Chapter 6: The First Gig

Hey guys, I just wanted to apologize real quick for taking so long to get the next chapter out. I hit a major wall of writer's block and I'm hoping that I've gotten over the worst of it. Anyway, thank you guys for always reading my stories and I hope you all have a great day!

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

A week later, the newly formed band found themselves getting ready for their first gig. Some of them were more nervous than others, but all of them were excited. After all, this was just the start of their musical journey, and they couldn't wait to see where it would bring them.

Not that this was necessarily a huge step toward becoming a famous band for them. It was a step in the right direction, but playing at a somewhat popular tea shop in their local area wasn't exactly going to get them discovered. But, if they were going to be successful, they knew that they would have to start somewhere, and this would be about as good of a chance for them to begin showing the world what they were made of.

Though Katara had to admit, she was a bit more nervous than the others. Aang had certainly convinced her to join the band, even if part of the reason was because she didn't want to disappoint him, but she still couldn't help but be fearful of their upcoming performance. Over the last week, they had spent plenty of time practicing, but she had only ever sung in front of her friends and family. Singing in front of not only her peers, but probably some random strangers who would be at the cafe would be completely different. And if she was being honest with herself, she was more than a little scared.

Sure, she was a master in seven different forms of martial arts and could easily take down three guys twice her size, but singing in front of a crowd was a completely different situation. There was far more pressure there, and she couldn't flip the entire crowd over her shoulder if they annoyed her. Not that she wanted to, of course, but that was usually how she dealt with her problems. Especially when it came to her incredibly annoying brother.

But this was different. There was nothing she could do but listen to what the crowd would think of her and her bandmates, and she would have to deal with whatever came at her. She knew it didn't really matter, but she still couldn't help but be a little nervous.

"Katara?"

Snapping out of her thoughts, she looked up quickly to see none other than the boy she liked looking down at her with a concerned look on his face. They had both been working on harmonies in preparation for their upcoming performance since everyone else refused to sing. Not that she really minded, as it was an excuse for her to spend some alone time with Aang.

Forcing herself out of her thoughts, she cleared her head and finally got the sense to respond. "Yeah?"

"Are you alright?" Aang couldn't keep the obvious worry out of his voice, making her smile a little as she noticed how he was worried for her. "You seem kind of… out of it."

"Yeah, I'm alright," she assured him, her smile dropping a little as she felt her anxiousness start to return at the thought of their show later. "I'm just a little nervous for our show later."

Aang's eyes widened a little, becoming surprised that she was nervous at all. He had seen her flip her own brother over her shoulder when he had annoyed her too much, so he felt it safe to say that he hadn't thought that it was possible for the young woman in front of him to be nervous about performing. Then again, he knew that performing was far different than fighting, so he figured that even the bravest of people could stutter when it involved putting yourself out for others to see.

Deciding that he had taken far too much time pondering over this, Aang shook off his thoughts and then replied. "There's nothing for you to be nervous about, Kat." Katara couldn't help the smile that came onto her face as she heard his nickname for her, watching as he sat down next to her and looked into her eyes. "You've got one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard. I know you're going to do amazing."

"You really think so?" Katara asked hopefully, her eyes boring deeply into his as she found herself losing her breath from his close proximity.

A small chuckle escaped Aang's lips at this, unbelieving that a girl as beautiful and talented as her was doubting herself. "I know so," he assured her with a smile as he looked right back into her eyes. "You're going to be amazing. And you know that I'll be right up there with you through the whole show, right?"

After a few moments of being completely unable to keep the wide smile off her face, she finally calmed her joy down and managed to nod her agreement. "Yeah, I know. Thank you, Aang."

"There's no need to thank me, Kat," he said simply with a smile and put his hand in the middle between them. "We're a team. We're in this together. Right?"

Her smile never dropping, she put her hand on top of his and nodded her agreement. "Right. We're in this together. And we're going to rock tonight."

"You bet we are," Aang grinned as he tried not to blush from feeling her hand on his. Both of them had to resist the strong urge to grab each other's hand, but they knew that now wasn't the right time for that. If not for the reason that neither knew how the other felt for them, then because they had a show to prepare for, and neither of them wanted to go into it disappointed if the other rejected them.

Still though, they couldn't help but get lost in each other's eyes as they looked at each other. Both knew that they should look away, but neither of them had any wish to do so, and they weren't sure they could even if they wanted to.

Feeling their hearts beating erratically and aching for each other's lips, the two unconsciously started leaning into each other ever so slowly, not knowing what they were doing but knowing that there was no way they could stop themselves now.

Unfortunately for them, someone else had unintentionally decided to be the one that could stop them from finishing what they had started.

"Hey, Katara," Sokka's voice came from around the corner as he walked up to the door while texting on his phone, making the two's eyes widen as they quickly split apart and looked at him with wide eyes. "Have you seen my headphones?"

Katara, who couldn't keep her eye from twitching in annoyance that they had been interrupted by her brother, even if she was a bit relieved that she hadn't done anything to possibly ruin their night, couldn't keep the annoyance out of her voice as she replied. "Sokka, they're hanging on your ears."

Raising a brow at her, Sokka reached a hand up and felt around the top of his ears, finding that she was right as he picked one up and looked at it with a sheepish smile. "Oh. Right. My bad," he laughed just as sheepishly before putting it back into his ear. Once that was taken care of, he looked back to his sister and finally seemed to notice that she was glaring at him. "Okay, what did I do now?" he asked with exasperation, having absolutely no clue what he had done to earn her anger.

Knowing that it would not be in her best interest to tell him the truth, she took a deep breath and forced the anger to leave her body as she rolled her eyes. "Nothing. Now, is that all you needed? Aang and I need to keep working on the song."

"You guys have been practicing for hours!" Sokka exclaimed in disbelief, despite knowing exactly why Katara wanted him to go away.

"We have a show tonight, Sokka!" Katara shot back as she stood up with her hands on her hips, clearly still being a bit angry with him for interrupting them. "We need all the practice we can get. Now, why don't you go back downstairs and keep practicing?"

Opening his mouth to argue even more, Sokka quickly decided against it. He could tell that this wasn't going to get any better if he kept arguing, and although it was very easy to and rather enjoyable to see his sister get furious, he knew that she had a point and closed it again, catching Katara by surprise. "Okay," he finally shrugged before turning around and walking out of the room, though not without stopping at the door and peaking around so that only Aang could see him as he pointed two fingers at his own eyes then back to Aang, making the young musician gulp a little and nod quickly. Satisfied with that, Sokka finally left, leaving the two alone once again.

Although Katara was still rather annoyed with her brother, she decided to pretend like the last few minutes had never even happened and turned back to Aang as she put on an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that. Sokka's just…"

"Sokka?" Aang supplied helpfully, making her laugh as she nodded in agreement, making him smile in turn as he listened to her melodic giggles.

"Yeah. He's definitely Sokka alright," she agreed as she found herself unwinding once again, amazing her how all it took was one word from Aang to make her forget her stress. "Come on. Let's get back to practicing."

"Right," Aang nodded his agreement as she retook her seat and grabbed the music sheet, moving a little closer to him than was truly necessary, serving the dual purpose of confusing and delighting the young man that she didn't mind being so close to him. Feeling happy with this, the two singers continued practicing for their big night, knowing that it would truly be a night they would never forget.

A few hours later, the Gaang found themselves at the Jasmine Dragon getting ready for their show. Fortunately for them, Iroh had a stage for them to perform on instead of having to find an awkward place to set their stuff up. Most restaurants didn't have this, but Iroh had insisted on it upon the creation of the Jasmine Dragon, as he had dreamed of having a music night in his own tea shop for years. Apparently he was rather good with the tsungi horn, an instrument from their ancestral homeland of japan.

This worked out well for them, as there was more than enough room for them to set their stuff up and get ready. Not that there was a lot in particular to set up, as they only had what they could afford. Well, except for Toph and Zuko, whose rich families had insured that they could get the best instruments money could buy.

Aang looked around the room at the crowd through the small curtain that separated them from their audience for the night, wondering if they would enjoy some rock music. Though, he supposed that what they had selected wouldn't necessarily be fully rock. Due to them playing at a peaceful tea shop, the group had decided that they would play a few soft rock songs instead to keep in the atmosphere and not to stick out like a sore thumb. And no matter how many times Toph insisted that sticking out was good, everyone else had agreed that they would keep their songs so that everyone could enjoy it and so Iroh could maintain the tea shop's peaceful and relaxing reputation.

Toph had not been happy about this, but they knew that it was for the best. They needed to start somewhere, and if they actually wanted to make it somewhere as a band, they would need to make sure that whatever gigs they got went well for everyone.

"Aang."

Snapping out of his thoughts, he turned around and was greeted by the sight of his first friend in his new home with a concerned look on his face, making Aang wonder what was going on.

"What's up, Sokka?"

"Have you seen Katara? I've been looking all over for her, but I can't find her anywhere!" Sokka exclaimed with clear worry, making Aang frown as he wondered if Katara's nerves had started to get to her again.

"No, I haven't seen her," he finally confessed as he looked around the room, hoping that he would just see her somewhere in the room, but he couldn't find her for the life of him. "She might have gotten nervous and freaked out."

Sokka groaned as he put a hand over his face, having known that his sister was a little shy about singing, but not having expected her to run away from them. "Okay, we need to find her. How about you go check outside the building and see if she's still around and I'll look in here?"

"Got it," Aang nodded his agreement, watching as Sokka nodded to him as well before the two finally got moving. Though as he moved, Aang couldn't help but get worried. What if Katara had decided that she couldn't do this and was going to leave them to fail? He wasn't a horrible singer, but she had been selected to be their lead singer for a reason. They needed her if they were going to do well.

But, even if he couldn't talk her into coming back with him, he knew that he would respect whatever decision she made. Not only for the reason that she could get him to do almost anything that she wanted, but because he knew that not everyone was cut out for these kinds of things. No matter what, he would understand and accept her decision. With that settled in his head, he carried on his search with renewed determination, hoping to find the young woman who was quickly stealing his heart without even meaning to.

After a little while of searching and despairing he would never find her, the familiar sound of someone grunting caught his attention. He had heard this grunting before, back when Katara had showed him her set up for her workouts and training. Feeling a renewed sense of hope, he quickly followed the sound of the grunting and found himself in the nearby park, where only one person stood. From what he could see, they appeared to have a grudge against the tree, if the way they were attacking it was any indication.

Upon closer inspection, the young musician was quite relieved to find that it was the very girl he had been looking for who was beating up the poor, defenseless tree. Unable to keep back his excitement, he quickly made his way over to her, not sure how to approach her as she seemed to be rather lost in her one-sided fight with her unmoving opponent.

Deciding that it wouldn't do him any good to keep waiting, he moved as quietly and carefully as he could up behind her, choosing to delicately put a hand on her shoulder as he whispered. "Katara?"

Stiffening upon feeling his hand touch her shoulder and not knowing who was touching her, her fighting instincts immediately kicked in and grabbed the hand that was touching her, flipping him over with ease as the quite surprised young man gasped and landed on the solid ground with a thud.

"Ow…" he couldn't help but mutter aloud as he rubbed his head, trying to make the fresh pain of being thrown on to the ground go away.

Katara, after having seen exactly who had touched her, gasped and quickly became mortified. She had just thrown her crush over her shoulder like he had attacked her. Feeling panic start to swell inside of her, she quickly crouched down and looked down at him. "Aang, I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed apologetically as she helped him sit up. "I didn't know it was you."

"It's okay," Aang assured her as he kept rubbing his head, hoping that the pain would go away soon. "It doesn't hurt that much. Besides, I kind of had that coming. I didn't exactly approach you in the best way."

Sharing a look, the two of them couldn't help but laugh, knowing that he was right and both of them finding it amusing, even if Katara still felt bad for hurting him. She wished that she could give him some medicine to help, but she didn't have any on hand, but she knew that he would be fine. Standing up, she offered him a hand to which he took and brought him up with her.

"So, why are you out here?" Aang finally decided to ask what he had come here for, even if he knew that he potentially wouldn't like her answer.

Just as he expected, Katara sighed a little and looked back over to the tree, seeing all the marks that she had left in it and smiling sheepishly as she realized that he had seen her whaling on it. "I got a little nervous about our show and decided that I needed to get some fresh air. Besides," she added as she gestured to the tree to her side. "Getting some practice always helps me calm my nerves down."

"Yeah, I can see that," Aang chuckled as he looked at the tree, becoming impressed as he saw an actual dent in the tree that he guessed came from a hard kick to the poor thing. Becoming serious again, he turned back to the beautiful girl in front of him and decided to just say what he felt needed to be said. "You know, you don't have to do this. If you're really that nervous about this whole thing, you can just go home."

Katara smiled, appreciating that he cared enough to let her decide, but she shook her head. "Don't worry, Aang. I'm not bailing out on you guys. I guess I just needed to get out some last minute jitters is all," she assured him, unable to hold back a laugh as she saw him let out a clear sigh of relief. Her smile never fading, she offered a hand to him and said. "Come on. We've got a show to rock."

Smiling as well, Aang took her hand and became immediately surprised as Katara started dragging him back to the tea shop, laughing along the way until they finally made it back stage where the rest of their bandmates were waiting for them.

"There you are!" Sokka exclaimed with clear relief as he walked up to them, suddenly becoming a bit angry as he glared at his sister. "Where were you? We're starting in a few minutes!"

"Oh relax, Sokka," Katara rolled her eyes, but she decided not to be snippy with him due to him being reasonably upset. "I just needed some fresh air before the show. Come on, let's get ready." Although Sokka had further questions, he decided that she was right and nodded his agreement, allowing everyone to get their instruments tuned as they all got into their positions. Fortunately for Katara, Aang was to her left, giving her another reassuring smile as they heard Iroh start to announce them.

"Thank you all for coming, my friends!" Iroh exclaimed as he stepped up onto the stage and put on a big smile. "Tonight, I have a special treat for you all! A new band has come to town, which I am more than proud to say that my own nephew is a member of."

The rest of the band couldn't help but snicker as Zuko face palmed himself from hearing his Uncle embarrass him in front of so many people, but he couldn't say he blamed them. He would be laughing too if it weren't him.

"Now, please join me in welcoming our entertainment for the night, The Gaang!" Iroh announced before moving out of the way and slowly pulling the curtain open.

Katara couldn't help but feel a fresh wave of nervousness wash over her, but after looking to her left and seeing Aang give her another reassuring smile, she felt her fear quickly leave her as a determined smile found its way onto her face. Aang had faith in her, and if he had faith in her, she could have faith in herself.

As the curtains finally opened, she looked out on the crowd and, instead of feeling fear, she felt a newfound courage that she would use to her advantage. With Aang and her friends at her side, she knew that she had this.

Fortunately for her, her courage never failed throughout the whole show, and the crowd certainly seemed to enjoy their music if the way they had all gotten up and started dancing had been any indication. By the end of the show, the crowd was clapping and cheering wildly for them, making them all hug each other as the curtains closed on them. Well, all except Aang and Katara, who appeared to be too busy hugging each other for the others to do anything.

"You guys see that?" Sokka asked excitedly as he looked at his friends, snapping Aang and Katara out of their trance and making them split apart as they realized that they had likely been hugging for too long. "They loved us!"

"Of course they did, Snoozles!" Toph grinned as she twirled her drumsticks in the air like crazy. "We rock! Did you guys feel the love?" She sighed happily, clearly having gotten a high off of the adoration from the crowd.

Laughing at her, Aang nodded and looked around the room at his fellow bandmates. "We do rock. That was awesome, guys!" He smiled as a thought came to mind as he turned to Katara. "And you did it! You sang in front of everyone, and you did awesome!"

Unable to stop herself, she hugged him tightly again, making him laugh as he hugged her back. Both of them found themselves not wanting to let the other go, but they knew they had already hugged longer than they should have, and reluctantly let each other go after a few moments.

"Only because of you, Aang," Katara smiled as she looked back at him. "If it weren't for you, I never would have performed for anyone. Thanks for inviting me to the band."

"Well, thanks for agreeing to join the band," Aang thanked her back, making her smile grow as they continued to stare into each other's eyes.

The other three bandmates watched the two in clear amusement of the obviousness of their feelings for each other. Well, with the exception of the brother who was both amused and disgusted. Deciding that he had enough of watching this love show, he cleared his throat loudly and turned back to his friends, making sure that Aang and Katara were paying attention to him as he said.

"I think this calls for celebration!" The rest of his bandmates cheered in agreement, making him grin as he motioned for them to follow. "Come on. Food's on me." Another cheer erupted from them, but Katara just shook her head at her brother.

Aang, having noticed this, couldn't help but ask curiously. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Katara sighed a little as she looked back at him. "He just owes me money and he keeps spending it all on food." She watched as he laughed, being glad that she had told him the truth. His laughs were so care-free and unreserved. It was clear that he loved to laugh, and she loved to hear him laugh. Smiling as his laughter finally settled down, she took his hand and tugged on him. "Come on. Let's go celebrate."

Unable to keep a wide smile from coming across his face as he felt her small hand in his, he nodded his agreement and said. "Yeah. Let's go." With that, she started dragging him out to the restaurant, both of them feeling content with how well the night had gone, and both feeling a hope that one day the other might feel the same as they did.