DISCLAIMER:

I do not own ATLA or the original works of "I See Sparks Fly Whenever You Smile".

Chapter 2

Fears and Tears

Katara and Suki walked towards the two enormous doors that led to the dining hall. The air was frigid; at some times you felt that you couldn't breathe. You could taste the blood in your throat, and you can hear the thumping of your heart grow louder by the second. The blood was rushing in Katara's ears as she nervously edged closer to the doors at the end of the hallway. She looked at Suki beside her, who was shivering ferociously, gripping onto her cloak for her dear life. Katara didn't understand her; for she felt that she was so warm it was unbearable. Her palms grew sweaty and clammy; her heart began to race as Suki knocked at the large doors, completely crafted from ice. The smallest engraving was etched into the side of it, bearing the water tribe insignia. Katara fidgeted next to Suki, panting, as if she had run a mile.

"Wh- Why are y-you so s-sweaty? It's f-f-freezing!" Suki shivered through the icy air looking at Katara curiously.

" No reason." Katara shrugged off her attempt to enter her mind, with a little toss of her head,

" Oh I-I k-know what it's a-about." A sly and mischievous grin slipped onto Suki's face.

"No you don't." Katara said, trying to hide the fact that her heart skipped a beat.

"O-oh yes I-I do! You're n-nervous about Z-"

Suddenly the ice doors creaked open slowly, and a violent burst of light took Katara and Suki by surprise. They squinted ferociously, the light penetrating their eyes, which were so used to the darkness of the hallways of the palace.

Suki gasped as she stared out into the wonderful dining hall, completely crafted out of clear ice. She stared up, and smiled: there was a huge dome above them, about thirty feet up, with engravings on it. She looked to her right and left and there were some round tables, close to the floor, surrounded by small purple pillows, were friends of royalty ate. Inside the room was a colossal table, stretching from one side of the room to the other, with all different kinds of beverages and food. In the middle of the table, an elegant water fountain stood with pride, spouting with endless amounts of water, all different colors. Katara smiled at this, she had suggested the idea to her father and Master Pakku only a couple of days ago, when they were putting the finishing touches on the palace. Behind the table there were some rounded steps that led to a place where royalty dined. Small blue pillows took the place of chairs, and a very low, blue table was in front of them. Behind the royalty dining area was a waterfall, running down the side of the palace wall, climbing down it.

Sitting at the round tables were Aang, Toph, Zuko, Smellerbee, Master Pakku, Gran Gran, Bato, Ty Lee, and Mai. There were also other water tribe warriors too, scattered about the giant room. At the royalty section, Hakoda, and Sokka were seated, and one spot remained for the Water Tribe Princess, Katara. Suki went to sit next to Ty Lee, eying Sokka from the corner of her eye.

Katara started to walk with pride down the aisle, towards the royalty section, exchanging hellos, and handshakes with her friends. Zuko grinned and kissed her hand politely, making Katara blush beet red. Toph punched her in the arm, Aang kissed her cheek, Master Pakku and Bato bowed their heads respectfully, and Ty Lee nearly knocked her over with a hug. Next in line- Mai. She looked at Katara with a fake smile, with no expression whatsoever. Her mouth spoke the words hello, but Katara knew that she truly meant: 'Wow. What a surprise. You're here. Here we go'. As Katara headed up the rounded stairs, she felt her anger boil up in her veins.

What is she doing here? What business does she have to attend to? Katra stole a quick glance over her shoulder, feeling her eyes widen in horror. Ew, she is giving Zuko a hug! Gag me, for the love of tui! Get away from MY man you depressed, dingy-

"Hi Katara. How are you?" Hakoda asked gently, interrupting Katara's thoughts about Mai.

Katara nearly fainted, she was so scared. She realized who she was talking to, then said, "Hey Dad. I'm fine. I am just a little tired."

"KATARA! FLYING KICKAPOW!" Sokka screamed, causing an eruption of laughter to come from the other side of the dining hall.

" You know a nice 'Good Morning' would have been nice, but that was good too." Katara laughed, hugging her brother tightly.

"Hey, I was just trying to wake you up! You told dad you were tired so I decided to wake you up-" Sokka said sarcastically, raising his eyebrows, grinning as he spoke.

Hakoda stood up, on the verge of announcing something. The whole dining hall

Grew silent.

" Good morning everyone. I have a very big announcement to make, so sit tight before you get up to get some food. I am proposing a quest to find someone who falls close to one of our friends' hearts." Hakoda's eyes found Zuko's, his blue eyes piercing into Zuko's glistening gold ones. Whispers echoed off the walls, until Hakoda held up his hand, signaling the crowd that he was ready to continue. "Former Fire Lady Ursa, as you know, has been missing for some time. It's never too late, and my scouts have reported that she is alive. Whispers are rousing in towns all over the world about where Ursa currently is." Katara's eyes widened in shock, and immediately looked at Zuko, who looked back at he, and their eyes seemed to connect, like they were sharing a conversation that no one could interpret. Zuko grinned, and they both grew a little pinker than usual in the cheeks. Katara smiled to herself. " We will need two people for this mission. One, is going to be Zuko, the Fire Lord." Everyone loyally bowed in Zuko's direction. " It is his place to choose his partner on this quest. He may pick the strongest, the most intelligent, or witty, or maybe his best friend. Whomever he chooses, we should all support his decision. The quest will be for around four month at a total to search the world for Fire Lady Ursa. Now may I present to you, Zuko, the Fire Lord."

Hakoda held out a hand in Zuko's direction, while Zuko stood up. Hakoda seated himself quietly, and the crowd's attention shifted to Zuko. Katara was gripping her shirt anxiously, feeling a drip of sweat glide across the side of her leg.

"I, Fire Lord Zuko am going to choose someone brave and intelligent. Some one who is trustworthy and loyal, so whomever I pick, please do not be offended if it is not you. I love you all dearly, but I can only pick one of you for this occasion." Zuko said clearly, fidgeting. The silence that was held in between his decision was almost overwhelming. Everyone seemed to stop breathing, afraid of letting a breath slip through their mouths. Katara was nearly standing up, and Sokka was clutching Katara's arm, digging his nails into her nervously. Suki's head turned from Zuko to Katara, smiling as if she knew what was going to happen. " And I choose the witty and graceful water bender, Katara." Mai groaned and crossed her arms across her chest, frowning. Applause broke the silence, filling Katara's ears as she stood with honor, grinning the biggest smile she had ever done. She ran down the steps and hugged Zuko to the point were they looked as if they were glued together. Aang's mouth dropped down a mile with shock and Mai threw a dirty glance at Katara, her eyes flaring.

""THAT'S MY SISTER!" Sokka shouted over the applause smiling and clapping the loudest and with most enthusiasm of any one.

Katara smiled at the crowd of people either shaking her hand, hugging her, or simply bowing. Katara slowly rotated in a circle, looking for Aang, to see how he was taking this news. He was standing in the corner of the dining hall, looking at Zuko as if he killed someone. She spotted a small tear drip down Aang's pale, white face before it was quickly wiped away. She frowned, and made her way through the crowd towards Aang. His sad grey eyes stared into her blue ones, and then he quickly looked away.

" Look, I'm not stupid Katara. I've seen the way he looks at you." Aang was speaking quietly, his arms crossed, and his eyes forlorn.

"The way who looks at me?"

"Don't pretend you don't know." He said, a hint of anger in his soft voice. He pouted and turned away from Katara.

" You're acting like a child. Listen to me: there's nothing between Zuko and I okay? He just chose me for the mission, because when I helped him face Azula he felt the most comfortable with me at his side. I'm a good fighter." Katara spoke softly, placing her hand on Aang's shoulder gingerly.

Aang was starting to fume, and Katara could feel his chest moving with anger she had never known him to have before. His eyebrows came together, and his lips were pursed. His eyes stared furiously at the wall he faced, and Katara slowly backed away, afraid of what he might do.

" No offense Katara, but If he wanted a good fighter don't you think he would have picked me? I am the Avatar after all." Aang said coldly, as Katara gasped.

" Why would you say that? I am just as good of a water bender as you Aang, and don't deny it. I am your teacher for crying out loud!" Katara said, raising her voice a little bit, her fingers coming together as a fist.

" Maybe you are but you don't know all the elements like I do. I am better than you in that way. You can't earth bend, or fire bend, or air bend for that matter." Aang's words were like icicles puncturing Katara's heart.

"You know, sometimes I don't know what comes over you! You are just so jealous and cold, and bitter! When you have calmed down, come talk to me but if it's going to be like this leave me ALONE!" Katara screamed, her eyes becoming more watery with every word. She turned around, and scurried through the crowd who were staring at the Princess, who made her way out of the dining hall.

Sokka saw what happened and was ready to punch Aang in the face right here, right now. He stomped his way over to Aang, and tapped him on the shoulder.

" Katara, get –"

"It's not Katara. And if you ever talk to her like that again, I swear to la that you will NEVER come near her, or the Southern Water Tribe again. If you take one step out of line, or let a harmful word slip from your stupid mouth, your face will meet my fist and our friendship will be over." Sokka said menacingly, his finger digging into the Avatar's chest, then turning around. He pushed through the crowd, towards the buffet table, and grabbed a large plate and some seal jerky. He got some water, put it in a pouch and headed for the door. He needed to find Katara. Now.

When he stepped out of the doors, he followed Sokka's Instincts and found Katara hugging her legs, burying her face in her knees by the massive water fountain at the center of the castle.

" He was being a jerk Katara. Don't listen to him." Sokka said, patting her back, which was vibrating violently from how intensely she was sobbing.

She unraveled from her little ball and gave Sokka a hug. She was going to tell her how much Aang had hurt her feelings, but she remembered her mother.

"I saw mom last night Sokka." Katara's tears were coming more rapidly down her face.

"What? How? Where" Sokka suddenly straightened, looking aghast. He reached for her hand, and held it as she spoke.

" She visited me from the spirit world. But only for a small amount of time. She just wanted me to tell you that she loves you a lot." Katara sniffed, once again collapsing into her brother's arms.

They hugged each other for a long amount of time, not wanting to let go. They both had a serious look etched onto their faces, while a tear or two trickled down their cheeks. Only one tear glided down Sokka's cheek, for he was to bold to cry any more than that.

A shuffling sound was coming from around the corner, which caused the warrior and water bender to untangle from their embrace in alarm. Katara readied some water from the fountain behind her, ready to use a water whip. Sokka withdrew his new sword, crafted from the same crater his first one was made of; He finally found the space crater when he was exploring with his father around six months ago. Their tears had dried, and in place of it was a look that screamed "Bring it" to the mysterious noise.

The figure emerged from the darkness of the corridor, dressed in an emerald green dress with her hair up in a half-a, tied back with a blue green flower. Sokka and Katara dropped their weapons and water, and welcomed the new visitor. Suki's face looked perturbed, and she dashed over to Katara's side, shushing her softly.

Suki looked at Sokka and immediately blushed, putting some of her hair behind her ear as she gingerly hugged Katara.

"I think it's time to go back to our tent Katara. You need some rest before you go tomorrow. Sokka, It's nice to see you." Suki said with a small smile.

Sokka smiled and kissed her softly on the forehead. "It's nice to see you too Suki." Sokka kissed her again then turned to Katara. " Oh I forgot to tell you guys something: Your things were moved into the palace today. It's tested to be safe, and It's always a little more comfortable then a tent."

Suki grinned. "Gotcha, thanks hun. Hey I will visit you in a bit to talk about the wedding preparations. You know I was thinking everything should be green, you know just-"

Sokka interrupted her; he didn't want to talk more about the preparations than he actually had to. " Hey I thought you were going to take Katara back to her room?"

Suki nodded, and put her arm around Katara, who was smiling at her brother and his fiancée. " Do you mind telling me where it actually is so I don't have to wander around all day?" Katara asked, as Sokka and Suki laughed.

"Yeah, it's just around the corner over there, first door on your right, and your room is connected to a very small courtyard, where you can practice your water bending. Actually, Zuko helped design it and it looks pretty good. You should check it out." Sokka said as he pointed to it across the room.

Katara smiled, and her stomach felt like it was going to collapse from the excessive amount of butterflies that danced in her stomach.

Zuko designed my water bending area? For me?

"Ahem, and where is my room?" Suki interjected, pouting.

" Right next to Katara's room. Oh, you have a courtyard too. Except, it is where you can practice your sick moves and karate chops! Oh, and yours truly designed it!" Sokka's enthusiasm kicked in again, bringing warmth to Katara's heart.

Suki immediately grabbed Katara's arm towards their rooms and shouted over her shoulder, "I'll see you in a bit. I gotta go check these rooms out! I love you!"

"I LOVE YOU MORE!"

"NUH- UH I LOVE YOU MORE!"

"Yeah we get it guys. You love eachother! Let's get a move on here!" Katara said laughing.

They both turned around the corner in excitement, chatting about what they thought their rooms would look like. Katara's face was happy again, and her eyes were bright and jolly. Her smile was breathtaking, and she moved with grace towards the doorway to her room.

"Well, here I am." Katara said, turning the icy door knob quickly, as Suki did the same to her door.

Katara gasped in happiness as a succession of light blinded her. One wall of her room was made of ice that were colored in different blues, and parallel to that wall was another made of wood, were her king sized bed welcomed her. Silk much like the blue silk she was wearing right now above her bed, and her sheets were a very dark and clear blue. At the end of her bedspread and at the top, there was another sheet a lighter blue, inscribed on it were small waves in shiny silver. Her pillows were all blue, and her main one had a monumental water tribe insignia sewed on carefully. Across from her bed on the ice wall was a doorway to a small bathroom, fully equipped with a white marble bath, sink, and toilet. Next to her bed was an ice bedside table with a blue cloth diary laid on top of it with a small purple lamp that was carefully lit with fire. To the other side of her bed about a foot there is a doorway to something Katara couldn't recognize. She crept over to it and squeaked the door open. She opened her mouth in astonishment. Three walls were dedicated to an assortment of blue, purple, and white dresses that were scattered around, hung up neatly. On the last wall, there was a collection of dainty shoes, also colored purple, blue, and pearly white. In the middle of the room there was a white bench – bed ( Like Jasmine's bed in Aladdin) When she looked up, a bluish purple half sphere seemed to have fire in it, which provided the light needed to be in the walk in closet. The rest of the area in this closet was glass. Katara touched It all, her mouth still open, to make sure it was real. She gently shut the door, as she went to explore the other areas of the room. As she walked out, she turned left, and walked about two feet when another doorway appeared, this time made of glass. She slid the glass door to the side and smiled once again as she stepped outside. It felt like it was at least seventy degrees, with soft green grass welcoming her bare feet. Katara stood in awe as she noticed the large water fall and at the bottom was a small lake, where she could practice waterbending. A cherry blossom tree sat near the waterfall, which reminded her of the stories Zuko used to tell her about the times he spent with his mother.

Holy crap. Zuko. He designed this whole place, and he put a cherry blossom tree in it! How sweet!

She swallowed her pride, and just fell to the ground, smiling at the scent of grass and the sound of rushing water, that gave off a small amount of mist. She buried herself into the soil, looking a lot like Toph on a daily basis when it came to earth. She chuckled to herself as she picked herself up and walked to her bed to take a nap. As she sat down she turned the opposite way of the doorway to her room, and closed her eyes.

All of a sudden her door clicked open and a soft voice hissed through the cracks of the ice of the door, " Katara, are you here?"

Katara's eyes immediately opened with concentration, and she turned around slowly, even fearfully, to see the voice that was speaking to her from the other side of the door.