"So you're saying that the new avatar is a firebender and that he's part of Shiratorizawa... wow the coincidences" Sugawara said chuckling thoughtfully as he poured tea for Aone.

Aone nodded taking the cup in his hands "We need someone to teach Goshiki airbending".

Daichi glared at the earthbender "You promised that neither our island nor us airbenders would be involved in this war"

Aone trembled but regained his composure, he couldn't return to the continent without completing their mission "You're right... but I needed to speak with you in private... listen, my words were false but... if you grant us a master, someone who can teach Goshiki airbending... we can end the war"

Daichi shook his head once more "I won't put one of our boys in danger... I think you should leave"

Aone felt the earth disappear from under him his feet, it shouldn't have been like this, he had to do it or Futakuchi- No!, surely he and all the Dateko would never have been captured so easily... probably now they were safe somewhere... but if that wasn't the case then...

Aone didn't think twice, he put the cup on the small table and knelt in front of the 2 village leaders "I beg you... I have people to save... to help... people dear to me that I would give my life for, and I can't go back to them if I have made their efforts in vain... I promise you that I will protect whoever you entrust to me with my own life" he said looking at the floor the whole time.

Daichi looked at him confused and hesitant. After a few moments of silence, Sugawara spoke up. "There aren't many airbenders left," he said, sitting down next to Daichi."There are only 3 in the entire island... the only 3 we managed to save from the persecution that the Fire Nation has conducted against our people." Sugawara added with a tone mixed with sadness and anger but also a glimpse of hope that was making its way into his soul. "But Daichi... I believe that for the survival of this world... we will have to take risks"

Daichi looked at Sugawara, petrified, before shaking his head again. "Absolutely not, Suga! You said it yourself, there are only 3 airbenders left in the entire world!" 

"I will protect him." Aone interrupted them, looking straight into Daichi's eyes, still prostrate before the village chief. The look was one of a determined person "I will protect him with my own life"

Daichi and Sugawara looked at each other and, as if a silent message was passing between the 2, Daichi sighed and gave up "Okay... but if something happens to our boy, you will be held accountable" 

Aone nodded immediately and sat down again, it was a big responsibility but he was a boy of word and he would keep his promise... anything to save the world and his companions.

Daichi sighed again "One last thing, we will let the Airbenders decide whether to come with you or not... I would never force them to take part in something so risky"

Aone nodded again, this time less sure of himself... it was a risk... but maybe Hinata would agree to come, he seemed like an impulsive boy who did not take seriously the risks he could run into

Daichi then stood up "Let's gather everyone in the great hall... and let them know the news"

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"BASTARD AIRBENDER"

Goshiki stood still for a moment, realizing what had triggered the airbender's reaction: his tattoo. Grinding his teeth, he quickly stood up and when the airbender unleashed another gust of wind, Goshiki dodged, rolling to the side and launching a fiery blow at the boy who avoided it like lightning.

Kogane was petrified as the 2 benders clashed, a few hesitant words left his mouth "Tsu-... no- STOP!-..."

The airbender managed to get behind Goshiki, silent and lightning-fast, ready to unleash a gust that would surely have hurled Goshiki against a tree.Luckily a huge rock wall rose up between the airbender and the firebender, so the attack shattered on the massive wall.

Daichi ran out of breath "STOP-... Nishinoya"

Goshiki was still on the defensive when Nishinoya turned darkly towards Daichi and Sugawara who were approaching him at a fast pace "He's a firebender, and not just any firebender, he's part of the Shiratorizawa! We have to capture him!"

The 2 village leaders finally stood between Goshiki and Nishinoya, while Aone checked to see if Goshiki and Kogane were okay.Only then did Kogane come to his senses "I'm fine Aone... I'm sorry Goshiki... I should have intervened to protect you..."

Goshiki grunted a little shaken by the sudden attack "I don't need to be protected"

Kogane lowered his gaze full of shame and regret. Those words had hurt him much more than when, during training with his teammates, he would crash into rocks that were thrown here and there. He knew that Goshiki was able to handle himself... but he should still have done something to help

A tall boy who seemed to be an adult and with his hair tied in a bun also arrived, he must have been the guide Tsukishima had spoken of, Asahi.

Asahi approached Nishinoya, placing his hands on his shoulders and squeezing him gently "Are you okay Nishinoya?" 

Nishinoya blushed slightly and nodded, but his gaze darkened again when he turned to Daichi and Sugawara "You allow a member of the Shiratorizawa to set foot on our island?! Maybe you have forgotten what they did to our people?! HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THE SCREAMS AND MASSACRES?!"

Daichi and Sugawara flinched but kept eye contact with Nishinoya "We can never forget this but we have important news to talk about"

The airbender didn't want to hear about it "To hell with your news! What happened to the rule "we repudiate war" huh? DO YOU REALLY WANT TO THROW THE FEW SURVIVORS OF OUR PEOPLE BACK INTO THIS SHIT?!"

Asahi tightened his grip on Nishinoya's shoulder even more "Noya let them talk" He said looking up to glare at the 2 village leaders in the eyes "I'm sure they have an explanation for all this" he said in a lower and darker voice, his look was one that Daichi and Sugawara had seen only a few times.

Daichi took a deep breath "Gather everyone at the big house, we will explain this whole story there"

Nishinoya let out a grunt "Those bastards... they deserve to be extinguished. All of them, from the first to the last, for what they have done and continue to do... they must burn in their own flames! IN THE FLAMES WITH WHICH THEY HAVE DESTROYED FAMILIES AND VILLAGES!"

Kogane flinched at the hatred that overflowed from those words... it was true, many soldiers of the Fire Nation had done horrible things, but that didn't mean that all the people of the Fire Nation were like this and should die... Goshiki wasn't like that!... Right?.

But when Kogane turned to Goshiki he glimpsed out of the corner of his eye that the boy had run away into the woods."TSUTOMU" Kogane called running after the fire bender without hesitation

Aone started to follow him but stopped when Nishinoya continued to yell "HE WILL BURN THE WHOLE ISLAND, WE MUST CAPTURE HIM"

Aone couldn't take it anymore, he understood the worries and the reasons of the short airbender... but he trusted Kogane and believed in Tendou's plan. He took courage and looked all the air nomads in the eyes "No, if there's anyone who can make Goshiki think clearly it's Kogane... they'll come back... Goshiki seems to be a stubborn boy, but Kogane is persevering... I trust him and I know he'll bring Goshiki back here"

Daichi stared at Aone before nodding "Okay, then we'll start setting up the big house"

Obviously the confusion had also attracted Hinata, Kageyama, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi who ran towards the others. Hinata arrived first "What happened? Where are Kogane and Goshiki?" He asked curiously and worriedly.

Daichi looked at them with a serious look "You go and prepare the big house, we will have a meeting where we will discuss the future of the world... we will prepare some tea and something to eat"

Hinata nodded and took the other 3 and walked towards the big house

Daichi turned to Nishinoya "When the Firebender has calmed down not another word understood?" He said in a threatening tone

At that point Nishinoya lowered his gaze a little regretful, perhaps more for having angered Daichi rather than for having insulted Goshiki

Sugawara smiled friendly "You go, I will wait for Goshiki and Kogane to take them to the big house"

"I'll stay with you" said Aone "I need to know how they are"

Daichi glared at Aone but nodded, turning towards Nishinoya and Asahi "Let's go, let's see what Shimizu and Tanaka have available to cook"

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"GOSHIKI... TSUTOMU WHERE ARE YOU?" Kogane had crossed the entire forest screaming at the top of his lungs but there was no sign of Goshiki.

"Shit" Kogane blurted out, where could the fire bender have ended up... what if something had happened to him? What if he had fallen into a chasm or a wild animal had attacked him? Kogane began to get anxious when he saw a small rat digging in the ground. Right, how did he forget to listen to the Earth?.

The earthbender took a deep breath and concentrated on the vibrations that passed through the ground, he could hear the animals walking or crawling and finally he felt the movements of a heavy being up the mountain and he clearly saw Goshiki 

Kogane recovered and immediately ran up the slopes of the mountain arriving at a cliff surmounted by a cave... faint sobs came from inside

Kogane sighed before slowly approaching Goshiki, crouched with his back against the cave wall. The firebender had his head buried between his knees and was sobbing softly

Kogane's heart skipped a beat at that scene, seeing Goshiki reduced to that state for some reason really saddened him"... Tsutomu..."

Goshiki jumped "AH!- I didn't hear you coming" he said, quickly wiping away his tears

Kogane smiled friendly and sat down next to Goshiki who in response turned to look the other way sniffing "Why did you run away like that?... You made us really worried"

Goshiki didn't answer right away, he didn't even turn to look Kogane in the eyes. 

"Tsu-". "Are you really sure that I can stop this war?" 

Kogane was surprised by this question "Of course I am, you are the Avatar!"

Goshiki shook his head "You're the only one who believes in me"

This time it was Kogane's turn to shake his head "That's not true, even Aone, Futakuchi... but even your teammates um-... I don't know their names- but the point is that there are many people who believe in you"

"Yes but you know me! Did you see that Airbender's reaction? He was ready to kill me if the others hadn't intervened!... and so will everyone's..." Goshiki finally replies, turning his tear-streaked face to look Kogane in the eyes.

Kogane felt a pain in his chest again at the sight of Goshiki's tears "I've known you for about 3 days, but even the first time we met... I wasn't afraid of you"

Goshiki felt his heart skip a beat at those words, but his mind didn't want to reason "But-... there will be many other less understanding people who won't listen... Maybe I should have stayed with the Fire Nation-""ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Kogane's voice thundered in the cave so much that even Goshiki jumped 

"This is the right thing for your Nation... and then even if there are other people who won't listen to you, we will convince them!". There was so much determination in those words that Goshiki couldn't help but envy Kogane's naivety. "You can't force people to listen" 

Kogane smiled proudly "Even if they don't listen, you have me, and Aone... you are not alone Tsutomu".

Goshiki felt his cheeks boil, why every time Kogane said his first name he used such a sweet tone? Goshiki looked at the ground in front of him but couldn't help but giggle "Why are you using my name so often lately"

Kogane smiled "I like your name! I love saying it"

Goshiki rolled his eyes "Idiot". "Hey! Ugly-" Kogane tried to hit Goshiki with a punch that the firebender easily avoided"Wow that's strong" Goshiki said laughing

Kogane snorted "We'll talk about it again when you have to learn Earthbending... then I'll challenge you and crush you! Haha!... but at least I cheered you up a little, right?" Kogane asked hopefully

Goshiki finally relaxed his shoulders and knees, abandoning that defensive position and laughing with a little more hope in his heart "Yeah, you're not bad as a motivator"

Kogane smiled proudly, gloating over those compliments. Goshiki rolled his eyes shaking his head "It wasn't even a big compliment". Kogane giggled softly "I completed the mission! Come on, we have to go, they are waiting for us down in the clearing"

Goshiki's smile disappeared. The boy turned back to look at the ground before sighing and nodding "You're right..."

Kogane stood up and held out a hand to Goshiki who, smiling, took it so that the earthbender could help him up.

As they exited the cave and descended towards the clearing, the sun had begun to disappear along the horizon, leaving behind an orange-tinged sky that merged with the increasingly dark blue of the evening.

Kogane rubbed his stomach "I'm starving! I hope the airbenders know how to cook something good!"

————————————————————————

Sugawara and Aone sat on the grass in silence as the wind offered comfort, especially for Aone. The earthbender trusted Kogane but it was almost sunset and even through the vibrations of the ground, those of the 2 boys were too weak to understand their position. Added to this was the fact that Sugawara, despite having been very understanding, was a stranger and this gave Aone even more anxiety

"So will Kogane be able to calm down the avatar?" Sugawara asked smiling

Aone looked at him for a second before nodding

Sugawara smiled watching the clouds chase each other in a sky tinged with pink and orange "They bonded in no time..."

Aone nodded again watching the blades of grass sway as if in a graceful dance. Starting a conversation would also be useful to gain useful information about airbending, but Aone's chest tightened just thinking about it.

Sugawara continued to smile as if Aone were a dear old friend of his "In the big house you said that you have people to save... and that you would give your life for any airbender we entrust to you, did you say that just to convince Daichi or is it the truth?"

Aone jumped, fear starting to creep inside him as he turned to look Sugawara in the eyes. "I was sincere! I have to save my teammates!"Sugawara placed a hand on his shoulder "Hey calm down, I wasn't insinuating anything, I just wanted to know if you were sincere"

Aone sighed returning to look at the grass, he took a deep breath and waited for his heart to calm down before speaking again "They are my family... I have to save them from the Fire Nation before it's too late... and lose them forever" Aone explained as he clutched the stone that served as a pendant for the rudimentary necklace.

Sugawara smiled "I hope you will save these people dear to you and the whole world... this war has been going on for too long now and too many people have suffered and are still suffering"

Just then, as the sun was setting on the horizon, Aone sensed Kogane and Goshiki walking towards them and finally let out a sigh of relief.

Kogane ran towards Aone smiling while Goshiki blushed with shame and looked down embarrassed by his behavior

Sugawara smiled as he approached him "I apologize on behalf of Nishinoya, he can be very... direct and impulsive"

Goshiki looked up shaking his head "No, I'm sorry for running away like that and making everyone worried"

Sugawara let out a laugh "Well what did you expect, a lightning bolt like Nishinoya attacked and insulted you, you're on an island with people you don't know and with the knowledge that you have to save the world and put an end to this war... and you expect to not be afraid or doubt yourself, even if it's just for a second? Don't be so hard on yourself"

Goshiki's eyes were wide as Sugawara's words tried to make their way into his mind. 

Sugawara smiled "Now let's go, I'm sure Kiyoko's dinner is getting cold and if we don't hurry Hinata will eat us"

Goshiki nodded and the 4 of them headed towards the house. 

Aone approached the firebender "Everything ok?". Goshiki nodded "Yeah... thanks to Kogane..." he said looking up and letting his eyes rest on Kogane who continued to babble

Aone noticed the sweet look that Goshiki was giving Kogane and a bad feeling crept into his mind but for the moment he decided to ignore it

————————————————————————

"Finally!" Hinata exclaimed with a sort of roar, you could see that they were all dying of hunger.

Goshiki arrived at the door and hesitated for a moment until Sugawara gave him a warm smile and invited him in.

Kogane sat next to Hinata and Goshiki next to him and Aone followed. Sugawara instead went to the head of the table and took a seat next to Daichi.

Daichi took a deep breath and stood up "Tonight as you know we are in the company of the avatar" he said pointing to Goshiki who blushed and lowered his gaze 

"And someone at this table should apologize for his behavior" Daichi added sternly as he turned to Nishinoya who snorted "Okay... sorry for my outburst"

Goshiki nodded, he was convinced that Nishinoya was not truly sorry but then again how could he be blamed... Goshiki couldn't help but think about Ushijima's words... how he talked about the revolutionaries they killed or enslaved "it's ok, I understand why you did it... I know that my people have-... destroyed cities and-... killed-..."

Daichi smiled "It's all right, Goshiki will be the one to stop this war and we must help him with all means... he must learn airbending and to do so one of you benders will travel with them to get to the North Pole, so the avatar can learn to control more elements at the same time"

The room began to rumble as Daichi sighed "Tsukishima... we think it would be best if you will be the one to teach Goshiki airbending"

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sorry for disappearing like that, exam and stuff happened but I am more than happy to leave you all with this new longer chapter. check out my Tik Tok surely I will post the Inarizaki's design there