This was written in honor of Sporky's birthday. Tada. (Also has accompanying fanart made by the talented Irrel. Check it out.) XD

Kites

by Kawaiilyn

His gluing skills needed help. His sticks were a bit wobbly. And his pasted fabrics and silks (silk was all that he could find) were loose and heavy. Nonetheless, his uncle assured him it would fly brilliantly in the breezy skies of the sea while they sailed to the Earth Kingdom. His uncle was going to visit the king the Ba Sing Sei to negotiate a truce. His father didn't want him to, but uncle preferred it this way. Silly uncle, he always likes doing things the nice way.

Her gluing skills needed help. Her sticks were firm but knotty. Her fabrics were ragged and torn (scraps from the men's tunics were all that she could find), along with being flimsy and weak. Nonetheless, her mom assured her it would fly brilliantly in the breezy skies of the sea while they sailed down to the South Pole. Her mom, and other Watertribe members, were all returning home after visiting some relatives in the North Pole, she felt it proper to bring Katara and Sokka. Her Gran-Gran didn't want her to, but mom preferred it this way. Silly mommy, she always likes doing things the different way.

He let loose his kite when the ship found calmer waters. He couldn't do it at first. But uncle helped teach him. Throwing his kite in the air for him, young Zuko's innocent face smiled with blissful surprise as his unfamiliar hands taught themselves how to fly a kite for the first time. His red and gold dragon flew and circled about in the clear blue skies, matching flight patterns with nearby gulls.

She let loose her kite when the tiny boat found calmer waters. The men in the other boats needed to collect their bearings while the women began fishing. She couldn't do it at first. But mom helped teach her. Throwing her kite in the air for her, young Katara's innocent face smiled with unrestrained joy as her amateur hands taught themselves how to fly a kite for the first time. Her black and white chubby penguin flew and circled about in the clear blue skies, matching flight patterns with nearby pelicans.

He wasn't sure how much slack he let his kite have, but it was barely visibly now and the winds were beginning to pick up. It was flying erratically out of his control, and its flight patterns involved unhealthy dips and swoons in the gusty sea sky as the waves themselves began knocking against the Fire Nation ship. Holding tightly to the railing, he held on to his precious kite.

She wasn't sure how much slack she let her kite have, but it just broke off. It wisped away, the gusty winds taking farther to the east. She followed it with her eyes, and immediately grabbed an emergency driftwood (it never sinks!) and leapt into the comfortably temperatured waters, easily swimming with a speed familiar only to that of the skillful Watertribe as her eyes held on to her precious kite.

He was pulling his kite in! Finally he figured it out. Pulling it in, it seemed a bit heavier than before. Perhaps it's because it's fighting against the wind...

Or perhaps it has something to do with that peculiar black and white thing completely entangled in his precious kite...the abomination! Wait till he gets his hands on that ugly, disgusting, malformed, pathetic excuse of a creature (what is that anyway?) that was ruining his precious kite.

What is that disgusting red thing in the sky? It's got her cute penguin completely adhered in every which way to that...that...thing! Just wait till she got her hands on that demeaning, showy, eye-sore of a creature (looks like a dragon) that was ruining her precious kite.

Pulling in his kite, he saw up close the...abomination. It was a fowl-like creature of some sort...must be of lower class, definitely near the extinction list. How else could he have not recognized it? He was a prince! His tutors knew all! Thusly, he knew all. If only he could get this thing off his kite...

A ship? Why didn't she notice it before? Turning back towards her tribe's boats, she realized that the rocky formations in the water hid the ship from the boats' sights. She really didn't care that much. She just wanted her kite that—IS SOMEONE TOUCHING HER PRECIOUS KITE?

"Who are you?" asked the boy as he pulled the mysterious girl onto his ship from the rope he threw down.

"You have my kite! Give it back!" she pointed out quickly.

"You can't tell me what to do! Don't you know who I am? I'm the pr--"

"I don't care if you're the Avatar (lie) or if you're the prince of a foreign nation, I just came all the way out here to get my kite back. I just made it."

He wasn't used to being told what to do, or being interrupted. He didn't like her. Not. One. Bit.

"No. It's mine now. Finders keepers. Besides, it's onmy better-made kite. It's officially my property now."

"What?"

"Are you lower-classes poorand hard-of-hearing? Ha!"

She pulls at her kite, freeing it out of his kite.

"Hey! Let go!"

"No! It's mine!"

"It's mine now!"

"No, it's still mine!"

"Let go!"

"Stop telling me what to do!"

"I wouldn't if you weren't so mean!"

"Well I'd give it back to you if you weren't so bossy!"

Pffffttt.

"Look what you did to my precious kite!" they cried in unison.

---

She had the task of gluing, (they were both bad at it), and he cut out new fabric for their kites. She fixed and pasted new sticks. He provided much smoother and sturdier ones. Their precious kites were soon fixed and mended, a splash of blue on the red dragon, and a bit of red on the penguin, but nonetheless, much improved from before. The girl smiled a cheeky grin to him as she admired their finished work. Unused to such behavior, he stiffly returned it. They're kites were perfect.

The two enjoyed flying their kites until the darkening sky warned the girl of her worrying mother.

"What was your name again?" she asked before she set out to leave.

"Pr—uh—Zuzu." he lied, unsure why. "Yours was...?"

"Tara," she said, giving him the nickname only close relatives were allowed to use. She clung her kite close to her as she prepared to dive fearlessly into the water, readying to swim her way back.

"Wait! Are you gonna swim all the way home?"

"...No...just to my boat."

"...Oh...um, well, it's dangerous now. Come this way."

The prince shared for the second time in his young life, loaning his rowboat, and volunteering to row it for her.

---

"Katara! Where have you been?" Admonished her mother.

"I went to get my kite. It broke off."

"Please don't do that again, we could've always made another."

"...but I like this one." spoken more to herself than to her mother. She hugged her precious kite tighter to herself.

"Where did that blue fabric on your kite come from?" asked his uncle with a ... smirk?

"It ripped in the sky. We made it too weak. I just found some lying around uncle."

"I see. Are you sick, nephew? You're cheeks are awfully red."

"Nephew?"

"I'm fine, uncle." he said while walking towards the railing of the ship, looking off in the distance. He touched his cheek self-consciously. His first kiss was at the age of 6 with a girl from the ocean named Tara. She was the rudest and most obnoxious girl he ever met (scratch that, my sister still holds that title); she liked doing things the nice way.

Her first kiss was at the age of 4 with a boy from a ship named Zuzu. He was the...weirdest and oddest boy she had ever met (scratch that, my brother still holds that title); he liked doing things the different way.

Meeting each other a decade later, her tied to a tree, him her captor, neither recognized the other to be their childhood crushes.

That Katara girl, she's the rudest and most obnoxious girl he ever met (scratch that, my sister still holds that title); she liked doing things the hard way.

That Prince Zuko guy, he's the weirdest and oddest (possibly meanest?) boy she had ever met (scratch that, my brother still holds that title); he liked doing things that got in her way.

She reminded me of a girl that I once knew...

He reminded me of a boy that I once knew...