I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender.
Push, pull. Push, pull.
At the sea's edge, she grasped the water and lifted her arms. A quartet of watery tendrils rose in harmony, synchronized with the flow of her arms. Clenching her fists, she pulled at the water, drawing the tendrils into her leather pouches until the latter bulged. A few more drops and they would burst.
Her father's speech had overflowed with the fluid grace of command. Taking the troops and pulling their attention, now pushing at their emotions, now drawing them all together into a unified cheer…
A far cry from Sokka's fumbling attempt.
Katara grinned. She'd felt bad for him at the time, but in hindsight it was as comical as…well, as everything else he did. And despite it, she was proud of him. He'd planned the entire Invasion from the ruined scraps of their old strategy. She hoped that when the time came, he would prove himself once again, this time on the battlefield.
Her grin faded.
The battlefield.
So many of her friends were gathered here, would join the strike on the flaming heart of the Fire Nation. Men from her tribe, Bato, her father, the swamp-dwellers, Teo and his dad, even Haru and his people – all had answered Sokka's summons. So many would sail into the horizon. Some of them would…some of them might not return.
Push, pull.
Katara let out a shaky sigh.
She couldn't save everybody, and it hurt. But whether by healing or fighting, she would do everything she could to bring them all home. That was her duty, the duty of a Waterbending Master…her duty to her mother. To push back when pressured.
Push, pull.
For every tragedy that might strike, there would be a smile to lighten its weight. For every wound that scarred, there would be a memory of joy to soothe the pain. For every fire that burned, she would bend water at its source until one of them was defeated.
For every villain in the world, there was a hero to match him.
"When this is finished, the Avatar will have defeated the Firelord."
Her gaze latched onto him before she was even aware she had been seeking him out. He was across the bay, his hunched frame motionless as he knelt over the gentle surf. He had exchanged his school uniform for clothing more like his Air Nomad attire, plain orange tunic over a yellow shirt. So simple, yet the distant sight brought a smile to Katara's face.
She almost expected the buoyant rise of her heart when it came this time.
Could she ever have predicted that he would have this effect on her? That she would feel so much for the boy she'd freed from the iceberg? She wasn't even sure what the feeling was…only that it was strong, strong and steady, an easy joy that flooded her being whenever she thought of him.
Push, pull.
They were so close to their goal, to the end of the journey they had set out on nine months before. The end of their struggles, the end of their losses, the reward for their victories. By the day's end, he would have won.
And afterward?
"We will have control of the Fire Nation Capitol, and this war will be over!"
The words resonated in her mind, injecting a bounce into her step as she strode over in Aang's direction.
He can do it. I know he can.
A/N: I'm not sure how I feel about this one. Don't feel like I quite got Katara down. Oh well. Next up, Toph, then Aang and Zuko together :)
As always, honest critique is greatly appreciated.