"Think fast, air boy!"
Aang had practically forgotten about the handful of minutes that passed near the water tennis courts by himself, minutes that seemed like hours... all because of a delicate voice that he caught from a fair distance. He'd been meditating in the grass, waiting for her, and his senses were so clear his eyes didn't even need to open to know where Katara's water whip was coming from.
He frowned in his sitting position, feeling the Earth beneath him tremble by the waterbender's rushing footsteps as she tried to surprise him from his far left. Aang smiled as his mind grabbed hold of the incoming water whip aimed toward his ear... and immediately he jumped in all of his airbending mastery.
"Whoa!"
Katara beamed, almost tripping on the grass as she stopped in awe of the young boy suspended in the air, holding his smile and keeping his eyes closed.
The fact that she'd shown up late to her own lesson seemed so far in the past. Still in the air, Aang finally opened his eyes with a devilish smirk to greet Katara. Those sapphire eyes that sparkled from below mesmerized him... he almost forgot how to speak.
And Katara put her hands together and lowered into a formal bow, while the boy descended back towards the ground. Her hairloops moved against Aang's manipulative wind, feeling a brush of ease as she paid her respect to the Avatar-in-Training. Seeing Katara grin at the corners of her mouth almost made him want to leap over and kiss her... but the boy knew better. Spirits were great experts at the serendipity between young hearts, and he constantly prayed to them, for the smallest hint that Katara would eventually seal her feelings to him with soft, beautiful lips.
Funny... how a human form that eclipsed hundreds of Avatar Spirits could still feel so helpless over one simple wish.
But Aang still gazed at her serenely, at the way she smiled and paid her respect to a young powerful boy. He remembered why he was working so hard in the first place.
"I guess this means you're happy?" Aang asked innocently, finally landing back to the ground with graceful toes.
"Are you kidding?" Katara's grin widened, and she threw her arms over to hug him tightly. "Aang, I'm so proud of you! Those reflexes are getting better and better with each lesson. Azula has no idea who she's dealing with now..."
Her musical voice kept going as she held Aang, and the boy was just glad that she wasn't an Earthbender, by the alarming rate of his beating heart.
"Uh... Katara, I think you're choking– me--?" Aang managed within the waterbender girl's grasp and vengeful monologue about the Fire Nation princess.
"Oh!" she blushed and quickly let him go, bashfully. "Sorry... I'm... I'm really sorry that I kept you waiting, too."
"It's alright," Aang twirled a mini-discus from his hand and playfully sent it over to Katara's wavy, charcoal brown hair. "The meditating really helps clear my senses; I didn't even notice you were late."
Katara smiled, summoning a glob of water from the moat around the Water-Tennis court to commence her lesson. With her graceful hands, and a concentrated frowning of the head, she split the suspended glob into two and brought one over to Aang's frame.
"Okay, so at least you know how to dodge something quick, like the water-whip... but I think it's time you learned how to re-direct the same attack to your opponent. Azula does her attacks with a one-way mentality – according to Zuko, that's how most FireBenders think."
"Right, I remember," Aang smiled, somehow not feeling so much offended that Zuko was being brought up again. This was for educational purposes after all. "He said that Fire is the 'fast' element; it's energy can be really strong, but it's only quick enough for single blows."
"Yep," Katara let the water dangle between her hands as if by an invisible string, "which is why Firebenders usually expect their attacks to be dodged. But as a Waterbender, you need to be double-minded. What does that mean?"
She gave her little pupil a quizzical look with her solid blue eyes, and Aang almost choked by his nervous tongue. The answer came to him immediately. "You gotta be flexible during the whole fight... and be ready to dodge and return an attack to the other person!"
Aang could feel a shimmer come across his silver eyes, now that it all seemed to click with that little glob of water suspended by his hands. Maybe that's why Katara seemed so passionate (and lethal) inside that tennis court. She had to be ready for anything.
"Good job!" Katara said cheerfully and raised a hand to extend her water glob like a lengthy rope, and the boy watched carefully and followed suit, extending his glob almost as thin as his fingers. "You're getting better... but try not to make it too thin! You want to always keep the whip good and strong."
"Gotcha." Aang flattened the glob to start over, thinning his eyes as he concentrated for his second try. Before long, the two friends had two successful water whips suspended between their arms, and Katara moved a few paces away from Aang to give them some practicing distance.
"Okay, now do you remember the proper water-whip shielding movement?" Katara raised her voice a little as she started stepping away from the boy. "I'm going to try and send this whip over to you, and I want you to receive that water into your own whip and keep it in the air. Got it?"
"Y-yeah..." Aang tried to stay focused without feeling his fingers shake nervously. In spite of her kind nature, that girl had an exceptionally quick arm with the whip...
Before he could even finish his thought, Katara lassoed a hand over her head and sent the water-whip cutting through the air, aiming it towards Aang's floating whip. He bit his lip tightly, pulling back one of his palms steadily... just as the whip hit his own. It was like the entire rope of water shook in front of his frame, naturally by the nervous wreck that Aang had been in! But as he saw Katara's smile, the boy knew he had done something right.
"Aang, you did it!" the girl clapped, while the boy still shook nervously by the reflex. His insides felt so warm by the sound of Katara's voice, though.
"Thanks," he replied, tightening his hands to make the shield a bit more sturdy. "I think it's a little weak, though.
"Don't worry! You held onto the attacking water and shielded it... that's the important part. Now the next step is to return that water just as quickly as you received it."
Aang raised a brow. "What? You mean right now?"
"No, silly. We gotta work on your reflexes a little bit more!" Katara giggled, amused how Aang would expect her to jump into the mastery lessons so quickly. "Okay, send the shield over to me like a whip, and I'll keep you on your toes."
And the two friends braced themselves along the grass near the tennis courts, letting their sunny afternoon be composed with a few globs of water, passing around them in controllable fashion.
"Well of course I think he's a nutcase, Longshot!"
The scrawny red-head grimaced, rubbing one of her temples and stabbing her pencil onto her open Social Studies book as she tried to let every word of the text sink in. It didn't help that this was the only comfortable study place in the entire White Lotus orphanage, where right at the bottom of the stairwell, dozens of noisy kids were lined up at the cafeteria to await a delicious dinner of chicken and dumplings.
Longshot was seated just a step above her on the staircase, trying to write down his daily journal entry for Cultural Enrichment, every now and then looking to see if the line was getting any smaller. He could already hear his stomach grumbling! As he made his silent conversation to Smellerbee's, he let one of his hands carefully massage her shoulder, as if to tell her to quit worrying so much.
She lifted her head to meet the boy in a lop-sided glance, and as usual, Longshot didn't respond to her in words. He just stared at her, condescendingly... surprised that after three full hours, the presence of Mai at the White Lotus was still overtaking Smellerbee's system.
"What'd you expect?" the girl continued in her husky childish voice, throwing a hand in the air. "One thing was letting her hang out in our Oak Tree, but inviting her here? Shotters, this is humiliating! She's probably gonna go tell her Fire princess friend what it's like to be in the poor house with us."
Longshot sighed, still massaging her shoulder in the gentlest way he could. It didn't stop the girl from continuing her complaints, as she could see Mai frantically trying to cut up enough vegetables for an oversized pot far down in the kitchen.
"Look at her… she's picking at the water chestnuts like they're made of poison or something..."
Her dark brown eyes squinted back to the kitchen, narrowing to take a better look at the discomfort of Mai's features. She seemed very well-skilled with the knife in her hand, taking it to the vegetables like a work of art... but her pale face looked nervous, wincing every time a piece of dumpling dough would accidentally fly at her side. She and Jet were surrounded by that long table of raw vegetables and children leaning over to watch them work, as if fascinated by their cooking.
"It's that same strategy of his, Longshot," Smellerbee muttered in disgust, unable to find a way back to her studious reading. "He's smiling, watching her make a fool out of herself… Don't you remember how he kept leading that Water girl on? She thought she was gonna be his date for the Year-End dance last year. God, she shoulda taken a number..."
Longshot planted a firm grip on his friend's shoulder, pausing the massage and silently asking her to be careful with the bickering. He knew Smellerbee didn't always mean what she'd say about people, but this was concerning Jet... and a weakness he was still struggling to break free of. Smellerbee didn't have a right to put him down like that.
"I'm know... I'm sorry..." the girl just slouched, stopping herself from continuing to comment on Jet's charismatic nature. "But I don't like how he's being so close with Miss Sharpy here. She's… she's just not right for him."
And Longshot made a small sound, like a wince under his breath. It made the girl raise a brow, wondering why his massaging hand had suddenly gone limp. She turned her body over to see him... and one glance at a rare, familiar sad face just made Smellerbee's eyes widen. No way. How could his mind suddenly go back to that ridiculous reasoning?
"JEALOUS!?" Smellerbee snorted, shaking her head in complete amusement and ridicule, burying her head with her hands. "Oh come on, Longshot… seriously. Ugh. That's ancient history."
The boy just gazed down at her quietly, feeling a certain weight leave his shoulders in relief, and he blinked in a sigh. Longshot kept listening to Smellerbee's husky voice, even as it was buried by her hands.
"I'm just saying that idiot needs to focus on his dances, or else he's gonna miss out on some really good scouting in Ba Sing Se. He's so close to graduating, Longshot! If he doesn't get that certificate and leave, he's just gonna stay at White Lotus forever, like… like it's his punishment or something."
Slowly, Longshot brought his hand to touch Smellerbee's closest ear, lifting her head back up with one little ticklish rub... and feeling himself smile back down. She playfully studied his eyes, reading what his face was asking her about Jet.
"Well, yeah I'm gonna miss him -- he's our lead dancer; nobody can replace him. He's the reason I got Runner-Up in Street Fest last year," Smellerbee grinned, but then her eyes turned elsewhere to spare an awkward feeling that hung over their heads. "But… but he's better than all this. He deserves to get outta here. And that freaky girl's just gonna make things harder for him."
"I think he knows what he's doing," Longshot's soft, pleasant voice finally came into existence.
Smellerbee laughed, her eyeshadow overtaking the narrowing of her brown eyes, and the tall lanky boy couldn't help but chuckle. She leaned her head tiredly to one of his sitting knees, as they both turned on the stairwell to see the crowded kitchen full of children. Slowly, Longshot's hand moved to caress Smellerbee's arm warmly, and the girl giggled.
"You're so damn easy to talk to, Shotters," she muttered sweetly in her husky voice.
And Longshot gave a warm, very rare smile to his best friend... feeling his heartbeat quicken as Smellerbee gently caught his hand with her own, and laced their fingers together.
Some things were best left unsaid.
"Mister, who are we kidding here? I was just telling her what I felt."
Toph crossed her dirty feet up on the sofa chair across from the guidance counselor, slouching and into more relaxed sitting position as she chatted with her favorite faculty member.
The two of them held ceramic, handle-less cups of tea, and while Toph sipped hers comfortably without a care in the world, Mr. Iroh was the one who sighed, moving his cup slightly to stir the water within it. He stared at the little girl assertively, well aware that she would never meet his eyes under that messy hair… but pretending that he could read her thoughts.
"Toph, I understand that you do not always agree with Ms. Wu's teachings," the old man started to console with his worn, accented voice, "but that is no excuse for disrupting her class today. She thinks that the simplest parts of everyday culture are to be appreciated, and whether you like it or not, you need to keep those negative comments to yourself."
"But it's not just me," the little girl blew a few of her hair strands out of her face, "Everybody feels that way about that stupid class. And it's like Ms. Wu doesn't care. She just wants us to pay attention to her… or to that pathetic little lady who comes in every Friday."
"Spare me from the name-calling today, Toph. Please," Iroh finally set his cup down softly on his desk to compose himself, placing a hand on his gray beard to think. She just sat there, warming her little hands by the tea cup she held.
The quietness of the room now seemed to overwhelm the man, with the sunlight from his window now luring some brightness to his summer watercolor paintings on the walls, and the Pai Sho board on his desk that looked so tempting to play. Iroh's aged copper eyes just stared at the little Earthbender, almost sadly, clearly knowing that she couldn't appreciate the colors and beauty of certain things that others could easily see. But Toph sipped the tea in miniscule droplets, like she always did… patiently waiting to hear the voice of a man she had grown so accustomed to listening to.
Mr. Iroh took another long breath, and picked up his tea again.
"Now, I want to tell you a story, because I've known you since you were this small…" his voice dramatically flew to an octave higher, giving Toph a rare reason to laugh slightly, "and because you sometimes try to make things difficult just for the fun of it. Do you mind if I share it with you?"
"Shoot," was her reply, taking another sip of tea. Mr. Iroh was quite the storyteller... and it was one thing she liked about these meetings with the old guy.
"There was once a young, very privileged girl from the Earth Kingdom capital, who one day decided that she no longer wanted to live by the rules of her society, and she ran off."
Toph snorted under her messy hair, rolling her glassy green eyes. "Do I know this girl?"
Mr. Iroh smiled and took a sip of his tea.
"No, actually. Her name was Jun… and she is going to be my daughter in-law soon."
"Wait, hold on," Toph flinched and gripped her teacup tightly, "You're saying that this carefree, trouble-making girl… is gonna marry Lu Ten!?"
"Heh, you're jumping ahead, little one," Iroh replied amusingly with his laughter, resting his teacup on his belly. "Of course, I can never speak for my son, but I believe he saw something in that troublesome girl that nobody else did. She had a strong, adventurous spirit that was greater than the walls of our kingdom, and it drove him to understand more of the world he was not seeing. To be the future Fire Lord no longer seemed like a burden for him, because he saw great opportunities in it… and Jun? She sometimes forgets about the rules, and the way people are supposed to act, but she learned that she couldn't be troublesome forever… because she could never find peace within herself."
Toph made a slouching sound under her breath, her fingers slowly playing with the lukewarm tea in her cup.
"So you see?" Iroh's voice broke the silence again. "I am not saying that you should change who you are, little one… but it's not right to disrespect others and keep a closed mind to what they believe. If you let yourself be open to new ideas, it might help you see things differently."
The girl just breathed, her eyes keeping themselves still towards the ground.
"Yeah, whatever..." Toph muttered quietly, but with a tiny smile beneath her dark hair. "So how did those two end up together, anyway?"
Mr. Iroh couldn't help but make a hearty laugh at that question, almost putting a flush of pink in his cheeks. He wondered if he should tell the whole story to this twelve-year-old girl, but brushed that concern off with one look of her frank little face. It mesmerized him, how in a single look she could read people as if she were a grown-up herself.
He smiled, and told the short version.
"It was the single day that I decided to go to a second-hand tavern with Lu Ten, to drink and reminisce about all you crazy children… and I suppose I had too much, because I made the mistake of flirting with the wrong girl."
Toph almost spilled her tea on her lap, gaping over at the man. "You were hitting on Jun?"
"Try being a widow for twenty years. Sometimes, grown-ups do stupid things!" Iroh slouched in in amusing shame, smiling as he put lukewarm tea back on the desk. "Anyway, she was just about to clobber me, but my son came to the rescue... and the two of them, well… they hit it off."
There was a sparkle of happiness that appeared in Iroh's eyes, which he slightly felt sad that Toph could not see.
"Wow," was all that the little girl said, frankly, pushing a bit more of her messy hair away with her fingers. "So how do you feel about her being Miss Fire Lady at some point?"
Iroh winced easily, but laughed in deep thought about those first memories.
"It took me a long time to accept Jun as a member of our family, but Lu Ten was very persistent with me. He loved her so much, and I could see that he made the right decision. Jun has been such a blessing for my son, and I always thank the Spirits that they found each other."
A bit of blush fell onto Toph's cheeks as she grinned, thinking about the cheesiness of romance. She didn't say a word, but Iroh knew exactly who the little girl was thinking about, and decided to play a daring card with his next question. He couldn't resist!
"How are things going with that boy genius of yours?"
She blinked, and slouched even more into the sofa, feeling her cheeks flush with more color as an image of Teo crossed her mind.
"Meh. They're fine," she muttered, with an embarrassing smile. "He's all busy, designing these crazy flying machines for whoever wants to learn to be an airbender next week. And he didn't tell me he was making a flying wheelchair for himself… until he took me into the air after football practice yesterday! God, it scared the CRAP out of me!"
The guidance counselor just sat, feeling his stomach shake from the hearty chuckling he made. Oh, what the man wouldn't give to have those fun-loving young years again.
"Keep him on a short leash, little one," Mr. Iroh advised. "And if you let him… he'll change your life, too."
"Yeah yeah yeah…" Toph just said mockingly, her blush still intact. It wasn't long before the two of them just laughed away the awkwardness of that conversation. The school gong was heard overhead, marking the end of the day and for Toph to get ready for her Earthbending practice.
"Maybe I should kick myself out of Ms. Wu's class more often," Toph commented as she got off the sofa sloppily, grinning at Iroh's general direction. "I miss talking to you, dude!"
"Well I miss having a good night's rest, but do I complain?" Iroh said, chuckling as he opened the door for the girl to leave. "Less trouble with Ms. Wu from now on. Yes?"
"Alrighty," was her goodbye as she quickly hugged the silly old guidance counselor, taking her leave and high-fiving one of the twin secretaries soon after.
And the gray-bearded future Fire Lord looked on as the little Earthbender scurried out of the attendance office towards the flowing crowd of students, shaking his head with disbelief… not regretting this job he'd voluntarily chosen to do for Praying Mantis High.
--
"They're almost finished, On Ji, don't worry. It's just taken me forever to find the correct measurements again... and cutting the sphere perfectly in half is extremely important. I don't want you to get injured again!"
Mr. Mechanist scampered around in his laboratory like a child searching frantically for his favorite toy, wearing an apron and these think leather gloves and digging into shelves of gadgets that encompassed his small classroom. On Ji had just entered the classroom quietly, and didn't even have time to say 'hello' before the man immediately recognized her and set off on wild-goose chase to search for measuring tape.
"It's alright, Mr. Mechanist! I'm not in that much of a hurry for new air-skates, really."
"Don't be silly, dear," the man with the elongated beard squinted his eyes as he flipped through some large pages of an old, unknown book... wondering if he'd used the measuring tape for a bookmark. "I know how much you loved those things, and I swear I'll have a new set ready for you by next week."
On Ji laughed, seeing that familiar restlessness pass through one of the most scientifically-driven people she had ever met. His son Teo had been no different, inheriting his father's genius and curiosity for the unknown... always designing and inventing remarkable contraptions for the classroom.
When Mr. Mechanist had proposed his scientific lesson plans to the newly-established Praying Mantis faculty years ago, it wasn't hard to say they were skeptical over letting this man's teachings reach the ears of students... benders and non-benders alike. It had been long assumed that the kids matriculating in Praying Mantis would only appreciate the ancient, traditional crafts of their world... centered of course, around the four elements of Bending. Vice Principal Zhao despised that scientist, hearing him speak about odd mathematics, inventions and ridiculous machinery that would encourage the students to look beyond their original means of problem-solving.
Praying Mantis High was not intended to be a school for new arts, but as Avatar Roku realized the knowledge and the passion behind Mr. Mechanist's teachings, the wise man could not help but give his curriculums a chance. Perhaps it would benefit the Non-benders... motivating them to pursue success without feeling deprived of an element.
The school had been designed for diversity, after all.
And so when the proposal was approved, the faculty asked if Mr. Mechanist would manage with a small, regular classroom... but he kindly said no. Instead, in the span of an entire summer... he and his son designed and built a two-story Victorian-looking house that wasn't far off from the main Gothic foundation. There, he placed his classroom, and he and his son lived and studied the new arts, inventing little gadgets to keep their house running without any need for Bending. With Mr. Mechanist came the annual science fair, the scholastic trivial competition, among the many little projects he'd delightfully assign to his students in class. There always seemed to be a little elbow grease on the man.
"No really, Mr. Mechanist, I wasn't coming here to ask about the air-skates," On Ji attempted again, seeing as the man wasn't slowing down in his search. "I just wanted to know if I passed last week's quiz about Noeton's Laws."
The man paused half-way in his rummaging, looking at the young girl oddly through a thick pair of round glasses, and just gave an amusing laugh, shutting his eyes foolishly.
"Newton's Laws, dear On Ji," he laughed, finally taking his hands out of a messy shelf of gadgets to walk over to his paper-coated desk. "One of the craziest inventors of scientific theory the new world has had to deal with. He's among my favorites!"
Taking his gloves off, Mr. Mechanist adjusted his spectacles and started looking for On Ji's name among the papers. Shyly, the girl approached the desk, too curious to stay waiting at the door... and the man successfully pulled out a slightly crumpled paper from the bunch.
"Ah ha!" the teacher exclaimed happily, taking the pencil off from his ear to re-read all of her answers as a form of habit. After a few quiet seconds, he nodded over to On Ji positively. "You missed three questions; that's good for a solid B."
"Really?" On Ji smiled, astonished at the result of a quiz she thought she'd done dreadfully in.
"Yep. Aang and Teo were tied for a perfect score, but if you keep studying I'm sure their little brain cells won't stand a chance against you!" Mr. Mechanist teased.
"Thank you, sir. Have a great weekend!" the little airbender just giggled embarrassingly, holding her books tightly to her frame. She looked around and made a few steps back as if to leave, but seeing the boxes of books and contraptions lying on the ground. The man was naturally untidy with all of his equipment... but the unusual number of boxes made On Ji develop another question in her mind.
"Mr. Mechanist," she turned back around to acknowledge her teacher, with concerned and confused eyes. "Are... are you leaving?"
He raised a brow, but then winced over an the great pile of things in his room, and immediately understood. "Oh! Oh no, no, dear On Ji. I'm not going anywhere! Teo and I are just rebuilding our house. It's been seven years since I designed it... and after that beam fell on Teo's legs last summer, I knew I had to make this place more stable for us to live in. So I came up with a new house design, and I'll be tearing this one down very soon. I'll be using one of the school's classrooms to teach in the meantime."
"Oh, I see," On Ji said, still overlooking the piles of equipment on the ground. "Did you need any help moving things out?"
Mr. Mechanist laughed. "Ah, that won't be necessary, On Ji, but thank you. I have it all taken care of... Princess Azula said that she and her friends would be more than willing to help me move out... and she insisted to hire a professional to tear down the house."
On Ji's eyes widened, practically to the point of drying out.
"A... professional?" She repeated slowly, trying hard not to look panicked, as much as her heart was beating rapidly.
"Yes!" Mr. Mechanist soon began taking some books down from his shelves, placing them neatly into a fresh cardboard box. "He goes by the name of Combustion Man. Quite catchy, don't you think?"
She felt her heartbeats almost hitting against the book that was held close to her frame, and On Ji bravely set a calm, convincing smile on her face. Her backward steps were almost shaking as she tried to find her way to the door.
"Y–yes...um... well have a... a good weekend, Mr. Mechanist."
And with a fairly odd glance from the teacher, On Ji took off without another word.
"Fair Oma, I do believe we are at a threshold within these woods, at the base of the highest mountain between our villages. Can you sense the sulfurous roaring beneath the stillness of our feet?"
They were now juggling two globs of water, slowly exchanging them in mid-air between the two of them, and Aang smiled, seeing Katara's sapphire eyes blink from his lines. It was his way of inviting her to take the challenge and practice something else at the same time
"Why yes, dear Shu." Katara replied in a slight giggle, holding her head high to prevent a blushing of the cheeks as she remembered her line fully. "I thought it was the beating thunder of my heart, to be quite frank, holding you as close as I am."
"Haha!" the boy laughed sweetly, returning the water gracefully in the circle as he felt the words defy the actual distance between him and Katara at the moment. "I would no sooner agree to those lovely words, my dear Kat– I mean, Oma!... but I sense that a certain creature lurks within this mountain. A creature known for its mythological wisdom to the Earth."
Katara made a playful gasp and leaves her mouth agape, by which Aang immediately laughed over, his hands shaking the suspended water. The girl just shook her head in disbelief, closing her mouth into a smirk once again.
"Surely you are not referring to the infamous Toph-Monster?" Katara couldn't resist.
And that did it for Aang. He couldn't hold it any longer, with the water immediately falling in a splash to the ground, craning his stomach over as he started to crack up. The lovely waterbender soon followed with a giggle, calling a break from the lesson.
"We should totally say that during a rehearsal... just to see the look on Haru's face!" Aang said between breaths, bringing a hand to his laughing stomach. He could just imagine a giant badger-mole wearing Toph's woolen green headband, stomping into the little theater stage.
"Aw, I was just kidding!" Katara said in a humble voice between her giggles, bringing strands of her hair away from her face. "God... can you believe the show's just a little over a month away? I still can't remember all the dance moves, this whole class presidential stuff is getting hectic… and Sokka just won't shut up about protecting the Water Tribes."
"Yeah, I heard about what they did to the cafeteria food yesterday," Aang muttered, trying to Bend the water back up from the ground into a small glob once again. He attempted to make it look so much easier than it really was, furrowing his eyebrows, feeling sweat almost trickle down his neck from the concentration.
"Careful with the grass; Coach Hama'll have a fit if she sees a dry patch anywhere," Katara managed to say as she lent the boy a hand. "Anyway, about the lunch… not too many students got food poisoning, thank goodness."
"But they sabotaged the Water Tribe food!" Aang unfortunately had to hear it from Kuzon, who'd gone home sick immediately after finishing his bowl of Sea Prune Stew. Not to say that the name itself made Aang's stomach twist into knots, but still… kids went home that day. "Wasn't it supposed to bring cultural awareness into the school?"
"Yes," Katara frowned, demonstrating to Aang how to move a water shield over his head, "and just as Azula wanted, the plan backfired. But we don't have any way of proving that she did it! We just have to move on and focus on the plan."
"There's gotta be a way to stop her," the boy couldn't let go of the fact that he was causing so much unnecessary harm. "She can't just keep threatening people into voting for her like that… making them sick and scared about cultural diversity."
"Aang, we are trying to stop her," Katara assured to him through her thinning eyes, holding the water shield in front of her. "At least until Principal Roku returns from his travels as the Avatar, you can set a good example. It's what we decided on at the campaign meeting, remember? You can prove that unity is the best message at Praying Mantis High… and that all the elements share a sense of goodness."
Katara winced, almost forgetting that she was holding a giant water shield over her frame, and quickly held it before the water would splash away towards the ground.
"The best thing we can do is survive, and be ready for the next thing that Azula and her friends throw at us. Ty Lee was actually dumb enough to try the sea prunes yesterday, too, so Azula has one less henchman to worry about."
"But Hide… he's back on campus, isn't he?"
"True, but all the teachers are on his back about homework and quizzes he's missed. I don't think he'll be giving us much trouble now. Mr. Iroh seems to be watching his every move, too. Our job is now to watch out for Azula."
Aang blinked, staring involuntarily over the forest, where an image of On Ji air-skating happily suddenly crossed his mind. It was difficult enough letting her fend for herself, but Aang was determined to trust her that whole week, never pressing on the fact that Hide had returned to school. Her scar had become practically invisible beneath her red headband.
So many of these students were putting their lives on the line for a mission they believed in, and Aang couldn't help but feel guilty about it.
Why did he always think that certain problems had simple resolutions? Things at the Southern Air Temple seemed to fix themselves overnight… but this, asking for cultural diversity and acceptance in a school… had somehow sent a ton of rocks flying over the airbender's head. Neither Avatar Roku, nor Monk Gyatso, nor anyone had warned this young boy about the dangers he might face as the Avatar, and in a way, Aang felt betrayed by it. The system that Avatar Roku was trying to create was no longer in his control… or perhaps it wasn't in the control he had expected it to be.
And Aang couldn't bear to see his classmates - people he had barely even gotten to know - put their lives on the line for a visiting child. Sometimes he wondered if going back home was the best option, in spite of Gyasto's constant advice otherwise.
But I can't…Aang thought…I can't run away like that. I'm not gonna drop out of Omashu, I'm not gonna let the airbenders down… and I'm not gonna turn my back on Katara's mission. It's going to work. It's a great one. She needs me.
It was at that point when Aang turned to look at Katara in his regular, newfound gaze, with the blue and white outfit she was sporting suddenly seeming to take a life of its own against the calm breeze. For a moment, it was like she was the only girl in the entire school... the only person Aang had gotten to know. And that broken, worried smile she made towards the ground just overshadowed every other thought in the boy's mind.
"Are you okay?" he asked, watching as Katara's blue eyes flinched to meet his. "I don't think I've ever met someone who worries as much as you do."
Katara raised a brow, and Aang turned fully for her attention, explaining himself further.
"At the Temple, they used to tell us that worrying makes the easiest jobs seem like longer, impossible obstacles... and you slowly begin to doubt whether or not you can accomplish them."
"I understand that, but... there's just so much going on with me." Katara sighed, but still holding her shield professionally. "I can't help but think about the election, and the play, and oh God, Mr. Jeong Jeong's poetry exam next week!"
"Katara, calm down!" Aang bravely said, not caring that his suspended glob of water had hit the ground. "Seriously, how does anyone in this school have time to breathe? It's like you're always supposed to be working for something better, trying to prove yourself to someone. All the time."
"Aang, what are you talking about--"
"Be honest," the boy just looked at her curiously, with such a keen eye. "Do you remember the last time you ever did something for yourself? Where you didn't worry about how other people were seeing you?"
Katara frowned suddenly, dangerously, and her water shield started to undulate weakly. Apparently the boy had hit a very sensitive part of her mind. She almost didn't seem to breathe as she shrewdly began to say her answer.
"Waterbending has been my life, Aang, you understand?" Katara's thinning eyes started to glimmer, "Ever since that first day, when I realized I could make ripples in the water without touching it, that's all I ever wanted to master… and nothing… nothing was more important to me after that."
Aang nodded, almost frightened by the seriousness in Katara's voice. It was so low and buried with little sobs that hung in the back of her throat... just waiting to be released.
"My mom believed in me the most, but she always told me that if I wanted to be a true WaterBender... my abilities had to come from here."
Katara did not hesitate to point a finger harshly at her chest. Her heart.
"And I never understood what she meant by that. I just wanted to be the best, and for every water-tennis match, I worked and practiced so much. She hardly ever said 'good job' or 'you did so well'... I just remember the same comment. 'Remember to bend with your heart, sweety. Don't forget who you are.' I didn't listen, Aang... and I got so angry with her."
Aang could practically feel her bitterness seep out like invisible threads from the shaking of her lips. He didn't need to ask for a further explanation, because it all showed in the vulnerability of her speech... Aang could see how a misunderstanding between mother and daughter had brought them both to emotional ruin.
"I was selfish." Katara spat out her explanation as if she were criticizing herself in front of a mirror. "God, I even remember how viciously Sokka and I fought... how he yelled at me… saying I was acting like some spoiled brat with this bending, but I didn't care. Aang, I stopped caring about everyone except me, and I didn't listen to my mom anymore!"
Water was swelling up in her eyes, but Katara was too focused on her story to let it stream down her cheeks. Her breaths were so stiffled and angry that Aang was almost terrified of looking at her in the eye. The last few words came in pieces, bringing almost sobs along with them.
"I don't even remember her telling me she was dying," her furrowing eyebrows trembled. "She needed me, and... and I didn't listen..."
She didn't cry, but the tears fell freely down her delicate dark face. Aang wanted to approach her... to tell her that she didn't need to explain anything else if she didn't want to. He just wanted to embrace her with all of his forgiving nature... but Aang knew she was too fragile, and dangerous to barely even meet her eyes.
"I stopped doing things for myself, Aang. Coach Hama kept asking me to play for the school team, so I did... and I try to control my competitive side... but I don't plan to put my own needs over others again."
The boy felt himself breathe, letting his gray eyes slowly build up the courage to see Katara at a certain level of understanding, without feeling she was going to devour him.
"Katara, I know you feel you should make it up to your mom, but this isn't healthy. You're giving up all of your energy to others, and you think you're a failure if you don't do things perfectly."
"So what?" her eyes escaped towards the ground, holding herself as steadily as she could.
"So you'll never find peace that way!"
The girl shook her head slowly, feeling like the voice of Zuko was also telling her the same exact thing in her mind. Aang crossed his arms, bringing himself closer to the reluctant waterbender's stance, and he furrowed his eyebrows at the next question he asked curiously.
"Tell me something. What're you gonna do if Azula does win the election?"
"That's not going to happen, Aang," she snapped, not taking her eyes from the ground.
"I'm not saying it will, but just think about it. Please!"
Aang kept approaching her, cautiously, seeing as her face was becoming more of a distorted frown, and she crossed her arms. His voice was almost trembling, but he kept the questions coming.
"Are you gonna start taking revenge on everyone who voted for her, just because they didn't agree with your mission?"
"Aang..."
"Tell me!"
"NO!" Katara threw that syllable almost violently towards the young boy she had to tighten her stomach to recognize, finally looking back to him. She composed herself, saying "No, I won't hurt anyone. But I'll be angry with myself."
"Why?" The boy felt his cheeks flush, frustrated and confused as to why he couldn't get through to her. "If you fought the good fight, and did it for what you and many other people believed in... wouldn't that be enough to help you move on?"
"Aang, you don't understand."
"No, Katara, YOU don't understand!" He heard himself say, and even as his heart skipped a few beats, the flustered words kept leaving his mouth. "You have no idea how beautiful and amazing you are, and you're killing yourself over something that's supposed to be good for the whole school. People are helping you, and you still feel like it's never gonna be enough! YOU'RE A KID! STOP WORRYING AND HAVE SOME GOD-DAMNED FUN!"
He felt the echoing in his young voice, the volume it ascended to, and Aang wasn't sure if he had involuntary driven himself into the Avatar State. He felt the grass beneath his feet, and the trembling of his fingers that were slowly numbing at his side. All he could hear was his breathing... intensely... looking over at the same girl with non-blinking eyes.
And the girl just stood there, flabbergasted by the words that came out from that young, once very-calm airbender. She almost thought she saw steam coming out from the boy's blue arrow atop his bald head, and it practically forgot that she'd been arguing and shedding tears just moments ago.
The boy's mind was still registering the fact that he'd cursed the name of the First Spirit for the very first time in his life. No excuse would come from that, not even from being at a foreign school. Quite the remarkable occasion, doing it in front of the one girl he cared about more than anything...
Wait a second, he thought. Did I call her 'BEAUTIFUL'!?
Suddenly all the blood drained from his head, and Aang immediately felt dizzy, shifting his eyes from one ear of Katara's to the other. He couldn't feel his legs. It was like a great amount of weight had invisibly taken shape in his chest... bringing him down...
"Aang!"
The waterbender swiftly ran over to his staggering side, just barely making it before he fell to his knees. She could hear herself still sniffling from the previous commotion, but she didn't care... the boy was still conscious under her eyes, and by a simple palm to the forehead, she breathed in relief that it wasn't a fever.
"Aang, are you with me?" Her eyes shifted sadly down to him, her mind calculating how much time it would take to get him to Nurse Yugoda.
"I... I'm..." the boy's eyes were lidded heavily, full of sudden exhaustion. He looked up at the girl -- as if through a dream -- and he couldn't help but smile goofily towards her worried eyes. "I'm with you. I'll always be with you, Katara. I... I love you."
She didn't even feel her eyes blink, what with his slightly-hallucinating voice and that ridiculous grin on his face. But Katara heard him... and all she could do was gaze down at the boy who'd been brave enough to face her darker side.
Katara smiled back at Aang with teary eyes, then, like she'd known him for years. How could such feelings happen in a matter of moments? A rush of peace filtering through her body as she breathed a sigh of relief?
Did he really mean what he said?
Her mind swam in that question ridiculously, watching as this young boy closed his eyes just as serenely for an unannounced rest, the girl's cheeks flushed with color by the release of so many torn feelings from long ago, and blushing from the revelation of thoughts that probably were intended to be kept secret.
As Aang closed his eyes, resting under the arms of his forever girl... all he could feel was the softness of a hand that caressed his cheek, and the familiar lips that delicately kissed his blue arrow into sweet dreams.
A/N - A thousand apologies, fellow readers. Work has been taking over my life, not to mention my newly-discovered love for BLEACH (seriously, if Rukia and Ichigo don't get married, I might just shoot a small animal). But I'm NOT giving up on this amazing Avatar story... it's only going to get better! Thanks to all of your constant reviews. My goal is to make it to 30 solid chapters, but no one's counting! --MM
