Chapter 6: The Wind of Wishing
As Katara walked back to their room that night, she couldn't help the doubts that began to squirm into her thoughts, swarming as they awakened in her mind. It had been easy to decide to stay when Airi had been right there, lying against her and looking up at her with eyes born of innocence and trust. Who could possibly say no to Airi? But now that she was away from the sickroom and outside in the cold chill of the night, Katara began having second thoughts. She'd been traveling with Aang and Sokka for so long now—what did she know about living on her own? She couldn't imagine life without them.
And there was something else that bothered her. Was she, in fact, just being selfish? Was it selfish of her to want to stop traveling, to settle down in one place and just lead a normal life? This, after all, had been her goal for as long as she could remember. Find someone who could teach her waterbending so that she could improve her waterbending skills. And she'd accomplished that. If she left now, then who knew the next time she would again meet a waterbending master? Everything that she had dreamed of and looked for back in the Southern Water Tribe was here. She wasn't being selfish, either. The whole reason she wanted to stay was to help the Northern Water Tribe. Help them rebuild, help heal their sick. Where was the selfishness in that?
Aang and Sokka would understand. They had to.
But even Katara didn't really believe her own words. Do you really think that Sokka is just going to let you stay here by yourself? Do you really think that they're just going to congratulate you on your terrific idea of staying, give you a hearty pat on the back, and fly off with a "So long!"?
Katara had never made such a bold decision that she knew would completely go against Sokka and Aang's wishes before. As scared and apprehensive as she felt, Katara also felt a little thrill of excitement. It had been a long time since she'd found Aang and traveled with him… they'd been through a lot together. Katara realized, with a surprising sense of pride, that she was different now. A bit, perhaps, more grown up. She could be independent. She could decide her own future. And she would let them know that as soon as she saw them.
As Katara neared the partly open door, she heard Aang's voice drifting out into the night. Firelight spilled out the doorway, illuminating a path for her as she walked closer. Her steps slowed. Yes, she had already made up her mind to tell them right away, but Katara started feeling nervous. She paused outside the door. You're just stalling, she reprimanded herself. Taking a deep breath, Katara pushed open the door and stepped inside.
"What's going on?" she asked when she entered the room. Sokka was splashing water on his face from the basin in the corner, and Aang was air-drying his damp clothes. Zuko sat cross-legged on his sleeping bag.
"Chief Arnook invited us to a little going-away party," Aang explained. "He said that he couldn't let us leave without thanking us for our help."
"A party?" Katara asked. Relief and disappointment dueled each other as her plan fell to pieces. She couldn't possibly sadden them with such news right before a party, she reasoned. She should at least let them enjoy the night that they deserved. She would just have to tell them in the morning.
"Just something simple," Aang replied. "We didn't exactly give him too much notice." He finished drying his clothes and looked up at Katara. "What's wrong, Katara?"
"Nothing," Katara said slowly. A small smile gradually inched its way across her face. This party could be a good thing; it would give her time to make sure that her argument was sound. And she could enjoy one last worry-free night with her brother and Aang.
"And I would personally like to thank Aang, the Avatar, for all his help in the battle with the Fire Navy," Chief Arnook said loudly to the small crowd of people who had come to say goodbye "We all owe our lives to him." Aang smiled and the two bowed to each other as the crowd clapped and cheered.
"Sokka, a fierce warrior who battled courageously," Chief Arnook continued. Sokka, grinning widely, stepped forward and bowed as the Water Tribe chief did the same. Zuko, who was standing at the fringes of the crowd, leaning against the wall of a building, snorted. "And Katara, whose help in rebuilding the city and healing our wounded has been invaluable." Katara blushed as the Water Tribe people cheered for her, too.
When the short speeches were over, some of the crowd left to go back to their nightly duties, but some stayed to take pleasure in a night of dancing and good food. Katara thought that the Water Tribe people definitely could do with some amusement and entertainment after all the grief in the aftermath of the battle. It was good for them to relax and enjoy each other's company. After all, none of them should forget the reason why they were fighting this war.
She was walking towards the long table laden with food when she noticed Zuko standing against a wall, shadows nearly swallowing his body. He had a scowl on his face. Katara realized that he was probably pretty bored, since he didn't know anyone at all. And maybe he was even a bit… lonely. Katara shrugged as she walked towards Zuko. It couldn't hurt to try being a little nicer to him, especially since she would be rid of him for good come tomorrow morning. Zuko eyed her warily as she approached. He shifted his weight to his other foot, but he didn't move away.
"Hi," Katara said, hesitant. Zuko wondered what the girl wanted from him.
"Hi," he returned, keeping his voice rough. Katara sighed and plowed on.
"It's a beautiful night, isn't it?" she asked conversationally. "Do you like the music? Have you tried any of the food yet?"
Zuko wished that Katara would hurry up and get to the point instead of trying to make small talk. He had only come out because he'd been incredibly bored, but the Water Tribe chief's speeches were enough to make him want to run straight back. What exactly had that Water Tribe boy accomplished, anyway? He certainly didn't deserve all the honor and respect being accorded to him. Zuko was more worthy of the Water Tribe people's reverence and admiration. He had been the one who'd fought off Admiral Zhao. Never mind that he'd tried to rescue Zhao at the last minute. Zuko grunted in response to Katara.
Seeing that Zuko wasn't going to engage in civilized, polite conversation, Katara tried changing her tactics.
"Will you be glad to leave?" she asked.
"Of course," Zuko finally spoke, sounding surprised. "The Northern Water Tribe and a city full of water don't exactly spell out 'home' for me," he added sarcastically.
"Me neither," Katara said softly.
Zuko shot her a look of surprise. What was she talking about? She was a waterbender, wasn't she? She was among her own kind. Not just among them—honored by them. What could she possibly have to complain about?
"No? But water is your element," Zuko said, confused. "And these are your people."
"Not exactly," Katara said slowly. "Yes, water is my element, and these people are wonderful, but they're not the people I know at home. This city," she spread her arms out wide, "is so beautiful and advanced, but I miss the simple tents and open snow fields of the Southern Water Tribe."
Zuko tilted his head, surprised. He hadn't expected Katara to sound so homesick, especially when she was staying with a water tribe. Zuko had always kept his own homesickness at bay, focusing on more important things. He knew that his crew looked to him, and he also knew that he had to set an example for them. He couldn't be homesick because that would give his crew permission to forget what they had to do and allow depression to steal their focus away from their duties. But here, listening to Katara talk about her own home… there was no crew. There was no one to he had to be an example for. So Zuko let a few, tiny thoughts of home surface in his mind right then. Not anything major. A sun-warmed, stone bench hidden in a far corner of the palace gardens that he liked to sit on when he just wanted to be alone and think. The feel of grass underneath his feet. The feel of drowning in a cascade of warm sunshine. Memories. But not enough, of course, to show Katara anything.
As annoying as the girl could be, Zuko hadn't forgotten the way she'd danced in the water dress one moonlit night. He hadn't forgotten the way she'd helped him when he'd accidentally started melting walls. And now, she was telling him that no, she wasn't perfectly happy, that she missed her home. Like he did. Zuko was coming to see that maybe he didn't really know all there was to know about this girl. She just kept surprising him at every turn.
"I miss my family," Katara suddenly said in a far away voice. "I haven't seen them for so long."
"You have your brother," Zuko pointed out.
"But my father, Gran-Gran… my mother," Katara said softly. She looked up at Zuko, curious. He never talked much about his past. Actually, she'd never heard him talk about his past at all. "What about you? Do you have any siblings? Do you miss your family?"
The weight of her innocent question hit him suddenly, and Zuko had to take a step back. His family? His sister, who despised him? His father, who thought him weak and spineless? His mother…
"What about you?" he countered, focusing the attention on her, on her past. "What happened to your father? Your mother?" Zuko had a cursory interest in Katara's family at best, but there was no way that he was going to just start spilling his guts to her. Why did she think she had any right to know about his past? It was his, and his alone. He didn't need to share anything with her.
Katara's eyes widened in surprise at Zuko's response. She knew it had been too much for her to hope that he would answer her questions, but she hadn't expected him to turn around and start questioning her. Well, if he refused to share his past with her, then she saw no reason to share hers with him.
The two stared at each other, neither trusting the other. The silence between them lengthened, grew taut with thick tension.
Katara finally broke it. "I'm going to get something to drink," she said, turning away and leaving Zuko alone. He could stay by himself for the rest of the night for all she cared. See how much fun he had with no one to talk to but his shadow on the wall.
That night, Katara had a hard time falling asleep. Thoughts of how she would break the news to Sokka and Aang plagued her mind and conscience as she tossed and turned inside her sleeping bag, unable to get comfortable. She finally fell into a restless sleep, but she woke less than an hour later. Katara tried going back to sleep, but the blissful ignorance she sought denied her passage. She groaned as she stared up at the ceiling. Finally accepting the fact that she wasn't going to get a bit of peaceful rest tonight, she got up. Katara had her hand on the doorknob when a low voice, right beside her ear, stopped her.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Her heart stopped. Slowly, her eyes wide, Katara turned around. Zuko was standing behind her. How he'd gotten so close to her without her noticing she couldn't fathom. His golden eyes were narrowed, his penetrating stare pinning her against the door. Katara's eyes traveled behind Zuko. Aang was still asleep, and Sokka had apparently fallen asleep sitting up. He'd probably had a bit too much fun at the party and had simply gone to sleep before he could get into his sleeping bag.
"Why is it any of your concern?" Katara asked, allowing just a hint of annoyance to tinge her voice. She struggled to keep her breathing nice and even, although having Zuko so near her was… disconcerting, to say the least.
Zuko took a step back, crossing his arms over the chest.
"It isn't," he replied smoothly. "But if you're going out to practice waterbending again, then I thought that maybe we could… spar."
Her initial shock came from his suggesting that they… train with each other. Her second shock came when his words fully sank in.
"How do you know," Katara hissed, "what I was doing last night?" She glared at him.
"I wasn't spying on you, if that's what you're implying," Zuko said calmly. At least, I wasn't purposely spying on you. "It's not my fault if you were just out there in the open like that."
Embarrassment began to override Katara's anger. Scarlet dusted her cheeks as she remembered the way she had been singing and—darn it all—dancing. She must have looked incredibly stupid and foolish.
"Come on," she muttered angrily. Angry at what? Him, for spying on her? Herself, for being so careless and ignorant? Katara opened the door and stepped outside, Zuko following close behind. She made her way to a large, open area by the steps that led down into the water. She remembered how it was here that Aang had tried teaching her waterbending… until Master Pakku interrupted them. Aang. Katara shook her head quickly, bringing her mind back to the present.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Katara asked dubiously. "Remember what happened last time?" She glanced up at the dark sky. Daylight was still a few hours away. A shy half-moon tried to conceal herself behind wispy clouds, but the moon was visible all the same.
"That won't happen again," Zuko said confidently. "I can beat you, night or no." He had stripped off his outer clothing and was left wearing a fitted, light grey tunic and dark grey pants. Zuko stepped forward and leaned down on one knee, stretching his muscles.
"Oh?" Katara asked, raising an eyebrow. They faced each other, both crouching down in a fighting stance. Seconds passed as the tension augmented. Each breath Katara took sounded loud in her ears, and she could see the vapor escaping from Zuko's mouth. It was a chilly night.
Zuko made the first move. He strode towards her, throwing a series of punches and sending a stream of fireballs at her. Katara reacted quickly, tossing up a shield of water that devoured Zuko's fire in a hissing cloud of steam. Undeterred, Zuko spun and kicked. Katara dodged the flames and backed up until she felt her feet splash into the water on the steps. Heartened, Katara formed a long water whip. She swung it down at Zuko with as much speed and strength as she could, but he threw up a forearm and the water whip cracked harmlessly against it.
Zuko was coming closer towards her, his eyes narrowed with a look of hard focus and concentration. Katara backed up uneasily, shivering as she moved into deeper water. She remembered exactly what move had stopped him last time, but she needed more space, more distance, between them before she could execute the gigantic ice trap that would render him incapable of movement. The water was so cold, and Zuko just kept charging closer towards her. Terror wrapped her in a choking embrace.
No, don't come any closer. Stay away from me!
Desperate, Katara bended an orb of water out of the liquid around her and froze it. She started spinning out sharp ice disks at Zuko's advancing form. He dodged the first two, but the third one barely caught him on his cheek. He growled as a thin, crimson line appeared. Katara's mind was racing. She hadn't meant to draw blood. Wasn't this supposed to be a spar?
But it was too late now, and Zuko's fury seemed to have completely possessed him. With a snarl, Zuko leaped at her, tackling her to the ground. Katara shrieked as she tried to fight back. With a well-aimed kick, she sent him sprawling across the top of the steps. Katara lunged at him, aiming for his stomach, but he caught her arms and rolled over, his weight pinning her to the ground. Katara struggled, trying to free her arms, but Zuko held them tightly against the ground above her head. He hissed as he slid one hand up until it encircled her wrists. Katara stopped thrashing and looked at Zuko. A drop of blood from the cut on his cheek fell onto her own.
Their eyes locked, and the entire world started spinning faster and faster, with them motionless in the heart of it. His amber eyes flickered with something that she couldn't read; his face was only inches from hers. She could see the vapor that escaped with each ragged breath that he took, feel his chest as it contracted and expanded against her. She could feel his heart race, beating in time with hers. Absently, Katara realized that she didn't feel at all cold anymore. Panting heavily, she didn't move, struggling only to regain her breath. They stared at each other, both of them completely stock-still, frozen in time, captivated by something that seemed to strip away both words and thoughts. Moments passed as their breathing and pounding hearts gradually slowed. He spoke first.
"Do you surrender?" he whispered. Katara stared up at him. Then she brought her knee up. Zuko had the wind knocked out of him as her knee connected with his lower stomach, and in the split second his concentration broke, Katara wrenched her arms free and threw herself sideways, rolling over until she sat atop Zuko's chest. Both her hands reached forward and pushed down on his forearms.
Katara leaned in closer. "Do you surrender?" she countered. Zuko didn't answer. Both of them were well aware that Katara had left Zuko's legs completely free, that, if he wanted to, he could easily throw her off of him. But Zuko didn't move.
"Get off me," he finally said, calmly. A heartbeat that seemed to last an eternity, and then Katara let go of Zuko's arms and lifted herself off of him. Immediately, a wind blew, chilling her wet clothes. Katara couldn't help a slight shiver as she stood up. Zuko got up and strode a few steps away from her, standing with his back to her. The silence stretched out. It was Zuko, this time, who finally broke it.
"We could do this every few nights," he said, his tone even. "We both need someone to practice with."
"We can't," Katara said, before she could stop herself. Zuko turned around and faced her.
"Why not?" he asked. "If you're afraid of… that… happening again, you don't need to be. We'll make some rules. No physical combat. Just bending."
"It's not that," Katara said. She began to wish that she hadn't agreed to spar with Zuko in the first place.
"Then what is it?" Zuko pressed. "Are you afraid?" he challenged. Katara stood up and met his eyes.
"I can't practice with you," she said clearly, "because I'm not leaving the Water Tribe with you guys."
Zuko turned around again, facing the water instead of her. "I see." A moment of silence, then, "Have you told them yet?" Katara stared at his silhouette, trying to figure out what he was thinking. But he was a statue to her, carved from impenetrable, inflexible stone.
"No," she finally answered. "And I would appreciate it if you didn't, either. I think this is something I should tell them myself."
Zuko nodded in assent, then began walking back towards their room. Katara took a moment to bend the water out of her damp clothes and then followed him. They both slipped back into their sleeping bags in silence, though Katara noticed that she never quite heard his breathing descend into the regular, rhythmic breaths of deep sleep.
The sky was still dark when Aang shook her awake.
"Wake up, Katara!" he said urgently. "It's time to go!"
"Already?" Katara mumbled. She rubbed her eyes sleepily as she got up. All three of the boys were busy packing. Katara felt her stomach turn over as she remembered what was planned for that morning. Last night's party had been so nice that she hadn't wanted to ruin it by bringing up her staying. She'd wanted that one, last night to joke around with Sokka and Aang. She'd wanted to remember them the way they were then, happy and looking forward to the future. Besides, the right time had never come up.
"Why do we need to leave so early?" Katara asked desperately. Maybe delaying their departure would give her enough time to come up with the perfect thing to say.
"We should leave before the sun comes up," Aang explained. "The darkness will be good cover if there are still Fire Navy ships nearby."
Katara sat on her sleeping bag, watching as Sokka and Zuko rolled up theirs.
"You better hurry up," Sokka admonished. "We're almost done." He followed Aang outside, where Katara could see Appa resting quietly. The two boys busily began to stock up the large saddlebags.
"You really don't have much time left," Zuko said dryly as he hefted his own pack onto his back. Katara knew exactly what he was talking about—the boys were almost ready to leave. Neither of them mentioned their duel last night. Katara was almost sorry that she and Zuko would be parting so soon. He wasn't turning out to be at all the way she'd first thought of him. The rudeness was there, as was the arrogance, but Katara had also seen something else. Was it possible that spoiled Prince Zuko actually had something beneath the layers of masks he wore? Well, Katara thought dismissively, it wasn't like she would get the chance to find out.
Katara wandered outside and stood silently, watching as Sokka and Aang made last-minute adjustments. Sokka saw her and waved.
"It's almost time to go, Katara!" he called.
You have to say something now. You can't possibly put it off any longer.
Katara cleared her throat.
"Um… Sokka? Aang?" she said nervously, her voice quivering. "Could I talk to you guys?" The two boys exchanged a glance. Aang jumped off the saddle, and he and Sokka came over to her. Katara could see Zuko eyeing the three of them with an unreadable expression out of the corner of her eye.
"What's going on, Katara?" Sokka asked worriedly.
"I'm…" Just spit it out, Katara. "I'm not going with you guys. I'm staying here."
Aang's eyes widened, but it was Sokka's reaction that Katara feared the most. He didn't let her down.
"What?" he asked incredulously, staring at her in disbelief. "What do you mean, you're staying?"
Katara steeled her nerves and looked at her brother straight in the eye. "I'm staying here, with the Northern Water Tribe."
It seemed that Sokka was at a loss for words. His mouth hung open as he spluttered. Finally, one word managed to form. "Why?"
All the reasons that Katara had thought up for staying fluttered crazily within her mind. She took a deep breath, trying to compose herself.
"Sokka…," she began calmly. "The tribe needs me. You know that they need waterbenders to help fix the city… and they have so few waterbenders who can heal…" Please understand.
"You haven't even been here that long, Katara!" Sokka said. "I'm sure they could survive without you. We need you more."
"I can't, Sokka," Katara said, trying to sound firm. "I already made up my mind."
Sokka gaped at her. "But—"
"No," Katara cut him off. She knew that if she allowed the slightest bit of hesitation to show, Sokka would pounce on it and convince her to go with them. He always tried to take the leadership role, tried to make decisions for the three of them, but this time Katara had to stand her ground.
"Aang?" Sokka gestured to Aang, who had been silently watching their exchange.
"She's right, Sokka," Aang said helplessly. "The tribe does need her. And we can't force her to come with us." Sokka stepped back as the quiet strength of Aang's betrayal hit him.
"Fine," he said, his face hardening. Katara watched in confusion as Sokka stalked over to the saddlebags and started unloading his stuff. He pulled out his sleeping bag, and then his pack.
"What are you doing?" she asked warily.
"If you're staying, I'm staying," Sokka spat. "I can't help whatever crazy ideas you come up with, but I'm not going to leave you alone."
Katara rolled her eyes and marched over to Sokka. He could be so stubborn. She grabbed him by his sleeve and dragged him a short distance away.
"Listen," she hissed. "You can't possibly leave Aang alone with Zuko. Who knows what Zuko will do? Remember, you're supposed to help the Avatar. We can't both leave him."
"There's no way you're staying here by yourself, Katara," Sokka said, folding his arms across his chest. "You can't."
"Why?" Katara challenged. "I'll be safe with the Water Tribe people."
"Because—because you're a girl!" Sokka finally said in desperation. Katara's eyes narrowed. She'd thought that Sokka had gotten over that particular detail about her ages ago, but apparently she was wrong. She couldn't believe that after all they'd been through, especially in the past few weeks, he still believed her weak and defenseless.
"And you think that makes me incapable of taking care of myself?" she asked in a low, dangerous voice.
"No, of course not," Sokka answered hastily, "but… oh, Katara, do you have to make this so hard? I just… I just want to make sure you're safe."
Katara's eyes softened at Sokka's pleading face. She felt her anger drain away. He was her brother; of course he wanted to keep her safe. She couldn't blame him for wanting to stay with her, and she couldn't get angry at him, either. Katara sighed.
"I know, Sokka," she replied gently. "But how safe do you think I'll be with you three? You know that the Fire Nation still wants to find Aang, and then there's Zuko…" Katara's voice trailed off as her thoughts turned to Zuko. Would he ever hurt her? Katara thought back to the way he'd been on top of her, the moon in the sky behind him and their hearts pounding together in one, single rhythm. She'd been completely at his mercy then, completely alone, and he'd let her go. Somehow, she didn't think that she had to be afraid of Zuko. But Sokka didn't have to know that. If believing that Zuko might be dangerous helped convince Sokka to let her stay, then she was all for it. She continued. "You don't want me around Zuko, do you?"
Sokka growled in frustration, but he couldn't deny the truth of Katara's words.
"Fine," he said tersely. He started to turn away to put his things back into Appa's saddlebags, but Katara grabbed his arm again and turned him around to face her.
"Don't be like that, Sokka," Katara said softly. "It won't be for long. We'll see each other again, I promise."
Sokka stared at her, and Katara could see the maelstrom of emotions playing across his face. He sighed deeply. On impulse, Katara threw her arms around him and whispered, "I'm going to miss you." She really didn't know what being apart from Sokka would be like. In all her life, he'd been the one constant thing that she could depend on. He had always been there for her, from the moment she'd been born up until this very minute. Katara felt Sokka stiffen, then relax. She thought she saw a shadowy figure out of the corner of her eye, but all thoughts of strange specters flew away as Sokka's arms came around her in a fierce hug.
"I'll miss you, too," Sokka said quietly. Katara pulled back from him and pretended not to notice his slight sniffle.
"At least there will be more food to go around, right?" Katara tried joking to lighten the mood. She felt a bit better when Sokka gave a weak laugh.
"Come on," he said, heading back towards Appa and Aang. Katara paused for a second, wiping her face and then her wet fingers against her coat, then followed her brother.
Zuko watched the two siblings as they talked. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but he definitely couldn't miss the hug that they shared. Zuko felt a strange mixture of emotions at how much the siblings seemed to care about one another. They didn't normally show anything, but Zuko could tell that all the affection was there. And it bothered him. Truthfully, it bothered him that it bothered him. He couldn't quite place the reason why.
Was it because he, Zuko, had never had that kind of relationship with his own sibling? But he didn't care about Zula at all, Zuko reasoned to himself. He didn't care if she thought him worthless. She meant nothing to him. He didn't need anyone's help, anyone's love. It all just made people weaker. The Water Tribe boy was a perfect example. He was letting his love for his sister weaken his resolve, get in the way of what he had to do. Love was definitely a worthless emotion, reserved for the helpless. It strangled you. Kept you from accomplishing what needed to be done. It made you hurt on the inside, ache, until you couldn't possibly feel anything anymore. Love made you vulnerable. And Zuko couldn't accept that.
But he had seen the glistening drops of water that had fallen from Katara's eyes, though her brother had missed them, and he couldn't help but feel confused. Obviously, Katara was also tragically afflicted with this emotion, but she had gotten her way in the end. And again, she managed to surprise him. If she loved her brother and the Avatar so much, then what could possibly be keeping her here? Was she trying to stay away from him? Zuko told himself that he couldn't care less if he never saw Katara again, but even as the thought formed, he knew that he was lying to himself. It wasn't so much that he liked her, or anything foolish like that. She just… intrigued him.
Aang gave Katara and Sokka a tiny smile as they approached.
"Everything okay?" he asked hesitantly.
"Yes," Katara replied. Aang sighed.
"You couldn't convince her?" Aang asked Sokka dispiritedly. Sokka spread out his arms helplessly in a silent response. Aang turned back to Katara. "Maybe I should try convincing you to come with us," he said.
Katara smiled at him. "But I know you won't," she replied.
"How can you be so sure?" Aang asked, but he spoke again before Katara could respond. "But you're right. I can't."
"Thank you, Aang," Katara said softly. She bent her head down and gave him a quick kiss on the top of his head. "For understanding."
"That's me—the forgiving and understanding Avatar," Aang said lightly. Katara forced a laugh, though she couldn't remember the last time she'd ever found something so humorless. Katara walked closer to the bison and placed a hand on his shaggy fur.
"I'll miss you, too, Appa," she said quietly. A lemur ran across her hand and squeaked indignantly. Katara smiled. "And you, Momo." Satisfied, Momo turned and scurried up into the saddle.
Sokka and Aang climbed up into the saddle next to Zuko and Momo. Zuko seemed wary of the lemur, who was eyeing Zuko curiously. Katara watched as Sokka and Aang settled in with Zuko, the three of them looking as natural and comfortable as if it had always been Aang, Sokka, and Zuko instead of Aang, Sokka, and Katara. Katara fought the tears that sprang to her eyes. Zuko was already replacing her.
She looked up at him in the saddle, his face stony and impenetrable. Katara waved up at him, calling, "If you do anything to them, you'll have me to answer to." Zuko inclined his head.
"Goodbye, Katara!" Aang called. Sokka looked like he was having a last minute change of mind; he was inching towards the edge of the saddle as if he planned on climbing back down, but Aang had already taken hold of the reins.
"Yip yip!" Aang cried, and the giant bison lifted into the air with a cry of "Katara!" from Sokka.
The sun spilled over the horizon, splashing his canvas of sky brilliant, warm hues of gold, orange, pink, and crimson. Fluffy clouds throbbed with glorious shades, white cotton balls dipped in celestial paint. The heavens had dressed themselves magnificently this dawn, beautiful and warm. But inside, all Katara felt was cold.
Through the clouds in her eyes, Katara watched them fly away and wished that she had wings.
A/N: Whoa. Too bad Katara had to stay, eh? Just when things were maybe starting to change…
That was a really long chapter. It took forever to write, revise, and edit, so I hope that you liked it. Please let me know if it's too long and if I should try to make my chapters shorter. I also want to ask how the character development's going. If you think I'm rushing things, just stick around for a couple more chapters and see where the story goes. ;-)
Much thanks to Dracori for answering my many questions while I was writing this. She saved me from making some really embarrassing mistakes. XD
And this is a big, heartfelt THANK YOU to all of you for 100+ reviews! I could never thank you guys enough. You're all seriously my inspiration and motivation. I hope I didn't disappoint! I don't want to give too much away, but yes, I am aware that this is a ZK romance. Have hope.