Katara brushed a strand of sweaty brown hair out of her eyes and stretched out her sore back. She had been loading Appa all morning along with the help of the gaang, and she was exhausted. "Could you grab that for me, Sokka?" Katara asked, indicating a bag that was too heavy for her to lift.
Sokka looked at the bag, grimaced with distaste, and ripped off another hunk of sealskin jerky. "Hey, Aang, move that for me, will ya?" he called over to the other side of the giant bison.
"I can't even see what you're pointing to!" Aang cried out in response, airbending himself up to Appa's saddle and peering over the ledge.
"You're the Avatar! Aren't you supposed to be all knowing?"
Toph groaned. "You're from the Water Tribe. Aren't you supposed to be strong?" She retorted for Aang, and Sokka shoved the rest of the jerky into his mouth.
"I'll have you know that I'm ten times stronger than either of you!" the warrior shouted around the food in his mouth, waving his arms for emphasis.
"Prove it!"
Katara shared a long look with Suki, and blocked out the rest of the argument. "He's your boyfriend," she said, bending down and lifting a sack of dried meat that Hakoda had given them.
"He's your brother," Suki replied dryly, grabbing several bedrolls and climbing up Appa's legs to deposit them in the saddle.
Katara smiled and shook her head, and was about to follow Suki when Beno interrupted her. "Hey, Katara!" he called out with a slight wave, and Katara forced a smile as she shifted the weight of her bag to her hip
"Beno," she replied with a slight dip of her head.
Beno stood before her awkwardly, unsure of what to say. "So… you're really leaving?" he asked lamely after a time, and Katara frowned.
"Of course. We only have three months to gather an…"
"I know all that," Beno cut in before Katara could finish her statement. "But don't you think you'd be safer traveling with us?" the boy asked, gesturing to the Water Tribe camp.
Katara drew a deep breath. "With all due respect, Beno, I'm traveling with the Avatar, an earth bender, two fire benders, and a crazily over protective brother. Not to mention that I'm a water bending master. I'm pretty sure that I couldn't get any safer."
Beno shifter his weight to his other foot awkwardly, and he cleared his throat. "It's hard to believe that you're a master. Last time I saw you, you were still wearing your hair in braids."
This time, Katara's smile was genuine, "I was ten then, Beno. And if I remember right, you used to love to pull on my twin-tails."
Beno flushed slightly at the memory. "That was mainly your brother," he defended himself weakly, and Katara gave a slight laugh.
"Ah yes, the pair of you! You were always teasing me, hiding my dolls, tearing down my snow-castles…" Katara exclaimed, remembering.
"We weren't that awful," Beno protested, and Katara laughed again.
"You most definitely were!" Katara replied with a large smile, forgetting for once that she needed to treat him as her superior as she re-lived the days that she was free to do what she wished. Silence fell between the pair, and the smile slipped off of Katara's lips when she realized the intensity of Beno's stare.
"You've grown up," he murmured so softly that she could barely hear him. He then reached forward and lightly tugged on one of her hair loops. "I'm going to miss you when you're gone."
Katara's eyes widened and she fought to conceal her panic. This had gone much too far! Beno was an old friend… no, he couldn't even be called that! He was her brother's friend. He couldn't have feelings for her! "I've only been here for two days," Katara managed breathlessly, taking a step back.
"Two days can feel like a lifetime in some cases," Beno replied, gently chucking her chin. Katara took another step backwards, her throat closing. What should she do? How could she respond to his advances when she felt nothing for him, but admitting as much would shame him in front of everyone that was near?
Her panicked flow of thoughts was cut off when Zuko strolled by, standing close enough beside the pair for Beno to back away. "So, Katara, do you want me to get that for you?" The fire nation prince asked, gesturing to the bag that she had tried to get Sokka to carry for her several minutes before.
Katara let out a deep sigh of relief at Zuko's sudden appearance, and was all too willing to turn her attention away from Beno and towards the fire bender. "Please," she replied, her eyes shining with gratitude. Zuko nodded slightly in return, and Katara knew that he understood.
"Well, I shouldn't keep you from your packing any longer," Beno said, glancing between the two. Then, he strode up to Katara quickly and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Until we meet again," he said, gently touching her cheek with his fore finger. He met Zuko's eyes in a quiet challenge, and then turned away.
Katara's eyes went huge, and she swung to face Zuko. "Don't worry. It was just a power play," Zuko replied evenly as he hefted the bag over his shoulder and began to make his way up Appa's leg.
"What?" Katara demanded, half dazed by the conversation.
"He thought I had a thing for you. He just wanted to let me know who was boss," Zuko replied calmly, although his fists clenched tighter around the bag.
"O-oh! Let me help you with that!" she exclaimed, scrambling up Appa's leg and taking an end of the bag from Zuko. "It's the least I can do! After all, you did interrupt that…uh…"
"Don't mention it," Zuko replied roughly, and then he fell into utter silence. Katara's eyes widened slightly, but she nodded just the same.
"Katara! Please call off Pony Tail here," Toph's voice rang out from below them, and Katara turned just in time to see Sokka standing with two large, heavy rocks in his hand. She quickly dropped her end of the bag onto Appa's saddle and rushed over to the edge.
"Just what do you think you're doing?" she demanded, horrified. As if the day couldn't get any worse…
"He thinks his amazing marksmanship will put my earth bending to shame," Toph replied, her grin of amusement apparent in her voice.
"Of all the… Sokka! Put those down this instant! You'll wind up hurting yourself!" she exclaimed, horrified.
"Sokka! For the love of Kyoshi stop it!" Suki chimed in, rushing to stand beside Katara. Sokka looked between his sister and his girlfriend, and back to Toph again.
"Just wait, little girl. This isn't over," he muttered, lowering the rocks, much to Katara and Suki's pleasure. He then glared at Toph, and made a rude gesture before realizing that she couldn't see it.
"Smooth," Zuko murmured under his breath, and Katara turned to face him with a brow raised and a slight smile curving her lips. He instantly set his face into its usual stony mask, and Katara sighed.
"I think we're all packed," the young waterbender said, surveying the saddle.
"About time!" Toph shouted from below, and Katara and Suki shared a smile.
Katara's smile slipped from her face as she watched her father exit his tent, Iroh and Bato just behind him. He lifted his hand to block the glare of the sun, and Katara looked away when his eyes met hers. "I need to say goodbye," she murmured to no one in particular, and began to crawl down Appa's leg.
"Don't leave without making things right." Zuko's quiet voice surprised her, and Katara looked over to him with a frown. "You'll regret it if you don't."
Katara's frown deepened, and she took a breath, about to argue. And then she saw the look on the boy's face, and felt the fight leave her. She nodded quickly, and continued her descent to the ground. Sokka was already there, waiting for her.
"Come on, Katara. We need to say goodbye to Dad!" He exclaimed when she didn't move fast enough for his tastes. Katara rolled her eyes and waved him ahead. Sokka shrugged, and then sprinted over to his father. Katara watched the father and son say their goodbyes from afar, and it wasn't until the boy moved on to Bato that she walked forward.
She did so slowly and reluctantly at first, knowing that she had to apologize for her behavior the night before but unwilling to swallow her pride. And then her father's blue eyes locked with her own, and she was ten years old again. She ran the rest of the way and threw herself into his arms, throwing her pride to the wind.
"I'm going to miss you, Papu," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around his neck fiercely. And as she was in her father's arms, it hit her: this may very well be the last time that he ever held her. After all, people die in wars. The thought made her squeeze her eyes against the tears that welled below the surface, and hold him tighter still.
"I'll miss you too, Kata," her father murmured, and then broke the embrace and held his daughter at arm's length. "You are so much like your mother," he said softly, wiping the tears from his daughter's face with his thumb. "Beautiful and headstrong and fierce." He paused. "You have no idea how proud I am of you."
"I love you, Papu," Katara whispered, her fingers digging into the cloth of her father's fabric.
"I love you too, Snow Bear," Hakoda replied, his voice shaky. He leaned forward and kissed his daughter's forehead, and then wiped away her tears. "And I will see you in three months," he promised, and Katara nodded fiercely.
"Three months," she repeated, and sniffed, drying her remaining tears with her sleeve.
"Sokka," Hakoda called, and his son turned to face him. "Katara is your responsibility now. You must take care of her," he instructed, and Sokka nodded solemnly.
Katara walked over to her brother and looped her arm through his. "He always has," she replied, looking up at her elder brother with a smile. "Even when I don't want him to," she added, her smile widening a fraction. Sokka rolled his eyes, and then tugged on her braid.
Hakoda smiled softly at his children, and then glanced over to Iroh. "Will you watch over them for me?" he asked, and Iroh grinned.
"Of course, of course! And I must thanks you for the tea that you have given me. I have never had the traditional Water Tribe recipe before," he added with a grin as he patted the pouch on his side. Sokka made a face and stuck his finger in his mouth, and scowled when his sister smacked him upside the head.
An hour later, Hakoda watched with a heavy heart as the Avatar's bison lifted his children into the air. They were far too young to be involved in this war. He had left them behind all those years ago to ensure that their first brush with the fire nation would be their last.
But they had joined the war anyway, and now his children- one with barely any facial hair and one just on the verge of womanhood- were the only hope that the Rebellion had. These children- too young to marry, too young to fully understand the nature of war- were the ones leading the Alliance of Nations against the Fire Nation.
He feared for them.
------
Aang spread out the map on what little space remained on Appa's saddle. "Okay, where are we planning on going first?" he asked, pointing to the map.
"Ba Seng Se is the closest," Sokka said, outlining the distance between Chameleon Bay and Ba Seng Se with his pointer finger.
"There's no way we're going back there so soon!" Katara protested. "Aang, everyone there knows your face. You're too fresh in their memories. To go there would be absolute suicide!"
"I agree with Katara," Iroh added, nodding his head towards the girl. The coup de tat happened far too recently for you to return to Ba Seng Se."
"And Kyoshi is out of the question," Suki added. "If Azula knows that you are friends with the Kyoshi Warriors, she will probably head there first," she said, pointing to the island that she was born and raised on.
"What about the swamp?" Aang suggested, and Katara regarded him thoughtfully before nodding.
"I think that sounds like a good idea," Katara said slowly, and then glanced over at Iroh. "We know some benders there that might be willing to help," she clarified and Iroh nodded.
"Katara! Those guys?" Sokka protested. "But they eat bugs, and keep alligators as pets, and they talk funny, and…"
"They're distant cousins," Katara added, and Sokka's face screwed up in revulsion.
"There's no way I'm related to those hillbillies!" he retorted sharply, and Katara rolled her eyes. "What, I'm not!"
"I don't know, Sokka. You do talk funny…" Toph said with a smirk, and Sokka glared at the girl. He went to lunge at her, but Katara held him back firmly.
"Will you stop acting like such a child?" she demanded, and Sokka withdrew to his place on the saddle with a glower. "Now," Katara said, glancing around. "Does everyone agree on the swamp as our destination?"
There were nods all around. "I have a suggestion," Zuko spoke up, his voice low.
"Why do you think we'd want to hear from…" Sokka began, but Katara cut him off.
"Go on," she urged, and Zuko nodded, but not without glaring in Sokka's direction. Sokka glowered. Katara and Iroh shared a look and a sigh at the hostility displayed between the two boys.
"We should purchase disguises when we stop for supplies. Azula knows our appearances too well. If she gets word about any one of us, she will find us."
"And how do you expect us to hide that ugly thing?" Sokka demanded, pointing to Zuko's scar. Everyone aboard Appa went silent, and Katara let out a soft gasp.
"Sokka!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with disappointment and rebuke.
Zuko's glare was unwavering. "Don't worry, Katara. I won't take anything that water tribe brat says to heart. After all, you know what they say about men with big mouths. The rest of them is very…"
"Zuko!" Iroh shouted, frowning at his nephew. "Such insults are not made for ladies' ears," he rebuked, but Zuko didn't bother to apologize. Instead, a corner of his mouth turned upwards and the look he gave Sokka darkened.
"I'll have you know that I am extremely…" Sokka retorted, and Suki smacked him.
"There's some things even I don't want to know," she muttered, turning away so that Sokka wouldn't see her flushed cheeks.
Katara cleared her throat uncomfortably as she too attempted to suppress her blush. "I think that's a good idea, Zuko," Katara said. "About the disguises," she hastened to add when Sokka's face changed to resemble that of a man betrayed. "We are a bit… conspicuous."
"And while we stop in the villages, I have some visits that I should make. I have… friends… who may be willing to help us."
"Could this guy get any vaguer?" Sokka asked, jerking a thumb in Iroh's direction. Zuko fumed, but Iroh merely chuckled.
"That is the privilege of an old man," Iroh replied good naturedly. "But I may say this: I am a member of a society of those opposed to Ozai. We have been biding out time for a long while. I will spread the word that our time has come. The other members of the order will spread the word to those we cannot reach."
"That's great!" Aang exclaimed with a grin. "So, where are these guys?"
"Everywhere," Zuko answered for his uncle darkly, recalling all the times that he had been left alone for some shop or another for hours as his uncle had spoken with the other members of the Order of the White Lotus.
"Come, nephew! They are quite useful." He then turned to Katara and gave her a wide, cheeky grin. "And we all make exceptionally good tea," he added.
Katara gave him a wan smile in response, and Zuko glanced over the saddle of the flying bison in an attempt to ignore his uncle.
"So, should we stop now or…?" Aang asked, but Katara cut him off.
"We're still too close to Ba Seng Se. I can't let Azula catch you, Aang. Not after what happened last time," she said softly, and Aang flushed at the concern that she showed him. Zuko hunched his shoulders in an effort to be as invisible as possible as he too remembered that day.
"It doesn't matter if she captures me now, Katara," Aang told his friend with an uncharacteristically solemn look on his face. "Pathik helped me master the avatar state." The boy's eyes darkened slightly, and then he stood quickly. "We'll travel until tomorrow night. We'll stop then," he said as he rolled up his map and headed to his place on Appa's shoulders.
Katara's brows furrowed together with worry. "Aang!" she called and stood, but Toph's hand on her arm stopped her.
"He wants to be alone, Sugar Queen. I don't need to feel his vibrations to know that," the blind earthbender said, and Katara sat back down, worrying her bottom lip.
Sokka glanced around the saddle, and then eyed a bag of food. "So…anyone up for some sealskin jerky?"
-----
"Alright, Twinkle Toes. What gives?" Toph demanded later that night, carefully feeling her way across the saddle and cursing herself for ever agreeing to fly on this flying monster anyway. No disrespect intended to Appa, of course.
Aang looked up from his seat behind the reins, and his face clouded with worry when he saw how dangerously close Toph was to the edge. "Hey, be careful!" Aang exclaimed, scrambling up Appa's shoulders and grasping Toph's hands firmly in his own.
"I can do it myself," Toph muttered, but even as she said so, she slipped and grabbed onto Aang's hands even tighter.
"I know you can," Aang replied, unwilling to begin an argument. After all, no one could win against Toph Bei Fong. And if he ever did win an argument, he was sure that Toph would squish him between the two heaviest boulders that she could find afterwards.
Once Aang had guided Toph to the place where Appa's shoulders met his neck, he sat her down and picked up the reins once more. "Don't fall," he warned, and suppressed a grin when he saw Toph's hands clench around Appa's fur.
"You never answered my question," Toph replied, and Aang frowned. "What happened with Pathik?" she asked, and she heard Aang sigh from beside her.
"Why do you want to know?"
"Why don't you want to tell me?"
"I never said I didn't want to tell you!" Aang protested, and Toph tapped her fingers against Appa's fur.
"You're avoiding my question."
Aang looked away, and gripped Appa's reins tighter. "It's personal."
"Meaning it's about Sugar Queen," Toph replied dryly, and smirked when she heard Aang's quick intake of breath.
"Please, Twinkle Toes. Your vibrations go crazy whenever she touches you. Now, spill." She commanded, and Aang swallowed hard.
There was silence for a few minutes until Aang finally broke down. "Pathik told me that I'd have to give her up if I ever wanted to master the avatar state. I refused the first time, and because of that, all of you guys almost died. I did die," he whispered with a shake of his head, almost unable to believe it.
"So you decided to give her up?"
"Yes."
Toph laughed, and not just lightly. It was a full, gut-wrenching laugh that came from the belly and rose up out of the throat. Aang flushed horribly. "What's so funny?" he demanded, and Toph laughed harder.
"Twinkle Toes, your vibrations still jump all over when she's around. Nothing's changed!"
Aang took a deep breath. "No, Toph. Before, I would have died for her. I would have killed anyone- even you or Sokka if it meant I could save her."
At this Toph sobered and drew a measured breath. Her fingers gripped Appa's fur tighter as she tried to wrap her mind around the concept.
"I still care about her," Aang admitted, and then stared out into the night sky. "But it's different now. The feelings are there, but they're not as intense as they used to be. I've made peace with the fact that I'm the avatar and she has no place in my destiny.
"Do I still wish she could be? Yes. Does my heart still jump with every smile? You know it does. But I know she doesn't belong with me." He finally turned towards Toph and forced as much sincerity into his voice as possible, knowing that she couldn't see the look on his face. "I'm trying to let her go."
---------
"I'll purchase the disguises while Iroh talks to his friends," Katara said, and protests were heard from nearly everyone aboard Appa.
"There is absolutely no way I'm letting my baby sister go into town alone!" Sokka protested, while the cries of 'Don't you think I want to walk around too?' were heard from almost everyone else.
"Sokka, they'll be looking for two Water Tribe teenagers. We can't be seen together," Katara reasoned, and then turned to Suki. "And that dress you're wearing is bound to draw attention. It isn't often that the Kyoshi warriors leave Kyoshi island. And it will be even stranger considering the fact that you're supposed to be dead." She said, and Suki looked away.
"Toph, your parents are still searching for you. There's got to be a hundred people searching for you. Last I heard, your father was offering a pretty big reward." Toph scowled, but didn't bother to argue. "And Aang… everyone knows what you look like."
Aang shrugged sheepishly. "She does have a point, guys."
"I'm telling you, you're not going there alone!" Sokka exclaimed, and Katara rubbed her temples wearily.
"I'm not alone. I have Iroh with me."
"But you'll be splitting up!"
"I can defend myself!" Katara shouted, and Sokka's eyes narrowed.
"No bending allowed, remember? These guys will have brute strength on their side! And what if it isn't fire nation scum? What if its just some guy. You're pretty, Katara, and you're young and far too naïve. Some filth might pull you off into some alley and…"
"Sokka!" Katara exclaimed, turning scarlet.
"I'm not going to take that chance!"
"I'll go with her," Zuko offered, and Sokka scoffed.
"You? Just look at you. The entire right side of your face is pink. You practically scream: 'look at me! I'm the banished Prince!"
"Sokka," Katara admonished softly. She then glanced over at Zuko with a frown. "Maybe if we…" she murmured under her breath, and then twisted around to dig through one of the bags. When she turned back around again, she had a bottle of grease and a hairbrush in her hands.
Zuko eyed the items with distaste. "No."
Katara rolled her eyes. "Don't be such a baby," she muttered, picking her way carefully over Iroh and Toph's legs until she was able to kneel directly in front of Zuko. "Now, just hold still…" she instructed as she began to brush his hair down over the scar.
Zuko sat stock still, mortified. He swung his eyes over to his uncle who was smiling good naturedly, and to Sokka, who was smirking like an absolute idiot. He wanted to punch the smile right off of the water tribe boy's face.
Katara quickly smeared some of the grease onto Zuko's hair, and then brushed it in so that the hair would be held in place. As she did so, she leaned close to his face, so close that she could feel his breath against her cheek.
The sensation unnerved her, and she stopped brushing for the smallest of moments. Her eyes met his, and she swallowed convulsively. Her gaze flickered down to his lips, and suddenly, she wondered what it would be like to kiss him. Would he taste the same as Jet had? Or would he be different?
Iroh cleared his throat, and Katara jerked back, and began to smooth down Zuko's hair over his scar again, hoping that he didn't notice how her hands trembled. But he did. Katara met his eyes once more, and realized abruptly that his thoughts had been on the same path as hers.
She took a shaking breath, jerking her attention back to his hair. Of all times for such a thought to come over her, why here, in front of everyone? In front of her brother? Katara grimaced, and then cursed her racing heart. Cursed the blasted teenage hormones.
"There," she said, forcing herself to sound strong and unaffected. "You can hardly even see the scar."
Sokka glared at the pair. "There is no way you are ever being left alone with him," he ground out, his eyes as cold as ice. Katara swung her eyes to Iroh, who merely grinned and looked as though he had just uncovered a well guarded secret.
Katara looked over to Zuko again, who had caught the expression on his uncle's face. "He thinks he's a step closer to getting grandchildren," Zuko muttered under his breath resentfully, and Katara's face paled with horror.
"Dear La!"
Meanwhile, Iroh simply continued to grin.
----
Well, so many people wrote to me and asked me to start updating again, so I did. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and it would be really nice to get some feedback from everyone. Please let me know if you think everyone is in character, and if you don't, please tell me why so I can fix it. Thanks for reading.
Sandra Evans
