The Art of Bending
AN: Okay, I've got loads to say today! But first of all, we have our winner for the first reviewer of chapter 18—Reunited. Drum roll please! (Drum rolls) our winner…for last chapter…is…Bubble-Gum-12! Nicole, congratulations, you were my first awesome reviewer of the last chappie! Good job sis!
Also, I'm really happy because I have 131 reviews! Yay! And my goal is to have 200 or more at the end of the story, which would be after the epilogue chapter—chapter 22, called—well, what do you think? Epilogue! Lol!
I was really worried earlier because I hadn't done like ANY Christmas shopping, but now I'm cool, and all I have to do is buy a little more candy for everyone! Lol!
All righty! In this chapter, the bending Masters will arrive, and that'll be all happyful for everyone! Yay!
Okay, I was really mad last night because an immature girl of the age 9 or 10 ripped my uniform (For Tae Kwon Do), didn't say sorry, and was immature about it, but I'm better now, and over that, after all! She was only 9 or 10! So yeah. But she still gets on my nerves anyway! Oh well!
Okay, I really need to shut up because this is not a xanga, so here's the chappie!
Oh yeah! One more thing! Sorry about posting my chapters during the middle of the day when you're at school, I guess that's not fair, so I'll try to post them like—now. Lol!
Katara kissed Zuko once again, and slipped the keys from his butt pockets.
"Your friend—Aang?—has his own room, but I haven't gotten one for your brother yet." Zuko said plainly.
Katara asked, "May I get him one?"
"Sure." Zuko replied.
Okay! Be right back then!"
Katara walked smoothly down the hallways and to where the dungeons most likely would be, though she had to search a bit. Once there, she unlocked the door and walked in.
When she came upon the first cell, she looked inside and saw Sokka sitting solemnly against the wall.
"Sokka!" she squealed.
"Katara!" Sokka answered, jumping up, and losing his enthusiasm, said, "Get me out of this, would you?"
Katara smiled, and unlocked the door. She and Sokka hugged, but Katara quickly pulled back in disgust, saying, "Sokka! You smell like a dead skunk! Ever heard of personal hygiene?"
Sokka frowned, and said, "There's not exactly a shower in there."
Katara shook her head, laughing, and led him to a random room that was not already occupied, wherever that would be, and filling him in on the details.
Zuko walked outside for some fresh air, and when he didn't really know what to do once he was out there, he just walked back to the palace doors, but was stopped when an arrow whizzed right past his ear.
He flipped around, enraged. Out from the forest's trees jumped a teenaged boy, his face one of hatred.
"You!" Zuko shouted.
"Me!" Jet repeated, saying, "You think you can get away with taking back my girl—my prisoner?"
"Katara is not a belonging! She is a woman! And I'm marrying her!" Zuko answered, flames protruding from his hands.
"You're what?" Jet glowered, staffs at the ready also.
"I'm marrying her! Together, we'll rule the Fire Nation and get rid of peasants like you!" Zuko replied.
"Pht! Let's just make a deal then! I win: you die and hand over Katara. You win: I die, and you keep her." Jet said.
"You're just as ignorant and stupid as Zhao, who offered me a similar deal, and got killed by me yesterday!" Zuko growled, "But that will work. Let us fight to death."
"Or should I say your death." Jet said, and got ready.
Zuko growled, and released his flames at the boy, who twirled his staff and threw off the flames. Then he jabbed at Zuko with the point, but Zuko ducked and threw at him a punch.
It got pretty nasty, with ducks, kicks, jabs, punches, blocks, flames, and every now and then one of them reaching the other and cutting or burning parts of them.
A few minutes later, both boys were exhausted, and surprised at how much the other wanted to win.
Zuko's thoughts could hardly keep away from the looming terror of what would occur if he lost. What would happen to Katara? She could be raped, hurt, killed, all of those, and even things Zuko couldn't bear to think about.
And with that, Zuko dodged Jet's fiercest and strongest blow yet, and grabbed his arm, swung him around, and punched him dead in the face.
Jet fell backwards, unconscious, yet Zuko couldn't bear to kill another person, but if he left him here, when he regained consciousness, he'd come back even angrier.
"Ughh!" Zuko complained as he dragged the teen back to the castle and toward the dungeons when he heard a short scream—not loud but not accidental. Katara!
Zuko rushed down the halls to where the sound had come from, dragging Jet with him, and came upon Katara and Sokka.
"You!" Sokka yelled at Zuko as he saw him, while pinning Katara to the wall, enraged.
"What?" Zuko said, flustered.
"Why'd you ask Katara to marry you!" it was more of a retort than a question. "What're you up to?"
"I asked her to marry me because I love her!" Zuko said, slowly catching on. "Do you have a problem with that?"
"Yes! I have a problem with that!" Sokka said, exasperated while his voice cracked, "Katara! You're marrying the guy who's constantly trying to kill us!"
Katara stuck her chin up and answered, "Yes. I am."
Sokka sputtered for a second, then just shook his head and slouched off to his new room.
"Right then." Zuko said, "I gotta go deal with this bitch."
Katara grinned uneasily, and nodded, saying, "Okay then. I'll…er…do stuff for the wedding."
"Right." Zuko said.
A few uneventful weeks passed, during which Sokka learned to accept the Zutara thing, Aang had almost mastered Fire Bending, the wedding was approaching, and the master benders still hadn't arrived.
Ever since their little deal, Jet had been locked up in a cell deep in the back, receiving daily food, and was to be exiled from the Nation later on in life.
About two and a half months it was away from when the comet was to come, and everyone was becoming uneasy. Already Aang had learned loads of firebending, even though he was supposed to learn the elements in order, though that was unlikely at the moment, for the comet was a bigger threat than breaking a tradition of how to magically move everything, as Sokka said.
Aang had long since known about Zuko and Katara's engagement (from Sokka) and though he had at first tried to kill Zuko (literally), he now settled well at being extremely jealous.
Finally, after many long days of boring things, a guard burst into the room (where Iroh, Katara, Zuko, Sokka, and Aang had been discussing—not very interested—about the increasing pollution in the area), saying, "My Lord! The Masters have arrived! Come quickly!"
Aang grinned, excited to learn, and Katara also smiled for the joy of getting to master water also, and they hurried outside and to the port.
Standing professionally side by side were two older—looking men, one wearing a robe of green and brown, and the other wearing blue—typical.
When they saw the approaching group, led by Zuko, they bowed shortly in unison.
Zuko stopped a few feet away, and bowed back.
"I am Master Retaw of Water." The man in blue said.
"And I am Master Haku of Earth." The other man continued.
Aang bowed, and the rest of the group departed, leaving Aang and Katara to start, though they both knew the same (Katara had been teaching Aang) things, and were already far, so they had a good head start.
Aang had a strangely strong urge to whip Zuko in the head as he strode off with any element, but resisted and snapped back to reality when Master Retaw asked, "Shall we begin?"
Aang turned back and nodded.
The Earthbender walked off to the castle with a steady stance, reminding Aang of what Master Jeong Jeong had said a long time ago—that he could tell he hadn't mastered all elements by the way he walked. Though that was then and this was now, and that's what counts.
AN: Yes, I know, that sounded retarded, but I tried! Okay, now what do you guys think about Retaw's name? Anyone (in other words, everyone) who figures it out soon gets to be recognized! Good luck! And I just made up Haku—it sounds like an Earthbender's name!
Okay! I hope you enjoyed it, and have a good break and Merry Christmas (in case this is my last chapter before I go off on vacation). Read and Reply!