Chapter 104: The Three Must-treat-eers

Chapter 104: The Three Must-treat-eersChapter 104: The Three Must-treat-eers

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***

"Ugh..." Nik slowly opened his eyes. His thoughts were as jumbled as his situation while he wondered what was going on. The white roof looked heavenly, his back felt comforted. He felt warm and cozy while his dry lips parted ever so slightly. He concluded... he was not in heaven. Heaven couldn't possibly be this sensational. He had experience— not of heaven but death— and this wasn't the sensation of dying.

For a few seconds, Nik continued to stare at the white roof with a blank expression. His thoughts were unknown. He was definitely thinking of many things but he simply couldn't focus on any single one of his thoughts, making him unable to recall whatever passed by his mind.

'I... saw Aang there... Was that true? All of it?' Nik tried to move his legs instinctively to lie on his sides but the sharp pain made him shudder as a long but low groan emerged from his lips.

"Hey, he's finally awake!"

A cheerful voice entered his senses as Nik realized his situation didn't even allow him to properly hear those around him without a certain focus. After getting used to enhanced senses, the current feeling of being stifled wasn't preferable at all.

Looking to his side, shifting his gaze from the white of the roof of the igloo, Nik found himself being stared at by a Sokka who had a bruised cheek... both of them, and an Aang who had a bowl of warm soup.

*Slurp*

While keeping their gazes matched, Aang slowly brought the bowl close to his lips and gulped down a mouthful.

There was an extraordinary clarity in their eyes in tandem with a grave question flickering in their gaze as Nik couldn't help but speak up, "Did Katara slap you or something?"

"Katara," Sokka pointed to his right cheek, "Rena," he then added while pointing to his left cheek.

"Understandable," Nik nodded and resumed staring at the roof once again.

"Oh, yeah," Sokka coughed, "Just so you know. We're cool. I forgive you."

Nik frowned for a moment but now that he had his own spiritual experience and adventure, Nik was beginning to understand why Sokka was 'forgiving' him and how Sokka may know the things that Nik didn't want anyone to know.

"... yeah..." Nik replied.

The surroundings fell silent once again.

In fact, Sokka and Aang were sitting on a similar bedding just as Nik over the rug that covered the surface of this cozy residence.

After a few seconds of silence, Aang slurped a mouthful from his bowl once again and inquired innocently, "So? Are you really not from this world, Nik? Oh, can you communicate with Mokshi?"

Sokka smacked his forehead with an obvious grunt while Nik's lips twitched and he closed his eyes. Being the last airbender in the manner of orthodoxy, Aang was the wisest of them all, because he was the only one left but his wisdom lacked too much about the more subtle way of conversing.

"What?" Aang blurted.

"We were having a moment!" Sokka groaned.

"I wouldn't call it a moment," Nik corrected, "More like an understanding... did the two of you tap into some memories, too?" He finally posed something going on within him, "And... what happened?"

Aang and Sokka glanced at each other.

"Well," Aang began, "after you reclaimed the... faces from Koh, the spirit ceased to exist. I was there. It just simply withered away while I barely supported your body from breaking down."

"That was real?" Nik looked at the duo in surprise.

"Oh, yeah," Sokka nodded with a soft hum, "But it's actually boring after that confrontation. The Wolf Spirit led you out of the spirit world from the same channel Koh brought you in. The craziest thing is that my memories are intact whenever Koh... used my face," he shivered, "Felt so creepy."

"So..." Nik mumbled, "Does Suki know?"

Aang and Sokka shook their heads.

"What were we supposed to tell her? That you really are a freak and from another world at that? Really, who even baits an opponent to the point of getting so bloodied?" Sokka grunted, "That's what you don't do in hunting."

"Please, if anything, you're a waste of a brain when I specifically told you to let go... why didn't you?" Nik frowned.

Looking away, Sokka couldn't help but rub the back of his head, "After I got hypnotized back then... I just didn't want to let you guys down. I know how much we have lost strategically by letting them know your ability to make things disappear... and now I know even more... heh, it's kind of funny when you think about it."

"Katara didn't think it was funny. We had to pull her away," Aang mumbled while calmly sipping the contents of the bowl while Sokka flinched.

"And crazy..." Sokka muttered under his breath.

"Did I? Well, it was nothing, really."

"We found you bloodied and then Aang told us that you were taken away by some creepy spirit who can tear a human as easily as a human tear apart a leaf! How could we not be worried?!" Suki grumbled before smiling, "But I'm glad that you won... my apprentice."

This caused Nik to chuckle slightly as Suki began to giggle, too. But soon, her giggles turned into soft sobs as tears slid down her chin from the corner of her eyes, "I'm... really glad you're alive!"

Aang's and Sokka's expressions turned complicated at this point, too. They were glad, too, but Nik was left broken by Koh even after its demise. At best, it could only be called a pyrrhic victory.

Seeing Suki cry, Nik couldn't help but pat the ground. Although it was painful, Nik still sat himself up by raising a section of ice beneath the rug.

"I'm glad, too," Nik pulled Suki into a hug, "Although, I would understand if you won't teach me more techniques. It's a busted life... as busted as my knee." He cracked a small snort on his own joke but Suki's expression darkened instead, "How could you say something like that?!"

"Exactly, how inconsiderate," Sokka shrugged and Aang nodded.

"It was a joke based on my physical pain... I thought it would work because it's also true..." Nik answered with an amused hum while wiping away the tear stains on Suki's face as she frowned, "You'll get better. Aang said he had two method—"

"Are you alright?" Katara rushed in.

This time even Aang rolled his eyes. He was excited to explain the two methods but it had been interrupted time and time again at this point.

Katara, too, showed more care than before as she sat next to Suki with a worried expression. Her expression was guilty as she instantly apologized, "I'm sorry... I tried healing your knee but my waterbending simply couldn't. Even Hama couldn't do it. I—"

"You know, if you hadn't interrupted, Aang was going to point out how Nik can get himself better," Sokka interjected as Katara's eyes spewed fire.

"And? Is Aang going somewhere? He can reveal his methods five minutes later, too, right?!"

Sokka shrunk his neck instantly.

"Maybe we should leave," Aang replied weakly.

"No, the three of you need to rest after what happened today." Suki shook her head.

"I want to rest with you..." Nik's eyes widened slightly as he glanced at Suki... and Katara for a second as they pursed their lips and rolled their eyes. Although tearful, they simply couldn't help pinch a cheek each tightly as Suki huffed, "Rest—"

"— Here." Katara added concisely.

"Well, well, I considered you dead when I saw your condition."

A cold interruption caused others to look at the arrivals— Mai and Tom-Tom.

"I thought you would have stabbed me just to keep it so," Nik blinked as Mai narrowed her eyes while Suki whispered, "Hey, be nice to her. She's the one who found you and tore her clothes to give you an emergency bandage."

Nik nodded and promptly added, "Thanks."

"I won't accept it," Mai hummed and walked out while Tom-Tom looked towards Aang and waved at him only to be pulled out by Mai.

"Maybe I should show how grateful I am to Michi that her daughter is so kindhearted," Nik muttered under his breath, just loud enough for Suki and Katara to hear as their expressions turned bleak.

---

"Hey, what happened to your cheeks?" Sokka prodded with a grin.

"You were there," Nik lied back once again with his cheeks bruised.

"Left, Katara. Right, Suki." Aang informed.

"Isn't it mighty of you to make such observations, Aang," Nik scoffed and finally inquired now that the trio was alone after everyone had their chance of meeting with Nik even if it was only so because he once saved them and broke them out of prison. Meanwhile, Suki and Katara had to be dragged out by Rena and others.

"What are the two methods?"

To which, Aang replied with a decisive expression.

"Earthbending and Firebending."

***

A/N: I believe that there are going to be a few who wouldn't like Mc's traveling status known without his consent and I get that. But the essence of this novel and the previous one (EHG) wasn't just to travel but for the harem itself. Members like Katara, or even Michi, who have families, would want their families to come alongside them if they do agree to move. This was an oversight from my side the last time as I only wrote about girls leaving but when I thought about it... would Katara leave Sokka? Would Toph leave her family since she does patch things up? Would Ty-Lee leave her other sisters?

So, the fact that the mc is a traveller isn't going to be too great of a secret since in many future arcs such as marvel or warlock of the magus world, or even reverend insanity, there are many 'outsiders.'