Guilty Pleasure~ *Erity//Finished*

[Kaoru Yuichi // Yui]

It had only been a few days since Kaoru had returned to the Western Air Temple and he and Erity were already on the move. When they were younger, Erity often mentioned she wanted to travel but that’s something that he wouldn’t want her to do alone. The day he left, he wrote her a note that said “Three years tops! –Kaoru.” He found a decent master and even found his island in the three years he was away. He had grown up in many ways but in others remained the same. Something else that had changed was Yui, who before was simply a jerk; now it seemed he intentionally messed with Kaoru. Every single time Kaoru would regain control over his body, he was sharing a bed with a different person. This definitely irritated Kaoru, but to keep Yui at least slightly maintained he kept himself calm.

He stood on the shore and took a deep breath, taking in the smell of the ocean which made a smile come to his face. Yui hadn’t been around for the few days which made the huge weight on his shoulders disappear for the time being. Erity had changed quite a bit since he had last seen her; not only had she grown taller, she had grown in another region that had made a slight tinge of red come to his face. She was a friend and because of Yui, Kaoru didn’t want to really consider her anything else, but it seemed with every passing day his feelings for her changed little by little. Because she was always distracted by her own thoughts though, he doubted that she would notice it. Perhaps Cai would, but because Cai couldn’t actually speak he’d be able to pass it off as something else.

The day wasn’t too hot or too cold, something he always enjoyed about the Western Air Temple. The waves weren’t too strong either so it would make for a nice swim a little later; but now of course he was waiting for Erity. She had wanted to glide around a little since they were leaving for the Northern Water tribe that day, which he understood completely. He watched the waves come in and pull out as he waited for her, and felt as if nothing would bring this trip down. It even felt like Yui didn’t exist at the moment.

[\Mai-Dee/ *Erity* ~Kenzi~]

There was a certain time of day when the sun warmed the walls of the canyons and the thermals lifted slightly, making it possible for even the youngest child to soar higher than they ever thought; with just a bit of Airbending she could go high enough to touch the clouds. It was something she was in the habit of doing whenever she had the time and as she and Kaoru were going to leave the Temple lands that day it may have been the last time for her to do so for quite awhile. Erity had said goodbye to her Airbending family, but this was her way of saying goodbye to the Temple itself, bidding farewell to every tree, stream, stone and gust of air that she'd known during her life. It wasn't that she was sorrowful to leave, or even frightened to do so- in fact she had the usual Air Nomad wanderlust for everything she'd yet to see- but she did know she would miss the part of her life that all of this symbolized. The world wasn't always the most comforting place, or so she'd heard.

This was also her best time to think. With only the sound of the wind and her body reacting instinctively after so many years of flight she let her thoughts wander over the past few days and her friend's return, as well as the changes that had happened to both of them in that time. When he'd left three years before she'd understood why he had to go; he was a Waterbender and there was no one at the Temple who could have taught him how to control that. If she'd been in the Water Tribe as an Airbender she would have done the same thing. Yui was probably another factor as well, though Kaoru hadn't wanted to talk about it and Erity wasn't the kind to push for answers from her quiet, sometimes-timid friend.

Of course it had taken awhile for her to adjust to the loss of someone who'd been her nearly constant companion, and the loneliness had been deeper than she'd imagined, but soon she'd adjusted to the absence by simply sinking more deeply into her thoughts. The medic training as well as her usual swirling thoughts made it much easier to cope and it hadn't quite seemed like three years when he'd finally reappeared. He was taller now, of course, and had filled out from a scrawny boyish frame to a more masculine one- but even more than that she sensed the new confidence within him, and the control his training had given him. There was also a sense of maturity to him, but he'd been out in the world and that was to be expected. Sometimes she'd catch him looking at her with an odd expression and a flush on his cheeks, but when asked he only assured her that he was fine and occupied himself with other things. It was an odd development indeed.

It was very easy to lose track of time when she was flying and soon she wasn't sure how long she'd been darting and dancing among the canyons and trees. She must have left Kaoru waiting and that was rude of her. With a twist she angled her staff down toward the open ocean over which she'd been flying, giving a low whistle under her breath to call Cai back as well. Smiling widely she rode along the waves for a moment before twisting the staff again and landing on the beach just a few steps away from her friend as the wind from her descent stirred up some sand and tangled in his dark hair. Without a thought she reached out and straightened the the dark hairs that had been shifted out of place, just as she might have when they were children. "Was I gone for long?" she asked in a curious but bright tone as Cai landed nearby and immediately started chasing a hermit crab, poking at its shell.

[Kaoru Yuichi // Yui]

He was focusing on the skies now, waiting for Erity to get back from gliding. It would be something she would have the chance to do on during the trip but he wasn't sure when they'd be coming back to the air temple. It was more than likely her way of saying goodbye to the place which Kaoru was fine with. When she landed, she accidentally flicked some sand into his hair which he was able to cover his face or more so his eyes from it. She asked if she made him wait too long so he replied with an amused tone, "Not at all! Nice landing by the way." With her that close to him, he felt his face start to warm up and his heart speed up, but he suppressed it this time. That kind of thing made him nervous when he was younger but he understood the feelings a little more now.

One of the things that held him back from leaving was the fear that Erity would have changed into someone completely different. It was also the main fear he had when he was on his way back, just something that had been sitting in the back of his mind. When he was younger he didn't quite understand why his face would turn red or why his heart would start pounding. He didn't completely understand when his master had told him in The North Pole. Finally someone explained it when he was back on the small island, but he denied that was it. He and Erity were just friends and nothing more than that, or so he thought back there.

He didn't want to throw himself off with these thoughts at the moment, so he pushed them into the back of his mind for the time being. Unsure of where they should go first, he looked to Erity with a soft smile, "So, where would you like to go first? Anywhere in particular? The world was a wreck right now but there were still plenty of placed for the two to wander about. Getting anywhere from where they were was easy enough, and really since Kaoru had seen some of the world already, he wanted to leave the first choice to Erity. 'I wonder where she'll choose first...'[/color] Wherever she wanted to go would still fill Kaoru with excitement, even if he had been there before.

[\Mai-Dee/ *Erity* ~Kenzi~]

Her friend was smiling and not at all upset with her for leaving him there, and that fact was enough to cheer her considerably, pushing every hint of thought that was anxious or unsteady from her mind. "It could have been a better landing, but I'll try harder next time," she replied with a sweet smile, brushing the sand from his hair easily. Even when they were younger the dark softness of his hair had intrigued and drawn her; now she knew that the three years hadn't changed that any more than it seemed to have had any effect on his deepest nature. He was still her dear friend who turned red and stiffened a bit when she came too close, thought she didn't understand why. Less understandably it seemed to please her and make her want to come closer, though the fact that Kaoru seemed uncomfortable should have made her more inclined to step back. Somehow she still hadn't managed to convince herself that her thoughts were wrong.

It wasn't until she realized that all of the sand had come free at least a minute before that she nonchalantly lowered her hand, accidentally brushing his cheek for a moment before she turned to look at Cai. The lemur was still amusing herself with the hermit crab, though she kept one careful eye on Erity and Kaoru, most likely waiting for a treat or something more interesting to happen. With her silvery eyes still abstracted in thought she brushed the sand from her own clothing a little haphazardly. It was only sand, after all. "It will take a little while to get to the Northern Water Tribe, won't it?" she asked him with dreamy curiosity. "Perhaps we should stop at one of the Burning Legion islands first to get supplies. They're not very far away, and they know what's happening at the Bulwark. After that we can go to your home. I want to see where you grew up before you came here. After that you can pick. Where we go doesn't matter so much as long as we're going there together, right?"

Her tone was even and cheerful, and her mind was for the moment mostly in the present as she waited for her companion's response. At that moment the calm lapping of the water and the sunlight dancing on the crests of the waves was broken by Cai's screech of pain as she came leaping down the beach with the hermit crab attached to her tail and diligently holding on for dear life. For a moment the Airbender could only watch the approach, then caught the dismayed lemur in her arms. "I don't think Cai really learns very quickly," she commented with a tone of laughter to her voice as she patted the winged lemur's soft ears. While calmly shushing the panicked pet she held up Cai's tail with one hand to look at the crab before placing the other under its fuzzy body and tickling down one side to release its clawed grip. "The crab didn't mean to, it was just frightened. That's what happens when you poke at them for too long."

With a wider smile to her dark-haired friend she offered the crab to him, head cocked slightly sideways. "Do you remember when we used to make sand castles for the hermit crabs to live in?" she asked him in a curious tone, eager to see if he had as clear a memory of their fun together as she did. If he didn't that was perfectly understandable, she told herself. No one else ever seemed to remember as many trivial details as she locked away in her mind, or tto think as many thoughts, but for some reason this was important to her.

[Kaoru Yuichi // Yui]

It took a lot of effort to keep his face from turning red. He noticed her almost dazed expression meaning she was distracted by his hair and all of the sand was more than likely out. When they were younger, she would always play with his hair, even before he left she made him a charm with her hair braided with his. That charm stayed with him for over a year but he had lost it before he returned to his island. He never minded when she would play with his hair, in fact it usually made him smile or make his face turn red as usual. A small thought went through his mind, wondering if she would feel the same way for him or consider him nothing more than a dear friend. If that was all she thought of him as, that was alright. It was just a thought so he brushed it off and smiled at her after he messed with his hair a little to make sure all of the sand was out.

The two had a small sailboat to get them everywhere they wanted to go but she was right, it would take a while to get the the Northern Water Tribe. She figured a stop at The Burning Legion would be the best idea, and it was safer than going to the closer land, The Spirit Rift. As far as he knew, the Legion would be safe and a good place to get supplies. "You're probably right, it is going to take a while to get to the Northern Water Tribe so it would be best to get supplies first. The Burning Legion is further south so we might even stop past this temple again before heading to the Water Tribe." He trailed off a little, plotting the course the two would have to take.

He finally snapped back when he heard Cai yelp after a hermit crab clamped on her tail. With laughter in his voice he said"I don't think so. Didn't she used to do that all the time when we were younger?" She comforted Cai as she got the crab off of her tail and handed it to him. He held out his hand and let the small crab climb on which he stroked the shell. "Yeah I remember that. We used to make them all the time for them. Remember how we used to gradually make them bigger like a hermit crab inn or something?" Another fond memory to snicker at and bring another amused smile to his face.

He was still snickering a little when he finally caught Erity's statement about their next destination which he gave her with his sweet smile, "It doesn't matter where we go. We'll be together and we're going to see the world right?" A bit of the promise they made when they were kids, he swore to her that he would come back and the two would see the world together. Sure the world was a mess right now, but a promise was a promise. He pat the hermit crab again before he finally set it down to let it continue on its way, like he usually did. His violet eyes looked to Erity, "Well then, shall we continue?" A look of determination came into his eyes, which was the way he would always get before getting onto a boat anymore. It took him about four years after his parents deaths to get back onto a boat with only a few people despite his shyness and another year to learn how to sail one himself. Instead of being on the verge of tears, his eyes would fill with anticipation, ready to sail.

[\Mai-Dee/ *Erity* ~Kenzi~]

His reasoning to her decision was the same she'd been using and Erity nodded acquiescingly as she continued to pat Cai, her thoughts on her work as she looked over the lemur's tail to make sure there was no permanent damage. The hermit crab hadn't been that large but sometimes they could catch a joint just so and then it could pinch a nerve. Just as she was determining that this wasn't the case she looked toward Kaoru again as he smiled at the reminiscence she'd made and added his own bit to the memory. That made her feel so much better, and less like she hadn't been making any sense; so long as Kaoru was happy she felt lighter and more free, and the brightness in his eyes made her pulse race with excitement. Her friend being in a good mood meant that Yui was further away and unlikely to make an appearance and that brought a flush of joy to her face.

"Yes, I remember. I don't think I can ever really forget anything," she replied with a soft, clear inflection that showed both the good and bad things in that simple fact. "You showed me how to make little pools in the sand so they could go into the water, and I showed you how to make flags for the top of the castle." Small memories to most people, hardly worth mentioning- but to Erity these were what happiness was made of. It was a time when things had been simpler. Kaoru hadn't begun to hold himself back from her, as he had just before he'd left, and Yui was only a little resentful but not terribly cruel. In the days since his return Yui hadn't come out in a single instance, but he was a stubborn personality, and the more he was held in the worse he would be when set free.

As he continued, speaking about their travels with anticipation and hope, a small flutter of something moved in her chest, widening her smile as she hugged Cai a bit tighter. This lasted only a moment before the winged lemur struggled free and leapt into the air, then glided over to the deck of their small ship. The vessel was small but looked to Erity like a sign of adventure as well as concrete proof of Kaoru's inner growth. With how his parents died it wasn't that surprising to the girl that he'd had some problems with boats, even had nightmares abou them- and now he had one of his own, and was proud of it. "I like your boat," was the next thing she told him, her tone showing that she was now more present in their shared reality rather than her own thoughts. "It's perfect for our adventure. I'm glad we're able to go."

Without any further ado she followed Cai onto the ship, climbing up onto the deck and looking over the shore from her new vantage point before she looked back down at her friend. "Yes, I think I'm ready to go," Erity teased in a very gentle tone, the wind whipping through her long, pale hair and the blue sky flawless and expansive behind her, the light reflecting off of the water making the world seem to glow. The sand had its own creamier glow and Kaoru looked confident and content. It was a good thing he'd left, even though she'd missed him more than she realized. Now he was happy and even more handsome. There was some sadness in his eyes sometimes, but he hadn't told her why yet, but surely he would. They'd never kept real secrets from each other before. "Can you show me how to work the sail?"

[Kaoru Yuichi // Yui]

He kept his content smile on as he listened to Erity describe what the two used to do with their sand castles, which he brought back to show the younger ones on his island. The sand castles the two of them built when he was still at the temple would become more like actual castles; with a moat and everything. “I remember that too, I taught some of the younger ones on my island how to make the flags." A snicker followed the memory of some of them, "They would even have contests on who would have the most flags on their castle." The younger ones seemed to be the most competitive but maybe that was just a trait amongst the younger ones. He didn't honestly remember the way he was when he was that age but Kaoru figured he was like that too.

Erity claimed that she couldn't really forget anything which was amazing but sad at the same time. Kaoru's expression went sympathetic, knowing that there were many things that she would more than likely want to forget. Memories was something that shaped everyone and Erity seemed to be constantly thinking, almost lost in her thoughts with that same serene smile she always had. She wasn't one to hide anything if it was bugging her but she was rarely bothered by anything. That tolerance always made Kaoru smile even just a little.

A breeze picked up and carried some of the ocean mist that speckled over Kaoru's face which made another smile come to his face. Something he always loved about the ocean was the calmness he always seemed to get from it despite what happened all those years ago. He tossed his bag, filled with small things he thought he would need onto the small ship and climbed on himself. Erity almost seemed like she belonged on a ship, the way it made her almost glow and his heart began to race a little. Before he hoisted the anchor he calmed himself down a little so it wasn't obvious that his heart had been pounding. The boat was very small and simple, only one sail along with a wheel and a "crew" consisting of an airbender and a waterbender. She asked how to work the sail which made him smile, knowing he'd have a little help"Maybe you can help me judge the wind direction and speed. It'll help keep us on the route we want to go."

To get the boat moving, since there wasn't too much of a breeze at the moment, he moved his arms out and pulled back some water, then with a push, the boat was moving. He dusted his hands off in a joking way and smiled, "That's probably the most convenient trick I know." The statement was followed with a laugh. He glanced off to the side, it was about mid day so the two should make fairly decent time, not to mention the weather seemed pretty good as well. Just to make sure, his violet eyes scanned the sky for any type of unfriendly clouds which there weren't any in his line of sight. "So it looks like it'll take a few days to get to the Burning Legion, so we should have enough food to get there." With a glance at Cai and a jokingly raised eyebrow he teased, "Those lychee nuts are for everyone so don't eat too many." Obviously he was only kidding, but he did know of Cai's almost addiction to lychee nuts.

[\Mai-Dee/ *Erity* ~Kenzi~]

News of things he'd done at his home made a much clearer image of how happy he'd been to return home; it wasn't very often that he smiled so brightly or for so long and it was doubtful anything could have brought that reaction when they'd been younger. It wasn't that Kaoru had always been unhappy, but Erity had a suspicion he'd never felt exactly like he fit in with the other people of the Temple and his shyness wasn't something that they were used to. With her quiet nature and gentle curiosity, as well as the close bond they'd developed in the circumstances of their meeting, the two of them had spent a lot of time in each other's company. He was now at ease with others and himself and that was fully worth the pangs of loneliness she'd felt when he'd left.

His suggestion of how she could help on the ship made her smile a bit, and her tone and expression got the faintly teasing look that tended to confuse most people. "I think I can manage to do that," she said in a tone that, for her, was thick with humor. "Otherwise it might be a bad idea to call myself an Airbender, wouldn't it? I can probably even make wind if I have to." She knew that he was well aware of her skills, at least as far as they'd progressed before he'd left- but she'd learned a few new things too, and if she wasn't the best Airbender for her age she was creative enough to use what she did know to the fullest.

Kaoru's Waterbending soon had the ship rocking gently in the water along the shoreline, which was deep enough to keep it from washing back up onto the shore immediately. The gentle current started to slowly pull the ship out of the small bay and toward the sea and a small breeze rose, half-filling the ship's single sail. "I'm sure we'll be able to make it; fresh water is more worrisome than the food anyway. There's always fish, but it doesn't always rain." Erity's tone was calm and natural; really she was more curious than expressing an actual concern. She trusted Kaoru completely, more than any other human alive.

Cai's face fell into a pouting scowl at Kaoru's next statement and Cai pulled her hands slowly away from the bag she'd been trying to open. Muttering under her breath she flew to the top of the mast and perched there to sulk while Erity looked on, laughing lightly. "I don't think she would really mean to do it but it probably was a good warning," she said, smiling widely as her eyes flashed. This trip was already off to a wonderful start and nothing seemed likely to break the pair's good spirits. "It's very open on the water, almost as if there's nothing but water and air. Was the Northern Water Tribe like this?"

[Kaoru Yuichi // Yui]

Erity’s sense of humor came through; it was obvious to Kaoru when she was being serious and when she was joking because they spent so much time together when they were younger. When he first met her it was hard for him to tell at first but within the first year he was at least snickering at her jokes. He laughed at her humorous, well at least for her, tone, “That’s a good thing, there’s at least a bit of a breeze for now to get us moving.” Kaoru had a decent sense of humor but there were times that it was a little subtle as well. With a smile and a bit of a wink, to make sure she knew it was a joke he added, “But if you get impatient you can always toss in a gust of wind if you like.”

It was always a first priority to bring plenty of water on any trip, and Kaoru was the type that would bring extra. He probably brought enough water for a whole week, even though the trip would only take a couple of days. He glanced over where he stored all the water, to make sure that it was always in the same place then looked back to Erity. “It’s better to have more than you think you’ll need than to run out.” It was a phrase that would always float through his mind, and he usually applied it to everything. There was typically an overabundance of everything purchasable that seemed to be a necessity on Kaoru’s boat so there wasn’t anything for Erity to worry about. There was no need for him to reassure her considering she already seemed like she had put any possible worry aside.

Cai acted like she was caught red handed which Erity said it was a good warning. There was plenty for the two to eat otherwise, but the nuts would make for a good snack which was always good to have on hand. Once again he laughed lightly and glanced up to Cai, "I figured I would at least tell her. I won't stop her from having some, just making sure she'd leave some for us." It was probably impossible for a lemur to eat the two out of lychee nuts but he wouldn't put something like that past her. "Remember that one time she ate almost an entire jar?" The memory brought another snicker as Kaoru wandered to the small wheel to direct the rudder in the direction he wanted to go in.

His eyes skimmed the sky once again, not a sign of unfavorable weather which was a good thing. "There is a lot of open water there but there's plenty of land as well. It's more ice than anything but there's probably some land underneath it." His island was slightly warmer than the North Pole, so he wasn't sure how comfortable Erity would be in the cold. "It might be a good idea to pick up a warm coat when we get to the Northern Water Tribe, to make sure you don't freeze." Another bright smile followed the end of the statement, it would be good to have one for her regardless since the nights on the water might be very chilly; especially when they would get further north.

[\Mai-Dee/ *Erity* ~Kenzi~]

There were very few things that Erity hadn't been able to observe about her friend during their years of friendship but never on a ship; there simply hadn't been access to one most times and the circumstances that had brought him to the Temple had made him a bit fearful of seagoing vessels. It wasn't really surprising when you considered that pirates killed his parents and threw him overboard while stealing his family's fishing boat and left him to die. It was fortunate that she had taken to going out at night and sitting on the shore to study the stars and had found him, unconscious and half-drowned, and that her mother had taught her a little bit of the medical skills she'd possessed before passing away so she could revive him. That had been the beginning of a very strong friendship.

"I don't know that I've ever been impatient," she replied once he'd finished speaking, her eyes moving toward the horizon as she watched some eel-dolphins dance among the waves, her head cocked in a quizzical fashion as her mind wandered across the beautiful scenery. "And I think you were right to warn Cai, when she ate all of those nuts she had a stomachache for quite some time. Sometimes she loses control, especially around her favorite foods, so it's best that I tell her how much she can have, and when. She doesn't seem to resent it the way a human friend might." Erity wasn't quite certain while people found her humanization of Cai so odd; just because she was a lemur didn't make her less of a friend.

She'd never really been out on a ship but it was starting to become clear that the ocean was almost as mutable as she'd been told. While at a distance the water looked flat except for the obvious waves, it was in fact made of many dips and eddies created by the winds and currents. At its very root sailing seemed to be the quintessential practice of Air and Water working together, so it seemed natural that their crew, though only numbering two, should do well. "Wouldn't it be best to get a coat once we get there? Warmer places may not have them at all, since most people don't seem to travel that far," she offered in a distant but helpful way, raising one hand to shield her eyes from the reflection of the sun on the water. "You already have one from your trip home, don't you?"

[Kaoru Yuichi // Yui]

A smile once again crossed his face, Erity was one of the most patient people he knew, of course he was kidding but she more than likely knew that. He laughed lightly when he remembered Cai's terrible stomach ache after her run in with the lychee nuts, back then he figured that would learn her. Obviously he was wrong since Erity had to keep reminding her to be careful how many she ate. There were times that she seemed to almost treat Cai like a child when they were younger, and things haven't changed at all since then. Even though he hadn't seen her for a little while, Cai still seemed like a good friend to him as well. He was even going to try to bring something back for her to play with, but there were so many creatures, and he wasn't sure what she'd get along with.

Of course he had a coat stored somewhere on the boat, "Of course I have one, but for some reason I only have one. Almost contradictive of my 'have more than you think you need' statement huh?" He laughed at himself, since he did see it as being a little off from the way he usually had things. "I just wouldn't want you to freeze when we eventually get to the Northern Water Tribe. It is a bit cold compared to the air temple." Why he didn't get her something when he was out was a bad move, just something that didn't cross his mind when he was finally heading back. It was more than likely the excitement that made it slip his mind.

Both of them had grown up a great deal, and Karou still wasn't sure what all happened at the temple in the years he was away. "So, what all has happened since I left?" He hadn't asked before since he wasn't sure how to ask, out on the open sea though, who was going to interrupt? Certainly not Cai. She was far too busy muttering and sulking on the mast. He felt almost a lump of tension formed in his throat, he was almost nervous to ask. Obviously she was ready to go with him on a trip, but how much did she miss him when he left? This was a question he was almost to scared to ask, even though it was a ridiculously simple thing.

[\Mai-Dee/ *Erity* ~Kenzi~]

The reason he was worried about coats and things were very clear to the Airbender, though it wasn't something she would have necessarily considered herself. Having done a good deal of gliding she knew how crisp and cold the air could get at great heights, but the idea of it being cold on the ground at this time of year was a bit new. Luckily her friend was a very caring person and kept in mind the things that she might allow to slip by. If she found herself in a situation she could generally get herself out of it again moderately easily, but planning was definitely not her strong area and she knew it.

Smiling slightly as the wind tossed her hair and the edges of her slit-sided kimono Erity looked away from watching the waves to face toward where Kaoru was once he'd finished speaking, her gaze abstracted slightly as she considered his question for a few moments. "I don't think anything really happened. It seemed very quiet and a bit lonely but I knew you went away to learn so I decided to do the same thing. The time passed much more quickly after that and I finished my medic training as well as my studies of plants and animals and learned some more Airbending." It was against everything she thought was right to lie or try to change the truth, so she could only give him the honest answer, even if her tone belied exactly how much she'd misssed him at times.

Of course since Kaoru had been traveling it had probably been much more exciting for him, and her innate curiosity ran deeply. "What about your trip? Did you find a teacher and your village?" A ghost of a smile came to her features and from the top of the mast Cai chittered to herself, shook her head as if to clear her rotten mood from it and took off again, letting the breeze catch in the furry wing-flaps under her arms and carry the lemur upward. "Some of the other girls said that you were likely looking for a wife as some traditions said, and that made them rather put-out. Then of course some said that it was my fault, but I didn't think so." She knew that her friend was handsome, and that sometimes Yui even did his best to strut about, but that was not how Kaoru behaved.

[Kaoru Yuichi // Yui]

He let out a silent sigh of relief to know that she didn’t really find anyone else, but he did feel guilty because she was so lonely. Leaving was a difficult thing for him to do because he knew she would be lonely, but he wanted to improve his waterbending skills at least a bit. For the moment, he couldn’t say anything other than ”I’m sorry..” That was even under his breath, with the wind and the waves in the background, she probably didn’t even hear the words, or even the tone of guilt. When she brought up his teacher, he jumped right off of the guilt, and thought about his teacher. Atma was an interesting master, that was certain, and he definitely wanted to tell Erity about him, but it slipped his mind until she had asked. ”Yeah, I did, his name was Atma. He didn’t really teach me many techniques, more so controlling it.” It was a good thing, but he would have liked to learn more about it and a few handy techniques.

Then of course, his village was brought up, which his return was something he would never forget.”Yeah I found it! Everyone thought they were seeing a ghost!” He laughed a bit, remembering everyone’s reactions. ”One of the guys I know smacked me across the face for waiting so long to come back! Another one of the elders was happy to see me, but sent a pretty big wave at me to see if my waterbending improved at all.” His head shook a bit as he laughed off the memories. It was good to see everyone, but he wanted to come back for Erity. ”Everyone was sad when I left again, but I told them I made a promise to someone, so I had to leave.” His eyes glanced at Erity, wondering what would have happened if he didn’t come back, of course he wouldn’t think of not returning for her though. When he made a promise, he always went through with it.

She had asked him about his village, which he wasn’t planning on telling her how much he spoke of her. By the time he left the island, the people were probably thankful to be rid of his yammering about her almost continuously. Of course though he wasn’t planning on telling her that. Instead he reacted to the ‘marriage’ comment. ”They thought I was looking for a wife..? Heh, they were probably jealous it wasn’t any of them.” Not to be egotistical, but Karou was quite the popular person when he was at the temple, reasons why were beyond him. One thing he knew was that all of the girls were always jealous of Erity, considering she was the only person he really trusted the years he was there. ”Well you’re definitely not the reason I left.” His face had his typical soft smile as he spoke to her, ”If I didn’t need a master, I would have stayed here. Sadly, airbenders can’t teach waterbending.” A soft laugh followed his last statement, showing it was a joke.

[\Mai-Dee/ *Erity* ~Kenzi~]

The first of what her friend said was quiet enough to be covered by the other sounds around them, but before Erity could ask what it was Kaoru responded to the other thing she'd said and she stored her question away for later. If it was something he'd wanted to keep quiet it was probably uncomfortable for him and now that he was talking about something happy it was wrong to go backward. The sorrow her best friend had carried for so long wasn't as close to the surface, so it was probably a more distant pain than it had once been, and that was better for him. She didn't like to see him in pain.

As he spoke of his village and teacher Erity could tell that while it wasn't like the home she'd grown up in the one he'd lived in before coming to the Temple had been a good one. The teacher's strategy seemed to have been one of giving Kaoru and Yui the keys to their own power, not forcing them to work within a rigid framework, and that was something the Airbenders at her Temple had very much agreed with. "It sounds like you liked it there rather a lot," she replied, her smile vague but cheerful. "I hope they like me just as much."

There wasn't much that she could tell Kaoru of his speculation about the other girls since she'd never spent a good deal of time around them, but the one he presented didn't seem too far off of the mark. They'd always been interested in spending time in the Waterbender's presence, something Erity had never begrudged. Jealousy was virtually nonexistant within the Air Nomad girl, especially when it was about something no one had made any claims on. "Yes, that may have been it, all of them did seem to be fond of you," she agreed, letting her hair fly freely in the breeze, creating a cloud of fine white silk around her face. "Though I didn't think you would get married while you were there. That would be rushing things."

The trip was certainly going to be a long one and there would be more than enough time to speak of such things later; for now it didn't seem so bad to simply be around each other again. Her mind was filled with only happy and philisophical things and the peace of it showed in her expression. Nomads were meant to explore, and find new things, and with Kaoru she knew that this was just the way it should be.

[Kaoru Yuichi // Yui]

"Yeah, I really did, but it wasn't the same when I got back." It wasn't the place that changed, it was the fact that she wasn't there with him. Of course he wasn't about to blurt that out, not at that moment at least. No that would be something to wait for, until he got the spine to tell her himself. He knew the people would love to finally meet the girl that he wouldn't stop blathering about from the time he got there to the time he left. The thought of their greetings made him chuckle slightly, but he pushed it to the side for the moment, they had quite a bit of time before that to prepare for the other island folk.

"I'm sure they'll like you! I told them about you and they seemed to want to meet you. Since it's so small, not too many people outside of the Northern Water Tribe stop by, so they really want to meet an Airbender." He rambled a bit at the end, but it was to start easing off that subject and onto the other one. The other Air Nomad girls, all of them were quite jealous of Erity and would always try to pull him away, to get him to fall for them. All of their efforts were wasted, that's for certain. Getting married on his visit to the North Pole or his village would have definitely been a rush. Not only is that nowhere near enough time to find someone, it wouldn't end well more than likely. Besides, he already had Erity so unless he was forced, there was no way in HELL he would even consider marrying another person. "I'm not the type to want to even think about marrying someone without getting to know them, and honestly, a year and a half at either place isn't enough time."


He watched her silky hair blow in the breeze, then his thoughts went back to how the people of his village would greet him. Perhaps it was a good idea to tell her how he felt by then. If not, it would probably be a little awkward for her at least. Then again, how would he even mention it? He let out another sigh, trying to get the thoughts out of his mind. That was something to worry about when he got that far. It needed careful planning and making sure that NOTHING would ruin it, mainly Yui. Well the two of them had a long journey ahead of them, and he couldn't afford any distractions at the time. With a smile, he pointed south and yelled, for the sake of being corny "To the burning Legion!" He laughed a bit and gave a look of excitement to Erity as he corrected the direction once again.