Fall Of The White Lotus
Chapter 4: Bubbles
Music: The Avatar's Love, The Track Team (Avatar: The Last Airbender)
Water dripped from wet, slippery stones in a desolate, rocky landscape littered with hot springs and geysers which spread a thick, all-encompassing mist to cover the surrounding area. Occasionally, a small breeze blew away some of the dense fog to reveal the silhouette of a young woman standing motionlessly next to one of the hot springs. Her moist hair was plastered to her face in strings, and a dark blue cloak moved slightly around her slender body with each breeze.
She stared into the churning hot spring at her feet, a melancholic look in her cool blue eyes. A deep fatigue was written on her face, which looked ashen in the sombre daylight. Then, as she slowly closed her eyes, a lonely tear rolled down her cheek. She still didn't move. The tear fell into the hot spring, mixing with the bubbles in the boiling water.
Eventually, she knelt down and gingerly touched the hot water, only to draw back with a sharp hiss. As if released by the sudden pain, she finally broke down. She started to sob quietly, face buried in her hands and shoulders shaking with the force of her emotions.
Three years.
It had been three years since the Avatar had defeated the previous Fire Lord and had established a new peace in the world. Team Avatar, as Sokka still insisted on calling them, fell apart as each of them had gone their separate ways to start rebuilding a world that had been shattered by a hundred years of war.
Her father and brother had helped restoring the Southern Water Tribe capital to its former glory, and Hakoda, once the chieftain of a backwater fishing village, had become Chief of the entire Southern Water Tribe.
Suki had gone back to Kyoshi Island to lead the Kyoshi Warriors, taking Ty Lee with her. When the right time came, she would hand over leadership of the Kyoshi Warriors and travel to the South Pole as the bride of the Crown Prince. Until then, Sokka was separated from his love, which he had accepted with admirable understanding.
Toph had decided to stay with Iroh in Ba Sing Se and had taken on the task of breaching the city's inner walls, while Zuko had reluctantly assumed title and tasks from his father.
Katara on the other hand-
It had grieved her enormously to see her brother and father leave for the Southern Water Tribe when she did not. It broke her heart to not be there to help her little earthbending sister, growing up in Ba Sing Se. And what she wouldn't give to just sit and talk to him, who now resided in the Fire Nation Capital but had once teamed up with her to guide and protect their little group as they awaited the arrival of Sozin's Comet.
She had not been able to follow Sokka to the South Pole, keep in touch with Toph in the Earth Kingdom, or talk to Zuko in the Fire Nation. The travels never ended.
After Katara had accepted Aang's love for her, they had taken off to destinations unknown. During the three years that had followed, Katara had changed from the warm, energetic girl she had been to the downcast young woman now kneeling next to the hot spring. Despite the dejectedness weighing down on her nowadays, with the passing of time she had become only more beautiful. Her hair had grown to reach her waist, and her subtle curves had become more pronounced in her blue traveling clothes. Her features had matured, accenting her high cheekbones and strong jaw, bringing out her ocean blue eyes.
Officially, the purpose of their journeys was to let as many people as possible meet with the Avatar, but in reality they seemed to be fleeing from any kind of responsibility, seeking freedom and adventure instead. At first, Katara couldn't blame Aang, not after all he had gone through in less than a year's time. But three years later, all that remained was a feeling of exhaustion and desperation beyond her years, which of course, Aang failed to notice.
The memory of a pair of almond-shaped amber eyes looking at her worriedly drifted to the surface, only to vanish into the bleak nothing of the grey mist obscuring her from view.
The last time they had met with the other members of Team Avatar had been on Avatar Day, half a year ago. They hadn't been able to make it for the Fire Nation Festival the summer thereafter. Katara was convinced that Zuko must have been hurt by their absence on his nation's national holiday, not in the least because the Avatar's presence would have encouraged support for Zuko's efforts to transform the Fire Nation into a peaceful nation among the others.
But she felt specially guilty towards him after the conversation they had had on Avatar Day.
It had been a beautiful spring day when they had all gathered in Ba Sing Se for Avatar Day, and Katara still remembered the pink petals of the plum tree whirling through the air as the sun had been making a full contribution to the celebrations.
It had been almost a year since Katara had seen Zuko. During those few times they'd met before, she'd noticed that Zuko's eyes had come to rest on her every so often with an increasingly worried expression in his thoughtful gaze. He had refrained from commenting on what he saw, though, as if he'd sensed that she was reluctant to discuss it.
This Avatar Day, however, Zuko had seemed shocked by her appearance and had pulled her aside, taking advantage of Aang's focus on the festivities. Cornering her, he had folded his arms and watched her intently with a sharp look in his eyes. The shaggy bangs of his black hair had fallen playfully in his face as he held Katara's gaze, and she remembered how she'd suppressed the urge to tuck the strands behind his ear. When with his friends from Team Avatar, Zuko would usually adopt a more casual appearance to not draw too much attention to himself.
"Now, tell me - what is going on?" he demanded of his former traveling companion, catching her off guard by his direct approach.
After the initial surprise had worn off, Katara had not been able to hold his gaze, his eyes glistening with worry and a slight anger. She'd lowered her own eyes and fixed them on the green robes he'd been wearing - they'd all been wearing green, to blend in with the Earth Kingdom masses. Mutely shaking her head, she had tried to slip past him, but he had simply barred her way.
"That's not good enough an answer," he'd said grimly. "I can see there's something wrong with you. You look tired, and I haven't seen a real smile from you since Agni knows when. Maybe you can fool the others, but not me."
Katara's eyes had been blazing with anger when she'd looked up, but when her gaze had met with the genuine concern in his, the anger had flowed away and she'd sighed. From the corner of her eye, she'd noticed that Aang had been trying to impress some Earth Kingdom girls with a few simple airbending tricks, and her shoulders had slumped wearily.
"It's just the weight of the travels, I guess," she'd admitted dejectedly, for the first time voicing her true feelings. Somehow, Zuko had always been able to make her talk to him, and suddenly she'd realized that she had missed that while traveling the world with Aang.
Aang cared for her deeply and would do anything for her, but she couldn't share with him her feelings, thoughts, and worries. Usually he tried to cheer her up with some wise Avatar advice and changed the subject to their next destination on the map.
"You're tired of traveling," Zuko had put matter-of-factly. "You desperately want to settle down somewhere and build a life."
Quieted by his perceptiveness, Katara had said nothing in return as tears had suddenly brimmed in her eyes after Zuko had huskily voiced her deepest longing.
He'd sighed at her silence. "I know you, Katara. And I know Aang. It's not in your nature to be constantly traveling, forever detached from everything that you care about. Being a member of the Water Tribe, you can adapt. But you still need roots, a place you can call home."
A watery but genuine smile had broken through on her sad face as she'd acknowledged the truth in his words. Looking at him from underneath her suspiciously wet eyelashes, she'd remarked, "Your uncle told you all that, didn't he?"
A hint of pink had graced Zuko's cheeks and he had looked away, a bit embarrassed.
"So what?" he'd grumbled. "It's still true. Aang will never stop traveling. He's an Air Nomad and it's in his blood. He can't be tied to one place. But the real question remains - how much longer can you carry on with this style of living?"
Half a year later, she found herself in this desolate place in the northern Earth Kingdom, kneeling down next to a hot spring, a raw and hollow feeling inside.
She had tried to bring up the subject of putting an end to their travels with Aang, but he'd only looked at her in shock and had refused to talk about it. As soon as Appa had landed near the geysers, Katara had walked away, a desperate need to be alone engulfing her, and had finally stopped before this bubbling hot spring.
The presence of the water, even when heated to unbearable temperatures, soothed the pain inside and, almost involuntarily, the most powerful waterbender in the world started to bend the boiling water.
Closing her eyes, Katara lifted a ribbon of water from the hot spring and, as if in a trance, her hands began to shape the water. Her troubled thoughts settled as her slender hands moved gracefully, calmly painting the sky with elegant, smooth movements.
Finally, she opened her eyes and her breath caught when she saw that the water floating above the hot spring had taken on the form of a lotus flower. The small breeze lifted some of the thick mist, and the rays of the setting sun colored the crystalline petals with a deep crimson.
Burning water, Katara thought in confusion, mesmerized by the sparkling red lotus flower. She tried to remember when she had decided to bend the water into this shape, but failed to recall making such a decision.
Suddenly, the sound of a boyish tenor voice broke through the muffled silence created by the fog. Startled, she let go of the lotus flower and immediately turned around.
"Katara?" Aang hesitantly stepped into view. The fog had hidden his light-footed approach until he was only a few steps away from her.
Over the past three years, he'd grown spectacularly, and his height almost matched Sokka's and Zuko's. His face had lost the childlike innocence but, being a teenaged boy just past his growth spurt, his movements were still sometimes a little clumsy, as if he didn't know what to do with his limbs.
Now, a frown creased his smooth features. "There you are! Why did you walk away all of a sudden? Didn't I tell you we have to stick together in this place, otherwise we'll lose sight of each other?"
Katara didn't respond, too tired to argue with him. She rose to her feet and stretched her stiff joints, ignoring him as she walked past him and towards the platform where they had left Appa. "I'm going to set up camp, Aang. Hurry up, it will be dark soon."
Aang fell silent at seeing the distant expression on her face, not knowing whether he should be annoyed or concerned. His large grey eyes displayed his lack of understanding of Katara's current mood, and he wasn't sure if she would listen if he were to finish what he had to say.
Scratching the back of his neck, he said tentatively, "Katara, after you walked away, a messenger hawk arrived. I don't know how it found us, but it did."
Katara spun around, her eyes widening as her heart made a strange leap.
Glad that he had her attention again, Aang felt a little relieved and continued solemnly, "It's from General Iroh. He wants us to be in Omashu by mid-fall."
A/N: Things to note about this chapter: I made Avatar Day a national festival in the Earth Kingdom, so that's why the Gaang were celebrating Avatar Day in Ba Sing Se.
Many thanks go to my wonderful beta Crimson Eyed Sakura.