It all began with a fish. Had I not encountered this particular fish at a certain time on a very exact day, I would have never met him. The Avatar. My best friend. The world would still be plunged into an endless war. Now, I know what you must be thinking. "How can a fish cause all of that?" Well, it's quite simple, actually.
My misogynistic brother and I were on a fishing trip out near the ice formations, about a half a day's journey away from our little tribe. Normally, I wouldn't have gone with him because of his 'I'm a man, so I must do this myself' sort of an attitude, but that day I really felt like he needed me for some reason. Maybe it was my boredom of daily life in the tribe that compelled me to go, or maybe it was destiny. I'd like to think it was the latter.
It took a lot of persuasion on my part, but eventually I convinced him to take me on the trip. The actual canoe ride to the ice field was long and drawn out, filled with the sounds of my brother muttering under his breath about letting a girl go fishing and the revolting smell of old fish guts wafting from a large jug seated behind him. After a while, we made it to the more shallow waters of the ice field where there was a higher chance of catching fish. Sokka finally stopped his muttering and proceeded to focus on the water to spot our dinner (before getting bored and checking himself out in the water.)
I looked up and noticed a trail of ice leading out ahead of us in an unnatural manner. "That's weird," I thought to myself. "It's almost like it's… leading somewhere." I shook my head and decided not to dwell on it too much. I sunk back in my seat, thinking of how boring this was. All of a sudden, a reasonably sized fish plops up next to the boat, inches away from where I was seated. It swam around the canoe once, raising the attention of my brother, and then swam past me once more. Sokka quickly reached over to his side and grabbed his whalebone water spear, directing it at the water in front of him, waiting for the fish to resurface.
"It's not getting away from me this time…" Sokka said with confidence. "Watch and learn Katara: this is how you catch a fish." I inwardly rolled my eyes at him, and then returned to watching the fish again. It was swimming around me playfully, knowingly, almost as if it wanted to be caught. "Well, this it why I came here, I guess." I pulled my left glove off my hand and then reached out to where the fish was, feeling the water that he was swimming in with my waterbending senses.
I took a shaky breath, and then lifted my hand up slightly, raising the fish out of the ocean and into a slightly glowing sphere of water. "Sokka, look!" I exclaimed. "I caught one!"
"Shh, Katara, you're going to scare it away." Sokka whispered. "Mmm, I can already smell it cooking…"
"But Sokka, I caught one!" I continued waving the water sphere back and forth, trying to figure out a way to maneuver it into the smelly jug where we would put all of our caught fish. As I had it directly over the jug, Sokka moved his spear back, puncturing the water, breaking both my concentration and the sphere. The water I had previously been bending fell from my power and rained down all upon Sokka's head with an unceremonious splash.
"UGH!" He cried out. "Why is it, that every time you play with magic water… I… get soaked. "
I sighed. "It's not magic, it's waterbending, and it's-"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, an ancient art, unique to our culture, blah, blah, blah…" he trailed off. "Look, I'm just saying that if I had weird powers, I'd keep my weirdness to myself."
"You're calling me weird? I'm not the one who makes muscles at myself every time I see my reflection in the water." I said with a smirk. However, I barely had any time to finish my sentence, when all of a sudden our boat smacked against a thick chunk of rock. Sokka and I both yelled, then looked ahead of us. A powerful current was collecting a ton of ice shards ahead of us.
Our canoe all too quickly got sucked into the current, leaving me rocking in my seat in the back and Sokka rowing our boat from side to side as much as he could to avoid the ice.
"Watch out!" I yelled. To pieces of ice were coming together ahead of us and were going to crush our boat. Sokka tried to move us over to the side of where the ice chucks were, but our little boat kept bumping into large shards, ricocheting us is every direction.
"Go left, go left!" I called. The boat, however, kept bumping into the ice until we were smashed in between two colliding chunks. Sokka and I were thrown from our boat onto the ice, thankfully unharmed somehow. "Ugh, none of this would have happened if we weren't distracted by that fish," I thought to myself.If Sokka and I were focused on what was ahead of us, we could have turned the canoe around and avoided the current.
"You call that left?" I veered as I scooted over closer to my brother.
"You don't like my steering. Well, maybe you should have, waterbended us out of the ice."
"So it's my fault." I said, standing up.
"I knew I should have left you home," Sokka started, quite meanly. "Leave it to a girl to screw things up." I was infuriated. I felt a little bubble of hatred and anger coursing its way through my body, beginning to make me shake in fury. I couldn't take his chauvinism anymore.
"You are the most sexist, immature, nutbrained… ugh, I'm embarrassed to be related to you!" I yelled, thrashing my arms behind me in emphasis. I couldn't stand him anymore. I knew I shouldn't be calling him names, but I was just so fed up with him, and he wasn't even listening! I think that got his attention though, because he suddenly perked his head up. "Ever since mom died, I've been the one doing work around camp while you've been off playing soldier!"
"Ugh… Katara!"
"I even wash all the clothes! Have you ever smelled your dirty socks? Let me tell you, NOT PLEASANT!" I thrashed my arms behind me again.
"Katara, settle down!"
"No! That's it, I'm done helping you. From now on, you're on your own!" I finished, waving my arms to the side furiously. Suddenly, I heard an ear shattering cracking noise and turned around, gasping at what I saw. A large iceberg, about the size of a mammoth seal-whale, which I hadn't even noticed, was splitting apart from the middle at a supernatural rate. When the huge iceberg completely split in half, both sides of it fell harshly into the water, throwing my brother and I back on a large wave. We both yelled and clawed our way to the edge of the ice chunk we were on to hold onto the side of it as we were being pushed back. Sokka threw a protective arm around me as I clung on tighter for dear life. I clamped my eyes shut as tightly as I could. "And to think we just came to fish…"
Eventually, the wave settled down, leaving me still shaking and surprised. "What on earth just happened?"
"Okay, you've gone from weird, to freakish Katara," Sokka said as he removed his arm from around me. I gaped at the place where the iceberg fell apart in awe.
"You mean…I did that?" Smaller waves around us were angrily crashing against each other, carrying remnants of the ice that just fell apart. There were a few clumps of compacted snow and ice still left behind, but other than that, the iceberg was completely gone.
"Yup. Congratulations." I could not believe I did that. Maybe I was a freak…
Suddenly, the water next to our chunk of ice starting eerily glowing a bright blue, a color I had never seen before. It was so intense, so strangely beautiful. Before I knew it, the water started to bubble and the glowing pool of water got brighter and bigger until my brother and I were completely shrouded in a gorgeous but blinding teal light. Then, the water started to rise and Sokka and I stood up and stepped back as something huge came out of it. It was big, that I could tell, but I couldn't really decide what it was. As my eyes came into focus of the huge object, I realized that it looked like some sort of iceburg, but not any kind I've ever seen. I mean, what kind of iceberg glows? It was also a shape of ice I had never seen before. Unlike all of the other icebergs which were angular and sharp, this one was rounder, smoother, and looked more like a ball than anything else. It had smooth streaks running across the surface that almost looked like air. If air looked like anything, of course.
Inside of the ice were two dark figures, one oddly shaped, maybe in the shape of a buffalo, the other one smaller in the shape of-" No, it can't be..." I thought to myself. Just as I did though, the figures eye's opened, revealing two glowing orbs staring directing at… me. "It's a boy!" I felt the strangest sense of excitement replacing my earlier feelings of rage at Sokka, like I knew this was probably one of the most important things that would ever happen in my life. I wanted to see him closer, inspect him, maybe even talk to him. Fist though, I had to get him out of there.
"He's alive! We have to help!" I reached over to my brother and stole the steel club from off of his back, pulled the hood of my parka over my head, then ran towards the boy. He could be dying in there!
"Katara, get back here!" Sokka called after me. It was no use though; I was not going to stop until that boy was out of there. "We don't know what that thing is!"
I ran to the side of the iceburg and began swinging at it with the club as hard as I could. I inspected the inside of it and realized that it was hallow. I could get this boy out, which meant I wasn't hitting the ice for no reason. With one final blow, the ice cracked open and a massive gust of wind came out of it, throwing me backwards into Sokka's arms. The iceburg ripped in half in a completely straight line from where I hit it, and wild air shot out of it, ruffling my hair and clothes into my face. Then, oddly enough, a bright beam of the same teal blue color came shooting out of the ice, reaching into the sky and past the clouds, taller than anything I had ever seen. Other smaller streaks of like were dancing around the beam in a gorgeous display, making a light and whimsical tinkling noise like tiny bells or chimes. The beam of light began to flicker then fall away, disappearing as soon as it came, leaving behind multiple halos and shimmering light waving around the top of the newly cracked open ice.
Sokka and I gave each other a look, then stood up from where we had fallen when I was thrown back. We kept standing there, waiting for something, watching, when he came slowly crawling out of the ice. It was the boy we had seen earlier, and now that he wasn't trapped, I could see him better. What I hadn't noticed before was that he had this strange arrow marking on the top of his head and hands that, like his eyes, were glowing white.
"Stop!" Sokka yelled, sheathing his spear in the direction of the boy. The boy however, kept moving and then stood tall in front of the two of us, his gleaming eyes flashing towards our direction. My shoulders slumped and I felt a small pang of fear course through my blood. Maybe he was a spirit? I didn't think he meant to hurt us. I couldn't tell why, but there was just something telling me that this boy was not bad.
Soon enough, everything around us stopped glowing, including the boy's markings and tattoo's, and then he slumped forward, unconscious. I gasped and ran forward, catching him in my arms, eliciting a small groan from him as a caught him. I held him there, stunned, not really knowing what to do.
Sokka, however, had an idea of what to do, and then proceeded to prod the boy's head with the back of his spear. I waved off his spear and scolded Sokka, then returned to the boy. He was a little shorter than me, innocent looking even with his eyes closed, and very cute. "There is no way that this boy is harmful, he just seems too sweet."
The boy groaned a little again and began waking up, revealing underneath what had to be the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen. In my little village, every one had the same blue eyes. I had never seen eyes that were not blue, other than the time we were invaded. The firebenders, however, did not have beautiful eyes. Their eyes were golden and red, angry like the expressions on their face, ugly. I hated their eyes, especially the ones of the man who killed my mother. I never forgot the ones he possessed. They were black, small, and lifeless. I hated his eyes.
This boy, however, had silvery eyes like steel or like the clouds that would come rolling above the tribe before a storm. They were sparkling and kind, cool and breathy. I had never seen anything like it before. He gasped a little for some reason and stared into me, and I felt so warm and light hearted.
"I need to ask you something…" the boy said, his voice a little groggy.
"What?"
"Please… Come closer..."
"What is it?" I waited. I just knew this was going to be important…
"Will you go penguin sledding with me?" His eyes suddenly shot open and he had a perky smile on his face. Well, this sure was interesting.
oOoOoOo
"Can you believe everything that's happened this past year?" I asked him.
"Honestly? Yes. I can, but only because this past year was so wonderful."
"What are you talking about?" I laughed, beginning to stand up. "This year was all about fighting and war and suffering."
"Yeah, but it was also about friendship and traveling and laughter and love," he said with a smile, all while gently lifting himself from the grass with a bit of his airbending. Both of us had gone out together, hand-in-hand, and running around the parts of Ba Sing Se, enjoying the festivities that were taking place everywhere. The war was over, the harmony restoration movement was in place, and everything was finally looking up after a century of constant warfare. After Aang and I were done enjoying playing with small fire crackers and sizzlers with a group of small children in one of the happy streets, we set off together towards this wonderful park-type of area. Because everyone was out celebrating, it was just Aang and I in the park. We had lain in the grass for a while, chatting away about life and how wonderful things are and our past misadventures. It was truly a wonderful night.
"Um Katara… speaking of love…" He started, averting his gaze from mine by looking down at his feet, "what is going on between us right now?"
"You mean, romantically?" I asked quite stupidly. "Of course he means romantically, you idiot. What else w-"
"Yeah, romantically." He rubbed his neck with one hand and looked to the side, a blush obviously coloring his face that you could even see in the dark. "Katara, listen. This whole war was the hardest experience of my life. Like you said, there was a lot of fighting and suffering, but I feel like it wasn't really all that bad because I got to go through all of it with you." At that sentiment, I felt tears coming to my eyes. Before I got the chance to wipe them away, Aang reached out and wiped them away for me. The simple but touching and almost intimate gesture made my heart swell a thousand times its normal size in my chest for him. I love this boy.
"Go on," I urged at him. He smiled and nodded his head briefly.
"You made my life so wonderful Katara, and I can't imagine being without you. You're my support, my greatest friend, my happiness, my-" He stopped. He looked intensely into my eyes, then grabbed my hand into his own. "My love." I felt my heart stop for a moment and a smile crept upon my face. "Love?"
"Katara, I love you." Suddenly, the past 9 months flashed before my eyes and I could remember every small touch we shared, every time we ran into trouble, every time we laughed. I remembered the first time I met him, how if Sokka and I hadn't been distracted from squabbling over that one little fish, none of this would have ever happened. Suddenly, I had a new appreciation for fish, especially that one.
"I love you too Aang." With that, we leaned forward and shared our second kiss that day, this one being even more confident and loving than the one on Iroh's balcony. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, pulling us into a snug embrace while he placed his arms around my waist. The sound of laughter and firecrackers were near by, perfectly representing this moment and the life we were going to share together.
"Aang…" I whispered as we parted from our kiss, my breath gently tickling his lips.
"Yeah?"
"I'm not confused anymore."
"Oh? And what have you decided?" He decided, smiling gently as he pressed his forehead against the side of mine, his lips brushing against my lower cheek.
"I want to be with you." I felt his lips break into a wide smile and then he pressed a loving kiss against my cheek that made my heart swell even more. He then placed a short kiss on my lips again before pulling back and smiling at me.
"You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that." I laughed heartily at this and threw my head back, enjoying the happiness between us as he soon joined me in my laughter. After a few moments, we stopped and then pressed our foreheads together, just enjoying this new and exciting feeling of closeness. My heart was beating wildly and I thought I was about to burst out crying from this relief and joy that I'm sure the whole world could feel. The war was over; there would be peace from now on, we didn't have to constantly worry and fight every other person we saw, and I would finally have my first boyfriend. Boyfriend. Whoa.
"I guess it's settled then." He giggled a little, then closed his eyes and sighed peacefully. "Everything is finally over."
I smiled. "No. Everything is just beginning."
oOoOoOo
WHOO! Fluffy fluff fluff fluff.
I don't think I've ever written anything that fluffy… I'm a little embarrassed. :p
Anywho, I'm so excited that Kataang week is here! I've never participated in Kataang week before, only because I never know when it's going on and I always miss it. It was fun writing this!
I would have finished this chapter earlier, only I've been sick with some mysterious illness. And when I say sick, I mean I'm so feverish I've been hallucinating. Like… nightmares and daydreams level of hallucinations, only worse because they're not cheering sheep and talking momo's. They're terrifying and confusing and affecting the way I think. I didn't know I could scream a horror movie scream until last night when a shadow monster was creeping along the ceiling, making its way over to where I was to kill me. Yeah. Not fun.
Well, I'm feeling better now from all of the medicine I've taken and decided to finish this. I hope I can do tomorrow's promt too. I think I might possibly sorta be a little smidge better! Maybe. (knocks on wood.) Gotta stay optimistic!
Also, sorry if I have spelling, grammar, or writing mistakes. I haven't really edited this, and as you know, I'm sick, so I'm more prone to writing mistakes.
WHOO! KATAANG WEEK ENTHUSIASM! :D :D :D :D :D *dies
(Btw, at this moment as I am writing this, a tall, hooded, black monster keeps walking around from the corner of the hall towards me. It has yellow eyes. I hate hallucinations. -_-)