Hello! This is the official re-release of this story. I originally posted it under another pen name (avatarfan82) but decided to close down that account. I also decided to make some edits and additions to the story. Now I'm re-posting it in it's entirety...just as soon as I finish all of my edits and new chapters. For those who may have read the original version, I thank you for your time and patience back then. Much of it remains the same, but I hope this updated version is an improvement. For those who are new to the story, welcome and I hope you enjoy it!
Katara curled slowly downward, with one leg perfectly vertical in the air. She made sure to point the toe of her elevated foot to get the ideal stretch and reached her hands to grasp the ankle of her planted leg. She distantly heard barely audible intakes of breath around her, but ignored them and continued her stretching routine.
She was easily one of the most flexible dancers in the company and had gotten used to some of the newer members gawking at her poses as she warmed up. Suddenly, she heard a playful whisper from her right side.
"Show off."
A slight smile appeared on her lips as she lowered her leg and stood upright. Her ocean blue eyes locked with clear gray ones and they smiled at each other.
"Don't be jealous," she replied and the young man chuckled.
When it came to her craft, Katara was often serious and focused, but he was happy to get a rare playful moment with her. Then he held out a hand to her.
"Let's go over that middle section again. I want to work on the lift one more time."
Katara nodded, accepting his hand and immediately getting into the pose preceding the lift. Her partner firmly wrapped his arm around her waist and gave a soft countdown. Then, the two began to sway in unison, forward and backward. He twirled Katara counter-clockwise and then switched his hold from around her waist to her hip. Katara tilted her body until she was completely horizontal and landed in his strong grasp. A quick spin then transitioned into the hold, with Katara being lifted high in the air, her hip resting on her partner's shoulders and behind his head. The dizzying spin continued a few more times before Katara dove downward into a front flip. She was instantly caught in mid-air and he clutched her waist, guiding her gently to the floor. They finished the lift with another stationary pose.
The rest of the dancers had stopped rehearsing and gone quiet to watch the two practice this move, and they remained equally breath-taken when they finished.
"I think you've got it now, Aang. That felt more confident," Katara said, casting a genuine smile in his direction.
The smile he returned was a shadow of the one he gave her earlier and anxiety was present in his eyes."How did it feel for you? Did it hurt?" he said, his brows furrowing in concern and his eyes darting to her left shoulder.
She absently patted it, rotated her entire arm, and nodded. "It's great. I don't want you to worry about me."
"But, yesterday I hurt your shoulder when we did this. What if…"
"Aang, don't do this to yourself. I've already told you that it wasn't your fault. Your stance and hold were perfect. Sometimes these things happen. But, if you want to blame someone, blame me because I took too long getting my right leg into position."
Aang sighed and lowered his gaze to the floor. She had been dancing with him for the past five years and could tell that he wanted to protest further. Instead, he bit his tongue. Katara inwardly felt relief because she definitely wanted to avoid becoming irritated; especially today.
At that moment, Ty Lee, the company director, approached the pair, grinning from ear to ear. Her long ponytail swayed like a pendulum behind her.
"Aang! Katara! That last lift was gorgeous!" she shouted, clapping her hands together. She then wrapped her arms around their shoulders and continued, "Can I talk to you two?"
Aang and Katara shared a sidelong glance as they let her lead them to a private corner of the studio. They both knew from experience that these kinds of conversations with Ty Lee either meant she was delivering bad news or springing a last minute request on them.
Once they were out of earshot of the other dancers, she launched in. "You two look more than ready for the audition. How do you feel? Katara, how's the shoulder?"
Katara nodded vigorously as Aang rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous habit he'd had since childhood.
"I think we're good to go. My shoulder feels fine today."
Ty Lee immediately turned to Aang and nudged him. "Hey, you look nervous. What's up?"
His gray eyes clouded over in concern and he hesitated before finally speaking. "It's just that this is a big audition. The biggest one I've ever done. I don't want to screw it up for us."
Ty Lee wrapped her arms around both of their waists and squeezed, a move that Katara despised and Aang found awkward. Still, they both tolerated it as best they could.
"You are both going to have the lead roles in this production, hands down. Even if you fall on your faces, you're obviously the best dancers in this region." came Ty Lee's complimentary words.
Aang blushed and Katara groaned inwardly. She must have been about to really lay something big on them if she was sucking up to them this much! Ty Lee somehow pulled the dancers even closer to her than they already were and lowered her voice.
"What I haven't told you both is that the lead roles have opportunities for solos that the composer has recently requested. So, in light of that, you both will need to audition with solo routines as well as your couples routine today."
Katara felt her heart rate increase but Aang dropped his head even further, giving his neck a firm squeeze. This was the behavior he engaged in when he was well past nervousness and deep within the pre-panic stage. Luckily, the two had recently perfected individual routines for a recent showcase and knew that the other would use that for today's audition.
Still, auditioning with a routine that she hadn't practiced or performed in nearly a month was asking a lot—not to mention pushing her way outside of her comfort zone. She would have to take full advantage of the ten minute break in between the couple and individual auditions.
"I'm sorry to spring this on you but you know how artists are…"Ty Lee said in an apologetic tone. Katara smirked, convinced that it was not the artist's fault that they were just finding this information out. Ty Lee was a wonderful person and a dedicated mentor, but also completely scatterbrained.
"Man, who is this composer anyway?" Aang asked, as if knowing the person's name would somehow resolve his anxiety.
On cue, excited murmurs and whispers could be heard throughout the studio. The trio turned around to see what the commotion was all about. As soon as they saw what was happening, Ty Lee grinned, and Katara and Aang both had matching looks of disbelief on their faces.
"No way! He's the composer?!" Aang said but Katara found words momentarily escaping her.
Once she had finally regained her bearings, only one name was on her lips: "Zuko."
Ty Lee released the duo and made a beeline for the composer and his assistant. Aang lightly placed a hand on Katara's shoulder.
"This is crazy, Katara. He's basically a musical genius and he's here, working with our studio!"
Katara nodded in silent agreement, still too stunned to form coherent words or thought.
Zuko was considered an anomaly. Not only was he young—his current age of 24 made him two years older than Katara and four years older than Aang—but his pieces were also worldly and intricate. He was a well known composer and musician in the local area arts scene but it was apparent to everyone that he was on the way to becoming much more in the near future. On top of all that, he just so happened to be one of Katara's favorite composers.
He was generally known to be a recluse and not very friendly, so Katara was amazed that he had even shown up for their audition. The fact that he was standing right in front of her at this moment was more than she could process.
Ty Lee offered her hand to Zuko as soon as she was within reach and he reluctantly accepted. His smoldering, amber eyes seemed to bore into her with an intensity that could have been off-putting, if not for his well-known personality. It was clear he was extremely introverted and uncomfortable being the center of attention. Yet, he handled it with as much poise as he could muster.
Katara considered herself professional and in control, but even she had a hard time taking her eyes off of the striking young man.
He stood a couple inches above her partner, who was at least a head taller than she was. His chiseled features and lean, well-toned physique distracted her, but nothing was more of a distraction than his eyes. They had gold and hazel tones within the dominant color and she found herself mesmerized by them. His short brown hair was a controlled mess on top of his head.
Another distinguishing feature was the prominent scar near his left eye. It was well known his scar was the result of a childhood accident. Though no one knew the details, they only knew it was something he didn't appear to be self-conscious about. Katara didn't think the scar against his milky white skin and piercing eyes detracted from his appearance at all. In fact, it almost made him look more attractive.
As Ty Lee led Zuko to the other side of the studio, she motioned to Katara and Aang, as if she had already told him about them. Katara felt her temperature spike dramatically as he turned his eyes on her. His gaze seemed to soften for a split second before he shifted to Aang. Katara had managed to maintain some semblance of poise as she met his glance but Aang maintained a 'deer in headlights' expression that would have been comical under other circumstances. Ty Lee and Zuko made it to the waiting chairs at the other end of the studio and took their seats.
"Is everyone ready?" she announced cheerily, and dozens of heads bobbed up and down as last-minute stretches were done.
Aang finally seemed to realize that Zuko was going to be observing the auditions and snapped out of his stupor; tumbling headlong into legitimate terror.
"I don't think I feel well," he mumbled and Katara immediately grabbed the sides of his face, forcing him to lock eyes with her.
"Aang, you're ready. You know these moves like the back of your hand. Just focus and breathe, okay?"
He nodded, and she smiled at him.
Their moment was interrupted by Ty Lee's continued announcement.
"Please welcome our special guest, Zuko! He wrote the music that a select few of you will be dancing to in the show. He's here today to observe the auditions and he may also be helping us with the final selection process, so be on your toes, people!"
A burst of applause erupted from the dancers, which seemed to make Zuko shrink down further in his seat, but he was gracious enough to acknowledge the group by raising his hand slightly in the air. Once the clapping died down, more murmurs and nervous chatting followed.
Katara took the time to close her eyes and center herself. She visually ran through her couples' routine and worked out any last nerves in her mind. Then she joined the other dancers on the floor, awaiting her chance to perform.
~o0o~
Zuko sat quietly in his chair next to the bubbly and slightly annoying director. He was already uncomfortable around people and to have to work with someone so outgoing was grating. He was thankful that he brought his notepad because he was able to avoid small talk pretending to take extremely diligent notes on the performances.
So far they had completed all of the couples' routines and the girl with the dark complexion, striking blue eyes and flowing brown hair had stolen the show along with her short-haired partner. The lift they had pulled off was truly a masterful feat and even he had forgotten where he was and couldn't seem to take his eyes off the pair.
He was pulled from his note taking by Ty Lee who shoved a photo print in his face and explained that they would be taking a ten minute break before starting the solo auditions. Zuko nodded, thanking her quietly, and then focused his attention on the photo sheet. It contained a grid of all the dancers who were participating in the audition along with their names and pictures.
Against his will, his eyes were immediately drawn to the girl he just saw dancing…Katara. The name suited her. He then glanced at more photos and spotted the male that had danced with her; his name was Aang.
They were both easily the strongest female and male dancers in the company and were shoo-ins to be cast as leads, as far as he was concerned. But he did have some other pairings in mind that he was considering for other portions of the performance.
Before long, the break was over and Ty Lee had reappeared at his side to pleasantly announce that the solo auditions were starting. Zuko carefully focused in on each dancer, making note of the way they controlled their limbs in space and felt the music emotionally with their bodies and facial expressions.
Zuko was immediately drawn in by Aang's movement during his audition. As much as he enjoyed seeing him dance with Katara, Aang showed even more strength and flexibility without her. The amount of height he got on his jumps was unreal and his limbs almost appeared to be made of rubber.
Zuko vigorously circled his picture on the photo sheet to indicate that he had made his selection for the lead male dancer.
After three or four more forgettable performances, it was time for the final audition. It seemed that the studio was more crowded now than it was at the start of the solo auditions. Zuko suspected that people had come to watch Katara's audition and his heart rate increased in anticipation.
Katara finally took her place at the center of the dance floor. She had donned shorts and a tank top for this audition and the full length of her toned legs was even more apparent to Zuko.
As the first notes of the music began, Katara began to sway and point her toes skyward. Her flexibility was beyond compare and her jumps were on par with her partner's; an amazing feat considering how much smaller she was.
Zuko lost time during her performance as he watched her face, her eyes, conveying the sadness and loss the song called for. He even found himself replaying the solo piano portion of his composition and picturing her dancing to it. At one point she leapt in the air, landed gracefully on the floor, then crumpled down and splayed her body outward. This show of anguish was timed perfectly with a poignant section of the song. With her flawlessly executed movements, Zuko felt his chest tighten and a familiar mist cross his eyes.
In that moment, the emotions he connected to were palpable and raw. He glanced around the room and noticed many younger dancers openly wiping away tears. Aang just gazed at her with a look Zuko couldn't describe, but it was clear that he was entranced by what he saw. The last notes of the song ended with her crouching down on her knees and then rising upward with her arms outstretched. Her endless blue eyes trained expectantly on something above her. Once she was finished, the entire studio was eerily silent and then almost immediately burst into an insane fit of applause.
Students were cheering wildly as Katara blushed deeply and bowed. Before he knew it himself, Zuko had gotten to his feet, clapping along with Ty Lee. Once he realized what happened, he suddenly snapped out of it and quickly sat down, studying his notes intently. He made a prominent circle around Katara's picture and smiled with satisfaction. No question about that selection.
After all of the commotion had ended and the majority of the dancers had left the studio, Zuko met with Ty Lee and his assistant in order to go over the final selections for lead male and female roles as well as the understudies and supporting roles. Everyone agreed that Katara and Aang would be the lead male and female dancers, with two others selected as understudies.
"Great, I think we've figured everything out. I'll post the selections tomorrow and we'll have our first production meeting. Then we'll have you meet with the dancers early next week, Zuko. How does that sound for everyone?"
Zuko nodded, impressed by how the seemingly air-headed director had managed to organize things so well. As everyone stood, Ty Lee offered her hand for a shake and Zuko took it. She bowed slightly with a sweet smile."I can't thank you enough for coming here today. I know the kids were nervous but I also think you being here pushed them to dance at a higher level."
Zuko nodded. "Thanks for having me. I enjoyed watching the dancers and I look forward to working with you."
Ty Lee grinned and led him to the entryway of the studio. Then she disappeared with a wave of her hand.
Zuko's assistant immediately left to bring the car around while Zuko stood in the lobby, replaying the performances in his head. He kept getting stuck on Katara's solo dance. She was one of the best dancers he'd ever seen.
Zuko knew that his assistant had to park the car pretty far away, so he would just have to exercise patience for a few more moments. Just as he was lost in his visions of the dance, he heard someone else enter the foyer. The person had arrived quietly into the area, as if not wanting to disturb him, but he could feel a pair of eyes staring at him from his right side. Against his better judgment, he glanced over and was pleasantly surprised to find his lead female dancer standing about a foot away from him.
~o0o~
She locked eyes with him for a moment and was the first to quickly look away. The silence was deafening and Katara struggled for something to say to the amazing musician standing right next to her. She could tell he was completely comfortable in this wordless moment, but she couldn't stand it.
"I-I just wanted to say that I love your compositions. I'm not much of a musician but they all sound so beautiful to me." Her heart was thumping in her ears and she was sure she had just spoken the most childish words on Earth. Embarrassment filled her and Katara suddenly wished the ground would open up underneath her so that she could disappear.
The corner of Zuko's mouth turned up but shifted quickly back into the firm line that Katara had grown accustomed to. "Thanks," he said quietly and returned his gaze to the front entryway.
Katara, though, took courage from the slight acknowledgement he gave and pressed on. "Moonlight. That's the composition I love the most. I don't know why, but it just speaks to me."
Katara knew she was running the risk of sounding forceful and running him out of the building. At the same time, she knew she would hate herself for the rest of her life if she didn't say something to him about how much his music affected her.
Zuko immediately turned his entire body to face her and, even though his mouth remained firmly closed, his eyes shone with surprise. They even seemed to glow and Katara found her breath suddenly gone as she matched his gaze.
"You like Moonlight?" he said and Katara nodded vigorously in response.
"The first movement draws you in and then the solo piano in the second movement…it's so filled with emotion. Sometimes it just makes me wish I could be a pianist because I want to feel what it must be like to play something so moving."
She watched uncertainty flicker in Zuko's eyes. Katara could see in both his stance and his face he was thinking carefully about what he wanted to say. "Most people don't even know about that song. The ones who do don't find it as exciting as some of the other pieces I've written."
Katara's eyes flared as if she were angry at the naysayers and sighed in exasperation. "Those people are idiots! That composition is one of the most complex pieces you've written. There are so many layers to it…" she trailed off slowly before glancing back up at him timidly.
Zuko nodded, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips. Just then, a car engine could be heard pulling up outside. The pair glanced out the glass door.
"I've gotta head out." Zuko said glancing back at her. Katara couldn't hide her disappointment at the idea that she would not be able to continue talking with this interesting, attractive man. But she mustered up the courage and stuck out her hand.
"It was so great to meet you."
He paused for a moment before gently shaking her hand. "Yeah, and...um...you're really good. I mean at dancing. You're good at dancing." He stumbled over the words and then looked away sheepishly, his face tinting pink.
Katara's disappointment immediately dissolved and it was all she could do to keep her mouth from dropping open.
"Thank you so much! You have no idea how much that means to me!"
He then turned to leave, giving her a quick nod of his head as he pushed open the door.
Katara felt her eyes well up and her breath catch in her throat. She silently watched his statuesque form dip down to enter the back seat of the car before it was gone into the night. She hastily brushed a couple of tears that had hit her cheeks and grinned from ear to ear.
She knew that people within her dance studio constantly told her she was a great dancer, but she had managed to convince herself over the years that they were just pandering to her and not wanting to hurt her by being truthful. But, to have an outsider—a stranger—tell her she was good? That was different. And to have this particular stranger be the one to say it to her in his own way made a flood of fresh tears threaten to flow down her cheeks.
"Katara, there you are!" Aang said, suddenly pushing his way into the foyer, a look of relief on his face. "I couldn't find you anywhere."
Katara hurriedly swiped her eyes and smiled happily at Aang, but he just looked at her with his eyebrows drawn together .
"Have you been crying? What happened?!" he exclaimed and Katara placed a calming hand on his shoulder.
"Nothing at all. I'm actually great. And guess what? I was able to talk to Zuko!"
"You talked to him?" Aang asked and she nodded happily.
"He told me I'm a good dancer! Can you believe it, Aang? Isn't that great?"
She looked directly at him and noticed that there was a slight pause before his eyebrows shot up. "Well, yeah! Of course that's great!"
His tone had an unusual forced quality and her smile faltered. "Are you upset?"
"No," he answered quickly and cast her a sideways glance.
"If you wanted to talk to him, I'm pretty sure you can catch him next time he's here," she replied, a bit uncertain.
Aang shook his head and smirked. "No, no. I'm good." He shifted his eyes downward.
"You sure about that?"
"I really am happy for you, Katara."
"Then what's the problem?"
"I was just surprised that he was talking to you. You know...he just doesn't seem like he talks to anyone."
Relief washed over Katara as her eyes took on a dream-like quality. "I know! It really has been the greatest day ever!" she nearly shouted, wrapping her arms tightly around him.
"And, of all of my friends, I'm glad I could share this day with you."
Aang jammed his free hand into his pocket and slipped an arm loosely around her shoulders. "Come on, fangirl. Let's get out of here before it gets too late."
Katara playfully slapped his arm and giggled as the two exited the dance studio and stepped into the mild evening air. She continued to daydream about her eventful day and sighed as she snuggled comfortably into Aang's hold.
