Inspired by: I guess by the very hot weather we're having recently, most likely due to the fact that its Summer...which means that our house gets pretty hot, considering there's no A/C. Which makes it hard to sleep. Which explains why I got the idea for this story in the middle of the night, lying on my bed...
Special shout-out to my cuzins: Emzie Dahling-- grlsrok13 - --who helped me in the editing of this fic...you go, Em! I'll keep my fingers crossed for that fanfic of yours! -.
and to Lizabeth, whose been encouraging me since day one. You can't ask for much more than that. .
Disclaimer: Is not owning Avatar, please no sueing. If you is not one to do such thing, please do not read notis. (based off a real sign from a foreign hotel, quoted in the book 'Anguished English'. A must-read-for-kicks. XD)
One Hot Day
The Summer Sun wasted no time beginning its daily routine. It rose bright and early to start the day, showing off its radiant sheen of light. However, the sun rose higher and higher in the sky, growing bolder and brighter. By midday, the commanding presence of the giant orb in the sky scorched the barren ground with burning waves of heat.
Needless to say, it was a hot day.
"Perfect day for waterbending," one particular teenaged girl said to herself. Katara was sweating heavily, breathing low and deep. She fanned herself with a hand in order to cool down, but she noticed with a resigned sigh that it wasn't working too well.
Retreating from her position under the shade of a tree, Katara quickly scanned the campsite for signs of life. Nothing stirred in the heat, although she did notice a baby saber-tooth moose-lion ambling about carelessly some twenty meters away.
Another figure rapidly appeared in her line of vision, though the ground underneath him swayed to the waves of heat drumming down. He was moving fast, and arrows soon became visible upon approaching the campfire. It was Aang, staff in hand with rolled up pants and a shirt the only clothing he wore, signifying again how very hot it was today. Instantly the airbender noticed her presence.
"Hey Katara, where've you been? everyone's down by the lake!" he said, finally stopping in front of her.
Before he could catch his breath, the excited teenaged seventeen year old grabbed hold of her hand and began pulling her towards where the rest of the gang was sure to be. Katara grinned in amazement at how one person could have so much energy, despite the excruciating heat. She allowed herself to be pulled along by her eager companion, until the sound of splashing reached her ears.
Suddenly Katara planted both feet firmly in the ground, stopping them from going any further. She briefly glimpsed the lake, wherein the rest of their traveling troupe were enjoying themselves in the cool water. Aang turned around to face her, puzzled as to why they had abruptly halted. She stood there looking blankly back at him; she didn't have a reason for why she stopped them from going further, her reaction had been purely instinctive.
Katara stuttered, "I...we...haven't practiced your waterbending in a while." He stared. The war was over; he had already mastered the element long ago. One eyebrow cocked over his other, a bemused expression crossing over his face.
"I just want to check your progress..." Katara tried to force an air of confidence in her voice, yet it sounded fake the moment it left her lips. To her, she sounded like anything but a Master Waterbender.
It was no wonder then that her pupil's next response caught her by surprise. "Sure," Aang said, now seemingly interested the prospect. "I could I could use some practice on my waterbending."
Perhaps it was because of the extra stress he had placed on "waterbending". Or maybe it was his crooked grin and cocked brow, or possibly both. Nevertheless, Katara had the feeling he was on to her, but she took the bait anyway.
"Okay," she said, "So...let's go, uh, practice then." and Katara started walking, feeling slightly warmer than before.
They moved downstream of the lake, away from from the rest of the group. Arriving at a particular spot around a bend in the stream, Katara stopped. Here, the river slightly expanded, with bulrushes surrounding parts of the shore. The sandy underwater surface was barely visible through the glistening reflection of the water. Furthermore, (and perhaps most importantly) the site was safely hidden from the eyes of the others, and any possible conversation that could take place wouldn't be overheard from the lake.
Katara began to strip down to her undergarments, feeling a slight breeze as she removed the articles of clothing. When she was done, she carefully placed the bundle of clothes on the shore, before walking down to the shoreline. Dipping her foot carefully in the river, she tested it. The water was refreshingly cool compared to the hot day, and she waded deeper into the stream bed until it lapped just above her knees. Turning around to face Aang, Katara felt as though her breath had been torn from her lungs.
After three years of extensive training and constant travel, Aang was no longer a skinny twelve-year old. The stream-lined arrows etched into his skin were now completed with smooth, rippling muscles around his arms that flexed with each movement; the results of extreme bending practice through Toph and Zuko. His stomach had hardened over the past years, and his chest rose and fell with every deep, calm breath the airbender took. Katara could feel herself growing weak in the knees, wandering eyes traveling over his tattoos and--
"Katara? ...Are you okay?" The waterbender was brought back to her senses by the sound of Aang's voice. Her eyes snapped back to regard the bender fully, who was at the moment giving her a rather inquisitive look.
"You were staring at me." Aang continued, looking at Katara. A slight blush became visible on her cheeks, caught red-handed for openly gawking at him. How could she not though? He had grown so handsome...
"No I wasn't!" Katara declared, her voice becoming slightly shrilly in her denial. He continued to stare her down, and it was evident to the point of obvious that he didn't believe her one bit.
However, Aang's reply was a simple, "Oh." And shrugging it off, the Avatar walked past her. Katara turned around again to face him resolutely, though couldn't resist eyeing him up and down once more.
"That's good," he continued, "because if I didn't know better..." Aang stopped, and whipping his staff around to face Katara, he quickly bended a sharp water whip towards her, aiming for her side. It was only through pure reflex that Katara was able to parry the sudden move, though she was just barely in time.
Looking up, Katara saw Aang with his staff pointed towards her, a mischievous glint piercing his soft grey eyes, with a devilish smile to match. She felt her breath catch in her throat.
Aang finished his train of thought. "I'd say that Sifu Katara had gotten a little distracted." A full blush broke out on Katara's face as the heat in her cheeks rose significantly. All previous thoughts suddenly vanished from her mind, leaving it utterly blank.
Needless to say, it was going to be a very hot day.
Like it? Hate it? Please comment!
ps: ARE YOU AS PUMPED AS I AM FOR THE FINALE!?