A burst of lightning crackled powerfully. A face flashed in a blood red backdrop, screaming innocents succumbing to searing arms, carrying them away to a place where pain didn't exist. A woman screamed. I turned.Katara fell back, back, arching gracefully as a fireball engulfed her. "NO!" I screamed. I ran towards her,dodging fire and hurtling over wreckage, but she was so far-
"Aang, what's with you?" Sokka stood over me, nudging me with the toe of his boot."You're usually first up. You're lagging behing a lot, and-..."
As Sokka continued to rant, I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, groaning. I'd had the dream again. And I knew all too well what they said about dreams you have more than once..
"...and I don't know what you're groaning about, because if you would use your nose you would smell that I caught a rabbit-squirrel, and Katara ismaking it specially for me, Mister I'm-lovestruck-so-I-think-I'll-go-jump-off- a waterfall, and-"
I raised my hand, ignoring Sokka's blatant run on sentences. "Please, Sokka.." I croaked, "Headache." Sokka stopped, pulling me up by the arm. I slowly picked up my shirt, dropping it carelessly over my head. "Water." I said rudimentarily. Sokka rolled his eyes, opening the tent flap to fetch water for Mister I'm-lovestruck-so-I-think-I'll-go-jump-off- a-waterfall. I sighed, dragging myself out of our tent, shoes forgotten. Rubbing my head, I willed the splitting headache away.
Only then did I notice Katara, her eyes sagging, her hair disheveled, her tunic crumpled. "Aang!" she exclaimed, her voice laced with sleep, "I'm so glad you're a-a-awake.." She turned her eyes back to the sizzling meat, stifling another yawn. "Katara.." I said softly. "What happened?" Katara was always perfectly fresh in the morning, optimistic and ready to go. "Oh.."she said, blushing. "You were having another bad dream, so I-I-I stayed awake with you."
I looked at her concernedly. "Katara, you need sleep."
"I can get it on Appa."
"What if we have to stop?"
"Then I'll wake up."
"Katara, you're being stubborn. You need to rest. "
She looked at me angrily.
"Who's going to teach me to master waterbending?" I asked slyly.
She slumped. "Fine. After Sokka eats." She gasped. "Oh, Aang! I forgot. You must be starving!"
"It's just not how I feel right now.."
"I never meant to hurt you."
"I-I don't know how to say this..I don't feel the same way..I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry."
I smiled sadly. "No, not really."
Sokka returned, water sloshed all over his shirt, but no water in my canteen. "Sokka," I said. "Where's the water?"
Sokka glanced at me darkly, mumbling about 'dumb fish'. He sat down roughly. "Is it ready yet?" He whined.
Katara looked at him sardonically. "Of course, Prince Sokka."
She took the meat right off of the stone she was using to cook it and plopped it in Sokka's lap.
"Hope it's to your liking."
She stomped over to Appa, readying us to leave, and I stifled a laugh. Sokka looked at me dangerously, stuffing the still cooking food into his mouth. "AAAAIIIEEEE!"
Neither Katara or I could supress our laughs now, what with Sokka running around camp like some sort of headless chicken. I laughed again, weakly, clutching my ribs. I bent down to gather up our things, ignoring the tightness in my chest.
Sokka gulped, franticallyforcing the hot meat down his throat.He straightened up.Acting as if nothing had happened, he strode smugly to the tent, starting to take it down; only to have it collapse on top of his head. I laughed again, the pain distant in comparison to the humor. "Aang. Shoes." Sokka said, throwing them at my head.I pulled them on wordlessly.
"C'mon, Cro-Magnon boy! And you too, Aang. We need to go!" Katara yelled.
I smiled, slinging my things carefully over my back. Sokka joined me,carying a rather badly packed tent. It would probably spring from its bindings in midair, at which point I would have to jump into the air and save it, -..Actaully, there was no way I was Airbending like this. Whoam I fooling? No one..my conscience said smugly. You had to listen to Sokka and make a fool of yourself didn't you? Who do you think you are? No one likes you. Not even Kat-. I took a deep breath and climbed onto Appa.
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Luckily, Katara had taken the initiative to re-pack the problem tent andtie it next to her own. Luckily, we had gone for four hours without encountering anything hostile. Unluckily, Katara still remained alien, speaking to me only when absolutely necessary, unfortunantely taking my advice and taking a nap. I sighed audibly. Sokka left sharpening his boomerang and plopped down next to me. Appa protested at his force. "So, Aang.." Sokka breathed through closed teeth. "Katara still ignoring you?"
I nodded miserably.
"Well, "
I groaned, remembering the effect his last bit of advice had had.
"Fine!" he said, looking affronted. "I just wanted to help!"
I wiped my forehead. That took care of Sokka.
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"Katara?" I said tentativly. She looked up.
"Yeah?"
"D-do..you think it would be okay to start waterbending again?"
She hopped up, her reinvigorating nap easily apparent.
"Sure."
The walk to the nearest creek was silent, except for the crackling of dry leaves underfoot. We stopped about forty feet from the banks. "Um. Katara?" I asked. "Aren't we going any closer?"
She sighed. "I need to say something to you, Aang. I love you too, but not how you'd like. I love you like Sokka, a brother. I just want to know that this waterbending won't be a bad idea."
I shrugged. "Like what? I know how you feel now. I just want to learn to waterbend so I can defeat Lord Ozai. Then we can go our seperate ways. If you don't want to teach me, I'll find someone else."
Katara sighed again. She caught my shoulder and steered me towards the creek.
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"No, Aang, you have to keep your feet square. If you don't, you'll always leave one side of your body prone to attack."
I nodded, complying. I laughed inwardly at her teacherly manner. I almost wanted to call her 'ma'am.'
"I-I don't know how to say this..I don't feel the same way..I'm sorry." If I could just show her how I felt...
I shook my head. I had promised Katara. This had to work, because I had to learn Waterbending.
"Are you okay, Aang?" she said cautiously.
"Mm-hmm." I mumbled. "Let's try that stance again."
She nodded, smiling at me for the first time in..too long.. I pushed the thoughts from my head, concentrating on the task at hand.
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The walk back to camp was a little less uncomfortable than the walk from it. Katara laughed, telling me stories about her life in the Southern Water Tribe.
"...and Ryoto and Sokka were at each other's throats all the time!" she laughed again, tears leaking from her eyes. I wanted to just laugh with her, like the old times...I fought the overwhelming urge to brush the tears away from her face, even tears of joy.. Katara saw the look on my face and pursed her lips.
"What are you thinking about, Aang?" she asked.
"Oh." I said, caught by surprise. "Just worrying that Sokka will have burned the camp down." I laughed, and so did Katara. Only I knew that my laugh had been fake. But why was I being so sour? Why couldn't I just enjoy Katara's company? What right did I have to like her so?
I actually listened to the rest of Katara's stories the rest of the way back. Maybe it was best to just be..me.
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Ugh..Lame-o chapter.. Sorry, I'm in the midst of a writer's block...Did anyone get my allusion to the fishslap when Sokka went to get the water? XD