Book One: The Oracle
Chapter Twelve: Love, the Catalyst
A/N: Questions I expect: Who is Raita? The counter girl. I just never brought it up before because no one knew her name. - Is this story going to be Taang or Zutara? No. The characters are Katara and Aang. That is the focused relationship. - Will there be more about Azula/Koh? There has to be. I can't just leave you with what's in From the Ashes!
Sokkas Instincts 2:(Chapter 10) Well, she's not as insane as she was in the finale in this fic (even though everything Azula is insane). I figure she knows what she's gotta do. (Chapter 11) I laughed for a long time during our PM conversation about the length. But, I'm so glad you're starting to connect to the story. And, no problem. You deserve recognition.
Nasecoeur42: (Chapter 10) Thank you so much! I appreciate your kind words.
Randomicity:(Chapter 10) Haha, yes, it's Azula. And yes, she's evil. -squee!- (Chapter 11) Thankie, thankie! -bows-
hsm2fangurl:(Chapter 10) Yeah, when I wrote this, I wasn't even thinking about the Kyoshi warriors thing. Good job picking that up. That's great stuff. And I'm glad you enjoyed when she spoke to herself.
Jeni27:(Chapter 10) Thanks! I love that line by the way. Stop giving me interestingly strange things to say to people! ;) And I did say awesomesaucity three times fast. (Chapter 11) Koh is entirely creepy. That's why he's such a great aspect, hmm? So, here's your update. And by your update, I mean YOUR update. Check the dedication. ;P
RandomWarning:(Chapter 10) Yeah, well, I don't like her either. And yes, you wrote number 100. YAY! Love yas. (Chapter 11) Oh my goodness! It's out, it's out! Geez! Lol. :D
general shadow wolfsbane: (Chapter 10) Thank you. Loving the rabbit analogy. ;)
SpiffyAvatar Fan:(Chapter 10) I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Knowing my reading does that to my readers makes me feel better about my writing. So thank you for that. Azula did neither. She watched Yulla to observe how she acted, then got the Dai Li to knock her out and brainwash her.
This chapter is dedicated to Jeni27. I appreciate your loyal reviewing and I hope you continue to enjoy my story.
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters within it.
Sokka sat down and put his head in his hands. It'd been almost a month since he saw the one he loved most, but even then, it was under the heavy pursuit of firebenders. He didn't know if he could deal with distance again, as most of his relationship was based on verbal speech and human contact.
"Katara," he spoke wearily. She quickly recognized the severe strain in his voice and rose her head from the letter she was writing.
"I, uh... Do you suppose we could visit Kyoshi Island on our way home?"
When they looked at each other, Sokka refused to meet her eyes. He didn't wish for her to spot the growing sorrow in his blue spheres as well.
She nodded, a little reproachfully, and consumed herself once again in the letter. She wrote to Mr. and Mrs. Bei Fong, hoping dearly, for Toph's sake, they didn't lock her up again. The master earthbender Katara loved like an overbearing sibling was well aware of the imminent doom she was bound to pursue. She very much could be held captive in her home once more, and this time, her parents had a good reason. All she could do was beg the spirits they understood and released her to the public, where she would be known as a war hero.
"Katara," Sokka whispered this time, "I really miss her."
The waterbender nodded, and ceased her writing. She couldn't work like this. Toph was snoring quite maliciously on the couch and Sokka was rambling on about Suki and Kyoshi.
"...I just don't know, anymore. I feel so depressed that she's gone, but on the other hand it's like my connection to her is slacking. I'm not sure if that's from the distance, or just because we're growing apart."
There were two quick raps on the door and Sokka lifted himself from the chair to answer it.
"Hey, Aang," he greeted as the airbender entered Sokka's room with the rest of the gaang.
"Alright, Appa's fed and ready to go if we're gonna hit the sky today. I already thanked Raita for letting us stay here. She's a really nice girl. She gave me directions to Gaoling from the tip of the Earth Kingdom. Not that we need it with Sokka's map reading skills, but you can never be too careful, huh?" When Aang was finished he was sitting at the table Katara and Sokka were located.
Sokka nodded and gave him a solemn smile. The young Avatar brought his eyebrows together inquisitively and looked to Katara for an answer. She simply held his gaze with ease and shook her head lightly. Her smile was a warm one, causing him to mirror it, but the image of Sokka lingered in his mind.
"Are you okay, Sokka?" Aang asked softly, ignoring Katara's warning, and continuing to hold her stare. The water tribe girl narrowed her eyes, still captivated by silver.
"Terrific," he mumbled into his arms.
Aang frowned.
"C'mon, Sokka. If you let it out you'll feel much better. Trust me."
Katara's eyes widened and she shook her head frantically, begging him to take it back. He shrugged and glanced briefly at the letter before her, then to the girl again, as if to say 'What's that?'
"I just really miss Suki," Sokka mumbled into limbs and oaken wood. "But it's an aching kind of feeling. Like I'm missing something."
'Here.' She pushed it to him across the table and he glanced at it.
"We can always go see her," Aang suggested lightly.
Aang began to read the letter. The handwriting was beautifully scripted and instantly, he recognized it as Katara's.
"I know, but in a way, I don't want to go. It's a really weird feeling. Like, I'll mess up our relationship or something. But on the other hand, I don't feel afraid of that, either. I'm so confused."
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Bei Fong,
We hope you've received Toph's letter by now. If you haven't, then our messenger hawk sent it to the incorrect place. Toph wants you to know she loves you and misses you greatly.
"I'm sorry, Sokka."
Your daughter will be coming home within ten days. I don't wish to bother you any longer, so I'll cut this short.
Sincerely,
Katara,
Toph's friend
"It's not your fault, Aang. It's my own. But thanks for listening."
Aang reached over for the pen and stopped to look at Katara. 'Make some changes?...'
She nodded. 'Go ahead.'
"Of course. If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here. Remember that, okay?"
"Kay."
Aang scrawled on the parchment with haste and slid it back to the original scribe. She regarded it for a moment and read his sloppy handwriting. She is very sorry for running away, but has stated many times she doesn't regret it. was now placed between the last two sentences.
'Huh?' Katara questioned with a raise of her eyebrows.
Aang smiled and put his open palm up near his face to cease her internal questioning. 'Trust me.'
After reading it again, she tilted her head to the side and nodded slightly. 'I guess it works.'
There was a pause as Aang's eyes caught Katara's once more and they stared into each other. Sokka lifted his head from the table to look at his sister, but looked between them and decided enough was enough.
He cleared his throat loudly.
Both lovers looked at him and blushed, Katara more heavily (which was not to her liking).
"If you two are done," he chided with a sarcastic tone, "Someone needs to wake up Toph."
Aang and Katara exchanged a glance before looking at the sleeping metalbender. Her snoring was just as disgruntling as before, but until they were reminded of it, was pushed from their minds. The teenage airbender rose from his seat, approaching her vivaciously.
"Aang," Katara hissed, "You'll get yelled at. When Toph's grumpy, there's nothing I can do to save you from her wrath."
He laughed under his breath from the comment.
"I'll be fine, Katara."
Aang shook Toph lightly, but she only grumbled and rolled over. He giggled at her evasion and jostled her with a bit more determination this time, causing her nickname for him to come out with spite.
After a moment of aggravation, she calmed and placed her unseeing eyes on him.
"Oh, are we leaving?"
Aang nodded.
"Soon, so you should get ready."
Toph yawned and flipped her body so the bottoms of her feet were firmly on the ground. She was assisted upwards by Aang, who pulled her hand as she mumbled an unceremonial 'Umph'.
"Well, lemme just get my stuff then. It'll only take a few minutes..."
Aang bit his bottom lip. "Oh - I already... did that." He blushed as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously, causing Katara to emit an I-told-you-so laugh.
He flashed her a small smirk before turning back to a frozen Toph.
"You... what?" she questioned with a cold glare. Her features held for a moment before going soft and causing her to smile at his shocked reaction.
"Thanks, Twinkles." And with that she punched him in the arm.
It took him a few good minutes and an affectionate squeeze on the shoulder by Katara to recover from Toph's act of kindness. He figured she would beat him up for touching her possessions... expected it, almost... but she didn't.
When Aang was finished contemplating, Katara was massaging his shoulders, Toph re-entered the room, and Sokka was gathering his maps.
"Where are we headed, next?" asked Katara. "I mean, I know Gaoling, but we're not going to fly straight there... are we?"
"Of course not," Aang offered. Embarrassed, Katara ripped her hands from him and let them fall to her side. He turned around and smiled at her.
"Yeah, Appa can't fly that far," chimed in Sokka, breaking their delicate eye contact.
Toph, from the other side of the room, found the green headband within her things and turned to the rest of them as she placed it in her hair. "Yeah. I think, as long as I've been here at least, the furball's only flown two days straight at once. It'd take us at least eight days to get home."
"Okay, well, is everyone ready?" Aang questioned, turning to Katara once more. She nodded and the others verbally agreed with her nod. "Good. Let's head out."
The foursome slung their bags over their bodies and exited, closing the door behind them. Sokka waved to Raita on the way out, and Aang smiled, but the girls ignored her presence entirely. After making their way to the stables, Aang led Appa out and helped everyone onto his bison. Sokka decided to slide near the back of the saddle, using his pack as a pillow and laid down to rest his body.
"Hey," Katara said cheerfully, leaning over Appa's saddle to crawl down to Aang. He turned around and offered his hand, guiding her on the head of the large creature.
"Hey," he repeated, matching her sanguinity. "Yip-yip."
Appa took off into the air with a small growl. After they were far above the large ocean town, Katara leaned on Aang. He pulled her closer with his right arm and held the reins with his left, kissing her once on the peak of her head.
"It's okay if I sit up here, right?"
He smiled at her. "As long as you don't fall off," he joked.
She nuzzled as far as she could into his chest and he sighed with content before whipping the reins to get Appa to go right.
"I love you," Katara whispered, looking up at him. He brought his gaze to hers and the corners of his mouth turned upward in pleasure.
"I love you, too."
The two heard as Toph made a noise describing how repugnant she found the scene. Katara laughed, and just in spite of Toph, pressed her lips to the corner of her airbender's mouth.
"Appa, can you-" Aang attempted to say, cut off by the same lips, this time, full on his own. He heard Appa snort, almost as if he scoffed at the two, but continued to move rhythmically against Katara's soft lips.
Her moan caused his cheeks to turn bright red, but she pushed him farther, even with the heat through his face.
"Aang?" Sokka asked, leaning over the saddle and sighing when he saw the two. "Shouldn't you be steering?"
The airbender in question tilted his head and stopped the kiss, only earning a frown from his lover.
"Do you want to take charge, Sokka?" he asked, turning back to Katara, an obvious glint in her eyes.
He let out a heavy breath once more and rolled his eyes. "It'll probably be safer. And we might actually go where we need to go..."
Aang nodded half heartily, climbing atop Appa's saddle.
"Where are you planning to stop?" questioned Sokka, lifting a map from his pocket to his friend. His sister and the Avatar were already kissing again, so he tapped him with urgency.
"Yeah, uh... there!" Aang replied, pointing to a small dot below the Earth Kingdom.
Sokka regarded this for a moment before raising an eyebrow. "Kangaroo Island?" he questioned.
Aang shook his head. "Oh, sorry." He placed a quick kiss on Katara's cheek and viewed the map again. "There." This time, he pointed to a city which made much more sense. A fairly large city far west of Gaoling, but still on path. At this location, Appa could rest once again, and the weariness of flying would be relieved.
Sokka watched with narrowed eyes as the two picked up on their public display of affection, then glanced at Toph, her tongue sticking out in disgust. He made his way to Appa's head and held the reins to actually steer the bison.
If Aang and Katara kept this up, Sokka was going to do something about it. He didn't really like the idea of meddling with their relationship, knowing how depressed he currently was in his own, but they couldn't constantly have tongue duels, could they? One, they'd have to breathe eventually. Two, it couldn't be natural to spend that much time kissing. And three, if they got bored, who knew what could happen? Sokka shook that one off. They were both mature people, with good morals and good intentions. He knew that, and respected them deeply for it.
He was so glad Katara was finally happy, and that his best friend could find such bliss. They both had to deal with so much and lose so many things (especially Aang) so they deserved happiness. If each other was all they wanted, Sokka wasn't going to interfere.
A/N: So, that's it for chapter 12. I'll have 13 up at some point. Probably, and most likely, next weekend. After this update, there will only be one update every weekend for The Oracle. (Not like it wasn't much different before...)
We're back to fluff in this chapter, and the gaang at that. I'm not saying anything about 13, so you'll have to wait until next weekend!
Also, I think I like it this way. Sokka is almost always portrayed as an over-protective sibling (which he is), but I wanted to try it this way instead. :D
Well, please review. It'd make my day.
Oh! And go vote on my profile. There's a poll for this story. Please...?
-Katara
