Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or the song "A Whole New World" from Aladdin, lyrics by Tim Rice.
Author's Note: I had several requests for this song, including airnaruto45, Kumori Doragon, and San-Chan Reincarnaited. I had already thought for a long time that it would make an excellent Kataang songfic, so here it is. I decided to have it happen during The Painted Lady.
A Whole New World
I can show you
the world,
Shining, shimmering, splendid.
Tell me, princess,
now when did
You last let your heart decide?
Appa and I can personally fly you to the North Pole. Katara smiled as she remembered Aang's invitation from so many months ago. In a way, they were the words that had set events in motion, leading her where she was today. She had only wanted him to teach her bending, but in his mind, taking her to the other side of the world was apparently equivalent. Since he didn't know how to teach her waterbending, it was the solution he'd immediately jumped to, thereby revealing how different their backgrounds had been.
Katara finished washing the red facepaint off and sat back. She had just healed the sick villagers, and she knew she should be tired, but she still felt a little keyed up from the night's events. She didn't see any harm in staying up a bit longer.
Almost against her will, Katara's eyes strayed to Aang, sleeping peacefully beside the supposedly sick Appa. The carefree, fun-loving kid she'd initially met at the South Pole had come a long way, but she still caught glimpses of him occasionally. It was a little sad to see him having to grow up so quickly, yet she found herself also enjoying certain aspects of his maturity as they emerged. It was kind of confusing.
I can open your
eyes,
Take you wonder by wonder,
Over, sideways, and under
On
a magic carpet ride.
Katara didn't think she'd ever done anything truly impulsive in her life until she met Aang, and now here she was, lying to her friends and impersonating a river spirit. Life was definitely funny. Katara thought back over all of the things she had seen because of the strange boy she'd broken out of an iceberg. There had been deserts and swamps, forests and mountains, hopping llamas and chattering hog-monkeys, spirits and monsters.
While their group had certainly endured many difficult times, Aang's recent death and resurrection being unarguably the worst, he had shown her the world. She still recalled his excitement in those early days, wanting to share some of his worldly experience with his new friends. He probably would have shared more, if they had not discovered that he had a deadline.
Katara frowned, determined not to think about that right now. The invasion would come soon enough, as Sokka never ceased reminding them. Instead, she recalled penguin sledding, sliding down the mail chute in Omashu, and watching Aang ride the elephant koi, which made her smile again.
A whole new
world,
A new fantastic point of view.
No one to tell us no,
Or
where to go,
Or say we're only dreaming.
The best part about the whole experience had to be the freedom. For the first time in her life, Katara had no rules or fixed responsibilities. There was no one telling her what to do. Sokka tried sometimes, trading on being the eldest, but that argument was wearing thin. Besides, when she had the Avatar on her side (which was usually), it was hard to be contradicted.
Even when rules had been forced on her, like not being able to learn waterbending fighting techniques, she had found a way around them. Katara never was particularly good at taking no for an answer, especially when she'd set her mind on something. She'd done just what she'd set out to do, and she saw no reason that she couldn't see this thing through until the end.
There were still chores to do, of course, but unlike at home, they were not simply routine drudgery. Katara knew that all the little things she (and the others) did were part of a greater quest. In addition, setting up camp in a new location almost every day and having fresh challenges of where to find water and firewood and what they were going to eat made everything kind of exciting.
A whole new world,
A dazzling place
I never knew,
But when I'm way up here,
It's crystal
clear
That now I'm in a whole new world with you.
Now I'm
in a whole new world with you.
And flying…that was something Katara didn't think she would ever take for granted. The perspective alone was worth the ride, seeing land and water spread out beneath you like a giant quilt, with people and buildings looking as tiny as toys. She felt like it helped her to see things the way the Avatar was supposed to, as a world unified, even in its differences. From the sky, there were no borders and no cultural divisions. If they were high enough, they could even avoid seeing the smoke from the Fire Nation, whether from factories or military actions. It all looked deceptively peaceful, and it gave her hope of what might yet be again.
Sometimes, when they were traveling, Katara could almost forget the dire nature of their journey and the dangers that surrounded them. Using the glider at the Northern Air Temple had amplified the sensation to some degree, though it had also been more terrifying. Unlike Aang, Katara could not control the air currents and was at the mercy of the winds. Perhaps that was how Toph felt every time her feet left the ground.
Even so, Katara had enjoyed the gliding experience immensely, once she got used to it. Maybe she did have a little of that airbender spirit Aang and Teo had talked about.
Unbelievable
sights,
Indescribable feeling;
Soaring, tumbling,
freewheeling
Through an endless diamond sky.
Katara closed her eyes, remembering the numerous tricks that she'd seen Aang perform on his glider. He didn't talk about it, but she knew he must miss it sometimes. Since she'd discovered what flying solo felt like, she thought she understood a tiny fraction of how it must feel for him. She hoped he would have another someday. He probably had the skill to make one, since he'd repaired his a couple of times already.
At last, Katara thought she'd probably been up long enough. She walked over to her spot beside her brother and removed the improvised stuffing from her sleeping roll. Sokka mumbled and turned over, but no one else gave any sign of noticing her movements. Still, Katara wasn't all that tired yet. Putting her hands behind her head, she gazed up at the stars. If she focused on them and ignored the hard ground beneath her, she could almost imagine that she was falling into the sky, through endless layers of blackness punctuated by brilliant crystals.
Katara shook her head, trying to clear out such fanciful thoughts. Her fatigue must have been starting to catch up with her.
A whole new
world
(Don't you dare close your eyes)
A hundred thousand
things to see
(Hold your breath, it gets better)
I'm like a
shooting star,
I've come so far,
I can't go back to where I
used to be.
Along with the other wonders she'd seen, Katara had certainly never expected that she'd ever visit the Fire Nation, let alone try to blend in with the natives. Aang had helped to open her eyes to many things, including the realization that most people in the Fire Nation were just that – people. During her childhood, firebenders were understandably seen as monsters, practically inhuman. The memories of raids haunted her tribe, and its members lived in constant fear of the next one.
Now, Katara realized that the common folk of this nation were not that different from those she'd grown up with. Obviously, she was risking a great deal to stick around this tiny village and help its poor people in their struggles. She even hoped that Sokka might be starting to see things a little differently, although she suspected that he still viewed them all as the enemy.
For Katara, though, the world was no longer that simple, if indeed it ever had been. She was changed forever, and she knew that she couldn't go back to the person she had once been. For that matter, she wasn't sure she could ever go back to the South Pole and consider it home again. However, she viewed these as positive changes, and she had no wish to trade them for anything.
A whole new
world
(Every turn a surprise)
With new horizons to
pursue
(Every moment red-letter)
I'll chase them
anywhere,
There's time to spare.
Let me share this whole new
world with you.
Katara turned her head once more in Aang's direction. Appa blocked most of her view from here so that all she could see were Aang's feet and lower legs. It didn't matter, though. She could build the image in her mind of him lying on his back, hands folded over his stomach, breathing deeply and evenly. Everything she was now was ultimately because of him. She owed him so much already. So did the world, she supposed, but for her, it was all more…personal.
Scanning over the forms of her other companions, she wondered if anyone had yet thought about what they would do when the war was over. Preparing Aang to face the Fire Lord had been their primary focus for so long that she might well be the only one planning ahead. Toph would probably want to go home and reconcile with her parents. Sokka would most likely return to the South Pole with the other warriors and help with the rebuilding. Aang…well, she couldn't really guess what Aang would do. She was sure only that wherever he went, she would join him, if he would have her. She wasn't quite ready to give up traveling yet.
Her future thus decided, Katara rolled over, and sleep overtook her at last.
A whole new world
(a whole new world)
That's where we'll be (that's where
we'll be)
A thrilling chase (a wondrous place)
For you and
me.
--
Member of the Boomeraang Squad: charleegirl, Jesus.Lives, Liselle129, Strix Moonwing, Avatarwolf, MormonMaiden, libowiekitty, Snows of Yester-Year, La Vixen de Amor, chocolatecoveredbananacheese, Aangy, and honorary member SnakeEyes16
Author's Note: It seems just like Katara to think that because she'd decided something, that's the way it's going to be. I also liked the idea of not having her fully face the implications of her own thoughts.
Review responses:
Wishing Only Wounds the Heart: I have to admit that one never would have occurred to me!
Kumori Doragon: Obviously, I was already planning to do this song. However, I will think about some of your other suggestions.
redskin122004: Simple though it is, that song has become one of my favorites from a Disney movie. And it fit so perfectly with the dance in The Headband, how could I resist?
jliljj: Well, I'll keep going as long as I have ideas.
San-chan Reincarnaited: If I Never Knew You is an excellent song, and I'm not sure it would have occurred to me, so thank you for that. I probably will do I Won't Say I'm In Love soon.
Tang Si Ming-Yue: I felt the same way about the dance party. It was exactly what Kataang fans had been waiting for forever!
joehalo15: I'm glad you're still out there reviewing. I confess that I've mostly given up reading and reviewing in favor of pursuing my writing. I just have so many ideas and not enough time in which to write them!
libowiekitty: Yes, I do like songfics. I think they help me to stay focused sometimes. Besides, music is such a huge part of my life, and it's hard not to relate all sorts of songs to Avatar.
Aangsfangirl1214: Well, I'm glad you can read them now. Besides, it was nice getting your review when I hadn't had any in a while. As an added bonus, you get a new chapter already! Yeah, I loved The Headband.
