Chapter Text
She’s fine. Katara is fine. Everyone is safe. The fight went well. Everyone is safe.
If he just keeps repeating these things to himself, perhaps he will stop shaking.
“Hey Li? You alright?” Aang asks. At some point the boy has approached him and he hadn’t noticed. Sokka is nowhere to be seen and Katara is making her way towards them.
As soon as she is in arms reach Li pulls her into a crushing hug. It helps to remind him that she is alright. That she didn’t get hurt.
“Li? It’s okay.” Katara seems a little surprised but holds him back.
The shaking lessens a little and he lets her pull away but keeps his hands on her shoulders to ground himself and remind him that she is here.
“What were you thinking challenging a master like that? And here, where everyone is so shitty to women? That could have gone so so wrong Katara.” He told her, gripping her shoulders.
She’s fine. Katara is safe. Everyone is safe. Breathe in, breathe out. It’s okay.
“Li? Can you hear me?” Katara asks and he realizes he hadn’t heard what she had been saying.
He pulls her back into a hug instead. It’s so much easier to just hang onto her.
Breathe in. Breathe out. Grow and recede, cycle his chi. Focus on the now. Everyone is safe.
He’s being hugged by both Katara and Aang and they’ve sank down to the ground, but he doesn’t remember when.
Very slowly he comes back to himself.
Sokka has returned and joined them but not in a full hug. At this point his friends simply surround him, Sokka’s has on one shoulder, Katara holding his hands in hers, and Aang leaning against his side.
“Okay now?” Katara asks quietly.
Li nods.
“I’m sorry I scared you.” Katara says, giving his hands a squeeze.
“It’s okay. I just…” But he didn’t know how to explain. He didn’t know why he reacted so strongly. Master Pakku wasn’t that bad the few times they had spoken about White Lotus matters. Logically, he knew that Katara should be safe from any real harm.
But watching them fight, seeing the danger and not being able to do anything to help Katara. Seeing the ice spikes encase her at the end, sure that at least one would puncture her body.
It had filled him with terror that he couldn’t explain. Terror like what haunted his dreams. Terror like that which had urge him to run, run, run the night that Lao died on that moonless fire nation ship.
“It’s alright. You don’t have to try and explain.” Aang put in after a moment of silence.
“Thanks.” Li replied, feeling the tension in his shoulders release a little.
“Let’s head back to the house, okay?” Sokka said, standing up and offering him a hand.
Li nodded. He really felt like he had used as many words as he wanted to for the time being.
They all quietly and slowly made their way back to the guest house. About halfway there Sokka and Aang started talking lightheartedly but not too loudly. Li appreciated that. It was better than silence but not too jarring.
He sinks into the soft pelts and blankets when they get there, curling up and just breathing in the familiar sent of fire warmed fur.
Katara starts to prepare lunch and Sokka sits down nearby. He reaches out and starts stroking Li’s hair which is pleasant, but unexpected. Li doesn’t tell him to stop.
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Li had drifted off to sleep next to him and Sokka figured it was probably for the best. The poor guy had wiped himself out and a nap might help get him back to feeling better. He hadn’t realized how badly his friend was reacting before he left to check on Yue and had been surprised to come back to a trembling firebender in the middle of a seated group hug.
“So, what happened with Yue?” Aang asked quietly so as not to wake up Li.
Sokka let his eyes drift to the hand that was still laying on the soft dark hair of his friend. He wasn’t sure what had inspired him to reach out and comfort with touch, but it had been the right decision. It had helped him feel a little better about today too.
“She’s engaged. An arranged marriage. Even if she wants to be with me, she isn’t allowed. She doesn’t get to choose.” Sokka said without meeting Aang or Katara’s eyes. He didn’t want to see his own painful feelings reflected there or the pity they may have for him. “We can be friends though. I told her we should be friends.”
The other two say nothing in response and he isn’t sure whether that is good or bad.
He twists a strand of Li’s silky black hair around one finger absently.
The other teens face is so much more relaxed when he sleeps. He looks younger. Happier. Almost beautiful.
Sokka shakes himself a little, pulling his hand back into his lap. What a thing to think about someone who only recently became his friend again. What a thing to think about another guy.
Today was strange, probably he’s just still shaken up from all the chaos of Katara fighting a master, learning the girl he likes is marrying someone else, and watching his good friend have a random breakdown.
Before he can get too into his head Katara is handing him a bowl of food and he has never been more grateful to his little sister in his life.
He was just hungry. His brain did weird stuff when he was hungry. That was it.
Aang and Katara started talking about their upcoming lesson tomorrow and what all Aang had already learned the day before. Katara said she wanted to keep learning waterbending healing in addition to combat which Sokka agreed sounded like a good idea.
With their luck and track record they were going to need healing just as much as they needed a strong fighter on their side.
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The next day, Li decided to spend his morning at the training grounds with Sokka again. Since Katara was doing combat training during the day it didn’t make sense for him to go to the healing huts first thing. He would go there after lunch to meet with Yagoda so that she could study his chi like he had promised.
Yue was once again observing the training of the nonbending warriors from the raised plaza, and she waved at Sokka and Li when they arrived. Hahn shot them a dirty look from the ranged practice area but didn’t approach them thankfully.
Sokka was insisting that Li needed to get more proficient with a boomerang and he decided to indulge the younger teen.
It’s not that he didn’t know how to throw one at all, he just didn’t enjoy it the same way Sokka did.
The younger teen could throw the weapon with nearly pinpoint accuracy and angle it precisely with the very first throw.
Li could hit the target. Most of the time. After a practice throw.
Okay, so he wasn’t the best with a boomerang.
“Stop laughing it isn’t that funny.” Li grumbled as he went to try and dig the boomerang out of the drifted snow it had fallen into after bouncing off the target to the left of the one he had actually been aiming for.
“How are you so bad at this?” Sokka asked incredulously.
“Well, back home you were always working with your boomerang and I sorta… avoided you. Then.” Li admitted a little awkwardly.
“Yeah. I guess that makes sense.” Sokka admitted, no longer laughing but still wearing a small smile. “Well, time to make up for it I guess.”
Li couldn’t quite suppress his groan of frustration and Sokka laughed at him again.
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After a long morning of practice that resulted in only some marginal improvement to his ranged weapon proficiency, Li headed towards the healing huts with a relieved sigh.
“Hello young man.” Yagoda greeted him. “I’m glad to see you came, I wasn’t sure whether I should expect you without Katara. I’ve agreed to give her private training in the evenings when she finishes with that old blowhard Pakku.”
“I’m honored to be of assistance to you in any way Master Yagoda.” Li answered with a smile, following her into the little training room they had been in before. It looks as though there is a larger clinical area on the other side of the building where some other healers are working.
They are alone in the small training area and Li kneels on an adjacent cushion after the elder is seated.
“Now, allow me to feel along your main chi paths, but don’t do that matching thing until I tell you I’m ready for it, alright?” Yagoda instructs and Li nods in agreement.
They pass the next few minutes in comfortable silence while Yagoda studies his chi. It’s not uncomfortable but the coolness of the push and pull of the water is a little strange.
The Master Healer instructs him to repeat what he had done before and it takes a little while of concentration for him to get it right. The action had been almost instinctual the first time and trying to consciously recreate it isn’t as simple as he thought it would be.
In the end he manages to match the push and pull of her water with the growth and recession of his own chi. Now that he is focusing on it, this seems to pull something from the water into his chi paths and circulate it. He isn’t sure what that something is but it feels nice. Comforting.
Yagoda has he eyes closed in concentration, a small crease between her eyebrows.
After allowing that comforting feeling to circulate a moment Li decides to try and give it back. To push it back into the water. He doesn’t know why, but it seems like what he should do.
Yagoda gasps and drops the water when he gently nudges that feeling back into her hands. The blue glow of the water had become golden just long enough for them both to see it before it was splashing onto the floor.
“I’m sorry!” He said immediately. “Did I hurt you?”
“No, no. It’s alright child.” Yagoda assures him, a calming hand on his arm like she had done before. “I just have never felt anything like that before. I’m not sure what it is you did but it did not cause pain or injury.”
Li nodded, relieved but still feeling guilty.
“I’ll say something before I do anything next time.” He promised her and she gave him a kind smile.
More time had passed than Li realized, the light in the window was started to fade and Katara arrived for her evening training with Yagoda. They invited him to observe and he eagerly agreed.
The idea that bending could be used to heal the human body was fascinating to him, even if it was something only waterbenders could do. It was interesting to learn about these things anyway and perhaps it would allow him to better assist Katara in the future should she need an extra hand.
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Staying in the North Water Tribe was strange but as time passed it felt less and less alien. His days were mostly the same, training for combat, spending time with Katara and Master Yagoda in the healing huts and spending the evenings with his friends. Sometimes Yue joins them for their evening meal.
Often Yue and Sokka spend time together apart from the others and though the teen insists that they are just friends, Li doesn’t buy it for a second. The look in Katara’s eyes when Yue joins them confirms that she sees it too.
Nothing good can come of Sokka courting an engaged princess but there isn’t anything they can do to convince him to stop.
One morning, a few weeks into their stay here, Li is alone in the guest quarters. Sokka was meeting with Yue for a walk and he didn’t want to go train with the warriors on his own. Without the other southern teen the looks and muttering directed at him are always worse.
Instead, he is working on mending some of their clothing. Aang in particular seems really rough on his clothing. Li wonders how the kid isn’t constantly covered in bruises and scrapes based on the damage done to the items he wears regularly.
Something is wrong but it takes him a moment to figure out what. Their guest accommodations are near a popular market square which is convenient for them but also leads to a low level of noise drifting in throughout the day.
For the first time since they arrived there is complete silence.
Li stands and goes to the window.
Black snow is falling.
Just like that day so long ago.
The smell of burning flesh and the anger of the funeral song comes to him. He has to close his eyes and breath deeply a moment to keep from losing the contents of his stomach.
Fire Nation ships are coming.
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When he arrives at the meeting hall where the tribe is gathering, he sees that Katara and Aang are already there. He joins them silently and waits for the chief to address his people.
Sokka and Yue enter a few minutes later but they are standing well apart. Yue heads towards the front where she will stand with her father and Sokka watches her go with an almost mournful expression.
When he sits down next to Li and reaches out and gives his friend’s hand a reassuring squeeze.
Yue sure could pick the worst time to dump a guy.
When Chief Arnook calls for volunteers for a dangerous mission Sokka is the first to stand. Li finds himself reaching for him to pull him back but stops his hand. He won’t shame the other in front of everyone, but his heart is in his throat.
He does not volunteer to go with them. He doubts he would be allowed into something that was so important anyway, not as an outsider. This was not his tribe, and they would not accept him so quickly.
Katara leans against him and he wraps an arm around her shoulder comfortingly as they both watch Sokka receive the chief’s own mark. Aang watch with wide worried eyes.
If anyone can pull off an important secret mission, it’s Sokka. It will be okay. He will be alright.
If he just keeps thinking it maybe it will be true.
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The bombardment sets his teeth on edge. He and Katara are on the wall though he can do nothing without revealing his bending. Aang has flown out on Appa to take on the ships alone before Li could convince him it was a bad idea.
Katara has been aiding the other waterbenders in shoring up the walls and dousing the flaming projectiles.
Li stands with nonbender soldiers waiting and watching for any approaching troops.
He knows he could cool the projectiles with his bending but he also knows that dousing them in polar water and snow is just as effective. He shouldn’t reveal that he is a firebender unless it is really needed. No matter how useless he feels right now.
As the sun sinks towards the horizon the catapults stop. Appa returns to the wall and and exhausted Aang all but collapses into Katara’s waiting arms.
Li wraps his arms around his friends and circulates his inner fire through his limbs, warming them. He even presses a gentle bit of chi out of his hands in into their backs, allowing warmth to flow. It’s the absolute least he can do and the easing of the rigidity of their shoulders tells him they can feel the effect.
“I can’t do it. There’s just too many.” Aang says, ashamed and lacking hope.
It was wrong that this poor kid thought he had to do this all alone.
Katara and Yue don’t help with how they respond, adding pressure where they should be aiding in a solution.
Li doesn’t know how to comfort Aang either and sits and tries to think of something. He wishes Sokka was here to help with his ability to make a useful plan.
After a moment of silence Yue’s gaze lifts to the now visible moon. She reflects on it’s effects on waterbending and the origins of the water tribes.
“The spirits!” Aang immediately perks back up. “Maybe I can find them and ask for their help!”
With that they depart the wall, leaving the sight of the Fire Nation armada behind them.
The spirit oasis is a wonder. Warm and full of energy that he can feel resonating in his chi paths. Katara feels it too and grins at him as she walks into the most spiritual place in the North Pole.
Aang settles in to meditate in front of the small pond holding two circling koi fish.
After a few minutes his tattoos glow blue and he goes completely still.
“Is he okay?” Yue asks in concern.
“He’s crossing into the Spirit World. He’ll be fine as long as we don’t move his body. That’s his way back to the physical world.” Katara explains and Li wonders if the rumors of Aang quelling a spirit back in Senlin were true.
“Maybe we should get some help.” Yue suggests.
“No, he’s my friend. I’m perfectly capable of protecting him.” Katara says, a bit arrogantly in Li’s opinion.
“Would a few guards outside the door really hurt though?” He asks.
“Well… I suppose not.” Katara concedes.
“I’ll go summon a few.” Yue says with a relieved smile.
Even if all it did was give them a little advance warning and give the princess piece of mind it seemed worth it to Li.
The night passes in quiet anxiety and taking turns catching a little sleep. Yue returns with Sokka in tow while Katara is catching a little sleep with her head in Li’s lap.
“What happened? What about the mission?” Li whispers to avoid waking her.
“I uh, got kicked off.” Sokka admits with a guilty look towards Yue. “The chief wants me to guard the princess instead.”
Li knows that there is more to this and narrows his eyes at Sokka.
“I’ll tell you later.” Sokka says with another quick glance towards Yue.
Oh, it must be embarrassing. He considers trying to make Sokka say it in front of his crush but decides the ensuing argument might wake Katara who was not the nicest when startled awake, so he lets it go.
Yue settles down to also rest. Once Li is fairly sure that both girls are deeply asleep he turns to Sokka and simply raises an eyebrow expectantly.
Sokka pretends to not know what he is asking but then deflates.
“I punched Hahn in the face. A couple time. He’s the one Yue is supposed to marry.” The other teen admits quietly.
Li thinks that over for a minute. Then he nods.
“Good.” He says and it’s clear that’s not what Sokka was expecting. “Hahn is a piece of shit. I’m glad one of us got to punch him before this is all over.”
They both try not to laugh loud because they don’t want to wake the girls.
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The bombardment starts back up at dawn. Aang continues to be in the spirit world and Li wonders if time passes differently there than it does here.
Yue sends one of the guards outside the door to request food from the palace and a servant returns with a basket for them. The guards have traded out with fresh warriors on a regular schedule but none of the teens want to leave the oasis while Aang is so vulnerable.
They pass the time in conversation, and perhaps because of where they are they drift towards telling spirit tales. Some are the same between the northern and southern tribes but once or twice Yue mentions ways that the version she had heard was different. She also tells them one of a great white fox bear spirit that isn’t told in the south at all.
Katara in turn tells the one of the great chief immortalized in the stars that is not part of the stories told in the North. His star is not visible this far north and he was a southern chief so that makes sense.
Yue finally starts a story quietly and it’s her own. It turns out that her white hair is a sign of the blessing of Tui. The spirit of the moon saved her life as an infant and marked her as their chosen.
“I’ve never met someone who was actually part of a spirit tale before.” Li admits, a little awed.
Sokka might as well have hearts coming out of his eyes.
In the late afternoon Aang suddenly jumps to his feet and stops glowing, startling them all and making Sokka break off his improvised horror story about food that eats people. That was a bit of a relief because it was getting pretty weird.
“The spirits are here! They’re the koi fish!” Aang exclaims, pointing at the little pond and circling fish.
“The great spirits of the north are… fish.” Sokka’s tone is completely disbelieving.
“Are you sure, Aang?” Katara asks, also not convinced but trying to be more polite and hopeful than her brother.
“Yes, I’m absolutely sure and the moon is in trouble! Someone is coming to kill her!” The avatar insist anxiously.
They all turn and look at the pond for a moment.
“I’m going to find a bucket.” Li finally says and Katara lets out a gasp.
“Li! You can’t put great spirits in a bucket.” She admonishes him and slaps his arm.
“Why not?” He asks, it seemed like a perfectly acceptable way to move a fish. “We need to take them somewhere more secure. If someone knows about this oasis and is coming to hurt them then we should move them. How else do you move a fish?”
“Buddy, we don’t even know if we have time to move them or that the bad guys know where this place is.” Sokka says. “Let’s not jump into anything before we think it through.”
“While you’re thinking it through someone could be on their way here! Why not just start with moving the moon and then make a plan from there?” Li argues.
“I’m not sure you can remove the spirits from this oasis.” Yue explains. “This place is closely tied to the spirit world and if we take them somewhere else, we may hurt the spirits while trying to save them.”
“Fine.” Li gives in. He doesn’t want to hurt the fish, though he still thinks scooping them up and running sounds like the safest option.
Sokka ends up sending for additional warriors to guard the entrance to the oasis and rigs up some traps around the door in case someone were to get through.
“So, um Yue.” Li starts, because they are expecting a fight and he may need to do a little bending. “You know how I’m adopted?”
The princess looks at him in confusion and just nods.
“Well… I’m uh, well, I’m a bender but because I’m not blood related to the water tribe I’m not a water bender, I’m a uh-”
“He’s a firebender.” Katara interrupts and Li shoots her a dirty look. “You were taking forever and being incredibly awkward. I’m just helping.”
Ugh. Little sisters are the worst.
Yue is staring at him in shock.
“I’m sorry we didn’t tell you sooner.” Sokka says, rejoining them from where he had been working on the booby traps. “Considering the counsel didn’t want to let him stay just because he’s adopted we figured it was safer to not mention it.”
“You’re probably right.” Yue admits. “I don’t see the counsel agreeing to let a firebender into the city, no matter who vouched for him. Does Master Pakku know?”
“I actually don’t know.” Li admits and Sokka facepalms.
Yue and Katara laugh a little and Li smiles back at them.
That went over better than he expected it to.
The sun is starting to sink once more when the fighting draws nearer. Projectiles slam into the ground nearby and the vibrations rattle through the oasis. Sokka grips his boomerang and Li draws his swords.
He’s still more comfortable with steel than with flames for most battles. The stench of burned flesh is something he would rather avoid as much as possible.
The door to the oasis slams open as the last light of day fades. Two fire nation soldiers with helmets and masks shaped like skulls rush into the oasis only to trip the traps that Sokka had set up earlier. Yelling, the sound of bodies hitting the ground, and an explosion of smoke all happen practically simultaneously.
Li looks over and sees a wide grin on his friend’s face.
Zhao walks through the smoke with his hands behind his back. Li expects the man to shoot some sort of insult his way before he realizes this is the first time he’s faced the man without his blue spirit mask.
“Stand aside children. I am here to make history.” The Admiral demands in an oily tone.
“Don’t do this, Zhao.” Aang almost pleads. He speaks with more authority than usual.
“It is my destiny to darken the moon and erase waterbending from this world. I will go down in history as Zhao the conqueror, Zhao the moon slayer, Zhao the invincible!” The man rants.
He’s insane.
“Destroying the moon won’t just hurt the Water Tribe. It will hurt everyone, including you. Without the moon, everything would fall out of balance. You have no idea what kind of chaos that would unleash on the world.” Aang tries to convince the madman but Li can tell it has no effect.
“He is right Zhao.” Iroh’s familiar voice says as he approaches. He positions himself against the other Fire Nation fighters.
Li can’t believe it. Someone from the royal family turning against the military?
“General Iroh, why am I not surprised to discover your treachery?” Zhao sneers at the old man.
“I’m no traitor, Zhao, the Fire Nation needs the moon too. We all depend on the balance. Whatever you do to that spirit I will unleash on you ten-fold!” The old general promises with grim determination.
Zhao seems to hesitate for a moment but in the end he drops into a bending stance and attacks.
Later Li might remember the fight more clearly but in the moment everything happens so quickly.
He uses his swords to block and redirect the fire of the enemy benders. A few of the soldiers wield their own swords and he defends against those attacks as well. Aang and Katara hold their own but Li makes sure to stay close to Sokka and Yue. He doesn’t want to leave the defense of the princess to Sokka alone with this many combatants on the field.
General Iroh is a force to be reconned with and Li remembers that he was once called the Dragon of the West. Tonight, he can believe the tales he heard of the old firebender’s glory days.
In the end it is Aang’s habit of evasion that costs them. Zhao focusses the brunt of his attacks on the young avatar, advancing relentlessly. He doesn’t land a single hit on the boy but unfortunately he does back him up against the pool containing the koi.
A wild shot of fire pushes Aang to dodge around, leaving an opening that makes Zhao grin maniacally. By the time any of them realize what has happened it is too late.
A downward swipe of fire slashes a black mark across the pearly back of the white Koi and the moon goes dark.
The water Katara was bending falls to the ground and she cannot get it to rise.
Zhao stands in triumph a moment before he locks eyes with General Iroh.
Then he runs, with the old man hot on his heels.
No other soldiers are left in the oasis, though Li can’t remember if they are all downed or if some fled with their leader.
It doesn’t matter in the end.
He kneels next to the little pool with the others, tears are streaming down Aang’s face.
“There’s no hope now.” Yue’s voice is full of sorrow.
“No. It’s not over.” Aang says firmly.
The young avatar angrily wipes his cheeks and sets his jaw. He steps into the water of the oasis and it rises to meet him. It glows blue like his tattoos had when he was in the spirit world. He descends into the pool and the glowing leaves the oasis, taking Aang with it.
Katara shivers next to Li and Yue has a hand to her mouth, her eyes bright and glassy with unshed tears.
Her eyes are also bright and bluer than anything else on this dark dark night.
“Can you heal it?” Sokka asks his sister. She shakes her head.
“I can’t bend at all… the moon is what lets me heal and she’s…” Katara explains and looks down at the koi fish that Li has pulled onto the shore.
Li reaches out and touches the side of the spirit fish. He closes his eyes and tries to feel for some sign of life. Some spark.
It’s there, but it’s so so faint.
“I think they’re still alive, just barely.” He says to the others and Yue gasps.
“How can you tell?” Katara asks.
“I just… I can feel their chi, just a little bit, just the last spark of life maybe if I…” He didn’t know how to describe it and he couldn’t focus on words when he was trying to focus on the chi.
The chi deep in the spirit pulsed. It pulled in a steady rhythm. He felt it like he felt Yagoda’s healing water and he matched his inner fire’s growing and receding to it. Growing when the moon spirit pulled and receding in the break. He built up his chi and very slowly pushed it into the spirit.
Suddenly it was like his energy was pouring from him. Too fast, too fast.
He pulled back, breaking the connection between his inner fire and the spirit.
“It’s too much. She needs to much energy I don’t think I have enough. If I let her keep taking, I don’t think…” He didn’t think he could survive. Who knew if this would even save the spirit? Was it worth the risk?
A cool soft hand fell onto the top of his and he opened his eyes to meet Yue’s dark blue, nearly violet gaze.
“The moon spirit gave me life. Maybe I can give some of it back?” The northern princess suggested quietly.
“Yue, no! There has to be another way!” Sokka cried, reaching towards the girl.
“I have to do this for my people. The world needs the moon spirit.” Yue replied determinedly.
Li placed his other hand on top of Yue’s feeling the coolness of her skin between his two hands. He felt her chi and it wasn’t like his own or like the moon spirits, but he thought it could work.
He reached out with his inner fire again, this time allowing it to pass through the chi paths in Yue’s hand, pulling her energy along with his into the spirit’s mortal body.
Despite being a nonbender Yue’s chi felt like an ocean, deep and calm. It flowed where Li’s swirled but they melded together and fed into the moon spirit.
He felt the pull grow stronger, the life return, he felt the fish start to move and heard Katara’s gasp.
Then, he felt a sharp pain deep inside. It had taken to much. Too much.
He opened his eyes and met Sokka’s panicked gaze before darkness closed in from the sides of his vision. He felt Katara’s hands on his back as the world fell away.
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He heard humming. The tune is familiar but it’s pitched higher than he is used to hearing it. An old song with no words. Soothing. Home.
Li opens his eyes slowly, blinking at how bright the world around him is. Katara sits next to him, sewing and humming the old water song absently.
“Did it work?” He asks, his voice sounding and feeling remarkably dry.
“You’re awake!” Katara exclaims, setting down her chore with a big smile. “Let me get you some water. Don’t move!”
Li follows her directions. He feels tired down to his bones. There’s a dull ache in his stomach and he thinks if he really wanted to he could go right back to sleep.
Katara helps him to sit up enough to sip some cool water and it soothes his throat.
“Thanks ‘tara.” Li says tiredly as she sets him back down onto the pillow. “Did it work? Is the moon back? Is Yue okay?”
“Everything is okay. You healed the moon spirit and Yue woke up yesterday.” Katara explained while holding his hand reassuringly. “You saved a greater spirit of the Water Tribes, Li. You’re a hero.”
Before he can wrap his head around this news Sokka enters the room and immediately rushes forward to pull him into a hug.
“You’re awake! Thank the spirits!” Sokka said into his shoulder, gripping him tight enough Li was a little afraid he would leave bruises.
“Ow, Sokka, yes I’m awake.” Li complains. “How long was I out that you’re this freaked?”
No one says anything for a long moment.
“Guys, how long have I been asleep?” Li asks again, this time worried about the answer.
“Three days.” A teen girl with black hair says from behind Sokka.
Li looks at her and then does a double take.
It was Yue.
Her hair was no longer white.
“Hi, Li.” She says with a gentle smile. “Like my new look?”
He couldn’t help but laugh a little. Even with Katara’s reassurance it was good to see the girl up and clearly fine.
“It looks wonderful Yue. Black is your color.” He replies with a smile.
“Li!” Aang shouts as he walks in and jumps onto the bed with him, accidentally kneeing him in the gut a bit on impact.
“Careful, Aang, he’s still healing!” Katara admonishes but it doesn’t sound very stern.
They all talk to him about the moon coming back and the tribe rebuilding and celebrating. Now that he was awake they were sure the Chief would want to have a big feast to honor him and Yue.
Aang dashed off to tell everyone that Li was awake and Sokka and Yue left to let Li rest some more.
He turned to Katara because one topic hadn’t come up.
“What happened to the rest of the fleet? To Iroh and Zhao? Did the Fire Nation retreat after they failed to kill the moon?”
Katara looked sad and a little uncomfortable.
“No. They didn’t retreat, or at least, not many of them did.” She said quietly. “You know how Aang disappeared into the spirit pool? He went into the avatar state and merged with the spirit of the ocean. It… it destroyed the invading forces. Swept them into the sea and sank their ships. Some started to retreat and I think a few got away but most of them were killed.”
Li couldn’t believe it. By himself Aang, sweet gentle Aang, had killed thousands of men and women. Sinking them deep into the polar waters. It was a terrible way for someone with an inner fire to die.
“Iroh… Prince Iroh, did he…?” He couldn’t bring himself to say it.
Katara’s eyes widened at the royal title and she seemed to be putting it together.
“He lived. He came back to the oasis and told us that Zhao was dragged into the sea by the spirit.” She replied. “He asked about you, wanted to be sure you were okay.”
Li nodded and took that information in.
“Li, is he… was he… someone you used to care about?” Katara asked hesitantly.
“Iroh was very close to Prince Zuko when he was young. His son Lu Ten sort of viewed his little cousins like siblings since he didn’t have any. He wasn’t…. I wasn’t… I didn’t even know that Lu Ten was dead until…” He couldn’t talk about it. Couldn’t let it close. Couldn’t let himself feel the pain or the love that belonged to who he used to be.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to talk.” Katara reached out her hand and smoothed hair behind his ear. Then she pulled him into a hug.
He hadn’t realized he was crying.
“It’s alright.” She muttered, rubbing his back with one hand and smoothing his hair with the other.
They were all safe. Everything was going to be alright.
If he just kept saying it, maybe he would start believing it.