Foretold Future

-Maya's Point of View-

I was in the middle of my sleep when I suddenly heard footsteps coming inside the temple. I quickly remembered that I should've been keeping watch of all of us that's why I jolted up and readied my fighting stance in case it was an intruder.

"Who's that?!" I shouted.

"It's just me..." 

"Oh, Aang. Sorry, I thought it was an intruder..." I said to him as I scratched the back of my head. He walked towards the sick siblings and placed the frozen frogs in their mouths. The deranged siblings sucked on them right away.

Good thing I wasn't sick, otherwise I'd be doing the same thing. I'm already debating if I can hold a frog, let alone suck on one.

Right after that, Aang went to lie down on Appa's tail. I get this feeling that he's upset about something. He seems gloomy. "How did things go with Zuko?" I asked as I sat down beside him.

He let out a deep sigh before answering. "He attacked me as soon as he woke up." He then turned his back on me and faced the wall.

"As expected of him...." I said with no sense of surprise.

"I just thought we could've been friends too. I mean why would he save me right?" Aang contradicted as he sat up looking me straight in the eyes. He looked as if he was begging me to agree with him.

"He saved you because he's a selfish prince who wants to capture you for himself. Face it Aang, he's a bad guy. He'll never change..." I rebutted. 

Aang looked at me with sadness in his eyes. "I hope you're wrong," he turned away.

Aang sure does have positive expectations toward my evil half-brother. Zuko's already proven to us his true intentions towards the Avatar anyway—that thing will never change.

"Get some rest. You're probably tired from all that commotion last night," I placed a hand on his shoulder and urged him to sleep.

"Blech! Yuck!" I heard Sokka shout as he spewed the thawed-out frog from his mouth. 

"Are those frogs?! Ewww! Ugh, blech!" Katara followed. 

"Great! You guys are cured!" I exclaimed with arms outstretched. 

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-Zuko's Point of View-

I arrived back at the ship's deck after a long night of 'strolling'. I was greeted by my uncle who was playing his tsungi horn. "Where have you been Prince Zuko? You missed music night! Lieutenant Gi sang a stirring love song!" Uncle asked.

As much as I'd like to hold a conversation with him; I just can't. My head hurts from that arrow shot that I took last night. "I'm going to bed... No disturbances." I replied to him and then I made my way to my chambers.

I changed into my robe and lay down the moment I got inside the room. It was indeed a tiring night. What's more, is that I can't shake off the thing that avatar kid said.

"If we knew each other back then, do you think we could've been friends too?"

For some reason, I don't know how to answer that question. Is there even supposed to be an answer to that? 

I looked at the big firenation tapestry hanging on the wall.

All I know is that I need him to regain my honor and bring back my rightful place to the throne—where I was destined to be.

I turned my back on the tapestry and went to sleep.

That's right, enough of this nonsense. Let's just get some rest.

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-Maya's Point of View-

"Look at that jumping fish! It's been doing that for hours now since we've camped out here in the morning..." Katara said as she pointed at the river beside us.

It has been two days since the events back in the ruins. Surprisingly enough, Aang never mentioned to the siblings his encounter with the fire nation—as well as what happened with Zuko. I never said anything as well regarding the matter, since it was not my permission to tell.

Anyway, Aang's not the only one who's not telling anything. I, for one, never mentioned to any of them my encounter with the phoenix. Also, there was something else...

"That fish is taunting us! You are so gonna be dinner," Sokka grumbled and then he went to grab his fishing rod. He swung it against the jumping fish only to realize that the fishing line was missing. "Hey? Where's the fishing line?" 

"Oh, I didn't think you would need it Sokka..." Aang answered while holding out a cute necklace in hand.

"Ah! It's all tangled!" Sokka exclaimed. 

"Not tangled! Woven! Maya, I made you a necklace! Since, you know... you can't wear the one your mother gave you..." Aang sheepishly handed it to me.

"Oh, thank you Aang but uh... I'm not really a fan of necklaces. I just want the one my mom gave me. Why not have it instead Katara?" I passed it on to Katara. "Since you lost your mother's necklace, this could be a good replacement for the meantime."

"Would that be okay Aang?" Katara asked. 

"Yeah, sure! No problem!" he answered. 

"Thanks! I love it."

"Great Aang... Maybe instead of saving the world, you can just go into the jewelry business," Sokka complained. 

"I don't see why I can't do both..." Aang replied.

The fish then again started jumping around to which Sokka got pissed out on. "Stop taunting me!" he yelled at the fish as he dashed into the water with a knife in hand.

"So, how do I look?" Katara asked as she showed us the necklace she was wearing.

  "Aww, had I known you'd be the one wearing it, I would've chosen a different flower color," Aang said in dismay. 

"I think it looks great on you!" I exclaimed.

Suddenly we heard loud screams of a wild animal from a distance. We hurriedly went to where the sound was coming from and we saw an old man being attacked by a platypus bear. He was not doing anything to the bear and just kept on dodging its attacks.

Aang went closer to the scene to try and help the old man. We followed close by. 

"Well, hello there! Nice day isn't it?" the old man cheerfully greeted. 

"Make a noise or run off!" Aang shouted. 

"Or play dead! It'll lose interest!" I shouted as well.

The platypus bear swung his claws towards the old man's face and he almost got hit. "Woah! Close one! Haha!" he shouted while laughing. Who laughs at situations like this? Is he insane?

"Run downhill! Then climb a tree!" Katara tried to help too.

"No— punch him on the bill and then run in zig-zags!" Sokka shouted.

"No need. It's going to be fine..." the old man shrugged off all our escape suggestions and he just kept dodging the platypus bear's attacks. 

The bear was so close to getting the old man that's why Aang had to meddle in and take control of the situation.

"Woah there!" Aang shouted at the wild beast. The bear growled at him but when Appa appeared, he growled louder. It made the beast cower in fear as it left the place. It even laid an egg out of fear.

The bear swam into the river never to be seen again. Good thing we have a larger beast with us. Things could've gotten dangerous if it weren't for Appa.

Sokka hurriedly grabbed the egg as soon as the bear was gone. He held it in his arms and sniffed it. "Hmm, lunch!" he exclaimed. "Lucky for you we came along," he said to the old man.

"Thanks, but everything was already under control, not to worry..." he replied. "Aunt Wu predicted I'd have a safe journey."

"Aunt who?" Aang asked.

"No— Aunt Wu! She's the fortuneteller from my village. Awful nice knowing your future," the old man said all smiley.

"Wow, it must be... That explains why you're so calm!" Katara exclaimed. 

"But the fortuneteller was wrong! You didn't  have a safe journey, you were almost killed!" Sokka contradicted.

"But I wasn't. Alright! Have a good one!" the old man countered and then he waved goodbye. He started walking away but then he stopped in his tracks as he handed something to Aang.

"Oh, and Aunt Wu said that if I met any travelers, I should give them this." He bowed down and then he went along his travel.

"Maybe we should go see Aunt Wu and learn our fortunes! It could be fun!" Katara suggested. 

"Oh come on! Fortune-telling is nonsense," Sokka countered while still holding on to the large platypus bear egg.

"What do you know! An umbrella!" Aang exclaimed right after unwrapping the item the old man gave him.

Suddenly a loud thunder echoed through the sky and a moderate rain poured down on us. Aang hurriedly pulled me to his side to shield me from the rain using the umbrella. 

Katara on the other hand waterbent the rain creating her own personal shield, while Sokka was left to be drenched under the rain.

"That proves it!" Katara yelled. 

"No, it doesn't! You can't really tell the future!" Sokka said filled with pessimism. I don't really 100% agree with him, but I do believe that some people are gifted with abilities to have visions of the future.

"And I guess you're not really getting wet then," Katara sarcastically replied to his brother. Just then the egg that Sokka was holding slipped from his hands and it fell on top of his head.

"Why don't we go and meet this Aunt Wu that man was talking about? This way we'd be able to confirm whether she really has fortune-telling gifts," I suggested to all of them.

"Well then, let's head on the same way the traveler went. Although, we can't really fly with Appa in this kind of weather, so let's just walk. I don't think it's that far," Aang agreed.

We started our way toward the village and on the way, Katara couldn't help but talk about her excitement regarding the meeting with Aunt Wu and hearing about her fortune.

"You know it's a good thing that Aunt Wu was able to predict the rain and asked the old man to hand out an umbrella. If it weren't for that we would've all been drenched," Katara said in amusement.

"Of course, she predicted it was gonna rain. The sky's been grey all day!" Sokka contradicted once again. 

"Just admit that you might be wrong, and she might really have fortune-telling gifts," Katara tried humbling his brother.

"Look, I'm going to predict the future now. It's going to keep drizzling," he said in a mocking voice. The rain kept pouring for a few seconds. "See?" Sokka crossed his arms in complete satisfaction, but the sky suddenly turned clear and the rain stopped.

"Not everyone has the gift Sokka," Aang said as he looked to the sky. 

We quietly continued our walk down the path to the village after that. Sokka didn't say a single word. The rain must've humbled him so badly; his pride got hurt.

We stumbled upon a small village at the foot of a mountain. We asked around to know the whereabouts of this Aunt Wu and they directed us to a fancy-looking house. 

When we got there, we were greeted by a man who was standing in front of the entrance door. He looked as if he were waiting for someone—like he was waiting for us.

"Aunt Wu is expecting you," the man said. 

"Really?" Katara asked in excitement. 

If Aunt Wu is that much of a psychic to know that we were coming, then this probably is the real deal right here.

All four of us entered the establishment filled with excitement. Sokka was the only one indifferent to the situation.

Once we got inside we were greeted by a lovely young girl with frizzed tied-up hair. She bowed down in front of us and then she greeted, "My name is Meng, and I am Aunt Wu's assistant."

I caught her staring at Aang with a smitten kind of look—seems like someone's been charmed.

"Well, hello there..." she said to Aang. 

Aang who seemed disinterested towards the young lady greeted back with a dry response. "Hello," he simply said.

"Please, you may all sit down here," Meng pointed at the pillow cushion on the floor. "Can I get you some tea or some of Aunt Wu's special bean curd puffs?" she asked.

"I'll try a curd puff!" Sokka answered. 

"Just a second," Meng raised her palm in front of Sokka's face. She knelt down in front of Aang and then she asked, "So, what's your name?"

"Aang," he straightforwardly answered. I have a feeling he's numb to the situation.

Meng let out a small gasp. "That rhymes with Meng! And you've got some pretty big ears don't you?" 

I don't know about her type, but that was a very weird thing to ask.

"I guess?" Aang said unsurely. 

"Oh, don't be modest! They're huge!" Sokka teased. Aang covered his ears while glaring at him.

"Well Aang, it's very nice to meet you—very nice," Meng said as she disappeared inside the inner room of the house.

"Likewise," Aang greeted back and Meng gave him a side eye while smiling.

"I can't believe we're here in the house of nonsense," Sokka complained.

"Try to keep an open mind Sokka. There are things in this world that just can't be explained! Wouldn't it be nice to have some insight into your future?" Katara tried to encourage his brother.

"It would be nice to have some bean curd puff," Sokka gestured in his hand the size of a bean curd puff. Katara gave up on his brother and just looked away.

Meng was back from the inside with the bean curd puffs in hand, but even before she got close to us, she was tugged by a woman who just got out of a room. The woman was excited and all.

"Oh, Meng! Aunt Wu says I'm going to meet my true love! He's going to give me a rare panda lily!" the woman excitingly shared with Meng. She was loud enough for us to hear.

"Oh, that's so romantic! I wonder if my true love will give me a rare flower," Meng said while slightly looking in Aang's direction.

He heard Meng and thought that she was talking to him so he answered her, "Good luck with that!" Aang encouraged.

A woman whispered something to Meng making her blush and fret. She pushed the woman out of the room and then she went to give us the bean curd puffs.

She was walking towards Aang's direction when she suddenly tripped, good thing Aang was able to catch her. He held onto her hands that were holding the tray.

They stared at each other eye-to-eye for a good few seconds before Meng broke the silence. "Enjoy your snack!" she nervously said as she handed the tray to Aang and then she fled the scene.

Sokka took the tray and started eating the curd puffs when an old woman greeted us suddenly. "Welcome young travelers! Now, who's next? Don't be shy," the old woman said. I'm guessing she's the Aunt Wu they are talking about.

I looked at Sokka and he was looking away; I looked at Aang and he was looking down; I looked at Katara and I caught her looking at me as well.

"I think you should go first Katara," I suggested. 

"I guess that would be me," Katara answered Aunt Wu as she stood up excitedly and followed her to a room just beside us.

"Well, what do we do now?" Aang asked. 

"We wait and hope they won't take long," Sokka answered while munching on the curd puffs. "Hm~! Not bad, not bad! Hmm-hm-hm! Hmm?" he moved the bowl towards Aang and me and gestured for us to try some.

"I'll pass on the puffs," Aang said. 

"Maybe just one," I answered, and then I ate one. Not gonna lie, Sokka was not exaggerating. These curd puffs taste good.

"Maya, uhm... Well, if you were to be asked—what future of yours would you like to know?" Aang suddenly asked. 

"Hmm, I haven't really given it that much thought, but I think it would be great to know how long will I live," I answered.

"Oh come on Maya, that's not what girls like you are most curious about. Surely you'd like to know who you're gonna marry, how many kids, and stuff like that," Sokka contradicted my answer.

"Well, if she'd be able to tell me those details about my future then, it would be great," I said to Sokka. Although I do already have in mind someone I'd like to marry in the future, and I can't wait to meet him again.

"Yeah... I think that would be great to know..." Aang agreed.

"How about you Aang? What would you like to know about your future?" I asked him back. 

"Well..." Aang was about to answer when Sokka interrupted him. "I think Aang would be most curious about whether he'd win the fight against the Fire Lord or not."

"Oh, right... You're right..." Sokka's comment caught me off guard. I was suddenly reminded of the fact that I was the Fire Lord's daughter and that I hadn't told them anything about it.

"Well, not only that... I also kinda want to know about—" Aang was supposed to add to Sokka's answer but he was interrupted again when Aunt Wu and Katara came out of the room.

"Who's next?" Aunt Wu asked. 

"Okay, let's get this over with..." Sokka said as he slowly stood up.

"Your future is full of struggle and anguish—most of them self-inflicted," Aunt Wu suddenly said to him.

"But, you didn't read my palms or anything!" Sokka complained.

"I don't need to, it's written all over your face..." she answered. Sokka looked at her filled with discontent.

"You there—come with me..." Aunt Wu said to Aang. Aang pointed at himself before following the fortune-teller.

"Good luck Aang," I cheered. "Thanks," he replied.

Katara sat down beside me and I sensed that she had a cheerful aura. "Seems like someone had a good fortune? What is it? What did she say?" I asked.

"I can't tell you all the details but, she did say that she saw great romance for me in my future. It's about the man I'm going to marry..." Katara answered.

"Ooh! Do tell!" I asked filled with curiosity. 

"Aunt Wu said that he's a powerful bender," Katara continued. 

"Wow... I wonder who's it gonna be?" I asked. 

"Whoever he is, I hope I meet him someday..." Katara said with satisfaction. 

"I'm sure you both will become a powerful duo," I complimented her. 

She smiled at me and then she said, "I can't wait to hear about your love line Maya."

"Don't worry, I'll be sure to tell you some of the details as well," I said to her and we both giggled. 

"Ugh... This future talk is getting tiresome," Sokka complained as he lay on the ground. 

"You're just jealous because Aunt Wu didn't give you a fortune-telling session," Katara teased.

"Not interested anyway," Sokka swayed his hand and continued moping on the ground. 

Katara shared a few more things about the readings of Aunt Wu regarding her future and they were all great. I think Katara will live a long and happy life. 

I wonder if it's Aang she's going to marry. I mean, Aang is a powerful bender—since he's the Avatar and all.

Just then the door to the fortune-telling room opened and Aang went out cheerfully. He's more happy than Katara.

"It seems like you had a great fortune too!" Katara greeted him. 

"Yeah!" he answered. "Maya, Aunt Wu said that if I trusted my heart, I'd get to be with the one I love!" he exclaimed.

"Really? That's great Aang!" I confided in his excitement. 

"Ooh! Does that mean you already have someone you love? I wonder who it might be?" Katara teased Aang. 

"Oh... Ugh... It's a secret," Aang shyly said while slowly backing away. We all suddenly heard Sokka groan as he turned his back on us.

"Don't mind him, he's just jealous..." Katara whispered. "I heard that! And I am not!" Sokka refuted.

Aunt Wu went out of her room and called out to me, "Young lady, you're next." I smiled at both Aang and Katara before following Aunt Wu inside the fortune-telling room.

I don't know what kind of fortune she will see in me but I hope they'll be all about good things. I hope she won't be able to figure out that I'm from the Fire Nation as well. She won't forsee that right?

Anyway, let's do this... Let's read into my future.