Another new chapter! yay for me! well, enjoy. And thank you to all those who reviewed!
Chapter Nineteen
"Am I to understand that you already know the basics?" Iroh asked that evening.
Aang gave a small nod and then continued with his meditation.
"Good. Then we may begin."
The Avatar's eyes snapped open. His gray eyes were full of surprise. "What? I'm not ready!" He cast his gaze downward. "I don't want to be ready."
Katara, watching the lesson, sent Aang a small, supportive smile. "It's all right, Aang," she encouraged. "You'll do fine."
"Yeah, Aang. You're the Avatar. You can do anything."
Toph sent a small ripple towards Sokka. "Shut up, Snoozles."
Iroh chuckled at the byplay between the friends. It was comforting to be surrounded by so many young people, especially when it came to Zuko. His nephew was acting so much better now that he had joined the Avatar. A frown crossed his face for a moment. But there was that episode earlier…Iroh didn't completely know what to make of his nephew's visit to the Spirit World, but he knew that Zuko was changing again. Though he seemed to be doing better, the young prince could never really shake loose of the shackles his father had placed on him.
"Umm…shall we get on with the lesson?"
Iroh snapped back to attention and nodded. "We will begin."
As Iroh put Aang through his firebending paces, the others began to wander off again. Katara wanted to find where Zuko had run off to, but he had said he was meditating, so she didn't think it would be such a good idea. Still…now that they had time, she wanted to talk to him. She frowned. It seemed almost as if he had been avoiding her all day.
She sighed and wandered through the temple, her thoughts distant. She didn't want Zuko to pull away from her; he had just begun to open up. And he really needed to open up. He couldn't keep everything bottled up all the time; it was unhealthy.
"What can I do?" she whispered to the halls. "How can I make him see who he really is?" Another sigh escaped her as she opened a small, unobtrusive door. She almost would have missed it, but she had heard the faint whisper of water beyond.
"Some practice will do me good."
Katara walked through the door and stopped in shock. It was a lovely water garden, filled with waterfalls and rippling pools. One even looked as if it were fed by a hot spring. Several willows were scattered throughout the garden and there were so many lilies and jasmine that Katara could hardly think. Several beautifully designed benches dotted the landscape.
She closed the door behind her just as the sun began to set. She smiled. This was her domain. Her head tilted upward. And the moon was out, a silver sliver in the sky.
"It's beautiful," she said in awe, moving towards the clearest pool. Water cascaded down from a small hole in the garden wall, ten feet above her head, causing ripples to glide gracefully across the surface of the pool.
"It is, isn't it?"
Katara whirled to find a young man sitting on a bench. He hadn't been there before, she was sure of it. Where had he come from?
"Who are you?" she asked.
The man smiled, his turquoise eyes friendly. "That is not important," he replied. "All that is needed to be known is that I am a friend. You will come to no harm by my hands." He patted the bench. "Come, sit and speak with me."
Katara cocked her head. He was quite handsome, with dark skin and startling aquamarine eyes. His black hair was left long, with a single silver bead resting against his cheekbone. Surprisingly, he was a waterbender.
"All right," Katara agreed. She sat beside him. "If you don't mind me asking…Where did you come from?"
He laughed. "I came from…far away. I am here to rest for a bit." He looked down at her. "And to help."
"Help?"
The man took hold of Katara's hands. "You feel a bit depressed, though you should be happy." When Katara still frowned in confusion, he sighed and stood. "Come. We will bend. It has been so long since I was able to practice my bending with another of the same ilk."
Katara was delighted. She didn't know who this mysterious bender was, but she had her suspicions. Besides, it had been a long time since she had been able to waterbend with anyone other than Aang. Sometimes she really missed the North Pole.
She followed the man to one of the pools and waded in, taking her stance. As he began to bend, Katara found that he seemed to be quite the master. But, when one of her water whips struck him, she smiled. He may be a master, but he wasn't nearly fast enough.
The man smiled. "You're very fast," he told her. But just as he was saying the words, Katara found herself knocked off balance, treading water. "But let's see if you can be faster."
Katara laughed and used the water to lift herself back up. This was fun.
As Zuko walked into the large hall where everyone was gathered, Sokka nearly pounced, eyes filled with rage and concern.
"Where is my sister?" he practically screamed.
Zuko shrugged, though he felt a bit concerned. "I haven't seen her since yesterday," he answered in a bored tone. "Maybe she just went to get some privacy. I would, too, if I had someone following me around all the time."
Sokka growled. "What's that supposed to mean?" he screeched.
Suddenly, he was surrounded by an earthen cage. "Cool it, Snoozles," Toph said. "You're making me dizzy."
"Arrgh! Let me out!"
"Not until you play nice."
Iroh laughed. "She does have a point, young Sokka."
Sokka screamed again. "Toph, you are going to pay!"
"What are you going to do? Scream at me? Oooo…scary."
"Come on, Sokka," Aang said. "Zuko is probably right. You have been hovering over Katara ever since she came back. Maybe she just wants a little space."
Zuko rolled his eyes at the spectacle before him and said a quick goodnight to his Uncle before walking towards the room he had been given.
"Nephew."
The scarred prince paused but did not turn. "What is it, Uncle?"
Iroh stopped a few feet from his nephew. "How are you feeling, Prince Zuko?"
This time, the young man turned to face his only family. His golden eyes were dark. "I'll be fine, Uncle."
"That is not what I asked."
"No, but that's all I'm going to say." And with those words, Zuko disappeared into his room.
He sighed and sat down on the small cot. What happened? Who was that woman he met earlier, and why hadn't he moved an inch when he clearly remembered wandering through the temple?
"And where has Katara gone?"
Zuko shook his head. He couldn't think like that. He had to stop what was happening before something happened. Katara was a waterbender, his opposite. When this was all over, he would become Fire Lord and Katara would still be just a Water Tribe peasant.
"Why am I doing this?" he asked himself suddenly. "How can I go against my father in such a way? How can I help the Avatar defeat my own nation?"
Another deep sigh escaped him and he lay down, closing his eyes. Sleep came quickly, thankfully, and Zuko slipped gratefully into dreams.
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"Hello, Prince Zuko. It has been quite some time since we last spoke."
Zuko turned to find himself in the middle of the courtyard once more, facing the Princess of the Northern Water Tribe once more. "What…?"
Yue laughed. "I'm just here for a visit. I was told you are feeling a bit out of sorts." She cocked her head to the side. "Having doubts?"
The young prince nodded.
Yue sighed. "That's understandable, Prince Zuko, but to live, really live, you must clear your mind. You cannot be so split. In the end, if you are not focused and whole, you will be destroyed."
"I know," Zuko whispered. "But it is so hard."
The Moon spirit nodded in sympathy. "It can be, yes, but as you know, life is hard. Do not back down out of fear or misgivings. This is the right path."
Though her words seemed wise, Zuko turned away. He was Fire Nation! How could he betray his own people?"
A sighed escaped Yue and she smiled sadly. "If you cannot listen to me, then another will guide you."
"What do you mean?" Zuko asked, turning. But Yue was gone. And he was left by himself.
did you like? and i have a new character, too...or is he? mwahaha...anywho! please review! tell me what you ppl. think!