AVATAR: The Last Airbender

Broken Memories

Chapter 2: The Tungana Ritual Dance

Katara sat uncomfortably against the wall of the janitor's closet. She looked up at the ceiling; the closet was small, so small the Sokka and her alone took up most of the closet. But that didn't seem to phase Sokka. After about thirty seconds of mumbling and complaining, he was out cold slumped against the wall snoring like Appa. But Aang wasn't anywhere to be seen. A few hours earlier, after Sokka grudgingly climbed into the closet and slammed the door on Aang and Katara, Aang had whispered to her as she started for the doorhandle.

"I'll be back later." he had said with a catching smile.

"Where are you going?" Katara called after him.

"Shhhh!" said Aang, his voice even lower. "I'll tell you later!" And with that he tiptoed out of the inn.

She had spent the next few hours uncomfortably waiting for Aang to come back. She couldn't sleep now even if she wanted to. He was always on her mind; even when she taught him new waterbending moves or techniques, she always tried to find a way to move closer to him, to feel his warm touch on her tanned skin. Whether it was positioning his arms,or teaching him the graceful Tungana Ritual Dance.

That was the closest she had ever been to him; the day they both danced. She could still recall every detail; although it had only been a week or so ago.

-----------------------------FLASHBACK--------------------------

She and Aang were practicing their waterbending techniques in a lake in the middle of a great evergreen forest. They were both dressed for the occasion; Aang in his yellow shorts and Katara in her white two-piece. They were both clearly improving; first Katara on the offensive, then Aang. Both of them were focused and concentrating intensely. Until Aang stopped short, the water he was bending fell back into the lake with a splash.

"What's wrong?" called Katara looking concerned.

"It's just..." started Aang sitting on a rock in the middle of the river. "Soon, I'll have to leave you and face the Fire Lord alone. I have to do it by myself because...I don't want you to get hurt. I could never forgive myself if anything happened to you...or Sokka."

Katara could still remember how Aang looked then. He wasn't the strong-hearted Avatar she had gotten to know and love, but a broken and sullen boy who carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"You're never alone Aang." Katara said taking a seat beside Aang on the stone, tears forming in her eyes. She took his hands; they felt warm. Aang looked at her surprised with his gleaming grey eyes. Katara could see a small blush forming on his white cheeks.

"Let me show you a dance I learned form my Gran-Gran when I was little."Katara said as she gently helped him up and took his hands in each of her own. "It's called the Tungana Ritual Dance." Katara began. "It goes back to the days of early waterbending. It is said that when you dance the Tungana with someone you really care for, then they will remain with you forever, no matter what happens."

Aang blushed uncontrollably because of how close he and Katara were, which made Katara quietly giggle to herself. Aang slowly lifted his eyes to meet Katara's and to Katara's surprise, Aang stepped first. HE was leading her in a dance he had never done before!

'It must be his past waterbending Avatar lives that help him remember this dance...' Katara thought to herself, an expression of awe on her face.

Aang led her flawlessly through the ancient waterbending dance. Catching her when she spun, dipping her at the right moments, and holding her so close that she could feel his heartbeat on his chest. She was stunned to think how Aang could dance like this. Her face started to get hot as Aang smiled at her. Katara looked down to avoid Aang's gaze; but quickly noticed something that made her cling to the young airbender for dear life. The two were both hovering high in the air above the sparkling water of the lake.

'How is Aang doing this!' Katara had thought, still grasping Aang with both arms.

"What's wrong?" questioned Aang as if he'd levitated like this a million time before. He slowly and gently loosened her death grip on his arms and brought her to face him.

"It's...you're...we're..." Katara stammered exasperated.

"Yeah..." spoke Aang looking at the blue water far below, as if this experience was nothing new to him.

"Aang, I...I..." whispered Katara. But she couldn't finish. Looking into Aang's smoky eyes made her at a loss for words.

"It's okay." reassured Aang putting his arms around her waist. "I'm not going to let you fall."

Katara trembled slightly in Aang's arms. She felt her face grow hot as their eyes locked again; only this time, Katara didn't look away. Their faces drew closer to each other. Katara put her hands on Aang's shoulders and closed her eyes. She felt Aang's nose against her face and she opened her eyes slowly as if in a trance. Their lips almost met when from the woods came a shriek followed by Sokka's voice.

"Aang! Katara! Demon pig! Back! Get Back! Help!" came Sokka's panic-filled voice.

Not moving, Aang and Katara slowly started to descend from midair back into the crystal blue water below. But as soon as the water began to lick their heels, Aang slowly started to move away.

"I'll go help Sokka..." said Aang faintly. His face was still close enough that Katara could see her reflection in his eyes. Katara stood motionless as she watched Aang's figure grow smaller and smaller as he threw on his shirt, grabbed his staff, and headed toward Sokka's girlish screams. After Aang disappeared into the shadow of the trees, Katara did something she hadn't done since her mother died. Overcome with sudden emotions, she sank to her knees in the cool water and openly cried, her tears mixing with the cool water of the lake.

After she had dressed and composed herself, she had headed back to where they were camped. Everything was quiet again and Sokka was poking a stick at the burning campfire. There were no more screams of terror. Katara learned from Sokka that he had accidentally taken a giant woldbeast's egg, and was going to make the world's biggest omelet with it; and that when Aang arrived, he found Sokka up a tree clinging to the large egg with the angry mother at the trunk trying to claw her way up the tree to her egg.

Katara looked and saw that Sokka's pants were ripped at the rear, almost as if something had barely missed nipping him in the butt.

"Sokka! Next time think with your brain, not your stomach!" Katara remembered shaking her finger violently at him. "Remember what Gran-Gran used to say?"

Sokka had sighed, hung his head, and quoted "If you find an egg in the wild, it's probably someone else's child..."

'Why does my brother always have to cause trouble.' Katara had thought still eyeing Sokka with her arms crossed . 'I don't even think we're related sometimes!'

"Anyways Katara." Sokka said looking up at her as if nothing happened. "I was kinda worried about you."

"About me?" Katara had questioned. "W-Why?"

"After Aang settled things with the monster pig thing," Sokka had said while rubbing the part of his pants that had been torn off. "I asked him where you were. But he didn't say anything. Aang just looked back at that big lake and sighed...he looked really upset." ended Sokka cooly looking at his sister for a clue about what happened.

But Katara was no longer paying attention to her older brother. She was looking over the campfire at Aang, who was sitting on a large log with his back facing both her and Sokka.

--------------------------------------END OF FLASHBACK---------------------------------

Katara shifted in the small closet again, snapping her out of her flashback and breaking the image in her mind of Aang's back silhouetted against the light of the campfire. She glanced over at Sokka who was sleeping with his head against a mop mumbling something about a giant glazed ham.

Katara then turned her thoughts back to Aang's whereabouts. What if he was captured by Fire Nation soldiers? Maybe he was hurt! Her mind reeled at the thought of Aang badly hurt in some dark corner of an alley.

"I won't lose Aang." she reassured herself quietly. "I WON'T!"

Just as she was about to get up, the door creaked open and a pair of familiar coal grey eyes appeared.

"Aang!" Katara said a little too loudly. But Sokka just stirred and fell over on his face near Katara's feet, still snoring.

"Shhhh!" said Aang in a warning tone with his finger to his lips. "Come on! You gotta see what I found!" Katara started to get up when Aang added with a small blush. "Oh yeah! Ummm... you might want to change into something you can swim in!"