Crystal Clear
It was a bright sun-shiny day. The weather was the epitome of Summer perfection—the sun was hot enough that you could feel its ray's heat on your skin, but with a cool cross breeze to bring the temperature down to a comfortable lever. The group, a strange batch of misfits that seemed to have been thrown together at random, they'd found themselves with a day or two of free time from an otherwise busy schedule, and came out to the edge of this forest to take a nice rest and practice their respective bending arts. Four of them—Aang, Toph, Sokka, and Iroh—were off in the wide-open clearing. The old Firebender and the Water Tribe "warrior" were watching the two Earthbenders spar. Boulders and rocks and clouds of dirt were hurled this way and that in an insane display of Earthbending mastery. The two spectators watched the show, fascinated by both the brute force and the chorographical routines of blocking and dodging, then attacking in some awe-inspiring new bending move never seen before.
The other two members of this oddball group, however, weren't watching Aang and Toph practice-fight. These two, as apposite as they were, shared an opinion on Earthbending—they found it dull and uninteresting.
They were off towards a pond that was separated from the clearing-turned-arena by a small patch of woods. The thin line of trees made for a rather functional shield from both sight and sound. Up on the grassy shores was a black-haired boy in Earth Kingdom clothes. The neutral browns and greens of his outfit really didn't suit him, but the outfit fit him well and looked nice nonetheless. His slanted eyes seemed to reflect the brilliant shine of the sun in a gold colour that splashed and swirled like ripples on the water's surface.
The girl stood out in the middle of the small pond shoulder-deep in the water. She had folded her blue dress up and left it back with her brother so that it wouldn't get wet or lost. She had on a small white outfit that covered everything necessary but not too much else. The water, for the most part, covered her body anyway. Her brown hair that was usually done up in a bun fell in loose waves almost to her waist. A small pendant hung proudly from a blue choker necklace, displaying her Water Tribe heritage.
"I'm telling you, Zuko, water definitely wins. It can freeze into ice or boil into steam like a smokescreen. How or cold or whatever I choose; can fire be cold? I don't think so," argued the girl. The two were always arguing over which element—water or fire—was better. The meant it in a friendly way, though; hardly ever did it turn violent or into a heated argument. Both teens thoroughly enjoyed debating with one another, matching their wits and cunning comebacks. Katara sounded especially smug today as she whipped her water around masterfully while Zuko struggled with some difficult move he'd been working on.
"I can make cold fire. Some things can burn cold, it just depends what they're made of," he argued back. "Firebending is a science."
The girl snorted indignantly. "Waterbending is a science too, you know! Do you know how thick ice has to be for you to walk on it? Huh?" She dropped the water that she'd been swirling around overhead back into the pond and headed into shore, squeezing her hair dry as she went.
The girl walked onto the grass near him and leaned against a tree that was a few feet away. His eyes widened a bit as he looked at her closer and, turning away slightly, half-whispered, "Uh, Katara…"
Cutting him off, she continued her little rant. "That's the problem with Firebenders," she began, not having heard him try to get her attention. "You think that if you can't burn something or shoot lightning from your fingers, then what's the use of it?"
"Katara," he repeated a bit louder, a slight blush appearing on his face.
"Well, Waterbending has its uses, too. Like, I can make it rain, did you know that? And I met a man once who could control plants by bending the water in them. And you know I heard that you could even—" she was cut off here by her companion.
"Katara!" he shouted, at last getting her attention.
"What, Zuko?" she sounded puzzled by his sudden shout, why were boys so loud?
"Um," he mumbled just loud enough for her to hear him clearly, "I can see through your clothes."
"What?!" She looked down and gasped, folding her arms across her chest in modest embarrassment.
He had, by this time, turned his head to the side to stare across the pond at the trees on the other side. Quickly Katara turned around so her back was facing the boy and bended the water from her outfit ineffectively.
Hearing her mutter that it was no use, Zuko tapped her shoulder. When she turned around he shoved the thing into her arms and turned away again.
"You can use it to cover up with until you get your dress on." He had taken off his shirt and given it to her.
The girl looked at his in amazement. "Um, thanks you," she said and pulled it over her head. Smoothing it out, she found his shirt fit just a bit big on her so that it was long enough to cover everything necessary.
"You're welcome," he responded simply. The two then walked back towards the others, both of them with a slight blush on their faces.