A/N. So, because I'm leaving for several days, I will post the first chapter of the new story! I must say, the second chapter will have to wait awhile, because I want to finish The Path After the Battle first. The characters have different ages (Aang /16 ; Katara / 17 ; Sokka /18 ; Toph /16 ; Zuko /19), and this will pick up from the start of Book 2. The story will follow the series, but there will be more drama, and I will change certain things. But I'll stop blabbering, so that you can read. Enjoy!
They had just left Pakku and the waterbenders who were travelling south, towards her home. Katara hoped for her old waterbender master that Gran Gran would not be too harsh. Knowing her grandmother, she expected to find a Pakku sized grave if she ever returned to the Southern Water Tribe.
Sitting on the saddle of the Sky Bison, the water bender looked over the edge towards the great expanse of ocean beneath them. They would travel to the base of General Fong to get an escort towards Omashu, where Aang would begin his earthbending training.
Aang… Katara didn't know what to think of him now. Sure, he was her best friend, but since their time at the North Pole, she felt a tug in her stomach, each time he spoke to her. It was foolish, but she suspected to have a little crush on him. It was laughable, Katara knew that. He would never be interested, he had always been nice and polite to her, and even if her brother teased him about that time the airbender had made a necklace for her, she knew it had been done out of kindness. How was Aang supposed to know that a man didn't give a necklace to a girl in the water tribes unless it was as a token of their love?
But still, it had been a nice gesture. And to retrieve her mother's necklace from that idiotic prince was even sweeter. But it was just that. Aang was nice and sweet with everyone. Looking towards the head of Appa, where the air bender was sitting, she could see him. A lanky, scrawny and pale young man, a year younger than herself. Bald and tattooed from head to toes. Literally. If Katara ever said to anyone in the water tribes that she fancied him, they would lock her up and say she was mad. The airbender was not typical perfection for a water tribe person. But she didn't mind. It was precisely the fact that he was different from most men that attracted her.
"Sis, what in La's name are you doing?" Sokka's voice came from behind her, and she felt her cheeks redden. Turning around, the water bender saw her smirking brother. Spirits, there we go.
"You know, if you stared any longer, I would nearly think you were taking a liking to our Air Head." He chuckled, clearly thinking the idea ludicrous.
"Yeah, haha, could you imagine that? Aang and me, nope! Nope! Not my type!" Spirits, this was torture. Sokka shrugged his shoulders, clearly losing interest in the conversation, and moved to the back, where their luggage was tied down.
"What is not your type?" A clear voice rang. Oh no. Not now.
Aang was standing on the edge of the saddle, balancing on one foot, while he held Momo in one arm and holding some kind of fruit in the other, enticing the lemur's attention.
"Nothing!" the waterbender said quickly, feeling a blush creep up. The airbender smiled, clearly not aware of her conflicting emotions.
"Alright! Hey Sokka! Do you have a map?" He called, dancing over the ledge towards her brother. Spirits, Katara knew he was incapable of being afraid of heights, but that was plain dangerous for anyone other than an air bender. Shivering at the thought of doing something like that, she shuffled towards Sokka, to look at the map with the others.
"So, we are probably around here! And that base where we must go is there!" her brother pointed to the map, tracing a line from a position in the ocean to a little peninsula on the coast, some way north of Omashu.
Aang, happy with the directions, danced back across the ledge towards Appa's head.
An hour passed, in which Sokka just looked at the map, Aang steered Appa and Katara looked over the scrolls that Pakku had given to Aang. It had been a gift to the air bender, but it was clearly meant for their training. She had to train the avatar.
The situation was laughable. Some months ago, the avatar was a near-mythical figure, a powerful force of nature, capable of anything. Now, the avatar was a skinny sixteen-year-old, a very good airbender and an adequate water bender for the moment. Earthbending had not even been tried, and firebending was out of the question for the moment.
"Is that it?" The airbender's voice called from Appa's head, pointing to a round tower, encircled with a circular wall. Firework was being shot in the air.
"I would guess they have seen Appa." Sokka shook his head, but she saw a little smile. He was loving the attention. It was good to see her brother smile again. After Yue, it had taken everything Aang and she could come up with to get him out of the house. Seeing the smile on her brother face was like a ray of sunlight after days of rain.
Landing in the courtyard, Katara saw a legion of Earth Kingdom soldiers stand in front of them, with a genial, big man wearing elaborate armour.
"Welcome! Appa, Momo! Sokka! Mighty Katara! And of course, Avatar Aang!" The man shouted, clearly confident and used to speak to crowds. He seemed capable, and actually… nice. And who doesn't like a bit of flattery? Seriously, she could get used to being the Mighty Katara. No problem at all!
Sokka evidently liked the attention, for he squared his shoulder and put his chest forward, being so himself, the water bender nearly laughed at the sight. Aang, in contrast, seemed a bit overwhelmed. She knew that the airbender didn't like being Avatar Aang. He much preferred being just plain old Aang, Air Nomad and living his own life, which was understandable.
The man, who presented himself as general Fong, commander of the fortress and of the region north of Omashu, led them to his office. Katara couldn't help but notice that, after the niceties of the welcome, the soldier didn't pay much attention to her of Sokka, and even less to Appa or Momo. His full focus was on Aang. The general draped an arm around the air bender, in full sight of the several dozen Earth kingdom soldiers. She was beginning to suspect that his nice façade was just that. A façade, hiding some parts of his character she was sure not to like. Looking at her brother, she saw that he had evidently come to the same conclusion, frowning in the direction of the general, who was leading Aang through a corridor towards two huge doors.
Entering the room, or rather, the cavernous room, the general waved towards a little dais, where they could sit down. He himself sat down behind a huge desk, that was obviously too large to be on any use, but seemed very important.
Katara found the sight of the man behind the enormous desk a bit comical and ridiculous, but she said nothing while she sat down next to Aang. Sokka flanked the avatar's right.
"Does he seem a bit? Too nice?" She whispered in the air bender's ear, who nodded.
"Yeah, but they are all the same when they meet me… You know that. Let's just hear the guy out. The worst-case scenario, he wants me to help him get more supplies from Bumi."
That seemed logical, the fact that the king of Omashu and the Avatar were longtime friends had been the talk all over the Earth Kingdom, and even throughout the North Pole.
But, of course, it wasn't that simple. This general had… other plans.
"You destroyed hundreds of Fire Nation warships in a matter of minutes! You could defeat the Fire Lord now! We could cut a path from this fortress, right into the heart of the Fire Nation!" The grey-green eyes of the general nearly glowed with ambition.
And that was just it. Katara had seen this several times. Men and women who thought they could use Aang to end the war and take credit for it for themselves. She had to say something.
"We already have a plan! Aang's pursuing his destiny. His way." The way it was supposed to go. Learn the elements, defeat the Fire Lord. And then… He could do whatever he wanted, without the pressure of the Hundred Year War. Maybe even do something for himself.
"And I can't go in and out of the Avatar state on command… sorry." Aang said. The waterbender looked at her brother, who was nodding next to them.
"Ah… Of course, that is a problem… But we have many learned men here, maybe they could help with that?" The general stood up, walked around his desk, which took some time to be honest, and extended his hand towards the air bender.
"Could I show you something?" His charming voice was back. Katara didn't like that. It sounded like he was planning something. Aang took the hand. She saw how small Aang looked, compared to the earth bender. He led them towards a window and pointed to several men, sitting next to a building that was overcrowded.
"That is the infirmary. Every day, the Fire nation takes lives. People are dying Aang! You could end it! Now!" Fong said, still in that charming and passionate voice. Manipulative bastard.
She saw several men, burned quite severely. Others had a limb amputated. Yet again, some did not seem too badly injured, and could probably take up arms again in the coming weeks. Looking at Aang, Katara could have known his reaction. The guilt he felt towards not being able to stop the war was clear in his grey eyes.
"Please… Just think about what you could do for those people… And for the world…" Fong said quietly, seeming very genuine about it. But Katara saw the mean streak in those green eyes when Aang looked away. That guy was trouble, for sure.
Several soldiers pointed them towards the guest rooms. Entering them, Katara was relieved to see real beds, with real sheets. They had spent two weeks in hammocks on the Water Tribe ship, and she couldn't say she loved that. It was bad for your back, and it didn't really permit a comfortable night's sleep. She hoped that Aang's nightmares would subside now that he could finally sleep on a real bed.
Sokka ran towards the bathroom, shouting something about being first in line for a bath because he was the oldest. Aang, chuckling, sat down on one of the beds. Momo ran around, poking at each of the green lamps.
Katara put her bag on the bed next to the airbender's. and then, walked over to him and sat down next to him. Aang was looking at his hands. Taking one, she felt the pang in her stomach again. Stop it, no time for your crush Katara. He needs kindness, not some stupid feeling of which she herself wasn't even sure.
"Hey… are you alright?" She asked, gently pressing his hand in hers.
"Not really… Fong is right. I could end it if I had mastery of the Avatar State." He sighed, clearly feeling guilty.
"No, he is wrong. Roku has said it himself… First, learn all the elements. Then fight the Fire Lord. In that order. Learning earthbending from Bumi will take no time at all! He is a good earth bender, the best, if the stories are to be believed. And he is your friend Aang. That has to count for something. And while we travel to Omashu, we will train waterbending!" She smiled at him, and so something flicker in those grey eyes. Happiness? Optimism? She could quite place it. But it had been something she had seen several times after talking to the airbender, when he felt down.
"I know… But seeing this… It was, I don't know… It made it real. I know we have seen way more terrible things after the siege of the North, cleaning up…"
"Aang. Those injured men are not your fault. The fault lies with Sozin. With Azulon. With Ozai. Not with Aang. Never with you." She couldn't help it, but she pressed her lips quickly against his cheek. Katara swiftly turned around, standing up. Unpacking her bag, she could hear the horrible singing of Sokka coming from the bathroom. Cringing at the song he was blaring, which was considered a bit vulgar. Maybe more than a bit.
Looking at the air bender, she was pleased with what she saw.
The young man was still sitting on his bed, but now, his held his fingers on his cheek, where she had kissed him. And the blush on his face was also a bit pleasing.
Maybe it wasn't so one-sided as she had thought.
If you have any tips or ideas, I would love to hear them, because this is the only chapter that I wrote for the moment.