"If you're gonna keep swimming after the thing with a knife it's just going to taunt you more, Sokka!" Katara yelled out into the water, her brother had gotten tired of a fish bothering him and since Aang destroyed his fishing line, he decided it best to swim after it.

Of course it only irked his sister into trying to calm him down as the fish continuously jumped just far enough away from the hunter.

"Get out of there before you drown!"

"Not until I get the damned thing! I'm tired of eating nuts and berries!" Sokka replied with a gasp of air before diving again.

"Um Katara?" A young voice peeped behind the waterbender.

The tanned girl scoffed at her brother before turning to face the obviously nervous boy, "yes?"

Aang rubbed the back of his head while his fingers fumbled with a small necklace he had made out of Sokka's fishing line, "I uh... I found the necklace I wanted to give ya. It got buried in the backpack." He smiled hopefully.

The waterbender smiled warmly at his antics, she had lost her good luck charm while they freed Haru and his people and felt rather bare without it. Aang obviously caught wind of it and decided to give her something to keep her mind off of it.

"Thank you Aang." She smiled brightly, ignoring her brother's curses and threats.

The Air bender smiled dreamily at the smile however quickly hid it once Sokka pointed it out.

"Someone has a crush!" The hunter sang before the fish he held curled and slapped him across the face, sending both the fish and the hunter back in the water.

"Oh don't tease him! He's rather sweet unlike you." Katara replied back, tying the necklace around her neck and fixing it, she then turned back to the fourteen year old.

"How do I look?"

She watched as the boy nervously glanced at her before adverting his eyes to random places, his hand continuously scratched the back of his neck, "d-do you mean just your neck or... the whole of you?"

Katara humorously scoffed, "well a necklace wouldn't go around my waist, would it? But it'd be nice to know if it matches me."

"Oh! Then... then you look gorgeous! I mean..." Aang stuttered as he stared at the ground as if it had become interesting, his cheeks rosy red. Katara smiles again before chuckling and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I was only teasing, but thanks."

The short boy smiled timidly before nodding, "I'll be back." He quickly said before running off with his glider and airbended a gust a wind under him, sending him soaring through the sky with Momo by his side.

Katara blinked in surprise at the sudden exit however was quickly distracted by her brother's dark entrance.

"Did the fish eat you and spit you back up?" She asked with a sarcastic smirk.

"One more word..." Sokka started with his arms crossed and a deep frown marred his features, "and I'll slip a slug into your hair while you sleep."

The waterbender could only chuckle once again as Sokka flinched and growled at the sound of the fish jumping out of the water again.

(OO)

"Ugh you reek like a Polar Bear Dog." Katara gagged as she swished her hand at Sokka and pinched her nose shut, Aang snickers beside her.

Sokka, looking unfazed, shakes his body like said animal and wrings out his clothes, "not my fault Appa decided to dry himself off near me."

Katara smiled teasingly, "well if you had only admitted that this Aunt Wu was right, you could've been sheltered by your... smelly bath."

Sokka glares at his sister as they enter a cozy looking building, "the day I do is the day I become a vegetarian."

After Aang adruptly exited, Sokka and herself decided to pack up and head for the nearest town for shelter and a decent meal. However during their packing they had heard an animal in the distance and quickly followed it once they heard Aang.

They stumbled upon a man and a platapus bear, the animal was clearly angry yet the man showed an unusual calmness, dodging each attack with ease and even talked to the wild animal. He never once moved away and the animal never once hit him.

It wasn't until Aang shooed it off with a gust of wind did the thing finally leave with a grunt.

Sokka was the first to ask how stupid the man was for not trying to get away or even listen to them during the attack.

"I was never in danger," The man said, "Aunt Wu predicted that I'd have a safe journey home."

"Aunt who?"

Aunt Wu, a famous fortune-teller of sorts, lived in a village not far and every one of her predictions came true in one way or another.

"Impossible." Sokka bravely disagreed. Yet the man just shrugged before handing Aang an umbrella before treading home. Curiosity got the best of the group since Katara and Aang were intrigued, Sokka not so much.

Hence his current appearance.

The waterbender rolled her eyes as she noticed a girl dreamily gawk at Aang, she would've giggled at it however she grimaced as she saw how Aang was slouched and picking his nose.

"Don't do that, there's a girl watching." She whispers harshly, the boy quickly stopped once he was discovered and blushed deeply in embarrassment, he then looked to the girl approaching him and smiled warmly.

Katara smiled behind her hand, the boy was clearly clueless at the girl's attitude toward him.

"Alright who is next?" An elderly woman asked as another woman in green smiled happily and chatted to Aunt Wu's personal assistant, Meng.

Judging by the lack of enthusiasm from the boys, Katara raised her hand meekly, "I guess that could be me?" She jokes lightly.

"Ah yes then, come along." Aunt Wu smiles with a roll of her wrist. The young waterbender almost skips to the woman's side.

(OO)

"So... what would you like to know?" The woman asked, browsing her many shelves for certain ingredients.

Katara bites her lip as her hands nervously rub together, "um... my love life? I don't know, you probably know it sooner than I can think of it."

The woman paused momentarily, she turned and smiled, "that is true. Yet I'd like to give you a choice. Fate can always change from a prediction."

"Then how can yours still be correct?"

"Because it is not tampered with." Aunt Wu answers, placing small pouches beside an unused fireplace, "we are not a very known village and so things within it are not interrupted by outsiders much. However travelers like yourself always have mixing futures, a prediction can change that so quickly from one to another."

"Oh..." Katara spoke, "well does looking into my future for love change anything?"

The old woman smiled warmly, "it'll only mean that you would know the signs a bit sooner."

Katara smiled, "I guess that makes sense. So... what do you see?" She asked as she held her hands out.

The old woman chuckled before softly petting the young palms, "your hands are so soft, do you use moisturizer?"

Katara laughs lightly, "yes actually, thank you. It's based on seaweed but I could get you some if you like."

"That'd be wonderful, darling, these hands deserve a spa day."

The young waterbender smiles again as the fortune-teller examines her palms, soft humming could be heard from the woman as delicate fingers brush against life lines.

"Ah I see. You will marry a very powerful bender..." Aunt Wu started, "someone unexpected as well, given your future history with them. You will be happy as well."

Katara blushed deeply as her heart flutters in her chest, she swallows softly before nodding.

"Is there anything else?" She asked.

"Not on this line, no."

Katara nodded more timidly as she once again bit her lip, she then looks up at Aunt Wu and whispers, "can I ask another question?"

The older woman nodded with an encouraging smile, "surely you can."

"W...will I find a dear friend of mine I lost so long ago?"

Aunt Wu pauses shortly before releasing the girl's hands and starts to throw the earlier ingredients into the fire. She then sparked it to life and an orange puff of smoke flies out. The young waterbender shields her eyes from the sudden light then curiously watches as the old woman threw a pouch of small bones into the fire.

"I knew you've wanted to know that." Aunt Wu started poking at the bones, "I saw her name clear in your history."

"Really?"

A hollow pop came from the fire and the elderly woman grabbed a pair of tongs to fish out the cracked bone, Katara widen her eyes at the bone as it eerily took the shape of her lost charm.

A deep crack showed in the underbelly of the bone as Aunt Wu gently blew it off, a short time later the woman examines it closely.

"Her name is Nereus, correct?"

The waterbender's bright blue eyes widen in surprise as the fluttering in her heart increased. Her palms started to become clammy as she nodded her head.

The older woman smiled quickly before continuing her examination, "ah yes. Taken from you so early in life. You wish to find her. To know if she is well. Her health, I cannot see." Soon the woman's smile faded and her curious eyes took the form of a wary glare, " You will find your dear friend sooner than you think, however with her presence she will bring you pain before the end."

At the last sentence the fluttering quickly skipped and slowed in dawning horror.

"W-what do you mean? Is she dead? Is she hurt? How can she hurt me?" Katara asked quickly, her eyes wide and shiny.

Aunt Wu sighs deeply before placing the bone in Katara's palm, she then placed her hands on the girl's shoulders, "this I cannot see," the woman whispers, "yet all I can tell you is to keep a guarded heart."

The sixteen year old pants lightly at the advice in uncertain fear, her heart weighed heavy in her chest and any excitement she gained from a little glimpse of her future depleted.

Yet to not bother the fortune-teller anymore, she swallowed the lump in her throat and bravely nodded her head.

(OO)

"Alright time for my telling." Sokka yawns in boredom as Aunt Wu and Katara walked back to the front room.

Aang blinked in confusion as he sensed a cloud of depression from Katara, he could also notice that her cheery demeanor going in didn't last as a slight frown marred that beautiful face he adored. Once she glanced at him she quickly looked away as she hugged herself as if cold.

Something was wrong.

And he was going to find out to try to cheer the poor girl up.

"Your future is full of struggle and anguish, most of it self-inflicted." Aunt Wu frowns sadly at the boy before eyeing the saddened girl.

Sokka flinched in shock before waving his hands across his body, "you didn't even read my palms or anything."

The old woman closed her eyes sadly, she hoped the girl wasn't too distraught, however she already knew that this was going to cloud the girl's thoughts until she reunited with her long-lost friend, she then looked to the girl's brother and plastered a teasing smile on her face.

"I didn't need to, it was written all over that face of yours."

"Gah!" Sokka gawked as the woman chuckled and motioned for Aang to follow her.

Katara didn't hear a word of the conversation happening in front of her, her mind tried desperately to piece together what the woman warned her.

"With her presence she will bring you pain."

Katara shuddered once more as chills ran down her spine, Sokka happened to catch this and cautiously sat beside her.

"Hey," He whispers with a finger poking her shoulder, "you okay?"

Blue eyes slide up to look into the eyes of her brother, she inhales deeply before sitting up straight and leans against him, she didn't even notice the wet fur odor still stuck on the boy.

"I... may have not gotten an answer I was wanting..." she started, looking around to make sure they were alone.

The boy straighten as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "what was it? Who you were gonna marry or something?" He tries to joke.

Katara tiredly smirked at the attempt yet shrugged, "actually that question made me happy. I asked her another though."

"Oh?" He asked before looking down at her and watched as the girl raised her barren wrist, a certain charm now missing, "oh." He said more clearly, now understanding.

"I'll find Nere sooner than I think, however with her presence she'll bring me pain... that's what she told me." Katara said in a complete monotone voice, her tired eyes still glaring at her wrist.

Sokka nodded slowly, hugging his sister softly as he waited for more from her, he didn't like this new saddened Katara that was worrying over what a supposed fortune-teller said.

"Have a guarded heart." Katara repeated before wrapping an arm around her brother's waist, " I didn't like that... I'm scared now..."

Sokka swallowed heavily before sighing deeply, he gently pushed his sister to sit straight and kneeled before her, his hands held hers.

"Hey now. Don't go believing this old hag. She isn't the real thing and if she is then I'll personally see to it that I protect you from whatever Nere might hold for you. Even if she was our childhood friend I'm not going to sit by and let her hurt you if we see her again. You're too strong for that." He says softly to her, he recalled another time he had done this for her.

It was after Nereus was kidnapped, he had found his sister crying near the shore as whales lowed and danced in the ocean. He remembered sitting with her in his arms and hummed softly to calm her down. He never wanted to see her like that again.

And he'd be damned if he was going to allow that to happen again.

Katara smiled sadly as she squeezed her brother's hands and nodded, "okay..."

Sokka nodded firmly before standing to bring his sister into a warm hug, where the girl gladly returned.

"Everything is going to be fine."

(OO)

Aang looked back at the village they had tried to save and glanced back at the waterbender and her brother.

Both look like they hadn't slept a wink last night and today after Aunt Wu's prediction that the town was safe from the volcano erupting, Sokka looked extremely worried.

He didn't know what had happened to his friends for them to be this... drained. But they didn't start acting like this till Katara had her future told.

He had tried to ask her if anything was wrong yet Sokka always distracted him and told him to give Katara some space. He had even asked the warrior what was wrong but the boy would always shrug.

"It's something personal to her."

He didn't like being in the dark. He didn't like not knowing what was hurting his friend. He was the type that could always listen to other people's problems, they confided in him for help and he always delivered.

However he wasn't used to someone not wanting to talk about it.

(OO)

Now night the teenagers decided to set up camp and rest, Sokka had decided to try his hand at spear fishing and Katara was building a fire.

Aang was petting Appa's snout when his eyes trailed over to the waterbender.

With Sokka gone maybe he could try to talk to her.

He edged over closely to her, his arms behind his back as a nervous antic of his. He cautiously sat down beside her and started placing rocks around the pit.

"Hey Katara?" He started slowly, trying to keep his eyes focused on the rocks.

The tanned girl shifted then glanced at him, "hmm?"

The Avatar inhaled deeply before smiling warmly, "I... I noticed that... you've not been well and I was wondering if you'd like to talk about it?"

His body stiffened once he finished his offer and tried to calm down his drumming heart, he didn't want to push her into anything yet it bugged him to no end that she wasn't cheery tonight.

A sigh beside him alerted him that the girl had gotten more comfortable where she sat, her hand was continuously rubbing a barren wrist.

"It's... it's about that friend I've told you about. Nereus."

The girl that got kidnapped eight years ago? He nodded that he understood so far and sat down with his legs crossed. Katara hadn't once looked up at him as she spoke.

"I asked Aunt Wu if I was going to find her. It's been my one of my dreams to find her again, to know if she was alright or if she was even alive."

"Alive?"

"Children that are kidnapped never survive the Fire Nation. At least that's what I've heard..." Katara shuddered, quickly hugging herself.

"Oh..." muttered Aang, swallowing hard as he suddenly felt like he had reopen a wound in his friend's heart.

"I didn't even get to say goodbye to her. The last I saw was when I ran for my father and she ran into the hut with my mother...," she smiled briefly, "had I known that she was going to get kidnapped... I wouldn't have wasted it by playing Snow Wars or doing chores or even practice my waterbending... I just would've been with her." Katara breathed angrily, her eyes starting to moisten. Aang caught this and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Aunt Wu told me that I was going to find her sooner than I thought... but my friend was going to hurt me."

Katara furiously wiped her eyes dry as her bottom lip quivered, "I'm terrified by that... she wasn't clear on how Nere might hurt me. Her death? Her life? Is she still my dear friend or is she a foe once we find her?"

Aang nodded slowly before bringing the girl into a hug, he felt the body against him tense before sagging and arms wrap around his shoulders.

"You can't be so sure sometimes, " he whispered, rubbing her back, "things like this are never written in stone but we can get through them when the time comes."

Katara sniffled before nodding and pulling away from Aang, "you're right... I'm thinking too much into it and we don't even know where she is..."

The boy agreed with a smile before patting her arms, "yep, just keep that hopefulness alive and I'm sure finding your friend will be a good one."

The waterbender smiled warmly with a quick nod, she then turned to the unlit fireplace and threw wood in it, "I hope so."

As Aang was about to answer, rustling in the bushes could be heard and Sokka sprang out with a victory grin and a net that held a large green fish within it.

"Finally I got that fish that's been mocking me!" He roared with excitement.

Even though he noticed that his sister looked better, his stomach refused to let him speak of it, his eyes noticed a lack of fire and his smile wavered a bit. He waved his free hand at the firepit.

"Well? Hurry up and light the fire so I can cook this!"