I do not own ATLA!
"Katara your hands!" Sokka shouted as he pointed at his sister in horror. "They're on fire!" he said quickly, eyeing the bright element. Wishing to aid his sister, Sokka began to make his way towards Katara's distressed form. Yet, with each tentative step he took in her direction, she tried to slide out of his reach.
"Stay back" she pitifully cried while tears continued to rush down her blushed cheeks. "I'll only hurt you," she said returning her gaze to her hands once more.
Ever since she lost control of her emotions, the heat that had been gradually building up inside of her somehow escaped when the fire materialized in her palms. Like she noted earlier, the flames did nothing to burn her hands, but that did not repress its destruction of everything else. If she was mysteriously able to set the table ablaze, Katara did not like to think of what else she could effortlessly put in a similar state. Though the Water Tribe girl was scared of harming another, she was more afraid of herself than anything else. What was happening was foreign to a girl that had spent her life controlling the opposing element of water. Despite often combating fire, Katara greatly feared it now that she could do nothing to subdue it. She feared what killed her mother. She feared what she could not control. Never before had she been so unsure of herself and was greatly surprised when she felt hot tears drip down her chin.
Sokka looked confusedly at his sister while still trying to reach her. "Sis you're the one getting hurt, let us help you!" he turned to look behind him, "Aang, Zuko, you have to do something!" he said while looking at the two shocked boys.
Zuko took note of Katara's smoldering hands and immediately felt fear for the third degree burns she would soon receive if they didn't douse the flames. He knew better than anyone the immense pain that came with fire's deadly touch and how it left nothing but painful scars. To see her delicate hands encased in his element was a horrific sight that reminded him of just how dangerous firebending could truly be, only he was still unsure of who's firebending started the whole mess in the first place.
"I told you, I can't firebend right now," Zuko admitted in his frustration. "Aang, you're going to have to airbend," he said, turning to the younger boy.
Aang swallowed and stiffly nodded before slowly moving towards his sobbing friend. "Katara, I'm going to get rid of the flames with my airbending, just hang in there!" he quickly explained while carefully stepping closer.
Zuko noted how sweat slid down Aang's face as he tried to approach his friend. If he was worried about Katara, Zuko couldn't imagine how the younger boy was faring. The Fire Prince recalled how Aang once told him that he quit firebending when he burned Katara. For Aang to see fire's dangerous effects once again harming his closest friend, Zuko feared that this event would become a hindrance to his mastery of firebending.
Katara closed her moistened eyes and shook her head as the Avatar tried to move closer. "It won't do anything," she slowly said "Just please Aang, stay back."
"Katara I don't understand…"
"I just don't want you to get hurt," Katara pitifully admitted while looking up at the Avatar through watery blue eyes. "This is all my fault!" she suddenly cried.
Aang continued to approach Katara despite her protests. "It can't be! It's not like you purposefully got your hands caught on fire," Without another word he lifted his fingers towards the flames and released a concentrated amount of airbending right at them. Katara bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut as the harsh wind blew her dark locks haphazardly around her round face. Fire and air fought for dominance before finally the flames momentarily receded.
For a split second Katara's hands appeared, reveling healthy looking skin that was unscathed by the fire. However, despite the small victory, the flames quickly returned once more in a growing intensity. Aang stared wide-eyed at this startling discovery having witnessed Katara's unharmed palms. Cracking her eyes open and noticing that her hands had lit up again, Katara shrieked and scrambled to her feet before fleeing the room entirely. Her hair whipped behind her and was the last thing the Gaang saw before she completely disappeared around the corner in her haste.
Everyone immediately made a move to chase after her, but Aang swiftly blocked the exit. "Guys, there's something you need to know," he stated, putting his hand up to halt a riled up Sokka.
"Well make it quick because my baby sister may not have her hands left if we don't help her!" Sokka worriedly exclaimed.
"That's the thing, Katara's hands aren't even burning," Aang explained in disbelief "Also when I blew the flames away, they just came back like nothing happened!"
"But that's impossible!" Sokka said as his brow furrowed.
Toph walked over to everyone. "For that to be happening she would need to be a-"
"Firebender," Zuko finished.
At his words everyone turned to look at the Fire Prince who had a serious look on his face. He knew now what was impossible to see before. Neither Aang nor Zuko started the fire because they weren't firebending, Katara was. The moment Aang said that Katara's hands were perfectly fine he knew there was only one possible explanation: she had become a firebender. My fun rang in Zuko's ears as he realized what the spirit had meant at the time. Instead of killing them, he decided to curse Katara by exchanging her waterbending for an element that she lacked the understanding to control. That's why she was having so much trouble trying to waterbend earlier he realized.
"This is the spirit's fault," he announced, taking in everyone's shocked expressions. "He decided to turn Katara into a firebender for fun," Zuko explained distastefully.
Sokka stared at Zuko with a horrified look. "My sister can't be a firebender! Magic water I can handle, but not magic fire!" the Water Tribe boy began to pace about, "From now on I can't ever upset her again! Heck, I probably can't even ask her to lift a finger for me!"
"This is hard to believe. I knew that the spirits had the abilities to grant bending, I just never knew that they could completely change it," Aang told Zuko, ignoring Sokka's dramatic episode in the background. "But what about you Zuko, do you think the spirit messed with your bending too?"
Zuko nervously swallowed as he thought back to how he had been unable to firebend earlier. "I'm not sure really sure…"
The prince was worried to outright admit that he may have lost his firebending not because it was his most familiar weapon, but because of how shameful it would be to the Avatar and his cause if he lost it once again. In addition to that, if what Aang wondered was true regarding his bending, Zuko knew things were going to get far worse. Not only would he be useless as a firebending instructor, but as a person who couldn't fight back. Overall he doubted he could master any other element before Sozin's Comet. Other bending forms relied on the control and manipulation of surroundings, not the internal drive that stemmed from oneself. Zuko's drive is what fueled his goals, his dedication, and his willingness to succeed. If he lost his firebending to an element that relied less on these aspects, he was uncertain as to whether he would be able to bend at all.
Aang looked questionably at Zuko. "Well if-"
"Ahem" Toph said cutting off Aang.
Everyone turned to look the earthbender as she crossed her arms. "In case anyone has noticed, Katara is still off somewhere freaked out and probably about to burn the house down, so maybe someone should, I don't know, help her!" Toph loudly demanded. "Considering Twinkletoes and Sparky are the only ones here who know anything about firebending, one of you should find her."
Aang turned to look at Zuko. "You're the firebending teacher, not me. I wouldn't know where to start."
"But you're her friend! Do you honestly think I can get through to her?" Zuko skeptically replied. The Fire Prince was well aware that getting the hysterical Water Tribe girl to listen to him right now would be as difficult as moving Appa with one arm.
"I know you guys have a complicated relationship, but you have to try Zuko, for Katara's sake," the Avatar pleaded. "I just don't want her getting hurt," he ended while sadly looking in the direction she fled.
"And so that we live to face the Fire Lord," Sokka quickly added. Everyone turned to look at him with disappointed faces. "What? Katara burned down the table that she scrubbed for hours when we first got here, who knows what other crazy things she might do," Sokka said with a shrug.
"Come on Sparky, Sugar Queen needs her Sifu Hotman," Toph finally said, "And Sokka may have a point".
"Thank you!" he yelled while flinging his arms outward.
They do have a point Zuko thought. The Fire Prince had never been much of a teacher until he started training Aang. Even during his lessons he was still learning to understand the patience that came with instruction and how to transform firebending forms into a teachable example. Instructing the Avatar was enough work within itself, so he disliked imagining how much harder it would be to teach a waterbender to bend an element she seemed to not want anything to do with. Still, Zuko knew that for both her own safety and the safety of the Gaang, she needed to learn how to control her fire. Firebending was highly dangerous in the hands of the inexperienced.
Zuko sighed deeply. "Okay fine, just stop calling me Sifu Hotman."
"Whatever you say Sifu Hot- I mean Zuko!" Aang happily replied.
The prince shot the airbender a stern look before sighing once more and sweeping past everyone in the direction that Katara ran. As Zuko continued down the hall he passed Suki as she carried a tray full of food.
"Hey where's Zuko off to in such a hurry?" the Kyoshi Warrior asked as she entered the dining room, keeping her eyes glued on the steamy food she balanced. When Suki finally looked up, she nearly dropped what she was carrying. "What on earth happened in here!" she exclaimed as she noticed the room's artwork scattered about the floor and the dining room table a charred mess.
"Katara threw a tantrum?" Sokka offered.
How can this be happening to me? Katara thought as she sat on the steps leading into the courtyard. Being a safe distance away from everyone, she had mildly calmed down and let the calm breeze dry her tears. Despite the gentle breeze that tickled her face, it did not hide the fact that the air was very damp and carried the strong scent of past rain. Around her lay numerous puddles that mirrored the starry sky and decorated the otherwise plain courtyard. Meanwhile the badger-frogs croaked far off into the night, pleased with the moist environment.
Now that her sobs had ceased, Katara felt a dull ache as she pitifully continued to stare at the fire in her hands. The full moon cast its milky glow upon the world and coated everything in its ivory light, but was abruptly obstructed when it encountered her. Not even the moon recognizes me anymore Katara painfully thought as she noticed how the flame's light offset the moon's radiating glow. The bright fire made its presence know in the calm night and seemed to throw off the peaceful atmosphere she sought. With nothing but her lonesome self, the flames resting in her palms, and the moon presiding overhead, Katara finally had the opportunity to truly contemplate what was happening to her.
By now Katara had realized that her hands had not actually caught on fire, but were in fact producing it. When Aang had tried to douse the flames in order to aid her situation, Katara's fingers became ablaze once again when they theoretically shouldn't have. There was a mysterious fuel within the former waterbender that was creating the menace that plagued her. Is this magic? She wondered. Why am I immune to fire now? For Katara's latter thought to be true, that would mean exploring an impossible truth that she wished to avoid. Yet she tried to repress the thoughts that threatened to scream what she dreaded to recognize.
Waterbenders don't create fire, waterbenders get burnt by fire, waterbenders don't feel a strange pulsating heat inside of them…unless they're actually… no stop it! Katara internally voiced as her mind fought with itself.
"There you are," a male voice stiffly said.
Katara whipped her head up the sudden statement and noticed that Zuko now stood before her; coated in the glow of the moon she sought for herself. He had a slightly concerned look in his golden eyes that at the same time spoke mostly of uncertainty. Even his posture was awkward as he stood before Katara with his hands clasp together. She was greatly surprised that out of all her friends, the one person she was the least close to sought her out, again. The Water Tribe girl had a growing suspicion that everyone put the poor prince up to it based on his uncomfortable demeanor.
Katara in turn just looked away and allowed her thick hair, which had fallen out of its topknot, to fall in curtains around her face, slightly hiding it. "Just leave me alone Zuko. I appreciate you finding me, but there's nothing you can do here," she softly said.
Zuko shook his shaggy head and looked closely at Katara, trying to put aside his initial awkwardness. "You and I both know that I'm probably the only one who can do something."
Katara looked up at Zuko with desperate, red-rimmed eyes before the flames in her hands momentarily intensified, claiming her attention once again.
Zuko sighed and wondered how best to break the news to Katara as he eyed the dancing flames in her hands. He had never been very good at handling girl's emotions, let alone the one that sat before him. The only woman that he was currently closest to was Mai and she was a polar opposite of Katara's emotional persona. Being gentle with people was something he was learning to do as he gradually let go of his past rage. Yet, he felt it was justifiable if he was straightforward. The sooner Katara understood the situation, the sooner he could teach her how to control her new abilities.
Zuko took a deep breath. "This-" he said gesturing to her hands, "-is a curse that the spirit created." Zuko tried to read Katara's face, but it was completely turned towards the pavement. The words continued to tumble out of his mouth, "You're no longer a waterbender…you're a-"
"Just stop, please don't finish that sentence," Katara breathed as a single tear sparkled in the moonlight and slid down her saddened face. She knew Zuko was about to reveal the word that she dreaded to hear, a word that would change who she was forever.
"If I'm not a waterbender anymore, then what good am I to Aang and his mission? How can I help win this war when I've lost a part of who I am?" Katara weakly asked while looking into Zuko's golden eyes. Then she shamefully turned away.
Nice going, she was already upset so you just had to go and make her cry Zuko's mind taunted. The prince was at a loss for words as he had no idea how to comfort Katara as she painfully realized what a loss in her waterbending entailed. He cursed himself for the years of insensitivity he had practiced, but knew he had to at least try to stop her tears. It was emotions like fear and sadness that were fueling her firebending in the first place.
"Hey…don't cry…" he hesitantly said as he stepped over a puddle that separated them. Then, after a couple painful seconds of indecision, he outstretched his hand towards Katara in order to place it on her shoulder.
As soon as his pale palm made contact with her bare shoulder, she jerked away in surprise. Another tear leaked down her cheek as she now looked up at him. "It won't be long before I end up hurting someone," Katara nearly whispered.
"That's not true," Zuko firmly said, finally taking charge of the conversation. The former prince knew that Katara was many things, however being the type of person who hurt the ones she loved was not one of them. "I know it's not true because you care too much to do something like that," Zuko looked determinedly at Katara, "That's why you're going to let me help you get those flames to go away."
"Can you really do that?" she innocently replied as her tears momentarily ceased, hope evident in every word.
Zuko nodded. "You could say I have a little expertise in that area," he said with a small grin.
The Fire Prince had always felt like a stranger to Katara, whether it be an enemy that pursued her, or a firebending teacher that she exchanged few words with. For him to readily offer his help again was something she deeply appreciated, yet Katara disliked appearing vulnerable in his eyes. There was something about Zuko that instilled in her the drive to prove how powerful she truly was. Even when they pursued the Southern Raiders Katara went above and beyond her bending abilities by creating towering waves, maintain a large air bubble around Appa, and finally blood bending. Unlike everyone else, Zuko was careful, analytical, calculating and quick to chastise when something went wrong. Though he did not dare to purposefully aggravate Katara, strangely this side of him compelled her to demonstrate how she had grown as a warrior since first meeting him in the South Pole. However despite her pride, Katara knew that she unfortunately needed to rely on the young man in front of her.
Returning her thoughts to the present, Katara watched as Zuko knelt in front of her so their gazes were level, keeping a careful distance between them to respect her need for space. "When I was a boy I used to have the same problem as you…Azula used to always tease and belittle me. This gave me a lot of rage even as a kid and sometimes this rage, or in your case heightened emotions, would make me constantly firebend." Katara visibly flinched at the word firebend knowing that Zuko was verbally giving a name to what she had been doing for the last thirty minutes.
"How would you stop?" Katara inquired, her attention fixed on the boy in front of her.
Zuko thought back to the small lessons his mother taught him growing up within the palace. Though his father insisted that only his handpicked firebending teachers instruct Zuko, his mother was always readily offering guidance. Such guidance aided him in handling his emotions and the firebending that sometimes arose from it. If it wasn't for her help in his early years, Zuko knew he would be stuck in the same boat as Katara. Being scarred, banished, and now disowned by his own father was enough for Zuko to instantly burn out his chi in the form of useless firebending.
"Close your eyes," he suddenly commanded.
Katara raised a curious eyebrow at the Fire Prince. "Close my eyes? What's that supposed to do exactly?"
"Just do it"
"I still don't understand how that's going to help" she quickly replied.
Zuko sighed. "Do you want my help or not?"
"Yeah"
"Then close your eyes for Agni's sake!" Zuko once again commanded, his irritation escalating. I knew this wouldn't be easy…
"Okay okay, I'm doing it. Just calm down," Katara slammed her lids shut, turning her world into one of complete darkness. "Now what? Do I open my eyes and the flames are gone?" she sarcastically asked, some of her former boldness returning.
Zuko snorted at Katara's brash assumption. "No, not yet, first you need to relax. You can start doing this by controlling your breathing. Take deep breaths, in through your nose, out through your mouth."
Katara obeyed and controlled her breathing. With each inhale she could have sworn the heat in her hands mitigated before increasing once again with her exhales.
"Now imagine a peaceful scenario in your head, this will calm your mind and further pace your breathing." Zuko spoke; imitating the same words his mother once spoke to him.
Katara's face frowned. "Peaceful scenario?"
"Yeah, you know, like fixing your hair or whatever it is girls like to do," Zuko offered. He had never been very close to Azula, but he did notice when he returned to the Fire Nation that his sister had picked up the habit of having her hair washed and combed by the servants nearly twice a day. Katara didn't have servants, but he trusted that the concept was the same.
Katara snorted. "Taming my hair is far from peaceful," she dryly replied. "It's more of a war really."
"Are you kidding? I thought girls liked doing stuff like that," Zuko said, mentally slapping himself again at his realization that he knew nothing about girls. He should have clearly remembered this after visiting the beach with Mai.
"Next time I wake up, I'll let you have a go at brushing my hair and see how peaceful it really is," she responded, ignoring the fact that she just invited the Prince of the Fire Nation to comb her hair.
Zuko was pleased that he was somehow able to coax her into acting like her former self, however the comment caused him to slightly flush at the thought of detangling her long hair. Because that's what the world needs to find out, not only did the Prince of the Fire Nation abandon his people for the Avatar's group, but is catering to their every little need he mused. Zuko was just glad that Katara's eyes were still screwed shut and couldn't see his pink cheeks.
Shaking off the comment, he decided to just sit in silence until Katara hopefully found her "peaceful scenario". Finding his knees tired from bearing his weight, Zuko opted to just sitting crossed-legged on the pavement and resting his chin on his hand. He looked up at Katara as she sat still as a statue with her fire-bearing palms still lying on her lap. Knowing that she would be angry if he caught him observing her, Zuko started to trace the patterns on his clothes in boredom. Eventually he lost interest in his former activity and settled on counting the badger-frog croaks. After another few moments of useless counting, his usual lack of patience started to kick in.
Zuko glanced at Katara again. "Well did you think of something yet?" he urgently inquired.
"Well I can't if you keep interrupting my thoughts."
Zuko was about to snap back at the girl but took a deep breath instead. Control Zuko, don't forget about control. If the prince still had firebending, he knew steam would likely be coming out of his nose by now. But no, he had learned to control himself when he taught Aang, surely he could do the same for this girl.
"What if you tried thinking about peaceful memories?" he calmly offered, keeping the frustration out of his voice.
At the notion of a peaceful memory, Katara sat in silence for a few more minutes trying to scour her mind for one. The young woman lightly smiled when she discovered what she sought and felt the warmer climate of the Fire Nation fade away into the cold air of the South Pole. She envisioned an old memory in which she and Sokka were playing in the glittering snow while warmly clad in their parkas. Katara imagined inhaling the freezing, crisp air that burned her lungs, but likewise awakened her. The arctic wind gently tugged at her braid as it blew in from across the icy sea. While they played, she looked up to see her mother in the distance, calmly watching her children. Katara saw herself looking into her mother's beautiful eyes and smiling at her, anticipating the moment when her warm embrace would chase away the endless cold of the day.
"Look what I made!" the memory Katara happily called to her mother as she presented her snowman.
Kya walked towards her elated daughter and proudly observed Katara's handiwork. "That's very nice Katara, what are you going to name him?" she asked, pointing at the poorly assembled snowman.
Memory Katara crinkled her brow as she considered her mothers words. Suddenly her eyes wide eyes brightened and she cheekily grinned at her mother. "I'll name it Sokka!" she finally squealed, "after Sokka!"
"Oh no you won't!" the real Sokka exclaimed, glaring angrily at his younger sister.
Kya crouched down and looked into her son's heated gaze with her own kind one. "You can't be the only Sokka in the world, surely there are others," she calmly explained.
"Well I've never met another Sokka…" he mumbled. "But I still think Katara shouldn't go around giving away my name," he continued, his anger gradually increasing. "She should at least trade it for meat!" he walked right up to his sister, "Take back what you did!"
Katara laughed and looked at her brother. "It's too late now! No meat for poor Sokka!"
"That's it! You really did it now!" he called after her as he began to chase her around the icy tundra, leaving their mother to shake her head and smile at her children's silly behavior.
"You really did it," a deeper masculine voice suddenly said, cutting through the memory.
Katara snapped her eyes open and noticed that she no longer felt the chill of the South Pole, but humid air that clung to her skin. Even the boy that sat before her bared no resemblance to those of her frigid home. No, his golden eyes and pale skin claimed ancestry to the country she was currently hiding in.
"You actually did it," Zuko repeated as he stared approvingly at her.
Confused, Katara slowly looked down expecting to find her hands still consumed in fire. Instead, what she discovered was something that caused her eyes to widen in shock. Her hands were back to normal. There were no flames, there was no heat, just wonderful plain palms lazily laying upon her lap.
"They're…normal," she muttered in disbelief. Soon a smile began to creep onto Katara's face. "Thank you Zuko."
He looked into her warms eyes and realized that she offered him genuine gratitude. "No pro- umph!" Zuko's words were cut off when Katara surprised him with an unexpected hug and threw him slightly backwards. However, Katara had forgotten about the numerous puddles and inadvertently threw Zuko right into one with a loud splash.
Then a cracking sound was heard.
Zuko suddenly felt immobile as his bottom became painfully cold and glued to where he was sitting. This caused him to tense in discomfort, puzzled by what just happened. Not even Katara's warm embrace could mitigate the sudden cold that was seeping through his body.
Feeling Zuko stiffen in her arms, Katara quickly pulled away; embarrassed that he rejected her hug. She knew the prince was unused to embraces, but was slightly disappointed that he did not appreciate her form of gratitude. Hugs were something she readily gave out, as it was her way of expressing her caring nature, even towards someone as distant as Zuko. However, she was confused as to why he rejected her now when he readily hugged her after the Southern Raiders. When she fully pulled away to apologize for her brash behavior, she finally got her answer.
"Zuko… you're frozen to the ground!" she exclaimed as she saw ice encasing the lower half of his body.
"What?" He looked down "Oh my Agni!" he yelled as he noticed what Katara pointed out. Crystal clear ice trapped his legs and lower torso, gluing him to the ground. He used his fist to crack the ice, but painfully retracted it when his knuckles met the solid substance. By now his teeth were starting the chatter as chills attacked his body. Without his breath of fire, Zuko's body temperature began to rapidly decrease despite the warm air that surrounded him.
"How did this happen?!" Katara asked as she stared at the ice.
Zuko wrapped his arms around himself. "I…don't…know!" he managed to say despite his shivering.
"Well I didn't do this since I can't waterbend," Katara explained in confusion. "Wait, why aren't you using your firebending to free yourself?" she curiously asked.
"I…can't…firebend…" he managed to say despite wishing not to voice this truth.
"Why? Did you lose your drive again?"
"No... I just can't"
Then what's preventing him from firebending? Katara wondered. Wait a second... if random ice is appearing out of nowhere, and Zuko can't firebend, then...
Katara's eyes widened as she realized what was really going. She remembered how Zuko explained that the spirit had turned her into a firebender, causing her to lose her waterbending abilities. What if the opposite happened to Zuko? What if Zuko had become a…
"You're a waterbender!" she suddenly cried, pointing at Zuko. "You! A waterbender?" Katara stood up and began to pace about. "That horrible creature that calls himself a spirit took our bending and switched it!" she announced, astounded. "I can't believe it, he actually turned the Prince of the Fire Nation into a waterbender!"
The cold that was consuming Zuko quickly became the least of his worries as he registered Katara's words. He was a waterbender? Out of all the elements that Zuko could have received, he happened to obtain the element that was not only the opposite of fire, but had a vastly different bending style! Though Zuko would not shed tears like Katara had when she learned of her lost bending, he fumed in anger remembering that it was the monkey that did this. The prince seethed when he thought of how the spirit was going to gain his wish of seeing him dead. Without his firebending, he was sure to perish in battle.
"Hey Zuko! Zuko? Zuko!" Katara yelled.
Zuko snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the worried girl in front of him.
"Are you okay? You look really upset," she hesitantly said.
"Upset? Upset! I'm more than upset Katara!" he glared at her, "I've just lost my bending and I'm completely helpless now!"
"But you still have waterbending Zuko, you're not help-"
"Of course I am! You honestly think I can bend water? You've got to be joking!" he shot back.
Katara scowled as she looked at the agitated prince, deeply offended. "So you think I want to bend fire for the rest of my life! It's a destructive element that does more harm than good!" she shouted back in anger.
Zuko narrowed his golden eyes at Katara. "Well at least you can bend this element that you hate so much!"
Katara scoffed. "Do you not see yourself right now, you just froze your own butt to the pavement! But I forgot, that doesn't count as bending," she replied.
"Well it sure doesn't when it backfires!" Zuko returned.
The Fire Prince growled as he helplessly tried to free himself again, twisting and turning in his encasement. He even tried punching the ice again to no avail. Katara meanwhile crossed her arms and watched Zuko struggle with his predicament. Serves him right for yelling at me she thought.
"Ugh!" he finally yelled, giving up. "Katara tell me how to melt the ice," the prince asked, momentarily letting go of his pride.
She narrowed her eyes at Zuko. "Why should I? You clearly don't want to learn how to bend water," she replied sweetly.
Zuko was stunned by her words. "But I helped you!"
"Then you turned around and yelled at me," she smoothly responded.
"Don't act like you didn't yell back!" he spat.
Zuko couldn't believe her hostility. It was like she never forgave him and was giving him the cold shoulder like in the Western Air Temple again. Didn't she realize that he would freeze to death if she didn't help him?
"Have fun melting your own ice," Katara coolly said as she started to walk away from a fuming Zuko.
Realizing her intent to leave him frozen to ground, he started to call after her. "Wait! Where are you going?" he desperately yelled at her back.
"To bed."
"What? You can't just leave me here!"
"Watch me," she replied as she continued to walk.
When Katara finally got to the doorway, she halted and glanced over her shoulder. "Goodnight Zuko" she plainly said before walking inside and slamming the door shut.
Zuko stared blankly at the closed door.
"Katara! he screamed. "Come back!"
It would be another fifteen minutes before Katara finally decided to find her brother and instruct him to free Zuko with his boomerang.
A/N: Looks like things got heated between Zuko and Katara again, but at least now we can truly get on with the plot! Unfortunately I start school again soon, so I may be posting less frequently, but as always your reviews help me to write faster :D. I love hearing you opinions and ideas for my story so please don't stop!
Special thanks to airichan623 for your kind comments and ideas. I took your ideas to heart and I'll try to incorporate them as best I can.
Happy New Year!