or them." He gestured to his siblings, who were currently plotting how they were going to win in training next time.

Aang's eyes wandered to Katara. 'If I'm not willing to hurt someone, will she get hurt because I hesitated? I don't want them to get hurt. I don't want her to get hurt. But...'

"It was the way of my people not to harm others. We prioritized peace." Aang said. "I can't just abandon my morals. But I don't want that to endanger my new family, either. What do I do?" He took on a rare, mature mindset.

"We will figure it out." Ayaan smiled, patting the young boy on his shoulder. "We have time to figure it out. Together."

Aang smiled at that. "Together."

For a few more hours, Ayaan concentrated on improving his younger siblings stances for the type of fighting style they leaned towards. He had been in many spars with the other warriors in their village, and each of them focused on something different. Some focused on speed, some on strength, and some were balanced between the two.

Using what he knew, he gave them advice similar to the advice he got when he was younger and still figuring out his style. Aang would pitch in when he could. They worked hard, though sometimes it would end in hilarious failures like Sokka tripping on his own feet or Katara trying her water move, only to flick herself in the forehead.

Any other time it was Sokka getting hit. "KATARA!!"

"My bad!" She apologized sheepishly.

"Heh." Aang couldn't help but laugh.

"Sigh." Ayaan shook his head.

But he was happy. He cherished these little moments of peace. He was sitting down, watching them practice. Momo had found his way to them, and made himself comfortable on his shoulder. It surprised Ayaan, but he was happy all the same. Momo curled around his shoulder and rested, and Ayaan remained still as to keep the little guy comfortable.

'Cute...'

...

..

.

Afternoon came quickly for the group, and they stopped their training for the day to pack their camp and continue on their journey north. Though first, Aang thought that their journey needed a refreshing splash of fun.

"Let's find the island where the Elephant Koi are!"

"Elephant Koi?" Ayaan asked, a bit confused. As the siblings had only been in the South Pole, they only knew of the animals and fish there. Of course, they new of a few more animals thanks to their father and tribesmen who traveled, but there were still many who eluded them.

"Yeah! They're huge! Monk Gyatso told me about an island somewhere around here." He pointed at an area on the map. It wasn't very far from where they were. Maybe a day or so away. "He said they were so big you could ride on their backs, and they'd let you! I have to try it."

"I don't know, Aang. Getting to the north pole is really important. You need to master water." Katara said, her expression one of concern.

"Oh, please." Sokka scoffed. "You need to master water." He stated, earning an annoyed, embarrassed scowl from Katara because it was true that she was eager to learn. But she wasn't lying about Aang's waterbending being important.

"Since the place is still on our way I don't see why not. Besides, we need more supplies. Maybe there's a village there we can restock our things." Sokka added, his thoughts making sense.

Ayaan agreed with him. "I can also hunt. We can add dried fish to our rations. You've been mumbling about fish in your sleep." He told him. Now it was time for Sokka to be embarrassed. Katara snickered at him.

"Fish skewers, seal jerky, sea prunes~" Katara teased, mocking his sleepy voice.

"Oh, shut up!" Sokka yelled, his face burning with embarrassment. "So which way?" He asked Aang.

"Um... This way! Appa, Yip-Yip!" Appa growled as a response, and they took off into the sky once again.

~QUOTE FROM A FUTURE CHAPTER~

"Does he really not realize why everyone is staring at him like that?" Suki said. She wore a green warrior's garb with their traditional war paint on, but one could still see the pink dusted on her cheeks as she watched the older boy train from afar. Sokka shook his head.

"No, and that's what makes it infuriating sometimes. He has no idea. Either that, or he could care less about it."

He grumbled. "He's a friggen dreamboat..."