Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters, so please do not sue me!
Thanks for all the reviews! The last part of the last chapter was something I wasn't planning to add, but one of my reviewers suggested I make this story have serious and funny moments, so I decided to include a nice mixture of both. Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Happy Easter, everybody!
(On With The Story!)
The midnight sun known as the moon was dangling from the black sky as the only light to provide the world with a glimmer of shining hope in the vast darkness known as night. The bright stars were scattered across the darkness making traces of pictures and patterns that had stories made up of folk legends and myths. The reflection of the planets and stars were apparent on the blue ocean as the last few hours of the night continued to pass.
Aang and Sokka hovered over the same location that Katara had fallen from. Sokka couldn't keep track of the many hours and even the few days that had passed since that dreadful night. He had blamed himself a dozen times over for letting her fall even if he knew there was nothing that could be done at that point in time. No matter how many times they circled the small portion of water in a seemingly endless sea, they found no trace of the waterbender.
Aang felt a few tears still lingering in his eyes as he looked at the endless pools of blue below. So many things he had wanted to express had been left unsaid. He loved her -- He knew he did. He didn't deny his feelings for the girl, but telling them to her face was something he hadn't been able to do for the sheer fear she might not feel the same. Nevertheless, that didn't make him any less about her and made his daily life a bit more interesting.
There was something about her that made a shiver go up his spine whenever she cast a glance his way. The way she smiled and laughed at his lame jokes. The way her body was curved so perfectly and the way her hair glistened in the sun. So many nights they had spent together looking at the stars and shared the enjoyment of traveling and meeting new people together. Aang felt as if he had known her his entire life and right now would have given everything up to have the reassurance that she was safe or even alive, but at this moment, that didn't even seem likely.
It had been days in their search. They hadn't eat, wouldn't sleep. Sokka vowed to the heavens he would give up numerous things, differing from sarcasm to meat, if they found her. Prayer was something Aang was fond of, but at this moment, even that seemed like a distraction to the task of finding his secret crush. Aang tried to understand the fact that was hanging over his head. Katara might not be coming back. With this sudden thought, the tears fell from his grayish eyes.
Sokka momentarily glanced up at the dark night sky as he caught glimpse of the stars Katara used to love so much. Many a night, she would point out constellations of stars Gran Gran had showed her as a child as he struggled to stay awake at the comforting and clear night sky. A single tear made it's way down his tanned cheeks as the fond thoughts of his sister flooded his head and the weighing thought of her being gone was something he didn't think he could cope with.
"Aang?" Sokka asked after a deep regretful sigh left his dry throat.
"Yeah, Sokka?" the Avatar replied as he gazed sadly over at the Water Tribe warrior.
"What if we don't find her?" Sokka asked in a solemn voice while his eyes remained planted to the water below them.
Aang didn't answer. The thought passed his mind many times, but whenever it surfaced, the more a sharp pain erupted in his heart. Losing Katara was something the Avatar wasn't ready to experience and never had even been considered. Her vivacious personality and sweet demeanor was something that was hard to get used to living without. The fact that he loved her hurt even more if she was really gone.
'Why didn't I tell her?' Aang thought as he felt more the tears start to trickle down his face. The warm tears gliding down put everything into perspective for him. He had lost his entire family of Air Nomads and the thought of losing someone else was too much for the young child to bear.
Sokka immediately noticed Aang's tears and apparently knew the feeling the young Avatar had possessed for his sister. It was more then just the friendship he had with her, he always senses the Avatar felt deeper for her then that. The thought of someone liking his sister like that angered him and his brotherly duties to protect her, but when he seen Aang's tears, it brought him more sadness then anger. His sister had always wanted to be married one day and have a ton of kids and Sokka knew one day he would have to let her go and couldn't protect her forever.
Katara had been so excited the day she went to the fortuneteller and heard some statement from her that Sokka still thought ludicrous. "She was a liar." Sokka mumbled about the woman who had promised Katara her dreams would come true and she would die in her sleep at a very old age. Where was the fortuneteller now? Taking predictions from the stars and telling more lies to people who actually believed her? Where was she when his little sister had most likely died in her own element?
Sokka angrily punched the bottom of the saddle as he felt the tears begin running down his face before he fell with his face in his arms. "Katara…" Sokka muttered as he felt his body begin to shake from the overrunning of emotions erupting from his body. Sokka felt the firm saddle under his body as his hands were gripped so hard; his knuckles began to turn white. "Katara!" Sokka screamed against the endless night sky as his voice echoed in distress over the ocean begging for a reply from his sister, but he didn't get one.
Aang heard the warrior's screams and felt absolutely worthless as the Avatar. He had vowed the stop the violence and war between the nations, and he had just let his best friend slip right between his fingers just because of his lack of control in a storm. He didn't know if Katara was alive, but the blame and ridicule for himself was destroying him. Aang allowed his eyes to once again rise to the night sky.
The bright moon penetrated the vast darkness as the stars were hung across a strong in the sky. Aang felt a sense of calmness wash over him as his eyes remained locked on the evening sky. The dwindling hope of recovering his crush was slim, but he wouldn't lose hope until he had proof. Aang pursed his lips as his eyes continued to stare at the sky as tears continued to drip down his upturned face.
Meanwhile
Katara walked over to the Fire Nation Prince before she placed a plate of food she had just prepared in front of him. According to her, the fish was a bit tricky to cook since they never were really ever lucky enough to capture one, so she was a bit inexperienced with it. Katara was expecting Zuko to have a negative reaction, but instead, he gave her a slight nod of approval before he began to slowly eat.
Katara was a bit shocked by is behavior, but wasn't complaining about it. Katara smiled softly before she sat down across from him before she began to eat as well. Katara piled a piece of fish and vegetables on the chopsticks before putting it to her lips and cringed at the taste of it. Zuko noticed this too, but he couldn't really blame her. He couldn't cook well if his life depended on it, so he had to give her credit where she earned it especially in a kitchen such as this where only his chef could know exactly what was in the bottles Katara used for oiling the pan.
After swallowing, Katara made a quick glance toward the Prince his taste buds accepted the food better then hers did. "How is it?" Katara asked nervously as she smiled warily at the Prince.
"It's fine." Zuko replied before taking another bite.
Katara gazed at him strangely, but was at least glad he could stomach it. By her judgment, the fish was overcooked, the vegetables were undercooked, and the oil she put in it was rather repulsive. After a short period of staring at the Prince, she noticed he wasn't enjoying it, but continued to eat anyway. Katara laid down her eating instruments as she began to focus her eyes on the table instead of lingering over to the Prince where they wanted to be.
After Zuko choked down another bite of overcooked fish, he placed the chopsticks back on the table before he looked up at the waterbender. Her eyes were fixated on the table in front of her. Zuko noticed she was struggling to keep her eyes planted on the table, but just ignored it. "You done?" Katara asked before she looked up at the Prince.
"Yeah." He plainly stated before Katara stood up and gathered the plates and headed over to the water basin located on the other side of the large kitchen. As Katara began to wash the plates, Zuko said nothing. He was wondering to himself why he had gone from hardened Prince to puddle of goop within days. He was always hardened and cruel since the day of his banishment and he blamed his father for it. Then out of nowhere, Katara came along, and he began to act a bit different.
Zuko had no idea if it was just because she was a female and it was just his male teenage hormones that were way out of whack. Zuko shook his head as he tried to dismiss those thoughts from his hormone-clouded brain. "Damn…" Zuko grumbled under his breath as he ran his hand over his face.
"You okay?" Katara asked as she walked back to the table and noticed the Prince's sudden and strange behavior.
"Fine." Zuko replied before he quickly stood up and began to head for his quarters. Katara placed the towel she dried her hands off with on the table before she followed Zuko back to his room. Katara had a lot on her mind, but the main thought in her head was the sudden kind behavior Zuko was showing toward her and thought that maybe that this might be the kind behavior his uncle spoke about. Katara's head fell to the floor as these thoughts passed her mind.
'If only things were different...' were the words that still lingered in her mind the first day she was stuck here. What if it was different between them and what if this was the reason she was on this ship? To get to know him? Was that the choice that fate made for her? Was it to get to know the Fire Nation Prince? Was it something more?
'I sense a great romance for you. I can see that he's a very powerful bender…' Aunt Wu's voice said in Katara's head. Katara's eyes then rose to the back of the Prince's head as they continued down the hallway. She recalled the words and Zuko actually fit the description exactly. The romance was something she found in the way he rescued her and Zuko was a very powerful bender.
The unspecific description could have matched to a lot of people, but something else about Zuko made her more prone to match her description of the man she was going to marry to him. Katara blushed softly at the thought and wondered if she really already falling for this man she was following behind in a dark hall.
Meanwhile
Sokka sighed against the cold night air as his breath turned white against the invisible air. "I promise I won't give up, Katara! I'm your brother and I've always promised to protect you, and this situation isn't any different!" Sokka shouted against the night sky as he felt the tears in his eyes still lingering on the bottom rims.
Aang looked over at the young man as he bolstered himself on the saddle of the large bison as his eyes held a determined look greater then anything Aang had ever seen. With Sokka showing so much determination, he realized who he was. He was the Avatar, and the other Avatars before him never gave up even in situations as dire as this. He knew he couldn't give up and he wouldn't until they had Katara back.
"We promise, Katara!" Aang shouted a few seconds after the words left Sokka's mouth.
Sokka looked over at the young Avatar as they both exchanged agreeable glances as they now were going to strive to bring her home.
(To Be Continued…)