The next chapter – Enjoy
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The next morning the sun shone brightly in the sky. Not a cloud was seen, and the air was already warm. By midday when the sun was overheard completely the heat was going to pick up with the humidity. It was going to be unbearable in the heat without any shade. But at least the storm to break the later heat, which always came was way off. Until then they had time to seek shelter, and not be caught up in it.
Sitting up, and breathing deeply a few times she stretched her sore limbs from sleeping on the ground all night. Right arm lightly pushing on left; she looked around to see what the others were up to. Sokka was still asleep, and snoring, loudly.
"Sokka shut up," Katara whined and pushed him over so that he was now lying on his stomach; his face was planted in the ground. So what if he ate dirt? It stopped him from snoring.
Katara chuckled at her own thoughts. She had to prepare something for breakfast.
The weight of yesterday died down. It was still there, but it was new day. They had to move forward and keep going. If it wasn't mentioned the mood would be better.
When Toph and Aang returned from the early morning lesson Katara had already finished preparing breakfast, and she and Sokka were already eating. Toph and Aang joined.
The mean was silent, but in a comfortable way. Everyone was hungry so the main focus was on eating.
"Toph, don-"Sokka tried and Katara watched in horror as Toph put the bug in her mouth, stop, and then quickly spit it out.
"Look, I tried to warn you," the young boy put out with his hands out defensively. Katara and Aang laughed.
Embarrassed the Earth Bender send a few rocks Sokka's way , then turned on Katara. Biting into one of the fruits she pointed at the Water Bender keeping her blind eyes straight ahead.
"Katara care to tell Sokka and Aang who you were with last night. Because if you don't I will."
The food did not make it to Katara's mouth. Te eyes were all on her, but her eyes remained on her food. How did she know? She was asleep, and the distance wasn't close enough. So now the trouble she hoped wouldn't be was now going to be.
"What is she talking about sis?" Sokka's voice changed, and he became mad, "Somebody was around here, and you didn't warn us. We could've been attacked."
"He was injured," Katara injected eyes still on the food she lost appetite for.
"He-"Sokka jumped to conclusion of the worst thing possible. Aang did not say a word, but he was shocked and calm. He would most likely hear her out before he too jumped to the worst conclusions one could jump to in their situation.
"Sokka, please don't," Katara pleaded. She was already emotionally drained. She didn't want to deal with this as well. Thanks to Toph who knew too much for her own being had to go and expose something that was meant to be kept quiet. She was blind to know when to keep her mouth shut.
"Katara what happened?" She was dulled out to notice that Sokka was in her face, his food was on the ground spilled.
"Sokka, calm down. You're throwing this way out of proportion." She tried to calm him down, but the more she tried, the more his anger grew.
"He's going to throw it even farther when he finds out that it was Zuko!"
"ZUKO," the name echoed across the camp, and now Aang was angry, and defenceful. He glanced around taking notice of the surrounding, and noting if any danger was around.
With two angry boys, a carefree Earth bender Katara had had it for the morning. Ignoring Sokka, whom she pushed out of the way she went to the blind girl and stood over her with a scowl to kill, and crossed her arms. She could not see Katara, but her feet were on the ground. She was picking up the vibrations, but acting as if they rolled off her like water.
"Toph, some things are meant to be kept quiet. Just once you could've been quiet. We've all been through a lot lately. Just once nothing has happened. But you," she started to stammer her anger getting the better of her.
"Ever since you joined up there's been more fighting and arguing. Sometimes, sometimes I wish you'd never joined." Fists clenched in the air she dropped them with her shoulders. What had she just done?
"Toph, I-"it was too late. Toph stood up. Her head was slumped, and her shoulders were as well. She walked to the clearest part, and made her rock shelter and sheltered herself in from the rest of them.
Leave it to me as well to say the wrong thing, Katara thought bitterly to her. She was no better sometimes, always wanting things to go her way, and being very controlling at times.
Being left with the two boys who grown quite used to this, they didn't say anything. Their silence made her turn away.
"This is what happened," she spoke to the trees, "I was going to take a bath last night when I caught sight of him. He was in pain. I remembered that he was the one who helped me, so to owe him back I helped him. He didn't let me at first, but I was persistent. I fixed his arm and left. He stayed where he was. He didn't follow me, or anything. He wouldn't hurt me, I kind of trusted that –"
"Wait, wait," Aang injected, "You trusted that jerk. Katara you were alone. He could've done anything, and there was nobody there to help you."
"But he didn't," she shouted toward the trees. She didn't want to see their faces. That was made all too clear when her feet started up, and she headed in the direction of her voice. She needed to cool down, and the only way she was going to do that was if she was alone water bending her frustrations away.
"Where are you going," her brother shouted.
"I want to be alone," she shouted loudly scaring the birds.
"You sh-"
"Katara stopped, jerked sharply and stomped one foot on the ground, white knuckles clenched at her sides replied, "Don't you dare follow me either."
Then she was gone into the woods.
"Why do they insist on telling me how to run my life. I helped the jerk instead of killing him when I –"
A snap of a twig, she jerked in the direction to meet cold eyes of the boy she healed instead of killing when she had the chance.
"Don't even bother me," she spoke seriously with the undertone of just how pissed off she was.
He took no notice of the undertone, and took a few steps up to her, then stopped and folded his arms.
"I see that that argument has gotten the best of you."
"What," she questioned surprised. How did he know? Was he stalking her? Was he possibly more of a threat than he let on?
"I could hear you. You're pretty loud. The villagers of Lafu probably heard you as well."
So he wasn't the threat she thought he was moments ago. He was just going to mock her, and still get on her bad side.
"Mind your business." She pushed past him, and took one step before he grabbed her wrist.
"Get off me jerk," alert, power rising she snapped her wrist to break his grasp. It wasn't tough because it wasn't tight. Water from the canteen was out and ready for attack.
"Don't you ever lay a hand on me. I may have healed you yesterday, but I am not above hurting you to escape yesterday."
"Yesterday is gone, there, there's no going back to it," he dryly replied.
"I don't care for your philosophy," she snapped. She started walking again. Her destination was to be far away from everyone as possible. Her water was down already.
"What are you doing then," he snapped. The whole calm, collective façade diminished, and was place with his non-happy, determined angry boy demeanor.
"Let me guess," he played his wild card, and upped his step till he was always one step ahead of her, and said, "Your mad, so you need to distance yourself to cool off, and calm down. Your afraid that if you don't you may say something, or act out in a way not you don't want to. So why not ease your anger with aggressive bending. That way, when you see everybody else you will act as if the fight had never happened.
"H-"
"You also hope your friends act as if nothing has happened as you will. Everything will return to normal, and you will move on," he finished and stopped on the spot.
Katara, merely four steps ahead stopped on spot. How did he know this? As much as she wanted to deny all of this, she couldn't. It was true, and the question was why the whole scenario was said out to her? Her anger dropped, and her defense as well. She was covering that up. There was one thing she did not want him to see.
It was hopeless. If he could pitch her future and present actions then in battle he was able to predict her actions. If she was trying to protect Aang against he, he'd read her like a book.
The water bender crossed her arms, and turned away. A questioning look graced her features, only he was unable to see it.
"You're really no different than I am," he looked the opposite way as well. He ran a hand through his dark, shaggy hair.
"You're wrong," she yelled openly scaring the birds again. The sun through the trees; the heat was setting in. Sweat formed, and beaded on the faces of the benders. With the way she continued she was going to rush herself into a mess; but she was so worked up.
"I am nothing like you. You," she rushed into his face pointing the accusing finger, "You, you are a vial creature. Nothing good could ever emit from you. Everything around you, like the fire you control will be destroyed. Your hatred, the one that consumes you –"
He pointed right back, when she dropped her finger; a flash of fright from his closeness was quickly gone. He spoke harshly now.
"Hatred. My hatred may be seen, but you have hatred as well. Though you act with care for your friends, that is your act to do only that. Hidden away, you know it's there for all you see, and wish you can change. Nobody else can see it, but it's there."
She blinked.
"And one day," his voice now low and wispy and spooky speaking continued, "It will be released."
Smacking his hand away she pushed him back just for something to do. He scared her. The words he spoke, the truth was there. It was true as much as she didn't want to admit it.
With the sleeve of her shirt she wiped the sweat off her forehead. He did the same thing only with the back of his hand. The cloth, they used as a bandage was dirty and stringy at the edges. He had slept on the ground the previous night.
"I hate you," she snapped.
He turned and put a hand on her shoulder that made her freeze on the spot. She did not release form the touch. She did not even look at him.
"You hate me because I speak the truth, little one," He squeezed her shoulder a little tighter, "The hatred is visible now. You're going to be manipulated." He let go and headed the opposite way. He stopped.
"I need your help."
