A/N: Guess who's feeling prolific this week? This girl!

My mental soundtrack for all A:tLA contemplations is, for some reason, ridiculous popcorn pop. I think vids are to blame.

This takes place shortly after I Don't Have a Clue (Chapter 3).

Observations from a Rock Ledge

now if she moves like this, will you move her like that?
Metro Station, "Shake It"

The ice floe shoots in a sparkling arrow across the surface of the creek, and it looks like this time-

-but the floe is cut off neatly by a ring of fire.

"ARGH!"

"Almost there!" The smile on Katara's face is bright and, to her credit, at least seventy-five percent genuine. "That was really close."

"No, it wasn't," say Aang and Zuko simultaneously, the former standing waist deep in water and looking dejected, the latter on the shore and looking annoyed.

Katara glares at Zuko. "You're not helping."

Zuko glares right back, then snorts and looks away.

Haru is getting worried - but then, he's pretty sure everyone else is too, so at least he's in good company. This has been going on since he arrived from the Temple twenty minutes ago: Katara coaches Aang on a waterbending move, Aang tries it, and Zuko (standing in for Ozai for the purposes of the exercise) blocks effortlessly. With each failed attempt all three get more aggravated.

It's not a pretty picture.

Haru calls out, "Maybe it's time to switch to earthbending?" He's Toph's stand-in teacher for the afternoon; she stomped into the temple the night before and said if she didn't take a day off she'd crush all their skulls with boulders. "Work on water later?"

"Thanks, Haru, but he's nearly got it," Katara calls back. "Just ten more minutes!"

"Okay." It was ten more minutes ten minutes ago. Haru settles back onto the rocky overhang - a nice, safe distance from the action - and wonders whose head will explode first.

"Right. Good. Now, Aang, try again, except move your arms wider a teensy bit." Katara demonstrates. She's standing on the bank, ankle deep in mud, apparently trying not to influence the water herself. "See how I did it? That'll make the ice move faster."

"Not much," Zuko grumbles.

"I didn't ask you."

"Well, it won't."

Haru flinches at Katara's expression, and he's twenty feet up on the opposite bank. "Are you suggesting," she says between gritted teeth, "that you know more about waterbending than I do?"

"I know that a broader reach won't make more than a quarter second of difference-"

"A quarter second might be all he needs-"

"Not for this fight!"

"So, what, you see the future now?"

"Given that I'm the only one here who's-"

A sheet of ice races across the creek, freezing the foam, coating rocks and algae-

-and Zuko blocks the attack without even looking away from Katara.

Aang lets out another yell of frustration.

The kid is clearly both mentally and physically exhausted. Haru doesn't know a thing about waterbending, but even to him it's obvious that these are beginner's mistakes, and the Avatar isn't a beginner. Everyone just needs a break. "How about lunch?" Haru suggests.

"No!" shout three furious voices.

Yeesh.

Katara wades out towards Aang, the water darkening her purple tunic. "All right." Her voice has gone testy. "When you think of Zuko as Ozai-"

"It might work better if he thinks of Ozai as me," Zuko says darkly.

"Be quiet," Katara snaps (as Aang shoots Zuko an angry look). "Now, if we get this right, it will freeze the Fire Lord in place, you see?"

Aang nods.

"Okay. Just watch." Katara rolls her abdomen, raises her arms-

-and the ice doesn't make it a yard before Zuko's fire cuts it off. A burst of steam rises into the air as the water splashes back into the creek.

Katara lowers her hands and frowns. "What was that for?"

"I knew what you were going to do."

"Of course you knew what I was going to do! I told you!"

Zuko just shrugs.

Haru can see Katara's eyes narrow. "Okay, fine. Aang, try this one instead." Fast as lightning, three balls of ice raise themselves from the stream-

-three tongues of fire melt them just as quickly.

"Stop that! I'm trying to teach!"

"Sorry," says Zuko. "I can't help it if you're predictable."

There's a beat as Aang and Haru suck in a simultaneous breath.

Katara's chest is heaving. "Predictable?" she growls dangerously. "Did you just call me predictable?"

"Yes. I did. You're predictable."

Aang takes several steps back; Haru just holds on to the rock beneath him.

For a moment, Katara seems beyond speech. Zuko's expression remains completely neutral, as though he hasn't just enraged the most dangerous Waterbender in a thousand miles. Haru, on the other hand, is seriously considering fleeing before things start to erupt in the literal sense.

Then Katara takes a few deep breaths and appears to calm down. "Fine," she says, her tone clipped. "I'll show you predictable."

And she starts to take off her clothes.

The three males in the vicinity swallow hard.

A moment later, the Waterbender's robes and leggings land on the bank with a slap. She stands wrapped only in her winding sarashi cloth, which is white and soaked and... not entirely opaque. "We may as well do this right, don't you think?" she says innocently.

Zuko's expression is nowhere near as neutral as it had been a moment before. He wets his lips - then smiles. It's the first time Haru has ever seen Zuko smile. "May as well," the Fire Prince echoes, sounding just as innocent as he strips off his own shirt.

Katara's eyes gleam.

"Uh, Aang?" Haru motions to the kid, who is standing with his mouth open like a giant koi. "You might want to come up here with me." It would be unfortunate if a duel between two of the Avatar's teachers accidentally killed said Avatar. Ozai would laugh at that one.

Aang zooms up to the overhang. With a stomp and a gesture, Haru raises a protective earth barrier in front of them, low enough that he can see over. For the shorter boy, he opens a wide slit in the rock at head-level. "Pay attention," Haru says. "You might learn something."

Aang's expression is fearful. "Do you think he'll really hurt Katara?"

Haru watches as the Masters bow mockingly to one another. "I think I'd worry more about Katara hurting him."

The Avatar's jaw sets... then he looks down with a petulant scowl. "I guess that would be bad too," he concedes grudgingly.

Then the duel starts.

It's Zuko on the offensive first, shooting fireball after fireball from his fists, faster than the eye can follow; for a panicked moment Haru digs his toes into the earth and prepares to knock Zuko off his feet. The Firebender's actually going for the kill-

-but Katara stops the attacks effortlessly, her forearms encased in water and knocking aside the orange flames like they're nothing more than wasp gnats. "Really?" she taunts, having to yell over the hissing of the steam. "That's the best you can do?"

"I thought you would want to start slow," he shouts back, "since you're out of practice!"

Haru sure hopes they can find new waterbending and firebending instructors after this.

Zuko wheels around and sends a long line of flame at Katara's head; she leans back, her hair trailing in the water, the fire just missing her nose. Zuko pauses for a half-second with a worried look on his face-

-and then the creek is frozen over, straight onto the bank, anchoring Zuko's legs up to the knee.

"Oh," says Aang, "so that's how it's supposed to work!"

"Guess so," says Haru, right before he ducks to miss a storm of droplets that zoom through the air like bees. The fire that follows nearly singes off his eyebrows.

"What on earth is going on?"

Haru and Aang glance up. Leaning over the edge of the cliff are Sokka and Suki. Sokka's carrying a string of fish. Suki's tunic is on backwards.

"Zuko and Katara," Haru says simply.

"What about them?"

Aang gestures lightly; the light breeze clears the steam from the atmosphere. Most of the creek is circling in a whirlpool, and several of the nearby trees are burning.

The duelists look like they're having the time of their lives.

"Oh," says Suki.

"Huh," says Sokka.

They all observe as a moment later, two long, razor-thin streams of water start whistling through the air. Rings of fire cut through them again and again, but they keep reforming as Katara twists and spins and snaps the barbed whips inches from Zuko's throat. How they haven't killed each other, Haru has no idea.

At the same time, even through the haze, Haru's not exactly blind to the fact that Katara is... uh... flexible.

"Hey," Aang says suddenly, "that's a firebending move. How is she doing that?"

"No idea," says Haru, watching Katara's curves.

There's a loud cough from overhead, and Haru realizes Sokka is glaring daggers at him. "Suki," Sokka says (or, rather, shouts over a sudden explosion below), "can you take Aang to show him the thing?"

"Huh?" Suki replies distractedly, her eyes focused in the direction of Zuko's chest. "What thing?"

"You know. The thing. The thing that's back by the Temple."

Suki looks back at Sokka and frowns. "What are you talking about?"

Sokka smacks a palm against his forehead. "Suki, honey, can you please take Aang far away while I have a word with the Earthbender who is ogling my sister?"

"Wait, what?" says Aang.

Hot water rains down over them, followed by laughter and shrill accusations of cheating from below.

"C'mon, Aang," Suki says, sounding amused, "help me find some vegetables for you to eat. I don't want to accidentally pick something poisoned."

"But I-"

"Otherwise you'll have to eat fish, you know."

A horrified look comes over the Airbender's face. "I think I saw some leechi nut trees back to the west."

"Great!"

The Avatar gracefully floats up to where Suki waits; Sokka awkwardly slides down to Haru's ledge with a curse. As soon as the foraging expedition leaves, Sokka crosses his arms. "You were looking at my little sister."

Haru is a mild person, which is why he doesn't roll his eyes. "I was just-"

"Now, I understand. Katara isn't just a sister, she's a... girl." Sokka barely manages to say the word, and sounds disgusted at the very idea. "But you should know that as her older brother, I have a right to be consulted before you get any ideas into your head about her... uh... girlness."

Haru raises his eyebrows. "You think Katara will let you be consulted about who she dates?"

"It's my duty," Sokka says solemnly.

"I'm going to kill you!" Katara shrieks from below, skating along a wave of ice to keep ahead of a wall of fire. "I'm going to murder you in your sleep!"

"It's your fault for trying to block with your robes!"

"Don't get me wrong," Sokka continues, "I like you. You're a good guy and you can grow a mustache." He strokes his own goatee - all three hairs of it. "And Katara's getting close to marrying age. Aunt Wu said her husband would be a powerful bender."

"Did she," Haru murmurs, watching the battle.

"Yeah. Aunt Wu was a total fraud, of course, but what matters is that Katara believes it. So since you're a bender, if you decide to court her that will work in your favor-"

"Sokka-"

"-but I will be chaperoning every date and you're not to keep her out past sundown-"

Zuko and Katara are in close now, their fire and ice blades flashing so quickly that it's hard to tell where one ends and the other begins.

"-and if you so much as think of doing more than holding her hand I will shove my boomerang so far up your-"

"Listen," Haru interrupts finally, "you don't have to worry about me marrying Katara."

Sokka's face turns red as his eyes narrow to slits. "If you think you're just going to, to... take advantage without-"

"No, I mean, I'm not interested."

"What? Why not? Is my sister not good enough for you? I'll have you know that she's-"

"Sokka," says Haru, slightly exasperated, "Katara is great." And very attractive when she's half-naked, which is of course why Haru was looking. "But I don't want to date her. I think it would make things kind of complicated."

"What do you mean?"

The duel has degenerated into an undignified tussle on the opposite shore, both combatants muddy and fighting for the upper hand.

"Have you considered," Haru suggests, "that she might be involved with someone else?"

Sokka blinks, then waves his hand dismissively. "You don't have to worry about Aang. I know he's the Avatar and all, but Katara doesn't think of him that way."

"I really don't think it's Aang you have to worry about," Haru says.

Katara has Zuko pinned to the ground, his wrists frozen into the mud, her foot on his shoulder. "Tell me what a great Waterbender I am, Fire Lord," she demands loftily.

Zuko spits a lick of flame at her ankle. Katara jumps to dodge, stumbles, and falls flat against Zuko's chest.

He smirks.

"Who am I supposed to worry about, then?" Sokka asks.

Katara's face is flushed. "Yeah, well-" her hands close over Zuko's arms and her knees slide down his sides "-I'm still not letting you up. Not until you say please."

Haru takes that moment to lower the earth shield. Loudly.

Alerted by the noise, Katara and Zuko glance up at the ledge, and the Waterbender quickly scrabbles to her feet. "I... um..."

"Right," says Zuko. "Yeah."

"I'm just... gonna go now."

"Uh-huh."

Sokka finally looks down to the wide swath of destruction that used to be a calm stream. "Hey, who won?"

"It was a draw!" Katara shouts as she jogs back in the direction of the Air Temple, still in her sarashi. Her purple robes sit in an ashy heap on the shore.

Zuko rolls over into the water. Face down. "You okay?" Haru calls.

"I'm fine," comes the hoarse, strangled reply. "I just... need a minute."

The expression on Sokka's face is completely confused. "Did I miss something?"

Haru just shakes his head.

From a distance, the smoke from the battle is easily visible against the clear blue sky.

A/N: We were due for a little fluff, yes?