Unfortunately for me, I ignored the whispers in the back of my mind that wanted me to remain ignorant of our current situation, and with a painful grunt, I moved my body, which felt as stiff as a wooden board.
"Aang, don't move, you're still recovering." Said Hana with a slight frown as she entered the room, setting down her bowl of clean water before approaching Aang.
"I-I know. B-But I can't stay lying here; I want… I-I need to know the losses we suffered." Said Aang softly while occasionally wincing, causing Hana to stare silently at him, only for the door to once again open.
"I suggest not to argue with him, Hana… He's rather stubborn." Said Gyatso softly as he gazed at Aang while standing at the door, his presence surprising the two of them.
Hearing Monk Gyatso's voice, I stopped moving and raised my head and gazed at him, yet I couldn't help but sigh when my eyes landed upon his figure; numerous parts of his body were wrapped in bandages, signifying the deadly battle we had participated in. He even had a cane, though worst of all, he had an eye patch covering his right eye along with several bandages.
"Ho, what's wrong Aang? You look as if you've seen a ghost." Said Gyatso softly with a faint smile as he approached Aang, using the cane to walk, which only caused him to lower his head.
"Please… Not right, Monk Gyatso." Replied Aang lightly with a sigh while glancing at Gyatso, who reluctantly nodded, only for his happy expression to vanish.
"How do you feel, Aang?" Asked Gyatso in concern as he gazed at Aang's wounded body, a sight that caused his heart to cry out in pain.
"Well, I'm alive and have all my limbs, so I can't say anything negative." Replied Aang lightly as he raised his arms before pointing at his legs, which he attempted to move, only for him to aggressively hiss.
"Both of your legs suffered great injuries, so I advise not to move them at all if possible; even walking right now will be questionable." Said Hana softly as she waved her hand, controlling the water to float out of the bowl and surround her hands while she gently rubbed Aangs legs, numbing the pain.
"T-Thank you." Said Aang softly as he heaved a sigh of relief, prompting Hana to flash a small smile before she shook her head.
"Still, I would suggest you stay resting, Aang. Neither of us would want your wounds to reopen; this is even more so for you, Sir Gyatso. It's much more difficult for older people to heal; honestly, you may never fully heal from those injuries." Stated Hana solemnly as she gazed at Aang before shifting her focus to Gyatso, who faintly smiled before nodding.
"I appreciate your concern, Hana, but I couldn't remain idle while knowing my fellow brothers and sisters were addressing the aftereffects of the battle." Said Gyatso lightly as he glanced at Hana, who released a deep sigh before glancing at Aang, whose expression remained as firm as before.
"Haa, I understand. Can you just promise to wait a few hours? I will need to acquire a mode of transportation for you; you won't be going anywhere with those legs of yours." Said Hana lightly as she dumped the slightly murky water back into the bowl and glanced at Aang, who nodded before flashing a forced smile.
"Well then, I'll leave to check on other Air Nomads; when I return, you'll finally be able to leave this room." Added Hana calmly as she grabbed the bowl and stood up before exiting the room, prompting both Gyatso and Aang to nod, only for them to glance at each other.
"You should probably sit, Monk Gyatso." Said Aang while gesturing to his bed, prompting Gyatso to softly nod as he gently lowered himself onto the bed.
Laying back down, I gazed up at the stone ceiling, letting silence consume the room, though it didn't last long.
"Is Appa okay?" Asked Aang lightly as he glanced at Gyatso, whose expression scrunched into anguish before nodding.
"Yes, Appa is okay. He also looked eager to see you; I'm sure he would've come to see you if he could fly right now." Replied Gyatso as he looked at Aang, who softly smiled before sighing in relief.
I didn't think anything terrible would happen to Appa since he was in the very back, away from the battle, when he crash-landed, but I still felt as if a massive weight had been lifted off my chest; it was unfortunate to learn he wasn't able to fly right now, but I'm sure he'd eventually soar through the sky in due time.
'Though, we're pretty much in the same situation.' Thought Aang wryly as he glanced at his legs, only to lower his head.
"How severe were your injuries?" Asked Aang curiously as he glanced at Gyatso, who looked at his body before tapping his chin.
"Better than I honestly expected; I've lost most of my sight in my right eye, and I probably have a permanent limp, though those should be my most severe injuries… Hopefully." Said Gyatso with a faint smile as he tapped the cane before raising his head and glancing at Aang, who nodded.
"Though you suffered far worse than me." Added Gyatso as he glanced at Aang, observing his injured state with a saddened look, causing him to hum quietly.
"Well, it surely could've been worse. I think the fact you and I are alive, casually speaking like this, is already a miracle." Stated Aang, his words causing Gyatso to rub his chin while quietly nodding.
After that, we again entered a bout of silence while I mustered the strength to ask the question that had been on my mind since I awoke.
"How… How many casualties did we suffer, Monk Gyatso?" Asked Aang softly with a firm expression as he glanced at Gyatso, who lowered his head while biting his lip.
"…Too many…" Said Gyatso quietly with a pained expression as he wiped his tears that threatened to fall.
"W-We should've just left. It may have been disgraceful, and our home would've been destroyed, but… That would've been many times better than our outcome. So many deaths, and for what? To protect pieces of paper and a bunch of stone buildings?" Added Gyatso angrily as he clenched his cane while slamming it onto the ground, causing Aang to subconsciously flinch.
"I've lived for a long time and made many mistakes, but this… This is, without a doubt, my greatest failure. If only I had more fiercely fought to flee our homes… So many of us would still be with us." Muttered Gyatso quietly as he further lowered his head, too ashamed to look at Aang.
"Monk Tashi." Said Aang softly, his words causing tears to drop onto Gyatso's lap.
It was depressing, to say the least, as I listened to Monk Gyatso; unlike him, I hadn't seen the outside, yet I could only imagine, given his words, and I didn't like it. I wanted to try to comfort Monk Gyatso, but I didn't know what to say; he was an Elder of the Air Temples, to say something along the lines of "It's not your fault" or "You couldn't have prevented this" would have the opposite effect since as an Elder, that was part of his duty.
Ultimately, I remained silent while Monk Gyatso vented his frustrations, as that was all I could realistically do; anything I said would have been a shallow attempt to comfort him. However, after a few minutes, it seemed he had somewhat returned to his usual behavior, though he was most likely just putting on a facade.
"I-I apologize for that, Aang." Said Gyatso lightly as he wiped his tears, only for Aang to dismissively shake his head.
"It's fine; you're not the only one feeling like that." Remarked Aang with a small smile as he glanced at Gyatso, who wryly nodded.
"No… I suppose I'm not." Muttered Gyatso softly with a sad smile before shaking his head, only for the stone door to bust open.
"AANG!?" Yelled Hina in concern as she quickly ran towards Aang while her clothes stuck to her sweaty body.
Glancing at Hina, I flashed a small smile while she dropped to her knees before suddenly placing my head on her lap, causing me to raise an eyebrow at her sudden actions.
'Well, this feels much better than the ground.' Mused Aang lightly as he glanced at Hina, though her chest partially blocked his view.
"Ho, I think I'll excuse myself." Said Gyatso with a faint smile as he stood up and glanced at Aang while slowly walking towards the door.
Watching Monk Gyatso exit my room; I softly sighed before shifting my focus to Hina, who was checking upon my body, removing my clothes, and revealing my private places.
"Excuse me, Hina, I'm filled with joy at your deep concern for me, but even if it may not seem like it, I can also feel embarrassment." Said Aang calmly as he used his hands to cover his crotch while glancing at Hina with a faint blush.
"O-Oh, sorry, I-I didn't mean to, Aang. Sorry." Remarked Hina in shame as her eyes subconsciously wandered to Aang's crotch, only for her to quickly pull his pants back up.
"T-Thanks." Muttered Aang softly as he avoided eye contact with Hina, who awkwardly rubbed her head.
"U-Um, i-if it makes you feel any better, I didn't see anything." Stated Hina softly as she glanced at Aang, who softly sighed before nodding.
"A little bit."