HIS EYES chapter 1

congrats!! I created a new story! There is a few things you need to know before reading this story.

1. it's AU. Yes, it takes place in our world with cars and ipods and cell phones.

2. There is a major age difference between Katara and Aang. Meaning Aang's, like, six years old and Katara's 15. I wanted to do this because I wanted to focus on the motherly relationship and having him be normal age was just too weird.

3. I do not own anything in this story including the characters. I tried to keep the OC's to a minimum.

4. It is Kataang and some Sukka and Toko if you want it be.

5. No bending.

This whole thing is kinda new to me. I have never written a story like this before. It's rated 'T' for aangst and character death.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hawaii or ipods or animal crackers.

"I can't believe summer is finally here!" Katara exclaimed to all of her friends as they walked home from school for the last time until September.

"Ya, this summer is going to be the best," Suki said contently.

"I can't wait! My dad's taking us all to Hawaii," Song said jumping up and down.

"What are you doing this summer, Katara?" Suki asked.

"Nothing really; stay at home, read a couple of books."

"That sounds boring," Song said.

"I'm just glad I don't have to wake up early and go to school," Katara sighed.

"Ya," the girls agreed. Silence followed as they continued their way through the neighbourhood.

"Well, this is my street," Katara said as the walked to the intersection of 'South Side' and 'Willows'.

"See ya later, Katara," the girls waved as Katara turned down 'South Side'.

Katara plugged her head phones into her ipod and put it on shuffle. She hummed along to the tune as she started walking the couple of blocks to her house. Suddenly she heard something behind her. She took one head phone out of her ear and turned behind her. No one was there.

"That's strange," Katara mused and turned around to continue walking. She was about to put the head phone back in her ear when the sound came again. This time she turned around quickly and caught a view of the person before they disappeared.

"Come out. I know you're there," she told them. Slowly a little boy came out of hiding behind a trash can. He looked to only be six or seven.

"Hello," Katara dropped the edge on her voice now realizing it was only a kid. He was wearing an orange sweater, old, tattered blue jeans, and an old pair of running shoes. His face was hidden underneath an old, dirty yellow baseball cap. One of the most immediate things that Katara saw when he lifted his head was his eyes. The boy backed up when she spoke to him.

"It's okay; I'm not going to hurt you." Katara held out her hand to him, hopefully, showing him she wasn't dangerous. The boy seemed to trust her and walked toward her. "What's your name?" she asked him.

"Aang," the boy said quietly.

"Hi, Aang, I'm Katara. I'm sorry if I scared you. What are you doing?" Katara asked.

"Well, I saw you with your friends after you left the school and I wanted to follow you," Aang explained.

"Where are your parents, Aang?" as she said this Aang's gray eyes widened underneath his cap and his face paled.

"They're dead," he whispered.

Katara's eyes widened, "I'm sorry," she held out her hand to him and he took it. With his other hand, he began to rub his eyes.

"Aang, how old are you?

"6 years, 9 months and 17 days old," he answered

"What are you doing out on the streets? It's very dangerous."

"I know, I was in the orphanage, but I ran away."

"Why?" Katara asked squeezing his hand.

"Because I didn't like it there and the food is terrible," Aang smiled and Katara laughed. 'And I was looking for someone,' he added silently.

"Come with me. I'll bring you to my house and give you a snack, how about that?"

"That's good! I'm hungry!" Katara laughed again and held Aang's hand tightly in her own.

They had been walking for about ten minutes now and Aang had done nothing but talk. He told her all about the orphanage and what it was like there and all his favorite foods. All the while, Katara did not release her hand from his. They were reaching the end of the road when, from around the corner, Jet and his gang walked.

"Hey, Katara," Jet said trying to sound sexy. Katara glared at him and squeezed Aang's hand tighter. Aang immediately felt the tension in the air and stopped talking.

"Hello, Jet," Katara said back still holding Aang's small hand in a death grip.

"Who's this?" Jet asked nodding to the 6-year old.

Aang's eyes flashed and he growled. Katara inhaled sharply and picked him up off the ground.

"This is my cousin, Aang," Katara lied holding Aang on her hip.

"I see," Jet said intimidated by the death look Aang was giving him. Somehow he knew he shouldn't mess with this kid. "Well, we should get going," he motioned to his gang to follow him. Katara held Aang tightly as they passed by her. Then she hurried around the corner and set Aang down in the grass.

"What was that?" she asked him in a high whisper.

"You hate him," Aang said his eyes still narrowed and his arms folded.

"Jet may be a big, fat, jerk-hole, but that doesn't mean I hate him."

"You didn't want him to be there, I could feel it, so I wanted him to be gone too."

"Aang, you looked at him like you wanted to kill him," Katara exclaimed her voice no longer in a whisper.

Aang's eyebrows shot up and he took a couple steps back. Katara could see him beginning to cry, so she took his arms, wrapped them around her neck and held him as tightly as she could. After a moment, she let go and he released is hold.

"Let's go back to my house, okay?"

He nodded and she took him by the hand again. They continued walking down the street but Aang was no longer his happy self. He held Katara's hand tightly and buried his face in her jeans whenever someone would look at him.

"Aang, what's wrong?" Katara asked when he ran to her other side to avoid a lady and her dog as they passed on the sidewalk.

"I just don't like strangers," Aang said hiding his eyes underneath his cap.

"You had no problem following me down the street," she laughed.

"Well, I've had dreams about you, so I knew it was you."

"Wait… what?"

"I've had dreams about you, Katara, that's why I followed you, because I knew it was you."

"Okay," Katara said, not knowing if she should be a little freaked out or not. Two houses down from where they were walking a car pulled into the driveway and a man stepped out.

"Hi, dad!" Katara called.

"Katara?" Hakoda said as he spotted his daughter, "What are you doing home so late and who is that?" Hakoda asked spotting Aang hiding behind his daughter's leg.

"I'll explain everything inside," Katara said picking Aang up again and carrying him into the house. Hakoda followed his daughter and the strange little boy into the house. Maybe he was one of the neighbor's kids.

Katara dropped her bag on the floor by the door shifted the boy in her arms to take of her jacket. She helped Aang take of his jacket too.

"Aang can you take off your hat?" she asked. Aang nodded and removed the hat from his head revealing short brown hair.

Katara brought Aang to the kitchen and set him down on the island in the middle of the room. She walked over to the cupboard and got out a box of Zoo animal crackers. She got a green bowl out of another cupboard, and shook a handful of crackers into the bowl and handed in to Aang. Aang grabbed a bear and bit its head off. He showed Katara the headless bear and began to laugh. Hakoda entered through the door and Aang immediately stopped laughing. He turned to Katara, afraid.

"Aang, relax," she said and held out her hand for him to take. He held her hand in one hand and with the other began eating the animals dumped on the counter. "Aang," she said bending down to his level, she nodded toward her dad, "That's my dad." Aang looked towards him chewing an animal cracker. Katara squeezed his hand for the millionth time in that short half hour.

"Dad," Katara addressed her father, "this is Aang," she introduced.

"Katara can I talk to you for a second," Hakoda motioned to his daughter.

"Ya, hold on," she held her arms out to Aang and he jumped off the counter into them. "Aang," she said quietly, "I have to talk with my dad for a minute, will you be okay?"

Aang took one look at Hakoda and shook his head.

"Come on, what happened to that hyper boy I met on the way here. Now you're not even talking to me." Aang lowered his eyes and clung to her shirt. "What if I give you more animal crackers?" Katara suggested. Aang raised his head and nodded. She set him on one of the kitchen chairs and poured some more crackers into the green bowl and set it on the table for him. Aang took a cracker and popped it into his mouth. Katara laughed and ran out of the kitchen to join her dad in the living room.

"Katara, who is he?"

"I told you his name is Aang."

"No, I mean, who is he? What is he doing here? Where are his parents?"

"That's, actually, why I brought him here, Dad. He doesn't have any. He lives at the orphanage."

"Katara, the orphanage is all the way across town! How'd he get here?"

"Oh, man, I don't know. He-he said he followed me from school."

"Oh, Katara, get Sokka to drive you there. Just take him back." Hakoda sighed and put his head in his hands.

"Don't worry, Dad. I was going to do that anyway."

Suddenly they heard a shout.

"What are you doing in my house!" followed by a loud bang.

"Aang," Katara shouted and ran for the kitchen followed closely by her father. Seconds later they reached the arch leading into the kitchen. Sokka was on the floor looking petrified and Aang was slouched against the stove at the opposite end of the kitchen, his eyes wide in fear.