"Duke? Could you pass me that-"
A bowl is thrown in my direction without a word spoken between us. It clatters loudly at my feet. I bend down slowly and pick it up, feeling aged somehow.
"Thanks." I mutter, and I leave to pick some herbs for the soup I'm making tonight. Will they even eat it?
As I leave I hear the stony silence break and chatter resume. Tears prickle and I walk heavy-footed towards the bushes. I pluck rosemary and sniff the jasmine, humming a long-forgotten lullaby softly to myself.
"How about some sage?" A sweet voice sounds from behind me. My heart twinges as I let the bowl fall from my hands and run towards Toph, seizing her into a tight embrace.
She pats my back awkwardly, nearly coinciding with my heartbeat, which she can probably feel.
I let the sobs escape, let them shoot through the air, echoing painfully. So what if they hear me? I hope they're proud of themselves, making me feel like this.
"If it's any consolation, I respect you for showing your true feelings…" Toph tells me secretly, "But still-I really don't think you should've done it behind Twinkletoes' bac-"
"Save it, Toph!" I choke, letting go of her and turning away, clutching my own arms tightly, trying to make up for Toph's embrace, "I've heard it all from Sokka!"
"I'm sorry! But if you're this miserable, and it's only because you're with Zuko, don't you think that-"
"Forget it!" I snap at her, interrupting once more, "I love Zuko, and-"
"Love?" Toph cuts in, sounding incredulous this time, not soft and reassuring anymore, "God, Katara, you're fifteen! What the hell do you know about love?"
"Compared to your little obsession with my brother, a lot!" I snarl, immediately regretting it.
Every muscle I have tenses, and I wait for Toph to storm off. But she doesn't, for once in her life; she takes it without biting back. That's when I realize she's only trying to help me, not lecture me.
"Katara…" she says eventually, as if it had taken her a while to collect herself, "You're still young, it's not as if you have to choose the guy you're gonna be with forever today. Give yourself time. You've got to understand that-"
"TOPH!" She jumps as Sokka screeches her name. He marches over, not looking at me at all. He takes her wrist; unlike he did last night with my upper arm. He held it more gently, as if she was delicate. I watched them standing together, in complete awe, thoughts and realizations rushing and bustling-
"Let's go, we've got to go and find some more food." He tells her, apparently forgetting my soup and with that they leave, Toph following obediently, betraying me. But did I have any right to feel betrayed?
I sigh, and set off to search for Zuko, the only person who didn't seem disgusted by my presence other than Toph, who seemed very much under control of Sokka.
I find him, with Aang. My heart lurches and a dull pang hits my stomach again. They are standing a few feet apart, poised and ready to attack. For a crazy moment I think they are fighting, that Aang is releasing his anger at Zuko. I am just about to rush out from my hiding place to stop them before I listen to what Zuko's saying. His is chest bare and his rippling muscles are shining in the sun.
"So the basics of fire bending are channeling your energy into the right places…"
"Right" comes a solemn mumble from Aang, whose posture is weaker than normal, leaving too many easy openings.
"…then there's always keeping a firm posture…" Zuko says, a little louder than before, obviously trying to pass a hint to Aang, who doesn't move.
"Uh huh…" Is all he says, his woeful gaze fixed upon the floor.
"And of course, not having your back facing towards your opponent, unless you're running away, a technique demonstrated quite regularly by my sister…" Zuko mutters, a hint of bitterness in his voice as he remembers his vile sibling.
"Right." Aang agrees, still not taking one glance at Zuko. He finally hardens his posture, preparing himself. "Let's go."
That facial expression, that stance, that voice…everything about Aang rushes back to me, a breath of fresh air that almost lifts me off of my feet.
Aang standing in front of me, clutching his glider like his best friend, blushing as I tell him how much he means to me. After a few polite words, I realize that he is not going to tell me how he feels, not today. But that is silenced as he pulls me towards him, his hand on my shoulder, and I burst, I erupt, I'm awake.
That day we became…us. But now I've lost that.
I'm thrown off by the burst of flames, coming from Aang's fingertips. It's surreal. I've only seen it once before, and after that I'd never wanted to see it again. Zuko is being easy on him as they train, I know it, leaping above him so effortlessly, twisting in the air, sending pathetic puffs of flames at Aang, most of them extinguishable by a sharp breath.
Aang grits his teeth and splits the flames with his hands, cutting them short of life, and shooting bolts of fire back at Zuko.
"Ok that's enough." Zuko dismisses, straightening up and dusting off his garb. Aang stands up straight as well and bows graciously. Zuko watches him closely.
"I'm curious, Avatar," He declares, beginning to pace around his student with the posture of a prince, "I've seen your natural talents for the arts of bending, how quickly you master them. Every time I next saw you, those months ago, you always had a new trick up your sleeve. You went from air bender, to water bender, to earth bender in a matter of months! But with fire bending…something tells me you're holding back." He finishes, and he leaves a silence there, a space for Aang to explain.
For a moment I wonder if he will answer. Aang just looks at the ground, and I wait with bated breath, anticipating a sentence with more than two words from him.
"I've bended before," Aang confesses finally, and I know what he's going to say next, "I was reckless, I went out of my depth, and I hurt someone…special. I never want to hurt them again. And I swore to myself that if I ever did have to fire bend again, I would be extremely careful, and wouldn't take any risks."
Zuko takes this in, and nods; seemingly satisfied that Aang had opened up to him. He watched him for a moment. Aang wouldn't return his gaze, and continued to watch his own feet.
"The problem is, Fire bending is all about taking risks, Avatar." Zuko tells him, turning and looking over the view, "It's about seeing an opportunity and grasping it. Water bending is about fluency and composure, earth bending is about strength and discipline, air bending is about mobility and strategy, but fire bending is about life and death, risks and success, love and hate-"
"Trust and Betrayal." Aang cuts in, this time a real flame in his eye, one that is so furious, it could destroy anything in its path. He is shaking as he looks at Zuko, but his expression is hard, mutinous, dangerous.
Nothing gets in the way of Aang when he has that look in his eye.