Disclaimer:All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Author's notes: This story builds on the stories "The price of peace", "Foundations of a city", "On the ice" and "Spring talks". It would be extremely helpful to read those fics first.
A bittersweet vacation
By Eva aka Pinkfox
The sun was already setting when Aang brought Appa down the middle of the three mountains on which the Eastern Air Temple was built. Katara stared, awed by the architecture, despite the huge damage done by the Fire Nation and time. "It is beautiful, Aang."
Aang smiled, but an underlying sadness shone in his eyes. "It is. I just wish you could have seen it while it was still teeming with life."
Katara put her hand on his shoulder, wordlessly giving comfort.
They landed on one of the large, airy balconies which easily could have held ten Appa's. Efficiently they divested Appa of his saddle and luggage and Appa flew off to get a drink of water.
Katara looked around, taking in the architecture from up close. "Did you want to camp outside? The weather is beautiful and I would like to look at the stars with you tonight."
Aang grinned. "I like that." Quickly they set up camp, putting their bedrolls side by side. Katara went off to find some water, while Aang collected wood and made a campfire.
When Katara came back, she hung a cauldron above the fire and started to chop various vegetable for a thick stew. After collecting more fire wood and caring for Appa, Aang came back and he quickly grabbed another knife to help. Katara smiled at him. "I picked up something new in the village where we stopped yesterday to try in the stew. It is called tofu and the woman who sold it to me said it was a kind of meat replacement, made from soy beans." She held up the spongy, white block.
Aang cocked his head. "I've heard of it, but I've never had it. I'd like to try it."
Katara sliced of a piece and started to chop it in tiny pieces. "Apparently I can also use it for that stew that everyone likes so much. I can marinate the tofu in the same marinade as the meat and use it in the same way."
"So you mean I don't have chew on some stick anymore while the rest of you attack that stew?" Aang teased, his eyes twinkling.
Katara sputtered. "You… you… grrr…argh…"
"Cat got your tongue, Katara?" Aang continued to needle her.
Katara gave up trying to find a reply and gestured with her hand. Suddenly a huge splash of water fell on Aang, soaking him to the bone. "Be careful what you say, little air bender…" Katara trailed off, leaving the threat in the air.
Aang lifted his hands, still dripping. "I surrender." Both burst out in laughter and Aang quickly bended the water from his cloths and drying himself off with a bit of fire bending. Both returned to preparing the meal.
By the time they had eaten and cleaned up the stars had come out in full force. "Let's do the grand tour tomorrow." Aang suggested after they were finished and were sitting down with a cup of hot tea.
"Fine with me." Katara quickly finished her tea and waited till Aang had finished his. Then she pulled him over to the blankets. "Let's watch the stars."
Aang let himself be pulled down and gazed at the stars. He searched the heaven until he had found a particular combination and pointed. "That constellation we called the Sky Bison. Monk Gyatso always used to tell a story that it was that sky bison that would come down to Earth when someone died and that it would bear the soul away to the Spirit World."
Katara listened with interest. It was not often that Aang would share something about this life with the Air Nomads without being asked. "I like the idea. Did he tell any other stories about the stars?"
Aang was silent for a while, but Katara waited patiently. Finally he pointed out another group of stars. "That one was called the Glider. One of the first air benders was challenged by his friends to see how high he could fly with his gliders. So he flew higher and higher… At a certain moment he was so high there wasn't any air left to breath and he suffocated. Vayu felt that everyone should know about what he had done, so he placed him in the sky where everybody could see him and how far he had gotten." Aang laughed for few moments before he spoke again and this time his voice sounded very sad. "Gyatso always used to say that as a young boy he wanted to fly higher than the Glider, but that his parents kept him from doing so."
Katara rolled over, laying her head on Aang's shoulder and wrapping an arm around him. "I wish I could have known him. He sounds like someone who I would have liked."
Aang bent his head down, kissing Katara on the crown of her head. "I wish you could have known him too…"
After breakfast and some bending practice next morning, Aang took Katara on a brief tour of the temple.
"I'll have to remember to get some fresh onions for dinner tonight." Katara said as they looked out over one of the gardens Aang wanted to show her. He had already taken her to a giant statue of Avatar Yangchen and the bison stables, even pointing out the spot where he had met Appa for the first time.
Aang shook his head, laughing. "I'm trying to show you a beautiful sight and you talk about harvesting onions for dinner. But if you really want to, I think there are some more greens in there… As long as you don't mix onion with bananas in your cooking…"
"Onions and bananas? Who came up with that combination? It sounds disgusting." Katara retorted, but quickly sobered when she saw the look in Aang's eyes. "Did I say something wrong?"
The air bender pulled a smile on his face. "Just some memories… Guru Pathik drunk onion-banana juice the whole time. I wasn't very fond of it."
Katara shuddered theatrically. "I can imagine. Onions are fine in stew, but I can't imagine drinking juice made of it." She paused for a moment, and then asked carefully: "Did you find any signs of him when you were looking around this morning?"
"No." Aang shook his head. "I think he left a long time ago. He told me he was only here waiting for me so he could teach me. He did, so I think he left after I did…" Aang trailed of, the look in his eyes growing stronger…
He had shown her a few more sights, but very soon afterwards he had disappeared. Not too worried and realizing that Aang probably needed some time on his own, Katara had set out to do some exploring on her own.
She had already combed through what must have been a large kitchen and some kind of library if the remains of dozens of scrolls were any indication. Now she was exploring what looked like some kind of bedrooms. She was poking around in drawer when a heavy box fell on her foot. "Ouch."
She shook out her foot and picked up the box, frowning when several stamps and bottles of ink fell out. Muttering under breath, Katara knelt down, gathering the objects and stuffing it back in the box. Suddenly she eyes widened and she read the inscription on the inside of the box: 'Do not touch. This box contains the instruments of justice'.
"Instruments of justice? Ink and stamps?" Katara muttered to herself. She looked up and checked the window. Looking at the sun, she saw was almost afternoon and Katara left the bedroom to fix up the midday meal. The box was firmly tucked away under her arm.
Katara had just boiled the rice and was adding some chopped fruits when Aang returned from wherever he had been. Katara studied his face for a moment. "Are you okay?"
Aang smiled. "I'm okay now." He checked the cauldron. "You should have waited for me. I would have helped."
Katara straightened and pushed the hair away from her face. "It's no problem, Aang. You can help me by explaining something later, after we eat."
After they had dinner, Aang quickly cleaned the bowls and sat down beside Katara once more. "What was it you wanted me to explain?"
Katara pulled the box from under the cloth and showed it to Aang. "An inscription talked about 'instruments of justice'. But the box only contains bottles of ink and stamps. What do they mean with that?"
The air bender took the box from her and examined it and its contents. "They were called that because they were used in our justice system. I hope you didn't get ink anywhere?"
"No. Why?"
"Because it wouldn't have come off for several years…"
"Huh?"
"Didn't you ever wonder why you didn't see prisons at any of the air temples? We saw them in all the other nations."
"It occurred to me once. But I just figured that there just was very little crime…"
"Air Nomads didn't commit crimes very often. That is true. But we didn't use prisons as a punishment." Aang started laying out the inks and stamps. "When it was not too serious the most usual way to deal with it was to try to rehabilitate some, often a combination on working on discipline with a master and giving back to the community in some way. But when it was very serious or the rehabilitation didn't work, these were used. People were marked on the face in the middle of their forehead, over their tattoo. The ink is a special ink that cannot wash of. It really had wear off. The green one stayed on a few months and was meant as a very serious warning. Red was three years and meant that some had been violent and hurt animals and major property without a reasonable cause, like self-defense. Purple was four years and meant assault against a person. And black, that was for cases of murder. It stayed on for seven years." Aang pointed out each ink and mark while he explained.
Katara lifted and eyebrow, trying to understand. "So anyone could see what crime someone had committed?"
Aang shook his head. "Not just that. If someone had a mark, no one of the opposite sex wanted to have anything to do with you. Not even your own husband or wife. In fact, almost everyone avoided or ignored you. You always had to the worst chores in the community and if you were given a black stamp, you were often expelled. But after the mark had worn of, you had paid your dues and you were accepted back."
"So you were not locked away, but 'only' despised and scorned." Katara shuddered. "And that for several years?" At Aang's nod, she frowned. "That sounds like a pretty heavy punishment. But, couldn't people just leave? Or pretend to have had an accident and removed the mark that way?"
"No, if an Air Nomad had a scar there, everyone would know what that meant. And even if they left, they still carried the mark. Most people in the world knew what the marks meant and would often react in the same way… with scorn and derision."
Katara looked thoughtful. "I never knew." She was silent for while, trying to find the words for what she wanted to say. "I like learning things about the Air Nomads. I know so little about them and I wish I knew more… Even if it are things like this." She gestured towards the box.
Aang regarded her closely for a moment. "Why didn't you ask if you wanted to know more?"
Katara looked at the ground. "Because I figured it would only bring back memories for you. You hardly ever speak about your life there and I was scared I would hurt you if I asked. But it is like a part of you that hardly know and I wish that was different."
She felt a hand covering her own. "Katara, look at me." She looked up and startled a bit when she how close Aang was sitting. "It's true that it often hurts to talk or even think about it. But I'm also the only one who still remembers how it was. I want other people to know about that. If you want to know something, just ask… Promise me."
Katara smiled and learned forward a bit. She covered Aang's hand with her own. "I promise." She pulled Aang forward and wrapped him in a hug.
After they had let go of each other, they had a very relaxing afternoon. Aang showed her the small waterfall and they swam and splashed around, chasing each other when the mood stuck, until it was time for dinner. After dinner and clean up, they were once more seated on a soft blanket, mugs of tea in one hand. Aang was leaning on Katara's shoulder as they enjoyed the peace surrounding them.
Finally Aang poured some new tea in each of their mugs. "You said this afternoon you wanted to know things about the Air Nomads. What do you want to know?"
Katara sucked in a breath. "I didn't mean you have to do this now after we talked..."
"Katara, I am asking because I want to tell you things. If I didn't want to, I wouldn't have asked." Aang spoke, reassuring her with a few simple words.
The water bender nodded and thought for a moment. "Well, what I am curious about is why you were called the Air Nomads while most of them lived in one of the four temples."
"Most of us didn't live in one of the temples." Aang gently corrected her. "The people who lived in the temples were the air bending students, the elderly and the monks or nuns who had chosen that life. And the pregnant or nursing mothers often stayed at the Eastern or Western Air Temples."
"Where did the rest of them live then?"
"They were true nomads, traveling around the world with family, friends and sky bison in small groups. But many of them returned to one of the temples a few times a year for one of the festivals. When Sozin's Comet returned, it was one of those times and that was how the Fire Nation was able to…" Aang trailed off.
Katara put an arm around his shoulder. "I know what you mean." She sat in silence for a moment before carefully venturing forward with her next question. "So Air Nomads did have families?"
Aang nodded. "Except for the people who chose to become a monk or a nun. When an air bender was somewhere between sixteen and twenty they often earned their arrows and left the temple. Usually soon afterwards they would meet their spouse and marry. Then they would travel around… When the woman became pregnant, she would often stay at the Western or Eastern Air Temple during the later part of her pregnancy and while she was nursing. But before the baby was a year old she would join her traveling group again, with the baby."
"But you lived with several boys your age at the temple…"
"When a kid was old enough to really need air bending instruction, he or she was send to one of the temples to learn and they generally lived there while studying. But it was very common for family to visit a few times a year or for the student to travel with his family for a little while. I traveled a lot with Gyatso…"
Katara hesitated. "But what about your family, Aang? I thought you never knew your parents."
"I didn't. I was taken soon after birth to be raised by the monks because I was the Avatar. That was what Gyatso told me after they revealed the truth." Aang explained briefly.
Katara's only reaction was shock. "That is just unfair." She finally managed to get out.
"It was their tradition. That way the Avatar would have less… earthly attachments." Aang's voice sounded bitter. "But I often wondered about them and I wish I could have known them…"
"Aang! AANG! Wake up, its okay. I'm here." Katara shook Aang gently, urging him to wake up. "AANG!" Suddenly Aang shot up, his eyes wide and he desperately tried to suck in enough air.
Katara moved quickly, pulling him against her so that his back rested against her torso and wrapped her arms around him. "Aang, it's okay. It's just me. Try to take to take slow breaths." Very slowly Aang started to calm down in her arms. Katara waited patiently till his breathing was regular again before twisting around. She was now holding him sideways and she tucked Aang's head in the crook of her neck. "Are you alright now?"
"I am fine, Katara. Just a nightmare."
"I think it was a bit more than 'just a nightmare'. You were tossing and moving around in ways I've never seen you do before. And you kept crying out for me, saying that you were not going to let me go. You talked about losing me before, but never about letting me go…"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Alright." She knew that trying to force Aang wouldn't work. Instead she just held him, humming softy, knowing that when he was ready he would talk.
"I was dreaming about when I was training with the guru." Aang started hesitantly. "I told you he had me open my chakras. What I didn't tell was that I didn't open the thought chakra… I couldn't…"
"Why couldn't you?" Katara asked gently.
"Because I would have to give up all my earthly attachments… Especially you…" Aang shuddered. "But because I couldn't Ba Sing Se fell…"
Katara was silent, trying to think of what to say. Finally she said carefully: "Do you think you made a mistake in not giving up all your earthly attachments?"
"Sometimes..."
"Aang, were all the other Avatars perfect? Did they never make a mistake?"
"Not exactly…"
"Then why would it be such a huge thing if you made a mistake… And that is if you made a mistake… personally… I think you would have made a mistake if you would have let go…"
Aang's eyes snapped open and he pushed away from her. "Why?"
"Didn't Yangchen tell you that detaching yourself from the world was something an Avatar could never do? Yes, you might have been able to enter the Avatar State at will, but what would the other consequences have been… Would it have been the first step towards the Avatar Spirit high and mighty on the mountain? I don't know… But instead you managed to tame it by holding on to what was the most important to you: love and respect for everything that lives… I think you did something very special there…"
Aang was silent for a while, staring at her with huge grey eyes. When he didn't reply, Katara continued: "You told me that Roku loved Ta Min and that Kuruk loved Ummi. They didn't have to let go of their loved ones to control the Avatar State. Maybe it was Guru Pathik who was wrong, not you."
Aang blinked a few times. "I never really looked at it this way… But maybe you are right…"
A slight smile stole over Katara's lips. "When would you have had the chance to really think about it, Aang? After Ba Sing Se fell, we were preparing for the invasion and you were still recovering. Then you were learning fire bending and everything that happened with Sozin's Comet. And afterwards we have been dealing almost none stop with rebuilding, negotiations and all the political stuff that ended up on our plate…"
Aang leaned forward, wrapping his arms around Katara. "Thank you." He said simply. Katara smiled and laid back down, pulling Aang with her. She nestled close and yawned. Slowly their breathing became deep and regular and quiet reigned once more.
Katara tucked one of her fans in the belt of her tunic and took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, she sunk a bit through her knees and moved a few steps before she removed the fan from her belt. Lifting both her hands above her head in slow, graceful movement, she turned halfway on one leg and snapped open her fan with a loud pop.
Almost immediately she shifted her weight smoothly and turned halfway once more. Shifting her weight once more she completed the turn and fanned herself while she walked a few steps forward. When she turned once more, she snapped the fan closed and swung it around while moving once more with slow, graceful steps.
She continued to steps and turn, her arms still moving the fan around her with elegant motions, snapping it open and closed and even stabbing with it a few times. Finally she snapped it open for the last time and moved sideways. Her arm that held the fan was almost mimicking a rolling wave. Finally she stepped back and snapped the fan closed before tucking it in her belt and bowing briefly, before repeating the kata twice more.
Katara smiled after having briefly evaluating how practice had gone. She had flowed smoothly, just like the water she always envisioned in her mind. Her eyes roamed over the area that the temple inhabitants had used as practice area and she spotted Aang where a number of poles were still standing. She moved a bit closer and observed what he was doing.
Aang was circling and twisting through the poles, his feet placed carefully every time and he was changing directions seemingly without trouble. His hands and arms were kept in various positions that almost seemed to change as quickly as he changed directions. Katara frowned and studied him closer. Finally she figured out what he was doing… some kind of advanced form of the circle walking he had taught her.
She looked around for moment and spotted a circle carved in the stone that looked exactly the same as the circle Aang had drawn on the hard stone with chalk when he had started to teach her. She moved over to the circle, carefully taking a fighting stance. Then she turned her feet another forty-five degrees away from her opponent: the center of the circle. She lifted her arms in the correct position and started to move. She hadn't done this in a while and her first steps were hesitant. But soon her muscles remembered the correct movements and she was walking far more smoothly.
She practiced for a bit and only stopped when startled. She froze and searched the source of the disturbance. Nearby she saw Aang standing nearby, obviously having ended his own exercise and he was applauding her. He had to laugh at her expression. "Did I startle you?"
Katara glowered at him. "What do you think?"
"It looks like I did. You did very well by the way." Aang complimented her.
The annoyed water bender almost softened immediately. "It's been a while since I really practiced."
Aang shrugged. "You have been working with Suki and the other Kyoshi Warriors on the fans lately. And it's not like we had that much time to practice. I think the last time we really worked on acrobatics was just after we arrived in Ba Sing Se."
"I joined Suki and the other Warriors once or twice every week with their acrobatic practice. I'll never be as good as them, but I didn't want my skills to atrophy."
"Did you want to practice now?" Aang asked, raising an eyebrow inquiringly.
Katara considered for a moment. "No." She finally decided. "We can do that later in the day or even tomorrow. There is something else it would like to practice… I need to keep up on my fire ball blocking skills, especially since we will be overseeing the evacuations in a month-and-a-half or so."
Aang hesitated for moment, clearly still not completely over his reluctance to throw fire balls at the woman he loved. "Okay…" He finally said. They moved to an area with a small stream close by and enough space that Aang wouldn't incinerate something. They started out slowly, Katara first extinguishing the balls from the side. Later Aang tossed them straight at her, first small blasts, then enlarging them. Katara managed to put them all out quickly, without even singeing a hair.
Finally Aang nodded, gesturing that it was enough. Katara nodded back and hugged Aang briefly. "Thanks for the practice. I know this is still difficult for you."
"What are you doing?" Aang eyed Katara's preparations curiously.
"Cooking." Was the short reply.
"I can see that, but what?"
Katara looked up from the bowl in which she was mixing some kind of batter. "I'm making baked bananas and pineapple for lunch."
Aang beamed at her. "I love those."
"Why do you think I'm making them? I love them also."
"Do you need a hand?" Aang gestured to the fruit lying besides Katara.
"Sure." Aang grabbed a knife and start to clean the whole pineapple and four bananas. When Katara had finished the batter, she put a baking pan on the fire, carefully balancing it on a few stones. She grabbed the stone jar of oil and poured almost all of it in the pan.
She carefully dropped in a bit of the batter and when it startled to sizzle and tiny bubble appeared she knew the oil was ready. Aang had finished cleaning the fruit and Katara quickly dipped the piece in the batter and let them glide in the pan. It immediately started to sizzle and she had to turn them already after a few minutes with a wooden pair of tongs. Efficiently she prepared all of the fruit and put it in a bowl, drizzling a tiny bit of honey over them.
When all the fruit was fried, Aang bended down the flames so the hot oil could cool of and Katara placed the bowl with the fruit between them. She handed Aang his chopsticks and took her own. Both of them ate a few pieces of the fruit, but suddenly Aang got an idea. He picked up one of the sticky pieces and held it up for Katara to take.
She eyed the fruit for a moment, before eating it. She grinned and held up her own piece of fruit for Aang to take. Aang nipped it from her chopsticks and grinned back. Katara thought for a moment and picked up another piece of fruit, but this time she held it between her own lips and leaned forward. Aang's eyes gleamed and he carefully let his lips meet hers, taking the piece of fruit and chewing happily…
They spent most of the afternoon lying in the sun, snoozing for a bit and exchanging lazy kisses. When the sun was approaching the horizon they forced themselves to get up, clean up the oil and the baking pan and to prepare some food for dinner. They kept it simple, just some rice and vegetables with a boiled egg for each.
Afterwards they enjoyed a mug of hot tea, as was their habit. Aang noticed that Katara was looking very pensive. "A copper for your thoughts?"
"Uh, what?" Katara looked slightly startled. "What were you saying?"
"I asked what you were thinking about."
"Just some stuff…"
"You looked pretty far gone for you just to be thinking of 'some stuff'." Aang observed.
Katara sighed. "I was thinking about my role as She-Who-Knows and my duty to restart the Daughters of Tui… I'm sure I'll be getting some questions about that when we visit the Northern Tribe. I think I'll have to restart them sooner in the north then in the south…"
"Do you have any ideas yet?" Aang asked, keen interest showing on his face.
"Not really. I wish I understood more what happened that made so many of the Daughters turn dark. Then I could try to prevent it. I talked about it with Nauja, but she didn't really know. Maybe her teacher in the Northern Tribe will know more, but I doubt it…"
An idea occurred suddenly to Aang and he considered it for a moment. "There might be another source…"
"Who?" Understanding suddenly blossomed on Katara's face. "You're talking about Avatar Aryanka? How would that help me?"
"Well, she is one of my previous lives…" Aang raised his eyebrow, waiting for Katara to understand the obvious.
"You want to channel her? Like you did with Yue at the Water Tribe Council?"
"No, not exactly. When I was on the lion turtle I was able to summon them and to manifest them outside my body. Momo could see them, so I don't see why you couldn't talk to Avatar Aryanka that way." Aang explained briefly.
Katara considered it for a moment, before replying: "I would like that. But when do you want to this? Now?"
"They say there is no time like the present." Aang easily folded his legs in the lotus position and put his fists together before his chest. He closed his eyes to focus and Katara shook of her surprise, quickly digging out her necklace and circlet and taking a seat besides Aang.
Within a few moments the figure of a short, slender woman formed before them, glowing slightly. She was dressed in a long dress edged with white fur at the hem and a sash wrapped around her waist. Her hair hung over one shoulder in a thick braid. "Why did you call on me, Avatar Aang?" She spoke with a low, pleasant voice.
"My mate was in need of your advice to prevent something from reoccurring. Something that you once prevented." Aang explained briefly, gesturing to Katara.
Aryanka studied Katara for a moment, particularly the choker and circlet in her lap. "You are She-Who-Knows?" She asked, surprise obvious in her voice.
Katara nodded respectfully. "Yes, Avatar Aryanka. I was asked by the current Moon Spirit Yue and Tootega to assume this role and to rebuild the Daughters of Tui in time. But I also know they were corrupted when you disbanded them. I know very little of what happened and without this knowledge I cannot prevent this for recurring again."
"You are a Blood Bender?"
"I am. I wish I was not, but it is a skill I have mastered. I try not to use it, though." Katara tried to reassure the Avatar before her.
"I think that is very wise. Because it was blood bending that led me to the decision to disband the Daughters of Tui. It was not one big event, but just little things that became a habit and grew from there. They abused their position, forcing people to do things against their will while blood bending was only meant as an absolute last defense."
"So if I want to reform the Daughters it would probably be best only to teach blood bending to those I absolutely trust to use it justly." Katara concluded. "My original thoughts were similar. I have experienced to slippery that slope is and I have seen it destroy a person." She explained, referring to the time she had blood bended the Captain of the Southern Raiders and her experiences with Hama.
"Then you know better than anyone what the risks are. I wish you much luck. There was much that was admirable about the Daughters. They were fierce protectors of the Water Tribe and good and strong women, making a brave choice that went against their traditional role. I hope you can take the best parts of that and restore their honor." With those words, Aryanka faded away.
"Wow…" Was Katara's first reaction.
"Did she give you what you needed?" Aang asked.
"She confirmed my thoughts. I'm glad I was on the right track with trying to figure out what happened. I won't be teaching anyone blood bending any time soon. Not unless I really trusted them not to abuse it."
"Would you teach me blood bending if I asked?"
Katara studied Aang's face closely, trying to determine if he was serious. "If you were really serious, I probably would. I think you are one of the few people who I trust that way and you are the only water bender among them… Do you really want to learn?"
"No, I don't. Maybe one day I will have too, but I will cross that bridge only when it is really necessary. Besides, I'm still working on improving my healing skills. I much prefer to work on that…"
On their third full day at the temple they were startled awake early in the morning by a sudden downpour. Both jumped up, Katara quickly bending the rain back in an attempt to prevent their bed rolls from getting any wetter, while Aang gathered their bags and carried them under the canopy. Luckily their scrolls were still in their water resistant casing. Katara followed quickly with their bed rolls, but they were still soaked through.
Aang had piled up their bags and built a small fire in the fire place that was already there, while Katara bended the water from the bed rolls and rearranged them. Then she bended the water from her dripping hair. When she turned around to face Aang, she noticed he was staring. "Aang? Is something wrong?"
That seemed to startle him out of his daze and he blushed. "Your clothes are…" He gestured towards the thin tunic she was wearing to sleep in. She looked down and saw that it had become almost translucent because it was soaking wet. The bandeau top and tight skort that she used as undergarments nowadays were clearly visible. A blush rose to cover her face.
"I see…" She swallowed once. "Do… do you like what you see?"
Aang's blush deepened as he rubbed his head. "Uh… yeah… of course…" He mumbled, trying very hard not to stare.
Katara scraped all her courage together and spoke hesitantly: "You can look if you want too… I don't mind." She studied Aang closely for a minute. The sleeping shirt he wore for some extra warmth in the often chilly nights was also soaked through and clung to his upper body. "In fact, I know that I'm enjoying what I see…"
Aang slowly came closer, keeping an eye out for any sign that Katara was feeling uncomfortable. He touched his lips gently to hers, his hands lightly resting on her shoulders. Katara leaned forward a bit, deepening the kiss. After a few moments, she let go and grabbed his hand, heading towards the blankets to sit down, pulling him with her. "Katara?"
This was new territory for the both of them. They had kissed before, quite ardently even and they always cuddled together when they slept together. They had also touched before, but that was almost always to loosen up sore muscles after practice or when one of them was too tense. It all shot through Katara's head while she lifted her hand and placed it on Aang's chest, tracing his muscles with tips of her fingers. "Do… you…mind?"
His blush had returned in full force, but he thought he sounded fairly cohesive when he said: "Uh… what do you think?" Katara winked at him and continued to explore his chest. He considered a moment, then said: "Wait a moment." Katara removed her hand and Aang pulled of his sleeping shirt. Quickly kissing her lips, he placed her hand back on his chest.
Katara's blush had returned also, but as she continued it slowly faded away and she relaxed. Aang was gently stroking her bare arm and she enjoyed the feeling. Biting her lip, she striped of her own night tunic and took one of Aang's hands, placing it on her side, just below her top. She met his questioning eyes and nodded, before returning to her own exploration.
Aang had swallow as he first ran his hand down Katara's side and felt the soft skin of belly. She had to giggle when he hit a ticklish spot and in retort she tickled back. He had to laugh himself and the look in her shining eyes gave him the courage to venture higher, his hand eventually settling on her bandeau top…
After a few more minutes of gentle explorations they sat on their sleeping rolls, their breathing still accelerated. Katara stroked Aang's face softly. "I really enjoyed that…"
Aang smiled widely, his fingers still tracing a scar on her arm. "So did I… " He winked. "Can we do this more often?"
She pretended to tap her chin thoughtfully. "Hmm… I would have to think about that." She flicked his nose. "Of course we can do that more often." She considered for a moment. "Though not when Sokka is around to interrupt us. He would probably have a heart attack…"
"That probably is a smart idea." Katara suddenly became shy, staring at the ground. "What's wrong, Katara?"
Katara coughed once. "But Aang, I think it's gonna be a while before I'm ready to go … you know… all the way…" Immediately her cheeks flushed again.
Aang also flushed scarlet, but put his hand on hers reassuringly. "You're not the only one. We've been together only for a little while and we still are learning about each other. We have all the time we want to go at our pace."
Katara smiled mischievously. "Though I am not saying that we necessarily need to wait till we're married or something like that…"
He winked. "Why don't we just see how things go?"
"Smart idea." They were silent for a while. "It's weird though. I could never have imagined this a year ago…"
"I dreamt about it, but I never thought I had a chance. It was good I was already lying down when I overheard you and Suki talking, otherwise you could have started over again."
Katara smiled, her eyes far away. "I remember…"
Katara wanted to get Zuko to a place where she could check his injury more thoroughly and make him rest. But that was more difficult then she had thought and much more difficult then she was currently willing to deal with. Luckily, one of the Fire Sages had shown up and declared Zuko the winner of the Agni Kai. A simple order from him had sufficed to get Azula taken to a fireproof cell until they could figure out what had to be done with her. And now, Zuko and Katara were swiftly taken to a spacious room in the infirmary.
There the servant bowed: "Do you require anything else, my lord?"
Zuko, heavily leaning on Katara, said: "Send for one of the healers. And if Master Katara has a request, treat it as it came directly from me."
"Yes, milord." The servant bowed and left.
"Come on, let's get you in bed." Katara guided him over to the bed and sat him down. She helped him remove his tunic and guided him back to the pillows, wincing as she saw the still raw wound on his chest.
"You called for me, milord?" A healer dressed in red had entered and was now kowtowing before them.
"Yes. Master Katara requires a few things to take of me. Assist her in any way she asks you too." Zuko commanded, too tired and too much in pain to try to sound friendly.
The healer's eyes widened, but he turned to Katara and asked obediently: "What do you require, Master Katara?"
Katara considered quickly. "Several rolls of bandages and something against the pain… Do you have a sealed bottle of Mafeisan?"
"Yes, master Katara." The healer bowed and quickly left.
"You want to knock me out? Is that wise?" Zuko asked, his eyebrow raised.
"You can use Mafeisan in different ways. One cap works against the pain, two makes one very sleepy and the third absolutely knocks you out. Healers in Ba Sing Se did that when they had to perform surgery on someone." Katara explained.
The healer returned quickly, baring a tray with bandages, a small cup and a clay bottle, sealed with wax. Katara quickly checked the wax seal to check if it was unbroken. She broke the seal, poured one cup full and held it out to the healer. "Drink." The healer swallowed, but accepted the cup and drank.
Seeing Zuko's expression, she quipped: "Just to be sure." Turning back to the healer she ordered him to help her wrap Zuko and finally poured another cup, handing it to Zuko. "Drink up." She ordered him.
"Yes ma'am." He replied teasingly and obediently drunk the cup. "Now what?"
Katara shrugged. "You rest and we wait. There is nothing else we can do." She sounded almost flippant, but Zuko saw the anguish and insecurity rolling through her eyes.
A few hours later, long after sunset, a guard had entered the room, bowing deeply. "Milord, an airship is approaching the palace."
Katara immediately jumped up, the water she had been playing around with splashing on the ground. "Is there any sign of who is flying the ship?"
The guard looked at Zuko, but he gestured to answer the question. "There is no sign, ma'am."
Zuko stood up slowly and Katara moved to support him. "Let's go check it out before you wear a hole in the floor." He teased her gently, referring to her earlier pacing. Katara didn't reply, but just went as quickly as she could, hauling Zuko along. Her eyes were glimmering with unshed tears.
Sokka was the first one out of the airship, still leaning heavily on Suki. Katara carefully shifted Zuko so he could lean on a wall and almost flung herself around her brother's neck. "What did you do? What's wrong with you leg? What happened?"
"Easy Katara." Sokka said, returning the hug. "I'm okay. It's just a broken leg."
She let go and quickly smiled at Suki. "Did you…" Her voice trailed off when she saw Aang coming out of the airship, just leaning on Toph for the tiniest bit. "Aang!" Once more she flew forward, but stopped shortly of hugging him.
"He Katara…" He said, sounding exhausted. He let go of Toph, stepping forward and briefly hugging her.
She had to stop herself from clinging to him, but stepped back when he let her go, still fighting against the tears. She also quickly hugged a protesting Toph, while Zuko stepped forward and asked: "My father…" His voice also trailed of, not quite knowing how to formulate the question.
Aang smiled tiredly. "He's in the airship. I took his bending from him."
Zuko's eyes widened and his mouth fell open. "How…"
Katara quickly stepped forward, retreating into one of her old tactics to deal with the utter turmoil insider her: focusing on taking care of everyone. "You can discuss this later. We need to get all of you back to the palace. Zuko needs to get back in bed and I need to check all of you over."
Zuko quickly gave the guards orders to secure the airship and to take his father to prison and the group slowly headed back to the infirmary, except for Toph who remained to see that the former Phoenix King was truly carted off to jail and carried off in the night by sympathizers.
Back in the room in the infirmary Katara sent the bemused and harried healer scurrying for a couple of cots, more bandages and a splint, clean water and another sealed bottle of Mafeisan. She shooed Zuko back to bed and ordered Aang and Sokka to sit down on the huge bed. Suki just looked bemused at the chaos around her.
Soon, assistants entered with four more cots and Katara pointed out where she wanted them. The healer and another assistant followed with the necessary supplies which they set down on a nearby table.
Katara tended to Sokka first, ordering him on a cot and commandeering the healer to help her set the bones in his leg. Then she worked a water covered hand over the injury, stimulating his body to heal himself. Seeing the lines of pain on his face, she opened the second bottle of Mafeisan and got him to drink two of the tiny cups. Leaving it to Suki to settle him comfortably for the night, she moved on to Zuko. She unwrapped his bandages, treated his wound, wrapped him up again and coerced him in drinking two cups also, claiming she, Suki and Toph could handle things if someone tried to attack them that night.
Finally she had to tend to Aang. "Can you move over to one of the cots?"Aang nodded and stood up, heading to the cot that was closest. Katara followed him. Looking over his body, she saw the myriad of small cuts and burns. "Does it really hurt somewhere?"She had to fight to keep her voice level.
"I think I might have hurt a few of my ribs." His voice was also almost completely neutral.
"Let me have a look." She probed his ribs carefully, but thoroughly, not pulling her hands away when he hissed from the pain. "Sorry…" She once more enveloped her hands with the water and treated his wounds. Both of them didn't say anything while she worked. When she was finished, she bended the water back into the bowl. "Your ribs will be painful for a few days. I want you to take some of the painkiller."
Aang regarded her closely. "Alright. But only cup… I want to be somewhat alert…"
Katara simply agreed, not in the mood to persuade a third stubborn man. She fetched the cup and helped him to get comfortable, removing his boots and covering him with a warm blanket. He immediately closed his eyes.
She had to take a deep breath to compose herself and turned around facing Suki and Toph, who had just entered. "Any of you needing any healing?"
"I'm fine, Sugar Queen."Toph immediately dismissed her services, settling on the ground in a corner.
Katara turned to Kyoshi Warrior. "Suki?"
"I think I might have pulled a few muscles." Suki replied absently. Her attention was on future sister-in-law.
"Take a seat."Katara gestured tiredly to one of the cots and bended her the water on her hands for the last time, keeping her face down as much as possible. "Where does it hurt?"
Suki quickly pointed out the spots and she could feel the twinges of pain easing. When Katara turned, she had the chance to really see Katara's face. She could almost see the tears hanging from Katara's eyelashes. She easily captured Katara's wrist once the water bender had returned the water to the bowl. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine, Suki."
"You don't look fine to me, Katara. In fact, it looks like you're ready to burst in tears at any moment now." Suki said bluntly. What she hadn't expected was for Katara to sink to the floor and to do just that. She scrambled from the cot and knelt down next to crying young woman, wrapping her arms around her. "You want to tell me what's going on?"
The first ten minutes Katara just cried. When she tried to form words, they got stuck in her throat and all that came out was another sob. Finally she calmed down enough to speak. "It's just such a mess…"
"What is such a mess…" Suki caught the quick glance Katara threw at Aang. "Is something going on between you and Aang? You were acting strange after we saw the play… Did something happen?"
"You could say that…" Katara muttered before letting out another sob.
"What happened?" Suki urged her gently. "I think you'll feel much better once you get it of your chest."
Katara hesitated before she started to speak. No one noticed Toph poking Aang in his leg from her corner. But Aang had already woken up at the sound of Katara crying and he was watching her and Suki quietly form the cot. Neither of them noticed him. Zuko and Sokka didn't react, both fast asleep thanks to the Mafeisan.
"Just before the Invasion… he kissed me. But after all that happened we never really talked about it and I just ignored what had happened. Then… when we at the play… we talked… He asked me if I really thought about him as a brother and if I had any feelings for him. He thought we were gonna be together after the invasion…"
"What did you say?" Suki asked when Katara remained silent.
"I told him that I didn't know… That I was confused… with the war going on and everything else… He kissed me again and I just ran inside… And then a few days later he suddenly disappeared…before…" She let out another sob.
"Before what, Katara?" Suki urged her on, feeling how important this was for Katara to say.
"To tell him that I do love him… I was just so scared…" The water bender couldn't continue anymore and Suki just let her cry for a bit.
When she calmed down a bit, Suki asked: "Why were you so scared?"
"I was so scared of losing him… So much could happen… I could die… he could die… He already died once… When I close my eyes, I still see him twitching with the force of the lightning running through him… Losing my mom when I was eight, then Aang… I couldn't go through something like that for the third time… I thought it might just be easier…" She swallowed a few times, trying to get the words out.
"Not to tell him and get everything out of the way first?" Suki finished her sentence. "Was that why you volunteered to go with Zuko instead of going with Sokka?"
Katara nodded. "I was afraid I would distract Aang if I was around… that Ozai might use me against him in some way…"
"And what do you want to do now?" Suki asked, feeling they were almost there. "Why are you so sad now? You've the chance now to talk…"
"But that's just it, Suki… I think it's too late… Aang almost wouldn't hug me when he came out of the airship and he was so… almost formal…"
"Perhaps he was just trying to respect your boundaries?" Suki countered carefully. "You won't know if you don't talk to him…"
Katara didn't reply. She just cried, letting out all the tension that had gathered the last few days. Suki didn't say anything, rocking her gently until Katara quieted down. Checking her and noticing she had cried herself to sleep, she stood up, lifting Katara rather easily.
Toph had already pushed one of the empty cots next to Aang's, the sides touching. "Put her down here." She said roughly, but Toph's face was concerned.
Suki did what she said and covered Katara with one the blankets. Suddenly she noticed Aang looking at her from the corner of his eyes. A tear slowly slid down his face. "How much did you hear?"She whispered, careful not to wake Katara.
"Pretty much everything."
"Then you know what you have to do…" Aang just nodded and took one of Katara's hands, pulling it tight against his chest. Then he closed his eyes.
Suki looked over to Toph. "Who is going to take first watch?"
"I will. You sleep…" Toph pointed to the last remaining cot. "I will wake you in a few hours."
"Thanks Toph." Suki dragged the cot next to Sokka's, laid down and was soon fast asleep. The room became totally quiet except for the sounds of their breathing.
"Hélloooo… Katara? You still there?" Aang waved his hand back and forth in front of Katara's face.
"Uh… what… Sorry, Aang. I was just thinking." Katara quickly pulled her attention back to the now.
"About what? You seemed really far away this time." Aang asked with a concerned face.
"I was just thinking about the night after you defeated Ozai…"
Aang face clouded over. "That was a rough night for the both of us…"
A small smile stole over Katara's face. "Next morning was not so bad though."
His face softened at the memory. "That's true."
"Now, enough of this serious stuff. I'm hungry." Katara jumped up energetically, quickly pulling on her day tunic and looking towards the supplies. "What are you in the mood for?"
Aang had to laugh. He had also pulled his cloths for the day. "Why don't you let me make us something?"
"You? Cook?"
"He, Gyatso taught me the basics. You know the only reason I didn't cook was because Sokka always complained I cooked without meat…." Aang objected.
"A meal without meat isn't a meal. That's a snack." Katara imitated her brother perfectly. "Alright, you cook and I'll take care of Appa this morning." She looked at the bison that was rolling around in the mud. "Which is gonna be so much fun…"
It continued to rain for the most of the day, but Katara and Aang hardly noticed. They had fed each other the pancakes with melted cheese and then simple spent the rest of the day under the awning talking and playing games. Aang told her a few more short tales of his life with the Air Nomads and in return Katara shared a funny tale of a her family sharing a midsummer festival that ended with all of them covered in seal blubber.
"Mom made Sokka wash his own socks that time... you think he would have learned something for that…" Katara shook her head in mock despair, but her eyes twinkled.
"Maybe you should have done the same."
"I want too, but honestly Aang, often it just wasn't worth the battle." Suddenly she caught something from the corner of her eye. "He, what's that?"
Aang looked also and squinted. "It looks like a messenger hawk." He waited a few moments to confirm his guess. "Yep, a messenger hawk."
The water bender rolled over on her back and moaned dramatically: "Don't let it be some Avatar level emergency. Please don't let it be an emergency. I'm not yet ready for this vacation to be over…"
Aang had to grin while he removed the small scroll form the hawk's back. "Still sure you want to marry me? You never know when such a scroll will arrive."
Katara immediately rolled over on her back. "Don't even think about it, Avatar… Just don't."
Said Avatar looked perfectly innocent as he sat back down, scroll in hand. "I shouldn't think about what?"
She even didn't dignify that with a reply, but simply bobbed him on the head. "What does it say?"
"If you give me the chance, I can have a look." Aang opened the scroll and quickly scanned it. "Relax, it's not an emergency. It's a letter for Jyoti."
Katara said up. "Jyoti? How is she doing?"
"She says widow Chao is very kind to her and she is enjoying school. But she's finding fire bending very difficult and it's slow going…"
"I'm not surprised. From what I understand fire bending is really based on your emotions. She has been taught to suppress those all her life. Then it's going to take a while before she learns differently..."
Aang nodded. "You're right. She says Iroh is a patient teacher though. She also thanks us once more for making the arrangements for her." He rolled the scroll once more and put it down. "She's still awfully formal though."
Katara had to laugh. "That's what she has been taught all her life. Frankly, I'm surprised how fast she's learning." Her laughter faded away and she became somber quickly as she continued: "I had a long talk with Mai how girls in those families are raised. She showed me two books that serve as main lesson material for them. They're called 'Biographies of exemplary women' and 'Precepts for my daughters'. The first one has a story of a woman letting herself drown then go with someone her husband sent to rescue her because he didn't have the proper seal."
Aang nodded. "I've heard of those books… I never read them though…"
"That's not all. Apparently those families also practiced foot binding before Fire Lord Sozin forbid the practice, since it made women 'unproductive'." Katara continued, shuddering at the idea.
Her boyfriend had a similar reaction. "I'm almost glad Jyoti is away from that, even though she has lost her family. I'm sorry for her though."
"Zuko and Mai have offered to arrange a marriage for her if that is what she wants when she is sixteen. It seemed to comfort her a little that she would at least be a proper wife. But that can still change…"
"She's learning and growing. Let's just see where the destiny takes her the next few years… I think she's stronger then she looks…"
The next day the weather was better, the sun high in the sky. It was perfect for swimming and Katara was digging through one of her bags. She had gone shopping with Suki and Ty Lee while they were still in Ba Sing Se and Suki had talked her into buying some swim wear that was more revealing then what she usually wore. Ty Lee had claimed she had a white set just like it, though that didn't exactly comfort her.
She dug out the turquoise blue top and skorts and pulled them on hesitantly. Before she hadn't felt comfortable in them, but after her and Aang's experiment yesterday she felt more at ease. Besides, it was only her and Aang at the temple.
"Katara, come on… the water is great!" Aang yelled loudly from outside.
"I'm coming!" She yelled back. Pushing back the last traces of doubt, she headed back outside, to the small waterfall where Aang was already waiting at the edge of the water, ready to jump in.
Katara slowed down, tiptoeing behind him. She knew it was useless with the earth bending sense he had learned from Toph, but the game was still fun. Aang had apparently decided the same as he waited. She stood behind him and didn't move, stifling her laughter.
"I know you're there." Aang finally said and his voice was shaking with laughter. "Do what you were going to do… Whoa…" Katara suddenly pushed him forward and he tumbled in the water. "He, no fair…" He sputtered after he surfaced.
"You said to do what I was going to do." Katara laughed and jumped in after him. "Come and get me…" She dove under, quickly swimming away. But Aang almost dove immediately after her and he was quickly gained on her. She made a few moves with her hands, increasing her speed with the help of her bending, but suddenly a hand grabbed her ankle and pulled her to a stop. Then hands were on her waist, finding all her ticklish spots.
Both surfaced, sputtering and laughing while they climbed on a small sand bank. When Aang finally got a good look at her, his eyes widened and his cheeks flushed. "Wow Katara. Is that new or something?"
Katara hid a grin behind her hand. "It is. Suki and Ty Lee helped me pick it out in Ba Sing Se when they heard we were going on a vacation. Do you like it?" She stood up and turned around, modeling it.
"It looks great on you." Suddenly he had to sputter from the large amount of water that suddenly dropped on him. "Oh you..."
Katara smirked. "Now I've at least a sure way to distract you."
"You don't need something like thát to distract me…" Aang stood up and moved to kiss her before suddenly shoving her in the water.
"AANG!"
"He Aang, we have more letters." Katara held up the three scroll cases when she approached. "None have the urgent seal, so I think our vacation is safe for a bit." She plopped down next to Aang who was entertaining Momo with his marble trick. She handed Aang one of them and took one for herself. "He, it's from Sokka and Suki. He and Suki have safely arrived in the Fire Nation and are relaxing a few days before they begin their training. According to Suki, Sokka is already driving Fat crazy trying to get him to laugh and apparently she had to threaten him with a few nights on the couch to get him to stop." Katara shook her head.
"And Master Piandao didn't do anything?" Aang asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Suki writes he acts resigned to it, but that he secretly is enjoying the craziness." Katara stopped for a moment and frowned. "She thinks he needs a couple of grandkids or something."
Aang had to laugh. "I think all the 'old' masters would be great grandfathers. And most them would enjoy it. Master Pakku seems really stoic, but I've seen his eyes twinkle often enough when he looks at you and even when he looks at Sokka."
"And I know Iroh can't wait for Mai and Zuko to have kids, even though he would never pressure them…" Katara considered for a moment. "Though the idea of Bumi as a grandfather is pretty scary…"
"Yeah, but think of the adventures the kids would have…" Aang's eyes twinkled at the idea, obviously remembering the adventures of their youth.
"And the heart attacks of the parents…" Katara retorted. "But from who is your letter?"
Aang cracked the seal and scanned the scroll quickly. "It's from Miki. She's been back home now for a few days." Aang counted in his head for a moment. "That's right, they left Ba Sing Se about three-and-a-half week ago… She writes that her mom and dad grounded her to the igloo except for chores and class, but all the other kids sneak in and ask for stories about what happened. Apparently she is quite popular now…" He read the last sentences. "And she mentions she is now taking both lessons with Master Pakku and Master Cinuq. Tikaani and other boys are annoyed they also have to follow lessons from Cinuq, but Pakku threatened to 'kick' them from his class." Aang shook his head.
"Aang…" Katara's voice trailed of threateningly.
"Her words, Katara, not mine." He defended himself. "She writes that the girls who only studied healing are now also working with Pakku, but they also seem a little bit scared of him. So now she is 'helping' with their class." Aang put the scroll back into the casing. "I think she is going to be a handful when she grows up."
Katara pondered that for a moment. "But a good handful. I think she will go far."
"I don't doubt that." Aang gestured to the last scroll. "And the last one?"
The water bender quickly opened the case and skimmed through the letter. "It's a note from Zuko and Mai. Both are settling back in their routine and are actively wishing they could also just go on a vacation. The whole court was very surprised at the return of Zuko's mother, but Ursa had been adapting very well. She's pretty distraught about Azula though… Mai has put her staff to work to incorporate those changes and additions you suggested to the history books and Zuko is dealing with some idiots who are making trouble about the colony evacuations."
Aang rolled his eyes. "Oh great… that is going to be fun when we have to deal with that…"
"We do what we can, Aang. That's all we can do. But we know from Iroh that the Order will have people in place. Mikoto and Suki offered to have 'your' force of the Kyoshi Warriors dispatched to the area when the evacuations begin."
"They're not 'my' force." Aang groused.
Now it was Katara's turn to roll her eyes. "Call them whatever you want to. They are willing to come if they have to… But we can talk about this later. We're still on vacation."
Aang sighed. "You're right. As so often…"
"He, you can be right pretty often too." Katara bumped him. "I remember one occasion very well… Something about that taking risks is needed in love…"
"So you finally admit I was right?"
"I did admit it back then also."
"I remember something different…"
When Aang woke up that morning, Katara was still soundly asleep. But it wasn't a peaceful sleep, clearly noticeable from her frown and her tense shoulders. Suki noticed he was awake and tiptoed over. "When everyone is awake, I'll get them out of here so you can talk."
Aang nodded gratefully. "Thanks Suki."
"No problem. Just start of fixing things between the two of you."
By the time Katara started to stir, Suki had already chased everyone else out the room and had arranged for both breakfast and clean water for washing up to be brought. Aang was meditating quietly on his cot and he opened his eyes when he heard her stir. She sat up slowly, blinking owlish. "Where is everyone?" she murmured to herself.
"They've gone to get some breakfast." Aang replied from behind her.
Katara jumped and quickly turned around. "Aang? What are you still doing here?"
"I thought it might a good idea for us to talk. But first…" Aang gestured to the table where the breakfast tray and the washing bowl were. "Why don't you wash up and eat something first?"
She quickly splashed some water in her face, chasing away the last bits of sleep. The she picked up the tray and headed back to her cot. "Did you have breakfast already?"
"I ate already, but if there is any tea?"
Putting her hand on the tea pot, she frowned: "There is tea, but it's quite cool already."
Aang held out his hand for the tea pot and when Katara handed it to him he heated it easily with his fire bending. "Here you go."
"Thanks."Katara quickly poured two cups and took the rice-pudding with chopped fruit that was on the tray. She kept her eyes focused on the bowl when she asked: "What was it you wanted to talk about?"
The young Avatar hesitated for a moment. Finally deciding to be direct, he said: "I was awake last night…"
"You… you… you heard…" Katara's voice trembled, just like her hands that were still holding the bowl.
Aang leaned forward, gently taking the bowl from her hands and gripping them tightly. "Yes, I heard… And I'm glad I did."
Katara lifted her head, her eyes meeting Aang's. They widened in astonishment and confusion. "You're glad you heard?"
"Katara, I'm glad I heard because now I understand what was… what is going on. And I think I owe you an apology. I shouldn't have kissed you at the play… I should have listened to you when you said you were confused and given you the time you needed…"
"I thought you were angry with me for… you know… not…"
"For not wanting to be together? No, I was never angry. At least not at you. Just disappointed and a bit sad."
"Even though I practically lied?" Tears were started to flow down Katara's face again and Aang left his cot, sitting down next to Katara and wrapping her in his arms, tucking her head securely under his chin.
"How did you lie to me? I don't see it…"He asked practically.
"I told you I was confused while I knew very well what I felt about you. But I couldn't tell you I was scared…"
"And I understand that… You didn't lie… You were just confused about what was the right thing to do…"
"But I hurt you…"
"You did." He confirmed gently and he could feel Katara flinch. "But that is what happens when people care about each other. Whether they are lovers, friends or family… sometimes you hurt each other. Loving someone means you have to take risks…"
"Huh?" Was Katara's only reply, but he could feel that she was listening attentively.
"When you love someone, you make yourself vulnerable. That someone could hurt you. That is what I meant with taking risks."Aang paused for a moment. "I'm still willing to take that risk… with you…"
Katara was silent for a long time, thinking about what Aang had told her. "I want to, Aang, but I can't make any promises… I'm still pretty scared…" She finally spoke.
"You're not the only one. So we'll be scared together and see where time takes us..."
"I still think it's a pretty great risk for you to take…"
"You're worth it to me."
Aang woke the feeling of something ticklish tracing his arms and then moving on to his back, obviously following the lines of this tattoos. He smiled, but kept his eyes closed. "You've seen them hundreds of times."
"I might have seen them, but I never really had the chance to do this…" The tickling touch stopped at the waist of his trousers. " Aang, do the tattoos on your back and legs connect?" Katara formulated her question carefully.
He leaned up on one arm twisting around so he could see Katara's face. "Are you asking me if my… buttocks are tattooed?"
Katara blushed and grinned. "Is it a strange question then?"
"Nah, not really." Aang replied after he pretended to ponder that for a moment. "And for your information, yes, I also have tattoos down there."
The water bender frowned. "That must have hurt."
Aang sat up the rest of the way and crossed his legs, studying her face for a moment. "Do you just want an answer to that question or do you want to hear the whole story?" He teased her. "If that is the case, I'm gonna eat some breakfast first."
"Uh…the whole story? I was 'studying' them and I got curious." Katara blushed. Aang just rolled his eyes and laughed.
After breakfast Aang and Katara were once more comfortably seated on their bed rolls, Katara thoughtlessly tracing the tattoo on one of Aang's hands.
Aang collected his thoughts for a moment before he started. "I remember how I surprised I was when Gyatso and the other elders told me I was going to receive my tattoo's. I was only twelve and most air benders were at least sixteen when they earned theirs. The other boys were envious at first, but that became better quickly… I only realized later how strange it must have been for the 'adults' at the temple…"
"Why?" Katara asked. "If you had mastered air bending, why would was it strange for you to be given your tattoo's?"
"When do boys and girls in the Water Tribe become of age?" Aang answered her question with one of his own.
Katara frowned. "A boy becomes of age when he goes ice-dodging. That can be anywhere from fourteen till sixteen. The girls partially when they have their first moon time and fully when they reach marriageable age when they're sixteen."
"The giving of the tattoos is was the sign an air bender had come of age. Even though everyone was given the rights and duties of an adult when they were sixteen in practice, one was never considered fully adult until they had their arrows."
"And now they had to deal with an twelve year old with adult rights and responsibilities… I see." Katara realized.
"Exactly. It didn't change that much for me in practice because I they told me I was the Avatar soon after that and you know what happened after that."
Katara squeezed the hand she was still holding, but didn't say anything. Aang took a deep breath and continued his story. "I was pretty nervous for the ceremony. They only tell you what is gonna happen just before it starts. The beginning is a night of fasting, a wake and prayer. At sunrise they guide to a chamber where you are tattooed. Generally only your master and two or three witnesses are there. More prayers are said and you have to lay down. They start on your back…"
"You had to experience pain the whole time?" Katara interrupted, her voice shocked.
"No." Aang shook his head determinedly. "Not the whole time. Though it was a test, they weren't cruel. After the first area, they give you Mafeisan against the pain. In my case, the first area was not that large because I was still so young. After that you are given it every time before they continue. I don't remember much of the rest of the process because I slept through most of it."
"How long did it take?"
"A couple of days. And three weeks to heal up." A small smile stole over Aang's face. "In some ways, that was almost worse than the ceremony itself. Lying in bed for a few weeks gets pretty boring."
Katara had to grin. "I can't see you lying in bed willingly for a few weeks…" Suddenly she frowned. "I saw the statues of the women. I guess they would had to shave their heads before being tattooed."
Aang nodded. "That's true. But generally girls who were not yet masters kept their hair fairly short. I remember it was often just long enough to be braided so they could keep it out of the way. And even then they shaved the front."
When Katara returned a little while later from collecting vegetables from where the gardens had once been, Aang had a troubled expression on his face and a scroll on his lap. "Let me guess… Trouble somewhere?" She sighed.
Aang nodded. "Trouble in the Northern Water Tribe to exact."
"Then it's good we were head there already in a few days. What is going on?"
"The same thing that has happened in the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation… With stories of the changes in the rest of the world and especially the Southern Water Tribe people also want change in the North. Only it's a lot more vocal and several people led by Councilor Nanuq are raising opposition. Chief Arnook is worried it might come to violent altercations."
"And this popped up suddenly? Usually something like this simmers under the surface for a long time."
"Arnook wrote there has been a current of unrest for a long time. Many people wanted change, a chance to act against the Fire Nation. Then after we arrived last year those voices became even more prominent and now it has risen to a fever pitch."
Katara nodded, taking everything in. Her mind shifted to the political mindset that she always used when dealing with issues like this. "Did Arnook write about any concrete wishes that they have?"
"Here is the letter." Aang held the letter out to Katara and she quickly read it.
"So they want more equal chances for everybody…" Katara mused out loud. "That's understandable."
"We've seen for ourselves how rigid and stratified their society is. Only people from the highest strata of society were allowed a voice in the ruling of the Tribe. The strict separation of male and female benders and the fact that only non-bender men from the higher strata were allowed to become warriors." Aang sounded thoughtful. "I'm not surprised with what we're also seeing in other nations. There seems to be a trend of people wanting more participation in their government."
"What does Chief Arnook want from us?"
"Well, the real first thing for us is that Nanuq has challenged your position as She-Who-Knows. He doesn't deny that you were chosen by Yue and Tootega, but he is challenging on the ground that She-Who-Knows must have mastered the shadow side of water bending. He desires a demonstration of it since the moon will be full in a week and a half."
"He wants me to demonstrate blood bending? Over my dead body!" Katara sounded annoyed with the tiniest bit of fear.
"I agree with you. Partially, I think it's just Nanuq trying to find out how far he can go. But on the other hand, he is also trying to discredit you. I'm sure you can expect a lot of questions how and when you're going to set up the Daughters of Tui."
"I'll cross that bridge when it comes to it, but I will think about some things I can tell them..." Katara considered her sudden idea. "He Aang, what do you think of the idea of organizing an open forum once we get there? Everybody will be able to air their wishes and their concerns. It might take some pressure away."
Aang nodded thoughtfully. "I think that is a good idea. This call for change will have different effects in a small tribe then in the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom… Much more direct… I think we should alert your father of the situation also. There will be people who'll push the protesters to move to the South and it's likely a couple of them will do just that…" Something else occurred to Aang. "Has Master Pakku even spoken to you about Nanuq? He seems to be the leader of the traditionalist group in the tribe."
Katara looked faraway for a moment, searching through her memories. "Not really. I got the impression that he was even more conservative then Grandfather used to be on many issues, but nothing else."
"I think we can do very little to prepare further, except then what we already talked about… But I also think it might be wise to leaved tomorrow…"
"I wish it wasn't true, but I think you are right…" Katara sighed.
Aang suddenly had to smile. "What's so funny?"
"Just before the message arrived, I was thinking about how nice it would have been to be only one year older when I was told I was the Avatar. Because once you turned twelve, both boys and girls of the Air Nomads were trained in mediation… That would have come in handy many times."
Katara leaned forward with obvious interest. "Really? I never knew? Why?"
"Because we traveled around so much, it was not uncommon for an Air Nomad to act as a non-involved third party in cases where mediation was needed. They never really acted as judges, but it occurred often enough that everyone received some training in the art… Besides, it was a good way to promote Air Nomad philosophy…"
"I can see what you mean. Those first few weeks of negotiating, having to learn all kinds of things about how to that and all the studying to know what we needed to know were pretty hard…"
"That is exactly what I mean…"
Next morning Katara and Aang ate breakfast and took a quick swim before they finished packing. A hour later they were on their way to the North Pole. Katara had already pulled out Aang's anorak, which needed some fixing, while Aang was seated of Appa's head to guide him.
When they were on their way and Appa knew in which direction to go, Aang joined Katara in the saddle. Katara leaned her head on Aang's shoulder. "I really enjoyed these last few days."
"So did I…"
"Aang, will you promise me something…"
"What?"
"I know you are the Avatar and when I fell in love with you I knew I would have to share you with the world. But these last few days…" Katara spoke hesitantly.
Aang bumped her gently. "He, I've to share you with the world also."
Katara grinned. "Okay… Will you promise me then that we will do our best just to belong to each other for a few days or a week regularly?"
"I like that idea very much… I promise."
The end?
Some more authors' notes:
Vayu is the god of the wind in Hindu mythology. He serves the same role to the Air Nomads in my stories as Agni to the Fire Nation.
The idea for the Air Nomad justice system comes from a Dutch book called "Kinderen van Moeder Aarde" by Thea Beckman. I thought it fit rather well and was better then something I could come up with.
For a clip of Katara's fan kata, see www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=qxJTbskF5Ko
I aged Aang up a bit. In my timeline he turned thirteen just after Katara and Sokka freed him for the ice berg. So he is now quickly approaching fourteen and half. Katara had turned fourteen a few months before freeing him, so she will be turning sixteen in the summer. Katara is slightly more than a year older then Aang.
Mafeisan is the name of a general anesthetic invented by Hua Tuo. I used only the name, the rest I made up myself. For more info you can check Wikipedia.
'Biographies of exemplary women' and 'Precepts for my daughters' are real books used for hundreds of years to educate Chinese women. The story is adapted from 'Biographies' and was found on this page: www(dot)virginia(dot)edu/topnews/01_28_2004/chinese_