Chapter One: "Longing"

Do not arouse, do not stir up love before its own time. ~ Song of Songs 2:7

Katara tried to ignore the sidelong glances that came her way as she walked down the street. She was used to them, but they still bothered her, if she was completely honest with herself. People stared at her for two reasons: she was the most beautiful girl in town, and she was the strangest girl in town.

The way Sokka had explained it, people didn't like what they couldn't understand. Katara knew that was putting it nicely. The townsfolk thought she was strange because she wanted to learn how to fight, despite the fact that she was a girl.

There were no waterbenders who could train her, and any non-bending master would be reluctant to her in combat. So Katara had made a habit of visiting Professor Zei's library and borrowing scrolls depicting fighting techniques. She also borrowed books with stories, because they proved to be fair friends. Who needs to have other people approve of them? Katara asked herself rhetorically. She tried not to care about what the other townsfolk thought of her. She tried to ignore their covert glances at her as she walked to the library.

Besides, as much as her neighbors didn't understand her, she didn't understand them. Hardly any of them left the village in their entire lives. They just did their jobs and went about their business. Katara wanted to get so much more out of her life. When she read Professor Zei's books with stories, she found herself longing for an adventure of the kind her heroes had. But she knew that reading books was the closest she would ever get to an adventure.

Zei's pet owl Wan Shi Tong screeched as Katara entered the library. "Good morning, Professor Zei," she called out cheerfully.

Professor Zei came down the ladder by the bookshelf, his arms full of scrolls. "Good morning, Katara!" he called over his shoulder, teetering precariously on the ladder.

Katara held out the scroll she had brought. "I've come to return the book I borrowed."

Zei dropped the scrolls on his desk and came over to Katara. "You finished it already?" he asked, peering at her through his glasses.

"Oh, I couldn't put it down!" she replied, handing it back to him. She peered over his shoulder as he placed it on the shelf. "Do you have anything new?"

"Not since yesterday," Zei laughed. Katara was his best and favorite customer; she frequented his library more than anyone else in the village.

"That's all right." Katara climbed up the ladder, scanning the shelves. "I'll borrow this one." She plucked a book off the shelf and handed it to Professor Zei.

"That one? But you've read it twice!"

"Well, it's my favorite! Bending duels, a secret hero, swordfights, the spirit world, a prince in disguise!" And, she thought to herself, the story had the right balance of "a damsel in distress" and "girl power."

Zei handed her the book. "Well, if you like it all that much, you can have it."

Katara's eyes widened. "But sir "

"I insist."

Katara looked at the book in awe, then looked at Zei with gratitude. "Well, thank you. Thank you very much!" She was smiling as she left the bookshop.

She didn't notice a tall, dark figure watching her from a shadowy alley between two stores. He saw Katara leave the bookshop and walk past the docks, where a barker was soliciting customers to come onto his ship and look at goods.

Katara followed some customers into the ship, hoping to find something she could bring home for Sokka. Inside the ship's shelf-lined interior, Katara spotted a scroll rack and made a beeline toward it, hoping to find some new stories. She saw that one thin scroll had the symbol of the Water Tribe on the end. Intrigued, she took the scroll off the rack and gingerly unrolled it. She gasped; the scroll contained diagrams and instructions for performing various waterbending moves.

She looked up at the pirate captain, who was watching her browse. "Where did you get a waterbending scroll?" She tried to sound more curious than suspicious.

The pirate captain suddenly reached out and snatched the scroll back. "Let's just say I got it up north, at a most reasonable price free." He rolled up the scroll and slid it back into the rack. Katara watched him, eying the scroll hungrily.

"So how much for the uh traded scroll?" she asked.

"I've already got a buyer, a nobleman in the Earth Kingdom." The captain leaned on the counter, giving her a sly look. "Unless you've got two hundred gold pieces on you right now?"

Katara shook her head and walked over to the other side of the ship's cabin. She felt in her pocket; she only had a few copper pieces. Even if she scrimped and saved as much as humanly possible, it would take years for her to be able to buy the scroll. And she didn't have that kind of time soon an Earth Kingdom nobleman would buy it. It was a case of "now or never."

Katara glanced back at the scroll rack. The pirate captain was talking to another customer now. This might be her only chance to learn some real waterbending. I might never have an opportunity like this again, she told herself. Besides, they stole it themselves.

So while the pirate captain was haggling with his client, Katara surreptitiously took the scroll out of the rack and slid it into her bag. Then, as casually as she could, she walked back across the ramp to land.

Once outside, Katara quickened her pace, wanting to put as much distance between herself and the ship as possible. But she was barely a hundred feet from the dock when she heard someone shout, "Hey you! Get back here!"

She turned and saw several furious pirates emerging from the ship, wielding swords and other weapons she couldn't name. Katara gulped, then turned on her heel and started running as fast as she could.

Be careful what you wish for. The clichéd adage came to Katara's mind. If I live through this, I'll have had a real adventure, Katara thought wryly.

Katara turned and ran down an alley, hoping to lose the pirates in the small maze of buildings.

The dozen or so pirates chasing after her split into two groups. One followed Katara while the other ran in the opposite direction. "This way! We'll cut her off!" the pirate barker said as he led his group down the street.

Katara looked over her shoulder and saw that they were closing the distance between them and her. As she rounded a corner, she bended some water from a nearby stall onto the ground and froze it, creating a sheet of ice. Katara allowed herself a triumphant smile as the pirate barker slipped on the ice and hit the ground.

She ran down another alley, but skidded to a stop when she saw the pirate captain and his men ahead of her. Katara turned and went up the next street, but then came to the end of a blind alley. She pivoted and saw that the captain and his men were blocking the exit. Katara's heart pounded as she realized she was trapped.

Suddenly, a shadow flew over Katara as someone jumped from the roof behind her, knocking over two of the pirates as he landed. He pulled twin shuang gao hook swords from his back, staring down the two remaining pirates.

"Jet?" Katara gasped.

He looked over his shoulder at her, flashing a grin. "Hey," he said casually.

The two pirates rushed forward, but Jet hooked his swords on each one's leg and sent them flying head over heels. Katara cringed as they landed on the hard ground.

Jet transferred his right sword to his left hand and grabbed Katara's wrist in his right hand. "Come on!"

Katara didn't need to be told twice. She and Jet raced down the alley and came out into the street, just in time to see the other group of pirates come running down that way.

Katara looked around for a source of water. There: a trough! She quickly bended the water out, forming it into a whip.

A pirate charged at Katara, who stood ready in a fighting stance, water poised. But before they met, Jet jumped in between them. He used his swords to pole vault himself into the pirate's chest, sending him flying in the opposite direction.

"Hey, he was mine!" Katara said indignantly.

Jet smirked. "Gotta be quicker next time."

Katara scowled. Jet clearly enjoyed being the dashing hero, but Katara wasn't sure she enjoyed being the damsel in distress. She hated feeling helpless; maybe that was part of the reason she wanted to learn to fight.

Still, Katara was grateful that someone had come to her aid but why did it have to be Jet, of all people? They had a … complex relationship. He had a charming personality, and he was kind in general. For a while Katara had had a crush on him. But she lost any feelings she'd had for him when she saw him rob and beat an old man just because he was a firebender because as far as Jet was concerned, all firebenders were evil. Ever since then Katara had avoided Jet, but sometimes he still tried to talk to her. Katara had a shrewd suspicion that Jet wanted to win her back. And she wasn't sure how she felt about that.

Jet's swords clashed with another pirates', before he turned around. "Run!" He and Katara took off again, but as soon they turned the corner, Jet pulled Katara down an alley between two buildings. The pirates didn't notice, and continued running down the street.

For a moment the two teenagers stood there, trying to catch their breath. Jet sheathed his swords and placed a firm hand on Katara's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Katara gasped. "I'm fine."

"Did they hurt you at all?" Jet looked truly concerned.

"No."

"Good. 'Cause I'd have to kill them if they did."

Katara pressed her lips into a thin line. Behold Jet's revenge streak.

She could almost hear her father scolding her. He just saved you!

"Um, thanks for saving me," Katara said, shifting her weight.

"You're very welcome. By the way, why were you over at their ship in the first place?"

"I … um …" Katara searched her mind for some excuse. Then she frowned. "Hang on … what were you doing there?"

The question caught Jet off guard. He looked nervous for a moment, but then he said brusquely, "You didn't answer my question."

"Well, you didn't answer mine!" Katara looked suspiciously at Jet. "Were you following me?"

Jet shrugged, grinning widely. "You can't blame me. If you're going to hang around with pirates, someone has to keep an eye on you."

Katara stared at him in disbelief. A small part of her was flattered; another part was insulted at his comment. She was never sure about her feelings when she was with Jet.

Jet circled Katara and plucked the scroll from her belt. "Hey!" she cried.

"What's this?" Jet unrolled the scroll and held it at arm's length in the air, out of Katara's reach. His eyes widened slightly. "A waterbending scroll?"

"Yes," Katara said, jumping and trying to grab it away from Jet. Finally he lowered it and Katara snatched it back.

"And you stole it from those pirates?" Jet said incredulously, looking at Katara with something that might have been respect.

Katara flushed. "Yes," she said shortly.

Jet smirked. "You've got some guts, Katara, I'll give you that."

"Thanks I think."

Jet smirked and took the piece of wheat out of his mouth. "But really, Katara, you might want to start thinking before you act. Now you'll have those pirates looking for the scroll, and by extension, for you."

She shrugged. "It was my only chance to learn some real waterbending techniques."

"It's not right for a woman to fight," Jet insisted, flicking the twig away. "Then she starts feeling independent, like she doesn't need anyone like she doesn't even need to get married. Where would we be then?"

Katara rolled her eyes. "Jet, you are positively primeval."

"Why, thank you, Katara." Jet didn't know what "primeval" meant, but he assumed it was a compliment.

Katara rolled up the scroll. "Promise you won't tell anyone?"

"My lips are sealed," Jet said in a hushed voice. But instead of sealing his lips, he pressed them against Katara's.

Katara's eyes widened in shock. She started to pull away, reeling, but Jet put his arm around her waist, holding her fast.

After a moment Katara closed her eyes and let herself melt into the kiss. It was warm, and sweet, and nice. Katara had never kissed a boy before but Jet wasn't a bad guy to have a first kiss with. Unlike her, he seemed to know what to do, so she let him lead.

Finally, after a long blissful minute, Katara gently drew her head back. Jet didn't resist, but her still held her close. For a moment they just stood there, catching their breath, looking at each other Katara staring in awe, Jet smiling in satisfaction. He pulled her into a hug, locking her in his arms. Katara rested her head on his chest, still breathing heavily. Jet inhaled deeply, smelling the salty sea scent of her hair.

A child's shout broke them both out of their reverie, and Katara felt grateful for the distraction how were you supposed to end a moment like that? They turned and saw The Duke sprawled facedown on the ground.

"Duke! Are you okay!" someone yelled from above them. Katara looked up and saw Smellerbee and Longshot on the roof of the building.

"I'm fine! It's The Duke!" he said, pushing himself up off the ground.

"Were you spying on us?" Katara demanded.

"We saw Jet chase after the pirates," Smellerbee said, climbing down the wall of building on the side facing the street. "We wanted to make sure he was okay."

"I'm more than okay," Jet said, looking slyly at Katara. She blushed furiously, causing Jet to grin wider; he loved it when she did that. "Just ignore them," he told her. He put his arm around Katara nonchalantly. "How'd you like to come over to our hideout?"

"Maybe some other time," Katara said vaguely.

"I know you really like it. We can watch the sun set."

"Please, Jet," Katara said, gently pushing him away. He held his hands out plaintively, about to protest. Katara tried to think of a plausible excuse. "I … I have to help my brother." It wasn't a total lie, actually. "The fair is in two days, and the Mechanist is coming over to help him with his project."

Smellerbee snorted. "Those crazy gasbags need all the help they can get!" she said to Longshot, who had joined her and The Duke on the ground.

Katara heard them and whirled around to face the other Freedom Fighters, including Pipsqueak standing outside of the alley. "Don't talk about my brother that way!" she said angrily.

"Yeah, don't talk about her brother that way!" Jet admonished, but Katara didn't think he meant it. Pipsqueak conked Smellerbee on the head, causing the girl to collapse.

"The Mechanist isn't crazy! He's a genius!" Katara snapped.

At that moment there was a small explosion in the east in the direction of Katara's home. She emerged from the alley, pushing past Jet's friends, and gasped as she saw smoke billowing out of the open windows of her house. The Freedom Fighters, Jet included, burst out laughing. Katara took off down the road.

Jet watched as Katara's form became smaller and smaller in the distance. He enjoyed that kiss. And he wanted more.

And when Jet wanted something, he didn't let anything get in his way.