A/N: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender. Actually, I think it's kind of good that they decided to make it Kataang, because then we Zutarians can write all kinds of wonderful stories about what should've happened.
Don't get me wrong, Zutara still dominates! :)
She moved with the flow of the water. Her movements were as steady and smooth as water itself. She learned to rely on herself, that she didn't need anybody else. She was her own teacher. She didn't have the privileges the other girls had. They could take dance lessons, even if they didn't want to. They complained that ballet was a pain, but they didn't know how lucky they were. She didn't have enough money, or the permission to get in. She had to learn by herself, with herself, and herself alone. Her name was Katara. The only waterbender left in the whole South Pole.
Nobody was there for her anyway. She would have given up hope a long time ago, if it wasn't for her Gran-Gran, Kana. She was the only one who supported her, but just last week, she passed away. Katara made her a promise. She promised that she would never give up hope, and if, no, when she reached her goal, she would owe it all to Kana, to her mother, to all the people who helped her. Sokka, was no help whatsoever. He thought dancing was a waste of time, and that only girls could do something that useless. That sexist imbecile! He had no idea how much she wanted this. For a second, she lost her balance thinking of her idiot brother, but she instantaneously regained her posture, and acted like it never happened. It's not like she didn't love Sokka. It was just that he didn't understand anything, and he never really cared about what she wanted. This was partially because Sokka had to take care of the two of them, just himself, and that put a lot of pressure on him lately. Katara helped him, but Sokka insisted on hunting, fishing, and getting firewood. He made Katara do all the "woman chores". Like she said. Sexist imbecile. She didn't mind doing the dishes, it helped her practice her waterbending. Of course, she wasn't too good at the age of 13, but it her determination and persistence made her capable of learning anything. When Katara was little, her mother used to learn new waterbending moves, and try to teach them to Katara, even though her mom wasn't a waterbender. "Follow my movements," She used to say, and that was the way her mom taught Katara. Thinking of her mom brought back the Moonlight Dancers' show.
"Mom! Mom! Where are you taking me?" Little 5-year-old Katara asked. Her big blue eyes stared into her mom's with wonder.
"You'll see, and I think you'll love it," her mom, Kya, replied, taking Katara's gloved hand in hers. Katara giggled with excitement, and ran as fast as her little legs could take her.
Her mom had taken her to an enormous ice stage, with people sitting beneath it, staring up at a person talking. She had a loud voice, and it rang through the stadium.
"Welcome, one and all, to our wonderful Moonlight Dancers Show! I hope you enjoy our lovely performance!" She bowed.
That is when the other dancers came out. They wore tight blue clothing, and black ballet shoes. Women had their hair braided, or in a bun, and wore long thin skirts, that start out blue at the waist and fade to white at the bottom. Katara remembered looking at their tight blue shirts and thinking, Wow, they're sparkly...
Katara watched their movements with amazement. There were two boys and five girls, all of which looked like they were in their teens. Two of the girls looked like twins. The two men rose up into the air on the ice pillars they waterbended from the stage. They made two water whips and whipped them across the stage, like light beams at a concert. On the bottom, the women twirled and leaped, and bending water simultaneously. One lady leaped out toward the audience, and Katara, who thought she was going to fall of the stage, held her breath. When the woman landed, she landed at the very edge of the stage, smiled and back flipped away.
Katara tugged on Kya's sleeve. "Mommy, that girl is my favorite!" She breathed. Her mom looked down at her and smiled, but said nothing, for Katara's attention was back on the dancers.
Katara watched as her "favorite" spun on a water pillar that spun with her. When she leaped off, she landed in a perfect pirouette, and the water pillar dissipated into a million glowing water droplets.
Katara clapped as hard as she could and everybody in the crowd cheered wildly. After a long applause, the show was over, and the crowd left. As they walked away, Kya asked her daughter, "So, did you like it?"
"Oh yes, mommy, I loved it! Do you think when I grow up I can be one of those dancers, too?" Katara asked, her eyes full of hope.
"Definitely," Her mom replied. Katara smiled.
A few months after the show, her mother got taken away by the fire nation. They took every waterbender in sight. Katara was confused. "Why did they take mommy, Gran-Gran? She didn't do anything wrong."
Her Gran-Gran sighed. "That is because they want all the waterbenders," she replied.
"But mommy isn't a waterbender..." Katara whispered.
"I know, honey, I know."
After that, Kya never returned. When Katara was little, she always hoped that one day her mom would come back, and she would tell her that it was just a vacation, and that everything was alright.
But as she grew older, Katara knew better. She knew that her mother wasn't going to come back. . She was never happy anymore. She wasn't the same girl she was 8 years ago. She sighed. Then she flashed back to the day Kana died. It wasn't too long ago, so it was still fresh in Katara's mind.
Kanna gave her a weak smile.
"I'm going to be alright, darling, I know I am," She whispered.
Katara gave her Gran-Gran a sad smile. "Liar."
Her grandmother sighed. "I guess you're not as easily fooled as your brother, huh?"
Katara scoffed. She took her grandmother's hands and whispered, "He wasn't fooled, Gran-Gran. He was holding it in. I know he's crying inside, but he's too much of a man to show it."
Kanna smiled, then broke into a coughing fit. "Katara, listen to me. No matter what comes your way, no matter how much pain you might feel, I want you to listen to your heart. It always seems to know the right answer."
"I will, Gran-Gran. And thank you for helping me and supporting me through everything. I will follow my dream, and I'll remember you every step of the way." She started crying.
"Katara, wherever you find love, you will find support." Kanna closed her eyes, and gave Katara's hand one last squeeze.
"No...Not now, Gran-Gran..." but it was too late. She was gone. Katara sobbed into her grandmother's arms.
As she did her daily stretches, Katara put a hand to her cheek. It was wet.
A/N: Tell me if you like the story...trust me, it gets better later on.