Art drawn by me! This is how Ayaan usually sleeps with Appa and Momo. My precious babies.

As promised, they were woken at the crack of dawn the next day. How they were woken up from their dead sleep? Water. Ice cold water being slapped on their sleeping faces. Ayaan had personally chilled it, making sure it was extra cold. The splash of cold water always helped him wake up fully, washing away the grip of the nightmares.

WACK! "Ahh!" Aang shot up, hitting his head on the ceiling.

SLAP! "Eek!" Katara bolted upright, her hair a complete, dripping disaster.

SPLASH! "ASDKAFD—" One doesn't even have to imagine Sokka's misfortune; the poor boy had a reunion with the hard floor, face first, before sitting up with his boomerang thinking they'd been attacked.

"Be ready to leave in five minutes." Ayaan didn't explain anything as he lifted the cold water from their clothes and beds, hiding all evidence that it'd ever happened at all.

"Wh-why did you—?" Before Katara could get angry, Ayaan cut her off.

He wasn't having any of it. "Four minutes," He said, his eyes narrowed dangerously.

All protests in the room died. They noticed that all of their stuff was gone, most likely taken care of by Ayaan way before they had to wake up.

Needless to say, they were ready in three.

When they said their thank-yous and goodbyes to Shiko and the market shopkeepers, they made their way to an empty plaza-like area. Ayaan put something on his wrist and ankles, strange-looking anklets and bracelets. The trio looked at their eldest in confusion, still tired from being woken so early.

He spoke up from his eerie silence, "Put these on." He said, handing them the same strange-looking anklets and bracelets.

"Um, okay...?" Katara was confused by them, but the moment she held them she almost drop them. "Why are these so heavy?!"

"They are weights." He answered. "I asked Mr. Reeds about them while I was shopping. I needed something to upgrade my training and he suggested these. I wasn't planning on using them on you, but," His eyes narrowed, recalling unpleasant things, "things changed. Put them on, all three of you."

All three of them did, Aang voicing his protests first, "Why are mine so much bigger than theirs are?"

"If I don't give you a handicap it will be unfair to them. You run too fast and are too light." He said, giving all three of them a really, really bad feeling. There was this glint in his eyes... It was subtle, but it was there.

Danger.

"Isn't me having a handicap unfair, period?" Aang said. He was surprised by the look Ayaan gave him, it was another new one for his 'Ayaan's Expressions' list: Ayaan looked at him as if he was insane.

"I will phrase it differently: You run faster than the speed of sound without things weighing you down. Besides," His eyes narrowed, that dark aura creeping up behind him, "this was your fault first and foremost," He pointed at Aang, "and then theirs for not stopping you." He pointed at both Katara and Sokka. They all winced.

None of them seemed to understand just how rough that situation was on Ayaan. Nothing too bad happened this time, but what about next time? He was sure there would be a next time with how they acted.

Who would instigate their stupidity then? Would it be Aang again, or Sokka? Heck, maybe it would be Katara, as she'd been growing bolder and bolder with her actions.

They seemed to have a legitimate problem thinking things through.

Or maybe it was him, overthinking all the time.

Like being stuck in a room with no idea what tomorrow would bring... Constant nightmares about his family being hurt, being killed, or about the family that had been killed... His inability to do anything to stop it... Every single moment reminds him that he isn't strong enough.

Who they had met so far had been weaklings, though there was Zuko, he was strong. But they only had to deal with one Zuko at the moment, what happens when they are met with others who are as strong, if not stronger than him?

They had just experienced being at someone else's mercy, had they not realized that? Did they pointedly forget that fact because Bumi turned out to be a friend in the end? Was he the only one feeling angered at that? Was he the only one who had nightmares? Was he the only one in pain?

Maybe he was, maybe he was just overthinking. He was taking this way out of proportion, his emotions needed to be checked. He carefully controlled any expression on his face, making it a careful blank slate. No one except for Gran-Gran could tell what he was thinking or feeling when he locked his feelings away like this.

He planned to keep it that way, for as long as possible.

"Think of it as extra punishment while you train with me today. I am still, very much, mad at all three of you."

They had nothing to say to that. Only Ayaan was straightforward enough to blatantly call it punishment because he was upset, while also saying that the weights had a valid point in their training.

"What about you?" Katara asked, noticing that the weights her brother put on were also large compared to theirs.

"I can handle more weight than all three of you, I used to drag my game through storms and snow pile-ups back home, remember? Of course, my weights would be heavier." He told her, the girl nodding in response. It made sense.

"You're gonna do all of these different types of training with us? I thought you'd just, you know, be observing our suffering this time." Sokka said, the others thinking the same.

"Yes, I'm doing this with you," He said, raising his eyebrow in that signature, confused expression of his, "this is what I was planning to do myself, after all."

"...Huh?" Sokka felt himself shiver. The teen looks for any and all chances to train, he wouldn't pass up this opportunity for anything. It was manly. But Sokka had also seen him train once, on a rare night he didn't go to sleep.

Ayaan took his training very seriously, and while Sokka wasn't sure what opponent he saw in his mind... He would never forget that look in his brother's eyes. Whoever he was seeing, he hated them with his entire being. There was a darkness in his eyes that Sokka didn't ever wish to see in him, and he trained as if life or death were his only options. And the way he moved was precise, not a single action wasted; as if he couldn't waste it. If he made a mistake, he got up and tried ten times harder.

It was both a magical sight for a wannabe warrior like him and... scary.

'And he's saying that this was training that he was going to do himself...?'

Katara, mustering up her courage, asked her brother the question all of them wanted to ask, "...What are we going to be doing that requires these?"

The trio leaned in, anxiously awaiting what Ayaan was about to say. But, it was not what they were expecting.

"First, a warm-up, next we exercise, then I will teach you hunting, and we will spar." He said simply. "That's all."

They all facefault, "What's so bad about that? Don't we do that every time we train? I mean, I've never, uh, hunted before but it can't be that hard, right?" Sokka asked, the others just as confused as he was.

Ayaan smiled at their confusion.

It was not a kind smile.

They shivered. Ayaan continued walking until they got to where they were going to start their training for the day. Turning to them, he began to explain, "I'll explain the warm-up simply: it is to run to the entrance of Omashu."

"...Huh?"

"You will have to start your run again from this spot if fall, so watch your footing."

"Huh?"

"There will be no bending. So no flying, Aang." The said boy deflated dramatically. He was sure that he was going to be getting the shortest end of the stick all day today. "And no waterbending, Katara. Not that it would help you or me much, being completely inexperienced."

Katara winced at the honest jab. She wanted to say something in her defense, but found nothing because as usual, what he'd said was true. While she was getting better at moving the water, it wasn't very effective in battle. Freezing her opponents by chance or getting an occasional hit wasn't something she could call waterbending.

Ayaan took out his spear, that glint in his eyes was back, much more obvious than it had been before. "Mr. Lorry!" He called, and the old sentry from before made his appearance on the other side of the road. "Are you ready?"

"Of course, young man! This is an easy task!" The old guard, Mr. Lorry, yelled back with a smile. There was mirth in his eyes and mischief within his smile. "I haven't done something so fun since I was young myself. This should be entertaining!"

What task? What was he doing for Ayaan?

"What's he doing? Why is that sentry there?"

"Isn't he the old one from the group that arrested us the other day?"

"Thank you," Ayaan said, completely ignoring their questions, "You can start now!"

And with that, Mr. Lorry took a firm stance before he bounded into the air, landing on the rocky ground with a resounded 'BOOM'. The flat road caved to his will, raising to become a steep slope instead. The old man laughed triumphantly from the top of this pseudo mountain, while the trio gaped with their jaws hitting the ground.

"Y-you want us to run up that?!" Sokka exclaimed, feeling his soul leaving.

"With weights?!" Katara wasn't much better than her brother.

"And no bending?!" Aang finished, pure dread coursing through him.

"Yes," Ayaan said, satisfied with Mr. Lorry's work, "You have already stretched, so now begins the first part of this training. Try not to fall."

The trio could sense it, something was off about that last statement. There wasn't anything to fall on unless they were especially clumsy. But they could feel it, that apprehension about this steep hill. That smile on their brother's face told them he wasn't going to say anymore. So instead, they readied themselves for this uphill run.

It couldn't be that bad, right? It was just a run.

RIGHT?

They conveniently forgot who Ayaan was when it came to training: Ruthless.

They began their ascent to the top, immediately feeling the effect the weights had. They were much slower than they normally would be, and with the added height of the slope, it seemed like gravity was out to get them. While they grumbled and groaned at the difficulty, Ayaan was enjoying the challenge immensely. It was at that moment that he looked towards Mr. Lorry, who had the same glint in his eyes that Ayaan had.

They nodded to each other, and that was when the real hell started.

"H-hey! What's happening?!" Sokka was the first to notice that the ground got that much more difficult to navigate, it was like he was wading through water!

"The ground! Guys, the ground became sand!" Aang exclaimed, causing everyone except Ayaan to look down and gasps in horror. The ground had indeed become sand, running sand that was going down the slope like a river.

"Ayaan!" They called, but when their brother returned their gazes, they were shocked at how wide his smile was, and how villainous it looked.

Ayaan loved challenges, and seeing them struggling after that hell he had to endure because of them was oddly... satisfying.

Plus, this was only the beginning of what he had planned for today. Though, he would miss this little bit of training when they left Omashu. Aside from the people of the market, this was something he would miss. He was thankful to Mr. Lorry for offering to help him with this.

Ayaan had planned to simply rig a road full of obstacles when he was approached by Mr. Lorry. The old sentry had come to apologize for his junior's rude behavior the other day, having just finished disciplining him. Whatever the man had done left the mean sentry groveling at Ayaan's feet, begging for forgiveness. Ayaan wasn't quick with forgiveness as his other siblings were, but he relented as the man was literally crying on the ground before him.

If you have seen Tanjirou Kamado's disgusted expression from Demon Slayer, that was Ayaan's expression at the man groveling and sobbing before him. He just wanted the man out of his sight.

After that incident, Mr. Lorry saw what he was trying to do. When Ayaan explained the concept, the man offered to help him with a much simpler, yet just as effective method, leading them to now.

"Here comes phase two! Try not to get hit, kids, or you'll have to start from the bottom all over again!" Mr. Lorry shouted, before slamming his foot down. Boulders no bigger than someone's head rose up from the ground in front of him, and with nothing but a simple push of his palm, they rolled, the rushing sand adding to their momentum.

It was then they realized what Ayaan meant by 'Try not to fall'.

With the boulders rushing at them, they had to constantly move to avoid getting hit by them. They weren't big enough to leave more than a bruise, but if they got hit, they would be at the mercy of the sand. That was what the sand was for; on top of adding difficulty to their run making it hard to get a proper footing, if they fell to the other obstacles, they would slide down the slope to the bottom.

They would have to start their grueling climb from the beginning.

They struggled, especially Aang. No airbending was allowed, no flying was allowed, and the weights made it difficult to jump away. Usually, this amount of sand wouldn't be too bad, he was very light on his feet after all. But with the extra weight, he sunk into it a bit, just like everyone else.

No wonder Ayaan said that it was to make it fair. No one other than him could say something like that. How had he even noticed that? It was the same way Ayaan figured out he hadn't told the whole truth about 'knowing' the Avatar when they first met: Ayaan paid close attention to those around him.

Ayaan knew their likes, their dislikes, their mannerisms, their strengths... and their weaknesses. He was always watching, and that was how he formulated training around them to help them improve. Katara was strong, but not nimble and hardly had any fighting skills; Sokka was extremely smart but uncoordinated; Aang was an incredible bender, but once you took that out of the picture you are left with a goofy kid.

While Ayaan couldn't teach them everything, he could remedy the simplest problem; he could make them stronger, faster, and more coordinated. He could train their bodies and reflexes. And in doing so, while he knew they would branch off into their own unique styles in the future, he could give them a foundation to stand on. In the long run, that was his plan. They would learn and grow in their own ways from there.

He couldn't wait to see what strong warriors they would become. He was sure their dad would be proud of Sokka and Katara. He was sure that if he were here, Monk Gyatso would be proud of Aang, too. He was certain of it. They grew stronger every day, and that was something to be proud of.

As Ayaan nimbly made his way through the obstacle course, working his way through the added weight on his arms and legs, a thought passed his mind: Would their father be proud of him?

After their mother was killed, they never really reconnected. Ayaan, in all honesty, was too ashamed to be in his father's presence for more than a certain amount of time. He saw it in his eyes, the guilt. Ayaan couldn't stand that look. He hated it. If anything, their father probably blamed himself for his scars, and he couldn't stand making him feel that way.

So he distanced himself. Days and weeks went by, and then months; they barely spoke anymore unless it was for a spar after he'd recovered enough. And even then, there was this disconnect.

And then he left for the war, and that was the last time he'd heard from him since.

Not a single letter, a single piece of information regarding his fleet... nothing.

Ayaan, in the very back of his mind, was sure that just aiding in the war effort wasn't the only reason he left... Maybe it was to get away from him: a son who was a living reminder of who he couldn't protect. Maybe he just couldn't bear to look at him anymore and left them?

Ayaan couldn't shake the feeling that maybe it was his fault he left.

Lost in thought, he didn't notice his body had gone into auto-pilot. He avoided every obstacle in his way, the occasional slab of rock, rolling boulders; he dodged, flipped, heck, he even blocked with the back of his spear, sending the boulders flying back where they came from.

Poor Mr. Lorry had to dodge Ayaan's scary accuracy.

While Ayaan was breezing through the course, Aang, Sokka, and Katara were going through hell.

'A monster, he's an absolute monster. How is he doing this so easily?!'

'So... manly... must... learn...!'

'How the heck is he more nimble than me with those weights on him?!'

It was a while before they managed to finally get to the top of Hell's Hill, obviously. And it wasn't like Ayaan made it up the first try, either. It was meant to be a challenge, and Mr. Lorry made sure to give them one. But unlike the rest of his group, Ayaan was considerably better at it than they were, his recovery speed was unmatched. If one of the obstacles managed to get him, he was able to recover and continue before he was sent back to the start.

Needless to say, the others weren't so lucky, and everyone except Ayaan was absolutely exhausted. Ayaan, on the other hand, was extremely pleased with the excursion he felt. This had been an extremely fruitful workout, a perfect warm-up for what he had planned for the day.

"Thank you, Mr. Lorry. This was perfect." Ayaan said. Mr. Lorry gave him a good-natured pat on the back, though it was still with the strength of a seasoned earth-bender.

"No problem, my boy! You gave this old man something fun to do!" Mr. Lorry exclaimed, a wide smile on his mustached face. Mr. Lorry was in his sixties, but his build was like that of a young man in his prime. While the top of his head was bald, his beard was a long and thick gray braid, the end tied off with the symbol of his kingdom. His eyes were a rich and dark green, reflecting his mirth. The man wasn't as tall as Ayaan, just a few inches shy of our boy's 6'5" glory, but his presence was just as grand with his deep voice and reputation.

"You promise to come to visit this old man sometime, you hear?"

Ayaan was reluctant, but he liked the people here, even if he was still undecided on whether to kill their king or not. He was still leaning towards a maybe on that one. But Mr. Lorry was a good man, and he'd kept his spear safe during that ordeal, and that thought made him smile genuinely, "Sure, I'll come back."

"You better!" Mr. Lorry bellowed jovially, watching as the kids made their mad run towards the entry gate, "Be safe out there!"

Ayaan gave a small wave in response. It felt... nice. This was nice. On this journey, he was meeting lots of people. While there were those he couldn't stand to be within five feet of, like Bumi, there were many more he enjoyed the company of. So many people had helped them, and this... peace he felt in knowing that they had many allies like this...

It was nice.

The number of things he wanted to protect kept growing.

It went without saying that Mr. Lorry had unofficially adopted Ayaan as his grandson. Most likely, all of the older people he'd interacted with had, period. This is Ayaan we're talking about here, who wouldn't want to adopt this precious bean?

Though their king would not get that luxury, the old sentry was sure of it; the man was there while Ayaan's brother and sister were diffusing his rage. And honestly, the boy had very good reason to be that upset with his king. King Bumi had explained his reasonings extremely poorly... Mr. Lorry shook his head, poor king.

Bumi, in his palace, sneezed. "Who's talking about me? Good things, I hope."

...

..

.

The trio was suffering.

"My arms are gonna fall off?! I can feel them detaching from my shoulders?! My legs?! My soul?! Everything is detaching?!" Sokka cried.

"My back, my everything, even my arrow, hurts! I know I'm 112 years old, but this — I didn't expect to feel my age!" Aang's entire body was covered in a layer of sweat. He'd never worked this hard before, and his entire being was protesting about every movement he was making.

"How do you do this daily?!" Katara's soul was practically leaving, just like the rest of the trio.

Ayaan had them do stretching exercises as well as casual exercises with the weights. These were things they could do within the saddle. Do a set, rest, switch body parts, repeat. They had been doing this without pause the entire trip.

"I missed you, Appa." Ayaan, on the other hand, wasn't paying them any type of attention. "I'm sorry it took us so long to return to you, did you enjoy your rest?" He asked the bison. He was currently at the reigns, as he'd done this exercise already back in Omashu.

What they were doing was simply his morning routine. It prepared him for the day, especially if they had to fight at any time. His muscles would be warmed and ready for everything. It was something he started when he began to hunt regularly, as the beasts he went up against were usually of the larger, more ferocious variety.

Ayaan continued to pet Appa's soft fur. Momo was in his lap, keeping him company ever since they left Omashu. To Ayaan's questions, Appa let out a rumbling growl, though it almost sounded like a whine. In response, Ayaan petted the giant animal more, "I'm sorry, Appa. Do you want me to brush your fur when we land?" He asked, brushing through Appa's fur a bit with his hand.

Appa roared enthusiastically. Ayaan was a very attentive human, and by then knew all of the places Appa loved being scratched and brushed the most. It was the same with Momo, and the little lemur looked up to the human with his pleading green eyes.

He may not have spoken the human language, the words sounding like gibberish to him, but he knew what that gesture meant. Momo wanted in. Being pampered by this human was the best! Mans even bought a brush that was perfect for his fur, and he was super careful about his sensitive skin connecting to his arms, his wings of sorts.

Ayaan saw what the lemur was doing, and a small smile blossomed on his face. "Yes, yes, you too, Momo. Of course, I wouldn't forget you."

"Did you forget about us?!" The trio still in the saddle yelled in indignation.

"Switch to the other leg, complete another set." He said in a flat monotone as if he hadn't been showing affection to their pets just seconds ago.

"nooOOOO~"

Ayaan completely ignored their suffering. He was going really easy on them. He knew that their bodies were hurting from the amount of exercise they were doing, but their muscles were being properly prepared for their next activity. He would let them rest after this, as he knew too much exercise would do more harm than good.

Remember, he was an observant person, he knew what they could and couldn't handle.

That didn't mean that this wouldn't be hell for them.

By the time they landed, every muscle in their body had a proper workout. They could feel the burning sensation within every fiber of their being. It was brutal, merciless.

After Ayaan gave Appa and Momo their well-deserved fruits, promising to brush their fur, he returned his gaze to Aang, Sokka, and Katara. They were literally exhausted messes on the ground, their soul practically leaving their bodies.

"You all did very well," Ayaan said, pleased with how well they took everything. "After you rest and we set up camp for the night, we shall proceed."

"Yes..." They all said, still trying to reel in their souls. They were sweaty and uncomfortable, but they knew that it would do them no good to remove the clothes. They would just end up the same later. Though they were finally able to remove the weights, which brought them great relief.

After a good hour or so, their camp was set up. Ayaan had pampered both Appa and Momo in that time, and now the beloved animals were snoozing comfortably, full bellies and brushed fur. They had landed in a more heavily forested area, great for hunting, which is what Ayaan had in mind.

Now that base was secured, Ayaan made his way to the three. "Are you ready to continue?"

They felt a shiver travel up their spines.

Ayaan had that dangerous glint in his eyes again.

Sorry that this chapter is a bit late. The family is healthy again! Though we had our ups and downs, and Mom had to visit the hospital during our lowest, we are all okay now. Updates might still be a bit slow, but everything is slowly getting back to normal. Thank you all for your patience!

The author that loves you all,

-Jenna

P.S. I'm also working on an Encanto story, though not the one that involves Ayaan, that won't happen until this one is finished. New OC, new story. Just wanted to let you all know.