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

Earth.

Fire.

Air.

Water.

Only the avatar can save us all.

Previously on Legend of Katherine!

The truth has revealed itself! After a catastrophic turn of events at the test, Kat discovers that she is actually the avatar! But in the meantime, the malicious Other Self gains more and more power, and now Kat, Stacy, and Vixella are on the run from the Fire Nation! Will things ever be the same again?

Book 1:Water

Chapter 8: The Avatar Returns

Kat jumped over a wooden beam, running behind the Raiders faster than an ostrich-horse. Stacy and Vixella were right behind her…and so the firebenders.

"Stop immediately!" One of the soldiers behind them yelled, sending a wave of flames at them. A raider that was taking the rear blocked them with a wave of water.

"We can't keep this up forever, sir! I'm afraid we're gonna half to split!" The raider who had just covered the flames shouted. The leader looked back, a torn expression on his face. Kat could read what it meant easily; he didn't want everyone to get captured, but he also didn't want to risk leaving the avatar and her friends to travel alone to a safe place.

"We'll be fine, sir." Kat reassured quickly. "Just tell us where to go, and we can get there on our own."

"I'm not completely sure if that's completely true, but you do have your friends." The leader responded doubtfully, and Kat winced. She knew exactly what he was talking about—her Other Self. It had been suppressed, for now, but it was still there.

"But I suppose with some help, you could make your way to the North safely." He muttered to himself. "Fine. I know a place where you can go to be safe for the meantime, but you need to make your way to Spark City. We have an outpost there. A rather large outpost. There's not enough time to explain everything, our agents will explain everything once you get there. Here." He quickly pulled out a card from his uniform pocket, and tossed it to Kat. "Go there. And quickly! It won't take long for the soldiers to catch on!" With that, the leading raider veered sharply away, with the rest of the waterbenders following.

"Wait—oh no." Kat started, but they had all already left. She swung her head around frantically, and noticed a sheltered alleyway nearby. Kat and the others ducked into the area, staying still until the soldiers had passed.

"Sooooooo…now what?" Vixella inquired. Kat pulled out the card that the soldier had given to her, taking a good look at the address.

"We go to this location then, I guess." Kat shrugged.

"But I do think we need disguises. These clothes are too…fabulous and extravagant for commoners to be walking around Capital City in them," Stacy added.

"And where do we get that?" Vixella exasperated. Kat poked her head out, scanning their surroundings. Conveniently enough, they had landed right beside a courtyard full of drying clothes over some volcanic vents emitting hot, misty fog. The guard that was on watch duty had also ironically fallen asleep.

"What about there?" Kat pointed. Vixella blinked, before sighing.

"The universe just loves to prove me wrong, doesn't it?" She mumbled as they cautiously made their way over to the drying clothes. The three of them looked through rows and rows of lavish garments, all too fancy and clearly from someone of higher status for them to wear.

Kat looked through the different flocks and tunics and leggings hung on the thin strings. They were all made of expensive fabrics, like velvet and silk, and were heavily decorated with jewels, beads, and exquisite patterns. But as she went between a toddler sized leopard-lion skin onesie and a heavy, scarlet dappled gown, Kat noticed a slightly less colorful outfit hidden between the two. It was a hibiscus tunic with a pair of slightly darker pants, with minimal gold embroidery and no significantly outstanding parts to it, except for a detachable emerald brooch. Kat shrugged to herself. This was probably as good as it would get.

She went back into the alleyway to change, and took off the emerald brooch, instead replacing it with her homemade golden clip. Kat then walked back out to see if Stacy and Vixella had any luck.

"Found anything yet, girls?" Kat called. Stacy and Vixella's heads popped out from the ensemble of red garments.

"I think I found something that'll work," Stacy responded.

"So did I. Now let's just hope that none of these are royal family maid uniforms or something." Vixella grumbled.

Stacy and Vixella took turns changing in the alleyway, and the results were not bad. Stacy was wearing a scarlet red cape over a striped shirt, along with mahogany colored pants. She also wore some golden arm cuffs that might've actually been real gold, but shhh! Details! Nobody will actually notice anyways.

Vixella had on a carmine top that opened up below her waist, turning into a cape of sorts, flowing behind a pair of redwood leggings. Stylish, yet adjustable for combat. Which, they would probably be doing a lot of.

"Alright. Now that we've got our outfits, we should head into town to find this home." Kat said as they snuck out through a secret passageway that Vixella had discovered. Probably for easier maid access to different rooms of the palace.

"That'll be easy. We have the address! The hard part is actually getting out of the palace." Stacy remarked grimly.

"There's security guards all over the place, watching every inch of movement from here to a quarter mile out! There's no way we can get out easily." Vixella pointed out. Kat opened the trapdoor that they had come, letting the bright light spill in. Once her eyes adjusted, she noticed that they were in a storage room filled with empty and full wagons, many of them ready to go. And some with just enough room for three girls to hide in.

"I think we just found our way out." Kat smirked.

"Okay, that was terrifying! We're never doing that again." Kat panted as they staggered out from the alleyway that they had landed messily in.

"You're telling me," Stacy responded weakly.

Vixella immediately scanned the street, looking for some kind of directory or at least, street sign. "This is Vermilion Street. We shouldn't be too far from our destined location." She reported.

Kat glanced around warily, making sure one last time that there weren't any pursuers onto them. "Then let's heckin go!"

Kat, Stacy and Vixella made their way down the street as casually as possible, with Kat being the vigilante(in a literal sense, not like a rogue policemen), Stacy scanning the area and locating possible hiding places, and Vixella being the map reader. Despite their terrible luck, they somehow managed to make their way to the address unscathed.

Only to be greeted with another shocking surprise.

71049 Willow Road, Floor 3, Apartment #2. No wonder the address had seemed familiar to Kat.

"Oh, hello again, girls! Have time for some Oolong tea? Dung just came back from the market with some!"

They were the spies in disguise?!

"So let me get this straight." Vixella shook her head fiercely, trying to comprehend all that had just been said. "You're the former Team Avatar, who somehow all managed to make it out alive of Sozin's Comet, and are now working in the detective branch of the Northern Raiders?!"

"That pretty much sums it all up," Wang, who was apparently Sokka, confirmed.

"I still can't believe it!" Stacy breathed. "Meeting the original Team Avatar? It's a dream come true!"

"But now you're part of the new Team Avatar," Suki finished, smirking. "And that means you need a new team name!"

"We have more important matters at hand than names, Suki." Katara cut in, with a stern look to the former Kyoshi warrior. "Namely, training Kat and Stacy in at least some basic waterbending forms."

"Oh yeah, that's important too." Sokka nodded.

"I know a place that's under the protection of the spirits," Katara offered. There's a fairly large lake in the center. The Fire Nation can't get in. We can train there safely!"

"And…what about me?" Vixella asked, sounding slightly disappointed. Kat suddenly felt bad for the nonbender.

"I can train you in some basic sword movements at the local gym," Sokka responded immediately. "I know it's hard to be a nonbender on a team of powerful benders, but it'll let you have at least a little bit of defense!"

"Oh, thanks!" Vixella grinned, energized again.

"Well, we should probably split paths and start the training ASAP." Toph piped in, for the first time in their conversation. "We don't want a nasty surprise from suspicious soldiers and being unprepared."

"Agreed." Katara nodded back.

*In the forest, with Kat, Stacy, and Katara*

"So…what will we be learning first?" Stacy inquired meekly, as they headed towards the center of the spiritually protected forest.

"Well, we'll start with basic forms and exercises, and maybe some breathing techniques if you really need it. It depends on how much time we have before the Fire Nation catches on." Katara replied.

"Wow…that sounds ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!" Kat squealed avidly. "So what would be first? Water whip? Icebending? Oooh, maybe giant waves!"

"First we need to get to the lake." Katara responded playfully. "Speaking of which…" the master waterbender pushed a jumble of brambles aside, revealing a large, crystal clear lake with the smoothest, brightest reflections and the softest sandy shoreline. Kat could barely contain herself, as she kicked off her shoes and leapt into the balmy sand. It felt soooo warm, like never before! Keep in mind, she had grown up in the South Pole. Sunny beaches were nonexistent in the frigid, icy tundras.

"Wow. Just…wow!" Stacy breathed in, also taking a step onto the sand. "I've never felt something like this before!" Katara chuckled.

"I felt the same way when I first felt sand as well!" She responded spiritedly. "But let's not get distracted. We're here to learn waterbending." Katara walked over to the edge of the glowing lake, and drew a smooth, clear bubble of water from its serene waters. That immediately caught Kat and Stacy's attention, as they both quickly scrambled over to Katara's side.

"How do we make water float?" Kat asked. Which, was kinda a dumb question. But the water was making her mind mushy and her thoughts bouncing all over the place.

"That's for later. We've gotta first learn the very basics. Starting with stances." Katara replied back.

*Scene shift to Vixella with Sokka and Suki*

"First, let's get you into the right stance." Sokka instructed. "Get into kind of a boxing stance, but keep your feet flat on the ground and a good tail length apart. This way, you won't be unbalanced and easy to knock over in fights."

Vixella followed Sokka's instructions intently, making sure her hands were in the right positioning and her feet were spread apart. The warrior nodded approvingly. Vixella felt that all this was right, except for one part…her weapon of choice.

Sokka had given her a sword to practice with. Nothing fancy, just a metal sword made with decent materials. But it just felt…wrong. It was too long, too wide, and too heavy for her. Vixella needed something lighter, something more versatile, nimble, yet formidable.

"Now, swing it in a wide arc like this." Sokka demonstrated with his own blade. "Make sure you adjust your foot stance properly while swinging, to keep balanced."

Vixella tried copying, but the sword felt too heavy and floppy in her hands. She stumbled, the sword missing the target by a mile, and almost tripping herself in the process. Vixella stood back up, facing Sokka and Suki(who was just watching with a small bag of fire gummies, as if it were a movie).

"That was not a terrible start," Suki commented. "But it was inaccurate and kinda shaky. Is there something wrong with the blade? Does it feel too heavy?"

"Exactly!" Vixella responded. "The blade feels too long and heavy and just not swift enough. I think the sword wasn't meant for me."

"Yeah, that's what I would say, but with the stances? I'd say you're a natural at that! So I think what you need is something like a sword, but lighter and more agile…" Sokka commented, trailing off into some random muttering. After a while, his face lit up.

"AHA! I've got it!" He exclaimed excitedly. Sokka dashed off towards the weapons room, while Suki and Vixella waited with mild curiosity. A few seconds later, Sokka came back carrying what looked like a fencing sword with a flatter sword part. The handle was exquisite and decorated with metal swirls.

"A…rapier?" Suki echoed curiously. Vixella took the rapier from Sokka's hands and examined it, intrigued. It felt lighter than a usual sword, with a smaller, long dual end blade. She got into the stance that Sokka had taught her earlier, and tried the move again. This time, the blade swung quickly and cleanly, cutting straight through the air. Sokka and Suki stared at her, looking impressed.

"I think we found the right blade." Suki mused, a small smirk playing at her lips.

*Insert Touch the Sky here*

Kat copied the waterbending move with careful precision, moving the string of water slowly through the air. The water wobbled slightly at first, but followed her movements perfectly onward. Kat glanced towards Katara, who gave her a small smile of approval.

"Uh! Why is this so hard!?" Stacy cried in frustration as her water splattered down to the ground for the third time.

"Remember, Pupil Stacy, you must keep your emotions under control." Katara advised. "If you let your emotions get the best of you, it'll make bending ten times harder."

Today, I change my place in history,

Stacy took a calming deep breath, and attempted the move again. The water rose with one movement, and followed the path that Kat's best friend carved for it this time. Instead of falling back into the lake violently, it returned without a splash.

Today, I'm gonna start a brand new life

"I did it!" Stacy exclaimed happily. She then tried the move again, a little more quickly, which also went by without a hiccup.

Done with suffering, had enough of misery

"Good for you!" Katara beamed. "Now, let's try an easy offensive move." The waterbending master pulled up a stream of water from the lake, and grabbed it like a whip with one hand. "The water whip is easy to do if you utilize your emotions in the right way. Don't let them control you. Use them to your advantage instead." She stepped back, and swung the water whip fiercely forward.

Finally on a path that's headed somewhere bright

Vixella reeled back from the strike, panting. She dodged another blow from Sokka, ducking left, before swinging her rapier in an arc at his legs. Sokka barely managed to dodge that blow, and staggered as he regained his footing.

I feel a different kind of energy

"Nice one!" The wolf-tail warrior complimented as he stood back up. "You're really getting the hang of this quickly!"

Kicking everything to overdrive

"Well, I have a good teacher!" Vixella smirked back, winking. Sokka laughed, before getting back in a combat-ready stance.

Switched-on, revved-up, turbo-mode vitally

"Let's give it a go again." He said, as Vixella got ready as well.

Find it hard to believe that I feel so alive

"Oh yeah!" Vixella grinned, as she ran towards Sokka with her rapier again.

Just watch me go, see me fly

Kat leapt daintily over the lake, making sure to temporarily freeze the water beneath her feet with every step. The ice was so small and unnoticeable and melted quickly that it literally seemed like they were running on water! This could be a useful trick to get away from firebenders.

Don't look for answers, don't ask why

"This is amazing!" Stacy cried from behind Kat.

Can't explain the way I feel

Kat let her next step sink into the water a bit more, and then waterbending the liquid to propel her upward with the next jump. She felt like she was flying; the wind in her hair, the feel of soaring, she could almost get addicted to this rush!

I'm soarin' like I never have before

When she came crashing down onto the lake, Kat quickly made sure to use the water beneath her to propel her upward, and then freezing the ground beneath her to create a sturdy ice raft. Who knew waterbending could be so fun, once you got past the boring basics?

Flying self-assured and free

For a moment, all of Kat's troubles went away. The Other Self, being the avatar, the entire nation after her, all of the bad stuff in her life. It made her feel so detached from her earthly tethers…Kat felt so free.

And I somehow feel I finally feel like me

Vixella leapt from platform to platform in the jungle gym, practicing her acrobatics and agility. She swung onto a metal rod, making a loop before flying forward and landing perfectly on the soft flooring beneath.

I looked in the mirror, and I gotta say

"Great! Now come after me! Let's see how fast you can navigate through the obstacle course!" Suki called, as she leapt over a cone and went running into the mess of obstacles.

It's been a long, long time since I felt this way

"Challenge accepted!" Vixella smirked, as she tucked her rapier into her belt and chased after Suki.

Right now, I'm just a bit surprised

Vixella leapt over large boulders, slid under high beams, pulled out her rapier and started cutting through the vines that were blocking her path. This felt so natural to her…and for a second, the lavender haired girl stopped paying to just enjoy the feeling.

Cause I feel just fine, and I might just touch the sky

"Always keep your guard up!" Suki cried all of a sudden, before leaping out of nowhere at Vixella.

I might just touch the sky, oh

Kat shot icicle after icicle at the tree, repeating the pattern of getting water, freezing the water, and shooting the ice. Each icicle shattered after impact, but left a mark in the birch tree.

But if I don't, I'll know that I dared with pride

"Move quickly! Throw your icicles in all different directions to make them more spread out and harder to dodge!" Katara instructed.

Though I fail, I grow and tomorrow I'll touch the sky

Kat focused on hitting all different areas of the tree, the icicles striking the trunk and trembling from the aftershock, like a dart. She smiled. Waterbending was coming to her so quickly and easily! But there was still much more to learn.

And Kat would crush all of those challenges easily.

*End of song*

Too lazy to edit lol. Also, in three weeks, if I still don't get motivated to write this, Legend of Katherine might go on a temporary hiatus. Because I haven't written chapter 12 in 8 weeks. Wow. Not much to say about this chapter, except that Kat and Stacy seems to be mastering waterbending a little quicker than they should be. I think I did that just to suit the song lol. Well, I think that's all.

As always, constructive criticism is very welcome! –Frosted Petals