Clash of the Benders

Chapter 4

"Thanks for helping us with our luggage," Hinata beamed at Katara as she tugged her suitcase behind her. The other water bender shrugged and slid the bag back up her shoulder.

"No prob," she replied with a warm smile. "Do you need any help setting up your room?"

The girl smiled shyly from under her long bangs, nodding sheepishly but exuding gratefulness.

After waving Sakura and Toph down the hall to Sakura's room, the two of them stepped into the next room over, laying all of Hinata's luggage on the large bed in the corner. The shy girl gazed around the room, taking in the soft blue shade of the wall and the white carpet covering the floor. She stepped over to the window and heaved herself onto the cushioned seat, staring at the marvelous plants curling around outside the window. A bird landed on a nearby tree and chirped at her. Delighted, she let out a giggle and whistled in reply.

Katara leaned on the wall next to her and watched the interaction with a small smile, wondering how much more pleasant this girl could possibly be. Before she could utter a word, Hinata was speaking.

"Blue's my favorite color," she muttered in a soft, pleased tone. "How'd they know?" She turned in her seat to stare at Katara with those unsettling eyes.

'Not unsettling,' Katara amended. ' Different. Pleasantly different.' Then she remembered that she was expected to provide a response. Shrugged. "I'm not sure. Mine was painted my favorite color before we got here years ago. Purple: best color ever."

Eyebrow arched, Hinata turned back to the window with a huff of indignation. "I beg to differ."

Before the darker female could throw out a comeback, a sharp rap came from the door.

"Come in," Hinata called with her back still to the rest of the room.

The door creaked open and a blonde head popped in. "Hina, we're about to compare schedules in the living room. Oh, hey Katara. Aang was coming to tell you but apparently you're not in your room so…. Come down when you're ready?"

Hinata giggled at the request/ question and Katara cracked a small smile in response. "We'll be there in a minute, Naru," the ravenette answered softly. He grinned and disappeared, shutting the door quietly behind him.

A comfortable silence fell over them as they moved to unpack her luggage. But after a few minutes, Katara's curiosity got the better of her while she was placing books on the bookshelf settled on the right hand wall. "You call him Naru?" she questioned in what she hoped was a nonchalant manner.

Behind her the rustling stopped as Hinata froze in her shifting through her clothes. Katara spared a glance over her shoulder, watching as the other girl suddenly regained her composure and resumed in her trips to and from the closet with an armful of clothes. Katara didn't fail to notice the red hue staining her cheeks.

"Me and Naruto… I mean, Naruto and I are …." She went quiet and paused in trying to hang a white blouse on a hanger. A soft sigh escaped her but she continued. "We've been through a lot in the short time we've been friends- all of us. I guess… we got really close and didn't even notice." Dainty shoulder shrugged and she hanged the blouse's hanger on the bar in the closet.

Katara made a soft noise of understanding, insides churning with curiosity but knowing better than pry, especially when the subject was so obviously painful and personal. "Well for what it's worth, I think you guys are adorable."

The shy girl gave a small laugh and leaned out of the closet to gaze at Katara expectantly. "But what about you and Aang?"

Feeling her face heat up, the water bender merely raised an eyebrow in question. "What about me and Aang?"

To her surprise, the presumably shy girl presented her a smirk that resembled the one she received from Zuko on a regular basis. It just looked… out of place on the girl's face, but Hinata being devious was not impossible to believe.

"Your secret's safe with me, Katara," she was calling from the closet when Katara focused once more on their conversation. Even with such a strong feeling of foreboding, Katara smiled indulgently as she stuck another book on the shelf.

This year was certainly going to be interesting.

"Hey, Naruto." The blonde glanced over at Aang, hands in his pockets as they travelled around their large, circular hall. "What's with that Sasuke guy? Why won't he talk?"

Naruto sighed and looked away, alarming Aang for a moment. Had he said something wrong?

Finally the blonde shrugged and said, "He's been through a lot in his sixteen years. And I don't think he'd like me telling you his whole life story, so let's just say that his childhood wasn't as good as it was supposed to be."

Aang nodded slowly, offering a muttered "I think I can identify."

They walked in silence for a few feet before Aang decided to break it. "So…. All orange, huh?"

Naruto let out a boisterous laugh, one Aang was quickly becoming acquainted with. "It's my favorite color! And what's your excuse, Yellow Boy?"

The brunette shrugged but gave a beaming smile. "Hey, I just happen to like the color of my nation."

The older bender slapped his shoulder, pitching Aang forward a step. "Touché."

"So what's up with you and that Sasuke guy?"

Sakura looked up from where she was sifting through toiletries in one of her bags. From her position near the bed on the far wall, she threw a pair of socks at Toph, who was crouching to place shoes on the closet floor.

Sakura learned of the extent of her blindness: being able to see through the vibrations her bending picks up in the earth. She can judge distance and see objects if they have some connection the ground. But anything floating in the air is out of the question. Which was why Toph gave a loud indignant yelp when the socks landed on her head.

"Hey! It was a legitimate question!"

Sakura huffed. "Well, that's personal."

The younger girl snorted and shuffled further into the closet. "Doesn't stop him from staring at you whenever possible."

That stopped Sakura in her pursuit of the socks that had rolled behind Toph. She crouched behind the girl and whispered, "What?"

Toph spun around with a pair of heels in her hand and a heavy frown marring her features. "You mean you've never noticed?" At Sakura's soft sound of affirmation, she scoffs and turns away again. "Man, I thought people got more perceptive with age. Maybe you just get more oblivious. That would certainly make sense, considering Sokka…."

Sakura shook her head and headed back to her bag on the bed. "Look at me, being called stupid by a fourteen year old."

A short bark of laughter came from the closet and she smiled a bit. A sharp knock came from the door.

"Come on," Sakura called without looking up, expecting Tenten or Hinata or both.

The last person she ever expected to come into her room stalked in and leaned in the doorframe. "Sakura," he said shortly.

The girl stopped rummaging through her bag once again, gaping at the boy staring at her with sharp indifference. "Sasuke?"

He glanced at Toph, who had crawled out of the closet on her hands and knees. "Right. I don't want to know." Those calculating, obsidian eyes trained back on her, sending a shiver through her. "Everyone is meeting up in the living area. I was told to come and get you."

"Uh…." Sakura was at a loss for words.

Fortunately- or unfortunately, whichever way you look at it- Toph wasn't. The girl climbed to her feet and placed her hands on her small hips. "We'll get there when we get there, Fire Boy."

Frowning at her even though she couldn't see it, Sasuke glances at Sakura, who shrugs, before grinding out, "Don't call me that."

Feigning innocence, Toph blinks at him with unseeing eyes. "Why not? Seems pretty fitting to me, what with your anger rising. Oh, yeah; I can feel that sort of stuff."

Scowling heavily now, Sasuke shut his eyes before stalking out the door and down the hall.

"Sasuke!" Sakura called after him, knowing her outburst was wasted before stepping out into the empty hallway. She rounded on Toph with an exasperated sigh. "Why did you do that?"

The girl shrugged and headed to the shoe pile near the suitcase and picking up two different shoes. "He was being oversensitive. It's just a nickname. I gave one to everyone here."

Overcome by curiosity, Sakura carefully removed one shoe and shoved the correct one in her hand before asking: "What's mine?"

"Pinky," came the response, as if it should've been obvious.

Sakura scoffed, uncertain whether to be amused or offended. "Original."

"I know, right."

With a roll of her eyes, the older girl returned to her bag. "Could you at least try to be nicer to him?" At the girl's disbelieving eyebrow raise, she added, "For me?"

Toph sighed and crawled back into the closet. "Fine, fine. I guess I'll be nice to your boyfriend." A small finger poked out from behind a hanging jacket. "Just make sure he keeps his guard up around me. I can't help that I have a sharp wit and attack anything moving."

Sakura tried to keep a straight face but gave in after catching sight of Toph's serious face. As she giggled helplessly, she grabbed the girl by the wrist and dragged her from the room.

"Wait up Tenten!"

Tenten glanced behind her at the figure hurrying to catch up, panting from dragging her heavy luggage all the way from the auditorium to their wing. "Oh. Hi Sokka."

He quirked an eyebrow. "Want some help?"

With a blinding grin, she tossed one of the heavier bags at him. "Boy howdy. Just don't let your pint sized girlfriend hear you helped out a woman."

Huffing slightly at the sudden extra weight, Sokka rolled his eyes and trailed after her. "I'm going to pretend you didn't just call yourself a woman. And- wait! Girlfriend? What girlfriend?"

Tenten peered over at him and, upon noticing the blush staining his cheeks, grinned and shook her head. "Nevermind. You already know what I'm talking about so why bother, right?" She laughed at his indignant protest and opened the door to her room. They threw her stuff onto the bed and collapsed on the floor, grinning at each other.

Sokka perked up suddenly. "Hey, when you're done setting up, Aang and Naruto want us to meet in the Kick-Back-And-Relax Room." He climbed to his feet and held out a hand to her before noticing the confused crease in her brow.

"The… what room?"

He gave a long suffering sigh and heaved the girl to her feet. "The Kick-Back-And-Relax Room. It's just a better, more fun name for the living area."

She laughed at his scrunched up nose and tugged him toward the door by his sleeve. "Let me guess. You came up with that all on your own?"

He huffed and stalked down the hallway, the sound of her boisterous laughter following him.

After she shut the door to finish unpacking, Sokka stuck his hands in his pockets and sauntered toward the- he shuddered- living area. As he stepped in, he spotted Zuko sprawled across the loveseat.

"Hey," he called, stepping into the kitchen for a drink. "Root beer?"

"Did you really have to ask?" came the hollered reply. He grinned into the fridge.

Sokka sank onto the couch and, after tossing the other soda can to Zuko, leaned back to enjoy the football game on TV. "Naruto and Aang are still rounding people up?"

The fire bender grunted an affirmative and opened his can with a hiss. After a moment of silence, he cleared his throat until Sokka tilted his face toward him. "Are you and Tenten getting along? You know, after she tried to decapitate you and everything."

Sokka rolled his eyes but gave a soft snort of laughter. "Yeah. She's really cool." His lips suddenly pursed in suspicion. "Why?"

The fire bender shifted minutely in his seat, toying with his drink until Sokka threw the pop tab from his soda at him. He growled half-heartedly. "How is it that you guys are all buddy- buddy with those who share your element? Mine won't even talk to me."

His friend shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe he's shy."

Zuko scoffed. "Yeah, right. A shy guy running around with that big scowl on his face?

I don't think so."

Sokka chuckled and took a thoughtful sip of his root beer. "Maybe… Maybe you just have to be nice to him. Let him warm up to you, you know?" He paused for a fraction of a second before bursting into slightly- hysterical laughter. "HAHA! You get it? Let him warm up to you? HAHA!"

Zuko stared balefully as he wiped an imaginary tear from his cheek. "Wow, Sokka. And here I thought your jokes had gotten better over the years. Guess not."

"Hey!"

And there they sat, bickering until the rest of their wing mates clustered into the room.