After a brief discussion with Zuko about remaining unseen for a while, Katara wandered back to the campsite in hopes of finding Aang. She was surprised, however, to find herself running into her brother before reaching the site. She opened her mouth to speak, but was abruptly cut off by Sokka.
"Listen, Katara… I'm sorry about overreacting earlier…" Sokka began slowly, his head hung low. "I know I'm just being overprotective, but please try to understand, I'm trying to look out for you and the others in our group. I don't want anyone hurt."
Katara smiled sweetly and placed a reassuring hand on Sokka's shoulder. "It's alright. I'm sorry too. I know you're just trying to protect me. It will take some getting used to, but I'm sure all of you will see what I have seen in Zuko over the past weeks I've spent with him. However, I asked him to stay somewhat distant from the group for a while…" she laughed as she paused and thought about her last words, "Not that it will be a difficult task for him."
Sokka returned the smile and allowed his sister to give him a hug. "OK… OK… we're all better now," he groaned.
"Good!" Katara replied enthusiastically. "Has Aang come back to the campsite yet?" A shake of Sokka's head answered her question. She sighed, not looking forward to confronting him. "Well, I'm going to go look for him. The rest of you might as well hit the tent for the night. We need a lot of rest so we can plan and prepare for our future battle with the Fire Nation."
Sokka nodded and turned to walk back to the camp, but paused as his sister called out.
"Sokka…" Katara began, waiting for her brother to look over his shoulder before finishing. "Thanks… for looking out for me… and everyone else."
Sokka shrugged his shoulders. "Eh. It's nothing."
Katara stood silent as she watched her brother disappear into the darkness of the forest, taking a moment to gather her thoughts and prepare her speech for Aang.
When Katara finally discovered Aang, she found him sitting in the grass in a clearing, his arms wrapped around his knees as he held them against his chest. Her heart skipped a beat or two as she felt sudden remorse. As she slowly made her way to his side, his ears perked up and he quickly sat up, watching Katara intently as she took a seat beside him. She placed her hands behind her in the grass, letting the weight of her upper body fall back against her arms. Aang's eyes were on her face as she gazed up into the sky at the full moon.
Katara let out a deep sigh, forgetting all the words she had rehearsed, and started from scratch. "Aang… I'm sorry you had to learn about this in the way that you did…" She turned her attention to Aang's face as she continued. "I know how you feel, and I know it hurts, but things will never change between you and me. I care about you Aang. You're one of the most important people to me, not just because you're the world's hope, but because you're my best friend too." She paused for several moments, studying Aang's sullen expression as his head lowered and his gaze fell to his feet. Another sigh passed her lips and she looked back up into the sky again. "You know, I really think things will turn out for the better with Zuko tagging along. You need a fire bending master, and he needs some guidance." She paused again, afraid to say what was next on her mind. "He also needs someone to help him into the spirit world… to see his uncle."
To Katara's surprise, Aang's response was much more pleasant than she had expected. He lifted his head, looking up into Katara's eyes as he spoke with a slight eager smile on his face. "You really think he'd teach me fire bending?"
Katara nodded. "I think if you help him into the spirit world, he'll be more than willing to assist you."
Aang's smile brightened as Katara wrapped her arm around his shoulder, pulling him in for a hug. "Thanks Katara."
As the sun rose the next morning, Katara was already awake. She had a not so good night sleep. Not only did she have the past events plaguing her mind, she also had to share a rather small tent with four other girls, including an obnoxious snoring Toph. Katara was uncertain how the girl could sleep. With all the grunting, snorting, and kicking, she should have kept herself awake.
Katara quietly slipped out through the tent to inspect the boys. As she stood to her feet just outside the tent, her eyes scanned the area. She was surprised when she spotted Zuko lying comfortably against an uncharacteristically docile Appa. The fact that he had accepted Zuko aided in relieving Katara's troubles.
Katara slowly crept toward Zuko, stopping only a few inches before him. She gazed down at his soft listless features and listened to his soft breathing. She could not help to notice how serene and handsome he looked as he slept. She crouched down and reached out a hand, gently brushing aside the few strands of hair that lay across his face. He stirred at the touch of her fingers and slowly opened his eyes.
Startled by a sudden figure before him, Zuko leapt to his feet, knocking Katara onto her back. "Sorry!" he quickly apologized as he realized who lay before him. He held out his hands, allowing Katara to take them as he lifted her to her feet. "I guess we both have been a little jumpy lately," he said sheepishly as Katara dusted off her garments.
"I see Appa willingly let you sleep against him last night. He must have grown tolerant of you," Katara pointed out. As if understanding her words, Appa raised his head and yawned fiercely before licking the side of Zuko's face.
Zuko laughed softly, wiping away the trail of bison saliva left on his cheek. The laugh earned a smile and a soft kiss upon his clean cheek from Katara.
"I spoke with Aang last night. I think things will turn out great with you on our side. I'm actually rather confident that you and Aang will become good friends. He's agreed to help you into the spirit world to see your uncle considering you will aid him in mastering fire bending." The subsequent genuine smile on Zuko's face gave Katara a renewed feeling of hope. She truly felt things were turning out for the best. She was certain Zuko would accept the group, and they in turn would accept him. With a visit to his departed uncle, Zuko could finally rid himself of his terrible nightmares. Aang would finally learn fire bending, and thus, the group would have an unbeatable force against Fire Lord Ozai.
"I suppose I should start training him today?" Zuko spoke the words as more of a question than a statement.
Katara nodded. "I'm going to go wake him up now so you two can get started right away." She paused for a moment, realizing Zuko appeared suddenly distant. "You're making the right decisions now Zuko," she said softly, trying to console his evidently clouded mind. "That's all that matters. I bet your uncle is watching you right now, and I'm sure he's very proud of you for finding your way alone."
Zuko's head raised and his eyes met Katara's as he spoke hoarsely, "I haven't made it this far alone." He hesitated his speech, embarrassed to admit his feelings. "… You've helped me a great deal these past few weeks." As he finished his statement he felt surprisingly relieved.
Katara's smile brightened, flattered by Zuko's words. She knew not what to say in response, so she decided to just change the subject. "Well, I'm going to go get Aang, so just wait here until I'm sure he's ready for this."
Katara wandered over to Aang's tent just as he was stepping out. "Aang! I was just coming to wake you."
Aang smiled, acting his usual cheerful self.
"Are you ready to learn some fire bending?" Katara asked enthusiastically.
"Definitely," Aang replied, earning a tender smile from Katara.
"Well, we're running pretty low on supplies. We passed a village not too far from here so I'm going to go get Toph and we'll pick up some things while you and Zuko train. Sokka and the other girls will be here, so don't worry about being left alone with Zuko."
Aang nodded, acknowledging that he understood, and watched Katara stroll back to the girl's tent before turning his attention to Zuko who stood across the way, looking just as nervous as he was.
As Katara and Toph wandered down the streets of a small village, Katara noticed a small smile on Toph's face. "What are you smiling about?" she questioned out of curiosity.
"Nothing," Toph replied, stifling a chuckle.
"Doesn't sound like nothing," Katara replied, her tone deepening in annoyance.
"It's just amusing that you like those kind of guys," Toph spoke snidely.
Katara's eyes narrowed and she halted in the middle of the street. "Excuse me? What do you mean by that?" she questioned defensively, staring down at Toph.
Toph stopped several inches in front of Katara and replied blandly, "You obviously like 'bad-boys'."
Katara huffed and tossed her braid behind her back. "What are you talking about? No I do not! Zuko is on our side!"
Toph laughed derisively. "Sure he is… and I suppose you think that Jet guy was on our side too," she mocked.
Hands on her hips now, Katara snapped back, "He was a jerk and I did NOT like him!"
Toph's smile widened as she replied coolly, "Katara, you forget, I can tell whether you're being truthful or not."
"Whatever!" Katara snapped and turned forward, stomping down the street with her chin in the air.
Toph laughed disdainfully as she followed shortly behind Katara.
Back at the camp site Aang silently followed Zuko into a small clearing away from the others for safety.
Zuko took a stance several feet away from Aang, after turning to face him. "First lesson is basic breathing exercises!" he called forth with authority.
Aang's cheerful smile faded. His thoughts instantly trailed back to when he had been training with Jeong Jeong. He had thought the man was just being difficult, but now here was Zuko saying the same thing. "Do we really have to go through with this?" he whined.
Zuko's brows furrowed in annoyance. "Who's the teacher here? Do you want me to teach you fire bending or not?"
Aang released a deep sigh and slowly nodded his head. "You're right. I'm sorry. Please continue." He silently prayed that he would not have to repeat the horrible 'feel the sun' and 'squat' exercises all over again as well.
"Unlike earth, air, and water bending, fire bending does not require the presence of the bending element, which means it requires much more concentration," Zuko continued. "The fire comes from inside your body, so close your eyes, take deep breaths, and concentrate on feeling the heat within your own body." He closed his eyes, taking several deep breaths for demonstration before returning his attention to Aang.
Aang gave a quick nod, and closed his eyes. As he exhaled, he began to feel the warmth of his body flow out through his parted lips. He focused on the source of the warm air, eventually finding the source in his lungs. As he breathed in, he could feel cool air rush into his lungs, the heat from his body warming it just before his release. His eyes shot open, excited by his discovery. "I can feel the heat!"
Zuko held his hand to his forehead, lowering and shaking his head in disappointment at Aang's foolish choice of words. As he raised his head, he found himself looking at an overly enthusiastic Aang. After a drawn out sigh, he called out to Aang, "Alright, now we'll try a simple form of fire bending… the breath of fire." Aang's face lit up even more, but Zuko attempted to ignore the sickening cheerfulness. "Begin by arching forward just slightly. Take in as much oxygen as your lungs can handle, forcing the pressure into your lower abdomen. As you do this, you must concentrate all of your body's heat around your air passage. Once you've reached your intake limit, move your shoulders back and allow your diaphragm to contract quickly, forcing the heated oxygen up and out your mouth." As he finished his last sentence, he realized Aang's expression had taken a complete turn.
After a brief silence, Aang finally spoke out, "Uhh… could you explain that again? Maybe add a demonstration too?"
"Did you follow any of that?!" Zuko hollered as the thought struck him that Aang had not even been paying attention to his instructions.
Aang shrugged his shoulders, laughing sheepishly. "Sorry. I did hear it all, but that sounds rather complicated for my first shot at fire bending."
"Just watch me and do what I do," Zuko replied.
Aang gave Zuko his full attention, watching intently as he swiftly arched forward, took in a deep breath of air, then finally tilted his head back and released a stream of fire into the air. Smoke rolled slowly from the corners of Zuko's mouth as Aang cheered in excitement.
"That was great Zuko! I'm ready to try!"
Zuko opened his mouth to tell Aang to be careful and keep it small, but before a word could pass through his lips, Aang had already taken his breath. "Wait!" Zuko hollered, realizing the possible magnitude of Aang's bending if he released as much energy as he appeared to be summoning. Again, he was too late. Aang's shoulders fell back as he expelled a gigantic ball of fire from his mouth, the flames dieing out just before reaching Zuko's horrified face several yards away. The force of the blast sent Zuko falling back and onto the ground.
Aang had a mixed look of thrill and fright on his now red face. Zuko sat on the ground, staring blankly in awe at the massive proportion of Aang's first attempt. "I… I think that's enough for today." After slowly returning to his feet, he brushed himself off and awaited a reply from Aang.
Aang pouted as he whined, "That's it? Can you at least tell me how I did, or what I need to work on?"
"You need to work on your control," Zuko stated blandly before turning his back to Aang and sauntering off towards their campsite. He tried not to think about how easily Aang had performed fire bending, but unfortunately he could not dismiss the thought that he was a failure in comparison to the Avatar.
A/N: My sincerest apologies for such a lack of updates on this. To be honest, I've had very little inspiration from this show for the last several months due to a lack of episodes. I'm finding it rather difficult to keep characters, well, in character, when I haven't seen an episode in nearly 2 months. I hope this is still enjoyable. I am trying my best to reach my goal and end the story. Hopefully this isn't too dramatic or drawn out. As always, please give me suggestions, opinions, feelings, etc, and thanks for reading!!