The Kataras & The Sukis
So the decision was made that the Original GAang would teach the Reversed GAang all they knew- the decision being forced upon the latter, seeing as they had no choice but to stick with their parallel selves. It seems they looked too much like the most wanted group in the world to simply stroll around town in what would appear to be terrible disguises. They had taken a day to get to know each other, and would then begin their lessons after their recuperation period. It had been an awkward affair, but their were no significant injuries- yet.
The next day...
"Good MORNING!" The Original Katara trilled, calling a symphony to the hill sides, to the birds in the trees. She loved the GLORY of daybreak, and being the first up, so she could make the breakfast, give it to everyone, watch them eat it, hear their thank yous, blush modestly and insist it was nothing, offer them se-
"MORNING!!!" Came a voice, even higher and even purer than Katara's. It bounded off the faraway hills, echoing again and again. The birds burst into life and twittered back in response, like in a fairytail. Katara had been a bit outdone.
She turned to see Steroid Suki, sitting in the middle of a large assortment of pots and pans, cooking many different meals all at once. Her arms moved in a blur as they tended to each steaming pot and pan repeatedly.
Waiting for Katara's response, that wasn't going to be delivered, Suki said: "Beautiful day, isn't it?!"
Carer Katara forced a cardboard smile, "Yes. Beautiful. Can I help with anything?"
"It's okay, I've got it all covered." Steroid Suki flashed her a huge smile.
"O-kay." Katara said stiffly, not knowing what to do with herself.
Luckily, Snazzy Zuko woke up just in time to break the tension. He pulled on his slippers, made sure his face didn't have any sleep gunk over it, and shuffled over to them.
"Morni-" Katara began timidly.
"ZUKO! Would you like some Poodle-Parrot soup? How about some cereal?" Softie Suki interrupted excitely. Zuko raised an eyebrow through his mussed hair.
"Don't you have some drills to do, Hun?" He said with his lilting lisp. Suki's eyes widened, she snapped up to her feet so quickly that she really should've broken something, even one of the pots, and zoomed off to do various exercises around the area. Katara gazed after her, dazed.
"So to get rid of her, all I have to do is-?"
"Nope," Snazzy Zuko interrupted, "It only works for me."
Katara looked downhearted, but immediately brightened up when she marched over to Suki's abandoned cooking and plonking herself down rather self-righteously.
"So, are you looking forward to teaching Katara today?" Zuko snickered.
"Urm...well she's a little different from what I imagined my complete opposite would be."
"Oh...?"
"Well," Katara stirred some soup thoughtfully, "I just thougt she'd be uptight, tetchy and unable to have a good time- but she seems nice enough." She smiled as Snazzy Zuko considered englightening her of her true character, but having only known her a few days he saw this as unwise.
"So you're an early bird too, are you?" Katara continued conversationally as Zuko did some elaborate stretches.
"You bet, hun." He confirmed, wiggling his fingers and bending over to touch his springy toes, "I like to get a head start, always have done- I'm a winner."
He bent over again, Katara's wide eyes just visible above his pert little buttocks.
"Very...nice..." She stammered.
"You've gotta be flexible to be fabulous." He spouted sagely, flicking his fringe to reveal a glimpse of an extravagant pink glittery blemish over his eye.
"Is that-?"
"Makeup? Yah."
Katara blinked, "So it's not a scar?"
Zuko stared straight back at her, as if she'd suggested styling his hair so he had loopies just like her, and snorted.
"No, hun- I didn't think that the pink made it look inflamed…maybe I'll go for magenta…wait- does that mean that the other Zuko, y'know, the Darkhorse-" Katara gaped in horror as he blushed slightly and surprised a chirlish chortle- "doesn't have makeup? It's a scar?"
Katara nodded solemnly, handing him a cup of steaming soup. Zuko looked thoughtful, but not shocked or sympathetic in any way.
"S'a shame." He shrugged nonchalantly, "I thought he was into creative art as well…"
"Um…Aang plays some weird kind of horn?" Katara offered politely. Zuko ignored her, and began picking out any suspicious looking nuts that could carry a calorie count over five and flicking them at the other Katara's sleeping form.
"I think food is the most effective way of waking her up these days." He told her, as if Coma-like Katara was an old dog that was on the verge of being put out of its misery, which only woke to eat and poop, "But there's no hope of seeing those eyes open until…maybe dusk if we're lucky."
Katara frowned disapprovingly, "Surely we need to start our session soon! I can't wait till the even-"
"Chill, hun." Gloriously, Katara had stopped talking, for Snazzy Zuko had flicked out a slightly sticky finger from the soup and placed it against her lips in a bid for silence. It was still early after all, and he was used to a serene morning after he had gotten rid of Steroid Suki, "I was only yankin' your pigtail. If you really want, I can get everybody up right now."
Katara burbled against his finger. After he had taken it away and wiped it rather hastily against his clothes she said: "Well…only if you want to…I suppose we could do well with an early start-"
"ALRIGHT EVERYONE!!!" Zuko trilled to the camp. He waited a few seconds. Sober Suki stirred slightly. Tidy Toph was already commencing her morning nail-filing- and- sterilizing routine. After a few moments, he seemed to think it right to continue, as he drew in a deep breath, and continued his wake up call.
"IT'S TIME WE PULLED OURSELVES OUT OF OUR SLEEPING BAGS AND MEET THE NEW DAY!!! LET'S GET WASHED AND DRESSED!!!" Sunshine Aang sat up blearily. Tuff Toph rubbed her eyes before scratching her feet. Surly Zuko grumbled a muffled profanity into his pillow. Katara's slow heart rate seemed unable to produce enough energy for her to move, but she gave a strange little mewing noise. Both Sokkas remained dormant. This seemed to be what Snazzy Zuko was waiting for, as he bounded over to where they were sleeping, quite near to each other, with effortless grace, and bent down between them.
"Or if you've not got the energy to go down to the stream, Sokkas," He said to them both mischievously, his dark eyes glittering, "I think a bed bath can be arranged-"
Before he had even finished this sentence, both boys were on their feet, having all but torn themselves out of their sleeping bags. They raced each other to the nearby stream. Of course, Burly Sokka overtook Gawky Sokka, who recklessly threw himself at his opposition and caught his grubby underwear, so he was dragged there as quick as possible. Apart from looking slightly disappointed, Snazzy Zuko seemed quite pleased with himself as he set to work uprooting the rest of the group from their warm beds.
--
After a filling breakfast, which Suki didn't even claim credit for, as she was busy doing crunches a few feet away from the rest of the group, they decided to get to work with each of their opposites. Each pair was to pick a spot for the rest of the week to practise on. After that, they were to do all they could to help the Reversed GAang return to the world they were really meant to be saving.
Carer Katara led Coma-like Katara to a stream, as they were obviously going to waterbend. Carer Katara turned to face her reversed self and got a good look at her, feeling slightly disorientated. She was her height, with the same skin tone, and the same facial features, but there were still evident differences. Her posture was slack, her feet turned in. Her hair was pulled back in a loose pony tail- no loopies to be seen! Her clothes were certainly shabbier, with crinkles in them and her belt tied sloppily. Katara's fingers itched to just undo her and redo her again. However, she controlled herself and took a deep breath, finishing it off with a wavering smile.
"So, maybe we should just start off with showing each other our moves."
Coma-like Katara shrugged, and simply stared at her. Carer Katara took this as a hint to begin.
"Ummm…well I have this kind of…well I like to call it a 'signature move'…" She began meekly.
"You can write your name with it?" Coma-like Katara mumbled in a low but interested voice. It was the first time she had said something to her opposite self. Carer Katara stared at her, not knowing how to reply to this.
"…Anyway, I call it the water-whip! Well, actually it was already called that, I got it from a scroll so it's not really mine…but anyway!"
She stopped burbling, pulled out some water from the river and demonstrated her water-whip, snapping a few branches off of a nearby tree.
Coma-like Katara lifted her hands with what seemed like a large amount of effort and smacked them together a few times. Other than that, she seemed unimpressed.
Carer Katara cleared her throat with irritation.
"I also like to use jab shots… basically you just freeze droplets into points and-"
Again, she demonstrated, flinging hundreds of tiny daggers at the same tree. They drove into the bark with such force that their glinting points were visible through the other side. Coma-like Katara gave more applause.
"Got anything else?" She asked lazily. Carer Katara swelled ever so slightly like a bullfrog.
"Of course I do. I don't rely on just two techniques." She said coolly, "I couldn't even count how many moves I have- can you?"
Coma-like Katara shrugged, oblivious to her snappy reply, "If I could be bothered to count them, I guess I could."
Carer Katara folded her arms and looked disapproving.
"Show me what you've got." She challenged.
Coma-like Katara sighed heavily as if this was a huge inconvenience and stood up slightly straighter. Raising her arms slightly, she furrowed her brow and drew some water from the river. Unlike Carer Katara's quick summoning of the liquid, the water bobbed towards Coma-like Katara very slowly, a big drooping blob drifting through the air. When it finally reached her, Coma-like Katara wiggled her fingers rather unspectacularly, and the water turned into snow, drifting into a little heap at her feet.
Carer Katara raised an eyebrow.
Even slower still, Coma-like Katara stooped down, scooped up some of the snow, cupped her fingers around it, and displaying the first bit of physical excursion so far, chucked a lumpy snowball at the tree. It splattered against the tree and oozed down to the base of the trunk.
Silence.
"…That's it?"
"…I can make snowmen. I can make them dance for me."
Carer Katara looked horrified. "Have you no DEFENSE tactics?!"
Coma-like Katara remained unresponsive for a second. "The Fire Nation don't like the cold." Was all she said. Carer Katara looked about ready to have an aneurysm.
"So…that's it. You've been training for two years, and that is it." She breathed heavily, "That is such a waste of talent! You're the last water bender in your TRIBE!!!"
Come-like Katara looked confused, "No, actually. The Water Tribe's population has only grown since I've been born. It must be different in your Universe."
Carer Katara was beginning to dislike her opposition.
"Anyway, I have other moves." Coma-like Katara said, offended, "They're just not as vicious and rude as yours."
"Lets. See. Them. Then." Carer Katara replied through gritted teeth.
"Well, I like creeping people out, not killing them or hurting them. It's a bit O.T.T." Coma-like Katara said casually, knowing how this would annoy her opposite self, "Like so…"
At an even more sloth-like pace, she brought some more water out of the river, and let it fall to the floor like Appa Dribble. Slower than a snail, the water trailed along the floor towards Carer Katara, swaying this way and that, almost snake-like, hypnotic…
"Stop it!" Carer Katara said shrilly, the hairs on her neck standing on end, "It's giving me the CREEPS!!!" Suddenly remembering that she too was a water bender, she froze it, so it stopped just before reaching her toes, "Fine," She said grudgingly, "That's kind of creepy. But the Fire Nation aren't going to be scared of …scary water. It needs to be used as a DEFENSE! You're taking your gift for granted!!! Now, copy my posture, you're going to learn the water-whip!"
Ten minutes later, Coma-like Katara took up some water, imitated the other Katara's stance, closed her eyes and prayed that this would work.
"Okay, focus, feel the weight of the water pushing against you…work with it…" Carer Katara spouted, watching closely.
Here goes nothing… Coma-like Katara thought, before flinging her arms about in what she hoped was a passable impersonation of Carer Katara's demonstration.
THWACK!
"OUCHIEEE!!!" Carer Katara shrieked, hopping from foot to foot and rubbing the red spot square between her eyes where the whip had struck vigorously. Coma-like Katara smiled placidly.
"I did it." She told her smugly.
"I KNOW." Snapped the other Katara.
Coma-like Katara sniggered. It seemed that her prayer had been answered.
"Can we try the ice daggers now?" She asked through a yawn. Carer Katara narrowed her eyes.
"No, no, you're good." She said hastily, "Let's try something…less pointy."
--
Meanwhile, the two Suki's were in a woodland area with various branches and boulders to leap from and practise techniques with. However, it was a while before Sober Suki could calm Steroid Suki down in order to begin the learning.
"Oh, this place is so CUTE!!!"
"Oh my GOSH, doesn't that leaf look a bit like Sokka?"
"Oh, isn't Sokka so CUTE?!?"
"Where did you get that outfit?!?! It's a bit long, y'know- maybe if you just brought it up a littl-"
Sober Suki slapped Steroid Suki's hands away impatiently. Her eyes were watering just by looking at the shortness of Steroid Suki's skirt. It wasn't even a dress like hers- it was paired with a skimpy tank top, bearing the letters K .W.
"Would you just calm down?" She snapped, "Now show me your most impressive move and I'll know what I'm dealing with…please."
Unconscious of this rude remark, Steroid Suki gave a dazzling smile and leapt back a few meters for space. She struck a curious pose, head on chest, down on one knee, hands balled into fists.
And then it happened.
"DEARY ME- IT'S HOT IN HERE"
As she bellowed the first line of her chant, she snatched out a pair of fans, which bore some resemblance to the Original Kyoshi Warrior's weapons, except they were pink with tassles, not unlike Cheerleader Pom Poms.
"THERE MUST BE SOME KYOSHI IN THE ATMOSPHERE"
Sober Suki needed to sit down. She stumbled back onto a boulder as Steroid Suki tore into a terrifying dance routine, clapping her hands with such force that her wrists made clicking noises, stamping the ground so hard she split the earth. She twirled, she back-flipped, rolled, and all the while the same scary smile was plastered onto her face. She yelled other lyrics too, but they were incomprehensible as she was moving too fast, like lighting except much more ominous.
It came to an abrupt finish- Steroid Suki performed a final break dance move before doing a back flip into the pose that she had started in. Her hair was static, her chest was heaving and her face was very red.
Sober Suki could summon no words. Seeming to have lost no energy at all, Steroid Suki leapt up and beamed at her.
"What do you think? Zuko helped with most of the choreography…"
"I…I…" Sober Suki couldn't look away from that happy face, "I think you've got a lot to learn." She said grimly. She reached over and tore the tassels from the fans. Steroid Suki gave a small whimper, gazing up at her with wide, watery eyes. For once she fell silent.
"First." She began, "These fans are not pom poms. These fans are your weapons, your allies. You've got to start taking this war seriously.
"Second- CHEERLEADING ROUTINES?! That's your defense?! No. You've got to learn Martial Arts; you've got to be lithe, stealthy, to be able to escape a prison cell, to be able to swim, to be able to take out a man as big as your Sokka."
Steroid Suki didn't say anything, just looked to Sober Suki for what to do next.
"Okay…" Sober Suki sighed, "Look…Um…" She glanced around her forest surroundings, "Can you climb a tree?"
Steroid Suki shook her so fast it was a blur.
"Knock someone unconscious?" She asked.
She shook her head again.
"Can you even WHISTLE…?!" She growled desperately.
And again.
"We're not leaving until you can knock me out, up a tree whilst whistling the Entertainer!!!" Sober Suki shouted with determination.
Ten minutes later, Steroid Suki had broken a nail climbing a tree, knocked herself out with her own fan, and had spat on Sober Suki in her attempt to whistle.
"Look, Suki-" But before Sober Suki could say anything, Steroid Suki held up a plastered finger (instead of just ripping the hangnail off, she had applied a plaster, as she was under the illusion that they would bind together again…) and silenced her.
"It's been ten minutes; I think we should TOTALLY give up!" She shrieked, wringing her hands in despair.
"No." Sober Suki said simply, folding her arms, "Look. Let's just try the basics first. If you can manage those, then we can ease you onto more difficult activities. You're not giving up!"
Steroid Suki didn't protest, just sniffed back her runny nose.
Ten more minutes later, Steroid Suki had learnt how to throw her fans with good aim, had actually managed to hit Sober Suki when she took a reckless swing and could clamber onto a low hanging branch without falling off.
"We're getting there." Sober Suki said contentedly to the other Suki, who was still straddling the branch. Sober Suki didn't have the heart to tell her that her lurid yellow pants were showing.
--
After a labour filled day, the sun began to set.
As the four girls made their way back to the camp, the Sukis considerably bruised and the Kataras considerably wet, each protogée turned to their teacher and said: "I can't wait to show everyone what we've learnt!"