Disclaimer: All rights belong to Nickelodeon, Bryan Konietzko, Michael Dante DiMartino, and all the men and women that created the A:TLA show, books, and comics. I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made. The lyrics are from the song "Oceans" by Seafret
Rating: General Audiences. Warning: some scenes contain dark themes and minor violence
Author's Note: I went to the ocean today and honestly I'd kill to have water powers. Or even to just live on the beach, falling asleep to the sound of the waves. It's so peaceful.
Chapter 5: The Painted Lady
It feels like there's oceans
Between me and you once again
We hide our emotions
Under the surface and tryin' to pretend
But it feels like there's oceans
Between you and me
Zuko is already up when Katara wakes. He's already dressed and is sitting on a rock, a packed bag at his side. Katara frowns when she sees that.
"What's going on?" she asks, looking between him and the bag. She hears a noise and turns to see Aang hauling supplies off of Appa's saddle.
"I'm leaving," Zuko says. Katara feels her heart stop. She stands frozen for a moment, unable to breathe.
"You're...leaving?" she finally manages to spit out. "But you just got here."
"I can't figure out what's wrong with my firebending, but there's one person who can help me." He stands and picks up his bag. "I'm going to find my uncle."
Katara understands why he has to go to Iroh. Iroh is the wisest person she's ever met. If there's someone who knows how to fix Zuko's bending, it's him.
Still, a part of her can't help but think that she's the reason he's leaving. She hurt him, pushed him away. It's all her fault. If she had only found a healthy outlet for her anger and pain instead of taking it all out on him, maybe he wouldn't be leaving.
"I'll come with you," she says, grasping at straws. She apologized, but it obviously wasn't enough. She just got him back; she doesn't want to lose him again. What if something happens and he doesn't come back? Even though things are awkward between them, it doesn't mean she wants him to leave. She can't lose him again. Especially not without fully making up after yesterday.
"I have to do this alone, Katara. It's not just about the bending. I need to apologize to him. After all he's done for me, it's the least I can do. I'll beg for his forgiveness. But he hates me, I know it. After all the love and support he gave me, I still betrayed him."
"He doesn't," Katara insists. "I saw him, you know. In Ba Sing Se. I told him that you made the right decision. He was so proud of you. He told me he always knew you'd do the right thing."
Zuko stares at the ground.
"You're sorry for what you did, right?"
"More sorry than I've been about anything in my entire life. Except for what I did to you."
She swallows hard. "Then he's forgiven you. Like I forgave you."
"I still have to go," he finally says.
Katara watches as he walks over to Appa and slings his bag up on the saddle. He exchanges a few words with Aang. Aang then looks over towards her. Katara isn't sure how to feel. Why is Aang helping him? Why does he have to leave so soon? Why is she losing him again before really getting him back?
"Wait!" she cries, running over. Aang steps away to give them some space. Zuko turns to give her his full attention.
Before she realizes what she's doing, she reaches into her pocket and pulls out her mother's necklace. She lets it hang in the space between them before taking Zuko's hand and placing it in his palm. "I want you to have that," she says, trying to talk around the lump in her throat.
He stares at her for a long minute. "I can't take this," he says. "This belonged to your mother."
"It was a betrothal necklace carved for my grandmother," she says, speaking quickly. "But my grandmother left the man who made it for her because she wanted to start a new life somewhere else. She always wore it, though, because she never stopped loving him. When she grew old she passed it onto my mother, and eventually I received it. I went on a journey and discovered the man who had made it. Even after all those years he still loved my grandmother, and the sight of it was enough to convince him to go searching for her again."
Zuko continues to stare at her. "Why are you telling me this?" he finally asks.
"This necklace has a history of bringing people back together again." She closes his fingers over it. "I want you to have it so that we'll be able to find each other again."
She sees confusion flash over his eyes. She knows she's being hard to understand right now - one day attacking him, the next giving him her most prized possession. She herself doesn't know what's going on exactly, but she knows that all her anger towards Zuko is gone. It all came out yesterday in one ugly show, but it's gone for good. Now she has a lot of empty space inside, and she's ready to fill it with something else. Right now it's filling with sadness.
She can't lie and say that she'll miss him. He hasn't been around her again long enough for her to miss him. But she knows that she's worried about him and that she doesn't want him to go.
"I'll come back," Zuko says. "I promise."
She reaches up and wraps her arms around him, holding him tightly. She wants him to know that she doesn't want him to go, that she's sorry for what she did to him and that she really does want him to stay. She doesn't want him to leave because of her. She can accept him leaving because of needing to see Iroh; but if the reason is because of her, even just a tiny bit, then she can't live with that.
When she steps back, Zuko climbs up on Appa. She steps back farther as they take off. She watches until they're just a tiny, quickly fading spot in the horizon.
Sokka chooses then to emerge from his tent, stretching his arms out and yawning loudly. He looks over and sees Katara.
"What's up? And hey, where's Appa?"
Katara walks slowly back to the middle of camp and sits down on the same rock Zuko had been sitting on earlier. "Zuko left."
Sokka whips his head up. "He left?"
"He has to fix his bending." She reaches down and digs through a food bag. She's not hungry, but she needs something to do so that she doesn't have to look him in the eyes. "He took Appa."
"And Aang is okay with that?"
Aang walks back then, taking a seat between the two of them. "Appa seems to like him. And it's a really important mission." His voice is oddly neutral.
"Are you okay, Katara?" Sokka asks.
She's so sick of everyone asking if she's okay. How is she supposed to answer? If she says she's not, then everyone will worry about her. If she says she is, then she'd be lying and they wouldn't believe her anyway. And anyway, when is any of them ever okay? They're just kids on the run from the most powerful empire in the world. Even without the extra drama, nothing about their situation screams okay.
"Let's do something today," she says instead of answering.
"Like what?" Aang asks.
"I don't care. Something. Anything."
As soon as Appa breaches the clouds and levels off, Zuko drops the reins and puts his head in his hands. He can't quite wrap his head around what's going on with Katara.
The first day he was back she seemed glad to see him. They even went off on their own and talked a bit. She didn't get mad at him, even when he admitted that he lied about Mai. He knew there would be some remaining feelings that would leave a distance between them, and he was okay with that. That was the consequence of his actions.
But then yesterday she'd gone crazy, as if somehow all her dormant rage had suddenly been activated. He let her beat up on him because he knew he deserved it - once again, the consequences of his actions. He wasn't completely sold on her calm reaction the night before, especially because he's seen the more violent side of her. So although it was sudden, it wasn't entirely surprising.
It's what happened between then and now that he's confused on. Not only had she apologized - even though she didn't have to - she had also seemed quite regretful. She'd cried as if she was the one at fault, not him, and fallen into his arms again. After she recovered, she'd told him she wanted to start her firebending lessons, acting as if nothing had happened - as if the slate is completely blank. He'd tried to demonstrate a move and that's when they learned that he couldn't summon fire anymore.
And then this morning. Zuko had quickly come to two conclusions over the night, one being that Iroh is the best person so ask and the second being that Katara would be glad for some space. But not only had she seemed reluctant to let him go, she had also given him her most prized possession. He knows how much she values her necklace. She told him the meaning behind it on the ship months ago and then the entire story earlier today. He knows how tightly she guards it and holds it close. She would never give it away unless she really meant it.
But why to him? After all he's done to her, she somehow forgives him? Really forgives him, not just empty words.
And he might be reading between the lines too much, but does she maybe - somehow - still have feelings for him? Why else would she give him a necklace and explain that it's a betrothal necklace and has a history of bringing people back together again?
Zuko has never lost his feelings for her. It's why he felt so guilty even when he had everything he had dreamed of for years. It's why he sacrificed his freedom and risked his life so that she could escape. But he never expected her to retain hers, not after what he did to her.
Maybe it was just the shock of seeing him after so much time. Maybe that's why she was so calm the first night. She was just relieved that he was alive - after all, you can hate someone and not wish them to be dead, especially if they have important skills that you need - and it wasn't until the next day that she really remembered what he did. And Katara is such a good person that of course she'd feel bad about hurting him, even if he did deserve it. That's why she felt bad. She didn't want him to leave because it's risky to travel anywhere the Fire Nation is, and she needs him to teach her firebending.
None of that explains why she gave him the necklace, though.
Zuko sighs and tries to clear his mind. He needs to focus on his mission: finding Uncle Iroh. He needs to beg his uncle for forgiveness after betraying him so cruelly, and if Iroh accepts him back, then he'll ask about his firebending. And maybe even about the situation with Katara, if Zuko feels confident enough.
One step at a time. Zuko needs to find his uncle. And maybe rehearse what he's going to say on the way.
"I think this river is polluted." Aang steps back from the riverbank, one foot in the air. Brown sludge drips off his toes.
"You think?" Sokka asks. "I can't catch a fish around here, and most of the time my fishing skills are -" he pauses for dramatic effect, and they all know a really bad joke is coming - "off the hook!"
He holds up a mud covered fishing hook. Toph raises an eyebrow. "Too bad your skills aren't on the hook," she replies, and they all laugh a bit. Sokka scowls.
"Aang's right, though," Suki says. "There's nothing that can survive in this river. If we want to eat tonight, we're going to have to find a village."
"It's too late to turn back," Toph points out. At Katara's request, the boys had planned a two day excursion down a river they'd seen on the map. The plan was to fish and scavenge and just have some time to relax. They can't go anywhere far until Zuko and Appa come back, but it's too risky to stay in one place for too long, especially when they're in territory controlled by the Fire Nation.
Aang blasts himself into the air and hovers high up for a moment. Then he drifts back down. "There's a village not too far ahead," he says. "Maybe we can stop there."
They continue hiking for another hour. They reach the edge of the riverbank and stare into the wide, water-filled area ahead of them.
"I don't feel anything," Toph says. "Where's this village?"
"It's in the middle of the river," Sokka says. "Built on docks and stilts."
"Sure is," a voice says. They all turn to see a small, hidden port. An old man is standing on a wooden raft. "My name's Doc. May I ask what ya'll are doin' here?"
"We're from the Southern Earth Kingdom Colonies," Katara replies, lying smoothly.
"Wow! Southerners! Well, hop on and I'll give you a ride into town."
"Why do you guys live on the river?" Aang asks when they're settled into the raft and heading towards the village.
"We're a fishin' town. At least, that's how it was before the factory moved in." Doc points to a building built on the edge of a plateau on the other side of the river. Black smoke spews high into the air. "The army makes their metal there. Moved in a few years ago and started gunking up our river. Now our little village is struggling to survive."
Katara exchanges a look with Aang. She can see her own sadness reflected in his eyes.
The rest of the ride to the village is quiet. When they disembark, Aang thanks the man for the ride. Katara is distracted by the amount of suffering she sees in the town. Old women are holding onto sickly children in the alleys between huts. Everyone is thin to the bones, sitting in the shade of the straw roofs. Not many talk.
"Look at this place," Katara says. "It's so sad." She bites her lip, deliberating. "We have to do something to help."
"We can't," Sokka says. "We have a bigger mission we have to stay focused on."
"What, exactly? We're not moving very fast without Appa."
"You still need to train your earthbending skills and we need to lay low. The longer we stay here, the more we risk being discovered."
Katara knows he's right, but she can't seem to tear her eyes off the suffering around her. She reaches forward and grabs his turned shoulder.
"These people are starving and you're okay with just turning your back on them? How can you be so cold and heartless?"
"I'm not turning my back, I'm being realistic! We can't go around helping every rinky-dink town we go into! And don't lecture me about being cold and heartless after what you did to Zuko yesterday!"
Katara's jaw drops open in shock. She takes a few steps back. Sokka's expression instantly softens.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. Katara - "
She's already running. She doesn't know where, but anywhere away from him and others sounds good. She jumps over coils of rope and even some bodies that she hopes are just sleeping and not dead and sprints over groaning planks. She leaves his cries for her behind.
Unfortunately in a town on a river as small as this, there aren't many places to go. She ends up at the end of a fishing dock, now abandoned thanks to the pollution in the river. She sits down on the edge hard and puts her head in her hands, trying not to cry. She will not cry again. Crying is weak and does nothing.
The whole gang finds her after about ten minutes. She's managed to get a hold of herself by then. Sokka walks up and kneels behind her, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Come on. Let's just be reasonable about this, Katara. We'll help them when we defeat the Fire Lord."
She takes a deep breath. "I guess you're right."
"Let's just go and do what we came here to do," Aang suggests, trying to put on a smile for her benefit. She attempts to give him one in response, but she knows it falls flat.
They go to a shopping "street" and stop at a vendor run by a man named Shu, who looks suspiciously similar to Doc. He offers them up a wooden crate half full of long dead fish, with drooping gray scales and crusted over eyes. Aang covers his mouth in disgust. Katara and Suki exchange glances.
"Hey! I'll even give you a great deal! Buy three fish and I'll throw in a clam for free." Shu smiles proudly.
Sokka reaches in hesitantly and presses on a clam. They watch as brown sludge oozes out. Katara and Suki have to turn away then.
"What's going on?" Toph complains. "I can't see anything."
"You don't want to," Suki assures her.
"We'll just take the fish," Sokka says, pulling out three of the better-looking ones. Shu packages them up and hands them over.
As they're walking back to the docks to hitch a ride with Doc, a little boy with a large red welt on his shoulder taps gently on Katara's arm.
"You mind sharing some food?" he asks with wide, begging eyes.
She can't say no. She kneels down, unwraps one of the fish, and hands it to him. "I wish I could help more," she says. The kid takes it gratefully and runs off, kneeling by a sick woman in a hut nearby.
Katara feels increasingly conflicted as they ride back to the shore.
Katara bends the sludge out of some water and Suki starts a campfire. Toph creates some privacy walls for them and Aang and Sokka stand over the map.
"We didn't get as far as we should have today," Sokka says, tracking their path with a charcoal stick. "We'll have to get up earlier tomorrow to make it up."
"Does it really matter that much?" Suki asks, kneeling next to Sokka. "We're not on a deadline."
"The solar eclipse is in a month, and I haven't even begun to plan for it! If we're going to use that to our advantage then we need to be making our way to the palace."
"The closer we get to the palace, the more dangerous. It sounds pretty dumb to hurry up and get there and then wait while you make a plan," Toph says, poking suspiciously at a fish. "Is this even edible?"
"She has a point," Suki says. "Why don't we stay here one day longer? You can find somewhere quiet and start working on your plans for the eclipse day."
"One morning," Sokka counters. "We'll stay here until lunch. But then we're leaving. And not just because there's no good food here."
"So it isn't edible," Toph says. No one answers her.
"Guys, I think Momo's sick," Aang says the next morning. He's holding a limp and unusually quiet Momo in his hands as he sits down around the remains of their fire.
"Momo's sick? That's terrible!" Sokka exclaims, reaching over and inspecting the critter.
"Wow, I didn't know you cared so much," Toph says dryly.
"Of course I care! We can't keep going if Momo is sick! That ruins our schedule!"
They all stare at him. He clears his throat. "Um, I mean, I love Momo! It's terrible that something has happened to my favorite winged lemur!"
"What's wrong with him?" Suki asks, taking a seat by Aang. She swats Sokka's invasive hand away.
"His tongue is all purple." Aang gently opens Momo's mouth and a dark purple tinged tongue falls limply out.
"It might be from the pollution in the river," Katara suggests. "He was playing in it yesterday."
"Katara, can you heal him?" Aang asks, looking up at her with big eyes.
She shakes her head. "It looks like he needs medicine. Maybe we can find the right herbs in town."
Suki stays with Momo while the others head back into the village. Doc gives them another ferry ride back in, waving them off when they offer to give him some coins.
"I thought you guys in the village were struggling," Aang says. Doc just smiles.
"Today is a good day," he says.
His mood seems to be the standard today. As they walk through the floating town, kids are laughing and running around, adults are fixing up loose boards and run down huts, and there's a general lightness to the atmosphere that wasn't there the day before.
"Is it just me or does this place seem different?" Toph asks.
"Yeah. Are the people...happier?"
They find the store they bought the fish from yesterday. "Hey, Shu," Sokka says when they near. "What's going on with everyone today?"
"Ah!" He grins with his gapped front teeth. "Something amazing happened last night! Food was delivered to our village last night by a mysterious and wonderful person." He leans forward and lowers his voice. "The painted lady."
"The painted who now?" Katara asks, a hand on her hip.
"The painted lady," Shu repeats. He sets a carved and painted figurine on the counter. "She's part of our town's lore. They say she's a river spirit who watches over our town in need." He reverently polishes the statue with a cloth. "I always thought she was just a legend. Until now."
They glance around the now vibrant town. Sokka gets a know-all expression on his face.
"See? We don't need to help these people. They already have someone to help them! All we need is medicine for our sick friend."
"Medicine?" Shu's face falls. "Sorry. All the medicine we have goes to the factory. That's why there's so many sick people in our village."
"Looks like we need to stay another night so Momo can rest," Katara points out.
Sokka sighs loudly. "I guess you're right," he admits. He turns back to Shu. "Do you got any more food to sell?"
Shu ducks under the counter and brings up two fish. "Would you like the one headed fish or the two headed fish?"
"Two headed!" Sokka declares, snatching it from his dangling fingers. The others step back as he turns around. "What? You get more for your money that way!"
The fish is in even worse condition than the ones from the previous day. No one is excited to be eating it.
"I can't see it, but I can smell in," Toph remarks, plugging her nose. "And that one is definitely not edible!"
Katara sneaks out once the others are asleep. She runs across the lake first to the factory and then to the village. She manipulates a cloud of steam to follow her and encircle the village in case someone is awake and might see her.
She stops by the shelter where the sick people sleep for the night. Then she goes around, touching the sleeping bodies and healing them of their sores and ailments. She works quickly and efficiently.
When she's done she leaves, stepping back out into the cool night air. As she reaches the end of the dock, she hears footsteps behind her and a familiar voice say, "Thank you, Painted Lady."
She freezes for a moment before fleeing back across the lake.
They all return to the town the next day. Momo is still acting sick, and although Sokka is complaining about their schedule being all out of hand, they just bring up the fact that he still hasn't planned for the eclipse attack and then he shuts up - at least for a few minutes.
They stop back at Shu's shop.
"We need more food," Sokka says. Toph steps forward and pushes him out of the way. She slams a handful of coins on the counter.
"Our friend is still sick and we can't leave until he gets better," she says, turning her back and leaning against the counter.
"Oh, that's too bad." Shu sets a plate of oozing clams on the counter. "Maybe if you're lucky, the painted lady will visit your friend in the night and heal him."
Sokka picks up the plate. "And maybe she'll cook us a midnight snack and we'll all have a sing-a-long," he says sarcastically.
"Yeah, maybe!" Shu puts his hand up. "You know, last night she visited us again and healed most of our sick folks."
"Is that why this place looks so festive?" Aang asks, watching as a group of villagers put up a statue of the figure.
"Yep. It's all because of the painted lady."
"Can you believe how much an entire village can be affected by one lady - I mean, spirit?" Katara asks, watching in awe.
"Well I hope she returns every night or else this place will go back to the way it was," Sokka says. Katara glares at him.
"Why would you say that? Look how much better off these people are!"
"Yeah, now. But without her, they wouldn't be able to fend for themselves. If she really wanted to help, she would use that spirit magic to blow up the factory." He demonstrates using gestures, ending in an explosion.
"Spirit magic doesn't work that way, Sokka," Aang argues. "It's more like this." He also makes gestures, almost completely identical.
Katara crosses her arms and stalks off.
Katara waits until everyone is asleep before making her move. Although she was mad at Sokka earlier, he did have a point: until the source of this town's problem is fixed, it'll just go back to the way it was. She has to fix it for good.
She slings on her cloak, paints her face, and puts on the hat. Then she glances in a reflecting pool to ensure that she looks like the painted lady, not like Katara. Then she takes off, her sights aimed at the factory.
Not far from the camp, she hears a voice behind her, calling out to her. "Hello, Painted Lady Spirit!"
She freezes. Aang. He's awake and he's after her. She takes off, running as fast as she can.
Aang catches up to her easily. "Excuse me!" he calls out. "I don't mean to bother you, but my friend's sick and we're on kind of a tight schedule!"
She continues to run. If Aang finds out, he'll tell the others. She likes the kid, but he can't keep a secret to save his life. If Sokka finds out, he'll be mad.
She runs across the water, hoping to lose him. But Aang just creates a wind bubble under him and glides across quickly. She steps onto the dock of the village and runs. Aang runs alongside her on the opposite "street".
"Heyyyyy!" he yells out.
She runs back over the water to the other side of the river. She hides behind a hill, peeking back. No sign of him. She leans back, letting out a breath of relief.
"Hey!"
Aang pops in front of her suddenly, hanging upside down. She ducks her head, trying to hide her face.
"My name's Aang," he says. "I'm friends with the Avatar."
Katara tries one more desperate trick. She alters her voice to speak with him, keeping her head ducked so that the brim of her hat hides her face. "Well, hello, Aang. I wish I could talk, but I am very busy."
"Yeah, me too," Aang says. "I hate that." He leans closer. "You know, you're really pretty for a spirit."
Katara's heart races. He's going to recognize her, isn't he? They've spent so much time together in the past few months. How can she expect to lie to him?
"I don't get to meet too many spirits," Aang continues. "But the ones I've heard about aren't very attractive."
She laughs awkwardly. "Well, thank you, but - "
"You seem familiar, too," Aang accuses, leaning in closer.
"A lot of people say that."
"No," he says, ducking low to look under her hat. "You really seem familiar."
"Look, I really should get going."
She sneaks past him, hurrying away. Suddenly a gust of wind blows at her from behind, sending her hat flying off. As she reaches to grab it, she knows she's exposing herself.
"Katara?"
She sighs to herself. No point in trying to cover it up now. "Hi, Aang," she says quietly.
"You're the painted lady? But how?"
"I wasn't at first. I was just trying to help the village." She takes off the hat. "But since that's what everyone thought I was, I guess I just became her."
"So you've been sneaking out at night?" Aang pauses. "Wait - is Momo even sick?"
"He might be sick of the purple berries I've been feeding him, but other than that he's fine." She smiles a bit to herself, remembering how she convinced Momo to play dead and eat the berries. He hadn't been too happy about it at first, but since getting extra attention from everyone, he's become quite the drama queen.
Aang lowers his eyes. "I can't believe you lied to everyone so you could help these people," he says, sounding disappointed.
"I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have." She looks away. She's seen the deep disappointment and judgement in everyone's eyes enough in the past week. She doesn't need to see more of it.
"I feel like I don't even know who you are anymore," Aang confesses, sitting down hard on the ground. "When we were together for the first couple of months, you were this open, caring, compassionate and trusting person. Since Zu - " he stops abruptly. "Since the last couple weeks, you've been completely different. And I don't know why."
"It's complicated, Aang." She walks over to him and sits next to him. Not directly next to him, but close. "I'm working through a lot of things right now. A lot of emotions. And that's just me. I also have to balance being the Avatar with that, too. Ever since we failed so miserably at Ba Sing Se, I've felt like a completely useless Avatar. I thought that maybe I could at least help this village."
Aang is quiet for a long time. When she looks over at him, he's already looking at her.
"I'm not sure about the lying, but you trying to help this village is really cool," he finally says. "You're like a secret hero."
A small smile lifts the corners of her mouth up. "Really?"
"Yeah. And it's the most Katara-like thing you've done in a while."
She stands up. "Well, if you want to help, there's still one more thing I need to do," she says.
Aang follows, his eyes gleaming. "Count me in."
"You want to destroy this factory?" Aang looks over at Katara, dressed up as the painted lady again, a bit doubtful. She's powerful, no doubt, but destroying a Fire Nation factory is dangerous for not just them, but the entire area. And there's no counting how many men are working here.
"Yes." Her voice is firm. "Sokka was just kidding, but he was right. Getting rid of this factory is the only way to help those people permanently."
They run into the factory, entering the room where the metal is burned and purified. Lava streams bubble and hiss and steam fills the air. They glance at each other, nod, and then run opposite directions.
Katara and Aang cut the chains holding the buckets of magma and burst the pipes venting the hot air out. Then Katara returns to the room with the magma and raises her hands, summoning a wave powerful enough to blast through the windows and crash right onto the lava. Then she and Aang run, the factory shaking and exploding behind them.
The pipes bringing a stream of pollutants to the river drip their last drops.
It's in the early morning when they return. Aang is giddy with excitement. Not only did he do something to stop the Fire Nation and help a village, he also got some good alone time with Katara! He thinks they make a pretty good team of secret heroes.
"Did you see that?" he exclaims as they walk. "Boom! Pshhh!"
Katara grabs his shoulder. "Sssh. We don't want to wake Sokka."
They turn the corner to the campsite to see Sokka, Toph, and Suki awaiting them, all standing with their arms crossed over their chests. Aang's stomach drops.
"Hi! Sokka!" Katara laughs nervously. "We were just out...on a morning walk."
"Oh really." Sokka has his eyes narrowed at them. "A morning walk?" He picks up Katara's sleeping bag and shakes it out, revealing the stuffed straw.
Katara and Aang both lower their heads. Caught. But at least together, Aang thinks.
"I know you're the painted lady!" Sokka shouts, pointing at Katara. "I know you've been sneaking out at night and I know you've been feeding Momo purple lethargic tongue berries!"
Toph holds up a bag of said berries.
"Katara, what you've been doing has put our whole mission in jeopardy. What if you were caught? What if someone recognized you as the Avatar? We've already been here for too long, not even to mention you going around stealing and destroying Fire Nation property!" Sokka takes a deep breath. "I know you've been under pressure lately, but this is no excuse for how you've been acting! You're the Avatar and you have a duty to everyone in the world, not just a few people!"
Aang looks over at Katara and sees her head bowed down. She looks sad and admonished.
"We're leaving right now," Sokka declares.
Katara doesn't fight him. She walks by silently and kneels down, beginning to pack up their things. Aang follows after a moment.
"And you!" Sokka points his finger right in Aang's face as he walks by. "How long have you known about this!"
"Hey, I just found out this morning."
They've just finished up packing when the sound of buzzing engines fills their ears. They all turn and look towards the river, where a dozen Fire Nation speedboats are racing along the murky river towards the town, each holding two Fire Nation soldiers.
"What's going on?" Toph asks.
"Fire Nation soldiers are heading towards the village." Aang looks over at Katara. So does everyone else.
"What did you do?" Sokka yells.
"I destroyed the factory - like you suggested," she adds quickly.
"You didn't destroy it good enough! The soldiers are headed towards the village to take their revenge!"
"Well, what was I supposed to do?" Katara shoots back.
"Leave! Or at least destroy the entire factory, including everyone inside!"
Katara's eyes widen in shock. "What kind of person do you think I am?" she demands.
"I don't know anymore!" Sokka shouts back.
"Guys!" Suki shouts over the two of them. "We can sit here arguing all day over who's at fault or we can go and do something to help the village!"
Katara stands. "I'm going down to the village," she says. "I will never, ever, turn my back on people who need help."
Sokka holds a fist to his forehead for a long moment before abruptly getting up and following her. He grabs her shoulder, slowing her. "Wait. I'm coming too."
"I thought you didn't want to help," she says quietly, the edge in her voice not completely gone.
"You need me," he replies. "And I will never turn my back on you."
She stares at him for a long moment. She thinks of how he risked everything to break her out of the Fire Nation prison. Then how he ran around the nations with her for months, fighting the Fire Nation and even having to say goodbye to the girl he loved. She remembers how he never gave up on rescuing her again after Azula took her, how he got her and the others out of the Ba Sing Se - and when she wanted to break Zuko out of Boiling Rock, Sokka put his own skin on the line so that she would be safe.
And even earlier than that. She remembers their childhood together. He always went out with her when she practiced her waterbending so that if something happened, she wouldn't be alone. When she decided to go to the Northern Water Tribe, he accompanied her on a trip that lasted an entire summer. And when they saw their own parents and their people killed in front of them, he grabbed her and helped her escape.
She swallows hard, tries to blink tears out of her eyes. She and Sokka may not always get along, may not always see things eye-to-eye, but when she's needed him the most, he's always been there for her.
She throws her arms around him. "Me too," she promises.
Sokka pulls away after a minute. "Now let's go save that village," he says.
"I thought we could live together in peace," the Fire Nation commander says, standing on the dock of the village, his soldiers flanking him. Before him the entire village is standing or sitting in front of their homes. "But I guess I was wrong. You steal our food, and then our medicine, and then you destroy our factory."
"We didn't do any of that!" Doc complains.
"Yeah!" Shu pipes in. "The painted lady brought us food! She's the one who healed our sick, not your medicine!"
"Oh, right," the commander says sarcastically. "The mysterious painted lady did it. And I suppose she drew the army emblem on your containers, too." He chucks a figurine of the painted lady at the container, shattering it. "This is a town of thieves and liars!" He firebends a ball of fire at a hut, sending it ablaze. The people gasp. "Where's your painted lady now?" He waits a moment before adding, "We're going to cure the world of this wretched village."
Grappling hooks grab onto the stilts under the docks and rip the huts right out. A pair sink into the river. Then the soldiers firebend floating bombs. Before they go off, a wave of water rushes over them and extinguishes the flames. The soldiers try again. Once again, water extinguishes it.
"Light it again!" the commander orders.
But the third time is no different. And now a wave of steam proceeds slowly towards the village.
"Where's it coming from?" a soldier complains.
"I don't know. But something mysterious is going on," another answers.
"It's the painted lady," a little boy half whispers. "She's coming."
"There is no painted lady!"
The steam covers the village. Strange sounds emanate from all directions. The villages are excited but wary; the soldiers are terrified.
And then two parts of the steam lifts and a mysterious woman appears. She stands still for a moment, just long enough for everyone to get a good look at her. Then she blasts through the mucky river, headed straight for the soldiers.
She jumps and lands lightly on the dock. The Fire Nation commander narrows his eyes and shoves two of his soldiers forward. "Do something!" he yells.
They advance slowly, swords brandished. The painted lady suddenly lifts her head and they get a glimpse of her bright blue eyes before a blast of wind blows away their weapons and helmets. They shriek and run back towards the village.
"Stand your ground!" the commander orders as the painted lady advances. She raises her arms and the soldiers cower, but her wrath isn't inflicted on them directly. Instead the muddy river water swallows their boats and then spits them out a moment later, throwing them against the side of the cliffs to explode. Then she turns back to the soldiers and the dock and raises her hand at them.
They scatter instantly, piling into the remaining boats and speeding away. Only the commander remains. He scowls and spreads his arms, falling into a bending position.
"I'll take care of you myself."
He throws a whip of fire at her. Right before it reaches her, she ascends into the air. A second later a gust of wind blasts through the planks on the dock and throws him into the air. He lands with a dull splash in the polluted water.
The painted lady follows him, hovering just above the water line. She spreads out her arms threateningly. "Leave this village and never come back," she warns.
He turns tail and begins to swim away as quickly as he can. One of the remaining boats picks him up before disappearing.
The entire village applauds and cheers as the painted lady floats back down and lands on the dock in front of them.
"I knew you'd come," the little boy says, a wide smile on his face.
"Thank you!"
"Painted Lady, you're the best!"
Doc walks right up to her. "Me and my brothers owe you a lot!" he says. Then he hesitates. "Wait. I know you…You're not the painted lady, you're the Southerner girl!"
Katara touches her face and sees that her paint is starting to wear off.
"Yeah, you're the lady that gave me the fish," the little boy pipes up.
"You've been tricking us!" Doc cries. "You're a Waterbender!"
"She's a Waterbender?"
"How dare she act like our painted lady!"
The entire village climbs to its feet and begins hurling accusations at Katara. She just stands there, unsure of what to do.
Sokka is the one who finally steps in. He rushes to the front and holds them off. "Maybe she is a Waterbender, but she was just trying to help you! Because of her, that factory won't be polluting the river anymore and the army is gone. You should be down on your knees thanking her!"
Katara sets her hand on his arm and pushes him to the side. "Sokka, it's okay." She takes off the hat and addresses the village. "I shouldn't have acted like someone I wasn't, and for that I apologize. But I felt like I had to do something. It doesn't matter if the painted lady is real or not because your problems are real, and this river is real. You can't wait around for someone to help you. You have to help yourselves."
"She's right," Doc says after a moment. "But what should we do?"
"Maybe we can clean the river," Toph suggests, popping out from the crowd and pretending to be one of them.
"Yeah!" Doc exclaims, before anyone can question it. "We can clean the river!"
The village starts cheering again.
"Thank you," Doc says again when the villagers disperse to grab supplies. "You know, you aren't so bad for a Waterbender. Though I thought those didn't exist anymore."
"Yeah...you wouldn't mind keeping that a secret, would you?" Sokka asks.
"No problem! Keeping my mouth shut is a personal specialty. My brother Shu, on the other hand...he's a blabbermouth."
Sokka facepalms. Katara isn't worried, though.
It takes them the better part of two days, but they finally manage to get the river clean - at least the part around the town. Katara knows it will take time for the fish to return and for the rest of the river to get cleaned, but the village is ready to continue the work. They say their goodbyes and then decide to camp out one last night before moving on.
"So, staying and helping wasn't so bad after all, was it?" Katara asks Sokka over dinner.
"Hey, just because it turned out okay this time doesn't mean it will always turn out fine," Sokka points out. "We got lucky."
"If by lucky you mean Katara and Aang kicked butt with their painted lady impressions and bending," Toph says. Everyone laughs.
"I thought it was super brave of you," Suki says. "But next time, you better invite me."
"I think we're all forgetting to thank the most important player in all of this," Aang says. He stretches out his arm and Momo soars over. "If it wasn't for Momo's incredible sick acting, we would have left days ago."
"And been on schedule," Sokka grumbles. Suki rolls her eyes.
Katara turns to Aang and lowers her voice. "Thank you so much for helping and supporting me," she says. "I really appreciated it."
"You can always count on me," Aang replies.
"I know. And I don't take it for granted."
Katara takes a walk out to the riverbank while the others retell the story and laugh. She feels satisfied, like she's finally doing something right as the Avatar. But she's not entirely in a celebratory mood. She'd been pretty preoccupied with the village for the last few days, but now her mind has time to wander and she's thinking about Zuko again.
She wonders where he's at right now. She wonders if he's found Iroh yet or if he's still searching. Appa can go pretty fast when he only has one passenger. She wonders if he's found his peace of mind yet, if he's let go of his guilt. And she wonders if he's thinking of her.
She kneels down by the riverbank and runs her hand through the water. As she wipes her face, she notices a white glint in her reflection. She looks up and her jaw drops open.
Hovering in front of her, surrounded by white steam, is the painted lady. Not a fake one - the real spirit. She watches Katara with a hint of a smile and says, "Thank you." Then she disappears as quickly and mysteriously as she had come, but Katara knows she wasn't imagining it.
The painted lady is real after all. Hidden under layers of river gunk, she was finally set free.