Chapter 13: Appropriate Boundaries

Disclaimer: I do not own the world or any of the characters of Avatar the Last Airbender.

After finding his daughter alone and in considerable physical contact with the two disquietingly good-looking youths for the fifth time in a week, repeatedly finding the Avatar mooning about after her, and that frankly alarming sparring match with Fire Nation prince and subsequent midnight stroll, Hakoda felt it was time for a fatherly chat with Katara about boys. He realized that he might be too late, having missed so much of her growing up, but he was here now and he would try.

Hakoda found an opportunity late that afternoon when Katara sat brushing Toph's hair and chatting happily with Suki. Sokka was off training with the Prince Zuko and the Avatar was capering around with the other boys exploring a distant part of the temple. Easier to pull her away from the girls than the guys, he thought to himself erroneously.

"Katara," he began, trying to sound firm but not dictatorial. "I want to talk with you alone."

"Oooooooooo, Sweetness is in trouble! OWW! Hey!"

Katara had apparently yanked Toph's hair in silent and immediate retribution for her mocking. Getting to her feet, Katara warily followed her father away from the other girls. She only paused to say to Suki, "Don't let her feet touch the floor while I'm gone. I don't think we need an audience for this conversation."

Suki nodded knowingly and started wrestling a protesting Toph.

Hakoda had also apparently thought of the earthbender's keen senses and led Katara aboard the abandoned boat. Awkwardly settling himself in the bough, Hakoda began, "I think it is passed time you and I had a talk about all these boys."

"Seriously?" Katara gave her father a disbelieving look. Having spent more than a year traveling with just Sokka and Aang, she thought her father objecting to her male companions was a bit ridiculous.

"Seriously," Hakoda confirmed. He sat up straighter unconsciously emphasizing his greater height. "You are a few months away from coming of age and we are long overdue for a talk about appropriate boundaries in relationships with the opposite sex. I can't help but notice that you seem to spend most of your time in the company of boys and I just want you to be careful." That sounded alright. Not too accusatory, right? Like most parents, Hakoda was not sure exactly what tone to strike.

Jumping straight to the heart of what she thought had precipitated this awkward conversation, Katara asked, "So this about my friendship with Aro and Ren?" She had noticed her father's narrow-eyed glances the day before when Ren had swept her off her feet after tasting her stew.

"Not entirely, although you three do seem… inseparable lately," Hakoda answered hesitantly. He took a moment to clear his throat. Where had Katara learned to stare someone down like that? "They are not the only boys I want to talk about. You are a strong, intelligent, beautiful young woman; it's not surprising that all these boys admire you. I just want to make sure you don't let their admiration turn your head or pressure you into something you are not comfortable with."

"Daaaaad! No one is pressuring me to do anything!" Katara could not believe that her father thought she would let some guy push her around or manipulate her into a compromising position. Yeah, she had been a bit of a besotted fool for Jet, but he had never tried to pressure her physically. In any case, she was far more reserved when it came to crushing on boys now. "I know how to handle myself. The last boy who tried anything even remotely like that found himself frozen to a tree!"

While greatly disturbed that some boy had tried something with Katara, Hakoda was relieved by her emphatic response. "Well, that is… good to hear. But I'm not just concerned with defending yourself physically. I don't want you getting hurt or unintentionally hurting anyone else emotionally." Katara's face relaxed into a less combative expression. Encouraged, Hakoda forged ahead, "For instance with your two handsome musicians, have you thought through how your relationship with both of them will affect them and their relationship with each other?"

Speechless, Katara just stared at him blankly for several moments. Finding her voice again, Katara clarified, "My relationship with Aro and Ren? Dad, they are just two of my closest friends. There is nothing… romantic between us." She could not believe her normally observant father had not picked up on their dynamic.

"Maybe not on your end, but those boys almost never leave your side. They at least feel something for you," Hakoda pushed. The two young men were nice enough but were a little too old for Katara in his opinion. Additionally, with two of them, they might be driven to compete for her affections increasing the pressure on all concerned. He had seen friendships ruined over smaller crushes. He did not want anyone, least of all Katara, to get hurt.

"Yeah, they feel friendship! …Well, more than that. We are like musical kindred spirits but in a completely platonic way!" Beginning to get frustrated with her father's disbelieving stare, she continued, "There is no romance there! Not between me and either of them. They are too busy being in love with each other!"

Taking a deep breath, she looked into her father's surprised eyes. "They are like Bato. Ren's family rejected him for it and I don't think Aro ever really had a family to begin with. They found each other and fell in love on that first night. When they found me, they loved me almost instantly but not in the way they love each other. I seem to fill the gap of their missing families. That's why we are all so close."

"Oh… I suppose I could not have chosen a worse example for discussing romantic relationships between you and boys… That poor boy, to have such unfeeling parents! A parent should exalt in their child's love not reject him for it." At last relaxing his authoritative posture, Hakoda continued, "I'm not going to pretend that this isn't a relief. I take it that the rest of group doesn't know either?"

"Iroh does. We traveled on this boat together for several days. He could hardly miss them kissing under a full moon four feet from him." Katara flashed back to Iroh serenading the two as they slowly waltzed across the small deck. The old general was such a hopeless romantic.

"Well, I will not share their relationship unless they want it known. Let them know that if they ever feel the need to talk to a more open-minded parent, I would be at their service." He remembered how nerve-wracking it had been for Bato to first talk about his feelings with his family when they were young. There had been no need for such trepidation as love was love in the Southern Water Tribe, but his best friend had always been a worrier.

"I will, Dad. Thank you!" Katara said, hugging him affectionately. "I think they like to just let people naturally find out."

"Now back to the subject of all the other boys hanging around infatuated with you. Just be careful and be honest. Those two things will keep you safer than anything else… I am not telling you to avoid the company of boys; I just want you to be aware that they may have more on their minds. You will be coming of age soon and I want you to make good choices for your future. Remember these are your choices to make and I will support you no matter what." He clasped her shoulder to emphasize that support.

"Alright, I will do my best to be careful and be honest." Katara reached up and squeezed her father's hand as it rested on her shoulder.

"So… What happened that caused you to freeze a boy to a tree?" Hakoda asked far too casually.

"Ask Sokka and Aang. They tell the story better."

"I think I might just go do that. I have been meaning to have a chat with your brother about Suki in any case." Hakoda said, preparing to stand up.

"You like her, don't you?" Katara asked anxiously. She had always wanted a sister and could not imagine Sokka finding a better girl than Suki. Despite Sokka's inexplicable allure to women in the short term, Katara doubted any other would be as patient or accepting as Suki.

"Of course," Hakoda assured Katara. "She is another strong, intelligent, beautiful young woman. I just want to give him some advice that your grandfather gave me when I met your mother... You know if you ever feel similarly about someone you can always tell me."

Smiling up at her father's hopeful expression, Katara said warmly, "I know, but don't worry. Nothing like that has happened yet."

Hakoda felt more relieved by that than by the entire rest of the conversation. My little girl is still a little girl. I am not going to have to miss her falling in love for the first time. Now, where can that boy of mine have gotten to?

Katara wandered back over to Suki and Toph who were still rolling around where she had left them. She had to carefully pick her way amongst the pieces of debris that Toph had thrown up during the scuffle. Suki seemed to be holding her own against the bender.

"Suki, you can let Toph see now!" Katara shouted above the sounds of combat.

"Alright, though this was good practice," Suki said a bit breathlessly. Releasing Toph and getting off the floor, the warrior stretched magnificently then brushed herself off. "Haven't had much of a chance to workout lately."

"That was low, Sugar Queen," Toph growled, glaring at a spot just to the left of Katara's shoulder. "So what did Papa Water want anyway?" She made no move to remove the dirt from her face and clothes.

"He just wanted to talk to me about boys." Her two friends immediately perked up at the topic. "He was worried about my friendship with Aro and Ren not having 'appropriate boundaries'." Katara could not prevent the tone of derision that crept into her voice when saying the last two words.

Suki giggled. "Was he worried that you would pick one and hurt the other or that you would pick both and shock everyone?"

"I think the former; I don't think the latter had really occurred to him." Katara snorted. "What would I do with two boyfriends? Watching you with my brother makes me seriously question if I could handle having even one."

"What's wrong with me and Sokka?" Suki asked defensively.

"Nothing!" Katara reassured her quickly. "I didn't mean it as a criticism of you two. I just don't know if I could handle all the mushy stuff. Maybe one day, but I guess just haven't felt that thing." Once more, she ashamedly thought about what an idiot she had been when first meeting Jet. No, that had only been a passing crush, not anything real. It didn't really count.

"You mean you have those two gorgeous hunks trailing you around everywhere you go and you haven't felt anything that makes you want to throw one of them up against a wall and do the nasty?" Suki asked disbelievingly. If she had never met Sokka and Ren flirted with her the way he flirted with Katara, she would certainly have done more than just feel something by now. Katara was almost too focused on the war and her training. As much as she liked the girl, Suki thought Katara could use a little more fun and unwinding.

"The nasty?" Toph queried, making the two slightly older girls exchange guilty looks. Maybe they should have waited until they were alone to talk about such things.

"You know, kissing until you can't breathe, ripping each other's clothes off, hands going everywhere, and getting as close as you can…," Suki elaborated. Giving up on tiptoeing around it, she stated plainly, "Sex, Toph, we were talking about sex."

Cackling wickedly, Toph punched Suki companionably on the arm, "I know, Fan Girl. I just wanted to feel Sugar Queen's reaction while you explained." Suki was relieved that she would not be called upon to explain the facts of life to the young earthbender.

"Hey!" Katara rejoined, blushing furiously. "I am trying to heavily shield my mind from images involving my brother!"

"Just insert someone else and yourself. Like… Haru, maybe? " Suki nudged Katara and raised her eyebrows suggestively. "And maybe downgrade it to making out," she added as an afterthought.

"No, Suki, I don't want to picture making out with Haru either. Just the thought of that mustache…" Katara shuddered in distaste. "I thought he was kind of sweet, cute even, when we first met but that facial hair isn't doing him any favors. Besides, he's just too timid for me. I want someone who would challenge me."

"I've got to agree about the mustache. It's really awful. So… you want someone challenging, you say?" Suki turned to share a look with Toph then remembered that facial expressions were totally lost on the earthbender. "Are you sure you don't want multiple boyfriends? There are plenty of single guys wandering around this temple to keep you busy."

"No, thank you," Katara answered haughtily. They were in the middle of a war; she had better things to think about than finding a boyfriend.

"Back to the original question, Sweetness, have you ever felt like molesting some poor sucker?" Toph cut in. Not being distracted by the musicians' good looks, she had seen them and their relationship far more clearly than Suki. Katara's disavowal of interest in two men who were involved with each other did not mean the waterbender lacked interest in boys in general. Toph was determined not to let Katara worm her way out of a direct answer. Few things made the waterbender more uncomfortable than talking about things that she had deemed private. And Toph lived to make her friends squirm.

"No!"

In a sing song voice, Toph teased, "I can tell you're lying!" Katara had to be one of the easiest targets in the group, well, except for Sokka. Water Tribe, they're so sensitive!

"I am not!"

Toph waved away Katara's objection. "Fine, you're half lying. You may not have felt that overwhelming 'must have guy now' feeling Suki's describing but you have definitely thought about being pressed up against a wall with someone!"

"Like who?"

Katara's disbelieving tone caused a gleeful grin to spread across Toph's face. Savoring the discomfort she was about to cause her friend, Toph leaned back and began to pick her toes. In an offhand manner, Toph answered, "Oh, I don't know… maybe… Prince Hot Stuff. I feel your heart speed up when he takes off his shirt."

While Katara flushed redder than Zuko's tunic and mouthed wordless denials, Suki took temporary pity on the waterbender and interjected, "Toph, I know you can't see it but any red-blooded straight woman would have their heart rate pick up at that sight. I may not want to spend any quality wall time with Zuko, but I can appreciate the view. He makes for great eye candy."

"I'll have to take your word for it," Toph said waving her hand in front of her face.

"If anyone is a challenge, Zuko certainly is," Suki said. Her tone was pensive but the effect was ruined by the smug smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Definitely not timid," Toph agreed, matching Suki's tone. She could feel Katara becoming more and more flustered as she and Suki continued to banter.

"He has no facial hair to ruin that perfect jaw line."

"Plus, he could keep you nice and warm, Sweetness." Toph felt Katara's face heat again just at the mention of it.

"That focus and fitness of his could be put to good use. I've watched him training. That boy is flexible," Suki added, struggling to keep from snickering. "And I've heard rumors that firebenders are quite passionate-"

Unable to contain herself any longer, Katara burst out a little too loudly, "I do not want to make out with Zuko pressed up against a wall!" She froze blushing even harder an instant later as the boy in question came around the corner… shirtless.

You have got to be kidding me! Katara thought in complete humiliation.

Zuko stopped, staring at the three girls; two of whom looked flushed and embarrassed. Contrarily, Toph looked like she was going to explode with mirth.

Did I just hear what I thought I heard? Did Katara just say something about making out with me against a wall? Zuko also blushed. Just thinking about Katara and the words making out in the same sentence was overwhelming.

Toph was now laughing hysterically, practically sobbing. Katara decided that this might be the single most embarrassing moment of her life and the only thing to be done was to flee.

Zuko, whose brain had been buffering for the last several moments, watched as horror spread across Katara's face just before she turned tail and ran. Meanwhile, Suki had started giggling despite her own embarrassment at the possibility of having been overheard. Deciding quickly that chasing Katara was infinitely preferable to staying and dealing with the two laughing girls, he took off after the retreating waterbender.

"Try not to leave any bruises when you catch her, Sparky. Papa Water just had a talk with her about 'appropriate boundaries' with boys," Toph called after him. Suki began positively howling with laughter at that.

Girls!

As she ran, Katara could hear someone chasing after her. Based on the lack of giggles, she was fairly certain of her pursuer's identity. Why was Zuko following her? If he had heard what she had said then why would he be running after her?

Try as she might to block them out, mental images filled her mind of herself and a shirtless Zuko embracing pressed up against a wall. It was making the breathing necessary to keep running harder and harder. She just needed a few moments alone to compose herself before facing the unwitting mental invader.

I do not want to make out with Zuko pressed up against a wall! What in the four nations had possessed her to say it so loudly? Never having truly thought about him in those terms before, she now found it impossible to stop thinking about him in those terms. Why did I ever stop talking to my Dad about my romantic relationships with gay men?

Zuko found he was gaining ground on Katara. He was not completely sure why he was following her. Part of him wanted to know exactly what had been said before his sudden appearance had set the three girls off. Part of him wanted to comfort her as she looked so upset. Part of him did not want to leave her alone to whatever thoughts might follow that look of horror. They had finally reached some sort of tenuous normalcy in their interactions in the week following that first disastrous sparring match. He did not want to lose that. And a final small part of him wanted to act upon the words still reverberating in his mind, make out up against a wall. He was a teenage boy after all.

Hearing the gap between them closing, Katara swerved to her right and did the only thing she could think of, jump into the nearest canal that fed the various temple fountains. Rapidly sinking below the surface, she bent an air bubble around her head. She decided that living underwater would not be such a bad idea.

Zuko saw her veer off suddenly, followed shortly by a loud splash. He turned the corner to see a swiftly flowing canal with wet splash marks on the floor beside it, indicating the recent entrance of a large object beneath the water's surface. He waited for Katara to come back up for air. After a few minutes, panic set in. Zuko could hold his breath for a considerable duration and he was sure Katara, being a waterbender, could likely hold hers longer. Still, they had been running and she would have jumped in so quickly there wouldn't have been much time to suck down oxygen. Without wasting another moment, Zuko jumped in after her.

The current pulled at him. He swam hard to stay in place and look around him under the surface. He could not see Katara anywhere. After swimming up for another breath, he dove deeper trying to look into the shadows for a hint of blue fabric or dark brown hair. He tried holding onto a submerged rock to anchor him but it was slippery and cut his hand sending him flailing off into the current. He was carried a ways until he was slammed up against a wall, knocking the remaining air out of his lungs.

Fighting the now powerful current, he tried to reach the surface only to feel an undertow beginning to pull him towards a drain set into the base of a wall. He was fairly sure that once sucked into it, he would not emerge again until he reached one of the fountains as a drowned corpse. The thought made him panic a little. He gasped, water filling his lungs. He struggled again for the surface as he felt something grab him and tug at him. His strokes became weaker and weaker until darkness overtook his vision.

Zuko proved much easier to maneuver through the water once he had passed out. Katara had his body pressed to hers and she expanded the air bubble to encompass his head as she swam them both towards the surface. So much for living underwater… stupid prince.

She propelled them both up onto the embankment. Quickly checking his airways, she bent the water out of his lungs with a twist of her wrist. She paused listening for him to take a breath. She was just leaning forward to start giving him mouth to mouth resuscitation when he gasped, his eyes flying open. Their startled gazes locked.

Zuko awoke to find Katara's face mere centimeters from his own, her eyes filled with worry and surprise. He was suddenly aware of how wet they both were and how her body was sort of pressed up against his. He blushed, causing her to blush and pull back precipitously. She rolled onto her back next to him, breathing shallowly. His memory returned as her proximity decreased; he had been underwater looking for Katara, drowning. His blush deepened. She had to save me from drowning when I went to save her. Of course she was fine, she's a master waterbender! I am such an idiot!

Katara's mind seemed to be following a similar path to his own as she turned to him saying sharply, "Why did you jump in after me? You could have died! I thought you might have when you stopped fighting me." Did Zuko have some sort of drowning death wish?

"Fighting you?" Zuko asked incredulously. "I was trying to swim away from an undertow to get some air. I only jumped in because you didn't surface for ages. I thought you'd drowned! Thanks… by the way… for saving me…"

"… You're welcome. Just don't do that again! I had plenty of air, I can bend air pockets around me when I'm underwater so I can stay down for a very long time. But I guess I can't really be mad at you for trying to rescue me…" Then, she remembered why he had been chasing her in the first place and blushed. Zuko, not following her train of thought, just lay there catching his breath and thinking how pretty she looked with water darkening and clumping her thick eyelashes.

Getting to her feet, Katara said nervously, "We should be getting back. Who knows what Toph and Suki have made of this by now… And I should be starting dinner."

Toph and Suki? Ooooooooh! Riiiiiight! The 'up against a wall' giggle sisters. Is Katara implying that the girls would think that is what we were up to? Surely not!

"Alright, but can we go slowly for a little bit? I feel much more tired than usual." It was painful to admit such weakness but then again it would be fairly painful to walk right now.

"Sure. Do you need some help?"

"No!" Zuko said too vehemently. Then feeling guilty for his harshness, he temporized, "I mean, no thank you."

Dripping wet and staggering slightly, in Zuko's case, they started back. After a few minutes though, Zuko was wheezing and finally sank to his knees.

"Zuko!" Katara dropped the floor next to him. Running her hands quickly over his torso, she sensed three cracked ribs, one of which was pressing dangerously against his left lung. "By Tui and La, why are boys so stubborn?! Zuko, you have several cracked ribs. Now hold still while I fix them."

Katara was suddenly grateful that she had not taken the time to dry either of them off. She bent all the water out of their clothes and hair, coating her hands with it. She pressed her gently glowing gloves to areas that needed the most attention and began healing the firebender.

Zuko lay still, transfixed by both the feeling of her hands running over him and the oddly pleasant feeling of his body being rapidly repaired. It was not a fast process, but neither teen was aware of the passage of time. By the time Katara was done, the sun had almost set.

"Better?"

"Much… thank you… again. That really was amazing." Zuko got to his feet slowly stretching.

"Don't overdo it now. You'll still be sore for another 24 hours," she said glancing away from his bare muscular chest. She had been completely oblivious to his state of undress during the rescue and healing, but now she was not sure where to look. Noticing the sinking sun, she let out a small yip. "We're late! I need to get dinner started or the Duke is going to fall asleep in his food again." She took off, Zuko now keeping up easily with her brisk pace.

They arrived in the common area together both looking unnecessarily guilty. Unfortunately for them, the others were already gathered there. The group was understandably startled by the sudden appearance of the two benders. Even, Chit Sang, the least aware of the pair's history was surprised to see them together.

"I need to start dinner!" Katara said hurriedly, stating the obvious.

"I'll help you!" Zuko ducked his head following Katara over to the supplies. He really hated being the center of attention. Was it just his imagination or were some of those stares accusatory?

"Sure, sure," Katara was not really aware that she had just accepted Zuko's offer of help. She also missed the shocked looks this elicited. Suki elbowed Toph.

With Zuko's help with the fire and chopping things up, Katara had dinner prepared in record time. Neither of them had looked up at the others during the entire process. The rest of the group chose to just sit and watch, dumbfounded. Outside of their training with Iroh, most of them had not seen the two benders anywhere near each other.

While Katara did resume her now customary place beside Aro and Ren, she did not start a conversation with either. The two bards picking up on her tension began distracting the rest of the group with funny tales of their earlier adventures.

Aro had apparently spent some time traveling in the company of Chong and his wife Lily, before meeting Ren. Sokka demanded to know how he had survived without permanent brain damage from self-inflicted concussions.

As the group's attention shifted, both Zuko and Katara began to relax. They each shot the other surreptitious glances, blushing when their eyes met.

Well, this is new, Toph thought. Due to the water, she had not been able to follow the goings on between the pair once they had both jumped into the canal. That is until she had finally located them during Zuko's healing session. She was curious as to how the firebender had gotten so badly knocked about… Surely not by Sweetness again? I'm going to keep a closer watch on those two. Things are certainly developing.

By the end of the meal, most members of the group had forgotten the odd occurrence between Zuko and Katara. Even the teens themselves seemed to have moved passed their afternoon, as Katara wandered off with Aro, Ren, and Aang for some waterbending and music practice and Zuko trudged back to his room to sleep.

Zuko was exhausted. He carefully checked his ribs again before collapsing onto his bed. Just before drifting off, the events of the day played themselves out in his mind. His final thought before being overwhelmed by sleep was She healed me… Now she will always be able to find me.

Several hours later, after Aang had scampered off chasing Momo, Ren turned to Katara and asked mischievously, "So what were you and the dashing and decidedly shirtless Prince Zuko up to that made you so late for dinner tonight? A little sunset sparring?"

"It was nothing," she said in all too innocent tone. "Zuko got injured and I was healing him."

"How did Prince Zuko get injured?" Aro said suspiciously. "You two weren't fighting, were you?" Despite being the newest additions to the group, he and Ren were well informed about Zuko's and Katara's history. If Ren was a bender of anything aside from music, it would have to be gossip.

"No! He fell into a canal and the current banged him up a bit," Katara replied getting defensive for the fourth or fifth time that day.

"Fell into a canal?" Aro repeated raising a skeptical eyebrow. "Are you sure he didn't have some help falling into the canal? I have not seen his highness of scowls take so much as an unbalanced step. We know he is not your favorite person, Katara dearest, but nearly drowning Prince Zuko twice since your return might be taking things a bit far. Be careful or you are going to annoy Uncle Iroh."

"I didn't push, shove, bend, or trip him! I didn't even touch him until I was pulling him out of the water. Alright, he didn't fall into the canal!" Catching her tall friend's inquisitorial stare, she added, "He jumped into it when he thought I had drowned."

Both her friends stared in surprise and incredulity. Aro finally asked in an odd tone, "Why would he think you had drowned?"

"Because I'd jumped into the canal first and hadn't surfaced."

"Let us set aside the question of why you-the daughter of the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe-and Zuko-the runaway Crown Prince of the Fire Nation and your personal enemy-were canal jumping in an air temple alone in the late afternoon for the moment and focus on something even more ridiculous. So, he, a firebender, was trying to rescue you, a waterbender, from your own element and got injured and was subsequently rescued by you?" Ren was struggling to hold back his laughter at the absurdity of the situation.

"Exactly," Katara replied flatly.

Unable to resist any longer, Ren let out a whoop of laughter. "Oh Katara, thank you! Thank you for inviting us to here," Ren gasped wiping tears from his dancing eyes. "I would not have missed this for the world." With that, he hugged her tightly and dissolved again into helpless laughter.

Maybe my Dad was right. I do need some more boundaries with these two, Katara thought sourly as disentangled herself and she stalked away from the two chuckling boys.