Hey, everyone. You guys must really like my story. I'm getting all these reviews. I don't think I've gotten this many on any of my stories. Now, let's see. I asked if this should be a Katara/Aang story or a Katara/Zuko story. I got a lot of votes for Zuko and a lot for Aang. What should I do? I think I'll keep you guessing till the end. I'm so evil. Muh ha ha ha ha. Ok, enough of that. Here's the next chapter.
Lessons from a Fire Bender
Aang came into the hut completely soaked head to toe. He looked at Sokka who was feeding wood into a fire. "Any luck?" he asked. Aang shook his head in disappointment. It starteddownpouring so he had to stop searching."Damn it. Me neither. We've looked everywhere on this damn island and she isn't here. This was probably our best bet." It had been almost a week since Katara had disappeared. They had searched all the surrounding islands where she had fallen. They had asked countless people if they had seen the water bender but not one person said yes. Aang was starting to get discouraged. He hadn't said anything in a while.
"I hope she's alright, Sokka. I'm really worried." Sokka put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry, Aang. That means that someone sailing around might have found her. We just have to widen our search area, that's all. We will find her. I promise."
"I hope you're right." Aang still couldn't get over how bad he had treated her. Even if they did find her, would she be willing to return with them?
Katara woke up and got dressed. All she had left was the clothes she wore underneath her heavy coat. Zuko said he would repair them since they were practically shredded. In the mean time, she would have to go without her rabbit skin coat. He said she wouldn't need it where they were going. But exactly where were they going?
She walked out of her room and walked down the vast hallways of the prince's vessel. Zuko had allowed her walk around the ship now. She insisted that he allow her to because she needed her exercise. He wasn't slow to give in. He thought that since they were in open sea there was no need to keep her locked up. What was she going to do? Jump off the side of the ship and hope that a whale or another ship would take her to land? It was highly unlikely. Katara had decided that there was no use in trying to escape anyways. There was a better chance of surviving then trying to swim around the ocean hoping that she would see Aang and Sokka flying on Appa.
When she got to the deck, she saw Zuko training with an old man. By the looks of it, the old man was pretty good. He moved as if he was thirty or so and his fire bending was amazing. Zuko finally noticed Katara standing a few feet away so he motioned her to come over. "You're up early. The sun isn't even up." Even though it was dark and almost freezing, he had taken off his shirt and shown off his masculine chest and arms. Katara looked at her feet trying not to let Zuko know she was blushing. The old man finally broke the silence.
"Who is this beautiful woman, Prince Zuko?" the man asked.
"This is Katara. She's the girl we found drifting in the ocean. Katara, this is my uncle, Iroh."
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Katara," he said as he took her hands. She looked at the ground when he saw her bandaged hand. "I see that my nephew has done a number on you, my child."
"It's alright," Katara said meekly. "He's the one that treated it. It doesn't even hurt anymore."
"He's lucky that he treated it so soon or he might have got a spanking from me."
"Uncle!" Zuko was starting to blush. Katara gave him a small smile.
"I hope you enjoy your stay with us. If you need anything, we will be happy to help." Something came to mind. Katara wanted to ask him if she could go home, but what was the point in capturing her if she were to be sent home? Another idea popped into her mind.
"I was wondering," she started. "Could you teach me how to use my water bending?"
"Excuse me?" Zuko asked.
"Well, you did say that water and fire bending, while completely opposite, have the same basics."
"This is true," Iroh said stroking his beard.
"I didn't think you would take me seriously," Zuko proclaimed.
"Well, you shouldn't have said it if you weren't expecting me to ask about it. Is it even possible?" The old man smiled at her.
"I suppose that I could show you some techniques. Now, watch carefully." He put his hands in front of him so they were on the same line. He then drew semi circles with them, drew them together at his side, then after pushing them forward a ball of flame flew at Katara. She took her hands and produced a shield of water to block the flames. "Very good. Now try the same sequence and throw the water at me. Concentrate." Katara repeated the man's actions and, on her first time, threw a stream of water at him. The man blocked it with a wall of flame.
"That's not bad at all," Zuko said.
"He's right. Look." Katara looked at Iroh's hands. They were completely soaked. "You are a quick study. Let's try something else. Let's see if you can take Zuko on."
"Already? I only know one move!" she proclaimed. Zuko's uncle walked behind her.
"Just trust yourself. Focus and the rest will come. Let the water flow through your body." Katara face Zuko who was ready with a fireball.
"I'm not going to be easy on you just because you are a girl," he told her.
"Why do men always think they are so much stronger than women?" She threw water at him. It must have surprised him, because he fell backwards. He was quick to get to his feet and throw a fireball at her. Katara dodged it and threw a stream of water at him. It surrounded him, but he broke the grip and threw a stream of flames at Katara. She put up a shield of water, but it didn't hold. She fell to the ground holding her hands. They started bleeding again.
"I think that is enough for today," Iroh announced. "Let's get you inside and take care of your wounds." Katara tried to get up but fell to the ground again.
"I guess I'm not as strong as I thought," she chuckled. She was surprised when Zuko picked her up and started carrying her down the steps.
"You did well for your first time, Katara," he said.
"Thanks," she said. "You better be careful. Next time I won't hold back." They both laughed at her comment. It was strange. She felt like she was getting closer to him, as if he was an old friend. Maybe it would be nice to have someone to talk to while she was here.
"Let's worry about your hands. Then we'll see if you can beat me." Zuko was beginning to like her also. It bothered him a little that she was a friend of the Avatar's. He should hate her. She's the enemy, he thought. But he didn't care. He wanted to get to know her. Besides, his plan for her was going along just fine.
Wasn't that nice? I'm not usually into the mushy stuff. But for this story, I'll make an exception.
Battygirl: I've read your story, but for some reason Fanart won't let me review it. It's an awesome story. I can't wait for you to update. Please do it soon. And when you do, could you send me an email that you have updated? My email is Thanks.
Kyrah: Sorry about the misspelling. Don't sue me! I'll get it right. I promise. But when they say his name on the show, doesn't it sound like Sakka instead of Sokka? Maybe I'm crazy.
Thanks for all the reviews. I'm not sure what I'm doing yet. Keep reviewing.
