Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.
Avatar: The Last Airbender – Destiny
Chapter 4: Prove you are a waterbending master
"Wow! It's so big." Aang stared slack jawed out over the lake.
"Mmm, big and beautiful." Katara nodded.
Aang smiled over at his waterbending master for a moment. "Oh." He started pulling his shirt off.
"You don't need to do that," the waterbender informed him.
"Huh?" He pulled his shirt back down to see Katara standing on a sheet of ice about 10 feet into the lake.
"Come on, we'll train in the middle of the lake." She turned and started gliding over the surface of the water.
"Middle of the lake?" Aang hesitated a moment before forming a sheet of ice as well and stepping out onto it. "Aaah!" He almost fell over but sent a blast of air down towards the water to regain his balance. After taking a few deep breaths, he began gliding over the water towards his teacher.
Katara came to a stop and built up a small island of ice in the middle of the lake. A minute later, Aang pulled up to the island and walked up to her. "Why are we training all the way out here?" he questioned while turning all the way around seeing just how big the lake really was.
"This way we can make sure we don't hurt anyone by accident," she answered.
"Hurt?"
"This is a no-holds-bar, all out battle. You and me, one on one." Katara put up her guard.
Aang just stared at her dumbfounded. "Y-your kidding, right?" He gave a weak laugh.
The blue-eyed waterbender shook her head returning his gaze with a cold stare. "If you believe you've mastered waterbending, then you need to defeat me in battle. Waterbending against waterbending. No airbending, no earthbending. If you can beat me, then there's nothing else for me to teach you, but if I win… well, no more talk about finding a firebending teacher, at least not for awhile anyway."
Aang stumbled back and put his hands up in front of himself. "I don't want to fight you Katara. Not really fight."
"You don't understand Aang. You have to prove to me you are a waterbending master; right here, right now." She launched a wave of ice at him that shot up into a giant arrowhead aimed right at Aang's heart.
"Aah!" Aang leaned way back, used his airbending to keep from touching the ground as the arrow sailed over him.
"No cheating!" Katara yelled angrily. "Only use waterbending!" She sent a hail of ice spikes at him.
This time Aang raised a wall of ice to block the attack then sent the wall flying towards his teacher who disbursed it several feet in front of her.
"Do you respect me?" Katara slammed her fists against her hips.
"Of course Katara." Aang reached his hands out to her.
"Then fight me!" She lunged forward causing the ice beneath the avatar's feet to melt and sending him into the water, then she froze it over him.
As the seconds turned into minutes, the waterbender's eyes darted over the water looking for any hint of movement. "Aang…. Aang…. Aang!"
Suddenly, a whirlpool began to form about twenty feet from the ice island and the avatar came out riding the swirling waters. It danced thirty feet in the air before bringing him down onto the ice where he landed on his feet and sent the whirlpool sailing at his instructor. She let out a scream as it hit her straight on and carried her out over the lake.
"Ahah!" Aang laughed in victory. "Huh?" But his expression changed abruptly when the whirlpool turned and headed back towards him. "No way!" he shouted, seeing the young waterbender riding the spiraling waters and just as it reached the island, it turned into a swirling pillar of ice. Whipping the tail of the pillar about, Katara wrapped it around her opponent and squeezed. Aang let out a scream as the icy pain blinded him for a moment.
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Zuko and Jin walked hand in hand along the shore of Lake Laogai.
"My mother is so excited about our new place. She has been busy buying all sorts of stuff to fill in all the new space. She even bought a new bedroom set for the guest room." Jin went on.
"That's nice." Zuko replied, his eyes staring aimlessly at the ground before him.
Jin glanced over to see the blank expression on her boyfriend's face. "She's thinking of buying a platypus-bear as a pet and I told her it can sleep in my bed."
"That's nice." Zuko repeated.
"Li…"
"What?" The young prince looked over at his girlfriend.
"You haven't heard a word I've said, have you?" She gave him a stern look.
"Huh…" Zuko's eyes went wide. "S-sorry." He looked away and scratched the back of his head.
Jin laughed. "It's okay. I was just teasing." Catching a glimpse of movement over Zuko's shoulder, she asked, "What's that?"
The firebender turned and looked out over the lake. "It looks like a battle."
"In the middle of the lake?" she replied while keeping her eyes on the disturbance.
"It must be waterbenders." Zuko reasoned. "Who ever it is, they're really going at it."
"Oh my gosh! Do you think it could be the avatar?" Jin clutched Zuko's arm in excitement.
"The avatar!" Zuko's eyes narrowed and his whole body tensed up.
"Mmm, I'd heard rumors that he's been living in Ba Sing Se but nothing official until a couple days ago." She smiled happily.
"Official?" The prince shot her a questioning stare.
"Mmm, he's supposed to make his first public appearance in the Lower Ring next week." It's too bad we're not living down there anymore, though I suppose we could go there just to see him." She smiled up at her boyfriend, but was taken aback by his stern glare. "W-what's wrong Li?"
Zuko clenched his teeth and balled his hand into a tight fist. "Nothing," he whispered. "Nothing at all." Turning to look out over the lake again, he thought aloud. "Where do you suppose he's been staying this whole time?"
"I don't know…" Jin whispered softly, then suddenly got very excited. "But I bet my father can find out. He has some contacts in the government. I'm sure he can find out if I ask."
"No, that's okay. I was just thinking out loud." Zuko continued to watch intently.
Jin followed her boyfriend's example. "What do you think they're doing out there?"
"Training. The avatar has to master all four elements. That's his destiny," the Fire Nation prince answered. "From the looks of it, he still has a lot to learn." Zuko flinched slightly at seeing Aang slammed violently into the water.
"Looks more like a fight than training." Jin clasped her boyfriend's arm more tightly. "Come on Li. Let's go." She gave him a tug.
He looked down at her with a wrinkled brow. "What's wrong?"
"N-nothing… I just don't like watching people fight. It scares me." She turned away to conceal the redness in her face.
Zuko cracked a faint smile. "Okay," then slipped his hand into hers. "It's getting late. I'll take you home."
"Thanks Li." Jin rested her head upon his arm.
Zuko leaned down and kissed her on the top of her head, then turned his head further back to steal one last glimpse over the lake.
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"Aang… Aang… Aang…" Katara gently caressed the avatar's cheek.
Slowly, the boy's eyes began to open. "Wha-what happened?"
"Well…" The waterbender blushed. "I guess you still have more waterbending to learn." She gestured her hand over him and drew the water from his clothes, and sent it back in the lake. "Can you stand?"
Aang took a deep breath. "I think so." He tried to sit up but only made it half way before falling back onto her lap.
"Maybe you should rest awhile longer," she suggested.
"No, that's okay, but I could use a little help." He gave her a half smile.
Katara smiled down at him. "Just lie still. I'll get us to shore first, okay?"
Aang gave a subtle nod then tilted his head towards the shore.
She smiled down at him once more before melting away most of the island and sending them gliding towards shore.
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"Wow Katara, I'm impressed." The young earthbender rang out a cloth over a bowl of clear, cool water and handed it to the waterbender.
"About what?" The blue-eyed teen took the cloth and placed it on the avatar's forehead.
"I didn't think you had it in you to go all out on your boyfriend." Toph grinned and Aang blushed slightly while trying to hide a faint smile.
"He's not my boyfriend!" Katara shouted causing Aang's smile to vanish. "Don't tease him like that."
"Yeah, whatever." The blind girl turned her attention to her pupil. "Guess you're still a ways away from mastering waterbending." She slugged him in the arm and he grimaced in pain.
"Easy Toph. Aang's got bruises everywhere." Katara bent some water into her hand from the bowl and gently worked it over the bruises.
Standing up, the younger girl stretched her arms high over her head. "Well, be sure to get better fast Twinkletoes. Tomorrow we find out how far you are from mastering earthbending."
"Great." Aang smirked. "I can't wait." His eyes rolled back and he pretended to pass out.
"Don't worry Aang. I'll have you fixed up in no time." Katara assured him.
"Just in time to get his butt kicked by Toph tomorrow." Sokka laughed.
His sister sent a bead of water sailing at his forehead.
"Ouh!" The oldest member of the group fell backwards and hit the back of his head against the wall then collapsed to the ground, clutching both the front and back of his head. "Why'd you do that?"
"Because you deserved it," Katara snapped.
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Zuko walked in the empty teashop and took a quick look around, then called out, "Uncle!"
A moment later a reply came from the back of the shop. "Over here!"
Zuko wasted no time rushing to the rear of the store.
"You've come just in time." The older man smiled at the sight of his nephew. "I made the mistake of mixing the boxes of Oolong and Jasmine." He held up two small boxes. While the two herbs have their own unique scents, after smelling them for over an hour, I could use another nose to help." He sneezed into his sleeve.
"Uncle, the avatar is here." The young prince said sternly.
"Where? In the shop?" Iroh peeked around the corner towards the front of the teashop.
"No! Not here." Zuko pointed down. "Here, in Ba Sing Se."
"Hmm…" The elderly man stroked his beard. "Do you suppose he might become a regular customer? Imagine the advertising. 'Favorite tea of the Avatar', what flavor do you suppose he prefers?"
"Who cares what tea he likes?! Uncle, this is my big chance!" Zuko exclaimed.
"Big chance for what?" Iroh raised a questioning eyebrow.
"For what? To capture the avatar, of course. To regain my honor and my throne."
"And at what cost?"
"What do you mean Uncle?" A confused Zuko asked.
"We are in the heart of the Earth Kingdom. How do you expect to get the avatar all the way to the Fire Nation without being captured?" Iroh stared his nephew squarely in the eye. "And what about Jin? Are you ready to give up on her?"
Zuko turned away. "Jin."
"We've made a life for ourselves here Zuko. We have a new apartment and our own business. And you have a girl who loves you and is willing to do most anything for you." Iroh placed a hand upon his nephew's shoulder. "You have a chance at happiness here. Do you really want to throw all this away?"
The young prince lowered his head.
"Go home and rest. We'll talk more, later." The elderly man patted him on the shoulder then turned and went back to work.
Zuko gave a subtle nod, then headed for the door. Outside, he looked in the direction of their new apartment, then headed down the opposite way.
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(To Be Continued)
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AN: Well, back from my vacation. Florida and Nassau, Bahama were both sunny and warm. My wife and I had a great time. Nice way to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary, don't you think?
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm well on my way to completing chapter 6 so the next two chapter should be up pretty soon. Please let me know what you think of it so far.
A. Amishi