A/N: So this is my last-minute entry for Twilight Rose 2's contest. I seriously found out about this just last night, but I got excited and had to do one.
I know the last thing you're supposed to do is prejudice your audience, but I'll tell you here and now that I'm not entirely happy with the results of one day's work. It could be better, but at least I enjoyed writing it, huh? :D Actually I should really say "am enjoying it," since there'll be about four chapters by the end, all up by the end of the day. I also am not usually a Zutara shipper, but dang, did it turn out to be fun to write.
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar. Nope, not even an action figure.
"Come on."
He ran slightly ahead, the early summer sun giving his already boyish appearance a healthy glow. He turned around and smiled toothily at his companions, now walking nearly backwards and almost stumbling in his excitement.
"Aang, calm down. This thing shows up every year; it's not that big of a deal." This second male voice was tightly woven with adulthood in its center. It still frayed towards the edges, however, with the childish nature that he was still composed of at the core, whether he liked it or not.
A female voice sighed with exaggerated annoyance.
"Sokka, you know you're as excited as he is. Now run ahead and get the wristbands."
Sokka gave a sidelong glance at his sister, wrestling with his inner child and doing a bad job at hiding it.
"But Kataraaa…carnivals are for kids."
Katara only responded with a knowing look, lips curling despite herself. Her brother weighed his options for a moment in solemn concentration, his pride at stake. He sighed and began a speech he had practiced many times, the words simply dripping with the holy pride of manhood that he treasured so.
"Listen up, guys. You all have to understand that I'm maturing. I know you've looked at me as a playmate in times past, but there comes a time in every man's life when he has to…to…"
"To what?"
"…Oh, hell. Aang, I'll race ya!"
"Wha…? Hey, you cheater, get back here!"
The two figures dashed through the more sparsely populated parking lot area towards the throng at the carnival gates, leaving the two girls behind.
"And they're off." Dry and annoyed, the statement came from the shorter girl who hadn't said a word the entire way there. A slightly awkward silence followed, a tension in the otherwise perfect day.
"You're not still mad at me…right, Toph?"
The girls contrasted sharply, one in stylish layers of pretty pastels, the other in a baggy sports shirt and boy shorts. No one would pin the two as best friends, especially not on this particular afternoon. While normally their opposite personalities would bounce off each other and add energy to their friendship, now they simply created friction.
"Look, I said I was sorry."
"Whatever."
"I didn't know, honestly! Well, not at first. I mean, I thought it was just a notebook for school, and anyway you don't seem the type to keep a –"
"Shut up."
Katara bit back her excuses as Toph stared straight ahead with a glare that could liquidize metal. A bizarre part of Katara's mind suddenly got the notion that she was glad Toph was blind so that the terrifying glare wouldn't be directed at her – then she realized how cruel it sounded and brushed it aside. Although, she couldn't help but think that normally Toph would have laughed if she had said something like that.
They made it to the gates without another word as a bouncing Sokka waved the wristbands in front of their faces.
"Let's go on the Loop first! Or that ship thing...or maybe we should just hit the elephant ear booth now, and –"
"Carnivals are for kids, huh?"
"What? Shut up, baldie!"
"Hey, that's not fair, I told you it was for the swim team!"
"Yeeaah…does shaving your headmake you swim faster or what?"
"No! It's a team ritual, okay? It'll grow back!"
"Pretty crazy ritual you've got there…"
The two boys walked slightly in front once again, playing at typical boyish banter games until Sokka turned around and grinned at the younger of the girls.
"Hey Toph, you wanna ride the big one with me?"
Toph scowled, ducking her head slightly.
"You'd scream like a girl."
"What?! Of course I wouldn't!"
And now there were three involved in the game. Katara stayed silent, trying hard not to look too perturbed. It was likely that only she knew the reason for Toph's ducking head, only she saw the flush that quickly spread across her cheeks behind her bangs. How could she have been stupid enough not to notice before? She had always prided herself on being the sympathetic one, the one that knew just what everyone was thinking, what they had thought before, and sometimes what conclusions they'd come to next. She could usually read everyone so easily.
Well…except for him. But that didn't matter.
"Hey," she inserted into the game that had by now degenerated into furious name-calling, "let's do this systematically."
"Systa-whatahoo?"
"Systematically," she repeated with a glare at her brother. How he got such good grades in math and science she would never understand. "I mean, we can split up and check out both sides of the carnival, then meet up and tell the group which rides were good and which weren't."
"Isn't that kinda complicated for a carnival?"
"No, I like it," Aang added, obviously taking this carnival business very seriously. "We can cut out half the boring rides we'd have to experiment with that way." Sokka stroked his imaginary beard.
"Hmm…we would increase our fun output by at least thirty percent…let's do it!"
"Good," Katara smiled, "Then you take Toph to the… 'big one.'"
Sokka and Aang agreed cheerfully as Toph, once again, mysteriously ducked her head. Hey, Katara had messed up the situation when she had read Toph's journal. Now she was making up for it.
Toph didn't appreciate the gesture, which she made very clear in her whispered, "You're dead, Sugarqueen" as Sokka pulled her past.
Now she was left to wander with Aang, who immediately took it upon himself to win her a prize at the shooting arcade. She really did love her friend, glaringly yellow T-shirt and orange shorts combo and all, but his crush on her led to some pretty annoying actions.
"No, just one more round, Katara, I know I can win!"
"Aang, come on, let's just get in line for a ride or something."
"But you said you liked that stuffed…thing!"
"I said Sokka would like it. Secretly."
"Then I'll get you that one, the blue one!"
He glanced back at Katara's exasperated expression and hesitated.
"But if you're bored, you can go ahead. I'll meet you after you get off…how about the Loop?"
Katara smiled slightly in relief and agreed, feeling a bit guilty for being rude to him. The gesture was sweet, after all.
She began the trek to the ride, but distances always seemed to increase in carnivals. She soon found herself running like she had when she was a small child. Now she would call over her shoulder to implore her mother to go faster…now she would race Sokka to the line as he teased her about being afraid to go on the ones that went upside down. She felt a little silly as she relived the bittersweet memory while she ran, but she had to remind herself in some way that Sokka wasn't the only one with an inner child. Now her brother would give her a light shove in his haste to get ahead, now she would shout out in protest. Now she would glimpse another boy hiding in a corner of the House of Mirrors…
She actually stumbled this time, eyes drawn to the crudely painted building. Heh, she should have expected it to be the exact same one as before – anything else would have killed the irony. Yes, it was the same…there was the dent in the flimsy outer wall, a few feet to the right of the entrance, painted over in the same lurid green as the rest by now but still very visible to someone who found meaning in it. It was funny to think that she would probably be visiting the attraction with Aang later instead of the childhood version of another boy.
She probably looked strange, standing there alone in the middle of a carnival, body language suddenly screaming indecision. She gave once last glance at the towering Loop before changing course. She had a few old ghosts to visit.
Reviews are much appreciated – worshipped, if you want to get technical.