Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or anything associated with it except my fanfiction.
Today was my birthday. Not that anyone will care.
Here's something you will care about! A proper introduction to this fanfiction! Hope this will be somewhat satisfactory and pique some people's interests...
I am over halfway into writing my book, and the amount of editing and revision that will have to go into it... ugh. At least here, I can type without too much worry about semantics or diction or symbolism or characterization or even world building.
Personal rant finished! Read and enjoy! Maybe a constructive critique of my writing would be nice - Hint! Hint! Wink! Wink!
And I'll stop with the exclamation points - or will I?!
Katara scanned the words once. Twice. Eyes roving disbelievingly over the letter she held with shaky hands: crisp, clean, nearly as white as the snow outside her home, borne with an official, crimson stamp that only drove the point home and legitimizing the letter beyond all doubt.
It took a long while for the message to sink in. She was numb with shock, distracted by anxiety and anticipation. But when she understood the letter, grasped its contents at last, they were finally acknowledged with an ecstatic shriek, the first time in five years she had ever raised her voice.
"DAD! SOKKA!"
They came sprinting: Hakoda skidding into the room, Sokka stumbling closely behind. Both were very clearly disheveled and caught unawares by Katara's call. When the initial shock of hearing her shout had ran over, they saw the letter and Katara's expectant, happy appearance, and were immediate to extend their congratulations.
"Congrats! I knew it, sis!" Sokka grinned triumphantly, attempting to hook her in by the neck and administer a noogie, which she was able to fend off successfully - albeit with a smile. "I knew you had it in you! Watertribe!" he hissed aggressively into Katara's ear, and she couldn't help but laugh as he acted the ridiculous older brother she had known her entire life.
But what she really looked forward to, what she had desired, was the approval in Hakoda's eyes and the tired but nevertheless proud smile from her father as he quietly said, "Congratulations, Katara. Your mother would be proud."
The more somber note of Hakoda's words was immediately cast aside by Sokka, who began talking animatedly. "Yes! Our mom would've been so proud Katara. You know how much she wanted this sort of thing for us, an opportunity to become greater than anything we would imagine - or even become anything we wanted." Sokka laughed amiably. "But school starts in like, two weeks! C'mon, we gotta get everything ready! We live so far from the school, I'm not terribly surprised that the letter came this late - they can't exactly send messenger hawks straight down to us, extending Spirits-know-how much water exists between us and there, and then there's also the temperature down here. I'm pretty sure the school wouldn't want to waste hawk popsicles."
"Whether it's from genuine care of animal abuse or simply fear of legal action or loss of resources is quite another issue altogether," Hakoda said dryly, and Sokka cracked up.
"Ha! Good one!" Sokka cried, wiping the tears from his smiling face.
Katara only shook her head. "I'll never understand your humor," she sighed. "But I'm too happy to care."
"You should be! You're gonna be with me in the greatest school in the world! Even if it is from jerkbenders," Sokka muttered under his breath. Although the sting of the last few years had lessened, it was still a bitter point of contention between the family and the Fire Nation.
"Oh, well. The Royal Family also lost their mother. We weren't the only ones who lost, you know," she reminded.
"Don't commiserate with the enemy!" Sokka said. "Besides, you weren't quite this forgiving before you got this letter."
Katara flushed.
"Kids," Hakoda commanded, and just like that, their quarrel ended. "Sokka, I wouldn't quite say that they're the enemy now, as we've been at peace for over two years. Things are definitely... strained, might I say, but for the most part, violence is over. Let us be the rebuilders of our world, and not the spiteful who would drag it back to destruction once more. And Katara is happy for once. I suggest we let her enjoy this moment."
Yet even as Hakoda reprimanded Sokka, Katara couldn't help the feeling of giddiness bubbling in her stomach. The trauma of the past couldn't ruin the triumphs of the present. And what was more, she had fulfilled her mother's dreams, and her own as well. And she was going off to Roku Memorial Preparatory Academy!
Even if the practical side of her bemoaned the work that would have to be begun promptly in order to prepare for school, none of the logistics or any bad memories of the past could have ruined that perfect moment for herself.
And so it was, two weeks after the fact, that she, her brother, and her father were all aboard the same Watertribe ship bound for the school. A deafening silence threatened to split the ship from its sheer strength. Glances were the only source of acknowledgement between the three as the ship stayed together and stayed its course for the Earth Kingdom and the school - Roku Memorial Preparatory Academy, so named in honor of the late Avatar. Having disappeared over twelve years prior - a fact only officially disclosed by the Fire Nation prior to the opening of the school when a name was debated - Roku's death portended a strain in relations between the Earth Kingdom, the Water Tribes, the Fire Nation, and the Air Nomads. Although rumors certainly flew about concerning the suspected demise of Roku, it was only after a war that would not have occurred with an Avatar to keep balance and a opportunity of interest that revealed the truth for good. Although the cause of Roku's death remained unknown, Roku had died nonetheless. Reeling from grief and shock, the world was caught too swiftly to protest the Fire Nation's proclamation that the school be named after the deceased Avatar. And thus was Roku Memorial Preparatory Academy formed.
Katara only knew this from the mentions of her father and the diplomats who had coordinated the founding of the school - a project that kept a daughter and a son separated from their only parent for longer. However, this was somewhat alleviated by the premise of the school - to unite all the Four Nation's young talent. Katara, the only remaining waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe, only saw it fit that she attended as the daughter of the chief of her tribe and as a legacy of her people's bending art. However, this did not prevent protocols from taking place, and Katara was a stickler for rules. So she grudgingly took the entrance examination and anxiously awaited her results, none too pleased at being monitored by so many strangers only to have to wait for months for an answer.
But an answer had come - an affirmative one, in fact. But beyond the initial reactions of delight, nothing much had come from the letter save an uptick in activity. Not only did Katara had to prepare and gather materials for the school semester, but she also had to re-explain fundamentals about the house for her war-weary, diplomacy-detesting father, who had not been regularly exposed to domestic affairs in over a decade. Granted, the Southern Water Tribe was one big community that came in to help each other, but sometimes, the Pole was unforgiving and it was every man and woman for themself. She knew it was always a good idea to be prepared.
Having been reminded of this, she suddenly turned to her father and clamped a hand onto his wrist. "Dad, you remember what you have to do?"
Hakoda blinked in surprise, involuntarily drawing his hand away and then freezing into place. "I- What are you talking about?" he stuttered.
"You know, at home. How to clean up the dishes and the pots and how to put them away. Rebuilding the home when necessary, and under what conditions to do so. How to hunt and acquire food. What to help around the community with, and how to ask for help and return favors. W -"
"Okay, Katara, he gets the point! Could you please, you know, not try to crush every bone in his arm?" Sokka pleaded, redirecting Katara's attention to her father's now-white arm. Apologetic, yet bitter, Katara gingerly unclenched her hand and let her father's arm fall down once more. "Please, Sokka. Spare me. After - after Mom died -"
"It was a one time thing, okay? He's fine now. He won't -"
"Sokka, it's alright. Katara is right." Hakoda sighed deeply. "Katara... I don't know what to say. I still don't understand what happened to me that time after... after Kya died. She was my world. So are you two, but to lose the love of my life so unexpectedly - " he faltered. "That's no excuse for what I did - or rather, what I didn't do. I'm so sorry to have put you in charge of the house, all this time. But I promise you, that won't ever happen again, and I won't put the responsibility of the world on your shoulders again. Okay?"
Katara placed her hands on her hips. "Yeah, right. The only reason you snapped out of your... funk..." she enunciated this last word distastefully. "...was when you suddenly became inspired to declare official war against the Fire Nation and joined the battle. With that, you left me at home with Sokka, who only learned last year how smelly his socks were - [Hey!] - and now, without a war to keep you animate..." Katara shook her head and turned away. "I want to trust you... but... I don't know if I can."
"Katara." Hakoda put his hands on her shoulders. "I completely understand. I promise it won't happen again. My world was shattered when Kya died. But you two -" he leaned over and brought her and Sokka into a tight embrace. "You're my world now. And I won't ever stop, for you two."
"Aw, dad," Sokka said, returning the hug. "You know we love you. And I think Katara can trust you, despite her misgivings. You are our dad, after all. We didn't just inherit resilience and resourcefulness from our mother. Right, Katara?" He looked pointedly at Katara.
Katara sighed, but she knew in her heart that her angers and fears might have been misplaced. "You're right, Sokka. I'm sorry, dad."
"It's alright, Katara," Hakoda relented his embrace when a call from the bow of their small ship announced the sighting of the school. "Well, we're here, kids! Wanna have a look at the school?"
"Nah thanks, I'm good," said Sokka, but Katara didn't need to be told twice. She ducked underneath her father's arms and ran for the bow of the ship. And saw. And gasped.
It was everything she dreamed of and more. In her mind, she envisioned a grand edifice, much like a castle or fortress she had so often heard her father describe during the war. She supposed that the school would have a much less violent connotation associated with it, but she expected something grand and large.
It was far more than this. It was grandiose. Katara could barely believe her eyes. In the few months between the end of the war and the start of this school, the world was able to build this? granted, the earthbenders would have had a relatively easy time constructing the outline of the castle - for there was no other description Katara could give to its elongated, low center and towers and keeps that stood sentinel at the corners of the castle - but the infrastructure! The school had to cater to many different subjects and cultures, and Katara felt as though she was folding into herself, so cowed she was by the sheer magnification of the building. And the colors! Katara wasn't sure what to expect from the very nationalistic Fire Nation, but she was elated to find the school in all colors of the rainbow, from the grey of the main entrance and the left tower, to the fiery red of the tall double doors and the banner that draped over the school in honor of Roku, to the green and black that lay smattered throughout the construction of the building that she was able to make out more and more as they converged on the school, and then blue and cerulean at the far right tower, and orange at the far left. She opened her mouth to speak, but she found her throat constricted from pure awe.
"It's quite something, isn't it?" said Sokka, almost snidely, as he stalked out to stand by her side. "That's where we'll be spending the rest of the year - at least until winter break!"
Katara suddenly felt queasy. "That's... that's a long time away from home."
"What, have you not noticed the long time I've spent away from home?" Sokka snickered. "Typical baby sister." She retaliated by stomping his foot. Hard.
While he hopped away, yowling, Katara simply commented, "Really? I never noticed. Oh wait - I didn't have to smell your socks for almost an entire continuous nine months. Mmm, I think I'd notice."
Sokka was intently focused on trying not to curse his sister while cradling his foot; nevertheless, he was able to alleviate his sister's reservations. "In all honesty though, the time will pass by like a flash. You'll get to meet new friends, learn new things, get real chummy with the teachers so you don't fail -"
"Ha-ha."
"I'm serious about that, you know." The frankness in his voice both quieted and disquieted her. "They are pretty darn brutal with their curriculum - one second of inattention or bad luck or anything, and you'll be finished for the rest of the year. Extra help is almost mandatory - most teachers don't show any mercy, as they're 'imported' from the Fire Nation. I myself had to hang out with a few detestable teachers to get my grades up."
"You've never shared them with the family, you know," Katara said impishly. Sokka scowled.
"If you will, I'd like to keep them to myself. You females luurrrve your gossip, and -"
"If you talk about any more misogynistic garbage, I'll be making sure I shove it back into your mouth!" shouted a feminine voice from the docks that they now arrived at.
Sokka winced. Katara blinked, then grinned. "I take it that's why you've been silent on your sexist attitude lately?" Sokka had always voiced complaint about the "inferior sex," bemoaning a uselessness they possessed that in reality was all made up in his head. This unpleasant aspect of Sokka, however, was strangely muted on this matter as of late, and Katara had always egged him on as to why.
"Yeah." Sokka said, shoulders slumping. Clearly, he realized fighting her would be a moot point, as she would be able to find out in a matter of days, if not hours or minutes, of the true nature of the school secrets Sokka kept behind her back. "Her name's Suki. She's from Kyoshi Island, so not terribly far from us, relatively speaking. Let's just say I ended up with some painful injuries in awkward places..."
"Glad that taught you a lesson." Sokka did not respond to Katara, only shouted a hasty goodbye to Hakoda and dashed down to the docks, likely to find some friends or to be confronted by the Suki girl he was talking about.
Speaking of which...
"Have fun with your girlfriend," she shouted. She thought she heard some cursing and the laughter of a gaggle of girls and a few hearty guffaws from the boys, but she was too busy saying her own farewells to her father to take notice.
"Goodbye, Dad," she said, hugging him one last time before leaving the ship.
"Goodbye," he said, kissing her cheek. "Be good. Wait!" Katara stopped and faced her father. "I just wanted to say... you remind me so much of your mother... but at the same time, you're growing up to be a strong, independent woman. Your own person. And... and..." Hakoda searched for the words. "Words can't describe just how proud I am of you."
Katara rushed back into her his arms, flinging her own around his neck. She didn't need the words to describe her feelings at that moment. She broke the hug, smiled at her beaming father, and hurriedly disembarked, setting out a brisk, eager pace towards the school. She didn't let the uncertainty and feeling of lonliness bother herself: instead, she looked onward, channeling that uncertainty into a curiosity that she knew would serve her well as she began her first day at Roku Memorial Preparatory Academy.
"Don't move your fingers like that! You have an image to maintain," barked Ozai at Zuko.
Zuko nodded. "Sorry. I won't do it again," he said obediently, to his father's curt nod.
Zuko couldn't wait to go back to school. At first sent to the academy reluctantly for his "slowness," he found the school to be a very supportive and educational environment that he enjoyed - especially with the backup presence of his Uncle Iroh. The school provided a sense of escape from the hectic life royalty entailed. He liked that. Even if he didn't have friends at the school, well, who needed friends? He had his Uncle, whom he supposed counted as a friend, and he also had himself. He also wasn't too keen on seeking out new friends.
Ozai huffed. "I'm very suspicious of this, son." Zuko did not say a word, only tensed up as his father stood over him. He didn't understand why his father had suddenly become so antagonistic towards him, even screaming at him and almost coming to blows. Obviously, that didn't happen, but at the same time, this sudden development in his father's hostility towards him worried Zuko. With his mother gone, his father's vitriol poured over onto him, and he had no one to comfort him - not even his sister.
"I don't like this school. It's not enough Fire Nation. I don't know what you're doing there, since it's unbecoming for an heir to the Fire Throne to spy on his son's academic doings in such a petty matter." Zuko remained silent. "So I came up with a solution to remedy my... misgivings... about the situation I've placed you in. Azula."
Zuko let his facade break. "You brought my sister?!" he exclaimed.
"Yes, Zuko. I thought it would be good to give dearest Azula a little more exposure to the world. Besides, unlike you, she is very accomplished in everything and is beyond a doubt loyal to the Fire Nation." Azula strode forward, dressed up in combat guard clearly meant to intimidate. Zuko, being three years older than her, was easily intimidated by the mention of her alone.
"I know you are family, dearest Zu-zu," she began innocently. "But don't think a little bit of familial preference will get you very far. If I detect anything at all that confirms father's suspicions, I will be sure to deal with it," she said menacingly, snapping her fingers to create a spark that illustrated her point.
"Nice usage of subtle bending to emphasize your point, Azula," Ozai stated approvingly. It took all of Zuko's willpower to not clench his fists. "In any case, we are here. Behave, Zuko. And enjoy yourselves, I guess." Without additional preamble, Zuko said a stiff goodbye and strode out of the massive steel ship that carried him from the Royal Palace to the Preparatory Academy.
Once he was out of sight, he relaxed. But when he saw the familiar flash of red making its way to him through the crowd, he groaned loudly and resumed his former posture.
The hopeful school year was starting to look a lot less hopeful.
Katara wandered throughout the crowd. She didn't think it was possible to lose sight of the school, but that was what happened, so condensed the population was.
Whether from Earth Kingdom parents saying their goodbyes to their children, or Northern Watertribesmen escorting high profile figures in large entourages, or Fire Nation children strutting vainly to and fro, Katara could not make sense of which way to go. She finally spotted an opening in the crowd and eagerly rushed through it -
Only to collide with a Fire Nation boy and falling to the ground.
"Watch where you're going!" the boy snapped. Katara only stared at him in numb shock. Despite stories she had heard of the Fire Nation and its attitude towards other Nations and thier denizens, she never would have dreamed a response as harsh as this. Hastily mumbling an apology, she quickly got up and turned away to hide herself in the now appealing crowd when she was suddenly jostled by her back. Angrily, she turned around to give the boy a piece of her mind, but stopped in surprise as instead of staring into the boy's angry eyes, she instead found herself in the grasp of a smirking Fire Nationa girl with the likeness of the boy, about her age with juxtaposing eyes colder than her home.
"I believe you owe my brother a proper apology, as he is Fire Nation Royalty and you are watertribe filth, not to mention you purposefully ran into him to soil his superior being," the girl commanded outlandishly. Katara's eyes grew wide with fear and disbelief, and the girl brought her hand up and summoned a ball of flame. Katara couldn't help gasping in fear, and this drew the attention of nearby students.
Katara, recovering, indignantly replied, "I've already apologized to your brother. I always thought you ashmakers were of another sort, but your porcine complexes are on an entirely different level altogether." The girl's eyes burned dangerously, and Katara realized she might well have said her last as the girl hoisted the flame to Katara's face.
Suddenly, a powerful force rammed into the pair, and the girl and Katara were thrown to the ground, sputtering. A shadow stepped over Katara, and she looked up to find -
A handsome, rugged, teenager, with two hooked swords, both held at the neck of the girl.
"I think I've heard of you, Azula," began Handsome. "Well, let me tell you right now, that trying to roast people with fireballs ain't gonna fly here."
Azula turned an ugly shade of red. "Who do you think you are?"
The boy snorted and relented his blades. "The name's Jet. And I suggest you don't do that kind of thing again here." Jet extended a hand to Katara. "Need help?"
Katara eagerly took Jet's hand. "Thank you," she stammered, unable to get over the fact that he was good-looking. Never mind that she had known him for all of two seconds - he had saved her, and he was handsome, and that was enough in Katara's book to make him a good person.
It was clear Azula didn't like good people. She bent two fire daggers and attempted to leap onto Jet, but he was too nimble, and was also able to grab Katara out of the way as the daggers missed Jet by scant centimeters. Jet gently set her down, and drew his hooked swords once more, ready to fight, but there was no need. A motley group of grim, hardened individuals all came to Jet's side, drawing weapons that ranged from a dagger to a bow to a rudimentary log held by the largest of them all, and they were all brandished at Azula and the boy.
"Perhaps I didn't explain who I was well enough. The name's Jet. And these hear are my Freedom Fighters." Katara could not see the faces of the Freedom Fighters nor of Jet, but she could see Azula's face setting into a cold, derisive calculation as she scanned the group from head to toe.
Azula, knowing the battle was one she could not win, motioned towards the boy, who had gotten into a fighting stance, albeit reluctantly. "Come, Zuko, dear brother. We shall fight another day." Azula took the lead, and Zuko followed soon after.
Once the two Fire Nation siblings had left their sight, Jet turned a concerned eye towards Katara. "You alright there?" he asked.
She blushed. "Yes. Thanks for saving me."
"Hey, no prob. And I guess you'd want to know who my Freedom Fighters are. There's Smellerbee," a person with paint marks on their face and a knife in their mouth nodded. "Longshot," the person with the bow nodded. "Pipsqueak," Jet pointed at the giant who had held the log, who stared down at Katara as though challenging her about his name. "And Sneers. We're basically the protectors of the non-ashmakers, defending them from the evil machinations of people liek the ones we just saved you from."
Katara blushed again. "Thank you so much for that. I don't know what would've happened to me if you guys didn't interfere."
"Don't worry. I wouldn't let anyone hurt that beautiful face of yours." Before all of Katara's blood could rush to her head, Jet cocked his head towards the Freedom Fighters. "C'mon. We got more people that might need help. What's your name?"
"Katara," she replied without thinking.
"Katara. What a beautiful name for a beautiful girl. Anyways, if you ever need me, just go asking around about the whereabouts of Jet. Word of mouth will help ya find me. Later."
And just like that, he was gone. And Katara was intrigued. And, dare she say, attracted.
Zuko didn't know why he was so cross with the girl. She might have been watertribe, but that was no reason for him to act so mean. He wondered how he would be able to apologize to her since Azula only exacerbated the situation.
He closed his eyes. Her skin was dark and exotic. Her disposition kind yet strong and fierce. And despite her being watertribe, she was uncommonly pretty.
"Zu-zu," Azula whispered softly into Zuko's ears, and he nearly jumped. "We must get our schedules now." Azula carved a path through the crowd, causing everyone to part to the side as Zuko followed, uneasily, in Azula's wake, towards the crimson double doors that awaited a corrupted hope of his.
Please Review. How was it? Was it okay? I left a reference to another book - a dystopian one. Can you figure out what it is? Hint: it's one of DJNS's favorite fanfiction worlds, and the only fanfiction author they've favorited (author, not story) specializes in the book. I eagerly await your answer - which I've pretty much spoonfed to you guys. ;)
Also, contrary to other books, education itself is central to the story and the plot - mainly through character development. So if you hate language, history, math, and science, or any of your school classes or subjects, I'm sorry. I'm about to flex the Courses I took in high school - and then some. Note that English, writing, etc. might not be a strong suit of mine... and you will definitely notice that my cultural ignorance is quite blatant and glaring. I deeply apologize for any offense or insult or misunderstanding or misrepresentation of anyone's culture or way of life.
Oh, and by the way, Zuko doesn't have his scar... yet.