Yay, another chapter! It only took me 8 months! (That's a lie. I wrote this in like a week. It just to me 8 months to get back to writing it)

I really enjoyed writing this chapter, it's definitely one of my favourites so far.

It's been a long time coming so I hope you enjoy :)


Chapter 8: Gone Fishin'

"Ouch! Sokka, stop hitting the ice!"

"It's not my fault! If you would just sit still, then it wouldn't be as difficult for me to control the boat!"

Zuko observed quietly as the Water Tribe children argued. They'd been going on like this ever since they'd left the village to go fishing – that was two hours ago…

They hadn't caught any fish yet.

In truth Zuko hadn't really wanted to go fishing, he just didn't want to stay in the village. Hakoda and the rest of the men were busy readying the ships for their next voyage and Zuko didn't think he'd be welcome amongst the women doing their daily jobs around the village. The only other option would have been to sit at Hakoda's home alone so when the siblings had suggested he should come fishing with them, he decided to tag along.

He now regretted that decision.

"What do you mean sit still? I haven't moved! You just can't steer properly!" Katara retorted.

"Katar-"

"How much longer until we reach this great fishing spot you've been talking about?" Zuko interrupted before the argument got out of hand again. Katara huffed. She didn't believe her brother's tale of a 'super awesome fishing spot'.

"Oh, we're not far now. Once we get far enough out from the shore and out of the iceberg field, we should be right at it."


There was a relieving silence for a while as Sokka steered the boat out towards the open ocean. Zuko looked back for a moment to see how far they'd gotten from the docks at the village. He could still make out the larger sailing vessels, but they appeared as small blobs in the distance.

"We're here," Sokka said as he lifted the oar into the boat.

He lifted the fishing spears and handed one to Zuko. He made to hand one to his sister but she shook her head.

"I'm going to try to catch one with my bending," She said as she leaned over, looking into the water.

"You're a waterbender?"

Zuko had never seen waterbending before but Uncle Iroh had spoken about it once. He had explained to Zuko how waterbending was very different from firebending, how the benders would move fluidly like the element they controlled.

"Yeah but I'm not very good at it yet. I've never had a master to teach me"

No master? But someone her age should have been assigned a master by now.

"Why can't one of the other benders in the village teach you?"

Both siblings gave him a very strange look.

"Lee," Katara spoke solemnly. "There aren't any other benders in the village, It's just me."

"You're the only one? But how can that be possible?" Zuko was really confused. How could there be only one bender in an entire village? Even the smallest of villages in the Fire Nation had a handful of benders. There was never just one.

Katara looked down at the water.

"Raids," Sokka spoke this time. "For years they would come and take all the benders away. Eventually, fewer benders were being born until there were almost none."

Zuko stayed silent for a moment as he processed the information being given to him. He was finding it more and more difficult being out in the world. Behind the walls of the palace, he never heard about the struggles the rest of the world was facing. He was only ever told of the great things the Fire Nation were doing and how great the war was going. Things like this never crossed his mind, not once.

"I'm sorry," were the only words he could muster.

"It's okay," Katara said quietly.

Another moment of silence.

"Could you show me? I've never seen waterbending before," Zuko tried to move the conversation to something better.

Katara smiled and nodded in agreement. She stretched her arms out towards the water and focused her vision on her hands. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she attempted to manipulate the water. Eventually, it started to stir beneath her fingers. She slowly raised her arms higher and the water moved with her. A small sphere of water stretched out of the water and was floating below Katara's open hands as she raised her arms higher.

Zuko stared in awe at what he was seeing. As a firebender, he created the element he was manipulating. Of course, he could control a fire that had already been lit but that wasn't the same as this. She was controlling something which existed on its own naturally, not created by any human being. Zuko found it fascinating.

Katara noticed Lee staring and the ball of water she had made. I was quite funny seeing the usually stoic boy looking so entranced by something.

SPLASH!

She'd been too focused on Lee that she forgot to keep the water steady and t had fallen back into the ocean.

The three children jumped at the sound.

"Katara!" Sokka shrieked.

Katara looked furiously at her brother.

"I'm still learning Sokka! You know that!"

Here we go again….


Hakoda was nervous.

They were set to leave in a few weeks and that would mean leaving his children behind again. They always got upset when he left and, in truth, it upset Hakkoda to leave them but this time felt worse. Now there was Lee as well. As much as he was adjusting to the South Pole, Lee only ever seemed comfortable around Hakoda and his family. The others in the village were still very wary of Lee so he tended to distance himself from most of them. Hakoda worried what would happen when he and the rest of the men leave.

"Stop worrying," Kanna appeared beside him. She'd brought him food.

She always had a knack for reading people, especially her son.

"I can't help it mother," He said. "What if something happens and I'm not here?"

"We managed before, why is this time any different?"

"You know why. As much as I'd like to deny it, trouble seems to follow that child. It's like the spirits have something against him."

"That may be so," she said. "But they brought him here for a reason, we don't know what that is yet, but I'm sure we'll know soon enough. Besides, he has you looking out for him, so his luck can't be that bad."

Hakoda chuckled.

"How is it you always know the right thing to say?" he asked.

"It's a mother thing, you wouldn't understand," she smiled and handed him the food. "Now hurry and eat this before it gets cold."

Hakoda smiled.

"Yes, mother."


Zuko held the spear tight in his hands. He kept his vision focused on the water, trying to spot any fish below. Sokka was doing the same beside him and Katara was at his back.

"Watch and learn Lee, this is how you catch a fish," Sokka said as he spied one swimming near the boat.

He lifted the spear high above the water and just as the fish swam past, he thrust it downwards. There was a plash as the spear broke the water. Sokka lifted back out to reveal the fish, still wriggling, on the end of it.

"Woohoo! Just a few more and we've got dinner!" Sokka said, almost drooling at the thought.

He was too busy celebrating that he didn't notice Katara behind him. She had managed to trap a fish by bending it in a water bubble.

"Sokk-"

"Look at this Katara! Spear one, Magic Water Zero."

"But Sokka look, I've got one!" Katara cried.

Zuko look behind him to see the fish in the bubble. Sokka was too busy trying to get the fish off the end of his spear. Just as Katara moved the bubble so that it was above the boat, Sokka yanked the fish free. The spear jolted back, bursting her bending bubble. The fish landed in the water and the water landed on Sokka.

"Aaeey!" he Shrieked.

"Sokka! You let my fish get away!" Katara yelled.

"I don't care about your stupid fish! You and your Magic Water just got me soaked!"

As the words left his mouth, Katara looked as if she was going to explode. Brow furrowed and fists clenched, she unloaded her tidal wave of anger at her brother.

"How dare you Sokka! You know, sometimes you are so self-centred…"

As Katara continued her tirade, her gestures got larger. Both Sokka and Zuko started to notice some of the ice around them shake.

"Katara-" Sokka began.

"No! Shut up and listen to me!"

As she spoke, she swung her arm around. A chunk of ice broke off from a nearby sheet. It followed her movement and hit Zuko across his arm, slicing through his parka.

"Lee!" Katara gasped as she realised what she caused.

She grabbed his arm to check for injuries. The was a small gash on his forearm.

"It's not that bad, don't worry," Zuko said.

"Oh Lee, I'm so sorry. I didn't realise I could do that."

"It's okay, really. But maybe we should think about going back" He looked to Sokka who nodded in confirmation.

As they headed back to the village, the three of them stayed silent.


When they got back to the village, Katara dragged Zuko by his uninjured arm back to their home. She ordered him to take off his parka so she could look at the cut. Knowing that she was feeling guilty and trying to make up for it, Zuko obliged. She brought over a bowl of warm water and a cloth to clean it out.

"It doesn't look like you'll need stitches but it's going to take a few days before it heals," she said.

She kept her head down and wouldn't look him in the eye. Zuko recognised the behaviour. He'd accidentally burned his mother's hand once. He'd been so scared of hurting someone again that he didn't bend for a week. It was his Uncle that had finally talked the fear out of him.

"Learning control is a benders greatest burden. But once control has been found, it is their greatest strength," He spoke the words out loud like a mantra.

Katara looked up at him.

"Who told you that?" She asked.

"My uncle did."

"He sounds like a wise man."

So people keep telling me," Zuko chuckled. "You're a powerful bender Katara, all you need is control."

"You think so?" she smiled, hopeful.

"I know it," he said.

At that moment Sokka walked in, eyes downcast as he approached the other two.

"I'm sorry I made you angry Katara," he said. "I guess I can be quite selfish sometimes."

Katara stayed silent for a moment before standing up to face her brother.

"Apology accepted," she smiled. "Now, where's that fish because I'm starving!?"

The trio laughed together as they prepared to make dinner (Which would unfortunately not be fish as they only ended up catching that one).


You probably noticed that I stole some stuff from the intro scene of the pilot episode. I really love that scene but because of the changes I've made to the story, that scene's not going to happen here so I added some bits of it into this chapter for a little fun. I just love hearing Sokka call it 'Magic Water' :)

I'm about to spend a week in the middle of nowhere with no phone reception or internet so maybe I'll spend some time writing the next chapter.

Thanks :D