One of These Days
By Unwritten Bliss

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Chapter 36:

Katara felt numb. She stepped outside and was battered by a chilly breeze that sent chills down her spine. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she was aware that she had left her T-shirt inside, but she didn't care. She could hear Aang arguing inside with Coach Pakku, but she couldn't hear his words.

She stared vacantly out at the parking lot in front of her. How could this happen? She wondered to herself, I know karma's a bitch…but what did I do?

She could still hear the old man's irritatingly smug voice echoing in her head.

"No. Girls. Allowed."

Katara's hands clenched into fists at her sides and her eyes watered with unshed tears of frustration. I did so much to get here! She thought desperately, I went behind my brother's back, rode a motorcycle with a guy I hardly know – with a guy who's been trying to hurt my friend for months – and this is what happens!

She closed her eyes angrily, shaking, as she remembered what Coach Pakku had told her when she demanded to know what he had said to the other female swimmers who had come that day.

"There's a class for synchronized swimmers taught by old woman Yugoda in a pool across town. I'm sure she would be happy to take you as her student despite your bad attitude," he had answered flatly.

"But I don't want to do that!" Katara had argued, "I want to race!"

"I understand that. But this pool has set rules that can't be changed."

"Well, your rules suck!" Katara had answered as she turned out of his office.

And that was how she ended up outside, her eyes closed tightly against the memory. She could still hear Aang arguing inside – his voice had gotten quieter like he had been thoroughly reprimanded but he still seemed to be rebellious of Pakku's law. Katara smiled bitterly.

She had gone through so much to get here only to be turned away by some sexist old man. It didn't seem fair at all. If only there was some way to prove to Pakku that girls were just as fast as boys. Something clicked in her brain and Katara felt a smile tugging at her lips.

Katara wasn't known for backing down without a fight. Turning on her heels, Katara stormed back into the pool. She noticed Aang slumped against the bleachers hopelessly but instead of going to her young friend she walked straight to the door leading to Pakku's office.

Without knocking, she opened it.

"Come to apologize?" the old man asked without looking up from the papers on his desk.

Katara's eyes narrowed in determination. "There's no way I'm apologizing to a sour old man like you."

Aang poked his head into the office behind Katara. "Uh, Katara?"

"I'll be outside if you're man enough to race me!" Katara announced and without waiting for an answer, she stepped back out to the pool area, closing the door behind her.

Aang was there waiting, his eyes wide. "Are you crazy, Katara? There's no way you can beat him; he's a silver-medal Olympic swimmer!"

"I know," Katara said as she began to peel off her pants, "but I don't care. Someone needs to slap some sense into that guy!" Katara stood at the lip of the pool, her eyes raking the length of it before turning their attention to the old man walking out of his office.

"So, you decided to show up?" When he walked passed her, Katara's hands clenched into fists. "Aren't you going to race me?"

Without turning his face toward her, Pakku said, "Go back to the kitchen with the other women where you belong."

Katara gasped and for a moment she couldn't say a word, being only able to sputter on her anger. Why you sexist, cynical, arrogant… Tightening her jaw, Katara spun on her heels and dove into the pool.

The on-looking boys outwardly gasped and Aang covered his eyes with one hand.

Pakku stopped what he was doing and turned his face toward Katara, who was glaring at him from the water. "Fine. You want to race so badly?" In seemingly one fluid motion, Pakku's clothes were removed and he dove into the pool.

Katara somehow managed not to gag at the sight of the old man in a swimsuit.

Reaching out with one hand, Katara grabbed the lip of the pool and braced her feet against the wall, eyeing the old man who was smirking confidently. "Don't worry," he said, "I'll go easy on you."

"Don't bother," ground out Katara.

Ignoring her, Pakku continued, "Three laps. From where we start to the other end and back is one." Katara nodded and both swimmers prepared themselves.

"On the count of three," Aang said uncertainly. "One…" Katara tightened her grip on the ledge and brushed damp hair from her face, "Two…" Pakku's smirk widened into an infuriating grin, "Three!"

Katara pushed off from the ledge. She could feel the wake left behind by Pakku's own controlled propelling, and distantly she thought that this was a bad idea. And then she remembered what he had said to her, and she pushed the thought away. This is the only way, she thought as she tilted her head to the side and took a breath.

Her arms swung methodically from her sides and over her head in the freestyle, her feet kicking in rhythm behind her. From somewhere on the bank, she could hear the boys cheering. Was that Aang she heard? He was cheering louder than the rest, and the thought made her speed up.

When next she lifted her face, it was toward the other swimmer. At that exact moment, the old man lifted his face toward her and before she lowered her head back into the water, she realized that they were neck to neck. Is he really going easy on me? Katara wondered to herself. I should have put on my goggles…

Katara blindly reached out with her hands, knowing she was close to the opposite wall but not knowing just how close. She felt the water churn near-by, and thought the old man was turning into the wall to kick off. On reflex, Katara flipped over and, twisting, reached to kick off as well, but her calculation was off.

She kicked open water.

Staggering beneath the water, Katara righted herself and her hand blindly fell against the wall. Cursing under her breath, she barely heard Aang call out, "You can do it Katara!" before she dove back under the water, propelling herself from the wall with more vigor.

She resurfaced and began pumping her legs once more, but Pakku was already ahead. She imagined that he still had that haughty smirk on his face. "Go back to the kitchen where you belong," he repeated in her head and Katara picked up her speed.

I'll show him that girls are just as good as boys, she thought. How dare he make assumptions? This is a new world; women have just as many rights as men!

Katara tilted her head to the side to take a breath, and took the possibility of slowing herself down by looking ahead. Pakku was only two or three feet in front of her. She could still win this! She judged her distance from the wall more accurately this time, and when she twisted herself around she kicked off the wall with impressing strength.

Lap two, she thought mentally, closing the distance between them.

"No. Girls. Allowed."

When Pakku lifted his head from the water for a breath, his gaze met Katara's evenly and his eyes widened in surprise, and for a moment he lost his constant pace.

"Katara's ahead?" Aang said, incredulous. Suddenly, a grin spread across his face and he exclaimed with more excitement, "Katara's ahead!"

Katara pulled the water toward her, and kicked it away. She lifted her head to breathe, and glanced back only to realize she was in the lead by an arm's length. She wasn't out of the dark yet!

I'm still up against a past Olympic swimmer, she had to remind herself as she ducked her head back into the water, he probably has some tricks up his sleeve that I don't know about!

When she lifted her head next, it was at the same time as the old coach and he spoke through his breath, "I'm impressed," he said, and suddenly he switched forms. He was doing the breaststroke now, and Katara felt annoyed.

He never said we could choose another form! Another part of her brain reminded her that he didn't say they had to do freestyle, either.

"You are an excellent swimmer," he continued through his next breath, and suddenly he was picking up speed.

The minute Katara hit the opposite wall; she flipped over herself and pushed off, switching into breaststroke, as well. "You still won't let me join the team though," she said through an interval of several breaths. It wasn't a question; it was a statement of fact.

And suddenly, Pakku was beside her. He pushed himself forward and took a breath, and for a moment, it seemed they were frozen in time. His focus on the other end of the pool, he said, "No." And then he was underwater again and time had resumed.

If Katara hadn't been in the middle of a race, she would have screamed in frustration. Instead, she only became more determined in her cause.

To everyone's surprise, the two swimmers continued to swim head-to-head. One moment, Katara would be ahead, and the next, Pakku. By the time Katara started lap three, she had a cramp in her side and was losing speed.

I should have stretched beforehand, she thought to herself. She was becoming desperate; she couldn't keep losing and gaining ground like this with him! She had to get ahead for good!

The second the two swimmers pushed off the far wall to begin the long stretch for the finish line, something happened. Katara didn't know what, but it did. She remembered glancing at Coach Pakku, who was in exact tempo as she. She ducked under the water, and pushed upward to take another desperate gasp of breath.

A smirk snaked its way across the old man's face, and Katara's eyes widened and she was under water again. But when she came back up, Pakku was ahead. She didn't know how, but his speed had picked up. At first, he was just a few feet. And then he was a few yards.

Katara was left trying to pull herself through his wake.

When she reached the wall at last, Pakku was pulling himself from the water. "This race is over," Pakku declared as he wrapped a proffered towel around his lower section.

Katara, bewildered, lifted herself upward with her hands braced against the damp concrete surrounding the pool. "Hey!" she nearly screamed, her voice cracked, "Come back here! We're not done!"

"Uh, Katara," Aang murmured sadly, "That was three laps…"

Ignoring Aang, Pakku turned his face toward Katara disdainfully. "Yes, we are." Suddenly, he stopped and glanced down at his feet. He bent down and picked up something blue, and his eyes grew in recognition. "This is…my necklace…"

Katara gasped and stumbled out of the pool clumsily. "No it's not, it's mine! Give it back!"

Pakku was silent a moment as his thumb absently ran across the cool, smooth stone. "I made this sixty years ago," he said softly, "for the love of my life. For Kanna."

Katara sat outside Pakku's office, her hair still dripping with water. She glanced at Aang, who gave her an encouraging smile. "It'll work out," he told her.

Katara had her necklace back, safe and sound on her neck once more. After Pakku's announcement, Katara explained her relations to her Gran and, with some urging from the old man, she called her grandmother up and asked her to come pick her up.

Gran-Gran was currently in Pakku's office, apparently catching up on old times.

"I can't believe Gran-Gran – my Gran – was supposed to marry that man," she said for the hundredth time, and Aang's smile faltered slightly. Katara rested her chin on her knees. "I can't believe she never told me…"

Wanting to change the subject, Aang asked, "How'd you get here, Katara? Sokka dropped me off, so I know he couldn't have taken you."

Katara stilled and she glanced out of the corner of her eye at Aang, who was staring into the palm of his hands. After a second, she closed her eyes and sighed.

She could still feel that rush of wind through her hair, the sense of freedom, the strange fluttering in her stomach when she had wrapped her arms around Zuko's waist. She couldn't tell Aang the truth because who knew how he'd react? Biting her lip thoughtfully, Katara considered changing the subject once more. But that would only make her young friend more interested, so she pushed the thought away and said, "I got a ride from a friend."

Aang turned his curious gaze on Katara. "Which friend?" he wondered, "Suki?"

Katara remembered the way she had reacted to Suki's earlier news about leaving to stay with her grandfather and realized that Aang couldn't possibly know about the small fight that had started because of that. "Yeah," she lied. "Suki brought me here."

Aang nodded. "So that's why Sokka couldn't find her after school; she had already left with you."

Katara merely nodded, suppressing a sigh of relief. At that moment, the door to Pakku's office opened and Kanna stepped out, her old eyes crinkled in a frown. Katara noticed that Pakku's back was facing the door, sitting in his old swivel chair.

"Come along, you two," Kanna said as she passed and Katara and Aang dutifully stood to follow.

"Gran-Gran, what happened?" Aang asked as he picked up his speed to match that of the elder woman's.

Katara stayed silent, brooding. No doubt Pakku had told Kanna of Katara's disrespect. Katara had a feeling she'd be punished when she got home, and she groaned inwardly. He's probably still against me joining the team, too, Katara thought to herself, thoroughly exhausted.

Katara climbed into the front seat, and for a moment, they drove in silence. At a stop light, Aang repeated his question with more hesitance and Gran-Gran glanced back at the young man. "We talked about old times," she replied, "and he talked about you, Katara." Her gaze returned to the road.

Katara prepared herself for her grandmother's lecture but it never came.

"I'm proud of you, Katara," Gran-Gran finally said. "You were stupid to challenge an Olympic silver medalist," she said in that blunt way of hers, "but I'm proud of you."

"What? Why?" Katara asked, confused, "I was completely disrespectful!"

"Yes, well. Pakku has a hard head; sometimes, you have to take desperate measures for him to understand your point." Katara had a feeling Kanna wasn't talking about the race, and she fell silent.

After a moment, Aang spoke up. "So…I guess Katara still isn't allowed to join the team?"

At this, Kanna's frown twitched upward. "No, not at all." Katara's eyes grew and she adjusted herself in her seat so she was facing her grandmother.

"What?"

"You both start next week," Kanna said easily.

Katara closed her eyes tightly and then she fell back into her seat with a happy grin.

Katara glanced up from her homework. "What?"

"You heard me;" Sokka said angrily, "Suki was in the worst mood ever!"

"When'd you talk to Suki?" Katara asked nervously, aware that her earlier excuse to Aang could be in danger of being revealed as what it was: a lie.

"I went to her house after I dropped Aang off at the pool," Sokka explained as he seated himself on the edge of her desk. "She was near tears. What the hell did you do to her?"

"Me?" Katara exclaimed. "I didn't do anything!"

"She hasn't done anything either, Katara!"

"Except abandon her best friend!" Katara bit out, and realized too late what she had said. She covered her mouth shamefully. I can't believe I just accused her of that…

Sokka's dark blue eyes narrowed furiously. "I can't believe you're accusing her of that. How selfish can you get?" Katara peeled her hand away from her mouth to say something more but before she could, Sokka continued, "Besides, she's not leaving forever… She's just going until her dad can go instead!"

"This doesn't bother you at all?" Katara finally asked, turning away from her work to face her brother. "You realize that they're enrolling her in a different school, right? She's going to a different school – a private school. You aren't worried?"

"Why would I be worried?" he asked, but Katara could tell that he knew exactly where she was going with this.

"Private school kids are smarter than us, Sokka. They've got good education, and classes are smaller than ours. There are fewer options, but more chances." Katara hated herself for what she was about to say. "She'll find someone else…"

Sokka blinked and then, before she could even finish the sentence, he slammed his fist against her desk causing her to jump. "Shut up, Katara!" he snarled, "How can you be that way? Are you really that single-minded?" He looked away, taking a deep, calming breath. "Besides, if that's what she wants – to find someone new – then I won't stop her."

Katara looked down at her hands guiltily. I'm sorry, Sokka.

"Now, listen," Sokka said, his voice strained, "you're going to apologize to Suki tomorrow."

"…Yes."

"Good," Sokka muttered as he stood. He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand as he started for the door.

"Sokka," Katara only managed to whisper.

"Yeah?" he paused with his hand resting on the handle, but he didn't turn back toward her.

"What if she likes it there and doesn't want to leave?"

Sokka didn't know what was more tempting: going back to his sister and hugging her, or shaking her until she realized Suki wouldn't do that to them. Instead, he opened the door and said, "Then we'll prove to her how much we love her; we'll let her go."

As the door shut behind him, Katara buried her face in her hands and shook with a sudden, unexpected and definitely unwanted, sob.

The next day Katara apologized profusely to her best friend. Everything ended up fine between them, and they promised each other that the next few days would be spent making up for the fight.

Katara decided not to tell Suki about Zuko. Not that there's anything to tell, Katara thought to herself as she walked with Suki to chemistry. It's not like it's a 'kiss-and-tell' situation or anything.

She wasn't surprised when she saw Zuko waiting for her at the usual table during free period. She sat down across from him and pulled out that night's homework. For a moment, they sat silently; Zuko reading his book and Katara scribbling answers to her Spanish homework.

Finally, Zuko looked up, marking his page with his thumb. "So, how were try-outs?"

Katara looked up and, because she was in a good mood, didn't mind the grin that spread across her lips. "It's a long story."

Zuko packed away his book, his attention caught by her beautiful smile and the tone of her voice. "I've got the time."

So, Katara explained to him how Pakku wouldn't let her join the team at first, and then how she had challenged him to a race. At that, Zuko snorted and covered his face with one hand in a similar way Aang had done at the pool.

"I wouldn't put it passed you," he admitted and he shook his head.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Katara asked, her eyebrow raising.

"Just that you're pretty stubborn when you've got your mind set on something." Zuko shrugged.

"I am not stubborn," she replied resentfully, frowning.

"You aren't?" But Zuko left it at that, motioning for her to continue.

Once she ended her tale, Zuko frowned. "Wait, the coach is in love with your grandmother?"

"Yeah, it was weird…" Katara lifted a hand and touched her mother's – or was it her grandmother's, then? – pendant thoughtfully.

"How does that work? You said that they were supposed to get married. Do you know what happened?"

Katara shrugged. "Gran must've gotten tired of his pompous, sexist attitude."

Zuko nodded, and for a moment they lapsed into silence, considering one another from hooded eyes. Finally, Zuko looked back up from his book. "And you never told Sokka?"

"About the motorcycle ride?" Katara laughed, "Of course not. We'll just keep that a secret."

A small smile that looked unpracticed and Katara realized that this was his true smile, and for some reason her stomach fluttered nervously. But as soon as it was there, it was gone.

"Are you okay?" Zuko wondered and Katara looked at him in confusion. Zuko motioned at her face, "You're really red."

Katara lifted a hand distantly to her cheek and felt the warmth of her blush beneath her fingertips. She only blushed harder. "Yeah, I'm fine."

They both knew, however, that that was far from the truth.

A Week Later…

Katara hugged Suki tightly, unwilling to let go. "Please, don't forget to write me," she begged, "e-mail would be better because it's quicker, but, you know, whatever."

Suki, equally reluctant, closed her eyes tightly. "Only as long as you write me," she told her friend.

Katara finally pulled away from Suki and held her at arms length. "Thanks for coming by to say 'adios'," she said softly. "I was scared you wouldn't."

"I would never leave without saying good-bye," Suki replied. "I'm going to miss you so much. It'll be so different without you."

Sokka cleared his throat from where he still stood on the porch, and Suki and Katara turned to look at him as he stepped down. "Why are you making it sound like a permanent thing? You'll be back in just a few days, right?"

Suki bit her lip and Katara hugged her friend quickly one last time before disappearing up the porch steps and into the house, leaving the couple alone outside.

Suki watched Katara for a moment before turning her calm gaze on Sokka. "More like a few weeks."

"A few…weeks?" Sokka echoed, unsure he heard her right. "I thought you were going for a few days…"

"My dad couldn't find an opening," Suki said with a guilty shrug. "So we'll be staying a bit longer than we thought. But I'll be home soon – it'll go by super fast, I promise!"

Sokka hesitated a moment before reaching out with one hand and grabbing her arms. For a moment, it seemed to Suki that he was struggling with something, and then he closed his eyes and pulled her roughly toward him, wrapping his arms around her.

Crushed with her hands on his chest, Suki blushed; her sisters were in the car waiting, after all. "Sokka…" she started.

Sokka cut her off. "I know I said that if you – if you change your mind and you prefer one of them over there that I'd be okay with it because you'd be happy," he said, his voice hoarse, "but I was lying through my teeth."

"What?" Suki was completely lost. What's he talking about?

"If you change your mind, I'm coming after you and forcibly dragging you back here. I'll beat him to a pulp if I have to!"

Aghast, Suki pushed away from him just enough to see up into his face. "Sokka, are you talking about my grandfather? You can't beat him up! That's terrible…why would you even say –!"

Sokka crushed her lips beneath his, unable to let her go on like that. She didn't understand, but she didn't have to. What he said was the truth; he'd come after her if he had a rival. He wouldn't let her slip away so easily when he finally – finally – had her.

When he pulled away, he set his forehead against hers and sighed. Suki closed her eyes, uncaring of what her sisters would say to her when she finally got into the car. "Don't forget to write me, too," he told her as he stepped away.

Suki, breathless, nodded. "I won't. I wouldn't ever." She stepped away from him just as her sisters honked impatiently. "Bye…" And with that, she turned on her heels and raced to the car.

Sokka waited outside until her car disappeared around a corner and then he went inside. Katara was waiting in the kitchen, helping Gran-Gran finish with dinner.

Katara turned away from the stove when she heard her older brother enter the room, and, knowing her brother was in more pain than she, wrapped her arms around his middle. Sokka stood there for a moment, before returning the embrace.

"She'll be back before we know it," Katara managed to murmur.

Sokka closed his eyes. "Yeah," he replied. I wouldn't be so sure…

"Suki's gone," Katara grumbled as she fell into her usual chair.

She wasn't sure when it had gotten easier to talk to Zuko, or when she stopped thinking of him as just an enemy. It wasn't that she didn't see him in that light anymore, but it was something different. He was different.

He hasn't tried anything lately, she thought to herself.

Zuko glanced up from his book, his only eyebrow raised curiously. "She'll be back soon, right?"

"That's what I keep telling myself," Katara replied as she pulled out a book. Zuko considered her for a moment before deciding that the usual eagerness Katara hid away from him during her free period was gone completely.

Instead of saying anything, they fell into somewhat of a comfortable silence.

Zuko adjusted himself in his seat and felt a yawn crawl down from his ears and into his jaw temptingly, but he grudgingly fought the urge to release it. Ever since the motorcycle ride, his dreams about the young blue-eyed girl in front of him had become more prominent in detail. Iroh had told him just that morning that Zuko had been talking in his sleep the night before but, with an angelic smile, had admitted to not hearing a word of what was said. Zuko was grateful for that; who knew what he said out loud when he had those dreams?

Warily, Zuko glanced up from his book and studied Katara. What would she do if she knew about his dreams? A part of him really wanted to know, and the other part just wanted to push her away. He had a mission, after all, and his interest in the girl was only getting in his way. Zuko wondered how long it would take for his father to send someone after him. With Zhao as headmaster of this school, it wouldn't take very much for information to leak out to the ears of the head of the Makoto family about how the last of the Masuyo monks was a high school student.

Zuko lowered his head and unconsciously lifted a hand to his scar and rubbed it idly.

"Does it hurt?"

Zuko looked back up in surprise; he hadn't realized Katara had been watching him.

"The scar," Katara clarified, "does it hurt?"

Zuko's eyes hardened at the mention of his blemish, and his gaze returned to his book. "No."

Katara winced at his tone before going back to her work. "Oh, okay."

The silence this time was stiff and uncomfortable. Sighing, Zuko closed his book. "Do you have swimming today?"

Katara looked up but this time her stare wasn't open to him, and she returned his look with a cold one. "Yes." Her focus returned to the work in front of her, the grip on her pencil turning her knuckles white.

"Oh." After a pause, Zuko cleared his throat but Katara hardly gave him a second glance. "Is Sokka taking you?"

"No."

"Oh…" he thought for a minute and then said, "Do you need –?"

"No. Gran-Gran is picking Aang and me up."

Zuko's eyes narrowed. "What's the matter with you?"

"Nothing," Katara stood. "You just reminded me of something."

Zuko stood, as well, and leaned forward across the table. "And what's that?" He didn't appreciate her scornful tone, and in response his tone had taken it up as well.

Katara looked at him, and for a moment he thought he saw sadness there he hadn't seen before. But it was gone before he had a chance to delve into it further, and Zuko had the feeling he knew what it was, anyways.

"I shouldn't be here." She began packing her things. "Or you shouldn't. But, either way…" she zipped up her backpack, "…I'm leaving."

Zuko frowned. "Why?"

"Because. Because…Just because."

Zuko reached across the table and grabbed her arm, and her eyes grew wide at the contact. It was firm but gentle, and Katara was surprised. This is…different…

"Let go of me," she demanded and was surprised by how nervous she sounded. When Zuko didn't, her eyes narrowed in giddy suspicion, the butterflies in her tummy fluttering tightly around. "Now, Zuko."

As if realizing what he was doing, Zuko released her immediately. Katara held her arm close to her and for a moment, the two teenagers regarded each other.

Finally, Katara smiled and Zuko's heart skipped a beat. "I don't know how you do it," she told him, and she swung her back pack over her shoulder. "You're a very confusing person, Zuko Makoto."

"You are, too," he told her, confused by her reaction.

She faced him. "Thank you." She gave him a hesitant smile before turning on her heel and walking away, just as the bell sounded throughout the school.

Zuko watched her until he couldn't tell her chocolate brown hair apart from the rest of the crowd. Then he picked up his book bag, and disappeared into a nearby hall.