Art drawn by me. Kyoshi Ayaan Supremacy!

'HOW CAN HE STILL BE A FRIGGEN DREAM BOAT IN A DRESS?!'

Suki was the first to get over her surprise enough to answer the boy, who was currently straightening the head piece. "No, everything is on correctly, Ayaan. It actually looks pretty good on you." Suki said, nodding with approval.

Unlike Sokka, who had his reservations about wearing the dress-like garb, Ayaan didn't seem to mind it all that much. "Thank you." He replied. He went on to examine the garb, testing his movements.

While the fabric was strong, it was lighter than he thought it would be. While the top part did feel a bit tight because it was slightly too small, the rest was pretty easy to move around in. He took out the two fans he was given, the staple weapon of the Kyoshi Warriors. He found it a bit odd to be a weapon, but he'd seen it in action when he and the Kyoshi Warriors first met.

He opened the fans with a simple flick of his wrists. They were heavier than they looked, but were balanced and easy to maneuver through the air. After testing his movements with the garb and fans, he closed them again. He didn't take notice of the girls still staring at him, he didn't care about it.

'This is not bad.' He was more concentrated on feeling out the dress.

He continued doing his own thing, going over to gather his spear and try out his usual movements while wearing the Kyoshi's garb. Sokka just watched his brother in stressed out silence, as his obliviousness had hit once again.

'I would be so self conscious with all of them staring at me like that. How does he do it?'

The pale make-up meshed well with his lighter skin, the natural color of his hair going well with the head piece. His head piece was a bit different from Sokka's, it seemed a bit more elaborate. The golds and greens clashed well on him. The red and black of the war paint brought out his blue eyes a bit more.

And then there was the dress itself.

Ayaan had more shape than Sokka; he had broader shoulders, a bigger chest. That contrasted well with his smaller waistline, and these proportions looked very good with the warrior dress on. Ayaan had indeed made a dress look damn good on a man, and he did not care in the slightest.

To him, it was just clothes. He had no reason to be ashamed of being a man in a dress, nor did he even care about such things. He didn't care that he looked good in the dress, he cared about the dress functioning, which surprisingly, it did. So, that was what he concentrated on.

Everyone else, however, wasn't. No, couldn't would be a better word.

"How does he look better than me...?" One of the warrior's said, touching her face with a look of bewilderment. She didn't have any confidence issues, but she couldn't deny what she was seeing. A random, foreign warrior male waltzes into their dojo, wears their garb, and wears it better than she does. It was baffling.

Don't even get her started on their member who had a slight crush on the boy. She was currently dying, internally, in the corner of the room. She was trying her best to be professional. Really, she was.

But, her trying to contain her admiration just made her look constipated. Thus, internally dying it became.

"Girl, don't question it. It'll make your head hurt. Just admire it." Her fellow warrior said, patting her back as a signal to get back to their training. This warrior was more relaxed than the others, way more honest with her feelings. "The boys look good. Despite our reservations, we can't really deny that fact. Especially for the big one."

"Yeah, I know. But-"

"Shh." She said, putting a gloved finger on her fellow warrior's lips. "Don't question it. Just admire it."

The warrior sighed a bit, but returned to her daily training while trying to keep herself from staring too much. She was a warrior, she had a duty to uphold, and to make sure that she could, she had to get back to training.

Maybe she'd ask for a spar with the older boy later? Before, she could barely get through him. What about now since he was learning their way of combat instead? Maybe, just maybe. And the other girls thoughts ran along similar lines.

Ayaan did take a moment to notice everyone staring at him, but again only raised an eyebrow and returned to what he was doing, unbothered. He wanted to get a little more used to the garb before he proceeded to train with his brother and the Kyoshi Warriors. There was not an ounce of embarrassment in him.

'As long as they aren't staring at my scar, I do not care if they look at me.'

"Does he really not realize why everyone is staring at him like that?" Suki said. She wore their green warrior's garb proudly with their traditional war paint on, there were no confidence issues when it came to her, either. But one could still see the pink dusted on her cheeks as she watched the older boy train from afar.

You can't just ignore someone that looks great. Ayaan was one of these types of people. She had honestly expected Ayaan to be just as awkward as Sokka was being, but the boy seemed to have better things to do than worry about being in a dress.

Sokka shook his head as he answered Suki with an almost tired sigh. "No, he really doesn't, and that's what makes it infuriating sometimes. He has no idea. Either that, or he could care less about it. Sometimes I feel that he just doesn't care about the attention he gets, but I know that he at least acknowledges that."

He grumbled. "He's a friggen dreamboat... An oblivious dreamboat... A dreamboat as dense as a rock but refusing to sink... Probably doesn't even care he's wearing a dress... I know he doesn't."

"Is that jealousy I hear?" Suki teased, Sokka immediate in his repsonse.

"No. It is not." Sokka protested, the squeak in his immature voice lessening the statement's believability.

Sokka knew his brother. He was a man that had no type of insecurity when it came to being a man. You could put him in anything, a dress, skirt, make-up, Sokka was sure Ayaan wouldn't be flustered. He'd been like that since as long as he could remember. A perfect example being when they were children.

Ayaan was around nine or ten, and his hair was really long at the time. The girls in their family, Their mother, grandmother, and Katara, didn't want him to cut it because they thought it was pretty. Ayaan's hair was soft, silver, and shiny; it was a girl's dream hair. And despite being tall, Sokka could, without a doubt, say that Ayaan was a very handsome child.

He was sure that if he had that long hair right now, he wouldn't be able to save him from the horde it would attract. He shivered a bit at the thought. If Sokka was Ayaan, he would have cut it with a knife like it committed a heinous crime right then and there.

A man shouldn't want to be called 'cute', they should want to be 'cool' and 'manly'! Cute wasn't manly! And he remembered trying to tell Ayaan that in all of his seven year old glory, but Ayaan just smiled instead.

"I like seeing them smile. If keeping my hair long keeps them smiling, then I'll keep it long for now." Was his answer to Sokka's complaints. He even let them play in his hair when they wanted to! He ended up with an elaborate braid with beads and jewels, and wore it without shame for a full week before finally taking it out.

It was months before he finally decided to cut his hair into a more manly style, the wolf tail. But even now, he was steadily growing his hair out again! Katara was even mentioning wanting to braid it sometime, and do you know what Ayaan said?

He said yes, he wouldn't mind Katara braiding his hair. He'd seen that Katara had bought a few ornaments and the like from the market here. She was already preparing!

It was then that Sokka had a thought.

'...If I grow my own hair out will Ayaan's talent rub off on me? What would I even look like with long hair?'

He decided not to think about it. He was sure he'd just look girly. He was already wearing a dress. For now, he would just stick to his trusty, manly, warrior's wolf tail. Yes, that was the Sokka-style.

"Come on, guys. Let's get started." Suki said, getting both boys' attention. They went to her, ready to receive their first lessons from the lady warrior.

She instructed them on their common forms, showing them their stances and the movements into each one. Sokka and Ayaan soaked in the teaching like a sponge, Ayaan even more so. They were there for a few hours, the other girls leaving to do their daily patrols of the island while Suki stayed to teach them.

Most of them had gotten used to the boy and made small talk with him. It was only that one warrior that, even though she was start to approach him, would just run away again the next second. When he asked if he did something wrong to the other girls, they would just giggle but wouldn't tell him.

"Wow, you're pretty good, Ayaan." Suki said, admiring his steady form and smooth movement through each stance.

"I am?" He said, stopping his practice to turn to her. "This form, it seems to have some similarities to my own. If only a few. Maybe that is why." Ayaan said to himself, though Suki and Sokka still heard him. His words sparked her curiosity.

"Could you show me?" She asked. "Your spear art, I mean."

Sokka sparkled at the mention of it. "Yes! Ayaan, please show her." He begged, turning to Suki. "My brother's spear technique is the best in the whole south pole! I guarantee you."

"That is an exaggeration. I still have not beaten Dad or Bato in a spar. They are much more experienced than I am." Ayaan said humbly. Sokka scoffing.

"That was then and this is now. I'm sure if we meet Dad on this journey he'd be surprised!" Sokka said, sure of himself. Ayaan could hear the hope in his voice, and he too had such thoughts. The siblings missed their dad, a lot. He had left at such a difficult time in their lives to join in the war, and while they understood that...

It still hurt that he wasn't around.

"I do not mind showing you." Ayaan agreed, Sokka practically glowing while Suki smiled with anticipation. Although she didn't openly admit it, she had been eager to ask him to show her his moves for a while now. When they first encountered him, she was in awe of his form. It was so... smooth. Like a river. Every move almost seamlessly flowed into one another, and it was strong.

Ayaan put the fans away, grabbing his spear. He felt calmer with the familiar weight in his hands. For a moment, he touched the small blueish green jewel that was at the base of the spear's head. He thought that the rock was really pretty and gave it to the prettiest woman he knew.

In his happiest years, he gave it to his mother as a birthday gift. After she'd given the necklace to Katara, she never took the gift he'd given her off. It made his 12 year old heart swell seeing her always wearing it.

Now, the jewel was one of the few things left of her that survived that horrid fire. He had since then wrapped it around his weapon, and it was like a reminder for him.

'I wish I had her, and not this jewel. Never again. I can not let that failure happen again. Never, ever again.'

He took a breath and he was back to his calm self again, reigning in his brief anger and pain. Not once had he let that anger out, on anyone or anything. And as of the moment, he wanted it to stay that way. It was only reserved for one man, and one man only.

"I will start now." He said, getting into his stance. It was relaxed, the spear resting in front of him in both hands. And then, he tossed it up lightly, giving the spear a rotation. When it landed in his hands seamlessly, he continued with it's movements.

It went around his body, cracking into the air. He switched from both hands to his left, lunging with it before flipping it to sweep around him, the spear ending up in his right. To make abrupt stops and direction changes, he hit the spear with another part of his body. His knees, his elbows, it made it seem unpredictable.

And then he stopped the spear instantly, cracking the air one last time before returning to the position he started in. All of that happened within the span of a minute, leaving the audience of two stunned. One shocked, and one looking at the other with a slightly smug look on his face.

"See, I told you he was the best." Sokka praised, his pride in his brother shining.

"I am not the best, I just practice a lot." Ayaan replied humbly, denying the statement.

"That was... amazing, honestly." Suki was almost at a loss of words. Her island was small, so there weren't many other warriors that she ran into aside from the occasional thug and the like. As far as she knew, she was one of the most skilled warriors on her island home. She'd never encountered anyone on her level before aside from her fellow sister warriors.

Well, Ayaan certainly said "Hello, you are not the only ones with talent."

Sokka, seeing that look Suki had, swelled. 'See, I told you my brother was the best.'

Ayaan, completely oblivious to the praises both his brother and Suki were giving him internally, went over to his brother. "How is your practice going, Sokka? Figured anything out yet?"

Suki shook her head at the boys. "You guys aren't going to master it in one day. Even I'm not that good." Suki said, trying to reassure them that they didn't need to try so hard. Besides, Ayaan was strong enough without this training. He didn't need it.

"I think I'm starting to get it." Sokka answered him, going through all of the movements he was taught precisely. Ayaan was proud that he'd gotten as far as he had. He ends the sequence of moves with a yell, throwing the fan in his hand at the tree just beyond the training hall accurately. Suki shook her head a bit, but Ayaan thought he did wonderfully.

'Their style is more about redirecting force rather than strength, but he has improved a lot. I'm proud of him.' He thought idly while Suki went on to instruct him some more. 'I'll give him lots of meat as a reward. He earned it.'

"It's not about strength. Our technique is about using your opponents' force against them. Loosen up." Suki instructed, taking out her fan and pointing it at him. Sokka knows that she's about to demonstrate it for him, so he gets into battle stance himself. "Think of the fan as an extension of your arm. Wait for an opening and then..."

Suki charged, maybe trying to catch him off guard. Sokka, however, saw an opening and took it. Remember, he'd also been training with Ayaan, who always told him to watch for any opening he saw. With his brother's teachings and the things he'd recently learned, he managed to use Suki's momentum against her. He knocked her on her bottom, the female warrior looking at the younger of the two boys in surprise.

Sokka was surprised at what he'd just done too. Then he turned to look at his brother who had been watching the entire thing unfold.

Ayaan was practically shining, his eyes sparkling as he watched his younger brother. Sokka could practically hear his brother's endless praises from his gaze alone; it made his confidence soar.

"Hmm..." He said, his arms crossing as a smug look began to adorn his painted face. Ayaan was also watching Suki, with a face that screamed "Proud Older Brother". She felt her irritation and embarrassment seep through, seeing Sokka's smug expression becoming thicker.

"I fell on purpose to make you feel better!"

"Your shocked face says otherwise, Suki." Ayaan said, calling her out on her lie. She tried to refute his statement, but Sokka spoke up when she couldn't come up with anything.

"I got you! Admit I got you!" He exclaimed excitedly. He looked over to Ayaan, who smiled warmly at him being so happy with his achievement.

'I haven't told them about the mini-fortune Oyaji gave me. Maybe I should spoil him when we leave here? He deserves it, I'm so proud of him. I wish I could tell Dad how well he's growing.'

Seeing both of the boys happiness, Suki felt less bitter about being caught off guard. But that doesn't stop her from grabbing Sokka's finger that was pointing to her making the boy grunt in pain.

Ayaan was a inch away from grabbing his spear but he saw the playfulness in the action. So, he relaxed. But, for some reason, he couldn't get himself to relax completely.

She gave his brother a look, there was something in her eyes. In their hours together of getting to know each other, these two had definitely become friends. But he was feeling something else between them, although it was extremely subtle. It wasn't as strong as with those random moments with Aang towards Katara, but it was... something.

'I feel the need to point my spear in her direction, menacingly. But why? It's weird.'

"Okay, it was a lucky shot." She admits, letting him go. She gets into position again, Sokka following suit. She continues on, a more serious tone in her voice, though still happy. Challenging, even. "Let's see if you can do it again."

Sokka had that same look in his eyes that Suki had. That subtle look both of them shared as they continued to spar, Ayaan watching them silently. He himself had already gotten the gist of their style, and was working on ways he could incorporate what he learned into his own.

He still didn't understand why their spar felt like less of a spar and more of them having fun with each other. But he wasn't going to question it because of how happy Sokka was. Seeing his brother smiling made everything okay.

'All of them should be able to smile like this. Katara, Sokka, Aang, I love seeing them happy.'

He... forgot what it felt like for him to smile that wide. It had been years since he last did. He used to smile with his teeth showing, beaming at whatever made him that happy. Back then, it was seeing his family, training with his dad, and... and the nights they spent listening to their mother's stories.

When he got home, and she was there waiting for them with that warm smile on her face. One he'd return with his own. Every single day. It used to be so easy to smile like that. To smile so wide his eyes would smile too and you could see the slight dimples in his cheeks.

'When did it become so difficult to smile like that?'

Ayaan shook his head and let the thought wash by him, drifting away with the breeze. All he needed to do was stay in this moment, watching his brother having fun training with his new friend. That was all that mattered. His happiness came from their happiness.

They maneuvered around each other, countering and blocking each other constantly. Though they had serious expressions, one could tell they were having a good time.

Ayaan couldn't knock the bad feeling he was getting, however, like a certain airbender had indeed let the attention get to his head and decided to do something stupid and dangerous as a result. Hopefully, Katara was keeping an eye on him so he wouldn't do that. He trusted her, she was a very responsible girl.

So, he continued to watch Sokka and Suki train, completely unaware that his random thought was actually right on the money.

Sokka blocked Suki's advance again, the fan in her hand lining up with his fist. She was pleased with his improvement. He had talent for this. "Not bad." She said. Sokka smiled confidently at her praise.

"I'm proud of you, Sokka. Well done." Ayaan said, nodding with a small smile of his own.

Sokka was beaming at this point.

"I think that's enough training for the day. But I have a request for you, Ayaan." Suki said, a glint in her eyes that screamed determination.

"Hm?" He acknowledged, waiting for her to tell him what she wanted.

"A sparring match. You and me. No weapons. What do you say?"

Ayaan eyes widened at the request, before a small smile appeared. He never did have a one on one with her, did he? "I-"

But all good things never last.

Oyaji suddenly appeared, frantic and distressed. Alarm was clear in his tone and body language, and it seemed that he'd run here as fast as he could. "Firebenders have landed on our shores! Girls, come quickly!"

Suki was out the door already, following the old man. Ayaan was quick to follow, grabbing his spear and hardening his resolve to face the enemy. Momo jumps on his shoulder, having been on the beams of the building eating his stash just before. They all head outside, Sokka left in the room alone.

"Hey, I'm not a..." He began to protest, before huffing. Ayaan didn't bat an eye at being called a girl. He didn't care in the slightest, and Sokka wanted to be more like Ayaan. "Oh, whatever."

And he was gone, too.

...

..

.

"Ugh." There was a sharp pain on Ayaan's arm. A feeling. It was like someone put something cold beneath the scarred layer of his skin. He'd been ignoring the bad feeling for a while now, and now bad things were happening. He quickly concentrated on other things, looking to Suki who had gathered with the other Kyoshi Warriors. No one noticed him rubbing his arm in slight irritation.

It would subside soon, right now, he could not bother with it. His problems could wait. No, they should wait. They were not more important than his family and his new allies' home.

"What's your plan?" He asked, getting the girls' attention.

"We'll use the rooftops to ambush them from above." Suki said, her girls nodding in agreement. "Each of us will take on a bender, I'll go for the leader in the back. We need to keep them away from the people, get them far away from the fight. Isme, I leave that to you."

"Got it."

"Would my help be useful?" Ayaan asked, earning a nod from Suki.

"Very much so. It would be a lot for Isme to gather the people alone, can you aide her in that?"

"Sure." He said, completely unaware of the girl becoming red, he continued. "Just know, the one with the scar, Zuko, is strong. The minions he has are weak, easy prey, but be wary of him." He told them in a serious tone, a complete contrast to the calm, amiable tone he'd used with them before. "That does not mean to not be wary of the others. Please, be careful."

"Understood." Suki nodded, taking the information to heart. The others nodded too. If Ayaan was saying that one of them was strong, then they were strong. They acknowledged him as a capable and wise warrior.

"Sokka." Ayaan said, getting the boy's attention. "Keep an eye out for Katara and Aang, I'm sure they know what's happening. If my guess is right, they should be getting Appa ready so we can leave. Keep an eye out for him."

"Yeah, us staying is causing problems. If we leave, that scumbag will surely follow after us." Sokka agreed, dejected at the thought but quickly gathering himself again. As if to prove his point, they could hear Zuko yelling for the Avatar to come out. "Be safe."

"You too. I will return soon." Ayaan replied. He and the girl Suki instructed him to help quickly left the scene, stealthily looking around for any people still left. The boy was the first to speak, careful to keep his voice level, quiet, and clear. "You are Isme, correct?"

"Yeah." Isme tried to contain her blush, now was not the time to crush on him. Her home was in danger. She could internally die later. There was one lady in one of the further buildings, too scared to leave he home. They instructed her on the hidden route to take to get to the safer huts further from the fight, that had begun soon after they left.

They continued to gather the lingering people. They were now leading them safely to the home at the back of the village, noticing that Katara was there waiting for them too. Since Isme knew her town and everyone in it, she was sure that this was the last person they needed to gather.

Seeing as they had a bit of time, Ayaan took this opportunity to address something.

"You were the one who's been following me." Ayaan said, noticing how rigid she got. The tips of her ears were apple red at being called out, but Ayaan just continued. "You'd run away whenever I looked your way." If possible, she got redder. "And when me and my brother went to your training hall, you are the only one who would not speak to me."

"Y-yes. Um, s-sorry about that."

"Do I scare you? If so, I am sorry."

"W-what? No! You don't scare me." She said, waving her hands dismissing his thought. "I thought you were cute, is all. I have trouble talking to handsome boys." She said. When she noticed the boy's eyes widening, she realized she'd indeed said that out loud and promptly covered her mouth like it sinned.

"Oh my spirits! Did I just admit that? Forget I said anything, I said nothing. Nothing at all. Nope." She began waving her hands in front of her faster, as if trying to wave the words she'd just let slip out of existence.

'Way to go, Isme! Now he's gonna think your weirder than you already are! He already thinks you're a stalker cause you couldn't just say "Hi" like a normal person. Spirits... just take me now. I'm too embarrassed to live.'

"You think I'm... cute?" Ayaan said, his eyes widened at the reveal. Reluctantly, the blush a permanent feature of her face, she nodded. A bit of red creeped on his cheeks, as he blinked, not expecting the complement. "Um... Thank you..."

"AhHh-" 'Abort mission, abort everything. Alert. Mayday. Internal dying became external dying. Run away! Got to run away. Right now.' "I'mgoingtohelpmysisterwarriorsnowtheymightneedmeforgetIsaidanythingbye Ayaan!" She said in one breathe, speeding off at the speed of fangirl.

He watched her run away with a confused expression on his face. He didn't know what to say, honestly. He wasn't sure how to go about this situation, like, at all. He was never good with it. He turned to Katara, who was holding in her laughter. This also confused him. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No. You didn't."

"Then why did she run away, again? I thanked her for her compliment. It was... nice." Ayaan was just left confused.

"I will let you figure that out on your own." She replied, smiling. Ayaan pouted a bit but didn't reply. "By the way, why are you in a dress?"

"Training with the Kyoshi Warriors. Where is Aang?"

"Went to get Appa just a few minutes before you got here. Where's Sokka?"

"With Suki."

"Suki? They're friends now?"

"Yes, I think so. They had fun training together earlier."

Katara had a glint in her eyes. "Is he also in a dress?"

"Yes, he is. The Kyoshi Warriors consider it their warrior's garb, and it is surprisingly comfortable. Though the top part is a bit tight."

"It's because you have a strong chest and shoulders."

"Ah, that makes sense."

"The sexist Sokka is currently in a dress." Katara said to herself. Ayaan didn't understand it, but he was sure that she grew horns and a tail. Her smile seemed almost evil despite being a smile. Surely he was seeing this wrong. Katara was a good girl. "This I have to see. But first, let's get out of here." And just as she was saying, Appa was overhead heading down to the shores where the Kyoshi Warriors and Sokka were engaging with Zuko and his minions.

Ayaan sees Appa and Aang flying high in the air. They would land within the next few moment, so he turns to Katara who is running beside him. "Katara, go behind that building. Appa should be landing there soon. I will get Sokka."

"Okay. Please, be careful." She says, worry in her tone. Ayaan gives her a small smile, nodding to her was they both run off in differing directions.

When Ayaan arrived the other Kyoshi Warriors were engaging with the minions. They expertly avoided the fire being thrown at them, taking them out with ease and precision. Seeing this, he knew this was not where he was needed. They had it perfectly handled. When he passed them, they nodded letting him know they had everything under control, while also silently thanking him for his help in gathering the stragglers.

Meanwhile, with Sokka.

"Rah!" Isme jumps from the nearby roof, a surprised Zuko turning to her before she knocks him off his rhino with a clean kick. The rhino dashes away the moment Zuko is off of it, the same way the other ones did. "Suki, are you okay?"

"Yeah..." She said, looking up at Sokka with a bit of shock, a little bit of awe. "I am."

"I guess training's over." He said, going in to engage with Zuko further. Suki is stunned for a moment, taking in that Sokka just saved her before getting up to continue their battle. All three of them surrounded Zuko, who regained his awareness with anger blazing in his eyes. With a swift motion, swinging his legs beneath him while fire bending, Isme and Suki were unlucky enough to get caught in it.

Sokka was able to avoid the blast, but Zuko did another series of sweeps. The first, Sokka jumped over, successfully dodging, but the second kick was another story. He is knocked down, hitting the ground with a thud.

"Sokka!" Ayaan finally got there, seeing that whole scene unfold. Zuko hears his voice, recognizing it. He is a bit caught off guard when he sees the warrior, the one he was meaning to have his long awaited rematch with, in a dress.

"Prince Zuko." Ayaan said, his voice holding a clear distaste for the boy in front of him.

Zuko wasn't completely sure at first. Ayaan was in full makeup like the other girls he just faced, but that voice and hair were unmistakable. It was just "Why the heck are you in a dress?"

"That should not matter to you. I can defeat you wearing anything." Ayaan said curtly, angering the fire nation prince.

"We'll see about that, Water Tribe peasant."

And it was in that instant that they engaged. Ayaan readied the blunt end of his spear. There was no room for him to gather the speed to increase the strength of his spear's impact. He waited for Zuko to approach him, which the boy did readily, and attacked him with the blunt end using a lunge. The boy dodged, and tried to attacked using that opening, only to be evaded by Ayaan moving his flaming fist with a subtle movement of his free hand.

Yes, he was holding the spear with one hand. Usually, he would only use his spear like this when he was activating his watery traps, but there was no available water here. Not enough of it. Most of the snow in the area had melted as the buildings continued to burn.

But he could use his free hand to throw off his opponents balance, which was what he was doing to Zuko right now.

"Gah!" Zuko growled, yet again unable to hit the boy. He could see that smug smile on Ayaan's face the more frustrated he got, and it was pissing him off. This, however, was exactly what Ayaan was aiming for.

"How about this!" Zuko launched a powerful fire blast at the boy, and being so close he knew it would be hard to dodge.

But instead of looking caught off guard, tense, or afraid, Ayaan was smiling. It was a feral, menacing grin. "Gotcha."

"What?"

It was like the world went in slow motion, Ayaan seizing this perfect moment readily. He knew that this boy's anger would get to him, and he was waiting for that. He evaded the blast, ducking beneath it while Zuko's arm was still outstretched in his punch.

He swept his right leg towards the prince's left, knocking him off balance as his free left hand delivered a powerful gut shot. The boy felt his armor cave at the impact of the open palm hit, his own momentum adding to the power of the attack. He flew back a few feet, coughing out his spit as the pain in his abdomen began to register in his mind.

That... was definitely going to bruise later.

"As I told you." Ayaan said, watching as Zuko slowly picked himself off of the ground. "I can defeat you wearing anything." With that, Ayaan took off, going to where he knew Appa and the others would be. He left the young prince there stunned in his rage.

"Where are you going?! Get back here and fight me!" Zuko roared, but before he could follow after our water tribe warrior, he was blocked by three unsuspecting triplets.

"We can't allow you..." Said the eldest boy.

"To bring harm..." Continued the second eldest, the girl.

"To our source of inspiration." Finished the youngest boy, all of them getting into a stance that Ayaan hadn't seen before.

"It's you three. The painters." Ayaan said, recognizing them as the triplets who were painting while he was training.

"Ichi!" The eldest boy said.

"Nii~" The girl said, holding up a peace sign.

"San." The youngest, androgynous boy said, holding up three fingers. The eldest put his hand on the girls head, the other arm over his brothers should as they glanced at each other to finish their introduction.

"At your service, Master Ayaan!" They said in unison, almost as if knowing what the other was thinking and saying it in sync.

"Master?" Zuko and Ayaan repeated at the same time, confused. Ayaan, believe it or not, was sharing the same confused expression as Zuko right now.

"Don't worry about that right now." Nii said, waving her hands dismissively. Turning to the confused firebender.

"Let us take care of this guy." Ichi continued.

"You get to the Avatar and your family."

"But painters fighting is..." Ayaan wasn't sure about this at all. He wanted to tell them to run away to the shelter. Actually, when did they follow him?

"Don't worry." They all said in sync again.

"What can a bunch of Earth Kingdom rats do against me?" Zuko said with distain, getting over the strangeness of the situation. He decided this was enough stalling, shooting a fire blast at the three of them. Ayaan was about to step in to save them from the incoming fire, when he saw something he wasn't expecting.

"We are..." All three of them turned to the fire nation prince, smirking as they raised their fist to the air.

A wall of earth shot up from the ground.

"...A lot more than you think."

And it was then that the painters, now confirmed Earth Benders, engaged with Zuko and the firebenders along with the Kyoshi Warriors, who had just arrived and were as shocked as Ayaan was. Ichi took it upon himself to speak to Ayaan, getting him out of his shock.

"We can handle it here. We hope to one day paint you again. Go."

"Thank you." Ayaan said, the boy giving him a wide smile as he joined his siblings in the fray. They provided the Kyoshi Warriors with protection from the fire, and then the girls would attack with that given opening, subduing their foes with even more ease thanks to the help.

It didn't take Ayaan long to get to where Appa was, seeing his sister and Aang already on him ready for take-off. Sokka was with Suki, likely bidding her farewell.

"There's no time to say goodbye." Suki said, getting ready to aide her fellow warriors. Isme was also there, watching their back encase firebenders went there way.

"What about, "I'm sorry?""

"For what?" She asked, surprised. Isme was also a bit surprised, he had already proven his sincerity many times over by now.

"I treated you like a girl when I should've treated you like a warrior." He said in regret. He wished that when they'd met at first, he wasn't such a sexist jerk. Suki sighed, but that soon became a smile.

"I am a warrior." Suki leans in and does something unexpected.

She kissed him on the cheek, surprising everyone. Ayaan thought he was seeing things until his brother touched where he was just kissed, "But I'm a girl, too."

"Wow, Sokka. When did this develop?" Ayaan asked his brother. Sokka was blushing now, definitely. The girls laugh a bit at the older male's confusion before returning to their serious attitude.

Suki stands, her fan unfolding as she gets into battle position. "Now get out of here! We'll hold them off."

Isme briefly looked towards Ayaan. A blush on her cheeks, but not going in to do the same.

'Even though I want to do that, we are not close enough, and neither am I brave enough to try that. I'm fine with just seeing him off like this. Yes. I'm fine with just this.'

"Goodbye guys. Be safe." She said, smiling before speeding off into battle once again.

"You too." He replied, turning to Sokka. "Come on, Sokka." Ayaan pulls his brother off the ground, sure that the boy had become jelly at the fact that he just got a kiss for a girl. He literally tossed the boy in the saddle, getting on himself with quick and fluid movements. Seeing everyone on, Aang was quick to give the command. He pulls on Appa's reins.

"Appa, yip yip!" Appa groans, following the command as he takes off into the sky. Now in the air, all of them can clearly see the destruction their being there led to. The peaceful town was burning, that beautiful monument of Kyoshi steadily scorching beneath the fire.

Sokka begins to wipe his face paint on the sleeve of the dress. Ayaan does the same. He also removes the top armor, it being a little tight on him. While doing this, he can hear Katara speaking to Aang.

"I know it's hard, but you did the right thing. Zuko would have destroyed the whole place if we had stayed." She reasons to the boy. "They're going to be okay, Aang." She comforts, but the boy is silent.

Then he suddenly decides jumping off Appa was an okay thing to do.

"Aang?!" Ayaan yells, looking over the side with his armor only halfway off, it getting stuck. "What are you doing?!" He yelled down, along with his sister, brother, and Momo who was just as shocked. They see him plummet into the bay, the same one they saw that monster known as the Unagi swimming.

Moments of pregnant silence pass before Aang emerges on the head of the serpentine beast. He grabs hold of its whiskers, aiming the water-spewing snake at the burning town. It was then that the eldest realizes what he's doing, not knowing that the monster sprayed water.

Aang was helping the town. It was only moments until all of the fires were out, and they could see the people gather at the bay waving and yelling their thanks.

Aang is launched into the air by the Unagi, and is caught by Appa expertly. He looks back at the town, before sighing and looking at the three who are flabbergasted by the stunt he just pulled. "I know, I know. That was stupid and dangerous."

At this, Katara smiles. "Yes, it was." And then, she leans over and hugs him, the boy sighing contently as if he was the happiest person alive in that moment. Sokka was smiling, too, thinking about Suki.

All of them were smiling but one, who was pointing his spear at Aang with a clear frown on his face. He probably didn't even notice he had his spear pointed at the boy until Aang said something.

"U-um, Ayaan? Why are you pointing that at me?" Aang asked nervously as Katara released him from the hug. She looked at the spear and then her brother, waiting for him to explain what he was doing. Sokka was also a bit surprised.

"I'm not sure, but I feel the need to point this at you menacingly. So, I am." His eyes narrowed at the boy. "Can you explain to me why I feel the need to do that, Aang?"

"No?" The airbender gulped, scooting away from Katara as he had a pretty good feeling about exactly why Ayaan was currently glaring at him, even if the dense older male didn't realize it himself. "Nope, I have no idea."

"Uhm." Ayaan said, steadily putting his trusty spear away, no longer feeling the urge to aim it at the boy. Sokka and Katara just shook their heads.

~QUOTE FROM A FUTURE CHAPTER~

"I don't know what it is, but I really do not like you." Ayaan said, looking down at the teen who for some reason had grass in his mouth.

"Is it 'cause your sister likes me?" He replied, a smugness in his tone. This remark, however, is met with a spear a centimeter away from his neck and a cold glare.

"No, I'm sure it's you. But that is also something I've found extremely... unpleasant."