title The Night is Ours, Raat Hamari Hai

author khushiyan

fandom; character Avatar: The Last Airbender; Zuko, Katara, Aang.

prompt 035. Moonlight for lj community 50scenes

rating PG

setting Post FM.

an The song is from the beautiful film Parineeta and was inspiration for this ficlet. I suggest you check it out, because it is so beautifully haunting, khushiyan./42708.html#cutid1 - Raat Hamari Tho. Translation and download there too. ) Also, this is the second time I'm posting it since it was fugly the first time I posted it, so sorry to anyone who was in the middle of reading or reviewing it! :(

summary Katara watches Zuko and Aang and she doesn't like what she hears.

Raat hamari tho chaand ki saheli hai, Kitne dinoun key baad aye woh akeli hai

Our night is a friend of the moon, And after so many days she has come alone.

She glanced down as she edged towards the river. Her blue boots were covered with mud and she frowned as a thick dollop of mud landed on her right boot. "Damn it, I only cleaned these yesterday!" She whispered angrily.

She looked up with frustration and a sense of calm filled her as the moon hung in the sky between the tall trees. The moon was full and round and as bright as the sun so she couldn't help but beam. She hop-scotched towards the river and landed on one foot just as the forest ended. With a look of triumph, she turned her head up and was surprised to see him sitting on a log with Aang. Their feet were immersed in water, and their eyes never left the stars.

'What are they doing?' She wondered and stepped a few back. She felt as if she was intruding on them.

An hour passed and still, they never said a word. She had begun to feel annoyed but since her leg had fallen asleep after the first fifteen minutes, she could not be bothered with hauling it either back to the temple or to the river where she would face angry stares.

Finally, he spoke. "Do you think your mom is up there?" He asked, painfully slowly.

Aang looked up with him and shrugged. "I don't know. I don't really remember her. Gyatso was like a mom to me, if that makes any sense so I never really thought I needed her."

Aang looked his friend expectantly, but he glanced down at his fingers. "I know Katara's mom is there, so I like to think that they're keeping each other happy, I guess." Aang chirped and smiled at the sky. She felt her legs weaken at the mention of her mother. She missed her so much she would gladly sacrifice a thousand moons to see her again. But she didn't have a thousand moons so she kept her sadnees to herself. She watched him with great uncertainty, wondering if it was hard for him too. "Is your mom with them too?"

"I... I don't know where she is," he whispered hoarsely.

"I thought she..." Aang trailed off and looked at the fire bender with confusion.

"I thought she did too. I mourned for her for six years..." He swallowed hard. "Ozai told me that she's still alive. He banished her because he couldn't trust her."

"Why?"

"Because she killed my grandfather to save me..." He suddenly realised something and looked at Aang with urgency. "She's not a bad person though. She did it to save me."

"I know. I think that mothers will sacrifice anything to keep their children safe," Aang offered sympathetically. "Just think of Katara. She's given up so much for us, I sometimes wonder why she's hasn't killed us all."

He nodded at Aangs words and she felt a strange shame inside of her. It trickled down her throat and setteled right in her stomach. She folded her arms over chest and sighed deeply.

"Speak for yourself," he joked and smiled at Aang. She winced when his smile didn't reach his eyes and his words were only half joking.

"Good one Zuko."

There was silence again and she couldn't take it any more. She felt as if someone had buttered the air with guilt and tension, just hovering over the surface. She took a deep breath and walked forwards loudly. "Hey, what are you doing?" She asked as she stepped into the clearing.

"Oh hey Katara," the boys both turned round to see her but only Aang called out. "We were just hanging out. What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to practise my bending." The boys stood up and began to walk towards her. "The moons out tonight so I thought I'd pay her visit. Do you want to join me?" She tried to keep the question open, but it was obvious it was only meant for Aang. They both stood a few feet away and she suddenly felt incredibly foolish under his gaze. She felt extremely small and insignificant and cruel under the moon.

"No it's okay, I think I'm going to head to bed now. How about you Zuko?" Aang offered, oblivious to the fact that he was staring sternly at her.

"No thanks," his voice was clipped and sharp and she didn't feel so ashamed.

"Oh, okay. We'll see you in a while." Aang beamed at her and the two began to head towards the woods and to the temple again. She shook her head in annoyance and pulled off her outer robes angrily. She stomped into the water in her under garments and sighed heavily as she water cooled her aching limbs.

She looked back to where the two had gone and was surprised to see him still standing there. He was staring up at the moon with a strange sense of longing and it cut her to realise that she had felt the same. "What?" She asked angrily because she didn't want him to hear the pity.

Gradually, he pulled his head and neck down and looked at her pointedly, as if to say you know what. You were listening to my every word... but he shook his head. "Nothing," and he turned around and disappeared into the forest.

She clenched her teeth tightly and huddled low into the water so that only her mouth upwards was out in the open. "I'm sorry," she whispered and bit the inside of her mouth. She glanced up at the moon and was hurt by the fact that her mother might be watching her with disgust.

With a heavy heart she ducked under the water, hoping she might escape her mighty gaze.

- khushiyan