A/N: I don't own Avatar: The Legend of Aang. I own Ailin, though. She's mine.

Switching Sides

Chapter Two: Culture Shock

When Katara next woke up, it was in a completely different place.

She was lying in a bed, a broad, comfortable bed with thick sheets that wrapped her in a blissfully warm cocoon. Her head had stopped hurting so much, the pain reduced to a mere dull throbbing she could easily ignore. One of her legs felt lighter than air, the other oddly heavy. When she opened her eyes, the light in the room was dim and red; an orange flame flickered somewhere just out of sight.

Sokka! Is he here with me? Half-convinced she was dreaming, Katara rolled over onto her side – ouch, her ribs still hurt – and searched the room with her gaze.

He was sleeping on the floor on a makeshift bed made out of red pillows and blankets, and he was breathing peacefully. His face was untroubled, but a white bandage stood out on his forehead against his dark skin, telling of the long journey he – and she – had been through.

But what had been before the journey? Katara couldn't remember, and that distressed her greatly. All she knew was that this wasn't home – that home was the Southern Water Tribe, in her little igloo with her mother and the smell of stewed sea prunes…

To her dismay, tears started dribbling down Katara's face. She tried to blink them away, but they came faster and faster – and the reality of not being home hit her hard. It was as though she had been physically struck by something large and heavy – her whole body jerked and curled in on itself.

Mum. Where is she?

"Kids? Are you awake?" called a soft voice, and Katara's heart leapt with hope and pleasure. Tears drying, she sat up in bed as the door opened.

A small, female figure stood in the doorway, silhouetted by the lamplight behind her. "Kids?"

Katara did not think. "Mum!" She stood up and tried to stumble towards the woman, arms outstretched, tears of a different kind clouding her vision –

But her right leg collapsed from under her with a great burst of pain, just as she realized that the woman's face was nothing like her mother's. She hit the ground painfully and lay there, lacking the strength to get up, sobbing and sobbing and sobbing.

"It's alright, kid, I'm not going to hurt you!"

"I want my mum! I want her now!" Katara knew she was acting childishly, that girls of twelve years did not behave like this – but what did she care? She was lost, a small child in a big wide sea of unfamiliar things. "Mum…"

Ailin sighed and knelt down next to the small Water Tribe girl. "I know you want her, dear, but she isn't here." She stroked the girl's back in small rhythmic circles, like she had done with her own Taj when he had been a boy. "Now stop being silly and sit up. Does your leg feel better? Your head?"

After a while Katara felt slightly better. She sat up weakly, gazing at the strange woman with red, puffy eyes. "Where am I?"

"You're here, dear, and that's all that matters."

"Where am I?" Katara demanded, trying to stand up. Her leg prevented her from getting up – it hurt too much. She looked down at it, and realized for the first time that it was heavily bandaged. "What – what happened?"

"I was hoping you could tell me that." Ailin folded her hands in her lap. She had a small, wrinkled face that was both stern and kind at once.

"Why is my leg in a bandage? Why am I hurt?"

"I don't know, dear."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Ailin. I found you… outside, and you were hurt badly. I brought you to my home, and cleaned you up and bandaged you."

"Where's my mum? I need her." She clenched her fists.

"She's… far away, I think."

Tears threatened to overcome Katara again, but this time she swallowed them down, determination slivering her eyes. "I want to know where I am. I want to know why everything is red!"

"…Red?" Ailin glanced around at the small room, which had once belonged to Taj – red walls, deep brown wooden furnishings draped in red and black, and thought she understood. "You – you're in the Fire Nation, dear."

The effect was instantaneous. Katara, terrified and trembling, gave a wild shriek like an animal and crawled backwards, ignoring the pain in her leg – all that mattered was getting away from this woman, from this house, from this entire situation. She got to the doorway before black spots started to blot her vision and a curtain fell down over her eyes…

Dizzy and sick, she leant against the frame. Ailin walked slowly over to her, arms outstretched.

"Don't you come near me! Stay away!" Katara cowered backwards, her fingers tangling in her hair, her head bent, her eyes squeezed shut so that all she could see were the insides of her eyelids. At least that view hadn't changed.

But everything else had. And Katara felt so helpless.

"Hush, dear." A thought struck Ailin; what if the neighbours heard the screaming? What if they came to see what was wrong? For the last twelve years Ailin had lived alone, with hardly any visiting friends, let alone family. "What – what's your name?"

"I won't tell you!"

"Then I'll call you Rei."

"No! That's a Fire Nation name – don't you dare – don't you dare take my name away from me!" Right now, that was all Katara had left. Her name and her clothes were all that was left of her life in the South Pole. But – she glanced at her attire – she didn't even have her clothes anymore. She was wearing her thin undergarments, and a red robe that was not hers. Panicking, she grasped at her neck – but the necklace was still there, safe and sound. Phew.

"Tell me your name, then," replied Ailin pragmatically, "and I'll call you that instead."

"K-Katara."

"That's a pretty name," said Ailin, secretly thinking that it was too obviously Water Tribe, that she would have to change it when – if – the girl joined society. "Would you like something to eat?"

Katara wondered whether Ailin was crazy.

In truth, she was hungry, and she needed the toilet too – but if the old woman thought she was going to succumb to the Fire Nation for basic things like bread and water, she was mistaken. I'm better than that. If I stay loyal, mum will come and take me home. Dad will hack this woman to pieces with his machete, she thought, although she would never usually wish anyone dead, although her father would never do such a thing… If I stay loyal, I won't be lost.

Without saying anything more, Katara crawled back to the bed and climbed up. She knew the old woman was itching to help her, but she didn't want – or need –any help from the Fire Nation.

Curling herself up against the wall, Katara closed her eyes – but she didn't allow herself to fall asleep. For all she knew, the Fire Nation woman might try to stab her…

A/N: Another chapter! I love writing this thing X3

Any questions/suggestions on how to improve? Was it too short? Too stark? Too fast? Too slow? More description? Less description? Was there too much crying? Please review and tell me!

Thanks for reading. Goodbye – but not for long, because the third chapter is nearly finished. Hey, enjoy it while it lasts. As the story wears on, and I find things that don't work and it needs serious planning, the updates will be practically nonexistent.