A/N. And… kataango. Enjoy. I am rather proud of this chapter. And the next one…
I don't own Avatar the Last Airbener
It had been surprisingly easy to convince Sokka. And Toph, for that matter, but Katara suspected that the blind girl actually lived for drama and parties. But her brother had been a surprise. At first, he had been against it, but the moment Toph had said there would be booze, dancing and girls, he had given in, acting as if it really hurt to do so. But Katara knew better. They had never had such a party, and he was curious what it would be like.
Aang, on the other hand, seemed to know exactly what this was about. He had promised he would arrange for the students to come to the cave, for a secret dance party. And knowing the airbender, he would be more than capable of convincing the others. If he wanted, he could be quite charming and convincing.
And she had seen that yesterday evening, when he had proposed this idea to her. The gleam in his eyes, and the directness… It was something so foreign to her, at least coming from him that Katara was curious what was causing this change in his attitude. But she didn't really care. After three weeks of pain, despair and sadness… The idea of having a party was too attractive…
So, now they were tidying up the cave. It was vital that the students wouldn't think they actually lived there, so all their bags, supplies and so on were moved to Appa's saddle, and it was her task to convince the bison the hide in a deeper cave.
"Come on Appa, I know you hate the darkness… But we'll find you a good spot, maybe even one with another entrance!" She caressed the bison's furry cheek, and he followed her quite easily, even though he was bellowing softly all the way to tunnel at the deepest part of the cave. As they walked through the tunnel, Momo came flying and settled on one of Appa's horns. Yeah, it would be better if the lemur hid as well. He would probably cause problems…
Katara found a cave with a large crack, through which you could see the ocean and the sky. Turning to the bison, who had plastered his large head against the crack, she smiled.
"You like this one?"
Appa grumbled, and Katara left him there. It was quite a good spot, not too difficult to find, and away from prying eyes. And Toph would probably close of the tunnel with earthbending, so to avoid students accidentally meeting the bison. As she walked back, the waterbender tried not to smile. She had heard enough about parties from the women of the tribe to know why people would try to sneak off after a while.
Katara reemerged from the tunnels in time to see Toph raise a large slab of rock, flattening it and making a small staircase.
"Why are you doing that?" She asked.
"When my parents had parties at home, there would always be a dais for the musicians… So that drunk people could touch them and interrupt the music. And I suspect, and hope, that it will be needed!" Toph laughed, clearly enjoying the idea of having a real party for once.
The earthbender turned and flattened a large area of the cave.
"And that, that is the dance floor." She explained.
The dance floor… Would these people even know how to dance? Aang had made it clear that all fun and self-expression had been squeezed out of these people… And he had also made it clear that that was something he couldn't accept. The Fire Nation had been a centre of learning and culture, and to see it so different… It broke his heart. So, this dance party was his way of making something right in a world that wasn't his own anymore.
"Hey people!" A joyous shout came from the entrance of the cave, and Aang stood there, with two large bags. Spirits, what was he planning?
"I brought some party essentials!" the airbender grinned when she made her way to him to help him with the bags.
"And those are?" She asked, not quite sure what he understood to be party-essential when she opened the first bag, and seeing only candles.
"Lights, drinks and food, of course!" Aang still grinned from ear to ear, opening the second bag and showing several snacks and bottles. Seriously? Had Aang bought… alcohol? Katara had never seen him drink at receptions. She had always thought he did not drink. Well, this was an interesting thing. She was learning more about Aang than she would have suspected.
"Seems like you've done this before." She smiled.
"The shop selling these things hasn't even changed! Apparently, the grandson of the man I knew there is running it now! And Kuzon and I used to go there for party things!" Aang explained, not even trying to hide the wide smile plastered on his face.
Katara understood. He had done this many times before and had loved to do it. And she could understand the appeal. For someone like Aang, who lived to make people feel good and happy, organizing a party would be the best thing to do.
She began to put the candles in darker corners of the caves and lightning them. As she was doing that, Toph came to stand next to her.
"You do know why he is doing this, don't you?" the girl asked, while grabbing a few candles and handing them to her.
"To make the students see that there is more to life than Fire Nation propaganda?" Katara knew that that was not it. She took the candled that were handed to her and lit several before putting them down in a small crack in the cave wall.
"Hah! Yeah, of course!" Toph cackled and walked away immediately. Katara thought she saw the earthbender make a rather obscene gesture with her hand and mouth, but she opted to ignore it. Putting the last pair of candles at the entrance of the cave, the waterbender turned around, and saw that the cave looked… Well, magical. There were no other words.
The shimmering lights of the candles gave the walls of the cave depths and shadows that Katara would never have seen otherwise, and Toph had clearly been busy while the waterbender had talked to Katara. Large round flattened stumps could act as tables, and there were even rocky stools. And in the middle of it all stood Aang…
Aang who looked nothing like he usually did. He was always running around, looking at something or making a joke. But now, he stood still as a statue, smiling at nothing. And Katara could feel her heart flutter… For the first time in weeks… This. This is why she had wanted two months of privacy of travelling around again. To feel the relaxed and wonderful feeling again. With him this time, and not dancing around each other…
"If you can take your eyes off stepson dear, they are coming." Sokka grinned next to her, nodding at a large group of people on the shuffling towards their hidden bay.
Spirits, they looked awkward. It seemed no one knew exactly what they were doing, and were nervous. Katara saw several of the students look over their shoulder, to be sure they weren't followed. It looked like they had never been outside actually. Or had walked on a beach, for several people who stood where the waves hit the sand were clearly not happy about having wet feet.
"Ah! Here!" Aang shouted suddenly from her left, waving and grinning. Quite comically, the whole group turned their heads at once. Now that they were coming closer, Katara saw how the six people at the front of the group were carrying instruments with them.
As they filled past them, Katara could see the individual faces more clearly. At the front, there were only young men, all around their own age, who looked at Aang like he was a hero. And then came the group of girls. And in this case, she liked the looks much less.
It was clear that the airbender had become some sort of local hero to the young people, standing up to authority, something that these people didn't do naturally. But the looks the girls were giving him… Well, that was much les enjoyable.
The group, with the On Ji at the front, were clearly giggling and casting 'Kuzon' gazes that left little to the imagination. And even though she didn't like it, Katara could understand. A handsome stranger, walking in their lives and changing it, all for the better… Well, it sounded a bit too familiar. But she didn't like it one bit. Even if Aang seemed not to notice, greeting people enthusiastically.
"And this is… Sapphire, my stepmother's sister!" He turned to her and grinned. Katara didn't miss the fact he hadn't presented Sokka or Toph. Only her. And when she looked over her shoulder to the group of girls, she saw that several were eyeing her with suspicion. She waved politely at the students, before turning to the cave and entering it.
Six boys had gone up the dais and were tuning their instruments. She saw one with a drum, quite similar as the one they had used back at home for ceremonies or parties. It had been the only instrument in the tribe, so Katara was curious how it would work with others. She realized she had been at only two parties during their travels. One had been their welcome feast on the North Pole, which had seemed not so different from events at home, only grander. The other was the Earth King's part, and they hadn't really been invited.
The students stood awkwardly in two groups, the boys at the right side of the cave, and the girls on the left. The first tunes came from the dais, and Katara closed her eyes, letting the music wash over her. It sounded nice, and easy and good. As if the air filled with happiness and chased off the gloomy thoughts in her head. The thoughts that had been there since Ba Sing Se…
"Why are they just standing there?" Toph muttered next to her. It was a good question. Katara herself had not moved, but she could feel the urge to tap her foot on the ground, and to sway her head left to right at the rhythm of the music. But the Fire Nationals hadn't moved. Hadn't spoken. Just stood there.
"And now, what do we do?" One of the young men, a rather stocky one, spoke up.
"Now you dance and let yourself be free!" Aang laughed aloud, and Katara saw how he bowed, arms spread widely, and the crowd. Spirits, if he hadn't been the Avatar, he should have been a performer. He was mixing just enough of his invented persona into his own lifestyle to make it believable, and to act as nothing worried him in the whole world, except the fact that they should dance.
But they didn't move.
"I don't think my family would accept me, dancing in a cave…" one of the boys spoke. This one seemed younger and looked like he was ready to throw up because of his nerves.
"Yeah, what if someone finds out?" The girl, On Ji asked. But Katara saw the look in the girl's eyes. Only having eyes for Aang…
"And so what? Let the people know that you have a form of self-expression! That is only yours, and that no one can take away from you!" The words had been very carefully chosen, but Katara saw the hidden meaning behind them.
Please, let this be something inside of you that the Fire Lord can't ever take away from you. I've already lost so much, please don't add another thing.
"It may be different in the colonies Kuzon, but here, we don't do that…" The portly man spoke up again. And for the first time that night, the waterbender saw a flash of irritation in Aang's grey eyes.
"Don't you dare! The Fire Nation has danced for centuries! And not Ozai, or anyone, can take that away!"
That was probably close to blasphemy for these people. And from the corner of her eye, Katara saw her brother shake his head as discreetly as possible at Aang.
"Well, no matter! It happens I know some Fire Nation dances!"
Wait, what?
But even before Katara could process that information, he was already demonstrating… And for some reason, she was lost for words. Aang was bent his knees and began to dance in fast circles, arms outstretched behind him. Well… That was different… But maybe not the thing to actually motivate these people to do the same?
But to her surprise, they began to look intently at Aang, as if it was the first time they had seen someone move in such a way. It probably was… And Katara also kept her eye on the airbender. He knew these moves and dances… It looked like he had done them a thousand times.
"And this was the Camelephant strut." He laughed and grinned. Aang straightened his legs and began to slowly put one foot across the other, and as the music began to play faster, as did he. At one moment, Katara could not even see his feet, so fast he was moving them. They didn't even touch the ground from where she was watching this. She knew he wasn't airbending… This was dancing for him.
At one moment, Aang suddenly did a somersault and landed just a few inches from two girls, flashing a smile and dancing away. Well… That was just peachy. Not unnecessary at all…
"Jealous?" Toph snickered beside her.
"Haha."
"Oh, you are! Spirits! Well, they may have a little crush on Kuzon… But his heart is not giving off the same vibes at all, don't worry! Who knew our Twinkletoes could dance?" The blind girl punched her shoulder.
Rubbing the skin where she had been hit, Katara thought about it. Aang, dancing across the edge of the saddle… The way the moves of waterbending had come so naturally to him… She could have known.
Apparently, Aang's acrobatics had not only had some effect on Katara. She saw how the group with the male students was murmuring, and casting glances at the airbender that were clearly admiration. She saw what they wanted. They wanted to be able to that, to charm a person with the flick of their wrist.
Katara moved a bit towards the group of girls. It was maybe not the best idea, but she was curious what they were saying about Kuzon. And as she arrived in earshot, she realized just how bad her idea had been.
"He is dreamy…" One said.
"Agni, he really is so handsome…" Another spoke, blushing from head to toes.
"Someone needs to do him, and share." Spirits, they even had their own Toph, crude jokes and brash way of speaking…
Katara couldn't see what was happening, but all the sudden, the girls were shushing the others, and trying very hard not to look at the dance floor. Looking over the group heads, the waterbender understood why. Aang was dancing towards them.
And… he took On Ji's hand, pulling her to the dance floor. Oh… That little…
"This is how they dance in the ballrooms of Ba Sing Se!"
She knew that one. Katara had seen it during the Earth King's party. It was a group dance, not one of two people. She exhaled slowly. The slow elegant movements were not at all meant to be something more than friendly dancing, as the Earth Kingdom strictly forbid this kind of socializing in upper classes. Toph had explained once that dancing was not at all seen as something to be enjoyed in Ba Sing Se. Well… At least, there was that.
But the giggling from the girls next to her made it clear that they did not see it the same way. How could they? They didn't know these details. They just saw a young man dancing with a girl. And On Ji was enjoying herself, she could see that… The flustered girl was smiling at Aang, and she even winked once! Or, at least, it looked like she was winking!
Katara gritted her teeth, walking back to where Toph was sitting. There were several bottles in front of her, and she was apparently trying to decide what to drink.
"Ah, Sweetness! Please help! Which one has the most effect?" The blind girl gestured to the bottles.
"Why? Planning on getting drunk as soon as possible?" Katara could only agree with that. Maybe some of these bottles could help her drown that jealousy she didn't want to feel.
"They are looking good together on the dancefloor!" Her brother spoke from beside them. He was leaning against of the cave walls, and tapping his foot.
Yeah, stomp a little harder on my feelings…
"Eh. If that's what you like." She grumbled, but not hard enough for Sokka to hear. But Toph did.
"Ah, Sweetness, still jealous? That girl is maybe soaking her bindings at this moment, but as I said. Aang does not at all. He is just enjoying himself, and for him, it would be the same if he danced with a man or a woman."
Yeah… Air Nomads didn't care about that. But she knew. If an airbender gave his heart, he did it to one person, and only that one. And he had…
Katara nodded, and pulled one of the bottles closer.
"This one. It won't make you drunk but you'll feel it." She explained, and the earthbender happily uncorked it, grinning. The waterbender had chosen that one, because dealing with a sober Toph was already difficult enough. She didn't want to imagine what a drunk one could do.
There were now several other people dancing. Awkwardly, but dancing! Suddenly, Aang dropped off that On Ji girl besides them, grabbed her brother and pulled him to the dancefloor.
"Hey! I don't know the first thing about-"
"Oh, shut up and move already!" Aang interrupted him and laughed merrily as he nearly threw Sokka into the fray.
Katara laughed as she saw how her brother moved as elegantly as an otter penguin. That was the Aang she knew. The one that saw a joke in everything, that loved teasing his friends in a friendly manner. That was the Aang she loved…
"He is quite nice…" The Fire Nation girl sat down next to her, looking with wide eyes as Toph chugged a swig from the bottle.
"He is." It was not the girl's fault that she had a crush on Aang. Everyone seemed to have one on the airbender.
"Is he… seeing someone?" It sounded very, very, shy. And Katara didn't know what to answer to that. It would be too forward to say he was with her, because they had still not discussed that little subject. And to say he was not, that would give the girl hope, and also be a lie…
"He is!" Toph answered in her stead quite firmly, surprising the waterbender.
"Oh… I guessed. That kind of man is always taken. And certainly, one such as Kuzon." On Ji sighed, clearly disappointed.
"He told us you did have a boyfriend…" Katara said hesitantly.
"Hah, Hide surely? No. My parents, his parents, and he, think of him as my boyfriend. But not me." The Fire Nation girl answered with the same bitterness as Katara had heard before.
Yue.
"Oh… Yeah, he had also mentioned that… Sorry about that." And she was. It was despicable. On Ji nodded, as she pulled one of the bottles towards her. Well, there was one that was going to drown her sorrows…
The Fire Nation was not so different from the Water Tribes, Katara realized. Here, one part of the population wanted to control the other. But instead of the male population trying to force their rules on the female part, here… Well, here it was about power. The powerful stayed that way by forcing their rules on the powerless… It was horrible… But maybe, just maybe, they could change that here. Even if it was just for a bit.
"Why won't you go back to the dancefloor? I'm sure there are other nice boys in the group, no?" She spoke quietly to the girl next to her, while grabbing the bottle and putting it back with the others.
"There are… Maybe you are right."
"I am. Go on." Katara smiled as On Ji stood up and nearly ran back. It was good to see that these people were not only the soldiers and murders she had seen until now. There were also nice people, with very real problems.
And as she watched, her eyes locked with Aang's. And she felt the same fluttering in her heart as she had done before… the corners of her mouth moved up without even thinking about it, as she saw how Aang smiled at her.
"Oh spirits, here it comes." Toph groaned. But it sounded as if she was acting. It didn't seem to annoy her, not really at least.
Aang moved to them and held out his hand, a confident smile and a twinkle in his eyes.
"Aang… I don't know…" She couldn't dance. The last time she had danced was with her grandmother!
"Take my hand." Even his voice sounded different. As if it was coated in honey.
And she took it. Why not? Everyone else was having fun. Why shouldn't she?
He pulled her to the middle of the dance floor, walking backwards, and keeping his eyes on her. For the first time, she saw a kind of hunger in his eyes. No, that was false. She had seen it once before. That time in the barn. Spirits, he was looking at her like he had done that night.
He wanted her.
"All this Tara… All this is for you." He whispered. That name… The name he had only used twice. The drum was beating faster and faster, and there were other instruments, but she didn't care. The world was dissolving around her, and there was only one thing that mattered.
"You remember what Pakku said about waterbending? That it was dancing with your element… Feel it and move as it moves… flow like it flows…Just do the same… Follow my lead." He whispered in her ear, before releasing her hand. He bowed in front of her, and she couldn't help but laugh aloud, as she did the same.
The drum and strings sounded in her ear, as they began to circle around each other. He kept his wrist touching her, as he changed the direction several times, not taking his eyes off her. His normally grey eyes looked very dark in this cave, with the glimmer of the candles reflecting in them…
After the third or four times that they changed direction, Katara saw from the corner of her eye how most people had stopped dancing, and were now gaping at them, as if they had never seen this.
They had not.
"Aang… Everyone is watching." She whispered, so that they couldn't hear her.
"Don't worry about them… It is just you, and me." Those words made not only her heart flutter… But she felt the familiar pang in her stomach. Only they mattered now. All those weeks of worry were forgotten, all the problems they faced in the future. Now, it was just her, Aang and this moment in the cave.
And his look said more than words could ever do. In those dark grey eyes, she saw one simple truth.
I love you.
She felt her face redden while looking into his gaze. He had never aknowlegded it so clearly in front of people. She knew he had told Toph and Sokka about some things, as she had done. But this was another matter. For the first time, he did that for the world to see.
And she didn't care. She saw the teasing way he smiled at her, as if to say are you ready to show these people what dancing looks like?
She was.
Katara recognized the first move. It was a kind of waterbending kata. But as soon as they did that, it changed, and it became slightly fiery, and as he moved away from her, doing a cartwheel in front of her, she saw the daring grin.
Can you do that?
She did the same and grinned back.
Yes, I can, show me what you got!
He came back towards her, grazing his fingers against her waist. Katara didn't know what was more teasing. That small touch or the smile on the airbender's face. Now it was her turn to move away from him, and she threw a look over her shoulder, with an eyebrow raised.
My turn, can you do this?
Katara jumped, spun, and landed on one foot, immediately jumping up again, turning and landing on the other foot. Aang laughed, and it was the only sound she heard except the music. That crystal clear sound of pure happiness.
Oh yes, I can.
He did the same, gracefully and easily, landing in front of her, with his face mere inches away from hers. Under normal circumstances, the waterbender knew they would have blushed, appearing so at ease with each other in public. But that shyness was forgotten…
The smile he had on his face was not only teasing now… No, it had something else. She couldn't place it, but she smiled back at him, and she felt he saw the same emotion on her face. Love? No, this was different. So different, it was stronger than that.
The music changed to become even faster, and Aang pulled his arms around her waist. Feeling the contact, Katara laughed, aloud and loudly. Spirits it was good to feel his arms around her. As they turned, she could hear him laugh too. He released her waist and grabbed her hands, making them turn while holding hands.
She pulled him towards her, then back again, and to her once more. The moment he came near her face, he whispered.
"You are the greatest person in this room Tara. In the whole world."
She felt a blush make her way to her cheeks. She put a hand to his shoulder, shoving him playfully away. Aang laughed, once again, and the drums gave a roll that sounded like the beginning of the end. She didn't want it to end…
Aang caught her hand again and pulled her towards him. Their chests touched ever so barely, but Katara felt the pang in her stomach flame up. He spun her around so that she fell in his arms. Katara felt wonderful, with Aang looking down on her. They were both breathing heavily, making her think back to the last time they had been out of breath like this… In the barn…
The confident gaze was gone, just for a moment, replaced by a gaze she knew too well.
Tell me, please, tell me what you think. I'm dying to know what you think. To know I am not imagining things.
And Katara finally whispered those words that she had been dying to say.
"Aang… my Aang… I love you…"
And at that moment, before either one of them could say something else, she heard a voice. A voice she had heard the day before…
"He's the one we want! The boy with the headband!"
The Headmaster!
Answers :
CoyoteLemon : Oh homework indeed… Maybe we'll even get to see the popquizz…
Bay45220 : That, is something we will see… Very soon?
Rak : Yeah, even if she knows he is loyal to a fault, that doesn't make it easier on her. And Casanova Aang is not yet gone after this chapter!
Gabriela N. Gonzalez : Yeah, that has to be rough, and so awkward lol! And Sokka will have much to challenge about all this… Later. The end, that was just for fun, she has no clue!