Teach Me How - Chapter One
Staring at the ceiling, Zuko sighed as he saw the slow creep of dawn encompass the room. Closing his eyes, he wished that he could refuse the slow burning awakening within him. Alas, as he had once stated with a cocky confidence, he rose with the sun, and thus as dawn broke over Ember Island, it was time for him to arise. He sat up, stretching out his limbs after a heavy sleep and a heavier few months of training. The comet was still weeks away, but they all had lots of work to do before their fast approaching deadline. They couldn't afford to slack off now, especially after that horrid play had sucked a whole day out of their training schedule. He stood up, stretched, and went to summon his pupil.
Down the hall of the Fire Lord's beach house, Aang rubbed his eyes sleepily as a beam of sunlight shone over him. He was getting used to his fire bending teacher coming for him at the crack of dawn, and was proud of the fact that he was beginning to feel the slow burn of sunrise in his veins each morning. Every avatar in the past had years to master all four elements, whilst Aang had less than a full year. Despite the time constraints, the young avatar was doing well – a little slow for some's liking regarding the deadline, but it was an incredible feat none the less.
As predicted, a soft rapping on Aang's door soon followed, signalling the beginning of another day of training. The young avatar stood, mentally preparing himself for the tough day ahead.
/
While the two firebenders continued their sets, the rest of the house soon awoke. Katara considered waking Toph, but decided that an argument was not the way she wanted to begin her day. She knew Sokka and Suki would likely still be in bed, and she didn't want to interrupt god-knows-what-happens in the morning for them. She chuckled, admiring the fact they could find happiness in the bleakness that was the war. As she head towards the kitchen, she saw Aang and Zuko from the corner of her eye. Katara had spent several mornings watching their training, and she was impressed at the speed at which Aang seemed to be improving. Sure, Zuko was tough and said over and over that he had a long ways to go, but Aang was producing controlled fire and he was growing every single day. The movements that the boys went through in their sets intimidated Katara – they were nothing like the fluidity she had mastered within her own element. Then again, at least it was more graceful than earthbending. Or, well, maybe more graceful than Toph's earthbending.
The rest of the day panned out like any other – Sokka awoke demanding food, Toph barged her way in and stole Aang away for training, and Katara practiced her bending in between watching everyone else train and taking her mind off things by completing chores. Suki helped where she could, but she and Sokka spent most of their time improving their hand-to-hand combat skills, strategizing and… well… Katara didn't want to think too much into what else the two non-benders may be doing during their long absences. She was absentmindedly drying a dish when a warm hand touched her shoulder.
"Let me dry, we'll get it done faster." Zuko offered, a small smile playing on his lips.
"Oh, is that so? Am I not fast enough for his highness?" Katara bantered, cocking an eyebrow at her friend. Ah, friend. It had taken many weeks – and one long, bad-ass adventure after the Southern Raiders – but Katara could happily now call Zuko a friend. Despite their new found friendship, she enjoyed arguing with the exiled prince, finding that their tempers flared at an almost matched rate on some days.
"Well, can't expect much from a water peasant now can we?" Zuko retaliated, taking the plate from Katara's hands. Steam immediately arose from the porcelain dish, and Zuko's small smile grew into a large, smug smirk. As he turned around to place it in its rightful place, he felt a sharp sting on his shoulder. Yelping in surprise, he whipped his head towards Katara, to see her right hand enveloped in a water tentacle.
"Be careful there hotman, I may be a peasant, but I have no issues with attacking exiled royalty." Katara's face mimicked his, a brash grin on her face as she whipped him on the forehead with a flick of her wrist. She wasn't aiming to hurt – just maybe his pride. Or his goddamn insufferable honour.
"You so don't want to do this." Zuko lit his right hand with his flame, throwing sparks and embers in Katara's general direction. Since their trip, Zuko found that arguing with Katara was more cathartic than he may have imagined. He felt like he could be himself – a seventeen year old boy. No princely title, no family name to uphold – just Zuko, the awkward, somewhat anti-social boy with some minor anger issues. He only wished his uncle was around to enjoy it as much as he was.
"Oh, but I do!" A new voice rung through the kitchen, and both the waterbender and firebender spun to see a shadow looming in the doorway. "What's say we have a little pro-bending rumble between the three of us?" Toph pointed a finger each at Katara and Zuko, before banging her chest with her thumb. "If you're not scared, that is."
"What about Aang's training?" Katara quipped, not yet dissolving her water covered arm.
"He's had enough of earth today he says, wanted to go off and mediate for a while before you ran him through the ringer when the moon was up Sweetness."
"You're on!"
/
"The rules are simple. The first to cry out they surrender, loses. No lethal blows! Aaaaand…. BEND!" Sokka's voice rang through the arena, which had been masterfully crafted by Toph on the beach below Zuko's family's house. The arena had sand, solid earth and water in reach, and the perimeter was separated by large pillars of rock. Suki, Sokka and Aang sat on a tall sand dune, overlooking the fight. Aang had convinced himself that watching his three masters fight would help give him insight on how to use the elements in harmony, and also where each weakness lay in the elements. He originally requested he join in the brawl, but was swiftly shut down by his three masters. He needed to save his strength and focus on building skill, not getting hurt in a brawl. Besides, everyone else was restless – when they weren't teaching him, they weren't doing much at all.
Toph attacked first, sending a fissure in the earth between Katara and the ocean, hoping to slow down her attack. She shifted her focus to Zuko a second later, hearing the trained prince move from the solid rock of the arena to the sand, where he hoped he could dull her senses. The blind bandit smirked. She had been practicing sand bending, and was getting better and better at "seeing" through the shifty earth. She sent a slab of earth under his feet, but he leapt out of the way easily, shooting a blast of fire towards her feet.
"Playing dirty there Sparky!" Toph exclaimed, her unseeing milky eyes glaring in his general direction. "Two can play at that game!" With the slightest shift of her ankle, Toph sent another three pillars of rock towards Zuko, approaching him from various angles. Again he dodged, barely rolling out of the way before his ankle was caught in the mass of earth. Using her opponent's distraction to her advantage, Katara had been swallowing herself in water, preparing her octopus formation to attack both benders simultaneously. She swiftly and fluidly sent a spire of water under Toph's feet, freezing them and blinding her as it were. Toph threw up blocks of rock around her, shielding herself from the onslaught that followed. Katara had turned her attention to Zuko, whipping at him as she had this morning – except with less playfulness and more competitiveness. He deflected her blows, countering with his own fire blasts. Steam filled the arena, making it hard for the onlookers to see. In the time it took for the steam to clear, Toph had broken the ice beneath her feet, freeing herself and restoring her sight. Katara dowsed her again with water, and Toph retaliated by flinging mud at both of her opponents.
"Now everyone's fighting dirty!" Sokka exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air with glee. "You all look ridiculous!" Suddenly, without even a look or a word shared between them, the three masters redirected their attacks. At Sokka.
Toph and Katara seamlessly shot mud towards Sokka, whose mouth was agape with surprise. Zuko zoomed around behind the dune where he sat, and emitted enough heat to solidify the mud on Sokka's features. Suki and Aang were rolling around with laughter, whilst Sokka mumbled incessantly about "why me" and "stupid magic water" and "benders, always benders".
"Stop! Stop!" He finally cried as Toph and Katara sent another mass of mud his way. "I surrender!" He pouted under the coating of mud.
"Well, that was so worth it!" Toph exclaimed.
"You guys ganged up on me!" Sokka shrieked, his voice muffled as his face was stiff with hardened mud.
"It wasn't a hard choice there Sokka!" Katara laughed, high-fiving Toph and walking up towards the rest of the gang. "You can only blame yourself."
"Just clean me up…" Sokka cried, trying to hide his face from Suki. "Don't look at me Suki, I'm a muddy monster!"
"Aw, I thought it looked dashing on you!" Suki giggled, punching her boyfriend playfully on the arm. Sokka's cries of frustration intensified, and Toph rolled her unseeing eyes.
"Oh give me a break."
/
After cleaning up, the gang split off again, the dishes that started the scuffle long forgotten. Katara and Aang stayed on the beach, her teaching time beginning earlier than usual. Aang had said that he would rather practice waterbending than go back to meditating, even without the moon out. Katara obliged, feeling fired up from her short lived brawl. Katara had promised to help Aang master the eight-pronged octopus form she had created, also promising to show him how to really use it. She was prepared to simultaneously attack Toph and Zuko, but, well, things didn't go as planned.
"You're really strong Katara," Aang started during their moveset "I was sure you were going to win."
"Thanks Aang, but I'm glad that it ended like it did. Better Sokka suffer than any of us!" Katara smiled sweetly, her focus totally on her form. She enjoyed Aang's company and his conversations – she really did – but when she was teaching, she preferred that to be the focus.
"Yeah!" Aang laughed. "You're all so stubborn, who knows what would have happened!" Katara rolled her eyes, directing her pupil's attention back to the water.
"You need to concentrate Aang. I can tell that working with Zuko and Toph changes the way you bend – I think it's got to do with your form. When you come to me and call to the water, you need to be more fluid. Feel your weight shift through the motions…"
Their session went until well after the moon arose, with Sokka yelling at them to come get food. He and Suki had travelled into the nearby market, meaning that Katara wasn't required to cook. She enjoyed the days where the rest of the gang took charge of the little things, like cooking and cleaning. Since moving into Zuko's old family home, life had become easier for the gang. They no longer had to forage for food, and they were sleeping in comfort, which meant they could train harder. She smiled to herself, proud of her friends for making it this far. For the first time in forever, she had hope. Real, true, deserved hope. They could do this. Aang could do this.
The gang sat around the campfire that night, munching on fireflakes and skewers of exotic meats and vegetables, staring up at the starry sky. The moon was full and illuminated the beach in a soft, otherworldly glow. The gang laughed about training, and pondered life after the war. Nights like these made all their hard work worth it. Their little family had been through so much, but on nights like these, it didn't matter.
/
Toph left early, stating that she was tired, but truly leaving so she could avoid the clean-up that would follow. Suki fell asleep on Sokka's shoulder, and after the flames Zuko had started settled down into embers, he carried her off into the house, bidding Aang, Zuko and Katara goodnight.
"Should we go to bed too, Katara?" Aang offered, standing up and stretching. Katara shook her head, indicating at the pile of dishes suspiciously left around the campfire.
"I think I'll clean this all up, I'm still kind of awake – you know, full moon and all." Aang nodded in understanding, his eyes soon shifting between Katara and Zuko. It wasn't that he didn't like Zuko – heck, he was the first one to vouch for him joining their group – but ever since their trip away, he felt that their relationship had changed. Inwardly Aang shook his head – a change in their friendship was for the better. He was emotionally exhausted having to play messenger and peace-bringer between the two for so long. At least they got along now. He bid the two older teens goodnight, and slowly walked towards the house, Momo perched comfortably on his head.
"I don't really want to get up." Katara mused, holding her knees close to her chest. "Being the grown up around here sucks."
"I know right, I'll bet you ten gold pieces that Toph left just so she didn't get stuck with any of the clean up!" Katara laughed, knowing fully well that Zuko was right. But with the moon above her and everything feeling so right in the world, she couldn't be angry.
"Oh well. It'll get done… eventually."
"I'll help – I didn't exactly finish helping this morning. Sorry about that." From across the fire, Zuko shot Katara an apologetic smile. Their whole day would have gone very differently if he hadn't offered to help… or if he had done so in a less competitive manner.
"It's okay. It was nice kicking Sokka's butt!" She chuckled, and then sighed, pulling herself up from her comfortable seat on the sand. "Well, I spose we best get to work…"
The two worked in synchrony, piling up the dishes and dousing the flames before heading towards the house. Once in the kitchen, Katara began cleaning the dishes with her bending, and Zuko dried them with his. The pair didn't talk, but the silence was nothing but comfortable. After the menial task was completed, Katara broke their silence.
"You're doing really well with Aang, you know. I'm no firebender, but I can tell he's improving a lot." Zuko was slightly taken aback, not used to compliments, especially regarding his training with the Avatar.
"Oh… thanks. He's doing alright. It's hard, because I know I was nowhere near as good as him at this stage. But he doesn't have the luxury of not being the best."
"No need to be so solemn Zuko. We can do this. I feel it. Everything… it's going to be okay. Aang's got three masters teaching him. We still have weeks. What on earth could go wrong?"
If only Katara knew.
/
Katara woke the next morning earlier than usual, rolling over in her bed covering her face to try salvage a few more minutes of slumber. Sunlight was barely beaming through her window and she could hear snoring from down the hall, mentally assuming it was her brother's. She cursed the full moon, wondering if it was the reason for her early rise.
Unbeknownst to her, down the hall laid Zuko, softly snoring as sunlight gently filled his room.
Sokka and Suki lay sprawled across their bed, deeply asleep.
Aang was dreaming.
And Toph awoke screaming.
So there you have it folks! My first dive back into fanfiction in many, many years. Can't guarantee I will update often, that the chapters will be this length, or if you will even like it, but here we are! Let me know how you like it. If enough people are interested, I'll continue!
Also - I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender! That's all Bryke. And I have watched all of ATLA and TLOK, and will be deviating from cannon. I am a huge Zutara shipper, and will never forgive them for not making it cannon. That's why I'm here!
Thanks guys! And it is good to be back.