KATARA

THE WATER PULSED AND GLOWED IN TIME WITH THE BEAT OF HER HEART AS SHE MANIPULATED IT OVER THE GIRL'S BACK. The girl, whose name was Dae and was extremely pregnant, sighed with relief as the water did its work, while her mother held her hand and patted her head. Outside, the girl's husband paced, no doubt wearing a groove in the dirt. Somewhere, children played, and at the edge of her senses, Katara could hear two women gossiping away. It was all very quaint and, for her patient, at least, probably quite soothing.

There was no such comfort for Katara, though. As handy as the healing potentials of waterbending tended to be, she had never enjoyed it. It was exhausting, draining in the worst possible away. By the end of the day, her body would feel limp, hollowed out, as if she had run a hundred miles without a break. Even now, after a comparatively light day, her arms ached, and the water she had formed into glowing gloves around her hands was cold and numbing.

For all that, though, Katara had a job to do, and she intended to do it well. It didn't hurt that she was truly helping people, in a meaningful, immediate way, free of the cloak-and-dagger skullduggery that seemed to shadow so many of her days the past year.

I better enjoy it, too, she thought, because the day is coming when I shall have to hurt people again. For an instant, a face flashed before her eyes, the face of the boy into whose chest she had hurled a boomerang at the battle to save Zuko. I didn't even hesitate, and I never do. That's always frightened me. She shook the thoughts away, and put on her best healer's smile. "That making things a bit better?" she asked the mother, in her steadily improving Nihongo.

The mother (whose name, Katara remembered, was Hae-Won) translated this into Hangugeo for her daughter, prompting an exchange in a language Katara still couldn't quite get a handle on. The daughter was nodding and smiling and looking very relieved, and she even seemed to crack a joke which made her mother laugh. Turning to Katara, Hae-Won said, "She feels much better now. She wants me to let you know that you're a gift from the gods."

Katara chuckled, pulling her hands away from the girl's back and bending the water back into the skin strapped to her hip. "Yeah, that's what my husband always says."

Hae-Won laughed, laughter that was echoed by her daughter when the translation went through. Returning her attention to Katara, Hae-Won asked, "But really, thank you so very much. I have herbs and such for these things, but with the pregnancy…"

Katara nodded, her healer's smile plastered on, hiding, she hoped, the degree to which her hands hurt. "I understand perfectly. Just glad I could help. Is there anything else I can help with?"

There was a brief conversation between mother and daughter before Katara got an answer. "She wants to know if you can make the contractions hurt any less. I told her that that's just part of the process, but this is her first baby, and what do I know, right?"

Katara bent down, gathering her things and carefully setting everything in her satchel. "Well, as for contractions, I'm afraid you're right; not much I can do, not without risking more than it would be worth. At this stage of pregnancy," she continued, shouldering her satchel and standing, "the best she can do is be as comfortable as possible. Lots of bed rest, plenty of liquids, keep eating, even though she doesn't want to…" Katara put on an indulgent smile. "In other words, everything you've probably been telling her."

Hae-Won shrugged. "What can I say? Sometimes, it helps to hear these things from someone other than your mother."

"How far apart are the contractions?"

Another quick conversation, and then, "They're still not regular, apparently. Every couple of hours or so."

"Not long then."

Hae-Won smiled the kind of smile that only a happy grandparent-to-be can smile, the kind of smile that comes from getting a new baby with having to go through the bad part. "Not long at all. Is there anything to worry about?"

Katara gave the girl a once over, before shaking her head. "Not that I can see. Just tell her to keep doing what you tell her to do, and call for me right away if anything changes."

"Then you and your husband will be staying a bit?"

"Until the baby comes. I'm pretty determined to be present for this delivery."

Hae-Won smiled. "For which we thank you. Come," she continued, standing, "I suppose I should pay you!"

Katara gave a nonchalant shrug. "I mean, if you feel like it…"

Payment, as Katara had told Zuko earlier that morning, consisted of a big box of fresh, high-quality moon tea, which Katara took every day, no matter what. Sometimes twice a day, she thought with a sly grin. What can I say? We're young, in love, and in the middle of a war, not to mention all the lost time we had to make up for. Though, she supposed, that excuse ran out some time before…

As Katara took the box and bowed her thanks, Hae-Won's face took on a disapproving frown. Shaking her head and clucking her tongue, she said, "You know, I don't really see why you need all that. You and your husband would make beautiful babies."

Yes, we would, but not now. Katara shrugged, trying very hard not to give the woman the kind of look she would give to her own mother in such a situation. "We know, and we do plan to test out that theory. Still, you know, we haven't been married all that long, and Haruki's only been out of the Army for a year…"

The woman sighed, looking not in the least bit convinced. "And you two want some time to yourselves, I understand. I don't like it, because we all like you around here, and I think you'd make a wonderful mother, but still, I suppose it's alright."

Katara bit down on a giggle of glee at the magnitude of that compliment. "Hey, we're young! We have plenty of time." And I feel like I already raised a daughter, anyways…and a son, too, if you count my brother. Sliding the box into her satchel, she asked, "Was there anything else?"

"Actually," the woman said, and looked very apologetic while she did it, which clued Katara into exactly what she was going to ask, "since I've got you here, and we're on the subject of your husband…can I ask you a question?"

Katara nodded, and tried her best to look calm. The truth was, she hated it when people asked about Zuko's scar. She felt like it was a personal insult to him, like they were saying, You freak, look at that face, how could anyone look past that? Might as well not even bother. It was like people were judging him, just off of that eye and that scar, refusing to see the man she had chosen, without even realizing she was doing it, to spend the rest of her life with. Every time it came up, she felt unreasonably angry, and it never failed that Zuko, who never seemed all that bothered, would have to calm her down. Won't even let me accidentally bend water onto their heads… She sighed. He never lets me have any fun.

Out loud, though, she said, "You want to know about his scar."

The woman raised her hands in placation. "I know, it's not anyone's business but his, and I completely agree. It's just that it came up in conversation before you got here, and, well…"

You're about to have a new baby in your family, and you felt the urge to find out about the husband of the woman who's going to deliver it. It was completely understandable, but she still had to fight down the urge to grind her teeth in fury. "It's quite alright," she said, and almost sounded like she meant it. "There was an accident with a camp stove. One of Haruki's soldiers didn't do something right, and it blew up, and Haruki was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Hae-Won nodded, looking rather relieved. "Oh, alright then. Is that how you two met?"

Katara put on a smile. "Actually, yes! I was a healer in the hospital he was brought to. When he was discharged, we ran off together." Which actually wasn't that far-fetched. As much as the Fire Nation was generally despised in the South, the Southern Water Tribes were nothing if not poor, and more than a few healers went to work in the military hospitals. And more than a few of them were young girls, and more than a few of them ended up running off with dashing young officers.

It was a good story, and Hae-Won seemed somewhat captivated by it. Putting her hands to her chest, she sighed, eyes far away. "Oh, how romantic! Very sweet."

Katara couldn't help but laugh. "Don't tell my father that! I doubt he'd agree." Which is closer to the eventual truth than I really care to think about right now. "Now, I'm sorry to run, but I have a few more house calls to make…"

Hae-Won waved her away. "Oh, don't mind me. Get going, you! Tomorrow, same time?"

"Tomorrow, same time," Katara confirmed over her shoulder as she left.

It was about an hour later, as Katara left a house where she had healed a farmer's twisted ankle, that Song found her. Katara was rummaging around in her satchel, making sure everything was as she wanted it to be, when she turned a corner, looked up, and nearly bowled over the girl.

Song's face lit up, and Katara felt her face do the same. They didn't even bother with bows; they embraced, exchanged kisses on the cheeks, and Katara found that her voice had somehow climbed an octave. "Song!" she said, threading her arm through the girl's as they began walking down the street. "It's so good to see you! How've you been?"

Song giggled. She was, in many ways, a very good match for her husband, Toshiro. She was on the small and slight side, with big brown eyes and an aura of kindness that followed her wherever she went. Katara had liked her the second she laid eyes on the girl. "I've been just marvelous," she replied, in Guangzhou, since she was originally from the south. "You wouldn't believe some of the things I've heard lately!"

"Oh?" Katara said, eyes going wide, as they continued to walk, eyes light, shoulders relaxed, just two silly girls, honest. "I can't wait to hear all about it!"

Song's eyes twinkled with the spark of mischief. Every time Katara saw the girl's eyes do something like that, her heart sank a little bit. Those eyes, those big, wonderful, expressive eyes…they're dangerous, Song. They're going to get you hurt.

She never said that, though; she just couldn't. Song was the kind of girl who had lost everything to the Fire Nation, and yet was so incapable of malice that she ended up married to a former soldier. Katara just couldn't bear the thought of doing anything to dull those eyes.

Song, meanwhile, had pressed herself close, as if imparting particularly juicy gossip. "Well, then you're in luck, because I intend to give you all the dirty details."

"Will Toshiro have anything to add?" she asked, face free of guile.

Song giggled. "I'm pretty sure he's already got Haruki," a name she never quite managed to say naturally, to Katara's sadness, "halfway into a bottle of baiju at the moment."

Katara put on a frown. "They better not get to the good stuff without me."

Song rolled her eyes. "Oh, Haruki is too scared of you to do that! Still, good thing I found you, right? Now you can do your rounds in half the time!"

Katara sighed with relief. "You took the words right out of my mouth." Which was true; in the end, Katara got done early enough that she even managed to squeeze in some shopping.

Hey, look, Song! I always liked Song. Some people are just naturally kind and sweet, no hidden darkness, just, you know...nice people. She felt like one of those to me.

A bit about the Northwest, since I didn't want to overload last chapter: It was the region conquered by the Fire Nation early on. They've been there for a while. Thus, for me, it's like Korea, which was ruled by Japan for a good half-century. Japan's occupation is still a sore point for Koreans. On the one hand, they were mistreated and brutalized, but on the other, Japan kicked off modernization, and well over a million Koreans served in Japanese uniform during World War Two, more than a few as full-fledged generals. And there are a lot of Koreans with Japanese heritage, though don't tell them that. In short, it's complicated, messy, and was even worse in the midst of it.

In short, perfect for this fic. Woo!

In the next chapter, Azula teaches Korra, and they discuss firebending. Stay tuned!